Crossing Paths (Isobel)

[Trent Innes]

12 September, 2005

Trent was in between classes, with just enough time to avoid being stuck inside but not enough to make the walk down to the grounds worthwhile. He had ended up in the drawbridge corridor between the castle towers, where the open air and the view beyond the stone walls offered a little more breathing room than the corridors inside the castle.

He leaned against the stonework, looking out toward the lake and the distant hills beyond it rather than paying much attention to the students passing through behind him. Trent had always preferred being outside whenever he could, even if only for a few minutes between classes. Eventually, he shifted his gaze back toward the corridor.

That was when he saw her.

Isobel was approaching from the opposite end, moving with the steady flow of students making their way between classes. They had met just over a week ago and hadn’t spoken since. He had seen her a few times in the days that followed—once across the Great Hall, once passing through a crowded corridor—but always at a distance, always occupied with something else.

Trent wasn’t even sure she had noticed him during those moments. There had been no reason to seek her out or try to get her attention. She had been pleasant company, easy to talk to, and someone he had enjoyed meeting. That was all it needed to be.

Still, he didn’t turn back toward the view.