#oh god this is my first shot at fiction in about five years *hyperventilates into hands*

[kotorswtor]

Heck with it, we’re posting this. Here’s the Episode 0 to a Mando/Force-sensitive OC series I’m working on. Master post and/or coherent formatting to follow once I’m not on mobile.

The Mandalorian had a foundling, a commission to return it to its kin, and despite himself, no plan and no clue for how to proceed.

Initial attempts to identify the Child by species failed. The Armorer had suggested that its strange abilities were characteristic of a people called the Jedi, and he’d undertaken research on them as a starting point. Information on these sorcerers was thin on the ground, though, and scarcer yet when one tried to separate fact from wild confabulation. The historical enemy of his people, like his people, had been lately persecuted by the rise of the Empire. Few had relevant knowledge even before the propaganda campaigns and the fear of reprisal complicated the search for answers, and for those who did, reticence was a hard-to-break habit. A university librarian on Raltiir, who had laughed harder than he thought strictly necessary, corrected his assumption that all Jedi were knee-high, gundark-eared, and green. Like Mandalorians, they could be drawn from any race. While that absolved him of the need to locate a tribe of beings that no resource he consulted and no subject-matter expert he contacted had ever seen before, it created a new problem- the search parameters had exploded from no one to potentially anyone.

Later that evening, while the bulkheads of the Razor Crest vibrated in sympathetic outrage with the Child’s complaints because he had prevented it from dropping everything not bolted down into the vac-head for the fourth time that day, it occurred to him that he might have an idea of whom to consult next. He’d met the contact early in his hunting career, and it had ended so bizarrely, he’d done his best to block it out of his memory in the meantime. But discomfort was becoming second nature, and any lead was preferable to scrabbling around for the single grain he needed in two tons of scorching Nevarran sand.

The job had looked a little suspect from the start. As advertised, it was a straightforward, preferably live apprehension of a human female, about fifteen standard years old, from an off-grid farming commune on Dantooine’s sprawling, empty Khoonda plains. At first he’d ignored it; the assignment was far enough out of his way that the pay barely compensated for travel time, fuel, and the likelihood of being obliged to wait out checkpoints or inspections along the route. The file sat in the back of the queue over several weeks, the number of subcontractors and sub-subcontractors of record metastasized, and the payout on offer steadily grew. In his experience, the former indicated probable Imperial involvement, and the latter meant that the job was more complicated than advertised. Eventually he ran out of more attractive prospects. A job that began as a well-organized, cooperative engagement on Alzoc-3 devolved into a barely-salvaged, chaotic scramble. After that, a solitary, simple gig, even one with a long commute, sounded like a welcome change.

He put the Crest down on a cracked, rutted landing pad. The precipitously-tilting remains of a sunken, four-spired compound loomed over a brick-bordered expanse of weeds that might’ve been a temple precinct in ages past, an expanse of fallow hills and neat, square tracts of farmland. Standing on the loading ramp, he surveyed the area, first with a set of quadnoculars, second with the infrared sensors in his helm. He found no present or recent indications of sentient activity- deeply suspicious at the height of planting season. He slung the Amban over his shoulder, ran a quick mental check on his other armaments, and set off in the direction indicated by the tracking fob.

The further he progressed into the settlement, the more unsettling the scene became. Not only were there no workers about the usual chores, he saw no livestock, heard no wild animals. For once in his life,the sight of survey droids or automated harvesters might have been welcome, but there were none to be found.

His prior intelligence-gathering had indicated that the Sandral stakehold was a haven for deserted troops, refugees, and asylum-seekers, fleeing the last gasp of the Clone Wars or the magma-like subsumptive spread of the Empire. That information seemed suspicious; usually communities of bucolic non-combatants didn’t put up enough resistance to warrant a large and growing bounty. Now he saw that he wasn’t looking at a pacifist enclave so much as a competent, well-prepared army under siege.

Something crunched under his boot. He lifted his foot to find a human scapula and the blasting cap from a buried explosive. Flowering weeds were already sprouting in the crater. He looked up and noted that the landscape was dotted with similar scars. Fifteen careful paces later, a toe scuffed against the chitinous shell of a very large dead arthropod. Similar fragments carpeted a dip in the ground, hard packed earth covering what he guessed had once been the entrance to a nest. A neat stack of bundles wrapped in shining fibers and assembled on one side of the hollow were, he belatedly realized, not bales of livestock feed. He passed the blast-scarred head of a cistern. The jagged line painted over the cover and the reek emanating from under it indicated that it had been repurposed as a mass grave.

The tracker led him to a squat, sprawling compound sunken into the top of a hill. He made a wide circuit around the facility, noting fortifications, armaments, and a faint infravision impression of the sentients inside. The disarticulated carcass of an Imperial troop transport sprawled across the landing pad on the roof, and the massive front door had been welded shut. A small service bay door to the rear looked like a more likely prospect.

He had a breaching charge placed and partly armed when the door to the compound shot open from under his hands. A human adolescent, raw-boned and hollow-eyed, slid out and squinted into the light. Her hair was darkened and matted down with sweat, and between the grime and healing bruises, her natural skin tone was hard to determine. Even from behind his helmet, he could tell that she hadn’t had the opportunity to bathe or change clothes in a long time.

“Atash Anteros?”

She scowled and flapped her hands at her soot-smudged, much-mended tunic “No, the queen of Naboo, can’t you tell?”

A wail rose from inside the house. Sighing, she shut the door again, abruptly cutting it off.

She peered into the void of his visor for a long moment with beskar-gray eyes. “I know why you’re here,” she said finally. “Let’s get on with it.”

Unsettled and uncertain whether his blaster was the better thing to be grabbing, he reached for the binders on his belt.

She spat something that sounded midway between a cough and a curse. “Do unarmed children usually give you much trouble?”

He shrugged off the taunt in silence, reclaimed and stowed the explosives. She blundered past him with the unsteady, wobbling gait of someone who’d spent a long time in confinement. His hand hovered by his holster.

“You want a fight, so that this feels worth your effort.” she commented without turning around. “Given the armor, that tracks. Should have come earlier.” She jerked her head to the side. A combine thresher, cockpit shot out and internals still smoldering, was augured into an embankment a few yards away. He counted several pairs of stormtrooper limbs caught in its tines

The sheer surreality of the scene outweighed his usual professional reticence ”How much earlier?”

She shot a bleary, quizzical glance at the horizon. “Siege started in earnest, what, about ten weeks ago? Maybe closer to twelve. This is my first trip outside in about four.” She sidestepped the buckled remains of an Imperial helmsman’s cuirasse embedded in the dirt. “Can’t say much for the re-landscaping that’s been done in the meantime.”

Her blithe demeanor was undercut by evident exhaustion. She stumbled and nearly fell three times on the way back to the ship. He threw out an arm to catch her each time. Each time she acknowledged the gesture with a sharp nod.

They arrived within sight of the Razor Crest and he keyed in the remote-unlock sequence on his vambrace, watching her carefully for a sudden change of bearing. “No holding cell on the ship. You’ll be placed in carbon freeze.” he said.

If anything, she looked even less poised to fight or flee. Maybe just more tired. “It will be nice to sleep, finally.” she replied, earnestly wistful. “I’m so tired of…” she tilted her head to indicate the heaps of wrecked machinery and disturbed turf and the half-toppled temple “...all of this.” She faced the tumbledown remains of the temple and bent forward slightly in an approximation of a bow, then looked to him to lead on.

He ushered her up the loading ramp and into the ship. He thought she’d belatedly made up her mind to fight when she stopped a few steps into the hold with her hands out, fingers splayed; it turned out that she hadn’t adjusted to the sudden reduction in light. He guided her toward and around into the mobile freezing unit with one hand on her shoulder and the other close to his blaster.

She edged forward. There was the resistance he was expecting. He caught her arm and pressed her back into the freezing chamber’s frame with an annoyed grunt.

Her free hand darted out in a blur, and found a sliver of bare skin under his vambrace, between his gauntlet and the sleeve hem of his hauberk. Her fingertips connected, and a silent, invisible explosion ripped through him. His ears buzzed. The deck tilted and fell away from beneath his boots. The hand that should have unholstered and fired his pistol in a fraction of a second refused to respond.

He heard her breathing, her heartbeat alongside his. His familiar, comfortable armor grew crowded and airless, as if she’d not so much destroyed as infiltrated it, crawled into it with him. Sparks bloomed behind his eyes and resolved into images from elsewhere: a procession of motley Guild hunters, Imperial infantry and featureless, faceless suits of black armor collided with farmers and artisans. Torrents of plasma fire and arcs of strange glowing, chakram-hilted staves cut through a poisonous haze of weaponized fertilizer and pesticide. Light artillery cut ragged wounds into farmland already scarred by improvised fortifications and hastily-excavated graves.

He jerked his hand away with a yelp and slammed down the button to engage the carbon freeze.

“Beroya, Returcye’mhi.” she murmured through the hissing gas. Maybe we’ll meet again, Hunter.

“Huh?”

The asset’s features froze into a coldly direct, level stare. She wouldn’t be able to clarify how a ragged Outer-Rim dirt farmer learned to speak the language of his people. He sagged against the control panel, chest heaving, dashing at his visor with shaking hands.

What the hell are you? he mouthed silently between gasps.

The rush of blood in his ears reassembled itself into her voice. I don’t know. We’ll see.

Fighting a gut-stab of pure panic, he ventured a furtive glance at the carbonite slab. She stared, as before.

He bit off a curse and stumbled back to the cockpit. The slab remained in the chamber, and he avoided even walking past it for the duration of the four-day flight to Dubrillion.

He dug back through his archives of old chain code data. Twenty years was a long time; she might be anywhere. She might be dead. The problem of the Child entirely aside, a small part of him hoped she was. He’d spent a long time agonizing over whether...whatever she’d done, whatever she might have seen when she touched him constituted a breach of the Creed. He hadn’t told the Armorer or anyone else, out of fear of the consequences, fear of ridicule because an unarmed serf who was barely strong enough to stand had counted coup on him, fear that he’d finally taken one too many hits to the head and the whole impossible episode had been a hallucination.

After a very long gap in her record, there was a ping on Doniphon, then Kestis Minor. Most recently, a derelict orbital station near Telos IV. He held out his hand. The Child persisted in its experiments with jamming a spare tracking fob into the Razor Crest flight controls, up its nostrils, and into the corners of his visor. He offered a doll he’d improvised out of a hydrospanner and a string of jingling metal washers tied with shreds from his cape, and the Child made the trade with a shriek of glee. With a deep breath and a few decisive taps on the terminal, he programmed the tracking fob, then laid in a course on the navicomp. They were bound for Telos.

[crystalwillow]

I’m All Yours

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x Casey Valentine (F!MC)

I started a book on May 19th of this year (2020) that is full of Ethan x Casey one shots and short stories. I love Ethan’s character, and really enjoy his relationship with Casey just as much, I wish to share with the 5 part mini-series I started this book off with.

Before I post the fiction. I feel that it’s only right that I say a massive Thank You to @ethansdique again for letting me use some of her art for the cover of this book. 🥰 

Tagging: @kiteplayschoices @brycelahelalover @obsessedheehee @eleanorbloom @fuseboxmusebox @princesslahela @vibrantlyjaz @kaavyaethanramsey @queencarb @schnitzelbutterfingers @ramseysno1rookie @caseyvalentineramsey @ethanramseyswhore @whippedforethanfreakingramsey

=================================

"... Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow...... I love you too.... Goodnight babe. mwah!" Casey said softly down the phone to her soon to be husband. As she placed her phone to charge on the nightstand there was a light knock at her door, "it's open" she called out. It opened slowly and her bridesmaids filed in one by one. Jackie, Sienna, Aurora and Esme. "Hey. How are you feeling?" Sienna asked as they all sat on the bed around Casey. "Pretty nervous if I'm being honest." she replied with a shaky voice, "Hey. You've got this Valentine." Jackie encouraged as she wrapped her arm around Casey's shoulder, pulling her into a greatly appreciated tight hug. "Late night snack before bed girls?" Aurora asked, Casey sat up and looked at her "What is it?" she asked with narrowed eyes, "Gluten free pizza with all your favourite vegetables plus a sprinkling of diced chicken" Aurora answered. The girls all looked at one and other before rushing out the room and down the stairs "Casey has the best taste for pizza. the first slice is mine!" Aurora and Casey heard Esme shout out as the three other girls raced towards the kitchen. The two left behind, shared a chuckle before following them for a snack and glass of wine before bed.

--- 15 hours later---

Casey paced back and forth nervously in her room at the church waiting for word on her dress from Jackie and Esme, and the arrival of her hair and make-up artist from Aurora and Sienna. "Okay... it's okay Casey. everything will be fine there's a whole 3 hours to go. they'll be here soon, and everything will be fi--" She stops rambling to herself as her biggest fear completely takes over and she flops on the sofa bursting into tears. "Why me!?" she screams through her tears. She and Ethan had been planning this moment for the past 2 years. They had been officially dating for a year when Ethan popped the question one night in the diagnostics room, as they were staying late to finish up some reports. Now 3 years later she's "backstage" at a church for her wedding a wreck because both her dress and make-up artist are stuck in traffic. She was a hyperventilating mess by now, she'd been crying for almost 45 minutes when a knock at the door sounded, followed by a deep soothing voice that was all too familiar. "Casey?? Sweetheart, it's me. Ethan. Look... I know we're keeping things traditional because you're respecting me, but I want to respect you too. I've heard about what's going on so I uh... I'm out here in a t-shirt and jeans if you want to thr-" he's cut off by the door flying open and his soon to be wife running out into his arms and sobbing into his neck. "it's ruined! everything is ruined!" she exclaimed through her tears. "hey! shhhhh, it's alright sweetie, I'm here." he cooed softly as he rubbed soothing circles on Casey's back. Slowly he walked into the room and sat them down on the sofa as he cuddled Casey close. Slowly but surely with the small forehead kisses and whispers of sweet nothings she finely calmed down. "I'm sorry." Casey sniffled after a few moments of silence; Ethan's brow furrowed. "Sorry for what?" He asked, "This. I've messed everythi-" She started to ramble but Ethan stopped her with a finger to her lips "I don't want to hear none of that Valentine, do you understand?" he asked seriously but with the softest look on his face. She nodded. The two spent a few more minutes with each other, cuddling, laughing and sharing sweet kisses until Sienna came back. she gasped as she saw Ethan "The others are coming! quick! out... out!" She panicked urging Ethan out the room "I'll see you in a few Rookie" He smiled at Casey blowing her a kiss before leaving, mere moments before the room came to life with what felt like a million people to prepare her for the moment she had dreamt about her whole life. Marrying the love of her life. Her soulmate. Okay so he's a few years older but that doesn't matter, what matters is their love and respect for each other. The ceremony they're here for to tie them together for eternity.

--- 30 minutes to the ceremony ---

The girls are all inside their room having the finishing touches put to their outfits when there's a frantic knocking at the door. All four bridesmaids rush to answer it. on the other side you hear a frantic voice "Have you girls seen Ethan?!" you zoned out of the conversation as your phone pinged

Ethan: peep out the window :)

Casey: Why?? ...

Ethan: Just... please?

Sighing Casey set her phone down and peeped out the window, only showing her head and neck. As her eyes focused, she saw Ethan doing the same round the corner of the building and smiled wide, giggling to herself. She waved and blushed as Ethan blew her a kiss before disappearing round the corner. "Casey..." A voice sounded out behind her causing her to jump "What are you smiling at missy?" Jackie asked smugly, "oh, nothing. Just two birds who looked very much in love" Casey replied. Jackie, Aurora, Esme and Sienna all gave each other a knowing smile before turning back to Casey and wiggling their eyebrows "What? ..... What're you guys looking at me like tha- OOOOOH. no! stop! get your minds out of the gutter!" she laughed as she threw a pillow at Esme and one at Jackie. "Oi Valentine!" they shouted in unison and the world around the five of them went completely still for a moment "wow. That's the last time I'll hear that as my last name." Casey whispered with a tear coming to her eye but stopped it from falling. *ding ding ding ding ding ding* the bells started to chime signaling the beginning of the wedding. "well...." said Sienna, suppressing a smile as she looked around the room "Let's go and make you a Ramsey!" She cheered and the others joined in as Casey grabbed her bouquet and followed them out.

As Casey stood behind the closed door, the nerves really hit her, "Oh God... I'm doing this. I'm marrying Ethan Ramsey. phew" she rambled nervously "hey! It's going to be fine" Ethan's dad told her soothingly "What if I trip and fall on my face though? I already had one breakdown tod-" She started rambling again but was cut off by the bolt on the other side of the door moving. Letting out a deep breath, she looped her arm through Alan's, and they began walking down the aisle, as Casey walked down towards Ethan he looked down to wipe tears from his eyes. Soon, they were standing opposite each other and exchanging vows. Ethan cleared his throat and looked at Casey with a smile, "Rookie. That's how this whole thing started... you helped me rescue a woman in the reception area on your way to orientation when you didn't need to stop. as that year went on you infuriated me more and more with your persistence to be kind to me when I was, quite frankly, being an asshole to you. But then we... hooked up. I had shut that kind of thing out of my life for years. To be honest, I'd given up on finding "the one" who I would end up marrying. But you came along and changed everything. I... You showed me the feeling of love again that I had blocked out. I feel normal again and I want to thank God for putting you in my life because if it wasn't for you, I believe I would have become a stubborn drunk by now. Thank You for everything you've done and will continue to do. I love you" he finished up and kisses away a tear rolling down Casey's cheek. "you look beautiful" he whispered in her ear.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." the priest announced after Casey and Ethan exchanged "I do's" and rings. They leave the church to hollering and applause, with bursts of confetti coming from random people. As they reached the steps, Ethan picked Casey up "Ah! Ethan!" she giggled as he carried her to their limo that would take them to their reception and then their new house at the end of the night.

--- At the reception ---

The reception was in full swing as Ethan and Casey sat at their table watching their guests enjoy themselves. Sighing happily Casey looked up at Ethan and kissed his cheek. "I love you Mr. Ramsey" she said, he looked down at her and smiled "I love you too Mrs. Ramsey" he smiled and kissed her lips sweetly. She giggled giddily and hugged him tightly. Ethan's dad approached the table with someone in tow, making Ethan rise to his feet to stand in front of her protectively. "I found this guy outside. He said he knows Casey." Alan stated as Casey looked up and saw Landry who gave a nervous smile and wave "You weren't invited." Casey said coldly as her face turned sour, "I know but we were friends and I wa-" Landry started to explain as Casey moved past Ethan getting into his face "Exactly, WERE  friends. But you decided to try and get my license revoked and almost cost me my job, when I was doing what was right for the patient. She passed away happy! and YOU!" She said raising her voice louder and louder by the minute as she jabbed her finger into his chest and pulled her shoulder out of Ethan's comforting grip, "YOU WERE. PART. OF IT. But you left that part out to save your ass! So, no. We are no longer friends because you are a TWO FACED, BACKSTABBING, MAN-WHORE, WHO NEEDS TO LEAVE MY RECEPTION AND GET OUT OF THIS BUILDING RIGHT NOW. GO!" she shouted as she pointed to the door. "I- okay" Landry said as he turned to leave. Ethan pulled Casey close to his chest, pressing a kiss to her head, "Get rid of him dad. Please, for Casey's sake." He told his father who obliged and escorted Landry out. "Hey. it's okay" Ethan cooed to Casey sweetly as he hugged her tightly as Jackie and everyone else came running over to support her "are you okay Case?" Elijah asked, "I brought you Champagne" Sienna said as she held out the flute to her best friend. Casey took it with a smile and a small "thank you" as she took a sip. "I think we should go dance. All of us. We've come so far together. Aaaaand, I wanna have fun tonight" She smiled as she placed the flute on the table next to Ethan's beer. "Macarena circle?" Bryce suggested, his eyes glistening with mischief "WOOOOO!" everyone cheered and rushed to the dance floor as Bryce went and asked for the song before joining the circle. Together they danced and laughed the night away. Before they knew it, Ethan and Casey were pulling up to their new home they would share for the rest of their lives. "Casey.... honey..." Ethan whispered as he gently woke his new wife up "Hm?" Casey hummed as she sat up looking confused "We're home" Ethan said softly, and Casey responded with a smile. After he had stepped out, Ethan held out his hand to help Casey out of the limo and together they stepped into their new home ready to start the next chapter of their lives together. 

[meticulousfox-theparadox]

DO ALL OF THEM MWAHAHA

Omg. Thanks you evil anon. 😂😂

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?

I always add more milk than cereal, and it makes me so sad.

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?

I actually freaking love it. ngl.

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?

I sometimes just random strings/ribbons I find, or like a hair tie. But this one time I used bobby pins.

4: how do you take your coffee/tea?

Coffee: I love diabetes with my coffee. (I love a lot of sugar tbh) which is like so bad for me, but whatevs. Tea: uhh I just drink it???

5: are you self-conscious of your smile?

Very self conscious, I hate it. But I show it because I’m generally pretty happy.

6: do you keep plants?

No, but I would love to have plants! It would be fun to own a garden.

7: do you name your plants?

I would name them if I had them!

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?

I write poems honestly.

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?

All the freaking time. I love singing tbh.

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?

I switch between my stomach and my side. But mostly my stomach tbh.

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?

1-800-DrugFlab. It’s a looooong story. 😂😂😂😂

12: what’s your favorite planet?

Oooo, that has to be Saturn. I just love how it’s a gaseous planet and that gravitational pull of debris that creates it’s rings is pretty freaking tiiiight. In my opinion.

13: what’s something that made you smile today?

Recieving a phone call from a said awesome person. 💕

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?

It would look amazing. Tapestrys, christmas lights, and nature paintings everywhere! And soft couches and chairs. With pretty rugs. 😍

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!

The largest asteroid ever recorded is a mammoth piece of space rock named Ceres.

The asteroid is almost 600 miles in diameter. It’s by far the largest in the asteroid belt and accounts for a whole third of the belt’s mass. The surface area is approximately equal to the land area of India or Argentina. It’s so big, there’s actually some debate over whether to refer to it as a dwarf planet instead of an asteroid, even if it has mostly asteroid-like qualities.

(Ayyy we all learned something new today.)

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish?

That’s so hard, because I love all pasta. But I guess my favorite has to be chicken Alfredo.

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?

I REALLY want to do a black to greyish/white ombre. Because I think I would look so cute with it.

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.

It was my first year of high school/secondary school. And I was rocking in one of the chairs, I fell back and as I fell, I turned off the front classroom lights which in a way created a spotlight for me when I landed on the ground with a big bang. I was so freaking embarrassed, but my friends found it hilarious.

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?

I don’t necessarily keep a journal or anything. But on my phone I like to go into my notes and write poems and stuff. Nothing too fancy or post worthy though.

20: what’s your favorite eye color?

I love light coloured eyes tbh. Seeing as mine are brown. I adore blue and green. But blue is my 100% favorite.

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.

My red backpack I got like almost five years ago. It’s my favorite and I had it through high school and I still use it now when I go sleep at a friend’s house. lol

22: are you a morning person?

Not really. I prefer the night time more.

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?

I personally just love to listen to music, play video games, or just talk on the phone with people that mean something to me.

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?

Of course. And he knows who he is. (:

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into?

Uhhhh, my friend’s interested house to plant a vaccuum cleaner in his closet. For his birthday. Annnnnd like I never went there before that day annnnnnd he’s also my general manager at work. Sooo. Lol.

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit?

That has to be my black vans. I wear them to work every day too.

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor?

I really don’t chew gum tbh.

28: sunrise or sunset?

I personally love the sunset.

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing?

Sing to me and play guitar. (:

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?

Oh hell yeah, more times that I can count tbh.

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.

I wear mismatch socks. With either Disney villians, Harry Potter, or Pokemon on them. I hate sleeping with socks on ngl.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.

Uhhh, I remember one time we got super drunk at a friends house. We were playing fuck the dealer. Where like you had to guess the card on hand. You had to tries and if you didn’t get it, you had to take the number of that card, in shots. We were so gone, and then after that we just played music, ate taco bell and chilled. (My 3 A.M. stories are usually just drinking or drug related so. Lol)

33: what’s your fave pastry?

Danishes. Cheese or cherry or even blueberry. Mmmmm.

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?

I had a plush dog that I named Clark and I gave him away to my friend recently because he was moving away from me.

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?

Uhhhh noooo. I do not. Lol

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now?

Honestly, EDM artist fit my mood more than bands tbh. 😂😂

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?My room is mostly clean besides like clothes on my bed sometimes. But that’s the worst of it.

38: tell us about your pet peeves!

Dishes in the sink, interruption during my favorite part of a song, video game, book, ect. And over neediness.

39: what color do you wear the most?

That’s so hard, cause I wear a lot of colour. I used to wear a lot of black, but I kind of grew out of that. The only time I wear like a lot of black is for work. Hahah. I guess I wear blue a lot though??

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you?

My gold rose ring that I always wear on my right ring finger. My dad got it for my birthday last year. And it just means a lot to me.

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving?

The Fallen by Thomas E. Sniegoski

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!

There’s this freaking coffee shop downtown of where I am! And I can’t remember for the life of me what it was called. But they have the best chai tea lattes and scones. Like omg. 😍

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?

My friend Cydnie like two months ago. We traveled to this quiet spot near the water where we could see the big bridge of the city and see all the lights of the bridge reflecting on the water, and the stars were so bright, even with the light pollution.

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?

Right now tbh. I honestly love my life and everything/everyone that is in it. (:

45: do you trust your instincts a lot?

Oh god, yes. My gut never steers me wrong.

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.

I’m a situational pun person, so you only get one. From the last post. (;

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?

Brussle sprouts. They smell horrible and should fuck off. (Sorrynotsorry) lol

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?

Fucking Spiders, I still can’t handle them. It’s such an irrational fear that causes me to hyperventilate. 😅

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?

Records. The last record bought was a Mastodon album. Once More ‘Round the Sun, to be exact.

50: what’s an odd thing you collect?

Not odd but plush animals.

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?

Doses & Mimosas. ✌

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?

YEAH BOIIIIIII

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?

I looooooooove them. Bettlejuice is bae though.

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?

One of my friends at work, I was very concerned. ):

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point?

Put myself in awkward situations which calls a lot of attention to myself. (That’s also funny because I comically prove points)

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

Geniune emotions, intelligence, good humour. I find people that just embrace their weirdness and what makes them so very endearing.

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?

Honestly? It made me extremely happy. And I definitely reenact the lyrics, Every. Damn. Time.

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?

I’m the wine mom. Because I love wine firstly and because I’m all loopy and come up with stupid but silly ideas for fun. Plus, I’m like super over caring and giggly intoxicated.

Vodka aunt? Oh man, that has to be Matt. He gets so fucking queenie while drunk. And he even goes overboard and gets to the point where he can barely walk. I love him though, he’s hilarious.

59: what’s your favorite myth?

Vampires. Because low key, I would love to be one if that was even a possibility.

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?

I love poetry. I have too many favorites tbh.

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received?

Oh god, I can’t really think of one. On both ends.

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?

Uh not really but if I did, I would drink Orange or Apple juice.

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?

Ehhh I just leave them be tbh. I’m really not fussy about it unless there’s a chance of them getting damaged. Then I freak out.

64: what color is the sky where you are right now?

Blue and the sun is out very brightly.

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with?

There are many friends that I miss dearly, and I would love to see them all again.

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?

Multicolored, vibrant and just free.

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?

At peace honestly. I love when it rains and I love gloomy weather a lot.

68: what’s winter like where you live?

Not as cool as I wish it was. It snowed here once, and it was just an inch of freaking snow. Which is lameee. But like it’s humid here so it’s weird when the temperature drops and rises. Along with it being so bipolar here.

69: what are your favorite board games?

I always loved Candy Land for whatever reason. It’s the simplest game and a fast playing game. But I guess that’s why I love it. The simplest things make me happy.

70: have you ever used a ouija board?

Naaaaaah. And I really don’t plan on it. Call me what you may, but I don’t want to attract any negative energy in my life.

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea?

I love green tea.

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it?Depends on what the information is, but for the most part I have a decent memory.

73: what are some of your worst habits?

I have a bad habit of not brushing my hair every day. My hair is freaking curly and when I brush it, it gets all frizzy. It just doesn’t work. But I regret it when I brush it after a shower the next day.

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.

Short, coloured hair, absolutely hilarious, EDM lover, chill af, loved by most, knows how to have a good time, and a really kind heart.

75: tell us about your pets!

I have a German Shepard, name Attila and he is fucking adorable. And huge.

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t?

I should probably do some laundry, but I really can’t be bothered to do so.

77: pink or yellow lemonade?

Omg pink all the way! I’ll settle for yellow if that’s all you have though.

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?

Is there an indifferent club? Because that would be where I stand. lol

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?

I really think of the cutest. I have had a lot of cute things done for me. Plantonically and romantically.

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?

There are white, I did not choose this colour. And I would paint it if I could, but alas, I’m in an apartment.

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.

The eyes that I’m imagining are the deepest blue I have seen. It’s like staring into the ocean and seeing the waves rushing around. There’s a storm in those eyes. And just seeing the waters calm, is like the sun comes out and the blue becomes bright and looks like the sun glistening on the waters of Bora Bora.

82: are/were you good in school?

I was pretty chill at school. I didn’t really do homework though and I skipped class a lot. Which I really regret now, but when I go back I’m planning on being completely focused and working towards my goal.

83: what’s some of your favorite album art?

Mastodon’s album covers are nice tbh. Plus some of the EDM artist artwork are beautiful ngl.

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?

I have so many tattoo plans, if I even started to explain all that I wanted there would be a novel here to read. Haha.

85: do you read comics? what are your faves?

Nah I don’t. It never called my attention, but I never even tried so. Hmm.

86: do you like concept albums? which ones?

Ehhhhhh.

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?

Lord of The Rings Phantom of the Opera&&&Moulin Rouge.

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?

Not that I know of really. But I’m open to explore them!

89: are you close to your parents?

I’m really close to my dad. I have no relationship with my mother and that’s whatever tbh.

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities.

Tumblr post: “I’m in love with cities and countries I never been to.” I can’t even pick a favorite yet because I haven’t gone to them yet.

91: where do you plan on traveling this year?

If I had the money, there are many places I would be travelling this year.

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?

Droooooowns my pasta in cheese. I fucking love cheese, man.

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most?

I wear my hair down the most, I really don’t do much with my hair. Other than wash it and go.

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?

My queenie boo Matt. We went out to dinner and then went to a gay bar for karaoke, it was so lit.

95: what are your plans for this weekend?

I really don’t think that far ahead?? All my plans are very spontaneous. The way I like it tbh.

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?

I have no computer and it fucking sucks.

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?

ESFP! Sun Taurus! And Ravenclaw!

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?

I went hiking like three or four months ago? With Cydnie and Matt. It was really fun. Even though we couldn’t find the waterfall.

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

Pretty Girl - Cheat Codes X Cade remixStay Free - Proto ft. DjodieFriends - Chase Atlantic Drowning - Eden ProjectMad Hatter - Melanie Martinez(There’s so many more)

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?

Five years into the future, because I would like to know if I’m on the right path to a good future or if I have changes to make. The future scares me the most.Plus, I wouldn’t change my past because that’s what made me who I am today. And I like to think I’m a pretty great person. (:

That took fucking forever, I had to really think about this. It was fun though. So thanks. Haha.✌

[salrai]

Through Glass (WIP)

Haven’t posted any creative pieces here in awhile. I know it’s a WIP, but it’s original fiction that I actually feel a bit proud of. Feedback is appreciated, as always.

Word Count: 3,536

           The music was muzzled by the sound of the car’s fan trying desperately to cool the interior. Much like the fan itself, the sound of Rise Against could not even pierce the stagnant, heavy air that had taken over these late summer months. My old hand-me-down Civic was a trusted friend, but an old friend in car years. Her air conditioner had bitten the dust a couple years ago, but it’s not exactly like I had the money to fix it. I had named her Sangria—despite my relative unfamiliarity with the drink itself. I just liked the way it rolled off of the tongue—the long “a” sound into a “gree” finished off with the innate beauty that words that end with “a” tend to have. Strawberries and wine painted an image of romance in my mind, and a sense of intimacy that I could only wish to have. It wasn’t like Sangria hadn’t seen some risqué nighttime outings in empty Wal-Mart parking lots and the gravel lots of nature preserves, but they were all with boys.

           Boys don’t have the same internalized heart full of love that women do, they lack the empathy and deepness. Wouldn’t know how “men” are, and I don’t care to find out. Every relationship I’ve had with a boy I only considered to be a fling. Sure, I have a lot of guy friends, but none of them which I would ever consider dating. I considered them to be close but I never hung out with them in person, only in the environment of group chats over the internet or together at school and school events. Sometimes we all got dinner. The thought of being anything other than straight had never crossed my mind until just last year. After a fourth shallow encounter with a boy in that last year of high school, I almost felt like I wasn’t intimate at all—almost like I didn’t even have a personality. I hold my head up high, but that’s only because a floor of clouds blocks my vision of anything inside of myself. I’ve learned to never consider my feelings or even what I wanted. My emotional state can be summarized into one image—the image of a woman lying flat on her back while a man fucks her in missionary position for the twentieth goddamn time, her eyes half-closed, glazed over, and fixed on a digital clock on a dresser to the side while waiting impatiently for him to finish.

           My sweating palms gripped the hard, plastic steering wheel while my heart pounded in my throat. Callie held her hand against her black eye as she stared out the window, her mascara leaving black streaks down her flushed cheeks and marks on her frail fingers that were against her eyelashes. I didn’t know where I was driving. We were about half-an-hour down the interstate by now, and the street lights that line the highway in popular suburban cities had disappeared behind us. If Chicago was the concrete jungle, I guess that the suburbs would be a wild forest. You can drive 50 miles in any direction, besides due east, and still be in “Chicago” according to the residents. I lived in San Antonio for ten years of my life before moving to the doughnut of Chicago. We had suburbs, but our suburbia was far smaller and tucked in between our own Six Flags and SeaWorld.

           I was grateful now, in this political climate, for the move, but when I was younger I couldn’t help but hold it against my parents. Making friends was as challenging as it’s presented in many of those books for teenagers that blend together into one big forgettable plot. Callie was always there. I never talked to her out of what I once thought was intimidation—I figured that she was way too cool for me. I knew her before she changed her name to Calypso, but I never bothered to try to befriend her. She always appeared as if sent by the powers that be to spite me. In each class we had together I was reminded of my failure to so much as make small talk with her or figure out anything about her.

           Calypso. Another beautiful word like Sangria. I didn’t know enough about mythology to know who it was, but I did know the name was inspired by someone in one of the stories. One of Homer’s I think? She made me wish that I had paid attention in high school literature classes during our mythology units. Callie dyed her hair silver-gray and kept it in a medium-length bob, usually pinning one side back with a barrette. The barrette itself looked like an antique. It had different shades of blue gems, some of which were long since missing. It looked like it was made out of brass, and swirled backwards in a pattern where each gem fit into each tendril of the barrette. I can’t remember what her natural hair color is, but it never has mattered to me. She was stunningly beautiful, but an outcast. Each time she spoke in class made my heart leap with absolute adoration. The way she spoke was kind of like the way the clouds roll on a drizzling day. Each word melted smoothly like a raindrop falling from a cloud; her voice wisped like light wind—and I was inside a cozy reading nook in a café, watching the rain through a window.

           If only the circumstance of our meeting this evening were as pleasant as I had fantasized our first meeting being. I’d left my house to go out on a drive to calm down after a familial disagreement. My parents were unhappy with my choices at college, finding out about my tendency to drink with friends via a Facebook post from one of my friends on my wall. They’d calm down about it in a couple hours—they always do—but the negative environment always pissed me off more than I could handle. My way of dealing with it was to drive to someplace that was open 24 hours, like a McDonalds or Taco Bell drive-thru and to go shopping at Wal-Mart. If I was lucky I’d run into a chatty worker who hated having to be at their job during the graveyard shift. Unfortunately, even though they were often my age, neither fast food nor Wal-Mart workers were exceptionally talkative.

           While I sipped on my large Coke in the lingerie section of Wal-Mart, I saw the back of the familiar silver bob of Callie, and she looking at what looked like women’s shirts. I pushed the ridiculously lacy underwear that I picked out of clearance to the back of the shelf I was looking at and walked up to her, startling her at first. She just about jumped out of her skin when she saw me, and her hand immediately shot up to her eye. It was unusual for her to be in such a big hoodie, but I had just assumed that she had perhaps come here in her PJs or something. Of course, then I noticed her smeared make-up and offered to help her out if she needed it. Callie tried to deflect all of the attention, but I wasn’t about to let her go back to whatever she had left from. The desire to leave was clear in her puffy hazel eye. Seeing how resilient I was, she agreed to take a drive with me on the pretense that I bought her something to drink first. I laughed and bought her a Sprite from the cooler at the register. She bought a simple five-dollar shirt by scraping up all of the spare cash and change she could find in the depth of her purse. I lent her a dollar and thirty cents.

           After getting on the road, we hadn’t said a word to each other. I only asked if she cared where we went, to which she quietly responded, “anywhere but this fucking town.”

           We passed through yet another toll and suddenly we were in the middle of nowhere. The corn was high on each side of the interstate and wind turbines lit the dark background with dimming and brightening red stars. I knew a good place out this way, about ten more minutes out. The radio started to fizzle out, mixing Savior with some talk show. It was close to being the aesthetic of some other Rise Against songs besides this one. Once the station was completely gone, I turned off the radio and turned down the fan since it was only blasting hot air anyway.             Peaking a glance at Callie, I saw that she had finally removed her hand from her left eye, instead clutching both of her thighs anxiously. Despite the heat, she kept the hoodie on. Her lips quivered with eagerness to talk, but she seemed petrified out of fear. She probably doesn’t know if she can trust me yet. Hell, she probably doesn’t even remember my name—wasn’t like I stood out in any fashion. Not to mention the fact that high school ended over a year ago. From my peripheral I caught her trying to read me with her one good eye and squinted left eye. I let her. At this point she was something like a scared animal; if I didn’t let her act how she wanted to she would revert back to where we were before.

           “Do you have tissues?”

           Callie’s voice temporarily gave me a shock, much like when we had been in class together. I felt the car waver as I recovered. I held my hand out and pulled open the dashbox, “Yeah, they’re in here. Use as many as you need to. If you uh… run out of tissues there’s some napkins in the center compartment.”

           “Thanks, Naomi.”

           I couldn’t help but blush when she said my name. She began to blow her nose and afterwards cleared her throat. It seemed as if she was finally recovering from crying her eyes out. I pulled over to a rest stop entrance and slowed before finally reaching the empty parking lot. Her right eye widened as she realized how long we’ve been driving.

           “Wait… how far out are we? How long have we been gone?” she began to hyperventilate, “Oh my God, he’s going to kill me.”

           After parking, I unbuckled and put a sturdy hand on her shoulder.  I looked into her eyes as I spoke, “Callie, you’re not going back to him. Let’s go wash up your eye, alright? I’ll get us candy bars from the vending machine.” Internally I was shaking with nervousness and rage at whatever boy could have done this to Callie. I also knew the risks that I was taking by keeping her from him. I could get seriously punished for this, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t let Callie deal with this alone.

           Callie flinched from my touch. My eyes widened as I realized why she needed a cheap shirt. I immediately removed my hand and turned off the car, opened the door, and walked around to the other side to help her out of it. I held my hand out to her. She sniffled as she clutched my outstretched hand as if I were the first human she had interacted with in years. I helped her to her feet and grabbed a first-aid kit that I kept in my dashbox with the tissues.

           “Does your car have a name?” she asked me earnestly with a quick glance at the car while I locked it, seemingly to get a better read on my personality.

           I chuckled morosely, trying not to make light of what had just happened, “Yeah. Her name is Sangria.” The headlights flashed twice to indicate it locking.

           “Ooh, that is a pretty name,” she looked back at me staring into my eyes as if she were looking into my soul itself. I didn’t mind.

           I held the door open for her as she shuffled into the rest area. It was far too bright inside. Vending machines and television screens showing the weather radar greeted us, along with information about Illinois prairies. I sat her down on a bench beneath information on local birds,            “You sit here, alright? I’m going to go get a wet paper towel.”

           Callie clutched my hand with her bony fingers. Her other hand was clasped onto the cheap maroon shirt. I only just realized how sickly she looked. It was like she hadn’t eaten real food in months. I furrowed my brow since she didn’t let go. Her voice cracked while she spoke,            “Actually, I uh… Well I have to clean up my chest and change into this shirt. My last shirt had blood on it. That’s why I went to the store.”

           “Alright,” I said, not knowing how else to respond to this kind of thing. I helped her into the women’s restroom and had her sit on one of the sinks, setting the first-aid kit on the sink next to the one she was on.

           “Do you want me to only clean up your face, or do you want me to clean up your torso too?”

           “I don’t want to even think about it. I trust you enough to clean it up, if you would.”

           I cocked an eyebrow, “You just met me.”

           Callie gave me that soul-seeking look again, letting out a short laugh, “I feel like I’ve known you longer than that, considering how many times we had classes together and bumped into each other.” This woman was far more confusing than I originally thought. The confusion intrigued me even more. Clearly she had also thought of me the same way during all of those times we saw each other. I really hoped we could become friends after this. Or was I dreaming all of this? Did I smoke before I left? I don’t think I have weed at my parents’ house…

           “This is going to sting a bit,” I told her as I tore open a sanitizing alcohol wipe. She squeezed her left eye shut as much as she could while it was swollen. Wherever there was broken skin I gently wiped. She didn’t so much as cringe. After that I wet a paper towel under the faucet with some cold water and applied it to her eye, moving her hand to hold it for awhile. She got the gist.

           I was almost terrified of what I would see underneath her hoodie. As I got closer I couldn’t help but catch the stench of tobacco. This was the guy’s hoodie. I started to unzip it, trying to make conversation to distract her from the pain, “So… who is this guy anyway?”

           “He’s my boyfriend. I stay at his apartment when my roommates and I don’t get along.”

           “If he does this to you, why do you stay with him?” I slid the hoodie down her bare shoulders. Callie wasn’t wearing anything underneath—he must have really fucked her clothes up. Not only was she covered in bruises, but blood was seeping from wounds around her breasts and on her shoulders where he had apparently dug his fingers into, explaining why she recoiled when I touched her shoulder. My pity turned to rage as I took the wipe to each puncture and scratch.

           “I deserve all of this.”

           Her words stunned me. The cold delivery made it even more authentic—even worse. I froze up for what felt like several minutes. I had no idea what to do in this situation.

           I stood up to my full height and embraced her tightly, “What could you possibly mean, Callie? No one like you deserves any of this.”

           Scoffing, she used the same words I had earlier, “You just met me.” Clever. I released the hug and applied bandages where I could before putting the new shirt on. I looked at the dripping paper towel and took it from her to throw it out.

           “I’m going to buy you an ice pack.”

           “I don’t think they sell ice packs at random, middle-of-nowhere rest stops, Naomi.”

           I responded only with a chuckle. I shoved the first-aid kit into one of the deep pockets of my jacket and slung the hoodie over my shoulder. Instead of helping her down from the sink, I picked her up bridal style. I had been working out to build up some muscle, but it didn’t require that much effort to pick up the bag of bones that was Callie. A beautiful bag of bones, but a bag of bones nonetheless. She squeaked in fear before relaxing as I put her on the bench outside.

           “Why did you do that?” she inquired, astonished.

           I shrugged, “Everyone deserves to be carried sometimes.”

           “Have you ever been carried?”

           God dammit. Callie was way too insightful. I turned my back and went to the vending machine.

           She continued, “You seem very concerned with others, but think nothing of yourself. That’s what I’ve observed about you throughout high school, anyway.”

           I slid a dollar seventy-five in quarters into the coin slot of the drink machine. A Sprite tumbled down into the compartment and I pushed the door in to grab it. I didn’t look behind me while talking, “Let’s not change the topic from you,” I stated. I wasn’t a fan of talking about myself so I continued to ask her questions, “What did you do that made you think you don’t deserve good company?”

           “Well, have you heard of Calypso?”

           I turned to face her again and gently tossed her the Sprite. She understood the purpose and put it to her eye. I took a seat next to her before speaking, “No. I knew your name was from mythology, but I didn’t know from what.”

           “Calypso was something like a minor goddess who was known for trapping Odysseus on her island for 9 years,” she sighed deeply and looked down before continuing, “I chose the name because I feel I trap people to be in relationships with me—romantic, friends, you name it—and then when they tire of me they leave. It’s not a direct connection, but it’s one that I think is negative and fits my own self-image.”

           Suddenly I remembered bits of the unit on the Odyssey, “Yeah but, didn’t she make a statement on the way women were treated?” I squinted, trying desperately to grasp at straws, “The teacher tried to provoke some kind of conversation about it but the class was corpse-like.”

           She looked up, thinking that fact over, “You’re right, but… what do you mean?”

           “Well, she wasn’t entirely a bad person right? If Homer wrote her that way then, like, maybe she’s meant to be pitied in a way.”

           Callie looked right into my eyes again, sort of with a glimmer this time, “Maybe…” her eyes darkened again, “I… really don’t want to go back to him. I’m so tired of being treated this way but my mind tells me I deserve it.”

           “Then run away with me,” I said, half-joking. She sat there silently, pondering. That was probably way too weird. Well fuck. I sighed, bought a candy bar and tossed it to her. Then I walked back out into the wall of humidity and heat that was the outside air.

           It was about one in the morning now and I still didn’t know where to leave Calypso for the night. There was a small park area that overlooked the wind turbines that we had passed earlier. I caught a whiff of the tobacco again and realized that I still had the hoodie on my shoulder. I became hypnotized by the slowly blinking lights. By the time I snapped out of  my daze, Callie was right next to me on the bench. We sat there in silence for a long while.

           “Hey Naomi, were you serious about running away together?” she had broken the silence finally after a long while of thinking.

           “Huh? Where to?”

           Callie looked at me and smiled, “Anywhere you’ll have me.”

           “Why me?”

           “You sure do ask a lot of questions, huh. I’ve always had a good feeling about you, and after tonight I’m just glad I was right about one thing. Perhaps if I had acted differently as a younger teenager and befriended you, I wouldn’t have ever had to be in this situation that I’m in.”

           Calypso gently put her hand on mine. I just kept staring at her—absolutely perplexed. For the first time though, I felt something. I felt the fire of passion in my heart. I felt a desire to protect her no matter what. I felt determination to keep her. I nodded, my throat choked up like it was in the car earlier that night.

           We drove together all night. We looked at the stars, we watched the sun rise, we watched the birds fly. We kissed and held each other. We both felt safe. And her ex’s hoodie?

           We left it in the trashcan at the rest area, where it would be forgotten with the trash that would be taken out the following day.