Not safe and sound

In a forest in Russia

Kait usually wears poker faces. Sometimes, they work so well, she forgets what is wrong with her life. When she was around friends, the poker face of a care free girl came up, and Kait didn't think about what she was hiding.

Leaning against a pine tree, Kait blinked away tears. The greek girl refused to weep; it was a weakness. Nobody that was strong didn't cry right?

It was hard to not cry though. Kait was alone, in this random forest. Kait didn't remember how to get out.

After fifteen minutes of broken gasps, Kait allowed the first crystal clear tear. Kait figured, one tear was alright.

But the dam had already been broken, and she couldn't stop the flood.

Crying, Kait pounded on the tree with her fist, mumbling incoherent words.

Taking another gulp of air, Afonka continued on his run through the woods. This was calming. And after all the candy he'd eaten, he needed to burn off the sugar. And besides, he got jittery if he stayed still for too long.

So he continued on his way, the only sound reaching his ears the rough sound of his breathing and the even slap of his feet against the forest floor.

But soon, another sound came floating towards him. Slowing down, he looked around, trying to pinpoint the location. Was someone crying? Frowning, he began to head in the direction, eyes widening as his gaze fell on Kaitlen.

".......Kait? Wha - is something wrong wrong? Well, I mean, something's obviously wrong, or you wouldn't be here crying, but..." he trailed off, having nothing to really say.

Cursing silently when she heard Afonka's voice, Kait looked away from the boy. "Nothing's wrong," Kait told him, her cracking voice betraying her. "Just.. go away. I'm fine... n-nothing's wrong," Kait continued, trying to make her voice as firm as possible.

But Afonka didn't go anywhere. He hardly moved. He just stared at Kaitlen, biting his lip and thoughts sent careening back to Ophelia. She - she'd killed herself. And he hadn't even known there was anything wrong. He - he couldn't let that happen to anyone else. Not - he couldn't go through that again.

"But - but you're crying. You can't be fine if you're crying." he said softly, and slowly stepped towards her, eyes full of worry.

Hearing him step forward, Kait tensed for a moment. Images flashed behind her eyelids; A man's hand being raised to slap her, her mother walking towards her, while yelling insults, Iris being- "No," Kait moaned, putting her head in her hands.

"Not crying," Kait mumbled, wrapping her arms around herself. Wiping her eyes, Kait turned around. "See? Not crying," Kait fought back the tears, easier this time. Kait hoped her eyes were not too red.

Freezing up, Afonka took a few steps back. He - he was scaring her, wasn't he? Swallowing hard, he flinched, "I - I'm sorry. I shouldn't have - I'm sorry." Biting his lip, he swung his gaze down to his feet for a moment.

Looking up at her as she turned around, he gave her the grimmest of all smiles. "You still look, sad." Shrugging, he took another step back, raising his hands. "You don't have to tell me. I mean, I barely know you that well and, and I'm practically a stranger. But if you want to......." he trailed off, giving her a real smile.

"I- It... It is alright," Kait gasped, clutching her head, trying to get the memories out of her head. Somebody just obliviate her already, these memories were too much. "Get rid of them," Kait continued, moaning. More memories flashed through her mind, all of them horrible.

"I'm not sad, I am miserable," Kait corrected, snorting a little. Her poker face was coming back up, the face of a strong girl. "You wouldn't want to know..."

"Is it?" he asked softly, not taking his eyes off of her. After all, she was here in the middle of a forest crying her eyes out. There was no way it was fine. Biting his lip, he took another step backwards, "Get, get rid of what?" Glancing around them, he frowned worriedly. Was something - or someone - out to get her?

"That - that's not any better." Afonka pointed out, his frown deepening. "Maybe I would," he said softly, his tone rather dark, "I can be full of surprises."

"Memories," Kait whispered, now on her knees. Clutching her head, the memories only increased. Something whispered in the back of her mind, Be strong. Bury them, be strong. But Kait could hardly hear it, the memories were too loud. They were eating away her sanity.

"What do you know about my past, Afonka," Kait asked him, taking in deep breaths. Most people had heard about her and her sister being kidnapped. There was even a small article about it in the Daily Prophet. The reasons why, was hushed up.

Getting up again, Kait banged her head against the tree she was just punching.

"Oh," Afonka said softly, taking a seat by her. He knew what that was like. There were things he'd seen that he'd do anything to unsee. Rubbing his eyes as Ophelia's lifeless body flickered behind his eyelids, he let out a little sigh. "I know what that's like. Trust me."

Shaking his head, he looked up at her confusedly, "I don't know anything about your past. Wouldn't it be a little creepy if I did?" But there had been rumours swirling around the school. Tilting his head, he said slowly, "I've heard rumours but you can't really trust those." Shrugging, he gave her a tiny smile.

Flinching as she banged her head against the tree, he stood up, pulling softly on her shoulders to move her away from the tree.

"Do you? Do you go insane, remembering it? Do you wish that you can just die, and restart your life?" Kait demanded, clenching her hands even tighter. "D... Do you put on Poker Faces?"

"Well, I was kidnapped along with my sister for six months Afonka. Tortured. Kept in a cell without hardly anything," Kait snapped. "If that's what you heard, it's true. I have to redo my fifth year, because I am too far behind. And I wasn't willingly to learn a whole year of stuff in half of a school year."

"Well, um, no." Biting his lip, he glanced down at his feet before looking up at her. He'd tell her, he decided. Not about the mafia of course, but he could at least tell her about Ophelia. "Do you remember Ophelia Montague? Well anyways, she used to go Durmstrang. But then she - she," swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, he finished, "she died. She killed herself. And - and I found her in the catacombs."

Flinching at her voice, he swallowed hard, "I - I'm sorry." he said softly, "It - it won't change what happened - nothing will - but I'm sorry."

"Vaguely, I heard something about her death," was the muttered reply. "Were you close to her? What was she like?" She asked, curiously. Anything to get off the previous topic.

"Everybody says that, but most doesn't add that they know it won't change anything." Looking at Afonka with red eyes, and stained cheeks, Kait smiled softly. She could feel the breakdown ebbing away, leaving her with shame.

"I - we were friends." Afonka said softly, biting at his bottom lip. "She was great. Funny, kind, everything you could want in a friend. She was in the year above us, but we still got along. And it's - it's still weird not having her around. It's been months, but Merlin, I still miss her."

Looking at her, he gave her a small smile back, reaching over to softly pat her shoulder. "I sort of know from experience that it doesn't."