Woes of a Teenager (Scar)

[Emery Fletcher]

Twilight descended on Godrick's Hallow like a woman slowly pulling on a glove. Shadows extended along the sidewalks distorting reality. This was Emery's favorite time of day, when the light gave way to darkness. Shadows emerged, blending what one knew to be true with the imagination. A whole other reality happened on the ground, as his shadow stretched across the pavement ten feet tall.

What was the purpose of a shadow? To prove that one was alive? To see things in a different way? Or were shadows, just that, a shade of an image projected because of the light behind them. Was he, just a shadow? A reflection of someone else, something else?

Lately, Emery had been wondering what was his purpose. He was nearly seventeen about to start his final year at Hogwarts and he had no clue what he wished to do with his life. Nor did he know who he truly was. Who was Emery Fletcher? A brother, yes. But that is just a title, a duty to his little sisters. But what defined, Emery the man? He couldn't just be the big brother, wouldn't that just be living for his sisters? They'd grown up soon enough and not need him. It already was happening. His youngest sister Eden had just finished her first year at Hogwarts. It was a transition for her to be sure, but she was finding her own way. Over the last year he watched as Eden drifted away from him. In one way it was what he had dreamed. Distance from his family obligations. He hadn't expected it to hurt when she turned to other people for help. Eden no longer came to him to with her visions or her troubles. She wasn't dogging him, mimicking him. He hadn't expected to miss that. Instead, she was absent on her own adventures, exploring the world with Max Kameren. He was happy for her to have her own friends, her own life but he found that he actually missed having her around more. Not that he let her know it. Oh if that little devil knew that he actually missed her trailing him she'd never leave him alone, or let him forget it.

A small bottle cap loomed in his vision and not to far away was it's bottle. He'd stopped looking at the buildings around him long ago. Now his blue eyes were darting across the ground in front of him. That piece of litter was close to his foot and perfect for kicking. And so he did. Emery's designer clad foot dashed out, scuffing the ground as he missed the bottle cap. He couldn't even kick a piece of trash. Usually, the rule abiding, all-around do gooder Emery Fletcher would pick of that piece of trash off the ground and place it in the nearest rubbish bin. Instead he lunged at the offending bottle and sent it skittering across the street. He walked after it, kicking it once more, each time a little harder.

He was so wrapped up in his brooding thoughts that he did not notice that someone else was nearby. Watching him.

[Scarlet]

Abel.

The good brother. Obedient, kind. Protective and responsible. Loyal, even to the end. This was the opposite of her love, this was a challenge. But Scarlet had tried the stone on her own after her love left her, but it rejected her. The stone needed a brother, a reflection of the one who had awoken it. Scarlet wasn't compatible, she couldn't carry on with the stone for long. This one, however, could help them. He had powers even he didn't understand.

Scarlet had been watching this one for a while. He wasn't like her love, she couldn't feel him. She couldn't understand his thoughts, couldn't reach his consciousness like she could with her love. But the stone had claimed him, and Scarlet served the stone. The boy wasn't as powerful as her love. He was just a child. Could he do what the stone called upon him for? Scarlet would have to find out.

"Abel wants to know where he belongs." Scarlet's musical voice drifted over to the young wizard from where she sat on the edge of a rooftop above. "The good brother needs more. He needs a purpose, something higher."

Scarlet smiled sweetly at the young wizard. When she needed to be, she could appear very lovely. "Hello, Emery Fletcher. I'm Scarlet."

[Emery Fletcher]

As the light faded so did the shadows. The world was once again trapped in the inbetween. It wasn't quite dark but it wasn't day time either. Things blurred in the transition between natral light and artificial. Shapes formed in the distance and if one let one's imagination run free, you could almost see faces in the shadows. Emery was wondering what the shadow people would think of him when a voice floated down from above.

"Abel wants to know where he belongs."

Startled, Emery half jumped half stumbled his gangly limbs knocking together. He'd had another growth spurt and still wasn't use to the added height. Heart thudding in his chest, his hand instinctively sought out his wand. The cool wood felt reassuring against his sweaty palm. Pale blue eyes sought out the source of the melodious voice that so correctly defined him he wondered if she read his thoughts. But how was that possible? He had felt no intrusion and wouldn't he know? Unless she was very powerful...or not. Emery could be an easy shell to crack, he wasn't sure but he wasn't the best at magic now was he?

"The good brother needs more. He needs a purpose, something higher."
The voice was coming from above and Emery gazed upward drawn higher by the sounds of her voice. It was a very pretty voice, soft and luring. While he was a bit suspicious the voice reassured him that she would not harm him. She didn't sound evil, nor did the girl look it. Nonetheless he was a bit wary when she greeted him by name. He hadn't seen her before and thus wondered how she came to know so much about him.

"Hello, I don't mean to be rude but how do you know my name?" Curiosity had his head tilted slightly to one side. Who was this Scarlet and what did she want? He really should excuse himself and go get Eden but something made him tarry.

"You have a pretty voice," He blurted out, mentally he smacked himself. Pretty voice? Could he be more of a gurgling fool? Still, he said nothing to take back his words. What could he say? He already made himself look like a silly teenager saying the first thought to form on his tongue. Really, he had no self control.

[Scarlet]

"Hello, I don't mean to be rude but how do you know my name?"

Scarlet hopped down gracefully from the rooftop, her movements fluid, like a dance. Her laughter was musical, sweet with a slight bit of rasp as she circled the boy. "I know plenty about you, Emery. You're very special." She did; Emery Fletcher was the eldest of three, the Fletcher orphans. Their strict elderly grandparents raised them, but Emery played the biggest role in raising his sisters. He stood by and took care of them, sacrificing his own time and social efforts for them. Both sisters out-shined him in the family, one for her outstanding abilities, one for her disability. But now they were getting older, and Emery needed to find a life of his own. There was no father to tell him how to be a man, what he should do to make that transition from doting older brother to bright young man. Time was ticking, and he needed an answer soon. Scarlet could provide it, in a way.

"You have a pretty voice"

Her smile widened, lightly humming under her breath as she examined him. "Thankyou," her black eyes met his for a moment. Her wand suddenly appeared in her hand, its twisted curve as crooked as the woman who held it. "Stupefy," she muttered before the boy could do anything to stop her. He collapsed backwards, but she caught him with a levitation spell before he could hit the ground. "Thankyou very much." She smiled, looking around before she surreptitiously transported them away.

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Suddenly, it was night. They were in an old-fashioned apartment, somewhere in London by the looks of the windows; they were all brick, the crooked rooftops of Knockturn Alley expanding down the road. Emery Fletcher may not recognize the place, however. He didn't seem the type to traverse the Wizard Underworld very often.

Scarlet was not in the small room she kept him in; it was a bathroom, relatively small, only with a toilet, sink, and claw-foot bathtub. Emery had been placed in the tub, chained to it with muggle locks. The stone would eat away at any magic near it, including the bonds Scarlet might place on its agent. The only light was from the moon, putting a dingy grey glow to the wood and porcelain that made up the room.

There was no one else. Scarlet had left the boy alone, and all was silent. Even at its busiest times, the Alley was silent. Knockturn Alley didn't easily reveal its secrets, after all.

[Emery Fletcher]

Emery watched, in awe at the graceful movements. The girl-no woman was so coordinated. which he found himself actually envying. Then she spoke as she circled him. His eyes followed her, his head whipping around to keep her in sight.

"I know plenty about you, Emery. You're very special."

He scoffed at her words. Special? She must have been mistaken. He was cold Emery Fletcher, just magically average. Oh he could think about theories and such see many sides of a problem but when it came to performing spells he was simply good. His sisters were more talented than he was. Eden didn't even have to wave more than a pinkie for magic to explode from her. And Evelyn? She was a very accomplish pianist for her age and disability. he was wondering how she came to her conclusion when she whispered her thanks. Then a stinging sensation hit him and he knew nothing.

---

Cold. That was the first thing he noticed. Then he felt cramped, as if he was huddled in a space too small for his growing frame. His brain felt muddled and a dull ache was behind his eyes. What happened? He blinked rapidly, at first seeing nothing. Fear shot through him. Was he blind? Then shapes began to form in the gloom. He tried to sit up but he was constrained...by chains. What in merlin? Where was he? Why was he there. Emery struggled against his bonds. Then he remembered a pretty woman with the nice voice. He'd been on his way...Eden! Where was his sister? Had he been taken to get to her? By god if anything happened to her.

Emery struggled harder, pulling at he chains. He also grunted and then yelled, maybe someone could hear him...?

[Scarlet]

ooc: tell me if I'm out of line in this one, Scar's going to get a bit pushy.

ic:

Crk.

A dark-leather boot stepped on something as it stepped through the doorframe. It was a wand, one Emery would quickly recognize. It cracked and crushed under the pressure, breaking in two. The form of the small witch seemed bulkier with her robes around her. She hardly noticed the object she had just broken, or its significance to her captive. He was destined for greater power than something as frivolous as a wand.

"Abel, no need to struggle." Scarlet kneeled, resting her elbows on the edge of the bathtub as she examined her new acquisition. Her black eyes watched him passively, like an exhibit, something outside her world. She hummed her ever-present tune under her breath as she watched him struggle. "I have something for you."

From Scarlet's robes an object was procured. It was a stone, relatively regular in size and shape. It was made to fit the palm of a hand, someone around Emery's size. It was slate grey and smooth, a pleasing oval shape. On the side of the stone was a diamond-shaped ruby embedded in. It was a dark red, like blood. It looked sharp. Upon laying eyes on the stone, a sense of foreboding fell over most wizards. It would weaken them, steal the power that made them feel so superior. That, or it would overload the wizard, kill him with the sheer amount of power exploding out of him. It was time to see how Abel's touch affected the stone.

Scarlet watched Abel with interest, a sparkle of excitement in her eyes. What would the new agent think of his new master? The stone had chosen him, after all.

[Emery Fletcher]

"ANYONE THERE? HELP ME!" His panicked shouts bounced off the wooden walls, echoing in the small bathroom. For several minutes, Emery held in his breath, praying his words would float outside and into the ears of someone. Minutes passed. Nothing happened, no returning sounds of any kind. Emery could hear nothing but his own labored breathing. Where was he exactly, other than strapped to an old tub. Average sized ears strained to catch a hint of sound from outside. Again, silence met him. Was he in the middle of no where, surrounded by nothing but trees? Surely he'd have heard an animal...or was the room sound proof? Was there anyone else in the house? Maybe, but if the room was spelled, no matter how he loud or long he cried no one would hear him. A restless energy filled Emery, shoving out the fog that struggled to grip his brain. If no one could hear him, he'd have to get himself out. Carefully, Emery began to wiggle his wrists and feet. The movement caused a sharp needle like tingling pain to attack his appendages. The chains and awkward positioning had caused his body to slowly go numb, but at least he could flex his fingers.

Suddenly the door opened and Emery stilled. The once pretty young girl, stepped inside. Emery no longer thought she was pretty. There was something not quite right about her. A lack of humanity missing perhaps. He wasn't sure, his thoughts were scattered by a loud crack and the sound of two pieces of round wood or something rolling...his wand. In the gloom, Emery could make out the pieces his once find instrument was. The bitch had broken his wand. An icy anger flowed through Emery, and he glared at the girl. That wand had meant a lot to him. It'd belonged to his father. A small piece of Emery seemed broken as the wand.

"Abel, no need to struggle."

The words only incited him to move harder. Emery managed to lift himself up a bit with his feet, only to fall back into the tub a second later as a burning sensation overwhelmed him.

"I have something for you."

A thin blonde eyebrow arched. Was she insane? He wanted no "gift" from her, except for released. Why was he there? Was she lonely and needed a pet? More than once, Emery had overheard his grandmother warn Eden about people, mostly men, who tended to capture pretty little girls for their enjoyment. Emery had barely paid attention, thinking that something like that wouldn't happen to him....

A small stone rested in the palm of her hand. The air chilled and all Emery could do was stare at the blood diamond. He didn't need to be a seer to know that it was evil. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention, warning him. Despite knowing that it was evil, a part of Emery urged him to take the stone. Touch it, hold it in his hand. A stiring inside of Emery gave him pause...It felt like his magic, but he wasn't performing any spells. The essence of his magical gift was awaken by the stone. His body trembled as a small tendril of magic snaked it's way to the stone.