#cbc id

- a non-binary flag pin. Saini's pronouns are they/them.

- a pink flower pin. It's a nod to two of their nicknames given by Skylar and his family: Rosa. Skylar's turned this into light teasing by calling Saini Flower.

- the Parental advisory explicit content, which is a nod to their and Skylar's favourite book series.

In Saini's bag can be found:

at least one notebook to jolt down notes from the classes they are attending.

they also have few pieces of paper they use as draft or to take notes quickly, since they dislike when their notebooks are not well-presented and their writing, messy.

books for the classes they attend/will attend during the week.

at least one pencil, because there's always a need to write something, and it can't leak inside the bag.

a packet of tissues in one of the two pockets at the front of the bag, always handy in any situation.

a small refillable bottle of hand sanitizer, in that same pocket, again handy in any situation.

a small pouch which contains:

- several types of band-aids and a bandage.

- some cash.

- their keys.

a hand cream with peach extract, their favourite fruit, in the other pocket at the front of the bag.

a pink lip balm rose-scented that Cas hates, in that same pocket.

their phone, a Nokia, their favourite brand because it makes them feel closer to their father.

their phone's charger, just in case.

a can of cherry or peach sparkling water, cherry is because they were born in Cherryfield, Maine.

at least one oat bar with some fruits.

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Other fun facts/hc's:

Her mom's a single mother by choice and had Ripley with the help of a donor (one of her best friends, just a human man, even if he looks more like a vampire than even some Venandi's do, to answer the question about mc's dad that so many have, lol)

She has a dog named Bram Stoker (everyone just calls him Bram though), he looks like a Maltese but is prolly some kinda mix.

Her best friend is called Joy, they've been friends since they were kids and very very briefly dated in their early teens. When Ripley was 16 Joy moved to Florida with her mother but they still keep contact.

She already got picked on sometimes while Joy still lived in Chicago, but the bullying got more out of hand after she left now that Ripley was alone more often and obviously feeling a bit down to begin with. She did have other friends but either downplayed or outright hid the bullying from them or they were the type of people that wouldn't stand up for her and were scared they'd just get hit too.

She's experimented with her gender identity and tried out different pronouns in the past before concluding she's a cis woman.

She can be very naive and just in general isn't always exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.

Can go from 0 to 100 when she feels threathened by someone or when someone suddenly touches her when she's already riled up.

Ripley generally does not lie unless she absolutely has to and even then she's more likely to just avoid the subject rather than having to fabricate an actual lie.

She watches Blades of Light and Shadow (is a show in ID universe) and her fave characters are my mc Rex, Imtura and Mal.

Ripley is surprisingly sporty, at her old school she was part of the wrestling team and she does have a bunch of medals and trophies she's won through the years. Due to everything that went down after the move, she never got the chance to look into joining a team again.

Ripley loves reading werewolf novels but werewolf romance has a 85% chance of getting a bad review from her.

She likes doodling sometimes and does have some oc's of her own though she's not super invested or attached to them.

She's like world's least picky eater.

She loves the way she feels with vampire blood in her system, she tbh kinda treats it like a drug.

Despite that, Ripley has no interest in being turned because she still wants to grow up and live a normal life and start a family of her own eventually.

I def do think she can be a bit of an asshole about her situationships with Cas and Gabriela but I also always imagine especially Cas does not tell her how much she actually hurts him because he thinks it makes him look #pathetic. She def kinda jojo's between feeling guilty for being unable to just choose and actually feeling like They are the problem for expecting her to choose because they just don't Understand.

Other HCs I come up with as I'm reading/thinking:

Sammy is bisexual

She's 5 ft 5 in (1.65m)

Gabe calls her Sammy or Sam, but Cas calls her Evans

Plays lacrosse, is a midfielder

Was on the debate team at her last school

Her father was a Navy pilot who died in the line of duty. (not sure if there is background for MC's dad in the book, but I'm leaving this here for now)

Avid tumblr user (uses it as a digital journal for herself): I will be sharing some snippets of her blog through out the book club but rather than make edits, I'm just making her a blog and screenshotting it: @betweenpagesandtides

Sammy's growing hat HCs: HC Post (also in comments) || Art

Book Club Discussion Questions

The cool metal of the bracelet tickled her wrist as Sammy flopped onto her bed, letting her head fall back against the sea of pillows. She held her wrist above her face, watching as the gold color seemed to shimmer in the light. 

"Take this," Gabe's voice echoed in her thoughts as he held the golden bracelet toward her. 

Her thumb brushed over the white stone at the center of the eye on the first charm. A sensory talisman, he had explained. It would let her know if nearby vampires had malicious intent toward her. 

Sammy's stomach turned, and her eyes closed tight. Her fingers gently held her wrist beneath the bracelet. She had just fallen asleep when it felt like her wrist was on fire. Another nightmare, thanks to the night's events, at least that's what she had thought until—Clyde. 

She shook the memory away. So much had happened since then. 

The blue stone at the center of the second talisman pulled her in. The color of the lake below and the sky above them. She could still feel the rush of the cool water surrounding her as she jumped down into the lake. The feeling of power, of freedom, of possibility. It didn't last long, but it was enough. The disorientation talisman's stone would always remind her of that afternoon with Cas, for better or worse.

Her heart beat faster, and a metallic taste tingled her tongue. It had been a few days since she'd last seen Cas. 

While the memory of their time at the lake warmed her body, with each passing day, it grew weaker. The vision of that girl begging for her life in those same woods bled into it. Each time she went to join Cas on the lake's shore, she was gone. Nothing there except the screams of that girl held in Cas's grasp. 

Sammy let out a long sigh. Her fingertips touched her lips—lips that had confidently sucked Cas's blood from her finger.

"Your heart gives you away every time," Cas's smooth voice whispered in her ear as she leaned against the door frame to her house. 

Sammy wasn't sure she could deny it. Not then, at least. Cas made her heart race and her pulse quicken. Maybe it was the allure of danger. Maybe it was the softness she saw beneath all the leather. Maybe it was her teenage rebellion finally settling in. 

Most of all, she worried none of it was real. 

She couldn't figure out how it happened so fast. How could she care about Cas after one afternoon together, when her only other real memory with Cas resulted in the death of someone? 

The only thing she could think of to make sense of it all was Cas's blood. She wondered if it had affected her beyond the abilities she gained. Could it have left her inhibitions open and drawn them together? The rush she felt with Cas was like nothing else. It was a high she couldn't explain... unless vampire blood was like a drug to humans and it pulled her in completely. 

Research was not on her side. Beyond the journal she had found in the school library, there wasn't much to go on besides fiction. True Blood seemed to be the main source of information supporting her theory based on her internet searches. But how much help was an internet search about supernatural beings living in a small town, if your only source of evidence is a book and television series? No one would believe her, and who would she even ask? Lewyn. She chuckled at the thought. 

"Hello, Count Cravat," she imagined. "Can I ask you a question about a topic you told me not to interfere in, and also in asking, I might cause another trial, but like, no big deal, right?" Her lip twitched up at the corner. It might be worth it to see his face, but she couldn't put herself, her mom, or even Cas at risk.

It didn't matter anyway, for now, Cas was gone. There were no answers. Only growing questions and with them, an ocean of emotions, each threatening to pull her under. 

"Where'd you get that?" The memory of his voice pulled her thoughts from Cas. Sammy could still feel his hand on her wrist, holding the bracelet in view. She focused on the warmth of his touch, his grasp a bit too tight, and a darker expression threatening the comfort she always found in his eyes.

Her gaze fell away from his for a moment. She wouldn't lie to him. He was the only one she could trust with everything. He had been there for her every step of the way. She knew he wouldn't like the answer, but he deserved it. With a measured breath, she met his gaze. "Cas."

His brows knitted together, his lips drew tighter. She could almost feel his muscles tensing. 

"Sammy—" As her name fell from his lips, his body eased. His hand on her wrist relaxed. "You don't understand how dangerous she is."

Sammy turned her wrist, slipping her hand into his. "I think there's more to her than you know. She's a... well, you know, but she has this light in her. It might be buried down, but I feel it. She's not all bad. Maybe she just needs someone to believe in her."

"So... that's where you were when you left the festival prep meeting?" His voice deflated, losing the confidence she'd grown accustomed to. 

She nodded. "I'm sorry. I should have told you."

"I just don't want you to get hurt." His thumb brushed over her knuckles. "I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you." 

She squeezed his hand. "Thanks to you, I'll always know if she wants to harm me." 

"What about when she has you alone in the woods, and her intent toward you changes without warning... what then?"

She nodded, knowing it was reckless but finding she couldn't resist following her. She watched as his gaze fell in the silence that settled between them, his focus seemingly on the new charm dangling from her wrist.

Her thumb hovered over the stone as she reflected on everything from the safety of her bed. She hadn't had an answer then, but now? Gabe gave her a warning system, but Cas gave her a way to stop her...if it ever came to that. 

She thought the realization would ease her nerves, but it didn't. Because each charm was not without history. She could still feel the weight of what Gabe shared in the graveyard. She knew where the first charm came from. But where did Cas get the second? If Gabe’s family paid for one talisman with blood, what had Cas paid for hers?