#no because tell me why I sweat my eyebrows off and only get a 75% like this is preposterous

[forgetmenomore]

When I get marks for that one subject:

That subject is gym. When I say that I get "good grades" (big forehead = big brain), physical education does not count in that statement.

[heauxplesslydevoted]

Resentment Ch. 1 (Ethan x MC)

Summary: After 2 months of not seeing each other, Ethan and Naomi do not have a pleasant reunion.

A/N: So...I’ve been writing this for the past 2 weeks. Open Heart 2 is ripe with angst and untapped drama. Tbh, this is my 5th draft, and I kept deleting and writing, and deleting and re-writing this, and I had to step away multiple times, as this was probably be one of my more draining fics to write. But anyway, if you’re still reading this long winded ass note, thank you lol. And enjoy, as always!

Tags: @ao719 @x-kyne-x @paulfwesley @ramseyandrys @choicesobsessedd @a-i-n-a-a-s-h @perriewinklenerdie @doroshi-desu @aworldoffandoms @thatcatlady0716 @drakewalker04 @canknot @lapisreviewsstuff @akacalliope @senseofduties @badchoicesposts @ethandaddyramsey @the-soot-sprite @chasingrobbie @zodiacsign1 @choices-lurker @miyakokurono @trappedinfandoms @dr-nancy-house @adrian-motherfucking-raines

~v~

Seeing Ethan Ramsey again nearly knocked the wind out of her. It feels like she saw a ghost. But here’s here, at Donahue’s, strolling through the garden as if this is any other night. As if he didn’t disappear off of the face of the earth for 2 months.

Naomi didn’t plan on having such a visceral reaction to seeing him, but she has little to no control over her body these days. Her heart speeds up, beating twice as fast, a cold sweat breaks out, starting at her forehead, and there’s the flip of her stomach and unmistakable taste of bile rising in her throat.

‘Do not throw up,’ she silently begs herself. ‘Do not throw up. Please, keep it together, Valentine.’

The chant doesn’t work, the nausea hitting her hard, like a wave crashing against the shore. She jumps out of her seat, ignoring the looks of confusion from her friends, and makes a beeline to the restroom, pushing past the other patrons at the bar. She barely makes it into a stall before she’s on her knees, emptying the contents of her stomach into a dirty public toilet.

Naomi isn’t sure how long she’s like this, embarrassingly clutching the toilet, but a knock at the stall door breaks her out of her trance. “It’s occupied!”

“It’s Sienna,” the voice on the other side says softly. “Can I come in?”

“Yes.”

The door swings open slowly and Sienna attempts to squeeze into the small space. It’s a tight squeeze, but she manages to make it work.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Naomi mumbles weakly. “You didn’t have to follow me.”

“Yes I did,” Sienna argues. She helps Naomi to her feet and pulls at the roll of cheap toilet paper. She bunches it up and wipes the corner of Naomi’s mouth. “You’re as pale as a ghost.”

“I feel like I’ve just seen one,” Naomi quips back. “Let’s just say I did not expect to see Dr. Ramsey here tonight.”

“You didn’t know he was coming back?” Sienna asks. “I thought you two were close.”

Naomi thought they were close too. But she got ghosted. It was jarring, going from sleeping with Ethan and openly flirting with him, to him being her boss again, to him disappearing and cutting off all communication within a span of 3 days. “I thought we were too.”

“How do you think it’ll be, working with him tomorrow?”

“I have no idea what to expect,” Naomi replies honestly. “Hopefully the rest of the team is nice.”

Sienna lifts Naomi up, helping her stand on her feet again. They exit the stall and Naomi washes her hands furiously like she’s about to perform surgery.

They walk out of the bathroom, Sienna with a protective arm around her friend’s waist. The rest of their friends are now inside, at their usual booth.

They all stare at Naomi, and she hates it. Now they’re probably going to think of her as the weirdo who threw up upon seeing her boss (an ex-lover, though not everyone is privy to that information).

“You just missed the wildest shit,” Bryce says, almost breathless. “Dr. Ramsey and Dr. Thorne nearly got into a fight!”

That was the last thing Naomi expected to hear. “What?”

“Thorne was being a real creep, and he tried to feel up some young girl. He touched her and she broke his hand!” Elijah exclaims. “He got loud and rowdy, he pushed her down, and Ethan came out of nowhere, swooping in like freaking Batman. I thought he was going to snap Thorne’s neck at one point.”

“Where is the girl?” Naomi asks. 

“She ran out of here as soon as she could.”

“I hope she’s okay,” Naomi murmurs, mostly to herself.

“Are you okay?” Bryce asks. “I’ve never seen you get sick before.”

“Whatever virus is fermenting in your body, please keep it away from me,” Jackie says, not even giving Naomi the chance to respond.

“Jackie!” Sienna tsks in annoyance. “Have some compassion.”

“She’s either drunk or it’s the stomach flu,” Jackie says with a shrug. “She’ll survive a little teasing.”

“It’s okay, Sienna,” Naomi insists. She loves her friend’s protective nature, but it really isn’t necessary. “You don’t have to go into mother hen mode.”

“Fine. But I’m making you soup after work tomorrow.”

“Deal.”

Reggie announces last call, and the gang starts talking about their post-bar plans. Be it getting food, going downtown, or just going home. Naomi drowns out the conversation as her eyes settle onto Ethan. His back is turned to her and Naomi notices that he’s the only one left at the bar while Reggie is cleaning up.

“Does last call not apply to you?” Naomi asks, getting his attention.

“Reggie and I go way back. We have an arrangement,” Ethan says simply.

“An arrangement.” Naomi rolls her eyes as she repeats the words. “Is that what you call a friendship?”

“I don’t have friends. But...I wouldn’t mind you joining me if you were so inclined.”

Naomi weighs her options. She can go home and put this night behind her, or she can stay out with Ethan. And actually talk to him.

She turns back to her friends. “You guys go on ahead. I want to check in about tomorrow with Dr. Ramsey.”

She doesn’t believe that excuse for one second. And if her friends don’t believe it either, they don’t say anything. Sienna just tells her to not stay out too late, before they all leave, going their separate ways.

Once they’re gone, Naomi joins Ethan at the bar. She looks at, really looks at him. He’s still the same handsome guy, just more...rugged. He’s much more tan than she remembers, it looks like he’s gained weight—muscle, not fat—and he’s sporting an entirely new look.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a brand new Ethan Ramsey,” she muses.

Ethan looks down at his green jacket, a vast departure from the sweaters and button ups he usually wears.

“This jacket’s been through a lot with me,” he explains, toying with the sleeve.

“I like it.”

She doesn’t miss the way he perks up at the compliment, almost as if he was hoping she’d say something. A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Duly noted. And the beard?”

Ethan doesn’t know why he needs her stamp of approval so badly, but the validation she gives him feels nice. He likes to know that she thinks he looks good.

“It looks good on you,” Naomi answers honestly. Ethan scratches the beard, his fingers flying towards it unconsciously at her words. He nods, soaking in her praise.

“I’ve gotten used to it.”

Naomi looks around as an almost awkward silence settles between the two of them. She’s now actively aware of the fact that it’s just the two of them, alone.

“Why don’t we move this outside?” Ethan suggests, some of the tension dissipating. “It’ll be winter before we know it. Might as well enjoy the weather while we can. You want something to drink?”

Naomi’s stomach flips at the mention of alcohol. “You know what I want? A cup of ice water.”

Ethan’s eyebrow quirks up at the answer. They’re in a bar and she wants...water? He shrugs but heads behind the bar, nonetheless. Grabbing a Pilsner glass, he fills it to the top with ice and he also finds a bottle of water. He hands them off to Naomi. “For you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” They make their way outside. It’s so quiet now that everyone is gone. It feels peaceful. Ethan drops down in a chair near the fire pit and Naomi joins.

“I can see why you like it here.”

“Because nobody’s annoying me?” Ethan jokes.

“More or less,” Naomi concedes. “It’s peaceful.” Ethan nods in agreement. “So...how was it, being in the Amazon?”

“It was quite the experience. It kept me on my toes.”

“Fighting an epidemic in a different country sounds...thrilling. And scary. You’re brave for doing it.”

Ethan snorts. Naomi always manages to see the best in him, even when he doesn’t deserve it. “That wasn’t bravery.”

Naomi looks down at her lap. “You didn’t keep in touch. Two whole months without any form of communication seems extreme, don’t you think? Especially after everything that’s happened with us?”

“Everything that happened between us is exactly why I didn’t contact you.”

“192,” Naomi says. 

“Huh?”

“192. That’s how many times I’ve called you in the past 2 months. I also sent 75 texts and 30 emails. You could have responded to at least one of those.”

Hearing the numbers out loud makes Naomi feel ridiculous, like a stalker. And Ethan just feels...awful. He remembers his chest going tight every time he saw her name flash across his screen. He remembers the restraint it took him to not call her back, or reach out in any way. He needed to stay away. It was for the best, for both of them.

“Naomi, if we’re going to work together on the diagnostics team, we need a fresh start. Your professional development is too important to jeopardize it with whatever...what is was that we had.”

Ethan probably would’ve been better off taking this glass of ice water and throwing it in her face. The callousness in his voice chilled her to the core. “That’s how you’d describe it? As ‘whatever’?”

Ethan sighs heavily. Of course his relationship with the younger woman meant something to him, but if he was going to be her boss, they needed boundaries. There had to be a line.

“Pouring my heart out to you on multiple occasions and vice versa, secretly saving our boss’s life, you bringing Mrs. Martinez’s son to my ethics hearing, the sex, it all just culminates to a...whatever. What? Is what we went through just a casual experience in the life of Ethan Ramsey?”

“Of course not, but Naomi, I can’t go down this road with you again. We need to have a reset if things are going to work.”

She doesn’t know why the word ‘reset’ makes her laugh, but it does. She laughs, hard, almost maniacally, until her sides hurt and she can barely breathe. Ethan says nothing, staring at her in confusion.

“You know what, Ethan? Fuck you.”

That catches him off guard. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me loud and clear. Fuck. You. You’re a coward. And a runner. You run at the slightest hint of something being hard, or if you have to face your own emotions and vulnerabilities. You run off, drinking yourself silly and keeping your head in the sand, and then you come waltzing back as if nothing happened, but guess what? Life still happens. There is no reset, no do-overs, no pauses. Time still moves forward.”

Tears prick the corners of her eyes and she wills herself to not cry in front of him. He doesn’t deserve any more of her vulnerability. She doesn’t know why it hurts so much, but it does. The idea of him moving through life as if what they shared was minuscule and insignificant burns. It causes a sharp ache in her chest she didn’t realize she had the capacity to feel.

“While you were in South America, ignoring the almost 400 pieces of correspondence I sent, I was still here, still dealing with shit, still caring about you, worrying about you and your safety every fucking day. I don’t have the luxury of turning my feelings on and off whenever I see fit, and I don’t get to delude myself into thinking I can turn back time.”

How many times are they going to play this game before she realizes she’s always going to be the loser? She and Ethan get close, he rejects her but leaves just enough space and opportunity to keep her hanging on.

Naomi wraps her arms around her midsection and slightly curls into herself. Not even her own embrace is soothing at this point. The rejection stings, and she feels...stupid. Why does she keep holding out hope for Ethan, hoping he’ll want her the same way she wants him? Why does she keep coming back, waiting diligently like a little puppy, nipping at his ankles for the slightest bit of attention? Maybe she’s just a glutton for pain.

“If you want to hit the reset button, you can do it by yourself. I’m not playing that game with you.” Naomi abruptly stands up, clutching onto the back of her chair for stability. “Goodnight.”

Panic settles in his chest. He doesn’t want things with her to end like this, with her hating him. He wants her to stay. He wants to take back everything he just said. “Naomi, I–”

“Save it!” Whatever he’s about to say, whatever line it is that’ll feed her just enough false hope to keep hanging on, she doesn’t want to hear it.

After gathering her belongings, she turns on her heel, looking for the exit. Her entire body is rigid, defensive and ready to strike at any given moment, and she feels like she’s going to throw up again, which is something she truly does not have time for.

She’s fully prepared to walk away from him with whatever shred of dignity she still has, but she stops herself. She turns around, facing Ethan again.

“I called you a lot while you were gone. I left countless voicemails until your mailbox was completely full. Did you listen to any of them?”

“I haven’t listened.” Ethan feels ashamed by the answer, and he refuses to meet her big doe eyes, opting to look at the ground.

Naomi doesn’t dwell on the answer. She shakes off the hurt, and powers through.

“Last Wednesday, at 5:21 am, I called. You obviously didn’t answer, and I left a message. I’ll set the scene for you because I’ll never forget the moment. I was sitting in my bathtub, crying, almost hysterically. It was the type of crying that gets Meryl Streep and Viola Davis Oscar nominations, the kind that makes you feel sick to your stomach. But I live with 3 other people, so I had to sob into a face towel until the worst of it passed. And then I called you. Logically, I knew you probably weren’t going to answer, but I figured one last Hail Mary couldn’t hurt so I did it anyway. 

In the voicemail, I practically begged you to talk to me. To answer at least one of my calls. It was so...desperate. And pitiful. The old Naomi would rather get buried alive than to ever be so emotionally available and needy, but I didn’t care. In that moment, I needed you, I needed solace that I thought only you could give me, but I know now that it won’t happen. You’re way too emotionally stunted and unavailable.”

She inhales, something shaky and full of vulnerability, and every bone in her body is screaming out to just shut the fuck up and turn away.

“But you didn’t answer, you didn’t acknowledge it, and I was just absolutely gutted,” Naomi continues. “Because had you answered that call, or called me back some time that day, I would’ve told you that I’m pregnant.”

With that confession, Naomi visibly deflates. It feels like a crushing weight has been lifted off of her chest.

But Ethan feels the exact opposite. Unable to move, he gapes at Naomi. “You-you’re what?”

“Pregnant. 9 weeks, 5 days. It’s the size of an olive at this point, and before you ask, yes, it’s yours.”

Paternity hadn’t even crossed his mind at this point. He’s still stuck on the fact that she’s pregnant. 

“So while it hurts to know what you want a reset, and to pretend we didn’t share anything, it is also literally impossible to do so,” Naomi says with a humorless chuckle. “But don’t worry, I’ve received the message loud and clear. See you at work tomorrow, Doctor. Oh, and congratulations.”

Ethan watches as she leaves, even though he calls her name, asking her to stay. His chest feels tight like someone is squeezing him from the inside, and he struggles to inhale. The revelation stifles him, and he can’t get his bearings.

Unable to do much else, Ethan falls back into his chair. Despite trying his damnedest to get things back on track, it feels as if he’s made everything so much worse.

[livelovelaug-h]

My best friends sister

Summary/ request: Hey could you do a hyde imagine where Kelso has this sister no one knows about but she decides to visit and since she grew up around a lot of brothers she's like this cool chick with a motorcycle and Hyde gets interested. (Can you also interpret kelso's anger when hyde flirts with his sister) ps. I love your writings

A/N: I hope you like this. Sorry it took so long I've been having problems at home nd then my phone was being a bitch Lol. Thank you so much for saying that I never thought ppl would love my stuff haha.

@forest-rav3n 😁😁

Hyde x reader 

Eric forman's kitchen

June 10, 1977

Eric: ''kelso you don't have a sister." 

"Yes I do." 

"Then why haven't you ever mentioned her in, I don't know; about 12 years." Eric said, sarcasm dripping like sweat. 

"Well she went to live with my aunt so I saw her on weekends mostly." Kelso said opening a coke bottle.

"Why'd she move in with your aunt?" Fez asked. 

"I don't know, but my dad always said it was because there were too many boys in the house. I just thought she was a robot. Or a young astronaut."

"Yeah because 5 year olds can definitely fly in space." Hyde said. 

"See I knew it!" 

"No you mor-" 

There was a motorcycle sound and a lady drove up on Eric's driveway. She turned off the motorcycle and took off her helmet shaking her hair. All the guys were in shock, drooling all over except for Kelso. 

"… sweet sweet beautiful woman." Fez said. 

Kelso opened the slide door. 

"Hey you're finally here!!" He gave you a hug. All the other boys walked out of the kitchen finally. 

"Wowww sweet ride. Maybe you can ride me" fez says wiggling his eyebrows. 

"Ah you must be fez." 

"Oh my... you know my name!" You giggled.

"No way, man you ride this?? a triumph x-75 hurricane??? This is sooo sweet."

"Yeah I got it as a Christmas present."

"That's awesome and hot." 

"Thanks haha not the only thing I got for Christmas. I also got a nice stash."

"Nicee."

"Wait, you got a moustache?" Your brother asked.

"No.." 

"I'm Hyde by the way." He stuck his hand out for you to shake.

"Nice to meet you. I'm y/n."

You turned to the last boy. "So that leaves you. Eric forman right?" You shook his hand too. 

"Yep that's me."

"Or what I like to call him 'scrawny little neighbor boy." Hyde said, making you laugh.

"That's funny, Well it's nice meeting you all. I've heard a ton of stories about you guys, and the basement."

"Ah yes many things go on in the basement. Bad things" fez says winking.

"Fez stop creeping her out. I think she's cool enough to be a new member of the circle, man. what do you guys think?" Hyde says with a mischievous smirk. 

"The circle?"

                       ~~~~

 You were so high. 

"Oh now I get why it's called the circle!! Cause we're sitting in a circle! That's genius." 

"Wow I can't believe you're kelso's sister. You're so cool." Eric says. 

"Hey! Guys i'm cool too you know."

"Yeah you are Kelso, but you don't have breast." Fez says looking at you seductively. 

"Come on dude she's more than just that she rides a bike! Oh wait, I know who's your favorite band."

"Queen and Led Zeppelin of course!" 

"No way. Mine too!! Man, Marry me." You laughed.

"Alright alright, enough flirting with my sister okay. She's not going to be interested in any of you. Tell em y/n." 

"I don't know about that, they say once you go fez you never go back." You laughed hard. 

"That was a good one Fez. You guys are really cool, no wonder Kelso was barely ever home." 

"Yeah that and the ladies." Eric said playing with a yo-yo.

"You got that right! We did a lot of things back then, none that I can remember of right now. A lot of fire crackers were involved. And hhahaa Eric, remember that time we knocked your neighbors fence down?" 

"Ah yeah those were the good times. He deserved it man!!"

"He was such a jerk." 

"Yes he was. But guys I'm starving who else wants some food?" Eric asked.

"I do." Everyone said nonchalantly.

                     ~~~~~ 

"Mom, this is Kelso's sister. Y/n." 

"Oh wow I didn't even know you had a sister. Nice to meet you sweety." 

"Nice to meet you too Mrs. Forman. There's a good reason for that but I'll save that for a different time."

"Hey y/n, whatcha wearing under that leather jacket?"

"Hyde it's making me really uncomfortable that you're flirting with my sister."

"Oh.. well in that case, y/n what are you wearing underneath that leather jacket?" You just laughed.

"Hyde! That is so disrespectful to women." 

"Yeah like you're ever respectful to women. Even when you have a girlfriend."

"Wait Michael you never told me you had a gf." 

"Her name is Jackie and she well.. she's a rich spoiled brat." Eric said. 

"I have to go but I'll see you guys again tomorrow. And you better tell me about your gf."  You punched your brother's arm just like Hyde has done several times, just not as hard. 

"Ow." You walked out of the forman residence.

"Bye y/n, bye sexy." Fez spoke the last part, of course. 

"Man, y/n is so awesome. And hot." 

"Hyde!" 

Fez: "Well he's not wrong."

~~~~

The end!!! 

Should I make a second part?? I can always make another part if you want and enjoyed this.

[inkstainedfanfics]

Ethereal Skies

Summary: Waiting for a comet to scorch the skies, you and your best friend, Theseus, spend a night in a hammock outside, closer than you’ve ever been before.

Word Count: 3,364

Pairing: Theseus x Reader

You have friends, you have best friends, and then you have Theseus, your dearest friend of the past seven years, the one friend who knows everything there is to know about you just like you know everything there is to know about him. The two of you are inseparable, which is why you’re currently sitting on the top step of his family’s small back porch, watching him tug a rope around the squat trunk of an ancient, towering oak.

“Need some help there, Mr. Lumberjack?” You call out, half-teasing as you remain perched on the sun-warmed steps, a cool glass of lemonade pinched between your fingers, yellow and gold in the gentle rays of the slowly setting sun.

Theseus squints at you from across the yard, pausing his work for a moment to watch you raise an eyebrow and sip the sweet lemonade, the sugar light on your tongue.

His cheeks are a deep red, the consequence of demanding to do this himself rather than utilize magic, even though the May weather insists on being stuffy and overbearing. But despite his obvious discomfort, a wry smile graces his face. “Help would be appreciated, but I’d hate to be the first to make you stand and put some work into something.”

You tilt your head, crossing your legs at the knee. “Well, you do know what they say about princesses.”

The signature mess of dark curls that drive the girls at Hogwarts mad hang over his forehead, threatening to droop into his dark eyes. He swipes at them with a dirt-covered hand, also wiping away the sheen of sweat covering his forehead. “That I do. I just wish I hadn’t befriended one. It hasn’t gotten me any of the gold I wanted.”

You make a face at him, wrinkling your nose, earning a laugh from Theseus, a kind sound that drifts with the gentle spring breeze. Overhead, birds sing within the tangle of oak branches and green leaves, a chorus in time with the scrabble of squirrels scaling the two trees.

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?” He asks as he turns back to the tree, tugging once more on the rope, ensuring it’s taut and that the knot he wove with the fraying stuff is strong and sturdy.

You swirl the ice in your glass, watching him work. “But you love me, you know.”

“That I do.” Straightening, he rolls the sleeves of his dirt-streaked white button-down to his elbows, places his hands on his hips, and sighs, studying his work. “Well, halfway there.”

A few minutes of silence between the two of you pass, interrupted only by Theseus’s grunts and quiet curses. You take the moment to stretch out and lay on your back, eyeing the clouds and the streaks of green and lavender that already droop low into the lovely blue of the day.

It’s strange to think that only a few hours earlier, you’d been at Hogwarts, accepting congratulations on the completion of your final year, wishing old friends well and exchanging address for letters. You’d been so worried you’d lose so much, but now, here in the Scamander’s backyard, listening to Theseus let loose a particularly creative string of curse words directed at the rope, with a glass of Mrs. Scamander’s homemade lemonade in your hand, you’re happy. But then, that shouldn’t seem such a shock, you figure. It’s how you always feel with Theseus around.

“So,” you ask, propping yourself up on one elbow to watch Theseus struggle with the final knot, “when do you think you’ll be done?”

“Are you serious?” Theseus calls back, sitting in the dirt, feet pressed against the tree to help him yank it into a tight knot.

“It’ll be sunset soon. I don’t want to miss it, not when you’ve been promising this moment for the past seven years.”

He sighs and gives the rope another tug. The blue cloth of the hammock stretches, and it finally begins to look like somewhere you could relax. “You know, part of me wishes I hadn’t made that promise when we first met. If I’d known you’d never forget, I might’ve kept my mouth shut, found another partner for that potion.”

“It’s not my fault you were the first person I met who was as fascinated with Halley’s Comet as I was. Or that you thought everyone has as bad a memory as you.”

Theseus chuckles, then shoves himself to his feet, letting the end of the rope drop from his hand. “God help the man that marries you.”

You make another face but elect to otherwise ignore his jab. “You dodged my question.”

“Did I? You had a question?”

“Theseus,” you whine.

He laughs. “Don’t worry, the hammock’s done. Ready for comet watching.”

“Finally,” you say, setting your lemonade aside and springing to your feet.

“But,” Theseus says, raising his hands as you stand, “we can’t use it just yet.”

“What?”

A soft breeze ruffles his hair as he makes his way toward you. “I promised my mum we’d have some supper with her first. So turn around and head in.”

You drop your shoulders. “But the hammock…”

“Will stay there.” He hesitates for a beat, then looks over his shoulder at it. “Hopefully. If it doesn’t, we’ll be glad we put off lying in it.”

You sigh but oblige him, letting him loop an arm around your shoulder as he makes it to the porch. You wrinkle your nose as he does. The hot sun and work had not left him in a great position. “Any chance you can fix how bad you smell before supper?”

******************************************************************************************

Theseus is leaning against the tree when you finally manage to escape Mrs. Scamander’s stories and offers of more food.

Ankles crossed, eyebrows raised, and a smirk waiting under the color-streaked dusk sky, he whistles as you hop down the porch steps and land barefooted in the cool grass.

“You’ve gotten slow in your old age.”

“And you’ve gotten mean. Only one ‘thank you’ to your mom? She’s going to be heartbroken.”

He shrugs. “She’s fine.”

“Heartbroken.”

He sighs as you step up to the hammock. “I’ll apologize later. For now, we have a comet to spot, right?”

A wave of excitement bubbles through your stomach. This is it. This is what you’d been waiting for for so many years. “Finally. Now are you going to stand there and smile or help me up?”

Theseus still grins but does help, holding the hammock steady while you roll in. It’s cozy. The fabric soft, the blanket Theseus had dragged out of the chest of blankets even softer, and with the quiet chirps of crickets and soft songs of the birds flying around the house, you think you could spend the rest of your life right here, under the green and pink and yellow and deep, deep blue sky, stars blinking down at you, Theseus standing next to you, and nestled away from the cool of the dusk air in a warm blanket.

“Are you going to move over?”

You clasp your hands behind your head, staring up at the sky, listening to the soft gust of the wind blowing through the leaves above. “I don’t know. It’s awfully peaceful here.”

“You were warned.”

“What—”

You don’t have to time to finish the question as Theseus jumps in, sending the hammock swinging and you flailing wildly, grasping for anything to keep from rolling out.

You only manage to roll face first into Theseus’s chest.

“You,” you mutter, face still against his chest, cheek hurting as the button on his shirt scratches it every time his chest moves with his laugh, “are an ass.”

You peel yourself away from him and roll as far away as you can, which really isn’t far at all, much to your simultaneous disappointment and relief.

Theseus smells better now, like cinnamon and spices, for which you’re grateful. And he’s warm, much warmer than the chill beginning to fall over the yard as the sun creeps out of sight. But he’s also an ass.

He grins down at you, cheeks ruddy, hair messy again. A sight. “But you love me, right?”

“Some days, I wonder.”

He nudges you with an elbow and you roll your eyes.

“So,” he asks after a moment of silence, “what do you want to do?”

“I want to watch for a comet in peaceful silence.”

“Oh, then you definitely picked the wrong friend.”

“Clearly,” you say, returning his sarcasm with ease. It’s always easy with Theseus. Everything is. It’s half the reason you’re still as good of friends as you are.

Theseus huffs after half a minute of silence, flips on his side, and scoots down so you’re nose-to-nose with him. Heat radiates off of him, and it burns your cheeks as he cocks an eyebrow and smiles. “Let’s play a game.”

“Theseus, we’re trying to watch for a comet that only comes around once every 75 years. We only have one chance to see it. If we miss it tonight, you’re going to have to tie up a hammock at 92, and I don’t really want to see that.”

“But I’m bored,” he whines. “And it won’t come out for at least an hour, right? So let’s play a game, have some fun. Come on, please?”

You study his gaze, but it’s earnest, pleading, and you sigh. “Fine. One game.”

His grin widens, and excitement sparks in his expression. “Okay. What do you want to play?”

You want to roll away and groan and ask why he didn’t already have a game in mind, but he’s so near, and so warm, you don’t really want to distance yourself, so you just shrug. “Truth or dare?”

“Boring. Besides, I don’t want to move for a dare. I’m comfortable here.” He moves to brush the hair from his forehead, but his fingertips brush your hand, leaving a trail of heat behind them. You suck in a breath and raise your chin, meeting the challenge you’re not certain he put forth.

“Then just truth?” You know you may regret this, may hate yourself for this, but it’s the only way to get Theseus to stop whining for a little while.

“Why not? Could be fun.”

“Could it? I think I already know everything I want to about you.”

Theseus rolls his eyes. “Ha. You’re hilarious. I’ll start. Let’s see...”

“Why do you get to start?”

“Because this was my idea.” You open your mouth to protest that, but Theseus cuts you off before you can. “You fancied Dylan in the fourth year, didn’t you? And you have to tell the truth.”

“I—” you press your lips together, trying your best to glare at him when he’s so near. “Fine, maybe I did. A bit.”

“Yes! I knew it.”

“But you definitely fancied Tella Storhaven.”

He makes a face and shakes his head. “Not my type. Your turn. Let’s see, what embarrassing thing can I make you admit now?”

You swat at his shoulder, and he laughs. The sound sends flames back into your cheeks, and you want to roll your eyes at yourself. You’re getting ridiculous.

******************************************************************************************

“You don’t really like my mum’s stew, do you?”

“Look,” you begin, “your mom is a wonderful cook—”

“But that’s a lot of onion, isn’t it?”

“It’s a ton of onion,” you say, laughing with Theseus. You’re tucked against his chest, his arm around you, your ear to his heart so you can hear the gentle thrum of its beat. Two hours have passed with no sign of the comet, but you’d fallen into a perfect limbo between drowsy and happy, the sort of space that exists only in dreams. And it certainly feels like a dream, lying here in the hammock, pressed to Theseus’s warm body, legs tangled with his, listening to the crickets chirp around you, staying warm in his arms as the hammock sways in a gentle, cool breeze, but reality still swirls around you in the light still burning in the kitchen, and the visit from Theseus’s little brother an hour earlier.

Still, you imagine you could spend the rest of the night here, tucked under Theseus’s arm, and still not be tired of being here.

“It really is a lot of onion. I mean, don’t get me wrong, my mum’s wonderful, but how can she expect anyone to taste anything other than onion in that? It’s a shock, really. That’s why I feed it to the creatures when she goes to the market.”

You gasp and laugh, smacking his chest. “You told me it was good for them.”

“No, no way. I just wanted it out of the house so we didn’t have to eat it all week.”

You shake your head in disbelief. “You’re the worst. The literal worst.”

“Says you, Miss I-Totally-Didn’t-Add-The-Extra-Ingredient-to-Tella’s-Potion.”

“Okay, but she deserved it.”

“Uh-huh. The literal worst?”

You grin. “Okay, maybe we’re both the literal worst.”

“That sounds better,” Theseus says, quieter now, hand brushing up and down lightly on your back. Your stomach flips at this, but you tell yourself you’re being silly. It’s just that you’re tired, that you’re near him, that you’re laughing so much. But as you think of your next question, Theseus shifts, pulls you nearer, and your heart pounds.

“Your turn,” he murmurs, voice low, nearly hidden by the quiet peace of crickets’ songs and the squabble of squirrels above.

You stare at the light in the kitchen window, considering, but it blows out. Newt’s doing? Mrs. Scamander’s? You can’t tell from here.

“What’s one unrealistic goal of yours?”

“Unrealistic?”

“Mmhmm,” you hum. The hammock sways gently, slowly, rocking the two of you back and forth.

“Hard to decide when I could do anything, really, that I wanted. I mean, have you seen this face?”

“Too much of it.”

You know he’s grinning his crooked grin without needing to look. “Now that was a low blow.”

“You set yourself up for it.”

“True, true.”

You breathe deeply, the smell of spring, of grass, of the remnants of the cookies Mrs. Scamander baked after supper float through the air, mixing with the slight smell of cinnamon.

“So?” You finally prompt, lazily poking Theseus in the stomach. “What’s your number one unrealistic goal?”

Theseus hesitates, and you blink heavily, listening to the beat of his heart speed the slightest.

“Hmm? It is embarrassing or something?” You trace a triangle in his arm, waiting for an answer about dragons or ruling the Ministry or saving the world or something. Nothing comes.

You crane your neck to find that his cheeks are tinged pink.

”It’s embarrassing?”

He stops running his hand up and down your back to instead rub the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“Mortifying?”

“No.”

“Dangerous?”

“I—” he stops himself, shrugs, and looks back up at the stars.

“It’s dangerous?” You roll away the slightest to better meet his eyes. His one hand remains on his neck, but the other, the one you’re practically lying on, catches onto your shoulder. “Ooo, now you have to tell me. Come on, this was your game.”

He huffs out a sigh but meets your eyes again andt his time, there’s a hesitance in his gaze, an uncertainty you’ve never really known from Theseus before. Your breath catches in your throat.

“Well?” You ask, a little breathless. “What is it?”

“It would be,” Theseus starts, then stops, then rolls his eyes and starts again, hand still on the back of his neck, cheeks a deep red now. “Well, it would be to kiss you, I suppose.”

“Oh.” You say. Then, “Oh,” again, because what else are you supposed to say in a moment like this?

“Yeah.” He laughs once, but it’s humorless, born of nerves more so than a joke. And though he’s holding your gaze, he’s clearly nervous.

“And that’s dangerous why, exactly?” Your heart pounds in your chest, nerves alight with every graze.

He smiles now, a genuine smile. “You’re my best friend. I don’t want to risk that just to chase after some…some…desire.” He says ‘desire’ as though it’s not quite the right word, but it sends flames into your cheeks.

“Oh. I see.”

Theseus sighs as an awkward silence stretches on. “I’m sorry. That was stupid of me. I should’ve said something else. Shouldn’t have told you that.”

Your mind is spinning, but as he begins to roll away, you hurriedly assure him. “No, no. It’s okay. But, uh, you do owe me another answer.”

He looks at you from the corner of his eye, frowning down at you. “Why?”

“Well, I asked for an unrealistic goal. You still need to give me one.”

It takes Theseus a moment to understand, to comprehend, and you wait with a held breath and cheeks that are ablaze as he processes. “Wait, you…”

“You really think I wouldn’t kiss you? I mean, even if it’s just to have a story to make Tella Storhaven angry?”

Theseus’s shock morphs into joy then a laugh. “Oh, that’s the only reason, huh?”

“I didn’t say it was the only, but it definitely wouldn’t hold me back. But,” you ask, dropping your voice and raising your eyebrows as Theseus rolls back onto his side to face you, “what will people think?”

Theseus chuckles, and the nerves that had been present are fading now, replaced with his usual calm confidence. “Well, I suppose somebody somewhere owes someone some money. I know there were bets on this.”

“And your mother?” Though you say this jokingly, there’s an edge of honest worry. You like Mrs. Scamander too much to risk angering her.

“Quite honestly, I think it would make the old woman’s year.”

You giggle, relieved and overjoyed, on edge as Theseus brushes his hand against yours again. Your heart pounds hard in your chest, and you know your breaths must sound shaky to Theseus. “What would she say to you calling her old?”

“Hm,” he hums, running his hand up your arm, “I think she’d be grateful that I’m finally thinking realistically.”

“Lucky you,” you manage as Theseus stops his hand at your shoulder, hesitating.

“Are you sure,” he asks, running the tip of his thumb over your jaw, gaze dropping to your lips before returning to your eyes to search your expression, “are you sure you’re okay with this? That you want this?”

You nod. “I’m sure.”

Theseus smiles a wide, crooked smile, and your breath catches in your throat as he cradles your cheek in his hand, running his thumb over your cheekbone. “Lucky me,” he murmurs again, and he is near, so near you cannot breathe.

Theseus closes his eyes as his lips lightly graze yours, then pause. A question unspoken.

You answer by deepening the kiss, pulling Theseus closer, your cheeks burning, heart flying.

When the kiss breaks, Theseus leans back, grinning like a fool, still cradling your face.

“Well, not so unrealistic after all. This face really can get me anything. Hey!”

He breaks into a laugh as you hit his shoulder. “Ass.”

“But you love me,” he says with a grin.

You roll your eyes and turn away, looking toward the sky, praying he can’t tell how your face is burning, hear how your heart is pounding, but it’s perfect timing as a streak of white burns above, flying over the two of you.

“Theseus, look!”

He glances up, only a second at the comet blazing through the sky, before looking back to you.

“You’re really going to miss this twice-in-a-lifetime moment?” You ask, nudging his shoulder to try to convince him to watch it take its slow arc through the sky.

He smiles, soft now, gentle, and runs a hand over your forehead, knocking hair out of your face. “It’s nothing compared to what I’m looking at.”

“You’re a dork,” you say, but you’re unable to resist the smile that crosses your face, and as the comet burns above, you lace your hand with his and take a deep breath. The future and all its anxieties await you, but here, now, next to your best friend, under an ethereal sky, you know only joy.

[shadowofthelamp]

Year in Review: Writing

So, I can’t do the ‘year in review’ for art because... yeah, I didn’t really draw that much this year. So I decided to trawl through my writing tag for one favorite piece per month, and a pulled few paragraphs from each! Basically everything here is Zim except for the one tendershipping week thing, lmao, oops.

Some months had slim pickings but I still do like every one of these and it was a nice reflection.

January: Arrival

Her skin was tinted a sickly green, more like decomposing flesh than irken or human. Dib swallowed, but her breathing seemed to be even when he placed a hand to her kind of chubby chest, so that was probably just how their skin colors mixed, right? Besides, the lighting in the lab was always weird. Her mouth was gummy with no teeth yet, but her vocal cords were functioning perfectly. He was going to need hearing aids by his twenties, between her and Zim.

She had four fingers and three toes, which he kind of expected, as well as a nose but no ears. That made sense, if she had antennae, but it was still strange to run his fingers along the sides of her head and just feel smooth skin.

Her eyes… they were Zim’s through and through, deep ruby with the color filling the sclera. Did irkens even have sclera if they only had one color? Under the lab’s lights and mixed with the way everything on her slightly shimmered from the sticky goo she'd been coated in, she was like a section of space stolen into the little room and it took his breath away. The water blurring his vision didn’t help as he wiped it away with his sleeve, shifting her to one arm. She was so small...

__________

February: WLOD Dib meets Twix, alt version

It’s fascinating, to see what could have gone right. The 1001 here had gangly, underdeveloped limbs, and wispy hair that never quite got clean from the showers. This version wasn’t fat or anything, but definitely had more meat on its bones.

He examined the goggles- peering through them, they altered its vision because they made the lab beyond the ‘glass’ blurry. Curious, very curious. He was about to pop the lens out when it began to stir, tugging at the metal restraints with a clatter.

_________

March: Zibvoid

He talked to himself.

He talked to himself.

He talked to Zim, who hadn’t said a word since he’d died, but maybe he was just giving him the silent treatment.

Round and round, the generator buzzed like a bee and a hospital and a bug zapper that would draw in prey like flies to a web, except he was the spider now and the Zims were the moths.

Dib. Dib Dib Dib Dib Zim Dibdibdibdibzimdibdibzimdib. The names popped off his tongue as he rolled them both in his mouth, over and over until they didn’t seem like names at all anymore.

__________

April: Sturdy Branches (I know the date’s different on ao3 but it was first posted April)

Her dad is either singing or talking to himself as he vacuumed inside the house with a sway in his hips. At least you’re pretty sure it’s her dad? You haven’t seen a picture of him or anything, but he’s about the same age as your dad, so he’s too old to be a brother and too young to be a grandpa, and she hasn’t mentioned any uncles. A babysitter, maybe, but that doesn’t really make sense since Tulip isn’t home yet- ah!

She’s talking to someone as she turns the corner, bouncing her backpack. It’s lilac and circular, as well as covered in buttons. The Ranger helmet is in her backpack or still in her locker, but either way, she’s not wearing it anymore. She’s got the boots on, though. You adjust the binoculars a bit, but you aren’t good enough at lip-reading yet to tell what she’s saying. Whatever it is, it’s making the girl she’s talking to laugh. Maybe she’ll tell you tomorrow in class or at lunch if you pull her to sit at your table again. She has more friends at the middle table, but they don’t like sitting next to you after the beetle incident, and she doesn’t seem to mind. She always has a big smile when you start talking, and she’d say something if she didn’t like you, right? Pretty much everybody else does.

_________

May: Do Something For You (TD spoilers!)

Dib had never really thought ahead to having a family, but she was pretty much everything she’d want in one. She was an assistant and a partner, she was invested in the paranormal, she hated Zim- but on the other hand, she didn’t want him hurt? She seemed weirdly invested in making sure he didn’t get caught, actually. Eh, she’d hit him pretty hard, so it wasn’t like she was opposed to him getting his rightful dues for being an evil space monster.

It was relatively simple- she was just worried if he died then her timeline would be destabilized, which was a decent enough concern. Zim had to be important to his life for years to come, in one way or another. But whatever they were dealing with in the future, it had to be better with Zim out of the way earlier, right?

__________

June: Unnamed capture au drabble

“Why do you even give me these stupid scripts if you don’t like me doing them?” Dib folded his arms, kneading the ball in his palm. “Just get a robot or something.” He snorted. “I mean, it’d probably break, like half the stuff you touch.”

Zim’s hands curled into fists. “Take that back, you- you- worm!”

Dib quirked an eyebrow. “What, touched a nerve? When I was a kid, half the stuff you made broke, it’s just a fact. You only conquered Earth because this place is a trash heap and your garbage is slightly better than ours.” Over a year in Zim’s presence without too many galling injuries and a lifetime of not being able to keep his mouth shut made him bold. “Honestly, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re probably broken yoursel-” He was cut off with a Pak leg aimed directly at his throat, prodding in just deep enough to draw a drop of blood down the alien metal.

Zim’s eyes were narrowed, but something was watering on the edges, and Dib swallowed, adam’s apple bobbing just below the leg’s tip.

“Zim. Is. Not. Broken.”

___________

July: Laughter

Ryou couldn't stand the lights on one minute and then hated having them off the next. The shadows bled from the way the light reflected off the couch, how it seemed to devour the wall behind it, and he swore he could still hear the voice in his mind. (Was that himself? Had he started thinking of himself as a separate voice? It had been ages since he'd really been alone, even though anyone outside him would have wondered about the boy who talked to his reflection like it was an old friend.)

He wished he could talk to Ryou. Ryou who had seemed so pliable as a child but had proved entertaining, a match for the fire, (heh, fire, even though it wasn't that funny, in fact, it wasn't funny at all, but what did he have but jokes? it wasn't like he could cry anymore) who carved out rules for use of the body with gritted teeth and tugged at the rope of the Ring so hard it had chafed his neck. He'd respected him. From a soft child, he'd hardened and grown firm, grown powerful, grown to be worthy. What were the odds fate had given him a chance at the same time someone had handed a young Yugi the box with the Puzzle? A roll of the dice. (The Gods having a last laugh, perhaps..)

Ryou dug his nails into the wood of the desk so hard that it made crescents, tiny moons in the umber that dug splinters into his pale fingers. The little model of the Thief King sat, as he always did, half-hidden on his shelf behind the pieces of Zorc. He'd never bothered to glue the monster back together but felt oddly reluctant to just incinerate the figures and be done with them. Both of them. Either of them. Maybe he just didn't want to pretend it had never happened. (Maybe he was worried he'd forget, thoughts and memories swept away by the sands of time, trickling down the hourglass, minute by minute, day by day, as he aged the way the Spirit had never been allowed to.)

___________

August: New Mission

It had been a month.

Nebula Twix had survived. She’d had to be popped into the healing pod when she had an allergic reaction to the oatmeal Dib had tried to feed her when it had inflamed her spooch, and Gir had tried to eat her head the one second Zim’s back had been turned, and she made goo from both ends a lot, but otherwise, she was perfectly fine!

And with that, Zim had come to a crossroads. It seemed that he was, indeed, in this for the long heel. (He was pretty sure that was the phrase. Humans liked large feet and large boots, so it made sense.) He could either continue to keep her a secret, or he could pass on his success to the Tallests.

Creating slaves out of the species marked for invasion was pretty common- something like 85% of invaders did it. But creating hybrids? That number was much lower. (Besides, they were usually disposed of as soon as the invasion was complete.) And irkens having those hybrids from their own bodies, and not just mixing them out of genetic slurry and quickly aging them up in time-fields? Almost completely unheard of. Zim was the pioneer in that area.

Also, having smeets from one’s body may have been a tad illegal, considering how hard it had been to find good information and judging from the fact that all irkens found to do it were brought in for experimentation. But no matter! Zim was nothing if not very, very good at things few other irkens dared to do, ready to drive the Empire forward by any means possible. They would have to appreciate that!

__________

September: Twix finds out she’s pregnant

Secondary life-form detected, the chamber chimed.

“Oh, gross, I’ve got a tapeworm? Well, flush it out.” Twix rolled her eyes, going back to the computer.

Lifeform has elements of Pak user.

Her finger froze on the ‘b’ key. “It… what? Analyze species origin.”

The chamber hummed around Twix as sweat dripped down the skin of her neck. There was a tiny 'ding!’ like a kitchen timer.

Lifeform is too underdeveloped to make more than approximations, but is roughly 25% irken and 75% Dominant Earth Species.

Her scream rattled the walls.

__________

October: Best-Laid Plans

“Of course, Number One.” Two turned his head slightly, and Dib jolted- he hadn’t directly commanded him to do that. “Your plan is perfect.” He blinked slowly- much slower than most Zims. Most Zims were utterly manic, back and forth and back and forth, loud and brutal and dangerous, but Two- Two had always worshiped him. Maybe even more than the rest. It had been nice, to be admired so heavily. Two had adored the personal attention when he was turned into an errand boy.

Dib might miss him.

He shook that thought out of his head, gripping both sides of Two’s face with his index finger and thumb, nails (not claws, they weren’t claws) digging into the cheeks.

“You belong to me.” Two didn’t respond, and Dib dug in a little further.  Irken skin was thicker than a human’s, with a single drop of pink blood oozing over Dib’s fingernail and leaving a barely-perceptible damp trail. “Respond. Who do you belong to?”

“I belong to you, Number One.”

___________

November: Desperation (warning if you click through for impalement)

Dib’s lips were on Zim’s before he even knew what he was doing. “You’re not dying on me, you little bastard,” he hissed, fumbling to hold up the body as Zim nearly coughed blood directly into Dib’s mouth. It was salty and sweet all in one, but Dib couldn’t linger on the taste. Zim’s fingers grasped at his shirt, and Dib took that as a sign that it was working, pressing their lips together hard enough to bruise the capillaries.  

There was a click. Dib breathed in blood and out carbon dioxide, sputtering and swallowing it down so Zim wouldn’t die like this-

Something red-hot and metallic climbed over his arm before digging into his spine, and he realized that the body had gone entirely limp before there was electricity and then there was nothing.

____________

December: Freak

Twix grit her teeth. “How am I supposed to trust you if you’ll just- just do that?”

“How am I supposed to drop my whole social life because you can’t help being the weirdest person in school?” Tulip shot back. “I do care about you, but it’s so, so hard sometimes, because you just don’t know how to act, and sometimes I’m sick of waiting for you to play catchup just because your parents are the town freaks!” She slapped her hands over her mouth and took a step back.

Twix’s eye twitched under her goggles. “At least they’re freaks that love me. I’ll see you tomorrow, third period.”

“Twix-”

“I said,” Twix said through gritted teeth, “I’ll see you tomorrow. Get out before I reactivate the security.”

Tulip got out, and Twix buried her face in a couch pillow and screamed.

[uhgoodmoni]

Nothing That Lasts Forever

A BTS Horror Fanfiction

Ao3 link - Wattpad link - Soundtrack 

Trailer - ch1 - ch2 - ch3 - ch4 - ch5 - ch6 - ch7 - ch8 - ch9

Warnings: Major Character Death, Blood, Demons, Fighting, Verbal and Physical Abuse, Mention of marijuana, Death, Cursing, Fire, Unintentional Self-harm, Gore. Yoongi's injury

Chapter Three: Uno

Hoseok’s POV

“Uno bitches.” Jungkook grins evilly after setting his cards in between us. I roll my eyes, looking to Yoongi to see if he’s plotting. Not that I can help much even if he did have a plan. I spread my cards, a red eight, a blue three, a blue seven, and a green two. Without knowing what Jungkook has, we are screwed. I look to Jungkook, bundled up in a blanket, the fire dancing over his skin. It’s not fair. He always wins. This is why I prefer to play team games. 

Yoongi is sitting on a pad, legs crossed on the gravel. His eyes are squinted in concentration, flipping through his cards. We all were close to uno but of course Koo was the first. He always is. 

“Whatcha got?” Yoongi asks no one in particular. 

“Nothing.” I sigh, knowing that it’s just dumb luck at this point. 

“Red.” Koo says, smirking. His eyes flip to both of us and then his single card. He giggles, tucking it close to his chest. 

“Uhhg. Why?” Yoongi whines, looking to me for confirmation. As if I know. I shake my head, just gesturing for him to play a card. With a sigh he tosses it in between. A yellow three. Thank goodness. I lay down my blue three. Hoping Jungkook had been telling the truth. 

He throws down a red three, eyebrows raised. He looks at me with a grin. Oh boy must he be impressed with his own luck. 

“That’s enough for me.” Yoongi says, pulling his beanie over his ears, standing and returning to one of the chairs around the fire. Jungkook happily takes all the cards into a pile, organizing them before stuffing them in the box. 

“Games are no fun when you play with Jungkook.” I pout, but he only looks self satisfied. We both join Yoongi back in the chairs. The fire had gotten smaller since we hadn’t been attending it. None of us look like we want to get any more logs from inside. I lean my head back in my chair, looking up to the sky. We are just under the clearing, a few leaves from the surrounding trees creeping above. The sky was a very dim grey, nearing time for us to go eat dinner. 

“What now?” Yoongi yawns.

“Spooky stories at the fire!” Jungkook sits up on the edge of his chair. Not really my idea of fun. 

“Here?” I gesture to the ground, “Now?” My head shakes no, and I go to stand up. 

“Hoooobaa stay.” Jungkook whines, grabbing my arm as I pass by. “Stay for a little, while I tell some of the story. It’ll be fun.” With a roll of my eyes I return to my seat. 

He sits forward, leaning into the flames. “There once was a group of three friends.” Yoongi groans to Jungkook’s dismay. “Shh, there once was a group of three friends. And they went to stay at a cabin. Just. Like. This. One.” I sigh deeper into my chair, wrapping my blanket around me. Why is he like this? The fire was gleaming brighter and brighter, but only because the forest around us was getting darker and darker. 

“They were sitting at the campfire, roasting marshmallows. It was getting darker by the second. The trees were whistling, and a great gust of wind took out their fire.”

“Ooooh.” Yoongi teases some more, Jungkook sneering jokingly. A crack sounds behind me from the trees. With a frown I stare into the dark. The sun has gone down fast. I can’t see more than maybe five trees back before it's all a black blur. 

“And then…” I flip back to Jungkook’s voice. With a blow of his lips like a candle, the fire goes out. I swallow. Staring at Jungkook who is barely illuminated by the remaining light in the sky. 

“What the fuck?” Yoongi sounds from across the fire.  

I scooch closer to the fire pit, readying myself to head to the door. “Can we stop now?” My voice is barely above a whisper. Jungkook nods slowly, and I see Yoongi’s phone light come on. It’s pointed at his black vans. The dirt is floating up from him kicking at the firepit. I reach for Jungkook’s hand, and he grabs it, all three of us hauling ass to the cabin, lights still on. The door shuts behind Koo, all of us breathing heavily. “No fucking way was that a coincidence.” Jungkook huffs, making sure the door is locked. 

“It was just the wind.” Yoongi says, but he doesn’t sound too sure himself. 

“I’m making ramen.” I announce, heading to the counter, and flipping on the overhead kitchen lights. I glance up seeing the black outside the window. I cringe shutting each of the blinds quickly. Trying to relax I find a pot and fill it with water. It’s actually quite calming. So I make Yoongi’s and Jungkook’s as well. As we ate we tried to play the DVD of The Lion King, but it was so scratched that it kept skipping. In the end we decided to go to bed early. All feeling a bit creeped out from earlier. 

They go off to their rooms, and I shut the door of mine. There’s an edge to it. A little cold. I guess I’ll just cuddle up with the duvet. I pull it down, flattening the pillows. I sit on the edge of the bed. One shoe, two shoes. And kick them to the side. I wiggle my bum on the mattress, it seems good enough. I look up to the ceiling light. There's no night light or a bathroom light I can leave on, so maybe I’ll just leave the overhead light on. I set my phone on the table. 75%. 

My socks slip off onto the ground and then I tuck them under the covers. The sheets also are a bit crisp, as if they haven tbeen slept on in years. Though I’m sure that’s a good thing. Must mean that they are clean at least. My hands tug the covers up to my chin, and I stare up at the light. The fabric smells like my grandma. Which isn’t a bad thing, potpourri and old perfume maybe. Old. 

The wind blows outside. The wood sounds creaky. It’s an old place so I have been expecting it. The wind outside tells me that our fire definitely was put out by the wind. I bite my lip. Nope. Nope. Nope. I shut my eyes. You can handle it Hobi. Just close your eyes and go to sleep. Clenching them shut my vision becomes dark. But what if… Nope. Nope. Nope. I open my eyes looking around in a 360. It’s fine. Still, I hop out of the bed, my feet hitting the creaky floor boards. Nope. Nope. Nope. I shuffle to the door, heaving it open, the living room light was left on per my request. My head turns to the left. The lights are off in the other’s room. How can they rest so calmly? 

My feet bound to the next room over. Jungkooks, tearing the door open quickly, and then shutting it behind me. 

“Eh?” Jungkook looks up, coated in darkness. He sighs, nodding to a question I hadn’t even asked yet. 

“Sorry.” I mumble, slipping to the other side of the bed and joining him under the covers. He hums, allowing my hand to grab him. Just until I fall asleep… 

~

“Mhmh.” I groan, pushing my face into the pillow. Still smells like grandma. The bed squeaks, and a force is moved from it. “Kookie…” I reach my hand out for him, but he’s gotten up. Bathroom break? “What time is it?” I mutter, reaching for my phone at the night… Oh. It’s not there. I left it in the other room. My eyes squint open. They still seem closed because it's pitch black. I inch onto my back, looking up for Jungkook.

 He’s there. 

“Koo?” His figure stands at the foot of the bed. Directly at the center, back to me. I squeeze my fist shut, against the sheets. “It’s not fucking funny.” I groan. Now I’m awake. Eyes dry and heart racing. Why is he doing this? He knows I don’t like these kinds of things. There’s no response.

He’s just there. 

Slowly my eyes adjust. I can’t take my eyes off him. Sleep walking? He’s never done that before. I feel frozen. Is he doing this on purpose? Why is he being so mean? What is wrong with him? I don’t feel like saying anything else to him. My speech is caught in my throat. Chills dominate my body. His eyes stare forward into an old vanity mirror. My own reflection is in it as well. 

But he’s not looking at me, or himself. 

I lick my lips, scanning over the glass. It’s just black. A breeze cuts through the window. It’s open. Still, sweat drips down my back, my heart pounding. Surely loud enough for Jungkook to hear. In fact I can’t hear over it myself. Badum. Badum. Badum. I hope he can’t hear it.

Yoongi. Wishing to scream I open my mouth. Yoongi is asleep in the other room. If I could just yell for him. He wouldn’t be scared. He would do something. 

He’s still standing there. Eyes open, but blank of any expression. Is he even awake? What is he thinking? I breathe out. I can do this. Badum. Badum. Badum. 

“Yoo..” I whistle out. Too breathy and quiet. Badum. Badum. Badum. “Yoon..” I swallow, my voice hoarse. Fuck. 

Jungkook blinks in the mirror, his eyes meeting mine.

[argylemnwrites]

Not My First Choice

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x MC (Cassie Vanderfield)

Book: Open Heart (~1.5 years after the end of Book 1)

Word Count: ~1400

Rating: PG

Summary: Bryce reveals a surprising fact about his past preferences while he and Cassie are teaching some medical students.

Author’s Note: Written for Day 29 of the Choices September Challenge (prompt - Disappointment).

For those that are curious, in the US medical students find out where they will be completing residency through a process called the Match. Students submit lists with their preference for programs where they interviewed, programs submit lists with their preference of the students they interviewed, and a computer algorithm “matches” applicants and programs. All the students find out where they are going on the same day, called Match Day, and most medical schools have a ceremony on that day with unique traditions.

The fourth year med students were frantic. It was one week before rank lists were due, one week before they had to finalize and certify their preferences for residency programs, something that would determine where they would spend the next three to seven years of their training. Cassie could practically feel the tension radiating from the dozens of fourth years when she walked into the classroom, a couple of Tupperware containers tucked under her arm.

A few weeks ago, Cassie had agreed to co-run a suturing workshop for the med students currently enrolled in Capstone, serving as a refresher on some technical skills prior to the start of their intern year in a few shorts months. She was on an elective, so when her program director sent out an email looking for a volunteer from internal med, she’d responded right way. Procedures weren’t exactly her favorite thing in the world, but she did love suturing, always picking up the lacerations during her blocks in the ED. Plus, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to get better at teaching. She had matched for her diagnostics fellowship at Edenbrook, and nearly three years of working with Ethan Ramsey made it clear to her that she should be the one handling most of the teaching responsibilities for their department.

So, here she was, prepared to go over some basic suturing techniques with medical students. Well, her and a gen surg resident. But she was the only resident there at that point, and she didn’t see any reason to wait for someone who may or may not show up, so she called the med students over, handing out the gelatinous models, sutures, needle drivers, and pick ups. The surgical resident was supposed to bring raw chicken for them to practice on as well, but if they didn’t arrive, they would just have to make do with the models.

As Cassie demonstrated the proper size bite to take to a group of students who were hoping to match in peds, the door burst open and in walked Bryce, several grocery bags in his arms.

“Sorry I’m late, you guys. I’m Bryce, your surgical resident; aka the doctor here with actual, real suturing experience,” he called out throwing a wink towards Cassie in the process. “I would have been here sooner, but the lines at Market Basket were way too long. Just give me a couple of minutes to get set up, and then those of you who want to work with real tissue, not that weird crap, can give the chicken a shot.”

Cassie finished up her quick demonstration of a simple stitch, then wandered over to see if Bryce needed any help getting his materials set up. She placed a hand gently on his back, careful not to startle him since he was holding a scalpel.

“This is quite the surprise. Why didn’t you tell me you were gonna be my co-teacher?”

Bryce glanced over at her, throwing her a grin before he got back to the task at hand, slicing lacerations into the chicken breasts for the students to sew up, “I wasn’t supposed to be, but Brittany was in the OR until 4 am last night, so I said I could take care of this while she crashed in a call room. Help me dole out the raw meat?”

As the two of them worked with the students, showing a variety of stitches and with Bryce tossing out the occasional quip about internal med not having enough suturing experience to truly teach, the conversation naturally gravitated to rank lists and Match Day. The students were all anxious, trying to make last minute decisions about how to rank all the programs where they interviewed. Soon, many of the students had all but given up any pretense of caring about practicing suturing, instead pulling out laptops and undoubtedly logging on to edit rank lists.

Cassie felt obligated to redirect them, to refocus them on the task at hand, “Hey now, there’s no point agonizing over your rankings. Something like 75% of applicants match at one of their top three programs, and I can guarantee you all have two or three favorites. I’m guessing most of you will be happy at any of them.”

“And if you don’t get into your top three choices, don’t sweat it. Plenty of good doctors drop further down their rank list, depending on specialty,” Bryce chimed in.

“Are you speaking from experience, Dr. Lahela?” Cassie teased, elbowing Bryce gently. She was shocked when he was silent for a few moments before he responded.

“Pretty much, yeah.”

Cassie tried to keep her shock off her face, but she felt her eyebrows fly up before she could fully control her facial expression. She’d always just assumed that Bryce had ranked Edenbrook highly. She opened her mouth, a million questions ready to pour out, but Bryce caught her eye and shook his head slightly. Cassie nodded. Her curiosity could wait 30 minutes.

And so, she focused on giving feedback on simple interrupted and vertical mattress sutures, correcting use of needle drivers, and teaching how to do an instrument tie. As the med students dropped their used needles in the sharps container, thanking her and Bryce on their way out, Cassie gathered up the tissue models. Walking over to the side of the room, she started loading them into the Tupperware. She could hear Bryce cleaning up behind her, tossing the raw chicken breasts into the trash and washing down the tables and his hands. Eventually, he came up beside her, tossing the unused sutures into the Tupperware as well. 

“Go ahead.”

Cassie looked at Bryce. He was avoiding her eyes, instead looking at the packets of Vicryl he’d just dumped into her containers. “I didn’t mean to bring up a sore subject, Bryce. I never would have teased you if I’d known, especially in front of the students.”

He shrugged, “It’s not a big deal. Surgical match is a lot harder than internal med, so it makes sense your experience was different than mine. Where did you rank Edenbook?”

“It was my number one. Can I ask where you ranked it?”

Bryce paused for just a brief moment, but then he answered clearly and calmly, “Sixth.”

A wave of emotions washed over Cassie. Bryce had wanted to be at five other hospitals before Edenbrook. If Match had gone any better for him, they never would have met. As she tried to come up with the appropriate response, Bryce finally looked at her. He must have seen something in her face that reflected her concern, because he said, “Oh come on, don’t be like that. It was hardly a disappointment. I would have been happy at any of the programs in my top eight. If I’m being honest, the thought of Boston winters probably dropped Edenbrook a couple of slots, so nowhere near as big a deal as you think it is. Come on, let’s get this shit back to the med ed office.”

Bryce grabbed two of the containers, leaving Cassie just one to carry. She flipped the switches, killing the light in the classroom as Bryce stood against the door, holding it open for her. 

“Do you regret that you matched here?” She had to ask the question as they walked toward the elevators.

Bryce smiled and shook his head. “Not for a second,” he responded, bumping his hip lightly against hers.

Cassie let out a small sigh of relief. She didn’t want to be selfish, but the thought that Bryce and her might have never met if things had objectively been better for him with the Match, well it was unsettling. But Bryce was the type to make the best of any situation, and if he was happy with how things had worked out, who was she to question that?

“You wanna grab dinner at that new Thai place tonight?” Bryce asked as Cassie pushed the elevator call button, clearly not interested in dwelling on the past and what ifs. Honestly, it was one of the things that Cassie loved about him. And while he may not have had the greatest luck on Match Day, she liked to think that they’d both gotten pretty lucky finding each other.

Tags: @choicesseptemberchallenge  @mfackenthal @lilyofchoices @thequeenchoices @octobereighth @feartheendlesssummer @tallulahshh @fortunatelywaywardsandwich @dreaming-of-movies @choicesarehard @universallypizzataco @omgjasminesimone @srta-give-me-my-jax-rl

[mixchronicles-futureboyfriend]

Dear Future Boyfriend – Blink Once... If You’re in the Gym

I wouldn’t call myself a gym rat. First off, I wouldn’t call myself a rat, that’s just disgusting… or ratchet, which I am neither… well unless Cardi B’s Money comes on or a little Megan Thee Stallion.  At that point, my inner ratcheta shows up for a temporary two step, drop down and butt pop. But hey tomato ta-thot-o.  I guess what I’m trying to say is, I still hate the gym.  Yes, I know I’ve already told you this and no I’m not going to repeat the same story. Future Boyfriend, why do guys get so annoyed when you tell the same story. Obvi it’s like important or something to me. Can you just nod along and laugh at the prospective parts? You have an advantage you already know the punchlines. Just tune in then. Geeze, let a girl live.  Anyhow, this is not that.  It’s just that after a couple of years I wanted to offer a little refresher and mainly let know that I still hadn’t changed my mind. I still hate the gym. However, I have changed my routine and now as opposed to being a casual visitor of the gym, only going before a big event, an upcoming trip or a scheduled beach day, I do it more, sometimes more than others, consistently.  Again, not because I like it, it’s just it’s a little harder to drop 5 lbs than it used to be. Oh and because I like wine. So for ever bottle I drink that’s one day I have to go to the gym. It’s called balance, and no Future Boyfriend I’m not a Libra, I’m just a very smart Virgo.

When I begrudgingly made the decision to begin going to the gym “consistently” I had to frame it in a positive way. Tell myself something that would encourage me to keep at it. And although I love wine after a few visits I realized it just wasn’t enough. I needed more motivation. So, it became you Future Boyfriend. I like a man who looks good, so why not meet him in the gym. Brilliant. I go to the gym three times a week, most weeks… some weeks… good weeks. And to open up my options I go to three different gyms. Gym 1: It’s right by my job. Now although don’t necessarily want to date anyone I directly work with, I work for a big company. You’d think some reasonable prospect would attend the same gym after work. NO Gym 1 is the wanna be famous gym. All the girls have fake boobs and the guys fake calves. They strut around looking like Buzz Lightyear with bulky tops and slim legs. I’m not sure they even workout. They just walk around the machines a few times, posing on then and complimenting each other on their form. I’m not sure these guys even know I exist and I’m not sure I care, but I stare them down long enough to move, so I can get in my workout and leave.  I now my Future Boyfriend looks good, but he’s not an action figure. He’s just fit, preferably with a 6 pack.   Gym 2: Should definitely be condemned. It’s a mix between an old YMCA and an abandoned high school gym. All of the equipment is ancient, it smells like mildew (maybe because it actually has carpet as opposed to sweat resistant flooring) and the occupants has a median age of 75. I know you’re not in here Future Boyfriend, unless you’re a sugar daddy and I haven’t succumb to the idea of having sex with a senior citizen so this is a total strike out. So why go here… because while I’m on the elliptical they play family feud and I’m always trying to win that fast money.  Gym 3: I’m most hopeful to bump into you, Future Boyfriend in this gym. It’s a revolving door of people, some of which are even good looking. They actually come inside to work out and occasionally I’ll catch the eyes of a handsome man. I haven’t mastered flirting yet, so I don’t know what to do once our eyes connect so usually I just lurk around the guy using machines in the area hoping he’ll break come and talk to me. This happened once. I met a very attractive and engaging guy. He had a fit body, but not overly muscular and beautiful smile. While talking I got lost in thought. I began wondering if I’d sweat my eyebrows off during my “intense” cardio workout and if he thought I was an alopecia patient. I tried to catch my reflection in the neighboring metal, without drawing too much attention only to drift back into the conversation just in time to hear him talk about his running routine, or boot camp, or something I honestly didn’t care about. I realized he wasn’t flirting with me, he was recruiting me to be in his… army or cult or morning workout group. You know whatever they call it. He began telling me about places on my body I could target and he could help as thought I came to him for a fat consolation. I quickly told him no thank you. I said I only come to the gym so I can drink wine, not to get in shape. I don’t believe in a runners’ high.  And I thing boot camp sounds like prison for bad teens where people yell at you and force you to do stuff you don’t want to do… outside. I know Future Boyfriend I can’t ask for you to be in shape and I look like a blob. So, I’m willing to do the bare minimum to always look sexy… for you. Because remember I said I’m vain (go back and read if you don’t believe).  I’m committed to looking good, but I’m not committed to working out. That’s on a need to do basis.  So please don’t try to make me your 5 day a week, protein shake drinking gym buddy. I don’t wanna. And if that was you at Gym 3 and you called that flirting. Stop. Never wrap flirting in a conversation about working out. I promise I’ll miss it every time.

Xo,

Mix

[bexinthecity05]

Settling for Contrasts (Pt.6) (Louisa x Spiros)

part one

part two

part three

part four 

part five

“So?” Hugh said, raising his eyebrows. He kissed her hands and Louisa smiled. “Have you made a decision?”

“I...” she started, unsure entirely how to answer that.

“It’s been a fortnight,” he continued, kissing her hands again. She swallowed.

“I haven’t really spoken to my children about it, only Larry and he was ... a little concerned,” she said. Hugh dropped sulkily to one hip.

“It’s not really their decision is it? It’s yours my angel,” he said and she frowned.

“Well no, it’s a family decision. I told you last year - I don’t come as a single package, I-” she started.

“And I understand that, but Louisa, I don’t want to spend another day without you,” he cut her off, dropping her hands and gripping her shoulders. She wished she felt the same way about him; it might have made life far easier than it was.

“I just need more time,” she said. He dropped her shoulders with a heavy sigh. She suddenly felt not only sad but also like she’d disappointed him.

“It’s because of Spiros isn’t it?” he said looking past her. She saw the flash of anger in his eyes.

“What?” she said. Why did everything in her life come back to that man?!

“You know - his interest in you is not innocent,” he said and she felt a coldness creeping up on her.

“Hugh,” she started, shaking her head.

“No! It’s true. I know you don’t want to accept he’s not your friend, but he really wants you for himself. He’s not trying to be just your friend!” he insisted. She was beginning to feel the tears pressing at the back of her eyes. She didn’t want to keep talking about Spiros. She thought about him 75% of the day as it was.

“Hugh, he’s married,” she said, trying to keep her voice level. He noticed her expression.

“He may be married, but he is so in love with you, it seems only you can’t see it!” He threw his arms up in the air, scoffing. 

She felt tears slipping down her cheeks. The brutal honesty of what he was saying, cut into her. Of course she knew! She couldn’t possibly fail to notice the way he still felt, for she felt it too. But it didn’t matter because he was married.

“Hugh stop it! It doesn’t matter because he has a family, a wife! So even if what you’re saying is true, it doesn’t matter!” she cried. Had he’d been thinking clearly, he might have considered her words. He didn’t answer however, just brooded. “I have to go.”

“Louisa, I’m sorry,” he finally said.

“I just-” she stopped when her voice broke. “I need time to talk to my family.”

He nodded begrudgingly then leaned in to kiss her. She prayed to feel anything but she didn’t.

----------------------------------------------

She wasn’t that far from home when she saw her children marching towards her, suspiciously cordial. 

“Oh God what’s happened?” she said, forgetting her own despair.

“You have a visitor, I’m getting this lot out of the way,” Larry told her, almost knowingly as he frogmarched them past her. She watched them go, her heart pounding furiously against her ribs. Her suspicions were proven correct when she rounded the corner and saw his car. 

She was both afraid and happy to see him, though the emotions were fighting for equal leadership. Her breath was forcefully removed from her lungs and she gulped in air. She touched the bonnet of his car, letting her fingertip trail across it, almost caressing the metal the way she could never caress his body.

He was standing in front of the fireplace when she walked in. His back to her, he appeared to be studying the family photographs.

“Spiros,” she said quietly. It was neither a greeting or an acknowledgement; it had simply been too long since the word had rested on her tongue. He turned sharply as if he hadn’t expected her to be there.

“I’m sorry abut err... the other week. I wanted to come sooner, but didn’t think you’d want to talk to me,” he said. She was most taken aback by his appearance; he looked disheveled, like he hadn’t slept in weeks, months maybe. And his eyes were dull, no life in them. She wanted to cry for him.

She put her bag down and waved it off like all was forgiven.

“I know I have no right to tell you what to do, I just-” he continued, pausing when his voice started to crack. She could see the tears in his eyes when he looked at her. “Does he make you happy?”

That damned question again. She looked away. She couldn’t lie to him, couldn’t bear to the discuss the truth. Instead, it seemed she’d just avoid the question. Her avoidance however confirmed not only his worst fear, but also the truth she hadn’t wanted to admit. When she finally looked at him, he saw the truth before she said.

“I don’t think I can ever be happy again,” she said. It was the most honest conversation they’d had in months. He didn’t seem to want to hear that. He approached her, closing the space between them.

“I just want you to be happy,” he choked. Tears spilled down her cheeks as he reached in and took her hands, kissing them. His mouth lingered on her skin and she let out a sob. Nearly 7 months of separation had led to this point, and yet it was almost as if no time had passed at all. 

Then he said something that changed everything. 

“Because I love you,” he murmured. Her breath came in short, sharp bursts. She had longed to hear him say but now she wasn’t sure how she could go on.

“Spiros, we can’t-” she went to say but he kissed her hand again, caressing her fingers between his. She couldn’t stop now and she rested her forehead against his, letting out another sob. He held her face just as he had all those months ago. He leaned in and his lips touched hers. Something exploded behind her eyes and her lungs wouldn’t work.

“Louisa,” he murmured when they parted for breath. She looked at him and all the pain was gone. His arm was tight around her waist, his other hand caressed the back of her head. Her own hands were balled up on either side of his neck, clutching his shirt. He leaned in again and she met him half way. She felt like she’d previously been dead and he’d brought her back to life. A warmth spread through her like the sun had finally broken through the clouds. His mouth moved expertly on hers, like they were made to fit together. 

Abruptly, he pulled away and her eyes flung open. He was searching her face, his mouth poised in an open question. She knew what he was asking, and she knew the answer. She stroked his cheek.

“I’ve never wanted anything more,” she said. Now the words were out there, she’d never be able to outrun them.

He scooped her into his arms and she gave a startled yelp before hugging his neck. He set her down on the top floor and she pulled his face to hers. When they parted, she took his hand and led him into her bedroom. It felt sinful just to get to this point but both had stopped caring. 

She pushed the suspenders off his shoulders and pulled his shirt free from his trousers. She ran a hand under it and a throaty moan broke free. She unbuttoned the shirt and he pulled it off. She had never noticed how muscly his biceps were before but she ran her hands up them delicately. She was falling in love all over again and it made her dizzy. His hands rested on her back and he slid the zipper down on her dress, painfully slow. His hand grazed bare skin and it was like she’d never been touched before. 

She kissed his neck and they were falling onto the bed. His lips caught hers in a loyal display of undying love and she felt like every nerve of her body was exposed and on fire. And when their bodies connected, moving as one it were as if she’d been struck by lightning. 

He let her reach the plateau first, before he sent them both tumbling over the edge. She only cried out his name, once, but the sound to him, was one of the most beautiful things he’d ever heard. 

It was passionate, and slow and left them breathless and exhausted. Spiros kissed her forehead and moved off of her. Instantly, Louisa missed his warmth. She leaned into him, drowsily resting her head on his shoulder. Her arm draped lazily across his chest. He grasped her hand, holding it against his beating heart. It pounded like a jack hammer and his skin was covered by a thin film of sweat. She smiled to herself and kissed his jawline before she closed her eyes.

“I want to stay forever, but I have to go,” he said and her eyes snapped open. She had no idea how long she’d been asleep but the sky was starting to look dusky. She wondered if the children had been home - seen his car still in the driveway. 

Reluctantly she sat up, pulling the sheet with her. He slid out of the bed and dressed far less enthusiastically as he had undressed. He picked up her dress from where it had landed and handed it to her. He watched her pull it on and tried to quell the urge to take it off again.

His hand rested on the car door. He hesitated and turned to her. She looked flushed and her hair was sticking out at odd angles. She tried to smooth it but she was still a little unsteady on her feet, so gripped the door frame. He returned to her and she saw no hint of jubilance. For a moment she steeled herself for the potential heart break, 7 months after the first.

He cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead. Then, as if he couldn’t bear not to, he leaned in and kissed her quickly. Before she’d had time to catch her breath, he was driving away and she was alone. She knew she should go and have a bath but she wasn’t quite ready to wash the feeling of him, off of her, just yet.

[babylon-bitch]

Just Friends ~ A New Era (part 75)

A/N: this is THE chapter! There’s only 4 or 5 chapters left, soz guys

Harper White is best friends with Luke Hemmings, they always have been. Not only is she  friends with the rockstar, but with the rest of 5 Seconds Of Summer, as well as a really nice girl named Erika.

Harper has a few secrets, she can play all the instruments the boys play and many more. It’s a talent she has kept hidden, only very few people know.

What will happen to the six teens, wondering around the world together?

***

Opening Michael’s sliding door, I step outside after getting a drink, into the blinding Sun. Pulling my sunglasses down from my head so the sit nicely on the bridge of my nose as I make my over to the others.

“I’m dreading getting up because it’s going to rip the first 69 layers off my thighs.” Maddie huffs.

“69, huh?” I wink, sitting next to Luke. 

“Wow you’re mature!” Luke teases, resting his arm on the back of my chair, kinda framing me.

“How are you five wearing jeans? Let alone black jeans?” Erika questions.

“Emo never really comes out of you.” Michael shrugs.

“Why will you get up and rip a load of skin off?” Ashton asks.

“Because I’m wearing shorts and I’m sweating, so it makes my skin stick to the plastic.” Maddie explains.

“Don’t where shorts then.” Calum tell her.

“I would, but I don’t like drowning in my own sweat.” She sends him a cruel smile.

“I do believe this is mine.” Luke says in a quieter voice as they all argue.

“What is?” I raise an eyebrow, looking over at him.

“This bracelet.” He answers, picking up my arm, fiddling with the leather on my wrist.

“I do remember it being too small for you.” I reply.

“But I don’t remember giving you permission to have it.” He remarks.

“What’s yours is mine.”

“Where’d you get that from?” He smirks.

“It’s the best friend rule.” I deadpan.

“Did you just friendzone me?”

“I’ve been doing it for the past few years.” I tease, planting a delicate kiss on his wrist to show him I’m just messing with him.

“Of course you have.” He winks. “Because all the times you slept with me, they were just friendly gestures.” He laughs.

“Luke!” I exclaim.

“What babe?” He has trouble concealing his smirk.

All I give him is a glare.

“What’s mine is yours, you said it yourself.” He tells me, lifting his hips up slightly.

“You need Jesus.”

“Someone’s gotta save me, or I’ll just fall.” Luke teasingly smiles.

I look at him in disapproval.

“Looks like I’ve already fallen though.” He smirks, sitting up slightly and leans his elbow on the arm of my chair, placing his chin in his palm.

I lean in closer to him, glancing down at his lips briefly. “I’ll meet you at the bottom.” I grin.

“Race you.”

“Nah, I think you’ve already won, you tend to catch feelings quicker and get attached easier than me.” I wind him up.

“To be fair, I already had all of that for you, so don’t come at me with that.” He gives me a pointed look.

I laugh, subtly looking over at the others to see if they’re looking and they’re still arguing, so I take that opportunity to place a kiss on his jaw.

“Alright, babe.” I bite my lip, leaning back in my chair, keeping my eyes locked to his.

“When do you go back to uni Harper?” Calum asks.

“Uh, towards the end of next week.” I answer.

“And when do you next get a break?” Ashton raises an eyebrow.

“Some time around Easter, I’m not sure, I haven’t looked for a while.” I reply whilst playing with Luke’s fingers.

“So do you think you’ll be able to visit us at some point in L.A.?” Michael questions.

“I don’t know, I’m not even sure on how much time I get off, but I’m pretty sure we can work something out soon enough.” I say. “Can’t you come to me?”

“Can’t really leave work, at least not for a long period of time. Plus, if we come to you, you’ve got Maddie and Erika, it’d make sense for only 3 people to travel instead of 6.” Ashton explains.

“Fair enough.” I shrug as I twist one of Luke’s rings around his finger.

“I’m sure we’ll see each other soon enough.” Maddie says.

Calum stands up and walks over to a random football, kicking it at Erika, making her squeal.

“What’d you do that for?” She whines.

“You looked too happy.” He answers.

Ashton gets up and joins Calum in a little kick about, but they mainly just talk, Calum doing most of the active part.

“Hey Luke!” Calum calls, making Luke look up from his phone.

“What?”

“Wanna join?” He offers.

“Not really.” He shakes his head but gets up anyway, heading their way.

“I don’t wanna be left with you.” Michael grimaces and joins the others, leaving just us girls.

“So.” Maddie starts, causing me to look over at her.

“So, what?” I raise an eyebrow.

“New years.” Erika continues.

“Are you two ganging up on me?” I question.

“Some might put it that way, we call it organized tactics.” Maddie sits back in her chair.

“I don’t like hanging out with just the two of you, it feels like a third wheel and you guys are mean.” I huff.

“Welcome to the feeling.” Erika smirks, making me furrow my eyebrows.

“Anyway, new years.” Maddie repeats.

“What about it?” I ask, my eyes travelling towards Luke.

Things have been going really well between Luke and I recently, I don’t tend to look at the past so much anymore, I’m more focused on the future, which is a lot better of a feeling. Nothing huge has happened, we’ve shared a few kisses, but honestly I’ve just been spending so much time with him recently and that stuff doesn’t seem as important anymore. We’re starting a new is and I couldn’t be happier.

“What’s going on?” Maddie asks, staring at me expectantly, making me smile.

“Nothing much.” I shrug,

“So that argument was about nothing? You were just bickering? It wasn’t serious?” Erika fires.

“I mean…” I trail off.

“Spill.” Maddie requests and I laugh.

“I don’t know, there’s so much to it.” I sigh. “Do you know what happened back in England?”

“No?” Maddie shakes her head.

“You don’t?” I question.

“What happened?” Erika asks.

“The boys didn’t tell you?” I raise an eyebrow, and I look over at the boy’s who are talking on the other side of the garden.

“They didn’t tell us anything juicy.” Erika sighs.

“Well, uh, Luke and I kinda slept together.” I trail off, biting my lip.

“What?” Maddie exclaims.

“Those shitheads how could they leave me out of something so juicy.” Erika mutters.

“How on earth did that happen?” Maddie asks, wide eyed.

“We got drunk at a party.” I explain. “We’d nearly kissed so many other times prior to that night, and then I guess that night it finally happened. Then the morning after I freaked out a little and we had an argument and then I stormed off to my friends house. I came back later that day, and we talked it out and decided that we’d set some boundaries and shit, but soon enough he’d over step his on boundary that we’d not be so affectionate and I guess I just snapped the other week.”

“Woah, why’d you not tell us all this?” Erika questions.

“I’ve just been busy with Luke.” I shrug.

“Oh really.” Maddie winks.

“Not like that!” I laugh.

“So has anything happened since then?” Erika questions.

“Um, no, nothing.” I lie.

“So what’s going on with you two now? You both seem a lot happier now.” Erika questions.

“Nothing really, we’ve just been building our relationship up again, when we slept together it kinda destroyed whatever we had left, but now we’re slowly building it back up.” I answer with a giddy smile.

“I’m happy for you guys, you’ve both been so lost without each other and seeing you together again is a sight for sore eyes.” Maddie says.

“Thanks.”

“Is there any hope form you guys getting back together?” Erika questions.

“I mean right now all we’re working on is our relationship, but I don’t know what will happen in the future.” I tell a slight lie. “I think there’s always going to be that window for us, whether we take it or not is another story, but I’m happy as we are now.”

“I think you’ll get back together in like 2 or 3 years, I’m calling it.” Erika predicts.

“You think?” I raise an eyebrow.

“Nah, I’m saying in like 5 or 6, maybe you’d both been in another serious relationship but broke up and then got together.” Maddie voices her opinion.

Might be sooner than you think, girls.

***

Grabbing two bottles of water, I walk outside again, placing one of them on the table that Erika and Maddie are sitting at, and then I walk over to where the boys are.

Creeping up on Luke, I place the ice cold bottle on his arm, making him yelp, and look behind him at lightning speed.

“Why’d you do that?” He whines, leaning back again.

“I got you some water.” I ignore his question, passing him the bottle, which he takes and places it in his lap.

“Thanks.” He nods.

“How come you got him water and left us to die of dehydration?” Calum huffs.

“I mean, I kinda like Luke, so I’d like to keep him around.” I shrug, lazily placing my arm around Luke’s shoulders.

“And us?” Michael questions.

“I can live without you.” I answer, feeling Luke lean his head on my hip, and I rake my fingers through his hair.

“Do you know how mean you are?” Ashton asks.

“As much as I’d love to stay and chat, I’ve got a card pyramid to tend to, so goodbye.” I wave and leave them, making my way back to the girls.

Luke’s P.O.V.

Shaking my head with a smile, I turn back to the others, as I open the water bottle, taking a sip.

“What’s going on between you guys?” Calum asks curiously.

“What do you mean?” I raise an eyebrow.

“You seem a lot closer nowadays, and happier. Did something happen between you or something?” He explains.

“Um, uh.” I mumble, not knowing what to say. Last time Harper and I were at this stage of our relationship, she didn’t want me to say anything, but she doesn’t want it to be like last time. “We’ve just been working on our relationship more, nothing like that has happened.”

“Are you sure?” Ashton says.

“Pretty sure.” I nod.

“Yeah but are you sure you’re not being a boy and you haven’t recognized that there’s a shift in your relationship or that something happened?” Michael questions.

“What? No, I don’t know if you know, but I’m kinda experiencing it first hand, so I think I’d realize that something happened.” I lie smoothly. “There’s nothing going on between us, and there never will be.”

“Does she know that?” Michael replies.

“Of course, we’ve talked about it. We agreed that we’re going to put that part of our past to bed.” I put emphasis on certain words.

“So there’s nothing going on between you? You’re just friends? You haven’t missed a sign? She knows that it’s over?” Ashton asks for confirmation.

“Firstly, she broke up with me, secondly it’s been over for a year now, so of course she knows it’s over. There’s absolutely nothing going on between us, just two friends, that’s it.” I sigh.

“But is it ‘just friends’ like it was before you guys got together in the first place, or just friends like the period you were hiding your relationship from everyone?” Michael states and I look over towards Harper, seeing her get frustrated when all the cards fall down in front of her, and I can’t help but smile.

“Just friends as in just friends. We’re moving on from then, starting a new era.”

“Is that what you want?” Calum inquires.

“Uh, yeah.” I nod, taking a sip of my water.

“Convincing.” Michael laughs.

“Shut up.” I mumble, sinking further in my chair.

“You’re still not over her?” Calum asks.

“I mean,” I pause, not knowing where to go. “It’s hard to get over someone who made that big of an impact on your life.” I bite my lip, looking over at Harper, not being able to fight off the smile that makes it’s way onto my face.

“So that’s a no?” Ashton predicts.

“I don’t know.” I shrug.

“Well from our point of view, I don’t think it’s too difficult to tell.”

***

Harper P.O.V.

Stretching my arms, I lift Luke’s arm off my shoulders and stand up, parts of my back clicking when I stretch again.

“You sound like an old lady.” Maddie comments.

“Shut up.” I mumble, letting out a small yawn.

“Since when did you have cake?” Calum asks from the kitchen, and everyone in the room besides Luke and I leave the room.

I hold my hand out in front of Luke, and he takes it and I help him up.

“You tired, baby?” Luke coos, tucking some hair behind my ears, and cups my cheeks.

“Yeah.” I quietly nod, making him smile.

“Do you wanna go to my house?” He offers.

“Sure.” I take up the offer, and he presses a delicate kiss to my forehead.

“You’re so cute.” He laughs and pulls me into a hug.

“I’m tired.” I whine, wrapping my arms around his waist.

“It’s like 6, how are you tired?” Luke questions.

“Guess I didn’t get much sleep last night.” I shrug.

“Why’s that?”

“I was talking to people until 3.” I sigh, rubbing my eye.

“You guys having cake or are you going to continue being gross?” Michael asks from the doorway.

“Fuck off.” I whine with a slight chuckle.

“We’re going to my house.” Luke fills him in.

“Oh are you?” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“Yes.” I huff, and break away from Luke. Picking my bag up, I sling it over my shoulder, and make my way past the Michael, which makes Luke chuckle as he follows me.

“Don’t have too much fun!” Michael calls, earning himself a synchronized middle finger coming from both of us.

Getting into the car, I wait until Luke is settled in, and then I pull out as I pass him my phone so he can put some music on.

Soon enough we arrive at Luke’s house, and I immediately collapse onto his bed face first, making him laugh.

“I’m not letting you fall asleep, you know that right?” Luke says, joining me on the bed.

“Why?” I pout, turning my head to look at him.

“Because you’ll regret it later on, and you’ll moan at me for letting you fall asleep the next day.” He explains.

“Touchè.” I roll my eyes. I have woken up considerably because I was driving and it woke me up.

“So uh, the boys asked me what’s going on between us earlier.” Luke confesses, and I furrow my eyebrows slightly and roll onto my side.

“What’d you say?” I cautiously ask.

“I told them that we’re just friends.” He shrugs. “Which is true.”

“What else did you say?”

“I told them that nothing is going on between us, and that we’re just friends and always will be.” He continues, and I nod, biting my lip.

“The girls actually asked me about what happened on New Years.” I tell him.

“They did?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I told them the same, that there’s nothing going on between us, I also told them about what happened in England, apparently they didn’t know.” I explain.

“They buy it?”

“Yeah, I guess.” I smile. “They predicted that we’d eventually get back together again, Erika said in 2 or 3 years, and Maddie said after we both have another serious relationship and get back together in 5 or 6 years.”

“And are they correct?”

“I don’t know.” I smile, sitting up. “Are you all ready to go to L.A.?” I ask and look behind me at him.

“Uh, I think so, just gotta book my flight and tidy up a few things.” He answers.

“You looking forward to moving?” I ask.

“Yes and no. It’s gonna be a good opportunity for us, but I’m not gonna be able to see my family or you, Erika, Maddie. It’s gonna be hard at first.” He answers honestly. “How was it when you first moved away?”

“It was slightly easier because I had most of my family already there, even though we were in different parts of the country, I also had my brothers a short drive away. It was hard adjusting, but I got used to it after a while, it’s not actually that bad once you’re settled in. You’ve got the boys so it’s not all bad.” I attempt to reassure.

“We were together at the time you moved, how’d you cope with the long distance.” He asks worriedly.

“The same way you did, I just got on with it, and didn’t think too much about it. But it was super difficult for the first month, because I wasn’t used to having to text you all the time or having a 2 hour facetime call late at night as we saw each other everyday.” I explain.

“That was quite hard, wasn’t it?” Luke laughs slightly, sitting up next to me

“Yeah.” I nod, going back on the memories.

“Are you gonna miss me?” I ask with a teasing tone in my voice.

“I mean..” he trails off with a sigh, as he rubs the back of his neck.

“Honestly you make it really hard to feel anything towards you but hate sometimes.” I tell him.

“Sure.” He winks and I roll my eyes.

“You’re really gonna hold us above me all the time aren’t you?” I laugh, placing my forearm on his shoulder.

“Well what other way am I gonna win our arguments?” Luke raises an eyebrow

“You could kiss me, that always seems to work.” I reply with an innocent smirk, but it speaks anything but innocent.

“Blunt as ever, White.” He laughs, placing his hand on my jaw and leans in.

His lips ghost over mine, a feather like pressure grazing over my lips, and I can’t help my smile as my whole body begins to feel alive. I play with the curls on the back of his head, liking the feeling between my fingers.

Our lips move together slowly at first, finding a pace that’s not too rushed. One of my favourite ways to kiss, lazily, but soon enough Luke slides his tongue into my mouth and I love the feeling of his tongue dancing with mine. I feel his hand travel up and bury his fingers in my hair, I let out a slight moan at the feeling.

Grazing my teeth over his lip ring, I tug on it slightly, earning myself a low whimper from him. I move my hand from his neck to his side, causing him to tense up ever so slightly for a couple seconds. Luke pushes me back without breaking the kiss, so I’m laying down and he kinda lays half on top of me.

Luke trails his hand down my neck, ghosting over my chest, lightly going down my waist, and then tightly gripping my hip. He disconnects our lips and dives into my neck, beginning to plant a few marks on me that I already know will be difficult to cover up. He makes his way back up my neck, to my jaw and nips at my ear slightly.

“You’re really cute.” He tells me with a light chuckle and I glare at him teasingly,

I take advantage of his weak moment and flip him over, his hands instantly holding my hips as I naturally straddle his hips. “If it helps, I think you’re really cute as well.”

“I’m not cute I’m hot!” He exclaims and I graze my bottom lip against his lips, not being able to help my smile.

“Sure, babe.” I wink and carry on our kiss.

I feel him lift my shirt up slightly and his fingers trace random shapes on the now exposed skin. I attach my mouth to his neck, remembering his sweet spot which makes him let out a groan and tighten his grip on me.

“Fuck.” He mutters.

Leaving my mark, I smirk at the colours that are already beginning to show up. Luke connects our lips again, and I can’t help but smile at the needyness in his touch and kiss.

“I love you.” He whispers against my lips, making me grin and peck his lips.

“I love you too.” I reply, feeling his smile against my lips.

He wraps his arms around me and reignites our steamy kiss with a smile.

“You know we should really stop before this goes too far.” Luke interrupts slightly out of breath after a while of making out.

“Yeah.” I agree, letting out a breath, willing my heart to stop beating so fast.

Suddenly there’s a knock at Luke’s door and he rolls off me at lighting speed and picks up a random book, as I try not to laugh and pull my phone out.

“Hey.” Liz greets as she opens the door.

“Hi.” We both smile.

“I’ve just got some washing for you.” She informs, placing a pile of washing on Luke’s chair.

“Thanks.” He says.

“I’ll leave you two alone for now.” She tells us.

“Bye.” I wave.

She closes the door and I stiffle a laugh.

“Nice going, dumbass.” I state and turn the book he’s holding the right way up.

“Oh.” He laughs, closing it and putting it back where he found it.

“You’re so stupid.”

“Yeah but you love me.” He grins smugly.

“Most of the time.” I send a look his way.

Luke smiles and wraps his arms around me, pulling me towards him, placing a delicate kiss to my temple.

I lift my chin up, signalling I want a kiss and he complies by briefly brushing his lips against mine.

“So uh, I’ve been thinking?” Luke starts after a while of cuddling and showing each other pictures on our phone’s.

“That’s never good.” I mumble, turning onto my back.

“Hey!” He whines, flicking my nose.

“Well go on, let’s see how much shit you can say in 2 minute.” I tease.

“Okay,” He huffs, sending an annoyed look my way. “I’m going to L.A. next week, we’ll be there for a while, what are we going to do about us?”

I look down, rolling my bottom lip into my mouth, not expecting him to say that.

“What do you want to do about us?” I question, looking up at him.

“I think we should do something about us.” He cautiously answers.

“Like making it official again?”

“If that’s what you want.” Luke tells me.

“We’re not going to be able to see each other for at least 2 months, so what’s the point of making it official if it’s going to be ripped away from us next week?” I state.

“Fair point but we’re going to be there for a while, and we’ll probably be located there in the future, what’s the point of waiting a few months before doing anything about us?” He voices his perspective. “Do you see us as long term?”

“I did last time, but then it didn’t turn out as expected.” I confess.

“That’s why you’re apprehensive about this? You’re worried it’s going to be a repeat of last time?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Why wouldn’t I be? I put my whole life into that relationship and in the end I got nothing back but a broken heart. You caused me so much hurt, like I’m not even capable of putting it into words. I had this constant feeling in my chest and stomach, I had know idea how to get rid of it.” I explain sitting up, feeling the lump in my throat grow. “Plus I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to trust you for a long time. I’m always going to be asking for reassurance, I don’t want to be a burden.”

“That’s something I’m willing to take on. I understand that, I do, it’s only right for you to be asking me questions all the time because I put us in that situation. I have to gain your trust again, which I need to do and I’m going to work on that. It’s not going to be like last time, I promise.”

“You promised me last time.” I remind him, feeling him sit up as well.

“I was an idiot, I took what we had for granted, and I payed for that. Might not be the best word to use, but you have to trust me on this. I’m not going to let you down again. I told you I’d always wait for you, when you’re ready or if you don’t want me at all, I’ll always be there.”

“I remember when you said that to me, and I’ve kept it at the back of my mind ever since, you know.” I admit, playing with the wristbands on my arm.

“Really?” He asks a little shocked.

“Yeah, it kinda gave me a sense of comfort, I didn’t know if you meant it or not or if it still applied, but on those late night’s where I couldn’t sleep, this words meant much more to me than you realized.”

“It always applied, even if you don’t want to take this step now, I’ll still wait for you.” He assures, sincerity over following in his voice.

I look away from my hands, and up at him, staring into his big blue eyes.

“I’m pretty sure you can stop waiting now.” I tell him after a while of thinking.

“Really?” He questions.

“Yeah, there’s some stuff we need to work on, but I’m pretty sure we can get though them.”

“I don’t think we should dive straight in, we should take it slow, not rush into anything. I’ve just got the girl of my dreams, I don’t want to risk anything.” Luke says.

“I’ll have to agree with that, I don’t want to lose you again.” I nod.

“We’re actually doing this again?” He asks with a small smile.

“I wouldn’t say again, we’re entering a new era so we’re starting a new us.” I answer.

He smiles and then kisses me, and it’s one of the most smiley kisses I’ve ever had. I place my hand on his shoulder while he holds my neck, and I start to find it hard to keep up because I’m so happy. Soon enough the kiss loses seriousness as we both burst into giggles.

“I’ve missed you.” He admits.

“I’ve missed you too.” I laugh against his lips.

“And I love you.” Luke confesses.

“I love you.” I repeat, kissing him again.

[seengularity]

Babysitting

Pairing: Dean x reader, Dean Smith x reader

Summary: Dean Smith is a busy working man who struggles to find someone to watch his three kids. Lucky for him, you put up flyers around your hometown offering to babysit. What happens when his kids grow older and no longer need a babysitter?

Word Count: 4.7k

Warnings: fluff, angst, family adorableness

A/N: This isn’t written for any challenges or for anybody. I simply found a handsome picture of Dean and I felt like I needed to write him as a father.

You’ve decided to try babysitting for some extra cash and you were about to give up hope and stop sticking up your number around town to babysit. You made over one hundred bright pink flyers, each one with strips of your number on the bottom.

You had been hanging up flyers for the past month now, but who in their right minds would hire a stranger to babysit their kids?

You thought maybe babysitting was a good idea for the extra cash. You were currently attending school at some nearby college and still lived with your parents because let’s be honest, it’s hard to take classes, work and live by yourself. 

But living with your parents with no job meant that you were always broke. Want to go eat? Broke. Want to go shopping? Broke. Want to go somewhere nice? Broke.

You were tired of it. You wanted your own money to buy yourself your own things instead of having to ask your parents, and also to maybe help your parents with some overly-priced bills.

It was getting dark and you decided that hanging up seventy flyers was enough for the day and that you will just continue to hang the rest tomorrow. You got home and your dad was home from work, and your mom was cooking.

“Honey, dinner is almost ready!” Your mom shouted to you as you began walking upstairs to your room.

“No thank you, mom. I ate just before I left. I’m just going to head to my room.” You said back to her.

You continued to your room and threw your bag on the floor and flopped yourself onto your bed, another unsuccessful day.

Your bones cracked a few times as you laid yourself flat on your bed and you sighed. You’re not getting any younger and you wished you could flash forward to when you had a stable job and your own home.

You began to drift off into a slumber when your phone began to ring, making you jump quite hard.

You ran to your bag on the floor and quickly unzipped it, taking your phone out and answering the unknown number that was calling.

“Hello?” You grimaced at the sound of your disgusting scratchy voice, caused by your almost sleep a few seconds ago.

“Yes, hello. My name is Dean Smith and I’m calling about this babysitting service that you posted up on this flyer?”

The voice almost made you wet your pants. The man’s voice was so deep and sexy that you already wanted to see what this man looked like and who he was.

“Yes, that’s me! What can I help you with?” You asked with a voice that you tried to make it sound like you were purely business, but you were failing miserably.

“I was wondering if maybe you can come to my house tomorrow so I can ask you some questions about yourself? I want you as a babysitter for my kids but I just want to get to know you before allowing you to watch them. Will that be okay? At around three in the afternoon?”

“Sure thing!” You replied a little too embarrassingly loud.

“Okay then, it’s settled. Do you text? If you do, I’ll just send you my house address.”

“Yes I text.” Was all that you said, and you felt like you should’ve said more.

“Okay then! I’ll just text you. Good-bye!”

You said bye back and you both hung up. You waited impatiently for the man to send you his address. When he did, you quickly put the address into Google maps.

“Holy cow!” You couldn’t believe where this man lived. He lives in the Beverly-Freaking-Hills! What the hell would this man want with a person who needs to put out flyers to find a job rather than finding some professional?

Honestly, you were now intimidated. This man, his wife and his kids probably have it all.

You put your phone on your charger and got back into bed. You closed your eyes to fall back asleep and your dreams were filled with nothing but that voice on the other side of the phone and guesses on what the man looked like.

::

You hadn’t done anything all day because you were nervous to meet this man.

“This man lives in Beverly Hills, mom!”

“Well maybe he just wants to help someone out. Plus, maybe he will make you his girlfriend in the long run.” Your mom winked your way, making you blush at her words.

“Doubt it. He has kids, so that must mean he has a wife, right?” You asked your mom as you picked at your salad.

“Not necessarily. The mom might not be in their lives.”

You thought your mom was right. If two adults, one man and one woman, needed a babysitter, you would think the woman would call. But you guessed you would find out soon enough.

It was time to leave so you got into your small 1967 red Chevrolet Malibu, and you made your way up town.

Half an hour later, you made your way into a huge community filled with homes that you never seen so big. You were amazed by the way these homes looked. They all had to be at least three stories high.

Your driving came to a slow halt as you found the house with your GPS. You parked your car on the street, right outside the big white home, and walked up to the door.

You nervously rang the doorbell and waited impatiently.

A man no later than his late thirties, in a nice white shirt, opened the door and smiled widely at you. “Hello, come in.”

You walked in and the house smelled like cleaning product, as the house looked completely spick and span. Not a single dirt spot anywhere. 

The man lead you to an office room that was on the second story of the house, and gestured you to sit at a table right next to him. He looked up at you and the sun shining in from the window within the room, made you fall in love with his eyes. His eyes were rainforest green and you couldn’t believe how green they were. Yet, here you were with boring Y/E/C eyes that more than half the world has.

“So to start off, can I get a name?” The man asked you. You began to speak and his cologne lingered into your nostrils, making him sexier now that he smells good too.

“My name is Y/N.”

“Okay, Y/N, tell me about yourself.” The man stared at you and your heart began to beat against your ribcage and you felt like the man could hear your heart beats.

“Well I’m twenty-four years old. I’m currently attending a college within my hometown with a major in English. I am the second child out of four within my immediate family. I love children. I’ve volunteered numerous times at elementary schools and at summer camps.”

The man smiled, satisfied with your answer. “Do you have any children of your own? A family of your own?”

You were quite embarrassed at his question. Should you have had a family by now? Did he have a family by the age of twenty-four?

“Uh, no, I don’t.” You responded.

“Any boyfriends or husbands that I should know about?” He asked, looking straight into your eyes.

“No, sir.” You replied simply.

He continued to smile and it began to make your hands sweat.

“Please, call me Dean,” He started. “So it looks like I’m going to hire you. I was thinking maybe I could pay you $50 per hour?”

Your eyebrows raised in amazement. You were only going to ask for $50 per day.

“You’re right, that’s not enough. How’s $75 per hour?”

You began to laugh because Dean clearly took your expression the wrong way. “That’s more than enough. What times would you need me to babysit?”

“Okay now don’t be mad, but I’m going to need you to babysit overnight. From seven in the evening to seven in the morning. I’ll be home by then and I’ll be able to get the kids up and ready for school, so don’t worry about that.”

Jesus Christ! Twelve hours! You thought if you would ever be able to sleep in your own bed again if you took this job.

Your hesitation to say yes to the job made Dean continue to talk. “I have several guest rooms in here, but unfortunately only one of them is fully equipped. It also has a restroom within the room, and that’s where you will be staying. The room is between my room and the kids room.”

Would it really be so bad to take the job? Maybe you can sleep at home on the weekends and on weekdays stay here. So that means, you would have to come to his house straight after school, considering you get out of school at six in the evening. Not to mention, that’s $900 for every time you babysit!

“I’ll take it.” You stated.

Once again, Dean smiled and it looked like his eyes became greener. He bent over to you and took you into his arms in a big hug, which surprised you only a lot.

You hugged back, patting his back and he continuously thanked you for taking the job.

He pulled away and got up. You got up as well and he stopped in the doorway. “Come meet my kids.”

You both walked down the stairs and into the living room where a huge t.v. screen played Spongebob.

“Kiddos, I want you to meet someone!” All the kids ran to their dad as you made a head count of how many children you would be watching. Three kids, not too bad.

“Sam, John and Mary, meet Y/N!” Dean said happily to the kids.

All three kids smiled at you and ran to you in a big hug. You made a slight oomph, as the children squeezed a little too hard.

“They’re so cute and loving. I see they’re huggers too. Get it from their dad?” You laughed.

Dean laughed too. “Sorry about that hug. Ever since their M-O-M left a few years ago, it’s been hard to take care of them and run a company.” He stated.

Your eyes widened as he mentioned his occupation. “You run a company? No offense, but why in the world would you want to hire someone who isn’t all that experienced whereas there’s professionals everywhere that would be more than willing to take your money?”

Dean hesitated to answer and you could tell he was thinking before he decided to answer you. “You’re right. But unfortunately, professionals keep everything strictly professional. I would much rather have a family person who needs the money and loves family just as much as me. Family means everything to me. I was once a struggling kid in college and I know you are as well, otherwise you wouldn’t have taken a job caring for three little maniacs.”

You and Dean both laughed as he called his kids maniacs.

“One more thing, let me show you around the house.”

Dean showed you the whole house and it was practically a work out. The kitchen was as big as your room and you couldn’t wait to cook in it. He had several living rooms, although in your opinion you thought that was useless. He had three bathrooms downstairs as well as three bedrooms. Up the stairs, he showed you the theater room which astounded you, and he showed you his office room as well as the master bedroom, the fully furnished guest room, the laundry room and the kids rooms. On the third story, there was a huge storage room as well as several other rooms that Dean said he was too lazy to show you.

You both walked back down both flights of stairs and he took you to his backyard patio. He showed you the huge pool and jacuzzi as well as the tiki bar and the giant game room that was to the left.

“So I was wondering if maybe you could start tomorrow? You are more than welcomed to eat whatever is in the fridge. I have a maid that comes over so she will be here when you get here. She usually makes dinner for the kids, cleans, does laundry, and then leaves.”

You nodded in understanding.

“Okay it’s settled then. You are welcomed to stay and get to know the kids or me, maybe.”

You looked up at Dean and he was blushing, but he stared into your eyes to make it seem like he was being totally normal.

“I actual have to get home and help my mom with dinner. But I just want to say, thank you so much Dean. For this opportunity. I was really hoping for someone to call me back. I’ve tried for a long time now and you’re the only person who needed a babysitter.”

“No problem, Y/N. I will walk you out.”

He walked you out as you stepped out of his home and he walked you to your car.

“Have a thing for classic cars, I see?” Dean gestured towards your car.

“Yes. They are my weakness.” You smiled at him as he practically drooled over your car.

“I actually have a black ‘67 Chevy Impala in my garage along with several other cars, but my Chevy is my baby. I need to show you them, but that’s due for another day.” He smiled.

You decided to walk up to him and hug him. He smelled so good and you felt his big muscled arms wrap around you and for a second, you thought he ran his fingers through your hair.

You got into your car after you thanked him practically a million times, and you drove back home, happier than ever that you found a place that would pay you good. Plus, the dad is hot and the kids are sweet.

::

Four years later and you finally saved up enough money and helped your parents pay enough of their bills, that you decided it was finally time to move out.

You got yourself a nice small apartment, not too far from your old home, that was surprisingly cheap. The environment around the apartment was peaceful and quiet and the little porch outside of your sliding door windows received enough sunlight for your daily reading. You finally graduated with your degree in English, feeling accomplished.

You still continued to babysit Dean’s children. Although, they were so much more older now. Mary is now twelve, John is eleven and Sam is ten. Crazy ages.

Now that Mary was getting older, she was developing a major attitude now especially towards Dean. But for some reason, not unknown to you, she always vented to you about the latest gossip in her middle school and who was holding hands with who.

John is such a game nerd, but he sure does have an infinite amount of knowledge when it comes to technology. You recently got a new phone and didn’t know how to work the camera, but John quickly became acquainted with your phone and helped you out. He even showed you how to use it step by step.

Sam on the other hand, he was such a quiet kid but super sweet at the same time. He loved to read books. What you decided to do was bring him a new book every two weeks, since he reads them that quickly anyways. The new books that you bring always light up his face like if it’s Christmas.

You grew to love these kids. You seen them everyday that they became family to you. It would be unusual if you didn’t babysit them that day, like if something was missing.

“You know, Sam, Mary and John are getting older now.” Dean said softly before he left to work.

You nodded your head in agreement as you watched the kids do their homework. You were chewing on a carrot stick that you originally pulled out for the kids to munch on.

“They’re getting old enough to watch themselves now.”

You finally knew where this was going. You stopped chewing and looked at Dean. He had a sad expression on his face.

“What are you saying, Dean?” You wanted him to be straightforward, but that was definitely something you learned that he was not well at doing over the course of four years.

“I’m sorry Y/N. But unfortunately, these kids are getting older and I won’t have a need for a babysitter anymore. Mary is going to be thirteen in a few months and she is mature enough to be alone and take care of her brothers.”

He was whispering now, and you knew he didn’t want the kids to hear. You knew they would be heartbroken if they knew you weren’t going to babysit anymore.

“You’re firing me?” You began. Tears started to flow and your throat was burning from trying so hard to hold back tears. “Dean please. I love your kids. Don’t do this please. They are my family. You are my family.”

Dean looked doleful, but you knew he meant what he said and he wasn’t going back.

“Today will be the last day. I have to go to work now.”

And then he left. Just like that. Clearly he didn’t realize the attachment you had with his kids. Or maybe he just didn’t care?

You didn’t know what you were going to do and you were becoming scared. Of course you still had your parents and your brother and sisters but unfortunately for you, your brother and sisters lived in other states and you know your parents love being alone now that you’ve moved out.

Once Dean left, the time seemed to pass by quick. Mary spoke to you about school and you hugged her a little longer after her discussion about school. You played games with John a little longer than usual, knowing that it will be the last time. You talked books with Sam, expecting to miss what a smart kid he was about everything because of the many books he’s read.

Night came by and the morning came quicker. Dean walked into the guest room to wake you of your slumber.

“You can go home now. I left your last paycheck on the counter.” He whispered.

You looked at his face, but he was blank. Nothing showed across his face and it made you feel worse. You remembered last night. You cried yourself to sleep knowing you won’t see these kids anymore. Or Dean.

You knew you were going to miss Dean a lot as well. He was so kind and generous to you. He’s even taken you out on a few dates as well when he didn’t have work and when the kids were at school. You thought being fired was your fault, but you couldn’t remember doing anything wrong.

You left the Smith residence quickly, not wanting Dean to see any tears fall from your face as you exited the house. You got into your red Chevy and drove home.

It was quiet. But now, it was too quiet for your liking and you didn’t like to be alone with your thoughts. You kept thinking maybe you said something to the kids and they repeated what you said to Dean. Or maybe it was that time that you forgot to throw away the trash that the kids left on the counter. Or maybe it was that time you let the kids go in the pool when it was cold, but they kept begging.

You realized now, that you had to go out and get a real job. Thank goodness for your education.

Quicker than you could register, you found a decent paying job being an editor at some magazine company in Los Angeles. Of course it was quite a travel from your home, but your hometown was the country and not the city.

You weren’t feeling the hype of being an editor. You made some friends outside of work and they always became thrilled when you told them that you were an editor at Los Angeles Magazine. Literally all you did was edit people’s journal entries for the magazine, and that was it.

You missed babysitting. You tried getting them and Dean off of your mind, but everything you did reminded you of them.

Whenever your friends gossip, guess who it reminded you of? When you passed by the many billboards of new video games, guess who it reminded you of? Guess who it reminded you of when you tried to read on your porch?

Worst of all, guess who you remembered working at a company owned by one of the most wealthiest men in L.A.?

You hated it but you were helpless. You couldn’t do anything. You tried calling Dean to at least talk to the kids, but he changed his number which made your heart break. Before he changed his number, he even told you not to come back to his house.

Months passed by and you were still unhappy with your job and everything that surrounded you. Your mom insisted you move back in with them if you hated your job so much. But you couldn’t do that to them. They struggled trying to feed three people, you didn’t want to put them through that again.

Your routine was always the same. Wake up, go to work for an eight hour shift, have dinner with yourself, and then go home and clean up your house or maybe do some laundry. It was lonely and you didn’t feel this way before. The quiet turned into an annoying silence that was driving you insane.

Today was the same thing again. You separated your clothes and put them into the washer and then walked back to your apartment. The bad thing about the complexes were that you had to share a washer and a dryer.

You walked back to your apartment with you hamper in your hand when you seen a man squatting down with his head in his hands, right in front of your door.

The man was wearing grey sweats and a blue pullover sweater, but you knew he wasn’t homeless because he was wearing clean Nike shoes and his clothes were clean.

“Um, sir? Do you need something?”

You heard the man sobbing as you walked closer to him, but stopped when you spoke. He looked up and those eyes were the same ones that drew you in the first time you met him.

“Dean? What are you doing here?” You became frantic when you assumed something was wrong if Dean was at your front door, crying.

Dean got up from his position and walked to you and pulled you into a hug. The calming smell of him suddenly pulled you back into your memories and you began to hug him back. You rubbed his back until he pulled away first.

“I’m so sorry.” Was all he said as he was shaking from crying so much.

“It’s okay, Dean. Tell me, what happened?”

“I need you back. The kids need you back. We all miss you so much. I’m so sorry I fired you. I never should have told you to leave.”

You brought your hand up and wiped the tears from Dean’s soft face, your other hand going to his shoulder.

“Dean it’s oka…”

“It’s not okay! Okay? I fired you because I’m a sissy that couldn’t tell you my real feelings for you. So I pushed you away thinking it would make things better but I only thought of you even more!”

You were completely startled by his sudden rush of honesty of his feelings for you. Your hands dropped to your sides as you tried to process what Dean just said.

He has feelings for you. Do you feel the same? Of course you do, otherwise you wouldn’t have felt so depressed from the time he fired you.

“Dean, I…”

“Please, if you don’t feel the same way, just say it. Don’t hold back.”

“Dean, I love you Dean. I love your kids too. So much. I’ve loved you for a long time but I never thought you would want to be with me because I thought you were always just too busy to be with someone. But then, if you have feelings for me, why did you fire me?”

Dean turned his back towards you as you waited patiently for his answer. A few seconds passed and he turned back around to answer you.

“At first it was just a friendly relationship that we had. I loved how happy you made my kids and that made me happy. A year passed by and I noticed I was becoming attached to you. That’s when I started inviting you over even on your days off. Two years passed and I realized my feelings for you were way more than just liking. I was starting to love you and it was scaring me. So I began to work later shifts. I would come home later than usual and I made the kids go to school later. Finally, I just couldn’t handle it. You were constantly on my mind, so that’s why I did what I did.”

Dean was fidgeting and swaying side to side nervously, but continued to talk.

“At first I told the kids you found a new job and you were too busy to babysit them. I got a new babysitter but it just wasn’t the same. At night, I would hear the kids go to bed crying. There wasn’t a day I didn’t think of you, Y/N.”

You were so mesmerized by what he said that you grabbed him by his big shoulders and smashed his lips to yours. You had to do it. The urge was becoming too strong and you had a feeling he wasn’t going to make the first move any time soon.

Your arms wrapped around his neck and his arms wrapped around your waist as your lips and his lips molded and became one. His lips were soft and felt exactly the way you imagined it would and you had the feeling in your stomach that you imagined you would get if you ever kissed him.

But this was it. You were kissing him and holding him and you didn’t want to let go. You’ve never loved a man as much as you loved Dean Smith.

::

“Mom, can I go out with some friends tonight?” Mary asked you.

“Of course sweetheart. Just don’t be out too late. Call me if anything happens and you know I’ll be there.”

“Mom, can we go to the library?” Sam asked coming out of his room.

You nodded and smiled as he smiled widely and excitedly.

“Mom, I want this game. Can you get it for me when you have money?” John asked so nicely.

“Sure. As long as it’s not a violent game, I’ll be more than happy to.” You replied.

“Hey sweetheart.” Dean came up to you and kissed you on your temple as you were making dinner. Dean finally cut his own hours to spend more time with his family. You and him. Yours and Dean’s yearly income was way over the top and you two didn’t have to work so much. You also didn’t have to travel as far, so you kept your job in Los Angeles now that you lived in the rich community of Beverly Hills.

“You know I love you right? And the kids love you?” Dean said as he massaged my shoulders.

“Of course Dean. I love you guys too. So much.” You continued to cut vegetables to make some soup that your mom was more than happy to share the recipe with you.

You dunked the vegetables in the pot and turned towards Dean. He wrapped his arms around your waist and you wrapped your arms around his neck. Dean looked down and smiled, caressing your stomach. He lowered himself and placed a soft kiss on your tummy.

“I especially love our upcoming special addition to our family.”

You pecked Dean on the lips as he got back up and you pulled away from him. He wrapped his arms around you from behind and began to rub your eight month big tummy.

“Yes. I especially love our little Cassie that will soon be joining us.”

You smiled as you felt little Cassie kick and you knew at that moment that you have never felt happier.

[brokenbones-tellstories]

I’m bored.

1. What have you eaten today?

Brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts, a fruit roll up, Fritos, shrimp fettuccine Alfredo, a lavender latte , stuffed bell peppers, chocolate milk, water.

2. Who was your last kiss with? Was it pleasant?

Andrew. I guess. I honestly don’t prefer kisses.

3. What color shoes did you last wear?

Maroon and white!

4. Who has made you laugh the hardest in the last week? Twin. We were crying in the car after Peter Pan because we were laughing so hard.

5. What is your favorite scent? It’s between the flannel candle or the original scent candle from White Barn. I also really like Irish springs soap. It smells like my dad ☺️

6. What is your favorite season? Why?

Maybe winter will be more my season... 

7. Can you do a handstand or cartwheel?

I can do both!

8. What color are your nails?

I’m not allowed to paint them anymore because I live that Barista life.

9. If you had to get a tattoo on your face to save your life, what would it be? A freckle.

10. What is something you find romantic?

Oh, there’s so many things. I can’t even begin to describe… little things. Small moments. Surprising me with things you know I’ll fall in love with or have wanted for a very long time but don’t often speak of.

11. Are you happy? Happiness is fleeting.

12. Is there anything in particular making you happy or sad? I’m incredibly happy and very loved and a very busy woman. But, I’m also super tired and worn out and something has to give soon...

13. Dogs or Cats? I adore both, but I want a puppy.

15. Which do you prefer: a museum, a night club, the forest or a library? Depends on my mood. I have no desire to go to a club.

15. What is your style?

Slightly disheveled, can’t remember the last time I washed my jeans. Hair is in a pony tail 98% of the time. Makeup is a rare treat as I don’t have much time for it, always covered in mocha or frappuccino roast andI always smell faintly of espresso. But! Should I be blessed with a day off, my makeup is gorgeous and I’m usually always in a pair of skinny jeans with the ankles rolled up, wearing some form of sweater or jean jacket, or button down shirt, and I’m either wearing boots, converse, or adidas tennis shoes. My hair is shoulder length and mostly straight. Sometimes wavy. Just depends. I like dressing in layers. Lots of layers.

16. If you could be doing anything you like right now, what would it be? I’m doing exactly what I wanna be. I’m in bed and I’m warm.

17. Are you in a relationship or single? Engaged 🤷🏻‍♀️

18. What makes you attracted to the person you like right now? So very many things.

19. If you could replace your partner/best friend with a celebrity of your choice, would you? Who with? He looks SO MUCH LIKE HOOK FROM ONCE UPON A TIME.

20. Are you holding on to something you need to let go of? If so then what? Hahahaha hahah haha ha

21. How did you celebrate last Halloween? I came Home from work around 7:00 pm and layers in my bed and cried because I would only sleep in my room for another 5 nights before I said goodbye to that house forever.

22. Have you recently made any big decisions?

I’m buying a new car soon.

23. Were you ever in a school play?

Quite a few!

24. What movie would you use to describe your life? The Perks of Being a Wallflower is the closet thing I can think of

25. Is there something you have dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it? Yeah meeting a friend. We’ve tried and something always goes wrong.

26. Complete this sentence, “I wish I had someone with whom I could share…” I have everyone I wish I could share anything with.

27. What are two things that irritate you about the same sex? Women are paranoid and overdramatic.

28. What are two things that irritate you about the opposite sex? I’ve found with most that they don’t know when to stop or take no for an answer.

29. What is the best thing that has happened to you this week? I got to do my homework outside in the pretty weather.

30. What is something that makes you sad when you think about it? There’s a whole list of things. Right now I’m coping with a lot that I can’t actually talk about here.

31. How long was your longest relationship?

It’s still going. 2 (unbroken/straight) years

32. Have you ever been in love? I still am.

33. Are you currently in love? Yes.

34. Why did your last relationship end? Incompatibility. Trust issues. Anger issues. Emotional abuse. Physical abuse. Lack of respect. Habits I couldn’t live with. Etc.

35. What jewelry are you wearing right now, and where did you get it? Uh well. An engagement ring. A Lokai bracelet. A bracelet that says “Tetelestai” (it is finished), flower crystal earrings, a cartilage earring, and a gold necklace that says “dance in the rain” from my mom.

36. When was the last time you cried and why? I cried yesterday out of hurt, and guilt.

37. Name someone pretty. Twin.

38. What did you receive last Valentines Day? Chicken nuggets and chocolate.

39. Do you get jealous easily? Usually, no.

40. Have you ever been cheated on? I don’t think I have. I hope to God I’m not wrong.

41. Do you trust your partner/best friend? With my life.

42. Ever had detention? Once or twice.

43. Would you rather live in the countryside or the city? City.

44. What do people call you?  Sierrah, Dr. Watson, Twin, Scooter, Dear, Watson, Sarah, Savannah, Sissy, Daughter, Girl Child, Fresca, Sierra Mist, Sierra Nevada… you name it. I will respond to just about anything.

45. What was the last book you read? Everybody Always

46. How big of a nerd/dork are you? As far as books and Harry Potter goes….I’m a pretty big nerd.

47. What kind of music do you listen to? I have a very eclectic taste. So long as it’s not the rap crap that’s on the radio today and screamo/death metal.

48. How tall are you? 5′ 4″

49. Do you like kids? Absolutely adore them

50. Favorite fruits? Watermelon, cantaloupe, Kiwi, grapes

51. Do you wear jeans or sweats more? Jeans

52. What’s your earliest memory? I don’t know if it’s technically my earliest, but I remember laying in one of those pack and play cribs in the foyer/hall  of my granny Watson’s house when I was very small. I distinctly remember the hollow hum of the air conditioning coming through the vents of the house….

53. Ever had a poem or song written about you or to you? quite a few… “Begin Again”

54. Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it? Both

55. Do you have a collection of anything?  Books! I also have started collecting the Harry Potter Funko Pop characters (they’re adorable) and I have quite a few miniature figurines of grand pianos.

56. Do you save money or spend it? I save money and blow it all on traveling.

57. What would your dream house be like? I know for a fact I want dark hardwood floors and windows everywhere. I love light. Aside from that, there’s so many possibilities and so many different ways I want to decorate. It just depends on the space.

58. What top 5 things make you the angriest? People who lie, people who question my intentions and integrity, people who treat those of us in retail like we’re the scum of the earth, people who don’t know when to stop, and people with narcissistic attitudes or superiority complexes. Oh and people who don’t stand up for themselves.

59. What top 5 things always brings a smile to your face? Puppies, traveling, music, a good cup of coffee, my best friends,

60. You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do? Save the dog, I have so much experience I can just go work at another coffee shop.

61. 72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid? It all depends on where I’m at in life. I imagine at 72 I’d have done mostly everything, if not all of the things I currently want to do before I die. I also like to think that I’d tell someone, but I may not for a little while. I’m not afraid of dying, I’m just afraid of what comes after.

62. Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart. The organ that’s keeping me alive.

63. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go? There’s a place in Sweden I REALLY want to visit.

64. Do you like the beach? Yes

65. Ever sleep on the couch or a bed with someone special? Many times.

66. Do you have a middle name? If so what is it! Marie.

67. Do you talk to yourself? All the time. Alllllll the time.

68. Describe your hair. Medium length, super soft, a deep copper red color with light copper/blonde highlights (It’s a faded version of the dark red with bright red highlights I had a few months ago) it’s also really straight, a few layers to frame my face, bangs that fall just below my eyebrows…

69. What is the meaning of life. If we all knew the meaning of life it would take the wonder out of living. As much as I’d like to know what it’s all for, I think that half the fun is in not knowing. Ask me this again when I’m 80 or something.

70. What is your ideal partner like? My best friend.

71. Do you want to get married? Yes

72. Do you want to have kids? I want two. Boy and a girl. Anastasia and Alexander 💙

73. Like or dislike your family? Depends on which part of the family. I like some, hate some, tolerate others…

74. Are you Chunky or Slim? I’m pretty tiny.

75. Would you consider yourself smart?  Yes.

76. What would you change about your life? Not a damn thing.

77. Religious or Not? I hate religion, but I am a follower of Jesus

78. You’re drunk and yelling at hot guys/girls out of your car window, you’re with? Most likely Twin.

79. You’re locked in a room with the last person you kissed, is that a problem? Nope

80. Does anyone regularly (other than family) tell you they love you? quite a few people. I am very loved.

81. If the person you wish to be with were with you, what would you be doing right now? Honestly we’d probably both be asleep.

82. So, the last person you kissed just happens to arrive at your door at 3AM; do you let them in? I mean. It’s his house.

83. Do you like when people play with your hair?  Yesssss. It’s one of the best things.

84. Do you like bubble baths? I take one nearly every day.

85. Have you ever been pulled over by a cop? just once.

86. Have you ever danced in the rain? multiple times

87. Do you trust anyone with your life? Just a couple of people

88. What was your first thought when you woke up this morning? READ THAT BOOK.

89. If money wasn’t an issue, what top 10 places would you travel to? (You get to stay at each place for a week)  1. Australia 2. Ireland 3. Sweden. 4. Germany 5. Seattle, Washington 6. California 7. Japan 8. Alaska to see the northern lights 9. Somewhere that I could see the entire milky way galaxy at night 10. the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

90. How was your day today? It was good!

91. Play an instrument? I can play a little piano.

92. Describe the what you think of the ocean. I think it’s beautiful. It brings peace. Helps me reset.

93. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts? I definitely believe in ghosts. I’m undecided about aliens

94. Honestly, are things how you wanted them to be?  No, but that’s how life goes.

95. Do you have a mean bitchy scary side? Who doesn’t?

96. When are you vulnerable? In many different situations. I think I allow myself to be most vulnerable and unguarded around twin and my mom than anyone.

97. How much free time do you have? Right now, more than I could ask for. Next week….none.

98. Do you like to go hiking? I do it quite a lot in the warmer months of the year.

99. Odd or Even Numbers? they’re all numbers to me.

100. Would you ever go sky diving, bungee jumping , cliff diving, wing suit gliding, parasailing, snorkeling, or other extreme activities? I would do every single one of those and more.

[punk-rock-pixie]

1-96 you fucker

(1) Do You Sleep With Your Closet Doors Open Or Closed?

Usually closed

(2) Do You Have Freckles?

Yes! Many actually!

(3) Can You Whistle?

Not well, but yes

(4) Last Song You Listened To.

It was something by streetlight manifesto 

(5) What Is Your Favourite Colour?

FUCK DUDE I NEVER KNOW

(6) Relationship Status.

Single as fuuuuuuuck

(7) What Is The Temperature Right Now?

According to snapchat it is 76 F

(8) Did You Wake Up Cranky?

Yes because I had an alarm that gave me a fucking heart attack

(9) How Many Followers?

Like.... 800-something

(10) Zodiac Sign.

Scorpio

(11) What Is Your Eye Colour?

Hazel

(12) Take A Vitamin Daily?

Nope. No meds either

(13) Do You Sing In The Shower?

Fuckin always

(14) What Books Are You Reading?

Hyperbole and a half for like the millionth time!

(15) Grab The Book Nearest To You, Turn To Page 64, Give Me Line 14.

There is no line 14. It’s Hyperbole and a half

(16) Favourite Anime?

D. Gray-Man

(17) Last Person You Cried In Front Of?

My mum I think???? 

(18) Do You Collect Anything?

Guitar picks lmao

(19) What Did You Have For Lunch?

I didn’t really have lunch, more than like a collection of snacks

(20) Do You Dance In The Car?

Only if I have someone with me

(21) Favourite Animal?

Cats

(22) Do You Watch The Olympics?

Not really

(23) What Time Do You Usually Go To Bed?

Because it is holiday now, usually about 1:00 am

(24) Are You Wearing Makeup Right Now?

Nope. Not today. Usually I do my eyebrows and basic contour though.

(25) Do You Prefer To Swim In A Pool Or The Ocean?

I prefer a pool cuz it’s closer.

(26) Favourite Tumblr Blog?

I think it goes without saying @thebootydiaries

(27) Bottled Water Or Tap Water?

Tap is cheaper

(28) What Makes You Happy?

Playing guitar, singing loudly

(29) Post A Gif Of What You’re Currently Feeling Right Now.

Just killed the third god damn spider from my shower drain.... 

(30) Do You Study Better With Or Without Music?

With AF

(31) Dogs Or Cats?

Both???

(32) If You Were A Crayon What Colour Would You Be?

(33) PlayStation Or Xbox.

PlayStation

(34) Would You Swim In The Lake Or Ocean?

Ocean because the last lake I swam in was eh

(35) Do You Believe In Magic?

Boi I practice magic

(36) What Colour Shirt Are You Wearing?

Grey. It’s a Ninja Sex Party shirt

(37) Can You Curl Your Tongue?

Yeet

(38) Do You Save Money Or Spend It?

Currently saving actually!

(39) Is There Anything Pink Within 10 Feet Of You?

A picture of Padparadscha I drew as well as my rose quartz healing crystal

(40) Do You Have Any Obsessions Right Now?

Crankgameplays, Hamilton, Animal Crossing New Leaf, Crazy Ex Girlfriend

(41) Have You Ever Caught A Butterfly?

No, but I have caught a fuck ton of moths

(42) Are You Easily Influenced By Other People?

I think it depends on the situation

(43) Do You Have Strange Dreams?

Very often, yes

(44) Do You Like Going On Airplanes?

Not entirely. I don’t like traveling somewhere, but I love being in the destination

(45) Name One Movie That Made You Cry.

BOOK OF LIFE

(46) Peanuts Or Sunflower Seeds?

Neither tbh? I don’t like either that much.

(47) If I Handed You A Concert Ticket Right Now, Who Would You Want The Performer To Be?

Fleetwood Mac, Streetlight Manifesto, or Green Day

(48) Are You A Picky Eater?

A lotta the time, yes, but I will at least TRY new things

(49) Are You A Heavy Sleeper?

On some days, the small meowing of my cats wake me up, sometimes I sleep through our fire alarm

(50) Do You Fear Thunder / Lightning?

No. I really love storms tbh

(51) Do You Like To Read / Write?

I like to write. Reading gives me anxiety a lot of the time. 

(52) Do You Like Your Music Loud?

Sometimes yes

(53) Would You Rather Carve Pumpkins Or Wrap Presents?

Carve pumpkins SO MUCH

(54) Put Your Music On Shuffle, What Is The First Song That Came Up?

Well, currently I am listening to pandora on shuffle... Currently, “Ah, Christine!” from Love Never Dies is playing. The story sucks, but the production and music of it is very good. 

(55) What Season Are You In Right Now? (Weather)

Summer. Which means so MANY FUCKING BUGS

(56)What Are You Craving Right Now?

Thai food from the place next to where I work, and a lotta affection

(57) Post A Screenshot Of Your Tumblr Feed.

I’m lazy

(58) What Is Your Gender?

Honestly, I’m a trans boi

(59) Coffee Or Tea?

Tea

(60) Do You Have Any Homework Right Now? If So, What Is It About?

I’m not taking any online courses this summer so yeet

(61) What Is Your Sexuality?

I don’t know. I mean... I’m mostly into boys, but idk there were like three times where I liked someone who identified as a girl.

(62) Do You Make Your Bed In The Morning?

Not usually

(63) Favourite Pokemon?

I’m just gonna do my party Mimikyu, any of the Shinx evolutions, Lucario, any Rowlet evolution, Altaria and Arcanine! (and people should like totally draw me with my faves at some point if they wanted to lmao)

(64) Favourite Social Media?

Honestly, I think youtube.... ANYTHING OTHER THAN THIS SITE 

(65) What’s Your Opinion On Instagram Stories?

I don’t use them often

(66) Do You Get Homesick?

Nope

(67) Are You A Virgin?

In terms of Rocky Horror Picture Show, no. In terms of sex, yes.

(68) What Shampoo And Conditioner Are You Using Right Now?

Head and shoulders for shampoo, some coconut oil blend for conditioner. 

(69) If You Were Far From Home And Needed To Sleep For The Night, Would You Choose To Rent A Crappy Motel Room For $60 Or Sleep In Your Car For Free?

Probably a motel

(70) Are Both Of Your Blood Parents Still In Your Life?

Yes.

(71)  Whats The Next Movie You Want To See In Theaters?

FUCK DUDE IDK WHAT’S OUT RN

(72) Do You Miss Your Ex?

NOPE. FUCK ALL OF THEM. Save for 2. Two of them were decent. 

(73) What Is Your Favourite Quote Right Now?

“FUCK ME RAY BRADBURY” - Rachel Bloom

(74) What Eye Colour Do You Find Sexiest?

Hazel and Brown tbh????

(75) Did You Like Swinging As A Child? Do You Still Get Excited When You See A Swing Set?

FUCK YEAH. AND I STILL DO!

(76) What Was The Last Thing You Ate?

Uhhhhh shit idk. graham crackers I think?

(77) What Games Do You Have On Your Phone?

Magic Carp Jump, Tap Tap fish, aaand that’s it????

(78) Would You Give A Homeless Person CPR If They Were Dying? Why Or Why Not?

No, because I am not certified to do so. I’d get help though!

(79) Been On The Computer For 5 Hours Straight?

You fuckin know it!

(80) Stalked Someone On A Social Network?

You.... fuckin know it. Not like terribly, but I occasionally go through my followers’ accounts

(81) Do You Like Meeting New People?

Sometimes It’s fine. Other times I am terrified

(82) Do You Wear Rings? If You Do, Take A Picture Of Them.

Nope cuz I’d play with them too much

(83) Do You Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open Or Closed?

Closed

(84) What Are Three Things You Did Today?

Went to do some volunteering at city hall, went to work, went to the gym

(85) What Do You Wear To Bed?

Usually just boxers or something because it is hot as fuck lately

(86) List All Of Your Different Beauty Products You Have Right Now.

Concealer, foundation, primer, eyeshadow.... I have too many so like????

(87) Are You A Day Or Night Person?

IM BACK TO BEING  A NIGHT PERSON

(88) List All Of Your Video Games On Your Phone, Console Etc.

OH BOI THAT WILL TAKE TOO LONG

(89) Tell Me About A Dream That You Had And When It Happened.

I had a dream I was with Crankgameplays, my friend Nate, and @dreamxng-forever This was recently too. Like, a few days ago. We were hanging out and Nate and Sarah were shipping me with Ethan. Then we were in a ceremony for something and I was staring blankly. Ethan turned to me and asked if I was okay, and while still very monotone and blank I said, “You know this is just a fucking dream....” 

Ethan: “what?”

Me: “This is just a dream and I could wake up at any point.”

(my alarm clock goes off while I’m dreaming)

Me: Womp... There it is. Gotta blast. FUUUUCKIN KILL MEEE.....

(90) Favourite Soda Drink?

I don’t like soda

(91) What Sounds Are Your Favourite?

I really like the sound of a C7 chord, some people’s voices, the dinging of a timer meaning my food is ready. Some people’s laughs. 

(92) Do You Wear Jeans Or Sweats More?

I mean I wear both about the same

(93) How Do You Look Right Now?

Like absolute garbage

(94) Name Something That Relaxes You.

Hot baths

(95) What Tattoo Do You Want?

I want little black stars and planets on my forearm

(96) Favourite YouTuber?

YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW CUZ I LIKE TO KEEP IT SUBTLE BUT @crankgameplays I KNOW IT IS SOOO SUBTLE YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW LMAO

[onbartonspringsfic]

Chapter 75

“What do you mean she left you?! When did this happen?!” You stop dead in your tracks, turning to face him. He stops next to you, squinting into the distance as if looking for what to say next.

“Three weeks ago, I drove up the coast for a few nights to play some clubs with the Peasants. When I came back, all her shit was gone. She took the boys, obviously, and most of their stuff too,” he explains in a matter-of-fact tone. “It was that guy she spent the night with that I told you about.” He looks at his feet and then over your shoulder at the ocean. “Apparently they’ve been seeing each other since then. Sure had me fooled.” He shrugs and gives you a crooked smile.

“Oh, Chris,” you manage, screwing up your face in despair. “I’m so sorry.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “It’s fine. Really. It wasn’t working. We both knew it. I’m just not sure why she waited till now to leave. They’ve been together for a while, from what I can gather.”

Your shoulders drop, deflated with disgust. “What is WRONG with all these women?!”

“What?” he laughs, confused.

“Jordyn runs off and leaves Dave, Cara runs off and leaves you… they’re all insane!” You’ve become visibly angry and hurt for both your boyfriend and your best friend. Chris grabs your arm to bring you back to Earth. He looks slightly amused.

“Hey! I think you’re more upset than I am,” he chuckles. “I’m saddest about the boys, but when you think about it, as much as I’m on the road, I won’t see them any less than I already do. And they’re getting old enough now that I can take them on tour with me some. They’re both into music and seemed kind of excited about the idea when I suggested it. It’s really okay, Pen. I’m fine.”

You tilt your head and examine him closely, placing a hand on his cheek before hugging him tightly. He holds you gently for a moment and when you start to move away, he doesn’t completely turn you loose.

“I keep thinking about our agreement. About how if we were ever both single, you and I would give it a shot.”

Captured by his stare, it takes you a minute to process this and, before you do, he kisses you tenderly on the forehead, the tip of your nose and, with only a second’s hesitation, on the lips. To your surprise, you kiss him back. It feels so warm. So familiar. So comfortable.

He pushes your windblown hair out of your face and smiles lovingly. “I know this is a horrible thing to say, but deep down I’ve been wishing that things weren’t going all that well with you and Dave.” He looks ashamed, but only slightly.

Still lost in his eyes and shaken by his kiss, you snap back into reality at this confession, squaring your shoulders and taking a step back.

“Is that what this walk was about? You wanted to fool around?”

“No! No… I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant to happen at all.” He hasn’t moved but he looks uncomfortable, as if he could spring from the spot at any moment. “Penny, I…” he heaves a sigh. “This walk was a bad idea. I’m shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry,” he says, trailing off as he begins to stalk down the beach in the direction of the house.

“Chris. CHRIS!” you yell when he doesn’t respond the first time. He stops walking and turns his head over his right shoulder, not completely looking at you.

“What WAS this about then, exactly?” you demand, frustrated and rushing to his side. “Are we friends, or not? Because when we are apart we don’t speak and when we are alone together, you keep finding ways of getting tangled up with me in a secluded corner. I realize I’m to blame too…” You shut your eyes tight, remembering how hard it is to reject his advances. While you have never actually slept together, you’d participated in plenty of activities that are considered cheating by most couples. “But you’ve instigated most, if not all of it. You’re my best friend, but you’re not acting like it. I need to know exactly what you want because, if you’re not interested in just being close friends, I think we have a big problem on our hands.”

“That’s not fair. You can’t say it’s all my doing. I don’t think that you can deny that you have feelings for me too. You and I look at each other too long, share too much – you know better. You feel it too. We can’t keep our hands off each other. We have some sort of physical AND emotional connection. Tell me that’s not true.” His voice has raised a good bit, not in anger but more in desperation, not taking his eyes away from yours as he waits for your answer.

“This is insane. What do you want me to say?! That I’m madly in love with you and I’m going to leave Dave and start a life with you?!”

“I want you to tell me the truth, no matter how hard it is! Because the truth is…” the volume of his voice drops considerably and he takes a deep breath. “The truth is that I’m completely in love with you, Pen. I have been. Since the night we danced at the hotel. When you were crying on my shoulder over that idiot (he motions down the beach in the direction of Dave’s house) while he left you behind so he could fuck that whore Rose.” He runs a hand over his beard and across the back of his neck, immediately looking sorry that he’s said this.

“I don’t have to stand here and listen to this,” you tell him, feeling hurt and angry at once. You head for the house as fast as your legs will carry you, breaking a sweat under your now unnecessary windbreaker.

-----

In record time, you have reached the long, private boardwalk that leads from the beach to the house and, as you ascend the short steps at the base, you look back in the direction from which you’ve just come. Chris has followed very slowly behind, obviously taking his time and giving you plenty of space to get where you’re going. The sun feels warm and welcome on your slightly tear stained face. You felt sorry for him and his two sons and you were angry, not only at Cara, but also at Chris for pulling that stunt. You weren’t sure that you could believe that his intention was not to proposition you this morning. He’d told you about their separation and that he loved you in the same breath. How could that not be intentional?

Upon entering the house, you make a hasty retreat to the nearest bathroom and clean up your face. Though you hadn’t really been crying, you had teared up in anger several times on the walk back and not only did you not want Dave asking questions, you didn’t want Chris to think you’d been crying. You don’t know why, you just don’t want him to see. Everything just seemed easier that way.

Heading into the kitchen, you meet Alison in the doorway, carrying a tray covered with an impressive smorgasbord of breakfast foods and a large glass of orange juice. Eyes wide and eyebrows raised, you break into a grin.

“Wow!” you say in a loud whisper, gazing at the stack of pancakes with butter in the middle of the spread. “How nice!”

“I thought I’d surprise T with breakfast in bed. He earned it last night,” she confesses with a toothy grin.

“God, Ali!” you giggle. “TMI!” She laughs melodically at this.

“Oh, please! This is the girl that got caught having sex on an equipment case side-stage in the middle of a public park.” She grins and looks at you sideways. “I’m kidding!” she assures you when your face falls a little. “Don’t act like you’re the first one to do that. Or the first one to get caught.” She nods her head when you light up with disbelief. “It wasn’t with Taylor, either,” she whispers. “Shhhhh!” You look appalled. "It was before he and I met, girl!" With another giggle, she heads upstairs with her tray. You make a mental note to ask her to tell you that story later.

Standing in the morning silence of the kitchen, you notice that the coffee maker has gone back to sleep, so you start it up again with the intention of making a fresh pot for Dave. Once it starts gurgling and sputtering, you open the pantry door and peruse its contents, again choosing a packet of the Pop-Tarts both of you are so fond of. You close the door only to see Chris walking in from the living room. He stops when your eyes meet.

“I’ll come back,” he says quietly as he turns to go.

“It’s fine, Chris. I’ve put the coffee on if you want some. Pop-Tart?” you blandly offer.

He cracks a smile and manages a little laugh, snorting as he does so. “Sure.” 

In spite of yourself, you manage a little laugh too. Long before you'd met him, you'd always gotten a kick out of his laugh and how it was often followed by a snort. It was weirdly charming and quite frankly, adorable. 

You hand him the packet, grab a clean cup from the cupboard and stand at the coffeemaker, uncomfortably staring at it and impatiently trying to will it to work faster.

“I told you that thing takes for-fucking-ever.” You glance at him over your shoulder as he tears open the pastry and holds it out to you, offering to share. After a long moment, you hesitantly set down the mug and join him at the table.

“I promise you that was not pre-planned. I shouldn’t have asked you to go for that walk. I shouldn’t have done any of that. I’m sorry. I really am. But I can’t help how I feel about you. I was not looking for this to happen. Other than that night in the linen closet in Austin, before you and Dave were really together, I had no agenda. I don’t expect you to leave him for me. However, if I’m honest, had you told me that you were interested in even giving us a try, I would have left Cara. You are a game changer, Penny. I have never met anyone like you and no one has ever made me feel like you do. You are undoubtedly the most beautiful thing I have ever encountered, inside and out. And what we have – I don’t know exactly what that is – but it’s special. I don’t want to lose that. You asked me if we are still friends. If you’re still interested in being my friend, then I’d really like to continue that way. I need you in my life, more than you can understand. Please.”

You sit in silence for a while, just looking at each other while you try to process everything he has just laid out on the kitchen table. The coffee pot finally clicks and brings you back into the moment.

“I need to take Dave some coffee. He’ll be awake by now,” you tell him, glancing at the clock on the microwave. “Can we talk about this some more later?”

“Absolutely,” he says quickly, sounding relieved that you appear willing to speak about it again.

Without another word, you leave the table, pour a cup of coffee and hurry up to the bedroom to check in on Dave.

[selfignitingimagines]

Shake It Out Pt. 1

A/N- So this part was originally supposed to be longer, but I had so much written that I just figured you would get to meet Brett in the next chapter. This is going to be a slow burn fic, and please let me know what you guys think of this. Talk to me about the characters, the story, anything! Just message me or leave a comment. 

“And I am done with my graceless heart / So tonight I’m gonna cut it out, and then restart.”

“No! No!” An girl with dark hair  writhed on the floor of the forest, fighting against the hands pinning her down. Fresh, cool earth filled her mouth as she screamed, choking on dirt.. “Mom, no! Don’t-get off of me! Get off! Please-” It was dark, and warm, and a beautifully clear, spring night in the Oregon woods. It was much too beautiful for the scene going on inside of them. Surrounded by dark shapes with no faces, another girl, not much older than the first, was in exactly the same position, except she wasn’t fighting her fate. “This isn’t your fault, Maggie.” Her voice was broken, but accepting, and it did nothing to reassure the other. “No!” the writhing one cried. “No, you can’t-” She cut herself off with her own choked breath, lodging in her throat as the light in the older girl’s eyes suddenly seemed to die. It didn’t take long for Maggie’s screams to come, and as the shapes around them slowly disappeared, she found herself free of the cold hands forcing her down. She scrambled up, darting over to the older girl on the ground. “Maya! Maya, please! Please, you can’t be... I can’t do this. I can’t-I can’t do this on my own.” Her sobs came in short gasps, wracking her body and hollowing her chest from the inside out. She reached out with shaky fingers, not caring that her nails were caked with dirt as she placed her palm on Maya’s cheek. “Please.” A flicker of movement in the older girl’s face caused her to blink, and the wistful ache of hope filled her chest. “Maya?” Her hand suddenly shot up, gripping Maggie’s wrist and yanking her down. She screamed, but she couldn’t break the hold, and soon she was eye to eye with Maya’s colorless face. Her eyes were empty and accusing, and as Maggie would think later, dead.  Maya’s words came out as a sharp hiss, causing any hope Maggie had to shatter into tiny, broken pieces. “This is your fault, Maggie. This is all your fault.”

Maggie jerked upward with a choked gasp, blinking in the light of her half-empty bedroom. Bright sunshine was shining in through the window, letting her know she was long past being on time, and if that wasn’t enough, her phone was vibrating against the nightstand. It was one of the only things left unpacked in her room, but she didn’t plan on taking it. Quinn promised she had furniture, and the more Maggie was able to leave behind, the better. She rubbed her eyes and shoved away the heavy covers, one of the things aside from the nightmare that had caused her to sweat in her sleep. She had been having the same one for the past three nights, and oddly enough, it was coming to her more often now than it had been when Maya first died. She tried to remind herself that the dreams were normal, that it had only been four months, but she knew that it was probably because she was leaving. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to go. She was escaping the terrible things that had happened in this house, but in a way, she was also leaving behind the last bit of Maya she had left- the memories they had made here. Maggie swallowed, set her shoulders, and reached for her phone. It had stopped vibrating seconds ago, but as soon as she snatched it up, it started up again. When she picked up, the first thing she heard was “Shit!” “Uh, hello?” “Maggie, thank god!” a familiar voice cried. “I get that you’re tired, but I’ve been out here for fifteen minutes and I don’t have a key to get into this hellhole. Could you come down and let me in?” “Oh god,” Maggie groaned to herself. “Quinn, I’m sorry. I’ll be right down.” She hung up the phone and jumped out of bed, glancing down at herself. She had fallen asleep in her clothes from the night before, a pair of black shorts and a burgundy sweater, because she had been packing well into the night. She quickly dragged a fresh pair of jeans from an open box and threw them on, then headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She didn’t bother with makeup, knowing Quinn was waiting. Then she bounded down the steps and wrenched open the door, only to be slammed into by what felt like a car. When she recovered, stumbling back a few steps, she realized what had hit her was Quinn. Maggie brushed strands of Quinn’s blonde hair from her mouth, and smiled at her aunt, who ran her hands over Maggie’s own hair. “God, I haven’t seen you since you were ten.” Maggie swallowed, remembering all too well the last time she had seen her aunt, which was at her father’s funeral. Quinn pulled back a little, her smile wavering. She was young, younger than Maggie’s mom had been, but she wore the weight of everything she had seen in her expression. When that brilliant smile wasn’t plastered across her face, you could tell that she was much more than just a woman with a pretty face. “I’m sorry, Maggie, about...well, everything. I don’t know if I got a chance to tell you that before. All this death and tragedy, it’s why I left. Maybe if I had stayed...maybe I could have looked out for you girls.” You girls. Quinn was right about the tragedy and death, and at her words, a shard of pain that had been lodged in Maggie’s chest since her father died seemed to dig deeper. Her sister’s death had only made it worse, and, surprisingly, even her mother’s had seemed to knock the wind out of her. “It’s done,” Maggie said softly. “I just can’t be here anymore.” “Of course,” Quinn said softly. “I have some empty boxes outside. Well, I had them before I dropped them all over the porch, just in case you need-” “I’m all packed.” Quinn blinked, looking at her skeptically with the same blue eyes that mirrored Maggie’s. It was a Monnoyer thing. “Everything?” “Everything I need,” she promised. “It’s not much, but you said you had furniture…” “I do,” Quinn assured her. “And don’t worry, if you need something, we can pick it up in Beacon Hills.” “I really appreciate this,” Maggie breathed. “You have no idea how much this means to me.” Quinn reached out to squeeze her shoulder. “You’re family, kiddo...the only decent family I’ve had in a long time. You’re crazy if you think I’m going to let you rot in this place.” She peered into the rest of the house, as if she was noticing it for the first time, and Maggie watched as her shoulders stiffened. From the cold look her eyes suddenly took on, Maggie knew she and Maya weren’t the only ones who had made some terrible memories there. “Besides,” Quinn continued, her expression lighting up again. “I need someone else to fill the space in my house. Sampson’s great, but conversation isn’t exactly his forte.” Maggie’s lips turned up. “Sampson? He’s still alive?” “Alive and kicking,” Quinn confirmed. “I’ve never met a more stubborn dog in my life. He might outlive me.” Sampson was Quinn’s twelve-year old German Shepherd, and back when Maggie’s dad was still alive and Quinn would visit, she would always bring him with her. She had never met a dog as loving and sweet as Sampson, and she had never looked forward to being knocked to the ground so much as she had when she was knew she was going to be hit by 75 pounds of dog. “Did you bring him?” Quinn shook her head. “He’s back in Beacon Hills. I had one of Satomi’s kids watch him for a couple hours.” “Satomi?” “I’m her emissary,” Quinn explained. “That’s what you’ve been doing all this time?” Maggie asked, blinking. Quinn nodded, gathering up the boxes she had dropped and tossing them inside the door. Maggie walked out to help her, listening intently as Quinn told her story. “I tried mercenary work for a while after I left Salem. I didn’t have many other skills if you know what I mean. That was what landed me in Beacon Hills, but when I got there, I realized that I’d rather help people than hurt them. I worked as a vet assistant for an older emissary for a while, and when your grandparents died, I inherited one of the houses they owned.” “They had a house in Beacon Hills?” “They did,” Quinn confirmed. “And I never even knew, but I somehow ended up there anyway. Life has a weird way of coming together.” “Yeah,” Maggie muttered. “Tell me about it.” “Anyway, the vet-his name was Alan-introduced me to Satomi. She was living  right outside of Beacon Hills, and she had just adopted a brother and sister whose family was murdered in a house fire.” “House fire…” Maggie murmured. “The Hale House fire?” Quinn shook her head. “That was something different, but Kate Argent probably set this one too. She’s responsible for much more than the media gave her credit for.” Maggie tilted her head. Kate Argent had become a horror story among hunters, one that they told their children to scare them into following the code. Terrible things happen when you stray from the code, she remembered her mother telling her when she was twelve. There are so many different types of monsters, Maggie. Her mother had neglected to mention that she was one too. Every hunting family had a code, and while there were small differences, every one said pretty much the same thing. Maggie doubted that the Argent’s included a provision for setting fire to innocent families. “Satomi took Brett and Lori in after the fire,” Quinn continued. “Brett’s your age, and Lori’s thirteen. They’re great kids, although Brett can be…” Maggie raised her eyebrows as Quinn bit the inside of her cheek. “Well, you’ll see when you meet him. You ready to start packing up?” Maggie blinked, contemplating all the things Quinn could possibly mean by ‘you’ll see’. She didn’t exactly love the idea of walking into something blind, but meeting family friends was a lot different than preparing for a fight. It’s probably not a big deal, she thought to herself. Stop thinking like a hunter, Maggie. “Yeah,” she told Quinn, glancing throughout the house. Her eyes roamed across the walls, where the family pictures had hung before her mother took them down six years ago. They stopped on the stairs, which Maya had dared her to somersault down when she was seven, and broken her arm in the process. Finally, her eyes settled on the bit of the kitchen she could see from the entryway, remembering the way she had leaned against the cabinets, sobbing with Maya’s arms around her as she tried to come to terms with the fact that her father was dead. “Yeah,” Maggie repeated. “I’m ready.”Maggie jogged up the steps, ready to grab the last few boxes from Quinn and load them into her Jeep Cherokee. It was an older car, probably from the early 2000s, but as Quinn had told her earlier “It gets me around.” “Besides,” she added. “I have a Camry too.” Quinn popped her head out of Maggie’s bedroom, which was empty, aside from the bed, the nightstand, and the last two boxes of her things. “Are you sure this is all you wanna take?” “I’m sure,” Maggie assured her. “What about this?” Quinn asked, gesturing to the wall. “Quinn,” Maggie said, her lips tilting up. “I don’t think I need a Twilight poster.” “Oh, so werewolves were off limits, but vampires were free game, huh?” she asked, grinning. “It was a phase,” Maggie said defensively. “Plus, it’s covered in knife marks anyway.” “Edward must have really hurt you if you practiced your throwing on his eyes,” Quinn remarked. Maggie stuck her tongue out in Quinn’s direction and scooped up one of the boxes. She headed out the door and hurried down the stairs, aching to finally leave. She had been nervous for weeks about going to live with her aunt, because even though she had met her, she hadn’t really known her all that well. After Quinn left the hunting game, Maggie’s grandparents had basically disowned her, and the only person from the family who occasionally talked to her had been her dad. After he died, Quinn had given Maggie and her sister her email, and they talked secretly every few weeks. Their mother would have been furious, but she never found out, and when every terrible thing started happening at once, Quinn was there for Maggie. She had wanted an escape, and even though she had only known her aunt from a handful of childhood visits and countless email correspondences, Quinn was ready to offer her one. After all, Quinn had done the same thing, and she had told her that her only regret was that she hadn’t be able to do it sooner. Now Maggie was getting her escape, and for the first time, she felt excitement jolt through her, running throughout her body like electricity. She was getting the chance to be someone else, somewhere else, and the possibilities of what could be were infinite. She crossed through the front door and breathed in the cool, fall air, letting it lift away her fear for a few brief seconds. She bounded down the steps, feeling a small smile curl onto her lips, but as she walked down the driveway, she froze. The cardboard box fell from her hands, thumping on the concrete as she caught sight of the dark SUV parked in front of her house. The figure leaning against it caused her hands to curl into fists and her nails to bite into her palms, and Maggie bristled with rage. Memories flashed through her head, memories of blood, and bruises, and cold hands pinning her down onto the forest floor. “Maggie,” he said, heading toward her. “Stay away from me, Riley,” she spat, her voice shaking. “Maggie, come on-” “I told you never to come near me again,” she snarled, bracing herself as he walked forward. He rolled his dark, green eyes, and continued to walk forward,  not bothered by her threats. They had been friends once, years ago, and at one point she had been grateful they had been born into the same type of life. Riley’s dad was second in command in the large group of hunters that resided throughout Salem. He was a strong guy, and while not as ruthless as Maggie’s mom had been, his cruel tendencies had been passed down to his son. Riley was protective, and dedicated, but when it came to hunting, and especially Maggie, he had always taken things too far. She remembered all the times in middle school when she had to break up fights where he was beating someone into a bloodied pulp, not even because she wanted to, but because the only person he would stop for was her. Everything between them changed after her father died, and Maggie no longer wanted anything to do with the hunters, or Riley, but he had different ideas. He was still hellbent on making her what he thought she should be, and even after the death of her sister, even after what he had done, he just couldn’t let things lie. “Mags,” he said, his voice wounded. “We’re practically family.” “Don’t call me that.” She reached up to shove him away, but he caught one of her wrists and yanked him toward her. “You can’t just leave, Mags. This is your whole life. What are you going to do without this? Without us? Huh?” His fingers dug into her wrist, forceful enough to bruise the skin, and Maggie felt something inside of her snap. She brought her free hand up, slamming her fist into his nose, and reveled at the crack she heard. Riley yelped and let go of her, but as Maggie started to back away, he darted forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. She gasped as her slammed her into Quinn’s car, her back pressing up against the red metal doors. “You can’t leave,” he hissed again, blood dripping from his nose. “You’re a hunter, Maggie. This is who you are.” Maggie felt a shock of fear run through her. Riley had taken things too far before, during training sessions, and that one terrible night four months ago, but never like this. She had grown up with him, with his family, and he wouldn’t have been acting like this unless he was pissed, really pissed. “You were supposed to be the leader,” he continued. “It was supposed to be you, and I was supposed to be your second. It was supposed to be us, Maggie.” She gritted her teeth and shoved against him, her voice dripping with venom. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I was never going to be the leader. I was never going to stay.” “No,” he insisted, his eyes wild and angry. “You were always supposed to stay.” Maggie tried to break away from him, shoving against his chest, his shoulder, but he simply grabbed her wrists and pinned them by her sides. He leaned closer, and Maggie could feel his breath on her face. His shadow swallowed hers in the late morning light, and she hated the way he made her feel-helpless, cowardly, and defeated. “Hey! Get the hell off my niece!” Maggie didn’t hear Quinn’s sharp intake of breath as she stepped out onto the porch or the sound the box in her hands created as it fell into the grass, but she did hear her yell. Riley jumped and looked back, but his grip on Maggie only slightly loosened. She took the opportunity to shove him away, and he stumbled back in surprise as she backed toward the porch. He made a move like he was going to go after her, but Quinn strode down the steps and came to stop by Maggie’s side. “Listen to me, Riley Durand. Stay away from my niece, or I’m going to break something your daddy can’t fix. It looks like she already did.” Riley bristled, but then he took a breath and ran a hand through his light brown hair. He looked away from Quinn, his gaze settling on Maggie. “You know they say that when you run from the past, it splits in two. One part dies, and the other walks with you*.” “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Maggie asked suspiciously. “You can’t just run away from this. You’ll realize that eventually.” Quinn glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest, and Riley finally backed off. With one last piercing look toward Maggie, he walked back to his car and peeled away from the curb. “That kid seriously needs therapy,” Quinn remarked, glancing over at Maggie. “Are you alright?” Maggie nodded shakily. “Yeah. Thank you.” Without another word, she headed back toward the house. “These are the last ones,” Quinn called, pointing toward the boxes. “I know,” Maggie said. “I just need to do one last thing.”Maggie walked up the steps slowly, running her hand over the wood of the banister. She trailed her fingers along it as she walked up to the second floor, remembering all the times she and Maya had slid down it with fits of laughter echoing around them. That had been a long time ago. As she got to the top, she turned down the hall, but she didn’t go into her bedroom. Instead, she walked past it and headed down to a room at the end of the hall. Her mother had cleaned it out four months ago, almost directly after Maya had died. Maggie remembered how she had screamed when she popped her head in and saw her mom throwing all of Maya’s things into boxes. It had only been three days. Her mother had ignored Maggie’s protests, but decided not to touch the pictures that still hung above Maya’s stripped bed. She reached out to run her fingers over their glossy surface, listening to the soft sound it made in the silence of the empty house. There were pictures of Maya with her friends and with Maggie, some of them from when they were kids, but a few that were recent. Her favorite was from the day Maya had passed her EMT course, and in it Maggie was leaning against her, arms around her sister in her new uniform. It had only been a year ago, but she remembered how happy they had both been, even with everything going on. Maya was the one who had protected her her whole life. She was the one who was right there, through everything, until she wasn’t anymore. Maggie took a deep breath and felt tears pricking her eyes, but she reached forward and snagged the picture from the clothespin Maya had hung it up with. She spared it one more glance, then she tucked it into her back pocket, and headed out the door. 

*Riley’s words here are from a quote by Camille Rankin.

[5hfanfiction]

You Make Me Feel Alive

Lauren has spent her entire life hunting down ghosts and sending them back through the veil. It’s her duty.

Camila doesn’t exactly have a heartbeat and sometimes she finds herself accidentally drifting through the bathroom door.

It’s complicated.

-

-

The Veil, the boarder between life and death has shifted releasing masses of ghosts, spirits, and super natural entities into the world. Nearly 75 years later thousands of supernatural forces have been returned back behind the veil, but still, many remain.

Lauren Jauregui, like most of the millennials, trained her whole life to become a ghost hunter. All ghosts were bad, they haunted for fun and they tormented innocent beings; they were devils or “Spooks” as they call them. They needed to be sent back through the veil to the afterlife where they belonged…..or at least that’s what Lauren’s been taught.

Of course, then she meets Camila.

-

-

“Dammit! The EMF stopped beeping. The Spook is gone.”

Lauren glances up at her coworker and best friend, Dinah. Dinah’s long blond hair is tied back in a ponytail, a headlamp strapped across her forehead, and her face turned into a frustrated scowl. Like Lauren, they both wear similar uniforms; army green, tight fitted cargo pants with too many pockets, a thin long-sleeved t shirt tucked into a bulky belt that held all sorts of ghost hunting supplies, heavy brown hiking boots, and black gloves that were cut off mid finger.

Dinah dims her headlamp before turning in the direction of Lauren so that she doesn’t blind the girl. “I really thought we had that damn spook.” She grunts, pushing the small EMF device into its specified place on her belt.

Lauren nods, breathing out a small sigh of relief. “It’s okay Dinah, it’s not like there aren’t plenty of others.”

Dinah nods, but huffs immediately after. “But we have been following this one for nearly a mile!” Dinah moves to go in the direction she came from, squeezing past Lauren in the tight space.

They had been in the process of tracking down one of the seemingly endless amounts of spooks dotted across the world. The spook had led them to a small tunnel leading underground to where there seemed to be an entire maze of connecting tunnels. They had been walking deeper into the earth for nearly two hours now; following the small beeping of their EMF machine into the darkness while their hands got colder and their headlamps were the only sources of light. Lauren is pretty sure that the inside of her nose is coated with a thin layer of dust by now and each breath tickles.

Dinah turns her lamp back to full blast and Lauren gets a glimpse her footprints in the jagged dirt floor as well as how cramped the tunnel really was. She guesses that the tunnel is maybe six feet high, but there had been some parts where Dinah and her were forced to duck as they walked to avoid hitting the ceiling. Width wise, she would see only a foot or so wider than her body. She is really glad that she isn’t claustrophobic because otherwise she would probably be freaking out right now.

“You seem awfully calm about the fact that we are who knows how far underground and we didn’t even get the spook.” Dinah comments as she walks slightly in front of Lauren.

Lauren bites her lip. “I’m frustrated, but it’s not like I can do anything about it. We can’t just call the ghosts to us you know.”  She lies easily.

“Well technically, we can. We would just need one of the Magnets to do so.” She counters with a joking tone although she isn’t wrong in the slightest. Magnets are the terms for the people trained to summon ghosts to a specific area, almost like a ghost magnet, hence the name. Summoning ghosts can be very dangerous however, and rarely do ghost hunters ever use that option because it’s very hard to control and sometimes you end up with more than just spooks and there is always a possibility that you call ghosts that have already been returned back behind the veil instead of those that have escaped and you just have to return them all over again. Anyways, many reasons why Magnets aren’t usually a good idea.

Lauren snorts. “You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, yeah but still, you look, I don’t know…almost relieved?” Dinah glances back at Lauren with questioning eyes, tripping over an uneven patch of dirt and instantly forcing her attention back in front of her.

“What?” Lauren says a little too loudly. Her voice echoes through the tunnels at a higher pitch than normal. She cringes a bit and calms her voice. “I am not relieved.” She argues.

Dinah shrugs. “I’m just saying. It hasn’t been the first time you seem less than unwilling to do your job.”

“Dinah what are you talking about? That’s crazy.” Lauren huffs, she silently thanks the tunnel for its lack of light because otherwise Dinah might noticed the small layer of sweat that breaks out nervously on her skin or the fact that her eyes seem to look a bit panicky.

“Yeah,” Dinah ducks as they pass an area that slants downwards making the ceiling height maybe five feet and some change. “The other week when I was walking you home, my EMF starting going off and normally you are the first to pull out your equipment and track the spook down, but you just brushed it off saying you were tired and it could wait….and a few days ago I swear you were deliberately slowing us down where you, Mani, and I were following a hoard of the damn things! By the time we got there half of them had left the area.” She waves her arms around in emphasis and curses when she smacks her fingers against a large rock jutting from the side of the dirt wall.

Lauren gulps a bit because her accusations weren’t wrong. “Okay first of all, I actually was really tired the first time, we had already been up nearly all night helping Ally cleanse her uncles house. Secondly, I wasn’t trying to slow you down and we still got like six spooks.” Lauren defends herself.

Dinah sighs, dimming her lamp as the opening appears a few hundred feet or so in front of them, enough to see some light. “I just worry about you. You used to live solely for hunting down the spooks, you were the best in our year and now it just seems like you don’t care as much. These ghosts are a problem Laur, and it’s our job to get rid of them.”

“Yeah I know.” Lauren answers back vaguely.

Dinah stops and turns towards Lauren, blinking a bit at the brightness from Lauren’s lamp. Lauren turns it down. “Spooks are horrible, terrible creatures Lauren. They literally came from hell.”

Lauren nods in response but she can’t help but bite her lip a bite and ask a brave question. “Are…are all of them bad?” She says quietly, glad that her and Dinah are here alone.

Dinah looks shocked by the question, but she sees genuine confusion in her friend’s eyes and she too let’s herself actually think about it. “I’m…I’m not sure but either way, they don’t belong here. There is a reason they died Laur, whether or not they are bad.” Dinah pauses, realizing that they really shouldn’t be having this conversation. “But I haven’t ever met a good one, they all scream and terrorize.” She feels the need to add the last part.

Lauren let’s out a breath but nods. Dinah’s right, they did die for a reason, but what if that reason was because they were born at the wrong time? What if the reason is so that they can come back now? What if the reason is because they just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and maybe this is their second chance?

There are just too many what if’s.

-

-

Lauren presses the key into her door, twisting the small metal object with a little extra force. The door creaks open revealing Lauren’s two bedroom apartment, opening into her living room, a small but tidy area that currently holds a few large bookshelves, and old record player that she isn’t really supposed to have, a couch, and two armchairs. She hears a small jingling sound and looks down to see her cat, Vince trotting over and rubbing his face into her leg. She smiles a bit, unclasping her tool belt from around her waist and dropping it onto her kitchen counter.

“Camila?!” She calls not too loudly, but loud enough that all the spaces in her apartment would be able to hear it. “I’m home!”

Lauren pulls off her boots and reaches down to pet Vince. Most people own either a cat or a dog now days because of their ghost infestation. If you have a pet in your house not only do spooks tend to stay away, but the pets can sense their presence so that you know if your house has some sort of supernatural presence lurking around and you can get rid of it before it does any harm.

“Hey buddy, did Camila feed you?” She scratches underneath the cat’s neck and walks over to the pantry where she keeps his food. Sure enough Camila has already feed the cat, and way too much at that. She shakes her head. “Sorry Vince, no more for you.”

The cat gives her an unimpressed look and makes his way out of the room disappointedly.

Lauren chuckles, realizing she has yet to hear back from Camila. “Camila? Are you here?”

Lauren walks slowly down the hallway until she reaches her bedroom. The door is shut, but Lauren can tell the light is on from the crack underneath the door. She presses the door open and smiles when she sees Camila sitting on the bed with earbuds stuck in her ears. Her head bobs up and down a bit to the music and she scribbles into the journal Lauren bought her a few weeks ago. Vince jumps onto the bed and walks over, laying down on Camila’s crossed-legged lap. Camila smiles and runs her hands over his fur.

Camila looks so effortlessly beautiful. Her bottom lip is clenched between her teeth in thought and her eyebrows are furrowed, leaving a long crease across her forehead. Her long brown hair falls over one side of her face, the other side tucked carelessly behind her ear. Her skin is a bit pale, but that’s normal for Camila.

Lauren waves her hands to gain the girl’s attention and when she does Camila looks up with a bright smile on her face. She immediately moves to get up and greet the green eyed girl; Vince is pushed off her lap and his tail puffs at the loss of comfort and Camila completely forgets about the headphones connected to her phone, yanking them from her ears as she stands up.

“Ow.” She whines, pressing on her ear for a second before focusing back on Lauren and breaking into a grin once again. She clambers onto Lauren, pulling her into a tight hug –one of her supposedly famous koala hugs- and nuzzling her face into Lauren’s chest. “Lo!” She squeals happily.

Lauren can’t help but smile back, wrapping her arms around the girl. “Hey Camz.”

“I missed you.” Camila murmurs, finally pulling away. “You were gone forever.”

Lauren laughs. “You saw me this morning.”

Camila gives her a look and moves back towards Lauren’s bed.

“Fine, I missed you too.” Lauren submits easily.

Camila resumes her position, this time with a large smile on her face, pulling the headphones from her ipod and letting the music play quietly for the both of them to hear. She pats the spot next to her, signaling Lauren to join them. Lauren complies, leaning back against the bedframe. “How was work?” Camila asks although the topic makes her uncomfortable. She still wants Lauren to be able to talk about it.

Lauren sighs, frowning a bit. “Dinah and I have been out all day. Normani went with Ally to help some guy who has some sort of….what did you say was the correct term for the ones that harass people?” She looks to Camila for help.

“A poltergeist.” She answers knowing exactly what Lauren was talking about despite her vague description.

“Yeah some guy had a poltergeist in his house so they went to take care of that which meant Dinah and I had to go out and hunt all day and since we covered some of the nearby neighborhoods last week, we went to the factories today. We caught one, he was definitely one of the bad ones.” Lauren clarifies too make sure Camila knows.

“A devil.” Camila corrects with an added nod to show she was listening.

“Yeah a devil sorry,” Lauren gives the girl a small smile before the frown comes back and she continues. “We followed something into the tunnels but I don’t think it was bad. It seemed more like it was running from us than anything. I felt bad.”

Camila nods, noticing how stressed Lauren looks and moves to grab Lauren’s hand and give it a squeeze. Lauren squeezes back. “I think Dinah’s catching on. She confronted me about how my head doesn’t seem to be in the game anymore or something. I…I asked her if she thinks that all spooks are bad and she said that she didn’t know but that she thinks they are dead for a reason and that they should that way.” Camila’s face turns away and Lauren tugs at their connected hands to bring her attention back. “I agree with her, I think people die for a reason.”

Camila frowns and Lauren can see her lip quiver a bit. Camila turns her gaze back down to the bed, she isn’t exactly sure how the whole human emotions thing works seeing as she isn’t really human, not completely, but she knows that Lauren’s statement hurt. She whispers in a shaky voice, “You think I should be dead?”

Lauren shakes her head, realizing how she must have just sounded. “No! No, not at all! I said you died for a reason, not that you should stay dead.” She quickly corrects although it doesn’t seem to sound much better because Camila bites her wobbling lip to hold it still.

“I don’t…. u…understand?” She whimpers, trying her best to stay calm until Lauren explains herself. She looks so confused and hurt and just sad and Lauren feels bad for approaching this the way she did.

Lauren tucks a strand of hair back behind Camila’s ear from where it fell, leaving her hand to rest on the girl’s cheek as she explains. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot. You definitely died for a reason, I know you won’t tell me exactly how yet, but for whatever reason, you died. But here you are now and I can’t help but feel like the reason you died is because you were born at the wrong time.”

Lauren pauses to take a breath and Camila waits patiently although Lauren is confusing her so much and she really just wants to know the answer before she breaks down in tears for possibly no reason.

“Correct me if I’m in the wrong for thinking this way, but I think we were meant to meet Camila. You were born way before you were supposed to and so you had to die so that we could exist at the same time, you had to come back without having aged…..with you still living. Does that make sense?” Lauren looks up to Camila’s soft eyes and Camila gives the girl a watery smile.

“Fuck Laur, you could have just started out with the sappy part before freaking my out like that. I think my heart nearly stopped beating…..Again.” She wipes the tears from her eyes and chuckles a bit at her attempt at a joke.

Lauren shoots her an apologetic smile. “Sorry Camz.”

Camila waves her off, reaching for Lauren’s hand once more as she finishes wiping the salty drops from her face. She sniffs first before she begins slowly playing with Lauren’s fingers. “I…I think we were definitely meant to meet but I’m…. not exactly….living?” Camila keeps her gaze on their entertained hands as she rubs at a small scar over Lauren’s knuckle.   

“You aren’t exactly dead either.” Lauren counters half serious and half joking.

Camila manages to smile a bit because it’s true, she wasn’t dead either. “I know. Listen, what I’m trying to say is that I…I want to be here with you more than anything. These past few months being with you have been amazing. Better than nearly any memory I can remember from my old life and definitely better than my sixty or so years in hell.” She pauses to smile affectionately at Lauren.

“But?” Lauren asks, knowing that was where this was leading.

“But the big fact is that even though I’m here…I’m not fully here and I don’t know if I ever will be.” Camila sighs, her smile from earlier turns into a dejected frown.

“Camz-“

“Lo, I…. I know what you are going to say, that having me in my current form is enough for you and I appreciate that, but there are some major flaws with your statement; One being that thousands of people all over the world are searching for people like me to send back behind the veil, Two being that you are in fact one of those people, and Three…..” Camila branches off, rubbing at Lauren’s fingers nervously.

“What Camz?”

“Somethings different.” Camila states vaguely and yet the statement brings uncomfortable chills all over Lauren’s body.

“What do you mean?” Lauren asks, she thinks she has an idea but she isn’t sure.

“I’m not fully living…. We already clarified that, but lately it’s….I don’t know, more noticeable.”

Lauren furrows her brows as she looks at Camila. Right now, she looks human; fully present. Sure, her skin is a bit pale and her hands are kinda cold and maybe her heart beat is a few dozen beats per minutes less than it should be, but she is there and her heart does pump blood through her veins.

Unfortunately she isn’t always so lively. Sometimes her skin is cold to the touch, so cold in fact that if you felt her, you would definitely think she was dead….well really dead. Some days, her body flickers in and out like a glitch in the videos games Camila had played as a kid. Some days she fades from full color to dull black and white, almost like a shadow in the background.

The side effects from slipping out of the veil have always existed; there have been times when Camila has accidentally sat down and fallen directly through the chair and Lauren, after freaking out for a second, had burst out laughing. Lauren remembers once when she and Camila were cuddling on the couch and suddenly Camila’s body had turned ice cold for almost an hour. They have always been there, but something tells Lauren that this time is more serious.  

“More noticeable?” Lauren squeaks out nervously.

Camila nods. She looks so serious in the moment. “The veil is still open Lo.” Camila comments and although it sounds random, Lauren knows she will tie it into their conversation somehow. She nods in acknowledgment and pulls Camila to lean into her body comfortably. Camila complies, nuzzling her cheek against Lauren’s chest and running her fingers lightly across Lauren’s arm. “A lot of people think that it closed after the ghosts swarmed in, but it didn’t. I can feel it.”

Lauren raises her eyebrows and looks down at the girl. “What do you mean?”

Camila takes a deep breath, watching her fingers graze Lauren’s perfect skin with her eyes. “A long time ago the veil slipped and it allowed thousands of ghosts to pass into the living world, you know that much. But then they just assumed that it closed back up. That’s not true.”

“What is it really?” Lauren asks softly. Vince jumps onto the bed and cuddles against Camila, Lauren manages to smile at the irony that she bought the cat to ward off ghosts and yet here Vince is cuddled into Camila’s lap.

“Think of it as Tectonic plates.” Camila states. “The pressure from the other side becomes too much so the plates shift and release an earth quake- or in this case a mass of ghosts- but then you have all the aftershocks that follow, more ghosts still passed through after the veil shifted because it moved, it open Lo. It’s not in the same place anymore and to this day it still isn’t fully closed. Ghosts are still coming in and out, just in smaller amounts and less frequently. The veil is still shifting.” Camila’s fingers pause over Lauren’s skin for a second.

“And when you leave the other side, when you pass through the veil, it’s like you are attached to a leash that stretches all the way back to the veil. It’s the part of you that’s still dead, one end resting somewhere behind the veil and the other wrapped in knots around your heartstrings. Tethered to death. I think Laur, there is only so far you can stray; only so far the leash can stretch.” Camila’s voice gets soft and Lauren sees where she is going with this now.

“Only so long you can be tethered to both.” Lauren finishes in a half statement and half question sort of way.

Camila nods, breathing out heavily and resuming the patterns on Lauren’s arm. “I want to stay here with you Laur, but I am so so scared that I won’t be able to.” Her voice cracks slightly and Lauren pulls the girl closer to her chest. Camila is cool to the touch, but not quite cold and definitely not uncomfortably. Instead, it contrasts perfectly to Lauren’s abnormally warm temperatures.

Lauren shakes her head. “I want you here Camz.”

“I know.”

There is a small silence as Camila listens to the steady beat of Lauren’s heart beneath her ear. Lauren runs her fingers through Camila’s dark locks slowly, her other hand resting on Vince. Camila’s heart beats maybe once for every five or six of Lauren’s heart beats and Camila thinks that together they make a beautiful melody of different tempos.

“You think there is only so long a ghost can be tethered to both life and death?” Lauren clarifies.

Camila nods. “Sometimes I feel more alive than dead and sometimes….”

Lauren nods in understanding. “Eventually you think that the ghosts fade away? But the reason they are still here is because more are still coming through the veil, just in lesser and amounts?”

Camila shrugs. “Something along those lines.”

Lauren sighs, pulling Camila impossibly closer into her body and touching her in any innocent way that she can. She closes her eyes and allows herself to listen to Camila’s small breaths and to feel the way Camila’s fingertips still brush across her skin with the gentlest of touches. She rests her chin on Camila’s head, breathing the smell of her shampoo.

They stay like that until the light outside fades to dark and the room around them changes to dark blue and grey. Shadows cast along the bedroom and the only movement has been their rising and falling chests along with Vince who had gotten his nightly adrenaline and had probably gone off to search for small bugs or mice somewhere outside.

Lauren can tell that Camila is starting to fall asleep because the drawings on her arms are getting lazy and heavier and then they stop all together. Except they don’t just stop, they disappear. Camila disappears. Her body vanishes from Lauren’s body, sending chills over her skin at the loss of comfort. Her eyes fly open in a panic just in time to see Camila flicker back into view.

The weight returns to Lauren’s body and Camila turns slowly from black and white to color. Camila takes in a deep breath, the feeling of flickering out like a flame always leaves her deprived of oxygen- like the wind had been knocked from her chest- and feeling as if the little warmth she has is stolen from her body.

Camila’s heart is beating a bit faster against Lauren’s chest but it’s nothing compared to how fast Lauren’s is beating. The girl hesitantly clutches Camila back into her body, slightly tighter than before. “Was that….” Lauren’s voice is shaky.

Camila hums, her eyes wide open and staring into the darkness in a sort of fear. “Sometimes the veil yanks at the leash.”

Lauren gulps, balling her fists into Camila’s shirt and pressing her face into Camila’s messy hair. She needed Camila here, she just didn’t know how to keep her.

  -

-

“Laur are you even listening?” Lauren looks up guiltily with an apologetic glance on her face.

She lets out a sigh, shaking her head. “I’m sorry Mani, what was that?”

Normani, one of her other coworkers and good friends gives her one of her thousands of salty expressions. “I can’t believe I just talked to myself for legit fifteen minutes.” She huffs, taking a seat next to Lauren. “What was the last thing you remember me talking about?”

Lauren nods, not really hearing the girl’s question. She can’t get her mind off of Camila. She can’t seem to forget the terrifying feeling of Camila just vanishing in thin air. For a few mere seconds, she just ceased to exist and even though it was a small amount of time, Lauren doesn’t think she can live in a world without Camila, not anymore.

It’s been a few days since they had their talk and although Camila has mostly been ruled by her more human side, there had been one day when Lauren woke up shivering because Camila’s body next to her was ice cold and another time when Camila, in a half asleep state, had walked straight through the bathroom door.

It scared Lauren. Camila just seems so real, possibly the only real thing in her life and yet….. at the same time she is the only thing that isn’t.

Lauren has been staying up late every night trying to think of some sort of solution with no luck. They have ways to eliminate ghosts from their world and they have ways to pull ghosts into their world, but they don’t have ways to give ghosts permanent living bodies.

“Lauren!” Normani yells next to Lauren’s ear.

Lauren blinks away her thoughts and sighs, resting her head on her hands. “I know I zoned out again and I’m sorry.” 

Normani flashes yet another face at Lauren and groans. “What’s with you anyways?”

“I…Nothing.” Lauren mumbles from where her face hides in a mess of arms.

“Nothing my ass. I won’t pester you about it but whatever it is you better get you shit together. We are supposed to have a giant wave of spooks sometime this month to deal with and if you think that having your head floating around all the way behind the veil is a good idea than you are dead wrong.” She comments bluntly, standing up from her seat next to Lauren and walking over to the large room that holds their equipment.  

“Yeah I know. I’ll get it together…. What about the spooks? We are supposed to have a big group of them?” Lauren lifts her head from her arms and raises a brow at the girl who is in the connected room.

“The seer says she has been feeling a cluster moving in our direction for a while now and well, I guess it’s coming kinda soon.” Normani yells back from the other room.

A big group? That’s strange, spooks don’t usually travel in groups. If you happen to find a group it’s because something supernatural lead them all coincidentally to the same spot but a large mass of spooks traveling together, in the same directions is practically unheard of. She makes note to ask Camila about it later.

Normani walks back out of the room with her belt strapped around her waist in a way that somehow makes the bulky equipment holder look somewhat stylish. Lauren smirks and shakes her head playfully. Normani laughs, “What?”

“Only you can make these gross clothes look good.” Lauren comments, pointing at the way that the army green cargo pants hug Normani’s curves and how the gloves that look dorky on Lauren make Mani look like a badass.

Normani smiles, looking down at her outfit and shrugging. “I actually like our uniforms. I think they make us look like sexy badasses. I mean have you seen Dinah in it her…..” Normani’s eyes widen and she coughs. “I mean or Ally. Ally looks really good in it too and I mean have you looked in the mirror lately?” She covers herself up and Lauren just raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah sure. What were you saying about Dinah?” Lauren teases as Normani’s cheeks turn red.

“I….” The EMF around her waist begins beeping loudly to single that there was a supernatural presence nearby and Normani grabs the machine, pressing at the buttons.

Normally, EMF devices can only sense supernatural creatures within the vicinity, but since the opening of the veil, they’ve done a lot of research to upgrade our technology so that the device can stretch way further. If the being is a really powerful one it can sometimes stretch a few miles away. Some of them even have a sort of compass to point in the direction of the ghost while the more professional ones contain a GPS system to point in specific locations. “Saved by the spook.” Lauren chuckles as she begins pulling on her gear. “Where at?”

Normani shakes her head, her cheeks still a bit red. “Hmm, looks to be a few blocks away, down by the old high school.”

Lauren nods. “Okay let’s go.”

She prays that whatever it is, it actually deserves what’s coming to it, ever since she met Camila and learned about the different kinds of ghosts, she often finds dread swirling in her stomach as they follow the trails to the creatures.

They head down the street in a sprint. The streets are almost always empty now days and the few people that do travel during the day use the modern subway stations that run along the roads. Lauren and Normani stop in front of the high school, breathing heavily. Lauren remembers her grandmother telling her that this was the high school she had attended back before the veil opened but no one has set foot in it in years. High schools were a common place for spooks to lurk because of the amount of time and memories the ghosts had spent there when they were living.

Lauren stands back as Normani kicks open the door, releasing a cloud of dust from beneath her foot as the door bursts open. She shakes out her foot a bit in pain, cursing under her breath while Lauren coughs and waves the dust away from her face.

“You ready?” Lauren asks the dark skinned girl.

“Sure.” Normani mutters, limping her first few steps before the pain goes away and she is walking normally again. “Damn that hurt.” She groans.

Lauren chuckles. “This is why we need Dinah hear, that girl has perfected breaking open doors in any way possible. Well and because you know, you’re mood would improve quite a-“

“Shut the fuck up and focus on the reason we’re here Laur. You are pushing it.” Normani huffs.

Lauren smiles but obeys. They walk into the school, the light from the doorway reflecting all the way down the hall on the linoleum tiles. Some of the lockers lining the walls hang open, old papers are crumpled on the ground, there are large clumps of graffiti are spray painted on the walls. Lauren tries to picture normal teenagers going to school here and worrying about things like homework but it’s really hard to do when there are long shadows stretching along the walls and giant painted letters spell out ‘monsters from hell’ along the lockers. 

“Can you ever imagine kids actually just going to school here?” Normani seems to read her mind.

Lauren shakes her head. Neither she nor Normani had attended school, that is, not counting the years of training to be a ghost hunter and the few years of basic education consisting of learning about the veil, how to read, write, speak and mathematics. “I’d like to hope it was in better shape at the time.” Lauren jokes as she walks through a large clump of cobwebs with a disgusted look on her face.

Normani snorts. “Me too, I mean, I don’t even want to know what this is.” She points to a large green-brown puddle leaking from the old bathrooms and fakes a gag.

Lauren scrunches her nose and hurries past the puddle. “Let me guess, it’s in the basement?”

“Typical spook.” Normani confirms.

Lauren looks for the nearest basement entrance and when she finds the wooden door hanging off its hinges, she tugs it to the ground effortlessly. Normani rolls her eyes. “Of course you get the easy one.”

Lauren smirks. “Shush.” She leads the way down the staircase, the little amount of light from the entrance down the hall is fading quickly and Lauren takes a second to pull her headlamp from her belt and place the beaming light on her forehead.

Normani does the same and they makes their way down the creaky stairs. When they reach the bottom, Normani’s EMF is beeping slow and long and they can hear small mumbles of whatever language the ghost is speaking. Normani signals for Lauren to go left while she goes right. Lauren nods.

She walks past a few stacks of old wooden school desks and down the long hallways. She can still hear Normani’s EMF due to the lack of noise in the dead silent basement. She takes small steps in order to keep her boots from making loud clunking noises. She reaches a long hallway full of doors and knowing that most ghosts can fade through solid objects she doesn’t bother skipping the ones with closed doors. She checks them all, peeking into the rooms with her headlamp.

Turns out Normani finds the ghost first, a loud, “Lauren!” Sounding from the other side of the large basement.

“Coming Mani!” She yells back.

She sprints back in the direction she came from, then passes the stair case going in the right direction this time. She had hoped she would be the one to find it, just in case this ghost wasn’t a devil and instead was something like Camila; innocent and just caught up in the whole thing.

She nearly runs right past Normani, she doesn’t see the girl hiding flat against one of the walls. Normani grabs her as Lauren runs and tugs her against the wall as well. Lauren nearly let’s out a small yelp but Normani covers her hand with her mouth and Lauren calms down at the feeling of Normani’s cut off gloves. Normani removes her hand and points down the hall to where the spook sits, or should Lauren says spooks. There are multiple, all moaning and making an awful lot of noise, pushing over old desks and staring at the walls.

Lauren gasps, counting at least four. She observes them, from what she can see they are thankfully all spooks….or devils as Camila says they are called. Their eyes are sunken deep into their skulls, most of them an endless black color but a few of the more sickly looking ones have eyes that almost glow red. Lauren nearly sighs in relief. She didn’t have to kill any innocent souls today, just the ones that actually deserve to go back to hell.

“Let’s corner them. You come from the back and I’ll come from the front and distract them. We can each take two.” Normani whispers.

Lauren nods, creeping her way around piles of broken desks and large metal pillars that hold up the ceiling. From across the hoard of spooks she can see Normani doing the same thing. They reach the point where Lauren is crouched directly behind the moaning creatures and Normani right in front, a fraction of her body peeking out from behind one of the pillars. She lifts a can of gasoline from her belt and gives Lauren a smile.

Lauren nods.

Normani steps out into the open, immediately gaining the attention of each of the spooks. They turn to look at her, releasing horrid screams. She wastes no time in spraying the creatures with the gasoline, drenching the first one- that had begun to charge at her- immediately. Lauren takes this as her que, pulling out her own gasoline weapon and spraying the first spook she comes in contact with. It screams as the baggy clothes that cover its body is weighed down underneath the weight and claws at its face as the liquid gets into his eyes and mouth.

She hears the small ‘shwttttt’ of Normani’s signature matches being stroked against one of the pillars and a wave of heat hits Lauren’s back as one of the spooks bursts into flames, turning grey and white before vanishing back behind the veil. The blue tipped match falls to the floor.

There are a few ways to get rid of the ghosts, but burning them is the quickest and easiest way to do so. Most hunters use lighters because they are a bit more dependable and easier to access, but Normani, being Normani likes to add her twist to things, hence her signature, blue-tipped matches. She says it’s something about the sound it makes that’s satisfying and the way she can leave the dead match on the ground to mark her territory. Lauren thinks it’s way badass, but she herself sticks to her black lighter.

Lauren’s gasoline-drenched spook swings out its arms in her direction and she kicks it towards Normani.

Shwttttt. Another match falls to the ground.

Normani smiles proudly, turning to her next victim. Lauren wastes no time backhanding an approaching spook with the covered part of her hand, the black leather of her glove smacking the sharp cheek of her next victim. She can hear another piercing scream behind her as Normani does something similar to her own attacker. The room lights up again behind Lauren, turning a bright orange is the spook goes up in flames and then disappears. They haven’t really determined why exactly the spooks disappear when they are killed but Camila assumes it’s the dead part of them, like they are just yanking back behind the Veil. They aren’t living enough to leave a solid body. It makes sense.

Lauren catches movement in the corner of her eye.

She looks over to see another ghost, temporarily forgetting about her current attacker. She notices the pale skin and the floppy hair and lanky limbs, but her eyes meet a dark blue color instead of sunken black and she immediately knows that the ghost is not a spook, just one of the ones who got caught in the mix. The ghost looks scared, pressing his body into the wall with shaking fingers and trembling lips. Camila flashes across her mind.

“Lauren!” Normani’s voice yells loudly.

Lauren suddenly remembers that she is still in a fight with one of the spooks but it’s too late. He tackles Lauren to the ground, forcing Lauren’s head to smack into the concrete floors of the basement. Her vision goes dizzy for a millisecond and she feels her body go ice cold as the spook gets a hold of her wrists.

Normani is quick to spray the spook with her gasoline and what doesn’t hit the spook showers Lauren as well. Lauren grunts and manages to kick the spook off just as she hears another match being lit. It flies over her body, landing on the spook a foot or two away and his body bursts into flames just like the rest of them. The spook reaches out, tugging painfully at Lauren’s ankle and twisting it in the wrong direction in any effort to keep himself tied to the living world. Lauren yelps in pain and kicks his hand off as he turns to grey and disappears.

Lauren groans in pain, letting her eyes close for a second as her head throbs and her ankle burns. “Jesus Christ Laur, what were you thinking?” Normani hurries over, crouching by her friend. “A few more seconds and he could have easily possessed you, ya know.”

“I know Mani, I know.” Lauren huffs, reopening her eyes and looking into Normani’s worried ones. She slowly sits up, her head filling with waves of dizziness. “I just… I got distracted.” Lauren’s eyes glance over at the ghost and she immediately regrets it because Normani follows her gaze.

The ghost is still there and she whimpers as they make eye contact. Normani stands up quickly, pulling out her box of matches and the gasoline. Lauren watches as even more fear takes over the small ghosts features, she almost seems to hide behind her long mane of messy hair.

Lauren chokes on the air in her throat, stumbling to her feet despite the pain in her ankle and the nausea from her dizziness. “Mani no!” Lauren practically falls forward, holding onto Normani for support and the dark skinned girl is forced to stop in order to keep her injured friend from falling.

“Laur what the fuck. Get off of me, we missed one!” Normani tries to shake Lauren off but it only ends up with her dropping the can of gasoline and the cap breaks off making it unusable. “Great! Way to go Laur.” She huffs, finally pulling Lauren’s arms from around her body and instead holding the girl up with a single hand underneath Lauren’s armpit.

“You can’t send him back! He’s innocent!” Lauren yells, heaving heavily.

Normani’s eyebrows shoot up. “What do you mean she’s innocent?!” Normani yells. “He’s a fucking spook Lauren. They possess people and throw things and harass! They are the furthest thing from innocent!” She let’s go of Lauren and the girl falls back, grabbing onto one of the pillars for support. She begins walking towards the spook again. “You can still burn without gas…..” She mutters.

Lauren feels sick as she watches the look on Normani’s face. It was a look Lauren had once worn many times herself. The look of pride after getting rid of some of the world’s evil. Saving lives. Doing good. The thrill of fighting. She knew it all. It was exhilarating to kill the spooks, but this time it wasn’t a spook. Normani didn’t know any better, but Lauren knew it all. Camila had explained the whole thing to her.

“Normani please! Just listen to me!” She pleaded.

Normani noticed the desperate tone in her best friend’s voice and turned, only half way so that she could still watch the whimpering ghost from the corner of her eye. “What Laur?” She asked harshly.

“That one isn’t like the others.” Lauren started.

Normani rolls her eyes, “Laur I’m sorry, but you are insane-“

“No Mani just look at it. His eyes, they are bright blue… not black and not red. Look how his skin has a bit more color and Mani… she isn’t screaming, she isn’t attacking, she is just….shaking. In fear.” Lauren hurries to give as much evidence as she can.

Normani turns to the creature, cocking her head to the side in confusion as she looks. “That…that doesn’t mean anything Laur. He is still a ghost… a spook.” Normani argues.

The ghost whimpers a bit more, his eyes frantically switching between Normani and Lauren.

“Normani not all of them are bad. Some of them are just caught up in the whole mess. They just accidentally slipped through the veil. Please, just look at him.” Lauren tries again.

Normani does look at him and she does notice that maybe his eyes lack the evil depths that spooks normally have and maybe Lauren is right about the boy not attacking, he trembles against the wall instead, but they haven’t ever encountered a good ghost before. In fact Normani hasn’t ever even heard of a good ghost. “What do you mean a good ghost?” She asks with a growl, not letting her eyes leave the creature against the wall.

“Think about it, when the veil shifted, it just spilled open. Not every person that dies is evil. There are some who just… fell out with no intention of hurting or harassing or doing any harm. They are just here trying to get by.” Lauren forces her body to lean off of the pole. Her ankle is no doubt swelling around her foot and spots flash in front of her eyes from the pain in the back of her head. “Just leave it be.”

Normani clenches her teeth in though. Lauren did have a point, it made sense, but she also had no proof. “Laur I can’t just leave this thing here. It’s our job to get rid of the spooks.”

Lauren shakes her head, causing the edges of her vision to turn black. “No, this isn’t a spook. It’s just a ghost. A dead soul brought back to life.”

“Laur…” Normani warns, striking the match against one of the broken desks piled all around her. A small orange glow illuminates the room and Lauren feels sick to her stomach. Oh shit…she is sick to her stomach. She stumbles a bit on her feet, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the floor. Her vision sparkles in front of her eyes like a kaleidoscope and feels her body tip over backwards.

  -

-

  Lauren’s body in bobbing up and down, her face lifting up before smashing into soft skin over and over. She groans, feeling a terrible throb in the back of her head and spreading throughout the rest of her skull. Her ankle hurts too, but she notices that she isn’t putting any pressure on it; she’s being carried. She groans again as her ankle bumps against something warm.

“Laur?” Normani’s voice sounds from somewhere next to her head.

Lauren forces her eyes open. “Hmmm?”

“Oh my god, you’re up.” Normani breaths out in relief.

“Ugh what happened?” Lauren murmurs, still very much out of it. Her head continues to bob up and down against what she now identifies as Normani’s shoulder.

“Pretty sure you have a concussion from smacking your head into the ground. There isn’t any blood but I felt a pretty big bump and you threw up and then passed out.” Normani informs.

Lauren closes her eyes again. She vaguely remembers that. She lifts her head a bit, ignoring how she feels like a bobble head and how the effort it takes to do so nearly makes her want to pass out again. She looks around and notices that it’s she is riding on Normani’s back; piggy back style. “Where are we going?” She murmurs.

She forces herself to look at her surroundings.

“I’m taking you home, you need some ice on your head and to lay down.” Normani huffs a bit and readjusts her position under Lauren’s legs. “Also we should definitely do something about your ankle because last time I checked it was bigger than a softball.” Normani tries to joke a bit but there was a serious mood set in their conversation.

Lauren notices that it’s dark out and she wonders how late it is. Camila will have been worried that she isn’t home yet, probably pacing across the living room, waiting for the familiar sound of Lauren’s keys outside of the door. And- Oh fuck! Camila.

“You really don’t have to take me home Mani, you can just drop me off.” She feels panic rising in her voice as the reach her building and Normani begins up the stairs to the apartment.

“Laur you are absolutely crazy if you think I am going to leave you alone in this state.” Normani snorts.

“But I won’t be alone.” Lauren comments before realizing that’s the whole reason she doesn’t want Normani there. Yeah, she’s a bit out of it. “I mean I’ll have Vince.” She covers.

Normani shakes her head and lifts Lauren a bit higher again. “Laur, you are literally so out of it right now. Vince isn’t going to do shit. Just stop talking and let me help you.” Lauren sticks out her hand to push open the doors to the apartment building while Normani carries them into the lobby. The man at the desk gives them a curious look but goes back to whatever it is he was doing. Normani looks at the stairs with a groan. “You owe me so much.” She grumbles.

“Let me help you.” Lauren mocks back at her, imitating Normani’s voice and the words she had said just a few seconds before.

Normani walks a little too close to the wall and Lauren’s ankle hits the railing. She yelps in pain. “Oops.” She grumbles sarcastically.

“I hate you.” Lauren mutters. She can feel the anxiety growing in her chest as they get closer to her room. They reach the second floor and then they are walking down the hallway. Normani stops in front of Lauren’s door. “You can uh leave now.” Lauren tries again though she knows Normani already has her mind set and staying.

“Keys Laur.” Normani demands.

Lauren sighs. She doesn’t know if she can physically handle this right now. She nods, looking around Normani’s belt. Good, Normani didn’t bother to bring her broken can of gas. Lauren looks for the blue package of matches, she finds them sticking out from the pocket in Normani’s belt. She reaches for her keys, brushing past Normani’s belt and sliding the matches into her sleeve, pulling it off as her clumsy concussed movements. “Sorry.” She mumbles a bit before moving to her own belt to grab her keys and slip the matches into her own pocket.

Lauren holds out the keys with clenched teeth. Normani reaches to grab them and Lauren pulls them away a bit. “Mani-“ She sighs. “I have to ask you something first.”

Normani looks confused and concerned. “What Laur? Do you feel okay? Or I mean, worse than you should?”

Lauren shakes her head. “That’s not it. Did you…Did you kill that ghost? Back in the school.”

Normani closes her eyes, letting out a breath. “No I didn’t.” She breathes out in a low voice.

“Why?” Lauren continues.

“I was going to but you passed out and I kinda had to pick between injured friend and possible spook.” Normani answers honestly and Lauren is a bit disappointed because that’s not the reason she wanted.

“You don’t believe me? About the good ghosts?” Lauren questions.

Normani bites at her lip, readjusting Lauren again. “I don’t know Laur, I mean it makes sense but you have no proof. I’ve never heard of a ghost that wasn’t bad.”

“So if I had proof you would believe me?”

“Lauren you are kinda getting really heavy can we just go in and-“

Lauren cuts her off. “Answer me Mani. If I had proof would you believe me.”

Normani sighs. “I…I don’t know Lauren. Maybe, yes, no…..yes?” She sounds unsure but sticks with the answer.

Lauren nods, handing the girl the keys to her house. “Please don’t freak out.” She mutters.

“What?” Normani mumbles as she pushes in the key and opens the door.

The living room is empty which surprises Lauren since she figures Camila would have been pacing in front of the door. She finds herself feeling a bit grateful for the lack of Camila’s presence though because Normani has enough time to set Lauren down on the couch with a huff before footsteps sound coming out of the hallway.

Camila appears from arch that separates the living room and the hallway, she is coming nearly full sprint, a look of relief and worry present on her features. She has her long, untamed hair loose, letting it fall around her pale skin. She is wearing leggings and one of Lauren’s large bed time shirts as well as long mismatched socks. Lauren thinks she looks adorable.

“Lo?!” She calls as she runs into the room. She spots Normani and her socks skid on the wooden floor as she stops, her face turns slightly terrified and she freezes in her spot.

Normani growls as Camila appears, taking a defensive step back and moving to grab the matches from her pocket… except they aren’t in her pocket. “Lauren what the fuck did you do with my matches?” She hisses, not letting her hard gaze leave Camila even for a second.

Lauren watches Normani cautiously. “Normani, you said that if I had proof-“

“What is that thing doing in your house?” Normani interrupts with a demanding tone, still keeping her eyes locked on Camila like a lion with its prey. Camila doesn’t move a single muscle, even her breathing looks stiff, like she is trying not to do so.

Lauren sighs, her head is pounding and her ankle is aching and she doesn’t want to have to deal with this right now, but she knows she has to because if she just gives into the pain and stands back, Normani will be attacking Camila and Camila won’t attack back. She couldn’t hurt a fly. “Mani, she is not a thing. She is a girl. Her name is Camila.” She introduces.

“You named her?!” Normani hisses, narrowing her eyes at Camila who clenches her fist to try and hide the shaking of her hands. “She is a fucking ghost Lauren!”

“She already had a name, I didn’t give her it. And yeah, she is a ghost but listen to me! She isn’t bad. She doesn’t haunt or possess or harass or do anything even remotely evil!” Lauren argues. She raises her voice to get her point across and her head pounds a bit more forcefully. She curses a bit at the pain. Normani doesn’t even acknowledge the sound but Camila does and she glances ever so slightly in Lauren’s direction with worry dotted in her terrified expression.

“Lo?” She squeaks worriedly.

“I-“ Lauren starts.

“Don’t fucking talk!” Normani shuts Camila up instantly, the girl clamping her mouth shut as her eyes go wide.

“Mani stop it. I promise you she is harmless.” Lauren scolds, rubbing a bit at the back of her head.

“Lauren, I know you say she is but I haven’t ever heard of a friendly ghost before, let alone seen one. I’m going to need more proof.” Normani breaks eye contact for just a second to glance around the room, she looks to Lauren’s fireplace, knowing that most people tend to keep either a match or a lighter near fireplaces.

“Normani!” Lauren pleads as Normani spots a red lighter resting on the mantle of the stone fireplace. Normani presses her thumb across the metal and a few sparks fly before a steady flame floats along the opening. Camila flinches, her eyes wide with fear.

She steps towards Camila and the ghost takes as many steps away as she can until she is backed into the wall with only a few feet from Normani and herself, the flame between them. Lauren tries to stand up in panic but she is pretty sure she dislocated her ankle because the second she tries to place any pressure on it, she stumbles and barely catches herself with the palms of her hands against her dusty wooden floors.

The sound causes Normani to turn and glance at Lauren with a conflicted gaze. Camila takes the chance to blow out the lighter. She knows Normani can easily light it again, but it was getting awfully close to her face and any time she can gain, she needs.

“Lauren what are you doing?” Normani asks in a strained and frustrated voice. “You are hurt for God’s sake and she is a fucking spook.”

Lauren grimaces in pain and it takes everything Camila has not to run and help her back into the couch. “Please listen to me Mani when I tell you she isn’t bad!” Lauren practically begs.

Normani closes her eyes, clenching her fist around the lighter. “Lauren you can’t ask me to believe you when I have no reason to.”

“I can give you proof! I promise Mani just… just I can answer your questions!” Lauren cries out as Normani unclenches her fist and sparks the lighter again, turning back to Camila.

Camila lets out a small whimper as Normani turns back to her, raising the flame right in front of Camila’s face. The orange glow gives more color to Camila’s skin and for a second, Normani doesn’t see a ghost. Camila’s eyes were dark brown, and although a bit faded, they still had color. She blinks the thought away, stepping closer still.

Camila squints her eyes shut. She can feel the heat from the small flame on her cheeks and she can smell the gas coming out of the lighter in order to fuel it. “Laur….” Camila’s voice comes out small and scared.

“Normani please!” Lauren yells from her spot on the floor, with tears in her eyes.

Normani shakes her head slowly, raising the flame towards Camila’s hair. She knows without gasoline it will be harder to burn the girl, but hair easily catches on fire so hopefully it will be enough. Small tears escape from Camila’s eyes and Normani doesn’t think she has ever seen a ghost with the capability to cry.

She moves the flame to Camila’s hair and right before it touches the brown locks, she stops and looks down.

Vince had wandered out of the bedroom due to all the commotion. He waltzed right over to the corner where Normani and Camila were standing, ignoring Lauren’s emotional and borderline sobbing pleas. And he rubs against Camila’s legs.

Camila sees Normani’s second of distraction and she blows the flame out once again as it falls a bit to where her hair is milliseconds later.

“What the fuck…” Normani’s voice comes out as a whisper.

Vince starts purring, happily rubbing against Camila’s legs; completely unaware to the danger that the girl was in. He didn’t care. All he wanted was affection. Cats were weird like that, they wanted affection at all the wrong times.

Normani’s hand slowly falls to her side, the lighter clenched within it. She watches Vince curiously. “But….But….” Normani can’t seem to grasp the concept.

In these ages, people got pets strictly for one reason. To sense ghosts. Animals had some sort of further sense that allowed them to detect evil presences, even the ones humans couldn’t see. They were house protectors and often used within the ghost hunting industry.

And yet, here Vince stands, rubbing against Camila as if she was covered in catnip.

Normani wants to say that Vince is broken and that maybe Vince himself is some sort of animal ghost, even though they were unheard of; she can’t say that though. She has seen Vince in action back when Normani, Lauren and the rest of their team lived in the training dorms. Somehow a ghost had made its way into their school bathroom and Normani remembers very vividly how Vince began growling; hackles raised and teeth bared. He had been a kitten at the time, but the sight was still scary.

“Thank you Vince.” Lauren breathes a sigh of relief from her spot on the floor, wiping at her eyes and taking a deep breath. “Is that enough proof for you Mani?” She says louder so that she can hear.

Normani blinks and shakes her head. “He…” She can’t seem to find words.

“Likes her? Yeah he seems to like her more than me most of the time. Like I said Mani, she is harmless.” Lauren sounds bitter, but nobody can blame her, after all her best friend almost killed her other, better, best friend.

Normani sighs, letting the lighter fall to the floor. She doesn’t make eye contact with Camila when she talks. “I…I’m sorry.” Normani’s voice is shaky and disbelieving. She walks as if in a daze, towards Lauren’s sofa chair that sits across from the couch and next to the large windows.

Camila let’s out the large breath that she had been holding in fear, a few tears falling from her eyes. She leans down to give Vince a nice pet. “I could kiss you right now.” She tells the grey cat. She gives him a final scratch under the chin before hurrying over to Lauren.

Lauren reaches out and Camila wastes no time dropping to her knees and embracing the girl. Camila can’t help but sob into Lauren’s shirt and Lauren clings, not sobbing, but equally shaken up. “Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.” Camila mumbles repeatedly into Lauren’s shirt at her near death experience. Well near second-death experience.

Lauren rubs the girl’s back. “It’s okay. You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

Camila forces herself to stop when she is reminded that Lauren is injured and that they are embraced on the dirty floor. She pulls away from the girl, wiping her eyes with her sleeve and taking in a shaky breath. “Im okay.” She repeats and reassures.

Lauren nods and wincing in pain when she pulls away from Camila and knocks her ankle against the leg of her coffee table. Camila bites her lip worriedly. “Laur what happened? What hurts?” She helps Lauren to her feet, letting Lauren lean all the wait in her left side into her. She helps the girl sit back on the couch.

“It’s no big deal.” She excuses. Camila gives her a look that states she doesn’t believe her. “My ankle and my head.” Lauren finally mutter.

Camila nods, hurrying out of the room and into the kitchen. Lauren let’s her head rest back against the couch as it throbs endlessly. She only opens her eyes when she hears Camila’s soft footsteps returning. Camila has an armful of stuff that she sets on the floor before examining Lauren. She reaches down to pick up a water bottle and a bottle of painkillers. She unscrews the lid, handing the bottle to Lauren before pouring a few of the white colored pills into her palm. She transfers the pills from her hand to Lauren’s and watches as the girl takes a few sips of water and swallows them.

Lauren hands the water back to Camila after drinking about half and Camila sets it back on the floor. “Let me see your head.” Camila instructs.

Lauren leans forward a bit and Camila files through Lauren’s thick hair with gentle hands until she reaches the bump at the back of her head. Camila winces a bit. “Laur please tell me what happened.” Lauren groans as Camila’s fingers press a bit too hard; well really they weren’t hard bit the skin was sensitive.

“I was fighting a group of spooks…the evil ones.” She adds the last part to clarify.

“Devils?” Camila supplies.

“Yeah devils. Anyways Mani and I were fighting a big group of them and I got distracted by… I saw another good one Camz. Like you.” Lauren lifts her head to look at Camila and the girl gives her a soft look.

Camila reaches down to grab a bag of frozen peas (they were out of ice packs) and she wraps a thin clothe around it before handing it to Lauren. “Hold this against your head please.”

Lauren does as she’s told, continuing. “I’ve never seen another one. Only you so I guess it…. Surprised me. I wasn’t watching the devil and he tackled me to the ground and I smacked my head into the concrete.” She cringes at the memory; Camila does too.

“By the looks of it, you have a concussion, but I can’t be sure just by the outside.” Camila runs a thumb over Lauren’s cheek with concerned eyes.

Lauren nods a bit but stops when it makes her head hurt more. “I’m pretty sure I do…..I kinda threw up all over the floor.” She makes a disgusted face at herself.

Camila’s concern grows. “Well now I’m positive that you do. Do you… Are you nauseous right now?”

Lauren closes her eyes, their living room light suddenly feeling very bright. “No, just throbbing.”

Camila notices her discomfort and moves to turn on a few lamps that are much dimmer before turning out the light. “Is that better?”

“Yeah, thanks Camz.” Lauren closes her eyes anyways.

“Then what?” Camila asks, kneeling down to look at Lauren’s ankle.

“Normani knocked him off before he could do anything but he grabbed onto my ankle and pulled at it really hard before she lit him up.” Lauren grumbled. “It feels out of place.”

Camila nods. “I think it’s dislocated.” She rests her hands along Lauren’s leg and foot. “This is going to hurt.”

Lauren nods. “I figured.” She clenches her teeth in preparation as Camila pops it back into place. Lauren lets out a muffled scream, since she had not allowed her mouth to open. Normani shifts from the corner of the room where she sits in the forest green sofa chair. Lauren had forgotten about the girl until now.

Camila grabs a pillow from off the couch and carefully lifts Lauren’s foot onto it, elevating her ankle. “I’m sorry baby.” She says in a pained voice. She hated to see Lauren hurting.

Lauren dismisses her with a wave, reaching out for the water bottle and taking a few more sips. Camila wraps another frozen bag of something or other in thin clothe and this time places it over Lauren’s injured ankle.

“That’s about all I can do.” Camila apologizes. “How much does it hurt? On a scale?”

Lauren takes a few deep breaths to evaluate herself before muttering, “Around a 7 maybe? My head feels a little better with the ice and I’m sure the pain killers will kick in soon.”

Camila nods, returning the rest of her items in the kitchen before taking a hesitant seat next to Lauren and grabbing the girl’s hand not only to comfort herself after her traumatizing experience with Normani, but to give Lauren something to focus on other than her pain.

The room is enveloped in silence for a few minutes; Lauren resting her head on the back of the couch with closed eyes, Camila brushing her fingers over Lauren’s knuckles and sneaking nervous glances in Normani’s direction, and Normani staring at the floor, clearly stuck in her head.

Camila clears her throat, but her voice is still shaky when she speaks. “Y…you can ask any questions that you want to, I will try to answer them the best I can.” Camila squeaks.

Normani’s head shoots up as she realizes she is being addressed. She stares at Camila for a bit, her stone cold eyes piercing Camila’s soul…. Well maybe Camila’s half-soul, they still aren’t entirely sure how the whole thing works.

“How long have you been here?” Normani finally asks into the silence. The dim lamps that provide the only light cast shadows in Norman’s corner and make her look more intimidating than Camila already thinks she is. Camila gulps.

“Do you mean with Lauren or like… in the living world?” Camila’s voice is quiet with fear and although Lauren’s eyes are closed, she is listening intently and she squeezes Camila’s hand to give the girl some strength.

“Both.” Normani’s voice was cold.

Camila nods. “I met Lauren maybe three or so months back and I’ve been living here about the same. As for the real world, I fell through about a year ago come October.”

Normani shakes her head. “That’s impossible. The veil only opened 75 years ago.”

“That’s what everyone thinks. That it opened and released a bunch of ghosts before closing back up. It’s still open, it has been since.” Camila tried to explain it without sounding like a know-it-all; the last thing she wanted was for Normani to hate her even more.

“Explain.” Normani demands.

“I explained this to Lauren as kinda like an earth quake. The plates shift and an opening is created, releasing masses of ghosts at one time right? But earth quakes have aftershocks and although they aren’t as powerful they still shake the earth. In other words. The veil is still open and it will be until someone figures out how to close it but large masses aren’t passing through anymore, just small groups here and there.” Camila explains.

“So how come they haven’t outnumbered us yet? If they are coming through continuously and we aren’t getting rid of all of them, how come their numbers are decreasing instead of increasing?” Normani sounds a bit less harsh and more curious now than before. She sounds genuinely interested in the information Camila has.

Camila manages a small smile at the thought and she feels Lauren squeeze at her hand again, this time in a sort of praise. “I don’t know the answer to that in a factual form, but I have a theory.” Normani nods to signal for her to share the theory. “Well there is a reason we are still ghosts. It’s not like we fell through the veil and back into our living forms.”

Normani raises a brow at Camila. “What are you getting at?”

Camila holds up a finger to signal for her to wait and Normani gives Camila an inpatient glare that makes her hurry a bit faster. “We are still attached to the veil, not completely living but not completely dead. This is the part where I’m sorta guessing.” She warns before continuing. “There is only so long a person can stand with one leg in the living and one leg behind the veil. My theory is, the reason the numbers are decreasing, is because with the addition of you sending the ghosts back behind the veil, they are also fading back by themselves.”

“They are fading faster than they are coming.” Normani nods, it makes sense in some completely confusing way.

“Not enough that they will all go back, not as long as the veil is open, but enough that the ghost population is lessening.” Camila adjusts her position a bit and Lauren leans her head into Camila’s shoulder.

Normani eyes them, but continues talking on subject. “So how long do you think it takes before they fade?”

Camila shrugs a bit and Lauren groans from her place on Camila’s shoulder. “Sorry.” Camila apologizes before addressing Normani’s question. “I don’t know how long exactly but I would say maybe a few years? I would assume that it varies. Some ghostly entities are more….powerful than others and they might be able to stay amongst the living longer whereas the weaker ones or more peaceful ones fade faster.” She gulps a bit at that and Lauren opens her eyes to give her a worried glance. Camila forces a smile at Lauren. “I think that’s why it’s rare to encounter the peaceful ghosts, because at this point most of them have faded except for the newer ones coming in.”

Normani seems to understand Lauren’s concern now. “So you?” She doesn’t have to finish.

Camila bites her lip and nods a bit. “I don’t know how long, but sometimes…..” She doesn’t finish.

“It’s okay Camz.” Lauren whispers.

Camila nods. “Let’s not think about that right now. Any other questions?” She dismisses and Lauren sighs, leaning her head back against Camila’s shoulder and pressing the icepack to her head with the hand that is not occupied by Camila’s.

“Is there, I mean do all of them fade or is there a sort of loop hole?” Normani wonders aloud.

“I think, I mean I’ve heard of it being done but I’ve never actually seen or anything. Some of the more powerful ghosts can possess people and live through their life force. Most of them only have enough power to do it temporarily because the life force fights back, but if you happen to encounter a really powerful one, they can do it permanently. Some can even switch from body to body, draining the life force and then transferring to a new one but…. They have to be really bad, we usually refer to them as demons, but there are all different types so the term is kinda vague. The devils, or as you guys call them, the spooks, are normally not powerful enough to do that. If they manage to possess you, although unpleasant and harming to your body, they won’t be able to keep you for long and you will probably live.” Camila bites her lip as she talks about the unpleasant truth.

Normani has on a disgusted face. “Oh, well that’s reassuring.”

Camila chuckles a bit. “Sorry, I know, it’s not exactly pleasant information but…”

“I asked for it.” Normani finishes.

Camila nods. “Yeah, you asked for it.”

“How did you die?” Normani asks and Camila tenses a bit underneath Lauren.

“I…Uh…” Camila gulps nervously.

“You don’t have to answer that Camz.” Lauren reassures.

Normani raises an eyebrow.

Camila shakes her head. “I want….Laur I need her to trust me and hiding things, even something as personal as this isn’t going to help.” Camila sighs.

Normani looks confused at the girl’s honestly, that doesn’t mean she isn’t still curious. Camila glances in Normani’s direction with a sad look on her face.

“It’s hard for me to talk about.” She excuses. “Just give me a minute.”

Normani nods, allowing the girl to do so.

“Are you sure Camz?” Lauren looks up worriedly. “I mean you haven’t ever talked about it, let alone to a stranger.”

Camila breaths out deeply. “I know Laur, but you didn’t need to know to trust me. Normani needs to see that even if I am half dead, I’m also half human. She needs to see that I’m not a monster so she can disassociate me with the term. It’s time.”

Normani is surprised by how correct Camila is. She needs to hear this. Lauren gives the girl a light kiss on the cheek, switching their hands so that she is the one rubbing Camila’s knuckles instead of the other way around.

“I…It was back in the early 2000’s I think just a few years before the 2010’s. I was born in Cuba, but at the time it wasn’t all that safe to live there and most of the country lived in poverty so my mother and I immigrated to the U.S. where I was raised in Miami, Florida. My father couldn’t come with us because we didn’t have enough money. He joined us a few years later but he could never find work and he wasn’t able to get a VISA. I’m not really sure what happened to him, he became bitter I guess. He liked to blame me for him not being able to come and for him not being able to afford a VISA.” Camila was hoping that the girls understood the terms she was using, knowing that they were both born nearly a century later and into a world full of ghosts and little relation to the world Camila knew.

Lauren gave her a smile to show the she understood; she had learned about most of this stuff in history class along with Normani and the rest of their generation. They never attended high school, but they were taught history so that if the ghost problem was ever terminated, they would be fit to teach the next generation and hopefully re-civilize everything.

Camila smiled softly before continuing. “Most families these days are different from back then. Now days you guys rarely have more than one child and you are raised more so in the training facilities than anything else, but back then, it was completely different. Families mostly revolved around love and loyalty and togetherness. It was more common to have siblings than not and there was a sort of loving feel to everything. I don’t even know if there is a way to describe it.” Camila smiles at the thought.

“Anyways, things were going well for a while and my father found a job and my mother had a baby. Her name was Sofia, she was my pride and joy. An eleven year age gap between us, but it didn’t seem to matter at the time because I was perfectly okay with just having a baby sister. Big brown eyes and a carbon copy of what my father what have looked like if he were a girl. Absolutely adorable.” Camila’s eyes glistened a bit.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but can you maybe get to the point?” Normani spoke not in a harsh tone, but more in a confused tone. Camila had to remind herself that the girl didn’t really understand the concept of family simply because of her upbringing. She didn’t understand the importunateness of family.

Camila nods and Lauren shoots the brown skinned girl a glare.

“It’s okay.” Camila dismissed Lauren’s glare. “My father lost his job again a few years later and once again he needed someone to blame and he turned to me. He started drinking a lot and coming home late at night. He would…..” Camila takes a few deep breaths. “He would beat me, usually with a belt, across the back.”

Lauren frowns deeply as she stares at Camila. Camila pretends to ignore Lauren so she doesn’t have to look in those eyes and end up crying like she knew she would. Lauren catches Camila subconsciously pushing the hand Lauren isn’t holding beneath her shirt and Lauren assumes she is brushing her fingers over old belt scars. The thought that anyone would hurt Camila, especially in her living form, makes Lauren feel sick.

“My mother knew about it but there wasn’t much she could do seeing as my father was much bigger and stronger than all of us combined. She mostly just tried her best to keep Sofi out of it; she was so little at the time and we tried out best to keep her as far away as we could from it, well as far away as you can get living under the same roof and all. We mostly managed but we couldn’t stop her from hearing everything. She used to get really bad anxiety to the point where the only thing that would calm her down was this stuff animal she had, a stitch plushy of sorts.” Despite Camila’s sadness, she managed to chuckle at the realization that neither Lauren nor Normani knew who stitch was. “A character from a movie.” She explained to the confused faces.

They both nodded. “Oh.”

“It got so bad that my mother had planned out an escape of sorts and we were to move in with an aunt who lived in California. We packed what we could while my father was out drinking at the bar but he came home earlier than planned, just as we were pulling from the driveway he was coming in through the back door. Of course, Sofia started hyperventilating a bit like she did nearly every time she saw our father and in our rush we had forgotten her plushy in the living room. So I volunteered to sneak in to get it.” Camila had tears rolling down her cheeks now and Lauren sat up and wiped a few with her thumb.

It didn’t really help because more instantly followed and Lauren let out a sad sigh. “You never got it did you?”

Camila shook her head. “He caught me as I was creeping back out of the living room and to say he was furious was an understatement. It was clear what we were doing, all of our stuff was gone. He didn’t even bother to untie his belt, just going straight to…straight to….” Camila choked back a sob. “He beat me to death. I think my mother and sister called the cops and got away but you know…. I obviously wasn’t there to know.”

Normani was staring at the ground again, sadness taking over her features. Lauren had tears in her eyes as well, and after a minute or two they rolled down her cheeks in large drops. Camila was crying too, but she stayed silent, wiping at her face everything now and then.

“I’m so sorry.” Normani’s voice surprised Camila.

Camila nods. “It’s okay I’ve had a lot of time to think about everything, I mean that was nearly a century ago after all and there isn’t much to do behind the veil.”

Lauren shook her head. “It’s not something that you should be okay with. That’s… heartbreaking.” She sniffled.

Camila gave the girl a sad smile, wiping some tears from her green eyes. “Yes it was, but I’ve made peace with it.”

Normani stood up from her spot, startling both of the girls. She walked over to Camila, letting out a heavy breath. “I…You’ve earned my trust Camila. I’m sorry for trying to kill you earlier just I didn’t know.”

Camila nods understandingly. “It’s okay Normani.”

The girl looks relieved that Camila doesn’t have any hard feelings. “It might take me a while to get comfortable with you but if it’s okay, we can be friends.” Normani holds out her hand hesitantly.

Camila smiles. She grabs Normani’s hand and shakes it in one swift motion. “If you’ll take me.”

-

-

Normani was the friend Lauren was most worried about when the time came that she found out about Camila and once the girl ended being fine with it (well maybe not fine, but she wasn’t trying to burn Camila back to hell anymore so that was good) Lauren felt relieved that they gotten the hardest one over with.

After that, Dinah and Ally were easy (comparatively at least). Sure Dinah had freaked out a bit at first but Normani had told the girl everything Camila and Lauren had told her and if Mani was fine with it, then why shouldn’t Dinah be? Dinah had always been a softie anyways, not that she didn’t kill spooks any time that she needed too, but she had always secretly felt a little bit bad.

 Ally was, as expected, the easiest of the three to except the concept of Camila and good ghosts. She wasn’t even a hunter in the first place, purely because she didn’t really have the heart to kill, even if the beings were technically already dead.

 Instead Ally was what they call a Cleanser. She had been trained to cleanse haunted areas of spooks and try to remove spooks from the victims that have been possessed.

So once all of Lauren’s friends/co-workers knew about the girl, it was a lot easier not having to try and hide Camila all the time. Camila was especially grateful after remembering the time that Dinah had come over and Camila had to hide in the closet for nearly five hours before the girl left. She was lucky that Lauren had a walk-in closet and not some claustrophobic dent with shelves.

Now, she could roam the house freely anytime on of the girls came over. Sure, Mani was still a bit uncomfortable with the idea but Lauren had explained to Camila that Mani was very set in her ways and disciplined in the practice much more than any of the others because her father had been one of the people to train their team, so Camila understood. And yeah, sometimes her hand went through the chip bowl while the girls all played cards and Dinah would be on the verge of freaking out, but the point is that they were all in the same room. The living and the undead.

One might say they had a sort of harmony.

-

-

“Oh shit! I’m so sorry Vince please don’t hate me!” Camila whines loudly and Lauren immediately turns her eyes to the girl in concern.

Lauren bites her lip worriedly as she watches Camila fade out a bit, like she had that one night, only a bit lesser. Her body turns a bit black and white and Vince, who she had been holding, falls to the floor. He uses his cat reflexes to land on his feet, but his tail waves back and forth angrily as he hurries away from Camila.

“I didn’t mean to drop you! You just fell through my arms.” She huffs, looking distressed.

She shivers a bit, wrapping her arms around her body as the color returns to her features. Lauren walks over to the girl from the kitchen with a frown on her features. As she gets closer she can see that Camila’s lips are a bit blue and her whole body is covered with chills. Once she sees that Camila’s form is solid enough again, she places her hand on Camila’s skin. It’s ice cold. Camila leans into Lauren’s touch, grabbing Lauren’s other hand and placing it on her cheek.

“Camz, are you okay?” Lauren rubs her hand across Camila’s arm, watching as the chills start to go away, the little hairs returning to their normal state.

Camila nods, letting out a large breath. “Yeah, you know that happens sometimes.”

Lauren nods. She does know, since that night that it happened on their bed it has happened quite a few times. “I know it happens, but this is like the third time today and well…..”

“It’s never been this often?” Camila finishes.

Lauren nods, removing her hand from Camila’s cheek and grabbing the girl’s cold fingers instead. “Yeah.”

Camila smiles at their intertwined fingers. “I’m sure it’s nothing Lauren.” She manages to sound like she is one hundred percent okay and Lauren sighs in relief. “I mean I’m a ghost. I’m expected to do some cool ghost-y shit.” She jokes.

Lauren giggles fill the room, signaling that she had been successful at cheering the girl up. “Yeah right, you are the lamest ghost I’ve ever met.” Lauren teases.

Camila pouts adorably. “Hey you take that back. I can….I can do cool stuff.”

Lauren chuckles. “Yeah right Camz.”

Camila drops Lauren’s hand and crosses her arms, her pout still full-fledged.  “Would you rather I throw things around the house and reek the smell of death?” She counters.

Lauren scrunches her face in disgust. “Ew, no thanks. I think I like my Camzi just the way she is.”

“That’s what I thought.” Camila blushes at the sentence. Lauren had just called Camila hers.

“Come here.” Lauren opens her arms, smiling down at the girl with softly tinted, pink cheeks. One perk about naturally being so pale and half-alive, her blood isn’t all that warm so even when she blushes, it’s not too noticeable.

Camila doesn’t hesitate to walk into Lauren’s arms, leaning her head against Lauren’s soft chest. She feels so safe and so alive in Lauren’s arms.

They stay there for a while. At this point, Camila doubts that the two girls even know what a quick hug is. They always end up hugging for longer than is comfortable for most people, except to them, it is comfortable. Lauren’s heartbeat blends with Camila’s uneven one, making a beat like the type of music that used to be popular back when Camila was alive the first time. They have always been rather comfortable around each other.

Well not always, the first time they met Camila had been frightened for her life and Lauren had been on the brink of killing the small ghost wandering Lauren’s neglected guest room. Of course, Lauren had luckily noticed Camila’s differences almost immediately; like how the girl had whimpered quietly in fear, unlike all the loud screams and moans and throaty growls that the spooks like to make and how her eyes were filled with tears and emotions and how they were like brown earthy soil rather than dark blood red. That day, they definitely did not treat each other with affection.

In fact, Lauren had promptly kicked Camila out into the night, no caring about all the possible hunters that could’ve found her or the pouring rain coming down from the thick grey clouds.

It wasn’t until a few days later as Lauren was drunkenly walking home (her, Mani, and Ally had stumbled across an old beer factory during one of their hunts and definitely took it too far) that Lauren had run into Camila again and actually acted civil to each other. If we are being honestly Camila had always been civil and really Lauren had been the mean one, but Camila was a ghost, so could you blame her?

After that night, Camila had led a shit faced Lauren home and put her to bed, something that no ghost had ever done before. It was something so human, that Lauren really had no choice except to abandon all harsh feelings towards the girl.

That’s when the affection started and it never really stopped. If anything, it intensified. Camila didn’t even bother trying to settle in Lauren’s guest bedroom. Instead, the girl turned their long hugs into longer, more cuddling types and promptly moved into Lauren’s bed. And of course, the soft touches and the hand holding wasn’t too far behind.

Camila knows it’s the way that they have always been, however she knows that somewhere, it stems from some sort of deeper feelings.

They don’t talk about those though. Camila isn’t sure how exactly being dead affects things like that and well the fact that she isn’t fully alive in the first place forced her to stop all thoughts of her and Lauren right there. She assumes Lauren thinks the same.

She can’t deny that she is attracted to Lauren and she thinks that she feels something way deeper than just affection for the girl, but again, Camila is partly dead and things like that are a bit touchy. She can’t ever be with Lauren is she isn’t ever fully alive and even then, she doesn’t know if Lauren feels the same about Camila as Camila does for her.

On top of that, there is a looming sense of dread that always seems to hang over them. Camila can feel it, Lauren can see it. Camila lately has been feeling slightly more dead than alive and even if it’s a sensitive subject that only brings fear and anxiety, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s happening. Camila is fading and she isn’t sure how long she has left.

They pull away after about a minute. Camila feels all warmed up again, or at least, she feels back to her normal half dead temperature which is good enough for her.

Lauren doesn’t bring up Camila’s looming death again that day. Not even when the girl fades again for a few seconds while she and Lauren are making dinner.

 The knife she was using to cut veggies clatters to the floor in a deafening clang. Camila picks it back up once her body turns solid again. They kitchen stays silent all throughout dinner.

-

-

“Camz!” Lauren laughed loudly, trying to push the girl off of her body with little success. She was way too weak in her laughing state to put in much effort. Camila knew this and ignored the girl’s squeal, instead she continued tickling Lauren relentlessly, moving her fingers across the girl’s ribs like she was playing the piano. “St…stop!” Lauren barely managed to form any sort of coherent sentence.

Camila really would stop, except that well, Lauren’s face looks so freaking adorable scrunched up like that and her laugh is possibly the cutest laugh in the entire world so she definitely doesn’t want to stop. Not any time soon anyways. She smiles with her tongue placed between her teeth. “I don’t think so Laur!”

“Pl…please! I’m go…gonna p…pee my pants!” Lauren gets out between laughs.

Camila laughs, removing her fingers from Lauren’s ribs brushing some lose hair from the girl’s face. She is currently straddling Lauren, although it’s in possibly the most innocent way possible, in fact neither of the girls even noticed the position they were in. “Better Lo?” The nickname slips out easily and naturally.

Lauren breathes heavily, trying to regain her breath and with on hand she reaches to her eyes to wipe some tears that had escaped. “Much.” She hums, smiling when Camila’s fingers brush across her cheek.

Camila let’s her body lower until she is laying on top of Lauren, her head resting in the crook of Lauren’s neck. Lauren moves her fingers to run up and down Camila’s back, sending chills up the girl’s spine. “You know, I used to get into tickle fights with my little sister all of the time.” She shares softly, moving to trace the freckles dotting Lauren’s shoulder and arm like a game of connect the dots. Today had been a good day for her, she felt so alive.

“Sofi?” Lauren breathes.

Camila smiles. “Yeah Sofi.”

“I wish I could see pictures of her.” Lauren mutters softly and her breath tickles the top of Camila’s head.

Camila pokes affectionately at a specific freckle on Lauren’s shoulder that is almost like two freckles overlapping each other. “Me too. Let’s see, she definitely would have died by now. I don’t know where all of our pictures would be.”

Lauren nods in understanding. “Back in Miami?” She wonders.

“I don’t know. We were on our way to California before I died, so my family could have gone there or maybe since my dad was definitely arrested, they ended up staying in Miami…..” Camila stops slowly and though Lauren can’t see her face, she knows that by the tone and Camila’s voice and the pause of her fingers over her freckles, Camila has just thought of something.

“What is it Camz?” She asks softly, wrapping her arms around Camila after a few minutes of drawing circles on her back.

Camila turns her head so she is looking up at Lauren from on top of the girl’s chest. “I was just…I don’t know where I’m buried Laur.” She has her brows furrowed and Lauren copies the act as the question begins circling in her head.

“Wow, I never thought about that before.” She admits. Camila hums, still thinking. “You are sure they would have buried you? No cremation or anything?”

“I don’t see why they would have. My mother was very set on the idea of burials. She likes that the headstones serve as a sort of monument of remembrance. Or she liked more like.” Camila corrects herself.

Lauren leans down to give the girl a quick kiss on the forehead. “So you have no idea?”

Camila shakes her head. “I would guess that they buried me in Miami where I was born and raised rather than pay for my body to be flown all the way to somewhere I’ve never been. My grandmother was buried in a quiet little cemetery just outside of Miami with this little river running through it. Her grave was directly under this old willow tree. Maybe they would have buried me there.” Camila thinks out loud.

The room goes silent for a minute before Lauren sighs a bit and looks down at the girl laying on top of her. “Camz?” She questions although Lauren already has Camila’s full attention. She always has Camila’s full attention, even when she doesn’t realize it.

Camila looks up to meet sparkling green eyes. “Yeah Lo?”

“Is…Is dying scary?” Lauren wonders, hoping she isn’t pushing it. She hopes that Camila has had enough time to come to terms with her death while behind the Veil.

Camila gives Lauren a small smile. “I mean, my death wasn’t exactly….ideal. I was scared out of my mind. My father was the last sight I saw. I had always hoped that the last thing I saw before death was something better….my little sister, my mother, the love of my life….maybe future children. I’m not sure, but definitely not the angry face of my father.” She pauses and Lauren can tell she is picturing the scene in her head so she brushes her fingers down Camila’s hair to bring her back to the present.

Camila swallows, her eyes refocusing on Lauren. “The actual dying part isn’t scary. I never saw that light that everyone talks about, it was more like falling asleep. When your thoughts are still fully present but they start to get a bit blurry and those waves of darkness sort of wash over your vision. It’s not a scary dark, more like a comforting type. And then you wake up like you had taken a nap or something except you aren’t there anymore. You can feel the difference between being a living, breathing person and a ghost.” She explains softly.

Lauren pictures how she falls asleep each night; slowly losing her concentration and becoming less aware of everything that is happening at the moment until she wakes up the next morning, not even remembering exactly when or how she had fallen asleep. It doesn’t sound scary, but she has to admit that it doesn’t sound like she thought either. “What do you mean you can feel the difference?”

Camila sighs, not sadly or annoyed or anything, but simply just in thought as she thinks. “Well right now is a bit different because I’m in the living world, but I feel a bit detached. My body doesn’t feel heavy like it should, it feels like when you are swimming.” She tries to explain the unexplainable to someone who has never felt what she has and is finding it to be very difficult. “You can feel your whole body right? But the weight is different. Your body isn’t as heavy when you are in water.”

Lauren nods to show she knows what she means. “I get what you mean.”

Camila continues. “And I’m not sure where I stand on the emotions part. Emotions are a human thing for the most part and I know I feel things because….well because I can feel them. But I’m not sure to what extent or how strong they are because technically dead people should be able to feel anything. Do you get what I mean?”

“It’s confusing but I think so.” Lauren says as she watched Camila’s face while she talks. Camila takes continuous pauses to chew at her lip in thought before her eyes go all wide as she thinks of new topics or new ways to describe things. Camila constantly entrances Lauren, although Lauren does wish that it were a happier topic.

“I don’t really feel physical pain either.” Camila comments and Lauren raises her eyebrows.

“Really? Like if I were to punch you right now, it wouldn’t hurt?” Lauren wonders.

Camila smiles. “Go ahead and try it.” She pulls up her sleeve to give Lauren an open spot on her shoulder to hit.

Lauren is a bit hesitant but Camila isn’t going to feel it so she eventually pulls back her fist and lands a decent hit to the exposed skin. Camila scrunches her face in pain and grabs at the area. “Owww!” She whines.

Lauren instantly breaks into a worried face and begins spouting apologies. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry Camz I didn’t really mean to hurt you I just….”

Camila giggles adorably. “Lo, babe, I’m kidding. It didn’t hurt. You didn’t hurt me.” She brushes her thumb over Lauren’s creased eyebrows and the girl pouts as she realizes Camila had only been teasing. Her cheeks also turn a bit red because well, Camila called her babe.

“Camz! That’s not funny….” She whines. “I thought I actually hurt you.”

Camila pouts back at the girl and lifts her head a bit to look at Lauren properly. “Aw Lo, I’m sorry. Forgive me?” She asks gently.

Lauren shakes her head. “No, that was mean.”

Camila props herself up on either side of Lauren’s head so that she is leaning over the girl. “Please? Forgive me?” She tries again, giving the girl puppy eyes.

Lauren knows if she opens her mouth it will say yes so she shakes her head instead. “No.” She squeaks.

Camila lowers herself until her lips are almost touching Lauren’s. “Forgive me?” Camila whispers and Lauren can feel Camila’s breath on her own lips and her eyes go wide. She stays silent, watching Camila’s lips with her eyes. They look so plump and perfect. Camila touches their lips, not enough to call a kiss, but enough that Lauren can feel her pink skin on her own. “Please?” Camila adds some pressure and suddenly, they are kissing.

It’s quick and chaste, barely a peck, but it was a kiss. Camila pulls back, waiting for a response and Lauren can only nod her head and let out a small squeak. Camila smiles affectionately at the girl before resuming her position with her head on her chest. She can feel Lauren’s heart pounding beneath her ear and if their positions were reserves, Lauren would be able to hear hers as well.

After a few minutes of silence, Camila moves her eyes to look at Lauren, who is already looking at her. “You remember what I said earlier about what I wanted to see when I died?”

Lauren nods.

“If you were the last thing I saw, It would be perfect.” She states.

-

-

“Damn Walz, you’re seriously old.” Dinah cringes a bit and Camila pretends to look offended.

“Okay first of all, most of that time I was even actually alive so I don’t think it counts, secondly if it does count then you should respect your elders, and thirdly, why Walz?” Camila counts on her fingers as she lists her responses.

“Because ghosts are supposed to like live in the walls and shit.” Dinah states like it’s obvious, as she props her legs up on Lauren’s coffee table.

“Have you ever actually see a ghost in the walls?” Normani asks as she takes a seat next to Dinah on the couch, she leans a bit closer than is normal and Dinah’s eyes go a bit wider as Normani’s skin makes direct contact with her own and Normani rests her hand a bit high on Dinah’s thigh.

Dinah visibly swallows and takes a minute before answering. Camila rolls her eyes at the obvious sexual tension between the two. “Well I mean, no, but that’s why I said supposed. They should, but they don’t.”

“There was a poltergeist hiding in the walls of this old lady’s house one time.” Ally contributes as she walks in the room with Lauren. The two girls are holding an old projector that Lauren had found out on patrol earlier that morning. Lauren hadn’t known what it was because electronics that weren’t meant to be of some supernatural use were very rare, but Camila knew and with a little improvising, they had managed to find some old films to play, most of which were educational films left at the school.

“No one asked you Ally.” Normani groans, having thought that she had made her point.

Ally sticks out her tongue and turns off the lights in Lauren’s living room. They had moved all of the furnisher, which wasn’t much, away from one of the walls, leaving it completely blank so that they could show their movie on it.

“Anyways,” Dinah starts after she had recovered from Normani’s touch. “The original point was, that you are old as fuck.”

Camila groans, she thought she had successfully avoided that. “Again Dinah, it doesn’t count because I wasn’t living for most of that time. “Really I’m like…..” She counts in her head for a minute before deciding. “18 I think because I think since I passed through the veil I’ve been aging again. I was 17 when I died though.”

“You age in the living world even though you aren’t completely living?” Normani asks curiously. She moves her hand across Dinah’s leg as she reaches for the popcorn on the table. Dinah’s breath hitches and Camila pretends not to notice because she really wishes she hadn’t.

“Well yeah, because time exists in the living world so I age no matter my state of being. I’m not a vampire you know.” She rolls her eyes playfully.

Normani chuckles. “I was just asking.” She defends, leaning back and Dinah sighs in relief when her hand goes with her.

“So how old are you really?” Ally wonders.

“18.” Camila answers, knowing that’s not what Ally was asking. Ally gives her a look and Camila corrects her answer. “Okay so like 116 give or take a few.” She admits.

“Damn.” Normani comments.

Lauren’s eyes go wide. “Wait, it’s been that long? You were behind the Veil for…” She thinks for a second. “98 years?”

Camila nods. “Around that, yeah.”

“Holy fuck. Lauren I didn’t know you were into older girls.” Normani teases.

Dinah smirks. “So you haven’t had sex in 98 years? Jesus Christ.”

Camila’s cheeks go red. “Actually, in 116 years because I’ve never….” She doesn’t finish the sentence, instead rubbing the back of her neck.

“Oh my god, she’s a hundred and sixteen year old virgin.” Normani exclaims. “That has to be a new record or something!”

Camila blushes a deeper red and Lauren scowls at the girls for making Camila feel embarrassed. “Guys shut up.”

Dinah waves Lauren off. “Hear that Lo? You’re gonna be breaking records when you finally get your fingers into-“

Ally’s eyes go wide and she slaps Dinah’s arm. “That is enough Dinah Jane!” She scolds.

“Yeah Dinah! You’re one to talk, it’s obvious you haven’t ever had sex either. I’ve seen Mani practically groping you in your seat since the moment she sat down. At least Camila has more self-control.” Lauren smirks, eyeing the chocolate covered hand that is resting way too far on Dinah’s leg.

Ally notices and groans. “Oh my god!” She gets out her Holy water that she always carries for when she goes to do cleansings and begins sprinkling it across the girls. “Y’all need to be cleansed!” She teases with a loud laugh as Dinah and Normani try and shield themselves from the water dripping over their heads.

Camila hurries to scramble off of the couch, moving across the room and holding her head a bit. Lauren notices and hurries to the girl’s side worriedly. “What’s wrong Camz?” Camila shakes her head a bit and points to the holy water.

Well duh, it is made to keep away ghosts after all and Camila happens to be a ghost. Lauren shakes her head, grabbing the metal flask of holy water from Ally and throwing it in the other direction. “Ally! Camila is a ghost remember! You can’t go pouring holy water around her, it will mess with her head!”

Ally’s eyes go wide in realization and she immediately looks guilty. “Oh my gosh Mila, I’m so sorry I forgot. It’s just you look and act so normal I…I forgot.” She apologizes.

Camila rubs at her head a bit. The Holy water made it hard for her to focus, hence why the Cleansers use it to protect locations and people because it makes it harder for ghosts to possess anyone or haunt a specific place when they can’t concentrate. When she can finally get her head to focus, she forces a small smile. “It’s okay Ally, you didn’t mean to.” She cringes a bit as her head goes fuzzy once again and Lauren frowns next to the girl, not quite sure what to do.

“Can you guys try to wash off the Holy Water?” Lauren asks Normani and Dinah and they instantly agree, hating to see Camila in such a state.

Ally continues to apologize and eventually there isn’t enough Holy Water left to really do anything and Camila can get her thoughts back again. She tells Ally over and over that it’s okay and once they are all washed up, they all take their seats somewhere in the living room to watch their movie. It’s a documentary about the ocean and its wonders, but movies are such a rarity that all of them are entranced by their make shift screen.

Camila finds herself cuddling into Lauren, seeking warmth as her body suddenly goes ice cold. It doesn’t really phase her anymore when her body gets drained of its heat because of how frequently it has been occurring, but it’s still uncomfortable and she still gets chills every time. Lauren sneaks a few worried glances in her direction and places in arm around her shoulder. Dinah moves her legs away from Camila’s body as her toes start to become cold. She can tell everyone around her has noticed, but no one says anything.

When they movie finishes an hour later, she is still just as cold as before and if possible, her skin is paler than usual. Ally hugs her a bit longer before she leaves but it doesn’t really help. When Camila reaches for the door handle her hand goes through the doorknob and she curses as her body fades to black and white, dropping the bowl of popcorn her other hand had been holding.

Her body reappears and the bowl makes a loud, taunting noise as it rolls around on the floor. It’s the only noise in the room. Lauren picks up the bowl, biting at her bottom lip and doing her best not to let Camila catch her concerned expression. Camila tries to turn the doorknob again, breathing in a deep breath to replenish her body with oxygen. It works this time and she holds open the door for Normani, Dinah, and Ally as they leave.

Her body temperature doesn’t return. Not throughout the night as her and Lauren cuddle on their bed. Not when Lauren is forced to wake up in the early hours of the morning and get a few more blankets because cuddling with Camila is just making her cold. Not when they both wake up the next morning and cook breakfast. It happens sometime the next afternoon and Camila feels like she can finally breath again at the feeling.

Lauren doesn’t say it, but the large exhale of relief is enough to let Camila know that the girl was thinking the same thing as Camila was.

She is fading pretty fucking fast and they were both worried that Camila would be ice cold forever.

    _

_

  Camila stays completely silent as she walks the empty streets.

Lauren was out with the rest of the girls working on some poltergeist and a few spooks that had been terrorizing a nearby neighborhood. She had told Camila she would be back before she woke up, but little did Lauren know, Camila never went to sleep. She couldn’t. She could feel herself fading and she could feel herself going fast.

There were some days where she would just wake up, ice cold and so pale that she might as well have walked out of an old black and white movie. The whole day she just felt off. Her heart beat less, she was constantly trying to catch her breath, and sometimes she felt weightless, like her body was the furthest thing from solid and living.

She of course, said nothing to Lauren. She didn’t want the girl to worry. She could tell that Lauren noticed and worried all on her own, but Camila tried her best to play if off like it was much better than it really was.

She was terrified that if she went to bed one night, she would never wake up the next morning. And she was angry, because she was fading so quickly and so soon in comparison to everything she had ever observed. To her knowledge, ghosts didn’t start fading until at least a little bit after a year, and those were the extremely weak ones that didn’t even want to be here in the first place. Camila had hoped that she was strong enough to at least last two years, maybe a bit more before getting to this point of fading, and yet, here she is at a year and a half, standing on death’s door.

It was frustrating and she couldn’t do anything about it…..and yet, she couldn’t help but feel like something was off. Something other than the obvious.

Lately, she had been feeling a sort of pull. Something tugging at her like she was attached to a string and the hand at the other side was drawing her closer. Sometimes she didn’t feel it at all, but lately, it had been a lot more present. She thought about following the pull and allowing her body to see where it ends up, but that would mean leaving Lauren and she didn’t know how much time they had left. Of course, it could also be a trap, like a Magnet trying to summon ghosts to kill and she really didn’t want that.

So yeah, there have been a few things that have just felt off and Camila isn’t sure what it was.

There was one thing she kept coming back to, a few days ago Dinah had been telling the other girls that a spook that she had tracked down had faded in and out when Dinah had tried to light the thing on fire and although it was possible for that ghost to be fading as well, it brought an idea to Camila’s mind.

What if she wasn’t the only one feeling something off?

She had asked the other girl’s if they felt anything, but to them, everything had been normal. She assumed that maybe it was different since none of them are paranormal, so she had asked Ally. The girl wasn’t a ghost, but she had at least some sort of supernatural abilities being a cleanser and all, but to her disappointment, Ally said she hadn’t felt anything either. It’s not like Camila had any ghosts she could ask, so she just assumed it was just her….that is until Dinah had said that.

Maybe other ghosts were feeling it too.

So here she is, sneaking away into the night where she knows there are always ghosts hanging around. She really should have told Lauren what she was doing, just in case she ran into trouble, but she didn’t want the girl to worry. If Camila starting telling the green eyed girl that she had been feeling rather dead lately and wasn’t sleeping because she was afraid she wasn’t going to wake up, the chances that Lauren wouldn’t freak out were extremely low.

So she didn’t tell her. She didn’t tell anyone.

She makes her way to the old high school. She knew from Lauren and from experience that ghosts love to hang out at the schools. Back when Camila was alive, people used to actually attend schools like these almost every day for the majority of the day so it makes sense that ghosts will come back to places that they used to spend so much time in. They must be full of memories.

She walks down the long hallway, her feet gently clicking against the linoleum flooring. She had never been a big fan of school back when she attended. She was always too busy worrying about her mother back at home and whether or not her father was going to be in a good mood or not when she got home or whether or not the long scars running down her back were showing beneath her clothes.

Plus she hated chemistry with a burning passion. Who even likes that?

She looked at all the open lockers as she walked, she managed to smile a bit as she found one full of heart shaped papers covered in faded writing. Love notes. How cute.

She made it to one of the large staircases that led downstairs and followed it, being careful to test the steps before putting her full weight on them. She wasn’t quite sure how the whole being partly dead thing worked with injuries but she didn’t really want to find out either. When she got to the bottom she followed her ghostly instinct, moving across the hard, orange carpet until she reached the history room. Ironic that the old history room served as a sort of hangout among the ghost world.

Ghosts just loved to reminisce on the time of their living. Of course, it’s a bit different when the majority of these ghosts are devils and demons rather than ones like her just here for a quick walk down memory lane. Even so, the room had a few ghosts in it.

She found a nice spot to sit and watched them. She knew they wouldn’t attack if she came near, being a ghost as well, but that didn’t mean that she wanted to go near them either. She would much rather keep her distance. The devils and demons always smelled of death and made terrible noises and expelled horrible waves of negative energy. She hated it. She had enough experience being around them and wasn’t too keen with the idea of doing it some more.

She observed as one of the ghosts began trashing the room and throwing things around. She identified him as a poltergeist. She watched as he ripped the whiteboard from the wall and ripped old papers into shreds. It seemed kind of pointless to her but whatever floats his boat she supposes.

She watched for a few hours and when she was sure that she must be the only one feeling something, suddenly it happened. She felt her body fade and turn ice cold again, she lost all feeling in her body and she struggled to breathe like the wind had gotten knocked from her chest. When she felt her body come back, she looked around seeing the other ghosts doing the exact same thing.

Then she felt that pull again and the other ghosts suddenly began to leave. Camila assumes if she followed the pull she would be walking along with them.

So it wasn’t just her. Well this definitely changes things. She was fading, that much she can’t do anything about, but so was every other ghost. Something bigger was happening, something way bigger than herself.

It was something to do with the Veil, she could feel it.

  -

-

“You remember that large group that we’ve been tracking?” Normani asks Lauren as the four living friends pull on their gear.

They had gotten called into work for some sort of emergency despite the fact that it was barely four in the morning.

Lauren nods, pulling her gloves over her fingers before starting to work on her hair. “You think they are here?”

Normani nods. “I was talking to one of the other groups who are tracking the paranormal activity aka the group as it comes and they said it was going to be any day now. That was two days ago.”

“Well it makes sense. We normally aren’t called in for emergencies.” Dinah wipes some sleep from her eyes and stretches. One of her boots comes untied and she groans.

“It’s supposed to be something really powerful, especially for them to be traveling in groups like they are. That’s not normal.” Ally comments, clicking on her belt that has her equipment; it’s slightly different from the rest of the girls’ seeing as she won’t be doing any hunting. She is there strictly for emergencies and to help any possible civilians who get caught up in the mess.

“Maybe they will be good ones, like Camila.” Lauren tries to think positively rather than getting all nervous.

Dinah snorts. “Yeah right, you heard the girl. The more powerful ones are bad news. What did she call them? Demons?”

Normani nods. “Yeah the normal spooks are devils, the evil ones with a lot of power are the demons and the ones that distinctly harass are the poltergeists.”

“Ohh you been studying Manibear?” Ally teases.

Normani slaps the girl on the shoulder. “It’s good information to have. I like to be correct.”

“What is she called then? Since you know, she is good and all.” Dinah questions.

“I think she is just a ghost. I haven’t really asked about terminology for things that we haven’t really seen and/or don’t kill.” Lauren points out.

“Hmm interesting.” Ally hums. “Have you talked to her about this group? Does she have any ideas as to why they are coming here and why they are traveling in a group?”

Lauren nodded. “I did talk to her about it, although she isn’t quite sure why. She had a few guesses.”

“What is she thinking?” Dinah wonders.

“Well, she says that ghosts hardly ever migrate so the only reason she can think of is if one of our Magnets is calling them there.” Lauren shares as she thinks to the conversation that Camila and she had.

“Why would they do that?” Normani wonders.

Lauren shrugs. “Either for some unknown reason or they are being possessed by a demon of sorts. At least that’s what Camila says. She told me she’s been feeling sort of pulled towards something but unlike most ghosts, she has something to distract her or hold her down.” Lauren blushes a bit as Ally coos at the last part and Dinah makes loud kissing noises.

“You guys are cute.” Ally admits. “Probably the weirdest relationship I’ve ever seen, but cute none the less.”

Lauren shakes her head. “We aren’t together.”

All of the girls look surprised. “You aren’t?” Is chorused around the room.

Lauren shakes her head. “Nope.”

“Well why the hell not?” Dinah exclaims. “It’s obvious you two have feelings for each other.”

“What? No we….I mean…..We don’t have feelings for each other.” Lauren huffs in denial.

Ally snorts. “Oh yeah and there isn’t about three layers of sexual tension between Normani and Dinah either.” She says sarcastically. Dinah shoots Normani a wink and Normani bites her bottom lip slightly suggestively. Ally shakes her head at the pair. “Point proven.” She decides.

Lauren sighs. “Look, I don’t know if Camila has feelings for me or if I have feelings for her. We haven’t ever talked about it and I don’t think that we ever will. She isn’t even fully alive and I don’t know about you, but I haven’t ever heard of a person dating a ghost before.” Lauren points out.

“We hadn’t heard about a good ghost before either but look where we are.” Normani counters and Lauren groans loudly.

“Guys seriously, Camila, she…..she isn’t feeling her best lately and until we figure out how to stop her from fading, there is a slight chance that she might just…disappear. We can’t afford to get all lovey-dovey just for everything to fall apart and both end up with broken hearts.” Lauren raises her voice and crosses her arms over her chest.

Ally gives her a sympathetic look. “I get that Laur, I do, but Camila out of everyone should know never to take anything for granted. You guys have time now and it’s obvious you both are smitten by each other. You should tell her before it’s too late.”

Lauren shakes her head. “No, you guys don’t understand. Normani doesn’t have to worry about Dinah suddenly being nonexistent and Ally you don’t even have a significant other.” She points out, sounding sad and frustrated.

Dinah raises her hands in surrender. “Okay, no need to get heated Laur, It was just a suggestion. I know we don’t really understand and we probably never will and for that I am sorry, but I promise we will try our hardest to help you figure things out.”

Lauren manages a tight smile. “Thank you guys that would mean a lot.”

The girls head out in a quick jog, Normani’s EMF beeps regularly as they get closer and closer to the large area that is currently overflowing with paranormal energy.

The sun has yet to rise, but it isn’t really black in the sky either. It’s like blue grey color, enough that the girls don’t need their headlamps as they run through the mostly abandoned neighborhoods and piles of rubble that used to be office buildings. They slow to a walk when they start to get closer and they all check their equipment to make sure everything is working well. Mani pulls out her matches and counts them, Dinah and Lauren double check their lighters and make sure they have extras in case the gas inside runs out.

“I’m still mad that they didn’t let me use a flamethrower.” Dinah grumbles.

Lauren snorts a bit at the memory. Dinah had spent months trying to convince the trainers to let her have a flame thrower and finally, they allowed her to take one on one of their smaller missions. Turns out not only is the thing heavy as fuck, but it really doesn’t have much control either. On the bright side, she practically incinerated the whole group of spooks within seconds, but on the other, she also caught the building on fire and all of the girls had to evacuate and watch as the building burned to the ground. Luckily it had been abandoned and no one was hurt.

“I don’t think they will ever let you use one again.” Lauren tells the girl.

Dinah huffs. “You burn down a building once and they use all trust in you.”

“I’m glad they won’t let you, it might have been a building the first time, but the second time I’m sure it would have been us.” Normani teases.

Dinah rolls her eyes and Ally, who is now holding her own EMF stops a bit in front of them. “It’s just around the corner of those buildings.” She informs.

Lauren looks to the building. They used to be tall skyscrapers full of offices and conference rooms, but seeing as they don’t use those buildings anymore, most of them have fallen into rubble or have boarded up windows and broken glass. These ones are no different. They block the view of their destination, but even from hear, Lauren can feel a lot of negative energy.

By the looks from her companions’ faces she can tell they feel it too. Dinah shakes out her fingers a bit as if the negativity will fly off of her body. “Man, it makes me feel all dirty and angry and shit.” She comments.

They all nod in agreement.

They reach the corner and as soon as the round the buildings, they are met with what they assume hell would look like. They know that it doesn’t really look like anything though because that’s what Camila told them, but this is what hell is imagined to look like.

A large area has been cleared out and in the center there is a giant ring of fire, sitting in the middle, a middle aged woman with greying hair sits cross-legged, her lips moving as if she is chanting something, although none of the girls are close enough to hear her over the roaring flames. She must be the Magnet that Camila predicted would be here.

Lauren had thought that when summoning ghosts you surrounded yourself in a circle of candles but considering the slight wind and size of the circle, she needed more than just some measly candles, hence the ring of fire. Smoke floating around the air in thick puffs all around the area and now that the sun was starting to rise a bit, they could see the dark cloud in the sky that was being formed.

There were hundreds of spooks surrounding the whole area; demons, devils….Lauren even saw some of the poltergeists floating around breaking the few windows from the buildings that weren’t already broken and scaring the birds that had made nests on the roofs. Never in her life has Lauren seen so many ghosts at one place.

Many of them stood just outside the ring of fire, screaming and moaning loudly, seemingly trying to reach the center where the woman sat and chanted. They sounded like zombies and looked like vampires; pale with bright red eyes that have sunken too far into their skulls. 

“Holy hell.” Normani breathes loudly from Lauren’s left. Lauren can only nod with her mouth slightly open.

Dinah shakes her head. “The largest group we’ve ever taken was maybe a little over a dozen.” Dinah thinks allowed. “How many do you think are here?”

Ally chews her lip nervously. “Uhm, it can’t be more than….150? Right?”

“There’s probably more coming.” Normani assumes.

“Okay so let’s stick with 200.” Dinah decides. “Y’all think I shouldn’t have brought the flame thrower now?” She smirks.

“Shut the fuck up Dinah, now is not the time to be acting like a smartass.” Lauren comments, although it was kinda nice that they could all still joke at a time like this.

Dinah shrugs. “Well between the four of us, we have four gallons of gasoline, six lighters, 400 matches, a few EMF machines, and….what is it that you have Ally?”

Ally looks down at her belt. “Just the usually necessities for cleansing. Mostly a lot of salt and holy water.”

Dinah nods. “Right, and some salt water.”

Normani cringes. “We are gonna need some more fire.”

There is a loud noise and suddenly all of the ghosts are screaming and groaning even more, the poltergeists are throwing around large chunks of concrete and any remaining birds are flying away in panic. The ground starts to shake a bit and all of the ghosts move closer to the fire, desperately trying to get inside the circle. Some get to close and burn themselves, others decide that running through the flames is worth it to get to the center and they disappear beneath the red and yellow flames.

None of the girls have ever seen the ghosts like this, not even the few times they had actually hired a magnet to summon a group of ghosts in order to exterminate. The ghosts had come, but they had merely hovered around the circle of candles before the girls had killed them. These ghosts were trying to break through the barrier!

“What are they doing?” Normani wonders aloud.

No one answers but it dawns on everyone that maybe, this girl isn’t trying to summon the ghosts. Maybe she isn’t even a magnet. Lauren bites her lip, debating on whether or not she should try something. She figures either way they will have to show themselves eventually so she stands up and walks into the open, right where all the ghosts could easily see her.

“Lauren! What the hell are you doing!? Get back here!” She hears yelling behind her, except it’s too late. She is exposed.

The ghosts don’t do anything. They don’t even acknowledge her existence. The focus solely on the chanting woman in the middle of the ring of fire. Some even push past her like she is one of them. The girls behind her gasp and she turns and walks back to them possibly more confused than before. “They are trying to stop the woman from doing….whatever it is that they are doing. They don’t even care about our presence.” Lauren mutters to the girls as she takes a seat on a large chunk of concrete next to her team.

“What the actual fuck is going on.” Dinah groans, joining Lauren on the concrete.

Everyone just shakes their heads because no one has a clue. The ground is still shaking, though it’s not violent, just slightly concerning. A new rumbling joins the noise and the girls look up to see those giant black clouds from the smoke joined by new clouds, real ones, just as thick and black as the first ones. Except these ones are rumbling and shooting volts of electricity at the ground every once and a while and even from here they can see the giant mass of rain that falls from it. It’s heading there way.

“Sometimes I wonder if God is just like, hmm everything is already going to shit, we might as well give them everything at once.” Dinah mumbles.

Normani chuckles a bit and nods. “It’s true. Whenever something bad happens, there is always some massive storm or force of Mother Nature that just has to join in.”

“That is if there even is a god.” Ally adds, they did live in a world where ghosts had literally escaped from hell after all.

Lauren nods along, looking from the cloud to the circle before putting the pieces together. “Shit.” She mutters.

The girls all look to her in concern. “What?” Normani is the first to ask.

“The fire. Last time I checked rain puts out fire.” Lauren stresses.

All of the girls clench their teeth. What would happen if that fire went out? The ghosts would be able to get the woman, but would it be a bad thing? The girl might be the one summoning all of these ghosts here in the first place….but then again, she might not be. What was she trying to accomplish? Why were the ghosts freaking out so much?

“Lo!” A familiar voice calls out from the large crowd of ghosts.

Lauren turns around so fast she practically gives herself whiplash. “C…Camz? What the fuck are you doing here I thought…”

Camila reaches the group, breathing heavily and shaking her head. She doesn’t look very good, her skin is so pale that it almost looks a bit green, her eyes have dark circles surrounding the fading brown and her voice is a bit scratchy. Lauren knows that the girl hasn’t been sleeping much lately, but by the looks of it, Camila has been up all night. “Lo, I’m sorry but please be quiet. This is important.” Lauren, seeing the seriousness in Camila’s voice nods and closes her mouth. “She isn’t summoning them.” Camila states immediately.

“What is she doing then?” Dinah wonders, they all watch the raincloud from the corners of their eyes as it gets closer and closer.

Camila turns to look at what they are staring at and a look of dread washes over her features. “You know how I kinda felt drawn here? It’s not because she is summoning the ghosts, she has been pumping that spot full of supernatural energy.” Camila points to the ring of fire. “For a long time now, but lately there has been so much that it has been drawing in other supernatural beings.”

“So what is she doing though?” Normani discretely tells Camila to get to the point.

“I don’t know how, but…I think…I think she is closing the veil.” Camila chews on her lip.

Everyone’s jaws drop as the stare at the ghost. “What? How do you know that?” Lauren is the first to break the silence….well as silent as it can get with the ground shaking and the sky roaring and hundreds of screaming ghosts in the background.

“Lately I’ve been feeling way more dead than alive and I assumed it just because I was starting to fade but then I remembering how Dinah was telling me about that spook she was fighting the other day that sort of flickered in and out similar to the way I did. It’s possible we are both fading at the same time, but one night when you guys were cleansing some house or other, I went down to one of the high school basements. There are always ghosts down there and I watched them. Same thing.”

Lauren looks concerned and slightly hurt about this information. “You went out without telling me?”

Camila shoots Lauren an apologetic smile. “I didn’t want you to worry, not until I had enough evidence to support my theory. I’m sorry.” Lauren frowns but nods and allows Camila to continue her story. “So anyways then I started to be drawn to this area and I never went because I thought it was just someone trying to summer ghosts so that they could kill them or something. But this morning the pull was stronger and I realized, it might have been pulling me here, but this isn’t what’s pulling me.”

Everyone gives her a confused look. “What’s pulling you then?”

“The Veil. The Veil is pulling back.” Camila furrowed her brows as the storm gets closer. “Then I thought about it. I stick with my theory of fading ghosts, I’ve seen it happen. I can feel it happening, but it shouldn’t be happening to me so soon. I’ve only been here for a year and a half and even the weakest ghosts can manage to stay here for at least a year. I would like to think I’m slightly stronger than that. I should be able to manage at least two years right?” She kinda starts talking to herself and Lauren grabs her hand to focus her back on the subject.

“Camz.” She urges.

Camila swallows. “Sorry. So I allowed myself to come here this morning, just a bit after you guys were called into work. She isn’t summoning them, I can feel it. Those ghosts can feel it. The Veil can feel it. She is closing the Veil.” She finishes.

The girls all shake their head in disbelief. They had been waiting there entire lives to figure out how to close the Veil and now this mysterious woman does it all by herself. “So you mean, this ghost thing, it might all be over?” Ally asks. She more than anyone else dreams of finally having a normal life. As normal as her life can get that is.

Camila nods. “That’s the problem. You see that ring of fire?” She points in its direction. They all nods.

“That’s the only thing keeping the ghosts from getting her and stopping this whole thing. Without that circle they will kill her.” Camila then points to the storm that is nearly above them. “And that storm is going to…”

Put out the fire. She doesn’t need to finish, they all put the pieces together.

“So what you are saying is we need to stop them from getting to her when that fire goes out?” Normani assumes.

Camila nods. “We need to make sure she succeeds. The ghosts, they don’t belong here. They have killed so many innocent people and caused so much mayhem. You guys don’t know any different but your grandparents? Myself? We know different because we lived here before and this is not how life is supposed to be. We have to close the Veil, she has to close the Veil.”

“Okay so we help the girl open the Veil. Who the hell is she?” Dinah asks.

“I’ve only heard rumors from behind the Veil. There isn’t anything proving that it was real, but all of the claims point that it is-“

“Just get on with it.” Normani urges, watching as the cloud movies closer.

“Right. There was a rumor of how the Veil opened. A family of Necromancers.” Camila starts. When she sees confused looks she explains. “A Necromancer is someone who practices bringing people back from the dead. It’s like witchcraft but specifically on the border between life and death. So the story is that this family, generation after generation, has this ability. They are the Necromancers. One of them passed away a few years before the Veil was opened and somehow she used her magic to keep her powers even through death. She learned how to communicate with her family even from beyond the Veil. She used to always do these weird spell things, her witchcraft. She was doing on the day that the Veil opened.”

“So the ghosts, they think she opened it?” Lauren asks softly.

Camila nods. “Supposedly, if you have someone from each side, one in the living and one behind the Veil, each doing the spell, you can open it. I always thought it was a rumor and that the Veil just shifted like I told you but the more I thought about it, I’m sure that’s what she is doing.”

“So someone is on the other side of the Veil doing this too?” Ally questions.

Camila nods. “I think so.”

“So she is the Necromancer? Did she open it too?” Dinah points at the chanting woman.

“She looks too young to have opened it, but I assume maybe the generation before her and now she is left to close it. Or try to close it I guess.” Camila nods her head.

“Jesus Christ, everything just got a thousand times more complicated.” Normani growls.

“Listen, I know it’s weird but that cloud is about two minutes from dousing out her entire fire and she still has a while to go before she is done so we have to hurry.” Camila breathes out nervously.

They all nod, trying to pull themselves together. “How do we know when she is done?” Dinah asks.

“Feel the ground shaking?” Camila asks although she knows they all can. They nod anyways. “It’s going to get worse, and when she is done, the ground is going to open up and suck up every ghost that’s currently living on earth.”

The whole group goes quiet. “Oh.” Dinah mutters. “Just that.” It’s sort of sarcastic but no one laughs. No one laughs because she had said every single ghost on earth and well, Camila herself was a ghost.

Lauren’s lip wobbles a bit and everyone’s faces go solemn. Camila shakes her head. “Not now. Now we have to help the Necromancer.”

They all nod, because they know it’s true, but they have all grown to love Camila and knowing that if they succeed it will mean her demise makes them slightly less willing to do so, but they have to. They have to close the Veil.

  -

-

The ground shakes so hard that Lauren is having difficultly staying on her feet. Camila falls next to her, thick clumps of wet hair hang in front of her face as she looks up at Lauren. The rain is pouring over them, ghosts everywhere trying to get past them to the Necromancer behind them. Ally stands a few feet away, right next to the chanting woman, pouring her salt water all over the girl as a means of protection. It makes it harder for the ghosts to possess her. Thunder rumbles and the ground makes a loud booming noise again, Ally falls onto her butt.

There is so much going on, and yet in that moment it feels like it’s just Camila and Lauren. Camila and her hands and knees, soaking wet, looking so sadly into Lauren’s eyes. Lauren stands above her, wet hair sticking to her face and next, her gasoline bottle in one hand and drenched lighter in the other, water drips over her eyes and Ghosts run all around her, but she keeps the eye contact.

“The gasoline!” Camila yells and somehow her voice carries to Lauren’s ears, despite all the rumbling, banging, and screaming going on around her.

Lauren looks at her can confusedly and then back at Camila. Camila points at the ground, covered with a few layers of water and then Lauren gets what she means. The water will put out the fire, but if the water is full of gasoline, it will burn. Camila wants her to light everything in flames. Because of the amount of water and then ratio to gasoline, it will only burn in one bright flash before it will be over powered, but that’s all they will need to take out as many ghosts as they can. One big wave of flames.

It’s obvious that it is the only way that they will be able to last the last few minutes of this girl’s chanting. They are immensely overpowered right now by ghosts and in a few more seconds, they will have the Necromancer and she will be dead and the Veil will stay open possibly forever.

Lauren nods, pulling the cap from her bottle and allowing the liquid to spill into the large mass of puddles. She looks up, knowing exactly what this means and she doesn’t want to do it.

Camila gives her a soft teary smile as if to say. If you don’t do it now, I’ll only be sucked into the earth a few minutes later. Lauren knows she has to do this, but looking into Camila’s brown eyes, she isn’t sure if she can. Camila sighs deeply. “Lauren do it!” She yells.

Lauren shakes her head, pressing her thumb against the small switch on the lighter. She can’t, but she knows she has to.

She gives Camila one last glance and she swears that Camila’s tears are streaming down her face along with the rain. Camila smiles sadly. She reaches a hand to Lauren’s face as she stands. She brushes some dark strands of her away from her cheeks with a loving smile and then she kisses Lauren, soft and passionately. She pours every feeling she has for Lauren into the kiss, she hopes it is enough. “Remember about the last thing that I see before I die. I got my wish Lo ,I love you.” She murmurs as she pulls away.

Lauren doesn’t have time to say it back because then she is being pushed away and she stumbles in the opposite direction from Camila and Camila has the lighter pressed between her fingers. Camila moves the flame to the ground and everything goes bright red and orange.

Lauren is forced to close her eyes as a wave of heat washes over everything. She can feel the hair and her arms, legs, and back singe off but she couldn’t care less about that right now. All she can hear is Camila’s voice in her head and her lips pressed against her own.

The ground erupts in flames that spread along the whole mass of ghosts, they light up one by one, disappearing in angry screams and loud bangs. Then the fire is gone, overpowered by the pouring rain. There are still a few ghosts left, around twenty or so, but it’s nothing compared to the two hundred from earlier.

Camila isn’t one of them.

She checks for Ally and she finds the girl pulling her head out from behind her hands, the Necromancer perfectly fine next to her. Ally has a few small burns on her arms just like Lauren, but she is fine. She turns to find Dinah and Normani, spotting Normani covered in the small burns, but standing up and lighting up on of the few remaining ghosts like they hadn’t just almost been blown up. Dinah isn’t too far away. She is pushing her mop of wet hair from her face and pulling herself up from the ground. She looks tired and burnt and Lauren thinks one of her eyebrows is gone, but she is alive.

She doesn’t see Camila anywhere.

The ground shakes more causing all four of the girls to fall once more and this time there is a loud ripping noise and Lauren feels the ground opening beneath her feet. She rolls away as far as she can as any remaining ghost begins screaming as they are dragged be some invisible force into the deep hole. Ghosts start appearing out of nowhere, dropping into the hole with terrible, ear piercing screams.

It continues for nearly an hour until everything goes silent. It’s still raining, Lauren can feel it, but the thunder has stopped and the ground is no longer shaking. The ghosts are no more and a few feet away the Necromancer lays unconscious. Or dead. Lauren really can’t tell.

She pulls herself shakily to her feet. The five of them are the only people in the whole vicinity and yet the name rips from her lips anyways. “Camila!” She yells.

She knows she won’t get an answer.

Camila is gone. 

A/N: You can read on my Wattpad @DinahFantasy where i may or may not be posting a part two. Thanks for the read!