Redemption Song. ((Ezzie and Carson))

[Casey Allen G5]

“Bye Sing-a-long.” Casey smiled to her little black kitten who then purred and fell off the bed. Casey laughed at her ditzy little cat. “Here you go.” She said lifting the creature back onto her bed. Casey smiled and then closed the door. “Hey dad I’m ready!” Casey called as she headed to the living room. Bradley sat on the couch with his guitar in his hand. A smile formed on Casey’s face. “Whatcha writing?” She asked smiling. Casey loved it when her dad had a new song. Casey wrote some of her own songs, but Bradley wrote more. Casey smiled again and hopped over to sit by Bradley. “It’s a surprise.” He said smiling. She crossed her arms. “I hate surprises.” She pretended to be mad. Just then Joel walked into the room. “Hey have you played it for her yet? It’s really good Case.” Casey’s eyes lit up. “So it’s not a surprise!” She smiled brightly. Bradley smiled. This was the first time he had seen Casey happy since Ethan’s death. He nodded. “Thanks tattle tail.” He said to Joel. Joel grinned. “No prob dad.” Casey shook her head. “Play it already!” Casey loved new songs. She loved recording them. She loved what she did for a living. But she wasn’t looking forward to her two upcoming concerts. She wasn’t ready to perform. What if something went wrong?

“What’s it called?” Casey asked excitedly. Bradley shook his head and just started to play. “Looks like we found ourselves up against a wall in need of a little help but no one wants to call. After all we've been through do we let our friendship end? You need me and I need you. No, we will not break. Never break. But even if we bend, it's..” Casey gasped. It was beautiful. She loved it. Bradley then got to the chorus. She smiled at him as he played the notes and sang along. “You and me together. I’m always on your side. No one, no one, no one can ever change it. C’mon let em try. Cause it’s you and me together now.” Casey almost wanted to cry as Bradley finished. She smiled and hugged him tight. “It’s not done yet.” He told her. “I love it.” Casey exclaimed. Bradley smiled. It was good to see her happy even though he knew it wouldn’t last. Bradley stood up. “Well, we better go.” Casey nodded as she took her dad’s hand. “Bye.” Joel waved. ‘Pop’. They were off.

Casey held her bag in her hand as she approached the Jacob’s door. The house was huge and beautiful. Casey smiled back to her dad whom was standing on the sidewalk. “Bye.” She waved. “And thanks.” Bradley nodded. Casey smiled. She felt better. She finally felt better. Casey wondered if Ezzie felt the same way. Probably not. Casey sighed and rang the door bell. Within moments a maid answered. “Miss Casey?” She asked. “Yes.” She nodded. “Miss Ezzie is up in her room. I’ll take you there.” Casey nodded as the women took her bag and led her up the stairs. Casey had been here before, but she hadn’t ever brought things with her. After Ethan died, Casey and Ezzie basically just sat up in Ezzie room not worrying about sleep or things. All they needed then was to be together, to think of Ethan.

Casey knocked on Ezzie’s door lightly as she entered. “Hey girl.” She smiled softly. The maid placed Casey’s bag on the floor, nodded to Ezzie and Casey, and then left. Casey watched the door close and then walked over to Ezzie’s bed and sat down next to her friend. “How’s it going?” She asked lightly. Casey then reached in her purse and pulled out a tabloid. “I managed to find one tabloid that doesn’t have anything about you, Ethan, or Eden in it.” She smiled. “Well, but it briefly talks about how cute Eden’s new guitar is.” Casey laughed. “Funny, huh?” She smiled lightly. Casey wanted to ask Ezzie how she was, but it was a tough question to ask. However, just when she was about to ask it, the doorbell rang. Casey turned to the door and then back to Ezzie. “Who’s coming at this hour?” Casey asked. “It was seven, but still. It was a weird visiting hour.” Casey looked to Ezzie again waiting for her friend to say something, anything.

((The song Bradley sings is You and Me Together by Miley Cyrus.))

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Ezzie sighed as she stared out her window. Casey was to come over today, and Ezzie couldn’t wait for her to get here. Ezzie just hated to be alone these days. She just couldn’t stand it. Ezzie could tell Casey had been affected by Ethan’s death. Everyone around her was. Just the other day, Ezzie saw Emma crying her poor eyes out as she cleaned the bathroom. Emma was the evening maid for the Jacobs family. They had quite a few housekeepers actually. There was Lucy; the morning maid, Samantha; the afternoon maid, Emma; the evening maid, and Charlotte, the night maid. And then of course there was Marty the house elf. Marty was Ezzie’s favorite. He was the one that knew Ethan most. Ezzie felt bad that he couldn’t attend Ethan’s funeral just because there were so many muggles there. Ezzie shuddered at the thought. Ethan’s funeral had been murder. She just couldn’t believe he was really gone. Every day, Ezzie woke up in the morning and walked up to Ethan’s room. She had done this every day she and Ethan had lived together. She would walk up the familiar spiral staircase and expect to see Ethan lying there on his bed in his ever so familiar boxer shorts. Ezzie almost laughed at the memory. Ethan used to walk around everywhere with those things. He was so comfortable with his body that he could do that. Either that or he just wanted to show off. Ezzie felt her lips curl into a small smile as she watched flecks of snow fall down onto the window. Her smile disappeared though when the memory of the morning before popped into her mind.

Ezzie had walked up to Ethan’s room again and saw the same sight. That same sight was enough to make Ezzie want to crawl into a hole and never come back. Ethan’s room looked so odd after he had left, so very different. There were no longer any clothes lying haphazardly on the floor. Instead, it was all packed into boxes and stuffed into a corner along with everything else he left behind. There was no longer the strong smell of Ethan’s cologne lingering in the air. But, if Ezzie got really close to any fabric in the room, she could still smell it. Ezzie remembered standing in front of his bed, staring at the tribute Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs had made for him. Various colorful flowers had been scattered onto his bed, and many pictures of him and his friends had been propped up on the floor around the bed. There were pictures of him as a baby, some of him when he was a little boy, and there were quite a few of recent pictures as well.

But the one picture that made Ezzie want to choke back tears was the one sitting in her pocket right now. Ezzie remembered the scene quite well. It was taken the day before The Hogwarts Express would take them to London. Ethan was in the center of the picture, of course. He always liked to be the center of attention. He had his arm around Carson and Ezzie, and Casey was standing on the other side of Carson. The famous four. They did everything together. But, now there were three. “Four little monkeys, jumping on the bed…” Ezzie sang quietly, feeling one small tear trickling down her cheek. “One fell off and broke his head.” Ezzie continued to sing quietly. “And then there were three. Who’s next?” Ezzie ended the song, speaking the last verse, which in truth wasn’t part of the song at all. Ezzie walked away from her window and sat on her bed. Suddenly, she heard the door creak open. Casey and Emma the evening maid entered. Emma nodded solemnly and Casey approached her cheerfully. Ezzie was glad she was feeling better. Ezzie had been so sad lately. It was almost as if she was afraid she was bringing Casey down. But no, Ezzie was determined to stay positive. She wanted to be happy for once. Ezzie managed a bright smile as she made room for Casey on the bed.

“Well, that fact alone is newsworthy. It seems like everyone is talking about me. I mean, I can’t even leave the house anymore. Last time I was out, people started throwing things at me. She said casually, a hint of bitterness in her voice. “I swear, the second I get back to Hogwarts, Aimee Sinclair is going to face some problems for what her damned mother did to me.” She said, rolling her eyes a bit. “But I don’t want to talk about that now. It’s too depressing. You said Eden got a cute new guitar? I wanna see!” She said, changing the subject. Suddenly, she heard the doorbell ring. Ezzie and Casey exchanged confused stares. The door opened again, and Emma appeared in the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, Miss, but there’s a young man downstairs by the name of Carson McGreggor. May I let him in?” Ezzie smiled in Casey’s direction. “Definitely. Send him up.” Emma smiled and walked off. “I told Carson he could come over if he ever needed company.” She told Casey. “I guess he picked the perfect time to come, didn’t he?”Ezzie said playfully. Seconds later, Carson entered the room.

“Hey Ezzie.” He said with a small smile. He looked to Ezzie’s right and smiled even wider. “I should have known you’d be here too.” He said, smiling wider at the sight of Casey. “Hey, Casey.” Ezzie smiled knowingly when she saw his eyes linger on Casey for a moment. Those two were made for each other, and they didn’t even know it yet. Ezzie loved watching them together. It helped take Ezzie’s mind off Ethan’s death. But then again, Ezzie found herself trying to think of anything to get her mind off Ethan. But sometimes, Ezzie just didn’t want to forget.

[Casey Allen G5]

Casey laughed lightly. Everyone was talking about Ezzie sense that horrible article came out. Didn’t they realize how hurt Ezzie was by this? Ezzie would never want to hurt Ethan. Casey knew that deep down Ezzie really loved the boy. Casey shook her head lightly. Why did the Sinclair Family want to hurt Ezzie so badly? This was crazy really. All Ezzie, Casey, and Carson wanted to do was get over Ethan’s death. But it was hard. Now they weren’t the four that they had been two weeks ago. They were three and three wasn’t as strong of a number as four. Casey sighed. Couldn’t the three be left alone to mourn? Not likely. Everyone was talking about Ezzie and everyone at Hogwarts knew that Casey and Carson were best-friends with Ezzie and Ethan. Hogwarts Students were talking about all of them. Casey had even heard from Joel that there was a rumor going around that Carson and Casey had helped Ezzie kill Ethan. Craziness. Ethan’s death had only brought pain to the three, but no one seemed to care. They just wanted to make their lives harder. Casey wanted nothing more than to go back to Newport and hide, but she couldn’t. London was basically her home now. Everything having to do with Eden was in London, so Casey had to be there to. Casey sighed. When would people give it up?

“Yea. You know how long it took for me to find one tabloid that only mentioned one of us for five seconds?” She shook her head as she smiled a bit. “Let’s just say it took hours.” She nodded. Joel of course had tagged along with his wand in his pocket. For once, he wanted to protect his sister. Casey pretty much always needed protecting. She was almost always the damsel in distress. Casey looked to Ezzie. She hoped her friend was doing better. Still, she knew that this would take time. Casey shook her head lightly. She hated what people were doing to Ezzie. Then, suddenly, it hit her. “Hey you know what you need? To get back in the studio. Write a song to make those people weep. Tell them exactly what you feel!” Now Casey was getting too excited and too ahead of herself, but she did that a lot. “That will get them to shut up for a minute at least.” She nodded. Every song writer or artist wrote a song about something that had happened to them. Good or bad, they all did it. Casey wrote a song about her mother before she began resenting her. But after the days he decided that her mother was worthless, Casey stashed it in her closet for good. Casey sighed, thinking about all the craziness that had occurred since Ethan’s death.

“Why on earth does she want to hurt you so bad?” Casey asked about Aimee. She really didn’t understand why the girl had such a vendetta on Ezzie. Casey smiled as Ezzie said she wanted to see the guitar. “It’s at the app..” She started to say but just then the doorbell rang. Casey looked at Ezzie blankly. Both of them were wondering the same thing. Casey faked a frown and eyed Ezzie when Emma came in. Casey shook her head playfully. “Ezzie.” She said sternly but then smiled. Ezzie and Ethan were always trying to pair Casey and Carson together. Still, Casey was learning more and more that the two of them had been right. Maybe Casey and Carson could be together, for Ethan and for each other. Casey smiled lightly and shook her head. “You are a sneaky one Esmeralda Mendez.” She said jokingly. Casey smiled to herself. She liked Carson, but she was still afraid to admit it. Did he feel the same way? Ezzie seemed to think so, but Casey wasn’t so sure.

Casey smiled to Carson as he walked in. “Yea you probably should have.” She smiled and then offered a fake-annoyed glance to Ezzie. “Hey Carson.” She said finally, her grin widened. Yep, Ezzie was certainly the sneaky one. Casey not so much. She wasn’t even good at keeping her Eden secret. That was another thing that made Casey wonder if she could ever be with Carson, the Eden secret. Could Casey really be with Carson and keep this huge secret from him? She knew she could trust him, but did she want to? Was she ready to? It had been hard enough for Casey the night Ezzie found out. Casey wondered if she and Ezzie would ever be the same, but they were. Casey sighed. How would Carson react? “So how has it been going lately?” She asked Carson casually. “Any new paintings?”

[Carson McGreggor H6]

By the look on Casey and Ezzie’s face, Carson could tell they were talking about him just before he entered. Carson may have a bit of trouble understanding the ways of girls like Casey and Ezzie, but he wasn’t stupid. Ezzie made it all too obvious that she wanted nothing more than to see Carson and Casey together. But, he didn’t blame her. She probably thought that since hers and Ethan’s relationship would never work out, someone’s had to. Carson was surprised at his evaluation of Ezzie. It was actually a reasonable guess. Normally, Carson had no idea what was going through the minds of these girls, but for once, he had correctly been able to identify a problem being addressed in Ezzie’s head. Carson leaned against the wall of Ezzie’s oversized room. He looked over at Casey with his intense brown eyes and answered her question. “Well, I’ve tried to keep myself busy with my work ever since…” Carson’s voice trailed off. He glanced nervously at Ezzie, whose happy expression seemed to falter at the mention-or rather almost mention of Ethan’s death. He changed the subject quickly.

“..Well anyway, I haven’t finished anything yet. I think I’ll be able to finish the one I’m working on by next week. Wow, I’ve spent so much time in the studio lately. I think I’ll finish this one a lot faster than I finished yours, Casey.” He told her, thinking of the beautiful painting he had given her for Christmas. The painting was of the spot where Casey and Carson had spent their first afternoon alone together, and it had been a blast. The sunset in the background was filled with vibrant colors that beautifully matched Casey’s wild personality. It had only taken him three days of going out at sunset to finish. Painting that scene just came so easily to Carson. Sighing, he let his eyes wander out the window as an awkward silence filled the air around them.

“Wow, the weather is great out there. What do you say we all take a walk outside? I’m tired of being cooped up indoors. What do you guys think?” Carson said, taking his eyes off the window and looking at both Ezzie and Casey. Carson saw a mischievous smile appear on Ezzie’s face. “Oh, I would love to go with you guys, but even if I was feeling up to going outside, I just wouldn’t be able to. You guys are forgetting that half of London thinks I’m some crazy murderer. Talk about a damper on an afternoon of fun eh?” Ezzie stood up and grabbed Casey’s winter coat and handed it to her. “You guys go. Have fun, but be careful. Ezzie rummaged through her drawer for a moment and after a few seconds of searching, she found it. She handed Casey a long stemmed rose with a note tied to it. “I want you guys to stop by Ethan’s grave in the park. I know it’s not much, but he never really liked large bouquets of flowers.” She said sadly.

It was true. Ethan would appreciate Ezzie’s gift, and Carson had been meaning to stop by Ethan’s grave for days. “You can read the note, it doesn’t say much. Just be careful walking out. There are paparazzi everywhere.” Ezzie said. She handed Carson his coat, and after the speech she had just given, Carson found it impossible to say no to her request. He hated those media men for this. All they cared about was their story, and they don’t give a damn if they damage everyone’s lives in the process. Ezzie had loved Ethan, and just because of those people, she wasn’t even allowed to leave the house to see his grave. She was sending her friends out to see him, and that wasn’t fair. Ezzie should be going with them, but they all knew she couldn’t, even if she wanted to. He and Casey left out the back door. Carson noticed various camera flashes in the distance, and he knew Casey and Carson were the people they were taking pictures of. Instinctively, Carson protected Casey, making sure no one could get even the smallest glance at her, let alone take a picture. Once he knew they were gone, Carson relaxed himself. “God, this sucks so bad. I’d better not meet any of those guys in a dark alley anytime soon.” He said, shaking his head sadly. Casey was still holding the rose. “None of us deserved this, and yet here we are, leaving the house of a good friend who is basically wanted for murder…all to get a damned story.” Carson turned the corner to the large familiar park and entered the large spot set aside for Ethan’s memorial. A large beautiful marble headstone was engraved with Ethan’s name, and thousands and thousands of bouquets of flowers and gifts were scattered around the headstone. Propped against the headstone was a large picture of none other than Ethan Jacobs. Seeing his grave again made Carson want to punch someone. Instead, he swallowed hard and turned to look Casey straight in the eyes. “Are you ready?”

[Casey Allen G5]

Casey smiled sweetly and looked to Ezzie. The girl was sneaky. She sighed. Maybe Ezzie and Ethan had been right all along. Casey was just afraid to admit it. Casey eyed Carson and looked to Ezzie as he almost brought up Ethan’s death. But he didn’t. Casey had been afraid to bring it up since the funeral. Basically she and Ezzie had talked about everything besides Ethan’s death. It was easier that way for both of them. Basically Casey was in the denial stage. It was easier to cope that way. She had just kept to herself in her apartment for days. A few people would come over and pick out outfits for Eden to wear for upcoming performances and things of that sort, but she hadn’t actually left the large apartment. Casey found it easy to keep herself busy and not having to face the world. She sighed. She knew that she had concerts and things coming up, but she could keep herself busy until then. Right? She had to. Joel was helping. He was doing a great job at watching her practice and giving her tips on her vocals and dancing. For once he had been a big help. Still, Casey was in denial. Big time.

Casey nodded. “Well I want to see it, k?” She said batting her eye lashes jokingly. She loved Carson’s painting. The one that he had given her for Christmas was amazing. It was of their spot and Casey loved it. Casey had taken the painting and hung it over her bed at the apartment. But she was determined to put it in her room in Newport when she finally got to go home. Casey had her house in Newport and the apartment in London. The apartment was nice and huge, but Casey preferred her house on the beach. She preferred to be at home with her muggle brings walking on the beach while holding candles. Still, Casey knew she wouldn’t get to go home for a good while. She sighed. She loved London, but it wasn’t like Newport. It wasn’t anywhere close.

Casey smiled and nodded as Carson said that they should take a walk outside. Casey liked to walk around London, but of course her father refused to let her go alone. And even though Casey didn’t want to venture out of the apartment after Ethan’s death, Bradley made it perfectly clear that Casey couldn’t go anywhere without Joel. Casey had been in a few tabloids in pictures with Ezzie. They were all bad pictures of Casey and Ezzie walking and trying to get away as fast as possible, but still. Bradley didn’t want anyone to recognize Casey from the photos. But technically, going out with Carson and Ezzie wasn’t breaking any rules, right? Ezzie eyed Casey as she gave her silly look and said that they could go without her. Ezzie could go out in disguise if she really wanted to, but she wanted Casey and Carson to be alone together of course. Sneaky Ezzie. Casey gave her friend a silly look. “Okay then.” She said still giving her friend a lot. However, after a second she smiled. Casey watched as Ezzie reached in the drawer and handed her a rose with a note. Casey nodded at what Ezzie said. “It’s nice.” She told her friend when she said that it wasn’t much. Casey nodded as Ezzie said that paparazzi were everywhere. Great. Casey took her white winter coat from Ezzie and sighed. Casey glanced at Ezzie, smiled, and raised an eye-brow as they left the room.

Casey and Carson were greeted by bright flashes as they left out of the back door. Casey squinted. She couldn’t see anything. “Huh?” She exclaimed at first. Carson protected her from the paparazzi and after the surprise of them being there, she smiled slightly, but then hid it. Casey looked at Carson. “Woa, now I kinda understand how it is for Ezzie all the time.” She said breathily. Really, Casey already understood. Well, kinda. Casey as Eden understood. Casey as Casey, well she didn’t really. Casey nodded as Carson spoke. “Why does anyone really believe that article? There is no evidence to say that Ezzie planned it and I know she didn’t.” Casey shook her head. The whole situation was horrible. Casey looked down at the rose in her hand. She wished that she wasn’t holding it and that Ethan was still alive, but that would never be. Casey and Carson then headed to Ethan’s grave. It was weird. Casey never would have thought that they would be at this place. She never thought that Ethan would dye so young. Never. Casey nodded as Carson asked if she was ready. She then placed the rose on Ethan’s grave and glanced at Carson. She had a couple of tear droplets in her eyes, but she tried to brush them off. Casey sighed and stared down at Ethan’s grave. “Hey Ethan.” She muttered, but that was all she would say. She looked to Carson. Casey really just wanted to leave fast before the water works really began.

[Carson McGreggor H6]

Carson grimaced at Casey’s question. Because Carson and Casey knew Ezzie so well, he could not understand why someone would accuse a fourteen year old girl-let alone Ezzie of committing such a horrible crime as murder. It was like accusing a child of killing her sister. It just wasn’t imaginable. But he knew why people believed Holly Sinclair’s story. “Well Holly Sinclair has a lot of power over the wizarding world. Thank god the news hasn’t spread to the muggle world, or else Ezzie would be out of business. But I’m sure it won’t be long before she gets the story to them too. It’s sad how people in this world have become. Before, people understood that you had to work together to achieve what you want. But then some idiot invented rumours, and the people went mad. The story is interesting and overdramatic, so people are inclined to believe it over a boring truthful one.” Carson said, rolling his eyes.

Even though he knew the paparazzi were all gone, Carson still stood very close to Casey, making sure he stayed away from bushes or car windows where someone could be waiting to take a photo of them. He wasn’t sure why, but Casey had some sort of fear of having her picture taken by the paparazzi. She was perfectly fine when Ezzie pulled out her trusty Polaroid camera, but when it came to the paparazzi, Casey always ducked for cover whenever they were around. He wasn’t sure what was so wrong about them grabbing a small useless picture of two nobodies, but he respected Casey and didn’t want her to be exposed to their cameras if she didn’t want to be. He glanced at some lady walked past them who had a little boy of about six holding her hand. The image tugged at his heart and Carson felt his anger levels rising again. That small child looked exactly like Ethan did at that age. It was when they first met. The little boy had the same round blue eyes and the same long straight jet black hair. Sighing, Carson looked away from the boy and his mother gave him a warm smile. Carson did not return it, but continued walking.

As they approached Ethan’s gravesite, he could see Casey’s eyes growing watery. She placed the rose sadly on his grave and then greeted his tombstone sadly. He didn’t understand why people talked to the people at their grave, because it wasn’t like they could actually hear the words you were speaking. Carson clenched his jaw and listened to Casey speak. “I can’t take this anymore.” He said through clenched teeth. “I can’t stand seeing him like this. I say we go back to Ezzie’s. She’s probably waiting for us.” He said looking away from Ethan’s grave. He sighed as he and Casey started to walk away.

“Let’s go this way.” Carson said, steering Casey in the direction of a small alley between a pub and women’s clothing store. Carson always used to take this way to Ethan’s place during the holidays because it was a much shorter distance than just walking around all the shops. But as soon as he entered the alley, he noticed a crowd of people. They were gambling, in the corner of the alley. Once they heard Carson and Casey’s footsteps, they turned away from their game. Carson groaned inwardly. He didn’t want to get Casey in trouble, especially so soon after Ethan’s death. He swallowed. “C’mon, Casey, let’s get out of here.” He said, starting to turn around. Suddenly, someone else walked into the alley. Carson stared at the boy with a hateful expression. Of course. On the day Carson had been trying to avoid any trouble whatsoever, he had to run into the king of all trouble. “I got the booze guys!” He said with a mischievous smile, holding up a large paper bag. Once he noticed the two intruders however, he dropped the bag, sending it straight for the ground, where it shattered into millions of pieces of broken glass. Carson didn’t flinch. He would get Casey out of here safely even if he had to stay behind himself. In minutes, he found himself and Casey in the center of a circle of thugs. His expression still remained brave and unfazed. He held Casey close protectively. “Well, well. If it isn’t little McGreggy.” Hanson Fitson said teasingly. “I’ve been dying to see you since I got out.” He nodded to a friend of his and before Carson knew it, some strange guy was yanking Casey away from him. She shrieked and Carson all but growled at Hanson. “Tell him to let her go, Fitson.” He demanded in a voice that sounded like a bark.

“Aw, is that your girlfriend?” He mocked. He walked up close to Carson’s face. He could smell the stench of Hanson’s breath. “I said, let her go.” Carson demanded again. He glanced at the stupid thug, who had Casey with her hands tied behind her back. “Or what?” He said, glancing at his mates who were closing in on him. Carson wasn’t afraid. He could take all of them. “You going to hurt me, punk? Is that what you think you’re going to do?” He snarled. “Well I won’t have it. I think Butch here needs a new playmate, and your girlfriend is the perfect candidate.” He said and the boy who had Casey smiled wickedly. He punched Carson square in the face. His mates started to whoop and cheer. Carson reached into his pocket for his wand, but before he could do anything, he heard sirens. Some of his mates started to run away, but Hanson did not want to leave. Several policemen entered the alley. Hanson backed down and Butch released Casey from his strong hold. Carson gulped. He was almost of age now. He wasn’t going to get off easy with the cops like he did last time.

((Well it’s a bit longer than I expected, but it’s packed with drama. All godmoding of Casey was allowed.))

[Casey Allen G5]

Casey looked to Carson as they stood by Ethan’s grave. This was hard for him. It was hard for everyone, but Ethan was Carson’s best-friend. Casey couldn’t imagine loosing Ezzie. She didn’t even want to think about it. Casey knew that Carson couldn’t be feeling too great. After all, his best-friend was killed. Casey whipped some tears away with her hand. It was hard seeing Ethan like this. N o one would have ever thought that bubbly Ethan Jacobs would end up in a grace before he graduated school. He could have done anything he wanted to in life. He could have done something great. Casey knew this. She shook her head slightly. This was hard. This was real and crazy. She just wanted to run away from it all, but she couldn’t. She still had a life to live even if Ethan didn’t. Casey looked at Carson as he spoke. He couldn’t handle this. Casey understood. Hours of crying and staying locked up in her closet had prepared her for this. Casey was ready to face Ethan if even she didn’t want to. But, Casey knew that not everyone felt like this. Carson was still mourning and so was Casey. She shook her head. She just wished that it would all go away.

Casey nodded. “Let’s go.” She said as she followed Carson out of the graveyard. She nodded as he led them a different way back to the Jacobs. Casey wanted to see Ezzie, but that house was sad to her. It was almost like Ethan was still there. Casey thought that he would jump out of the closet and yell ‘gotcha!’. Casey shook her head slightly. She didn’t mind going another way if she got to stay at that house a little less. She would be there for Ezzie, but she couldn’t help her fear. Casey eyed the pub that Joel always wanted to go to, but Bradley of course wouldn’t let him. Old Joel the trouble maker. Casey looked around, but she didn’t notice the group of people gambling at first. She didn’t see them until Carson said that they should leave. She nodded and looked at the guys fearfully. She started to turn back around until someone else walked into the alley and yelled something. Casey still wanted to leave, but Carson stood his ground. She eyed him. Something was wrong. Casey nearly jumped when the guy dropped the bottle full of alcohol. She eyed Carson again. She really wanted to go.

The guys were surrounding them. Casey looked around. She wanted to scream. What was going on? Carson pulled her to him and she knew that something was really wrong. Casey glanced to Carson when the guy spoke. He knew Carson and apparently they weren’t friends. Casey knew from Carson’s body language that something bad could happen. Casey just didn’t know what. Casey listened to the boys talk. Carson called him Fitson. They defiantly knew each other. Wait, Fitson was in jail? And it seemed that he blamed Carson. Casey looked to Carson, but before she knew it, she was grabbed into some guy’s arms. She shrieked and screamed. “Carson!” She called, but it was no use. This guy was strong even if Casey was kicking with all of her might. She was a fighter. She was a Gryffindor after all. She tried to reach for her wand, but the guy grabbed her arms. Casey looked to Carson as Fitson spoke to him. She had a blank, scared look on her face. She might have been scared, but Casey still had a brave streak about her. They could get out of this. She knew it. Carson knew would he was doing. Casey could tell. Casey kept on kicking especially when Fitson said that she could be Butch’s ‘playmate’. “Carson!” Casey shrieked when he was punched. Casey kicked at Butch harder than before. She knew that she was bruising his legs, hopeless she could cause some damage. Then suddenly, sirens sounded. Casey looked around at all the thugs that were running away. Butch finally let her go. “Thank you!” She said kicking him extremely hard in the leg. Yep that had to hurt. Casey after all had leg muscle. Plus, the pointy, high heals probably helped. Casey eyed the cops. Great..

After their ride in the police car, Casey, Carson, Hanson, and Butch were put in a questioning room. Casey could feel the hot lights on her. She and Carson didn’t do anything wrong, but the cops would figure that out. Carson and the others were questioned first, now it was Casey’s turn. One cop looked straight at Casey. She gulped. “So, tell me what happened.” She nodded. “Me and Carson were walking back to the Jacobs house from the park. We saw those idiots gambling in the streets. Fitson started talking to Carson, I don’t really remember what he said.” Casey eyed the creep for a second. “Then before I knew it, I was grabbed and he wouldn’t let me down.” Casey pointed to Butch and glared. “Carson yelled at Fitson to let me go, but he wouldn’t. Fitson punched Carson, and the idiot let me go when you guys showed up.” Casey wasn’t even trying to be sweet. She wasn’t exactly in the mood. Casey then looked at the cop who offered her a small smile. “Is that the truth?” He asked her. She nodded. “Is it?” He asked the others. Carson, Fitson, and Butch nodded. Fitson and Butch wanted to hurt Carson, not really Casey. The cops then talked to themselves and looked at Casey. The cops looked at Fitson, Butch, and Carson. You three have more questions and your defiantly staying the night. You can go.” He said to Casey. Casey looked Carson. “But..” The cop glared at her. “Go.” She nodded and eyed Carson. HE would be okay. She knew that he would.

Casey blinked as she walked into the lobby. She glanced at all the faces around her, all of them were calling her name. She held back the tears and instantly walked over and hugged her dad. “Daddy.” She said letting one tear fall. “Are you okay bud?” She nodded. “Fine. I just have a couple of bruises. She pointed to her wrists. Butch had held her scrawny hands too tight. Bradley frowned at the bruises, but he was glad that she was okay. Casey then went over to hug Ezzie. “Hey.” She smiled. Then they all started asking questions. Casey’s brain was jumbled. “They’re keeping Carson over night. For more questioning and stuff.” Casey knew that Julia was mad and Angel kept asking questions. Casey just sort of nodded. She was tired even thought she knew that she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Casey eyed Ezzie and then everyone else. “I think I want to go home.” She said to Bradley. He nodded. Casey looked at everyone. She couldn’t answer anymore questions. It was too hard. “Bye.” She said simply holding back more tears. This would be a night that Casey would never forget.

[Carson McGreggor H6]

Carson winced every time he heard Casey kick and scream and call out his name from behind him. But he didn’t turn around. Casey would probably hate him for not going and beating Butch up for her, but she didn’t understand the situation he was in. Carson understood the situation all too well. Last time, it was just Carson and Hanson, battling it out with nothing but their fists. The fight was evenly matched. But this time, Hanson had a major advantage. He had dozens of his friends-or rather supporters surrounding him, ready to mug him when Hanson gave the okay. Not to mention Hanson had Casey. If Carson so much as touched Hanson, she would be punished, not Carson. He would make sure she understood that later, but right now, Carson was only concerned with getting her out of there safely. He was willing to do whatever it took-even stay behind. “Let her go, Hanson. I mean it. I’ll stay here and you can fight me all you want. Just let her go.” Carson did not let his voice sound like a plead, but a threat. Although, both Carson and Hanson knew perfectly well who had the advantage here. “No, I think I want her to stay. I’ll let you two lovebirds watch each other suffer.” Carson clenched his fists. He wanted to punch this jerk so hard his mother would feel it, but he held back for Casey’s sake. Then Hanson’s punch came. Carson fell to the floor pathetically just as the cops arrived to the scene. They lead Casey, Carson, Butch, and Hanson to their two cars. Casey and Carson went in one, Hanson and Butch went in the other. Before entering the police car, they were both searched for weapons. Carson stiffened from his position on the car when the officer’s hands neared Casey’s body to search her. “Easy, big guy. I’m just searching her for weapons.” They found nothing, (thankfully not even their wands) but as he entered the car, he wondered if he was even allowed to do that.

But he didn’t have much time to think about it, for the car sped off behind the other cop car. They were headed straight for the police station. Carson held Casey’s hand, as if to silently assure her everything was going to be okay. When they arrived to the police station, everyone was taken to a small grey room where they would be watched carefully while the others got called in for questioning. Carson went first, and he was asked dozens of questions. Things like ‘what happened?’, ‘who was there?’, ‘who threw the first punch?’, and ‘were there any shots fired?’ were the basic questions. The men who were questioning him told him to go back to the room and to send Casey in. Carson was hesitant to let her walk through the door by herself, but knew she had to. Carson relaxed a bit. She would be back in Carson’s arms soon enough.

Only she wasn’t. A new police officer appeared through the door in Casey’s place. He told everyone that she had been sent home. Unfortunately, Carson, Hanson, and Butch would be sent to the County Jail until further notice. Carson wasn’t stupid. He knew the hidden meaning behind what the officer was saying. He meant that unless Carson made bail, he’d be staying a full six month term in the prison. With all the recent money troubles Carson and his sister have been having, Carson was doubtful his sister would be able to come up with the kind of money needed for bail. The words hit Carson like fireballs. He was going to jail. No more Hogwarts. No more family. And worst of all, no more Casey.

With that depressing thought in mind, Carson let the officer take him in handcuffs to the county jail. He quietly placed all his street clothes (including his wand) inside a box and let them be carried off to some unknown room. He quietly changed into an old orange jumpsuit and climbed into a dirty smelly old cot in a mucky prison cell next to a tall dark man with many tattoos. It was awhile before Carson fell asleep, and even then he wasn’t sure if he really was sleeping.

But morning finally came. Carson woke up to find his cellmate eating his (and Carson’s) breakfast in the corner of the room. Carson merely sat up in his cot and looked around. So the nightmare was real. Carson really had been sent to jail. As the sudden realization swept over him all over again, he heard keys jingle and footsteps approach his cell. He sat up to see who was coming.

“Carson McGreggor?” The man barked. Carson looked up hopefully. “Your sister is here to take you home.”