Beginning to Heal [Open]

It was half-term, and there was only one place Savannah really wanted to be during her time away. Staring into the rather bleak looking graveyard, the raven-haired individual leaned against the gate, clutching a bouquet of flowers in her hands.

Her father was in there. Lying cold and unmoving underneath the snowy ground. Sighing, Savannah pushed open the gate, ignoring the high-pitched whine it emitted. There was only one thing that mattered to her right now.

Shivering, she made her way through the graveyard quickly, knowing from past experience the plot in which her father was buried in. Dropping to her knees in front of his tombstone, she stared blankly at it, the words and numbers barely registering in her brain: Scott Alexander Lerran. February 21st 2014 - July 19th 2053. Brushing away snow, she placed the flowers down in front of his tombstone.

Why couldn't he have come back as a ghost? Crossing her arms, Savannah glared at the tombstone, like her father could hear her thoughts. "If you had, I wouldn't miss you as much,"

Uncrossing her arms, she bit her lip, her mind taking her back to the day he died. It had just been him and her, on the camping trips they used to take. Before her mother had begun obsessing over her job, it'd been all three of them, but she'd been busy, so it had been just the two of them that had went. They'd went out into the lake they'd always went for holiday. He'd been teaching her the backstroke when he suddenly disappeared underneath the waves. At first, she'd thought it had been a joke, and had simply laughed, but when he didn't surface for a few minutes, she'd gotten worried, diving in after him. And there they'd been, joined together in a twisted sort of headlock, and it had barely registered to her what had been going on before the mysterious man with a bubble around his head Disapparated, leaving her there to stare at a pair of unseeing eyes.

Taking deep breaths to calm herself, Savannah pulled herself out of her memory, brushing her ungloved fingers over the words below the dates on the slab of stone. A loving father and husband.

Even her deep breathing exercises can't stop the lump from forming in her throat. And before she really knows it, all the sadness she's been holding back behind the cold exterior bubble up to the surface. For the first time since his death, Savannah allows herself to break down. Sobbing, she is much too absorbed with letting all her emotions surface to notice the footsteps approaching her.

A flutter of wings, then it shifted. Two feet, the appearance of a human. Gaze intent, too intent. A girl. All alone.

It closed the distance to where she sat. Its purpose must be served. Reaching out, it placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Wha? There was something on her shoulder. Turning around, her eyes fell on a crow. It was the biggest bird she had ever laid eyes on. Gulping, she fumbled for her wand, staring at it. It had to be magical. There was no way around it. Pointing her wand at it, her voice shook as she spoke, tears still falling, "Wh-what do you want?"

It tilted its head to the side, then swallowed, the action causing the feathers along its human throat to rustle. It extended its wings slightly.

"You will come with me," it rasped in monotone.

Shifting backwards, Savannah glared at the bird defiantly, holding her wand tighter above it's head, "What if I don't?"

It blinked slowly, tilting its head the other way.

"You will come with me," it repeated, words and tone exactly the same. And then, it reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her towards it and hoisting her over its shoulder.

She didn't really have much of a chance to react before she was effectively kidnapped. Pulled over the crow's shoulder, Savannah glared at it, dropping her wand to beat the crow's back with her fists. "Let me go!"

It turned its head in the girl's direction. Then, pushing off the ground, it swooped into the air, powerful wings beating the air.

Its purpose must be served.

I'm going to die. Savannah realizes, as she rises above the ground. And for the first time in a while, Savannah is actually terrified.