Cyn fairly flew down the steps leading out of the school, trying hard to keep herself from running straight into the forest. She'd rather take her chances with the things that lived there then sticking around here and-

Anything but that. She couldn't be discovered here, of all places. Her past belonged behind her, in Vancouver, along with everything else! Cyn swore again under her breath and ducked under the branch of an overhanging tree near the lake where she had first met Acacia. The spot's familiarity almost struck her as funny. It seemed that, whatever she did, the past would always come back around to drag her down again. Finally daring to look behind her, Cyn's muscles tensed in a nervous spasm as the door to Hogwarts opened and a flood of students poured out, chattering and happy to be free from class. Sucking in a sharp breath, the Slytherin dodged behind the tree and pushed her way past it into the bush beyond. She had to find some sort of place to change, and fast- Sage would come any minute now, and the simple thought of meeting up with the girl outside of a solitary situation two summers ago frightened her so much that Cyn had to hold onto her thoughts with a steely visegrip in order not to lose control and completely flip out of her skull. She could not be found out. Nothing at that moment was so important as getting as far away from that girl as possible.

Spying another tree ahead, a droopy willow with low-slung branches just high enough for her to have to stretch to reach them, Cyn nearly cried in relief. Setting the worn-down sole of her sneaker in a rough spot and grabbed the nearest limb, the Slytherin started pulling herself towards the top with a determined grunt. She remembered the night she had first met Alicia Cremont's eldest daughter far too well, and she didn't want to relive the experiance. As if to remind her, the curse scars striping the skin on her back twinged. Freeing one hand, Cyn swore again, violently, and tried to scratch the sensation away.

'I ain't gonna be made the fool again. She ain't gonna take me, and I ain't gonna let her find me out. No way. Jus' gotta find a place to change where she can't get at me...'

Sage raced after her fellow Slytherin, slamming through the front doors along with the flood of students. Glancing quickly around she spied a girl climbing quickly into a tree near the lake. This girl, Sage knew that this girl had looked familiar but it was only in potions that she recognized the girl as the one who had broken into her house in Vancouver over the summer vacation. That evening had not ended well for the young crook, for Sage had been merciless.

Sage casually made her way towards the tree, walking slowly as she didn’t want to draw unwanted attention from the tree dweller. As she neared the tree she let herself glance up into the branches, catching a glimpse of a foot less than a foot above her head. Thinking back to the night where she had met this girl, Sage wondered why she was following her. She had given the girl more than enough reason to run from her, but there was no need to chase after this girl. Sage had given the girl exactly what she deserved, and the girl had left quickly and had never returned again. ‘Why am I chasing after her? She doesn’t need any more harassment from- wait, what am I thinking?! This girl broke into my house!’ She reached up her arm, now under the tree, grabbled hold of the girl’s ankle and pulled down, hard.

Panic rising in her throat, Cyn's hands scrabbled for purchase on the tree's scabby bark, found a cresasse, and pulled her higher. Sage's footsteps pounded into the clearing below her, stopped directly beneath the tree. 'No, no no no no!' The girl seemed to pause, but didn't hesitate long enough for Cyn to get her foot up with the rest of her. Strong hands closed around her ankle and pulled down. With a last, frantic grasp at the tree's branches, Cyn gave a inarticulate wail of fear and fell out of the tree.

"Oof!"

Sprawled in a haphazard heap on top of Sage, who still hadn't let go of her ankle (had that girl learned anything that Cyn had taught her?), Cyn scrambled away from her and tried to prize the deathgrip of Sage's fingers off her skinny foot at the same time, voice coming out in a slur of Darkside vernacular.

"Legowwame!"

The thief's eyes were wide, dialated with panic, and her thin chest heaved with labored breath. Baring her teeth in frustration, Cyn got up, leaving Sage on the ground, and tried to drag her captor backwards. Long, lithe fingers bit and tore at Sage's grip. Cyn's expression twisted in pain and a rage almost too great for her to hold. What the heck did this berk think she was doing!? She had gotten everything from Cyn that Cyn could possibly give, and had barely left her with her life that August night they had last met. Unless she wanted that, too... Cyn's lips twisted in a snarl.

"Getcher 'ands offa me!"

The girl toppled out of the tree and fell heavily on top of Sage. As she scrambled for air she felt nails clawing at her wrist leaving a deep scratch mark along her thumb. The other girl struggled to her feet still trying to break free. “Getcher ‘ands offa me,” Sage heard the girl yell. “Gladly,” Sage muttered, jumping quickly to her feet she pulled out her wand and quickly sent the first spell that came to her mind

“Immobulus!”

The girl was frozen in the middle of her movement, reaching for her wand no doubt. Sage glared at her, then she quickly glanced around the grounds to see if anyone was in sight. When she saw there was no one nearby, with a quick movement of her wand, she shoved the girl up against the trunk of the tree. Because it was her nature to relax while others were in pain, Sage settled herself down on the grass in front of the now suspended girl.

“So…” Sage glared at the girl once again. “Are you going to give me your name this time or are you just going to leave me hanging?”She laughed at her little joke but quickly returned to her seriousness. “I knew there was one thing I forgot in Vancouver, and that was to get your name. Now give it, if you value your life!” Sneering, Sage waved her wand releasing the girls mouth from the curse so that she was able to talk.

"Gladly," Sage muttered, flinging Cyn's foot away from her. Spinning off, Cyn fell backwards, off balance, and was just scrambling up, hand going to her pocket for something- anything- she kept a lot of stuff in there- when Sage's ominous voice rang through her head like a church bell.

"Immobulus!"

Cyn's hands froze in spastic, rigid patterns, her spine stiffening as the ice and iron of the spell crept through her bones. 'Damn!' she swore vehemetly, mentally. That spell was the one Sage had used to catch Cyn in the first place. Sparks of loathing ignited in the Slytherin's heart and danced behind her eyes, burning fast and hot. Sage smirked at the thief's frozen form and flicked her wand, throwing Cyn against the tree with a sickening thud. Unable to cry out, Cyn winced inside at the impact of the tree on her back. Tears jumped in the corners of her eyes.

Sage laughed. It was a smug, mean laugh and it hadn't improved much from two years ago. Sitting down on the grass, legs outstretched and leaning back on her hands in a casual pose of relaxation, the girl tilted her head to look up at Cyn. The smug smile didn't reach her eyes, which glinted with greed like cold, hard flints. Looking mildly interested, her expression one of amused indulgence, Sage spoke. “So… Are you going to give me your name this time or are you just going to leave me hanging?" She laughed humorlessly. "I knew there was one thing I forgot in Vancouver, and that was to get your name. Now give it, if you value your life!” Sneer twisting to replace the smile, Sage flicked her wand at Cyn and leaned back, as though watching a sort of puppet show.

Mouth unfrozen, Cyn spat at the girl's feet, blistering anger showing in every line of her face. She hurled a string of the harshest of backstreet swears and curses she knew at the reclining Sage, words she would've gotten far more than beaten and soaped for back at Farrelly. Well, Emina Schuyler wasn't here now to rinse Cyn's mouth out, and it showed.

"... son of a moldy pigeon!" she finished with a howl. Sage, looking fairly taken aback, nonetheless didn't say anything right away. Cyn let her head hang forward onto her immobulized chest, breathing hard. Licking dry lips, she looked up again with a infuriated gleam in her eyes. "Wha' else d'you wan' from me!? You should'a jus' lef' me alone..." The Slytherin drew in a shuddering breath, eyes watering. She looked away, line of her jaw a vicious lock.

"Cyn," she muttered. Refusing to look Sage in the eye, Cyn tilted her head back against the tree. Eyes shut, she muttered again, softer. "My name is Cyn." The side of her face stung from scraping against its bark, and she could feel tiny bits of wood sticking into her skin. Something warm leaked into her mouth. Spitting the blood away to the side, Cyn growled, "Would'ya at leas' unfreeze my hands or sumthin'?"

As Sage freed the girls mouth she spat at Sage’s feet, her face contorted with anger. The miserable girl started hurling a series of swearwords her way, using almost every four letter words possible among many other unheard of insults. After a couple minutes of this, her imagination ran out and she ended her ranting. Waiting a second to make sure she was done, Sage raised her eyebrows in a look that clearly said "Is that the best you can do?", but stayed silent. The girl, breathing hard, spoke again.

"Wha' else d'you wan' from me!? You should'a jus' lef' me alone..." She no longer looked angry, but rather upset and defeated. Sage wondered at the girl's will to give up so easily. Back in Vancouver the girl had fought until the end, only relenting when Sage had threatened to kill her, or worse, turn her in. This time, the girl just looked like an abused dog, sad and limp, just hanging there. Sage heard a soft sigh and the girl spoke again. "Cyn," the girl muttered, her head up towards the sky, her eyes closed. "My name is Cyn." The defeated girl sudenly spat a mouthful of blood onto the grass and, with a bit of her old resentment, said "Would'ya at leas' unfreeze my hands or sumthin'?"

Sage stared at the girl, thinking about the events that had just occurred. It wasn't likely that this girl would run. Her defeat had been real, running away would only show that Cyn was scared of her. Sage knew what went on in Cyn's world. The girl wouldn’t run. Sage quickly analyzed the facts she had. This girl was a thief, not exceptional, but maybe that was just Sage’s opinion. This girl, Cyn, was bad under pressure. She could easily have her way in something, as long as there was no one brave enough to go against her. Cyn had taught Sage half of what she now knew about criminology.

With a quick flick of her wand, Sage released the girl from her bonds, causing the girl to crash to the ground. “Better?” Sage asked innocently.

Sage flicked her wand aimlessly in Cyn's direction, and the constriction tightening around her chest evaporated. Left hanging in a position that wouldn't have been stable for more then a couple of seconds anyway, the Slytherin fell to the grass with a muffled thud, breath driven out of her in a short syllable.

"Unh-"

Wincing at the way her legs twisted beneath her, Cyn gritted her teeth and straightened them out. Nothing broken- she was made of far stronger stuff then that- but her ankle hurt. She poked a long finger at the spreading bruise and then leaned back against the tree, sighing in defeat. Sage had gotten her cornered. With her ankle like this she wouldn't be able to run for a few minutes and even if she did, Sage's wand hand was faster then Cyn's feet. She would be taken down like a deer at point blank. The scars striping her back spasmed again, and the Slytherin twitched. With a muttered swear she reached back and rubbed the one right beneath the nape of her neck, trying to massage the prickling sensation of pins and needles from the rippled skin.

The girl's voice was cold, a sadistic sort of grin curling around her lips.

"Are you sure there's nothing else you can teach me?" The wand in her hand shivered in her grip, anticipating. From her crouched position frozen on the floor, Cyn's cracked voice whispered, echoing defeat. "Nothin'- jus' let me go!" she pleaded, eyes locked on those of her captor. Alicia Cremont's eldest daughter laughed; the sound sent a spike of fear down Cyn's spine. She could tell, just from that laugh, what would come next. She sqeezed her eyes shut, facing to the floor, bracing herself for impact.

The girl's voice, when she next spoke, was deceptively calm and sweet. "All right, then..." In Cyn's mind, her eyes pinned to the wand as it came up from its position by her side, the hand holding it steady with cold control. Her mouth was sealed with the barest flick.

"Acerbissimmus!"

Cyn's mind screamed in agony as the lash swept across her back. Her mouth locked, all she could do was bite her lip and watch as the tears dripped down off the end of her nose, saline pink with blood. The thin cotton of the rust-black shirt she wore frayed under the magic's touch; blood welled to the surface of a cut that tore almost to the bone.

The girl's eyes glittered in manic frenzy, anger and revenge colliding. "Nobody breaks into my house and steals my stuff unless I say so!" The wand descended again.

"Caedo! Secorium! Cicatrix!"

The hold on her mouth was released, but Cyn's consciousness was too far gone to revive her enough to make any noise. Pupils blown wide from shock, she gasped in sheer pain. Blood seeped through the threadbare remains of her shirt, fabric flayed from her back to reveal the shredded skin. It would heal, but slowly; the scars would stay with Cyn for the rest of her life, binding that she didn't get to a wizard's hospital within the next hour. She wouldn't.

Standing next to the thief's bruised jaw, the girl looked down at her with a blank look of something almost like childish carelessness. Putting the toe of one of her black Mary-Jane shoes under Cyn's shoulder, she kicked into the girl's collarbone, hard. Cyn rolled over with a further moan of agony, eyes blearily refocusing on the girl's face as she leaned forward. Blackness rolled in, but the girl's voice still reached Cyn's ears.

"You will remember this."

Cyn looked up, eyes burning with past memories, all the rage and hatred that had been building over the years digging a still deeper hole in her heart. Sage should've left her alone when she had the chance. Now... Cyn couldn't run now, but Sage would get it. Someday. Revenge was revenge, cold or not. Her voice shook with anger when she spoke, and she had to grit her teeth together to keep herself from yelling. Her voice issued in the same cracked whisper as it had two years ago.

"Wha' d'you want from me?"

“Unh-”

Cyn collapsed to the ground with a grunt. Sage noticed the girl rubbing her ankle as she pushed herself back against the trunk of the tree. Sage hoped it wasn’t a broken bone because if it was she’d have to fix it, and she wasn’t exactly in the mood to help right now. The girl didn’t stand or try to run, as if she could on her swelling ankle. But Sage had known she wouldn’t run. Injury or not. Cyn suddenly twitched and then raised her hand to rub the back of her neck. Sage knew quite well what the girl was rubbing. There we scars, all along her back, from the night of the break in. Sage had been ruthless and the girl, Sage guessed, had not gotten proper, or at least full treatment, or else there would be nothing but a memory of that nighttime visit.

Cyn glared at Sage with a burning hatred in her eyes. Sage mirrored the girl, staring straight back at her, still standing above her. The girl was a dangerous enemy to have, but then again, so was Sage. And then, suddenly, the girl spoke again. Her voice cracked as she whispered the same words she had uttered only moments ago.

"Wha' d'you want from me?"

Sage laughed quietly. Were these the only words this thief could come up with? She made a mental note to herself never to say those words if ever she were being held captive. It showed weakness. Cyn was not one who would be an easy target at first glance. The girl was a stunning 5’10”. No one would want to be on the receiving end of one of her punches. But she did have a weakness. And it lay in not only her will and soul, but also in her magic. Of course she was a skilled thief, but that was from muggle practices, not magical ones. Sage knew that she could beat the girl with spells, as she did on that summer night not long ago. But, Sage decided, that for now, she would wear into the girls mind. Words are great weapons, not only of attack but also of defense.

“I just asked a simple question, didn’t I? I asked if that was better. I’m assuming it is because I’d say that someone on the ground in a heap with a swollen ankle is much better off that a person hanging in the air unable to function. But whatever pleases you. I can do either. Since I am courteous person, I’ll answer your question even though you didn’t answer mine. What do I want? Well I want many things, but I’m not sure which shall involve you. But of course, that wont be answer enough will it? No, I didn’t think so. Here’s one thing I want from you. An explanation. I’m quite sure you are thinking the same thing to yourself. You want an explanation as to why I chased you out here instead of letting you be. Well, if you hadn’t been running, I needn’t have chased you and this unfortunate meeting would never have happened. It simply would have been a casual talk in the halls. But no. You decided to run, which of course, gave me good enough reason as any to chase you.”

Finishing her spiel, Sage settled herself down cross-legged on the grass across from the girl. She was in no danger now. Cyn was injured, there wasn’t much she could do now. As for Sage, all she could do, was wait for the girl to reply.

Sage was standing now; Cyn looked up at her, eyes narrowed with hate, as Alicia Cremont's eldest daughter spoke.

“I just asked a simple question, didn’t I? I asked it that was better. I’m assuming it is because I’d say that someone on the ground in a heap with a swollen ankle is much better off that a person hanging in the air unable to function. But whatever pleases you. I can do either. Since I am courteous person, I’ll answer your question even though you didn’t answer mine. What do I want? Well I want many things, but I’m not sure which shall involve you. But of course, that wont be answer enough will it? No, I didn’t think so. Here’s one thing I want from you. An explanation. I’m quite sure you are thinking the same thing to yourself. You want an explanation as to why I chased you out here instead of letting you be. Well, if you hadn’t been running, I needn’t have chased you and this unfortunate meeting would never have happened. It simply would have been a casual talk in the halls. But no. You decided to run, which of course, gave me good enough reason as any to chase you.”

Cyn's eyes had lost some of their angry glint during Sage's tirade, and now she eyed the other Slytherin with an analytical glare, her rage packed away for later use. Anger got in the way of things; it clouded your mind and resolve and made people do stupid things that often got you killed. Fear did that too. Cyn knew fear far better then she knew anger, but the two were bound so fast in her heart that she barely knew the difference. Sage seemed to hesitate before sitting down, as if she had expected Cyn to answer her right away. The girl was much shorter then she had seemed back in Vancouver- if Cyn had stood up, she probably only would've come up to her chin. But the night did funny things with vision, metamorphmagus or not, and Cyn hadn't exactly been in top condition that night, either. Well... that had been partially Jim's fault, the neanderthal that he had been. Perhaps he was gone now too. Cyn certainly wouldn't've minded if he had died.

Eyes glued to Sage's face as the girl sat down, Cyn could feel the anger behind her expression gathering like the thunderhead clouds out in the bay. The loathing in her mind leaked out in her voice when she spoke. The cracked whisper had disappeared, replaced by a calmly deadly voice that sent shivers down Cyn's own spine. The slipshod accent vanished, every syllable picked out in ice-cold fury.

"An explanation for what? Two years ago you nearly killed me. You actually expected me to hang aroun' and give you a secon' chance to finish the job?"

The end-of-summer breeze flew through her hair, a sign that it was almost time for the colder weather to start. A voice traveled through the wind, she couldn't tell who it was, but it sounded familiar. Her dark outlined eyes looked up from her Charms book, and darted across the lake, she stared at a few groups of people, most of them from different houses. Then she looked back at the two green and silver dressed classmates across the lake. It was then her lilac eyes went wide; she slammed her book shut and brushed off any grass that had decided to stick to her robes and set off to where they were sitting.

She looked at the first figure, which so happened to be Sage, and she had the exact same glare she did only days before in their own encounter, only this time it wasn't directed at her. No, it was directed at Cyn, and she was taken aback at the fact that they knew each other. She had never taken into mind that they were both in the same house, or that it was possible that they actually knew each other but it certainly showed now.

"Out of all people." Her eyes narrowed at her cousin for a split second, but returned back to their normal shape as she sat down, placing her book beside her.

The two girls glared daggers at each other, each daring the other to break the silent staring. Sage, of course, was actually enjoying herself a bit. There was nothing she liked better than a voiced argument, a battle of words. This girl had to be furious about the way Sage had swung her around, like a puppet on a string one might say. Sage could see the fury in Cyn’s eyes and as the girl opened her mouth to speak, her voice was cold as ice.

"An explanation for what? Two years ago you nearly killed me. You actually expected me to hang aroun' and give you a secon' chance to finish the job?"

Sage nearly laughed out loud but she stopped herself before the sound could protrude through her closed lips. Instead she glared at the girl once again. This girl was obviously enraged, Sage knew that if she pretended not to notice the girl would only get more angry. Sage smiled to herself, she loved to play mind tricks just as much as she loved her arguments. Speaking of arguments, this one was most definitely not going the way she had hoped. This girl had countered her question with a question, avoiding the answer. Sage would have to put aside her urge to fight until later.

She opened her mouth, ready to speak, but suddenly she heard a swish of robes and out of the corner of her eye she saw a figure coming towards the pair of girls. Sage shut her mouth and snapped her neck to the right, breaking the staring contest, to see who was approaching. As Sage caught sight of the face of the girl who approached her eyes narrowed even more, turning into little slits. This was just the person she didn’t want here, and the one who was most likely to turn up and ruin Sage’s fun. Sage turned her gaze back to Cyn, as if she hadn’t noticed the girl coming towards her.

Acacia Callisto walked slowly over and looked down at both Sage and Cyn. Sage was determined not to look at her, although she knew that Acacia was right beside her. Acacia dropped her books onto the ground and as she settled herself onto the ground between the two girls she spoke.

"Out of all people."

Sage drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out in a long, loud sigh. It had been bound to happen from the start, for someone to interrupt them, but it had to be her cousin didn’t it? Her eyes flicked to Acacia, ratifying her existence, before quickly returning her gaze to Cyn.

“Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up. Why Kay, what are you doing out here on this miserable day?”

Sage asked the question with more than a note of sarcasm in her voice. She was annoyed but determined not to show it. Acacia had no idea what was going on. It simply looked like the two Slytherins had been talking. Except for the fact that Sage had been glaring at Cyn and that Cyn’s ankle was not swelling to the size of a melon. Sage sighed again and with a quick flick of her wrists, cracked all her knuckles.

Sage didn't reaply at once- instead she merely returned Cyn's glare, mirror image of hatred projecting across the space between them. Opening her mouth as though readying herself to retort, Sage suddenly looked off to the right, catching some sort of movement out of the corner of her eye. Shutting her mouth with a snap, the other Slytherin looked back at Cyn, expression the slightest bit ticked off. Eyes darting from Sage's ashy-green irises, Cyn looked past her at the figure approaching.

'Oh, crap... not now!'

Acacia swept over to them, her expression curious and slightly concerned. She sat down next to Sage, legs crossed and her Charms book shut on the grass next to her. Glancing from one face to the other, Acacia narrowed her eyes a bit at her cousin. "Out of all people," Cyn heard her say. Sage pretended not to notice the Hufflepuff, eyes boring into her own. Cyn glanced between them, eyes narrowing and flicking from either face. The resemblance was there... faint, but there, in the shape of the nose, the high cheekbones... it was almost like looking at the positive and negative images of a picture; Acacia with her golden-blonde hair and light violet eyes, expression fair but still darkly alert... and Sage, with her long black hair and her eyebrows pulled down like that, frowning at Cyn and still doign her best to ignore Acacia. Cyn could almost believe that they were related. But... surely not. Sisters surely couldn't hate each other that much on sight... then again, what did Cyn know? Them being sisters was unlikely anyway.

With a glance, Sage grudgingly acknowledged Acacia's prescence, but kept her eyes glued on Cyn's when she spoke. “Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up. Why Kay, what are you doing out here on this miserable day?”

Sage's lip curled in a sneer; the Hufflepuff prefect's eyes stayed tight on Sage's face, not even looking in Cyn's direction. Cyn took the oppertunity to look discreetly back down at her ankle. It had swollen now to the size of a grapefruit, painfully immobile. Carefully, making sure that neither Sage nor Acacia could see what she was doing, Cyn drew the new wand. Laying her hand down on the ground so that it was pointed directly at her ankle, Cyn twitched the wand, thinking the healing spell Jareth had taught her with almost insane ferocity. She had never been much good at nonverbal spells, but she couldn't let Acacia see her ankle like hat, or she would be sure to ask questions. Well, when Cyn had first arrived, all beaten up and with a black eye and all, she hadn't said anyhting; but Acacia knew her quite a bit better now, and might not think twice before voicing her thoughts. 'Sanatio.'

The swelling went down enough so that Cyn thought she would be able to stand; not perfect, but good enough. Her eyes not having left Sage and Acacia's faces once during the whole procedure, she looked at them with a questioning expression in her eyes. The thought that had been bugging her rising to the surface of her thoughts.

"You two... know each other?"

"Why, that was quite obvious wasn't it?" She dragged her eyes down to the book beside her and back up to meet the dark features of her cousin, smirking slightly to show her sarcasm. Studying, that's what she was doing. Until she was distracted by something, that something being this scene. She didn't like the look of the two of them, especially Cyn's ankle, which seemed to turn in the utmost incorrect way. Still, she wished she had caught her in the act sooner, to know what was going on. And then her thoughts broke by a third voice.

"I certainly wish I didn't."

Her eyes flickered back to the steel-eyed girl across from her as she spoke. After the slight glaring contest she had with the other Slytherin, it showed that there was some sort of feud between the other two. She wasn't sure what, but it would be moments before she found out. She brushed a hand through her slightly long blonde hair, the wind had tangled it up a bit, but this wasn't the time to pull out her cosmetics, there were bigger things here. Much bigger.

She let out a breath of air, and looked between the two again, she had never seen Sage keep her guard up so well. But even as children, they've always had a sense of hatred, even though they rarely saw each other. Still, she wasn't going to let the past get in the way of the present.

Or the future.

Cyn couldn't make it out. Glancing between the two faces before her, the young thief saw the familiar flicker of bitter hatred and resentment rise between them. Sage, given a moment to herself, probably would've been rolling her eyes and sighing with disgust- but she was a far better actress then that, and concealed her anger fairly well. Acacia- 'thank gods,' Cyn thought fleetingly- still seemed blithely unaware of the impending fight between the two Slytherins and the boiling anger they harbored for each other. Likewise, she didn't seem quite aware of the fact that they knew each other. Well, it was all good from where Cyn was standing- or rather, sitting.

'I've got to get out of here. Acacia can't know- oh, gods this is messed up- and if Sage tells her why we're out here and how she knows me in the first place- No. No, I won't let that happen.'

"Umm..." Looking at either of the Callistos, her expression one of slightly amused confusion, Cyn gave a lopsided smile and leaned her elbow on her knee, preparing to get up. "Well, I kin see you two've got some catchin' up t'do... an' I gotta go do my homework anyways..." That was a complete and utter lie- she didn't have any homework- but they didn't know that. Standing uneasily and looking down at the two prefects as they sat in the grass at her feet, Cyn laughed, almost to herself, and brushed the back of her robes off before trying to walk off. However, she had been standing with her full weight on her left foot, and when she shifted her weight her right her leg unceremoniously buckled. She fell to the ground with a muffled swear. "Ouch."

'Ah.... I spose I didn't do that spell well enough after all... dammit... '

Muttering a string of curses under her breath at her ankle, the spell, her wand, and even Jareth. Grinning in a slightly apologetic way, Cyn leaned back against the tree and sighed in a defeated tone, "Well, guess I ain't goin' nowhere after all..." She forced a laugh at the whole situation- it was kind of funny, in a gallows kind of way...

"You two... know each other?"

Cyn questioned the two girls with a confused look on her face. Sage let a small laugh escape through her tight lips. Sage had been wondering how long it would take the girl to realize that the two of them had the same last name, or even , that they were cousins. She still hadn’t figured it out though, so that meant that Sage could play to the advantage that the girl knew not that they were relations. Acacia, more than a little annoyed with the question, answered, her voice filled with sarcasm .

"Why, that was quite obvious wasn't it?" She glanced down at her book before adding, "I certainly wish I didn't."

Sage rolled her eyes, but kept her face towards Cyn. The girl before her, if she knew Acacia -which she must, seeing how Acacia wasn’t exactly being polite to Cyn-if she knew Acacia, why hadn’t she made the connection of the last names? Sage pondered this for a few moments but was soon distracted from her thoughts when Cyn suddenly spoke.

"Umm.… Well, I kin see you two've got some catchin' up t'do... an' I gotta go do my homework anyways..." Cyn slowly stood up, brushed off her robes and attempted to take her first step, putting her weight on her injured ankle. Her ankle gave out, sending her back to the ground, swearing along the way "Ouch." Sage almost laughed at the added ‘Ouch’. After the excessive swearing, you could tell that the fall had obviously hurt. Cyn gave a flicker of a smile and let out a very fake laugh. "Well, guess I ain't goin' nowhere after all..."

Sage raised her eyebrows, for the statement was unnecessary. The petty escape attempt was so horribly carried out that it was all Sage could do not to criticize it. Instead she focused oh what the two girls had said. She wanted nothing to do with her cousin and had absolutely no catching up to do. There had been enough catching up in their heated library discussion.

“Lovely to see you too Acacia.” Sage gave a sickeningly sweet smile to her cousin, rewarding her with one small glance before returning to Cyn. “Of course we know each other you insolent girl, what’s the point of asking questions you already know the answers to. You seem to do that a lot don’t you? Stating the obvious never helps anyone either. As for catching up? I’ve nothing more to say to that washout over there. And before you decide to state this too, yes of course, we’re not very friendly, we don’t really like each other you see? How’s that for you? Did I miss anything?”

Sage was clearly vexed by the two girls. She knew she shouldn’t have gone as far as she did but it was in her nature to scrutinize people. It always gave her an advantage as well as revealing weaknesses. Everyone had weaknesses, most people wear them on their sleeves and others conceal them. Cyn was one who showed her weaknesses like a billboard advertisement. Sage had wondered about this and had, earlier, come to the decision that the girl was smarter than she looked. Cyn only showed her weakness so openly to conceal her strengths. Acacia on the other hand did not show her weaknesses as openly as Cyn and Sage could only identify one. Her book. Acacia had received a book from her grandmother when she was died and held it very sacred. If only Sage could get the book, perhaps it would reveal something much, much worse.

"Lovely to see you too Acacia." Sage smiled at the Hufflepuff in a way that suggested she would rather leap on her and rip her throat out then look at her. Turning back at Cyn with an expression that would boil metal, she added, "Of course we know each other you insolent girl, what’s the point of asking questions you already know the answers to. You seem to do that a lot don’t you? Stating the obvious never helps anyone either. As for catching up? I’ve nothing more to say to that washout over there. And before you decide to state this too, yes of course, we’re not very friendly, we don’t really like each other you see? How’s that for you? Did I miss anything?" Her voice was short and harsh with anger.

Cyn met Sage's eyes with her own sullen gaze, giving away nothing. The careless facade she had worn moments ago had slipped from her face, leaving behind a cold, calculating mask. 'Quite the speechmaker, aren't we?' she thought, staying silent. Sage was good- quick learner, lightning wit, and all that jazz- but she still somehow managed to show her greatest fault in everything she did. When Cyn smiled again, the cheerful grin she had sported before had disappeared too. The sudden slash threw the Slytherin's face into a frightening cast of light and shadows, sliding off her mouth as quickly as it had come. She sneered, then looked away and pretended to take a sudden interest in the fraying hem on her sleeve. Shaking her head slowly, Cyn bit back a snort at Sage's outburst. 'Yeah, you did forget something, actually- the part where you keep your mouth shut so you don't make a fool of yourself.' It really didn't take that much to get her mad- one insult to the direct nerve and she blew up like an open tank of gas at a barbeque. Of course, Cyn couldn't say anything, either- she usually wasn't such a cool head herself under pressure, and at the best of times could get red-eyed with fury, but in situations like these Sage's anger was almost laughable. It was almost like she had to have the top hand in everything. Well... maybe richies did.

"You kin make speeches all ya'want, Sage." Cyn's wild gray eyes glinted with a vicious, half-crazed intellect, her mouth twisting in a derisive sneer as she looked up. She leaned forward, cold smile mocking. "Nobody's gonna bow t'you."

Her eyes moved back and forth between the bickering like a ping-pong match. She smirked, for she had no idea how this all began. But it did amuse her that the person she knew for her entire life was arguing with someone she had only just met a year ago. She twirled a piece of long blonde hair between her fingers, and she continued to listen the cruel tones of the ashy-green eyed Slytherin.

"You kin make speeches all ya'want, Sage." Then Cyn caught her attention, she looked over in her direction, her eyes narrowing in curiosity. The words that came next amused the Hufflepuff even more, "Nobody's gonna bow t'you."

Naturally, if it were someone she was close to, she’d defend them, but this time she only continued to twirl her hair, surprising herself that the strands weren’t turning into knots by now. But she agreed with her, nobody was going to bow to her, for nobody probably wanted to deal with her and the difficulty she brought every time she’d start a conversation.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say for the past sixteen years.” She sent a look of disgust towards Sage, before letting out a breath of air. It was the one thing she has been trying to get through the girl’s mind since they were both able to talk, and it was finally out after all these years.

Sage could see the anger glinting in her foe’s eyes but with a blink, it was quickly masked. The girl hated her, so why did she bother to hide it? Sage had always looked at hatred as a strength. For her, anger was a tool, and a useful one at that. Perhaps for others, anger could be a weakness. Sage didn’t worry too much, there would be plenty of time later to reflect on this whole situation. Cyn sneered, shook her head and inspected the now fraying hem of her sleeve. Once Sage had finished her speech Cyn looked up.

"You kin make speeches all ya'want, Sage. Nobody's gonna bow t'you."

Cyn gave Sage a sneer. She had presumed that her sincere lines would send Sage into a fit of rage. Sage only smiled, though only on the inside. Outside she glared back at the girl. Acacia stood there, watching and twirling her hair. Sage only waited. With Cyn insulting her, or stating the truth, whichever way one wanted to see it, Sage knew Acacia could not stay silent when Cyn had said exactly how she felt. As if proving her point, Acacia opened her mouth to speak.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say for the past sixteen years.”

Sage laughed, and addressed Cyn first. “First of all, I like to make speeches. If you have a problem with that I suggest you leave. Secondly, I don’t want anyone to bow to me. The backs of peoples heads aren’t very pretty, huh? Well I guess if you like that sort of thing. Whatever, I don’t really care what you think. And you Acacia,” she turned to her cousin, “I know you hate me, but hey, hear me out here. I don’t care! I don’t care for you either. In fact, I really don’t like you at all. But see, I don’t make a big deal of it, unlike you. I actually enjoy hating you, but I’m sure you can’t understand that. So, Cyn,” she turned back to the Slytherin ,“ Like my speech? Or are you going to come up with another witty little remark to throw back at me?”

Sage rolled her eyes and glared at the Slytherin. She then turned her attention to her wand, sending silver sparks from the tip of it, watching them float above her head up towards the leaves above.

Sage gave that laugh again- gods how she hated that laugh- before she spoke. Cyn could tell by the way she took a big breath before she opened her mouth that this would take a while, and decided to ignore her. She really didn't particularly need this, not right now.

Sage's words just kind of floated over her in a barely-perceivable hum, in one ear and out the other, hot air in the wind. '...and again with the speeches,' Cyn thought, yanking the patch of grass next to her knee until the green blades shredded, bits of grass-root littering the ground. 'That's all these richies ever do. Climb on a soapbox and yadda yadda yadda as if anyone cares. Well, I suppose some people might. Yeah, right. Stating the obvious... like I'm the only culprit of that particular cliché, puh-lease... going on and on and on and thank you, Captain Obvious!' Sage's voice wove in and out of Cyn's subconscious, barely registering in the young thief's mind as she stared out across teh lake, eyes blankly unfocused. It was all an act- all of this. Sage giving her pathetic little rants, Cyn throwing them off with an occasional ineffective one-liner, even Acacia sitting there as if she hadn't the slightest interest in what had been going on between the two Slytherins before she had arrived. All just one big act. 'But that's life, eh? Nothing much else…'

Sage's voice seemed to waver back into full volume like a badly-tuned radio, fading in. The sound of her own name alerted Cyn- Sage was still talking. "So, Cyn," she was saying, the expression on her face particularly unpleasant, "Like my speech? Or are you going to come up with another witty little remark to throw back at me?" Fighting to rip her gaze away from the sun-colored smear of the lake, Cyn's eyes flicked back into focus, looking back at Sage blankly.

"Huh?"

Sage rolled her eyes and toyed with her wand, sending silver glitter from the point to dance in the branches of the tree. Slowly, Sage's words came back to her, filtering down through her memory as if they had been caught in a kind of safeguard net. Eyes narrowed, she tried to remember what Sage had been going on about.

When she remembered Cyn nearly burst out laughing, despite the anger coiling in her heart. 'Stupid, stupid Sage. In the hours a knew you, long ago, I knew you well,' she thought, quoting one of Luci's ridiculous poems to herself. What did she think of Sage's speech?

'The only particular word that comes to mind is snorefest.' Cyn yawned, leaning back against the tree and not paying much attention to anything. Eyes slipping sleepily out of focus again, Cyn let the anger inside her flow back, shunting it to apply itself to several devious plans for her revenge, a ghost of a smile barely on her lips. It burned merrily in her heart, sinking greedy hooks into a formulating scheme. This would be good, if she could pull it off. Malign intent flowed through her veins like black blood, like quicksilver. Lying back in the grass, the Slytherin put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes.

"Not particularly."

Sage watched the girl try to put together exactly what it was she had just said. It had been obvious that the girl had let her thoughts wander, not bothering to pay attention to the speech. Sage only rolled her eyes and continued to play with her wand, waiting for the girl’s response. It came in a short but sweet statement as the girl lay herself down onto the grass, gazing that the cloudy sky above.

“Not particularly.”

Sage let out a snort. This girl was trying to wear her down, but Sage wouldn’t let her. Cyn was the kind of girl who would leave without getting the last word because she planned to make up for it later. Even knowing this, Sage was always a one for last words, not to mention lasting impressions. Although she wasn’t exactly ready to leave yet, Sage decided to have a little fun. If this girl wouldn’t entertain her with a satisfactory answer, Sage would just have to provide some better entertainment. Twirling her wand between her fingertips, Sage leaned slowly forward.

“Ok so you don’t like my speeches so I wont make another one. I’ll just say this. Go jump off a bridge! Seeing as there isn’t one available at the moment, why don’t I help you out?” With a quick flick of her wand, she sent the obnoxious girl flying over her head into the lake. Sage slowly stood up keeping her back to the girl in the water, not looking at her cousin. She walked over to the tree and turned around, lifting herself on to the lowest branch, she settled down to watch the show.

Sage, apparently not satisfied with Cyn's noncommittal answer, started talking again. She leaned forward until Cyn could feel the girl's breath on her face. Cyn cracked one eye open, eyebrow pulled down suspiciously as she listened.

"Ok so you don't like my speeches so I wont make another one. I'll just say this. Go jump off a bridge! Seeing as there isn't one available at the moment, why don't I help you out?"

Too late, Cyn saw the wand twitch in Sage's hand; it sparked at the tip, and in the split second Cyn had left the only thing she could think of was, 'Oh, crap. What now...'

The ground fell away from her back as the Slytherin was thrown upwards and forwards, through the tree branches above Sage and Acacia and towards the lake. Twigs and leaves poked her in the eyes and stuck in her shirt and hair as she passed through them. A guttural cry ripped from her throat, torn away by the wind as she flew towards the ever-nearing waters of the lake. It seemed to take her forever to get there; yet it happened so fast she couldn't really be sure of what exactly was going on. For a moment, she could see everything; the lake, the forest, the castle, several students sitting around talking or walking about, and for that split second it was almost like flying. But... what goes up must come down if not suspended by magical or mechanical means.

'Damn the laws of gravity.'

Cyn hit the water with a noise like a furious gunshot, splashing down towards the shore, but far enough that she sank beneath the surface for a moment. The water was ice cold, freezing and black and impenetrable in the autumn air. Submersed, her eyes flashed wide as she floundered beneath the surface. Short hair nimbusing around her face in a halo of red and gold streaked brown, Cyn danced at the lake's mercy, robes flowing in a current as unearthly as the moon's. The water was a dark, icy black; pressing in on her with all the willpower of a maniac bent on world-domination. Cyn thrust for the surface, but the robes were dragging her down. Their weight pulled at her shoulders and chest, holding her in the water's embrace. She shrugged them off, leaving them to float as they would while she stroked free, for air. Her head breaking the waters of the lake, Cyn gasped at the searing wind that flew so suddenly across her face. Frost seemed to form on her cheeks as the droplets hit the air. She looked around- several people had looked back at her to see what had happened, but no one seemed to be doing anything.

'Eegits.' Cyn dove back down, long lithe figure disappearing into the icy waters yet again. She had to find that stupid set of robes- they were her only ones and she couldn't afford another pair. Power-influenced eyes scanning the depths like a pair of gray headlamps, Cyn blinked as she let herself adjust to the place. She might not've been able to grow gills, but she could hold her breath for as long as she needed to. 'There-' Drifting just beyond her grasp, the robes floated like a funeral shroud cast adrift. She grabbed for them, then rocketed for the surface.

Head breaking the surface for a second time, Cyn clung with one hand to the water-logged robes and tread water, spitting water and blinking until her eyes went back to normal. With a muttered curse, she stroked for the shore, pulling the robes along behind her like an arduous woolen shadow. She shook her head. Sage may've thought that throwing Cyn into the lake would get rid of her, but she had been wrong. Growing up on the docks and living on an island in the north had made the Slytherin thief immune to things like icy water and sudden dunkings like this. She was strong, and it was easy to drag herself and the robes to shore. Pulling herself onto the beach, Cyn stood up, water draining from the pockets of her cargo pants. Hair and clothes slicked to her body like a second skin, Cyn stood there for a moment, hands braced on her knees. Drops of lakewater dripped off the tip of her nose. Slowly, she started laughing. This was not the tiny chuckle she usually used, nor the hearty guffaw somethings provoked from her. This was hysterical, non-sensical, demon-possessed laughter, and it grew in volume until the beach echoed with frightening insanity. She shook her head, water droplets flying off. The laugh died down to a whisper, but Cyn's expression stayed the same.

'Oh, Sage. I almost pity you. You've done it now, Sage... nothing can stop me.'

Mouth crooked in a devilish sneer, mind racing behind dark, pulled-down eyebrows, wet hair striping her face and getting her eyes, Cyn stood on the beach and laughed.

A look of extreme horror shot across the now narrowed Hufflepuff's eyes. The autumn air brushed through her loose blonde curls and she shook her head to stop some of it from blocking her view. She looked over at the soaking wet Slytherin, who seemed to be laughing this matter off, but Acacia thought the total opposite as she looked over to the brunette across from her.

She whipped her wand from her pocket and pointed it at her cousin, her own flesh and blood, but none of that mattered. The sun reflected in her eyes, giving the lilac an eerie, almost fiery glow. Something ticked away inside of her, she would do anything for revenge, but she put her wand back down.

"I'm not going to end up like you." Her voice was dark, and she didn't look back up at Sage, but took her book and stood up. With one final glance at the scene, she turned away, and walked back to the castle, hoping she’d stay far away from her.

Nevermind! :nosweat: This is the right thread, right?

Cyn emerged, sputtering, trying to spit out the lake water. Sage watched as the girl dove back into the water, coming back up clasping her school robes. Cyn swam toward shore and pulled herself up onto the beach. Standing, the girl got this look on her face. The look of someone insanely possessed with anger. It started slowly and quietly, the sound turning into a maniacal racket tearing at the edges of Sage’s soul. The girl stood there dripping wet, laughing.

Acacia stood there, her face furious. She yanked her wand out, pointing it with a shaking had at Sage who sat on her branch calmly staring straight into her cousins eyes, daring her to say the hexes on the tip of her tongue. But Acacia, infuriated as she was, didn’t look any deeper than the cold stare. Her eyes seemed to glow a curious color for a moment, but she lowered her wand slowly. Shaking with rage she spoke, her voice soft but deadly serious.

“I’m not going to end up like you.”

She turned her back on the scene and headed towards the castle. Watching her cousin disappear into the building, Sage turned her gaze back to the Slytherin, dripping wet before her. She slid effortlessly off the branch on which she was sitting. Pulling out her wand she faced the soggy girl. With a disgusted look, she flicked her wand in the girl’s direction and turned away, walking slowly up to the castle. At least now, instead of being wet and steaming mad, Cyn could focus all her attention on being mad. Sage had gotten rid of the wetness for her, no doubt, it would have been a task for the girl to do it herself. Sage smiled contentedly, she didn’t worry about an attack from behind, not even Cyn would sink that low.


(OOC: yes thanks!!)