an open door

24 hours in the Superstitions

“The world is full of wonders and a hundred years ago the moon was too much to dream of touching. Look how far we’ve come. Turn over your shoulder and just look. Maybe we’ll come across each other at the turning of the century, racing across the breaches between worlds. I’ll build my life on that maybe.”

“Leah was a senior like me, but a year older. She was beautiful - perfect copper skin, glistening black hair, eyelashes like feather dusters - and preoccupied. She was on Billy’s phone when we got in, and she never let it go.”

“Brief note to self: Time to take myself in hand. To build into myself, to give myself backbone, however much I fail.”

Agender Angela Weber moodboard

“Never apologize for burning too brightly or collapsing into yourself every night. That is how galaxies are made.”

Lesbian Leah Clearwater moodboard

Jessica would be the one to throw a giant bonfire for spring break. They had all been so stressed with midterms, with final college decisions, with graduation looking so close, that they all needed to blow off some steam. La Push Beach was the favorite bonfire spot, with so many fire rings littered around from past groups, and a perfect sea breeze. She talked all of their friend group into coming on the last night of break, and a good part of the rest of their class heard and came, too.

Some people brought along chips, others soda, and plenty brought s'mores fixings. A few brought some alcohol they had snuck out, and one brought a battery-powered stereo. It was quite the gathering, and plenty loud as groups of people mingled, danced, and ate the night away - before they had to go back to school the next day. It was only a matter of time until the La Push crew joined.

They had been so busy for what felt like months. With the Cullens gone, they had expected to be able to relax, maybe hunt the occasional nomad to keep their skills up. But then one nomad became two, and with her, a threat to Bella and all the people around her. So they were constantly on guard, running patrols and having meetings on how best to beat her. It wasn’t going well, and they all needed a night off from the stress.

Leah hadn’t wanted to go. She wanted to decompress like she normally did, by beating and sawing hunks of wood until they looked cool. But Seth wanted to come, and he had begged her to join him. She had finally agreed, saying he’d need a chaperone with all the stupid Forks kids around. So she stood, on the edge of the fire, a can of beer in her hand as she watched the flames dance. She knew it was a party, but did everyone have to be so loud? With the last sips of her drink, she rolled her eyes and crumbled the can, tossing it into one of the many trash bags by the food table. She turned to leave; Seth could find his own way home.

“Leaving so soon?” she heard a voice from behind her. She turned, seeing a girl with long brown hair and a ton of makeup - the only one close enough to have said anything and actually be heard. Leah couldn’t place the girl, but figured it didn’t actually matter all that much. All the Forks kids looked the same anyway.

“It appears I am. What’s it to you?” she asked, already regretting her choice to engage instead of leaving.

“My mom always taught me to be a good host. Make sure all the guests have a good time. And leaving before s’mores? Doesn’t sound like a good time.”

“Crowds aren’t really my thing. Nor are perky strangers.”

“Well, I’m Jessica. No longer a stranger, see?” She held out her hand for a shake. Leah stared at it until she let it drop. “Well, we’re about to break out the marshmallows. You really should join.”

Leah felt herself tense at Jessica’s persistence. Not here, she thought, taking a breath to calm herself. “I already said I didn’t want to,” she said, struggling to keep her voice even.

“Alright, fine. Wait right here.” Before Leah could respond, she ran off, but was back before Leah could escape. She pressed a small box into Leah’s hand. “Some chocolate for the road. Hope to see you around!” she added with a wink before running back, grabbing a pack of marshmallows on her way to the fire.

Leah sighed, then looked at the box Jessica had given her. How had she known kit-kats were her favorite?

more fic // request fic

i just wanted to be found

On the one hand, Edward and Bella’s reunion is sweet and cathartic (Edward being sure he’s dead and somehow in heaven because she’s there!!) and has juuuust enough angst with Bella worrying if Edward’s going to disappear anyway again but enjoying his presence while she has him. And the “blackest kind of blasphemy” speech? *chef’s kiss*

On the other hand it is SO LAME that Edward suddenly doesn’t have to worry about his bloodlust anymore around Bella. Like I get it it’s so perfectly Edward to be ~fixed~ by knowing true heartbreak but like. The guy essentially starved himself for months and then had his singer literally slam into him.

I’m not throwing this into the mix just because it looks cool (though it does, of course)… part of the reason this looks so creepy is it cancels out an avenue of nonverbal communication. The evolutionary advantage to white sclera is more accurate gaze following: humans infer where other humans are looking based on which way their head is facing + the amount of white visible (and on which side it’s visible). Having limited/no contrast between sclera/iris/pupil means that Bella is missing yet another cue from Edward. In this AU/rewrite he can’t speak once he gets a whiff of Bella, and with his eyes like this she can’t even properly place his attention. To cap it all off, she’s finally with him but she can’t properly look him in the eye.

So Bella slams into Edward in the plaza, and the smell of his singer to his starved mind makes his eyes go from black irises to fully blacked out. He’s already pale and gaunt, and now his eyes look empty.