Hourglass

Chapter Four

Kyla spent the rest of that bus ride sitting slumped up in the corner of her compartment.  She knew she should've been finding the other Pure-Blooded kids and creating her own gang, but she wanted a good first impression.  She wanted to look good.

But she wasn't in the right mindset at the moment, she was to busy wallowing in her self pity, trying to lose herself in her thoughts as the train traveled on.  And when an old gray-haired old lady opened the compartment with a large trolley filled with candy, Kyla acted on instinct and made her family proud. 

She shot out of her seat with a glare planted on her face and a snarl on her lips, a retort was on the tip of her tongue, and her hand shot to her concealed wand.  "Anything for the trolley, dear?" the old woman asked, doing a double-take.  You'd think bringing a kid candy would make them like you.

I don't know, do I? No matter how much her pride told her to yell at the woman until she was on her knees, she knew it was wrong, and quite frankly, couldn't bring herself to do it.  Thoughts weren't actions, something she'd learned quite quickly while growing up.  She could think plenty of things, so long as nobody was peeking inside her mind, she was free to think whatever she wanted, so long as she didn't say it.

That was something her twin brother never seemed to learn, speaking at the smallest thing their parents did wrong.  They were their parents, they loved her, and she loved them.  Sure, they might not show it all the time - maybe never - but they were family.  They had to love her.  Just like they had to love him, right?

So why didn't he get that?

A part of family was arguing and fighting, they just did it a bit more than most.  The Black's were over achievers, after all.  It was their job to put people in there place and being at the top of the chain.  They were powerful, and they made sure everyone knew it.

But deception was another thing she had learned, albeit not from her parents.  It was a quieter, more finicky thing.  Something that snuck up behind you, leaving you confused.  Leaving you wondering: was it even there? 

Sometimes it wasn't, most times it was.

"No," a smile replaced her defensive features, leaving her face soft and kind.  Something she often used to her advantage.  "Thank you though," she nodded at the woman.

"O-of course, dear," the woman stuttered, aghast by her quick mood change.  Kids these days, who doesn't want candy? she thought exasperated.

Kyla waited until the old lady left, moving off to the next compartment repeating the question she had asked her, then she slumped back over, her hair carpeting over her eyes, she closed them on instinct, fighting away the nausea in her stomach.

She knew she should've eaten something, but her stomach felt like acid and her throat hurt.  She still had the bad taste in her mouth, no matter how many times she washed it, and the sugar just didn't seem all that appealing.

She didn't mean to fall asleep, in fact she didn't even know she had until she was awake.  It was dreamless, and when she woke up she was second-guessing if she was ever sleeping in the first place. 

She was broken out of her inner debate by a voice echoing across the train, "Five minutes until we arrive, make sure you are in your robes.  When we arrive, leave your trunks on the train."

In a flurry, Kyla was dressed in her robes and pulling a comb through her hair a final time, aware her hair was most likely a mess.  Not that it would do too much for when she finally arrived, she thought, remembering her cousin Bellatrix talking about the boat ride to Hogwarts in first year.  She let out a shiver of relief, thankful that Bellatrix had graduated the previous year.