#so excuse me if i disappear into a cottage core life one day

[clareisa]

Feelings Are Stronger Than Instincts - 「Lee Minho」

♠ - werewolf!Minho X werewolf!reader

♠ - genre: werewolf!au, angsty, romantic

♠ - words: 1,4k

♠ - 2nd day -  ♠ creeptober ♠ 

♠  - English is not my first language, so please, excuse my mistakes

  True mates are supposed to have a special bond that is true and unbreakable. These two wolves are supposed to be linked for the whole long life. If so, they will be the best at fighting, best at making love to each other, and be able to have the strongest children possible. Then why? Why didn't Minho feel like that with his new founded mate?

   Why not? Why he couldn't bring himself to, actually want her and long for her like others who found their mates? Any other werewolf would go crazy if this female wolf were their mate. She was beautiful, intelligent, seductive, the respected alpha female of one of the supreme packs out there. But he didn't want her.

   For him, mating with her, it could be a second chance...

  Minho was once alpha, but he lost his title. At first, he was a trivial beta, but he rebelled against the alpha who was with every his step leading the pack to the downfall, killed him, and earned the alpha title of his pack. He brought them from absolute disaster up to the great glory. He trained young wolfs toughly but effectively, expanded their territory, making their hunting areas much greater. Encouraged his members to go after their heart, find a partner they want and with stronger bonds made the pack much more united. 

 But then ... a true alpha came to the picture. Everyone turned against Minho because of some stupid old tradition. All of his work and earned respect suddenly disappeared because some higher power chose someone else. Minho never followed the rules, and he was ready to fight for all he created and gained with his blood, sweat and tears. He was fighting with the supposed true alpha, and for a surprise of everyone, Minho was winning quite quickly, almost without any problem.  That was the moment all of the wolfs he trained and gave them everything, turned against him for the sake of ancient tradition and tried to take him down. In the passion and aggression of the fight, Minho accidentally killed one of his pack members.  And that was the moment he stopped. He couldn't believe what he has done. He killed someone who he was supposed to protect. He couldn't carry on. He felt like he disappointed everything he valued. His eyes turned icy blue, like the wolf's who killed an innocent soul, he ran away and became a lonely wolf, an outsider who was hated by everyone.

   And yeah, he was doing it again now by refusing to be a mate to the female alpha, who was surprisingly obsessed with the loner wolf. No one understood why. Only Minho knew the reason. Minho's true feelings were much more fatal than some "fated" instinct.

   And that reason why he was refusing was simple. The reason was one little white omega female within the same wolf pack. It was her who found Minho in the woods, wounded and bleeding after other wolfs attacked him because he was in their territory. It was she who took care of him and healed him. She was the only one after a long time who wasn't disgusted by him or judged him. She was as beautiful as her soul, that made Minho determined to protect her at any costs. And, to be completely honest, he fell over heels for the stunning wolf with the puppy-like face.

   That's why he hated where he was right now, in the house of the female alpha where he was forced into by other members, on her command, of course.

   "Why are you so stubborn, handsome? Us two, are obviously meant to be." she said with an excited smile as she forced onto his lap, sitting across each of her legs next to his thighs.  "I hardly believe that..." he snapped back with a judgemental look obvious on his face.  "You can say whatever you want, but you can't deny that we are true mates." she took his face into her hands, "You can feel it too, I'm sure you can. Because I feel it very intensely." she whispered the last sentence and started grinding her needy core against his thigh.

   "Are you fucking insane?!" he swiftly threw her off of him, making her land on the bed as he stood up far away from her.  "Awww, is someone shy?" she didn't stop and spread her legs for him, showing him her bare pulsing core under the nightgown.  Minho couldn't stop his gagging reflex from the disgusting smell hitting his sensitive nostrils and view of a woman he despised so much, despite them being mates. She couldn't believe he looked away and almost threw up from something he was supposed to be obsessed with.

  "You must be fucking insane!" she yelled, annoyed. "How can you act like this?! You know you are disrespecting the alpha, right?" she was now fuming, but Minho didn't care.  "Are you playing hard to get?" she took a deep breath to calm down, "Okay, we will play," she smirked and walked to him again trying to touch his crotch to get some reaction.

   Minho was quick to react and even tho she was the alpha, he was stronger than her, with one swing of a hand he threw her to the other corner of the room.  "Not just insane but dumb too. You didn't hear me correctly? I don't. Fucking. Want you. You hear me?" He was fuming.  He walked to her and stopped her from standing up by pinning her neck painfully to the wall.  "You are fucking lucky that I didn't kill you yet. You think you are so special just because some moon goddess or some shit thought we would fit together? Ha!" he chuckled ironically, "You are not what I need. You are not what I want. If we would get together, your head will be bitten off the next day." he squeezed, even more, making her struggle to breathe. 

  After a couple of seconds, he released her from his grip and was ready to leave the house. But just as he opened the door, he could hear her saying in still slightly choked voice: "Is it that little pathetic bitch? That worthless omega?" she chuckled in disbelief.

 Minho didn't give her a single look and ran out of the house, immediately transforming and running to your little cottage, that was at the very end of the pack community, where the woods begins.  As he arrived, he transformed back and without warning entered your little, cosy home, surprising you.

  "M-minho? What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be with our alpha?" you asked shyly, confused. You could smell something strange in the air as he came throught the door. The same smell you were smelling these last days when you were with him but today it was stronger. You didn't know why, but you were drawn to it, you had a need to hold him and never let go.

 "Y/N..." he whispered your name in the neediest way you've ever heard. You couldn't say anything when grabbed you by waist and cheek and kissed you deeply, kicking out all the air in your lungs, made you freeze in spot, made your knees snaky, washed-out your brain, set your heart on fire and your core drip so hard that you could feel it drip down your thigh.

 When he broke the kiss he answered your question: "What am I doing here? As cliche as it might sound, I just followed my heart." he smiled brightly. You felt a pleasant tingle in your chest.  "But your mate..." you started but he cut you off with another kiss, making you melt to his arms. You weren't his mate, but what you felt when you looked at him or touched him was something you couldn't ignore.

 "Feelings are sometimes stronger than instincts or fate if they are true and unbreakable," he said caressing your face with such love in his eyes that you couldn't disagree. You leaned to his touch without thinking.  "And I know we both have those feelings towards each other." he whispered.  "But I...this is my pack. I can't take alpha's mate." you were still trying to be loyal, even deep down you didn't want to.  "And are you happy? They are treating you like a piece of meat. I didn't kill her because I don't want to become alpha of a rotten pack like this. You deserve much better... and I know I can give you the best." he connected your foreheads.

 "Come with me, Y/N." he whispered.  "I..." your voice shaking.

"Let your feelings guide you for a once, and not those primitive instincts..." you knew he was right. And you did let your love guide you as you transformed to your wolf form and ran away with the outsider...becoming one as well.

#stray kids scenarios #stray kids drabbles #stray kids reactions #stray kids smut #stray kids Halloween #stray kids minho #lee know #stray kids fanfic #creeptober #kpop halloween #lee minho

[sweetness47]

Gifts from the Sea 2

Pairing Merman! Sam x Human!Reader

Warnings: Sex, smut, language MATURE 18+ READERS ONLY

Chapter 2

(like it? find chapter 1 here )

Eight months, three weeks, and 5 days after her encounter with her handsome stranger, YN’s water broke at 3:00am. Contractions seized through her abdomen, causing her to cry out, and Cas and Hannah to come running. They gathered up her hospital bag, then helped her to the car.

Evan Cole arrived into the world at 11:00am, 8 lbs 3 oz. YN held the tiny bundle in her arms, marvelling over his brown hair, his tiny fingers and toes. Cas and Hannah were also thrilled at the new arrival. Hannah had been her coach, and YN had been beyond thankful and blessed to have her in the room during the delivery. Cas had volunteered to wait outside, not all that thrilled with blood and the whole birth stuff. But now, holding the baby in his arms, he couldn’t be more proud of YN. Sure, it had started out as a fling, but now he wouldn’t trade his little second cousin for anything.

YN had been able to take some of her pastry courses and business courses online during her pregnancy, and had also applied for a work permit to set up a shop in Greece where she’d had her vacation. There was a part of her that hoped to see the handsome stranger, but she wouldn’t hold those expectations high. She’d only be setting herself up for more heartbreak.

Cas and Hannah decided they would move with her, and had applied for visas as well. They would help her set up the shop and help with the baby. All three were great bakers, hence YN’s desire to open her own bakery, so they were more than up for the challenge. Greece would be an interesting client base, they already had amazing food. It was YN’s mission to make sure they grew to love her baking as much as she loved their authentic Greek cuisine.

Once the visas were sent in for approval, the three studied locations that would work, YN’s first choice was near the beach where she’d had the best vacation of her life. After some research and some careful negotiations, they purchased a building right on the boardwalk. The visas came through eventually, and the family of four made their way to what would be their new home.

~~

Sam and Charlie noticed the sold sign on the building, wondering what would be coming to the shops square. They had been living on the land now for just over a year, and with each moment that passed, Sam lost just a little bit of hope. If they didn’t find her soon, he would just swim away, and never look back. She was his whole world, and he hadn’t realized just how much she meant to him until it was too late. He should have left her a note, and he should have come back sooner.

As the weeks came and went, the two friends watched the building transform, watched workers move about and make the abandoned structure into a bakery. They saw a dark haired man and a woman with long strawberry blonde hair enter and exit many times. Perhaps they were the owners. The man looked like he was from around this area. His features could easily blend in with the locals.

Sam almost missed the other woman, but when he laid eyes on her, there was no mistaking who she was. His heart practically leapt out of his chest. He blinked repeatedly, not believing what he was seeing, worried that if he blinked, she would disappear, and this would all be a lucid dream.

Charlie noticed her friend’s instant shock, turning to see what had him in such a riled state. “Is that her?” she asked quietly.

Sam could only nod. He frowned then, noticing the small moving bundle in her arms. His mind was racing, could…could he have left her with a child? His eyes misted over. His mate, his child, and he’d just left without so much as a note. He felt like such an idiot.

As if sensing the shift in his mood, Charlie studied the small group of people harder, finally noticing the same thing he had. “Is the child yours?”

A hoarse voice answered her. “I think so.”

~~

YN was so excited. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening. The finishing touches were going on now, and the bakery would be open in three days. Cas and Hannah had been such a tremendous help with everything, the paperwork, the building details, the permits, and the baby.

She didn’t know what made her turn around, a feeling maybe, but when she did, her eyes immediately locked with his. Her jaw hit the ground in stunned silence. She bit her lower lip. Should she go talk to him? Introduce Evan? She honestly wasn’t sure. And besides, there was another woman beside him, which would make the conversation awkward as fuck.

And yet her conscience wouldn’t leave her alone. She knew he had a right to know. Even if he had moved on. The child was his.

Taking a deep breath, she excused herself, telling Cas she’d be back in a minute, and started to walk toward him. After what looked like a hushed angry conversation, he started walking toward her, meeting her halfway.

His eyes raked her in, her body just as he remembered, then he looked at the child. He touched the infant’s cheek, running his finger over the smooth skin. He looked up at YN. “Mine?” his words were barely a whisper.

She nodded, mesmerized by his voice. That was the first time she’d heard him speak, and fuck, his voice was as sexy as the rest of him. She felt heat rush straight to her core. She cleared her throat. “Yeah.”

His next words shocked her even more. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have up and left the way I did. I meant to come back, but by the time I did, you were gone.”

She felt tears well up in her eyes. “Why did you then? I…,” she broke down, “I was heartbroken. I tried to enjoy the rest of my stay here, but it wasn’t the same without you. I went home, and then I found out I was pregnant. He was a gift, a way for me to remember you, he brought me back from my depression.”

Charlie, who had wandered over mostly out of curiosity, was the one who caught the pronoun. “He? You have a son Sam.” She breathed, staring at the tiny infant. Then she turned to YN. “Does he have a birthmark? Specifically, one that looks like a trident.” she added.

YN frowned. “How…How did you know that?”

Sam answered. “Every male born into my family does.”

As if to prove it, not that he felt he needed to, he turned and pulled down his neck line of his tee shirt on the right side. Sure enough, on the shoulder blade, was a birthmark shaped like a trident, identical to the one on Evan’s right shoulder.

He stared at the child, then back up to YN. “Can I hold him?”

YN nodded, handing the sleeping infant over to his father. “His name is Evan.” She volunteered as she watched him settle into his father’s embrace.

Sam was in awe. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Hell, he couldn’t believe the fates had allowed him another chance with YN. And a child. A beautiful, tiny, baby boy.

YN watched the two interact, smiling as she watched Sam’s eyes travel over the tiny infant. She was amazed at Evan’s instant attraction to his father. Evan was very particular about who held him. He barely tolerated Cas and Hannah. YN swore he knew the man holding him was his dad.

Charlie came up to her, clearing her throat. The last thing she wanted was to become an obstacle between her friend and his mate. She needed to set the record straight. “Sam and I aren’t a couple, if that’s what you first thought when you saw us. We’re just friends, plus I’m his bodyguard. Nothing beyond that.”

Bodyguard? Why on earth would Sam need a bodyguard? Oh. My. God. Was he like royalty or something? That might explain his sudden disappearance, but then why had he come back? There were so many unanswered questions.

Charlie saw the confusion in YN’s eyes. “I will let him explain. He will tell you everything, I promise. But it won’t be easy to hear or believe. Just know that he never stopped looking for you.”

YN nodded. “Ok. But why does he need a bodyguard? Is…is he like royalty or something?”

Charlie took a deep breath. “He needs to tell you everything, but yes, he is royalty.”

Before anything else could be said or asked by either of the three adults, Cas made his way over to where YN stood. “Who are these people YN?”

Sam bristled at the implication that he was anything other than Evan’s father. “My name is Sam, and I’m the child’s father. Who are you, sir, to be interrupting us?”

It was Cas’s turn to be put off. “I’m YN’s cousin. I’ve been her guardian since she was 10 years old.” He narrowed his eyes at Sam. “You have some nerve showing up after abandoning my cousin and leaving her pregnant. You’re lucky I don’t beat the shit out of you for the upset you caused.”

“Cas. Stop.” YN placed a hand on his shoulder. “This is my fight. Not yours. I don’t need you stepping in. Please. Let me handle it.”

Cas glared at Sam once more before turning to YN. “Ok. But the moment he steps out of line…”

“I get it. IF I need help, I will let you know. Ok?”

He nodded before giving her a hug and walking back to Hannah and the building. YN blushed as she turned back to Sam. “Sorry. Cas can be a bit overprotective.”

“I get it. Hell, I deserved that.” Sam rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the other man walk away. “Can we go somewhere and talk? There’s so much I need to tell you, but not out in the open.”

YN looked at him, gauging his facial expressions. She couldn’t see any hint of deception, only concern and maybe fear. What would a man like him need to be afraid of? His fingers brushed a strand of hair from her face, his touch soothing, warm, familiar.

Steeling herself, she nodded. “Ok.”

Charlie mumbled an excuse to leave, nodding to Sam permission to go to their house. Sam took YN’s hand and led her through the paths and narrow walkways to their cottage on the shore.

Once inside, YN made a soft makeshift bed for Evan, then took him from Sam and set the infant down to sleep. Then she stood and looked at Sam, trying not to appear shy and awkward. She took a deep breath as her eyes raked him in, committing every single inch of his perfect body to memory. Even after not seeing him for over a year he still took her breath away. He looked every bit as scrumptious as the last time she’d seen him. Her body hummed and came alive as she closed the distance between them. Her pussy was drenched, aching for him.

He could smell her desire. It called to him like moth to flame, luring him to his destiny. The moment she was in arms reach, he took possession of her, wrapping his arms around her waist and reeling her in, his mouth seeking to possess hers. He thrust his tongue inside her parted lips, dancing with her own tongue, and felt her melt into him. His strong arms swiftly picked her up and carried her toward his room, placing her on the bed. He removed his clothes, then hers, his movements quick and precise. It was almost too much to even be away from each other for that long, the need to be skin to skin was magnetic, life changing, as if they would perish if they weren’t fast enough. He moved over her, nudging her legs apart, and she happily complied, then he was inside her, thrusting hard, her body meeting him stroke for stroke, her soft cries filling the room as he edged her toward the cliff, pushing her into oblivion, his name falling from her lips as she came swiftly, her back arching off the bed. Sam joined her moments later, spilling inside her womb, filling her completely.

He kissed her along her throat, neck, shoulder, and YN gasped as she felt a small sting on the nape of her neck. Her hand flew to the spot where she’d felt the small stab, her fingers finding a tiny lump. Her eyes looked into Sam’s, wondering what the hell had happened.

Sam finally rolled off her and held her close. She still looked up at him, waiting for an explanation, but made no move to remove herself from his embrace.

“What’s going on Sam? Why do you need a bodyguard? Who are you?”

This was going to be one hell of a long, long conversation.

Sam sighed, looking at his mate. He searched her eyes for signs of anxiety, fear, and especially the desire to run from him. The latter was the one he was scared of the most. The thought that she could reject him after revealing the truth almost killed him right there, but there was no way to keep his identity hidden from her, especially now.

A son. He had a fucking son. A part of him. His heir. His flesh and blood. His and hers.

He caught a silky tendril of hair falling haphazardly around her face and tucked it behind her ear. “What I’m going to tell you won’t be easy to hear or easy to believe. In fact,” he paused, “it’s going to make me sound like a damn lunatic.”

YN watched Sam as he chose what to say, as if the next word might send her packing faster than gale force winds. “I promise to listen to everything, and I promise not to laugh or judge you.”

Taking a deep breath, Sam sat up, bringing her up with him, turning so they were face to face. “My name is Prince Samuel. I am second in line for the throne of Atlantis, the underwater kingdom of the Pacific oceans.”

YN stared, unmoving, slowly nodding for him to continue.

He did.

“I’m a merman. My home is the ocean.”

He stopped and waited, hoping, praying that she would stay calm, rational. That she wouldn’t freak out, treat him like some kind of extraterrestrial. If there was ever a time for wishes to come true, it was now. There was no way he could deal with the idea of her rejection. His heart would shatter, break beyond repair. He’d played billions of scenarios over and over in his mind, some good, some not as good, some completely devastating.

Her voice sounded surprisingly at ease as she processed his revelation. “That would explain a lot, like how you appeared on the beach out of nowhere, why you were naked, and maybe why you disappeared after two days. But, why didn’t you come back?”

“I intended to,” he confessed, “although I did need to soak in the ocean regardless. Our bodies can’t be out of the water for more than 48 hours at a time. But, by the time I went home and came back, you were gone. Charlie and I stayed in hopes that maybe you’d return here.”

Her brows furrowed. “So, you basically ran away from your family to wait for a possibility that I might come back here?” He nodded. Her eyes widened suddenly. “Oh my…so our son is…?”

He nodded again. “He is part merman, part human. His tail, from what I hear, should start to form when he reaches the age of two. But it is controlled, and it only will happen when he swims in salt water.”

“From what you hear? You’re insinuating your people don’t usually have offspring with humans. How many times has this happened? And is there a chance Evan won’t survive? Will he…”

Sam stopped her. “YN, our son won’t die. You have my word. A Halfling hasn’t been heard of for over a hundred years. Mostly it’s dwindled down to whispers and remnants of recorded history.”

YN flopped backwards onto the bed, stunned, shocked by what she’d just been told, her mind trying desperately to process everything while attempting to keep her sanity. “Wow.” She breathed. She glanced warily over to the man beside her, remembering something else. “What did you do to my neck?”

“I marked you. It is customary between mates, like being engaged in your world. It will show my people you are my mate.” He paused. “Unless you don’t want me. The mark can be removed, with your rejection of my bond, but it could be devastating for both of us, physically and mentally. I can feel every emotion going through your mind, and I know how difficult it was for you to be alone during the pregnancy. But, I plan to make up for that from this day forward, if you’ll have me.”

YN let out a slow shaky breath, weighing her options. She still had feelings for Sam, a lot of them, and, if this moment was any indication, he had similar feelings for her. They had a son together, and he’d already made his interest in Evan known, which she was immensely relieved about. He had no intention of taking him from her. Rather, he wanted them to be together, to be a family. Was she ready for that? She stared into those hazel orbs of his, seeing hopefulness, desire, a silent plea to her heart.

“I do want you. I never stopped loving you Sam. But I want to know more. I want you to show me everything. No secrets, no hiding.” She pursed her pink lips, still swollen from their heated kisses, “If Evan will be able to swim without drowning, and you obviously can, how does that work for me?”

“The mate mark. My DNA now runs through your veins. It will allow you the ability to breathe under water without drowning. You don’t get a tail, at least not to my knowledge, but we will be able to be together.”

A mischievous grin appeared on her face when he said that. “And…if we decide we want to have more mind-blowing sex, we can always come ashore.” She giggled at his reaction, before pushing him back onto the mattress, straddling him. “I love you Sam. I am willing to give this whole thing a try, for us, and for Evan.”

Sam nodded, his hands splayed over her hips as she ground against his cock, bringing it back to life. Instinctively he thrust up into her, and she moaned at the sensations coursing through her body, at how full he made her feel. Gods, he was impossibly thick and long. Yet her walls stretched and accommodated him well, as though he was made just for her.

He turned the tables then, flipping them over and taking back control. He pulled out, much to her dismay, before laying soft kisses along her breasts, her abdomen, then lower, settling down between her thighs. That’s where his prize lay.

YN forgot how to breathe as he delved into her folds, tasting the musky flavor she offered. Sam was like a man starved, sucking her clit, nipping it, then thrusting his tongue into her waiting channel. Clutching the sheets, YN squirmed as she ground against his face, desperate for it to be closer, as if that were possible. Her release coated Sam’s face as he rode out the explosive orgasm. But he didn’t stop. He added two fingers into her slick opening, moving them with antagonizing slowness, torturing his mate. Not that she was complaining.

Sweat coated her skin as she screamed out, orgasmic waves crashing into her as her eyes rolled back in her head. “Fuck…Sam!” she stammered as he continued, heading to her third, arching her back off the bed as she saw stars. Her whole goddamn body felt like it had been catapulted into space, covered in fluffy cotton candy. So sweet was the pleasure.

Sam crawled back up her body slowly, his tongue leaving a hot trail over her. His mouth took possession of hers once more as he sought to reclaim his spot inside her with his aching cock. She eagerly welcomed him, moaning as she tasted herself on his lips. The thrusts were hard, almost brutal, so eager was the need for his own release. His cries filled the room as he exploded inside her, filling her full of his seed, panting and nuzzling into the crook of her neck as her walls milked every drop.

No sooner had they finished, then Evan woke, crying and desperate for his own attention. YN blushed as she got up, grabbed her robe, and went to fetch their son. She brought him back to the bed and laid him down between Sam and her, as she got back onto the bed.

Sam propped himself onto his elbow so he could stare at his son. Evan, satisfied that he now was the center of attention, cooed and smiled at his father, reaching his tiny hand to try and grab Sam’s nose. Sam softly chuckled as he allowed Evan to touch his nose, marveling at just how perfect he was.

YN’s heart was filled with love as she watched her son interact with his father. She marveled at how alike they looked, and how Evan seemed to know who Sam was to him. But that was impossible right? Until today, Evan had never met his dad. He was only 4 months old.

Yet the recognition was there.

YN moved and slid part of her robe down so she could feed Evan. Sam watched as his son moved to latch onto her breast, greedily taking the nourishing milk she offered. The entire scene was beautiful, and he gained even more respect for his mate than before, if that was possible.

When Evan was done and had burped in satisfaction, he resumed bonding with Sam. YN was more curious now than ever. She just had to ask. “How is it Evan seems to know you?”

Sam looked up from his son. “My DNA. He can smell who I am.”

YN giggled and wrinkled her nose. “That just sounds weird, and a little gross.”

“That’s the simplest description though. His mind and his senses tell him right from birth who his parents are. He will also, by smell, be able to identify my brother and my father when he meets them.”

Her jaw dropped. “Wow.”

#sam winchester #sam x reader #AU #spn

[gaysparklepires]

24. Surprise

Read on AO3 - Links up top.

“Um. Thank you, Alice?” I blinked at her a few times, and then shot a confused glance at the smug smile on Edward’s face. “But I stopped aging three days ago.”

“Trifling details,” Alice said, dismissing my words with a quick shrug. “We’re celebrating anyway, so suck it up.”

I laughed, shaking my head. There was rarely a point to arguing with Alice.

Her grin got impossibly wider as she read the acquiescence in my expression.

“Are you ready to open your present?” Alice sang.

“Presents,” Edward corrected, and he pulled another key—this one longer and silver with a smaller blue bow—from his pocket.

I struggled to keep from rolling my eyes in amusement. I knew immediately what this key was for—the “after car.” I wondered if actually seeing the thing would suddenly spark a post-transformation interest in sports cars.

“Mine first,” Alice said, and then she stuck her tongue out foreseeing his answer.

“Mine is closer.”

“But look at how he’s dressed.” Alice’s words were almost a moan. “It’s been killing me all day. That is clearly the priority.”

My eyebrows pulled together as I wondered how a key could get me into new clothes. Had she gotten me a whole trunkful?

“I know—I’ll play you for it,” Alice suggested. “Rock, paper, scissors.”

Jasper chuckled and Edward sighed.

“Why don’t you just tell me who wins?” Edward said wryly.

Alice beamed. “I do. Excellent.”

“It’s probably better that I wait for morning, anyway.” Edward smiled crookedly at me and then nodded toward Jacob and Seth, who looked like they were crashed for the night; I wonder how long they’d stayed up this time. “I think it might be more fun if Jacob was awake for the big reveal, don’t you agree? So that someone there is able to express the right level of enthusiasm?”

I grinned back. He knew me well.

“Yay,” Alice sang. “Beau, follow me.”

“There’s no point in resisting, Beau. Best get it over with.” Royal grinned at me.

I was glad to see that the new comradeship between us was still there in his smile. I hadn’t been entirely sure it would last after I was changed. But maybe we had fought together on the same side long enough that we would always be friends now. I’d fought for my humanity the same he would have if given the chance. That seemed to have washed away his resentment for all my other choices.

Alice shoved the beribboned key in my hand, then grabbed my elbow and steered me toward the back door. “Let’s go, let’s go,” she trilled.

“Is it outside?”

“Sort of,” Alice said, pushing me forward.

“Enjoy your gift,” Royal said. “It’s from all of us. Esme especially.”

“Aren’t you coming, too?” I realized that no one had moved.

“We’ll give you a chance to appreciate it alone,” Royal said. “You can tell us about it… later.”

Emmett guffawed. Something about his laugh made me feel like blushing, though I wasn’t sure why.

I realized that lots of things about me—such as disliking surprises and being embarrassed by gifts in general—had not changed one bit. It was a relief to discover how much of my core traits had come with me into this new body.

I hadn’t expected to be myself. I smiled widely.

Alice tugged on my elbow, and I couldn’t stop smiling as I followed her into the purple night. Only Edward came with us.

“There’s the enthusiasm I’m looking for,” Alice murmured approvingly. Then she dropped my arm, made two lithe bounds, and leaped over the river.

“C’mon, Beau,” she called from the other side.

Edward jumped at the same time I did; it was every bit as fun as it had been this afternoon. Maybe a little bit more fun because the night changed everything into new, rich colors.

Alice took off with us on her heels, heading due north. It was easier to follow the sound of her feet whispering against the ground and the fresh path of her scent than it was to keep my eyes on her through the thick vegetation.

At no sign I could see, she whirled and dashed back to where I paused. “Don’t attack me,” she warned, and sprang at me.

“What are you doing?” I demanded, squirming as she scrambled onto my back and wrapped her hands around my face. I felt the slightest urge to throw her off, but I controlled it.

“Making sure you can’t see.”

“I could take care of that without the theatrics,” Edward offered. “You might let him cheat. Take his hand and lead him forward.”

“Alice, I—”

“Don’t bother, Beau. We’re doing this my way.”

I felt Edward’s fingers weave through mine. “Just a few seconds more, Beau. Then she’ll go annoy someone else.” He pulled me forward. I kept up easily. I wasn’t afraid of hitting a tree; the tree would be the only one getting hurt in that scenario.

“You might be a little more appreciative,” Alice chided him. “This is as much for you as it is for him.”

“True. Thank you again, Alice.”

“Yeah, yeah. Okay.” Alice’s voice suddenly shot up with excitement. “Stop there. Turn him just a little to the right. Yes, like that. Okay. Are you ready?” she squeaked.

“I’m ready.” There were new scents here, piquing my interest, increasing my curiosity. Scents that didn’t belong in the deep woods. Honeysuckle. Smoke. Roses. Sawdust? Something metallic, too. The richness of deep earth, dug up and exposed. I leaned toward the mystery.

Alice hopped down from my back, releasing her grip on my eyes.

I stared into the violet dark. There, nestled into a small clearing in the forest, was a tiny stone cottage, lavender gray in the light of the stars.

It belonged here so absolutely that it seemed as if it must have grown from the rock, a natural formation. Honeysuckle climbed up one wall like a lattice, winding all the way up and over the thick wooden shingles. Late summer roses bloomed in a handkerchief- sized garden under the dark, deep-set windows. There was a little path of flat stones, amethyst in the night, that led up to the quaint arched wooden door.

I curled my hand around the key I held, shocked.

“What do you think?” Alice’s voice was soft now; it fit with the perfect quiet of the storybook scene.

I opened my mouth but said nothing.

“Esme thought we might like a place of our own for a while, but she didn’t want us too far away,” Edward murmured. “And she loves any excuse to renovate. This little place has been crumbling away out here for at least a hundred years.”

I continued staring, mouth gaping like a fish.

“Don’t you like it?” Alice’s face fell. “I mean, I’m sure we could fix it up differently, if you want. Emmett was all for adding a few thousand square feet, a second story, columns, and a tower, but Esme thought you would like it best the way it was meant to look.” Her voice started to climb, to go faster. “If she was wrong, we can get back to work. It won’t take long to—”

“Shh!” I managed.

She pressed her lips together and waited. It took me a few seconds to recover.

“You’re giving me a house for my birthday?” I whispered.

“Us,” Edward corrected. “And it’s no more than a cottage. I think the word house implies more legroom.”

“No knocking my house,” I whispered to him.

Alice beamed. “You like it.”

I shook my head.

“Love it?”

I nodded.

“I can’t wait to tell Esme!”

“Why didn’t she come?”

Alice’s smile faded a little, twisted just off what it had been, like my question was hard to answer. “Oh, you know... they all remember how you are about presents. They didn’t want to put you under too much pressure to like it.”

“But of course I love it. How could I not?”

“They’ll like that.” She patted my arm. “Anyhoo, your closet is stocked. Use it wisely. And... I guess that’s everything.”

“Aren’t you going to come inside?”

She strolled casually a few feet back. “Edward knows his way around. I’ll stop by... later. Call me if you can’t match your clothes right.” She threw me a doubtful look and then smiled. “Jazz wants to hunt. See you.”

She shot off into the trees like the most graceful bullet.

“That was weird,” I said when the sound of her flight had vanished completely. “Am I really that bad? They didn’t have to stay away. Now I feel guilty. I didn’t even thank her right. We should go back, tell Esme—”

“Beau, don’t be silly. No one thinks you’re that unreasonable.”

“Then what—”

“Alone time is their other gift. Alice was trying to be subtle about it.”

“Oh.”

That was all it took to make the house disappear. We could have been anywhere. I didn’t see the trees or the stones or the stars. It was just Edward.

“Let me show you what they’ve done,” he said, pulling my hand. Was he oblivious to the fact that an electric current was pulsing through my body like adrenaline-spiked blood?

Once again I felt oddly off balance, waiting for reactions I wasn’t sure my body was capable of anymore. My heart should have been thundering like a steam engine about to hit us. Deafening. My cheeks should have been brilliant red.

For that matter, I ought to have been exhausted. This had been the longest day of my life.

I laughed out loud—just one quiet little laugh of shock—when I realized that this day would never end.

“Do I get to hear the joke?”

“It’s not a very good one,” I told him as he led the way to the little rounded door. “I was just thinking—today is the first and last day of forever. It’s kind of hard to wrap my head around it. Even with all this extra room for wrapping.” I laughed again.

He chuckled with me. He held his hand out toward the doorknob, waiting for me to do the honors. I stuck the key in the lock and turned it.

“You’re such a natural at this, Beau; I forget how very strange this all must be for you. I wish I could hearit.” He ducked down and yanked me up into is arms so fast that I didn’t see it coming—and that was really something.

“Hey!”

“Thresholds are part of my job description,” he reminded me. “But I’m curious. Tell me what you’re thinking about right now.”

He opened the door—it fell back with a barely audible creak—and stepped through into the little stone living room.

“Everything,” I told him. “All at the same time, you know. Good things and things to worry about and things that are new. How I keep using too many superlatives in my head. Right now, I’m thinking that Esme is an artist. It’s so perfect!”

The cottage room was something from a fairy tale. The floor was a perfect quilt of smooth, flat stones. The low ceiling had long exposed beams that someone as tall as Jacob would surely knock his head on. The walls were warm wood in some places, stone mosaics in others. The beehive fireplace in the corner held the remains of a slow flickering fire. It was driftwood burning there—the low flames were blue and green from the salt.

It was furnished in eclectic pieces, not one of them matching another, but harmonious just the same. One chair seemed vaguely medieval, while a low ottoman by the fire was more contemporary and the stocked bookshelf against the far window reminded me of movies set in Italy. Somehow each piece fit together with the others like a big three-dimensional puzzle. There were a few paintings on the walls that I recognized—some of my very favorites from the big house. Priceless originals, no doubt, but they seemed to belong here, too, like all the rest.

It was a place where anyone could believe magic existed. A place where you just expected Snow White to walk right in with her apple in hand, or a unicorn to stop and nibble at the rosebushes.

Edward had always thought that he belonged to the world of horror stories. Of course, I’d known he was dead wrong. It was obvious that he belonged here. In a fairy tale.

And now I was in the story with him.

I was about to take advantage of the fact that he hadn’t gotten around to setting me back on my feet and that his beautiful face was only inches away when he said, “I’m sure you’re dying to see the closet. Or, at least I’ll tellAlice that you were, to make her feel good.”

“Should I be afraid?”

“Terrified.”

He carried me down a narrow stone hallway with tiny arches in the ceiling, like it was our own miniature castle.

“That room is extra,” he said, nodding to an empty room with a pale stone floor and large, airy windows. “Esme wasn’t sure what to do with it.” He smiled crookedly, “Given your hobbies and interests, perhaps we can make it into a kitchen for you.”

I grinned widely, “I’d like that,” then I laughed, “someone will have to feed the boys, after all.”

He laughed as he continued down the hall. “Here’s our room. Esme tried to bring some of her island back here for us. She guessed that we would get attached.”

The bed was huge and white, with clouds of gossamer floating down from the canopy to the floor. The pale wood floor matched the other room, and now I grasped that it was precisely the color of a pristine beach The walls were that almost-white-blue of a brilliant sunny day, and the back wall had big glass doors that opened into a little hidden garden. Climbing roses and a small round pound, smooth as a mirror and edged with shiny stones. A tiny, calm ocean for us.

“Oh” was all I could say.

“I know,” he whispered.

We stood there for a minute, remembering. Though the memories were human and clouded, they took over my mind completely.

He smiled a wide, gleaming smile and then laughed. “The closet is through those double doors. I should warn you—it’s bigger than this room.”

I couldn’t bring myself to even glance at the doors. There was nothing else in the world but him again—his arms curled under me, his sweet breath on my face, his lips just inches from mine—and there was nothing that could distract me now, newborn whatever I was or not.

“We’re going to tell Alice that I ran right into the clothes,” I whispered, twisting my fingers into his hair and pulling my face closer to his. “We’re going to tell her I spent hours in there playing dress-up. We are going to lie.”

He caught up to my mood in an instant, or maybe he’d already been there, and he was just trying to let me fully appreciate my birthday present, like a gentleman. He pulled my face to his with a sudden fierceness, a low moan in his throat. The sound sent the electric current running through my body into a near-frenzy, like I couldn’t get close enough to him fast enough.

I heard the fabric tearing under our hands, and I was glad my clothes, at least, were already destroyed. It was too late for his. It felt almost rude to ignore the gorgeous white bed, but we just weren’t going to make it that far.

This second honeymoon wasn’t like our first.

Our time on the island had been the epitome of my human life. The very best of it. I’d been ready to prolong my human time, just to hold on to what I had with him for a little while longer. Because the physical part wasn’t going to be the same ever again.

I should have guessed, after a day like today, that it would be better.

I could really appreciate him now—could properly see every beautiful line of his perfect face, of his long, flawless body with my strong new eyes, every angle and every plane of him. I could taste his pure, vivid scent on my tongue and feel the unbelievable silkiness of his marble skin under my sensitive fingertips.

My skin was so sensitive under his hands, too.

He was all new, a different person as our bodies tangled gracefully into one on the sand-pale floor. No caution, no restraint. No fear—especially not that. We could love together—both active participants now. Perfect equals.

Like our kisses before, every touch was more than I was used to. So much of himself he’d been holding back. Necessary at the time, but I couldn’t believe how much I’d been missing.

I tried to keep in mind that I was stronger than he was, but it was hard to focus on anything with sensations so intense, pulling my attention to a million different places in my body every second; if I hurt him, he didn’t complain.

A very, very small part of my head considered the interesting conundrum presented in this situation. I was never going to get tired, and neither was he. We didn’t have to catch our breath or rest or eat or even use the bathroom; we had no more mundane human needs. He had the most beautiful, perfect body in the world and I had him all to myself, and it didn’t feel like I was ever going to find a point where I would think, Now I’ve had enough for one day. I was always going to want more. And the day was never going to end. So, in such a situation, how did we ever stop?

It didn’t bother me at all that I had no answer.

I sort of noticed when the sky began to lighten. The tiny ocean outside turned from black to gray, and a lark started to sing somewhere very close by—maybe she had a nest in the roses.

“Do you miss it?” I asked him when her song was done.

It wasn’t the first time we’d spoken, but we weren’t exactly keeping up a conversation, either.

“Miss what?” he murmured.

“All of it—the warmth, the soft skin, the tasty smell... I’m not losing anything at all, and I just wondered if it was a little bit sad for you that you were.”

He laughed, low and gentle. “It would be hard to find someone less sad than I am now. Impossible, I’d venture. Not many people get every single thing they want, plus all the things they didn’t think to ask for, in the same day.”

“Are you avoiding the question?”

He pressed his hand against my face. “You are warm,” he told me.

It was true. My skin still held a measure of warmth, but the difference between our body temperatures wasn’t as severe now, it felt closer, more natural.

Then he pulled his fingers very slowly down my face, lightly tracing from my jaw to my throat and then all the way down to my waist. My eyes rolled back into my head a little.

“You are soft.”

His fingers were like satin against my skin, so I could see what he meant.

“And as for the scent, I already told you; your scent is still beautiful and tempting to me.” He smiled, “But in an entirely different way.”

“Oh?” I laughed. “That’s probably for the better, then.”

“Exactly. So the answer is no. I am purely full of joy, because I am missing nothing. No one has more than I do now.”

I was about to inform him of the one exception to his statement, but my lips were suddenly very busy.

When the little pool turned pearl-colored with the sunrise, I thought of another question for him.

“How long does this go on? I mean, Carlisle and Esme, Em and Roy, Alice and Jasper —they don’t spend all day locked in their rooms. They’re out in public, fully clothed, all the time. Does this... cravingever let up?” I twisted myself closer into him—quite an accomplishment, actually—to make it clear what I was talking about.

“That’s difficult to say. Everyone is different and, well, so far you’re the very most different of all. The average young vampire is too obsessed with thirst to notice much else for a while. That obviously doesn’t to apply to you. With the average vampire, though, after that first year, other needs make themselves known. Neither thirst nor any other desire really ever fades. It’s simply a matter of learning to balance them, learning to prioritize and manage…”

“How long?”

He smiled, wrinkling his nose a little. “Royal and Emmett were the worst. It took a solid decade before I could stand to be within a five-mile radius of them. Even Carlisle and Esme had a difficult time stomaching it. They kicked the happy couple out eventually. Esme built them a house, too. It was grander than this one, but then, Esme knows what Roy likes, and she knows what you like.”

“So, after ten years, then?” I was pretty sure that Royal and Emmett had nothing on us, but it might sound cocky if I went higher than a decade. “Everybody is normal again? Like they are now?”

Edward smiled again. “Well, I’m not sure what you mean by normal. You’ve seen my family going about life in a fairly human way, but you’ve been sleeping nights.” He winked at me. “There’s a tremendous amount of time left over when you don’t have to sleep. It makes balancing your... interests quite easy. There’s a reason why I’m the best musician in the family, why—besides Carlisle—I’ve read the most books, studied the most sciences, become fluent in the most languages.... Emmett would have you believe that I’m such a know-it-all because of the mind reading, but the truth is that I’ve just had a lot of free time.”

We laughed together, and the motion of our laughter did interesting things to the way our bodies were connected, effectively ending that conversation.

#Breaking Dawn #Breaking Dawn Revamped #Breaking Dawn Gay #Beau Swan #Beau Cullen #Edward Cullen #The Twilight Saga #The Twilight Saga Revamped #The Twilight Saga gay #Breaking Dawn rewrite #Twilight rewrite

[ktavey]

Final

Everything was cold. I hurt. Hurt from neck to chest. A radiating ache like I had been burnt and choked and stabbed. I couldn’t move. Didn’t want to move. It hurt too much. If I moved, then surely, it would hurt even more. I stilled; arms hugging over my chest. And when I didn’t breathe and I didn’t move, and I let the stiffness take over me.

 Mikaela’s body was found in a creek, late on a Tuesday afternoon. The body was hauled out of the water before the sun had begun to set. The sun was still warming the banks of the creek when the ambulance arrived. They pulled the body out of the water- cold, clammy, and blue; skin waterlogged, peeling back from nails. When the sun did set -and when the sun sets it always gets dark too fast too sudden- the ambulance drove Mikaela Todd, 16-years-old then and forever, silently and slowly away.

Mikaela was buried on a Friday, in a simple wood coffin, at the local Ridgewood cemetery.

             The school was abuzz with nervous energy. It was to be expected. Dead bodies were far from unique in Ridgewood, young dead bodies weren’t unheard of either. But not so close to the school. Not on that side of town. Not one of their own. Never so brazen, with no attempt to hide the crime.

It had only taken a few days for the rumours of murder to circulate. The police gave no details, naturally; so naturally, the students of Phoenix College had come up with the details themselves. Naturally, Jason hadn’t attended since they started. It hurt too much as Mikaela’s closest, and sometimes only, real friend. Children huddled and whispered, eventually, Jason had gotten sick of their stares, couldn’t stomach everyone pretending they had cared about Mikaela during life.

             The counsellors sat at desks in offices waiting for students to come to them. It was from them, or at least from their recommendation, that Jason had gotten time off school. He had wanted to just disappear, but the thought of how angry Mikaela would be stopped him. He couldn’t make Mikaela happy retrospectively. Couldn’t be who Mikaela wanted anymore, but now more than ever he wanted to try.

There had been subtle encouragement from the teachers for students not to leave the school alone, or too late, or too early. No one wanted to admit it could happen again. Everyone was on edge.

Sharon and her friends already walked in a group to and from school, as they all lived on the same route. And they travelled neither too early nor too late. The group was quieter with Jason no longer there. Mikaela had never added that much noise when deigning to walk with them, that at least was the same. Jason, when he met them by the door the first day he skipped, had just stood there before shutting the door, his eyes red and puffy. Now he didn’t answer the door.

Death hits everyone differently, or that was what Sharon had been told by her past psychologists; but she could swear some used it as an excuse, that some enjoyed the spectacle. It made her angry in Mikaela’s stead. A boy at their school Sharon didn’t really know and had never particularly liked had burst into tears the day before. He had cited Mikaela’s death as the reason. Death hits everyone in different ways, she reminded herself, in very stupid ways.

Phoenix College was considered a prestigious school within Ridgewood. It certainly was as prestigious as a town of 80,000 could get. It had been built from a renovated church and its surrounding cottages; the new, rectangular, modern aesthetic clashing with the gothic-esque steepled rooftops.

Phoenix considered itself impervious and impartial to external matters. As long as you passed the entrance exam. As long as the school could see you as an investment, you stayed. Mathew, hobbling on his twisted foot and crutch beside her, resolute in getting to school without help, was one of them. Very smart, very clever, and very aware of it. Sharon knew he was most likely of them all to go on to great things. He was also the second most fun to needle. The first was Jason. The third was Amelia. No sense of fun, of irony. Sharon poked her in the cheek without prompting. Amelia merely swatted her finger away with a scowl. Honestly, everyone was in such a bad mood since Mikaela died.

#

On Thursday afternoon Sharon was armed with chocolate and a dangerous sort of motivation. She wanted Jason back. This would be the day he left the house. The chocolate would entice him and he wouldn’t get the chocolate until he did so.

Sharon had elected not to tell the others her plan to visit because she wanted to be one. If they all turned up it would look like an intervention, putting Jason on the defensive. If she told the others they would tell her no. But Sharon had been through this when her Uncle had died, and there was only so much ‘time to process’ you could get before it became unhealthy, like a hole you couldn’t climb out of.

Someone was sitting hunched by the door of Jason’s house. Sharon froze. They had scruffy blond hair; arms wrapped around themselves like they had been crying. Sharon slowed her steps but continued, curious and cautious. It looked like Mikaela. No, it wasn’t -it couldn’t be, Mikaela was dead and buried in the community cemetery- but, but… it was Mikaela. Mikaela was sat on the porch. Arms wrapped around a dark shirt, looking like a refugee from war. Sharon stopped when she was close enough to see bruises and blood-streaked over Mikaela’s head. It couldn’t be. Sharon felt her arms spasm and sensed the chocolate fall to the ground as though it happened outside of herself.

Mikaela’s head shot up. ‘Sharon?’ Her name croaked out, sounding broken. ‘Can you get Jason to let me in.’ Mikaela looked like a wreck: hair streaked with dirt, face bloodied and bruised. Sharon realized with a cold dread running through her core that the dark shirt was stained with blood. So much of it. Too much. Like someone took a knife to Mikaela’s throat.

‘Can you get him to let me in?’ Mikaela’s voice sounded broken. How long had Mikaela been sitting here, choosing Jason’s over the police, a hospital? The initial shock zapped and zinged through her heart slowly dissipating in waves. Sharon became aware of just how stiffly she was holding herself, shoulder muscles twitching painfully as she forced them to relax.

‘But… But… What happened? Where’ve you been?!’ Sharon finally managed.

Mikaela’s hands rose to pull at dirty blond hair. ‘I don’t know. I can’t remember.’ And oh God Mikaela sounded wrecked. ‘Please, Sharon.’

Sharon tried but couldn’t find the words to demand an explanation. Not knowing what to do Sharon knocked on the door. Jason looked better than he had before, like he had slept and showered.

‘Sharon?’ Jason only looked at her, not noticing Mikaela still sat by the door.

             Mikaela scrambled up to stare at Jason, and went to grab hold of him. Mikaela’s hands went through him. Mud was stuck under Mikaela’s nails. Sharon stared. That hand burnt itself into her mind.

             ‘Sharon?’ Jason was frowning at her now, still blocking the doorway.

             ‘These are for you.’ Sharon managed, showing the chocolate. ‘But you have to let us in first.’

             Jason stared at the box in her hand for a moment, appraised her and only her suspiciously, then stepped aside. Mikaela darted inside before Sharon moved. Mikaela made a beeline for the bench. Sharon stood awkwardly in the entryway. She didn’t know how to deal with this grief, had expected a difficult conversation… but now... Sharon moved further into the kitchen turned and filled the kettle and switched it on. Sharon tried to search for signs Mikaela wasn’t real, signs of hallucination. Mikaela looked very real standing next to Jason. The bench cast shadows over Mikaela’s jeans, jeans streaked with blood and dirt like the rest of Mikaela- the same as they did to Jason’s pajamas. Sharon floundered. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what to do.

             ‘How’ve you been.’ She tried. ‘How…’ She wanted to ask about the funeral, if he had seen Mikaela’s body. Mikaela watched them both.

             Jason opened the packet of chocolate. Sharon abandoned the mission to get him out of the house.

             ‘Better, I suppose.’

             ‘Is you dad coming back from work soon?’

             ‘He’s not going to get the time off for at least another fortnight.’

             ‘Could you do me an odd favor? Step back a step, and closer to the window.’ Jason stepped into Mikaela. Like that, Sharon could see how Mikaela’s edges wavered ever so slightly. She felt herself go cold, begin to shake and reached with fearful hands for a chair. He couldn’t see, couldn’t even touch Mikaela! How…?

Jason poured them both a hot chocolate.

             ‘The last time I saw Mikaela was after practice...’ Jason continued without prompting. ‘God, Mikaela was so angry. The coach had her run extra laps because she was late or some shit. He wouldn’t take his eyes off her. Never did really.’

             Sharon felt Mikaela freeze beside them. She couldn’t bring herself to look over either.

‘Are you going to come to school with us soon.’ Sharon asked, if just to have something to say. Something to fill the pit that had opened up inside her stomach.

             ‘I guess… Maybe once everything dies down.’

             ‘That could take a while.’ Sharon huffed. ‘They say it was murder.’ All the while Mikaela had tried to get Jason’s attention, tried to touch his arm, his face. He didn’t react to it all.

‘It was a closed casket funeral, you know…’ Jason trailed off. His hands shifted around his mug. ‘… No one would tell me what happened… I presumed Mikaela drowned.’

             Mikaela raced out of the house moments after Sharon left. Distraught and sobbing, and followed Sharon back to her house.  

#

Mikaela was waiting in the hallway when Sharon awoke the next day. Sharon had hoped Mikaela would be gone. Mikaela was less grubby, still looked painfully real. Mikaela followed her out to walk with the group.

Amelia was the last to join the group, walking up and through Mikaela. Mikaela shuddered.

             ‘You okay?’ Amelia asked, sweet as could be, concern in her voice.

             ‘I may be haunted.’ Sharon replied blithely. The concern on Amelia’s face deepened. Mikaela scowled at her.

             ‘…Okay.’ Amelia returned and let the subject drop.

             Mikaela talked to her as they walked, and Sharon tried not to react. Just small observations, the history of landmarks they crossed, bits and pieces about her friends.

Sharon found it amusing that Mikaela talked more in death than life.

             ‘We should go to your death scene.’ Sharon suggested later that day, free from scrutiny in the comfort of her own room. ’See if you remember anything.’  

Mikaela was hovering near the door. Not literally. Mikaela was yet to do anything so cliché and stereotypically ghost-like. Mikaela wouldn’t walk more than a few steps into her room, far enough to look out the window.

Mikaela murmured in agreement, fingers ghosting through a chair.

‘What did you even do last night? Can you sleep?’

Mikaela frowned at the question. ‘I waited in the hall. I don’t know and I’m not going to try. What if I don’t wake up?’

‘Well… tonight I’ll put the tv on for you.’

The creek was abandoned when they got there. So Sharon presumed it had been ruled a drowning.

‘What were you even doing here?’ She asked.

Mikaela shrugged staring at the water.

‘Maybe you slipped and hit your head. You could have cut yourself on a stick or rock on the way down.’

‘Mikaela. Really… What were you doing here?’

‘I…’ Mikaela looked troubled. ‘I think…’ Mikaela shrugged helplessly and gazed at the water as though transfixed. Mikaela jumped back from the creek. Stared wildly over the shrubbery. Mikaela went to grab at Sharon, fingers slipping through her arm. Mikaela’s eyes were wild, panicked, terrified.

‘We have to go. Sharon…’ Mikaela’s words choked. ‘Owain. Owain Franks…’ The name meant nothing to her. Mikaela’s eyes were wide, so angry, so terrified. Sharon wondered if it was how she had looked when she died.

Owain Franks was detained on suspicion of kidnapping and murder on a Tuesday afternoon. He was arraigned for first-degree homicide on a Friday and sentenced to twenty years. Mikaela stopped haunting Sharon on the same day. Jason returned to school, joining their walks the following week.

#ons #mikaela shindo #shinoa hirargi #high school au #name changes for assaignment