Meph's eyes flew open as he sat straight up and gripped his thigh as the pain ripped down his leg like lightening striking him directly. Within seconds of his abrupt awakening the pain started to ebb and fade as quickly as it began. Even though the small room he was in was pitch black he could still see the thick bands of scars on his left thigh as they were puckered and stood out from his leg. He had similar scars on his right shoulder, but they hadn't hurt him since that long ago night when he had received them. His shoulder never hurt the way his leg did though. When the nightmare came, as it did every night, it was only ever his thigh that screamed with the echo of the trauma. Flopping back on his pillow he looked at the clock: 3:30am. No way would be able to go back to sleep now. Throwing the sheet off him he jumped out of the tiny bed he barely fit in. Meph was a huge guy, standing at six feet, five inches and built like a warrior of old, and to look at him you would think he would move like a bull in a china shop. Truth be told, he moved like a ghost, despite his size. He pulled on some loose-fitting khaki shorts and shoes and headed out the door for a run.
Meph had been born in the swamplands of Louisiana but, for personal reasons, he had relocated himself from his southern swamp to the snow-covered mountains of Alaska. Would anyone have ever heard of the place he lived, absolutely not. It's the best kept secret from anyone but the filthy rich. There is an opulent resort in these mountains, only accessible by private helicopter, where the most elite, the wealthiest, the most select people get invited to.
Just next to this most secretive of resorts was a tiny town where the resort workers lived. This is where Meph had settled about four years ago. He was employed by the Fire Department, but he found he much more enjoyed the search and rescue department. He spent most of his career up on the mountain, ready to be called in. Twice a month he came down and stayed in town for a few days. He had arrived back at his shitty apartment less than eight hours ago and he already missed the mountain.
The temperature outside was a few degrees above 0°Fahrenheit. It had been snowing steadily over the little town at the base of the mountain range. Meph would always leave his apartment in such a hurry, he never thought about the consequences of someone seeing him jogging along in only a loose pair of khaki shorts. Meph didn't feel the cold like a human, because he wasn't a human. The nightmare that woke him every night was from a wolf attack that happened when he was nine years old. That attack had transformed Meph into something truly inhuman. That being said, his body was a steady 105°Fahrenheit, even in extreme cold he maintained his warmth.
He would run from his shitty little room by the Fire House all through the main drag of town where all the restaurants, bars, grocery stores, were locked up tight and the windows dark. He ran to a quiet trail he liked. It was in these woods that he would really let loose. He would kick his speed up way past what a normal twenty-four-year-old could run and just fly through the trees. He would run for about twenty minutes, into the heart of ancient trees, and then he would remove his shorts and shoes and stash them into a tree somewhere. Then, with the cracking of bones and the snapping of joints Meph would transform into a massive black wolf, easily three times the size of a normal wolf, with the brightest electric blue eyes one could imagine.
Once transformed, he would take off for the mountains for a real run. He would usually hunt too, catch himself a rabbit or small deer to chew on if he got hungry. This was how he survived on the mountain for so long by himself. But he couldn't frolic and play or even hunt this morning, he had things to get done. He cut his run short, found his clothes and headed back to town. He briefly stopped by his apartment to pull on a navy-blue t-shirt with the word RESCUE printed on it in bright yellow letters, a winter jacket and exchanged his shorts for a pair of black work pants and some boots.
He was back out into the early morning and headed to the little diner that never shut their lights off. A bell rang as this beast of a man entered and sat in a booth towards the back. He knew the place would be filling up soon and he didn't like attention.
Meph had been born in the swamplands of Louisiana but, for personal reasons, he had relocated himself from his southern swamp to the snow-covered mountains of Alaska. Would anyone have ever heard of the place he lived, absolutely not. It's the best kept secret from anyone but the filthy rich. There is an opulent resort in these mountains, only accessible by private helicopter, where the most elite, the wealthiest, the most select people get invited to.
Just next to this most secretive of resorts was a tiny town where the resort workers lived. This is where Meph had settled about four years ago. He was employed by the Fire Department, but he found he much more enjoyed the search and rescue department. He spent most of his career up on the mountain, ready to be called in. Twice a month he came down and stayed in town for a few days. He had arrived back at his shitty apartment less than eight hours ago and he already missed the mountain.
The temperature outside was a few degrees above 0°Fahrenheit. It had been snowing steadily over the little town at the base of the mountain range. Meph would always leave his apartment in such a hurry, he never thought about the consequences of someone seeing him jogging along in only a loose pair of khaki shorts. Meph didn't feel the cold like a human, because he wasn't a human. The nightmare that woke him every night was from a wolf attack that happened when he was nine years old. That attack had transformed Meph into something truly inhuman. That being said, his body was a steady 105°Fahrenheit, even in extreme cold he maintained his warmth.
He would run from his shitty little room by the Fire House all through the main drag of town where all the restaurants, bars, grocery stores, were locked up tight and the windows dark. He ran to a quiet trail he liked. It was in these woods that he would really let loose. He would kick his speed up way past what a normal twenty-four-year-old could run and just fly through the trees. He would run for about twenty minutes, into the heart of ancient trees, and then he would remove his shorts and shoes and stash them into a tree somewhere. Then, with the cracking of bones and the snapping of joints Meph would transform into a massive black wolf, easily three times the size of a normal wolf, with the brightest electric blue eyes one could imagine.
Once transformed, he would take off for the mountains for a real run. He would usually hunt too, catch himself a rabbit or small deer to chew on if he got hungry. This was how he survived on the mountain for so long by himself. But he couldn't frolic and play or even hunt this morning, he had things to get done. He cut his run short, found his clothes and headed back to town. He briefly stopped by his apartment to pull on a navy-blue t-shirt with the word RESCUE printed on it in bright yellow letters, a winter jacket and exchanged his shorts for a pair of black work pants and some boots.
He was back out into the early morning and headed to the little diner that never shut their lights off. A bell rang as this beast of a man entered and sat in a booth towards the back. He knew the place would be filling up soon and he didn't like attention.
A fairy born into a human world was a rare occurrence. It was typically not allowed by the other fae, but the parents of this particular child left their world for reasons that they had never spoken of. They had become successful in their own rights, growing into the mortal ways and then gaining social acceptance, stature and wealth. This prepared them for their daughter’s arrival, but keeping her powers and fae markings contained was a challenge.
Amelia Grace gained her father’s sleep powers, but her mother’s gentle beauty. She was eerily pretty to the human eye, and thrust almost immediately onto the fast-track to stardom. From small commercials to a long series role, to movies. Anybody with any access to social media knew her face, and for dedicated fans, they watched her grow up on screen. She was the darling of Hollywood when she was young, and an absolute sweetheart to work with. Right from a young age, she was a hard worker, and she adored what she did. She loved learning lines, bringing characters to life, working with all these different people, all with her parents right there to protect her, and teach her how to control these powers she was gaining at the same time.
When she was a young teenager, she was cast in a series called The Secret Six, ironically as a rouge witch, that would go on to be a huge success. It had millions of fans, and seven seasons over the years, and Amelia, already an up and coming star, blew up during the filing of this series, gaining huge fame across the globe. She and her co-stars became close, especially the actor playing opposite her. Sean Atmore was also an up and coming star, and the onscreen chemistry between their characters led to a world of rumours.
The rumours were fine at first, nothing not to be expected in Hollywood, but with her growing up and her body changing, especially as her fairy markings really began to be visible, the roles she was being cast in, along with the direction of her main character started being much more sexualized. She didn’t really clue until this under the fifth season, and the experience of her first ‘love’ scene. It was implied beyond the initial make out and set up, but the rumours and media that surrounded it turned mean. The comments and articles went from good reviews to somewhat slanderous questions, accusations. The reason for this was completely puzzling to her, but the effect on her was vicious.
Although she had never dated anyone, not even Sean, the whole world seemed to think they had a right to her private life. She didn’t discover the reason for this until she was almost 18, when she found out one of her friends was betraying her, and selling her anxieties, and twisting her words around her work. This led to a pretty bad public fight between the two, all of which was captured and shared all over media, and had a huge attitude change in Amelia. Not only were her feelings hurt, the betrayal opened an entire rage she didn’t know existed. Fae rage. Because she had been so busy, her teachings had never been what they should have been, so Amelia didn’t know how to control it.
It was as if she looked at the entire world through different eyes from that point on. Her responsibilities would allow her to finish her contract to the series, but she no longer wanted anything to do with people. She lashed out at the paparazzi, she stopped going to parties, refused interviews, and was all around, miserable. Her parents did not help with this, telling her it would pass, but the negative emotion she felt everywhere nearly tore the fairy apart. The Six finished wrapping just after her twenty-first birthday, but before the award show, which was also supposed to be her party, she took the time to transfer all of her accounts back into her name, so her parents couldn’t touch them, and packed her bags to move as far away from Hollywood as she possibly could.
It scared the media that she was suddenly gone, but she couldn’t be around them. More than once, she had caused a cast member to fall asleep, and it was getting harder to explain away. The angrier she became, the more dangerous she became, so for her own safety, and the safety of the people she did still care about, she went as far as she could. She traded the sunny beaches of California for the snow covered, tiny, tiny town in Alaska. It was a hidden town, home to the workers of the most fancy and expensive resort.
Although she had no need of money, and could afford whatever she wanted, to keep her hands busy, she bought a small house that needed some repairs. She spent the first while learning not only how spoiled she had truly been, but in ways, also wrecking this house much worse. Through a series of YouTube videos, and internet searches, a several nights where she did nothing but cry, and got quietly drunk on cream, she retaught herself patience, and not only learned how to start properly fixing the house, but also meeting some of the people in the town, outside of shop keepers. It was inevitable that they figured out who she was, as media reached its long claws even here, and although she did have a period of time where the town was fascinated by their celebrity, and occasionally asked for an autograph, eventually, she settled into it and she became simply Amelia. She was extremely quiet, didn’t have friends, but was friendly enough to those she did communicate with. She was the friendly outcast that people were fascinated by.
Once she got her house situation figured out, although it wasn’t completely done, she decided to take a break from it to do something else. When the pretty snow really started falling, she got the graveyard shift in the towns diner, and had worked there for almost two months. It was a steady enough flow that the diner never truly closed, but quiet enough at night that Amelia wasn’t typically bothered. It was taking some getting used too, going from the one being served all the time to the one serving, but much like acting, she took to it fast and naturally. Some of the men would flirt with her, but she wasn’t interested. Although she had never admitted it, and the world thought differently, she had never been sexually involved with anyone, and didn’t see the appeal in it after being as sexualized and harassed as she had once been. Most people seemed to understand that, except one of the crew that came in only a couple times a month.
Speaking of the crew, another one of its members rang the bell while Amelia was brewing fresh coffee. Her bright hazel eyes turned to look over her shoulder to see who came in, and she flashed him her friendly smile. It was definitely one of those working smiles, but it was still pretty. The man who entered was another outcast of the town, except anytime he was mentioned to her, usually by a female customer, it was nothing but pleasant, or amazing things. At least, she had to assume this was him, because he was also terrifyingly huge as he’d been described, easily one of the biggest men she had ever seen, and that’s coming from a professional actress. She had worked with some large people before, but this particular man was easily bigger than them.
As soon as she finished what she was doing, she grabbed a menu, and moved towards the table. “Good morning. Not too cold out, I hope.” She smiled as she set the menu down infront of him, and drew out her notepad, although with her sharp memory, it was for appearance only. “What can I get you started with?”
Amelia Grace gained her father’s sleep powers, but her mother’s gentle beauty. She was eerily pretty to the human eye, and thrust almost immediately onto the fast-track to stardom. From small commercials to a long series role, to movies. Anybody with any access to social media knew her face, and for dedicated fans, they watched her grow up on screen. She was the darling of Hollywood when she was young, and an absolute sweetheart to work with. Right from a young age, she was a hard worker, and she adored what she did. She loved learning lines, bringing characters to life, working with all these different people, all with her parents right there to protect her, and teach her how to control these powers she was gaining at the same time.
When she was a young teenager, she was cast in a series called The Secret Six, ironically as a rouge witch, that would go on to be a huge success. It had millions of fans, and seven seasons over the years, and Amelia, already an up and coming star, blew up during the filing of this series, gaining huge fame across the globe. She and her co-stars became close, especially the actor playing opposite her. Sean Atmore was also an up and coming star, and the onscreen chemistry between their characters led to a world of rumours.
The rumours were fine at first, nothing not to be expected in Hollywood, but with her growing up and her body changing, especially as her fairy markings really began to be visible, the roles she was being cast in, along with the direction of her main character started being much more sexualized. She didn’t really clue until this under the fifth season, and the experience of her first ‘love’ scene. It was implied beyond the initial make out and set up, but the rumours and media that surrounded it turned mean. The comments and articles went from good reviews to somewhat slanderous questions, accusations. The reason for this was completely puzzling to her, but the effect on her was vicious.
Although she had never dated anyone, not even Sean, the whole world seemed to think they had a right to her private life. She didn’t discover the reason for this until she was almost 18, when she found out one of her friends was betraying her, and selling her anxieties, and twisting her words around her work. This led to a pretty bad public fight between the two, all of which was captured and shared all over media, and had a huge attitude change in Amelia. Not only were her feelings hurt, the betrayal opened an entire rage she didn’t know existed. Fae rage. Because she had been so busy, her teachings had never been what they should have been, so Amelia didn’t know how to control it.
It was as if she looked at the entire world through different eyes from that point on. Her responsibilities would allow her to finish her contract to the series, but she no longer wanted anything to do with people. She lashed out at the paparazzi, she stopped going to parties, refused interviews, and was all around, miserable. Her parents did not help with this, telling her it would pass, but the negative emotion she felt everywhere nearly tore the fairy apart. The Six finished wrapping just after her twenty-first birthday, but before the award show, which was also supposed to be her party, she took the time to transfer all of her accounts back into her name, so her parents couldn’t touch them, and packed her bags to move as far away from Hollywood as she possibly could.
It scared the media that she was suddenly gone, but she couldn’t be around them. More than once, she had caused a cast member to fall asleep, and it was getting harder to explain away. The angrier she became, the more dangerous she became, so for her own safety, and the safety of the people she did still care about, she went as far as she could. She traded the sunny beaches of California for the snow covered, tiny, tiny town in Alaska. It was a hidden town, home to the workers of the most fancy and expensive resort.
Although she had no need of money, and could afford whatever she wanted, to keep her hands busy, she bought a small house that needed some repairs. She spent the first while learning not only how spoiled she had truly been, but in ways, also wrecking this house much worse. Through a series of YouTube videos, and internet searches, a several nights where she did nothing but cry, and got quietly drunk on cream, she retaught herself patience, and not only learned how to start properly fixing the house, but also meeting some of the people in the town, outside of shop keepers. It was inevitable that they figured out who she was, as media reached its long claws even here, and although she did have a period of time where the town was fascinated by their celebrity, and occasionally asked for an autograph, eventually, she settled into it and she became simply Amelia. She was extremely quiet, didn’t have friends, but was friendly enough to those she did communicate with. She was the friendly outcast that people were fascinated by.
Once she got her house situation figured out, although it wasn’t completely done, she decided to take a break from it to do something else. When the pretty snow really started falling, she got the graveyard shift in the towns diner, and had worked there for almost two months. It was a steady enough flow that the diner never truly closed, but quiet enough at night that Amelia wasn’t typically bothered. It was taking some getting used too, going from the one being served all the time to the one serving, but much like acting, she took to it fast and naturally. Some of the men would flirt with her, but she wasn’t interested. Although she had never admitted it, and the world thought differently, she had never been sexually involved with anyone, and didn’t see the appeal in it after being as sexualized and harassed as she had once been. Most people seemed to understand that, except one of the crew that came in only a couple times a month.
Speaking of the crew, another one of its members rang the bell while Amelia was brewing fresh coffee. Her bright hazel eyes turned to look over her shoulder to see who came in, and she flashed him her friendly smile. It was definitely one of those working smiles, but it was still pretty. The man who entered was another outcast of the town, except anytime he was mentioned to her, usually by a female customer, it was nothing but pleasant, or amazing things. At least, she had to assume this was him, because he was also terrifyingly huge as he’d been described, easily one of the biggest men she had ever seen, and that’s coming from a professional actress. She had worked with some large people before, but this particular man was easily bigger than them.
As soon as she finished what she was doing, she grabbed a menu, and moved towards the table. “Good morning. Not too cold out, I hope.” She smiled as she set the menu down infront of him, and drew out her notepad, although with her sharp memory, it was for appearance only. “What can I get you started with?”
Shy was a HUGE understatement when it came to Meph. He had hidden himself away in this town for a little over four years, and there wasn't anyone who knew much more than his name. And that was only because he caused gossip in the tiny town. The big man that couldn’t speak. He always wore his RESCUE or FIRE shirts when he was in town. So, naturally, people started asking the other firefighters and first responders. They all knew his name, but very little else, other than his resume. It's not because he wasn't friendly, he just wasn't a talker. As this waitress was about to find out.
When he sat down, he immediately pulled his winter coat off and stuffed it onto the seat next to him before he got overheated and started sweating. Now, just in a cotton t-shirt, his thick, muscled arms were bare to the conditions of the establishment. If someone were to look close enough, or study his skin, faded scars covered his hands and forearms. But they weren't normal scars for the twenty-first century, these scars looked like old battle wounds healed over. People who noticed could only assume they were scars from burns or small injuries he had gotten while fighting fires. It was known that Meph was a trained hot shot firefighter and, then extreme forest fires broke out, he would leave their little town and join the crews who handled the deadliest of the deadly.
Meph’s body temperature ran hot naturally so jackets weren't very comfortable for him. It was normally the first thing he would lose when he didn't think he would get too many stares for not being cold. He was a great space heater, which she might feel she got close enough. Though, few dared to get that close to him when he wasn't saving their lives. Again, it wasn’t that Meph wasn’t friendly. People just avoided him. He was an anomaly that no one could figure out. Rather, no one took the time to figure out. He was away too often and for too long. When he reappeared every three weeks or so, people would be like ‘Oh yeah, that guy’ and then promptly forget him again.
The waitress was bubbly, polite and beautiful, though Meph barely looked up. He pointed to the protein platter on the menu and then to a picture of a glass of orange juice. He offered a coy smile as he handed the menu back to her. If she were looking down at him, she would see as he looked up that his eyes were the color of storm clouds, pregnant with rain. A violet gray. Soft. Almost child-like.
Once she went about her business, Meph would reach into the pocket on the thigh of his pants and pull out a battered paperback book. The book had seen much better days. It had been dog eared, the spine was almost nonexistent, and the pages had yellowed over time. If anyone were to look, he was reading Treasure Island.
When he sat down, he immediately pulled his winter coat off and stuffed it onto the seat next to him before he got overheated and started sweating. Now, just in a cotton t-shirt, his thick, muscled arms were bare to the conditions of the establishment. If someone were to look close enough, or study his skin, faded scars covered his hands and forearms. But they weren't normal scars for the twenty-first century, these scars looked like old battle wounds healed over. People who noticed could only assume they were scars from burns or small injuries he had gotten while fighting fires. It was known that Meph was a trained hot shot firefighter and, then extreme forest fires broke out, he would leave their little town and join the crews who handled the deadliest of the deadly.
Meph’s body temperature ran hot naturally so jackets weren't very comfortable for him. It was normally the first thing he would lose when he didn't think he would get too many stares for not being cold. He was a great space heater, which she might feel she got close enough. Though, few dared to get that close to him when he wasn't saving their lives. Again, it wasn’t that Meph wasn’t friendly. People just avoided him. He was an anomaly that no one could figure out. Rather, no one took the time to figure out. He was away too often and for too long. When he reappeared every three weeks or so, people would be like ‘Oh yeah, that guy’ and then promptly forget him again.
The waitress was bubbly, polite and beautiful, though Meph barely looked up. He pointed to the protein platter on the menu and then to a picture of a glass of orange juice. He offered a coy smile as he handed the menu back to her. If she were looking down at him, she would see as he looked up that his eyes were the color of storm clouds, pregnant with rain. A violet gray. Soft. Almost child-like.
Once she went about her business, Meph would reach into the pocket on the thigh of his pants and pull out a battered paperback book. The book had seen much better days. It had been dog eared, the spine was almost nonexistent, and the pages had yellowed over time. If anyone were to look, he was reading Treasure Island.
Lia was surprised that he didn’t speak, even for the purpose of ordering, but she could also appreciate it. He was a man who knew what he wanted, as evidenced by the fact he pointed to two things he wanted. Due to where she was standing, and her own supernatural senses, she could feel the incredible heat that rolled off the giant man, which was likely the biggest shock of all. It was freezing outside, yet he didn’t show any signs that it reached him at all.
She noted his choices, and nodded to them. She wondered if he was a man who just preferred silence, so although she looked into his eyes as an acknowledgment, she said nothing as she nodded, a small smile of her own touching her lips. She took the menu back, and stepped back to move about her business. She put his order in, and getting his juice, and some silverware, moved back to the table to place it infront of him.
It was then she noticed the book he was reading, and more so, the condition. Seeing it made her realize she hadn’t opened a book in years, between magic and acting. And fighting. And filming. And working. Maybe she should start, she thought as she spent a moment just looking at the book in his hands. She quite liked books, she just hadn’t had much time for them in years. When she realized it, she shook herself out of it, and drew a breath. ”Sorry. Kinda zoned out on your book there.” She said brightly as she set down the silverware she was still holding, and smiled a little before she walked away again as to not disturb him.
While she waited for his meal, she went to work cleaning the place, although her tendencies meant it was already clean enough to eat off the countertops. Still, she wrapped the silverware that had finished drying, made sure the cooler was stocked, and other small things until the ping signaled his food was ready. She grabbed it, and moved out from behind her counter to deliver it to him, adding one of those soft smiles just as the bell to the door sounded once again.
She noted his choices, and nodded to them. She wondered if he was a man who just preferred silence, so although she looked into his eyes as an acknowledgment, she said nothing as she nodded, a small smile of her own touching her lips. She took the menu back, and stepped back to move about her business. She put his order in, and getting his juice, and some silverware, moved back to the table to place it infront of him.
It was then she noticed the book he was reading, and more so, the condition. Seeing it made her realize she hadn’t opened a book in years, between magic and acting. And fighting. And filming. And working. Maybe she should start, she thought as she spent a moment just looking at the book in his hands. She quite liked books, she just hadn’t had much time for them in years. When she realized it, she shook herself out of it, and drew a breath. ”Sorry. Kinda zoned out on your book there.” She said brightly as she set down the silverware she was still holding, and smiled a little before she walked away again as to not disturb him.
While she waited for his meal, she went to work cleaning the place, although her tendencies meant it was already clean enough to eat off the countertops. Still, she wrapped the silverware that had finished drying, made sure the cooler was stocked, and other small things until the ping signaled his food was ready. She grabbed it, and moved out from behind her counter to deliver it to him, adding one of those soft smiles just as the bell to the door sounded once again.
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