SCARLETT: THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

Chapter 16: Troubles and Scars

'Can you see me over here?
Should I just disappear?' Madilyn Paige, 'Irreplaceable'.
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WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SELF HARM.
"Eden, please can you pass me the salt?"

"Sure!" Came the reply.

As Eden reached for the salt, her sleeve moved. I tried not to gasp at what I saw underneath. Scars. Knife scars.

*
I tied my hair up in a plait and pulled on a coat over my nightdress. I needed to take a walk and clear my head.
Was Eden self harming again? I hope she wasn't, because we made an agreement in second year. If I didn't do it because of my father, then she wasn't going to do it because of Andie. We just weren't going to do it. Maybe she couldn't help it?

Anyway, there was also the trouble with the Thestrals on my mind. Why could I see them? I never saw anyone die; I'd definitely remember that...maybe when I looked into Harry's mind last year and saw Cedric die?

But I wasn't physically there, plus I didn't see them pulling the carriages at the start of the year. It was all so confusing.

I sat down under a tree and pulled out a half-eaten cookie from a few days ago and started chewing on it. Cookies always make things better. I also pulled out my flask, which had milk in it.

Milk and Cookies. Like that Melanie Martinez song.

One, two, Melatonin is coming for you
Three, four, baby, won't you lock the door?
Five, six, I'm done with it
Seven, eight, it's getting late, so close your eyes, sleep the days

I pulled my coat closer to me as I sang, and soon I fell asleep.
*
When I woke up, I didn't bother moving; it was Saturday. No one would be out for hours.

Instead, I sat up and pulled out my book from my pocket. If you're wondering how I can fit so much into one coat, it's because it has an Undetectable Extension Charm on it.

It was Mockingjay, the third book in The Hunger Games series.

My ears pop and my eyes feel heavy. We are coal-mine deep. The only plus is that the further we retreat into the earth, the less shrill the sirens become. It's as if-

"Hi Scar."

I almost jumped out of my skin. "You need to stop doing that!"

Jasmine just grinned and sat down. "What's the fun in that?"

I marked my page in the book and rolled my eyes. "One of these days, you're going to give me a heart attack."

"Don't be dramatic."

I sat up a bit. "I'm not, I'm being serious."

It was Jasmine's turn to roll her eyes. "Anyway, why haven't I seen you in so long?"

"I've been busy."

"So busy that we haven't had a proper conversation like this for three years? Speaking of that, you're so grown up now! I knew you when you were a tiny twelve year old!"

"Jaz! You're acting like a mum again!"

"What? I'm two years older than you, and I leave next year, I should at least be allowed to mess with you while I still can. Anyway, I've got to go study with my friends for NEWTS. Bye!"

"Bye!"

*
When I got back up to the school, Eliza was waiting for me with a wry smile on her face, holding a chicken sandwich.

"You need to stop sleeping outside. You're going to get a cold." she said.

"I don't care. I'll miss lessons!"

"It's OWLs soon. You can't miss lessons."

"Watch me."

"You're impossible."

I took the sandwich off of her with a grin. "It's my job as your best friend."

We walked back inside the castle and I changed into into a navy blue top which I paired with some jeans. I then headed back outside with Eliza to talk about Eden.

"Do you think she's doing it again, or are they old scars from 3 years ago?"

Eliza sighed. "I hate to say it, but...I think she's doing it again."

"How can we help her? She would t even look me in the eye when I went to bed last night."

"But you slept outside-"

"Before that. I got up in the night because I couldn't sleep and ended up drifting off under a tree after singing Melanie Martinez's song 'Milk and Cookies' as a lullaby."

"Isn't that the one where she says 'Sing you a lullaby where you DIE at the end'?!"

"Whatever! That's not the point..."

Eden P.O.V

I got the news yesterday. My mother was killed on one of her expeditions.

It was pain I'd only felt once before; when Andie died.

I know I promised Scarlett, but I was self-harming again.

I locked the bathroom door and pulled my pocket knife from my pocket. Tears streaming down my face, I brought the knife to my flesh. Not too much, not too much that I would catch a severe artery. Just deep enough to numb the pain for a while.

When I was finished, I moped up the blood with tissue, cleaned the knife and put it back into my pocket. I unlocked the door after making sure I'd flushed the toilet and slipped silently out. That's when Scarlett and Eliza came in. I quickly jumped onto my bed and pretended to be reading a book.

"That's quite a depressing song-"

"I like depressing songs! They make me feel better."

"They make you feel better?"

"Yeah! I-"

"I don't get you sometimes."

I quickly slipped out of the room before they saw me...

*
This was a hard chapter to write :/

Hope you enjoyed!

potterheadgirlxxx