// longing for the day;; [open]

[CJ Carter]

Things at Enigma Academy had been rather quiet of late. Well, to put it quite frankly - things at Enigma Academy had always been quiet. Well, in the time that CJ had been there she hadn't seen anything exciting, anyway. Sure, one would think that CJ herself might stir up some excitement - but as it was, she was quite content. Some friends around wouldn't go astray however, for though she loved her siblings to pieces, she was starting to need some company. As in, company that wasn't related to her. Also, company that weren't her pets. See, within the Carter household, everywhere you looked there was an animal - so there was always something to be trained, or fed, or made to look pretty. However, you could only do that for so long before it became a little tiresome.

Now CJ knew that the holidays had just finished. She hadn't actually been at the school yet when it hadn't been the holidays. Maybe that's why everyone seemed to have dissappeared? They had better things to do with their lives than sit around at home waiting for entertainment. In her defense though, CJ's house was pretty exciting. Still... Well, let's just say when she had attached a lead to her dog Snuffy's collar and agreed to take him for a walk - it was purely because she hoped there might be people at the park. She did like walking Snuffy though, he was her dog. Yes, she had a number of pets that belonged to her, but she shared a special bond with the dog in question that made her favour him just that little bit. This showed how bored she was - she was rambling on about a dog.

Pulling the golden retriever along beside her, CJ sighed as she sat down on her favourite park bench. Yes, she did favour one over the others - even if she didn't know why. Pulling a bit of bread out of her pocket she threw it into the lake in front of her, smiling as the ducks all swarmed together, hoping to get a piece. She loved watching nature work, all that soppy stuff like that. Yes, Claudia Jean Carter was an animal person. Breathing out deeply, she laid down, resting her head on Snuffy, who was now laying next to her.

Yes, to any passer by it would be a rather strange scene - but to CJ? It was quite normal.

[Hattie Turner]

The school seemed to be full of secrets, and everyone had their own, secrets that were not to be spilled for then there would be a penalty. Secrets that other kids would use against you if they got the chance, secrets that would cause people to leave the school, secrets that everyone wanted to know, but couldn’t. And just like ever over sixteen year old, Hattie Turner’s life was full of secrets. There were the secrets from her parents; that she wasn’t really at a girl’s pristine boarding school, and really at one for those with strange ‘talents’. People around her; about her past including the suspicious death of her brother. The land lord; that she really had a dog in her apartment, and not just her other harmless pets.

“Frisbee! Heal, boy! Heal!”

A persistent yapping sounded in the park, much to Hattie’s dismay. Frisbee had been whining for a walk, and lucky for her, the land lord was on holiday, so there was no need to sneak the dog out. But already, after five minutes of walking, she was regretting coming out. She would disturb everybody’s day, feel embarrassed at her dogs loudness, and get yanked along the grass with a chance of falling over. Stopping to catch her breath, Hattie leant gently against a lamp post, clinging onto Frisbee’s green lead firmly and tightly.

But mister Frisbee wasn’t happy with stopping for a second. Running with a yank of the lead, he was off, bounding towards a dog and it’s owner by a bench. Sprinting after her, Hattie desperately hoped her trainers didn’t fail her and let her slip over onto the mud. The hem of her jeans were already splattered brown and that was enough for her. Still chasing the dog, she watched as it started yapping at another dog; a golden retriever.

“I’m so sorry! Frisbee’s just really excited coming to a new park!”

It came out in a gush, her face flushing as she grabbed the leash and threaded her hand through the loop and holding on firmly. Frisbee, still interested in the dog, sat down at the feet of the bench, and started barking at the other dog. Taking a seat down beside the girl, she stuck out her hand.

“Hattie Turner; I’m new here.”

[CJ Carter]

Now, CJ was actually quite relaxed positioned beside her dog, watching the ducks swim around in the pond. Sure, a little boring maybe, but she'd pretty much come to expect that. She was really looking forward to school starting, so that she could actually do productive things with her days. Wait, was that right? Looking forward to school? Okay, that was practically a sin against teenagedom. But, there does reach a point where even teenagers can't entertain themselves anymore. This? This was where CJ was at now.

Which brings me back to her relaxed state as she lay next to Snuffy, pondering the mysteries of the universe. Quiet? Yes, but not for long. CJ could hear barking in the distance, which could only mean - oh god no. It was at this point that she began praying that all her training had done Snuffy SOME good, and that maybe he'd be able to remain calm. He had a tendency to get excited - perhaps a little over-excited actually. Sitting up suddenly, CJ rolled her eyes as Snuffy jumped down and began barking at the dog, playfully prancing near him. Noticing the girl come running to grab her own dog, she smiled - so there was other signs of teenage life around here.

“I’m so sorry! Frisbee’s just really excited coming to a new park!” CJ laughed. "Frisbee? Interesting name. Don't worry about it, it's Snuffy's fault too. Do NOT ask how he got THAT name." Shaking her head, she continued to laugh a little as she grabbed Snuffy's lead and began to calm him down.

“Hattie Turner; I’m new here.” Ahh, new. Would she know anyone? Who knew. Maybe that was why there'd been noone around - everyone was starting the school new, and they were all putting off moving to the last second. Fair enough. She could understand that. Taking Hattie's hand, she smiled. "CJ Carter. Hattie, also an interesting name. Short for Harriet?" An inquisitive look replacing the smile somewhat, she continued to remain friendly.

Realising she was probably blabbering a little, she laughed. What was with all the laughing? Oh well. "Sorry if I talk too much. There haven't been many people round here lately." Shaking her head to accompany her statement, she sighed. Could this girl be a friend? Who really knew these days - people were so hard to judge on first impressions.

[Hattie Turner]

If she wanted friends around this place, screaming after a running dog in the middle of a park wasn't exactly going to help. She'd probably scare everybody off, no make them think 'I'm sure that girl over there is totally awesome and cool, I'm going to be her friend.' Okay, so no one would seriously think that anyway, but a girl could dream, right?

She shuffled about on the bench seat, trying to get comfortable though it was pretty much impossible. She just had a thing about seats- benches particularly- they were hard to get comfy on, in her opinion, and it annoyed her, trying to have a conversation with someone whilst shuffling about, trying not to look too stupid.

“Uh...yeah. I always had a toy dog named Frisbee 'cause I thought it looked a little flat, like a Frisbee. Snuffy's pretty cute- dog and name.”

She blushed slightly. Why did she have some inability to talk to strangers without completely losing it and screaming red. It was like a curse- some stupid, embarrassing curse. Pushing her dog back down as he tried to jump up to take a seat beside her. Waggling her finger in front of his beady little black eyes.

CJ? The thoughts on what those two initials could represent was endless. Carolina Jay, Charlotte Jane. She would have loved to ask what her name stood for, but felt that that would seem too nosy, and she didn't want to seem like that.

“Yep, Harriet- though I just call myself Hattie.”

She nodded understandingly. She had only been there a day or so[the area- not the park] yet she had already made an enemy like her landlord- oh, and the bloke next door who said she played music too loudly.

[CJ Carter]

Noticing Hattie move around on the bench, CJ herself became conscious of her position. Granted, the benches weren't normally that comfortable - even her favourite one. Maybe she should sit on the ground next time? Sitting by the pond was always nice, that way you could be closer to the ducks. Oh well, throwing bread at them from the bench was more of a challenge - you had to see how close to the duck you could get, without moving any closer.

Shifting slightly, she got comfortable again as she heard Hattie's statement. Laughing a little, she nodded. "Flat dog? Fair enough. I suppose some of them do look a little that way. And thanks, about Snuffy. Don't let him hear you saying that though, he already thinks he's pretty good." Grinning, she looked down to where the golden retriever sat. He was patiently looking up to her, tongue sticking out and all - it was like he was expecting something. Rolling her eyes, she patted him on the head.

So her name was Hattie. It was an interesting name really, not one she'd heard often before. Then again, neither was Claudia Jean, so she supposed they had that in common. Nodding, CJ turned to again see the girl next to her. "Fair enough. I call myself CJ, but my name's actually Claudia Jean. I guess CJ's just easier to say," she shrugged.

This was where the conversation became a little harder for CJ. Never having been one for keeping conversations going, she always became stuck once you got past the 'hi, my name is' stage. Hattie had already said she was new, so she couldn't ask that. Should she ask about family? No. Maybe there was something there the girl wouldn't want to talk about. Well, she might as well just say the first thing that came to mind then.

"So, did you get one of those letters asking you to come to Enigma? I was a little scared when I got mine. It was one of those 'what the hell is this' type moments." Laughing a little, she sighed. It really had been a large shock - receiving a letter from a place she'd never heard of. Kinda like Harry Potter actually, but... Not. She'd never been an amazing fan of those books - not like all her friends. Everyone seemed to be so obsessed with it, and she'd never seen the appeal. Sure, she'd read them all - but nothing more than that. Wait, how had she gotten on to thinking about Harry Potter? Pfffft, her mind worked in strange ways.