[-]seasons out of time[op-en]

[Ilandra Petrelli]

What seems so strong

[-]

Has been and gone

Blonde hair whipped around her neck as she turned away from the window. Her pale eyes scanned across the empty dorm. This wasn't the first time the dorm had been completely empty when she'd been in there. No-one else seemed to be around, or she was just the only Sixteen year old. Well, only sixteen for a few more days. Two and three hours to be exact. So, two days until she was seventeen. What was so special about being seventeen? What was the great power in being a year older? Nothing she could see, she was just a year older, another candle on the cake. She'd never seen the great thrill in another birthday, her parents never celebrated them, so she didn't see the enjoyment. Being brought up without them made it almost impossible for her to see the point. So she didn't try.


Ilandra turned back to the window. It over looked the great emerald expanse of Hyde Park. There weren't any people she could see, not yet, on the grass below. No doubt there would be soon, and she would be one of them. She just wanted to go for a run. Even if curfew refused to allow the young lassy to go for a midnight run. She didn't have any time for it, not with her damned harp always in the way. She was a daring lass, one that didn't mind the risk of getting caught for the thrill of getting away. Her icy blue eyes were just waiting for the wind to pick up a bit, to see the moon's silver beating down on the grass to indicate a good time to start, or at least to run. She tossed back her pony-tail, leaning on the window sill. This could be a while. The lightd were still flicking in the office buildings.

It was a while. Ilandra had almost fallen asleep on the window sill, her chin resting on her hand. Wow this was boring. Her icy eyes were half closed as she straightened up to stretch. The last dwindling light in the office building flickered and went out as the hard worker left to go home to whatever family they had waiting, if any. Ilandra herself didn't have any, none in the near proximity. Her parents had died two years ago and her brother was an air host, always flying off to exotic parts. Her sister was married and living in Australia, leaving Ilandra lass on her own in sunny London with the bloody harp! She'd been pushed all her life to learn, and now she had and she still hated it. Her parents had never let her indulge in the activities she adored. Cross country running, surfing and horse riding. Her parents had a vendetta against all sports. But they weren't around any more, she could keep up running but where was the nearest wave in London? And how could she afford riding lessons on a will and her performance cash. Not likely.

Ilandra turned, shook back her pony-tail and walked over to the door. She opened it slowly enough so it didn't creak and peeked out, blue eyes shining. She slipped out and closed the door behind her. She didn't have a room-mate and didn't have to worry about them finding out anything. She took the stairs two at a time, jumping the last three as she crept across the landing and out towards the doors. Alright so far. No-one seemed to be around, the staircase to the lads dorms was silent, as was the one she'd just come up from. She breathed out, realising she'd been holding her breath. What was there to worry about? No-one was coming.

The streetlamp light flashed dark as the shadow passed under it. The next streetlamp up the road did the same as Ilandra jogged passed glancing around her. Each streetlamp only threw a very small glow on the pavement, leaving the rest in darkness. Even the florescent lights only lit up a few square metres. Ilandra slowed to a walk, glancing back over her shoulder. The entrance to Hyde park was ahead and she entered without a second thought, slipping into shadow and darkness. It would be quite hard to hide Ilandra, she wasn't exactly in camo gear. The blond hair didn't help either, but she wasn't hiding, just out when she shouldn't. But where was the law forbidding her from breaking curfew, stupid there wasn't one really.

A stray dog barked as Ilandra walked passed, arms crossed tight. She hadn't brought out a jumper, just shorts and a tee-shirt. She'd forgotten how cold London could be a night. Her teeth chattered as she glanced around. It was cold, it really was. Actually, no, it was sub zero freezing. She shivered, seating herself at the base of one of the huge trees lining the paths. The young musician pulled her knees up to her chest, closing her bare arms around her equally bare legs (from just above the knees down). Her head rested on her knnes. Well, it was one lessons she wouldn't forget. When running in London, run with a jumper or three. Ilandra closed her eyes, shivering with her back against the rough bark of the tree

I would call you up every Sunday Night

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And we'd stay up 'till the morning light