You're too sick, too f*cked in the head

Darkness suffocated everyone and everything in the room, which consisted of only Keera
Mast and a large pile of parchment that was lying about the wooden floorboards, save a
few quills and ink bottles. There was no fireplace, no lamps, and the windows were covered
with thick, musty curtains so there really was no source of light anywhere in the small room
somewhere inside the Inn at which Keera was staying- though, none of the Inn keepers kn-
-ew about it; she had lost quite a bit of money during her last poker game and now had to
resort to sneaking around. She was sure if anyone found her there- or at least, anyone who
was anyone- she would be forced to work there for whatever small pay the staff members
earned until she paid off the fee she owed for staying there. Then I won’t get caught, Keera
had thought to herself with a smirk.

Keera rolled over on the small sofa, it smelt of cigarettes and dust, but she was always a he-
-avy sleeper, and so she couldn’t smell a thing. If anyone were to have taken a look at her at
the moment they would have guessed she was sleeping peacefully, dreaming of whatever it
is thirty-some-year-olds dreamt about, that guess could possibly be the farthest thing from the
truth. Keera’s eyes moved around under her eyelids and her breathing got louder, as if she w-
-ere afraid of something- or someone. Riiiiip! Her long fingernails dug into the fabric of the sofa
& pulled it back, ripping some of it clean off of the wood beneath. “um, um, no, uh,” she spoke,
her words making no sense to anyone but herself, though she hadn’t the slightest clue she was
speaking them aloud. “because!” she growled loudly, launching her body forward into a sitting
position. Beads of sweat were forming at her scalp, threatening to trickle down her forehead if
she didn’t calm down. Keera, still being half-asleep stood up with a fistful of her own hair and
pulled at it, trying to stop whoever had been terrorizing her in her dream and screamed again,
“Get out!”, nearly tripping over her own feet and falling to the floor.

The sound of running feet echoed through the hallways as the Inn keeper ran to her aid, but when
he pushed open the door and saw nothing but a middle-aged girl, he was quite confused, & quite
angry. “What are you screaming about!? A-and where the bloody hell did you come from; I don’t
remember seeing you in the lobby,” He asked, confusion clear on his face. Keera glanced at her
hand, which was balled up into a fist with strands of her brown hair wrapped around her fingers,
along with a few small droplets of her own crimson blood that clung to the strands, and frowned.
“This is why I don’t sleep that often,” she whispered, mostly to herself and shook the hair from her
hand. “I’m calling the police!”- “No!” Keera growled, whipping out her long, pointed wand. She had
no idea what to do next, but she was sure she wasn’t about to let these…idiots have the upper hand.
“Look, I have places to be tomorrow and going on a walk with your guards doesn’t sound like a load
of fun, so how about you stop ordering people around for a second and say hello- you must always
start off a conversation with a greeting or people will think your just plain rude,” she said, drawing out
each and every word in a way you would speak to a child, as she grinned.

(Note: I will explain what the parchment and quills were for in a bit)

Keera narrowed her eyes, but more out of confusion than anger. “An Auror?”
she asked and her eyes darted back towards the Inn keeper, she was trying to
think of some way to turn the situation around and make things go the way she
wanted, rather than end up paying a fee she couldn’t pay. “You showed up right
in time, Mr. Walker,” she replied, taking a step toward him, “this man”- she nodded
in the Inn keeper’s direction, who looked quite flustered at this point- “came in here
when I was sleeping and tried to- well, I really don’t know if he wanted to rape me
or if he wanted to attack me, but I screamed because I thought it would help, and
well, you’re here now…” she explained, it took all of her self-control to keep a smirk
from forming on her pink lips. Keera didn’t usually get Aurors involved when she got
into a bit of trouble, but it seemed like the only option at the time- other than murder,
that is, and she didn’t exactly enjoy killing; if it was necessary, sure, but she felt guilt
like everyone else when everything was said and done, and she didn’t enjoy it any-
-more than she enjoyed the sleep terror disorder she suffered from. The Inn keeper
stared at her, mouth hanging open; he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, he co-
-uldn’t believe she had come up with such a horrible lie about him in such a short
amount of time. “What!? You liar!” He screeched, his face red with anger. Keera
flinched, remembering to stay in character, and moved slowly, further away from
the man. “Get out of my Inn!” He continued.

Keera suddenly remembered the plans she had been working on that were thrown
about the floor around the torn sofa. She looked at the Auror and then the Inn keeper
before quickly making a mad dash for the scribbled on pieces of parchment. She
gathered them together in a messy pile and held them in her arms along with the quills
and ink bottles she had used. If the anyone asked her what they were she would lie
and tell them they were assignments she planned to hand out to the students when
she was a substitute at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; if she wanted
to get out of this mess she could not have this Walker fellow knowing anything about
her, especially her plans to take down the newest minister. “Please don’t yell at me!”
Keera begged the Inn keeper, faking innocence, this whole thing had really been her
fault; had she not have snuck into the Inn and claimed the room without paying for it,
she would have never even met these men, and it would have saved a lot of trouble,
but then again… she really hadn’t had any other choice, and it was in Keera’s nature
to do things that would get her into trouble.

“My name is Ke- Kelly, Kelly Ford,” she corrected herself quickly, deciding not to give
her real name away; the ministry knew who Keera was, and she wasn’t exactly their
favorite person in the world. “I work at Hogwarts and I came here because all the other
Inns were full- which I see now was a big mistake,” she said quickly, she was surprised
by how good her own acting was, perhaps she was born to act, she thought, laughing
inwardly.

“You got here minutes after I screamed, sir, so I ask you to trust me when I say that
he would ‘do such a thing’,” she replied, watching the Auror carefully; he clearly didn’t
believe her- or trust her- and suddenly, she wasn’t so convinced of her acting skills.
Perhaps maybe it was just too early in the morning, or maybe this man was just extra
cautious and wasn’t nearly as ignorant as she had assumed he would be. “What sort
of place?” she asked, tilting her head to the side; she didn’t know if it was such a good
idea to fallow a man to some place she had never been- an Auror nonetheless- he co-
uld be plotting something, and if she went with him, well, she would be walking right in-
to a trap, or at least, that’s what her mind was telling her. Keera looked up at the ceiling;
or maybe, she could take advantage of his invitation and keep an eye on the ministry
that way. She walked to the couch she had been sleeping on only moments prior and
picked up her leather vest, shrugging into it. “Please, could I? Could you supply me with
a different place to stay? I can pay you if that’s what you wish,” she lied fluently, watch-
ing the Inn keeper leave the room when he was told to.

“What exactly happened? I woke up and that man was in this room with his wand
drawn, ready to hex me or-or whatever he planned on doing to me! I told you this already,
and I know I don’t have proof, so I don’t expect you to believe a word I say… but it would
be nice if you did,” she replied slowly, she had to look away for a moment; she knew her
eyes told a different tale. What would the Auror think if he knew she had only woken from
a nightmare and that the Inn keeper had nothing to do with it? What would he do if he fig-
ured out she belonged in a mental hospital? Or, the most important question, what would
she do if Walker didn’t give her a place to stay? She could always stay at Hogwarts… but
she was avoiding the place; she didn’t want to have to answer the Headmaster’s questions
when she arrived earlier than she was suppose to. Keera knew the Headmaster, hell, she
could even go as far as to say they were friends, but she knew it would be…week to show
up at Hogwarts begging for a place to stay until she earned back the money she lost play-
ing poker. Damn luck, for once couldn’t you just agree with me?