Title inspired by the quote: "Illusion is the first of all pleasures."-Oscar Wilde
The First of All Pleasures
Maddy Babbitt grew up hearing about her lost brothers and sisters so much, they practically became celebrities.
Olivia spoke of them often- whether for Maddy's benefit or her own was never clear. There was Thomas, her youngest son, with the heart of gold and the arms of bronze. It was a true case of opposites attracting, she used to say, that he got along so well with the brilliant Katherine, Gideon's little prodigy. Maddy often found herself envious of her eldest sister's famed intelligence- then again, if she was as smart as Katherine, then surely there wouldn't be enough room left inside her for any of Jane's traits. That wasn't a sacrifice she was willing to make: no potion could make her melt like music could, and even the glitter of vials in the sunlight couldn't match the beauty of good artwork.
On the other hand, she didn't want to have that much in common with Jane. After all, no matter how much Olivia gushed over her second-youngest child's warmth, Maddy couldn't help but think that it took a certain amount of cold-heartedness to abandon your mother at just ten years old. Even if it was to go after your favorite brother.
Luke. No matter how much Maddy admired all her siblings, Luke fascinated her in a way none of the others did. Always quiet and reserved; lustful for power but secretly goodhearted; and so terribly misunderstood that when he did the right thing for once and saved the people he loved, they blamed him for what he was trying to save them from. So he fulfilled all their prophecies and left.
Fascinating.
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Maddy Babbitt grew up hearing about her lost brothers and sisters so much, they practically became celebrities.
Every young girl has a celebrity crush.
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It was a wonder that Olivia never noticed her daughter's strange behavior. How Maddy would constantly ask for stories about Luke- not any of the others, just Luke. How 'LC+MC' ended up scratched into a tree in their backyard. In later years, Madeleine would reflect that her mother had probably disillusioned herself into thinking that as Maddy knew she and Luke were siblings, she couldn't possibly have had any feelings for him.
But there was one catch that Olivia always missed: knowing and believing are two very different things.
Yes, of course Maddy knew that Luke Cahill was her brother; she had been told often enough. Did she believe it, though? Did she believe it, when she was raised to tell everyone her last name was Babbitt?
The answer was, no: she didn't.
And so she grew up with thoughts absorbed by Luke Cahill, and the ineffable man she knew he had to be (right?).
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There is one terrible, heart-breaking note that interrupts the blissful innocence of celebrity crushes: celebrities are very rarely as good as they're portrayed to be.
Sometimes, young girls can make it through their entire adolescence before discovering this. Others aren't so lucky. Maddy Babbit, who met the object of her fantasies, was one of them.
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Maddy Babbitt grew up naïve, under the illusion that books could be judged by their covers.
Madeleine Cahill knew better.
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Yes. Major incest. No action, though, which I hope makes it okay. I actually like this pairing- Luke/Maddie ROCKS. xD
Many thanks to Lapulta and SilverArrow12 for your amazing beta jobs!
Thanks for reading and please review!
-Joelle8