Anna is a siren born in 1871 who used to be a nice girl but after her family and community turned on her, decided to become the monster they all thought she was.Â
She roamed around the U.S. for a while âcommitting crimesâ (but would like it noted she was never convicted by a court of law).Â
Sheâs been in Lunar Cove for about 50 years now and owns the karaoke bar On Pitch where she has yet to receive any Best Boss mugs.
Sheâs been on her best behavior for too long now and is Bored.Â
Possible Connections:
Former Victims: Were you or someone you loved robbed or killed by Anna Donnelley? You may qualify for compensation.
Employees: Thought working at a karaoke bar was going to be fun? Wait until you meet your boss!Â
Former Marks: Ever gotten a song stuck in your head for days and then when it finally clears, you learn you were an accessory to grand larceny and when you try to tell the court a mermaid made you do it, no one believes you? Weâve all been there.Â
Exes: Letâs be honest, it probably didnât end well.Â
In this life, Anna was born to human parents, the daughter of a gold miner and his wife who came, like so many others, to seek their fortunes in California. And like so many others, her father often spent more on supplies than he ever made on gold. After years of fruitless endeavors, her father set up a general store near the Sacramento River, selling mining supplies and other necessities for both travelers and settlers alike. From an early age, Anna was drawn to the water, and though her mother feared the rapids of the Sacramento River and warned her to stay away, her father would often indulge her whims and take her to the waterâs edge, allowing her to play along the bank while he fished and taught her the trade. One day, when Anna was six and her father was too busy with work to take her, Anna snuck out to the river alone and, not noticing a storm brewing above, went in to swim. Soon the currents picked up and the rain lashed against the bank, and her father came rushing down the hill, yelling at Anna to come back to shore, and wading into the whitewater to rescue a girl that needed no help. Her father never made it out of the river that day, but Anna did, dripping water on her motherâs doorstep and holding in her tiny fist only the scrap of her fatherâs shirt sheâd been able to grab a hold of before the water took him away.
Annaâs mother never forgave her for her fatherâs death. A year later, her mother remarried, but her stepfather was nothing like her father: he was stern and unforgiving, cold and quiet, except for the times in which he yelled so loudly at her and her mother, her ears would ring for days after. The only thing that ever seemed to calm his fits of anger was Annaâs voice. Early on, when the fighting would start, she would run to her room and hide under the bed, singing to herself so she could not hear the yelling. And, as if she had willed it, the yelling would stop. Her mother and step father would come to her room as if theyâd been drawn there, tell her they were sorry for yelling, that they had made up. But this was always a temporary solution. Soon her step fatherâs anger turned to violence, and after years of watching her mother suffer at his hands, Anna lured her stepfather to the river with the song that had always done the trick. It was a clear day this time, the sun bright in the sky. But Anna was not a little girl anymore, and with her powers growing stronger every day, this time, she willed the storm to come. And the currents picked up, and in the downpour, the river overflowed the banks, and her stepfather did not come home.
Her stepfatherâs disappearance soon spread through the town, and with it came the rumors: of a song neighbors had heard ringing through the air, reports of other men who had wandered, as if in a trance, out of their homes and toward the river until their wives had called them back, how witnesses had watched the storm come out of nowhere. No one knew what to make of the stories except for Annaâs mom, who recognized in the rumors the stranger powers her daughter held that she had never understood and never wanted to believe. When she confronted Anna, Anna confessed to everything, swearing she had done it to protect them both, that they could be happy just the two of them, that she could run her fatherâs shop, take care of her mother. But her mother called her a demon and threw her out into the rain. Standing, soaked on the front porch, begging her mom to let her back in, Anna transformed for the first time, scales appearing on her skin, gills splitting her throat. Neighbors stepped out of their houses, pointing, screaming of the monster in their midst, and Anna had no choice but to flee back into the river.
Alone, Anna traveled to a new town and was soon taken in by a kind family with a daughter and son both her age. Anna quickly fell in love with the familyâs daughter, but the son, who Anna had never spared any thought, had fallen in love with her in turn. When he spotted her one day, kissing his sister by the river bank, the spurned young man pushed Anna away from his sister, and she fell into the shallows of the riverâs edge. Though the water barely splashed her ankles, it was enough, the transformation quickly beginning again, and the boy was not the only one to call her a monster; she watched the look of horror spread over his sisterâs face as well, and when the boy ran, so did she. That night, Anna packed her things, ready to leave again, when the boy and several of his friends showed up at her door, armed and ready to âhuntâ the monster in their midst. No one was sure what happened after that, only that some claimed to have heard a beautiful song in the night, and in the morning, the boys had all mysteriously disappeared, and so had the strange girl that âsweet, kind family had generously taken in.â
From that day on, Anna stopped trying to fit in, stopped trying to play by the rules. She used her song to rob banks and wealthy travelers, luring accomplices to help, though these âalliesâ would later returned, swearing they had been seduced and tricked, that theyâd never meant to go along with her plans. Powerful men gave her jewels and took her to luxurious parties, and for a time, Anna had everything she needed, never again allowing anyone close enough to hurt her. But as time went on, these tricks became harder and harder to get away with, as people became less and less inclined to believe theyâd been âseducedâ by a demon or magic, and cameras made âsightingsâ of mermaids harder to dismiss. After nearly avoiding arrest and exposure several times, Anna retreated to a town she had only heard about from rumors, a town where magical creatures did not have to hide, where they were safe and allowed to live in the open.
 Anna has been in Lunar Cove for almost fifty years now and has taken up âlegitimateâ work as a manager for a karaoke bar where, once the music gets started, patrons seem more than happy to keep their tab open for hours on end. She joined the Fae Court many years ago but is often impatient with the organization and their leader in particular, having voiced her opinion many times that the town should come out of hiding, that with so much supernatural power in one place, they could easily take back the world at large and force all humans to accept them.
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Bex really wanted to insist that she was okay, that she could still do it. She wanted to prove that she was good, that she was worth it, that she wasnât a disappointment. She didnât want to be a disappointment anymore. But Anna had said no more and she wasnât someone to argue with. Even without the rather domineering tone. So instead, Bex let Anna lead her over to the couch, grateful for the help and grateful more for the comfortable cushion below her. It was soft and welcome her in like a warm hug. She looked up at Anna as she listened to her, reaching out for the glass of water, which she sipped with fervor.
There was a rather strange feeling in her stomach, her chest, as she listened to Anna talk, face growing a tad red as the woman put her hand against Bexâs forehead. âIâve never reallyâŚbeen good at anything, never really had talent for much,â she told her, holding her water glass tightly. âThank you, for believing in me.â Especially when it seemed like no one else did.
"I highly doubt that." Anna wasn't much for encouraging speeches or helping with their self esteem. If anything, she seemed to hurt everything she touched and leave things more wilted than when she'd left them. So she was not about to sit here and tell Bex to reach for the stars or that she could do anything she set her mind to. It simply wasn't her style. And yet-- "I know power when I see it, Darling, and what you just did was no accident. It seems to me you'd be very good indeed if you didn't hide from it. So you're done hiding. It's very simple. If it's not clear by now, I do not waste my time on hopeless cases or hopeless people. If I believe in you, it's because I see something worth believing in. And I'm not wrong." She patted Bex's knee then stood up, reaching for her own drink--wine, not water and long forgotten on the pushed aside coffee table. "You'll come back tomorrow, and the day after that. I'll need ten, twenty minutes of your time--that should do for now."
"Do you want me to do this kind of thing with my friends?" He countered, curving a brow up at her as the corner of his lips itched up in amusement. Only for his hands to gently unwrap her thighs from around his waist as he pulled away. "Mhm, sure you will," A deep chuckle broke from his lips as he moved to head upstairs, not exactly minding all too much if she wasn't. She already knew he was a ex-hunter and besides the rooms reserved for his family, it wasn't as if he had anything to hide. At least not from her.
"I prefer the term handsome, but I'm glad you like it," A grin tugged at the corner of his lips as he moved to side step around her to make his way over to the fridge. His first instinct would have normally been to press a kiss against her forehead as he passed her, but given that he just agreed to keep his hands to himself and wasn't exactly in the mood to take another cold shower today, he figured it would be best for the both of them if he kept his hands to himself.
At the mention of sandwiches, Chai quirked up a brow. A deep laugh breaking from his lips as he moved to grab some bread. "Picky? Ariel, you could have named any food in the world and you picked a BL and a classic grilled cheese. I don't think you're all that picky," He promised her as he pulled out a french loaf he had picked up at the Farmer's Market earlier that day. "But question- do you like pears? Because, and hear me out, I can make us both bacon lettuce sandwiches. I'm not a huge fan of tomatoes myself, or if you'd be open to trying something a little different? I happen to make a great grilled cheese. It has brie and gruyere with thin pear slices and a little bit of honey folded in. If you're down?" He offered up, having developed a love of cooking himself when he had started out on his own. "Hey, I've gotten by on plenty of bologna sandwiches myself. For a while there, I lived off of the free muffins the Magnolia offered as part of their 'complimentary' breakfast. Though, I, uh, I was hardly a guest. I used to do odd jobs for the Hawthornes in exchange for a roof over my head," He explained with a small shrug of his own. "Though, I hate to break it to you, but there isn't going to be any surviving here. I come equipped with a fully stocked fridge and I happen to like to cook, so I can definitely make a sandwich, but if you want anything a bit more complicated too, I can always do that too? You want a steak and frites? Pad See Ew? A poached pear? You name it, I'm sure I could figure it out. Or we can just stick to sandwiches and maybe some soup or chips on the side?"
But as Anna suddenly stated that she wanted to explain to him why she wanted to wait. Chai stopped reaching for ingredients. His spine straightening slightly as he simply offered up an, "Oh?" A small sigh leaving his lips as she continued on. "Anna," He whispered off, using her real name rather than that of Ariel or Princess for once. He didn't mean to cut her off, but he felt the need to clarify something for her first. "I like you. It's that simple. I like you. So, me respecting your boundaries, isn't me quietly counting down the days until we can bang or being patient. It's not about patience? It's about how if you're not comfortable with something, then that's it. We don't have to do it and you don't owe me an explanation. I've told you from day one. This," He motioned between the two of them. "Has never been about getting in your pants. I like you. I want to get to know you better. I want you to be happy. That's it. No ulterior motives. But, also," His gaze softened as he reached out to cup her face in his hands. "What do you mean you don't know how to be someone's girlfriend? Anna," A smile broke from his lips as he tried to hold back the start of a light laugh. "There is no right or wrong way to like someone? You just do. It's a feeling. You don't control it. You simply experience it and as for being a girlfriend? I'm pretty sure the only requirement is communicating like we're doing right now? I mean I'm also assuming it means we're exclusive, but if you don't want to be, we can talk about that too," He teased, giving her chin a small and reassuring nudge. "As for being a 'temptress' or whatever? I'm pretty sure the second we agree to only be with each other, any chance of being a temptress, is thrown out the window. Even if we had sex every single day, we'd still just be two people in a very committed relationship. Not to put a damper on your own temptress dreams and all, but, I'm not going anywhere. So, sex or no sex, it's not going to change anything on my end," He promised her. "If you don't think you can get to know me with sex on the table, that's, your call. But, either way, I'm still going to make you some sort of dinner and offer for you to sleep over. I can even build a pillow wall? Or if you'd rather head back to yours for the night, we can just go out sometime next week? No big deal. Now," A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he moved to lean back so that he could shoot her a teasing look. "You want to, what was the word you used? Ravish me, do you?"
"No," Anna said truthfully. "I do not. I don't want you to touch anyone else like this but me." They hadn't talked about what this meant--girlfriend and boyfriend--and Anna felt juvenile even contemplating it. She had thought herself long past such school yard crushes. As she watched him retreat upstairs, however, she realized that was exactly where she was: trying to define this, whatever it was. Could she ask him not to touch anyone else, if she wasn't going to let him touch her either? Did she even want to be exclusive? Yes was the answer she came up with as she was left to her own devices, as she wandered around his home alone. Yes, she wanted him to be hers and she to be his and his alone, though the idea of allowing this, of letting anyone possess her in any capacity, made her want to run for the door. But as he came padding back down, she couldn't tamper down the desire. For better or worse, she wanted this. She wanted to try. And looking at him now, fresh-faced and smiling, she thought that perhaps the word 'possession'--that belief she'd held for so long about relationships--wasn't the right word at all. Perhaps a better word was companionship. Partner. Someone worth trusting.
She moved to sit on his kitchen counter again, though this time she was facing the interior--stove and fridge and cupboards, and, of course, him--rather than the front hall. "Careful, Darling. Brie, Gruyere, pear, and honey? You're talking dirty to me again." The shyness that had sparked in her a moment before as she'd been left alone to figure out what she wanted, was tampered town by a more familiar smirk and teasing glance. She may have just said she wasn't picky--and that was true--but it did not mean she didn't have expensive and unique tastes when given the luxury to care. What he was describing sounded divine--and not at all like dumpster diving. She nodded to show she was in for this choice of dinner while her eyes roamed over the french loaf, the stocked fridge, but mostly, she watched the genuine enthusiasm fill his gaze as he got to work on cooking for the both of them.
"I'll make dessert," she said, jumping off the counter and padding over to the fridge to see what ingredients he had. Eggs, flour, vanilla--with just a few more items, maybe she could make him that birthday cake after all. She stopped however, a small pile of ingredients spread out on his counter, when he said her name with such emergency. She set down the carton of eggs and forced herself to look up and meet his eyes. She was always searching for the lie, the trick--but there was nothing in his gaze but sincerity. Finally, Anna believed it. She quickly shook her head. "No. I want--" She raised her chin, almost defiantly now. "I don't want to share you. And I'm not with anyone else. And I don't plan to be." She was starting to regret having kicked off her heels, now finding herself several inches beneath him and having to stand up on her toes to keep his gaze. "I accept," she said, her own smile twisting around the corners now. "Spending the night. The fort is unnecessary."
She touched his arm, then dropped her own back to her side. She was tempted--very tempted--to touch him, to slide her fingers over his bare chest and draw him in for another kiss. But she had been the one to draw the boundary, and now she needed to be the one to keep it. "Yes," she said, fully smirking now. There were many things about this relationship that were new to her, and to her frustration, he had been making her blush as of late like no one else had ever done before. But when it came to the things she'd like to do with his clothes off, she had absolutely no embarrassment. "I would like very much to rip your pants off and have my way with you right here and now. In the past, I would have wanted us to lock ourselves away in your bedroom for the weekend and forget the world exists. But, I also like you for more than getting into your pants and I'd like to get to know the rest of you first." This time she did reach out and brush back his hair with two fingers, stopping to touch his temple. "All that's ticking up there. So I shall be on my best behavior and resist the urge to ravish you. For now." She ran a finger down his chest, winked, then pulled away. "Now, show me where your mixing bowls are. It's about time you tasted fae food and become utterly cursed to dance with me for all of eternity." Or so the old legends went, anyway.
"Yeah, guess so," Bex said, feeling her throat get tight. She fiddled with her own fingers for a moment before folding them behind her back as they walked. "So, do you-- uh, you like women, too, or just guys?" She paused walking for a moment at swallowed, before trotting to catch up with Anna.
"Oh, I-- sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just-- you know, more from a historical stand point, it would be interesting to see if the stories we tell now were all true..." Bex had always been interested in the past, whether it be recent or long ago. She loved the idea of putting together a puzzle by digging up what they left behind, piecing things together. Learning about all the differences. "I know I wouldn't have lasted a day back in that time." Anna had survived, but Bex had known that answer. Of course she had, she was the strongest person Bex had ever met. She wanted to be like that one day.
Bex perked up. "Right! Of course. Well, okay-- I wasn't exactly the best at naming things as a kid, but my favorite was the planet of trees and plants that I made up. It was called Plantaria. Cheesy, bad, I know. But I liked it the most and I could use the gardens out back, too, to play in. Well, until my mom found out, then I had to go back to just using my paper cut outs." When her mother had come home one day and saw Bex digging up the garden and running through bushes, her ire had truly shown itself for the first time to Bex. She'd been locked in her room for two days and then Bex never went in the gardens like that again. "Oh! I had a world that was just a planet covered in water, too. I would pretend to swim around my room and I even sometimes put on my bathing suit. That one was cool cause I got to cut out pictures of like fish and whales and all the different kind of aquatic plants. That one was called Aquataria."
"I like women very much," Anna replied without the slightest indication of embarrassment or shame. "I knew I liked women before I first sprouted wings or gills. How could I not? The beauty, the grace--" She shrugged. "I believe it only natural to be interested in all types of people. Differentiating by gender is like only dating one color of eyes or hair. The world has far too much beauty to try and pigeon-hole myself into one category of being. The first person I ever loved was a woman, and I have enjoyed the company of many since." She would not use the word 'love', however. She had a hard enough time admitting that she had been in love once, but it had been such a fiasco--one of her first and biggest mistakes--that she had worked very hard not to let it happen again. "Do you like a girl, Darling?"
"History is very different when you have lived it," Anna agreed. She dug her shovel into the sand, remembering now those times so long ago. The quick maps she'd sketched out to remember where she had left behind her treasures, the maps she'd stolen off of others. She smiled at the memories. She had not expected, when she'd bet on this basket, that it would unearth more than bones, but here now were small tidbits of her life she hadn't thought about in decades. Anna pulled one bone from the ground and placed it into one of the buckets. "I think I'd like Aquataria very much," she said. The thought of Bex, young and so lost in her own fantasies, was charming but there was a hint of something else, something darker there beneath. But Anna was the last person on earth that should be prying into what others elected to leave out in the stories of their lives. "Come here." Anna ushered Bex closer. "Help me get the rest, Dear."
Chai knew she was impressed and wanted to know how exactly he had managed to set this all up, but until she asked, he didn't see the point in elaborating. He'd probably prefer whatever theory she came up with in that pretty little head of hers over the truth anyways. A smile dancing across his face as he watched her greet each sea critter after the other. Another deep laugh rolling off the tip of his tongue as he watched her eyes light up, clearly wanting to go swimming with the dolphins despite being so adamant about not wanting to shift into a siren on this date of there's.
"Only a little bit? Uh, uh. Princess. I'm going to need you to do a little bit better than that," He teased. Cupping her face in his hands as he pulled her back in for a deeper and more drawn out kiss, before he finally let her run off down the hall towards the jellyfish like a kid who had just been told they could have free reign of a candy store. "Prince Eric actually, unless you want me to be two timing with you and some other princess," He joked, sliding into the spot she had patted for him to join. Leaning forwards to reach into the basket and pull out two wine classes for them as she was already moving to uncork the bottle. "I, uh, I didn't know the first one, no. The immortal jellyfish though, they're the one's who Benjamin Button right? Like de-age themselves or at least revert to an earlier development stage?" He posed, fairly certain he had read something about them at some point or another. "Though, I, uh, I think they're a little bit different than you, Princess. Unless you want to start calling my little Jellyfish moving forwards?" He teased. His gaze following her hand as she gestured to the tanks around them. Leaning back on the picnic blanket as he offered her up a small shrug. "I like that it's one of the few places in the aquarium, where we appear to be seemingly underwater?" He admitted, as he tilted his head back to watch another jellyfish float by them overhead, curtesy of the glass tunnel they were in. "And, uh, I figured at night, the jellyfish would illuminate the tunnel, making it look, fairly well," His gaze found its way back to her as his voice shifted to a low whisper. "breathtaking."
"You wouldn't dare," Anna shot over her shoulder, grinning. It was a lie to say she wasn't a jealous person, a bit possessive too when it came down to it, but she also knew well how to take a joke, and while she did have her own share of insecurities that reared their ugly heads from time to time, being worth someone's attention simply wasn't one of them. Anna was accustomed to being on dates, to having men chase after her--she just wasn't so used to having anyone want to stay for the uglier parts. And Chai had already seen many of the ugly parts: the trust issues and the violence, the control she was only just beginning to learn how to let go of. "I always liked that he had a name," she admitted. It was a silly thing, caring about something like a prince's name in a fairytale. "Prince Charming wasn't a real person. Never could be. He was...a dream. At least Eric was real. And he liked a bit of danger. Fell for Ursula too, now didn't he?" Anna shot Chai a knowing glance and a smirk. He had called her Ursula long before he'd started calling her Ariel, and while she'd taken it as an insult at the time, the truth was, she had both in her. She might not be all sea monster, but she was not all tame little mermaid either--not that Ariel was tame. She had been a rebel, willing to go after what she wanted, damn the consequences.
As for the jelly fish, Anna nodded, impressed that he knew this fact, impressed that he'd picked this section of the aquarium at all. "No," she agreed, trading him the bottle of wine for one of the glasses. "I happen to have a brain. Something these little Darlings don't share." She wiggled her finger against the glass where one of the jellyfish was scooting by, as if she was rubbing the belly of a puppy instead. Anna then laid back on the picnic blanket, looking up over their heads at the many jellyfish above, lighting the tunnel and making it seem as if they were laying within the depths of the ocean. This, of course, was something Anna could do--swim down to the ocean floor and lay there as if it were her bed, breathing through her gills and listening to the quiet of the ocean, watching fish pass and the glitter of the sun so, so far above her. But Anna had never been able to share that experience with anyone else--this, at least, was close, somewhere he could be underwater with her. She turned on her side to look at him better, and just in time, too, to see his eyes land on her. "How did you come here?" she asked. She wanted to know more about him. She knew what he'd been--a hunter--before he'd come to Lunar Cove, knew he'd had a complicated life, but there were still so many pieces she was still putting together. "Are you happy here? In Lunar Cove?"
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âMore charming than you could ever be. Which begs the question if little miss pixie hadnât bowed out so gracefully would you even be standing in the position you are?â Elizabeth questioned as she circled around Anna with a smirk on her face. âWhile it is, thereâs always another body to be had. Although considering this one stopped aging I canât complain.â She remarked with a shrug. While she wasnât familiar with fae powers just yet she planned to learn. âNah, I think I should stay here. I mean is that a wrinkle?â Elizabeth asked, reaching into her bag. âHold on I have a mirrorâŚâ She started as she dug around but instead was slipping the cap off of her water bottle. Taking the bottle of water out of her bag quickly and she poured it onto the other woman. âOpe looks like it was just a scale instead.â Giving a fake cringe. âHow embarrassing for you.âÂ
Anna was very glad they were on a dancing break, glad Chai wasn't with her at the moment, as Dilan leveled her accusations. But beyond the taunt, there was something else--since when had Dilan referred to herself in the third person, or mention her body like it was something disposable she was simply borrowing? Anna didn't know much about possessions, couldn't see the ghost hovering in Dilan's body, but enough strange things had happened in Lunar Cove over the years that there wasn't much left that could really surprise her. Was it a curse? A poison? The dead come back to life? They'd already seen that happen over Halloween; what was one more occasion? Anna reached for Dilan's wrist, about to pull her back, to demand they get to the bottom of this, when instead, the pixie--or whoever she really was--dumped enough water on Anna to make the siren gasp and step backward. 'Enough', of course, was a relative term; even a drop would have turned her legs to fish scales, as was already beginning to happen. As Anna hit the floor, tail where her legs once were, she swore loudly, her instinct to reach for one of the knives in her purse, though before she could wrap her hand around the hilt, the rational voice in her head spoke up: it wasn't really Dilan. "You're going to pay for that, Pixie," she called after her. Possessed, cursed, mind-washed--whatever it was, that was still two incidences (the first being getting pushed of the stage at Christmas) that Anna had to pay her back for.
There were a few too many people beginning to crowd around Billie's table, and she was about to simply... what, fade into the floor? She couldn't do that, but she'd have certainly tried. But then the other fae came along, shooing the crowd away and sitting down next to Billie. She recognized the other woman; she'd seen her around town, and around Bex. It wasn't that Billie actively avoided other fae; she didn't! But if she tended to end up not being around, then the circumstances tended to be in her favor! She had nothing against other fae, either, but it was always a harsh and startling realization that she was and wasn't one of them. She still thought like a hunter, sometimes. She still pretended to be human, sometimes. She still hid. Which was the exact opposite of Anna, it seemed. Billie took the glass and set it down, even as she murmured a soft, "Thank you." Not just for the drink but for getting the crowd to disperse. "I just-- I don't do that, really. Sing. In public. I don't like when it does... that."
It should be surprising that the two had been in town as long as they had without speaking--Anna, for her part, had been in Lunar Cove longer than Billie had been alive--but truth be told, Anna was not all that shocked. Before she had come to this little town claiming to be a sanctuary, a refuge for people like them (and it was only sometimes true), she had lived out in the real world and seen the dog-eat-dog world of surviving as a supernatural when the rest of the world wanted you dead. Fae in particular had long been an endangered species, less likely to congregate together the way the werewolves and vampires did, thriving off their telepathic bond and strength in numbers. In fact, before she'd come to Lunar Cove and before she'd met the previous fae queen, Anna had never met another siren before. She had often wondered what her life might have been like if she'd had a mentor, if she'd not been forced to fend for herself at every turn. Not that Anna was in the running for mentoring anyone. She had been working with Bex, yes, but there was quite a difference between helping a witch to embrace her powers, and finding a siren who didn't sing. "A siren who doesn't enjoy attention. Well, well, you are a rare breed, aren't you?" Anna sipped her drink, looking at Billie with some amusement, some curiosity. "You don't like what it does." She hummed thoughtfully. "The real question, however, is do you like singing?" Behind them, some squealing and excited laughter started up at the table as people donned their 'crowns' and the scent of flowers in the air became almost overwhelming. Anna wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Come to On Pitch. In the afternoon before the crowds come in," she said decisively, standing up again. "I'll see you then. And I'll take no excuses for not showing up, so do try and be on time."
"I can't really argue with that." She replied. "Not necessarily about me, but people in general." It was strange to hear someone being so candid about the way they viewed the world, but she had grown up in a world where the truth was a closely guarded secret, and then fled to one where it was even more-so. "I think there is immense value in capturing art, but I don't think there is any value in only exposing yourself to art cause it matches your makeup and will look nice on your feed." Esen replied. "My issue isn't so much them taking the photos - it's that that's all they're doing, they don't even look at it beyond lining up their shot."
"Oh, Darling, if you don't think you're a problem, you're not being honest with yourself. Take pride in being a problem. I certainly do." It had been a long time since Anna had known how to hold her tongue. Before she'd come to Lunar Cove, speaking with a skill she'd practiced and harnessed like a well tuned guitar, her voice a weapon--literally, as a siren--and her words carefully chosen. That had not changed in many ways; unable to tell a lie as a fae, she still mixed her sentences carefully, avoiding truths and finding technicalities. She had, however, stopped playing 'nice' long ago. In this town, there was rarely any need for it. Anna rarely played nice unless she wanted something, and at the moment, she saw nothing she wanted to con from the other woman. She now hummed thoughtfully as she looked around the room, taking in the scene the way the other saw it. Many people did, indeed, have their phones out, recording videos and snapping pictures. "Then perhaps the real problem is the belief that they need the art to, what is it, boost their egos? Once you believe that you are the art, everything is much easier."
Elizabeth had watched the interactions between these two since Christmas, it wasnât a shock when the siren appeared in front of her. Looking Anna over before she gave a huff. âThen donât give one. We both know that Iâm a younger, hotter, and better version of you anyways which means even this looks better on me than it does on you.â Elizabeth told her with a smirk. âAlthough I do give you props for an old hag you still somewhat got it.â Meaning it more as an insult than a compliment to the other woman. âDonât you have some boy toy we were half ass fighting over to attend to?â Elizabeth remarked before waving Anna away. âHaving your old haggard self hanging around is kinda as the youth say killing my fucking vibe.âÂ
Anna raised an eyebrow. "Well aren't you charming tonight." It was a good thing the fae's affinity for honesty did not discount sarcasm. Dilan had always had, well, to put it lightly, an attitude. But they had been on better terms lately--or so she'd thought. Granted, Anna wasn't the world's best teacher, but their swimming lessons had been an act of good will, a sort of symbol that they were putting the bad blood behind them. Anna hadn't even thought fondly about snapping the girls' neck in weeks--and that had been one of her more favorable daydreams after the pixie had pushed her off the stage over Christmas. "Run along then, Dear. Enjoy your fleeting youth." Anna hardly found her age to a be a detriment. If anything, it was a testimony to how long she's survived--and with the way things were going in this town lately, Dilan would be lucky to ever grow old at all. That said, she was still vain--very vain--and the instinct to check her appearance in the nearest shiny surface and make absolutely sure no wrinkles had appeared was nearly overwhelming.
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"You say that, but last time I checked we were waiting until you're ready, remember?" He pointed out, shooting her a playful look of his own before he rolled his eyes over at her. But, at her small pout at the mentioned of them not being able to break in, he simply shook his head once more. "Oh please. You like that I have a key to one of your favorite places, admit it. And I bet she's curious as to how I got my hands on one while she didn't too," He shot her a knowing look as he unlocked the door and held it open for her. "After you, Princess," He said, tilting his head towards the door as he motioned for her to go first. His grin only growing as he watched her eyes soak in the many tanks around them. "You can dive in, you know? If you'd like. We can go to the entrance of the dolphin tank and you can live out your Little Mermaid dreams," He tempted to her. "But, no pressure. It's just a once in a lifetime opportunity and all," He teased. Only for an amused laugh to break from his lips as he watched her hold out her hands to the side as if to emphasize how empty it is.
"Come here," He grinned as his fingers wove through hers, giving her no longer empty hand a gentle squeeze. "Oh? Whoa, hold up," He mused, wrapping his arms around her waist to stop her from pulling away just yet, however amusing it was for him to watch her run around the aquarium like a kid would run around Disneyland. "Slow down there, Tiger. So, good first date or what? And I'm not letting you go until you admit you're having fun right now," He warned, waiting to hear her admit it before he let her go. A light laugh breaking from his lips as he watched her hurry along to where there may just be a picnic blanket laid out across the floor with a basket of food and wine and potentially some flowers and candles set up. He figured they could have their first date there, with the jellyfish lighting up the tunnel around them. "I like seeing you this way," His words were a soft whisper under his breath as he continued to watch her great the jellyfish. "Happy? It's a good look on you."
"Yes, we are," she agreed, her smile softening once more. She appreciated--more than she knew how to say--that he hadn't questioned her on that. She was hardly some blushing virgin, and neither of them were particularly new at relationships or sex, nor was she religious or in any way prudish. All the normal reasons for waiting did not apply here, and yet Anna had somehow still talked herself into this decision, hoping he would agree. She shot him a mischievous sort of grin over her shoulder, but in her silence she might as well have agreed: yes, she was impressed that he had the key, and yes, she very much wanted to know how he'd done it. She pressed her hands to the glass as she walked from hall to hall, greeting the animals within like old friends, and when he talked of diving into the tank with the dolphins, there was no denying the way her eyes lit up.
As he wrapped his arms around her, Anna tried to wiggle out his grasp, but with no real desire to get away. "Alright, alright," she said with a small laugh. "I may be having a little bit of fun." She held up two fingers a millimeter apart then spread them out, wider and wider. "It's a good first date," she admitted. "And one day, you're going to tell me how you got the key." She leaned up on her toes to kiss him softly before wiggling successfully out of his arms and rushing down the hall toward the jellyfish. She paused, however, when she saw the setup he'd made for them. "The Little Mermaid and Prince Charming, huh?" She shot him a look over her shoulder. "My, my, you continue to impress."
She knelt down next to the basket then patted the blanket next to her to indicate that he should join her before reaching for the bottle of wine. "Did you know there's over 200,000 species of jellyfish? And one of them might be immortal," she mused aloud as she uncorked the bottle. "Or almost immortal. When faced with a threat it simply--resets. Like me." Perhaps another reason she was so fond of them. She looked up at him expectantly. "Why did you pick this section?" She gestured to the tanks around them.
"Oh come on, Ariel. We both know there's never been anything remotely 'friendly' about us," He murmured out, rolling his eyes lightly over as he gave her rear end a tantalizing squeeze. But, as she continued to tease him about his house, he found himself straighten up from where he had been previously leaning over her from where she sat on the countertop to let out a sigh. "I swear to god, Princess," He shook his head back and forth having a feeling that she may just be the death of him, but before he had a chance to offer up some witty retort, she dropped the playfulness in her voice to actually giving him a compliment.
"Well, thank you," His voice softened himself. His thumb tracing lightly across her jaw as he admitted, "It means a lot." Because her opinion did. He didn't know when it had happened, but Anna had someone managed to become one of the most important people in his life and when it came to this, his home, knowing that she liked it or at least appreciated it, meant the world to him. His place may not have been as luxurious as hers, but seeing that he, at the age of nineteen, had to start over with nothing but a hundred bucks in his pocket, the fact that he had built all this? That he had worked his ass off taking odd jobs all around town just so that he could afford an abandoned warehouse out in the woods and then spent the next handful of years tearing it down and reconstructing it from the inside out? This place was more than just home to him. It was who he was and all he had.
Only at the mention of later, he simply nodded. His hands already moving up her hips to the hem of her dress, ready to rip it off of her the moment she gave the word and when she hissed at him, another deep laugh broke from his lips as he shook his head the smallest bit back and forth. "Are too. You're the cutest little mermaid I ever met," He teased, pinching her cheek teasingly. More than happy to accept her kiss as she pulled him back in.
He could feel her body trembling beneath him. He could see the haze that had fallen over her gaze as she blinked up at him after he had visibly stolen her breath away. Only, when he asked if she was sure about this and she pulled away, he pulled back himself. His hands quickly returning to his side as he gave her slow nod. Clearing his throat as he attempted to tease, "So much for later than, huh? Though that, uh, that might be a little hard. Given that it's all sort of an open complex, so," He motioned up with a tilt of his finger. "Bedroom's up there and what you see is pretty much what you get. Though, uh, Binna's room is down the hall over there. She's been staying with me since coming to town and, uh, the rooms beside hers is Kari's and Decha's, but all three of those are kinda off limits, so like I said, what you see is kinda what you get. But, feel free to explore around and I'll, um, I'll be back in a little bit, okay? And then I can make you dinner or something, okay?" He offered up, pressing a light kiss against the side of her temple before he headed off upstairs without missing a beat. Chai may have the utmost respect for Anna and he'd hardly pressure her to do anything before she was ready, but that also didn't exactly mean that he could pull away from a steamy make out session on his kitchen counter and act as if everything was fine. So, rather than have a fairly awkward conversation next to the island of his kitchen where she likely tease him even more than normal, he opted to clear his head and take a very, very cold shower. Only to head back down the stairs about fifteen minutes or so later in a pair of sweatpants. He probably should have grabbed a shirt too, but it wasn't as if Anna hadn't seen him shirtless plenty of times before, and to be honest, even though he had told her she could have free rein exploring around, he was starting to question that decision. So, he figured it was probably safer to not leave her alone for too long by herself.
"Find anything of interest?" He asked with a raise of his brow as he wandered back down the steps, combing back his damn hair with his fingertips as he leaned against the railing of the staircase to take her in. "And since we're talking about interests, what does my girlfriend like to eat exactly?"
"I'm being very friendly." Her lips pressed against the side of his jaw, then his throat. "Is this not what you do with your friends?" Despite the joking--the light tone and the smile on her lips as her hands pressed beneath his shirt and her thighs tightened around his waist--there was some truth deep below it that spelled out the real problem: Anna was more inclined to jump into bed with someone, to focus on the physical, then she was to give out her heart. Friends with benefits was all she had known for a very long time. And for the first time in a very, very long time, she wanted to try something different. She did want to be more than friends, more than a quick grasp for pleasure. She wanted to actually feel something.
Despite his question, despite his assurances, Anna was still surprised when he pulled away. She didn't want to be. She wanted to trust him--she was trying to with every fiber of her being. But old habits were hard to leave behind. She squeezed the edge of the marble counter as he straightened up and away from her, and waited for some sign of anger or annoyance, some indication that he was losing his patience. Instead, he was telling her about his house, and she followed his gaze as he pointed out the different locations. "I'll be on my best behavior," she promised, surprised enough that he was allowing her--a known thief--unsupervised access to his home, that there was not even any sarcasm in her tone.
Anna watched him go then slid off the counter, straightening her dress over her thighs and fixing her hair in the reflection of the nearest shiny surface. As she heard the water running above her, she smiled softly to herself and walked barefoot around the kitchen, her heels left somewhere near the counter. She explored the rest of the place, avoiding the off limit rooms and tentatively touching the walls or fixtures, marveling at the effort that had gone into making this building a home. Once he'd returned, she turned back around, her eyes quickly falling to his bare chest. She bit her lip, forcing down with difficulty any of the flirty comments or come-ons that had come flittering to the tip of her tongue.
"I found a beautiful home made by a beautiful man." This was the simple truth; he had done a wonderful job, but beyond the aesthetics of it, she was deeply impressed by the story the building told--a story of concentrated effort and endurance and a young man who made something out of nothing. "I like....sandwiches." She trailed her fingers across the countertop as she circled back around it to meet him near the stairs. "BLT without the Tomatoes. Grilled cheese." She hummed as she tried to think of other foods. "French onion soup. Cinnamon rolls. Soft pretzels. Rice cakes. Chocolate." She emphasized the last word, smiling softly. "I know I seem picky, and I like to be when I can." She frequented upscale establishments, high end restaurants, had eaten at Michelin star restaurants. "But that's only to prove that I can. I used to steal food from the dumpsters of restaurants. I stole eggs from farms. I survived for months off stale crackers and bologna." These were not stories she would tell just anyone, less than glamorous moments from her life she had been ashamed of for so long. "Whatever you have on hand, I'm sure I'll survive it somehow." She smiled her normal teasing smile.
"I want to tell you why I want to wait," she said suddenly. "I'm not...unaware of how patient you're being. It's your birthday, and I--would very much like to give you what you want. What we both want. But if I have not made it abundantly clear yet, I like you very much. And I don't...know how to do that. How to like someone. How to be someone's...girlfriend." She said it like the word itself caused her a great effort. It felt strange on her lips, new and unfamiliar. "I've not been that for anyone in a very long time. And as much as I would like to tear off your clothes and ravish you, and I would...I'm quite tired of playing the temptress. For some reason, you seem to like me with my clothes on, and I--" She frowned, frustrated with herself, with her inability to say what she wanted to. "Please be patient just a little longer. And I do appreciate it--you--very much."
"That's my girl," A grin broke across his lips as she moved to wrap her legs around his waist without skipping a beat, even though she had only seconds before been pacing back and forth worried as to whether or not he'd agree to be all in as well. His own rough fingers brushed up her smooth thighs as his hands slipped round to cup her ass in his. Giving a tormentingly light squeeze as she teased him about the house of all things. "Shut it, Princess," He murmured against her lips, cutting her off before she could dare utter out anything else. And only after he had thoroughly stolen her breath away did his lips begin to move down the nape of her neck, leaving a trail of burning hot kisses along her collar bone. "But, yeah. It is," He murmured out at the mention of what the countertop was made out of. "I replaced all of the floors with hardwood too if you were wondering. Same with the ceiling beams. I pretty much had to gut the entire place before, well, I, uh, turned it into what it is now. And it's not typically something I show a lot of people, so do me a favor and keep your teasing to a minimum, alright Ariel?" He murmured out, pulling back so that he could brush his hands across her cheeks. Cupping her face in his as his gaze locked onto hers as if to convey to her how important this place was to him.
"I can't help it," His grin grew wider as he watched her playfully slap his chest. "You, Anna Donnelly, are adorable. Practically one of the cutest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet," He teased, knowing that she'd probably hate the compliment, but her reactions only made him want to tease her even more. "And," His voice was all, but a low whisper as he gave her ear a playful nip. "I'm afraid you have this annoying tendency of making me completely and irrevocably happy," He admitted. His own thumb reaching out to comb the stray pieces of her hair back from her face. His eyes crinkling ever so slightly as a laugh escaped him once more. "Only you did know nearly all of that already," He pointed out. "You just got too your head is all." Anna may have convinced herself that she didn't know any of his interests, but the surfing, the singing, the knife throwing, all of it were things they had done together and would have been something he'd tease her about even more, only at the small whimper that escaped her lips, Chai suddenly found himself hyper focused on her and her alone. Especially the way her petite frame was sitting rather precariously on the edge of his rather large countertop.
"And why's that? Don't tell me, Princess. Am I turning you on?" His voice was all, but a low growl against her skin as his hands gripped tightly around her thighs, giving her a swift tug towards him so that she had no choice but to arch her back. And when her arms were tightly wrapped around him, did he reached around his waist to where her heels were pressing into his skin. Slowly unwrapping one of her legs from around his waist as he guided it up to rest against his shoulder blade so that he could slowly begin to trail kiss after kiss, starting at her ankle and moving up the length of the leg. Only for him to stop short just before he reached her inner thigh. Returning her leg back to where it had initially been wrapped around his waist, he pulled her in for one more deep and drawn out kiss. Before he finally brought himself to ask, "Are you sure about this? Because-" He murmured out, willing himself to pull back despite how much he wanted to carry her off towards him bedroom right then and there. "Because if you're not ready, we don't have to." He knew the last time they had found themselves in a position like this, she had asked him to sleep on the couch and, although, he wasn't about to couch crash at his own place on his birthday, he would be willing to build a pillow wall if she wanted to stay the night without them doing anything more than just this.
"Your girl, hmm?" Anna hummed, as if deciding whether or not she liked the sound of that, though her body language hadn't changed in the slightest, thighs wrapped tight around his waist, arms loosely slung over his shoulders, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "Don't forget the second half. Girlfriend. I'm simply a friend. A good, dear friend." She grinned against his lips before kissing back, tongue slipping into his mouth and proving without a doubt how far behind they'd left any semblance of 'just friends.' A small moan left red-painted lips (her lipstick was already smeared over his mouth by now) as rough fingers glided up her leg, pressing against the sensitive skin of her thighs and daring upward. Another gasp as he kissed her neck, her fingers tightened and pressing deep into the muscle of his shoulder blades. While his lips explored her collarbone, she looked past him to admire the house he was clearly so proud of. "Hardwood floors? New ceiling beams. Mhmmm, I didn't know you'd be so good at seduction." Her tone was playful, but the words were not untrue--his passion about the house was nearly as attractive to her as his knife throwing.
Anna's fingers stroked through the Chai's hair to the back of his neck as she pushed his head back from where he was devouring her neck and made him look at her. "It's beautiful," she said, this time no hint of teasing in her tone. "You've done a beautiful job. Thank you for letting me see it." As he cupped her face in his hands, she turned her head to kiss his palm. "I want you to show me the rest. Everything you've worked on." Her hand moved from the back of his neck, down to his shoulder, trailing down his arm. "Later." The suggestion of the word was undeniable, as was the hungry look in her eyes. Her hand had slid under the bottom of his shirt, fingers pressing against the bare skin of his abdomen. However, when he called her 'cute' and 'adorable' she pinched his hip. "Am not," she hissed, already kissing him again, hoping that with their lips pressed together and her hands roaming up to his chest, he wouldn't notice how very quickly her heart was beating, the way it leapt when he said she made him happy.
As he pressed their bodies together, Anna's hands splayed out across his back beneath his shirt, fingertips pressing hard as she moaned again, the growl in his voice and the tug of his body doing nothing to stop the warmth that was quickly spreading through her from head to toe. Anna glared up at him, too breathless to answer in words, her back arching into his touch, their bodies pressing tightly together. Yes, he was turning her on. And it was ruining all her plans to make them wait, to see what they could be without bringing sex into the equation. Her hands fell away from him, gripping the edge of the marble countertop for support instead as he kissed down her leg, making it harder and harder to resist, her body trembling now. And if he'd said nothing else, as he kissed her breath away, as it grew so much more heated and heavy than it had already been, she'd have caved then and there. But he was pulling away, pulling away and asking if she wanted to stop, the last words she'd expected to come out of his lips. "What?" she mumbled distractedly, too caught up in that last breathless kiss to realize at first what he'd asked her. She placed both hands on his chest, bracing herself, torn between the desire to dig her fingers into the fabric and tug him close, and the choice he was offering to push him away, to get enough space between them that she could breathe again. Here he was, offering her exactly what she said wanted: offering to wait, to hold off, to be the gentleman. Oh, how she wanted to break that self-promise. She wanted him to touch her, wanted him to carry her away to the bedroom but--"God fucking damn it," she whispered again. She pressed her forehead against his, her hands flattening out so her palms pressed over his heart. "Okay, okay. Show me the house. Show me the house with our clothes on. Do not show me the bedroom."
He had figured Anna had her ways into discovering it had been Kenâs birthday but that did not mean he wasnât about to question the Siren on it, but beyond it Anna had left him a mystery that needed more thought than a day he would much rather forget ever existed. Two things really, one pertained to the treasure chest that was mentioned in the note and the other was a key which he had very much forgotten about until her note had arrived. Christmas had been far too long ago and other pressing things had taken up his mind and the town, silly things like keys and what they led to had no place in his mind, that is until now. Intrigue rose as did thoughts around it but like requested Ken had set up a time with her, penned her in-between a couple errands he had to run but the time fit both and pocketing the small gold key, the note, and making a quick pit-stop at Sucre to purchase some treats, Ken sped off to her place of residence.Â
Knocking on her door precisely twice, Kenâs hand slipped into his pockets as he waited for her to open and eventually invite in. To barge in like she had done when she visited was not an option or would it be something he wouldâve done even if he had the opportunity, privacy was respected no matter who the other was. âHello Anna,â he greeted with a nod once the door opened, and held out the box of macaroons, âCouldnât come empty handed. Freshly baked, you like Sucre pastries don't you?â
Anna made it her business to know everything she could about the other people in this town--her little birds, she called it, bringing her back useful information. Of course, this was usually a strategy of defense, not a way to buy people birthday presents, but occasionally her paranoia made her a good neighbor--in a manner of speaking. She had expected Ken's visit, but as she opened the door for him and leaned in the entry way, she still considered the pros and cons of inviting him in. "Hello, Darling," she said, leaning her head against the doorframe and looking at the box he'd offered. They did smell delightful, and she was quite fond of macaroons. She and SucrĂŠ, however, given who did the baking there, had a complicated relationship. "Did you tell the dear chef who these were for? If so, I'm afraid they might be poisoned."
"Perhaps I should bring your gift to the doorstep," she said, drawing out the lack of permission to enter. But finally she sighed and gestured to the inside of the house. "Come in," she said officially. Strange as their relationship might be, and though she would never ever admit it, Anna did like Ken.
Elizabeth pushed opened the doors as hard as she could, both doors slammed against the wall with a bang. Revealing freshly cut bangs and dyed black hair, in tow with a black leather mini skirt, a silk black top that clearly belonged to Leyla, a cropped black leather jacket, and knee high black leather boots to the crowd. Flicking the ashes of the cigarette in her hand onto the clean floor before she put them out with toe of her boots. âAm I late?â She asked with a smirk, knowing damn well that she was late to their little party. Taking another hit from the cigarette before she handed the cigarette to the person closes to her. âBe a doll and put that out for me.â Patting them on the cheek before she walked away and to another person. Looking them over as she gave a laugh. âYou wore that to this? Tragic.â
Anna watched as the doors flew open and Dilan walked in, dressed very unlike herself, but admittedly in a style Anna could appreciate, being decked out in black leather herself. Her eyebrow raised as the pixie handed off a cigarette--Anna had not known she smoked--then began to criticize passersby. "Is this a new look, Darling? I do hate to give you a compliment--and don't let this go to your head--but you do not look entirely atrocious." Crisis bangs were a bit cliche, but the girl had been through such an ordeal lately that Anna supposed she could let that one slide--this one time.
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"I mean, I don't think he's really a scoundrel, he's just not...my type..." Bex said, tapering off near the end and hoping she hadn't said enough to prompt Anna to ask more questions about it. She frowned, teasingly, as Anna consoled her about not wearing her hats. "Well, when you put it like that..." Of course she wouldn't disagree with Anna. Why would Bex ever question her? She was blinded by loyalty for her. Forever until the end of time, probably. Not that Bex was all that self aware of the fact. She smiled, rolling her eyes. "You do have good taste," she agreed.
A blush came back to her cheeks when Anna complimented her map making skills. She'd never thought much of them, of course her mother had thought it a useless skill and most often ended up tearing up her drawings, but she'd never been able to stop enjoying the hobby. "If I'd known you were gonna buy my bucket I would've tried harder," she murmured. Her eyes glistened at the idea of hunting actual treasure. "Really? You were a treasure hunter? Gods, I can't even imagine what it would've been like to be alive back then..." Not good, in her case. She didn't think hormone therapy was a thing back then. "Of course I named them. They were like...my own little worlds. Sometimes I'd cut out decorations from paper and hang them up around my room to pretend they were these made up places," she explained, trying to sound impressive. She wanted to be impressive to Anna, wanted to be something more than just a charity case. If she was, then it meant she was worth something, that Anna wasn't wasting her time with her, even if it was just a cover for how Bex actually felt. She followed along beside Anna as they marched off in the direction marked on the map. "So does that make you, like, a professional treasure hunter? Can you put that on your resume you think?"
"No, I would think not. Not mine either," Anna agreed. "Men rarely are." Sexuality was not something Anna would push the girl on--nor pester anyone about--but she was also very open about speaking of her own and had been for a very long time. "Though unfortunately, an attraction to men sometimes does happen to the best of us despite our best efforts against it." By which Anna meant that she was, in fact, dating a man now--not that she was ready to talk too much about that any time soon. She was still wrapping her head around the idea herself. As for Bea accepting her taste, well, "Good girl," she purred.
Anna followed the map toward the first place where they were meant to dig. "A travesty," she said simply. "I'm sure you've heard of the lawless West. It was a time of death and desperation, terrible to all but white men, and nothing at all to be nostalgic about. However," She took she shovel and dug it into the sand. "It taught me to survive. I put that on my resume." Her smile softened as she listened to Bex talk about her made-up places. "Well then, tell me some of these names," she prompted. "I can't exactly finish the mental picture here without more details. Paint the picture for me, Darling. What were these worlds like?"
Bex met Annaâs eyes and she could see something in them that sheâd never seen before. At least, not from someone looking at her. Proud. Anna looked proud of her, like sheâd done something good, something amazing. Bex had never even considered her magic anything other than bad and violent. Harmful. But Anna didnât see it that way. Anna didnât see her that way. A grin spread on her face. She felt light, as if she were floating. What she didnât realize was that she felt like because she was light-headed. Bex had never expended this much energy on purpose before. She already struggled with chronic fatigue issues, she shouldâve known something like this wouldnât come easy to her. Still, she barely noticed, distracted by her pure joy. Blood dripped from her nose.
âI feelââ she started. A sudden wave of dizziness over took her and the magic around them flickered. âI feelâŚâ Her words tapered off and the magic petered out as she wobbled, just barely catching herself on Anna, shaking her head. âSorryâŚI just got real dizzy.â But she was fine. She was fine. âI can go again. I canâ try again.â
"No, you can't. Not today, anyway." Anna caught Bex's arm as the magic around them dissipated and then disappeared entirely. Despite that first incident, her living room was left perfectly intact, not a broken object in sight, but the same could not be said for the girl. Anna wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to the couch, now pushed up snuggly against the wall. "Sit," she ordered, helping her down. "Power takes power, Darling. What you just did doesn't come easy. Not if you haven't been practicing." And Anna had a feeling that Bex hardly ever--if at all--let herself practice her magic. "Stay there. I'll get you some water."
Anna left for the kitchen but came back a moment later with an ice cold glass which she handed to the witch. "We might not have the same powers, but we both have magic. And I know how exhausting it can be starting out. When I was very young, making even a small rain cloud felt like I'd run miles, Now I can make a thunderstorm without batting an eye. It's like anything else in life. You warm up to it. The more you do it, the better you can control it. We'll practice again later." She touched Bex's forehead with the back of her hand, making sure she wasn't too hot. "I don't pretend to be a teacher--" She hardly had the patience for that. "But I am not about to sit by and let you waste something as wonderful as what I just saw. We'll do this again when you're feeling better. A little bit at a time, and soon you'll be unstoppable. I'm sure of it."
