arduus ad solem

striving towards the sun

[dominic-murphy]

Nightmares.

Always the goddamned nightmares.

When was the last time he’d had a full night’s sleep, with no interruptions, no nightmares to drag him out screaming?

Whit rubbed a hand over his face, swaying slightly on his feet. He slammed a hand out, hitting the wall next to him with potentially much more force than was needed to keep him standing straight. He hadn’t slept much at all the past week, and it was starting to take its toll. His body was craving sleep but his mind was fighting all of it, shrieking and tearing at him, fighting him every step of the way. Blood on his fingertips… When did that get there?

Whit closed his eyes tightly, and drew in a ragged breath, letting his shoulder hit the wall. Slowly, he twisted, putting his back to the wall and sliding down it. His head fell into his hands, and he curled into himself on the floor, trying to calm his breathing, trying to shut his brain down for just a moment. A footstep. A whisper of breath. Whit scrambled slightly, jerking his head up, reaching for a gun that wasn’t there, eyes narrowing as he glared up at whoever had dared to frighten him.

“Oh,” he breathed, closing his eyes tightly again. When he opened them, they were still there. “You weren’t who I was expecting.”

[oliviatheriot-blog]

What a strange, strange occurrence. Olivia’s head tilted to the side, her eyes stretched wide, as if making them bigger would allow her to see more, understand more. Her lips were lax, slightly parted in surprise at seeing Whit curled against the wall. Something didn’t seem quite right with his face, his expression, but Olivia couldn’t place it. Strange, strange.

Leaning over slightly, her eyes peering over every part of Whit, as if the code to decipher his peculiar state would be hidden, written somewhere on his cheeks or neck or arms. Her brows pulled together, only enough to form a slight crease between the eyes, and said, “Expectations are often the manifestations of our hopes, our fears.” Her murmured voice wasn’t very loud, but the hallway was empty, and thus, it seemed to echo long after she had closed her mouth, lips stretching to reveal teeth: a smile.

“Which one was it for you?” she asked, eyes now twinkling slightly though they were still wide like moons. Was it the sort of elation, the feeling of electricity running in the veins and sparking, flaring within the heart? Or was it the kind that make skin feel taunt, eyes too stiff, shoulders too tense?

[ameliafbarlow-deactivated201607]

Amelia leaned against the low wall of a fancy flowerbed, letter in hand. It was from her grandmother. It read of Gwen’s travels in America. She was taking a cross-country trip right now. Amelia longed to join her, if only for a moment. The image of her grandmother posing in front of the white house or fluttering around the streets of New Orleans made Amelia smile.

Still, her heart was heavy. She missed her grandma so badly. It was rare to see her before Amelia came to Wardlaw, but even more so now. If Gwen tried to visit, the school would undoubtedly notify Martha - and Martha didn’t want her mother anywhere near her daughter. Amelia wiped the dampness from her eyes after tucking the letter away in the book she’d been reading moments before. The sound of breathing startled her and she jumped a bit, glancing up with a nervous smile.

Praying that her eyes didn’t give away her tearful thoughts, she said, “I didn’t see you there,”

[oliviatheriot-blog]

There was a bright sheen across the other girl’s eyes, like a film of glistening stars that had decided to make a home right there, as if saying this girl, this one, would shine. The flowers this time of the year were most beautiful. They were stunning reds and oranges, echoing flames. It was as if everything was more vibrant and alive, as if the world was announcing into the void that it was here, it was ready. Ready for what -- no one ever knew.

A soft smile spread across Olivia’s face. The staunched tears and ambient melancholy clear in the way Amelia had spoken. “Like draws to like, I’m always out here,” Olivia said, and as if what she said was true, her voice drifted by, lilting and flowing, like the wind that had just picked up, tracing the flowers behind the two girls. 

Olivia’s face was smooth, fluid. Even when it wrinkled or furrowed, as it did now between her eyes, it was like folding silk, ripples in still water. She hadn’t seen what had made Amelia so upset, and her tresses flowed over one shoulder as she tilted her head to the side, eyes flickering down to the book Amelia was holding. “What’s the matter?” she asked, drawing closer to the other girl.

[oliviatheriot-blog]

Hello friends I am back from hiatus!! I apologize for the long departure, but I’m feeling much more comfortable with school work now (at least my ability to handle it even though it’s still sO MUCH)

I hope it’s okay to drop the threads from before, just because they’re pretty old now ;u; but if there’s anything you would like to keep going, just message me! And it’s late now, so I’ll be posting and replying to starters tomorrow : D

[gdebray-deactivated20160518]

With a protein bar in one hand and the gray sweats he wore for pajamas hanging on his hips, Griffin found himself making his way down the hall for the kitchen. He was a stereotype, he knew, but he couldn’t help it if the protein bars actually helped and he had been practicing all day on perfecting his curveball. Math could wait its turn.

The bright locks that pass by him don’t catch his attention until a soft voice calls out to him, having him turn and bring his lips into the default position they were always in when he was engaging with someone. Reputation had power after all. “Uh 9:45. You need some help with that?” he asks, nodding his head over at the bag she was half hidden behind and hoping she would decline.

[oliviatheriot-blog]

Olivia’s eyes drifted, as they usually did, over the boy’s features, slowly, carefully. Almost compartmentalizing his face for future reference, her brows creasing with increased concentration. She couldn’t remember if they’d met before. Although it had been weeks now since the merger, her attention fluttered to and fro like a bird -- never allowing anything to capture it. 

As often was the case, her eyes flitted down and away soon enough, catching on the protein bar in his hand. As his voice drifted over her, on a lulling wave, she glanced back up, a smile playing on her lips although her eyes seemed not to convey the same message, “It seems I never really learn, and probably won’t now, but yes, please.”

[ofbaz]

Olivia’s eyes made Zara feel cold; like the sun had been sucked out of the sky. She swallowed thickly. “Good thing we don’t talk to them then. That’d be chaos.”

[oliviatheriot-blog]

“Yes, I’m sure many of the girls would be frightened,” Olivia said, almost offhandedly. “Perhaps I would be frightened, too, but they’re mostly harmless, aren’t they?”

[oliviatheriot-blog]

Keep reading

[oliviatheriot-blog]

ahh i’m absolutely terrible, i’m so sorry! today is my housemate’s birthday so i’ll be out all night and probably get to replies tomorrow ;u;

[oliviatheriot-blog]

hello my dears!! i have a ton of work today, so i’m unable to get to replies, but i will for sure do them tomorrow. 

the list of replies that i owe: zara, griffen, isabella and farrah

[elliotdaniels-blog1]

Olivia was light, that was obvious, but it was a different sort of light to Bambi. It was too harsh, too incessant, too not-Elliot. He didn’t like how little effect his scowl had on her - she was a puzzle of happiness he couldn’t solve. Even Elliot couldn’t deny, though, that her and Alfie were a pretty good match. “He went…somewhere. I don’t expect he’ll be gone for too long, though.” The reluctance in his voice was evident at his next words, but he swung the door further open and stepped back into the room. “You can wait in here, if you like.”

[oliviatheriot-blog]

Her eyes trailed the path of the door as Elliot pushed it open for her to step through. Breezing by him while shooting him a brilliant smile, she moved gingerly into the room to settle on Alfie’s desk chair. “Thank you,” she said softly, bouncing a bit, which caused the chair to creek. Her gaze wandered their room, and although she’d been in here many times, Alfie had always been there, and there wasn’t much hope of her noticing anything else when he was around. Her eyes brushed over the trinkets and memorabilia scattered around the room, things that revealed habits and preferences. Her eyes slowly trailed back towards Elliot’s face, another blinding smile, “What are you up to?”

[ofbaz]

Zara smiled, attempting to keep her spirits high around Olivia. She was always so happy, it was hard to match the enthusiasm. “If we were allowed to talk to them, what do you think they’d say back?”

[oliviatheriot-blog]

Her eyes widened, eyebrows flying. “Can you imagine the chill? Abandonment and loneliness poured into a cup you were forced to drink by your loved ones.” Her mouth twisted into a grimace, although her eyes remained large, luminescent, “I imagine it would be screams.”

[ameliafbarlow-deactivated201607]

Olivia’s smile grew a bit as Olivia babbled about the possibilities of their book adventure. She, too, was searching the shelves. Uncertain what exactly she should be looking for, Amelia just tried to look at everything. Nothing would be overlooked so as to be sure she found a cipher.

After hearing Olivia, Amelia turned and found where she’d wandered off to and leaned down slowly. There was a popping sound of her knees when Amelia squatted to get to the lower books. It made her flush red out of embarrassment, but she pretended to be just fine. “Hmm…” She breathed, looking at the books around Olivia’s hand. A small, tattered old thing was several books down and was simply entitled C&C on the spine. Amelia plucked it from its place and turned it over. 

Codes & Ciphers of the Common Witch was printed in lacy font across the tired looking cover. “This might work!” Amelia exclaimed, grinning at Olivia.

[oliviatheriot-blog]

Olivia glanced down at the dark, glossy head of Amelia as she bent down to search the shelves around that empty spot. The other girl’s hair was truly beautiful, impossibly dark yet bright at the same time. An eternal night of stars. Olivia resisted the urge to reach out into the abyss and had been so entranced by the wisps of hair that she almost didn’t notice the sound of Amelia’s knees. Light blue eyes rounded as the words on her tongue almost slipped out: is everything alright?

However, before her words could flutter out, Amelia was reaching towards a small book, and Olivia’s attention was once again diverted. Running the words on the cover through her mind, a wide smile split her face. “Yes, this looks quite promising,” she said, reaching down to hold Amelia’s arm, as if to help her up. “Translation and transmutation. It seems nothing is ever permanent. Let’s go back and see if a truth exists.”

[oliviatheriot-blog]

Somehow, she’d gotten grass stains on her skirt and stockings — even a blouse, again. Well, not entirely ’somehow’, Olivia always knew how she’d gotten them, but the consequences of extra laundry and a lack of uniform never bothered her until she was faced with a dilemma for the next day. This was why she was now hauling around a large bag of her laundry, not properly labelled or sorted ( of course ) down the hallway, trying to beat curfew.  

Passing by a figure, she glanced over, slim strands of honeyed hair falling across her face, her shirt slightly untucked from all the lifting. “Do you have the time? It’s never where it should be."

[madaileins-blog]

Imogen looked at her incredulously. “I’m not going to just give you the answers for the prep. If you want to know the ‘secrets’ in the passage, you know what you have to do. Secret for secret.” Imogen wasn’t going t just give away the information she had so painstakingly translated. It wasn’t like the other girl would have to think very hard. People tended to be lose with their tongues around Olivia, perhaps assuming her vague remarks indicated obliviousness.

[oliviatheriot-blog]

Although the small smile remained on her face, a slightly blank look entered Olivia’s eyes as she tilted her head and peered at Imogen. A secret for a secret. A kaleidoscope twirled in her brain, colorful, bright, as she, forgetting Imogen’s earlier statements, sat on the window seat next to the other girl. “I would not trick you with pennies for a pound,” Olivia said finally, her eyes drawing slow circle’s on Imogen’s cheeks and nose. “Secrets are not promises. A truth for your truth.” She said, laughing slightly, it all being an interesting diversion for her.

[bellaxbaby-blog]

Bella situated her backpack to hang on a branch that must have broken off, as it was now just a small knot, perfect for hanging things.  She’d have to remember this tree; perhaps she’d look closer at it’s surroundings once she got back down.  Landmarks like rocks or a certain bush or color of grass would make it easier to find the same tree again.  “What do you see?” she asked as the other gazed through the binoculars.  Liking the response she took the binoculars and peered through them.There was indeed a clearing in the direction of Olivia’s pointed finger.  She took the binoculars back away, then back to her eyes, several times to judge the distance.  “I think it’s on school grounds, but let’s see if we can find a couple other possibilities just in case.”

[oliviatheriot-blog]

As Isabella looked through the binoculars, taking care to pinpoint exactly where Olivia had seen the clearing, she peered up through the leaves at the sky that was beginning to get crowded with clouds. Although the sun was still rather bright, creating dapples all across their skin, it seemed clear that rain was in the forecast. Winding a loose strand of hair around her fingers, Olivia, closed her eyes and smiled, beamed up at a the sun -- how rare, how fine.

Hearing Isabella talking, Olivia fluttered her eyes open and glanced at the younger girl. “Yes,” she said agreeably. She didn’t want to return just yet, back to classes and requirements and responsibilities. Under the expanse of branches and the never-ending sky, restraint was just a fantasy. “The stream,” she paused, as if in thought, though simply because he attention had been caught by a few birds fluttering in the distance. “behind the school might be nice.”

[sohailarya]

Alfie’s heart fluttered when she looked at him. It had been so long, years and universes, since they had started going out but every time her face lit up, not even realising its own beauty, he was young and in love again with the mystical girl in a world of her own. It felt silly and light, but there was not a care in the world when she was there; even the fear of being sent out that Alfie so often experienced melted into mist.

Her face against his shoulder made his heart soar with joy. He had made her smile and laugh and that was all he ever wanted to do. It was his aim for most people, to make them smile, even if only briefly, disappearing bashfully only seconds after it appeared, but it was something completely different with Olivia. When he succeeded, it was like he had conquered it all. Menelaus had nothing on him in that moment. 

“Thank God,” he whispered into her hair, assuming it was somewhere near her ear, a laugh in his voice. “Because as much as I would love to say, I’d go to war for you, I’m not much of a fighter, and it would be awful if I failed to save my lady. I promise I would die trying though– even if it is probably in the first five minutes of battle.”

[oliviatheriot-blog]

A delicate breath curved around the edges of Olivia’s ears, as Alfie’s whisper filtered slowly through her twisted hair. Picking her head off his shoulder, though much too engrossed in their conversation to check if the teacher noticed them, she wore a bright smile as she replied, “That’s a fancy -- I’ve seen you on the rugby field. I’m sure you would last more than five, maybe ten,” she teased, though her eyes brightened just at the thought of him on that field. She’d seen him as many times as she could, and every time it caused an almost unbearable amount of pride to swell in her. Olivia would admit to crying out of joy, just a few stray tears, at the end of a more than one winning game -- she was just so delighted that he was happy.

Her light laughter was under her breath, but still loud enough to garner a few looks from those sitting around them. “Romeo and Juliet are too tragic though,” she continued, her gaze flickering from his eyes, through his eyelashes and up and around his cheeks. Her eyes becoming rather dazed, a glossy look falling over them, the recesses of her minds running, thumbing through something. “I would much rather us be Cupid and Psyche.” Eyes once again focused, she looked down towards her notebook, and began sketching something, as the teacher flipped through slides detailing the Trojan Horse. Now her turn to angle her notebook, she turned it towards Alfie: Trust and honesty. Do you think Bruise would make a good Venus though? Her muffled giggle could be heard behind her sleeve.

[xandersterling-blog]

He wasn’t sure what to do when Olivia grabbed both his hands. He opted to keep holding them, she looked pretty excited and well like Alfie she reminded him of some kind of tiny animal, a kitten perhaps, that he just couldn’t say no to. He tried to think on things they could do together. He wasn’t really sure on what they had in common.  “Hmm…oh man I dunno Liv. Like I could make us a picnic sometime and we can eat it on the grounds.” He said thinking very hard. “Maybe we could invite Alfie as well. He might get paranoid and think that I’m going to show you his baby pictures.”

[oliviatheriot-blog]

As excitement coursed through Olivia, she unconsciously gripped Xander’s hands tighter. Not hard enough to hurt, for her hand didn’t seem to possess that sort of clout, but hard enough to be a struggle to get out of, if he so wished. Bouncing lightly on the tips of her shoes, making slight tap tap sounds on the hardwood floors of Wardlaw, she enthused, “Soft winds and cloudless skies are a dream. A picnic sounds like one, too, but a good one, one of reality. Are you any good at making food?” A slight tinkle of laughter brushed past her lips before she continued, “Please do.” She was referring to the baby pictures, because it was already a given that Alfie’s presence was welcome anywhere, anytime.

[ameliafbarlow-deactivated201607]

Amelia watched Olivia as she spoke. A mystery? Maybe there was a cipher. Or maybe Olivia was right, and there was only a magic way to translate it. That would be unfortunate. 

Curiosity piqued, Amelia stood slowly. Her palms were flat on the table and she lifted herself up into a straight posture gently. “Let’s look for one, then. I’m really curious now.” She quirked a brow at Olivia before heading away toward that section of the library. “If we don’t find one, I suppose you’ll have no choice but to join me on the second full moon of next year.” She joked, turning to smirk at her friend.

[oliviatheriot-blog]

A delighted laugh burst forth from Olivia, as she eagerly leapt from the chair to skirt around the table and join Amelia within the tall shelves of the library. “It would not be so bad. I hear spirits emerge on full moons, too. A tangle of adventures.” She ginned, her shoes clacked gently on the hardwood, as she rounded the bend of an impressive oak bookshelf to find Amelia there. Eyes shining, she glanced around the shelves where she had just been a few moments ago, trying to pry from the recesses of her memory where she had picked up that particular book. Truthfully, her whimsy had guided her hand to pluck the books from their slumber, and thus, she had a bit of trouble remembering. Her lips pursed, she skimmed her finger tip against a few of the spines, trying to mimic her actions prior.

“Here,” she intoned after much hesitation, bending down, and knocking on books. “Here is where I found the book!” It wasn’t a particularly impressive section of the shelf and looked largely the same as any. The gap that Olivia had stuck her hand in was bordered by Famous Witches of the 18th Century and The Longform History of Wardlaw Gardens. 

[bellaxbaby-blog]

Bella giggled as the other girl saw her already up in the tree. She had always loved to climb trees. Even as a child in New York, when the other girls went shopping to relax, Bella would find a tree to chill in. “I love that the woods are right here,” she told Olivia. “When I was in New York, it was so hard to find a climbable tree! Almost all the trees were just little dinky ones planted for scenery. One of the only climbable trees near me was next to the bank.” She chuckled as she recalled her old life in the big city. “My dad would always get mad at me for ‘horsing around’ by the bank. But I would ignore him and he would figure I had my aids turned down.” She gave a sneaky, mischievous smile.

Cocking her head to the side she squinted in confusion as she tried to decode the other’s words. “I think that goes over my head a little bit.”, she admitted. “But yes, let’s find a new kingdom.” Going into her backpack, she grabbed the binoculars and handed them to Olivia.

[oliviatheriot-blog]

Gingerly straddling the tree branch, Olivia raised her head, hoping to catch a few drops of the mid afternoon sunshine spilling through the leaves above. The light created speckles on her pale legs and arms, and also over her uniform, an apparition of dew drops and golden honey. Her head tilted to the side, as her eyes roamed over Isabella’s face, while the other girl gave to reminiscence about her time in New York -- a laughter bubbling up when she thought of a smaller version of this girl scrambling up trees, diminutive in size compared to the the skyscrapers, but infinitely more alluring.

Taking the binoculars from Isabella, Olivia pressed the lenses up against her eyes, blinking rapidly, like a shutter, to adjust her gaze. Slightly shifting her fingers this way and that, almost a twitch, but much to subdued to be one, she angled the view. She could feel her cheeks, flushed, pressing against the cool underside of the binoculars as well -- her smile too big. The view was magnificent: she could see each intricate detail of Wardlaw, the boys now enlarged and in hyper-focus. Darting the lens further away, she spotted a clear patch of woods. The binoculars distorted distance though, so she wasn’t able to make out how much further into the woods it was or how far from Wardlaw. Removing them from her face, a few wayward strands of hair spilling across her forehead, she said, “A marvel of optics, a drop of fantasy. There’s a clearing, off there -” she waved her hands in the general direction of where she’d spotted it, pressing the binoculars back into Isabella’s hands. “Look.”