#(fun fact: he was out of my line of sight for 15 minutes and instantly got so high

[apple-grass-and-smiles]

I love my job roughly 75% of the time. But sometimes it involves chasing down a teen to pay his $200 phone bill that you foolishly helped him open while going through the stages of grief knowing you’re going to have to figure out that payment yourself because you were naïve and trusted him

[melyaliz]

Daddy’s girl

Fandom: DC / Batfam

Summary: Dick is in charge of his daughter for a weekend while her mother goes on a conference. 

Pairing: Dad!Dick Grayson with slight Dick x oc 

Notes: Idk, it’s been a rough few months and I just wanted some Daddy Dick Fluff 

I didn’t know how to end this… so it kept going and going.

Will anyone even read this? -shrug- I’m sorry this is what you all get when I come back. I promise requests will be next. 

All Masterlists @melyalizarchive​

Connect with me! AO3 / Instagram / Pinterest

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--------

Britney and Jennifer are my OC’s but if you want I can re-write is as a reader OR you can just picture your own Ocs or yourself. 

Giggles and squeals of delight, those beautiful sounds from his nearly one-year-old daughter Britney were the first things that greeted Dick Grayon’s ears as he walked into his fiance’s apartment. 

And the sight that graced him was just as beautiful. Jennifer kneeling on the floor a large teddy bear in her hands making it dance around their young daughter. Britney held out her chubby hands trying to reach the bear giggling and squealing making non-words as if trying to mimic the words her mother was saying to her. A large smile on Jennifer’s face that matched their young daughters as she sang a silly song to go with the dancing bear. Dick tried to remember a time he had seen the love of his life this happy. 

The love of his life. 

He couldn’t believe she was his. Finally his. All this and only his. 

And it was all thanks to that beautiful baby girl that was squealing with joy. 

If you had told Dick Grayson that he would have the woman of his dreams and the most beautiful child that ever lived he would have through they were saying some sick joke. Not even in his wildest dreams had Dick believed this could be his life. 

His future. 

Men like him didn’t have futures let alone futures they could share with people they loved. Men like him -doing his line of work -  they died alone. They didn’t deserve the life he had been given. 

Men like him. 

“So are you going to stand there brooding or come say hello?” Jennifer’s bright turquoise eyes flashed a spark of mischief in them reminding Dick of their childhood when she would come up with crazy adventures. From her seat on the plush carpet, Britney reached out for her father her clubby fingers balling up into fits before opening again as if those short little arms could reach up and pull him down toward her.

“Dada” 

“Yes dada,” giggling Jennifer shook her head, “being all mopey standing there and not joining the fun. Typical Nightwing style.”

“As a matter of fact,” Dick said flopping onto the floor in front of his daughter, “I was thinking about how I am the luckiest guy in the world.” 

Giggling Briteny rolled from her sitting position to her knees crawling closer so she could grab her father’s face. Once she had gotten a good fist full of nose she looked up at her mother letting out another squeal of delight. 

“Yes, dada is very silly looking,” Jennifer said kissing Dick on the head as he let out a small whine in protest. Getting up Jennifer headed toward the kitchen. Britney paused from playing with her dad’s face to watch her mother leave, her smile fading. 

“Now I’ll be back around noon Sunday, there are a few jars of food for Britney and there is formula in the cupboard. If you can’t reach me you can always call Alfred.”

“I’ll be fine,” Dick said sitting up gathering his daughter into his arms. The small girl was still watching her mother who was now taking her luggage toward the front door. “Won’t we princess?” 

“Mama” Britney looked worried watching her mother bustle about but it wasn’t until Jennifer grabbed her briefcase that Britney knew what was going on. At the sight of the dark red leather bag the young child burst into tears. Chubby hands reaching out for her mother. “No, Ma, ma mama maaa” 

“Oh no.” Jennifer mumbled bending down scooping up her daughter. “It’s ok baby girl. Mama will only be gone for a little bit.” gently she wiped away the large tears rolling down her daughter’s face. 

“Does she do this every time you leave?” Dick asked getting up walking toward Britney trying to rack his brain for a time he had been around when Jennifer left. Since the birth of their daughter, Jennifer had opted to work more at home wanting to be with Britney as much as she could. Not that Dick blamed her, he found himself missing her if he was away for more than a few hours himself. 

“Yeah, I normally sneak out…” Jennifer muttered, “Don’t worry she does it when you leave too.” 

“How come I miss the big tears?” Dick teased leaning forward giving the small child a wide smile trying to bring out her smile. 

“Because mama has ways of keeping her happy.” Jennifer cooed bouncing Britney kissing her head. Glancing at the clock in the livingroom she frowned, “Ok, I think we are just going to have to rip off this bandaid.”

“Ok princess,” Dick leaned forward getting his hands around his small child. 

“NOOOOO” Britney wailed clinging her to mother in an iron grip that took both her parents to pry her away from. 

“Good god she’s strong” Dick muttered 

“Stubborn,” Jennifer added once she was able to finally get her daughter into Dick’s arms. Leaning over the sobbing girl she quickly kissed her soon to be husband. “Love you and see you in a few days.”

“Don’t have too much fun without me.” 

“No, the fun will happen when I get back.” she winked and for a moment Dick was tempted to drag her back to him. Maybe pitch a fit like their daughter was doing. Two days was too long. 

“I’ll hold you to that.” 

It wasn’t until Jennifer was out the door at their daughter stopped crying. The moment her mother was out of sight the tears instantly dried up and the wailing stopped. Blinking her large blue eyes that were so much like his own Britney looked at the door then at her father. 

“What was that about?” Dick asked his daughter at her sudden shift in mood.

“No.”

“Ok then.” he chuckled walking her back into the living room. Bending down he tried to place her on the carpet with her toys. However, Britney had other eyes.

“No.” her hands and legs clung to him 

“Oh Princess, I’m not leaving.”

“No” Gently he tried to pry her off him but she wasn’t haven’t it. Clinging harder the tears appears instantly “Nooooooo” 

“Ok, ok” Dick said gently rocking her wrapping his arms around her tightly to let her know he wasn’t letting go, “I’m right here.” 

And that was that. 

No matter how hard he tried, bribed, begged, bargained, she would not let go. 

So there he was, sitting on the couch, trapped under his tiny daughter who clung to him like a koala.

It was 8 pm and Britney had eaten had a diaper change and now watching movies with her dad. Large blue eyes blinking slower and slower as time went deeper into the evening. 

“Ohhh it is bedtime?” 

“No” Britney shook her head rubbing her face into Dick’s white shirt trying hard to stay awake. Her fingers gripping him tightly. 

“Yes” 

“No” 

“You don’t even know what you are saying.” Dick tried not to laugh as he stood up pulling her tightly in his arms. 

Bringing her into the bedroom Britney watched him with somber eyes until she caught sight of her crib.

“No”

Her grip got tighter as he tried to put her into the crib. “Dada!” wails filled the apartment once again. Dick sighed, he knew Jennifer wouldn’t be too happy but… how could he say no to his baby girl?

“Ok,” Dick muttered moving her toward the bed laying down with her, “Just until mama gets back and then it’s back to your own bed with you.” 

Letting out a soft sigh of content Britney cuddled closer to him. Dick hummed a tune playing with her dark locks. 

Dick wasn’t sure who fell asleep first, her or him but he awoke to the sound of her babbling to herself, his blue eyes meeting her matching ones as she looking at him.

“Dada” 

Kissing her head Dick sat up, “Good morning princess.” he would get this reaction when he would spend long periods of time at the apartment. With his job as a police officer in Bludhaven and his Nightwing duties, the time he spent with his family was limited. Jennifer was in the process of moving closer to Dick’s job but with her own clients in Gotham and the wedding they were planning it had been a bit longer then they had originally planned. 

Dick couldn’t wait until he could wake up every morning (or at least most) to both his beautiful women. 

“Breakfast time?” 

Britney let out a soft laugh reaching for his face before he scooped her up checking her diaper and then heading for the changing table. 

The morning wasn’t too out of the ordinary until Britney realized, something was wrong. 

Looking around the small girl seemed to realize, someone was missing. Dick could tell by the somber expression of his daughter as she took her morning bottle that something was going on in her head. Something she was about to expression. It was calculating, processing. 

“Mama.”

“She’ll be home soon”

Tears again. Large bit crocodile tears. This time it took almost 15 minutes for her to calm down. In the end, Dick was doing handstands walking around the kitchen floor while Britney giggled holding her favorite batman teddybear. 

The rest of the day wasn’t much better. While it would seem like Britney had gotten over the pain of her mother missing she would suddenly remember and burst into tears clinging to her dad as if he was going to leave her as well. 

The whole process was a little more than exhausting. 

And then it was during one of these fits that Bruce showed up.

“I won’t be long, I just wanted…” Bruce was cut off by the sound of his granddaughter’s wails the baby screaming no at the top of her lungs while Dick tried to get her to take her teddy bear. 

“Missing Jennifer?” Bruce surveyed the room which was littered with toys, books, and cloths. Dick looked up meeting his mentor’s eyes, large and pleading. Not that Bruce knew what to do. He bearly raised the teenagers that had moved in and out of his home. 

“She keeps remembering mom’s not here and getting upset.”

“I told Jennifer not to spoil her,” Bruce muttered as if he was an expert on child raising as he leaned forward so he was at eye level with his grandchild. Slowly Britney’s cries stopped as she stared at Bruck through large tear filled eyes. 

“There see, she’s fine.” 

“Great hold her for a moment.” Dick said, “I need to fix her bottle and maybe change my shirt,” Quickly he shoved the baby into Bruce’s arms. This wasn’t Bruce’s first time holding the baby girl, being there at the hospital that first day, but he still always felt a slight rush of anxiety holding her. What if something happened? What if he dropped her? 

Looking up Britney reached out patting her hand on her grandfather’s chin. Large eyes looking him over for a moment. 

And then he realized Dick wasn’t in the room.

“DAAAAADAAAAA” 

Dick came rushing back into the living room nearly stumbling over the pants he was trying to button up, a teeshirt between his teeth. At the sight of him, Britney calmed down giggling slightly. 

“That’s the first smile I have gotten all day.” Dick said as he shoved the teeshirt over his head, “Good to know I still have it.” leaning forward he tickled her getting another smile and giggle. 

“She just needed me here,” Bruce said looking down at the small girl who looked up at him smiling again before resting her head on his chest making the dark knight’s heart melt.  

“Sure until I walk out of the room again.” 

“You’re just being dramatic, she’s just a baby Dick. how hard can she really be?” 

--

Jennifer had planned on coming home Sunday afternoon. After the final talks, meet and greets and other things the conference had planned on their final day. But Saturday night she couldn’t sleep. Her large bed felt so empty without Britney sleeping next to her. Plus there was a handsome dark-haired man waiting for her who she hadn’t seen in a week. 

So shoving all her stuff into her suitcase and sending a quick thank you email to the coordinator of the conference she jumped into her car. It was only a few hour drives back and if she broke a few speeding laws she could be there before the sun rose. 

Jennifer had assumed that she would find Dick fast asleep in the bed with Britney breaking any sort of crib training she had been trying to do. (not that she hadn’t broken those rules one too many nights herself) However, what greeted her as she walked into her apartment was NOTHING she expected. 

Dick was passed out on the couch mouth open hand out with Britney’s hand resting in it. Their small baby girl’s body was resting on Bruce’s lap. The Wayne had his head resting on the couch’s armrest with one hand draped over Britney’s back as she lay wrapped around the two men. 

“Why am I not surprised,” Jennifer said shaking her head as she snuck into the next room getting a blanket. “You probably planned this” she whispered gathering up her daughter before draping a blanket over Bruce.

Leaning forward she kissed Dick who let out a snort of surprise, “J… Jen?” 

“Come smuggle and let Bruce spread out,” Jennifer whispered taking his hand leading him toward the bedroom. Glancing back at Bruce she couldn’t help but smile at the sleeping man,

“I don’t think I have ever seen him sleep” Dick muttered rubbing his eyes.

“She had that effect on people,” Jennifer said kissing her daughter who was sleeping just as peacefully as her grandfather, “total panic and then peace.” 

“What are we going to do with you.” Dick sighed shaking his head looking down at the small girl.

“I don’t know, but I think she does.” Jennifer tried not to laugh at the memory of two of the greatest heroes totally at the mercy of a small baby. “She has you both wrapped around her little finger.” 

“Yeah,” Dick whispered getting under the covers pulling them both closer to him, “You both do.” 

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[chimswae]

Untold Bonus Part 2

Foreword:

Some stories are better left unsaid.I couldn’t change anything for the world, although the fame part of this industry is tough to handle.Do i have a life? Yes I have my fans.Do i have friends? Yes the members that I cherish. Do i have love? No I have to let go.Life always offers you a second chance. It’s called tomorrow. But do i have any tomorrow?

Pairing: Jimin x OC (Other characters: BTS, OCs, Lee Taehwan)

Genre: Idolau, Fluff, Romance, Father!Au

Word Count: 2,324

Author Note: This is an old story of mine i think i wrote it in 2017, so please ignore my clicheness and the excessive usage of clicheness~ that makes u cringe haha

You can check full masterlist below :)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

Part 2

“Oh god, how come you guys are here” Yeoul smiled and slowly took sleeping Minyeol from Taehwan.

 “Not my idea, ask Bangtan Sonyeodan” Taehwan eyed the six guilty guys who seemed all ready to dodge bullets from Jimin.

 Jimin knew something was fishy the moment when Taehyung kept on pestering him with kakaotalk message yesterday. They were up for no good. So this was it, cockblocking his honeymoon. Touche.

 “Now let’s start with Jungkook” Jimin crossed his arms, snickering under his breath still bewildered.

 “WHY ME?” he retorted.

 “Because you are the youngest. You are going to give this hyung answers. HONEST ANSWER, alright Koo?’” Jungkook gulped in fear. This was seriously getting out of hand.

He was not supposed to get involved but because of other hyungs, he was guilty as charged.

 After good 20 minutes probing answers from this innocent maknae on their real intention traveling all way from East Asia to Middle East when they have something better to do like a romantic trip in Jeju Island. Jungkook would either nod along in agreement or shook his head in dismay probably feeling offended of his other hyungs whom showed no sign to lessen the burden on his shoulder.

 Others were enjoying the fact that they were out of equations unlike Jungkook. Out of all the members, Jimin was fond of Jungkook and if there’s one person that would give in to his question, then it was the maknae.

 Jeering sarcastically, Jimin rubbed the bridge of his nose trying to brain whatever Jungkook told him “So let me rephrase it. You are saying, this is Minyeol’s idea? My Minyeol?” he probed again causing the younger guy to nod frantically.

 “Jeon Jungkook don’t pin the blame on my child!” Yeoul looked baffle.

 Jungkook cracked a nervous smile, licking his lower lips few times “ Yes, kind of. But, Minyeol is asking us when will you return, the person who suggested us to tail you here..was..Tae hyung” Jimin let out a dry laugh accompanied by a glare at Taehyung and Taehwan direction.

 “Which Tae? Taetae or Tae 2.0” he snorted.

 “Excuse me? So now I am Tae 2.0?” that offend Taehwan, “Don’t drag me in, this Kim Taehyung’s idea” he continued with a deep grunt.

 “Tae HOW COULD YOU?” Jimin shrieked in disbelief. Taehyung lifted his hand instantly, showing a V sign with awfully childish grin.

 “Jiminie.. I really want to visit Morocco… I thought it would be fun if we give both of you a little surprise. That is why we decided to come two days later than you to give you space” he grinned ear to ear.

 “So much for showing your empathy Kim Taehyung” Namjoon scowled.

 Yeoul giggle at his cuteness, as she sneaked her free hand to stroke Jimin’s back “It is okay Jims, the more the merrier. Thanks to them we get to meet our son” if it weren't for Yeoul sweet voice and her sunshine smile, Taehyung would be dead by now.

 “Fine... Since it ends up this way” eyeing Yeoul lovingly, Jimin leaned to her level giving Yeoul a soft peck on lips. He then slung his arm around her shoulder, taking a glance at peaceful Minyeol in his wife arms.

 Just like that, Jimin decided to embrace the reality that his members were there since he’s left with no choice. A soft cheer could be heard as the guys excitedly took their luggage and readied to crash in. Tomorrow would be another new day, indeed.

 Jin, Namjoon, Hope and Yoongi shared room together so they were long gone leaving the maknae line with the couple at the lobby. Once Taehyung obtained the key from the front desk, he waved eagerly “Tae 2.0, Jungkook lets go! I got the key” he exclaimed.

 “Yeoul, let Minyeol stay with us. Jimin and you need your little fun time anyways. This is your honeymoon” Taehwan offered.

 “It is okay Tae, he will be staying with us tonight. You guys go have a good rest. It was a long journey. Trust me you need that” Yeoul replied with a grateful smile. Taehwan could be a little too caring and nice, she felt bad for making him babysit Minyeol whilst she’s on honeymoon. Even though, it was actually Taehwan who volunteered to look after Minyeol.

 “Are you sure Yeoul?” the maknae seemed unsure because he still thought they were at fault for coming without notice.

 “It is Yeoul Nuna for you” Jimin corrected shooting daggers at Jungkook direction. The younger boy rolled his eyes in protest and ignored his hyung’s demand.

 Afraid Yeoul might hurt her arms for standing still for good half an hour now, Jimin took Minyeol carefully from her arms. Minyeol stirred a little and continued to sleep so peacefully in his father’s embrace.

 Yeoul mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Jimin and turned to face Jungkook and Taehwan. She hushed the two guys away and assuring them, they were okay with Minyeol with them.

“Good night Yeoul, Jimin” he was about to give Yeoul a friendly hug but come at halt as he heard a dry cough behind him. Oh yes, Park Jimin. Taehwan caressed the top of her head lovingly instead and snickered at Jimin’s way.

 That guy really had the audacity to give me a dirty look, what a jealous freak. Cuss Taehwan in his head.

 Jungkook beamed “Oh see you tomorrow. Good night hyung and Yeou- Fine… Nuna” he grumbled. Jimin had a satisfied smile plastered on his face knowing how easy to get Jungkook listen to his words. They watched both of the disappeared with Taehyung and heaved a relief sigh.

 “It is going to be a long long day tomorrow” he cringed at the thought.

 “Hey, it would not be that bad” Yeoul giggled.

 Interesting. The arrival of Bangtan Sonyeondan with their plus two would be one hell of honeymoon trip.

 ---------------------

 “I told you we should not drag them along” Jimin hissed.

 “Why not? It feels like a real family trip! With you, minyeol, me, and others. Smile mister husband, it is not that bad. Look at them, they are cute” she awed at the sight in front of him. Jin and Yoongi were struggling to climb up the back of the camel despite having a platform to support their weight, for some reason those two were just having a bad luck today.

 “MIN YOONGI CAN YOU STOP TUMBLING OVER LIKE DOMINOS” they could heard Jin whined like a baby.

 Yoongi pressed his lips into a thin line getting ready to curse the elder boy out loud “Kim Seokjin-ssi, need i to remind you camel aint my everyday public transportation. Shit,you whiny grandmama” he gritted his teeth in annoyance.

 Grumpy granny Jin pushed Yoongi away earning a death glare from the latter as he decided to climb up the camel first since Min Suga was taking his whole life to stabilize himself up there. As soon as he settled down or when he thought he was, the camel rose from its feet. To their surprise, Jin was just as bad as Yoongi, he landed on ground with face buried deep in the sand.

 The whole situation was ridiculous, everyone shrieked with laughter loving to see the eldest one among them struggling. Leader Namjoon came to rescue, still laughing straight on his face. He pulled Jin up, patting his face a little too lovely to get rid of the soft sand from Jin’s handsome face.

 “We need to take care of this worldwide handsome, his face is precious” said Namjoon mocking on Jin. He slapped his hand with a deep growl unhappy with his own bad luck today.

 “JIN-SSI DO IT PROPERLY!” Yeoul glanced at Jimin sudden outburst and laughed at his silliness.

 A visible frown on Jin’s forehead could be seen as he snapped his head to meet Jimin’s eyes “SAY THAT AGAIN PARK JIMIN! I WILL SERIOUSLY MAKE THIS CAMEL STOMP YOU OVER” that was the beginning of their love squabble.

 These two could not be stopped, as for Yeoul she had no intention to get involved. She’s better off alone with Minyeol unless Jimin decided to join them per his so called romantic camel ride.

 Taehwan helped to lift Minyeol up so the little kid could ride the back of the camel without fear “OMMA….IM SCARED” he squealed with a small giggle. Adorable Minyeol won every soul in the Sahara Desert just like he always did.

 “You will be fine Park Minyeol.. Remember, you are a boy” Yeoul winked, patting his leg as an encouragement. It took him few minutes before Taehwan let go him fully, he finally could stable himself.

 “Appa.. Omma.. I DID IT. MINYEOLLIE ON THE MELMEL BACK” he couldn’t suppress a triumphant smile on his face. Park Minyeol why you got to be so Park Jimin, Yeoul smiled inwardly.

 Jimin gave his son a big thumbs up and big wave enjoying the happiness flashed across Minyeol’s face. They really needed another fun trip like this in the future, minus Bangtan Sonyeondan and Lee Taehwan. Oh well, just the three of them would suffice.

 She took a few step towards Minyeol but Taehwan was quick to stand in her way “Nah, you are not going to ride this. I will be riding this with my Minyeol. As for you” he pressed his forefinger on top of her head, twirling her to Jimin’s direction.

 “You have a husband to take care of, you don’t want lady camel fall for his kitty smile right?” blinking confusedly, he pushed her back with a light pat slightly signaling her to move.

 Yeoul turned to Taehwan with a deep frown “You are so possessive over my son!” she gave him a final pout before strutting to Jimin whom ready to give a warm embrace. Like hell, he was on standby most of the time. Embracing unhappy Yeoul, he rocked her side to side.

 “It is okay you will have all the time with Minyeol. Why are you fighting over Minyeol? You know Taehwan is never going to lose to you” he tapped the top of her nose as she scrunched up cutely in response.

 “Now now, I cant wait to ride this!” the corner of his lips twitched into a charming smile.

 Wounding both of his hands around Yeoul’s torso, with a light push she was up at the back of the camel. Not long after Jimin hopped with the help of the helpers there and the platform of course, settling behind Yeoul.

 Now that their body was wounded together, Yeoul’s cheeks heated up at the body contact. Cuddling was their forte, but then for some reason Yeoul would still feel a little shy being super close with Jimin. She couldn’t help but to feel slightly anxious and nervous. Love really does wonder, it drives people insane no matter how frequent they experience it. It keeps on repeating. That never ending butterfly effects.

 Jimin rubbed his hand along Yeoul’s, interlacing their fingers together, he smiled at the warmth. The journey began, they were right behind Taehwan and Minyeol. Sahara Desert Camel Tour should be up to three days or more but for the sake of this trip, they chose the shortest route just to see around. They had kid with them so it was impossible to make them ride and camp for three days or more.

 The sky is clear and vast, it was a peaceful journey only the friction of camel footsteps against the sand could be heard. Once in awhile they heard others chirpy voice awing at the picturesque view around them, there was no doubt it offered them an astounding sight. It was dreamy.

 Taehyung would request to stop along the journey whenever he found a place that worth Vante photography time. He would act like a real professional photographer and insisted one of the members to become his unpaid model. Those members would be either Kim Namjoon or Jeon Jungkook. If he was in luck, Min Suga would offer hand to help but Vante preferred a photogenic human like Kim Namjoon.

 Even though when at times Namjoon refused to comply to his request, Jin would step in but Taehyung would politely rejected him. He defended himself by saying Jin is too popular for his shot and too handsome which later offend Namjoon. Oh well, he didn’t mean it that way sometimes Kim Taehyung had a weird way in expressing his thoughts.

 Mind you, Park Jimin survived all those years with him. He is Kim Taehyung after all.

 Two hours of ride, it finally came to an end. Indeed, it was unforgettable experiences for everyone. They had chance to explore magnificent desert landscape and most importantly it was once in a lifetime kind of thing.

 They ended up at the other end of the pit stop, and as everyone was ready to leave the place to be transferred back to the entrance, a loud shriek froze everyone. They were looking for the direction of the voice only to be welcomed by Hoseok second attempt of girly shriek.

 “Ew, what’s that” Yoongi tilted his head curiously.

 “IT IS CAMEL POOP” the maknae widened his eyes and his gasp soon turned into a smug. In this situation, it was hard not to laugh because Hoseok’s right leg was dipped inside the filthy sticky thing. Yeoul clasped hand over her mouth tried not to barf.

 Jin cringed giving him a disgusting look “Jung Hoseok.. the camel has claimed you as his soulmate” he teased. The tour guide quickly went to Hoseok side, offering help to get rid of the large camel poop engulfing his leg.

 Namjoon shuddered “That is gross, oh god. I cant unsee that now” with that he turned his head to other side with a playful whistle.

 “Disloyal brats” Hoseok mutter under his breath as he continued to get the large stain off his leg and pants.

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This work belongs to  Chimswae © 2020. All Rights Reserved

[theworkofxanderking]

The Originals: Bad Blood (Alternative Season 5)

Episode 7: From Here to Hell Town (Part Two of Two)

Warnings: I do not own the original content to “The Originals”, “The Vampire Diaries” or “Legacies” or any of the characters from the television shows.

15 plus, displays of Violence, Gore, Torture, M/M, F/M, F/F.

Klaus stood in his room drinking a glass of whisky thinking about the city he loved so much and how it once saw him as it’s king. He couldn’t help but feel resentment over his brother Elijah for claiming his spot at the faction meeting but knew it was a sacrifice he’d have to make to ensure his daughter Hope was granted a good life.

He knew his sole focus needed to be on his long lost brother Henrik and getting to the bottom of his alliance with Nathaniel despite how painful it may be for him and his family all while hoping he had as little interaction with Nathaniel as possible but that was not going to be the case for the original hybrid.

“Before you blame me for this Aunt Rebekah is in great danger and I’m one of the two people needed to save her.” Hope said to her father while walking into his room.

“What would I blame you for?” Klaus asked.

“Me!” Nathaniel answered as he too walked into Klaus room.

“How dare you go anywhere near my daughter.” Klaus shouted at him furious to see him again and even more furious to know he had spoken to Hope.

“Nice to see you too Niklaus.” Nathaniel responded.

Klaus began storming towards Nathaniel ready to attack only for Hope to stand in his way serving to annoy Klaus even more.

“You two can settle your ancient romantic history later but first we need to go get Aunt Rebekah before Nathaniel’s father does.” Hope snapped at them both before looking eye to eye with her father. “If I were you, I’d agree and nod so we can get to her quickly because every second counts.”

“Very well but once we’ve got Rebekah back, I promise to deliver you a death far worse than anything your father may have planned for you.” Klaus promised Nathaniel with a cold death stare making him now that was a promise he wouldn’t break.

“I’m sure you’ll have fun trying Niklaus but in case you haven’t worked out yet Mikaelson’s aren’t particularly good at killing me.” Nathaniel replied with a wicked smile.

“Fight later!” Hope shouted at them both before looking at Nathaniel. “Now how the hell are we going to get there?”

Nathaniel lifted his right hand in the air and within a wave of his hand he, Hope and Klaus disappeared within a puff of black smoke.

Bonnie found herself running out of the Helton woods constantly looking behind her as she ran only to be blind spotted when she found Augustus stood on the rundown road she had just made it to but not one to admit defeat lightly she began marching towards him with her hands out chanting in Croatian.

“I see you’re a mistress of nature bound to life,” Augustus said with a wicked smile as he began walking towards Bonnie. “You power feels familiar you’re a descendant of the witch who mothered my son.”

Augustus lifted his hand forcing Bonnie to fall to her knees while she continued to chant in Croatian.

“A very powerful family indeed you’re going to serve as quite the power up.” Augustus said while moving closer towards Bonnie who continued to chant in Croatian despite seeing no benefit to her chants. “It’s a shame you’re the last of your line but at the same time it’s probably for the best you’re not around for what’s to come.”

Rebekah vamp sped from behind Augustus instantly snapping his neck and throwing his body to the ground before helping Bonnie get back to her feet.

“I didn’t think you’d come back for me.” Bonnie admitted to her.

“You’re growing on me and in case you haven’t noticed friends are few and far between for me.” Rebekah replied with a smile as Bonnie responded with a smile before the two of them noticed Augustus’ neck beginning to crack itself back in place. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Hope, Nathaniel and Klaus appeared from out of thin air with a puff of black smoke arriving just in front of the Helton sign much to both Hope and Klaus’ shock who looked around to see where they now were having only minutes ago been in the compound and now knowing they were no longer in New Orleans.

“Okay you seriously need to teach me how to do that.” Hope eagerly said to Nathaniel.

“It’s a simple teleportation spell I had enchanted into this bracelet.” Nathaniel pulled up his sleeve to reveal the black rope. “It’s hardly luxury jewelry but it does it’s job and saves me chanting every time I want to go somewhere.”

“I’ve heard of astral projection spells in fact I master that at the age of 12 but I’m yet to uncover a teleportation spell.” Hope replied.

“In that case take mine until you learn the spell,” Nathaniel said as he untied the black rope from his wrist and tied it around Hope’s. “The trick is to picture the place in your head when you want to go somewhere. Also, if things get sticky here while your doing your spell you’ve got yourself a quick escape.”

“Enough with the magical bonding,” Klaus snapped at Nathaniel delivering him a disapproving glare “let’s get to retrieving my sister already.”

“Very well then Niklaus follow me.” Nathaniel replied as he started walking past the sign and into the ghost town.

“If you have any doubts about doing the spell, he asked of you then go now.” Klaus said to his daughter. “He can’t be trusted.”

“I’m beginning to think he can.” Hope replied before giving Klaus a hug and whispering in his ear. “He’s clearly still in love with you.”

Klaus and Nathaniel had walked for a few minutes and Hope and the Helton sign was now out of sight which gave Klaus the opportunity to finally get some questions answered with the two of them finally being alone for the first time in a thousand years.

“So, I have found myself wondering, were you ever going to tell me you were alive, or did you hope not to have to deal with me?” Klaus asked him eager for his question to be answered.

“Honestly I had hoped to never see your face again.” Nathaniel admitted before taking a sigh. “For your own safety and I suppose my own safety too.”

“Are you under some kind of illusion that I need any protection?” Klaus said while giving Nathaniel a sly smirk. “You clearly haven’t heard of my reputation.”

“I never understood why you wouldn’t leave with me all those years ago and I loathed you for choosing your family over me for a while until I was gifted with a family.” Nathaniel replied as the two of them continued walking. “Sure, Henrik is a lot of work, but he can’t help that.”

“Are you and Henrik…” Klaus questioned while stopping still, fearing his first love had fallen for another Mikaelson.

“He’s like a son to me you idiot that’s what happens when you resurrect a child from the grave and raise him to be a fully-grown monster.” Nathaniel snapped at Klaus making Klaus smile as he quickly began walking again to keep up with the witch. “It became pretty clear he couldn’t return to his family and I had none of my own, so we found each other.”

“You could’ve always come looking for us,” Klaus told him. “you could’ve come looking for me.”

“I did come looking once not too long after you had turned call me curious and you seemed to be perfectly fine without your brother.” Nathaniel revealed. “There was no point in adding more chaos to your lives by revealing a brother eager to kill you all.”

“Why didn’t you speak to us? If you came all the way to find us why make no contact?” Klaus quizzed as they stopped outside of Helton Hotel having reached the town centre.

“I made contact with one of you and I was informed you were all pretty happy without my interference.” Nathaniel replied as the two stopped walking and Nathaniel began looking around his beloved ghost town.

“Trust me happiness was something we never experienced back then.” Klaus responded as he too began looking around the ghost town.

“I believe her name was Aurora then there was a Katherine who was Tatia’s doppelganger and clearly preferred Elijah just like the Petrova before her. Years passed and you found love once again in Mystic Falls with an annoyingly adorable blonde named Caroline who definitely kept you on your toes before returning to New Orleans to pursue another blonde who wasn’t so adorable but somehow managed to understand the madness within your mind Cami, I believe she was called.” Nathaniel said in detail making it clear he’s been keeping tracks on his former love.

“Wow that’s quite the detailed account on my love life there.” Klaus responded with a laugh. “No wonder my daughter believes you’re obsessed with me.”

“Teenagers these days,” Nathaniel scoffed. “They believe in such nonsense.”

Before Klaus had a chance to respond to Nathaniel’s denial Rebekah vamp sped in front of them holding onto to Bonnie while doing so clearly both looking terrified.

“What the bloody hell are you two doing together?” Rebekah asked while continuing to hold Bonnie up.

“What the bloody hell happened to you?” Klaus asked Bonnie.

“Don’t tell me you…” Nathaniel began to say to Rebekah.

“I did yes.” Rebekah responded finishing Nathaniel’s sentence for him.

“And now he’s…” Nathaniel replied.

“Yes, and your worshipers are once again dead although more permanently this time.” Rebekah revealed.

Suddenly Augustus was the next to appear in front of all four of them within a puff of black smoke.

“That took a little more power than I thought it would.” Augustus said while shaking a little making it clear he wasn’t quite at full strength yet.

“Okay now is time for everyone to get out of here!” Nathaniel shouted while looking at his father with hatred in his eyes.

“Hello son.” Augustus replied with a wicked smile.

“We can help you.” Klaus told Nathaniel.

“Hope’s already helping me now get away while I hold him off.” Nathaniel snapped making them listen to him before Klaus grabbed a hold of Bonnie and him and Rebekah vamp sped out of sight.

“See I never would’ve let such power slip away you definitely don’t live up to the legacy I’ve created.” Augustus scolded him while walking towards his son.

“What legacy?” Nathaniel asked with a mocking laugh. “Nobody even knows our kind exists because you killed most of us. The only legacy you’ve created is being a terrible father.”

“Didn’t expect you to be as confident without any homemade friends protecting you.” Augustus replied.

“Yeah well I’m all powered up father.” Nathaniel responded before raising his hand and chanting in the dead Malus style language forcing Augustus to fall to his knees and begin letting out a series of agonizing screams.

“You’re not powerful enough to beat me you never have been!” Augustus shouted in between his series of screams.

“I don’t need to be powerful to beat you in fact the key to beating you lies in a realm with no power at all.” Nathaniel admitted before continuing to chant in the dead language.

Hope continued chanting in Croatian while holding out her hands clearly feeling the toll of the spell she was casting to enclose Helton from the rest of the world trapping those inside and cutting off magic to the enclosed ghost town as she was surprised by Rebekah and Klaus vamp speeding their way to her side while holding a clearly injured Bonnie up.

“Great everyone’s out now don’t disturb me while I continue to chant and save everyone’s ass.” Hope told them before continuing to chant in Croatian.

“We need to go back and get Nathaniel.” Rebekah stated.

“We can’t,” Bonnie said, “she’s cutting off Helton from the rest of the world and everybody inside the town too.”

“How the hell do you know that?” Klaus asked her.

“I’m a witch I recognize the spell.” Bonnie snapped at him.

Rebekah looked inwards to Helton before letting go of Bonnie making sure her brother had a good hold of her before doing so as Klaus noticed her stare and knew what she was about to do.

“Rebekah you can’t this spell will be finished at any minute.” Klaus warned her. “Rebekah I can’t lose you.”

“I’m sorry brother but I’ve already failed Nathaniel once before I cannot do it again.” Rebekah replied before vamp speeding away towards Helton and towards her friend.

“Rebekah!” Klaus screamed.

“Dad, don’t leave me!” Hope said in between chanting pleading with her father not to follow.

“Nobody’s leaving anyone Hope.” Klaus told her while attempting to hide his devastation as he feared the worst.

Nathaniel stood still gloating with a smug smile looking over his father’s unconscious body knowing he had finally bet his father knowing he had won, and Helton would be their prison for eternity.

“Well done but we should really get out of here no point of you being prisoner too.” Rebekah said after she vamp sped to stand next to him.

“Rebekah you shouldn’t be here.” Nathaniel warned her. “Hope’s spell will soon be finished you need to leave before it ends, or you’ll be trapped here forever too.”

“I’m not leaving without you.” Rebekah replied making herself clear. “I’m not leaving you not again.”

“I’m okay with this being my end.” Nathaniel admitted.

“Nathaniel you may have been alive for a thousand years but getting out of here and leaving him behind is your only true hope of actually getting to live.” Rebekah revealed to him.

“Okay,” Nathaniel said while looking around the town center of Helton before smiling at Rebekah. “Let’s get going.”

Rebekah took the opportunity not willing to waste any time and grabbed a hold of Nathaniel before vamp speeding out of sight heading the hell out of Helton.

Klaus stood there looking inwards to Helton while holding Bonnie up as his daughter Hope continued chanting in Croatian making giving her father a knowing look that signaled her spell was nearing an end.

“Come on Rebekah don’t you dare leave me!” Klaus shouted hoping for his sister’s return and deep down although he’d never admit it Nathaniel’s too.

A sudden gust of wind hit Hope, Klaus and Bonnie knocking them backwards on to the ground and leaving them all unconscious as the spell was complete as the graffiti-ed Helton sign disappeared from out of sight and with it the road to Helton being replaced by trees and forestry.

Rebekah vamp sped to the Welcome to Helton “Hell Town” holding onto Nathaniel only to stop at the sign as the two were left horrified to find nothing in front of them but trees and forestry

“No!” Rebekah screamed. “God damn it there must be somewhere out of here.”

“If the spell is complete then that means we’re not just trapped here but we’re trapped without magic.” Nathaniel revealed to a furious Rebekah. “No magic kind of means no escape.”

“Just for once I’d love to be daggered, hexed, poisoned, possessed or imprisoned.” Rebekah moaned as she spotted Augustus walking towards them from a distance. “At least we have something to torture while we wait for my family to save us.”

“You realize no magic means no vampire powers.” Nathaniel told her.

“I know which is going to make this so much more satisfying.” Rebekah responded with a wicked grin before walking towards Nathaniel.

[moonlightmadnessreviews]

Don’t Look Now

  You know what the air feels like towards the end of September? Where it’s breezy, but not enough to cool you down or whip your hair into your face? That’s what this night was like. I’d left work much later than usual, so even on this summer night, I’d already missed the sunset. There wasn’t a trace of the pinks and purples in the sky that people sit out on their porch to enjoy. Parking spots for paralegals were lined up about 10 or so rows behind that of the lawyers, meaning I had quite a walk back to my car. The parking spots sat in front of a line of thick, tall trees. They looked like bodyguards standing watch over the varying vehicles. I usually didn’t mind the walk back to my car but on this particularly cool night, I’d noticed the light closest to my spot was out. As I saw this, my eyes followed the post downward catching sight of some shattered glass. Instantly, something just didn’t feel right to me.

  My pace quickened and I fumbled inside my bag searching for my keys. Reaching my old Volvo, my fingers finally felt something familiar. Just then I heard a rustling coming from the tree line. I scanned the tree line, unable to tell exactly where the sound had originated, but I could hear what sounded like footsteps, and they were growing louder. My hands were shaking and I could feel the blood pumping harder with each passing moment. I was trying to keep my breath steady and I could feel sweat beginning to bead up on my forehead. As I finally pulled my keys out, I heard the sound again but this time there was no confusion as to the source. The sound was coming from just beyond my Volvo, only a few yards in front of me. I stared into the tree line and heard a loud, phlegm filled cackle. Having been startled, my nervous hands lost their grip and dropped my keys. I bent down quickly and searched for them as I now heard the sound of something exiting the tree line.

  Nerves made 3 seconds feel more like 3 hours and the sprint from behind my car to the door seem like a marathon. My heart was in my throat and I felt like I could hardly breathe as I unlocked the door. Praying my car old car would start, I jammed the key into the cylinder and turned. Nothing. Looking back I know how typical it all sounds; A young lady fearing for her life gets stuck in a car that won’t start up. But in the moment all I could do was slam my fist into the steering wheel, my eyes welling up with tears. Again and again I turned the key, growing more hysterical with each attempt. I could have tried it 100 times in all, but once I finally heard the engine turn over I almost wished it hadn’t. As my lights came on, they shone on the image of a hooded man. He had what looked to be a hammer or an axe in his hand. I could feel the screams already forming in my throat as he began approaching the car. His strides were long and calculated. His form, now free of the flood of light from my car, was a tall silhouette. The screams made their way out of my throat as he began banging on the glass and flashes of light blinded me as I tried to push my body away from the window.

  I screamed until I was sure I would pass out. “The locks! Kim lock the God damn-“ I thought to myself, just as the door swung open. A gloved hand reached inside and grabbed at my wrist, squeezing hard enough for me to hear the leather creaking. My lungs could hardly take in air quickly enough and as I grew lightheaded, my scream grew weaker, dying down in volume. This meant it was just quiet enough for me to hear a familiar sound. Laughter. But this wasn’t the cackle I’d heard earlier. It was a very familiar laugh in fact. I was still seeing stars from the flashes of light, but I could hear just fine, if not better than normal due to my heightened awareness in the moment. “Happy Anniversary babe!” shouted my husband. Scott was laughing and holding back tears, unlike myself who was letting the tears flow freely at this point. My entire body felt locked up and tense in a strange combination of fear, confusion and anger. “I wish you could have seen your face! Wait, you can, but you’ll just have to wait for the Polaroids to develop!”  He stopped to catch his breath, and then continued. “Kim that was so much better than I’d even imagined it would be. How did you not recognize me when the lights came on?”, he said through loud chortles.

  I had been so wrapped up in the case I was assisting on that I’d completely forgotten our 2 year wedding anniversary. Through my tears I finally managed to put together a somewhat coherent string of words. “Scott how the hell?... The lights!... How long where you in the trees Scott?” This was the opportunity he’d been waiting for. He was so excited to give me the details of his plan that he stood with his feet shoulder width apart, knees bent and hands out in front of him as though he was going to pitch one of his movie ideas to a studio executive. “Okay so once you called me to say you’d be late, I figured we wouldn’t be going out to dinner. I thought I’d drive to the florist and come down to surprise you instead. I wound up parking in the client parking just in front of the building, so as I walked back to your car, I noticed the lights by the tree line and the gravel. I started trying to shoot out the closest lights with a couple of stones and then I just waited behind the trees. I couldn’t have been out here for more than… 20 minutes? I’m not sure, it may have been closer to 45 minutes but it was worth it in the end. Oh! The Polaroids are developed! Here! Take a look!”

  My husband Scott was a jerk. Don’t get me wrong, I love him, but being my husband, he knew just how to get under my skin. Scott worked in special effects and had worked on a number of horror movies, as if that were a surprise. He and his brothers were raised on Romero, Carpenter, and King, whereas I was raised on Disney movies. He’d tried to get me to watch some movies with him when we’d first started dating and seeing how I reacted to each scare with an ear piercing scream, he quickly realized he could make a game out of this. It really did bring him great pleasure to see me frightened, no matter how mad I’d get at him afterwards.

  It wasn’t that he couldn’t tell that these tricks didn’t amuse me, he simply didn’t care. On one occasion, he’d placed a fake head in the pantry. The material this severed head was wrapped in looked just like human skin and the blood that oozed out of the mouth sent me stumbling backwards into the wine rack. Having also spilled my coffee all over the floor, a laughing Scott cleaned up, made me pancakes and began brewing another cup of coffee. Scott would put effort into apologizing to me after each of these pranks, but he eventually grew to learn it was better keeping his distance afterwards, unless he wanted to resemble the prop head in the pantry. As mad as I could get, the apologies were simple, but appreciated. The downside was that Scott felt he could get away with this behavior, leading to worse pranks as time went on. If he’d hide in the laundry room with a creepy mask on, he’d cook me salmon for dinner. On one occasion he’d sent me a video of a puppy, along with a caption that read “Did you hear the cute little noise it made at the end? Turn the sound up!” 15 Seconds into the video, the face of a demon popped onto the screen and let out a scream nearly as loud as my own. That earned him a night on the couch, but I ended up with a brand new purse.

  People say that you shouldn’t accept behavior simply because you’ve grown accustomed to it. Over time though, Scott’s behavior began to wear me down, and it was showing. I was tired of this routine, so I decided it was time to have some fun of my own. We were now nearing the end of September and going into Scott’s favorite time of year: The Halloween Season. Fox Hills was a small town, so the costume shops were already opening up. I bought some glow in the dark fangs, a white wig to cover up my big brown curls, and some prop intestines to cover with some of Scott’s homemade prop blood. I’d left everything wrapped in a white dress and stuck it under our bed. I had a leg up on Scott since every now and then I would be long gone by the time he’d wake up for work. Slowly shimmying my way out of bed, I grabbed my “Scare Kit” and crept into the garage. I made sure to unscrew the lightbulb that hung just over Scott’s pickup to help give me just enough cover, then, once my costume was on and I was sufficiently covered in fake blood, I climbed into the bed of his truck. When I finally heard Scott making his way down the hall and into the garage, I tried to be as quiet as possible. I knew that if I gave myself away, there would be no way of me getting a second chance at this.

  The light switch flicked on and off 2 or 3 times and I could hear Scott’s confusion manifesting itself in the pauses between each try. With a frustrated huff, he made his way over to the old Ford. As the doors unlocked with a loud KA-THUNK, I loaded my mouth up with fake blood. The stuff tasted horrible and I grimaced as I accidentally swallowed some. The old Ford’s engine turned over and that was my cue. I slammed my hands against the glass just behind Scott’s head and let out a scream worthy of a banshee as I spewed the fake blood from my mouth. The look on his face as he saw me in his rear-view mirror was exactly what I’d dreamt of. He let out a scream I didn’t even think he was capable of and punched the horn of his pickup so hard I was surprised the airbags didn’t deploy. I’m sure I lost some of my hearing in that moment but once the horn finally died off, I couldn’t help but laugh hysterically!

  I’d done it! I’d gotten him back for all those times he’d nearly made me wet myself! Once Scott realized what was going on, he couldn’t help but join in my laughter, as nervous as his sounded in comparison. “Kim I could kill you right now!” he screamed. “What goes around comes around.” I said, waving the fake intestines at him. He stepped out of the cab and grabbed my face in his hands. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of you babe. Despite the heart attack I’m in the middle of, I have to admit, you did good.” My cheeks were nearly numb from how hard I was smiling when I saw a look come across Scott’s face. My smile quickly began to fade as I realized just what that look meant. “You do know this means war right?” said my husband. “With Halloween just around the corner, who knows when I could enact my revenge.” Scott’s evil grin curled up at the edges, but softened a bit when he saw the dread on my face. What had I opened myself up to? How could he possibly do any worse than what I’ve been through in the past? Seeing I was already worried, he kissed my forehead and wished me a good day as I climbed out of the truck and headed back in the house for a shower.

  Surprisingly, the next few nights went by without incident. Scott was being extra sweet which only made me grow more and more paranoid. The days turned to weeks and I got more uneasy as the time passed. One night I’d come home to boxes of chocolate waiting for me and Scott laughed as he saw me check each one for bugs or some other kind of rancid trick. A few nights later he took me to the movies and when his truck suddenly broke down on him on a long dark stretch of road, it took him nearly an hour to convince me that his brother’s weren’t going to pop out of the trees with chainsaws. After that night I realized that Scott had switched up his tactics this time and was getting a kick out of seeing just how paranoid and on edge I was, so I decided to let it go and just relax.

 It was Halloween night and my phone rang as I was sitting home alone on the couch.

“Hey babe, I’m sorry I’m calling you so last minute but I’m going to be stuck here on set a little later than I’d anticipated.” said Scott, his voice sounding genuinely disappointed.

“That’s fine. I get it. The food will be in the fridge so feel free to make yourself a plate whenever you get in.” I was disappointed of course, but this wasn’t the first call like this I’d gotten during our marriage. “What do you want me to do with the bottle of wine you bought for tonight though?” I asked.

“Enjoy it. I don’t know when I’ll be home so take it as a sign of my most sincere apologies. I love you Kimmy.”

“I love you, too. Just try not to wake me when you get home. Bye.” I hung up, disappointed to have movie night ruined but not disappointed enough to keep me from opening the bottle of wine. I decided I’d catch up on a few shows I had lingering on my DVR, and let all the stress from my latest case wash away with the night. Now truth be told, I wasn’t really much of a drinker. In fact, I only ever drank if Scott and I were heading out to dinner. Well into the night, I was on my third glass of Merlot and began feeling a little buzzed and more than a little tired. I’d figured I’d hop into the shower to complete my night of relaxation and then head straight to bed.

  Pulling the shower curtain aside, I let the water run for a couple minutes. A nice hot shower always helped me to relax for bed and the last few drops of wine certainly helped. In our shower was a beautifully framed window made out of thick frosted glass. I always loved the way it looked on nights like this, the moonlight adding an otherworldly glow to it. Not wanting to fill the bathroom with steam, my showers were usually on the warmer side, I cracked the window open an inch or two at the top. I undressed and stepped into the tub, sure to let my feet settle as I was feeling somewhat off balance from the wine. I began to shampoo my hair and laughed to myself a bit as I closed my eyes. I had a habit of shutting them as tight as I could to avoid blinding myself, but I would often speed through working the shampoo in and rinsing it out so I could open them back up as quickly as possible. This only got worse after I’d watched “Pyscho” with Scott for the first time. It had obviously left an impression on me.

  I could feel a cool breeze making its way in through the top of the window, only to be stopped dead in its tracks by the steam. The blue moonlight was shining through the window and my eyes, blurred by the running water and wine of the evening, were taking in its beauty. I continued washing off, my dark skin glowing and taking on the look of polished obsidian as the moon shone through the frosted glass. Then, ever so subtly, I noticed the light wasn’t shining through as brilliantly as it had just moments before. “It’s only a passing cloud Kim. No need to start getting yourself all spooked,” I reassured myself. “Just a big passing, autumn cloud.” But there hadn’t been any clouds in the sky just a moment ago, had there? “Just a cloud Kim. Nothing but a cloud.” I said to myself, feeling more confident this time. I smirked at the thought of myself getting all spooked over nothing.

  It was the sound of rustling leaves that shattered my confidence. Rustling leaves and the sound of footsteps approaching my window. A cloud couldn’t make that sound, now could it? Hesitantly, I began to turn my head towards the frosted glass window. My head was moving so slowly, I was sure I could hear my neck creaking like an old wooden door. When my eyes finally fell upon the window, I could make out the outline of a tall man. His lanky figure was accentuated by the backlighting of the moon. He stood there like a statue, cold and stoic, with fewer than 10 feet between us. I heard the rustling again and tried to steady myself as, through my opaque shield, I could see him closing the gap between us. As statue-esque as he’d been just moments before, his strides were long and graceful now. He moved with ease and, though I could hear the crunching of leaves as he approached, he seemed to be floating.

  I felt myself wanting to back away but my body simply wouldn’t let me. “Don’t move a muscle Kim. He might ignore you if you can only manage to stay still.” I said this to myself as if I wasn’t already aware that he could see me thought the frosted glass, if only in distorted shapes. The figure had made it to within a few feet of my window now and I could see it examining me through the glass, it’s head tilting in childlike curiosity. Now I was the one as still as a statue, frozen in fear. With every ounce of will I could muster, I managed to reach behind me and move the shower curtain aside. Though I was sure no man as tall as he was could make his way through the 2 inch opening at the top of the window, I would lock the door to the bathroom from the outside, just to be sure. With the curtain out of the way, the lights from the bathroom were now illuminating his features. Though distorted through the glass, I could make out stringy hair framing his face. I could hear a popping and cracking sound as its willowy chin moved from one side to another, as though adjusting its jaw. His head was tilting back and forth now and I was positive he had a better view of me that I of him. I grimaced and covered myself up.

  Then I noticed the large dark circles around his eyes. My God it looked as though he hadn’t slept in ages. The man seemed to be so tired the dark circles around his eyes drooped down onto his cheeks. Could this be some bum wandering through back yards, hoping to steal some food from an unlocked house? Or could he be looking for more than just a meal? God his eyes… his eyes seemed wrong. How I wished I could just run out of here but his eyes had cemented me in place. The dark bags around them seemed to grow bigger, taking up half his face. They just seemed wrong, unnatural. Oh God. Those were his eyes. Just as his eyes had grown to cover his face, I saw the dark circles disappear as he blinked, the pale face becoming featureless only for the great big circles to reappear again and stare at me. Over the sound of the shower, the water still beating down on the porcelain, I could hear the horrible sound of him breathing. He sounded sickly, his breath shaking as he inhaled. His exhale sounded just as labored, the air whistling as it exited his lungs. I finally managed to take a few steps out of the tub when I let out a deafening scream.

  I’d been startled when the figure slammed his hands against my window. “Go away!”, I screamed, this time my voice not just in my head. “Go away! My husband will be home any minute!” I was lying. “He’ll be home any minute and he carries a shotgun with him in his truck!” Another lie. I just wanted to scare him off, to get him to back away and run back into the woods or wherever it was he’d come from. I was crouched down on the floor now, hiding behind the tub. As I reached in to turn the water off, I glanced up at the hand that had slammed against the window. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I saw a hand nearly the size of my head pressed firmly against the window. A pale shriveled palm adorned with 3 long slim fingers was groping at the glass, almost as though it was trying to grab at it. Almost as though it was trying to grab at me! What the hell was this thing? Where had it come from? I could see what looked like a mouth on the end of each finger. Each one was opening and closing as you’d imagine a leeches mouth to do when it grabs hold of your skin. “I swear to God my husband will kill you when he gets home! Leave me alone! Just leave, Please!” My voice was becoming horse from screaming. I was still crouched on the floor of the bathroom when it now pressed its face against the glass, the big black eyes staring in and blinking, its jaw moving from side to side.

  With nothing between its sickly skin and the glass, I could make out the nightmarish features even clearer now. One feature in particular made me wish I could somehow tear my eyes away. As it adjusted its jaw from side to side, I could see what look like lips folding back. Snarling. They revealed a set of teeth who’s size was only rivaled by those big black eyes. A regular set of teeth this size would have been disturbing, but this thing had a mouth as inhuman as its hands. It had rows of teeth, overlapping one another. But they weren’t sharp, not like a sharks teeth. They looked almost human, though this thing was far from it. They were big and yellowed, flat at the bottom which made them look more like cleavers than serrated knives. The further it’s lips drew back, the more rows were exposed, and just then it began making an awful sound. It was like a tree full of cicadas. The teeth began to chitter, crashing into one another violently enough to be heard. Every now and then it would take a sickly breath in and start chittering its teeth together again, sometimes they’d even click against the glass. All at once, it stopped. It was motionless. It took another deep breath and its attention seemed to be drawn upwards above its head. It looked at the opening at the top of the window and its hand, with its long leech like fingers, began making it’s way through.

  It’s fingers were wrapped in a thin, slimy skin. It was thin enough to make out purple and red veins running the length of its appendage. The leach like mouths at the tip of its fingers opened and closed as though begging for food. Each one was lined with needle like teeth, much different from the ones in it’s mouth. There was a sickly yellow puss oozing from each fingertip and a foul stench beginning to fill the room, something like a corpse left to decay in a hot room. I gagged as the smell grew fiercer. The chittering started up again and I could hear the beast’s sickly breathing, but there was a different tone to it this time. It was more like the sound of a rabid dog who got a hold of a scent it was quite enjoying. The breathing was accompanied by a slurping sound, like it was trying to keep from drooling all over itself.

  I don’t know if it was the fear finally mounting and pushing me or if it was the smell making me nauseous enough I could feel myself swallowing vomit back down my throat, but I jumped to my feet and slammed the window shut, managing to just miss the leach like fingers reaching for me. The beast let out an unnatural shriek, a strange combination of a howl and the shrill cry of a banshee as if coming from two different creatures. Its hand flailed around in pain while I backed up, the figure still howling from behind the window. I began backing up, not even bothering to grab a towel, I had far more to worry about. As my hand grasped the doorknob, the figure began to bash its face against the window. It battered the window again and again, cracks forming in the thick frosted glass. Should this thing break into my home, would anyone come to help me? With the beast shrieking like a wild animal caught in a trap, someone had to have heard it, right?

  I turned to run and heard a crash of shattering glass behind me. As I ran through the hall leading to my bedroom, I could hear glass crunching under its feet. The chittering started again, the sick, ragged breathing, the slurping noise. My wet feet fought for grip against the cold hard tiles, slapping with each step. I made it to my room, slammed the door behind me and hid between my wall and bed. I could hear heavy footsteps approaching, the ragged breathing and cicada’s chittering. I grabbed my pillow from the bed as I sat against the wall, my heart beating in my ears. It was all I could hear. The silence was all I could hear. With my face buried in my pillow, I realized I could no longer hear the breathing, or the footsteps. Was it right outside, simply toying with me or had it gone? Would it try to sneak in through the windows which sit just above my head? As I turned to look out the window, I was half expecting to see that face staring back at me, clearer this time.

  The sound of the rattling door knob shot through the dark and silent room like a shot gun blast. It wasn’t about to let me leave this room. I screamed, hands and face digging deeper into the pillow. The figure threw its body against the door, each thud ringing louder than the last. I could feel my tears and spit soaking into the pillow case, but I couldn’t tear my face out of it. In that moment, it was like a shield to me, and I wasn’t letting go but my heart stopped within the next second. Two cold hands grabbed at me, digging into my shoulders. They shook me violently back and forth, and through my screams, I could hear a familiar voice.    

“Kim! Kim relax! Kim, God damn it, what the hell is wrong with you?” It was trying to fool me! I refused to open my eyes.    

“Kim, please, calm down. You need to stop screaming. What happened to the window?” It couldn’t be Scott, It couldn’t be! But as the hands brought me closer to the voice, I could finally make out my husband’s face through my waterlogged eyes. That thing couldn’t have been Scott- the body, the hands – they didn’t match up. It hadn’t been him. But how could I attempt to explain anything to him… How could I explain it to myself?

  Attempting to gather my thoughts, I felt the words get lodged in my throat. The look in Scott’s eyes told me it hadn’t been him and he wasn’t just playing dumb. No level of special effects prowess could bring that nightmare to life.

“Scott… there was… I was in the shower… It was through the window… The sound was…”

  I looked up. I was frozen in place. The chittering, that disgusting chorus of bugs filled the room. My eyes locked on Scott’s, I could just make out a figure crawling on the ceiling above him. With a beastly shriek, the figure dropped down. My head slammed into the wall behind me and my vision grew blurry. Scott’s screams were the last thing I heard before everything went black.

November 3rd , Fox Hills, NY-

   A Fox Hills woman is being questioned by authorities in the suspected butchering of her husband on Halloween night.  Kimberly Allen, 28, was found naked and laying in a pool of her husband Scott Allen’s blood. Mr. Allen, 30, was found dismembered from what looked to be repeated blows from a cleaver, which is yet to be recovered. Mrs. Allen was found unconscious from what is suspected to be a self-inflicted blow to the head, a blow authorities suspect she carried out to help support her story of an intruder. First responders made it to the scene after a concerned neighbor called in what they suspected to be a domestic dispute. The caller, who wishes to remain anonymous, say they called the Fox Hill’s Sherrif’s Department after hearing Mrs. Allen’s screams and what sounded like shattering glass. They did say Scott could be heard yelling shortly after, but exactly what was said is unclear. Mrs. Allen is sticking to her claim that there was no such dispute and Mr. Allen was attacked by an intruder, the true culprit of the attacks on her and her husband, and has in fact asked for higher security outside of her cell. No foreign finger or foot prints have been found at the scene and no other arrests have been made.

  They’ve moved me to the Fox Hills Psychiatric Center. As I sit here now, crying through interrogation after interrogation, all I can do is wonder why. Why didn’t it take me? Was it the sirens? Did the first responders scare it off somehow? I don’t know if anyone will ever believe me. Despite his jokes and cruel pranks, my Scott was a good man. The figure though, that otherworldly abomination, is still out there and I would be foolish to think it won’t find me again somehow. I got lucky that night, as sick as that sounds, but next time, that may not be the case. Next time there may not be sirens or concerned neighbors to scare it off. Thankfully, the authorities have taken my one request seriously. Just this morning, they added another guard outside the door of my room, and two guards just outside the frosted glass window that sits above my bed.      

[wannawrite]

[ one : the painter ]

19 / 05 / 10 ; jihoon’s safe haven

Is my existence on earth really such a big mistake?

Jihoon's back ebbed with pain. Cold, red blood spilt throughout his uniform like an epidemic as he propped one shaky hand on the floor, struggling to rise to his feet. With eyes narrowed defiantly at the three towering figures in front of him, Jihoon saw everything.

He laughed.

As if he were a sculpture, Seungcheol's fingers had carved into his skin sharp, double edged battle scars. A smirk had curved onto the older's face at the very sight of those things revealing themselves on the younger's soft, pale skin. They were Seungcheol's faithful, unwavering palettes, and they only existed to serve a single colour-the colour of pain.

Yet, this colour was the very source of Seungcheol's bright, heartthrobbing smile.

To girls, at least. Jihoon found it absolutely revolting.

Seungcheol, being the school's 'bad boy', had always resented art class with a fiery venegance. He had gotten grades no higher than an F, which was probably the result of his bad behaviour. However, Jihoon seemed to be an exception. His personal little puppet which he manipulated and toyed with, almost if he was having fun.

And so, Jihoon laughed. In his trembling, sickly monotone he laughed for all he was worth, whilst clambering to class with a hunched back. The laughs grew to increase in volume at the sight of Seungcheol's reaction, whose jaw had dropped in shock at the loud, triumphant sounds of joy ringing in his ears.

Before Seungcheol decided to make a run for it, a small, powerful fist grabbed hold of his collar. The older would normally escape from this quickly, but the element of surprise wasn't going to fail Jihoon just yet. Panic rose to Seungcheol's strapping, well built chest, and inwardly, his blood was boiling. He stared up at the younger with the anger of defeat, which only lifted the corners of Jihoon's lips to its max. Slowly, his eyes shut at the pain that choked his neck like a leash-under a circumstance where he was deprived of oxygen, even the strongest of people would crumble under its wrath.

He never thought he'd see the day where Jihoon would escape from his clutches.

He never thought he'd see the day where he was wrapped around Jihoon's little finger.

Like literally, Jihoon's hands were incredibly small, and the fact that he was pinning down a 55kg, muscle-made boy was just humiliating.

"Yah, Seungcheol-hyung! I've won." Seungcheol's boiling, brown eyes forced itself open to face a giggly Jihoon. A malicious smirk playing on his lips, Jihoon added, "It took you 15 whole minutes to paint me red, but it took me less than a minute to make your face go white."

A release of Jihoon's small, balled up fists sent Seungcheol's large, strapping figure crumpling to the floor.

His milky, lost eyes seemed to be in a daze after using up all his strength-the older's weight had took quite a toll on his fingers.

How annoying.

With great might Seungcheol forced his entire being back up again. His eyebrows were arched, and his face was tinted with the darkest shade of cherry. No one had aroused him this much before. His beagle eyes stared down Jihoon with the pure look of disgust, but the smaller boy stood there, unfazed.

"Hit me all you want, Seungcheol. I shouldn't have to cry and breakdown  just because that's what you want. You aren't my father, right?" Jihoon spat smugly.

Seungcheol quickly took chase after his junior, in which Jihoon reacted quickly. However, he was done. Done with being the victim, done with losing the battle with every passing day. He fought back the tears spinning in his eyes as he tried to find some way to escape from this dire situation.

I never deserved to be treated like this. No one does. Jihoon had started to weep as he sprinted, but from the deeper, neglected ends of his heart.

He would never cry in front of Seungcheol again. He had promised himself.

And Jihoon had never broke a promise.

From his blurry, peripheral vision, his gaze stumbled onto a school staff repainting the wall on the other corner.

Pleasure bubbled in his chest, for the pain that had once resided there was finally free to go. His smirk angled up further, and before Seungcheol could do anything else, his face-oh wait, no, his entire being - had thrown on a rather cheery shade of dark green.

Bitter, just like your soul, Jihoon snickered to himself as his eyes fell into small, condescending moons. His adrenaline soared with joy at the sight of Seungcheol getting beaten to a pulp, and Jihoon laughed harder. Seungcheol's accomplices? Nowhere to be found.

"Lee Jihoon! What are you doing to your schoolmate-" the staff cried in her croaky, granny voice, eyes scanning the scene with a look of indignance and slight horror. But of course, Jihoon cut her off.

He took two, precarious steps towards the exit of the school, and with all his might, squeezed out his most beeseechingly innocent smile, "Seungcheol, using the colour red is rather unoriginal, don't you think? Dark green looks a lot better on you."

With that, the boy fled from the school with quick, hurried footsteps, raising an arm to shield his tears from the prying eyes of the public.

Jihoon had left the poor school staff with two things: a large, unpleasing blob to clean up, and possibly, another name marked down for detention.

But with Seungcheol?

Only one thing remained-an unforgettable, bitterly learnt lesson.

Jihoon ran for what seemed like eternity, until he arrived at his usual spot-a large, lushy grass patch with a beautiful view of the sky-and sobbed.

He had won the battle with Seungcheol-but had undeniably, lost the war with himself.

Look at the sky, look at the sky... The vast expanse of the limitless, blue body had always offered a sense of peace to Jihoon's worn out mental state. It seemed to shrink his problems away-making them look so small, so insignificant compared to the galaxy out there.

But today, his sky was clouded with tears. It always was.

Jihoon's black locks sprawled out in between the grass as his head lulled backwards. His eyes fixated on the cool, big blue, and almost instantly, it cleanly occupied every corner of his eyes. The light tint of the sky seemed to embrace his figure, the trees, the houses lining the street-everythimg around him in one big hug.

His chest, which rose and fell in waves slowly stopped to a halt. The light, gentle wind stroked his skin and caressed his scars. It played around with the edges of his red splattered uniform-lifting its corners and revealing his small, soft tummy.

For the first time today, Jihoon let out a genuine, light-hearted laugh as he pulled down his shirt shyly, afraid that someone would see him in such a state. No school, no bullying...he wished to the ends of the earth, that he could just lie here forever, and...

The sky was his best friend, and he was certain it would remain that way.

Enveloped in a blanket of wide blue, soothing serenity, Jihoon was quietly sang to sleep, by the sound of the wind whistling gently in his ears.

_________

wow !! much depressd !1!1!

uwu seungcheol is a meanie >:( (no pun intended)

- admin N

[royalromancefanfic]

Chapter 4

Leonie’s POV

Saturday night

“Coming!” I yelled as I dried off my hands on a tea towel and ran towards my front door. I was completely flustered, as I’d ran out of time. I’d spent way too long over at my parents place, trying to get some special recipe from maman - only for her to tell me to ‘be modest’ and make something simple. I then spent a while cleaning up around the house and making sure everything was in its rightful place. I hadn’t had a chance to get ready. I’d just showered, washed my hair and scrunched my curls into place.

I opened the door to find Harry in a dark blue shirt, casual jeans and some boat shoes. The colour of his shirt worked well against his hair red locks. Behind him were two big guys, dressed casually in all black. Security I’d guessed. 

“Hey.” He smiled, leaning in and giving me a kiss on both cheeks. I felt my cheeks tingle slightly. The smell of his woody fragrance instantly hit my nostrils. I revelled in it for a second. I soon noticed he had a bottle of wine in one hand and some tulips in another. I wasn’t a flowers kinda girl, but the sight of them made my cheeks bruise.

“Hey,” I replied feeling completely flustered and embarrassed at the fact that I hadn’t had a chance to get ready. “Come in...” I opened the door that led into my house much wider. 

“Don’t worry, they’re not staying.” He pointed to the two guys behind him. “That’s Josh and that’s Scott. They’re my protection officers.” He pointed them out. One was dark haired and about 6 ft 2 and the other was more a slimmer, 6 ft dirty blond. I imagined that they both brought different things to their role. “Guys, this is Leonie.”

We exchanged hellos and pleasantries. “Can we do a sweep of the house?” The Scott guy asked. “We’ll let ourselves out after.”

I stood unsure of what to make of his security. “Ummm... yeah sure.” I guessed they couldn’t be bad people if they were protecting a Prince. I walked into the lounge with Harry following me. 

He began looking around, taking it all in. “This place looks amazing,” He complimented looking at some of the artwork on the walls. “Really warm.”

“Bet you never thought you’d see yourself in Battersea.” I teased. It wasn’t exactly a palace. 

He stopped himself from getting lost in one of the paintings and chuckled. He chuckled because he knew I was right. It wasn’t the side of London he was used to. “You’ve got a really nice house.” It was a spacious recently renovated 3 bedroom, with a lovely garden. And my street was actually quite quiet.

I had chosen to live South of the River for the greenery and mash-up of cultures South London hosted. I could hide out in Clapham on a bar crawl, dance the night away in Brixton or go for a long stroll in Battersea Park, without having to go more than 15 minutes in either direction. My family had settled in Chelsea, due to the close proximity of the French embassy. The funny thing was Papa’s job had landed my family closer to Harry’s world than mine. It was no wonder he and I had never crossed paths.

“I hope you like red.” He presented the wine and flowers he still had in his hands. 

I looked down at the gifts and took them off of him. “You didn’t have to... Thank you,” I motioned for him to take a seat on the sofa. “Sorry - I completely lost track of time. Haven’t even managed to get ready.” I looked down at my apron and laughed lightly. I wanted to make an effort. “I’m sorry. I look terrible.” I expressed defeated. I knew I’d had better days.

“You look cute.” He shook off my words. “And your hair looks great curly. I like it.” He smiled.

“Still damp...” I admitted. “I’ll put these away.” I held up his gifts. 

“Do you need any help in there?” He got up to walk with me to the kitchen.

“No...” I fanned him off. “You’re a guest. Don’t be silly. Stay here and relax.” I went off to the kitchen. By the time I’d got there Josh and Scott let me know they’d be taking a look at the living room and then would be gone. 

By the time I’d walked back into the living room I noticed Harry had taken his shoes off and lined them up by the front floor. I laughed as I looked down at his stripey blue socks. I appreciated the action. “I just noticed you don’t have any shoes on and I felt bad for having my outdoor shoes on.” He paused. “I have the same ‘no shoes’ rule at my place, and I’d hate for someone to mess up my cream carpet.” He smiled before winking at me.

He had such a cheeky smile. I wondered if he knew about how infectious it was. 

I handed him a glass of wine. “Want to come over to the table? Starter’s ready.” I invited him into the dining area, which was an open space adjacent to the kitchen. He perched himself one of the chairs at the table and sat watching me. Somewhat admiring me, I felt.

We started with smoked salmon with prawns and a creamy lime vinaigrette. For our main we had slow-roast lamb shanks, carrots, and asparagus on a bed of mash. 

“That was delicious. Really good,” Harry said moping up what was left on his plate. “You’re a great cook.”

“I tried.”

“Best home-cooked meal I’ve had in a while.”

“You live in a palace!” I laughed. “I’m sure you have had better dinners.” I knew he was only saying what he was to flatter me.

“We don’t have access to the kitchens all the time. It’s only Gran and Pa that have access to personal chefs.” He explained. I found it funny how the Queen of England was simply referred to as ‘Gran’. He continued on: “I had a pot noodle for dinner last night.” He pulled me a face, making me immediately laugh. “Hardly fine dining.” He took another swig of his wine. “Mmm... yeah,” He stopped to palate the wine. “...that was really good.”

I conceded to the compliment. “Thank you,” He grabbed my plate, placed it on top of his and went to the sink. “What are you doing?” I asked as I watched him. “You cooked, so I’ll wash up.” He looked around. “Just when you tell me where everything is.” He turned around to face me and smiled.

“It’s fine.” I said. “I’ll do it.”

“Honestly. I insist. If you don’t let me... I’ll-” He paused. “I’ll leave?” He laughed lightly. “I don’t want to leave, but you get my point.”

I hadn’t expected him to be so self-sufficient. I don’t know what I’d expected from him, but I certainly didn’t expect the Prince of Wales to be washing up after himself, let alone me. “Alright, alright - the dishes are all yours.” I got up from my seat and walked over to him, whilst still holding his gaze. I gently tapped his side for him to move over. I grabbed the marigolds, sponge and washing up liquid from under the sink.

“Where are all the dishes?” He looked around. 

“I tidy as I go.” I smiled, looking across at him. “So there’s only those few dishes and the tray the lamb was in.”

He nodded. “Damn! You’re so tidy.”

“I should make a bit of an effort.” I took my apron off and placed it on him playfully. “Let me freshen up.” I quickly went off to my room to get changed. 

I didn’t have enough time to go flown-blown ‘date night’ sexy. I settled with making myself look halfway decent. I needed to look somewhat attractive. I did actually like the guy.

I changed into a grey casual, button up top and a black A-line skirt. I didn’t bother with makeup - instead re-moisturised and put on some body luminizer. I brushed my then, almost dry hair up into a curly bun. By the time I’d walked back into the kitchen Harry was on his last dish. He almost dropped it, as he was too busy staring at my legs. “You’re glowing...” He mumbled out loud and then shook his head - I guessed he hadn’t intended to spill out his thoughts.

I chuckled at him, before posing a question. “Do you like chocolate?” I asked not realised how it sounded until I’d said it. 

He smirked and nodded. “I’d be silly not to.” He licked his lips.

I went over to the fridge and pulled out some milk and dark chocolate salted caramel truffles. “Dessert?” I offered.

“Sounds good to me.” He smiled before finishing off the last dish.

We made our way to the living room to have our dessert. We paired the truffles with some port that balanced out the salty-sweet taste we got from the chocolate.

After dessert we sat around talking for a while. 

“What’s that?” Harry asked picking up a red plastic circle from my coffee table.  It looked to have been wedged between pages of a glossy magazine. He peered at it.

I picked it out of his hand and examined it. “Oh, it’s from Connect 4... Chrissy and I were playing the other day, guess I missed that when tidying up.” 

“You have Connect 4?” He asked, his eyes going wide. He sat up on the sofa wide eyed.

My cheeks bruised. Was that sad? Does anyone play real games anymore? I answered hesitantly. “...uh, yeah.”

“I love Connect 4!” He said, surprising me. “I’m a big fan of board games. That’s all I ever played at boarding school and then in the army it’s cards and board games...”

I laughed. Not expecting that completely. “Do you want to play?”

“Sure,” He said excitedly. “I mean if you’re ready to lose!” His competitive edge came out. 

“You mean if you’re ready to lose.” I nudged him. “Let me go grab it.”

We played excitedly for a three rounds, with Harry completely beating me in the first two rounds. I won the last, although I think he could see the frustration in my face and let me win. As much as he spoke the hardest about crushing me, he never gloated once he won. I then learnt that he was kind.

We sat around speaking about the most random things for a while. We hadn’t even realised how time had gone so quickly. Soon it was time for Harry to leave. Our night was ending. 

“Thank you for tonight. Dinner was great. Connect 4 was good fun.” He beamed. “You’ve even got good chat.” He said cheekily. “Not just a pretty face.”  We walked over to my front door.

I gasped fake-offended. “Same could be said about you, Wales.”

“No, but seriously...” He kneeled down to put his shoes back on. “I had a really great time.”

“Uh huh?” I nodded, questioning him slightly.

“Uh huh.” He repeated, answering and confirming that as a ‘yes’. He stood up and for a second I realised I had leant too far forward - we were now in each other’s personal space. 

I realised we were about to have a little moment, and immediately tried to break out of it. I reached for the front door and opened it. “Glad you had a great time.”

He walked over and leaned into me. I could smell his lovely woody fragrance once again. He froze for a second staring into my eyes, before his cheeks bruised. His blue orbs grew wide with wild desire, but I couldn’t quite hold the intense gaze. My eyes fell bashfully. He took it it as a sign. He settled his right cheek against my right cheek, pecking me lightly, before kissing the other. “Thanks again, Leonie.” It seemed like he wanted to kiss me, but then decided against it - he didn’t want to push it. He rubbed the top of my shoulder affectionately, before making his way out the door.

I felt stupid at that second. “Call me.” I called after him, trying to apologise for letting my eyes fall. I felt like a little kid again. He turned to look at me and smiled widely, knowing that that was my subtle way of letting him know that I wanted to see him again soon. 

“I will.” He called back, before disappearing into the sleek black Mercedes that stood waiting for him outside.

[jordan-maldez]

Challenge One

Growing up, I had seen pictures of the palace in magazines like Illea Illustrated. However, we rarely did we see the rooms. Which is why my jaw drops a little when I walk into my living quarters for the next - well, however long I’m here for. I’m not one that is easily amazed, but the room does it for me. First of all, it’s almost the size of my house. Not to mention that it is beautifully decorated and topped off with a 4-poster bed in the middle.

I pull myself together, when I realize that there are three other girls in my room. They’re either stalkers or my maids, but by the looks of their attire, I am guessing that it’s the latter.

One of them steps forward eagerly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Lady Maldez. I am Holly,” she says, “And this is Chloe and Rose. We will be serving as your maids during your time at the palace.”

I smile. “It’s nice to meet you too, and please, just Jordan will be fine.” They nod in agreement at that last part.

The one introduced as Rose is next to speak. “Would you like us to walk you through your schedule and regular procedures Lady- I mean- Jordan?” Her voice as eager as Holly’s. I smile before giving a short yes.

“Okay, well your stylists have already gotten you ready for the rest of the day, but for the rest of your stay, the three of us will be handling that.” Rose explains.

“There’s a variety of the finest dresses and makeup products.” Chimes in Chloe, gesturing to a large door that I assume is the closet.

I nod, a polite smile on my face. I a whole lot s but I have never been against it. They lead me over to the bathroom door. As the door swings open, I am once again in shock. The bathroom alone is about the size of my room. There are beautiful marble countertops and a large tub is tucked away in the corner. I look into the mirror that spans the length of one of the walls, then realize that I seem to have tuned out from what Rose was saying.

“So yeah, that’s pretty much it. You are free to roam the palace for a little while, as long as you steer clear from the Royalty bedrooms.” Rose finishes.

“Sounds great.” I answer, stepping out of the bathroom. I make my way over to the bed and lie down, which I discover is the most comfortable bed in the world.

“I think I’m going to take a nap for a little bit. It’s been a long day.” I tell my maids. They nod, all of them leaving except for Chloe who has to stay with me. I pull the covers over me and fall asleep instantly.

~One Hour Later~

My eyelids flutter open. I look at the clock on my nightstand and see that it is only 1 PM. It feels like it should be at least 8 PM. With a long sigh, I get out of bed. Chloe quickly rises from her chair.

“Would you like me to redo your hair?” She asks.

“Sure.” I reply, deciding that I will go and do a bit of exploring.

I sit down in front of the bathroom mirror while Chloe grabs a brush. She gently pulls the bobby pins out of my hair and then runs the brush through it.

In a few minutes, my hair is brushed and half of it is pulled back. I put on my grey heels and step into the hallway, deciding to go down the staircase to my right.

As I make my way down the staircase, I hear voices of some of the other girls. I soon see other selected. They spot me and smile. We quickly introduce ourselves. It seems as though I’ve come across Misty Lane, Eloise Duval, and Avalyn Cadly.

“We are headed to my room, would you like to join us?” Asks Misty. I guess I might as well make some friends while I’m here.

“Sure, why not.” I respond, as I go to walk with them.

We go to Misty’s room and talk about everything from heels to hobbies. After a jam session and photo shoot, I head back to my room.

When I open the door, I find my maids cleaning, despite the fact that the room was already in pristine condition.

They stop for a moment. “Is there anything we can do for you Miss Jordan.” asks Holly. I wince a little at the title, but I guess it’s a good compromise.

“No thank you, Holly.” I reply. I plop myself down on my bed, and decide to open my bag. I pull out some pictures of my family and friends and see one of me and Megan. Her words begin to haunt me once more. You jump from guy to guy not even thinking about the future.

She’s right. I’ve always been the kind of person that lives in the moment. I try not to focus on the future, because I don’t know what will happen. I’ve never really liked the unknown, and the future is the greatest Unknown out there. Thinking about the future leads to fantasizing about the future, and I have come to find that fantasizing about the future, just leads to disappointment. I stare at the picture for a little while longer before I decide to distract myself the best way I know how.

I walk over to the violin over by the table and open up the case. My brother and I share the one at home, so I wasn’t able to bring it. I look at the beautiful instrument in front of me. It’s covered in dark wood, with streaks of lighter wood striping the body. I play a little song that I wrote a few months ago. From the sound of it, the bow and strings are new. I play and play and play, and all of my worries leave me.

After what seems like twenty minutes I put it away. I look at the clock on and see that I’ve been playing for two hours, not twenty minutes. Time flies. It’s about 9 o’clock and I decide to go to bed. Nine is early for me, but I have a busy day tomorrow.

Holly, Chloe, and Rose get me ready for bed and soon I am enveloped in comfortable sheets, awaiting sleep. I close my eyes, and try my hardest to sleep, but the thoughts come rushing back. Wow Megan, thanks for all this. I can’t take it anymore. The only way these thoughts are going to leave is if I think about them. I get out of bed and put on a silk robe. I tell Rose, the maid on duty, that I’m going for a walk.

I step out the door and feel the soft carpet beneath my feet. I take a left, having no specific destination in mind. Future, future, future. I think, hugging the robe to my body in attempt to stay warm. Husband. Settling down. Kids. I’m not 100% sure what I want. At the moment, I’m fine with not having a long term relation, but the thought of being alone when I’m older isn’t as enticing. Truthfully though, the thought of a husband and a family scares me sometimes. Because life sucks,and you never know what will happen.

I like the idea of promising to love someone for the rest of your life and laughing babies and family game nights. It’s the other side of all the happiness that scares me. All of the pain and loss that comes with all of those things. I remember how crushed my mom was when my dad died. She just shut down, forcing my brother to become the head of the family. After a long while, she got better, but I don’t know if I could deal with going through that myself. My siblings and I loved our dad with all of our hearts, but our mom loved him deeper than we could ever imagine.

I yawn and decide to head back to my room when I see another person out in the hall. I am surprised to see that it’s not one of the selected, but Max, the youngest Schreave sibling.

“What are you doing here?” I ask him.

He spins around, a smirk painted on his face. “Why, looking for you, of course.” He says, winking at me. I internally roll my eyes at this statement, highly doubting that those were his intentions.

“Do you even know my name?”

“Duh, you’re…” He taps on name plate on nearest door, “Melody.”

I give a slight smile. “Not even close.” I tell him.

He leans against the nearest wall. “Give me a hint gorgeous.”

“It’s Jordan. And shouldn’t you be hitting on girls closer to your age?”

“Depends,” He answers, “How old are you?”

“I’m 19.” I state.

“Well, Jordan, lovely name by the way, I’m 15. That’s not much of a difference.”

“It is when one of the people is supposed to be dating the other’s brother.”

“No one ever said love was easy. Ours is forbidden.” He counters. I have to say, this kid is persistent. Well, while I’ve got him here, I’ll at least have some fun.

“Forbidden, huh?” I say, in a subtly flirtatious voice.

“Like Romeo and Juliet.”

“Well, I do love Romeo and Juliet…” I slightly bite my lower lip.

“Did my heart love till now?” He says, quoting Shakespeare. Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.“

”My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words Of that tongue’s utterance, yet I know the sound.“ I answer, also quoting the famous writer. I wasn’t lying when I said I loved Romeo and Juliet.

”I’d say more but that’s all Brooks taught me.“

”Well maybe I should be looking for Brooks.“ I expect him to panic, but he surprisingly doesn’t crack.

”Woah woah woah, don’t go to that geek. He lacks my charisma and charm, baby. Everything you need is right here.“ He gestures to himself.

”I don’t know. Shakespeare is pretty charming if you ask me…“

”And you’re simply pretty to me.“ What does this kid do in his free time that he can come up with these things so quickly?

”You’re not too bad yourself.“ I reply, staring into his eyes.

”Are you a magician? Because whenever I look at you everyone else disappears.“ It takes all of my effort to not roll my eyes. I’ve never really been one to fall for cheesy pick-up lines.

I take a step towards him. ”You’re sweet.“ I tell him, giving a small smile.

”I am?“ He asks excitedly, beginning to blush. I nod and go even closer to him.

I set my hand on his shoulder. ”You are indeed, Max.“

He glances at my hand and gets a mischievous look. ”Max? That’s such a child’s name. Call me Maximus.“ He then continues to wink again.

”Alright, Maximus.“

”So… Jordan, Was your father a thief?“

”No, why?“

”Cause someone stole the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes.“ I wonder how many of these he has memorized.

”Did the sun come out, of did you just smile at me?“ I reply, using one of the pick-up lines that guys have used on me in the past.

”Important question, are you religious?“

”Not really.“

”Me neither, but you’re the answer to all my prayers.“ I can’t take anymore pick-up lines.

”Are you Max Schreave?“ I ask, ”Because you’re 14 years old and the brother of the guy I’m supposed to date. Sorry little buddy, but I’m off limits to you.“ And with that, I begin walking back to my room.

I hear him call out behind me. ”I’m 15, does that help?“

”Not a bit!“ I give a little wave, and then shut my door.

I climb in my bed and pick up an old picture of my mom and dad. I set it, along with the rest of the pictures on my night stand. Then, I fall into a dreamless sleep.

~The Next Day~

I wake up to Rose gently shaking my shoulder. ”You half to wake up Miss Jordan.“ She says to me,

”You have a big day ahead of you. I roll over and look it my clock. It’s 6 in the morning. This is much earlier than I am used to. I roll out of bed and my maids immediately take over. They rush me into a bath and then blow dry my hair. The next thing I know, I’m in a light pink and black dress, my hair is done, and my makeup is on. Finally, they sit me on the bed and slip on my heels.

“Good luck today, Miss Jordan.” Chloe says to me as she clasps my final shoe.

“Thanks, Chloe.” I reply, “Thanks to all of you. I definitely could not have done this on my own."

”It was no problem, Miss Jordan. You are a very fun person to have around!“ Holly tells me, as Rose, who is more reserved, nods in agreement.

”You guys are great.“ I say, standing up. ”Well I guess I should go now.“ I open the door and walk down to the great room.

I arrive at the tables and take my place in between Aada and Stephanie. Not long After I sit down, a woman enters the room and begins speaking.

”Good morning, ladies, I trust you all slept well. My name is Collette Bennett and I am the royal planner. My job is to instruct you ladies on the proper etiquette for your stay in the palace. There will be no back talking, no disobedience, and absolutely no unladylike conduct. This includes sabotage and gossip. If you respect me and listen to what I say, we will not have a problem.“ The lady sounds like a real hoot.

”Now,“ she continues, ”I am going to teach you all a proper curtsy.“ She curtsies deeply, ”You will do this as you greet a royal or anyone of importance. Prince Nathaniel will call each of you one by one for a short interview. You will address him as ’your highness’ and curtsy, unless he says otherwise. After you’ve learned your greetings, we will get into the dining portion. Now, let us begin.“

We finish faster than I thought we would, and one by one, Nate calls us down for interviews. I can tell that a lot of the girls are nervous, sitting in their seats and fidgeting. I have never really been nervous around people, no matter their caste or job. A few minutes later, I hear my name called and I head over to a couch where the Prince his waiting.

He stands up and gives a small bow. ”Hello Lady Jordan, I’m Prince Nate.“

I curtsy, remembering what Collette taught us. ”Hello Prince Nate. Jordan will be fine thank you. No need for the ’lady’.“

”Got it, Hello Jordan, how are you doing?“ He asks me, sitting back down.

”I’m fine I guess, a little tired though.“

”Oh did you not sleep well?“

”Not really. I was up late thinking. Plus walking around in heels all day is very tiring.“

”I can say that I was up late last night too and that heels are tiring.“ He replies, laughing.

I laugh too, surprised at what he just said. ”Late night and heels? You have some interesting hobbies.“

He smiles. ”I have to two sisters and one very into fashion, I have worn a good amount of heels in my day.“

”Good to know.“ I say, returning his smile.

[mlbrinkworth]

Day 7: We've got this

Day 7: Today our safari started at 5:45, a bit early, but if we wanted to spot that leopard, we had to get rolling. I should clarify that these searches are still my favorite part of the safaris. Everyone is working together and it adds a nice level of drama. It was another amazing game drive. We saw all the usual suspects in addition to a few new birds, but who really cares about birds?

Thirty minutes into the drive, we came across a challenger to our assumed dominance over the animal kingdom. A large white rhino appeared in the middle of the trail, and decided we were not going further down this road. Mark doesn’t put up with any bullshit from the animals, and he had no intention of backing down here.

We started to the left and the rhino turned, ppsnorting heavily. We reversed, sat briefly, and slowly moved to the right. As the rhino passed our 9 o'clock, he charged. Mark reacted instantly (those blue eyes don’t miss a thing) and gunned it past, while the rest of us, with humorously slow reaction times in comparison, screeched in unison. There is no way to know which of these reactions satisfied the territorial rhino, but Mark can’t prove it wasn’t the cacophony coming from the group. Rhinos can charge at up to 40 miles per hour, and we certainly felt that was his plan.

Mark got a call over the Walkie talkie, the ingwe (the Zulu word for leopard) had been spotted crossing the street up closer to the lodge. Mark (the most interesting man in the world as the group has voted his new nickname) took off over the very rough terrain going what felt like 100 km/hr. We were far from the place where the ingwe (I’m fully immersing myself in the native culture obviously) had been spotted, and we were going so fast over rocks and around corners it felt as if the land cruiser might actually roll. Unfortunately, Mark got another walkie message over Channel 2 (where the guides talk about the special sighting, normal sightings of the easy to find animals come over Chanel 1) that they had lost visual. The safari vehicle went back to a normal speed as we started yet another search for the elusive leopard. No such luck.

We did come across an entire hill side filled with baboons though, and got to watch these guys jump around for a bit.

We had another delicious breakfast, and then left for a self drive in Hluhluwe National Park. We wanted to see how our tracking skills had developed over the week, so that we could accurately update our resumes.

We drove to Hluhluwe National park, bought a pass for the day and a map, and picked a route. Going through the gate they made us step out of the vehicle while 3 men searched the corolla, determining that we were not there to poach the rhino horn and letting us into the park.

We started out confirming our expertise in tracking by finding the bush pig, dodging some Zebra just starting in the road, stumbling upon 4 giraffe (giraffe sightings never get old) and then coming upon a giant herd of buffalo. A little later we spotted a couple rhino in the bushes. then we started climbing the mountain, and driving along the ledge admiring the incredible views. As we got higher up, we saw fewer animals, but the views were worth the temporary sacrifice. On the way down we spotted the wart hog, the impala, the nyala, the crocodile and more rhinos. On the second rhino sighting, Meredith insisted that there was a leopard laying under the tree with the rhinos, but it was another rhino. We aren’t putting that on the resume.

Upon exiting the park, they took one look at me and thought “that dude’s got a big horn”. We again had to have the car searched. The security was satisfied that we still had no rhino horn, and we headed back to the lodge.

Driving to and from these excursions is fascinating. Meredith get to sit and take in everything around us. I get to focus on avoiding a fiery death. Cows, goats and sheep just stand and lay in the middle of the highway. They don’t seem to mind the cars flying around them. There are theoretical herdsmen nearby, but they are often out of sight. Beyond that, people seem to be doing the same thing. They line the shoulder of the road, sometimes sitting, sometimes standing and talking, often hitchhiking inches from the cars traveling at 120 km/hr. We can’t really figure out why they aren’t more careful, especially with the insane driving. Homesites in the area are interesting. They are extremely small, dilapidated and many of them are round rather then square. I can’t imagine any of them have running water. They have breathtaking views, but they would probably prefer water.

We got back to the lodge safely, had another delicious lunch, and got ready for our last safari at Zulu Nyala.

Tonight’s safari was pretty amazing. We got to see rhino, Hippo and zebra in serious arguments (no one was hurt). We even got to see two rhino fight with their very valuable horns. We were curious as to what was causing all the tension. It turns out that baby rhinos are assholes. They were fearless and picking fights left and right, causing their mom to rush to their rescue.

We got to see teenage giraffes fighting with their necks getting tangled together. It was adorable, Although when their heads knocked it sounded pretty painful.

We got to see the very rare black rhino. The black rhino is smaller then the white rhino, and probably the most endangered large mammal in South Africa right now. There are only 5,000 left in the wild. The white rhino and black rhino might hang out together, but the don’t mate because of the size difference (a male black rhino can’t get up onto the female white rhino… and the male white rhino would crush the female black rhino). Mark gave us more insight into the poaching threat they are constantly up against. Poachers used to come in on the full moon, and are often tied to Russian and Chinese organized crime elements in the region. They’ve recently started coming in on the half moon and using the stars for light. Because they typically grew up in the bush, they have about 15% better night vision then we do. The frustrating thing about poachers is that the rhino horn is simply keratin like our hair and nails, and grows back just the same, so they don’t need to kill the rhino to get the horn. In Mark’s steely blue eyes, if they made it legal to harvest the rhino horn, the issue would resolve itself. Currently rhino horn sells for more than cocaine, and it has absolutely no medicinal effect. We ended the night with one last search for the ingwe, to no avail, and called it a night. We went to a quick dinner, exchanged emails with the wonderful members of our safari group, and went off to start packing up all of our clothes which by now are pretty dirty (our makeshift bathtub laundromat has only been somewhat successful). We were very sad this portion of the trip has ended, as every part about it has exceeded our expectations in ways we will never be able to describe.

New sightings: Kingfisher, Grey duiker, Kudu, Bust pig, Vervet monkey, Tawny Eagle

Fun Fact #: The big Cats have tappita (sp?) eyes, which gives them an extra lens that can reflect light. The leopard we are looking for may not have eyes at all. We don’t know.

[almostdiplomatic]

Like almost every other person in this planet with an extra X chromosome, I grew up having a thing for castles. So, naturally, one of the first places my husband suggested we visit outside Berlin was Potsdam.

We went during my mom and her boyfriend’s visit to Berlin so it was sort of a double date. Take note that we’re a family of walkers so this post is going to feature a LOT of walking. In fact, the only ride we took was the S-Bahn going from Berlin to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof then, to the station beside the Sanssouci Park. We originally planned to walk from the Hauptbahnhof but the weather wasn’t cooperating.

When we finally got off the train, it was all walking throughout the day. And I do think that that’s the best way to see this charming city.

The sites re actually close enough to be explored by foot yet far enough to make your FitBit happy enough to give you a high five. Along with that message telling you that you’re over achiever. Yeah, I try to aim for that one. What can I say? I’m competitive.

Getting There

The Potsdam Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) is in the “C” area so make sure you pay for the right ticket. Don’t be tempted to get the cheaper “AB” ones. I’ve seen people get caught by some inspectors and they had to pay quite the sum.

It was quite a gloomy day when we went and there were some showers here and there throughout the day. Germany is famous for its unpredictable weather so even though it’s summer, I would still suggest packing an umbrella and bringing a light jacket. It can be quite nippy after a drizzle.

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From the train station, it’s a seven minute walk to the Neues Palais. We haven’t eaten a full meal yet so we decided to stop by Café and Restaurant Fredersdorf for a bite. The options were quite limited but it was a good meal all the same. The staff were friendly too.

The restaurant also gives you a gorgeous view of the Communs and the Neus Palais. These baroque-style buildings currently house the Universität Potsdam (Potsdam University). It was through this side that we entered Sanssouci Park.

Often referred to as the Prussian Versailles, the grounds were utterly beautiful in the summer. If you’ve been to Versailles in France, you may find Sanssouci to be a little less extravagant. Nevertheless, it’s still has that European grandeur with a bit of German practicality sprinkled here and there – especially in the gardens.

The Neues Palais and the Communs

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The park is humungous. Upon entering it though, I kept thinking how much fun it would be to study at the University of Potsdam and have this park as my campus. 😉 During our visit, they were preparing for an outdoor concert. Thus, there were some tents and seats being arranged in front of the baroque-style buildings.

None the less, the buildings left us impressed. Sadly, we didn’t have enough to explore the interiors as we were on a race against the weather. We had to see more of the grounds before it started raining again. So, off we went towards the North.

Restaurant Drachenhaus

I don’t know if you’ve picked up a couple of Game of Thrones references I’ve thrown your way in this post. Sorry about that as I’m still not over episodes 6 and 7 that came out this week.

Also, it’s a bit of a build up for the Dragon House Restaurant. Will Dany approve? They statues seem to be mini tributes to baby Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal.

It’s actually a former lodge for King Frederick II’s wine grower. The oriental-inspired architecture, modeled off a book.

Orangerieschloss

Following Maulbeerallee, you’ll find yourself looking up at yet another palace. The Orangerieschloss instantly transports you to Italy with its renaissance-style architecture.

The artistically-gifted Frederick IV had it built in the mid-1800s as an addition to his summer residence. Its gardens are gorgeous and paths leading up to it, lined with lush greenery makes it such  a beautiful place to take a stroll.

I skipped taking a photo of it’s main building since there was a lot of scaffolding. Renovations throughout Sanssouci park were in full force during our visit. Will update this with a proper photo after we come back.

A windmill sits on top of one of the hills near Sanssouci Palace. It was originally built in the 1700s but it was destroyed during WWII. The one in Potsdam right now is just a reconstruction of the original that turned based on the direction of the wind.

Sanssouci

Finally, we arrived at Prussian King Frederick the Great’s summer home – Schloss Sanssouci. It’s a lot smaller than the Versailles, to which it is often compared to. It’s more of a single-story villa with gorgeous, Rococo style or architecture. I also loved the elevation of it.

Imagine reading a book in one of the benches while overlooking the gardens. Add a bit of beautiful, sunny weather with a bit of a breeze – then, it’s just perfect. 😉

Oddly enough, the name is in French. It literally means ‘free of worries’ which was Frederick the Great’s vision for the place – a hideaway where he can relax.

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The Church of Peace

A quaint church with a mausoleum is also within the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is the whole of Sanssouci Park. We made sure to stop by and check out the architecture and my favourite bit is the tiered entryway of Heilsbronn Porch.

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We then made our way out of the park because there was, once again, threats of torrential rains. We stopped by a restaurant for dinner and a beer to wait it out before making our way back to the Hauptbahnhof on foot.

The rest of the city

A smaller version of Berlin’s Brandenburger Tor can be found in the city’s Luisenplatz. It also goes by the same name and is at the end of Brandenburger Straße, a street lined with beautiful altbaus housing shops and restaurants. The street also leads up to the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Cue Belle singing “little town, it’s a quiiiiiet village…”

To be fair, we were there on a Sunday when all shops were closed so it truly was quiet that day. There were some restaurants that were open though.

From Luisenplatz, it was a bit of a walk to the train station. We had to skip the Dutch Quarter we so wanted to visit since it was getting late. However, we did pass by the Evengelical St. Nikolaikirche (St. Nicholas Church) at the Old Market Square (Alter Markt).

It’s truly a sight to behold. This massive structure which was heavily damaged in WWII, also holds concerts aside from Church services. The Old Market Square is also worth the time as it also has other buildings surrounding it with gorgeous architecture. There’s a marble obelisk, the Museum de Barberini, and the Old City Hall to name a few.

There you have it, our day in Potsdam. Sadly, we missed a couple of must-sees. Like the Chinese House and even the Schloss Cecilienhof due to time and weather constraints. But that’s all the more reason to come back, right? It’s so near Berlin anyways!

More later!

Love,

Carol

Potsdam Day Tour – Walking Tour Photo Diary Like almost every other person in this planet with an extra X chromosome, I grew up having a thing for castles.

[greatmentalitytheorist]

Ominous, moody, desolate. 

These were the three words that sprang to mind when I touched down on the Galapagos islands after a packed two-hour flight from the Ecuadorian capital Quito.

But on stepping out on to the scorched terrain, far from being desolate, I quickly found a myriad of wildlife waiting to greet me.

Dozens of crabs scuttled out from the rocks, giant pelicans swooped in all different directions, giant tortoises traversed the undulating greenery, while sea iguanas sat basking under the equator-fired sun.

The Galapagos Islands were discovered in 1535 when father Tomas Berlanga, the bishop of Panama, was en route to Peru

Mapped out: The Galapagos islands are located some 600 miles from the mainland of Ecuador (map – Shutterstock)

I’d only been in the Galapagos – some 600 miles from the mainland – less than an hour but it was enough time to see why the British scientist Charles Darwin described the archipelago as being ‘a little world within itself’. Today the spot is commonly referred to as ‘nature’s laboratory’.

Never in my life have I witnessed such an abundance of wildlife.

I had joined nine other people on a new excursion endorsed by famed naturalist Jane Goodall and run by the tour operator G Adventures.

Many in the group were drawn to the region after watching David Attenborough’s series, while I had developed a fascination with the islands after receiving numerous recommendations from explorer-minded friends.

Throughout our nine-day trip – which would take us to three of the 18 major islands – we were accompanied by naturalist Alex Arregui who would be our guide for the duration.

MailOnline Travel’s Sadie Whitelocks joined nine other people on a new excursion endorsed by famed naturalist Jane Goodall and run by the tour operator G Adventures

Nature’s laboratory: Sadie said never in her life had she witnessed such an abundance of wildlife (left, a marine iguana and right, a chirpy mangrove warbler)  

Coming your way! A Galapagos penguin flew past Sadie as she swam in the sea on Floreana Island 

The naturalist grew up on the islands and was extremely knowledgeable about everything on offer.

He revealed how much the islands had changed over the years, with a tourism boom fueling improved infrastructure.

While this has made the area easier to navigate, with speedier boat services connecting the islands, it did fill me with a sense of unease as I watched the tourists flood in.

Catering to this influx there is Wi-Fi across many of the islands, allowing visitors to Instagram to their heart’s content, and there is even a sushi restaurant on the busy island of Santa Cruz, inhabited by 12,000 people.

While it was more built up than expected, the Galapagos still retains something extremely special, if not magical.

On the island of Santa Cruz, we spent the first day visiting the Charles Darwin Centre, which has a turtle breeding program. 

Wise wonders: The Galapagos giant tortoise is the largest living species of tortoise and they can live more than 100 years

Walking back we came across the port-side fish market with giant sea lions pestering fish mongers for off-cuts. Giant pelicans also waited in the wings.

The tour with G adventures includes the majority of meals but don’t expect five-star cuisine.

The food was delicious and homely but fresh produce is in short supply and I found myself craving fruit and vegetables.

Some of the tastier treats I tried were the fresh coconuts and a succulent roast chicken dish.

The accommodation, however, was more appetising. On Santa Cruz we stayed in a super comfortable hotel, with fantastic views over the harbor and aquamarine waters, which glistened in the wild pink sunsets.

Sadie (far left) with some of the rest of the group she was travelling with – they hailed from Britain, Australia and Denmark

Ship ahoy: Sadie looks out to sea on a beach on Santa Cruz – there is a salt mine nearby used by locals

After a night in the small town we embarked on a two-hour boat ride to the more remote – and mysterious – island of Floreana.

En route, the ocean didn’t disappoint. As we chased the dying sun a pod of bottlenose dolphins danced before us. At one point I spotted seven in the water, with one leaping into the air and performing a balletic twirl.

Finally we pulled up at the island, where purple-hued clouds loomed over the volcanic mounds.

Unlike Santa Cruz, this island is barely populated with just 150 inhabitants residing there. Thirty two of these are children, who attend a tiny school just metres from the island’s black sand beach.

It was on Floreana where I had one of my most memorable wildlife encounters in the Galapagos – swimming with sea turtles and a speedy penguin!

Making our way along a path constructed by lumps of lava rock, Alex took us to a sheltered cove where the snorkeling was insane.

The clear waters revealed dozens of stingrays lurking on the white sandbeds, while sea turtles magically glided by. My finger constantly clicked away on the GoPro as things popped up left, right and centre. 

On a boat ride from Santa Cruz to Floreana, Sadie spotted a pod of bottlenose dolphins swimming through the sea

At other times of year and in certain areas, it is possible to spot whales in the Galapagos, too 

Moody: Flying into the Galapagos, Sadie was struck by how ominous and desolate the landscape looked

On land there was also an abundance of wildlife present, including hundreds of blood-thirsty mosquitoes. Venturing into the cloud-covered hills we visited a giant tortoise sanctuary to watch the incredible creatures lumber through the undergrowth, craning their wrinkled heads in search of food.

The word Galapagos is said to come from the Spanish for saddle, because the first settlers thought the giant tortoises looked like crawling saddles.

Along with the wildlife, the history of the Galapagos is fascinating. Tales of pirates, love affairs and, of course, Darwin’s nature discoveries. 

After an epic couple of days on Floreana, the group took another two hour boat journey to Isabela.

British scientist Charles Darwin described the archipelago as being ‘a little world within itself’

Alex revealed to us that this is where he lives while he’s not guiding, with his second wife who moved there from America. She admitted to us that island life takes a bit of getting used to and you ‘definitely have to be comfortable with your own company’.

Isabela is more built up than Floreana but less so than Santa Cruz, with a population of about 1,500.

This island is brimming with sea lions in lieu of Floreana’s feisty mozzies. The beach close to where the boats dock is littered with the dog-like animals, the air punctuated with the sound of them grunting and splashing around.

Several lay lolling on shaded benches, luring in droves of snap-happy tourists. In a bid to explore more of the landscape, we took a group trip up to the Sierra Nevada volcano where we hiked to the top to see the lava crater.

Luckily we got there just in the nick of time, as eerie mists descended and rain began.

Travelling back to the beach front, where the weather was considerably warmer, we instantly threw off the rain macs in favour of swimwear.

While some of the group when on a diving excursion – which wasn’t included in the G Adventures trip and cost an extra $120 – my friend and I decided to explore more of the island.

Alex recommended a hike along the 5km white beach to a jungle of mangroves. Along with the swimming with sea turtles, the mangrove trek was another highlight of the tour for me. It was truly magical wading through the bath-like waters, though snapping twigs caused us to jump.

There wasn’t another human in sight as we lapped up the untouched beauty. One thing that is definitely required during a trip to the Galapagos is some strong sunscreen.

Located close to the equator line, the penetrating sun catches you out and walking back from the mangroves, the back of our legs slowly roasted to a sore shade of bacon-pink.

Sea lions are rife in the Galapagos and often it’s difficult to walk down pathways as they lay scattered around

Sadie captured this image of a turtle in the shallow waters of Floreana. It happily grazed in the corals with a family of fish keeping it company

After 15 minutes or so, the turtle headed off into the aquamarine waters – but there were plenty more turtles to swim with

After two days on Isabela, we bid a fond farewell and set back off to Santa Cruz for our final night on the Galapagos islands.

The town has one bar called the Bongo Bar, which erupts into quite a party as we discovered on the Saturday night.

After all of the nature watching it was fun to let our hair down and attempt the salsa – shots of the local aquidente liquor helped us get into the swing of things.

It was hard to believe the tour was over and all of the group agreed it had been pretty life-changing.

I asked one lady from Wales, who booked on the trip with her husband and sister, if she would return to the Galapagos, and she echoed similar sentiments to others.

She said: ‘I’ve seen it but I will let the nature be still and hopefully the tourism won’t ruin what is so special.’

Luckily, with the collaboration with Jane Goodall, G Adventures is trying to foster locals to be more eco-conscious and preserve what they have.

In the words of Darwin ‘the natural history of these islands is eminently curious, and well deserves attention’ but let’s hope that this attention doesn’t get out of control.

TRAVEL FACTS 

G Adventures has recently launched a nine-day island hopping tour endorsed by world renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall.

The tour starts in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito, with a connecting flight to Baltra in the Galapagos. During the tour, there are overnight stays on the islands of Santa Cruz, Floreana and Isabela. 

The trip starts from £1,699 with flights from London to Quito, via Miami, available with British Airways. All accommodation is included, plus the majority of meals.

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Saturday, February 11th, 2017 – Amaranthe Delivers a Compelling Performance as the Maximalism Tour Visits Dallas

All photos by Jordan Buford Photography Amaranthe rolled into Dallas this night, returning to the stage at Gas Monkey Bar & Grill after a little more than a year since their last visit to the city. This time around they had a new record in tow, the Swedish/Danish groups’ fourth album, Maximalism (out via Universal Music Oy), having been released about four months prior; and this was the second show of the U.S. leg of the Maximalism Tour. While baffling, the fact that the temperature had climbed into the eighties for the day made the weather perfect for an outdoor show at Gas Monkey Bar & Grill, patrons embracing it, many ditching the pants and jackets they would typically have needed to be wearing in favor of shorts and short sleeved shirts. Speaking of the patrons, the place was packed early on, Smash Into Pieces and Cypher 16 getting the night started off, a couple hundred pairs of eyes already on them, while the patio only continued to fill up. Citizen Zero rocked the stage hard, as did Failure Anthem, and by the time that main support act took the stage, it appeared to be a near capacity show, people struggling to find any remaining spots with a decent view as they readied themselves for Amaranthe. A few minutes after ten the stage lights dimmed, earning some deafening fanfare from the spectators as the bands’ intro piece created a sort of mystical vibe around the performance, the recorded voice that acted as a narrator of sorts introducing the “six grandmasters”. With that they stormed the stage, guitarist Olof Mörck and bassist Johan Andreassen settling into their spots on either side of the stage, while Morten Løwe Sørensen somewhat disappeared as he seated himself behind his massive drum kit. Elize Ryd (who at first waved around an American flag with the Amaranthe logo also on it), Henrik Englund Wilhemsson, and Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye, who, at least temporarily, is filling the recently vacated role as the clean male vocalist, spread out along the center as they ripped into “Maximize”. They would play half of the material from their new album this night, that lead track off it serving as an amazing opening song that instantly created an electrifying atmosphere, generating some light movement from some in front of the stage. The chorus ensured it felt like an anthem, as if Amaranthe was asking for every ounce of energy the spectators had in them, the three vocalists often thrashing around as the song came to a tight end.

There was no downtime before the subsequent cut from Maximalism, “Boomerang” having its moments where it was somewhat poppy, though it wasn’t without its grit, especially when Wilhemsson was belting out his lines in his deep guttural tone; and at one point he approached Mörck, placing his arm around the guitarist as he continued to scream. “Dallas, fucking, Texas! Get those hands in the air!” Wilhemsson ordered, adding that he wanted to see everyone there bouncing to their next number. They journeyed back to their self-titled debut record and pulled out “Hunger”, much to everyone’s delight, while “Invincible” built upon that power metal-esque style, sounding a little more symphonic and even operatic due to the striking notes Ryd was capable of hitting, digging deep and holding nothing back as she nailed them with ease.

Just a few songs in and it had already become apparent what a well-oiled machine Amaranthe was, every song thus far having been impeccably tight, both in regards to the execution of the songs and the performance in general, the six of them making the frequent changing of roles look effortless. There was never a moment it didn’t feel or look fluid, even with the focus often even shifting to Mörck, Andreassen, and Sørensen, as they reminded everyone what a superbly tight band they are. Amaranthe’s onslaught of grand songs continued with a highly polished “1.000.000 Lightyears”, after which they led the spectators in a chant of “HEY!” as “Trinity” got underway. Mörck continued to demonstrate his slick skills on the axe as he often flashed a smile at the onlookers, while Ryd continued to push her voice to new heights, seemingly getting ready for the few moments where she was put in charge. To an extent “True” was one such song, Wilhemsson and even Sörbye disappearing from sight at the end of that previous song, Ryd being at the helm until she finished her first verse. Sörbye strolled back on stage at that point, the two vocalists tapping into some potent chemistry during the highly emotional song. They held one another’s hand for a time as they paced around the stage, shifting their gaze from one another to the crowd during what was an awe-inspiring track.

Wilhemsson appeared to be itching to get back on stage, racing up there as Sörbye took leave and acting as the primary vocalist for “Fury”. The high-energy song had everyone’s adrenaline pumping, being heavier and thrash metal-esque at times as Wilhemsson delved in to what he was capable of as a vocalist, fiercely spitting out the words. Moments upon finishing that one and Ryd was the lone figure on stage, addressing the audience, asking how everybody was doing while mentioning how “amazing” it was to them to be back. “How many of you were here last time?” she asked, even pointing out a few familiar faces she remembered from their previous tour. “Thank you for coming. We appreciate it more than you know,” she told everyone as she smiled at them, being purely genuine. “Endlessly” was all her, Sørensen, Andreassen, and Mörck not returning until about the halfway point, and it was a true masterpiece that had Ryd mustering every ounce of emotion she could as she demonstrated how versatile she is as a singer, delivering a ravishing performance vocally.

“We love you guys! Thank you so much!” she said as her fellow singers returned to the stage, ready to pick things back up. “On the Rocks” did just that, another intriguing new song that is a hybrid of genres, having a certain pop flare, but also blending various styles of metal and rock. Catchy and fun, it easily earned the audiences’ complete attention, Sørensen taking over at the end as he transitioned it into a drum solo, hamming out some sonorous beats, particularly on his double kick drum, for a powerful solo that lasted just the right amount of time to allow people to marvel at his chops. This 56-minute long set was closed down by a series of favorites beloved by the fans, from the soaring “Automatic” to the exhilarating “The Nexus”, Amaranthe guaranteed they would end this show in a fashion that would appease everyone there. That became even more true when they pulled out “Amaranthine”, making the classic into a sing along by holding their microphones out to the crowd, encouraging them to chime in. Wilhemsson, Ryd, and Sörbye took a bow, making it appear as if that was it, however, once the fanfare subsided, Sörbye asked the onlookers if they had any more energy in them. “I want to see everyone out here jump,” he asked after learning everyone was still eager for more. Fans were happy to oblige, jumping and fully immersing themselves in the experience that “Call Out My Name” offered as it brought their set to a stellar finish.

It didn’t take long for fans to start shouting for one more song, or getting more specific with, “Play ‘That Song’!”. After a couple minutes Andreassen reappeared, sans bass as he proceeded to converse with everyone while mixing a bit of standup in with it. “This guy tried to tell me ‘you’re fucking awesome’,” he said, pointing out one of the spectators. “You don’t have to tell me, I know,” he quipped. He also took a moment to address any potential critics, saying he (and the band in general) could care less how anyone wanted to label them, some having complained that Amaranthe wasn’t “staying true” to metal. “…We just play good music… we’ve always been a music band…” he said unapologetically, proud to be doing what they do and evolving in the way that feels right to them. He finished on a high note, first cracking there would be no bass solo (after a fan asked him for one), Andreassen’s reason being because this wasn’t a jazz show, before conducting the noise level by raising his finger into the air, the fans cheering before being silenced as he lowered his arm. That fun with the crowd carried on for a few moments, him quickly pointing to the air and just as abruptly putting his hand down, the fans keeping pace as they shouted along before letting their voices fall to a murmur.

With that, the rest of the band returned for their final 15-minutes, the encore encompassing four songs beginning with the fist-pumping anthem that was “Digital World”, the song turning into a clap-along at one point. With some thunderous drumbeats, Sørensen launched them in to one of the most anticipated songs of the night, “That Song”. It didn’t take any time for that new song to become a massive hit, the audience treating it as if it were the greatest of the night, rocking out to the pulsating rhythm section that ensures it’s such an infectious number. “Dynamite” expanded on the already high energy level they had built back up, being absolutely explosive, especially with the incendiary guitar riffs, and they still had a little left in the tank. With another expression of gratitude to everyone for coming out to see them, Ryd stressing they wouldn’t be able to get back soon enough, they got ready for their last song by welcoming Batman to the stage. Someone in attendance had come to the show in a legit looking Batman costume (from the Batman Begins era films), and after pointing him out earlier in the show, they wanted that guy up there to help them end the night.

It made the subsequent song off 2014’s Massive Addictive, “Drop Dead Cynical”, all the more entertaining, as Ryd occasionally acted as she were fighting with him, even letting him pick her up, lying in his arms as she sang. He somewhat danced around as she and Wilhemsson thrashed their heads about, their hair spinning around in the air; Mörck ultimately handing his guitar off to Batman in the final moments of the show that had been nothing short of epic. “If we come back, will you bring everyone you know? I mean EVERYONE,” Sörbye asked as they said their goodbyes, already creating some anticipation for the next show, whenever that may be, and that it could have the potential to be Amaranthe’s biggest Dallas show ever. For the time being, this one surely went down as their most fun Dallas show yet. By all accounts, Amaranthe’s set list didn’t leave a single soul disappointed, focusing on much of the best that Maximalism has to offer while also hitting everything fans were desperate to hear, seemingly leaving everyone completely satisfied by their set. However, it went well beyond just the song selection that made this such an engrossing performance. From the moment the members of Amaranthe stepped on stage, they had a compelling and authoritative demeanor that made you focus intently on them. They even went one step further by creating a spellbinding rapport with everyone in attendance, making them feel like they were part of something much more than just a concert. Probably because the band made it feel like it was something more meaningful than that, as if it were more about making a true connection and spreading a message through music. Then there was their clear appreciation of everyone for choosing to spend their time at the show and that support made them even more eager to put everything they had into the performance, and what a dazzling display it was. Their records do a remarkable job of capturing their more unique dynamics and showcasing the three vocal styles extremely well, however, it pales in comparison to what you get in the live environment. It was in this setting where one was able to admire all of the nuances and the true complexity of Amaranthe’s music, a great amount of precision going into it to get everything right, particularly in regards to the vocals. Granted, that’s true of any band, though it was exemplified in this case. With three lead vocalists constantly alternating between who was in charge or harmonizing and even layering their voices atop one another, the work was noticeable though they made it appear effortless. That speaks to their chops as musicians, and along with all the years of touring it has become more like second nature to them. And so what if Amaranthe has taken a different path with their music? Bands have the right to evolve and change their style as they progress. Besides, it’s not like they were ever a pure metal band. They’ve integrated various different subgenres of metal from the start, creating their own style that works best for them; and while they may have incorporated a few other genres into their latest work, there was certainly no qualms from their Dallas fans as to how it sounded. It was excellent music that made you feel something and gave you a rush, and that was all that mattered. Amaranthe’s current U.S. tour will run through March 11th, concluding in Reading, PA at Reverb. Other shows along the way include February 14th at The Marquee in Tempe, AZ; The Knitting Factory in Spokane, WA on February 23rd along with the one in Boise, ID on the 24th; Home Bar in Arlington Heights, IL on March 2nd; and The Marlin Room at Webster Hall in New York, NY on March 8th. Visit their WEBSITE for a complete list of their upcoming shows; and be sure to check out Maximalism in iTUNES or GOOGLE PLAY.