Stuck in a whirlwind of my mind

Chase sighed and licked her ice cream. The sun was out, there wasn't a cloud in site, and Chase SHOULD be happy.. but she wasn't. Her mind was clouded over with thoughts and ideas, ponderings and fright. She had just found out what her old life had been like.. and she didn't like it. Some of the choices she had made were HORRIBLE! Absolutely vile, and now.. now she felt sick in the stomach just thinking about all the people she had hurt. Chase licked her ice cream again, and then stood, grabbing her purse (Which at the moment had a real live dog sticking it's head out the side) Chase walked down the road, still enjoying her ice cream, but her eyes clouded over.

She had to stop thinking about that.. the only reminder of her old life was Daniel.. who seemed insistent upon coming around her still, even though she only had a vague idea of how she felt about him. Sure she HAD loved him.. when she was out of her mind! He wasn't actually that nice of a guy, but how do you tell that to a Vampire? Can you break up with a Vampire at all? What if he bit her or something out of anger! She shivered and reached down, patting her dogs head. A tiny Shih Tzu named Dragon, he was still a puppy, so he was even smaller then he'd be full grown, which was pretty small! She used to have a Chihuahua but he had died of an ear infection, so instead of making a new banner, she had named her new Shih Tzu the same name, little Dragon.

Flicking her long red hair over her shoulder she looked around. Most people that were here were adults, it was the summer, and people rarely came to Diagon Alley for fun! Chase did, but as we all know she's a bit odd. A hot wind blew and ruffled her skirt, making Chase look down at the noise. Today she had chosen a bright yellow skirt, that had a hufflepuff insignia sewn into it, she had made it herself! And her shirt a simple white t-shirt, with a jean jacket thrown over it, the jean jacket also had a hufflepuff insignia sewn into the breast pocket. Taking long striding steps, but not sure where she was going, Chase walked quickly down the street, hoping to look like she had somewhere to go and wasn't wondering like she really was.

But her mind was still whirring as she walked, absentmindedly stroking Dragon's head. If she wanted to.. she could start completely over, and pretend she didn't even KNOW the people she used to. Well.. she could use losing her memory as a cause of not knowing people. She didn't even KNOW where half the people she used to be friends with were anymore. Taking a deep breath Chase stopped and made her way over to a bench, sitting down on it, she put her bag with Dragon next to her. Watching people as they passed she let her mind wander even more. Her memory was gone, and her mother was making sure she had a quiet life at home as she got used to being back. Apparently she had left or something, gotten her own home and moved in with a Vampire.. her parents didn't hate her for it, because well, Chase wasn't Chase anymore. Having gone back to school, and finding out about her life, well she was ready to bet there was even more her diary hadn't told her about.

Chase leaned back and finished her ice cream with a crunch of waffle cone, before throwing the napkin away in a nearby trashcan. Sometimes she wished she hadn't read her diary, but now that she had, she knew who she needed to avoid in order to be happy: The slytherin girl who's name wasn't in there but a description only, Sterling, Jesse, Possibly Daniel, even though he still was trying to get at her, and a Slytherin Boy, who's name was a mystery to her. That was quite the list, but if she pretended she didn't know any of them, she could get away with it.. and start a whole new life.. a life without fear, and pain. Chase grinned and leaned back on the bench, stroking Dragon's head still. Yes, she would do it, she would avoid everyone from her old life, and make her life new and wonderful again!

Jack was walking down Diagon Alley, intent on reaching the Quidditch shop. She was not really out to buy anything, though perhaps some new gloves would suit her well. No, she was content with her antique-of-a-broom and her brilliant top-of-the-line Beating bat. But it didn't hurt to look, right?

Jack was in one of her famous moods...She had about 37 different types of famous moods at the last count. But today was one of her more unstable. She was obliviously eager, with just an edge of anticipation and impatience. It would not do well to interrupt her on her quest... To the person who interrupted her of course, anyway.

Her green eyes flashed in the dazzling sunlight and she glanced off into the sky, which was a bright blue, splattered with interesting shaped clouds. Though that wasn't what she was considering. She was thinking about Quidditch conditions. And how perfect a prank would go over on a flawless day like today.

She figured she could make an event of the day. Get some supplies, stop for a bite, load up on sweets and pranks, put some of those pranks into motion, hit a Bludger around, and then finish off the day gorging herself on delicious delectable sweets. Yes, today was shaping up to be a perfect day, and nothing could stop her-

Her foot caught something and she was sent sprawling into the dirt. She cursed and turned around to see a yellow clad girl, perhaps a year younger or so. Jack scowled. Hufflepuff. She had no problem with them, but Jack was also proud. In her opinion, she was on top, as a Gryffindor, going into her final year, on the Quidditch team...

To be tripped up, literally, by anyone was flat out embarrassing. She pushed herself up and stood, brushing off her jeans. "Nice going, don't mind me."

Chase wasn't even thinking anymore. Now that she had made her decision anyway. She stared at the sky, picking out shapes of the clouds as they floated lazily across. What would it be like to be a cloud? Ever changing, no one would both you, but you'd make a lot of friends, seeing as they kept bumping into each other, and changing and forming. But then raining? Hmm.. that would feel odd, one day feeling very full, and then.. rain! But getting to see all of the people down below, and know that her rain is helping plants grow, and wells fill and make people happy! Maybe she'd travel to a desert to give life to the poor people there.

Suddenly something hit her outstretched foot and she jumped a foot in the air, almost knocking Dragon off the bench, she tripped, righted herself, and then stood staring down at.. A Gryffindor. "I am so sorry!" She said jumping to help her up. "I was day dreaming, and I wasn't even paying attention, are you ok?" She said flustered and terrified at the same time. Gryffindors had always been a bit.. edgy with her. They didn't really like her all that much. Maybe because of her flighty attitude, or maybe because she was usually always happy, or maybe just because she was a Hufflepuff, who knew. Probably didn't help that she flaunted her Hufflepuff status, and even though she was going to be a Seventh year, she still found Gryffindor's scary.

Chase looked at the girl and realized where she knew her from. A fellow Seventh year, this girl was a beater on the Gryffindor team. Her arm muscles sure showed signs of often usage, but she had seen her play many a time before, and usually she was beating her own team. Chase enjoyed watching Quidditch, but she was scared stiff of walking within a hundred feet of a broom. They didn't like her, and she didn't like them, and that was basically the end of it. She grinned at the girl and then turned to shush her dog. Who was sitting in it's purse barking an oddly deep bark for a dog of it's size. "Dragon, shhh." She whispered and patted it's head, picking up the purse to quiet it. "Sorry, I really am! I just wasn't paying attention!" She said softly and then looked at the ground ashamed. She really needed to pay more attention.

Jack cursed again, curling her leg up and picking bits of gravel that was sticking out of the new rip in her jeans. Great. New black skinny jeans already ripped at the knees. And her knee was beginning to bleed too. She wiped her knee and the blood was gone; the cuts were shallow so no more came.

She almost left the rip there. It was actually sort of fashionable. But when had Jack ever been fashionable. She did not care about things like fads and styles. So decided she would fix it later, so she could let her stinging knee at least air out. A scab would form but she didn't mind it; she referred to all of her scars as war stories.

She wiped off her hands, grumbling, "Yeah, yeah, well you should be paying attention..." She continued to grumble to herself as the girl began to babble apologies and Jack couldn't help but roll her eyes. What was it about her? She seemed to freak people out and intimidate them. Sure she was rough around the edges...Okay, she was more or less, hostile. And sometimes she enjoyed her reputation to put people on a wary edge.

Still. It got tiring. She did not always like to have to follow it with a threat or cheeky remark. She was running out.

Luckily, this time it wasn't too hard. She heard a bark that sounded rather squeakier than normal. She turned and saw a pipsqueak of a dog poking its head out of its purse. Jack's eyes widened, looking as though she was grossed out. "Is that supposed to be a dog?"

Jack loved animals, but to her an animal qualified as a useful creature who could pull its own weight. Cats, big dogs, livestock, birds, reptiles, rodents...They were all good in her eyes...Except those irritating little yappers... And this one even fulfilled the stereotype of a little purse dog. It seemed more like an accessory than an actual companion.

She understood that she sounded rude. But then again, right now she didn't really care. Her mission had been interrupted.

"I am so sorry! Seriously I am! I have band-aids if you need one!" She said gasping at the hole in the girl's pant leg. "Or I can even heal it if you need! I'm seventeen now! I can use magic outside of school, it's kind of fun isn't it? Not have to worry about getting in trouble all the time!" She said giggling and then she gasped and stuck out her hand. "I'm Chase Moor, 7th year.. well going to be 7th year, Hufflepuff! I've seen you play Quidditch! You're a really good beater!" She said grinning.

When the girl pointed at Dragon she grinned and pet him on the head. "Yeah! He's a Shih Tzu! He's still a puppy though! So he's really small! He'll grow up to be bigger though, I'm here to get him some treats you know! They do have Dog Treats in Diagon Alley! I didn't know that for a long time, but there you go! Another thing about this place that blows your mind! He really likes them too! Don't you little guy!" She said giggling and petting him on the head.

Barely noticing that the girl was rather upset with her now, she reached into a small side pocket of her purse and pulled out a band-aid. "I really am sorry!" She said her eyes wide as she pushed her red hair out of her face. "I know I should pay more attention! It's just I've had so much to think about lately! I just moved back in with my mother, and it's just been so weird I guess!" She said staring at her happily as she stood with the band-aid between them, not really noticing that she hadn't taken it yet, or that her arm was even outstretched at all. "Can I get you something to make up for it? An ice cream or anything at all! I don't mind at all!" She said grinning at her again. "I feel really bad for tripping you like that!" She said and went quiet again, her eyes on the other girl, still smiling at her, but with a concerned look as well.

The girl immediately began alternating between gushing out sentences of nonsense and then giggling in a way that made Jack wince. She could stand hearty laughter, but not this petite little repressed chuckling that girls always seemed to do now. It always made her want to scream 'If you're going to laugh, just laugh!!!'

Fortunately, Jack did have a considerable amount of pride in herself for just about everything, Beating being her most favored gift. She shook her head at the girl's requests to fix her jeans and said, trying hard to be polite. "Nah, I prefer to let my wounds heal normally. And thanks. I've worked at it, so I deserve it."

She was not going to lie and say 'just lucky, I guess' or whatever people said in these situations. Jack was not going to diminish her abilities and her accomplishments. She had begun to babble again, this time about her dog, and Jack struggled to keep a passive expression on her face, resulting in a hang pained smile and a scowl.

The the girl offered her a bad aid again and she shook her head. "I'm a big girl. I don't need it." The girl offered to purchase her an ice cream or something. This time, Jack's pride and her thriftiness began to battle. This girl owed her, but that would also mean Jack would have to be civil to her in the future, and she had yet to decide if she was prepared to do that.

She shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck, a pained grimace on her face. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'm fine. You, er, like to talk. A lot, eh?" Jack could be quite talkative too, but she did not think of herself as a rambler. This girl, though, seemed to like to go on mini-rampages.