#17 Of Beating Heart

Kassia left the Great Hall after breakfast, only stopping to pick up a coat from her dorm room. She wasn't exactly planning on running into any wild animals, but figured she would wear the same coat from Care of Magical Creatures just in case. She was also wearing deer skin gloves, to keep her hands clean and try and salvage her manicure for as long as possible.

She had planted seeds the previous day, but was unsure of her herbology abilities or even what she was growing. They could all be the same species- or not even grow at all. So, she had looked over an ingredients list and decided to head to the savannah to collect as many samples as possible.

It was deadly silent, the only sound the crunch of her footfall on the snow. There was no snowfall today, but thankfully the sun was obscured by clouds. Otherwise, Kassia would have gone snowblind- and she was certain were sunglasses were in the bag she had flung at Aoife after Christmas.

It was a long walk, and between the cold and the solitude, Kassia was starting to feel less angry. But it was being replaced by something worse- a deep sadness. She could feel it in her chest and her throat. She was starting to choke up. Her hand clutched at the letter in her pocket.

She was fifteen now. How many years did she have left? Twenty? Twenty-five? That meant she was basically middle-aged. Not a lot of time left. She swallowed, fighting back tears, and suddenly regretted choosing one of the farthest spots from the castle. Only when she was sure she was alone did she finally allow a few tears to fall, and rubbed her face clean.

She took the long way around the Lake, as it was still frozen and she didn't fancy falling in like Reena had. Normally there would be other students around, but everyone was at the match. Now that she was no longer, walking, she could hear the distant roar from the stadium on the wind. It was a relief, to be alone. She didn't have to wear her mask for now.

Kassia stopped, that sickening feeling in her chest still there. She could see the huge tree that meant she was in the savannah. She sucked in a breath, filling her lungs with cold air, and let out a long sigh. She lowered herself down slowly to her knees.

No point in being lazy. She started brushing away the soft snow, looking for mushrooms amongst the grass. She thought she heard a splash behind her and turned abruptly, but saw nothing. On edge, she continued searching for mushrooms.