COLOURS || Seth Clearwater

THIRTY SEVEN

Lucinda stood in the bathroom and stared silently at her naked reflection in the mirror, eyes blankly scanning across her each and every feature. In the thousands of years she had roamed the earth, her body had never changed. Of course, there had been the after affects of pregnancy, and horrific illness and diseases she'd managed to survive that had left their permanent mark as well, but nothing too drastic.

She still had the same irreversibly pale skin that she believed was the result of spending too many years in London, the same blue eyes that seemed to reflect her every mood. The same darkened gums that had been present for as long as she could remember. The tinge of pink that was always on her cheeks. The curve of her hip and breasts, and the shape of her thighs.

She had every piece of herself memorised, and while part of her loved that — the one thing that would always be the same, never changing, always familiar — another part of her hated it. Many girls she'd met had always wished they could get rid of the wrinkles beneath their eyes, or the creases that appeared in the corners of their eyes as their smiles aged; to never grow old. But Lucinda would be the first to say that eternal beauty was not all it was cracked up to be.

She would give anything to watch her fiery red hair slowly fade to grey, and wrinkles to age her face as she grew old with the man she loved.

Her eyes drifted down to the small, bruising circle that rose slightly above the rest of her skin on her left hip, the dark colours swirling around under her gaze. As she lightly trailed her fingertips over the, she couldn't help but look at the dark bags that were now visible beneath her eyes. That was the price she'd been forced to pay for her small pocket of dark magic she'd summoned. It was small in comparison to that of others, but she supposed it was fate's way of saying she'd be paying for it with something to much worse later on in her life.

With a small sigh, Lucinda looked away from the mirror and began filling the bathtub with lilac scented bubbles and hot water. She brushed her hair out and tied it up into a lazy bun on top of her head as she waited for the water to reach her preferred level, then carefully stepped in. As she allowed herself to relax into the warmth of the water and close her eyes, she couldn't help but picture what it would be like to grow old with Seth.

To sit on the porch swing at the front of their house and watch their grandchildren and great grandchildren run around the front lawn with a litter of puppies, the lot of them squealing and laughing with joy. The lawn was green, and the house was on the edge of the woods, built like a log cabin. It would be cozy and warm and inviting.

A soft knock on the door broke Lucinda out of her thoughts, and the soft smile that had slowly drifted onto her lips almost immediately vanished as she opened her eyes.

"Um, Lucy?"

Leah.

"I'm in the bath right now, but you can come in," she answered softly. Bella had been asleep when she'd first come upstairs for her bath, and she didn't want to wake her.

The bathroom door slowly creaked open, and Lucinda offered Leah a small smile as she shut the door behind her, awkwardly standing in the center of the room. "What's up?"

"Do you know anyone who likes girls?" Leah asked almost nervously.

Lucinda silently raised her brows and allowed a joking tone to her words, "have you met the twins downstairs?"

As she let out a small laugh, Leah seemed to relax a bit and sat down so she was facing the tub with her back against the cupboards below the sink. "I mean girls...who uh...who like girls."

"I know quite a few lesbians, yes," Lucinda answered softly, briefly picturing Virginia parading at the Stone Wall riots with a bold sign reading "I'M HERE, I'M QUEER, AND I'M VERY DANGEROUS" wearing the most outrageous clothes she could find while holding hands with a Drag Queen she couldn't quite remember the name of. "Why do you ask?"

"Well..." Leah cleared her throat and shifted where she sat, running a hand through her black shoulder-length hair. "I just...I know you're from a period where that kind of thing isn't...widely accepted, and I was just...curious...if that was something you were okay with. Because, you know, we're friends."

Lucinda shifted in the tub so her forearms were flat on the edge of the tub, her chest pressed against the inside wall. She smiled reassuring at her friend, who had yet to look her in the eye, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Leah, if what you're asking me is if I'm okay with gay people," she began, "I think I should start off by saying that Virginia, the twins and myself are all members of the community. Most of us magic folk are."

"Really?" Leah asked hesitantly, finally lifting her brown eyes up from the black stripes on her grey socks.

She smiled sweetly. "Yes really. I myself prefer men, but I've loved women as well. Dorian doesn't want to label himself and doesn't have any preferences, he likes who he likes and that's the end of that. Leon prefers girls, and Virginia has no interest in men whatsoever." She stretched out her shoulders. "The four of us are the very last people you should ever expect judgment from." Lucinda allowed a playful smile to grow on her lips when she noticed Leah was still apprehensive. "We've been alive for a very long time, Leah, you don't even want to imagine some of the things we've done."

That earned her a laugh.

Lucinda couldn't help but laugh as well. "I'm not joking," she chuckled, leaning back in the tub so her back was against the wall. "The number of horrific things I've walked in on—" she immediately shuddered.

Leah barked out another laugh, immediately covering her mouth when she remember that nearly everyone in the house could hear their conversation. Once she managed to contain herself, she looked up at Lucinda with a small, thankful smile. "I'm not saying that I am a lesbian, because I really did love Sam—" Lucinda had heard everything that had happened with her, Sam, and her cousin Emily.

"—Bisexuality is valid, Lean," Lucinda interrupted gently. "You're allowed to love boys and girls, there's nothing wrong with it. People think that once you start dating one gender, that becomes your sexuality, but it doesn't. You can love a girl and still be bisexual and know that you're interested in men as well."

"Thank you," Leah murmured, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I needed to hear that."

"I'm glad I could help," Lucinda smiled, shifting carefully in the tub so she wouldn't slosh water out of the tub. "Now that we're on the topic of girls liking girls, am I the only one with a crush on Alexis Bledel?"

A/N:
Happy Holidays, Lovelies!

Im sorry for the wait, but I've been swamped and exhausted and I was running out of pre written chapters to publish.

I'll probably start publishing regularly once exams are over in January, because I've got 3-4 exams to study for, but it should all be much easier next semester.