- REWRITING OFFLINE 10/03/25-
☆ 𝗔 𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗦 : what if the child was a teenager/YA throughout the show duration and not at season 5?
After the death of her mother, 17 y/o Deena Salée rummage through her mothe...
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"𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐁𝐀𝐃."
Deena stood beside her mother inspecting her self-portrait, which she regretted agreeing to. Holding the same pose for two hours was the kind of distraction her mind needed, though exhausting and a struggle to sit still, and her mother was nowhere near finished. The rose gold gown she was forced into hugged tight around her chest and along her body with a slight golden shimmer with each step taken. The heavy pearl necklace gifted by Aunt Freya looped suffocatingly around her neck multiple times.
And her mother called herself a professional?
"Two hours in and my face still isn't done." Another bug's guts smeared Deena's exposed arm after smacking it. Her lips curled with disgust. "Just how much longer until we wrap this up?"
"Your garden can wait. It's had you since you've gotten here." Her mother teased. "Spend time with me instead."
"I'm getting eaten by bugs and I have homework to catch up on." Deena added to hide the fact that she would rather spend time in the garden than here.
Though there was a research paper due by Wednesday, homework was the least of her worries. Nothing Niles couldn't fix with compulsion, wherever the hell he was. Her perfectly curated garden was the only place in the world — second to Erik's presence — where only her voice was speaking. Her mind felt at ease, focused, and it was relatively quiet. Insomnia was the price to pay but at least she hadn't dream-walked in a while.
"Art takes time. You should've thought about that before insisting on your help when I gave you the opportunity to back out."
Deena's brows lifted with a scoff. "Oh, so now you offer my escape? 'Cause I don't remember that being a choice beforehand."
Leaning closer to the canvas, her mother focused on the details of the floral band around Deena's head instead of her face which wasn't completed. Her thick hair was worn in a messy pineapple with paint smeared along her forehead from wiping sweat. "My goal is to get most of it done before sunset then I won't need you as my reference for long."
