don't leave me sittin' p r e t t y {open}

[izzie]

Saturdays were Izzie's favorite. Slipping on a blue sundress, she had walked herself down to the black lake. Most people were studying around this time of year, but with the weather so nice that day, she had decided that being outside would be far better. As it turned out, she was right.

Since everyone was inside, the grassy area around the lake was free of people. Izzie sat herself down on the ground and gazed up at the blue sky. She felt different that day for a reason she couldn't quite point to. She had no interest in pulling mean pranks on the girls who had betrayed her or chasing after the latest boy. She just wanted to relax a bit.

As the sky grew more boring, Izzie turned her attention to the lake. Sighing slightly, she ran a hand through her hair. There were always other things to think about, and being alone led to her less pleasant thoughts. Some things just didn't go away when she wanted them to most.

Small waves pulsed against the sandy shore in tune with Izzie's thoughts. She thought of Chris again, not for the first time. She didn't know what he was up to anymore. They had sort of fallen apart, but Izzie missed the Ravenclaw terribly. "Boo!" said a voice from behind her, causing Izzie to jump and spin her head around to see who was there, laughing at her.

[malfoygirl]

Ariande was doubled over, hands clutching her stomach as she laughed. "Oh God, Iz, you should see your face," she gasped, still laughing. She wiped tears from her eyes and sat down next to her sister, grinning. The two had gotten fairly close in the past few months, but both had seemingly dropped off the face of the planet. Ariadne had seen her sister waltzing around with a new boy, a Ravenclaw, which was odd. Granted, no one really knew about what had happened between her and Stefan, only that the two hadn't spoken since their incident. She was just too afraid to embarass herself in front of him... Again.

Ariadne looked up at the sky, her blonde curls parting and her lips pulling into a small smile as she regained her breath. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" she inquired, closing her eyes and basking in the rare sunshine. She was wearing a pair of short jean shorts and a deep green tshirt with the Slytherin crest. Her perfectly manicured feet were clothed in black gladiator sandals. It was a nice change, not having to wander around in robes or long pants and sweaters. It wasn't every day that she received the opportunity to relax.

"How are you, Izzie?" Ariadne asked finally, looking over at her sister. They hadn't spoken in a while, since both seemed to have gotten wrapped up in... something. For Ariadne it was school, keeping a low profile. She was increasingly tired of being followed and pestered by everyone, of having her personal life be no secret to anyone. Ariadne had been giving secrecy and seclusion a try, and it had been working thus far. However, the seclusion had been leaving her to her own thoughts, and it was starting to drive her insane.

[izzie]

Isabel laughed as she saw that it was merely her sister, Ariadne, who was doubled over in laughter, saying something about how Izzie's face had looked when she had scared her. As Ariadne plopped down next to her, Izzie smiled. "You were very quiet sneaking up on me," she said with a small chuckle, glad her sister had stopped laughing at least.

Isabel murmured her agreement as Ariadne commented on the weather. It hadn't been this nice in a while, and Izzie was suddenly glad she wasn't the only one outdoors. Being alone led to dangerous thoughts- thoughts she'd rather avoid right now. Izzie hadn't always enjoyed her sister's company, but they had been getting along better as of late, so perhaps it would be nice to spend some time in Ariadne's company, at least for a while. At some point, Izzie assumed she would have to go back to study. OWLs were important after all.

"I'm alright," Izzie replied to her sister, turning to look at the blonde. She had always found it weird that she was the only brunette child. Her father's blonde genes were strong, but someone Isabel had avoided them, and wound up with dark hair. She liked it, though, so it was alright. "How have you been?" Isabel asked her sister in return, though she wasn't sure she'd get any more of a specific answer than she had given. The things on her mind were not ones that came up in pleasant conversation.

[malfoygirl]

"The same," Ariadne replied flatly, looking out onto the water's surface. Absently, she picked up a flat rock from the ground beside her and tossed it across the water, watching it skip three times before sinking into the dark abyss. She grasped another stone and tossed it out, then turned to Izzie rather than watching it bounce. She examined her silently, eyes narrowed.

Ariadne wasn't stupid. She knew her sister better than she'd like to admit at times. Truthfully, Izzie was exactly like Ariadne, physically and mentally. She had the same light in her eyes that Ariadne often had in times of great thinking. However, Ariadne wouldn't inquire further, it was probably nonw of her business.

[izzie]

Izzie looked out over the water as her sister began skipping rocks. It was only after the second stone fell after two skips and Isabel realized that Ariadne was no longer throwing rocks did she look back at her sister. Ariadne was eying her thoughtfully. Isabel raised an eyebrow at her sister.

"Something on your mind?" Izzie asked, her tone light despite her mood. Her sister seemed to be thinking a lot too as of late. Perhaps the two had more in common than Izzie had ever cared to admit before. Isabel watched her sister carefully, wondering what was troubling her. Could Ariadne possibly be thinking about the Death Eaters? Or perhaps Stefan, with whom she seemed to have broken off all contact with. Izzie wasn't one to pry when it came to Ariadne, but from the look on her sister's face, she was starting to think perhaps she ought to.

[malfoygirl]

Ariadne felt the tension grow rapidly between the two sisters, but strangely it wasn't awkward. It was almost comforting, in a way. She met Izzie's eyes for a moment before realizing her sister had asked a question. "I..." she started, trailing off, lips parted. She closed her mouth and proceed to shrug her shoulders, turning her gaze stoically out onto the lake. "And what about you?" Ariadne asked quietly, not removing her gaze from the water's glassy surface. Anxiously, she brought her knees to her chest, arms wrapping around them protectively, as if that alone would prevent Izzie from seeing her innermost thoughts.

[izzie]

Izzie waited impatiently for Ariadne to say something, but her sister merely gave an anxious murmur and fired the question right back at Izzie. The anxiety pouring across Ariadne was easy to see, especially for Izzie, who knew her sister fairly well. Izzie paused a moment as Ariadne brought her legs to her chest and turned away from her. It was obvious that Ariadne had something on her mind. But what?

Izzie frowned slightly, but decided she had better start the serious conversation if they were to have one. Ariadne clearly would refuse to say anything if Izzie didn't guess it first. "Thinking about the Death Eaters?" Izzie asked, deciding it was a better option than talking about Stefan. Her sister's love life was even less of her business than this.

[malfoygirl]

Ariadne stiffened as her sister guessed correctly. Astonished, she glanced at Izzie. Turning, she leaned back, releasing her legs from her grip, eyes wide. "Now how the hell did you guess that the first try? That's pretty taboo for students, afterall," she muttered sarcastically, looking at her sister curiously. "Unless you are too," she added, giving Izzie a knowing smirk. She looked her sister up and down once more, sizing her up. Finally, she turned to face her sister, crossing her legs and leaning forward, voice dropping to a tone just above a whisper.

"Yes," Ariadne stated quietly. "I have been. Frequently, in fact," she admitted. "It's just... Daddy dearest continues to rave about his time, about his experiences, what have you. And it's starting to creep into my mind. Not brainwash, necessarily, but pretty damn close to it. On the one hand, I can't think of anything worse than killing people for sport, much less serving under some airhead Lord or Lordess for their own personal, world-domination benefit. But, the more and more I think about it..." Ariadne trailed off, desperately looking for the right words to finish her statement.

[izzie]

Izzie grinned at her sister's astonishment; she sometimes surprised herself too. But Ariadne's comment that Izzie must be thinking about the Death Eaters too rung a bit too true, causing Izzie to fall silent for a moment as her sister went on a bit of a ramble about why she should, and should not, join the Death Eaters.

"We're Malfoys," Izzie said with a shrug. "We've been brainwashed into blood-supremecy and hard-wired from birth into thinking about these sorts of things. And the thing is, the killings that the Death Eaters do are not all for sport. And maybe sometimes there is a real cause behind it. Killing a person is terrible, there's no way around that, but it makes you wonder sometimes." Isabel eyed her sister again, imagining what Ariadne was thinking about. Perhaps if she had the stomach to really do it. Kill a person?

[malfoygirl]

Ariadne listened intently, nodding slightly. "I suppose," she replied simply, her mind reeling. Izzie was having the same she thoughts and worries she was. It turned out, however, that the younger of the two had done much more rationalizing than her older sister. While a surprising fact, Ariadne had seen it coming to an extent. Her sister wasn't an idiot, she was smarter than Ariadne at times, despite the eldest Malfoy generally being more intelligent in school, according to her parents and peers, at least. Sitting back on her hands, she blew out the breath that she didn't realize she had been holding.

"I guess I don't know if I could do it," Ariadne admitted quietly after a while, looking back at her sister. "The more I think about killing someone, the more I want to fling away my wand, bury all the kitchen knives, and hide. But, there's always this gnawing at the back of my mind that makes me wonder how it'd feel. If it'd give me a boost of adrenaline or if it'd just make me feel indecent and inhuman. I don't know..." she replied quietly, the cogs in her mind turning vigorously. She wouldn't have imagined sitting down and discussing her innermost fears and thoughts with her sister only an hour ago. But, know that the two were experiencing this, together, the more sure Ariadne was that the talk they were having was beneficial and needed for the both of them.

[izzie]

Izzie was suddenly very glad that she wasn't the only thinking about all these sorts of things. More than once she had hidden her wand in the back of her closet only to dig it out hours later when she needed it for something else. Perhaps killing was the Malfoy's horrid temptation. For some families it was alcohol or drugs, for them, it was murder. Izzie had always hated her family, and this realization did nothing to rid her of that feeling. She wished she had born to a different set of parents.

Isabel fought the urge to tell her sister that it would make her feel invincible for a few moments and then later make her want to die herself. It wasn't information worth divulging at this point. "Yeah, I know what you mean," Izzie said quietly. "It doesn't help that wands are such powerful things. We need them for everyday life and yet they can do horrible things. Create and destroy."

[malfoygirl]

"Such a paradox. To create and to destroy, to give life and to take it away," Ariadne stated. For a moment, she wondered if she was merely talking about wands now, or if she was talking about the lowly human race. Both were beautifully tragic creations, born of passion and purpose. But, like all things precious, there was always a price to pay. For both, it was danger, and malice, power driven by blind rage and anger. Biting her lip, she looked over her shoulder at the castle. Suddenly, in light of the dark things they were discussing, their spot on the shore did not seem like such a safe place. The castle looked too large, the sky too bright. Placing her hands in her lap anxiously, Ariadne twiddled her thumbs without realizing she was doing so.

She looked back towards her sister after a moment. "I'm not sure what to feel anymore," she replied suddenly, her voice dropping and cracking. Mentally cursing herself, she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Weakness was not her forte, and she absolutely hated when her true emotions found their way past her stoney facade. It was a Malfoy thing, something that had been hardwired into her brain from the moment she had been concieved.

[izzie]

Izzie nodded her agreement, staring out at the lake once more. She rested on her hands behind her, sighing slightly as she waited for her sister to speak. It was only Isabel heard her sister's voice crack that she turned back to look at Ariadne. The other girl was breaking down; it was fairly clear. A rush of pity filled Izzie, who reached over a gave her sister a soft hug.

"Hey, it's ok," she said upon releasing Ariadne. "Life's crazy like this sometimes, but you'll figure it out." Izzie gave her sister a sympathetic smile. Ariadne was strong, stronger than she knew. Isabel believed in her sister perhaps more than Ariadne herself did. As for what she would chose to do with her life, Izzie couldn't be sure, but ultimately everyone would have to chose something. In these times, that much was obvious.

[malfoygirl]

Ariadne was a bit shocked to find her sister moving closer. Her body tensed instinctively, but relaxed as soon as Izzie's arms draped around her. She hugged her sister back, smiling lopsidedly as she did so. Ariadne wasn't particularly a physically affectionate person with other women, it just seemed like an awkward circumstance in her opinion. Very few females were allowed to hug her, and Izzie was one of them, surprisingly. Ariadne, while not entirely close with her family, cared a great deal for her siblings... save for maybe Aries. The two had never really gotten along, nor had Ariadne seen much of her brother whilst she were in school. Still, here she was, killing two birds with one stone in hugging her little sister. Feeling Izzie pull away, she slackened her grip and leaned back, a small, grateful smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Izzie began speaking and Ariadne was pleasantly surprised to hear great words of wisdom oozing from the younger Malfoy's lips. Miracles never cease to exist, Ariadne mused lightly, her smile broadening the tiniest bit. She nodded in agreement with her sister's words, and parted her lips to reply. She found her breath caught in her throat momentarily before she merely smiled softly and murmured a quiet, "You're right." Ariadne kept a level gaze on Izzie for a moment before laughter filled her ears. Looking over her shoulder, she found a young couple making their way over the the large tree a short ways from where the two Malfoy's were conversing. Ariadne frowned.

[izzie]

Seeing her sister's smile, a smilar expression crossed Izzie's face as well. They had never been particularly close, which Izzie supposed now was her own fault. Her coldness kept many people at a distance. But Isabel admired Ariadne in some respects. She was strong, determined, what a Slytherin and a Malfoy ought to be. They didn't always get along, but Izzie found herself a bit similar to Ariadne. And at least she wasn't the only one who thought a lot about the Death Eaters. Then again, Aries was already a Death Eater, so Izzie hadn't been entirely alone from the start, not that she and Aries got on very well.

Izzie smile widened slightly as her sister agreed with her statements in a quiet voice. Sometimes words just came to Isabel; she didn't mean to have these moments of wisdom, but she supposed everyone could occasionally nice things to make someone feel better. She just wished there was a little piece of wisdom applicable to her life at the moment. Turning, Izzie saw and head the couple who were nearing them. Izzie's nose crinkled ever so slightly, but she corrected it by the time she turned back to her sister. "Want to go for a walk or something?" Isabel asked.