A Simple Melody

Owen hadn't been in the forest yet. He had only seen it, just outside of the grounds, its trees tall and foreboding, but somewhat inviting as well. Having not grown up around forests, it was something Owen wasn't very familiar with, and wasn't super eager to go exploring. He knew that for a lot of kids, however, it provided a homey feeling.

At Mal's question, Owen shifted slightly in his spot in discomfort. He shrugged in an attempt to brush it off as nothing.
"I've met a couple of people," he answered, keeping his voice nonchalant. "Actually, it was my first day. I was messing around with some light and scared a girl, and she fell into a fountain in the courtyard." Truth was, he had thought about Madison a few times since that accidental meeting, but he had only seen her once since.

"It's a little difficult making friends. I'm hoping that once I take my placement test, I'll make some friends in my House dorm." For perhaps the millionth time that week, Owen found himself wondering which House he'd be placed in. He felt sure that he'd be in Autumn; from what he had learned in the past week, he was very much like most of the students in Autumn.

Trees were big and tall and Malcolm liked big and tall things. They made him feel small and the feeling of being small just made him comfortable. Sometimes, especially late at night, they could look really scary and Malcolm would never dare enter them. But for the most part he liked the idea of forests, especially ones with lots of space between the trees.

When Owen shifted, Mal almost didn't notice. He did see the other boy shift but didn't think it was relevant to what they were currently talking about. He nodded at Owen's response and chuckled lightly when he brought up that he had scared the girl into the fountain. "That sounds like fun. Is she a cool person?" Malcolm asked, wondering if he should befriend her.

There was definitely logic behind Owen's next comment. "Yeah? I think making friends can be easy if you really put your mind to it!" Malcolm encouraged, never fully understanding awkward people who weren't as open and friendly as he was. "That could definitely work." He nodded, wondering about the houses. [color=magenta]"Which one would you like to be in? Or which one do you think you'll be in?"[color] He asked, curious to know Owen's point of view. Mal didn't really know enough about the houses to know which he would be in.

Again, Owen shrugged, thinking for a moment. He hadn't been around Madison often enough to know for sure what she was like, and she had seemed rather timid the whold time he had talked to her.
"She was alright," he told Mal. "I mean, for being one of the few people I've talked to here, she was nice."

He had had plenty of time to consider which House he wanted to be in. After hearing what Nicola and Madison had to say on the topic, he had watched different members of different Houses at lunch, considering which he was most similar to.
"It's between Summer and Autumn," he said. "I think my personality is more Summer, but I really relate to the Autumns and everything they do." Honestly, he would be happy with either one. He was sure he would get along with whomever was in whichever house he ended up in.

"What about you?" Owen asked Mal.

Getting to know new people was awesome and if he met a new person who already knew people then he would know who to talk to. Although timid and shy people were always a bit awkward and Mal didn't always know how to handle them. He nodded at what Owen said and thought about whether he should search her out or just meet her when they crossed paths. "That's cool. It's always nice to talk to someone nice when you first arrive." He knew he had, since he had met Angela upon first arrival.

Only having been on campus for a few hours Malcolm didn't really know anything about the houses. He was sure he would get to know more later on in time, but for the moment he really didn't know anything about any of them. But it seemed Owen had considered it for a bit. "That sounds cool. The seasonal houses is definitely an interesting way to split the students up." Malcolm mused, wondering why the seasons had been the founders first choice.

" I dunno. I haven't been here very long so I don't actually know much about the houses. But Summer or Spring sound cool. He responded, liking both seasons because they had plants or growing plants. Fall was cool because of the colors but Summer and Spring were just happier.

Owen hadn't heard very many good things about the Spring house since he had come to the school. He knew Nicola and Madison were both Summers, since he had been in their dorm, and he knew about the Autumn house from them as well.
"Summer wouldn't be too bad," he mused, considering the idea. He would definitely be able to see Madison more often, and maybe talk to her. He wasn't sure he could handle being in Spring; they sounded like they were the opposite of him.

As he thought, Owen's gaze drifted across the room. His eyes fell on the clock that hung on the other side of the room, and he sat up, squinting to get a closer look. A lot more time had passed than he had thought, and his stomach rumbled as if answering his unspoken question. It was about time he ate something again.
"I need to eat," he laughed, positive that the sound had been audible to Mal.

From the way the other houses went, Mal assumed Spring was just a calmer version of Summer and Autumn. That made sense since Spring was right between them. Why Spring would be related to mean or bad people, Mal had no idea. It was a season of hope and new life. Nothing bad about it. But all of the seasons were pretty cool. "Yeah, it sounds pretty cool." Malcolm agreed, only saying it. He honestly didn't care which house he got into.

When Owen looked away from Mal, Malcolm shifted to see if he could locate the source of Owen's curiosity. There wasn't too much on that side of the room, so Mal had no idea what was interesting Owen so much. And then there came a low rumble, the sound normally associated with a hungry person. Laughing along as well he nodded. "You sure do. And I should too. How about we go get something together?" Mal suggested, figuring they could go eat something. Unless Owen wanted to do that alone, then that was fine with Mal.