I Think They Ruined Vi's Character In The Last Few Episodes, And I Think They Forced Caitvi To Happen

made these studying cat genetics over the past 2 weeks!

i felt like there weren't enough visual guides of cat genetics so i went ahead and made some simple ones, my main references were Sparrow's Garden the website, Sparrow's Garden the blog, Messybeast, and The Little Carnivore.

Together - CHO HYUN-JU x Fem Reader

Summary: Reader is scammed and abandoned by her boyfriend, leaving her alone in South Korea to her fate, so in desperate search of a solution to return to her home country she decides to join the squid games to get money, within the game she meets a couple of people who become her friends and could possibly be something more.

Warning: In this episode none!

In futures episodes: Violence, Strong language, female main character is considered heterosexual but she have feelings for a female (Cho Hyun-ju) and it is reciprocated, abuse for male characters.

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You were stupid, very stupid and naive, that was what you repeated to yourself every day since your ex-boyfriend scammed you and abandoned you in a country where you didn't know anyone, you couldn't even understand the language well and now you were locked up in a place full of strangers in a green uniform and with a headache you could barely bear.

Why were you doing such stupid things? You should have said no when that man approached you and offered you money, it was all for the damn money, otherwise how would you find another way to get home?

Barely a day had passed, you understood little of the first game where you saw one person after another die around you, what you had gotten yourself into, this wasn't a game, it was a massacre, as you sat cross-legged on the cold bed that had been assigned to you you could feel your hands shaking and you felt warm tears rolling down your cheeks.

Hey - a kind voice rumbled slowly but enough to wake you from your trance to look up and see a boy with long, slicked-back hair holding a small metal tray - I noticed you didn't come over for your food, I brought you some

His equally shaky hand moved a little closer to you, leaving the tray on the bed, staring at you, afraid you'd react

It's okay if you don't want to eat it, it's just that if we're going to keep playing you need strength for tomorrow - his kind but shy smile and his clear disinterest in leaving made you wipe your tears with the sleeves of your sweater, nodding taking a deep breath - Thanks - you told him, trying not to sound upset, because you really weren't and if you were it was only with yourself

My name is Dae-Ho, yours is… 144 - he looked at you curiously taking a bite of his food

Y/N… my name is Y/N - you sighed, hugging your legs uncomfortably and nervous

Hey, leave her alone - a loud and somewhat curious voice sounded behind Dae-Ho making the two look towards the sound - don't you see that you're making her uncomfortable? go away

I… I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, it's just that… - Dae-Ho looked at you embarrassed, walking away just a few steps

You don't have to give explanations, go away - the girl, a little taller than Dae-Ho, looked at him firmly, almost annoyed, following the man with her gaze as he walked away quickly and embarrassed, joining a group of men on the other shelf of beds

you can eat in peace - the girl looked at you kindly while you only responded with a slight nod and she walked away returning to her place two beds down on the shelf next to you

It was difficult for you not to go unnoticed and it was obvious that everyone wanted to get away from you, you weren't like them, you didn't share their nationality, their traditions, or their topics of conversation, you didn't even understand many of them what they were talking about, they all looked at you like a weirdo, like why a foreigner could come and want to steal their prize, it was unfair.

That's how you spent the first night, alone, trembling from the cold and fear, looking into the darkness while you cried silently and the gunshots echoed in your ears, it was a nightmare and that's how you were until sleep overcame you

The second day wasn't any better, you could barely carry yourself, you were tired, hungry and much more scared than yesterday, surrounded by hundreds of people in a courtyard with drawings of children and rainbows on the floor.

''Now, it's time to form teams of 5, you have 10 minutes'' the voice of the speaker sounded repeatedly before an alarm sounded and you saw how everyone ran looking for members for their team, but everyone seemed to avoid you like a plague.

They ran and pushed you but no one looked at you to join and if they looked at you it was to laugh and murmur

There she was again, standing in front of you with a sad look that barely met your eyes she looked at the floor and walked by your side.

Hey… - you murmured barely, only to her with fear and shame - if you still don't have a team… I can join you if you don't mind - she looked at you over her shoulder giving a sigh of relief nodding offering you her hand so she could walk by your side and not get lost in the crowd

Between your fingers you could notice the difference in size between your small and fragile hand and hers, it was big with a different strength and somewhat rough but still made you feel protected and confident

So you both walked almost in circles finding the fragile old woman and her son and then the little girl with bangs forming a team of 5

Again the games were confusing for you, you could identify some that resembled what you had once played in your country but fear consumed you making your hands tremble again

Calm down - her voice again fragile but somewhat thick made you look at her holding the air - everything will be fine, don't push yourself too much okay? Do you think you can take charge of throwing the rocks? It's just a matter of taking a rock, throwing it and making the second one fall, that's all you have to do - her voice was like a murmur trying not to interrupt the game of the first two teams that were participating

Should I just throw it? - you looked at her nervously, looking at her dark eyes behind her bangs

You just have to throw it, it's easy - she smiled at you giving you hope making you smile barely as you looked at the floor again nervously trying not to think about everything that was tormenting your head, in the background you could hear the screams and cheers that the other players made while the teams participated until a round of gunshots made you jump scared covering your ears and closing your eyes tightly - calm down, calm down nothing is happening - her arms surrounded you quickly, adjusting you against her chest, you could feel the strands of her hair on your face and a slight aroma of herbs coming from it - it's over, don't open your eyes until I tell you okay?

Your head barely nodded as you took a deep breath, the aroma of her hair made you remember the gardens where you walked when you first arrived in South Korea and her arms for some reason made you feel protected, nothing could happen to you

A couple of minutes (that seemed like an eternity) passed slowly, people were talking, some were crying and in the background you could hear the sound of the sirens of the forklifts that had come to pick up the bodies, one second after another it was a damn nightmare.

''Next team, you can take your position'' the voice from the speaker again

It's our turn - the old woman sighed getting up while you opened your eyes and stood up slowly with fear

The guards tied your ankles and after a shot the game for you began.

You walked counting the steps, being constant and fast in your tasks, first Ddjaki, the little girl with the bangs did well, then the flying rock, your trembling hands held it strong and letting out a deep sigh you threw it against the rock in the distance failing in the attempt

Girl concentrate, what's wrong with you! - the old woman shouted making your friend look at her annoyed and after her firm indication and walking as a team to pick it up the 5 of them returned to their position - don't fail, please girl!

We trust you… calm down, take a breath and throw it, you'll do well - Your new best friend looked at you smiling lightly giving you courage.

A sigh again, a fixed look at the rock and after throwing it it fell with a blow.

Everyone screamed, applauded and so on again until reaching the final task ''Team 2, you have completed your tasks'' you had never been so happy to hear that spooky voice on the speaker and once the guards untied your ankles they all ran screaming and laughing to the fence that separated you from the rest of the players, you could finally return to the dormitory and finally had survived another day.

Everyone was happy, so much so that all of you were jumping and screaming with excitement, your friend, the tall girl ran to you without wasting a second surrounding you with her strong arms making you spin in the air while both of you laughed

We did it, I told you, we did it right - she laughed jumping with you still in her arms making you scream when you felt the air on your face and your legs hanging in the air

Now, stop it, you're going to make her dizzy - the old woman laughed patting her back as a sign that it was enough until you heard gunshots in the distance again making the team erase their smile and remember the horrible place where they were

Come on let's sit down - her hand slowly and carefully took yours walking towards the bed shelves climbing up and sitting on the steps - are you okay?

Yes… I'm pretty well, thanks for helping me - you smiled rubbing your hands on your legs nervously

By the way, my name is Cho Hyun-Ju… are you? - she looked at you curiously

Y/N… my name is Y/N - you smiled shyly at her

You have a very pretty name - she smiled back shyly with her cheeks slightly tinted - thanks for letting me join you in the game you were the only person who approached me

You don't have to thank me, I think we are both rejected for certain reasons and that makes us unique in the crowd right? it's better to be united and be stronger than alone - your cheeks felt hot, the sign that they were red like cherries

You're right..

Part 2 ✨

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Thanks for reading, this is the first episode I've written about Squid Game and it was short since I have little time to update but I didn't want to go to sleep without writing the beginning of the story, I have ideas but I'd like to hear yours and write them down, just to reinforce the theme of this story the reader and Cho Hyun-ju will possibly have a romance so if these themes aren't to you please don't read it, I know you'll find something that suits your tastes. 🫶🏻

Again, Thanks for reading, I'll be back soon!

BTW: Happy New Year everyone 🥂✨

exceeded caution part 4

our thing

series masterlist | previous part | next part

a/n: surprise!!! this was actually supposed to be out tomorrow but i had the motivation to finish it today. i hope y'all enjoy this chapter cause its got a teeny bit of fluff in it with sam and answers to the cliffhanger i left u guys on last time. sorry not sorry about it.

pairing: ex!tara carpenter x f!reader into sam carpenter x f!reader

warnings: mention of ambulances, mention of car accidents, mention of past injuries, hospitals, cursing. 5.2k words.

𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩

you twisted and turned in the hospital bed. you don’t understand why they had to keep you overnight. you would much rather be recovering in your own bed.

“can you hand me the water?” you turned to the dark-haired girl sitting next to you in the chair.

“of course.” she replied, reaching over and handing you the cup of water that she so graciously picked up for you.

“thank you.” you said, using your good arm to grab it and lift it to your lips.

she nodded at you and leaned back into her seat, crossing her legs.

“how’s your arm?” she asked, resting her head on her palm.

“it hurts. and the wrap is really uncomfortable. i just wanna go home.” you whined softly.

“i know.” she could sense your frustration.

“mindy got to go home and her cut was so much worse.” you complained. the pain and suffocating walls were getting to you.

“hey, hey…” she stood up, walking over to you and placing a hand on your shoulder. she leaned down a little to get in your eyeline. “it’s okay. i’ll be here tonight and you can bother me with whatever you need. you’re probably going to enjoy bossing me around anyways.”

you let out a mix of a scoff and a chuckle.

“you know i’ve never been the bossy type. not even when we were together.” you shook your head.

tara laughed softly, you missed when the two of you could enjoy each other’s company. “yeah, i know. but now’s the time.”

sam walked in with two coffees just after tara spoke. she walked over to her sister and handed her one of the cups.

“thanks, sam.” tara took the cup from sam and took a long sip.

sam looked over at you and her face softened. she was trying to apologise to you but was sure you had already heard many attempts of “i’m sorry”s.

you weakly smiled at her, putting the cup back down with tara’s help.

the doctor walked in shortly after. he was holding a clipboard and sporting a smile on his face, you were hoping for good news based on his expression.

“good news.” great! “you can actually go home tonight but you’ll need to be back tomorrow for a check-in.”

you huffed in disappointment. you wanted to go home but you’d be back in anyways. at least you’d be able to get a change of clothes.

“i’ll take you tomorrow.” sam said, turning her head to face you.

you looked helpless, knowing that you couldn’t do it yourself. you had to face the fact that distance between you and sam was next to impossible.

“okay. i’d like that.” you nodded at her. she nodded back at you and turned to the doctor.

“she’ll be here tomorrow. what time?” she inquired for you as you slowly started to stand up.

“2pm works best for me. we’ll fit you in asap.” the doctor confirmed with sam and turned to leave.

“can you guys give me a second to change?” you asked the two girls, they hesitated but agreed. they were both afraid to leave you alone.

the two sisters left the room but stayed just outside in case you needed anything.

tara looked around and spotted the two paramedics that took care of you. she hastily approached them.

“thank you both for helping our friend.” she said, they both turned to her with hospitable smiles.

“no problem.” the male said.

“yeah, we’re sorry you didn’t get to jump in. there was only space for one more.” the female said, empathetically.

“tara.” you got the girl’s attention. “go with mindy.” you said as the female paramedic started working on your arm. “sam, will you come with me?”

sam jumped into the ambulance without hesitation, boosting herself up then turning to her sister.

“tara, we’ll see you at the hospital.” sam said as the male closed the door.

tara furrowed her eyebrows at the sight of the ambulance driving off, she hoped that she had worked hard enough so you would choose her. unfortunately, sam had just been working harder.

she sharply turned to join mindy’s ambulance. chad decided to drive everyone else for the sake of convenience.

you winced as your arm was disinfected and wrapped to mitigate the bleeding. sam looked just as pained as you did.

you were now bearing the scars of the killer.

she was grateful you didn’t make it to dinner when the attack happened. unfortunately, sam’s luck turned when she heard you. of course you just had to show up for her.

part of her felt responsible, because you had promised her.

you looked away from the stab wound, tears pooling at the edge of your eyelids. you reached for sam with your good arm, she took your hand in hers, interlinking your fingers.

“i’m so sorry. i said that nobody would ever hurt you again, and someone did.” she said, leaning down until her lips were right beside your ear. “i’m going to end this. and we’re gonna be okay.”

you choked down a sob, you were scared for your life. sure, it was only your arm right now but where would it be next? and you knew there would be a next.

“it hurts, sam.” you whimpered, squeezing her hand when the wrap got to tight.

“i know, baby. just squeeze my hand, it’ll be over soon.” god you swear you felt like you were about to explode in tears. the combination of the pain and sam’s pet name for you made your chest feel like a rollercoaster.

you needed to make it through to hear her call you that again. over and over again.

she pressed a soft kiss to your cheek, running her fingers through your hair. you felt yourself relax a little bit more.

you tried to stop the pit of guilt growing in your stomach. you liked this, you enjoyed this. this was helping.

you thought that maybe you could live with tara hating you forever.

you just hated the fact that the hatred might extend to sam.

although, the more she peppered kisses on your cheek to reassure you, the less you started to worry about tara.

“ow! fuck!” you cried out, the sudden pressure on your arm from hitting a speed bump took you out of your internal monologue.

“drive carefully, will you?!” sam suddenly scolded the ambulance driver.

“sam, it’s fine. he’s just doing his job.” just as she calmed you, you returned that same feeling to her.

she sighed after you kept her in check. “you’re right. sorry.” she apologised sheepishly.

“it’s fine, stressful night.” you’re lucky the guy was kind enough to understand.

you took a deep breath and decided to close your eyes the rest of the way there, the lights were too much for you at the moment.

at the back of your eyelids, all you pictured was sam carpenter calling you ‘baby.’

“it’s alright.” tara told the paramedic, waving her hand in dismissal. “i’m just grateful she got here in one piece. thanks again.” she said before walking away, joining sam outside your room.

tara was confused. she was a lot of other things but right now confused was the biggest thing.

“what are you doing with her?” tara asked sam, her tone was hard, rough. it was like an interrogation.

“what do you mean, tara?” sam asked, her eyebrows furrowed in equal confusion.

“i mean what’s going on with you two? you never batted an eyelid at her when i was with her. suddenly it’s like you two are attached at the hip.” tara stuck a finger out to point at sam, an accusatory action.

“tara, we’re just getting closer. she stuck around and she’s been there for both of us.” sam said defensively.

“she’s been there for you. she’s barely even spoken to me!”

“well maybe because you shattered her heart and she didn’t sign up for it!” sam said, standing upright. she and tara had fought before, but never over someone else.

“i’m trying to make things right! but it seems like all she wants is to be around you! so what the hell is going on?!” tara asked, her hands making gestures along with her words.

“nothing is going on, tara! we’re just friends!”

“friends don’t look at each other like that!”

you creaked the door open, you had no idea what was happening outside. the two sisters quieted down the second they saw you. you were still in your bloodied clothes.

both their faces softened at the sight of you. they both hated to see you like this. the kindest person they both have ever known, nearly beaten to a damn pulp.

“hey guys, is everything okay?” you noticed the tension in the room as you pulled your jacket over yourself.

“yeah.”

“of course.”

you looked at them for a second, not believing them. but you decided to let it go, you were too exhausted to deal with carpenter drama at the moment.

“i’m just gonna go home.” you mumbled, walking towards the emergency room exit.

“we’ll come with you.” tara followed behind you but you shook your head.

“i can make it back alone. i just need a second of silence to myself. and you two should go check on mindy. she’s got a lot of shit to work through.” you dismissed the idea of them coming along. “tell her that i’ll come and see her soon too.”

tara was about to protest again but sam grabbed her arm, holding her back.

“let her go, she needs to rest.” sam said in a low voice. you smiled in approval. you tilted your head slightly to meet her eyes.

“i’ll call.” you told her, trying to look at both of them but mainly sam. “see you tomorrow, sam.” you waved as you exited.

you left sam and tara behind in the hospital. you left them behind with each other and with the looming thought that swirled at the back of their heads.

they both wanted to be your choice.

𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩

as you slowly lowered yourself into bed, you tried wriggling your fingers. to your dismay, nothing happened.

were you finally going to lose the arm you worked so hard to heal?

you realised you hadn't checked in with your family in a while, they probably didn't even know that you were involved in the killings.

you took your phone out of your pocket, lifting yourself slightly to make it easier. you pressed dial on your mom's number, sighing as you let it ring.

"hey sweetie, how's it going?" you nearly broke down into tears the second you heard her voice. you missed her so much.

"good, mom. i'm just having a little bit of a rough day. i wanted to check on you and dad." you said, rubbing your eyes and yawning.

"i'm okay, darling. we actually had your grandparents over the other day. they were asking about you. you'll have to come home soon." she said, excitement in her voice at the thought of you visiting them.

"yeah! of course. i'll see you when the semester is over, it won't be long now." you reassured her. "how's dad?"

she paused for a second before clearing her throat. "he's seen better days but he's doing much better than last month. he's more confident in his running again."

"that's so good to hear, i'll take him on a jog when i'm back." you chuckled. like you, your dad came out of the accident with lasting injuries.

"how's um... tara?" oh. you really hadn't called in a while.

"good. we're not actually together anymore but we're still friends. we have the same group of people we hang out with so it's hard to avoid her." you said, you heard your mom's disappointed sigh through the phone.

"aw, i'm sorry, love." she replied. "i know how much you adored her, you wouldn't stop talking about her."

"yeah, i know. it was unfortunate but maybe for the better."

"do you still have feelings for her?" your mom never hesitated with these questions.

"um... i don't know. it's hard being around her so much but i think i'm on my way to moving on." you talked like you were trying to tell yourself that more than her, it gave you a lot to think about.

"that's fair, hun." she sounded like she was thinking about what to say next. "well, at the end of the day, you need to find the best person for you. you're a great person, honey. you deserve someone just as great."

"thanks, mom." her advice was ever so sightly cliché but it was just nice to hear her voice.

"that's okay. you sound tired, you should get some rest. i have to get dinner started anyways." she said, you felt yourself choke all the sobs down. you missed her cooking.

"okay, i will. i'll call you when i can. i love you." you said, covering your mouth as tears started falling out of your eyes.

"i love you too." she said and you hung up on her right after, allowing yourself to cry.

you pulled your knees into your chest as you sobbed. you didn't even think about how your family would handle it if something happened to you.

you didn't even know how you were going to explain now having an arm out of commission. how could anyone explain your actual death?

through your glassy eyes, you almost called her. you almost called sam but you weren't ready for her to see you in this state. you knew she was already dealing with so much. you were sure you would just take time away that she could be spending with everyone else.

you leaned back into the bed, your chest heaving as your eyes fluttered shut, sending you into your well-deserved slumber.

𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩

the next morning, sam was there for your doctor's appointment.

part of you was shy. the hospital was a very vulnerable place to be in. you'd spend quite a bit of your childhood in the hospital, recovering from the injuries you sustained.

"it already seems to be healing well. the bleeding has stopped and it looks clean." the doctor said as he unwrapped the bandage. you didn't care to look, you hated the idea of having another wound to add into the mix.

sam's hand rested on your thigh as you sat upright on the bed, you placed your own hand over hers and squeezed softly. you did it to acknowledge her, that she was there.

"can you try to wiggle your fingers for me?" he asked, holding your arm in his hands.

you tried. you definitely tried.

you even grunted as you tried to will your fingers to move, even just a little bit. you thought you would break a sweat from how hard you were pushing. you ultimately let out a heavy breath and gave up.

"no, i can't. i'm sorry." you apologised to the doctor. you were fed up with disappointing people.

"that's alright. it usually takes people a while until they can do it again after significant damage." he wrote on a paper attached to his clipboard as he spoke to you. "with physical therapy, we can definitely get you back up to speed."

"i'm not gonna lie, i kind of have no time for physical therapy." you admitted. between the investigation and your studies, you had zero time for recovery.

"i'll try to make sure she gets to those meetings when she can." and her too. you wanted to make time for sam. when she joined the conversation, the doctor looked relieved.

"you've got a good friend there." the doctor shot you a pointed look.

"oh, don't i know it." you replied back.

as you and sam made it out of the hospital, you were afraid to face a swarm of reporters again. luckily, it was only the two of you.

"thank you for taking me." you said as the two of you walked to her car.

“that’s okay. i’m happy to.” she had her hands in her pockets as she walked behind you.

you turned back around to face her, leaning against her taillight.

“you called me baby in the ambulance.” you tilted your head, you haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since it happened.

“i’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable, i was just really worried about you.” she said.

“you also kissed my cheek. a lot.” she rolled her eyes, clearly taking the hint that you were far from uncomfortable.

“okay, anything else?” she prodded as she stepped closer to you.

“nope. just wanted to see what you’d say.” you smiled at her.

it was the worst time to flirt. you’d just come out of the hospital and your arm was basically a phantom attached to your body. but you needed to talk about it, you had to talk about what you were.

“okay, look. i like you and i like having you around.” sam accepted defeat, knowing you were just going to pry more. “as more than a friend.”

“oh, i know.” you raised your eyebrows. “i also know that tara is going to kill us if we pursue anything further. especially now.”

“it’s horrible timing, yes. i’ll admit that.” sam said in agreement. “but… we can’t push it down forever.”

“no. you’re right. we can’t.” you nodded at her. “so i propose a deal.”

“i’m listening.” sam crossed her arms over her chest.

“we end this ghostface bullshit and then we figure out what this is.” you paused. “hell, i’d even go as far as to say that we can be together.” you held out a pinky for her, “i never break my pinky promises.”

“i thought this was a deal?” she cocked an eyebrow.

“it was. but promises are kind of becoming our thing.”

she took your pinky in hers, intertwining them. she pulled you closer abruptly, your arms trapped between your chests.

you looked up at her and she nearly went weak in the knees. she leaned forward, capturing your lips in a quick but deep kiss.

it was the kiss that sealed the promise.

you pulled away and kissed the back of her hand, pulling your hand away.

“come on, we gotta get going. i have to make my class.” you said, turning around to hop into the passenger seat.

when sam dropped you off at school, you looked around cautiously, making sure nobody was there before pressing a parting kiss to her cheek.

on the walk to class, you stopped in your tracks as you were hit with the realisation.

sam carpenter is yours. you are going to date your ex’s sister.

𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩

when you received a call from sam that day, you almost didn't pick up as you had your phone on silent, just to take a break from everything.

you knew things would be picking up with the investigation as time went on. they were on a time limit, the quicker they found the killer, the quicker this would be over.

when sam asked you to meet them at some random alley, you were terrified that ghostface had gotten to someone else.

you struggled with driving, not being able to use your arm. so you decided to take the train. it had been ages since you did, opting to drive to beat the body odor. you sat in silence during the drive.

you realised that you hadn't actually called sam or tara like you said, but you hoped that they would be understanding enough.

once you arrived, the entire group was already present. along with gale and kirby.

"what's she doing here?" you asked, standing next to sam.

"she said she found something." sam answered your question.

"do we trust her enough?" you questioned further. you wanted to know how sam was going about this.

"trust is a strong word."

you smiled wearily at her, you knew that only few good things could come from this investigation. the more information you found, the better, but what would that information resurface for the sisters?

"how's your arm?" sam turned to face you, her eyes softening. she wanted to reach out and hold you or even better, obtain some magical ability to heal you.

"been better. i can't move my fingers or anything but i can move my elbow." you informed her.

"we'll get there. you're a strong person, recovery will be a breeze." she said, trying to make you feel better. you knew recovery was going to be a bitch but perhaps it would be easier if sam was by your side.

"i wanna try physical therapy this weekend, could you come with me?” it was your first time asking her. but you already knew the answer.

“of course.” she nodded, stepping closer to you just until the back of your hands were brushing against each other.

gale stepped out from around the corner, gesturing for all of you to follow her. she talked about how greg and jason rented a property under fake names to hide their little hobby.

you felt a chill rush down your spine the second you walked through the gate, you were practically shadowing sam, not wanting to be too far away from your not-girlfriend-girlfriend.

“it’s a movie theater.” tara pointed out.

"it's not just a theater." gale said, flipping a switch to turn the lights on and kickstart a mechanism that raised the curtains that covered the screen. "it's a shrine."

your heart dropped at the sight of jason and greg's fucked up collection of memorabilia related to the ghostface killings.

articles of clothing, newspaper clippings, and even the goddamn weapons used, still covered in blood.

and on the stage, it was a sight to make someone's blood run cold.

the ghostface cloaks. masks missing.

"we've got the whole goddamn franchise." mindy said, you walked down the aisle, examining every piece of the collection.

you spotted kirby staring almost too hard at a flannel and pair of jeans. those must have belonged to the ones that hurt her.

you heard mindy call out to chad, pointing out a sweater that belonged to their uncle randy.

you felt disgusted, how could someone just have all of these items and be okay with it? you hated how sick their minds could be.

you saw gale linger in front of a glass case, you read "dewey riley" on the sketch. you had never met him but tara said he was important to them, you knew he helped them out.

you turned around to find sam, unmoving. you made your way back to her, reaching over and squeezing her elbow.

"are you okay?" you asked. she wouldn't look at you, she was still scanning the room.

"yeah, fine." you hadn't seen sam this closed off in a while. she was normally open and honest with you, but you understood why she was hiding her emotions. she finally stepped forward, walking closer to tara.

"hey, how'd they get all this stuff? i mean, isn't this evidence?" tara popped the question.

"cops like money, and evidence can get lost pretty easily." gale theorized.

you made your way around again, your pace halting when a sketch of sam caught your eye. whoever did this captured her likeness with an accuracy that was scary.

as ethan questioned why he had to stick around, you had to tear your eyes away from the drawing. they stuck her right next to her biological father, you knew she hated to be associated with him.

you watched as the older carpenter sister ascended the stage, standing right in front of her father's cloak.

"fuck no." you overheard her say, she was staring straight into the glass. but it was almost as if she wasn't looking at the cloak but something else. as she put her hand on the glass, you saw a connection between her and all the history that the enclosure held.

you watched helplessly, you knew this was bigger than you.

you spotted tara walking towards her, taking her attention away from the case with conversation. tara was staring at her weirdly, like she sensed the same thing you did.

you followed the crowd as everyone started to take their places in front of the other black robes.

you stood in front of one, you had no idea who it belonged to but it didn't make it any less sinister.

"so somebody killed these chucklefucks and took over?" chad asked, facing the group.

"someone who believes that sam masterminded woodsboro."

"do people really think that sam did it?" you asked. "she was the target, surely it doesn't make sense."

"you're clearly new here." kirby turned to you. "nothing here is ever logical. they can make sam look guilty if they wanted to, the cops believe anything when they're scared. they want to seize every opportunity they can at catching a killer. even if it means taking someone innocent in."

"if this was a normal stab movie, this would be the killer's lair." mindy pointed out, her movie knowledge proved incredibly useful at times.

"which means this isn't a normal stab movie." kirby added.

tara took a deep breath in and started to walk out of the theater. you watched as the look on sam's face quickly turned worried. she stepped forward to follow her but you stopped her.

"it's okay. stay here. i'll go." you put a hand out and she nodded, stepping back.

you followed tara out and caught her just as she took a swig of her inhaler.

"you feeling okay?" you asked her, slowly approaching.

"hell no." she said, turning around to face you. "i'll never be a normal person again. i don't want any of this! the last time i felt normal was when we were together. i wish i was a shitty person again instead of some legacy character."

you didn't even realise you were holding a breath in as you exhaled deeply.

"i'm sorry." was all you could say, you had no idea what she was going through.

"did you know i cut my mother off because she wouldn't talk to sam?" you knew she harboured resentment towards sam then, you figured it hit its boiling point. it made things a lot harder when it came to dealing with your feelings.

"you told me that one night when you were drunk." you confirmed with her. while tara had no recollection of most nights she was inebriated, you held onto those memories. not willingly but they were hard to get rid of.

"normal people have their mothers." she scoffed. "i don't know how i can ever get past any of this. i don't understand how sidney was able to just pack up and leave. it pisses me off."

"i don't think sidney will ever be able to get past it either, tara." you stepped closer to the girl. she looked up at you with those eyes you used to be so fond of. "i don't think it's a matter of getting over it. i think it's a matter of going straight through."

tara looked at you confused, you smiled slightly as you realised the metaphor fell short.

"what i mean is... you're one of the strongest people i've ever met. but this whole ghostface thing is set to tear you down, it's meant to break you down until you are nothing but blood, sweat, and tears." you knew you sounded brutal and harsh, but you never wanted to sugarcoat anything for tara. she hated that. "and you should be fucking angry. but i think anger will get you further than you think. because if you channel and process it right, you shouldn't be scared of ghostface, ghostface should be scared of you."

the corner of tara's mouth raised in a half-smile. she was impressed with you. your timid composure cracking made you all the more interesting, you held some power in this now.

"you're gonna be just fine, tara. you're gonna make it through this stronger than ever, and nobody's ever gonna fuck with you again."

that sealed the deal for tara, she wanted you again.

and she wanted you now.

she grabbed the collar of your shirt, pulling you into a kiss that sent you off balance. you crashed into her but quickly pushed her away.

"i'm sorry, tara. i can't." you said as you pulled away, her hands still gripping onto your collar. you slowly removed her hands from you.

"why not? don't you still want me?" she asked. you could tell she was in a state of vulnerability and you hated that you had to do this to her.

"tara, i can't go back to you. i can't do that to myself again, we aren't right for each other." you tried to keep the integrity of what you and sam had without revealing it. you knew that if it got out, it would tear the sisters apart even further.

"is it because of sam?" too late.

you didn't know how to respond. you didn't know how sam would want you to respond.

"it's not about sam, tara. it's about you and me as individuals." you figured a white half-lie would work for now. "we wouldn't work. you only wanted me to relive the past, and that's not what you should be doing."

"i just want to make things right between us." she said, turning away from you. "i don't want to lose you."

"i know. but you can do that as a friend too." you tried to reason with her. "i'm always going to be around. i'm not going anywhere and i'm gonna help end this."

you two were quickly interrupted by detective bailey walking in.

"sorry to interrupt, think i might have an idea about how to turn the tables on this creep." he said, sam followed shortly behind him.

despite you pushing tara away, you felt like you betrayed her slightly. even if you two weren't together.

you didn't know whether or not you should mention the kiss to her, that would be a problem for later.

she walked over to you when everyone else walked off, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

"tara looks a bit more relieved. thank you." she said, her hand caressing your cheek. you leaned into her touch.

"i'll be there for her just as much as i am for you." you turned your head slightly to kiss the palm of her hand. "but you should talk to her eventually, you two only really have each other at the end of the day. you understand each other better than i ever will."

"i know. i'll talk to her soon." sam nodded at you, pulling her hand away the second she heard footsteps. "i admire how you always just seem to be the bigger person."

"it's tara. everyone is always the bigger person." you smiled warmly at her as you heard her laugh. these moments are ones you had a special place in your heart for.

chad poked his head back in through the door. "you guys coming?"

"we don't have much of a choice." you commented at him, he simply rolled his eyes at you.

"shall we?" sam asked.

"let's catch this motherfucker."

𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩

author's journal okayyy heehee i hope u all enjoyed the surprise. i actually kinda struggled writing this cause i had to interweave some good sam moments with the canon storyline. i know the juxtaposition can be a bit jarring but i honestly fuck with it anyways. tysm for my irl friends who kept me accountable on our roadtrip to finish writing this chapter lol they deal with too much bullshit from me. i also found that paris paloma is my favorite artist to listen to when writing this fic actually. her entire cacophony album is just fucking amazing. specifically this song gets me thru it.

i also hope u all dont mind my post-fic yapping. idk if anyone actually reads these but it gives me a chance to tap back into the real world after staring at the screen for hours. im also just such a yapper these days its kinda chronic. anyways, hope u all have an amazing week and i promise chapter 5 wont be ages away. kisses!!!!

❛ 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐃 𝐄𝐘𝐄 , alicent hightower and rhaenyra targaryen ❜

⌗ 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 , being blind was a blessing and a curse that you had to navigate from a young age but you were lucky to have two friend's willing to do anything for you

⌗ 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 , alicent hightower x fem! blind! reader x rhaenyra targaryen

⌗ 𝐬𝐨𝐥'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 , this was actually meant to be a one and done this but I think I'm gonna make it a two part so I can write it to the best of my ability without being rushed !!

house of the dragon masterlist , next part

⌗ you weren't always blind. you had your sight till you were age ten. when an assassination attempt gone wrong left you blinded. and since that day people only looked at you for what you had lost. not for what you had left. all they seven kingdoms saw a poor fragile high born girl with no sight.

⌗ but your best friends rhaenyra and alicent didn't. they saw you as more than your blindness. and dare you say they were the reason you had gotten though some of the darkest moments in your life. going out of their way to include you in everything they did.

⌗ walking hand and hand with you through the castle. reading your favourite stories. telling you the lastest court gossip. and showering you with gifts when your spirits were low. the greatest gift they ever gave you besides their friendship was your cane.

⌗ made of snow-white wood with a silver ornament on top of your house crest. over time you learn how to see without actually seeing. by tapping or banging your cane you would listen to the vibrations and gauge how near or far everything in the room was. and over time you got use to the darkness. finding a strange comfort in it.

⌗ life was good. you had everything you needed. but there was one thing that gnawed at you. something you craved that you knew you would never get. marriage. as being blind made you damaged goods and their for unwedable. meaning you would never have a family of your own.

⌗ your best friends noticing your sadness asked you what was wrong. as they watched you break down into tears and sniffles. the two held you as your tears fell. and once you were calm enough they began soothing you insecurities. "one day the seven shall grant you your wish" "you will make an amazing mother"

⌗ but deep down the two knew that they were far too in love with you to allow you to be wed off to a man. that most definitely did not deserve you. not like they did. and gradually over time their beautiful friendship bloomed into a beautiful romance.

⌗ with soft touches and gentle kisses. late night conversations about the future ahead of them. but all that came crashing down when alicent married viserys. rhaenyra was incensed and you were confused. how could this have happened? while you tried to hear alicent out the targaryen wouldn't listen to a word of it. dragging you away so you wouldn't have to either.

⌗ and so began the tug of war over you. with neither the hightower and targaryen willing to give up. though your time was mostly monopolised by rhaenyra. with the white-haired girl rarely ever leaving your side. spending countless nights in your room. but alicent still managed to find ways to see you. and though you still couldn't forgive her fully for betraying your trust. you did try your best to be there for her.

⌗ you were there when she gave birth to all her children. a comforting hand as she screamed and writhed in pain. stroking her hair and kissing her hand. whispering words of comfort in an attempt to soothe the girl who you still had so much love for. but that became so much more difficult once rhaenyra started having children.

⌗ that was when alicent's resentment how come she was being punished for doing her duty. while rhaenyra could bear bastard children and go unpunished. she got everything. the love of her father. the title of heir. you. oh how she hated how she had gotten you. how she manipulated you into staying by her side with her and her bastard children.

⌗ the hightower couldn't understand how you could still stand beside her. after she willingly betrayed you for another man and bore his children. unlike alicent who never wanted to have viserys children but had to out of duty. though she never really saw her children as viserys. as in her mind they were yours and hers.

⌗ and she was tired of you being taken away from her. so tonight she was going to do something about him. so under the cover of night she went to see you. slipping into your room she watched as you lay peacefully in bed. you looked so peaceful in nothing but a white silk nightgown. approaching the bed alicent slipped under the covers with you.

⌗ her hands immediately began exploring the body she had been denied for so long. closing her eyes alicent couldn't help but bury her nose in your hair. inhaling that comforting scent that seamlessly brought her comfort. wishing for nothing more than to drown in it. but as the hightower allowed herself to get lost in the touch smell and taste of you against her lips and body she hadn't noticed that you had started to stir in you sleep. "nyra?" you said in a hushed mumble.

⌗ alicent said nothing in response. as she silently lulled you back to sleep. seething that you called out of rhaenyra and not her. as the auburn continued to touch and kiss you as you slept she failed to realise that another figure had entered the room. and had left just as quickly. but all alicent saw was a sliver of white hair.

⌗ and by the time the next morning had came alicent was still laying next to you. but left before you woke up. as she walked back to her room with a pep in her step she bumped into the last person she wanted to see rhaenyra who smirked at her like she had been blessed by the gods. and a few moments later she found out why. as the good mood alicent hightower came crashing down.

⌗ you were leaving with rhaenyra and her family to dragonstone. and there was nothing she could do about it. alicent cried for hours after hearing the news. even going as far as to get on her hands and knees in front of you in an attempt to get you to stay. but to no avail. as once again rhaenyra had gotten what she wanted.

anon , Could I request (if it's alright with you ofc ) Blind Reader X Rhaenyra and Alicent (or one of them ) OR Visenya and Rhaenys . Readers blindness is due to R saving them ? Now, reader is a strategist or hand on the council ? If the idea is okay with you ofc , anything you wish 🙂

Our blood will drip from your hands. | Caitlyn x Fem!Reader (feat. Vi)

(Part 2)

This is my official contribution to the Arcane Fandom and also my way of asking for requests. I hope you guys enjoy this!!<33

Summary: You befriended Caitlyn shortly after being taken in by an influential family in Piltover as a young child. You always believed that she saw you for who you were and not just for what you were. However, when she dared to appear in your home as your nation's newly appointed dictator, you realised that she was never any different herself.

Content: Heavy season 2 spoilers!!!!, Zaunite Reader, conflicting emotions, undefined relationship, heavy angst, hurt/no comfort, mentions of grief on Caitlyn's side, childhood friends, racism/discrimination against Zaunites, slight Vi x Reader?, sfw

Reader is afab and uses she/her pronouns!

((Not fully proofread))

"Have you... Have you lost your mind, Caitlyn?" You never expected to end up like this with her. Conversations that were once filled with laughs, gentle words, and wide smiles now felt sinister and cold. You shivered slightly under her domineering gaze and yet stood your ground, a defiant flame from your past childhood burning in your heart. The silence that followed your question felt dangerous, that familiar fear sparking in you at the glinting of her pristine uniform under the moonlight in the garden she had trapped you in. It reminded you of the days in which you could feel only terror at the mere sight of it, rightfully so. But perhaps the years of being fed with a silver spoon had you slowly cooking like a frog in a pot, doomed to unknowingly perish from its own blissful ignorance.

And was it too late to jump out now?

When you saw the navy haired woman's jaw clench tightly in a show of brave self-restraint, you realised that, yes, it was way too late for you.

Things went downhill the moment Caitlyn introduced you to Vi, you concluded. There was an instant bond you had with the woman, a bond only two of the same kin and background could have, despite your different upbringing. You remembered the night the three of you sat in these grand gardens of yours, the privilege of the fresh air filling your lungs weighing heavy on your consciousness as she spoke of her past. You recognized the places she mentioned, felt the emotions that ran through her, and shared the silent, familiar fear of the uniformed devil's with ease. You spoke of things the Kirammann could never understand, and you believed that it was alright that she didn't.

Caitlyn didn't say a word while you two spoke, her face betraying no negative emotion as she just simply gripped onto your gloved hand tightly. Foreshadowing, you had missed perhaps in hindsight. You had foolishly hoped that she saw you both as people, regardless of where you hailed from. You realise now that your wishful thinking had made you painfully naive.

The veil had finally been lifted from your eyes now and revealed the truth you've been denying for so long. And why did it take you so much time to realise it anyway? Why did it have to be Caitlyn's disgusted look to shake you awake?

Why didn't you just listen to Vi when she appeared at your doorstep hours earlier, a shell of what she once, as she practically cried in your arms? You never thought you'd see the day in which a fellow Zaunite would willingly degrade themselves so terribly by wearing the uniform of their oppressors. But why did you always make an exception for Caitlyn then, if you hated seeing Vi as one?

She had left shortly after, leaving you crying in frustration and betrayal when she told you how they used the ventilation system against your own people. They had flooded the streets with that toxic smog, hurt people more than they already were, and potentially even killed some for what? And unfortunately... the woman before you was the mastermind of it all.

Grief was a terrible thing. It really was. And yet, there was no excuse for this.

Your mind spun, legs threatening to give out at any moment. You should have run after Vi. You shouldn't have stayed here for a moment longer. But you had deluded yourself into thinking that it was all just a misunderstanding. That you had heard it wrong. Even if you couldn't look away from the devil anymore that you once lovingly called your best friend... or perhaps even more?

Slightly stumbling backward with a faint sigh, Caitlyn was quick to grab onto your hip, yet you flinched out of her grasp quicker than you could process it. It was a relfex on both of your sides. "No, don't you dare touch me after what you've... what you will do." You couldn't stand being near her as the panic set in, and you were desperate to get away. You never thought that you'd come to this point. You never thought that you'd learn to hate her so suddenly. It made you sick.

She reluctantly let her hand fall back to her side, and it unnerved you then that she had yet to say a thing. Did she perhaps feel guilty after all? Was she perhaps reflecting? A glance into her eyes reconfirmed that you were indeed wrong about her once again. You needed to stop dreaming. Your life up here has blinded you too much.

"... You weren't there today." You knew that she meant the councilor meeting with all the other noble houses. Your adoptive parents had gone as well, albeit without you. They were in clear disagreement with the entire situation themselves, and yet social pressure was a curse. Turning away from her, you found the energy to scoff. "And what of it? Do you expect me to stand there and cheer? Support a potential mass killing of innocent people?" "I am keeping us safe. I'm keeping you safe. There is nothing innocent about them." Her voice was raised and sharp, nothing like you had ever heard before. The adrenaline was making your body shake dangerously, and you started becoming aware of how angry you were. You hadn't felt like this in years. And here you thought you were used to their hate, too.

"So you are willing to murder hundreds over Jinx? Because that's what this is all about, isn't it? Revenge?" You got it right. It was all just for that. She was willing to disgrace her own ancestors' life work to fill the void left behind by her mother’s absence. "... I am doing all of this so no one has to get hurt again. We are left with no other choice. They are too dangerous-" "-Then why am I any different? What am I, if you view us as nothing but animals?" Silence. Just as expected, she never thought that far. Or maybe she simply considered you one of the better ones. The one whose blood was saved by the kindness of your parents in Piltover. You weren't tainted anymore. You were perfect because this place allowed you to be.

"... Why can you just not see all I'm doing for us? I... don't make me turn on you, too. You are better than this." You let out a laugh, one that could've sent down a shiver down anyone's spine. Even Caitlyn's, if she wasn't so tense and rigid now. Vi was right. She truly had changed for the worse. And god did it hurt.

"I loved you, Cait. I really did. And I understand the pain you've gone through after the loss of your mother. I stood at your side on the day of the funeral. I felt your agony." What should've been a confession filled with relief and happiness, now simply left a bitter taste in your mouth. "But I refuse to keep standing at your side if it means to see your hands stain with the blood of my people. You are a puppet, Caitlyn. The warlord has taken over your mind. The strings around your neck will tighten until it snuffs out the rest of your soul. And I will not be there to help you out of it this time." You don't care to hear her next words or even look her in the face as a last goodbye. Your Caitlyn died with her mother, buried beneath endless flower petals, safe and far away from the monster that appeared in her stead.

Your calm steps suddenly picked up the pace, and you found yourself running away, your frilly dress bunched up in your arms, chest heaving with the sobs you couldn't hide anymore. You ignored her call for your name, the demanding order pushing you much farther away until all you could hear were your panicked steps over the marble floor and the faint singing of the cicadas coming to a close.

Caitlyn stood there for the longest time, her stern gaze frozen in the direction you had disappeared in before she tipped her hat over her eyes and left.

You'll understand one day, she supposed.

The Wrong Side [Ellie Williams x Fem!Reader x Abby Anderson]

hey besties this is kinda an ~expermient~ so if y’all don’t hate it i’ll make it a mini-series 

Summary: Reader, Abby’s girlfriend, reunites with an old friend, Ellie.

Warnings: Language, sexual content (no smut)

Keep reading

The Wrong Side - P3 [Ellie Williams x Fem!Reader x Abby Anderson]

Part Two

Warnings: language. angst. just pure angst. despair. absolutely no happiness. 🖤

“You better be alive, Abby,” you mumble, approaching the dark aquarium.

You didn't think today's journey would be so rough. The Scars you faced had the majority of your body covered in cuts and bruises. You had to take a few detours to avoid the WLF, knowing damn well you're fucked if they found out what you're doing. You can already picture Isaac's face when you and Abby return. God, you dreaded it.

Returning to the room that you shared with Abby already seemed like a nightmare. Sleeping next to her, knowing she slept with Owen, enraged you, still trying to figure out why she would do that to you. And then you think about last night, when you were kissing Ellie, desperate to have her hands search your skin, practically melting into her body when she pulled you close.

You've convinced yourself it was a mistake, that you were overwhelmed with emotions, and it just happened. But Abby could say the same fucking thing for her and Owen.

You notice the side door of the aquarium was wide open, and Owen never left the entrances open or unlocked. “Shit,” you whisper to yourself, chills run down your spine as you enter the empty room. It was dark, the only light coming from another set of open doors. “Abby!” you call out, frown on your face as you walk through the doors, eyes falling on Alice, the dog's brown fur coated in blood. You got here too late, now afraid to keep walking through the aquarium, anxious about what you'd find.

You take a deep breath as you take a step forward, calling her name once more as you pick up your pace. The fluorescent lights and complete silence unsettled you, examining the fresh blood on a metal table, along with surgical instruments scattered around. What the fuck happened here?

Continuing to walk, you enter the hall, eyes widening at the sight of red. Red, staining the floor and puddled around the doorway. If your heart wasn't racing at an unhealthy speed before, it is now. You don't want to keep going, sudden realization hitting you that she could be behind those doors, corpse on the floor. Fuck, that could even be Ellie's blood. There's hesitation in each step you take, shaky hand pushing open the door.

Your eyes find two bodies on the floor, recognizing them right away. Owen and Mel, only spaced a few feet from each other. You expected to be furious with the man the next time you saw him, not this weird feeling of sadness. Sure, you could say you fucking hate him, but you still spent the last few years of your life around the guy. And Mel, the amount of blood that formed around her once pregnant body makes you sick. You can't stare any longer, quickly tracing your steps back. Ellie had no mercy, and there was little to no chance of her sparing Abby's life. You should've started convincing her last night, not fucking kissing her.

Back in the rain, you sigh, knowing you have to go back to the theatre and try to figure out this mess somehow.

-

The trip back was shorter compared to there, with no contact with any Scars or Wolves. It was almost odd. You tried the theatre doors, secured shut. Ellie came back, or at least someone did. You jog around the side, noticing a ladder that was low enough for you to grab. With a jump, you grip the wet metal, climbing it as more rain hits your face. As soon as you reached the platform, you noticed the window wide open, questioning if it was like that yesterday.

When you enter, you hear radio static, and the closer you approach, you hear someone speaking in code. You don't have time to decipher it, feet picking up pace as you go down a few flights of stairs, calling out Ellie's name once more. Your heartbeat picks up speed when you notice blood pouring around someone's head. There's slight relief when you realize it's not either of them. It's a man, the same man from Jackson. Joel's brother.

“Y/n?”

You quickly pull your gun out and face the voice, not recognizing the young boy who stood in front of you. You notice the scars on his cheeks, keeping your weapon pointed at him as you furrow your brows. “Who are you?”

“Abby told me about you,” he says, lowering the bow he previously had pointed at you. You remember what Owen told you, Abby getting caught up with some kids, but you don't have time to question the boy about it.

“Where is she?”

“Follow me,” the boy is quickly walking away, and you're right behind him. The silence of the theatre is interrupted by hushed groans and pained whimpers, the noises getting louder the more you walked. You're no longer following the boy, running past him towards the sounds.

It wasn't long before you found them.

You enter a dimly lit room, the light casting a red glow in the room. Your eyes widen as you obverse the sight in front of you, blood pouring from Ellie's nose, unable to move as Abby put her weight on her weak body, hands wrapped around her throat. Ellie is helpless, and it fucking breaks your heart. “Abby...”

You gain her attention, but her hands still had a firm grip on Ellie. Ellie was losing her breath, trying to look at you as tears leaked from her glossy eyes. “Abby, let her go.” You feel like you should do more, instead of just standing here hoping she would show mercy. Had that been a Scar on Ellie, you would’ve already had your knife in their throat. But it’s your girlfriend, and you don’t know how to handle the fucked up situation.

“Abby-” “She killed our friends, Y/n,” Abby mutters, noticeably tightening her grasp on Ellie's neck. Abby is scaring you. The thought of her going through with this and killing Ellie scares you.

“We can walk away, okay? Just leave her,” you take a step closer, “please.”

“Why do you care?” Abby asks, staring at you, noticing the desperate look in your eyes, begging to spare Ellie’s life. It’s familiar to the look Ellie gave you when she pleaded for Joel’s life. Yeah, she remembers Ellie calling for you specifically. How you brushed it off later as an old acquaintance from the QZ. ‘Hardly a friend,’ her ass. Abby doesn’t need you to answer her. She knows. Ellie means more to you than you'll ever admit. Your first friend, first crush, and your first love.

Abby knows some of those feelings never left, fuck, she would know better than anyone. What she doesn't know is you gave into them last night.

Abby wants to put an end to this, but with the distraught painted on your face, she doesn't want to hurt you. Not anymore, at least. Her hands free from Ellie, gasps coming from the out of breath woman.

“Don’t ever let me see you again,” Abby threatens, hovering over Ellie one last time before walking towards you. She stops in front of you, unsure if it was pity or annoyance in her eyes. “Say whatever you have to say, then we're leaving,” Abby tells you, walking away before you get the chance to respond.

You and Ellie are left alone, coughs coming from her as she spits blood out. You rush to her, sighing her name as you kneel next to her.

You studied her hurt body, noticing all the blood on her face came from her swollen nose, the way her arm twisted unnaturally, the purple and blue shades already forming on her neck. You could cry the longer you stared at her, already feeling your eyes getting wet. You eagerly reach out and wipe the blood and tears off her face, hand resting on her cheek, the simple touch making her feel safe. “Stay,” her voice was quiet, almost ashamed to say it.

She wanted to hate you since Jackson. She should want you dead, but she doesn’t. She wants you with her. She wants to make up for all the missing years you were supposed to have together.

She wants to read a comic book with you, preferably one that she already knows, so she can watch your reactions and admire the face that appeared in her dreams occasionally. She wants you to spend the night and listen to old rock music as you stare at the ceiling together while remising about your childhood, when things were significantly better than right now.

Or just lay together in silence, simply being next to you, something she convinced herself was so bad that now seemed like heaven. She wants all of that and more.

She wants you.

And you're staring at her, afraid to leave her like this, vulnerable, suffering on the concrete floor. She seemed so small. You don't want to abandon her. Not again.

“Let's go, Y/n,” Abby interrupts, the tone of her voice stern and demanding. She wouldn't let you stay, even if that's all you wanted.

“Please,” Ellie tries again, voice hoarse, “don’t leave me.”

She hates how pathetic she sounds, desperate, which she is. Abby took Joel away, and now she's taking you. The two most important people to ever enter her life. Once you leave her, she will be alone, and Ellie is terrified of that thought.

“Y/n,” Abby calls again, patience running thin, “now.”

You feel her blue orbs burning into the back of your skull, like if you didn't leave now, she would change her mind, put an end to what you stopped her from doing. And you know she will. “I...” the words you want to say don't leave your lips. “You'll be okay, Ellie.”

You lean forward, kissing her forehead, your teardrops falling on her hair. It's hard to get up, like she was a magnet that you can't pull away from, knees weak as you force yourself up. You stare at her one more time, and she's looking back at you, puppy eyes, waiting for you to change your mind.

You glance back at Abby, and just like you suspected, her eyes are locked intensely on you. The woman was intimidating you, whether on purpose or not, and it works.

“I'm sorry,” your voice is hardly above a whisper, the look on her face making you feel beyond guilty. Even though it hurts like hell, you're quickly walking out of the room, pushing past Abby and the boy, ignoring her calling your name.

You find yourself outside, blinking away the tears that puddled in your eyes. It was like the universe was giving you a second chance with Ellie, and you're throwing it away, not fighting harder for her, once again.

And you hate that part of you is okay with that, afraid of the change that would come if you left Abby, the woman you spent the last few years of your life with, for Ellie, when you barely know her, despite feeling attached to her. Why was this so fucking complicating?

“Y/n.”

Her voice, the voice that would calm you down, that you looked forward to hearing at the end of the day, now lit a fire inside of you. You face the woman, not caring for the worried expression she wore.

“You almost killed her, Abby!” you yell, the anger you felt towards her slipping through your voice. Abby furrows her brows, frustrated that you're so concerned about Ellie, even after all the damage she caused. “Yeah, maybe I should have.”

You bite your tongue, tearing your eyes off of her face. The longer you stared, the angrier you got. You notice the boy curiously looking between you and Abby. “The Scar you saved?” you mumble, earning a confused look from her. “Owen told me.”

“Oh.”

You force yourself to look at her, your saddened eyes mirroring her own. The tension between you is painful, both of you waiting for the other to bring it up. As selfish as it seems, she doesn't want to. She doesn't want to admit to something she never wished happened.

“Why, Abby?” is all you say, both of you aware of what you're asking.

Her face falls, staring at your shoes. She already planned her words earlier in the day, and now they're scrambled in her brain. She can't think about the situation without a sudden reminder he's dead, his corpse flashing in her mind.

“Can we talk about it in the morning?” her voice is quiet, crossing her arms. She's avoiding eye contact while you're trying to hold back the tears that are threatening to fall. “Yeah,” you whisper, swallowing the lump in your throat, “but you and I, we're done."

“Y/n,” Abby scoffs, approaching you, frown on her face when you back up. She wants to reach forward and wipe the tears spilling from your eyes, but you won't let her. “You know I love you.”

She does. Abby has loved you since you let her sob in your arms. When you held her tightly, telling her everything was okay. It wasn't, but you were young and didn't know the right words. She didn't care, though. Just the warmth of your embrace and kind voice was able to calm her down. She admired you the same way you did her. She did love you.

Just not the way she loved him.

You avoid her eyes, glancing at the young boy a few feet away. He was shivering, hugging himself as he watched you two. “Let's get out of the rain,” is all you say, holding back all the violent words you want to spit at the woman. You don't need an argument tonight. You probably wouldn't be able to handle it, knowing you'd say or do something you'd regret. Abby slowly nods, looking between you and the boy, “Come on.”

She walks away, expecting both of you to follow, but you're staring at the theatre doors like you want to run back inside. You know you can't. “She talked about you a lot, you know.”

You bring your eyes to the young boy, who moved closer to you. “She does...love you...”

His eyes only linger on you for a split second more before he's jogging to catch up to Abby.

You curse under your breath, tearing your eyes off the building and to Abby, dragging your feet in her direction. The farther you walked, the less light surrounded you, the comforting glow from the theatre disappearing. Instead, it was dark and gloomy, and it feels like you're walking with two strangers.

For the first time in your life, you feel alone.

Part Four

Writing Notes: How to Choose POV

A Quick Guideline on Choosing POV

Refresher: Definitions

First-Person Singular: First-person singular narration uses the pronoun “I” and is the most commonly used form of first-person point of view. This style is perfect for character-driven novels and creates a close, immersive connection between the reader and the story. However, this type of narration limits the author and the reader to a single character’s experiences, feelings, and knowledge.

First-Person Plural: This first-person narration style utilizes the pronoun “we” and is less commonly used. It combines the intimacy associated with first-person with the flexibility of third-person omniscient. First-person plural can be effective when done well but can be tedious and is limited to the collective voice.

Second Person: Second person utilizes “you” for the narrator but is more commonly used in short stories. This style easily fosters close bonds between the readers and the characters as you start to feel as if they are you.

Third-Person Limited: Narration in third person limited relies on she/her, he/him, they/them, etc., pronouns as well as the character’s name. This point of view limits the author and reader to one character’s perspective allowing the writer to exercise the closeness of first-person singular through thoughts and feelings while also offering the broader perspective of third person.

Third-Person Omniscient: This type of narration also utilizes the character’s preferred personal pronouns and name and gives the narrator god-like storytelling abilities as they can reveal any character’s thoughts, go to any time or setting, know information the characters are unaware of, and comment on events in the past, present, and future. The degree to which these abilities are used is up to you. Third-person omniscient is popular among novelists with large casts and complex plots. However, this style can lead to too many shifts in perspective.

Tips for Choosing POV

You may find that you have a preferred point of view and then realize it’s not a good fit once you start writing your story. Many writers worry about finding their voice, but sometimes the story finds it for you. If you’re unsure which point of view to choose, consider these tips to help you pick.

Explore your options. You won’t know which POV to use unless you try them all. Try writing or rewriting a scene from your story in each POV to see which style fits your novel best.

Establish your POV. Once you’ve picked a style, stick to it and let your audience know which character they’re experiencing the story through.

Note limitations. POV will decide what information your character is privy to and thus determine their actions and opinions. Take time to review your work with your character’s limitations in mind to keep your writing accurate.

Don’t be afraid to change. If you find yourself drifting into another POV as your novel progresses, don’t shy away from revising your work into the best perspective for your story. It’s also important to note that some books shift from first to third to second, and it may benefit you to find examples of novels with varied narration to help you learn to master this style.

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References ⚜ POV

You really do

(Katniss Everdeen x Fem Reader) ❀

Summary: You and Katniss attend the party together at Snows mansion, then she starts acting a little weird, a little jealous.

Warnings: None really. There’s like one swear word in there but nothing dramatic. (Also, small note, thanks for the request!) (SFW)

Word Count: 2494

A clammy hand gently ran down your arm, clenching your fingers in its own.

The party was loud and colorful. People were everywhere, talking, eating and dancing. You were still at the top of the stairs but you could already tell how overwhelming this was going to be.

“Breathe it all in, children.” Effie spoke with a dreamy sigh. Her wig was tall, shiny, and hard enough to be made of plastic, just like the rest of her outfit. Her eyelashes were dangerously long as she turned to face you. “This is all for you.”

You and Katniss exchanged a glance, hands still locked together.

“Looks cozy.” You stared ahead at the bustling party ahead. Sweat was beginning to prick the back of your neck but you shook it off the best you could.

Effie let out another sigh, this one more exasperated.

“Attitude.” She warned, snapping her fingers. “Smiles. I want to see big bright smiles.” Then she lowered her voice. “I’m talking to you, Katniss.”

Beside you, Katniss mumbled something under her breath but you couldn’t quite catch it. You two looked at each other once more, only snapped back to reality by Effie’s high pitched “Come, come!”

Together the two of you made your way through the heavy Capitol crowd. You took in the odd, exotic looks of the civilians around you but mostly kept your gaze on Katniss as you followed her up the stairs.

Once you two could walk beside each other again, you slipped your hand back into hers.

“A little overwhelming, huh?” You whispered softly into her ear. You two entered Snow’s mansion, still hand in hand and on the trail of Effie.

Katniss let out a soft chuckle, a real smile breaking across her face for the first time in the past hour. “A little?”

You flashed a mischievous grin back at her.

Eventually Effie led the two of you into the backyard that was covered to the brim in decorations, lights of all colors, and various buffets of food.

Katniss locked her arm with yours this time, sticking close to your side. She wasn’t scared, not that she would admit it, but she was definitely a little intimidated by it all.

You were too, but feeling her warmth pressed against your side made you feel a little better.

When the time to dance came around, you rescued Katniss from a group of chatty women and brought her to the dance floor, arm wrapped around her waist.

“You don’t look like you’re enjoying this.” Katniss said after a few minutes, her arms wrapped loosely around your neck. Her movements were a little stiff but the fiery makeup and gorgeous dress made it seem almost natural.

You rolled your eyes playfully, hands resting on her hips. “I’m not a big party person.” You responded teasingly. “But you really look like you’re enjoying this. We all know you partied every night back in 12.”

Katniss let out a soft groan and gently bumped her forehead into yours. “Oh, shut up.”

A small smile teased both of your lips and you leaned your forehead back into hers, just resting it there for a moment.

Both of you were stiff and as awkward as a board, clearly not in your element and dragged far out of your comfort zone, but together on the dance floor things seemed almost nice, like you were meant to be here as long as you were together.

“I know the makeup and outfit is a lot but… you do look really pretty tonight.” You murmured softly, standing on your toes to be eye to eye with her. “Cinna did his job well. As usual.”

Now you noticed the faintest blush dancing across her face and that drew a bigger smile out on yours.

Sure, maybe you two were just together for the publicity of it. Your fake love story saved both of your lives in the games and it got you this far together, what was the harm in playing into it just a little more?

Especially if you were supposedly getting married soon.

Not to mention that you’ve had a crush on Katniss for… as long as you can remember. As the only two female victors from District 12 that won the screwed up games together, you both had some pretty cruel shared trauma and were the only ones that really understood each other.

Sometimes you thought maybe your fantasy romance wasn’t really that fake after all, but in the end, things never progressed past TV kisses.

Katniss recovered quite quickly from your compliment. Her gray eyes studied your makeup painted face for a moment and then flicked to your lips.

“Sounds like you want to amuse the Capitol.” Katniss whispered in the same low tone. She leaned a little closer.

You tightened your grip on her waist and let that same mischievous grin lift the corners of your lips. “Who says I’m doing this for the Capitol?” You responded, although you said it in a teasing way. You could never admit the truth to her.

Katniss took the hint. She moved her face closer to yours, just about to kiss you when–

“Katniss, y/n!” Effie called in a shrill voice, scaring the two of you apart. Beside her was a shorter man with white hair and wise eyes. She introduced him as Plutarch Heavensbee, the head gamemaker for this year's games.

You didn’t get another word in as Plutarch guided Katniss away for the two of them to dance. You let out a soft sigh and returned to the food table to maybe find those chocolate strawberries.

Once you found the snack you were craving, you scooped some up onto a plate. When you turned around, three other Capitol women were standing there.

They were even more decked out than most of the others there. Each of their hair was a bright, vibrant color and at least 2 feet tall. They were wearing equally colorful and blinding dresses and their faces were so caked in makeup you could hardly make out what they really looked like.

“You know, y/n, you were my favorite tribute from the 74th games.” One of the women chimed, nudging you with her elbow.

Another one of the women snuck up to your other side, her elbow bumping into yours. “Mine as well! I donated almost all of my money to sponsor you.”

You raised your eyebrows in amusement, knowing you’d barely gotten a single parachute in that rough arena, much less one that you really needed.

This whole situation, as overwhelming as it was, was still quite curious to you. You figured that while Katniss danced away with Heavensbee, you could learn just a little more about the Capitol citizens.

You spoke with the women for a while, most of your conversations were either about the games or about fashion, two things you didn’t quite enjoy talking about but you went along with it either way.

One of the women in particular had no fear at all getting as close to you as humanly possible. You didn’t really know how to stop her as every time you pushed her away, she just came back even further into your bubble.

It’s a good thing you were charismatic enough to keep their attention on your voice rather than on your lips. They weren’t put off from touching your face and the jewels in your makeup.

Finally, when the announcement music began to play, you noticed Katniss staring at you from a few feet away. The expression on her face was shielded and unreadable, but she did not seem happy.

You excused yourself from your fanclub and went to join her on the dance floor once more as President Snow stepped onto his balcony to make a speech.

You tried to slide your arm around Katniss’s waist as the two of you listened but she pulled away. Effie nudged her back into your grip and Katniss reluctantly gave in, though she didn’t make it easy.

You figured this was what hugging a log was like.

President Snow spoke about your wedding and how glad he was to have you here, though his face showed no emotion at all. He lifted his glass to a toast and so did the crowd.

Fireworks went off behind you and you felt Katniss flinch. You pulled her a little closer, arm still around her waist.

She wedged her hand in between your and her side and put a little space in between you two, even though her other hand was still clamped around yours.

After the firework show, you two returned to the dance floor for one last dance before returning to the train.

“Are you okay?” You asked the second you two were dancing. Your hands were connected with hers this time. Hers were clammy again.

Katniss said nothing for a moment. Her eyes flicked from your face, to the ground, and then beyond you. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Katniss snapped softly at you. She tried to pull away from you but you held her in place.

That’s when you noticed the whole dance floor was staring at you.

“To our lovely victors, and to-be-weds!” Effie smiled widely and pointed to you two. She mouthed the words “kiss,” and then waited.

Katniss pretended not to see, so you stood back up on your toes and pressed your lips into hers. She stiffened and closed her eyes.

When you pulled away, you frowned at her. Something was definitely wrong. Even when you and Katniss kissed for the first time in the games, she seemed to enjoy it much more. Now it felt like there was all sorts of pent up anger and resentment in her kiss.

You two stood there silently, soaking in the applause.

Katniss was the first to break out of your grasp. She said nothing else and headed towards the exit.

Effie looked at you with an annoyed gaze but said nothing on the matter. She just hurried you up to follow Katniss.

You two went straight to the train. You stopped to speak with Haymitch for a few moments and then marched right over to Katniss’s room.

Katniss was staring at herself in the mirror, still adorned in her party outfit. Her gaze hardened when you stepped into her room and she inhaled sharply.

“Katniss, did something happen at the party?” You asked. You were worried that maybe somebody had said something to her or done something while you weren’t looking. “Should I tell Effie?”

“No.”

“Then what happened?”

“Nothing.”

Her tone was telling you to shut up and fuck off, but you weren’t giving in that easily.

Katniss finally looked at you. Her face was red with anger and her eyes were dark. She glanced over your shoulder at the door and started towards it, muttering something about getting changed out of her uncomfortable outfit.

You grabbed her wrist just before she could make it out the door.

“Katniss, come on, talk to me.” You pleaded. “I know you don’t like opening up, but I’m your friend! You can tell me things. I want you to tell me things!”

Katniss whirled to face you. “Are we really just friends?” She asked you. “Is that what you think? Is that what you really think?”

You frowned, taken aback by her sudden explosion.

“Isn’t that what we are?” You asked, furrowing your eyebrows and tightening your grip on her wrist as she tried to wiggle out. “I thought that was our deal.”

“And so did I.” Katniss sighed, half of her anger melting away with just the release of a breath. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m getting upset, I shouldn’t be pissed over this…”

“No, tell me.” You brought her over to the bed, the two of you sitting beside each other. “Tell me what’s upsetting you.”

“It’s not important.”

“It’s bothering you, it is important.”

Katniss sighed again, this time a little softer than before. She let her eyes lock with yours and you saw the various emotions swimming in them.

“It’s stupid. I just… I get upset when I see you with other people.” Katniss finally admitted. “When you’re close with them, when they touch you, when they try to kiss you. It makes me so angry.”

You almost let out a noise of surprise but held it back so you didn’t anger her even more.

“Really?”

“Yes.” Katniss glared at you, though she wasn’t mad at you, she was just mad. “And I hate it. I don’t understand it. You’re my friend, you don’t really love me. This is all just for show.”

“Is it really just for show?” You asked, almost hesitantly. “People don’t fake kiss each other the way you kiss me.”

Katniss wrinkled her nose as if the idea of admitting the truth disgusted her. Her upset gaze darkened and she stared at you, almost daring you to prove yourself.

You were going to make the first move, but surprisingly, Katniss beat you to it.

Before you had time to react her lips were pressed back into yours, her arms sliding around your waist in an almost passionately angry attempt to prove you wrong. She kissed you for a few seconds, and then pulled away, face redder than before.

You were blushing too, but not from embarrassment, from a relieved surprise.

“You think I don’t really love you?” You said softly, running a hand down her arm until your fingers locked with hers. “Katniss, I’ve loved you for years. What I said in the games wasn’t a lie, and you know that.”

Leaning into you, Katniss just rested her head on your shoulder for a moment. Her breath tickled your neck and her body relaxed.

“I can’t love you… I don’t.”

You shook your head, gently picking her head up off your shoulder and cupping her face. “Come on, Katniss. I think you being jealous that I just spoke to a few other women is a pretty clear indicator that you love me.” You said, letting your voice raise a teasing pitch.

Katniss huffed and rolled her eyes, leaning into your hand. “I wasn’t jealous.”

“You were so jealous.”

The blush on Katniss’s face grew even brighter. She pushed your hands away and then pulled you into another kiss.

“You do love me.” You whispered softly into the kiss, letting one of your hands gently climb back up her face. “You do.”

Katniss’s arms snaked around your torso. “Shut up y/n.” She mumbled, kissing you again. When she pulled away, she kissed your cheek. “Stop saying it, you’ll wear it out.”

“You say it, then I’ll stop.”

Katniss sighed in annoyance. “I love you.” She said softly, her eyes still resting on your lips. “I really do…”

“Good, because I love you too.”

This time, when Katniss knocked you back onto the bed for another kiss, she was smiling.

exceeded caution part 5

how dare you?

series masterlist | previous part | next part

a/n: ohhhh i had so much fucking fun with this chapter. i couldnt stop once i started. i hope u all enjoyyyy

pairing: ex!tara carpenter x f!reader into sam carpenter x f!reader

warnings: cursing, threatening language, mention of blood and violence, mention of sustained injuries, mention of stabbing. 3.9k words.

𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩

"i really don't want you doing this." you said to sam as you fixed the collar on her jacket, using your palm to flatten the fabric.

"i will be fine. and i'll be back in no time." sam placed her hand over yours. you just stared at your joined hands for a moment.

she noticed that you were starting to zone out and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

"it'll work. i know it will." she said, confidently.

"it might work. but at what risk?" you asked, finally making eye contact with her. "they're putting you out there like lambs for the slaughter. i don't want anything to happen to you or tara. it's not worth it."

sam placed a hand on your cheek, holding your attention.

"i'll take any chance to catch this motherfucker and put an end to this if it means we get to be together at the end."

god, you hated her.

"you'll need to be alive for that, samantha." you rolled your eyes at her.

"i will be alive. i promise."

𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩

you were sat in the back of a van while sam and tara wandered out in the open. you hated the idea of using them as bait. no matter how good kirby and detective bailey were at their jobs, you knew ghostface was always a few steps ahead.

as mindy and kirby butted heads over the plan, you glanced at ethan. the boy was shamelessly snacking on a bag of cheetos, how could he even stomach anything right now? he noticed your staring and turned the bag of cheetos to you, offering you some. you waved your hand to dismiss him and looked away.

you offered to join the two sisters in their escapade to gain an advantage over ghostface, but they didn't need you in an even worse state.

you realised that you didn't even have a theory as to who the killer could be. there were too many people around and too many things happening for you to even make a guess. you also wondered if anyone suspected you.

"heart of gold with a dark past." mindy said, describing you to tara and sam. "it's the perfect cover up."

"she's got a rock solid alibi." tara said, crossing her arms at mindy. the girl still held a protective nature for you. "i was breaking up with her."

"she still left after." mindy countered. "you never know. isn't it weird that she always just seems to be around when you need her most?"

sam hated to even consider that you were capable of taking a life. unfortunately, despite her growing feelings, she had to be cautious with you. that was one of the risks she had to ponder on after you two decided to take things further.

fortunately for you, she looked into your eyes enough to know that there was not a single murderous spark in that head of yours.

"this is exactly how our uncle randy died." mindy's frustrated voice echoed in the van, taking you out of your investigative headspace. "broad daylight, public place, yanked into a van." the girl's monologue was never-ending, she was hard to stop when she got like this.

"stab. stab. stab. no more randy!" she exclaimed.

"huh." kirby responded, seemingly ignoring mindy's efforts at pointing out flaws in the operation. she turned back to the computer in front of her. "hey sam? stay frosty out there, okay?"

"we're good." you heard her voice through the computer's soft speaker. the tone of her voice reassured you, you knew she just wanted this to end.

you leaned back against the wall of the van, letting out a small yawn. you can't remember the last time you got a decent sleep.

you heard a faint ringing. you sat up as sam picked up the phone.

"you're gonna die, you know?" you almost felt your attraction to her increasingly grow with her determination. but now wasn't the time to think about that.

kirby typed away on her computer, tracking the killer's location. you leaned forward, trying to hear better.

"for a mastermind, you’re not very bright. waiting for me to call, desperately hoping i’m nearby so the police can grab me." the voice changer was haunting, it was the type of voice that wouldn't leave your nightmares. he was terrifying, you had to give him that. "but i’m not nearby. i'm one step ahead. be seeing you, samantha."

hearing sam's full name come from ghostface sent chills down your spine. it was intense, like the name held a lot of weight.

he hung up just like that, you watched as kirby discovered his location. the radius slowly started to narrow down to the upper west side.

kirby informed the two girls that ghostface was nowhere near them.

"on west 96th?" tara asked, kirby furrowed her eyebrows.

"how did you know that?" kirby inquired.

"gale." sam spoke.

you thought back to how kirby turned gale away from joining everyone, how press wasn't allowed anywhere near this. while her action was valid, you now realise it may have turned around to bite her back harder.

you heard heavy breathing and footsteps from the other end of the comms, deducing that they were running.

"my friend danny works on the upper west side. he can get there quicker!" you heard sam say through her short breaths. you had only met danny a few times, you had no doubt that he was a good presence in the carpenter's lives. although, he was still a viable suspect. you know he had a history with sam, you couldn't tell if it was just jealousy or actual logic that caused you to suspect him.

"or he could finish her off! it's possible he's the killer." detective bailey had a point there, it was convenient that he just so happened to work in the area.

"fuck. we have to get there now." sam said, stopping in her tracks as bailey protested, asking her to take a minute.

the comms started to fizzle out suddenly, you realised it was because they were getting further away.

you couldn't help yourself and lunged out of the van you were sitting in. you looked around and scanned the area. you spotted bailey and squinted, only to see that there was a police vehicle driving away with it's sirens blaring. you had no doubt that it was tara's doing, she could be reckless when she wanted to be.

"fuck this." you mumbled, turning back around to kirby. "can you take us there?" kirby heard the worry laced in your voice, she sighed and nodded.

𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩

the car ride was silent, you sat in the passenger seat while the other three squeezed into the back seat. chad looked uncomfortable in the middle, seeing as he was the most built one out of all of them.

you jumped as your phone buzzed, you were doing that more often.

caller id — tara carpenter

you quickly answered.

"tara. are you okay?" you immediately asked. "is gale okay?"

"sam and i are fine. gale isn't. she's been hurt." tara answered your question.

"sit tight. we're almost there." you said.

"okay." tara sounded exhausted. this would have been extremely hard for the both of them. gale was someone that was there when this all started, despite their differences, she was a constant that they could depend on. "i'll see you soon..." tara proceeded to hang up the phone.

you turned to everyone else in the car. "gale's been hurt. i'm not sure how bad but we'll find out soon enough." you wished that there were no other cars present on the road. you wished that you could just plow through every other vehicle just to get there faster.

when you arrived, the sisters were standing shoulder to shoulder by the steps of the apartment complex.

sam looked like she had years taken off her lifespan. she was staring into nothing, her mind was racing and her shoulders were holding the weight of the world.

you hopped out of the car and felt your feet pick up the pace, you had to get to her as soon as possible.

as you crashed into the girl, you wrapped your arms around her neck, enveloping her into a hug. she took her hands out of her pockets and hugged your waist, her face burrowing itself into your neck. she inhaled deeply, taking in your scent and warmth. she felt herself relax a little more as she held you in your arms.

"i was so fucking worried about you both." you said, slowly pulling away to suddenly pull tara into a hug. she didn't expect it but she was pleasantly surprised. she hugged your waist and put her head on your chest. you were tall enough to rest your chin on her head. hearing your heartbeat was enough to calm her as well.

"any word on gale?" chad asked, walking up the stairs. you all collectively decided to sit on the couches that were in the lobby. you took a seat directly next to sam.

"she had a pulse the last time we saw her." tara cleared the air a bit more. "they said she's strong enough to pull through."

you sighed in relief. you spotted danny suddenly run into the building, breathless as he looked like he was running.

"i got here as fast as i could." he spoke in between breaths.

"did you?" tara asked, her tone accusatory.

had tara also been suspecting him? you had to give her credit for that. she was incredibly quick with picking up things like this. you glanced at danny and realised he was staring right at sam. was there still something lingering there? did sam have any lingering feelings? you wanted to pull her closer, stake some form of claim on her but you knew you had no right to do that just yet. instead, you settled for placing a hand on her upper arm.

"i'm scared. i don't wanna get hurt again." mindy said, her voice just barely above a whisper.

"neither do i." chad followed. mindy eyed him.

"i don't want you getting hurt again either." she told him.

"i know. i know." chad leaned his head on his sister's shoulder. as much as they butted heads, they loved each other more than anyone.

tara leaned her head on mindy's shoulder too. a part of you would have loved to be there when they were all happy together, enjoying life as normal teenagers back in woodsboro. maybe then you'd be able to understand them.

"so what do we do now?" chad asked, turning to sam.

"maybe he gets to win this time." sam said, softly. your eyes flickered to her, your eyebrows furrowing at her statement. win? what did she mean by that?

tara, mindy, and chad had the same expression as you. they raised their heads to look at sam, confused looks on their faces.

"he wants to punish me." your was pushed away as she stood up from her seat. "me." you saw tears starting to pool around her eyes, a choked down sob almost making it through her hardened exterior. "so maybe i let him."

you looked over to everyone else, did this sound absolutely ridiculous to them too?

"i'll just give myself up." she said, allowing the tears to flow freely and the rasp to take control of her voice. "if this is what i have to do to keep you safe, it's worth it."

you were stunned to silence. sam just wanted to give up. that wasn't the sam you knew, that wasn't the girl you fell for. you wondered where this was suddenly coming from. you thought that all the loss just got too much for her, she was willing to give herself up to end it all. you couldn't let that happen.

"no!" tara spoke up before you could. "we're not doing that, sam." the girl scrambled to stand up from her chair. "you came back to woodsboro to protect me. every single day, you make the decision to protect me. none of us would even be alive if it wasn't for you."

"she's right." chad nodded. "you have to let us help you too, sam."

"no." sam shook her head. she couldn't take it anymore. she hated how much you've all been through just because she happened to draw the short straw in a gene pool.

"yes. we're a team, remember?" tara stared her sister down, which was impressive given that tara has never been able to stare anyone down.

"actually, we're family." mindy said. you watched as the four of them came together, chad clapping and standing up. you wondered how the lovable knucklehead managed to brighten up the moment no matter what.

"core four!" core four. that was cute.

"he's gonna keep coming after us." sam said.

"isn't there somewhere safe we could just hole up in?" ethan asked. you forgot he was there for a second. maybe he felt like just as much of an outsider as you did sometimes.

"he's just gonna keep finding us." tara said to him. suddenly, it was like the gears turned in her head. "we could use that though. i have an idea."

tara held her hand out and asked for chad's phone, walking outwith the rest of the crew. sam was about to follow but you pulled her back.

"i didn't get to say what i thought." you said, your voice was firm. sam met your eyes and her lips pressed into a thin line. you were glaring at her. you shoved her chest back. it wasn't enough to topple her but it was enough to stun her. in fact, it was impressive how you were able to do it with just one hand. "how fucking dare you?!"

she stared at you with wide, shocked eyes.

"don't look at me like that. how dare you even think about giving yourself up?!" you almost screamed at her but you kept your voice down. "did you not even think of how that would affect everyone else?"

sam was rendered to silence. she wanted you to let it all out, even if it meant taking your sudden change of tone. she didn't know how to handle this side of you, but she was glad you allowed yourself to be vulnerable with her. in fact, you challenged her.

"tara would be left without anybody! you're practically chad and mindy's triplet! and me! and... and me..." you started to stutter out your words as the sobs laced themselves in between your words. "did you even remember that you made me a promise?" you asked, weakly.

"i'm sorry. i remember that promise like i made it two seconds ago." sam said, reaching for your hand and placing it over her heart. "please forgive me. i'll never bring it up again. this heart will continue to beat for you." it was criminal how easily she eased your worries.

"you stress me the fuck out." you scoffed out through tears.

"i'm afraid you will have to deal with that for a very long time then." she said, placing her own hand over yours.

"good."

𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩

you two rejoined everyone else outside, tara was already on the phone to detective bailey.

"we wanna lure him to a secure location and trap him inside." was tara's opening line that you walked in on. the girl was clever. she probably already had an entire plan mapped out in her head. you were always impressed by her level of intelligence.

"and then what?" you heard bailey over the phone.

"we execute him." you almost laughed at the aggressive word used by tara. but you felt that it was fitting.

bailey went quiet, you chalked it up to the fact that he was probably thinking the entire thing over. he had lost his daughter, you thought that he wouldn't think twice.

"are you gonna help us?" tara asked, an attitude sparking. she was growing impatient. and nobody liked impatient tara.

"let's kill this son of a bitch." bailey said.

you looked over to sam as bailey explained that you had access to the theater. he also warned you all to travel in public to minimize the chances of ghostface attacking you.

so you decided to take the subway.

𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩

the hustle and bustle of new york.

it had been a while since you've actually been out with other people. this was an unconventional reason for you and all your friends to suddenly immerse yourself in the crowd but it was better than nothing.

you almost forgot it was time to play dress up. most of the people underground were all dressed up in costumes, probably about to make their way to halloween parties.

as you pushed through the crowd. you felt yourself get pulled in a million different directions. before you knew it, you had gotten separated from your friends.

you were shoved into a tightly packed train car, trying to shove your way through to find someone familiar. you squeezed your way through the sardine-like formation that everyone situated themselves in.

eventually, though the clearing, you spotted chad. you started to slowly make your way over to them. your arm was in pain, constantly being bumped into by strangers or the train itself. you winced as someone backed into you, lightly pushing them away,

when you reached the group of four, the train shook. you stumbled into tara, reaching for her shoulder with your good arm.

"sorry." you mumbled. sam let out a breath, she was glad you made it on with them.

"it's okay. i'm glad you're here." tara said, turning to face you. you grabbed the hanging strap right above her, staying close.

"me too. where's mindy?" you asked chad. "and ethan...?"

"we got split apart. pretty boy here pulled me in. maybe if you didn't do that, i'd be with them." chad practically spat at him.

"i was just trying to keep us together." danny said, on the defensive side.

you and tara turned to him at the same time, the same expression on your faces. you squinted at him, studying him a bit. he was a local, he knew how busy the subway could get. sometimes you just had to go with the ocean and not force anything.

the lights started flickering and you made sure to keep an eye on everyone when they did turn back on. chad suddenly straightened his posture when he realised the state of the train.

"holy shit." he looked just behind sam's shoulder. you followed his eyes.

ghostface. pinhead. ghostface. michael myers. ghostface. ghostface. ghostface. ghostface. another ghostface. and another ghostface.

they were everywhere.

"fuck." you whispered under your breath.

"how many stops do we have?" tara asked, sam leaned over to look at the map.

"ten." she said.

fuck. double digits. were you even gonna make it to the first?

it was like the universe was actively working against you. there was no way you all happened to board this train on this day and get separated.

people started to funnel out of the train with each stop. you looked over at sam and realised something had caught her eye. you tried to track where she was looking but there were just too many people.

"guys." she caught the attention of everyone else.

there.

one of the ghostfaces was moving towards you at an alarming pace. just as he was about to reach sam, you stepped in front of her. she grabbed your waist to steady you and pull you back against her chest.

the person in the costume turned to exit the train. you exhaled sharply and grabbed another hanging strap, this time on sam's side. tara frowned at the loss of your closeness but admired that you stood in between sam and a potential murderer.

with sam's hand resting on your waist still, you stayed close to her side, practically leaning on the girl. your mind was racing. nine more stops to go.

you hoped that mindy was okay on the other train. she'd be just as terrified, there would be just as many ghostfaces.

stop after stop, the pit in your stomach failed to resolve itself. even if you were going to make it off the train, you still had an entire night ahead of you.

screech!

you had dozed off on about stop number six, you were now seated but still leaning on sam's shoulder. you blinked your sleep away and sat up as you hit your final stop.

the four of you exited the train, quickly jogging up the steps and out of the subway. as you walked towards the theater, you felt yourself gravitate towards sam.

fuck it.

tara, danny, and chad walked ahead of you both anyway. you reached for her hand and intertwined your fingers. you needed that moment with her before you walked into your doom. she roughly pulled her hand away, looking irritated suddenly. you looked up at her with concern, did you miss something?

as you fell asleep on stop number six, chad turned to sam.

"you have to be careful of her." he whispered. he had never been the theory type, that was more mindy's thing. but mindy wasn't there, and she had her thoughts about you. as much as she did care for you, she cared for everyone else too. "she's got just as much motivation as the rest of them."

sam looked at the floor, silently processing.

"tara broke her heart. she could be out for revenge." he continued. "i know you like her a lot. and i get it. i was like that with liv ages ago. i let my feelings cloud my judgement. and you can't do that, sam. we're counting on you."

sam gritted her teeth at what chad was saying. she knew he was right. she had to do what it took to protect her family. unfortunately, you didn't go through what they went through, and you did have motive.

"and even then, she's already taken a lot of hits. we can't have anyone slowing us down. she's down one arm and it might bite us in the ass harder than we think." chad said. she hated that he used your injury to built the case against you.

even then, it didn't stop the doubt that grew in sam's mind.

she had to make the right call tonight. and it was going to be hard.

as you met kirby outside the theater, she mentioned that she had everything set up.

"let's get you all inside." she said.

sam abruptly turned to you and danny.

"not you guys."

what?

"sam, what are you talking about?" you asked her, stepping towards her, nearly shouldering danny just to get in her eyeline.

"i can't trust anyone. and yes, i know... i know what we are. but we don't know you." you felt your heart shatter at the fact that maybe you didn't open yourself up as well as you thought. when she said that, you knew that she didn't eliminate you entirely from her list of suspects, no matter how deep her feelings ran.

"but i have to be in there with you. i promised i wouldn't leave!" you said, reaching out to her. she only stepped backwards, away from you.

"you're not woodsboro."

she was right. you weren't woodsboro. you never were and you never will be. you were never going to be a part of that little family they shared. you were never going to understand.

as you stood outside with danny, you didn't know what to do with yourself. when you saw the group round the corner, you heard danny's muffled groans. you turned around to be met with the infamous masked killer himself.

and then everything went black.

𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩 𓆪𓆩

author's journal okay once again this came out a lot sooner than i expected but i had a lot of writing muse today and i promised emma that i would get this out for her! i hope you enjoy this, liefje. oooh i am sososososososo incredibly excited to write the next part of this series. cause u alllll know whats coming next. i promise it won't end when the canon ends though, i'm estimating a few more parts even after the ghostface stuff is resolved. i also fuck so hard w the music i listened to when writing this chapter. a lot of paris again but the live version of labour this time. that song just sends chills down my spine. but i promise i listened to more! particularly this song riiiiight here.

i also kinda wanna start timing myself when writing like hm just curious to see how long i usually take esp for long chapters. i hope u all have been enjoying the series so far cause i've had SUCH a good time writing it. i have an assessment due in two days so i will have to focus on that for a hot sec but i promise part 6 wont be ages cause i'll write it in my free time. anyways, i wish that everyone has the bestest day ever. kisses x