I⃣ a⃣m⃣ O⃣n⃣l⃣y⃣ H⃣u⃣m⃣a⃣n⃣

Chapter 2

Valerie grew distance from the warming light of Cape May's Shop's show cases. Her fragile appearance left to be consumed by instant coldness. A thin layer of frost mentally hardening over her freezing body. Her peacoat--including her hair, jeans, flats--were soaked, falling heavy on her frail body. Her thick, bubble-gum pink curls densed to a fusia-pink, curls falling straight against the back of her peacoat. Some strands swept loose from the gaining breeze.Like little whips that had grown from her scalp, the loose strands whirled from behind her shoulder blades and smacked against the exposed skin of her neck and face. From the over-dose of moist soaked into her hair, some strands stuck against the surface of exposed skin, Valerie not anal of her appearance being total perfection in the crowd of emptiness that stood before her. She only swept the flying strands back behind her shoulder blades and smoothened her cluster of soaked hair.

It was the moment when she finally realized the numbing waves of coldness had her body shaking and no feeling in her feet. Only did her instincts tell her to carry on, when any by-stander that had the confidence to comfront her and touch her, a simple poke might just shatter Valerie's appearance into several pieces of frozen glass.

She was not at warmth, physically feeling the warmth of her body become slow to produce--the blood through her veins felt as if they were slowly and coming to a rushed halt to keep her breathing...

'I must hurry home...Auntie would kill me to find me dead just for not dressing in appropriate clothing. She would kill, either if I was dead or not.'

Auntie Penelope. In relation to Valerie, she was a 'Immortal in Disguise' as well, sent down from the Kingdom of Enchantment to guide Valerie through the life of mortality, earning the side-nickname of Valerie's personal 'Guardian Angel'. Auntie Penelope was Valerie's Immortal Aunt, and is Valerie's Aunt in the Mortal Realm as well. In either living realms, Penelope was an family inheritance to Valerie. In fact, Penelope was there in Valerie's life--Mortality and Immortality--more than Valerie's real mother. With Valerie's actual mother in disconnection with her own daughter, Penelope could also be known as Valerie's '2nd mother'. She does act like one when it comes to keeping an eye on Valerie's genetic language. Auntie Penelope is here to guide her daughter through challenging obstacles, where she taught Valerie the right and wrongs of her actions, trying her best to give the positive side to Valerie's consequences.

But, Valerie was locked in her sorrowful ways towards pushing away her Auntie's hopeful happiness. For the past 3 years, it was a journey on thin ice. Just from that one little mistake...And Auntie was always there for her. To wipe the gloomy sadness of tears that streamed down Valerie's pale cheeks, to soothing Valerie from a terrible nightmare with an old lullaby Valerie's actual mother would sing to her when she was just a baby in the arms.

'Hush.
Hush, my child.
My child, let not the darkness.
The darkness to take away the light.
The light that shines so bright.
The brightness of your soul.
Hush.
Hush the tears away,
The tears that consume you whole.
Let not the light not fade,
That flare of light so bright,
The brightness of your soul.
Your soul of inner beauty.'

Dealt with the lullaby, Auntie Penelope would experience Valerie to come at ease soon enough when she finished. Sometimes, Valerie would shatter into even harder cries and bunches of sobs. Only Valerie knew the lullaby was originally sung by her real mother. Penelope felt Valerie's sorrowful actions were caused by being homesick...

'Homesick...I couldn't even describe this pitiful feeling as homesick if I never was really home...'.

Her mind wandered, pondering all the way home to where it was the moment when Valerie's soaked appearance stepped into the door of her dwelling before the front lawn's scenery was blurred from the Sky's tears. Valerie slipped her peacoat from her shoulders, as of relief from the sudden heaviness taken away from her fragile shoulders. Even in the dense warmth of the dwelling, Valerie was still shaking in the thin layer of frost that settled against her exposed skin, including the moist of wetness settled against her soaked jeans, soaked hair...Even her shirt in bare protection from the peacoat, was slightly soaked in comparison to the rest of herself.

"Valerie! Glad you came home in- Oh my! Love, how long have you been out there?!" She didn't realize Auntie's appearance suddenly decided to magically appear, coming down the dwarf-sized staircase, in which a laundry basket slumped against the left-side of her hip.

"I have been...out-"

"That is always your excuse," Valerie could see a playful roll of the eyes from her Auntie, as of slowly striding down the main hallway of the downstairs and entering a room near the end of the hallway. The entrance to the Laundry Room."-Now, I want those soaking clothes off. Your poor self is shaking like a leaf!" Penelope slightly winced, as of Valerie hesitantly handing her Aunt the soaking peacoat, slipping the barely-drenched shirt from over her head, and kicking her black flats off of her narrow feet, and slipping out her jeans last. It wasn't a surprise for Auntie Penelope to see Valerie in just a bra and pair of underwear. It has been a repeated action since 3 years ago. Yet, Penelope does not tolerate Valerie with thinking freezing herself is okay, nor hanging out around the house with just a bra and a pair of underwear. She certainly would never let Valerie be accompanied in the presence of a ruthless boy in that kind of attire. Especially, mortal boys. Valerie knows better to disobey her Aunt...

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Valerie decided to just go for a warm bathe. Showering, for her, is letting stressful thoughts run loose from such a firm grasp, and let her mind wander. The second time of this day to daydream of something, hopefully, positive...

The steam from the warming water began to fog the bathroom's mirror, as  Valerie's   appearance becoming a blurred reflection. She stripped down, as of her naked self instantly slipping into a waterfall of warmth, slowly letting go...

Letting go of the past and stressful thoughts, and letting new ponders become a unique strive.