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In Edenridge → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
TIMESTAMP: During Aponi's Heart
FT: Poppy & the Reservation Dog


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The moment she was alone her legs began to shake. Her body felt like it could collapse any second now. She needed to get a grip. Like The Little Engine That Could, Penelope thought she could, she thought she could, she thought she could… but could she? Now here she was, the moment of truth, the moment she could turn the page in her story, the moment a secret wouldn’t feel like a lie, the moment she could stop blaming herself for Charlie’s demise, and all Penelope-fucking-James could do was doubt herself. She was absolutely terrified to meet Mitena but why?

Stumbling, Poppy shuffled to the nearest seat which was a log by a campfire. After placing her backpack down beside her, not realizing it was open the entire time, she closed her eyes, and placed her hands on the bark, grasping at it for stability. Breathe, Poppy, breathe. All this progress and for what? For her to fall back into her old routine of crippling anxiety, panic attacks, and depressive episodes? These were things she thought she was healing from. These were things she had convinced herself were no longer an issue. These were things she wanted to leave behind. There were always things on her goddamn mind.

What the hell was she doing?

Throughout her day, throughout her week, throughout her month, she had told herself that she was strong. It was her who led the charge. It was her who took the first steps to meet people that Charlie hurt to provide them with some sort of closure. It was her who got all his broken friends together. It was her who so desperately wanted to seek out this piece of his heart so they could all move on. It was all her and she was so strong. That’s what she kept telling herself. That’s what she wanted to believe.

Was she just lying to herself? This wasn’t going to fix her problems. All this was going to do was show her that Charlie wasn’t the man she loved. He was a complete stranger. She couldn’t do this. What would she even say when she met Mitena? How would she feel? Charlie didn’t trust her enough to tell her about his sister. That has to mean something, right? For all she knew, Charlie had nothing good to say about her. For all she knew, Mitena hated her. For all she knew, this was the beginning of the end for her.

Penelope wanted to so desperately believe that the love she and Charlie had was true. That they didn’t need to say the words they both needed to hear. She wanted to believe that if he were still alive he would kiss her on the forehead and slip post-it notes everywhere to tell her how much she meant to him, using book quotes. Stupid book quotes. He loved quoting books. She missed him so fucking much and she wished this meeting with his sister was under different circumstances. She wished he didn’t shoot up a school. She wished she was the strength he needed when he truly lost himself junior year. She wished they had more time together so that she could say the words she should’ve said freshman year.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

There was no use in wishing though. He was dead. He could never come back. And his deeds were unforgivable. He killed so many people. How do you redeem a person from committing such a crime? You don’t. She loved who he was, not who he became. She wasn’t here because Rhonda asked her to. No, Penelope knew she needed to let go of him. She needed to move on.

All she could see was Charlie and it made living life so fucking hard because he was supposed to be her future. He was supposed to be her forever. He was supposed to be with her. He always came back. He promised he’d come back. Why didn’t he come back?

Fuck, she hated herself.

To learn to walk again. That’s why she was here. But why was she so scared? Why did she feel so dizzy?

Breathe, Poppy, breathe.

“You know, there’s a lot better seating inside if you’re here to see the band. Red Wolf Road rocks!”

A figure sat down on the other end of Poppy’s log, his wild black hair framed his dark face but the flickering embers of the log fire danced in his eyes. He placed a rucksack between him and the doe eyed brunette, if anything it would make her feel comfortable that this random guy had decided to share her seat with her. The stranger leaned forward and locked his fingers together in front of him. He turned to face the woman and his full, handsome face was revealed. Sharp strong angles, a light tan, and a few battle scars, in some ways, he looked a lot like Charlie. In other ways, he looked like just another reservation dog, just doing his part to survive.

“Not often we get outsiders in town for a gig, you and your gang must be big fans?”

Lazily opening her eyes, Penelope turned to see this boy, who looked around her age, maybe a little older, and silently scanned his facial features. If she was the dramatic type, she would do a double take but instead she sat there and stared. She could see Charlie in him but he was also different enough, especially with those cheekbones, for her to tell him apart and not get lost in her head. Briefly, she wondered if all the residents here looked like this. If that were the case, she was in for a trip. She didn’t know how her heart could handle this. How her heart could handle seeing Charlie’s ghost everywhere she turned. “No, not really, but I’ll take your word for it,” she faintly smiled.

His presence alone gradually eased her nerves and worry. Instead of being alone, she was alone with a stranger. Maybe that’s what she needed. Someone who came to her with kindness but no knowledge of her past, seeing how her friends could be emotionally charged at this very moment, which would only make things worse. Maybe she needed a stranger. Someone who didn’t know anything about her at all or her situation. Someone where she and them had a blank slate. Someone she could have a fresh start with. Someone new!

“I’m looking for a person. I was told she lives here.”

The boy cocked his eyebrow. “So you’re on a quest? Nice,” He took a hold of the bag that sat between them and pulled open the zip before reaching inside. “You’ll probably need some good food then if you’re going to be searching for this mystery girl.” He pulled a bundled up something or other covered in grease or off paper from the carrier and held out his palm towards Poppy. Steam was lightly flowing off of the ball in his hand. “You look like you could do with a munch. It’s good food, honest. Teriyaki Bao Bun. Homemade. Take it.”

Tilting her head, eyes glinting with curiosity, Penelope reached for the bun and asked, “Is this what you do? Offer food to sad, skinny girls?” Surprised at herself, with how lighthearted she suddenly felt, she examined the contents and chuckled, “I’m kidding, by the way. Thank you… you really didn’t have to.” She paused for a moment, before deciding to introduce herself, “My name’s Penelope. Friends call me Poppy. If I’m going to eat your poison, you might as well tell me your name too.”

“Well actually, I kind of do just give food away,” He motioned with his head to a food truck, Resi on the Rez, parked just across the car park. “That’s mine, I’m catering this entire thing,” The boy grinned brightly as he watched her take the bun. He didn’t want to invade her space and something was telling him that she wasn’t overly fond of being in close quarters with anyone, let alone a stranger, so he leaned back ever so slightly. “Forrest, they call me Forrest. Some people Resi. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Poppy.” The man they call Resi reached into his bag again and pulled out a bun for himself, unwrapping the piping hot Asian delicacy, he took a small bite and enjoyed the wonderful flavor before speaking again. “You said you’re looking for someone? You’re not like some badass hitwoman about to murder our chief are you? If you are, I might need that bao back.”

“That would be pretty fucked up if I came in to kill your people like my ancestor, huh?” Penelope nervously laughed, thinking back at her own history that both she and Charlie discovered sophomore year. “No. My dad’s a cop so he’s taught me how to shoot out of self defense but I promise you, all I have is a slingshot.” Rather than answer him immediately about who she was looking for, Poppy took a small bite out of the bun and in complete shock, she cussed, “Fuck, this is good. You made this?”

Forrest nodded his shaggy head in compliance. “Yeah. I always like to try new recipes. Try and theme my food every week to mix it up. This week is Japanese week!” He said excitedly. It was very obvious that Resi loved food, the way his face lit up at its mention and how he worked on the recipes. It was his passion. “Bit weird to see a grown woman with a slingshot but who am I to judge?” The native boy took another bite from his bao before leaning fully back in a stretch. “Also your ancestor? Don’t pay it no mind. Every white person's ancestor has tried to kill us once or twice. Ain’t a thing,” Resi let out a little laugh. “So where is it you come from?”

If only he knew who she was related to. Penelope glanced at the longhouse named after the woman her ancestor killed, as she firmly held her bun. It wasn’t a big deal. He said it himself. “Edenridge,” She turned back at him, simultaneously taking another bite of the bun. This was a really good bun. She was surprised she could keep eating it in one sitting. In front of a stranger no less. “Oh,” she covered her mouth while chewing. “To answer your question from earlier, today I found out my dead friend has a sister and his sister lives here. So yay, fun stuff. Finding out answers and… yeah. Fun stuff,” she glanced away, peering down at her shoes.

“Heavy,” Forrest nodded his head ever so slightly before polishing off the rest of his food in one big bite. He looked into the flickering flame and began to do some quick mental maths before the light bulb went off in his head. This girl was from Edenridge. That hellhole was the birthplace of the tribe. He knew a few people down there from his dealings with Jalyn. Like that dude Oz, he was a sick guy in a good way. He knew of only one person on the reservation who had admitted to a relative down that way and that particular kin was no longer of this world and had joined the Great Spirit. “You mean Tena? Mitena Strongbow?”

Woof. The sudden mention of the girl’s name made this whole situation no longer a theory but actual reality. Poppy’s eyes began to well up. Diverting her attention from her feet to the bun, she saw her hands begin to shake. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Placing the food down, she jumped up and walked a short distance away to calm herself.

Breathe.

With her back facing him, she whispered, “Oh so it’s true. She does exist…”

He felt bad. This was obviously a lot for this poor girl and he had already made it ten times worse for her but honesty was always the correct way to go about things. No matter how much the truth hurts, a person would feel worse for not knowing. That’s what the chief said and he was the boss. He had been chosen to lead the tribe for a reason. “I’m sorry if that’s hard to hear, Poppy. She’s like the lead singer in the band. That’s her onstage right now, you can hear her.”

“She has a pretty voice…” Penelope softly acknowledged. She needed to get her shit together. She was doing so well up until today. The tears gradually went down her cheeks like raindrops on a window. She needed to be like her father. A man that could take all the punches, soak in all the pain, and still feel determined to protect people. She needed to protect Mitena. It didn’t matter if Charlie never told her about her. It hurt, it hurt a lot, but Tena’s life was endangered and no James would let something like that go.

Frustrated, she wiped her wet face with her sleeve, like Charlie brushing her tears away. She had put Charlie’s jacket on when day turned into night and the chill made her shiver. It wasn’t something she wanted to leave behind in Edenridge, when she needed Charlie now more than ever. His coat was huge but his coat was hers. Just like how Mordechai’s sweatshirt was huge but his sweatshirt was hers.

Turning back to Resi, Penelope pushed her hair back behind her ear and disclosed, “Someone has gotten ahold of her brother’s journal and has been bringing up the past. Mitena might be endangered… I was sent here because C—” saying his name when she needed to stung and she didn’t know why. “—Charlie’s mother is worried.”

She did it and the pain deeply sat in her chest. She was used to it though. Penelope should be used to the pain by now. It was becoming part of her new normal. “So what if my best friend never fucking told me he has a goddamn sister? That doesn’t matter right now. I need to get over myself and just see her.”

Wow. These white folk had some serious issues. Resi got to his feet to match Poppy and took out a few more buns. He put them down on the log before her and took a step back. “You know, it seems like you’ve got a lot going on. I don’t know this Charlie guy though by the sounds of it we’re probably related, Tena’s mom is my Mom’s sister… anyway… you better get in there if my little cousin is in trouble. She’s a bad bitch but if you’re here to help then no doubt she’ll need it.” Forrest placed his hands in his pockets before taking a step back and motioning with his head to the buns. “Take them with you when you go, they’ll last the trip.” He looked down at her bag and noticed a book sticking out of it: On the Road by Jack Kerouac. “That’s a good book.”

It was at that moment, Penelope pulled out her phone and found herself rushing to him. Intensely, she looked up at him with her big, green eyes, “You’re related to Charlie?” The tears kept coming but she wasn’t going to hold back from saying what was on her mind, not like she did in the past, “Can… can I have your number?” This was such a random occurrence but if she could make up for her past mistakes for not being there for Charlie, not in the way he needed her to, maybe just maybe she could make up for all the pain she caused him. Through Resi. Through Tena. Through his family on the Res. Through mama Rhonda. Through Charlie’s spirit. Maybe just maybe this was how she would turn her pain into something good. “Please?” She desperately begged her acquaintance, not really one to boldly ask for someone’s number like this. It was a new dawn, a new day, and a new life. It was time to start something new.

This was something else. When Resi sat down he did not expect for any of this to happen. The look on her eyes though, that was something he could understand. He had his fair share of pain, so did everyone but this girl, Poppy, her name, there was so much in her that it radiated from her being. She needed this. “Yeah of course,” he took a hold of her phone and input his digits for her before handing it back. “I usually head your way every few weeks so if I’m in town, I’ll be sure to hit you up ok? I don’t know what I can do to help but I’ll try.”

“Thank you, Resi,” Penelope, her face wet from tears, held her phone close and shyly glanced away, a little embarrassed at how emotional she got, “This really means a lot… um,” She heard the song nearing an end and cleared her throat, “I should get going now,” she goofily saluted before robotically making her way to her bag and all the buns, “Thanks again for these. You really didn’t have to.”

“It’s what I do,” Forrest picked up his own bag and turned on his heel, beginning to walk towards the darkness. He stopped in his tracks, half silhouetted in shadow and half lit by the flames. “I’ll be seeing you Poppy. Go give 'em hell,” He offered her one final smile before disappearing into the shrouded car park and heading back towards his truck.
In Edenridge → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
TIMESTAMP: After Two Callahans, a Girl, & a Mystery
@BrutalBx & @LovelyComplex

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“It’ll all be mine someday.”

Those words had echoed in Teddy’s brain since he was a child. The Grimms never had much, they lived in a single bedroom house down on Haze Street. It was Teddy, his brother George and his parents Hank and Gabby.

Hank worked over in Boston down at the port and like any blue collar dad he spent most of his time at work or at the bar before he came home to the family that weighed him down. He had heard from some people that his father used to be a happy guy, a fun loving and quirky character but the massacre at Camp Eden had changed him. It was supposed that having your stomach slashed and your girlfriend murdered would do that to you.

Gabriella was an immigrant; could barely speak English and Hank out of the kindness of his heart, took her in and they fell in love; a storybook romance perpetuated by lies to withhold the truth. Both of them were abusive, violent and God fearing. George always wanted to escape, it was his thing. When Teddy was a boy, he remembered he and his brother running around Edenridge, looking for hideaways where their father couldn’t find them…but Hank always found them.

On one particular of those long ago days, the future mayor of Eden and his brother found themselves in the fabled Scott Street. Of course, the likes of the Clearys and the O’Haras looked down on these two scruffy boys as they meandered over Prairie Court, probably looking for somewhere to rob. It was then that Teddy and George found themselves at the big black gates of the Carlisle Estate. It had been built by hand by the Judge himself, Nathaniel Carlisle, back in the 17th century. The last known members of the forgotten founders family had moved out in the 50s after their progeny murdered a cheerleader by the lake. Teddy was enamored with its gothic beauty, to him, it looked like the grim reaper himself called the manor home. Then and there, the young boy decided; “It’ll all be mine someday.”

And it was. Upon his return to Edenridge, he bought the manor, lovingly restored it and now called it home. From the window in his bedroom he now stood looking out of, Teddy could see most of the town, including his former home on Haze Street, though now it was no longer a house. He made sure when he became mayor to raise that building to the ground. As the Reaper built his empire of the future, he saw fit to destroy everything that could remind him of his past and the hell he walked through. The future and everything in it was his.

Taking a seat at his bedroom desk, Teddy loosened up his tie and opened up his Mac just in time for a FaceTime with his youngest child.

“Hello Precious.”

Intentionally, Kylee placed herself in Adam’s kitchen, the one place there wasn’t decorations (thank GOD Adam had only recently moved in). The background? The fridge, the counter, and the cabinets, the same style that could be found in every Milligan Apartment suite. The frame gave a small glimpse of her setting but its focal point was her face, as she held her phone directly in front of her and made sure her gleaming face, the subject of the image, was in the center.

Her hair blow dried, her skin moisturized, and her lips glossed, she was ready for battle. While she was wearing Adam’s shorts, her top was her crop tank and cardigan (dried… okay it was a little damp but she had to make her dad believe what he saw, and what he saw was Kylee at her girlfriend’s apartment). She only had enough time to dry her clothes for five minutes so she had to wash it after this call, wearing damp clothes was icky. Still, presentation was key and she had to make sure she didn’t look like a Callahan boy just rocked her world.

She warned Adam already what she was going to do and she hoped her lover would stay quiet. She didn’t need him on her dad’s radar already. They were just starting to have fun and Adam knew how her daddy was. Not just the Mayor persona. No, Adam knew that Theodore Grimm liked things a certain way and when they weren’t… “Hi daddy! Sorry I missed your call, I had it in my bag because it’s pouring outside. But now I’m all comfy.”

Teddy immediately scanned the room behind his baby, she was obviously at the Milligan Apartments. There were no decorations on the walls behind her, which meant that either the place was empty, recently moved into or the home of a psychopath. He always knew when Kylee was lying to him, the same with Lincoln, Kennedy or Hailey. They had too much of their Mom in them. She could never lie to Teddy either. Of all of his children, Kylee had the most of Melody in her. The boys were a lot like his own father in a lot of ways and Hailey was a creature unto herself.

“I can see that. I am assuming, Kylee Rose, that you are at Miss Ramsey’s home?”

She could feel it. The pressure. He was looking at her calmly but that made this even more unnerving. Kylee had to keep her poker face on lest her father find out Adam is back from the grave. For years now, Adam became a ghost that Kylee never brought up. She was hurt and even hearing his name hurt. Truthfully, she had no idea how her father would react and whether or not he’d be proud of her or disappointed in her for moving on from Wes so fast. “Mhm!” She lied, keeping that smile ever so wide on her glowing face. “She’s in the shower right now but she gives her regards.”

Kylee wasn’t at Mei’s. That much was obvious. The weird heavy tattooed child that his little girl hung around with so often had a sticker on the top of her food cupboard, a pentagram with a deer's head sketched upon it. That was not situated above Kylee’s chocolate hair. She was lying to him. It would not take much to get her to confess, it never did. However, on this particular occasion he would allow her to get away with it, at least for now. He had made a decision earlier that day to rid her of the Silo boy, to unblock her path of obstacles and intrusions, especially one that kept dark secrets that could harm her. “I am happy to see you are safe. You can probably guess my announcement has been postponed. We hope to announce the new hotel tomorrow.”

“There’s no time yet?” Kylee asked, relieved on the inside that he did not inquire further about the apartment. Maybe her angle, her frame, her shot was believable! Future filmmaker here. The next Palm d’Or winner of the Cannes Film Festival. No, not really. She would never be as good as Adam but a girl could try.

“It is…weather dependent,” Teddy reached forward, taking a hold of his fine scotch crystal and admiring the gift from the motherland. He took a small sip, savoring the burning taste of the Highlands as he mulled over his words. “I will let you know of course.” When he had left Edenridge, the Mayor had spent years learning and honing his persona. One learned skill was to recover and process information in a way that almost felt slow motion. “Precious, I have just gotten off the phone with your Aunt Evelyn.”

At the mention of her aunt, Kylee frowned, leaning back on the counter and thinking back on her family’s short trip to the UK. In two days, Uncle George would be dead for exactly a month. She could only imagine how much her auntie was grieving. Looking beyond the camera, Kylee watched the back of Adam’s head. He wore his headsets and was going through his footage. Years ago, she tried to convince herself he had died when he left without notice. That didn’t work, of course, because she was never confirmed of his whereabouts or what happened. Whether he was dead or alive. There was still hope. Hope he’d come back, like he did, and swoop her off her feet, like he did. She had hope that there was a tomorrow but for her extended family…

Her uncle’s light was gone and that meant there was no hope. Only the harsh reality that he aunt’s soulmate would no longer be there to give her kisses in the morning. Her aunt’s soulmate would no longer hold her when she was incredibly sad. Her aunt’s soulmate would not be able to tell her how his day went and how he was so glad to be home with her. It was all very sad. To lose a soulmate like that.

Kylee couldn’t even imagine that kind of heartbreak. Losing someone because of rejection or because your paths were no longer aligning was one thing, but losing someone you saw the rest of your life with because of death. That was horrible and so, so very sad. “How’s she holding up?” Kylee looked away from Adam, bringing her gaze to the man calmly staring at her from the other side of her phone.

“Evelyn is tough.” Teddy was adept at hiding his true feelings and motives. It was a skill honed from over his forty two years walking the Earth. The truth of the matter was when Evelyn called him a month ago to tell him that his older brother was gone, the elation that Teddy felt in his heart could not be described. It was a wordless sensation akin to one’s skin being on fire. “My worry is more for your cousins Amaranth and Aster. To lose a parent is always terrible but to lose one in such horrific circumstances…” The manner in which his sibling met his end was joyous and it was harder for Teddy to hide his glee. “I have invited them to come stay here for as long as their mother wishes. Family must always come first and in times like these one must rely on family.”

Nodding in understanding, Kylee thought of her cousins, wondering what they were feeling. Her father was a constant in her life. Her mother, on the other hand… that was an entirely different experience. She grew up with Prue, and three years or so ago, her father got with Celine. Even if she loved Prue dearly something was off and Kylee knew, just knew that this woman was not her mother. This woman was playing a part that her father expected of her. That was what it was like to live in the Grimm household. Everyone had their parts to play. Kylee watched, listened, and saw things she likely wasn’t supposed to, all the while playing her part as daddy’s Precious. Edenridge was her father’s stage and even her, his beloved daughter, was a puppet in his show.

Prue was one of the most manipulated puppets her father had. As much as she loved her, she couldn’t properly grieve her because deep down she knew her mother was someone else. The way her siblings carried themselves in regards to the past led her to believe in such a theory, led her to have so many unanswered questions. In each of their eyes she saw secrets, secrets none of them were willing to tell. Was it the same for her cousins? Were things not as perfect as it seems? Were they ripping at the seams? Were they grieving or were they glad their father was dead? “We must plan a big dinner then daddy. Make them feel nice and welcomed. Is there anything you need me to do to prepare for them?”

She was such a good girl. Kylee almost always did what she was told. Almost. Like right now she was lying to his face about her whereabouts but he was letting that one slide. After all, not six hours ago he choked the life out of the scumbag that she called a boyfriend but he did so to protect her. Once he figured out who she was with now, they would be the next one for the Reaper to vet. He wasn’t one of those fathers who believed no one was good enough for his Precious, he just had high standards. “Just keep an eye on your siblings when they arrive. You know how your brothers can get a bit….full on shall we say?”

Lincoln and Kennedy had inherited much of Teddy in all aspects of their being. Hailey too. Ky was the most like her mother, which was probably why he treated her the way he did. “And just watch over them. With everything happening in town at the moment, there are many moving pieces in play and I do not want your cousins to get lost in the shuffle.”

“Do you really think they would?” Kylee raised an eyebrow, pushing herself off the counter. Based on how ice cold her cousins could be, they weren’t girls that could be easily trifled with. They protected themselves first and foremost before letting anyone in. “Mara’s always been focused on herself and her future. I don’t think her grief or this town will change her mind on her end goal. As for Aster, I would worry more for this town and her hurting people’s fragile egos. She loved Uncle George. I imagine she is not doing okay.” This did bring up a new set of questions. How did her cousins feel about this whole transition? Did they even want to come to America? Didn’t Mara have to go back to college? Didn’t Aster have to finish her senior year? “You said Auntie Eve is okay with this? She wants to be alone away from her children right now?”

“Do NOT challenge me, Kylee Rose,” Teddy raised his hand slightly, a sign that Ky would recognise instantly. It was the Mayor’s sign to end a conversation lest face his wrath. “Your Aunt Evelyn and I have discussed this, at length. Amaranth and Aster will be coming to live with us. Evelyn will be going on tour as she feels this is the best way for her to heal and she will be visiting as often as she can. This. Is. The plan.” Lowing his hand flat back on the desk and taking a breath through his nose. Always so inquisitive. Teddy’s dark eyes looked through the lens of the phone into the mirrored eyes that his child shared with him. “Do you understand what I am asking of you, Precious?”

Briefly, the corners of Kylee’s mouth turned down, as she tucked her lower lip between her teeth. She shifted her weight from one side to the other, her gaze downward, away from her father’s glare. Embarrassed for asking too many questions, she tried to get her mind back on track. Only recently Adam had taken her out of her dark place. She didn’t need to go back solely because she said something wrong to her dad. Playing with her hair with her free hand, she locked eyes with the main man in her life once more and nodded, “Yes, daddy.” There was a faint blush on her cheeks and obvious remorse in her brown eyes. She didn’t mean to offend. Kylee wanted to know how her cousins were feeling about this sudden decision to uproot their lives but it was clear as day regardless of how they felt, they would be coming. They were birds like her in their own locked cage. Freedom was a crime for girls like them. “Sorry…” a heap of sadness overwhelmed her soul. She just wanted to make him proud of her. “I’m sorry, daddy.”

“It is getting late,” Teddy looked at his custom Rolex and noted the time. It was a gift from Evelyn at Christmas. For a moment the image of him wearing it as he choked her during their first time giving in to passion flashed in his mind, followed swiftly by his earlier asphyxiation of Wesley Silo. “You are better off staying where you are tonight than trying to come back to the manor. At least I know you will be safe. I love you Kylee Rose.”

Adjusting her posture, trying to seem more perky, when reality was he had deflated the little ounce of happiness she had in her, Kylee beamed, “I love you too daddy!” Her heart was uneasy and part of her was worried when he did find out about Adam, he would not take it lightly. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep this from him for too long. He was her father and he had the right to know of her affairs, even if she was afraid of how he’d take them. There was no lover she had that ever satisfied him. He barely acknowledged Natalia, he assumed Pierce was gay, he knew what she had with Mei was fleeting, and Wesley… he didn’t exist to him. Wesley Silo was nothing to her father. “I hope you have company tonight. Is Celine…I mean, mother, home?”

This was typical of Kylee. She always worried about everything, every small detail. She was just like her. “No, she was at a friend's house when the storm hit. She is safe. Your sister too, she’s out of town. So I am alone tonight but that is fine.” In many respects, Teddy preferred to be alone. Then he wouldn’t have to suffer any fools. Despite what the rumors might say, Grimm manor wasn’t full of ghosts and despite what the people around him might say, Teddy Grimm was not haunted by his misdeeds. “I have some paperwork to catch up on and then I will likely retire for the evening.” A flash of lightning was enough to shift Reaper's face into a cold glare. “You are the air I breathe, Precious. You are my heart. Please be safe but don’t EVER lie to me again. I do not ask twice.”

There it was. He knew. Kylee Rose Grimm should’ve known better. There was no way of fooling him. Father knew best. “I’m sorry. I won’t. I’ll explain tomorrow when I see you. It’s complicated.” She was running her fingers through her long hair profusely. She really couldn’t lie for the life of her. Especially not to him. “I promise.”

The mayor got to his feet, picking up his Mac with one hand and placing the other in the pocket of his custom suit from Osprey’s as he walked back towards the window. “I do not want promises, Kylee Rose, and I do not need explanations. Just do as you are told.” His eyes left the screen to look out across his empire of dirt before drifting back to his daughter. “Goodnight, Precious. You are my world. I love you.” With that, the screen cut to black.

Shaken, Kylee placed her phone on the counter. Interlocking her fingers together, she rested her hands on her mouth, cupping it, trying to regain her composure. She was an awful daughter for lying. She stood in the kitchen in complete silence unable to move.

She was a small bird being held tightly.

The person who entered her cage time and time again just to remind her who was in control, clutching her in a way that made it hard to breathe, to make sure her wings would never work in the way she wanted them to…

That person was her father.

Daddy really did know what was best for her.

Daddy always knew what was best.
In Edenridge → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
In Edenridge → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
TIMESTAMP: After Happy Reunion


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As if her mood wasn’t already sour, the rain decided now was the perfect time to downpour, soaking her burgundy tank, gray cardigan, and washed out jean shorts. Thank goodness she was wearing sneakers. Sure, her socks were all soggy now but at least she could keep up with this fucking energizer bunny.

Kylee thought she had timed the luncheon to beat the rain. She calculated it so she could still seek shelter if needed but she didn’t account for Marco being late, or her losing her shit in front of everyone. Due to a series of unfortunate events, they were now caught in the beginning of what was going to be an extremely bad storm.

In the past, something like this would make her laugh. Getting caught in the rain with someone she once considered a best friend. But instead, the rain coming down on her was exemplifying how she felt. Absolutely fucking miserable. She wanted to pull her hand out of Adam’s and just run away, all the while he led her and protected his camera, but his grip tightened and they were now running.

If he wasn’t holding onto her like he was, he could easily leave her in the dust but he made sure that wherever he went, she went. “Wait, Adam…” She could see his apartment approaching in the distance and her heart was racing. She could feel the pounding in her ears. It was like her heart could fall out any moment now. Both from the adrenaline of them racing and the anxiety of their future.

What was on the other side for Adam and her?

She was scared.

What would happen after they talked? Would he stop liking her? Was she being too insensitive? Too selfish? She shouldn’t have said what she said. He had no control over the abuse his father put him through and yet all she could think about was herself. All she ever did was think about herself.

She got him back and she was already pushing him away. Why? Because she couldn’t get over the fact that they had so much lost time? Because she was mad at herself for accepting he stopped caring instead of finding him? Kylee knew she was just as much at fault in this whole situation and yet time and time again, she threw the blame all on the other person.

It was her who gave up. Not him. He came back. He worked his ass off and came back. She gave up on him, on herself, on whatever they had and tried to move on, like she didn’t worry about him everyday and to this day. Even throughout all her relationships, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was happy. If he found people that would ghost hunt and solve mysteries with him. If he was thinking about her…

This all came to surface because a girl, a sweet one at that, saw Adam for the past four years and she didn’t. A girl that got to see him kickass, record beautiful things, and try to keep his kite on a line after dealing with constant bull from his dad. A girl who lived so close to him and got to be there for him, when she couldn’t. A girl that wasn’t her.

“Adam, I said wait!” With as much force as she could muster, she ripped her hand from his and held it with her other one. Holding her hands close to her chest, she steadied her breathing from all the running and tried to get her thoughts straight, “I can’t do this… I need to go home.” She stood there, in the drenching rain, looking away. She really wasn’t okay and she couldn’t put him through this. All she’d ever be was a burden and she knew nothing good came from knowing a Grimm.

She needed to go home.

Adam turned to look at the brunette as she stood in the pouring rain with a look he had seen before. Kylee didn’t want to go any further. In her eyes, that same fear albeit more mature, that she had when she, Adam and Roddy tried to find the bodies in Eden Lake in middle school. It was the same look she had when she refused to adventure into her fathers banned room in the west wing of Grimm Manor. Kylee was scared. Was she scared of him? He would never hurt her, never.

“You’re not running away from this, not this time!” Adam called out. “We’re not kids anymore. We’re gonna talk about this and get through it together. If you wanna do it out here that’s fine!” His words were followed by a flash of lightning above the pair.

“What does this even accomplish?!” Kylee yelled defeatedly. Releasing her hands, she wiped the endless water on her face with her already soggy cardigan sleeve. “You can’t just come out of nowhere and act like nothing has changed! Everything has changed.” She would probably die of pneumonia before she took another step forward.

Shaking her head profusely, she protested in typical Kylee manner, “No. I’m not going!” While Kylee knew he wouldn’t physically hurt her, she was emotional and vulnerable. This wouldn’t end well for either of them. He’d hurt her unintentionally but he would hurt her. She really couldn’t lose another person. It all ended the same. With her being alone in the end.

“I know everything has changed,” Adam responded. “You really think I don’t know that?” He placed his hands on his waist as the water rained heavier and heavier onto his shoulders. “Kylee, I was so terrified to come home, for so many reasons. Most of all, I was scared of seeing you and not knowing how best to go about it. Why? Because all that got me through that fucking torture was seeing you.” Dropping his skateboard onto the floor, Adam reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his wallet. He tossed it to Ky. “Open it up.”

It was true. In all the time he had spent locked away in the Monarchy of Pinehurst, Massachusetts, Adam had one guiding light. In his wallet, there was a photo of Kylee. He had taken it a week before he was kidnapped. Whenever the beatings got too much, whenever the bullying became unbearable, he would look into her big brown eyes and weep. He just wanted to be home with her and now he was.

Kylee stumbled to catch his wallet and when she did, she subconsciously inched forward, closer to him. She was confused why he just gave it to her. With a deep stare, she looked at him, puzzled, before doing what he told her to do. She opened his wallet. When she saw exactly what he wanted her to see, a picture of her, doe eyed and a wide smile, her heart sank.

If she didn’t think she could get any lower, this would do the trick. She was trapped in a prison cell of despair, frustration, and guilt. This only made her realize how much she meant to him and in return, she tried to forget him. She tried to pretend he was dead so she could handle the pain better. How great of a friend she was. “W-what do you want from me?” Kylee’s eyes watered and her tears started to blend in with the rain. She didn’t want to be sad, she didn’t want him to see her sad.

Trying her best to turn her grief into anger, she marched to him (putting her stubbornness aside of not getting close to him, to be a brat) and shoved his wallet back at him, “This can’t make all the hurt go away! And… and..”

This was so hard. She really did hate him. He wasn’t supposed to come back. He wasn’t supposed to be okay. He wasn’t supposed to still care. He wasn’t supposed to look at her like that, like she meant the world to him and more.

I can’t lose you again.

She couldn’t say what she really wanted to say out loud. Her teeth were jittery from nervousness. The rain and her tears were blurring her vision. And she was cold and wet. Very cold. Very wet. So instead, she glanced up at him, letting her eyes express all the things she couldn’t say.

She was stuck.

While Adam had a picture to motivate him, all she ever had was herself. Maybe that’s why it was so easy to befriend Clay. They were two lonely souls and he understood what it felt like to have an estranged, elite family. Lonely souls always have a way of finding each other in the end it seems.

“… and this isn’t going to turn back time!” She protested. Nothing but word vomit at this point. Kylee was a stubborn girl now, and then. Some things never change.

Adam clenched his fists. He had to center himself. Remember Sensei’s teachings. He closed his eyes and breathed in the rain. He absorbed the thunder and lightning vibrations into his body and heart. Taking in the storm outside to temper the one within. “I’m not looking to turn back time, Kylee. I just want to push forward into the future. One where you are in my life.”

August 29th 2019. Adam remembered that day in infamy. Two days prior, he was competing in an exhibition match with Tommy Hartmann. It was simply meant to show new students of the Dojo what they could learn. Unfortunately, Tommy had a nasty habit of not knowing when to quit and Adam on that particular day had too much frustration poisoning his veins. He shattered Tommy’s knee into pieces. This was in front of children. Children! After the fight, Adam’s father locked him in the basement and left him there, no food, water or contact opportunities. This had always been the norm of their relationship. Then the door opened on that second day and the senior Callahan deafened the stairs, his face awash with pale. He talked of the massacre at Edenridge High that had been perpetuated that morning and that list of victims. Adam’s heart sank when Roddy and Marco’s names appeared on that list but was elated to hear they weren’t dead. Kylee’s name was also missing from that page and all he could do was thank a God he didn’t believe in for protecting her.

“I can’t pretend to know what you’ve gone through. I can’t pretend to understand. What I can say is that every day I could, I recorded you a video. Just a diary really, I wanted to send you them. To show you that there was never a day that I didn’t think about you. Every single tape is up there right now waiting for you,” He gestured to the nearby apartment. “I never stopped.”

Woof.

He was taking the air she breathed right from her lungs. Kylee couldn’t believe he recorded a video of himself, every day, for her and to her. Adam wasn’t one to be on the camera. He preferred staying behind the scenes. “I really don’t deserve this,” Kylee, downcast and heartbroken, glanced at the ground, fixing her gaze on his board. When he left Edenridge, she forced herself to get involved in the animal kingdom that was highschool. Or the Thunderdome. Depends on perspective. Regardless, highschool was ruthless. She went to the party that Allison died at. She dated and slept around. David O’Hara drowned in the lake from drinking too much, in hopes his sadness would go away. She started fires (not literally like the one during junior prom) and spread drama when people slighted or upset her, or when the truth was too good to keep to herself. And she watched people die and bleed out, wishing it was her instead.

There was so much that happened from when they were kids to now. Amongst all that assimilation, all that tragedy, her embracing the toxic environment that was her teenage dirtbag years, she had Roddy and it was him and her versus the world. He was Francis’ little brother, she was Hailey’s little sister. He was bullied for his stature, she was bullied for being a bitch that barks too much. In time, they both found their stride. Kylee and Pierce mutually ended things, seeing how Pierce was a closet gay like Francis, and Kylee got close to Mei, while Roddy found Lanie.

There were nights when she was alone, with no one to talk to or call, when all she wanted to do was look at the stars. Especially when Roddy wasn’t available, like when he was in physical therapy with Marco. She could even go back to when her dad grounded her throughout freshman year, because parties and boys were taking her focus away from her grades. All she wanted to do was look up at the stars and wonder if Adam was looking at the sky too. If he was thinking about her or someone else. If he found someone that helped him through his troubles. If he found someone that cared for him just as much as she cared for him.

“No matter what I do, someone gets hurt! You never stopped? Well guess what Adam? I did. I had to!” Kylee was backing away again, shaking her head, her body trembling, “This might be easy for you, to come back into my life after I tried so hard to fucking forget you, but it isn’t for me, okay?” Balling her hands into fists, she cried, “And I can’t be all happy when I’m scared you’re going to get shot right in front of me by some psycho that lives next door or for all I know, my dad himself. He doesn’t even have to chain me because his voice is in my head! I just, I can’t, Adam.” If she accepted his invite, this could be the biggest mistake she ever made. His father would come for her, her father would come for him. There was no way they could pretend everything was okay. Eventually his dad would find him, all the while her dad did what he could to protect his Precious. She wasn’t meant for a happily ever after and she’d be a fool if she thought she could ever have one, and have Adam too.

Kylee stood there before him, shivering or shaking, he couldn’t really tell whether it was her emotions, the rain or both. He looked at her drowned visage and still even then, at her most vulnerable, she was filling his heart. For those who walk in storm, the affairs of the heart are laid bare. “You think this is easy for me? I’m not some kind of fucking machine. I’m a man. A man with a heart that has always belonged with you. You want me to stand here and list off the reasons why I couldn’t come back? I can do that. You want me to count all the fucking reasons why even as we stand here like absolute idiots in a catagory whatever-the-fuck monsoon arguing that I’m still fucking in love with you then I’ll do that too!”

Shit. Fuck. Did he really just say that? Did he really drop the bomb on her? Oh Callahan you idiot. Should’ve stuck to being a robot like Roddy. Gets you in trouble less. Fuck it. He said it. Can’t turn back time. Might as well go all in.

“Yeah,” Adam took a step closer to the Grimm girl, his heart beating with the force of a bullet train. “I said it. Wanna fight about it?” He stepped toward her again, in the same motion cupping her face with both of his hands and bringing her lips to his in a kiss that he had desired for nearly ten years. Just like when riding a dangerous line, one had to commit.

Her eyes widened when their lips met, locked in passion, warmth, and tenderness. Now, quite literally, he stole her breath away. Their faces dripped and through the chill, she found comfort and a mutual need. Around them, they were surrounded by rain, but on the inside she felt sunshine, hope, and excitement. Resting her hands on his chest, she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. Being in his embrace, together in the rush of rain, washed away all her insecurities, all her doubts, and all her pain. It seemed like the world around them ceased to exist and all that was there was him and her.

How strange it all felt. To kiss someone you loved in the rain. When he pulled away, she was bewildered, but calm. Before he opened his mouth, she shook her head, signaling him to not say anything. To not ruin the moment. Instead, she grabbed his hand and kicked his board up, catching it in the air.

They really should get going.

Her nipples were seeping through her bra and tank. And she wanted a steamy shower and hot cocoa.

“Okay. You win.”

“I always do. Wait until you see my trophies.”

Adam really didn’t know what to make of what just happened. In the span of seconds, he had admitted love, kissed her and watched her kick his board into her hand effortlessly, which might’ve been the hottest thing he had ever seen. She was soaked and still looked absolutely radiant. He was trying to do the gentlemanly thing and not look at her chest which was very visible. Holding on to her hand, Adam paused for a moment, to soak in the moment. Without a word, he led his Ky through the storm towards the apartment complex.

They already went this far and where she was at emotionally, she knew that fighting her urges were a waste of time (and a lost battle). Going from Mei to Natalia kind of made Kylee a borderline nympho. When she felt it, she needed it. She needed it badly. Something Wes couldn’t keep up with, she had learned within the first week of them dating.

Morally right or not. Kylee was no angel. Mei was quick to make her realize that. Her gateway drug. Natalia, on the other hand, tempted her to do bad things, constantly. A hit she didn’t want to quit. That is until her ptsd got too bad, and not even Natalia could help her with that. Then again, she never did tell her ex about her trauma. Or even about her controlling father. Natalia had enough grief from being at the shooting that day too, but also Kylee was observant and knew Natalia still had lingering feelings for Niles Sinclair.

“There’s only one trophy I want to see,” she teasingly admitted, burying the thoughts of her boyfriend and her exes in the back of her mind. She was young and she was horny, and there weren’t opportunities like this when your first love confesses to you in the rain. She’ll deal with the consequences later. Worry about her problems tomorrow.

To add incentive, she went out of her way to look down at his package and smirk up at him. Yeah, this was one hell of a day. She didn’t know what was going on anymore but right now, she was happy and ready to be greedy for some Adam cake.

“I love you too, by the way. Stupidly so.”

Hearing the words turned Adam’s blood to piping hot magma. What the actual fuck was happening right now? It was intense and crazy and mad but it felt right. As he guided Kylee into the apartment block and towards his ground floor home, he couldn’t help but feel like his life in that present moment was reflective of the chaos raging outside. He was on the run. Working in a coffee shop to make ends meet so that he could run away again. He literally crashed into the girl he had longed for and now he was leading her to her apartment after interviewing their childhood friends about some suspicious times going on in town. What in the blue hell was Adam Callahan’s life right now?

He unlocked the door to his apartment and allowed Kylee to go in first before he closed the door behind them. “Everything you were expecting?”

Earlier that day, Adam had run into his apartment to drop off her bag of books and then they were off to the park. This being the first time she walked into his humble abode, she could finally look around and see the boy she adored through the things he owned. His apartment was exactly how she expected. With old skate decks for the skater boy, film reels and movie posters for the film nerd, and a large wall and case completely dedicated to trophies and medals for the killer martial artist. But none of that mattered right now as much as she loved to see it. Putting his board down in the entry room and slipping off her shoes and wet socks, she chuckled, “Some things never change.”

She was quick to leave his side, taking off her cardigan and tank top, revealing her black bra, “Do you have a washer here? Oh and where’s your bathroom?” She turned on her heel, holding her wet clothes, practically topless. It was just her in a bra and short shorts. “I could really use a shower,” she sensually invited.

Adam was almost speechless at the sight before him. At this point, based on tone of voice he had two options: tell her where the shower is and then go sit on the couch like the good boy he was or he could show her where the shower was and do everything that he had dreamed about in all the years he was away. Oh the humanity and hard decisions. “Washer is in the kitchen,” He motioned behind a corner wall behind the brunette as he placed his beloved camera down on a nearby table.

He had to pause for a second. It was taking a minute for his brain to compute everything that was happening. Adam was no genius. He was just a dude with a camera and a skateboard. He peeled off his wet t-shirt to reveal a body that legitimately could’ve been sculpted out of stone. His abs were sharp and his arms toned and muscled. He was lean but obviously had quite a strong workout routine. “The shower is in that room to your left. It’s a bit tricky to turn on.” He dropped his wet tee on the door and moved closer to Ky. “I better come help.”

Guess they were dealing with their clothes later. After placing her phone on the coffee table, near her backpack, and her cardigan and tank on a nearby wooden bar stool, Kylee found herself glancing at his body occasionally. Not realizing how much he grew, the Mayor’s daughter was quick and eager to return to him. She turned around and innocently asked, brushing her wet hair over her shoulder, “Before you do that, can you help me with my bra?” Kylee was a woman on a mission. By the time they hit that bathroom, both of them would be naked.

Well this was just insane but as he thought earlier, commit to the line right? Adam edged closer to her, his breath bouncing off of her neck as he began to unclasp her bra strap. Once it hung loose away from her back and dropped to the floor, he took his hands and ran them down Kylee’s shoulders and arms. Her skin was as soft as Adam had always dreamed. The thought and memory of the woman before him had really gotten him through the darkest of times and now she was here with him. Maybe they needed to walk in storms more often. He pressed a soft kiss to her neck, inhaling her scent in an act that caused his body to be struck by lightning.

His kiss gave her goosebumps. It was crazy how she went from jealousy to desperateness in the course of what? Thirty minutes? She didn’t wake up expecting to come across the first man she ever felt sparks with but here she was. About to give him everything. All of her. Body, heart, and soul. Turning around, Kylee trailed her nails up his built chest, admiring his chiseled physique before putting her pointer finger under his chin and beckoning him to her lips.

She wanted to taste him. He looked so good. His wet shoulders, his abs, and his face glistened under the lights of his apartment, only making him that more desirable. She wanted him. All of him. And she wanted to show him what he’s been missing. This wasn’t the virgin Kylee he knew before he moved to Pinehurst. No, this Kylee knew what she wanted and knew exactly how to show it. Glancing up at him with her sex kitten eyes, she bit her bottom lip, the storm outside only causing the tension between the two to rise.

Adam placed his hand beneath Kylee’s dark hair as she grabbed onto him with fierce strength. As their lips came together, a flash of lightning signified the chaos that enveloped their union. He pushed her forward against the wall of his apartment, dominating her with his superior size. He didn’t know what the cutie held. At this point he didn’t really care. Adam Callahan was kissing Kylee Grimm. He had loved her from the moment Roddy introduced them, through their ghost hunting days and his captivity in Pinehurst. He loved her still, to this day, Adam still loved Kylee.

As they ravished each other feverishly and the two became lost in each other, not too far from them, on the nearby coffee table, Kylee’s phone lit up with the Caller ID: Daddy.

They didn’t make it to the bathroom.
In Edenridge → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
TIMESTAMP: After A Little Bit of Rain
FT: Clat
Small FT: Heartbreakers

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At this point, the Heartbreakers were undertaking an impossible task of deciding what to do. Brooke wanted to watch reruns of the Bachelorette. Vanessa wanted to watch the Desperate Housewives. Harper wanted to play the game Kings like they were young again, ready to risk it all in one night. Lydia suggested the card game Rummy but the likelihood of getting the rest of the girls that weren’t Cat focused, would’ve been a challenge, and Cat simply wanted to sit there and drink, watching her friends enjoy themselves.

The squabble went on for a bit before Cat decided to put on the movie Stand By Me, per habit, since it was one of the films she and her kids watched together. It didn’t take long before the girls realized they wouldn’t have enough booze to last them the whole night. Cat simply shrugged at that but to her surprise, after Lydia received a text, she got up and offered to get them more booze, saying if they drank her whiskey she’d kill them. That’s all Lyds ever drank. Her whiskey. At least everyone else was less picky with their poison.

Cat raised her eyebrow as she watched her friend speed walk to the entrance. “Are you sure? It’s going to rain hard soon! I would hate you getting caught in it.”

Lydia looked over her shoulder to Cat and smiled, keeping to herself that the reason why she was leaving was because Sofi had texted her, “I’ll be fine, it’s just a little bit of rain. Don’t worry yourself too much.”

“Can you get us some margarita mixers?!” Brooke called out.

“No! Mojito stuff!” Vanessa protested.

“Whatever you get, get a shit ton,” Harper concluded.

Cat rolled her eyes at her soul sisters and waved her best friend goodbye, “You better be back soon or I’ll be VERY upset.” As much as she loved her friends, she felt the loneliness creep up. She had called her almost ex husband an hour ago and the report was good, so she had that to keep her happy. Her children were enjoying the City with their cousins. That soothed her motherly part of her heart but the other part, the part that wanted to feel loved, wanted, and needed, it ached for her boyfriend.

She hated how they left things. She should apologize. She should tell him she was sorry and that she…

Was this real? Did he really love her? Staring at her wine glass on the coffee table, her left hand covering her lips, Cat smiled, as she replayed his words: It’s not an expectation. It’s not a curse. It’s just how I feel. Clayton Costigan loved her. He really loved her.

When her girlfriends were focused on the film, Cat slipped out of her single sofa and went to her downstairs bathroom. Closing the door behind her, locking it, she pulled out her phone and dialed his number. Holding it to her ear, she looked at herself in the mirror and bit her thumb as she waited, praying he wasn’t mad at her for being childish this morning. She should’ve been more supportive. She should’ve been there for him. She should’ve ran after him, after he left the apartment. She should’ve done more…

He was going through a lot.

As it kept ringing, the anxiety built up. She hoped he was okay. He was a police officer, after all. She could lose him anyday! What would she do if she lost him? After finally getting someone that meant the world to her and made her feel like the world? What would she do?

When he didn’t pick up the call, she sat on the toilet, the lid down, and stared at her phone. A second call would make her seem too needy. She should wait. He probably was busy. He was a busy guy and today of all days was surely mentally and emotionally taxing. She should wait. The anxiety was unbearable right now but she was determined to give him a minute or two before she tried calling him back. She could keep the panic at bay just for a little long.

Please call me back...

Clayton had been running around all day, interviewing friends about long since past days. He wished it was for something better. He wished it was for something like a time capsule but the reality was far far worse. He had been interrogating his fellow Elite to see if any of them knew David’s secret. He hadn’t realised all those years ago when he decided that he wanted to be a small town cop that people he loved and cared for could end up in his firing line.

Jamie was a lot. Dramatic as always and with good reason as this had all to do with her brother, her soulmate. Rhett was much easier since he was solid as a rock and managed to stay on point. In their travels, Clay and Sly had even managed to get a hold of Francis who was currently somewhere on a mountain with his husband taking selfies with waterfalls. Fran wasn’t much help or at least he didn’t offer anything they didn’t already know. Russell for all intents and purposes was the hardest to track down. Despite trying Jamie multiple times to get a hold of him, he was a ghost today. Clay had even interviewed his baby sister. Lamb, God bless her, did what she could to help. They may not have been as close as they could be but the Costigan twins did love each other.

The lieutenant had dropped Clay off on the Southside. The young man’s shift was over and he had been told to go home by the Chief due to the severe weather rolling in. Yet the former Elite couldn’t stop just yet, he had to try and help his friends any way he could. He had a lead he wanted to check out in Southie, which was why he found himself standing in an old disused shop doorway, waiting for a break in the rain so he could make a run for it. Reaching into his pocket, Clayton noticed a miss call from Cat. God Cat. He had hoped to hear her voice all day but the way they left things earlier that morning led him to give her a little space. He loved her and wanted her to be happy and no doubt him being in his current state was not what she would want. Tapping his phone, the young officer redialled his girlfriend and out on his biggest smile when the line went live.

“Ma’am, do you need us to send you an officer? Specifically, one with amazing hair and who is absolute dynamite in the sack?”

Relieved. Cat was relieved when she heard his voice, joking too. She missed him, so very much, even though she had seen him this morning. How he’s changed her life and turned it upside down. It was unbelievable, really. Cat found her existence pointless without him and she owed it all to the Afterlife, oddly enough.

She didn’t think she’d ever find herself in a place where she felt whole, with no need to search for something that made her feel safe, warm, and fuzzy. When she was with Clay, everything made sense. He made sense and at times, she couldn’t believe that he was her sweetheart. The boy next door was all hers and he loved every ounce of her, every shattered piece. He loved her.

Cat was not in a teasing mood. She was tipsy, her buzz coming down, sure, but it wasn’t enough for her to match his jolly humor. Right now she just couldn’t pretend and joke. She wanted him to know that all she had been doing was thinking of him. “It’s so good to hear your voice,” she admitted, as she leaned forward in her seat, her elbow resting on her leg and her chin resting in the palm of her hand. “As much as I want to see you, Officer, I know you won’t stop at nothing until you crack this case. I just wanted to make sure you were safe…” she was turning into a needy girlfriend. It was awful and embarrassing. She hoped he didn’t mind. “…and to hear you,” she absentmindedly bounced her right leg, up and down, continuously, and softly purred, “I miss you, baby.”

“I miss you too,” Clay responded. He still could not believe his luck that the girl, nay the woman he had loved since he was twelve years old was actually his now and despite their disagreement earlier that day, if he could he would be wherever she was, holding her in his arms, happier than a pig in shit. “Define safe,” He mused. “I mean I'm standing in…” He poked his head from the doorway to look at the rusting sign above his head. “McMahon Woodwork? On Chestnut. Why I find myself here I have no idea but I’ll be home soon. One last thing I want to check out before I crash and I do mean crash.” He was exhausted. This day had sucked all the energy out of him and he just wanted it to be over, curled up in Cat’s arms and be the little spoon for a change. Still, he knew he couldn’t go home. Not yet. There was still work to be done. “I would say meet me at home but I don’t want you going out in this, it’s only gonna get worse. Are you somewhere safe?”

“My house. Left Palermo not too long ago. Now I have three drunk women watching a sad movie. But is it really that bad?” Cat had a sudden panic. Lydia had gone out to get them more booze. “I shouldn’t have let Lyds leave. She was so determined to beat the storm.” Now Cat had two people out and about in inclement weather. That meant tonight was going to be full of worries and no sleep. “I know she’s not dumb, she can take care of herself but I should’ve stopped her.” Honestly, if Lydia was still on the clock Cat could see her friend doing her job, in the rain. Some people just couldn’t help themselves. “Maybe I should text Bobby… no, I shouldn’t. They haven’t been a thing in years.”

“I really wouldn’t get Bobby involved. You know how he is. He’ll go all Batman and try to save her and we really don’t need any more people on the streets right now.” Clay narrowed his eyes as he saw figures moving in the distance. What kind of idiot would be out in this by choice?…Oh wait. “Besides, no storm is gonna fuck with Lyds. She’s too scary. The clouds will part to let her pass.” In reality Lydia didn’t live too far away, she should be ok as long as she took it slow. Clay on the other hand was on the completely wrong side of town. His journey home would be far more eventful, he thought. “Three drunk women eh?” The lothario took a step back and remembered what his lover had said. He had a pretty good idea who the lovely ladies were in Cat’s home. “Pics or didn’t happen. Kitty.”

Coincidentally, as if fates knew he wanted to see something, Avery sent a reminder text: dude, it’s wild outside. Hope you’re somewhere not in this rain. Did you even check your email yet?

Knowing Aves, she was growing impatient and wanted to know Clay’s reaction to the sexy content she sent him. You really don’t make this shit up. She and her work bestie, RoRo, witnessed a miracle, a once in a lifetime experience, a steamy, hot lesbian wet dream! Since Avery was cooped up at Swerve Arcana the least her friend could do was send her live reacts.

Clay checked the alert in his phone very briefly and his mouth dropped agape as he watched the footage that his friend had gained earlier. He can already imagine Avery salivating at the the sight with the only bad part being that none of the girl’s were Jamie O’Hara. At least that was one thing Clayton could rub in the comic book store therapist's face; he had seen all those women naked.

Hot: Save that one to your wank bank cloud Aves. He simply texted back with emoji’s.

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do,” Cat softly responded, smiling at the fact that he didn’t seem too frustrated. Not like he was this morning. Maybe he was getting closure. Slowly but surely, maybe Clay was finding out the answers to questions that he had ever since that year. He simply needed something this random and horrible to kickstart his engine in righting the wrong that was the death of his friend.

“Danny’s on mama duty today since I can’t get to Scott’s street, and neither can the nurse. I think tomorrow I’m going to tell the family how terminally ill mom actually is. Without my dad’s permission. It’s getting harder to hide. I mean the nurse visits at least five times a day. The only reason why Natalia hasn’t questioned it is because she never leaves her room.” Cat stood up and went back to the mirror, staring at herself and fixing her fly away hair. “I don’t want my family to fall apart but with Viv living with ReyRey and the amount of disconnect between all of us… my mom dying is just going to make that all worse.”

“That’s a big step babe,” Clay knew how hard all this was for Cat. He couldn’t fully understand since both his parents were still around and healthy. He just wanted to be there for her as best as he could. That’s all he could really do. “If you want me th…” A flash of lightning made the shaggy haired cop nearly jump out of his skin. “For fucks sake,” He growled at the sky. “If you want me to come, then I’ll be there without question but if it’s something you need to do alone, I get that too.”

“Focus on David, Clay,” Cat assured her boyfriend, knowing he had enough going on himself. When he was done with this journey, then he could help her but right now, they both needed to walk solo, “I’ll call you if I need you, I promise. But just FYI, Clayton, this isn’t a one way street. Please, pretty please call me if you need me. I want to be there for you just as much as—”

“CAT I GOT TO PEE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? SHITTING? ARE YOU TALKING TO SOMEONE?” Brooke yelled, necessarily so. It wasn’t like Cat couldn’t hear her, there was only a door in between them.

“Might be her casanova new boyfriend,” Harper whispered, curious who Cat’s new man was, just as much as the whole town would be. It didn’t take long to find out the hottest new gossip on Scott Street. Those ladies sure did love to talk.

Vannessa was quick to chime in, vicariously living through Cat, who was gradually getting to a place of being content and happy with herself. Something Vanessa was not, in her lonely marriage. “I heard he was young.”

“Shut up. The both of you,” Brooke sassed, before knocking on the door a lot, “We have no right to judge, we’ve fucked young pieces of meat all the goddamn time. Anyways, CATTTTTTTTTTTTTT!”

“...just call me if you need me, baby,” Cat finished up her bit, turning her head and glaring at the door that separated her and her friends.

He had to stifle a laugh. Clay could hear the drunken Heartbreakers musing over his identity and the funny thing was they all actually loved him anyway. It was almost a surprise Cat hadn’t told them. Then again he could already imagine Harper with a sharing is caring comment. “I will. Give the girls my love.”

“I will.”

Looking deeper into the rain, Clay could definitely see movement which was a massive no no right now. Nobody should be on the street. Figuring it could be someone in need of help, he checked to see if anyone else was around. Seeing no one, he knew he’d have to go back into cop mode. “I’m gonna have to go, Kitty but I’ll call you as soon as I get back to the apartment ok? I love you.”

“I love—” Cat immediately caught herself. Was she about to say it so nonchalantly? No! Not over the phone. That was so unclassy. Embarrassed, she was quick to dismiss herself, “I’ll see you first thing in the morning! Kisses.” And with that Cat hung up and was resting her hand on her chest. The fuck was that? When she heard more bickering on the outside, she rolled her eyes, “I HAVE A BATHROOM UPSTAIRS!” She swung the door open and focused on her friends and not the almost exposure of how deep she felt for Clayton Costigan.

Nearly there. She almost said it. He was getting closer. Placing his phone back in his inner pocket, Clay zipped up his jacket. This weather was going to do nothing good for his hair. He placed his hands into his pockets and looked out at the figure that was moving slightly closer to him. They were moving slow, something definitely wasn’t right. He wouldn’t grab his gun, in this weather not knowing for certain where a target was was incredibly dangerous and he didn’t want to risk friendly fire, even if this was the Southside. Clay stepped out into the torrent of rain and called out.

“Hey! Need any help?!”
In DWS [SHELVED UNTIL BETTER TIME] → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay


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@BrutalBx & @Aewin
𝐓𝐖: 𝐀𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲
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This whole year has been a whirlwind.

Twelve months prior, Delmond was just your average kid, ready to graduate high school, go to a Division One school and play college ball in the hopes of going pro and buying a house for his Momma. Fast forward and he was now a superhero in training, with powers that he didn’t want, in a place he didn’t fully understand. He had been cursed by the legacy of a father and grandfather that he never knew. A father and grandfather that when last he saw them tried to sacrifice him to Guede for Youth eternal. That would likely make the next reunion just a tad awkward.

After the initial emergence of what everyone but Del himself liked to call his gift, the young man began working with Blackwell Innovation. They wanted to give him the tools that he could use to control his power, to stop him from ending up like his father, Baron Samedi. Delmond really didn’t want to do it. He really didn’t want to fall into this life but he was dealt a dead man’s hand and like the saying says, you just gotta deal with the hand you’re dealt. Fate wasn’t anything that Del really believed in despite his connection to the supernatural.

At Blackwell, the young boy from the Big Easy spent much of his time with Dorian Blackwell. He was a lead medical researcher there, a colleague of Mama Batiste who worked as one of his nurses and he was also a Gifted with the ability of intuitive aptitude. Dorian had the power to know exactly what was going on inside of a body and how to fix it. He learned at a frenetic pace and it was he who helped Delmond uncover the secrets and intricacies of his newfound status. Dorian was like a big brother to Del and he was sad when his apprenticeship with Blackwell was done. It came to a point where Dor and Mama Batiste decided it best that Delmond go to school and be with others who could help him in different ways than they could.

So that’s where he found himself now, a week into a new school year, surrounded by people who could probably cause mass destruction with a sneeze: A year really can make a difference.

Delmond stood in the quad, scouring the area for any familiar face. He had met a few people in his first round of classes but he hadn’t really connected with anyone yet. With his bag over his shoulder, he surveyed the surrounding space and his chocolate eyes were drawn to a painting by the art club set up. He took a few steps forward to take a deeper look. It was ethereal, with pastel colours and muted tones. A street illuminated by fairy light. It reminded him of the French Quarter, it reminded him of home.

“The pastels… it’s like a kaleidoscope of colours.” Soft, confused muttering could be heard from beside Del. There would be brief moments of pause before it would pick up again, as though the person was discussing with someone. “Hazy… Almost feels like everything is underwater...”

Beside Delmond stood a girl much shorter than him, eyes glued to the same piece of art as him. Her expression twisted into that of wonder and curiosity before her eyes began to explore the other pieces on display, muttering comments barely perceptible from under her breath. “What a glimmery shade of blue… fascinating… Oil? Maybe…” It was only when her attention was drawn to a piece further away that her sense of awareness kicked back in.

Realising she had been speaking under her breath, that expression changed from wonder to horror. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” Luciana apologised for the third time in less than an hour that day. First had been to Noah after spamming her phone with increasingly panicked texts and calls, then to the lively blonde by the music club stall and now to the student she had inadvertently disturbed with uncalled for commentary.

“Oh no need to apologise” Del took a step back, not wanting to encroach on his newfound compatriots personal space. “I ain’t no artist so I don’t really know what I’m looking at if I’m honest” He turned to look at the newcomer and was taken aback a little. Considering the museum curator's content she had just been whispering to herself, Delmond expected some stuffy teacher. Instead he was greeted by a beautiful visage that rivalled the very paintings they were looking at. She had platinum blonde hair, big blue eyes and painted lips that stopped traffic. Yep, he wasn’t expecting that. “I mean I can’t even draw a stickman” Del still kept a little of his Nawlin’s drawl despite spending much of his youth in Washington. “But this reminds me of home, you know?”

Lucia regarded the art again, taking in the streets with the soft lights. The streets looked wet, softly reflecting the pastels of the lights illuminating the streets. She wished she could touch the canvas, feel the texture beneath her fingertips, but that wasn’t polite. Instead, she tried to examine the buildings on the street carefully, trying to guess the inspiration behind the art, but the gent’s accent gave her a clearer clue than the art to its inspiration. “Oh, are you from New Orleans?” She asked, curiously. “I’ve never been outside New York, no, Crystal Peak, I don’t remember the last time I went to the big Apple, so I don’t think it counts.”

“Good ear” Del was impressed, then again, it wasn’t a giant leap considering his accent was fairly thick. “I was born there. Got displaced after Katrina. Grew up in Washington. And I realise I basically just gave you my life in four corners in three seconds” The large boy let out a low laugh. “I’m sorry I was raised by my momma better than that. My name’s Delmond, most call me Del” He looked the girl up and down again, noticing the gloves on her hands. In this weather and in this place, that could only mean one thing. Bad hoodoo. Though Del did not get bad vibes from the girl herself; quite the opposite. “And pray tell, what do they call you?”

Luciana found herself laughing as well, feeling a lot more relaxed with Del than she had been with the blonde girl selling East of Eden merch. At least Lucia felt like it was a two-way conversation with Del, and there was no selling involved. “I should have introduced myself sooner- I’m Luciana, but I go by Lucia, it’s a pleasure to meet you Del.” Her fingers twitched slightly when she realised he noticed the glove, resisting the urge to pull her white shirt over her hands even more. Was it really so weird, in a school full of people with crazy abilities? Likely not, but it was weird to her. Before she knew it, her gloves were beginning to get clammy. She needed a distraction, fast, before she messed up her first good conversation outside the mandatory stuff in classes. “Are you a freshman too?” Yeah, that’ll work.

“Technically no” Del scratched the back of his buzzed head with a smile. “I’m a Sophomore but I only transferred in this week so I may as well be a freshman” He rested his hand on the wrap of his headphones which hung around his neck. It was nice having a normal conversation for a change. The entire week had been powers this, powers that, oh my dude you can raise a skeleton? Awesome, send it into the girls' showers. Unfortunately Delmond had already met some of the schools reprehensibles and he needed to make it a severe point bit to drift that way. That’s what this entire experience was shaking up to be, Del adrift in a sea after a crash landing. He jus tended a volleyball. “You a bit of an artist then, Lucia?” He gestured to the works before them.

“I’d like to think so. It was a hobby more than anything. Helps me think about anything other than my troubles.” Painting had become a form of escapism for Lucia, her father never able to refuse her requests growing up. Perhaps it was due to guilt, perhaps he was just being a good father indulging his daughter’s developing artistic interests, but Lucia never commented on it either way. “I think my art is very much like this one—” She redirected their attention back to the pastel art, “All about recreating the places I see in TV and movies on my canvas. It’s…fun, nice to beginners too, if you’re keen.”

Well shit. Could Del really see himself sitting down with brush and easel and painting happy little clouds and trees? The boy did fuck with Bob Ross, that shit was so relaxing before bed. ”I would have to have a teacher with the patience of a saint” It realistically could be something worth looking into. Since the manifestation of Delmond’s gift, he had struggled to quiet a voice in his head, a strong voice that demanded knowledge, knowledge that Del did not want. Maybe painting could be something that could mud that compulsion. ”But I think I’d be up for giving it a try”

Del agreeing to join gave Lucia the confidence to reach into her breast pocket to pick up her custom pen, signing her full name under the club’s sign up sheet. There were a few names above hers as well, none that she recognised, but nonetheless the art club was definitely a popular stop for students. Then, delicately picking up the sheet with just two fingers- a habit she had picked up over time- she passed it to Del, offering her pen as well. “It… would be nice to see a familiar face amongst these names.” Lucia added.

”Much obliged” Taking the pen from Lucia with a bright charming smile, Del placed the sign up sheet back down onto the table and with his left hand signed his signature underneath hers. He stood back up to his full towering height and offered the pen back to the blonde. ”I guess we’ll be seeing a bit more of each other Miss Lucia, I’m looking forward to it”

“Likewise, Del. Maybe even tonight?” Wait, that could be taken weirdly. Rewind. “I mean, at the party! The one all over the Gram.” Lucia resisted a sigh of relief at fixing her momentary blunder.

With a smile across his lips, Delmond looked at Lucia with soft eyes. ”Oh yeah, I forgot all about that. Well I guess if you’re going, then I’ve got more of a reason to go” Going to a college party at super school would definitely be a far cry from the sort of celebrations that Del was used to. Back in the day, he would often have to run away from parties due to the police breaking them up and this wasn’t due to the noise. It was most always because his gang was selling drugs there. It wasn’t something that Delmond was proud of but at the time, he had to pay the bills, that’s just the way it was. ”It’ll be fun”

Not trusting herself to speak, Lucia nodded with an embarrassed smile. God, he was smoother than butter. For the first time in her life, she was glad she was already flushed from the heat stifling her from her layers of clothes, it explained the sudden redness in her face well enough. “I think so too, Del.” To avoid embarrassing herself further, she checked her phone for any texts from Noah. Zilch.

Giving him another, this time softer smile, she excused herself with a final: “I need to find my sister, I’ll see you tonight!” before disappearing back into the crowds that enveloped the Quad in search for Noah.
In DWS [SHELVED UNTIL BETTER TIME] → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
In DWS [SHELVED UNTIL BETTER TIME] → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
In DWS [SHELVED UNTIL BETTER TIME] → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay





The sky was a clear blue and soft yellow light shimmered across the water as the two people sat in contrast to one another in the enclosed meadow. Their handcrafted Victorian seats stood out amongst the lush green grass and trees. Birds sang songs of love and squirrels amongst other woodland creatures ran free around the pair whilst they were locked in conversation.

This was hell.

He had finally died for his sins and been cast in the cold flames of Helheim.

“I hear the band will be throwing a party tonight, that sounds like it could be all kinds of fun!” The regal looking woman sat on her throne by the sun kissed lake looking upon the sullen face of her charge. “If I was a student again, I would absolutely come out to see you guys rock out!” Making the devil horns with her hands, the stunning elder closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue.

Shepard tilted his head as she attempted to bond. She always attempted to bond. He missed his old therapist, at least he had an edge about him before his untimely demise. Dr Daphne Menounos was too sweet, too warm, too much. She tried way too hard. One wouldn’t think to look at her that she happened to be a hero of the highest regard. Daph wasn’t up there with the Bechtel 8, especially since the core of her powers lend themselves to a far more supportive role but she was fantastic at what she did. The only reason that Shep even entertained these therapy sessions with her was because Daphne was a good friend of his late mother. Martina Frasier had a tendency to force her husband into talks with the good doctor whenever he returned from a mission; Allistair hated them just as much as his son.

”You’re a fucking idiot”

Daphne’s face curled into a rye smile as she reached for the tumbler on the nearby table. ”Shepard darling, I’ll tell you what I used to tell your father. Please refrain from the foul language or I’ll make you forget who you are and leave you a babbling mess in a bowling alley” Behind the beguiling beauty, Daphne was massively calculating, deceptively clever and dangerously cruel. Once upon a time, the woman was known as Oneiros; the mistress of dreams. Daphne was only a child when she had her first precognitive dream and a teen when she began to control the dreams of others. At first it was all fun and games until she witnessed her mother die. She thought she was helping by putting her into an easy sleep, she didn’t realise that it would be the sleep that killed her. After a brief stint as a super villain, Daphne reformed and began working as a hero before finally settling into a role as a therapist at Crystal Peak.

”Sorry” A word Shepard rarely said, if at all.

It was always days like today that he pined for his home in the Scottish Highlands. Not so much his actual home because that sucked and he wanted to burn the place to the ground but the wilderness. Shep found solace in the woods, alone, with no noise other than what he made himself. Whenever he needed to decompress, he could grab his guitar and climb a short Fell Mountain until he was happy then just sit and strum. Paradise. He was trying to make it work at Crystal Peak. He had joined the music club and was in the best band in town, he had hooked up with some cute guys and some hot girls, he was doing his best to fulfil his mothers wish of being a normal kid…Well as normal as a kid with massively dangerous superpowers could be.

Finishing her water, Daphne placed the glass back onto the table and looked at the sun slowly descending to the right of them and the womanly figure standing out in the centre of the water. Their session was nearing its end. ”Have you thought much about your mother recently?”

Shepard cracked the knuckles of his left hand, swiftly followed by the crack of his neck, a bad habit. ”Freshers week is always the worst. It just reminds me of when she died and I had to enroll here two days later.” He’d been doing these sessions for a few years now and every so often there was a breakthrough or a breakdown. Shep was a mess of a human being. He knew that. Everybody else knew that. It was just one of life’s great certainties. Shepard Frasier was a lunatic.

”Grieving takes many forms, Shepard. It seems yours has yet to fully take shape” The good doctor looked at the figure in the lake again before returning her soft gaze and full attention to the uncomfortable looking Scotsman. ”Same time next week okay?” Daphne raised her index finger and made a single circle motion. The world around them began to melt, the sky dissolved into sand like water running down a painting and in mere moments they were shrouded in black.

Shepard opened his eyes and found himself in his room, which was littered with boxes that he had yet to unpack. He swung his feet off the bed and used his palms to push himself upright. He glanced at the clock on the wall and let out a great sigh. ”FUCK MY FUCKINH LIFE!” Shep had promised Krista that he would swing by the music stall at the fair. Why did he say this? He hates all people. Everyone. Even that kid at the back who eats his own snot. Yeah, especially him. Why the fuck did he agree to this? Cos Krista that’s why.

Fucking Krista.

Slipping into his leather jacket and picking up his 1965 Fender Telecaster, Shep braces himself for the chaos that was outside his dorm room door. He hated Freshers. Placing his headphones over his ears, they began playing “Roadhouse Blues by The Doors” a song Shepard had been trying to get EOE to incorporate into their new set. Jim Morrison was a genius and Shep had been working on a new riff that would slide easily into the piece.

With his guitar over his shoulder, Shep made his way through a sea of students and he really didn’t want to have to deal with them all. Part of him wanted to find the one with the most dangerous power, supercharge them and blow them all to hell but he wouldn’t do it; they talked about why in therapy. After what felt like an eternity and in a place where time travel was as common as dog shit on a shoe, Shepard finally reached the music club stall where he could already see Krista trying to tackle anyone and everyone. He pulled his headphones down around his neck and let his dark green eyes follow her frantic movements.

”You’re desperation is showing, K”
In Edenridge → 2 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay
TIMESTAMP: After Interview with a Vampire

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Sitting on a park bench, unbeknownst to her it was the same park bench where Roddy and Marco said their goodbyes, Kylee left the large brown bag filled with everyone’s preferred Chinese food to the side, untouched, as she waited for her friend, Marco Brady. They scheduled a friend date. A late lunch to catch up. He should be getting off work soon.

Unbeknownst to her, Cat had closed the token Edenridge sandwich shop early due to personal obligations and the storm, letting her staff take it easy for the rest of the day. Marco being the good guy that he is chose to wait until it was time to meet his friend at 3:30 PM, instead of asking if she was free earlier. Kylee was a busy girl. Knowing Marco, he didn’t want to throw this spontaneous request on her.

All Kylee’s friends knew that she did not like last minute changes. She was not one for unpredictability. If Kylee Grimm put you on her schedule, you made sure to meet her at that time or she’d get in a weird depressive episode, thinking you were mad at her or something. Kylee didn’t handle change well.

Leaned back, she stared off in the distance in thought, barely paying attention to the boy skating around, both waiting. On top of her replaying her interview with Mei and Jill, from how considerate Jill was of Danny and his teammates, marking them as off limits, to the surface pressure of being a foundling, Kylee was in one of her pensive states. Truly stuck in her head -- thinking and overthinking.

She had gathered so much information and the thought of the letter and keywords in it, it was like the answer was on the tip of her tongue but also, she couldn’t help but think about how tragic David was. To let the surface pressure push him over the edge. He leaned in, gave himself completely into his vice, the one thing that saw him, truly saw him, and unfortunately it was likely a little girl. If only he had waited, waited to take that leap of faith, when she was of age. It was a hard pill for the town to swallow but could Kylee blame him?

The shooting ruined her affair with Natalia. They had something raw. Something great. Something in the moment. But the blood. The gore. Pierce’s face. The fucking screams. The fact that Nia pissed her pants and Jakob was her body shield before Charlie took both of them down, from behind the auditorium piano. The shooting. The shooting ruined her. Or was she already fucked up prior? Was the shooting also an excuse?

When she didn’t get into the college she wanted to go to, or she thought at the time was the college meant for her, that was the perfect emergency exit. How could she treat Natalia like she deserved when she could barely see clearly? The surface pressure. She understood it well. She was no foundling but the weight of being a Grimm… there was a constant dark shadow hovering over her. There was more to her father than he’d ever let her in on, and she knew, she just knew he was haunted, far worse than this whole town ever would be. He had demons. Skeletons in his closet. Secrets. And he hid it behind a professional smile.

Whenever she tried to get close all he had to do was look at her, with those cold, distant eyes, and just like that, she was put back in her place. She didn’t want to disappoint him. She didn’t want to doubt him. She didn’t like this urge to look deep into his history… she hated that she wanted to know who her mother was. It certainly would never be Celine. And it sure as hell wasn’t Prudence. Even if Kylee loved her dearly, she knew Prue was not her mom.

There were too many secrets in the Grimm family and she was caught in the inbetween, scared she’d turn dark, like the rest of her siblings. People don’t see her family like she does. People don’t like her father, sure, but that’s because he’s a politician and if you trusted everything a politician said, you’d be considered dumb. Everyone adores Hayley and how outspoken she is, how radical, but if only they knew… if only they knew what was behind that shit-eating grin, they wouldn’t like the bitch that her sister was. Hayley was more heartless than she made people believe and that’s because everyone was a fool to her, including those she considered her ‘friends’.

Don’t even get her started with her brothers. Lincoln and Kennedy. Named after presidents -- whoop-dee-fucking-doo. They knew more of the past than they’d ever share. Lincoln could destroy your life, and has for some sad fucks, using the internet to his advantage, scary hacker kind of guy, and Kennedy was a douchebag, the type to make girls believe they had it coming when he is the one that roofied and raped them. And you know who protected him? Prudence. That is until Prue died. Now he’s manipulated Celine to do the same. Celine has convinced Daddy Grimm to shield him with their family money and the cycle continues. Disgusting.

Where does that leave her?

Snapping out of her trance, Kylee reached for her phone to check if she got a text or a call from her boyfriend. Still nothing. Biting her thumb, Kylee caved and called Wes’ phone. Nervously, she listened to the ring and when he didn’t pick up, and she went to voicemail, she hung up and put her phone to her side. Glancing toward Adam, she tried to distract herself with idle conversation, “Are you excited to see Marco?!”

“Yeah! Can’t wait to see him!”

It had been a weird ass day.

Adam had started out the morning with no real plan or destination. He had just taken his camera and his board and hit the streets. It had been too many years since he had been freely allowed to roam the cobbled roads of Eden. Five years to be precise. When Thomas Callahan made the decision to leave Edenridge and drag his youngest boy with him, Adam had been in the midst of so many things. Before his forced departure, AC had his fingers in several pies. He had submitted a short film to be judged by professionals, he had just got his first sponsor with a Boston skate shop and he was due to enter his first martial arts contest under the Five Tool banner. Then his father made the call that they were not longed for Edenridge anymore and that Pinehurst awaited them.

AC hated Pinehurst. For all the flak that the rich kids on Scott Street got, they were nothing compared to the Monarchs down the road. Pinehurst was all gated communities, trust fund babies and “influencers”; Adam’s father loved it. Tommy Callahan, unlike his younger brother John, relished his Foundling status and built himself a small empire of businesses using his name and his smile. He wanted nothing to do with the butcher shop that his ancestors had built by hand. No, Tom had machinations on bigger things than just Black Pudding stuffed Cumberland Sausage. Andy was too old to be forced to do anything and he had married his high school sweetheart but Adam? He was just young enough to be controlled.

To say Adam was tortured by those kids would be an understatement. Whereas most Monarchs got Beemers for their sweet sixteens, AC rode to school every day on his Powell Peralta classic Bones deck. They wore Gucci, he wore Element. They bled Maroon, Adam still bled Celtic green. He was suspended multiple times for fighting. He was never a violent kid, it was always in self defence but because of his very apparent training, Adam was always the assumed aggressor. It didn’t help that Tom would send him to school with a face full of bruises. AC was a lump of coal in a case of diamonds.

Then Grandpa Callahan died and the war for his estate raged. Tom had been completely taken out of the will, not that he needed the money and John and their younger sister Ellie became the beneficiaries. John and Ellie decided to give the money to all of the kids. Meaning Fran, Roddy, Andy and Adam all received large chunks of dollar for their troubles. This was it. This was the escape route. Adam took his new found wealth, which admittedly wasn’t that much but was enough, and got the hell out of dodge. After one more confrontation with his father, AC jumped on his board and made his way back to Edenridge, only five years too late for a date with a beautiful brunette.

It was that very same brunette he bumped into early that morning and reopened Pandora's box with. Kylee was on a mission, then again she always was back in the day and Adam felt the need to join her. Thus his aforementioned weird ass day. The pair had spent the afternoon interviewing old school friends and classmates about a mysterious love letter making the rounds all over town. Kylee had been off from the moment they reconnected but Adam knew it wasn’t down to him. Something else was bothering her, then again something always was and usually that something was dressed in a suit and speaking at city hall.

They were supposed to be meeting another old friend, Marco Brady. He and Adam were close back in the day before his unwanted exit. It would be so nice to see him again. Carving the concrete wave until he stopped next to her, AC kicked his deck into his hand and paused the camera that had been sitting next to Ky filming him. “Are we gonna go somewhere? That storm is looking nasty. Makes for a great backdrop though.”

“Your place? After this?” Kylee offered, seeing it smarter to head to his apartment because it was closer instead of doing the long trek to Scott Street to a house far too big for her and full of reminders of all her problems. They still had a good hour before the storm would really start picking up. The forecast said around six it should be at its peak. The Mayor’s daughter smiled at her friend before bringing her deep brown eyes, her eyes that were the color of acorns, just bright enough to shine in the dark, to her hands on her lap. She fiddled with her fingers anxiously.

If Wes would just call her or text her, she could spend the rest of the day with him but he seemed far too busy to even let her know he was doing okay. She was so stupid to think he’d be different. That she had found someone who would put her first. That she found her special someone. “If that’s alright with you that is, Adam. I don’t really want to go home right now.”

“Yeah, no that’s absolutely fine.” Adam looked down with soft eyes at the poor girl. Something was not right, so the best he could do was to be there for her. There had always been an inherent darkness in Kylee. It should’ve been more obvious considering who her father and brothers were but to most, she was just a bored little rich girl. A brat. She’d always been and always would be more than that to AC. “I managed to hook up my tv to the neighbor's Wi-Fi until I get mine sorted. Hope you’re good with just Netflix. Alternately I’ve got DVD’s. Remember those? Hipster AF.”

He sat down next to the young woman and picked up his camera, aiming just over her far shoulder at the skyline. Off in the distance, above the cursed elder tree, the sky was a twirling mixture of blues and greys and black, far off lightning creeping closer towards them like the villain of a John Carpenter movie. Yet in this instant Adam felt more like he was simply gazing inside of Kylee’s soul. Dark, stormy and beautiful. “Are there any cliff notes I need on Marco? It has been a few years.”

“Mm, he kind of has a limp, I guess. When Charlie shot him,” Kylee crossed her arms joining Adam in staring at the sky. She was never one to hold back, no matter how dark her words were. And talking about that day, that day that made her own issues escalate, was one of those dark things that not a lot of people liked talking about but here she was, bringing it up like it was table conversation. “He seems to be doing better though. I haven’t seen him since like a month ago, the night at the gym where we went on a scavenger hunt to find out the story behind Allison’s death. Even then, I didn’t stay for the whole thing… I had a bad moment with my ex and kind of tapped out. From then to what I’ve been seeing from getting sandwiches at the Godmothers, he works there now by the way, he seems happier. Like his old self is coming back. He’s smiling more.”

The massacre. Adam had a feeling that was going to be a huge subject to be weary of when reconnecting with old friends. He missed it. He wasn’t there. He had no way of knowing or understanding how they felt in those moments of cold fear and reflection. They had all been through so much together, fractured and brought together by their experiences and he was coming in as an outsider. AC did not share those dark times with them and they were bonded in ways he couldn’t fathom. Boy had his work cut out for him if he wanted to be a part of their lives again. “I still think that Scavenger hunt sounds badass. Even if, you know it was sad? It’s all so interesting. You can’t write this shit but I’m glad Marco’s doing good.”

Leaning back on the bench, Adam placed his camera down on his lap. “You know what’s funny? Since I’ve been back, I’ve been massively surprised where people have ended up. Like when I decided to come back, I had it all planned out in my head as to what people were doing, where they were and who they were with. I’ve since remembered that you were always the smart one. Rod the brave and I just held the camera,” He laughed. “Like Jill Queen Clover O’Brien and Mei I hate everything Ramsey? How could I call that?!”

“Yeah, a lot of things changed since you’ve been gone,” Kylee kept her eyes on the sky as her voice trailed off at his comment of her being the smart one. She didn’t get into college. It was her fault for only applying to one and thinking she’d get in. Oddly enough though she was relieved. She didn’t want to leave Edenridge. As tragic as things constantly were, this town was her security blanket and at the time, she still had Roddy.

He was gone now — Texas would be his new home where he’d raise his family there and she’d root for him and be happy at how much he’s succeeding. Roddy was moving now and Kylee, well, Kylee was still stuck. “I’m glad they’re together. Jill hasn’t had the best time, like even before the shooting, but you can catch up with her with all that.” Kylee didn’t want to assume Adam knew much about Jill’s ex, Michael, and how she lost her baby. She didn’t want to assume he knew it led to a severe drinking problem. That wasn’t her story to tell.

Glancing over and meeting Adam’s gaze, raising an eyebrow when she noticed he was looking at her and not the sky, Kylee added, “I’m glad she has found someone to heal with and Mei, she acts very strong, but I know Charlie really fucked her up. She was alone that day and she couldn’t do anything about it until she was found.” How strange, how a single moment could change the fates of all she knew. She was very good at talking about all her friends and their battles, dancing around her own trauma from that day, but when it came to herself, she hesitated. She filtered. She kept quiet.

The tone had transformed slightly. Adam wanted it to be light but Ky’s mood was not here yet. As she spoke of her friend's pain, it seemed obvious to AC that she herself held a lot of agony inside. Kylee was good at creating a wall. Depending on how one felt about it, it was either lucky or unlucky that Adam was very good at scaling them. “I can’t even imagine. I’m sorry that you all had to go through that.” Kylee carried a lot of weight from that day, he could almost see the blood splatter memories in her acorn eyes. “Tell me something weird. What’s a really random thing that’s happened in my time away?”

Weird. He wanted something weird. It really depends on his definition of weird because weird shit happens all the time in Edenridge. “Your cousin, Clay, sucks at hiding the fact that he’s got his dream girl. I don’t know if you consider that weird though! Like are we talking ghost weird? Because we got ghosts visiting us everyday. Or like people weird, because I do think it’s weird that Clay ain’t gonna’ be a hoe no more.”

“I mean, Clay being in a relationship is weird but not unheard of,” Adam mused. “He was always looking for something meaningful. I just think he had a standard that was difficult to meet.” He moved his arm and rested it on the bench behind Ky. “When was the last time you went on a good ol fashioned ghost hunt? Like do I have to go to Texas and slap Roddy for not taking you on adventures or what? I’ll crane kick some emotion into that android.”

Now that she was thinking about it, when was the last time she went on a ghost hunt? Would the Allison Davies incident be considered one? It certainly brought out a lot in people. “I guess when he and Marco were in physical therapy together, we fell off… so it’s been awhile,” Kylee pushed her hair behind her ear and glanced at the floor. This honestly was a huge testimony to her own mental health, seeing how she barely noticed a piece of her was missing. As silly as it sounds, Scooby Doo adventures were part of who she was, as it was for both Roddy and Adam.

Due to a series of unfortunate events, the child in her and in Roddy got left behind in the old school building, on that awful day. They grew up. They had to. “It’s really not a big deal,” Kylee retracted. “We got enough ghosts in this town! There’s no need to disturb more. And like, it was all a silly children’s game.” Kylee was back to fiddling with her hands, stuck in a place that made her uncomfortable where she knew she might cave and tell Adam too much about herself. He had only just gotten back. There was no need to burden him with her troubles.

Adam dramatically opened his mouth. “Le shock,” He slapped both cheeks comically and shook his head. “A silly children’s game? Kylee Rose Grimm. I am soooo disappointed in you.” Jumping to his feet, AC grabbed his camera and turned it to face himself, a rarity because the Callahan man hated being on camera himself. “Coming soon, oh my god, it’s the return of the Scoobies. Adam Callahan. Kylee Grimm and special guests are yet to be confirmed. And what mystery will they solve? I submit to you, dear viewer, the Tale of the Woman in the Wall.” He dropped the camera down to his side and offered the young woman a bright toothy smile. “It is done. You and I are going ghost hunting. Next time we meet after today, you and I are going to Liberty and the Sunken House.”

The Tale of the Woman in the Wall? Kylee would be lying if she said Adam didn’t pique her interest. Quite honestly, he had her complete and undivided attention. She didn’t understand it but somehow he knew how to bring her back and he smiled while doing it. He made her feel like he cared, like he still cared. That no time in the world would change how much she meant to him. He really didn’t need to do all this for her. Or was he doing this for himself? Was he hoping by going on a ghost hunt that they’d return to the way things were? That they’d gain some sense of normalcy? Regardless of his motives, Kylee couldn’t help but beam back and look up at him with those big brown eyes, “Promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to not bail the next time I grind a rail,” Adam picked up his deck and made the Christian cross over it as he held it aloft against his heart. It was nice to see her smile, he had missed that smile. It seemed obvious at this point that not just Kylee but many of his former classmates and friends were haunted and not in the fun way. They had been locked in this town like a prison, reliving dark days gone by, shackled to memories of monsters. Adam’s original intention was to not stay in Eden long. Just enough time to catch up with friends, earn some money and then head off to travel. Now it seemed like he had a new purpose. To bust some ghosts and again, not the fun kind. There certainly wasn’t a Marshmellow man in sight. “I know you said Marco had a limp but he needs to get here fast or I’m eating all of his food.”
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