Sprinkle of Magic

Maerin peeled into her driveway a little faster than expected, causing her to slam on the breaks. She jolted forward, her head smacking off of the steering wheel. He mentally cursed her stupidity as she grabbed her bag and ran into the house. "I'm home!" She called out Ailbe, not knowing if the woman was even there or not. She heard no reply, so she simply shrugged as she ran up the stairs, dropping her bag on her bed once in her room. She grabbed the spare uniform from it before grabbing a couple of hangers from the closet. She fixed up the clothes, then hung them on the door handle. She shimmied out of her uniform, then, tossing them into a pile by her bed, walking over to her suitcase. She found a plain black t-shirt and a pair of green ripped up skinny jeans and wiggled into them before she finally slid her feet into her combat boots. She sighed in relief at the familiar feeling, she was just glad to get out of those stupid heels. Before she went downstairs, she stopped by her mirror. She ran her fingers through her hair before frowning, it would just get in the way. She searched through her cosmetic bag for a minute before she finally found a hair tie, throwing it up. She then twisted her bangs and pinned them back so they wouldn't be in her face when she was trying to work with the sweets. After a quick touch up of her makeup she ran down the stairs and across the street.

She slipped around to the back entrance, not wanting to have to push through all of the people to get to the kitchens. Of course, she had a quick smoke before she went in, and washed her hands as soon as she got into the building. When she came out, she grabbed her hat and apron from the locker room, popping out into the front room once they were on. "I'll be in the back Granda!" The old man took a moment to grin at her before waving her along, and she instantly got set to her work. She was helping with a special order cake, and she couldn't have been more nervous. Her grandfather's bakery was known for their cakes, and she didn't want to mess anything up. She was glad when they stuck her with painting the fondant and chocolate decorations with edible paints. By the time Maerin was finished with her task, she was shocked. It had taken almost two hours to just paint. She grumbled a bit as she checked her watch. A little after five...If she left now, she would still be able to make it back a little before dark. She wiped her forehead with her wrist before she snuck back to her grandfather in the front room. "Granda, is it alright if I pop off to the mall? I need to grab a few more things for school." He didn't turn around, just nodded and waved his hand at her, so she took that as a yes. She pulled off her hat and apron, stuck them back in her apron, and had a smoke between her lips by the time she pushed the kitchen door open. As the cool air hit her face, she lit up her smoke before pulling her keys out of her pocket. She made sure to check that the street was clear before she jogged across, hopping into her mustang.

On what was supposed to be a quick drive to the mall, Maerin got lost, twice. So by the time she had finally parked she got out of the car, grumbling. She made sure her phone and wallet were both in her pockets before she clipped her keys to her belt loop and made her way inside. It was more than difficult to steer clear of Hot Topic, but somehow she managed. She found a store that she knew would be cheaper than other places, and she pushed her way through. She found a few pairs of leggings that matched the color of her school skirt, so she grabbed a few pairs. She paid quickly and checked her watch, smiling when she found she had a little time to search around Hot Topic. She practically ran to it. She had just made her way through the doors when she ran into someone, the impact causing her to stumble back and trip on her own feet, resulting in Maerin on her butt in the middle of the mall. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!" She rushed out before she heard a laugh that was starting to become all too familiar. Her head snapped up, eyes instantly narrowing into a glare. "Of course you're here." She grumbled before she picked herself up, brushed herself off, and pushed past Niall into the store.

She tried to avoid him as she browsed, but he seemed to be there every time she turned around. She rolled her eyes after the fourth time when she caught him staring at her from the corner of her eyes. She checked her wallet to see how much she had, and she was almost giddy when she saw that she had plenty to get some hair dye. She pushed her way to the section that held it, and instantly picked out a bleach kit, Virgin Snow toner, and Royal Purple dye. She balanced her items as she made her way to the counter. While she waited for the girl behind the counter to ring her up, she scanned through the pins. She spotted some My Little Pony and Harry Potter ones she quite liked, so she added them to the pile and paid the girl. Once the bag was in her hand, she practically skipped out of the shop, all thoughts of the annoying blonde who was practically stalking her pushed from her mind.

As she approached her car, she unlocked it and popped the trunk. She stuffed her bags in the back, but as she shut the trunk down, she saw something from the corner of her eye, something all too familiar. "No..not here." She whispered to herself as she whipped her head around, eyes widening in fear. The shadow. That stupid shadow from her dreams, not fifty feet away from her. She could already feel her chest constricting, the panic starting to envelope her. The shadow didn't move, but Maerin did. Her knees buckled, causing the girl to collapse in a pile on the ground, trying to regain her breathing. All the while she struggled with the words, repeating them over and over. "It's not there. It's not there. It's not there." Her vision was already starting to get blurry, and the tears were stinging her eyes.

"Maerin?" The voice reached her ears, but it didn't register. Not even the hands on her shoulders. "Maerin! Breathe! Just take deep breaths, you'll be alright." The voice drifted in one ear and out the other. She tried to blink back the tears. She knew that voice. She blinked furiously, the blonde hair and blue eyes coming into focus. She tried to keep her eyes on his and listen to his words, but it wasn't sinking in. She began to shake her head, signaling that she couldn't do it, but Niall kept whispering to her. He rubbed her back with one hand, while the other kept a firm grip on her shoulder. She stopped her head and tried again to focus on his eyes. They were blue, like the ocean. She'd always hated the ocean, open water, but some of her best memories were in the crystal waters, attempting to catch a wave and failing miserably. The memories poured into her, and finally, his voice was loud and clear in her ears. "That's it. Slow breaths. That's good, Maerin." She instantly flinched away from him when she realized what was going on, and her head snapped behind him. The shadow was gone. She took a shaky breath before she looked back at him, a confused smile on Niall's face.

"Th..Thanks." She mumbled out before she picked herself up for the second time that day. She brushed off the back of the jeans, and flinched when Niall helped dust off her back. Her grip on her keys was firm as she turned around to face him again. "Don't think too much into this..." She said in her normal, sour voice, before she opened the driver door and slipped in. She peeled out of the parking lot. She just wanted to get home, and away from the blonde.

"Maerin! There you are! I was starting to think you'd gotten yourself lost!" Ailbe's voice drifted from the kitchen, and Maerin had to laugh. She set her shopping bags on the stairs, mentally reminding herself to grab them before she went to bed. She made her way to the kitchen and was instantly hit by her favorite smell in the world. She may have been a born and bred Irish girl, but taco's were her weakness. "Your Granda said they were your favorite, so I figured I'd give them a try!" Maerin's grin grew as she moved to the woman, hugging her from behind. The woman was shocked for a moment, but instantly relaxed. "Help me chop up the lettuce, yeah?" Maerin agreed without having to be asked again. She grabbed one of the larger knives, cutting the leaves away from the core before she began shredding. Sure, it would have been easier to use a grater or something, but Maerin preferred the old fashioned way. Maerin and Ailbe made small talk as they finished preparing the food, and when they were finished, Maerin even set the table so Ailbe could get her grandfather.

"How was shopping, Mae?" The girl grinned at her grandfather as she took her place at the table. She was glad that he was actually interested in her. It was strange, though. Her mum never asked her about anything, always yelled at her, and constantly reminded her to stay in the back and not draw attention to herself.

"It was good. I got what I needed for school, and I even bought some hair dye. I'm surprised that a school with uniforms allows the students to dye their hair." She commented as she started to make herself a couple soft tacos. Her grandfather nodded, the smile still on his face as Ailbe made his. "I may have had a small panic attack before I came home, though..." She mumbled the last part. She knew he wouldn't be happy to hear it, but she'd promised to let him know if anything went wrong. "It was just a small one, only lasted a few minutes." She added quickly, and the old man nodded, his smile softened.

"Well that's good to hear. At least they're not as bad as they used to be." Maerin nodded in agreement as she cracked open a can of Pepsi she'd grabbed before she sat down. "And what about school? Nothing was broken when I got home, so I assumed it went well?" Maerin couldn't help but chuckle, nodding as she swallowed the bite she'd just taken.

"Surprisingly, it wasn't bad. I'm not to keen on the uniforms, but it was nice. We're reading the Hunger Games in my literature class, so I won't have to do much there. Maths and American History are going to be a breeze, and I got a lot of compliments in choir. The instructor was shocked by my range." She laughed at her own words, and her grandfather beamed with pride.

"That's my girl! I knew you'd take after your old Granda with that voice of yours." Maerin blushed before she took another bite. She wasn't exactly taken after him just yet. Her grandfather had toured the world in his youth, singing at festivals. He'd even been offered a contract, but by then, his wife was pregnant with Maerin's mother, and he couldn't just leave her alone. "I'm proud of you." The words made Maerin's grin brighter before she took another bite.

The rest of the dinner was filled with small talk, and Maerin found it nice. She'd been there only a few weeks, and it felt as if she'd never left with her mother when she was a baby. She felt accepted. She felt like she was finally home.

"After I finish washing up the dishes, did you want me to help with your hair? Or were you going to save that for another day?" Ailbe spoke up, and the blonde couldn't help but smile with a nod.

"That would be great! I bought a bleach kit, my roots are starting to show, so you'd best bring your gloves." She grinned, laughing at herself before she scooted her chair back, dropping her plate in the sink. "I'll be upstairs." Ailbe nodded as Maerin moved to her grandfather, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, Granda. I'll see you tomorrow at work" The old man nodded, kissing the top of her head in return before the girl grabbed the bags out of the stairwell and skipped up to her room.

Maerin had just gotten her pajamas on when Ailbe knocked on her door. The girl grinned and tied an old, ratty robe around her waist. "Come on in!" She called out, and the housekeeper made her way in. Maerin sat herself down at her vanity, and Ailbe wasted no time. She slipped on her gloves and touched up the girl's roots with the bleach. They chatted about Maerin's day while they waited, and attempted to continue while Ailbe was helping the girl rinse it out. Then it came time for the toner. Maerin could only hope that it would come out like it promised. Much to her surprise, it did. Once Ailbe was finished blow drying it, her hair was start white, with a slight purple sheen in the light. She was practically bouncing with excitement while Ailbe was dipping the ends of her hair into the purple dye, but she tried not to move so she didn't get it everywhere. By the time the two were done, Maerin was shocked. She didn't even look like herself. She looked better, a lot better. The white and purple made her eyes pop and turn almost golden.

After cleaning up their mess, the girls hugged before Ailbe left and Maerin slithered into her bed for a -hopefully- nightmare free sleep.

-I almost couldn't breathe, the smoke was so thick. "Emily?!" My voice was weak as it called through the house. I could barely hear myself over the crackling of the fire. I crawled on my hands and knees, not noticing the shadow following close behind me, until I heard the weak coughs coming from the guest bedroom. I pushed my shoulder against the door as hard as I could. Because of the fire, it wasn't that hard. "Emily?" I shouted again before I went into a coughing fit. I saw her, before I heard her. She was curled into a little ball, her night clothes singed, her legs badly burnt and caught under a still flaming beam. "I'm so sorry!" I sobbed out the words, my coughing intensifying with each one. I knew she was speaking, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. "I didn't mean to do it! It was an accident, I swear!" I continued my shouting as I knelt next to her, holding her head in my lap. I didn't care at that point.

"It's all your fault." Those were her last words.-

"No!" Maerin's shout was weak as she sat straight up in her bed, cold sweat covering her in a thin layer. She took a second to steady her breathing, closing her eyes again. It was no use, though. Every time her lids closed, she could see the fire clearly in her mind. There would be no getting to sleep without a little help. With a groan, she crawled out of bed, and tiptoed into her bathroom. She opened her medicine cabinet and pulled out the orange prescription bottle. She tapped it until two of the small pills came out. She took them dry with no hesitation before she replaced the bottle and crawled back into her bed. With a heavy sigh, she pulled the duvet over her chest and simply stared at her ceiling, waiting for the drugs to take effect.