A pulsing headache

[Anna Becket]

Febuary 14, 2009
9:30PM

Anna had never really talked to Tristan about going to the valentines dance and really she showed no interest in it this year. It was rather strange, Tristan used to be such a great guy and always fun to talk to but now...he was different. She felt that he was becoming more distant and cold ever since he found the little red book. At first the gryff thought it was just a phase that would pass but it still lingered and was making Anna more and more concerned by the day. How could that little thing change him so much? First he loses his memory and the girl almost went to pieces and now this? Well she wasn't going to pieces or anything close to it but it was always so disturbing to hear those quotes popping out of his head. Standing by a wall and looking out the window she couldn't help but wonder about everyone enjoying themselves at the dance right about now.

All of this was giving her such a headache. At first everything seemed great when Gryffindor won the last quidditch match. But now she had to focus on the next match and focus on her mountain load of homework, there was no room for any distractions. Right now, Anna just had to pull her thoughts together. She concered asking someone for advice but who?

((open))

[Sophia Crawford]

It was pretty late for the young Gryff girl to be wandering the castle at night, but she just couldn't get to sleep. To Sophia the four-poster seemed like a jail cell, the curtains bars and the whole Common Room just too much of a boundary. She had to get out and do something. She had crept out of the room quietly, hoping not to wake anyone else up with her exit. She broke out of the Common Room and heard the portrait swing shut sleepily. Sophia made her way up the ever-moving staircases, lonely and confused. She didn't know why she was even up...she usually was sound asleep by now, or at least wanting to be, but tonight she was restless.

Her feet hit the dimly lit Seventh Floor with unexpected vigor. She never really explored this floor, although what was there to explore other than the Room of Requirement? Sophia didn't even know what she needed, so why bother with it? She was walking through the hallways when she suddenly saw a girl sulking in the shadows. She was alone and looked quite bothered. Sophia took a step forward and realized that it was Anna Becket, the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. She only knew that from hallway gossip and Common Room whispers and never had a chance to actually get to know her. She was in her Year and House, after all. She should at least say something.

"Hey Anna? Are you alright?" Sophia carefully walked towards the girl, slowly and cautiously.

[Anna Becket]

Anna's head snapped upward at the sound of another voice. At first the possibility of a prefect doing their rounds seemed possible but what other prefect than a Gryffindor would be wandering around the seventh floor? Then again, a ghost could have seen her and ratted her out to a professor. Wait, what was she thinking? There was a dance going on downstairs so who the heck would be up here anyway? Man was Anna's mind acting weird. Now actually focusing on who was walking toward her the gryff saw Sophia, another girl in her house and year. Admitedly, the girl did not know her very well other than the fact they shared a room with each other. But as soon as she neared Anna put on a weak smile.

"Um...yea I'm alright." she said in her best friendly tone. "I've just been thinking is all. So what brings you here and not the dance? Or was it really that bad?" Anna continued with her same smile.

[Sophia Crawford]

"The dance was alright..." Sophia flashed back to the great time she had with Connor at the dance. It was nice enough, all things considered. "I just got tired and I kind of wanted some rest...but I can't seem to fall asleep. I figured a walk would help clear my head a little." She looked at the girl and put on a pitying smile.

"Thinking? About what?" She asked gently. She could tell that Anna wasn't in the best of moods, and that she could probably use a friend to help...but then again, the two barely knew each other. It doesn't matter, Sophia argued in her mind. We're both Gryffindor girls. We're supposed to help each other. She didn't mean to pry or anything like that, but she knew Anna needed someone to listen.

[Anna Becket]

Anna gave a cautious glance around before looking toward the ceiling and sinking to sit on the floor. Could see really confide on Sophia? Not that she had anything against her but they were both lionesses and the girl had no clue over who to talk to about this. Turning her head toward the fellow sixth year and said, "Do you promise not to tell? Especially not Tristan, you know him right?" Yea, it seemed safe to trust her who was she going to tell? It wasn't like there was a rumor or anything going around but who knows how long that would hold up. Everyone knew her boyfriend to be a cheerful, happy go lucky sort of guy that could make anyone laugh. It definatly wouldn't be long before his friends would start talking.

[Sophia Crawford]

Sophia looked at the girl suspiciously looking about. What could be so possibly horrid that Anna was so paranoid about? She was worried about Anna, worried that she was in danger of something, someone. She looked again at Anna, to see her reacting so strangely. Anna's eyes finally rested on Sophia.

"Do you promise not to tell? Especially not Tristan, you know him right?"

She sounded scared, even worried. "Tristan's your boyfriend, right?" She had met him at the Gryffindor party in the Common Room briefly, but that was it. He seemed pretty nice and polite until his abrupt exit. "He isn't hurting you or anything, is he?" Sophia asked wide-eyed. Nice guys could do terrible things.

[Anna Becket]

"No, he's not hurting me." Anna said shaking her head. "But yes he is my boyfriend." Yea, it was fine Sophia was someone the girl could trust. It was strange, she didn't know why but Anna knew she could talk to her fellow Gryffindor. That was probobly the whole point of the houses, they were family after all. However as for the part whether Tristan was hurting her, he wasn't that kind of person but if he was he would have been a slug in two seconds. That was one thing the sixth year would not tolerate.

"I just don't know whats going on with him." Anna continued with a sigh putting her face in her hands. "He's been acting so strange and I just...worried."

[Sophia Crawford]

"Oh!" Sophia felt herself instinctively hug Anna. It wasn't forceful and it was a bit awkward considering circumstances, but Sophia was never one to underestimate a hug. "I never really noticed, but he has been acting a little out of character." She flashed back to all the times she had seen him with a red book. It was really strange, really...no one else seemed to own this book, and it seemed like whenever she was near to him, he spoke strange little tidbits, maybe quotations? She never spoke face to face with him, of course, but she had heard strange utterances of Goddesses and such...maybe it's mythology?

[Anna Becket]

To Anna's surprise, the hug actually felt comforting so she didn't push Sophia away. Normally she would have jumped or given some look of surprise but not this time for some reason. "I really hope that I'm not over reacting but...with the way he has been acting..." Here the girl had to stop and think how to put her words together. Then a thought came to her, that little red book he seemed terribly fond of was he reciting lines in front of others? Oh no that wouldn't be good, if she was worried then imagine what his friends would say.

"I guess it all started when he found this play or something. All I know is that it was a little red book that he always seems to be carrying around." Anna continued trying to remember that day at the owlery.

[Sophia Crawford]

She knew it. Sophia had felt it in her gut, deep in her heart, that this red book was no good. She saw him reading it almost all the time, and could realize why Anna was so distraught about it. The little she knew about Tristan changed after he had found the book.

"Anna, you're not overreacting. You care about him, and you only want to make sure that everything's okay with him." She said soothingly. "I know about the book. He seems to always have it with him, always saying the strangest things, or so I hear." He had never directly thrown a quote her way, but she had heard some of them. They were unintelligible to her, as they were to most everyone else. She knitted her brow as she thought of how to approach the situation.

"Do you know what the play is about?"

[Anna Becket]

She shook her head, "Not at all. He just kept reciting quotes from the book the whole time he was talking to me about it." It was a comfort to know that someone thought she wasn't crazy but still, the fact that there were more people that knew about the book was disturbing. Just what was he doing? Saying random things that were completely against his character? How could he find comfort in reading things like that? Tristan had briefly stated what he had already gone through growing up and Anna had already known about them long before they started dating.

"Guess that means I'll have to sneak into his room and take that little book. It's causing more problems than it is worth." she sighed looking back at Sophia. "You know what Tristan was like before all of this right?"

[Sophia Crawford]

Sophia found herself thinking along the same lines of Anna. "I think you really should at least take a look at the book. If you can see what's inside of it, maybe you can figure out why Tristan's acting so strangely."

"You know what Tristan was like before all of this right?"

She shook her head. "I never really spoke to Tristan, and I never really see him. All I know about him is that he loves that book." It was sad really. She never knew what he had been like before his change. "I bet he was a lot more outgoing than he is now. He seems so isolated all the time."

[Anna Becket]

"Maybe he thinks there is something comforting about that book." Anna found herself saying, "But that doesn't stop me from thinking that it is disturbing. However you do prove a good point about looking inside but my chances of giving it back are slim to none if I were to sneak into his room." Of course it wouldn't be a problem to sneak into the boys dorm since girls could go up there but what if Tristan caught her? Yea, memory charm was out of the question.

When Sophia revealed that she really didn't know much about her boyfriend Anna found herself smiling for reasons not even she could explain. "He was very outgoing and a fun person to be with. There was never really a dull moment with him. Though he always had that possibility of overdoing things sometimes. I want to see that Tristan again before he leaves in a few months."

[Sophia Crawford]

She listened intently as Anna described Tristan pre-red book and he sounded like a typical fun-loving Gryffindor boy. She saw the way Anna lovingly described him and could tell that she was truly and honestly worried that she might not see the same boy again.

"What if...what if you asked him straight about the book? I mean, you took him aside and asked to see it or something? He wouldn't be offended or anything, right?" Sophia's mind kept bringing scenarios up, possible ideas, possible consequences. "Maybe he would think that you were just really interested in it. You're still his girlfriend, so maybe he'd tell you? Then you could see what he loved so much about it." It seemed like a harmless thing to ask, but then again, Tristan had changed and who knows what his response would be.

[Anna Becket]

"If only it was that simple." Anna sighed. "He talked to me in private about a month ago and he had the thing with him. It was one of the first times he actually started talking to me about the book." Of course being his girlfriend Anna shouldn't have to worry about what Tristan thought if she really did confront him over the book. However, his cold and distant manner now was something that made her doubt even the smallest thing. Even if she would put her arms around him he would gently push her away.

"He's gone through a lot. Maybe that book is just some strange sort of comfort, something the nullify the pain he's been going through."