*Bottled Up Lies*

R

Ridralee

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The darkened leafs crunched sending out an echo as her pace hastened through the woods. The sun had been still out trying to peer through the trees, watching her every move as it was still the middle of the day. Sure the young woman had school but other things were weighing on her mind. His great smile. The super nice personality. His brainiac tendencies. To her, he was just perfect in every lively way. Sure, obsessing wasn't normally her nor was acting like a total love struck girl but he captured her heart, locking it away instantly for what seemed like ages ago. They were just in grade school at that time together. Even though her thoughts of him were mostly pure, she rarely even got the chance to speak with him. Honestly, she was more like his acquaintance that often left only 'hi' and 'bye' moments between them. The only thing that gave her more time with him was when Analynn's mother hired him, who was her best friend's son, to tutor her. At the time her head wasn't even in studies but the man before her. Even thinking about it all had pulled her hopes for them being together even lower. The young woman's head over heels feeling caused her to take the drastic measure that was sure to happen next. A love potion. Secretly the girl had been a sucker for fairy tales and magic since childhood. Her elder brother and sister even used to harass her about it. What's the one more time of belief in hoping for her happily ever after?

Ana's body stopped, causing her to instantly slouch over to catch her breath, leaving her sapphire green eyes to look over the surrounding area. The spooky mansion type of house on the wooded hill, in which no one of their right mind would enter.The young woman had made it. The black metal gates creaked open revealing the entrance in the old house, as if already expecting her to enter. Her body stood straight back up and walked forward. There was certainly no turning back at this point. Her forward motion quickened into a light jog even though she had began to tremble with realization of the unknown which would be coming next. Analynn's final destination was met. Luckily she had already known her way around the house. "Cleo! I need a favor..."

With twists and turns of the Gothic style house, a black haired figure stood from her suspicious seating arrangement; in the middle of the hall that had led to the second master bedroom. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties. Cleo was a good friend of Analynn's sister's so it was easy to come to her if anything was needed. The woman wore a soft smile that washed over the younger female. "No need to explain... I already know why you came, dear." Within that instant a small bottle appeared in the hands of her assistant, that just seemed to fade out of the darkness and into plain sight. "Just give this to whom you wish and all your dreams will become reality." Cleo stood, simply gliding to reach Ana. Her hand rested on the girl's shoulder. Her voice slightly calmed to a normal way of speech. "I promise, Analynn. You'll get the kind of person you deserve." Cleo didn't even need a thank you from her. She knew the twisted path the girl was about to face, which would be enough thanks. Cleo would surely watch Ana closely. But alas, it was the girl's choice on what she would do. The assistant showed her to the exited and Analynn was on her was back to the school. Luckily, it had only been a few miles.

Reaching school at last, she slowed down and held on the bottle tight. It had reminded her a bit of the bottle Alice had drank to become smaller, that read 'drink me' on the bottle. Analynn simply chuckled from the random thoughts, putting the glass bottle in her messenger bag, that was left hidden behind a rock before her venture into the woods. Next, came the dusting off her faded denim skinny jeans and her black Falling in Reverse band tee from the dirt and dust. She peered down checking her rainbowed chucks. "Looking good." All that seemed left was her hair. Brushing stray dark auburn strands from her face, she pulled out her dull blackened slouch beanie and put it on. Feeling relieved, Ana made her way through the halls with her hands close to the bottle which was right under the flap. People passed her. She wasn't typically well known through out the school, except for the fact of the art club and her pieces often showing up in the school gallery. Analynn felt her confidence build as she was finally ready to give, that one person she found perfect, the potion. Now was the process of finding him; finding the man named Adrian.
 
With the spring came a fresh semester and the beginnings of gallery season, and walking through every one of them was a scrawny student. Bracelets circled her left arm thick enough to look like a partial sleeve, and her stubby blue pigtails stood out against her black tank top and green denim. The bright colors she decorated herself with often distracted her from the awkwardness she felt in virtually every public setting...except here. Somewhere in that gallery was the work of her classmate, and when Ariel stood in front of Analynn's artwork the rest of the world just faded away. Observing the shapes and colors that spilled from the girl's mind filled her with a fixation that consumed so many of her own works and thoughts.

Deathly shy, especially in the presence of what struck her as beautiful, Ariel could do little more than observe the girl she admired. Other than having an apparent eye for a confident guy Ariel didn't really know, the girl's artwork and demeanor were what drew her in. Analynn had failed to take her usual route that allowed the girl's path to cross that of Ariel's. Which left her to wander campus, pondering their missed connections and all of her anxieties.

She had friends, a few whom understood her oddities and even a couple that knew their origin. But sometimes Ariel felt alien even amongst her small and homely group of pot-heads and grass stains, wanting nothing more than a breath of fresh air and long silent walk. Miles long, even. In fact, she'd recently taken to rolling a joint and wandering around, hiking by herself. It had been very peaceful, aside from her wavering attention span and tendency to lose herself in her surroundings. At one point she'd lain down in the woods to watch the clouds drift by and fell asleep. Her dreams that day resembled surrealism, a very wicked and confusing Wonderland of sorts. Its residual images leaving her shaking her head at their passing thought. It was the place her mind usually wandered when she stared at Analynn's paintings, only out of proportion and focus...making for a dizzy-headed Ariel.

She opened her sketchbook as she sat, doodling a chubby cupid pinning a fairy's wings with its arrow. She fleshed out the shapes, turning the fairy's wings into flowers against the edge of the page, thickening outlines for a cartoon appearance. By the time she blocked the shading, the next class was starting. Her project buddy Clayton texted her, ending the drawing session and inspiring a cross-campus sprint. Necklaces and backpack bouncing, she finally entered the building and nearly jogged down the hallway. Slipping as quietly as she could into the classroom, she left assignments on the stack and took her usual seat next to Clay. She continued to doodle as she listened to the lecture.
 
She pulled out her phone from her jeans, checking the time, and instantly felt ridiculous. Late! Analynn's eyes rolled as the realization began to sink in. Finding Adrian at that time wasn't going to happen. The teacher was cruel enough when it came to tardiness. Luckily, her old habits died as of late. Calling her out wouldn't happen anymore. Her eyes lowered to watch the chucks hug and loosen around her feet with every step, while showing off to the world her bright mismatched shoe laces. Ana slipped through the crack of the door and headed for an open seat in the back of class.

From the time she got situated and began taking notes, the hope for the wonderful time jump to save the day from the evil master mind, Mr. Russell. Well... Actually it was a pear shaped lady with grey hair that went every which way. She even had a mole on the left side of her chin. This middle aged woman was the she-devil in disguise. To try to hide from the eyes of Medusa, Analynn sunk back in her seat, placed the messenger bag on the floor, and followed the thread patterns of her unzipped bright sky blue hoodie that hung loosely with her finger. Her bright green eyes would occasionally look up to see the time, only to be disappointed by the lousy single minute that had only passed.

After minutes, Ana's body had sat up allowing her elbow arched her arm up with her chin sitting on it like it was a throne. Her eyes focused back towards the lecture as her other hand twirled the pencil occasionally taking notes when needed. Half of the class quickly seemed to pass leaving a few minutes to do other things. The woman peered down in hope the potion would work for the sheer fact Analynn wanted to just feel love and be loved. She had never experienced it before since her main focus in life was school, art, and her other hobby video games. Her eyes snaked down to the middle of the desk while her hands pulled out the spiraled notebook. The pages flipped to a blank sheet and the pencil made love with it. The scribbles Ana drew were most definitely random. There were hearts, flowers, little figures... Really anything that could be different that her normal tastes, something cutesy. It turned into a massive collage leading it to slowly it morphed into something better; for her, a new way to see things. Ana let her eyes wander a bit which seemed to stop on an individual who was none other than doodling. The work sent a surge of happiness through her. It wasn't anything like what she had seen before. She kept quiet and watch the girl work.
 
The cherub and fairy had seemingly multiplied, with the winged creatures trying to out fly their baby-faced assailants. In one corner, a group of fey were ganging up on one particularly fat cupid, spilling angry clouds of fairy dust about the page. Ariel was no longer paying an ounce of attention to the lesson, barely keeping up with the scene unfolding from her mind to the book. At one point her muscles tensed and threatened to spasm, so she stretched her neck and rolled her shoulders. In doing so, she caught lovely Analynn unabashedly observing her and blushed. She managed a smile though, and a tiny wave before shoving her gaze back at the page. There it stayed as her face grew brighter and she popped a few knuckles, trying to avoid panic.

Oh God. She was watching me draw. Why does that bug me? Did she like it? Hate it? Was I making that stupid face again? If not I probably am now. But she seems nice, she probably won't make fun of me. Her eyes are so pretty...

The blush crawled from her face down to her neck, from a totally new kind of embarrassment. "Impure" thoughts hadn't really occurred to her when Analynn was involved. If anything, Ariel daydreamed of just sharing a laugh or a hug with the girl...but locking eyes with Analynn had made her feel naked and vulnerable. Realizing she enjoyed the sensation was what made her mind and skin buzz. When she dared a glance back in the other girl's direction, Analynn had looked away and resumed her own doodling. The symbols and lines over the page reminded Ariel of the things she'd done in high school, only executed much better artistically. Thinking of technique calmed her down a bit, and she resumed her work. Thought persisted however, and Ariel grew sore at her own cowardice.

Stupid brain. Stupid broken mouth. Why can't I just say 'hi' to her? Maybe I will. No, not maybe. I will. I'll even ask if she wants to chill. Right after class, I'll look for my chance.

Resolving her inner turmoil with a decision, Ariel finished the class period in a zen-like state. Clayton on the other hand was furiously texting her, but she would deal with that later. He loved his gossip and until the impending moment that she finally spoke to her crush, she would keep her emotions out of the grapevine. Just a few more minutes...
 
The more the woman doodled the more captivated she had been. She hadn't even realized the turned around motion to leave her facing forward quickly again; well minus the random wave that left her to giggle at the classmate. Analynn was soon completely fixated on the doodling once more, wanting to watch the story unfold and expand. It all was cut way too short. Some phrase from the lecturing teacher had swept her away back to her own land and into a place where fantasy was life. Ana doodled slightly still in thought about all the different beings that appeared, the techniques used, and everything in between. The amateur was left astonished to a true professionals work.

Absolutely gorgeous...

Even after several passing minutes, a sigh escaped her lips as she was still in deep thought, which was still putting her mind in turmoil. She knew of Ariel... but hadn't known much of her. Ana needed to learn more about her. It was a bit strange since it all started over a random sketch but it seemed much more than just that.

I'm going to do it. What if I seem like a total creeper? Oh well, I guess if it happens then there's no stopping it. After class, I'm going to ask her about her art...

Her head gave a quick nod in agreement. All that was left for class to finish. The potion had left her mind at the moment which was a great change, leaving this random girl was now on her mind.The time went by quick which was pretty nice since time was normal cruel to those who couldn't wait for things to happen. Her body popped up with an instant grab of books and her bag. Analynn's hand reached out and molded against Ariel's shoulder. "Hey, wait up." She quickly danced around the girl's body, where they could see eye to eye. A smile crept across her face instantly. "The sketch was amazing!"
 
"Oh!" The touch had surprised Ariel, and she seemed dense for a moment. "Uhm..thanks." Suddenly everything she rehearsed in her brain had flown out the window. "Your doodles made me smile." Finally regaining control of her face, she grinned at Analynn as she dared to ask more.

"Do you have another class? Or would you like to walk together?" Ariel pulled off a small giggle, hoping the girl might be interested.
 
Her reaction a bit late, left Analynn to giggle. She was quite a cheerful person who loved to smile and laugh so it was normal. It left her a cute side to be seen, instead of the real pain of loneliness she felt from time to time since younger. "Glad to hear my sketches cheered you up." Her smile brightened while her body swayed forward and backwards out of habit.

About to walk off, the questions asked stopped her in mid pivot point. "I'd love to join you." Truth was her mind had thought about Adrian again. She would have missed her chance for that day, but Analynn also had all the time in the world now. The woman began to skip ahead then turned around to flash a small wink and smile towards Ariel. "Where do you wanna go?"
 
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The wink turned Ariel bashful once more, and she giggled nervously as she stammered, "Well uhm...it's pretty nice out. How 'bout across campus and into the woods?" Their school was fairly scenic and well-kept, and the woods really weren't thick as they surrounded a park and a lake. Rumors spread of ghosts and Kelpies, but she had never encountered much more than a homeless guy or the rare camper. Besides, there was at least an hour or so before sundown. The creepiest thing might have been Ariel's awkwardness.

"We could grab a coffee or something on the way out if you'd like." Waitressing didn't pay as much anywhere else, but she happened to work at a place where she could also sing between shifts or when he tables were empty. People usually liked it enough to stack the tips a bit higher, and most of that went into a box under Ariel's things in her closet. Every now and then, she'd dip into the stash for a concert or important things, but it was back to full capacity so she found herself imagining possible future coffees with Analynn. If she even liked coffee. Cream? Sugar? White chocolate mocha? Chai? The train of thought rolled into a caffeine craving that enveloped her nerves and brought on her nearly subtle lip biting habit.
 
The sound of the word woods came back to her, soaking her up in the idea of potion. Pathetic... Analynn sighed realizing how ridiculous it was to even go that desperate. Her hand pushed lightly against her bag where it laid inside waiting for it's time of use. What was the purpose of getting someone like that? A potion? Her sapphire eyes glazed over when coming back to reality from deep in her thoughts. Why can't I just win someone over the old fashioned way?

Ana looked up at the woman before her seeing that she too was in a deep cesspool of thoughts. This proved it all. Why need a false love over a new friendship. Ana chuckled her actions and instantly released her hand from her bag. With a smile she answered straight out with no hesitation. "Coffee sounds amazing. I'd love to join you, Ariel."
 
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At her response, Ariel's face beamed a smile. "Awesome," was all she could say as she held the door open for the other young woman. Analynn had seemed distracted and was fondling something in her bag. But it was comforting to Ariel that she wasn't the only one with a nervous habit. As they made their way outside, she racked her brain for small talk.

"So uhm...how are you liking your classes?" For all of her social fears, Analynn seemed easy to talk to - even if speaking still felt like a foreign concept to Ariel. Speech therapy had been lengthy, if a touch unnecessary; all the same, she found herself falling back on basic questions to open conversations. Her impression of Analynn left her feeling better about her oddities, and slightly more confident of herself. The sunshine on her skin helped put her at ease.
 
The door opened wide for her, which was quite a change of happenings. Sure, she hung out with others but Ana was the one who always head out first. Another nice change to the daily routine. The was not quite over which would let the girl's have some fun, even though for Analynn it was typical to stay up excessively late; be it homework, doing hobbies, or even just hanging out with people. Now and days it was normally, her video game addiction or working on some form of art. It was time for a change and Ariel was that change. The sun shined over them rolling off Ana's lightly sun kissed skin and heating up the spring chilled air.

Small talk began and honestly threw Ana off track. She hadn't had small talk since first trying to make friends when she moved to the area about a year before hand of beginning school. Classes... How were they really? She gave a pathetic grin realizing, she hardly pays attention. During school, the tests and class work don't cause problems nor does the homework. "I hate to admit it but I think they're okay... I don't really pay attention. Most of the teachers I have are a drag and completely dull." She paused to correct herself a bit. "Well... Minus my art and mythology classes. the teachers in there are absolutely amazing. How about with you? Classes any better for you?" Analynn pushed her hair behind her ear after trying to extend the small talk to a more slightly detailed conversation, if it was possible with them just beginning to speak.
 
An actual conversation. Not the stoner dribble and repetitive movie quotes. She smiled again as she replied to the girl.

"Most of mine are art-oriented, but I keep getting lost in my sketchbook or the assignments. Talking about art just feels like babble to me half the time. I mean, I love it and I love doing it, but it's almost like its own person or beast. Over-analyze anyone and they cease to be who they are one way or another." Ariel could talk art for days, especially about the creative process and actual projects, but she was trying to avoid her usual habit of babbling and rambling.

"My instructors seem to mean well, some try to sell those bigger dream mentalities but they're also easier to please in the gradebook." As a group of students passed on the sidewalk, Ariel was shouldered out of the way before she continued.

"How long have you lived here?"
 
Her head shot towards the other female giving a bright smile. "That's exactly how I feel about art history..." It wasn't quite the same thing but she did understand completely. The analyzing of older artists works always seemed to have a wrong answer towards instructors yet to her she felt the piece could have any meaning that could also include complex meanings that wouldn't seem to fit with the piece; maybe because of bright colors but it could still be sad just as the cooler hues like blue to that person could hold the meaning of anger or even excitement. Everything to a specific individual was their own and may not be the same as some other individual. The ranting in her head from excitement calmed down as Ariel continued on.

Mean well? The smile that was bright across her slowly faded out into a content facial expression; not of the sadder quality but neither of the over happily. There were also those few instructors didn't care about anything and just gave grades based off those other... things. Ana stopped in the midst of seeing Ariel just nudged out of the way. Fellow students were just as bad as some of those students. Analynn turned around and shouted at the pathetic and rude individuals who passed by. "Watch where you're bloody going!" The group turned back then went on their merry only leaving dirty looks. She rolled her eyes and continued on with the girl.

"Sorry about that... People can be so damn rude." She meekly smiled at Ariel feeling bad for what had happened. "I've only been here for... hmm..." Ana stopped in mid conversation to really think. Memories of this school and the others she had gone to began to mix together. She gave the best possible answer she could. "Only a few years. What about you?"
 
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Analynn's assertiveness took Ariel by surprise. She shook off most human interactions, and was fairly unassuming of intent.

"Oh...thanks," was all she could muster. "I've seen as much good as bad here." Orientation had been a good experience, and the tour guide had always recognized her around campus.

"Let's see...I've been at this campus just this year. But last year was kind of like...limbo, for me. Worked a job, got a car and a place. Finally saved up to get back to the books." Last year had been hell, though nothing more than her lack of a grin would show it. Without instructors she had no deadlines, and without those she lost track of her time and gave it away to pointless ventures.

"Art history is so much better than I was afraid it would be! I thought I'd get some boring dinosaur, but it was this younger crunchy-vegan-type of lady. Worked at the museum, even." As they entered the coffee shop another proposition was sparked in her brain, one that would wait until they'd left the bustling place.

"Get whatever you'd like!" Ariel said with another smile. To the barista, she gave her order for a huge chai latte, and wondered at how obnoxious caffeine addicts would be as customers.
 
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