* everlasting

winona ryder, bisexual, female + she/her ― hey look, it’s glenda adams! she's forty-seven years old, she's lived in shrike heights for thirty years, and she's currently working at bloom boutique (manager). i heard she's pretty headstrong, but i think she's so nurturing at the same time. can she make it out alive? || s, twenty-four, she/they, gmt+11, triggers on main.

the  doctor  had  told  orwell  that  it  was  best  they  take  advantage  of  the  warming  weather  and  get  some  sun.  nowadays  they  found  that  particularly  difficult,  choosing  the  comfort  of  their  own  apartment  over  the  unpredictable  outside  world.  not  to  mention  that  her  on-and-off-again  illness  had  drained  most  of  her  energy.  being  outside  was  the  last  thing  she  wanted.  but  with  a  clear  forecast  and  nothing  better  to  do  with  their  day,  they  made  their  way  to  the  park  with  their  old,  tattered  book  that  they’d  managed  to  get  second-hand from  an  old  library  sale.

orwell  had  picked  the  location  in  hopes  that  they’d  be  alone.  the  last  thing  they  wanted  was  for  someone  familiar  to  see  them.  they  sat  at  a  park  bench  in  a  tank  top  and  a  pair  of  dolphin shorts  ( which  they’d  owned  since  high  school  gym  classes. )  they  felt  exposed  -  almost  naked,  showing  so  much  skin  out  in  the  open.  normally  their  scars  were  hidden,  but  today  the  sun  shone  brightly  on  the  marks  of  her  childhood  that  remain  permanently  on  her  freckled  skin.  some  sun  will  do  me  some  good.  she  thought  to  herself  as  she  found  her  bookmarked  place  in  dante  alighieri’s  divine  comedy.  she’d  hardly  gotten  through  fifteen  pages  when  she  heard  a  familiar  voice.  she  couldn’t  help  but  smile  at  the  sight  of  her  old  english  teacher.  “ ah,  you  know  me,  i  was  years  ahead  of  the  school curriculum. ”  this  was  the  sort  of  company  that  orwell  was  happy  to  keep.  “ i’m  learning  italian.  teaching  myself  actually,  kind  of.  and  french.  and  spanish.  and  a  little  russian.  but  the  point  is  -  i’m  trying  to  learn  italian  so  that  i  can  read  the  original  divine  comedy, ”  she  filled  glenda  in  on  her  plan.  the  copy  of  the  book  in  her  hands  was  in  english,  showing  that  she  hadn’t  yet  reached  fluency.  “ i’m…  okay.  i  guess.  you  know…  with  everything  going  on  i  think  it’s  hard  to  be  okay.  i’ve  been  so  sick  lately.  anyone  would  think  i’m  a  spinster  with  consumption.  the  doctor  told  me  to  get  some  sun,  that  the  vitamins  might  help.  that’s  why  i’m  here  and  not  curled  up  by  the  window  of  my  apartment  in  my  pyjamas.  how  are  you ? ”  

glenda  was  familiar  with  scars,  both  physical  and  otherwise. she  had  years  of  life  experience,  including  those  where  she  unfortunately  earned  her  own  scars,  and  that  was  all  before  she  even  began  teaching. once  in  her  position  at  shrike  high,  the  woman  became  an  advocate  of  sorts  for  students  like  orwell,  those  who  she  would  come  to  learn  had  rough  upbringings  and  hard  lives  and  terrible  experiences. in  her  time  as  a  teacher,  glenda  felt  like  she  had  seen  just  about  everything,  and  while  she  wished  none  of  her  students  had  ever  gone  through  a  single  thing  that  left  them  hurting  in  any  way  -  physically  or  otherwise  -  she  was  thankful  that  her  experiences  and  her  students  had  left  her  wealthy  with  knowledge  about  the  horrors  of  the  world  that  she  would  need  to  know  how  deal  with  for  the  sake  of  both  herself  and  those  around  her. glenda  had  known  orwell  for  long  enough  to  not  care  about  what  scars  were  visible  to  the  sunlight,  and  for  long  enough  to  feel  glad  to  find  them  sitting  out  in  nature  with  a  good  book.

“one  of  my  most  promising  students  to  date.”  she  nodded,  meaning  her  words  but  saying  them  with  such  a  causality  to  her  tone  -  she  didn’t  want  to  go  giving  orwell  a  complex  or  anything,  nor  did  she  want  to  make  any  other  past  students  feel  inferior. “all  those  languages  at  once,  huh?”  she  raised  her  eyebrows,  though  she  couldn’t  say  she  was  surprised  to  hear  that  orwell  was  taking  on  such  an  enormous  feat. “i’ve  never  been  too  good  at  languages,  i’ve  gotta  tell  you,  besides  english  of  course  -  and  a  little  french. it’s  always  kind  of  bummed  me  out,  considering  how  much  literature  is  written  in  other  languages,  and  considering  how  in  translation  you  lose  so  much.”  she  understood  orwell’s  compulsion  to  learn  these  languages  for  this  reason  completely. “i’ve  read  a  lot  about  it,  and  about  what  you  lose  in  certain  pieces,  but  just  can’t  grasp  the  concepts  of  other  languages  well  enough  to  become  fluent.”  she  shrugged. there  were  more  pressing  matters  in  her  life  for  her  to  be  worrying  about,  so  she  could  safely  say  that  she  never  dwelled  on  this  too  hard.

“yeah, i do, actually. are we just supposed to live in gloom and doom until someone comes and takes us out? that almost sounds like more energy wasted. and not to sound like a hippie but every minute you’re breathing is like a gift from the earth, dude,” hector said with a soft laugh, always entertaining himself more than anyone. for a guy that didn’t think much of himself internally, he sure did get a kick out of his own personality. “i mean sure, some psycho can come around and kill you, and you could also get hit by a car crossing the street, or choke on your drink..don’t choke on your drink that would be such a vibe killer but you know what i mean. life is for the living, you know?” hector shrugged and turned around to get her the rum and coke, smiling softly to himself as she spoke. “so basically you haven’t had fun in a while, huh? you know fun doesn’t have to be all wild and crazy, it could be as simple as getting drunk and getting a really exciting and high score on a video game, though that’s not my top recommended mode of fun but yanno. here you go,” he said and slid her the glass before going back to pour himself some water since he was still a good hour and a half away from the end of his shift. “but okay, what is a life with no fun, then? is it a happy one? a content one? or just a life?” he raised an eyebrow and folded his arms on the bar as he met her eyes. “come on, you’re the english teacher here, tell me something profound.”

hector  had  an  incredible  point  in  saying  what  he  had,  making  an  argument  that  she  might  have  even  graded  highly  in  a  high  school  debate  situation  (though  maybe  a  point  or  two  would  have  been  deducted  there  as  he  called  her  ‘dude’). she  enjoyed  conversation  like  this,  conversation  where  they  had  differing  opinions  and  thoughts  that  came  out  quickly  in  their  defence. even  if  hector  might  have  bugged  her  ever  so  slightly,  there  were  way  worse  people  to  be  around  right  now. “i  never  said  anything  about  living  in  gloom  and  doom,  but  taking  the  current  situation  seriously  is  as  important  as  making  the  most  of  your  life  while  you  still  can.”  she  countered. “someone  has  to  look  after  everyone  and  everything  still. we  can’t  just  begin  running  rabid  now  that  something  truly  bad  has  begun  happening.”  she  shrugged  her  shoulders,  not  sure  what  more  there  was  to  say  as  she  believed  they  were  both  right  to  an  extent. “life  is  for  living.”  she  agreed,  though  she  then  neglected  to  elaborate  and  add  that  life  was  for  living  on  the  terms  that  was  right  for  both  yourself  and  all  of  those  you  spent  time  with. “hey  -  now  i  never  said  that.”  she  defended  herself,  though  maybe  hector  was  right,  maybe  she  hadn’t  had  fun  in  quite  a  while. “i’m  not  so  sure  of  video  games. all  that  new  technology,  i  can’t  understand  how  any  of  it  works.”  she  brushed  it  off,  waving  her  hand,  then  adding  a  small  ‘thanks’  for  the  drink  before  she  took  a  sip.

“life  without  fun  can  be  a  happy  one,  a  content  one.”  she  nodded  her  head,  actually  enjoying  his  challenge. “fun  doesn’t  equal  either  of  those  things,  fun  is  a  different  entity  on  its  own. fun  can  be  the  root  of  someone’s  happiness,  but  for  another  peace  might  be  their  root. everyone  is  born  wired  completely  differently,  you  definitely  learn  that  while  being  a  teacher,  but  you  can  also  see  it  by  just  looking  around  you.”  she  took  another  sip  of  her  drink. “fun  for  some  only  equals  complete  chaos,  complete  disorder,  it’s  panic,  it’s  stress,  it’s  unhappiness. it’s  contentedness  that’s  a  better  thing  to  argue  everyone  needs  in  life,  life  without  being  content  is  just  life,  not  a  happy  one.”  she  wasn’t  sure  if  she  was  really  in  the  mindset  to  hit  his  request  of  profound,  but  her  thoughts  came  out  either  way,  and  she  hoped  hector  could  take  something  from  it,  no  matter  how  disorganised  she  was  in  her  speech.

located  in  a  park  far  out  from  the  cbd. this  is  a  closed  starter  for  @horrorbxby​

glenda  had  been  excited  for  her  day  off,  planning  on  staying  in  the  entire  day  and  soaking  up  the  safety  that  came  with  being  inside  of  those  four  sturdy  brick  walls,  but  she  found  herself  quickly  growing  restless. it  wasn’t  like  her  to  do  nothing,  and  while  the  promise  of  safety  was  something  very  much  needed  right  now,  the  restlessness  ended  up  winning. glenda  always  had  been  a  little  manic. she  didn’t  want  to  stray  far  from  home,  but  after  deciding  quickly  that  she  definitely  didn’t  want  to  near  the  mall  when  she  wasn’t  being  paid  to  do  so,  she  found  herself  strolling  down  one  of  the  rocky  footpaths  adjacent  to  one  of  the  parks  in  town  that  was  less  kept,  less  maintained. she  chose  this  park  in  particular  to  steer  clear  of  any  larger  groups  of  people  -  bait  for  the  killers,  she  thought  -  but  her  walk  didn’t  come  without  finding  at  least  one  familiar  face.

“well i would so let’s mark it down as today’s blessing,” he replied without missing a beat, pretending he was checking of a list in the air. hector’s smile didn’t falter through her words, he only leaned his arms on the bar to listen to her. “thank you for lying that out so logically and clearly. and for letting me know that you have not been to a good party in quite some time. why is it when we talk about celebration so many people think of all the possible things that could go wrong?” he let out a soft laugh, his smile growing at her question. “yeah it is, i’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to, reina. what can i get you? something strong? you look like you might need it. not as bad as you need a party but you know, that’s neither here nor there,” he joked, just messing with her before he turned around to get her drink. “not to sound like a dick, though i’m told that’s all i sound like, but partying aside, when’s the last time you did something and thought..damn, that was pretty fucking fun?”

glenda  simply  shrugged  her  shoulders,  a  smile  on  her  face  to  show  that  she  didn’t  disapprove  despite  disagreeing. the  flattery  was  nice,  hector  was  nice,  but  glenda  didn’t  have  anymore  to  say  on  the  topic,  nor  did  she  want  the  fuss  of  even  trying  to  entertain  it  further. “do  you  really  expect  me  to  be  focusing  on  the  bright  side  and  the  silver  linings  of  things  when  we’re  living  through  this?”  she  asked,  raising  her  brows. the  attacks  were  dreadful,  but  also  terribly  sobering  and  mood  souring. glenda  wasn’t  sure  how  anyone  could  be  positive  and  up  for  celebration  when  their  friends  -  if  not  them  themselves  -  were  being  injured  and  killed  on  what  felt  like  a  weekly  basis. glenda  laughed  as  hector  once  again  insisted  that  she  needed  to  party,  shaking  her  head  but  still  smiling  with  amusement. “yeah,  something  strong,  but  only  so  i  have  the  strength  to  keep  up  this  argument  with  you.”  she  teased  in  return,  not  really  thinking  their  conversation  was  anything  near  an  argument  despite  having  differing  thoughts. “maybe  just…  a  rum  and  coke,  please.”  she  decided. “who  says  a  person  has  to  have  fun  to  be  living  the  life  they  want,  though?”  she  answered  his  question  with  one  of  her  own,  not  because  she  truthfully  believed  she  didn’t  want  to  or  have  to  have  fun,  more  only  to  avoid  having  to  think  about  her  real  answer. it  had  been  some  time.

“Ah, Ms. Adams, you’ve come to bless me with your presence today,” Hector said with a grin, his little crush on one of his former teachers one that was pretty resilient and long lasting. “And how do you know what I can and cannot afford, hm? I mean maybe I just work here as a cover,” he teased, tucking the rag he had been using into one of his back pockets. “Hey, the housewife could be in need of my company but alright, then we’ll have it at your place,” he teased as he came around the bar so he could stand in front of her. The actual bartender was busy helping a large party of corporate dudes ordering the same damn beers they ordered every time. “Because it’s only a party if you’re gonna be there. What are you drinking today? I’ll make it and it’s on the house, just don’t tell my boss, yeah?”

“i  wouldn’t  consider  it  much  of  a  blessing,  but  i  certainly  am  here  either  way.”  glenda  wasn’t  so  good  with  accepting  flattery  -  especially  not  when  it  came  from  former  students  -  so  in  general  she  tended  to  meet  it  with  a  joke  or  deflection. “nice  try,  but  i  don’t  believe  that  someone  would  willingly  stay  -  in  the  mall,  or  in  shrike  -  if  they  could  afford  to  get  out  of  here. i  don’t  think  mall  worker  wages  would  cover  what  you’re  after,  and  i’m  sure  escaping…  everything  that’s  going  on  right  now  would  take  priority  over  throwing  a  party.”  she  shrugged,  explaining  herself  clearly  and  easily. she  laughed  at  hector’s  attempt  at  claiming  her  place  as  the  new  venue,  shaking  her  head  and  rolling  her  eyes  with  amusement. “oh  please,  you  know  what  else  mall  worker  wages  can’t  buy  you?  a  large  enough  house  for  a  party  and  insurance  to  cover  the  damage  that  will  inevitably  occur  in  the  small  space  i  could  offer  you. and  a  teacher’s  wage  isn’t  much  improvement,  so  don’t  think  i’ve  set  myself  up  real  good  before  coming  to  work  here.”  she  defending  herself  with  an  amused  smile. “is  it  still  on  the  house  if  i  don’t  accept  the  invitation?”

               an over dramatic sigh leaves rosie’s lips that form a pout as she places her chin in her hands, her elbows resting on the counter she sits behind. her shift at karaoke dokie has only just begun, but she knows she’s in for a long, boring, uneventful and unfortunate closing shift - that is, if no killers come out tonight. being a wednesday, rosie knows there aren’t many shrike heights residents planning on a wild night involving them singing their favorite tunes with their friends, and if there’s one thing rosie hates more than groups of people singing abba off key, it’s the boredom and the loneliness that comes with having to go without that in this place. another sigh leaves her lips, but this time she stands and she makes her way out of the store, no further than a couple of steps away so she can’t get in trouble for actually leaving her workplace while on shift. 

               “what’s the point of even keeping the mall open during the slow nights?” she doesn’t hesitate to speak to the first person to come near - the only person she can see in the area currently. “it’s dangerous here at night, we’ve established this, don’t you think they should… i don’t know… close the mall early on weeknights like this? if they can’t even think about enforcing a curfew on the town, it’s the least they could do.” rosie’s more scared of the killers and the threat of an attack than she cares to admit, but anyone who knows her well enough would be able to recognize her fear; she wouldn’t be caught dead supporting the closing of the mall or a curfew if she wasn’t scared.

glenda  felt  quite  the  same  as  rosie  did,  frustrated  that  she  was  made  to  work  a  slow  shift  when  being  at  the  mall  came  with  such  a  high  risk  of  danger. she  had  been  one  of  the  many  shrike  heights  residents  putting  pressure  on  the  authorities  to  do  something  about  what  was  happening  in  their  town,  and  with  the  killers’  obvious  main  target  being  the  mall,  she  thought  it  was  ridiculous  that  they  didn’t  even  try  shortening  opening  hours  when  there  was  hardly  any  demand  inside  the  mall  at  a  time  like  this,  only  many  vulnerable  store  employees  acting  as  sitting  ducks  inside  their  respective  stores. that  was  how  glenda  felt  during  her  shift,  at  least,  vulnerable  and  waiting  for  someone  to  strike,  and  that  was  how  she  found  herself  wandering  outside  of  her  store  as  a  break.

“Not for nothing but shit’s been kind of depressing around here lately, huh? I mean some dudes and/or chicks, I don’t want to assume gender here, playing dress up and running around and we’re all just supposed to hide? Nah fuck that, I could already die any day, I’m saying, it’s close enough to summer for a party. I mean if there’s a place that could use a party it’s this one and I mean, truly.” Hector was always being louder than he needed to and talking to everyone like they knew him or he knew them. Hector sat up in his seat more as he sipped his drink through the straw, thinking about the best place to throw it. His one bedroom apartment wouldn’t do. “Hey how much you think it would cost to rent out one them big ass houses over in CBD? Ten bucks that I can convince a housewife to let me throw a party in her house. Come on, easiest ten bucks you ever lost.”

glenda  didn’t  come  into  julio’s  just  to  find  more  talk  about  the  attacks  and  all  of  the  frightening  things  that  kept  happening  in  what  was  once  quite  honestly  just  your  average  boring  small  town. despite  it  being  unplanned,  however,  glenda  was  typically  always  happy  to  walk  in  on  a  moment  where  someone  might  have  needed  some  comforting,  some  guidance,  or  even  just  an  ear  to  listen  to  them. that’s  what  glenda  thought  she  had  walked  in  on,  but  the  more  hector  spoke,  the  more  she  became  unsure  of  whether  or  not  she  could  be  of  help  in  any  way. “more  than  you  could  afford,  definitely,  and  i’m  not  making  any  bets  so  don’t  get  ahead  of  yourself  there.”  she  began,  an  amused  yet  sceptical  look  on  her  face. who  was  she  to  judge  if  someone’s  coping  mechanism  came  in  the  form  of  a  party?  it  wasn’t  her  cup  of  tea,  but  she  was  careful  not  to  shame  him  for  it  being  his. “i’m  not  discouraging  a  party,  but  i  am  discouraging  using  some  poor  housewife  in  order  to  do  it. leave  them  out  of  it.”