FIND ANOTHER GUIDING LIGHT

freyja freese. 21. your local bathroom stall therapist.

[freeserburn]

closed starter for @zahrajackson

If Freyja had heard anyone whispering about the Lake House explosion that had been Zahra and Elaine, she would have been sniffing the other girl out like a bloodhound. Even if she knew Zahra’s defences would have been up stronger than ever, she’d at least have something better than sitting there and asking for any glimpse inside. At least she’d know it was about Elaine and Lux at the root of it all, no longer just poking around for the hope of some hidden message in Zahra’s eyes as she told her to bother someone else.

But right now, Freyja felt like she had the blood of abandonment on her hands and Zahra was the only one that would call her out on it. At least, the only one that had the right amount of respect from Freyja and venom in their words for it to really sting. Kitty Maddox or Elaine Archer could gossip all they liked, but no amount of Lux-related guilt that made her want to check in on them could ever make her care what they thought. Perhaps it was the direct proximity to Rory, or maybe it was the fact she had grown into something of a friend through the torturous games of Candy Girl. That was the Zahra she wanted to remember. The stupid exchanging of roses and cards at the Valentines Ball. Not whatever verbal lashings that would ensue now they were face to face again. Apparently, months later.

People like Mac, Casey and Rory; they were the open wound splitting more and more with every betrayed glance. She was almost sure that Zahra Jackson would be the salt poured in. After all, Rory was one of the people she left when they needed her most. More than Freyja even knew with the gaps in her memory.

Maybe if she didn’t approach with questions, Zahra would just let her go. Maybe she didn’t even notice the blonde’s disappearance beyond a sudden peace. “The weather is really nice for this time of year, don’t ya think?” The weather? What the fuck, Freyja? Textbook bad small talk. Unfortunately, her go-to when ignoring the burning questions on her tongue.

[freeserburn]

closed starter for @caseyfm​

Walking into the Pit had never been this kind of nerve-wracking before. With Casey behind the bar, it was pretty much as close as you could get to a safe space in Cherry. He was her safe place to crawl home to whenever things went wrong. Casey and Mac. It was only natural for muscle memory to land Freyja at his doorstep before she had even thought through everything. What was she meant to say? At least running into Mackenzie meant it was understandable not to have a speech planned out. As if she wouldn’t have spent every second thinking about what to say to them if she had actually left of her own free will. Showing up to Casey’s door without anything prepared? Well, that didn’t look good. All Freyja knew was that she had to be the one to tell him about being back in Cherry. No Chinese whispers that ended up hurting them worse than any awkward fumble here could. She’d be standing in front of him, telling him as much of the truth as she could comprehend. That had to count for something, right? Jumbled and crazy as it was.

If the wound of their fight over not telling the truth about Candy Girl that night wasn’t so fresh, Freyja would have just lied. Sure, I left. Let them be mad at her for a while and hopefully understand. At least they wouldn’t look at her like she was crazy. However, sitting and waiting for them to come back around wasn’t exactly something that felt doable. Flashes of Casey lying in the hospital bed, the fact she could have lost him and they were mad at each other. It wasn’t something she could go through again. How guilt lashed out at Mackenzie that night. The brief flash of ‘is this the end of us?’  through her mind.

If the thought of losing them stung that much, she didn’t even want to imagine how it would feel to actually walk away and just wait for them to come around. Let the universe punish her for something she never did. Knowing someone better than you know yourself was a double-edged sword. There was all the beautiful and wonderful that she knew of them, but now there was a dark thought looming over her. The way to hit both of them right where it hurt was to abandon them. Leave after all the years she spent swearing she wouldn’t. Casey was one of the most stubborn people she knew. There was the possibility they never forgive her. Crazy rambling or cop-out lie, it was possible that neither option would really be enough. All she could do was try. At the very least, she needed a drink.

If it were any other situation, Freyja would have had some witty opening line. Something to crack that smile she had gotten too used to. Anything to stop the look on his face she was anticipating as soon he laid eyes on her. “Hey, Case.” Long time no see, the bitter joke in the back of her mind.

[freeserburn]

alicealder​:

And, just like that, things finally got interesting. Freyja, a young woman so many seemed to be envious of in one way or another. Freyja, who had managed to leave Cherry unharmed. And it was a good thing, yes, that she had left unharmed… but how many of them had wished the same thing? Unable to leave the confines by some unknown force (oh, they knew the force)? Alice, herself, would have made a break for it right after Candy turned her into Daisy Buchanan – she was fine not witnessing some… ghost, or whatever. But they were shackled… shackled in a way that Freyja was not. Was it who she was as a person? Did she have nothing to worry about? Was it this… thing they had all been affected by? – Oh, but what a lovely twist! Those many months That month or so away could do a world of good for Alice’s standing in the other’s eyes! Oh, beautiful day! Accepting the hotdog (though it was destined to be regifted – #NoMeatLife1999), she tried to mask her bewilderment and confusion behind exactly what she had been feeling not only minutes before: great boredom! “Yeah, sure.” …Maybe acting ‘normal’ was easier said than done. Inspecting the hotdog, as if that were the most natural thing she could do in the moment as opposed to – I don’t know! chat? – she found herself forced to embrace a question Freyja had either: 1) gotten all day, or 2) would answer with ‘no?’ and Alice would be inclined to believe because, really, where had she been? “So, like… elephant in the room: did you actually fucking leave?” Curiosity? Yes. Envy? Perhaps a bit. Contempt? No.

🔮 

Blame Time Warp fuzziness for the reason Freyja presented the worst olive branch possible. Something in the haze that made the people she had memorized feel like a book she had picked up for the first time. Yet Alice didn’t shoo her away like she had been expecting. “Thanks,” she mumbled. It was a cautious move to sit down next to her, like approaching a stray cat that could bolt if you moved too fast.

“That’s what they keep saying,” Freyja sighed, a tad more cryptic than she had intended. Was it too late to ask someone if this was all just a joke? Some tasteless prank being pulled on her? If she unraveled and told Alice everything, would she be met with some ‘gotcha!’ grin? At this point, she was almost sure she’d prefer that to the reality sinking in. “I mean, yeah. Moment of weakness or some shit.”

I missed you. The words caught in Freyja’s throat. She would have if she had actually left. There was no doubt in her mind about that, but to say the words and just go through the motions felt disingenuous. There was enough guilt about what brought her to Alice’s side. The least Freyja could do is not poison their relationship even more. “I’m sorry, Alice.” Genuine, true.

[freeserburn]

closed starter for @alicealder​

Freyja knew exactly how tonight would be going with Alice if there wasn’t this gaping wound of unexplained time away. Teasing her with the idea of matching stupid Spirit Makeovers. Actually going through with it if Alice seemed even remotely interested. It should have been the kind of witty and sarcastic she had grown used to from the other girl. Just like everyone else, it seemed like the universe didn’t care about what should’ve been.

Freyja stood in front of Alice on the bleachers, doing her best to juggle the two hot dogs and popcorn she had gotten from the snack house. “Hungry?” she asked, offering one of the hot dogs out as an olive branch. “Even if you’re not, it’s probably a good idea to have something anyways. Have you eaten today?” The kind of fussing over her friends that came naturally. “Since I’m heroically saving you from the awkward encounter-” Were things still weird with Indigo? “Filled with questions about if you’re enjoying the overly peppy activities and forgoing your family discount to do so, I think it’s only fair I get to steal that spot next to you, right?”

[freeserburn]

closed starter for @harveyiii​

Freyja’s shoulder to cry on had always been open to everyone. Of course, it used to be more of a ‘you come to me’ kind of thing. That didn’t mean it wasn’t open! Case in point, Harvey Hargrove. If she had been a real therapist with rules and regulations, all that fancy crap, there probably would have been some kind of conflict of interest when he came to her after the infamous prom night. What choice did she have? Turn him away when literally everything was going to shit? Casey was her best friend, but she wasn’t blind. Or an idiot. Trying to help Harvey wasn’t some disloyalty. It didn’t mean she was ditching Casey for him.

It was the kind of memory that felt worlds away. Before Candy Girl, eyes that had never seen Lux the way she looked that night. Harvey used to feel strange to talk to. Who knows if it was the self-assigned community service hours spent pressing the girls like Kitty, Elaine or Mia to talk out of fear they’d be the next Lux Lewis they all mourned or if it was the magnitude of shit they had been through as a group since then, but it didn’t seem as daunting approaching him now. Most likely, it was because she anticipated him to be one of the ones that truly hadn’t cared she left or that she was back now.

“I don’t know football very well,” Obviously. “How important of a game is this?” It seemed nicer than starting off on the ‘Noah told me Casey was on the team. How does that make you feel? How are you two doing?’ topic that was practically burning her tongue with every second she withheld it.

[freeserburn]

thewriter-noah​:

It wasn’t lost on Noah, the lack of sleep he’d been getting with everything going on. More often than not, home no longer feeling like home with his brothers barely speaking to him. School had felt wrong with some of the friends he was closest to gone, and others no longer speaking to him. It was like every turn he made, he feared running into someone from the gang and as for everyone else, he swore it was like he was walking around wearing a sign designed to spill every secret he’d ever kept. And with the way things were going, they only seemed to be getting worse. 

Which meant that at first when she approached him he swore he was talking to a ghost. A figment of his imagination. Because as far as he’d known, Freyja was gone. She’d skipped town. Which honestly? Was probably for the best all things considered. He couldn’t even bring himself to be mad at her given everything they’d just been through. And yet, the sound of her voice had him questioning even that. “Holy shit. You’re really here right now aren’t you?” He asked, which may have sounded ridiculous but honestly it kind of matched his current state of being. As much as he wanted to Noah struggled to wipe the smile of his face as he looked her over. “I mean normally you’d be right but uh… Got a brother playing in the game to support and a Rory who wouldn’t let me miss it.” He offered, despite currently being unaware of the presence of either. 

“When’d you get back?” 

🔮

There was a tightness in her chest that threatened to suffocate her there and then when Noah was surprised to see her. Something she should have been used to by now, considering he was far from the first person to give that reaction. It was stupid holding out hope for someone to pull out some magical ‘I knew you never left. I can explain everything to you!’ but if it came from anyone, she kind of expected it to be Noah. Like they were right back on the crappy swing set at the park talking about what he’d do if it were his book. Some cheap movie cut the reveals all of this was just a dream. Something, anything. “I’m really here.”

Casey was playing in the game. Something that somehow managed to sound even weirder bouncing around in her head than when Noah had said it. The last clear memory of Casey is standing to the side of some stupid CCU mixer, snickering as if everyone else’s enthusiasm was their own inside joke. More sarcastic and bitter than she ever spoke to Mac about these things. Was it selfish to feel some kind of abandoned? Of course it was. Her job was to smile and support them. Something that probably would have been more achievable if it wasn’t essentially a blind side. If they were really looking into it, Casey was the one with the right to claim betrayal. No matter how deeply Freyja was feeling it, she couldn’t announce that it felt like mere days ago.

“If you see him, tell him I said good luck.” What a shitty best friend she was shaping up to be. “I’ll find him. I’ll tell him.” And a Rory. At least some things weren’t changing. Rory and Noah had been friends before she... left? Checked out? Hit her head super hard and suffered some kind of memory loss? They were still on good terms, which slightly dulled some guilt of not being there. She trusted both of them to look out for each other. “How’s she been? Rory,” the clarification tagged on as if there was room for any doubt about who she could have been asking about.

When did she get back? Was it weird to admit her first move was to come look for everyone? How do you explain that there was a reminder about the game in your room despite the fact everyone is saying it was like a month or something since she ran away? Would waiting days before making contact make her seem worse? “This morning. I heard everyone talking about the game and figured most of you guys would be here.”

[freeserburn]

starter for @thewriter-noah​

Old habits die hard. Maybe it was just searching for a sense of normalcy in a situation that was very not normal. Turns out skipping town and then waltzing back in trying to get everyone to spill their guts isn’t the most effective strategy. With the others, she gets it. But The Gang? Don’t they know Freyja is smarter than skipping town when Candy Girl had explicitly told them not to? Even if they assumed she was some selfish fraud that had only pretended to care about them ( which she’s not! ) they should at least acknowledge that’s some mastermind shit.

Oh god, did they think she was behind it all? Surely they would have come down harder if they did. Met her with pitchforks and torches rather than cold shoulders and apathy. Was it kind of a coward move to avoid the conversations she knew would be brutal? People like Zahra that she knew would have not problem calling her out if any of them had thought it even once. Probably, but right now Noah Russell was a sight for sore eyes.

They were friends. Not a business transaction or forced proximity because of Casey and The Gang. Okay, maybe they started like that, but now Freyja would swear he was the annoying and endearing little brother she never had. The age didn’t matter, it was the fact he was Casey’s little brother. Something Freyja’s mind just never shook off when she had mentally intertwined their families.

He’d have the courtesy to soften any blows, right? For old times sake. At the very least, his lashing out would be poetic. “I thought you were deathly allergic to things like this. School spirit and stuff.”

[freeserburn]

mac or your family? you have to pick.

Mac is my family. That’s not some stupid cop out, it’s the truth.

[freeserburn]

romxnticss​:

closed starter for @freeserburn​

Mackenzie always assumed people would leave, it had always come naturally to him. It had been the default in his life since he was three days old, and at some point it became easier to expect it than to trust people at face value. Freyja, somehow, had slipped right through the cracks in his heart, making a home there right next to Leo. With her he had trust, he had blind faith, a feeling that she would never just walk away. It made her actually walking away that much harder, it made his walls that much taller, a confirmation that his fears were all based in reality. 

He’d thought a lot about what he’d say to her if and when she came back, how he’d cite the broken promises and push her away just as she’d pushed him. He just hadn’t expected that day to come so fast, so much faster than he’d been able to prepare for. So if her leaving hurt, somehow her return hurt worse, knocking whatever he’d prepared on all those sleepless nights right out of his head. 

“So you’re back, huh?” 

🔮

You’re back. Freyja had heard those words from many people since making her rounds, but no one else’s cut through everything and made her physically sick the way he did. “Mackenzie…” The knee-jerk reaction is to point out just how ridiculous the idea sounds. Sure, they always talked about leaving town, but she’d never actually do it without Casey and Mac. Right? No matter how big she spoke, Freyja had accepted she was one of the many born in Cherry and would die in Cherry. Freyja’s entire life was in this shitty little town. Her entire life was standing right in front of her. He had just celebrated his birthday. They had just held each other in the bunker Candy had forced them into. Things were okay again. How did it all go so south in what felt like days? The look on his face, the tone of his voice- all of it made her skin crawl. It was jarring from the dinner with Leo to celebrate his birthday. Something Freyja could have sworn was mere weeks ago. Leo Walsh is yet another thought that breaks Freyja’s heart. He was family to her, the same way Mac was. Did he think she left too? Abandoned Mac and all the promises they had made. Would he ever forgive her?

“I don’t know what to say.” Quite literally. I went to bed one day and woke up months later with no memory, but everyone telling me I skipped town? It sounded like a shitty lie cooked up because she couldn’t face him. Mac deserved an explanation. One that she couldn’t give him no matter how much she wanted to. “I’m sorry.” Even with zero clue of what was going on, she knew that was true. She couldn’t imagine a world where she ever wasn’t sorry for being part of the reason Mac looked so worn down. So tired. Those bags under his eyes weren’t there the last time she saw him. “Forever. I’m…” She didn’t want to say back. That wasn’t right because she swore she never left. “Here.” Though they were all words that probably meant nothing now.

[freeserburn]

libbylogan​:

WHO: libby and u  WHAT: she’s just being a freak as per usual  WHERE: the potluck <3

Libby wasn’t sure that she had ever felt this nervous, but with the threat of her very first football game looming on the horizon - go fighting cherries! - she thought she might totally lose it. Leo had beamed at her all morning; she was sure she didn’t deserve it, but she still soaked it in like it was Glenda offering her scraps at the table. Harvey had asked her ‘are you sure you wanna do this?’ so many times that having to reassure him felt more like the beginnings of talking herself out of getting on the field at all. 

Ugh. 

If Libby could have had her way, she would have skipped the potluck altogether. If the coach hadn’t made it mandatory, and if Leo hadn’t been so excited to take pictures of her in her Letterman jacket with the rest of the team, she would probably be hiding out in a quiet corner of the Ladies’ Locker Room. She would probably be repeating some mantra of ‘EAT THEM ALIVE, LIBBY LOGAN!!’ until she felt like she could. 

Instead she was biting out a sharp, breathless, “Can you move!” To the body that had so ungraciously backed into her, and fighting the feelings of claustrophobia that were closing in on her from all sides. At least she’d be fired up before the stupid game. 

“I’m trying to get out of this crowd before I freakin’ lose it, and you -” Libby was seeing so much red, she wasn’t even sure who she was barking at. Desperation  was scarlet, apparently. “Are so not helping the situation, so…” 

“If you wouldn’t mind?” 

🔮

Libby Logan in a Letterman jacket. That was new, right? Even while feeling like an unreliable narrator in her own life, she was sure this was a new development. Judging by the energy practically radiating off the other girl. First game jitters? That really was the best case scenario, wasn’t it?

The rage painted over the other girl’s features was somehow both familiar and jarring, but instead of observing Libby like some twisted case study, she was giving the much taller boy a shove to the shoulder. A gentle encouragement to give Libby her space.

“I think getting out of this crowd is a good idea for you,” she pointed out, her hand hovering over Libby’s back. It used to feel normal placing her hand on the other girl’s back to guide her, but with everything going on and how frazzled Libby seemed... her hand dropped back to her side. “You should have some water. Hydrate before the game and... all that.”

[astoldbyteller]

THIS OR THAT?

Hi, Fighting Cherries! It’s been a hot second, and I know you’re all being busy little bees at Homecoming tonight… but I figured we could play a little game to catch up! Welcome to THIS or THAT!  

Be sure to reblog this bulletin post if you feel like participating, and check out the cut if you need an example of how to play! Have fun - and as always, make sure you send out twice as many as you receive!

To play This or That, you’re going to send two things to any certain player and make them choose between the two! For example, if someone sent me “Harvey or Libby?” I’d obviously answer, ‘Harvey!’ because nobody needs more Loser Logan in their life than necessary! Get it?

[freeserburn]

winnifredwu​:

who: open! what: winnie? annoyed? shocking! where: band club request line

In a break between songs, Winnie took a moment to stand and stretch out her back. Keeping good posture at her piano exhausted her after a while and she needed to feel like she was cracking her vertebrae. What she really wanted was a cigarette (damn past Winnie for picking up the habit while trying to look cool) but she didn’t have any. As she leaned forward to try to touch her toes (and hopefully crack her back) she didn’t notice someone approaching her until their shoes entered her field of vision. “If you’re here to request Free Bird,” she spoke, strained from her leaned over position. “I’ll tell you what I told th-the last guy,” as she spoke she straightened back up, looking the other person in the eye. “It’s not on th-the list, and it’s not even a good song. Stop asking.”

🔮

Cherry was far from perfect. Even before the snowball effect that was Lux’s death started to take things out one by one, there were cracks in the glass. Though things had reached a boiling point, everyone gathering meant one thing. Freyja was pushing all her confusion and worries to the back of her mind in favour of lending an ear. Of course, that didn’t mean she was one thousand percent serious. It didn’t hurt to request a song! Call it a lunch break, if you will. “God, no. Not Free Bird.” The fact there was a possibility of multiple people requesting that song? Perhaps the weirdest thing of all. “I’ll give you a little creative freedom... your favourite Mystic Cherry song. I can give my totally unbiased opinion that we only have good songs and a little birdy told me some are on the list.”

[freeserburn]

roryjackson​:

who: open what: stress <3 where: back behind the equipment shed

Homecoming always looked fun in the movies. It was a quintessential college experience, and here Rory was, a complete nervous wreck hiding behind the equipment shed just to get some air. But she hadn’t really expected anyone else to come wandering back there. “Oh my god- sorry-” she blurted out. “I was just, trying not to hurl! Don’t mind me!” It was meant to sound like a joke (even though it was totally true), but nothing about her wavering voice sounded convincing, even to her. Her chest felt too tight, like her ribs were collapsing inwards under the pressure. “Sorry, I won’t puke if you want to hide out here too.” Her stomach turned again and she paled unconvincingly. “Probably.” 

🔮 

If time taught Freyja anything, it’s that she would always follow Rory Jackson. Away from crowds, into that stupid Cherryplex, even now behind the equipment shed. “I didn’t come here to hide. I came for you.” Which probably would have been a bit more convincing if Rory didn’t feel like such a fuzzy memory. Something that got further away every single time she reached out. The calendar was clear on the dates, so why did all those days feel... empty? Red X’s through the days like she lived them, but no recollection. No feelings. Among all the uncertainty, she knew one thing. She’d never give up on Rory. “C’mere,” she offered, arms open for the other girl. Would she even come? “I can get you a bag or something. Maybe a bucket?”

[freeserburn]

who: @caseyfm​ what: idk but i’m Trying where: mixer bay bee

There were pros and cons to The Pit supplying the drinks for this mixer bullshit. Pro, she could trust Casey to give her a little special treatment (like always!) rather than someone that played by the rules of needing ID. Or more likely, not supplying alcohol to anyone at a CCU centered event. Con, she couldn’t linger by Casey’s side the entire time like they usually would. It had become a staple of these kind of events to spend her time with her boys. Every sarcastic comment finding its home with Casey. The comfort of knowing that she’d not only get a chuckle in return but someone just as willing to make fun of the theatrics. The rest of the town had their own bonding moments and sense of coming together from the sickening displays of extravagance, but that was theirs. “Look, I can appreciate the ‘cute’ name.” Paired with the air quotes and sarcasm typical of Freyja when it came to the compulsory school spirit filled events. “But if you hand me an actual mocktail, I think I’ll lose my mind.” Admittedly, it was a multitude of things all piling up on Freyja. Turns out all her preaching of not being able to heal when you bottled things up had some truth to it! Of course, Freyja would continue to heal everyone else before herself. “How long until Ronnie takes over and I get my friend back?”

[freeserburn]

who: @paceybrooks​ what: not getting to see kamilla & wilco kiss :( where: the bunker

From the second things started to settle and people accepted that they would be stuck for a while, Freyja did what she did best. As far as Candy related tragedies go, it wasn’t hard to consider the fact they had gotten lucky. How fucked up did life get that Libby’s split head, Zev’s broken rib, Audrina’s body covered in cuts, and Harvey’s fractured shoulder were considered lucky? At least no one was dead like the last time they danced with the LDB at Cherryplex. No one was in a coma like the Phantom had left them. Of course, that didn’t mean it was time to slack. By normal standards, this was a fucked up night. Freyja still played her shoulder to cry on role, just a little closer to something that could almost be called a comfort zone. It was different when she sat down next to Pacey. A beat to give Pacey an opportunity to talk if she wanted to before the playful smirk crept its way onto her lips. “You know, I think the thing I’m most upset about right now is that we don’t get to see our Valentine play out.” If she was truly honest, it was not the most prominent thing on her mind, but it was nice to pretend they were living in a world where that could be their main concern. “What do you think is happening?” she asked, her attention more focused on the door than Pacey. “You think he’s figured it out yet?”

[freeserburn]

romxnticss​:

closed starter for @freeserburn​

Mac wasn’t sure why he was surprised when things happened to them anymore, not when every few weeks they were being shuffled into some ridiculously dangerous situation. He wasn’t sure why he expected anything different tonight, especially when they were being held as a captive audience, but maybe there was a small part of him that still believed in birthday miracles or whatever. Eventually he’d gravitated towards Freyja (the way he always did) and found himself wrapping an arm around her to keep her close just incase anything popped out at them. His eyes scanned the room, everything still spinning from the amount of alcohol he’d consumed, “How long do you think we’ll be stuck in here?” 

🔮

Freyja leaned into Mac’s embrace the second he was next to her. “I don’t know,” Freyja admitted. “I can’t tell if the silence on the other side is a good thing or not.” Every second there was a lull between the people she was speaking to, she was expecting to hear Grace’s screams fill the air. Desperate banging and pleading to be let back in. Would they even do it if she did? Uncertainty spun around Freyja’s mind until her arm wrapped around Mac’s waist to use him as an anchor. Instead, she focused on what she was sure of. “I’m really proud of you.” Though being locked in a dusty bunker was far from their ideal, there was a strange sense of relief that came along with the adrenaline rush starting to fade. The Life and Death Brigade vs Candy Girl. More importantly, Freyja and Mac vs The World once again. “Shitty circumstance...” When wasn’t nowadays? “But it was nice to hear you again.”

[freeserburn]

alicealder​:

“Yeah – I mean, literally painting red roses white… that’s, like, a whole new form of dedication.” It was moments like those that Alice simply had to doubt that any of this had to do with her – the roses were for the town’s entertainment, no doubt… And then she remembered directly asking Candy if it had all just been a string of wild coincidence… and being the ‘guest of honor’… and getting a note attached to the outfit that read ‘Be mine?’ This was… what the fuck. “No – no, I’ve just had an Alice Liddell costume sitting in my closet, actually – y’know, waiting for the perfect moment like that.” Certainly Freyja would pick up on the sarcasm… unlike it seemed Candy had (where were tone indicator in the year 1999!). “You look pretty good for, like… a playing card?, though.”

“As of right now, I’m gonna have to agree with you, but you never know when she’s got another bomb planted somewhere…” Oh, Carousel Cove! A night that would not soon be forgotten, even six months later! “Didn’t she, like, hack into our bank accounts that one time?” You know, when she’d criticized them for using ‘password’ as their password? “Trophy wife would actually be pretty cool, though – no one ever suspects the trophy wife is capable of this much… cleverness?” Oh, the poor stereotype of the dumb trophy wife! “You ever wonder if she’s, like… bugged our rooms?”

🔮 

“I should have guessed,” Freyja replied without missing a beat. Moments like this between them were reassuring in a sense. Everything with Alice came so naturally, like they were fated to be close. Everything felt too real to be built on dishonest intentions. There was almost a way you could phrase it like an unfortunate circumstance landing you right where you were supposed to be. If it were that simple, Freyja wouldn’t have this looming fear of Alice figuring her out lingering around. “Oh god, is it really that distinct?” Freyja groaned.

“Maybe she’s done it again. Everyone is gonna find their accounts drained and find out the real reason everything is so lush and expensive tonight.” It was definitely not a good sign that mass robbery seemed to be one of the best case scenarios. “Oh, absolutely. How else would she know that you had a Wonderland related emergency that just couldn’t wait until Halloween.” But the teasing smirk on Freyja’s lips was only brief before it faltered under the weight of reality with a sigh. “Our rooms, our jobs, anywhere we hang out frequently. Probably knows how to log into all of our AOL accounts.” The thought of that alone made Freyja sick to her stomach. How many secrets would she be providing on a silver platter if Candy looked through her messages? “I’m leaning more towards wondering if there’s anywhere we aren’t under her watchful eye.”