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"to get born, your body makes a pact with death, and from that moment,
all it tries to do is cheat."
[louise glück]
xxx
Waking to gold morning light tickling her eyelids, she sleepily blinked them open, yawning quietly, rubbing her face, pulling her warm sheets closer. Rolling over onto her belly, she faced the open window. From what she could make of the grounds outside, coated by the emerging sun rays leaking through a smear of fog, it was going to be a still day.
Each vivid grass stem would have its own raindrop stuck to its blades for company, the air would be fresh, the bees would be happy, the sky would be a crisp ice blue. It was days like these she'd daydream her bare feet in that soft green grass. She'd be running, really running, and the wind would play with her hair, and the sun—so warm, so comforting—would kiss her skin. It would then be dusk, and she'd stretch out her arms as she ran down a bit of a slope in the ground; balancing, laughing, flying. She'd breathe freedom's fresh scent, and it would blow on her flushed cheeks and nose as the golden sun and horizon dreamt.
Shaking the fantasy from her head, Mia reached over to her nightstand, fingers only just grasping her glass of water. Facing her potted plants that lined the windowsill, some flowers, others big, green and leafy, she, with a gentle hand, tipped her glass into each pot, a small waterfall splashing onto the soil before she moved to the next. Transfixed by her careful movements, his green eyes were almost attached to her glowing brown fingers, then to her eyes—softly in another world as she watered the plants she'd had since they were tiny and green and needing to step on their tippy-toes to reach above the soil, planted on her first day in the hospital wing—gifts from her roommates, who were currently taking care of all the plants they couldn't move from their dormitory to here. Just as his gaze moved to a loose curl as it fell from behind her ear, he blinked himself out of it, and silently cleared his throat.
"So...what're you in for?"
She flinched as his unexpected voice filled the once silent hospital wing; the water splashing onto her wrist.
"Uh—" She stammered, feeling heat rise to her face, looking up at him briefly, though glancing away once more as his surprised eyes met her own—no one had ever looked at her like that; his head remained nestled on his pillow as he rested on his side, glasses slightly askew, hair messy and fluffy and soft, bright eyes just as soft and looking through her and god what a jawline—"I, uh—um—" Her voice wobbled.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"No, no it's okay," She cut him off. "What was—what was the question?"
Convinced she resembled a tomato, Mia awkwardly busied herself; tipping the rest of the water hurriedly into the rest of the plants—leaving none for herself.
"How come you're in here?" Eyeing the trunk at the base of her bed, Harry added "...how long have you been here?"
"Um," She shoved the glass back onto her nightstand where it rocked for a moment before stilling, "...a while." She avoided the question, rolling onto her back. He remained on his side, looking at her.
"Have you been here your whole life?"
Brow furrowed, she looked over at him, wondering if he was joking or not.
He wasn't.
"...no. I was in your Herbology class last year."
"...oh."
A moment of silence.
"What's your name?"
"Mia."
"I'm Harry," He smiled, stretching his arm out toward her, motioning for her to do the same. As she did, their fingers only just met, so he held hers in his and they shook fingers.
