"Standin' on a corner, watchin' all the girls go byyy~" Jim sang, accompanying his three elder cousins, Jerry, Jack and Sarah. It was mostly as practice for Jerry and Jack, they were going to be taking part a play as a favour for Aunt Kelly, and it involved them singing that and doing a little dance. As such, all four of them were wearing baseball caps as stand ins for the newsboy hats in the play. However, there was also the fun of getting a little louder and trying to sound a little better whenever some girls passed by. As a pair of especially pretty girls approached the bench the Malloys had claimed, the four of them each took their hats off in turn, holding them to their chests. Jim's voice was pretty much toneless when it came to singing, but hiding it amongst the much nicer voices of his cousins meant that the Malloys earned some blushes and giggles from the passing ladies.
Sarah looked over at the watch Jim was wearing, and nudged him. Puzzled, Jim checked it himself.
"Crud." He muttered, as he passed his hat to Jack. He wasn't even in the right part of New York yet, though he didn't have a doubt that he'd make it. It was a short trip to grab his stuff from home, say his see-you-Thanksgiving-breaks to his ma, da and every Malloy he passed, and hail himself a cab to take him within walking distance of Rhiamon Way.
"You taking a vacation, kid?" The cabdriver asked as Jim climbed in with Mallory's cage and his guitar beside him, after he'd hefted his suitcases into the trunk. He had all the stuff he needed, either by borrowing his ma's old stuff or going out with her and his da to get it from Rhiamon way. They were New Yorkers, it was hardly a journey to Mordor.
"Goin' back to school." He replied with a grin. The cabdriver made a non-committal sound, and soon enough, Jim was walking down Rhiamon Way. Personally, he liked touching base there before he reentered the Wizarding World for the next school year, same as he liked to head to the nearest fast food place when he returned to the Muggle World. It was around then that he noticed the backs of some familiar heads through a store window.
"Aurora! Eric!" He called, as he picked up his pace. However, as he drew closer, he recognised a few other familiar faces, and two strange. One was Liam Madsen, with presumably his little sister on his shoulders, since he didn't seem the type to pick up random children and carry them around. The next was Claudia Gardner, with a kid that could only have been her sister. The last was all too familiar.
"...Hartzel." He greeted in an almost-growl. He walked into the shop himself, and caught Aurora talking to the first years. He decided against talking to Hartzel, and instead focused his attention on Aurora and the first years, trying to completely ignore Hartzel.
"Need a hand there, Aurora?" He chuckled with a grin, popping out from behind her.
Gemma cleared her throat at the table. Her parents were both sitting ramrod straight, faces pinched in annoyance. They knew what today was. They knew what it had been since Gemma was eleven.
"M-may I be excused? I need to pack a couple of last things..." She'd been fully packed and ready to go for the past week, but the breakfast before she finally got back to Gaol was always awkward and scented with resentment and disappointment. Too much so for Gemma to stomach. She'd been careful not to mention what she was packing for, as her parents were less likely to comment if she didn't mention magic at all. Her mother gave a curt nod, and Gemma stood up and carefully
didn't hurry towards her room. She sighed as she collected up everything, stood in front of her door and counted to thirty. On twenty eight, she opened the door and quickly crossed the open-plan penthouse, until she was beside her exit out. She didn't call out a goodbye, and she was thankful her parents didn't acknowledge her as she walked out with her suitcases. She gave a sigh of relief as the doors to the apartment building clicked shut behind her, and she was out into the September air.
It wasn't too long until Gemma was finally stepping onto Rhiamon Way, and she let a secretive smile cross her face. She was in the clear until next summer, now, and she eased a little. She could see other Gaol students milling around, excited for the new school year, whether because of learning or seeing friends again. She smiled as she heard a familiar accent rise above the general chatter, shouting two familiar names. Gemma decided against heading toward them, she'd see them on the boat soon enough. Instead, she found herself a bench to rest on, with her potted tulips on her lap and her suitcases at her feet.
