Chapter Twenty-One: An Exercise in Power - Mason
Dominate/ˈdäməˌnāt/ verb. 1. The exercise of control or influence over someone or something.
Compulsion/'kəmˈpəlSHən/ noun. 1. The action of forcing or state of being forced to do something.
Mesmerize/ˈmezməˌrīz/ verb. 1. To hold the attention of someone to the exclusion of all else.
Rosalie Lillian Hale/ˈvamˌpī(ə)r/ gift. 1. The ability to dominate, compel or mesmerize an individual against their will.
2. Implant suggestions or fabricated thoughts into the minds of others.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
I had dithered briefly before I left, torn as to whether I should eavesdrop on their meeting. Listening in would have been a betrayal of trust, although it was tempting. I wanted to know what they thought of me, well in truth, I wanted to know what Angela thought of me. There was no way to explain my nature so that they would believe me. Saving her life was almost an instinct, one that had been honed over centuries. I had been a Doctor long enough to save thousands of lives, but this woman felt more important than any I had saved over the centuries.
I hadn't meant to interact with Angela to such a degree. I never wanted to risk being a part of her life. Yet after idly daydreaming about her for a year, finally interacting with her had been a revelation. She wasn't just kind, she was intelligent and generous. Willing to stand between me and her adoptive family, as a mortal. Brave and selfless, I hadn't encountered many mortals who had such traits, that hadn't been ground down by the machinations of society and war.
She was right about many things, but her point about loneliness hit harder than she realized. I had a choice ahead of me, and it seemed so simple… on the surface. Either I could live here with them, with her, and finally get to experience the happiness that has eluded me for millennia. Or, I could leave and return to my solitude, hoping that fate would save them from the fiery end Alice prophesized.
I was also worried that Angela viewed me as her savior or hero. That could twist her emotions about me, give her a false sense of familiarity that would change when I finally revealed my past. It was strange that somehow, I already had a longing to be close to her again. I knew I needed to distance myself from these chaotic thoughts, and emotions they represented. So, I attempted to push everything from my mind.
The long list of projects I needed to finish on the house was as good as any distraction. Yet to continue I had to make another infernal trip to Seattle for supplies, so I made my way to my old truck. When I got in and turned the engine over, I was greeted to loud rattles and a long ear-piercing squeal that ended a few seconds later by the terrible sound of the engine sputtering to a stop, accompanied by a pathetic rattle and a soft rumble.
"Lovely." I muttered to myself as I popped the hood and got out. As I exited, I nearly slammed the door hard enough to fuse the latch together. The engine looked fine on initial inspection, but as I began to dig, I found the main fan belt had snapped and the tensioner was bad. The oil pan was leaking, and I could smell coolant seeping out from somewhere. I shook my head in annoyance as I heard a beautiful engine shutoff at the beginning of my driveway. A few seconds later I felt one of my kind draw close. Her feminine scent and pattern of footfalls gave me weight and gender; I thought about the few possibilities in the area and settled on Rosalie.
I sighed silently to myself. I should never have let myself be baited into telling her about her latent gift. It was information I had only told one other, but no one else, even my old coven. I chuckled to myself, I squarely blamed Angela for my vulnerability. She disarmed me in a way I had never experienced before. I felt nervous around her, like a schoolboy looking into the eyes of the object of his juvenile crush.
I shrugged off the reemerging train of thought that went along with Angela and her angelic smile… crap. I closed my eyes and thought about banging my head against the broken engine, but Rosalie was too close to avoid explanation. As she got closer, I turned away from my broken car and stood up straight. She seemed to be unsure of herself and actions, so I extended an invitation to converse.
"Rosalie, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I attempted to smile with the same genuine acceptance that I would want her family to show to me.
"I need you to teach me, I need to learn how to use my power." She seemed torn and unhappy. There was obviously something bothering her.
"What's wrong, you seem, troubled." I felt concern wash over my face.
"Don't do that. Don't pretend that you actually care about me." Her hostility was not entirely pointed at me and she must've realized how she sounded, as a look of embarrassment came across her face. "Sorry, I didn't mean that."
"Please understand, I am still learning about your family. But I still feel concerned for your well-being. If there is something wrong, please let me know." I creased my eyebrows and felt my face tighten slightly. I knew it made me look more severe than intended but her hostility put me on edge. She looked at me for a protracted second, and I could see a range of emotions play underneath her perfect features, finally settling on resigned sadness.
Rosalie glanced towards the house, as if realizing for the first time that it was there. "You've done good work so far." She said motioning towards it. "I bet Emmett would love to help if you need it. And here, let me." She moved over to my truck and leaned over the front to peer into the engine compartment. The juxtaposition of her beauty next to the dirty and grungy old engine was almost breathtaking. Not that I was transfixed by her, on the contrary I found her to be a perplexing and mildly off putting person.
"I could see the fan belt and tensioner, and a small leak on the oil pan. Anything else?" I hadn't looked deep enough and I wanted to defer to her as a show of trust, even if it was perfunctory.
"A few things, I'm mostly confused how someone who claims to like cars would leave their engine in this condition." She glanced up at me as she twisted off a nut bare handed, and then pulled off the remainder of the belt and examined it for a few seconds. "Timing was off, tensioner was failing internally for a while and it looks like you haven't done a full preventative maintenance sweep for about fifty thousand miles."
"I said I like to work on them, when the mood strikes me. It isn't my primary passion." I half shrugged, but she was right. I hadn't been paying attention to the truck. I had been preoccupied with the house, and the woman I was trying not to think about.
"Ah, well it is my passion. I'd need my garage to get this fully fixed up. I'll get a belt over here later to get her running. You can swing her by the house tomorrow anytime." She closed the hood with a familiar ease and turned to look at me.
"I appreciate it." I nodded at her with a gracious smile, she had offered her help without hesitation or pretense. It gave me a much better impression of her than I originally thought, and spoke to the kind of family she came from. Whether that trait was instilled in her by her human parents, or if my hunch was correct from her adoptive parents, either way she was a good person no matter how she presented herself. " I'll bring over Alice's wreck as well. Angela said you would like the challenge of restoring it."
"I thought Tweety was gone?" Rosalie looked somewhat confused, but nodded after a few seconds. "Yeah, I'll see what I can do. She loves that car." She paused and looked up at me. "So, I understand that talking to a stranger can be a cathartic release of pent up emotions." She had a distant look on her face which shifted to a half smirk. "Of course, that goes against my mother's advice I've stuck to most of my life."
"Which is?" I asked with curiosity.
"Never talk to strangers." She said it with a half smile, but I could tell she was only partially serious.
"That's a good rule for a child, it hardly applies to an immortal. Although if it helps, I do have a degree in psychology and my favorite profession is tending bar." I had always viewed mental health as important as physical health, and marveled at the advancements in both fields within the last century.
"So you're over qualified." Her voice was a bit sarcastic but there was a sadness in her eyes.
"Ha, perhaps." I couldn't help but laugh at the joke.
"It's just a relationship drama." She was trying to dismiss what was wrong.
I shook my head slightly. "The hardest kind. Please bend my ear."
"Alright. Have you ever been in love?" It was a loaded question, despite spending time with men and women throughout the centuries I could only count three that sparked a real emotional memory, and only one that I thought was love, now I wasn't so sure.
"I thought I was once." Thinking about Nicole was never easy, but her presence was but a fleeting time in my life.
"So you may understand how things can get complicated so quickly." She said with a sigh as she leaned against the truck and glanced down at her hands, marked with rubber and black grease.
"Emotions often twist us, they are after all, reflections of our wants and desires. Love can easily become irrational and contradictory, frequently leading us along strange and unpredictable paths, but those unknown journeys are almost always worth following… for a time." I knew about relationships intellectually and from helping patients work through all manner of problems. But my practical relationship experience was limited.
"You're right, it is worth following. It's just hard because now that I know what love means to me, my life has been shattered into pieces so small they could never be gathered together." She shook her head in anger.
"Oh?" I raised my eyebrows in interest. She paused for several seconds as if working up the courage to say something difficult.
"I just separated from my husband." A look of pain crossed her face and she shut her eyes tightly for a second.
"I'm sorry, vampire mates rarely separate. What caused this rift?" I tried not to sound glib or judgmental, but it was exceedingly rare for vampire couples to break up.
"I figured out I'm gay." She said with a small cock of her head and a frustrated smile on her face.
"It's great that you made such an important self discovery, especially after so many years. But you seem troubled beyond the obvious fallout from that self realization, what else is troubling you?" I said settling back into therapist mode.
She looked up and nodded once. "I need to know myself, and that includes this scary new gift. If I turn away from it, hide from it, then it would be no better than pretending to be someone I'm not. I've lived a shallow empty life, going through the motions because I thought I hated myself, hated this existence. My only lifeline was Emmett, that's why I clung to our marriage for so long. Now, I have an idea of who I am, but I have to know everything."
"Interesting. None of them truly understand you, do they?" I made it sound rhetorical, despite it being a genuine question.
"Bella does, and that's a part of the problem. We're sisters, but in a strange way she was my first real kiss." She didn't look torn exactly, but she was clearly conflicted over her emotions.
"Are you romantically interested in her?" It was the most obvious question and the most relevant, a new member of her coven already tangled up in a difficult situation could prove fatal in most covens. In this one I wasn't sure.
"We worked through that, and no, we agreed to remain sisters." I wasn't sure if it was disappointment on her face, or just resignation over a difficult decision. Either way I could tell her feelings for Bella were conflicted at best.
"Those kinds of emotions are always complicated, especially when it involves family." I frowned, not sure if I should continue with my line of thought. "After our first interaction I couldn't quite get a bead on you, even after hearing your thoughts when I first arrived and stole a moment of Edward's power. From that limited point of view you seemed, and please do not take offense here, somewhat panicked and simple, but I could sense something far deeper." She raised her eyebrows, but nodded after a few seconds.
"I'm not thrilled that you used Edward like that, but I admit I've hidden for a long time. It's easier to live in the moment, especially with a telepath around. Now that I understand myself, I have to understand everything." It was a simple plea, and one I didn't have a reason to refuse except for the nature of her power. What had I done? Had I brought death to this family?
"I shouldn't have told your family this secret, it is dangerous and puts you on the radar for culling by the Volturi." I said worriedly, but didn't get the response I expected.
"So it is true, they do cull." She frowned and shook her head before looking up at me with a resigned expression. "We're already on their radar. Edward and Alice have attractive gifts the Volturi would want in their guard."
"Right, and I understand you had an empath as well." I added. The reality of their situation was perilous, a large powerful close knit coven with three members with gifts was an attractive prospect. Yet I had to worry about Bella joining their family… and if Angela. I couldn't imagine what the Volturi would do with her.
"We did, but he left last year. Now with Bella." She sounded worried.
"And Angela." I added, unable to lie about Angela's potential.
"Angela?" Her surprise was almost palpable.
"If she is turned she will have a powerful gift, dangerous and easily perverted. If she retains her beautiful soul it will be a boon to the world, but if something twists her it could… what's wrong?" She gave me a quizzical look, shaking her head slightly.
"Beautiful soul, do you love her?" The question took me by surprise. I knew I was infatuated with Angela, but love? It was far too soon, and I barely knew her.
"I don't believe it is love, not yet." I answered my initial reaction, but I wasn't sure if it was the truth. "I do find her to be the most attractive creature I have ever met." I amended, admitting as much as I could handle in the moment.
"In how many years of life?" The question was logical, but impossible to answer.
"I honestly don't know. I lived for longer than memory before the invention of the Julian calendar." I admitted a bit reluctantly.
"That's over twenty-seven hundred years." She didn't look surprised, but perhaps a touch awed by the sheer number of years I had walked this planet. Mostly alone.
"Yes. Actually it was quite longer than that." I had no way to express the centuries I had been alive before the invention of what the world would consider the modern calendar.
"Alright, look Angela's my sister, I cannot have you pushing or pursuing her unless she says she's interested." Her warning was touching, protective and utterly sincere. I couldn't help but smile, alleviating even my most minor reservation in regards to Angela interacting with the Cullens. They loved her completely, as one of their own.
"I wouldn't dream of it, her choice is foremost in my mind." While it was true that I wouldn't do anything besides make my interest known to Angela, I still wasn't even sure that was the right thing to do. I felt myself wince, realizing I was going to give in to my desire to get close to her, if she would have me.
Rosalie sighed and gave a small shake of her head, "god, you are going to be family. Well my future brother, as a sign of trust will you teach me?"
"Yes, but I ask one thing of you first." She nodded once. "I need you to promise to never use your gift for selfish purposes. It is not a power that should be in the hands of someone who would use it unwisely." I tried to accentuate my words so she would understand the massive weight her ability would make her responsible for.
"I guess I can understand your hesitation, compulsion seems like a pretty useful gift, but how is it so dangerous? I mean, it is mine to use as I wish." She looked a bit confused and a touch angry, and I frowned because I had made a mistake earlier in not explaining her gift properly.
"You misunderstand, it isn't just compulsion." I wasn't looking at her, and felt my head shake with my words. She had to understand the full scope of her gift to make an informed decision.
"In what way, telling people what to do is like vampire mythology 101." She said incredulously.
I looked up and couldn't help but smile. Vampire fiction was a fascinating place full of strange and wild ideas, but none had ever captured our kind correctly. "Pop culture, what a wonderful and fantastical distraction. But you well know popularity defines history, not the truth. Our nature is quite different from Stoker's imagination, and as far as I know only one other has had the voice."
"Really, are they the reason why that gift is so well known?"
"He was like many of our kind, brutal and cruel with human lives. He used his power to conduct experiments on humans and vampires alike, and eventually caught the attention of the Volturi. I do not know what happened, but the rumor was he was executed. This was some centuries ago, and from what I understand one survivor lived to tell their tale. Word of mouth would spread until someone with imagination wrote it down. That is why the Volturi have their laws, a single case of exposure can have widespread consequences."
"Joham." She said with a knowing whisper.
"That's the one. Did Carlisle mention him?" I asked in curiosity, wondering how much of our world he shared with his family. The history of our race, written in the blood of innocence.
"Once, during my early years when he was teaching me about our society. It was a lesson on giving into temptation and succumbing to our worst impulses. I had just killed several men…" She paused and gasped out loud, clearly admitting to those deaths was not something she intended to tell me. "He was worried I would continue." She finished her thought and looked at me, obviously expecting some form of judgement.
"This is simply to understand context, please do not take this question as any kind of implied judgement." She gave me one curt nod. "Did you have a justification for those deaths?"
"Yes." She paused, as if unsure whether to tell me the details. I was about to say something when she continued. "They brutalized and raped me."
I felt a wave of deep fury that caused my bones to quiver, and I knew at that moment I truly cared for Rosalie and by extension the rest of her family. I quickly suppressed the emotion, I needed to react in a supportive way, not as though I had any claim to be upset by this revelation of her past. "I have killed for less, although mostly in times of war."
"You were a soldier?" She looked pleased that I changed the subject, or maybe because I didn't throw her false sympathy or misplaced anger.
"Several times throughout the years. I do not like to kill, but some causes are worth fighting for." It was a perverse truth, that even someone who refuses to take a life most of the time will do it under the right circumstances.
"I will never kill again. I still see their faces when I close my eyes." She was looking off in the distance as she spoke, focusing on a small bird perched on a branch a hundred feet away.
"That I understand all too well." I muttered lowering my head to stare at the ground. Thinking for a fraction of a second about all the death I was responsible for made me feel tremendous shame. There was a prolonged silence before she spoke suddenly.
"You know we are all curious about your past?" The question wasn't unexpected, but I wasn't prepared to answer yet.
"Yes, and I will tell my story when the right time comes. For now, let's get back to your question." It was an evasion, but she didn't seem to mind nodding right away.
"What is the full scope of my power?" She managed to make it sound direct and inquisitive at the same time.
"Right. I honestly don't know the full extent of what you will be able to do, but to start your voice will be a reflection of your will. With but a word you can send mortals to their deaths without a second thought or moment of hesitation." She looked a bit unsettled by the idea, but slowly nodded in understanding. Then her head cocked slightly in confusion.
"Will it only work on humans?" It was the obvious follow up, but one I didn't really want to answer, because her ability could be terrifying .
"Your gift will work on our kind as well, to what degree I am not sure. It is possible you might eventually be able to force one of us to stand still until the Earth is enveloped by the sun. A vague warning is nobody's friend." I attempted a smile but she was clearly too shocked to laugh.
"Oh. That's… I don't… I don't know." She paused and seemed to be deep in thought for several seconds before squaring her shoulders and looking me directly in the eyes. "I will promise to always consider the consequences before using the gift, I hope that's enough."
"Hmm, that will do." I gave her a wry smile and let out a half sigh.
"I don't understand." She said, shaking her head in confusion.
"Being aware of your own limitations is enough. I trust your heart with the rest. I could see your deep well of compassion and love for your family when I glimpsed your mind through Edward's power. As for calling me brother, I would be honored but not before she accepts me."
"Where did you come from?" She blasted a short laugh through her nose, shaking her head almost imperceptibly.
"I've always been around. Lurking, I guess it was just time to come out of the shadows." I shrugged, it was as much a truth as anything else I could say. I had no real intention of ever introducing myself to her family or to Angela before the events that forced me to act.
"What was it that drew you out?" The question forced me to face the truth, while the threat to Angela's life made me act, it went back further than that.
"The crash. Although in truth it was her, her face, her voice… I suppose that sounds foolish." I spoke hesitantly, unsure of what I was saying. Admitting a truth about myself and my affection for Angela despite not really knowing her.
"You sound like a man in love." She gave me a knowing look, which was clearly sympathetic.
"Perhaps, I do not believe I've ever truly known love. How will I recognize it?" I almost begged, I couldn't fathom what the emotion was supposed to feel like. Was it akin to obsession, need… or perhaps thirst?
She stopped to think about it for a second. "What comes to mind when you think of her?"
I nodded, considering the answer. "At first it was idle curiosity, wondering what Angela was doing at that moment or if she planned to use that voice as a career. After I encountered her the second time I worried about her health, mental and physical and if she was able to work through her crisis of faith. Now I cannot stop thinking about our conversations."
"How often do you think about her?" She asked quickly, catching me totally off guard.
"Um, well I guess until yesterday, maybe a couple times a day." I admitted after thinking about how often she actually came to mind.
"And now?" She followed up just as quickly.
I sighed deeply. "I can't get her out of my head."
"How long have you been watching her?" It was the next logical question, and I was just as reluctant to reveal my actions as I had when I admitted them to Angela.
"To be clear, I never intended to intrude upon her life, only seeking her out once before yesterday. The first time I saw her was accidental. The second several months later, to check on her because I was curious about her life." I knew I sounded pathetic and defensive, unable to actually explain myself. I should never have gone on that walk, I should never have checked on her that day, should never have followed her. I winced at my own selfishness, but Rosalie did not seem to be upset with me. Instead she chuckled, softly and a bit playfully.
"You said as much before, and I believe you. But twice, wow, you really tried to keep away. You care that much about her mortal life?"
I nodded, her choice was very important to me. I did not want to rob her of her humanity without the option of having a normal human life. "I know the draw of our kind. I didn't want to seduce her and trick her into a choice. I was planning to wait until she was done with school and started her career before introducing myself, let things happen if we felt right together."
She shook her head with a smirk, "well that ship has sailed. You just saved her life, you should make your feelings known."
I shook my head in confusion. "I barely understand my feelings, how can I explain them to her?"
"You're gonna have to figure that one out yourself. Anyway the family's discussing you right now, but I have a feeling it will go your way." She said a bit more casually than was warranted, but at least she seemed confident that their vote would go my way.
"I'm not sure I share your confidence." I admitted, I hadn't made the greatest first impression.
"It isn't easy to start a new life and the beginning is always hard." She said with a touch of melancholy, because her own new path must've felt like an uphill battle.
"Alright, well, let's get back to your request." I said changing the subject again.
"When can we start?" She said steeling herself to start such a vague and terrifying thing such as conjuring a new power from deep inside her own psyche.
"Now would be fine. Shall we head inside?" She nodded and I led us into my main living room. I moved a large coffee table out of the way and set down two pillows, not that it would bother either of us to sit on the floor. I set up a small meditation table with a candle and a large crystal I had acquired a few centuries ago from an old mystic in London.
"What's all this?" She asked somewhat incredulously.
"Mood can be a factor. If we're doing this I want you to be as comfortable and focused as possible." She seemed to accept my answer and sat down across from me.
"Have you ever done this before?" I looked down at the candles, lighting them before looking up.
"Yes, once." I said through a small frown.
"How did it go?" Her question was more loaded than she realized.
"While successful it had some… consequences." How could I tell her about Paul, when so much of his gift was unpredictable. It wasn't the same no matter how volatile the process could be.
"Such as?" She pushed, and I sighed once.
"It drove him into madness and seclusion. I haven't spoken with him in centuries." The short version was scary enough, I had no desire to elaborate further.
"Lovely. Well, it is what it is. What do I need to do?" She was determined, so I nodded in kind.
"Okay, so this is the hardest part. You have to center yourself and bring your gift to the surface. You can do this by calming your mind, and focusing on your inner fire. It is the point of thirst that is central to your being. Try to look past the impulse, past the sensation and into the flame itself." I filled my voice with patience and understanding.
She immediately shook her head. "I'm not getting it."
"That's okay, keep trying." I said in an even and supportive tone of voice.
"I don't need to be patronized right now. It is not my fault that I don't understand your cryptic excuse for an explanation." She spoke icily and leveled a withering glare at me.
"Alright let's try a different approach. First close your eyes and think about the joy the blood fills you with as it reaches your throat. Hold onto that emotion, that sensation and try to feel it fully. Don't just let the surface of the euphoria touch you but push into the core of the pain and pleasure." She seemed to dwell on my words and their meaning for several minutes, and then she opened her mouth and let out a tiny moan of pleasure, followed quickly by a quiet scream of pain.
"I feel something searing and alien... Oh god, it's pulling me in!" She threw her head back and began to scream at full volume, her eyes flew open and the bright crimson of pure thirst flooded into her irises. "What have you done to me?!" Her words were feral and punctuated by heavy breathing. The appetite and uncontrolled impulses of a newborn filled her with irresistible thirst.
"Exactly what you asked me to do, now concentrate. You have already mastered this part of your life, toss that impulse aside like always do when you hunt, and focus on the center of the flame." She shook her head in pain and frustration at first, but slowly she closed her eyes and calmed her breathing. "Now wrap yourself around that foreign thing inside and pull it to the surface." For a long time, she struggled with her inner demon, trying to coax the beast to relinquish the prize of her latent gift, and then her eyes flew open, I felt a wave of dominance extend from her like a blanket of oppression. She stared at me for a second before I felt the full force of her will slam against me.
"I'm sorry, but I must know. Have you been truthful to me about your reason for being here and your intentions? Have you concealed anything that could endanger my family?" Her expression was clearly torn, upset that had to use her power in this way, but determined. I felt my mind relenting to her influence, but she continued. "Do you love her? Will you turn her against her will?" At first I instinctively pushed against her will, but as I listened to her words, I dropped my defenses. I could see her smile as she realized she had me.
"I'm utterly alone. My only coven died over a millennia ago. I came to this town partially in search of Carlisle, based on a rumor I had heard many years ago. I hoped to find someone who shared my values. I want to be loved, even though I am terrified to discover what that truly means. I am not entirely sure what I've done to Edward, and I don't know if he will recover. I would never betray your family intentionally, but I have lived a violent and destructive life and I don't know if I deserve to be accepted by your family." I shut my eyes as the last question pushed to the surface. "My feelings for her… I will never turn her against her will. I want her to be happy, over my own desire to be close to her because… Because she means more to me than my own life."
I shuddered and fell forward as I felt her unshakable power retreat from my mind. I began to gasp for air I didn't need, and laughed in spite of myself. Rosalie looked at me for a moment with sorrow and guilt, and then fell back in exhaustion as she passed into some kind of fugue state. I quickly moved around the makeshift altar and gathered her up. Without a second of hesitation I propelled myself outside and through the forest towards her home without thought or concern for my own safety.
Author's Notes:
While not completely re-written, a significant portion of this chapter has changed completely from my original draft. This was the consequence for what happened with Rosalie in the last chapter. Her entire personality and character arc has shifted, and I found that her interactions with Mason came across wrong the way as it was originally written. In that earlier version she was downright hostile and entitled. Her turn at the end was also painfully obvious. I think it works better here.
My hiatus was two-fold, one I had put out 145k words in less than five months and I was a bit burnt out. Two, I had a personal issue which has blocked me from actively writing for a while. This last week I have been pecking away at this chapter, hoping to get something completed. It took a lot longer than I hoped.
I do apologize for the delay, and I will go back to releasing at least a chapter a week. Let's set a weekly release day for Friday.
Please drop a comment, I would love to hear your thoughts on Rosalie's power and her conversation with Mason.
Next Chapter: It's All Fun and Games… - Angela
Thank you for reading!