September 1st dawned crisp and new. The feeling of autumn was already high in the air and while it remained unseasonably comely in terms of temperature, the swift, unrepentant northern breezes had already begun to descend down from the upper echelons of the world, chilling all that it touched and probing from the minds of those who lifted their faces to the sky the memories of summer they had coveted so.
In the past, the first of the month had brought excitement and promise of something better than what the previous year had transpired. This year, September 1st was going to isolate and leave quite quiet the manor house in Ireland, the seat of House Rookwood which had, since July, been brimming with activity, laughter and mischief that teenagers brought into their home. Now they’d be left with the children, the swaddled babes in arms and the house would fall silent but for the hushed bickers of Athena and her uncle-in-law Thaddeus.
Ireland itself, Athena imagined dully, had probably dimmed in its light as the students traipsed and made their way to London, to King’s Cross Station. They were on their way home. At that moment in time, Athena couldn’t have imagined anything better. But it wasn’t her home anymore. It wasn’t her home to have. It was Katarina’s and Cerelia’s and Gisele’s; the girls with whom she had shared quite an enjoyable summer whenever the three had come together.
Now, the three were going again, reminding Athena that she wasn’t seventeen. She was a bit-part with responsibilities that she couldn’t avoid, not even for a second.
King’s Cross was brimming with both Magical and Muggle activity. As Athena swept through the crowds, seemingly a mile ahead of the girls with each hand distracted by the clutching grip of Cecilia and Aurelia by her side, a wave of nostalgia swept over the young woman and she felt an almost aching need to return to her old dormitory, to bury her head in the covers and emerge a few hours later to find Kendall and to just let him love her.
But she couldn’t. She couldn’t ever do that again. Either option.
“Smile girls,” Athena instructed, shaking the younger girls’ hands before slipping through the barrier onto to the platform.
And there they were, once more. Summer was over. Now it was just the case of waiting until the train went at 11 o’clock exactly. Then, once the smoke had cleared and Katarina had disappeared into nothingness, Athena would have to go home and resume what she would’ve been doing and try and get her life back on track. Try, at the very least.
by Athena Marianne Goyle Mon Aug 19, 2013 4:09 pm
