Drawing (Open)

Angel got out of the house early that morning. She really didn't feel like facing her stepfamily after the big argument with her brothers the previous night. If it wasn't for her stepmother, things would have gotten really bad.

Drawing. The only thing Angel knew would settle her. The girl walked to the park, taking in all the sights. Children playing with their parent's watchful eye on them constantly. Angel pulled out her drawing pad and a pencil.

She sat down on a bench, and began sketching two kids playing on the slide. She gave them both big happy smiles, and a bright red slide. Next, she drew three toddlers in the sandpit. They had big, green buckets and huge smiles. Angel continued drawing people as they came and went, ending each picture by signing her name.

It was getting late, so the park had grown deserted. She drew flowers and trees for ages, but quickly got bored.

Angel kept looking around the park for a person to draw.

Paloma was walking around the park, thinking of her family. She just wanted things to go back to how they were before first year, when they were all happy and united. It wasn't as if they weren't happy now. She was happy, Rob was happy, Alice was happy, her mother was happy, her father was happy. But back then, they were all happy . . . together. She knew her parents still loved her sister, she knew her sister still loved her parents. But everything was so complicated. And at the same time, she felt she should be happy that, unlike some people, she at least had a family.

Sighing, she sat down on a bench beside a girl who was drawing. She took a peek at one of her finished drawings and smiled.

"You're good," Paloma told her, "They're beautiful."

Angel looked up from the bird she'd been drawing, and saw somebody.

"Thanks, I guess," she sighed. She pursued her lips, and stared down at the blank sheet of paper for a while. That's when Angel notioced the drawing underneath.

It was her sister. Tallulah's tiny face was tearful. Angel knew where it had come from. Yesterday.

She shoved the paper underneath the blank one. Angel forced a neutral expression, and looked at the girl next to her.

"Can I draw you?" she asked dully.

Paloma thought the girl looked tired and. . . sad, maybe?

"Uh, sure," she replied. It wasn't as if she had anything better to do, "But no one's ever drawn me before. Should I just stay normal or . . .?"

Angel sighed. "Yes, just stay normal, that'll do."

She started sketching the face, and gave herself help lines to follow.

"Alright," Paloma replied, and stayed in the same position she was. It was hard not feeling uncomfortable or not laughing with someone watching you so intently, so Paloma focused her mind on something else.

She thought of all that had happened the past year. . . her classes, the few people she met, the time she spent studying instead of just hanging out with friends . . . She thought of what she wanted for the next school year. She wanted it all to be different.

After a few minutes in silence, she realized she still didn't know who the girl drawing her was.

"What's your name?" she asked.

Angel was concentrating very hard. She drew eyes, and gave them long lashes. She drew a nose and then lips.

Angel gently started drawing hair. She tried to forget the stupid picture she'd just drawn and all the other ones. She drew with more force.

"Angel," she answered, but it was a lot like a sneer.. "Stupid isn't it? Still don't know what my.." She hesitated, and then went on. "Parents were thinking. It's like naming a person afraid of water Ocean. What's yours by the way?" she added quickly.

Angel looked down at the paper, erased the lines and drew shadow at parts of her face to make it three dimensional.

Paloma could tell the girl was thinking of a bad memory, or something of the kind, as she started to draw with more force.

She saw her hesitate before saying 'parents' and felt a bit guilty. Why was she freaking out over her small family issues when other people had much bigger ones? She should be happy she had a family that, despite everything, still loved each other. Even if just a bit.

"Angel," Paloma repeated, "It's a pretty name. You couldn't very well be named Devil, now could you? Plus, it's not like they know their child's personality before birth."

"Now, my parents," she said, "chose to name me Paloma. At least Angel can give you a decent nickname, whereas I'll have to live forever being called 'Lola' by my parents or 'Pallie' by my little brother. And I don't even know which is worse."

As she started to draw the neck, Angel realised that she almost was done. She'd been trying to drag it out to avoid drawing something else.

"Devil would be a rubbish description," Angel mused. " But Angel.... I'm not getting wings, am I?"

"Decent nicknames?" she said. "My only nickname is Stone-face, well, and LaRue at times, not that that's good, as I'm nothing like my father. And when my stepbrothers want to taunt me, they call me Gelly. Lola's okay, Pallie is kinda stupid though."

She drew on in silence. Darn. It was actually done.

"Hmm..." Angel held it up. "It's OK, I suppose. Slightly similar." She put it down on the bench, and looked up.

"So, Lola," she said. "D'you live around here?"

Paloma shrugged, "I guess not. . . Okay, so what do you think would have been a nice name for you?"

"I don't like nicknames, I'm just not a fan of them, I guess. Some of my friends, yeah, I call them by their nicknames sometimes, but parents? I think that they should call the kids by their names, they chose it, after all," she explained, "Which is why I guess I don't really like Lola. And Pallie is stupid, but it's what my little brother used to call me when he was very young, and he just kind of. . . stuck to it."

She saw Angel hold up the drawing and smiled, "It's pretty. Do you draw a lot?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'around here'," she said, "I live in Stuttgart, Germany. It's not here, but not too far off. What about you?"

"I don't know," Angel sighed. "I was going to be called Linnea, but when I was born my gran told everyone that I "Didnt look like a Linnea, but an Angel". everybody thought it was a stupendous idea, so I'm stuck with it."

"Nah," she muttered. "Nicknames are stupid if you don't want them. I hate nicknames."

Angel sighed. "I do draw quite a lot. it takes my mind off... Things."

"I've never been to Germany," she sighed dreamily. "Me? I'm not far away. Just up the street a little, then to the left and a bit up. I come here often."

"You don't look like a Linnea," Paloma observed.

"I think they're overrated," she said, "And I hate how a lot of people these days pick names based on the nicknames they can use for it. That's just stupid."

Paloma nodded. That's what her sports were for. "I usually just dance, run, swim or play Qui-" she stopped, "Uh, play sports. It makes me feel better, like my problems disappear."

"You really ought to go, it's a beautiful country," she smiled, "Oh, I see. This is a nice place to live, I bet kids love it here."

"No," Angel said.

"Overrated, that's the word," she said, smacking her palm in the bench.

"Quidditch? is that what you were going to say?" she asked. "Sorry, I'm probably wrong. Just say things I don't mean at times. I can only draw things I've seen." She sighed, and picked up her drawing of Tallulah.

"This is my stepsister yesterday," Angel sighed. " I don't know why I drew it, but it upsets me."

"I will, sometime," she said. "Yeah, from what I see."

Paloma thought she had really messed up with her Quidditch almost-spill, but she sighed when Angel recognized the word. "Oh, you're a witch, then," she breathed, "What school do you go to?"

She saw her show the drawing of the teary little girl and gave a soft smile. "She's very pretty," she commented, "Do you care for her a lot? You probably drew it because you don't like seeing her that way. It might be your way of letting your anger of what made her so upset out."

"Yes I am," Angel said. "I go to Hogwarts, and I'm guessing you go to Durmstrang. No?"

She sighed. "Yes, she is. Tallulah, that's her. I'm not sure about your theory, but it was all my fault." she buried her face in her hands, sighing heavily.

"Ah, Hogwarts," Paloma sighed dreamily, "I've always wanted to study there. Is it as amazing as people say it is?"

She nodded, "Yep, Durmstrang."

She looked at the girl and put a hand on her back. "Hey, it's alright," she told her, "I'm sure you didn't mean to hurt her. It's not your fault."

"It is," Angel said. "I think it's amazinger than you've heard."

"Is Durmstrang nice?" she asked. "I don't know a great deal about it. What house are you in?"

Angel sighed. "I'm not sure. If she had any sense, she'll hate me. It's unlikekly, though. We had a big row, and she wanted us to stop. Me and my stepbrothers, that is."

Paloma smiled excitedly, "Oh, I can't wait. I applied for the student exchange, and apparently I got in."

"Durmstrang's pretty cool," she said, "Much better than I thought it would be, honestly. It's viewed by a lot of people as a 'Dark School' but I don't think there are many students interested in Dark Magic. I'm in Uchitel, I think it's sort of a . . . Ravenclaw. What about you? What house are you in?"

She smiled, "It's as much your fault as it's your stepbrothers. Even if she's mad about it, she'll forgive you. She probably knows you didn't mean it. How old's she?"

Angel looked shocked. "You applied and got in?" she lifted one corner of her mouth, and for the first time in nearly seven years, almost smiled. "That's great. It'll be good to know someone for once. Hogwarts is brilliant. You should be exited."

"Uchitel? That sounds cool," she said. "I wish I was in Ravenclaw. It's better to be called a nerd than being thought about as a "Dark Wizard" I'm in Slytherin, like your Slu-Slu..." She stopped. "Damn, I need to learn the Durmstrang houses."

Angel sighed. "I know she'll forgive me, but that's what worries me. I keep upsetting her, she keeps forgiving me. She's nearly six. Poor kid. Not fit in a family where all this stuff goes on."

She was, for once, happy to be talking to somebody.

"I am," Paloma exclaimed, "The only sad part will be when it's time to go back home."

"Well, not all Slytherins are dark, are they?" she asked, "My sister used to go to Hogwarts and had some really nice Slytherin friends. I think judging people by their house is stupid." She put a strand of hair behind her ear, "Slushatel? I have a friend from that house who's probably the nicest, sweetest person I'll ever meet. Like I said, people are stupid for judging others by their house."

She smiled sympathetically, "She forgives you because she loves you. I don't know what goes on in your family, but if it's as bad as you say it is, you're right; she doesn't belong in a place like that. But it's not like she has anywhere else to go, is there? If it's that bad, then you're probably one of the good things for her there, don't beat yourself up for it. She would probably feel worse if you were gone."

"Yeah," Angel said. "Probably will be."

"I know!" she snarled. "It's no good. I don't unerstand it at all. Why do people do that? I mean, Ravenclaw don't study 24/7, Hufflepuffs don't just stand around and support you, Gryffindors don't fling themselves off cliffs all the time and Slytherins aren't necessarily dark. It's stupid."

She hung her head. "She could go somewhere else. We're all adopted. People were practically queuing up to get her, but Tallulah went with us. I don't understand why. If she wanted to leave, she'd be welcome anywhere." Angel sighed.

"Yeah. . . but I'd rather only think about that later. I still have basically a year," Paloma said.

She nodded, "It is. But people seem to like stereotypes."

"Oh, I see," Paloma muttered. She tried to put herself in Angel's shoes. She'd feel awful if Rob left. "Hey, don't worry, I'll bet she'd rather stay there, with you, than go somewhere else. Even if she could have a better life in another home, she wouldn't have you."

"Yes," Angel said. "I'm sure you'll have fun."

She snorted. "Stereotypes are boring, anyway."

"Yes," she nodded. "I just want her to have a good life, thats all." Angel closed her eyes briefly. "Enough about me, what about you? Do you have any siblings?"

Paloma smiled, "I hope so."

"Right?" she agreed, "What's the point of defining everybody before you get a chance to meet them? It's not like everyone's the same."

She nodded, "Two. Robert, my younger brother, and Alice, my older sister who just finished her 7th year at Hogwarts."

Angel nodded. "It is stupid to judge people like that. Very small minded."

"Oh," she said. "And they're important to you, right?"

She picked up her drawings, and looked at them. "I like itt when kids smile," Angel said, looking up.