It was difficult being one of the only humans on the Council. For the first five or so years Poppy felt like the members looked at her like she was lunch. Even now she's cautious about wearing open neck shirts or short skirts. The only person who ever treated her like she was important was the other human Council member, and Sampson. He listened better than the rest of them, but sometimes she figured it was because it annoyed Amelia to no end. Either way, he was always reassuring.
She didn't know why they kept her on the Council, they hardly ever asked her for her opinion. Maybe it was so that when the day comes for humans to find out about the Supernaturals they'll have proof that they've been coexisting for years. Hell of a way to 'coexist' if you asked her.
They were speaking of the Consortiums, and the idea of implementing new policies. Amelia said something snobby, as usual, and Sampson said something witty in return. Poppy hid a smile.
Madam Boudrealt adjourned the meeting then, and they all filed out of the room. Poppy waited for them all to leave before getting out of her seat.
"Quite a show, eh?" Sampson said, startling her.
"Oh!" She flushed. "I didn't know you were still here."
He smiled, and it was almost genuine. "Sorry."
"It's quite alright. Perhaps one day I'll become accustomed to the soundlessness of your kind."
Sampson nodded. "Yes, perhaps."
He seemed lost in thought, so she made a move to leave.
"By the way," he called after her and she turned around. "I was wondering if you would like to join Damian and myself for dinner Friday. We haven't eaten human food in about ten years. You can bring your husband if you'd like."
Poppy wasn't sure what else there would be to eat other than human food, and figured that she didn't want to find out. "I'll have to find a babysitter, but I'll keep it in mind. See you tomorrow."
"'May the forces of evil get lost on the way to your front doorstep'". He smiled once more and walked away.
Sampson was full of sayings like that, and most of them confused and scared Poppy to think about.
"Goodnight!" She called after him.
Shaking her head, she walked down the corridor to the room where the portal was located. They always kept a sorcerer on call for the meetings and such occasions so that the Council members could return home quickly. It was a luxury that Poppy quickly accepted. She recently moved to Wales, and portal travel was the quickest way back home. When she reached the door she knocked three times and was greeted by Solomon, the sorcerer.
"Evening Chairman Hayworth." He nodded politely.
"Good evening Solomon. Is the portal ready?"
"Yes it is, Chairman Hayworth." He answered.
Poppy nearly rolled her eyes. "Solomon, how long has it been since you started working here?"
"Fifteen years Chairman Hayworth."
"Fifteen years of me telling you to call me Poppy, and yet you still refuse!" She laughed, a sound that was rarely heard in the Council Hall.
Solomon hurriedly shut the door behind them. "You know that I am not allowed to!" He hissed.
"Oh to Hell with the rules! They're not all important. Just humor me. I've spent the last three hours in a room with ancient people that ignored me the entire time."
"As you wish, Poppy. Now, the Portal is set to send you to Cardiff. There was a slight issue with frequencies so we couldn't get you into your building, but we did manage to get you at the corner."
"Quite alright. A little walking never hurt anyone."
"Okay then, Poppy. Here you go."
The air in front of her suddenly started to shimmer and bend, first in a small spot, but then it gradually became bigger, warping the space in front of her eyes. Colors and light shone through, and soon it seemed like a seam in the fabric of space and time had ripped, because she was staring at the corner of her street, some seven thousand miles away. No matter how many times she witnesses a portal opening she was always left amazed.
She looked over her shoulder at Solomon."Have I ever told you that you're my favorite Supernatural?"
The short man blushed. "No ma'am, you haven't. But thank you."
Poppy thanked Solomon once more and stepped through the portal.
The ground beneath her feet turned from carpet to damp pavement. Poppy looked around and found that the main door to her building was about fifteen feet away. It was about two AM, and no one else was out. A chilly breeze picked up and Poppy tightened her coat around her as she began to walk to the door. The streetlamp began to flicker and sputter. She looked up at it as it stabilized itself.
From the corner of her eye she saw something move. Turning to look, she saw nothing but a shadow dart around the corner.
Maybe a cat, she thought. But she'd never seen a cat that large and with such a human shape. Then again, with the beings that she'd been working with for the past twenty something years, it could have been the Abominable Snowman for all she cared. Nothing surprised her anymore.
She continued to walk to the door, but hurriedly now. Knowing what was out in the shadows didn't necessarily mean that your worries were put to rest. Sometimes it just made them worse.
The light flickered again, and as she looked up she saw it blaze bright like the sun before it burnt out in one small explosion. Poppy shielded her eyes from the glass, but not soon enough to miss the silhouette of a man standing at the edge of the previously visible curb. She couldn't see anything but his shape, except for his eyes. They shone in the dark, bright as diamonds, but red. No iris or pupil, just red.
She gasped, and turned and ran to the stairs that led to the door. She heard footsteps pounding behind her, but she pushed on. If she could just close the five or so steps that led to the staircase-
A leather clad hand wrapped around her mouth, and the other around her waist. She had just reached the first step, so close, and yet not close enough. Poppy screamed and thrashed as she was pulled back into the shadows where the unforgiving creatures lurked.
Time seemed to slow around Alexandra, like a movie in slow motion where everyone's faces froze in a mask of shock and disbelief, until it came to a stop completely. The boys faces seemed to fade away until all she saw was Fallon. She stared at him with her mouth agape and her eyes bugging out like a chihuahua. All she could focus on was him, and the words he'd said: You're the girl with no powers. All her life those words dug into her, tearing her down every time she was reminded. It was a painful reminder of something she always tried, and failed, to forget.
It's why Fallon's words felt like a slap in the face. She'd tried so hard to hide her secret for so long. She knew that when she entered the Consortium there was a good chance that someone would find out. Still, she had been desperate enough to at least try to keep her secret to herself for a little longer. She knew she would have told Hunter and Dominic eventually, she had just hoped to have figured out some easy way to explain it-and figure out a way to not cry or flinch at their disgust.
Alexandra snapped back in the present when she realized Fallon was chuckling. She stared at him with crazy eyes as he laughed as if he'd heard the world's funniest joke. She wanted to lunge at him and stab him with the nearest sharp object or yell at him or defend herself or do something, but all she could do was stare. She felt a mix of disbelief, horror,and a slurry of other emotions that she couldn't even put names to, fill inside her gut and twist her insides.
Across from her, Fallon was still chuckling to himself. "Sorry guys, it's just-I've always wanted to make a grand entrance, you know? Say something shocking like "Luke, I am your Father" or some crazy shit like that and get a reaction out of people. I can definitely say that this moment has lived up to my expectations."
In a flash Alexandra seemed to snap out of her shock, to an extent. "Are you-are you fucking mental?" She still couldn't move her body, but her mind was working overtime, figuring that yelling at him would fix it all. "Like, seriously, were you dropped on your head as a child?"
Fallon smirked. "Of course not, that's child abuse. I was, however, thrown against a brick wall when I was six. Left a little scar right here on my wrist." He held out his arm to her and pointed to a small line on his skin.
She grabbed his wrist and threw his arm back to him. "I don't want to see your damn scar, you jerk. I want to know why you just did what you did." Actually, what she wanted to do was wipe that smirk off his face with her fist.
"Aw, Sweetheart, did it hurt your feelings?" He bent down to be face to face with her. His face had a look of mock pity on it. "Or, was it because they didn't know?. Ooh, it was that one, wasn't it? Ouch. Sorry." He didn't sound sorry at all.
With speed she didn't know she had in her, Alexandra moved to slap Fallon right in his pouty mouth. He blocked it like she knew he probably would, grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her before slamming her into the nearest wall. Her face met the white wall with a thud, and she knew she'd have a mark tomorrow.
"Now, now, Sweetheart, is that anyway to make friends?" Fallon cooed into her ear. Alexandra smelled rum on his breath.
"Don't call me that." She hissed and brought her leg up to kick him in the stomach. She missed, he had been pressed too close to her, but she did manage to hit his knee. He folded over and Alexandra took the chance to bring her knee up and hit him in the face with it. She saw a look of shock cross his features as her knee collided with his nose and his head snapped backwards, followed by his body. He crashed onto the carpet and lied there still as blood flowed out of his nose.
The two other boys finally seemed to come out of their shock and hurriedly retrieved Fallon from the ground and carried him to the sofa.
"Dammit, he got blood on the carpet. How am I supposed to get that out?" Hunter cursed, but sat down in a chair none the less.
"I think the blood is the least of our worries." Dominic looked up to the entryway where Alexandra was still standing. "Alex, why don't you come sit and explain some stuff to us." He patted the arm of the chair he was sitting in.
Alexandra made a noise that was supposed to come off as questioning, but instead sounded like she was choking. "Stuff? What stuff?" She walked halfway to where the guys were, then stopped and stood in the mouth of the hallway.
"How babies are made." Dominic looked at her impatiently. "What do you think?"
Pursing her lips, Alex made a choice. "Oh, that stuff." And then she bolted from the living room. She heard the guys yell out in surprise and start chasing after her, but she caught them off guard, so she had the upper hand. As though some sort of miracle happened, she reached her room before the guys did, and promptly shut the door and locked it behind her.
The next morning Alexandra woke up to a shrill alarm. She quickly hit the off button and groggily climbed out of bed. She'd gotten about three hours of sleep the night before, which was good considering she took two hours to unpack all of her belongings. Her room was now slightly less bland looking, what with her rainbow polka dot duvet and her single poster of the recent summer music tour she went to. She also had her stuffed kangaroo that she kept on her desk, along with a small collection of some of her books. Finally everything started to look normal, like she was back in her room at home.
It was nine in the morning, and if she were at home she'd be studying right now. Her Dad would have woken her up four hours ago to take their six mile morning jog, running through The Castro. She loved going for their jog, where they lived was one of the best known gay neighborhoods in the United States, and she found it welcoming to live there. Nobody really gave her a second glance-a benefit of living in a place where outsiders went to belong. After running through The Castro, they would have stopped for donuts at the corner shop. She would have ordered a chocolate eclair, and her father would have stuck with his usual cinnamon glazed. They would have walked to the park and done toning exercises, then raced the last two miles home. Her mom would have scolded them for getting donuts before breakfast, then forgave them after they gave her the strawberry stuffed donut she always asked for. The three of them would have eaten breakfast and then it would have been time for Alexandra to study until lunch. It was Tuesday, maybe-she couldn't remember, so her Mom would have made her a Swiss and Turkey sandwich. It would have been delicious.
A quick knock on the door brought her out of her reverie. It startled her, and she almost answered it.
"C'mon Lex, come out for some breakfast. Then maybe we could talk." Hunter's voice floated through the door. She stayed silent and moved to stand directly in front of the door. "I can hear you, you know. You're standing there, with your hands on the door." Alex held her breath. "Quit holding your breath, Lex. You'll die."
"It would kind of put a damper on breakfast, wouldn't it?" She asked before she could stop herself.
She heard Hunter chuckle. "You could say that."
They stood in silence for a few seconds before Hunter sighed, and with one last pound on the door, walked away.
Alexandra waited until she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore before she gathered her bathroom belongings and peaked into the hallway. It was empty. She took her chance to walk the two steps to the bathroom. She had complained earlier about being so close to the bathroom, but now she was thankful.
Forty minutes, one shower, and nearly two nervous breakdowns later, she emerged from the steam filled room, clad in jeans and a T-shirt with a towel wrapped around her hair.
"Took you long enough. I was starting to think you shrunk and fell down the drain."
Startled, Alexandra dropped her clothes on the floor as she made a small squeal. She glared at Fallon as she tried to get her breathing back to normal.
"Did I scare you Princess?" He threw that smile at her again.
"Not at all." She shivered, and bent down to retrieve her belongings.
Fallon whistled. "Lace. Classy."
She snapped up and clutched her clothes to her chest. "Were you staring down my shirt?"
"Actually, I was noticing you underwear. But thanks for the visual, I'll be sure to keep it safe for a rainy day."
"Disgusting." Alexandra snapped. "Now move, I need to get ready."
"For what?"
She was starting to entertain the idea of kneeing him again. "Orientation. You know, the thing everyone has to attend. It starts at noon."
"Oh, yeah, whatever." He pushed past her to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.
Alexandra huffed and threw her clothes on her bed. Maybe she could go down to the office and convince them to make different dorm arrangements. She wasn't sure if she could handle living with him for the next year or so.
She started walking to the kitchen, and spent the entire trip there complaining about Fallon. When she walked into the small room, she realized she'd spent so much time mumbling under her breath that she didn't take the time out to worry about seeing Hunter and Dominic. Now, the nerves that were in her stomach were tearing at her insides like a rabid alligator.
"Coffee's fresh." Dominic said absentmindedly as he focused on his laptop.
Alexandra scrunched her nose. "Oh, I don't drink coffee, just tea."
Both Hunter and Dominic's coffee cups clattered as they dropped them on the table. "What?" They asked in unison, both their faces covered in shock and a little bit of horror.
"I don't drink coffee," she annunciated slowly, making sure they understood. "I only drink this herb blend that my mom makes." She proceeded to get down the canister her mom all but forced her to take with her, and make herself a cup of tea.
When she sat down at the breakfast table, steaming cup of tea in hand, both boys stared at her.
"Are we starting this conversation already?" She asked as she blew on her drink. The scent wafting up from the cup helped calm her nerves, but barely.
"Yes, I believe we are." Dominic shut his laptop and turned his body towards her. "You know, I'd heard about you before. I thought your name sounded familiar. But why didn't you say anything?"
Alexandra snorted. "Why in the hell would I? I figured you'd treat me like a pariah once you found out, so I put it off for as long as I could. Can you blame me?"
"He can't. But I think I might."
Alex looked at Hunter in astonishment. "Excuse me?"
"We we're best friends, Lex. I was closer to you than my own parents. You're like my sister! You could have told me."
"No, I couldn't have." Alexandra suddenly felt two inches tall with the boys staring at her. "We had practically stopped talking by the time I figured it out. I wasn't going to make you sit there and listen to me sniffle about my life."
Hunter clutched his coffee cup so tight that she could see his veins start to show. "You wouldn't have had to make me, I would have wanted to be there for you...Besides, I already knew."
"You what?"
"I'd found out about two years ago, when I was on my way to England."
Alexandra felt like an anvil had been dropped on her like one of those cartoons."Why didn't you say anything?"
"Why didn't you?" He looked at her in a way that made her want to cry. "You could have told me the second you found out. Hell, I waited for you to tell me all last night. But you didn't."
"That's why you were so upset, wasn't it? It's because that bastard-"
"Fallon," Dominic interjected.
"-blurted it out before I told you."
"Would you ever have told me if he hadn't?"
"Yes!" No. She didn't know.
"All I'm saying is that you didn't need to face this on your own." His voice was quiet, and even though she didn't have super hearing, Alexandra heard him.
"I wasn't alone. My parent's-"
"Are not the same as having a friend. This is a big deal Lex! Not even the strongest, most well adjusted person in the world could handle this on their own." She could tell Hunter was close to cracking his mug.
"Yeah, well, I seem to be doing a damn good job right? They wanted me here." She set her now empty mug on the table with more force than necessary. "Let me know when it's time to go, I don't want to be late for orientation."
Hunter looked over at Alexandra as they made their way to the Main Square for orientation. She had put makeup on and even done her hair a bit. When he mentioned to her that he noticed this, she answered that she always looked that way. "Don't tell me that you've become one of those girls," He joked.
She shot him an annoyed look. "I'm not. But unlike you Supernaturals, I don't have a flawless complexion. Sometimes makeup is a must."
She had that far away look in her eyes, not the daydreaming kind like usual, but the kind that made him realize how much pain she was really in. Of course she was even more stubborn that she was when they were eight, so she'd never admit to anything. This would be harder than he anticipated.
"I'm sorry Lex," He said earnestly. "I didn't realize."
She waved his apology off. "No harm done."
They walked along the stone path in silence, winding around buildings until they came about the Main Square. Alexandra stopped just at the edge of it, where they were still hidden by the archway of the outdoor hallway.
Hunter looked down at her, watching her watch the forty or so people getting settled for the meeting. "What, you don't want to go?"
"It's not that," She said, "it's just…this is the largest crowd of Supernaturals that I've been around in years. I'm kind of nervous, you know?"
He didn't know. He'd never had to face the Supernatural world as an outsider like she had. So instead he just awkwardly patted her shoulder and waited for her to make the next move.
For a few minutes they just stood there, watching Alexandra stare at the crowd of students walking into the building that they were already supposed to be in.
She was beyond nervous, anyone could see that. Hunter thought back to the conversation about the makeup, and thought that maybe it was a self esteem issue.
"Well it's not like I've had great self esteem growing up," She growled when he spoke his idea to her. "It's kind of hard to when you're looked at as a freak."
Right, of course, how stupid could he be?
This time Hunter didn't even try to comfort her. He just let the silence resume.
After another moment, Dominic spoke up for the first time since breakfast, startling the two of them. "Just so we're clear, you don't even need makeup Alex. You're totally smokin' either way." He winked at Lex to prove his point.
Hunter felt a surge of protectiveness and had to fight the urge to wrap an arm around Lex. He knew she wouldn't appreciate it, and it would probably end up with him getting punched in the stomach, so instead he just gave a sour look towards Dominic, who smiled back.
To his horror, she winked back at Dominic. "Thanks Dom. That was just what I needed." She straightened her shoulders and held her head up high. Quickly she fixed her clothes and checked her hair. She started walking towards the square again, her black boots making a tapping sound on the stone.
Hunter stared at Lex, then Dominic. "What the hell-"
"You guys coming?"
Both boys turned to Alexandra, who was waiting for them to catch up. When they were nearly there, she turned around and started walking again. She was walking with an aura of confidence that she didn't have earlier, swaying her hips and looking like she didn't have a care in the world. Hunter looked over at Dominic to find him looking down. He didn't need to follow his gaze to know that he was checking out her butt. Hunter punched the vampire in the arm, hard.
"Ow! What the hell man?" He hissed, rubbing his shoulder.
"Quit checking her out! She's like my sister."
"Exactly. She's like your sister. But not actually your sister." Dominic wiggled his eyebrows and Hunter had to fight the urge to punch him again.
"Whatever. Just make sure you keep your hands to yourself." He growled and caught up with Lex.
But even he had to admit, it was difficult for him to not check her out. He had a feeling he'll be spending eternity in the lowest circle of Hell.
Dominic sighed in relief the second they were let out of the orientation. It was painfully long, and he had suffered the entire time what with the hot fay girl giving him the "look" from the row next to him. It was all he could do to not jump out of his seat and rush the two of them back to his dorm room for the next day or two.
Beside him, Alex nudged his thigh with hers. "Ready to go?"
He had meant what he said about her being hot. All she needed was the confidence boost, and now that she had it, the only thing he could think of when he looked at her was damn. Not that he'd say it out loud, at least not while Hunter was near. He knew it would probably get him put in the E.R. if he did.
"You guys go," He said, catching the fey girl's gaze. "I think I'll check the student life a little more."
Alex looked at him like he was stupid. "Don't be ridiculous, you can't stay in the sunlight for that long."
"I never said anything about staying outside."
She looked at him quizzically for a second until she looked around. She snorted. "Oh, I see. Good luck, you've already got some competition."
Dominic looked back at the girl to see that there were already two other guys over there.
"Please, they've got nothing on me. Just watch." He gave a devilish smile to Alex before sauntering over to the fey.
The three of them looked at him as he walked up to them, the two guys with a sort of threatening animalistic look, and the girl with an intrigued look.
"Hello," She said, her voice chiming like bells.
"Why hell-o." Dominic took her hand and kissed it as he bowed, ignoring the glares from the two guys.
"Who may you be?" She asked.
"I am Dominic Hearst. Who might you be?" He asked in the same tone. The fey made up a large amount of the Supernatural community, and many of them held positions of power. He could always tell which ones were which by the tone they took when they spoke, like they were kings and queens above everyone else.
Haughtily she answered,"I am Tatiana, the great-great-granddaughter of the headmaster here."
"Well then, I consider myself honored to be in the presence of such greatness." He felt his pride dignity slowly being ripped away.
"You're too kind, Dominic. Please, shall we go somewhere a little more…intimate?"
Dom smiled. Now that's what he was talking about. "Yes, we shall." He held out his arm so she could loop hers through it. They walked away without giving the other two boys a second glance.
He caught Alex's eye and winked. She laughed and turned away from him.
As the two of them walked, Tatiana kept brushing her hand across Dominic's skin, sending chills down his spine. He knew that underneath all that haughty posture and table manners was the side of her that was dirty, and he knew he wanted to see that side.
Sorry for the long wait guys! I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. Not much Fallon in this chapter, but I figured some more of the Council would be nice. See you next time!
~E