HIM

Everything happens by chance, whether you want it to or not. You can program, study, plan, create back-up plans but you will never be ready to deal with the myriad of variables that can present themselves in front of you.

The variable I had not considered was Anima Littelton.

It was almost impossible to keep up with her. In the few minutes I'd shown up to talk to her, she'd thrown too many truths at me and I couldn't figure out where her story and the one she'd made up started.

"You're not following Riddle!"

Pardon, which others had made up for her.

She begins in explaining to me how disturbing she finds it that I only paid attention to her when she publicly displayed her violence.

"If the expression of violence appeals to you so much you should come to Quidditch matches more often."

She explains, in a tone ridiculously imbued with superiority that my 'knights' information is wrong.

"Honestly Riddle is almost ridiculous. With all the connections you have you can't even spot a falsification?"

That made me clench my jaw and clench my fists behind my back.

"And that makes you more attractive."

"What?"

She just looks at me with that neutral expression that sets her apart. I allow myself to look at her. The unnaturally red ruffled and puffy hair that falls past her shoulders frames a face that is too plain to be real. On her face she has many scratches and small scars are scattered like constellations along her bare arms. Her skin looks like butterfly wings, too delicate pulls on her bones defining them in a gruesome way. I can see her thoracic vertebrae, slow breathing slowly swells her chest and her lips part to whisper feeble requests.

"Stop observing me."

My eyes snap to hers. "I'm watching you."

She shakes her head slowly and flashes me a slight smile "you're observing, studying if you will" I've never seen her smile genuinely. Not even now, her lips are curved upwards but her eyes are full of an emotion I'm not familiar with. It looks heavy and hard to hold, lurking on her gracile shoulders it paints blue and purple shadows under her eyes.

"Why should I study you?"

"Why not? I'm interesting."

I arch an eyebrow at her response, "what makes you think that?"

Her answer takes my breath away and returns it at once. "You find broken things, red and what you can use interesting. I am all three."

We stand observing each other for a few minutes, at least I think so, it's hard to recognise the passage of time during the night hours.

I take a step closer and she sits more composed.

I take another step closer and she widens the space between her knees.

I take one last step, her knees graze mine and she lifts her face to get a better look at my face.

"I can help you."

"That's why I agreed, but you have to listen to me Tom."

"I was listening to you"

"No you were thinking while I was talking but you weren't taking in my words, just the context. You have to listen to me and think them or they will never know the story."

A deep frown makes its way across my face "They who?"

"You'll know when you stop thinking for yourself."

She doesn't allow me to investigate further, she takes my arm and makes me sit with her on the bed. I listen to her and think about what she tells me.

Anima Littleton doesn't have a family, they've turned their backs on her, ripped her of her will and forced her to live in the shadow of herself and it's consuming her. She's not as much of a sociopath as I thought and this is forcing me to re-evaluate the ideas I've had about her.

She hasn't sought me out to satisfy her narcissistic need, she isn't helping me because someone is finally looking at her.

She's seeking me out because she's angry seeking revenge and wants help in completing it.

I arrived here to propose that she let me exploit her ability to stay off the radar of those who matter but I leave the infirmary accepting her proposal.

"I'll do your dirty work if you do mine."

"I accept"