What a great question, my little anon. Here’s some things we’ve definitely been keeping an eye on:
Lucas and Kristen are having a shouting match at her place of work. Although, we’re not surprised, considering how Lucas tricked her into thinking the bracelet was turning her arm black. Be careful, Lucas! When you make the lioness angry, her mate will most likely come out and defend her as well. @kristenxparrish @greenman-lucas @miles–hall
We saw Cassandra and Lucas meeting in the library the other day and overheard them making a plan to scare Kaden. I wonder how they are going to figure out what he’s afraid of. Are they going to add Kristen into the mix? Or maybe they’ll go ask his best friend, Logan? @cassiedaws @logan-kingston37
It seems as though Zachariah has set his sights on Naomi and forced her to use her power. I wonder how Flynn feels about that? @naomixpatton @zachariahsdisease
Anika is making Flynn uncomfortable but honestly, are we surprised? @flynnxcarver @anikalane
Tristan and Landon are still at each other’s throats and it’s thoroughly enjoyable. @tristan-miller @ascoldaslandon
Ethan and Fiona are getting friendly on the dance floor of the local club. @ethanxparkinson @fionadrake
We noticed Oliver sitting on a bench all on his lonesome. He looked rather worse for wear. Did the beast get the best of him again or did he get into a brawl that we didn’t see? @olliexwest
And last, but certainly not least, Zane posted a suggestive picture of his friend Tristan on Lake Grimstone’s Instagram. We can only guess that the lipstick was put on Tristan by either Zane or Harley. So who was it, boys? @harleyhidalgo @zanexpatel
Is there anything we missed? If so, please do share!
ARCHETYPES: the innocent | the regular guy/gal | the hero | the caregiver | the explorer | the rebel | the lover | the creator | the jester | the sage | the magician | the ruler
Born to Delia Laine, a woman with the power of transmutation, Anika was not immediately given up for adoption or anything so traumatic. Things were relatively stable, in fact, until she was a toddler: age three, Delia – a paranoid schizophrenic with delusions of persecution in a world where her power technically made her no different to a good portion of the population, as everyone well knew – was institutionalized and medicated for her condition. During the shuffle, Anika was thrown into the foster system. It wasn’t until her teen years that her string of homes – for she was a troublemaker, no doubt about it – landed her in Lake Grimstone temporarily, matched to a couple with powers in the system because it had long been known that she had her own, too. That didn’t last long and Anika was soon moved on from Grimstone, but she never forgot the place with people like her found everywhere.
Connections:
Aubrey Gallagher, co-worker/business partner ( @aubrey-gallagher ): Anika and Aubrey met in Grimstone years ago and remained in contact, only partially because Anika believed the tech-heads power would be useful to her in the future. Now they work together as security consultants, specializing in identifying flaws in systems that allow unwanted intrustion and departures.
Zane Patel, excommunicated ( @zanexpatel ): A few years ago, Anika went to confront one of the more abusive foster sets she’d encountered in her youth. It was thank to Zane Patel that it didn’t end badly for her. Not long after, she used her power to help him break into his former family home, telling him immediately after to stay the hell out of her life: she didn’t want anything to do with his villainous self, now that her debt was paid. She’s not about to tell him that the favor she owed him is the main reason she has a job she enjoys now.
Wanted (maybe, if anyone’s interested): Former foster sibling (positive or negative relationship).
1. Describe yourself in a few words.
Fun, troublesome, difficult, hard to handle, changeable, and a survivor.
2. What are your major flaws?
Hm. I have a fucked up past and though I constantly insist on not using it for an excuse for my behaviour, it’s often the reason it started, or for my motivation. I cuss like a motherfucking sailor. I get great joy out of ruining peoples faith in humanity. I don’t give a shit about appearances and yet I put more effort into my disregard than I do into anything else in my life. And I hold grudges for literally decades.
3. What would you give your life for?
Defend an innocent, probably. Other than that the purpose is survival.
4. What is your greatest asset?
I’m good at handling shit. Seriously. I might be fucking pissed ninety nine per cent of the time, but I’m the one you want around if you have to save a puppy from a burning building.
5. What would completely break you?
Let’s see. I already have no faith in humanity. I repress my own actual genuine interests to avoid judgment. I have no faith in myself to earn things I want, or deserve things that might actually be good for me. I don’t know what’d break me, since I always expect the worst, but hey. If you can work it out and let me know, it’ll probably be beneficial in the long run.
6. How does the image you try to project differ from the image you actually project?
Heartless, icy bitch with no feelings and no interest in anything except her own entertainment is what we’re going for here. What we got is a fragile shell who is opening herself up to too many people, latching onto some idiotic guard with a thing for lost causes, to this ditzy overly trusting roommate, to a boyfriend who came out of fucking nowhere. I’d say I’m coming across as broken far too often.
7. What are you afraid of?
Death and judgement. Not from you.
8. Where would you fall on a politeness/rudeness scale?
...I’m going to assume this question is a joke and underline ‘rude’ about sixteen times with a red pen.
9. If you could choose a different identity, who would you pick?
You’re kidding, right? I’m a fucking shifter. There’s no if about it, just a when. And the answer is whoever benefits me the most at that point in time.
10. In what or whom is your greatest faith in?
Myself. I’m the only one I’ve always had on my side, after all. Scott and Flynn are new to the picture and I don’t particularly want to entertain the faith I have in my ability to completely and totally fuck both of those up.
11. What was the best thing in your life?
The high I’d get from outsmarting the cops. Which wasn’t hard, admittedly, but busting out of prison for the twelfth time felt just as great as the first.
12. What was the worst thing in your life?
Foster care. Lack of dependability. So on.
13. What is your biggest nightmare?
Someone who could be a parent taking a look at me and basically immediately going “I never wanted you”. I mean, obviously, but there’s no need to lay the fucking point down like that. Shoot me in the eye while you’re at it, why don’t you, it’ll have the same effect of ruining my faith in humanity.
14. What seemingly insignificant memories stuck with you?
Fuck. Bowling with the only decent fosters I ever had, that was – that was something. Swimming lessons I took for three weeks when I was five. Sitting in church when I was nine, listening to some pastor drone on about hymns and praising the lord or whatever. And a train journey I got sent on when the system matched me with a couple outside Chicago when I was a kid. I think I was maybe four. I just remember looking out the window and watching the country pass by and it was like, yeah, this is what I like.
15. What is your secret wish?
For a family, obviously. Who doesn’t want a family that isn’t a total fucking trainwreck?
16. What is your greatest achievement?
Fucking Hell. I slipped out of a holding cell once in the middle of a police station during a Commissioner visit. So many cops hanging around. I’m fucking good at what I do.
17. What is your deepest regret?
I should’ve spit on Ace instead of telling him I used to love him. Possibly stabbed him. The only good thing he ever did for me is get me the hell out of fucking Chicago.
18. What is your deepest disappointment?
Constantly being given up on by foster parents; each new set giving up on you is another bullet to the chest. It gets to the point where you don’t care if they’re abusive, because all that does is tell you ahead of time that they’re gonna do everything they can to crush you.
19. What are you reluctant to tell people?
Anything at all. Confirming what people think they know only ever leads to disappointment and regret.
when opportunity knocks... (it tears down the door) | Anika, Gabriel
“You know the answer to that, surely.”
Anika really didn’t appreciate the tone the winged bloody wonder was taking. Something carefully calm, as though he was placating some wild animal. And, fine, she’d rather that than meekness or false patience, but what the hell was wrong with this guy, thinking she’d tell him anything at all? She hadn’t even meant to open up to Flynn, what did it say about the arrogance of this fucker that he thought he was different?
Apparently, her thoughts were written on her face, or he had a surprisingly good grasp of human emotion. The guy really did look like a bit of an idiot, a boy next door sort. But apparently she was biased towards thinking the worst of people, and fuck, she needed to work on that, didn’t she? If she was ever going to be –
No. Fuck that. She wasn’t going to be one of those people who intentionally changed themselves in the hope of appeasing someone she was interested in. She hated people like that. And maybe she hated herself already, but there was no need to make it so she didn’t respect herself too, and –
“Are you okay?”
Fuck no. “What?”
The winged wonder had sat down on the ground between the trees, is what Anika discovered when she actually looked at him, disbelieving. “Are you okay? You tripped.”
“I’m fucking fine.”
“That’s good, I didn’t bring a first aid kit.” What? “And it can’t be easy.”
She stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate. The light from Flynn’s power flared in the corner of her eye, flashing through the narrow visual provided by the trees.
He didn’t disappoint, after a long silence. “...You obviously care about him.”
“Fucking hell.”
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“I’m not fucking ashamed! Have you met him? He’s fucking – blessed, or some shit, with that stupid smirk and the damn personality and the sense of humor and just. Fuck. Brilliant. Fuck you.” She huffed, bristling at the suggestion. That wasn’t what she was feeling so damn off about. It wasn’t. “It’s just none of your goddamn business.”
He had quirked an eyebrow at her. Again. Every judgement she’d internalized over the past few weeks was behind that eyebrow, she was sure of that. Questions of lacking morals, of being too prideful and stubborn and fucking fallible, of not being able to even carry out a stupid misleading con without fucking it up any more. Anika hunched her shoulders, trying to simultaneously make herself smaller and not actually seem smaller. It was a difficult feat, one she had never managed. It was always better to go for one or the other, and not a combination of both.
“Shut up.”
“You jumped to his defense just then,” he pointed out, “not your own.”
“So? It’s not like it means anything.”
The guy hummed noncommittally, shifting in place as Anika watched him absently tug a wing into his lap to, ostensibly, preen or something like it, because the guy was part fucking bird. He was quiet for long enough that she thought maybe he’d dropped it. Of course she was never so lucky. “Actions always mean more than words, in the moment. I’m pretty sure you know that – that everyone knows that. And what did you do tonight? You waited on the step for him for nearly an hour, don’t think I didn’t notice. You apparently were completely honest with him, for the first time in – what, weeks? I think he’s been talking about Ellie for weeks.” If he noticed her flinch yet again at the mention of the name, he didn’t seem inclined to call her out on it. “And you did what he asked and came to get me. And haven’t made a break for it yet.” He smiled wryly. “If Flynn wasn’t the important one tonight, I’d be offended.”
“You’d better be.”
The winged wonder shook his head, apparently not interested in the fight she was trying to pick. “What’re you going to do?”
“If you seriously dragged me out here to talk about my fucking intentions, like Flynn can’t look after himself –“
“Of course I brought you here to talk about that. Of course he can look after himself.” As if to emphasize his point, the sound of cracking trees in the distance cut through his dialogue. Sadly, it didn’t stop him. Of course it fucking doesn’t. “I’m allowed to be worried for my friend, Anika, when I’m pretty sure he’s never opened up to anyone the way he has to you. From what I heard, he told you more than he’s told anyone – and now here you are, having actually admitted that’s not who you are at all. Which, correct me if I’m wrong, might be a first for you, too.”
She didn’t dignify that with a response, instead stuffing her hands into the pockets of the coat, curled into fists.
“Flynn thinks the best thing for him is to only feel mild emotions, I’m pretty sure. He hasn’t said it, but – but he’s afraid of repeating what happened before, if he gets upset. Surely you figured that out? I’ve only seen him really upset once, and we’ve been roommates for five years. But he doesn’t seem to quite be in control when he’s worked up, okay, and I don’t want him to be like this longer than he has to, because you’re messing with him for some twisted joke. Especially not when we both know how much it bothers him.”
She couldn’t take it anymore. The fucking lecture, the speech, whatever it was; she couldn’t take it. “I didn’t do it on purpose!” The winged wonder blinked at her, and she barrelled on, refusing to let him speak, her voice quiet and fast and heated. “It was only meant to be a one off thing! I wasn’t even supposed to talk to anyone when I was in that damn shift, okay, I should’ve shifted the hell out of it right after training but I’m lazy and stupid and incapable of thinking things fucking through,” lie lie lie, the thought to herself, pushing on, “and then I was making up a fucking person for the sole purpose of having a friendly fucking chat with goddamn Flynn fucking whatshisname, and then we had plans and I didn’t want to fucking bail even though that’d have been the decent fucking thing to fucking do, alright, how twisted is that when the polite thing to do is not fucking exist?
“And I had every intention of having Ellie fucking disappear off the fucking planet, to gloat a little in my own private fucking world but no, he has to be fucking charming and different and unlike anyone I’ve actually talked to ever, and fuck you for making me talk about this when I don’t even fucking want to think about it. I’m a shitty person and I’d never do it again, to anyone –“ because I don’t want to feel this much for more than one person; it’d kill me “ – but I wouldn’t fucking stop myself if I could. I’m not glad I did it, but. Fucking but. I’m glad I got to know him. I’m just fucked up enough that there’s no other way I could see myself getting to this fucking point, and even if he hates me for it now, it was fucking worth it to know that even for no time at fucking all.”
The winged wonder started at her; to her complete shock, there was some sort of smile on his face. Not approving, exactly, but not reproachful, either. Like he was pleased with her somehow. But that didn’t make any fucking sense. When he broke the silence, finally, he only said, “Carver.”
“What does that mean,” Anika snapped, tired and stressed and fucking defeated.
“Flynn’s surname. Carver. You said whatshisname instead.”
She threw her hands up, sleeves flapping loosely as she groaned. “What am I supposed to do with that,” she asked, frustrated. Gabe only shrugged. She couldn’t see his expression.
Wait. Couldn’t see his –
Anika almost stood on Gabe in her haste to check the view. Flynn was on the ground, still. “Fuck!”
Make sure that kid values what it has. (n/b: child of her favorite set of foster parents, who gave Anika up when they discovered they were expecting a biological child.)
Prove I can be better than every foster expected. (n/b: ‘better’ in this instance is used in place of ‘happier’ and generally refers to having a family that isn’t broken or dysfunctional)
Con a suit on Wallstreet.
Get out of America, temporarily or otherwise.
Mean something to someone.
Own a copy of Gaiman’s American Gods.
Try laser tag.
Learn to make vanilla slice.
Find out what happened to Ace. (n/b: her ex, who got her arrested the first time and who she left there.)
