THE SOUND OF AN UNFAMILIAR VEHICLE SPUTTERED to a full stop outside of the academy and Corey tensed slightly. There were three options at hand. The first: Madison had called for someone to pick her up. The second, slightly more likely option: Fiona had invited a gentleman caller to the facility while her daughter was away. Before the redhead could even weigh the likelihood of a third option, the front door to the academy swung open.
The stench of swamp water and decay wafted through the halls. It caused the redhead's face to contort in an unruly manner. She used the back of her hand to try and block out as much of the smell as she possibly could, but there was only so much that cinnamon and charred cedar could block out. Corey pushed away from her desk, her nose scrunching in disgust as she tried to keep herself from retching.
"What the actual fuck," she muttered. She craned her neck as she moved away from her desk and out into the hallway. She watched from afar as Madison swayed down the stairs. The actress tilted her head and crossed her arms over her chest as she took in the brunette who tried to sneak in after dark.
"Well," the blonde spoke with a surprised pout. She nodded slightly as she raised her brows at the other girl. "I didn't think you'd find your way back." Zoe crossed her arms over her middle. Her head hung as her eyes locked onto the toes of her shoes.
"Yeah," she groaned. Her nostrils flared slightly. "No help from you, obviously." Corey moved closer as she watched the brunette's jaw flex in anger. Sure, she was upset with what the two had done, but it didn't mean that she wouldn't intervene if it came down to it. Madison had the unfortunate habit of starting fights she couldn't finish.
"Thank you for abandoning me back there, by the way," Zoe scoffed. Her head lifted to lock eyes with the other witch. Corey stood taller, her gaze moving between both girls. She took in the tension between them, swallowing hard as a small grin crept across the blonde's face.
"I said I'd help you build-a-boy. I said nothing about helping you escape after taking too long to find your phone." The end of her sentence came with over-exaggerated air quotations as the blonde's hip jutted out to the side.
"And I did," Madison shrugged. Her hands fell to her sides. "It just didn't work." Her mouth popped as she shared a toothy grin. It faltered slightly, though, when she caught the older witch approaching from the corner of her eye.
Corey let out a light groan. The scent of menthol cigarettes and Chanel Nº5 finally snuffed out the scent of death and sewage, or at least smothered it to a palatable level. She cleared her throat, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked between the two girls once again.
"Nice of you to return before dinner," she spoke softly. The authority in her voice oozed from her tone. The meek brunette in front of her began to shrivel into herself again, her eyes growing wide. "I shouldn't have to warn you of the dangers that follow the ritual you completed," Corey's tongue jutted out as she turned her attention to the blonde.
"I know it wasn't your idea," she shifted her weight, looking back to Zoe. "And I know it's difficult to tell her no." Zoe nodded in confirmation, pursing her lips as she looked up at the redhead. Madison, on the other hand, stomped in frustration as she let out an audible groan.
"You say that as if—" She wasn't able to finish her sentence. Immediately, she was met with a look from the redhead that stopped her in her tracks. "Right," she cleared her throat, pursing her lips as she rocked back on her heels. "Well, uhm," the blonde looked around, trying to find anything to grab her attention and pull her away from the conversation at hand.
"Would you look at the time!" She took one step backwards, her eyes landing on the dining room down the hall where Spalding had been setting the table. She pointed in his direction, her brows arching upward. "It looks like dinner's just about ready. If you two would excuse me, I think I'll just head that way." She took off before anyone else could interject.
Corey sat at her desk, her feet up as she fiddled with a pen. An old Fleetwood Mac record played on vinyl in the background. The sunlight seeped through her office as she hummed along, tapping her foot as she stared at the open doors across from her. She had already watched Madison walk past her double doors in four different outfits that day, but it was the fifth one that caught her attention; a short blue cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline. The blonde followed behind Nan closely, an eagerness and calculation to her movements. Corey furrowed her brow, tilting her head in confusion.
"Maddie," she called out. She removed her feet from her desk as she sat up. She watched the blonde stopped in her tracks, a frame of a film frozen in time. Madison took a step towards the office, leaning against the doorframe.
"Yes?" The blonde spoke sharply with eyebrows raised. She shook her head, as if asking what do you want this time? They hadn't said a word to each other since the day before, even opting not to sit near one another at dinner. Madison had allowed Zoe take Corey's usual seat, forcing Corey to take Cordelia's.
"Hey, uhm, where you going in that?" Corey asked. She swallowed hard as she leaned forward against her desk, resting her face in the palm of her hand. There was an unspoken air between them, the tension more than enough for the redhead to tell that the girl was still angry with her. She could admit that she had been harsh, though she wouldn't dare to utter it as a fact. Nor would she say it to the other girl's face; not when she put herself in danger.
"Nan and I are just going to welcome our new neighbors to the neighborhood," Madison spoke with a shrug. A light smirk crept across her lips, a playful aura to the girl that Corey knew all too well. She kept her comments to herself on the matter, knowing that the blonde had eyed the boy-next-door a few days before. Silently, she hoped that it was an attempt to shake off the media. She was tired of answering their questions every time they stepped out together.
"Kid needs a chaperone," the blonde shrugged. She pursed her lips in an attempt to mask her excitement. She knew it'd hurt Corey, but maybe part of her wanted that. She swallowed the thought back, not wanting it to creep into her posture and attitude. She was just following the orders sent down from her management; find another beard or they'd assign one for her.
However, Madison Montgomery always got what she wanted, and right now that was mindless sex with a stranger. She wanted to hide from her emotions, her true feelings. She wanted to smother her hurt and pain with a pillow and suffocate it with the breathy pleading of more and right there and don't stop.
"I'm bringing a cake!" Nan called into the opposite doorway. She grinned as she pulled the dish closer to her face so that Corey could see it. Madison looked down at her feet, her smile disappearing as soon as she was out of sight. The realization washed over her in an instant. She had been working herself up and telling herself that this was something that she wanted when, in reality, it was a cover-up to protect what she truly cared about.
"Right," Corey looked between the two girls. Her gaze landed on Madison with a glare. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying her hardest to keep her emotions in check. She fought herself as her features attempted to soften at the other girl's demeanor.
Just as she thought Corey wasn't looking, the blonde reverted to her hurt, broken stature. Her lips pursed, eyes closed, head hung low as she steadied her breathing. Corey watched as the blonde took a deep breath, her shoulders straightening as she stood up tall. A mask washed over the blonde's face in a fraction of a second and 'playful' Madison was back.
"Just keep an eye on one another," the redhead sighed. Her gulp was audible as the record stopped— a reaction to how quickly Madison could pretend her feelings were anything but physically and emotionally painful. She wished that she could peek into the other girl's mind, reach out and get a glimpse of what she was thinking. Though she could, she remained at her desk, her feet planted against the floor. Corey had a nagging feeling she knew what Madison's true motives were, though she just couldn't believe why the girl wouldn't outright tell her what was going on.
Being around the mismatched parts of the men who had physically harmed her— along with how quickly Corey was to become upset over her little outing the day before and the images of the couple that circulated on the internet— caused the blonde to shut everyone else out. She couldn't trust herself to not completely unravel the second anyone she trusted offered her a shoulder. Though that would only leave two people: the one in front of her that she refused to have a real conversation with, and the other that left the academy that morning after having heard her cry to herself throughout the night.
"Don't scare them off. And remember the house rules." Corey let out a sigh as Nan nodded quickly, the grin on her face growing larger as the 'de facto'headmistress granted her permission. The redhead watched as Madison rolled her eyes, knowing that those rules had only applied to the blonde. She knew better than to bring her beards and 'conquests' home when they lived under the same roof.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," the blonde groaned. She kicked off the wall and turning away. "Can we go now?" She rolled her jaw, becoming impatient. They didn't even know if boy next door would be home, though Nan insisted that he would.
"Go," Corey shooed. She rolled her eyes at the blonde before looking back down at her desk in front of her, shaking her head. She listened as Madison's heels clicked against the tile flooring, sounding almost frantic as if this was her only chance to get away. The two girls hadn't said another word to the redhead. Instead, they opted to make a break for the door before they could be pulled back into the academy's halls.
"What do you expect to get with that stupid cake?" Madison asked Nan as the heavy wooden door swung shut behind them.
"I'm just being neighborly," Nan whined. She pulled the plate closer to her chest as they walked. She looked the blonde up and down from the corner of her eye, her nose turning upward in disgust. "What do you expect to get with that dress?" Madison scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Laid," she said simply, adjusting the hem of her dress. "He's gonna be my fall fling." Again, the playful smirk crept across her lips. Fall fling; flavor of the week; a cover to bury whatever her fan base had dug up about her real relationship. Whatever it was she didn't care, as long as she got what she wanted and could go back to pretending like she didn't have real, true feelings.
"Isn't that what you have Miss Corey for?" Nan's brow furrowed. She shook her head, trying to figure the other girl out. "Why didn't you just tell her the truth?"
"Miss Cor—" Madison let out a sharp laugh, throwing back her head. "What Corinna doesn't know won't kill her." She reached forward to ring the doorbell with a half-smile.
"That's not very nice, you know," Nan mumbled under her breath, waiting for the new neighbor to answer the door. "Besides, she'll figure it out sooner or later and it's better not to lie about it." She watched as Madison rolled her eyes again. The blonde's jaw flexed as she picked a spot above her on the wraparound porch to focus her attention on. When the neighbor's son answered the door, Nan couldn't keep the smile from taking over her features.
"Welcome to the neighborhood." The tall boy took a step forward, his brow slightly furrowed. "We're from next door. My name is Nan." The young girl leaned forward, smiling as she gripped the plate in her hands tighter. Madison stood tall, squaring her shoulders as she tilted her head slightly at the boy.
"Madison," she said simply. She looked at their new neighbor with a smile. The boy couldn't take his eyes off Nan, his gaze locked on the younger girl with the cake in her hands. Madison looked at him with utter confusion etched into her features.
"Thanks," the boy shoved his hands into his pockets for a moment as he smiled at the brunette. "I'm Luke." He pulled one hand from his pocket as he stepped aside. His tongue poked out to wet his lips as he pointed into the home, "Come in."
Madison walked in first, a polite nod in his direction as she stepped past him. Nan handed Luke the plate of cake as she walked in behind the actress. The boy closed the door behind him as the blonde lead the small group through the house. She looked around, taking in her surroundings with a nod and a soft smile as Luke spoke again.
"This looks amazing," he smiled down at the brunette for a moment before looking at the cake in his hands. "Homemade?" He asked. He was unable to tell that Madison was rolling her eyes in front of him as she let out a sigh.
"I bake," Nan responded with a smile. There was an extra pep in her step as she walked. Not only was Madison already seeing someone, but the cute boy from next door was interested in her instead of the movie star.
"The cake's just an excuse," Madison sighed. She leaned against the closest piece of furniture she could find, still delicately wrapped in plastic and blankets from the moving truck. "I saw you moving in. You looked pretty good without a shirt." She twirled a piece of her hair with her index finger as she watched Luke dig through boxes for some silverware and a knife to cut the cake.
She could feel that her game was off. The drive that she knew she should have normally felt to seduce the 'All American' boy immediately became nonexistent. "Made me interested in the rest of the package." Luke looked back at her confused, but Nan looked at him with a smile, adding in an awkward chuckle.
"Is this lemon?" He asked Nan as he returned to the cake. A small smirk peeked across the corners of his lips as he placed three plates on the dresser that Madison had been leaning on. Again, he ignored the blonde to give the younger witch all of his attention.
"It's yellow cake with butter frosting," The girl responded with a smirk, causing Madison to grit her teeth. Luke's face lit up as he turned to the young girl, her smirk quickly taking over her whole face. "I knew it'd be your favorite." Madison rolled her eyes at the interaction before her.
Of course, she thought. She let out a sigh in frustration. Nan using her clairvoyance to her advantage once again, as usual.
"It's the one thing I can't resist," Luke looked over at Nan with wide eyes. While he was bewildered that the young girl could guess what his favorite type of cake was, the actress was starting to piece the situation in front of her together.
"Wha—Are you seriously ignoring me for dessert?" Madison looked back and forth between the two, scoffing. She stomped her foot down. Her eyes narrowed at the boy as he quickly turned away, again searching the boxes that lined the walls.
"I get the feeling you're used to being the center of attention." Luke replied with a smirk as the blonde frowned at him. It was rare that she was ignored, and nine times out of ten it was solely because the person she pursued just wasn't on her radar. Unfortunately for her, Madison just wasn't picking up any signals from the boy, whether right or wrong ones. Nor was she even enjoying flirting with him in the first place. Sure, he was paying attention to Nan, but it was all just formalities.
"This is Madison Montgomery," Nan laughed, shaking her head. "She's famous." She tried to sway the boy's attention in the blonde's favor, watching how quickly her body language changed from calm and confident to something reminiscent of Zoe Benson. As Luke turned back around, Madison immediately pushed her feelings aside again. Her poise and demeanor changed at the flip of a switch.
"Well, we don't have TV... or Internet," Luke pulled out a large knife and returned his attention to the cake in front of him. Madison studied his body language as he spoke to Nan, taking in every detail.
"Oh, you must've heard of her girlfriend," Nan chirped. The actress' eyes quickly grew to the size of saucers as the words left the other girl's mouth. The brunette knew that the blonde wouldn't do anything to jeopardize outing their coven to the neighbors, or so she had hoped.
"Corey Luna, daughter of Stevie Nicks." The blonde's eyes moved between Nan and Luke quickly as the other girl looked at him with a smirk. He hummed for a moment, pressing the knife into the cake in front of him.
"The names are familiar, but I really couldn't tell you if I knew who either person was," Luke swiped his finger along the blade of the knife as he pulled it out of the cake. He quickly brought it up to his lips, licking the frosting off it. Madison stuck her tongue against the roof of her mouth when she heard Nan let out a chuckle to keep herself from rolling her eyes too dramatically. She looked up to find an older woman leaning against the doorframe, her head held high.
"Well, this is the welcoming committee." The woman, a redhead with her hair pulled back in a tight bun, crossed her arms over her chest. "And you brought baked goods," she stalked forward into the room, her eyes not leaving Madison.
"Aren't you darling?" She made an attempt to look intimidating as Madison held in her laugh. The blonde gave the older woman a slight smirk as she spoke, her I'm anxious and uncomfortable tick. "Well, we'd love to visit, but we're running late for church." She looked at Luke, placing a hand on his forearm as he continued to cut into the cake in front of him. "We'll take the cake to share."
"Church?" Madison looked between them for a moment, confused. "It's not even Sunday." She looked at Luke with a sideways smile.
"It's Bible study," he looked back at Madison with a slightly furrowed brow, talking with his hands as he shrugged. His mother stood next to him with her hands clasped in front of her.
"It's how we maintain our personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ," she glared at Madison once more. Nan smiled widely, the movie star was finally getting the attention she desired, though it was entirely negative. Madison let out a chuckle, leaning against the dresser in front of her with a smile as she turned to Luke.
"You know that's all a crock of shit, right?" She looked from Luke to his mother, a cocky smirk plastered on her face. The woman reminded her of her own mother, the vile blonde who had forced her into religious therapy for years. It put a foul taste in her mouth, immediately altering her mood. Nan's face fell, knowing that wherever this conversation led would get them kicked out.
"I mean, why wait for some phony happily-ever-after when you can have your piece now, I say." Nan's face contorted into a scowl. The actress already had everything she could ever want— fame, fortune, someone who loved her unconditionally and cared for her more than she knew— and yet here she was, still wanting more.
Madison picked up the knife that Luke had put down on the dresser and ran her finger across it, preparing to slide it through the cake. Her goal quickly shifted, now wanting to unload everything she had never said to her mother on the stranger before her. She hesitated, holding back the venom in her voice.
"What about you, Luke?" She asked with a half-smile. There was a playful look in her eyes as she slowly moved to cut another slice. Madison felt the older woman's hand on her wrist before she could see it. As she looked down, her emotions quickly switched from shock to panic.
Finally, she landed on anger as her eyes shot up, glaring at Luke's mother. She was no longer mentally in the home of her neighbors. Instead, she was reminded of her own mother. Of every time the woman had laid a hand on her in anger or resentment. She let go of the knife, intending for it to clatter against the dresser underneath her. Instead, it flew across the room and wedged itself into the plaster of the wall. She swallowed hard, the panic once again taking over her features.
"I forbid you to talk to my son or to set foot in this house again," Luke's mother's tone wavered, the fear evident in her voice. Madison's gaze flicked to her hands as she fidgeted anxiously.
"I didn't say anything!" Nan quickly made an attempt to defend herself. She physically leaned into the conversation that unfolded in front of her.
"Both of you! Get out of my house!" Madison turned away before the woman could say another word. She was angry, both at herself for letting her emotions take over and at the situation as a whole. "We'll pray for you." She ignored the older woman as she made her way to the front door. She just wanted to return to the walls of the academy in peace.
Her eyes locked on the woman's curtains as she walked out. As her angry gaze narrowed, the two sets of curtains near the door caught fire. She wasn't sure what had triggered it, but again her panic took over her face. Her breathing caught in her throat as she hesitated to move further towards the door.
"I didn't know you could do that," Nan spoke frantically. Her hands waved as she tried to usher the actress towards their only exit.
"Neither did I until now," Madison's voice cracked as she spoke. Her pace picked up as she moved to grab the doorknob in front of her.