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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Sept 26, 2020 0:30:10 GMT -6
Chapter 1: Sunday Service
Don’t you ever want to escape from the stressful and boring life called reality?
Dreams…..It’s amazing how it works……The moment my body shuts down and I close my eyes to sleep the night away, everything is dark and peaceful for a moment. Before, suddenly, my mind is active again, with my conscious taking me away to an unusual world far beyond reality, a world that I would daydream about all my life, wishing that I could leave the real world behind and live forever in my own world where anything I imagine becomes reality without pain, fears, worries, or stress.
I recalled watching Disney’s 1951 classic animated movie “Alice In Wonderland" when I was 5 years old and I would always secretly imagine escaping into my own Wonderland since my childhood, because my life was never exactly normal. You see, I was born as half human and half Wiccan, so you can literally imagine how hard it was for someone like me to make any friends without people rejecting me for being different from everybody else. People would always accuse me for being a bad seed or evil, they would even mock me by calling me "The Wicked Witch of the West because I have the capability to cast spells, perform witchcraft, and conjure all sorts of magic…..
White Magic NOT Black Magic. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not evil. I refuse to touch Black Magic to harm others, as I would only secretly use my magic to help others.
My father, Curtis Thomas, tried to kill me when I was 5 years old. He never liked the fact that I was born differently - a half human and half Wiccan. So one night, he tried to kill me in my sleep with a kitchen knife. I woke up and screamed in horror, defending myself by unleashing my hidden power of telekinesis for the first time, without realising it. Curtis was thrown out of my bedroom window and onto the ground of our backyard. The impact killed him instantly. The sight of his blood-stained and lifeless body will live with me for the rest of my life. Anna tried to remind me that it wasn’t my fault since I was only trying to protect myself. Anna and I moved away from New York City to the suburbs of Connecticut.
The only two people who know about my secret are my mother, Anna Thomas, and my stepbrother, Ryan Swift. When I was 8, Anna thought that it would be a good idea for me have a big brother to look out for me. So Anna adopted a 10 year old British boy name Ryan Swift, who was raised in London, England. He was going through his own personal family crisis with his parents. When they divorced and couldn’t agree on a joint custody settlement, his father suggested that he would be better starting a new life with a new family in America. So Anna took him into her care ever since. Though Ryan and I are complete opposites, we eventually learned to accept our differences and our bond as siblings grew stronger each time people would bully us at school. We learned to look out for each other, which was all Anna ever wanted. Which was see her two children getting along and working together for the past 10 years. I’m now 17 and Ryan is 19.
Anna Thomas is a empath psychologist with a kind and loving heart. She is compassionate and understanding and would always see the good within the people she has appointments with and she does whatever it takes to help them have a better life. Just like she would always make sure that Ryan and I have a good safe life. Anna was considered the epitome of a loyal mother and was always there when Ryan and I needed her. She is encouraging, supportable, caring, responsible, wise, dedicated, and hard-working. Anna never believed in dead ends and valued hard work to accomplish goals while providing moral and emotional support for us, keeping a positive attitude whenever we had a bad day. She had carried the burden of responsibility as a single mother, knowing that she had to lead us and be a good role model as a mother, having to care for us after my father’s death. Anna is also gentle and understanding, though she can be stern on occasions. She was not above scolding us, becoming upset with us, or getting angry at our unwillingness to try to make something of our lives. Anna would encourage us to be the best that she can be and support us for our futures.
However, There was a time where I have escaped into my own world that felt too real to be called a dream. I was Alice in my own Wonderland. But my ‘Wonderland’ was more than I could ever imagine. When anything was possible and I truly believe in something, all of my deepest desires would eventually come true,just like in fairytales. With a mixture of romance, action, and adventure and everything in between. along with some playful kinkiness involved. It was truly the dream that I will never forget. and neither will Ryan. Neecause he was also part of my Wonderland, where all of his deepest desires also became reality.
The story began last Sunday morning. In the suburbs of Connecticut. It was the first day of Spring in the month of March as the morning sun rose above the horizon, shining the darkness of the night away and leading the landscape into a new day filled with life and new possibilities.
I was never much of a morning person. And I wore a long oversized black night shirt to prove that. It read, “Not A Morning Person” and was from my favourite clothing brand, Killstar. I was still sleeping in my bed, with my body and my head buried deep underneath my black covers, completely avoiding the light of the morning sun, which illuminated my black curtains over my upstairs bedroom window.
The walls of my room were covered in black and grey stripes, with a black and white spiral effect carpet spreading out across the floor. A large queen-sized wooden gothic bed frame, black with gargoyle-like faces carved on either side, sat on the right hand side of the room, with grey pillows and a black duvet with purple trim. A vampire teddy bear cuddly toy from The Nightmare Before Christmas sat nearby. A gothic chandelier hung from the ceiling, it's lights able to be as dimmed and bright as possible. A bat shaped lampshade sat on my bedside table, next to a grey alarm clock. A black carpet with the white pentagram star symbol lat in the center of my bedroom floor.
My makeup desk lay to the left of my bedroom window. It's counter was flanked by 4 grey candle holders shaped like skulls on either side, next to a dozen voodoo dolls with pins sticking out of them, marked with various celebrity names and my bullies from the past. Each drawer contained my many styles of gothic eyeliner and jewellery, as well as countless diaries for the past 5 years with all my memories. To the right of the window was my low dresser drawer, which housed my many gothic clothes. An ornament of a silver and purple dragon sat on top.
Above my bed frame was a Bram Stoker's Dracula poster, with a Rob Zombie poster on the back of my door, where my black trench coat and skull-emblazoned backpack were hung. Posters of symphonic and gothic metal bands like Epica, Nightwish, and My Dying Bride, as well as a trademark Nightmare Before Christmas poster, adorned my walls. Two spiral metal CD racks housed my music collection, which contained some surprising choices. Like Ryan, I too had a hi-fi, situated on my dresser drawer.
A flat-screen television, mounted on the wall, was flanked by a decorative border of 3 bats, all carved out of fake marble.
Beside my door was a medium-sized marble column with the masks of comedy and tragedy on the very top, also marble. My gothic bookshelf, shaped like a coffin, housed all my spell books, as well as fantasy, poetry, mythology and literature books as it stood next to my drawers.
It read 7:59am on my alarm clock. A minute later, my peaceful slumber was disturbed by my gray alarm clock ringing so loudly that it nearly made my body jump out of bed, my heart nearly skipping a beat as my head peaked out of my covers, my long black hair covering half of my face like I was Samara Morgan from the 2002 horror movie The Ring.
“Ugh……Not now…….” I muttered in my tired zombie-like voice as I reached out my hand towards the alarm clock and aimed my fist down at the snooze button to silence the machine before I crawled myself back into bed, not in the mood to get up this early on a Sunday morning. A day, which for many, was supposed to be a relaxing day of rest from school and work, nothing else.
But from what Ryan and I didn’t know, the day was only just the beginning……
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Sept 26, 2020 6:23:04 GMT -6
A series of intermittent knocks rapped against Bella’s bedroom door, forcing the young half Wiccan to grumble in sleep as she refused to acknowledge whoever was disturbing her brief slumber.
"Go away!" She muttered lazily.
The door swung open, revealing her mother, Anna Thomas. She had been up from 7am onwards, intending to rouse her children for a day of communal service and show to them the importance of community. She was in her late thirties, with short shoulder length black hair and brown eyes. Selfless, kind, and at times strict, she juggled her jobs as a doctor at the local hospital and a psychologist in synchronicity with her role as a single mother, raising her children all on her own.
"Good morning, Bella. Time to get up." Anna encouraged. She wore a white short sleeved and collared blouse with a grey knee length skirt. A small crucifix pendant hung from her neck.
"Mom, it’s Sunday! Just give me five more minutes..." Bella lazily requested, her black hair still covering half of her face
"It’s church service today. And I want you and your stepbrother up and ready before 10am." Anna spoke, walking over to the curtains and opening them. Bright spring sunlight filtered into Bella’s room, which made the young teenage witch recoil in horror.
"Alright, alright!" Bella flinched, covering her face with her jet black duvet covers, trying her best to avoid the light.
"Breakfast will be ready when you come downstairs. Don’t let it go to waste." Anna kindly asked as she left her daughter’s bedroom, heading across the landing to another bedroom door.
Ryan lay sleeping, having forgot to set his alarm at Anna’s request. Like Bella, his childhood was less than idyllic. Raised on a tough estate in London by his honest father, Alan, and his former alcoholic and now teetotal mother, Elizabeth, his upbringing saw him look up to his older brother, James, who enlisted with the British Armed Forces when Ryan was 5 years old. His parents’ marriage was less than happy, with regular arguments over Elizabeth’s alcoholism the main issue. When they divorced and couldn’t agree on a joint custody settlement, Alan suggested that the 10 year old Ryan would be better off starting a new life with a new family, one that was related to the Swifts by blood.
The loss of his brother to a terrorist ambush while out on patrol in Afghanistan conspired to push Ryan over the edge and change him from a young and optimistic child into a hate-filled, insecure and short-tempered teenager when he turned 13. His early years in high-school regularly saw him clash with various bullies and jocks, which earned him detention on many occasions. His simmering resentment with Bella caused he and his stepsister to argue on many an occasion. That all changed 4 years later when he and Bella finally learned to accept each other on Christmas Day, much to Anna’s elation. Both regularly looked out for each other, with Ryan getting Bella’s chief tormentors to finally leave her alone.
Now 19 years old, Ryan found himself slowly maturing and leaving his rage-filled days behind. He had even found himself a weekend job at the local wildlife and safari park, working with many animals that included wolves, birds of prey, and big cats, becoming very popular with families for his extensive knowledge of various species and the kindness he showed. He even demonstrated incredible acts of bravery and fearlessness by giving a large and docile crocodile a chin scratch, much to everyone’s shock.
His bed faced his bedroom door, covered in army print duvet covers. A small bedside table sat to the left, complete with a digital alarm clock, a lampshade adorned with Xenomorphs from his favourite movie, "Aliens". and a small framed black and white photo of his brother, James Swift, who was in his army uniform. To the right, nearest the window, was his own working desk, with several drawers that contained many heavy metal magazines, mementoes and his sketchbook.
To the left of the room sat his flatscreen TV, Hi-fi and PlayStation 4, mounted on a 3 level metal stand, connected to a large plug socket. His grey chest of drawers stood near his desk and the bedroom window, which contained his clothes. Two spiral metal CD racks housed the many heavy metal albums he listened to, including the death and thrash sub-genres.
Above his bed was a poster of a dragon curled around a sword amidst a backdrop of flames, next to one of a snarling panther emerging from the shadows.
His fitted wardrobe contained 3 sleeveless denim jackets that were adorned with patches of heavy metal bands, along with his series of ripped jeans and various shoes. As well as other jackets and smart shirts that Anna had purchased for him over the years. A poster of The Punisher skull logo covered one of it’s doors.
Posters of thrash metal band Testament, crossover thrash act Municipal Waste, and the legendary Iron Maiden, as well as a Terminator poster, lined his walls. A Slayer poster and a dartboard hung on the the back of his bedroom door. It’s circular frame was covered by cut-outs of pop musicians and reality TV personalities that he despised. Another poster of the sci-fi movie, District 9, was mounted above his TV.
Whatever pleasant dreams that were filtering through his mind were suddenly interrupted by 3 knocks on his bedroom door. His green eyes slowly opened, an audible groan rumbling in his throat.
"Ryan? Ryan, are you awake?" Came the voice of Anna as she opened his bedroom door. Pockets of small sunlight shone into his room as he began to wake up.
"Yeah... just give me a minute." The 19 year old Brit asked, a lot calmer than he was in previous years. He sat up, wearing a black vest top and baggy grey jogging bottoms over his slim torso. A long shift at the safari park had left him sufficiently tired. And it wasn’t even mid-morning. He glanced at his alarm clock. The time was now 8:05am.
"Why are you up early?" Ryan asked, rubbing the fitful sleep debris from his green eyes, his short black hair slightly sticking up.
He had no idea what he and Bella were in for today.....
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Sept 28, 2020 1:31:59 GMT -6
“I’m just about to make breakfast, Ryan.” Anna said, standing in the open doorway, morning sunlight peeking into the bedroom, “Please come dowstairs as soon as you’re ready. And please dress presentable - We need to respect the service today.”
“Alright.” Ryan sighed, raising himself up until he was sitting on the edge of his bed, stretching his arms upwards, ready to start his morning.
Ryan knew that Anna meant well, even though they, at first, didn’t see eye to eye. But after Anna understood why he was so cynical and rage-filled, and helped him leave those days behind him, he grew into accepting Anna’s motherly love. She always looked at him like a son of her own to insure that both of us will always be treated and loved equally. Anna’s love and care for us will never be broken, though she seems overprotective, there are times when even I don’t agree with her. Eventually, we learned to compromise for the sake of avoiding argument. In the past 10 years, I’ve grown to be lot calmer and respectful towards both Ryan and my mother than I was in my younger years when I was a child.
When my mother and I first moved to Connecticut. I was 6 years old, just one year removed from my father’s death, Anna claimed that it would save us a lot of stress and money struggles. Anna also thought that it would be best for me because of my troubled upbringing and how dangerous and loud New York was. We had lived there since I was born and I always loved the Big Apple. It would briefly take my mind off my tragic past, but Anna claimed that my father’s death was an accident. And she was right, because deep down, I knew that I did it to protect myself.
At 11 years old, during my first 4 years in my new high school called the “Housatonic Valley Regional High School”, the students knew that I was never meant to fit in to their society because I was born differently. They called me a witch and other horrible names under the sun. They even told me that I should burn in hell, and that I killed my father. I had to lie to them by saying that he died in a car crash to hide my fear and guilt while avoiding suspicion. The Government even considered to do some experiments on me, So I developed Avoidant Personality Disorder since childhood and never had any close friends who can relate to, meaning I was always isolating myself throughout my childhood. Bullies are the worst in this generation, which was another reason I always believed that reality sucks.
Until I reached the age of 15, Ryan and I eventually accepted each other’s differences as brother and sister as our sibling bond grew stronger.
In fact, there was a time when my former bully, Chloe Summers, pushed me into a puddle of mud outside the school grounds and even threatening to have her boyfriend, the school’s number one athlete and resident jock, Bradley White, hang me with a rope in his hands after they found out that I was half Wiccan. But thankfully, Ryan interfered, took down Bradley, and warned Chloe that he will come after her too if they don’t leave me alone. Ryan reported Bradley’s shockingly despicable behaviour to the school principal, who handed Bradley a year’s suspension for threatening to hang a student.
That didn’t stop Chloe. Even when Bradley was suspended, she and her posse of mean girls still antagonised me and my stepbrother. It was on Halloween night last year when I finally stood up for Ryan at the school’s annual Halloween dance. Watching him be sexually harassed by Chloe Summers, dressed as a Playboy bunny, shocked me. The more he tried to ignore her, the more aggressive she became. I was dressed as Raven from Teen Titans and Ryan was dressed as the Punisher. So to return the favour, I secretly used my magic to cast a spell on Chloe to make her vomit. Watching her slip onto the floor made me smirk victoriously. At first, Ryan was in shock that I had used my magic on Chloe in public, but as we left the party, we eventually laughed it off and went home, with Ryan promising to keep the moment a secret.
At the age of 17, it was a week after my graduation when I got a full time job at a bookshop called, “The Cornwall Bookshop” in the small town of Cornwall, where they have unique and rare books to read and collect that people in this generation don’t really care about since technology has literally taken over the world, with people reading off tablets instead of reading off the pages of a book. It was always quiet and peaceful on the days when I work, so I always took time to read some books to past the time until my shift was over. That’s also where the owner of the bookshop, Mrs. Eva Williams, would show me hidden book section filled with witchcraft spell books that granted the user white magic and protection spells. There was a time where I also read the original tale of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland from that bookshop. Here, I met my best friend, Emily Dale, who also worked there after graduation. I intended to save as much money so I can to go to collage and hope to be a writer myself. After all, my mother always said that I have an overactive imagination. And she was right about that as my imagination eventually lead me to an unexpected place…….
It was now 8:10 AM as I eventually rose myself up until I was sitting on the edge of my bed, stretching my arms and legs to wake up the rest of my body, though my head was still half asleep as I literally still felt like an extra from the “Walking Dead” series. My black hair was still knotted and covering half of my tired face, my eyes half opened as I still wore my long oversized night shirt that read “Not A Morning Person” by Killstar. There was just something about morning that makes feel more dead than alive, but when darkness falls,I feel more alive and ready to take on the world. What can I say? I live the life of a vampire. The sun hates me and I hate the sun. Besides, I burn easily. That’s why I refuse to get a tan. Ivory pale skin is better for my complexion.
After a moment of waking myself up, I switched on the light from my black gothic chandelier that hung from the ceiling as I figured it’s time to jump start my day with a nice hot shower. It always wakes me up. So I leapt off my bed and reached for my black bathrobe that was hanging on a black coat hanger beside my closed closet door that had a Beetlejuice poster and a Batman 89 poster on it.
I opened my bedroom door, wearing my black bathrobe and my black bat slippers. I noticed that Ryan had already left his bedroom at the same time, walking towards the bathroom…..
“Ryan, wait!” I yawned. He heard my tired voice as he stopped and turned around to me standing behind him.
“Good morning to you too, Bella.” Ryan smirked sarcastically. He was known to have a friendly sense of humor sometimes.
“I’m sorry, Ryan……But I really need to get in the bathroom first……Please? I promise I won’t be long.” I promised, pleading at Ryan with my tired puppy dog eyes that I should be the one to use the bathroom first to take a shower so I can decide what to wear for this so called Sunday Service without upsetting my mother for being late.
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Sept 28, 2020 6:41:29 GMT -6
Ryan, tired in his own way, saw Bella’s pleading eyes look up at him like an abandoned puppy. Normally, his former teenage self would of shoved his stepsister aside, locked the door, and used up all the hot water to ruin her morning and make her have a cold shower. But after a long shift at the wildlife and safari park on the previous day, he was in no mood to argue.
"Fine..... Just don’t use up all the hot water." Ryan grumbled, letting his new responsible and mature side speak.
"Promise." Bella chirped, brushing past her stepbrother and closing the bathroom door. Once Ryan heard the locks turning, he huffed audibly and decided to let this one go. He trudged downstairs, the walls bathed in sunlight and lined with various framed pictures of Bella’s family and Anna’s accomplishments in her career, including a university degree in psychology.
The interior of the house was a modest, yet spacious dwelling. A wide hallway included a door that lead to a living room with a log fire, two black leather couches and a widescreen HD TV, mounted on the wall. Ryan glanced in the room, seeing how impeccably tidy and clean it was, given Anna’s standards for cleanliness.
The faint smell of a prepared full English breakfast guided Ryan’s senses into the kitchen, which was equally as modest after Anna had renovated and redecorated it’s previously cramped space. Marble laminate covered the kitchen worktops to match the wooden floor, a trio of spotlights hung from the ceiling, and a dark wooden kitchen table sat next to the back window. A fridge/freezer combination, dishwasher, and a gas stove completed the room.
Anna stood by the kitchen sink, washing a few remaining dishes, noticing her stepson walk in. "Good morning, Ryan. Your breakfast is on the table. Don’t let it go cold." She spoke.
"Thanks. I could do with a little confidence boost." Ryan tiredly muttered, sitting at the table. His plate contained two sausages, two slices of bacon, baked beans, and two pieces of toast, next to a glass of orange juice. Normally, he cooked his own out of respect, but now that he was slowly approaching his early twenties, he smiled silently, knowing that Anna was kind enough to have prepared it for him.
"Where’s Bella?" Anna asked, drying a plate and placing it in the dish rack next to the sink.
"In the shower. She got there before me, so I decided to let it slide." The tired Brit shrugged, taking a bite out of a piece of bacon. It was mornings like this that reminded him of his home city, London. After finally burying the hatchet with Bella, he spent the last two summers returning home to visit his family and would stay for a month. Despite being on the other side of the Atlantic, he always missed them, but understood why Anna adopted him. She was a descendent of Ryan’s late and great grandmother, Evelyn Swift, and related to them by blood. This revelation put his formerly cynical mind at peace.
"Today’s a very important day for the both of you. For all of us." Anna spoke, placing one last dish on the rack.
"I never was one for confessing my sins." Ryan darkly joked, chewing on a mouthful of sausage and bacon, knowing that he had a lot of unsavoury incidents befall him until he and Bella accepted each other as siblings. The mere thought of frightening a few members of the church had crossed his mind, but he suppressed it due to the maturity he was supposed to show.
"It’s not about confessions, Ryan, it’s about community. Of how strong it’s spirit is every Sunday." Anna wisely spoke, clasping a cup of coffee as she sat at the table.
"To be honest, I don’t know why you’re bothering. Me and Bella will be bored within 10 seconds." Ryan muttered, trying to play devil’s advocate and admit that he and his stepsister wouldn’t be caught dead at Sunday Service, or find themselves mingling with the socially awkward and annoyingly cheery teenagers their age.
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Sept 30, 2020 4:28:41 GMT -6
“The purpose of Sunday Service today is to pay respect to God’s only son, who sacrificed his own life for mankind.” Anna said, putting the last remaining dishes in the dishwasher before closing it and turn it on to start the machine.
“Is that all?” Ryan muttered again, taking his time to finish his breakfast.
“It’s also the best way to learn to appreciate everything you have and take full responsibility for your actions, even if it means asking God for forgiveness for your sins.” Anna reminded her stepson.
She knew that Ryan had matured over the years to know to appreciate and respect others while he was maintaining his emotions so he wasn’t as edgy or aggressive as he was once in his mid-teens. Emotions that nearly got him expelled for his past confrontations with Bradley and other school bullies when they would torment other innocent and unfortunate students because they believe that they’re above them.
I recalled the moment when Ryan confronted school principal for allowing the bullies to run the school and bully other students, eventually taking matters into his own hands and creating an anti-bully school program during our last year of high school before graduation. After watching me getting tormented regulary by Bradley and Chloe, he knew that he had to do what was best for the school. Soon, all schools across the country implemented this new law. Ryan has truly became a better person since he and I started to get along. And Anna couldn’t be anymore proud of us.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom, I switched on the shower valve that made the shower head run hot water before I removed my black bathrobe and hanged it on the hanger on the back of the bathroom door, walked into the medium sized space before closing the shower door behind me.
As the steam from the heat filled the room, fogging the shower window door to shield the clear image of my bare, exposed, and fragile but slim body, the water cleansed my wet long black hair downward across my body, washing away the stress that was called life. It was like spending the morning inside a sauna. I could rest in here for a while but alas, I must prepare myself for the most boring morning of my life.
I have nothing against Christianity or any other realigon, it’s just not my style to sit on a pew inside the church for an hour and a half just to worship God for all the sacrifices he has made for humanity. It’s not that I don’t appreciate life, I would just think that the only time we truly thank Jesus for his blessings would be on Christmas Day p, because everybody knows that it was the day that Jesus himself was born. So I don’t really know what the big deal is for Mom to wake us up this early to thank God on Sundays mornings?
After a 10 minute shower, from shaving my legs to washing my hair and body, I turned off the valve as the water came to a halt from the shower head and the drain below me drained the water dry, steam rising in all directions. From the moment I stepped out of the shower with a black towel covering my body. I wiped my right hand across the steamed bathroom mirror until I could see the the reflection of myself, my black hair wet and damp from the shower. My clean and ivory pale skin resembled that of a vampire, without any dark makeup to perfect my overall look.
“Geez…..No wonder vampires have no reflection……I wouldn’t even want to look at myself in the mirror either. But nothing a little makeover couldn’t cure.” I smirked, joking sarcastically to myself while staring at my reflection before I put on the bathrobe to cover my body again and put the towel over the my head to dry my hair and slipped back on my bat slippers.
It was now 8:30 AM as I opened the bathroom door in my bathroom, walking across the upstairs landing towards my bedroom. The sound of my footsteps across the cream coloured carpet floor above Ryan and Anna caught their attention, the latter realising that I just got out of the shower.
“Bella? Is that you?” Anna asked, walking towards the staircase with a cup of coffee in her hand to see me heading towards my bedroom.
“Yeah, Mom! I’ll be right down!” I yelled back from upstairs, just as my right hand touched the doorknob of my bedroom door.
“Well, please finish getting ready. Your breakfast’s on the table. Don’t be there too long.” Anna informed me.
“Alright, Mom!” I snapped impatiently, rolling my eyes and opening the door. I walked inside my bedroom before closing the door behind me, sighing in relief to have some privacy again.
Now comes another big challenge for me…….
“What am I going to wear?” I asked myself with my hands on top of my head in frustration. My wardrobe inside my closet was not exactly appropriate for church activities……
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Sept 30, 2020 15:28:26 GMT -6
Once Bella’s bedroom door shut, Ryan, who by now, had sufficiently finished his breakfast, washed down the last remnants of bacon and sausages with a glass of orange juice, feeling energised.
"They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And that definitely filled a hole." Ryan chuckled, suppressing a small yawn as he rose up from his chair.
"Don’t be long getting ready, Ryan. We’ve less than two and a half hours before church starts." Anna requested, sipping on her coffee. Outside, spring sunshine bathed the neighbourhood in its calming glow. Winter was over for the majority of the country, and it was starting to show.
Ryan drifted past his stepmother and headed upstairs, greeted by small tendrils of steam evaporating and drifting out of the bathroom. He cursed silently, knowing that Bella hadn’t opened a window to let all the steam dissipate and the spring air from outside circulate.
"Doesn’t she know how to open a window?" He asked himself, his green eyes catching a glance of himself in the mirror. Unlike most teenagers, Ryan was acne free, but never boasted about his looks. Grabbing a fresh grey towel hanging on the back of the bathroom door, he closed and locked it behind him. Turning the hot water valve, he stripped away his vest top and jogging bottoms, quickly entering the rectangular cubicle and sliding the door shut.
As the hot water began to warm up, Ryan washed his short black hair with Head and Shoulders 2 in 1 Men Ultra total care for men, which helped refresh and revitalise his short style. For his face, he used L'Oréal Men Expert Pure Charcoal facewash to cleanse his pores and prevent any future outbreak of acne. Finally, he used Tom Ford Neroli Portofino shower gel to wash his body, it’s invigorating aroma ridding the final remnants of grease and awakening his soul.
Ryan switched off the hot water valve, stepped out of the shower, and grabbed his towel, quickly tying it around his waist as more tendrils of steam evaporated across the room.
"At least there was hot water this time." He grumbled, drying his hair and opening the bathroom door. He trudged to his bedroom, pausing to fix his bedcovers and open his wardrobe, green eyes glancing at his battle vests. Deep down, he wanted to upset the church congregation with his still fervent adulation of all things heavy metal, but since today was Sunday Service, he grumbled and began to move the many coat hangers that hung many of his smart long sleeved shirts and trousers.
Ryan glanced over at his alarm clock. It was now 8:50am, and less than 2 hours and 10 minutes left. He huffed audibly, picking a black long sleeved buttoned shirt and a pair of grey trousers, figuring that this was smart enough for church.
"This’ll do....." He sighed, beginning to get himself ready.
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Oct 3, 2020 3:20:13 GMT -6
Meanwhile, I turned on the light of my gothic chandelier until it brightened my dark bedroom while my window was still shielded with it’s long black curtains. I removed the towel off my head to dry my long and wet black hair while looking at the time on my alarm clock. It read 8:55am. I thought to myself ”I’ve all the time in the world to get ready. 2 hours, that is."
So I figured that since I still have 2 more hours before the Sunday Service, I walked towards my black working desk where my MacBook Pro was displayed. Next to it was my black desk lamp, My iPhone X, and my Dr. Dre black bluetooth speaker that was connected to my MacBook Pro, allowing me to listen my music through my speaker from my laptop. I clicked on my Spotify app to play Dreamscape by Epica as the music began to play it’s beautiful dark melody that filled my bedroom and that was all the motivation I need to start my day.
I decided to dry my hair with a hairdryer that was inside the bottom draw of my makeup desk. I plugged it into the outlet socket between my makeup desk on the left of my bedroom window and my working desk to the right of my bedroom, beginning to dry my hair until it was soft and smooth again. I switched off the hairdryer and than took my hair straighteners out of the same drawer from the bottom of my makeup desk and plugged it into the outlet to carefully straighten my hair without burning it off my head. Lastly, I sprayed hairspray on my hair to make it stay in place.
While the music began to play, I made sure that it was only loud enough to fill my surroundings and not loud enough to vibrate the first floor of the house. Ryan and I have enough respect to not create noise like we used to when we were young teens.
During our early years of distrust in the past, Ryan would have loud thrash metal music on in his bedroom, and would have it so loud that it would literally feel like an earthquake. One night, I couldn’t even concentrate on my witchcraft protection spell without the music interfering with my ritual. I decided that enough was enough and sat up from my ritual circle in the shape of a pentagram and stomped out of my bedroom, banging on Ryan’s bedroom door, eventually catching his attention. I yelled at him to stop playing the music as it was driving me insane and because I didn’t appreciated his taste of music back then. But when Ryan refused to turn off the music, I cast a sleeping spell on him that made him pass out on the floor of his bedroom until the next morning. Ryan woke up and got his revenge by sneaking into my bedroom and rudely waking me up with loud death metal music from his headphones. Ones which he placed into my ears and then blasted the music on full volume, that made me scream and tumble out of my bed until I landed on the floor.
After I dried and straightened my long black hair, I sat down on a black makeup chair, next to my black makeup desk to begin to apply my dark makeup. First, I used Kat Von D ivory foundation and concealer for my skin tone to cover the blemishes of my natural pale skin, lastly applying Kat Von D transfer powder to my face. I then began to cover my eyes with Kat Von D Mascara and Kat Von D black liquid eyeliner and gave it a cat-eye shape above my eyelids and darkened my eyebrows with Kat Von D pencil eyeliner below my eyelids. Lastly, I added black eyeshadow from my gothic palette called, “Cremated” by Jeffree Star.
Afterwards, I walked towards my closet, still in my black bathrobe and opened the door. Upon turning on the light nearby the closet door to reveal my all black wardrobe on hangers, including my black boots, a dilemma hit me.
“This is going to be tougher than I thought.” I sighed deeply, already telling that this was going to be a challenge for me I’m not the type of person who dresses up for occasions like this.
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Oct 3, 2020 12:46:49 GMT -6
While Bella fretted over what to wear (and let her breakfast go cold in the process), Ryan was busy getting himself ready. Like his stepsister, he was not one to be found in church and praising the Lord’s name on a Sunday. To him the concept of religion was flawed and outdated, which regularly clashed with his beliefs that everything happens for a reason, and not because of divine intervention.
Small pockets of sunlight filtered through his half-opened grey curtains, but unlike Bella, he wasn’t afraid of the sun. And it showed as he opened his grey chest of drawers to select a pair of grey Tom Ford boxer briefs and a pair of black socks. The rest of his drawers contained his many t-shirts replete with logos of various heavy metal bands, which he regularly brought with his own money. He quickly dropped the towel and slipped the briefs over his groin, which complimented a young and lightly toned figure.
"Pros and cons of eating well." Ryan chuckled, spraying some L'Oréal Men anti-perspirant under his armpits. This protected him from sweat patches and stains on his shirts on warm days, as well as freshening him up. Next, he moisturised with Bulldog Original Moisturiser, it’s combination of aloe, camelina and green tea providing a smooth texture to the skin on his face.
Next, Ryan slipped the smart black shirt over his torso. Though unbuttoned, he moved over to his bedside table and switched on his own IPhone X. He selected the Spotify app, which contained the many playlists he had created. Despite an extensive collection of CD’s, the app was perfect for when he was in a brief rush. The rumbling bass of Would? by Alice in Chains began to play, which made Ryan hurry himself up. He kept the music at a respectable volume.
He buttoned up his shirt, the cuff on the sleeves proving slightly tricky until he managed to reach them. Next, he placed the grey trousers, complete with a smart belt, over his legs and the black socks over his feet. Ryan then looked at himself in a medium sized horizontal mirror mounted on the wall nearest his door, adding a small hint of wax to his hair. A few brushes later and his short hair was styled the way he wanted it.
For the finishing touch, Ryan applied a small dose of Tom Ford Noir Extreme aftershave to his neck. He briefly stopped to admire himself, a warm smile crossing his face.
"You look good." He chuckled, looking every inch a young ladykiller. Almost like a prototype James Bond, a secret agent who always beat the bad guy, saved the world, and got the girl in the end. A quick glance over at his alarm clock saw that the time was now 9:10am, and he was ready before his stepsister.
Ryan darted into the bathroom to brush his teeth and mouthwash, using Listerine to clean the whole of his inner mouth of germs. After gargling and spitting back into the sink, he returned to his bedroom, unplugged his IPhone, grabbed his wallet, and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
"Anna, I’m ready." He called out, appearing at the bottom of the staircase.
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Oct 5, 2020 3:23:01 GMT -6
Meanwhile in my bedroom, I was going through my gothic wardrobe in my closet with the right side lined with black gothic designed corsets and jackets that were will mostly designed by Killstar and the left side of the closet lined with gothic black dresses and some black dressy shirts hanging on hangers across the closet. Below was a line full of black boots all by Killstar, with one pair of black converse shoes.
As I was going through my closet, I heard an incoming FaceTime call from my MacBook Pro that read Emily Dale’s name on the incoming call. She was calling from her iPad. Emily is my best friend from high school and my fellow co-worker at the book shop in downtown Cornwall. I decided to answer the call, revealing Emily’s face. Like me, she had ivory skin, but with short black hair down to her shoulders, complete with messy bangs across her forehead. I can tell that Emily had just woken up herself, seeing as she had no makeup on yet and her hair was still messy and tangled. She was still wearing her black and white stripe PJ shorts with a crop top night shirt that had ouija board letters on it.
“Good Morning, Em.” I called out to Emily, referring to her by her nickname and waved at her at the screen of my laptop, “What are you doing up this early?”
“I was about to ask you the same question, Bella.” Emily sarcastically chuckled, sitting on her bed while talking to me through her iPad. “Do you remember that we’re suppose to perform a protection ritual at your place today?”
I gasped in shock. This had completely slipped my mind. Today was supposed to see me and Emily perform a protection ritual found in one of my witchcraft spell books, while secretly wearing our own choice of clothing. It was part of our traditional rituals every weekend. Today, we’re supposed to dress up as bad bunnies, with me as a black bunny and Emily as a white bunny. It’s like witchcraft cosplaying while performing protection spells or white magic to make it more fun. My mother knows about my practice in witchcraft on that weekends with Emily, but she doesn’t exactly know about the secret tradition behind it. Ryan, on the other hand, keeps my obsessions secret.
“Oh no! Em, I totally forgot!” I spoke, slightly freaked out with my hands on my head, realising that we’ll have to reschedule our ritual for next weekend, depending on how long this Sunday Service will be.“My mom is making me and Ryan go to Sunday Service today.” I sighed deeply, walking back towards my closet to pick an outfit for for the day while Face-timing Emily.
“Really? Since when do you go to church?” Emily asked.
“Mom thinks it will teach us the value of life and appreciation, or worship God for inventing mankind.” I sarcastically said, rolling my eyes, as I pulled my first outfit out of my closet.
“What are we going to do about the ritual?” Emily asked as I placed my first outfit of choice onto my bed, “How long is the service?”
“Hopefully not long.” I hoped, “I’ll figure something out when it’s over, I promise.”
“Why not just use your magic to fast forward time or convince your mom to not go?” Emily asked, suggesting for me to use my magic to talk my way out of going to the Sunday service.
Emily did have a point. I have the advantage to make that happen due to my improved magic in witchcraft over the years, but I’ve also learned to not abuse my magic for selfish purposes or use magic to solve all of my everyday problems.
“It’s not that simple, Em. You know I can’t do that. I made a promise a long time ago to only use my magic to protect or help others.” I said, walking behind my black Folding Room Divider on the right side of my bed, removing my black bathrobe and beginning to change into my outfit.
“Don’t worry, Bella. I’m sure “God” will understand.” Emily suggested sarcastically.
“Real funny, Em. I just can’t do that to my mom. Besides, how bad can it be?” I asked Emily changing into my outfit behind the divider. After slipping on some lacy black lingerie, I walked out in black jean booty shorts, black fishnet tights and a black fishnet long sleeved top, with a black crop top that had straps shaped into a pentagram star, revealing my navel, a pentagram for thigh garter on my right thigh, and my Killstar black combat boots for Emily to see.
“What do you think?” I asked Emily, looking at myself in my tall door mirror attached to the inside of my closet door, admiring my look with a devilish smirk across my face as I made an attractive pose at the door mirror.
“You’re killing it, Bella! You’ll be stealing the show at the church before they can say "Lord have mercy!" ” Emily joked?
I also chuckled before our conversation was interrupted by Anna’s voice from downstairs.
“Bella! Your breakfast is getting cold! Please hurry up! We can’t be late!” Anna warned in a calm tone of her voice. I looked at the time on my iPhone X. It now read 9:20am.
“Em! I gotta go! I’ll talk to you soon!” I promised, walking towards my MacBook pro to end the call.
“Talk to you soon, Bella. Have fun!” Emily smiled, waving good bye before ending the call. I could only hope that Mom will approve of my first outfit of choice without any fuss. I picked up my black Killstar handbag, that had a sliver luna moon on the center, and opened my bedroom door, ready to finally get moving.
Downstairs, Anna had just finished cleaning up the kitchen and sat down to have her own breakfast on the table with a cup of coffee in hand. Anna looked upon my plate of breakfast, which was still intact, going cold in the process. She sighed and looked at her phone for the time which was now 9:25am, slightly concerned about being late for the Sunday service.
She heard footsteps above her, as well as Ryan’s voice. She rose herself from the kitchen table and walked out of the kitchen to the hallway. At the staircase, she saw Ryan patiently waiting. He looked smart and mature in her eyes, wearing a buttoned up long sleeved black shirt with grey trousers, complete with a smart belt, and black socks over his feet. His short dark hair was combed and waxed neatly, with a small dose of Tom Ford Noir Extreme aftershave on his neck.
“You look handsome, Ryan.” Anna complimented, proud of Ryan for dressing maturely for and occasion like this.
“Thanks.” Ryan smiled half-heartedly, knowing that despite his disagreement with today’s event, he had grown to respect Anna’s decisions.
“What’s wrong, Anna?” He asked noticed Anna’s warmhearted expression across her face.
“I’m proud to see how far you’ve come in a short space of time. And I couldn’t be anymore proud of you.” Anna smiled, “I promise that the service won’t be long.”
She paused to lookout the time on a clock mounted on the living room wall, seeing that it was already 9:30am.
“Bella! Are you ready?” Anna asked, hear my footsteps across the landing.
“I’m coming!” I shouted, walking down the staircase to reveal myself in my first outfit of choice.
“Good morning……” I nervously smiled towards Anna, who saw my outfit. This gave her a reaction that I didn’t expect from her,bwhile Ryan on the other hand just remained silent, not surprised by my obvious choice of wear. This had now turned into a brief awkward moment……
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Oct 5, 2020 6:32:55 GMT -6
"Bella, what on Earth are you wearing?!" Anna asked, a small hint of shock in her voice as her eyes witnessed just what her daughter was dressed in.
"It’s my Sunday Service outfit, Mom." Bella spoke, giving a small twirl and showing off her black booty shorts, replete with chains. She looked like someone dressed for a goth nightclub, let alone church. Small pockets of spring sunlight filtered through the windows.
"Awkward....." Ryan muttered under his breath, briefly stepping to one side and staying out of the ensuing argument.
"Don’t you like it?" Bella innocently asked.
"You can’t wear clothing like this to church, Bella! Everyone in attendance would think that I have a loose daughter. And that is not whom I raised you to be!" Anna spoke sternly, unimpressed with what the young teenage witch had decided to wear.
"But, Mom! All the other girls like me wear...." Bella spoke, suddenly cut off by her visibly distressed mother.
"I don’t care! Either you go back upstairs and change into something more presentable, or you are grounded for two weeks." Anna ordered, folding her arms and taking charge of this argument. Her daughter was 4 months away from adulthood, but it was clear she still had a lot of growing up to do.
Bella’s pleading blue eyes glanced over at Ryan, who simply responded with a shrug of his shoulders and stayed silent. Normally, he would defend his stepsister, but Anna was clearly in the right.
"Fine! It’s only church anyway....." Bella grumbled, turning on her heels and briefly stomping upstairs. Though she could wear any of her gothic outfits and clothing on days off school, her naive and immature side still existed, manifesting in her door briefly slamming shut.
Anna walked back into the kitchen and placed her daughter’s breakfast in the oven to warm it up. With an hour and a half to go, she felt like another losing battle was being fought. Even if her siblings were no longer at each other’s throats, she was starting to dread the day already
"Well, that could of gone better." Ryan spoke, slumping himself down on the couch in the living room. A small *Ping* sound, accompanied by his iPhone vibrating in his pocket, compelled him to bring out his phone.
He checked the message - it was a selfie from his current girlfriend, Tina Rose. She met Ryan a year ago on Halloween at the annual school Halloween dance, having dressed as Catwoman to get his attention. Though she was younger at 18 years old and dressed like his stepsister, she was a responsible and beautiful young woman. She lay on her bed sideways, clad in revealing black lingerie with a pentagram harness across her chest. Her short hair was coloured jet black, and her eyes were blue.
The words "Miss you, hot stuff." accompanied the selfie. Ryan chuckled charmingly, knowing that he was missing Tina as well. He silently wished he was with her now, but promised to see her once Sunday Service was over.
The time was now 9:40am. Less than an hour and 15 minutes till church could begin. With Bella being forced to change and her breakfast now being warmed up, it was becoming another typical Sunday.
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Oct 6, 2020 3:00:24 GMT -6
So much for a good start to my day. Ordered to go back to my room and change, I muttered under my breath, then turned and purposely stomped back upstairs into my bedroom, slamming the door shut, loud enough for Anna and Ryan to hear.
All my mother could do was sigh deeply.
“Some things don’t change.” Ryan quipped sarcastically, referring to my old attention seeking persona.
“Ryan……” Anna spoke, turning towards her stepson with her arms folded.
“Just joking, Anna.” Ryan assured, sitting on the couch in the living room, texting back his girlfriend, Tina Rose, through his iPhone.
“Who are you talking to?” Anna asked curiously, like any other concerned mother would. Ryan briefly shut off his iPhone to prevent Anna from seeing the personal photo of Tina.
“It was Tina, Anna……She just wanted to say hello.” Ryan revealed, concealing a small white lie with a confident smile. He and Tina had been seeing each other since last Halloween when they first met at the annual school Halloween dance last year.
“Was she the same young woman that you met on Halloween last year?” Anna asked, walking towards Ryan until she sat on the same couch next to him as he nodded his head in response.
“Oh, yes. She was also the one who was over for Christmas dinner last year. She seems very nice and polite, Ryan.” Anna smiled.
“Yep, that’s her.” Ryan nodded.
“It’s good to see that you have found someone special in your life. I have to say, I’ve never seen you this happy after you two met. But remember, Ryan……Never rush into things until you believe you’re ready to take things to the next step. Relationships are a very big commitment. It’s all about trusting the people you love and care about.” Anna wisely advised, hoping Ryan would take things slow with Tina. Though they only just met 5 months ago, Anna wanted her stepson to make the right decision with Tina if they want to have a happy and healthy relationship.
“Don’t worry, I’ll never let anything bad happen to her. We agreed to take things slow until the time is right.” Ryan assured Anna, knowing that he will always treat Tina with love and respect, like a real gentleman in a relationship.
Meanwhile, back in my bedroom, I leaned back against my closed bedroom door, sighing in frustration before I turned the light back on my gothic chandelier. Walking towards my closet door and opening it, I began to search for a more”appropriate” outfit to wear for church. And I really loved my first outfit I was wearing, briefly taking one last look at myself in my tall mirror hanging on the inside of my closet door, smirked while performing an attractive pose with my left hand on my left hip and my right hand on the back of my head.
“Before I change…..’ I smirked, bringing out my iPhone from the back pocket of my black booty shorts and holding it up above me to take several personal selfies of myself in this outfit, saving them before glancing at the time that now read 9:45am!
“I better hurry or Mom will ground me onto the next century!” I gasped, scanning through the rows of gothic clothing in my closet until I came across a long sleeved buttoned up black dress that went down to my knees with a white collar and white cuffs attached to the sleeves of the dress. I remember wearing that dress when I dressed as Wednesday Addams for the annual Halloween school Dance 2 years ago.
“Perfect!” I smirked, finding the perfect outfit for me to wear without fear of exposing myself to the public or embarrass my family. I quickly ran behind the black changing wall divider to change into this dress, with pitch black tights and ankle pointed black boots while my hair and makeup was still intact, slumping my booty shorts, fishnet crop top, harness, and fishnet tights over the divider. I took one last look of myself in the closet door tall mirror to view my second outfit of choice.
“Almost forgot.” I smiled, reaching for my black witches brim hat on the top shelf of my closet, placing it on my head.
“Eat your heart out, Wednesday!” I smirked, using my iPhone to take another selfie of myself in my Wednesday Addams dress before closing the closet door, shutting off my laptop and chandelier, and grabbing my Killstar handbag. I paused for a brief moment and narrowed my eyes on a discarded storybook on my working desk - “Alice Adventures In Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll that I bought from my the Cornwall Bookshop last year. I placed my hand under my chin with an idea…..
“I wonder……” I smirked, taking the book and stuffing it into my handbag, walking out of my bedroom and closing the door behind mel
“Bella?” Anna asked after she heard my footsteps from upstairs.
“I’m coming, Mom!” I called outm walked down the staircase once again to reveal my second outfit of choice. Anna and Ryan noticed that my body was mostly covered this time, with my dress down to my knees.
Even though that my dress was still considered gothic kind of clothing, Anna just nodded her head silently in approval.
“Much better, Bella. Though next time, wear something that’s more presentable. You look like you’re going to a funeral.” Anna suggested.
I just rolled my eyes and declared, "Whatever! Can I eat my breakfast now? I’m starving!"
“Yes of course, Bella. It’s still on the table after I warmed it up. But please hurry. We have an hour to get to the church.” Anna warned calmly.
“Yes, Mom.” I sighed, walking past Anna and Ryan and into the kitchen to find my breakfast waiting - two pieces of toast, two sunny side eggs, and two pieces of bacon.
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Oct 6, 2020 6:10:37 GMT -6
Anna breathed a sigh of relief. What had looked like another normal Sunday morning with her daughter’s naivety causing friction in the household, had now progressed to one of a frantic rush to attend a weekend service that both her children wouldn’t be caught dead at.
Ryan returned to the couch, powering up his iPhone. He began to browse several photos he had taken of Tina and himself. Some included their first kiss, selfies together, and other tender moments that included a late autumn sunset as they held each other close. Like his stepsister, Tina had a distinct gothic look - with short black hair and blue eyes complimenting her alternative clothing style, from corsets and fishnets to lacy long sleeved tops and off the shoulder tank tops. A year younger than Ryan, the pair agreed to take it slow until they were ready to take their blossoming romance further than ever before.
"Miss you already, Tina." He sighed, remembering how he invited her over for Christmas dinner last year. Though her family were unable to attend, they trusted their daughter enough to be responsible. Ryan remembered a kiss with Tina under the mistletoe, which was his first one. One that he would always cherish.
Bella, on the other hand, was finishing her breakfast. Both slices of bacon, sunny side up eggs, and toast didn’t touch the side as she hungrily devoured every morsel off her plate.
"Careful, Bella. You could get indigestion." Anna warned, handing her daughter a glass of orange juice.
"I’m fine, Mom. Honestly." Bella politely remarked, washing down her meal with the refreshing glass of vitamin C goodness.
"Don’t forget to brush your teeth." Anna reminded, watching her daughter briefly breeze past her and head upstairs. Like Ryan, she had hygiene levels to maintain, quickly brushing her teeth and mouth-washing to ensure no small chunks of food were lodged in her teeth.
Downstairs, Ryan placed a pair of smart shoes over his feet, completing his formal look. Anna washed her daughter’s plate and placed it on the rack by the sink, grabbing her handbag and the keys to the people carrier.
"Okay, Mom. We’re ready." Bella declared.
The time was now 9:55am - much to Anna’s relief.
"Let’s go. And remember, I want you both on your best behaviours." Anna asked, opening the front door. Her grey Dodge Journey people carrier sat on the driveway in the early spring morning air. Ryan and Bella followed, still internally frustrated at having their days of rest interrupted, but they both decided to swallow their pride and step out of the house.
They now had an hour to get to church. Luckily for Anna, they wouldn’t have to drive far.
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Oct 8, 2020 3:47:39 GMT -6
Already 5 minutes to 10:00am. Anna, Ryan, and myself left the house with Anna locking the door behind her. We walked down the porch steps of our home in the suburbs of Cornwall, towards Anna’s 2019 grey Dodge Journey people carrier Ryan insisted on sitting in the back seat, so I sat on the passenger seat next to Anna, watching her climb into the driver’s seat of the car.
“The church is less than 20 minutes from here, so we should be there before the service starts.” Anna informed, using a GPS app through her smartphone to search for directions from our current location to the location of the St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church.
“Yippee……” Ryan joked sarcastically, continuing to text Tina through his iPhone in the back seat of the car.
“No need to rush us there, Mom……We still got an hour.” I sighed, rolling my eyes and buckling my seat belt. Anna started the engine of the car and reversed out of the driveway of our house and onto the road. Now we were driving out of the neighborhood towards our destination. I wish that we didn’t have to be there on a Sunday morning.
While on the road, I turned my head to curiously see Ryan still privately texting Tina through his iPhone. Another flashback occurred in my mind as I recalled Tina - who had briefly befriended me long before she met my stepbrother - and I going to the Cornwall Mall for our prom dresses last year as she showed me a few dresses that would match our style at a store called Nordstrom. She showed me a long strapless black gown with a heart-shaped corset designed on the upper chest area. Tina also showed me some lingerie exclusive to Bloomingdales, giving me a few personal tips on how to attract a guy if I ever want to start a relationship with someone special. Though we only met fleetingly, Tina is like a big sister to me and I will give Ryan credit for finding someone like Tina, because I really admire her gothic style and she’s really kind and caring, despite her dark sense of humour towards my chief tormentor, Chloe. Overall, Tina is also very compassionate and only showed her kinky personality around Ryan when they’re together. I promised Ryan that I’ll keep their relationship a secret.
After that flashback, I planned to ask Ryan about Tina later, out of respect for his privacy. I turned my head back around and silently stared out the car window, viewing the sights of the small town of Cornwall. We drove across a quiet and long road populated by dense woodland, like we were traveling to the country side of the town. I was daydreaming of my possible relationship with anyone in the real world……But who will ever love someone like me? Besides, I never see myself as a relationship type of person, because I always fear of having my heart broken or being taking advantage of or even being rejected if anyone ever knew of my secret life as a half Wiccan.
However, in MY own world, I would imagine myself in a special relationship with someone who is very charming, seductive, intelligent and playful in a very kinky manner. But only around me. Although this special someone is not exactly a human being. He is more like a creature who can be very handsy…….
That daydream was interrupted by Anna’s voice that startled me as I jolted myself back to reality and turned my head towards her direction.
“Bella, are you okay? You seem quiet." She asked.
“I’m fine, Mom…..I just wish that we didn’t have to do this.” I muttered under my breath, still looking out of the window with my hand resting under my chin, “I feel like I’m being punished.”
“I told Ryan. And I’m going to tell you the same. It’s about learning to appreciate life and pay respect to the lord who sacrificed his life for mankind. This is not punishment, Bella. Stop acting like it is.” Anna calmly reminded me, keeping her eyes on the road with his hands on the steering wheel of the car.
“You’re right……It’s torture.” I snarled, trying to sound smart. I imagined myself performing witchcraft with Emily in my black bad bunny costume at home right about now, instead of on our way towards the house of worship.
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Oct 8, 2020 9:30:04 GMT -6
"That is enough, Bella. I am sorry that you and your step-brother are being removed from your comfort zone, but I want both of you to experience something new. Change is an important part of our lives. Whether we agree to it or not." Anna wisely lectured.
"Bella’s right. Church on a Sunday? It’s pointless. And a waste of our time." Ryan spoke up from the backseat, having put his iPhone X back in his pocket, already trying to pass the time by looking out the window at the dense woodland and countryside that lined the roads in the mid spring morning sunshine.
"This will give both of you opportunities to meet new people. Maybe even make new friends." Anna suggested, knowing that she was not like most mothers who would openly yell at their children for saying attending church was a pointless pastime.
"Anna, the chances of me making friends with a bible basher is like Chloe Summers becoming a nun. It won’t happen!" Ryan joked, which elicited a chuckle from Bella. Her stepbrother loved to joke about the head cheerleader and main mean girl.
"Well, you’ll just have to endure this service today. Now don’t make me turn the car around and drive the two of you back home." Anna sternly requested.
Ryan rolled his eyes and resumed looking out of the window, his mind beginning to wander. His previous shift at the wildlife and safari park was very tiring - having dealt with many young families eager to see how he interacted with the local wolf pack, or demonstrating how to feed a large white tiger, most days tended to drag until he clocked off. Still, he wouldn’t of had it any other way now that he was a mature and responsible young adult.
His fingers instinctively grasped the iPhone in his trouser pocket as he took it out again. Another PING sound effect signalled that Tina had sent another selfie to him - this time, wearing fishnets over her slender legs to match her lacy black lingerie and pentagram harness as she posed seductively on her knees.
Ryan smiled - this was enough to cheer him up. Even if he was going to be bored for the entire day.
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Post by Bella Raven - Crow Woman on Oct 11, 2020 2:40:11 GMT -6
“What’s stopping you?” I snarled sarcastically at Anna after she warned Ryan and I that she would turn the car around and take us home if we continue to argue with her about Sunday Service. I prefer doing the opposite - I would love for her to take us back home.
But since there were no other cars on the quiet road, Anna sighed and briefly turned her head to face me with a rather disappointed expression on her face, regarding my snappy attitude.
“You know what I mean, Bella. If I take you both back home, you two will be punished.” Anna calmly warned us.
This made Ryan briefly move his eyes away from the screen of his iPhone and stared at my mother, almost in a shock, then at me, “What?” Ryan and I simultaneously spoke.
“I’m sorry, but that’s the rule. Life doesn’t involve around you two. We can’t have everything our own way all the time. You two need to learn to put others first before yourselves. You’re not children anymore. But if you continue to act like one, you’ll be treated as such. Remember, there’s always an award for doing something nice for others. I’m counting on you two to be on your best behaviour like real mature adults you two are. Understand?” Anna asked.
Ryan and I looked at each other silently before we both slumped back down in our seats.
“Yes, mom.” I said, admitting defeat. Not for the first time.
“Thank you.” Anna smiled proudly towards Ryan and I, keeping her eyes the road again.
20 minutes have passed, though it felt like we had been driving on this quiet road almost 20 hours. As if time was purposely slowing down to make it seem like Sunday mornings drag on forever. I continued to stare out the passenger window, the leafless woodland darker from the distance. Small green shoots of life heralded the official arrival of spring, small leaves slowly forming on each tree branch.
I heard a PING sound effect from behind me, turning my head to gaze at Ryan still texting to Tina through his iPhone. I also noticed a calm, yet cheery smile across his face? Tina must of said or sent him something to cheer him up. My curiosity was anxious to see what was it that Tina sent him to Male him this cheerful. as it has been years since I last saw my stepbrother this happy.
But before I could ask Ryan about Tina, Anna stopped the car. I turned my head around to see that we had parked in the parking lot outside the St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church, which seemed smaller than I imagined it was. ITV looked a old small countryside white church building from the 19th century, with a bell on the top tower of the church and a giant cross emblazoned on the very top of the steeple. The front entrance of the church had staircases leading up to a pair of wooden double doors, painted red.
“We’re here. Now remember, behave yourselves.” Anna reminded, telling us to not do or say anything to embarrass her. We both silently nodded our head before we got out of the car.
“This is going to be a long morning.” I muttered quietly towards Ryan, who was standing beside me, still texting Tina to lastly tell her that he will see her soon.
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