He was coming closer . . .
Kashan woke up with a start, and the dream vanished in the light that met her eyes; cold sunlight streaming in through the window, just after sunrise. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror by her bed, Kashan had to say that she did not look too good. She was clearly running a fever.
All the same, she slipped into her school uniform, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left her house without having breakfast, because her parents had been too busy fighting in the dining room over whose fault it was that the milk carton had split, and there was now milk all over the dining table.
As she entered the school premises, the first person she saw was David, glaring furiously at her, with Tanzeel nowhere around; she was clearly early, having skipped her morning meal. It was only when she nearly bumped into Victoria Hales that she remembered that the tryouts she was supposed to be taking part in were today.
No way! How was she supposed to play, in
this condition?
“Well, good luck is all I can say,” Lily said, leaning in to kiss Kashan on the cheek as Victoria told Kashan which tryout group she was in. Then, making her way back to the stands, Lily settled down to watch Kashan play. Her eyes following Lily, Kashan realized with a jolt that David was sitting in the stands. He did not look too lovesick, though. On the contrary, he scowled fiercely when their eyes locked. Kashan hastily looked away.
Several minutes later, she was swinging one leg over her Firebolt as Victoria blew shrilly at her whistle. Once airborne, Kashan let the wind ruffle her dark hair and stroke her cheeks. She had always loved flying; it was only her disinterest in everything else related to Quidditch – the rules, the players, and everything else – that had kept her back from trying. Now, however, she just knew she had to try.
“Excellent job,” Victoria told her warmly, when she landed on the ground fifteen minutes later. “You did an awesome job.” Kashan positively beamed with delight. From up above in the stands, Lily winked at her.
“Right, and then we’ve got Kashan Aleen as the new seeker.”
Kashan breathed a sigh of relief as Victoria made the announcement. Not that she had ever doubted her ability to make it to the team; but knowing that you were officially confirmed as a player was certainly a relief. Kashan felt so, anyway.
“You surprised me,” Lily told her, giving her a quick hug. “You’ve never played that brilliantly before, and I mean it. What made you play so good?”
“Tanzeel,” Kashan said shortly, returning the hug.