A New Grieving

Darcie ran into the forest not caring about how many branches she hit, not noticing the scratches forming on her leg, and certainly not doing anything about the tears falling down her face. Darcie did her best to not remember what had happened just an our ago, but no matter what, the letter brought by the owl kept running through her mind.

Darcie Linwood, ...Please accept our dearest sympathies. Kestrel Kell was reported dead 2 weeks ago. If you have any knowledge as to what she was doing that night, it would be most helpful. Again, we apologize for your loss.... signed, The Ministry of Magic

Darcie, sobbing uncontrollably, fell to her knees by a tree trunk and started to beat it. After a few minutes, when she could no longer feel her hands, she curled into a ball and fell to the ground still sobbing but no as hard. She covered herself in a blanket of shadows from her head to her toes. There was nothing more Darcie wanted to do than die, but right then there was nothing she could do other than cry knowing that she, once again, was completely and utterly alone.

Clementine didn't know how long she stared, stunned with shock. She never knew what to do when someone cried, she was always awkward and out of place.

But, Clementine didn't know why Darcie was crying. That just made her even more awkward. What could she do? Leave? No, it didn't felt right. And yet, it didn't feel right, it felt impolite, to say the usual, quiet, awkward "Y'alright?" that she usually said.

Shaking from head to foot, Clementine uttered "What's happened?" If Darcie couldn't hear her, then she would leave, and tell somebody else who would be able to talk to her.

Darcie scattered the shadows when she realized that Clementine was there with her. Her cries quieted for a moment then started again when she realized that she had to say what she was afraid to admit. "Ke...my g...she's gone. She's gone and sh-she's never coming back and I'm alone again..." Darcie said quietly in a barely audible whisper. She buried her face in her knees and began to cry again because not only did she not cry in front of people, she almost never had the chance to talk people about what she was crying about.

Clementine's mouth formed a perfect 'O'. Despite not knowing what Ke, Darcie's G was, she didn't press any matters. Her G clearly meant a lot to Darcie.

Hoping this wouldn't make the matter worse, Clementine whispered "How?" Just as she said it, she had a feeling she had said the wrong thing.

Darcie calmed down a little to try to respond. "She was killed. I don't know how or why or who, but they killed her. She was the only one who cared about me enough to give me a home and they took her away. So now...I'm alone again..." Darcie sobs quieted still as the reality of it all sunk in.

'Oh...' Clementine thought, 'Ke was Darcie's guardian. YThat makes sense'

"You... You can stay at my place in the holidays untill you find somewhere else if you want..." she said quietly.

Darcie quieted down some more. "Do...do you mean it?" For a second Darcie considered the proposition. "No...I don't know...it's not that it's you it's just too soon right now." Darcie really wanted to go with Clementine. It would've been so nice to just escape it all and celebrate something, anything. But Darcie couldn't do that to Clementine or her parents. She didn't want to make them feel like they were obliged to helping her or anything. "Thank you, though...it's probably one of the nicest things anyone has ever offered me."

"Well, I'm always open, me and my parents are quite flexible, if you know what I mean..." Clementine mentally scolded herself, 'Stop acting so awkward!'

Darcie laughed, an action which hurt her chest but that she did not regret, nonetheless. She couldn't tell at that moment if Clem was telling the truth or trying to make her feel better, but either way Darcie was very grateful. She slowly stood up and gave Clementine a hug."Thank you," Darcie said through her snuggled.

Eyes wide, Clementine uttered "You welcome..." She had never been hugged before. Well, not for a long time. She was suprised to find that being hugged actually wasn't that bad.

Darcie took a deep breath and pulled away from the hug smiling. "So, what brings you out here?" she asked, both somewhat eagerly to get away from the topic of her dead relative and out of curiosity.

"I... Well, I've been taking Shadow-" she gestured to the bat perched on her shoulder "Out for a while. He's very anti-social... I think he takes after me quite a lot..." she shrugged.