Click. Click. Click.

“Will you stop?!” Jezzabelle looked over at her mother who sighed in frustration. “You’re driving me crazy with the back and forth, back and forth. Just STOP.”

Her mother didn’t understand. It wasn’t that she wanted to pace. She had to. It kept her from thinking too much. It was the day of his funeral. Her father’s funeral. How could her mother stand there and be cruel on this day of all days?

Click. Click. Click.

Her mother sighed again and went to go sit down with everyone. This was the second worst day of her life.

There were days where she had enough energy to do everything and then there were days where she couldn’t get my without something sacred. A very private ritual that she liked to participate in alone. Sometimes she would sneak away to her room and crawl into her sheets. Sometimes she would just snuggle up on any soft comfortable surface, close her eyes, and allow for her body to delve into that much needed energy booster. When it was over she would continue her day like nothing ever happened.

Yes, they were a magnificent thing. After all, who didn’t like naps?

“Rebekah?”

“Hmm…”

Jezzabelle rocked back and forth on her feet fidgeting uncomfortably. She didn’t know how to approach the ever so important subject at hand. Was it true?

“Jezz, what is it?”

“Is it true?” The girl asked tugging on her hair.

“Is what true?”

Jezz chewed on her lip. “I heard you are…”

“I am?” The older women didn’t even look up.

“Well, you’re really pretty so…”

Rebekah sighed, “Jezz!”

“Are you part vela?” She looked into the blue eyes of the older woman.

“Who told you my secret?”

“So you are!?”

“No, Jezz. Now go do your homework.”

“She needs to go back.”

Jezzabelle heard her mother’s voice carry down the hall and she looked up at the ceiling and rolled her eyes. She went home for Christmas break and decided she wasn’t going to go back Hogwarts. She didn’t want to keep walking the corridors of the castle like a zombie. She was depressed. Just a shell of the girl she had once been. She couldn’t find excitement in anything, not even her plants.

“Let her heal. She needs to find herself again.” Her father was right, she needed to find herself. One day at a time.

“Where have you been?!”

Did she hear something? Was that the wind? Maybe she was getting sick? Jezzabelle kept walking down the street looking straight ahead. She wasn’t going to cave in. She wasn’t going to go back. She was going to be strong and keep walking.

Arms grabbed her from behind and she pulled herself out of them.

“Jezz, don’t do this. You will always be my girl no matter where you go or who you’re with. Please don’t shut me out.”

“It’s what I do best Kendall.” She looked into those blue eyes. “Sorry.” And she walked away

She looked best in purples and shades of gold and earthy tones like greens and browns. Pink was not her color. She tugged at the straps and shifted from one foot to the other. She was doing this for her friend. One of her best friends.

“Thanks again for filling in. I really needed another bridesmaid.”

Jezzabelle smiled up at Lillian. “Not a problem. Do I really have to wear the dress though?”

Her friend leaned on her, laughing. “I think you look good. It’s only a couple of hours. I promise.”

Jezz rolled her eyes. “I’m burning it after.”

“Happy Birthday!”

Jezzabelle laughed and blew out the candles on the cake. She looked at all her friends that had showed up for her birthday and rolled her eyes. Kendall, Lillian, Rebekah, and her father all managed to get together and surprise her.

“You have to open my gift first.” In her hands, Kendall placed a package. She tore into the shiny paper and pulled out…socks.

“Thanks!”

She took the next one. Socks. And the next. Socks. She opened the envelope her father handed her and inside was a receipt. Each charge read the same.

“A hundred more pairs of…socks!”

“Mum!”

The small girl ran down the hall trailing a blanket behind her and her thumb in her mouth. She took the stairs one at a time and made her way into the sitting room. “Mum!”

Her mother scooped her up laughing. “I thought I sent you to bed little one.”

“Wrong payamas.” She said releasing her thumb long enough to speak.

Her mother brushed the red hair out of her daughters face and kissed her on the cheek. “Then let’s go get you the right ones.”

Jezzabelle giggled. “My foodies!”

“That’s right Belle…Footies.” Her daughter’s favorite kind of pajamas.

“Grandfadder.” Jezzabelle walk over to the old man and placed one of her small feet upon his lap. “Help.” Her mother had double knotted her shoelaces and she couldn’t get them undone. She could have slipped them off but then she wouldn’t be able to get back in them later.

“I’ve told her time and time again not to do it, but your mother never listens to me.”

The young red head watched has her grandfather did a small bit of magic and the ties came loose. He then did the other. She kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“DUCK!”

Jezzabelle fell to the ground avoiding the wet ball of mush only to grab a face full of the stuff anyway. “Lillian!” She got up and brushed off the snow. “We’re going to be late and Madame Houser will not accept another tardy.” She bent down to gather her books and other things.

“Jezzabelle.” Her friend pouted. “You ruin all ze fun. Later?”

She stood up straight, her back to her friend. “I don’t know…” She turned and tossed a snowball of her own at Lillian and then took off running, Lillian following close behind, laughter filling the air.