#( mikayla lockwood rolland ; )

[museswithinx]

“Do you get these nightmares a lot?” ((Will for Mikayla))

Nightmare Starters!

Showing up late to her sibling movie night, Mikayla felt like she was full of excuses lately. Either she overslept or she was so exhausted that her schedule just kept slipping her mind. She wasn't really sure why these vivid nightmares kept occurring but it was getting harder to convince herself that it was only the stress of being so far from home. Surely she would have adjusted by now.

Still, she shrugged it off because she didn't want to burden anyone with such a stupid little thing. Nightmares couldn't hurt you, not really. Fortunately for her, Sam wasn't here so there'd be no horror movies on the board for their viewings tonight. The Amazing Spider-Man won out so she was happy with that selection. As Peter finally reveals his identity to Gwen though, the movie drifts off as she does.

Suddenly she's at a lake with a secluded cabin surrounded by miles and miles of forest. It's very dark out with an unnerving fog settling over the area and the night is eerily silent. All she could hear were the sounds of the lake, which began to pick up as the water seemingly became restless.

"It's not real," she tells herself quietly, trying to keep calm as she allowed herself to look out toward the shoreline. "Just a dream."

A figure began to emerge from the water causing her breathing to pick up in pace. It was just a shadow of a person, she couldn't make out any features, but they were slowly making their way toward shore. Toward her.

"It's not real," she repeats, "It's just a dream."

They had fully emerged from the water. She couldn't see too well through the fog but they were tall.

"It's not real." She closed her eyes willing the figure to disappear.

They drew closer.

"It's just a dream."

The world grew quiet. She opened her eyes and gasped. The figure was close enough now that he was no longer a shadow hidden within the fog. This was a corpse, bloated and decayed with an overpowering stench of death surrounding him. But even through all that she could make out who he was.

"Milo." She whispered, feeling her pulse spike as the corpse of her biological father inched closer to her. "This isn't real," she said, voice shaking before shouting at him as she slowly started backing away, "You're not real!"

Taking a few more steps back, she tripped backwards over a large branch and fell into the dirt with a thud. When she looked back, the figure was gone without a trace. Her breathing began to pick up as she pushed herself back up to her feet, looking around frantically for him.

Mikayla started to run in a random direction, wanting to put as much distance between herself and this lake as possible. Before she even makes it to the tree line though, she runs smack into the zombie-Milo.

"Are you sure about that?" He echoes an answer from earlier, voice sounding unhuman, "Daughter."

He grabs her arm and she screams, suddenly jolting awake with sweat beading her forehead. Her breath came in pants and both her siblings were looking at her wide-eyed and startled.

"Bad dream," she breathes out in explanation, "I'm gonna use the bathroom." She scurries out the room as fast as her legs could carry her and into the bathroom. She splashes some water on her face and tries to calm herself before coming back out. When she finally does, however, both Will and Sawyer are there waiting.

"I'm fine..." She lies even knowing she couldn't fool her siblings. The look she received from both confirmed as much. "It was just a nightmare, okay? Just... I keep dreaming about Milo. It's not a big deal."

“Do you get these nightmares a lot?”

She pauses before shrugging. She wasn't sure why she kept having these nightmares but that's all they were. Right?

"Since coming the college, I guess." She murmurs, "It's not always Milo. Sometimes it's Todd or Hades..." Taking a breath, she knew she probably sounded ridiculous. "When I see them, they're barely recognizable. They're all, like, decayed and gross, but they're scary as hell."

She takes another breath. "I don't know, maybe... Maybe it's just unresolved trauma manifesting in my dreams. Maybe I should've started seeing Olive after all that stuff happened."

Or maybe you're going crazy like your biological mother.

[museswithinx]

❝ slow down, start from the beginning. ❞ (Alice for Mikayla)

A meme forever lost to the hoard

in response to this.

There were a lot of emotions running high in the Lockwood-Rolland household as Mikayla and Sawyer were getting ready to leave for college. It was the start of a new chapter in their lives and while that was a great thing, that didn't mean it wasn't also a little heartbreaking that they would be so far from home. Mom in particular was taking it pretty hard as she helped both girls pack.

While Mikayla herself was a little emotional about the long distance, it wasn't the main reason she'd been so off lately. Overall she was still excited to experience college life and explore a new city. Her worries were more rooted in this blooming relationship she had with Tanner and how it was ever supposed to work out if he was kept in the dark about this other world she was apart of.

She didn't want to bother Mom with all that though. Mom was emotional enough without Mikayla giving her one more reason to be upset. However, in the mysterious all-knowing ways of a mother she picked up on it anyway.

“Talk to me, Mikayla. What’s wrong?”

Sighing as she packed away a few of her art supplies, she tried to downplay it a bit. "It's really not a big deal," she mumbles, "I'm just massively screwing up everything with Tanner is all."

❝ slow down, start from the beginning. ❞

Abandoning her packing for the time being, Mikayla cast her gaze downward as she nervously fiddled with her fingers. "I'm a liar." She said. "There's this huge part of my life that he doesn't know about and I don't know how to tell him or if I even should because telling about me leads to telling him about everything and everyone else. The beast stuff, Hades, Will going miss, Sam and Marlene..."

Shaking her head, she bit her lower lip to keep her emotions in check. The last thing she wanted was to start crying. "It's not like it is with Sawyer and Sam or even Will and Becker. Sam was born into the same world and Becker had at least some idea before he learned all the specifics... Tanner has no idea about any of it. If I don't tell him, then I'm lying and I'll never be fully known with him. If I do, I'm just gonna scare the hell out of him and he might never wanna see or talk to me ever again."

Shrugging sadly, she tried to downplay it again as she returned to her packing. "Whatever. It's stupid."

[museswithinx]

“Being a freak is the best. I’m a freak.” (Will for Mikayla)

𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒

@ask-alicelockwood

In the blink of an eye, summer was nearly gone and fall was fast approaching. Soon Mikayla would be up at MassArts in Boston living in the freshmen dorms a very long way from home. It all felt so surreal and slightly terrifying but at least she wouldn't be truly on her own.

Even as she began packing for this new chapter though, there was something else bothering her more. In fact, it had been bothering her for over a year now and that feeling only appeared to get worse as the relationship dynamic began to change between her and Tanner. Because he was one of her best friends and she had been keeping this huge secret from him.

As that horrible feeling stirred and festered within her, she must have been showing some sort of outward signs of distress because Will picked up on it as he helped her pack.

"It's nothing." She said folding another shirt and setting it in one of her open suitcases.

Will wasn't convinced though. They'd only officially been family for about 2 years now but he'd been her unofficial big brother for much longer than that. He knew her just as well as Sawyer did.

Sighing, she decides there was no use burying her concerns about the blossoming relationship with Tanner. Especially not with her brother. "I'm fine," she starts first and foremost so that he wouldn't shift into brother bear mode, "It's just... Do you ever wish you could just be... Normal? Like an average person... Sometimes I just wish I wasn't such a freak."

“Being a freak is the best. I’m a freak.”

That earned a little smile. Will was such a natural when it came to cheering someone up that she was almost certain he didn't even have to try. "I've always known that," she lightly teases him before shaking her head amused.

Just as quickly as the silly mood appeared though, it became more serious again.

"I'm serious though," she said a little sadly as she dropped a pair of pants she'd been folding. "I've been friends with Tanner a long time and I was so over-the-moon when he reciprocated how I felt about him because it's the first time anyone's really cared about me in that way."

Mikayla had never lacked in any love. Her best friends had always had her back and her family would literally kill for her. However, romantic love was something she'd never seen for herself. She'd admired it in all the people around her but never really thought of it for herself.

"But he doesn't really know all of me. He doesn't know the parts that make me a freak and I don't know how I'm supposed to tell him about them without scaring him away..." Taking a breath, she felt an ache throb in her chest. "I want to be honest. I want him to know me but what if he just ends up... Fearing me? Or hating me. Or both..."

She didn't even want to entertain the thought.

[museswithinx]

“Your hair keeps falling into your eyes, do you know that? Here, lemme just—” (Tanner for Mikayla)

𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 ♡

@ask-alicelockwood

Meeting up with Tanner after work to get ice cream together, they decided to take a walk through the park with their cones and watch the fireworks. It was like a mini-date of sorts. Not quite on the grand scale of prom or even the roller rink but it was still nice as they took things slow.

"Who's your favorite comic book hero?" Mikayla asks him as she takes a lick of her mint flavored ice cream. "Or just your favorite superhero in general? Mine's Wonder Woman." Subconsciously sweeping her hair aside as it blows into her face, she continues. "She was such an icon for me growing up. Like the literal embodiment of strength and female empowerment. One time I remember jumping off the swings with Sawyer and trying to fly like her... It didn't go over well."

Laughing a bit as she pushes her hair back again, she walks on the grass with him to find a good spot to watch the fireworks. "Plus her design is awesome. I've drawn a few of my own for her... You know, to like reinvent the look? Comic book illustration was another career I had considered."

The breeze was a little stronger by water but Mikayla barely noticed it as she decided that this was a good spot and settled onto the grass with Tanner. Continuing to talk all the while. "I'll have to show you them sometime. They're decent re-designs and I even colorized a few of them..."

Some of her hair had blown into her face again but as she went to sweep it back once more, Tanner was quicker.

“Your hair keeps falling into your eyes, do you know that? Here, lemme just—” He said before reaching out to sweep it away from her eyes and tuck it back behind her ear.

It was such a small gesture yet it caused her heart to nearly leap out of her chest at the contact. She had been the one to ask him out, she had held his hand roller skating, she had danced with him at prom and she still went completely stupid anytime he did anything. Maybe it was just the newness of it all and the fact that she really really liked him but the smallest of gestures always seemed to make her swoon all over herself.

"Oh. I, uh..." She said as the color rose in her cheeks and she wished the wind would blow her hair back in her face to conceal it (Or possibly so he would tuck it back again). Great response as usual, Mikayla, she scolded herself. Trying again, she managed to lift her gaze back to Tanner and smile at him. "Thanks." Better.

Holding his gaze there a moment longer, she clears her throat after a moment. "So, um... What are you doing for the fair this year?"

[museswithinx]

[ text; mikayla ]: I want to make sure your corsage won't clash.

[ text; mikayla ]: My suit is pretty standard. I could look for a green tie if you wanted match, though?

( txt ; Tanner ) : Oh okay. Shouldn't be a problem then :) ( txt ; Tanner ) : I'm sure it looks great. Oh, well we could do the matching thing. If you want to...

[museswithinx]

“  need a hand?  ” (Tanner for Mikayla)

a meme forever lost to the hoard

As the shop's busy hour finally let up, Mikayla stepped away from the counter to tidy up some tables before the lunchtime haul began. It was usually Sam's job but since he was still up in Cambridge, her and Sawyer had picked up a few more responsibilities around here. Neither minded as they rather enjoyed their job. The shop was like a little family now. Even if they were currently missing a few of their members.

Grabbing a wet washcloth from one of the sinks, she started at the front of the shop. First piling the empty disposable cups and bunched up napkins on a tray to be thrown away, she starts to quickly wipe the rest of the table down; Accidentally knocking the tray off in the process.

"Damnit." She muttered quietly to herself before sighing. However before she can even lean down to start re-picking up the mess, it was being piled back onto the tray and the tray was being handed back to her. By Tanner.

“  need a hand?  ” He asks.

Just be cool, she tells herself. They were friends but even so she couldn't ever seem to talk to him without turning 50 different shades of red in the process.

"Thanks. I think I can handle it though," she said as she takes the tray from him with a smile. "Unless you're applying for a job here. Then you can totally clean the rest of these tables."

That was real smooth, she scolds herself. Trying to laugh her stupid teasing off, she sets the tray aside to give him her full attention. "So, um, you home from college?" She asks, feeling the blush already creep into her face. Especially as she considered her next ask, which had been something she'd been trying to build up the courage for for awhile now.

"Will and Sam still have about another week, I think. But, um, if you're not busy, Senior prom is at the end of the month. Do you maybe want to go?"

[museswithinx]

‘couldn’t sleep?’ (Will for Mikayla)

A meme forever lost to the hoard

Mikayla was already having something of a rough week. She'd been feeling a bit restless in her sleep the past few nights and then this morning she had slept straight through her alarm clock. Now she'd have to make up the work for the class she had missed and make sure she didn't miss it again.

Her next class wasn't until later in the afternoon so she was relieved when Will invited her to come have coffee with him. He was always really good at turning a mood around so she thought it was on the up.

"Hey," Mikayla greets her brother as she sets her bag on one of the empty chairs at the table. Noting some of the research in front of him, she asks, "What are you working on there?"

It was something for the ghost hunt he was planning for them with Sam. She was normally a very attentive listener, especially with this because she enjoyed the ghost hunts herself, but her focus was all over the place today. Maybe it was the lack of sleep but she felt herself spacing out until Will brought her back to the present.

"Huh?" She retorts as he catches her attention and she snaps back to reality. Blushing a little, she felt bad for not hearing much of what he just said. "Sorry. I'm just... Kinda tired, I guess. The past few nights have been a bit weird."

‘couldn’t sleep?’

"I slept, I just didn't sleep well." She said with a sigh. "Just been feeling kind of restless and having some not-great dreams is all." Gripping her coffee, she took a generous sip. "I think it's just the adjustment to all this." She gestures around them with an arm. "Moving to a new state to go to college is such a huge life change. Sometimes I get home sick, you know? It's a lot to adjust to."

[museswithinx]

‘ The book is bound in human skin… ‘ (Will for Mikayla)

hocus pocus sentence starters

Mikayla had only been in Massachusetts a few weeks now but so far she was enjoying the change in scenery. College life was going great and she had made really quick friends with her film maker roomie Jessica. There was so much to explore in Boston and all the surrounding areas too. In fact, her and her fellow ghostbusters were already scouting out a few places for their ghost hunts. Salem in particular had a history just as dark as Mystic Falls (if not even darker).

"Do you the town torched an actual witch here or do you think it was just another innocent person?" Mikayla mused as her and Will checked out the old remains of what was formerly someone's home.

It was kind of a miracle that this place was even still standing considering all the fire damage to the foundation and the fact that they didn't even need to find the front door to make their way inside. It reminded her a bit of the old witch house back home. It definitely had that same creepy feel to it.

"I wonder why they didn't just tear this down," she said as she observed the remains of what appeared to be an old brick fireplace. "I mean, it's kind of a hazard, isn't it? Maybe they just want to preserve the history..."

Or maybe the rumors of a haunting had just put them off coming anywhere near it. Better to just avoid it completely. Mikayla certainly felt more than just a slight chill in the air being here in this house.

Turning around to express as much to Will, Mikayla pauses as she finds her brother concentrating on something at the far end of the room. As she walked closer to see what he was focused on, she caught the sight of something grotesque-looking. As repulsive as it was to look at, it was strangely the most well-preserved thing in this entire house. Almost like the fire had never even touched it.

"Is that... a book?" She makes a face of disgust as she tries to comprehend what they're looking at. The longer she looks at it, the more uncomfortable she feels. "What is that?"

‘ The book is bound in human skin… ‘

"Please tell me that's a joke..." She said even more repulsed by the book now. Will's face told her that he was, in fact, not making a joke. He wouldn't at a time like this. "So it's like the Necronomicon or the spell book from Hocus Pocus?"

The more she looked at it, the more she could see it now. It looked grotesque because the binding was literally made from human flesh. Shuddering at the thought of it, she turned to Will. "I guess we found our first case..."

[museswithinx]

[ text; mikayla ]: Yeah, but nerdy's good.

[ text; mikayla ]: I'll pick you up in 20 minutes?

( txt ; Tanner ) : As long as it's good then 🤪

( txt ; Tanner ) : 20 minutes. I'll be ready and waiting to go

[museswithinx]

[ text; mikayla ]: there's a couple choices

[ text; mikayla ]: the rialto in mckinley's showing 'the final girls', which is a classic

[ text; mikayla ]: but there's that new 'pirates of the caribbean' remake/requel/reboot playing at the showcase 5?

( txt ; Tanner ) : Those are both solid choices

( txt ; Tanner ) : Am I total nerd if I let my love for Pirates of the Caribbean win out? Even if it is another remake

[museswithinx]

[ text; mikayla ]: got cut early, wanna see a movie?

( txt ; Tanner ) : Totally! What movie are you thinking?

[museswithinx]

Tanner glances over at Mikayla, then shoulder checks to change lanes. He understands that Mikayla's parents would be protective--after everything with her biological mom and the adoption, plus he's older--but there was something about the way they'd both looked at him that was just... unsettling.

Unsettling and so different to what he's used to from them.

"They are a little," he replies.

Mikayla glances in the side mirror one last time to see her parents were still stood on the porch. Maybe a little protective then.

"Something for you and Sam to bond over then." She lightly teases before slipping her hand into his free one.

It was kind of sweet in a way, she thought. It meant that he wanted to be liked by her parents. She was sure they did like him but this was new and they had to approach it differently than before. She did wish she could ease Tanner's nerves about it though. Especially since Will had yet to officially meet him in that way and was likely to have a similar protectiveness.

"I'm really excited," she said changing the subject, "I haven't gone roller skating in a long time. I think the last time was one of SJ's birthday parties in middle school. You might have to help me out on the rink because otherwise I'm gonna look really uncool when I fall."

[museswithinx]

“—How have I never noticed that your parents are terrifying?” Tanner asked as he pulled his truck away from Mikayla’s house to head for the roller rink.

"What? They so aren't," Mikayla laughs as they pull away from her house, both parents still watching them from the porch. "Well, if you ask Sam he'll tell you that my dad is but he's also constantly making trouble so there's that. They're both cool though." Maybe a just a little protective but it was to be expected. "It's just different because the dynamic here shifted but they like you. Trust me."

[museswithinx]

[ text; mikayla ]: I mean, I could just bring you a big bunch of baby's breath? Pretty sure that's some kind of formal faux pas.

[ text; mikayla ]: Cool, see you then.

( txt ; Tanner ) : Might be the wrong occasion for those but I'm all about the thought counting :P

( txt ; Tanner ) : See you

[museswithinx]

[ UNSENT ]: No pressure, though, right?

[ text; mikayla ]: I'll try not to disappoint.

[ text; mikayla ]: Milkshakes and tie shopping sounds great.

( txt ; Tanner ) : as if you could. That's impossible

( txt ; Tanner ) : Ok cool. It's a date then I'll see you tomorrow then :)

[museswithinx]

[ UNSENT ]: Yeah, you look really pretty in green.

[ text; mikayla ]: I'm glad you found a dress you like in your favourite colour. I'll make sure to find a corsage that won't class with your hair.

[ text; mikayla ]: That'd be cool. We can go look for one. Maybe tomorrow?

( txt ; Tanner ) : I hope you'll like it It was definitely a great find. I'm sure you'll pick the perfect one :)

( txt ; Tanner ) : Tomorrow works. Sounds like a plan, yeah. Maybe we can get milkshakes after