Right Bell Tower

The right Bell Tower seemed rather quiet as Indiana entered the vicinity before ascending up to the top. Along the way, he noticed a good amount of unused furniture and random objects all around the vicinity.

The place was dark and the youth slowly ascended to the top until he reached a bell chamber that was similar to the one in the left Bell Tower. Approaching the balcony and noticing a strange yellow fabric tied around the edge, Indiana looked out and received a good view of the greenhouses below.

After some time, he went back into the bell chamber and sat down before taking a nap, leaning against the wall and hoping to get a momentary reprieve from the examinations.

Shelby stood at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the right bell tower and looked down at the note she'd received from Resa. This was definitely the right place, though she didn't have any idea what Indiana wanted to talk about.

She slowly climbed the stairs, looking around when she got to the top. "Hey," she said when she saw Indiana. "What's up?"

Indiana was still asleep when the owl returned with Theresa's response. But instead of stopping to deliver, the owl simply dropped the letter next to the slumbering Hufflepuff before flying off. It was only after some time that he heard footsteps that once more drew him from the dream-like slumber. As the footsteps drew near, Indiana woke up and got to his feet just as a familiar person appeared.

"Hi Shelby." Indiana greeted before the recent issue resurfaced in his mind as he registered her question. "Well, Theresa sent me a letter earlier and she said that you were upset about my response. I was hoping to resolve the issue."

Shelby froze in place. That certainly hadn't been what she'd expected him to say. "Oh... um... well," she wasn't quite sure how to reply. She paused for a moment to compose herself before she continued speaking.

"I guess I was. A little,"she avoided eye contact as best she could. "I guess I just sort of expected a real answer, not... whatever it is that you gave Hilary."

"It was an awkward experience, one that I hadn't expected. If our positions had been reversed, I really don't know on how you would've felt." Indiana replied, feeling the blood run up to his head that he looked away to hid the slight blush on his face as the memory resurfaced in his mind. "I didn't give Hilary an answer whatsoever, much less a real answer."

Shelby knew exactly how she would have felt, but she wasn't about to tell Indiana that. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for it to be awkward, though I guess that was sort of unavoidable."

The ceiling was looking more and more interesting by the second. She couldn't help but sigh softly when he talked about what he'd said to Hilary. "Yeah, I know," she responded, wondering if he realized how frustrating it was to have her friends ask questions about it and not have a real answer to give them.

"I understand and you have nothing to apologize for." Indiana replied with sincerity as he turned to face her. Despite maintaining his composure, the youth found it a bit difficult at the moment. He wanted to answer but didn't seek to make things more awkward.

"Shelby, I'm sorry if my response made you feel that way. I just felt like I was walking along a thin and fragile line at the time."

Somehow, Shelby was even more confused now than when they had started talking. "I don't know what that's supposed to mean," she said, shifting her gaze down from the ceiling to look at Indiana.

'Why doesn't he understand that I just want a real answer? I don't care which answer he gives, I just want to know,' she thought. 'That's not true, I do care, but I want him to answer more than I want to know which answer he gives. Maybe I should just ask him if we can pretend that none of this ever happened..."

'I wish I could answer that question with conviction. I wish I could acknowledge and come to terms with this subject. Yet no matter how much time we've spent together, it is too early to determine on where we stand.' Indiana thought, attempting to calm the melancholic anxiety and tension within his mind. How is he suppose to handle a situation like this?

He then turned to look outside where the sun was beginning to set. After a while, Indiana turned and looked at Shelby. "It's difficult to answer a question like that."

'If you think it's difficult to answer a question like that, just imagine how much more difficult it was to ask it, even if I didn't ask it directly,' Shelby thought. She was beginning to wonder if he had any idea how strange it felt for him to know everything yet she had no clue where he stood. She was starting to regret bringing up the situation entirely.

She merely nodded her head to indicate that she agreed that it was a difficult thing, but she kept quiet, waiting to see if he would say anything else.

Indiana then glanced at the sun from his peripheral vision. Taking a deep breath, Indiana then looked at Shelby. "And a difficult question isn't easily answered right then and there."

Indiana then proceeded to walk past Shelby but stopped when he was standing side-by-side with her but facing in an opposite direction. "How about we just forget this ever occurred? I lack the wisdom to truly understand this right now."

Indiana then slowly began to walk on.

"Fine with me," Shelby replied softly. She'd been aware that this sort of response was a possibility, but she hadn't been fully prepared for how awful it would feel.

She listened to the sound of his footsteps get softer and softer as he walked away and she felt her eyes flood with tears. "I will not cry here, I will not cry here," she whispered to herself.

As he left the tower, Indiana exhaled the air out of his lungs while the tension in his mind relaxed. Knowing that there were potential eavesdroppers, the youth opted to delay resolving the issue. He noticed movement from his peripheral vision and seeing ripples in the air outside move away.

Figures that there would be some people eavesdropping.

'I'm sorry, Shelby. I'll send you a letter first thing when I get the chance.' Indiana thought to himself. 'I couldn't risk anyone overhearing us so I refrained from giving you my answer.'