#she saw i always got black roses with violetta

[the-blind-geisha]

Artist: Pixie_Yuni

I grabbed the heavy WMed and low rez version because I don't trust the net. =P

But when I tell you that I cried... would you believe me?? I was waiting for it to be time to go into work when she finished my commission and sent it to me. I started sobbing at all the little details in regards to things I love. QwQ

The adorable lumas, the one wearing Dimentio's mask and a korok--AAH! Like omgosh!

I feel every time I look at it again, I see something new she snuck in! ;^;

I swear, when I commission friends it's the best results ever! ;^; Thank you so much, bestie!!

[prettyyoungandbored]

After Party [’Always There’ sequel]

Pairing: Nikki Sixx x Reader

Request: Can you do a sequel to Always There? Reader married Nikki in 1989. They have one child, a daughter born in 1992. Reader’s involved in making the Dirt book and film. Daughter is a fashion model and visits the set one day with her professional hockey player husband and their 1 year old son. Reader’s actress is British and has been dating Douglas Booth since they met on the set of the 2016 movie Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Reader’s actress played Jane Bennett in it

I like the name Hayden Delilah Sixx for the reader and Nikki’s daughter in the sequel to Always There.

In the sequel to Always There, can you have the cast, the band, Hayden and her husband and son, Mick’s wife Seraina Schönenberger, and Vince’s wife Rain Andreani attend the premiere? Tommy’s wife Brittany Furlan is part of the cast. She’s the one who crawls up to Iwan and asks “hey, are you in the band” in the opening scene. Hayden was born a Sixx and changed her last name when she got married. Her son was born in 2018, the year the cast filmed the movie.

Read Always There

A/N: This was a tough one, but I really, really tried. 

Cameras were flashing at the premiere of “The Dirt”. Y/N and Nikki held hands, smiling for the cameras.

They had taken a few group photos with Vince, Tommy and Mick before Nikki and Y/N took theirs together.

It took them years to help write the book, months of pre-production, months of filming, and god knows how long for editing, but here it was. The project was a labor of love and something the couple were happy to do together.

Like everything in their life - music, rehab, family - Y/N and Nikki were in together, side-by-side.

“Y/N!”

Y/N turned to see Violetta Donaghue, the actress who played her in the movie. Violetta waved at her from across the carpet.

Y/N, who served as a co-producer on the movie, was adamant about finding the right actress to portray her. She was just as adamant about making sure the actress and actor playing her and Nikki weren’t milking their relationship on screen. It had to look real and honest.

It was by coincidence that Y/N found Violetta. Y/N was looking at videos of Douglas Booth (after seeing his audition for Nikki on tape) on YouTube when she discovered a video of Douglas and Violetta entitled “Douglas Booth and Violetta Donaghue’s Cutest Moments.”

The two had starred in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, playing husband and wife. Their chemistry was undeniable, both on and and off screen. It reminded Y/N of her and Nikki back in the day and was hell bent on having the two of them to portray her and Nikki on screen. 

Surprisingly enough, convincing the couple to do it together was fairly easy. Both Violetta and Douglas were excited to work together.

Y/N excused herself from Nikki, leaving him to take pictures with Douglas and the rest of the boys. She made her way to Violetta, wrapping her arms around her.

“Y/N Sixx, congrats on the movie!” the reporter said. “Tell me, how much guidance did you give Violetta in terms of portraying you.”

“Well, we both spent so much time together during the pre-production, like almost every single day, you know, practicing and going over scenes and where my thought process was at that time,” Y/N explained. “Violetta was always asking questions, making sure I felt I was represented properly, which for me was so comforting. I’m extremely grateful to have had her play me. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better.”

Violetta gave Y/N a hug. “I’m gonna fucking cry,” she chuckled.

Y/N threw her head back laughing.

“It’s been such an honor to play a badass, just, fucking incredible woman who rose above everything and made herself the legend she is,” Violetta said. “There are things about her that have inspired me personally and I’m overall extremely lucky to have gotten to play her.”

“Shit now I’m gonna cry,” Y/N laughed.

The two women laughed and Y/N said, “C’mon, let’s get our picture so we can go party.”

She took Violetta’s hand as the two women posed together for the camera before Douglas and Nikki swooped in.

“They want a group photo of us with the actors,” Nikki said

Y/N nodded as she and Violetta joined Nikki, Douglas, Iwan, Mick, Colson, Tommy, and Vince. Daniel, the actor who played Vince, was unable to attend but sent his best.

After a few photos, Nikki leaned in and whispered, “Let’s head inside.”

She nodded when it hit her. “Where’s Hayden and Ashton?”

“She texted me that they’re inside. They didn’t want to do pictures.”

Y/N nodded understandingly as Nikki took her hand and they made their way off the carpet.

Inside the afterparty, Y/N scanned the room for her daughter and son-in-law, finding them off to the side with Brittany Furlan, Tommy’s wife.

Y/N ran over to her daughter, her daughter’s eyes lighting up at the sight of her mom. 

Hayden was Nikki and Y/N’s only child. Nikki and Y/N married in 1989, and waited a few years to have a child. In 1992, Hayden Delilah was born. She had Nikki’s jet black hair and Y/N’s sparkling eyes and smile. She had the wild child look guys dug and girls wanted to be like. It was that same look that made her a successful fashion model, having been the face for Dior, Gucci, and was for a brief time, a Victoria Secret angel.  

 The mother and daughter embraced in a tight hug. 

“I’m so happy you guys came!” Y/N said. 

“Yeah, we’re excited to be here!” Hayden said.  Ashton, Hayden’s husband, came over and gave him mother-in-law a hug. He was a professional hockey player with tousled, dark brown hair,  thick eyebrows and a jawline that could cut someone. He smiled at his mother-in-law, going in for a hug. 

“I was half-expecting you to have a black eye after the last game,” Y/N remarked. 

He laughed. “I was lucky. The other guy, not so much.” 

“So where’s my grandbaby? Where’s Nick?” Y/N inquired. 

“She was showing me pictures and I swear to God, I’m gonna steal that baby,” Brittany interjected. “He has the most beautiful eyes.”

“I know!” Y/N said, putting her hand on Brittany’s shoulder. “Like every time that baby looks at me I just wanna cry. I don’t care how biased I am, he is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen.” 

“Are you guys going to have more?” Brittany asked Hayden and Ashton. 

The couple shrugged. “We’re just enjoying time with him,” Hayden answered. 

“Holy shit!” Colson said as he, Violetta, and Douglas joined them. “Last time I saw you, you were fucking huge.” 

Hayden cackled as she threw her arms around the rapper. Hayden visited set a lot last year while she was pregnant with Nick. She had taken a year off from modeling to enjoy pregnant life and spent time hanging out with her parents on set of “The Dirt”. 

“Can you believe he’s going to be one soon?” Hayden said. 

“He’s gonna be one?!” Violetta exclaimed. “Are you kidding me?! Where has the time gone?” 

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Brittany agreed. 

Y/N let them finish their conversation as she went off to Nikki, who was deep in conversation with Mick and his wife, Seraina.

==========================================

Hours later, Nikki and Y/N watched as Colson and Hayden performed karaoke together. Y/N had her head nestled on Nikki’s shoulder. 

“Douglas said he’s gonna propose to Violetta,” Nikki told her. 

Y/N lifted her head up. “Are you serious? When?” 

He shrugged. “He didn’t say. Just that he was looking at rings. He already got her dad’s permission.” Nikki chuckled and motioned to Ashton, who Tommy currently had in a headlock as Brittany took a photo of them. “Remember when Ashton asked us?” 

She chuckled, the memory playing over in her head. Ashton had managed to get both Y/N and Nikki alone. His nerves were nowhere to be seen, but he was honest and vulnerable about his feelings towards their daughter. It reminded Y/N of how Nikki proposed to her. No drama or over-the-top props - just him laying out his feelings about why he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. 

She turned to face Nikki. “You know how I knew it was real between Douglas and Violetta?” 

“How?” 

“When they were doing the scene of us after we found each other after...you know...” She shook her head. “ I remember after the cameras rolled and Violetta couldn’t stop crying and neither could Douglas...how they clung onto each other. I felt like I was watching us.” 

Nikki smiled, taking her hand in his. “I felt that way throughout filming.” 

Their eyes turned to Douglas and Violetta, who were conversing with Mick, Seraina, Vince, and Vince’s wife Rain Andreani. Douglas’ hand soothingly rubbed up and down Violetta’s back, much like how Nikki had done and still did with Y/N. 

While they were happy to see their love story inspired another couple to live happily ever after together, it was nothing compared to the real thing.

[rose-demica]

Nerves,

Fandom: Ouran High Host Club

Series: Unnamed WIP

Pairing: Kyoya Ootori / Violetta Tatsuya 

Tags: @evilskank-inthemegacoven​

This is probably not cannon with the future fic, but I love it. 

A magazine article reveals Kyoya and Violetta’s best kept secret, as the world comes to terms with it, our couple fight over who leaked the news, how it became public knowledge. This is set a week after that fight. 

Lady Violetta Tatsuya wasn’t normally one to feel nervous, the only times she normally did was when she had to deal with her father. Everything else had been so easy compared to what she faced every time she walked down those overly white corridors towards the room her addled father permanently occupied.

Yet today her nerves fluttered in her stomach like thousands of butterflies seeking nectar. A smile tugging on her lips as her hands tugged her hair from its tight ponytail, barely noticing her nervous reaction as she poured over paperwork.

This was the first formal occasion that they were going to together. As an actual couple rather than business partners. Where they didn’t have to hide the adoration and love they felt for each other or had held. She couldn’t quite be sure anymore.

They’d practically been avoiding each other since the news of their relationship had broken, press releasing their best-kept secret out into the big wide world. The outrage that accompanied was insane, their relationship had always been the subject of gossip, but once it had been confirmed...

It didn’t help that neither of them had each others back, Violetta had blamed him for the leak in the same breath he’d blamed her. The fight that they’d both put up to defend themselves had her household staff shrinking away in fear, priceless trinkets shattered as she’d thrown them at him, kicking him out of her house as she felt her relationship crumble. Forced to deal with the ramifications of such a big secret alone and without her partner at her side. Neither willing to back down and apologise to each other, even as the truth about where the gossip magazines had got their information from came to light. It was how they were, neither of them could swallow their pride and admit they were wrong.

Therefore it was a massive surprise when a bunch of lilac roses were delivered to her office in the early hours of the morning, a handwritten note within asking her to accompany her to the party that she had to attend that night regardless. A text message following within the hour; ‘I mean it Vi, I’ll pick you up at six.’

The nerves hadn’t stopped since. Violetta knew that this was as close to an apology as she was going to get from her other half. They’d never been very good at apologising if it was something they had done. Comfort and support they both could do, but when it came to actually apologising for a mistake, that was something they hadn’t yet encountered in their relationship... but now?

Violetta had never felt so scared before.

The nerves stuck with her, growing stronger with each passing tick of the old clock that sat in her office, reminding her once again she’d always meant to get rid of the grandfather clock, still standing in the same corner it had when her father had inhabited this office. Her attention continually flicking up to it, before dropping back down to the cases she was meant to be dedicating her attention to.

She waved off the offer of lunch, she was too nervous to eat. She hadn’t seen her lover since the fight, hadn’t spoken a word to the man she usually couldn’t go a day without seeing and while getting a bunch of flowers out of the blue wasn’t a surprise, the terror that came at the thought of seeing him again was.

They’d never fought before, not truly, and never for more than a day. Yet it had been a week, a week where she was too scared to contact him, despite the multiple attempts at typing an email or sending a text. Fingers shaking as she attempted to dial his number, only to hang up before it could ring properly. She had had no idea what to say to him then, how to fix everything, and she had even less now.

Her hands were still shaking when people arrived at her door, makeup artists and hairstylists that were escorted to one of the guest rooms. Butlers hesitating at her door with orders to force her from her work and to get ready, but no one knew how to deal with their Lady in tears. Water droplets rolling from her eyes as her hands shook, rereading the same message from him over and over again. ‘I should have known better.’

Three years, three years together and all she got was a text message to end it. She thought he was better than that. That they had meant more to him than that. Her phone buzzed once more in her hand, a picture of him lighting up the screen as a call came through. She’d taken the photo on one of their ‘business’ trips away, he was curled in the centre of the large bed, arm stretched out to one side almost invitingly, his black hair a mess, only slightly smooth at the front where her fingers had combed through it. One eye cracked open slightly to reveal the dark brown iris beneath. It was her favourite photo because it showed a side of him only she got to see. When his guard was truly down.

Her finger hovered over the answer button, wondering if she could really handle talking to him right now. It had been a week without hearing his voice, Her hesitation took too long, the call ending before she could decide whether or not to answer.  

Almost immediately after a text popped up from him. ‘Answer your phone.’ A call barely seconds behind it, the message replaced with the exact same photo of her lover. Her hands shook, but she answered the phone lifting it to her ear.

“What?” She snapped, masking her tears with anger, she wouldn’t let him see her cry, not anymore.

“I wanted to explain myself.” His voice, velvety smooth as always, held notes of distress, and Violetta could hear yelling in the background.

“You made yourself perfectly clear. I just never imagined you would-” Violetta’s voice broke as she tried to say the next words.

“I’m not breaking up with you Vi, not now, not ever.” He knew what she was going to say, cutting her off before she could force the words to leave her throat. Still, her breath caught, he’d said the words to her before, but never with such force and determination. “The message sent before I could finish typing it, and I knew after this week that you would think the worst. I wanted to say that I should have known better than to think you’d let our secret slip. I should never have blamed you, and I definitely shouldn’t have ignored you for this long. God, I thought about you every moment of every day, but I just - I couldn’t-”

“Me neither.” Violetta sat back in her chair, releasing her hair from its ponytail so she could run her fingers through it, smoothing out the knots she herself had caused. Nothing but breathing on the other end of the line, neither could quite bring themselves to say the words that they both knew needed to be said.

“I’ll see you tonight?” He asked softly, and she could almost hear the weight slide off his shoulders as it lifted from hers. No matter what happened, they would get through it, even if they never apologised to each other with words.

“Yeah, yeah you will.” Violetta hung up the phone, putting it down and lifting her hands to wipe the tears from her eyes.

“My Lady, the help Sir hired is here to help you if you are ready.” The butler spoke softly, at ease with the title they’d all given to her partner with each passing moment he spent at her side.

“Very well.” Violetta tucked her phone into her pocket, a light smile on her lips as she headed down to the spare room.

Her smile didn’t falter as she got ready, light chattering around her. The nerves finally settling when she realised he wasn’t mad at her. That despite everything, they were going to be okay.

Her smile grew as a custom made ball gown from her favourite designer was delivered, the woman herself on hand to oversee how the gown fitted. A smile of delight as she saw how her halter neck dark violet gown hugged the woman’s curves, before flaring out slightly at her waist, red and gold beading around the bust and up the collar seeming to highlight Violetta’s auburn hair, matching golden heels winding their way around her legs, visible through the slit along her right leg.

Her smile faltered when the clock chimed six and her date wasn’t at her door, he’d always been punctual, always, if anything he prefered to be early. Her hands drifted to her phone, pressing a button to check and see if she’d missed any messages or calls.

At five minutes past, she was pacing, heels clicking loudly on the marble floor of her foyer. Fingers typing messages on her phone before deleting all of them. A butler took the phone from her fingertips as she walked past him again, taking away her distraction.

At ten minutes past she was sitting on the stairs, legs crossed and purse abandoned at her side. Every bone in her alight with the same nerves and fear that had overtaken her that morning. He must have changed his mind, decided she wasn’t worth it unless the whole thing had just been some sort of prank-

She felt as though she’d been stood up, the flicker of hope she’d fed throughout the afternoon dying out as the minutes ticked on, sitting on the stairs inside her mansion, she’d never truly felt more alone. Her driver stepped forward, keys in hand, but the gentle shake of her head stopped him. She knew how important this engagement was, and she would be the first to accept it if she had to go alone, but right now, she just wanted to give him a few more minutes to appear.

A car door slamming pulled her from her thoughts, footsteps quick up the stairs and her front door thrown open. A sigh of relief falling from her lips when she saw him standing in the doorway. His normally impeccable black hair was slightly mussed, dark brown eyes sweeping over the foyer from beneath his glasses, a rare smile pulling at his lips and flooding into his eyes when he noticed her position on the stairs.

“You’re late.” She stated simply, standing and picking up the golden clutch bag that accompanied her dress.

“I am so sorry. I got forced to change at the last minute and-” He cut his excuse off, pushing his glasses up his nose. “You look beautiful Vi.” She smiled, walking down the stairs and reaching up to straighten his tie. He smiled, leaning down slightly to steal a gentle kiss from her lips.

“I have something for you.” His hands rested on her waist, spinning her slightly so her back faced him, she lifted her hair automatically as he let a chain fall over her neck, doing it up with the same ease he always had. A tender kiss pressed to her neck as she lifted the small necklace. It was simplistic, the infinity sign tangled in amongst the chain, and as her fingers ran over it, she could feel an engraving on the back.

“Our names, Vi I am so sorry. I should never have-” She cut him off with a kiss.

“I’m sorry too.” She whispered, fixing his hair before slipping her arm through his, “and we can make it up to each other later, but we are going to be late.” He smirked at her, kissing her temple before leading her down towards the waiting limo.

The nerves in her stomach settling for good now that his arm wrapped around her.

[theblackeyedman]

Chapter Two

Visions flickered across her mind, even though she knew she wasn’t really seeing anything. The strange family from before lingered in her head. Inky darkness was the only thing Magda saw when her eyes opened. She sat up with a start and only managed to hit her head on something hard about five inches above her face.

“Ow…” she mumbled to herself before running her hands along the walls to try to figure out where she was. A coffin. How long had she even been in there? She must have been running out of oxygen. There was no way she could survive being buried alive.

That’s when she broke down into sobbing and pleas for help even though she could tell by hitting the lid that she was already six feet under. Hyperventilating started as she tried to figure out where she was and what had happened to her. When she remembered what Etta had done, she only cried more.

Eventually she calmed herself through deep breathing and tried to reason with herself. She told herself, “I can’t be in a coffin, I’m awake so I must be alive!” She felt her chest, and no sign of what Violetta had done remained. Magda also noticed something more peculiar, she lacked a pulse.

Recognizing that threw her into a panic again. Hopelessly sobbing and wailing that she needed help. Through trembling breaths, she calmed herself back down. “I just have to break the wood…” she reasoned with herself. She understood on a rational level that it was impossible, but when she started hitting the lid it broke rather quickly. Dirt fell in on her, and she started to quickly push it to the empty parts of her coffin.

The dirt would have crushed her, but for some reason it didn’t. She slowly clawed herself up through it, holding her breath as she made her way up, but once again, it didn’t affect her. Magda didn’t know what was going on, but she wasn’t going to question it until she made it to the surface.

Her hand broke through the ground and scrambled to grip onto wet grass and she finally pulled herself back into the land of the living. The moonlight hurt her eyes, but the gentle rainfall felt good on her skin. The water sung her skin as it hit the scrapes and cuts she had received from her ascent. It took her a few moments of heavy breathing and crying before she realized she wasn’t alone.

Three dark figures stood before her, each of which were holding a black umbrella and just watching her recover. Quickly, she sat up with wide eyes and stared back at the trio. “Can… can I help you?” Magda spoke softly, her voice sounding scratchy and her throat feeling even worse. At first, she assumed that they were the family from the night before, at least she assumed it was the night before. She had no idea how long she had been underground for.

The one in the middle was the first to speak before the others could stop him, “That dress looks horrible.” He spoke in a bored, drawling voice. Magda made a face, but looked at her dress. It was her funeral dress, the one she had worn to every one before and now even her own. Unfortunately, the dress had gotten ripped and tattered as she had pulled herself through her broken coffin and the earth. She glared at her clothes, tearing up. Her own family didn’t even have the decency to bury her in pastels like she wanted.

One of the other figures spoke up before Magda could reply. “Nikolai Vali Dragos you leave that poor girl alone!” The voice that came out of the figure was very feminine and chastising, “Niki, she has been through a lot in the past few days, she doesn't need your attitude in the slightest.” A woman stepped out of the darkness to get close to Magda and knelt down by her to gently wipe off some of the dirt from her face with a lace handkerchief. When Mag finally got a good look at the woman she was shocked.

The woman was absolutely stunning, prettier than the four armed woman from before. She had long silk jet black hair, perfectly smooth caramel skin, and silvery grey eyes. She had a kind smile and a gentle touch as she wiped the excess dirt of Magda’s skin. “Are you Magdalena Moscovici?” Magda nodded mutely, unable to bring herself to respond because she was far too focused on staring at the woman. Then the first figure spoke again in his bored, drawling voice.

“Mother, can you not call me Niki, please?” He sighed exaggeratedly and the woman turned her attention back on him.

She spoke with a kind voice, “Niki, I just don't want to let you be so rude to people is all.” She smiled and went over to kiss her son’s head. He shoved her away gently, which made Magda angry. She would have given anything to have her parents, and this brat can’t even find the patience to let his mother give him the slightest bit of affection.

Magda watched them carefully with wide eyes, murmuring softly, “What day is it…?” She certainly seemed a bit dazed as she spoke. Valera laughed gently, the sound was kind and soft.

“Where are my manners,” Valera touched Magda’s head, “today’s date is September 28th.”

“But Florica’s funeral was…” Magda counted on her fingers, a bit too stunned to do the mental math, “September 8th?”

Valera sighed in concern, obviously much more concerned with helping Magda than angry she didn’t seem to understand. “The turn is remarkably difficult for many of us, and as you are much stronger by blood, it just must have taken longer.”

Finally the third figure spoke. “Nikolai, Valera, we’re here to help young miss Magdalena.” He chuckled warmly and moved over to Valera, setting down his umbrella and kissing her cheek. Magda caught a glimpse of him in the moonlight. He was a bit shorter than Valera, who was rather spindly, but he seemed very charming. He had dark hair as well, brown eyes, and skin so pale his veins were easily visible. When he smiled with Valera, something sharp glinted from his mouth. A fang.

Magda focused in on the trio and she noticed that the smell of gravedirt, roses, and blood clung to them. Valera spoke up again, smiling softly, “Vorian, my love, I believe young miss Magda isn’t just one of us, she is most likely a strigoi.” Vorian nodded with a kind smile that mirrored Valera’s.

Magda had pretty much no idea what they were talking about.

“Isn’t a strigoi a type of vampire? That can’t have anything to do with me, can it?” Magda questioned, looking up at the trio with wide eyes.

Valera touched Magda’s head gently, smoothing down her messy blonde hair. “Magdalena,” she spoke, “you already know you’re dead. You also know that how you died was unfair--” Magda cut her off.

“I died because my sister killed me, I don’t think that has anything to do with becoming a strigoi or any type of vampire, I should be dead!” She yelled at the three, obviously irritated she had to explain the cause of her own death.

Valera frowned, and Vorian spoke softly. “Magdalena, the woman who killed your father cursed your entire family. Becoming a strigoi has a few requirements and you fit them all. Being a the seventh child of the same gender in a family, which you are the seventh of Dimitri and Elda’s daughters. Living a life of sin--” Magda cut him off like she did to Valera.

“I didn’t lead a life of sin! I’ve always been a good person! I did my best in school and was nice to my elders--”

This time Nikolai cut her off, stepping up to stand with his parents, but not dropping his umbrella. “My father means that your faith faltered.” When the moonlight hit him, Magda was almost as shocked as when she first saw Valera. Nikolai was utterly gorgeous. The boy looked like his mother, jet black hair combed neatly out of his face, flawless light caramel skin, and warm brown eyes like Vorian. While he was a brat, he knew he was handsome, and generally he got away with it.

It took Magda a moment to refocus on being angry before speaking again, “So you’re saying because I stopped believing in any god when my family died that I’ve suddenly lived a life of sin?” She scowled at him and Nikolai snorted as he looked her over.

“You’ve most likely done a few debaucherous things in your life.” It took all of Magda’s willpower to not haul off and punch him in the face. How dare he judge her that way, he had no idea about anything she’s ever done, let alone her personal life.

Vorian broke up their argument, “The last step to become a strigoi is to die before marriage by being either executed for perjury,”

“I didn’t do that.” Magda spoke before Vorian continued.

“committed suicide,”

“Or that.” She piped in again.

Vorian sighed and continued, “or were cursed by a witch.” Magda swallowed hard and Vorian continued since she didn’t respond. “When the woman, Farena, murdered your father, she cursed your entire family through selling her own soul to the powers of hell. You wouldn’t have known this, but with you and Violetta dead, Farena’s soul has been consumed and she has died as well.”

Magda paused and frowned. Valera started finger combing the dirt out of Magda’s hair gently and Nikolai sat down on a headstone to wait for this conversation to be over. Magda couldn’t bring herself to speak, thinking about all of this was horrible and brought up all this grief she hadn’t even let herself deal with yet. Valera was the one to speak next. “Magdalena, we would like to invite you to come with us.” Magda looked up at her and Valera continued.

“We live in a small village called Urias, you must have never heard of it,” Valera smiled kindly as she spoke, “because it is a village for creatures of the night. Beings who would not be accepted by humans. It is hidden in the vast Devora Forest.” Magda knew that name. The Devora Forest was a so called haunted forest close to the city of Cluj-Napoca. A six hour drive from her home in Bucharest. She had heard stories of her friends who had family in Cluj-Napoca that had gone into the forest to explore and only found themselves turned around by thick fog.

Vorian chuckled gently, “Magdalena, in the village of Urias we help run what in the simplest terms can be called a boarding school. The Diavol and Vrăjitoare Academy.”

Nikolai piped up, “Basically it’s a crash course for new vampires, demons, witches, and werewolves.”

“Or anything in between. We try to be accommodating,” Valera mused. “Generally it’s a four year school, however it can be longer if needed.” Magda had so many questions she felt like her head was spinning, and the three must have noticed because they stopped talking about it. Then Valera made a soft shocked noise. “We forgot to feed Magdalena!” She cried out before she started fawning over Magda.

Magda leaned herself against her own headstone, “I don’t feel hungry,” she protested weakly, “honest, I feel fine.” But Valera could not be persuaded to stop. Nikolai took out a small bag that looked like a juice pouch and offered it over to his mother who quickly bit off a corner.

“Magdalena, please drink this.” It was weird, but Magda felt sure she could trust Valera, so she took the bag gently and started to drink.

Immediately she spit out the liquid onto the grass. She was so startled by it that it made her feel fairly nauseous. The taste in her mouth was metallic and heavy, and it obviously had to be blood. She knew it was blood when she took the bag and she was still shocked when she took a sip.

It took her a few moments before she started drinking from the bag again. The metallic taste bothered her, but it wouldn't stop her from draining it. Valera smiled warmly and kissed Magda’s head. “See? That wasn't so bad, now was it?” Valera pulled Magda into her arms and Magda could smell roses very heavily on her.

After accepting the hug from Valera, Magda pulled away gently and looked up at the trio. She sniffled softly as she looked at her family’s graves. She took in a deep breath before speaking quietly, “When do we leave?”

[theblackeyedman]

Chapter One

The brilliant morning light hit Magdalena’s dirt streaked window and broke through the sheer curtains. Her room was messy, but many pieces of furniture remained untouched. Most knick knacks and bookshelves were shrouded in a thick layer of dust. All of her pastel porcelain figurines unrecognizable under the grime. Disgusting dirty clothes, cellophane wrappers, broken china plates, and half eaten meals were strewn across the floor. Even in such a chaotic mess, the only thing making a noise was the small ticking of her wall clock. Outside, the streets of Bucharest were busy as people rushed in the late summer warmth. Inside in the quiet, she was trapped in a dark, bitter dream. Magda kicked her blankets wildly and struggled with her sheets as she slept, only to further tangle herself in them.

The images were fuzzy, but she watched as a middle aged woman knelt over a bed. The woman had obviously not been taking care of herself. Her long slate grey hair was matted from neglect, and her face has completely tear soaked. She began doing something that looked like punching the pillows, but she must have been sitting on top of something. Spots of dark red started to hit her face as she continued her hitting motion. “Dimitri must pay!” An unrelenting voice in her her nightmare continued to shriek at her over, and over. The woman refused to let Magda sleep peacefully since her father, Dimitri’s, death, and it was no surprise she continued again. It was every single night for the past six months, and of course, it was always much worse after a tragedy.

“Dimitri, Elda, Sorine, Lizuca, Maria, Diona, Florica!” The voice continued to violently bellow repeatedly, just as it had done with its previous statement. A pounding started as it spoke, punctuating each name. “Dimitri! Elda! Sorine! Lizuca! Maria! Diona! Florica!” The pounding got louder and louder, until Magda’s fight with her bedspread knocked her off her mattress.

Tears rolled down her face as she sat up in the cocoon of blankets that she had accidentally created. The pounding wasn’t more than a gentle tapping on her door, and quiet female voice spoke from the other side. A young blonde woman, Violetta, gently opened the door and joined her sister on the floor. Violetta’s pale face mirrored Magdalena’s sorrow, but she wiped the tears off her little sister’s face. She spoke quietly, like it was painful for her to even whisper, “Magda, we have to get dressed and leave.”

“No… I know… I just… don’t want to,” Magda spoke up finally, “I’m sick of wearing that dress, Etta.” Violetta smoothed down the wisps of white gold hair that had escaped Magda’s braid before wiping her own eyes. Magda murmured to herself, “It’s so stupid… I hate seeing all black.”

Violetta smiled sadly, “Well, not everyone can share your opinions regarding pastels and funerals. Even if.. Even if Florica agreed, I’m sure our aunts and uncles would be scandalized.” She managed a soft giggle and kissed Magda’s forehead.

Magda sniffled and sighed, “Florica would have wanted us to wear flowers and celebrate her. She wore all pastels for everyone else’s funeral, she wouldn't want me to wear black.”

Etta kissed her baby sister’s head again softly, and paused for a moment before speaking again, “I need to go make some final preparations for Florica’s funeral,” she squeezed Magda’s arm gently, “I’ll meet you in the car after you’ve changed.” And with that, she left the room.

Slowly, Magda got dressed in the long sleeved jet black dress she had been wearing since her father’s funeral. Even though Etta had been so clearly against bright colors, Magda felt obligated to her older sister to wear something cheerful as well. She slid on a pair of knee high pastel yellow socks that had pink roses embroidered onto them. Florica’s favorite.

Magda was the youngest of seven girls, and while she was closest to Violetta in age, she was always so much closer to Florica. Florica had been in the car with their sister, Diona. Diona was texting her boyfriend while driving, and had drove her car off the road into a tree. She had died on impact, however Florica had made it out alive, but catatonic. Violetta had just approved pulling the plug on her.

Magda tied up her blonde hair in a messy bun, but without trying too hard. She tucked in a few dead, pink roses into her hair that had been given to her by an extended family member during Diona’s funeral. She looked completely disheveled; this was the seventh funeral in the past six months, she didn’t try to look too together anymore. She frowned at herself in the mirror, she thought she looked like a banshee, her robin’s egg blue eyes were bloodshot from how hard she had been crying. She put in a few eye drops to try to combat her miserable appearance before going down to the car to wait for Violetta.

After sitting down and waiting patiently for her sister, the door opened up and Etta got in the driver side. Her sandy blonde hair was tucked in a french twist, with their late mother’s mourning veil covering her face. It did her well, because Violetta wasn’t even trying to hide how red her blue eyes had become. She wore all black, her blouse was tucked into a medium length pencil skirt, and she had obviously made no attempt to honor Florica’s wishes of celebrating life. She smoothed down the fabric of her skirt before speaking gently, “Are you ready?” Magda nodded and sighed softly, and Violetta drove through the city to the graveyard they had become all too acquainted with. Etta put her hand on Magda’s shoulder gently, and offered a teary but sweet smile. “Magda… why don’t you go explore for a little while? I know you like the forest…” She kissed her sister’s head, and shooed her off.

Magda wandered around the old graveyard, weaving her way in and out of the headstones as she saw fit. It was a man made clearing of an elm forest. All of the graves were surrounded by the trees, so it always felt secluded, like a place you wouldn’t accidentally end up in. She slipped out of her socks and shoes, taking a bit of time to feel the warm grass between her toes. Out of nowhere, a drop of water nailed her in the center of her forehead. Rain. Warm summer rain started drizzling down from the cloud covered sky. For a moment, Magda was happy to stand in the light pitter-patter of the rain. Even as it began to pour, it took her a bit before moving out of the storm.

She made her way to the elm trees, and sat down underneath one to hide from becoming soaked to the bone. She stared out at the headstones becoming a darker color in the water, before she caught something curious. Her eyes fell on a very peculiar looking group of four. As soon as they had her full attention, all of their eyes turned on her.

The four were all in black, as if they were headed to a funeral. They appeared to be a family as they stood together, but something about them was just so troubling. Looking at them directly, you wouldn’t notice anything overtly strange. However, as Magda continued to stare at them, making unbroken eye contact, she noticed they certainly weren’t human.

The man leading the family was very tall, almost to be seven feet, Magda guessed. He was also remarkably skinny, like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. He wore a very expensive black suit, tailored perfectly to his odd body type. It would have made Magda giggle, but when she stared at his face the situation didn’t seem as funny. He looked like Nosferatu was late for a business meeting. It really would have been hilarious, but his dark eyes and terrifying smile sucked out all of the air from Magda’s lungs.

Gently, the white haired woman beside him placed a hand on the man’s arm, and broke the trance Magda was in. She was definitely intimidating as well, but not in the same way. Her sharp features made her stunning, and her figure was one that Magda assumed she worked hard at getting so perfect. The woman dressed in all black like the others, but she looked like she belonged in an award show rather than a graveyard. Her hair was pure white, like spider silk, and she wore it rather short, both sides shaved and the rest slicked back. Only as Magda continued gawking at the beautiful woman, did she realize that she was holding onto the hands of the two children beside her. As well as rest her hand on the man’s arm. She had four arms.

Shock ran through Magda, and to try to break away from the woman’s gaze, she turned her attention to the two children. One had jet black hair, and he appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen, and while he was dressed in a suit, he sure looked unhappy to be in a suit. The other child was a little girl, she appeared to be about the age of seven. Her hair was coppery, and completely and utterly tangled. She wore a black dress, but no shoes.

They both looked normal until the boy blinked, and the girl grinned. Magda started with an open mouth, the boy had five solid black eyes that were easily hidden under his messy black hair. The little girl scared Magda a bit more, very large baboon like canines protruded from her mouth when she smiled.

The family did something that shocked her worse than they had already done. The man smiled at her, chuckling. The woman rested her fourth hand over her heart and looked at Magda sympathetically. The boy smirked and winked the two eyes on the left side of his face. The little girl smiled brightly, which was horrific, and waved excitedly as seven year olds are known to do. As soon as they had completed their gestures of acknowledgement, they vanished.

---

Magda made her way back to the graveyard chapel a few hours later. It seemed to be the only place in Bucharest she actually knew very well, and now these weird people had made her feel like she was missing a huge piece of something. She slowly walked through the Moscovici headstones, trailing her fingers along the wet stone. Her family had moved from America to Romania after Dimitri’s death to be closer to her mother’s family, so Dimitri’s body was back in America with his family’s graves. After the weird group of people left the rain had stopped, and the sun had began to dry out the area. Butterflies flitted around the many flowers people had left for their loved ones.

Eventually as she was making her way through the headstones, Etta called out to her. Magda put her shoes and socks on and headed inside of the chapel. The funeral was simple and solemn. But, all of the extended seemed emotionally drained, and sick of the deaths and quite frankly, bored with it. Magda stuck out in the crowd of black, both due to the flowers on her and the fact she was soaking wet. Violetta and Magdalena stayed in the chapel long after the funeral, staring miserably at the coffin in silence.

After what felt like an eternity to Magda, they gathered their things, and they left. They remained silent, and they kept the radio off as they drove through the forest to get back home. When they parked the car on the street, Violetta stopped Magda from leaving the car, and held her sister’s hand crushingly tight. “Etta… are you alright…?” Magda spoke quietly, and began to dry her own eyes with her dress sleeve.

“Magdalena… No matter what happens… No matter what I do… I love you, and all I do is to protect you.” Etta’s hands were trembling miserably, and she looked… scared. Magda frowned, but nodded gently and left the car, weirdly eager to get far away from her.

Their family home looked old and broken, as none of the girls had taken care of it after their mother Elda’s death, and none of them had planned to. It was their grandmother’s home, but she hadn’t been in it since they had been in Bucharest. Violetta being twenty one, and Magda being almost seventeen, they were fine on their own, except for cleaning. Etta was messy, and Magda just never found the energy to clean lately.

The house was located in the suburb of Kiseleff, and compared to all of the beautiful homes around theirs, it looked like disgusting mess. A few of the windows were broken in, and everything looked covered in a thick coat of dirt. The lawn was overgrown but all of the plants on the property were either dead or dying. Magda walked over the dry grass and the fallen leaves as she made her way to the front door. Violetta stayed sitting in the car, which earned some strange glances from her younger sister.

The door creaked as Magda went inside her home. She turned on all of the lights in the kitchen, and grabbed one of the last bags of chips from the cupboard before heading up to her bed. She sat by herself on her unmade bed as she ate them, before tossing the empty bag on her floor. She flopped down on top of the covers, not even caring to take off her shoes and she fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

The dream started the same as it had last time. “Dimitri will pay!” She stood in the master bedroom and watched as the same withered woman from her normal nightmares raised her arm and brought down the knife on an already dead body. Blood soaked the bed sheets and Magda watched as the woman stabbed Dimitri over and over as she heard the woman repeat herself. She switched her words after a while, starting to rhythmically stab the body as she spoke as if it were an incantation, punctuating her words by bringing down her blade. “Dimitri! Elda! Sorine! Lizuca! Maria! Diona! Florica! Violetta! Magdalena!”

For the first time in her dreams, Violetta’s name and her own were added to the list. The stabbing thud had become much louder, and a searing pain bloomed in her chest. The voice started to scream the names as the stabbing feeling started to become more and more painful to Magdalena. That was when she woke up.

Violetta stood over her, blood dripping down her wrists. She looked empty as she brought the knife down on Magda’s chest and repeated the process just as the woman in her dream had done. She was on top of Magda, sitting on her chest with a knee on either side of her. Etta seemed to be trembling as she plunged the knife into her sister, and she started to cry as much as she could while she bled out. “Magda I am so sorry… Magda I’m sorry… I couldn’t leave you all on your own...” She continued to bring down the knife on her little sister until she collapsed. Magda struggled under the weight of her sister, feeling for a pulse and sobbing in pain.

Her older sister had died. Their combined blood soaking through the sheets and clothes. Breathing became difficult with the weight of Violetta crushing her chest and the blood seeping into her lungs. Magda was suffocating. She choked on her own blood, trying to cough it up and out of her chest but all she did was push what little air remained in her lungs away. Bright dots flickered across her vision, and void slowly engulfed her.