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TAINTED BLOOD!
a discovery of walls.
Β Β Β Β Β π ππππ πππ ππππππ πππππ πππ unfathomable events that followed the Quidditch World Cup.
It had taken a lot of persuading on behalf of both of the Grindelwald twins and Blaise to convince their parents not to fetch them from The Burrow and let them spend the remaining weeks of summer among friends.
While some of them had managed to go back to their usual routines, Alexandra's odd dreams had only increased; each dream was more vivid than the other, the warnings and words exchanged in complete secret haunting the teen from the moment she first awoke until she laid back in bed.
The blonde wasn't the only who felt haunted, for Harry had confided in his closest friends, Alexandra and Blaise included, about what he'd see when he closed his eyes.
One would have chucked such oddities to the shock experienced by the teens during that eventful August evening, if it wasn't for the fact that both Harry and Alexandra β even Aron, who hadn't been included in their conversations upon his sister's request, for she had no intention to alarm her dear brother β had been plagued by such bone-chilling dreams for months now.
After having spent a week under Molly Weasley's watchful gaze, all teens had now made their way to Platform 9 ΒΎ with the help of some Ministry employees.
The Hogwarts Express looked as magnificent as ever in Alexandra's eyes. The train was bustling with older students and new ones alike, each one of them attempting to either find their peers or a free compartment to sit in.
The Weasley twins had joined their two fellow Gryffindor class-members, Lee and Reed, while Ginny and Aron had been quick to spot their friends, who'd decided to share a compartment regardless of their age gap.
The remaining five were trudging through the sea of students, cramped in such a small space one could have easily passed out if it wasn't for the open windows, when a voice bellowed from behind them.
"Oh, piss off! This compartment is taken!" Alexandra and Blaise exchanged a quick look, both of them smirking before turning around and noticing their curly-haired best friend shooing a group of third-year students away. "And don't you think I haven't heard your snarky comment!" The tanned girl added just as the duo had finally managed to reach her.
"As charming as ever, Freya." Blaise commented, his bored tone just a façade, for both Freya and Alexandra could read their best friend like no other. "I see you haven't grown a filter through the summer, what a pity.". The dark-skinned teen added as he made his way inside the compartment, soon followed by Alexandra herself.
"Bought any more mirrors to stare at yourself with, Blaise?" The curly-haired witch rebutted, crossing her arms and cocking a brow right after she'd closed the compartment door behind her. "Oh, look how charming I am." The teen lowered her voice in an attempt to mimic Blaise as she threw herself onto the cushioned seat.
"Well, aren't we a rain of sunshine today." Alexandra finally spoke, a snicker escaping her lips as she made herself comfortable by crossing one leg on top of the other.
"Well, blame Gamp and Parkinson for that." Freya didn't need to add much, for just the mention of the two Slytherins caused each one of them to groan out loud. "They have the uncanny ability to turn your mood upside-down within seconds."
"Tell me about it." Blaise huffed from beside Alexandra.
The blonde patted the dark-skinned boy's shoulder before letting her eyes drift onto the fields the train was passing by. A faint smile made its way onto her lips, for she couldn't wait to arrive at the place she considered her third home.
She must have zoned out, something she'd grown used to during the summer, for her head whipped to the side as soon as she felt someone poking at her arm, her eyes zeroing onto the culprit who simply shrugged before pocketing her wand.
"Daydreaming about someone in particular?" Freya teased and wiggled her brows. "Like a certain red-h β"
"I wasn't thinking about Fred Weasley!" Alexandra snapped.
"Funny. I didn't hear Freya mention his name." Blaise chimed in, a charming yet amused smile on his lips as he stared at Alexandra. Somehow, while the blonde had gotten lost in thought, the boy had decided to sit sideways, his legs stretched onto the fabric of the seat and feet casually on top of Alexandra's legs. "Or any name, for the matter."
The blonde girl could feel her cheeks getting more flushed by the second, yet her friends' amusement had yet to die down.
"It's interesting how the moment I mentioned someone with red hair, the first person who came to your mind was dear Freddie." Freya kept on teasing by mentioning the red-head's name in a dreamy tone.
"I didn't β you know what, you two are absurd." Alexandra huffed while silently chiding herself for her reaction.
She didn't have feelings for Fred Weasley. She'd be a fool to. After all, the boy had a flock of admirers and she was just β her. She was a walking reminder of a Dark Wizard whose action had brought many to their early graves.
No one would have ever fallen for someone like her, for a girl whose blood was tainted from birth. To let herself think otherwise, to actually fall in love β that would have been a recipe for disaster, something that was bound to get her heart broken in the process.
The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was spent bickering and laughing.
While Alexandra might have behaved in a rather carefree manner, something she only allowed herself to do when among those she truly trusted, the last words the person in her dreams spoke to her sparked a sense of dread the closer the train came to their destination, one the blonde found progressively harder to suppress.
"This year is going to mark the beginning of it all."
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Β Β The excitement that filled the air was almost palpable as Alexandra proceeded to walk in the opposite direction to the Ravenclaw tower after dinner; students of all ages chatted among one another as they made their way to their common rooms.
As announced before the start-of-the-term feast, the Triwizard Tournament was to take place at Hogwarts; while banned for years, the event had been reinstated and two delegations from fellow Wizarding Schools had joined the rest of the students.
Dinner at Hogwarts was far from a dull affair, yet this one, at least in Alexandra's humble opinion, had to be one of the most eventful. After a rather odd mishap with the enchanted ceiling, their Headmaster had introduced the new Defence Against the Dark professor; Alastor Moody.
Alexandra herself didn't know much about the man, just tales her parents would share in regards to the days they fought alongside Moody in attempt to defeat Voldemort, a wizard that had managed to instill even more terror than her grandfather ever did. While she was fairly certain that the man would have proved himself to be a rather interesting professor, Alexandra was one who never relied on tales and rumours, for she preferred to form her own opinion even when it came to authority figures such as Hogwarts' professors.
The blonde's footsteps echoed through the corridors as she made her way towards the Headmaster's office.
She'd written to the wise wizard a week prior to the start of term, for that fateful night she had awoken in cold sweats, her trembling hands barely able to hold a quill once she had accepted the fact she could not face her nightmares on her own.
Alexandra had received a short reply on behalf of her Headmaster; in the letter, the wizard had instructed her to seek him out after the feast in order to discuss the issue at hand and urging her not to share this with anyone just yet.
Having spoken the password, the blonde was let through the hidden passage by the towering statue that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office. The noise caused by the material of her shoes was all she could hear as she climbed the moderately small set of stairs that would have brought her in front of the room's main door.
"Miss Grindelwald, do come on in." Alexandra had barely touched the surface of the door, when the comforting voice of Albus Dumbledore reached her ears.
Stepping inside the room, Alexandra was once more met with the astonishing assortment of books, knick-knacks and whatnot, that had first left her in awe back during her first year. Sure, this visit was about to be far different from her very first one, for the first time she'd ever spoken to the wizard in his office was due to the fact she'd hexed a second-year bully on school grounds. Back then she was slightly astonished by the fact that the Headmaster had let her go without so much as mere detention, inadvertently laying the foundation for the trust and respect Alexandra now held towards the man.
"Sit, sit. Lemon drop?" The older wizard asked, his eyes twinkling behind the half-moon spectacles he wore at all times.
"No, thank you, Sir." Alexandra replied as she took a seat directly in front of the wizard, her left leg bouncing and foot tapping rhythmically due to her nerves. The blonde was at a loss for words, how could one approach the topic of her affliction without sounding completely insane? Luckily, the wise wizard before her seemed to have sensed her uneasiness, for he slowly clasped his hands on top of the desk before addressing her himself.
"Shall we talk about what's bothering you? In your letter, you mentioned dreams which content is mostly obscure to you." Dumbledore started, his kind eyes settling on Alexandra's. "What are the things you do remember?"
Alexandra cleared her throat, a feeling of uneasiness settling within her stomach. "Just a voice β a male voice." Her breath hitched in her throat as she felt as if her limbs had grown as cold as ice. "It's a deep voice," She sighed. "I can only describe it as almost sweet, entrancing, but also ardent."
"Are there any other details you might recall?" Alexandra had been too busy trying to find the right words to describe the voice belonging to the person who haunted her, she hadn't even noticed that her Headmaster now stood by one of the tall windows inside his office, staring outside as rain heavily poured down.
The atmosphere was rather fitting, the chaos one could debate the rain would have left mirroring what the blonde was currently feeling.
"Whoever this person is, they draw out some words here and there, as if they were trying to make a point." Alexandra turned in her seat, her eyes looking for Dumbledore's who seemed to be deep in thought. "Professor, can you help me understand what's happening to me? I am not a seer, I am not my brother." She sounded exhausted as she begged the wizard before her.
"There might be a way." Dumbledore finally spoke, his tone of voice showing a shred of hesitation as he neared a cabinet from which he extracted something Alexandra had only ever read about, yet had never seen before.
"Is that a pensieve?" Alexandra queried as she stood up and neared her Headmaster, her right hand hovering next to the shallow stone. "I've only read about these." She whispered in awe, causing the older wizard beside her to offer her a smile as he lightly chuckled.
"It is indeed, Alexandra." For a second, all the blonde's worries washed away, leaving her with nothing but appreciation and glee, something Albus Dumbledore didn't fail to notice as the teen stared at the surface of the silvery substance. "I assume you already know how it works, yet let me remind you. I will need you to concentrate on the memories pertaining to all you ever remembered once you woke up from the dreams in which the voice spoke to you."
Alexandra inhaled deeply, her shoulders tensing at the mere idea of having to re-live what, in all honesty, she had tried so hard to forget.
Nevertheless, the blonde trusted Dumbledore, therefore she simply nodded, her eyes following the wand that the wizard brought next to her temple as she recalled every last dream.
As soon as the Headmaster had directed her memories inside the cloudy liquid, the wizard encouraged the Grindelwald girl with a small nod.
What happened next rendered Alexandra almost breathless.
She was still standing next to Albus Dumbledore, yet their surroundings had completely vanished, leaving the two surrounded by nothing but pitch black.
The first time the voice reached both their ears, Alexandra whipped her head to the side in hope to find the source of the sound, yet she was once more met with nothing but darkness.
"You have nothing to be frightened about, child. I would never harm you. I knew of you for such a long time."
Suddenly, it was as if a strong gust of wind blew past both Alexandra and her Headmaster, causing the former to follow the direction of the chilling air.
"You shouldn't turn away from your abilities. Only a rare soul like yours could ever receive the gift that you've been given. Embrace who you are, who you were always meant to be."
Those words chilled Alexandra to the bone. She still remembered waking up gasping for air as if she'd been hit by a bludger in the stomach.
When another gust of wind blew past, the blonde simply stared ahead.
"You must prepare yourself, child. Ready yourself for what's to come."
Alexandra didn't want to linger there any longer. Her wish to leave the pensieve was soon granted to the blonde, who suddenly found herself kneeling onto the ground, her breathing uneven as she attempted to regain her balance.
"I am afraid this is just what I had predicted it to be." Dumbledore's solemn voice only heightened Alexandra's worries as the blonde forced herself on the same seat she first sat on upon her arrival.
The old wizard neared one of the many cabinets, only to tap it with his wand; a large assortment of potions soon came into view, each one stashed methodically in order to form a neat circle. The Headmaster's hand hovered over one in particular, his hand soon clasping the vial before closing the cabinet and going back to his seat.
"What is that, sir?" Alexandra queried with her head tilted to the side as she eyed the multi-coloured potion. The potion was deep purple, yet it held what seemed to be an endless amount of speckles of colours such as blue, green, light purple, and more.
"Aurea Vox." The Headmaster explained, pushing the vial across the table. "Two drops before bed, no more, no less. This will help you push through the wall buried deep inside your unconscious."
Alexandra's nimble fingers wrapped around the vial, pocketing it slowly and carefully, for she didn't want it to break.
"There is a part of you that has always remained buried. Not because of you, nor because of someone else." Dumbledore quickly reassured her, yet the blonde still directed a questioning glance at the old wizard. "There are things not even magic can create, nor stop. I hope you find some relief in knowing what you're experiencing is rare, but not an isolated accident." Dumbledore lowered his head, peaking at Alexandra over the top of his half-moon spectacles, his soothing and kind voice managing to finally make the blonde feel at ease.
Their conversation was soon interrupted, a high-pitch voice reaching the blonde's ears from her left and causing her to shift her attention.
"Snails! Black snails! There are more friends here!" Alexandra parted her lips in disbelief as she followed Oaksett's trajectory; the small bowtruckle had left the safety of her breast pocket and was nearing one of the many bowls of sweets perched on top of the Headmaster's desk. While Alexandra could understand the beast with ease, the only sound that reached Dumbledore's ears was a constant and rhythmic click.
"Oaksett, no!" Alexandra exclaimed, her right hand quickly interjecting the beast that pouted once she'd lifted it from the desk. "Those are licorice snaps." She explained to the beast that remained in her hand, its hand crossed and eyes avoiding her own. "They would have bitten you." She added; a sweet smile appeared on her lips as soon as the beast's eyes met her own and nodded in defeat, soon making its way on top of her shoulder and nestling among her long blonde strands.
"A curious one, I see." Dumbledore beamed. "I think I'd better place these somewhere else." He mused out loud.
"I am sorry, sir. Thanks for the help." Alexandra stood up, chuckling lightly when a high-pitched yawn reached her ear.
"I expect updates on your progress, Alexandra." Dumbledore's voice caused the blonde to stop just by the door. "Have a good night.".
Alexandra didn't bother to rush back to her common room, for she was well aware that, having just left the Headmaster's office, she wasn't bound to get in trouble.
Much to many students' dismay, Ravenclaw's tower could be found at the top of a rather long and steep stairwell, though many counted themselves lucky, seeing as their stairs did not move when they saw fit.
Over the years, students would eventually get used to the long climb, the initial strain on their muscles fading along with the annoyance that most of them felt whenever one had to rush back in a hurry due to forgotten homework and such.
What truly sparked much debate was Ravenclaw's tower's entrance. There was no password or secret barrels to tap, yet, set against the door stood a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle that always posed a different riddle to those who wished to enter the common room.
It wasn't unusual to find a large gathering of Ravenclaws debating with one another in order to find the right answer to a riddle, nor was it odd to see elder students trusting younger ones to know the answer when they did not.
"It's true I bring serenity and hang around in stars, but yet I live in misery, you'll find me behind bars. With thieves and villains I consort, in prison I'll be found. Though I'll never go to court unless there's more than one. What am I?" The eagle knocker spoke, becoming still once more as soon as the riddle was posed.
Alexandra chewed on her lower lip, deep in thought as she repeated the riddle over and over in her mind.
"The letter S." Alexandra responded and, much to her relief, the door quickly opened itself, giving the teen the chance to get inside and make her way towards her shared room.
When she reached her room, the blonde found herself grinning; her nightgown, along with her dressing gown had been neatly placed on top of her bed, her toiletries displayed in a discreet way, yet within reach. The candle on her bedside table had been lit in order for her to move with ease. Freya had out-done herself once more.
Once changed, Alexandra took the small bed she'd made for Oaksett and placed it on the small wooden table, something that caused the beast to run down her arm before settling down on the warm contraption.
A sigh escaped her lips the moment her head met the fluffy pillow, yet, before blowing out the candle, Alexandra reached to her right and pulled the cork-lid off the vial, administering herself the dosage prescribed by Dumbledore.
The last thing she remembered doing before welcoming a sound slumber was blowing out the candle, her eyes fluttering closed as her mind drifted off.
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Β Β Just like every other morning, Alexandra was the first to awake from her slumber. Birds had yet to start chirping outside, for the sun had barely risen at all when the blonde teen swung her legs out of her duvet, any hint of sleep now completely gone as she first took a peek outside the window right beside her bed.
While Alexandra had resigned to the fact that she could not seek peace in her sleep, this did not mean that she couldn't do so by taking advantage of the early morning hours.
After having spent what she deemed to be an acceptable amount of time in a seemingly silent room, for it would have only been truly quiet if Mandy Brocklehurst was to stop snoring in her sleep, Alexandra inhaled deeply and left the comfort of her mattress.
Her steps could be barely heard as the blonde neared her truck, which contained all the belongings she had yet to unpack, and took out a clean uniform, for the one she wore the previous day had already been taken by the house elves for cleaning.
She trudged towards the shared bathroom quickly, her feet barely touching the ground as the blonde dodged the other beds situated in the room, only to exhale loudly once she had closed the door to their shared bathroom behind her.
Once ready, Alexandra made her way toward the common room, a hint of a smile dancing across her lips as soon as the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw came into her line of sight. The blonde soon opted to wait for her best friend to wake up by sitting on a deep dark blue armchair situated nearby the already lit fire.
With her head tilted towards the midnight blue domed ceiling covered in stars, Alexandra found herself falling deep in thought, the events of the previous evening rushing back to her as she tried to make heads or tails of what she'd experienced and what had been said within the walls of the Headmaster's office.
While she initially paid no attention to them, many sentences uttered by Dumbledore couldn't stop her from thinking he'd known all along what or who was plaguing her mind. However, Hogwarts' Headmaster was rather known for his cryptic explanations and hints, proof of said fact being what he'd told to Alexandra, Harry and Hermione before they used the time-turner the previous school year.
Yet, Alexandra couldn't stop from wondering; if Dumbledore did indeed have an answer, how come he didn't share his knowledge with her? What truly laid undiscovered behind the wall within herself she'd been coexisting with for fourteen years?
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Β Β The Great Hall was bustling with chatter.
Alexandra and Freya had taken a seat at the end of the table, the former rather engrossed in her reading of The Prophet. The blonde was not very fond of the paper; after all, whoever owned a shred of common sense ought to know that most of the stories were highly influenced by the point of view of Ministry's officials rather than journalists' themselves. Alexandra Grindelwald, however, still read The Prophet every single morning, the copy being offered to her by a rather kind elder student named Cho Chang.
The sound of footsteps approaching caused the blonde to lower the newspaper, her eyes falling onto the Head of Ravenclaw House, Professor Flitwick, who was struggling to hold every last schedule he was to distribute.
A chuckling coming from Slytherin's table caused Alexandra to clench her teeth. The teen took a second to inhale deeply, for she didn't want to give in to the anger she always tried her best to keep suppressed.
The blonde stood up slowly, a stoic expression now gracing her features as she took in the group of Slytherins, who were still mocking the Charm's professor, with an icy-like attitude.
"Can I help you, professor?" Alexandra queried, a sincere smile spreading across her lips while the rest of her face still showed no emotion whatsoever.
The shorter wizard immediately beamed at the blonde witch, a kind smile that reached his eyes causing Alexandra's to spread even further. "Oh, how very kind of you, Miss Grindelwald." He exclaimed, his chipper attitude ever so present as he handed over half of the time-tables to the young witch. "First year till third." He explained before scurrying away to distribute the rest himself.
Keeping a rather firm grasp onto the stack of parchments in her hands, Alexandra's doe eyes travelled to Hufflepuff's table in search of her twin, only to find Aron already looking at her, a proud smile on his lips.
Aron was not the only one who'd noticed what she'd done, for she soon noticed that half of Gryffindor's table was also staring at her, some simply nodding, while others, such as Reed Shacklebolt, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, George Weasley, and Fred Weasley smiled at her.
What she did not see, however, was Fred Weasley being nudged by both Reed and Lee, the two friends sporting an equally knowing smile and a smirk as they proceeded to mercilessly tease the red-head.
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Β Β Later that day, Alexandra found herself sat beneath a large tree in one of the many courtyards on the school grounds, nose stuck in her Potions book while the Arithmancy homework she'd already completed was slightly poking out of her bag.
While the Grindelwald teen truly loathed and dreaded Herbology and History of Magic, Potions was one of the classes she always excelled at, a subject she actually loved.
This year's timetable had taken many by surprise, for many classes they once shared with just another House, they now commonly shared with all students from each single House, the whole lot having been simply separated into two large groups. Care of Magical Creatures and Transfiguration were the only two classes that followed the structure everyone had grown used to, the former seeing Ravenclaw and Slytherin together, while the latter was shared by Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.
While many students could still be seen acting as if the summer holidays had yet to end, Alexandra saw no point in delaying her studies, for if she ever hoped to achieve her goals in life she'd have to excel at certain subjects.
Her concentration, however, dwindled as soon as she heard two people nearing the bench she was currently sitting at.
"What is our favourite Ravenclaw up to?" George questioned as sat on Alexandra's right at the same time as Fred took a seat on her left.
"Up to some mischief?" Fred continued, a smile highlighting his features.
"Or some light reading?"
"It can't be! She's already studying!"
"What a horrific sight to see!"
"Will you two just shut up." Alexandra interrupted the back and forth, a giggle escaping her lips due to the twin's uncanny ability to finish each other's sentences and voice each other's thoughts. "I just β" She didn't have time to finish her sentence, for soon enough Reed Shacklebolt's voice reached their ears.
"George, get over here! You'll never believe what Angelina just told me!" It was rather odd, for most of the time the twins could be seen together; it was rare that only one of them was beckoned without the other.
"Now, you two. Behave." George said in a teasing manner, the look he sent to his twin sparking nothing but confusion within Alexandra.
Just as George had left them, Alexandra's eyes fell onto a group of Durmstrang students who were staring at her, causing the blonde to slightly stiffen.
Fred must have sensed her discomfort, yet his action only added fuel to Alexandra's confusion, for the red-head slowly put his arm around the blonde's shoulders.
It was as if Alexandra's body had a mind of its own, for before she knew it, she had already closed the small gap in between their bodies as Fred's arm went to rest on her upper arm.
It felt as if everything had gone still. Alexandra's heart started hammering inside her chest as she felt as if a storm of bees had been released within her stomach. Alexandra was beyond terrified, for she had no clue what was going on with her.
Of course, Fred's actions had to be friendly. Someone as good and funny and kind as him couldn't have had any other reason to act like that with her. Sure, she'd seen plenty of boys doing the same with other girls; holding them tight, bodies pressed together, but this couldn't be for their case. There was no way Fred was acting upon the same feelings that other boys held towards those girls.
Not wishing to dwell on what was going on with her, Alexandra spoke about the first thing that came to mind.
"Are you going to try and enter the Tournament?" She queried.
"Of course we are. George and I have been up all night thinking about the perfect way to trick Dumbledore." Fred replied confidently.
Alexandra knew that the red-head was smirking, years of friendship had caused the two to form a rather peculiar bond.
"Don't over-do the potion." She warned him, yet her voice held a tone of mischief, something Fred was quick to catch on as he laughed from beside her. None of them had moved an inch, their sides still pressed together as Fred had mindlessly started toying with the fabric of Alexandra's robe, something the blonde found rather soothing.
"What did you have in mind?" Fred tilted his head, brown eyes quickly meeting light blue and white as Alexandra mimicked his action, both the teens smiling almost immediately.
Alexandra bit her lip, quickly breaking eye-contact with Fred as she shook her head, pretending not to be interested in helping the red-heads in their feat. Her resolve soon crumbled, for her eyes fell upon Fred Weasley's infamous smile, his dimple fully on show. Alexandra gently shoved the red-headed boy in the chest, causing the latter to burst into laughter, soon followed by the blonde teen.
The duo was clueless to the fact that, not far from where they sat, stood a group of their peers who'd been keeping an eye on their interactions.
"One galleon they finally admit their feelings to each other before the end of the year." Angelina spoke up, breaking the silence.
"One? Make it two, and I bet they're finally going to get together." Reed quickly retorted with a smirk of his own.
"Make it five." The four elder students turned around, only to see a rather smug looking Blaise and an amused Freya. "Five that they admit their feelings, freak out, and finally get together thanks to us." Blaise countered.
"I'm with our rebel Slytherin here, he's learning so quickly." George teased, managing to ruffle Blaise's hair regardless of the teen trying to swat the red-head's hand away.
Blaise and George's bet was quickly accepted by the elder students who all shook hands before turning once more toward their two unknowing friends.
Oh, what a bliss days like that one were. If only any of them had known what the future had in store. If only Alexandra had known about the hardships she'd soon be forced to face.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
well, well, what is our dear dumbledore keeping from alexandra? does he actually know what's going on with her or is as clueless as our blonde?
what do you think is going on with alexandra? who's the person behind the voice? trust me, it's not as simple as many might think.
any kind of constructive feedback is always welcome! let me know if you like the chapter; leave a comment, vote, share, all the shebang!
BαΊ‘n Δang Δα»c truyα»n trΓͺn: AzTruyen.Top