Brianna Japos
April 09, 2012 7:40 PM
Laying in the sun by Brianna Japos
Brianna’s summer had been much like the last, except that she had spent less time out of her apartment, which meant less bullying than in the past. That wasn’t to say that she was completely without it and that she hadn’t suffered. She had hated being in the tiny apartment. Her parents were fighting more than ever and Brianna felt stuck. She couldn’t breathe. She had no space and no alone time for herself. It was just noise and more noise. If she left the apartment, she left herself vulnerable to the others in the building. After the first week home, she had been sporting a split lip. The week prior to coming to Sonora, Brianna had a bloody nose. She those from time to time, so she was really just grateful that her nose had not been broken, otherwise, she’d likely come in with a horribly crooked nose.Now that she was back at Sonora though, Brianna took her free time outside the walls of the building. The school itself was so large that Brianna didn’t necessarily feel stifled in it the way that she had when she was home, but she liked the feel of the breeze and of the sun on her skin. She tried to get out to the gardens as often as possible whenever she had a free minute. Thankfully, her lessons were still light, even with the addition of Muggle Studies (Brianna was curious to know how the other side lived), so she had more time outside than she realized.
Like days of the past, Brianna had put on a pair of shorts (she wore a skirt during lessons), slipped into sandles, and grabbed her books and a blanket before heading out into the afternoon sun. The days were still fairly long and the sun as warm as ever, so Brianna could spend most of her evenings outside without the need of a jacket. Now outside, Brianna took a deep breath and closed her eyes to enjoy the sun for a moment. This moment was what she missed the most when she had been locked away over the summer. This feeling right here. This was what it was all for. Someday, she would graduate Sonora, leave the Condominium building and all the awful memories along with it behind, and find a place just for her. Probably somewhere far away from the city, from the crowds, from the noise. Somewhere where she didn’t have to hide who she was or who her parents were. She just wanted to be free and be able to breathe like a normal human being.
With the moment passing, Brianna left the steps of the school and made her way into the gardens. She had travelled so often through these paths that she could do it with her eyes closed, but she kept them open anyway. Reaching her spot that had enough sun to last her, Brianna spread out her blanket and laid down on her stomach. She spent much of her time reading or daydreaming. Normally she was left alone, allowed to have her solitude, but today would be different.
Brianna hadn’t noticed she was being watched until her sun disappeared behind a dark shadow. Glancing up to see if there was a cloud in the sky, Brianna was instead, surprised to find a face in her view. Blushing, Brianna sat up properly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize anyone was around. Did you need something?”
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Brianna Japos
Laying in the sun
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Brianna Japos
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Gareth Whitebriar
April 28, 2012 11:39 PM
Mind if I join you? by Gareth Whitebriar
The warm end of summer day demanded time outside and Gareth obeyed. He hadn’t spent much time in the gardens last term, but today was just too perfect to resist the call of the Labyrinth, even if the slight fear of getting lost and not being found again still lingered in the back of his mind. If rumor was to be believed, he was pretty sure that the entrance to the Pecari, or was it Teppenpaw? Commons was located in the Labyrinth and it was unlikely that a student would become lost forever with so many other students wandering around.Still, the maze was impressive, and after a few turns he was hopelessly turned around. Instead of the expected fear the realization was met with calm. The day was still young, and it was too nice to be wasted on meaningless anxieties. So instead of worrying, Gareth happily wandered the gardens, taking in the different plants and comparing these gardens to the ones at home. As the sun meandered across the sky and Gareth allowed his feet to choose which ever path struck their fancy, only tripping twice, it wasn’t long before he spotted a familiar face.
Brianna was laying down on a blanket reading. Stepping into the small clearing, Gareth wondered if he should disturbed her or not when she suddenly turned to look up at him. Giving an apologetic smile Gareth said “Oh hi Brianna, do you mind if I join you?” Lying down in the sun would be relaxing and when she decided to return to the school, she would be able to lead him back out of the maze. Hopefully, if she knew the way. If not, he was sure they could find it together, or find someone who could help.
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Gareth Whitebriar
Mind if I join you?
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Gareth Whitebriar
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Brianna
April 29, 2012 4:49 PM
Not at all. by Brianna
Brianna relaxed when she saw that it was Gareth who joined her and not someone else. She had spent the Fair with him last year, so she was comfortable around him and didn’t necessarily feel the need to cover up all of herself the way she would had it been someone like Paul or Nora or someone like that. She still felt the need to hide herself from Linus too, even though he had yet to be offended by her in any way. It was out of habit mainly, and also to keep Attoria off her back. If Brianna ever did anything that would reflect poorly, Attoria would never let her live it down. Gareth, though, seemed to go with the flow of things and Brianna was able to relax more with him as she used to do with David.Although she would never admit it to anyone, Brianna missed David. He was the only person who caught on and understood the horrors that she endured at home. He was the only person she had trusted with her secrets and now he was gone and Brianna felt alone. More alone that she had prior to coming to Sonora. Just …empty.
She smiled brightly at him and scooted over to give him room. Brianna was tall for a thirteen year old girl, not a giant, of course, but an inch or two taller than most girls her age, and was finally starting to fill out instead of being nothing but bones. Her mother said that she had to be careful once she became a lady, boys would be more disturbing with her and she would be more than just a punching bag. Brianna had to remind her that she was still too skinny and too ugly to be looked at by boys.
For now though, she wasn’t too concerned with it. “How was your summer, Gareth? Were you able to do anything fun and exciting?” She wasn’t sure why she was asking because it meant that he would ask her the same thing and she would end up having to lie to him about it. It wasn’t like she could just say how her parents kept her behind closed doors out of fear that the children of the building would break her again. That wasn’t what someone wanted to hear and who knew what he would do with that information anyway.
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Brianna
Not at all.
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Brianna
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Gareth
May 06, 2012 3:05 PM
Thank you by Gareth
Gareth smiled back as he sat down next to her before laying back to stare at the soft blue sky that matched the color of his eyes. The grass under the blanket was soft and the dry heat wasn’t too bad today. Brianna was one of the few girls tall enough not to make him feel awkward about his own height and Gareth found her company relaxing. She didn’t natter on about senseless girl things like his sister and her little friends, and there seemed to be a quiet calmness about her that Gareth appreciated.“My summer wasn’t too bad, it was more relaxing this year seems we didn’t do much traveling outside of the family reunion. My little brother wanted to know everything about the school though, so that got a bit annoying.” Gareth told her as he let his eyes close, again imagining the difference between the gardens at home and here. Well, one of the benefits of here was the fact that the dryness kept the grass from being too damp to lay on. It was nice, and comfortable, a relaxing way to spend some of his free time.
“How was your summer?” Gareth asked curiously as he turned his head a bit to look at her. While they had spent time together at the fair last term, he still didn’t know much about the quiet girl. A violet colored butterfly fluttered a few inches above his face and Gareth held up a finger for the delicate creature to land on. His smile brightened when it did so, and a soft chuckle rumbled in his chest when its legs tickled along his finger for a few steps before it fluttered away.
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Gareth
Thank you
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Gareth
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Brianna
May 06, 2012 5:33 PM
You're very welcome. by Brianna
Brianna watched as Gareth got comfortable on her blanket and she had to wonder if this was alright. They were friends, or, she assumed they were friends, but people may not be aware of it and it might be considered strange that Gareth Whitebriar was sharing a blanket with Brianna Japos. Brianna didn’t really mind that he was, but she didn’t want rumors to start around him and somehow ruin his reputation. It wasn’t like they were doing anything wrong, of course, they were simply enjoying the beautiful sunny day. That was all.“Do you have reunions every summer?” Brianna asked, a little bit curious. She did not know her extended family all that well. Her father’s family lived in the Philippines. The last time she had seen them, she had just been a little girl. She saw her mother’s family a little more often, the last time had been just before Sonora. They did not care for her father and Brianna felt that she was a disappointment to them which is why they did not ask them to visit more. Brianna hoped that once she graduated Sonora she could do great things to make both sides of her family proud. Maybe, if ever the time came, marry someone worth her time as much as she is worth their’s. Until then, she kept to herself and stayed out of trouble.
“I do not know you had a brother. Do you have many siblings?” She asked. “I am an only child, so I like to hear stories sometimes.” Attoria also didn’t have siblings, so it wasn’t like Brianna could really ask her to explain to her such relationships. Valerie relationship with her sister was also different because of Valerie’s illness. She wondered if they would have been so close had Valerie just been normal. Not that she would ever ask such a thing.
“My summer was…quiet.” She said. That seemed to always be her default answer even when it wasn’t very quiet. At least, this time it was the truth. Being locked away in the apartment didn’t really give way to adventure. All she did was play games with herself and read. It was boring and quiet. “Nothing really happened. My parents were busy working, so I stayed inside and caught up on this year’s lessons. We’re quite boring.” Brianna commented with a small smile. She didn’t really like to talk about herself. It kept things safer for her that way.
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Brianna
You're very welcome.
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Brianna
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Gareth
May 08, 2012 11:53 AM
*Awkwardly tries to think of a new title* by Gareth
Gareth nodded. “Yeah, the first two weeks of July. Grandfather likes to keep a eye on what everyone’s up to and so he make us all go to the Blackbriar Manor each year. It’s not too bad, we get to keep in touch that way and see what everyone is up to. This year was kind of a hassle because Meggs and I were the first ones to attend one of the American schools, so of course all the other kids wanted to know all about it. Even the adults were curious, you know? So I ended up answering questions for the first week straight. I even had to tell Grandfather all about it.” He didn’t add that Grandfather wanted to know about the American families, and who Gareth felt was most important and such. It was tedious and not something he wanted to bother with on such a nice day.“Our family isn’t too big, just me, I’m the oldest, my brother, and my sister. Compared to some of the other lines we’re pretty small. The only other line that has fewer kids are the Greenbriars, they have twin boys.” His mom had been satisfied with a small brood, she’d had her heir and a spare and her daughter, so she was content to stop having children after Gwen was born. Gareth was okay with that as well, being at the family reunion surrounded by all the kids of the other lines he could appreciate not having to deal with a bunch of sibs. The idea of not having any siblings at all was strange, seems the need for a male heir, and preferably two males usually meant that most of the families he knew had at least two children if not more.
Her answer was rather odd. Of all the descriptions he’d ever heard people use for themselves or their families, boring was a first. Either way, she didn’t look particularly comfortable with the tern in conversation so Gareth just nodded. “Yeah, I probably didn’t spend as much time on my summer assignments as I should have.” He confided. It was just so difficult to focus on school work in the summer months.
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Gareth
*Awkwardly tries to think of a new title*
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Brianna
May 15, 2012 9:33 PM
How's that working for you? by Brianna
Brianna listened with great interest as Gareth spoke about his family and their ritual reunions. There was a part of her that was jealous of how close his family seemed. Even if it was just the head of his family wanting to keep an eye on things, Gareth was still able to get to know them and see them every year. Brianna had cousins that she had only met a handful of times. Her father had siblings and all of them were still in the Philippines. Her father was the only one who left his homeland to seek a better life. Unfortunately, there was nothing better for him in America. Instead, he was just a useless Maintenance Man with a useless daughter. He met her mother by chance in school and her mother had been charmed by him. Brianna had heard her mother shout these sad reminders and memories when they argued. Her mother regretted falling for him only to find out he never intended to keep his promise of a better life for them.Maybe they could have been happy, Brianna wasn’t sure. Her life had always been this way. Sometimes she wondered what it would have been like had her parents been different. Rich. Happy. Normal. Anything other than what they were. She knew how Attoria’s parents were. Distant. She wasn’t sure if that was better, but at least they were proper and Attoria didn’t get pushed around the way Brianna did. Maybe life wouldn’t be so terrible if Brianna wasn’t bullied. Most of her parents fights were because of that.
She didn’t want to think about it. Not today.
“I have cousins.” Brianna ventured. “Most of them are in the Philippines where Father is from. But my mother has family here in the States. It’s only a small bunch in Arkansas, but they’re family.” She wished she had stories to tell. Stories about how her cousins wanted to know all about her life, but she did not have stories to tell, either to Gareth or to her cousins. Brianna didn’t have a story of her own.
She smiled at him when he admitted to not working as hard over the summer. “My mother likes to make sure my grades are kept up so that I can do well for the family. I do my best.”
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Brianna
How's that working for you?
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Brianna
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Gareth
May 21, 2012 5:20 PM
Not as well as I would like by Gareth
Gareth made a soft noise of agreement at her statement that family was family. Even though all the branches had chose to remain in Wales, Gareth was sure that if a line ever decided to branch out into America he would still feel close to them and they would still be a part of the family. It was difficult to believe that some families became so distant from each other that they no longer wished to claiming kinship. The fact that Grandfather was beginning to send children of the lines to American schools did make the young Crotalus think that establishing a branch of the family in America within the next few generations was a high probability.“Usually it isn’t difficult to keep up acceptable grades during the year, but there’s just something about summer that makes not being outside difficult to tolerate. Even when I was tutored at home summers were a chance to escape such obligations for a while.” Gareth replied as his eyes slid shut and he pictured hunting in the woods, running with his brother down hidden trails as they explored new terrain, visiting the cousins and lounging next to the river listening to the heavy drone of bees on the honey suckle sweetened wind.
“Father doesn’t believe that growing boys should spend all their time indoors so he often kicked my brother and I out of the house with the firm order not to return again until suppertime.” He said with a lazy smile. Even if Enion had been a royal brat this summer with all his incessant questions, it was still nice to play in the heavy summer heat and whenever his little brother got too annoying to tolerate, Gareth would throw him into the river.
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Gareth
Not as well as I would like
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Gareth
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Brianna
May 21, 2012 9:52 PM
I don't think you're doing awful. by Brianna
The more Brianna learned about others, the more she realized just how different she was from them all. Everyone seemed to have loving families, dysfunctional perhaps, but loving just the same. Some with siblings, some without. But they all seemed to have an enjoyable life outside of Sonora. Well, perhaps Valerie’s life was a little more difficult, but her family was doing the best that they could by it. Just listening to Gareth talk about his summer was like a slap in the face to Brianna. Her life was miserable. What was relaxing and fun for Gareth brought anxiety and fear to Brianna. As annoying as school could be sometimes, Brianna still felt that this was more of a home to her than the apartment back in New York City. She wasn’t bullied into isolation here. She only had the normal anxiety due to tests and not of whether or not she’d be attacked that day. School was where she relaxed. Not at home during the summers.“I’m not permitted outside the apartment anymore.” Brianna said without thinking. She would love to be able to go outside without hesitation, but outside meant them. Outside usually meant torture in all sorts of forms. Her parents just couldn’t put her in that position anymore. When she was older, they promised her that she could leave the building, but, they felt she was too young to be on her own right now. And if she couldn’t leave the building, that left her inside of the building. In the walls, the other kids used her for their games. They enjoyed watching her cry. They enjoyed making her miserable. She couldn’t even could all the bones they had broken, black eyes they had given her, or bloody lips they had split. This is what her life was and why she was locked up in the apartment.
“I…uh…” Brianna paused, feeling the need to explain herself, but unsure as to what exactly it was that she should tell him. Attoria would be upset with her if she told the truth and what if Gareth thought she was weak for allowing such things to happen and never talked to her again? David wasn’t around anymore, so Brianna had no one to look out for her here. If Gareth decided to be a bully, Brianna’s whole world would crumble. “I get into trouble when I’m not home and my Mother doesn’t trust me to be by myself outside of the building. So, until she feels I’m old enough, I can’t go out alone.”
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Brianna
I don't think you're doing awful.
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Brianna
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