ranger-njoyc

[ranger-njoyc]

What? I forgot to post that Chapter 2 Ranger_NJoyC wrote for A Wundrous Night at the Opera is up !?!

Everyone read it, it’s adorable!

[ranger-njoyc]

my beautiful stranger (TOH Library AU) pt. 1

AU: 3.ii)  I work in the library and I’m a little concerned for your health bc you never stop studying (from this list)

requested by @grassberry639

I’ll make a part 2 if anyone wants it, but if not, then this was at least a fun writing exercise :)))

~~~

Luz Noceda loved her summer job. It was an important job, it was a fun job. The library was slow most days, giving Luz time to check out books for herself and sit at her desk, reading with her feet on the counter. Today, the library was empty, save one cute green-haired girl, sitting in the far corner, engrossed in a book of some sort.

Thinking back, Luz remembered the girl being there nearly every day of the summer, sitting in the same spot. She wondered why she hadn’t noticed how adorable she looked, with her hair falling into her face and her bottom lip stuck out slightly.

Nothing to it, Luz thought, walking over to the girl.

“Hey!” she announced brightly. “Who is this beautiful stranger I spy in the corner of a magnificent library?”

The girl looked up, startled and took in Luz’s presence. She blushed a scarlet red as Luz’s words registered in her mind. She closed her book, turning towards Luz.

“Do you need something?” she asked, nonchalant.

Luz frowned. “Can I not simply greet a fellow adventurer of literature such as yourself?”

The girl scowled at her book. “I’m not reading.”

Luz looked closer at the book. Indeed, she was holding a textbook.

“Are you… studying?” she asked, perplexed.

“Who did you say you were?” the green-haired girl asked.

“Ah, right, sorry! My name is Luz Noceda, savior of the world and hero-” she trailed off at the other girl’s stone cold look. “Alright, fine. I’m Luz, I work here. Nice to meet you.” Luz stuck out her hand with a blinding smile.

The girl regarded her indifferently before taking her hand and shaking it daintily. “Amity.”

Amity opened up her textbook and continued to skim it, taking notes on a sheet of loose leaf paper. Luz stood awkwardly for a few minutes, until Amity looked back up at her.

“What?” she snapped.

“Just…” Luz made a helpless gesture with her hands. “Why are you studying? It’s summer! You should be going on adventures and reading books for fun! Like this,” she showed Amity the book she had been reading. “The Good Witch Azura. It’s a wonderful book, you-”

Amity interrupted her. “I’ve already read it.”

Luz brightened visibly. “You have?” she gasped. “This is wonderful! Let’s talk about it- ooh, maybe we can cosplay together! Or wait- we could start a book club-”

Amity opened up her book. “I’ve got to get back to studying,” she said, effectively cutting off the conversation. Luz headed back to her desk, slightly put out. Amity clearly didn’t want to talk to her. She continued to read the book until the library closed, and Amity shuffled out. 

Just as Amity was passing her desk, she whispered, “Someday I’ll find out your secrets, beautiful stranger.”

She walked faster.

Luz knew, based on her endless presence in the corner, that Amity would be back the next day. And she would be ready.

~~~

Luz arrived early in the morning, a few minutes before the library opened. She had a key, so she slipped in, holding a small collection of daisies wrapped with a ribbon. Luz stood by Amity’s corner, waiting for the library to officially open. Once it did, Amity came straight over to the corner.

“Good morning, Amity!” Luz said, a huge grin on her face. Amity jumped backwards, startled out of a daydream.

“Oh god, Luz,” Amity growled. “What are you doing here?” She looked mad but Luz could see her heart racing and her trying to calm down.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” she said earnestly. Amity looked at her suspiciously, but she continued. “I just brought you something.” Luz held out the flowers to Amity, who took them in shock. Her face turned pink and she stammered on her words.

“Y-you-” The shock on Amity’s face was almost comical. “You got flowers for me?”

Luz nodded gleefully, pleased with her ability to make her new crush speechless.

“Thanks,” Amity said, looking down, blush staining her pale skin. “No one’s ever gotten me something like this before.”

“Who are your parents? I just want to talk,” Luz joked, pulling up and chair and spinning it around. She sat on it backwards, facing Amity, who took a seat in her usual chair.

Surprisingly, Amity sighed, opening up her textbook to her page and pulling out her notes from the day before.

“Hey, why are you studying anyways? It’s summer,” Luz asked.

Amity sighed again. “It’s my stupid parents,” she said. “They’re forcing me to, I have to get ahead for school next year.”

“That sounds rough,” Luz said. She didn’t have any experience in that, but she knew she would hate it so much if she were in Amity’s place.

She froze. “I.. don’t know why I told you that,” she said. Amity looked around hastily, as if worried someone might’ve heard her insult her parents. SHe looked incredibly nervous. “I- I have to go,” she said, grabbing her stuff and stuffing it into her bag.

“No, wait-” Luz said. “It’s fine, why are you leaving?”

Amity hesitated. “I just have to go,” she replied, shouldering her bag and shoving her hands into her pockets. She speed walked out of the library, not looking back. Luz watched her go, wanting to go after her, but she had a job to do. She vowed to find Amity after her shift working at the library was done.

[ranger-njoyc]

It was a magical moment, standing there under the clouds, seeing the rain fall but not falling victim to its torrent. Callum shook out his singed, dusty brown hair and leaned against the fence behind him. A long, drawn out sigh passed through his lips and he slumped to the ground. It was a magical sight. It could almost distract him from the ache of his limbs and the shortness of his breath. It could almost let him forget the pounding of feet and the loudness and the screams echoing in his ears.

The rain grew closer. Callum could hear it growing louder by the second, the endless pit pat pit pat filling his ears and drowning out all other sounds. Callum wished it would come to him. That a cloud would hover over his head and rain would fall and he could have a good cry. But it wouldn’t. It never had before. Even the clouds avoided him like the plague.

Just a tiny break. A moment of relaxation. That’s all Callum asked for. It was all he prayed for- for one second not spent in fear and surrounded in lies. He had never understood the phrase ‘the calm before the storm’, because in his short life, all he had ever been was stuck in the midst of a raging hurricane.

There had been another incident today. It was easier when it was strangers, passerby on the street. Of course he had still written them get well soon cards and visited in the hospital. Most of them had forbade him from entering the room. And Callum didn’t blame them.

With family, it was different. They looked at him like he was some kind of monster- and he was. They had looked at him with fear in their eyes and somehow that fear was worse than a thousand cuts. Worse than all the sleepless nights, the writing agony that prevented him from living in normal society. His own mother looked at him in fear. His own father glared at him in outrage. Father had never liked him much anyways.

Those he could handle. He had never been particularly close with either of them. Julia, on the other hand. Julia was his baby sister. She had always supported him. She had never looked at him differently after he was Changed. Now she might never look at him again. She might never even open her eyes again. That look- that final look of betrayal- would haunt Callum for the rest of his days.

There used to be animals living on his farm. They had all ran off or been burned. Fire was a funny thing. It should mean family and home, gathering at the hearth and drinking in one another’s presence. Callum had learned early on that fire really meant destruction.

The rain was all around him now, but it couldn’t touch him. It fell all around him, and he breathed in, inhaling the calming scent. He stuck his hand out in a vain attempt to touch it, to feel cool, wet again. To feel again. The clouds overhead parted in his wake.

Callum lifted his head to the sky. It was bleak and gray, boring. Bland. Oh, how Callum wished to be like the gray sky, to be like the mindless rain, to be the animals who ran away. He didn’t want to be afraid, afraid of himself, who he had become, what he could do; what he had done already.

He slammed his fist on the ground in frustration. The pavement melted beneath his fist and the fence behind him started to smoulder. A long crack ran up the length of the fence, and it split clean down the center, falling apart behind him. Callum hopped up and staggered away, trying not to touch anything. He didn’t put his hands in his pockets, instead holding them in front of him like a bomb about to detonate.

It wasn’t fair. He had never asked for this, to be ‘special’; ‘chosen’. Callum looked up at the rain, at the gray clouds, the endless sky. He glanced back briefly, towards his home, his family who didn’t love him, and his innocent sister, in a coma because of him.

Callum gazed at the sky longingly. Oh, to be a cloud. To be a star. What would it be like to be a star? He didn’t know. He wondered if he would find out.

Callum lifted a hand toward the rain, trying to touch it. One last time.

He didn’t look down.

He watched the clouds. He watched the gray sky.

Oh, to be a cloud.

To be a raindrop.

Callum smiled softly. To be a star.

Write a story including a set of three things

1. a grey sky, a farm, a broken fence 

2. a magical item, a middle schooler, a pawn shop 

3. a letter without a return address, a stockbroker with a dark secret, a curse of a family who really deserves it 

4. two opposing organized crime families, a silver coin, a painting 

5. a garden, a talking bird, a shattered window 

6. an ill parent, an after school job, a suspicious person 

7. a shopping mall, time travel, bells chiming 

8. a warm fire, a traveler seeking shelter for the night, a deal to be settled in blood 

9. reincarnation, a spell that goes wrong, a smashed vase 

10. footprints, fog, a bus 

[ranger-njoyc]

“What are you doing here?” Kendra demanded, storming up to Ronodin. He smirked at her and quirked an eyebrow.

“Only what one might expect.”

Kendra took a deep breath and calmed her fury. It wouldn’t do any good to let her emotions get the best of her. “Where is my brother?”

Ronodin frowned and for once he looked like he didn’t know the answer. “I’m assuming that’s why you’re here?”

Kendra looked into his eyes. They were dark and mischievous, twinkling in the brightly lit room. Kendra’s hand twitched and she longed to throw a punch at the dark unicorn who had taken her brother from her and done so much evil. She paused-

“Why are you like this?” she asked, allowing a little bit of desperation to leak into her voice. She wasn’t a super talented actor, and she knew it was dangerous to try and fool a master con artist, but she hoped her anger with him was real enough for him to believe her. She needed him to talk, she needed to know what he knew and anything that could help lead her to Seth.

Ronodin shot her a dry smile and strolled around her. He picked up a piece of fruit from the bowl on the table and examined it. “What ever do you mean?”

Kendra crossed her arms over her chest. “This. All of this. Why are you so evil? What are you even trying to do? What’re you playing at?”

Ronodin fell silent for a minute and Kendra worried she had overdone it. When he spoke, it was in such a low tone, Kendra had to strain to hear his words.

“I wasn’t always like this.”

In the back of Kendra’s mind, she knew it was a trick. A deception to get her to lower her guard. But in that moment, all she could think about was how upset the dark unicorn looked. Then she shook herself. This was her enemy, trying to play her. She quickly threw out all thoughts of pity she had towards Ronodin. He didn’t deserve her pity.

Ronodin continued. “I wasn’t always ‘evil,’ as you so delicately put it.”

“What do you mean? You are evil.” Kendra couldn’t stop herself from interrupting. He shot her a look of mild annoyance.

“No, that’s where you’re wrong. What I do is not evil. I am not evil. You only think I’m evil because you’ve been taught that light is good and darkness is bad. You’ve found yourself allied with the light, with the source. You think that makes you good. You also believe that makes me automatically evil. Take your brother, for example. He’s dark, he’s allied with the darkness. Yet he’s not ‘evil’ in your books?”

Kendra opened her mouth to argue. It wasn’t the same at all. Seth was a good person at heart and he had chosen to do good with his powers, unlike Ronodin. She started to say as much, but he cut her off.

“Yes, yes. I may have done things you consider ‘evil’ or ‘manipulative.’ But I assure you, you find yourself on the wrong side of history, Kendra. Do you really think it’s right to be locking up dragons like this? Maybe you did before, maybe you used to think it was okay to keep dragons in sanctuaries, and you did everything you could to keep them there. I respect that. But- answer me honestly- looking at this preserve, can you call this ‘just’ or ‘good’? This isn’t light triumphing over darkness anymore, it’s light becoming the darkness it tried to hard to stop.”

Kendra didn’t speak, she didn’t have to. Ronodin was right. The way Titan Valley was being run was not right, and it was not good.

“You may find yourself trying to keep dragons in sanctuaries. But can you still consider yourself to be ‘good’ if you do so? What I’m trying to say, Kendra, is I am not evil. I simply work to be just. I am a freelancer, I ally with the good side of history. Right now, that is the dragons’ side. I’ve seen things, witnessed things. I’ve been crushed and destroyed and broken and it has made me all the wiser for it. The Fairy Queen isn’t the saint you imagine her to be. The Fairy Queen- your queen, your savior. Do you even know what she’s done? She may be the queen of a species that is light. That doesn’t make her good. That doesn’t make you good.”

Kendra stayed silent. She didn’t know what else to do. Ronodin had started pacing halfway through his speech, and he came to a halt in front of her.

“Do you understand?”

Kendra nodded. “You’re right.” She swallowed thickly. “But even if nothing is ‘evil’ by nature, you still did- and continue to do- horrible things. You- you took my brother away from me.”

Ronodin tilted his head to the side. “Has anyone ever taught you how to use your powers?” he asked suddenly.

Kendra was caught off-guard. “What? Um, no.”

A flash of anger crossed his face. “Have you wanted to learn?”

The truth came out of Kendra before she had even realized what she said. “Definitely.”

Ronodin smiled bitterly. “I didn’t take your brother, you see. I helped him. He’ll come back to you eventually, and when he does, you’ll see. He is much more powerful than before. He knows how to use his shadow charmer abilities now, his skills will be very helpful to you.”

A thought flashed through Kendra’s mind before she even had time to process it. A hopeful expression unconsciously formed on her face before she wiped it clean and scolded herself for even wishing it.

But the dark unicorn had seen her expression. “I’m afraid not,” he said, rocking back on his heels. “I don’t know how to. If I could, I would, but I’m afraid not.”

Kendra tried not to feel disappointed. After all, she would’ve never accepted help from him, even if she wanted to learn.

“This brings me back to my original question,” Kendra pressed. “Why did you turn dark? What happened?”

A flash of pain shot through Ronodin’s eyes. If she had blinked, she would’ve missed it.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about your precious Fairy Queen,” he eventually said in a low voice.

Kendra stepped forward hesitantly. She had seen the hurt in his eyes. It had been real, that kind of pain couldn’t be faked. He was hurting, he always had been. She just hadn’t seen it before. She thought about him for one more second. He didn’t have anyone to lean on. He didn’t have any friends, family, nobody. Like he said, he was a freelancer, changing with the tides, millions of different faces. He worked for nobody and he trusted nobody to do his work for him.

He might be her mortal enemy, but at that moment, all Kendra saw was a broken teen, desperately in need of reassurance.

She stepped even closer and tentatively wrapped her arms around the dark unicorn. He stiffened at the contact and inhaled sharply.

“What are you doing?” he said flatly.

Kendra pulled back for a second. “It’s called a hug,” she explained in a ‘no-duh’ voice. “You give it to people who need it.”

Ronodin shrugged, looking away. “I don’t need any pity from you.”

Kendra pulled him back into the hug, fiercer this time. “It’s not pity,” she murmured into his ear. “But everyone needs a hug now and again.”

Ronodin stayed still for a moment before slowly leaning into Kendra’s hug and holding her back. After a minute, she pulled away. Ronodin had a genuine- if slightly puzzled- smile on his face.

“Thanks.”

“Any time.”

Ronodin lifted an eyebrow in her direction. Kendra amended her statement. “Well, no. This is kind of a one-time thing, but you get the idea.”

Ronodin continued to softly smile.

“Take care of yourself, Ronodin. I won’t say we’re any less of enemies now than we were before we saw each other today, because we’re still enemies. Unless you want to join our side?” Kendra said.

Ronodin shook his head. “I’d like to stay on the right side of history, thank you for the offer though. But I work alone.”

Kendra shrugged. “Thought as much. But hey- if you ever come to a sudden realization that your on the wrong side, come let me know.”

Ronodin stared at the ground for a second before answering. “I don’t think there is a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ side to this war.”

“Maybe your right. I guess we’ll see.”

Ronodin gave Kendra a half-salute as she started walking towards the door. “See you on the other side of the war.”

“See you on the other side,” she echoed.

*cottg spoilers*

AU where instead of Kendra throwing fruit at Ronodin, she walks up and gives him a hug that he desperately needs

[ranger-njoyc]

Love

Theme 2: Love

Fandom: Nevermoor

Description: Morrigan reflects on what Love means to her

Details: Directly post-Nevermoor, before Wundersmith starts

NOTE: This is really really short, I’m sorry. But I just finished rereading Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, and before I start to reread book 2, I had to write this, bc our smol little goth bby deserves some happiness.

---

Morrigan Crow didn’t know what love was. She had never been shown it, and she never had an opportunity to experience it. She grew up amongst a whirlwind of emotions- Fear, anxiety, anger. But never love.

That changed when Jupiter North had shown up on her doorstep, saving her from the Hunt of Smoke and Shadow, and taking her to Nevermoor.

Morrigan didn’t know what a home was. Sure, she knew what a house was, but a home was different. Home is where the heart lies. Morrigan’s heart had never belonged to Crow Manor. She had never belonged.

Jupiter had given her a home. For once, she knew what it felt like to be happy. To have a place to stay. To belong and not be treated as an outcast. She had found where her heart belonged.

Jupiter had shown her time and time again that he actually cared about her. Jupiter cared about her. Martha cared about her. Dame Chanda cared about her. Even Frank and Fenestra cared. It was such a strange and unfamiliar feeling.

Then she had met Hawthorne. Her first friend. He was quirky, sure. He was chaotic. He was crazy. But then again, all the best people were. He had cared by not caring. He had shown Morrigan how much she meant to him by not caring that she was an outcast, nor that she was smuggled in illegally, and not even that she was a Wundersmith.

And Jack. He had been difficult at first- well, a little more than difficult- but they were nearly inseparable when he was in town now. Then had grown up and grown closer. Jupiter was ecstatic that he didn’t have to break up their arguments anymore and that they were finally friends. Jack cared about her.

Morrigan felt safe and content, for the first time in her life. She had found a home. She had found love. Love, she decided was not some grand feeling. It was not one moment of explosion or one moment of breathlessness. Love was family. Jupiter, Jack, Hawthorne. They were her family. She had found them. She had finally found love.

[ranger-njoyc]

Introduction

Theme 1: Introduction

Fandom: The Pandoran Novels

Description: Alex meets Danton for the first time.

Details: Set a bit before the series started, while Alex was training at the Academia

NOTE: I haven’t found ANY content for this fandom :/ so I decided to write something for it, even though a lot of people haven’t read it. In case there is anyone out there who is desperately searching the internet for any content.

---

Alex swung his sword one last time at the training dummy. He was sweating heavily as he lowered his sword and stepped back to admire his work. The dummy was covered in paint, in all of it’s critical places, where Alex’s sword had slashed.

Alex looked around. He was the first to finish, and he watched quietly as the other trainees hit the dummies with paint-covered swords. When everyone had finished the drill, a sharp whistle was blown. The instructor- a large, beefy man with a thick mustache- straightened his back and looked down at his clipboard. His face held a perpetual scowl as he slid his gaze along the row of trainees.

“First done was-” The man consulted his clipboard, “Mr. Del Conte.” He marched over to where Alex stood, muttering to himself. “How can someone finish in less than thirty seconds, that’s ludicrous. I bet he’s sloppy, sloppy and arrogant.”

The instructor finally came to a halt in front of Alex. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the verdict. The man opened his mouth, ready to yell about how awful Alex’s swordsmanship was. Then he froze. He blinked.

Alex looked up at the instructor, faintly proud of his ability to make him speechless. Wordlessly, the man gave Alex a hearty pat on the shoulder, swallowing and saying gruffly, “Good job, son.”

Alex couldn’t contain his smile any longer, as the people around him started to shift and mutter. Several crowded closer for a better look at Alex’s training dummy. The dummy was covered in neat, clean strokes in exactly the right places.

The instructor cleared his throat, then marched up to the next fastest person: Danton Pontefract. He glared at Danton for almost a full minute, before speaking in a low tone. Alex had to strain his ears to hear what he was saying.

“Do you call this a killing stroke? Do you call this a clean line?” The instructor was slowly building volume, and Alex resigned himself to the long process of hearing him yell at every single one of his students for something or another. Until he heard his name.

“Look at Del Conte’s dummy. Go learn from him! Speed isn’t everything, and didn’t I tell you not to rush? Didn’t I specifically tell you, Mr. Pontefract, that you should go slow and get it precise? Del Conte’s never even been in my class before, and he’s already one thousand times better than you.”

Alex immediately felt alarmed. He didn’t want to be used as an example, even as a good one. Silently, he worried that Danton would resent him for this. Danton made eye contact with Alex, and for a split second, he had a look of pure hatred in his gaze. Then it melted into something cold and hard as he turned back to the instructor.

Thad elbowed Alex lightly. “Impressive,” he muttered out of the corner of his mouth. “You’ve gotten in The Man’s good books.”

‘The Man’ was the common nickname for the instructor teaching the class. He had never shared his name, instead telling the trainees to call him ‘sir’ if they had to address him at all.

Alex’s lips quirked upwards at his friend’s comment, but he was still thinking about Danton.

---

During lunch break, Danton slid into the seat opposite Alex. Thad grinned and waved, and Danton smiled a strained smile back at him. Alex nodded politely, trying to gauge Danton’s purpose.

“Great work in class today,” Danton said to Alex after a minute of silence. Alex froze, eyeing Danton, but all he could tell, Danton actually meant it, no matter how much it pained him to say.

“Thanks,” Alex replied. “I don’t think we’ve formally met. Alexander Del Conte.” Alex stuck out a hand.

Danton accepted it. He had a strong grip. “I know,” Danton said, a tad enviously. “Everyone knows who you are. All of the sword masters are talking non-stop about you. I’m Danton, Danton Pontefract.”

Alex tried not to feel shy at the compliment. “Nice to meet you, Danton.” Alex racked his brains, trying to remember where he had heard the name before. “Ah, yeah, well. If all of the swords experts are talking about me, you should hear how the magic instructors rant about you!”

Danton laughed, his eyes lighting up with pride. “Yeah, well. I am really quite good at magic, to be honest.”

Alex smiled at him, feeling more at ease. Thad swallowed a bite of his meal, standing up and stretching.

“As much as I hate to break up this bro-bonding sesh, it is time for class, so we should probably head out.” Thad’s eyes sparkled. “Unless-”

“Thad, no,” Alex cut in. “It’s only my first year here, I can’t skip class. It would leave a bad impression, plus all of this stuff is super important to learn.”

Danton smirked. “That implies you’ll be ditching class in years to come.”

Thad laughed out loud. “I like this one,” He said in between giggles. “Let’s keep him.”

Danton cocked his head to the side. “I have a feeling we’re going to be pretty good friends.”

Alex smiled earnestly. “See you around, Danton.”

“See you around,” Danton said, saluting Alex with the tips of his fingers.

[ranger-njoyc]

100TC

This is the 100 themes challenge, woo! It seems like I do a lot of challenges, but basically the one-shots that I have been writing for this have been too short to post on ao3 or ff.net or wattpad by themselves. SO we’re posting on tumblr. Yay! It will be a variety of different fandoms(whatever I feel like writing on any given day), and I have no set-in-stone posting schedule, but okay. Enjoy.

[ranger-njoyc]

1 Day Til Cottage Cheese

Day 15: The Final Day

Theme: Legacy

Description: (heroes may fall but) Legends Never Die

QUICK NOTE: I just want to thank every single person who liked or commented on any of the days, you guys gave me motivation to finish this challenge. Of course I will continue posting, just not on as much of a regular schedule. I have a few more ideas I want to flesh out, and a few ideas for longer fics. Also, I’m sure I’ll have a lot to write about after CotTG comes out. :)

---

Legacy. Stories passed through generations. Remembrance. People, heroes, long lost to the hands of time. Time, it wears them down. Wears down their stories. Soon people are claiming preposterous things, or denying their existence all together. The world may never know the truth. The world might never recognize all they did. But that doesn’t mean they are forgotten.

People pass on their stories. Their legacy continues through many more generations. They are never forgotten, never will be. Heroes may fall, but legends never die. And they are legends. Legends of another time. Another life. Saving the world so that others may live in it, unspoiled by the pillaging, rampaging, and burning.

---

---

---

In the middle of a magical preserve, filled with creatures and spectacular sights, a child sat on his stool. His mother sat across from him at the kitchen table. The boy looked up at his mother, eyes big and pleading.

“Please, mama,” He begged. “Tell me again.”

The mother simply smiled. She would happily tell him again, for she never grew tired of the stories.

“She was your great-great-great-grandmother,” She began, her voice soft. “He was your great-great-great-granduncle.”

The child bounced up and down eagerly. He too never grew weary of the stories, passed down through the generations.

The mother continued. “Together, with their friends and family, they defeated both the demons and the dragons, when they tried to break free of their prisons.”

He listened intently, soaking up all of his mother’s words.

“Kendra and Seth Sorenson,” The mother sighed. “They were true heroes.”

---

---

---

A young girl, no older than fifteen, stood before the Singing Sisters, trying to appear confident. She put her hands on her hips and stared at them, not letting her fear show as she awaited their verdict.

What she did not expect was for one of them- Orna, she was pretty sure- to sigh longingly.

“This is it, isn’t it?” She addressed her sisters. They nodded their agreement, silently. The girl was taken aback. Since when did they all agree with each other?

“This is what?” She asked hesitantly, fearing the answer.

Orna regarded her. “You’re him.”

“Just like him,” One of the others murmured.

The girl didn’t know what that meant. “Just like who?” She pressed.

“Seth, Seth Sorenson. He came through here many years ago, a carbon copy of his ancestor, Patton Burgess. And now you. You carry on the legacy.”

The girl spluttered. “Are you crazy? Seth Sorenson? He was the greatest adventurer there ever was! I’ve heard so much about him! I’m not like him at all, he was so much better than me, I could never hope to measure up!”

Orna almost smiled. “Oh, trust me on this one.”

---

---

---

The prospect of a new handmaiden hadn’t even crossed the Fairy Queen’s mind. It had been many ages, centuries, since Kendra Sorenson. A blink of an eye in the life of an immortal being. But things still felt heavy. The Fairy Queen had grown to love Kendra as one of her own people. And occasionally someone said something or did something that reminded the Fairy Queen of her brave handmaiden.

That was why becoming Fairykind was so rare. Once she found someone worthy, she inevitably grew closer to them, until she found she actually cared. She wished she could’ve helped her more. Prolonged her life. But that would’ve been selfish. She knew Kendra wanted to grow old and eventually die with her family, rather than see them wither away whilst she remain youthful.

But even as much as the queen mourned her, she knew her son was in even more pain. Bracken hadn’t handled it well. It had been a long time since he loved anyone, and when he finally found peace, she had been torn away from him. The Fairy Queen knew firsthand what it felt like to have a partner die.

Only in Bracken’s case, she was never coming back.

He had confined himself to a room, barely eating and barely sleeping. He spent his waking moments on the verge of tears. The Fairy Queen had had to stop him from destroying his wall- it was full of pictures, memories captured. Her smile, her laugh. Their love for each other. The queen tried to convince him that they were mementos, precious, to be treasured. He had shakily replied that all they were were reminders of what used to be.

She wanted to help him, she really did. She just didn’t know how. Kendra would’ve known. Kendra always knew the exact thing he needed when he felt upset. But Kendra would never be there to help him, ever again.

---

---

---

The history books might never acknowledge their lives. Most people may never know their names. But they will never, never, be forgotten. Their stories are passed down, and their legacy survives. It survives in the stories, it survives in their children, and their children, and their children. Not children of heroes, children of legends.

Heroes may rise, and heroes may fall, but legends will never die.

[ranger-njoyc]

2 Days Til Cottage Cheese

Day 14:

Theme: No theme, just trying out an AU

Description: The Secret Agency AU That Literally Nobody Asked For

Details: Just trying out this new AU I thought of that won’t leave me alone. Tell me what you think of it. Who knows, if anybody likes it, I might make a full fic out of it. But here are the deets: Tech-savvy Kendra, Weapons-obsessed Seth. Stan and Ruth own several vaults with secret government tech and weapons. I’ll give more information later if anyone wants it, but for now that is pretty much all you need to know. This scene is directly after (modified)book 1.

---

“I hear you’re pretty good with computers.”

Kendra Sorenson pushed her round, blue light glasses up her nose. Her hands were beginning to sweat. The anticipation was making her antsy. All the attention she was being given was alarming. She wished she had a rock to hide under.

“Yes,” Kendra replied, still shaking slightly, but now puzzled. Where was this headed? For the last hour, she had been questioned extensively about her defeat of the legendary criminals, Bahumat and Muriel. She had tried to tell them she hadn’t done much, but they didn’t agree. “Yeah, I’m pretty experienced with tech.”

Mentally, Kendra scolded herself. Don’t make yourself sound better than you are, dummy! She didn’t want to sound pretentious. Plus, who says ‘tech’ in front of a very important adult? She should’ve said just ‘technology’.

Molea took off her sunglasses, studying Kendra for a minute, before lifting them back to her face and leaning back in her chair. Despite being in a semi-dark room, Kendra noted that was the first time she had taken off her shades since arriving.

“How can you see with those on?” Kendra blurted, before she could help herself. Curse her non-existent brain-to-mouth filter!

Molea paused. Finally, she asked, very softly, “Do you know who I am, child?”

“You are Molea,” Kendra replied promptly. “Not Ms. Molea, not Mrs. Molea or ma’am or anything else.” She had learned this early on.

Molea looked around the room, before pressing a tiny button on the collar of her crisp suit-jacket. Kendra hadn’t noticed it- and she normally prided herself on being observant. She peered closer at Molea’s jacket, in case there were any other secret buttons.

“No, you misunderstand me. Do you really know who I am?” Molea crossed her legs and rested her linked hands upon her knees.

Kendra blinked.

Molea sighed. “I suppose that is a good thing,” She muttered. “Some call me The Queen,” Molea continued in a normal volume. “Or the Fairy Queen. I’m here with a job offer.”

Kendra sat in perplexed silence. This was definitely not what she expected. After a moment, she spoke.

“A job? I’m only thirteen!”

“And yet you possess remarkable skills.”

Kendra ducked her head, cheeks reddening. Molea continued.

“I’m sure you’re aware your defeat of Bahumat and Muriel was astounding. They are world-renowned criminals.”

“I got lucky.”

Molea considered this. “Maybe you did. But it was still you who programmed that drone army. It was still you who worked with what you had and got the job done. Maybe you got lucky. Luck can’t give you skill. You provided that.”

Kendra looked up at her uncertainty.

“What kind of job is this?”

“Tech support.” Kendra’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Tech support for an intelligence agency.”

“...what.”

Kendra couldn’t believe her ears. An intelligence agency? Her? It seemed almost comical, as if she was in some kind of TV show. Maybe Seth had hired this woman? Maybe it was all a prank? One thing sprang forward to the front of Kendra’s mind.

“If this is real, if you are actually part of a spy agency, then why are you just discussing this here? Out in the open?”

Molea checked her watch. “In about 30 more seconds, they’ll be able to get their security and sound systems back online. When that time is up, you will not breathe a word of this to anyone. Not even your brother.”

Kendra opened her mouth to say something, but Molea cut her off.

“Take this paper, it has a number. Call that number when you are ready to accept our offer.”

Kendra slipped the paper into her front pocket wordlessly.

“What happens if I tell someone? What if I don’t accept? Wasn’t it risky to tell me even this much?” Kendra stood up, calling after Molea’s retreating figure. She paused mid-step.

“If you tell, no one will believe you,” She said. “You will accept. And please. You haven’t even seen my face.”

Kendra let out a dignified, “Huh?”

Molea turned around. She tapped the back of her ear twice, and her face shimmered. Soon a perfect replica of Kendra’s own face was staring back at her. Kendra stared at the projection for a minute, silently salivating what it would be like to own tech that advanced. Molea tapped the earpiece again, and her previous disguise returned.

“Good day, Ms. Sorenson,” Molea said, turning back around. “I await your call.”

Kendra sat back down, mutely watching as the Queen walked away.

[ranger-njoyc]

3 Days Til Cottage Cheese

Day 13:

Theme: Journal (pt. 3)

Description: The Official Travel Log and Records of Seth Michael Sorenson, Over The Years

Details: So basically, there are only a few entries, and it should be extremely easy to figure out where on the timeline each of these entries are from. I only did books 1-2 for this one. I’m not sure I like this format, but this is just how I picture Seth’s journal to be structured.

---

The Official Travel Log of Seth Michael Sorenson

---

The Most Boring Exciting Summer in the World

I will be staying at Stan and Ruth Sorenson’s(grandparents, temporary guardians) house for seventeen(17) days while Marla and Scott Sorenson(parental figures) are on a seventeen(17) day long cruise.

Notes and Observations:

Interesting garden, lots of insects.

Stay in the yard? boRING!

Dale is pretty cool. Maybe one of these days he’ll let me come into the barn with him.

Speaking of the barn, what the heck would even need a space that big?

Lena is nice. Expert drawer, baker, cleaner, gardener, you name it. She seems to be good at everything.

Goldilocks is a cool chicken. Nice. I’ve always wanted a pet.

At the poolside today, the insects flocked around Kendra’s mirror. When we flipped the mirror over, they flipped it back around again. I’ve never seen anything like that before. What is happening?

WHAT THE FRICK IS AN OLD LADY DOING, LIVING IN A SHED ON GRANDPA’S PROPERTY???!!!!!????? She says grandpa knows she’s here… Can I tell him? I mean, but then he would know I went into the woods.

Hidden lake in the middle of the forest…? I need to show Kendra this.

Grandpa found out we snuck into the woods, I guess, but at least Kendra managed to get us a reduced punishment!

HOLY S fairies are reallllllll!

I’m gonna try to catch one

Awesome! Caught one.

Well… this is embarrassing. But I suppose I have to write it down for accuracy: I accidentally turned the fairy into an imp, which is a fallen fairy, and then the others took retribution and turned me into a mutant walrus.

Midsummer's eve is coming up soon, that should be exciting! Who knows what kind of cool creatures I’ll be able to see out the window!

i messed up

Okay, now that this is all over, I have to explain what I’ve been lacking the time to write down: So basically, short version, I opened the window which got everyone captured(besides Kendra and I), which led us to free Muriel, the witch who lives in the shack. Grandma Sorenson got turned back into a human, because she was Goldilocks(!?!?!) and then we went to save everyone. We all got caught, ‘cept my sister, and she visited the Fairy Queen and summoned a huge fairy army that stopped Muriel from releasing the demon Bahumat.

So, haha, yeah. Crazy summer, huh?

PS remember to bring a whole lot of batteries next time I visit!

---

Errol Fisk and the Kobold                                                        

Errol Fisk(allyenemy) is a friend enemy of Fablehaven. He was  !NOT  sent by Grandpa Sorenson’s(grandparent) friend, Coulter Dixon(unknown), to help Kendra(sister) get rid of the Kobold(posing as Casey Hancock) in her school.

Notes and Observations:

I don’t know, something seems a little strange with this whole scenario. I’m sure Errol will help us figure it out.

Going to steal a statue tonight. Hopefully it will help Kendra with her kobold problem.

Got the statute, got rid of the kobold. Statue bit me. Ugh.

I might go help Errol with another mission that would help the Knights of Dawn.

ABORT MISSION ABORT ABORT

---

Back at Fablehaven

I am staying at Fablehaven(magical preserve) with Stan and Ruth Sorenson(grandparents, caretakers, temporary guardians), Dale Burgess, and guests Vanessa Santoro(animal specialist), Tanugatoa Dufu(potions master), and Coulter Dixon(artifact collector) for an unknown(?) amount of time. 

Notes and Observations:

Vanessa is cool. I want to drive like that all the time.

Oh my gosh, why do I always screw up! Now I’ve got some demon trying to eat me…

So Kendra is fairykind. Cool, cool. The Sphinx is a cool guy. He sets me a little on edge, but I suppose he is quite interesting and helpful in a mysterious kinda way.

Ahhh, Tanu is awesome! His potions are so cool, I can’t wait to learn from him!

Coulter. He’s an interesting fellow. I like him, though. He never sugar-coats things, he just bluntly states everything. It would be kind of funny, if anything he had said was a joke…

Finally got to meet Warren today. He’s Dale’s brother, and he has been stuck in a catatonic state for several years. No one knows why. I feel really bad for Dale.

Someone is a traitor? But??? Everyone is so nice??? (Well, maybe ‘nice’ isn’t the right word). Everyone seems so loyal and devoted. It’s hard to imagine that one of them might possibly be working against us.

Coulter’s acting kinda weird…

OH MY GOD! You’ll never believe what has happened since the last time I wrote! I got eaten!!! In the cocoon thingie that Coulter had, I was eaten by a demon and pooped out! How exciting is that! Anyways, there was a lot that has happened. Let me write out a quick recap:

I went to Patton Burgess’s old manor and then from there headed to the cabin that Warren lived in.

I rendezvoused with Kendra, and then we went through the brownie doors, into the house. We talked briefly with Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson about our next course of action.

I went off to remove the nail from the revenant's neck, thus bringing Warren out of his coma.

Warren and Kendra went into the inverted tower and retrieved the artifact, and I missed out on seeing a huge flying panther!!

[ranger-njoyc]

4 Days Til Cottage Cheese

Day 12:

Theme: Journal (pt. 2)

Description: Kendra Sorenson’s Private Journal, Over The Years

Details: umm... it’s all set at different points. It should be fairly easy to discern what events are happening at what times, but if not, just message me and I’ll clear it up. For now, it goes from book 1 through the end of book 3. I might make a second part, finishing 4 and 5, or I might make one for Seth. Idk, I’m just playing with character voices.

---

from the diary of Kendra Sorenson

---

… and this whole time, our Grandpa has had this huge preserve full of magical creatures! God, if anyone ever read this, they would certainly think I’m insane. But Fablehaven is real. I never even knew this was even a possibility, until I had my eyes opened.

Seth is still going to be Seth. If possible, he somehow wants to explore the woods even more now!?I told him not to, that it would be so dangerous, but he seems determined. I guess there’s no stopping him. But that doesn’t mean I won’t tell on him if anyone asks…

---

… so you need to know. Dale once told me that a smart man learns from his mistakes, but a real sharp one learns from the mistakes of others. I’m writing this now in hopes it will help someone in the future.

Fablehaven is beautiful. It’s a wondrous place, and it’s easy to forget all about the danger that resides here. For when there is light, there must be darkness. It is easy to slip into blissful unawares of the dark creatures that live here, but take my word for it: nothing at Fablehaven is a joke. Everything needs to be taken seriously, or it may just be your last day.

I got lucky. I was able to save my family. I was able to prevent the destruction of the preserve. But visiting the Fairy Queen’s shrine was a risk, and you can never count on any backup. I got lucky. You may not…

---

… never admit it out loud, but the whole encounter with Errol really shook me up. I didn’t think the Society of the Evening Star would actually come to us! Now I’m worried about what Seth could’ve accidentally done when he fed the statue. What was that statue anyways? Why did it bite Seth?

All I can hope is that it’s not dangerous and it’s not going to pose a threat…

---

...news flash: it’s a huge threat…

---

… not even fair. I might not want to go on those adventures, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want the choice. Someone making a decision for me has always bothered me, but normally it’s made because that’s what they believe I would want. It’s ridiculous how I don’t even get a choice, simply because of my gender.

On the other hand, hanging out with Vanessa has been fun. Her creatures are all interesting, despite them looking creepy and sounding creepy. She gave me a pen made out of umite wax that we can write secret messages to each other with! Vanessa is…

---

...can’t believe this. It’s been about a week since we put Vanessa in the quiet box, and I’m still having a hard time comprehending it all. I mean, Vanessa was my friend! She was supposed to be the one I could always rely on!

Warren is back to his normal state, and he and Dale have been spending a lot of time together. They deserve it. To be brothers again.

Everything is back to normal, almost. I can’t stop wondering who that prisoner was, the one who was removed from the quiet box. The aura around him seemed weird, and so did the circumstances. What if Vanessa was telling the truth? What if the Sphinx really is a traitor? Who could he have possibly released? I don’t know, it just doesn’t sit right with me…

---

...have to admit, I’m really nervous. I mean, who am I to join the Knights of Dawn? I’m not a hero. Seth would be a better knight than me, he’s brave, resourceful, eager for adventure. I’m not even sure I want to be here. But I suppose I don’t really have a choice…

---

...Patton Burgess. He really has done everything, hasn’t he? He slayed a dragon, moved the artifact, and hatched a new dragon as the guardian. Insane. We weren’t able to get the artifact, but Warren got a new sword, and Gavin took a cool crown. It looked really cute…

---

… well I’ll be damned. Patton Burgess, you continue to grow continually more awesome(adventurous? crazy? I don’t know what word best fits). Right now, all I need is something good to focus on. Something that’ll make me smile, even just for a second. Times are dark and everyone needs a little light to see the way out.

There has been too much death. Too many betrayals. I’m not sure I know who to trust anymore. I feel broken inside, I don’t know what to do. This is too much. Everything is too much. I never signed up to save the world. I never agreed to this. And yet here I am, struggling to stand up with my family and fight back against the Sphinx.

All I need right now is a smile and a laugh and a little bit of light…

[ranger-njoyc]

5 Days Til Cottage Cheese

Day 11:

Theme: Journal (pt. 1)

Description: From The Diary of Patton Burgess, on the Subject of Kendra and Seth Sorenson

Details: Basically set after GotSP, in Patton’s time. Just a diary entry.

FROM THE RECORDS OF PATTON BURGESS

… Which brings me to my latest exploits. I believe I may have stumbled upon a wonder of another time. Like I described previously, I set the chronometer to transport me forward in time for three days. I did not expect to find a girl who shines like the sun and a boy who is an exact replica of a younger version of myself- not a good thing.

Kendra Sorenson. Where to start, where to start. Kendra is quiet, careful, reserved. She trusts easily, yet she is always cautious, considering consequences of actions before acting upon impulse. I could have only wished for control like that as a child.

She is strong- stronger than she knows. Real potential. Some might consider her cowardly, but there is never anything wrong with running or hiding. Weathering out the storm. She is brave and honest. Kendra will always fight when her time comes. She’s exceedingly loyal to her family.

Kendra is also fairykind, as I understand it, she is the Queen’s handmaiden. The Fairy Queen has not had a handmaiden in many years, and I was surprised that she had chosen a mere child. But Kendra has proven to me, time and time again, that she possesses an inner beauty and innocence, and also grit and determination. I can think of no other candidate better suited for the role. Kendra and her brother Seth are two of the very limited people I believe I can trust.

Seth Sorenson. I look at this boy, no older than 12, and I see myself. I see myself in him, which scares me. A child shouldn’t have to live through many near-death experiences just for the thrill of it. Though I must say, if there was one to take on my legacy of adventuring and doing some good for the world, I would choose Seth one hundred percent of the time. Despite his youth, the boy has accomplished many admirable feats.

He is reckless. Rushing into danger. Self-sacrificing. He will cause a lot of trouble in his time, and I can only hope he becomes more responsible as time goes on. There is a very fine line between courage and stupidity, and Seth is walking the tightrope. He, like his sister, has so much potential. I honestly would prefer if he didn’t turn out like me. He can’t live up to his full self if he’s constantly on the brink of death.

As an aside, Seth also has strange abilities- dark abilities. He is able to see shadows and dark energy. I’ve only ever heard of shadow charmers in legends, and I’ve certainly never heard of a good shadow charmer. But Seth is an amazing kid. He is going to break boundaries, just like his sister, and may someday be even greater than myself. If there is a way to be a good shadow charmer, he’ll find it.

If these children would be the only ones able to save the world, it wouldn’t be ideal, but they could do it. If I were their enemy, I would do well to never underestimate them. Together they are more powerful than they can ever even guess.

. . .

[ranger-njoyc]

6 Days Til Cottage Cheese

Day 10:

Theme: Unrequited Love(?)

Description: Verl. That’s All You Need To Know.

Details: Set whenever. Like, imagine that they waited for 5 more days after Christmas before leaving for Wyrmroost(In book 4) and this happened in those days. ALSO you can’t tell me that Warren didn’t grow up around Fablehaven and was like Seth and liked to explore and met and befriended the satyrs and that’s how he knows Verl.

---

Warren walked outside to a peculiar sight. On the edge of the forest stood a satyr, holding some kind of instrument. He jogged over, and immediately recognized him as Verl.

“What are you doing?” He asked, snorting and gesturing towards the instrument.

Verl twitched. “Just waiting for someone.”

Warren frowned at the vague answer. “What are you going to do with that, serenade someone?” He joked.

Verl twisted his hands.

Warren’s jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious.”

Verl said nothing, just stared stoically ahead. After a minute of silence, he muttered, “Ah, here she comes.” Warren looked in the direction Verl was staring at. He blinked. Seth was dragging Kendra out of the house by her elbow.

“I promise you this is worth it.”

“C’mon, Seth, please don’t get us into any trouble.”

“I’m not, I’m not. Chill.”

Warren could hear their arguing voices, even from a distance. A hand on his shoulder startled him out of his disbelief.

“Is something wrong?” Tanu was standing behind him, looking concerned.

Warren slowly started grinning. Somehow this made Tanu even more concerned.

“No, no,” Warren said, “Nothing’s wrong. Verl here was just about to serenade someone.” Warren looked meaningfully towards where Kendra and Seth were bickering.

Tanu was about to say something, then fell silent. He finally replied. “Oh my god,” He said quietly. “I have to see this.”

Verl looked proud of himself. “I will permit you to hear the melody I wrote, though I’m afraid it shall be wilted in comparison to the ever-blooming beauty that is my love.” He sighed.

Tanu had to turn away to conceal his laughter. Warren just laughed outright.

“Charmed, I am simply charmed to rest my gaze upon your beauty once more.”

The siblings had arrived. Verl bowed to an uncomfortable looking Kendra. She elbowed Seth, who was giggling uncontrollably.

“It’s nice to see you again too, Verl,” Kendra said through her teeth.

“Unfortunately, I do not have a statue to gift to you-”

‘A statue?’ Warren mouthed, doubling over in silent laughter.

“-but I have written you a divine melody that captures the spirit of your heart,” Verl took a deep breath and pulled out a bow. He started playing a tune- it was nice. Seth, Warren, and Tanu still found it hilarious.

As soon as Verl was gone, Kendra turned a withering stare at all of them. They either took no notice or paid no heed. She sighed, exasperated.

“You guys are the worst,” She moaned, trudged back off to the house.

After they had all calmed down, Tanu looked at Seth curiously.

“What’s this about a statue?”

Seth’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Why don’t you come with me for a minute?”

--- ---

so maybe it’s not my best work, but shhhhh. all I needed in life was some ‘Warren watches Verl serenade Kendra and finds it hilarious’ kind of scene. so here. i tried to do this plot bunny justice.

[ranger-njoyc]

7 Days Til Cottage Cheese

Day 9:

Theme: Betrayal/Stream of Consciousness

Description: Kendra’s Thoughts on Betrayal

Details: Okay, so this is a little bit different. It is a stream of consciousness exercise I did, but I did it from Kendra’s perspective. (Basically a summary of all the Fablehaven books- Who Will Betray Us This Time?) It’s set in between book 5 and Dragonwatch 1.

---

When will it stop? Kendra didn’t know, she didn’t know anything: she didn’t know what to do, who to trust, nothing. She was lost and she couldn’t think straight, voices echoing through her head.

People she trusted, at one time or another, who had all betrayed her. Betrayal. What a funny, innocent word. One word. One word couldn’t even begin to describe how it felt- maybe you couldn’t describe it. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be described.

Shattering, bone-crushing. Trust wasn’t made to be broken. It was supposed to be a good thing, not something to watch crumble beneath your feet.

Trust. So fragile, so heartbreaking, so strong. Putting your utmost faith in someone. Allowing your guard to come down around them. Relying, leaning on them. Leaning on each other. Broken so easily; strong as the weakest link. Mutual trust, love, understanding, support. Snapped so easily. If you break a vase, you can put it back together, but it’ll never be the same again.

Too many people who Kendra considered friends had broken her trust. The sacred bond- snapped, damaged, irreparable. When was it going to end? All the lies, deceit. All the pain, suffering. When would they catch a break?

She should’ve learned by now. No one is as they say they are. You can’t just go around giving out love and support. People should have to earn your trust, never just be given it blindly. 

Maybe she just wanted to see the best in people. It was too late- never again. Betrayal after betrayal after betrayal. And people wondered why she had trust issues.

Not trust issues. There was never an issue with the trust she had given. No, there wasn’t an issue, because it was completely and utterly gone. There was nothing left in her to give: no trust, no love, no friendship. So no, Kendra didn’t have trust issues. She simply had no more trust left to give.

She had her supports. Seth, always there, forever loyal. Bracken, the unicorn, the beautiful unicorn who she had learned to rely on. Warren, her friend and cousin. Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson, her loving grandparents.

But then again- hadn’t Vanessa been her support? Even if Vanessa was working on their side now, she had still dealt a blow to Kendra’s heart, a gaping hole that could never be fixed.

Hadn’t Gavin been her support? She had trusted him with every ounce of her being- loved him, even. He was just the ultimate proof. No matter how much effort you put in, no matter how much you care, it will never be a given that they feel the same way.

Kendra didn’t know what to do. Her world had turned upside down only a few years ago when she first visited Fablehaven, but was she really ready to be launched into a whole new adventure? No. The answer, the solid answer, the concrete answer was no. But did the world ever wait around for her to be ready? No.

She didn’t know if she could handle another world-ending threat. She knew she didn’t have a choice. She didn’t know how things would turn out in the end. She knew she would find out soon enough. But she couldn’t shake her lingering thoughts: Which one of my newfound family is planning on stabbing me in the back this time?

[ranger-njoyc]

8 Days Til Cottage Cheese

Day 8:

Theme: Undiscovered Powers

Description: One Power Kendra and Seth Didn’t Know They Had

Details: I would assume the Seth one is sometime in book 4, and the Kendra one takes place whenever.

QUICK NOTE: Yes, I am very aware I am behind like, 2 days, I’m trying, I swear I will get all 15 one-shots up before CotTG comes out.

---

“No, I don’t care what your argument is, or how you think you’re going to defend yourself- what? What are you looking at?” Kendra demanded, cutting off mid-rant. Seth was staring at her, openmouthed. He opened and closed his mouth several times, before giving up and hopelessly gesturing at her.

“Seriously, Seth, what is it?” Kendra was starting to get worried. Not much was able to render him speechless, and he wasn’t good enough an actor to pull off this sincere of a shock.

A plate crashed into the floor behind her. Kendra jumped, or she would have if she was on the ground. Instead all Kendra felt beneath her toes was air, and she suddenly felt very dizzy and wobbly. There was at least five inches of space between her and the floor. She pitched forward, arms spiraling, and stumbled onto the couch beside Seth.

“What the heck?” She muttered, still slightly dizzy even though she felt both her feet touching the ground. She looked to the doorway. Dale was standing there, not even bothering to try to pick up the broken plate. He was in a similar state to Seth.

That’s how Grandpa Sorenson found them, a minute later, all staring numbly at each other.

“What’s going on?” He asked, his voice strained and urgent. “What has S- what happened this time?”

None of them responded for a moment, before Seth burst out, “Kendra can fly!”

Grandpa Sorenson raised an eyebrow.

---

Seth kicked at the floor. It was all so unfair. Why didn’t Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson trust him? Well, actually, he could think of a few reasons they might be hesitant to ‘set him loose’ in a dangerous place. But it wasn’t like he would intentionally seek out danger! Seth knew the risks, he knew better than most people how unsafe it is. But when it was either danger or the whole world being destroyed, was there even a choice to make?

Kendra walked into the room. “Hey.”

Seth ignored her.

“They might let you go with.”

Seth chuckled darkly. “As if.”

“I’m serious,” Kendra said. “They haven’t made their decision yet.”

“And you think they’ll even consider it?” Seth whirled around to face her. “They think I’m just some little kid in it for the thrill. It’s more than that! The whole world is at stake here, I can’t just sit back and watch it burn!”

Kendra shivered. “Seth, hey, calm down,” She said. “I know what it’s like to feel helpless. We just have to do the best we can.”

“The best we can? The best we can do is sit here and wait, if Grandpa Sorenson has his way,” Seth said bitterly.

Kendra wrapped her arms around herself. “Seth, you’re scaring me. Are you making it colder in here?”

Seth looked over to his sister. The room had gotten darker, the sunlight blocked, and it definitely felt heavier. Kendra was shivering violently, her teeth chattering, as she looked at him with wide eyes.

Seth took a deep breath, and immediately all the tension building up around him disappeared.

He blinked once. Twice. Then he smiled widely.

“That’s so cool,” He gushed.

Kendra rolled her eyes affectionately. “Maybe for you.”

[ranger-njoyc]

9 Days Til Cottage Cheese

Day 7:

Theme: Origins/Beginnings

Description: How Seth Became a Mighty Adventurer

Details: Most of this is set earlier in Seth’s life than Fablehaven.

---

Seth liked to think he had some sense of style. He had different shirts for different occasions, at least, and he never wore horribly clashing colors. Maybe compared to Kendra, he was bland, and maybe he dressed like a stereotypical sporty kid. But maybe to him it didn’t matter.

He first picked out his green camouflage shirt when he was seven years old. He had seen it at the clothes store, as he was waiting for his mother and sister to come out of the dressing rooms. A flash of green had caught his eye, and soon he was clutching a nice, sporty, green camouflage shirt.

When his mom and sister finally emerged, Seth held out the shirt he found expectantly. Chuckling, Marla Sorenson took it from her young son’s grasp and put it in the cart.

---

A nine-year-old Seth Sorenson was riding his bike. A group of onlookers cheered him on. Seth raised his hands in the air as he flew down the hill. Sure, it was risky, and sure, it was dangerous, but Seth was never one to run away from a challenge. Seth measured out the remaining difference with his eyes. He narrowed them, and soon he was in the air, leaping over the barricade set into place.

His classmates cheered. Several exchanged money. He grinned, proud of himself. Most of the crowd dispersed, until it was only his sister left, who had seen the last part of the stunt. She pursed her lips, the spitting image of their mother. Seth stuck his tongue out at her.

Her eyes widened. “Seth, watch out!” She cried, distressed.

Seth faced forward again, only to catapult over the front of his bicycle. He landed hard on his elbow and scraped his knee, and he was sure to have bruises the next day. Groaning, he sat up as Kendra raced to his side. She looked like she wanted to scold him, but couldn’t find it in her, with him in his current state.

Instead, she said, “Let’s get you some bandages. Promise you’ll never do that again, and I won’t tell mom and dad.”

Seth nodded, allowing himself to be led away, back to their house. He was hobbling the whole way, and each step he took caused him to wince. When they finally got back to their home, Kendra made up a fake excuse, ushering Seth up the stairs. She brought him into the bathroom and handed him some disinfectant and band-aids.

She waited until he was done patching himself up to speak. “That was really dangerous.” Seth waved his hand in the air flippantly. “Yeah, yeah,” He grumbled, “I know, you’ve told me thousands of times before.”

“Seriously, Seth, if you're going to continue doing things like this, at least have some sort of… emergency kit, with some basic medical supplies. You’re going to need it someday.”

Well… that was not the reply he was expecting. Seth perked up, looking at her curiously. Maybe an emergency kit wasn’t such a bad idea.

---

The next day found Seth in the kitchen, finishing off his second bowl of cereal.

“We better get going,” Scott Sorenson said, ruffling his son’s hair. Scott picked up the empty box and started walking towards the recycling bin, before Seth had an idea.

“Wait!” He called out to his dad, rushing over and snatching the box from his hands. His father looked at him strangely but did not question it.

---

That day, Seth was putting together his survival kit. He had put in some granola bars for nutrients, some gauze and tape after Kendra’s insistence, and some plain band-aids and disinfectant.

As time passed, he gradually added more things as needed- every single item had a purpose for being there. He didn’t let anyone touch his kit, and he brought it on every adventure. So when he heard he was going to be visiting his Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson, his first natural reaction was to grab his emergency kit- and he was grateful he did- because you never know what kind of adventures you can get up to in a strange, new, whimsical place.

[ranger-njoyc]

10 Days Til Cottage Cheese

Day 6:

Theme: no theme this time

Description: Just Doing a Kendra Sickfic

Details: Whenever. It’s at some time where Seth is trusted to explore on his own(to a reasonable extent), Warren is around, and they are just chilling at Fablehaven.

---

Kendra was looking forward to the day. Seth, having found something ‘totally epic’, was going to bring her into an area he was allowed to hang out in. Adventuring, but with barely any chance of danger, and no rule-breaking. It was going to be a good day.

When she first came to consciousness, she immediately closed her eyes again. The lights in the room were glaring, and her head pounded in her skull. It was safe to say she was surprised. Normally, bright lights didn’t affect her very much. She swung her feet out of bed and yawned, trying to ignore the bile in the back of her throat.

Kendra stood up. The wave of nausea that hit her like a train, and she unintentionally staggered back and dropped back onto the bed. She groaned softly, holding her head in her hands and waiting for the dizziness to pass. As soon as it had faded to a dull throb, she stood up again, slowly, before lunging for a wall to catch her fall. She managed to stay upright, somehow.

Kendra staggered her way down the stairs, clutching onto the rails like a life-support. Warren passed her on the way to the kitchen. He did a double-take.

“Looking a little pale?” He asked softly. His tone was joking, but his words had an underlying concern.

“I’m fine,” Kendra managed, her throat raspy.

“You don’t look fine,” Warren commented lightly. He grabbed her shoulder. It was barely any pressure, but she felt her knees almost buckle. “Woah, woah, woah,” Warren eased his arm around her, supporting her weight.

“I’m going out with Seth today, I don’t need your help,” Kendra gasped.

“I don’t think you’re going anywhere,” Warren muttered. Kendra gave him her best glare, which wasn’t very effective, considering her current state. He must’ve taken pity on her, because he relented.

“Fine. I’ll take you to the kitchen, where your Grandparents can tell you what a horrible idea leaving your bed was.” He half-dragged her down the hallway.

By the time they reached the kitchen, Kendra had a thin sheet of sweat on her face, and her arms were trembling. Grandma Sorenson didn’t look up right away, but when she did, her face grew worried.

“Warren, why did you drag a sick child out of bed?” Grandma Sorenson scolded him, rushing to Kendra’s side and putting a hand to her forehead. Kendra shifted out of Grandma Sorenson’s reach, stumbling slightly. Warren caught her and sat her down at the table. She slumped down in her seat, crossing her arms.

“I’m fine,” She insisted.

Warren ignored her. “She’s got delusions of actually doing something today.”

Grandma Sorenson looked half exasperated and half worried. “Kendra-”

“I was going to do something with Seth today,” She interrupted.

Both of the adult’s faces softened. “We know,” Grandma Sorenson said. “But you can’t today.”

“I know you were really looking forward to it,” Warren added. “I’m sorry.”

Seth walked into the room, emergency kit in hand. He had a brown leather jacket on over his regular camouflage T-shirt. Warren was looking at the jacket intensely, his eyes lighting up. A small smile twitched onto his lips.

Seth stopped short at the sight in front of him. Uncomfortably, he scratched the back of his neck.

“Oh sh-”

“Language.”

Seth shot a playful glare. “Oh please, Warren, you have no right to lecture me about minding my language.” He turned back to Kendra. “But seriously. Did you die overnight or something? We can always do this another day.”

Kendra frowned. “You don’t want me to come with?” She hated how weak her voice sounded.

Seth shook his head rapidly. “No, I won’t leave without you. I guess we’ll be having a lazy day,” he joked.

He threw a worried look over his shoulder as he exited the room again, presumably to change back into normal clothes.

Kendra glanced up at Warren and Ruth. Then she looked to where Seth had gone. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Maybe there were worse ways to spend a sick day than with her family on a magical preserve.