#( i could just have gone with her outer layer and how she portrays herself when surrounded by friends and family and just people in general | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

maddiwrites · 4 years ago

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Secrets of the Shore (Chapter 3)

Pairing: Pogues x OC, Eventually JJ x OC

Summary: This is just my rewrite of the show Outer Banks with my own twist by adding another main character which also happens to be John B’s twin sister.

Note: I’ll be honest, this isn’t my best chapter, so please don’t judge too harshly I swear it gets better!!! (: Again, forever grateful for all the kind feedback. I truly appreciate it. If you asked to be on the tag list and I accidentally forgot, please let me know!

Word Count: 4.3k

Warnings: Slight insinuation to sexual assault.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 & Chapter 4

Like I said before, I'm good at advertising. Although the cell phone towers are still down, making it harder for me to get the word out about a party in the boneyard, I still know how to get around to the other teenagers on this island.

I sneak in an hour of surfing on the beach, afterwards finding Tourons and even some Kooks. These are the best people to go to when you want word to get around. They're rich and live for gossip. They have the internet and cell phone service, which means they can text their friends and send out tweets. And that is exactly what they do when I'm finished talking to them.

Later, I go with JJ and John B to get the kegs. As they work their magic, somehow securing two, I walk around the lot where most kids who live on the Cut hang out, hoping to score cheap booze from a stranger walking into the beer and beverage store. I use to spend a lot of my weekends here when my dad first disappeared. A small part of me still wants to. It was so easy to forget about my life falling apart when I was too wasted to form a complete sentence.

I tell them about the party and tell them to tell their friends and so on.

As I expect, the empty boneyard fills up quickly. To Kie's dismay, almost every kid has a red solo cup in their hand instead of a reusable one by the time the sun sets. Music and the chants of people playing drinking games fill my ears like a bird chirping on a Sunday morning.

Beer dribbles down my chin and onto my pink v neck crop top. JJ has his arm linked around mine, also chugging his drink, trying to down his before me. However, I beat him by one gulp and slam my cup on the sand as triumph.

"Seriously, Mar?" Kie scolds. She picks up my cup and throws it away.

JJ just smiles at me, maybe even looks at me with some kind of pride. It's hard to beat JJ in any drinking match, but I'm his biggest competition. I usually lose against him, but sometimes I have my nights where I'm undefeated.

He points his finger at me, pretending to be mad without losing the smile on his face. He takes a menacing step forward and bends down to lift me over his shoulder. I squeal in surprise and laugh against his back as he swings me around in circles.

When he sets me down, I shove his shoulders playfully. "Looks like you've finally met your match." JJ just shakes his head. "Get me another beer, loser?"

"You're lucky you're cute." He winks.

You can't understand the Outer Banks without understanding the boneyard. It's kinda like a three-layer burrito. There's us and our friends, working-class derelicts. Then, there are the Kooks, the rich second-homers. They're mostly from pouncy-ass boarding schools, just rich trustfarian posers. Our natural enemies. And then, there are the Tourons. Totally clueless. Here for a week on vacation with their families. Chum for the sharks. They're usually my first pick. A night with no attachments and a more than likely chance I'll never see them again.

I walk past Kie, who's sitting on drift wood talking to someone about zodiac signs and horoscopes. And when I pass Pope, I hear him talking about dead bodies and how TV doesn't portray the biological condition of them accurately. I giggle to myself when I see who he's talking to. A really pretty girl who wasn't expecting to get an anatomy lesson from the boy next to her. I make a mental note to work on Pope's flirting tactics.

As I make my way to the back of the beach, I see Sarah Cameron leaning off a fallen lifeguard stand. Her boyfriend, Topper Thornton, is right there with her, trying to get her to come down. Sarah Cameron's known as the Kook princess. Kiara's best friend in the ninth grade, worst enemy in the tenth grade. None of us know why she started hating her all of a sudden. She doesn't like to talk about it so we don't bring it up. However, John B works on Sarah's dad's boat thanks to me.

My teeth clench together at the sight of both of them. The two of them and their friends are the worst Kooks of all. Bad memories prickle my brain like a million tiny needles and the palms of my hands sweat against my solo cup.

I walk to the back of the beach and lean against a tree that's as close to a palm tree as this island is going to see. I like being back here when the sun goes down. It gives me the perfect view of the party. Watching people laugh and have fun because of a night my friends and I put together makes me feel satisfied. Like I did something to make their day a little more enjoyable.

"Now what's the life of the party doing back here all by herself?" A voice that makes every muscle in my body turn to ice says.

I force myself not to look in his direction. My hands clench tighter around my cup until it bends and beer sloshes on my hand.

"Trying to avoid grimy wandering hands from pompous pricks," I say through clenched teeth. I'm surprised my voice isn't as shaky as I feel. "Go away, Rafe."

Rafe Cameron ignores me and moves to stand in front of me. His blonde hair is slicked back with a gel that's probably more expensive than my entire outfit. He's wearing a salmon pink button up shirt and white shorts. The sight of him makes me sick and I don't know if I want to drink more heavily or throw up and call it a night.

"Oh come on, Marleigh. Let's not pretend like you don't want to finish what we started."

I stand up straighter, feeling bile rise in my throat. "I'd rather rip both of my eyes out with a spoon." My insult wipes his stupid cocky grin off his smug face. At first I take it as a compliment, but the look in his eyes chills me to the bone. "Get out of here, Rafe. I'm not going to tell you again."

Rafe jerks forward and pushes me back into the trunk of the tree. His forearm presses against my chest, right below my collarbone. I try fighting him off but he's surprisingly strong. His eyes swing back and forth with craze, his pupils large and dilated. He's gotta be on something. Cocaine maybe. I've heard rumors.

"You think you can talk to me like that? After what my dad did for your friends?"

"Your dad only helped them in hopes to cover up the mistake that you made," I seethe, trying to push him away again. I try to keep my breathing even and my eyes unblinking. I don't want him to think I'm afraid of him. Even though I'm scared enough to vomit on his two hundred dollar shoes. "I owe you nothing." There's a pause as Rafe considers his next words carefully. So I push even harder. "You know, if you keep bringing it up, people might overhear and start to talk. I don't know if even your dad could buy the entire island's silence."

"You seriously think you can threaten me? You're nothing but a dirty walking piece of trash Pogue. No one will believe the Cut's biggest whore." Rafe shakes his head. "Remember that next time you think about talking to me like that."

His words cut through me like a stab in the chest, but I try not to let him see that. I push against him, keeping my face pinched and my eyes unwavering. "I'm not the same girl I was eight months ago," I say, finally pushing him away from me.

Back then I was a messed up girl who's dad had just left after a big argument that resulted in him thinking she hated him. All I wanted to do was drown myself with drugs and alcohol in hopes to forget about him, even if that meant following Kie to a Kook party when she was trying to roll around in the Kook life. I was easy to manipulate and take advantage of...easy to hurt. But not anymore.

"You think I'm above hitting a girl?" Rafe breathes heavily, his hands clenched to his side. I struck a nerve. One more and he might actually attack me.

"No," I say honestly. "I don't think you're above anything...or anyone. Including me - a dirty walking piece of trash Pogue." I use his words against him.

Rafe jerks forward and raises his hand to hit me and I'm ready for the blow and a fight back, but someone's voice forces us to halt, stopping us like she just pressed paused on a movie screen.

Kie watches us with wide eyes and glances back and forth between us. She looks both scared and angry. Rafe doesn't even bother looking in her direction. He's more disappointed that she got in his way.

I stand up straight again and walk past him, making sure to shove him backwards with my shoulder. Kie wraps her arm around mine and pulls me in close as she guides me away from him. She looks behind us one last time to make sure Rafe isn't following us. When the coast is clear, she stops and turns to look at me with a stone cold expression.

"What the hell was that?" She says, trying to read my face. "Are you okay?"

I can barely hear her behind the screaming in my head. Dirty walking piece of trash Pogue. The Cut's biggest whore. Who would believe you?

"Fine," I shrug, feigning nonchalance. I look back to where I was just standing. Rafe's gone, but the nausea he left me with isn't.

"Marleigh."

"Seriously, Kie. I'm fine. Just some unresolved built up resentment coming out full-fledged. I can't say I'm surprised. Now that summer's started, we're probably going to see a lot more of them."

Kie sighs and looks at me sympathetically. I hate that look. "You should tell the boys."

"What? No way!" I snap.

"What if he -"

"He's not going to." I glare at her.

"Why won't you just -"

"So they can think of me as some pathetic little girl who needs protection from some self-centered Kook? Besides, John B and probably JJ will go after him and the last thing either of them need is charges pressed against them."

The noise of people yelling at one another and some cheering stops Kie from fighting back with me. We turn to look towards the water, seeing a crowd form around two people fighting. Dread creeps up my chest. If I had one hundred dollars, I'd bet it all that one of my friends is the center of attention in that crowd.

Kie and I run to them, pushing ourselves to the front. My breath hitches in my throat when I see who's involved. John B and Topper are fighting ankle deep in the ocean, each one getting a few good punches in.

"John B, stop!" I yell. I don't care who started the fight or why Topper deserves to get beaten to shit. If John B gets caught, the two of us are more than screwed with DCS.

"We're suppose to be incognito, remember?" Pope yells at my brother next to me.

"Babe!" Sarah yells at her boyfriend, jerking back and forth, trying to grab him by the shirt to pull him back. But his movements are scrappy. Sarah would just get hurt.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" The crowd around us cheer like it's a high school wrestling match and not my brother, the one that threw them this party by the way. I can't believe people find this as a source of entertainment. Half of them wouldn't even last a second if they were the one's getting beaten to a pulp.

Topper gets the upper hand and throws John B into the water. I flinch from the pain that must of caused to John B's back.

"Hey, John B, don't make me drown you like your old man, all right?" Topper says.

In that moment my vision turns red and a switch flips in my body. I picture my hands around Topper's neck and him begging for me to let him go - him taking back those words.

When I step into the water to reach him, arms wrap around my waist, stopping me from going forward. I glare at the blonde Pogue and try shoving him away from me but that only makes his grip on me tighten.

"JJ, let me go," I grunt.

"Sorry, pretty girl. Can't do that." His lips are so close that I can feel his breath.

John B tackles Topper to the ground and punches him in the face again.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"John B, let it go!" Kie screams. "Stop, you guys!"

Topper kicks John B's feet from under him and just like that, JB is back in the water. The Kook kneels next to him and punches my brother across the face before shoving his head into the water.

"Topper stop!" I yell.

"Come on John B!" Pope yells.

Topper lets John B come up for air before dunking him back in. I feel my chest tighten when I realize what Topper is going to do, whether he means to or not.

"JJ, please! He's going to kill him! JJ!" I cry against his hold.

"Come on, Man!" Topper taunts John B, keeping his head under water.

I'm going to kill him, I think. The second JJ lets go, I'm going to rip Topper apart.

"Topper, stop! No!" Sarah cries.

"Pope!" JJ says, swinging me around before pushing me into our other friend's arms. "Hold her."

"What? No!" I fight back but even Pope is stronger than I give him credit for.

JJ disappears to God knows where and I'm left watching like a stranded duck. I feel useless, like I should be doing more to help my brother. Everything I said to Rafe only minutes ago goes straight out the window. Maybe I am weak and still a girl who needs protecting.

Then the world freezes. JJ holds the gun we found in the motel to Topper's head, not only making Topper pause, but the rest of the crowd too. Pope releases his hold on me and I stumble away from him. I only watch the scene unfold in front of me with wide eyes.

"Yeah, you know what that is," JJ says, clicking the safety off the gun. "Your move, broski."

"Come on!" Pope yells. "Chill dude!"

"Stop! JJ!" Sarah cries. "Put the gun down!"

"Did you say something princess?" JJ turns towards Sarah and points his gun at the sky.

"We're good. We're good." Topper stumbles away from my brother to stand in front of his girlfriend.

The second he backs away, I'm in the water helping John B. I pull his upper back into my lap and push his hair out of his face. He coughs up a couple gulps of water before relaxing against me.

"Kie! Can you check your psycho friend, please!" Sarah yells.

"Okay, everyone, listen up!" JJ addresses everyone else who still watch in fear. "Get the hell off our side of the island!" He fires two bullets into the sky, causing people to shriek and cry around me.

"Are you crazy?" Kie yells at him. "Why do that?"

"I'm saving his life, okay?" JJ yells back at her.

When people begin dispersing, Pope runs into the water to help me lift John B back to shore. He's in a daze and barely able to stand on his own.

The four of them help me drag him back to the Chateau, the party long forgotten. Kie covers John B with blankets and places a glass of water on the nightstand for when he wakes up. I don't say anything as the night wraps up. I'm not mad at JJ like Pope and Kie. He did what he had to do to save John B. Topper could have killed him and the police would probably chop it up as an accident and I would be left with no family.

"You guys should go," I say.

I just want to be alone. Between Rafe and Topper, all I can think about is sleep so I can wake up to a new day. Start over and try again.

"Are you sure?" JJ asks, looking between my eyes to find any sign for him to stay.

As much as I want JJ to stay the night and let me cuddle into him like the night before, it's best if I'm alone. So I reluctantly nod.

"You can stay at mine tonight, JJ," Pope offers.

I offer a weak smile before turning around to lock myself in my room. When I hear the door to the Chateau close one last time for the night, I sigh deeply and stare up at my ceiling. I'm restless, anxious, sweaty. As much as I want sleep, sleep doesn't want me. I toss and turn hoping for a wave of darkness to hit me but it never does.

I glance at my clock. 3:04 AM. I roll my eyes and groan to myself, pushing myself up against my bed's headboard. I tip toe out of the Chateau and make my way down to the dock. I dip my toes in the water and lay back against the wooden slacks. The moon's half crescent illuminates the water, dark with a mystery glint. It's cold against the night, feeling refreshing against my skin.

Even my mind isn't tired. My head wanders with different thoughts. Rafe, Topper, Scooter, the gun...my dad. His words echo through my ears like a skipping record. The night before he disappeared he told John B and I that he might have to vanish for a bit. This only caused a major fight to brew between my father and I whereas John B only nodded and said okay. I think this is why John B still holds on to hope that he's alive somewhere.

John B was always the loyal one to my father. Although they fought almost as much as my dad and I, they were quick to move on and pretend like it wouldn't happen again. Even though it always did. He tried to help my dad keep me on track with school, friends, and other activities. Most of the time, he just joined in on my antics. Sometimes I regret not giving my dad enough credit. He was a single father to Pogue twins with the distraction of his own obsession. My last words to him haunt me every day I pass his office.

"I hate you!" I screamed. I didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing my tears. I wanted him to know I was strong and that I didn't need him. I think my main intention was to hurt him like he hurt me, but I would do anything to take it back.

~ ~ ~

I wake up to the low rumble of an engine and the crunch of gravel underneath some tires. I blink away the sleep in my eyes, looking out into the marsh. The sun is above me, warming the entire island with it's summer heat so early in the morning.

My back aches as I sit myself up. I twist to find the noise that woke me up.

"Shit," I curse when I see the cop car parked in front of the Chateau.

Sheriff Peterkin sees me walking up my yard and waits for me to approach her before barging into my house. I squint against the morning light. Even though I'm not in the mood for a pop in, I actually like Peterkin. She's the only one I trust to do her job right.

"I hope you brought some coffee," I say before opening the door for her.

"This will be quick," She says. I watch her eyes scan my kitchen and living room judgmentally. "Where's your brother?"

I point to his room. Peterkin gives me a look to go first. I sigh, knocking twice on the door before letting myself in. John B is still passed out. Half of his body hangs off the bed. His left eye is officially black and blue, a mark I know Peterkin won't subtly ignore. It's the first thing she sees and gives me a sideways glance. I cross my arms and look away.

John B blinks up at us when he hears our footsteps. His brows furrow in confusion, sleep still fogging his head.

"Get decent, sweetie," Peterkin says. "We need to talk."

As we wait for JB to get dressed, I sit on the pull out couch in my living room, fumbling with my thumbs until he appears, dressed in an open button up and swim trunks. He glances between Peterkin and I for some answers but neither of us give him any.

"Sorry to break in like this," She says, pacing the floor. John B stands next to me with his arms crossed. "But DCS called. They wanted me to check on you. See how you two are doing." Neither of us answer. "So, how are you, besides -" She points to JB's shiner and I hold myself back from rolling my eyes. So far so good!

"Oh, no, I'm - I'm great," John B says, shrugging like our life is just full of rainbows and butterflies. "Yeah, fantastic. Uh... thanks for coming by."

Peterkin just smirks. "I'm so glad to hear you say that, John B, but I heard a few things that worried me. Let me see if I can remember. Oh yeah. One of the things I heard was that your Uncle Teddy, your guardian, hasn't been in the state for three months."

"Yes he has -"

Peterkin cuts me off. "You don't have to say anything. I know it's true. I called the school. They said you used to be a good student," She says, looking at John B. Then she looks at me. "You not so much. But John they say now you're failing all your classes."

"No. No, I'm only failing one and it's history. He's a dick. He's out for me - "

"I heard," Peterkin continues, not giving a damn about John B's bullshit excuses, "there was a fight on the beach yesterday, and a gun was involved."

My eyes snap up to look directly at Peterkin. I feel my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. What else was she going to ask? Would JJ get in trouble? Are we going to jail?

"Okay, gun?" John B plays dumb. "No. Did I get in a dustup? Yeah, but was there a gun? No. No way," He scoffs.

"That's okay I know who it was. I'll get to him. All I'm worried about right now is making sure you're in a safe home."

"Yeah," I say. "Super safe."

John B knocks the table next to him. "Super sound, sturdy. You know?"

"Uncle T's coming so..." I say to get John B to stop talking. He's a lot of things but a good liar isn't one of them.

"That's what he told you?" Peterkin looks at me with a raised brow.

"Yeah."

"If he is coming," Peterkin picks up a cigarette and sniffs it. "I think you should be allowed to stay."

"Thank you."

"But if I stick my neck out for you, you have to help me. Tit for tat."

John B tilts his head in confusion. "What - what does tat mean?"

I squeeze my eyes shut and let my head fall back. I swear I'm going to buy duct tape to keep this boy's mouth shut.

Peterkin ignores him. "Let me see, how can you help me? Oh, I know. So, a body was found in the marsh yesterday. Were you in the marsh yesterday?"

"Yeah," I decide to answer. "We were fishing for some drum."

"You catch anything?"

"Nah, we were skunked."

"Strange," She says, not believing me. "Fishing's usually good after a storm. All sorts of things get stirred up. You come across a wreck yesterday?"

"No." My heart falls deeper, but I try to keep a straight face.

This makes Peterkin sigh and she glances between the two of us. "You two are skimmin' just above the surface. Now, down here is foster care, juvie," She says, dropping her hand to about knee length. "Pretty big drop for smart kids like the both of you." She moves her hand to eye level. "Up here is you and your little friends doing whatever you want. Outer Banks...or foster care on the mainland." I let her threat swim in my brain. "You one inch above the surface, Routledge. If I was you, I'd start flapping my wings." She looks at us one last time, no longer wanting to play games. "Now, you sure you didn't come across a wreck yesterday?" She looks at John B who's more likely to blab than me.

I look up at my brother, warning him that he needs to lie.

He shrugs his shoulder, the lie sliding across his tongue like silk. "Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure."

Peterkin looks between John B and I and nods slowly. "It's better if you didn't, you understand? I'm gonna look the other way as long as you stay out of the marsh." She runs her finger along the wooden kitchen table and rubs the dust between her fingers. "I got dogs living better than this. You might wanna think about cleaning' up."

Peterkin lets herself out without saying goodbye. John B and I don't say anything until her car pulls out of the driveway and only then do we just share a look that says how screwed we both are.

Tag List: @notyourcupofteax @acvross-the-universe @jjmaybankzz @jeeperky @realistic-breadstick @moniamaybank @urbinoutfiters @brebear121

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punkpoemprose · 6 years ago

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Strange Magic- A Kristanna Smut Weekend Fic

Universe: Modern Witch AU

Rating: M (Mature: LEMONS AHOY, oh God I still can’t believe we’re going back to lemons.)

Length: 5104 Words

A/N: Sorry I’m a couple hours late guys! Here’s some smut for day one!

Anna sighed as she put the finishing touches on dinner, flicking her wand to make the salad toss itself, relieved when she didn’t fling lettuce halfway across the kitchen. She had been clumsy lately, or even clumsier than usual. I seemed that even the most basic spells were going awry as of late and after she accidentally caused the water in a customer’s bottle to spontaneously boil as her mind wandered, she decided that she needed to attack the source of the problem.

She flipped the cookbook closed with one hand and with the other, flicked her wand again. The salad bowl ceased tossing itself and instead floated over to the table without so much as a crouton dropping. The massive serving bowl of pasta Anna had just sauced followed it, leaving her to set two places at the table by hand. That was completed easily enough, but as her mind started to wander to other thoughts, the same ones she’d had in the shop just a few days before, she could feel herself growing warm. Kristoff was going to arrive home at any moment, and she was finally going to address the elephant in the room that only she could see, but she was beginning to second guess that Valentine’s dinner was the place to do so. It had seemed so perfect just hours before, but now, as she glanced over at the candle she’d set in the middle of the table and found it wordlessly ignited, she was beginning to panic.

It seemed that she’d burn something down soon if she didn’t address the cause of her sudden lack of focus. She wondered if her parents were rolling around in their graves, the many years of work they’d put in to teaching her and Elsa how to control their gifts all but going up in smoke on her end of the deal. She flushed and imagined all her ancestors back to the old country coming down on her for the way she was losing all control over the sheer idea of getting involved in the sort of magic she’d accidentally found in an old spell book.

When she heard the front door open to Kristoff’s cabin, she squeaked, trying to clear the thought from her mind, and instead found herself accidentally sending a wine glass off the table.

“Anna! Are you..?”

Anna kneeled down immediately, picking up broken pieces of glass from the floor as Kristoff entered his kitchen, still wrapped in his winterwear. She wondered if she could avoid setting her own hair alight as she looked at the way his face was awash with concern.

“Fine! I’m fine! Just clumsy, you know me! Go get undressed and…” She panicked over her word choice and could only become even more flustered as the other glass took a telekinetic swan dive off the table and shatter before his feet.

He stared for a moment, appearing shocked, but it didn’t take long before he collected himself. Anna still wasn’t certain how she had been lucky enough to find him, but when she thought back to the fact that her clumsiness was what brought them together in the first place it made more sense. In any case, she still couldn’t wrap her head about how he was adapting so quickly, always rolling with the punches and learning on the fly when being with her meant accepting the existence of, and frequently ducking because of magic.

Seemingly unperturbed he walked to her, his boots crunching on the remnants on wineglass scattered across his kitchen floor as he went. Anna didn’t fight it when he lifted her from the floor and pulled her into his arms. There was no sense in it. She was embarrassed and anxious, but if there was ever a place she felt safe it was in Kristoff’s arms.

“One, no you’re not,” he said gently as he pulled her even closer and walked them both out of the room, “And two, I’m not letting you clean up glass without shoes on.”

Anna sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck loosely as he walked them both into the Livingroom and sat with her on his lap on the couch. His old sofa groaned as if annoyed to have their combined weight undistributed, and Anna, still befuddled, focused her attention on unzipping his jacket. The snow that clung to him from the wintry February air outside was quickly melting. She knew that she would be doing herself no favors by getting them both wet from his outer layers as God forbid, he took his pants off. She was liable to burn his house down with impure thoughts.

Kristoff, following her lead, pulled his hat from his head and leaned into Anna’s space a bit more to remove his arms from his coat. The garments landed in an unceremonious heap at the opposite end of the sofa and Anna carefully unwound his scarf from his neck and added it to the pile.

“So,” Kristoff said, pulling Anna into a more comfortable position, still on his lap, but with part of her weight resting on the side arm of the couch, “Want to talk about it? If not I’ll assume the house is haunted and sweep up.”

Anna, really not wanting to talk about it, relaxed a bit into his arms and let out a sound that was halfway between a huff and a laugh.

“I’m the only thing haunting your house.”

She wasn’t looking at his face, but she could feel the grin on his face, seeing it in her mind’s eye when he joked in return, “Oh God, someone call an exorcist.”

She couldn’t even muster up the energy to swat at him playfully or come up with a good comeback to his teasing. Suddenly her Valentine’s day plans were seeming even more ill thought out than they were just before he arrived. She really hadn’t known what she was thinking, other than that she really needed to talk with him about something to get her head back straight and that a dinner date seemed like the right way to broach the subject.

She felt his hands move to her shoulders, his thumbs immediately setting off to work at the tense muscles beneath them. It felt good, as it always did when he touched her, and it was barely anytime at all before she felt a warmth wash over her.

He leaned in and she could feel how close his lips were to her ear when he whispered that he was only teasing. The warmth she felt as his breath tickled her neck was concentrated in her lower stomach, and once again they were torn from their revelry, this time by the glass in the photo frame on his end table audibly cracking and falling from the frame.

Anna all but leapt off his lap.

“Anna!”

He hadn’t shouted, but to Anna, already overwhelmed and anxious, it felt like the last straw. She heard something else in the next room over smash, and despite all her plans, she dashed towards the front door, embarrassed and frightened.

She might have had a chance at escape if it weren’t for Kristoff’s uncanny ability to always know what kind of impulsive act she was going to attempt before even she did. By the time she took three steps she was being held by him again, pressed to his chest firmly, but not restrictively.

She was crying, and he was shushing her. She hadn’t been so overwhelmed or out of control in a very long time and thinking of why she was acting so foolishly just made her more embarrassed. It was only when she realized that he was saying something that she started to calm herself down.

“It’s okay Anna, whatever it is, it’s okay. Spell gone wrong, burnt dinner, accidently put love potion in my coffee…again, the end is nigh, really whatever it is, it’s okay.”

That was enough to make her look up at him, refocusing herself by concentrating on the way he was looking at her. He didn’t seem upset in the least, and if it weren’t for the fact that she’d seen him get mad on a few occasions, though never at her, she wouldn’t believe he had it in him. The way he looked at her was calm but warm, his eyes full of concern, but his lips portraying just enough of a smile for her to see that he meant the words he was saying. She had a history of misreading intentions, but Kristoff’s thoughts and emotions were always right there for her, like a pop-up book.

Slowly, but surely she calmed.

“I’m so sorry,” she said despite knowing that he didn’t want her to apologize.

Kristoff shook his head, “Just tell me what’s up Anna. Are you going to be alright?”

She nodded in return. She wasn’t sure that she was going to be alright, but she was sure that if he was going to be more worried about her than all the shattered glass in his house, he deserved for her to try to be alright. She knew why she was freaking out, why she couldn’t get a handle on herself, but it felt ridiculous to speak about aloud.

“I want to have sex with you.”

Kristoff, despite his usual ability to know what she was going to say next, or at least his ability to remain mostly unphased by what she said, all but choked on his words.

He was quick to recover, as he always was, but Anna was cherry red.

“Uh, okay? Like right now? Or dinner first?”

Anna shook her head, emboldened a bit by his surprise and lack of reluctance, “Look… I know that this I going to sound crazy, but it’s not the sex that has me…”

She sighed and took a step back, pressing her hand over her face for a moment before removing it to face him properly. She’d already destroyed half his house from holding it in, it was now or never.

“I’ve been destroying things around the shop, like here with the glass… but it’s because I’m… distracted…”

He nodded, “Distracted about… having sex… with me?”

She nodded in return, “That’s part of it. Well that’s a whole lot of it, but really the issue with my control is because I, um… I found a book… a grimoire really. It was old. I think it belonged to some great great aunt from several generations back, but anyway…it detailed some stuff that, well, no one’s ever taught me before about magic. A bunch of passages about a specific type of magic. Strong stuff, and well once I got into reading what it was about it was too late because I really really wanted to try it and then I saw what it entailed and I won’t say it wasn’t already on my mind, but…”

“So…magic and…”

“Sex magic Kristoff. It was about sex magic.”

His reaction time was back to it’s usual impeccable speed, and when he kissed Anna’s forehead and merely said “Okay”, she was the one left processing.

“Okay?”

“Okay.”

“So, none of that… freaked you out?”

“My beautiful, smart, funny, talented girlfriend wants to have sex with me. Why would I be freaked out? Because there’s magic involved? I mean, I don’t really know what it will entail, but we got together in the first place because of a magic mishap, and I’ve watched you do plenty of spell work, so no. I’m not freaked out.”

“Are you sure… because I accidently boiled water in a customer’s water bottle thinking about it and honestly, I didn’t think you’d take it this well.”

Kristoff grinned mischievously and kissed her forehead again, “As long as you promise not to turn me into a frog we’ll be fine.”

Anna pouted, “You know that’s a…”

“Urban legend and vicious lie,” he said, finishing her sentence with a chuckle before returning to seriousness, “Anna, I trust you. I’ve been ready to get intimate with you for a while and if you want to involve magic, I’m okay with that. It’s just one more thing I get to share with you. You have my consent.”

Anna sighed and the hot feeling she had before returned, this time far more welcomed. “And you have mine.”

***

Anna was in his arms again, her lips pressed against his neck as he carried her to his bed. He wasn’t rushing, despite the fact that she’d nearly destroyed his house and their Valentine’s day altogether with her anxiety and want, he still wanted to take things slow. It was as excruciating as it was sweet, and she wanted nothing more than to get both of their pants off and express her appreciation for everything he was to her.

“So,” he said, breathless and groaning softly as she pressed another kiss just below his ear, “anything I should know before…”

She flushed a bit as he brought them both down onto the mattress. He fell back slowly, positioning them so that she was atop him and he was looking up at her. Scooting until she was comfortable, she got her first feeling of him through the material of both of their pants. He was hard and she was only somewhat used to the sensation. They hadn’t had sex yet in the conventional sense, but there had been plenty of nights where she’d felt him pressed against her bum when they spooned, and a few occasions where they’d touched each other through fabric. She was only starting to realize just how slow they’d been taking it. She wasn’t sure that she’d been in a relationship that went this long without sex since she was in high school.

“Well, um… spells like this are all about harnessing energy and putting it behind an intention. Mine is that the shop will prosper this year, and yours can be your own or the same as mine, whatever you’d like. It’s a ritual so you don’t really need any natural talent to perform it, but I assume it strengthens it. Also, I, um, may have drawn a chalk sigil under your bed… and I cleansed the space with sage and I did some… other stuff, but don’t worry about it. Uh… the only other thing is it works better if we… you know… together.”

Kristoff chuckled and brought his hand up to touch the side of her face gently. Anna leaned her cheek into his palm and with all the lights in the room still on, made note of his blush.

“Anna, I meant…” he trailed off and smiled, pushing himself up until there was no space between them, his lips just mere inches from hers. “I meant anything I should know about you. I mean that’s all good to know, and uh,” he looked away sheepishly for a second before returning eye contact, “No promises on the same time part, but I’ll do my best.”

He pressed a kiss to her lips and she melted in return, kissing him back, her hands moving to his shoulders, a hand reaching up to tangle into his hair. Her fingernails raked against his scalp, and she couldn’t help but to rock her hips into him when he moaned in response to her giving a light tug at his hair. His hands were on her hips, pulling her closer, encouraging her to move against him.

“I wanted to know what you want Anna,” he muttered against her lips, “I wanted to know how you like it. I wanted to know how I could make it good for you.”

Anna moaned and recaptured his lips with hers, he was inhumanly perfect at times. He always seemed to put her first, letting her be herself, encouraging her to chase after the things she wanted, doing his best to bring her pleasure in anyway that he could.

“Ah! Kris, just,” she panted as she broke their kiss, her hips still grinding into his hips. She needed to get rid of the fabric between them. She needed to feel him. “Two things. One, I need you naked… us naked. Now.”

She didn’t manage to get to her second point as he reached immediately for the hem of her shirt and started to pull it off her in record time. She couldn’t help but giggle at his willingness to commit to her command of timeliness in stripping them both of their clothing, and as he tossed her shirt to the side and started to unbutton his own, Anna took to the small effort of unbuttoning and unzipping both of their pants.

When they both made to stand up as quickly as possible to rid themselves of their pants, Anna fell into another fit of giggles. She was sure that they looked ridiculous, nearly tripping over one another in their attempts to remove their clothes.

Kristoff laughed in return, deep and hearty as he managed to shift away enough to tug off his own trousers and socks before turning to help Anna out of the skinny legs of her own pants.

“Your second command?” he asked breathlessly with a lopsided and entirely lovesick grin as he collected her again and returned to their position of his back pressed against his headboard and Anna straddling his lap.

“Whatever you think of… whatever your intention is…” Anna giggled to herself, knowing that Kristoff would likely find her thought more comical than off putting, “Don’t let it be about fertility, okay?”

Kristoff snorted and tipped his head forward to kiss her once again, “I solemnly swear.”

Anna giggled in return, but leaned away from his kiss, “That phrase better not end with ‘that I’m up to no good’ or I really will find a way for your house to end up haunted.”

He grinned devilishly and leaned forward where she leaned back, causing them to fall back onto the bed, giving him the upper hand and a place above her.

“I promise you that I’ll think of anything else,” he said honestly before kissing her lips and working his way, slowly but surely to kiss down her chest and to the space between her breasts where the clasp of her bra lay.

Anna had all but forgotten that she’d put thought and effort into her lingerie. Her focus had been so fully on Kristoff, on what they were about to do that she’d forgotten about all the preparations she’d put it, including a trip to the intimates section of the local department store and a dinner that was getting cold in the kitchen.

He at the very least, seemed to be enjoying her efforts, his lips moving from the clasps to press more kisses around the skin brushed by the tops of the bra’s lacy cups. When he seemed to tire of it he sat up a bit, and looked to her for permission before releasing the clasp, tossing the fabric to the wayside with the rest of their clothes and returned his mouth to her chest. When he captured a nipple in his mouth, Anna felt an electric current race up her spine and bucked her hips up again towards his.

When he chuckled and flicked his tongue, she forgot all about cold dinner and shattered glass. If he’d asked her her name at the same moment, she may have forgotten it too, but he quickly supplied it to her as he went about his work, kissing and licking, sucking and rubbing.

“Anna, you sure you want this?”

It was a cruel teasing question just as much as it was a proper and polite and they both knew it. His interest in her continued consent stemmed not only from his gentlemanly manners, but also from his love of hearing her say that she wanted him. She loved telling him just as much as he enjoyed asking.

She was already unraveling under him, his mouth and one hand only touching her breasts had her hips bucking, begging for friction. She had wanted nothing more than for him to make love to her for a very long time.

“Kris, I need,” she made a frustrated sound to communicate, and he kindly acquiesced, lowering his hips to her so that she could capture a bit of much wanted friction for herself.

She was greedy, spreading her legs and inviting him in closer and closer so that she could feel him, hard and hot above her.

His mouth left her breasts as she moved against him, and his moans mixed with hers as they moved against each other. His mouth was on hers, their kisses wet and passionate. When he broke their kiss to breathe, they were panting together, eyes locked as their bodies rocked together.

She still couldn’t believe that they’d managed to go so long without going any further than they were right now. Neither of them was afraid to have sex with the other, it was neither of their first times, but it had never felt like the right moment until now. She was going to be damned if they stopped now, unless of course he wanted to, but when he pressed into her and moaned from the similarly positive sensation of friction and thin fabric, she knew that he was of the same mind.

Hands that were roaming across his back, playing with his hair, moved quickly over his chest, lower and lower until she met the waistband of his boxers.

“Off!” she commanded, staring into his eyes as she made the demand.

He was more than happy to comply, but once his boxers were off, he turned his attention immediately to getting Anna’s panties off and sending them off to wherever its matching top had landed.

Anna’s eyes, while he rid her of her last remaining layer, were focused on his manhood.

He was much larger than any of the other men she’d been with, that was for sure. He’d always felt big through the fabric of his boxers when they’d touched, but now seeing it for the first time, she was shocked in the most pleasant way possible. She thanked every single deity that would listen and several that wouldn’t, that her clumsiness had lead her to him.

“Anna?”

He was looking at her expectantly, and Anna was struck with the realization that he’d said something while her attention had been elsewhere. She couldn’t find it in herself to apologize.

“What?”

He grinned, clearly aware of what had distracted her. “I was asking if I could eat you out?”

She flushed but nodded eagerly. They had talked more about sex together than they had engaged in and it was something that he’d mentioned enjoying, and something she’d wanted to try. No one had ever put their mouth on her before, but she’d been up at night on several occasions thinking about Kristoff’s head between her thighs.

Taking her enthusiastic consent as it was given, he quickly went back to kissing down her body, starting from her breasts and working his way down her stomach, paying particular attention to the places in which he knew her to be ticklish.

Anna let out a sound somewhere between a giggle and a moan as he pressed wet, open mouthed kisses to her stomach, but the sound was quickly replaced by a sharp intake of air when he moved lower and placed a similar kiss to her sex.

Her thighs clenched instinctively, but his hands were already on them, gently keeping them parted as he put his mouth on her.

His thumb rubbed gently across the skin of her thigh, a gentle touch adding to the overall sensation. It was all too much and not enough at once, but given the gentle prompting of his hands, she spread her legs just a bit more for him, giving him better access and feeling comfortable enough to reach her hand down and tangle her fingers once again in his hair.

He groaned when she tugged slightly at the strands and Anna all but shouted his name when he shifted his head slightly so that his nose brushed against her clit and his tongue joined the game, lapping at her wetness like a man starved.

“Ah! Kris!”

He hummed in return and looked up at her.

Anna knew that she was already coming undone. She had dreamt of his mouth on her, but she’d never imagined all the ways it would make her feel beyond just the physical, and even there she had sorely misjudged just how good it would feel.

She felt like a goddess, seated on her throne, powerful and beautiful as Kristoff’s mouth worshipped her. She’d seen a similar image sketched into the grimoire that brought them here, and if she was being honest with herself, she’d recognize that the thought of this act in particular was what had her so out of control for the past week.

She met his eye and could feel his smile better than she could see it. She moaned and tugged at his hair again, if only to give him some small understanding of how good he was making her feel.

“If you keep that up,” she panted, “I’m going to…”

He understood, she knew that he did, and yet he still shifted his face and took her clit into his mouth and sucked.

Anna had to focus on holding herself back. She cried out and several curses both English and Latin came out interspersed with his name.

He lapped again at her entrance after a moment and then lifted his head.

He looked utterly debauched and Anna, still reeling from personally withheld orgasm, couldn’t bring herself to be even slightly annoyed with him. He looked at her with a lazy smile on his lips, licking them in a manner that nearly drove Anna mad.

“Kris, please.”

He grinned fully then and leaned forward to kiss her.

She could taste herself on his tongue and together they eased into position.

Her shoulders met the mattress once again and she was only slightly confused when he reached up for a pillow and tucked it under her bum. She gave him a curious glance, but he merely smiled in return before lifting her legs up to rest against his shoulders as he positioned himself at her entrance.

He turned his head slightly and pressed a soft kiss to her ankle.

“Ready?”

She smiled and let out a small, breathless, “yes”.

He leaned down a bit and pressed into her.

Anna’s head fell back as he entered her. It was a stretch and fullness that was entirely new to her despite her previous forays into the world of sex. She had a feeling their position had something to do with it, because his face shifted between a state of pleasure and a state of “believe me now?” quicker than she would have thought possible.

She moaned out and chuckled as he moved in her.

“Good?” he groaned.

“Great!” She replied, although the word she was looking for was closer to amazing.

His hands went to her waist, pulling her into him as he thrusted into her. The grip of his hands against her waist only added to the sensation of being covered and filled and Anna could only look up at him in return and moan variations on his name and the same curses from before. She was already close, and from the look on his face she knew that he was as well.

They weren’t virgins by any means, but it didn’t mean that they weren’t keyed up and overstimulated.

“Touch yourself.”

It came out somewhere between a question and a command, but Anna obeyed, the space between them enough for her to comfortably reach her hand down and stroke her own clit. It didn’t feel nearly as good to her as his mouth, or even his hand through the fabric of her panties, but with his hands engaged elsewhere, she made do.

Her eyelids fluttered shut and she felt him grip ahold of her just a bit tighter. He was close, he was holding on for her.

“Fuck, Kris,” she moaned as she touched herself, adding to the sensation of his cock rubbing against just the right spot, “Kris I’m so close!”

He all but growled in return and Anna opened her eyes. He was staring openly at her, eyes dark and full of lust as he focused on her touching herself as he thrusted into her. The way he was looking at her, so in awe of the effect he was having on her, was enough to send her over the edge.

Her lids fluttered back closed and it was only as she felt the first wave of pleasure that she thought, somewhat humorously, of business success.

It was only when her own orgasm ended that she opened her eyes and saw Kristoff looking equal parts exhausted and pleased, looking down at her.

“Did you?”

Anna grinned and lowered her legs back to the bed as he pulled himself from her.

“You know that I did,” she replied, “It was…” she shook her head as he kissed her leg again before collapsing at her side and pulling her close.

“Magical?” he offered, and Anna could only laugh in reply.

“I think we were a couple seconds off on the orgasm timing,” he said seriously as he pressed another kiss into her hair, “think it still worked?”

Anna shrugged, “I don’t know honestly. I guess the only way to know for sure is if we see the results we hoped from the spell. So what did you settle on… just so we can use it as a way to know.”

He chuckled warmly, “I…uh… thought about getting more chances to perfect my timing.”

Anna, rolled over to face him.

“Seriously?”

He grinned sheepishly, “Honestly watching you orgasm Anna… when mine came along, seeing more of that was the only thing on my mind.”

Anna laughed, but couldn’t help but to lean forward and kiss him for it. “You don’t need magic for that, you just need to ask… though maybe it will mean that we get left alone more often.”

Kristoff grinned, “I call that a good use of magic.”

“I can’t argue with that, but next time maybe…”

He interrupted her, “I’m pretty sure the fact that you just said ‘next time’ means it worked.”

Anna grinned and let him pull her closer again. Magic had nothing to do with it, and yet when he kissed her again, it felt better than anything that could ever come from a spell.

#kristanna smut weekend 2019 #lemon #witch! anna #modern witch au #smut #no proofreading we die like men

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canyouhearthechurchbellsringing · 8 years ago

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#41: As Close to the Truth About Ali as I'm Going to Get

01/28/17

FTP: I was actually just rereading entry #7 again before I sat down to upload this one. As I have repeatedly expressed from the start, the original entries do not accurately depict the events they portrayed. Honestly I’m more embarassed I let myself fall into the trap Darek set for me. It seems things have been… reversed, in a sense, now… but you’ll understand once it is all up.

08/28/16

I’m typing this up at the library and saving it to a flash drive I’ll be carrying with me. It’s a half-hour walk here in the hot Florida sun, so I don’t know how often I can work on it, but at least I’ll have the records again. And if I can’t easily write, Darek can’t easily edit. Unfortunately that hasn’t stopped him from screwing with my head. If nothing else, I will be able to record the basics of what I go through as I struggle to discover what has happened these past few months. Once I’m more situated with better web access, I can proceed to flesh out the notes I’ve taken into complete entries. Writing has always been a helpful tool to sort out my mind, especially in times of duress like this where I desperately need to focus on priorities.

08/24/16

I remembered the doorway.

The memories were not malleable. They existed in the peripheral, and vanished when put into focus. Still, its significance acted as a magnetic attraction of sorts, such that it filled me with desire. Secrets, answers, rationalizations for the reason I was so crazy, things inside my mind hidden from itself, all existed beyond the doorway. I’d been there, maybe, but I just couldn’t remember anything behind that damn door.

Then hands reached down and yanked me from my slumber. I jerked into my body haphazardly, in a state of nothing but sensations. Darkness veiled my eyes, a blanket smothered my body, and a distant hum tickled my ears, suggesting electrical appliances. For a moment I felt as though this was the Outer Layer and I was finally beyond the door. First impressions are everything, and let’s just say this one felt to me like another one of Darek’s nightmares-constricted, deprived of sight and sound in a hellish, pressing heat.

I groaned, surprised at how raspy my voice sounded. At least it broke the trance of the whirring appliances; I could hear just fine. I could also feel my body, reassuring me that this was not a dream. I felt liquid pouring from my pores en masse. I wasn’t just sweaty; I was soaked. I tried to uncurl my body from the cocoon of blankets that weighed me down mightily. The effort was in vain. They denied me freedom, all tied and twisted in one another. I reconsidered my suspicion that this was a lucid nightmare, but something in me whispered the idea away. It wasn’t Darek’s voice. It could have been. He can imitate anyone’s voice where he is, be anything my mind can perceive. And as I’m thinking all this and growing paranoid, I’m hyper-aware of the bead of sweat trickling down my left cheek. I let out an exasperated exhale and found it bounced back into my chin. I groaned.

I focused on myself meditatively. I took stock of each of my arms’ positions, bent at the elbow, across my chest. I tried sliding an arm upwards toward my head. It met no resistance. I smiled to myself in the dark. It was a human-sized Chinese finger trap. My hand slid up my throat, over my shoulder, and came fully free, snaking up the right side of my head.

From there it was a simple matter of freeing myself from the trap, feeling along the seams and separating the ungodly amount of blankets carefully and calmly. By that time, of course, my panic had fled and my eyes had adjusted to the dark a bit. I seemed to be in a small room with a bed and some decorative furniture. On my left was an A/C unit which had been the source of the electrical buzzing. I immediately lowered the temperature several degrees. On my right I discovered a bedside table with a lamp on it. Illuminating the room, I saw for the first time a TV across from the bed and a small kitchen area in the back. I was a long way from home.

This is where things got interesting. Beside this lamp I found an index card with writing on it. WELCOME TO YOUR NEW HOUSE. On the lined side, a second message: PREPARE TO HEAR FROM AN OLD FRIEND HAHAHAHAHAHA. In the center of that he had added half a set of coordinates.

WEST 80 16 11.4954

The illusion of the nightmare fell upon me again, harder, as my grasp on reality unraveled. Harder and harder it became to fight off the cloying certainty that this was nothing but a dream, another hallucinatory delusion where I made my home, but it was too visceral. The canonity of it stood stalwart against my hopeful barrage.

I didn’t know what happened in the past few months, wasn’t sure ho much time had been taken from me, but I was able to grasp that I had been yanked out of my home and removed from everything familiar by an ambiguous, intimidating being living in a realm beyond imagination. I stepped out of the motel room. It was no paradise but at least it had cable. Looking down on the street below, I gathered myself. Occasionally, a car would drive by, breaking the silence of the night. My mind latched onto the sound of the cars passing, seeking peace in disorder.

I didn’t know what had happened. I didn’t know what was going to come. I knew I needed to do anything I could, talk to everyone I knew, to figure out what Darek did in the past six or so months. However, it looked like it was the dead of night at the moment, and I did not want to start this journey at three in the morning. Aside from that, I was strangely drained in spite of the bizarre circumstances I found myself in. It felt like I had been awake for a couple days. For all I knew my body had been. I reentered my room after a short period and delved into a dreamless sleep.

The first thing I did upon waking, finding the sun fully risen, was take an inventory of what I had. There were suitcases full of clothes in the corner. The fridge was stocked with plenty of food. There were even a few fantasy novels stacked on the toilet. Darek’s little note sat mocking me on the table. Beside it I had placed the contents of my pocket. This amounted to a wallet and a phone, both of which I did not recognize, as well as thirty six cents (one quarter, one dime, and one penny).

The wallet contained my driver’s license, my college ID (long-since unused and ripe with the scuffs of age), an EBT food stamps card (explaining the stocked fridge), a library card, and six one-dollar bills. I checked the license and it listed my parents’ old address despite looking brand-new. It was replaced during my fugue but held no pertinent info on where I had been or what Darek had done.The wallet looked ratty and worn out. There were a few tears along the edges; nothing else about it struck me as relevant or unusual.

The phone was one of those cheap-looking Verizon phones. It had 266.04 minutes on it and 368 service days left on it. The background was a plain black screen After unlocking the screen I immediately checked my contacts list. I recognized Casey’s number right away nder the name “Stupid Fucking Bitch”; Darek clearly wasn’t fond of her. I tried calling but the number was out of service. There were several names and numbers I did not recognize, such as “J” and “Mike Herb”. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say they were drug connects. The only other numbers in the phone that drew my attention were one marked “Baby” (Darek had a girlfriend?) and a weird string of numbers that couldn’t be a local phone number saved under “K” (2622946016). Aside from the contacts, the storage on the device contained default images and ringtones. I also discovered an installed Twitter app. Darek had apparently made an account in my name on July 27th. I made a few posts but I suspect he has his own plans for it, so I don’t intend to use it for conventional social interaction. The phone didn’t have any of my family members’ numbers or any others I recognized. I was wary about using any of the contacts I didn’t personally know to hunt down information. I would save it as a last resort. From the calendar I learned it was the twenty-fourth of August. A solid half a year had gone by in the blink of an eye.

I had to take a walk after learning that to clear my head. The whole time Darek was humming a song I recognized from the radio by Bob Seger. Maybe just because it was Darek it really unsettled me. Maybe it was everything else on top of it. Whatever the root of my jumpiness, I nearly leapt out of my skin when my phone started ringing in my pocket. Of course the ringtone was the same song. I pulled it out of my pocket. The caller ID said “Baby.” Warily, I pressed the green button.

"Hello?“

"Hey babe. How are you?”

A couple of things happened simultaneously. Shocked by the voice on the other end, I let the phone slip right out of my hand. As that was going on, Darek started laughing. I guess he found some humor in my reaction. I honestly did not expect to hear the voice of a dead girl on the line.

Distantly, in the background, her voice echoed from the phone. “Hello? Are you okay?” Numbly, I groped for the device, my universe turned upside down.

"This can’t be real.“ I whispered. “You can’t be real.”

Confused herself, she responded. “What are you talking about Darek?” Hearing that, his laughter only grew in intensity. I was stunned into silence for a moment. Finally, my mouth remembered how to form syllables and I spoke.

"What did you just call me?“

Cautious and confused, she responded. "Darek? Oh…. oh. Oh God. Mat, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know—”

"What?“ I snapped. "Didn’t know I wasn’t your boyfriend? Well I didn’t know you were even alive, so whatever!”

"What are you talking about?“

The memory rose, vague and fuzzy. It seemed everything from before that lengthy slumber was hazy and unclear. Still, the rush of wind, the blaring horn, the stark cold terror came as easily as an old friend. "My logs?” I managed weakly. “The third or fourth one where I pushed you in front of a moving vehicle…”

Darek’s laughter had subsided, but that comment brought it back on in the distant recesses of my head, a light snicker at some humor I couldn’t perceive through my grand confusion.

"You mean Halloween?“ Ali said, understanding dawning in her tone. "When we had that huge fight and stopped talking… I thought you’d never want to see me again… then Darek started talking to me online, and it was kind of like having my best friend back.”

"Sounded to me like the two of you were a little more than best friends.“

Vividly, clearly, I relived that fateful night again. This time, as I screamed at Ali, I saw her burst into tears, turn, and run off down the sidewalk. The truck passed by, the wind picking up my hair. Nobody died. Nothing else happened. Memory troubles? Darek cooed from my subconscious. Ain’t that a pain?

"Look,” Ali began unsteadily, “I was really lonely and he was there for me. It just sort of… happened. It was as natural as breathing.”

Silence followed. A gnawing question beat at my mental processes as I tried to digest the situation. “Were you in love with him?” I finally asked.

She paused, considering her answer. “Mat… I am in love with him. And you. I love every part of you.” The hot Florida sun beat down overhead as I walked down the street. It all seemed unreal. Here was a girl I thought was dead telling me she was in love with someone who didn’t technically exist. Here was a girl I thought was dead who was now my only hint as to what happened over the past several months. It was too much to take.

"No.“ I managed numbly. "Do not do this to me. No, not you, please. Ali, anyone but you.”

"I’m sorry!“ She cried. "I’m so sorry!”

"That doesn’t change a thing. Everyone’s sorry.“ And it was true. In fact it was something Darek was fond of saying. If human beings were any one thing, it was certainly sorry. The whole lot of them were a sorry excuse for living things.

"So…” she paused, searching for the right words. “Is our relationship over now?”

"As far as I’m concerned,“ I answered coldly, "it never started.” Part of me was happy to know she was alive. But mostly I just knew that I didn’t want her to have any misconceptions about my feelings. I had to be cold and direct. Her silence still made me feel guilty and wicked. I could sense Darek basking in the dark emotions dancing around my head.

"Look, I just—” I began.

She cut me off before I could explain. “It’s okay! He told me from day one that it was only a temporary arrangement.”

The defeated way she said that made me feel like, despite it, she hoped it would have been permanent. “I just… I’m sorry.” There. I said it. “A chunk of my life is missing and I’m desperate to fill it. To understand. Why am I in some random motel? How?”

"I can help you.“ She answered. “But only in the ways he permitted.”

"Oh God.“ I couldn’t help it. "The psycho you fell in love with gave you rules?”

"… don’t make it sound like that.“

I sighed. Any information was better than none. "What CAN you tell me?”

"I have logs.“ She said. "They’re on a flash drive. He told me to send them to you when you… woke up. Supposedly they’re accounts of your time on the Outer Layer.”

The Outer Layer again. Of course. I wasn’t nowhere while Darek was wreaking havoc with my body. I must have been spending my time in the place beyond the doorway. This was the first bit of good news I’d had since waking up and I was eager to pursue it.

"When can you get them to me?“

"Someone’s excited.”

I almost laughed at that. Almost. “Try desperate and confused.”

That elicited a giggle from her end of the line. Between the burning sun and the warm phone against my ear, I was starting to feel pretty hot. Noticing a clump of trees, I proceeded to stop and sit in the shade to cool off a bit.

"Okay, look,“ she said, "I’ll send you what I have ASAP. I’ll send it via eMail. You still have that gMail account, right? Just… sit tight.”

I was already doing that, so it didn’t seem like an impossible request. On a whim, I decided to ask another question. “I don’t suppose you know anything else about my life in the past several months, do you?”

"Sorry,“ she answered lamely. "When I saw you, I had, um… other things on my mind…”

I shuddered to think what she could be referring to. “It’s… okay.”

"You sure?“

I wasn’t. "As okay as it’s going to get. Thanks, Ali.”

"If you need anything…“

"I know.” I hung up and lay back in the grass as cars zoomed by and the world continued to turn. I had a sneaking suspicion this was not the last of Darek’s little surprises. I did not look forward to finding more startling truths out, but I knew I couldn’t just let time waste away. I had a lot of work to do if I wanted any semblance of a normal life back.

I began my trek again in time. Thoughts tumbled around discordantly between Darek and Ali and myself. He played the voices that weren’t my own.

I am in love with him. And you. I love every part of you.

No, Ali, please, don’t do this to me. Anyone but you.

It’s okay! He told me from day one it was only a temporary arrangement…

A few incessant loops of that and I found myself at the library. I already had a card so it was a simple matter to make a computer reservation. Immediately upon accessing a library computer, I looked up gMail.

I tried to open gMail up, but, for whatever reason, the library internet insisted it was inapporriate for a public setting. That just pissed me off. I left the library angry and sick, not looking forward to a long and thought-laden walk home.

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