The Life and Times of Magdalene Fen

Meridian, Idaho, the third-largest city in the state and one of the fast-growing cities in America. The original Meridian townsite, founded in 1891, was filed in 1893 on homestead grant land belonging to Eliza Ann Zenger. Her husband, Christian, filed the plat with county officials and called it Meridian. The early settlers, many of whom were relatives, left their homes in Missouri to go west, either by wagon, train, or immigrant railroad car, bringing their lodge and church preferences with them.

They established local institutions soon after arriving and filed for homestead lands.

Around the start of the 20th century, settlers established fruit orchards and built fruit packing businesses and prune dryers along the railroad tracks. Local farms produced many varieties of apples and Italian prunes. Production continued through the mid-1940s when it was no longer profitable, and the businesses closed. In 1941, Meridian's status changed from a village to a city.

The residents of this metropolis had blistering and sun-baked summertime with frigid wintertime with sporadic rainfall. Besides the weather conditions, the municipality had a lot of culture and artistry. One thing this particular asphalt jungle was proud of was the Meridian Symphony Orchestra. Meridian also had important recreational areas and a reasonably good education system. Thus overall, not a bad place to live.

The Fen family had lived in the city since it was founded. Before they'd settled down in what would become Meridian, the family had made a small fortune from mining gold and other precious stones. Not that they were genuinely wealthy by any means. But it was more then enough to live comfortable lives for numerous generations down the line.

Roland Fen, along with his wife Lorelei, lived with their only child Magdalene in the more well-to-do-off neck of the woods. Roland Fen was a prosperous real-estate agent, and his wife was part of the renowned Symphony Orchestra

Roland and his wife had both been born and raised in the city. Therefore they'd know each other their whole lives. They started dating in their freshman year of high school and got married shortly after completing college. Roughly three years into their marriage, they had their daughter Magdalene Faith Fen on March 3rd.

Although Magdalene's birth was tempered with the fact, her parents found out their child had a weakened immune system, which also resulted in her being chronically anemic. Thus it required extra work to take care of her to make sure she stayed healthy and risk-free.

Now for the Fen family, religion and God were quite essential. Even Roland and Lorelei had biblical middle names. Isaiah and Esther named after their parents respectfully. Although religious belief was a significant part of their lives, they belonged to a non-domination house of prayer. They're open-minded and accepting of all people. That included members of the Pride community.

The Fen family's best friends and neighbors were Morgensterns, who was a mixed-race couple. Quinn Morgenstern was African-American and minster at their place of worship.

His wife Zoe Morgenstern was a Caucasian woman of Jewish descent whose relatives had escaped from the Nazis when World War II broke out and settle in the United States. She, too, was part of the Symphony Orchestra and was also an active activist for several causes with her best friend, Lorelei.

They also had one child. Their daughter Leta had been diagnosed with diabetes at a very young age. Despite her illness, Leta was a very spirited child who had a zest for life.

Leta and Magdalene were inseparable. They didn't think of themselves as friends rather sisters. Leta was only two months younger then Magdalene. The girls did act more like sisters then friends in any case.

It was a typical Saturday morning for the Fen family. Spring had arrived a few days ago, and that had brightened everyone's mood as the lingering seasonal depression had left with it.

Roland was busy getting ready for work. Quite a lot of people who knew the Fens always said Roland looked like he should've been an actor rather then sell real-estate.

It was entirely truthful. Being six-one with a lean build, tan skin, and thick wavy dusky golden hair and startling blue-violet eyes, he did look he possessed the body of a thespian.

He was getting dressed in his usual attire—a classic tuxedo- khaki pants and dark blue jacket. A lovely golden watch on his wrist made him look incredibly classy. As he finished getting dressed, he observed his wife entering their bedroom in his closet mirror.

Lorelei was a fetching young woman. About five-seven, she had an excellent waist with voluptuous hips and rather tiny feet. Her indigo eyes were large with thick lashes that stood out on her heart-shaped face. Her lively wavy auburn locks fell to her shoulders and perfectly framed her attractive features.

She was clothed in her typical attire as well- an olive-green turtle-neck top, mid sleeves with a dark gray skirt, and a pair of white pumps. Around her neck was an exquisite pearl necklace.

"Rollie, I swear you spend more time in front of the mirror then a teenage girl. And we should know how much a teenage girl spends in front of the mirror," she laughs softly at the thought of their daughter.

"My darling, you know Magdalene isn't at all vain. Even if she as ravishing as her mother," he added as he gazed into his wife's indigo eyes longingly.

Caressing his face, her dainty hands brushed against his well-trimmed beard. "You know I was just teasing, beloved. You and I both know Mag showcases far more virtuous behavior then embodying any of the seven deadly sins."

"That I agree with you, my pretty. Now and then, she still manages to surprise me with just how angelic she is. I frequently have wondered if God gave us a genuine angel for a daughter and not a mere mortal."

"Well, aren't we all the children of God?" Lorelei pointed out as she straightens her husband's necktie. "I'm delighted that Magdalene is thoughtful, kindhearted, and an altruist. People know they can count on her in times of crisis or just listen when they need someone to talk too."

"I do still worry about her with her health problems. I wish now, and then she takes better care of herself."

"Rollie, what more can be done? We do our best to keep the house as clean as possible. She takes iron pills and is on medication to fight off serious illnesses. What more can be done that we don't already do?

I, for one, think its a good thing she outside in the sunshine tending to her garden. I swear the girl is attempting to regrow Eden. She's quite the horticulturist that's for sure," the young mother noted with pride in her lovely voice.

"Yeah, no denying she's extremely good at growing flowers and taking care of animals," the handsome man agreed. He brushed a lock of hair out of his wife's face before he added, "But I also love the fact our daughter would instead practice piano or read a book then sit around doing nothing.

With how the world is changing and advancing, it's nice to see an active mind and not a couch potato," which both parents smiled with great pride at that thought.

Even so, Lorelei looked a bit down in the mouth as she replied in a saddened tone to her love. "Well, I know she wishes she was more healthy so she could do competitive sports. You know how proud she is of us having medals from swimming and track and field."

"Yeah, the glory days of high school when you and I were the most popular couple. We had it all the brains, beauty, and again just being popular."

"Well, let's not live in the past, thinking about when we were sixteen years old. You have houses to sell, and I need to go get Zoe so we can go to practice."

"That's right, her automobile in the shop. What was the problem with it again?"

"I'm not versed in the language of motor vehicles, Roland. All I know is Zoe's car wouldn't start, and the check engine light came on. So we're carpooling until it's fixed."

"Quinn, able to get around alright, yes?"

"Yes, Quinn is getting along fine. Zoe informed me he'd got a busy week ahead of him. The church is jam-packed with its charity drive for the homeless and mentoring at-risk kids at the moment."

"Well, if anyone can help them, its Quinn. Now I've got to jet. I've to show and sell at least three houses today. So see you at dinner tonight," as he bent down to pick up his briefcase and kissed his wife.

"Good luck, honey. I'll say a prayer for you. Just be home in time for dinner. I'm making pot roast and potatoes tonight."

"You are too good to be true, Lorelei," as they shared one more kiss. After Roland left to go to work, Lorelei went in search of her daughter. Even if her daughter was a teenager, she still liked to know where her baby was.

She knew the three most likely places her daughter was outside tending her garden, in the living room practicing piano or in her room reading a new book.

She decided to check outside first. Given it was finally springtime, she felt for sure her daughter would be hard at work getting her garden ready for the renewal of life.

"Mag? Magdalene? Honey, you out here?" as she went out the backdoor to look over at her daughter's little patch of heaven. She was surprised her daughter wasn't there and was going to check for her elsewhere when she was nearly knocked over from behind. She managed to catch the porch rail in time.

"Oh! Mom! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you! I'm sorry!" cried her sixteen-year-old daughter as she set down all the books and gardening tools she had in her arms.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. Next time just make sure you can see where you're going," as she turned to look at her daughter. Magdalene was nearly the spitting image of her mother. Other then she had her father's eyes and naturally tan skin.

Lorelei was thrilled her daughter had gotten her father's skin tone. Given it didn't make her look sickly at all. No-one would guess someone who looked fit and tan to have a weakened immune system or be anemic with a glowing sun-kissed tan.

Taking a glance at the box her daughter been carrying, she pulled out a thick book and glanced at the title. "How to speak the language of flowers. A guide to the symbolic meaning of flowers."

"Did you get this from the library or a bookstore?" she asked curiously. Her daughter was extremely passionate about symbolism and what names meant. She had an excellent memory, unlike her parents.

To be honest, neither Lorelei or Roland had as good a memory as their daughter. Lorelei particularly suffered from not being able to remember names and faces. Roland likely draws a blank everything if they didn't have a calendar or carry day planners with them at all times.

"Leta and I went to the public library after school yesterday. She wanted to get some new books on mythology and crystal healing. So while she got those, I picked up some new books on gardening and wildlife."

"Which mythology is Leta reading about now? I know she knows all about Greek, Norse, Egyptian, and Asian myths. What was she looking into this time?"

"She was looking to find books on myths to do with Central and South America. Pretty sure she got one on Aztec mythology. Don't know if she manages to get one about Mexico though she was aiming to get one."

"That reminds me, what language class are you in at school?"

"Well, the school teaches five of the most spoken languages. I mean, English is one of the most spoken languages. But Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Arabic, and Russian are among the most spoken throughout the world as well.

Freshmen year you take Spanish, sophomore learn Arabic, my year juniors learn Russian and seniors learn Mandarin Chinese."

"And how are you doing so far?"

"Well, I get a B- in that class, Mom, so I would think I'm doing fairly well."

"That's nice. So I take it your going to go get your garden ready for spring?"

"I wanted to try growing the birth flowers this year. Every month has a flower that belongs to it, just like it has a birthstone. Or their Celtic chart for what kind of wood is your birth one."

"I take it you've been doing a lot of studying on the subject of symbolism to do with one birthday?"

"Yeah, I've been studying that since the new year. Quite a fascinating subject, Mom. You wouldn't believe all that I've learned so far."

"Well, you can tell your father and me about it later tonight at dinner. I've to leave to go to practice. You'll be on your own today till I get home around six. Your father is coming home, hopefully at seven."

"Okay, well, you and Aunt Zoe have a good practice. I know the Orchestra has a big show in two weeks. And they say practice makes perfect."

"You are too good to be true, Magdalene. Make sure to take your medicine. And don't do anything crazy while I'm gone."

"Okay, Mom, I won't do anything crazy," Magdalene promised her mother not noticing she had her fingers crossed behind her back. She waited till her mom was gone before she ran into the house to call Leta and ask her to come over.

Currently, the two sixteen-year-old girls were busy giving each other makeovers. They'd already done their nails. Now it was time for their hair.

Leta was just finishing putting on latex gloves over her flawless brown sugar skin. Then she draped a white towel around her best friend's body. "Are you sure you wanted to do this, Mag?" she asked her best friend one last time.

"Yes, I'm sure, and we need to get this done before our parents get home!" Mag quickly said. Ordinarily, Mag was noted to have the patience of a saint, but that didn't mean she wasn't impatient or a little snippy like everyone else.

"We at least know rehearsal for our mothers will run very late tonight, seeing how they've got a performance in two weeks.

But we can't guarantee that our fathers won't show up to check on us even if my dad occupied selling houses and yours with the church. They could come home out of the blue at any moment! Therefore, hurry it up!"

"I hope neither of our parents kills us for this! I mean, they are more then fine with us doing our nails. But I think there a reason they asked us not to touch each other hair!"

"Leta come on! Look, God isn't going to be infuriated or consider it a sin if you dye my hair! Or if I give you a haircut! So get to it!" Mag told her best friend, impatiently.

"Okay, but so that you understand, I'm not dying your whole head plum. I'm only going to do the last four inches."

"Just do it already!"

"Okay, remember this stuff doesn't come out until at least forty-five washes," as Leta began dye Mag's hair her favorite color. After an hour and a half, they're done, and Magdalene's hair was now half plum.

"It's like magic! I look so amazing! I can't believe it! You did a great job, Leta!" Mag exclaimed loudly as she admired herself in her vanity mirror.

"Okay, thank you for admiring my work. You're lucky. My cousin works at a beauty parlor! Now let's get to my hair!"

"Okay," as Mag took the scissors and got some other hair tools and got behind her friend. "Okay, so you said you want this short, right?"

"Chin length and staked in the back. And make sure you frame my face correctly too."

"Well, I hope I don't ruin your beautiful chocolate brown locks. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck!" Mag began to brush, cut, and style her friend's hair. She'd been yearning for months now to have it short, but at the moment, her parents hadn't wanted her to have short hair.

Though both girls didn't understand why their moms were such hypocrites, after all, Leta's mom Zoe had boyishly short hair, and Mag's mom had tried to dye her own hair one time. Not that it had turned out that great, but that was beside the point!

Once their makeovers were done, the girls decided to do one activity they each liked together. So the girls went outside to do some yoga that Leta was into and then work on Mag's garden.

The girls did receive a lecture from their parents when they got home that night. Yet other then a talk, there wasn't any anger at it at all. Instead, their parents had more pressing matters to discuss with their daughters.

Given that their junior year was almost up and they'd be seniors next year, they felt it was time to start thinking about college that they should be focusing on what they wanted to do with their lives after high school.

To be honest, the girls hadn't given much thought about what they're going to do as adults, college, or if they even made it down the aisle. Those thoughts were still pretty far from their minds. All the same, their parents wanted them to start thinking of their futures seriously.

"So, what do you want to do?" Magdalene inquired a week later to Leta in her bedroom. They'd just finished reading their library books and now had time to occupy their minds with other matters.

"I've not given it much thought, Mag. Dad says I should play to my strengths. Though I'm not sure what those are," as Mag offered her a snack so her blood sugar wouldn't drop.

Eating her own snack Mag was quite for a few minutes before speaking. "Well, I know no one knows more about myths, magic, and alternative lifestyles then you."

"I'm lucky. My mother lets me pursue my own passions. Yes, I'm proud of my Jewish heritage, but at least she and Dad allowed me to explore things and choose my own path.

I'm thankful to have supporting parents who don't mind their daughter tries out other things then what they grew up with themselves."

"Well, if that's how you feel, why not open a shop that sells and promotes your interest? I think you'd be very good at that, sis."

"Well, it does have some appeal big sis. But I would still need some type of college degree in case opening a shop doesn't bring home the bacon. Honestly, I'm still not sure what I want to study. Though I would at least like to go to a college, not in Idaho."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that myself: Meridian home and all. But I want to go out and see the world. I want to meet new people who have their own ideas and just see what out there."

"But you're worried your parents won't approve of you leaving the state either? I know we both have chronic illnesses, but we've been able to manage them just fine.

I mean, don't they say parents can only give their children two things? Roots and wings?"

"Yes, that is true. Our roots have been well-established, but I want to fly on my own wings. Make a life for me. Also, I got a feeling the person I'm destined to spend my life with isn't in Idaho.

If I want to find the man I'm destined to spend my life with, I'm going to have to go seek him out, and it's not going to be here."

"You are such a romantic. You know that, sis? Ever since we were little, you've dreamed of your 'happily ever after."

"Is it so wrong for a girl to have her dream wedding and house already in mind? Don't a lot of girls have that planned out ahead of time?"

"Sure they do, but wasn't our moms who told us you don't find love it finds you? And when you least expect it?"

"Yes, and our mothers also told us what makes a relationship successful that the best relationships are taken slow and steady that you have to get past physical attraction and infatuation.

It's important to be friends first and take your time to get to know someone. You have to be able to talk and have a normal conversation with them.

You should've simple dates when you first start. Something as simple as a walk in the park while walking your dogs, for example, that you shouldn't rush into all the nine yards.

If you do all that, you can make a relationship work forever."

"That's some sage advice. After all, no one is perfect, and you have to accept a person strengths and flaws. All their little quirks and have good communication.

Though I would think a good marriage also means genuinely listening to your partner. Having the ability to compromise and being honest about how you are feeling."

"It also helps to be patient and understanding. Marriage is the reality, and the wedding is fantasy. But it takes two to make a relationship work, and that can only be if you both work together."

Sighing, the two girls just sat in silence for a while. Finally, they decided they could worry about all this later and decided to take Leta's cavalier king Charles spaniel Paprika for a walk.

Leta was a dog person Magdalene; on the other hand, loved cats. She did own a cat, a beautiful snow-white cat named Eleanor. She was real affection and mischievous kitty.

Enjoying the beautiful day as they walked through one of the best parks in the city, the girls were thrilled to be friends and sisters and that their families got along so well.

While neither knew what the future had in store for them, they knew a few things for sure. They'd always be best friends and sisters. That they both planned to move away from Idaho, and they'd still have the support of their family and friends.

So whatever would happen in the future would happen, and they'd be ready for when it did.

OC Voice Actors.

Lorelei- Job: Singer. She has several awards for swimming. Intuitive and charismatic. Member of the Meridian Symphony Orchestra. Voice- Sara Ramirez- Queen Miranda. Birthday August 31st

Roland- I see him being a firm but a reasonable man who wants the best for his family and business. Real Estate Agent. Voice- Travis Willingham- King Roland II. Birthday August 3rd.

Magdalene- Julie Bowen- Rapunzel's mother- March 3rd.

Leta Morgenstern Zoë Isabella Kravitz – Leta Lestrange- Fantastic Beasts and where to find them.

The cat Eleanor belongs to Spector14, who has permitted me to use her.

You should check out Spector14's amazing Danny Phantom stories for yourself.

Most of the outfits the characters will be wearing in this story are designed by jimelization.

You should check out her W.I.T.C.H. Stories "Heart of a mother" and the sequel she's currently writing The Dark Descendant. Both are extremely good. She's an excellent writer.

Have a beautiful day, everyone.