* into the endless night !

template   by   hesperides

"it's cute in here, ain't it?" came lainey's indifferent tone as she perused the selection on display in the front room. she didn't often frequent the boutique, as she always found herself capable enough of repairing her own clothes; said clothes being sourced from business starkly contrasting the uplifting and blindingly bright aesthetic of casual edge. but occasionally, she had half the mind to step outside her comfort zone, which went remarkably better whenever in the company of friends. "have anything you like? i think i might get this denim jacket..." trailing off, she stuck her tongue in through her cheek as she gave it another once over. "maybe dye it black? and sew some patches in. it looks too plain like this," everything looked plain in lainey's eyes, as she was notoriously insatiable in almost every facet of her life. giving a gentle sigh and tucking the jacket under her arm, she gravitated closer to astrid's side. "i still prefer spencer's. god, i missed them so bad back in hk. maybe you and i can scout out one after this." she could vividly remember her mother's horror-struck expression whenever she first reentered the house decked out, head to toe, in pitch black fabric ripped haphazardly and demonic makeup smeared across her beautifully pale face. one of the last decent memories she could recall that didn't involve her mother's corpse writhing postmortem on the asphalt. "i can alter whatever you get here, too. they jack up the prices here all the time, or so i hear. i work at a discounted rate always." it was half in jest, as lainey had been living on a budget most of her adult life and considered everything expensive that she personally didn't like.

out of all the adler children—minus their beloved anni—ava was who hermione felt most aligned with. both fervent fashionistas with blazing confidence that blinded those in passing, it didn't take long before their friendship was carved out in stone to exist for eternity. this gladdened the young seamstress, who once fretted they'd be the unstoppable force barreling toward an immovable object. instead, they and ava rejoiced in their similar hobbies and interests, which made for afternoons punctuated by endless giggles and heated gossip. this time, hermione had decided they needed a quick refresh on their iconic seventies shag perm they'd had since the dawn of the decade, which had nicely complimented the bangs they had worn from the time they were a child. so, knowing no better hands they felt they could relinquish care of their hair into, they sped down the roadways until reaching under the sun, where they already had an appointment scheduled with their future sister-in-law. "i'm hereeee!" they singsonged upon entering the salon, a wide grin on their features brightened by joy. in both hands were their respective coffee orders, which they stretched out above their head so ava could see. "and i bear gifts! i got your regular, hope it works. you can have a taste of mine, too. i like to think it's indulgent, but not too sweet," gliding across the floor, they placed their own coffee at ava's station, holding out the other to the hairdresser herself. "how have you been, darling? i'm afraid you're going to be seeing so much of me these next few months, when i'm not too preoccupied with planning, of course," blithe laughter chorused throughout the salon. "which, speaking of, you must tell me all the ideas you and dina have for your wedding. i have to know these things; i don't make the rules, i just enforce them."

truly befriending each one of the adlers had come as a blessing for hermione, an only child and the estranged child of a mother who preferred wallowing in her grief than seek the proper help she needed after the unexpected and gruesome death of her husband. in some ways, hermione could sympathize—they too missed their father, but the trauma inflicted upon them had emboldened them to find a sense of purpose in the world for as long as they dwelled on it. their mother had no interest in society or motherhood once her love was gone. and, now that hermione had anni, they were beginning to understand better. maybe they should attempt calling her again soon. in the meantime, they spent their days acquainting all their future siblings-in-law, and the final child had been damiar, whom they called after excitedly once approaching glitter gulch. "damiar! over here!" their sweet voice echoed over the crowds of people. they began waving one hand around with a beaming smile lighting up their sunkissed features. "i'm so glad you could make it. i swear, i've come every day since the rodeo began! would you wanna watch the hog lassoing contest first?" then, they spared a glance down to their perfectly pink outfit. "i'm afraid i'm not the kind of person who participates in hog lassoing, mud wrestling, or mechanical bulls. but i'll watch you, if you want to try it!"

it wasn't often lainey was given the chance to converse with another vampire—besides her ex and daughter, of course. they were all covert, maintaining a respectful distance during the day and convening under the cloak of night. she had found herself grossly preoccupied lately, whether it be at work or at home, taking care of her daughters when they visited and missing them when they were gone. but lacey was one of the few supernaturals she could talk to freely without feeling like she was doing something wrong. she had a lemonade clutched in one hand, her other raised in the air as it swayed along to the tunes blasting from the speakers. "not a bad party, huh?" she asked him over the booming sound reverberating off the walls. "bet there'll be plenty of snacks after, too," she was never shy about her bloodlust, though she hadn't fulfilled her most primal desires very often anymore. it was too risky, too unwise, and she always prided herself on her intelligence. but sometimes it was too difficult to resist, like when she was surrounded by crowds of unwitting individuals ripe for biting. she couldn't help it—when she saw a perfectly smooth and untouched neck, her basic instincts kicked into overdrive. "how are you liking it? shit, i should've grabbed you a lemonade too." as if either of them could be given a true rush from it. for lainey, nothing sated her quite like a pint of warm, viscous blood.

everything was changing. now more than ever, the adler family was undergoing a drastic metamorphosis; cyrek had welcomed twins, ava and anni were engaged, and ellie had found love in the arms of someone entirely unexpected. as thrilled as he was for all his siblings, in his gut there was seeded a doubt that all the good things would sour in time. still, he tried his damnedest to ignore it, and he thought he was doing a half-decent job at it for the time being. he had ventured to the event alongside diego, but the two had a mutual agreement on parting to enjoy different facets of the festival before reuniting at the end of the night, when they'd likely return home hand-in-hand. while apart, ellie had found company in his beloved baby sister, who he couldn't stop cheesing at the whole time they traversed through each pop-up stand. after acquiring some treats, he led them just outside the crowd so they could rest on a curb and enjoy the food. "let me see it again," he said, holding a hand out so he could admire her engagement ring once more. "i still can't fuckin' believe it. you and anni. when the fuck is it my turn?" he said, in jest, of course. "so, like, when do you think the wedding will be? anni said theirs is gonna be august sometime. are you and dina gonna go for a gothic winter wedding, or are you waiting until next year? ... does this mean we all get family discount at six string now?"

in spite of the horrific tragedies that struck his hometown, 1997 was doing markedly better than the previous years. not only had he secured a stable job doing something that helped soothe his aching for adrenaline, but he'd also begun experimenting with the concept of another relationship. he had once believed bandit would be his one and only—but, well, that didn't exactly end how he had manifested it would. the divorce was long behind him, however, and finally, at the age of thirty, he found himself yearning for that kind of unyielding dedication and love again. diego rojas still wasn't planned. in fact, ellie had assumed it'd take a while before he stumbled across another person who was open-minded enough to digest all of him. turns out a few months was all the time he needed to wait until he befriended diego and quickly realized he was falling for him. the two hadn't pressed any labels upon each other, content in navigating their newborn relationship with ease and intention. this was how they ended up dedicating an entire day to the festivities held in town. after witnessing a brutal dismount of a middle-aged man on the mechanical bull and observing the unsettling clown from afar, they'd made their way to the doll house, where ellie discovered flowers being sold. sneaking up behind diego, he already had a few petals pinned in his own hair. "diggy!" he exclaimed, hands reaching out so he could poke at the other man's ribs. "look," he offered a cheesy grin as he held up two blondie bars. "snagged them over at glitter gulch. told you i wouldn't take long. was thinking we could go inside and dance after we eat."

it felt like it'd been eons since ellie had seen his older brother. which was a shame, considering this was the most well-adjusted ellie had ever been in his entire life. no longer were the days of unending suffering and addiction; now, he was almost a normal person, or at least normal-adjacent. he wasn't a liability, or rather, not as much of one. the burden of his presence lifted and he could be welcomed with open arms to family events again. in comparison to the first half of the decade, he was fucking thriving. and it helped, seeing cyrek again for the first time in about a month. "i swear, if i hadn't done that dunk tank and weren't prone to seizures, i'd win that shit," he said in reference to the mechanical bull. regardless of his short stature and spindly, easily fractured limbs, ellie believed he could conquer anything if he was persistent enough. such hubris is what carried him so far through life. "so, how've you been?" he asked in between rounds on the bull. "how're stella and the kids? i've been meaning to stop by, but i don't know if she's nesting or whatever shit pregnant women do. i wouldn't wanna fuck up anything," a chuckle emanated from his lips, cerulean eyes drifting sideways so he could observe his brother's demeanor. "feels like it's been forever since we've talked, and we live in the same fucking neighborhood. but i guess that's what happens when life gets busy. i never thought it'd be that way for me before. i also thought i'd never hold down a normal job, but, here we are..."

"holy fuck, that's fucking cold!" ellie exclaimed as he ducked and ran away from the dunk tank he had been subjected to as a dare from one of his ne'er-do-well friends. soaked in freezing water, he began wringing out his shirt and watched as the heavy droplets splattered on the dirt below them. "why the hell did i agree to that? i'm gonna get sick now," the whine came out in an irritating cadence, which he was unaware of in the moment while distracted by the bone deep chills he was experiencing. as he came up beside spencer, he shook his hair out, more droplets spinning into the air around them. "someone owes me a drink for that. do you wanna go over to the doll house and grab some lemonade or something? i need something to warm me up. i can't even feel my legs. or my arms. or fucking anything. jesus christ, what is wrong with me?" he almost felt like he was dying. but ellie was always partial to melodrama, as evident in his over-exaggerated body language and raised voice. "do not let anyone convince you to do that shit. unless you wanna shave off a couple years from your lifespan." as if any decently sane individual would willingly subject themselves to such torture. he heaved out a dramatic sigh, his fingers carding through his strawberry blond locks and squeezing out all the remaining wetness. "i can already feel the cold coming on. kill me, please."