Wretched and Divine

[Jacelynn Heron]

((Forward to the first week of August))

School had yet to start, yet here she was meandering around campus with a camera hanging from her neck, bright, fiery hair pulled back. She'd been snapping pictures throughout the day of the architecture, the people and the scenery of U of V. It was a beautiful place, despite her general distaste of her hometown. It wasn't Paris or London, but it had its own charm that she enjoyed capturing on her camera within her pictures. It was so natural, the people laughing with their friends or loved ones. Profs scurrying about campus to different meetings and whatnot. Jace would miss this place if she ever got out.

Scanning the area, she snapped a shot of every angle, high and low just for some variety. They weren't getting into digital photography quite yet, but she'd be ready when they did. To be honest, Jacelynn wasn't the biggest fan of film, despite the better quality prints from a developed film rather than a computer. The process was tedious and frustrating and sometimes very boring if she didn't have some kind of music with her while she was working, but that was the case for many things.

Jace stopped her spinning to snap another picture of someone with beautiful blonde hair, the rare kind of blonde. White almost. She couldn't quite make out a face or anything, but it was the way he (she presumed from the body type) held himself that had her taking his picture. The confidence, the grace, she appreciated those sorts of things. Modelesque as she onced described it. Those were the types that always seemed to draw her in. The divine.

[Carter Chevalier]

Classes weren't starting for weeks, but Carter was back to settle in. Dominique had to return a couple of weeks ago as it was, and so the older twin stayed behind to see his mother for a little while longer before he decided it was time to go back to Vermont. He'd left far too many important things behind there to turn his back on the place for too long. Really, he was drawn back. And he had no complaints about that.

Life wasn't that much fun with Dom stuck where he was, and Carter had missed him.

The buildings alone on UVM's campus were honestly beautiful. That much he could admit. He'd returned to the campus that particular day to sort out his textbook situation, and so he was on his way to do so, mostly keeping to himself in her new found life away from Hammel.

Until someone took a photo of him.

At first he didn't react. But sure enough, he eventually turned his gaze towards them.

And he stopped frozen. It couldn't be, could it? He narrowed his eyes to try and catch a glimpse. No, there was no way.

He ran his fingers along the line of his hair and decided to step away again.

[Jacelynn Heron]

Jacelynn noticed the man turning to look at her and he stopped rather abruptly from what she could see, so shamelessly she took it as an opportunity. Lifting her camera back to her eye, she peeked through the viewfinder and spotted the blonde boy, zooming in enough to make out his features and before he took a step away, she was able to focus in and really see who it was.

Nearly dropping her several hundred dollar camera, she fumbled to catch it and probably looked completely ridiculous. What was he doing at UVM? Of course they'd talked about him sticking around, but after the way the conversation ended during the holidays, she wasn't quite sure he would go through with it. Even if he had, which apparently he did, she never thought she'd see him on campus. Least of all in this situation. God she could have hung herself with the camera strap.

Jace wanted to go up to him. She wanted to say something, apologize maybe for prying so much before, but that just wasn't her. She didn't apologize to anyone unless it was serious and, well, if she knew it was going to be accepted. With him, she never quite knew where they stood with each other. One minute it was flirty and nonchalant, the next he was mad at her or...she didn't let the other thought pop into her head. She wasn't about to get into a jumbled mess if she was going to talk to him.

Which she was.

With him walking away, she hoped he wouldn't glance at her as she hastily straightened her clothes, not that there was anything to straighten. Deep breath in, she started walking towards him, nonchalant as she could without him thinking she was like stalker chasing him or something.

"Cart? Hey, wait up," She called to him, hoping that he might just humor her in at least saying hi.

[Carter Chevalier]

Of all his occurrences, encounters with Jacelynn were the most difficult. Carter Chevalier could play off a soul like the best of them; he was the best at it. But she struck him in the most intriguing way. Every instance with her was a reminder of a periodic pattern. How he walked away and she managed to drag him back so easily. How they went months without talking. How she could scream at him for ruining everything and he'd still want to reach out to her.

A kiss against her lips and purposeful steps away. Gone, for months.

Steps away again felt easy. How they burned the ground beneath him with such a roaring thunder. To get away was necessary; to break the cycle, more so.

But she called to him - a voice more distracting than any other. And he faltered on a step. Stopping, his hand reached for his hair and ran the length of it. Then he turned on a heel to catch her.

"Jacelynn," He said lightly, "A pleasure."

[Jacelynn Heron]

The pattern that they fell into was one that yanked Jacelynn rather violently back and forth between wanting to be as close to him as possible and wanting to tell him to go straight to hell. It was a strange dynamic they had. On the one hand, she was sure he was just playing with the fact that she would give into him no matter what he did, on the other, she felt as though he was just engrossed by her at times as she was him. The way he kissed her, she liked to believe it wasn't just like every other girl he kissed.

Though the way he walked away after definitely was. It was a trademark move for him. Never getting too attached or putting himself into that kind of situation.

She had been the same way for so long. Most of her time at Hammel consisted of a hit and run sort of deal. There weren't many people that could get past that, yet there Carter was, the one that she couldn't just hit and run. Oh no, every time she saw him, it was like her inner fangirl came out and she just had to make the biggest fool of herself by talking to him and letting the same game repeat just like it always did between them.

This time it was no different. The only difference was that she partially expected him not to bother this time around.

Her teeth met her lower lip as she caught up with him and he turned on his heel. Jace kind of stopped abruptly, far clumsier than she typically was and held her camera close as to not drop it (or almost drop it) again. "Hey, didn't really expect to see you around campus. How are you liking it?" That was innocent enough, yeah? The last thing she wanted was to pry again.

Scratch that, she definitely wanted to pry, she just didn't want the same reaction as she got last time.

[Carter Chevalier]

The moment Carter turned around, he glanced down at her mouth. How her teeth fell into her lower lip like it was so easy. His attention then turned to the camera in her hands. And he couldn't help the slight smile he wore for it. After all, it was the entire reason why started whatever it was they started. Had she not had that flare for photography - and by proxy, the pictures she'd been burning - where would they be?

"It's... More than I expected." He reasoned, a small breath of laughter falling from his lips moments later. Really, he doubted he had to explain the connotations of such a statement to her. She knew he had little desire to stay in Vermont past the time he had to. And yet here he was, on campus, stepping as if he truly owned it. "Better than I expected."

Momentarily, he studied her expression. Or rather, he worked to keep his own in check. "I've been busy." He started, knowing it was likely the worst statement to offer, but he gave it all the same.