I feel the monster caged inside me {Sura}

[Amina Krane]

Stuffing one last shirt in her bag, Amina fastened the flap back into place and slung it around her shoulder. She was about to walk out the door to her dorm room but something stopped her. Instead of her feet moving forward, they seemed to betray her and took a step back until the back of her knees hit the bed and she was forced down onto its surface. Tears began to stream down her eyes for probably the millionth time that school year. They had originally flowed in response to her break up with Gavin but, in the last month, they fell mostly for a different reason. Her hands went to cover her face as she leaned down and placed her elbows on her knees. This was not how today was supposed to work. She was supposed to be getting ready for the school day tomorrow, not packing a bag. It wasn’t her normal bag she would use when going out places, but that was because her normal bag normally carried books, both for school and pleasure reading, as well as parchment, ink bottles, quills, sometimes even a muggle mp3 player she liked to use when she was bored out of her skull or on an extremely long run. None of those things would be useful for this weekend. The only things in her current bag were a few changes of clothes and a small pile of food she had taken from the Great Hall earlier that day to get her through tonight and the next few days. Since the process still wasn’t overly clear to her, Amina had no idea what she would actually need. She hoped what she brought would be enough. After all, this was her first time going out into the forest for the full moon cycle. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be her last.

As she sobbed silently into her hands, Amina was grateful no one else was around to witness this. Victoria had been a goddess in helping her get through the last two months of school. Amina had been a wreck when school had started and despite keeping Vic in the dark about why she was in a bad mood, her roommate and best friend had stuck with her through everything. After the first week, Amina’s mood had immensely improved and she was sure she could see the relief in Victoria’s face to know her friend was back. It wasn’t until just before the Halloween Ball that things had changed. In an ill-fated turn of events, Amina had found herself in one of the deadliest situations she had ever faced and somehow had managed to escape alive, though no longer human. After escaping into the forest to get away from the group of Slytherin Quidditch players that could not help but torment her for life, Amina found herself being chased by a werewolf in the deepest part of the forest. Despite her athletic body and speed, she was nothing in comparison to a werewolf and found herself bloody in a matter of moments. If it hadn’t been for the second werewolf who had saved her, she wouldn’t even be sitting there on the bed with a chance to cry. But, because of him, she was. And because of that night in general, she was now subject to an endless life of dreading the full moon cycle. Sometimes, she wasn’t sure what was worse.

At this point, she had lost the love of her life and now her humanity. Amina was always an optimistic person, but somehow, she was finding it really hard to stay that way after everything that was going on in her life. But she tried, mostly for the sake of her friends. She couldn’t put them through her slump for a second time without reason and she didn’t want to tell them she was a freak, nor did she feel like admitting the first time was because of Gavin. So she kept her mouth shut, her mood up, and used moments like these when she was alone to wallow in her own bad luck. But she couldn’t take the time to do that tonight. She had a destination she had to reach soon so she wouldn’t put anyone else in danger. So taking in a deep breath, Amina pulled herself together and stood up from the bed one more time. She wiped the last few tears from her eyes and cheeks and walked out the dorm room and quickly down the stairs. It was close to dinner so most of the students were down at the Great Hall chowing down. She had excused herself earlier in the day from most of them, admitting she wasn’t feeling so good. She resigned herself to her room and was given peace to try and get rid of whatever was causing her to feel unwell. It was a good cover story because most of them would just assume when she didn’t show up to class the next day that she was in the hospital wing. Hopefully none of them would go looking because that is the last place she would actually be. She imagined she would be in the forest sleeping off whatever hell she was going to go through tonight. The other highly beneficial part of her plan was everyone believed whatever she said. They knew Amina had a hard time lying so no one ever questioned her when she gave them an explanation.

Lying had become an everyday part of her life now, though. It was disgusting for her to think about, but Amina knew she was rather skilled at lying now. In fact, quite a few things about her had changed and most weren’t for the better. The lying was the worst, but she also found herself disliking people much easier, some even to the point where she felt hatred. The first time she had realized she was becoming capable of hating someone, which had been two weeks ago when the same group of Slytherin’s had approached her once more, she had become physically ill. Though it had taken a lot to do, she had gotten away from them and ran to the bathroom to rid herself of what she had eaten for lunch. That was the first time she completely realized what becoming a werewolf was doing to her. She wasn’t herself anymore. The kind, calm, collected Amina was becoming angry and emotional. She hated it. But she was also too courageous and too afraid of death to allow herself the easy, cowardice way out. So she stuck through it. Though as she walked down the grand staircase, clutching the strap to her bag tightly in both hands, Amina wasn’t so sure if she was still going to stand on her initial decision not to take the easy road out, but she knew she wouldn’t. She was Gryffindor, and if there was one thing her house was commended on, it was their courage. To commit suicide was cowardice. It was a disgrace to the house the sorting hat had put her in. If it saw that she belonged in Gryffindor, it knew she had the courage to be there. She just had to use every ounce of it she had to get through tonight.

Once her feet made it to the bottom of the staircase, she was suddenly aware of the loud echo of overlapping conversations from the Great Hall. All the students were in there enjoying their dinner. That included prefects and the head girl and boy. They were normally given time off a few days every month where the teachers took care of watching over the castle. Amina had realized from the upcoming schedule of rotations, and from her new obsession with the lunar calendar, that there was a reason beyond allowing the students a break to be teenagers. It was for their protection that they were not required to walk the grounds or the castle during a full moon cycle. She grimaced at the thought of one of them being caught outside and her doing unto them what she had done unto herself. The image of Gavin lying in his own pool of blood on the forest floor where they had spent so many wonderful days flashed in her mind. The thought of her killing him, or worse, turning him, nearly made her fall to her knees, but she quickly pushed it out of her head and rushed past the open doors, praying no one saw her. To explain what she was up to would be nearly impossible and she wasn’t sure that, if it was one of her friends, she could keep from telling them the truth. Lying was becoming second nature by now but every time she did it, it felt like she lost a part of her at the same time. She only had so many pieces of the old Amina left. She didn’t want to lose them all.

Pushing open one of the large oak doors, Amina quickly rushed through and jogged down the stairs, walking slowly as she waited for the light of the castle to disappear and the door to click shut behind her as it normally did. She had done this trip multiple times, either going jogging or going out to meet Gavin in the forest, so she was aware just how long it took for the large door to swing itself shut. But the click didn’t come until five seconds too late. Enough time for another person to slip through. Amina stopped and took in a deep breath, closing her eyes and praying that when she opened them and turned around, there would just be an empty path, no other people. Opening them, she turned slowly and realized there was no God for a monster. She was forever damned for being what she was. Praying would no longer do her any good. “Hey Sura,” Amina greeted in the most normal voice she could muster. Surprisingly, she thought it had come out rather close to normal but she could still hear a sense of weakness. She could only hope Sura couldn’t hear it and was just coming to say hi and would leave, but somehow Amina knew there was no hoping for her kind either. Now that she was a monstrosity, nothing would ever work out the way she wanted.

Words | 1,729
Tag | Sura
Outfit | Click

[Sura Haughton]

Lost in your dark, I see you there.
what is this thing you keep inside?

That awful, awful feeling, that feeling of such extreme lightheadedness and nausea that she had only just become accustomed to had been rather overwhelming as of late. It wasn't always accompanied by those flashes of pictures and sounds, which was a blessing and a curse: it was kind of nice to not know some things, but she hated feeling this way for what seemed like no real reason. What she did know was that when she felt like this, she would see something eventually. It was apparently completely unavoidable, and she hated it. She didn't ask for this, and yet here it was, and she couldn't get rid of it. Figures. Sometimes the visions were of nothing in particular, a happening at breakfast tomorrow. Other times they were more weighted; a student falling ill, surprise quizzes or tests. She said a silent prayer every time that she didn't see a death -- the Divination teacher had all but assured her that it would come eventually.

The one thing that seemed to give her any kind of relief when she felt like this, past the sudden onset of the future's snapshots, was a breath of fresh air. It was getting more and more difficult to get outside lately, what with the cold and the fact that the teachers seemed to be more and more strict about students going outside at night. Sura didn't understand it all so well, considering that they were supposed to be at school at one of the safest places in the world. How was she supposed to believe that, and then comprehend why the grounds were apparently so unsafe when all the world's lights had dimmed for the evening?

Sura pulled on her boots, zipping up the sides as she swallowed against a particular vicious bout of bile threatening to rise up in her throat. She stood, steadying herself on her bedpost for a moment, smiling absently at the girl sitting on the bed next to her. Sura hadn't told anyone except for teachers and her parents. Gavin had found out inadvertently, but it had turned out to be a good thing. He'd acted as somewhat of an anchor for her in the last few weeks, and she had been his, after discovering his little secret involving a pretty, blonde French girl. She'd felt like they'd end up as friends since the summer, but this had brought them together in a way she hadn't dreamt. It was comforting, too, knowing that someone was keeping an eye on her in the halls, in class, in case she had an...episode. Twice now he had pulled her off into an empty classroom or corridor until she could come around and gather her wits. She listened when he needed to talk or rant. Both of them were there for each other when they needed a few hours of escape. Two unlucky situations had become more bearable because of their friendship: that was luck, wasn't it?

The air in the hallways was cold, becoming more so every day that winter crept closer. But it was refreshing, and seemed to help clear her head. When she got like this, there was this constant fuzz in her brain, a haze hanging over her consciousness that made it hard to think about anything more complicated than where her next class was. The cool air seemed to alleviate it somewhat. Just as she turned the corner into an empty corridor, it finally hit her.

Amina with a bag. Was she going somewhere? Nervous, nauseous, angry. The date. Absence of hope. Alone.

She came to with a usual gasp for air, shaking her head to dislodge all of the emotions that her vision had deposited. Well that had been quite the onslaught. She frowned as she pushed herself up from the cool flagstone: wasn't Amina ill in the Hospital Wing? That's what she'd heard... So why was she leaving the castle with a bag, today? She began to walk, trying to push past her wooziness. This was far too peculiar to not investigate. And besides, Amina was her friend. What was wrong, why was she leaving?

When she finally made her way to the Great Hall and the front doors of the school, she saw that familiar head of dark, curly hair bobbing out of the castle and into the darkening night. Sura picked up her pace, slipping out of the doors just before they closed behind her friend. She stuffed her hands into her pockets; it was surprisingly cold out, and she'd forgotten her gloves. Amina turned and gave her a smile, but her voice was a little strange, not the bubbly Amina she knew. "Hey Amina," she said brightly, blinking back the last bit of fog in her brain. "I heard you were sick! I'm glad to see you're doing so much better!" She took a step toward Amina, out of the light so she could see her friend better. "What are you doing out on such a cold night?"

I'll keep your secrets, I'll hold your ground.
i'll be there waiting when dreams are fading.

for: amina.
clothes: here.
muse: otherside by macklemore and ryan lewis
words: 875.
notes: hope this is okay! I'll make changes if need be.

[Amina Krane]

After all the work she had done to be so utterly careful. She had been sneaking around the dorm room all evening, grabbing the things she needed without alerting anyone that she was still within the dorm room. She had made special care to keep track of Victoria’s schedule so she wouldn’t have to run into her roommate and explain what was happening. Hell, she had even dodged inside a few closets when she had seen someone coming down the hall that could possibly recognize her and realize she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And even after sneaking past the Great Hall as quickly and quietly as she could and slipping through the doors, Amina was sure she hadn’t grabbed anyone’s attention. And yet, here she was, standing on the grass, facing a friend who so obviously had realized she was up to no good. Why could tonight not have gone off without a hitch? She didn’t need this. She was already on the brink of breaking down into tears at the unfortunate set of circumstances that were sure to fall upon her later that evening. Couldn’t it have all ended there? Now she was going to have to figure out some way to explain herself to Sura, someone she really felt no desire to lie to, no matter how easy lying had become for her in this new form. And, try as she might, she knew after her greeting to Sura had left her mouth that she was going to have to give some sort of explanation. As everything else in her life, her voice had changed and even she could hear it in herself. She used to be so excited about everything, so ready to conquer the world. But ever since the attack, suddenly the world had become nothing but dreadful. Try as she might, she couldn’t even make something as exciting as her birthday cheer her up. Instead, she had been convinced by the very person in front of her to attend Gavin’s birthday celebration which only ended in her heart being crushed when he proposed to the vela-like blonde that Amina was sure was sitting next to him in the Great Hall right now. Of course it hadn’t been Sura’s fault. After all, no one knew of the relationship that once was. It was just an unfortunate part of being Amina. The thought dampened the small amount of good mood she had been able to retain for the night and now, she just felt hollow. Life was becoming not worth living, a thought she had to keep pushing out of her head daily.

But her focus couldn’t be on that. She had to focus on the task at hand. At best, she had two hours before the moon rose and she still had a trip through the forest to get through. She had allowed herself some buffer time in case she did run into such a situation but oh how she had wished she wouldn’t need it. ”Hey Amina. I heard you were sick! I’m glad to see you’re doing so much better!” Amina cringed, thankful the light was starting to disappear from the sky. Maybe it could hide her reaction to her friends blatant reaction to Amina’s well-being. Merlin, how she wished she could tell Sura that her health was in perfect condition. How she wished she could say she was doing better and that everything was hunky dory. But, alas, she couldn’t. “Yeah,” Amina said simply, not wanting to say anything further. Any more words would just be a straight lie. She didn’t want to do that to Sura. She had done enough lying to everyone else in the world. Not one of her friends too. As Sura took a step forward, Amina resisted the urge to turn and run into the forest. She wanted to get away before Sura could say anything more, to run from one problem right into another, much larger problem. Unfortunately, she knew that if she did just run, it would leave Sura with even more questions. Even worse, she may get the urge to follow her. That would just be straight out bad.

”What are you doing out on such a cold night?” And there was the big kicker. That wasn’t going to be a one word response, nor was she going to be able to fib her way out. She could lie, tell her that she had left something out here earlier in the day and needed to come get it, but she had been in the hospital wing all day, so people knew. Any other lie would have to be so intricate that she was sure she couldn’t pull it off. Shaking her head, she gave Sura another weak smile. “Please don’t ask me that question, Sura,” she responded, her eyes pleading with her friend, though she knew she couldn’t see them in this light. In fact, she hoped she wouldn’t. Her gold eyes were a topic of conversation with people lately and tonight, they were practically glowing as they anticipated the moonlight that was soon to show. How could she explain that? Her hands moved to the strap of her shoulder bag where they gripped tightly. She could feel the strap starting to dig into her hands but she didn’t lessen her grip. She shook her head once again, her eyes now trained on the ground in front of her feet. It was easier if she didn’t look at her friend. Her bright, happy, questioning friend who had never done a single thing to hurt her. “I don’t want to lie to you, Sura, but I really don’t know how to explain all of this to you,” she added, her voice as foreign to her as the situation she had been thrown into. She didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want to lie nor did she want to face the truth. She didn’t want anyone to face the hard truth.

Looking up at Sura once more, she pursed her lips and swallowed. “Sura, no one can know that you saw me. People have to keep believing I’m locked up in the Hospital Wing. A potions accident and everything,” she pleaded, taking a few steps closer till she was about five feet from Sura. Amina had to make sure she heard her request. “Please, can you keep this secret for me?”

Words | 1,070
Tag | Sura
Outfit | Click

[Sura Haughton]

Lost in your dark, I see you there.
what is this thing you keep inside?

Sura cocked her head slightly at Amina's first reply. It was unlike her to give such a short answer, and it worried Sura a touch. Combined with the fact that Amina was sneaking out of the castle as daylight was quickly fading, with what looked like a full backpack, it was enough to make her stomach drop. There was something that was obviously wrong with her friend, but she had no idea what it was, not even an inkling. It disturbed her, because she didn't like to see her friends in any kind of trouble that Sura herself could not try to alleviate. “Please don’t ask me that question, Sura,” Amina said softly, only causing Sura to frown. That was even more cause for concern.

It was unlike Amina to be so secretive. Admittedly, the pair of them had never been the very best or closest of friends, but they'd never lied to each other, and they had occasionally confided in one another. Amina was a good friend, a good person. That made it even worse to see that something was eating at her. The bright, bubbly girl she knew had been replaced by someone more meek and quiet, more secretive. Sura shifted uncomfortably on her heels, wrapping her arms across her chest to shield against the cool night air. “I don’t want to lie to you, Sura, but I really don’t know how to explain all of this to you." Sura frowned yet again, pressing her lips together. "You can try?" she said, knowing full well that Amina was not the only person keeping a secret. Then again, she'd been lucky so far in that her secret hadn't landed her in a situation that she needed to sneak around.

"Amina, honestly, you can tell me anything. Lay it on me," she breathed, half pleading her friend. She took another few steps towards Amina so that she could see her face in the fast-fading light. Her head was tilted down, looking intently at the ground. Even so, Sura could see that she didn't exactly look well. Amina was pale, almost sickly looking. Maybe she really was sick? Although if she were, then there wouldn't really be a reason for her to be sneaking about, wanting people to think that she was in the Hospital Wing instead of dashing off to Merlin-knows-where in the middle of winter. Sura's lips pressed together as she struggled to think of something, anything, to comfort her friend. But it was difficult to do without knowing what was going on. And the only way that would change is if Amina opened up to her.

“Sura, no one can know that you saw me. People have to keep believing I’m locked up in the Hospital Wing. A potions accident and everything. Please, can you keep this secret for me?” Sura looked up at Amina, who had just moved closer to her, with what she imagined were quite the pair of sad eyes. She couldn't help it. Her heart had begun to ache, and she didn't even have a reason for it, save for the obvious distress Amina was in. "Amina, of course I won't tell anyone anything different. I'll take it to the grave if you ask me to. But please, tell me what's wrong."

Sura disliked the uneasy air that was now hanging between them. It was as if they were teetering on the edge of a cliff, only a small bit of stone and mud keeping them from toppling down into a gorge that held something bad. What that bad thing was, she couldn't say. But Amina wouldn't be acting like this if it weren't something important, something that had the ability to change things. Sura held her breath as she gazed across the gap to her friend. What was going on with Amina?

I'll keep your secrets, I'll hold your ground.
i'll be there waiting when dreams are fading.

for: amina.
clothes: here.
muse: beside you by marianas trench
words: 635.
notes: distress.

[Amina Krane]

Amina wasn’t sure what she was doing. Tonight was supposed to go off without a hitch. Packing while everyone was in class, grabbing food when no one was around to see she was, and leaving when everyone was busy with dinner. That had been the plan and it had nearly worked. How could she have managed to catch one of the few people’s eyes who would actually care what she was doing? When she had found out Sura was following, she should have just run. Taken off into the forest the first chance she had gotten. It would have been hard to just leave her behind, but Amina was a fast runner, faster than most females she knew and even most males. The only one’s she couldn’t beat on foot were the ones who were a good foot taller than her. Unfortunately, in running, stride played a large factor in just how fast a person could run. With her and Sura being the same height, however, there was no doubt in Amina’s mind that she could out run her if she put her mind to it. Focusing on her running also meant that the faster she ran, the quicker she could forget that she had even left someone behind and the quicker she could get to safe ground. The only problem with running away from Sura was the question of if she would follow. There was no doubt in Amina’s mind that her friend would at least consider it, but they weren’t good enough friends that she would know one way or the other. And rather than risk her running into the forest and possibly coming across a not human Amina, she decided it was best to stay here and do whatever she could to convince her friend not to go anywhere. To convince her that she had to keep this secret and not follow her wasn’t going to be easy without telling the whole truth, though.

"You can try?" Amina shook her head slowly, her eyes widening at the thought of even talking about what had happened. Could she? Was that even possible? The last week she had spent trying not to even think about the torture she was in for. She wasn’t even sure if she would be able to talk about it. "Amina, honestly, you can tell me anything. Lay it on me.” Biting on the inside of her lip, her hands grasped her bag a little tighter still. "Amina, of course I won't tell anyone anything different. I'll take it to the grave if you ask me to. But please, tell me what's wrong." Taking in a deep breath, she nodded slightly. The fact that she knew her cover story would remain intact, that she would not be subject to prying questions about why she disappeared for days and lied about being in the hospital wing, helped her calm her nerves. It was a good thing, because the longer they stood there, the more she felt strange. Of course, Osiris had planned for the time that she would need. She was out a day early just to be sure that she wasn’t going to turn a day early, but it was also so he could prepare her for what would happen. She had just been warned not to show up to his home much later than an hour after sunset. That gave her a good thirty minutes. She figured the main reason had been because there was an hour gap between sunset and moonrise tonight. But even now, she could feel something off about how her body felt pulled in the direction the moon was coming from, even though it had yet to appear.

“Alright,” she sighed, removing her hands from her bag. She could feel the strap straining under the force. Instead, she crossed her arms across her chest and held them there, using them as a sort of force to keep herself on lock down. If she had screwed up by staying this far away from Osiris this late into the game, at least she could attempt to hold herself down. “It happened just before Halloween,” she started, her eyes focusing on the ground again. It was so much easier to tell her story if she didn’t see the reaction. “It was why I didn’t make it to the dance. Why I didn’t make it to classes for over a week.” Of course, not many people had noticed that she disappeared for two weeks in late October, early November. Only the few people whom she talked to on a regular basis and, of course, her professors. A few had become privy to the information about Amina’s unfortunate accident that took place. Of course, not a single one of them was privy to the actual story. It was just horrible that she was still going to have to lie to Sura, even if she told her the truth. No one could know that it happened in the woods. No one could know, because if word ever got to the Ministry that her story was false, that she had been attacked in the woods, then Osiris would be in trouble. They would go snooping and despite how little she knew about how that would hurt him, it was enough for her to know that the person that had saved her would be in trouble because of her actions. It was why she couldn’t tell the real truth, at least not all of it.

“I was attacked. I don’t remember all that happened, I blacked out for a big part of it, but the after effects are the worst part,” she continued, gulping down the feeling that was starting to crawl a little stronger up her spine. It felt like a itch she couldn’t scratch, the one that only got worse as you tried to ignore it. “It’s no coincidence that I’m sneaking off to the forest and as I’m sure you can tell, I look pretty crappy, rather unlike usual. I’m also sure you’ve probably noticed, just like half of the school, that my eyes have… changed.” Each word was a struggle as she tried to choose the exact one. Sura was the first person she had told about this with the exception of the staff and the Ministry representative that insisted he be there. When she had told her story then, it had been far more difficult. She was pretty sure there was a pause between every five words where she made sure she wasn’t letting something slip out that shouldn’t. By now, she had rehearsed the story enough to know what words to use to go down the right story path. “Sura, I was attacked by a… a werewolf.” The last word came out so rough, only because she had a hard time saying it even this far into the process. Of course, she knew it would get easier in time, when she was okay with what she had become, if that ever happened. But for now, it was a word she refused to say unless necessary.

Words | 1,183
Tag | Sura
Outfit | Click

[Sura Haughton]

Lost in your dark, I see you there.
what is this thing you keep inside?

Amina looked sixty shades of torn and uncomfortable, as if she were fighting an inner battle that she couldn't win. Sura cocked her head to one side, her brows furrowed in concern as Amina gave her a small, almost imperceptible nod. The fact that her friend was going to tell her what was going on with her, going to tell her why she was sneaking off into the night with a packed bag, both comforted and terrified her. Frankly, she had no idea, not even an inkling, of what was going to come out of her friend's mouth. All she knew, simply by the look that was plastered on the other girl's face, in the way that she stood so guarded and fearful, that it was not good. This was not a secret that was just going to go away, something that would pass in time. This had the potential to change things, and the fact that Amina was frightened was enough to frighten Sura.

Sura swallowed hard as Amina began her story, steeling herself for whatever was to come. She'd known that Amina hadn't made it to the ball; her friend later told her she'd woken up ill. That was perfectly believable, considering that it was the season for such things, and that they lived in such close quarters with hundreds of other people; catching something was not really unbelievable. No one had been able to visit because she was contagious, simple as that. Yet the more Amina spoke, the more Sura came to realize that there wasn't as much truth in these words as she would like to believe. Something else had happened, and Sura had a feeling she was going to be privy to those details sooner than later.

Sura's face paled as the words spilled from Amina's mouth, her hand rising to press against her own lips. Attacked. At Galaxia? How was that possible? They were supposed to be safe here, untouchable. Galaxia was supposed to be the safest place in the country, and yet Amina had been attacked. Sura could feel her heart begin to race, half out of fear, half out of agony for her friend. But a small part of her begged another question: if she'd been attacked pon these very grounds, why was she disappearing back into them at night, all alone? Sura's stomach sunk as she came to the sharp realization that there was more to this story, much more than Amina had yet let on. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, unwilling to interrupt Amina. She wouldn't say anything until the story was finished.

But no amount of preparation or steeling or breathing could have prepared her for the strangled words that spilled from Amina's lips next. A choked sound wrestled its way out of Sura's throat, her knees threatening to buckle from the shock of it. Her friend, dear Amina, had been attacked by a werewolf. A thousand thoughts formed in Sura's mind, clouding her head with their noise and urgency. Amina had been attacked by a werewolf. There was a werewolf on the grounds. Why had no one been notified? How could a werewolf possibly go undetected in an area that there were so many people? Amina had been attacked, bitten. She had been bitten. But that could only mean...

"Oh, gods, Amina," she whispered from behind her hand. She was sure her eyes said everything that she couldn't find the words for in this moment. "It...it turned you. That's why you've been- that's why you're-" she said softly, eyes rising to the darkening sky. Tonight was the full moon. Amina was leaving because she had to, because it wasn't safe for her to turn here, around so many people, not if she couldn't control herself when she was like that.

Sura's hand dropped from her mouth as she returned her gaze to Amina. She nodded slowly, trying to absorb everything as quickly as she could. This certainly changed things, but it didn't have to change their friendship, the way that Sura treated Amina. She wouldn't let it. That was not who she was, not the kind of person she wanted to be. She'd cared for Amina as any other friend even when she had noticed Amina hadn't been quite herself, and that didn't have to change. Her small nod grew larger, more certain as her decision solidified. Then, before she could think twice, she crossed the gap between the pair of them and pulled her friend into a hug. It was hard to find the words that were right for the situation -- what could you say to someone that had been turned? Sura opened her mouth to speak, her voice breathy and soft. "This doesn't change anything," she said, giving Amina a squeeze. "Your secret comes to the grave with me, I promise."

That would have to be enough.

I'll keep your secrets, I'll hold your ground.
i'll be there waiting when dreams are fading.

for: amina.
clothes: here.
muse: beside you by marianas trench
words: 818.
notes: i'm sorry it took me so long! i hope the post works <3