Library Retreat;

[Amelia Ozera]

Walking quietly with her head down Amelia tried to avoid drawing attention to herself.
It was unlike her to act this way and purposely try to blend in. She usually didn't mind the attention of curious eyes,
but right now she didn't want anyone to notice her and realize that she wasn't meant to be here.
So she did her best to act inconspicuous.

As usual, or what she assumed was usual, there were other students in the library,
but unlike the blue eyed girl who was staring at her feet as they moved,
they all had semi valid reasons for being here, or at least she thought they did.
I mean why else would anyone be in here if they didn't actually have to be?

Deciding that it didn't really matter where she would sit and hide out in her head for the next hour or so,
Amelia randomly turned down the isle closest to her.
She didn't even bothering looking at the signs stating which section she was entering.
It didn't matter really, all she wanted to do was get away, stop thinking about the stupid dream
and avoid thinking about what she might have to do later if a certain someone didn't stop hassling her.

She walked to the end of the isle, then turned left still not knowing, or caring where she'd end up.
As far as she could tell the area that she was headed toward seemed to be empty.
The only noises she heard came from a few rows away.
She figured the silence around her was a good sign.It meant that she was alone.
She came to the end of another row of books that she didn't bother to really take notice of, and decided to sit down.
She put her bag on the floor next to her, leaned back against the wall and slid down into a seated position.

Amelia didn't really read much these days, except for fashion magazines and blogs.
But being surround by books was nice. It was quiet. Different. Relaxing even.
She liked the peaceful atmosphere that surrounded her...
it was nice up until she started feeling like someone was watching her.

[Natasha Contrarez]

Natasha sighed. She wondered why she had decided to come to the library...

Oh, that's right. She was bored.

"Alright, break it up" she said to a couple that had previously been making out. The two teenagers pulled apart and sent her a glare. Natasha returned it, the icy color of her eyes adding to the effect. The two teens lost their glares and quickly scampered away, muttering not-so-nice words under their breath. Natasha shook her head as she watched them leave. She then turned and entered another row of books. She glanced at the girl who was sitting down. She decided that the girl wasn't up to anything, so she went walking by.

But then she stopped. She felt something go up her spine. There was something about that girl which Natasha recognized, although she knew that she mad never specifically seen her before. She turned around to face the girl, who appeared to be maybe around seventeen.

"Um, hi" she said, smiling. She hoped she didn't seem like she was being overly friendly. She really had no reason to talk to this girl. She guessed that she would just use her boredom as an excuse.

[Amelia Ozera]

"Um, hi." An unfamiliar female voice said. Amelia immediately turned her attention toward the girl who spoke.
She hadn't noticed her, how long had she been standing there watching her? A moment? Longer? Amelia had no clue.
She shouldn't of pushed the paranoid feelings that she had earlier about someone watching her, aside so easily.
He was always telling her that she needed to trust her instincts more.

"Hi." Amelia said casually. She was looking up at the girl from her seated position on the floor.
It was the only thing she could think to say. It was a normal response. She couldn't really say anything else.
She knew she didn't know the other girl, and didn't want to make it obvious to her that she wasn't meant to be here.
Amelia noted that the other girl was a Dhampir. She was pretty, a senior maybe, but Amelia was sure she didn't have any classes with her.
She was also sure that she hadn't seen her before. Maybe she was new.

Amelia didn't want to be rude. She knew what it was like being the new. She had only been at the academy for two years.
Amelia also didn't really want this girl to get her in trouble. That was the last thing she needed.
She looked away from the girl. She pulled a book out of her bag and flipped it open to a random page.
She was trying to pretend to study. That's what people did in libraries right?

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[Natasha Contrarez]

Natasha shifted uncomfortably as an awkward silence came. Well, at least it was awkward for her. She knew that she should've just walked away. But she couldn't help it. Jonathan had once told her that her curiosity would be the death of her. She had rolled her eyes and muttered that his cheesy jokes would be the death of him, which didn't make much sense. Anyways, Natasha's instincts were telling her that there was something different about this girl. She was tired of not acting on her instincts. They usually lead to her acting too late. If she had acted on her instincts before, a lot of ugly situations could've been prevented.

"Just checking, but you're not up to any trouble are you?" she questioned, smiling friendly. She wanted the girl to know that she meant well. She doubted that the girl even knew who she was. The thought slightly amused Natasha. Where she was from, basically everyone knew her. She wasn't sure whether she missed it or not.

[Amelia Ozera]

The silence that surround the two girls was becoming a little weird.
Amelia didn't really want to talk to the other girl. She kinda wished she would go away.
It would of made things so much easier. But at the same time she was a little curious as to who the girl was.
She wanted to know why she had came and said hi to her.
Around here people just didn't do that sort of thing, unless they were on a familiar basis with one another, so this was very strange.

The Dhampir spoke breaking the silence between the two. Amelia wished she had said something else, or just simply disappeared all together.
She was a little surprised at the question but didn't show any reaction. Trouble? Why had she asked if Amelia was up to any trouble?
Did she know? Was she in her last class? Had she not noticed her? Had the girl followed her?
Had she heard what he had said to Amelia about practicing? No. No way you're being crazy.
Amelia looked up from the book she was pretending to study. There was no signs of an accusation in the girls blue eyes.
She was just looking at Amelia in a casual way. Amelia didn't like that at all.
She felt like the girl could see the things about her that she didn't want anyone to see.
Who the hell is this girl?

This is all in your head you need to stop. She doesn't know anything. How could she? Be logical Amelia.
The last three words replayed in her mind again, but not in her own voice. The words were spoken by the voice of her father.
"What do you mean?" Amelia decided to put her crazy thoughts back where they had come from and play the innocent card.
She looked into the eyes of the girl who was smiling at her and tried to keep her casual front up.
It was hard considering the fact that she began to feel the urge to compulse the girl and see what she really wanted.

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[Natasha Contrarez]

Natasha shrugged and looked around slightly, managing to keep the smile on her face. She then turned her attention back to the girl.

"Well," she began, "I'm just making sure. You'd be surprised at some of the things kids do in the library."

She shook her head. In all honesty, the worst thing she had caught so far were people making out. But she had heard the other guardians telling stories about the things they had caught.

She shifted again and her eyes darted around the room, a typical habit of her and really any other guardians for that matter. It was good to always be alert. You never knew what could happen or when.

"What's your name?" she questioned friendly. She was hoping that this conversation would get less awkward soon.

[Amelia Ozera]

"Well, .. I'm just making sure. You'd be surprised at some of the things kids do in the library." the other girl.
Oh. Her words surprised Amelia even more than she had when the girl questioned if she was up to trouble.
She studied the other girl as she shook her head then watched her quickly scan the room with her eyes.
It made sense now. Why she had been interested in talking to Amelia.
Why she was questioning her motives as to being in the library.
Amelia felt a sense of relief run through her. This girl was nothing to worry about, she was no threat at all.
She was the exact opposite thing.. she was a guardian. Amelia wondered why she hadn't noticed before.
She usually was very quick at seeing things like this. But lately everything was starting to blur together.
I don't know, maybe there were just too many things going on for her to concentrate on living in reality.

Amelia thought it a little funny that the guardian standing before her didn't know her name.
Almost everyone as far as she knew, knew who she was.
Popularity is annoying sometimes but one of the things she liked was not having to introduce herself first.
People just knew who she was. It was weirder than you can imagine.
Amelia. She said in an easy mood than before. She didn't mention her last name. She never really liked saying it when she didn't need to.
"How long have you been guarding here?" She asked in a friendly tone.

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[Natasha Contrarez]

Natasha smiled and nodded.

"That a nice name" she commented. She chuckled a bit when Amelia asked her how long she had been guarding there. How long had it been? It seemed like a big blur.

"A little over a month" she said as she shrugged, deciding to go with her best estimate. She wondered is she should mention that she was the head guardian. She didn't want to seem like she was bragging or anything, but she knew that getting it around and becoming more well known around the school would be a good thing. But she decided to not mention it for now.

"What are you studying?" she asked Amelia. She guessed that was a neutral enough topic.

[Amelia Ozera]

"That's a nice name." "Thanks." Amelia appreciated the young guardian complimenting her name.
She had always liked it and thought it was much better than the names she could of ended up being branded for life with.
Amelia, was the name her mother had chosen and fought hard for.
Her father wanted to call her all kinds of ridiculous names that had weird meanings.
Amelia's name was pretty much the only thing in her life that her father had no say in.
Her father always had a solid reign over control of anything relating to his daugher..
or he did till he decided to send her to the academy, giving her the freedom to do whatever the hell she wanted.

Ah. That's why I haven't seen you. Amelia had been so preoccupied lately that she hardly noticed what was going on in her own life.
It was weird like she was living but not existing. Being seen, but not really being there. She felt things, but at the same time she felt nothing.
The secret life of Amelia Ozera. Parties. Secrets. Rumors. Lies. Training to tame her inner beast. And alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.
She had a flask hidden in a secret part of her bag right now. Who would of guessed that the seemingly perfect on surface English girl was a closet substance abuser?
She didn't even think it would happen. Her grandfather was an alcoholic. As a child she had witnessed him do some pretty weird things.
Her father rarely drank because of this, and her mother didn't drink at all. An image of Amelie's grandfather and her father fighting popped into her head.
She quickly pushed it away trying not to remember the way they always had to fight one another.
It was just another excuse, the fighting. Amelia's father kept her away from most of the members of her family for a long time.
H kept her away from everyone for a long time. Sometimes she thought that he hated her.
She thought that if she wasn't perfect enough for him, that he wouldn't want her. So she did her best to be what he wanted and kept him happy.
If he could see her now. If he knew the things she'd done. If he knew that she was a spirit user.. it would be damnation.
She could never let her secret get out.

"Nothing really." She said without any lies escaping her lips.
"I was actually attempting to clear my head, but ah it's not really working. So I thought that maybe this,"
she said showing the guardian the cover of the Psychology book she held, "would help distract me for a bit. It's for a unit in Bio."
Amelia the old movie ticked she was using as a book mark in the page she didn't actually start reading and closed the book.
She wondered why she had told the guardian that she wasn't actually studying.
She wondered if the guardian would get her in trouble. Then she wondered why she was referring to the guardian as 'the guardian'.
She giggled lightly. She didn't mean too, but that was just another thing about spirit. It made you loopy sometimes.

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[Natasha Contrarez]

Natasha nodded. She smiled slightly when the girl giggled, wondering what was so funny.

"What's so funny?" she questioned in amusement, speaking her thoughts.

It's soooo pathetic -.-

[Amelia Ozera]

"Nothing. Sorry." Amelia shifted her body slight. "I was just thinking that I forgot to ask your name."
Amelia wondered if the guardian had thought her rude for not asking in the first place.
Then she thought that was silly. She played with the strap on her bag,
slowly rubbing her thumb along the thread that weaved through each stitching.
"What is your name anyway?" She asked in a casual tone.

[Natasha Contrarez]

Natasha smiled and chuckled lightly.

"I'm Natasha Contrarez" she said. Her eyes glanced over the girl, trying to figure out just what it was about her that had Natasha so interested.

"What's your element?" she found herself questioning. Despite her surprise at her own words, she managed to make them sound nonchalant and just simply curious.

[Amelia Ozera]

"Natasha Contrarez" Amelia had never hard of her before. But that wasn't surprising really.
She hadn't been too involved in their world till recently. And even now there were a lot of things she didn't know.
So why would she know about some new academy guardian.
"It's nice to meet you Guardian Contrarez." The seventeen year old said respectfully.
It was common decency to call a guardian by their title.
After all Moroi, especially royals should show respect for those who risk their own lives to protect the lives of others.

"What's your element?" Asked Guardian Conterez. Amelia continued playing with the strap of her bag.
"Air." She said like she had so many times before.
Air was her cover element. She could manipulate it well enough. People just assumed she was an air user.
Amelia didn't just go around bragging about her power.
She hide it from everyone. Well almost everyone.
It wasn't because she was ashamed, it was because she was afraid.
There are a lot of people who would do bad things to be able to control spirit, or someone who used it.
Amelia wasn't stupid. She protected her secret and in doing so protected herself.
She never really had trouble hiding spirit either, except when she had a craving to use it.
Like now for instance. On the surface she was just as normal as she had been before the guardian had asked her of her element.
But deep in side of her she felt the urge to use her power of compulsion on the guardian and make hr forget this conversation.
She wouldn't do it though. She knew better than that.

"Are you liking guarding our fine school?" She asked subtly switching the subject from elements to that of a more normal nature.. small talk.

[Natasha Contrarez]

Natasha quickly scolded herself when a part of her told her that the girl was lying about her element. What possible reason would she have to do that? It wasn't like she was a spirit user or anything... right? Natasha mentally shook her head slightly. God, she sounded so paranoid.

She smiled slightly when Amelia asked her if she liked guarding the school. But she had to think about it though. She missed her friends and it was difficult to earn respect here. But yet she was doing her duty, and Natasha loved to do her duty. Plus, somewhere deep inside her, told her that she was there for a reason.

"Yes, I like it very much" she finally replied. She shifted her stance and put her hands behind her back.

"And how do you like going to school here?" she questioned, deciding to follow Amelia's example and stick to small talk. She had always been better at small talk anyway.

[Amelia Ozera]

"Yes, I like it very much" Guardian Contrarez said after staring for a brief moment at Amelia.
The seventeen year old became a bit self conscious.Which was weird for her.
She wasn't shy, but she did get a little nervous every now and then. Who didn't?
She removed her hand from her bag. Instinctively her left hand shot to her ear.
This was a habit she had since she was little. Her index finger traced th little golden stud that pierced her skin.
Amelia had her ears pierced when she was seven. After begging for about a year that is.
It was one of the few things she had wanted when she was younger, that her father actually let her do.

"And how do you like going to school here?" "It's good." She admitted. Amelia fell back into the relaxed state she had previously been in.
She let go of her earing and placed her hand on her jeans.
"I mean I like it for the most part. It's much better than a lot of the other schools."
Not that Amelia knew what the other schools were like.
She was home schooled from a young age. But the academy if open to the public would definitely have to be one of the highest ranked schools in the country.
"The only thing I'd really have complaints about would be the homework." Amelia joked.