The smiles they wear (foxxay)

Chapter 1

Cordelia Goode woke up crying again, as she had every morning, she looked at the clock and it read 5:00, she rolled over and tried to go back to sleep but to no avail, she gave in and got up. Walking over to her closet she sighed and got ready for the day. When she stepped out of her room, it was silent, all the girls were still asleep, she made her way to the kitchen and started to make herself a coffee. As she finished her cup, it was still only 6:30 and breakfast didn't start for another 2 hours, the cooks were just starting to set up. She had had to hire professionals because of the drastic increase in students. Cordelia wanted to get out of their way, but not wanting to go to her room again, the supreme went to her greenhouse. This was the only place that was hers, the only place that she felt genuine. Ever since the day of the seven wonders, when she had proven herself supreme, she had felt like an imposter. The decades of abuse from her mother and her peers, telling her she was nothing had left their scars. Myrtle, who had practically become her mother, was the only one who she could talk to, but now Myrtle was gone too. Cordelia sat deep in her thoughts and she almost began to cry again, but no she told herself, she couldn't start again, it was almost time for breakfast. She sat for a few more moments before she resignedly hitched a smile on her face, the same mask she wore every day.

There was a new witch Cordelia had to greet, she said her name was Mallory. This new girl puzzled Cordelia, for the young witch seemed to recognize the supreme, but she put it from her mind. She seemed very advanced already which pleased Cordelia. Mallory hugged her, the embrace felt so familiar, but she put it out of her mind again. Just as she was giving her the tour, in came someone else, but no it couldn't be. It was Nan, the student she had lost so long ago, Nan took her hood down and greeted them "hi bitches" and behind her omg... it was "Misty?". Tears started to fill Cordelia's eyes. Oh, how she had missed her girls but didn't realize how much. "How can this be possible?" the supreme said as she hugged the two of them tighter than anyone in her life. "Oh Ms. Cordelia", said Misty as they hugged. Cordelia listened to Misty explain how she was hopeless until Nan had come to save her, to guide her home. Nan praised her master Papa Legba and stated she had to go home, she slipped out the door. Cordelia was surprised, but she was a little more caught up in Misty. Mallory smiled as she "met" Misty, and left the two friends to catch up. Cordelia stared in disbelief as her favorite student, her long lost friend was right in front of her. The supreme pulled Misty toward her and pulled her once again into an intimate embrace. Misty cried as she told the older witch how lost she had been. Cordelia felt warmth inside her for the first time in a long time.

"Miss Cordelia?" Misty said after they finally broke apart. "Yes sweet girl?" The older witch responded lovingly. "I'm um really tired, any chance I could use a bed to get some sleep?". "Of course, of course you must be exhausted, although I admit I'm not really sure how one feels after being in hell for a year." Misty was a bit groggy, and it took her a minute to realize how long she had been down there. "A year? Wow, was it really that long? I had no idea. Oh well". Cordelia turned to face her abruptly in the hallway. "Yes, and I'm so sorry, I tried so hard to get you out, I tried everything. I never forgot about you Misty." Misty looked up at her teacher with wide eyes and smiled. "I't okay Miss Cordelia, I'm sure you did, don't worry about it, it barely felt like any time at all I swear." This was not the whole truth, but Misty wanted to appear fine. "Okay, well here is the spare room, it's the only one unoccupied at the moment." Cordelia smiled at Misty as they both entered the room. Cordelia turned on Misy "I have really missed you Misty Day" Misty grabbed Cordelia's hand and smiled, "Well I missed you too Miss Cordelia". They smiled at each other for a long moment before Miss Cordelia turned a bit red and stated, "I'll um get you some clothes to wear, be right back". When she had gotten back however, the young witch was already passed out on top of the covers. Cordelia watched her for a few moments with a grin before heading back to her office.

No matter how happy Cordelia had been at Misty's sudden appearance, she had still woken up in tears. She checked the clock even if she already knew it was 5:00, it was like nothing had changed, but she was definitely excited to see Misty at breakfast. Cordelia completed her morning routine and ended up at the greenhouse again. This time she did give in to her feelings and began to cry, she would have to redo her makeup before breakfast but she didn't care. She did not care about much of anything these days, she still felt like an imposter and that sooner or later she would be found out. She sat lost in her thoughts and tears.

Misty had spent her first night back in the coven twisting and turning. She kept having dreams, dreams of hell, of being burned at the stake, of years of emotional abuse by her family. The young witch woke up in a sweat, she looked at the clock and it read 6:30. She groaned and got out of bed, she did not wish to return to the dream realm, at least in hell she had forgotten about her past. Misty vaguely remembered her time here, it had seemed so long ago but she remembered the greenhouse. The young witch decided to visit it again after she had gotten dressed. The house was silent, everyone seemed to be asleep except for the cooks who had started breakfast. She looked at everything sorrowfully, trying to be happy. At the greenhouse she heard sniffles, curious, she opened the door and saw her old friend crumpled in a chair crying. Misty had come there to wallow, but it seemed someone else was worse off.

Cordelia heard someone come in and looked up in alarm, her girls couldn't see her like this. The supreme quickly hid her face and hastily wiped her eyes, she looked up and her expression softened. It was Misty. "What are you doing up? How are you feeling?" the supreme asked with an attempt at professionalism. She felt the redness creep up her neck, no one had seen Cordelia emotional in who knew how long. Misty was shocked but she responded,"I went to sleep so early yesterday I just woke up and I'm feeling a lot better". This was a partial lie, she had gone to bed very early, but she neglected to tell Cordelia about the dreams she had had, and no she was definitely not feeling any better. Misty sat in a chair next to her and quietly asked, "Are you okay Miss Cordelia?". Cordelia hesitated to answer, no she was not, but she couldn't tell anyone, she had to be strong. "Yes I'm fine it's okay I'm I'm...Fine". "No you're not, you're crying, what's wrong?" Misty pressed a bit forcefully, and she reached out for Cordelia's hand. "Tell me what happened since I left" Misty prompted when she received no response from Cordelia. Misty had been so tired that she had gone straight to sleep, and she knew nothing. That question, Cordelia could answer, she explained how she was the supreme, and what she had done with the coven and the other girls. Misty watched Cordelia as she explained Zoe and Queenie were the new council and how Myrtle had moved on. At the news of her friend's new supremacy, Misty's face broke into a smile, she had always known Cordelia was special. She was born to lead. But the young witch still desperately wanted to know what had made the supreme cry, she seemed to have everything. When Cordelia had finished recounting her story, it was time for breakfast, she hoped Misty had forgotten about her crying, unfortunately, she did not.

(A/N, Hello, I am going to be surprised if anyone actually reads this but, this is my first fanfiction, I think it sucks but I just posted it for fun. I hope you enjoy it, it was a lot of fun to write.)