Imprisoned Freedom

[Hayzie]

A familiar blonde haired girl hastily made her way up the steps leading from the grounds to the Entrance Hall along with Mortimer, the Ravenclaw who had somehow managed to talk some sense in to the stubborn Lycan.

It was three AM so all but a few students would be asleep, the awake minority being Prefects on the night round. However if one of them were to walk by, they might not have recognised the pale faced girl whose expression now bordered on depressed and lonely rather than happy and outgoing, these features only shown in the dim light given off by a few candles that were scarcely lit in the impressive hall.

The Lycan girl stared around in a silent awe - as if she was seeing the hall for the first time again. In fact, whilst she had been locked in her mental prison, Hayzie had completely forgotten what the interior of the school looked like.

Although the girl had physically freed herself from the fog barriers around the perimetre of the forest, the mental hold was still there and she knew in order to stay in the Forest Lycan's good books, she would still have to make her presence in the forest felt, but maybe a little less than it had been over the past few days.

[Kelly]

Kelly had been walking around the school on her prefect rounds, complaining to herself how redundant they had become. It seemed that nothing ever happened on her watch, and she was debating whether she should just go to bed, or follow her orders. It didn't take long for her to decide on the latter - shirking prefect duties was probably not a good idea.

As she made her way to the entrance hall, Kelly realized something actually was happening tonight - but she wasn't sure if she should be glad, or afraid. Two figures stood in the glow of the candlelight, right in front of the closed oak doors. One she recognized as Mort, a fellow ravenclaw, but it took her a much longer time to realize who this was.

For starters, the girl had a sullen look on her face, very much different than the usual grin. Another, she looked at the school as if for the very first time, not like she had been going there for the years that she had. Eventually, though, the ravenclaw discovered who that blonde-haired girl was.

"Hayzie? What are you doing here?" she asked, sounding slightly surprised.

[Mortimer Lezek]

Mort sped up the steps and into the entrance hall following behind Hayzie, smiling to himself as she looked around the entrance hall. Thankfully she already looked even a little bit more alive.

He walked to her side, following her gaze around the huge room, then looked and smiled at her.

"You remember this place right?"

He laughed, at last some colour returning to his face. He was frozen solid after that little escapade in the forbidden forest. He wouldnt be returing there in a hurry.

He saw Kelly, the Ravenclaw prefect walk into the hall. In some way he was releived to see her, a non lycan, non drained face.

"Hey" he smiled, watching her walk over.

[Hayzie]

Hayzie jumped a little as Kelly came up. She heard her friend's voice before she even reached the two. And even then, it took the lycan girl a while to distinguish who it was in the dim candle light. Kelly's voice should have given it away really, but to Hayz, it seemed she had been away for longer than she acrtually had.

"Yes, I remember this place," Hayzie told Mort, a small smile on her face and a mild twinkle in her eye before turning to Kelly. Her friend knew of her being a Lycan, but the boy standing next to her had no idea.

"I'll explain later," she said, her eyes flitting over to Mort for a second, hoping the Ravenclaw Prefect would understand what she meant by the short glance.

[Kelly]

"Hello, Mort," Kelly said, a bit distracted as she watched Hayzie. She was about to ask her friend again, hoping to get a real answer, when she realized that as the lycan replied to her, she glanced over at Mort. Taking the hint, she closed her mouth, and then tried a different approach.

"So how've you been?" she asked, but then realized that might've not been the smartest question - but it was too late now, she couldn't take it back.

[Mortimer Lezek]

Mort looked down at his ripped and frayed robes, mud splattered up his back. His cheeks were red, the rest of his face white with cold and lack of sleep. He rubbed his leg slightly where he had cut it in the small fray with the two creatures he had stumbled across while in the forest.

"I'm fine"

He lied with a smile. To be quite frank he was more concerned about the state of Hayzie. Her cheeks had regained a bit of colour, however he was not so sure about her mental state. She looked tired and slightly shaken up, the forest had already gotten to her, it would take a while to restore her old personality. However it shouldnt take to long now shes back with her friends. He told himself feeling slightly better.

He looked over to Hayzie, a slight look of kind worry on his face. She'd pull through with the help of her friends around her. Finally things were getting to something like normal he sighed happily, turning back to Kelly.

"I'm not sure how our little run-away here is however"

He said with a small laugh.

[Hayzie]

Hayzie looked a bit startled at the question, almost like a deer trapped in some headlights. But she shook the feeling away quickly, knowing if she kept up this way, she would only end up losing the plot, and that was one thing she wasn't willing to do easily.

The blonde girl felt so tired, yet she would refuse to sleep. For the final few nights in St. Mungo's and the small number of nights she had spent in the forest she had neither slept nor eaten and her energy was starting to drain a little, yet the reply Hayzie gave Mort and Kelly was: "I'm okay. How about you, Kelly?"

[Kelly]

Kelly forced a chuckle - Mort didn't know the half of it.

"I'm doing alright - a little tired, with school and stuff, you know?" Kelly replied, trying to keep the conversation as normal as possible. But from the look on Hayzie's face, she wasn't nearly as tired as how the Lycan looked.

[Hayzie]

Hayzie nodded at what Kelly said. A day of school followed by the night prefect round always was the worst.

Looking at Mortimer, Hayzie decided that she'd take on her prefectorial role again straight away. "Mister Lezek, I do believe you should be in your common room, correct?" she asked, her tone sounding tired and no hint of authority was there, but she had to speak to Kelly. Fast.

[Mortimer Lezek]

Mort look mystified at Hayzie.

"Um....ok..."

He said. Not even a smile or a thank you for everything he had done and risked during the night.

He turned to walk away slightly annoyed and sadened, looking over his shoulder her shot a small, hurt smile to the two prefects.....

"I'll see you in the morning Hayzie, Kelly."

He said, taking one last look at the wery Hayzie.

"Goodnight"

His voice echoed throuout the hall. He headed off to the Ravenclaw common room, slightly mystified and cheesed off. At least he could be apreciated in his dreams.

[Kelly]

Kelly looked off as Mort walked away, a bit saddened - she could see the hurt in his eyes. She felt horrible for pushing him away like that, but she knew that there was something she and Hayzie needed to talk about. Once Mort was out of hearing distance, she turned back to Hayzie.

"Okay, spill," she said, wondering what was on Hayz's mind.

[Hayzie]

A wash of guilt swept over Hayzie as she watched Mortimer walk off. She hadn't meant to hurt him like that. After all, she was highly grateful for what he had done.

Walking over to sit on the steps leading towards the second floor corridor, Hayz sighed a little. She should have known it wouldn't take Kelly long to ask.

"I've left the forest to come back here," she explained quietly to her friend, still looking around for anyone else approaching. "But I'm going to have to go back at least once a day... otherwise who knows what could happen," Hayzie told her friend. All of a sudden, uncertainty crept in. Maybe she didn't belong here after all.

"Mort talked me back into it."

[Kelly]

Kelly walked over, and sat next to Hayzie on the stairs. As the lycan explained her predicament, she nodded, but remained silent. She had no idea what kind of advice to give, or if she even needed to give any. She put her arm around the gryffindor's shoulders, a silent act of friendship - she was sure that's what Hayzie needed most these days.

[Hayzie]

Hayzie leaned into Kelly's hug and closed her eyes, but had to force herself to open them again - otherwise she'd undoubtedly fall asleep.

"I don't know who I am any more Kelly," the lycan girl admitted eventually. "And I'm going to try and live two lives... but I don't know what's going to happen."

[Kelly]

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Hayzie. You have to chose, one way or the other," Kelly said. She thought back to what Mondia had told her in the forest, and didn't want that to happen to her friend.