Feather in the Wind (Darren)

[Cassie Gray]

(Darren Shan) Feather in the Wind (Cassie Gray)

So catch me if you can
Set me free again
Like a feather in the wind

The sun was setting, casting cool shadows across the park. it was one of the those days where everyone itched to be outside and as night slowly closed in, people couldn't help but stay out. Couples walked hand in hand while teens played sports on the grass. Parents sat and watched as their little ones attacked the playground in childhood bliss. Yes, it truly was a peaceful day and one Cassie could not miss. So, setting aside her paints and computer, she grabbed her sketch pad and made her way outside.

The air, still warm in the early time between day and night, grazed her sun-kissed skin, a feel like electricity running through her skin. Dusk was usually her favorite time. The sun was setting and people still milled around, going about their daily lives. A sense of quiet stillness had taken a liking to this particular time, giving the world an endless feel. Yes, dusk was truly a wonderful time.

Cassie stopped at a bench over looking part of the green. Dogs ran around the grass to one side while a group of boys played football on the other. Soccer, Cassie. Not football, she reminded herself with a small smile. She'd been here only a year and a half and she still couldn't get out of her European mindset. With a shake of her head, Cassie pulled out her sketchpad and began to work on some light gesture sketches. She had loved doing these in school, once she had gotten over the shock of the nude life models that is. It was amazing what changed since time passed. From a normal girl studying art at Uni to a published author who just happened to be a vampire. Yes, life sure was strange that way.

She felt something hard nudge against her foot and when she looked down, a football --soccerball -- had come to rest at her feet.

[shan]

It was a nice day or dusk to be exact. Everything seemed at peace at the park all around Darren. He was staying at Steve's house for a few days while his sister and parents went out of town. He would have went but he did not feel like visiting the outskirts of his aunt and uncle's. Darren had been waiting at the field for his friends with his soccer ball. He looked up with a smile when the group finally arrived. Quickly they formed teams and went to the middle of the field with the soccer ball on the ground. Of course he was on the side with Steve. It was three on three game.

Getting in position Darren heard Steve say"Go." Then the game started. Darren ran forward feeling alive like he always does during a game. He ducked under a leg and swiped the ball from the opponent. Darren had passed it to Steve as they took turns running down the field. Steve had passed him the ball and Darren swung his right foot out and made a goal. Going for the ball again one of the fellow teammates hit the ball. Darren watched it go off the field"I got it."

Running after the ball Darren saw the ball hit a woman's foot. Bending down Darren picked up the ball. Looking at the woman he instantly could tell that she was a traveler. He took notice of her sketchpad. "Sorry ma'am for the ball"He said politely to the woman. He was raised to be respectful.

[Cassie Gray]

Cassie watched as a boy with dark hair broke away from the small group, coming over to retrieve the ball. Cassie smiled, setting her pencil down. Her page was covered in what mostly looked like human-shaped scribbles. Gestures often looked like that, but always made sense to her. As he approached her, Cassie cast a curious gaze over him. He couldn't have been more than what, eleven? Twelve? She was and always had been so horrid at guessing people's ages. From what she had seen, he looked like quite the super-star in training out there. As he spoke, she smiled even more. A little gentleman it seemed. So rare!

"Don't be. No harm done," she said kindly, her strong British accent lending a sing-song quality to her voice. She had always liked kids and had actually considered going into education before she was blooded.

"You seemed like quite the little football star out there. Are you on a-" her voice cut off as her bright blue eyes met his. Her chest tightened, her stomach felt like it had been hit with a sledge hammer, a lump formed in her throat. She couldn't talk, couldn't breath for a second.

Bad, bad, bad, bad...

Cassie swallowed, trying to force her voice back to her. She continued to smile, though it wasn't nearly as calm as before.

"Sorry. Um, what was I saying? Oh yes, are you on a team at school?" she asked, her voice deceptively calm. A jumble of thoughts ran through her head, far too mixed up to even make sense of. This young--normal looking--boy held her attention and it was only after she forced herself to breathe normally that she realized her free hand was clutching the bench so hard that her super-tough nails had sunk into the wood.

[shan]

((Sorry for it being so Short))
Hearing her British accent made Darren instantly curious. Another traveler it seemed... many have came here recently, but in truth the boy did not care. New people usually brought new stories of great interest to him. He could not help but let out a small laugh at her calling soccer football. His laughter stopped when he watched her go into some fit. He was worried about her until he saw her calm down. Watching herself go calm Darren relaxed some. One thing that happened to caught his eye was her nails had dig into the wood of the bench. It sorta freaked him out, but he did not want to seem rude.

"It is Soccer Ma'am and may I ask... are you alright?"He asked giving a curious look at her. Darren tried not to look at her hands because he did not want to seem rude. He did not want to leave her alone after a semi fit it seemed she just had.

[Cassie Gray]

"Oh, yes. Um, just my....asthma acting up," she said, searching for any semi-reasonable excuse. She smiled at him, her mind still racing.

"And please, call me Cassie. Ma'am makes me sound so old!" she said with a laugh. Her eyes settled once more on the boy before her. Who was he? Not a vampire or a vampaneze and a quick look down to his hands confirmed it. He was far too young to be a hunter, and didn't seem to have any magic to him, hopefully at least. So, what was it? Was he the one in danger, not her? Was that it? Bloody hell...if I can sense that now too, I'll have to be more careful. Cassie relaxed, leaning against the back of the bench, resting her hands in her lap.

"And for your information, it was football long before it was soccer," she teased. By all observations, Cassie seemed to be back to normal. If he hadn't seen her fit, there'd be no way to tell. One of the things Alex taught her was to never let what was on her mind show. It tended to cause all kinds of trouble.

"So, are you on a team? If not, you should be. That was very impressive out there," she praised truthfully. She had never been good at it. Tennis and track had kept her occupied nicely back in Mayfeild.

((ooc: no worries!))