Tick, Tock

Tiffany could hear the soft ticking of the library clock in the midst of the thick silence of the library. She swayed gently in time with the ticking and the tocking. There wasn't really much to do in the library. Apart from reading, that is, but Tiffany wasn't very good at reading. If she focused her eyes on something too much, she usually ended up talking to it.

And books are inanimate objects, so they don't talk back.

She thought she heard someone enter the library, so she quickly flipped open a book and pretended to process the words.

Bella, from experience and improbable assumptions, had entered the library. And although she was well aware checking out library books was in no way a social event, she thought maybe the sweeter, softer kinds of wizards would be the ones who read for a pastime, not a kill-time. It was a stereotypical, slightly judgmental kind of way to guess, but there was no harm done.

After she'd wandered around, wildly impressed by the grand collection, and after she'd found two books she was sure she hadn't read, she began to look for someone who might enjoy company like she would.

Eye-catching red hair, well, caught her eye, and she walked over to the girl sitting with no one but a book.

"Hello," She said in her soft, yet not quiet, voice. "Would it be alright if I sat with you?"

"S-sure..." Tiffany's voice sounded off and cracked, so she sighed, and met the strange girl's eyes.

'Um... I... Uh, I can kinda talk to people with my eyes. Hey. Sorry about that, I know it feels weird, I just wanted you to know that I'm generally more comfortable communicating this way. Uhm... I'm Tiffany, by the way. First year, Rosewood.'

She frowned. She always seemed to ramble when explaining the I-can-talk-with-my-eyes thing.

Bella raised her eyebrows, and made an effort to keep her wonder to an appropriate level.

"I'm Bella," She nodded, "I go by that, by a couple people call me Poppy- for my last name. I'm a first year too! We'll be seeing each other a lot, then!"

She felt faintly as if she was talking to herself, being her own voice the only one she heard out loud.

She continued as she forgot to mention, "Oh, and I'm in Octavia."

It didn't take much effort to remember what Rosewood's general personalities were, and she remembered they were known to be sensitive, rather bleak kinds of people.

Oh, maybe I can brighten her day! That is, if she's having a bad one. Oh, I shouldn't be so judging!

'I'm sorry I don't speak out loud, really. I know it's annoying. People used to make fun of me for it, actually.'

Pictures flooded her mind of when she was younger and was being bullied. Wait- no! Stop!

She fought to clear her mind again. She still wasn't too sure how much other people could see.

'Anyway, I would talk if I could. And I say that because, well, I haven't spoke out loud all that much over the past few years. It actually hurts a bit now. Uhm, sorry again.'

"It's not annoying!" She shook her head, and the shorter layers that didn't tie into her side braid shook with it.

For a moment, it was almost as if she heard her frown, though her mouth didn't waver.

"In fact, I think it's amazing, Tiffany!" She assured her brightly. "I've never heard of anyone like you, never even thought of it! It's blown my mind- well, not literally."

"Do you have a favorite class, Tiff? Or what would you like me to call you?"

She tipped her head to the side awkwardly, 'Sometimes I just feel bad that other people have to speak out loud if they're talking to me.'

Her mental voice grew softer than usual, '... Nobody's ever really said that to me before. They just said I was weird. Some of the kids here laughed at me because my power ends up being more of a disability than anything that actually helps.'

But then she smiled a little, 'Sure, you can all me Tiff. It's what my Mom calls me, actually. My favourite class is Art, I think. It's because I don't really have to talk, I just use my imagination. It's all I'm really good at.'

"Well, you shouldn't feel bad. So you prefer your amazing ability over some boring old normality. I think anyone would! For kids to make fun of you is equally ridiculous as kids making fun of all those fire hot-shots," She nodded firmly, persistent on getting Tiffany believe her, even though she knew it'd be much harder than that, if at all possible.

She filled in blank spots that Tiffany was bullied. Kids titling her as weird. So she couldn't set fire to rain, but that didn't make her any less wonderful than anyone here.

"I don't think I have a favorite class, but now that you mention it, I sure do love art, too. I'm great at all those academics, but I just don't love them like I do the arts."

Tiffany closed her eyes, and smiled despite herself. She looked back up at Bella, 'Well... I don't know. I've been brought up to think it's a curse. U-uhm, anyway, what's your power?'

"Mine? Memorization. You can presume it's a little bit more than a talent, though, 'cause I was worthy of this school," She sighed, and glanced at the book Tiff had been reading.

"I could repeat to you the rest of that book if I needed to," She smiled nervously. There was a thin line between informing and bragging, and she was painfully aware of it.

Tiffany frowned.

'Now that I think of it, that's pretty much the best power you could have. I bet you've never had to study, because you can just recall something they said in class without even thinking about it.'