A Stolen Memory (open)

[Esmeralda Mendez]

Ezzie woke late one Sunday morning to see a bright beautiful summer day. Hopeful that she would be able to do some singing in the park and earn a few extra cash, Ezzie packed up her things and dressed in an old pair of jeans and an overly sized bront-shirt. (The shelter had provided her with far better clothing, but she tended to get more money when she looked terrible.) She set her case don next to a tree and began to play her base guitar. She set up a microphone borrowed from the shelter and began to sing. She sag everything from "Amazing Grace", to "Can You Feel The Love Tonight". It was getting dark and Ezzie hadn't recieved much money. She prepared herself for her last song, "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. As she began to play, she noticed a young man about her age come to watch her perform. He had a very kind face, with dark brown hair and intense blue eyes. Theymade her heart melt and her heartbeat quicken that she almost stopped playing. They stared at eachother for the entire song, and when it was over, the boy came over to where she was packing up her equiptment.
"You sing beautifully." He said with a mysterious smile.
"Thank you very much." She said politely, without meeting the boy's eyes.
"Do you mind if I ask your name?"
"My name is Esmeralda," She said. "Pleasure."
"Ah, but the pleasure is mine, my sweet." He said, in a rather cheesy french accent. "Care for a long walk in the park, I hear girls like that."
"I don't know," Ezzie said. She knew perfectly well that this was probably just some other trick those arrogant muggles were playing on her. She had fallen victim to their pranks one too many tmes before. "I really should get going. It's getting dark."
"Then I shall come with you!" He said brightly. "I dare say a woman as beautiful as yourself should not be wandering about by herself this late at night."

When he smiled again, Ezzie saw something that was not there before. Instead of that ever so familiar arrogat and diseiving look, she saw kind, careful blue eyes that gave Ezzie the feeling he was looking deep into her soul. From this look, Ezzie could tell that he was not another one of those arrogant muggles.

"I think I can handle myself, but if you insist, then I believe that would be fine." She said curtly.

He smiled, then said, "Ethan Jacobs, at your service." He said with a cheesy bow. "May I help you carry your things?" Ezzie smiled and handed him her guitar case. "And what, may I ask, is this lovely lady's name?"

"Esmeralda Mendez, more widely known as Ezzie. I'm absolutley delighted to meet you."

"I'm glad to hear we share the same views." He smiled again as they walked on.

Finally, they stopped right in front of the "God Loves Us" Homeless Shelter and Ezzie sighed and said, "Well this is my stop." He handed her the guitar case sadly. "I'll see you around, Ethan Mathews."

"I'd like to see you tomorrow. You can come to my house. It's the blue one just outside the park."

She agreed, and watched Ethan walk away into the darkness. She remembered this with a smile as she walked around that very park. The memory as so beautiful, so great, as if it were stolen from the mind of a much luckier person. Suddenly, someone came out of nowhere and crashed into her. She was sure she had seen them before. At Hogwarts, perhaps.

[Arywiel Coone G3]

"Freedom finally!" gasped Ary as she sucked in the fresh London air.
She had escaped home, gotten away from her squabbling siblings and had cruised around London all day.
She had passed Leicester Square and the bustle of people, walked about five tube stops, when it started to grow dark.
The whole time she had kept her head down. 'Oak and Dragon scale. Bamboo and Unicorn...' she had been mumbling all the time.
Wands were her passion. She was fascinated by them and wished nothing better than to own her own little shop in Hogsmeade.

When she saw how dark it had become, she turned around and took a left down a street. She was pretty sure she had come that way, so she hastened her stride.
Another left down here, and then I should meet a main road... she thought.
She stopped in her tracks. She hadn't seen those houses before.
She cursed under her breath, as she had surely taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Arywiel sighed and took a right.
Darkness was slowly creeping onwards, and it began to get colder.
She pulled her brother's jacket around her tightly and shouldered her bag on the other side.
She thaught she heard something.
Her hand instinctively reached for her wand in her pocket. "White Rowan and Elf hair..." she mumbled. "Where are you?" she panicked.
The dim, yellow street lights turned on, and she was deserted on the little street. There were only dark houses, no shops and only few lights were on in the house windows.
Ary fiddled about in her pockets, her hands growing slightly numb with the cold.
"Hello Poppet!" Grunted a man from behind her. She span around and gasped as she saw the drunk grinning at her with those black teeth.
Without thinking, she hurtled down the street and took a right. She ran on, until she found herself in a park, slipping along.
The drunk's shouts echeod behind her.
she dodged along the path and looked over her shoulder as she ran.
Suddenly she cannoned into somebody. She raised her eyebrows as she saw who it was. "Havent I seen you before?" She gasped, out of breath.