Give You Away • •

[fae evelyn lily reed]

Fae had discovered that she often delved into her criminal talents when she was feeling stressed or feeling angry. Lately it had been a combination of both that had pushed her to add to the collection of leather that she kept hidden under a floorboard in her apartment. The end of the semester brought along enough stress with deadlines and exams, but this month there were more personal things haunting the mind of the struggling teen. Her father, who still had four years left of an eight year prison sentence, had written to tell her he’d had to cancel the next visit they had arranged for the end of the month. His privileges had been revoked for getting into a fight with another inmate and there was a strong chance of them adding time onto his sentence for it. Fae had never cared what people said about her dad. Yes, he was a criminal, but he was a loving father who had never stopped trying to do his best even with bars in his way. When Fae was at her lowest point he had fought tooth and claw to get an escorted release to come and see her. He never stopped being her dad, despite all the horrible stories and the things he had done. He was, after all, the reason Fae knew what she knew.

The visits she had with him were short, and took a train and a bus to make a possibility, but they were worth it. She needed them to look forward to. Fae used them as a reason to keep out of trouble most of the time. She told people in the city that she was going to visit family, which wasn’t really a lie. No one here though knew of her past out in California. They didn’t know her father was a criminal, that Fae had spiralled so out of control or that there was a good couple of months during her high school years she really couldn’t remember. They were black out blurs and things she couldn’t say had happened or not. People here knew her to be sensible, and extremely nimble. The latter was something she said came from a lifetime of dance and gymnastics, omitting the fact that her dad had enrolled her in various martial arts and fight classes so she could always look out for herself. Another talent he had passed onto her was lying through her teeth, playing a role so that no one could discover the truth. New York was Fae’s chance at a life away from gossip, rumours and lies. She needed that more than anything after what California had thrown at her.

She didn’t want to stay on campus today. Her mind hadn’t really been in that last class and her notes comprised of four lines before they descended into doodles of flowers and chessboards. Fae was pissed at her dad for fighting, at the justice system for locking him up, and at anyone else she could think about blaming. If she could rant, she would. However, no one knew about her dad, or her life, and she wanted to keep it that way. As soon as they were dismissed, she headed straight for her car in the lot. She didn’t always drive in, but she had overslept that morning and the white Mazda had been the only way she’d make it to the campus on time. Fae dumped her bag on the passenger seat and then set about starting up the engine, but it spluttered and then died five times before she lost her patience. Slamming the door as she climbed out again, Fae punched the hood and kicked the tyre. “Useless heap of crap!” She shouted, kicking it again for good measure before collapsing down at the side of it and pulling her knees up to her chest.

• • •

TAGGED! Ayren Emerson Preston
WORDS! 647!
OUTFIT! Foxy Femme!
LYRICS! That’s Okay - - - The Hush Sound
NOTES!

[Ayren Emerson Preston]

For Ayren New York was a mess of angry people and cabbies trying to get their disinterested fares to their destination before they missed their meetings or flights or whatever else they deemed more important than looking around and actually seeing the incredible city they called home. Maybe it was because he wasn't from the city that he saw the beauty of it all. Or maybe it was because he just didn't drive. He could and he had a car parked up in his building's lot but he preferred being on the ground level of what was going on. So too often he took his skateboard or just walked. And maybe it had nothing to do with that and everything to do with the fact that the hyperactive twenty year old was just happy to be out of his hometown! Killarney wasn't a bad place, it was fun and exciting but Ayren had wanted to see the world beyond what was around him and he wanted to start that by going to school somewhere entirely new to him. He had seen New York of course, in films and shows, heard stories of friend's who had gone on family vacations to the glamourous city. But he hadn't seen it for himself and he had almost desperately wanted to.

And now he was attending classes in a programme that was beyond what he had been expecting and he was in a city he had previously only dreamed of visiting. It just proved that hard work did pay off and now he was going to continue to prove that by finishing up school and working his ass off to get a good gig at a local radio station before maybe heading back across to his home once again. But he was still only in his second year and though that second year was coming to an end sooner rather than later, it still meant he had two years to figure out what he would do next. In the meantime he would attack the hotspots of the city and party until he knew everything he could find. And go to class, which was why he was constantly on campus; classes. At least he could boast that his classes were entertaining and more than what he had expected when he'd chosen radio as his major. Plus, there was the fun he had at The Flower Pot. He quite enjoyed that place and once he was off campus, he would stop at the Starbucks along the way and head over there to fill four or so hours with whatever Nixon needed done. His boss was a pretty cool guy.

And thank god for that or Ayren might have been out of a job ages ago. He was notorious for being late because he lost track of time talking. The young Irishman could start up a char with anyone at all and run with it for ages. But it also meant he was never on time for anything; unless he had his headphones actually over his ears and not around his neck. He could ignore the world around him just as easily as he could start conversations. His headphones were usually around his neck though, unless they were required for class or he was in a foul mood. So they were around his neck as he made his way through the student lot. He heard the pretty girl curse her car and watched her slump down next in defeat. "Car troubles?" He asked, well aware stating the obvious was ridiculously useless. "I'd offer to have a look but I know nothing about cars so all I can offer is a cup of coffee. Maybe even a muffin." He continued, knowing how strange he must be coming across to the distressed young woman.

♦ ♦ ♦

Tag || fae evelyn lily reed
Words || 635
Clothes || Pretty Florist
Music || (Un)Lost --The Maine
Notes || <3

[fae evelyn lily reed]

New York was temptation for an addict. Fae might not touch a drop of alcohol, or anything that might give her the kind of high that encourages her to forget the world, but she was still addicted to the thrill of the steal. She could go days, sometimes even weeks, without picking a pocket or playing Catwoman, but the itch was always there. If Fae saw someone with an open bag down on the subway her mind instantly jumped to how easily she could steal the purse from within. She saw it everywhere in a city like New York, and while she had no problem declining the things that had once been her desire demons, she could not walk away from the seduction of the steal; not completely. Her tricks had come as a means of survival, should she ever need to use them, but Fae used them to calm her stress, silence anxious thoughts and deal with the kinds of things most people turn to a bottle or a tub of ice cream for. She was discreet, clever, and no one suspected the young girl with the wide smile and the long eyelashes when she played ever so innocent. Her troubled past was blamed on trauma, not her own psychological profile, and thankfully all gossip of such was left in California. Nothing of that life had followed her to New York.

It meant that there was no one to question her motives, or demand alibis. Not that people often did when someone was an adult and stayed out all night. Although, in Fae’s case, if she was out it was typically dancing and eating junk food at a diner. She didn’t let people in easy. Her past might be left on the west coast, but she made choices here that raised eyebrows. Not drinking was usually the one people didn’t let go of – like a dog with a bone – when they were in a club or bar. It got old, fast, and Fae could only fake smile and lie about how she disliked the taste for so long before she wanted to smash a person’s face into the nearest solid surface. Her dance teacher said she had a fire within her, but if she only knew how dangerous it could burn sometimes. Fae came from bad blood, and she was not ashamed to admit that there was a lot of her father in her. He tried to steer her right from his prison cell, but she knew it would never be a lawful path she walked.

She had friends here, but they knew little about her life. They didn’t know her dad was in prison, and they never would know, not if Fae could help it. She told them enough to keep them satisfied when they asked about her, but not enough that they could go and dig up her life story in newspaper archives. Still, when she was having a rough day she tended to keep it to herself. It wasn’t like people could understand if she didn’t talk and she didn’t talk because people just would not understand. Hearing the voice made her look up in confusion. Was it not obvious that her car wasn’t starting? “No, I just really like my tyres. Thought I’d get closer to them.” She said sarcastically, and with bite before sighing and dropping her head. “Sorry. It’s been a shit day.” She might be a thief, but she still had her manners. This guy hadn’t done anything wrong and it wasn’t right for her to take it out on him.

• • •

TAGGED! Ayren Emerson Preston
WORDS! 603!
OUTFIT! Foxy Femme!
LYRICS! That’s Okay - - - The Hush Sound
NOTES!