𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒘𝒏

𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓  ›  𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓.   written  by  𝒌𝒂𝒕  for  𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒒  . (  she/her.  cst.  twenty - three.  )

open   to :   everyone   !  location :   the   curb   of    an   empty   street   circa   4am   ,   probably

why   just   two   out   of   three   ?   all   disappearances   happened   at   different   times   ,   but   hux   could   only   guess   that   this   must   have   been   some   kind   of   message   being   sent.    WAS   TATUM   ALIVE   ?    eyes   narrowed   in   deep   self - thought   ,   discomfort   riddling   an   already   sunken   man   in   the   form   of   a   hunched   back   and   fingers   that   held   a   cigarette   a   little   more   carefully   than   they’d   ever   held   anything   else.   he   kept   thinking   about   the   sheriff   ,   could   feel    the   anger    of   the   town   and   the   grief   that   hit   likes   waves   –   how   could   this   happen   ?  

“      it   doesn’t   make   any   sense.      ”       hux’s   words   fell   audibly   in   somewhat   of   a   whisper.    WATCH   OUT   !    that   crazy   doctor   was   talking   to   himself   again   ,   wasn’t   he   ?   if   it   weren’t   for   his   ability   to   weave   a   good   rapport   for   himself   before   all   the   disappearances   happened   ,   maybe   he’d   be   in   cuffs   within   a   cell.    perhaps   …   that’s   where   he   belonged   anyway.    arms   lifted   to   hang   over   his   knees   ,   cigarette   still   barely   lit   and   followed   by   a   thin   line   of   smoke.   untouched   for   several   moments   ,   wasn’t   it   ?   hux   was   too   lost   in   his   own   head   to   notice.

maia was disappointed to hear that heather wasn’t writing anymore, and took no pains to hide that disappointment. “i understand, i understand,” she assured her former student. “but you really should try. even if it’s not your job, even if you spend most of your energy here,” she gestured to their environs. “even if you never show it to anyone. though, if you did want to show it to someone, i’m always here,” she added. “even if it’s just a journal, just a way to explore and express your emotions. i am sure it would be helpful, in times like these…” she allowed herself to trail off. it’s not like she needed to name the tragedy, heather knew. everyone did. 

It had been so easy to just slip into a regular routine of avoiding the source of discomfort with Heather. They had picked up ten steps back from where they’d left off when Mari had departed for college, and there they had stagnated ever since.

Mari had been wanting to check in for months - both to really get a feel for how Heather was doing and to apologize for her actions in the past. But in the end her stubbornness and fear of consequences for her actions had won out. Now, they were stuck at a superficial level of conversation.

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t make some sort of effort. She just had to strike a delicate balance.

“I wouldn’t trust someone who didn’t love extra cherries, honestly. The best part of any Shirley Temple or ice cream sundae is the cherry on top,” Mari pointed out, taking a sip of the drink before offering a smile.

It was difficult to engage in casual conversation with someone when they were working, given that they were sort of obligated to participate. But given the lack of time they spent together otherwise, Mari knew that the countdown timer was already ticking by on her opportunity to speak up.

It was a bar in a small town full of heavy drinkers. It would only be a matter of time before they were interrupted.

“So,” she began. “How are you? I know things are a little… well, things in town could be better.”

there  was  only  so  much  conversation  that  could  be  held  between  the  two.  eventually  it  would  get  awkward,  and  the  silence  would  only  be  like  putting  salt  on  a  wound.  at  least  they’ve  been  putting  in  the  effort,  or  whatever  this  was,  at  attempting  to  rekindle  the  flame  of  their  old  friendship.  heather  would  like  to  think  that  they  could  go  back  to  how  they  were  in  high  school  but  due  to  .  .  .  personal  factors  and  the  fact  that  a  lot  of  time  has  passed:  she  is  convinced  that’s  next  to  impossible.

but  damn,  is  she  going  to  try  to  at  least  get  an  honest  and  direct  conversation.   discuss  why  things  went  to  shit  and  why  neither  of  them  just  talked  about  it.  maybe  not  now  and  maybe  not  later:  but  eventually.  heather  can’t  just  go  pushing  mari’s  boundaries  to  get  answers.  that  would  be  selfish,  and  heather  is  the  exact  opposite  of  that.

after  all  she’s  gone  through,  the  woman  can’t  help  but  selfless.  even  if  she  doesn’t  have  to  be  it  all  the  time.  

SMILE   TUGS ,     THOUGH   IT   DOESN’T   QUITE   REACH   EYES .      a   woman   like   her ,      bright   eyed   and   endearing ,      didn’t   deserve   to   be   smothered   into   bosom   of   the   bureau .      yielding   the   shield   in   the   name   of   justice   did   𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐   𝚝𝚘   𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚗   𝚝𝚑𝚎   𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛𝚜   𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 ,       talia   didn’t   wish   that   for   anyone .      the   woman   across   from   her   ACTED   AS   A   REMINDER   of   what   could’ve   been  ,      𝗊𝗎𝗂𝖾𝗍   𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾 ,      a   spark   flickering   in   retinas .      everything   talia   was   without .      head   shakes ,      laughter   tumbles   into   air .      “     none   taken .     ”      drink   is   tossed   back   now ,      𝐚   𝐛𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫   𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞   𝐨𝐟   𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟   𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 .      glass   is   pushed   toward   kind   company ,      a   half   assed   gesture   for   another .      brow   lifts   at   the   mention   of   boss ,      head   turning   in   an   attempt   to   catch   sight   of   the   aforementioned .      “     you   tell  that   boss   of   yours   i   have   a   empty   seat   next   to   me   if   he   feels   like   talking .     ”      smirk   dances   at   the   notion ,     anything   for   a   filled   glass .    

@heatherfoster​     /     blue  heaven  bar   

everyone  had  their  suspicions  as  to  what  happened  to  the  missing  girls  .  that  was  still  different  than  actually  having  the  confirmations  .  holding  onto  hope  was  hard  when  it  was  being  ripped  away  .  his  dreams  have  been  filled  with  sybil  ,  he’s  still  competing  with  her  when  he  closes  his  eyes  .  that’s  why  bradford  continues  to  push  himself  .  he  can’t  bring  himself  to  focus  on  making  more  syrup  right  now  ,  but  he  does  bring  a  book  on  how  to  care  for  different  plants  .  brad  enters  the  bar  as  quietly  as  he  can  and  then  slides  the  book  over  the  counter  .    “  this  is  the  book  i  told  you  about  the  other  day  .  ”     he  smiles  softly  at  heather  .     “  i  was  also  curious  about  something  .  ”     bradford  doesn’t  know  how  to  ask  her  ,  so  he  takes  a  deep  breath  .     “  do  you  think  they  were  being  watched  ?  “     

  ‘𝒕𝒉𝒆  𝒖𝒔𝒖𝒂𝒍’.  when  aster  first  arrived  she  would  balk  at  the  very  insinuation.  but  she  has  come  to  learn  that  there  was  small  town  living  and  then  there  was  one-bar  in  town  living.  while  all  one-bar  towns  were  small,  not  all  small  towns  only  had  one  bar—  at  least  not  in  her  limited  experience.  and  not  everything  could  be  kept  to  the  chest,  much  to  her  dismay.  small  sacrifices  had  to  be  made  if  she  planned  to  continue  staying  here  for  the  foreseeable  future.  having  her  order  of  a  pint  of  beer  being  known  to  heather  was  a  small  sacrifice  she  could  make.  

  besides,  that  wasn’t  even  her  favorite  drink.  her  roommate,  while  absolutely  terrible  at  anything  related  to  education,  was  quite  the  wine  connoisseur.  it  was  one  of  many  things  aster  picked  up  from  her  in  their  time  together.  but  a  beer  seemed  to  fit  the  town  better.  it  was  also  the  best  drink  to  nurse  since  outings  to  blue  heaven  weren’t  about  the  alcohol  but  to  garner  information.    

  so,  there  she  sat  in  the  furthest  corner  of  the  bar,  farthest  from  the  door.  the  best  spot  to  see  but  not  be  seen.  “yeah,  thanks.”  she  answered.  her  eyes  scanned  the  room  as  she  waited  for  heather.  all  of  the  usual  crowd  for  this  time  seemed  to  be  in  attendance  tonight.  it  was  rather  dead  slow  the  past  month.  for  good  reason. “so,  how’s  your  night  going?  the  turnout  seems  to  have  improved.”

“     improved  is  a  generous  word.     ”     heather  replies,  professionally  uncapping  the  bottle  of  beer  and  walking  it  over  to  her  table.  heather  wipes  her  hands  on  the  small  half  apron  that  hangs  from  her  waist  as  she  quickly  looks  around  to  the  usuals  who  stood  in  their  usual  spots  and  drank  their  usual  drinks.     “     boss  has  been  trying  to  get  a  more  lively  crowd  in,  but  nothing  has  been  effective.     ”     heather  feels  comfortable  speaking  on  this  subject  since  the  woman  has  been  in  here  enough  for  their  small  talk  to  not  be  awkward.

aster  is  someone  that  heather  has  a  hard  time  figuring  out.  she’s  been  here  for  nearly  a  year  and  she  has  yet  to  know  anything  personal  about  her.  all  she  knows  is  that  the  blonde  likes  beer  and  works  at  the  community  college.  not  that  heather  pries,  she  knows  better  than  to  overstep  boundaries.  the  conversations  they  shared  have  always  been  neutral.  the  woman  was  cordial  and  easy  to  talk  to.

wanting to sleep but being physically unable… maia’s had plenty of those nights. she gives heather a sympathetic look, and she’s reminded of why she liked the younger woman in the first place. she remembers having her in her class, one of the first she ever taught at crescent shore community college. she’d always thought heather had potential, had what it took to get out of a town like this. as nice as it was to be able to see one of the few people she actually liked in crescent shore on a semi-regular basis, it pained her to see someone like heather stuck bartending. even if she was very good at it. “you’re a woman of many talents,” she comments. “do you still write? you always had quite a knack for it.”

he  likes  to  think  that  it’s  businesses  supporting  businesses.  heather’s  presence  is  something  to  look  forward  to  at  clover’s  den  and  bradford  seems  to  make  his  way  to  the  bar  at  least  three  nights  a  week.  he  grins  happily  when  she  smells  the  syrup,  feeling  like  he’s  done  another  good  job.     “     i  was  happy  to  do  it!  sometimes  drinks  can  use  a  little  kick  and  what  better  than  a  plant?  it’s  also  an  aphrodisiac,  so  i  can  make  you  a  smaller  bottle  to  take  home.     ”     the  last  sentence  is  delivered  with  a  wink.       “     thank  you!     ”     brad  takes  a  small  swig  of  the  cosmo  before  setting  it  back  down  on  his  napkin.     “     i  can’t  complain.  business  is  good  and  the  flowers  keep  me  company  during  the  lull.  how’s  this  place?  no  one’s  giving  you  a  hard  time,  right?     ”     the  reason  why  business  is  going  good  leaves  a  sour  taste  in  bradford’s  mouth,  but  he  tries  to  push  it  out  of  his  mind  for  now.  

after  the  police  decided  to  speak  to  him,  bradford’s  mind  has  been  in  a  constant  haze.  especially  since  cassandra  decided  to  completely  throw  him  under  the  bus  and  offend  him  in  his  own  shop.  still,  he’s  been  trying  to  look  pass  that.  clover’s  den  has  been  closed  for  a  couple  of  hours  by  the  time  he  makes  it  to  the  bar.  he’s  also  carrying  a  large  glass  bottle  with  him  when  he  sits  down.     “     yeah,  a  cosmopolitan  please!     ”     he  grins  at  heather  while  he  makes  himself  comfortable  on  the  stool.  everything  in  him  is  working  over  time  to  push  pass  the  tragedies  that  have  struck  the  town  recently.  he’s  trying  to  focus  on  the  present,  live  in  the  now.     “     i  actually  brought  you  something  too.     ”     bradford  places  the  bottle  on  the  counter  and  slides  it  over  to  her  side.  the  liquid  has  a  purple  tint  to  it  and  it’s  only  a  little  thick  in  consistency.     “     lavender  syrup  for  some  of  your  drinks.  some  of  my  lavender  was  drying  up  so  i  figured  i’d  put  it  to  good  use.     ” 

LIPS   PURSE ,      BROW   RAISES .      “     careful .      memory   like   that   and   the   bureau   will   sniff   you   out   for   enrollment .  ”     talia   toys   with   a   amused   expression ,      lord   knows   they   could   use   more   female   agents .      brunette   was   well   aware   of   how   her   presence   was   being   embraced ,      growing   up   she’d   witnessed   the   disdain   for   newcomers ,      being   with   a   government   agency ?      the   𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢   𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗   𝚘𝚏   𝚝𝚑𝚎   𝚏𝚋𝚒   𝚑𝚊𝚍   𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝   𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐   𝚞𝚙   𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛   𝚗𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚜 ,      but   considering   the   circumstances   she’d   been   met   with   barely   any   protest .      well ,      nothing   vocal ,      they   sure   as   hell   had   their   JUDGING   LOOKS   down   pat .      fingers   clasp   around   glass ,      bringing   it    to    lips   she   takes   a   sip .      “     is   that   so ?      no   discount   for   returning   residents ?     ”

📚

she sips her drink as she listens to heather’s response. sleepless nights are a familar concept to her, with a mind that never stops racing. maia gives her a sympathetic nod. “i know how you feel,” she responds. “no summer courses for me this year. last semester was…challenging, to say the least, and i needed a break.” teaching the introductory english course was a surefire way to have a good number of classes on her schedule, but some of the student body that had to come through that course was difficult to deal with. “not to mention the havoc it wreaked on my sleep last summer, too. those summer intensives really require a lot. so, no, i saved my money strategically and am choosing rest. when i can get it. just because my schedule’s better doesn’t mean my body will listen”. she took another small sip of the drink, and pointed to it. “this is perfect, by the way. just delicious.” it’s high praise from maia, who’s more likely to spit negativity than stay quiet.

( closed @heatherfoster ) crescent shore graveyard

it had only been a couple of weeks since william set foot on crescent shore again. surprisingly, he founded it easy to adjust, it was has if he had never left. but of course, that wasn’t true. william march had left and during all those years he spend away from home he had change time and time again. he had made himself big, and small, then big again, then small again — yet through all those changes the core of who he remained the same. perhaps that was  why he found it all so easy now that he was back. crescent shore didn’t just feel like coming home, it felt like coming back to himself. 

out of all the places he had visited since his return, there was one that still remained unexplored. it held too many memories, memories that warmed his chest and kept him company late at night when it was just him and the consuming darkness. memories that held him, but made him feel nostalgic for what once was. 

he could recognize any of the gravestones by their location alone, after all he had spend countless days at the graveyard. he had memorized most of the quotes and names carved onto the stone of the gravestones. he knew them by heart, but he didn’t know them as well as he knew the woman standing near them. he was almost frozen in place when he laid eyes on her, a moment when by where he refused to speak ( or more accurate, he couldn’t ) quietly he stepped closer as to not make a sound and avoid scaring her. however, he left a descent distance between the two. 

“esto perpetua.” he broke the silence. it was the engraved message on the gravestone. it was in latin, it translated to ‘let it be perpetual.’ them standing right there, like they did all those years ago, the message on the gravestone. there was a joke in there somewhere, a twisted one. “edmund harris.” the name of the man who laid underneath them. again, he knew the graveyard by heart. silence took over again, the last time they had seen each other things were different between them. now, william didn’t know where they stand. 

it’s  odd  that  heather  finds  herself  coming  back  to  this  specific  location  after  all  this  time.  there  have  been  many  changes  in  her  life  this  past  year,  and  she  had  promised  herself  to  swear  off  this  graveyard  in  hopes  to  keep  the  memories  it  held  away.  at  one  point,  this  place  was  the  only  place  that  brought  the  girl  comfort.  it  feels  like  lifetimes  ago  since  she’s  felt  that  way,  especially  since  the  person  she  shared  those  memories  with  was  no  longer  someone  she  associated  herself  with.

tonight  is  one  of  those  nights  where  she  tosses  and  turns  until  the  frustration  of  being  unable  to  fall  sleep  kicks  in.  usually  a  midnight  drive  does  the  trick  and  she’s  able  to  get  a  few  hours  of  rest  before  she’s  up  and  ready  for  the  day.  it  doesn’t  seem  like  it’ll  be  that  easy  for  her  tonight.  so  when  she  finds  herself  on  the  familiar  path  to  the  graveyard  on  the  outskirts  of  town:  she  just  lets  it  happen.

it’s  not  like  she’d  be  accompanied  by  anyone  since  the  only  people  who  are  ever  there  are  groundskeepers.  and  that  was  rarely.  it  seems  as  if  those  who  were  buried  in  the  quaint  graveyard  had  no  family  left  to  visit  them.  gravestones  were  unkept  and  many  dated  decades  before  heather  was  even  born.  she  supposes  that’s  what  part  of  the  charm  of  this  place  was  and  why  she  and  .  .  .  him  always  found  themselves  sneaking  off  here.

a   glance   was   tossed   over   his   shoulder   ,   eyes   scanning   the   small   handful   of   people   that   were   scattered   across   the   bar.   he   knew   a   lot   of   them   ,   had   actually    worked   on    a   majority   of   them   ,   but   it   still   felt   like   everybody   in   the   town   had   become   strangers   again   after   the   disappearances   of   the   faye   ,   sybil   ,   and   tatum.   a   nod   followed   to   show    he   was   still   listening    ,   brows   pulling   together   as   hux’s   attention   returned   to   the   conversation   at   hand.       “      yeah   ,   long   day.      ”       they   all   felt   long   since   the   sheriff   had   put   an   end   to   their   friendship   until   tatum’s   return   ,    an   unspoken   severance    of   the   tether   that   held   hux   to   the   rogers   family   that   made   his   heart   sink.   taking   a   sip   from   the   glass   in   front   of   him   ,   hux   braved   the   burn   in   the   back   of   his   throat   with   a   wince.       “      not   busy   or   anything   ,   just   dragged.   i’m   sure   it   feels   like   that   here   sometimes   ,   too.      ”