Disappointment. ((Kael))

[Casey Allen G5]

“If you could see the other side of me. I'm just like anybody else. Can't you tell I hold the key, to both realities? The girl that I want you to know. If only I could show. The other side, the other side. I want you to see. The other side, the other side, the other side of me!” Casey finished and dancing. Her last dance move ended with her hands over her head. The choreographer nodded. “Good job Eden, guys.” He said nodding to the other dancers. Eden nodded and smiled. “Yea, great rehearsal guys. Now remember, the concert is on Friday. Don’t be late!” She called as they started to pack up and leave. Casey twirled a piece of Eden’s blond hair as she walked over to her dance bag. All of the dancers didn’t know that she was really Casey. Actually, she usually kept this hidden from most people or at least a many as she could. She only told the people that she had to. Casey headed over and picked up her blue bag and started walking towards the door when a voice stopped her. “That was awesome Eden. How did you get so good?” Jonah, the new dancer asked her. Casey smiled flirtingly. “Thanks. You’re not so shabby yourself. I guess over the years I’ve learned a lot.” She said nodding. “Cool.” He responded. “So, I was thinking on going to a movie tonight would you like to come with me?” Casey’s eyes widened, but she tried to remain cool, to remain Eden. “Yea sure..” “She would love to but she’s spending time with her old man tonight.” Bradley added putting his arm around Eden. Casey flashed her dad a look. “Oh, well okay.” Jonah said talking but. “But, no, but, dad!” Casey said turning to her dad. Casey watched as Jonah left disappointed. “I’m sorry bud, but you’re not ready to date so neither is Eden.” “But,” “No buts, let get home.” Casey finally surrendered and nodded.

“Dad, c’mon. Jonah is a total hottie.” Casey insisted taking her wig off as they entered the house. “Casey, you are fourteen years old.” Bradley said walking into the kitchen. Casey followed him. “Daddy..” She said giving him the sad face. “No, bud. I’m sorry.” Casey sighed. “Fine.” She said walking to her room to change out of her Eden outfit. Her phone rang as she closed the door. Casey was around muggles so often that she had gotten used to the way they lived, plus her mother was one. She loved her phone and even had a t.v. in her room she loved to watch from time to time. Casey picked up her cell-phone. She only used it for Eden stuff. For everything involving Casey, she just used the home phone. “Hello?” She asked trying to get back into the Eden mind set. “Hey Eden. It’s Jonah.” Casey’s mouth dropped and she nearly started squealing. Finally, she regained her composure. “Hey Jonah. What’s up?” She asked smiling through her teeth even though he couldn’t see her. “Not much. I was wondering if you had changed your mind and wanted to come to the movies after all?” Casey nearly screamed. “Well, I don’t..” But, Casey could her the disappointment in his found. “I don’t think I can miss it!” She screeched. She could here him laugh. “I’ll be there.” “Great.” He replied. “see you there.” “Awesome.” She said clicking the phone off. She peered her head out of the door as she opened it. Her dad was singing in the kitchen. “Not awesome.” She said bending her knees and dropping to the floor by the door. Wait. “I have a plan.”

“Okay well you two have fun.” Bradley told Casey and Joel as they headed out the door. “Okay daddy. Love you.” Casey called as Joel closed the apartment door. “And I love you Joel!” She squealed hugging her brother. “Casey. Casey! Lay off. Now I did this so you could go one your date and I could go on mine without any questions from dad.” She nodded. “Thanks so much Joel.” She smiled. “Whatever. Doesn’t Jonah have a date with Eden?” He asked. She nodded, pointing to the designer bag on her back. “Yes he does.” She said laughing. He shook his head. “Creepy.” He said walking down the hall, Casey followed. Half an hour later, Casey was about to change into Eden clothes when she got a call. “Hello?” She asked. “Hey Eden, it’s Jonah.” She smiled. “Oh, hey Jonah. I’m on my way.” She lied looking to the restroom within sight. “Yea, about that. I’m sorry but I can’t date you.” He said simply. Casey stopped smiling. “Why not?” She asked trying to remain casual. “I got a call from your dad saying that if I met you tonight, you’d be grounder faster than a ‘groundhog on groundhog’s day’.” He shook his head at Bradley’s corny words. “I’m sorry.” He said and then hung up. Casey hung her head low. “Me too.” She said to no one as she hung up the phone. Casey then walked over to a bench head down not looking to anyone including the boy that was sitting besides her. “Boys suck. You know that?” She turned to they boy, then looked back to the ground. Really, Casey knew it was her father’s doing, but she wished that Jonah had done something, sad something to change her father’s mind. He didn’t even fight for her. Casey wouldn’t cry, but she eyes the ground feeling awfully low.

[kael]

Kael had to forcefully resist the urge to be childish and cover his ears with his hands. His parents were arguing - for the first time ever since having the twins, to Kaels knowledge and he knew a lot more than he should through observation and keeping silent when adults were talking - and they were being quite loud too. Lynnette had crept into his room about half an hour ago, curling up in Kaels embrace with Pluto on her lap in an attempt to seek comfort. Damn it, but why couldn't they at least cast a spell so that Lynnette didn't have to hear them? It didn't upset him so very much to hear them arguing - he had been the one to eavesdrop on them discussing Lynne and her condition and had even been included in their conversations once they had discovered him - but Lynnette couldn't even bear to listen to harsh words, let alone full out shouting even if they couldn't make out the majority of the words. It brought up bad feelings and colours for her and Kael wasn't going to tolerate seeing his younger - alright, so she was only younger by fifteen minutes, he was still older and therefore the protector - sister bury her head underneath one of his pillows just because their parents were arguing over those stupid letters. Looking at his sister like that, Kael was torn between storming downstairs and getting his twin out of the house. When a crash came from downstairs and a suspiciously teary-sounding whimper came from Lynne, his mind was made up. His parents could wait until later, Lynne wasn't going to make it through the next five minutes of shouting so she certainly wouldn't be able to handle him leaving her alone.

"Just climb down the rope," Kael said persuasively, pushing his sister toward the open window gently. "It's strong and it supports my weight so it'll support you because you're skinnier than I am." "Not by much!" Lynnette protested, eyeing the rope cautiously. "Lee is okay, a nice shade of purple," Lynne decided after a moment, swinging out of the window and letting the rope take her weight, staying still for a second before scrambling down. Jeez. Kael rolled his eyes, checking to make sure Lynnette was safely on the ground before transferring his own weight to it. The rope had taken both of their weight at one time but they had been so much younger then and only venturing out to cause mischief. But the way his sister was behaving now, no one could be rebuked for thinking she'd never climbed out of his window in her life. "Come on," Kael tugged at his sisters arm lightly, pulling her away from the now open door when he heard the creak of it opening slowly. The sob that escaped from Lynne's mouth when she saw their father framed in the door with a bag in his hand was muffled by Kael slipping a hand over her mouth. She bit him fiercely, feeling smug satisfaction when he barely bit back a curse. "That's Dad," Lynne confirmed in a whisper, tears welling up in her eyes even as Kael pulled her toward the wall and another rope soundlessly, this one looking considerably less stable since it had been hanging there in all weathers since they were eight. Too shocked to complain about the safety - or lack thereof - of this rope, Lynnette climbed up and dropped down on the other side without a sound other than the soft thump of her feet hitting the ground.

Kael bit his lip thoughtfully, automatically steering his sister toward the other side of the road. He couldn't take her anywhere but a friends house with that state Lynnette was in. It'd have to be Vic's house, he decided, pulling away from the road and down a sunlit lane that led to Vic's house. He didn't particularly like the girl and she wasn't overly fond of him either but she'd look after Lynne and he could collect her when he got back from...wherever he ended up or she'd let him bunk in the spare room if he got back late or just didn't feel like returning to his own house. God job he'd takent he time to scribble down a note, Kael thought humourlessly as he delivered his sister into the careful, understanding arms of Victoria. Her grim look alone told him that he'd owe her an explanation when he got back but Kael was just satisfied to know that she wouldnt press the issue straight away. After an hours worth of wandering, Kael wasn't quite sure how he had ended up at the cinema but the atmosphere was calm and quiet enough for him to sort through his thoughts and try to think up an explanation for the blue-eyed witch he was now in the debt of. His eyebrow arched in something resembling amusement at the girls comment, half wondering when she had sat next to him. "It's written into the gene that separates us from females," he responded wryly, tipping the bucket of popcorn lying in his lap toward her in an open invitation. "But hey, the way I see it? It teaches you a valuable lesson. Life would be so much easier if you had magic and could just make things happen your way." Okay, Kael admitted to himself, so magic didn't work that way but he guessed it would cheer her up. It wasn't like muggles knew anything about how magic worked so he wasn't doing any harm by saying it.

((Yeah, he thinks she's a muggle. But this way is so much more fun for me to write ))

[Casey Allen G5]

Casey found herself staring at her feet. Why did her dad have to do this to her? He always did. She sighed. She was old enough. She was! Even Joel thought so. Casey shook her head, wondering why Jonah had given up so easily. So what if she was grounded, she would bounce back from that easily. She sighed. Oh, well. He wasn’t the boy for her anyways, right? But, what if he was? Casey shook her head just wanting to melt away into the concrete below her feet. It was true, even pop stars got rejected. Suddenly, Casey was glad that she hadn’t changed into her Eden clothes. Then this near cry fest wouldn’t be the same with crazy fans drooling all over her. Casey shook her head. Wow were dance rehearsals going to awkward or what? She sighed letting the sadness consume her. Oh well, right? He didn’t couldn’t control who she dated at school that was for sure. That thought made Casey feel slightly better, but she was still sad. She had the right to be after. Casey or Eden for that matter had never been told by a guy that he couldn’t date her. Casey went on different dates with different people. Some dates were with Eden, others with Casey. It had taken her awhile to get used to that, but finally she had adapted. Casey sighed. She had to get over it. She knew this. Suck it up, girl.

Casey looked to the older boy besides her almost forgetting that she had spoken to him in the first place. She looked him over. She hadn’t seen him before, had she? Odds were that he was a muggle. Casey nodded to herself. Yea, probably a muggle. Obviously, Casey spent so much time with muggles that she enjoyed there company. Anyways, she had never much cared about blood considering that she was a half-blood. She smiled only a tad at his response. “Good to know.” She nodded even though it didn’t make her feel any better. Casey then pulled a finger up to her mouth and started to bite a nail. It was a bad habit of hers, but she wasn’t in the mood to think about that. Casey nodded as he offered her some popcorn. She took just a handful and popped a few pieces into her mouth. It had been awhile since she had gone to a movie and had popcorn. Usually, she was too bombarded with fans when she went because usually she went as Eden for one reason or another. Also, there were premieres, and Casey didn’t want to eat popcorn and get it on Eden’s outfits on those occasions. Casey popped another piece into her mouth eyeing the girl again. He looked around Joel’s age, probably not any older. For a moment, Casey looked around for Joel, but he was going to some movie with his date, Carly. Casey didn’t care much for the blonde, glob of make-up girl, but she didn’t much talk to Joel about it. It wasn’t that Casey minded telling Joel her feelings. It was just that it had been hard to Casey to see her brother lately. After all, she was living two lives.

Casey felt like gasping when he mentioned magic, but she held her comments in. His was a muggle, right. Magic didn’t exist, but not in that way as far as Casey knew. You could make things happen, but you couldn’t really make things exactly how you wanted. You could make people do what you want, but that was with the Imperio curse which was after all illegal. “Yea, if only magic were real.” She muttered, and then broke out in a smile. The only secret Casey was really good at keeping was her Eden secret. She had never really had muggles talk to her about magic before, so it was easy to keep that a secret around them which was all of the time. Casey looked to the older boy again. “So I know why I’m sitting out here looking like an idiot, but why are you? Not that you look like an..” She was stammering. “Ah, I always mess up my words.” She said more to herself, but out loud. Casey shook her head once again wishing she could dissolve into the cement.

[kael]

Lynnette would be hit hard by this, and Kael found himself worrying about his sister in a way that hadn't happened since they were twelve and the rope they had then used to sneak out had snapped because she had started to climb down before he had reached the ground. Being closer to the ground, Kael had flipped himself over in midair to land on his feet and only suffered a sprained wrist since he had toppled forward when Lynnette had started to fall and her shoe had whacked him on the head. She, on the other hand, had hit her head against a rock and passed out. Kael had had to sit there for over an hour, holding his shirt to her head to stop the bleeding, and wonder if his sister would wake up. He would have quite happily given up their freedom - their father knew about them sneaking out, after seeing Kael descend from his window when he was eleven, but pretended not to - if he could tell their parents and get Lynnette healed by them. But they were out and that was then they'd first met Vic. She'd been seventeen then and newly graduated from Hogwarts, the only daughter of one of their parents friends dropping off a package for her father. Vic had helped them out, healed Lynnette, cleaned Kael's shirt and even fixed the rope and made it stronger. Most of all, she'd done it without even threatening to tell their parents.

It seemed like the twins were destined to rely on Vic whenever Lynnette got hurt but it was comforting to know that there was someone they could rely on; someone who would only ask questions about why Lynne was hurt and nothing else. Without really thinking about it, Kael pulled Casey's finger away from her mouth reprovingly. "It's a bad habit," he shrugged, not really bothered about scolding a stranger like he would scold his sister. "Unless you've washed your hands in the last five seconds, you're eating bacteria. Not to mention the dirt under your fingernails." His sister had had the same habit of biting her fingernails whenever she was nervous or upset and he'd broken it by smacking her hand away, but somehow he didn't think a stranger would take kindly to him smacking her. It was just a reflex action, something that came with being a brother. Nervous or upset, hmm. Kael turned his head slightly, surveying the girl from the corner of his eye. She hadn't cried, not while she was sitting by him and not before if the lack of reddened eyes was any indication, but she looked ready to. Judging by her admitted dislike of boys, Kael came to the conclusion that she'd either been stood up or her boyfriend had broken up with her. He almost wished he'd brought Lynne with him instead of leaving her with Vic. His sister would just put an arm around her and hug her and tell Kael he sucked because a member of his gender had hurt this girl, just because that was the way she was. Besides, it would probably be a lot less weird to be hugged hy a female stranger than a male stranger. Not to mention that he wasn't good with emotions, his or anyone elses.

Kael looked at her sharply, noting the smile before letting an answering smile tug at his own lips. Maybe he'd been wrong about her. Muggles didn't give that weird little smile that always seemed to come to the lips of a magic user when someone talked about magic. "If magic existed," Kael began nonchalantly, acting calm but keeping his eyes trained on her to catch any response she might have. "I suppose I'd be a badger in its sixth year." At least if she was a muggle, she'd only brand him as a crazy person. Whether she was or not, he might get a fairly decent conversation - they were, after all, both miserable even if he was better at hiding it. For the first time in hours, Kael laughed; true laughter that just wouldn't stop until tears came to his eyes. It hadn't been that funny of a comment but emotion had been building up in him for hours and it was a better way of releasing it than crying. "I've never been called an idiot by a complete stranger before, especially one who insults herself at the same time. But I'm here because my sister and I climbed out of a window and saw something we shouldn't have. I just needed a place to sit and think for a while, I guess."

[Casey Allen G5]

Casey eyed the boy as he removed her fingers from her mouth. She nodded. "I know it's a bad habit, but I can't really help it or at least the fourteen years I've been doing it, I've never found a way to make myself stop." She sighed glancing around the street for a minute. She didn't bite her nails normally, Only when she was stressed or upset. Only then did Casey let herself bite her finger nails. So really, she had just lied, but she didn't care for the moment. Casey thought of Jonah. Oh well, right? After all, he had wanted to date famous Eden Sweden not normal 'ole Casey Allen. Casey nodded to herself. That was right. He didn't want her anyways so Casey didn't need him. She had friends, her dad, and her brother. Did she really need a boyfriend or even a boy she really liked in her life? Maybe she didn't. Casey glared about the street again still hoping that Jonah would show up even though she had just convinced herself that she didn't need him. Oh well. It would just take time. Casey knew this. Everything in her life had just taken time to get over or get used to. Casey had learned this after her mum left, but still the solution didn't make her feel better at times.

Casey's eyes widened as she realized that he was a wizard. "You're not a..? You're a..." Casey paused and shook her head finally to get herself to stop. She looked around making sure no muggles would detect the conversation. "Let's just say that I'm a fourth year lion." She said feeling completely stupid as the words left her mouth. "I didn't know you went to Hogwarts." She said keeping her voice down. Casey sighed. "My family's apartment isn't far from here, but I don't see many Hogwarts students about." She said looking around at the London street. True, Casey had left out the part that her apartment wasn't her house, but that wasn't really important. Was it? Casey smiled glad that she was around a Hogwart's student. So maybe he was still a stranger, but just knowing that they attended the same school made Casey feel as if were less than a stranger. "So, I'm Casey by the way. Casey Allen." She said feeling as if she should introduce herself. Casey laughed as the boy laughed. "Yea, sorry. My words get all jumbled sometimes and.." She paused tired of making excuses. Casey nodded as he talked. "That is understandable I guess..me and my brother get in trouble sometimes too." She paused. "Oh, he's Joel Allen. He's in your house and year." She nodded. Casey sighed looking to the ground. "My story for being here is less interesting. Really, I'm just waiting for Joel to get his date over with to take me home. Mine sort of bailed.."

[kael]

"People don't bite their nails off just for the fun of it, kid." Kael smiled slightly, leaning his head back and resting it on the top of the chair, staring at the ceiling almost thoughtfully. "It only happens in stressful or upsetting situations. Or, I suppose, if you're really bored or really really hungry. Can't say I've ever indulged in the habit so you'll have to tell me if your fingernails taste any good. Just in case I start to feel a little bit hungry." For the first time since he had dropped Lynnette off at Vic's, Kael felt himself start to relax, calmness and a weariness that simply didn't belong to a sixteen year old boy relaxing his tenseness away until his eyes felt ready to slip half-shut. But he caught the glare the smaller girl sitting beside him sent to the road and his brown eyes softened compassionately, seeing Lynnette after the first time she had been stood up instead of this stranger. He didn't know quite what made him put a gentle hand on her shoulder; some brotherly instinct that came with Lynnette acting younger than her actual age being extended to a girl who somehow touched that instinct in him despite being a stranger. "I think you know he isn't coming. And that makes him not worth your time." Kael said simply, not pressing the issue further.

"No. I'm not a muggle and yes I'm a wizard," Kael replied quietly after sending a cautious glance around the cinema. Not many people were around and those that were were queuing up for drinks and snacks but if they got too loud they could still be overheard. Better to stay quiet and cautious than have to call out the obliviators because of a few overly stupid moments. "Ah, I guess thats where I recognise you from," Kael replied with a shrug. "I thought you looked slightly familiar - just your face, you know - and I wondered why I'd recognise someone not from the school. And how could you be expected to know I was from Hogwarts. Do we walk around with something tattooed on our foreheads?" He answered playfully, keeping the mood light and jokey to distract her mind from the boy troubles he had already concluded were troubling her. "I'm Kael Collins. Oh, you're Joel's little sister? I've seen him in the common room and in classes but I can't say I've ever talked to him much. My sister probably has though and you might know her too; Lynnette's in your house, sixth year." Kael paused, his eyebrows furrowed as he studied the girl. Despite what he had said earlier, he was so sure that he had never seen her before even though her face looked familiar. Eh. He did see her brother everyday so that was probably why he thought he recognised her. Familial similarities and all. He let her statement about her date pass without comment. Nothing else was left to say since he had already said something on the subject and wasn't going to broach the subject more unless she brought it up again.