something always brings me back to you. solo Closed

August 17th, 2024
Outfit - Moon Family

As the van pulled into the driveway, Rose's stomach twisted. Through owling back and forth with her grandfather, a plan had been enacted so that she could meet her cousins on her dad's side. All five of them. Al had planned a while ago to take his grandkids to a ballet. Originally, one of her aunts was going to go, but something had conflicted with it and she had decided not to go. That left a free ticket, and Al offered it to Rose.

It was only a few days before Rose left for school again, so there wasn't really going to be another chance to meet her cousins over the summer if she didn't do it now.

She hadn't felt nervous until just now. Before, she was excited, dressing up in a dark blue dress with sparkles and long white sleeves. She had washed her hair and it laid silky smooth down her shoulders. She did her makeup, with sparkles on her eyelids, mascara, blush, and lip gloss. Her siblings were all either out or distracted, and her mother was guaranteed to be at work all day. But... what if they didn't like her? This was her family she was talking about. What if they met her and hated her?

Al climbed out of the van, closing the door behind him. He grinned at the sight of her, and she smiled, coming up to him and accepting a hug. "Hi, Al," she said warmly.

"Rose. It's so good to see you in person. You've grown so much since I last saw you," he said. Well, since it had been three years, Rose sure hoped so. "I have all your cousins in the van. You can sit up front with me. The older three know. I've told them that you're their cousin, but they don't know why Briel's family wasn't included in later family events. Let's keep the- er- supernatural stuff between you and me, okay? The little kids don't know and probably won't care." He paused, laughing. "Well, not like Am does. They probably would think you're the coolest person they've ever met."

Rose nodded, and followed his directions, climbing into the car. Her instincts screamed at her that she shouldn't climb in some stranger's car, but she reminded herself he wasn't a stranger. She had been owling him all summer. He did actually have grandkids.

It was strange to have a relationship with her grandfather. Rose, having a dad and a grandfather that were dead, didn't have many fatherly figures in her life. She didn't count her ex-stepdad, because while he had tried a couple of times to make relationship with her, she had either been too mad at him and her mother to accept it, or he had been too unbothered.

Rose turned in her seat, looking at all the kids behind her as she buckled her seat belt. Two redheads. Three kids with darker hair, with Asian-leaning features.

A girl with short dark hair with strands of it dyed blue smiled at her. "Hey. You're Rose, right?"

Rose nodded, putting her seatbelt on as Al slowly started to back out of the driveway. "Yeah, that's me."

She smiled again. "Sweet. I'm Rain. How old are you?"

"Sixteen." Just barely sixteen. She had turned sixteen over summer camp.

"Wait, really? So am I," she said. "That's Leila, she's seventeen-" Rain said, gesturing to the curly-haired redhead beside her. Leila glanced up from her phone, giving Rose a double-take.

"Oh my God," Leila said, her nonchalant first impression falling away as her mouth dropped, "You look exactly like my mom."

Rain turned her head on its side. "You really do. And you have her name, too- Rose."

Rose blushed. "What a coincidence," she said as the van pulled out of the driveway.

Rain winked at her, and Rose earned a smile from Leila- if Al had told them what he said, all three of them knew that it was no coincidence. "Anyway," the girl continued, "These are my brothers, River and Brooks, and that's Leila's little sister, Runa."

The three of them were squeezed into the backseat, with River, who seemed to be the oldest, in the middle of the two youngest kids. Rose laughed a little. "How did you get stuck back there?"

He smiled, thankfully, and shrugged. "It has the most leg room."

"You look like a starry princess," Runa, who shared the same curls as her sister, said in awe. Rose blushed again.

"You do," Brooks agreed. "Who are you?"

"Thank you," Rose said. "My dad and Al used to be friends a long time ago," she explained, which really wasn't the whole truth, but wasn't a lie, either. "And since you had an extra ticket, he invited me."

"Who's Al?" Brooks asked, eyes wide.

"That's Grandpa's real name," River explained, ruffling his little brother's hair.

"That reminds me of the time that I was in a class with another student named Albert," Al said. "Back when I was your age..."

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After what her cousins likely found a boring story (since Leila said it was the fifth time she'd heard it), the seven of them finally arrived at the ballet, climbing out of the van. It was a local ballet to where they lived, with professional dancers. The ballet was beautiful. The rushing music, the beautiful costumes- it was a thrill to watch the skilled dancers glide across the stage.

Rose liked her cousins so far, and was pretty sure they liked her, too, which was relieving.

River, the oldest, who was about nineteen, was studying to be a teacher. He had shared that he'd probably teach secondary school for a few years and then become a professor. He probably had better things to do than go to a ballet with his cousins, but she admired him for going anyway- it showed he was willing to prioritize his family.

Leila was the second oldest, and she had a generally unimpressed air about her. She seemed to think she was above a lot of things, though she never said anything mean to Rose. Rose assumed she was in some sort of middle ground, where Leila hadn't decided whether she liked her or not. She guessed this was better than Leila deciding she didn't like her, since that sounded terrible. She could only imagine how skilled Leila would be at sarcasm and biting remarks.

Brooks and Runa were almost inseparable. Though they looked very different, Brooks with mostly Asian features from what Rose had learned was his Korean dad, and Runa with freckles and red locks, they understood each other on a level that Rose would compare to her and Drew.

Being so close in age, even though they weren't siblings, their relationship was akin to that of siblings. They didn't see each other as much as they used to when they were little, now that they both went to boarding schools on opposite sides of the Atlantic, but Rose still valued him and enjoyed spending time with him over the summer camp.

The two kids were similar in personality, though- both wonder-filled and optimistic, if not a little naive. But they were very kind, inquisitive, and curious, asking Rose lots of random questions, including some she couldn't really answer. Rose didn't know many dinosaurs, and she hadn't done muggle school subjects since before she went to Hogwarts, almost five years ago.

As the music finished with a flourish, and the dancers took their final bows, and the curtains closed, the Moon family, along with the rest of the audience, gave the ballet a standing ovation.

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Rain leaned in towards Rose. "You okay?" she asked.

Rose faked a smile. They were in a room in the theater, talking to a few people that her cousins and Al knew, which was almost half the people there. There were refreshments and cake and stuff, so Rose wasn't complaining about free food, but she had found herself growing quiet. "Yeah, I'm just... not really used to this community or environment or... anything here, really."

Rain hooked her arm in Rose's. "I have an idea," she said, leading the redhead away from the crowds.

Rain was Rose's favorite. She knew that choosing a favorite, especially on the first day of meeting her family, probably wasn't the kindest thing to do, but she couldn't really help it. Rain was such a light, and was so friendly. The two of them clicked in a way that Rose had to admit she had never really felt before.

Before Rose knew it, they were in a little courtyard outside the theater. There was a small fountain and a couple of benches. Lights in the fountain illuminated the courtyard, giving it a soft glow. Crickets chirped in the background, and stars twinkled overhead.

"It's so pretty," Rose gushed as the two of them sat down on one of the iron benches. Rose sighed. "Thank you. It was kind of suffocating in there."

"I get it," Rain said, shrugging. "You didn't know anybody in there except for us, and... you barely know us."

The redhead smiled, softly. "I am glad that I got to meet you, though."

Rain smiled back. "Me, too. I never thought I'd meet one of my long-lost cousins," she giggled.

"Long-lost?" Rose laughed. "I wouldn't go that far."

"I haven't seen you since Uncle Gabriel died," Rain said, "Almost thirteen years ago. I would say you're pretty long-lost."

Rose let out a deep breath. "I guess it has been that long, hasn't it?"

"Why did you stop seeing us after he died, anyway?" Rain asked, cocking her head.

"Um... It's really hard to explain," Rose said awkwardly. "I don't really think we should talk about it, though."

"...Okay," Rain said, narrowing her eyes at her cousin. She clearly wanted the whole story, and was not entirely satisfied not knowing the whole thing. The redhead guessed that Brooks and Runa weren't the only inquisitive ones in this family. "So where do you go to school?"

"I go to a boarding school," Rose explained. "Do you go to a public school?" At Rain's nod, Rose asked, "Is it cool coming home at the end of every day?"

The darker-haired girl laughed. "I don't know, it just feels normal to me."

Rose smiled. "I guess you're right. I haven't gone to public school since primary school, so I barely remember what it was like."

"You have siblings, right?" Rain asked.

"Yes, I have four. I'm the middle child of five kids," she said, instinctively. Rose then grimaced, needing to correct herself. "Well, my oldest sister, Faith, died this past Christmas. So now I have three."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Rain's eyes widened, and she sat back against the bench. They sat in silence for a moment as Rain soaked that in. "Your dad and your sister? That's a lot of loss for sixteen years," she said, softly.

Rose brushed it away. "It's okay. I learn to-"

"It's not," Rain interrupted her.

The redhead felt like she had been stabbed in the chest. "You're right," she murmured, looking down at her hands. "It's not."

Rain put her hand on Rose's. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a sensitive subject. I just wanted to know how many other cousins I have that I haven't really met."

Rose smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Three. But I guess you know about being the middle child. And of having two brothers," she said, her eyes turning teasing.

Rain gave her a knowing look. "Well, I'm the middle of three, yeah. Not of five. That's insane."

Rose laughed again. "It's not that crazy."

"I've always wanted a sister," Rain shared, clasping her hands in her lap and looking up at the stars. "I mean, I have Leila and Runa, who are kinda close, because they're my cousins and they live nearby. But it's not really the same with Leila as I feel like it would be with a sister."

The redhead nodded. "I can see that."

"I can't wait to meet your siblings," Rain said, checking her phone. "We should probably find Grandpa. He's looking for us."

"Okay," Rose said, standing and straightening her outfit. "Please tell me I'll see you again, Rain. I don't know what I'd do if I got to know you tonight and never saw you again."

Rain laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. You're family. And you can't get rid of me now."

Dec 26th, 2024
Outfit - -Moon Family

Rain laughed. "I never knew how sheltered you were," she said. "You've never had bubble tea before, and you've never sat in a car in a parking lot?"

Rose shook her head. "Boarding school, remember?"

The redhead was pretty sure bubble tea was one of the best muggle inventions ever. Her and Rain had gotten together, since they had been writing back and forth since the summer break. Rose wasn't quite ready to tell her about being a witch, so she had just been including her letters in her letters to Al. He was kind enough to pass them on to Rain, and the two talked about everything under the sun- boys, school (though Rose muggle-ified some of her subjects and twisted the truth a little), friends, and their siblings.

Now the two of them were sitting in her car outside the shop, listening to one of Rain's calm playlists.

Rose sighed, sitting back in her seat and taking a sip of her bubble tea. It was mango with strawberry popping pearls. "I needed this."

Rain smiled. "I'm glad."

"Today's the day Faith died, you know," she said, pain in her eyes, even as she said it so casually. "We went out... it was kinda like this, except instead of sitting in a car after, we started playing in the snow."

"What happened?" Rain asked softly.

"We were attacked." Again, a half-truth, a twisted truth. Rose was quickly growing tired of lying to Rain.

"I'm sorry," Rain said, taking a sip of her drink. She had ordered something more interesting- taru milk tea with wintermelon pearls.

Rose almost answered with her gut reaction answer again, that it was okay. But she remembered what Rain had told her last time she said that, and it still held true. It's not.

"I think you should talk to your brother."

Rose felt her heart harden, and she looked away from Rain. "I don't want to talk to him. He deserves the silent treatment. He deserves everything that's come to him."

"You not forgiving him isn't just punishing him. It's hurting you," she said, leaning forward to meet Rose's gaze. "You're keeping the both of you in a state with no reconciliation, and it's just going to hurt you more the longer you wait."

Rain's eyes implored Rose to do it, and even though Rose wouldn't admit it, she was right. "I'll think about it," she promised, forcing a fake smile. Every time she did that, she knew Rain could tell. As the next song started, Rose smiled, for real this time. "I love this song."

────────────────── Something always brings me back to you It never takes too long No matter what I say or do I'll still feel you here 'till the moment I'm gone You hold me without touch You keep me without chains I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love And not feel your reign Set me free, leave me be I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity Here I am, and I stand So tall, just the way I'm supposed to be But you're on to me and all over me Oh, you loved me 'cause I'm fragile When I thought that I was strong But you touch me for a little while And all my fragile strength is gone Set me free, leave me be I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity Here I am, and I stand So tall, just the way I'm supposed to be But you're on to me and all over me I live here on my knees as I try to make you see That you're everything I think I need here on the ground But you're neither friend nor foe though I can't seem to let you go The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down You're keeping me down, eh ooh You're on to me, on to me, and all over Something always brings me back to you It never takes too long ──────────────────

xx

Rain turned it up. Rose recognized it, almost immediately as it started. She used to listen to this song all the time when she was younger. She and her sisters would sing it sometimes, thinking it was the coolest song ever. They had probably choreographed a dance to it at some point, which was definitely not of the highest quality. It made her think of Faith. Faith blessed her thoughts even as she haunted them. Rose saw her everywhere- she thought of her at Hogwarts, whenever she saw art, and in her little sister Jessica, who shared her blonde hair and blue eyes. Rose and her family hadn't even touched her room yet, even though it had been a year since she died. What were they really meant to do, though? Just convert it into an office? Turn it into a closet? Pretend like their loving, fiery sister had just never lived there? It made her think of her dad, and her connection with him. She barely knew him when he died, but somehow she always seemed to have an emotional connection with him. He lived in her heart, and she kept him alive as she read his diaries, as she learned about his family, and as she strived to live like him. At least, the stories she heard about him. Kind, loving, and always putting his family first. She wanted to be known for her kindness, like he was. She supposed she wasn't doing a very good job of that, at least in Frankie's department. Her stomach twisted, and she pushed the thought away. It made her think of her family on her dad's side, and how she always learned more about him when she was with them. She would hear stories. It was so healing to be with them after so long spent away. Rose knew it was selfish of her to keep that part of the family just to herself for now. She told herself that she just didn't know how to tell her siblings, or that she didn't want to overwhelm the Moons, but that just wasn't true. She was being selfish. She supposed that was another area she wasn't doing a very good job in being like her father. It made her think of Rain. The two of them just clicked when they met during the summer, and Rose had never felt that with a friend before. She had people she trusted and people that she felt natural and herself with, but Rain... Rain was different. It was like they had known each other for decades instead of months. They just... worked. The two of them understood each other on a deeper level. Rain knew when she was lying, and Rose could tell when Rain was under-exaggerating her feelings. They kept each other accountable to tell the truth, at least when it came to their feelings. And Rose didn't know it, but as Rain sang the song, she was thinking of Rose- of their connection and friendship, and wishing that Rose would tell her the truth about why their family stopped showing up to events, and why their grandmother didn't like her. But Rose wasn't ready to tell her, and Rain wouldn't push it. "Something always brings me back to you," Rose sang, locking eyes with her cousin. "It never takes too long," Rain sang back.

Dec 30th, 2024
Moon Family - Background
Trigger Warning! death/gore/grief

Rose was sitting on her bed. She was already in a bad mood. She couldn't help thinking about the winter break of the year before, when everything had changed. They moved back into her childhood house, Rose's mother got divorced from Luke, and the attack.

Faith was dead. Rose was learning to accept it, to allow herself to feel sad about it, and to allow herself to feel happy, too. She still grieved her sister, the hole in her heart burning every day, but it was getting easier to move on. But today, it was hard. She had accepted that, too- that some days were just going to be hard. Some days she was going to feel the despair and miss Faith and hate it all.

A knock sounded on her door, and Rose rolled over to see who it was.

Franklin. What a way to make her already bad mood infinitely worse.

As Frankie stood in her doorway, Rose glared daggers at him. "What?" she snapped, sitting up.

"Look, Rose, I just want to talk," he said, coming in.

"Get out."

"No," he said. "I know you don't want to talk to me, but you have to-"

"I don't have to do anything."

"Just listen. It's what Faith-"

"Don't say it's what she would have wanted. And don't tell me what to do," she snapped, standing up. He closed the door before she could leave, waving his wand at it as she reached for the handle. He backed away from her, apprehensive.

He had locked the door.

Rose struggled against the door handle. "Let me out!"

"Look, Rose-"

"Franklin, let-"

"It's not your fault," he said.

"I know it's not!" she exclaimed, still struggling against the lock as if it would do anything. The door locked from the inside, and even if her shaking hands could manage to unlock it, his magic wouldn't let her. "It's your fault! You ran away, you left us to die-"

"I know." He looked down, and then back up at her. This was a different response that she had gotten a year ago. "I know I could have helped. And I'm sorry."

"I don't want your apology," she shot over her shoulder, choking on her words. And her stomach twisted, knowing it was a lie. She did want his apology. But there was something she wanted more. She wanted her sister back.

"And I know that I didn't react well last winter. I'm not very good at admitting my mistakes, but I'm trying to get better and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made excuses and I shouldn't have tried to justify-"

Emotion welled up in her eyes as she still struggled against the handle. "No, you shouldn't have. You're right, you're a terrible human. Now let-"

"But listen to me- it's not your fault, Rose."

"I know!" she screamed, feeling the tears fall down her cheeks.

"It's not your fault."

Rose fell to her knees, sobbing against the door. "...But what if it is?"

Her chest heaved, and suddenly she was crying uncontrollably.

Franklin sat down on the floor against her bed, crossing his legs. "It took me a while to figure it out. Jess and Gabe were mad at me, too, but they forgave me. They extended me grace even when they didn't have to," he said, his voice solemn, over Rose's crying. "And I'm sorry. I truly, truly am. I'd give my life for Faith's if that's what it took to repay you." He looked down at his hands, and she quieted, finally listening. "But I didn't. And you have every right to be mad at me, but it just made no sense. It made no sense why you, the forgiving one, the kind one, the most caring person I've ever met, would be so furious with me you wouldn't even talk to me. Gabe and Jess, who get mad at me for looking at them the wrong way, forgave me within months." His voice dropped to a whisper. "But you're not really mad at me, are you? You have every right to, but I think... I think you're mad at yourself."

She pressed her hand against the door. "Let me out," she whispered. It was easier than facing the truth.

"Ever since we were kids, you took it upon yourself to take care of us. I don't know why- you're not the oldest, and nobody put you in charge like that, but that's just how it always was. You were always the peacemaker, always the consistent one. You kept us together, even when we disagreed, even when we fought over the tiniest things or the biggest things. You are the glue that keeps us together. Especially when we added a stepfamily in the mix- you were the link that kept us one unit of siblings. We always took you for granted," he said, watching her with those blue eyes. She didn't look at him yet, though. Everything he was saying hurt so much to hear in the most healing way. "And I think because of that, you've internalized that we are your responsibility. You're mad at yourself for what happened to Faith. Because if you had just said that you didn't want to go, we'd be fine. If you had done this or this or this different, we'd be fine. If you hadn't let me leave... we'd be fine."

Rose looked over her shoulder at him. He looked up at her, and their eyes locked. "It was never your responsibility to keep us together. And I'm sorry that you always felt you had to do that. And I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry Faith died. I'm sorry that you carry so much pain."

She sniffed, watching him for a moment. He meant it. A year ago, he had been so defensive, so ready to debate his side and tell her all the reasons he was right. But now, he was really, truly remorseful. He wanted to fix this.

Rose crossed her room in a heartbeat, throwing herself into his arms and holding him tight. He hesitated, clearly not expecting that, but then held her back. Tighter.

And even though it hurt for him to say it earlier, he was right. This was what Faith would have wanted.

Deep down, it's what Rose had always wanted, too.

"I forgive you," she whispered, and felt his chest sob against her.

Something always brings me back to you.

She remembered the song she and Rain had sung in her car, and it felt all too real.

It never takes too long.