Chapter Nineteen (Part 2)
When I trudge out into the clinic waiting room the following weekend, Claire shoves her phone into her handbag and stands up to catch me in her arms as I fall into her for a hug. “That was rotten.” I groan.
“Did it hurt?”
“Yes.”
“Oh dear, is it still sore?”
I don’t answer, I just make a pitiful sound into her shoulder as my womb twinges with pains that I thought were limited only to the very worst and most cursed days of my periods, but the doctor told me it’s normal to experience it as my body adjusts to the IUD. This new, strange alien body will be part of me now for five years, a tiny T shaped piece of plastic that hardly looked capable of wreaking so much havoc on my innocent body when I obsessively googled photographs of it in the moments before the procedure.
“It feels fucking horrible.” I complain.
“I’m sorry, babes.”
“And it was a man.”
“Oh no!”
“He told me that I reminded him of Natalie Portman when he was digging around indiscriminately in my cervix.”
“They shouldn’t let any men near our vaginas.” She declares, and I grunt in agreement, a pathetic sound, muffled by the polyester of her pink puffer coat. Smoothing down the back of my hair she wonders, “Is there anything that’d make you feel better? We can stop by Big Tesco and get loads of snacks for you.”
“I’d like that a lot.”
And that’s what we do, even though I’m the one that has to drive us there because Claire still hasn’t applied for her licence, but she lets me wait in the car and rest while she does the mad dash around the supermarket as a consolation. She emerges with a heaping bag of far too much, but that’s what I like about Claire. Everything she does, she does all the way, to excess. She does nothing with reserve or restraint. It’s everything, all of the time, and it fills me with immense joy to see this shopping bag, Pringles and Kinder chocolate and big packets of chocolate biscuits poking out the top of it, promising me unlimited indulgence until the button on my jeans pops off and I am lying in a heaping mound of crumpled wrappers.
At home she makes me some tea and settles me on the sofa in a pair of her impossibly fluffy slippers with the TV playing Dawson’s Creek while she goes upstairs to pack a huge bag for her weekend down the end of the road at Shane’s house. She makes sure I have enough of everything, painkillers, hot water bottles, blankets and fuzzy socks, and when she’s satisfied with my state of being and has ensured that I’m nestled perfectly in a cloud of fluff she waves goodbye to me at the door and tells me that if I need anything I can just text her and she’ll be right over.
“What would I ever do without you?” I say.
“You’d survive, babe.”
At eight o’clock that evening, Jude swings by after his nightly visit with Jen, who is now recovering at Michelle’s. He makes a ridiculous face when he sees me cocooned on the sofa, his bottom lip jutted out and his forehead crinkled up in almost theatrical sympathy. I note his extremely expressive eyebrows. He leaves his coat on a hook and comes over to deliver three quick kisses to the crown of my head. “Poor Evie.” He says, and he cups my cheeks in his hands as I look up at him with eyes that I know are big and soft and begging for reassurance, but I suddenly feel as though I’ve never yearned for something so badly as his sympathy.
“How are you feeling?”
“Still sore.” I say.
“I can’t imagine, but it looks like Claire has you taken care of.”
“She’s my guardian angel.”
“Good with this kind of thing, isn’t she?”
I lift a hand to run it through his dark hair. “I missed you.”
“I know, it’s been hectic.” He drops to his knees on the floor in front of me, still holding my face and kisses me gently, lips brushing against mine until I feel formless and soft, but I have to pull back when he starts trying to incorporate some steamy tongue action. “No,” I say weakly. “Don’t try and get that going with me, I’m too feeble.”
“Ah, sorry, I got carried away.” He sits on the floor by my feet so that I can have the whole couch to myself, but he holds my foot in his lap and rests his back against my knees.
“How’s Jen doing?”
“Not as badly as you, apparently. I didn’t know that getting an IUD put in was such a brutal procedure.”
I snicker. “I get it, you think I’m playing it up for sympathy.”
“I don’t think that, I wouldn’t know,” He turns around so he can flash me a grin. “But you know, Jen has a shattered thigh bone and nerve damage and only one of you is sitting around cocooned in fluffy blankets and surrounded by half-eaten chocolate.”
I scoff. “Did I not tell you about the doctor saying I look like Natalie Portman right into my vagina?”
“You did.”
“What do you think about that?”
“He’s right a bit, no? I’ve thought that before actually.”
I bat him lightly across the back of the skull, and after he flinches he twists around to pepper my knees with apologetic kisses because they’re the only part of me that he can reach. “I’m sorry. I genuinely do feel bad for you, and I know that you must be really sore, and I’ve just burst into your apartment and started making fun of you.”
I sigh, “Maybe I am leaning into it a bit. I just like sitting around having an excuse to do nothing, to be honest. Do you think I’ve Munchausen’s?”
“Yeah.”
“How’s your thesis?”
A grimace. “Coming. Let’s not talk about college for now, I feel up to my neck in it all. It’s nice to just get out of the house for a night. I want to do nothing too.”
“Well I was watching Dawson’s Creek if you feel like jumping in.”
“Is this the show about the teenagers with the insane vocabulary?”
“Exactly,” I snicker. “Do you want me to catch you up?”
“Yeah, yeah, please. Tell me everything that’s happening.” He adjusts himself so that he can lay his head on my thigh, and listens intently as I tell him everything, about Joey and Dawson and Pacey, Andi, Jen and Jack and everybody in between, and then we watch it together in comfortable silence until I’m sleepy enough to hit the bed.
“You don’t have to go.” I tell him as he makes moves towards his Carhartt coat, and when he turns to me I can tell that he’s trying hard not to be too eager about the possibility of sharing a bed again. “If you want me to stay and keep you company, I can.” He says, and we are whispering. I don’t really know why, but I suppose it’s late, and something about the night makes it feel involuntary.
“I’d like that if you would.”
“Well, of course.”
“I don’t have a toothbrush for you.”
“That’s okay, I’ll use yours,” he breaks into a smile at my expression. “I’m joking, obviously I wouldn’t do that. Unless you really didn’t mind.”
“Would you actually do that if I let you?”
He considers this. “Maybe.”
I shake my head and start heading upstairs. “You’re sick, Jude. Sometimes I’m concerned about you.”
He follows. “It’s not really that sick, I’ve already invested serious hours into the inside of your mouth, how much worse could it be if we shared a toothbrush?”
“Because a toothbrush is full of the dirt and plaque someone has scraped off their teeth and gums, I can’t imagine voluntarily putting that into my mouth.”
He shrugs. “It’s a bit gross but, like, I don’t find the idea of it totally repulsive.”
“Well you can use your finger.” I lead him into the bathroom where he immediately pretends to grab my toothbrush from the cup by the sink. “You think you’re so cute.” I say accusingly, even though I’m really the one who thinks that, and as we brush our teeth next to each other I admire the way that we look together, and how I wouldn’t complain if I could see us like this, doing something ordinary together in a bathroom mirror forever and ever.
“Nice room, Evie,” He says when we go inside, and I realise that it’s the first time that he’s seen it.
“Sorry about the clothes on the floor.”
“I don’t care about that. I like all of your things,” He saunters over to my easel in the corner, where there’s a half-finished pencil drawing. “This is lovely.”
I feel obliged to deny it. “It’s not.”
“Yeah, you’re right, it’s rotten,” He throws his eyes skyward. “I feel a bit sick looking at it actually, can we face this thing away from your bed when we’re trying to sleep?”
I laugh, and then immediately get a new twinge of pain in my womb, prompting me to clutch my stomach and tumble back onto the mattress with a self-sympathetic groan. “Stop.”
“Stop telling funny jokes?”
I make another noise, not unlike an injured animal and his face comes into frame above me. “Baby,” He says, and another, more fluttery feeling joins the ache inside me. “Do you want me to get you anything?”
“My hot water bottle.”
“Okay.”
“Can you fill it up again so it’s nice and hot?”
His mouth twitches up. “Yeah, of course.”
“Do you think I’m being a bad patient?”
“I do.” He dots my nose with a kiss. “But it’s alright, I’d probably be worse if it was me.”
When he goes downstairs to heat up the water I swiftly change into my pyjamas and crawl under the covers, switching on the bedside lamp and snuggling in with the duvet pulled all the way up to my chin. He comes back after a short while and passes the hot water bottle to me, and then I ogle him wholly un-subtly as he undresses down to his t-shirt and underwear and slots into the bed next to me. “All good?”
“Mhm.”
“Poor Evie,” He says, and makes a little clucking sound that makes me giggle. “You’re so soft. I didn’t think that you were a softie, you know that? I used to think you were a dark, mysterious, dangerous man.”
“I am a dangerous man.”
“Yeah, right.”
He gets up on his elbow to look down at me. “I still make you a bit nervous though, don’t I?” and he bites his lip, which sends a shiver right through me. I don’t know how he can do that, turn a moment of lighthearted banter and fun into something that feels immediately sexy and forbidden. My mind immediately goes to the last night we spent in the same bed, and though I could hardly see him then, I can imagine that he had that same look on his face then as he does now.
“Do I make you nervous?” I ask, and he nods. “Yes,” and falls back on the pillow to stare up at the ceiling. I jolt when I feel his hand snake towards me beneath the covers, but he only wants to rest it on the hot water bottle that covers my stomach. “Did you do this because of me?” He wonders. “Like, the whole IUD thing. Was that for me?”
I feel awkward. “Maybe. I also, like, on Friday I got tested too.”
“Tested?”
“At the sexual health clinic. For STIs.”
“Oh, I should probably do that too,” He says. “Good idea. You’re prepared.”
“Should I not be?” I say anxiously. “I just thought that you were supposed to do that, maybe it’s not something we should even talk about, I don’t know, I just don’t want you to think that-”
“No, it’s fine!” He says. “You’re being smart and mature, we should have discussed this ages ago, I’m just- well, I’m glad that you’ve been thinking about it and you want it because I-”
“I definitely do. I know that we haven’t really addressed it much but I had the best time at your holiday house.”
“You did?”
“Yes, and I wanted to do it again, I just felt-”
“Nervous, yeah, me too.”
“I didn’t think that you got nervous about those things.”
“Of course I do.”
My hand lays on top of his. “Are you still?”
“Yeah, obviously. I still want you to like me afterwards, I don’t want you to freak out or not find it that enjoyable, I dunno. Of course I’m a bit apprehensive.”
I smile. “Well I think that’s nice.”
“All of that stuff,” He says after a minute. “The test, and the IUD, was it expensive? Because I feel like if I’m the reason that you did those things then I should pay you back for it.”
“No, it was free,” I say. “I have the medical card.”
“Oh. Well I would have paid, it that counts.”
“It does. That’s actually mad nice of you.”
“Sure.”
We say nothing for ages then, and I flick off the light as soon as I think he might be falling asleep, and he turns over to his side and curls his arm over me. “Goodnight, Evie,” He murmurs, and then I have a new thought. “Cyprus,” I whisper. “I never told you about Cyprus.”
“The island?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you have some facts about it that you wanted to share, or…”
“No. Would you want to go?”
“When?”
“Easter. To Claire’s holiday home. She and Shane are going.”
A pause. “But my thesis.”
“You have three weeks to really buckle down, right? And if you’re not finished you could bring your laptop with you, do you think?”
“Yeah, maybe, I just really have to get it done because I’m going back to Berlin to finish my studio work for the whole of May, and-”
“I know, and if you don’t want to come then-”
“No, no, I do, I really do. I’ll figure it out.”
“I think it’ll be really nice.”
“Yeah, it will. A bit of sunshine won’t hurt.”
“Exactly.”
“Picture it, Evie,” He says sleepily. “You’ll be swimming in the sea again, your favourite place to be.”
“And you’ll be with me.” I reply, and then think about that, and the warmth of the sun on our skin and the delicate breeze in our hair until I drift away into the most peaceful sleep with a smile on my face.
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Hello my dear castle.
You already know why I'm here so I'm not going to prolong the hellos.
I know the basics like werewolves and vampires can be shifted but what about things like wendigos? are those a thing? And is there any similar things to it?
Will you be including any mythology or is this based off of your own Universe completely?
How old do you prefer your audience?
What's your favorite theory on Glenwood?
We all know Ranger is afraid of hospitals... is there any other things they are scared of like lightning?
What stops our favorite podcaster from just learning about magical stuff and taking magical books out? Or accidentally drawing a rune?
Do different types of blood taste different for vampires? And do they have a specific preference?
In this universe can you be shifted into a werewolf by using the lycanthropous flower and wear it after sunset on the night of a full moon? that's usually a thing that turns people into werewolves.
Are your vampires affected by running water?
Are there such thing as Wraiths in your universe?
Is there going to be any characters with wings? avian character? Or at least a mention of one?
How far are you planning to go into the lore on a scale of 1 to 10
Do vampires immediately combust or is it like a sunburn that slowly cooking you to death?
Are vampires able to bleed if so is it a different color or thicker? Like would it be a dark red or a blackish Brown instead of the light Crimson that humans have?
What do you think Claire's favorite song would be?
How do you visualize Claire? I know there's plenty of art but I would like to know what you see you when you think about Claire.
Does Beth have any scars?
Who do you think is the strongest in each category like physical strength? magical strength? spiritual strength? mental strength?
How long has Ranger been a ranger? How strong would they be?
Does any of your characters have any physical or mental disabilities?
Blood magic in your Universe seems interesting could you explain it a little bit more? Like how long until the blood is not able to be used anymore? Or can the user stop someone from bleeding out or make them bleed out? (Add anything you think would be nice to know in any of these)
You said something about everyone having their own unique Magic but what would happen with twins or triplets or more?
How old is her majesty exactly?
Can ancestry help choose your magic in any way?
Do past lives exist and can that alter what magic you get?
What happens if someone uses magic against the law? is they're a special jail?
How far can something go until it's no longer Magic? is there a scale for how much Magic? Like if you only have a speck of magic in your soul and can't really use it... would you really be considered a magical creature or not?
Ranger sounds like someone with a very depressing childhood. He probably wears autism socks. (Sorry I just had to diss him a little bit... I do love him though...)
What's Claire's favorite color? (She seems like the type of person who would like Navy maybe some dark blues and yellows)
How old would you have to be to be considered a vampire king or queen?
Is brushing your teeth harder as a shifter? (If their teeth even change that is)
Do they have a Walmart?
Is Ranger Canadian? they seem Canadian. ( at this point I'm just making Ranger into whatever the hell I am... poor Ranger...)
Beth looks like the person to sleep with 30 blankets and those old grandpa pajamas.
Since there's advanced version of magic is there an advanced version of alchemy?(please touch Alchemy... nobody does.. and I'm getting desperate here... even if it's just a little caress... you can like barely poke it just give me Alchemy... please...)
Since Beth has 30 blankets now which one do you think is her favorite or would be her favorite?
What happens when they can't track down a magic user? a new one in specific?
Have you ever had Pringles? if so what's your favorite type? (My favorite is pizza.)
How much money does Claire make being the alpha?
Do any of the listeners have any siblings?
Does any of the characters have any siblings?
Can non-human blood work in blood Magic? Would it have different property's?
That's all the questions I have for now! Thank you my dear Castle. ❤
Alright, it's taken me long enough to sit down and go through all these questions. I won't be able to answer every single one, but I'll o my best! Let's go:
For the sake of being respectful to other cultures, we're sticking with the more basic idea of shifters and mythical creatures, that includes Mythologies.
I generally prefer my audience to be 18+ but I understand that's a hard thing to monitor when it comes to the internet. My content isn't necessarily inappropriate, but you'll never see any content on my channel in a high school setting.
My favorite Glenwood theory is that Alexander survived and is waiting to take revenge.
Our Ranger is pretty fearless despite their dislike for hospitals
The magical books are covered with a Glamour spell so Abby will skim past them while researching. Runes don't inherently work, even if she drew an accurate one.
Different blood types don't taste different, but that doesn't stop vampire society as a whole from being in on the joke and talking about blood types like types of wine.
In my universe, either you were born as a shifter or you weren't, you can't be turned into a werwolf.
Vampires are not effects by running water
I've thought of including Wraiths in the channel! Though I have no plans as of right now
Avian characters are in consideration and will make an appearance eventually
I'm hoping to go into lore at the very least 7/10
Vampires can take about three minutes in direct sunlight before they're burned into ash. The can be severely burned in those few minutes.
Vampires, in my universe, don't bleed. Their insides are still red, though.
Beth does have some scars, but they're more from being a reckless child growing up rather than any incidents.
Physical Strength: Claire.(not considering vampiric strength) Magical Strength: TBA (We haven't met her yet) Spiritual Strength: Evie. Mental Strength: Rose.
Ranger has been at their job for about 5 years
Honestly, I'm planning to make a whole explanation on blood magic.
When it comes to twins and magical auras, they would be similar but there would still be subtle differences. If we compare it to having a certain color as you aura, twins or triplets would have different shades of the same color.
Ancestry only really has a hand in shifter magic or having magic in the family at all. You can't perfect your lineage's magical ability
There is a judicial system within the Bureau of Magic which incarcerates magic users who break the law.
Magic can't really be measured, but if you are able to access magic, then you're able to use it. There's no variation in the starting amounts. Just like a muscle, magic needs to be trained and nourished in order to become stronger, so if you don't practice, then that dictates how much magic you can use.
It seems that many people have claimed Ranger as (lovingly) having a touch of the 'tism so they def had autism socks.
Claire is a big fan of rich jewel tones
Vampire Kings and Queens don't have to be a certain age to earn the title, a vampire of any age can rule over a Court. However, Celine is considered a Vampire Prime after living past 500 years and presiding over several Courts.
Brushing their teeth isn't harder, but werewolf children grow up with their teeth being a little larger than average, including their canine's, so many will wear braces to hide the size of their teeth until they "grow into them"
Glenwood does, in fact, have a Walmart
Beth has an ungodly blanket collection. Her favorite would be one she got from her mom.
I promise to touch on the topic of alchemy in the future, I just need to do some research before including it so it actually makes sense!
I have had Pringles! My favorite are the honey barbecue flavor
Claire makes enough money to put the entire pack into an early retirement based on her agreement with Celine. Other than that, being the Alpha does not actually have any monetary benefit.
Listeners having siblings is up for interpretation! Characters on the other hand, Claire and Beth are only children. Abby has four siblings. Evie has a little brother.
Non-human blood can work in blood magic, regardless of the different properties.
PHEW!! All done! I'm not even gonna think about how many typos I have in this but it's DONE! Hopefully that cleared some stuff up!
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