[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Ashley McKenna-Chase + wearing

The thought of Ashley giving away her secret identity hadn't even occurred to Alice, not that there would have been much she could have done. Will had told Ashley about their powers long before they had planned their nightly outings. If things had come out it would only have been a matter of time before the petite singer put two and two together. In truth though, Alice couldn't see the older girl betraying a friend like that, and certainly not her brother. There was clearly a lot of loyalty in her family, despite the huge age gap, and Alice wondered just what had happened that had driven so large a wedge between them and Will's father. "I think our landlord would kick us out if I did karaoke every night, no way they'd let me get away with that." Bringing Ashley into Alice's home was another matter entirely however. Alice was coming around to the idea that her small apartment was nothing to be ashamed of, but even so it bothered her. She was mostly self-sufficient, or she had been until the accident. Even Ashley was still living with her parents, though she could no doubt afford to move out if she really wanted to. Alice hadn't had that choice. She pushed that train of thought off the track, she was long past feeling sorry for herself because of things she'd never know, or the lack of them rather. "Maybe you should. Clearly your mom loves cooking. I guess you don't so much?" Alice picked idly at a slice of pizza, pulling bits of meat from it and dropping them into her mouth one at a time. It was barely lukewarm now, but damn if it didn't still taste good. "I'm going to have to remember the name of this place, maybe they'll deliver to my apartment." She giggled at the thought of the five foot two woman telling off the lanky forty year old man. The image was certainly amusing, especially considering that she had never seen a stern face on the brunette. "I bet you can, remind me to call you if he's ever being too boring, you can set him straight. Also, if you do, can I watch?"

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Lie-in King

Ashley pouted sulkily in protest of the killjoy landlord.

“Just gotta invest in some killer soundproofing,” she decided, her eyes lighting with delicate mischief. “Or invite them to the show!”

She followed herself a brief fantasy in which she and Alice were roommates with a cool landlord who came to party with them. It morphed into an even cooler fantasy in which the landlord was a sweet old lady who liked to bake them cookies and came to party with them. They could invite the whole building for Friday night karaoke featuring Doris’s homemade snickerdoodles. Baked goods were a sure way to make friends.

Smile broadening at Alice’s positive reaction to her dinner party plans, Ashley snorted at Alice’s diplomatic phrasing. “Yeah… my mom’s a boss in the kitchen, and my dad too. I just never really got into it, I guess,” she said with a laugh. “I can do the basics but I steer way clear of anything complex, especially baking. Did you know it’s possible to burn cheesecake?”

Taking the lead from Alice, Ashley helped herself to another slice of definitely-not-hot-anymore pizza. “Mmhmmm, it’s good, dude. Don’t worry if they don’t deliver though, just gives you an excuse to come visit me!” She flashed a (quite literally) cheesy grin in Alice’s direction.

“Poor Will,” she giggled. “I think being told off by his kid sister in front of his superhero teammates would be the final straw. He’d probably snap and go supervillain. Not the greatest of origin stories, either…”

She kicked her fluffy slippers off and dangled her feet over the edge of the bed. “Whaddya think, PJ time? I’m in the mood for hot cocoa and comfy clothes.”

Alice Morrow

281 words

ψ

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Ashley McKenna-Chase + wearing

"Woah, hold on there, I never said I was ready for a live performance!" Alice paused and smirked, "Not for free anyway…" Alice herself had taken a different direction, dreaming of a kitchen that was separate from her bedroom, maybe even a separate living room too. She wasn't too ambitious, although it would be nice to have a sort of social area to hang out in that wasn't a bedroom. Not that there was anything wrong with hanging out in a bedroom. Realising that her thoughts were running in circles she pulled out of them and back into the conversation. "I knew it was possible, but I didn't think anyone would ever actually be able to do it." She rolled over onto her knees and bowed as though worshipping Ashley. "I bow to your magnificent abilities…" She wasn't able to keep a straight face for long though and laughed as she sat back onto her heels. "Seriously though, it's not like everyone can cook, or even wants to. Anyway, when you're rich and famous you'll have someone to cook for you. Nobody will know your shame then." Nodding at Ashley's suggestion, Alice moved over towards her bag, "I'm always in the mood for hot cocoa, and cool though this suit is, I wouldn't want to sleep in it." She grabbed the rucksack, "I guess I'll take the bathroom." A couple of minutes later they were both downstairs in their pyjamas making hot cocoa. Alice might have been taller than Ashley, but she was still by swamped her Giant's jersey. The white shirt was long enough to have been worn comfortably as a dress, and it completely covered the shorts she was wearing. Alice waited patiently while Ashley spooned cocoa powder into two mugs. The blue haired teen leaned against the counter, gratefully accepting the steaming mug from her friend. She took a cautious sip, careful not to burn her tongue, and hung her head back. "Aaahhhh so good. I feel like I haven't had hot cocoa in so long. We gonna take it back up?"

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Lie-in King

Ashley winked. “Ah I see, I’ll get you in touch with my manager then, see if we can kickstart that fabulous performing career of yours. Maybe this imaginary landlord will give you a discount on rent if they’re a fan!”

She did her best to look proud of her baking disaster (the only significant one she could recall, but a hilarious one at that) as Alice bowed before her. “Yes, yes…” she sighed. “It’s a gift, but a burden also. And you think your powers bring responsibility!”

It was nice to see Alice trying to make her feel better about her cooking skills, even though Ashley wasn’t bothered herself. Like Alice said, not everyone wants to learn how to cook, and becoming too rich and famous to worry about such things was definitely on McKenna Chase’s to-do list.

“If you ever want to move into the personal chef business, hit me up once my platinum-selling album drops,” she said, heart racing at the prospect. Sometimes she really could get too attached to her daydreams of success – she needed to keep grounded. The true levels of fame and accomplishment that she aspired to were awarded to a select few in her industry and honestly, the odds weren’t great. But she was still young, and there was still plenty of time to work the odds in her favour.

Once Ashley was into her pyjamas – an over-sized t-shirt with SOCAL emblazoned across the chest that she’d acquired in her first ever trip to Los Angeles, paired with a pair of bright blue shorts with silver stars on – she pulled her ridiculous fluffy slippers back onto her feet and headed down to the kitchen with Alice. It was quite the contrast to see Alice go from Paladin to PJs.

She peaked out the window. “We can do, or we could grab some blankets and have a look at the stars for a bit before bed?” Ashley pulled at the fabric of her shorts. “You could say I’m a fan. And it’s a nice night – not that you can ever see much with the light pollution, but at least we have no fog or clouds…”

She could remember the first time she’d seen a night sky away from the city. Mind. Blown. She’d been a little infatuated ever since.

Alice Morrow

384 words

ψ

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Ashley McKenna-Chase + wearing

Alice laughed at the thought of being on retainer for Ashley, making her meals. It probably would stop her from burning toast and setting fire to salads for a while at least. Still, she imagined that Ashley's mom kept her daughter well fed at least. She wondered just how much of her diet had to be carefully monitored in order to maintain her figure and workout regimen. "I'll think about it. Does that mean I'll have to make like protein shakes and stuff for you?" Alice joined Ashley at the window, staring up at the sky for a moment. The sun had long since vanished below the horizon, street lights flickering on along the streets of the nice neighbourhood that Ashley lived in. There might be light pollution out here, but at least it wasn't deeper into the city, there if you looked up you were pretty much guaranteed a black sky, except for some red and white lights from the planes taking off from the airport. "That would be so cool, I remember going to camp once when I was little and you could see like… a million billion stars." Ashley showed Alice the picnic blankets in a cupboard under the stairs, and together they dragged a couple out into the back garden. They sat on one and wrapped themselves in blankets. It was snug, and Alice lay flat on her back to stare up at the sky sprinkled with stars. It was beautiful. Perhaps it wasn't as pretty as it had been when she'd been at camp, but the stars were a lot brighter than when she was in the city. A faint glow moved around the sides of the house as they heard a car hum by. Alice sighed. "It's just so much more peaceful out here. I mean, I love being in the city. I love that it's always awake. But…" She shrugged in her blanket, "But it's nice to be out here where there aren't cars driving by aaaaalll the time. It's just a bit quieter. It's nice. Maybe I'll retire out here when I'm old and grouchy and hate the youth of today."

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Lie-in King

Nodding enthusiastically as Alice began to reminisce about all the stars she could see at camp, Ashley made her way to the cupboard where her family kept the spare blankets and bundled a sizeable heap into her arms, gesturing for Alice to do the same. She imagined her parents would be home soon – they weren’t usually up past midnight – but she was sure they wouldn’t mind her blanket haul. She often padded her way out the back when it was late and she needed a few restful moments of quality time with the universe. Usually it was her mother who eventually came out, draping a blanket over her shoulders, sometimes joining her in silence, sometimes gently reminding her that she had to be up early the next day. Once, Ashley had woken curled up on the back step, the 3 AM chill startling her into consciousness. She didn’t plan on repeating that experience.

She sipped at her drink, admiring the curls of steam that tumbled through the air before her.

“It must be nice to be in walking distance of everywhere,” Ashley pondered, staring up at a makeshift constellation she was attempting to put together. “I’d love to live in the middle of it all one day. If I end up staying here, that is,” she added, frowning softly. “Weird to imagine settling down anywhere else though. Travelling, touring, sure. But I don’t think I could do the whole relocation thing to my mom,” she said with a laugh.

Ashley half-convinced herself that she was actually looking directly at potential new homes in space – ready to become the first Intergalactic Superstar. Her manager had said she had universal appeal – surely that was what she meant?

“I’d retire to some party town, keep myself young,” Ashley joked. “I’m sure I could convince a few friends to join me. My friend Dana definitely has her retirement plans fixed on rejoining Greek life, I bet. You can wave your walking stick angrily at me when I’m 90 and blasting music. Maybe it’ll be my latest album…”

She finally let out a dismissive giggle. “Or maybe I’d be better off stood right next to you complaining about the young’uns.” Ashley smiled. “And Dana, leading them, obviously.”

Alice Morrow

372 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Ashley McKenna-Chase + wearing

Ashley clearly had very different ambitions for her old age, with dreams of staying young forever. On the other hand, Ashley had grown up with her parents, and loathe though Alice was to pity herself for her lack of them, she supposed it could make a difference to plans, at least now. She wanted, ultimately, to have a family and what she perceived as a normal life, maybe because she'd never had the opportunity to experience one for herself. How that fit into her new plans of being a super hero she wasn't sure. She couldn't remember Superman ever retiring to a cute house in the suburbs. Alice shrugged "Maybe, or maybe I could just be the sweet old granny that bakes everyone cookies. I like baking cookies. Or pie!" She looked suddenly melancholy before her eyes glinted playfully, "Nobody bakes pie anymore. What happened to being as America as apple pie huh?" Lying back flat on the ground, Alice flung her arms out, pushing the blanket off her chest so it spread out below her like a hero's cape. "You don't seem like the kind of person to complain all that much, I'm sure you'd be loving it. You'd get your guitar out on the porch and sing in a quavery old granny voice." Alice demonstrated, rather embarrassingly, and laughed at how poor her singing voice was, even if she was adding a quavering old lady tone to it. "I think I'll leave that bit to you though, I'll just bake the cookies and listen to your porch concerts. " It was getting cold out, and Alice gathered the blanket back about herself, enjoying the warmth that it was still holding from her body. It was cosy out here, despite the chill in the night air and she smiled at Ashley before gazing up at the night sky once more. "Have you got a new album coming then?"

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Lie-in King

It was a ridiculous subject to be thinking about at their age. Even Ashley’s parents didn’t seem old enough to be talking about such things, and they were definitely old compared to most of her friends’ parents. She thought she caught a slow dragging shadow along the nearby fence, maybe indicating her parents’ return. They were out late – definitely not at the shaking walking sticks stage yet.

She reached across and clasped one of Alice’s hands firmly in her own. “Please, please, please become a beautiful old grandma who always smells of fresh cookies,” she said insistently, punctuating each syllable with a forceful bounce of her hands. “Grandma Ashley will pay a solid premium for express pie deliveries. I can take bites in between my sets on the porch!”

If it wasn’t a completely terrible idea, Ashley would be so on-board for pie snacks whilst on tour. Just imagining pitching it to her manager was enough to put her off, however.

She was surprised to be asked about work. It wasn’t exactly an illogical leap to go from Ashley performing OAP concerts to McKenna recording music, but it was strange to make the switch in her own mind. Hopefully McKenna wasn’t becoming a completely separate being within Ashley’s body – that would be mildly concerning. Even as a stage persona, Ashley poured as much of herself into McKenna as possible. She was big on an authentic image, even if half her songs were written from different perspectives. Story-teller was authentic, right?

“I’m in studio at the moment, yah,” she said casually, pursing her lips in thought. “I’m trying some new stuff on the side – a bit more… dancey? And I wanna try big string productions too. Oh man,” she laughed, shaking her head. “I think I drive my team crazy – they want me to stick to what I know and I just want to try everything! I think we’re gonna end up compromising with a few special release EPs or something…”

She quirked an eyebrow. “What do you think of McKenna Chase, anyway?”

Alice had known one of her songs from the title back when they had first met, but that didn’t mean she actually liked the radio-friendly brand of Country Pop that Ashley had produced over her time as McKenna. It wasn’t exactly Fall Out Boy, after all. Ashley was genuinely intrigued to see what she thought.

Alice Morrow

397 words

ψ

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Ashley McKenna-Chase + wearing

As Ashley reached for her hand Alice laughed, "I can't promise the beautiful part, but I can promise the fresh cookies… or maybe not…" She looked momentarily thoughtful, "Do brownies, pie and cake count? And what if I've made savouries? Does that all mean I broke my promise? I don't want to make a promise I can't keep after all." It was interesting to hear about recording, after all, Alice had no idea how such things really worked. She'd watched music videos, but she was pretty sure that recording was a bit more stressful and hard work than they made it out to be. It was cool to hear at least something honest about it, even if she didn't really understand that small bit of information she received. "I wish I could help you with that stuff but I know more about quantum theory than I know about music." She was surprised and unprepared for the question about Ashley's music, or McKenna's music she supposed. At least the two names would make it easier to avoid accidental name-dropping. She hesitated briefly, and it was telling. In truth she hadn't listened to much of McKenna's music, she'd known 'Roll the Dice' because it had made the rounds on Tumblr a few months ago, and she'd listened to the odd song, but she wasn't really all that bothered about that style of music at all. She didn't have the confidence to say that to Ashley but she didn't want to lie to her friend either "It's great, I really got hooked on 'Roll the Dice' for a while."

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Lie-in King

“Oh shuddup, you beautiful blue-haired lady!”

Ashley tried to paint a mental image of Old Lady Alice in her mind, and for some reason couldn’t gloss over the hair with silver. She hoped Alice would keep it blue forever. Another vibrant selection from the rainbow would also be acceptable, she supposed, but the blue was definitely more fitting than anything else Ashley could colour – even from a more natural palette.

“Any and all baked goods will be satisfactory in meeting my terms,” Ashley said in a serious voice that was only half-ruined by the giggle running throughout. “Or just like, any food really. It might have to go through a food processor depending on how long these babies last.” Ashley flashed her perfect set of pearly whites at Alice. Genetic, of course. With the slight assistance of a year of braces during middle school…

Ashley was not going to pretend to know the first thing about quantum theory either – science had never been her forte.

“Hey, I’m sure you have some knowledge – you know what sounds good to you. That can be pretty helpful for artists. After all, if no one wants to buy my music I can hardly afford to keep making it, not matter how artsy and progressive I try to make it.”

McKenna Chase was definitely not pushing many boundaries musically, but Ashley liked to think that the songs were more complex than they appeared at surface value. She was far too much of a music geek to just throw out something easy-breezy with some meaningless lyrics on top.

She smiled at Alice’s brief pause before answering. Definitely not a secret mega-fan.

“That’s been a pretty random break for me actually,” Ashley said happily. “I think it got popular after someone put it as the soundtrack to some weird OTP video, just trickled out through various fandoms into the general worldwide web,” she explained with a laugh. “A little weird; it’s really not a love song, though I can see why they thought that. More about moving to a new city and getting a fresh start, taking every chance you can. I wrote it ages ago when I was young and dreaming of travelling the world to become a superstar.”

She hugged herself excitedly. “Kinda fitting that it’s giving me this huge boost, I guess. Worldwide stardom here I come!”

Alice Morrow

393 words

ψ

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Ashley McKenna-Chase + wearing

At least Ashley didn't seem to have noticed Alice's hesitation, talking about the song that had really made her name instead of calling Alice out on her lack of friendly support. She thought about what the musician was saying, and honestly, it made sense. She'd always thought of it as a love song, but thinking of some of the lyrics she realised that Ashley was entirely right. Of course, she should be, having written and performed the song, but actually thinking about it made it clear that it wasn't about love. It was easy to think so if you had the sort of lazy, come what may attitude she had to most of the music that fell outside of her specific interests. Alice shrugged, "I don't think I'd be able to deal with being a superstar. Too much stress you know, and so many people looking up to you!" She looked up herself, as though modelling the behaviour in question, "Ugh. It's so cool that you can do it… like maintain that image all the time. I don’t think I could." The thought that becoming a superhero might result in similar attention had simply not occurred to her, after all, it wasn't as if she had any precedents to look to. How could anyone know what to expect with what was happening? Dominic seemed to know what he was doing though, even if he was learning just as much as the rest of them. His confidence certainly reassured Alice. "Well don't worry. I'll always be there to bake you star cookies, just to remind you of where you're heading. I don't know if I'd be much good as a groupie though." She looked pointedly at her chest, "I'm pretty sure I don't have the right qualities for that anyway."

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Lie-in King

Ashley’s response was interrupted by the sudden realisation that her mother was waving at her through the window, her father close behind her with a glass of wine in hand. She quickly waved back, trying not to be too rude in breaking the conversation, before resuming.

“Sorry, parents are back,” she explained swiftly, as if Alice hadn’t already figured that out. “Uh… Yeah, no I don’t think it’s easy to be really, really famous. But I’d like to try it,” she added with a cheeky grin. “I think it’s probably okay so long as you have good friends around. A good friend is an honest friend and sometimes you need a good kick of honesty to help you keep it real.”

It felt entirely like Alice was giving her too much credit. All she did was slip into the role of McKenna for events and shows – it wasn’t like she had to hide her true self anyway. Playing McKenna just meant bringing all of her positive attributes to the fore and dusting them with a sprinkle of showbiz preppiness. Ashley wasn’t exactly an undiscovered rebel with a dark past.

“Hey, it’s not like either of us have these terrible secrets to hide, I’m sure you’d do fine in the limelight,” Ashley assured her. “You wouldn’t be reinventing yourself, would you? Just… keeping the focus on the right bits, like your optimism or your sense of humour. Maybe not your cardio ability,” she teased, struggling to come up with a flaw. “I know McKenna is never going on those celebrity cooking shows… My career would be over!”

Star cookies sounded really cute actually. Ashley was half-tempted to try them herself and make them a ‘thing’. If her fans latched onto it, she could be rolling in cookies…

“Pffff.”

She pretended not to notice that Alice was indeed pretty flat-chested.

“Not a requirement for backstage passes at my shows, don’t worry!” She laughed at the thought of attracting groupies. Then she glanced back at the window once more, spotting the tops of her parents’ heads as they sat at the table.

“Wanna meet the parents?” she asked. “Or would Jason get jealous that you’re meeting mine before his?”

She couldn’t resist teasing Alice over her “getting pretty serious” man. Well… boy. Man? Ashley hadn’t been bowled over by the two guys they had met at mini golf. Jason had called her Fun Size after all, which was just plain rude! Until proven otherwise, he was clearly not worthy of the title of Man.

Alice Morrow

421 words

ψ

[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Ashley McKenna-Chase + wearing

Following Ashley's gaze, Alice also saw Ashley's parents, complete with glasses of wine. They were disgustingly suburban, and she was extraordinarily jealous for a brief moment. Jealous that Ashley got this, all of this. The cute house in the burbs, the loving parents, all of it. Alice didn't have anything like that, anyone like that. "That's cool." She responded to Ashley's apology. Nodding, Alice mulled over Ashley's thoughts on fame. It made sense. There were celebrities who went to pieces in the limelight, but just as many who stayed sane, or at least seemed to. Ashley was the only person she knew with real experience of fame, and she supposed that she had someone who could give her advice on it. Maybe she should ask Dom, he might not be used to being in the spotlight, but he obviously dealt with people who were. "Pfffft, people would loooove it if you set fire to the set. How often do you think they get to see that on a celebrity cooking show?" Alice had long ago made peace with her almost complete lack of assets, and her figure, which roughly resembled that of a scarecrow. She was certainly never going to be a model, though she had to admit that the suit Stephen had made her certainly made her look better. Almost as if she had a figure, although not even great tailoring could work another miracle beyond that. She pushed her blue hair back from her eyes to glare at the twenty year old budding star, albeit good naturedly. It would be nice to meet Ashley's parents, and she wondered how much of them she would recognise from their daughter, and indeed, their son. At least it wasn't as pressured a situation as meeting Jason's parents would be though. "Sure, I'd love to meet them."

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

The Lie-in King

Alice had an extremely good point. Whilst it may not appeal to those in charge of her public image – who were very much keen on McKenna being the kind and talented all-American sweetheart – starting a fire on a television show would definitely have the right kind of drama to bring eyes on her. Maybe she could reinvent herself as a super relatable klutz – probably shouldn’t risk burning down a set to do so, however.

“…It’s a good point, and I would love to see someone do that, but I don’t think I could handle the heat.”

At this, she locked eyes with Alice, just daring her to acknowledge the pun.

Ashley’s teasing meet-the-parents remark certainly didn’t go unacknowledged – Alice pushed the heavy blue fringe from her eyes to hit Ashley with the full force of her faux-unamused glare. Blinking in wide-eyed innocence, Ashley watched the eyes narrow for a moment, and then she burst into a quick laugh and hauled herself onto her feet, hand extended to assist Alice in doing the same.

“I told them I met you through Will but I’ve spared any magical power deets. Don’t worry, Paladin,” Ashley said solemnly. “I shall never reveal your secret identity!”

She glanced at the back door, hoping she hadn’t said that too loud. Fortunately it was shut, and Ashley had kept her voice down as best she could. It probably didn’t matter too much – it was unlikely that her parents were supervillains. Hopefully.

Her mother and father had seated themselves into their respective armchairs, each with a glass of wine in hand and a contented smile on their face. They looked up together, their eyes brightening as they noticed Alice.

“You must be Alice!” her mother exclaimed happily. “So nice to meet you. Have you girls had fun?” She placed her glass carefully on the table beside her and stood up, arms outstretched. Ashley gave her a swift hug, then turned to greet her father with a kiss on the cheek. Ashley’s mother’s arms were still out, now facing Alice.

“We had a karaoke session!” Ashley said excitedly.

“Oh? Another musician, are ya?” her father asked, looking surprised.

Ashley held back a snort of laughter, choosing to let Alice answer that one for herself.

Alice Morrow

375 words

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[Alice Morrow]

Paladin Am I more than you bargained for yet? + Ashley McKenna-Chase + wearing

The two girls re-entered the house, blankets clutched around them like comforters. Ashley's parents were sat in two armchair, and Alice got the distinct impression that these were the same two arm chairs they would sit in every night. They would probably have glasses of wine then as well. It seemed a comfortable habit to be in. They were around retirement age, but Alice hadn't gotten around to asking if they were actually retired or not. Alice was prepared enough for the hug, it seemed that Ashley's mom was much the same as Stephen's, relentlessly friendly and welcoming towards her child's friends. She returned it, not entirely hesitantly, the laughed at Ashley's dads question. "I think the music industry would be in trouble if I was a musician. I should not be allowed to sing into a microphone, ever, people's ears might bleed." She turned to glance at the petite brunette. "Honestly I'm impressed Ashley managed to maintain that much of a straight face when you asked. But thanks for thinking that. It makes me feel better about my singing voice." It had been nice to meet Ashley's parents and Alice could see where Ashley had gotten her outgoing personality. Will was still a bit of a mystery though, and she put it down to his absent father. They were lying in Ashley's bed now, snuggled up in the darkness. A faint glimmer of light escaped through a gap in the curtains, but neither of them moved to close them. It was warm beneath the covers, and Alice burrowed deeper into them, taking her phone with her as it buzzed. "Sorry it's Jason, he says hi!"

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