bound by the pages [o p e n]

[Isabella Dimitvitch]

^Silence.
It passes through each one of us one time or another.
It, like a steel prison you couldn't escape.
This is the way I like it.
This is the way I want it to stay Forever.

^Forever.
Does anyone know how long forever actually is?
Who knows when forever can instantly change into a day,
a minute, a second even.
Your wold can come crashing down
on you at any moment.

I try extremely hard to see if I have any purpose in life.
Any purpose than to become another slave to society.
Any purpose of being... different.
to stand out in this oddly perfect place I call my home.
To be more than the rest of the group I call my companions.
Those destined to become what I fear.
To not know right from wrong, to do
what everyone expects of them.
What they expect of me.

^{Silent ¢¾ Forever}

A pair of sharp, metallic gray eyes quickly scanned her latest entry. Of course it was practically all nonsense that any common person wouldn't be able to decipher. But it wasn't like Isabella wanted anyone to be able to understand her. And along with it, her. everything she wrote, was between her and her diary. A loud closing sound broke the silence as she shut her book shut tightly, the protective spells that Bella had placed on it last year starting to reactivate. Her slender, white fingers stroked the spine of the book that lay in her hands, the black leather that bound the pages tightly closed. Only a small gold engraving on the front right corner told you who this belonged to. Besides, you were lucky to even see it out in the open for it was usually hidden in a chest underneath Isabella's bed, wrapped around by a venomous snake. Which so happened to be her pet.

Most people often wished that Bella would just spill out her feelings on a piece of paper so they could read her more clearly. Not realizing that she did just so. She perfectly knew that almost everyone would be shocked to see this side to her. Her vulnerable side. the side where she let down the wall of aloofness she placed in front of her. But of course, even if they knew about her talent, they would get a nice, deadly bite from one of her friends. Served them right for trying to invade her privacy

Her concentration, her silence, her thoughts, were suddenly broken through when something told her she wasn't alone. Bella's head whipped around to see who or what it was, and why they were out here in the cold. Hoping that it wasn't something to talk, asking her the same question in return. Her body was tense, anyone who could see past their nose could see that. She didn't really have a.... sensible answer. I mean, a person sitting on her coat in the snow, her feet grazing the slightly frozen lake,. Her long, ebony hair at the mercy of the wind, whipping behind her. For a split second, she looked fragile.

Though she loved being the center of attention, she loved being alone even more. Even if it put her in a more dangerous position. Isabella was suddenly acutely aware that her back was to the forest... the sun slowly setting. Night time by the forest could prove to be fatal. Even if she could handle herself perfectly fine, that poor creature who tries to attack her certainly wouldn't. They've never seen Isabella Dimitvitch when enraged, or else they'll back away. As fast and as carefully as they could.

She relaxed somewhat as her sharp eyesight caught a glimpse of a small, figure running into the woods. 'Just a fox Bella... don't be so.... weird,' she thought as she slowly diverted her attention back to the sunset.

[Vincet Romanov]

The winter cold was something Vincet Romanov was used to being around. The harsh mountains he called home back in Romania were quite unforgiving with their harsh winds and unrelenting snow, part of the reason his people were so hearty and determined. Growing up in such conditions made one strong, it weeded out the weak from the great, much the same way that life in general had a way of doing. So, with that said, it wasn't really all that strange to see him out and about on such a cold day when every one else was wrapped up in warm robes, sitting by the fires of their respective common rooms or in the Great Hall, rambling on about unimportant nonsense concerning all those trivial dealings with their so called lives.

Dressed in a pair of black wool slacks and a long sleeve tan wool shirt, a long black coat trimmed with brown fur around the neck and cuffs, Vincet made his way toward the lake. He reached up and pulled at the black fur hat he wore, making sure to cover his ears enough so that the wind didn't leave him numb. It wasn't terribly cold mind you, but Vincet was just being prepared, for in this season, snow and ice had a way of sneaking up on you when you least expected it. The light snow crunched underneath his boots and a small ray of sunlight broke through the clouds as he topped a small knoll which lead toward the lake. He stopped there and took a deep breath, looking around, taking in the rather relaxing view of the semi-frozen water laid out before him. The sight sparked a few memories of the lake back home and the fun he had had there as a small child, fun which he seemed to be seriously lacking as of the past few years. Before he could slip into a pity party you could say, something caught the corner of his eye, dragging his attention from the lake to that of a small figure sitting not far from the shore.

The span between Vincet and the other wasn't great and with his large legs and stride, it took Vincet hardly anytime at all to close the gap. He slipped his hands into the deep warm pockets of his coat, tilting his head back as he neared the figure, still unable to tell who it was he was approaching. The young woman's body was turned just enough to give him a side profile, not really enough for him to connect a name with the half visible face he saw. "Its going to get much colder after the sun is set you know," he said, making a bit of small talk, more or less just to let the young woman know he was there, after all, he didn't want to frighten her.

[Isabella Dimitvitch]

A voice reached Isabella's ears, making her jump somewhat and forcing her to hastily stuff her diary, her quill and ink bottle into the bag that lay beside her. She wasn't going to risk someone finding out about her.... hidden talent. She didn't even bother to look up to see it was. She prioritized everything, and right now? Keeping her secret a secret was at the top of the list. It was after that when she turned her head to see who had intruded upon her solitude. Her hand twitching beside her wand, ready to whip it out if any trouble came. The word calm never described Bella, even when she was sleeping. She was always on constant guard, she wasn't going to become another idiot who lost their life for not being observant.

She scrutinized the man standing before her. Her skilled eyes almost judging him, before the flashed back to the sunset. Even though her glance was quick, she managed to detect it was one of her classmates. Who looked rather familiar which meant that he was a Slytherin since she didn't actually take the time to look at any of the other houses. She didn't have any time for herself lately, she wasn't going to get attached to anyone. "Its going to get much colder after the sun is set you know," she heard him say and Bella couldn't resist rolling her eyes. Obviously he didn't know her. "It's not cold. It's never cold," she said coldly, "At least for me it isn't...," muttering the last bit to herself.

Tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear she stood up and picked up her coat. Shaking the snow out of it, before slipping it on. He was right, she knew that however she didn't want to admit it. She was stubborn, maybe too stubborn for her own good half the time. She played with one of the shiny black buttons on her black coat before turning back to the stranger. She wasn't always that rude... she just wasn't that happy right then. Her thoughts kept on straying to her entry and why she actually wrote it. Everything she wrote was for a reason and usually, she couldn't control what she scribbled. She turned back to the guy, looking at him once more before a wave of recognition swept over her. Of course he looked familiar! he was Vincent Romanov, the head boy.

The sullen look went off her face immediately and she forced herself to put on a small smile. She extended a hand for him to shake. "Pleasure to meet another person who's... brave....enough to be out here on a day like this," she said easily. She could change her moods quickly, as if it was nothing.

[Vincet Romanov]

Isabella was a rather cold creature, or at least thats how she came across to Vincet at first, but such things like that mattered very little to him, after all, when one had spent so much time around Natalie Bane, then it was rather hard to find anyone else as cold or as rude. Bella, on the other hand, just came across as the sort who didn't like to be bothered, the loner type I guess you could say and while Vincet could understand that to a degree, it didn't mean he was going to oblige her any. No, Vincet was a socialite and he enjoyed being the center of attention, usually...but right now, he figured that Bella needed a bit of attention herself, or at least for long enough for him to find out all he needed to know about her.

Bella's disconnected looks let more slip than any loose lips ever could have, after all, the body will always betray itself, it was just natural. Vincet had become somewhat adept at ready body language, although Natalie was much more skilled in that area than he, but he could tell enough to help manipulate the situation to his favor. Slytherin's were cunning and sly, not ones to really be trusted, even by one another, so perhaps this little charade of false looks was just Bella's way of trapping him in whatever situation she wished to create....a thought provoking idea, but one Vincet merely chuckled at. He had not lied, cheated, and snaked his way to the position he was in now by falling for such traps and tricks of those around him, well....maybe save for one or two for none of us are perfect.....at least not all the time anyway.

Taking the opportunity, Vincet took Bella's hand quickly, but not too harshly, he was graced with some etiquette after all. With such practiced skill, he turned Isabella's hand over and stooped over to plant a small kiss there, keeping his eyes locked onto her, only to further grasp the situation he was in. "A pleasure.....I'm sure," he said arrogantly, referring to her meeting him than him meeting her, something which no one usually caught on to until it was way too late to say anything about it, but then again, Bella looked sharp enough to catch onto things other might miss. "Vincet Romanov," he said as his fingers slipped from Isabella's, standing to his full height once again, an unconscious act of intimidation he had trained himself to initiate into any conversation he found himself in, "And you would be?," he asked without any hesitation, after all, Vincet preferred to know who he was dealing with at all times.