Riddle Me This

Chapter Two: On the Horizon

For the first time in her life, Althea was on her own. She should've felt free and empowered. Instead, she was just anxious. And incredibly hungry. She realized with a start that she hadn't eaten in two days. It should have bothered her, but she'd gone longer before. Quite a few times before. It was actually one of the less severe punishments she received for failing expectations.

Speaking of expectations, she couldn't remember if she'd ever talked to someone before who didn't want something from her. Or someone who talked to her like she was an actual human being. Sure, he probably thought she was either psychotic (which she probably was) or clueless as to what she was doing (which she definitely was), but it was something.

Something she wasn't quite sure what to do about. I mean, she'd read about friendship and making polite conversation and all that stuff in books, but they didn't quite chalk up to the real thing. Every time Neville shifted in his seat, she had to suppress a flinch. Calm down, she told herself. Act like a normal human being and say something.

But what was there to say? What did normal people talk about? She could recite all the magical creatures in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them forwards and backwards. She'd read the book so many times. It was one of the books that she had brought with her: dog-eared and pages soft from hundreds of reads. But she didn't think this strange boy - Neville - would be interested in her telling him about the time she had upset a glass of water and her... her... (Even after all these years, Althea still struggled to find the right word to describe them. They definitely weren't her family, and the word "guardians" couldn't be further from the truth. "Wardens?" "Stewards?") her keepers had been so upset that she'd hid under the stairs until the sunrise, hugging that same copy to her chest until she could sneak back to her room unseen.

She opened her mouth to attempt to say something just as Neville did. Their words clashed awkwardly in the air, and they both stared at each other. "I'm sorry," said Neville. "You go ahead."

Althea opened her mouth, then shut it again. Her words couldn't seem to escape past the lump in her throat. "I didn't-- I wasn't-- You go," she stammered out.

The girl's face flushed crimson as she averted her eyes to the train's floor. "Oh. It's just that I can't find my toad. His name's Trevor." The boy searched the many pockets once more, as if he might have simply misplaced his pet. He looked almost in tears.

"I apologize," Althea said slowly. Was that what one was supposed to say in this sort of situation? It only seemed to make Neville more upset. She never should have let him drag her along. Alone, she could only disappoint herself.

Neville, however, was in too much of a tizzy to watch Althea shrink into herself. She buried the corner of her face into her shoulder and twisted the end of her sleeve. "Won't you help me look for him?" Neville sniffed, finally looking up from his desperate search.

"You want me to help?"

"Oh, would you?" Neville pleaded. His brown eyes swam behind a film of tears.

oOoOoOo

Trailing behind the blond boy, Althea watched as he knocked on another door. The hallway was very narrow, and she hoped no one tried to come from the other direction. The thought alone made her anxious.

Neville pulled the door open and stuck his head through. His voice still verged on wailing, but he seemed to have calmed down a mite. "Hullo. Have you seen my toad?" There was a murmur of dissent and they moved to the next compartment.

Before he even knocked, the plump boy let out a wail of despair and partially collapsed against the wall. "Oh. Oh." Althea said, and hesitantly raised her hand before violently whacking Neville on the upper arm twice in what she had intended as a comforting gesture.