THE HUMIDITY IN THE GREENHOUSE made the air thick. Corey's black silk button down top clung to her skin as she spun the pestle between her fingers. She had been working for hours on end to mix something that she was sure Madison would be able to ingest. For the last week it had been failed attempt after failed attempt on any functional restorative.
Something in her calculations had been off. Each concoction managed to do less and less over time. Madison remained the same, growing more impatient as the trials persisted. Still, Corey worked from sun up to sun down. Madison's voice echoed in her mind as she mashed potential ingredients together.
"Just find me something that makes me not look like Marilyn Manson anymore." The door to the greenhouse creaked open. It was only faintly audible over the 70s rock music that blared through the greenhouse's radio speakers. Corey chuckled to herself, her head shaking slightly as she continued to focus on the work in front of her.
"Maddie, I know it's unnerving, but you gotta stop sneaking in here." She ground the pestle down with more force, pulverizing the mixture in front of her into a liquid. "I told you I'd bring it to you when it's done." She tilted the bowl, pouring the liquid into a vial for both quick transport and easy consumption. The redhead finally turned towards the door with a smile. She only managed to look half-way over her shoulder before the smell hit her nostrils.
Cuban cigars. Axe body spray. Cheap bourbon. Her body tensed as she locked eyes with the man who leaned against the doorway. Felix stood with his arms crossed over his chest. His aviator sunglasses perched atop the brim of his nose as the toothpick he'd been chewing on bobbed up and down at the corner of his lips. Corey could see the dark stubble that crept across his face, the toothpick catching in it every so often.
"So this is where the little bird has been hiding," his voice carried across the room as he watched Corey's smile fall from her face. "It's nice," he nodded. He took a single step into the greenhouse. The sole of his boot let out a pulsating echo as it connected with concrete. "Not the quaint and cozy nest I was expecting, but…" He paused. His lips turned downward in a pout as he tilted his head back and forth, judging the witch's chosen surroundings. "I'm sure it'll grow on me."
"How did you find me?" The redhead groaned. She had enjoyed her silence while she had it, though she knew it couldn't have lasted. Her instinct was to squirm uncomfortably from his gaze but she fought against it.
"I paid a visit to your little producer friend." She could hear the chuckle that bubbled up in his throat. She sniffled, quickly crossing her arms over her chest. Of course he had harassed Jack. He was the only person— outside of Stevie, Madison, and the coven— that Corey talked to consistently.
"What do you want, Felix?" She spat. She leaned against the table behind her, frustrated over her manager's sudden appearance. Her tongue ran against her top teeth as she watched the older man continue to move into her space.
"You haven't been answering your phone, kid," he said. His shoulders bobbed upward in a shrug as his arms dropped to his sides. He swayed back and forth with each step. It was an intoxicated swagger, though the man was clearly sober.
"And with reason," Corey rolled her eyes. She didn't have to explain herself to Felix, especially with her situation being as unbelievable as it was. "I'm allowed to turn off my phone every once in a while, you know." She watched as he grew defensive, his nostrils flaring out in anger ever so slightly. She wondered, for a moment, if she should have turned her phone on after bringing Madison back. She shook off the thought as Felix spoke again, his voice angry and commanding.
"Do you have any idea about the mess we've had to clean up while you've been here playing house?" He let his fingertips drag against the butcher block table in the center of the room. He was slightly tempted to knock over the potted plant that sat dangerously close to the edge. Corey rolled her jaw in response. Her mind locked on the final phrase, 'playing house'. It was a reminder that Felix was more like Fiona than she had realized.
"Alexis Hedge and I have had to jump through hoops to hide the information that leaked from a so-called trusted source." Corey blinked rapidly. The confusion quickly took over as she tried to understand what was going on. "This time proved to be completely unsuccessful." Felix stood so that the redhead was no longer facing the door or the wall to wall windows. It was an attempt to keep all of her attention on him, as well as an intimidation tactic. It forced her to keep her back towards the door, which in itself made her anxious. She couldn't help but feel like there was someone behind her, though she wouldn't dare turn around.
"No one could get a hold of you or that fucking Montgomery girl. Your silence has been the only answer anyone has needed." The redhead's tongue ran across her lower lip. Her heartrate quickened as her eyes scanned the floor near her feet. What could have been so damning that her manager came looking for her? And would Madison's manager be following in suit?
"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about," she looked up from the floor. Her head tilted at the older man as he stopped a few feet in front of her. The stench that wafted from him was potent. Corey watched as the anger flashed from deep within his blue eyes.
"You have been so sloppy in covering your tracks. So distracted by a bitch in heels that you've forgotten how to stay hidden and who to keep close." Corey let out a dry laugh. Her gaze shifted towards the ceiling. "I told you the moment you two met that this was a disaster waiting to happen. It's almost as if you want to destroy both of your careers."
It was the same conversation they always had about Madison. The same 'get rid of her or we're finished here' threats that always led to nothing in the end. Corey looked back at Felix with a bored expression. She was tired of playing his games, but she was afraid that she wouldn't get picked up by another management team if he dropped her.
"Samuel Anderson sold photos of you and that slut to any tabloid that would take them." Her mouth hung open at the derogatory remark that left his lips. Sam didn't have any solid evidence outside of 'friendly' hand holding or a brief hug. At least, that's what Corey had always thought. "Everyone knows, Corinna."
"Don't call me that," her jaw clenched. She hated hearing her full first name come from anyone's mouth that wasn't someone close to her. She was tired of the way Felix talked about Madison. Tired of the slurs he threw around when he thought no one was listening. Most of all, she was tired of the way he treated their relationship. Immediately, her nostrils flared.
"No one knows shit. Everything has been speculation for years. There's no leg for the rumors to stand on. It's mindless gossip; always has been, always will be." She didn't move. Instead, she watched as Felix slowly pulled the rolled up tabloid magazine from his back pocket. Her eyes followed the waxy pages as he took a step closer. He jabbed the magazine in her direction, forcing it to crumple against her slightly. Corey unfolded her arms as she took the magazine in her hands, her brow furrowed in confusion. As she unrolled it, a collage of images stared back at her.
Madison sitting in her lap, drunk, with a hand up Corey's shirt.
The redhead pressing Madison against a wall in her greenroom on tour.
Corey and Madison kissing in the kitchen of their own apartment.
Madison sitting in Corey's lap in the studio, her arms draped around the redhead's neck.
Madison, drunk and kissing Corey at a concert when she thought no one could see them in the dark.
A statement from Sam, reiterating what he had told the world when he was kicked from the band. "They're inseparable. I don't know why they won't just admit that they're together and drop their lousy beards. It'd save everyone the trouble of having to cover for them so often. I swear, more of what we do on tour is covering for Corey and Madison instead of actually performing."
Corey and Madison following Stevie backstage, hand in hand.
The girls walking together, giggly, as they weaved in and out of abandoned theme park rides.
Corey practically carrying Madison back into the academy the night that she was assaulted.
The witches with their arms snaked around one another at the LaLaurie mansion.
Corey watching Madison with pure adoration as she signed autographs.
The girls holding each other at the roller rink, their lips almost touching.
A statement from the star struck employee at the roller rink's concession stand. "They seemed very close, definitely more than friends from what I could tell."
A blurry photo of the girl's shadows through Corey's bedroom window, which overlooked the front yard of the academy and faced the street.
Corey wanted to vomit. She shook violently at the evidence in her grasp. It mocked her. They had been so careful and yet, somehow— even in the privacy of their own home, with people they thought they could trust— they were always one moment away from the world knowing their biggest secret. She didn't have a care in the world if everyone knew that she was gay. She did, however, care about Madison and how it would affect her.
The blonde always cared so much about what people thought. Her sober mind was focused on how their relationship would be perceived from the outside: how people would react; what would be said about her; what her homophobic parents would say to the public; how her fans would feel if they found out they'd been lied to; what names she would be called; whether or not the industry would blacklist her; how the community would react if they had ever found out. She consistently struggled with her own identity, both her bisexuality and her lineage. She never truly felt like she could let the world in either way.
"You had one job." Corey's eyes remained on the magazine in her hands as she spoke through her teeth. "One single fucking job. To make sure Sam couldn't ever put her in danger." She clenched her fists as her jaw rolled. The waxy paper crinkled loudly as the binding began to tear under her grasp. Her anxiousness had become anger; a burning ball of hate in the pits of her stomach for the man that had unintentionally put a target on the back of the girl that she loved.
In the time that Madison had been dead, the entire world learned about the relationship that they'd been hiding for years. The metaphorical curtain that they had put up to protect the actress was wrapped around their feet, their potential downfall imminent.
"We're done here," she slammed the crumpled, tattered magazine against Felix's chest. "My legal team will be in contact with you to end my contract." She scrunched her nose, a quick 'get fucked' smirk flashing across her lips as she took a single step back. Felix tried to open his mouth to respond, but couldn't manage to get the words out. He was frozen, though he couldn't tell if it was from shock or something else.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to call my producer and rerecord my album. There's no point in using the wrong pronouns if the whole world knows it's a red herring." She let her arms extend outward, shrugging slightly. As she continued to walk backwards towards the door, she grabbed the glass vial that the restorative mixture rested in. She wouldn't turn her back on the man until she was a safe distance away.
Corey made her way back into the academy through a side door. It was close to the greenhouse but otherwise hidden out of sight from the yard. She ran a shaky hand through her hair as she continued upstairs. She had no idea what she was going to tell Madison. She hoped, for the blonde's sake, that the public reaction to their relationship was a positive one. It would make everything much easier on Corey's end if the couple didn't have to worry about needing to dole out damage control within their separate online communities.
"You've been wondering if it was worth the trouble. And I've been wondering that same thing." The blonde's voice echoed through the hallway as Corey peered into her bedroom. She furrowed her brow, her head tilted slightly as she watched Ophelia's ears perk up from the cat's spot in the center of the bed. Corey followed the sound of the blonde's voice to Madison and Zoe's room. She was confused, both wondering who the girl had been speaking to and why she'd left the bedroom to begin with.
Corey froze in the threshold as she nudged the pearl colored door open. Her breath caught in her throat. Her grip on the vial slipped and the sound of shattering glass echoed through the otherwise quiet hall. Before her, Madison and Kyle sat with lips connected. The blonde was caught off guard, her hands up in surrender. Kyle's hands held her dull grey toned cheeks as he kept her lips pressed against his own. Corey's jaw trembled as her mouth opened and closed, unable to protest. Her feet remained glued to the floor, keeping her from willing herself away.
The girl she consistently fought so hard for was sitting against her own twin sized mattress, her lips locked with someone who wasn't her girlfriend. Her girlfriend that had written who knows how many albums for her; that had just fired her manager for her; that had brought her back from the dead. As Madison finally managed to push away from Kyle's death-grip against her cheeks, Corey's feet broke free. She took off down the hall as quickly as she could.