AlteredTundra

Edenridge

_{TIMESTAMP — Monday July 19, 2021 — After Meeting the Stargirl
Ft. Mordechai Boaz & Jade Taylor}

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After a small smile and a congratulatory pat on his cheek, Poppy had expressed interest in further exploring Aponi and the artwork throughout it. While the taller two of the group watched their friend as she began to wander, the smaller was already halfway down the nearest wall, gazing up at the bits of culture and history that made up most of the longhouse’s fixtures. Feeling comfortable enough with the fact that they could still see her- and after ReyRey’s threat he really didn’t want her going too far- Mordechai turned his gaze to Jade and tilted his head.

“Sorry for disappearin’ but I had ta have a chat with R2. We gotta stay away from him ‘til we leave, by the way.”

Jade sighed in acknowledgement. This was the last place she’d ever expect Rey Rey to be, but perhaps that was her own fault for not being as close to the Kingsnake as some others were - like Key. “Gotta say, Key, I had a lot of things on my bingo board. Rocking babes at a reservation wasn't one but I liked that surprise, but R2?” Another sigh as she looked at Key. The Blonde Angel Princess didn’t want to focus on R2, but he did cast quite the large shadow that had literally loomed over the four of them. “So we stay away from him. It’s not that hard. Big place this reservation. I’m sure he’s here for his own reasons and we got ours.”

Jade immediately flashed back to that night nearly six years ago. When she was outside as she heard Charlie’s screams as R2 wailed on him. The memory alone was enough to make the blonde’s entire body go cold, chills running from the top of her spine to her lean shins. “What about her?” Jade asked as she leaned closer to Key, her voice as low as she could make it while he could still hear her clearly. “Is it safe for us to find his sister with R2 hovering someplace?” She asked, the change in Jade’s demeanor clear as her hair among a crowd of dark-haired residents.

"It's fine," Mordechai reassured, leaning closer in order to make the conversation a bit more private. "He doesn't want anythin' ta do with it. I dunno, the way he was talkin' he doesn't give a shit what we do so long as we don't get in his way here."

The man that Mordechai had expected to talk to and the one he'd got had been drastically different. While he was expecting the same unhinged rage he remembered from over a month ago, instead ReyRey looked almost tired. Even his rageful threat seemed to be covering up for an exhaustion the man would only be willing to release once Mordechai turned his back. He wasn't sure what his leader had been up to since their last encounter, but it seemed like his ghosts were weighing him down slowly, just as Mordechai's had until recently. Just like everyone's had until they started truly confronting them.

"I don't…I don't think he wants ta be a snake here, I don't think he wants Edenridge here."

“I can’t say I blame him,” Jade admitted, finding herself agreeing. If everyone else wished they could forget about pain, forget about what forever tied them to Edenridge (for better or worse), what must R2 think and feel? Jade wasn’t especially close to him. She couldn’t go to R2 and ask him anything or have nightly talks about lost dreams and hopes for the future - not that R2 ever seemed like the wanderlust type. She was forever grateful to him for giving her a job when her Uncle Charlie was sent to prison and she wanted to do something outside of the club.

As she looked around. Even at face value, this seemed like a place untouched by Edenridge’s curse and how it can bring down even the most brightest of souls. “I won’t lie, Key. This place feels different. I can’t explain it, but it’s like it can heal you and make you see a lot more clearly than you normally would.” She smiled thoughtfully, giving Key her full attention. “I don’t know R2 like you do, but maybe that’s why.” She shrugged. Clearly Jade wasn’t entirely confident in her theory. For her, she knew ever since coming here and, especially after her cathartic conversation with Natalia, something about her has felt different.

“There always was somethin’ about bein’ outside of Edenridge,” Mordechai admitted to his old friend. “I dunno, maybe it’s because I came here as a kid that I feel safer here, but bein’ in Brownsville was weird because no one knew me. There’s somethin’ about not being in the center of the shitstorm that really helps with the clarity.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Wish I knew what it was like.” Jade frowned thinking about how she’s never been outside of Edenridge -- at least not for a prolonged amount of time. Only briefly when she’d visit her uncle in Boston at the prison, but never like how Key or, really, anyone she could think of. “Well, I guess the Angels clubhouse is kind of like that for me. They’re family, so i always feel safe there. But I guess it’s not the same, huh?” The blonde laughed, looking around for a second and then back to Key. “What was it like here for you? I mean, when you were younger? Or were you too young to remember that far back?”

“Nah, I didn’t meet Auntie Adora until I joined the serpents, so the first time I met her I was ten,” Mordechai frowned, eyebrows drawing together as he tried to recall the exact timing. “It was…some overlap between a national holiday and Blue Hill’s fall harvest, I think. I just remember the Kraeters and Britesons tossin’ me ‘n’ Danny in the back’a their car with Creed ‘n’ Jokes grinnin’ all stupid,” He lovingly rolled his eyes at the faded memory, not much more than everyone’s smiles still visible on his trip down memory lane. Of the eight people cramped into that station wagon on the Boaz brothers’ first trip to Blue Hill, only four of them were still alive today. The Briteson and Kraeters lost fifty percent of their family in one tragic day, and years later in the cafeteria of Edenridge High, Mordechai truly learned what that had felt like. “Adora’s only seven years older than me, but she looked at me and Danny that day and just took us in. It was the same feelin’ as when, uh…well, did I ever tell ya ‘bout the night Sonny and I first joined the serpents?”

Jade shook her head. “No but now I have to know.” All of Jade’s attention was Key’s now. For as long as she had known Key and, really, the rest of his crew, she couldn’t recall how most of them came to join.

“It didn’t start out great,” Mordechai warned, shrugging his shoulders and feeling the fabric of his shirt catching slightly on his scar. Vaguely, he waved his right hand over his left chest and collarbone. “It was the night I got this, another fun evenin’ with bored parents. I’d been tryin’a stop my coked out dad from beatin’ Danny, but it just turned them both on me. They made Danny watch the beatin’ ‘til he passed out then they locked him in our room and went at me with the cigs. They threw me outta the house and locked the doors once they were done, and Sunshine’s parents had a good go at him and kicked him out too. He picked me up and dragged me ta the corner where R2 welcomed us in and said he’d make it official the next day. He tried ta have us bunk for the night but we had ta stay back for Danny,” Mordechai laughed dryly, scratching the back of his neck as he looked his friend in the eye, well aware he never truly spoke of the things his parents did to him and Danny. They all knew where his scars had come from, whether he ever told them or not, so he just never brought it up and neither did they.

“So we go ta head back ta my house, and we’re gonna be sleepin’ under me and Danny’s window, right? Thunder and Slick, Jokes’ parents, give us their beanies and basically tell us they know what we’re gonna be doin’ and ta try and stay warm. We pass out as expected but when we wake up it’s all warm and soft. They’d picked us up after we passed out and took us ta their house on Olive. Kam stoked the fire and they’d built a nest on the floor for us ta sleep in. Jokes and Creed were asleep on the outsides, me and Sonny boxed in by ‘em, and in between us was Danny. Slick and Intel had broken into our room from the window and grabbed him when they grabbed us,” He was actually grinning at the memory now, remembering the warm feeling of safety for the first time ever as a child. At the time, aside from Rhonda Decker and the James parents, Mordechai didn’t even have any adults that he felt were trustworthy, so to have four of them suddenly around and with knowledge of their needs was weird to say the least. “Y’know when ya feel warm, but you’re still worried it’s all fake? Creed and Jokes’ family is so good at bein’ kind that it left my head spinnin’.”

Listening to everything that Key was saying, she couldn’t help but feel…something warm inside her. Was it Blue Hill? Was it their bond standing the test of time that she can still feel like she’s getting to know him more and more even after all these years? The blonde Harlot didn’t know. It was so clear that Key had lived such an awful life. She had known snippets, but never the full story. Both of them came from broken homes and found themselves into better situations. She had deadbeat parents and was taken in by her uncle and Key found himself in others’ care. They were more than just two gearhead-leaning kindred spirits - they were broken souls from broken homes who made it out.

Jade didn’t want his willingness to let her in go unappreciated. That’s when the blonde brought Key into a tight hug. No words. No warning. She just hugged him. It was awkward because she trapped his arms in hers and she squeezed as tight as she could. “I love you, Key. Don’t you ever forget that.” She lingered in that embrace until a few moments passed, but her hands were on his shoulders, gently yet firmly pressing on each one. “I mean it. I know..I have a lot to make up for. I wasn’t a good friend to you or Pops or anyone. I didn’t let anyone know what was going through my head, but that’s all changing. I promise, you are my family: you, Pops, Tov, Ran, Chase -- all of you are my heart.” God, why did her face feel so hot? Why did it feel like her heart was about to explode? And why did it feel cool all of a sudden. Her eyes felt watery and it dawned on her that she was crying.

“Hey hey,” Mordechai attempted to soothe, much more surprised by the tears than the hug he got from his childhood friend. He didn’t mean to cause a breakdown in his friend, and he felt kind of bad that her dark makeup was now streaking down her face like a grim clown. “We’ve all got our lives to live, Harley Head, I already told ya that I got no ill will towards ya. And hey, I love ya too,” he initiated the hug this time now that his arms were free, holding the platinum blonde tight and rocking lightly in place like he did when he comforted his kids. “I know it’s a lotta shit ta hear, and sorry for unloadin’ it on ya all at once, but it was really just for background so I could lead up ta how Blue Hill felt when I was younger. I couldn’t really answer your question outright since I couldn’t really describe the feelin’, y’know?”

He took the moment of pause as she cried to look around them and see where Poppy had gotten off to. He clocked her exactly where she said she would be, looking at the artwork, but he was surprised to see her immersed in a conversation with a tall man Mordechai vaguely remembered as Chief Coldwind. He was a good man that Mordechai had met a few times in his adolescence, and the snake hoped the two of them had good words for each other. Poppy needed more positive interactions, especially in a place with so many possible stressors. When he was sure she was fine, he continued his explanation to Jade.

“Blue Hill back then was about me bein’ taught that strangers can be kind and chosen family can be just as strong as blood, if not stronger. The BK fam bringin’ me an’ Danny here was them showin’ us we didn’t have ta have our muscles coiled and ready for somethin’ bad ta happen. I get relaxed here now because back then Adora and everyone was just tryin’a convince me that our safety at the time was real and not some sick game. Bein’ here helps unfuck my head, but it’s also hard ‘cause what I remember is actin’ like a caged animal the first few times we were here,” Feral couldn’t even begin to describe the way he acted every time a stranger on the res smiled and him or Danny, or tried to get close to converse with Adora or Tama and the rest of the family while they were out walking around. With Danny, Adora and the BK family unit, he had been a ball of misplaced protection instinct and learned aggressive responses against any outside source. Much like Tov and his family worked with TNT on his triggers when he and Conan were first adopted, the whole family and even some of the residents of Blue Hill had done the same with both Mordechai and Danny. Which leads his thoughts to, “It’s also weird… to only have Danny here in spirit. Aside from serpent runs with no hangin’ around, I’ve never been here without him.”

She just wanted to hug him again, but not just for him. She wanted to hug him for her, as well. Jade knew that she and Key had always come from the same cloth. They had broken families and were saved, but to the point that they both had that belief of a false sense of security within themselves. She had obviously felt that way for some time. Not long after her uncle had taken her out of the disaster that was her bio’s house and into a new home, she lost her Aunt Zippo. A woman that Jade looked up to when she was younger.

“I know it can’t be easy. There are days where I think about my Aunt Zippo. Taken from us way too soon. Like Danny was. I sometimes go to the clubhouse -- Fallen Angels Clubhouse, I mean -- to be closer to her. My Uncle Charlie told me a few stories about how it was just him, Zippo, and Uncle Demo, they used to piss off my grandpa so much by sneaking into his office and just blasting as much Nirvana as they could as loud as they could.” She laughed too hard at that thought. “It’s a tradition I do to this day. It makes me feel closer to her. It’s painful, but I think a little pain isn’t a bad thing if it gives you a temporary center.” As she looked at Key, in the back of her mind, she could understand how none of this really made any sense. “What I’m getting at is, maybe before we leave, if there is a place at this Reservation that you and Danny enjoyed going to, that could maybe help. And if you want to, perhaps you, me and Pops could all go together if she’s okay to.”If it was a long shot, Jade understood why. No matter how many gains she’s had within herself and with Key, she knew she had a lot of explaining to do to Pops and had a long road to recovery with her soul sister.

“Zippo was good people,” Mordechai offered with a sad smile, now thinking of yet another good adult that was taken away from the kids they loved while his parents were still back at their shitty little house, perfectly happy with the lack of children they now had. He’d only been a serpent for about three months at the time, and he remembers Jade not coming around for at least two weeks when Fiona Dawson died, the only time anyone saw her during that was at the funeral and even then she quickly disappeared after the casket was lowered. He had been the only one to find her at the time, up in one of the large trees far away from the condolences that broke more than it healed for people like them. It hadn’t been the first time he and Jade smoked a blunt together, but it was the first time that Decky personally offered her something harder. He always has been a bad influence.

“We spent a lot of time wherever Auntie Adora was, honestly, but she did show us this one field of native grassland and wildflowers. No matter the weather, me ‘n’ Danny would spend a whole day out there watchin’ the sky move. Even when it was rainin’ or snowin’, it was just so damn beautiful and like nothin’ we ever got ta see in Eden,” He looked up to the lights of the longhouse as though he could see the sky right through the roof and smiled tightly at the thought of going there without Danny but…for him. And for himself. For the sake of moving on the tiniest fucking bit after two years of emotional stagnation and self sabotage. “I wouldn’t mind goin’ there but… would ya mind comin’ with me ta his grave when we get back? Haven’t been there since the day after Carlisle, and I was blasted out of my mind so I don’t remember much.” He talked to Charlie, he remembers that much. Maybe he’ll have the balls now to do it sober.

The blonde softly smiled at Key. “I’d love that, Key. Very much.” Had she actually visited Little Danny’s grave since he passed? Maybe a few times, but never for prolonged amounts of time. Either she told herself that she was too busy or it was too painful or just excuse after excuse. The truth was, maybe like Key hadn’t because it was clearly too painful, she never allowed herself to do it. But they were both in better places. She was starting to find her purpose again and Key had gotten sober. The time felt right. “I don’t think I’ve been to his grave since the service,” Jade admitted, frowning at the admission alone. “Always had some excuse. Work, my uncle’s trial, but when it comes right down to it, I was just too afraid to go there alone.”

Mordechai tried to hold it in, but the self deprecating laugh made its way passed his lip before he could stop it. “Jade, I skipped outta town before the service even happened, didn’t even give it a full day ta be there for him. So…thanks, for being there when I couldn’t,” He looked into Jade’s eyes and the cloud forming over his head dispersed as he laughed quietly before grabbing a napkin off the bar and gently wiping at her cheeks and under her eyes. “Sorry for makin’ ya mess up your makeup, lemme fix it a bit.”

For the next minute or so, Mordechai was getting the smear marks off of his friend’s face before holding his hand out blindly for the blonde to drop her makeup bag into. He grabbed a wipe out of the pack and began to clear her face in earnest. They’d done coke in enough bathrooms together, and he’d held her hair back while she puked far too many times when they were teens, this was practically ritual for the two of them despite the two years lost between them. Over the course of the next five or so minutes, he blended out the foundation and powder on her face before pulling out her eye products, throwing on a dark shadow before giving her a thick but sharp wing on both sides. He finished her off with her mascara before handing her back the bag and smiling proudly. The whole time, he’d been taking in the silence to process his own words.

Not even a whole day…

“Did they get him buried in time?” He finally asked, forcing himself to keep eye contact. “Phil said he was takin’ care of it when I was gettin’ my motorcycle ta leave but it had already been like twelve hours by then…”

It was something so small, but the memories came flooding back. Those times of doing a line or two in-between periods and having to cover it up with some emergency patching, what Key was doing to wipe away the makeup that became a black mess on her face brought a smile to her face. But there was no blow for them to fill the gaps, no numbing agent of the pain that came with remembering Lil Danny Boaz, yet Jade, for the first time in a long time, felt like she didn’t need it. She had it in her bag back at Adora’s home, but she didn’t have this obsessive desire to run back to it and get it before Natalia came back.

“It was close,” she admitted with a small smile. “Phil and Shale worked overtime to make sure everything was in order. Everyone was. Serpents, Angels, the Phillips-Shomer family, but one of the main people who I can remember being a constant presence was that idiot Mika.” While Jade wasn’t especially close to Mika, she knew Key was. He was one of those people you couldn’t judge by looking at him. He looked like a dick and sometimes he proved that he was, but Jade remembered how much he kept it together during it, was a rock for those who needed a pillar to lean on. Was he close to Danny too? Jade had to assume so. With all of the support he provided, Jade knew that it hit him pretty hard.

“That’s…I’m really glad ta hear that,” Mordechai admitted, doing his best to just be happy that Danny had so many people there for him instead of thinking about how he as the one who should have been there most, wasn’t. “Badger steppin’ up tracks too, I’m surprised he didn’t ream me out for leavin’ him with the family work when he found me and Legs in New York.”

She fell silent for a couple of moments. All this time she had given him shit for being too cocky for his own good, only ever giving him the benefit of the doubt out of respect for Key,. For him to be the one who went out of his way to find Key in NYC, even she had to admit that put him in a new light. “Well, that I didn’t know.” She laughed, more so because she had a similar experience with him. “Did I ever tell you that he reached out to me?”

“What, really? Badger showed you his soft side?” Mordechai laughed with her. Mika left a lot out when he came to visit in New York, it seemed. He was proud of his friend and brother for all the stepping up to the plate that he never took credit for. He would need to sit him down private soon so they can have a genuine conversation about Mika’s role in working on the aftermath of Danny’s death. He needed to thank him, but more importantly he needed to know if Mika had any grievances about the time that he never got to air while he was busy being a pillar of support. “That’s a rare fuckin’ gem, Harls.”

She nodded, laughing some more. “We should totally throw him a party sometime. Make a theme of it. We can call it ‘How the Honey Badger became a Honey Bear!” The image of Mika’s irate face during this hypothetical had actually made Jade burst into laughter even harder to the point where it felt like she was going to explode. “I bet Ley would just love it too. She always did enjoy getting a rise out of him!” God, now this made her want to make this hypothetical into a reality.

“Oh, we can absolutely get Legs in on this,” Mordechai schemed, taking every moment that she laughed to burn that bright smile of hers into his memory. It had been a rare sight when they were kids but it was even rarer now, and he was worried he’d forget what she looked like when she was so happy. “And she can make him go anywhere. I’m honestly fuckin’ terrfied for her and Ley ta meet, because that is way too much bad bitch energy in one room,” He shivered dramatically before laughing again. “But if we have the kids too, he won’t do shit. I mean, he may go after me and toss me around a bit to get his frustration out, but he’ll sit at that fuckin’ party all day if we put Viva or Chai on his lap.”

“You serious? The great Honey Badger of the Southside has a soft spot for kids?” As if Jade had any room to speak. She practically melted when she held Chai this morning. Little kid would break any and all hearts and Jade would help him acquire the tools to do so - respectfully, of course. And the thought of Ley and Legs? How could Jade not get turned on by that thought. Both were hot as fuck and Jade knew that would make any fantasy any pig could come up with pale in comparison. “Okay, we are so doing this. I’m sure the Angels wouldn’t mind if we hosted it at the clubhouse.” As that thought remained for a few more moments, Jade somewhat-absentmindedly looked around. Not that she was in any rush, but she hadn’t seen half of their quartet for a while. She hoped everything was okay.

“A soft spot a mile wide, even, so much that he’s Viva and Chai’s Godfather” Mordechai confided. “Me and Legs had ta look up what the fuck that really meant becuase Jews don’t have those but we surprised him with it when Chai was born, just a little before I fell back into bad habits again. Shit, I had been sober most of Leg’s pregnancy but…” But it was rough at the end, with Mordechai’s mood taking a turn with Chai being born on Danny’s birthday and then the shooting’s anniversary came around. Taking a note from his serpent days, Mordechai had ruthlessly pushed his grief down to take care of Allegra and the kids while she recuperated and they navigated being co-parents, making it through the next three weeks on their friendship and determination alone. But then the damn finally broke and he was back on a bender, coming back to his small family whenever he was clean enough to. As he opened his mouth to continue, something caught his eye. “It’s whatever, just makes me realize we got a shitton more ta catch up on and no time ta do it.”

The door to the bathrooms had opened and out came Natalia with none other than Mitena following closer behind. Mordechai leaned back from Jade so Poppy could see him from where she was and he waved her down to return to them.

“Now that we decided ta be stupid and emotionally vulnerable right before meetin’ Hard Times’ sister,” He spoke up, watching the other three people converge on the two of them. “Ya ready for this shit Harley Head?”

For the first time during this trip, the Angel Princess really did feel like she was. “As ready as I’ll ever be, Key.” Famous last words if she ever heard ‘em.

Edenridge

TIMESTAMP: Monday, July 19th, 2021; after “Breaking Point”

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_{Featuring Mikhail Zima & Caitlin Cleary}
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“Mary-Anne Zima, was Mary-Anne O’Hara. She’s John O’Hara’s - Coach’s - younger sister. My mother… she’s your David's aunt.”

John having a sister wasn’t a surprise to Cece. Growing up, Cece remembered hearing snippets of conversations between the O’Hara and Cleary adults alluding to this fact. Judging by their tones and expressions when approaching the topic and the way they’d change the subject when John was around, it was obvious that whatever the woman had done was bad enough to get her basically exiled from existence. The mystery surrounding this obscure sister always piqued her interest whenever she was discussed, but never enough to actually pursue the story behind it. Her only real attempt at getting more details was when she’d brought the topic up to David during one of their many conversations about life while they were dating. It turned out that her boyfriend was just as out of the loop as she was, because the only insight he was able to provide was that his aunt was ‘living it up in New York’, that his father didn’t like to talk about her, and that the only reason he’d even told them about her was because they’d stumbled on some old O’Hara family photos while cleaning up the attic on Spring. Considering the limited knowledge she had on the subject, Mary being this mystery aunt was something Cece would never have pieced together or imagined in her wildest dreams. Mary Zima, aunt to David O’Hara… Making Mikhail Zima the cousin of David O’Hara.

Caitlin didn't know how long she stood in front of Mika, his latest revelation and its implications playing over and over inside her head in a loop. Finally, the redhead sank to the floor beside her ex, eyes fixated nowhere in particular. She was quiet for another moment, thinking of what to say next. Eventually, she settled on two questions: "How long have you known about this? How did you even find out?"

Mika’s response wasn’t immediate. After she asked her questions, he realized he had tears that had dropped down his face and had left a crusty trail, so he did his best to wipe them away. He half-expected another anger-filled series of words, especially given what was implied in what he revealed. “Since I was ten,” he spoke flatly. Emotions were still high, but Mika didn’t want to waste anymore of Caitlin’s time. “My mother would tell me stories about her childhood. She’d only mentioned snippets. I think remembering made her sad and she didn’t want me and the girls to see her homesick sadness.” He knew this wasn’t easy for her to hear. It wasn’t easy for him to say. “I’ve known who my Scott Street family was even before I moved to Edenridge.” Mika said, looking forward again and then glancing down at his balled up fists on his legs.

“And why was this yet another thing that you had to keep from me?” she asked bitterly, feeling the anger from before start to bubble up again. She wanted to be sympathetic towards Mika-- she really did. He was on his knees, baring her soul out to her. But how could she even be sure this wasn’t just another secret in a list that seemed never-ending? Any time she felt she knew the real Mika, he always blindsided her with another revelation that proved that she had barely scratched the surface of who he was at all. She felt like nothing short of a fool. “What’s the excuse for this one? Because the things related to The Bratva I can understand. You breaking up with me because of Cameron-- that’s pushing it, because I would’ve liked to have the courtesy of knowing that the relationship wasn’t ending because of something I did instead of being left to wonder for years whether I was just not good enough for you or something. But this secret… I don’t understand why you couldn’t trust me with it.”

It’s not that he didn’t understand why she was so angry. He didn’t expect her to accept it, be happy that he told her the truth, and embrace him like they were in some fairy tale romance. This was real life and he had no delusions about that. But it was bigger than just her. She didn’t seem to understand, but maybe there was more to…everything. For so long, Mika kept his life a secret. Kept his upbringing, who he was, where he came from, and how it affected him to this very day a secret. Put up walls and reinforced them with as much protection as he felt necessary. The fears of Cameron or anyone else harming those close to him grew and grew until he sabotaged his own life without even considering that he didn’t need to.

“It’s not as simple as you’re making it out to be.” Mika spoke finally but kept his gaze at his legs, gripping the basketball shorts his hands rested on. ”It was never about trusting you or not trusting you. That day at the cemetery, I didn’t know you would be there. I didn’t intend on it becoming one of my most fondest memories. I went there to visit his grave. I wanted to...” A stinging emotion paralyzed Mika’s ability to speak as he struggled so desperately to find the words. “...I don’t know what I wanted from going there. I didn’t know David. I joined the basketball team my sophomore year, but I didn’t get to meet him once. I guess maybe, I had hoped that going there that day, I could perhaps find some version of myself that I didn’t totally hate. A version that wasn’t just a Zima or a Gonzalez. A version of myself that could be…more than what I was told to be.” Biting his lip, he brought his gaze up once more. “So you see, it had nothing to do with me not trusting you. I didn’t trust myself to admit that. Because if I did, that meant I believed I was worthy of being an O’Hara and I didn’t.” He felt his throat get tighter but Mika persisted. “I still don’t.”

As Caitlin listened to Mika explain the reasoning she couldn’t help but think back to the many conversations David and I had shared about the subject-- but it was the memory of their first deep conversation by the lake that stood out. ‘I know that, for a lot of us, college and the outside world-- that’s the real dream. Leave this hell hole behind and be the people we want to be, not the people we’re expected to be,’ she remembered Dave saying to her. He knew all about those high expectations, the underlying shame it could cause you when you struggled to meet them, and the level of vulnerability needed to express it to someone else.. As angry as Cece wanted to stay at Mika, she couldn’t do so any longer-- not when she knew how much it took for him to admit his truth, and when she herself could understand how crippling and detrimental other people’s forced expectations on oneself could be.

“I guess thinking you’re undeserving of your last name seems to be an O’Hara trait the younger male generation shared,” she mused as her demeanor softened significantly, looking over at Mika for the first time since he’d dropped the bomb on her. “David never felt like he was worthy of it either, you know? The legacy of being Coach’s son weighed so heavily on his shoulders, and having to compete with the likes of Francis, Clay and my brother only made him feel like even more of a failure sometimes. He always put on a brave face and acted as if everything was fine to everyone else, but when he dropped the mask when he was with me, I could see how much of a toll it was taking on him. He didn’t hate himself, but he didn’t like that he was stuck in town watching his friends do something with their lives while he didn’t even have a direction for his own. It’s the curse of being a Foundling: feeling like you’ll never be enough to reach the expectations placed on you by those around you. And you might not have known him, but I promise you that Dave probably felt the exact same way you do.”

Mika half-chuckled as it never dawned on him just how much of an O’Hara he really was. Or maybe it was that this was the first time he was thinking of himself as one without some deep feeling of guilt attached to it.

For so long - too long, it felt like - Mika had always carried this heavy burden of who to be, who his true loyalty should be for. Family was everything to the Zimas and he always felt more Gonzalez than anything else, but when he got to know his mother’s family, he didn’t think that it would make him so happy, but it did. Coach was tough but always in a positive, encouraging, be-your-best-self kind of way. But to know he wasn’t alone in feeling undeserving of it lifted so much weight off of his shoulders. And for that one person to be David, the person that Mika wished he got to know even if it was casually. He just wished he could have known his cousin.

“What was he like?” Mika asked almost tenderly, his voice still so clearly high on emotion. “Past everything that everyone said about him, what was David like?” Mika wanted to know…no, he needed to know more about David. It may just be the missing piece he’s been longing for years. Or at least that’s what he believed at this very moment.

The Cleary girl offered Mika a soft smile, stood up and stretched out her hand towards him. “Come on upstairs with me. Let me show you.”

Curious but also partially confused, Mika stood up, and took Cece’s hand, letting her lead him out of the kitchen. As they ascended up the stairs, he saw they were getting closer and closer to her room. He started to remember the times he’d sneak over to her house when the coast was clear and it would just be the two of them for however many hours they’d be allowed to spend with each other. Those were the good old days when everything in Mika’s life was simpler and he could just be who he wanted to be.

The second story was something familiar to him. It was slightly different with updated pictures of the family and certain decorations, but it was mostly familiar. Mika smiled. It centered him as he looked around. That air of familiarity was a welcomed feeling.

And then they entered her room. Even though he was in her room a little less than twelve hours ago, it was nice to be able to enter it through normal means and not having to climb up that unstable trellis like it was Romeo and Juliet.

“What are we doing here, Cece?” For the first time ever in the time he’s known Cece, Mika actually didn’t know why he was in her room.

The redhead didn’t reply right away. Instead, she made a beeline for the same closet that had harbored her during her earlier storm hours previously, and came out with the item she’d so fiercely guarded for the last five years: her David memory box. Upon first impressions, it looked like an unassuming shoe box for some boots she’d bought years ago. But after she took a seat next to Mika and removed the lid, the contents inside were completely different. A green and white Celtics basketball jersey protected the rest of the items from view, its back proudly emblazoned with a player’s name and number: O’HARA 23. Once carefully placed aside, more objects were revealed. Dried flower petals from the bouquets David had given Cece during their time together peppered the bottom of the bag, making a crunching sound whenever disturbed. A pack of envelopes and folded pieces of paper tied together with a ribbon could be seen in the corner of the box: special occasion cards and handwritten letters he had written to his beloved. Different knick knacks like movie tickets for films they had watched and dated wristband bracelets from his basketball games were also strewn about. But scattered all over the box were Cece’s most treasured pieces of all: glossy images that memorialized the best moments of her and David.

“The first words that comes to mind when I think of David are ‘charming clown’-- which is apparently another trait that’s heavy on the O’Hara men,” Cece started with a laugh, finishing around for and pulling out a selection of the best polaroid photos of David making funny faces at the camera and handing them over to Mika. “He had the most easy going sense of humor, and he could make you laugh until your stomach hurt with the lame things he came up with. Add that to his charm and those ‘boy next door’ looks, and it’s no secret why so many girls swooned over him. I hated every time he showed up with another one. I always got so jealous…” she admitted, her cheeks slightly pink in embarrassment at the actions of her younger self.

Another photo from inside the box was pulled out; this one with Cece’s pony-tailed self in full pearl and emerald Clovers cheer gear with her arms wrapped around David’s waist, who wore his Celtics basketball uniform like a badge of honor. Although the candid image was taken a few hours before they shared their first kiss, the way the two tenderly looked and smiled at each other spoke volumes about their feelings. “He was a good player, and he enjoyed playing ball okay, but he mostly did it to keep John happy and not let his friends down. Basketball was never really his passion. Finding that passion for something was one of the bigger struggles he was facing before he--” she paused, feeling a lump in her throat. No matter how long it had been, Cece still hated acknowledging that Dave really was gone. “Before he passed. He’d been talking about taking up some classes at the technical college to become an electrician. He thought it was interesting enough, but he liked the job security it could provide the most. A steady job meant he had a way to provide for a family, which was something he really wanted to have before we ever got married and had kids like we always used to talk about. He never aspired to be perfect. He just wanted to be a good son, a good husband, a good father, and a good man above everything else.”

A few more photos were handed to Mika, with Cece and David at the center in various stages of affection: hugging, kissing, smiling, making silly faces at the camera and at each other, with the deep love they shared for one another always on display. “The David I knew was funny and kind. He was thoughtful, affectionate, respectful and sweet, and he showed me a love, protection and safety I had never experienced before. He made me feel like and proved to me time and time again that I was the most important thing in his world, just like he was to me, and that I was his most trusted confidante. But he wasn’t without his own demons aside from the obvious pressure he felt with being an O’Hara. In the vulnerability I am forever grateful to he entrusted me with, Dave worried about many things: his future, our future, Jamie’s state of mind and how it affected them as a family, whether he himself would fall prey to mental illness that could challenge him in the future like his sister’s… He had a lot of weight on his shoulders, but he always carried it so gracefully with that mischievous smile of his. We were incredibly happy together, and a part of me will always, always love him. There’s no filling the hole he left in my heart when I lost him, but the grief gets easier to manage as time goes on, and I carry him with me wherever I go,” she told Mika, pointing to the dainty ‘23’ tattoo on the inside of her left wrist that she had gotten as soon as she has turned eighteen.

That was a lot to digest. Mika still was processing everything that was said and what he was handed. Despite not knowing much about his cousin, Mika was starting to piece some things together. He was starting to understand the deeper meaning behind something that he heard that always didn’t make sense. Hearing Cece speak about David and what he was like, how he only did basketball to make his father happy - he didn’t realize just how much that mirrored what Mika did to make Ivan happy.

It was mind boggling, to say the least. It wasn’t just the cheeky sense of humor they shared or passionate drive or love for those closest to them (or even the devilish good looks) - but their desire to make others happy. The desire to protect their sister. David seemed to have the same protective instinct Mika had for his sisters: Katie and Stacy, but also Ley. He wanted nothing more than to protect them from the horrors that was The Devil.

“I had no idea just how similar he and I were.” Mika spoke finally after a few minutes of silently processing everything. “You know, I just thought that maybe it was a coincidence, you know. Hindsight and all, I figured it may have been some happy accident. I mean, us being together, me being O’Hara, and even being on the basketball team.. It’s just…a lot to take in.” That wasn’t just it. Mika knew this and he didn’t want to leave it unsaid. “To think he suffered from the same things I did. Doing everything you could to make your incredibly difficult father happy--” Mika cursed internally. “--Coach is nowhere as bad as Ivan, but he was hard on us. Hard, yet fair to us during practices. But…God, Cece, I…”

As he struggled to find the words, Mika looked through the polaroids in his lap, going through them one by one. The ones of them together, of him, and just trying to figure out what he wanted -- no, what he needed to say. “Thank you.” That’s it. That’s what he wanted to say. “Truly, I mean it from the bottom of my heart, Cece. This is the best thing anyone has ever given me. I feel like I have found that missing piece in my life that I’ve desperately been wanting. I thought it was lost when someone close to me passed away, but this…” Mika’s eyes fell to the pictures in his lap. It wasn’t just that, but everything the ginger next to him said about David and the parallels he clearly saw between them. “This is it. And it’s because of you.”

Smiling softly, Caitlin wrapped her arms around Mika and pulled him into a hug she could feel he needed. As a Foundling, she had the privilege of knowing and having clear records of her family history dating back to their settlement in Edenridge, so she couldn’t relate to her ex’s struggle to find a missing piece of his life because of a family he didn’t know. But she could understand the large sense of relief it could bring to know that someone else out there was facing the same struggles as you. It was a knowledge that made burdens lighter, more manageable, and easier to carry or even let go of-- a feeling that both David and Mika had given her.

“I’m glad I was able to help you,” she answered softly, resting her head on his shoulder like she had done many times before. “And thank you for giving me the opportunity to show you who David really was. Everyone else in town was so quick to judge him, even his own so-called friends. You always gave him the benefit of the doubt, never taking what everyone else said for granted and searching for the truth to make your own conclusions instead. I will always be grateful for that. David wasn’t perfect: even in my bias I’ll be the first person to admit that. But he was perfect in my eyes, and it was his flaws that made him beautiful-- just like yours do, even if they’re really aggravating sometimes,” she joked with a small laugh.

As she wrapped her arms around him, Mika wanted to resist the gesture. He didn’t want to assume too much, but if she willingly did so, then he just went with it. “I guess it's an O’Hara trait: we just can’t help but be difficult.” Mika laughed, nudging his ex playfully against her shoulder with his. This wasn’t like before, yet it was just like before-- when they had been together. Obviously time had made being this close again came with some tension, but Mika liked it. Actually, he more than liked it - it was something he thought he had lost the right to, but here he was, close to her again, in her embrace.

Mika found himself looking deep into her eyes, becoming lost in the calming beauty of them. The storm outside didn’t matter, not when he fell back into old habits. Don’t do it, Mika. It’s not the right time. He wanted to kiss her so bad, but did he have any right to? Somewhere inside, he still felt like he didn’t. Like right now wasn’t the right time, but the rest of him just wanted to chance it. If he was wrong, then that could be a bridge he would cross, but there was something about this moment.

“Speaking of eyes. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to stare into yours like this before…” He spoke low, moving his face closer to hers. He was just inches away and it just….happened. Without even realizing, for a short moment, his lips pressed against hers.

The moment his lips pressed against hers, Cece got the irrefutable confirmation that her feelings towards Mika had never gone away. Her heart still beat faster, the world stopped spinning around them and she still felt like she was floating on the highest of clouds in the sky. Even after so many months apart and the many tribulations they had faced to get to this point, it felt as if no time had passed between them. They were different people, with new outlooks on life and experiences that had served to help build them into better versions of themselves. But what they shared was still the same: a bond that went beyond anything either of them could explain. The world and the circumstances beyond their control had tried to tear them apart, yet they had found their way back to each other again.

If not love, then what else could it be?

The young woman tenderly pressed her forehead against Mika’s. “I missed you,” she confessed, proving her point with a gentle kiss to his lips.

This was the moment. The moment when every wrong thing he ever did to her, every single word that he spoke that caused her any sort of pain would begin to be turned around. He always thought that he didn’t deserve to have that second chance, not when he interjected himself back into her life and not when he refused to be completely honest with her. But this moment right now, it all would change.

He smiled at her and kissed her again. It was just like hers: a gentle kiss. “I’ve missed you too. I was worried…this wouldn’t happen again - that we wouldn’t get another chance.” Was he presuming too much already? No, Mika had to be confident that she wanted this as badly as he did. “Cece… I promise. Whatever happens, I won’t hurt you. Ever!” As bold of a statement as that was, Mika meant it. He hadn’t meant anything more in his life. He wasn’t perfect and he knew, in enough time, if certain people knew what was happening, they’d hate him, but she didn’t and she was the only person whose opinion mattered.

The young woman didn’t respond right away. She took a second to think about Mika’s words, excusing herself momentarily to return her memory box back to safety as she did so. As much as she wanted to believe that things had changed and he wouldn’t hurt her, Cece needed to make sure her ex knew and could meet the expectations she had set for herself after their breakup. It would be pointless if they went back into things only to fall into the same old patterns and mistakes from before.

"If we go through with this, it can't be like last time," she warned him, shutting the closet door behind her and returning to Mika's side. "I need you to be as open and honest as you've been with me tonight, all the time. You can't bottle up your feelings instead of truthfully talking to me, or hide things from me, or push me away with excuses about it being 'better if I don't know' or 'for my own safety'. I don't want any secrets, I don't want any lies, and I don't want to constantly be guessing what our relationship is or where it stands. That is the bare minimum I would expect from you."

As he listened to everything she had to say, Mika came to two realizations. The first was, of course, how if this was indeed going to happen again, he couldn’t fall back into old habits. That was a hard ask as it was at face value. Mika professed he was a changed man. He may have said those exact words to Cece, but sometimes he did take a few steps back. It was never knowingly but he did it. He knew he couldn’t do that - least, not with Cece.

But the second was something he didn’t ever consider only because he didn’t think it was something that she had any issue with. “I never knew you had any issue about our relationship…from before not having a label on it.” As he admitted that, a genuine shock in his voice, he spent a few moments just thinking about it. He knew the reason why he didn’t want to put a label on their relationship.

“That’s my fault,” Caitlin admitted, pursing her lips together in remorse. “I never said anything because I was scared you’d shoot me down or push me away if I asked. And I had grown to cherish what we had so much… I figured it was best to leave things as they were rather than risk losing it all. But deep down, I always wanted it to be official. I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you about it sooner.”

“I mean...” He took her hands as he was struggling to find the right words. “It’s not that I didn’t know what we were, you know? I suppose, in hindsight, I still feared that Hyde would ruin what we had despite him being in prison at the time.” Saying it out loud for the first time, Mika realized it didn’t make any sense, but back then, back when he was still under that direct influence of The Devil, it did, which was weird. He was more afraid when Hyde wasn’t around than he was when he was lurking somewhere nearby (per Anya saying he knows).

As he thought about it for a few moments more, danger was everywhere. It wasn’t just in the Southside, either. Mika knew that, on some level, ghosts on all fronts were bound to come back and there was nothing he could do but stop making excuses.

He squeezed her hands and gazed deep into her eyes. “I’m not a perfect man. No matter the steps forward I made tonight, there might be times I might step back, but I’m not going to do that alone. In the past, the main reason I did all of that-- why I pushed you away-- was because I thought you deserved better than me. That you wanted better than what I could give you, yet here we are again. Fate doesn’t want us apart and…” As his throat tightened, emotions became high like when he broke down in the kitchen. Unlike then, it was different. These emotions were of…something had buried long before he broke her heart. “...And I don’t want us apart either. I won’t do it again. I promise, Cece. I won’t do any of it again.” This was no longer the boy who was so afraid of the Devil that spoke to her, but a man who was making his own luck with the woman who had his heart since he was sixteen.

The young woman removed her right hand from Mika’s grasp and placed it on his cheek, keeping her eyes locked on his. “Mika, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted and more,” she told him, kissing the hand of Mika’s that was still in her grasp. “After David passed, I thought I’d never feel that kind of way towards anyone else. I was lonely, and sad, and scared... My future wasn’t looking too bright. I was feeling so low and so ready to give up when you came into my life: when I least expected it and at the perfect time. You showed me a love that was selfless, gentle and kind, but also passionate, exciting, intense, and even breathtaking at times. You made me feel more alive than ever before, and every risk we took was worth every moment we shared. You gave me such hope for the future… And promise you: there’s nobody else in this world that I want in other than you.”

Even before she finished, Mika put his left hand over Cece’s right that was on his cheek and his other hand mirrored hers as it gently caressed her cheek. He felt a few warm tears go down his face as they both said everything he wished they could have had the courage to say to each other before things between them became too complicated. Mika had always lacked the courage to speak from the heart. He lost Cece because of that and did and said words to her that hurt her beyond any reasonable scale. Somehow, though, she not only forgave him, but now, at this moment, she was willing to give him another chance. They had a restart and he knew he wasn’t going to mess it up.

Closing his eyes for three seconds, as he counted it down, Mika didn’t look, and he kissed her. It was the sort of kiss that said anything else he may want to say. A kiss that represented this second chance. It had the passion and intensity she spoke of, but it had a renewed earnesty Mika found himself in the possession of. His grip on her cheek tightened. He held it firm in his hand but it was with care. Mika didn’t ever want to be the reason she cried.

As it broke and he opened his eyes, his passion spoke before he could think. “I should have said this so many times. I almost did today, but I was afraid.”

Worry clouded Cece’s turquoise eyes for a moment. “What did you want to say?” she asked him with concern.

“Caitlin Cleary…” He pushed his forehead against hers, lips quivering as he smiled. “I love you so fucking much.”

The redhead let out a watery laugh, wrapped her arms around Mika and pressed her lips against his, feeling her own tears of joy streaming down her face. It was a long time coming, but there were the three words and the confirmation she had dreamed about hearing for so long: he loved her just as much as she loved him.

They were in love with each other. They were finally-- finally-- going to be together.

“And I never stopped loving you,” she confessed with all the conviction in the world, emphasizing her words with another kiss. “Not even if I tried. Not for a single second.”

This was it. Mika knew it. He knew Cece did too. Both of them knew that this was the moment. Like a match that set a fire under him, so did thunder clap outside in the distance and it was the timing of everything as he kissed her again, guiding her back onto her bed. As he did, whilst his heart beat like it was an animal in a cage, the truth of the matter was that the animal had been let free and it was as calm as it had ever been. It felt alive every time their lips touched.

He held himself propped over her, hands pressed against her bed, and he was looking down at her angelic face with perfectly angled jaws, hair so scarlet that it made every hair on his body tingle with a familiar (yet unfamiliar excitement and nervousness). It had been so long -- too long -- since the last time he saw her from this position. All that wasted time, being so wrong about the woman he couldn’t take his eyes off of. The ambiance of the storm was the perfect soundtrack for this moment.

“Cece, in the interest of no secrets, I want you. Like…before.” His voice came so hoarse, yet he just was feeling a lot right now. Exhausting day or not, right now, he just wanted her in every way that was physically possible.

Cece’s reaction to his brazen words was immediate. Her freckled cheeks blushed scarlet, just like the first time they’d found themselves in this same position three years ago. With him hovering over her, staring at him with those blue eyes full of love and desire that so easily disarmed her, she had wanted so badly for him to claim her as his own. She was desperate to be his again-- tonight and for the rest of her life.

With a breathtaking smile, Caitlin raised her head, gently pulled Mika close with a hand at the nape of his neck, and passionately locked her lips with his. If he wanted her, she was entirely his to be taken.

---

Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you

Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you?

Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be

Take my hand
Take my whole life, too
For I can't help falling in love with you

Edenridge

_{TIMESTAMP — After Part 4: Dare}

____________________________________________________________________





____________________________________________________________________

When the door closed behind them, Stacy registered another sound like something being pressed against the doors. This wasn’t her first time playing 7MIH, so it was probably something like a chair or an object of some kind that was sturdy enough to hold the doors shut (in case those inside wanted to leave early).

Stacy had to admit, she wasn’t in the best headspace. She wasn’t typically the type to be eager for this specific game, but especially after the near national disaster, her heart hadn’t stopped beating itself out of her chest. Simultaneously, it was also going crazy because of a small moment between her and Sal. When he grabbed her hand, guiding her away from the group and into the storage room, she smiled.

Salvatore was the main reason her night wasn’t plagued by the anxiety and panic that often tagged each other out whenever Dylan became temper incarnate.

Hugging one arm against the other, her right hand gripping her left elbow (and the inner part of her arm), Stacy had looked at the latino boy. For a few moments, which probably felt eternal for both of them, she had been trying to find the courage to say something - anything - so it wasn’t just painful silence between them. “Sal..” She breathed in a way that came off hoarse. She coughed and tried again. “Thank you. I mean, for what you did out there..with my phone.” A timid smile crept on her face.

Placing both of his hands behind his back, Salvador began to ring his fingers in nervousness. It was things like this that made much of his family question his worth as a Montero. Rey, Cass, Rico, Ley…hell even Max; all of them were known to have been the embodiment of the Latin lover stereotype. His father and his grandfather exuded confidence, they commanded a room and they both held power in the plan of their hands like a normal person would hold an apple. Sal was none of those things. He was a lanky nerd who loved Mass Effect and Dungeons and Dragons. In this type of moment, any other member of his family would have Stacy up against the wall and they would be making out right there.

Sal couldn’t bring himself to do that.

It was obvious even before the truth or dare fake that Stacy was a little uncomfortable. He noticed it when they were talking prior. Then seeing those messages from this Dylan guy only reaffirmed the boy’s suspicion, she and an abusive boyfriend. Of course, he could say something but coming up in a business like the one his family ran, he understood the value of secrets, the good and the bad ones. “It’s ok. It was kind of satisfying telling Bronagh no. I get the feeling she doesn’t hear that very often.” He returned her smile. “You ok?”

She half-giggled. It made her smile less timid, increasing only slightly. She kept a soft gaze on him. She didn’t hide the fact that she wasn’t okay. Stacy was almost certain that everyone in the room, especially her sister who seemed to want to do something, saw, even if it was at face value, that she was petrified. And she was. Dylan wasn’t a monster, but he could be nasty. Stacy always thought she could manage him. Do what he wanted and maybe the storm that lived inside him wouldn’t rage on as long as it did some days.

“I guess I’m not very good at hiding it, huh?” The brunette laughed, looking down at her feet, licking the empty air in front of her. It took her a few moments to bring her head up. When she did, she just sighed. “I guess…well, I mean you probably saw the notifs. My boyfriend, Dylan…he’s…he’s not..” Just speaking his name made her incredibly tense, but Anastasia just kept persistent. “He’s not a bad guy. You know…he just has anger management issues. You know…sometimes when I don’t answer his calls, he becomes…difficult.” She knew what she should say: that he yells at her. Throws fits and blame her for what he’s feeling and how he’s feeling, but she just couldn’t. Or maybe she wouldn’t?

Sal didn’t really know what to say. He was absolutely disgusted by the fact that this Dylan creep seemed to be massively controlling. Flying off the handle when she forgets to return a text? That was awful. What he also didn’t find pleasant to hear was the dreaded B word; Boyfriend. Stacy had a boyfriend. Even though he had already figured it out. Although he had already seen the photos and the messages, that didn’t make it sting any less. For Sal, despite the adventure that he had had since arriving in town only that morning, the best part about it was talking and hanging out with Stacy.

He clicked his tongue as he brought one of his hands to mess with his already a state black hair. “You know Stacy, erm, well, shit.” He let out a little sign as he tried to think of what the best thing to say was. “So I grew up with a lot of bad guys, you know? The type of guys who seem nice and will thank your mother for a home cooked meal and then they’d leave the house and rob an old lady on the street, you know? What we see when we meet people, when we like them and love them, it’s not always right. It’s…my point is if a guy is making you sad or hurts you in any way, then you really need to look inside and decide how much you value yourself. Because in the end, if you don’t value yourself, they won’t value you and they will treat you like dirt”

Sal brought his other hand up and placed them both behind his head. “Does that make any sense? I don’t know, your relationship is your business and I just want you to know that I value you and your privacy and that’s why I didn’t show them the messages”

The brunette gave a slow nod, a frown on her face as it was clear she took his words to heart. They hit hard but she knew what he was trying to say. She always thought that maybe if she was different and more like Katie, or even Mika, then maybe he wouldn’t be so terrible to her. Stacy always and probably still kind of does blame herself. Blamed herself because of what Dylan did and how he treated her. Thought maybe if she did that he’d get better over time.

But he hasn’t. Any time she took time for herself, he’d want that for him. Any time she would voice any opposition to the things he did or what he said to her (or at least what she tried to say), he’d fire back at her. Or talk sweetly to her. It was never enough for him, but deep down, she loved Dylan Doyle. But maybe Sal was right. Dylan, if he loved her like she did him, why would he be like this?

She felt so conflicted, but one thing she knew for certain was how, for the first time in months (not counting when she got to spend time with Mika last month), tonight she felt genuinely happy. Perhaps part of her didn’t want Dylan to ruin that.

Slowly, as she felt her chest beat even faster, she pulled her phone out and unlocked it. Silence filled the storage room, but it was with a purpose. Stacy went to her messages. “Message one, 7:55:.Stacy, why didn’t you answer? It’s late. I just want to know you’re okay.” She spoke almost robotically. “Message two, 8:22: Come on, Stacy. I’ve called three times. Answer me.” She read it off and the tightness in her stomach, the way it turned, twisted, and left her feeling gutted only increased. “Three more like that, but it wasn’t until five minutes before we played truth or dare until he left another: Stacy, call me back now! It--” She struggled to read it out loud. She read it, of course, but only in her head. The language he used, the tone she knew he was intending - it was all like before. Her hands were holding her phone and they were shaking as she remembered. She had to…no, she wanted to. She wanted Sal to know. “It’s getting ridiculous now. It’s like you don’t love me and after all the things I’ve bought you..” When it was all done, even though she hadn’t realized it herself, Stacy was in tears. A hot stream poured down her face. The man she loved…he did this so regularly that it had become her normal and maybe she was just reaching a breaking point.

“He can be so good to me, but when he’s like this…” Stacy dropped to the floor on her knees. “I don’t know what to do, Sal…”

This was utterly heartbreaking; Salvador hadn’t even fathomed when he first laid eyes on the beautiful brunette that she had such pain weighing her down. Then again, he himself was carrying a lot of weight as well but his pain was of a different kind. He had only met Stacy that afternoon but he felt connected to her, like he had known her all his life and he hated seeing her like this. Sal kneeled down in front of the young girl and pulled her into his chest. “It’s ok..” He spoke in an almost whisper even though at this point he had forgotten completely about the outside world. “We’ll get you through this. I’m not sure how yet but we’ll figure it out, I promise.”

Initially, she wanted to resist Sal. Initially, she felt guilty, but she was nearing her wit’s end. With Dylan. With keeping it all bottled up. She spilled more about her relationship than she had with anyone. She kept this pain bottled up for so long, yet she felt almost obligated - like she needed to tell Sal. She had only known pain from boys. Either through her sister getting all of the attention or crushing on Adam Callahan who lived down the street. But with Sal, maybe for the first time, it’s like he actually saw her and not just as Katya’s twin sister, but the genuine her. Maybe that’s why she told him.

She leaned into his embrace, wrapped arms under his, allowing herself to be even more vulnerable with Sal than she had been. For once, she could just be herself with a boy that didn’t feel like she had to apologize. His voice relaxed her, making her smile through her hot tears that poured down her face. Hugging him allowed her to feel safe. All the weight she had been carrying around seemed to have disappeared the moment she allowed herself to forget about it, even if it was just for this moment. “Sal…thank you. Thank you for everything..” She managed to say, her voice was frail and hoarse. There was so much going through her head right now, but she didn’t want to think about it. She just wanted to live in this moment for as long as she could.

“I haven’t done anything, you’re taking these steps on your own.” Salvador held her closely and tightly. He didn’t know everything but he did know he wanted to keep her safe. He softly kissed the top of her head reassuringly, his eyes drifting towards the door. Through that thin piece of wood were kids playing games, kids having fun. However on their side, Stacy was opening her heart and letting it all out. It was funny, this whole thing was designed to bring them closer together through an act of physical expression, yet Sal and Stacy had found themselves growing closer through an opening of the emotional floodgates. This was supposed to be Seven Minutes in Heaven but had definitely turned into something more. “I got you Stacy.”

Edenridge

_{@LovelyComplex@BrutalBx@metanoia
Timestamp: After Go Go Swerve Arcana PT II: Boo
FT: Sal Montero, Aves Kaine, Rosie Drake, and Anthony "Oz" Osso
Bron Milligan, Stacy Čapek, Marco Brady, Katie Čapek}

______________________________________________________________________


______________________________________________________________________

Around two hours or so after Ozzy broke through the floor, the assorted Midnight Society members and the spare parts had settled in with some blankets and booze to watch a scary movie. Oz of course had to explain that he had snuck in through the cellar to try and get into Swerve and had pushed up the wrong floor tile, thinking it was the trap door. The Metal Lord had tried to make it home to Violet through the storm but he ended up with a flat tire so he texted her to say he was going to the store. He also had to apologise to Stacy for scaring the living daylights out of her. Now he was sitting there strumming the guitar he kept stashed at Swerve and listening to former Co-Supreme Bronagh Milligan of all people detail her love life.

“Waitwaitwaitwait,” The Dungeon Master perked up. “You are telling me that not only does your boyfriend not care about your OnlyFans or the fact you screw other people, he is also a ninja?” Oz was dumbfounded as his fingers plucked away to the tune of Guns and Roses seminal classic, You Will Be Mine.

Bron had gotten rid of Oz’s jacket and was now just sitting in her bra and tiny denim shorts and feeling herself. She enjoyed the attention her body got, she worked hard for it by God! Plus the booze they had swiped from Mr. Kaine acted as a great heater so she was no longer feeling the cold. “Yeah Tommy’s awesome. Love didn’t let me down with that one.” The online model mused. “He’s currently rehabbing a really bad knee injury but he’ll be back in the dojo soon, kicking all kinds of ass, looking sexy as hell as he does it too.”

The blonde’s eyes drifted to the other side of the room and the two youngsters Salvador and Stacy, engrossed in conversation. It was adorable to see; the chemistry was there and palpable. “They’re so cute together.”

After the movie, Katie decided to stretch her legs and found herself intrigued by the song Oz was playing. A Guns and Roses classic, which was about as on-brand for that crazy-haired maniac as anything else would be. The only thing that she’d think was more on-the-nose might be something from Metallica. It was a good song, though, so she wasn’t complaining much. As she neared the busty blonde, she heard her mention something about a couple. She followed the blue gaze and saw how Stacy and that Salvador boy were still talking.

She smiled. “And definitely a much better match for her than another boy from Pinehurst.” She didn’t want to ruin the image that Stacy had a boyfriend. She wasn’t that kind of girl. Katie knew her sister and knew that she wouldn’t willingly show interest in another person unless they had something special about them. When the moment passed, Katie turned her own blue gaze on Oz, shifting it into a glare. “You better apologize to her when you have the chance. Damn near gave me a heart attack hearing her shriek all of a sudden.” Not to mention the timing was almost too coincidental. The more Katie came to Edenrdige, the more that name it has - the most cursed town in the USA (that was it, right?) - seems to hold a lot of truth to it.

“I will, I will. If I didn’t Vi would have my balls in a marinara sub” Oz stopped plucking his guitar and placed it down by his feet. He wished he was home with Violet and taking care of her but at least she was safe in the house. The family was safe too. He had left his father at the office with a bottle of whiskey and a cigar, Bobby and Sienna were back at the house with Clari and by all accounts Ricky and that dumb dog of his were a few blocks away at Rochambeau. They were safe. Didn’t change the fact that Ozzy wanted them all together just to be sure. “Hey Aves!“ The leather-clad insurance agent called out. “You heard from McDungus?”

“Talked to him a couple hours ago,” Avery sat on the butt pillow criss-cross applesauce and shoveled cold popcorn with a mix of Buncha Crunch in her mouth, “Gave him a premium video for his wank bank. Wasn’t a long back and forth though, let’s see… I did see him earlier this afternoon before all you trolls — actually scratch that, that’s when you and I sent him,” she gestured with her head toward Sal, “on an adventure. Dude we spend too much time together. Which reminds me,” she turned her head to look at the almost lovers in their own private world, “Did you ever find Dal? How is she?”

Oz didn’t really want to admit it since it ruined the few cool points he had but he was worried about Clay. Not only was it his job to be out in the maelstrom and make sure people were safe but all the recent new letter business involved his friends. It was a somewhat unwritten rule beyond cracking a joke that the Arcana crew didn’t mention Clay’s other side, his Elite side. Sometimes it was hard to fathom that the idiot who could barely open a can of beans without spilling it just so happened to be one of the most popular guys in town yet he was not ashamed to be seen with the riff raff and the nerds. Clay was a good guy, he didn’t deserve all the stress. “I’m sure he’s fine”

Avery gave Oz a knowing glance, understanding where he was coming from. She kept a smile on her face to mask her own worry, especially while they were in the company of their big Swerve family. Not just him, her, Violet, Clay, and Rosie. Avery was never one to ruin the vibes, if she had to deal with something, she’d deal with it quietly so that everyone else could have a good time. “We can always give him a call? Or…” she glanced at Marco, who now worked for Clay’s dream woman (and sorta girlfriend now). They could always get Marco to call Cat. That was doing the most, wasn’t it? She needed to stop feeding on Oz’s energy. Anxiety was not a good look on her. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

Salvador almost didn’t hear Avery address him, too engrossed and lost in conversation with Stacy. “Oh, oh yeah!” The young boy from Miami shook away the tunnel vision, realising he needed to actually speak to other people and not just the pretty girl he wanted to marry, “She was ok. We played a game so that I could convince her to come back! I won! You guys have some really weird customs and I’m into it.” He scratched the back of his head lightly as a look of confusion fell onto his dark face. “I also met…I’m assuming her sister? She was a lot.”

“Dal’s sister?” Marco had been half-absentmindedly listening to the conversation at hand as he sat on the floor nearby. He had one of the early volumes of Naruto in his hands, resting in his cross-legged lap. First appearance of Rock Lee, when he wiped the floor with Sasuke. Good times.

But he zoned into the conversation when heard Dal’s name be mentioned and paid attention. “You must mean Lolly.” Deep in his gut, Marco felt some guilt come to the surface, causing him to partially frown. He needed to get with Lolly and catch up. Maybe a League sesh. It’s been too long. “She seems like it but she’s honestly really sweet.” He laughed after he let that slip. “Don’t tell her I told you that. She’d probably kill me in every way possible.” Or just go on a profanity volley. Marco didn’t know which was worse. “But If she’s a lot with you, then that must mean you passed all the vibe checks…uh, Salvador, was it?” He tried to remember.

“Yeah it’s Salvador, most call me Sal.” The Latino furrowed his brow slightly. “No it wasn’t Lolly it was…what did she say her name was?” He thought back to the scene, to try and place it. He remembered being outside of the Davies-Drake home. He knocked on the door and when it swung open he was greeted by a small girl with messy blonde hair, smudged makeup, wearing nothing but a barely covering her modesty, Alice in Chains shirt and a massive joint hanging from her painted lips. “Addie! She said her name was Addie!”

“That sounds about right,” Rosie chimed in, leaning over from behind the counter. Just like Marco, she had something she was casually reading too, though in her case, it was a lot less family-friendly than early Naruto (Rosie could see part of the cover in his lap). “Thank god you’re not a chick, Sal. She might’ve climbed you like a tree. Or just mention how hot you were.” She hummed thoughtfully.

And it was then, as Rosie went on a half-tangent, that Marco realized he had it mixed up. It’s been a long, tiring day. Marco was worried about Danny, about his family and about whether or not they were safe in the storm. On top of everything, he wasn’t exactly listening in on the conversation, not enough to where he got the whole story. He quickly glanced at Sal. “Sorry, my bad. I got her next door neighbor confused with her sister. Still equally big personalities, though.” He chuckled nervously, almost grimacing at the unfortunate moment in his future when/if Lolly found out what he said about her.

“Lolly should be next on your list anyway, buddy. Marco, why don’t you introduce Sal to our Dagger? The rogue in our campaign.” Avery suggested as she grabbed her phone to text Clay and check up on him. Now that Oz had mentioned it, Clay had been awfully quiet. He at least texts her every couple hours. It was getting around that time.

To: McDungus
Hey dude, you found shelter? Are you safe?

Avery Kaine

Little did Avery know Marco had never physically met Lolly. They had gamed together constantly but during her Midnight Society days, they always missed each other by seconds at Swerve. She’d leave, he’d come. She’d arrived and he’d already be long gone. They might’ve seen each other in the halls when she gave Q, Dal, and Dean a surprise visit but whether he knew that was his gamer friend or not was dependent on if he knew how she looked. Dallas was really the only one who could walk in and out of the Andersons house freely. It was wild because Marco knew her so well. They had been friends for years. And yet because she was a NEET — no higher education (she was homeschooled), no employment, or training — unless you forced her to go out, the likelihood of meeting her wasn’t high.

The Dagger? Well shit that was badass. Sal nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah! Absolutely! Let me know whenever you want to do it Marco and we can go on a quest for the dagger!” If he was being absolutely one hundred percent honest with himself, the last ten hours had been the most that Salvador had felt alive since his mother died. His quest to bring together the fractured Midnight Society was filling him with a joy he hadn’t felt in so long. And the talks with Stacy, they were the icing on an already sweet cake. For the first time in over a year, Sal was happy.

“Great idea, Aves!” Marco grinned. And he really did think it would be a great idea. Honestly, he hasn’t been able to see or even talk to Lolly as much lately, but that’s mostly because of how little free time he’s had in recent weeks. Occasionally they’d play a game or two on his days off, but not like how it was before. Between work, Danny (and Danny’s grueling workout regime), Marco just couldn’t find the time to sit down for a few hours, play a few games of ranked, troll some of the salty players, and laugh about it with Lolly. He never went too far into it, but he missed that. He missed her. “Does tomorrow work for you? Where are you staying at?” Marco asked Sal.

“Oh!” Salvador had to pause to think. Where were they staying? His father had bought a nice house somewhere at the top of town. It was a nice four bedroom, white picket fence sort of place. “Oh yeah, we just moved to a house on Scott Street.” The young nerd clenched his fist in triumph as he remembered where he now lived. He was a golden god.

“Oh this sounds like so much fun!” Stacy commented, her bright smile and giddy giggle shining a light on the room. From across the room, she saw Katie looking over and smiling at her sister. “But why is she called The Dagger?” Stacy asked, looking around the room. Really anyone could answer since it seemed almost everyone but her and Salvadore were aware of why.

“Because she stabs people in the back,” Avery bluntly answered as she placed the bowl of popcorn to her side. There was a moment she briefly glanced at Sal who kind of announced his status of wealth without intending to. He was one of the filthy rich ones. Noted. Resting her hands on her knees, still sitting on the floor, Aves continued, “In game, I mean. Not like in real. Lolly is too forward to be an actual back stabber. We call her the Dagger because in our long running Dungeons & Dragons campaign, she played the rogue. Rogues are sneaky sneak. Stab stab. It’s just some nerd shit they made up when they were in highschool.”

Grabbing her phone, she pulled out a picture of the Midnight Society at a Renaissance Fair where Eloise was dressed as her own version of Robin Hood, but instead of arrows, she held two fake daggers and looked like an absolute menace. A tiny one at that! Aves showed the picture to Sal and Stacy. “That’s her, the little Filipino. Sal’s already met the blonde, that’s Dal, the Sword, or in less nerdy terms, the knight. The tall scrawny boy is Dean, the Shield. See, he plays a Druid but his gameplay has always been on the defensive side, so instead of calling him nature boy or tree hugger, it just fit to make him the Shield. His defensive play is spell based rather than actually holding a shield. Like with bark armor, absorbing elements, or bonding with beasts. I’m probably getting carried away and all this is flying over your head,” Avery chuckled at the blank stare that Stacy was giving her. The problem with being a geek was that more often than not you got caught up rambling about things that the other person had no knowledge on, therefore talking their ears off. “Anyways! The last guy, that’s Quinton Woods. He was their dungeon master and their best friend. Their fearless leader. Him, well, dying just really… messed them up, I guess.”

As dark as it was to mention the tragedy of Midnight Society, if these kids were serious about being part of Edenridge, they needed to learn fast that everyone they saw was fractured one way or another, and that in order to survive the storm, you needed a family. Your chosen family to make you feel a little less empty on the inside. She wasn’t going to dance around the dark when Edenridge was one of the gloomiest places on Earth.

Suddenly the excited wonder that had consumed Stacy’s face disappeared at the mention of the one that died. Stacy had never been great with this sort of stuff. It’s not that she didn’t know unfortunate things happened to people, but it brought up some unpleasant memories. Mika probably thought she didn’t remember those days, but she did. The days where Katie tried protecting her from the screaming matches her father and Misha got into. She tried to black it out, but every so often they came back. “I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have asked…” She dipped her head down as the auburn-haired girl fiddled with her thumbs in her pockets.

Katie, like the protector she was, let out a sigh and turned her attention to Avery. She wasn’t mad or anything, but she could see how clearly bothered Stacy was about all this talk about death and despair. “That’s dope, that you’re all named after weapons. I’ve even dabbled in D&D some but I’ve never got a rad name like Dagger or Shield. So lame if you ask me,” the blonde complained, souring her expression momentarily before she shook it off. “Might be fun if you have some spots open.” Katie chuckled, looking around the room. Her gaze centered on Bron and Rosie for a few moments, noticing just how Rosie couldn’t take her eyes off of the busty barbie even with the current topic. “Honestly this place beats the shop in Pinehurst. Adam might have my tongue for that, but it’s the truth. The vibe here is reason alone to keep me around. So if or when a spot opens up, I want in!” She announced more than stated and that’s just who Katie Capek-Zima was.

“Yeah I’m not doing that,” Bronagh waved her hand dismissively before taking a sip from her solo cup. God, a solo cup? Reminded her of college. She was definitely the odd one out here. This was not her world and she had just stumbled through the looking glass like Alice in Wonderland, she was even wearing powder blue denim for emphasis. These nerds wanted to play games, she had a game from her world that would shake things up. She had been an annual player of a thing called Dare Night whilst at college and that was always a good time. Maybe she could do something like that to get these little shits where they were too hesitant to go. “You guys wanna talk games, here’s a game. Truth or dare and we’ll play it in a world you dweebs can understand.”

Bron climbed onto the chair she had been sitting on, her long limber frame towering over the peasant subjects. “Here’s the deal. I am the Dare Mistress. I will be asking you all truth or dare and I will be the one dictating how far this goes. The field is not open for question, all I need is a volunteer to be the first.”

Oz, intrigued, started strumming a medieval type of melody on his guitar, surveying the group. “And thus, to continue on their mythic quest, the remnants of the Midnight Society and their new allies must venture forth into the woods of temptation, said to be the home of a beguiling Druid pagan who challenges the very decency of man with her wicked ways. Tales are told that any man or woman who sees her, shall succumb to her thrall and be forced to play her deadly game.”

“Yeah sure let’s go with that,” Bron shrugged.

As Rosie had rolled her eyes at Oz, Marco looked between Bron and Oz. The latter was so interesting and weird and, if Marco was honest with himself, kinda cool. The way he could just come up with that in such a dramatic fashion had impressed him to the point where the young Brady man stepped forward. Truth or dare was a game he had not touched since the early years in high school. Kylee had sort of dared him at that tragic party at the Carlisle house with Danny. So he was used to it somewhat. So what could go wrong?

“I..” His throat was dry, so Marco coughed, putting his left hand over his mouth so he didn’t spread any germs. “I…volunteer as tribute!” He raised his other hand.

Continuing to play the tune on his guitar, Ozzy returned with his Dungeon Master voice. “And low, the first to venture into the Woods of Temptation to meet the Druid was the Staff. What challenge awaited him in the dark dark forest?”

Fuck it. Bronagh would play along. When In Rome, eat pasta. That was the saying, right? Opening her arms wide, her body enticing and seductive, the younger Milligan sister tilted her head.

“Play with me Midnight Society, play with me. If you dare!”

Digimon: The Parallel Visage

So sorry for the overdue post, but finally there is mine intro for Damian! Promise going forward i won't take nearly as long. ♥

Digimon: The Parallel Visage

"Sonofa--" Damian's head was ringing, like a bunch of aluminum soda cans being shaken in a garbage back as fast as they could be in his head.

There was a lot missing from Damian's recent memory. As he lay awake on the floor, the redheaded knucklehead, admittedly, had been conscious for a few minutes now. When he woke, he didn't know if he was the only one of the other three that didn't know where they were. Damian sure as hell had no memory of falling nor being near any damn forest.

Damian was an urban kid. A City-Slicker. Born and raised, he lived and (not yet anyway) died for the streets. He always got into fights, which might explain the headache he was currently suffering through. For all he knew, he got into a fight, overestimated the odds, and some bullies in his neighborhood thought it was a hilarious idea to take him to a forest (or wherever this place was), and just leave him there, possibly concussed and all.

"Well, that did make sense," Damian muttered. He looked around in all directions, noticing something bizarre about the sky. It didn't look like it should. He couldn't place it, though. "But that doesn't." Damian talked a lot to himself when he didn't know what was happening around him. A bad habit that, like the best action franchise of all time, died hard.

As he shrugged his shoulders and got up to a seated position, it had just donned on Damian like he had smashed his head into a brick wall (like he did that one time he wasn't paying attention when he was on his board).

"Oh crap, my board!" In a panic, he looked around and saw his legendary board was to his side. And a moment later, he checked his bag. Everything of value was in it: his phone and his reserves of an assortment of chips and small cans of pop. "What a relief." As he sighed, he stood up only to realize...something was moving on his shoulder. He didn't know what it was, but as he saw pointed yellow main-like flesh parts consume one shoulder and what seemed like a brown-ish tail wrap around his neck, supporting itself on it, Damian blinked as they met eyes.

And then it blinked back at Damian.

Damian didn't know how to handle this situation. It had the face of a lion but without all the parts that made a lion...well, a lion.

And then the crimson-haired misfit looked around and realized he wasn't the only one with a...friend. "So, it's not just me then." He spoke loud enough for the others to hear him, looking at the two girls and the other dude. "Does anyone know what these things are? Or better yet, how come my head feels like it's on fire? Oh and why can't I fuckin' remember why I was laying down?" Damian wasn't usually so inquisitive, but given the circumstances, it felt appropriate to play 21 questions with a few strangers and their little creatures.

Edenridge

_{@LovelyComplex@BrutalBx@metanoia
Timestamp: After Go Go Swerve Arcana PT 1: Whiplash
FT: Sal Montero, Aves Kaine, Rosie Drake
Bron Milligan, Stacy Čapek, Marco Brady, Katie Čapek}

____________________________________________________________________


____________________________________________________________________

The flashing of lightning and the boom of the thunder were growing louder and louder as the evening drew on, only matched by the resounding pound on the window of the heavy rain. Salvador could see that a few of the local buildings had suffered power outages but he had managed to brave going out into the storm for a few minutes to isolate the power to Swerve Arcana. He had disconnected it from the Edenridge grid so that if the worst happened, Swerve could be a beacon of light, a nerdier batcave for the assembled Justice League.

Sal wouldn’t even be in Eden if not for the events of the previous year. He didn’t want to be in the hotel business like his parents. He was supposed to be in Stanford, studying engineering. That was where he was supposed to be. He had a knack for it. Yet one night in Miami changed all that and now he was here with his father and sister, opening the first Encanto that wouldn’t have his mother’s finger prints on it. Salvador had chosen to defer for a year after his mother’s death but the way things were going, it was starting to look more and more likely that he may not end up going back.

The reason the Montero heir was messing around with Swerve’s electricity was because the group had decided to host an impromptu movie night and Salvador had offered his services to get everything up, running and connected. It was partially because watching scary movies in a raging maelstrom seemed like an awesome idea but it was also because he felt the need to impress that pretty Stacy girl. ReyRey would know how to do it properly, he oozes cool. Cousin Rico had that charm and Max had a vibe. Sal didn’t get those genes like the rest of the family.

“And we are live from Swerve Arcana in sunny Edenridge, Massachusetts!”

“Cool,” Avery came out of the break room with two giant bowls of popcorn. She had already brought out other snacks that could give someone diabetes if you over indulged. An assortment of candy, brownies and cookies her mom made, and cans of sodas of everyone’s choosing. Pretty legit set up they had thanks to her parents always wanting to be stocked on junk. She loved her parents to death but they lacked self control. Too much of a good thing could get you killed. They were at the age they had to think about these things. Were they going to? Of course not. They were kids at heart and gave no fucks. Stressed her and her sister out. Avery wasn’t going to complain though because it was going to be dinner for all these nerds stuck at Swerve with her.

There was a blanket laid out on the floor and a blanket meant for warmth (the ones she used in her dad’s office), a butt pillow, and four beanie bags, three claimed by Bron, Marco, and Katie. Katie was here lurking this whole time and it was discovered that Stacy was her sister, so that was pretty neat to find out. Avery knew Katie, not Stacy but she hoped that would change now that Stacy found her way here. Swerve could use more regulars.

By process of elimination, she imagined Rosie was going to take the beanie by Bron. Rosie would not waste an opportunity like this to snuggle up close to a hot babe and as her good samaritan, fellow raging lesbian friend, she would allow it. Speaking of Rosie, she was going through her dad’s movie collection (all unceremoniously in a box) in the other room, deciding what spooky scary movie they’d watch tonight. Stacy was fiddling with the fuzzy blanket on the ground which left the butt pillow and the small patch of blanket beside her open.

Bringing her attention to Sal, catching him staring at the girl on the blanket, Avery proclaimed, “I call dibs on the butt pillow,” before placing one bowl of popcorn on the blanket. This was her gentle way of suggesting the spot by Stacy was all his. She knew a lovesick puppy when she saw one. She brought the second bowl to Marco, before calling out to Rosie who was still in the main area, going through the movies (or should be), “You good RoRo? What options we got?” They were just about ready to kick this movie night off.

And as it just so happened, Rosie was not, as she should have been, going through the movies. Her mind was elsewhere. Anywhere Bron walked, Rosie’s eyes followed. She had to make sure, above everything else (yes even the possibility of no electricity) that she saw where the blonde bombshell was sitting so she could aptly take the spot next to her. But she had to be cool about it. Rosie made a fool of herself in the first impression.

This was her redo. It had to be her redo.

“Right..The movies!” Rosie took a quick through the box, astounded at the amount of male-appealing movies. Not that she was complaining because there were a lot of hot heroines in those films. She just wished there had been more variety that were more to her liking. She did enjoy some adult anime from the home of anime, but probably not meant for a movie night. “There’s a big selection - most of them are superhero movies. Like anyone’s surprised.” Rosie laughed, wondering what they should go for. Dark Knight Trilogy? Maybe Phase One of the MCU? That was always a safe bet. “Sooo…what are we in the mood for? Marvel? DC? Maybe some lesser known, proud nerdom flics? Got Star Wars in here too.” Rosie turned her attention on the group, looking at Marco. “Well? You probably have the best all around tastes. What ya feeling?”

“Hey Danny. I hoped to catch you but the storm must be interfering. Just wanted to call so you knew I am somewhere safe. I’m at Swerve. Looks like I might be here until after the storm. I hope you're safe too, babe. Love you!” Marco hung up, frowning that he didn’t get to talk to Danny for even a couple of minutes. He missed his boyfriend, especially with the storm. Hopefully he was safe somewhere. Didn’t matter where, either.

“Marcoooo!” Rosie repeated out to the lost-in-thought Brady.

“Huh?” Marco returned to the main area and saw Rosie point to the box of movies. She repeated what she said and he just shrugged. “I’m good with whatever!” Marco admitted, taking one of the bean chairs, as did the other, less-abrasive blonde, Katie, who Marco was happy to know was her sister.

“Jesus fuck--” Katie cursed, looking directly over at Avery. “Aves, doesn’t your dad have any non-mainstream films? Maybe something not too PG? We’re all adults…more or less. We want blood! Or at least I want blood. Give me some horror or maybe Alien? If you got that.”

“He does, but it wouldn’t be in that box,” Avery shrugged and strolled to the door, “Dad keeps the horror shit in his office.” Why? She didn’t really know. Was it censorship or was he simply possessive over his horror film collection? “It’s weird he’s okay with ecchi being out, and even horror comics, but his spooky movies are locked tight.” Right next to his booze. “I’ll be back and grab a couple of films.” She pulled out the keys and twirled it in her fingers. “You kids behave now.”

Bronagh finished texting her boy in Pinehurst, a smile on her face. She missed him and she knew he would be worried about her in this storm. Tommy was so sweet when he wanted to be. Putting her phone down, she glanced around the room at the group that had gathered in the walls of Swerve. They were definitely not her usual crowd but they would do in a pinch. Her soft green eyes fell upon the girl sitting on the floor as she slyly watched the boy fiddling with the fuse box. Those two had been giving each other the eye since they had all walked through the door and that was saying something considering Bron was still shirtless and showing off her boobs, though the other girl, Rosie, she had very much enjoyed a handful of her chest full of wonders.

Pulling herself to her feet, Bron picked up a loose denim vest that sat on a nearby table and placed it over her modesty; the brand on the breast read “OZZY”. “I heard booze.” Flicking her blonde mane over her shoulders, the youngest Milligan hurried after Avery. Alcohol was just what this party needed. If they were going to be stuck all night then they needed to make it memorable.

“So you’re a mind reader, I see,” Avery scanned the thicc girl in all the right places up and down, wondering how she translated the horror collection to the booze cabinet. Avery could’ve sworn she didn’t say that part out loud. “How old are you?”

“Old enough, my befreckled bestie of the evening,” Bron placed her hands in her newfound jacket pockets and walked close behind Avery towards the office. “And yes I am a mind reader, I know exactly what you’re thinking right now.” Her soft green eyes took in the comic book girl's figure. It was curvy in a different way, far more natural than Bron’s more athletic build. It was enviable to most for sure but it was hidden beneath some khakis and a black loose dress shirt though the crop top showed a toned stomach and some big ol biddies. Avery was nerdy hot and Bronagh was into it, at least for tonight.

Hiding her amusement behind a faint smile, Avery glimpsed at the blonde babe beside her looking at her with her big, caramel eyes. Sweet, voluptuous thing she was, and not the usual clientele at Swerve. She exuded confidence, both sexually and mentally. Her walk had an extra bounce to it, which was nice to watch. Her hips swayed from side to side and with that glint in her eyes, Avery could see it a mile away. Through her prolonged eye contact, her open body language, and how she crept ever so closely the further they walked away from the game room, she saw a motive.

Avery wasn’t your average nerd. She had a ladies’ man for a best friend and for those who knew her in highschool, they knew she’s been around the block. Getting a read on the situation was elementary, pursuing anything beyond flirtatious comments, now that was a challenge. It wasn’t that Avery was bad at the game. If anything, she was a smooth criminal in the dating field. After highschool, her morals started to kick in and she found herself unable to sleep around without thinking of every reason why this person wasn’t right. It was a curse. She hated it. For now, while they were alone, she’d play along. She didn’t want to be a buzzkill. “And what’s that?” She tossed the store keys high in the air before snatching them back into her hand, like a baseball.

“You’re thinking that I’m smoking hot and that if you weren’t madly in love with some girl who you consider unobtainable that you’d lock this office door with us inside and we’d be doing something incredibly bad but also oh-so-good while the kids played their games and watched their movies.” Bron overtook Avery and span on her heel, leaning against and blocking the office door with her body. She parted Oz’s vest slightly to reveal more of her cleavage, running her fingers down her breast to her toned stomach whilst licking her top lip. “And I would rock your world sexy.”

This was one of the bolder encounters Avery has ever experienced. Everything that was Bron was pure, unadulterated sex. Not her usual cup of tea, but much appreciated. With an unchanging expression, Avery watched her, her blue eyes following the blonde’s fingers run down her glowing, delicate skin. The girl had a good body. She’d give her that. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was wearing Oz’s vest, maybe this advance would’ve been harder to dodge but that vest was a clear reminder of where they were and what they shouldn’t do.

Bronagh slid her hands into her back pockets and smiled brightly. “So what kind of booze does your old man have in there?”

“Beer and juice in the mini fridge, hard liquor in the cabinet. Mom likes fruity shit, hence the juice,” Avery directed, before making her way to her father’s desk, sitting on it, and crossing her arms, “Nothing against you, Bron. You’re stupid hot and I full heartedly believe you when you say you’ll rock my world,” Avery complimented, her smile grew at the warm presence that validated her existence. At least from this encounter she knew that she was a catch and that one day, she’d find a girl just for her. A girl that enjoyed her company and would want nothing more than to be with her.

Leaning a bit on the desk, watching the other woman saunter around the office to fix herself a drink, Avery casually explained, “I’ve outgrown one night stands and shit. You said it yourself. I’m stuck on a girl I can’t have. She actually rejected me today. But hey, she was open to a friendship, at least,” Avery shrugged at her luck and disclosed a piece of her heart, the lonely part, the one that never really had a special someone, just fleeting moments, “Doesn’t change I want something with substance, you dig?” This wasn’t a rejection per say, it was more an open door for them to get to know each other first but Avery wasn’t dumb. She knew Bron was looking for a good time, not a long time.

“I feel you baby, don’t worry,” Bronagh didn’t feel any shame or sting from Avery’s rejection; quite the opposite actually. It was nice to see that true love and wanting still existed in the world. What she had with Tommy, whatever it was, was her own thing. They were open to sleeping with other people as many times as they wanted as long as they came back to each other. It worked for them. “Offers there though, you wanna taste, I’ll be your main course.”

As she fixed them both something from the hard liquor cabinet, Bron warmly smiled at the other girl. “You know Clay talks about you all the time? I can see why. My cousin is an idiot but he has a good heart. So if he trusts you…” the blonde handed the other girl a glass and offered up a toast. “Then I can already tell I lucked out when I found the only unlocked door on this street.”

Salvador nervously tapped the wall as he looked at the seat next to Stacy. Fuck should he take a shot? She was so beautiful but what message did that send? Trying to flirt with some girl your first day in town? Then again he had spent the entire day trying to bring together a group of strangers so that he could join them in a game of DnD. Weird ass day. Sal made his way to the girl on the floor and took the cushion next to her. “Mind if I sit here?”

Stacy was finding it difficult to truly understand how…different most of the people here were. In the time she had spent here, talking to them (as much as she could), Stacy was still in awe in how unique everyone was. Most of them were loud and obnoxious, so it was no surprise how her sister bonded with them so much. She was just like them, but they all seemed so nice. Even the one who was…exposed. She honestly tried to not look directly at…them, but they made that a next to impossible task.

So the brunette kept her eyes forward. As she did, however, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Taking it out for a brief moment, she saw it was from Dylan. Immediately the smile that Stacy had on her face disappeared. Dylan’s face appeared on the screen.

Stacy froze. Every part of her body went numb to the point that she didn’t realize she had let it go to voicemail. She didn’t want to think about what would happen, what Dylan might do. But she didn’t want it to show. Katie would see and she knew how Katie felt about Dylan. He wasn’t the kindest of boys, but Stacy loved him. She loved him so much, but he had a temper. She tried…she wanted to make him not be so mad at her all of the time. And as a result, she had just made things worse.

As she felt her heart beat so fast and her stomach felt like it was pulling her down into the dark place any time she thought about Dylan’s vile side, she didn’t even hear when Salvador had asked her something. She absentmindedly mouthed “Yeah..” And when she realized, she came back to Planet Swerve. “Oh no, I’m sorry!” Immediately she looked to him. Of course, one look from him and the worries about Dylan seemed to fade away. She couldn’t place it, but whenever she gazed on his face, most, if not all of her troubles didn’t seem so bad. “Go ahead! Nobody’s sitting here. Or at least I don’t think so. They probably would have claimed it by now, right?” Her blue gaze looked to Sal for the answer.

“I’d imagine they’re all just fighting each other off to try and sit next to you, so while they’re doing that I’m just gonna slide in and steal you….I mean steal the spot for myself.” Such a smooth fucking operator, Sal; where was Rico or ReyRey when he needed them? One of his cousins would know exactly what to say to a girl in this situation. The young Montero was enamored with the young girl he now sat beside but based on the way her phone had been blowing up and the image of a guy’s face he had just seen, she definitely had a boyfriend. Though her reaction definitely wasn’t one of joy when he appeared on the screen, if anything it was fear. “So, I’ll take it that this isn’t your usual crowd?”

Stacy half-laughed. “Is it that obvious?” She said with a partial blush, looking at Sal. “My sister is the token nerd of the two of us. I mean, I don’t mind some of the stuff, but I don’t get super into it like Katie does.” Just thinking about how heated some of her conversations have gotten with her friends was enough to make the girl shiver. “But I like the movies. Hemsworth is a hunk.” Stacy giggled.

Logic would tell Sal that he had now bore witness to two red flags. Not only did Stacy obviously have a boyfriend but she also wasn’t really into the nerdy shit that the rest of them were. Logic would tell Salvador that he had been barking up the wrong tree and picked the wrong sister. Logic would say that but at that moment, Sal was not using logic. If his lothario cousins had taught anything to the geek it was to just go with his gut, consequences be damned and his gut was telling him to talk to Stacy.

“The movies are cool, not massively accurate but that’s ok, I’m not some kind of die hard.” Yes Sal, go straight for the nerd talk with this drop dead gorgeous girl who's actually willing to talk to you. “You know I just moved here? Like literally this morning and I actually said to myself that they need to make a movie or a show about this place. Most haunted places in America some call it. So many stories, have you heard any of them?”

Stacy made a noise of visible confusion as she tried to think of any. This really wasn’t her area of expertise. She loved reality television. She liked cheesy romcoms and the occasional Keanu Reeves movie, but when it came to spooky folktales about a town that was apparently cursed, it showed on her face as she frowned at not being to come up with much. “Katie is the one who would know more about it, but she told about one. The Basilisk.” She had to admit that particular story, myth, urban legend, or whatever you wanted to call it, was her favorite. “Like, apparently this person, sometimes depicted as female, sometimes as a snake person, once took out an entire bar full of people with nothing but a metal milkshake straw. Pretty crazy, right?” She could actually feel herself getting excited the more she thought about it.

“Well that’s badass,” Sal was extremely intrigued by this Basilisk character. They were mythological snakes and his family ran the Serpent gang. Coincidence? Absolutely not. “I did some research into the scary stories of this town when I knew I was going to move here. You wanna hear one?”

Now he had her curiosity. Stacy didn’t know a lot about Edenridge. Her brother pretty much made that impossible. Part of her didn’t understand why. Stacy would be lying if she didn’t say she was curious about it. Ever since she and Katie were sent to live in Pinehurst to live with their uncle and the cousins that lived on the adjacent houses in a cul-de-sac, Stacy always wondered why there and not with Misha? She didn’t ever bring it up because it felt like an issue that Misha never wanted to talk about because he never mentioned it. The few times they got to see him wasn’t enough. Stacy was selfish in thinking this, but part of her was tired.

But with all of these thoughts going through her head, centering around her brother and Edenridge, she wanted to know more. Even if it was just one horror story about it. “Yes please!” The brunette earnestly said, leaning a few inches closer to Sal, giving him all but her undivided attention to the Mexican boy. There was just something…calming about Sal. Something she couldn’t put her finger on. She almost felt like she was safe in a room of mostly strangers with him nearby.

“Ok!” He smiled enthusiastically as the room became alert to Sal as he prepared to tell them a tale. Marco, Rosie and even Katie offered the new found Edenite their undivided attention. Getting to his feet, Salvador hit the dimmer on the wall and turned the lights right down before taking his seat back next to Stacy. When he had met Dallas earlier that day, she had informed him that the group she was a part of that Sal himself was trying to join, had a few sacred rites. They didn’t just play Dungeons and Dragons or online JRPG’s, they wove tales and told stories, all of which must be done in the dead of night. “I submit for the approval of the Midnight Society, The Hauntings of the Rose Motel.” He began using his scariest voice.

“When the Rose Motel first opened its doors in 1903, many believed it would be the boom period that Edenridge needed. Little did anyone know that the hotel was a cover for a sadistic serial killer known only as the Magus. In every room, a death trap designed to maim, torture and eradicate everything that a person ever is, was or could be. Every suite told the story of a lost soul. He had secret tunnels that lead all under Edenridge where he would store the bodies of the damned. Some even believe that there is at least one corpse under every home in town. Then out of nowhere, poof, he was gone and the motel passed from person to person, no one ever managing to uncover the Magus’ secrets despite the fact that the Magus was said to have left behind an apprentice to carry on his diabolical work. The Rose Motel fell into disrepair and became home to drug pushers, the homeless and high school parties. Which carries our story to 1987.”

Salvador grabbed his phone during the pause in the story and quickly searched for something. A grin crept up upon his face and he lifted the phone up for everyone to see; the smiling image of a young woman “Siobhan Heather O’Brien was seventeen and had her whole life ahead of her. Cheerleader. Prom Queen, a Foundling. By all accounts, she was a sweet, kind natured woman. She didn’t want to venture to the Rose Motel that fateful October night but her younger brother Brendan was desperate to go to a party there and being the good person she was, Siobhan didn’t want to let the youngster go alone. At first it was just like every other party, booze, drugs, sex but nothing wild. Then the lights went out and the cops showed up. Everybody ran and Siobhan found herself in the manager's office. Nobody knows exactly what happened next but the prevailing theory is that Siobhan found herself in the arms of the Magus’ apprentice. He then proceeded to drive hooks into her wrists and chain her to the wall. He skinned her alive and left her there, escaping through the Magus’ hidden tunnels. Siobhan’s body was found a day later, the police and her younger brother Brendan who led them back to the more to find her. The poor boy would forever be traumatized and would grow up himself to be a serial killer himself, drugging and murdering prostitutes. Every room tells a story and some say that on any given night, when the teenage revelers descend upon the Rose Motel, you can see Siobhan standing in the window of the manager's office, warning them to leave lest a fate similar to hers befalls them. As for the Magus apprentice, it’s said he lurks in the tunnels, wandering and waiting for some poor soul to open a hatch and descend into his pit of darkness so that he can continue his masters work.”

It was not just Stacy whose attention was hooked by every word the boy next to her said, but the ears of Marco and Katie honed in on it too. Katie in particular had been eavesdropping on the conversation ever since Salvador had approached her sister. Katie was so naturally protective over her younger sister (they were separated by five minutes), so she had big sister eyes ever since the boy took the seat by Stacy. She didn’t like Dylan, but Stacy was too emotionally sensitive to hear the truth. Sal seemed like a nice person and clearly a fondness for stories that really stuck to your gut. Katie found herself intrigued the more he spoke.

Following Salvador’s final word, a huge flash of lightning and a boom of thunder rattles the very walls of Swerve Arcana. From beneath the large projector screen that the gang had set up earlier, a floor panel shot off across the room like it had been fired from a cannon, crashing into a standee of a clown for an upcoming horror release. A soaking wet figure emerged from the newfound hole in the floor, groaning and surrounded by a monstrous sound of what can only be described as the devil's white noise.

While Katie, Rosie, and Marco were looking over at the figure, a mixture of intrigue, slight panic, and anxiety (respectively from the three of them) on their faces, Stacy gasped so loud it sounded like a shriek, jumping in the butt pillow she sat on and had unknowingly wrapped her arms around Sal, almost clinging to him as some form of protection. She was shaking, the combination of the horror tale and the outside weather amping her panic to 100. “Who is that? Is it Magus?” A panicked Stacy asked.

The shrieking banshee that was Stacy Čapek set alarms fast in Avery. In a matter of seconds she grabbed her father’s revolver out of his desk, gestured for Bron to follow her, and the two girls hurriedly made it back to the game room.

Bronagh balled up her fists as she charged behind Avery. She was nowhere near as adept a fighter as her cousin Adam or her boyfriend Tommy but she had taken enough private lessons from her boy toy that she was comfortable and confident enough to whoop more kinds of ass than that Cold Stone Austin guy from that wrestling show.

Before barging in, Avery peeked through the crack only to see a familiar silhouette. With annoyance written all over her face, Aves mumbled, “Fucking really, Oz?” She kicked the door open rather unceremoniously and undimmed the lights. “We have a front door for a reason.”

Blinded by the sudden illumination, Oz covered his eyes like a creature of the night suddenly being exposed to blazing hot sunlight. He hissed as he backed away slightly. Once his dark eyes had adjusted, the heavy metal god bared his teeth and turned his hands into claws. “Boo!” He let out a howl of laughter before peeling off his wet jacket and tossing it over into a corner. “It was locked! The fuck are you little morons doing in here anyway?”

Bron’s soft green eyes widened at the stranger, whom she recognised from her days in school. He was a year below her but everyone in her class knew about the crazy Meeks head who seemed to have a cult of nerds that worshipped the ground he walked on. Even now, four years later, he was still a ducking basket case.

“I was about to get me some fucking pussy Oz!” Bronagh screamed. “Prepare to die you absolute basket case!” Throwing off the jacket that she now realised was his, the blonde barged past Avery and the youngsters wrapped up in each other’s arms on the floor with her fist raised high as Oz backed away towards the rear wall.

“Oh shitsticks”

Delbrook Academy Senior Year

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______________________________________	______________________________________________________________________________________ Location: Home Interactions: Buzzkill McGee (Malu - NPC) ______________________________________________________________________________________

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”Kyle, breakfast!” Malu, Kyle Vass’ younger sister of two years called for her brother, angry feet going up each step, turning a corner as she made a beeline for her idiot older brother’s room. “Dumbass! I said it’s breakfast time!” Not having any respect for whether or not he was still asleep, but knowing her brother like she did, he was. The turquoise-colored door flung open, slamming against the wall behind it.

But to the surprise of the younger Vass girl, Kyle wasn’t here.

“Seriously? He’s up before seven?”

As a genuinely shocked Malu was about to exit the typically messy pig pen her brother called a room, curiosity and her typical nosey personality took over as she looked around, going to the window and she saw Kyle going for a swim.

“HEY KYE KYE!”

As Kyle was mid-jump into the pool in the Vass home backyard, he heard that godawful name and immediately rushed up above the water. “Maluuuuuu! Come join me for a quick swim before school!” Kyle did the backstroke, shirtless a she always was during swims (and generally he always wore no shirt while at home), he swam with very little care.

And that’s always been the flow of Kyle’s life. Like the backstroke, he never was the type to care much about anything that didn’t bring him joy. He loved his sister, but she was a buzzkill sometimes. And so very vulgar. It was so shocking how someone with such a big brain could be such a big pain in his ass. He didn’t want to let that ruin his vibes, though. Kyle loved to look at every positive of every situation that came his way. Waking up before seven was just one of them.

Oh, he hated waking up so early, but what really made it worth it was being able to catch a swim right before school. Had he woken up an hour earlier, then of course, Kyle may have been able to venture to the beach and really do what he loved.

Surfing and food were among two of many things that brought him joy, but as long as he was able to be near water, no matter how chemically-based they were, he’d take advantage of it.

Kyle got out of the pool, grabbing the towel that was on the sidewalk, near where he exited from, he dried most of his body off. It took him an extra few moments to get his silky hair completely dry and an additional half minute to completely dry his lean body and hairless legs (Kyle liked to shave). As soon as she finished, he saw his sister walk his way with that typical nasty expression on her face.

“Why so sour, little sister?” He asked, bearing a smile, proving yet again he was the complete opposite to his little sister.

“Did you not even hear me earlier?” As Kyle shook his head, Malu sighed with great frustration. “Breakfast. Now.”

He thought about joking around, but she had him at breakfast. That swim he just took had worked up quite an appetite. “Well, why didn’t you say so?"

Malu was seconds away from smacking Kyle over the head, but before he could, Kyle tossed her his damp towel and ran towards the house. He knew exactly what was for breakfast: rice, some steamed salmon, and fried eggs. If there was anything his parents knew how to do the best way possible, it was making the best breakfast every day. Whether it was on a rainy day, which in Long Beach, really didn’t matter much because it was hardly like most places, or now on a late summer morning when he had worked up quite the appetite, Kyle was going to pig out to the point his sister would likely kick him in his exposed shin.

One was not like the other.

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^{Location: Delbrook Academy - Homeroom, then fredommmmmm!
Interactions: The Castillo Twins! @LostDestiny
OTD: ♛}

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“Freeeeedommmmm!” Kyle called as loud as he could.

As he left homeroom, he didn’t think that torture would ever end. He had the shortest attention span, especially after he heard that there was going to be a carnival. And with food trucks galore.

God, he loved this school so much.

Eyes as wide as they could go given…well physics (not that Kyle ever absorbed as much as left him whenever Malu tried to tudor him). He ran his way to the lacrosse field and, if there was ever a moment where Kyle Vass would become like a real-life anime character, this would be the time. As food-obsessed as he can be most of the time, there was just something so cathartic of looking at the rows (or was it lines?) of food trucks all around. School could be hell, but right now, Kyle felt like he was in heaven.

For a few minutes, Kyle roamed around. He didn’t have any specific direction or interest he was aiming to go for, or at least not right now. He felt overwhelmed by a lot. By the games. By the food trucks. By the people. Not overwhelmed in a bad way, though. Actually, he was enjoying himself a great deal. Kyle loved things like this. He didn’t go to carnivals a lot. Whether that was due to the amount of surfing he did both for the surfing team and his own personal pleasure or the amount of time spent filming stuff for Tik Tok and his Youtube account, Kyle didn’t have enough free time. But he always made it for his friends.

Wait, speaking of. “Where is the gang? Soy? Maria? Marco? Oh, Danny too!” Kyle said out loud, thinking as he always did…out loud. He looked around and around and around. And his head was spinning right round to the point where he had to take in a few deep breaths. “Focus, Kyle. Focus.”

He’ll just text them.

Taking his phone out of his pocket, Kyle was going to text them, but then he saw a couple of them by one of the food trucks. The one that was apparently selling pretzels. “That’s a good place to start!” He didn’t have a plan yet, but Kyle was going to do a tour of all his favorite foods: fried and baked stuff with cheese and grease. Pretzels would be the first on that agenda.

As he ran over, which for him wasn’t an issue. Kyle liked to run. With his long legs, he cleared a great distance with relative ease. “Yooooooo!” He called out, waving an excited arm at the gingersnaps! “M-Squared! How’s it hanging!” As always, Kyle was grinning widely at them. “I was literally about to text everyone in the gc and then I saw you two! I’m so happy!”

Digimon: The Parallel Visage

Hey sorry, kinda dropped the ball here. I had every intention of posting by now but a lot of things just kept getting in the way, but I'll try and get something of a post up for this as soon as I can.

Edenridge

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_{T I M E S T A M P — Evening (4:40-5:30ishPM) || After Useless Musings}
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Somewhere inside, Jade felt guilty for taking a leave almost as soon as their stuff was deposited into Adora’s home. She felt guilty because after so long of leaving not just Key but Poppy in the dirt, as soon as they were free to roam around, she exited stage left…somewhere. Truth of the matter, Jade needed some time alone. She needed some breathing room. She needed to gather her thoughts away from Poppy, away from Key, and away from Natalia. She was suffocating to the point where all of the compartmentalization she had made about what she was feeling versus…everything surrounding this trip: from Charlie to Charlie having a sister to the fact that, honestly, she wasn’t ready to face them.

That’s what took Jade to the backyard patio area of Adora’s house. She was still somewhat nearby the others, but far enough that she could think and breathe in peace. For the first time, Jade took in the sights. She stood at some edge but saw the surroundings for the first time. It was breathtaking. At face value, it wasn’t much to look at, but there was something about it - something that Jade couldn’t explain - that made her feel relaxed. It wasn’t just relaxing for her stress levels (which had been abnormally high since this morning), but she would even say spiritually, she felt something.

And Jade wasn’t a spiritual person. Or if she was, she’d much prefer the Prince of Darkness to the big person up top. But this was different.

She pulled out a cigarette from a pack of Marlboro 100s Red that she had in her back pocket and popped one in her mouth. Lighting it, she stood almost solemnly. These moments alone gave her some time to think. As she huffed out a big puff of smoke and she glanced at the sky. It made her mind drift to the storm. She wondered if Pancake was safe. Somewhere inside, Jade also felt guilty for not telling her she was leaving. She just hoped Anya was okay, safe, and out of harm’s way of the storm.

Frowning slightly, she heard some noise from behind her. Jade was always on her guard - except for those Sunday morning dates with Anya where she didn’t have to be - so when she heard what sounded like footsteps, Jade jumped in place defensively only to notice the artist formerly known as Queen Bee of Edenridge High, Class of 2020 was behind her. “So what? You needed some time alone too?”

You could say that,” Natalia said with a small smile, settling on one of the royal blue lawn chairs in front of the fire pit with her trusty blue makeup bag in her arms. After a brief catch-up with Adora in which the two women lamented the end of Tal's relationship with their hostess' nephews but were happy it had been an amicable split, the young woman had been quick to barricade herself in the bedroom she had shared with Creed and Jokes during their Blue Hill visits. Spending over an hour in close proximity to Charlie's friends had left her muscles tense and her nerves shot with anxiety, leaving her with no other choice than to pop a few Valiums and lay down in an attempt to self-soothe. She kept an ear out for the voices of the rest of the Southies, waiting for the moment in which they faded away. And once she determined the other guests were gone, Tal embraced the opportunity to find comfort in solitude and the cool, fresh mountain air.

“Poppy and Boa gone?” Tal asked Jade, occupying herself by loading a dose of freshly-grinded weed onto her trusty galaxy purple glass pipe. She hadn’t expected to find any of the Southies still at the house, but a part of her was grateful that it was Jade and not Poppy.

She watched Natalia claim one of the chairs and with a slight shrug more for herself, a sort of ‘might as well’, non-verbal reaction, Jade took the one opposite of her. There was something awkward in the air. Jade didn’t know if it was how she was feeling, how Queen Belmonte was feeling, or just the fact that she didn’t really know Natalia enough to feel comfortable around her, yet in her current state, she preferred her company to anyone else’s right now. The guilt for ditching her friends and family was still eating away at her, so maybe that’s why she felt this way.

“Yeah, it seems like it. I don’t know where to, though. I just came this way to get some air.” Jade absentmindedly said. She wasn’t even looking at Natalia - not really, anyways. She casually took a couple puffs of the cigarette, blowing the smoke into the air as she found herself leaning back into the chair.

The Belmonte girl snorted. "Honestly? There's not enough air or oxygen on this Earth that'll make me feel any less stressed about all of this," Natalia told Jade, pulling out her zippo lighter from the makeup bag and flicking it open.

Jade brought her gaze to Natalia. There was something eating away at her and now was as good of a time as any to say it. “You know, this might be rude, but honestly I always thought you were kind of a bitch. Not a bitch like Lanie Lancaster. That one was insufferable. More bitch like ‘oh she might ruin my day if I get in her way but probably be friends with me too’ kind of bitch.” As she rambled on, Jade inhaled another puff of smoke. “Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say. Feel free to ignore me and get high if you want.”

Natalia's face lit up in a smile at Jade's comment. In a town full of secrets and lies, the blonde's honesty was quite refreshing. "You're not that far off in your assumption," Tal admitted, placing the pipe to her lips, flicking the lighter on under the pipe and allowing the flame to light up the weed. She took a long, deep drag from the pipe and released it in a steady stream of smoke before continuing. "I'm not proud of some of the things I've said and done throughout my life, or the way I've acted in certain situations. I've felt hurt, I’ve felt lonely, and I’ve been scared to show any signs of being weak or vulnerable-- which I'm not saying to justify anything, by the way-- so I've lashed out in ways that hurt people I care about," she explained, her mind immediately jumping to Danny, Niles, and even Kylee during the last time she saw her-- people who hadn’t deserved her harsh treatment even if they had knowingly or unknowingly hurt her with their actions.

Jade just had to chuckle and smile at the response she got. She was smiling because, as much as she hated to admit it, she was the same way (more or less). Jade was horrible to a few people. Some not so memorable, but one in particular, one Roddy Callahan, had always stood out. Some days she wished she had made amends with him, and apologized for being a grade-a bitch to him. He developed feelings for her and, instead of trying to see if she did too (she might’ve), Jade split like it was nobody’s business.

“Seems we’re cut from the same cloth.” Jade laughed again, leaning forward, flicking her cigarette that was no larger than her fingernail into the unlit fire pit at the center. “Well, at least you have the balls to be a bitch to people to their faces.” Jade stayed leaning forward, her arms positioned over her thigh (just an inch or two shy of her knee). Her gaze was down closer to the ground than it was level or at Natalia. “Me? I’m a coward. I run away, hide, and keep even those closest to me at arm’s length at a time.”

The dark-haired girl immediately scoffed and raised her eyebrows. "Did you not see the state of my room when you guys came over earlier? What do you think I've been doing the past two weeks?" Tal confessed, taking another pull from her pipe. "All I remember about the last fourteen days is getting high, getting food and falling asleep. I made sure to only leave my room when everyone else wasn’t around because I didn't want to explain myself to anyone. Fuck, I even deactivated my socials and everything so people wouldn't be able to message me ask me about things. Which, from what you're telling me, looks like you can relate to as well."

Jade laughed again, slightly nodding. “That obvious huh? Guess you weren’t queen bee for nothing.” Another small chuckle escaped through her lips as Jade’s gaze remained on the firepit. The thoughts of the past immediately flooded her mind as though the fires from hell themselves consumed her, burning away whatever peace the Angel Princess had achieved in the journey here. “So as you so aptly guessed, you aren’t the only one who said--” Jade leaned back and flipped the bird in no general direction “--to the world. I was never that active on any socials. Think all I have is a Reddit account but even that’s not used very often. But the whole not answering messages and calls? Yeah, I fucked off for a whole month. Didn’t matter who it was: my Aunt Zippo’s family, Pops, Key, even Mikhail Zima reached out once or twice.” She laughed, thinking about HB and how even though they didn’t talk that much, he still cared enough to reach out. “I didn’t care -- I couldn’t care. That whole night at the Carlisle House…”

As Jade had finally looked up at Natalia, as she saw the Italian girl smoke her pipe, her emotions swirled inside. Swirled to the point where she felt that familiar vice grip of that night take a hold of her. Unlike that night, however, Jade had made some peace with it. “Instead of leaning on my friends - my family - I couldn’t face them. Every one of them who knew said I wasn’t at fault. And part of me understands that. Too many things were at play and it’s not like I could do anything to stop ReyRey from what he did to Charlie, but I never said anything until that night.” Saying it out loud was difficult for her. She thought she might talk this way with Poppy, but guilt prevented Jade from feeling strong enough to talk about this with her or even Key. Somehow doing that with Natalia, someone she had barely any connection with, was easier. “Despite that, you had a connection with Charlie too. I can’t imagine how it was for you, having to hear everything.”

Natalia was quiet for a while, listening to Jade elaborate on the way she’d coped with things and feeling a strange sense of consolation. She wouldn’t have guessed that she and Jade dealt with their problems in similar ways: pushing her loved ones aside. Not just that, but she wouldn’t have thought that they shared a similar feeling regarding their failure to help Charlie during his time of need. However, when the conversation shifted to her potential connection to Charlie, the Italian girl’s demeanor reverted back to its usual high guard.

"He was my dealer. That's all it was," Tal answered curtly, shifting her slightly tearful eyes away from Jade and to the pine trees surrounding them as her body tensed up. Flashbacks of the moments shared with Charlie throughout the years jumped to the forefront of her mind, each one more meaningful than the last, all culminating in that fateful day in which she witnessed his premature demise swiftly delivered by the hand of Sly James and his bullet to the Native boy's head. Before their excursion to Carlisle and the old high school, Natalia had compartmentalized and suppressed the memory for nearly two years. But after that night, the visions of her former lover meeting his end haunted her dreams, and only the pills and the weed knocked her out enough to avoid the nightmares that followed.

The blonde found herself narrowing her blue-green eyes at Natalia the moment that she saw her gaze drift away from her own. Jade knew it all too well that, on the southside, if you had a dealer, they were more than that. But at the same time, as much as she wanted to assume, if she were in Natalia’s position, she’d hate for anyone to assume something that might not even be true. What Charlie became after a certain point, as much as it kills her to assume it, he became like a stranger to her.

“Sorry, I didn’t…” Fuck, Jade was terrible at this: the awkward apology for her own damn assumptions. She kept her eyes on the former queen even if she didn’t want to look at her. “It’s just, in the Southside, we don’t really view dealers as just that. I get you’re a Northsider, but you strike me as someone who is more Southie than Northie. Hell, my own dealer, Sunshine, he’s someone I’ve known for the longest time. Ever since I met Key since I was thirteen, I’ve always been close to his crew. Sonny is the one who gave me some pills. Still got 'em with me just in case I needed a pick-me-up.” And at this rate, Jade would probably need them sooner than later.

The Belmonte girl remained silent once more, pondering her options. Here was an opportunity to come clean about her involvement with Charlie Decker with someone who seemed to carry the same guilt she did. Jade had been open with her so far-- more so than Tal would have ever imagined considering they’d been strangers just mere minutes before. And she had also shown vulnerability in the things she’d disclosed and the way she had disclosed them. But was Tal ready to do the same?

"I guess you could say we were friends," she lied, taking another puff from the pipe but still avoiding the blonde's eyes. She was afraid they would contradict the words being spoken-- that they would reveal she and Charlie had been drawn to one another, and that they'd been more than friends at one point in time. "I started buying from him after Niles Sinclair and I stopped being friends. One of those times, he noticed I wasn't being myself. He offered me a joint, asked me what was wrong, and we got to talking about it. It was nice." Tal admitted, the ghost of a smile on her lips as she remembered her first real conversation with Charlie Decker: the one that started it all. "We had smoking sessions and deep talks about this and that a few more times after that. He was honestly the best person to talk to if you wanted to dig deep into the meaning of things. It was one of the things I enjoyed most about him."

Jade didn’t expect this to happen. Honest to every damn God and spirit around, Jade didn’t see herself having a conversation about Charlie with someone she not only didn’t have a close connection with, but someone who had the same experiences that she did. She was experiencing a lost feeling that she hadn’t felt in years. Any time that she thought about Charlie Decker, it was always met with profound sadness, mixed with regret and pain. All of that from the last two years of Charlie’s life and how very little she talked to him. She was going through her own shit, as he was, but...

But Jade wished she had reached out. God, she wished more than anything that she would have just said hello. Have another go at it, but it never happened. And while he was gone, he wasn’t forgotten. This very moment was proof of that.

“I bet you were the one to start it off, right?” Jade smiled and laughed, remembering how Charlie was at that game before the party. “He had a way about him. For someone so wise beyond his years and a love for literature, he sure sucked at getting his thoughts out.” Somewhere deep down, Jade wished things had been different that day. At the game.

Natalia turned to look at Jade for the first time since their common friend had been brought up in conversation. “I mean, you’re half-right. Charlie wasn’t really one to talk about himself in detail much-- at least with me. He’d drop breadcrumbs about things he was going through here and there, making it sound almost like a riddle you needed to decipher to find out what he really meant. But starting the conversations? That was all him.”

Now that she took the time to really think about it, Charlie definitely knew more about her than she ever did about him. It wasn’t for lack of trying, because God knew Tal certainly tried her best to offer him the same shoulder to cry on he gave her. But Charlie always found a way to circle topics back to her or shift them in a different direction. Maybe if she’d tried harder, pushed further, dug deeper… Maybe he would have finally bared his soul enough to protect them all from what came after.

“That sounds about right.” Jade said absentmindedly, switching from half-smiles and neutral expressions in the course of a few moments. She remembered conversations she had with Charlie. Conversations that, even before that horrific night where everything changed, what Natalia said… “Charlie never did like to talk about what was on his mind. Or what was happening with him. I was one of his best friends at one point and even I knew very little about what was really happening in his life.” Saying that out loud felt like she was stabbing herself in the gut repeatedly. To actually say that she may not have known Charlie at all, that…

That was a reality check Jade never thought she’d face, least of all with somebody that she didn’t know had such a profound connection with him.

Hearing Jade admit that Charlie wasn’t very open with her did ease some of Natalia’s conscience. While she still wished she would have tried harder to earn his trust, it was a little comforting to know that it hadn’t been just her. Unfortunately, knowing what she did now and how it all ended, hoping that he’d had someone to confide in even if it hadn’t been them, was futile.

Jade felt the curious cat poke its head and there was something she needed to ask. “When was it that you had started having these talks with him?”

“March of Sophomore year,” Natalia responded without hesitation, taking yet another pull from the pipe. “I started buying from him almost as soon as we got back to school from winter break, but we actually started talking in March. Why?"

“I'm just thinking about him. About everything.” Pain surfaced in her voice, forcing her to fall silent, but Jade was still smiling. “I guess when things around me and, I suppose everyone else too, were happening all at once and I started to lose touch with him, that was around the same time you…and he started talking. I think I’m happy he found someone to talk to, even if he didn’t admit much to you about what he was going through, it seemed like he felt safe around you.” In truth, that’s the best way Jade could look at it. Her biggest regret was not doing more, but at least he had somebody. She had made her peace with most of it, but unintentionally so, this had opened up some old wounds for her.

The green-eyed girl swallowed the lump forming on her throat, getting misty-eyed once more as even more memories of her time spent with Charlie bubbled up to the surface. “Not as safe as I felt around him,” she heard herself confessing. “I cared about him so much-- more than words can ever say. In high school, I was surrounded by a ton of people. I had one or two friends that I trusted, but Charlie was the only one who really saw me from the beginning. He gave me one look, and that’s all it took for him to know what kind of mood I was in. He made me feel heard. He knew what to say to make me feel like I was worth a damn when I thought I couldn’t see it myself. He did so much for me-- hell, he did so much for so many people--, and none of us could do anything to save him--” Out of nowhere and before she could stop herself, Natalia dropped her pipe in her lap, hid her face between her hands and started to sob.

Without even thinking about it, Jade left the chair she was in, going close to Natalia. She was on one knee. Her hand was gently resting on Natalia’s shoulder. The Angel Princess was at a loss of what to say because she didn’t think there was anyone else other than herself and Poppy who felt this way about Charlie. Who held such a deep regret for not being able to help him. Jade held her own shortcomings with Charlie so harshly against her that even before the shooting, it crippled her. And after, in addition to so many other bad events happening in succession, Jade couldn’t deal.

That’s when she started to turn to drugs to help her cope with all the internal pain she kept clinging onto. Pain reminded her that she was still alive but the drugs and alcohol helped numb her worst thoughts, yet made her feel worse about herself. “Natalia…” Jade spoke softly, though she felt her voice crack with the mix of emotions that she thought were buried in her voice. These emotions stemmed from thoughts that she thought were resolved. “I’m…” Again, she got choked up. The roles were reversed right now. Natalia was where Jade was last month. “You’re not alone, Natalia.” Jade squeezed her shoulder.

As tears started to slowly flow down Jade’s face, smearing her racoon eyeshadow, Jade gently pulled the Italian girl into an embrace as she wrapped her arm around the girl’s lanky shoulders. “I hope you know that. Me, Poppy, Key, and you -- we all feel the same hurt. What we couldn’t do right by him, we can by his sister.” Maybe for the first time, Jade could understand the true importance of this trip. She spent so long from the moment she found out to the car ride to the Reservation stuck in her head, but Jade saw it now. What this was about was not to just protect Charlie’s sister, but redemption for the four of them.

Natalia nodded in acknowledgement, still sobbing but gratefully leaning into Jade’s compassionate embrace. This was the first time that she had ever disclosed part of the depth of hers and Charlie’s relationship to anyone. Be it out of fear of being judged, concern of their bond being misconstrued or guilt at the potential part she had played in the grand scheme of things, nobody else had known the very real feelings she’d had for the deceased boy. From the moment she’d witnessed his tragic death, the Italian girl had compartmentalized their memories together and locked them away in the depths of her mind, unwilling to deal with her emotions even during therapy. The Carlisle incident had served to chip away at the defenses she’d put in place since that fateful day in late August of 2019, but today was the first time she’d been forced to confront her feelings about those high school experiences she’d suppressed as a coping mechanism to her trauma. And, as much as Tal didn’t want to admit it, sharing a part of her story with someone who could relate did ease some of the heavy load on her shoulders.

Maybe that’s what Rhonda Decker had wanted for them all along.