#lilith x mary

[wordsmith30]

A parallel I haven’t seen much talk about: how Lilith goes on the warpath for Mary the same way Mary went on the warpath for Shannon (and how they both fall into Vincent’s trap).

Season one Lilith was all about the OCS (or rather her ambition for the Halo). She told Mary not a day after Shannon’s murder that she needed to think about the mission, not her own personal agenda (which was not only hypocritical, but as Beatrice said, unfair). And in that same scene, she dismissed Mary as not being a true member of the team because she wasn’t a nun and didn’t take vows like the rest of them. She was a free agent who operated on her own terms.

But after their tearful reconciliation in the catacombs, Vincent’s betrayal, and Mary’s subsequent disappearance under an army of wraith demons, Lilith’s priorities shift significantly. The start of season two finds her as the new lone wolf as she hunts down Vincent herself. And while the OCS is just as interested in finding him to get to Adriel, Lilith’s only concern is Mary. She’s ready to tear him apart herself, just as Mary threatened that man in 1×02, and then later goes through a whole squadron with her bare hands.

The part that really gets me, though, is Lilith and Vincent’s scene in the car. She’s finally got a lead after two months, finally has a location on Mary. And despite being outnumbered, despite being about to walk into Adriel’s fortress without backup, there isn’t one shred of fear or hesitation. She just tells Vincent to signal the guards. “Put a foot out of place and I’ll –”

“You’ll kill me. I know,” Vincent says.

A small smile plays around Lilith’s mouth. “I won’t kill you,” she says easily. “I’d never take that pleasure away from Mary.”

She gives him a pointed look and Vincent just grimaces before they climb out of the car.

Vincent is jovial as he greets the guards and then gestures to Lilith with an outstretched arm. “I have brought home a friend.”

And Lilith, chuckling, slides right into the embrace like it’s nothing, even putting her head on his shoulder. They walk through the gates just like that, leaning against each other.

It’s such a cruel twist of the knife to think that that’s how they were before. We’ve only really seen Vincent’s one-on-one dynamic with Ava, Mary, and Beatrice, but this ease, this familiarity with Lilith is something completely different. Given her family’s history with the OCS and her claim that she’s trained harder than anyone else, she was probably one of the closest to him.

Their embrace is that of a father and daughter. This was someone she could laugh with, lean on, confide in. Someone she trusted to take care of her. Now it’s just a part she plays on paper so that she can get her real family back.

[ao3feed-avatrice]

Chapters: 1/10 Fandom: Warrior Nun (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva, Sister Lilith/Shotgun Mary (Warrior Nun) Characters: Sister Beatrice (Warrior Nun), Sister Beatrice's Parents (Warrior Nun), Sister Lilith's Mother (Warrior Nun), Ava Silva, Sister Camila (Warrior Nun), Shotgun Mary (Warrior Nun), Sister Lilith (Warrior Nun) Additional Tags: Strangers to Lovers, Angst, Happy Ending, Fluff, Smut, Gay Mess Sister Beatrice (Warrior Nun), Ava Silva Needs a Hug, healing trauma, Bad Parents Summary:

On the run from her parents, Beatrice is trying to start a new life in a new city. But a chance meeting throws her plans into chaos when she stumbles across Ava, a musician by night and couch surfer by day.

An AU where freedom comes in many forms.

[warriornunusa]

@tubi

[pattdork]

Beatrice teaches Ava how to drive: Quick question, Ava. Imagine that Lilith and Camila are crossing the road, what do you hit?

Ava: Lilith, of course! I would never hurt Camila.

Beatrice 🤦‍♂️: The breaks. You should hit the breaks.

Mary from the backseat: I would also hit Lilith...

[whyislenaluthorsohot]

Ava and Shannon being two halves of the same whole. Two bodies brought into the Church, one dead and one alive. Only one walked out. Did Shannon know she was a placeholder? Did she know she wasn't destined to be the hero, but a martyr in the name of something greater?

Shannon and Ava traded lives. Shannon gave her life, the Halo, to Ava while Ava gave her death to Shannon, both done so unknowingly. Shannon was the heart of the Sister Warriors and she passed that down to Ava. Both were the heart. Did Shannon know everything would break without her? Or did she know her sisters would rally with the new Warrior Nun?

Did Shannon watch as everything crumbled and everything she believed in die? Did she mourn Lilith, both in death and betrayal, for she is was her sister? Did she watch as Mary gave her life for her sisters to live, did she feel relief?

Did Shannon watch as Beatrice and Ava fell in love and denied themselves only to watch them be doomed for a Warrior Nun is never truly theirs? Did she see Mary and herself within them and know how their story would end? As another tragedy. Or did she watch them go through trial after trial and believe they would survive? Believed that they would get to live with each other as Mary and she never had the chance to.

Two girls enter a church, one dead and one alive. Only one walks out, the one not expected. Is she the same person as the one alive or different? Two halves of the same coin are always doomed.

[sapphicapocrypha]

𝔐𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱

𝐅. 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐙. 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐑. 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐞𝐧, 𝐋. 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐮

︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵

𝐅. 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠

Mommy!Farah 🥰 — Series

1 | Farah’s Girl - mommy kink, vaginal fingering, praise kink

2 | Little Fairy - breastfeeding, mommy kink, praise kink

3 | Princess - breastfeeding, mommy kink, rough sex

4 | Brave - mommy kink, strap on, praise kink

She's An Actress 📸

Your older actress girlfriend takes you to buy a dress to the premiere of her most recent project—your first public appearance as a couple. When you see her half-naked on the big screen though, you have to steal her away.

tags: edging, semi-public, possessiveness, cunnilingus, sugar mommy, age difference, choking, vaginal fingering

Tea & Cream ☕️

After the Burned Ones have been defeated, Rosalind wants the school back and spikes Farah’s tea with lust potion to prevent her from attending the gala.

Farah x Reader; Farah x Saul; Farah x Rosalind (referenced)

tags: Past Abuse, Lust Potion/Spell, Vaginal Fingering, Cunnilingus, Squirting and Vaginal Ejaculation, Threesome - F/F/M, Porn with minimal Plot, Office Sex, Breeding, Exhibitionism/Voyeurism, Forced Orgasm, Multiple Orgasms, Magic Cock, pregnancy kink, semi-public sex

︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵

𝐑. 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐞𝐧

Dragonbone 🐉 - pegging

Silver Hair, White Milk - praise kink, pregnancy kink, lactation kink/breastfeeding, threesome f/f/m (Ch. 2 only)

Gorge & Rest - Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Knotting, Anal Sex, Anal F!ngering, Blow Jobs, Girl Pen!s, alpha!rhaenys, omega!corlys, References to Mpreg

︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵

𝐙. 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐧

Forbidden Fruit 🍎 - Series (E)

Zelda and Lilith want to have a baby—which is why Zelda takes a fertility potion that has unforeseen side effects. It turns her into a bitch in heat and Lilith struggles to find new ways to please her.

1 | Left Alone - masturbation, DVP

2 | Iron Fist - fisting, squirting

3 | 1 witch, 20 demon - gangbang, DP, overstimulation

4| Hot Waters - water sex, fluff

5 | Dream Cream - consensual somnophilia

6 | walk me like a dog - pet kink

7 | Greendale’s Pride & Glory - glory hole

8 | Guardian Demon - G!P

9 | Fertile Crone - fuck machine, DP, TP, squirting, forced orgasm

10 | Insemination - G!P, womb fucking, cum inflation, cervix penetration

11 | Glowing - pregnancy kink, G!P, fisting

12 | plump - pussy pump, strap on

13 | Sleeping Beauty and the Beast - pregnancy kink, consensual somnophilia

14 | Baby-Mama - mommy kink

15 | so sore - breastfeeding, mommy kink

︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵

𝐋. 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐮

You Must Love Me

[melancholicivywitch]

in the works rn🖤

[breathe-rainbow]

A year since Warrior Nun season 2 dropped on Netflop and you’re mistaken if you think I’ve moved on with my life like a normal human being. Is Dean going to emerge from hiding any time soon orrrr?

[incorrectmadamspellman]

Lilith: Am I right, Zelda?

Zelda: I'm almost certain you're not, but to be fair, I wasn't listening.

[yukiooi]

Ava, looking for something: Have you guys seen my planner anywhere?

Camila, confused: What?

Ava: My planner, I can’t find–

Lilith, laughing: You? Planning shit? Ain't no way–

Camila, slapping Lilith's arm: What does it look like? We'll help you look for it!

Ava: She's beautiful, hot, gorgeous– there she is!

Beatrice, walking in carrying a few grocery bags: Hey.

Lilith: Oh my fucking god.

Camila: I thought...what...? Planner?

Ava, jumping up and down in excitement: CAMPFIRE MARSHMALLOWS!!!

Mary, following behind Beatrice with a sigh: Ava, stop feeding her ideas. She's going to plan all your crazy shenanigans and bring them to life...

Ava, ignoring Mary: You got me pink heart-shaped marshmallows?! 🥺

Beatrice, blushing: Don’t share it with anyone. It's all yours.

+ Last night, Ava told Beatrice how much she wanted to try roasted marshmallows and then ranted about how fun it would be to have a campfire night and roast marshmallows in actual fire. It was just an idea to Ava, but Beatrice the Planner really lived up to her title.

Ava: Crazy idea + Beatrice: Plan said crazy idea

[ao3feed-avatrice]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Warrior Nun (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Sister Lilith/Shotgun Mary (Warrior Nun), Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva, Sister Beatrice & Sister Camila & Sister Lilith & Shotgun Mary & Ava Silva Characters: Shotgun Mary (Warrior Nun), Sister Lilith (Warrior Nun), Sister Beatrice (Warrior Nun), Sister Camila (Warrior Nun), Ava Silva, Mother Superion (Warrior Nun), Shannon Masters Additional Tags: Fluff and Humor, Family Fluff, Team as Family, Love Confessions, Sisters, Slice of Life, Idiots in Love, Soft Sister Lilith (Warrior Nun), Sister Lilith Deserves Love (Warrior Nun), Ava Silva Being Ava Silva, Domestic Fluff, Christmas Vacation, Snowball Fight, Happy Series: Part 29 of Warrior Nun (One-Shots) Summary:

Ava and the rest go to a cabin to spend Christmas. It's pretty much fluff.

[unrequited-luvv]

[kumquatqueenb]

Idk if this has been done already, but this has been bouncing around my head ever since I finished the series a couple days ago:

Adriel: you’ll never beat me! I can’t be slain in this realm!

Ava: Thats where you’re wrong, together we’ll beat you with the powers of:

Ava & Beatrice: love!

Canilla & Yasmine: friendship!

All the OCS & co together: and incredible violence !!!!

[imjustthatbad]

Heyyyyyy yall happy whatever day it is today I don’t know time is a weird soup…anyway it’s been awhile and I figure I’d shoot my shot at getting some more views on this thing I wrote. It’s called fight or flight, it’s not the best and not the worst. It’s been recently completely edited and finished (fucking finally) so if you got the time and got the urge to read a fic then maybe you might give mine a try?

Welp that’s my pitch PEACE!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53057023

[multifandomfix]

Play Nice — Lilith x Mary Wardwell x Reader

Summary: Lilith has never been known for kindness, but when it comes to you and Mary, she tries.

Word Count: 364

Warnings: Trust Issues, Some Angst

Lilith came into the cozy sitting room carrying mugs filled with your’s and Mary’s favorite steaming hot drinks. You accepted yours with a polite thank you and watched as Mary hesitantly accepted hers.

You saw the skeptical look in her eye as she took the tiniest of sips from the mug. You also didn’t miss the brief flicker of disappointment in Lilith’s face at Mary’s mistrust of her.

As Lilith went back into the kitchen, you decided it was up to you to bridge the gap between them. “I know this is all still new, but she’s trying, Mary.”

“Forgive me if I’m hesitant to trust the demoness in matters of human kindness.” It was an unusually curt reply from the rather timid Mary, and that’s what gave away the real issue.

She was scared. Scared of letting herself love Lilith, someone who could so easily hurt or betray her. You experienced that fear yourself, and there had been times you questioned Lilith’s intentions. She wasn’t the most open with her feelings, but in what you’d been able to observe, she had no ulterior motives. She only wanted to be loved like anyone else. And it was that look in her eye when Mary doubted her that said it all.

You understood that Mary couldn’t be expected to trust Lilith overnight, but if she couldn’t find it in herself to try, this thing between the three of you could never truly work.

“Give her a chance, Mary. Kindness might not be in her nature, but that doesn’t mean she’s incapable of it. She’s trying and she’s doing it for us.”

Now, feeling a little guilty, Mary’s expression softened. Perhaps she had been unfair. “You’re right. It does appear that she’s trying.”

“Lilith,” you called. She emerged from the kitchen a few moments later. “Join us,” you invited. You opened your arm for her to crawl under and though you sensed a hesitancy in her, she came over, squeezing between you and Mary and tucking herself under your arm. Even Mary put an arm around her and the three of you cuddled close by the fire, fighting off the chill in the late autumn air.

Forever Tag: @baubeautyandthegeek, @ghostsunderstoodmysoul, @immyowndefender, @valencethefriendlychangeling, @crimsonwidow666, @rebelbossheart, @thedailyspiritualist, @orangeisnttheonlyfruit, @woman-simp, @aperol-with-izzy, @leonoralessoem, @ellepossum69, @lakita-fisher, @nclgsticore, @ayanthegreat28, @analuw, @luvlesavyy, @malfoyfeed, @aliciabrower, @bitchr-mkay, @sparrowspixie

Lilith x Mary x Reader: @320viada, @theroyalgaymess, @lady-darkswan3

[queerfanfiction]

a touch like a sharp and glorious thorn

Chapter 1

Lilith x GreendaleTeacher! Reader word count: 2.2k You're a new teacher at Greendale High that has a crush on Mary Wardwell. However, you notice the change in Mary one day when she shows up with a new wardrobe and new demeanor. Driven by uncovering the mystery, as well as a magnetic pull towards the now bolder woman, you begin to get in over your head. Lilith in Mary's body begins to shows interest in this curious teacher. Perhaps Lilith can use you in her plans. Lilith enjoys the way this teacher gazes at her, how you trip over your words around her, that you seem so corruptible. Lilith plans to do just that…

AO3 link

Your eyes involuntarily searched for Mary across the courtyard, scanning the clusters of students and faculty moving through the crisp morning air. A faint breeze rustled the autumn leaves, sending a chill down your spine that had little to do with the weather. Something felt off. The usual hum of morning chatter, the scrape of chairs in the teacher’s lounge, the distant ring of a tardy bell—all of it seemed muted in the absence of the one person you unconsciously sought out. It was an odd feeling, like noticing a missing piece in a puzzle you hadn’t realized you were assembling. The typically prompt woman had not shown up at Baxter High yet.

Though not terribly close, you knew the brunette’s morning routine—carry an obscene amount of books from her car to her office, walk across the courtyard to the teacher’s lounge for tea, say hello to Assistant Principal Glover, converse with students. She usually didn’t deviate, let alone not show up. In fact, in the six months you’ve been at Baxter High, Mary had never been absent or tardy. This realization made your stomach twist uncomfortably.

Your growing fascination with the woman began after running into her in the school library when you were researching the Greendale Thirteen for an assignment you planned to create for class. Mary’s keen eyes were scanning the same time period that you had been poring over. Her genuine and unassuming nature immediately endeared her to you. You two geeked out about various under-researched historical archives. Greendale locals usually were not interested in hearing you blabber on about negotiating queer personhood in New England puritanical culture. Actually, you had to remember to not bring it up in your hiring interview with Principal Hawthorne. Mary was the only teacher that didn’t wince when you spoke up in a faculty meeting or suggested differing approaches to the curriculum. In fact, she made it a point to listen with rapt attention every time you shared information with her.

That day in the library, Mary had not only guided you toward the best resources but had also offered you access to her personal collection in her office. Your deep blush seemed nonsensical at Mary’s innocent and generous proposal. I mean, it was a small gesture, yet it left you flustered. You hoped she didn’t notice. You’ve already been heckled enough about being an “outsider” in Greendale; you didn’t need to add “awkward creep” to the list as well.

Still, that moment had stayed with you. From then on, whether by coincidence or subconscious design, you found yourself seeking Mary out, drawn to her presence in a way you couldn’t quite explain. 

That was just the kind of person Mary Wardwell was. A kind, witty, soft-spoken soul. You didn’t mean to memorize her routine, only to occasionally run into her again by what some would say happenstance, others would say orchestrated intervention. Immediately feeling as if you crossed an invisible personal boundary or line, you gathered your notebook from the table in front of you and began walking back to your classroom—heaving a disappointed sigh.

Classes passed slowly. You started to understand the restlessness of certain students who felt confined in the classroom. When the lunch bell finally rang, you welcomed the chance to not be “on” and engaged with or needed by students.

Rounding the corner from your classroom into the corridor to go to the cafeteria, your eyes settle on the outline of someone in a fitted dress with high heels and thick, blown-out hair. Since you both headed in the same direction, you followed behind them and wondered what this rather polished person was doing at the school. Maybe they’re from the school board? After a few turns in the halls, it seems the figure ahead is moving towards the same place as you. It’s not until they reach the door to the cafeteria building that the polished person glanced back while opening the door.

Mary Wardwell.

Shock briefly sets in and outlines your features. Your mouth is agape, and your muscles freeze. You’re not sure what to make of the warmth set ablaze deep in your stomach. Mary is out of view before you’re able to comprehend her makeover or call out to her.

—

The moment she vanished into the cafeteria, you blinked rapidly, trying to piece together what you’d just seen. This was Mary Wardwell, wasn’t it? She’d always been well-dressed, sure, but this was something else entirely. Her usual demure cardigans and modest, vintage skirts had been traded for an ensemble that seemed to walk the line between chic and... commanding. 

Forcing your legs to move, you pushed open the door she had passed through, stepping into the entrance of the lunchroom. Your eyes scanned the crowd of students and staff, searching for her. It didn’t take long. Mary—or whoever this newly radiant figure was—stood by the faculty table, holding court. That was the only way to describe it. 

Her posture was different now, more regal. She exuded an air of confidence that felt magnetic, her movements calculated and almost theatrical. A group of students, normally too cool to pay attention to teachers, lingered near her, hanging on her every word. Whatever she was saying, it had them enthralled. Assistant Principal Glover walked past, glancing her way and offering a polite smile. She acknowledged the assistant principal with a nod so imperious it could have made royalty jealous.

You hesitated, clutching your newly picked up tray tighter as you debated whether or not to approach her. It would be odd not to say something—after all, you’d been friendly with her for months. But this Mary... something about her made you feel unsteady, almost like you were trespassing on sacred ground.

When she finally noticed you hovering, her lips curved into a slow, deliberate smile. It sent a shiver up your spine—not unpleasant, but entirely unnerving. 

“Well, if it isn’t the brightest addition to Baxter High’s faculty,” she said, her voice smoother, silkier than you remembered. Mary tilted her head, her dark eyes scanning you in a way that felt far too intimate and a bit discerning. “You seemed lost for a moment there.”

“I, uh...” You stumbled over your words, taken aback by the sudden attention. “I just... didn’t recognize you at first. You, um, you seem… different.”

Her smile widened, but there was something sharp at the edges of it. “Change can be good,” she said, her tone enigmatic. “Don’t you think?”

You nodded in agreement, struggling to find your voice as the intensity of her gaze held you in place. She gestured for you to join her at the faculty table, and before you knew it, you were sitting across from her, your tray untouched with no food. Every word she spoke, every gesture she made, seemed to draw you in further. The room faded around you, your focus narrowing to her and only her.

“Tell me,” she said after a while, her voice a low murmur, “how are you finding Greendale so far? Our little town can be... peculiar.”

There was a glint in her eyes, something like amusement and indignation. You took a moment to respond, the warmth in your chest growing, twisting into something you hadn’t experienced in Mary’s presence before.

“It’s been an adjustment,” you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. “But I think I’m settling in.”

“Oh, I’m sure you are,” Mary chimed, her smile returning, this time softer, almost... fond. “You strike me as someone who adapts quickly. Someone who... pays attention.”

Your cheeks burned at her words, and you quickly dropped your gaze to your tray. When you looked back up, her expression had shifted, the fondness replaced by something darker, more calculating. There was an incisiveness in her eyes that you definitely didn’t know how to interpret.

Your breath caught in your throat, your pulse thrumming in your ears as if your body sensed something your mind had yet to grasp. A cold prickle ran down the back of your neck, clashing with the heat still lingering in your chest. You swallowed hard, forcing yourself to steady your hands as an undeniable certainty settled into your bones.

And just like that, you were sure of two things:  This was Mary Wardwell, but also... this wasn’t Mary Wardwell. 

She looked like her, sounded like her, but there was a newfound security and confidence in her presence, an aura that drew the eye and refused to let go. The woman before you radiated something almost unearthly, like she had unlocked some hidden well of assertiveness and power overnight.

The Mary you had come to know was warm, a bit reserved, an intellect wrapped in soft-spoken musings. But this Mary—this version of her—carried herself as if she had been walking through the halls of Baxter High for centuries rather than years, as though the very air around her had shifted to accommodate her existence.

The way she looked at you now was different too. There had always been kindness in her eyes, a sense of camaraderie, an understanding that you were both outsiders in a place that often felt too small. Now, her gaze held something more complex, something more potent. There was a challenge in it, a dare, as if she were silently studying you and probing at your boundaries.

The rest of lunch passed in a haze. You weren’t sure if you actually ate anything. Every movement, every word exchanged with her felt like a game you didn’t quite know the rules to. Lilith—though you didn’t yet know that name—watched you with an intensity that made your stomach twist into knots. Every flick of her gaze felt like it was peeling back layers of you, searching for something hidden beneath.

As the bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch period, she rose gracefully from her seat, smoothing down the deep burgundy dress that hugged her figure in a way Mary’s usual attire never had. She leaned down slightly, her voice a near-whisper by your ear. “I do hope we’ll have more chances to talk, my dear,” she murmured.

Your breath hitched, and then she was gone, moving through the cafeteria with the same effortless poise, students and faculty unconsciously parting to make way for her as if she were something divine. Something other.

You sat frozen for a moment before finally shaking yourself out of it, gathering your things with slightly trembling hands. What the hell was happening? You’d had a crush on Mary Wardwell before, sure. But this… this was something else. This was a fixation taking root like ivy creeping along a wall, something insidious and slow but utterly impossible to ignore.

—

The second half of the day blurred together. Your students’ voices felt distant, your own lectures like echoes of someone else’s words. More than once, you found yourself glancing toward the door, half-expecting to see Mary standing there, watching you with that knowing smile.

When the final bell rang, you were exhausted, but the thought of going home felt impossible. You needed answers.

Your feet carried you almost of their own accord to the faculty wing, down the dim hallway that led to her office. You hesitated in front of the wooden door, hand hovering above the polished brass knob. What exactly were you going to say? That you’d noticed something was different? That she’d completely unraveled you with a few well-placed words and glances?

Doubt gnawed at you, and you chose to head to the library instead.

The library was practically empty, save for the soft hum of fluorescent lights and the occasional rustle of pages from the librarian tucked away in a distant corner. You exhaled, relieved. The last thing you needed was an audience to your madness.

You pulled out a thick volume from the shelf. Psychological Phenomena and Personality Shifts. It was the first logical choice, right? Flipping through the pages, you skimmed for anything that might explain the change in Mary.

The woman you had once known had been the kind of person who hesitated before she spoke, always weighing her words. Now? There was no hesitancy anymore—only certainty, sharp and unyielding.

Then there were her eyes.

Mary had always had dark eyes, but today, they seemed bottomless. Like if you looked too long, you might fall in and never climb back out.

You shook your head, turning the page. Dissociative identity disorder? Trauma response? None of it fit. This wasn’t someone losing themselves. This seemed like someone who had stepped into more of themselves, someone who had embraced their power.

Your fingers hesitated over the spine of another book—Greendale’s Folklore and Urban Legends.

You swallowed hard. It was ridiculous. But ever since moving to this town, you’d heard the stories. People whispered about witches and demons like they were real. You’d brushed it off logically. Instead you considered the historical significance and social norms from those eras. Those kinds of things meant a lot for scholars studying the past.

And yet…

You thought about the way Mary’s voice had changed, richer, silkier. The way people instinctively moved aside for her now. The way she had looked at you in the cafeteria all amused, like she knew something you didn’t.

You reached for the book. If there was something strange happening—if there was any chance that the woman you had come to admire was in trouble—then you needed to find out the truth. — Let me know if you'd be interested in being tagged for future chapters!