One Year Later [Ailith]

[Jude Dorrian]

Kira had gone crazy.
Like, really. Crazy.
“It looks really good, guys!” his Head called proudly from the stage, where she was flanked by a banner-strewn Ellie and a painted Brian. “Keep going. Only a few more streamers to hang up!”
“A few?” a freckled first-year was weeping to his friends. “That’s what she said about the pumpkins- I had to carve 37 and she’s still not satisfied!”
Jude thought of the first-year as lucky. As a Spy in his final year at Orchid Hill, Jude was being watched especially carefully by Kira, as he was supposed to be setting an example to the little ones. Sometimes, from the way she talked about first-years, you’d think they were all about 5, not a bunch of 11 and 12 year olds! Unfortunately for Jude, as Kira’s close, personal friend, he stuck out like a sore thumb to her. His girlfriend was cursed with the same problem, so they’d stuck together for the most part.
He’d never had cause to hate Halloween before now.
Last year, it’d been down to the Academics to decorate for the Halloween party. This year (as it moved in rotation between groups) it was the Spies’ turn. And Kira was getting far, far too enthusiastic about it for it to be healthy.
“DYLAN! THAT BANNER IS WONKY! STICK IT UP PROPERLY OR I’LL-”
See? Completely crazy.
Jude had known that he and his fellow Spies were doomed from the moment Kira had approached him in the Common Room and asked him what he thought about a Haunted House theme? As far as Jude was concerned, he didn’t see point. It was all Halloween-themed, right? It was all just there to give kids a cheap laugh.
Kira hadn’t laughed.
Instead, she ploughed on ahead with the Haunted House theme.
Worse still, the party wasn’t all nice and cosy and simple like the Academics’ party was last year. It was to be a much grander affair- held in the Assembly Hall, which had been magically enhanced (as if it needed it) to seem bigger than it actually was!
And every. Single. Spy. Had. To. Help. Or. Else.
Or else what was never quite specified, but nobody was in any doubt that it was going to be bad.
“It’s times like these,” Jude said suddenly, looking up at Ailith over the pile of glitter on the banner they were making, “that I wish I’d been born a Carer.”

[Ailith Rayner]

Ailith had never felt art was her strong point. A pretty waste of materials she called most of it. Now looking at the mess of glitter all over her hands and clothes she resented it even more. She stretched her neck from the hours of what can only be described as slavery working on a third banner with Jude. Of course Kira couldn't have just asked Lee to conjour up a few things and string them about the place, ooooooh no. Everything had to be hand-crafted by all Spies. Ailith figured if she faked a serious paper-cut to get out of it she'd be told to grow a backbone and get on with it. It was actually kind of scary. Kira was using her 'Head of Group' voice pretty much the whole time. Like this was some sort of major mission that if not completed to above Kira's standards the Spies reputation would be shot down. A criminal act Kira was not about to permit.
To Ailith, the 'haunted house' looked finished. To Kira it, evidently, did not.
It was about midday and people had organised a 'shift' system where just enough people could slip out to have lunch so Kira wouldn't notice. By now there were cobwebs, dusty windows, creaky floorboards, the lot not counting the endless streamers and banners, and "Only a few more streamers to hang up" brought niether comfort nor encouragement to the creatively exhausted Spies.
Ailith rubbed her face to relax her eyes before she looked back down at the glittery mess she was working on.
"It’s times like these that I wish I’d been born a Carer.” Jude voiced to Ailith.
She looked up and grinned, "No you don't. We only have to do this once. Besides, you know you couldn't bear to be in any other group, the Spies have too much style and class."
Of course she made this comment unaware of the glitter spread across her face.

[Jude Dorrian]

Oh… dear.
Jude wondered seriously for a couple of seconds whether or not he should tell his girlfriend that her cheeks were smeared with sparkles, but there was something so enchanting about the smile she gave him in that moment, he couldn’t quite bring himself to do it.
“Classy,” Jude mused instead. “Hmm… Kira Norris and class don’t quite seem to fit so well together. I’ll take your word for it.”
Jude was particularly proud of this banner, however. Perhaps Ailith and himself had gone… slightly overboard in the glitter department, but the results were still good. Brian had done the lettering on the banner, and then he’d left Ailith and Jude to colour in and glitter up the blank space surrounding it.
Jude was absolutely convinced of it. This was the best goddam banner in the room.
“Remember the party last year?” he sighed. “I helped Macy and some of the Academics set up. Now, that was classy. It was understated. It was good.” He cocked his head at her, then, with the swiftness of recollection, was shocked into laughter. “Weren’t you a cheerleader?”

[Ailith Rayner]

Ha! Understated. No chance of that this time around, Ailith smiled to herself.
“Weren’t you a cheerleader?” Jude laughed.
Ailith rolled her eyes joining his laughter, “God yeah. I tell you what I’ll never forget about last year, that panic incident. Jeez I was worried then.” Ailith frowned at Jude, “God last year… oh my- has it been a year for us?”
It was difficult to judge. They had never really made it official by saying it plain and simple. At least not until they went bowling that night when Jude had let slip his feelings. Huh, a year. It didn’t seem much when she looked back, she had been kept pretty much on her toes since her first mission, which luckily for Ailith happened to be with Jude. What would have happened if it had been another boy on that mission? Or if another girl went in Ailith’s stead? Would they be in the same place now? Her frown softened to a pensive gaze.