#i find it very funny when white latines get offended when someone calls them white

[ishikawayukis]

how many times babes, latine is not an ethnicity

[crysanthemumlotus]

Drarry Fic Snippet

It was a cold dark night in Godric's Hollow, and Lily Potter was holding a spray can and drawing magic circle on the floor of her son's room. Like any other responsible parent out there, she worried about the effect of the fumes on her son's lungs, but considering that the most notorious wizard of all times was out there in her living room, relocating either her activity or her son was out of the question.

"You shall not lay a hand on my son!" James Potter cried out, hurling another jinx which broke something, possibly the ugly vase Dumbledore got them for their wedding. Good riddance, she absently thought, before sharpening her focus back to the magic circle. It was almost done.

With a flourish, she finished the last symbol and stood at the edge of the circle, her back to the door. From his crib, Harry Potter watched with much interest and glee. Lily smiled at him. "Everything's going to be alright, love, you'll see."

Outside, He Who Must Not Be Named cackled disturbingly, the voice of which sent shivers down her spin. She took a steadying breath and began lighting the nine candles, placing them in equidistance around the circle.

"This is your end, James Potter! Avada Kedavra!"

The incantation of that spell was followed by a dull thud. Lily took a steadying breath and picked up the knife lying on wardrobe nearby. She only hesitated for a second, before gritting her teeth and slicing her upper arm, letting the blood drop on the middle of the circle. And then, she began the summoning chant.

"In Nomine Dei Nostri, Satanas Luciferi Excelsi, Ave Voluptartis Canis."

The white, spray-can painted summoning circle began to glow with an unearthly light. She repeated the chant again, and the light grew exponentially brighter. She chanted it one last time, and a blinding light engulfed the whole room. Lily shielded her eyes.

When the light subsided, she opened her eyes, and saw, in the middle of the circle, a pitiful young man in black trenchcoat, curled up in a fetal position with a bottle of unidentifiable liquid clutched in one of his hand. He looked positively wasted. 

Oh fuck, Lily cursed, I did something wrong. Internally, she began to panic. Outside, He Who Must Not Be Named was flinging the doors open dramatically, one by one. There was no time left to redo the summoning ritual. She looked down at the strange... person and began to think.

Well, she did summon him through the circle, right? At the very least, he's got to have some kind of power to protect them, right? She heard the sound of another door being broken off its hinges, this time louder.

"Why is there so many rooms in this place?" He Who Must Not Be Named complained loudly.

Lily gasped, and in her panic, crouched down by the man and grabbed him by his lapels, "Wake up! Wake up, damn it!" she hissed, desperately shaking him.

The man moaned, wincing, "Jesus Christ, fuck off, Gabe."

"Come on, wake up! Wake up! I need your help, goddamnit! Wake up!" she was sounding more and more hysterical by the second.

The man grunted, then finally, opened his eyes. "Ow, what the fuck? Whe–" he rubbed his face, groggily sitting up, "Where the fuck am I?"

"You're in my house! I summoned you because I need your help! Please, you've got to protect us! A madman has come to kill me and my son! Please, you've got to do something!"

"The fuck...?" he moaned again, "Ow, fuck. My head."

Lily has never performed the summoning spell before. She only read it in a book, one which she randomly found in a flea market in America. The book was in Latin, so it was a bit hard to translate, but she was pretty sure they said that this was meant to summon a magical being of unimaginable power. This was not what she was expecting at all. Maybe James was right, maybe that book was a sham. Oh, then whatever shall–

Before she can finish that thought, the door to the nursery slammed open, and the notorious He Who Must Not Be Named stepped inside. Lily shuddered in fear, his magic slickened the air like rancid oil. Oh, how much she hated him.

"Stand back! Stay away from my son!" Lily screamed, standing up to face the Dark Lord. She pulled out her and pointed it at him.

A lazy grin broke out on the Dark Lord's face. "Stand aside, woman. I shall spare your life if you follow my orders."

"Never!" she spat out. "Expelliarmus!"

With a lazy flick of his wand, Lord Voldermort deflected the spell. He took a step closer.

"Flipendo!"

Again, he deflected the spell without much effort, and took another step forward.

"Y-You! Crucio!"

The Dark Lord tilted his head, waited. Nothing happened. "I guess that tickled a bit," he finally said, before throwing his head back to laugh. "Last chance, woman. Step. Aside." He was right in front of Lily by now. 

"Never," she repeated, bravely, while looking at the horrible face of the madman who had killed her husband.

"Then per–!"

His words were cut-off by another loud groan. He looked over Lily's shoulder to find the strange blond man pulling himself up to his feet. He was swaying, and had to hold onto the edge of the crib to remain upright. He was the perfect picture of a hammered man.

"Alright, what the fuck is going on here?" The man asked, before he turned his gaze to the ceiling, "Gabe, whatever the fuck this is, it's not fucking funny! Cut it out before I strangle you, you little snit!" He moaned again, before noticing the bottle in his hand for the first time. He gave it an experimental shake, found that it was not empty, and took a hefty swig.

Lily and He Who Must Not Be Named watched on curiously, with the former feeling slightly mortified at the amount of cursing the man was doing in front of her son. That was just not done.

The man returned his attention to them, gaze suspicious and expectant. He was still alarmingly swaying. He sniffed the air once, twice, before a confused expression settled on his face. "I'm on Earth."

"Yes," Lily said slowly. "You're on Earth."

"Oh," he looked at the bottle in his hand, inspected the label, found none, and turned his baffled expression to Lily once more. "I didn't remember getting here. How did I get here? Do you remember?"

"I don't remember, I know," Lily was starting to regret summoning him. "I summoned you." she gestured at the magic circle around his feet.

He followed her gaze, and recognition dawned on him. "Oh," he giggled, "Oh that's how! Brilliant!" He then walked out of the circle, and dropped down on the sofa Lily and James had placed next to the crib. It was an old, ratty thing, the kind that gets only more comfortable the rattier it got. He dropped himself on it and groaned indecently. "Been a while, since someone summoned me with that," he said, eyes already half-closing.

"What did you summon?" The Dark Lord asked, his intellectual side piqued.

"Hey, hey, that's..." the man waved his hand vaguely in the air, "Rude. Very rude."

"What's rude?" Lily asked, frowning.

"That," he gestured at the Dark Lord. "That is rude."

"What is that?"

"What is what?" the man burst into a fit of giggle. "What is anything? Oh god, you people are hilarious!"

The Dark Lord, already losing interest, turned his attention to Lily again. "Anyway, as I was saying–"

"Oh, right, where are my manners," the man suddenly put aside the bottle and shot up to his feet, clapping his hands as he did so. He searched his coat for a moment, before pulling out a card with a triumphant 'aha!'. Still dangerously swaying, he walked over and handed the card to Lily. 

"Draco Malfoy, professional dealer, at your service, ma'am."

He tried to bow, but nearly topped over and thought better of it, settling to offer her a charming smile full of sharp teeth instead. Too full, perhaps.

Lily looked down at the card and read it out loud, "Lucifer Satan, Morning Star, the First Angel, Ruler of Hell, King of All That Is Fallen, Dark–"

The man—Draco—clumsily snatched the card out of her hand. "Whoops, sorry. Wrong card. Haven't used that one in millenias! Ah, here's the right one!"

Lily took the new proffered. Compared to the previous one, which was filled from top to bottom with titles, this one only had three, neatly printed words; 'Draco Malfoy. Dealer.'

"You're... A dealer? As in...? Cars? Or illegal drugs?"

"No, no, no, no, no, NO!" Draco threw his head back to laugh. "Although, if that's what you want, lady, we can work out a deal. The car, I mean. Not the illegal drugs. I've got tonnes of that to spare, and I'm always happy to share happiness with everyone, including you, noseless!"

The Dark Lord frowned, clearly offended.

"So, what do you mean, dealer? What is it?" Lily asked again.

"I," Draco swayed again, "Whoops, sorry lady, mind if I sit down? Asgardian meads are vicious!" he went back to the chair and flopped down bonelessly once again. "So anyway, where was I? Oh right, dealer. Deal, deals, dealing." He burst into another fit of giggles.

"So, it all started before the First Human was ever created. I was vice-president director of Heaven, groomed to be the next president director, and the youngest in history too, not that there was much history to begin with, mind you. I mean, it was just set up a couple of hours before this story began. So yeah, there was nothing impressive about that. There was nothing impressive about Heaven at all, actually. Everything there was white and boring, no alcohol, no lunch breaks, and only this nasty tune," he hummed a rather sweet and calming tune, "Playing over and over and over again in the background! So I said to God, hey pops what do you say we–"

"Can you get to the point, some of us is on a deadline here!" The Dark Lord yelled.

"Alright, alright, yeesh, fine! What do you want, lady?"

"What do I want?"

"Yes, you! I'm talking to you! You're the one who called, right?"

"Um, yes."

"Well, what do you want from me?"

Lily hesitated, "I want you to... Protect my son from this... Man, right here."

"Is that all?"

"Yes," she nodded, slightly more certain. "That's all."

"Alright, then come over here and shake my hand." he held out his hand, "Come on lady, you heard the guy there, he's on a deadline. Gotta help the poor man, you see? He's probably got a nice wife and a litter of noseless kids to feed back home. Just imagine what would happen to them if he lost his job thanks to you."

"I'm pretty sure that's not the case," she stepped closer to him, and took the proffered hand. 

The moment their hands clasped, a blue fire engulfed their entwined hands, and she felt something in her uneasily shifted.

"There, all done!" Draco let go of her hand and smiled winningly at her, "Well, nice doing business with you, lady. Now time to go back to the party and get even more wasted! See you around!"

One moment he was there, and the next moment he was gone. "Huh," Lily wondered out loud, "That was weird."

"Yes, I agree," the Dark Lord said. "Now can we get back to what we were doing?"

Lily looked down at the wand in her hand. 

She shouldn't have bought that stupid book.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #261

“i hate you for every time you ever bled for me.”

If you have a job, how long is your shift? I'm unemployed. Do you ever wear your hair in a pony tail? It's too short for that. What language did you take up in high school? Latin for one semester, then I took four of German. Do you like sunflowers? It's illegal to live in the South and not lmao. Have you ever held hands with someone in a car? Yeah. Would you rather be called honey or baby? Hunny. What is your favorite card game? Even though I never learned it super well, I used to enjoy Magic: The Gathering and have actually been like dying to play it for months lmao. How many emails were you sent today? None. What was your favorite Christmas gift you got last year? Well I mostly got money life chose I didn't get to use, lol. I honestly don't really remember anything else prominently... sounds bad, but yeah, so is my memory lmao. What have you thought up yet for this year’s list? Well it's only April, but a treadmill or something like that is at the top right now. Do you have any embarrassing usernames? Ha ha, none that I still use. Do you have a backpack in a shape of an animal? No, but I almost got a meerkat one. But it was too small. :'( Have you ever waxed your legs? OW no. My hair is too long and thick. Have you ever taught a little kid to flick people off? lol wow no. Have you ever itched yourself until your skin was raw? I do that remarkably easy, especially on my legs. I literally have long scars from it. Do you always clear your history after using the computer? No. Have you ever had your food stolen by a bird? Ha ha nah. Are you responsible for stuffing someone's stocking? No. Do you make your own smoothies or juices? No. Do you like oatmeal raisin cookies? I absolutely hate raisins. What age do you think is too old to still live with your parents? It greatly depends on a lot of things: the person's health, financial position, etc. Have you ever watched Bob's Burgers? A couple times. It was pretty funny if I remember correctly. Denim, leather or varsity jacket? UUUUGGGGGHHHHH leather. I've wanted one since middle school. ;_; Has a teacher ever caught and read a note you were passing in class? No. I honestly didn't pass notes, but I find it mean as FUCK when teachers do this. Privacy is a goddamn thing that should be respected. I do not support passing notes in class, like you're there to learn, but having it shared in front of all your peers is not the fucking answer. I get heated about this shit. What's your favorite perfume that you own? I only own one that's called "Blush" from rue 21. It smells really nice, though. Do you clean things that are already clean when you're bored? No. I'd rather clean something that isn't already. Do you have an older brother? Yes. What do you do when someone overweight complains about being overweight? Lol I'd probably say "mood," but it depends on our relationship of course. Like there're times to be humorous and light-hearted about it and other times when you don't make it about you. If they're clearly more sad and especially if I don't know them well, I'd say something like "I understand," because I can almost guarantee I do about this. Have either of your parents ever been to jail? No. Have you ever been to jail? No, I'm a good noodle. :) Are your collarbones prominent? No. ;_; You can see them, yeah, but they're not like very obvious. It's one of my biggest motivators to lose weight though because I am dyinnnnggg for dermals there, but I think it would look weird without that contrast. Have you ever in your life worn overalls? When I was a kiddo. Ugly things. Do you own anything tribal print? No. Do you watch any beauty gurus on YouTube? I'm not even very interested in beauty, yet I love Jeffree Star??? Nikkie is cool too. I've found I watch more for personalities than content, in all genres of vids. Do you like Skittles? More like LOVE. Do you have a PillowPet? No. If you do, what kind of PillowPet do you have? N/A Do you have sleep paralysis? Thank the fuck to god no. That shit sounds absolutely terrifying. Is there anyone at home right now you wish wasn't? No. Do you like Placebo? Tbh I can't think of one song by them rn. I know I've heard them, Mom's even got a CD I'm sure I've tried out long ago when I got into her music, but obviously nothing stood out well enough, at least back then. Has anyone ever carried you to bed? As a kid, yeah, usually my dad. Could you happily date someone prettier than you? Yes???? Do you know anyone with cancer? Both my mom and grandmother right now. Are you easily offended? No. Do your parents buy you most anything you want? HI we've always been poor so no. Not just that, but they knew better than to spoil us. Have you ever tried to jump a fence? I have. Do you watch My Strange Addiction? No. How attracted are you to the last person that kissed you? A bit above moderately ig. Have you ever known a white supremacist? HUNNY I live in the South. In regards to who do you think "what if?" Jason as a fucking whole is my absolute "what if." Do you like the smell of a barbecue? Yes, even though I enjoy like almost no food at most of them. Doesn't stop it from smelling good. Has anyone ever called you apathetic or unemotional? I can't even imagine someone calling me that, no. I'm the polar opposite. How much money do you spend in a month on clothes or accessories? None in the average month. What was the last clothing item you wore that doesn't belong to you? A pair of Mom's pants. I didn't have any clean pairs. Do you own anything with your state or providence's name on it? No. Got no interest in sporting anything relating to a boring-ass, bigoted, racist state. How often do you hold back from saying what you are thinking? WOW A LOT!!!!!!!!!!! Do you like the Paranormal Activity movies? Yeah, I do. I mean yeah, they're fake, but what horror movie isn't even though it claims it is, honestly. How do you like your oatmeal? Apples & cinnamon with a bit of sugar. Does it make you feel better when an ex starts dating someone unattractive? No. Appearance doesn't mean shit when it comes to what the heart wants. What's your favorite way to eat peanut butter? In a sandwich w/ grape jam. Do you fall in infatuation easily? Infatuation, I'm not sure. Who has initiated most of your first kisses? Considering almost all previous relationships, usually me as they all knew I needed to go slow. I'd only do it if I was aware they'd wanted to kiss already, though. Do you like bows? Omg yes, cute shit. Has a boyfriend ever made you breakfast? Yes. Jason first went to college to be a chef. Are you more likely to show affection through your words or your actions? Probably words when you consider I'm slow with physically doing that, but I'm honestly really affectionate either way when I'm comfortable with you. Do you like Cheez-Its? VERY MUCH SO omg keep them away from me. Do you ever use coloring books? Not anymore. How do you feel about instrumental music? I have to be in the mood for it. Have you ever been on a trapeze? No. What's the coolest natural event you've ever witnessed? I still don't know to this day what it was, but I THINK it was a star exploding. Scared me, man. Seeing the big lunar eclipse last year was also wicked cool. Do you know how to use chopsticks? HA, I never could. Not with my tremors. Do you buy chocolate after Valentine's Day when it goes on sale? No, I don't need chocolate. Do you think bunnies are cute? I would fight God to give a lop-eared bunny one (1) pet. Do you personally know anyone who is an author? I've had a friend get something published in a magazine before, and during one stay at the psych hospital, I met a published poet. His stuff was really good. Last time (if ever) you were on an airplane, where were you going? Otw home from Illinois. Do you know anyone who is left-handed? Yeah? I'd assume everyone would at least know one... If people could read your mind, what would they usually find? The thought "I'm bored" every five minutes. What's a song that makes you feel happy? "Jump" by Van Halen came to mind first. How did you meet your best friend? YouTube. Do you need money to be happy? To a degree, yes. Money can buy happiness - but again, to a degree. Saying it doesn't is bullshit. What's a good idea you've had recently? Probably just OC ideas, lmao. I've thought of some decently cool stuff recently. what is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cinnamon rolls uggggghhhhhh How many slices of pizza do you usually eat? Two or three if I'm seriously hungry. If you could switch places with someone for a day, who would it be? Is "Mark's girlfriend" even remotely surprising lmao but no seriously she's an amazing and productive person like I WISH. What's the last song you listened to? "Roots" by In This Moment is on rn. Do you like the movie Zootopia? Ye! Do you ever go on Pinterest? Yeah. What's the last kind of chocolate you ate? A Reese's. Tell me a line from the song you're listening to: "I'm stronger than I ever knew - I'm strong because of you." Have you ever participated in a march/protest? No. Have you ever performed in front of a large audience? Yeah, for dance classes and school stuff. What did you eat the last time you went to the movies? Popcorn. I may have gotten sour gummies, too? Idr. Who was the last person to see you cry? Mom. Do you listen to music every day? There are rare days where I don't. I'll be watching too many actual videos. Do you have a hard time making decisions? A STUPID hard time. I'm extremely dependent, including when faced with decisions. I second-guess myself with everything. Do you start the shower water before or after you get in? Before. How many times have you been to a museum? A good number of times. We live pretty close to an art + science one. Are you going to be getting any new pets soon? Most likely not. Would you rather be a Panda or Grizzly bear? A panda so it wouldn't be legal to shoot me lmao. Do the stairs in your house have carpet? We only have one floor. Can you do a twirl like a ballerina? Oh wow, no. Even when I was a dancer, I SUCKED at that. When you were younger, were you ever in a relationship with someone you now realize was way too old for you? No. Is your family dysfunctional? To a degree. How old were you the first time you travelled alone? 22? What's the longest hotel stay you've ever had? I don't know. Not long. We only ever really stayed at one when we had to go to Myrtle Beach for annual dance competitions, and those were only like, a weekend. What architectural style was your childhood home? Uhhh idk. Very normal. Tell me a bit about your last relationship. What was it like dating them? It was great, but also stressful because of distance. What's the largest animal you've seen in the wild? Maybe like a large buck or something. Do any of your friends or family members have strange occupations? Not that I'm aware of. Have you ever been in weather so severe that you feared for your safety? Oh yeah. What political issues are the most important to you personally? Gay rights and the pro-choice stance. Does your neighborhood have a community garden? I've never even heard of such a thing. What small thing makes you automatically distrust someone? Acting secretive or cryptic about who they are as a person. Of all the states/provinces in your country, which one is your favorite? Visually that I've seen a good number of pictures of, Utah. Are there any obscure foods you've eaten that most people have never tried? I very much doubt that. What's the kindest thing a total stranger has done for you? I'm unsure. Have you ever used a meal kit delivery service? Yeah, I did one of those diet things before... but the name is evading me, even though it's super common. Nutrisystem, maybe? Do you have any pets? If so, how old are they? Venus is around five, and Roman is two. Do you have any psychological issues rooted in events from your childhood? My psychiatrist and former therapist predict my discomfort around men, particularly when they're behind me, and extreme fear of rape is rooted in two kids from pre-k that used to chase, randomly hug the hell out of, and try to kiss me. I'd actually entirely forgotten about it until we really started to dig deep, so I guess it's a repressed memory. Do you remember your locker combinations from high school? WOW no, son. What's your favorite DIY crafts youtube channel? I don't watch DIY stuff. What was your high school's mascot? Firebird. Who were your best friends in high school? Hannia, Megan, Maria, Girt, and Dennis were The Crew. Who was your first boyfriend or girlfriend? Aaron was my brief puppy-dog love, but Jason was my first real boyfriend. Would you rather sleep on the top bunk or bottom bunk? Bottom. If I slept on the top, but bottom is getting crushed lmao. As a little kid though when Nicole and I shared a room, I had to have the top bunk until I got a bit older. What insects are you afraid of? BEETLES, CICADAS, AND LARVA GET THE FUCK OUT. Honestly most insects scare me to a degree. Have you ever had a secret admirer that left you notes? I think the aforementioned Aaron did in middle school at least once before we dated. What was your favorite thing to do at sleepovers when you were younger? Swimming in the pool, if they had one. What's one way in which you're still a child? I'm dependent as shit on my mom. What's one way in which you're old? I now say "back in the day" sometimes lmfao. Do you feel old or young? Or do you feel both at different times? Both at different times. Did you ever skip a grade or get held back a grade? No. When you look at your baby pictures, do you recognize yourself? Only once at a certain age. What is your favorite thing to do in the pool? Just kinda swim around and think, or watch nature. Have you ever taken a picture at the perfect moment? I know I have, but they're evading me, gaaaah. What color(s) eyeshadow do you wear the most? I only ever wear black. What’s your favourite brand of peanut butter? Uhhh never really paid much attention to brands. Do you put all your stuff for class in one binder or several? When I was in school, I had one binder with dividers, but I also had specific folders too. What’s your favourite Lunchables meal? The nachos. How many languages can you recite the alphabet in? Two. What’s your favourite flavour of sunflower seeds? I hate those. What’s your favourite flavor of muffin? Chocolate oof. Have you ever had carpal tunnel? I do. I haven't had problems in a couple months, though. Are you one of those people who is really smart but has no common sense? OW FUCK OFF. How old were you when you met your first love? I was just shy of 16. Did you get ice cream from the ice cream truck when you were little? Do they still have an ice cream truck where you live? We occasionally did as a kid, but they definitely don't have that where we live now. Has the last person you kissed met your family? She met my mom, dad, and younger sister. What was the last strong emotion you experienced? Who was responsible for it? Remorse. Myself. Have you ever had to cancel a bank account? Yes. Was the last conversation you had an argument? No. If you knew you had the right person, would you marry them today? I am not in the financial or mental position to get married right now. Where was the last place you got completely wasted? I've never been "wasted." If you could have anyone as your roommate, who would you choose? Sara. Have you ever changed the prices of items at a store? Wow no. Well, MAYBE when I actually worked in stores and I was supposed to, but I don't remember doing that. Do you go for walks often? I never do because of having no area to (my house is along a dangerous curve), and I need to be very careful because of muscle atrophy in my legs. I need to have easy access to a place to sit and recover or else I get very close to collapsing. As mentioned, I desperately want a treadmill. Would your parents disown you if you got pregnant? No, I'm 24 years old. My mom would never in her life do that at any age anyway. How strange do people say you are? Idk?? That's not something I really try to find out because my AvPD would possibly make me cry asldkfjwe. Have you opened food at a grocery store & ate it without or before paying? I would never do that without, but I have before in cases of being very dizzy and knowing I desperately needed food. How artistic are you? I think I'm pretty artistic, but more in concept than actuality... Like I have so so so SOOOOOO many ideas, particularly with drawing, I just don't. Do it. Can you legally drive? Not currently, because my permit has been expired since last year. Did anything dramatic go down yesterday? No. Do you find smoking unattractive? Very. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to be around your ex everyday? No, thankfully. Have you seen someone recently you used to talk to, but don’t anymore? No. Are you comfortable sharing drinks with your friends? No; I don't even share drinks with family. Honestly, have you ever written something on a bathroom stall? No, I hate that shit. When you were a kid did you ever look up “sex” in the dictionary? Actually no. I literally didn't learn anything about it 'til family life in the 5th grade. Is there anything written on the shirt you’re wearing right now? No. Are you shorter or taller than most of your friends? I'm a normal height, really. Honestly, do you double dip? If I'm sharing, no. All you have to do is break the chip. What was the last junk food you ate? I had a little bit of popcorn yesterday.

[ladynuwanda]

Heart of Darkness (Michael LangdonXFemale Reader) - Chapter 4: Sealed with a Kiss

Waking up at a place you don’t know where it is having no idea how the hell you’ve gotten there. What fun.

 All I could feel was a blinding pain at the back of my head, but when I tried to bring a hand to it I saw that I couldn’t move it. In fact I couldn’t move at all. Anything except my eyes, and I was looking around madly, as best as I could, panic growing in my chest. I was lying on a hard surface, like a table, in a dim-lit room, I could see there was someone else in the room from the corner of my eyes.

It was a man, not much more than a boy, walking busily around the room, lighting candles and reciting words in what sounded like Latin. When he turned around I lost my breath for a moment and I felt like my heart had skipped a beat. He had the most beautiful face I had even seen in my life, framed by silky golden curls. It’s not an exaggeration when I say he looked like an angel. His face looked positively radiant, specially in contrast with his black clothes, but his expression was so utterly miserable, it was sort of heartbreaking.

 He stopped by the table, speaking louder now (definitely Latin, and although I couldn’t quite make out the actual meaning of the words, it already sounded ominous enough) and I saw a flash of silver when he raised his red gloved hands. A knife. Oh, shit! I would have screamed if I could make a sound. The fact that he didn’t look very happy either was no consolation. He looked at me like he was about to apologise and I could tell something made him stop on his tracks. “You’re not a virgin”, he furrowed his brows at me.

 Panic gave place to confusion, and I felt a crease appearing between my eyebrows as well. He rolled his eyes muttering “oh, fuck it” under his breath. With a careless red wave of one hand whatever was holding me still was gone, and I could move again. I sat up on the table as he walked to an armchair and sat down looking exhausted. I knew I was definitely not off whatever hook he had me on, but I couldn’t avoid the warm feeling of relief that took me when he dropped the knife to the floor by the armchair and pinched the bridge of his nose.

 “You were supposed to be a virgin. I can’t believe Miss Mead got it wrong... she was never wrong, you see? Not my Miss Mead!”, I was thinking that it was funny the way he said “my Miss Mead”, like everyone was supposed to have a Miss Mead, but that made me think of the lady I met at work. She had pleasant manners and sparkly green eyes, and I remember thinking I wanted to look half as cool when I got to her age, with the faux mohawk and black lipstick... the pain on the back of my head stung again. Whoever this Miss Mead was, she probably knocked me unconscious and dragged me to this place.

 He was still muttering to himself and I had no idea what I was supposed to do or say when his blue gaze fell on me again “... I mean, you ARE the girl from the library, right?”. I nodded stupidly. “And you’re not a virgin... now that’s a surprise!”, I wasn’t sure if I should be more offended that he simply assumed I was a virgin because I worked in the library, or by his disgusted tone when he said I wasn’t. I couldn’t tell exactly what kind of shaming he was giving me, but I knew there was some. And to my surprise I heard myself saying “I’m sorry” like a complete idiot.

 “Well, you should be! You were supposed to serve a greater purpose, I was supposed to consume the heart of a virgin tonight... but now I can’t, can I? Miss Mead is already back at Kineros to have her memory erased and it’s too late for me to find and capture someone else before the eclipse is over.”, very little of what he said made any sense to me, and he seemed to be talking more to himself anyway, but I think I got the meaning of the part about consuming a heart. Consuming. What a civilised way to say he was gonna cut my chest open with that silver knife of his, rip my bloody heart out and eat it raw before my corpse was even cold. “All because you humans have to succumb to lust all the time... was it lust, or are you gonna tell me it was love?”, his icy blue eyes were on me again.

 What was I going to say? Should I tell him it was love? Would that somehow make me less tainted, and therefore more eligible for heart-eating? Why should I even be honest to this psycho? Was I supposed to open my metaphorical heart to this very literal heart-eater? What for? But then I noticed something weird in what he’d just said “you humans”? This whole conversation somehow managed to get crazier by the minute...

 He raised himself from the armchair and was walking towards me now. “It was love. You loved him dearly. He was... your best friend. You trusted him with your life, but he betrayed that trust. He broke your heart”, he placed both hands, in those unsettling red gloves, on  the table in front of me, by my feet, and looked deep into my eyes, “I can see it like a physical trait, you carry it around like a scar.”. I felt tears stinging my eyes and looked away. How did he know? Who was this guy? WHAT was he? “Was it worth it? Giving yourself to this man only to have your heart crushed afterwards... human-beings are pathetic with this obsession with carnal pleasure. And the way you think it has something to do with love... It’s pitiful, really.”

 “Why do you talk about human beings like that... like you’re not one?”, what was I thinking? Why was I asking that kind of question to this lunatic? Was I so in shock that I was no longer thinking properly? He merely chuckled. “Because I’m not.”, he turned his face the other way and pulled his hair to the side, to show me this painful looking mark behind his ear, a small 666 in an intricate design that seemed to have been iron branded there. He looked at me again and his face was no longer his face, it was a white mask of evil that made my blood freeze in my veins. Just as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone and he was giving me the most angelic smile. “My name is Michael Langdon, and I am the Antichrist.” I can’t explain why, and it wasn’t just the satisfied tone in which he had said those words, but I knew this wasn’t a trick. He was the real deal, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind. I knew it in my very soul, and fear took hold of my heart like it was grabbed by a cold hand.

 He walked around the table and sat casually next to me, it looked almost like we were school kids, chatting in between classes. It‘s amazing that, with everything that was going on, there was still room left in my brain to think about how nice he smelled. “I know you wanna ask me another question... come on, don’t be shy”, he smirked, he seemed to be having fun. Like a particularly wicked cat playing with a mouse before killing it off. “It’s so annoying how people never seem to be able to be honest with me... they always get all ‘pleases’ and ‘I’m sorrys’, they never answer my questions with the truth, it’s always what they think I wanna hear, you have no idea how frustrating it is!”, I talked before I could stop myself “Well can you blame them?”, I made a sound that was very much like laughter and pressed my lips together to keep myself from talking any longer.

 Shock. Definitely shock. What else but shock could explain the way I was talking to the actual Devil? But he didn’t seem angry, he was more... amused. “What do you mean?”, the smirk was almost a grin now. Well, fuck it. I’m probably not gonna leave this place alive, anyway, why should I worry about what I say to him? “Well...” I continued like I didn’t care at all about my own life “... you’ve got that whole situation going on”, I made a vague hand gesture encompassing his attire, “don’t get me wrong! It’s fantastic! But maybe just a little... intense. You can’t dress like that and then act surprised when people are a little intimidated by you!”

 He was laughing. The Antichrist was laughing at something I had said. Not laughing at me, but sorta with me. Like he was enjoying my company. Like this was... fun? The same man who was casually talking about eating my heart out a few moments before. “I guess you’re right” he was giving me the brightest of smiles now “maybe I am intimidating, as you say. I’ll tell you what: I promise not to hurt you during this entire conversation, if you promise me you’re gonna be a hundred percent honest, deal?”

 In case you haven’t noticed, he never promised he wasn’t going to kill me eventually. And then there was the fact that the actual Devil was offering me an actual deal. I realised I had very little to lose at this point so I shook the hand he offered me. “Good! Now, I’m hungry... are you hungry? We should find something to eat, since you’ve ruined my original dinner plans...” he jumped off the table laughing at his own dark joke “... I can’t cook, tho, can you cook? Nevermind! We’ll have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and call it the night. Do you like peanut butter and jelly?”, “Yes” my reply was barely more than a whisper, and I still couldn’t make myself move as he was already leaving the room. He stopped by the door and looked at me “Come on! I think my Miss Mead left me some chocolate milk in the fridge... it should be a little treat!”, he flashed me another bright smile. Still feeling slightly lightheaded, I followed the Antichrist into his Miss Mead’s kitchen.

 He threw his leather coat on the back of a chair and discarded the red gloves on the counter, he was untying his ascot (an ascot! now that’s something you don’t see everyday...) and unbuttoning the collar of his dress shirt. He was still insanely overdressed for a peanut butter and jelly dinner, but he seemed far more relaxed. I, on the other hand, felt absurdly underdressed in a sleeveless little thing, that looked more like a white nightgown, and absolutely nothing underneath. The sheer fabric made me feel exposed, so I braced myself, rubbing my own arms with my hands. As if the feeling of warmth from the gesture could make me feel less vulnerable. “Are you cold? Here...”, he took off his jacket and placed it over my shoulders, his hands were surprisingly gentle and warm, but the unexpected touch made me shiver, anyway. He didn’t seem to notice and proceeded to folding up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing lightly tanned forearms, with veins that looked like they had been carved in marble.

 He placed a tall glass of chocolate milk on the table and pulled me a chair, turning around to busy himself with cupboard doors, plates and sandwich ingredients. I sat down, looking at the glass and thinking about how surreal this was. I wanted to be afraid of him. I knew I should run away from that kitchen. But he was being so... nice! He was humming tunelessly to himself while preparing sandwiches, it felt like he was genuinely happy to have company for dinner. But I wasn’t imagining things, was I? He had been about to carve my heart out a few moments before, hadn’t he? So how could I feel so warm and cosy in his company now? Is that what Stockholm Syndrome feels like?

 A few minutes later he put a plate in front of me, with a PB&J sandwich in it. I had to smile a little to myself when I noticed that the crust had been neatly cut out. He sat on the chair across from me and took his own sandwich in his large hands. As I saw him take a ravenous bite I couldn’t help thinking about what had been originally on the menu tonight. It was only after he licked strawberry jam off one of his long fingers that he looked at me again. It would be a big fat lie if said I could taste the sandwich at all, but I had been chewing my first bite for a long time before I remembered how swallowing worked.

 “What did you need a virgin’s heart for?”, I asked before I could stop myself. “It was a ritual”, he swallowed the bite he had been chewing, “to bring me closer to my father, to give me power so I could fulfil his purpose. I guess I’m gonna have to make do without it now” he shrugged. “My turn: how come you’re not a virgin, Library-Girl? We’ve been watching you... you’re not seeing anyone, you’ve got very little social life to begin with. It was an honest mistake, if you think about it...”

 Like hell it was! So I was almost murdered over a stereotype? The spinster librarian, who lives alone with a thousand cats... Ridiculous! Except that I really was single. And I did have a cat. Oh, no! My cat! I hoped my next door neighbour would notice I had not come home, and use the spare-key to get into my apartment and feed my Vanilla, when she was feeding her Luna... Do you think Langdon would let me use the phone for a second?

 “You said so yourself, I was in love. And he broke my heart.”, that’s definitely the least comfortable sex-talk in the entire history of conversations. “Ah, but he wasn’t the only one, was he? You also did it with guys you were not in love with... why?”, it wasn’t a rhetorical question, he seemed honestly puzzled. And he was right. Even after having my heart shattered to pieces, I could still take other men into my bed. I hadn’t trusted anyone again, but that doesn’t mean I had chosen celibacy. I had to think for a while before replying this time “Because... it feels good.”, it was my turn to shrug now. He slapped the table, startling me, “I knew it! See, that’s the problem with mankind, that’s why you’re all doomed: you only care about immediate gratification. Sex, drugs... whatever! You’re just walking around the Earth looking for your next high, destroying everything on the way...”

 “You’re telling me that you don’t have this problem?” to be honest, I was beginning to feel a little tired of his air of superiority. “I’m not blinded by instincts, like you people. My actions are not motivated by animalistic impulse, I have a purpose.” He took a deep breath and drank from his glass of chocolate milk “But that’s not the question’s that’s been pulsing in your brain for the last few minutes, is it? Go ahead, ask it.”

 “So you are... a virgin?”

“Naturally.”

“You’ve got a milk moustache.”

 What?! I needed to gain some time! “Naturally” was so not the answer I was expecting! He wiped his lips with a napkin and met my eyes again “Why is that such a foreign concept to you?”

 “Because there’s a crazy little thing called desire... it’s a very powerful force!”

“Distractions.”

“Welcome distractions!”

“Not really.”

“You must have been a very weird teenager...”

“I was never a teenager.”

 The look of confusion on my face probably spoke volumes, for he kept talking “I was born on the 14th of December, 2011. One night, a couple of years ago, I went to bed as a child, and the next morning I woke up... like this.” Flawless, would have been the natural complement to this statement, but for once I managed to stay quiet, I just kept looking at him wide-eyed with my mouth slightly open. “You look cold... are you done eating? Let’s take this conversation to the living room, there’s a nice fireplace there.”, without waiting for a reply, he got up and kept talking as he left the kitchen “I had a reason to grow up so fast, you see, there were things that needed to be done...”, I followed him because he seemed really pleased to have an audience to whom he could talk about his life goals, but also because I didn’t want to be left alone in the kitchen with that strange dark altar behind the table.

 He sat on the rug in front of the fireplace and took off his weird looking goat shoes “you, humans, let yourselves be distracted by what you believe is a higher purpose... women tell themselves they’re looking for love, men make themselves believe they want power, but in the end you all want one thing: immediate gratification. Usually through carnal pleasure. I cannot let myself be distracted by that...” I sat down on the rug as far from him as I could, still wrapping myself on his jacket “But weren’t you ever curious?”, I knew I was!

 “I’m not curious, I’m on a mission!”

“But it’s not just that! Sure, it is pleasant... but it’s also about connection.”

“Connection? With people? Please... what part of that should I find enticing?”

“I’m serious! It’s not just about having pleasure, it’s about sharing it with someone! Having each other at the most vulnerable and the most powerful, at the same time... we all crave that feeling with every fibre of our beings! Don’t you?”

 He looked at me and I could see blue flames dancing in his eyes, there was nothing of the ice that had been there before. He was all fire, and I felt my own cheeks burning as well. I was panting, and I didn’t know why. I couldn’t hold his gaze much longer, I lowered my eyes to his exposed collarbones. That was worse. Far worse. I felt my entire body burn, now. I bit my lower lip and heard a low chuckle. “If that’s such a magical, intense pleasure... why do people get so mad about rape?”, there was a bitterness to his voice, like this was a very personal subject to him. Clearly he wasn’t speaking from first-hand experience, or he wouldn’t need to ask this question, but he was clearly talking about someone who was close to him. “Because rape isn’t sex, it’s violence. If I hit you on the face with a shovel, you wouldn’t exactly call it gardening, would you?”, it was his turn to bite his lower lip “Fair enough.”, he nodded.

 After a heartbeat he lifted his eyes to me again, they were glowing warm like molten silver, incredibly sweet. His cheeks were flushed, as imagine mine were too, his rosy lips still wet in the firelight, the silvery blue eyes resting on mine for what seemed forever as he took a deep breath. “Would you show me?”, his voice much lower than it had been the entire evening. Before I knew what I was doing, I had my hand on the back of his neck, pulling him close, and covered his lips  with mine.

 He responded with an enthusiasm I could not have anticipated, pulling me impossibly close and kissing me back with a thirst that felt entirely new. His honey lips on mine while his entire body felt made of flames, and I was happy to be consumed by his flames. The moment his delicate tongue found mine, I felt a deep moan vibrating from de back of his throat. I was already aching for him. I straddled his hips, trying to find contact, grinding down for friction. I wanted to feel him with my entire body. I felt like I would never be truly satisfied unless every molecule in my body was touching every molecule in his.

 My fingers were working the buttons of his waistcoat and dress-shirt, removing his leather belt, with feverish desire. His lips and tongue caressing my neck so lightly I almost cried. His upper body seemed carved in marble, perfectly smooth and slightly tanned... so warm to the touch, so inviting. He held me in a sweet embrace for a moment, while we both tried to steady our breathing. His large hands firmly on my back, my fingers running down his while I kissed his shoulder. We remained there for a moment, just breathing together, enjoying each other’s warmth and closeness.

 His kisses started on my neck, moved to my jawline making me grind down on him again, gasping slightly. His hands moved from my back, his touch ghosting over my breasts. He pulled back a little to look me in the eyes, asking for permission. I took his trembling hands on mine and kissed his fingertips lovingly, slowly. Then I placed them on my breasts. He inhaled shakily and closed his eyes, I moved my hips a little and watched, not without a little satisfaction, a small crease forming between his eyebrows as he moaned softly, his lips slightly parted.

 He buried his face on my chest, kissing the tops of my breasts that weren’t covered by the white nightgown, his hands gently kneading me where the skin was not exposed. His thumbs found my nipples through the thin fabric, touching them in circular motions. I steadied the pace of my hips, my whole body shaking, I felt myself clench around nothing, craving to feel him inside me.

 He laid me down on the rug, and removed his trousers and underwear before lying next to me. Holding his head with one hand, supported on his elbow, he ran his fingers up my dress, his fingertips barely touching the sensitive skin of my inner thigh, his gaze never leaving mine. The molten silver in his eyes seemed to come to a boil when he found the wetness between my legs. He slipped one finger inside me and I threw my head back, eyes closed, biting my lip to keep myself from whining. He pulled the finger out and slid it back in, with a another finger this time. He bent both fingers a little, reaching that sweet spot inside me and I arched my back, a loud moan escaped my mouth.

 He kissed my shoulder that was nearest him, while he pleasured me with his fingers. “Can I...” his voice was slightly raspy, so he cleared his throat “May I... taste you?”, I nodded looking in his eyes. I don’t think I could speak to save my life at that moment. Without looking away he pulled his fingers from inside me and took them to his own mouth, sucking them clean. His eyes still intently on mine he leaned over and kissed me slow and deep. I could taste myself on his tongue, and that only made me want him more.

 He moved on top of me, his legs between mine, his hands pulling the white dress up above my head. At that moment I felt something I had never felt before. Like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Lying under his body, no fabric between us, just skin on skin. His eyes on mine. It just felt right, somehow. Like this was the only reason I was put on this world: to feel him, to look at him. But I needed more. I reached for him with one hand and slowly guided him inside me. It was only when he filled me up that I felt truly complete.

 His eyes were closed, his exhaling almost a sob. He lost himself to the sensation. I was trying to get used to his size, it was more than I had ever felt, he was stretching me out in a way that wasn’t at all unpleasant. He pulled out a little and pushed himself in again, whimpering lightly. He looked so young, so helpless, without thinking I placed my hand on his cheek and he opened his eyes looking almost surprised to find me there, his face lit up with a smile when his eyes found mine and he kissed me, moving his hips away, never leaving me entirely, before sliding back in harshly, making us both break the kiss gasping.

 “I’m sorry... did I hurt you?”, his hand on my hair, his eyes on mine again. “Quite the opposite!”, I giggled and he did the same, relaxing a little. “You don’t need to hold back, Michael. I’m a big girl, I can take it.”

 Now, why would I say something stupid like that? No matter how big a girl I was, this man was still a little more than human. I’m pretty sure he could tear me apart if he wanted to. But now my words made him relaxed enough to pound into me without mercy. He would at times pull himself entirely out and slam back in with a loud groan, his forehead resting on mine, tears stinging my eyes. He was going so deep, so hard, I knew I was gonna be sore in the morning, but it really didn’t matter then. Pleasure and pain. It’s amazing how often those two can go side by side.

 At other times he would take himself out and slide back in agonisingly slow. As much as I craved to have him filling me up again, his moaning during those times was music to my ears. And when I felt him back inside me to the brim, I could cry in ecstasy, my fingernails on the smooth skin pf his back. His face showed nothing but wonder when he would look at me while burying himself deeper between my legs. Sometimes he would just close his eyes in abandon, and I felt tears leaving my eyes. I had never seen anything so beautiful.

 His thrusts grew sloppier, he was losing himself to the feeling again. Panting heavily against my face, whimpering bellow his breath. I dug my fingernails on his back when my orgasm washed over me, making me clench around him, milking him for his. Throwing his head back, he came undone, throbbing inside me. Tears spilling from his closed eyes, a soft moan escaping his parted lips. He looked so much like an innocent boy as he looked like a mighty god. As the wave of pleasure washed away, he touched my forehead with his again. Both of our sweaty bodies shaking, while we did our best to breath normally again.

 “Thank you.”, his voice was very low, almost shy. And I giggled, surprised, at his unusual post-coital remark, “Sure, any time!”. “What? People don’t usually say that?”, he was chuckling a little himself as he looked at me. “They really don’t!”, we were both laughing now. He brushed his nose on mine “But I really do... thank you, I mean.” he looked very serious now, and I kissed him as tenderly as I knew how. Trying to tell him with my lips and my tongue what I couldn’t bring myself to say out loud: that I was thankful, too. It had been an honour and a privilege... and a pleasure. So much pleasure, it didn’t seem to belong in this world.

 He fell asleep with his head on my chest. I ended up dozing off myself, while running my fingers through his hair. Just savouring the perfectly blissful moment, the weight of his body, the scent of his hair, the peaceful sound of his breathing lulling me to sleep.

 I woke up on the sofa, apparently someone had carefully placed my sleeping body there and covered me up with a blanket. This someone was sitting on the rug now, wearing nothing but his boxers and black dress-shirt, with the sleeves still rolled up. He had all his attention focused on the binders before him, that he was leafing through by the firelight. The white dress I had bieen wearing was very tidily folded over the cushion by my head. I grabbed it and put it on, standing up.

 He looked up and gave me one of the bright smiles that I was beginning to grow fond of. (Who am I kidding? By now my heart was already doing somersaults whenever he would so much as glance in my general direction...) “I didn’t mean to wake you up... you were sleeping so peacefully!”, he held out a hand, inviting me join him by the fire. “How long was I out?”, again. I was beginning to wonder if I was keeping track of time AT ALL, at this point. “Less then an hour, don’t worry...”, cupping my face in one hand he kissed me slow and tenderly. He ended the kiss in a grin of contentment, touching my forehead with his and gently brushing his thumb on my cheek.

 “What are these?”, I pointed at the binders with my chin. “Cooperative papers, plans for the safety bunkers, boring but necessary stuff... I was trying to find a way to place you in one of the Outposts”, as usual most of what he was saying made no sense to me, and also as usual it probably showed on my face. He took a deep breath, and lowered his eyes, he seemed to be making an effort to speak now “Listen, you don’t need to panic, I’ve got it all figured out, I had a meeting last week, with some people... big... important people... you may call them World Leaders”, he did quotation marks with his fingers at these two words, “we’re working on building strategically placed Outposts, to protect those who can make an intellectual or cultural, or even biological, contribution to the world we’ll be creating.”

 “I’m sorry?”

“I told you I was on a mission... humanity is doomed, there’s going to be... an incident. Involving nuclear bombs. A few months from now. After the Nuclear Winter, we’ll have a chance to start over, make everything new, from scratch. Make it... better.”

 I got up on reflex, getting away from him in horror. How could he be so calm when he was talking about the death of billions of people? And then I remembered: he was the Antichrist after all. What was I thinking? That he was just the sweet boy I made love with? How could I forget this not so small detail about him? “You don’t need to be scared... it’s alright” he was getting himself up too “Trust me. I can keep you safe.”

 “I don’t wanna be safe! This is insane... you can’t be serious!”, I felt more naked now then I did when he took my dress off. “I will rebuild the world in my father’s image, it will be a better world!”, he took my hand “And you’ll be there to see it! No more lies, no more hypocrisy... imagine that! The end of treason and ignorance,  only the truth and knowledge will be allowed to exist in this new world. But we can’t achieve that with humanity as it is...”

 I pulled my hand from his grasp, but I couldn’t speak. I just stood there shaking my head in disbelief, looking at him through the tears in my eyes. He grabbed one of the binders that were resting on the rug “I found the perfect spot for you actually, the newly-elected president of a South-American country is pure scum! A very unpleasant little man... just the sound of his voice is enough to set my teeth on edge! I never wanted him taking someone’s place in the Outposts, anyway...”

 “Stop it, Michael! Stop this nonsense! I don’t wanna take anybody’s place in the Outposts... scum, or not!”

“You don’t know what you’re saying...”

“I do! I don’t wanna be some privileged asshole safely hidden in a bunker somewhere while the rest of the world bursts in flames!”

 “You won’t be thinking that when you feel your flesh burning from your bones and you’re reduced to nothing but ashes!”, he nearly shouted the words at me, and I was downright terrified. In that moment I realised that I had never seen him angry, and the idea of it was scarier than the Armageddon itself. He took a few deep breaths, I saw he was trying to calm himself down. He took me in his arms, one hand on my waist the other on my hair, his forehead on mine again “please, please... I don’t wanna lose you... you gave me something I never knew was even possible... please let me save you... stay with me...”, I could tell by his voice that he was on the verge of tears himself.

 “Michael, listen to me. I don’t care about surviving if everyone else is going to die. When the world is consumed in flames, I want to be with my family. Surrounded by the people I love the most. With music, laughter and good food. I want to be in my Grandma’s backyard. Eating one more of the delicious meals prepared by my aunt. While my brother plays our favourite songs on the guitar. I wanna be holding my mother’s hand. My little niece sitting on my knee, telling me a funny story. THAT’s how I’d want to go. That’s the kind of person I am!”

 He looked at me through teary eyes “Is that your final word?”, I put my hand on his face and kissed his lips very softly “Yes.”, silent tears were streaming down his cheeks now “You don’t need to save me. The privilege of dying happy is all the salvation I need... Just give me a heads up, if you can. So I can go back home to my family in time, will you?”. He swallowed hard, and his expression became even harder. His eyes went cold all at once, with that familiar icy glint, and the remaining tears running down his cheeks looked completely out of place on a face devoid of emotion. “I will not let you down”, his voice hard and cold as steel. With both hands, surprisingly warm and gentle, on my shoulders he kissed me very softly between the eyebrows.

 After that I remember being back at the library. With no idea how I had gotten there. In fact I had no idea I had ever left. I worked there for the next months as if that night had never happened. Like I had never been kidnapped by someone’s Miss Mead, or met the boy-Devil with the face of an angel. I didn’t even remember I had loved that boy for eternity in one night. And I definitely had no clue of the nuclear holocaust to come. In fact, it was just another day’s work at the library when the Cooperative officers arrived, less than an year later, to take me to the Outpost.

 To bring me here.

 It was bad enough living in Outpost 3 all this time, with all their rules and the fear, knowing everyone I had ever loved, everyone I knew, had died a most horrible death. But knowing that I was standing face to face with the man responsible for ending the world was a horror beyond comprehension. And we had been so... intimate. Our encounters had not been numerous, neither had they lasted for more than one night at a time. But those had probably been the most intense nights of my life. I knew I loved that man. Damn my soul, I loved him with everything I was. But I also hated him. For everything he’d done I hated him. For destroying my world and killing everyone I knew... TWICE.

 I heard sounds from downstairs, one of the heavy isolation doors opening and closing again. Someone was inside the outpost. Before I could say anything, before I even had a chance to react to my newly recovered memories, Michael pulled me to himself and kissed me with a burning passion that I couldn’t help responding to. “Go to your room.”, he was speaking through gritted teeth, “Stay there. Whatever you hear, don’t come out. Wait for me.”

 “Michael, you don’t really think...”

“For once in your life, do as I say!” and then much softer “Please.”

 The desperation on his face was more than enough to silence my protests. Without another word I turned around and left for my room. As I was closing the door, I looked at him one last time, his silvery-blue eyes were on me, and those beautiful lips formed the word “go” in silence. I heard footsteps, apparently entering the great hall, and Mead came to his side in the balcony looking worried. They exchanged a glance and Michael’s face was transformed by rage, for a split second I thought I saw a flash of the white faced demon again. The last thing I heard before the door clicked shut were the sweet tones of a woman’s voice coming from downstairs. She spoke very softly, but I could hear her clear as day:

 “Find our sisters.”

[hasansonsuzceliktas]

Women and Their Signs

Today, I want to inform you (especially the men) about some key features of the Zodiac signs. You must know there’s a marvelous question that can get normally quiet women to talk for hours with other women: “What’s your sign?” When a woman asks this question to another woman, you can bet your bottom dollar that the conversation will not just flow; it will cascade! Today, I want to inform you (especially the men) about some key features of the Zodiac signs. Later, there will be a test, so have your paper ready and your pencils sharpened. Aries This is Miss Wisenheimer. She knows it all, guys. The phrase “Would you help, please” is not in her vocabulary. An Aries woman goes off half-cocked, and she’s alone as far as adventure is concerned. She’s dominant and wants to dominate her man, but once she achieves this domination, she can no longer respect him. She wants to sail away, but once she does, she realizes that she has sailed much too far. Sometimes you want to say to her, “What on earth do you want, woman?” She doesn’t gossip, copy, or cheat. She drives at 60mph when the speed limit is 70mph, always sticking to the rules and having no tolerance for lies and bad discipline. If you don’t keep your promises, I warn you that you’ll feel her wrath. She’s curious about the spiritual realm, meaning you can conjure the spirits with her. There’s also a party animal inside her, so you can paint the town red until dawn with her. Taurus Here comes the goddess of aphorism! O’ Woman, can’t you just act clearly once in a while. Say you love someone, or say you’re upset, but just say it. Everything is aphorismic, and everything is citations. Ask a Taurus woman where she’s going, and she’ll likely tell you something like, “The world stands aside for the person who knows where to go.” Man, why not just tell me you’re visiting your sister or something? Even if she isn’t always good at finding words for her feelings, Taurus is one of the rare signs whose people know exactly what they want from their careers. She does whatever she sets her mind on, but once she falls in love, along comes the warm slippers and comfortable sweatpants, and she’s ready to go to the kitchen and make her man a sandwich. However, if you’re not sure you can return the same amount of effort and esteem, I advise you to run to the hills, because she’s pretty bloody minded in such situations. Gemini Not just two but literally ten women live inside this one. Did I mention that she’s the most uncanny specimen of all? One moment she’s making merry, and the next you discover that she packs quite a punch. Her system rejects men that keep her sweet, and she almost goes for those who get her back up. She’s talkative and fun, and she loves to travel. Remember that if you decide to take her out for dinner, you won’t see a scrap of food on your table for at least three hours. She usually talks to the waiter for some time, asking questions like, “Do you serve chicken? And do you have pasta. Oh yes, there it is. I think I’ll have the tuna then.” If you notice a meal being sent back in a restaurant, you can be certain it’s the work of a female Gemini. They look younger than they are, because their sign is the most youthful one. It’s only natural, seeing as they don’t hesitate to chew people’s asses out whenever they see fit; they just can’t hold back. Kudos to Gemini. Keep it up sister, honestly. Cancer This is the only sign that tries to look tough but messes it up almost every time. You feel something warm, sweet, and balmy inside when you talk to her. But yes, you guessed it right. That balmy mess happens to be your brain. She can talk about relationships for three days straight. She’s the most adept at not listening to you, pretending to listen instead. You can talk about anything, and she will still have rabbits jumping around in her head. If you would call her to tell her that the world is ending,  she would say, “So that’s why he left me. Otherwise he wouldn’t have had the heart to, aww…” For a Cancerian woman, every little thing in the universe was made for her and her lover. She’s an early riser through and through, often happily waking up at 5am. She’s sincere and funny, and you miss her every moment she’s away. She can hide her emotional nature with her wits and rascally nature. She cannot stand criticism and negligence, so be careful you don’t indulge in these! Leo She’s the queen, guys. She’s got the swagger. She’s very fond of luxury and splendor, wiping her behind with dollar bills whenever it’s possible. She keeps her friends close, and if, God forbid, she sees a friend’s boyfriend with another girl, she’s quick to put the boot in. She has a real disregard for positive sciences, and no matter which department she graduates from, she thinks she’s in the wrong one. If you let them, all Leos would be painters, musicians, and advertising agents. She’s very sensitive and clever, but she’s unable to tolerate ordeals. She’s so busy with herself that if you tell her that all hell has broken loose, she’ll just think about the perfume to wear while heading to safety. She chooses her lovers from a pool of the most impossible men and then tries to make men of them. She’s quick to make innuendos, riddling you with these bullets, so handle her with great care. Virgo She has a constant melancholic expression, revealing an ongoing agony in her eyes. She’s restless and really cannot stand a life of rest. She may wear a poker face, but she actually loves to gossip. She’s chummy and longsuffering, so much so that there’s no end to this. She plays it cool. She’s a stylish person, and even a sack would look good on her. She makes an ideal roommate at college. Being neat and tidy, she scrubs the bathroom, mops the floor, and never makes a big deal of it. Virgo is probably the only sign that doesn’t like to be on the front burner. The devil is not in the details—it’s in Virgo. She picks one word from your five-page essay and finds some underlying, nonexistent meaning that she can take offense at, dumping you without a second thought. Do not offend a Virgo. Mark my words: Go easy on her, and think twice before saying anything. Good luck. Libra A Libran woman is somewhere between Mother Theresa and Lady Gaga. She soon falls in love and forgets just as quickly. She cannot decide whether she wants to get married and have children or make an album and go on a music tour. She’s strategic and skillful at interpersonal affairs. She takes four suitcases on a daytrip. Even if a storm is breaking within her heart, her face always shows the enigmatic expression of the Mona Lisa. She cooks just fine when she wants to, but only if she really wants to. She’s skilled at housework, cooking, and dentistry. She’s indolent, typically choosing her lovers from her inner circle and going loopy once she falls in love. Her blood pressure goes down when faced with uncertainty. She’s sharp and impatient, and for this reason, everything must be clear. Are you in love or not? Are you a gentleman or a rogue? The biggest favor you can do for a Libran woman is to not waste her time, otherwise it’s surely you who will be laid to waste. Scorpio This one always has her own way. She’s posh and loves artsy things. She’s a real showoff, but she doesn’t level with people easily or get close to them. Don’t ever talk through your hat to a Scorpio. She’s also a mother hen, and healing, treating, and feeding are instinctive behaviors for her. Although she cannot argue her way out of a paper bag, she continually criticizes herself. She isn’t envious, but she’s definitely jealous. Her favorite drink is diet coke. She sometimes has a taste for black and sometimes for white, but it’s always with a passion. She lives on the edge, sometimes so far on the edge that her cellphone loses its signal. If she blows her stack, the mother earth she is may suddenly turn into a leather-clad rebel priestess, so try not to annoy her. What’s more, she’s so psychically inclined that she can read you like an open book, even when this book is still blank. If she ever spots a lie in your head, prepare to be blown away. She spends her money carefully, usually preferring to go out on her own. Sagittarius Look what the cat dragged in! She’s God’s baseball bat, if you get what I mean. Abuse her trust or put her off, and she’ll bust you like a traffic cop with a quota to meet. She walks so proud that if her nose fell off, she wouldn’t deign to stop and look down at it. She analyzes everything. Take your leave if she ever starts gibbering, “You say that, but you actually mean this.” She will fly her lover to the moon, but she forgets to keep hold of him. She never rises to wealth, because even if she made a billion dollars in a month, she would lavishly throw it around. Her mood is unstable, and she can turn from Walt Disney into Alice Cooper in the blink of an eye. She likes to learn things, constantly trying something new, such as fitness training, Latin dancing, diets, wrestling, and so on, but she never sees them through. She’s most successful in her career and so feminine with her laughter. A Sagittarian woman is loyal, and she doesn’t dismiss anyone unnecessarily. If you make a fool of her, though, she’ll run you through. Capricorn You can easily mistake this one for a duchess or countess. She’s wary and skeptical, and this is the reason behind her squint. A woman of Capricorn is royal and prudent, never putting her pants on one leg at a time. I say this because she’s cooler, calmer, and more collected than you and I could ever be. She’s careful in her career decisions, and she doesn’t usually make mistakes. She doesn’t hobnob with people, rarely warming or taking a dislike to people, but once she lets you into her life, she will never leave you in the lurch. These women tend to go through an identity crisis at an early age, just so they can overcome it. You could easily become hysterical from their excessive realism. When you tell her that in ten years you’ll be sipping wine together in Tuscany, she’ll tell you to pay off your home loan first. Since she’s the figurative great granddaughter of Henry VII, she maintains her composure at all costs. She’s quick in cutting the ignorant off. Do not make her cry, or she’ll bump you off for sure. Aquarius Aquarians are crazy about gossip until it’s just no fun anymore. An Aquarian woman thinks she has a genius inside, but no one ever saw her invent a thing. She’s in love with her wits and has a permanently swollen ego. It’d be great if some modesty accompanied her sweet ego, but it’s just one of those things. She loves her friends. Well, not just loves, she loses her marbles and falls off her rocker where her friends are concerned. She likes commitment and loathes dependence. She’s almost masculine in her relationships. She bosses, commands, abuses, and dominates, and she would eventually grow a penis if she went the extra mile. She doesn’t even let the man lead in the wedding dance, because she has to dominate in all things. She’s sophisticated, but she might believe that too much culture is bad for her health, so she goes to a charity sale after visiting an art museum, or to a Hank Williams Jr. concert after a Verdi opera. She’s familiar with the tabloid press, so much so that she could be a magazine reporter. She’s incredibly funny and practical. She could rule the world if she wasn’t so lazy, but come on, we’re talking about someone who doesn’t even remove her make-up before bed. Pisces This one cries easily, and there’s no way you can discover the reason why. She could be moved to tears just by looking at a window steaming up. She has private jokes that only she can understand. She begins her relationships as if they will be her last, and when they’re over, she claims her lover was a schizophrenic or so anyway. She’s a daydreamer, but not romantic in the sense of fluffy love stories. She may laugh in her lover’s face whenever he is reciting a love poem to her. She’s grateful for small blessings, but she may also get the blues from just about anything. Despite her overwhelming romanticism, she’s incredibly resilient against hardship. Her ideal profession is as a judge, because she can’t stand injustice. She’s so fond of appearances that she wouldn’t even drink a mocha if it didn’t have cinnamon on it. She usually ends up being the one in the wrong, because she blurts things out that she should have said at the end of the conversation. She then pouts, claiming that the whole world is against her. Most women of Pisces are good cooks, and they make great wives and mothers. Read the full article