On The Edge (Nathaniel)

[Deleted]

Ashley rushed through the halls of the castle, hurrying to get away from the room where Eli was. Her thoughts were in shambles, her determination crumbling. How did he convince her to go in there and spend time with him, just like last year? Right, he used her weakness against her. Ice cream. She could hardly believe she fell into it so quickly. The friendship, teasing, messing around with one another. Wasn't that supposed to be all gone now? The two of them weren't friends anymore, so why did it feel like they were? Why was it so easy to talk to him and tell him secrets and hold his hand? The answer was simple. It was easy because she wanted it so badly. 

Her eyes filled with water as she escaped onto the grounds, now running towards the owlery so she could find some solitude. She needed to get away. She needed time to think and figure out what she was supposed to do. The thing was, she just now realized that staying away from him was hurting him as much as it was her. Which meant she shouldn't do it anymore, right? If he wanted to be near her half as much as she wanted to be near him, she shouldn't fight it. But he thought he wanted it more. She shook her head as she flew up the owlery steps. Running, even such a short distance, was helping her clear out her thoughts. She couldn't avoid Eli all year and she didn't want to even try. She wanted to be near him, to be his friend. And he wanted it. She couldn't hurt him anymore. That thought became clear when she finally reached the top, but Ashley hurried to the middle of the owlery, where the bell tower was located. She leaned over the rail, trying to catch her breath as her decision grew stronger. She wouldn't abandon Eli. She wasn't going to hurt him any longer than she already had. She finally made her decision.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

THOUGH NATE WAS FOUND OF THE SLYTHERIN basement, so deep and oppressive it seemed to leech out any light that entered, sometimes even he needed a little bit of height. And while he never flew, for obvious reasons of self preservation, he thought he wouldn't mind flying if he were an owl. These were all thoughts that quietly occurred to him as he sketched up in Hogwarts' Owlery.

The Owlery smelled like bird shit and musty sawdust, but Nate found he didn't mind it. The quiet hooting of resting birds a constant companion of noise, better than the prattling students, surely. Plus, he could smoke in the owlery. The filter hanging loose from his lips, a trail of smoke curling in to the air behind him as he slipped in to a peaceful, methodical state of mind. Until he heard the stamping of feet, flying up the stairs.

Nate had just enough time to flick his cigarette out over edge he was sitting in and snap his sketchbook closed when a figure blurred in to focus. The owlery was not a place for running and Nate almost said so, as snippy as ever, when a head of blonde hair whipped away to reveal a face Nate was acutely familiar with. The American from the Slytherin Common Room with the vials of interesting potions.

"Hey, you can't shoot up in here, Junkie!" Nate called, swinging his legs down from the stone ledge he was braced on and hopping down. He left his sketchbook up on the landing so that she might not notice it. "The owls will tell..." Nate hissed threateningly, swaggering closer with a smug smile. Though, when he did he realised the girl was a mess. Her entire face red, as if she'd been crying. Okay, she was definitely crying. "Jeez, Junkie, are you rattling or something?" Nate asked, though he was only half joking. His face was screwed in to something resembling concern as he crossed his arms and took a cautionary step back. 

@ashley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Ash was too focused on making it to the rail, on letting her emotions out entirely once she'd reached it. She didn't even bother to check and see if someone else was in the open area, not caring. If anyone was here, hopefully they'd leave without saying anything. Most of the time people had a tendency to avoid people who were being overly emotional anyway. 

She finally grabbed onto the rail that protected people from falling over the edge, holding onto it life it was a life raft. Ashley was drowning, feeling the guilt crashing over her yet again. Despite her best efforts, she'd been hurting Eli, probably worse than she would have been if she just accepted his friendship when he offered it again. The thing was, it took her far too long to realize that. Why was she such an idiot. Her temples began to throb and she realized that she needed to gain some control over her emotions. All of this happening within seconds of reaching the rail.

A voice called out from behind her and Ashley spun around, reaching up to quickly wipe away the tears. Why did he have to be here? Out of all the people that could have been in the owlery, this was the one guy she didn't want to associate with at all. "Just leave me alone," she answered in a low-pitched voice that echoed through the owlery. Ashley turned back to the rail, not even wanting to look at him. She wasn't in the mood to argue with him, though a part of her was wishing she had one of her potions on her. A migraine was coming on suddenly. She sniffled, then heard his voice again. "I'm fine. Don't bother yourself with me," she closed her eyes, leaning against the rail a bit and taking a deep breath, hoping beyond hope that he would leave her alone. Then she could let the guilt come and try to get over it so she could tell Eli that she wanted to be friends and not feel haunted when she did.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

THOUGH NATE HAD ONLY BEEN POKING FUN TO begin with, he quickly realised that there was something wrong with the American. She was leaning dangerously against a metal railing, her body sagging against it as she appeared to heave with breath. Maybe she really was suffering from withdrawal. After all, Nate had never really found out the purpose of her 'medicines'.

She dismissed him without a second look, but Nate was already close enough to hear her heaving breaths. "Uh, I was here first." Nate retorted, crossing his arms as he scowled at her. She turned just in time to catch it, to his relief, though her stare was a million miles away. "Well, you look like shite." Nate replied bluntly, leaning to one side to peer over the sharp decline of the railing, it ran a great spiral all the way down to the ground floor of the tower. He wasn't keen on heights...

"If you're going to throw yourself over the edge, might want take a look around first." Nate said sarcastically, moving his head from side-to-side slowly as if to show her how. He wasn't usually so curious about other peoples business, but she had barrelled in to the owlery like her hair was on fire. And that... intrigued him. "What's set you off?"

@ashley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Ashley rolled her eyes when he insisted that he was here first. Fine. He could stay, since she really wasn't in the mood to argue with him. He could watch her and feel uncomfortable all he wanted when she started crying. She didn't owe him any type of an explanation either, so she wouldn't give one. She was already staring ahead, not bothering to look over at him, despite the fact she could see him in her periphery. He was actually standing pretty close, which annoyed her more than she expected. "Hmm, thanks for that. I had no idea," Ash answered scathingly, ignoring her previous decision to ignore him. She hated when people stated the obvious, and she especially hated that this boy was seeing her now. She didn't want Nathaniel Forrester (yes, she figured out his name) making any comments about her appearance. She couldn't help how she looked right now. 

Why wouldn't he just shut up? Ashley didn't want to listen to another word that came out of his mouth, since they were growing stupider and stupider by the minute. "I'm not going to throw myself over the edge, idiot," she growled, pushing off the rail so she could stand up taller and look him in the eye. Ash didn't get the chance. The rail must have been really old or something, because she felt it start to give as she pushed against it. Her balance thrown, Ashley suddenly found herself leaning over the edge, unable to pull herself back to safety. A high-pitched screech tore from her throat, but the only thought in her mind was: "I'm about to die. I'm going to die and Eli will never know the truth." It was almost as though she was frozen. She couldn't move, couldn't really focus on anything else, except for the fact that she was now falling.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

WITH A SLIGHT SMIRK ON HIS FACE NATE nodded once and said, "You're welcome." It didn't matter that there was no true sentiment behind the girl's words, he hadn't been expecting as much. After all, the last time he had seen her she had all but stormed off. Though he was usually not as chatty, he found that the more she ignored him - or rather tried to ignore him, the more Nate heard himself talking.

Nate was just about to hold up his hands as she scowled at him when he heard the groan of metal grinding against metal. It happened almost as soon as he realised it, the railing collapsing under the girl's hands as she had moved to step forward. Her weight had been on it and the blood drained from Nate's face as he watched a look of panic cross the blonde's face before she scrambled off balance and he stepped forward as if to catch her.

She was half-way over the edge before Nate skidded close enough to snag the arm of her robes. It stretched dangerously as she her lower half dropped, forcing Nate to swing his other hand forward to catch her forearm just before she tumbled down in to the depths. First, Nate was crouched, but he was forced to drop on to his knees as he bore all of her weight. He was not a sportsman, more lean than muscular, and it showed as he grunted under the strain.

Nate cursed at the crash of the railings bellow, catching her eye finally. For once they appeared on the same page, both staring with large, owl eyes as Nate clenched his teeth and attempted to pull her over the edge. She was gripping the concrete edge, and Nate realised he couldn't pull her back over unless she let go. "You're- you're gonna have to let go." Nate ground out, beads of sweat forming on his brow from the strain. "Let go so I can pull you back over. Trust me." He instructed, not really thinking about whether or not she would be able to do that.

@ashley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Ashley closed her eyes as she started to fall, not wanting to see the walls flashing past as she fell to her death. Her heart was pounding, adrenaline rushing through her even though there was nothing she could do to help herself. Then, she felt something catch, maybe her robes snagged on a piece of metal. Opening her eyes instantly, Ashley saw the boy above her, one hand holding one arm of her robe, while his other grabbed her arm. Ashley didn't even register how it hurt, how tightly he was holding her. She didn't realize that her other hand somehow found the ledge, her fingers clutching at the stone there in an attempt to keep herself from falling. Without his help, she would undoubtedly fall. 

She looked at him frantically, all thoughts of Eli suddenly gone. She had a chance now. A slim chance, but Ashley wanted to live. She didn't want these to be her last moments. She was sure that he could see her fear, just as she could see the determination in his own eyes. He told her to let go and Ashley's grip tightened for a second at the thought. He wanted her to hang there, with no connection to anything? Still, he was the reason she was still here now, and he was asking her to trust him. He wouldn't do that just to let her fall after he saved her. 

With a terse nod, Ashley let go of the wall and couldn't stop herself from screaming again. Without even meaning to, Ashley flung her hand upwards, towards him and grabbed the wrist holding her forearm, her fingernails digging in as she held on tight. The rest of her body was swinging slightly and Ashley didn't know what to do. She tried to get her feet to touch the edge, to maybe try and help by walking up the wall or something, but she couldn't find it. "Now what?" Ashley looked up at him desperately, ready to do anything he asked her to. Anything that might help her right now.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

NATE HAD ALREADY DECIDED THAT IT WAS AWFUL having someones life dependant on his own physical strength. That panic was deep in his gut, he hadn't intended for their interaction to go this way. His knuckles white around her arm, the slick dampness on his palm as he released his grip on her robes to wrap tight around her wrist, tight enough that he felt the grind of her bones underneath. But, she couldn't fall. She wouldn't fall. That was all that really mattered.

Unsure if she would let go, Nate heaved a breath through his clenched teeth as he persevered. But, he managed to catch her nod before she hesitantly released her grip, snapping it forward to wrap painfully around his arm instead, her nails digging deep as she screamed, making Nate cringe. It came with a great ache in his shoulder as he felt the true weight of an entire person hanging from the end of his arm. He felt as if it would rip from the socket, but it didn't, and soon he had to pull her up or they would both tumble over the edge.

"Really?" Nate snapped, surprised she still had time to chat as he slowly began edge backwards, bending his spine and pressing himself back on to his calves as he pulled her towards him. Eventually, he had to unfold his legs out from under him and she dropped back a few inches, much to his and her panic, before he splayed them out in a v shape around them and continued to pull her back on to the ledge.

It was agonisingly slow, but Nate was afraid that if he pulled too quick she would catch and slip away from him. But eventually he released his death grip on her forearm to reached forward and grab the back of her robes, pulling her towards him and not letting go until he was scooting backwards, scrambling on his heels until her entire body was away from the edge and he could finally let go without fear, slumping backwards as his chest catapulted with hard, tired breaths. His adrenaline spent. 

@ashley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

Ashley desperately wanted something to do, but it was obvious by the way that he growled at her that he couldn't talk right now. She bit her lip to keep herself from muttering anything back. The thing was, now she was entirely at this boy's mercy. He seemed determined to save her, but that didn't do much to quell the panic racing through her. Ashley focused on trying to breathe deeply, holding on tight as she could while he slowly pulled her up. Her wrist was aching, her shoulder felt as though it was ready to pop out from holding her weight. Worse than that, her hand was sweaty from nerves and her grip on him was slippery at best, though she was holding on with everything she had. 

He was definitely making progress, and Ashley felt herself starting to actually trust this boy, to think that he could save her when she felt herself jolt downwards once more. Her breath caught in her chest as terror struck her anew, but this time Ashley made no noise. At least it was only a few inches. He started pulling her up again, and as soon as she could, Ashley was using her elbows to help pull herself up over the edge. At the exact same time, he let go of her arm, grabbing  her robes and pulling her forwards. Ashley crawled away from the edge as he pulled her, moving a little further after he released her. She collapsed on the floor, her cheeks against the cold stone as she breathed heavily, trembling still. She didn't care about how dirty the floor was, or of what he would say next. She didn't know what to expect, honestly. After almost dying, she wasn't worried about that either. 

After a few minutes, Ashley's pulse was finally returning to normal, the adrenaline fading. "Th-thank you," she muttered, knowing that he'd be able to hear her. Even the owls were silent at the moment. Slowly, Ashley rolled onto her back and sat up, turning so she didn't have to look at the broken section of the rail. Just a glimpse of that was all she needed to make herself tremble again in fear.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

THE STONE FLOOR SMELLED OF EARTHY HAY AND bird droppings, but Nate found he didn't care half as much as he usually would. He just lay there panting, a strange kind of euphoria making his head light as he processed what he had just done. It had almost been as thrilling as stealing a car in the summer before school had started. The uncertainty of it all made his blood foamy and his heart flutter.

The girl, Nate felt himself feeling her out much later than he probably should have, pushing sweaty curls of brown hair off of his forehead as he flopped his head to the side. She was laying there beside him, within reach and as frazzled as he thought she would be. She moved before he did, rolling up and on to her feet. Nate sat up as if on cue, frowning as she thanked him. It was obviously what was expected of her.

"Well..." He swallowed drily, unable to stop himself from looking back at where the railing had torn free from its concrete bindings. "Didn't quite fancy the alternative." Nate said sarcastically, tongue dashing out over his bottom lip as he continued to stare, stopping only to see where she'd gone off to. "Lot of questions get asked when I student dies, I hear." Nate added callously, narrowing his eyes at the way she stood steadfast with her back to the collapsed railing.

"Why won't you look?" He asked after a second, unable to stop himself, the curiosity seizing him. "You didn't fall." Wiping stray pieces of hay from his hands as he finally decided to stand up, mostly because it felt weird being the only one sitting. The girl was stiff and awkward, but he shouldn't have been so surprised after what had happened, and yet he was. Because, for Nate, the entire thing had been strangely thrilling.

@ashley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

It was the strangest sensation, the fact that Ashley couldn't look at the rail. She knew that she was safe and that it couldn't do anything to her now, but she still couldn't stand to look in that direction as she rose to her feet. Instead she looked at the boy, who in turn was looking at the railing. He was sweaty, obviously from how much effort it took to help her and at first she felt bad about that, until he spoke. She tried to not feel offended, though she couldn't help it entirely. "Me neither," she muttered when he said he didn't fancy the alternative. He spoke again and Ashley looked away from him, still keeping her back to the offending rail. "Wow. Glad you don't have to deal with all those questions then," Ashley shot back, trying to keep the venom out of her tone but not entirely succeeding.

His tone changed as he asked a question and Ashley paused, looking over at him as he started to stand. "I did fall ... just not all the way." Her mind flashed back to the second she realized the rail was collapsing and she started to fall. Her pulse quickened and she started taking quiet deep breaths, hoping he wouldn't notice. Yeah, not looking was a good idea if this was how she reacted just to thinking about it. She paused, not wanting to answer him but also feeling like she owed him an answer. Then again, she owed her life to him. The lease she could do was answer his questions. "I ... I don't want to," Ashley spoke softly, but firmly. She wasn't weak, she was traumatized and if he was going to make fun of her for that she would retaliate. In one way or another.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

NATE HAD TRIED TO DOWNPLAY THE MAGNITUDE of what had happened. Be it to make himself look more confident, or because he didn't want the fuss of it all, he wasn't sure. Nate had always yearned for recognition, but not for something like that. Not for a stupid accident. He shrugged his shoulders, his nose wrinkling slightly as he realised she looked quite miffed by his choice of words.

"Jeez, I was being sarcastic." Nate grumbled, shaking his head. He really wanted a cigarette, and the American with the broken doll face to lighten up, or go away. But, at the same time, he felt something twist low in his gut. It was something he chose not to feel often; regret.

"You should stop taking things so personally." Nate advised her casually, walking across the stone floor to where he'd left his packet of cigarettes and his lighter sitting on the sill. Pushing one out of the packet, he picked it up with his mouth and looked at Ashley again. He hadn't decided whether or not he was going to answer her astute observations on gravity.

"If it were me," He said around the filter, pausing to light the end and take a long drag, "I'd be ecstatic." Which was perhaps an exaggeration, Nate was rarely that enthused about anything. A cloud of smoke billowed out of his nose and mouth. "You defied death, right?" He shrugged, the smoke already filling his lungs and loosening a tension in him he hadn't known was present at all. "It's not all doom and gloom." He made a show of a sad face, lips pulled down theatrically as he flicked ash from the end of his cigarette and leaned against a wall rather far away from the edge. Maybe he wasn't as confident as he made himself out to be. 

@ashley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

She'd obviously upset him, which was evident from his retort back. Instantly Ash felt a little guilty. Here he was, saving her and then she was jumping down his throat seconds later? That wasn't very cool. She bit her lip before looking over to him. "Sorry. I think ... I'm a bit wound up right now. I'm not acting like myself." Meaning, she'd lost all sense of the manners her parents taught her. They would be appalled if they saw her right now. "Thanks. For ... well you know." She couldn't say it out loud. Pathetic. At least she wasn't about to cry again.

He told her she should stop taking things so curiously and Ashley watched him, feeling like he wasn't done there. There was something else he wanted to say as well and she might as well listen to that as well since she was trying to be grateful and polite. He said he'd be ecstatic and her eyebrows lifted, waited for an explanation that would be coming, even if she had to ask for it. Then he was talking about defying death and not everything being negative. She thought on that a moment. "I guess you are right about that," she told him slowly. Then she shrugged, "Maybe I'll feel that way about it in the morning, once the shock of the whole thing is gone. For now ..." she eyed the edge from across the room, "I think I'm going to go back to the castle." She walked over to the staircase, pausing for a second and turning back to look at Nate. "Really though, thanks." Ashley offered a sincere smile and wave before leaving. 

Nathaniel David Forrester (you can end it!)

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

NATE COULD NOT DISCERN WHETHER OR NOT Ashley was being herself or not. In fact, if compared to their previous interaction in the common room, he thought it fit quite well in to his opinion of her in his mind. Though, Nate was not stupid enough not to consider the fact that it might just be her reaction to him. He was an 'acquired taste', or so an old matron at the orphanage had told him, a sour look on her face as she had. In the end he did not comment on whether or not he agreed with Ashley.

When she thanked him, he shrugged carelessly, the smoke easing him in ways that Ashley clearly could not relate to. He almost offered her a cigarette, it would probably help with her frayed nerves, but she didn't look like the smoking type. There were a perkiness about her that was unavoidable. And he didn't expect her to agree with him, either, when he aired his opinion on her jumpiness.

It came as no surprise to Nate when eventually she bid her farewell and practically fled from the room. Through a cloud of smoke, he gave her a two fingered salute as she did. "Don't worry about it." He said slowly, leaning back against the owlery's wall as he watched her retreat until she was gone. He did not immediately follow her, though he did feel the desire to as the adrenaline faded. No matter that he'd told her to think positively, when Nate looked over the edge again his heart lugged in his chest. She had almost died, and he had almost let her. He waited a good twenty minutes before he fled behind her, puffing through two cigarettes, as if to prove to himself that he didn't care, not even a little bit.

[END]

@ashley

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!