{ filia lucis }

( no one wearing a crown comes in the name of p e a c e. ) Phoebe Marlene Singer, 21, witch. light manipulation: a beacon of hope, the light at the end of the tunnel, the light that guides people home, the girl with the fiery red hair.

[sabrinanevian-blog]

Sabrina moved through the kitchen, searching through every single cabinet that she saw. But even after she’d checked every single one of them, she still couldn’t find what she was looking for. “Fuck, are we out of Oreos?” She let out a sigh and banged the back of her head against a cabinet door. “Guess that means I’m going to a store…. At,” she glanced down at her phone,” 1:12 in the morning. Shit.” 

[wxtchingphoebe]

Phoebe looked up from her corner in the kitchen, her hand paused in a bag of chips, looking like a deer stuck in the headlights. “I’m pretty sure we ran out,” she murmured quietly, taking the time to munch on a few chips. She skipped out on eating all day by complete accident, her journal had taken up most of the day and Phoebe found herself having next to no energy to deal with people. “Is it that late already?”

[artiistics-deactivated20160418]

Melanie watches the other through the silence, and she nearly resolves to sit on her hands in order to resist the urge to fidget. It always had to be like, this, didn’t it? Pregnant pauses while Melanie waited for words that may never come? She feels bad for imposing her presence on her sister, and she almost decides to bolt and leave the other girl to study the grass when Phoebe finally looks up at her. The smile on her face is hollow and lacking, but Melanie returns it with a small, encouraging one of her own. Who she’s encouraging, though, has yet to be discerned.

The wind blows then, raising yet another barrier between the two of them as Melanie fights a scowl, holding her hair back with one hand to stop the rustling against ears that are already straining to hear. And while her mind attempts to straighten out the wind-garbled words without asking again, she catches movement – the journal, hugged closer. A guilty pang to her heart.

You did it because you had to, she rationalizes. If you hadn’t, you’d never know. And that guy would still be on the streets. You are not guilty. 

“Yeah.” The word is noncommittal while she repeats her mantra in her head, but when she repeats it the smirk is right back on her face. “Yeah, well. Reduce, reuse, recycle. And all that jazz.

“What’re you doing out here anyway?” It’s more of a struggle than she would like to keep the tone even, to keep it from leaping in surprise or anything else too judgmental, too intrusive.

[wxtchingphoebe]

Phoebe often found herself wishing to be closer to Mel, like when they were younger, but knew that it wasn’t possible. There were too many obstacles in their lives now, and Phoebe felt the pang of regret in her stomach from pushing her sister away. 

She rolled her eyes at the recycling comment and leaned back, her fingers drumming against the journal in a rhythmic tune, and she found herself humming lightly, bring her to some sort of peace. With a shrug at her sister’s question, Phoebe took her time in replying. It was a few minutes before she spoke again, her voice louder this time; clearer. 

“Wanted a change of scenery, in all honesty. The library was kind of packed and it was boring just staring at my walls all day in my room, so decided to venture out here. What are you doing out here?” 

[jay-mockridge-deactivated201508]

Everywhere Jay looked, people were upset about the death of that poor girl and the fact that a murderer was apparently on the loose inside the walls of the Coven. It was sad, really: the Coven was supposed to be a safe haven of some sort, a place where things this bad didn’t happen, but Jay was really starting to question whether or no paradise was actually even real. Of course, when she had come back, she hadn’t come in thinking that all was going to be good for the rest of her life, but she had certainly hoped people wouldn’t be dying. 

Taking a step outside, she decided to go for a stroll since the weather was so nice. She hoped that this whole murder thing would blow over soon, and that the killer would be caught soon. The gloom was starting to piss Jay off, and she had had enough of that in her life. She was beginning to see it as something that would never leave her, and she refused to let that happen. As she walked, she noticed a certain redhead sitting under a tree, and began walking towards her. She wasn’t sure which twin it was, but upon closer inspection she put together it was Phoebe, not Melanie. Shrugging, she approached her, and when she didn’t hear her she said, “Hey.” Without waiting for a response, she sat down next to her. 

[wxtchingphoebe]

Phoebe’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at who had spoken up, and a face that she had not seen in years swam across her vision. “Well, hello.” She greeted Jay with a polite smile, one that she had used on strangers or people she knew but hardly talked to. Phoebe was a walking façade, calm, cool and collected on the outside and a perfect smile practised on her lips, masking the terror and fear she felt on the inside. But Jay was no exception, so Phoebe kept up the mask with ease. “How have you been?” She questioned her, closing her journal with a solid thump, hugging the book close to her, almost protectively. 

[artiistics-deactivated20160418]

She has to do a double take when she walks past a window and sees a speck moving in the corner of her eye. She has to blink when her eyes focus in on the familiar head of red hair that gleams so much like hers in the sun.

She has to stop herself from ramming into multiple people as she makes her way through the halls and down the stairs and out the door.

There’s a feeling bubbling up in the bottom of her stomach, not unlike that of the excitable anticipation felt when going to talk to someone you truly adored. Yet, at the same time, it’s like preparing to step into the office of a teacher you know is about to fail you for something you worked really hard at. But this is her sister… and somehow, that only makes the feeling worse.

When she finally makes it to the tree, she leans a shoulder up against its trunk, arms crossed. Melanie parts her lips to speak, prepared to say something about finding her elusive other half out of her natural habitat, possibly something witty about bees, but the sentence is only halfway through her lips when Phoebe sighs and rips a piece of paper out of her journal, eliciting a smile from her sister.

“I said, you really outta invest in some erasable pens, B,” she says instead, eyebrow raised. After a moment of deliberating, she pushes herself away from the tree and moves to sit next to her sister. The spot is carefully chosen, and when she does lower herself down – not too far, but not too close either – it feels like she’s landing on thin ice.

“–your’re gonna fell half the trees in Georgia if you keep that up.”

[wxtchingphoebe]

Phoebe was quiet as her sister spoke up, trying to find the intelligence to form somewhat of a witty remark but fell short, and instead let the silence stretch between them, her eyes trained on the floor. It was like that for a few moments, before Phoebe allowed herself to look up at her twin sister, a ghost of a smile on her lips. 

“Erasable pens are the bane of my existence,” her soft voice almost got lost in the sudden pick up of wind. The short distance between the two sisters seemed like an eternity, a long stretch to her other half, when in reality it was anything but. 

It seemed like instinct when Phoebe clutched her journal tighter in her grip and half hoped that Melanie hadn’t seen that action; although it was a big deal about her sister reading her journal just to find out what was wrong with her, Phoebe saw it as an invasion of privacy but had tried to let it go. “besides, Mel, there are a lot of trees in Georgia. I’m sure I can waste a few pages without repercussions.” 

[wxtchingphoebe]

The funeral had left Phoebe with mixed emotions      grief, anger and confusion. She grieved for the life lost though she didn’t particularly know the girl at all, anger coursed through her as she constantly wondered who could have done this, was she really safe under the roof of the Coven? But mostly, Phoebe was confused because why would someone kill another, much less a familiar? She wandered around the grounds lost in thought, her arms tucked over her chest. Finding some shade under a tree, her bag dropped down to the ground and her body soon followed with a heaving sigh. It was unusual for Phoebe to be outside during the day, or at all really, because she would either be holed up in the library or in her room but seeing as it was a rather nice day, she figured it was a sign to try and immerse herself back into the general witch population. 

Cruel smiles and malicious words, the girl is more of a shadow,  a g h o s t         

With a frustrated sigh, Phoebe tore the page from her journal and shoved it back into her bag, her eyes cast down in deep concentration with her pen idly tapping against her leg. “Sorry      did you say something?”

[chayseblanc-blog]

Chayse stood his ground against the wall of exiting students threatening to pull him away from her, slipping his hand into hers. “Yeah, you too.” At the mention of the familiar he nodded in fake sympathy, near certain that kill wasn’t the doing of one of his own. “I’ve noticed a certain…tension. Did you know the girl? Do you know anyone with a grudge against her?”

[wxtchingphoebe]

“No, I didn’t know the girl personally, but that doesn’t make me feel less sad. If anything, I wished I actually got to know her. And you should know how it is, between familiars and witches, there’s been a tension between them, well, us, for years. But I try not to look at them like that.” Phoebe said quietly, offering Chayse a small smile as she dropped her hand back down to her side. 

[willyxfoster-deactivated2015061]

A snort, he shook his head in mock disappointment. Guillermo hadn’t been paying attention to the show either, but that wouldn’t stop him from acting like he had. “Wrong. Someone was found dead and they had already found the killer too, but then the killer escaped the police’s car prison thing. So now, they’re chasing down the killer but their helicopter exploded, killing the Chief of police in the process. Keep up, Phoebe.” He feigned a serious look, wondering if the witch would buy his story.

[wxtchingphoebe]

“But that doesn’t make sense! Or does it?” She muttered more to herself, glancing up at the t.v in confusion. “I’m sure the Chief of Police is still alive.” Regardless, Phoebe threw the remote at him with a huff. “Fine, change the channel. I may not... have been watching it.”

[richdealings]

“I want to be clear that this is only if you want to do it.” Gaia could be forceful and they knew how to force people into things. However, this was something that needed to be a choice.The ability to choose was important. They offered a small smile. “If you think that is best. You have my support.”

[wxtchingphoebe]

Phoebe was grateful that the Elder wasn’t forcing her into this decision, but rather was letting her choose. “I want to do it, I do.” She said firmly with a smile, before resuming her sorting. “Thank you, by the way,” the words were said after a while, and Phoebe didn’t mean for the job or the filing, but everything before that. “For... Everything.”

[willyxfoster-deactivated2015061]

He expected her to either give him the remote or switch the channel herself. He knew Phoebe only by what he heard and she was typically a shy, good-nature individual. Someone he should have no problem with. So when she didn’t listen to him, he looked at her confused for a split second before his expression turned annoyed. He really should have just stayed in his room. 

“Yeah, I’m not buying that, so why don’t you skip to another channel and save us both the trouble.” Guillermo didn’t take people talking back to him too well, finding the whole ordeal unnecessary and bothersome. Why couldn’t they just listen to him? Matching Phoebe’s annoyed glance with his own, he spoke up once more, “You can keep watching this,” he pointed towards the TV with a disgust look, then turned his attention back to her, “If you can tell me what happened in the last ten minutes.” 

[wxtchingphoebe]

She didn’t know much about Guillermo. Or about anyone, really. Phoebe made a mental note to try and get to know the other witches in the Coven. Her eyes glanced at the remote gripped tightly in her hand before sliding back towards the t.v, trying to remember what had actually happened. “Well...” Phoebe trailed off for a moment, her eyes narrowing in thought. “Someone died, I think, and they’re trying to... find the killer? Or, wait no      someone almost died and now they’re saving him. They were in the hospital or something, and... Something exploded?”

[willyxfoster-deactivated2015061]

Now that school was done, the witch’s days were uneventful to say the least. He was either at home, bothering his family or at the infirmary, bothering his cousin. Today Guillermo felt like changing up his routine a bit, giving his family a break. 

Going to one of the Coven’s lounge, he made his way through everyone and sat in one of the couches. Unfortunately someone was already watching TV but god did he hate the channel they chose. With an irritated sigh, he spoke up, “Can you please change the channel? I feel like I’m about to die.”

[wxtchingphoebe]

It was unusual for Phoebe to be in the lounge, as she usually hid up in her room. But today was different and she was feeling... Not good, but not bad either, and that led her to be sitting rather awkwardly on the couch, perched on the edge of it, her clammy hands gripped around the remote while her eyes were fixated on the screen. She paid no attention to what was playing, that much was obvious, it was just a way to pass time. 

Her focus got disrupted as a voice spoke up and she cut an annoyed glance towards Guillermo. “If you feel like you’re about to die, please don’t disrupt us and do it quietly,” The words slipped out without a thought and it took Phoebe all of a few moments to look at him semi-apologetically. “I’m sorry. But I’m kind of... watching this.” Whatever this was.

[richdealings]

While Phoebe filed, Gaia was busy putting up equipment that they used during classes. Spell books were place into books an they wondered if new books were in order for newer spells that the Elder was in the midst of working on. They glanced over to look at Phoebe and paused briefly when the young girl continued working. “I do not trust people in my office much and because of it, things sometimes begin to clutter. You would be doing most of the things that you are doing now. If you wanted, it become a job.”

[wxtchingphoebe]

“I work at the bookshop after classes during the afternoon, usually I’m back before dark. I stopped working nights, at least for a while anyway,” Phoebe murmured quietly, absorbing herself in the filing. In a way it was almost therapeutic, with the occasional shuffling of papers. “but I can come to your office after work before dinner, or after dinner. I can work late into the night too, if you wanted. All I ever seem to be doing is hiding in my room, perhaps its time for me to... rejoin society, in a way.”

[chayseblanc-blog]

“Fresh off the boat,” Chayse confirmed, taking in another deep breath tinged with the smell of smoke. At least he had managed to go unnoticed in all the chaos. And it let him find out how a handful of witches functioned when their routines were disrupted, which was valuable information. Or at least, that was how he was going to play it if Lucie ever found out he set a fire in the library. “I haven’t seen anything that resembles you yet around here. I’m Chayse. New recruit.”

[wxtchingphoebe]

The slight smell of smoke filled the air and she felt herself being jostled as students brushed past her, though held her ground. Looking at Chayse, she gave him what she hoped to be a welcoming smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you then, newbie.” Phoebe stuck out her hand for him to shake, and then added, “Usually it isn’t that... eventful here. But with clashing personalities and the death of a familiar, everyone seems a little wound up.” She explained quietly. 

[richdealings]

Gaia waved their hand and boxes began floating towards the two. They moved to their desk to grab files that needed to be put away. “These are spell list, they need to be filed by name and element.” It was hard imagining what Phoebe was going through, but at the same time it wasn’t. Things like that happened to far too many young girls in this world. The Elder took a few seconds to think. “Phoebe, if you would like a greater distraction on a more regular basis, stop by my office.”

[wxtchingphoebe]

Phoebe nodded at the instructions and looked at the files, her nimble hands brushing over them delicately as she started to sort them into different piles to make it easier to sort, first by element. She figured she could do them by name next, and an accomplished smile weaved through her lips as she sorted out her own little system. Her ears perked up at use of her name, and Phoebe’s head whipped up to look at the Elder, before nodding quickly. “I would      I would like that very much, thank you. What would I be doing?” She asked quietly, her eyes lowering back to the files.

[thelolaperez-deactivated2016050]

Lola folded her arms uncomfortably. “No one deserves that, regardless of what their species might be. Anyone losing their life, it, it’s terrible.” 

[wxtchingphoebe]

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” Phoebe glanced at her apologetically, offering her a small smile. 

[eviebrxnnan-deactivated20160723]

“During the Founders Feast. Where the hell were the guards then?” Violetta parroted back, her words edging on panic. She was raging inside wanting to go find every single member of the guard and give them a piece of her mind, not that it would help much but she’d sure feel better afterwards. “I’m Violetta.”

[wxtchingphoebe]

“I don’t know but I assume they were all pretty busy with everything else, you know. There are a lot of people here.” Phoebe was immediately on the defence, partly due to her sister’s involvement with the Guard, and even if their relationship was still strained, she was still protective over her older sister, not that Mel needed protection in the first place. “I’m Phoebe, I’m sure it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

[richdealings]

There was a familiar voice echoing through the room, Gaia glanced up from her laptop and closed it seconds later. Phoebe was one of their special cases in the Coven, someone that she spoke to a little softer than the others. “Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong.” They stood up and walked over to the young witch. “You can help me put away some files, if you like. Are you okay?”

[wxtchingphoebe]

Phoebe gave Gaia what she hoped was a relieved smile when she wasn’t sent away, but instead, welcomed. She had always felt just a little bit calmer and better around them, even before the terrible incident that happened with Phoebe all those nights ago. It seemed like it only happened yesterday, when in reality it had been a while since it’d happened, yet Phoebe was yet to return back to her old self, and sometimes the idea flitted in her head that she never would, and it scared her. “I’d love to,” Gratefulness flooded through the red headed witch, and she nodded at Gaia’s question. “I’m fine, just thinking about everything. And it’d be nice for a distraction, of course.”

[chayseblanc-blog]

Chayse was living on borrowed time, playing out his last few skittish months of his life at the Coven before he was found out and killed. The real question was what he planned to do with them. Helping his family of hunters, making sure his sister killed her target, and….maybe figuring out the limits of his power. He spent his nights reading faded yellow pages trying to find mention of someone like him, but he came up empty. His next late night book club topic was how to strip himself of powers, but he couldn’t find anything on that either. One afternoon he got so frustrated with a book that had looked promising that he set a (small, very contained) fire in the corner of the library. He and everyone else was shuffled out and into the hallway while the librarian on duty kept it from spreading into disaster.

“Is it always this eventful here?” He asked coolly, downplaying his little slip up.

[wxtchingphoebe]

Phoebe was fond of the quietness that the library held, and after everything that had happened to her, she found herself visiting the place more often. However, the small fire had disrupted her time of peace and felt a little bit irked and annoyed. Shuffling out of the library with her bag, and cutting a look towards the newcomer, who had spoken up after the incident, Phoebe let out a small sigh. “In a house full of clashing personalities and whatnot, it’s bound to get interesting in here from time to time. You’re new here, right? I haven’t seen you around before. But on the off chance that you have seen me walking around here or talking to other people, it most likely wasn’t me, but my sister.”