what a perfectly beautiful little lady

Finn’s heart was so full and happy. He couldn’t believe that Adelaide was actually her girlfriend. It was like a dream come true. Kissing her softly, he hummed, before sitting in one of the chairs and pulling her onto her lap. “I can’t believe you’re actually my girlfriend.” His hands ran through her hair, just staring at her, watching, loving how happy he was right now. Finn pecked her lips and smiled. “We’re going to do every cheesy thing and make everyone jealous, but you’re right. Right now, we’re going to sit here and just look at how beautiful each other is.”

Adelaide giggled as Finn pulled her onto his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck and looking at him happily. Finn was the sweetest guy ever, so adorably cheesy and wonderful and Adelaide loved him. She really truly loved him. Her nose wrinkled a little at his words, kissing him gently and shaking her head. “Don’t you do that already?” She asked cutely, kissing him again before looking at him happily. “I was thinking more along the lines of... I don’t know... maybe going back to your room for a little while?” She suggested shyly.

It didn’t matter what she had to do, Avery was going to figure out a way to take down this ridiculous society. To know that she actually had someone to help her out felt even better. The fact that it was Adelaide made it even better. Sighing, she pulled away from her and ran her hand through her hair. “I don’t care. We’ll figure it out. Firstly, we’re going to start with what we remember, then we’re going to find research. I don’t care if we have to sneak into places, we will find something.”

Adelaide nodded at Avery’s words, lips pursing together. She was willing to do whatever it took to take this society down. She wanted it to burn, she wanted to watch everything her father helped build to crumble to the ground. She wanted to be the one who made that happen. “Okay... what all do you remember? You were a little less panicked than I was.” 

calliope shrugged, “i don’t see how your attire is my fault at all” she teased, jokingly, taking another swig of the bottle, pleased that she decided to join her exploring, “do i sneak out to go to parks..alot?” she questioned, her question, a laugh escaping her lips, “yeah, adie, that’s what i do” taking another swig, before handing the bottle back to her, “i actually haven’t been out in a while” she admitted, continuing their path to the nearby park. 

“You woke me up in the middle of the night to go on an adventure! I thought an adventure was staying on school grounds.” Adelaide pouted. She took the bottle as it was handed back, taking another sip and looking at her curiously. “What do you do when you sneak out?” She wondered, trailing alongside her. “What places do you go to?”

Mia felt incredibly awkward about offering to give Adelaide princess lessons. But when Finn asked her, she couldn’t say no. The problem was that she didn’t want to force anything upon her and make her uncomfortable in any way. She hated forcing people to do things or upsetting them in any way. “If you get uncomfortable, please tell me,” Mia said, her voice soft and gentle. She was going to try and make this as painless as possible, so as to not upset her. “It is, but a lot of it is knowing how to talk and depending on the family, how to sit. Um… what do you know, we can start from there…” This was a lot of talking for her, about things she was trying to get away from, at least for a little bit.

Adelaide tilted her head to the side as she looked at Mia, nodding slowly at her words. “Well... my mother taught me a lot of things about being a lady. What fork to use with what meal, how to sit and stand up straight, how to dress for the right occasions and how to talk to people.” She listed off with a small shrug. “I might have more princess training already than we think...”

How could his life possibly get any better? Finn got the girl. He got the girl he’d been dreaming of for who knows how long. For years as a kid, he dreamt of the perfect girl, the girl that would make him feel like the King he knew he was. He never thought she’d actually exist, so when he met Adelaide, it was like the heavens opened. “All I ever want to do is make you happy. You are the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me,” Finn explained, running his hands through her hair. She was well on her way to being the love of his life and he was more than excited about it. “Now you’re making me want to make it better. Any suggestions?” he asked, rubbing his nose against hers.

Adelaide couldn’t help but laugh at him, wrinkling her nose as it rubbed against his. “I honestly have no idea.” She confessed, leaning into his touch and looking at him adoringly. “I just... I want to be with you. My boyfriend. We can do... I don’t know... coupley things?” She suggested with a laugh, leaning in and kissing him sweetly. “Whatever those things may be...”

Sometimes, all you needed was a hug, a really really good hug, the kind of hug that a really good friend would give to you. Avery was really thankful for Adelaide, and really thankful that she was still feeling a little weird about everything. She kept her hands on her arms, just keeping her close, as if something else would happen to the two of them. But this time, she wasn’t going to let it happen, no matter what. Letting her head fall, she nodded. “Me too, me too. I won’t let them hurt anyone again. We’re going to figure this out.” With their friends either not doing anything about it, Avery wasn’t going to let it happen. She wasn’t going to let this ridiculous society get away with any of this. “Adie, if they won’t do anything, we will, okay? I don’t care what we have to do. We are going to do something.”

Adelaide let out a small sigh of relief. Avery was on the same page as her- they were going to put a stop to this once and for all, no matter what Max or Duke or anyone told them. “Good.” Adelaide took a shaky breath before her jaw set. “What’re we going to do? Duke’s burning any information he has and I doubt Max is going to let us in on anything she has. We’re going off of almost nothing.”

As he sat there, waiting for her response, Finn got lost in her eyes. Even if she wasn’t ready or didn’t want to, he didn’t care, because she was still the most beautiful woman on Earth. But those words, that smile, it was everything he’d wanted. Those words sounded like an angel’s on her tongue. His cheeks hurt from smiling so much. How was it possible that he was getting his happy ending? “You love me too.” Finn giggled, like a little girl and he didn’t care, at all. It was the happiest moment of his life. The kiss was sweet, gentle and everything he needed. “I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited to ask you that. You’re making my dreams come true.”

Adelaide nodded at his statement, giggling with him as she kissed him again, bringing a hand up and cupping the back of his head. She touched her forehead to his, smiling widely. “I’m so happy... this is an amazing Valentine’s day surprise.” She told him, pulling back to look at him properly. “This day couldn’t get any better.”

Nightmares plagued her dreams and she couldn’t seem to get them to disappear. All of it was still in her head, still begging to take over her life, but before she could get better, she had to make sure everyone else was alright first, Adelaide especially. For many reasons, Avery was very protective of her. She had to make sure she was alright and had to know that somehow, she was doing something to make the girl seem less scared, to make her feel like she wasn’t losing her mind over this horrible incident. Shrugging, Avery wrapped her arms around Adelaide, holding onto her tightly. Resting her head on her shoulder, she sighed, feeling safe, in a long while. “I think I’m alright and then it haunts my nightmares.” Pulling away ever so slightly, she looked at her with a soft smile. “I’m not sure I’m scared anymore, just mad.”

Adelaide held her friend close, frowning to herself as her hand rubbed up and down Avery’s back. It had been a rough situation for them both, one that would plague their nightmares for a long time. Possibly their whole lives. She pulled back slightly, keeping her hands on her friend’s shoulders and sighing quietly. “Me too.” She confessed with a small nod. “I’m so angry about all of this, I want to put a stop to this society.” She told her. “Max is trying to go lone wolf on this whole thing and Duke is just being a jerk.”

His hands moved across the keys as if they were an extension of his body. It felt so natural to play again. Finn was worried, really worried that he’d mess it up, but it didn’t seem like it was an issue. When the song finished, he slid his hands off the keys and turned to face Adelaide, his eyes meeting hers, staring directly into her soul. Chuckling softly, he looked down at his hands. “If I could’ve written that song for you, I would. I wanted the first person I played for again to be you. But I… I care about you so much about you. I don’t want to just play around anymore. I want this to be official, really official,” Finn started. Fidgeting with his hands, he found himself hyperventilating. No, no, stop it. you can do this. You’ve been waiting for this for so long. “Adelaide, will you be my girlfriend, officially?” Finn asked, his heart beating out of his chest.

Adelaide sniffed and she wiped her eyes, looking up at him as the song came to an end. She smiled up at him, clapping her hands together and wiping once more at her eyes. The performance wasn’t perfect, and yet it was to her. Finn pulled out all the stops when it came to romancing her, and she appreciated it more than she could express. She bit her lip as he spoke, looking up into his eyes and her heart pounding faster in her chest. He wanted her to be his girlfriend. She smiled widely, her cheeks starting to get sore, and she took Finn’s hands in both of hers. “Yes, yes.” She sniffed, giving his hands a squeeze before her arms wrapped around his neck. “I love you, yes.” She murmured, pressing her lips to his.

She loved the flowers. Thank goodness. So far, everything was beautiful and perfect. He didn’t have any problems telling her he loved her, because he did. Finn knew very early on that he did. It hit him like a ton of bricks, he just never thought about it. And now, standing here before her, about to play the piano for her, he knew it was worth it. His blush stayed on his face, refusing to move, not all wanting to go anywhere. “Not as beautiful as you.” As she kissed him, his hand rested on her cheek, just stroking the back of her head as she kissed him. A kiss so sweet only made it better. Chuckling, he nodded and fidgeted in his spot. “Yes, you do, ‘cause I might cry otherwise.” He hoped playing this song for her wouldn’t hurt as much as he thought it might. It’d been years since he’d actually played, but he’d practice in his sleep all the time. 

Turning to face the piano, he took a deep breath before walking over to it. Finn sat down on the bench and wiggled his fingers, before placing them on the keys. “I know you know I haven’t played in a while and that it hurts me to do it, but I want you to know why. My father and I used to play all the time. He taught me, but when my family cast my mother and I out, I refused to play. The thought of it hurt me too much, but with everything that’s happened, the reunion, you, I just… well, I wanted to try, for you. If you’d like to come sit here, you can.”

And Finn played, his hands moving gently and smoothly across the keys, playing Your Song perfectly, sweetly and his voice, as he sang, yes sang, was melodic if slightly off key. But he didn’t care, because in that moment, the only person that mattered was Adelaide. 

Adelaide smiled up at him adoringly, wrinkling her nose as he pulled away. She was curious about the piano- she knew he had an issue with it, but she never really knew the story. Until now, at least. Her expression went even softer at his words, sighing quietly. Of course it had to do with his father, that made sense. Now that they had been reunited, he could play. If only this one time, for her. She moved to sit beside him on the piano bench, watching as his fingers danced across the keys. He made it look effortless. His voice was sweet, and a little off key, but oh she didn’t care at all. He was playing for her, serenading her with one of her favorite songs. She smiled widely, a few tears coming to her eyes as she turned her gaze towards his face. She leaned her forehead against his shoulder, closing her eyes and letting a tear or two fall as she listened to his music. 

Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. What if she says no? What if this is all in my head? What if she laughs in my face? Finn couldn’t stop thinking that he’d completely done everything wrong. While he knew she liked him, at least enough to sleep with her, he worried that she was using him. He knew she wasn’t. She wasn’t like that, but it didn’t stop him from panicking about as he waited for her to collect all of the roses. When she opened the door and smiled at him, all the worries in his head disappeared. He couldn’t believe it. It was almost like it was the greatest moment of his life, like the clouds opened up and his everything made sense. Nodding softly, he grinned. “I wanted this to be special. This one’s for you. I have something to tell you, ask you and play for you,” Finn explained, pointing to the piano in the back.

Taking a deep breath, he handed her the last flower, a fake flower and said, “I will love you until the last petal falls.” His cheeks flushed red, as red as hers and he hoped that it wasn’t too soon to say that. But he’d known it for quite a while, known that she was the one, the one he wanted to be with, the one that made him feel like he was really and truly a prince. Now, he knew what his father meant when he said a woman could make you feel so special. 

Adelaide looked at him curiously, still smiling at him and her cheeks still a soft pink. She still wasn’t sure what she did to deserve someone as sweet as Finn. He was one of the best people she knew, and for some reason, he had picked her to focus his affections on. She didn’t question it... she just felt felt lucky. Her gaze flickered towards the piano in the back, tilting her head to the side before he held out the final flower. Her breath stopped at his words, her eyes going wide and her face going redder. He loved her? She slowly took the last flower, her smile going shyer as she looked down at her beautiful bouquet. “Finn they’re beautiful...” She murmured, turning her gaze back up to him and bringing a hand up to touch his cheek. She leaned in, kissing him sweetly before looking up at him happily. “I’ll have to make sure they live forever now, don’t I?”

Cain had been occupying the study room for an…inhumane amount of time; the amount of time that went against the likely, library rules that, likely, stated how long one could reside in a room of studious nature–in short…far too long. It wasn’t that the lanky boy had been doing much studying, either–at least, studying in relation to school. After he had caught gist of the…incident, occurring during the cotillion, it hadn’t sat right with him. Nothing, really quite sat right with him, though–but there was something about the society that screamed wrong; it had prompted the brunette to do his own…study, of sorts, simple enough that if any member were to fall across him, it’d simply seem as if he was curious about their history.

However, it was not for the mundane eye–that much was evident, as the door of the study room swung open and Cain closed his books abruptly, glancing up with slight wilderness in his eyes. The boy hadn’t slept; that much was, also, evident. “S-sorry–did you reserve this room or s-something? ‘Cause otherwise, uh–” he faltered, for a moment, fingers tapping against the wood desk anxiously.

Max was being no help at all with finding things out about this society, and Duke had taken it upon himself to burn any journal that maybe held key secrets. Leaving Adelaide to do her own research. She gathered up as many books about Kingswood as she could- funnily enough, she thought there would be more, and she made her way towards one of the private studies. She didn’t want someone just walking in and questioning what she was looking up after all. 

She entered one of the studies and nearly jumped as Cain slammed his book shut, looking at him with equally wide eyes. “N-No, I didn’t even see that anyone was in here.” She apologized to Cain sincerely. She glanced at the cover of his book, brows furrowing a little. He had the other books about Kingswood. “Can um... can I ask what you’re looking up?”

“we already made it this far, let’s just explore a little yeah?” calliope insisted, taking a sip from the bottle herself, heading further away from campus, “there’s a park up here..”she trailed, taking another sip, holding out the bottle for her to follow, “with swings, come on, what’s the worse that can happen?” the question was rhetorical, “we swing, and i’ll get you back in bed before the suns shows up” 

Adelaide sighed a little as Calliope insisted on exploring. “But... I’m in my jammies.” She pouted a little before following after her friend. At the mention of a park, she perked up a little. After all, who didn’t like playing on the swing set? You were never too old for it. Adelaide trailed after her, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “Do you do this a lot? Sneak out to go to parks?”

Glowering at the other girl, her fists balled together as she shut her eyes. She going to let Adelaide have this, after all the girl didn’t know any better. She didn’t grasp the reality of a century old organization wanting them dead. Staying low for a month wouldn’t kill them. “This is all I’m going to say before I do or say something I regret because you should at least know this,” she started, taking deep breaths before steeling herself for what she was about to say. “There was an Elizabeth girl a few years ago who dated an Edward boy. They were in a car crash that ended up with him dead but when she came back she was a mess. She ended up taking up the mantle of a group that dug into the society and it made her obsessive. It was all she did and thought about, the only thing pushing her was her vengeance and need for answers to stop those who had caused his death no matter what the consequences were. But then the consequences inevitably came to bite her in the ass. If you do go through with it, just fully know what you’re getting into. You’ll lose something in return but you’ll have to be willing to know that you’ll never be able to get it back.” Max didn’t bother to hear Adelaide’s response, leaving the girl in her en suite as she locked herself in her own room.

Adelaide listened to her cautionary tale, and knew almost immediately that it was Max in the story. She had lost her boyfriend. She had taken control of this group. She thought that things had gotten simply too bad to go on. Adelaide thought about Finn... what would she do if she lost him? If he died because of what this group did? She swallowed hard, left alone in the en suite and looking down at her feet. Losing Finn was a possibility... one that she simply couldn’t allow. She didn’t want anyone to lose anyone else. She didn’t want what happened to Max to happen to anyone ever again. Despite Max’s warning, Adelaide knew she wasn’t going to give up. For now, she left Max alone, walking out of the room quietly and back towards Victoria Hall.

This day was in planning for days, weeks, and months. Part of him wondered if it was all too much and if he was going over the top. But none of it felt like he was. Adelaide meant the world to him and now, today, it was the day he was going to make it all official, the day that he was finally going to ask her. He’d been dreaming of ways to ask her to be his girlfriend for months, but nothing was good enough. But now, everything had been planned and every moment of it was perfect. Finn managed to find an empty classroom, one he knew no one was using and set up everything.

Along the hallway to the classroom he stood in, he’d requested quite a few people to help him. They were all holding roses, leading up to him. In the classroom, Finn stood, having moved all of the tables out of the way. In the centre of the room, rose petals arranged in a giant red heart. In the centre, he stood, holding a single fake red rose. His breath quickened as he waited for her. Hopefully everyone would do all of this right and it would go off without a hitch. Fidgeting, Finn went over his speech in his head, trying to perfect it from what was already written. What if it was wrong? When the door opened, his heart stopped. She was beautiful, even more beautiful than before. “Hi, beautiful.”

@adiedarling

Adelaide was on her way to meet Finn when the most peculiar thing happened... a boy came up to her, handing her a rose. She took it with a shy smile and a thank you, when she noticed a girl with a rose at the end of the hall, just smiling at her. When Adelaide passed her and got her rose, there were at least three more people with roses perched in the halls. As if they were leading her somewhere. 

Adelaide followed the trail of roses until there was only one boy with a rose left, right outside an empty classroom. Adelaide took her eleventh flower and stepped into the classroom, holding her bouquet in her arms and smiling at the sight of Finn. Of course he had set this up. He stood surrounded by rose petals, another rose in his hand. She walked over to him, her cheeks going pink as she stepped into the heart with him. “Did you do all of this...?”

“Our school funded by alumni of this organization. Run by alumni of this organization. Following the orders of people who are high up in society. This is bigger than just our school.” They were taking on a whole structure that was in charge of the very world they lived in. Politics, money, military, the list went on. “We all have to sit back for now. We’re on their radar and frankly, the attention should die down before any moves against them are made. There’s no point in getting ourselves killed for not thinking anything through and right now it’s in everyone’s best interest to lay low and let those higher up handle it.”

Adelaide shook her head, her jaw clenching a little as she looked at Max. She knew Mat had good intentions- she was scared, she didn’t want anyone to get hurt. But she didn’t seem to get that sitting back was a bad idea. “I never took you for a coward Max...” Adelaide told her quietly, shaking her head slowly and letting out a huff of breath. “You and Duke. I don’t care what either of you two say, I’m going to do this, and if I have to do it without your help, then fine. But I’m not stopping. I’m not a coward.”