glittering clouds

[blindedbystarshine]

closed starter for @knewitalls location revolution apartments

despite never having through she would be in the basic apartments that wrensted had to offer, paige found herself situated in one of the smaller ones available. she remembered how her parents thought of a place like that. something for the common or whatever they used to say. even if they had approved her going back to their hometown, they certainly would have tried to do something crazy like buy her a house to stay in instead of the small apartment she chose. 

they had believed her stubborn. that she was throwing away a good future for a memory of someone that was gone. something the younger dazey didn’t agree with. still, that stubbornness of her’s found her trying to carry her groceries all by herself. with her arm ladened with reusable bags, she huffed something fierce as she finally made it to the entryway door, leaning against the frame for a moment as she tried to catch her breath.

it was bad enough that the air was frozen, her lungs burning slightly from the crispness of it all. her body yearned for warmer weather in the south of france where they had lived, but no, she wouldn’t give up. not over something as small as having to carry her own groceries up the stairs. quietly as she was giving herself an internal pep talk, she heard steps coming up behind her and the apologies were on her tongue before she had even finished that talk with herself.

“pardon,” she tossed out quickly, only to realized it was in french before sighing and trying, “i mean, sorry,” was the quick follow up as she tried to move out of the way, struggle with her arms full and getting into the full entryway. “i just need to get my keys,” she added as she struggled to find her little bag on her body. only then did she look up and see a familiar face.

“oh, hey william, i’ll try to get out of your way as fast as possible..”

[intcgrities]

location: sullivan park (the playground area, specifically the swingset) characters: justice & open (1/5)

When nothing felt safe, the risk of going out in the night and maybe getting conked by a masked nightmare weighed out evenly with the risk of the aforementioned nightmare inviting itself into their apartment while they slept. So, instead of spending more time restlessly categorizing items from bed, they hopped on their bike and rode to the park. After locking their bike to the side of the swingset, Justice took a middle swing (the one that, if she were still a kid, would be the best one because then people were on either side) and backed into the seat. Leaning against the seat, the blonde tossed their phone to the ground and properly sat. For years, swingsets were prime real estate that Justice never quite had access to. She was slow, and she didn't have friends to "hold her place", and some kids got more time on the swings even though they were supposed to be taking turns. As they all grew up, less of her peers were interested in the swings, and she found herself at some point alone on the set in the playground for those 15 minutes. Defiant as ever, she'd kick and pull and kick and pull and swing until she was out of breath. She wanted to swing so high she made a full loop, and then people would notice her. Then they'd wish they were her friend, and she'd get to play with whomever she wanted. Now 25, Justice felt a sense of calm on a lonely swingset. They'd have been perfectly content in the silence only disturbed by the occasional creaks, but then they noticed someone else. Narrowing their eyes, Justice finally recognized who it was. "Y'know," they called out, "there's two empty swings here if you wanted to join."

[blindedbystarshine]

it was a chilly february day as paige sat on a table in the park. her sketch book out as she drew quietly. that entire birthday party had been a bit of a blast from the past. so many faces she hadn’t realized she had missed so much. but it was the sort of miss that also came with pain. each memory weaved into ones with her sister. her sister who was gone and even if she refused to give up on finding her, her heart still ached with the loss of her.

so, she drew the good memories. times when she would ask peyton to push her higher on swings or begged her to play tag with her. when nic was still her sister’s friend and she followed them around hoping they would let her play too. all those memories still held a fond space in her heart, even when they were sad.

she noticed when justice had entered the park but was far enough away that she wasn’t noticed right away, her hair hidden under a scarf and hat. paige’s body temp still missed southern france and she was well layered. tapping her pencil on the top of her notebook, she looked back at the blonde on the swings and couldn’t help but think, she looked a little sad.

before she knew it, paige was up and walking towards the swing, sketch book slid back into her little back as the blonde must have noticed her and mentioned the open swing next to them. smiling, paige moved to sit next to justice and started kicking her feet easily to get the swinging movement. “you seemed pensive, i wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to bother you,” she offered easily, a soft smile curving her lips, “but morning!”

[wrenpoe]

THE STAR ⟶ PAIGE ELODIE DAZEY

i lay in the grass and bugs land on me. do they think i’m sweet like the flowers, or rotten like a corpse?

[intcgrities]

Justice finally took a bite of the s'more when Paige started talking, the sweet, gooey mess of a treat undoubtedly getting on the corners of their mouth. Tucking the joint behind their ear, they listened carefully to Paige's words despite the crunch of graham cracker disrupting any normal thought process. "That's generous," Justice said with a slightly wry smile, "at least for Wrensted. I'm sure everywhere else isn't filled with..." People desperate to point fingers? Losers who had nothing better to do than take joy in the stuck nobodies getting their shit handed to them unendingly? She shook her head, eyes rolling mid-blink to indicate she knew she was being bitter. "Well, I'm glad you were willing to come hang out with the strangest collection of people in town for Liza's birthday." This misery had force-proximity'd them with too many people they would have otherwise continued to ignore - for better or for worse. Months earlier, they'd walk in the other direction if they saw Blythe, Liza, Sarah, or Ant walking down the street. Now all of them had been to her apartment at least once, two of them spending the night (and one of whom spending the night twice). "The turnout is a lot better than I expected," they added, glancing over their shoulder, "I've not been a part of something like this before it's..." they looked around, only able to offer another shrug. "It's a lot, honestly."

[blindedbystarshine]

y’know what? despite some of the night being awkward, she was happy she had come too. it had been ages since she had been at a party, one that was so laid back and just easy-going in a way. one thrown for a friend by friends.  the last few had been ones her parents had dragged her too. trying to feel alive, she guessed. but it really just made her feel like a puppet but the freedom with a lack of strings meant she just had the feeling of being purposeless.

pushing the thoughts away she focused on the moment with justice, besides, paige didn’t feel like dwelling on the emptiness of it all. not in the moment. “i’ve had fun so far! it’s been a pretty good turn out i think,” but of course, the other was in on the planning so they probably hadn’t been too surprised.

still, she remembered how little they were able to be at the parties back in the day and hearing them talk about it, maybe they kept not going to them. “it can be a lot,” she agreed softly, knowing how easy it was to get lost in a sea of people. “but what you need to do is find the people you like. or at least one of them and focus on having a good time with them,” it wasn’t exactly sage wisdom but it was something the red head always found most effective. “i mean, it will make the night go by quicker and you’ll be distracted from your nerves if you’re having a good conversation.”

[knewitalls]

william nodded along at paige's brief explanation of her connection to his brother, the fact that they were probably around the same age doing enough of the heavy lifting to explain the connection. there were only so many kids in wrensted, so alex was bound to have gotten to know her at school.

still, it was a little bit of a surprise that they'd kept in touch since she moved away. continuing a long-distance friendship through the rest of high school and into college was a serious commitment (william would know, given his elementary school penpal-ship with jordan!), which meant that alex must've truly cared about her. especially to still be trading birthday messages to this day. william wasn't about to be dismissive of that.

"it's not weird to keep in contact with your friends," he insisted, but he didn't offer much more of an opinion on that front (and he definitely avoided the topic of peyton). instead, he focused on alex. "but good to know that he's managed to maintain friendships in between practice and games at ut. from the family group chat, he always seems really busy." not that william participated in it much himself, but alex was his favorite brother. he kept tabs.

luckily, once that well of conversation had run dry, paige found her way to one that was much deeper. one mention of liza and the rumor mill and suddenly william, who had only been partly engaged before, was paying very close attention to the redhead beside him.

"well, yeah, we all care about liza," he insisted, even though none of them had actually planned the party for her (in their defense, based on their conversation earlier it was clear that she had not wanted one). still, the sentiment was true.

that wasn't the intriguing part of what paige had said, though, and soon enough william was shifting the conversation to focus on her later comment. "when did you set foot here?" was his first question, quickly followed by "rumors have a tendency to spiral, obviously, but i'm sure some of it is true. what have you heard?"

[blindedbystarshine]

it was like william lit up at the mention of his friends, which was kind of enduring if you asked paige. not that anyone would but fact was fact. so, instead of continuing to talk about her little friendship with alex, she went for what the elder finch was clearly more interested in. smiling softly she nodded, “you can tell you do. you don’t always see that with everybody.” maybe it was more true for her than anyone else.

after leaving wrensted, life had been hard. it took a few years before paige was even willing to leave her shell of sadness. for a bit, she had been a shadow of herself. it was only in the last two years that it felt like she had finally found her pieces again. even coming back to wrensted, with all of the issues it brought her, she could feel more of the cracks in her soul filling in just by being there. among memories that both hurt and comforted her.

“oh, um, i got here a week or two ago. had to be two because i was able to weasel my way into the college and also just got a job at bitter ends,” she offered up happily and honestly, kind of well-practiced. so many people had been asking her that during the night it was almost like she could hit replay. 

“you know wrensted, someone always has something to say about someone else,” she started off as she thought over what she had heard. “well, i heard about -,” pausing she looked around to make sure she didn’t see eliza anywhere, paige really didn’t want to make her party harder than it had to already be, “amelia and her funeral,” she continued softly and solemnly. the late woman had never been kind to her, but she knew the bad blood between her and peyton ran deeper than the mariana trench.

“then i heard you were hurt, but i’m glad you’re okay,” was added as she found herself pausing on the last bit of details as well… she heard about wren poe being arrested for the murder of amelia. which seemed kind of crazy to her. while he was the nut she could never crack with her kindness, not completely, paige knew most if not all of the things that were whispered about him were manufactured… by her sister… again… “the last bit is wren poe being arrested.”

she didn’t mention that she knew why he had been, or at least why the police said he had been because she wasn’t sure if she believed it. but, then again, what could a person do if they were desperate? “ultimately, i don’t put much stock in rumors so, i’m trying to take it all with a grain of salt. perception can skew everything. good or bad…”

[pixiiewings]

　　♡　　there were many people that would probably protest the comparison of stars to a graveyard .  not georgia. not for any scientific reason about the speed at which light travels, that there was a likelihood the stars they were seeing had already died. just that paige spoke with such a certainty that it had to be true. “ i think our graveyards can be kinda pretty too. sometimes. ” and other times, there was a stalker with a knife ! “ all the flowers. you know they got to stand in a shop and go ‘ what would they like ? ’ again. ”

it’s a topic she probably should have tip toed around with paige, but the thought of that hadn’t even crossed her mind.

“ she’s feeling better now. ” not because of anything georgia had said. no, in fact, if she had kept trying she inevitably would have made it worse. but a few drinks weren’t the worst thing. if anything happened, there were still nine alert people that could help. it’s upsetting for a moment, thinking about how sharp of a nosedive their head count had taken in recent months.

but now wasn’t the time to linger on it. she swallowed it down, turning her head to the side to flash paige a bright smile. “ france, ” she repeated. “ could you see the eiffel tower from your window ? ” the most distinctly french thing she knew. “ and wear those tiny little red hats ? ” the fact that everything was so accessible by train seemed absurd for the exact reason paige said. which, of course, made her giggle along with the other woman like she was in on the joke.

“ did you eat snails ? ” her tone lacked disgust and judgment, but just a first instinct curiosity as soon as paige mentioned the food. as if it were something she had only just remembered and had to get out before the thought fled again. which probably wasn’t far from reality. “sabrina, ant’s sister, makes such good macarons. like, i bet she could beat france level. ” with her only grounds being that they were better than the ones at warm crust or the packaged ones available at the green basket.

the question being turned back to georgia was probably just paige being polite, considering she couldn’t think of anywhere more exciting than europe to have gone. “ no, no, ” with a shake of her head and a laugh. “ i almost did. to dance. it’s just such a long process and by the time i got my acceptance letter — ” everything had been turned on its head. “ kinda just didn’t want to anymore. “ i still dance, i didn’t give that up. turns out i just really like teaching. ” a practiced lie, rolled off the tongue with ease.

“ but that’s not as interesting as you. where else did you go ? italy ? gosh, i bet italy is gorgeous. ”

[blindedbystarshine]

georgia was right, of course. someone took the time and their heart while they stood and looked for flowers for someone they loved. even if that person would never answer them how they used to, the flowers still spoke of their thoughts. their care. there was something beautiful in that. it was beautiful, if a little sad. but sometimes life was very sad. so, death could be beautiful, couldn’t it?

pushing the thought to the side, paige just listened to georgia go off with her thoughts and questions. this - she was glad she could still count on. letting the older woman fill the silence for a minute with her thoughts and questions, allowing the red head to order her thoughts in a way she could put them together. the last few weeks had been stressful. fighting with her parents over coming back to wrensted. schmoozing the college to let her in even when the semester was just starting. even playing the pity card but to be truthful, they were real tears when she cried them.

but this was nice. “i couldn’t see it out my window but i did have a nice view of the street with a bakery right below and a flower shop. no to the red berets mostly because if i tried they would definitely stare at me cause that’s weird there if you try too hard,” she started listing off the answers. “i will definitely have to try sabrina’s to give it a real comparison but truthfully my favorite thing to eat are croissants. just, feed be bread please.” paige giggled softly as she hoped the other wouldn’t mind her not answering the snail question.

the last time she tried them it was a dare from her sister when they were kids. not her cup of tea then but now, it was a cherished memory. as georgia continued, she didn’t stop her hand from going to georgia’s gently and trying to give it a squeeze, “i’m glad you still dance. you were always so pretty up there.” was all she added, not knowing if there was more to her not dancing or not, but passion was passion and still having it was important.

giggling again she shifted a little and sighed, “well, honestly, i went everywhere in europe that i could. i even hit ireland and greenland. but they were all gorgeous in their own way. i think i wouldn’t mind living in spain in the end. it was nice there and i liked the scenery. did you know naps are a thing in the day? like the whole country has a time they shut down. or they used to do that but i guess less people do it and now corporations are trying to get rid of them completely? oh and in france, you’re just expected to take your summer vacation for like a month. it’s a thing. some of the places really have it nice in some ways…”

she didn’t want to unpack that she had been looking for her sister in every country she went to. that she was the whole reason paige even went to them. “if you could choose a country, where would you want to go?”

[antdesilvs]

despite the darkness, anthony could see the bright red hair shift closer to him out of the corner of his eye. it felt like high school all over again: the embarrassment at being seen during one of his attacks, the fact that it had been peyton dazey’s little sister who had found him, how she stayed with him until he calmed down. he had an intense feeling of déjà vu at the sound of her voice, and he quickly squeezed his eyes closed to try to shut out the rest of the night, to focus on his breathing.

“it’s fine,” he says quickly, quietly, though his tone of voice betrays him. ant had thought coming home would make his issue better, but he had been wrong. everything since amelia’s murder just seemed to exacerbate his anxiety to the point where it felt like it was swallowing him whole. therapy helped, but he didn’t see it as a permanent solution. sometimes, when it gets this bad, he start to think that he’ll be screwed up forever.

the sound of paige’s voice floats towards him, though muffled, and he nods his head. anthony tries to focus on the sound of both of their breathing, trying to match his panicked one with paige’s calm rhythm. after a few moments, he lifted his head to peer out into the night.

“i see the bonfire, the smoke coming from it, the stars in the sky, the moon, and…” he trails off before adding with a sigh, “and my shaking hands.”

[blindedbystarshine]

she hoped she was doing this right; it didn’t matter that they didn’t know each other well or whatever history they might have had. what mattered was he needed a little help at that moment, and she was going to try and do her best. nodding along with him as he listed things off, paige offered a small smile in happiness that he was able to list the five things.

“that’s good. now try to name four things you can touch,” she added softly, doing her best to remember what her own doctor helped her through with. it had only happened once or twice, but it had scared her so much that she had never forgotten.

[sundrifts]

the  alcohol  she’d  consumed  was  a  dull  thrum  behind  her  eyes,  softening  the  world’s  hard  edges  into  something  more  manageable,  something  almost  beautiful.  she  was  just  beginning  to  feel  the  knot  in  her  shoulders  loosen  when  a  familiar  voice  cut  through  her  thoughts.  “ paigey ! ”  blythe  opened  her  arms  and  closed  the  distance  between  them,  wrapping  the  younger  woman  in  a  hug  that  smelled  of  woodsmoke.  she  held  on  for  a  moment  longer  than  necessary,  drawing  comfort  from  her presence.  when  she  pulled  back,  her  hands  lingered  on  paige's  arms,  hues  sweeping  over  her  with  an  appreciative  glint.

“ don’t  you  worry  about  me,  i’m  fine ! ”  a  well-practised  lie  that  sounded  convincing  even  to  her  own  ears.  she  waved  a  dismissive  hand,  “ i probably have cabin  fever  or  something.  but  look  at  you !  my  god,  you  look  frickin’  pretty  tonight. ”  her  head  tilted,  the  tipsy  curiosity  taking  over.  “ how  long  are  you  back  for ?  don’t  tell  me  you're  just  teasing  us  with  a  quick  visit. ”

[blindedbystarshine]

 a bright smile overtook her face at the nickname and soon enough she was melting into arms she hadn’t had the comfort of in so long. wrapping her arms around the brunette in return, paige sighed something soft and for the briefest of moments, that chasm in her heart didn’t exist. it was full of a memory that soothed more than ached. breathing in the scent that was always so similar to her sister’s and found herself blinking away tears before they could fall. she didn’t want to make a scene. didn’t want to make things awkward.

so she did her best, knowing she wouldn’t be perfect at it. watery eyes would be a give away but she hoped the happiness that was displayed solely on her cheeks would make up for it. “okay good, cause i’m fine too,” she offered with a little sniffle and shimmy like they could share a secret together. even if blythe wasn’t fine, paige wouldn’t dig. they could both be okay together.

“i wasn’t hiding! i swear. i just got here like a week ago, maybe two tops! i was so focused on moving back here, getting enrolled to finish up my degree, and getting a job that i didn’t really think to contact anyone yet,” paige was quick to explain because she hadn’t been hiding on purpose. not from everyone anyway. she had simply been focused and maybe, if she were being honest with herself, a little nervous about how people would take her return.

“then vienna saw me leaving bitter ends and roped me into helping with this party.” she paused to brush her hair from her face with a shrug, “y’know how i like to help and i thought maybe people wouldn’t mind me here…” a big surprise for a surprise party after all. But she didn’t realize how many of the people liza was friends with were people that… had been wronged by her sister once.

[intcgrities]

"It's been so long," Justice murmured, shaking their head a bit. Had it been so long, or had Paige simply grown up so much? As the younger sibling, it was their job to be the one people fawned over how adult they seemed. But time did all the heavy lifting - the last time they'd probably seen Paige she was a young teenager. Accepting the s'more, Justice continued smiling as Paige spoke. Paris seemed lovely, but they didn't have much worldly knowledge. The furthest away from home they'd been was [vague reference to a state that is not Too Far Away] - and that was for college. "Oh, well," Justice said to her counter-question, "y'know. Just hanging out around here, nothing really... Aside from the obvious."

They weren't looking to hijack the event for a pity party, even if it was actually a trap set by Tag! "What have you heard? Would love to know how the world outside of Wrensted sees this."

[blindedbystarshine]

frankly, the rumor mill had been working overtime. paige had only been in town for a week. just a week and she was given more detail than she ever really needed about everything that was going on. about amelia, liza, the funeral. about rollaways and someone getting injured on a cliff? then there was something about that guy, poe getting arrested for killing amelia? it was honestly, downright insane to her. almost made her regret coming back if this was the way the world was turning. 

but paige had come to wrensted and it was what it was. so, instead of poking at wounds or trying to dig into details, she left it as it was. part of her, doubted the guy actually killed amelia. she remembered what her sister had done to him, just because he existed. people like that, once framed as something, were sometimes trapped in it. in the end, it wasn’t her business.

“honestly, probably too much,” she started, brushing her hair behind her ear as she looked justice over, noting that like some of the others in the group they came with, there was an edge about them. “stuff from december up until today pretty much. it seemed like it was on the tip of everyone’s tongue,” there was a sadness to her words, knowing what rumors did to someone. terrifyingly applicable in the moment.

“i’m trying to take it on a person by person basis,” she added before taking a bite of her own s’more. the sweetness cutting into her thoughts happily. “you know how this place can be..”

[antdesilvs]

even though anthony had heard that paige was at the party, he didn't fully believe it until he saw the familiar flash of red hair. he hadn't planned on talking to paige, but the anxiety curling around his spine was enough to send him outside quickly, seeking the cold night air to fill his lungs.

in high school, when he couldn't make it to the guidance office fast enough to hide and panic in peace, he would usually tuck himself away in an alcove behind one of the sets of stairs in the building-- somewhere no one would look unless they were really trying. so maybe it's serendipitous that he's running into the younger dazey out on the steps of the cabin, his own chest aching and her asking him if he's okay.

"fine, fine," he mumbles, trying to brush it off. ant sits down on the steps next to her, putting his head between his knees, sucking in all the air he can get. "the cake is..." he trails off as he puts his hands behind his head. "that's the least of my worries right now."

[blindedbystarshine]

watching how he slowly deflated, leaning his head between his knees had paige reacting quickly. she had more experience with this kind of stuff now, after everything that she had gone through herself. sadness seemed to seep into every pore of her body over the years. like it was metal work being inlaid within her bones. instead of her default setting by awe or kindness it was hollow. empty and aching. sometimes she could distract herself enough in the moment and forget just how forlorn she was.

she didn’t want to touch him, not knowing how he would react to that, so she just leaned in closer, so her words were only for him and no one else. “i’m sorry,” she began softly, looking him over in the dark light. “is there anything i can do?” was questioned as she deliberately eased her breathing into something slow and followable.

they had done this before, years ago before everything went bad. she had found him once, alone and dealing with something that she knew now to be a panic attack. all she knew then was she couldn’t leave him alone, not until she knew he would be okay. maybe things didn’t change that much. “breathe with me. when you're ready, can you name five things you can see?”

[knewitalls]

the night wasn't shaping to be at all what william had expected, but... then again, what had he been expecting? endless horrors? carrie 2.0? there hadn't been time to think of all of the potential bad things that could happen when he was being drawn out to the middle of the woods by someone pretending to be his best friend. and though he'd knowingly walked right into a trap (he'd figured out pretty quickly that it wasn't jordan he was speaking to), so far... things weren't feeling super trap-like.

he was sure it was only a matter of time. but in the meantime he was at a party. mingling. mostly with his usual group, but a little with some friends from various other parts of his life, like his old chess club pal cameron. it was as cam left to go get a drink, actually, that the person who had to be peyton dazey's sister popped up in his place. and though he'd been prepared to observe her from afar to see if she was doing anything suspicious... apparently she had something else in mind.

"hi," william replied, a little distant in part due to the fact that they'd not previously met and therefore had little reason to speak (the other part was due to her sudden reappearance being suspicious, given what he knew!). he was kind of confused about why she'd engaged him in conversation, but all was clear a moment later when she mentioned alex.

"nice to meet you," he nodded, but he didn't move from where he was seated near the fire to offer a handshake or anything. "alex is my younger brother, yeah. are you two friends?"

[blindedbystarshine]

truthfully, she couldn’t fully remember if alex and william had been close. obviously he was younger, but not everyone was in each other’s pockets like she and peyton had been.  so instead of being put off by his demeanor she just smiled, shifted in her seat as she got comfortable. “we were little better friends back before my family left,” she explained softly, trying not to make it awkward but it was a fact. her family had left and it hadn’t been for fun reasons.

“but we’ve kept in a little contact since then. birthday messages between then and now kind of things,” it was true, of course. every year she made sure to send a handmade birthday card to wherever he had been staying or living at the time. “i guess it was kind of weird after peyton... disappeared. to see me around or keep in contact but alex was great!”

clearing her throat, she pushed aside any feelings that dragged up in her, doing her best to once again, not make it awkward. at this point paige just thinks she is the awkward one. everyone else had moved on. who cared about a missing girl who had been gone for so long? “i just wanted to say that i think it’s great that you and your friends are doing this for liza,” she continued softly, this time her eyes moved to the fire before looking out towards the woods.

“the moment i set foot here the rumor mill was churning out nuggets of info and if even a little bit of it is true, i think it’s pretty amazing that you’re all trying to add a little happiness back into her life.” 

[pixiiewings]

　　♡　　saying that it had been a complicated night would be an understatement . georgia had been given a heads up of sorts about tag’s ability to mimic. william had mentioned his ‘ call ’ from sarah. that didn’t make it easier. didn’t soothe the worry that had wrapped tightly around her chest when she saw the texts from anthony. or quiet the voice in her head that pointed out on any other night, she might have gotten nic hurt. not her her, but something resembling. something that would have immediately been flagged and ignored coming from someone else.

oh, and people that hadn’t been anywhere near everything else seemed to be getting texts. did they have to add tilly freakin’ martin to the conspiracy board ?

a voice cut through the crisp air, familiar yet strange at the same time. she turned her head, catching the faint illumination of her red hair. grass clung to georgia’s hair, probably her back. still much better than the blood that had stained last time tag was involved in anything. hey, the night was still young !

“ hey paigey , ” she greeted, smile planted on her face. “ i always try to look for constellations but they’re just — ” her arm raised lazily, making a sweeping motion across the sky. “ everywhere. it’s not quite as easy to make your own like on the clouds. ” but georgia would try. “ i’m sorry i had to run off earlier. i just had to make sure blythe was okay. i really am happy to see you. ” if she ignored the doubt that came creeping in of every nice word being a lie, just as it had been with peyton. “ you have to tell me everything about everywhere. ”

[blindedbystarshine]

even before georgia was talking about the constellations, just hearing paigey brought a warmth to her chest and tears to her eyes. it was worse than when she got called little p by vienna. the first time in a long time. she knew that when she met georgia the first time, like jordan, there was a power imbalance. the younger redhead knew what game her sister was playing. knew there wasn’t kindness in her words or actions but, as always, the younger tried to make up for it.

georgia had always been a little goofy but in the best way. fun and adventurous. in all the ways that didn’t need a single plan but to have fun. the sort of person paige always wanted to be. free spirited, she would probably call it. georgia was perfectly that. watching as she broadly gestured to the sea of stars above them, she found herself nodding as if she was being provided with sage wisdom. she had the feeling it was. “i don’t think stars are meant to be in boxes. you’re already looking at a graveyard, but the most beautiful one you’ve ever seen...”

paige loved the stars and the night sky. but she also loved the sun, which was a star too. so really, it all was linked. “don’t be sorry. blythe looked upset, it’s good that you followed her,” it warmed her heart even more to think that georgia had such good friends. people she would chase after when they were sad or mad. not everyone had that.

“so, we moved to france after… everything. mom’s side had a house we could use, and kinda slowly made some roots there,” she began without even looking to georgia, deciding to just tell the story. “but y’know europe is way smaller than people think and i could take a train everywhere,” a small giggle left her lips at the truth of it. it was kind of crazy after coming from the us. it was like a whole new world at her fingertips. but of course, they had visited europe as kids. “honestly, i think the best part was all of the food and fun i was able to find myself in..” finally turning her head to looking at the other woman she smiled softly, it had helped her forget from time to time in the moments, “have you ever gotten out of here at all?”

[rosecoloredjordan]

jordan had been surprised to see paige, but not unpleasantly so. the younger girl had always been so kind and easy to get along with. "paige!" jordan greeted her in return. "your eyes do not deceive you, it is me."

then, she had to figure out some sort of way to excuse her friends for their off-putting behavior. "we're all a little flustered by running a bit later than intended. and we weren't expecting to see you! last i knew you were overseas. i hadn't even heard you were back in town until now. just a surprise befitting a surprise party, that's all."

chips. at least those, she would assume, had been in sealed packaging when they were delivered by "anthony". on top of that a classic lay's chip was vegan. so, she took a small handful and snacked on a few as they continued speaking.

"i can't thank you all enough for helping us set all of this up, i know we sort of dropped the ball on the planning part... sorry about all that."

[blindedbystarshine]

there was a little bit of true relief that filled her at the confirmation that it was indeed, jordan. paige knew that their friendship started with a little bit of a power imbalance, per say. but she had always truly come to enjoy and like jordan over the time she had been around peyton. her easy smile and soft way about herself made the younger redhead feel right at home. like a kindred spirit.

“i’m so happy it’s you,” she replied happily, before listening to the other girl to explain that they had been running late or that they dropped the ball on the planning. furrowing her brow, she shook her head, “i think everything is going pretty good. outside of the cake thing but honestly, i don’t think that’s an issue,” her words were meant to soothe any worry jordan might be holding onto.

“it was a surprise party anyway. not every surprise party has to have cake.” paige nodded at the end of her statement as if that fixed everything cause as far as she was concerned, it should. people made mistakes, they could be forgiven if they recognized and understood the implications. or so she thought anyway. 

“is it weird if i ask to hug you? is that allowed?”

[intcgrities]

They'd needed a break. Inside was exciting and people were talking, but their earlier realization had begun to claw its way back into their brain. So they found a nice spot by the back of the bonfire, where they wouldn't be in anyone's way. Or, well, where they wouldn't have some random person they "invited" to this party ask for a hit. Justice relit the joint from when she was sitting in Sarah's trunk, enjoying a light breeze that smelled like nature. They were starting to relax a bit when a soft voice called their name. Turning, Justice's eyes landed on none other than Paige Dazey.

She was simultaneously the young teen who burdened the consequences of being Peyton's sister, and a fully grown young woman now standing before them. Blue eyes welled up with tears, but a well-timed cough thankfully covered their ass. "Sorry, you startled me for a sec!" They looked over the contents of Paige's little stash and smiled. God. The thing that hurt the most about what happened to Peyton wasn't that she was gone, but that Paige had to live through losing her sister. Even when Justice didn't get along with Journey, she never could imagine having that piece of her missing. Their age gap was similar to Paige and Peyton's, and while Peyton was much more Mean Girls while Journey was Athlete Scholar Snob, they understood coming in after someone so noticeable. Hell, both of them even got the same letter name treatment. "Yeah, that sounds amazing right now," they replied. Moving over toward the supplies, Justice remembered her goal for the night. Blend in, play the part. Somehow much easier than being herself. "I was so surprised to hear you were back in town! I'm glad you could make it," she said, offering the joint to Paige. It was a reply that worked whether Justice had reached out to Paige personally or if Vienna had reached out because of Justice or what - express surprise that she came. Hell, Justice couldn't imagine leaving Europe to come back to the US, let alone leave a nice art school for fucking Wrensted. Not that they saw her Instagram sometimes.

[blindedbystarshine]

smiling brightly, she began to make the other a little s’more snack. there was a vibe there, she could feel it. something in the way justice stood or moved. how they looked at her? paige wasn’t really sure, but she did remember what happened between peyton and them. her sister had a cruel streak, she knew that. something she had always had the feeling of it being her duty to make up for.

kind like a yin and yang of siblings. but, to some extent, the younger would never understand that sort of pain because her sister was always her older sister. never cruel to her. kind and even a shield. but she had never been blind. “i was kind of surprised to be coming here myself,” she answered softly and truthfully. just a year ago she had been thinking about giving up. accepting that her sister was gone… or even dead, like their parents had begun to believe within two years over her being gone.

paige refused because she knew peyton would have never given up if she had disappeared. she would have done anything to find her, and it was a two-way street. “i was in school in paris,” she continued as she held out the snack to justice, “but how have you been? i've heard stuff has been pretty... scary here lately.."

[blindedbystarshine]

closed starter for @sundrifts location near the campfire

humming to herself softly, paige looked up from her small notebook towards the fire. fire was always interesting to draw. sometimes she liked to imagine it like a dancer. the flames moving in ways that were like a person across the stage. smiling, she looked back down to her page, smoothing the flames out like they were a skirt.

soon enough she began the familiar curve of legs when she heard someone shuffle near her. looking up again, she caught sight of blythe. earlier the older woman had left the party quickly, anger trailing after her that had left paige a little confused. they may not have talked in years, but there was a time they were at least friendly. she could remember the brunette’s laughter ringing through the halls of their house when the two would study together.

paige didn’t hesitate for a moment, “blythe!” she called out but didn’t yell, just enough to catch her attention. moving to stand, she closed and put her little pencil and notebook back in her small bag before moving towards the other woman. “is everything okay? you seemed unhappy earlier..”

[blindedbystarshine]

closed starter for @antdesilvs location near the steps of the cabin at the party

being back in wrensted was sorta like a dream. or maybe it was a nightmare. paige couldn’t really decide as of yet how she was feeling about it all. what she did know is that she made the choice herself. coming back was very much her decision, and she would have to suffer whatever consequences there may be. what she hoped - was she would get a lead on her sister. the people at the party were very much the most likely to know some sort of secret or dream that maybe paige didn’t. but some of these people had kinda been her friends too. she didn’t want badger them or bring up bad memories… she knew he sister wasn’t always kind…

her parents, their parents, had given up. all the years taking a toll, even started talking about having a send-off party for her. like, into the afterlife. just thinking about it made her want to hide. maybe she was delusional, but she didn’t want to give up yet. maybe she never would…

sighing, she leaned back on the stairs with her hands and looked around the forest from her seat. it was beautiful in a sort of spooky way, wasn’t it? her hands itched to get out the little book she used to draw quick things just looking at it. but she was quickly distracted by a semi-familiar face. anthony de silva. she remembered him. he was never mean to her, like his girlfriend of the time. it was kind of funny or maybe poetic that she was meeting him on stairs again?

“you okay?” she asked softly, feeling the same sort of energy from him as she had all those years ago. “if it’s about forgetting the cake, i don’t think anyone actually cares and i’m sure liza won’t be bothered by it at all. there are plenty of other snacks and stuff,” she quickly followed up, hoping it would soothe any worries he might have about the night…

[blindedbystarshine]

closed starter for @pixiiewings location near the cabin in a little clearing

sighing softly, paige walked through the party and out the door again for what felt like the 100th time that night. looking around the dark wood and how the campfire light danced off the shadow of the trees behind it, she couldn’t help but wonder if she should draw it or paint it maybe. there was something haunting about the area, but it was also pretty. like finding something beautiful in the derelict thing around you maybe…

with so many people milling about, it made it a little hard to take in and really enjoy the area. so, the redhead found herself walking a little bit. not too far, the campfire light still catchable through the trees but she found herself in a slightly open area, only to notice she wasn’t alone. even in what was pretty dark, the twinkling stars and move above offered a little light as she caught sight of slight features that might be someone she knows…

“georgia?” she asked loudly, walking a little quicker to her side, the light of her phone helping her avoid anything on the ground. “it is you!” her words were happy as she moved to sit next to the girl that was just… laying on the ground. pressing her phone button, she closed the light and moved to lay next to the dark-haired women. “taking in the view?”