Amelia could tell from Bane’s body language – I guess being this close to him was good for something – that Bane did not like her response to his pep-talk, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Amelia was a master at plastering on a smile when necessary, playing the part of the doting daughter or the interested student when she needed to. But right now, she was out of her element, and out of patience with herself. Pretending to be feeling any way except the way she was would be pointless right now; what purpose would it serve? Bane was a no one to her, just some random person she had met on the quidditch pitch at the break of day. So what if he came to the same conclusion as his peers, that she was heartless and cold – just add him to the list.
Amelia’s grip on Bane’s robes released only when she felt her feet come in contact with the ground once more. Even then, Amelia was hesitant to open her eyes, afraid that he had somehow tricked her senses, but when her eyelids separated she could see that Bane had kept his word and returned her safely to the grass. Amelia wasted no time getting off the broom, though her legs were a little wobbly at first because of the nerves that had been heightened by the flying “experience”.
Bane looked dejected as he too dismounted the broom. Amelia wanted to feel something for him, or at least to feel bad that she had crushed his hopes and dreams of spreading the love of flying to another person, but feelings had never really been Amelia’s strong suit. After so many years of suppressing them, they did not come easily out of the vault. In his question he had seemed unsure, and his gaze held the same. His eyes rested on her features, questions written in them, questions Amelia did not want to hear, both because she might not know the answers and because she would likely just hurt him further by refusing to provide the information he wanted.
Amelia shrugged and looked away from Bane as he understated Amelia’s feelings about flying, utterly out of things to say. She should never have tried flying; her gut instinct had been to avoid it, and yet she had tried it anyway. Tried and failed. If there was one emotion Amelia hated above all others, it was the feeling of failure. The feeling of inadequacy. Exactly the feelings she was experiencing right now.
“Yeah, see you around,” Amelia echoed, though she knew it was more than likely that she would intentionally avoid Bane now. Not only had he seen her in a moment of weakness, but he had also seen through the defenses she put up. That made him a danger to her emotional protection, no matter how pure his intentions.
Having provided the necessary goodbye, Amelia turned on her heel without another word and let her legs stretch out in a sprint which carried her across the wide, frozen, but blessedly-solid ground.
((You can PM me if you want to start another thread. Or we can wait a bit. I don’t know what you are involved in right now.))
by Amelia Lyons Wed Jan 13, 2010 5:26 am
