SHE PANICS.ย the door had chimed and it felt as though all eyes were on her. (they werenโt.)ย the girl stands, feet frozen to the floor.ย ITโS NOTHING. she tried to assure herself, fingers gripping onto the leather strap of her bag.ย ITโS ALL IN YOUR HEAD.ย her feet shuffle,ย cuffed jeans swiping at her bare ankles.ย she fights a shiverย -ย macrame was NOT winter-approved.ย ย โuhย โย I was wondering if you had any books on cold casesโฆ.ย missing people?โ
ever was almost as startled by the girlโs reticence as the other had been of her showing up, but she washes away that measure of reluctance and steps forward, tucking her sunglasses in her collar,ย โFiction or non-fiction? Recent or older? We have a lot of reference materials as well, but if you want local things the library might offer better options.โ
Nonetheless, she nodded her head towards a section based on true crime -- the organization of the store was something else with the way it could be cross-referenced by so many options -- and pointed over a few titles,ย โThereโs actually a fascinating memoir by a woman who spent a chunk of her life looking into cold cases, too, if that tickles your fancy?โ
Walking into Next Page, Sawyer no longer felt welcome. It was never verbalized but she understood if her (former?) colleagues couldnโt stand the sight of her. Still, she wanted to leave the bookstore on good terms. She approached ever with a meek smile, fingers wringing her wrist.ย โEver, hey. Um, Happy New Year? I justโwellโIโ.โ Out with it already.ย โUm, has Adam talked with you about what happenedโฆ with me? And likeโฆ how mad is he? And does it seem like he wants to push me in the middle of the train tracks?โ
ever was, unfortunately for her, startled when Sawyer spoke up, her head in the clouds and having been worried about her own secrets being spilled -- but, it did give her some perspective and thought on how to respond,ย โHonestly, Sawyer? I feel like itโs hard to gauge. A lot of shit went bare recently and he might be so focused on his own,โ or mine, she thought briefly,ย โthat he hasnโt given much thought to the rest... there are worse crimes...โ
Emily had done very little so far to prepare for the arrival of her twins in a couple months time. As sad as it was for her, she was on the fence about raising them or placing them with an adoptive family. If she did decide to keep them, she figured it was about time to actually read up on the things babies would actually need and how to properly care for them. Besides her medical knowledge and baby sitting a few times growing up, she didnโt know much.ย
Inside the book store, she looked around trying to find a few to take home with her. She had been in there several times, but had never been interested in parenting and baby books. Hearing Everโs offer, Emily took a few steps toward her.ย โWould you mind showing me where the parenting books are?โย
as tense as she may be, Ever felt at peace in the bookstore; it felt more at home than she ever had in her previous life with her family or... otherwise. The sunglasses were stowed away immediately and she dusted off her hands as if she were ready to get to work and offered a broad smile,ย โAre we talking first time or just want to brush up?โ
Even as Ever asked, she led Emily towards a small alcove of books, complete with an overstuffed chair -- sheโd been particularly proud of some of her ideas for the store, and a chair to sit in near the pregnancy books was one of them -- before pointing across the shelves,ย โthereโs some that cover what to do for you and some for the baby, and some that broadly cover both.โ
ever spent a lot of time avoiding people in general -- after everything that had happened to and around her it just seemed safer -- but had managed to make SOME connections in her new life. But now with that article looming over her head like a dark cloud or guillotine she was even more reclusive than before.
with dark sunglasses on and her eyes on the ground before her, she shuffled into next page books carefully, barely even jingling the bell, before she pulled off the sunglasses and cast a look around; there were more people than sheโd wanted, and she offered out,ย โif anyone needs any help, please let me know~โ
iโm d and this is my character ever; she has a few problems but hopefully everyone will love her as much as i do.
TRIGGER WARNINGS: death, coercion, bribery, etc
[ gemma chan, cisfemale & she/her ] did you know that EVER CARLTON was on full disclosure? yeah, apparently the FORTY year old BOOKSTORE CLERK was hiding THAT THEY WERE ONCE A PART OF A CULT. i never wouldโve expected it from our resident RECLUSE. i wonder how theyโll deal with this, considering how KIND & WITHDRAWN they are.
stuff known because of full disclosureโs article
she was a part of a cult
at least twelve people died as a result of actions by the cult.
she was married to the leader with six other women
her family paid to keep her name out of the media
sheโs from a fairly wealthy family; carlton is not their surname itโs the name she changed to when she had to form a new life.
they made her leave the family and start her own life with a stipend of money so that she wouldnโt be tempted to stir up trouble.
she wouldnโt have anyway but thatโs moot.
tidbits
sheโs 40 years old
she 100% regrets everything that happened during the cult issues but doesnโt know how to make shit better.
she is a good person beneath it all but was influenced by her family to keep quiet.
she does feel she was a victim but refuses to allow that to influence how complacent she was with the things that happened.
most of her actions were coerced.
she wants a quiet life and to fall in love again but instead keeps people at armโs length because of how fucked up everything is.
sheโs amazed at how many people she knows that were affected by articles on fulldisclosure
damage finds damage, etc.
she has a pet cat named orwen.ย
she lives in a small studio apartment even though she could afford something better with her familyโs money.
she doesnโt use much of it unless itโs an emergency and lives on her paycheck from the bookstore.
she feels as if Adam ( @adamharworthโ ) is her family now so she wants him to succeed.ย
she was looking into adopting but realized the background check would bone her; she canโt even foster and itโs sad for her.
you, the resident recluse, arenโt everything youโre cracked up to be. the base details of your involvement with the Cult Morningstar are easy enough to dig up, probably because you figured no one would dig deeper and would actually pity you for your involvement. but how will they feel when they find out twelve people died within the cult? or the fact that you were briefly -- along with seven other women -- married to its leader? or that your family paid to keep your name out of the reports and the tabloids in kind because of their own image and then shunned and sent you off with a stipend to start a new life, but do you still talk to them? do you talk to your husband now on death row? were you really as innocent as you portray yourself to be or was it more your fault than you let on?
so many questions, ever, and we have a feeling you wonโt be coming forward to help out any of the families of the victims. try to live with it now that everyone else knows your secrets. what do you think? still safe?
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