* bad moon rising

  a deep sigh is inhaled and exhaled accordingly.  eyebrows give a short raise as alex speaks.   “ hi to you too,  alex. ”   her words aren’t clipped,  necessarily — carson phillips has never never been short on dramatics,  but now isn’t entirely the time.   (  if she wants a good grade on this,  it would be best to not ruffle up too many feathers.  or,  at least not any more than usual.  )   a quick once over is made ;  alex looks good.  tired,  maybe a bit grouchy,  but like the same alex.  just as beautiful and menacing as ever,  at least that hasn’t changed in a while.

  “ jesus,  lex,  it’s a project —- not a death sentencing.  ‘s not like you’re heading to the guillotine.  no need to look so thrilled. ”   of course this is an inconvenience to carson as well ;  she isn’t a fan of bringing up the past if she can avoid it.  the memories she shares with alex are old but they aren’t ones that so easily fade,  no matter how hard she’s sure the pair of them have tried to make them.  they remind her of a simpler time for them both:  when they had whole families.  and maybe it was that that made them drift apart,  their families splintering and leaving them with shells of what they once had.  their friendship used to be so good,  though,  prior to the big split.   (  the big split.  that’s what carson refers to the demise of the friendship as.  she finds it ironic,  given that it wasn’t a specific event that marked the end — they just drifted apart.  she supposes that’s what happens to many childhood friends,  but if that were true,  how is bex still around ?  )   “ oh,  if only it were that simple.  it’s mandatory that we gotta meet every week.  see ? ”   the project expectations pdf is already pulled up on her phone ;  she’s highlighted the applicable section.   “ i’m very sorry to deliver the news. ”

                         alex isn’t insecure. at least not in the giggling and pushing hair behind your ears kind of   ‘d-do you wanna share a milkshake with me?’   type.    and yet, here she is fidgeting out of her skin and wondering  .  .  .   WISHING   the fire alarm would go off, or hell--- even better:  an actual fire.   but they’re here, and no amount of hoping will get mrs. k to switch partners. GREAT.               “ you’re telling me at-home chemistry isn’t the same thing as a death sentence? ”          she cracked a small sardonic smile, that she tried to hide by moving quickly to sit across and a little to the side of carson ( to make sure their knees didn’t accidentally bump ).                  alex sighed, pursed lips as she gave that some thought. she could transfer. they were in their last year so it would suck, but it’d be doable. she could have some kind of sickness, or maybe allergy to chemistry as a whole that might excuse her. she could----- fuck. she’s in this.               “ so  .  .  .  tuesdays? do you still paint on mondays? you know, the faster we’re done the less time spent on protons or whatever. ”

             personally     assigned     duty     was     to     walk     all     through     the     realm,     make     certain     all     was     running     smooth     and     none     of     their     people     needed     anything.     did     this     from     her     own     heart,     from     being     soldier     and     one     day     higher     in     the     court.     though,     amorette     held     hope     that     it     would     be     a     long     while     until     her     parents     stepped     down     from     their     reign.     she     had     so     much     living     to     do,     yet     knew     that     the     time     came     she     would     happily     leave     all     else     behind.     her     people     above     her.

             she     moves     through     the     realm     unlike     out     in     town,     not     making     any     noise,     bare     feet     barely     brushing     once     or     twice     against     ground     as     wings     did     the     work.     she’s     dressed     in     white,     hair     down,     and     a     magic     sight     all     on     its     own.     and     it’s     not     until     she     hears     noise     that     clashes     against     what     is     second     nature     to     her,     that     she     turns     invisible.     always     grateful     for     that     power.     the     other     was     strange,     an     aura     to     her     that     amor     appeared     to     recognize,     however,     she     could     not     place     how     or     from     where.     she     could     have     sworn     that     they     had     never     crossed     paths     before,     amor     never     forgot     a     face.

             an     intruder?     could     be     argued     but     amor     had     her     reservations     for     no     other     mortal     could     ever     feel     her     when     both     glamoured     and     invisible,     even     those     with     special     gifts     were     blind     to     her.     it     takes     a     second     but     she     returns     to     visible     form,     wings     stopping     as     feet     dropped     lightly     atop     ground     once     more.     eyebrow     arches     as     she     looks     at     the     other,     eyes     rolling     though     it     could     have     gone     unnoticed.     ❝     i     doubt     a     troll     would     have     wasted     three     riddles     on     you,     no     offense.     but     that     lost     the     bite     considering     you     brought     in     trolls,     sabes?     ❞

                     alex smirked. she   LOVED   when people bit back, it made the whole game altogether more rewarding.   WINGS,   that’s probably the first thing she recognized and it’s with a lurch in her stomach that alex thinks of her mother. usually, that would be the first thing sending her running the other way but for some reason, some   STRANGE   reason  .  .  .   she stays. if for nothing else, than to see how far she can push this.                      “ had to do   something   to class the place up. ”         she crosses her arms, and to really complete the picture she’d have to stop smirking but   DAMN   does she love a challenge. and really, this is fae, isn’t it? she’s got some  .  .  .   demented right to it or whatever? she’s long past the point of making sense of her feelings. especially when it comes in regards to the supernatural realm. at this point, it’s go with the flow or get drowned by the current. and float on, i guess.                        she eyes the way she came from, enveloped in a mysterious swirl of the unknown now, but something inside her tells her the door is still there. she has an out, should she need it.        “ calm down paul blart, i’m just a tourist. ”

             kayden forgot his handy dandy lighter at home. a real tragedy. without his fourth period joint he’s pretty sure his teenage angst would cause the whole school to crumble to the ground. he assumed his was alone, cigarette sparking with the fire he controlled in his breath, it wasn’t until her shove and harsh words did kayden know he truly wasn’t alone. his head tilts and he sucks in the smoke letting the herb do its job of relaxing the dragon as he takes Alex and her anger in ( though she always seemed angry )  ❝ m’ enjoying myself. ❞ another hit of the joint, he exhales the smoke in her direction.  ❝ you should try it. maybe then you wouldn’t be such a mega bitch all the time. your face could get stuck in that glare ‘ya know. ❞ the joint is offered to her. as long as he friend didn’t know he was smoking with the “enemy” they wouldn’t care. 

                “ oh and become the paragon of good decision making like you? tempting, but i think i’ll pass. ”               she crosses her arms. but when the joint is extended, it really only takes a second. she wasn’t planning on going home any time soon, and what better way to pass the time? not to mention, MANNERS. she needed to pick up soon, anyway.       so she handles it, taking an exaggerated inhale like this was some game she’d just won. and obviously, no interaction between the two of them could continue without an insult. she exhales, offering it back between pinched fingers.              “ you roll like a freshman. ”

bad moon rising // alex maladi playlist [x] 

                   it’s not like she’s never been tempted.         i mean flowers falling in reverse, the gleam of sunlight on water drops, what looks like stars, at eye level? it’s enchanting.   and isn’t that the problem?   faeries are designed to draw the unsuspecting in, glamour all their warts and hypocrisy in a fine line of   TEMPTATION.   and every day, alex has turned the other way. she wants no part in their world. hell, she wants no part in   THIS   world either, but really, what’s behind door number three?                 today, it’s really mostly because she’s   bored.   there’s a little nook of a doorway in between the old coffee shop and the bike rental that closed down years ago that alex has never really seen another fae enter.   PERFECT.   she just wants to be alone. her dad is home (she saw his car in the driveway), some punks found her spot by the lake, and the school’s annual whatever-a-thon just   HAS   to be the eighth level of hell the poets talk about, so this time when the fae realm sings to bring her in, she enters. it feels different. light in a way she hasn’t felt in forever, but if her mother taught her one thing, and one thing only:   it’s never trust a fae. not the being, and sure as hell not the realm. her hands come up to ghost over some of the greenery that lines the aisle, but come just short of touching. not that it would be ‘bad’ to be trapped somewhere other than kings grove, but she’ll be damned if this means interacting with the courts.                      it’s weird, because it’s not like she hears it. there’s no cracking of leaves underneath shoes, no breathing wafting through the wind. she just   KNOWS.   knows someone is there, and it has her twirling quickly, defensively at whoever it is that’s caught her snooping. she’s not scared per se, but her defenses are definitely up.        “ is this the part where you give me three riddles to cross the bridge? because i don’t do games. ”

                        seven minutes late.        right on time.              alex sweeps into the classroom with all the air of nonchalance like   DETENTION   is more of a suggestion than the only thing keeping her from getting expelled. which, at this point she’s not sure what she’d prefer. at least expulsion is un-supervised.               “ this seat taken? ”              it’s an otherwise empty classroom and while it may be her own joke, it’s all that’s filling the room right now. not many other students can manage trouble on a monday morning, but alex supposes more than anything she has a  .  .  .   well, call it a   talent.    maybe call it a   family heirloom.   whatever it is had her sent to the first available teacher’s classroom for some state mandated babysitting, and alex is   NOT   one for a peaceful protest. she sits, a sarcastic smile on her lips and the mental timer starting for the second she can book it from educational jail time.            “ is this more of   a clean chalkboards   detention or like a breakfast club, because i should warn you now, i'm not doing a share circle. ”

. ﾟ * ｡ ･   ( lulu antariksa / cisfemale / she/her ) — wait, is that alexandra maladi walking down the street? i’ve heard the 18 year old high school senior at harbor view high happens to be a faerie. apparently they’re really snarky & closed off, but surprisingly good & hopeful.  i always think of winged eyeliner and sarcasm when i hear their name.  ( kayla, 22, she/her, est )