Hayley Parker

28. Magi. Acting like you're not afraid doesn't mean you're not scared.

[bella-barnett-blog]

[Bella liked this place. It was very domestic, and she needed that. She needed that semblance of normality. Of course, a majority of what it had done was simply make her crave marriage and settling down all over again. She had important people by her side and that was what brought her through the day. Rory was bigger now, stronger, and he was able to hunt small animals for them. He was still a puppy at heart, so while Bella walked around the kitchen preparing some lunch, the dog was sitting at her heels, swatting at the bottom of her too-big jeans that stuck out of her shoes. She’d gotten a new backpack since their group had separated from the others. It was bigger, and held more. The last time they’d run into another mall, she’d stocked up on clothes, animal toys, and random things. In front of her now was an old iPod that was playing an odd selection of songs. It had been left with the power off, and somehow the battery still worked. She didn’t exactly like the music that was playing, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. After about an hour she decided to turn it off to save battery. As Bella finished the last of her lunch on the surprisingly shiny clean plates, she shoved it aside and leaned down to open the bottom cupboard and grab something for Rory. Since they weren’t a huge group and didn’t need a huge food supply, they were able to actually set food aside for Rory, which was mostly leftovers and stuff no one else would eat. But Rory was having none of it. When Bella prepared his bowl and shoved it towards him, he walked away, moving to sit his butt down in front of the island and stare at Bella’s food. Bella shook her head, standing near her food and staring him down, challenging him. The makeshift staring contest only ended when Bella’s fiancee walked into the room.]

[Bella looked up at her fiancee, breaking the staring contest. It must’ve looked weird, a woman and a dog staring at each other over a plate of food.] Tell your son to stop being an asshole.

[hayley--parker]

[Hayley entered the kitchen to find her two idiots staring each other down. It was a rather adorable sight, but she kept any sign of it off her face.] You know how I feel about cursing in front of our son.

[hayley--parker]

[hayley--parker]

[It had been months since they separated from the bulk of the group. Hayley, Bella, Alex, Faith, and Wes were all that were left now. They traveled southeast to get away from another snowy winter, and they have temporarily settled in a large, country home with a few acres of fields. The fields must have been used for farming before the world ended, but when the group arrived, they were just overgrown and running rampant with weeds. Using her magic, Hayley had wiped out all the weeds and replaced them with grass. Inside, the water still ran because of a well on the land, and the stove and oven ran on propane. Thankfully, whoever had lived there previously had stocked up on plenty of supplies. Either they didn't head into town often, or something horrible happened to drive them from their safehouse. Nobody dwelled on that for long, though, because with a working stove and running water, they could finally have warm showers to take out of the bitterness of the winter. Although the group was a little bit further south than the previous winter, they still were far enough north to experience low temperatures. It never reached freezing, but sometimes it got rather close. 

Hayley and Bella were still engaged to one another, but now Hayley had a ring of her own. The pair had picked it up at a mall they had raided on their journey. California was still the goal, and having a child, a beach house, and a white picket fence was still Hayley's dream, and she hoped it had remained the same for Bella. In the last few months, survival had become more of an issue with their life. It took up more time than it had when they were with the others, and for a logical reason. They just didn't have as much security as they had before. There was strength in numbers, and their numbers had dwindled rapidly. Wes, Alex, and Faith were usually the ones to take the night shifts and watch over the fields surrounding the house, which gave Bella and Hayley some structure in their lives. Hayley personally wanted nothing more than to live a normal life with her fiancee and their dog, and this level of domestically the house was giving them was showing her that she not only wanted it but needed it. This was lifting Hayley's spirits, and the twinkle that had been dim in her eye was burning bright. She wanted to get married and have kids and get to California, and she knew it'd be hard and that they might not make it, but, to her, it was well worth the risk.]

[Whilst thinking about the future, Hayley was searching the house for her fiancee. She had fallen asleep while daydreaming in the bed they shared, and she wanted to tell Bella what had been on her mind lately. She walked downstairs and went through the dining room into the kitchen, hoping maybe the girl was in there.]

[hayley--parker]

bella-barnett:

[Bella pulls the same hair flip she’d pulled with Jack a few days ago, trying to prove that she’s definitely cuter.] Have you seen me?

[Hayley rolls her eyes, and her smile disappears.] I have, yes. I'm still cuter.

[hayley--parker]

bella-barnett:

[Bella has to force herself to put on her best sad-face.] I’m not acting. I’m the cuter one.

[She lets out a small laugh.] Have you even seen me?

[hayley--parker]

bella-barnett:

[Bella makes a “ehh” noise and makes a face, pretending to disagree.]

[Hayley can't help but smile at Bella's resistence to admit she's a little cutie.] You're not an actress, babe. I can tell when you're acting.

[hayley--parker]

bella-barnett:

[Bella stubbornly refuses to give up.] I’m sure she does. I bet she’s a real cutie, too. Maybe even cuter than you.

[Hayley shakes her head.] No. No one's cuter than me.

[hayley--parker]

bella-barnett:

Maybe she just has a better sense of humor than you. [Bella insists, shrugging casually. Her jokes are amazing. Most of the time.] But that’s cute. She loves you a lot, too.

[Hayley smiles but hides it well with a smug look.] She better. I've spent over a year of my life with her.

[anna-kendrickarchive]

[bella-barnett-blog]

[Bella tries to resist the urge to go into fake-hurt mode, instead just.. staying in character.] Well, I’m sure she’s a nice woman. Probably very funny and adorable, too.

[hayley--parker]

[She nods.] Oh, she is, but some of her jokes aren't as funny as she thinks they are. But you have to give people credit for trying, right? And I love her a lot so I'm okay with tolerating her bad jokes.

[hayley--parker]

bella-barnett:

[Bella settles down and listens to Hayley, smug smile on her face as she tries to keep up the little roleplay. However once Hayley starts singing, she finds that hard. She’s always told Hayley how beautiful her voice is, and damn, how that hasn’t changed. She listens to her sing, aboslutely loving the feeling her voice leaves in the bottom of her stomach. When she’s done, she looks at her with a grin.] You’re amazingly talented. You single?

[Hayley smiles proudly when she's finished.] Sorry, no. I'm actually engaged. I'd show you my ring, but my fiancee is too cheap to get me one. That's her only flaw, though.

[hayley--parker]

bella-barnett:

[Rory’s gone quickly, then the dog is all up on Bella, wanting to be held. Bella had ignored him yesterday because she was toying around with her powers, instead he’d been taken out by Hayley and Faith, now the dog is desperate for attention from her. She picks the dog up, despite him not being too small anymore, and walks back inside to find Hayley, excited and happy dog in her arms. The sight of Lexie’s guitar makes a pang of sadness be felt in Bellas chest as she remembers her last conversation with the girl, but she puts on a big smile as she sets the dog down on the floor and walks up to her girl.] Excuse me, miss. Can you maybe play me a song?

[Hayley looks up when she hears someone walking her way. A smile settles on her features as she sees the small girl holding the rather large dog. Rory's just like a baby and loves to be held, but he's almost too big to do so without breaking their backs. Once Bella sets the big baby down, he rushes over to Hayley and greets her by sticking his nose in her face.] Hi baby, [she says softly to him.] A song, stranger? As you wish. [She smirks up at Bella and then looks down to the guitar, placing her fingers where they need to go. Then she begins playing.] I'm breathing words like oxygen, don't let me miss a breath. I know this is where I belong. I'm singing songs like violence, don't let me miss a note. I hope this is where I belong. I'm just a world awayyy from letting stars light up my mind, and show me the way. I'm just a smile away, from bringing hooooope. [When she hits the chorus, Hayley's voice grows louder, stronger, prouder.] And I sing for youuuu, tonight. I hope you'll be listening. And I breathe for youuu, tonight. I hope you'll meet me there.

[hayley--parker]

[It feels weird holding Lexie's guitar, knowing the girl had been interested in Bella, and yet it feels familiar in her hands. It's because she's played guitar before, but she was never really any good at it. She knows a handful of songs, but she hasn't played them in so long that she might be fooling herself by thinking she can still play them. Rory is outside with Bella, giving Hayley an opportunity to try playing the guitar without being watched. She takes advantage of it and plays a few chords.]

[hayley--parker]

darcy-reynolds:

[Darcy casts a quick glance over her shoulder at the sound of a voice, but as soon as she registers the familiar face her eyes are on the ground again, frantically searching.] There was a spider. On my leg. [She takes another step away from where she’d been sitting before she decides she’s safe for now. She takes a deep breath, composing herself a little bit before looks over at the other woman and offers a sheepish shrug.] I’m uh, not really a fan.

Ew, [she echos and takes a step back. Spiders are gross, and she definitely doesn't want one on her leg.] If you were a fan, I'd probably think you're pretty weird. [She's joking, of course. Maybe. People who like spiders are more likely to be weird than people who don't like them, but who is she to judge?] 

[darcy-reynolds]

[There’s a definite chill in the air now, but the sun is shining and this is probably one of the last days Darcy will be able to get away with shorts so she’s wearing them anyways, ignoring the tiny goosebumps that spring up on her legs the longer they’re stretched in front of her. She sits with her back against a tree, weaving some brightly colored string she’d found into a friendship bracelet and only looking up from her task when she feels something on her leg. She glances down, letting out a yelp and jumping to her feet when she sees the spider crawling across it.] EEEEWWW! Ew ew ew ew ew! [She shakes her leg violently until the spider is gone. They’d never bothered her before the mall, but now the creatures haunt her nightmares and she looks around frantically, trying to find it so she can squash it before it grows more heads and tries to eat her.] 

[hayley--parker]

[Hayley is walking near Darcy, not paying much attention to her surroundings when she hears the girl's outburst. Alarmed, she looks over and starts scanning over the ground where Darcy is searching. A little apprehensive to know the answer, Hayley asks,] What did you "ew" at?

[hayley--parker]

Where do you think you are in the States right now?

We're in Virginia. We've been here for a while.

[hayley--parker]

benjamin-dewitt:

{Benjamin nods once in agreement. Yes, the close they are to California, the better. But he still isn’t sure what California could hold. Could they dare to hope that it would be any different than what they had found here? Would that state be safer than the rest of the country? The rest of the world? What is even happening in the rest of the world? His eyes shoot back to the tent Kris is being held in and while his tone remains optimistic, he still gives a light shrug, because he isn’t sure.} Kris is a fighter. She’ll pull through.

Good. [Hayley and Kris don't talk much, but she has immense respect for the leader. It'd be hard to do what she does, what she has done over the last year and a half. Kris does a lot for the group, even by doing little things like teaching a person how to clean their gun. She taught Hayley how to take it apart and put it back together again. It's a simple but important lesson] What happened exactly? Do you know?