The man in the picture

Noa wasn't one for sappy things, but after hearing about the Memorial she had to check it out. The girl wasn't sure where it was, but she had been walking for nearly ten minutes and figured she had to be close. In deed, close Noa was, with just a turn of her head she saw the small building, it's colorful glass windows reflecting the sun's harsh light and dancing around the clearing. It's tilted red roof didn't look very sturdy but it shaded Noa's face from the sun and gave her a second to wipe away the bead of sweat that had gathered on her forehead. Now, her hand slightly sweaty, she pulled open the door and stepped inside. Taking a sweeping view of the small building, Noa walked over to each small item laying on the ground and inspected them. A bundle of dried lilacs, a stack of handwritten letter, a picture of her mother and a man around her age, a stuffed bear- wait, what was that? Quickly backtracking, the quiet girl stood next to the old picture and picked it up.

The picture was faded and the edges were turning yellow on the sides, but the picture was still intact. There, stood a young Teegan- a content smile plastered on her face and her long legs tangled together in an awkward stance. The boy next to her was nearly four inches taller, he had an attractive set of gray eyes and a thick set of dark hair. Noa was confused, but had a slight idea on who this could be. You see, her mother had never really talked about her past, but there would be an occasional story or comment. One in particular rushed to her mind. The girl could vaguely remember how hush Teegan's tone had become when she told Noa about a brother she had lost at a young age.

Could this be him? Just in time, Noa heard the door open and her eyes flickered up from the photograph and she whipped around to see who was there. Her cheeks heated up as though she had been caught in the middle of a bad deed. Maybe, this person could help her figure out the mystery of the man in the picture. Or maybe, Noa would revert to her normal quiet self and shy away from any outsider.

He still wasn't used to the unusual creaking of the old wooden door, nor the warm-stuffy air; a result of constant sunlight, essence and dust. Normally, when he had somehow gotten the urge to visit - either that on his own, or dragged along by his family, there was never anyone here; except perhaps a ukelele playing hobo who always seemed to sing harmlessly to no one in particular. When he had first walked in and shut the old door behind him, flinching from the rattle from the ancient window panes, he hadn't even noticed the young woman in the room.
Instead, he kept his gaze down before settling on the flowers in his hand. They were nothing fancy, not like the beautiful blossoms that he usually - ... borrowed from around the courtyard or in the conservatory. This time he had decided to take a different route and made a bee-line for the memorial, picking up whatever wild flowers had caught his eye along the way; his little make-shift bouquet of untamed yellow, white and purple for no one in particular, though he knew the name and story of almost every name and picture in here.

Jason's golden gaze lifted and looked out the window, before finally catching a glimpse of an unfamiliar person in the corner of his eye; whipping around to see him. Her face was red and she looked distraught, like she was just caught red-handed in some serious crime. Her surprise had, well... Surprised him.... "I-I'm sorry!" The words tumbled out of his mouth as he struggled to find something decent to say, forcing a grin and rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "I wasn't expecting anyone else to be here. Was I interrupting something?"

At the site of the tall boy, wild flowers astrew in his hand and his hair wisped in different directions, Noa's eyes grew wide and she felt an uneasy pinch on the inside of her stomach. It was a strange feeling and Noa only felt this uneasy near boys of this attractive nature, which was rare due to the fact she was just at the age where boys no longer had cooties. The boy was no doubt older than her, and probably towered over her by nearly a foot and even realising this made her feel more uneasy. Noa wasn't interested in dating him or trying to catch his attention, but she suddenly felt like mush near the attractve male and blinked a few time processing what he had said.

Whaaa? Interupting something? Absent mindedly shaking her head no, so quickly she felt dizzy; Noa stood up and swayed slightly. "Hi," She chirped quietly, still in a slight haze of awe. "I was just-- uh--" Her mind drew a blank and Noa gave herself a mental kick and looked down to see the picture in her hands. Ooooh, thats right. "I was just... looking at this picture." Noa stuttered, watching the sun hit the slight layer of dust on the windowseal. "It's nothing, just curious about--" but she didn't finish. Noa knew how these upperclassmen worked, he would think that she was "uncool" or something.

Noa wasn't like other girls, she didn't wear much makeup or wear showy clothes. Her boobs weren't big and she didn't own a pair of heels. Ask her to name a designer brand and her mind would draw a blank. She wasn't big on girly things or shopping, and out of all things she didn't know how to "play it cool" with guys her age or older. Noa was like the black sheep of all girls, almost like a disgrace to the stereotypical girl. She did know a few things when it came to acting around other people. Talk about what the other person was interested, treat elders with respect, and when it comes to upperclassmen always try to play it cool. Okay, so maybe she wasn't completely correct; but it was all that she knew and Noa would cling to each rule like it was the law.

Just an inch shy of a foot taller, thank you very much. The young man paused, bringing his hand back down and stuffing it into his pocket - he took a deep breath and forced himself to relax, his body retreating into a calm, aloof posture. He looked at her up and down, his gaze not lingering anywhere, simply just trying to figure this girl out. She looked rather young - and if he were right in judging, probably went to the academy; although he had never seen her around before - and Jace was often quick to recognize almost anyone who went there. She must've been new. New, or allusive. Or a master wallflower.

Well, no matter the means, she was another acquaintance of his now. The blonde couldn't help but smile as she looked at him with wide eyes, squeaking by with her greeting. "Hey." He said back with a little nod of his head. Jace's eyes traveled from her to the small, dusty picture she was holding. Curiously, Jason walked up to the girl, having to bend over a little to try and get a better look - the way she was standing, though, and the glare of the light prevented him from seeing. "About the picture?" He assumed allowed, pulling out his free hand and reaching gently for the frame. "Could I see? I might be able to tell you who it is." Maybe she was a relative. He'd seen them come in before.

Noa's grip was tight on the old picture and her grey eyes were wide. She watched his hand reach towards the faded edges of the once vibrant frame and fought the urdge to pull it back to safety. "Uh.. Sure." She chirped. The small girl let him take it from her grasps anyway, but her heart was racing. He was going to laugh at her, he was going to look at the picture and laugh. While he didn't seem careless of others' feelings, he wass pretty boy and it was almost always that pretty boys didn't care about feelings. Boys like him - well actually all boys- usually just cared about boobs, and girls, and boobs, and sports, and boobs.

Shifting her weight from foot to foot, the girl studdied his face nervously. She waited for his response. Maybe she was wrong about him, becase he had offered to help her figure it out. There was just something there that made her think he was going to judge her. Maybe it was the fact her was undoubtably an upper classmen, maybe it was because he was very handsome or maybe it was that air of authority about him. What ever it was, Noa couldn't help from feeling uneasy.

Hmm... Now, if his years of experience and knowledge were correct, this young miss had to be- ... An A-Cup. She seemed pretty small- I mean, wait what? No! Jason was a serious, respectful young man who thought about many things and was not just akin to sports, women, and most particularly their breasts, thank you very much. Like his family. TV. Or playing his violin. His gift with his violin. Singing, he liked that too... Video Games... Alright, he did like basketball a bit... And Evelyn. And maybe Evelyn's b- /shotdownplz.
Okay, okay. But really. For the moment, the only thing he was focused on was this strange girl and the two in the fading picture. She seemed to hand it over with reluctance, but he didn't dwell too much on it, taking his shirt and wiping a bit of dust off the glass frame. Curiously, he looked at the young women in the picture and the shy person standing before them. The similarities were striking. He knew the woman in the picture, sort of. He knew that his father had been friends with her when he had gone to the school, but he couldn't remember her name. Jace knew the boy, though - able to connect a name with his face. "This is Tristian." Jason said, flashing her the picture and pointing at the boy. He handed it quietly back to her and went to go glance at the plaque on the wall, unable to remember his last name and looking for his first on the list; pointing to that too when he saw it. "Tristian Brisby." The blonde turned back around and gave her a curious look. Maybe she was related? But if she was, than wouldn't she know who they were? Why would she need his help?

Ahah! See, Noa wasn't completely stupid. She had a brother... a much younger brother, who would eventually grow into a teenager. And she knew she didn't have much to offer when it came to breats, but she was a young girl and as she got older surely she would devolpe more. Or atleast she hoped so.

Teegan had never mentioned much about her life at school here. Noa knew it was painful, that she lost so much while she was here. Friends, her future, her home. Never, ever, had she ever mentioned she had been close with the headmaster. Much less, had a huge crush on him. Not that Noa suddenly knew, but it would help explain her slightly taken-aback, but impressed look she shot him. So she was right, it was her mother's dead brother. However the real question was- "How did you know he was?" She stammered. Tristian was her uncle and even she didn't know who he was, but now that she could match a face with a name she felt a since of closure. He looked so happy and... prideful. Her mother though, looked unlike she had ever seen her. Still so pure and innocent, her face holding a pure beauty she wished she had herself. It was a strange, but beautiful moment, probably even more strange for the boy she barely knew, standing next to her.