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Al stiffened a bit as he spoke. "I know what you mean." She whispered, biting her bottom lip. She flushed again when he kissed her hand and she waved goodbye as he left. She couldn't take in a word of the books right now, she sat there, eblow on them hand under her cheek, forgotten. She was confused...did...did she dare say Richard liked her? Maybe she was being stupid. Did she dare say she liked him? Maybe she was being stupid, too. She'd only known him a weekend! But...she didn't believe in love at first sight or anything, but still...was that what just happened? Couldn't be. She loved Drago. She looked down at the gorgeous necklace. He liked Fionna...but he'd only known her for a little while, too. Maybe he was just confused, trying to find true love. She'd already found it in Drago, though...hadn't she? She was only 13 years old, maybe she didn't understand all this stuff.

She sat now, with her chin on the books, ringlets streaming down her back a bit, she was twirling her hair around her fingers, not even focusing. Richard seemed so nice...so sweet...she melted in his arms, like she melted in Drago's...
Then it was time to leave, library was closing. She shook her head a few times, as if trying to clear it.
Get a hold of yourself, girl. You love Drago and you know it. It's just harmless flirting with Richard, why would he like you?
But he's so sweet...
No...don't fall for him. Don't. Don't break Drago's heart.
If it weren't for her relationship with Drago, her promise and her bond to him...she would be speeding down that road even faster right now.
She left the library confused and with guilt and love weighing down her heart.

í αm thє sσn
αnd thє hєír
σf shчnєss thαt ís crímínαllч vulgαr
í αm thє sσn αnd hєír
σf nσthíng ín pαrtículαr

чσu shut чσur mσuth
hσw cαn чσu sαч
í gσ αвσut thíngs thє wrσng wαч?
í αm humαn, αnd í nєєd tσ вє lσvєd
just líkє єvєrчвσdч єlsє ís.










Bryson had been walking around the school, wandering aimlessly around the school to find something to do. He hated the place with every fiber of his being, although he had yet to make that list he promised his mother he would make about the things he disliked about it. As he walked the halls, it was easy to list things. One, the place smelled old and funny. The smell was familiar, since places his father had taken him had been quite old and dusty themselves, but they were also quite eccentric and still very vampire-like. Either way, the school had a different old smell than the one of the vampires. Two, the pictures looked at him funny as he walked down the halls. It wasn't even just some of the pictures. No, any of the pictures that had eyes seemed to stare at him strangely, and he had the urge to tear down the majority of the paintings in Hogwarts when that happened. Three, the people there were all idiotic, or at least, most of them were. Even some of the teachers were quite strange and unhelpful at times. The only person so far that Bryce had met that had found a way around his controlling manner was that Joyce girl from the common room. This girl was just hard to crack, but no matter, he would get to her sometime.

Bryce decided to get away from the eyes of students who knew what he was and detested him for it. So, to do so, he stepped into the library and grabbed a completely random book off of one of the shelves. He wasn't much into reading or learning about the school, but to get away from the suspecting minds, he could just easily let himself get lost in the library, not being disturbed in case he was actually doing work. Bryce went towards the history section of the library with his random book on common wizarding mistakes to confuse any person that may have been following him. Of course, no one other than a psycho would follow Bryson, because he wasn't one that someone would want to mess with. He took a seat, leaning back in the chair and feeling the back hit another bookshelf to support his weight, his legs propped up on a table, and he opened to the first page of the book. It was time for Bryson to read between the lines and relax his mind. It was a thoughtless activity to let his eyes flick back and forth on the page, but his mind wandered off to places he liked to remember, like his first vampyric ceremony, and his father teaching him about different blood types and their uses to vampires. He loved his half-vampire side. But, yet, he was stuck in a school filled with wizards, and he wanted no part of it.

It seemed that quite some time had passed, and Bryson seemed to have flip through about forty pages of the book he had been holding, although he didn't remember getting through that many spaces between the lines. He yawned once, and stretched his arms upwards, only to look around and see what the library had in store for him today. The book in Bryce's hand closed, and he stood up to explore the library, although he really shouldn't have. He decided to let the book stay on the table, and he started to walk around, surveying the sections he had been going through. It seemed that the history section was quite huge, which made perfect sense. He knew vampires went back to biblical times, so it must have meant that wizards stretched back that far as well. He walked into another history section, only to be slightly surprised by a figure he had found sitting stiffly straight and looking unhealthily skinny in the dress she was wearing. He rolled his eyes, and walked towards, her, wondering what was with the tall posture and the anorexia. "So, have you taken a vow to let your body eat you alive from the inside out? Or are you just naturally that skinny?" There was very obvious sarcasm in his voice. He could tell that she was wearing a corset under the dress, and it was to make her look that skinny. But, now and days, a girl that only had a seventeen inch waist would be brought to the hospital immediately for having an eating disorder of some sort. "Joyce? You actually don't look so good. Your face is very pale. Are you sure that thing isn't cutting off circulation to your head?" He was being serious, but his tone of voice wasn't exactly worrisome. He took a seat in the chair one down from her to give her some space, but he could see how the color in her face had been drained out since yesterday. He didn't want old-fashioned girl to pass out on his watch. People would automatically assume the worse, although that wouldn't be totally bad for him.

í αm thє sσn
αnd thє hєír
σf shчnєss thαt ís crímínαllч vulgαr
í αm thє sσn αnd hєír
σf nσthíng ín pαrtículαr

чσu shut чσur mσuth
hσw cαn чσu sαч
í gσ αвσut thíngs thє wrσng wαч?
í αm humαn, αnd í nєєd tσ вє lσvєd
just líkє єvєrчвσdч єlsє ís.










Bryce had an idea, wondering if it would work to get her to look into his eyes. He had fed enough yesterday, so his eyes were a very very deep and dark brown, almost black. He leaned back a little, letting his head look upwards, and thinking for a moment. "Are you alright? I mean, do you feel alright? Because you don't look so good. You look as white as me... Which really isn't natural for someone like you. Or anyone in general." He was expecting no response, since she had still been following her same strange rules as before. It was as if she were stuck back in time, but living in the present day. He looked back at her face, noticing that she was a little flush, but the color was still dramatically draining out. He wasn't the type to worry about things, but it was only a matter of time before she did pass out. These rules of hers were dangerous to her, which was why people back in the day died so early. She probably was unaware of that herself, since she was taught that those things were good.

The curtsy was very quick and polite, and she had put her bonnet back on to be more presentable, or presentable back in her time or where ever she came from. She only spoke to tell him good day, and he remembered what she said about it not being in her place to speak to him. Bryce watched her eyes very carefully, and in a very quick movement, Bryce moved his head to where her eyes had been looking, hoping to lock his eyes onto hers for a moment. He didn't think that he could do it, but he would only know if he tried.

í αm thє sσn
αnd thє hєír
σf shчnєss thαt ís crímínαllч vulgαr
í αm thє sσn αnd hєír
σf nσthíng ín pαrtículαr

чσu shut чσur mσuth
hσw cαn чσu sαч
í gσ αвσut thíngs thє wrσng wαч?
í αm humαn, αnd í nєєd tσ вє lσvєd
just líkє єvєrчвσdч єlsє ís.










Bryce was starting to get frustrated with this girl again, and he could feel the anger inside of him, but it was nothing like the common room. No, he could control this. He had finished his feeding yesterday, so his emotions were easier to control. But, he couldn't still help the fact that this girl frustrated her. "Have you ever thought about any of the reasonings behind those codes? It's natural for a human to wonder and think about things." Of course, Bryce was referring to the eye wish thing after she asked him to respect her wishes. He was going to try all approaches on this girl, and he was going to prove to himself that he could gain control of anyone in any type of situation, regardless of the amount of work it would take. When she told him to respect her beliefs, it set off another sting of frustration, which caused him to look straight at her, hoping to catch her looking or something. Of course, he didn't catch her looking, but he had a few things of his own to say. "I don't believe I can respect your beliefs, Joyce. You do not respect my own, so why should I respect yours? Is there anything that says that I have to respect your beliefs?" Joyce must have had intelligence, and Bryson was out to prove that she was more than an empty shell, although he was starting to believe that she really was just a lifeless doll, and there was nothing for Bryson to break through to.

Bryce watched her carefully as she smoothed down her dress, wondering what was going on inside her head. He could almost see a spark in her eye, almost as if she really was trying to break out of her shell. But, that shell of hers was so thick that there was little hope for her. She may not have known any other way, and just by coming to hogwarts, her perspectives may have been changed. But, because of her beliefs, she was hurting herself unnecessarily, and he was rather annoyed with that. "Besides, by respecting your beliefs, it goes against my own, and I really wouldn't want to break my own beliefs to support yours, of which is hurting you for almost no reason at all." Bryce could see that her position, along with the lung-crushing corset was really taking away from her, and he knew very well it was only a matter of time before she passed out. He stood up, and walked to the bookshelf behind him, studying the books on the shelves. He had noticed the book she had picked up, it was a book that the history professor two years ago had used to teach his first year class all about hogwarts. Bryce hated that class the most. At least the majority of the other classes would come in handy, where as learning about the ogar wars did absolutely nothing for him. It was rather interesting to watch the professor try to teach the class about vampires though, since he sat there and stared at Bryce the whole time, as if he needed his approval or the O.K. to teach it. It was his class, not Bryce's.

He continued to look at the shelf, not seeing anything of use to him, but it was a good distracter to him, and it made him seem interested in reading and knowledge if unimportant things, of which he was not. He had half a mind to prove to Joyce how people of that time period really did not last long, which was why normal people adapted to new beliefs to stretch their lives out longer, and to please themselves, but he figured that would just make her more stubborn and possibly even more difficult to break through. He didn't turn to face her when he spoke this time, but he said "Have you passed out yet?" It was a bit sarcastic, but in all honesty, he knew she was hurting herself, and he didn't want her to die in the library where no one would find her. If she were out in the open, someone could at least help her. He shoved a hand into his robe pockets, and he let the other hand surf over the bookshelf, skimming the titles as he went. He found an interesting one on Vampires, and he wondered if it had been written by a vampire, since the last name made sense. But, back when the book must have been written, most vampires were illiterate anyway, since it wasn't necessary for vampires to be literate.

í αm thє sσn
αnd thє hєír
σf shчnєss thαt ís crímínαllч vulgαr
í αm thє sσn αnd hєír
σf nσthíng ín pαrtículαr

чσu shut чσur mσuth
hσw cαn чσu sαч
í gσ αвσut thíngs thє wrσng wαч?
í αm humαn, αnd í nєєd tσ вє lσvєd
just líkє єvєrчвσdч єlsє ís.










Bryce was actually rather offended by her response. But for some reason, he started to see this whole thing in a different light. She wasn't changing him by looking over his shoulder rather into his eyes, she was just aggravating him beyond belief. He continued to look at the bookshelf without saying anything else, trying to keep himself calm. He didn't want to do anything violent to anyone exactly, but he did want to express how angry she was making him. He turned to face her, and started to speak. "Do you understand how irritating it is to try to speak to someone like you? You are completely different from everyone else, and I don't know how to get it through your head so you can see how strange it is for you to act this way. Besides, wouldn't you like the breathe occasionally? he asked, referring to the corset she was wearing. She probably wore it quite frequently. He would tell her not to stand up, but it was a fifty fifty shot whether or not she would pass out standing up or not. I could either make her dizzy with the head rush and add to the way she was feeling, or it could make it easier for the blood to flow. He just wasn't sure, although he had a feeling it would be the first. Maybe she wouldn't pass out at all. She was probably used to feeling restricted like that, just like she was with everything.

Bryce sat down again, sighing and feeling like he should apologize. He bowed his head to her, and said "I am sorry for disrespecting your beliefs, and for getting angry at you. I was just trying to help a little." He smiled a little, knowing she probably wouldn't notice anyway, since she was too busy not looking into his eyes. A person could miss so much by not looking at a person's face, and by doing so, a person could learn a lot, or get tricked much easier. It was easy to control your face, it was much more difficult to control your voice and emotional inflections it had on your voice. He wanted her to know that she really could be normal around here, and she wouldn't have to put up a face. That was his new project, and he would find a way to control her shield one way or another. "I would suggest you go loosen that corset of yours just a little. I bet you've tightened it just a little to much, more than usual. If you've worn them before and are used to them, you wouldn't feel light headed like you do now. Or at least, I am assuming that is how you are feeling." Her face gave it all away, and she probably didn't know that because of the lack of time she spent looking at peoples faces and eyes. But, that wasn't his problem. He would have a problem if she passed out though, since he would have to take her to the hospital wing on his own, and he wasn't sure if he was up for that.

í αm thє sσn
αnd thє hєír
σf shчnєss thαt ís crímínαllч vulgαr
í αm thє sσn αnd hєír
σf nσthíng ín pαrtículαr

чσu shut чσur mσuth
hσw cαn чσu sαч
í gσ αвσut thíngs thє wrσng wαч?
í αm humαn, αnd í nєєd tσ вє lσvєd
just líkє єvєrчвσdч єlsє ís.










He knew that speaking about her corset wasn't proper, and he should have not said anything at all, or said it in a more proper way, if that was even possible. He could tell that she was not feeling well with it on, but it wasn't in his place to tell her that she should go loosen it anyway. It was up to her to make that choice on her own, and it was apparent that she wasn't going to get up an do it with out being told to do so. He did, afterall, only make it as a suggestion. Ah well, it wasn't his place to speak about it anyway. Stop thinking like her, Bryce. You aren't black and white like she's being. he felt strange acting like he was acting, and he really didn't like change in himself. He only liked change in other people, especially if it got him what he wanted or needed. "No need for that. You'll get yourself more dizzy anyway." Bryce was referring to her curtsy and her thanking him, but it really was unnecessary for her to be doing what she was doing, and he wanted to make that clear.

He straightened up in his seat a little, studying her as he did so. He couldn't quite get over the fact that her waist looked so tiny, and that he could probably wrap both his hands around her waist and touch finger to finger, making a closed circle. It was that tiny, and it creeped him out. He didn't look there for long, since he should have not thought to look there anyway. Even for these times, it was impolite to stare anywhere below the chin. He didn't want to make himself seem like a fool. "Maybe if you went to the hospital wing you could get a little rest. It might make you feel better." Of course, Bryson was only making suggestions, and he knew that she wouldn't take that one so lightly. It was probably against the code to be in the hospital wing or something. This almost made him laugh, but he kept a straight face, since he wouldn't want to confuse Joyce if she did look at his face.

í αm thє sσn
αnd thє hєír
σf shчnєss thαt ís crímínαllч vulgαr
í αm thє sσn αnd hєír
σf nσthíng ín pαrtículαr

чσu shut чσur mσuth
hσw cαn чσu sαч
í gσ αвσut thíngs thє wrσng wαч?
í αm humαn, αnd í nєєd tσ вє lσvєd
just líkє єvєrчвσdч єlsє ís.










It was one of those moments when the two of them were talking, or at least, when Bryce was talking, that the librarian came on over to the history section to 'shush' him. He rolled his eyes when she left, and was almost ready to start shouting. He hated being told what to do, which was actually part of the reason he didn't mind Joyce's company, because the only thing she told him to do was to not try to change her beliefs. Although, he was trying very hard to break through her shell, Bryce wouldn't tell her that he was actually trying to change her. He looked around, then he thought maybe he could ask her about the book she had in front of her. "So... Do you enjoy history? I mean, no one just sits down and reads that book. Most people dislike it." He was tempted to pull the book towards him to see it, but he didn't want to mess with it. He had gone through that book a few times by force, so he wouldn't want to break his slate of a whole year with out looking in that book. How he got away with it, he didn't exactly know. He just did the work from other books he supposed. But, either way, history wasn't his thing either. He kept thinking about that, yet he knew in his mind that Joyce was almost like a piece of history. Maybe that was also part of the reason he was trying to change her.

Joyce thanked him for his concerns, and again, he didn't like the little speaking thing from her. He wished that she would speak up more. He couldn't seem to find any emotion come from her, and that was also creepy about her. Was she this lifeless all the time? Yesterday her waist wasn't small enough for him to hold in his hands, to must be she had a bit more life in her yesterday. After all, it was part of her tradition, right? Could he force her to speak more? Well, he could make the request for her to, but he doubted she would do so. Besides, she was having a hard time breathing as it was, so why make her talk more and get excessively light headed? She was already lighter than he was, and he was afraid of having to take her to the hospital wing. Would he want to disappoint his father by not making the demand that she go loosen it a bit? Well, then again, he would probably make a point if she did actually lose consciousness. Would it be worth it for her to suffer though? He wouldn't know until he found out. "Joyce, do you find me aggravating? Please answer honestly." At this point, Bryce didn't even look to see if Joyce would express any kind of emotion. Bryce leaned back in his chair, doing exactly as he had earlier, and he let the back of the chair hit the bookcase behind him, supporting his weight without fault.

He looked upward, staring at the tall ceiling of the library, liking it for its prominence and mystique. He enjoyed things of great size, especially buildings. That was the only thing that Bryce enjoyed about the school. It made is easier to hide in and to get a bit of piece. He wondered if Joyce like that too, although Bryce wasn't making that easier by pestering her the whole time she was here. That wasn't his problem, though. He, after all, hadn't cracked yet, so he couldn't see how he could leave her alone until he made her understand and see the crazy she had really been acting. She was putting up a wall around the wrong people who could support her with anything. But, little did she know that she was smart to put a wall up around Bryce. He was one crafty character, he was.

í αm thє sσn
αnd thє hєír
σf shчnєss thαt ís crímínαllч vulgαr
í αm thє sσn αnd hєír
σf nσthíng ín pαrtículαr

чσu shut чσur mσuth
hσw cαn чσu sαч
í gσ αвσut thíngs thє wrσng wαч?
í αm humαn, αnd í nєєd tσ вє lσvєd
just líkє єvєrчвσdч єlsє ís.










Well, what she said was a relief to Bryson. He was glad she was only reading to know more about the school. He hated the school, but he knew quite a lot about it already. Joyce was new, so it was only natural that she knew little. "Did you learn anything? Hogwarts has been around for centuries, so you must have found something in there worth remembering." Bryce probably would have started ripping pages out of the book and lighting it on fire, but then again, he wasn't Joyce, and she was reading about the school in order to learn about the school, which he supposed was a valid answer, regardless of how much he liked it answer itself. She still spoke so lifelessly, and he couldn't stand it.

He was more than relieved, for some reason, that she didn't get up again and curtsy when she asked for him to forgive her. He actually found it embarrassing when she did so, and he didn't like to be embarrassed. People tried to embarrass him all the time with being in Hufflepuff, and for being a vampire, but it never worked on him. He just let them slide off of him, or he threatened them for doing so. What aggravated Bryce, though, was what she said afterwards. "It is not my place to judge a superior." What? He wanted to know whether or not to leave her alone. If she liked him, he would probably leave. If not, he would stick around and bug her some more. "Really? Well, by default, I must be annoying then. Hmm, points for me." he put a smile on his face, but it quickly diminished. Joyce really didn't look so good. "Go loosen your corset before I tell the headmistress. That's like committing suicide right there. When you pass out, you'll probably stop breathing because your lungs can't get enough oxygen as it is." He had never felt worried about someone before, but he figured there was a first and a last for everything.