<~>This chapter is by me! ~ E <~>

Aveline's POV.

For the last few minutes, Dylan and I have been silently trekking through the forest. It's about mid-afternoon. I can't help but wonder how Cassie is doing. Is she okay? How will she fair without me? I've made it my goal to return to Cassie eventually, no matter what.

I absentmindedly fiddle with the hem of my fresh shirt. When Grandma had brought Dylan to Alexander's room to change, I'd gone to mine. I now had a few shirts, pants and jackets in my bag. I was wearing fresh clothes as well, which felt good after being in the same clothes for three days. I'd picked things of mine that I thought would be practical for the forest and running. It's a good think we used to keep outdoorsy articles at our grandmothers house since she lived near the woods.

I'd chosen to wear a dark red v-neck shirt. It was loose and comfortable. Running boots, dark jeans and a dark hoodie were the rest of my practical ensemble. They were all well worn in, so easy to run in. Which was good, a few extra seconds might be the difference between life and death.

The mostly complete silence was broken by Dylan as he cleared his throat awkwardly. He had a rather conflicted look on his face, like he wanted to say something, but either didn't dare, or thought better of it.

I lightly pushed my curly blonde hair behind my ears, which was the best I could do, since it only came down to my shoulders. I took that extra second to compose myself before I spoke.

"What? All day you've been looking at me like you want to say something. So spit it out," I said plainly, but firmly. Another short look of astonishment and conflict rose on his face.
"Yeah, I can tell you want to say something. It's not that difficult to decipher when you have a conflicted look on your face and keep clearing your throat," I added upon seeing the shock on his face.

"Okay. Whatever. It's just that..... Well it's been bothering me." Dylan started. I felt my right eyebrow raise questioningly, and maybe with a little bit of sass.
"Howdidyouknowmyname?" He asked quickly. I have zero idea what he just said. It was so garbled.
He must have realized that I couldn't figure out what he said, because he said it again, this time slowly.

"How did you know my name? Because I'm pretty sure I didn't tell you," Dylan said, his eyes looking suspiciously at me.

For a moment I wonder if I should tell the truth, or say that he said it in him sleep. I figure the truth is probably best, since we're going to be stuck together for the foreseeable future.

"I go to Hogwarts, I'm going into my fifth year, and I'm a Ravenclaw. So I'm one year bellow you. And so I hear stuff about you. You're popular gossip at Hogwarts. The guys in Gryffindor, in your year, you're the 'cool' group, so gossip happens very frequently. You people always hang out in massive groups, flocked by girls. So yeah, I've heard of you, and I recognized you," I say without hesitation.

His eyebrows raise, not in shock, more like in understanding. He seems to peer at my face more closely, which causes my cheeks to redden slightly against my will. I mean, I did just tell the guy that I listened to gossip about him.

"Oh! So you're one of the girls in the flock!" Dylan exclaims. That explains why he was looking closely at my face, probably trying to see if he could recognize me.

I can't help the distaste the appears on my face. "In your dreams. I don't flow with that crowd. My best friend does however, so that's how I hear things a lot." I say casually, even though I have my right eyebrow cocked.

He looks taken-aback, probably by the fact that I'm not in the flock. That annoys me, that he seems to think every girl needs to flock near him. Besides, it's always the older, pretty girls in the flock. No-one like me is ever in that crowd.

After an awkward silence, we continue to trek into the forest in silence. We stop momentarily to put on heavier hoodies, since the temperature has dropped drastically.

After about an hour, I take a quick glance at his face. His eyes are drifting away, which must mean he's lost in thought. I wonder what he's thinking about.

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That's all! Sorry about the short chapter, I just thought it was a good place to end the chapter. Hope you enjoyed it! I'd love feedback and what you think is going to happen next!