Saoirse

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 23:35:42 GMT

Saoirse’s shriek echoes through the house.

Her hair. Her hair is ruined. This is all their fault. Cat, Cate, and Catee: they’d told her that she wouldn’t look good with blonde hair. She’s the wrong complexion, they’d said, and Saoirse had thought no way. So after school, she’d grabbed a box of bleach and a box of blonde dye and locked herself in the bathroom with them.

She’d never done it before, but she’d figured it would be easy enough, right? The box comes with instructions, and gloves, and she’d thought, it’ll be fine. She popped a plastic showercap on once the bleach was in and listened to music and painted her toenails while she waited.

Twenty minutes later, she’d rinsed it off, toweled it with a white towel — so she didn’t bleach the towel, see? — and looked in the mirror.

And screamed.

It isn’t that the bleach has burned her hair off like she’s seen on some suddengram videos. But it didn’t turn it the color the box said it should turn, either. No no. It’s gone and turned her hair green. Her beautiful, sleek black hair… Practically Grinch-green, and Saoirse’s going to be the laughingstock of Brynmor if she goes back looking like this!

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Sun, 30 Aug 2020 17:27:32 GMT

Museums are cool. Saoirse doesn't care what most of her school friends say. They're interesting! They have all sorts of artifacts that tell stories from all over. Some of them are about pirates, which are an especially personal obsession of hers, lately, and some of them are about other things, like the first electronics, and such.

Which is why she's here, today. Regan had wanted to get some research done on the beginnings of technology and its rise, to see if it gives her any insight on her drones she's been working on. She'd given Saoirse a wristband and some cash, and told her to text if she needs anything, and they'd gone their separate ways. So Saoirse is not sitting in front of a lighthouse display, looking at all of the information on it, and wondering about her family — her outside-of-Darrow family: Dad, and Ben, and Granny. She wonders about the sea around it, and if the seals there miss her.

It's silly, but she does miss them sometimes.

She pulls out her phone and takes a picture of the display. Maybe she can save the picture, and if Ben ever comes, she can show him, and show him that she's been thinking of him.

When she pulls her phone closer again, she blinks and looks at it. There's a woman on the other side of the display, and she grins. She knows that lady! She closes her phone and runs round to the other side.

"Julia! Hullo!"

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for daine

Wed, 20 May 2020 00:01:35 GMT

Daine is easily one of Saoirse's favorite people in the city. Having her come back to the city had been a pleasant surprise, and she'd latched onto her every free chance she had after her return — not always easy, considering that Saoirse has school and footie practice, and Daine has her own life, too. So when Daine offers to take Saoirse to the beach, to let Greta do whatever child-free things she'd like or need to do, Saoirse jumps at the chance.

It's been getting progressively warmer, bit by bit, and Saoirse can feel the familiar pull that tells her it's time to go to the sea again. She's gone over the course of the winter and early spring, of course, but only for brief excursions. Today, she's hoping she can be out for awhile.

"Are you gonna come into the water with me?" she asks as they make their way down the sand. "Nobody else really can. Not when it's cold, anyway. When it's warmer, it'll be easier, 'cause then they can just do a little paddle with me."

She's wearing a bathing suit, mostly out of habit, since her clothes seem to go with her when she becomes a seal. She shucks her shorts and trainers, and drops her bag onto the sand next to them — inside, she has a jumper in case she gets cold, and some sunscreen that Greta insists she wear, just to be extra safe.

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Mon, 28 Oct 2019 14:25:30 GMT

Her birthday doesn't sneak up on them, but for a moment, it sort of feels like it had. It's on a Wednesday, this year, and Halloween is the very next day, and some keen foresight on Greta's part ensured that Saoirse's birthday party fell on Saturday, which meant the first weekend of November.

It's chilly outside, so the bulk of the fun happens in the house. She has a few kids from school over, and has invited Luke, Daine, Rapunzel, Magnus, and a few other teens and adults that she's especially close to. She doesn't tell them to bring her presents. Just having them around her will be enough for her. She loves her friends so much, after all, that her hand-written invitations tell them to bring whatever and whoever they want, because she just wants them to be happy and have fun.

Cu and Sadie are wearing fun Halloween themed bows on their collars, and Saoirse is wearing a Halloween themed skirt over striped leggings and a PUMA Squad! top with conveniently matching colors — though her socks and headband in shocks of magenta and blue indicate that she doesn't much care about matching.

The house has some few decorations left up. Streamers, a banner, and flowers interrupt the baffles hanging from doorways. The house smells fresh with cake and cupcakes, and there's a small banquet table set up with a bowl of punch and some snacks.

It's simple, but perfect.

[ Birthday gathering! Tag in, tag around, have fun! If you know Regan, Greta or Saoirse, assume your pup has been invited. If you know one of the above-mentioned, assume you've been invited. If you hear tell of a kid's birthday party, assume you've been invited! Timed to November 2nd, pretty much all day, at their cottage in the countryside. Bring a present or don't! Saoirse means it when she says she just wants you there. Open for forever! ]

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Sun, 01 Sep 2019 23:20:29 GMT

The beach is the perfect place to go as a teenager. There are lots of cute boys playing frisbee and volleyball, and the sun and sand are perfect. She's got one of Regan's bathing suits on, because naturally she wouldn't fit into any of hers, and her hair is in a braid down her back. She'd invited Luke, to get him out and about and hopefully break the weird funk that learning he's supposed to be much younger had put him in.

The pull of the sea is dull, today, probably since she's so close to it. There are seals on the rocks off to the far end of the beach, watching her, and she's certain she'll end up over there before long. For now, she's at the surf, a straight shot from their towels and the bag of beach things she'd brought along. Cu is with them, trying to entice play, and she laughs when a wave splashes up against his thick fur, making him shake hard.

Wet sand and saltwater sprays everywhere.

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Fri, 30 Aug 2019 11:50:15 GMT

Aug 11th, 2019

Saoirse's not allowed to go anywhere alone for awhile, and Cu doesn't count as a babysitter. Greta has to work, and Regan has prior engagements (and anyway, it's not her job to watch Saoirse just because she lives with them), so Greta had contact Martin, and asked if he'd like to sit for a bit with her.

Saoirse likes Martin. He's pretty, in the way that boys can be pretty and handsome at the same time, and his voice is small and reminds her of the mice that live in the little wooden homes that Thomas had made before last winter. She feels like he could be her little brother, if he weren't a grownup.

She wonders if Darrow will make him small, the way it made Regan big for a time.

When Martin comes along, she opens the door. It works two ways, because Greta is just reaching the door to leave. She greets him on her way out, tells Saoirse to behave, and heads off to work with Saoirse's 'love you!' still trailing behind her. By that point, Cu and Sadie are both nosing at him, and she giggles at the way they're crowding them against the door.

"Cu! Sadie, stop it!" She's laughing, but Cu knows better than to disobey, so he woofs and leads Sadie aside. "Can we go to the beach?" she asks immediately after. She's wearing beach attire already, a swimsuit with pink denim shorts, flip flops, and a sunhat, even though she's still inside.

She'd prepared for this.

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Mon, 15 Jul 2019 11:16:35 GMT

Saoirse wakes with a long stretch and a quiet groan. Then she wrinkles her nose. Her underwear is too tight. She reaches down to try to adjust it, but it rips a little from the strain. Her eyes shoot wide at the sound. She sits bolt upright and looks down at herself. Her night gown is short and tight on her body. Her underwear is digging into her skin. Her ankles are hanging partly off the bed.

"Mum!"

She rolls out of bed and grabs a blanket to wrap around herself.

"Mum!" she calls again, more urgently. She stomps through the house, her hair a wild mane. Cu groans curiously at her, then wines, and she makes her way downstairs.

"Mum! Someone's magicked all my stuff smaller!"

At sixteen, she's no stranger to magic, and all the various ways it can bugger with someone's life. She's lucky to have someone like Greta here, actually, who has a healthy respect — nay, fear — of most things magic.

She stops in front of her now, righteous indignation in her lanky limbs and expressive eyebrows, demanding some sort of recompense.

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Fri, 01 Feb 2019 15:59:23 GMT

It's so cold outside that Brynmor actually closes for the day. Saoirse doesn't know if any other schools have done the same, but Brynmor is smaller, and probably the teachers all wanted to be home and warm in bed instead of having to drive in it.

The upshot is that Saoirse gets to play outside a bit. When she dares, at least.

There's been a family of mice that lives close to the woodpile. Back before winter, Thomas and she had made a cute little house for them, out of pieces of firewood and dried coconut shells from one of Greta's more adventurous Bake-Off practice runs. Saoirse likes to visit them before and after school, and she makes sure the dogs leave them alone. Sometimes, she talks to them, and she'll bring out fresh lint clumps from the dryer for them to snuggle into.

But it's too cold right now. What if they die?

So she grabs a shoebox from her closet, and she lines it with an old nightgown she can't fit into anymore. Then she puts some birdseed into it, and small bits of cheese, and she carries it outside to the mouse family.

It's surprisingly easy to coax them into the box. Maybe that's Daine's doing, or maybe they're just used to her, now, and not afraid. She doesn't really know. But she's sliding the cover on and carrying them all into the house within a few minutes — which is good, because her ears are starting to hurt with the cold, so she can only imagine how the mice must feel!

She brings the shoebox into the house, then up into her room. She has to shut the door, because Cu and Sadie won't stop trying to sniff at it. She shushes them when Cu digs at the space between the door and the floor, and she brings the box to her bed to sit with them for a bit. The outside of the box is cold, so she makes a nest in her blankets and nestles it inside.

"There," she tells them in a soft voice. "This should be better."

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Wed, 16 Jan 2019 18:07:21 GMT

Greta leaves out offerings for Sweeney all the time, and Saoirse has never actually seen him accept them. She's started to wonder if maybe he takes them at all, or if perhaps any of the wild animals end up eating them overnight.

So she resolves to find out. She sets an alarm on her phone for well after Greta and Thomas are meant to be asleep. When it goes off beneath her pillow, she almost forgets why it's set, and fusses a little.

Then she gasps and rolls out of bed. She'd nearly forgotten about the offering!

She pads down to the kitchen and peeks at the window. It's still there, good.

Carefully, Saoirse drags a kitchen table chair to the counter closest to the window, and she climbs up onto it. She sits on the counter beside the window, sort of hiding from view. If Sweeney really is taking it, she wants to see it in action. She wants to know if he does it by magic, or if he just walks up and eats it. She wants to know how it works: does he leave magic behind that gives them luck, or does that come later?

She wants to know so much!

So she sits and waits.

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Fri, 19 Oct 2018 12:48:52 GMT

They're in the kitchen, because they're always in the kitchen, now, unless it's bedtime. Greta is getting ready for that show she's in, which is exciting! But it also means that cuddles on the couch are seriously reduced.

But it does mean that Saoirse is learning a lot about baking, which she doesn't mind. She likes that she has something to talk to her about.

But now, Saoirse has something different to discuss. Something very important.

"Mum? Would you ever get married?" She's trying to be subtle, but she's not very good at it.

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Thu, 16 Aug 2018 21:50:58 GMT

dated: October 14, 2018

Saoirse has grown very fond of Thomas, now that he's around much more. She'd already liked him, but for reasons that didn't directly relate to herself: she liked the smile he put on Greta's face, and the way he looked at Greta when he thought no one was looking. She liked the way he talked, and how he never seemed to be cross about anything. She even sort of liked the sadness hiding deep in his eyes, because it reminded her of her dad.

But now that he's living with them, she likes him in new ways. She likes the way his hair gets extra curly after he's slept on it, and the quiet padding of his feet when he walks through the house. She likes how he doesn't treat her like a child. Just like Greta, he talks to her like she understands the deeper meaning behind his words. She also likes the way Cu and Sadie like him, because dogs know about these sorts of things, in ways that even a selkie can't.

But most of all, she likes how his being there makes her feel like she has a dad again. Greta is a great mum, but she can't be both a mum and a dad, just like Dad hadn't been able to be a dad and a mum. Thomas brings something into the house that Saoirse hadn't fully realized was missing until it's suddenly there.

Saoirse is sitting in the shop with him one day, while Greta is at work and her usual sitter is busy. She likes watching him work, she decides. She likes so very much about him.

"Thomas," she says, a bit tentatively, like she doesn't want to upset him. "When you and Mum get married—" because, surely, it was a matter of when, at this point, "—can I start calling you 'Dad'?"

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Tue, 22 May 2018 12:42:21 GMT

May 26th

It's a beautiful day, and the beach is windy, but not cold. Saoirse's been feeling a strange pull, stronger than usual, and daily, she's been bugging Greta to bring her to the beach to try to sate it.

It's finally paid off, possibly because even Cu and Sadie are being affected by Saoirse's ceaseless, impatient energy. But here they are, and Saoirse is wearing a swim suit under her clothes, and she's running around barefoot in the sun-warmed sand.

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Wed, 11 Apr 2018 17:25:55 GMT

There's a toy store in the mall that has a play center in it. It's something that Saoirse loves to visit, and since winter doesn't want to let go, it's especially good to visit. It isn't very large, but it's certainly big enough. There's a slide, and a climbing gym with tunnels in it that reminds her of a big plastic anthill.

The flooring in this corner is rubberized, so it doesn't hurt as much to land on, and painted green — to look like grass, she thinks, although it doesn't, really.

Saoirse had managed to convey to Gabriel that she wanted to go there today. She has a little money to buy a toy or book with, but she mostly just wants to play in the climbing gym. She giggles her silent giggle when she notices her hair starting to stand out in every direction, from the static electricity. She probably looks very funny!

She runs up to Gabriel, careful not to shock him, and points at her hair. They should take a picture for Greta!

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Thu, 25 Jan 2018 10:21:17 GMT

Power swap plot

Saoirse had gone to school that morning feeling unstoppable. She'd wished Greta a good day, and said she'd miss her.

She'd said. She'd spoken. It's still such fun that Saoirse can speak without her coat. It feels like Darrow is treating her for being well-behaved, or something. It must be! She's been a good girl, so here's her voice, no coat necessary.

Until she'd gone to school. Some of the children accused her of lying about not being able to speak. They'd been very mean about it, and very soon, most of the children had started in, until she'd had to go sit in the nurse's room for the rest of the day because she'd been deemed 'too disruptive' by the teacher.

When she comes home that afternoon, her feet are heavy, her head and shoulders drooped. Cu rushes to greet her, but slows to a stop and licks her tear-stained face. Saoirse just gently pushes his snout away.

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Wed, 03 Jan 2018 16:21:19 GMT

Saoirse's first day of school as a speaking child hadn't been as easy or exciting as she'd hoped. Her classmates had accused her of faking her muteness all along, and she hadn't been sure how to prove them wrong, since she could speak. She'd been a little weepy when she'd gotten home that day.

The next few days had been easier, at least. She misses playing her shell. She can't make the beautiful notes come out anymore. A bit dejectedly, she'd asked Greta if they could go to the sea after school. It might help her feel better.

She would be lying if she said she didn't wish it were just her and Cu, though. She feels bad that Greta can't make her feel better. Perhaps, if she were to see even one seal, she might perk up.

She sees more than one. But they're not coming to see her like they always did. Instead, they're curiously watching a lady further down the beach. She's pretty, Saoirse recognizes that about her right away. But it's the fact that the seals are lingering near her that really has her attention.

"Greta! Look!"

She's still getting used to the loudness of her own voice.

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Thu, 02 Nov 2017 00:41:39 GMT

dated: tbd

Getting things organized and ready had been Greta's job, but Saoirse had tried to make sure she helped, by not being a nuisance. She wrote more letters, little things, thanking Greta or encouraging her.

Picking out the bed had been fun. It's not as extravagant as the bed she has at Green Gardens, but it's hers, and it's big enough for her to grow into. And it's going to go just where she'd wanted it the first time she'd visited and shown Greta the lay of the room — even if, at the time, Greta hadn't realized what she'd been doing. Sometimes grownups were so focused on one thing that they forgot about other things.

She leads the way up the stairs for the mattress delivery men. Cu follows, paws loud on the stairs. They've brought the frame as well, which is good, because Saoirse doesn't want her bed on the floor. She's not afraid of monsters under it with Cu and everyone else she has to protect her.

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Mon, 09 Oct 2017 16:30:25 GMT

The idea came to her suddenly several weeks ago, but it's lingered ever since, and it's always on her mind. So, one day after she's settled in at the Gardens, Saoirse pulls a piece of pretty, pink-flowered stationary onto her desk and grabs her pen.

"Dear Greta,

You have been a lovely person since I've met you. You helped me when I broke my wrist, and you are always cheerful even when you are sad. You are a lovely cook and a fun person to be around. I love seeing you at Green Gardens.

Sometimes I get sad when I think that my brother and my dad are not here. Sometimes I get sad when I think that you are here without your family too. But we are here together, and maybe that is why we came here alone, so we could find each other and be happy.

I just want to say thank-you for being my friend, and I love you."

She reads over the letter carefully. Some of the words are misspelled, but she'd tried to keep it neat and tidy on the paper. She smiles when she's satisfied with it, and signs her name at the bottom. Then she folds it up and slides it into an envelope with Greta's name on it. She'll give it to her the next time she sees her, she resolves.

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Tue, 27 Jun 2017 10:41:06 GMT

Saoirse is small, but she likes to wander a lot, and it's easier now that she has Cu. He doesn't need a leash to stay with her, but she's learned that people like it better if she has one in her hand. One of the caretakers from Green Gardens is close behind her, making sure she stays safe. She doesn't mind so much. Baz and Simon know that she can take care of herself, for the most part, and that Cu will keep her safe, so the caretaker is kind and attentive, but keeps her distance.

She finds the shop by accident, and only stops because there's a clockwork seal in the window. She perks when she sees it, and she reaches up to tug the door open. It's heavier than she'd hoped, but with some effort, and a little help from Cu's heavy frame, she gets it open and steps inside with him. He stays close beside her, careful not to bump into anything despite how fluffy he is.

There's a clerk behind the counter where she can buy things, and all over are fun little trinkets that she can imagine Greta, Baz, or Magnus might like.

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Sat, 01 Apr 2017 14:23:15 GMT

Saoirse likes stories. She likes listening to Ben tell her all the stories their mum used to tell him, before she was born. She likes listening to Baz or Magnus tell her things, too. In her new room at Green Gardens, she has a few books, and there's a beautiful library with even more books she could read, if she wanted to.

Except she's not a good reader, not like Ben. Ben's nine, so he's a much better reader than Saoirse. All she can read is small sentences, like 'My name is Saoirse' and 'This is my dog Cu' and 'I can't talk'. She can read other bits of words, sometimes, but picking words she knows out of book pages is hard, and leaves her feeling very small and stupid.

Just like the kids at school tell her.

She doesn't like the kids at school.

She's sitting in the library, now, with Cu curled up under her legs where she sits in one of the chairs. Even though the chair is normal sized, Saoirse is sitting at the edge, and Cu is sitting right under her legs, and he looks like a giant, fluffy foot rest. She wiggles her ankles now and then and he makes happy little sounds in his sleep.

She has a book in her lap, a little kid's book. She can read most of the words in it! But it's mostly just got pictures to help her figure out the words she can't say.

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Fri, 17 Feb 2017 17:36:34 GMT

"Those stories that Mum told me," Ben says as he ties Cu's broken leash around Saoirse's waist. She frowns at it, but he continues, "Are you really a . . . selkie?" She looks at him steadily with a small smile on her face. His eyes widen and he pales a bit. "Oh, Geney Mackerel," he says. Saoirse looks down at her shell and kicks her feet a little happily.

They ride the bus for a time, but soon enough, Saoirse grows bored. She begins to idly play her shell. At first, it's not to any tune in particular, but as always, the same one comes out, and the pretty little faerie lights appear in the window of the bus. She's not entirely sure why, or how, but Saoirse knows she can trust these lights. And she knows they're leading her back to her coat.

Without hesitation, she makes her way to the emergency exit door. The red and white bar handle is vibrant, but before she can push it, Ben shoves her back.

"What are you doing? We're on the bus!" He steps back towards the seat and retracts the leash connecting them a little. "I'm getting us home!" he insists.

Saoirse glares up at him. The lights are leading off into a field, now. The bus is going the wrong way!

She shoves her shoulder into the bar. It depresses, and the driver jams his foot onto the brake. The door flies open. Saoirse tumbles out, shell and all. She feels give, as if the leash has broken. The impact with the ground is jarring, but the fall isn't far, and the bus hadn't been going very fast. All the same, it takes her a moment to orient herself. She sits up, hugging her shell close.

There's no bus. There's no pleasant Irish countryside.

There's no Ben.

Cu's leash is still tied around her waist. She can see the leash handle on the ground in front of her. It's half-hidden in the snow.

Snow! Saoirse is suddenly aware that it's cold here — winter time, she thinks, though there's only a little snow on the ground. Her sweater and dress aren't doing much to keep her warm, and her toes are already starting to go numb. She pushes herself to her feet to look around, and stamps in place to try to warm up. She has no idea where she is. This isn't where the bus stopped. This isn't Granny's city. This isn't the lighthouse.

Nervously, she pulls her shell close and plays the tune that thrums inside of her. The saoilse — the faerie lights — dance up around her, and that's reassuring, but they don't go anywhere. They don't attract any scary owls, but they don't lead her to her key, or her coat, like they had before. She lowers the shell and sneezes, then starts walking. She should at least find someone, some grownup, to help her.

It isn't long before her cheeks and nose feel numb, too. The plastic leash box clatters against the ground behind her as she walks, like a noisy tail. To take her mind off of the cold, Saoirse lifts her shell to her lips and plays a wavering tune. The saoilse dance up around her once more, but only hover around her as she walks. It's still reassuring, at least. She looks around as she walks. There's a grownup, just coming out of a building.

The saoilse begin to float over towards him. Saoirse perks. Maybe he has her coat!

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[ backdated ]

Tue, 07 Jun 2016 13:43:46 GMT

dated Thurs, June 2, 2016

Saoirse has been big for three days. Her friends have helped her get clothing, and she's been able to sneak into the Home to sleep in her bed, but today they've told her that she can no longer stay there if she's considered an adult by the city.

So, she's packed what she owns (that will fit) into a trash bag, and strolls down the sidewalk, dragging the bag and her small bike behind her.

She doesn't know why, but tears spring to her eyes as she walks, and she tries very hard not to let them fall. She hasn't liked the Home since coming to the city. Why is she so upset that she can't stay there?

Her stomach twists and she feels a weak sob bubble up in her throat. This isn't fair. She has nowhere to go! It's not her fault the city made her big!

She sits down abruptly, right there on the sidewalk, and pulls her coat tight around her like an armored robe. Baz was right, she realizes. Being a grownup is very stressful.

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Baz & Magnus

Tue, 23 Feb 2016 15:48:29 GMT

[ timed to March 10th, early afternoon ]

Saoirse is not doing well at all. She can barely walk on her own. Her entire body is exhausted, and nothing can perk her up. She's been taken to the doctors many times, but none of them have found anything. She's losing color, now, too. Her hair has gone from glossy black to flat grey, and her skin isn't far behind.

She knows she's dying. She wishes Ben were here. She knows she won't find her coat before it's too late.

She grabs her phone and taps out a shaky, incomplete text to first Baz, then Magnus. If she's going to die today, she wants them to be there with her. She doesn't want to die alone.

She convinces Mr. Barnes to bring her outside. She's bundled up quite snugly, even though the weather has nothing to do with her condition, and she cradles her shell in her lap and weakly blows out a few notes. For a moment, she thinks she can hear the saoilse, but when she lifts her tired eyes to look, they're nowhere to be found. She lowers her mouth to the shell again, but only breathes weakly before sagging.

She's so very tired.

Saoirse looks around, trying to will her friends to be there. That's the only reason she sees the key. It's there, just outside of arm's reach, bright against the winter-grey ground. She reaches for it, arm wavering. She nearly falls over. With a little sigh, she resolves to wait. Baz and Magnus will be here soon, surely. She can point it out to them. They'll help her.

[ FINALLY sorry this took so long. I figure the order can be Baz-Saoirse-Magnus, or vice versa, or whatever works for a given tag? ]

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