Chapter 18: Blood Tryst
Calista sat moodily in front of the fire, wishing the flames could burn away the memories of the night. She was
alone in the Slytherin Common Room, and very thankful no one was here to question her. She rubbed her left arm and
huddled closer to the fire.
"The pain will stop after a while," a voice said silkily behind her. Severus. I wish he would stop doing
that.
"Do you?" He was sitting right behind her. He grabbed her arms and pulled her back until she was leaning
against him. Her entire body involuntarily stiffened and she swallowed nervously.
"Do I what?" she asked. Can he hear my thoughts? Calista received no answer, only a sly laugh. He
began to rub her arms. She forced her body to try and relax. It must have worked, for Severus laughed again.
"Good girl," he purred in her ear. "You know what comes next, don't you?"
She did. It was expected of her now. Severus was becoming very close to the Master, not as close as Lucius, but still
. . . obeying was the only thing that could save her now.
Calista swallowed every inch of pride she had left. She slowly turned until she was facing Severus. She put her arms
around his neck, drew him to her, and pulled him down on top of her in front of the fire.
**********
It felt like Sirius had been walking for hours. His sense of direction was completely shot. He did not know if he
was heading back towards the castle or traveling deeper into the forest. All he knew was he was tired, hungry, sore
from walking all day and very worried about Sara. The sun was now directly overhead, sending down its blistering
heat.
All those romps with James and the others -- you think I would know where the hell I am by
now! Sirius was fast losing patience. He refused to admit he was lost (a Marauder was never lost) but he had
reached the point where he was more than willing to stop and ask someone for directions. . . if only there was a
someone around!
He tromped through the brush, hoping he would eventually stumble onto a clue as to where he was. He saw a break in the
trees just ahead and figured that was a good a place as any to head. The thorny thickets tore at his robes and
scratched his face. He was about willing to sell his soul for a gulp of water. Finally, he broke through the foliage
and fell into a small clearing. An odd sight greeted his eyes: a large ring of stones decorated the center of the
clearing, with a large stone dais placed within the circle. A hoard of birds were hopping and pecking at something
lying upon the dais, but Sirius couldn't tell what it was. That familiar nagging feeling had returned to his
stomach, and combined with the lack of food he was becoming very nauseous. Taking a better look around the clearing, he
saw dozens of birds of every kind perched upon every branch in the surrounding trees: sparrows and pigeons, swallows,
blue jays, owls, crows. And even what looked to Sirius like a raven. It sent a shiver down Sirius' spine; ravens
were not considered to be good omens by wizard-kind.
All right, Padfoot old boy, time to rock and roll. Let's just boogie on out of here shall we? Unless you feel
like making a cameo in Alfred Hitchcock's latest movie. Yes, leaving was the best idea. So Sirius slowly crept
farther into the clearing until he was right next to the dais itself. Doofus. The rustle of birds shifted a
bit, and Sirius could now see what lay upon the dais.
Sirius' scream of horror sent the cloud of birds fluttering into the air.
*******************
Calista didn't bother to dress; she just wrapped her cloak around her and shot out of the common room, leaving
Severus to sort out his own garments. She bolted for the showers as fast as she could.
She locked the door behind her. When steam filled the entire bathroom, she tossed off her robe and leapt under the
scalding water. She grabbed the nearest bar of soap and scrubbed every inch of her skin she could reach. Then, she
lathered her hands and soaped her hair. Salty tears mingled with soapy water running down her face. She attacked her
body with the bar of soap again. Her skin was red from the ceaseless rubbing.
Is this what her life had been reduced to? Letting the slimiest creatures she had ever encountered touch her just to
stay alive and in the good graces of a Master she hated? They must know how she felt about all this; hell, Severus with
his freaky Jedi mind tricks. . . of course he knew. The version of hell that had become her life in the past 48 hours
was just a game to him. To all of them. And to think, she had thought them her friends.
Calista didn't realize she was sobbing until she sank to the floor and lay curled up in a fetal position, letting
the hard jet of water spray her body. There she stayed until the steam dried her tears, until heat turned to icy cold.
Cold was good. It matched what was left of her heart.