Deep Waters

Iva was alone.

Not physically, not mentally, but, socially. No one wanted to talk to her lately. Karma and Arsen were too busy being enamored with each other and Damian... never wanted to see her again. A group of Hufflepuff girls told her so, last time she went to dinner. They complained how she had broken the Huffle Hottie (What a lame name,) and demanded she go burn in hell. She ignored them at first, but then she saw JJ's new necklace.

She hadn't gone down to a meal since. She could get food other ways.

Curled in the chair closest to the fire, Iva couldn't help but feel defenseless and alone. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fire's smoke, waiting for something in her small world to change.

Karma was humming as she slipped into the common room from where ever she'd happened to be before. She hadn't really been paying attention of late. Her stomach had been... pleasantly non-painful, and she was taking full advantage of it.

"Iva! There you are!" She said happily. "Where have you been, girl? I've been looking all over for you!" she plopped onto the couch next to her, eying the small russian beside her. "You know, Rusalita. You should really turn that frown upside down. You'll show him you actually care, and then he'll win." She nodded, sticking a blood pop into her mouth and sucking on it. "How have you been?"

Iva looked up at her old friend, relieved. Finally, someone to drag her out of this misery that forever shrouded her thoughts. The blues in her eyes were bright until-

That word. The stupid spanish nicname. She almost missed it, thinking it was a normal name, but it was there! Karma went on to mention him and it didn't take Iva long to realize what had happened.

She had been talking to someone. The only friend she could rely on had gone behind her back, hadn't she? A part of her whispered in the back of her mind, urging these evil thoughts on.

What else could she expect? No one liked her any way.

"Shut up," The Russian snapped, standing up, "You do not know a damn thing. That's not your business to mention. Ever."

Karma raised an eyebrow. "Oh. Sorry. I forgot you're allergic to polite conversation." She said with a raised eyebrow. "What have I said that's got you all in a tissy? The truth?" She yawned. "I don't know what's gotten into you lot lately. Just be a bit happy, won't you? It's not such a bad feeling. I know. I haven't felt it for the longest."

She rolled her eyes and relaxed against the couch.

Something snapped within her.

"Polite? Polite!?" she snarled, whipping around, "You think making fun of my break up is polite!? Oh, wait, you must, because I've never seen you do a polite think in your life!"

For a second, bliss crossed her face as everything in her body relaxed. She was ready to apologize for her rudeness when the voice returned. This time, she voiced its opinion.

"Happy? How could I stay happy with someone like you here?"

"You think that I'm making fun of your break up?" She asked blankly. "What on earth did I say?!"

Karma gave a short, self-depreciating laugh. "When you're as used to unhappiness as I am, Iva, it's a conscious effort to be happy. I was actually happy of my own accord for the first time since I buried Jet..." She looked over at the girl, her eyes unreadible. "But thanks for reminding me that I don't belong with the rest of you. I was starting to forget between breaths."

Iva rolled her eyes with a scoff, her classic attitude coming into full swing. Hands on her hips and eyes gleaming in the firelight, she tiny girl seemed stronger than ever.

"Because poor Karma has so many problems! It's not like everyone loves you or anything! It's not like you have the House of Black! It's not like Arsen doesn't love you! It's not like you are special or anything!"

She paused, her hands clenched as tight as her jaw. "Oh, wait. You are. I'm the one without friends, remember?But, it always has to be about you, doesn't it? God, even at home they talk about you! You mention Slytherin and it's suddenly "Black"!

"Don't you get it?" she growled, "You're the school's idol. Everyone knows Karma Black. Suck it up and enjoy being noticed for once in your damn life."

"Yes of course! It's great to be feared isn't it?!" She demanded, standing, taking advantage of her height over the girl. "I know what it is in the eyes of the people closest to me, and it's not love." She scoffed and looked away from her. "Even you. From fear to hatred."

"Oh it's just great to be the only Black isn't it?" She growled. "Here's a newsflash. My entire family died because of me, and that's great, isn't it? Aria, dead, thanks to me. Arsen'll probably be too. Jet's dead. Rhys's dead. Everyone around me dies, and you think I'm grateful for being special?" She smiled. "I suppose I am grateful. Loneliness is a great trainer. I've gained a dad because of it. It's great."

"Says the Popov." She said with a grin. "Enjoy being noticed, you say. Because you know nothing of being noticed, I suppose, though you are the sole daughter of Pieter Popov I?" She grinned. "Not that I know anything about you or your home life. I for one, do not jump to conclusions about people I don't truly know."

"That is the thing, is it not? You. Don't. Know. Me. You don't know anyone except yourself! After 4 years together, I bet you don't even know my middle name! Aria was the one who wanted me in the Trio, not you. No one likes me. No one likes you either,

"You know what? I don't have to deal with this," She turned to the dorms and sprung forward, shoulders tensed and around her ears. She started up the stairs, calling back, "I'm leaving!"

After a moment, the Russian came back with her trunk and Zoya at her heels. Her winter jacket was pulled around her, wrinkling her nightgowns. The wolf gave Karma a dejeccted look, its ears back and dropping as if it had done something wrong.

Karma smirked, and Nightmare sat up on the edge of the couch, watching the girls with obvious disapproval. "You think running away is going to make things better?" She asked, stepping into the other girl's path. She met her eyes, locking their gazes. Slowly, her pupils dilated until her brown irises were nothing but a thin line. Nightmare padded over to the wolfcub, sniffing her before licking her ears, placing a paw over her back and lowering her cub into a laying position. She continued to lick the fur of the deamon, not letting her wiggle out of her grasp.

Karma's eyes had never wavered from Iva's and slowly, almost before she knew what she was doing, she brought her soul up to her eyes. "You will not run away." She said, her voice seeming more persuasive somehow, more calming. "You're perfectly fine here. Perfectly happy. You have many friends, many people who care about you. One boy doesn't matter." Karma looked away, her eyes going to the fireplace, and her spell ending, though its effects would still be strong. "Or at least, that's my opinion on the matter." This time, when she looked back at the girl,

Zoya let out a low whine, not from the cat's mothering, but from an inner pain, an inner repression. Slowly, it curled around and nipped at Nightmares legs in a threatening manner. Well, as threatening as a pup could get. She wanted to return to her master's side and understand that strange wide eyed gaze and purely idiotic smile.

Iva dropped her hands and shoulders as if a weight had lifted from her body. "I'm perfectly fine here," she repeated with a nod, "He doesn't matter, does he? Never did, really. I might actually hate him," Her voice was distant and far off, as if her focus was on something else- the same something else that cause a goofy (very un- Iva) smile to appear to her face. "I don't even care about him,"

Nightmare nipped at the pup's ears, reproving of the bite, but lifted her paw off the cub anyway. It was done now, and all would be well. Sitting primly upward, the panther watched the cub with knowing golden eyes, but made no move to stop her.

Karma smiled gently back at Iva, nodding. "See? Aren't boys such a silly thing to be worried about?" She shook her head slightly, laughing. "You're perfectly happy." She looked down at Iva's trunk and flicked her wand at it, sending it back up to her dormitory. "Now, Iva, I don't think you hate him." She said, cocking her head to the side. "Break ups have effects like this. You may feel you hate him now, but you'll feel different later."

Iva settled herself back down into her chair and her cub jumped on to her lap, a humorous sight, seeing as the wolf overflowed due to the fact it was all legs. A tail flopped over the arm, its usual wagging gone. Without a glance back at her Momma, Zoya let out a low whine, looking for comfort from her master.

"No, I hate him," Iva murmured, her voice still high and bright, "One boy doesn't matter. He doesn't matter. I hate him, right Zoya?"

Karma shrugged. "If that's what you think, then that's what you think." She said, looking down at Nightmare. Nightmare looked back up her with her usual disapproving gaze, but it was tinged with worry that the girl itself wouldn't show. "What do you want to do now, Ivz?"

Iva shrugged and lifted herself from the chair, causing Zoya to jump to the ground in a fit of growls. She was... distracted. She needed something new to think about, now that Damian was off of her mind.

"I'm going for a walk," she decided and, with out further notice, walked out of the room with Zoya at her heels.