Mental Leaps and Bounds[Shayne]

[carter]

Carter walked through the tunnel to the courtyard, book in hand. He had finished all his homework - since teachers really didn't give all that much on the first lesson - and really [for once] didn't feel like going flying or swimming.
Swimming, since he had a bad experience not that long ago, which involved a gash to his foot and a rather large fish attempting to swallow him...and flying because he didn't want to overdue it - just in case he made the Quidditch team...meaning he wanted to keep it fun.

Earlier that morning, he had sent a letter to his Uncle [Alex] since he hadn't written him since the fourth day he attended Hogwarts, and Carter was already worried about his Uncle living alone...so not getting any letters was starting to get to him.

With all that aside, he found himself with nothing to do. He could find a remote corner of the school and space out by himself until something more interesting called his attention, he could also just find random people and start talking to them - a common occurrence since he came to Hogwarts - or he could fine a third option. This option was picking up one of the books he had brought with him - most were a given to him by his Uncle, or at least recommended by him - and finding a nice place to read them.

This 'nice place' was the Enchanted Gardens. A beautiful yet relaxing place to just sit down and read a book.
Finding a nice spot, Carter took a quick glance at the strange and exotic looking flowers, and opened to page one of the novel.

After a few moments of reading, Carter looked up at a flowery bush near-by. In the fictional [possibly Muggle written...not that he cared] book, there was a plant similar to it.
'Brilliant...' he thought, sliding a bookmark into the spot as he gazed at the plant.

[/blockquote]

[parker]

Shayne could not stand it, she was bored again! She stood up from her bed and slipped on her flip-flops, a gift from her mums brother and his muggle wife. She had something about them being "the craze" with girls in the muggle world. Shayne had laughed when she first looked at the piece of flat rubber with straps coming out of it, then when she realized her aunt wasn;t joking she smiled and thanked her for the gift. However, now that she had been wearing them now and again, she realized how versitile they were with any outfit, and to top it off they were comfy. She trotted out of the dormitory and into the common room. She thought about speaking to a few of the people who were still up working on their homework, but she decided not to bother them.


She snuck off out the entrance and made her way towards the tunnel through the entrance hall. Her pajama pants were keeping her warm against the night wind coming off the lake as she made her way over to a garden that she had over heard some 6th years talking about in the common room the other day. She took a quick turn and was gazing apon a garden like she had never seen before. She walked closer, now wrapping her arms around herself, wishing she had brought a light sweater, and smelled a flower that was nearest to her. She closed her eyes and smiled, her mum had this flower at home, however she could not produce the name of the plant from her memory. She straightened up and wandered on stopping here and there to look at a flower in the moon light.

[carter]

Carters mind wandered, as the forgotten book fell from his grasp. Nearly jumping out of his skin when it hit the ground, he reached for the novel and placed it upon his lap again. Reopening the pages to where he left off, he found his place and continued reading.

Even though it was early in the book, someone was already near death. Already liking the character, Carter gripped the book a little as he read - unaware as he was doing so - allowing the annoyingly sharp paper to slice the skin on his right index finger.
'Oh...brilliant...' he thought to himself, as a drop of blood stained the page.

He looked up to see a girl who had entered the garden. Carter guessed that she didn't see him, since she was practically standing next to him, yet had a faraway look in her eye.

Smiling to himself at his unintentional stealth, he held silent, secretly hoping that she wouldn't see him - just for entertainment value.

[/blockquote]

[parker]

Shayne was in her own world, with the moonlight from the heavens shining down on her, she felt more powerful and more safe than ever. Her skin felt like a spounge sucking up the moon light and storing it for alter. She took a deep breath at each new flower and smiled at everyone. The ones she could name she would and the ones she could not she just let it go and went on. When she was basking in the moon light nothing bothered her. It was her surrenity in a whirl-wind world. Her sister was either missing or dead and so far she ahd not been able to make a real friend, and the loneliness was starting to her. Shayne was also missing her parents immensely, this was the longest time she had been away from them her entire life.

The flowers brought her back to her home, to her mother and father. In her head she was walking arounf her mothers garden, helping her water them, and they were both humming. The tune was nothing in-particular, but it was one they had perfected and explanded each time they had started it. With the combination of the moon embracing her in its grasp, making her feel safe, and the memory of her mother in her mind, she had neglected to notice that there was a boy sitting in a corner reading a book. She looked at him out of her peripheral vision and saw that he did not look too harmless so she turned on her heels and left her flowers and walked to him. "Hello there" she said softly and sweetly.

[carter]

The girl appeared to be mentally away - thinking of different times and places which better suited her mood then where she was now [or that's what Carter assumed].

Suddenly noticing Carter, she walked over to him and greeted, "Hello there"
"Hey..." greeted Brody-Boy, pretending like he hadn't seen her before that moment.
"What brings you to the gardens at this hour?" he asked, rolling his paper-cut finger into his palm - just in case she was squeamish of blood....which was more people then he had originally thought.

[/blockquote]

[parker]

Hey.... he responded a little too quickly fo him to now have known she was there already, she smiled softly. "What brings you to the gardens at this hour?" She chuckled lightly as he asked and noticed some quick movements in his hands, to quick for her to see what he was concealing. "Ummm, well, ..." she trailed off looking up at the nights sky, then back to him, "I was bored and remembered hearing about this place in the common room the other day so I decided to check it out." she stated simply, "you?" she reciprocated his question. She noticed the novel in his lap and suddenly realized that she may have just interrupted him, feeling od she shyed away a little, not sure what to do. Which was sad because she found him interesting, he was like her, wandering around in an abandoned enchanted garden at night. This new thought put a new surge of confidence into her as she stepped into the moon light. She looked apon his face and smiled somberly.

[carter]

"Ummm, well, ..." she trailed off looking up at the nights sky, then back to him, "I was bored and remembered hearing about this place in the common room the other day so I decided to check it out." she stated simply, "You?"

Carter lifted the newly started book awkwardly with his left hand - since it was at a funny angle and he didn't want to get more blood on the book from his right handed paper cut.
"Just readin'." he replied, placing the book back onto his lap with a muffled thud.

Feeling the warm liquid that was coming from his index finger start to slid through his fingers, Carter slid his hand behind hid right foot - since his knees were bent for proper book-angle-ness.

"So...what house are you from?" he asked, since she had mentioned her common room and he didn't remember seeing her in his.

[/blockquote]

[parker]

He then lifted the book awkwardly with his left hand like he was avoiding something or another with it. mysterious she thoguht with the tiniest of smiles. "Just readin'" he repied as he motioned to the book in his left hand. He shuffled behind his foot somewhat then asked her, "So...what house are you from?"Shayne bent down at the knees then glided back down onto her butt and folded her legs indian style. She looked him in the eye and answered, "I am a first year Hufflepuff" she said a little too proudly maybe. She heard an animal scurry across the garden floor and it instantly drew her attention. Her head snapped to the right and her eyes pierced the night and she saw a small tabby cat hiding underneath a bush on the other side of the fountain. She watched the tabby as the cat stared directly back at her, the eyes were yellow and had an eerie reflection from the moon light. She was suddenly very aware that she was being rude and a blush rose to her cheeks. She took a deep breath and turned back towards the mystery boy she had just met reading a book in the enchanted garden. She folded her hands into her lap then self consiously lifter her right to tuck a poece of hair that had fallen out of place while she was distracted back behind her ear.

[carter]

"I am a first year Hufflepuff" the girl replied, after she had sat upon the ground with folded legs.
'Hufflepuff...hard working and loyal...' he thought, fully aware of his slightly throbbing and stinging finger.
"I'm a first year Gryffindor...Carter Brody by the way." he introduced, hoping that she wouldn't want to shake hands...since his was currently bleeding and his pointer finger was receiving pressure from his thumb to stop the bleeding...still behind his right foot.

The girl's attention drifted to a cat that Carter already knew was in the garden. He had spotted it while reading page 3 of the book, and it just stared at him.
Her attention snapped back to him with a small blush he could see in the moonlight, as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
'Girl equivalent of scratching their neck...' he thought, thinking of common nervous habits. Carter tended to just watch sometimes and observe the little things...a quality that his Uncle had told him that he inherited from his dad.

[/blockquote]

[parker]

Shayne picked at a few blades of grass that were underneath her right knee, "I'm a first year Gryffindor...Carter Brody by the way." She nodded into his direction and replied, "Shayne Parker" nodding her head acknowledging his name and house. She looked around a little and thought. The blades of grass were coming out quicker now, her hand was like a machine who did nothing but pick grass. She suddenly realized that she must look like a wierdo and stopped her hand consciously. She tilted her head to the right and opened her eyes wide. "So, how do you like Hogwarts so far?" she asked genuinely curious. She was interested in seeing how other people were fairing their first time at hogwarts, she had liked it alright so far but had run into a few road blocks. Her eyes were suddenly distracted by a white flower, with five petals all sliced almost inhalf at the top. The center was yellow, this flower actually meant night. She knew ths because her this was her mums favorite flower, in english it is called a Catch-fly, but she had known it as Siléné her whole life. Siléné is the french word for the flower, but was alos her mothers name. The flower was simple yet beautiful and elegant at the same time, just like her mother. She smiled once more at the thought of her and then looked back to Carter.

[sorry it took so long would have been sooner except i needed to eat]

[carter]

"Shayne Parker" she replied, "So, how do you like Hogwarts so far?" she continued, as she started picking grass.

Cater shrugged - his hand had made a small pool behind his foot, and it was starting to distract him, "I loved home, but here's great too. Lot's of new people, new things to do, just new all around. I like it here...but I do miss home at times." he admitted, watching as her eyes moved from the grass to a flower.
'She has worse ADD then me...' he thought, smiling to himself.

"How about you? You like it here?" he asked.

[/blockquote]

[parker]

As he answered him her hand stopped dancing in the grass and was placed gracefull back into her lap, "I loved home, but here's great too. Lot's of new people, new things to do, just new all around. I like it here...but I do miss home at times." she listened and added a little smirk as he ended. He continued, "How about you? You like it here?" She let a small giggle escape her lips, "See, myself, I hate new sitituatios," she rolled her eyes, this was the one thing she hated about herself. "Whenever I am at a place that has new people or I am in new sitituations...." she took a deep breath and let out a smll humph, "I get very scared and shy, I hate it when it happens, and sometimes when it happens I also seem to get very distracted at other things." She shrugged, "But alas, at home, or with people I have known my whole life, I am the most enjoyable person you will ever know." She thought about her muggle aunt, "Whenever my aunt, my dads sister, visits or we go to see her, she is a muggle.." she spoke using hand gestures as well, "She always gets mad when my mind trails off and says I have something with four letters," she closed her eyes for a second and tried to remember what it was called, "A.D.H.D!" she said a little too loudly, she was excited that she was able to remeber the name of whatever it was. "The only time I am always myself is in the moonlight" she said as she tirned her head and looked up behind her, her small thin fingers of her left hand reached to her breast bone and enclosed arounf the diamond moon pendant.

[carter]

"See, myself, I hate new situations. Whenever I am at a place that has new people or I am in new situations....I get very scared and shy, I hate it when it happens, and sometimes when it happens I also seem to get very distracted at other things. But alas, at home, or with people I have known my whole life, I am the most enjoyable person you will ever know. Whenever my aunt, my dads sister, visits or we go to see her, she is a muggle...She always gets mad when my mind trails off and says I have something with four letters," she closed her eyes for a second and tried to remember what it was called, "A.D.H.D!" she exclaimed, "The only time I am always myself is in the moonlight"

Carter nearly let out a burst of laughter when she said, 'says I have something with four letters'. So many inappropriate things came to mind, that a large censor bar should have appeared over his head - ah the mind on a teenage boy.
"A.D.H.D. is Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." he smiled, knowing the term from his mom when she was alive, "It basically means you have a short attention span like me." he grinned, happy to have met someone with an attention span that was actually comparable to his.

"I love the moonlight as well." Carter said, looking up at the sky, "Just like right after it rains - sorta has a calming effect on the body.
The blood from his finger had began to coagulate, causing it to feel sticky. Carter hid a wince as he unintentionally hit the back of his shoe with his paper-cut - still not wanting to bother Shayne with his paper-issue.

[/blockquote]

[parker]

He spoke and her head snapped back to his direction, "A.D.H.D. is Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." she nodded, genuinely interested, "It basically means you have a short attention span like me." He smiled, she reciprocated the smille. Looking up at the sky, he spoke, ""I love the moonlight as well." Her eyes lit up, she was surprised to find someone who appreciated the moon like she did, "Just like right after it rains - sorta has a calming effect on the body. Her lips joined her eyes in amazement, "I knwo exactly what you mean..." she was going to say something else but movement caught her eye and he focus was adverted to his hand behind his foot....again. "Is your hand alright?" she asked curiously, leaning forward a little to try to get a closer look.

[carter]

"I know exactly what you mean..." Shayne smiled, before looking at his badly hidden hand, "Is your hand alright?"
Carter's gaze fell from the round glowing orb in the sky, to his right hand.
"I...well, I didn't want to gross you out. Some people are pretty squeamish when it comes to blood." he shrugged, lifting his paper-cut finger that had stopped bleeding. It was a pretty bad cut, now that Carter could actually see it - deeper then the average paper-cut.
"I got a bad paper-cut right before we started talking." he explained, realizing that he now had two cuts on his right hand - one from Teether his owl, and the other from a teething book.

'It's official - I get cut up too much.' he thought, petting the cut slightly with his right thumb.

"Anyway, what were you saying before my bloody finger interrupted you?" he asked, remembering how she looked like words were about to spill from her tongue before she questioned his finger.

[/blockquote]

[parker]

She looked up to his face as his face moved from the sky to his hand, "I...well, I didn't want to gross you out. Some people are pretty squeamish when it comes to blood." he shrugged, she squinted a little while he lifted his slightly swollen finger,"I got a bad paper-cut right before we started talking." She chuckled, Oh, don't even worry about the blood, or what I was going to saw, " her hands started searching her calf for a spot, "I am so clumsy, you have no idea how many times I slipped and fell trying to get to class faster." she pulled up her jeans to her knee and pointed to a row of small verticle, "this is from the time I was running through the garden and tripped on a root and this part of my leg landed on a rake and I was rushed to St. Mungos." There holes were tiny now, and hardly visible, "You can't see much now but it was the most painful thing I had ever experienced!" she exclaimed. She then went to her elbow, "And this is from the time I was Rounding a corner and a nail was sticking out, and i cut it too close and it removed a chunk of skin." She laughed as she let down her sleeve, "I am so clumsy!"

[carter]

"Oh, don't even worry about the blood, or what I was going to say, " replied Shayne, "I am so clumsy, you have no idea how many times I slipped and fell trying to get to class faster." she pulled up her jeans to her knee and pointed, "this is from the time I was running through the garden and tripped on a root and this part of my leg landed on a rake and I was rushed to St. Mungos." she continued, "You can't see much now but it was the most painful thing I had ever experienced!" she exclaimed. She then went to her elbow, "And this is from the time I was Rounding a corner and a nail was sticking out, and i cut it too close and it removed a chunk of skin." She laughed as she let down her sleeve, "I am so clumsy!"

Carter couldn't help but smile.
"I just tend to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or have really bad luck." he shrugged, "...or sometimes I'm a klutz too."
"Since we're sharing scars..." he smirked, pulling up his sleeve to his elbow, "I got this when I first got onto a broom...so I was about......" he paused to think, "six or seven..."
The scars on his elbow were grouped together, showing that he had gotten them all at once, "I had a concussion and everything...sadly not my last concussion."
Carter pulled his sleeve back down, and pulled down on his bottom lip slightly, revealing what appeared to be teeth marks just where the lip changed consistency for the inside of the mouth.
Releasing the lip, he explained, "I was swimming with friends, and we were playing silent marco-polo, meaning that you don't have to say anything...but normally just taunt anyways - but back to the story, my friend had just tagged me, and we were both surfacing, and his forehead smacked me in the mouth." Carter didn't even look remotely bothered by this story, "I still can remember the look on his face 'Are you okay?' was the first thing out of his mouth...and I said I was fine. Then I got strange looks from the pool, and made a joke asking if I was bleeding...and - much to my shock - they all nodded. It's amazing how much blood is in the face...it got everywhere. And also, that was my second concussion. I still don't remember the moments leading up to the head-smack...the only reason I know is because he told me." Carter shrugged.
He had several more tales, but the scars were harder to get to, and he didn't feel like stripping in the Enchanted Garden.

[/blockquote]

[parker]

Shayne hung onto each and every word he said. As he was speaking of the broom accident she suddenly remembered the first time her dad had talked her mum into letting her ride on a broom by herself, she was also around six years old. She had lost control of the broom and ran it straight into the side of the house and half the handle was then missing and she fell into one of her others rose bushes. Her face winced slightly remembering the pain of the pickers in her skin. He then pulled down his bottom lip to reveal what seemed to be teeth marks by the change in the skin tone, as far as she could tell. The accident had happend while swimming, Shayne loved swimming....he was playing silent marco polo and his friends forhead had collided with his lower front teeth and left an imprint. "OOoohhh" she spoke deeply, "that does not look pretty" she smiled slightly. He continued and ended with, And also, that was my second concussion. I still don't remember the moments leading up to the head-smack...the only reason I know is because he told me." he shrugged and she replied, "What can you do, huh?" She knew too well the pains of being a klutz. Suddenly in her head was a scene from a movie she had once watched, and again it was her aunt that introduced it to her, "hey have you ever seen Grease?" she asked hoping he had and she did not sound like an idiot.

[carter]

"Hey have you ever seen Grease?" she asked, after his scar-show-off.

After a short pause, Carter replied, "Yeah, I've seen all of it, but never all at once...I think...." he paused, "Like I saw the first half and something happened preventing me from watchin' the second half...like falling asleep or someone wanting to watch something else, or the power going out." he added, remembering an instance for each.
"Why?" Carter asked, not knowing the movie well enough to make the connection...if there was one to be made with the American classic.

[/blockquote]

[parker]

After a moments thought he replied, "Yeah, I've seen all of it, but never all at once...I think...."he paused, then continued, "Like I saw the first half and something happened preventing me from watchin' the second half...like falling asleep or someone wanting to watch something else, or the power going out, why?" Shayne laughed, he looked a little befuddled as to why she was asking this question. This happened to her a lot, it was one of the reasons her aunt milly got annoyed with her so much. "All this talk of accidents, and falling over, just got me thinking about the time in the movie where Danny was running track and he turned back to look at Sandy, started to try and show off, and tripped over a hurdle!" she was laughing at a pretty geed decible by the end, but not too loud."Sorry if that question was odd, my mid sometimes take one thing and connects it to something else, then somethig else, then something else and then where my brain ends is what usually comes out of my mouth." she shrugged with an apologetic look on her face.