Dead Girl Walking (Draco x Astoria)

Chapter 28 - Hope

The fourth day came, and Astoria still hadn't eaten a thing - she passed the time by sleeping as she frequently passed out from her exhaustion. In the evening when dinner came around, she stared at the ceiling, refusing to look at the door that had opened, slid the plate in, and closed it.

After a few seconds, she snapped her eyes to the peephole, and it was opened, her father looking back at her. Astoria looked back to the ceiling, trying to hold back anything that was left of her - but she couldn't. With any strength she had, she got up, her hands shaking as she walked to the door.

"Sliding the plate in like I'm a dirty dog in its cage - no respect, no decorum nor propriety - from any of you," she spoke lowly, but with anger.

Her father sighed, looking away.

"I mean, I knew you were never good parents, but I never took it out on you. I always showed respect," she took a deep breath, "I always kept my mouth shut! I see the other parents," his head turned back to face her, and she nodded. "The other parents at least wouldn't go so low as to poison their sons, and daughters."

"Astoria, I don't -"

"-tell me, dad. I can call you that, right? Or strictly father?" She scoffed, giving her father a disgusting look. He never responded.

"Tell me, who was that poor sibling of yours that was blissfully chosen to be sick? Who?" Astoria new well, that no one had been sick from his family, or the family before, but the one before that had been. I guess, that's what made this family curse so believable - it would disappear, and reappear when least expected.

"Your grandparents never wanted any of your uncles or aunts to be sick, so..."

"So, they spared you. Oh!" Astoria smiled mockingly. She picked up the plate that was beside her feet, and showed it out to him. She grabbed a piece from it, holding it up.

"Eat it."

Her father began to become flustered, stumbling over his words, mumbling along the lines of I beg your pardon, and, what was that?

"Eat it! Because I won't!" She smashed the plate immediately against the open hole, food, and ceramic breaking everywhere. Her father had gasped, immediately stumbling back. She glared, turning away to the other side of the room - she heard him close the hole. And at that, Astoria frowned, frantically sobbing, looking back to the destroyed plate of food on the ground.

She approached it, going down on her knees. Carefully, she picked out the broken plate from the food, and took a piece of it, slowly hovering it in front of her mouth. Just looking at the food made her starve more - immediately she shook herself out of it, throwing the food away. She would rather bite a nail each day, she thought. Looking down at her hands, it didn't seem to be such a bad idea, compared to poisoned food. Maybe, she could rip out the overgrown grass at her tiny window cell and have a go at eating that. Better than poison she thought again. But for now, she thought to sleep it off.

Not knowing the time, she at least knew it was past breakfast the next day as her breakfast had been left by the door. Groaning, she made no effort to move for a while, only thinking of her breathing. Then, she heard thumping outside her window. It went, then it came back a few times. She heard her loud heart in her chest as she got up, immediately looking out her small window, waiting for any sound. When she heard the sound again, she ducked her head, but peaked just enough where she saw Cyrus running around the garden. She almost let out a loud sound of relief at the sight of him.

"Cyrus!" She whispered, but he had ran off, but showed signs of running back.

"Cyrus!" She called again, and this time, her little brother had stopped in his tracks, looking around cluelessly.

"Cyrus," she urged, "Behind you."

He turned at that command, looking up at the wall, but his eyes trailed down to her window through the tall grass, and they widened in surprise. He walked up to her and bent down.

"What are you doing here? They said you went on a trip with your friends."

Astoria reached for his hand, for proof that he was actually here with her, her little brother.

"I'm begging you Cyrus, please follow my instructions to help me."

He looked at her, puzzled.

"I need you to please get me a paper, ink, quill, and an envelope. You need to get these and be unnoticed, do you hear me?"

He nodded carefully. "What are you doing down there?" He asked quietly.

She sighed, not ready to tell her only nine year-old brother of how mental their family really was. "I'll tell you it all after, and after I write my letter, you need to give it to an owl immediately!" She stressed quietly, looking behind her at the closed black door. She looked back up to Cyrus.

"Fine." He nodded, looking determined.

"Thank you, my little sweet." She whispered, facing away from him as he got up and walked away.

Her heart thumped over and over, scared she might be caught somehow. Well, that night, nothing happened. Dinner came in as usual and she was left alone. Laying quietly in her bed, she heard footsteps approach the window. Quietly, she stood on her bed and walked to the corner, and there she saw her brother put down everything she had asked for, but, he had something in his hand that enticed her.

"Can I also have that?" She asked, referring to the muffin in his hand. He looked at it, but he reluctantly handed it to her. She whispered her thanks gratefully.