ocean blue

the heart grows brutal from feeding on fantasies farrah summers, twenty six wardlaw's boarding house assistant

[wcdncsday]

              She files her nails in the stairwell, sitting on the edge of the bannister, so short that her feet swing down below her. She whistles a low, melodic tune. This is what she does in her free time, sit around and wait for someone to come by so she can r u i n their day. Impatient to wreak havoc.

             The door swings open. Wednesday Watanabe looks up with a smirk in her eyes, but her face stays steady, and she continues to hum. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

[feather-farrah-blog]

“That is not an appropriate thing to say to a member of faculty,” Farrah retorted, voice squeaking in dismay.

Did she look that tired? After cosmetics, she could wipe away those dark rings that incessantly hung underneath her eyelids, but perhaps make-up couldn’t mask the disenchanted demeanor she wore. The kind of lethargic air that one develops after feeling disappointed for too long.

There was a pause, however—a moment of thought before a heavy sigh. Farrah wiped her hair back, leaning on a section of the bannister that was at a safe distance from Wednesday’s feet.

“I hope you’re not filing your nails to be sharp.”

[oliviatheriot-blog]

Somehow, she’d gotten grass stains on her skirt and stockings — even a blouse, again. Well, not entirely ’somehow’, Olivia always knew how she’d gotten them, but the consequences of extra laundry and a lack of uniform never bothered her until she was faced with a dilemma for the next day. This was why she was now hauling around a large bag of her laundry, not properly labelled or sorted ( of course ) down the hallway, trying to beat curfew.  

Passing by a figure, she glanced over, slim strands of honeyed hair falling across her face, her shirt slightly untucked from all the lifting. “Do you have the time? It’s never where it should be.“

[feather-farrah-blog]

With her attention absorbed into the clipboard she clung to, it had taken Farrah a few moments to understand what the remark was for. A quick glance over the girl—Farrah couldn’t help but coo “Oh… Olivia…”

Not that there was anything inherently disorderly in what Olivia was doing (an shirt untucked, yes, but Farrah doubted she’d had the time to correct it yet), but Farrah knew how unfortunate it would have been if any of the other staff had been in the hallways at this hour.

“Do you need help?” she asked, setting down the clipboard and closing the distance between them. “That looks… heavy…”  

[felixmoreno-blog1]

          "That would be… very kind of you.“ Félix said, awkward. He had a t t e m p t e d to learn the names of the Wardlaw staff and faculty before- but it was difficult for him to concentrate after the ‘big reveal.’           (It was how much of the Dumfries faculty had been referring to it so d r y l y- he found irony in the fact that it sounded like these alien women had pulled a rabbit out of a hat.)                     (It had become a silent competition between them to see who could keep their cool the longest.) "Yes,” he said, still stiff, “very nice.”

[feather-farrah-blog]

There was that face from her—a smile contorted by confusion. The repetition of sentiments set the stage for an awkward exchange, so how else was Farrah to play her role beyond bemused? How kind of her to take care of the toad for him. Very nice.

But she had come to expect this. Professionally he wasn’t much different, she found.

“I think this one escaped from the planetarium,” she thought aloud as she closed her distance between the door and the desk, getting a better look at the creature on Félix’s desk. “Or, someone helped him escape.”

She frowned, picking up the dejected toad with both hands.

[feather-farrah-blog]

hey everybody! i haven’t even made a post to introduce myself yet but i mean... hi i’m japeal and i need to tell you all i’m going on a week long semi-hiatus :’)

i will be able to do a round of replies this weekend but after that i don’t know how much time i’ll have to do any writing so... replies might be a bit sporadic and short??? o well...

hope u all have a lovely week and if you need me feel free to im or message me here!! <333

[xandersterling-blog]

“I mean I know I could just just like wrap my arms in serene wrap and just jump in to the pool but it’d be way too hard to swim like that.” he laughed tough not dismissing the idea in his head and made note to get some serene wrap the next time he snuck off campus. 

“Did I swear? Sorry Farrah.” He said laughing. This no swearing thing was harder than it sounded. “Yeah I know how to get to the west wing. Just about. Am I even allowed in the west wing?”

[feather-farrah-blog]

There was a long, scrutinizing look from Farrah before she spoke. She wanted to make it apparent she was disappointed in him and that she would commit to her threats if he continued to act like this.

Opting to ignore his comment on saran wrap, she took a deep breath. “Yes, you are, so long as you come straight to my office and don’t snoop around,” she clarified, nodding her head. “I have to go Xander… try and be on your best behavior, please—.”

There was more she wanted to say—things she wanted to warn him about—but she knew she was running late as is. Giving him a small wave and a sweet smile, she began to walk back to her office. Perhaps next time she’d be able to wrangle a serious conversation out of him.

[madaileins-blog]

Imogen froze, interesting, very interesting. The fury balled up in her chest melted away as she contemplated her teacher’s words. If nothing else Miss Summers had given her an alibi should she ever get caught by one of the stricter teachers. I’m so sorry Miss, you see Miss Summers said it was alright so long as I put a glamour over it. But more importantly she had revealed herself as some who was not only easily manipulated but also not entirely averse to bending the rules a little - and that was something Imogen could work with.

Angelic facade on, shoulders back, eyes wide. Imogen turned to face Miss Summers, “Really?” She blinked guilelessly at her teacher. “Thank you so much, I’m running late and I really don’t want a detention on my record.” She smiled as artlessly as she could (it was a smile that had taken several hours practice in the mirror. “You’re a life-saver Miss Summers.”

[feather-farrah-blog]

Try as she might not to look fretful, Farrah couldn’t hide her anxiousness from Imogen. It was evident in her upturned eyebrows and tense demeanor—just standing there to face her she couldn’t hold eye-contact. She was undeniably at fault for sharing that tangent of wisdom to Imogen, as it was what she and the other girls would do to escape the wrath of the teachers not too long ago. The promise to herself (and the faculty that hired her) that she would uphold the standards of Wardlaw to the best of her ability had gone out the window in the past few months, with many instances of delinquency spurred by Farrah’s helpful hints of how to avoid getting caught in the first place.

“Yeah,” she smiled back, voice weak. “You’re welcome.”

There wasn’t much else to do but watch Imogen leave for class. She had noticed the shoes as well, but finding a spare pair was always such a hassle that she left them, undisturbed. Perhaps she was digging herself into a hole by engaging with the students like this, but she hoped that the sentiment of keeping each other out of trouble would pervade with those she sought to take care of.

That was all wishful thinking, however.  

[ofbaz]

Zara gulped when she heard Farrah behind her. She hadn’t had a uniform at her last school and it was very jarring to have to look a certain way every day during school hours. She squared her shoulders and turned to face Farrah with a smile.

“Sorry, miss,” Zara said, hoping her expression looked contrite. “I have’t gotten the right uniform shirt yet. So sorry.”

[feather-farrah-blog]

“You haven’t? Oh no—that’s not good,” she cooed, glancing Zara’s current uniform up and down. How odd, wouldn’t the headmistress’ daughter be a priority in becoming acquainted with the academy? Then again, the headmistress was very busy and such matters had been delegated to Farrah anyway.

“There’s some spares in the closet… maybe you could change really quick in my office?” Farrah offered. “What, um, size do you wear?”

[willow-mendez-blog]

“What instruction manual did you recite that from?” Willow asked, eyes wide and slowly tucking in her shirt. The sassiness was just coming out of her mouth naturally, for some reason. Willow didn’t think she had a problem with authority figures, but the issue could be deeper than it seemed. 

“Uh, sorry.” Did an apology worked if what you said before could get you in major trouble? She guessed she would have to wait and find out. “What I totally, no doubt about, one-hundred-percent meant to say was: don’t you get bored following people around and having to yell at them to fix their clothes? I think it’s a dumb rule, especially when girls are going to charm their uniforms anyway.” She was slowly digging herself into a bigger hole as she tried to make small-talk with the woman.

[feather-farrah-blog]

“Um, I would appreciate it if you didn’t speak to me like that,” Farrah said with a frown. “Like I said, it’s uniform policy. They’re not gonna let you go to class if you don’t follow the rules…”

Of all the things she fretted over in regards to her job, being demeaned by the girls didn’t particularly faze her. It used to, certainly, but in returning to the academy the nostalgia of how she used to treat the faculty came rushing back to her. Farrah reasoned that these girls didn’t really mean what they said, because at their age she too felt that the rules in place were pedantic and hindering, but at their age she didn’t have the hindsight she was now afforded as the figure of authority.

“They always find out if you charm your uniform… trust me. It’s not worth the detention time over uniform write-ups.”

[darkisms]

Bambi paused at the sound of a cautious yet familiar voice from behind her, spinning on the spot to come face to face with one of the staff at Wardlaw. She was ( nervous ); that much was clear. Bambi had always been good at reading people anyway, but Miss Summers was easier to read than others. She didn’t half wear her heart on her sleeve, and perhaps that would have been commendable had she not been faced with a bunch of ( ruthless ) girls on a daily basis. Still, she smiled as though this conversation wasn’t already a bore to her.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes heavenwards at the comment that left the older woman’s mouth, Bambi nodded, an almost ( sympathetic ) expression upon her face. Truth be told, she did pity the woman a little.·“ Of course, Miss Summers. Thanks for the reminder.· ” Sweet though her tone may have been, she made no move to fix the shirt. Malicious, Bambi was not; but she did have a reputation to uphold, and she would never allow that power to slip.

[feather-farrah-blog]

There was an uncomfortable silence that fell between Farrah and Bambi—well, at least for Farrah as she glanced back and forth from the untucked shirt back to Bambi’s eyes. The small smile plastered on Farrah’s lips faltered as the inaction persisted. The girls could rip up their shirts and throw them in the garbage for all Farrah cared (so long as her back was turned to the carnage), as all that mattered was the intent of her trying to uphold some semblance of Wardlaw’s atmosphere as specified in her job description.

“You’re welcome—um…” another hesitation. “Could you please fix it before you go to class, Bambi? I’d really appreciate it—even if you… do just undo it again once I’m out of sight.”

[sohailarya]

Alfie softened. They were wanted there; or, at least, they weren’t not wanted there. He had always been uneasy with charity (he was working for his scholarship, he told himself, it wasn’t charity) and he even felt partial responsibility on behalf of his school for accepting it. He hadn’t started the fire, nor had he been the one to accept Wardlaw’s offer, yet there was still an intangible feeling that he, himself specifically, was a burden to the Wardlaw faculty. 

Miss Summers was nice though. Her voice was soft and her words sweet. Who ever said witches had to be scary? 

“Oh, that’s a relief.” The laugh that followed was shaky, but his smile was warm. “It’s not too bad at all actually! I’m probably one of the lucky ones; I had a friend here already. That makes the settling in process a hell of a lot easier. –Your greens are bigger though. That’s a bit of a shock to the system. You must be able to have four sports playing at once with fields that big!”

[feather-farrah-blog]

Nodding along with his words, Farrah seriously doubted that she’d be treated to any grievances by asking that question (especially to a student such as this) and felt as if she could carry on the conversation ignoring much of what Alfie said. It was, however, of interest to her that Alfie would mention having a friend here already—which one of the girls had taken a liking to a guy like this?

“Is that so? I’m glad to hear that,” she beamed, genuine in her contentment. “Who did you already know here at Wardlaw?”

“Yes, well, you get used to all the open space—it’s actually really pretty in the summertime and when all the flowers are in bloom. Even besides the using the space for activities it’s so nice to just take walks along the grounds to be a little bit closer to nature. But, um—,” she laughed. “That might just be me.”

[elliotdaniels-blog1]

“Uhuh.” He murmured an assent that he evidently didn’t believe. Excitement definitely wasn’t the right word, but there was something decidely different about today, and Elliot knew he wasn’t the only one who felt it. 

“It definitely won’t,” he assured her, “I’d hate to make a bad impression.” Elliot knew that wasn’t strictly true, and his voice dripped with a private irony that most people would probably interpret as something more malicious. He tucked in the offending shirt, and, straightening his tie for good measure, decided to push his luck and ask a question. “Do you mind me asking what you do here? Besides correcting uniform, that is.”

[feather-farrah-blog]

“I don’t mind, no,” she replied, forcing a laugh. All it felt like she did these days was harp on the girls for uniform infractions, but she digressed. “I’m the Boarding Assistant for the girls here—I, um, don’t teach anything if that’s what you were wondering. Just a behind-the-scenes faculty member—but I do exist and I have to remind students about the uniform policy… unfortunately…”

[felixmoreno-blog1]

           "Hay-zeus Christ on a cracker,“ Félix cursed as he poked at the large Cane Toad on his desk with a Pilot fountain pen that was far too nice for this bullshit. He swore, ever since those witches had come into his school (or rather, since he had come into theirs) his pen- his poor, abused pen- had begun to leak inperceptably more.            The toad croaked. He wanted to cry.

[feather-farrah-blog]

“Um… bad time?” Farrah asked, looking forlorn hanging on the doorframe to the office. Lord only knew which of the girls found it amusing to conjure animals to harass the new Dumfries staff, and while Farrah could easily finger certain troublemakers from others, it wasn’t something she ever really liked doing in the first place. It wasn’t her job—she’d leave it for someone else.

“Do you need me to um… take care of that toad?” she offered.

[feather-farrah-blog]

sguardiandiv:

The thing was, Farrah Summers wasn’t a bad teacher. She wasn’t even an okay teacher - she was actually pretty good. This was why it was such a shame that she had also, in another life, become the biggest disappointment of Divya’s career thus far. Completely wrecked her perfect track record of personally trained students who went on to do great, decidedly magical, things. 

The truth of the matter was, she felt just as uncomfortable speaking to her as Farrah undoubtedly did being on the end of her communication. She knew she was being too harsh, letting her personal feelings for Farrah get in the way of handling her staff with fairness, and the knowledge unsettled her. This was precisely why, when she heard the almost laughably feeble knock on her door, Divya immediately stiffened. 

“I did.” She paused, appraising Farrah from the seat behind her desk.”Well? Don’t hover about the door like a nervous student. Come in. I’ve asked you here to talk about one of the rooming assignments that seems to be causing trouble - between Miss Hart and Miss Abdul? I’ve gotten a few noise complaints from the girls on either side of them. I was wondering what you were planning to do about the situation.”

“Yeah, um—sure thing,” Farrah ushered herself into the room, gingerly closing the door behind her (as to not to accidentally slam it shut in her nervous fit).

It was almost funny how Divya compared Farrah to a nervous student, as if she’d fully transcended her status as a subordinate to Divya now that the years had fallen behind them. Once a student always a student she thought sometimes, feeding into that hopeless feeling of smallness she felt in her former teacher’s presence. Not that there was even anything left to learn, or discuss, as that relationship had effectively ceased to exist once Farrah fell out with the magic she used to possess.

What a depressing thing to be reminded of before discussing innocuous rooming disputes. Farrah scolded herself internally as she took a seat and opened the hefty folder on her lap.

“Yes, um, I was aware about Miss Hart and Miss Abdul. I spoke to them twice already about making noise at night but it seems that the complaints have persisted…” there was a pause as Farrah glanced up to meet Divya’s eyes before returning to the pertinent pages in her hands. “I was thinking of speaking to both of them again—maybe give them once last chance as sort of like a three-strikes policy thing. Make it clear that they’ll be separated if they continue to disturb the other girls when they’re trying to sleep.”

She held her breath, waiting for Divya to chime in and undoubtedly chastise her course of action.

[fassylovergallery]

Nadia Aboulhosn - 200 x 320

[feather-farrah-blog]

Farrah had been dreading this moment since she woke up this morning. For twenty minutes before the alarm went off she contemplated dramatic ways to absolve herself from the meeting with Divya: illness, injury, perhaps even death? She could always quit her job, of course, but she was sure that in giving up on Wardlaw a second time that Divya would really come for her blood (nor did she think she could live with guilt like that).

This was not an attitude that was conducive to being productive with one’s co-workers, but Farrah couldn’t help but work herself into a fretting mess every time a notice from Divya was left for her. Procrastination clouded her as she sat listless in her office, wasting the minutes between the present and when she knew that Divya was going to arrive to her office for the morning.

Standing demure with a folder of records and the room arrangements post-Dumfries merger, Farrah knocked weakly on the door to Divya’s domain that was partially cracked open.

“Um, hi,” she mustered in a quiet voice. “You wanted to speak with me, Miss?”

[xandersterling-blog]

“Okay, okay I promise that I’ll try to be on my very best behavior when you’re around.” He said gripping Farrah’s pinky finger with his own. He grinned and let go. “Alright so before you leave, can you tell me where the nurses office is?” Xander still wasn’t quite used to the lay out of the girls school.

“I have to like get my bandages changed and shit like that in case you’re curious. I can’t wait until I’m like properly healed because I’m dying to use the pool.”

[feather-farrah-blog]

“Yeah, the nurses office is in the central wing, next to the administration desk,” she said, taking her hand back. After wanting the topic to change and for Xander to stop teasing her, the new subject was bittersweet. Seeing the burns for herself, she felt terrible for Xander, but at least he was making strides to be responsible and to keep the wounds from getting infected.

“Don’t say shit, Xander,” she said with a despondent smile. “If you need anything else just come get me in my office—in the west wing. You know where that is?”

[elliotdaniels-blog1]

Elliot faltered, surprised to be called out on anything, especially by an unfamilar member of staff. There was a beat where he just stared at her, darker and more aggressive than he would ever intend to be. He looked down to see that his shirt was, in fact, untucked. The clouds over his face lifted, and he smiled, one of the more charming smiles that he kept in reserve for two types of people: those who deserved them, and those whose good books it helped to be in. This woman, whoever she was, may fall in the latter. “I’m so sorry. Just the-” he paused, looking around for the right word  “excitement, I suppose, made me forget. It won’t happen again.”

[feather-farrah-blog]

“Excitement,” she repeated, nodding her head as her expression contorted in confusion. Excitement? Of what? Being around girls now that the Dumfries were at Wardlaw? Farrah couldn’t say for sure, but the answer she got from him was certainly disconcerting for a first impression.

Either way, she cleared her thoughts, shaking her head slightly and returning to the boy with a smile. “It’s fine, just make sure it doesn’t happen again,” she said. “I’d hate for any of you to get in trouble on your first day here.”

She didn’t really care if the boys got in trouble on their first day at Wardlaw, but it was her job to enforce the professional atmosphere and conduct of all students. In fact, after running into multiple boys with glaring uniform misconduct Farrah felt as if she needed to write up a complaint to the Dumfries staff.