Restless. Why is it it's always restless? The wind. Moving through the plains, touching the grass oh so gently. As if it was caressing a child. And yet sometimes, violent, aggressive. Michael stood in the balcony for a long time overlooking the lake. The night breeze ever so subtle yet the chill of it got to the bones. Serra his cat stood on the railing of the balcony.

"What is it that lurks in the dark? What is it that seeks a way out? It is evil Serra, can you feel it?", Michael said as he moved forward and placed his hands on the cold almost frozen steel railing. "There's a black veil between here and there and the darkness dims all light and prayer". Serra purred for a moment as it grazed her master's hands.

"Fear not my dear, nothing can harm you here", Michael said as he gazed over to the lake. "There is something strange happening there love. I can feel it".

Cassie moved swiftly among the grounds red hair sweeping behind her. She cracked her knuckles anziously as her bare feet padded along the blades of grass. Her brain was wracked with something, nerves perhaps or maybe just the wonderless meddling of her own mind. She no longer felt the neeed to wear robes anymore, they held her pack. So instead she wore her Spiderman boxers with a white tee. She held her wand in one hands looking around suspiciously every once in a while as the tiny english sheepdog padded behind her in identical motion. She saw a boy on the balcony anf looked at him, head cocked slightly. "G'day..." she greeted him, in an almost questiong tone, her Australian accent shining through.

A voice in his ears called his attention down to where a red head girl stood, without any shoes, standing on the grass.

"Oy! Good day mate, aren't you cold? The breeze must have frozen the water on the grass, so it must be cold as hell", Michael said to her and then focused his attention back to the lake. "There is a feeling of darkness in the air".

Cassie chuckled softly. "Im Australian...we're never cold she replied back to him a small smile growing on her face. "I'm Cassie by the way and you are..." she asked him looking up at him. As she listened to the boy speak she nodded. "you feel it too then...everyone thinks I'm just cautious..." she said little quieter.

Michael chuckled and looked at her.

"The name's Michael, pleasure to meet you love", Michael said and once again looked over the lake. "And people say I'm impertinent and completely opposite of cautious. There's just something out there, I know and it's making me uneasy, not because it's scary, but because I'm curious".

Cassie let out a small laugh. "Naw...it's weird for people to Call me cautious. I'm pretty much do whatever, think about the risks later type of gal" she said sweeping her hair back. "And if this weird aura makes you curious then get on down here and lets see what it is...besides its rather odd talking to a balcony"

Scarlett was lying in bed staring at the ceiling above her bed. The wind was up again and so of course so was she. She couldn’t get the image of the horror they had found in the stand of trees a few weeks ago. It had been a terrible display of animal parts strewn about in a horrific way to give the wind an evil voice. They had never found out what that had been about. And Scarlett still worried about it.

Suddenly she heard voices, one in particular that always made her heart beat faster. She pulled a red robe over her gold pj’s and slipped on fluffy topped boudoir slippers. She checked the mirror because she knew who she would see and was glad to find her reflection beautiful as always.

Scarlett slipped down to the common room, Bella trailing behind her, and found Michael on the balcony. She looked past him to see Cassie standing below. Scarlett pretended to pout, “My poor heart is just gonna break if I find out you two are playin’ a reverse Romeo and Juliet.” Bella mewed a greeting to Serra.

Michael looked at Scarlett as she came out to the balcony looking as beautiful as ever.

"Now why would I cheat on the perfect woman?", Michael said giving her a grin. "Besides, I only one woman's romeo, yours my lady".

Michael then looked down at Cassie.

"Well, why don't we just find out where this goes? Scarlett my love, interested in a little midnight stroll in the forest?", Michael asked her with a grin on his lips, he craved for some action and he knew whatever lay in the forest was worth a risk.

Scarlett’s fake pout melted into a charming smile. “Lead on Romeo,” she said placing her hand in the crook of his arm. “We’ll be right down Cassie,” she called to her friend. But really it was she who led. Scarlett had been very troubled by what she had seen in the forest and she was eager to see if this evil feeling was connected at all.

It had been a long night, and unfortunately as Emma glanced over at the clock, she saw that it was still night. As the wind batted against her window, she attempted to ignore it by sitting in her bed reading Jane Eyre for the 800th time. Her plan was not working. It was not working in several ways. One she couldnt concentrate, the memories of bones hanging from trees flashed through her mind every time the wind whistled. Second, Logan was snoring. Third, she wanted out. She wanted to walk, and Leala playing with her tennis ball on the floor was not helping resist the temptation.

Finally, she had had enough. Jumping from her bed, she walked over to the closet and pulled on an American Eagle Hoodie. Slipping on crocs, she walked out of the Ravenclaw House dressed in Blue Stripped PJ Bottoms, a grey hoodie with Leala at her side. Once outside, she followed a path that went around the castle. Near the back, she saw Cassie yelling up to two people on a balcony. "What's going on?" she asked, putting her hand up in the air to try and deflect the light that was radiating from behind the balcony. It was still night, and to late to see bright lights.

Cassie nodded towards Micheal and watched as Scarlett came out. She let out a small laugh and waved to her friend and out of the corner of her eye she saw Emma and jogged over hugging her tightly. "We are going on an adventure....you better be coming girlfriend" she said wiating for Scarlett and Micheal to come on down.

Michael came down with Scarlett and saw that Emma had joined the party.

"Night Em, like Cassie said we're going on an adventure into the forest. Yeah I know the topic's getting old but there is something out there that's bothering me and I intend to find out what it is", Michael said. "And you are definitely coming along right?".

"Adventure?" she said, hugging Cassie back while answering Micheal's question. "Of course I'm in." she added, beginning to try to break free from Cassie's death grip. "Is the wind bothering you guys? That's what kept me up." she said, finally wiggling free. Looking up, she waved to Scarlett, looking forward to the adventure they would begin.

Cassie let go of Emma smiling form ear to ear. "I'm ready for some adventure...and I'm ready to find out what the hell is keeping me awake at night" she said looking to the forest with an odd look. She was oddly drawn to the forest and looked toward it claiming in her mind she could see a flash of light. maybe it was her imagination. Maybe it was something else...

Michael looked at Emma as she commented that the wind kept her up all night.

"It kept me up too, haven't been able to go to sleep. There's something there", Michael said and then noticed Cassie's attention went back to the forest. "What did you see Cassie?".

OOC:I'm going to be internetless for a whole day because of ISP routine maintenance. So if you want to go forward just say I followed ;)

Scarlett smiled a bit ruefully at her friends, "You know me, the wind keeps me up all the time. There is something evil behind it Michael. We found some sort of wind chimes made out of animal bones and parts up in the hill behind the castle. Something is out here."

Scarlett saw a slight change of expression on Cassie's face. "Cassie, what did you see?" she asked.

Emma looked at Scarlett when she mentioned the wind chimes. She had a quick flashback in her head of that horrible sight, and quickly tried to get rid of it. "You think they are related, Scarlett?" she asked, hoping they wouldnt stumble across the wind chimes again. There was a huge gust of wind which made Emma's loose hair whip around her head like crazy. "Let's figure out what this is quickly. It's cold and I've lost so much sleep over the past days."

Sabrina had been walking through the grounds, Midnight had decided to come along with her, seeing as she had been sent to her from her parenst to keep an ye on Sab. Sabrina sighed as the wind howled.

"Seemes eerily quiet, despite the wind, eh Midnight?" she asked her cat. Midnight just purred in response, and lixcked her face with her paw.

Sabrina heard voices, soem of them familiar, and she walked out of the shadows of the trees.

She loked to see Emma and CAssie talkiung to Scarlett and smoeone she remembered to be Michael on a balcony. HEr memory was not good, and she had only met Michael once, she thought. maybe not even. But noetheless they talked of adventure. And she was wondering if she could come.

"Can I join you all? I thought I was alone in my thoughts of this castle." she said.
She may have loved Hogwarts, byut at night, it seemed very dark. Brooding almost.