#SecretBond

[lostlandsstories]

Among the Stars

We stood on the edge of the world, alone, surrounded only by the cold glow of stars. Beneath our feet lay an old, fallen log, and above us rose a towering beech tree, as if it were there just to protect us from everything. Under its branches, in that quiet place that felt like it didn’t belong to this world, I felt like anything was possible, even though I knew we weren’t supposed to be here together.Every time I looked at Alfa, I felt the vast space between us — a space filled with prohibitions and secrets, yet something much stronger than all of it. In her eyes, I saw a friend, a person who understood me, who knew everything about me, even though we always chose our words carefully, hiding our feelings. The love that burned between us wasn’t just a matter of passion; it was the connection that makes you feel like you’ve found part of yourself in someone else.“Look,” I said, pointing to the stars shimmering above us. “The universe is watching us. Maybe it even understands us.”She looked at me with that gentle smile, always hiding some secret. “Do you think we’re alone in this world?” she asked softly, almost as if afraid of the answer.I was silent. The universe didn’t seem distant; it was all around us, like an endless witness to the moment we shared. And in that silence, in the space between us, I felt we were part of something beyond words.“Eternity is right here, Alfa,” I whispered, smiling. “In this moment. In us.”And truly, as we stood on that fallen log, under the branches sheltering our quiet connection, I felt this moment belonged only to us. Everything else felt distant — expectations, rules, life outside that canopy. Our secret remained preserved in the silence of the universe, among the stars that were our only witnesses.

[repressedjason]

"it's either handler or fixer, I think. what's a more professional way of saying it, like, crisis management?" why he knew that was entirely because of television, but the moment the other mentioned it he felt a little too flagged. it wasn't even like he'd be bad at it, considering his usual penchant for just... doing what needed to be do- he needed to stop considering a sudden career change. he let a brief laugh escape as the other mentioned not having them come back to somewhere messy. "so what I'm hearing is the other cabins are absolutely gonna end up run down by the end of the week."

"what do they call people that do that professionally? handlers? i think you can make a good career out of that for the future." if he had to assume why jason was so good at that was because he had to do it in the past. was someone in his family not the best? did he have to clean up after himself? kalen was going to have to keep close to him. not necessarily to figure out why, because that was a good person to have on your side. "i can't have the rest of you coming back home to a messy or broken house." while the other was used to cleaning up after others, he was used to fixing things before they even became problems.

[sweetlips-joaquin]

@secretbond

having just gotten out of his fathers office for a quick meeting with him, he was in a good mood - of course, he was almost always in a good mood, even if he wasn't, he'll at least present himself that he was in the best of moods. never letting anyone see behind the eyes how much pain he's going through. picking up the pieces of those around him during these trying times that felt like no one was able to truly catch a break from - joaquin wanted to spend some time with a good friend.

since marcus passed, it's been taking a toll on everyone close to him, so what better way that to get someone's spirt up with a new batch of baked goods, this time a lovely fresh flan he had made for his father and thankfully had some left over.

making his way to kalen with a little skip to his step, the young man came up to his door and used his foot to knock while he held the foil covered plates in hand. brown eyes on display, smile tugging on his lips as he waited, standing in a baby blue crop top, low rise levi jeans and a cute little off pink jock strap just perfectly peaking through. "oh kelen, babes - open up. this is getting heavy!"

[vaderfame]

My dearest, thanks for teaching me to be more #punx, supporting me when no one else would, birthing my love of art and film and showing me how awesome life is when I forgot. I'll look for you in the sky tonight cause now that's where you'll shine bright. Forever in my heart #missyoualready #secretbond

[1tboy]

               manny looked at kalen and nodded. he knew exactly that people would be judging him. he was marcus' best friend, always under his shadow, and a good motive to try and kill him. did he though? if he was being honest, he did wish that his best friend would get what he deserved, that someone would bring him down a peg, but he never wanted him to die, he never wished death upon anyone. did he?

manny looked back at the water, and he watched the still water. it was calming, and perhaps their institution was right when they decided to do this. manny was totally against it. his best friend just died, why would they do a stupid retreat when they were feeling this way. and to be isolated, it didn't sound smart either, but he went along with it, needing some place to at least greave.

" i wish i didn't have the spotlight, " he responded. " like–– everyone expects me to be the goddamn example now. and i just want a damn break. after that tragedy that happened in the fall, and now this.... " he cleared his throat. he was feeling himself getting too vulnerable, and he didn't need kalen to see this. " it's tragic. "

as much as he had his niche of being studious, all throughout his education and well into his law degree, he had to admit so did manny. there was something about him that seemed like a chameleon. kalen was extremely observant. he saw how good manny was in the arts, but also in his studies. that also made him a big target since he took a lot of spots from marcus.

although, that was a dumb move. kalen didn't have him high up on the suspect list. he probably knew that people would be asking a lot of questions the second that marcus died. unless he was completely dense and couldn't think ahead, then he wouldn't risk himself that much. that made him wonder again, was the man just stupid socially?

they all had their secrets. kalen walked around with the hairs on his neck standing up because he always felt watched. what was going to happen if some of his secrets made it out? he was just going to have to be highly distracting.

" good. " that might have been a weird thing to say, but he meant it. he finally sat down at the edge of the dock. " if you were all smiles they'd also call it odd. people are always going to judge. might as well grieve in your own way. "

[repressedjason]

"don't worry about it, as I've said before. cleaning up after other peoples one of my most valuable skills. apparently." a self deprecating snort after the comment, before shaking it off internally. he was good at it, for good reason, and those reasons weren't up for sharing. he did leave some parts of it for others, at least. a quick not as the other pointe out that he'd already handled the main problems presented, and genuinely Jason expected nothing less of the other. "well, it's certainly a relief to hear that's all handled. think you've more than made up for those wrong guesses earlier."

"you know you don't have to be the one that cleans up after them, right? we can make sure that you either have a whole team to help you or don't have to worry." picking up used condoms wasn't on anyone's list of fun. especially with how wild the group of elites could get. even the students that were on scholarship seemed to have a lot to let go of. kalen wondered if there was ever going to be a time where there wasn't a mess to clean up. "there was no coffee to brew and a small leak in one of the bathrooms, but in true kalen fashion i had someone go to the market and pick up some coffee and then someone from town come to fix the leak."

[repressedjason]

"ah, yes, those wild and untamed parties that I basically spent the next day cleaning up after before somebody could actually catch wind of it." again, he saw no reason not to allow amusement to tinge his voice, despite the truth of it. even back on campus he'd never really let his guard drop. just... slipped from how he presented himself at campus, to something more akin to home. cleaning away a mess to avoid anybody's gaze lingering too long on who'd done it. "I dropped my bags off, but didn't really get much of a chance to actually check the accommodations out, anything I've got to worry about?"

"well someone has to keep these blood sucking vultures away from us. we're lucky the tabloids haven't gotten wind of some of our parties." if they did, he'd cut that off faster than an umbilical cord. then he started thinking about how vulnerable some of them were. imagine if this got out when he made partner somewhere? bye bye to his career. "perfect way to kick off spring. have you been to your room yet or did you just explore outside?" both had a lot of places to look out for. the corners of lake george filled with more secrets than any of the students there.

[repressedjason]

"true, but you do seem to have a talent for chasing them off when they get too friendly." not that jason hadn't lerned a trick or two himself over the years. when the image was king and castle, nothing could risk it. the messages alone, whether true or false, were enough mud to spoil it. even if they were, they weren't. none of it could be true. "they did a fantastic job, both the loction and the idea." he was curious of whose parents had paid them off to get this much of a relocation going. of course there were plenty of possibilities, but no chance it was from the goodness of anybodies hearts.

"just because we know better, doesn't mean that the others do. you don't know what eager freshmen is lurking in the bushes for the next hot piece of gossip." kalen scoffed as a sign that he was just joking, but at least half of him was serious. he wondered if there was someone that was watching them in that moment. ready to write something down to text him about later. was jason also receiving texts? god, his mind just needed to shut down for a couple of hours. "they really have no class, do they? at least the view here seems to be nice. the headmaster and the others out did themselves." it reminded him of his trips when he was younger. solace, but beautiful scenery.

[repressedjason]

"please, we both know better than to go rocking the boat at a time like this by spoiling images." kalen offered him an opportunity relax, at least a little. over exposure probably played the largest part in that, a familiar face for too long. of course, it didn't stop the quiet quirk in the corners of his lips as the other's posture remained impeccable, even as the other turned to face him. a brief nod to the first statement, before humming to the second. "depends what we consider interesting. apparently several locations have already been used by our underclassmen. there's a pretty great view from the pier over the lake." if it wasn't spoiled by the sounds coming from beneath it.

"yeah, well don't go spreading that around. you know i have a reputation to keep up." once he realized that jason was the unannounced guest, he closed the book and put tucked it in between him and the couch. he turned only slightly on the couch. enough to face the other man, but not enough where he was going to mess up his good posture. "i'm sure that they appreciate that." his skin was crawling already. "guess you're back because you're done exploring then? find anything interesting?"

[repressedjason]

"in a rare turn of events, wrong on both counts." Jason's tone was light as ever. no weight in it, no force, just an idle comment followed by a brief flicker of a grin. he needed to keep up the appearance if nothing else, the newfound stress not something he was allowed to be affected by. what could he have to fear from some stalker? his steps were steady as he made his way toward where Kalen had been reading, and allowed himself to drop down as well. "already offered my condolences, along with the families."

location: lake george, on the porch of the grad students' house

reading red rabbit by tom clancy was definitely a choice, especially now. a spy thriller wasn't exactly light reading when they were being stalked and now killed off. still, kalen was already more than halfway through with the book and he had just started it on their way to lake george. when he noticed someone else around the house, he looked up and made sure to put his bookmark in the center of both pages. "the headmaster's house is two over if you're looking to offer your condolences." he straightened out his back a bit, always had to look the part of the perfect student. "unless you're just wandering around all lost for fun." meanwhile he counted the steps in between each house already and the steps it took to get to the lake.

[thejockofthewest]

Most   people   would   probably   assume   that   you   never   see   West   do   anything   faster   than   when   he's   playing   a   sport.   But   that's   not   exactly   true.   After   spending   a   grand   total   of   forty-five   minutes   in   the   library   flipping   through   his   text   books   uselessly?   West   was   practically   flying   out   of   the   library.   A   headache   already   forming.   As   he   did   so   with   a   backpack   strung   over   his   shoulder,   he   couldn't   help   but   overhear   someone's   words.   He   looked   over   and   chuckled. 

"Talking   about   this   semester   man?   I   totally   agree.   Ready   to   be   done   with   these   books   for   awhile."   West   said   with   a   groan.   Plus,   he   would   love   to   have   some   relaxation   time   from   sports.   What?   Even   a   jock   needs   some   TLC!   Plus   they   really   cut   into   his   party   time.

location: steps going to lawson library

his laptop was quickly closed when he read whatever the anonymous freak had to say. he thought this shit was over, but apparently not. kalen needed a fix, but now he needed to be careful about what he consumed in public. he took out his pack of cigarettes and popped one into his mouth, lighting it and resting against one of the pillars. he was studying late, again, so it was way past dinner time and he was just now exiting the library.

"i can't wait for this shit to be fucking over."

[1tboy]

               he turned to see who it was that was creeping up on him. kalen, the law student who took academics seriously. manny always saw him in the library just as much as he often did. but manny never really stay as long as he did. he enjoyed a bit of fun, being social. manny never wanted to be the nerdy best friend. he wanted to be in the spotlight too.

manny knew what people were thinking. the moment that marcus died, everyone looked at manny now. he was the closest person to him, and he was pushed into the spotlight that he so desperately wanted. but this was not how he wanted it. not days after the last one died. and then he heard the whispers. did people really think he would be capable of murder?

the answer was yes, they did think it. and it was irritating, feeling like they thought manny was capable. he had his secrets, but nothing that extreme. he never wanted marcus dead, just someone to knock him down a step or two.

" I DON'T CARE, " he responded. " i needed time away. i can't be over there acting like everything is sunshines and rainbows, " he stated. " acting like he's not dead or QUIETLY CELEBRATING... " he sighs.

dealing with the competition of being the top of the class was stressful. for that reason alone he was almost happy to be enrolled in the law program instead of undergrad. he didn't know how his grades would fair with people like marcus and manuel heavy on his tail. now the younger man was probably happy though. on some level, his friend was gone and that meant that he wasn't going to have that constant competition anymore. was that enough reason to want someone dead? for some, it might have been.

even his own relationship with the deceased was strange. while they weren't in the same grade, they still traveled in the same social circles. that meant that he was still a competitor. one of the things that the two of them shared in common was the fact that they were polylingual. he always felt like he had to learn more languages.

kalen was walking aimlessly when he was thinking about everything that happened in the past couple of months. was marcus also being blackmailed? how many skeletons did he have in his closet? he needed to find out, he almost craved to have all of the information. yet there he was, accidentally sneaking up on the new it boy because he didn't see how he was sitting at the edge of the docks. he should've looked down.

" neither is constantly walking away from the group and making yourself a target. " kalen wasn't trying to judge manny, but he did it so naturally nowadays. " i'm sure EVERYTHING IS TOUGH right now, but you really shouldn't be alone . " he was already a mini marcus. the new it boy. did he really want to meet the same fate as him too?