EARTH / ANGEL.

she remembers the first time she saw the light, a moment before being plunged into darkness. her fingers twitch at the memory. the flames pulsing right beneath the flesh, fighting to get out. what is a crown to fire? fire that eats and eats and eats, never to be satiated. the fire mixed with ichor tastes almost as bitter as the ash that coats her throat. ( penned by arabella. ) DEPENDENT TO HALSTONHQ

[morctti-blog]

king shaw.

King kept walking until he started to feel guilty he may  have a rude exterior but really King wasn’t like that ,stopping he turned around and walked back to the girl”I’m sorry,It’s been a rough few days and my mind is kind of blanking on everything”he explained not sure what he could do to help

lydia tried to wipe away the stain on her blouse, still slightly warm from how hot her drink had been. she did not notice that he had returned until she felt him standing over her. “no, it’s fine,” she sighed, “but just cause you’re having a bad day, doesn’t mean you can walk away like that.”

[morctti-blog]

bryce archer.

the question makes him feel a bit guilty. he knows she’ll probably be disappointed in him, if she hadn’t already heard about the whole summer school situation ( he was sure she hadn’t, but bryce didn’t know a hundred percent if his inkling was true ). the last thing he ever wanted as to have lydia think badly of him and sometimes it felt like he was doing that all without ever meaning to.  “um,” there’s a pause to gather his thoughts and make it sound less..bad? “’m in summer school ‘cause i didn’t pass as much as they wanted me to. so there’s that.” at this point he didn’t know what his mother’s response would be, but he was mentally preparing for the worst outcome. bry lets out a small laugh at her mention of secrets, nodding in agreement. little did she know he had some secrets of his own. “yeah, most of the time people have ‘em come out just to have more drama ‘round. this place is so small they have to have something to keep themselves busy.” another pause. this time, slightly more anxious than the last. “you tell anyone else you were coming back to town?”

she always wanted what was best for her children — or at least she would convince herself that her actions were on that stance. hearing that he was in summer school, lydia was not disappointment, nor was she outraged. if anything, she often blamed herself for anything negative that happened to her children, or anything that they did that could be seen as a negative effect on their lives. she could have stayed. she should have stayed, but her bitterness towards ezra ( in her mind ) felt all the more toxic for her children than anything else. she frowned at her son, though not in true sadness– it was entirely regret. “there’s that,” she half-smiled, knowing by his pause was a slight concern, “there were times where i almost had to go to summer school, sometimes it’s crazy how much they want you to learn in such a small amount of time... but you’re fixing that now, and i am so proud of you for doing that. you’re doing okay now though, right?” it might have been normal to discipline your child at that point, but lydia had never been perfect, and she certainly wasn’t going to punish him for something that was somewhat out of his hands. if anything, discipline as a whole had been one of her weak points as a parent. always leaving it to ezra. “nothing wrong with a little drama,” she chuckled, “the people round here need it to survive, especially after they finish their latest netflix boxset.” her joyful tone fading at his words, looking at her hands. “not yet, i didn’t really know who to tell. except for you, of course, but i don’t know... it’s hard. i don’t want to endure the awkwardness that comes with returning. it’s not something i even thought of until i landed.”

[xjnhwanthotx]

[morctti-blog]

ezra archer.

– THERE WERE FEW THINGS that made ezra’s blood run cold the way it did in that moment. for example – the moment the call had come in reporting a car collision, severe injuries, one passenger identified as bryce archer, or the words i want a divorce leaving lydia’s lips a number of years ago. other than events of that magnitude, it was rare for something so trivial to rock ezra like this – something as small as eye contact from across a crowded bar – but there he was, amidst a group of his friends from the station after a particularly long shift, the counter in front of them littered with beer bottles. he felt like he was FROZEN, jaw set tightly in place as he stared right back at her, and he was woefully unsure of whether he was waiting for her to make a move or attempting to gather to courage to do so himself. when another beat passed and she seemed to be hellbent on staying where she was, he snapped out of his trance and offered one of his coworkers a trying smile, muttering something about the bathroom before he was up and out of his seat, abandoning his beer at the counter. in less than five seconds he was across the bar, but he didn’t go straight to lydia – he stared at her with a hardened gaze until he was around a corner in a quiet, empty hallway, waiting for her to get the hint and come find him. he moved his hands up to clasp together on the back of his head while he waited, screwing his eyes shut for a moment, and when he felt her presence, he turned to face her. “lydia,” he said, shakily. “what the hell are you doing back here?”

she was supposed to be there to catch up with old friends, but she never intended to cross paths with that particular part of her past. the day that she asked for a divorce, there was an overwhelming sense of resentment ( despite lydia being the one to end things ) that made her feel as if she could never see ezra again without breaking down — or even things turning somewhat violent on her behalf. though when she did finally lay eyes on him, there was none of that. perhaps enough time had passed for her to feel less hostile towards him. less hurt. in that moment, all that she felt was worry; she didn’t know what to say about her being there. only that she was there, and she didn’t intend to leave soon. lydia had found the time away from her children incredibly difficult, more so than she believed when making the decision to leave. still, the look that he gave her, stirred old memories to the front of her thoughts. there had been times at parties, or even dinner parties, where the two would quarrel in some discrete corner– sometimes she still wondered if people heard. either way, she followed his lead on things; excusing herself from the group, and heading towards the corner. she sharply inhaled, trying to maintain some composure, but snapped almost instantly. “it’s none of your business why i am here, if it was, i would have told you.” she pressed her lips firmly into a line, then looked up to him. “you’re not some detective, last time i checked, you were still a firefighter. so you don’t need to know.”

[morctti-blog]

regin archer.

the doctor said nine weeks. how the fuck had it been nine weeks already? regina couldn’t believe it. the baby was the size of a cherry now, but by the way the blonde felt she thought it was more like the size of, well, something BIGGER. she was already having issues buttoning her pants because of her stupid firm uterus. that’s why she was out of the house in sweatpants and a baggy halston soccer sweatshirt. the walk home from the doctors office was a painful one, as her outfit wasn’t exactly the most practical for a hot summer day and she felt another wave of morning sickness come onto her. at the moment it was just nausea, so it wasn’t that b– oh! NOPE. she just threw up in the alleyway. wiping her chin, she turned around hoping nobody saw. someone saw.  “rough night.” regina pouted. would the hungover route work? she’d try it. “uh, do you have a water bottle you’d wanna donate?” 

lydia had been walking the dog. she was still trying to get used to the changes that had been made to halston since she was last there. exiting the park and heading down main street in the direction of her home, she found herself in an alleyway through a wrong turn — though glad to have done so. “regina?” she questioned with her head tilted downwards to try seeing her properly. she thought it might have been heat stroke at first ( from looking at her outfit ), but was proven wrong when the other replied with a reason. “oh honey,” she frowns before rummaging through her handbag, “you shouldn’t be out in this heat in that either.” handing over a bottle of water and a pack of tylenol; her handbag could have belonged to mary poppins. “let’s get you sat somewhere comfy, huh? you need to rest before going anywhere.”

[morctti-blog]

elle hart.

“quick question, do these make me look cooler than i actually am?”

“i think they look fabulous!” she exclaims in amusement, genuinely finding the sunglasses likeable – though her enthusiasm might have made it sound otherwise. “have you tried them with the darker frame? i think those ones could suit also, maybe even better.”

[morctti-blog]

king shaw.

King had just got off the truck he was hitching a ride from, he was nervous coming back to Halston but he needed it. Right now he had thirty dollars in cash and a hopeful but scared heart about seeing his family or anyone he knew. Walking down the street he wasn’t paying attention and bumped into someone right now he was just looking for a motel to sleep in until he got the courage to find anyone. “I’m sorry, I’m half dead” he explained, even though he hasn’t lived in Australia in many years when he’s tired his accent comes out even thicker than usual, and was very distinctive. He didn’t look to the person just kept walking.

lydia exited the coffee shop, with her order firmly in hand. there were times when she did not pay attention, though she was particularly aware when carrying a hot drink; worried about other people not seeing her. it did not take long for her worst fear to happen — she had gone to reach her phone from her back pocket as it rang, soon finding herself bumping into somebody. the result of which was now a coffee stained, white blouse. “jesus,” she uttered when looking down to the mess, “no, it’s fine. we all have days like that... i guess.” eyes rolling, and tone sarcastic in her annoyance. 

[morctti-blog]

alex lanning.

Alex wasn’t aware if anyone was around, she had just finished a twelve hour shift at the station and honestly all she wanted to do was go home, have some tea and sleep for a week. But she knew that’d probably not be the best idea. Taking advantage of the nice weather, Alex decided to walk home, the air felt nice and the sky was a nice color for so early in the morning. It wasn’t until she heard something from behind her and turned on her heels. “I can hear you behind me and if you try anything I will not be afraid to karate chop you into next week.”

lydia still found it difficult to sleep in a new town. well, halston was not exactly new, though it was different from her last home. she found herself trying to find anywhere that would serve a cup of coffee in those early hours —realising that she no longer had the luxury of living in a city. it was when she saw the other that she wondered if she might have a suggestion, or even tell her if the mission would be unsuccessful. she stopped upon hearing the voice, “sorry, i did not mean to sneak up on you.” speaking softly due to the earliness ( despite nobody being around. ) “you can still karate chop me, just as long as it is to the nearest open coffee shop.”

[morctti-blog]

lydia did not miss halston. she missed the friends that she had made over the years, and she overwhelmingly missed her children. though she could not say that she ever longed to be back in the town — bitter memories of the life she left behind still plaguing her mind. now that she returned, they seemed prominent as ever. the sourest of which could easily be seen across the bar. she did not have to check twice to be positive of his identity. he might have looked matured, less clean shaven; but, she knew it was him. it was like a scene from some trivial tv drama. her eyes were unable to leave him, remaining frozen where she was stood. she wanted to approach him, she wanted to be confident but she felt at loss upon seeing him. // @ezraarcher

[morctti-blog]

bryce archer.

it was no secret that bryce was closer to his mother than any other member of his family. it’s not for a fact that he didn’t like his father and sister, but in words of attachment, he was always around lydia as a kid. the two were glued to the hip and had she not moved after the divorce he probably wouldn’t have grown out of that. “yeah, plus there’s lots of other people to see here too,” he can only nod excitedly in agreement. part of him wants to ask if she’d spoken to ezra .. but he decides to ditch the potential awkward conversation and keep it to himself for now. “it’s been okay,” he shrugs. it’s not a total lie. his hearing had been particularly good that day ( or he’d been too excited about her arrival to really notice it ) and summer school had gotten out early. “gossip? i dunno about that, ‘m not really the one to ask. regina might know. and notes are probably a good idea.”

lydia found herself studying his face as he spoke. it was not in a manner of concern, nor was it to ignore his conversation. only that it felt like he ( physically ) changed ever time that she saw him. the difference perhaps would not be striking to others, but she could tell the difference. it was something that she had done his entire life — she would stare endlessly at him as a baby, identifying the various features of his face. would he look like ezra? did he have her nose? stupid little things that she held onto in her attachment. even now she wondered. “okay?” she quirked a brow at him in question, “that’s not much information to go off. what about school? feeling any better there?” she would have pried more though she did not want to overwhelm him, knowing that it would do no good. her excitement could often get the better of her. “nothing usually stays a secret for long in this place, so i am sure i will learn soon enough.” shrugging it off, she worried about her own lies coming back to bite her; also making an attempt to avoid the topic of her daughter, still unsure on where they stood. 

[morctti-blog]

bryce archer.

if there was a sound he could hear through everything else going on his head, it was the sound of his mothers voice. he hated the fact that she lived so far away ; but most of that anger, if not all of it, was eared toward ezra. the truth is that he didn’t understand why she was here or for how long exactly, but bryce would take any amount of time to spend with her. he can’t help but grin when he hears her, eyes moving from the phone in his hand to the woman moving towards him. “hi mama,” he moves to give her a hug. sure, they’d spoken over the phone and text, but it wasn’t the same in person. “did you have a good flight?”

parents were often advised not to have favourites when it came to there children, and so she tried to not let her mind sway her. yet there was something about her connection with her son that made that challenging. she despised the fact that it had been such a stretch of time since the last time she had seen him. moving away was the only guilt that she felt throughout the entire divorce. she wanted to make up for that. a hug was a start — already feeling at home through their closeness. “my flight felt as if it would never end but it bought here, and to you. so it was worth it.” she smiled at him, guiding them over to the nearby bench. “how has your day been? any gossip or news since we last spoke? i am going to have to take notes if i want to keep up with this place.”

[princesconsuela]

[batwan-deactivated20220318]

[sparkling-lux]

[morctti-blog]

she hated even the idea of being away from him for too long. it seemed like years since the last time she had laid eyes on her son — though she wasn’t exactly the right distance for a short visit during school term. so when the opportunity came about for lydia to return to halston, she instantly took it. only feeling slightly hesitant when she finally arrived in the area. now the only nerves that she felt were from excitement as she hurries to the agreed meeting point. she did not want ezra knowing about her return just yet; meeting away from the home offered a better option. then eyes notice familiarity and lydia paces herself towards him, “baby boy!” she exclaims, praying it was close enough to hopefully not embarrass him. // @bryceiism

[ingridbergman-deactivated202001]

[morctti-blog]

justin spier.

“only i would get caught in my car during an earthquake after five hours of running drills, two of lifting, and an hour drive back here. i’d say i feel blessed, but i have to be honest… i’m feeling the opposite of blessed right now.” the road he was stuck in traffic on had gotten blocked off by the small quake, so he had taken to sitting on the hood of his car and talking to whoever was listening.

“you are okay though, right?” she enquired when laying eyes on him. “i mean, it sounds like a hellish day but luckily you escaped the worse of it.” or at least lydia hoped that it would be the last of the problems they were having. “i think that most people are not feeling blessed right now. did you have any plans to get to?” offering him a genuine smile.