Cruelty • Tom Riddle

A Promise of Cruelty

   

   "Hi, Farah!" Penelope said breathlessly, hurrying next to me under the stone pavilion to seek shelter from the slow, pattering rain. There was a spark to her eyes and a kindness to her smile that radiated love and warmth. 

   Disgusting. 

   Rolling my eyes behind the bulk of my book, I put it down and returned a smile with one that mimicked hers. "Oh, hi Penelope," I said. I hoped she would leave, allowing me the simple pleasure of finishing my book, but alas, she sat down on a bench next to mine, brushing her damp, red hair with her fingertips. 

  Insufferable human.

   Sometimes I thought about what it would look like if her hair caught on fire. Whether the fire would burn as bright as her hair. Sometimes I fantasized about setting it ablaze myself and watching her scream as those firey locks burned away into ash. Even now, my hand twitched, begging me to do so.

   I had thought the beauty of this grey and cloudy day would have provided me with some much-needed isolation from the intolerable pupils of this school. It was only a quarter ways into the semester and it was already becoming difficult to keep up the act of actually liking these people. Rainy days like these were typically a safe haven, but as luck would have it, this area that was usually my own had already been occupied by Riddle and his followers who stood by the lake, discussing things of uninterest to me while Orion Black snuck a glance at me from time to time. 

   I always knew he fancied me. He had done a terrible job at keeping it a secret ever since first year when he'd blush every time he tried to speak to me. Our conversations had been short and fruitless and had not much improved over the years, but at least he had gotten his blushing under control.  Since then, he had certainly become nice to look at, even though I wasn't the slightest bit interested in him. I supposed that went for Riddle and Malfoy too.

   However, for some deranged reason, it seemed as though he'd decided this year would be the year that he would no longer hide his feelings for me. I supposed it was due to Riddle and Malfoy's lecherous influences that had finally led him to speak up. But how I missed the days when I did not have to deal with his insufferable advances. 

   "What's that?" Penelope questioned, her eyes focused on the small piece of parchment that had been enchanted into a bird as it fluttered its way into the pavilion before falling onto my bench with the rest that he had sent. I looked at him and watched him wink at me while Malfoy laughed. It seemed Riddle, who stood shaking his head with his hands in his pockets, was the only one who understood I would pay no attention to Orion's advances. "Merlin, that's so cute, Farrah!" Penelope exclaimed, having put two-and-two together. 

   "If you say so," I said, returning my focus to my book. Another enchanted bird flew into the pavilion. This time, it landed right on my lap, yet I still ignored it. 

   "Give it up, Black," I heard Riddle say. "You're embarrassing yourself."

   That was likely the most intelligible thing I'd heard the whole day. 

   "I don't know, Riddle," Abraxas Malfoy said. "It is sort of entertaining watching him get rejected time and time again. 

   "Sod off," Orian nudged the platinum-haired boy. 

   Suddenly, I heard the calming screeching of Nightshade descending from the sky with a small box between her talons, one that was packaged in a gift-wrapped box and bow. Her onyx wings opened as she swooped down towards the pavilion, dropping the package onto my lap before landing next to Penelope on her bench. Nightshade, my owl, was the only thing in this sad, depleted world that brought me a sense of happiness. She was my own true companion... mostly because she did not actually talk.