#ᑭeᖇᔕoᑎᗩᒪ ᗩᗪ ¶ drabble

[itsagraywcrld]

Mobile Doc with rules and muse info || Musings || Drabbles || Character Study || Aesthetics || Ask Memes || 

Hello! You can call me Opal! I am 29 (she/her) and live within EST. This blog is open to all, lightly selective, OC and female muse friendly, multi-verse and multi ship, and just happy to have some fun. 

Important details:

-I use the beta editor -i don't format much aside from trimming -i use static and gif icons as I see fit -low, sporadic activity

Open starters:

For Eloise:

xxx || xxx || xxx || xxx || xxx || xxx

For Cody:

xxx || xxx || xxx

Guest - Nathan:

xxx

Guest - Angélica

xxx

[itsagraywcrld]

A long time ago, in the grassy fields and forests of Ireland, there lived a young maiden without a care in the world. She was the most beautiful woman any had ever seen and all of her village loved her. There wasn't a single man who saw her who didn't want her to be his, and she knew it well. The attention from the men made her happy, as they would give her anything she wanted. Bread off their tables? All the alcohol she could handle? Their affections? All of it they would give just to see her happy.

But, there was one man who did not give her what she wanted so easily. He was more beautiful than even she, his hair as bright red as the fire of the sun and his eyes as green as the grassy plains. He didn't stay in the village long, passing through on his way to and from wherever he was going. But, he would always pass by the young womans' home. Many times did she try to get his attention. She would offer him many of the gifts she herself would receive. Food, drink, even gold. All of which he would politely refuse. It wasn't until she offered herself to this stranger, confessing her affections for him, that he gave in. He confessed that he, too, had feelings for her, but that he was just afraid she wouldn't like him.

He stayed a couple extra days in the village, showering the woman will all the love he had to offer, making her promises of a better life far from this small village. She wanted it all and more. Before he left again, the young man made her promise him one thing. He would take her with him when next he came through, but the only thing he asked was that she remain faithful to him and only him. He had seen her around the village and wanted her all to himself. She promised and watched as he left once more.

Time passed and days turned to weeks without her love returning, and the young woman was soon too restless to remain to herself. She returned to the arms of the other men of the village, unable to go another day without those lustful nights. When the months had passed and the stranger had finally returned for her, she announced to him that she was with child, though she did not tell him of her deceit. The man was overjoyed and took her away to his home far away on a high hill. It was a large manor, overlooking the land and another village below. Believing her to have stayed faithful, he gave her everything she could have wanted, along with a lavish life for their child.

The woman kept her secret, thinking she had gotten away with her lie until the day her child was born, a daughter. Looking upon the baby's face and blonde locks, the strange man knew at once she had lied. Disappointed and distraught, he took the child and left, leaving her in a dark abyss.

When she awoke, she was alone in the forest. The home she had been brought to was gone and so was her daughter. She wandered for a long time until she stumbled on the man once more in a clearing. It was there that he revealed who he was. A great fae king who was looking for a bride to carry on his line. It was why he tested the woman, hoping she would prove that she did want to be with him after all.

'You have lied to me,' the man bellowed to her, the hurt clear in his face, 'For breaking my heart as well as my trust, I place a curse on you and all who will come after you. You will have my daughter, and mine alone. She will be the sole reminder of what you have done. Again and again until the end of time. There shall always be only one.'

The young woman was frightened, looking around before stepping closer to the man again, pleading in her eyes, 'But... Where is my baby?' she begged, pleaded with him to return her. But the man simply shook his head slowly.

'You have not had her yet.'

The next thing the woman knew, she woke again back in her home, back in her village. She thought it was all a dream, as if none of it had actually happened. But, the only thing that told her it wasn't was the bulge in her stomach. The child she was carrying. The reality only set in a few months after when she gave birth to a girl with bright red hair, unlike anyone in her village. Then she knew.

~~~

"From that moment on, the only women born in out family were in that direct line. Which led to me and to you," Diane smiled as she leaned over and poked her daughters nose.

Eloise giggled, smiling up at her from her bed, pushing the blankets back to sit up, "So... Because the woman lied, she was forced to have that man's baby?"

"That's right. And the one girl born to each one of us is the only one for that generation. No other man's girl has or can survive. That was the strangers wish. You and I are a part of that magical line."

"Di."

Diane looked up to her husband, Peter, watching them in the doorway, a wary smile on his face, before looking back down to Eloise, "And when your little brother is old enough, we'll tell him the story so he can pass it down through his family one day as well. Thats the way it goes."

"I can't wait!"

Diane smiled as her daughter laid back down, tucking her in and kissing her head, "Don't get too excited now, or you will never be able to sleep again. Now, good night, Louise."

"Good night mom. Good night daddy!"

Peter smiled at her before stepping out of the room. He looked to Diane, raising an eyebrow once she joined him and closed the door behind her, "I thought we agreed to not tell her that story."

She just smiled, rolling her eyes, "There's no harm in telling her the story. Besides, she wanted to know."

"There can be harm in filling her head with stories of family curses. Don't you think--"

"Pete, relax," Diane smiled, kissing his cheek, "You worry too much. She's old enough to know the difference between the real world and a story. And old enough to understand what my family has gone through. I know you don't believe it, but--"

"Ok, ok, you're right," Peter just sighed, "Just... Don't encourage it, alright? The last thing we need is for her to garner new worry for her little sibling."

"You do that enough for all of us," she pulled him along, "Come on, I'm tired. Let's get some sleep."

[itsagraywcrld]

"What do you think? Chicken or tuna?"

The supermarket was quiet, somewhere Eloise preferred to shop for that reason. And because the deals were the best in town. Buying for two on a budget was easy that way. She stood there in the aisle beside the cart, looking over a can of tuna in one hand and chicken in the other. They were the same price, but, she was considering if variety would be best.

"Hey, listen!" She flashed a smile as she poked Cody's forehead. She could tell he wasn't listening, probably focused more on the music in his headphones, but this was important for him too, "What do you want?"

Cody lowered the music just enough instead of sliding one headphone off his ear. The store might have been mostly empty, but there were still enough people in there to make him uncomfortable. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the cans she was holding, "What does it matter? They probably taste the same."

Eloise lowered her arms, rolling her eyes, "Tuna it is then," She tossed a few more tuna cans into the cart and walked on ahead, "You haven't told me how school was. Or have you been skipping out again?"

He didn't answer at first, but the slight downwards turn of his lips was enough to tell her he heard that time. Cody had been trying to stay throughout the day, but it wasn't easy when he could hear the whispers in the silence from the other students and the voices of the teachers in adjacent rooms. It was overwhelming, but... There was nothing they could do. Eloise had tried to get them to compromise, but it was a public school. There was only so much that could be done without paying for a private tutor or something.

"It's alright, you don't have to tell me," Eloise nodded to him, nudging his arm gently with hers before looking at the shelves again, searching for something, "But, you know I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

Cody took a breath in and just exhaled quietly, "...Can I get those crackers again? Like the last time?"

"Sure. Go get them, I'll be by the milk."

He turned the music back up louder as he walked back down the aisle, looking for where the snacks are. Weaving in and around the people in the aisle was easy, he was used to it after walking on the streets all the time. Most people didn’t even bother giving him a second glance, too preoccupied with whatever they were looking for. 

Down towards the center of the aisle, he spotted where the crackers he liked should have been, but the spot was empty. He craned his head up, trying to look into the back of the shelf for a better look. Pushed all the way back, he spotted a box. Cody smiled to himself as he reached up, pushing up on his tiptoes to get further. His fingers were barely brushing against the edge of it, taking hold of the shelf to pull himself up more. A couple moments passed of strained faces and stretched muscles getting sore before he finally leapt up and grabbed the box. But, as he did, the res of the shelf knocked down onto the floor. 

“Shit,” Cody whispered under his breath. He kept his crackers in one arm as he knelt down to pick up the stuff he knocked down, returning them all neatly to the shelf. Once he was done, he let out a sigh and stood back up, just as he was pulled backwards and his headphones were yanked from his ears. 

The sudden sounds around him were sharp, but not as bad as they could have been. It was just a shock really. Suddenly, he was very aware of a woman beside him speaking very loudly. As Cody turned to look at her, he saw she was the one who took his headphones. Shooting her a weird look, he just went to grab them again, only for her to reel back with them. 

“Hey! I asked you a question!” the woman yelled at Cody, not caring as he flinched at the tone of her voice, “You shouldn’t be listening to music while you’re working anyway. So, do your job!”

Cody was frozen, looking at this woman, still clutching his crackers to his chest. He needed to get away, find Eloise and let her defuse the situation, but he needed his headphones. He knew they were expensive, Eloise had said she emptied her savings to get the best she could afford for him. And besides that, this woman had no right to take what wasn’t hers. Cody shook his head quickly, “I’m... I’m not...” he started.

“Excuse me?” the woman interrupted him, still speaking so loudly that the rest of the aisle was turned to look at her now, “Are you stupid or something? How dare you! I pay your paycheck, so I suggest you do as I say and help me!”

“I said I don’t--”

“I want to speak to your manager then! Since you’re too slow to comprehend what I’m telling you!”

Cody backed against the shelf, the look of fear clear on his face. Frantic, he looked around for some sort of help, but the other customers didn’t seem to know how to react either. One couple seemed to be trying to wave someone down, maybe an employee. But, Cody didn’t bother to notice when he saw Eloise coming around the corner. As soon as he locked eyes with her, she came running over without the cart.

“Cody, there you are,” She said once she reached him, looking him over, “Whats wrong? You look--”

Cody just moved behind her, clinging to her arm as the woman stepped closer to Eloise now, “Are you a manager or something?”

Eloise gave the woman a weird look, “What? No, I’m his mother-- Hey, why do you have his headphones?” she narrowed her eyes now, holding her hand out, “Give them back.”

The woman just sneered, “He can have them back when he helps me like I’ve been trying to ask him to.”

“Help you with what? He doesn’t work here and you’re just scaring him.”

“Scaring him?” The woman gave a hard laugh, “So he’s slow and he’s wimpy. If you raised him that way then I feel sorry for you.”

“Excuse me, bitch?” Eloise stepped closer to the woman, “How dare you talk about my son like that. Maybe if you opened your fucking eyes and cleaned out your ears you’d understand that he’s NOT slow and he DOESN’T work here,” she snapped at her as she snatched the headphones back, getting right in the woman’s face, “Now I suggest you back the fuck off before I press charges on you for harassment.”

The woman stepped back, giving a huff before she turned to walk off, going to complain to one of the managers. Eloise turned back to Cody, placing the headphones back gently over his ears. She frowned, keeping her hands on either side of his head.

“Are you okay?” She asked him, gentle but loud enough he could hear. Cody didn’t speak, but just nodded a few times, though he kept clung to her arm. Eloise just pulled him close to her, laying his head on her shoulder, “Come on, let’s get our stuff and get out of here. Did you want anything else?”

“...Ice cream?” Cody’s voice was quiet, muffled against her shirt, but she could still hear it.

Eloise just smiled, “Ice cream then. Lets go find some.”

[itsagraywcrld]

college life for drabble about

send me something to drabble about

The sky was gray, the clouds heavy with moisture and ready to burst at any moment. The heavy feeling in the air was enough to weigh anyone down emotionally, if not just the women’s hairstyles. Alone up on the bleachers, Eloise sat watching a couple different sport teams utilize the field before it got too muddy from the oncoming rain. Off to the side, as well, were the cheerleaders practicing their routines. It was nothing exciting, but she was socially obligated to be there. Being a sport centered college, it was the most that people kept track of. Even those on the outside. She sat there, leaning into her hand on her knee, wishing it had been the basketball team practicing today instead. At least they would have been inside.

Her eyes drifted down to the side as groups of other students were heading off campus for the day. It was getting later in the day, most clubs and groups had let out by now. Most of the students raised their umbrella’s even though the rain likely wouldn’t start just yet. One caught her eye, one young woman she saw every now and them, and her heart skipped a beat.

Her hair was tied back and she was talking on the phone to someone, but there was a gentle smile on her lips and a carefree look to her eyes. Even from this distance Eloise could see it. Her bag hanging at her side didn’t seem to bother her, though it seemed to be heavy enough with large textbooks. In every way, she was just another ordinary student of the college. But, something in her caught Eloise’s attention and held it. She couldn’t look away, even when she had walked out of sight. Had she seen her before? She was sure she’d remember that face that she couldn’t get out of her mind now. Even if it was just a profile.

Why was she so taken with her, just some random girl she didn’t even know?

“Hey, El!”

Eloise blinked from her stunned stupor and looked over as one of the cheerleaders called out to her. The group of them were walking towards the bleachers. The one in front was the pretty, perky blonde captain. She was pretty, but, not as much as that--

“You’re covering the routine for the pep rally, right?” She interrupted Eloise’s train of thought again, “The teams are all heading out since the rain is already starting. Do you want to tape it in the gym?”

She hadn’t even noticed the mist of rain now suddenly clouding her vision. Quickly, she scrambled to collect up her notebook and camera, before they could be damaged too bad by the rain, “Oh, yeah, yeah. Let's do that. Probably would have been wise to do that from the start. The light is terrible out here.”

The group all headed inside with their equipment, except one of the guys who hung back to give Eloise a hand. He had an umbrella, prepared for the oncoming rain. Eloise smiled up at him, “Thanks, Jack.”

“You seemed distracted today,” Jack said with a grin, “Have I finally caught your attention?”

Eloise rolled her eyes, just smiling as she looked ahead, hoisting her bag up onto her shoulder as she tucked her notebook under her arm, “Keep dreaming. Besides, Miranda is the one you should be watching for. She’s had her eye on you since she joined the squad.”

Jack’s grin just grew a bit more on one side, “Miranda? Well, no offense to you, but I think I might have to look more into that.”

“Trust me, it's no offense.”

One of the few on the cheerleading squad who was also on a sports team, Jack was a fairly decent guy. The very definition of tall, dark, and handsome. Eloise might have given him a chance had it not been obvious the squad leader, the beautiful blonde, was completely into him. Eloise wasn’t about making enemies, especially not when all they were were subjects for the website. It was just convenient that they were all nice enough to her to not include her in the drama as much as they told it to her.

She stopped before they walked in the gym doors and looked back, back the way she had seen that woman go. Even then, as she was trying to focus on her work, she still went back to her in her mind. She could feel Jack’s questioning gaze on her, probably wondering what she was waiting for. She looked back to him before he could ask and just smiled, “You’re good with faces, right?”

“Its a gift, I’ll admit,” he raised an eyebrow, “Why?”

“If I described someone to you, you think you’d be able to tell me if you’d seen them somewhere?”

“Is that what had your attention?” he still smiled, “Another guy caught your eye? Can’t say I remember guys faces as well as--”

“No, it was a girl,” Eloise shook her head quickly, “I think you’d know her if you saw her. I just… I feel like I know her.” She told the lie easily, but she wasn’t sure why. She didn’t know her, but she wanted to.

“You got it, El. I got your back.”

That was the good thing about Jack. He was a loyal friend, one who could find out just about anything she needed to, get places she couldn’t. She couldn’t say for sure what his major was, or if he even had one. Maybe she never asked, but it felt more like he changed it pretty often. His family seemed to be wealthy enough, so at least he had that going for him. Eloise was sure he was just in it to meet all the women he could, whether he was trying to find the right one or not, she didn’t care. He was at least respectful, unlike most.

[itsagraywcrld]

The storage unit door slid up, opening to the space filled with various objects on shelves and tables scattered all around. Books and various objects were organized for many different purposes and subjects. Eloise moved towards the desk off to the right, setting down a new stack of books she had collected recently. Giving a sigh, she sat down in the chair, staring down at them for a moment. 

“I think you got ripped off again,” came Cody’s voice as he walked over with his own stack of books, sitting them beside hers, “These look like just a bunch of fictional stories. I told you that guy was lying.”

Eloise looked up at him. Sure, the kid was always right before. Hearing the voices he did certainly never led them astray, but she didn’t want to believe this time he was right. Not when her gut feeling told her something was here. She pursed her lips as she took one of the books from the top of his stack and opened it, “If you aren’t going to help, then you can just go home. Otherwise, I don’t want to hear any ‘I told you so’s... least not until we’re sure.”

Recklessness is the best way to get killed. Cody rolled his eyes at the whisper he hears, but also to his adopted mother. She was always so determined, but she didn’t listen too well to him. He gave a sigh and just grabbed another of the books, sitting on the ground beside the desk to look through it.

“‘It must have been the first time I ever saw something so beautiful. As if the sun dared to play tricks on my mind, his eyes glittered in its light,’“ Cody turned to a random page, reading aloud the first he saw, “‘I was lost in those eyes, I didn’t even realize how long I had been staring. But he noticed. Without even telling them, my feet took those steps closer, compelled by those eyes as deep as the ocean itself. His lips so soft, I barely noticed the sharp points hidden beneath--’“

“Okay okay!” Eloise interrupted him with a groan, “So, maybe I wasted a couple hundred bucks on trashy supernatural romance novels! But, the guy sold them pretty well!”

“He literally didn’t even have to say much,” the boy laughed, closing the book and tossing it to the side as he looked up, “You were so desperate to find something. I mean, is anything in this place even really real?”

“You hear voices in your head and you’re asking me if this shit is real?”

“...Ouch, but fair.” Bottom. The blank book. Cody squinted and looked up again, “Isn’t one of the books blank?”

Eloise raised an eyebrow, looking towards the stacks. There was indeed one book that had no title or author. When she had originally picked it up, she noticed herself it had been empty inside as well. It struck her as weird in the shop. She shifted the rest of the books off the desk, tossing most of them into a collective discard pile, until only the blank one was left, “Yeah, but, it’s got nothing in it. What can we really take from that except that its really old?”

Cody stood, standing behind her as he watched her flipping through the pages. He just shrugged, “I dunno. But, you picked it up. There's got to be a reason for that, right? Maybe a hidden message or something...” He reached down to touch it, but as soon as he took hold of one of the pages there were several voices yelling at him all at once. Not just whispers, screaming at the top of their lungs. He let go quickly, covering his ears as he stepped back, “Ah! Stop! Shut up!”

Eloise jumped when he yelled, watching him with a concerned look, “Whoa, hey, you okay?”

Cody stood covering his ears until they faded again, shaking just a bit from the sudden onset cold he felt from it all, “Y-Yeah...” he looked at her, but kept his distance, “They...really don’t like that. Whatever it is.”

Eloise looked down to the book, flipping through some of the pages. It didn’t look to her like anything, but Cody’s reaction was enough. She stood, carrying it over to one of the shelves, setting it on the top, “Alright. I’ll have to see if I can find anything. Are you sure you’re alright?” she moved back to him, putting her hands on his shoulders, “We’ve been out all day, maybe we should just go home.”

Cody’s eyes had followed the book to the shelf. He could almost hear the whispers coming from it, even at that distance. They weren’t the normal voices he heard, they were speaking in a different tongue. Whatever was connected to that book was surely stronger than anything else they had found. He nodded, looking at Eloise again, “Yeah, let’s... Lets go.”

[itsagraywcrld]

Cody walked into the apartment and dropped his bag onto the table in front of the couch. Chocolates spilled out of it, as well as a couple folded notes. He seemed to stare at them for a moment before looking up to meet the curious gaze of his mother from her desk across the room. 

“There were a lot of girls who really seemed to want to give me candy,” he furrowed his eyebrows a bit. Most people in his school knew what he struggled with. He was the biggest gossip, after all. The oldest freshman who didn’t even have much of a past to speak of. Most of them were harmless, even helpful. It was nothing like the kind of things he saw on tv since Eloise took him in.

Eloise smiled at him as she stood, walking over to look over his Valentine’s haul. She told him a bit about what he should expect of the holiday, but it seemed like he still came out of it surprised, “Well, look at you. My little stud,” she reached up to ruffle his hair, even as he tried to duck away, “Does this mean there could be someone you...like?” She gave a little gasp, grabbing at a couple of the notes, “Have you got a little crush? Or secret admirer?”

Cody quickly grabbed the notes, shooting her a look as he moved towards his room, “No! Its not like that,” he sighed, “They were just... Really nice. People who don’t normally talk to me, or ones who would just avoid me. It was kinda weird.”

“But, you stayed the entire day this time.”

“...It was a nice kind of weird.”

Eloise just smiled at him, walking over to kiss the side of his head, “See? I told you it would get better. Now, don’t you eat all of that candy at once. You’ll make yourself sick.” 

He just sighed, mumbling agreements, as he gathered it all back up in his bag. He moved back to his room, opening the door.

“Cody?” Eloise called his attention again, raising her eyebrows. Cody looked at her, pausing a moment, before rolling his eyes with a smile and reaching into the bag for a candy bar. He tossed it back to her, which she caught with a grin, “Love ya, kid.”

“Love you too, Lou.” 

[itsagraywcrld]

"Sh-- We're late! Come on, get your coat."

Months had passed since Eloise took in this boy she called Cody. He was a quiet kid, well behaved, but Eloise noticed it really was all that he was. He didn't do anything on his own, and certainly nothing without being told. He was like a toddler, or a puppet. It was so strange. But, he listened. He paid attention and never fought her on anything.

Today, they were headed across the city to see a specialist who might be able to help. Some behavioral therapist who might be able to explain why he was acting the way he was. Cody barely spoke, usually only saying a little at a time, but it was clear at least that he knew and understood speech. He spoke very clearly, as well.

Of course, Eloise had stayed up too late with her research that she slept in a bit too late. Now rushing around, they had no choice to hurry. Driving would be impossible to navigate and find a parking spot in time. She settled on taking the subway. It had been a while, but it was the quickest way and the doctor's office was right next to the station they'd get off at.

Once Cody was dressed and ready to go, they hurried out of the door. Eloise kept a grip on his hand as they headed down into the station, "Stay close to me, okay? It shouldn't be too busy, but there will still be a lot of people. Don't let go of my hand.

Cody had started to grip onto her hand a bit tighter, even clinging more to her arm, but Eloise just hurried to get them past the other people. The last thing she wanted was to lose him in the crowd.

As they descended past the busier areas, Cody started to pull back. Eloise looked confused back at him, "What's wrong? It's just a little further and we'll be on the platform. Come on."

Cody seemed hesitant, a trouble look twisting his face. But, he followed again, much slower now. Eloise tried to hurry him, they couldn't miss this one. But, once they got down to the open platform, one line of train cars passed on the opposite side. Cody gasped, letting go of Eloise to cover his ears. He looked over, watching as it went, but he felt like it was going too fast. How was it going to stop? There was no way it could stop at those speeds. That was when he heard it, far off on the distance, but it was so clear.

The screeching of the brakes, of metal on metal. It filled the space, though no one else on the platform even seemed to notice. There was a flash in his mind of a dark room, the sound resonating off the walls. It surrounded him, engulfed him. He couldn’t escape, he couldn’t run, but he had to. Panic started to set in as he turned back to the stairs, starting to run up them as fast as he could manage.

"Cody! Wait!" Eloise ran after him, hurrying to keep him in her line of sight. More and more people were starting to walk down, then. She started to panic, she couldn't see him anymore, "Cody!!"

Up above the platform, beneath the stairs to the street, there were a few people circled around. They all looked concerned, but seemed to keep their distance from whatever it was. Eloise ran over to them, suspecting she knew what it was. When she got close, they stepped back to show Cody curled up on the ground, clutching his head tight, his eyes shut, his face scrunched up.

Eloise knelt down, slowly moving closer to him, "Cody, hey? It's okay. You're okay."

Cody recognized it was her and opened his eyes a bit. As soon as he saw her, he shifted onto his knees to fall into her, never taking his hands from his ears. He hid his face in her chest as she held him close.

Eloise smiled a little, letting out a sigh of relief, "Let's go home. We'll just reschedule the appointment and drive next time."

[itsagraywcrld]

Leaned into her hand, staring out of the window above her desk, Eloise just let out a sigh. It was a dark, cloudless night, the moon high in the sky by now. She should get some sleep, but the week’s horoscopes needed to be submitted before the sun rose. God... what a boring job. But, it was a steady pay for the time being, something she needed since taking in her new ward. The kid wasn’t any trouble, but it was another mouth she wasn’t expecting to feed so soon. She’d kinda hoped she’d be in a much better home before having kids, maybe with a good husband or... But, life never worked out that way, and she certainly wasn’t tossing Cody out on the streets just so she could be comfortable. She’s already grown pretty fond of him. 

She heard the click from the smaller bedroom door as it opened, glancing over to see Cody peeking out. Eloise just smiled at him, “What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?” Cody’s face was twisted a bit, he seemed upset, but didn’t say anything. He just walked over closer to her, grabbing onto the sleeve of her shirt. Eloise’s face softened, moving her arm around him to pull him closer to her, “Did you have a bad dream?” When he nodded, she just pulled him into her lap and cradled him with his head against her shoulder, “It’s alright, you’re safe here. I promise. The bad dreams can’t get you as long as I’m here.”

Cody just curled into her chest, his breathing even as he listened to her. There was just a nod of his head. He trusted her, she protected him from everything else after all. He just didn’t want to think about the dream he had. The bright, white room, the walls that seemed to shake from the sounds erupting from them, and the ringing. The ringing was still so clear in his mind, it hadn’t quite faded yet. He closed his eyes tight for a moment, taking in a sharp breath as he clung tighter to Eloise’s shirt. 

Eloise kept one arm around him, rubbing at his back as she hummed a gentle song. It was something her mother used to sing for her when she was scared. She couldn’t remember the words anymore, but the melody always stuck with her. Humming it to herself always made her feel better when she was stressed, she thought maybe it would help Cody too. With her free hand, she continued to type out the horoscopes, leaving something especially mysterious in store for Taurus signs everywhere.

It wasn’t long after she finished writing them, finally sending them off, that she realized Cody had fallen asleep again. She looked down, leaning her head over to look at his face. How peaceful he looked, it made her smile. Whatever his dream had been, she was happy it at least didn’t come back. Poor thing. She shifted herself and her other arm under his legs, carrying him. She stood and walked towards his room again. 

He hadn’t been there long, but he certainly made the room his own already. There were cut outs of things from magazines and books hanging on the walls and all over the desk, as well as other things he seemed to have collected from when they went out.  Little rocks, shiny coins, some things that probably should be thrown away or else they’ll start to smell. As well as... Was that a knife from the kitchen on the desk? There was a few of them. Eloise exhaled a sigh as she laid Cody back in his bed. What a weird kid. 

Leaned over him, she pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, but he was still holding on to her sleeve. Fast asleep, yet his grip was still as if he had been awake. Eloise exhaled a laugh, quiet like a breath. She shifted him over a little and just laid there beside him. Cody seemed to feel her close to him again as he curled back up against her again. 

Eloise just smiled, resigned to stay there, and just closed her eyes. She continued to hum the song again until she fell asleep too. 

[itsagraywcrld]

"Eat. I know you've been up all night."

Eloise barely heard the words spoken to her as the toast and eggs were set beside her laptop, along with a fresh cup of coffee. The toast was fairly darker than she usually ate it and the eggs seemed a bit of the rubbery side. It was the normal for them, she tended to work until even the caffeine couldn't keep her eyes open and her adopted son, Cody, made sure she ate. For the last year that was the level of normal they had reached.

Cody heaved a sigh as he watched her continuing to type and scroll without even acknowledging him. He leaned forward over her and snapped his fingers in her face, "Hey, Lou, snap out of it."

Eloise blinked quickly, rocking back in her chair. She seemed to come to her senses, looking around the room. Her eyes settled on the young teen as she felt a sharp pain in her neck, "Ahh... Damn, how... What time is it?"

Cody folded his arms, leaning to one side, "Just after 8. I was getting ready for school, but you--"

"WHAT?! Oh no, you are so late," she quickly jumped up, running towards her bedroom to change into something clean. She didn't have any time to shower, running her hands through her hair to attempt to smooth it out. The pain in her neck made her pause more often then she would have liked, even caused her to bump into the dresser more than once, but she kept moving.

"Cody, why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did-- you know what, nevermind," she rushed back out, running past where he was still standing to grab her shoes and slip them on as she moved towards the door, "There'll be enough time for that in the car. Come on."

Cody still didn't budge, even as Eloise grabbed her keys and opened the door, stepping out, "What are you waiting for? You're late enough as it is!"

"....it's Saturday, Lou."

Eloise seemed to freeze, twisting her face in confusion. He had said he was getting ready for school, right? She took her phone out of her pocket to check the date. Sure enough, there it was. Saturday. She slumped her shoulders as she walked back inside, closing the door behind her, "...Haha, very funny. You got me, okay? Happy?"

Cody just smiled as he watched her drop down on the couch in their living room. He walked over and sat down beside her, "I am. And for the record, I did try to get your attention already. Nothing really worked. I thought this was the only way."

"Clever boy," she smiled back, ruffling his hair until the curls were as crazy as her nerves felt. She relaxed, leaning her head back and just sighed, "I guess I lost track of time. Maybe it's time for a break anyway. Why don't we go get breakfast at the diner on the corner?"

"What about what I made for you?"

Eloise glanced back at the food on the table, how she could smell the burnt toast from there, and just looked back to him with a smile, "I think you need a little more practice before the food is actually edible. Now," she stood, grabbing his arm and pulling him up, "Come on, kid. There's stacks of pancakes with my name on them." She walked back towards the door again, and this time Cody followed suit.

[itsagraywcrld]

This lead wasn’t getting her anywhere-- except lost. The story was very quickly becoming the most confusing case of cat and mouse down deep and dark rabbit holes that seemed to have no ends. Corporations were too good at hiding their secrets, she knew that. But, loose ends still seemed to pop up everywhere she went.

It just was a pain that the loose ends always seemed to be cut off already.

Eloise stopped at the corner to an alley, leaning against the wall as she slipped off one of her shoes to rub her heel. She'd been all over the city by then, talking with people and taking interviews on nearly every major office building. It was exhausting, and definitely not the day to be in heels. She cursed herself for not switching to her sneakers at lunch when she had the chance to go home, instead opting to hurry to another interview for an executive she had spotted in a coffee shop. It might have been worth it had it been someone just a little higher on the corporate ladder.

What did they all have to hide? Human trafficking? Experimentation? Illegal gambling? Every time she got close to one angle, it snapped shut and turned into something else.

Eloise sighed, dropping her foot down after slipping the shoe back on. She leaned her head back against the brick, looking up towards the skyline. She wished, silently, for some sort of sign she was on the right path, humming to herself after a moment, "I don't know who's listening, but you gotta give me something here. Anything. They think I'm crazy enough as it is."

There was a crash somewhere down the alley, but not too far from her. Something had fallen from the fire escape of one of the buildings. She turned to look for it, slowly moving closer when she spotted a bit of movement. A small, scruffy haired, boy had peeked up at her briefly before hiding back down again.

"Hey, kid?" She tilted her head as she moved closer, leaning to look around the dumpster he seemed to be hiding behind, "Was that you that fell?"

The boy took off then, driving away from her before tripping as he tried to dice behind another dumpster further down. He gave a quiet sound, holding his leg while scrunching himself up, hiding.

Eloise hurried over, quickly forgetting about the pain in her feet and the next interviews she had. Before she could get into the boys line of sight, she backed away to the other side of the alley, keeping as far back as she could. She held her hands up as she inched in closer, keeping a smile on her face, "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

The boy looked young, older than 10 but less than a teenager. He was wearing only a long, thick, white shirt that looked almost like a hospital gown, as well as a metal bracelet on his right wrist. The shirt had the word "subject" written in ink across one shoulder, with a handwritten number beneath it. Similarly, the metal bracelet seemed to have the same number on it. She couldn't fully tell with the way he seemed to recoil back further into the wall.

The boys' feet were dirty and cut up, as if he had been running for a while before he got to this alley. His manner seemed frightened, but his light eyes were more curious. He didn't know this woman before him, but he wasn't completely afraid of her.

Eloise lowered herself down to her knees, keeping her hands up, "Where in the world did you come from?" She asked softly. She followed his eyes as he looked briefly from her to the fire escape behind them. It went all the way to the roof, but it just looked like a normal apartment building. She raised an eyebrow, looking at the boy again, "Up there? And before that?"

The boy didn't say anything, his eyes just returning to hers.

"You look a mess, and I'm sure you're pretty cold in just that, aren't you?" She paused a moment, "What's your name?"

The boy stared, confused at her questions. After a moments silence, he just held out his arm with the bracelet to her. The numbers and letters on it read "COD 13" but nothing else. It wasn't really an answer, but maybe it was all he knew.

"Hmm... Well, it almost looks like Cody."

"....Cody," the boy echoed quietly, taking his hand back.

Eloise smiled, "It's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Are you lost, Cody? Maybe we can find where you came from."

His eyes went wide at that. He started to scramble away from her, but slipped on the foot he had already hurt and curled up again, clinging again to his leg.

"Easy!" Eloise moved closer to him, holding out a hand, "Okay, no, we won't find where you're from. Why don't I just take you back with me and we can at least get you cleaned up. Okay? Cody?"

The boy looked up at her again, still skeptical of her words, but his stomach seemed to answer for him. It growled loudly, echoing almost in the empty alley. He looked down as he sat up, putting his hand over his stomach. He returned the gaze up to Eloise, frowning, almost pouting.

"Food is also an option. I should have something at home for you," she held the hand closer to him, "Come on, then. Let's go."

The boy stared at her hand for a long moment before he slowly reached out and took it. He made a face briefly when she helped him to his feet, limping a bit on the ankle he hurt. Still, he clung to her and just followed along through the cold streets, glancing back now and then, expecting someone to follow them.

[itsagraywcrld]

tag dump

ᗷᑌᗪGET ᗰEETIᑎG ¶ Ask Memes

EᗪITOᖇIᗩᒪ ¶ Asks

ᖴᗩIᖇ ᑌᔕE ¶ Aesthetic

ᕼᑌᗰᗩᑎ-IᑎTEᖇEᔕT ᔕTOᖇY ¶ Musing

ᗩᗷOᐯE TᕼE ᖴOᒪᗪ ¶ Eloise 

ᗩᗷOᐯE TᕼE ᖴOᒪᗪ ¶ Cody

ᗷᒪᑌEᒪIᑎE ¶ Ch. Study

ᗩᑕᑕOᑌᑎTᔕ ᑭᗩYᗩᗷᒪE ¶ OOC

ᗩᗪ ᔕEᖇᐯIᑕEᔕ ¶ promos

ᐯEᖇᔕE ¶ Main

ᐯEᖇᔕE ¶ DBH

ᐯEᖇᔕE ¶ Antithesis

ᐯEᖇᔕE ¶ Supernatural

ᐯEᖇᔕE ¶ Supernatural alt 1

ᐯEᖇᔕE ¶ College

ᑕOᑭYᖇIGᕼT ¶ faceclaim

ᑭEᖇᔕOᑎᗩᒪ ᗩᗪ ¶ drabble

ᗯᗩᖇᗪᖇOᗷE ¶ personal style

Ship stuffs

GOᔕᔕIᑭ ¶ eloise x callum

ᑕᗩᒪᒪᑌᗰ ¶ i'm a miner searching for a heart of gold { detroitfortune }