﹙ ɢʀᴀᴠɪᴛʏ. ﹚

lydia charlotte mckendrick 29. bartender. hero. something scratching it's way OUT something you want to forget about

[lydiamcks]

writing sample | app self para 3

She didn’t realize it at first–how hard it would be. Lacey worked in the medical field, so she heard about it all the time. Women lose pregnancies. It’s common. The words would repeat over and over in her head just to help her remember. 1 in 4 women will experience a miscarriage in their lifetime. She wasn’t special. The statistics proved it, yet there was still this ache in the pit of her stomach that she couldn’t address or get rid of.

Push it down. She knew it would still be there, but she didn’t want it to consume her. And then there was Charlie. Every time his name popped into her head, the ache grew bigger. He didn’t know any of what was going on, and Lacey would make sure it stayed that way. He didn’t need to know. They weren’t having a baby, so it didn’t matter anymore. Lacey just wanted to move on. Of course, that proved to be harder than she had first anticipated.

It had been a long first day back for Lacey, and as she made her rounds, she tried to think about anything other than the one thing that kept creeping back into her mind. Charlie, miscarriage. Charlie, miscarriage. She tried to throw herself into any other thing that she possibly could. She spent extra time making sure patients were comfortable and perfected the charts at the nurses’ station. When she got a page, Lacey was relieved to have something else to throw herself into. That was, until she realized where exactly she was going.

She pulled the sleeves on her undershirt down; being on the pediatric floor sent a shiver up her spine. Lacey took a deep breath before opening the door to the nursery to find the fellow nurse that paged her. A few feet away, her co worker stood, holding a newborn in her arms.

“Oh, Lacey! Good.” The woman smiled, slowly making her way over to where Lacey was standing. “You got my page?"

Lacey’s eyes were fixed on the child. "Um…” It took her a moment to focus on her fellow nurse. Finally lifting her eyes, she slowly nodded, pressing her lips together. “Yeah, I did. But…they probably need me back downstairs, so if you just wanna tell me what you need…” Before she could even finish, the woman cut her off.

“Ugh, I swear I haven’t been able to step away for hours. I really need a quick break." She took a step forward, smiling down at the baby before looking back up at Lacey. "You don’t mind, right? I’m sure they can spare you for a few minutes."

"I…um…” The words didn’t even get the chance to leave her mouth before the nurse was placing the baby into Lacey’s arms.

“Thank you! This is Charlotte. Mother’s still recovering from a C-Section, and she’s been in need of some human contact, so I’ve just been rocking her." She placed the baby in Lacey’s arms. "Just do a little swaying back and forth, and she’ll be fine! I’ll be back in 10, Lace. Page if you need me!"

Before she could even react, Lacey was standing alone in the nursery. She looked down at the baby in her arms, biting at the inside of her cheek. Charlotte looked up at the brunette, her eyes big and mouth slightly agape. Lacey felt her stomach flip. In that moment, she felt as if she couldn’t even take a breath. She was physically unable to do anything other than stare into this small child’s eyes. The baby’s eyes quickly darted to elsewhere in the room, causing Lacey to look up. She had been so focused on the baby in her arms that she had almost forgotten the multiple infants that laid in bassinets around her. This time, she bit her lip, harder than she meant to, but it was what she needed to keep the tears that stung in the back of her eyes at bay. It seemed as if she was standing there forever, in that room, holding that baby in her arms. Lacey looked down once more, captured by Charlotte’s eyes. She didn’t even notice when the other nurse came back into the room to relieve her.

"I’m sorry, I know I was a little longer than 10 minutes, but…" Lacey’s head darted up, her eyes released from Charlotte’s gaze. She took a deep breath, quickly moving to hand the baby back to the nurse.

"It’s fine. I have to run.” Without even looking back, Lacey quickly made her way to the door and exited the room. It took everything she had not to lose it right there in the hallway. She rushed around a corner and grabbed the door handle, propelling herself into the empty stairwell. A tear fell from her eyes, and then another one followed. She pressed her back against the door trying to breath deeply. The baby’s wide eyes were stuck in her mind, and as hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about them. Sinking down onto the floor of the stairwell, Lacey knew in that moment that she couldn’t keep this up. It was too hard for her to look into the eyes of those children every single day. She just couldn’t survive it. 1 in 4 women. She thought. It’s common.

[lydiamcks]

writing sample | app self para 2

Fear. That thing that isn’t quite tangible, but feels about as heavy as carrying an elephant around on your back. It’s weight and persistence seek to drag you down–sometimes to even paralyze you. It wasn’t a feeling that Lydia was unfamiliar with. She felt fear the night her mother died, the day she realized that her father wasn’t who she thought he was, and especially the night Alex Kennedy saved her life.

It wasn’t death that she was afraid of. It wasn’t something she wished for either, but the root of her fear didn’t come from dying. It came from the idea of what happens after death. Lydia had single-handedly witnessed the aftermath of her mother’s death. The anger, grief, and hollow feelings that her loved ones were left with were what kept her up at night. Not monsters in the closet or a creature under her bed, but the idea of leaving her brother. The idea of causing him pain or suffering was enough to make her palms sweat.

That’s why, the night Alex Kennedy saved her, the fear she felt didn’t come from being near death. It came from what she felt next. The urge to do something. To be a part of something that would be bigger than herself and could, possibly, put her in harm’s way. But Lydia felt compelled to try to make something happen. That’s why she convinced Angel James to put her in touch with Alex…the Green Arrow who now stood in front of her.

“Angel said you had something to talk to me about.” His words now pulled her from her thoughts. She came back to reality, focusing her eyes on Alex.

“Uh, yes. Yes. First of all, I thought I owed you a thank you. You know–for saving my life.”

“Not necessary. It’s what I do.” He shrugged it off, turning away from her. Lydia paused, not wanting to lose his attention, she snaked around him.

“Right. And that’s exactly what I was hoping to talk to you about.” She said, biting the inside of her cheek. “Your whole operation here…fighting crime. Being vigilantes.”

“What about it?”

Lydia took a deep breath, mustering up the courage to say what came next. “I want in.”

She could tell the words caught him off guard. Here she was, a normal human without any especially powerful skills or abilities to offer. In fact, she had just about no background in anything to do with this field. It was a wonder her didn’t laugh in her face. “Well, we aren’t exactly taking applications.” Alex brushed past her, shaking his head. His disinterest should have been a punch to her ego, but she only felt more empowered to advocate for herself.

“Look, I’m not…I’m not a superhuman, okay? I can’t move things with my mind or teleport from one point to another. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have something to offer.” He was still facing away from her. She sighed, taking a step closer. “I get what you’re doing. I know it isn’t all just fighting bad guys and kicking ass. It has purpose. And that matters to me.” Alex still didn’t respond, frustrating Lydia. “And, you know what, you need me.” That comment seemed to catch his attention.

He raised an eyebrow, finally turning around to meet her gaze. “Oh yeah? And what makes you say that?”

“Because. I am loyal, and I am tough. And, hell, I need you too. I need to do something that matters. That has purpose and impact. I need to do this.”

Alex stood there, motionless. He looked Lydia up and down for a moment before, finally, sighing. “We could use someone at operations while we’re out in the field. Someone to hold down the fort.” Lydia’s eyebrows raised, waiting for him to say the words she was looking for. Alex shook his head, his look conveying a very ‘what the hell’ type vibe. “Be here tomorrow morning, 8am sharp. And don’t be late.” He turned around, to walk in the opposite direction, leaving Lydia behind.

A smile grew on her face. She let out a sigh of relief, and as she watched him walk away from her, she felt for the first time in a while that she was a part of something that really mattered.

[lydiamcks]

writing sample | app self para 1

Pressure. That’s always what comes first. That feeling that there’s an elephant sitting on top of your chest, and no matter how hard you try, you just can’t seem to breathe. Then there’s the sweat…the product of feeling like your body is burning. Like it’s on f i r e.

And just like that, she’s back in the house. She’s back in the middle of it all. The room fills with smoke, the fire crackles, and Laura opens her eyes to see her house covered in flames. But this time, Derek doesn’t come barreling through the door. Instead, Laura gets up slowly. She coughs through the smoke, making her way to the only door on the other side of the room. She touches her hand to it, and the heat radiates off the door onto her skin. Laura reaches down and grabs the knob in her hand, slowly turning it. The door flies open, revealing a room of flames. Laura takes a few steps back. She squints, and in the middle of the flames, she sees a shadow. A figure standing in the middle of it all. “Mom?” Laura lunges forward, but the flames grow even stronger. She squints again, and this time the shadowy figure comes into focus. Her mother stands there, staring back at her daughter through the open door. “Mom!” Laura tries to get to her, but this time she can’t move. In the distance, there is a small and sharp scream. Laura grips the door frame. “Cora!” She locks eyes with her mother and looks at her confused. Why isn’t she moving? Why isn’t she trying to get out? Talia stares back at Laura. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m going to help you." The words ring in Laura’s head. The same words she heard her mother say in the hospital the night she had triggered the curse. Just then, another figure joins them. He appears behind Talia. Laura can’t make out his face, but his eyes glow. She can see them through the flames. It’s Peter. "Mom! No! Leave her alone!” Laura tries to break through the barrier that seems to be holding her back, but as hard as she tries, she cannot get any closer to her mother. Talia speaks again. “It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay. I promise." Laura is hysterical, still trying to break through. Peter smiles at her before reaching down and slitting Talia’s throat. "NO!"

Laura lunges forward, but instead of falling into the flames, she’s suddenly sitting up in bed. She can’t catch her breath. She looks down and sees two hands on either of her shoulders. Laura finally looks up and locks eyes with Derek.

"Laura, it’s me. Wake up!"

She stares at him, finally starting to slow her breathing.

"I, uh–"

"It happened again." Derek lets his hands fall from her shoulders and he gets up off of the bed. "The nightmares."

Laura watches him as he gets up. She slowly shakes her head. "Uh, no. No, it was just a dream. I–”

“You were dreaming about the fire.” Laura stared at him, confused as to how he would immediately know. She starts to shake her head, but he interrupts her. “You were screaming again." He walks over to the window and leans against it. "You called out their names…Cora, Mom.”

Laura looks down. She runs a hand through her hair. “Yeah. It was the fire. But this time…it was different. He…Peter…was there, and you weren’t.” Laura looks over at her brother. He has his arms folded and is staring out the window. She immediately feels bad and wishes that she could’ve just kept these nightmares to herself. Laura hated bringing all of this up again every time that the dreams came back. She hated doing that to Derek. It was as if she was making him relive it all again. “I’m sorry, look it was just a dream. We should just forget it. Come on, I’m starving. We should eat.” Laura gets up to move, but Derek stays still standing where he is.  

“I still get them too." They lock eyes for a moment. They both just stand there, motionless. Neither of them speak, but in that moment, they can understand each other perfectly. Laura knew that Derek carried around blame for that day that she couldn’t understand. She did too, but even with that, she knew that standing there, they both understood exactly what the other felt.

Finally, Derek pushed himself off of the wall and walked toward Laura. He reached his hound out and lightly squeezed her shoulder. He turned and started walking toward the door. "Take a shower or something. You look like hell." Laura grabbed a small pillow from the bed and threw it in his direction. She shook her head and chuckled, folding her arms.

She lowered herself back down on to the bed, rubbing her bare arms. Her smile slowly faded as she sat there, thinking about it all. They were just dreams now. That’s all they were, but she couldn’t decide what she was more scared of. Going to sleep and having those nightmares, or waking up and finding out all over again that they were just a piece of her reality.

[lydiamcks]

posting on some old rp pages in case anyone is still out there!! 

I had a great loss in my life a few months ago, and that caused me to disappear from a few rps I was in. But I need to write again!!! so i’m looking for suggestions for groups if any old pals are still out there. I need a muse. I’ll tag some favorite fandoms. <3 sharon

[lydiamcks]

What's the best thing about being a member of team Arrow?

Being a part of something that matters. I get to watch kickass individuals make significant change in real time. And I get to be a part of that. Nothing feels greater than knowing you had some kind of impact on the world.

[lydiamcks]

angelxjames:

“Why do you look so surprised? We’re in the same boat if you really think about it.” Angel needed to learn how to fight with more than just her head and Lydia was probably up for some action herself. Not telling their leader about it though? That would surely come back to bite them in the ass. She couldn’t help but let that devious little smile cross her lips the second Lydia said that she was up for going after the robbers, just the two of them. “We’d have to break in to get that footage, wouldn’t we? Better make sure no one’s at the cave to catch us. How about I go ahead to check if the coast is clear? I mean, both of us walking in at the same time and heading for the computer’s gonna look suspicious and I don’t want Alex to know because he invented the grumpy cat face and he’s probably gonna yell at us as it is.”

Lydia nodded. Angel was, once again, right. Angel felt defined by only her powers and Lydia just felt restricted to doing what she knew. She had been fighting for the chance to step out of her box. Maybe this was it. “Breaking in would definitely be a requirement, yes.” She folded her arms in front of her. “Just speaking for myself here, but I would really like to avoid his Oscar the grouch impression as long as possible, so yes. You should check to make sure the coast is clear.”

[lydiamcks]

angelxjames:

“Definitely better looking than a robot. No doubt about it.” Angel lightly nudged her teammate as a small laugh tumbled over her lips. The blonde waited patiently when Lydia looked at the piece of paper that she was handed, curious about what the other woman was thinking. She herself felt anxious about diving into this case - her hands were already itching, but she’d feel better if she did it together with Lydia. They were both in the same situation, weren’t they? Wanting to do more for the team and wanting to be more for Alex and the others. Maybe this was a good chance to do that and they wouldn’t have to do it alone. “Come on, four robberies in one week? They have to be connected. Maybe I’ll get a vision about it. I still need to learn how to control it better and train my powers. I was thinking we’d go and check it out together though. Not tell Alex or the others, but just solve this ourselves. You want to do more, right? Just like I do?”

Lydia shook her head. She knew that Angel was probably right. The chances that the robberies weren’t connected were slim to none. “I don’t believe in coincidences much, so I’d go with connected.” Her eyes scanned over the piece of paper again, still in her hand. Her mind was so busy re-reading the words on the page that she almost missed Angel’s proposal. Her head snapped up. “Seriously?” Lydia was a little stunned that Angel was actually inviting her to go rogue. She wasn’t surprised, as in, surprised that Angel thought that she would be good to team up with. She was more surprised at finally having the opportunity. “Yeah. Yeah, I want to do more.” She slowly started nodding. “I’m in.” A small smile crept onto her face. Looking down at the paper once more, a thought jumped into her mind. “You know, maybe there’s something on the security footage that the police missed. I bet I can break into their system to take a look.”

[lydiamcks]

annaxcrawford:

Anna let out a light laugh. “Well I guess it’s my lucky day then that I’m here so late if you’re bringing out the good stuff.” Adjusting her posture, Anna sat and listened as the brunette vented about her night. “Well people are idiots for not tipping better. Don’t they know that bartenders and waiters live off their tip money?” Raising an eyebrow, she continued, “Yeah? What kind of stories? I’m curious now,” she pressed. “Anyways, not much. Just the usual,” she shrugged. “You know, work. Training with Elias. The usual,” she shrugged. “You know, if I’m being honest, I’m just itching to get out on my own now and prove that I’m not just another pretty face, you know? I’m tougher than I look and I know how to fight and defend myself.”

Lydia smiled, continuing to make the drink in front of her. She took a bottle in her hand, pouring the liquid into the shaker in front of her. “I know. The best is when people leave their change just on the bar and walk out. Like if someone leaves 14 cents another...700 thousand times, I’ll be a rich woman!” She grabbed the shaker in her hand, shaking for a few moments before setting it back down and grabbing a glass. “Oh, trust me. There were some salacious details given tonight. Like--not safe for this very public bar kind of stuff.” She smirked, pouring the liquid into a glass and sliding it over to Anna. “For you!” Lydia grabbed a towel and wiped her hands off as she listened to the blonde. “Training, huh? How’s...that’s going?” Lydia knew Anna worked with Elias, and she was pretty sure Anna knew that Lydia also...’worked’ with Elias, but that was about the extent of the information that was available. “Girl, you are definitely more than just a pretty face.” She smiled, warmly, leaning against the bar. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, you are gorgeous. That’s just a given. But even I know from the little time I’ve spent with you from behind this bar that you’re a firecracker. I wouldn’t mess with you, that’s for sure.”

[lydiamcks]

rowanxjames:

Rowan ran a rag over the bar. She replaced the salt shakers and peanut bowls. She felt someone approach and without looking up from the other end of the bar, spoke up. “What can I getcha?” she called down to them. She ran the rag to the very end of the bar and turned to face the person who approached her.

Lydia didn’t know exactly how on her one night off from both of her jobs, she ended up in a bar. Granted, the bar wasn’t the one that she worked at, so that was a plus, but it was still a bar nonetheless. It felt good, though, to be the one getting served for once. Lydia made her way over to the bar, slowly sitting down on the stool before noticing that the bartender had already approached her. “Oh...right!.” She glanced behind the blonde, briefly, somehow unable to make up her mind. “You know what? Just something...strong. Whatever you’d recommend.”

[lydiamcks]

angelxjames:

“A robot also doesn’t have feelings and you do, so I’d say that trading you for one would definitely be a step down.” she commented, her tone of voice light to match Lydia’s, but that didn’t mean that Angel wasn’t serious. In fact, she wouldn’t want anyone else on the other line of the intercom whenever she and the others went out. They’d grown used to Lydia being the one to tell them where to do and what to do and she knew the team better than a stranger. “Good thing you didn’t actually let it make you go through a lake. By the way, I was wondering if you could help me with something?” the blonde took out a piece of newspaper, holding it out to her teammate. “Another robbery last night. At the local jewelry store. That’s the fourth one this week by now.”

Lydia flipped her hair over her shoulder. “There’s that too. And the fact that I, personally, think I’m a little bit better to look at then a robot, but...that’s just me.” She chuckled, knowing that there was sincerity coming from Angel. The fact that Lydia didn’t have any powers or what she considered to be unique talents often made her question if she was actually a contributing member of the team. Rationally, she knew she was. But not being on the front lines--that didn’t always feel like a crucial role. Her eyes watched as Angel took out a piece of paper. She looked down, taking the paper from Angel and holding it up so she could read it. She scanned the page a couple of times, squinting as she thought. “Huh...police don’t necessarily know if it’s connected.” She looked back up at Angel. “You thinking otherwise?”

[lydiamcks]

arrowkennedy:

“Do I have to answer that?” Alex asked with a grumble. He hated being wrong, but he was certainly glad that Lydia was always right. Well, most of the time at least. He just had his own way of thanking her as he wasn’t the affectionate type, but they had an understanding about it. He leaned his head towards the screen, looking back and forth from her fingers to the screen. “I think so…” he said, scratching his head, and two seconds later, the program popped up. “You’re good. No wonder I keep you around,” a genuine smile appeared on his lips.

Lydia tilted her head, smiling, but no words left her mouth. She knew there was probably a bit of a smug look to her facial expressions, but she just couldn’t help it. Still, at the end of the day, she had a lot of respect and admiration for Alex. But he was the superhero at night...he gets his chance at shining, so it was only right that during their hours outside ‘the office,’ she keep his head at a normal size. She shrugged, standing up from the chair. “Really? Here I was thinking it was my always-charming personality.” Her hands went to rest on her hips, her weight slightly shifting between legs. “So, are you gonna be all set here?” She nodded her head. “There’s a post office on my way home. I could introduce you to some fine-looking stamps.”

[lydiamcks]

angelxjames:

Alex wasn’t as intense around Angel, but maybe that was because she was rather calm herself and exuded that around him. She mainly did it to calm his nerves and it seemed to work most of the time. That was just the carebear in her coming out though because she saw her teammates as family and she wanted to help them whenever she could - they’d do the same for her, wouldn’t they? “It’s kind of an Alex thing. I wouldn’t take it personally. He wouldn’t have let you be a part of his team if it was personal.” Angel didn’t think that Alex only acted that way with Lydia. It was just an Alex being stressed thing, she figured. Though the words that left her teammate’s lips next were uplifting enough for her own to curve into a soft and appreciative smile. Sometimes it was nice to have a pep talk, to have someone who believed in you because they saw the good. “I could say the same about you, you know. You’re just as important because you guide us through danger and you show us where to go. Your skills are essential.”

“Take Alex personally?” She shrugged, shaking her head. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” She smirked, moving her arms behind her. Her thumb hung on the edge of her back pocket. Lydia listened to Angel’s word’s, smiling warmly. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeahhh, well. In superhero movies, it’s usually a robot that does what I do...but don’t tell Alex that. He may just trade up. A robot probably wouldn’t give him as hard of a time.” She smirked at the thought, sighing. “Nah, but hell if I’d leave it up to a robot to guide you guys. My GPS tried to have me go through a lake the other day, so you’re definitely stuck with me.”

[lydiamcks]

annaxcrawford:

Anna smiled lightly as she saw Lydia’s body relax. Honestly, she couldn’t blame Lydia for being on guard. The neighborhood they were in wasn’t exactly the best and the time of night it now was certainly didn’t help matters either. She gave out a light laugh as the brunette demanded that she sit down, pulling up the stool. “Well I definitely appreciate it. I am sorry again for coming in while you’re trying to close up. I honestly didn’t even realize how late it actually was,” she found herself explaining again. “I’ll take a Raspberry Cosmo though. If you really don’t mind,” she amended. “Anyways, how was the business tonight?”

Lydia shrugged, leaning against the bar. If it had been someone more annoying or unlikable, she probably wouldn’t have been so accommodating. But, Anna was always kind a good customer. “Eh, I’m cleaned up already, and since I”m officially off the clock, that just means I can use the good stuff.” She reached behind her, grabbing a large bottle of alcohol and a glass. “Business was slow. Not so great tippers, but some interesting stories tonight, so it kept me going.” Lydia reached below the bard to grab a shaker before continuing. “What about you? What’s got you going until now?”

[lydiamcks]

arrowkennedy:

Alex rubbed his face with his hands. “Mmff. Fine,” he sighed. Maybe she was right. He had a bit of an attitude problem, but that wasn’t news to anyone. But he did hire Lydia personally to work for his team along with his brother and a few others doing vigilante work. So she knew what pushed his buttons and she knew that he liked getting things done. His eyes narrowed, then his expression softened. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll ask them, again, nicely,” he said, giving a mock bow before stepping over for her. “Can you fix it or reset it?”

“Don’t you love it when I’m right?” Lydia smirked, turning her attention to the computer in front of her. Her fingers danced across the keys, typing away. She looked back up at Alex. “What kind of question is that?” She looked back down, clicking a couple of things before going back to the keyboard. “There. Now that should work. And see? You asked nicely, and it worked. Groundbreaking, isn’t it?” She nudged his arm with her elbow.

[anamorphosis-and-isolate]

― (500) Days of Summer (2009) Summer: I just don’t feel comfortable being anyone’s girlfriend. I don’t actually feel comfortable being anyone’s anything, you know.

[lydiamcks]

arrowkennedy:

“I’m fine,” Alex insisted. “Just frustrated, which is normal, considering all the things I run in this company,” he said, looking at his computer and frowning. The program he was running was showing numbers that didn’t quite add up–or at least, he didn’t think they did. He looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. She was definitely sassing him and he was quite aware of it. “I’m not going to go easy on them if that is what you are suggesting, Lydia,” he pursed his lips. “While you’re here… Can you… ah, look at this for me?”

“I know, it’s hard to be the boss, boss.” She emphasized the words at the end. She folded her arms over her chest, squinting at him. “I might be suggesting that you are at least nice to them. You know, smiling every so often, using your inside voice when you need them to do something...then they may even want to do it.” Her eyes rolled, almost involuntarily. She wasn’t sure if she was letting out a breath or a laugh--it was almost a mixture of both. Lydia stepped forward, waving her hand. “Yeah, yeah. Move over.” She sat down and started typing. “There’s a mistake in the formula you’re running. It’s not going to give you accurate results.”

[lydiamcks]

angelxjames:

“Or something.” Angel mumbled quietly, almost hoping that Lydia wouldn’t hear the words that had just fallen from her lips. Josh couldn’t possibly be here and if he was, she didn’t want to see him. Well, she did, but she wouldn’t know what to say or how to explain her not being dead because what would she even tell him? “I’m not sure. He seemed kind of worried the last time we spoke. And I’m not sure how well I’m doing with training. I want to be more useful. Do more than just notify the team if there’s someone in danger. But I’m just vision girl, you know? And that’s not enough for me. I want to be more than just a messenger.”

Lydia’s brow furrowed, a little unsure of Angel’s response to the situation. It wasn’t something she felt needed immediate pushing, though. So, she noted it and shrugged it off for now. “Alex showing any emotion other than annoyance or concern would be astonishing.” She paused. “Or, that might just be when I’m around.” Lydia’s eyes rolled at the thought. “You don’t really think you’re just vision girl, do you? I mean...I don’t think that about you.” Lydia shrugged, folding her arms across her chest. “But what do I know. You only saved my life. That power that you have...it’s incredibly important. Messengers give information, but heroes save lives. And it’s not a trick question as to which category you fall in.” Lydia lightly nudged Angel’s shoulder. “But, I do think I get where you’re coming from. You want to feel like you’re doing something meaningful. That you’re contributing.”