#riley glacier

[dragonnarrative-writes]

Part 4 - Consequences (To Meeting Kyle For Coffee)

Let's keep this party going.

Slasher Handler Masterlist

NSFW under the cut.

CW: Under-negotiated kink, impact play (spanking with hand), use of gag, fear play, afab reader, feminine terms used for reader, brief manual penetration

The ride back to your apartment is silent. Eerily silent, because Simon is making so much noise. You can hear him breathing, deep and even. His fingers tap idly on the steering wheel and gearshift. The radio plays something jazzy, a singer who’s voice he likes crooning about being in love. He hums a couple of bars.

“How much trouble am I in?” you whisper, halfway home.

“That depends, luv,” he says. “Why’d you schedule to meet him this morning?”

You bite your lip, consider the consequences of lying. Decide to tell the truth. “You tell me you go to the gym on Tuesdays, but you don’t. You follow me to the park.”

Simon makes an amused sound. “Do I?”

“You make the dogs nervous,” you tell him. “And sometimes the squirrels run up from behind me on the path, if they’re not in a tree already. So… I thought I’d ask to meet him. I thought he wouldn’t say anything if you were right there. And,” you admit. “I thought you’d try to keep me from meeting him, if I told you.”

“So you did it, knowing it was against the rules,” Simon says, serene like a glacier.

“It’s not against the rules,” you point out, crossing your arms over your chest. “You said I have to keep my routine. Tuesdays are my mornings out of the apartment. You said not to do anything reckless, so I met an old friend at a coffee shop. You said not to do anything without your knowledge, and you have been going through my phone and reading my messages since before your last lesson. You knew, Simon Riley, and I haven’t done anything against the rules.”

By the end, your voice is high and frantic and there are tears welling up. You hate it. Hate that he loves your eyes full of tears, so you turn to face out of the window. You’re so tired. Staring down the inevitability of the push-pull of trying to keep control, knowing that the rules don’t really matter if he doesn’t want to play by them, you barely restrain a sob.

“Aw,” Simon drawls, and you can see his smirk in your mind’s eye. “What are those tears? Haven’t even punished you yet.”

When you do make it to the apartment, you’re slow to get out of the car. You dally before entering the building. You hesitate at the bottom of the stairs. You watch Simon watch you think about running. You shouldn’t run, you know, but you turn halfway, look back at the improbable escape route, each time. He tilts his head and gives a rough equivalent of an indulgent coo. You want to punch him in his smug face. You take the first stair.

Simon matches your slow pace, two steps behind and hugging the wall. Even if you didn’t know you were walking to your (hopefully) metaphorical death, it would be a deeply disturbing experience. When you’re not facing him, you almost can’t hear him. The stairs barely creak under his weight. Every now and then, you think you can feel him touch your back, your sleeve. You refuse to play that game with him. The refusal doesn’t make it feel less dangerous.

You stop at your door. Simon gives you a solid nudge toward his.

You’ve only ever been in his apartment once before. Four weeks ago. After the ski-lodge-turned-blood-bath.

Just like the first time, you’re surprised and disturbed by how normal it is. A mirror flip of your unit, the kitchen and living room are bland off white and beige. Simon shuffles you over to the big, brown couch, hand firm between your shoulder blades when your feet don’t want to move.

“Sit,” he says. So you sit. You hate how nice the cushions are. He stares down at you, head cocked, eyes cold, before stalking away into his bedroom.

The last time you were here, shaking and crying, he’d put a cuff around your ankle. You’d been chained to the foot of his bed, an anchor point under the couch, or, bafflingly, his own leg. The cuffs had been thick leather, with a very soft lining. You only tried to escape once.

It had been a miserable week.

When Simon emerges again, shutting the door firmly behind him, you think you recognize the brown leather strips in his hand. But when he holds it out for you to inspect, you feel the color drain from your face. One of them is a collar, with a shining silver tag. The other is a ball gag.

“I’m not wearing those,” you say, automatically, then cringe.

“I think you will,” Simon answers, “because if you don’t, your punishment will be doubled.”

You clench your jaw before looking up into his eyes. “That’s not fair. I didn’t break the rules.”

He chuckles, smooths a thumb over your cheek. “Stop being so cute.”

That makes you pause and narrow your eyes at him. You try again. “I don’t want to wear the gag.”

“Your apartment isn’t soundproofed, luv,” he points out, like he’s open to bargaining and being reasonable. “So unless you want to play here, in the guest room with Brandon…”

You try to snatch the collar and gag from his hand, but he catches your wrist, unnaturally quick. You glare up at him, anxiety roiling the coffee in your stomach. He caresses your face again. His hand is so warm, and his eyes are a frozen lake.

“Up,” he orders, forcing you to stand with an iron grip on your jaw. Instead of putting the collar on, he hustles you back out into the hall, then to your own door. Arches an eyebrow and says, “Well? Let us in?” like he doesn’t have a copy of the key, hasn’t been keeping you from opening your own door every day for the last month.

When you enter, he takes his time to shrug off his coat and boots. Lets you do the same. He tells you to drink some water, so you do. Dawdle by getting him a glass before following him to where he’s sat on your couch. He’s laid the collar on the arm of the sofa and is running his fingers over the gag when you approach.

“I’m going to spank you,” he says, matter of fact, without looking at you. “For drinking something offered to you by a man who knows how easy it is to poison a person.”

“It was fresh!”

“That silly, stupid little barista would have done anything Garrick asked,” Simon counters, drawing you into his lap. “Because Kyle is just that kind of man. And if you ended up in the hospital, he’d have unfettered access to you. And then you and I would have to be in a hospital again. Seems a bit soon to be repeating dates, don’t it?”

“I knew what I was doing,” you protest, but you don’t fight when he tilts your head to kiss the corner of your mouth.

“I know, you did, luv,” he agrees. “And I know Garrick - you’re not his type. But you still drank the coffee. And you still did something you knew I wouldn’t like. Spirit, not the letter, and all that. So I’m going to spank you. Then I’ll give you a reward.”

Your eyes snap to his. “R-reward?”

“Oh, I’ve got your attention now,” he chuckles. “Asked for advice for your man, didn’t you. No silly little articles about better blowjobs for you. Went to ask a killer about a killer, to help me find a hobby. Precious.”

You flush hot, all the way to your toes. “If he stopped, then you can.”

“He hasn’t stopped,” Simon says.

“He’s…” You frown. “He said he doesn’t do that anymore. He took up gardening.”

Simon wraps a hand around your throat, dead eyes boring into yours with a smile. “Not everyone likes going all the way to a ski lodge in the middle of nowhere, luvie. I wouldn’t’ve if you weren’t so damn sweet. Garrick works at a hospital because hobbies are so much easier in your backyard.”

He gives you a few quiet moments to think back, play Kyle’s words back in your mind. If you’re honest with yourself, it’s not a surprise. You’d hoped, and you heard what you wanted to hear.

“Open your mouth,” Simon instructs, when he’s done waiting.

“How will I safeword?” At his unimpressed stare, you double down.

“I’m not playing without a safeword. It’s bad for both of us.”

“You are the most stubborn, odd, little duck,” he says, and kisses the corner of your mouth again.

“I want to feel safe,” you insist, without pushing him away. You remember how his pupils had practically swallowed his irises once, before everything went wrong, when you told him he makes you feel safe. After a moment of thought, you add on, “Safer. Safe-ish.”

He arches an eyebrow. “You think you’re clever.”

You arch an eyebrow right back. “Pretty sure that’s why I’m getting punished.”

That gets him. Simon barks a laugh, and some of the tension leaves both of you. “Snap your fingers twice and I’ll check in with you.”

You snap your fingers twice. “And then you’ll stop?”

“If you’ve learned your lesson,” Simon answers cryptically, bringing the gag to your lips.

Simon being cryptic means you’re back on familiar ground, so you open your mouth. He dips his thumb in to press down on your tongue, unexpectedly, and doesn’t let you flinch away. When he leans in to lick into your mouth, you let him, even open your mouth a slight bit wider. He rumbles his approval, kisses at your upper lip like that, until your spit is dripping down his wrist. Then his thumb is gone and replaced by solid rubber that sits behind your teeth.

He makes quick work of buckling it in place, careful not to pull your hair or secure it too tight. His care is familiar, in an odd terrible way. Back when he was just your weird neighbor, he’d been very careful to never hurt you. In his apartment, he’d never hurt you except for very intentionally. Once, the third week after the ski-lodge, you’d cut yourself with some cardboard packaging and he’d been so gentle and meticulous in cleaning and bandaging you up. He’d choked you on his cock, later that night, the whole time holding your hand up and away to keep it from getting dirty.

Now, he holds up the collar for you to see the tag. It’s a heart. Now that you can see it properly, it’s not really a dog tag, more of a simple pendant. You’re looking at the back, where it’s simply stamped with his phone number. He flips it to show you the stone inlaid on the front, a pretty green. Then he wordlessly secures the soft leather around your neck.

When he’s done, he just breathes against the side of your face. His hands knead at your skin, one where your neck meets your shoulders, the other on your inner thigh. You feel where he’s hard against your hip. You shiver.

“Sweet, precious, clever thing,” he whispers, moving one hand to wrap entirely around your throat. “See the good in everyone. My kind-hearted girl.”

And then you’re up in the air, flipped, and over his lap so fast you get dizzy with it. Your heart rate rockets, and you try to get your legs under you. He’s there, of course, elbow between your shoulder blades and one hand yanking your pants and underwear down to mid thigh. You kick, uselessly, startled when he runs a hand over the sensitive place where your ass meets your thighs.

He starts without preamble, hand cracking down hard, but not as hard as you know he could. Tears instantly jump to your eyes, and you clamp your teeth down on the gag around a quiet groan. His answering groan is loud, appreciative. And then he hits you again, and again, and again.

Around the twelfth hit, you realize that he never told you how many he was going to give you. Your ass is on fire, tears and drool and snot streaming down your face. His hand is unrelenting. Worse, there’s no pattern, so the strikes are unpredictable. And you have no idea how long you’re going to be here.

You’re suddenly seized by a thought: Will he actually stop if you snap your fingers?

The first hiccuping sob shakes your body, and just like that, you lose control. You can’t stop sobbing, and he gathers you somehow closer into his body. He’s hard against your ribs. The hand not spanking you grips bruises into your opposite hip. He growls something you can’t hear over your own moans and sniffles, and then his hand is no longer spanking but rubbing. His fingers find where you’re slick, rub down and forward to find the bump of your clit.

You buck in his hands with a startled cry, and he slaps at you, gentle but startling. He hikes your hips up, and it’s awkward. You’re balanced in his arms, braced on his left leg and one foot when he pushes a finger into you. He bites, too hard, at your ass, and you squeal, thrash.

And then he’s taking his finger out, lowering you back down to his lap with gentle strokes up and down your spine. You get your breathing under control enough to hear him shushing you, praising you. You try to gulp air, eventually figure out how to regulate your breathing around the gag.

“Pretty girl,” Simon eventually coos. “See, didn’t need to tap out. Not that kind of lesson today.” When you whimper, he turns you and gets you settled on your back on the couch. He crouches down between the couch and the coffee table to wipe your eyes and nose with a couple of tissues. He leaves your mouth messy.

With a kiss to the apple of your cheek, he says, “I think you’ve learned your lesson.”

You nod with a whimper. You’re not 100% sure what lesson you’ve learned. But you’ve learned it.

“Good girl,” he praises. “Then lets get you ready for your reward.”

[expominds]

simon ‘ghost’ riley x gn!reader

mdni 18+!, cw: angst, a hair mention of ptsd, simon’s trauma. hurt but comfort

<3 please like and reblog and as always, enjoy 💕

i think… the song ‘patience’ by take that suits simon almost to a t.

he’s gone through so much in his life, from losing his family, roach, to the months of his torturing. he has so much pain and suffering and turmoil going on inside of his mind. his body is scarred, his mind is destroyed.

‘i’m feeling your frustration.’

you are frustrated with him. months spent trying to break his shell, to get him to open up to you and not much has changed. but he senses this. your pain, your frustration, your discouragement. it’s not easy for a man who’s been through so much to open up so easily, but he’s trying, you’ve just got to believe him. to have patience.

working simon open is like working a coconut open. peeling the husk on a coconut closely resembles that of you peeling the painful memories away from him, one by one. that thick, hard outer layer that takes forever to crack, to even get a glimpse of what is going on inside that head of his. it’s almost like you can see it, what he’s been through. the ptsd, the navel-gazing constantly going on. but once you crack it, you’re in.

the memories come spilling out of his mouth like a symphony, allowing himself to yield to finally being able to come to terms with all that he had been through. i mean sure, he had trauma dumped in the past, but nothing to the extent of what was spewing out of his mouth like it was right now. a dam had broken, a glacier had cracked, you sat there for hours comforting him while he cried, punched, angered, and cried some more. you took it because this is what you had been working for.

all simon needed was patience and good god did it feel freeing to let you hold him, your body entangled in his as you lie there in the aftershocks of the commotion. he had found his salvation, and for that he was forever grateful. his scars ran so deep that it would be forever emblazoned on his soul, a reminder of what and who he once was, but wasn’t anymore. his once numb, cold heart, still numb, but not quite as much as before. slowly defrosting and warming up again, your souls intertwining forever.

[tyitri]

Since I'm a slow updater/writer due to me writing in german and translating it into english afterwards, then "Proofreading" and finding some time to even sit down and get some story-planning/writing done, I'll give y'all a list of what I'm currently writing and what I plan to write. Sorry in advance!

Entangled Heart - Simon "Ghost" Riley/reader - ongoing/writing - Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

Beneath the Glacier - Arthur Morgan/reader - Story Planning (Needs a whole lot of Research)

In the Face of the Scorching Sun - Lobo(DC)/reader - Holding onto that/Planning done.

Mortal Waters - Simon "Ghost" Riley/AncientWaterGod!reader - ongoing/writing

Entangled Heart has the uppermost priority, so don't you worry!

I'm open to any Ideas, preferably AU's but keep in mind, they might take a while, especially when I have to make some research.

[saphira5]

Simon "Ghost" Riley x Civilian Reader

The harsh cold winds blow y/n long curly black hair behind y/n.

Y/n stands in open hanger, looking out into the snowy covered landscape, y/n body is blooded and bruised. Y/n shoulder is slowly bleeding out from a knife in it. Y/n looks left and right, y/n can't see a thing because of the harsh winds and snow. Y/n could see the snow piling up, "I need to move".

Y/n had to puncture y/n jacket to fit the knife, y/n knew you shouldn't take out the knife because y/n would bleed out. Y/n begins walking through the snow, the winds hitting y/n face. Y/n couldn't feel the cold anymore. Y/n walks and walks, y/n couldn't see anything or hear anything. Then y/n slips, you land on y/n butt, you look to see what made y/n fall.

Y/n sees frozen water, y/n stands up and keeps on walking.

Suddenly the harsh winds stopped, the snow fell very lightly. Y/n looks straight out into the distance, y/n only sees frozen water and small and large glaziers sticking out from the frozen water. "It must be a lake, or the ocean".

Y/n begins running on the ice, y/n chest hurts from the harsh cold air in y/n lungs. Y/n eyes, ear, nose and mouth are hurting from the cold. Y/n then sees something out in the distance. A black object moving towards y/n. You stop and lays down flat, behind a small glacier, y/n tries to be inconspicuous. The wind then begins to pick up a bit, the wind carries a single voice your way.

"This is Bravo Six, go head", "a British accent!" y/n hears them getting closer and closer. Y/n then hears something in the distance, y/n turns to look left.

Y/n sees a tank heading y/n way, you stand up.

Y/n looks forward and y/n sees a group of soldiers. They all have shocked expressions on their faces, y/n then begins running toward the tank. "Y/N", "how does he know my name", you keep running to the tank. A loud bang then goes off, y/n stops and looks at the tank. Y/n then hears a loud crack, y/n turns and sees a big hole in the ice. Y/n sees the soldiers crouching behind the ice glacier y/n was laying behind.

They have their weapons pointed at the tank; y/n then sees the ice beginning to split. Y/n turns and looks at the tank, y/n makes a fist, then y/n punches the ice. The ice then begins breaking into pieces quickly. Y/n looks up and sees the tank fall into the frizzing water.

Y/n then turns and looks at the soldiers, "from the UK".

They all stand up, y/n takes a step back, you are carful with falling into the frozen water below. "Y/n, its ok", y/n looks at a man with a black balaclava and a skull mask.

"How do you now my name", he takes off the balaclava. Y/n eyes go wide then y/n runs to him and hug him tight. "SIMON", he hugs y/n tight, he puts his head in between y/n neck and shoulder. You both stay like that for a while until y/n hears a cough.

Y/n then feels something under the ice, y/n pushes Simon.

He falls on his butt a couple of feet away from you. He looks at y/n with shock, y/n looks down then at Simon y/n smiles at him. Then y/n goes through the ice, y/n stay there for a bit. Letting the water chill y/n bones, y/n embraces the coldness and then y/n is out like a light. You wake up gasping for air, y/n looks around. Y/n looks the left hoping for Simon, but he isn't there.

Y/n stands ups and walks to the living room, y/n moves the curtain aside, y/n opens the glass sliding door. Y/n steps out into the cool air, y/n stands on the baloney looking out to the ocean. The sky starting to brighten with each passing minute.

Y/n begins thinking about the things that had happen since y/n kidnapping.

"Simon and the 141 had found out about y/n past, a HYDRA super soldier. Hydra had kidnapped y/n, you escaped and meet Simon and his team. When we all return home y/n was arrested by Kate Laswell, y/n was interrogated and tortured. They kept asking "why are you here in the Uk", "what is you mission". "Who is your handler". Y/n remained silent for the entire year y/n was there in that room. One day the captain of the 141 walks in, he pulls up a chair and seats in front of y/n. You were strapped to a chair, with a mask on y/n face. He looks at y/n and you look at him. He has a neutral expression on his face, but y/n can see he was hurting. "You were a soldier for the UK. "Queen Elizabethe Dog", they called you, y/n was never an enemy to the UK are any other country across the globe. Only HYDRA". He looks at y/n for answers, but y/n remain silent. He then stands up and release the straps holding y/n down. Y/n stands up quickly and y/n takes the mask off. Y/n then walks to the door but before y/n disappears you say. "Take care of Simon", y/n then walks out and y/n heads to Scottland where y/n old friend home is. He had passed away a couple of years ago, he wanted y/n to take care of his home".

Y/n wished Simon was here but the way he treated y/n after he found out what y/n was. It had hurt y/n so much, y/n wished you could go back in time and tell him the truth. But Simon didn't tell y/n about him being a soldier or about his family. Y/n found out from HYDRA, but y/n understood, you would wait for however long for him to open up to y/n. You had hoped he would do the same, but he didn't.

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

2024 - Leo Award Nominations & Winners (Hallmark Nominees/Winners)

Completely forgot about the Leo Awards this year, but here's a list of Hallmark movies that got some nominations. I've only listed the Hallmark nominees/winners.

Best Television Movie Round and Round (Winner) 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost A World Record Christmas Curious Caterer: Grilling Season Mystery on Mistletoe Lane

Best Direction Television Movie Game of Love - Jason Bourque (Winner) Heaven Down Here - Anne Wheeler Round and Round - Stacey N. Harding Sealed with a List - Lucie Guest

Best Cinematography Television Movie 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost - Tyler Walzak Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New - William McKnight Game of Love - Justin Sebastian Holiday Road - Nelson Talbot, Graham Talbot

Best Picture Editing Television Movie Round and Round - Chino Saavedra (Winner) 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost - James Ilecic Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Something New - Jason Irvine Holiday Road - Gordon Rempel Sealed with a List - Jason Pielak

Best Musical Score Television Movie Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder in G Major - Jeff Tymoschuk (Winner) Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers - Hal Beckett Holiday Hotline - Jeff Tymoschuk

Best Production Design Television Movie Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers - Trevor Belcourt (Winner) 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost - James Robbins Sealed with a List - Heather Coutts

Best Costume Design Television Movie Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers - Kristi Kinghorn, Sarah Runnalls (Winner) Mystery on Mistletoe Lane - Jaralin Detienne Sealed with a List - Katrina McCarthy

Best Make-Up Television Movie Sealed with a List - Jen Hall

Hairstyling Television Movie 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost - Mary Renvall, Becky Petkau Curious Caterer: Melissa Neilson Game of Love - Angelique Lee Coulombe

Best Casting Television Movie Holiday Road - Errin Lally, Annalese Tilling Mystery on Mistletoe Lane - Annalese Tilling, Errin Lally

Best Supporting Performance Television Movie Riley Davis - Curious Caterer: Fatal Vows Nathan Witte - Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers Princess Davis - Holiday Road Amélie Will Wolf - Love in Glacier National: A NAtional Park Romance

Best Lead Performance Television Movie Katie Findlay - Sealed with a List (Winner) Nadia Hatta - A Winning Team Ali Liebert - Friends and Family Christmas Sara Canning - Holiday Road Pascale Lamothe-Kipnes - Never Been Chris'd Evan Roderick - Sealed with a List

[lovers-spit-left-on-repeat]

nonbeliever; ellie williams.

chapter two - waiting hours.

series masterlist

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

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

art = @sunsbleeding

summary: A name is scratched from the list.

general warnings/notes: language, violence, brief gore, cursing, death, weapons (guns, knives, axe), familial issues, mentions of religion/implied religious trauma, implied suicidal thoughts.

word count: 6.4k

Isolation was nothing foreign to Amaya. She felt its breeze throughout childhood, recognized its kiss when the Abel curse sang true, and saw it in the mirror every waking moment. In the grey walls of the FEDRA military academy, Riley and a then 9-year-old Amaya had shared a room, but the youngest Abel was certain her older sister slept in someone else’s every night. She just didn’t know it was Ellie William’s, whose roommate was thrown into the “hole” and never came back. Fuck her, Amaya would repeat in a mantra once the clock passed 10 o’clock, too late for there to be a chance for Riley to shuffle through their door. It’s her choice. However shitty.

When the sun rose, she would get up with her alarm, haze through her day like a ghost, and only come alive once the clock’s arms skidded past 4. She called the window of time the Waiting Hours, where Amaya would bask in the silence of her solitude on her rickety bed and stare at the doorway in expectance. Riley only came through it twice.

The first time was the day following their arrival. After eight hours of school and training like the girl hadn’t become Death itself barely a week prior, Amaya was glacierized upon her bed. She pressed herself further and further into the metal frame but felt no pain, no sting of cold from the chilled brass. She waited and watched and when her eyes grew heavy, Amaya dug her nails into her palms until the blood pooling in the divots was enough to keep her up. It wasn’t until after dark when Riley arrived.

Her head hung low, she shuffled in. Whether it was in shame or grief, Amaya didn’t know. Riley grimaced as she dropped her hunched body onto her bed, still unmade from the night before. She turned away from her younger sister, features drowned in the shadows of the dim room.

“Riley?” Amaya whispered, her voice not yet vacant of childish wonder. Her sister stayed firmly in the shadows for a couple of seconds, then finally turned, allowing the flickering desk lamp to unveil her true nature. A bruise, purple and swelling, burrowed itself over Riley’s watering left eye. It, unlike the shadows that she left behind, was all-consuming, like all that made her face up was that violent, aggressive black eye. Amaya was silent. Even as Riley turned back around and fell onto her pillow. Even as the hour reached that of ungodliness. Even as her sister left with the sun’s call.

She didn’t know why she offered nothing, but this wasn’t her sister. This was not the girl she grew up with, hiccuping laughter and rebellious grins accompanying every sentence. This was a stranger who just happened to be violently familiar. Riley didn’t come back the next night, or the hundreds that followed, and the guilt was sharp against her veins. So Amaya learned some first aid. She took out nearly a hundred books on all types of burns, bruises, and breaks at the academy library, hoping that maybe next time Riley returned with a black eye, Amaya’s skills would be enough to convince her sister to stay.

The second time Riley came back was a little over two years later, in the peak of the morning’s glow. There was no black eye this time, but trembling hands and bleeding knuckles. Riley, now almost fourteen, was starting to look more and more like their mother; thin braids wrapped back by green fabric, full cheeks, and freckles kissing the bridge of her nose. She stood in the doorway like she didn’t belong there, then shuffled passed where a dumbfounded Amaya sat at her cluttered desk. Riley fell onto the nearest bed, which was exactly how she left it; unmade, cold, empty. She looked at her sister, and Amaya understood.

Ignoring the sting of angry tears and ringing of unsaid chastising that ricochetted in her head, Amaya pulled the bandages and stolen gauze from the readied box under her bed and ripped a piece from her already frayed bed sheet. Slow and careful, like Riley was some rabid beast ready to lunge, Amaya stepped towards her sister and kneeled at her feet. Hands still shaking and dripping onto the wooden panels, Riley faced them toward the ceiling, displaying two crooked fingers that quaked with very shuttering breath. The work was done quickly, and not without tears or groans. When she was finished, Amaya forced Riley to lay back on the bed and tucked the covers up to her shoulders like their father used to do.

In the morning, she was gone again.

In the morning, Amaya first felt the paralysis. In its first wave, she was alone, but not without the ghost of her sister staring back at her.

In the morning, once the chill of stillness has thawed, Amaya moved to sit at her desk again, where she kept a small mirror. A face, ever-patchy and dull, the grey twinge of stress creeping along her hairline despite her young age, stared back at her. Like Riley, this girl wasn’t the one she grew up with. Or maybe she had always been there, festering beneath the surface. Either way, she never vanished, even three years later when there was no hope that Riley might come home.

To be alone is to be unburdened, her mother used to say, ever a poet. But Amaya had never felt a burden greater than this isolation and was becoming so familiar that she might as well start calling it a sister. And now, trekking across a highway of overgrowth and decay, surrounded by three more strangers, she wished for nothing more than to be alone.

Her axe heaving with the weight of longing for its original owner, Amaya swore her bones grew heavier with every step. Maybe it was because of the head wound or how she hadn’t slept since Boston, but this fatigue was past physical; whatever life she had left in her was slowly dissipating, seeping from her veins and pouring from her fingertips. So slow, that it felt like it would take a million years to finally deplete. Amaya wondered what crimes she might have committed in past lifetimes that would warrant such a punishment, but quickly remembered the atrocities of this one. With the hundredth huff of the afternoon, Amaya slogged on.

“Has the bleeding stopped?” Amaya resisted the urge to look at the sienna eyes that unabashedly stared her down. Ellie, who was about as well-rested as the taller girl had ever seen her, hadn’t strayed from her side since leaving their temporary camp on the outskirts of the city. She was there when they’d seen how the sun’s magnificence bounced from the glass panels turning eroding skyscrapers into statues of divinity. She was there when Tess made them stop to reapply the bandage haloed around Amaya’s head (as she bit down on a piece of cloth to muffle the groans, Amaya wondered if the tears were from the pain of her wound of the sheer ferocity of the fire in Ellie’s stare). She was there now, even as Amaya tried to lose her between Joel and Tess.

“I’m fine,” was all Amaya could push out. In some odd way, she was relieved that Ellie was close. Tess and Joel could handle the four of them fine, but deep underneath the cloth of time and memory, Amaya wanted to be near in case of danger. For the promise.

Protect Ellie.

Amaya tried to speed up for the millionth time, but her lack of energy and the fact that Ellie seemed determined to stay barely an arm’s length away drowned her efforts away. As Ellie glanced over for the umpteenth time, she wondered how skeletal she might look now as the sun seemed to make everything glow but her. Lost in her thoughts, she missed Ellie calling to Tess and Joel for a short break and was thankful when they all found a place to sit.

Pulling herself up on the closest abandoned car hood, Ellie leaned against the one opposite to her.

“You should’ve slept,” she chastised as metal creaked beneath her weight.

“Would you rather have been completely vulnerable and have a bullet in your skull right now?”

As Ellie dreamed as peacefully as she could on a patch of grass hours prior, Amaya stayed awake on her armchair just out of reach of the sunlight pouring from the opening in the ceiling. Half to prevent a ghost from staring her down when she woke up, half because she knew now what Joel and Tess were capable of; after Amaya was lucid enough to question where the FEDRA guard went, Ellie filled her in. She pictured her and Ellie’s bodies buried somewhere, the adults finally worn tired of their antics, then realized that Joel and Tess probably wouldn’t even have to decency to give them a proper burial.

After slapping on the small watch Marlene packed in her bag, she counted down the hours until daybreak, watching Ellie’s chest rise and fall as the wisps of hair that escaped her ponytail flowed over her face in waves when the wind chose tranquility.

Ellie grimaced. “They wouldn’t do that.”

“We don’t know that. We don’t know them. If they wanted to get rid of us, it’d be an easy fight.”

Ellie hummed in dissent, a grin beginning to creep its way up her cherubic face. “You did some damage with that rock last night.”

Amaya turned her face toward the sun to hide a grin of her own. “Only ‘cause I’ve been running on adrenaline and canned beans for the last few weeks.

A silence settled over them and a voice reminded her that she was not allowed peace. Her legacy was not one of stillness and quiet.

“Come on,” Tess called as Joel glowered behind her. “We’re losing light.”

It was barely afternoon yet, but Amaya was thankful for the excuse to ignore the prying of the ghosts that made her up.

“Where the fuck are they already?” Ellie asked from a few feet ahead of Amaya. They had been walking for three hours now, and it was like the sun was glaring especially bright just to make her headache worse. From where she stood in their line, Joel taking up the back and Tess the front, she peered out towards the wreckage of Boston. However colorless and broken down, the view was calming. The beauty in chaos, as Maria would have called it.

“You’ll know it when they’re close,” Tess called back.

“I didn’t know last time,” Ellie mumbled. But Amaya did. She had known, looked it straight in its yellow, veiny eye. How could she miss the beast when its claws, fangs, and evil were born from her blood?

“How did you get bit?” Tess inquired. If Amaya’s stomach hadn’t dropped before, it was plummeting now. A chill settling over her shoulders, she slid past the pair and claimed a spot at the front of their procession.

Her anonymity, her erasure from this narrative was the one thing Ellie could grant if she chose to. Maybe even one thing she might deserve in the eyes of whoever claimed holiness in a world of iniquitousness. Amaya’s eyes fell to her feet as her nerves rattled.

“You know the old mall in the QZ?” Ellie began, and Amaya’s nerves rattled.

“The one that’s sealed off and boarded up, and no one’s supposed to go in…ever? That the right one?”

“Whatever,” Ellie sighed. “I snuck in, wanted to see what it was like. Didn’t think there was gonna be anything in there, and then one just came at me outta nowhere. Thought I got away, but…”

“So it was just you in there, alone?”

“Yeah,” she said and Amaya unclenched her calloused hands, pretending not to notice specks of blood in the crescent-shaped creases. But Ellie’s gaze rested on her, and that’s how she knew she was fucked. Amaya could feel it; blistering and sharp enough to cut all the blood from her body. But the odd thing about it was when it came to comparing the sun’s glare and hers, only one could raise the dead within her.

Tess said nothing more, and the older woman might not have connected the dots fully, but there was a knowing glint in her bruised eyes when Amaya briefly pivoted to look back at the rest of the group. So much for secrets.

The quartet eventually reached Tess and Joel’s choice lookout spot; 20 stories of mold infestations and mildew. The hotel, complete with a makeshift pond in the lobby and a new biohazard on each floor, was probably a hot spot for all types of disease and infection. As they moved up ten flights of groaning stairs, Amaya had to refrain from raising her shirt over her nose.

“Fuck,” Tess heaved as they reached the landing and Joel cleared the hallway.

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Ellie teased as she looked back at Amaya, smirking at her struggle up the last step.

“You try climbing ten fuckin’ floors with our knees, see how you feel.”

Water dripped from the ceiling and sunlight shone through fogged windows. Amaya leaned against the door frame and panted, her mind shot back to the Fireflies’ base in the city. However unwelcoming, she was starting to miss it. The group rounded the corner into a dimly lit hall to find their path blocked by a caved-in ceiling.

“Well, when the fuck did that happen?” Tess grumbled as Joel began to poke around the rubble with the mouth of his gun. Once they discovered that both doors that paralleled the group were jammed shut, Tess proposed that she climb through a small gap in the rubble and snake her way to the other side, but Ellie objected.

“Well, I’m the smallest so it’d be easier for me to get through,” she reasoned.

Tess tilted her head and Ellie sighed, knowing her answer before she even opened her lips. “You die and we get nothing. You stay.”

“What about me?” Amaya proposed, voice hoarse from the lack of talking. “I’m only a little bit taller than Ellie and the Fireflies don’t need me, anyway.

“What about that Maria woman?”

Amaya looked down at her palms, still stained with the red tint of guilt. Did she have something waiting beyond this? A sister, a family, a life? Since finding out about the possibility that Maria managed to survive the past 5 years, she’d been trying to stop the pessimistic thoughts, but just because there was hope, didn’t mean there wasn’t sorrow to come. Amaya kept thinking about her ‘paradise in hell’ and wondered if it was just doublespeak for an unforgiving afterlife.

“No point in searching for someone who’s probably dead,” she abridged.

Tess considered her with concern for a moment before shoving her pack into the younger girl’s hands. “You both stay,” she commanded and began her ascent.

Ellie looked at her with worry in her eyes. Despite the flutter of her ashed heart, Amaya did nothing but shrug and lean against the wall as Joel boosted Tess up. A few awkwardly silent moments passed and Ellie moved to sit by Amaya’s feet like she had back in the QZ. Steadily growing more bored each second her sullen companions remained silent, she started flipping her switchblade in the air.

“Nice knife” Joel grumbled out. Ellie paused, looked at him, then continued her act. “Where’d you learn to do that?”

“The circus.”

Joel and Amaya gave an exasperated sigh in sync, causing Ellie to roll her eyes.

“Where are you from?” she asked, less in kindness and more in obligation. Joel began to grumble a response, but Amaya's attention, ever vigilant, was captured by something other than small talk and sienna eyes.

Her axe glinted as shards of gold sliced through the rumble, creating ribbons of rippling fire across the walls like back in her childhood room. When she allowed a brief glance at Ellie’s eyes, no difference existed between them and the glow. The beginnings of a smile twinged at the sides of Amaya's lips but quickly vanished when she realized Joel was watching her.

“Where’d you get it?” He wondered, probably the kindest words he’d ever said to her. Amaya watched him for a second, looking for any pinch of ingenuity in his stare. She found nothing.

“Off some dead guy,” she feigned nonchalantness.

“Yeah,” Ellie continued, “after she killed him.”

Joel raised a brow in suspicion as Amaya, lips thinned, looked at the girl incredulously.

“What?” Ellie whispered, but not quiet enough for Joel to miss. “I’m trying to make you look tough!”

Amaya rolled her eyes and stalked off down the hall, losing her battle against a grin as Ellie continued to describe to Joel all the ways her accomplice could kill a man. She wandered into a guest room, which was just as pristine as the lobby. Dragging her fingers across the ledge of a rusted mirror, Amaya wondered what it might’ve been like here on outbreak day, what the panic of being away from home might’ve felt like. Cold and heavy and ardent, she supposed. Not exactly unfamiliar.

She settled herself on what was left of the mattress, carefully dodging the suspicious stains by the foot of the bed, and let the tension flow from her muscles. To be alone was to be unburdened, she remembered, even when this room screamed death and decay. The open window flowed nature’s breath against the torn fabric of the curtain, and on the dresser, a small piece of paper quivered. Deciding to entertain her curiosity, Amaya leaned across the bed and picked it up. For the second time in two days, she would soon wish she hadn’t let eagerness win.

On the backside of the yellowing polaroid four words were scrawled— “Super Sammy - 2019”. The handwriting looked like that of someone her age; messily looped and barely legible. Amaya flipped the picture over to reveal a young boy who couldn’t be older than 10. His brown skin was of the same shade as hers and one of his front teeth was missing. Despite the holes in his shirt, he smiled up at the camera like sunshine itself. Over his eyes, colored in with red marker, was a mask like Amaya had seen on superheroes in the few children’s books she had back in New Jersey. If it weren’t for the grey, eroding setting behind the boy, the picture could’ve been from a time when all someone had to worry about was taxes. Amaya didn’t think she’d ever seen anyone so happy.

“Amaya?” Ellie’s voice rang out from down the hall and she was throttled back into her reality; mildew, mold, and monstrosities. She shoved the picture into her back pocket where it rested against The List and hurried back to the group.

Once Tess unjammed the door separating her from the rest of the group, she led them past the wreckage and to a plastic-shrouded balcony. As soon as she slipped by the plastic which Tess held back, her sinuses were overwhelmed with the smell of rot from the enveloping plants as a lofty buzzing filled the air. Ellie eagerly rushed to the ledge and leaned so far forward, Amaya was tempted to pull her back by the sleeve of her jacket. The older girl looked back to Tess and Joel, who stood looking out on the city with solemn expressions.

“What?” She questioned and tightened her hold on her axe. Tess shook her head and walked up beside her.

“You see that?” The woman pointed to the patch of yellowing grass between two crumbling rows of houses. Confused, Amaya squinted, before realizing her mistake in recognition. It wasn’t a patch of grass. The strange buzzing wasn’t the wind and the smell of rot wasn’t from the encompassing nature. A herd of infected, maybe a hundred of them, lay on the concrete in close quarters like they were one unit. Some slithered, some were motionless. But all of them hissed with a hunger that ran for generations. If Riley were with them. she would’ve joked that it was just another Abel family reunion.

“I thought that was just more overgrowth…” Amaya mumbled and stepped away from the ledge.

“The last time we were here they were still deep inside the buildings.”

“And how long ago was that?” Ellie wondered. The sun passed over the herd and they squirmed, screeches echoing louder like they were being burned alive.

“…Three weeks.”

Ellie hummed in response and joined Amaya on leveled ground. “So we’re not going that way, huh?”

“No,” Tess sighed.

“What do we do then?” Ellie's eyes widened as she remembered their other option. “The short way?”

“Museum.”

Squashed between ivy-covered rubble, the building didn’t exactly look welcoming. Windows punched in and the door ajar, patches and vines of cordyceps snaked over its brick face. Amaya eyed it suspiciously and backed the group like merely peering up at the clusters would send her into a murderous frenzy.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” Ellie frowned.

“There’s a way across from the top floor.”

Joel stepped passed Amaya and punched the butt of his gun into the nearest cluster of fungi, which cracked and caved in, releasing a puff of dust. Amaya took another five steps back. The last time she was this close to the fungus, there was blood on her hands when the sun rose.

“It’s bone dry,” Joel stood. “It could mean they’re all finally dead in there.”

He and Tess bent down and swung their packs down to the knees, pulling out flashlights. Amaya did the same.

“Marlene pack you one of these or just sandwiches?”

Kneeling on the ground, Amaya sifted through her bag, packing and unpacking, until she realized that there was no flashlight. She groaned and slumped against her legs.

“You can have mine,” Ellie reached her torch out to the frustrated girl. “Nothing’s gonna happen to me even if I can’t see them coming.”

Tess peered back at her. “You’re not immune from being ripped apart. You understand?”

A silence settled over the group and Ellie pressed her chapped lips together. Distantly, Amaya could still hear the infected’s hissing. She raised herself from the vine-covered ground and readied her axe. They proceeded through the door.

Littered with dust and a few bodies of infected, their heads caved and limbs webbed together like some fucked-up version of an embrace, Ellie and Amaya stayed close to each other. They stalked through the first hall, eyes sharp, and only saw a single body. Amaya quickly concluded that he had been shot outside of the museum and simply crawled inside, seeking a quiet place to die. Until she saw the claw marks and Tess’s words ricocheted around her head. With a push of her arm, she forced Ellie in front of her as Amaya kept an eye on the darkness slowly swallowing the hall behind her.

Silent as instructed, they climbed the stairs. As they creaked, the ceiling gave an aching groan, dust loosening like snow above the group. Like the herd back in the open, a cluster of infected bunched together on the second landing. Yellowing tendrils stretched from their empty eye sockets and mouths. Luckily they had fused with the rest of the rubble and no hissing could be heard besides that of Amaya’s pulse, but Joel’s shoulders remained squared.

A crunch echoed and everyone froze. Looking down, she saw Ellie’s converse-clad foot over the hollow hand of one of the beasts. The ceiling groaned again, but not with age—-with the presence of something ancient and wicked. Quicker this time, Joel crept up the remaining stairs and hurried to creak the door open, but as soon as he was passed the doorway, the ceiling gave a final lurch. Within two seconds, dust, beams, and concrete hailed down as Ellie and Tess flung themselves passed the doorframe. Amaya, who had been peering down the steps, had no time to react. If she had moved barely a foot, the wooden beam that swung tauntingly would’ve pierced right through her.

Amaya could faintly hear Ellie’s muffle voice yelling her name, but all she could process was her heavy breathing. “Fuck,” she panted and started to claw at the ruin, only giving up when her palms started to tear. “Fuck!”

Then, a screech. Sharp and pitched like a bird’s call, bloody and desperate like a starving animal. All was still. There was no shuffling on the other side of the ruin. Ellie didn’t dare yell for her and Amaya didn’t dare breathe. As the breath caught in her throat, she turned her head to look through the settling dust and down the stairs.

When the clicking started, Amaya ran.

She could hear the beast barrelling up the stairs and knew to not look back until she reached the dead end of the hallway. Swerving left and right, she prayed for a place to take shelter, and for the first time in her life, her wish was granted. Amaya barrelled through the narrow doorway to her left and practically fused herself with the wall. The room was doorless and nearly pitch black. On the other side of the wall where Joel, Tess, and Ellie might be, more screeching rasped. But they had guns and flashlights. They weren’t alone. All Amaya had was an axe she didn’t know how to wield and ghosts, who she soon would join.

The beast was up the staircase now and barely even ten feet away. It clicked and rasped as it stalked down the hall. Amaya clamped her mouth shut and it was just like the day before at the QZ, but this time, Ellie’s warmth couldn’t be felt. Amaya was alone. She was going to die alone.

Right next to her ear, the beast clicked and beckoned her toward fate. It should have been you. It should have been you.

Amaya supposed Riley’s voice could only mean that death was creeping closer and anger began to brew in her stomach. This wasn’t fucking fair. Not even 24 hours after she was told that Maria might still be alive, she was inches away from her own demise. It didn’t matter that she, regardless of Riley and Marlene’s claims, was likely rotting somewhere—a mirror of beast beside her.

She could let it happen as she would have let Marlene kill her back at the QZ. Maybe fate would spare her and make it quick. Or maybe it would take its time as it had with her sister, her mother, her father. It clicked again like it was trying to tell her something in morse code. Amaya remembered then the stolen book still in her bag, waiting to be read. She remembered how Riley has wanted to learn when they were young but gave up after a day. She remembered the picture of Super Sammy in her pocket. Would he give up this easily? No. Super Sammy was a believer in hope, not fate. A saint amongst sinners. He would not cower like she was.

Fate was like a father to her; absent when she needed it, glaring and unabashed when she wanted to be left alone. And she wasn’t going to let it win this time.

Whipping herself around the corner as she should’ve done when Joel and Tess first intruded at the Firefly base, Amaya stuck it in the neck. Not enough to kill it, but enough to send it reeling back into the wall. She stuck her foot into its stomach and yanked the axe from its neck, sending blood squirting into her face. Amaya had almost forgotten that she was 14 and inexperienced.

The clicking beast screamed with more terror and grabbed her by her shoulders, pushing her to the floor, and pinned her arms above her head. Amaya screamed for Joel, for Tess, for Ellie, but no one would come. She was alone. She was going to die alone.

Amaya was fed up. Of being left behind, of only knowing anger and sadness as friends. She was fed up with fate and faith, with chance and luck. This wasn’t fucking fair. So she did what she did best—-swung until she saw red.

Reaching to her left where her axe had fallen, she plowed it into its shoulder, into its chest, back into its neck. When it fell motionless, she didn’t stop. She kneeled over it, screaming and swinging, never taking her eyes off its face. Hair patched around the remnants of its scalp and it still had a single eye intact. Brown, like Ellie’s. Like Maria’s. Like Riley’s.

When she was finished, she took her damn time to try and find a way to the other side of the rubble. Eventually, she stumbled upon a jammed door, and on the other side, gunshots echoed against screaming—-Ellie’s screaming. Amaya slammed her body against the door until it gave way, revealing an infected toppled over her and Joel as they struggled. Amaya slammed her axe down again and this time it landed in the dead center of its skull.

Panting, she didn’t care to retrieve her weapon. She looked down at Joel and Ellie, who only stared back.

“What the fuck was that?” She asked. No response was given. Ellie was still staring. Not at her, Amaya quickly realized, but at the blood that patterned itself across her brown skin. She could taste it on her lips, feel it drip from a spot on her cheek. Weapon, killer, monster. **

You killed them, May.

Amaya quickly turned away from them and wiped her face with the sleeve of her jacket. Behind her, the beast began to screech again and drag itself, impaled head and all, towards her. Tess, who had just rounded the corner with a gun of her own, delivered the final shot.

Amaya stared at her victim in silence. Once everyone was breathing normally, Joel asked “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Amaya glowered. “Thanks for fucking leaving me by the way.”

Her eyes flew from person to person but came to rest on Ellie. Amaya’s ears burned as she blinked rapidly. She knew that the pile of rock and wood between them would have withstood anything Ellie might’ve thrown at it, but still. Amaya would have tried. If not for the stupid promise, then for her own sake.

Ellie looked like she wanted to say something, but Tess stilled and pointed to her wrist.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ellie rolled up her shirt sleeve to reveal another bite mark and Amaya had to resist going off on her. Riley was barely even bitten and it took four hours for her to be gone. Ellie had now been bitten twice, and nothing would happen. She wouldn’t start to twitch as Riley did. She wouldn’t lose control of her mind, her body… this wasn’t fucking fair.

“Let’s get the fuck outta here.”

On the roof of her almost grave, Amaya stared out at Boston again, growing further and further away from what rooted her there. With her red-tinted gaze, it was getting harder to see all that beauty Maria would talk about.

Joel and Tess sat by the windowsill and splinted Tess’s sprained ankle, but the pair kept looking at Amaya across the makeshift bridge. Maybe in anticipation for Ellie’s sanity to crumble, maybe in shame for abandoning Amaya. Probably not the latter. i

She tried to put as much space between her and Ellie, but it was like she magnetically attracted tragedies; she could feel Ellie’s gaze and didn’t have to think twice about who was cautiously coming up behind her.

“I’m sorry,” was all she said. No explanation and, Amaya was trying to convince herself, no remorse. The state house glowed almost as maliciously as her thoughts.

Without considering Ellie’s presence any longer, Amaya spun to Joel and Tess. “We should keep moving. The sun’s starting to go down.”

The place was fucking deserted. First, it was the odd silence, then the empty truck, then the blood on the steps. And lastly, the bodies. Ridden with gunshot wounds and in pools of their own barely settled blood, their stares were black. Upon seeing the corpses, Amaya rushed to inspect each one, looking for familiar locs of black hair.

“Shit,” she kept whispering as she sailed to the next body. The last one was a man, barely over twenty with dark hair on his shoulders. His eyes had gone grey and angry veins crawled up the side of his face. Amaya released her lungs from the clutches of fear when she saw nothing familiar.

“One of them was bit,” she called to the rest of the group. Tess was frantically searching through the dead Fireflies’ supplies and quickly turned on the girls.

“Where did Marlene say she was taking you?” She demanded.

“Just west,” Amaya mumbled cautiously.

“Just west. Fuck. Okay.” She ran a hand through her greying hair. “And what about that Maria woman? Where’s she supposed to be?”

“I…I don’t know. The only people who did are dead now.”

Grateful that her sister wasn’t amongst them, she hadn’t had the chance to consider what this meant for her. Maria wasn’t there. There was no one alive able to tell her where she was last. She no longer had any point of direction.

“One of them has got to have a map on them, right?” Tess continued panicking. “Joel, can you help me?”

“It’s over, Tess. It’s over. We’re going home.”

“That’s not my fucking home!”

Amaya’s fingers wrapped tight around the hilt of her axe as she distanced herself in front of Ellie, who had slowly sailed to her side. Joel’s silence was unlike the quiet that was constantly settled over his shoulders; he watched Tess, who kept backing away, with his lips parted, but he could not speak, paralyzed with something Amaya knew well—-otherness.

Tess raised her chin and stood. “I’m staying. I mean…our luck had to run out sooner or later.”

“Fuck.” Ellie whispered. “She’s infected.”

“Show me,” was all Joel could work past his lips. Tess pulled down the collar of her red button-up and showcased the beginnings of decay. Veiny and angry, the red tendrils were already creeping up her neck.

“Take your bandage off,” the marred woman commanded. Ellie, eyes heavy with memory, sighed and did as she was told. Just as Amaya dreaded, her bite was just that—a bite. No redness, no vines of malice.

“Joel, this is real,” Tess continued. She held her arm up against Ellie’s and pulled her forward in display like a circus animal. When her arm started to shake, she flopped it to her side. “Joel, she’s fucking real…I need you to get her to Bill and Frank’s.”

“No.”

“They’ll take her off your hands. They’ll know what to do.”

Unsure of her place in this discussion, Amaya mumbled, “My sister—”

“I’m sorry, Amaya, but you’re sister is probably fucking dead. You said it yourself. Go with them. Stay with Ellie, protect Ellie.”

Amaya shut her mouth in a snap. She’d almost forgotten. As Joel shook his head like a screw was loose in his neck and Tess repeated ‘they’ll know what to do’ like she was trying to convince herself. Amaya was back in the mall.

Staring at the marbled title, Amaya thought of her victims. Two she forbade herself from thinking about for more than a few seconds, one who she killed barely an hour ago. Was the person-turned-beast from the museum once a parent? A child? A sibling? Had she been staring at some fucked-up version of foreshadowing the whole time? And was Tess not the same now? Was Riley not the same?

Amaya was no stranger to guilt, and she knew Ellie wasn’t either. Why her and why not those who deserved preservation? The reason Riley had been in the mall in the first place was to make her happy. Not as deep down as she’d like rested a red-hot resentment of the girl, but also a sense of comradery, a connection born of tragedy. Their lifelines connected the moment Amaya decided to step foot in that goddamned mall and it would remain intertwined for the rest of their lives. She shouldn’t blame someone that was practically a mirror of herself. But now, as Tess’s eyes began to water, Amaya felt a deep sorrow for the girl.

She only came alive when a bullet sliced through the skull of the awakened Firefly by Ellie’s feet. They were all still for a second as the feeling of foreboding settled in the air. Something was happening. Something was awakening. Not too far in the distance, the hissing began again. Joel hurried to the door, poked his head out, and returned with his stony eyes set on one thing—Ellie.

Amaya raised her axe past her waist and assumed her position in front of the girl. Her head pivoted between Tess and Joel. If she hadn’t been scared of them before, she was now. Tess wouldn’t be able to buffer Joel’s rage and apathy this time.

“How many?” Tess asked in an eerily calm tone.

“All of them. We got maybe a minute.”

Tess began knocking open the barrels the Fireflies left behind until the circle of them created a sour-smelling brown river over the floor, pooling in the divots of the marble. As she dropped a crate of grenades over the substance and pulled a rusty lighter from her pants pocket, Amaya realized her plan. She was making sure they wouldn’t follow.

Tess closed in on an emotionless Joel and whispered to him. He stared at the woman for the few seconds he allowed himself, then turned on his heel and grabbed ahold of Ellie. Amaya moved to protest, raising her axe above her shoulders, but a quivering hand rested itself on her shoulder.

She felt like the biggest fucking hypocrite. Five minutes ago, she had been storming about them abandoning her back in the museum despite knowing there was nothing they could have done. Now, staring into the eyes of a woman cursed, she was doing unto them as they did unto her. But this was Tess’s choice. If her death had to come, it would be by her own hands.

Ashamed, Amaya looked down to see the glass of her watch glimmering. 5:32, it read. Just on time. It was the Waiting Hours, but it was her turn to leave. With one last glance, Amaya hurried away.

Without her knowing the name was even on it, Tess was scratched from the list.

previous chapter

next chapter

series masterlist

[jackofhearts-odb]

Alfred got hired on as a ranger recruit today and donned the grey poncho. He got shown the ropes by Senior Rangers Tibbit and Deuce, and got to meet Peter Rockwell, Saffron Riley, Dr Elsie Fletcher, Ranger Recruit Raven, and a whole bunch of other people. He's been attacked by wolves twice and a cougar once, delivered glacier water from the gruzzlies to Valentine, gotten first aid certified, and gotten a blood test to determine his donor status all in one shift. He went all over the Crossing, learned some new areas, and managed to not crash his horse even once

[waiting-on-a-dream]

Penny for your thoughts?

Here's my thoughts on Roland, Hayden, and Riley! @linawritesocs

Ehehe, if you don't mind, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Aurora, Xue Mei, and your least favourite oc of mine. (Feel free to send me some other ocs of yours for me to talk about too!) Hearing others' thoughts about my ocs are just so fun! I hope they're fun for you too.

Roland Thorn

First of all, I'm living for his design. I love his hair, the rose eyepatch, the frilly shirt. 😌👌Very pretty boy.

The bit about Roland abusing his UM in order to keep his girlfriend from being able to socialize with anyone was kinda horrifying actually. Imagine being invisible to everyone all of a sudden, and knowing that you're own boyfriend is doing this to you on purpose. (Mm, nice take on a yandere!)

But he doesn't mope around or anything once he's transferred over to RSA. He feels guilty over what he's done, and he tries to be a good person despite most of the people there not trusting him. It shows that he's learned from his mistake, it shows maturity.

And the part where he starts a gardening club, just like his ex-girlfriend wanted to, where he grows new life but still keeps memories of the past in mind symbolizes that nicely.

Hayden Dahl

Reading his inner monolog was quite shocking actually, I didn't expect him to be so anxious, but it makes sense the more I think about it. Its nice to be able to be in his head for a while too, to know that he isn't as calculating and manipulative as he seems to be.

His family background really did mess him up, but he should be held responsible for what he's done to hurt other people. Manipulating the whole school and forcing them to worship him, then being openly mean to everyone except Merrill and Riley even after his overblot really does show you what kind of person he's become. Despite that, I do hope that he can find the help he needs, escape from his family's clutches, and heal after everything in the future.

Riley Glacier

His whole bat aesthetic is top tier. 👌👌👌It doesn't seem like he knows why he carries a bat around either?? He just finds it cool. :) I love him so much pls-

I just read his backstory and I think its so interesting how other people seemed to be affected by his moods? Maybe his UM manifested early and constantly. I'd love to see Riley repressing his emotions because he doesn't want people to react to them explored more/deeper. (No pressure! Just curious.)

He might have accidentally hurt some people by rejecting their feelings, and pissed off Allen more than a few times, but he's innocent okay? He's never done anything wrong in his life ever and I stand by that. /lh

Fr tho I don't know how to deal with emotionless people irl. I would probably just avoid him-

[linawritesocs]

my ocs as vocaloid songs! (part 2)

remember how i made a post like that when i had only four sons? SO NOW I'M BACK WITH MORE.

also you can really see which vocaloid producers are my favorite..

roland thorn:

appetite of a people-pleaser by ghost and pals (i've mentioned this a lot of times, but roland will seriously do anything to make people like him and accept him)

you're seriously mad? i'm not mistaken here by utata-p (haha, we all remember his backstory, don't we? <3 this song fits allen a lot too! tbh it actually fits allen more but. i couldn't find a different song for him, so i chose this one)

fake!jay polley:

entomologists by ghost and pals (the aesthetic!! the lyrics!! this is so much like him!!)

nobody makes sense by pinocchio-p (mostly based on vibes, but i'm getting very strong jay vibes here)

real!jay polley:

lost one's weeping by neru (just.. yeah 😔 a reference to his family thinking he's not smart enough and all..)

the real disappearance of hatsune miku by cosmo/bousou-p (yep, i went with this one because of the whole clone thing, even if the song is not about that, AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT THE VIBES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP)

austin valiente:

hate it! hate it! huge ego! by kurage-p (VERY austincore)

magical girl and chocolate by pinocchio-p (first, magical girls, second, i think the lyrics fit him a lot since he's not sure he should get a technology-related job even if it will make his family happy..)

minnie lynley:

childish war by giga and reol (this is just her relationship with her twin dhsdjskkd I'M GONNA MAKE HER TWIN APPEAR SOMEDAY)

world is mine by ryo (strong minnie vibes >:D)

hayden dahl:

copycat by circus-p (i did mention it in that oc ships video. i had to use it)

honey i'm home by ghost and pals (YOU REALLY THOUGHT I WOULDN'T CHOOSE THIS SONG FOR HIM?)

riley glacier:

lagtrain by inabakumori (*holds this song gently* riley vibes. pure riley energy. IMAGINE HIM DOING THE SAME LITTLE DANCE!! IMAGINE THIS MV BUT WITH RILEY!!)

secret by ryuuuu (i feel like this song shows riley's thought process perfectly? so rileycore..)

ashley "angel" leroll:

pseudo-hope syndrome by deco*27 (haha, a reference to most of their relationships being unhealthy </3)

this is the happiness and peace of mind committee by utata-p (THE VIBES!! THE VIBES ARE HERE!! also i think dorm leader!vance would be like that)

blythe "bunny" whitney:

chururira chururira daddadda! by kurage-p (THIS SONG JUST SCREAMS BUNNY TO ME)

quiet room by yoh kamiyama (*sobs* her relationship with angel.. at least how she sees it..)

[cia-clown]

> >1 Guy 5 Shotguns

> >Alissa Jenkins fall video

> >All American Massacre

> >Andreas Bauminis snuff film

> >Angela Wrightson beating video

> >Anton Yelchin surveillance footage

> >Armin Meiwes murder tape

> >Austin Bomber manifesto video

> >Ayrton Senna on-board footage

> >Babushka Lady recording

> >Bever Brothers tapes

> >Blair Witch kidnapping video

> >Blue John Canyon Incident recordings

> >Brady Oestrike tapes

> >Brandon Lee death footage

> >Candace Newmaker audio

> >Cannibal Holocaust piranha scene

> >Carina Saunders murder video

> >Charles Vacca death footage

> >Christine Chubbuck suicide broadcast

> >Coldwater, Kansas “train tapes”

> >Columbine Basement Tapes

> >Cynthia Hoffman murder video

> >Dale Earnhardt crash photos

> >Damaris Reyes Rivas murder video

> >Daniel P Dukes death photographs

> >Darren Drozdov neck injury video

> >David Parker Ray tapes

> >Dawn Brancheau death footage (Seaworld)

> >Dayna Kempson crash video

> >Dean Potter GoPro video

> >Delphi Murders audio

> >Dena Riley/Richard Davis tapes

> >Dick Cavett Show death episode

> >Dreamworld footage

> >Enough Rope (alleged “snuff film” from 1984)

> >Euronymous death photo

> >Fahim Saleh CCTV footage

> >Frazzledrip (existence unconfirmed)

> >Glacier Bro fall video

> >Grant Thompson death footage

> >Green Ball (existence unconfirmed)

> >Greg Plitt death footage

> >Grizzly Man audio

> >Heartbeat In The Brain

> >Iceman “Rat Tapes” (existence unconfirmed)

> >Indigo Raptor suicide livestream

> >Issei Sagawa audio

> >Jamal Khashoggi audio

> >Jchandra Brown “assisted suicide” video

> >Jeffrey Epstein CCTV footage

> >Jenny Jones Show “Same Sex Crushes” episode

> >Joseph Edward Duncan tapes

> >Josh Hanson surveillance footage (full length)

>

>

> >Justin Carter shooting video

> >Kiki Camarena interrogation tapes

> >Kobe Bryant crash photos

> >Kurt Cobain “suicide” photos

> >Lebaron Family execution video

> >Marilyn Manson’s Groupie Film

> >Maury Travis tapes in their entirety

> >Melbourne crash livestream video

> >Midnight Rider train accident footage

> >Midtown Marriott murder tape

> >Mohamed Merah gopro footage

> >Monalisa Perez shooting video

> >Moors Murders tapes

> >Navy Yard Shooting CCTV footage

> >Nocturnal Pulse (existence unconfirmed)

> >Operation Miranda tapes - full length

> >Osama Bin Laden death photographs

> >Owen Hart fall video

> >Parkland Massacre CCTV footage

> >Paul Bernardo/Karla Homolka tapes

> >Peluchin Entertainment videos

> >Philip Chism cell phone video

> >Polk City, Florida church van crash video

> >Randy Stair CCTV footage

> >Rob Harris skysurfing death video

> >Roy Horn tiger attack video

> >Rurik Jutting murder recordings

> >Russell Williams tapes

> >Sacramento, California snuff film ’82

> >Sandy Hook surveillance footage

> >Schlitterbahn death footage

> >Skywayman

> >Snuff R73

> >Stacy Barney surveillance footage

> >Steve Irwin death video

> >Sue Lightning “Final Chatterbate Stream”

> >Swell Season concert suicide video

> >Timothy Wilks fatal prank footage

> >Tiny Tim final performance video

> >Tony Renna crash footage

> >Toolbox Killers audio tapes

> >Tlatelolco Massacre tapes

> >Tucson Shooting CCTV footage

> >TWISTEX tornado footage

> >Unreleased “Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs” videos

> >Useless.avi

> >Virginia Tech Shooter’s manifesto

> >William Francis Buckley torture videos

> >Yellowstone acidic pool death video

> >Zoom Chat stabbing

>

[doubleattitude]

Radix Dance Convention, Las Vegas, NV: RESULTS

High Scores by Age:

Rookie Solo

1st: Mila Renae-’Soldier’

1st: Melina Blitz-’The Poet Creature’

2nd: Aliya Yen-’Loyal, Brave & True’

3rd: Sebastian Mancini-’Guerrerio’

4th: Dylan Reuss-’Lost Boy’

5th: Bella Mendez-’Pump’

6th: Emma Acosta-’Lip Gloss’

7th: Lexi Yeackle-’I Will Wait’

8th: Kaiya Carrillo-’Love Shack’

8th: Rylan Farrales-’Stand In The Light’

9th: Enslee Moore-’Ooh Child’

10th: Olivia Caylor-’Queen Bee’

Mini Solo

1st: Kinley Cunningham-’Glam’

2nd: Fiona Wu-’Red Dust’

3rd: Joy Line-’Broken Dreams’

3rd: Carrigan Paylor-’Orange Colored Sky’

3rd: Karyna Majeroni-’Pistolet’

3rd: Keelyn Jones-’Slowly Fading’

3rd: Fiona Sartain-’The Way You Move’

4th: Starr Castro-’Bang Bang’

4th: Peyton Szuberla-’Glacier’

4th: Addison Price-’We Will Not Give In’

5th: Madelyn Murphy-’Desierto’

5th: Roxie Onellion-’Drifting Down’

6th: Esprit Frank-’Grains’

6th: Claire Gestring-’On The Mast of Faith’

7th: Tiara Sherman-’Cielo’

7th: Jenna Le-’Matters to Me’

7th: Cerys Cogswell-’Pure Imagination’

8th: Jacob Barrow-’Shifting’

8th: Aurora Brady-’Hit The Road Jack’

8th: Cha Cha Shen-’Here I Come’

8th: Alyssa Mastroianni-’Crippled Bird’

8th: Leah Munson-’Copy Cat’

8th: Claire Hansen-’By The Roses’

8th: Peyton Nowacki-’Angels to Fly’

9th: Annabella Atkinson-’The Dutch Girl’

9th: Eden Hawkins-’Shadow’

9th: Olive O’Connell-’Live Like Legends’

9th: Ella King-’Like A River’

9th: Tatum Brady-’Fall Creek’

9th: Oliviana Mancini-’At Peace’

10th: Leighton Brandt-’Legs’

10th: Annie Carlson-’Young’

Junior Solo

1st: Kylie Kaminsky-’The Offering’

2nd: Brooke Toro-’As The Dust Settles’

2nd: Coltrane Vodicka-’Moon River’

2nd: Alita Kneeland-’Spine

2nd: Makaia Roux-’Unbound’

3rd: Alexis Mayer-’Vivid

4th: Emmy Claire Kaiden-’Eyesore’

4th: Naia Parker-’Lit’

5th: Bella Kidder-’Feeling Good’

5th: Hope Edwards-’Gravity’

5th: Lucy Cavender-’Material Girl’

5th: Isabelle Zorrilla-’Orion’

5th: Kira Chan-’Pump’

5th: Kendyl Fay-’To Build A Home’

5th: Aaliyah Dixon-’Toxic’

6th: Mackenzie Kleveno-’Lost It To Trying’

6th: Taytum Ruckle-’Perfect Lie’

6th: Anabel Alexander-’Plans We Made’

7th: Victoria Johnson-’Genius’

7th: Aedyn Bekker-’New York State of Mind’

7th: Brianna Gorksi-’Night Sky’

8th: Kendall Jundt-’Awakening’

8th:Lexi Godwin-’Debut’

8th: Casey Cheung-’I Remember’

8th: Ava Hill-’Shallow’

9th: Izzy Wadington-’Final Solution’

9th: Jovie Leigh Ugerio-’Ring Them Bells’

10th: Madison De Dios-’On My Mind’

10th: Clare Loftus-’Restless Night’

10th: Delaney Bojorquez-’Tessellate’

Teen Solo

1st: Ashur Taylor-’Relax’

2nd: Cydney Heard-’Black Mourning’

2nd: Gianna Mojonnier-’Inside Outside’

2nd: Olivia Magni-’Moonlight Sonata’

2nd: Coco Saul-’Transportin’

3rd: Jadyn Saigusa-’Wonderlust’

3rd: Emily Madden-’Vibeology’

3rd: Calli Perryman-’Still Running’

3rd: Michelle Cheng-’Sinking’

3rd: Georgia Ehrlich-’On My Mind’

3rd: Tyler Chiyuto-’Llarona’

3rd: Blanche Arnold-’How To Be Your Own Person’

3rd: Ava Lynn-’Everything’s Alright’

3rd: Addison Middleton-’Dark Dissonance’

4th: Charlotte Cogan-’You’

4th: Hailey Meyers-’Standing Still’

4th: Isiah Bowens-’Miss You’

4th: Avery Hall-’If I Think’

4th: Luke Barrett-’Eden’

4th: Emma Donnelly-’Departure’

4th: Ava Kendall-’Always On My Mind’

5th: Zuzu Duchon-’Twelfth of Never’

5th: Angelika Edejer-’Toxic Thoughts’

5th: Riley Platenberg-’Talking Points’

5th: Annabelle Mang-’One Small Step’

5th: Sabine Nehls-’No Regrets’

5th: Ella Montano-’Lonely’

5th: Natalie Bowen-’I Think I’m Alone Now’

5th: Cade Clark-’I Can’t Move’

5th: Berlynn Gonzalez-’Hero’

5th: Courtney Chiu-’Fever’

5th: Drew Rosen-’Exhalation’

5th: Rachel Polizzotto-’Entrapment’

5th: Raven Alanes-’Confusion’

5th: Mikaella Lopez-’Blues-y’

5th: Izzy Howard-’Amen’

6th: Sophia Oppegard-’You Can’t Leave’

6th: Elle O’Donnell-’Slowly’

6th: Lily Godwin-’Ode to Divorce’

6th: Aubrie Stoehr-’Now I Cry’

6th: Sofia Mah-’Life’

6th: Mia Ibach-’Koladi Ola’

6th: Piper Rovsek-’Innate Abstraction’

6th: Sakura Amano-’I Love You’

6th: Sophia Albornoz-’Even When It Hurts’

6th: Sammi Chung-’eight’

6th: Ella Sheppard-’Do You’

6th: Ally Cheung-’Cut The World’

6th: Kate Seleno-’Curtain Call’

6th: Kayla Harrison-’Crumbling’

7th: Kennedy Blazek-’Zilla’

7th: Libby Haye-’Work Song’

7th: Katelyn Neasham-’Touch’

7th: Sebastian Hsu-Kwan-’Scat’

7th: Lauren Pond-’Satellite Heart’

7th: Aleyna Laba-’Playdoh’

7th: Linda Diaz-’Paper Moon’

7th: Maya Krajicek-’Idea for Strings’

7th: Kennie Shen-’Feeling Good’

7th: Jenna Tarry-’Down The Line’

7th: Ava Thorp-’Blue Notebook’

7th: Emma Hellenkamp-’Blackbird’

7th: Felix Fulton-’A Dream I Can’t Forget’

8th: Dempsey Foxson-’Vain’

8th: Carys Ashby-’The Empress’

8th: Angelica Keamy-’Research’

8th: Melina Gurich-’Net Works’

8th: Raina Wu-’Looking In’

8th: Alexis Olson-’Just Say That’

8th: Gabi D’Ambra-’In For the Kill’

8th: Piper Camm-’Drones’

8th: Scotlynn Potter-’Cinematic Plea for an End’

8th: Ava Saremaslani-’Canvas’

9th: Maile Cochran-’Tesselate’

9th: Jera Linkins-’Put Your Records On’

9th: Kayla Seitel-’Monster’

9th: Alexis Ahn-’Brighter Days’

9th: Brayden Owens-’Tux’

10th: Addyson Smith-’Ecdysis’

10th: Presslie Novits-’Let Me Entertain You’

10th: Siena Riga-’Naked’

10th: Mandy Boaz-’Pink’

10th: Brooklyn Piano-’Solitary’

10th: Destiny Harris-’Up’

Senior Solo

1st: Alex Shulman-’In System’

1st: Ella Horan-’Silk’

2nd: Jade Bucci-’Sacrifice’

3rd: Alexis Weldner-’Release’

3rd: Jemoni Powe-’Second Thought’

4th: Brianna Sanchez-’Stolen’

4th: Charlotte Foldes-’You Forget Everything’

5th: Izzy Burton-’Gimme’

6th: Mallory McKenna-’I’m Lonely’

6th: Julian Menendez-’Note to Self’

6th: Kennedy Barry-’The Distance Between’

7th: Makaila Teagle-’Breathe Into Me’

7th: Vanessa Valenzuela-’Poem About Death’

7th: Bailey Holt-’Rose Water’

8th: Emmy Cheung-’Nostos’

8th: Alex Andrada-’Still In Love’

9th: Nina Sawaya-’All I Wanted’

9th: Lauren Polizzotto-’Distant Echos’

9th: Reese Willis-’Godspeed’

9th: Hannah Averbuck-’Got2BReal’

9th: Savannah Laughton-’Nostalgia’

10th: Izabel Hurtado-’Film Credits’

10th: Aleialanee Ponce De Leon-’Mirrored Heart’

10th: Megan Chie-’You’

Rookie Duo/Trio

1st: Studio Fusion-’Kansas City’

1st: Danceology-’Time of My Life’

2nd: Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts-’Tomorrow’

3rd: Notion Dance Concepts-’MILK $’

Mini Duo/Trio

1st: Mather Dance Company-’Respect’

2nd: Murrieta Dance Project-’Midnight Train’

3rd: Studio X-’Vogue’

3rd: Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts-’We Are’

Junior Duo/Trio

1st: Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts-’And So It Is’

2nd: Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts-’Inception’

3rd: Danceology-’Celloopa’

3rd: Evoke Dance Movement-’Everything Is In Line’

Teen Duo/Trio

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Make Me High’

2nd: Danceology-’Busy Signal’

3rd: Danceology-’Smile In The Rain’

Senior Duo/Trio

1st: Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts-’Refuse’

2nd: Studio Kin-’The Night We Met’

3rd: Studio Kin-’Never Love Again’

Rookie Group

1st: Danceology-’Ladies Room’

2nd: Mather Dance Company-’Fabulous’

3rd: Danceology-’Kingdom’

Mini Group

1st: Mather Dance Company-’Hot Stuff’

2nd: Danceology-’Happy’

3rd: Evoke Dance Movement-’Searching For...’

Junior Group

1st: Orange County Performing Arts Academy-’Wind It Up’

2nd: Danceology-’Give Yourself In’

2nd: The Rock Center for Dance-’Over The Edge’

3rd: Orange County Performing Arts Academy-’Sing Sing Sing’

Teen Group

1st: Danceology-’Dream of Dreaming’

2nd: The Rock Center for Dance-’Heavenly Bodies’

3rd: West Coast School of the Arts-’All Coming Back’

Senior Group

1st: Mather Dance Company-’We The Soldiers’

2nd: Mather Dance Company-’For All We Know’

3rd: Studio Fusion-’Coconut’

3rd: Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre-’Those That Follow’

Open Group

1st: Community Dance Training-’The Place You Left’

Rookie Line

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Inanna’

2nd: The Rock Center for Dance-’Suite Tea’

3rd: Studio Kin-’SK Crew’

Mini Line

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’6 Out of Six’

2nd: Motion State Studios-’Sisters’

3rd: Danceology-’Time Passing’

Junior Line

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’All Good People’

2nd: Danceology-’Just Got Paid’

3rd: Danceology-’Backbone’

Teen Line

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Cadance’

1st: Danceology-’My Hands Are Always Cold’

2nd: The Rock Center for Dance-’Hey!’

3rd: The Rock Center for Dance-’Dark Winter’

3rd: Studio Kin-’Hustle’

Senior Line

1st: Mather Dance Company-’Prisoner’

1st: Mather Dance Company-’Voice of God’

2nd: Danceology-’It’s Weezy’

3rd: Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts-’I’m The Hero’

Mini Extended Line

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Settle Down’

2nd: Danceology-’Ballroom Blitz’

3rd: The Rock Center for Dance-’Jump Jump!’

3rd: Danceology-’Mary Poppins’

Junior Extended Line

1st: Evoke Dance Movement-’Hold Your Own’

2nd: Evoke Dance Movement-’Better Than Ever’

3rd: Evoke Dance Movement-’Purse First’

Teen Extended Line

1st: Danceology-’Not Today Satan’

2nd: Evoke Dance Movement-’Adios’

3rd: Danceology-’Cha Cha Heels’

Senior Extended Line

1st: Danceology-’Above Below’

2nd: Danceology-’Burn Up The Dance’

3rd: Danceology-’Night Thirst’

Mini Production

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Mambo Baby’

Junior Production

1st: Danceology-’Rich Girl’

2nd: Danceology-’Blind Faith’

3rd: Danceology-’Level Up’

High Scores by Performance Division:

Rookie Jazz

1st: Danceology-’Ladies Room’ 2nd: Mather Dance Company-’Fabulous’ 3rd: Studio Kin-’Look Out Weekend’

Rookie Ballet

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Suite Tea’

Rookie Hip-Hop

1st: Studio Kin-’SK Crew’

Rookie Contemporary

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Inanna’ 2nd: Danceology-’Kingdom’

Rookie Lyrical

1st: Notion Dance Concepts-’Firework’

Mini Jazz

1st: Motion State Studios-’Sisters’ 2nd: Mather Dance Company-’Hot Stuff’ 3rd: Danceology-’Ballroom Blitz’

Mini Ballet

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’The Invitation’ 2nd: Danceology-’Scarf Dance’ 3rd: Danceology-’Polinaise’

Mini Hip-Hop

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Jump Jump!’ 2nd: Evoke Dance Movement-’Get Up’ 3rd: Studio Kin-’Pure Water’

Mini Tap

1st: Danceology-’Happy’ 2nd: Danceology-’Luck be A Lady’ 3rd: Danceology-’Word Up’

Mini Contemporary

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’6 Out of Six’ 2nd: Evoke Dance Movement-’Searching For...’ 3rd: Danceology-’Time Passing’ 3rd: Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts-’Fading Images’

Mini Lyrical

1st: Mather Dance Company-’Roar’ 2nd: Elite Dance and Performing Arts Center-’Beautiful Thing’ 3rd: Studio Kin-’Lighthouse’

Mini Musical Theatre

1st: Danceology-’Mary Poppins’ 2nd: Studio Kin-’Mean & Green���

Mini Ballroom

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Mambo Baby’ 2nd: Danceology-’Favorite Things’

Mini Specialty

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Settle Down’ 2nd: The Rock Center for Dance-’Salient’ 3rd: Evoke Dance Movement-’I Think I Love You’

Junior Jazz

1st: Danceology-’Rich Girl’ 2nd: Evoke Dance Movement-’Purse First’ 3rd: Orange County Performing Arts Academy-’Wind It Up’

Junior Ballet

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Over The Edge’ 2nd: Danceology-’Paquita’ 3rd: Danceology-’Passarinjo’

Junior Hip-Hop

1st: Danceology-’Level Up’ 2nd: Evoke Dance Movement-’Lose Control’

Junior Tap

1st: Danceology-’Just Got Paid’

Junior Contemporary

1st: Danceology-’Blind Faith’ 2nd: The Rock Center for Dance-’All Good People’ 3rd: Evoke Dance Movement-’Hold Your Own’

Junior Lyrical

1st: Mather Dance Company-’Anything Worth Holding’ 2nd: Mather Dance Company-’Salvation’ 3rd: Elite Dance and Performing Arts Center-’You Will Be Found’

Junior Musical Theatre

1st: Danceology-’Black Friday Fiasco’ 2nd: Elite Dance and Performing Arts Center-’Nicest Kids In Town’

Junior Specialty

1st: Evoke Dance Movement-’Better Than Ever’ 2nd: Danceology-’Backbone’ 2nd: Danceology-’Give Yourself In’ 3rd: Orange County Performing Arts Academy-’Sing Sing Sing’

Teen Jazz

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Shadow Work’ 1st: Orange County Performing Arts Academy-’Boom Pow’ 2nd: Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts-’Feeling Super Down’ 3rd: Murrieta Dance Project-’Sweet Melody’

Teen Ballet

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Dark Winter’

Teen Hip-Hop

1st: Studio Kin-’Hustle’ 2nd: Evoke Dance Movement-’Diva’ 3rd: Studio Kin-’All That Matters’

Teen Tap

1st: Danceology-’Mr. Blue Sky’

Teen Contemporary

1st: Danceology-’My Hands Are Always Cold’ 2nd: The Rock Center for Dance-’Hey!’ 3rd: The Rock Center for Dance-’Heavenly Bodies’

Teen Lyrical

1st: West Coast School of the Arts-’All Coming Back’ 2nd: Mather Dance Company-’Overdose’ 3rd: Mather Dance Company-’Out of Hiding’

Teen Musical Theatre

1st: Danceology-’Not Today Satan’ 2nd: Evoke Dance Movement-’Singular Sensation’ 3rd: Elite Dance and Performing Arts Center-’Footloose’

Teen Ballroom

1st: Danceology-’Cha Cha Heels’ 2nd: The Rock Center for Dance-’Movimento’

Teen Specialty

1st: The Rock Center for Dance-’Cadance’ 2nd: Danceology-’Dream of Dreaming’ 3rd: Danceology-’Passage’

Senior Jazz

1st: Mather Dance Company-’Prisoner’ 2nd: Danceology-’Night Thirst’ 3rd: West Coast School of the Arts-’How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?’

Senior Hip-Hop

1st: Danceology-’It’s Weezy’

Senior Contemporary

1st: Mather Dance Company-’We The Soldiers’ 2nd: Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre-’Those That Follow’ 3rd: Danceology-’Above Below’ 3rd: Studio Fusion-’Weight of Silence’

Senior Lyrical

1st: Mather Dance Company-’Voice of God’ 2nd: Mather Dance Company-’For All We Know’

Senior Specialty

1st: Studio Fusion-’Coconut’ 2nd: Evoke Dance Movement-’Terrified’

Senior Ballroom

1st: Danceology-’Burn Up The Dance’

Best of Radix:

Rookie

The Rock Center for Dance-’Inanna’

Danceology-’Ladies Room’

Mather Dance Company-’Fabulous’

Studio Kin-’SK Crew’

Notion Dance Concepts-’Firework’

Mini

The Rock Center for Dance-’6 Out of Six’

Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts-’Fading Images’

Evoke Dance Movement-’Searching For...’

Danceology-’Happy’

Mather Dance Company-’Hot Stuff’

Motion State Studios-’Sisters’

Junior

Evoke Dance Movement-’Hold Your Own’

The Rock Center for Dance-’All Good People’

Danceology-’Rich Girl’

Orange County Performing Arts Academy-’Wind It Up’

Mather Dance Company-’Anything Worth Holding’

Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts-’Hey Hi Hello’

Motion State Studios-’Always, Forever’

 Murrieta Dance Project-’Luminous’

Teen

Academy of Nevada Ballet Theater-’The Great Realization’

Danceology-’Not Today Satan’

The Rock Center for Dance-’Hey!’

West Coast School of the Arts-’All Coming Back’

Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts-’The Need for One Another’

Studio Kin-’Hustle’

Murrieta Dance Project-’Memories’

Elite Dance and Performing Arts Center-’Change’

Mather Dance Company-’Overdose’

Orange County Performing Arts Academy-’No Ordinary Love’

Evoke Dance Movement-’Adios’

Senior

Mather Dance Company-’We The Soldiers’

Evoke Dance Movement-’Terrified’

Murrieta Dance Project-’Echos’

Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts-’I’m The Hero’

Danceology-’Above Below’

Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre-’Those That Follow’

Studio Fusion-’Coconut’

West Coast School of the Arts-’How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?’

Studio Standout:

Studio Kin-’Hustle’

Mather Dance Company-’We The Soldiers’

Evoke Dance Movement-’Adios’

Elite Dance and Performing Arts Center-’Change’

Danceology-’Not Today Satan’

Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts-’I’m The Hero’

The Rock Center for Dance-’Hey!’

[gwaciechang]

I Don't Wanna Go Home (1/15?)

So, this is probably going to be my most ambitious project ever. I'm going to do a fusion of the video gave Subnautica Below Zero, with the characters from Cloverfield Paradox. You don't have to have played Below Zero first, although it would certainly help. Also, as someone who has played the game, I tried my best to explain everything, which is why the first few chapters are going to be really slow, and why everyone talks so much. I also made a change to the canon of the first Subnautica: instead of Riley curing Kharaa, it was the precursors.

So, a few more things before we start this chapter. I hate "y/n l/n" stuff, so I just call the pov character Ling Tam. I don't think anybody actually uses that name in the story, but that might change, and in any case, you're free to replace her name with any name you like. Also, reader is in a relationship with Mundy at the start of the story, although that, obviously, won't last because it's endgame reader/Schmidt. Okay, that's everything, enjoy, and let me know if you want to be tagged.

@hope-to-hell @vicanth @feralrunaway @october505 @potentialproblem01

"Hey, Monk, you told me to come get you if that weird signal showed up ag-" you stop when you see the vehicle technician on the radio.

"When are you going to send me some more art? There's still a patch of bare wall here that could use some color and a touch of genius!" Monk says, probably to his kids, as he waves you away. You close the door as silently as you can, and not a second too soon, because Mundy opens the habitat door and stomps his way inside with a box. Behind him, you can see the prawn suit, with several other boxes still tied to its massive arms. There's an inquisitive face popping out of the water that you decide not to tell him about. Why shouldn't the creatures have a little fun?

"Another day, another slight by the winged furies," Mundy grumbles.

"Another interference alert?" you ask, trying to lay the sympathy on thick before you inevitably burst into laughter.

"As usual," the xenobiologist sighs theatrically. "Also as usual, I went out to see what the problem was. And, of course, it was-"

"Frozen stalagmites of feathered bird excrement," the two of you say together.

"I fear the career impact of saying this officially-"

"If you can even call what you have a career," you interrupt, getting yourself a faceful of dirty towel.

Besides throwing the thing you're really hoping he hadn't just used to wipe up bird shit in your face, your boyfriend continues as if you'd never spoken. "I could swear they're targeting me personally. The week I was out with a flu, I came back to find the tower spotless. Monk laughed at me when I asked him how he'd cleaned it. Silly me!"

"As if Monk would ever clean anything," you agree. "What are you going to do?"

"There's nothing left for me to try but quitting. But I know that's what the birds want me to do," he shakes his fist at the sky as he walks back outside to retrieve the final box.

You turn back to the screen and wonder about the signal again. It's been appearing on and off for days, ever since you got the radio tower up and running, and what would a repeat call be besides a distress signal?

"Ah jeez, these sea monkeys are going to get me in trouble," the box in Mundy's hands is scratched through in places. "This is the third shipment that those buggers have gotten their weird little hands into! Now we're running low on flares and I'm going to have to search nearby nests for stolen cargo," he sighs as he drops a mangled box on the top of his cluttered workstation. It makes a bang that would have disturbed Monk, if he weren't on the radio, or Schmidt, if he were a normal person who came back from work at normal hours. As it is, there's just you to look at him, a welcome break from potential distress signals and what they might mean.

"Just put some of your drawings on the tower, they'll be too scared to go near it!"

"Ha ha," Mundy says sarcastically, before going outside to park the prawn-

"Oh, for fuck's sake! It’s fucking gone!"

You and Monk, still on the radio, step outside, but sure enough, the prawn suit has disappeared without a trace, as far as you can tell.

"I'm still trying, quietly--I don't want any more trouble--to figure out where I went wrong. I was sure Tam had picked up a distress signal!" Monk bends down to peer at the tracks. "I was right on top of it. And then it just," he gets to the edge of the glacier, stands up, and shakes his head, "it just stopped. What if one of the precursors is still down there? And how could a hivemind alien race so advanced that they singlehandedly ended a galaxy wide pandemic leave someone behind? I'll probably be home before I ever get to find out, and it will fall to some future researcher to come and find out, I guess, I hope," he waves the two of you back into the habitat and closes the door. "But that means I'll get to be with you little rascals." His voice fades and disappears.

"So, game tonight?" you ask, hoping to erase the distress off Mundy’s face.

"That'd be nice," he says with a weak smile, just before Jensen slams her door open.

"Mundy, inside!" barks the overseer of operations.

Mundy sighs and drags his feet as he walks into Jensen's office. No sooner has she closed the door with a snap than you and Monk have your heads pressed against the door.

"Mundy, I'm not blaming you, but what do you mean, 'it's gone?' Where did it go? You had trouble retrieving the drop pod and decided to jettison the prawn suit?"

"I didn't jettison the prawn suit! I left it outside to put the supply drop away, went back for it, and it was just gone! Someone must have stolen it."

"Who? Who else do you think is on this planet besides the five of us?"

"It could be a creature ate it. I didn't lose it, that's for sure. I'm careful with my vehicles!"

You can practically hear Jensen’s eyeroll as she continues, "I'm sure you are, but you have to admit, there have been a lot of 'accidents' involving our very expensive vehicles."

"You want to follow me on a few runs tomorrow? See what it's like? Conditions are way harsher than anything I ever imagined. You can't really understand it from inside your office!"

Monk winces, and you know there's a matching pained expression on your face. Talking back to Jensen is a terrible idea, but Mundy's sealed his fate, and now all that's left is to wait for the other shoe to drop.

"That won't be necessary," Jensen says with syrupy calm. "Thank you for your time. I'll write it up as an accident."

"Thank you, ma'am," Mundy's voice is shaky. Jensen doesn't respond, so the vehicle technician’s deliberately loud footsteps approach the door, prompting you and the precursor researcher you're spying with to run like your asses are on fire back to your stations.

"I think it'd be best if Researcher Tam takes over your duties with the leviathan tomorrow," Jensen says, loudly enough for you to hear, even through the door.

Now it's your turn to wince. Mundy gives you a small smile as he walks past, and then Jensen's in your line of sight, hands on her hips.

"I believe I told you to go somewhere."

"Yes, ma'am," you drop everything to put your thermal suit on, and pour a final cup of sweet, sweet dirty bean water in your thermos. There's no cappuccino machine allowed in the cave, lest it somehow thaw out the entire frozen leviathan Mundy, and now you, are studying. Or maybe it was just Schmidt being anal about his robots, you wouldn't put it past the guy whose lips are basically permanently attached to Jensen's ass.

On the bright side, they're also attached to a guy who knows what he's doing, and is thorough in explaining what Mundy does when he's here. Still, it's barely five minutes in when the silence gets to you.

"I love and hate exploring these tunnels," you start to babble, not expecting Schmidt to respond. "Yeah, they're marvels to the power of the ice worms. I mean, the amount of ice they are able to cut through in seconds, it would take us at least a couple days. Their tunneling mechanism is ruthlessly efficient. Alterra could only dream of having this sort of mining capability, and yeah, the ice worms uncover mineral rich pockets as they tunnel. But going beneath the surface is so risky, I mean, we've lost so many already, and I don't understand why we have to stay in this particular area of the glacier. I can't wait to get off this hellhole, or ice hole? Whatever."

You can hardly believe it, but you hear a clear snort coming from Schmidt’s workstation. You fill your flasks with a wide smile on your face, which doesn’t fade even when you make your way back across the tunnel to see his with its usual pinched, sour expression.

"Hey, do you want some coffee?" you wave the thermos at him. "It might help you get the taste of Alterra boot leather out of your mouth," you say in a singsong voice.

"How much sugar and cream is in that?" Schmidt wrinkles his nose. "No thank you."

You decide to let that roll off your back and chuckle a little. "I guess my proclivities toward having coffee with my sugar is well known, huh? Just like how I should know better than to invite you to game night with me and the other researchers, again?"

Is snow blindness affecting your vision, or did Schmidt just smile?

"You should know better," he says in a soft voice, and then he takes out another set of small, sterile flasks, and hands them to you. "Get some samples from the skull, too, use the elevator."

"Thanks!" you grab the flasks, only to drop them the second you put your hand on the elevator lift button, because that's a fucking rotten peeper hanging off the edge.

Schmidt snaps his gloves off and cleans it up, which is nice of him, even if the things he says while he does it aren’t very nice. "Mundy," he practically spits, "always leaving food around. At least the nutrient blocks and the filtered water don't spoil."

"Well, the man likes to munch on things," you try to lighten the mood. "Are you telling me you don’t leave snacks around your workstation?" Schmidt opens his mouth, but you interrupt. "Don't tell me, you have a timer telling you when to go to the fabricator to make food and eat?"

He closes his mouth and turns a little red.

Holy shit, you were right? That's the saddest thing you've ever heard. "Okay, you know what, you are definitely playing Alien Intruders with us tonight, because I'm going to cook. Real food, too, none of that fabricated stuff."

"Oh, I am?" Schmidt raises an eyebrow.

"Yep! And I'm going to make my favorite dish, just for you, you'll love it! Roasted Chinese potato with shredded marblemelon and salt."

That was definitely a snort, maybe even a laugh, and it carries you through the rest of the day.

[angelinasway]

Regaining Hope

Chapter Six

Pairing: Clark Kent/Buffy Summers

Warnings/Triggers:Torture, Violence, Mention's of Major Character Death, Bad Language, Sexual Tension, Eventual Smut

Summary: Takes place during Man of Steel. When Buffy discovers the U.S Military trying to keep quiet about an object buried in a twenty thousand year old glacier, she immediately thinks the worst. However, when a surprise visit to the Canadian Arctic puts her in the path of a mysterious stranger her whole world is changed forever.

Previous Chapters: [Chapter One] [Chapter Two] [Chapter Three] [Chapter Four] [Chapter Five]

[TTH] [AO3] [FFN]

Authors Notes:Thank you all for you're amazing reviews. I never get tired of reading them. I just got to say I adored writing this chapter. It was so much fun and I loved the banter. I'm slowly falling in love with this couple the more I explore it. I should warn everyone that there's a subject that comes up that might offend some of you. I did not write this part to try to do that to anyone, so please don't take it seriously. It was more about showing Buffy's age and what some of us begin to contemplate as we get older. If Buffy was really only twenty-one it wouldn't be a topic that would come up, but I don't think its to far off the mark that a thirty-two year old Buffy would think these thing. Once again, a shout out and huge thanks to my amazing beta Hipkarma for being so insightful and just plain helpful while editing these chapters. I don't know what I would do without her.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable  characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners.  The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The  author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers  of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Six

Buffy awoke, as always right around eight. It didn’t matter where she was in the world, she always woke up around the same time every morning. Except, this morning happened to be very different because a large warm arm was wrapped firmly around her waist and a large thigh was wedged between her legs. She blinked in surprise as the night before came rushing back in surround sound and technicolor. From the moment Faith and Gunn woke them up having obnoxiously loud sex to when she first heard Clark moan. The deep baritone of the sound sending such a shock wave of lust straight to her core, she’d never felt anything like it and she was certain she couldn’t have stopped herself from touching him after that even if she tried.

God, he was built like brick wall. A very soft and warm brick wall, but a brick wall nonetheless. Training him was going to be difficult for that reason. She was incredibly strong but he was a hell of a lot stronger than her. Getting hit by him at full strength wasn’t really going to be an option. Though, she could always train him in her suit, which might actually give her a little bit of advantage against anything he threw at her. The suit itself was highly warded, to the point where she could probably get hit by a train and be able to walk it off. So that might actually be able to work, as long as he didn’t go for her head which unfortunately the full leather and Kevlar body suit did not cover. They could definitely work around that though.

 She bit her lip, remembering how good it felt to kiss him. It had been awkward at first, but he was an incredibly fast learner and eventually began to take the lead. Heat pooled in her belly at what came after though, the grinding and rubbing that ended in one of the best orgasms she ever had. He really was such a well-built man, everything about him was deceptively large from his broad shoulders to his thighs that were almost as big as tree trunks. Something she didn’t actually notice until she straddled him. The act itself had forced her legs farther apart than she was expecting. So, when he’d pulled her into his lap his cock was suddenly perfectly aligned against her clit, and boy did he feel big. Almost too big if she was being honest.

 The familiar throb of arousal hit her; her panties suddenly soaked. She vaguely remembered telling him after he got out of the shower that he looked ridiculous squashed up on her couch and to just share the bed. She was now slightly regretting that, because at this moment she wanted nothing more than to press herself back against the body currently cuddling her and grind her ass against the erection she felt poking her. ‘Yep, it was definitely time to get up.’

 She meant what she’d said earlier about not being ready for sex yet and she really did plan to stick to that. She wanted to get to know him first, find out what his likes and dislikes were, what his favorite movies were, hell even what his favorite color was. She truly did believe what Lorne had told her, but she craved the getting-to-know-you portion of the relationship process more than anything. It had been a long time since she had that. In fact, if she was being honest, she was pretty sure she never really had it.

 Angel had always hated talking about himself and she remembered very clearly spending a few hours researching him alone just to try and understand more about him. Unfortunately, back then Giles only had his pre-soul history, which probably should have been her first clue that embarking on any type of relationship with him was a bad idea. Riley had been different however, but when they started the relationship, they had both been keeping secrets. So, there had been big honesty issues there. Spike she hadn’t bothered getting to know, at least not before his soul. Oh, there were plenty of times she would slip up and ask him a question about himself, and even be cordial to him, but the personal stuff hadn’t come until those long nights spent together planning against The First. And, then again, after Angelus had killed Giles when she was basically a walking zombie. He would talk to her for hours even if she didn’t talk back just to try and snap her out of her desolation. He told her all about his life when he was human, and would even talk about some of the places he traveled with Dru. He never mentioned Angelus in those times, and she was grateful for that.

 It was in those moments that she realized why she and Spike meshed so well. He was very good at taking care of broken things and she was a very broken thing. He was created for it actually, and he needed to take care of her just as badly as she needed to be taken care of. She just hoped Clark could handle the task as well, because she had picked up a lot of the pieces of her shattered heart and soul and begun to paste them back together, but there were still several missing parts of herself that she had lost along the way. She was working on it and had been for awhile but she still had her moments of utter despair and moodiness. Buffy knew better than anyone how difficult she could be.

 She slowly tried to extract herself from his hold, but the arm that held her in place tightened. She heard a sleepy moan next to ear and then she felt his body stiffen as he came awake. Clark quickly removed his arm from around her waist and the knee that had wedged itself between her thighs and turned over on his back.

 “Sorry,” He murmured groggily.

 Buffy turned to face him, a slow smile spreading across her face as she propped her head up with her hand. He was blushing again and she found she rather enjoyed it. “I think we’re past accidental sleepy cuddling, don’t you?”

 A sleepy half smile crossed his lips at her words, "Mmm," he hummed. "So, that really did happen."

 She chuckled; he was absolutely adorable. "Unless we were sharing the same dream, I'm gonna go with a big uh-huh."

 His blue eyes met hers, and his smile stretched into a full grin. His hand reached up and he ran the back of it down her cheek.

 "Are you hungry?" He asked.

 She nodded. "I could definitely eat."

 He sighed. "We should probably get dressed then." 

 "Mmm," She agreed, rolling on her back and stretching her arms above her head. "Shower first though, and I should probably grab your clothes from yesterday out of the dryer."

 His hand reached out again, running it along the flat of her stomach. "You shower, I remember where the laundry room is. I'll get them."

 He sat up and then leaned down to kiss her, but she stopped him. "I have morning breath. I really don't think you want to do that before I brush my teeth."

 He chuckled and shook his head. "I honestly don't think I care," and then he was on her, his lips sliding against hers.

 She giggled, breaking the kiss and saying, "I think I created a monster."

 "Well, maybe you shouldn't have taken advantage of me last night." Clark said, a smirk forming on his lips.

 Buffy’s mouth dropped open, her eyes widening. "I did no such thing!" She said on a laugh.

 "Oh," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I think you did," and then he was kissing her again, sliding his tongue into her mouth before she could protest.

 The kisses suddenly turned much more serious and before she knew what she was doing her legs had wrapped around his waist and her arms were around his neck. She felt his hard length push against her and she moaned.

 "Mmm," He hummed, breaking the kiss. "I could get used to that sound."

His lips slid along her jawline, until he reached her neck where he placed a few wet kisses and then froze. He pulled away and Buffy’s eyes shot open. His eyes staring at her neck in a mixture horror and disbelief. 

 "Where...how did you get that?" He asked, his hand coming up to brush his thumb across her scar.

 Buffy's own hand came up and rubbed the area. "Vampire bite. Well, three to be exact." She saw a pained look flash across his eyes as his hand came up to cup her cheek. "What is it?" She asked.

 Clark shook his head, removing his hand and sitting back. "I just..." He sighed. "I can't help thinking how different your life might have been had I met you sooner." He looked away. “You’ve been through so much, some of it I read and some of it you told me.” He met her eyes, sadness and guilt shining in them, “And I’m guessing that’s only the half of it…and…and I can’t help thinking that I could have saved you from it all.”

 She felt her heart melt a little at his words. That was definitely up there with at least the top five sweetest things anyone ever said to her, but he shouldn’t be beating himself up for something that was out of his hands.

 She sighed sitting up, her hand reaching for his and entwining their fingers, bringing it into her lap. “As sweet as the sentiment is Clark, you can’t think like that.” She nodded, “Trust me, I’m the queen of blaming myself for things that are absolutely out of my control and the truth is, neither of us can know what would have happened had we met sooner.” She shrugged “I mean think about it. Sure, my life would have been easier but when the big stuff came up, I wouldn’t have been able to handle it as well, and do you honestly think I wouldn’t have jumped for Dawn?” She swallowed, “As shitty as the outcome was and even if I knew back then what I know now, I would do it again for her in a heartbeat.”

 “I know,” he whispered, looking down. “I just…what if I could have stopped you from having to jump at all?”

 She reached her free hand out, cupping his cheek, “Then I wouldn’t be who I am today. I would have never had the choice to take more power than I already had and have the strength and wherewithal to turn it down. I would have never found the Scythe and been able to use its power to activate the Slayers.” At Clark’s frown, she pulled away, getting off the bed and opened the closet. She unzipped her weapons bag and pulled out the Scythe.

 “This,” she said, showing him the weapon from when they first met. “It was made thousands of years ago by something called the Guardians. It was made for the first Slayer and she used it to drive the last Old One from this plain of existence. Then it was hidden until the day I found it. It’s the whole reason Willow was able to tap into the Slayer line and activate the girls. It’s incredibly powerful, and I can feel the power thrumming underneath my hand as we speak.” She put the Scythe back and walked over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Kinda like you.”

 Clark swallowed. “What…what do I feel like?”

 “Powerful, almost overwhelmingly so,” she said honestly, sitting back on the bed. “But not evil or demonic. Those kinda things usually feel cold, like the temperature suddenly drops and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.” She gave him a small smile, “You feel warm, like I’ve been sunbathing for hours and my skin is that perfect mixture of overheated and sun kissed.”

 He brought his hand up, cupping her chin and rubbing his thumb along her lower lip. "And when I kiss you?"

 Buffy gasped, heat building in her belly. It took everything in her not to suck his thumb into her mouth. "If I answer that," she said breathily, "we won't ever make it to breakfast."

 He blew out a breath, closing his eyes and leaning his forehead against hers. "I've never felt so out of control in my life." He opened his eyes, meeting hers. "You...you make me want to lose control."

 "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" She asked, her hand coming up to rub down his chest.

 "I honestly don't know," he sighed. "But it scares the hell out of me."

 "I'm sorry," she whispered.

 He kissed her then, his hand running into her hair before saying, "Don't be. I feel more alive than I have in years."

 "I think that makes two of us then." She said softly. "You're not the only one who feels out of control or alive." She paused, "And I think if I don't get in the shower soon, I don't think I can be held responsible for my next actions."

 He chuckled, pulling away. "Then you should probably take a shower," he said moving off the bed, "because I'm pretty sure you aren't alone in that either."

 Buffy laughed, "You sure you can find the laundry room, okay?"

 "I got it," he said, reaching out to stroke her cheek before grabbing his discarded sweats from last night, chucking them on and heading for the door.

 Buffy watched him go and then shook herself out of her daze. God, he had a fabulous back. Why had she not noticed it before? This was going to be incredibly hard if they were both feeling this way. She once again opened her closet grabbing what she needed for the day.

 ****<S>**<S>****

Clark raised an eyebrow, looking at her in amusement, "You really think this is a good idea?"

 She grinned, "No, but it’s cheap entertainment and they deserve it."

 They were standing in the hallway outside Faith and Gunn’s room. Buffy having the bright idea of getting back at the couple for their shenanigan’s the night before, because as she said, “This was a long time coming.”

 "Alright," he said chuckling. "Then hand me the bucket."

 "What...why?" She asked confused.

 Clark rolled his eyes, "Because I'm going to make the water colder."

 Buffy frowned. "Is this another ability you've yet to tell me about?"

 He looked at her innocently. “Maybe?”

 The look she gave him was both parts annoyed and pouty. “Okay Mr. Secret Keeper, who keeps secrets. Here,” she grumbled, shoving the quarter filled bucket into his arms.

 “I think you’ve been watching too much Harry Potter,” he said as seriously as he could, even though he knew it was obvious he was trying not to laugh.

She looked almost offended for a moment, “I have not!” A full-fledged pout finally broke out on her lips, “At least not willingly. Willow makes me watch it every year.” She sighed, “Then we get into an argument about if the Wizarding World is real or not in another dimension. It’s a thing.”

 He snorted, "You're joking."

 She rolled her eyes, "I wish," and then she shook her head. "Now hurry up, before they wake up."

 He grinned, blowing softly into the bucket and handing it back. "There, it should be cold enough now."

 She frowned at the water, reaching her hand into the bucket and touching it. Her eyes widened in surprise. 

 "Wow! That's like seriously impressive." She grinned, "This is gonna be so good." Buffy looked at him, "You ready?"

 At Clark’s nod, she said, "Alright, get ready to run." 

 He watched her take a step back and then her leg shot out, slamming into the door. The lock splintered and the door swung open, hitting the wall hard. Both Faith and Gunn shot up in alarm, suddenly alert and ready to fight.

 “Wakey, wakey!” Buffy yelled, before tossing the contents of the bucket on them.

 They both screamed when the ice water hit them. Their eyes widening in disbelief. Faith panted from the sudden shock of the water, looking at hers soaked tank top, her bed, and then Gunn before her eyes suddenly swung up to meet Buffy’s dancing ones. The look she gave them both could freeze over hell, it even managed to make Clark nervous enough to start backing up.

 “You. Are. So. Fucking. Dead!” She ground out, fury flashing in her eyes.

 “Run!” Buffy squealed, already pushing him down the hallway just as Faith shot out of bed. They were both through the living area and out the staff door in seconds, but Faith was fast and she was hot on their heels. The sound of her bare feet slapping against hardwood close behind them.

 As they approached the stairwell a giggling Buffy yelled, “Jump, no time for stairs.”

 Clark quickly launched himself over the banister, landing on the ground floor and turning just in time to see Buffy do the same. She landed on her feet and looked up in time to see a snarling Faith staring down at them, water still dripping from her hair and tank top.

 “You’re dead B!” She yelled.

 “What the hell!” Lisa said, coming around the corner a few of the girls hot on her heels just as Faith launched herself off the banister.

 Buffy was pushing Clark again and they slammed out the front door and into the cool morning air. He wrapped his arms around her just as Faith reached the door in only a tank top and boxers and shot them into the air just before she could reach them. Both of them broke into fits of hysterics when they heard her scream, “He can fucking fly!”

 “Wow,” Buffy said in between her giggles. “She’s really mad, isn’t she?”

 ****<S>**<S>****

 “Okay,” Buffy said, snagging a piece of bacon off his plate. “Favorite comedy?”

 They were in a restaurant not too far from the school. It was a very small establishment, but it was busy and the food smelt good. Buffy had recommended it to Clark, saying it was the best kept secret in Cleveland. It had taken them a little while to get a table, but now they were comfortably seated with two delicious looking breakfasts in front of them.

 They had been exchanging questions since they arrived at the restaurant. Simple things, from favorite colors, to places traveled, and now they were on to movies. Except Buffy had just stolen a piece of bacon off his plate without even asking, and it was done in such a way it almost felt domestic. Almost as if this was a completely normal occurrence and they had dined together hundreds of times.

 “Did you…did you just steal my bacon?” Clark said, raising an eyebrow.

 She blinked at him innocently, taking a bite of the salty goodness while holding back a smile, “Maybe.”

 He snorted, “Well, now I want a bite of your pancakes.”

 Buffy’s face broke into a grin, and she used her fork to cut him a piece of her strawberry and banana pancakes. Leaning over the table and holding out the bite to him, while using her other hand to protect the table from any syrup dripping.

 Clark leaned forward, wrapped his lips around the offered morsel and hummed as the sugary taste exploded on his tongue. He nodded, swallowing the bite before saying, “I should have gotten the pancakes.”    

 Buffy chuckled, cutting her own piece and taking a bite, her eyes rolling up at the homemade strawberry syrup. “I told you.” She said after swallowing. “This place has awesome pancakes for it being such a hole in the wall.”

 Clark cut into his eggs benedict and took a bite. “Mmm,” He hummed, pointing at his plate as he chewed and swallowed. “But this is very good too.”

 "What do you like better?" She asked.

 "Hmm," he said thinking. "Well, it’s not a very fair comparison. One’s sweet and one’s savory."

 "True," she acknowledged. "So, I guess the question should be, what do prefer sweet or salty?"

 He licked his lips. "That's actually a tough question. My mom is an excellent cook on both fronts, but I think if I had to choose it would be sweet. I love pie and she does make the best."

 She smiled softly, "She sounds pretty incredible."

 He nodded, "My parents couldn't have kids so them finding me was what she calls a miracle." He smiled, "When I was a kid and my abilities first started showing, she was the one who helped me control it. She taught me how to focus and block everything else out."

 "I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous about meeting her." She confessed shyly.

 He frowned in confusion, "Why?"

 Buffy shrugged, "Well, she raised you, didn’t she? Any woman capable of turning out a guy who so far has been one of the sweetest, most well-mannered men I’ve ever met, must have some superpowers of her own."

 He chuckled a blush spreading across his cheeks. "I'm sure she'll be thrilled to know that."

 Buffy grinned, shaking her head. "Anyway, back to our original topic. What's your favorite comedy?"

 "Hmm," He thought for a moment. "Well right now, I think it’s a toss-up between Talladega Nights and Step Brothers." He said, taking another bite of his breakfast.

 "Ah," she acknowledged. "A Ferrell fan. He is hilarious, but I myself would have to go with Sandler or Kevin Smith. I love Dogma and Fifty First Dates is probably my favorite romantic comedy."

 He shook his head, "I've never seen Dogma. Isn't that the one that makes fun of religion?"

 Buffy's mouth dropped open, "You've never seen it! Okay that's the first movie we are watching together,” Her cheeks suddenly pinkening as she cleared her throat and added. “And yes, it does make fun of religion but in a really unique way where it sends a good message too.” She shrugged, “I think I like it because of how well it rips the Bible apart as far as hypocrisy goes. I’m not very religious, but I mean I do believe there’s something. I don’t know if it’s all the Powers or God or what really, but there is definitely something beyond all this. However, the Bible is one of those things that gets used for evil, far more than it’s used for good. Plus, I’m living proof that some of the sins mentioned in the Bible are complete bullshit.”

 He raised an eyebrow, “Because you went to heaven.”

 She nodded, “Exactly. Let’s see,” she began to count off her sins on one hand. “Lying, I did a lot of that after I was called, also definitely did not honor my mother and father, I’ve taken the Lord’s name in vain on several occasions, I’ve stolen when I’ve had to, not for myself but for slaying.” She put her hand down. “Not to mention,” She whispered quietly. “I may have killed a few people who were after my sister back then, not intentionally of course but I’m pretty sure I killed at least one of them and I’m almost positive they were very human.” At Clark’s surprised frown she explained, “There were these, god I don’t even know a better way of describing it other than medieval knights charged with destroying the Key, and when we all tried to run, they attacked us.”

 “But wouldn’t that be considered self-defense?” He asked with a frown and then added, “And maybe you were allowed to go to heaven because of what you are?”

 Buffy snorted, “And how unfair is that. I get to go to heaven with the same kinda vague belief system as other people who live their lives with less red on their ledger than I have, but they don’t.” She shook her head. “It’s also kinda bullshit how no sin is greater than any other, or in Catholicism’s case it only applies to anyone in the church. I mean come on, I’ve heard of the Catholic church in particular, refusing to hold a funeral or allow burial over suicide, and yet they protect their pedophile priests like they are somehow above it all.” She sighed, a blush forming on her cheeks at her diatribe. “Sorry, I have many feelings about this particular subject.” She looked down, “I think that most religions have it wrong. It’s about our intents and choices, if we spend our lives at least trying to do good, no matter if we fall along the way or not, we have a place in heaven. If we however let the darkness that is always around us, whether we know it’s there or not, consume us, then we let ourselves be corrupted. If we begin to enjoy the pain and suffering, we as humans are quite capable of causing all on our own, I think that’s when we become hell bound.” She took a drink of her juice, meeting his eyes again, before adding. “I’m sorry if you’re religious and I offended you. I sometimes forget that not everyone thinks the same way I do.”

 He smiled softly. She was really cute when she was passionate about something. He couldn’t really help playing devil’s advocate to watch that spark in her eyes as she got indignant over the topic of religion, but it had gone on long enough. He was trying to enjoy this moment, not offend her.

 “I’m not,” He clarified. “I honestly don’t know what I believe. My dad and mom had me baptized as Presbyterian, but I think my dad might have stopped believing after they found me. My mom probably did too, but she would never admit it.”

 Buffy frowned, “Then why–”

 “Because I’m an alien Buffy,” He shook his head. “Neither of them knew where I was from or what I was. I looked human, but they both knew I wasn’t.” He shrugged, “I think they did it to teach me right from wrong the only way they really understood how. The same way their parents taught them.” He shook his head, “It wasn’t only that though, my dad used stories, his own life stories to drill into me how important it was that I always made the better choice, because for someone like me, losing my temper isn’t really an option if it’s going to hurt someone.” He sighed, “As for religion, I used to wonder why God would make me this way until my dad told me the truth. It’s very hard for me to worship a god that had no hand in my creation. In fact, I stopped going to church because I just felt like an imposter.”

 Her eyes softened at his words and she reached her hand across the table and entwined their fingers. “You aren’t an imposter, Clark. I may not be religious, but I absolutely believe in destiny and the prophecy proves you were meant to be here. That somewhere in the ether the Powers or whoever, saw your soul and found it important enough to send a vision to some unsuspecting seer here on Earth.” She smiled, “No matter what happens, don’t ever feel you don’t belong here.”

 “Yeah, for what purpose still remains to be seen.” He said, frowning slightly.

 Buffy frowned, “I thought your dad said–”

 Clark shook his head, “I’m not talking about why my parents sent me here, I’m talking about the prophecy.”

 Understanding suddenly came into her eyes and she sighed, “I’ll try to work on Wes for you, okay? I know it’s frustrating but I don’t think he’s keeping it from us because he’s trying to be malicious or hoard information.” She nodded, “I do believe he’s genuinely trying to protect us, but I’m also not stupid enough to believe that’s the only reason.”

 He looked at her surprised by her admission as he watched her take a bite of her pancakes. “What…what do you mean?”

 Buffy swallowed and licked the syrup off her lips, using her napkin to dab up the excess. “Honestly, I think they’re trying to protect me from myself. Willow said it herself that day in the ship. There’re some things in it that would seriously wig me. Lorne said we’re soulmates, and I believe him, but it’s more than soulmates and I think you feel it too.” She raised her eyebrow at him. “If the prophecy say’s that we are destined in some way and they told me, there’s a very good chance we would not be sitting here right now because I would constantly be second guessing my feelings. At least that’s what they probably think.”

 Clark studied her. She really was impressive, he found himself admiring her the more they got to know each other. “You already knew though, didn’t you?”

 “I guessed it might be that in the ship, when Willow said what she said. Earlier that day when you were in my trailer and you left your poem.” Buffy smirked, “Clever by the way.” She said, looking at him appraisingly, before adding, “When you passed me, I felt something I’ve never felt before, it was like I was on fire. It was so powerful that even Hardy noticed my reaction and I was definitely not trying to draw attention to you.”

 “Oh yes,” Clark acknowledged. “I remember over hearing that conversation.” He smirked at her, “What was it that you called me? Oh yeah, a well-built redneck with puppy eyes.” Watching her cheeks bloom with color was completely worth bringing it up.

  “In my defense,” she said, embarrassment shining in her eyes. “I was trying to get him off your back.” Then she frowned in realization, “Seriously, you can hear that far?”

 “I can hear anything on earth if I focus,” He admitted, her eyes widening in surprise. “When I was a kid and it first happened, it was like hearing everything at once. I thought I was going crazy.”

 Her eyes softened. “That must have been horrible.”

 “It was, and scary. I remember how scared I was.” He met her eyes as he thought about her admitting she already suspected that the prophecy said they were destined. “Can I ask you something?” At her nod, he continued, “Last night you said you usually fight things like this and even your friends thought you would freak-out. Why aren’t you fighting it?”

 Her eyes dulled somewhat at the question and she pushed the few remaining bites she had around with her fork. “Honestly,” She paused, looking down at her food. “Honestly, I’m lonely.” She admitted. “I haven’t had this type of connection in years and it feels good.” She met his eyes then a blush staining her cheeks, “I thought about it and decided if the Powers are gonna give me something as beautiful as you after all the crap I’ve been through, then I was okay with that. Even this, just us talking and getting to know each other is more than I’ve had as far as romance goes in…I don’t even know how long. I had no idea how much I needed this kind of thing until I met you.”

 Heat filled his cheeks at her words and their eyes remained locked on each other’s for what felt like a long time. Clark reached his hand across the table and placed it on hers.

"If it makes you feel any better, I've never felt like anything like this before." He sighed, "I had no idea something as simple as eating breakfast with a beautiful woman, who I don't have to hide from, could feel so good."

 Buffy smiled softly, "We are a pair, aren't we?"

 He chuckled, and nodded. "That we are."

 Buffy’s cell phone rang the next second, her eyes glancing at the caller ID and widening in horror. "Shit," she hissed.

 "What... what is it?" Clark asked in alarm.

 "It's Dawn." She responded, staring at the phone.

 He raised an eyebrow, "And that's a bad thing?"

 "If Faith called her and mentioned you, yeah it could be bad." She answered, not taking her eyes off the phone.

 "You don't think Faith would tell her what I am do you." Clark said, worry lacing his voice.

 Buffy shook her head, "No, she's not that stupid. But I could see her hinting that you are something other as revenge for this morning." She sighed, "Which would just put my sister in a panic."

 The phone luckily stopped ringing and Clark watched Buffy sigh in relief, only to have it melt away when her text message chime went off.

 He watched her look at the message as the color drained from her face. "Shit!" She said again.

 "What does it say?" He asked nervously.

 "She said that if I don't pick up the phone, she's gonna show up here, and that I have five minutes." Buffy looked at him nervously and sighed. "Sometimes I really wish we didn't show her how to use her keyness, because unfortunately she's not bluffing."

 She looked at him apologetically, "You're about to get the full of Dawn in rant mode, so prepare yourself."

 Buffy dialed the number and squeezed her eyes shut as the other line connected and it was answered after the first ring.

“Hello, my beautiful and wonderful sister who doesn’t even bother to let me know she’s back in the amazing U.S. of A.” The sarcasm in the voice alone told Clark that Buffy was about to be chewed out.

 “Dawn,” Buffy started, but was cut off immediately.

 “So, my dearest sister, Buffy…you mind telling me why my husband is about to send one of his crew members out to fix the door and rent a fan to dry the bed in Faith’s and Gunn’s room?” An extremely sarcastic female voice said over the phone. “Or better yet, who’s this new recruit you’re getting so chummy with…hmm? Also, why the hell didn’t you tell me you were back in the states and not call!”

 Buffy shifted uncomfortably in her chair, and Clark bit back his amusement, he had no siblings so this was somewhat fascinating for him. Buffy met his eyes and glared at the amusement dancing there. “Just you wait.” She mouthed, which made his nervousness skyrocket.

 “Sorry Dawn,” She sighed. “I should have called, but I had just gotten out of quarantine and Wes was real big on me getting in touch with the new recruit.”  

“Uh-uh, you don’t get to deflect like that, because Faith already told me. He felt more powerful than she has felt in long time, but she won’t tell me what he is.” There was a moment of pause before an exasperated tone came over the line. “So, what is he Buffy?”

 “It’s not what you–” she started, but Dawn cut her off.

 “If you tell me it’s not what I think I will show up there in the middle of Breakers Breakfast, I don’t care how busy it is, now spill!” Buffy’s little sister demanded.

 Buffy looked at him and swallowed, “Seriously, this is not the time nor place to start talking about this.”

 “He’s there, isn’t he?” Came her sister’s reply.

 Buffy’s eyes widened, before quickly blurting, “Have you talked to Wes?”

 Dawn paused, “Should I?”

 ‘Well, this was mostly his idea.” Buffy answered.

 “So, Wes is okay with you boinking another demon?” Her sister’s indignant tone came over the line.

 “First off,” Buffy growled, making Clark look around to see if anybody was listening. “I haven’t boinked anybody,” she said lowly. “Secondly, he’s not a demon, and third, when the hell did you turn into mom!”

 “Maybe when I became a mother.” Dawn said exasperated. “Now give him the phone so I can give him the usual sisterly threats so he can know exactly what kinda hell he’ll reap if he hurts you.”

 “Dawn,” Buffy warned.

 “Do you actually think I won’t show up there.” Her sister countered.

 Buffy’s eyes looked at him apologetically, and he saved her the humiliation of having to ask by holding out his hand. She sighed gratefully and handed him the phone.

 “Hello,” Clark greeted.

 “Now you listen here bub,” was the first thing she said. “I don’t really care what you are but if you do anything to hurt my sister, I will open a vein and send you to Quor’toth, do you understand?”

 Clark cleared his throat. “I have no intention–”

“Of course you don’t,” She interrupted. “They never do. Now put me back on with my sister.” He blinked in surprised and shrugged, handing her back the phone.

 “I think your threat was kinda lost on him, Dawn.” Buffy said in amusement, looking at a confused Clark. “I really don’t think he knows what Quor’toth is.”

 “Well maybe you should tell him,” Came the snarky reply over the line. “Anyway, you better give me a phone call when you can talk in private, after the kids, me and Xand’s sex life isn’t exactly popping. So, I wanna know everything.”

 A blush spread over Buffy’s cheeks, “There’s really nothing to tell Dawn.”

 “Liar,” Dawn countered.

 Buffy rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll call you in a few hours.”

 ****<S>**<S>****

 They had stopped by the school to grab the rest of Clark’s things before he went home. Buffy giving him an extra backpack she had lying around to store them in. Thankfully, both Gunn and Faith were out, so they didn’t have to deal with any unwanted confrontations.

 “What time does your flight get in tomorrow?” Clark asked, adjusting the strap on the backpack.

 “1000…I mean Ten in the morning.” She answered.

 “Do you want me to pick you up?” He asked.

 She smiled shyly, “Only if you want to, but there will be quite a lot to do before we can make it to Smallville.”

 “Such as?” He asked, stepping closer and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Not really knowing how to stop himself from touching her since he knew he wouldn’t see her again until tomorrow.

 “Well,” she said, stepping closer. “I’ve gotta open the safehouse and get you a keycard to get in.” She reached her hand up her fingers running along the seam of his outer shirt. “There will probably be some sort of contract as far as payment for helping us goes, that I’ll need to print out.”

 “Payment?” He asked, confused.

 Buffy nodded, “Of course, If you help us stop an apocalypse or go on a mission with a bunch of Slayers, you get paid. The amount however, depends on how serious a situation it is.” She looked at him softly, “You didn’t actually think we would ask you to do any of this without some sort of compensation, did you?”

 He looked away and shrugged. “I honestly didn’t think about it.”

 She smiled, “You really are the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.”

 When he met her eyes, she had moved even closer, but this time he wasn’t scared. His arms immediately wrapped around her and he lowered his head and brushed her lips softly, not taking it any farther than that. He leaned his head against hers and whispered. “I wish I didn’t have to go yet.”

 “Me too.” She admitted, “But it’s okay, we’ll see each other tomorrow.” Then her eyes brightened and she pulled away. “I almost forgot, I got you this.” She reached in her back pocket and pulled out a cellphone. “Here.”

 “That way, you can call me if you get bored.” She blushed.

 He grinned taking the phone from her hand. “Thank you. I definitely will,” and then he sighed as he put the phone in the backpack. “I definitely need to go, my mom’s probably already worried since I didn’t come home last night.”

 “Of course.” Buffy said, smiling sadly, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 Clark leaned forward and they kissed one last time, before he stepped back and shot into the air, looking below at the girl who was slowly changing his world.

[pas-de-bouryas]

You Rocked Jumps @ Jump PHX

Laci Stocio- Mibiso

Mikayla Isler- Baby I’m A Star

The Platform Dance- Girl Gang

Aimee Paredes- Do You Love Me

Shayne Knapp- Blackbird

The Platform- Wicked Games

The Platform- Distortion

The Platform- Ego Death

The Platform- Eat

The Platform- Fade

The Platform- Wind Beneath My Wings

The Platform- Joyner

The Platform- My Lovin

Aidan Sullivan- Ready

The Platform- Wild Hearts

The Platform- Smash Bros

The Platform- 1 Dance

Brightyn Rines- End Of Love

The Platform- Drip

The Platform- Kingdom Vallely High

The Platform- Wash Hs

The Platform- Get Up

The Platform- B

Lucia Piedrahita- Fields Of Gold

Devin Mar- Lonely Place

Tegan Chou- Multiverse

Enmy Claire Kaiden- Eyesore

Riley Platenberg- Talking Points

Erin Park- Respire

Adam Takahashi- Fullmoon

Katie Couch- Distant Earth

Addison Leitch- Heart On The Table

Ell Horan- Profundo

Kailyn Li- I Never Left

Kiera Sun- The Full Circle

WDP- Aurora

Alyssa Park- Switch

Campbell Castner- Fallen

WDP- Pulse

WDP- The Trial

WDP- My Love

WDP- Obsidian

WDP- Santa Fe

WDP- Strings

WDP- Illusions

WDP- One More Cup Of Coffee

Danceology- Level Up

Fiona Sartain- The Way You Move

Peyton Szuberla- Glacier

Keelyn Jones- Slowly Fading

Danceology- My Hands Are Always Cold

Abbi Francis- Feel It Still

Kylie Kamiskey- The Offering

Makaia Rouix- Everything I Wanted

Kayla Harrison

Danceology- Night Thirst

Danceology- Time Passing

Caroline Skrable

Brooke Toro

Danceology- Dream Of Dreaming

Kenedy Barry

Naiya Abalos

Danceology- Just Got Paid

Alex Shulman

Avery Hall

Emma Donnelly

Emma Hellenkamp

Jade Bucci

Danceology- Busy Signal

Danceology- Its Weezy

Addyson Smith

Danceology- Rich Girl

Dancelogy- Cha Cha Heels

Danceology- Paquita

Danceology- Above Below

Danceology- Mary Poppins

Hailey Meyers

Danceology- Blind Faith

Courtney Chiu

Julia Christensen

Danceology- Not Today Satan

All These are club

Hollaback girl

both sides now

ellary day szyndler

slave for you

copa cabana

amaya weeks

yo

skin

baby mine

impossible

kortlynn rosenbaugh

elsie sandall

swan lake

ellie smith

bathing beauties

paquita

chapstick

harper schwalb

pump

navy forrest

vision of love

summer ohaver

bassline

barbie girl

physical

imani frazier

drum step

bamboo banga

tatum self

clap snap

wavy

let my touch

julia chavez

colby rich

the rose

who da baby

songbird

avery gay

din da da

alexis alvarez

a la cardi

alexis adair

jenn gamma

creator (end of club)

alexa lopez

rylee kiel

royal- evol

ashley spiller

kysten hamm

royal- rest easy

royal- makeba

royal- dance monkey

royal- uncertainty

royal- exhale

royal- eye on hand

royal- gulls

royal- baby

dc2- do you love me

dc2- courage

dc2- fastha

dc2- all shook up

dc2- mr lee (all theses are dc2)

tomorrows song

the reason

conga

mia larkin

kaylee jones

dawn

destinations

isaiah villegas

jailhouse rock

empty chairs

dreamin

come together

taylor morrison

cooking with grease

quiet please

redemption

silence

rise up

be italian

ellie duffin

letting go

light in the hallway

rsvp

fly

love shack

confession

swing kids

[bluebearquilts]

I’m am so excited to share this quilt with you. It’s my Glacier Park quilt and it is in the May/June issue of Love of Quilting magazine. The magazine should be in stores any day now. The fabric is from Riley Blake’s National Park collection. You can substitute many different national parks in that center panel. I just love the national parks and this was a fun quilt to make. Swipe left to see the quilt in a cabin, with a close up of the quilting, and also to see the magazine cover. The quilting was done by the Florida Quilting Center which is now called Happy Apple Quilting and is located in Michigan. Pick up your copy today and make a quilt of your favorite national park. #nationalpark #nationalparkservice #quilt #quilting #quiltsofinstagram #rileyblakedesigns #loveofquiltingmagazine #magazinequilt #quiltingdaily #bluebearquilts #happyapplequilts https://www.instagram.com/p/CMxpGQbHmz9/?igshid=1vtlo3882n4jd

[brooklynislandgirl]

47. “Is this what being poisoned feels like?” (from Larry)

Fall Into You || Accepting

"Yeah, well...not'ing like how it gonna feel when I shove one of dese size fours right up ya okole, Lar!" When Beth snaps back for a moment, glaring at the person behind her who has only just now set her on her feet. Her tone belies the flood of relief that courses through her veins and partially mitigates the pounding remnants of her migraine. Which she imagines is the result of whatever his goon put in her water. And that had to have happened when she'd poured herself into the back of the car at the end of her night or just before. Her normal twelve hour shift had become fourteen when the other nurse coming onto the ward had been two hours late thanks to the trains struggling to keep schedule. With Andy out of town ~Tabby in tow to some secret thing~ and Jay having accompanied her mother Donna to Chicago, Beth's options had been limited. She should have gone with a cab in hindsight. However, she'd been exhausted and hungry and therefore decided to take the rare luxury of the car service. She thought nothing of it when the black SUV pulled up with windows so darkly tinted that nothing short of a trip to the heart of the sun would allow the dimmest passage of light. She'd slipped into the buttery-soft leather seat. asked for a bottle of water. Receiving it and taking a long sip, she'd given the addresses to both her apartment and the O'Tooley's a handful of blocks away from it. She had wanted one of their double Inconceivable burgers with cheese and the largest saltiest greasy side of fries she could get her hands on before going home and hibernating for a month. Beth remembers closing her eyes for just a second.... ...And when she opened them again? She found herself being bridal-carried while inside an elevator by a man the size of a small mountain range. A quick scan of his genetics through shifted perceptions told her that despite the looks and the cheap suit he wore that this man was not a HITmark. A second later she regrets all of her life choices as a shrieking stab of pain lances through her brain. She tries to ward it off with another tug of her own thread in the Tapestry only to feel more agony. This one intense enough to draw a mewl of sound from her. "I wouldn't continue to do that, Miss Riley," the Mountain Range said. "My employer is a very cautious man." Icy fear provoked her into obedience as she tried to imagine who wanted to kidnap her, who had the resources to do so with impunity, and worse, had some way to invalidate her magick. Fortunately, the answer is now staring her in the face, quite literally. He is surrounded by a designer suit, dark woods, and an incredibly sumptuous penthouse that, if not for the current circumstances, would have taken her breath away with its ambient beauty. Instead, it turns fear to outrage. Outrage that transforms into sharp, bitter concern when she gets a good look at Lawrence Lynch. The man was perhaps the single whitest haole she's ever seen in person. If not for the piercing blue eyes that she's only ever seen in Huskies, she might have wondered if he had a touch of albinism. Blond hair this side of angels' wing white, the stereotype Irish pallor. Tall, and broad through the chest ~something she's absolutely sure has more to do with his impeccable posture than sheer muscle mass, she has to admit he's typically stunning. Especially when a hint of cruelty ices his gaze or curves his lips. He doesn't look that way now. His eyes are fever-bright and there's even less colour to him. If Glaciers could sweat she's sure he'd be doing that right now. He isn't. She jerks her shoulder out of the Mountain Range's grasp and makes the small march until she's standing toe-to-leather Oxford-toe with him and she can't help but reach out and press her wrist to his brow. No heat radiates. If anything he's colder than he ought to be. For him she risks another jolt of pain, which comes on the heel of her scanning him the way she had the goon and pairing it with a wince, courting paradox by not doing anything physical to make her exam seem coincidental. For a moment though

there's a flash of colour other than green and honey taking him in. Her brows furrow and she tilts her head to the side, lips pursing in confusion. A stunted little breath that can almost be heard as she exhales. At a loss, she reverts to the Old Ways. The hand so lately inclined to grace his brow is brought around to the back of his neck, fingers cupping him with a surprising amount of strength from one so physically smaller than he is. As she rises up on tip toes like a wave, she pulls him down until she's nose to nose with him, brow to brow. Eyes closed now, Beth breathes him in. His breath. His spirit. His own sacred mana. That is when it happens. Almost before her soft, warm, cinnamon breath can waft over him her eyes shoot open, wide and fearful. Her mouth works silently, open and closing as she lets go and backs very quickly away from him. Her teeth, always a little small and too sharp and in need of a good orthodontist, grow unmistakably pointed. There's more than should comfortably fit in her mouth as she bears something that resembles a snarl. One that appears to be completely accidental as she lifts her hands to cover them. Hands that are a little greyish in hue and don't look as satiny as they often do. The appearance of tiny micro-scales fan out from her knuckles, her wrist bones. Her voice trembles with a mixture of fear and something akin to disgust. "Oh, Larry...wha....what did you do?!"