#innocentcurse

Carter and Goldie rarely agreed on much but one thing they could both agree on was how hard it was to get through the middle school recital season. Carter tried to stay away from the theater as much as he could but considering the space he had set up for himself there, he liked working from that office, liked feeling like he had some importance and meaning beyond just pacing at home all day and talking to himself, waiting for someone to call him with good news. But the kids had been having rehearsal all day and he could feel a headache coming on. He wanted to finish a script he had been working on since last week, something promising that he'd hope Goldie would sign onto for the summer. Something fun, fresh and original, something he was certain would really put Cardinal Hill on the map. Which was something he said about every show.

"Goldie, you gotta fake a fire code inspection or something. Cut this disaster short and let me tell that so called star there that they better take vocal lessons or they are going nowhere." He tired his best to whisper the last part once he found her in the theater and stepped passed all of the school staff. "I mean I'm pretty sure one of those kids dropped food all over the carpet. Who raised them?" Carter shivered before settling down for a moment. "What can I bribe you with? Name your price."

beau was at the thrift store, looking for secondhand clothes at a discount, and tickets. he had a weakness for trinkets. his favourite was candle holders, preferably glass, and fairy lanterns. he liked the idea of collecting them in different colours if they weren't so rare to find - typically they got snatched up, especially in a town like this. but beau always had to look, diving deep into the glassware section.

that's where he was when he suddenly felt a presence beside him, and he looked up to see romeo caldwell, a family friend. he felt a sort of kinship with romeo, a fellow human without magic from a family of witches. at least the kid had done well for himself, being a doctor.

"romeo. hi. what are you doing here?" he asked, his tone curious and genuine.

"Man does this thing have any more power? I feel like we're moving at a snail's pace," Luis complained as the hayride started and the driver launched into their story. Honestly Luis had been on a mission to do as much as possible this evening. His parents hadn't wanted any of their kids out at the Pumpkin Palooza but he wasn't going to let someone scare him out of enjoying one of his favorite times of year. Dressing up, all things spooky and magical, scary movies and stories. He lived for it and lived even more for all the potential pranks he could pull. But the hayride had proven to be pretty boring so far and he was wondering if anyone notice if he tried to make it a bit more exciting.

He glanced around to see if anyone was looking before he pressed his hand to the side of the wagon attached to the tractor and tried to focus. What he had wanted to do was speed it up but instead he had caused it to shake a bit and the ride felt more like a rollercoaster before it came to a stop. He felt his cheeks flush but tried to look innocent as the driver looked them over before putting the tractor in drive again. "Well I guess that was kind of exciting," he admitted, glancing at the person across from him. "Don't you think this would be more fun if we were racing another hayride?"

"I'm starting to think we need to be attached at the hip to keep you of trouble." Xander's face was full of concern he was trying his hardest to mask as he looked at Louise. The images of the night of the carnival had been running through his mind for days. The chaos as injuries popped up, jumping into action to find as much help as he could. It had been so chaotic, he hadn't even had a chance to process what had been the cause of it all. All he knew where once again there were injuries, people's who's lives were altered and as he took Louise in, he realized that she had quickly become another person he cared about. Another person he was bound to worry about no matter what. "I came to make sure you're taking care of yourself. And to take care of you a little bit too if that's okay." He held up two bags, one with food and another filled with things he thought might help to keep her company and cheer her up if she was feeling down. "Mind if I come in?"

After multiple issues with her apartment, Eleanor decided it was time to find a new place. All her life, she'd wanted her own home, a place where she could design each room, and finally have her own personal library. Sure, she technically had one now, but all the books were scattered around her floor instead of neatly covering shelves. Lucky and her seemed to keep meeting, and now that she was attempting to get back into dating, she thought, why not ask a good-looking relator to help out. The situation seemed to fall into her lap, and despite her anxieties, she decided to take the chance. The two of them spoke on the phone briefly before picking a neighborhood in Lower Cardinal that Nell would be able to afford on her salary.

The bike ride wasn't too far from her apartment to Lower Cardinal, and there was nothing better than feeling the wind run through her skirt as she peddled in the August heat. She'd be devastated when summer was over, knowing that once it became autumn, she was going to have to come up on the anniversary of the reason why she came here. Till then, she decided to shake those worries away as she chained her bike to a nearby post, taking her tote bag out of the front basket and slinging it over her left shoulder, she made her way to the first house on their tour.

"Thanks so much for helping me out with this." Eleanor smiled as she walked over to Lucky. "I've never owned a home before, so this whole thing is a little overwhelming." Standing on the porch steps of the first home, she gave the place a look over, trying to imagine what life might be like if this were her humble abode. Eleanor found herself not needing much imagination as she walked to the lilac colored front door. "I promise I won't hold you hostage for too long today. I have a pretty good idea of what I am looking for, just not sure what is in my price range."

For several months, Eden had managed to live a quiet life. No one to care for except her sisters and friends, it felt so simple, as if she was finally calming down. Then she saw Monte, and everything she realized that she yearned for was in her grasp, but how could this work? The Prior family has a long history of love being fickle and frail, unable to stay whole because of the nature of life or secrets, and here she was harboring a big one. Seeing him made her realize that she couldn't keep it tucked away much longer; only one person knew about what happened, and it filled her with such shame when she saw them.

So after work, she asked Dorothy to meet her at home, because if anyone else was going to know, it would be her baby sister. Yet she was terrified of telling Dot something like this, scared that she might be viewed differently for something she had no control over, something that was done in self-defense. Eden was sorta living at home; her new abode would soon be a garden shed turned living space behind Maplewood Inn. This was another secret she was keeping from her family.

Sitting in her childhood bedroom, she fidgeted on the bed while picking at her cuticles, something she'd been doing so often lately that they hurt. The door was wide open, so that when Dorothy did show, Eden would instantly know. The steps let out a groan as her baby sister made her way to the room, and once she was in view, it all came out. "Dorothy, I have a secret to tell you."

"Okay, I bet a triple scoop that the delivery guy shows up late again today," Athena said with a laugh, feeling the kind of calm she rarely felt anywhere else. The morning light was starting to peak through the blinds but she and Bennie had laid awake, her head on her chest as they held each other close. It was like they were both startled awake by the same thoughts, same fears as they continued to realize they weren't still home, that they wouldn't be for a long time, if ever. But despite it all, Athena enjoyed these moments when it was just the two of them in their little bubble. Her head rested against one of Bennie's shoulder, legs tangled together as she lightly traced patterns down her wife's collarbone. "I think he just has to stop every couple of miles to take a shit. Maybe we should get him diapers," she joked, giggling at her own joke.

"Or we could just play hooky and let Sabine handle it," just as quickly as she said it she shook her head. "No, we couldn't do that to them, that would be cruel," she added but still made no move to get out of bed, instead leaning forward to press a kiss to Bennie's cheek. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Bom dia, família!" Lupe called out as she walked through the entrance of the taxidermy shop. "I brought lunch, if no one comes and gets it, I'm set up a tea party with the animals," Lupe joked as she set the food bags on the counter. It had taken her a while to be able to eat at the store but after a while she had come to really appreciate the place and all the weird shit her extended family was into. She smiled wide as Floyd came out to greet her. "Thank god, I got your favorite and if you weren't here I would have had to eat it all on my own." She reached out to ruffle the front of his hair before finding a seat to unpack the bag. "What time are you working until today? I have an idea but I need you to be with me for it so please tell me you get off early. It could be life changing for you, not to be dramatic," she added with a smirk, wondering if he'd see right through her but that didn't mean she wouldn't be persistent.