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Being the leader of a secret coven of witches is exactly as hard as it sounds: Diana has to monitor, train and teach magic to a group of teenagers, pretending the whole time that she has a better grip on things- when the reality is that she is just as clueless, still trying to figure it all out, just like them.
Leadership is a lot of pressure on its own; she knows this from being part of the high school’s student council; but when your team members have the ability to set stuff on fire with their minds it becomes high stakes, dangerous, there is a greater need to keep everyone and everything under control. And sure, she does her hardest. But the problem is that, ignoring all protocol, defying all reason and threatening the secret- one of her coven members refuses to stay in line.
Moving chairs. Breaking windows. Hexing students. Setting off the fire alarm. It was a different rule broken each week but it was almost always Faye. Sure, the others would get emotional; their anger or ecstasy causing unexpected magical bursts of magic; or someone would misspeak a chant; causing the spell to backfire; but with Faye's disruptions there was intension; She meant the things she did. She wanted to show off. to cause chaos. loved getting high on her own power. didn’t seem to know when to stop pushing the boundaries, the difference between learning magic and abusing it.
It became Diana’s duty to build those broken walls, re-enforcing the rules. She had to be the one pulling Faye off the cliff, putting out the fires, mending what’s broken. Faye was more trouble than she was worth but she was still her responsibility, part of her circle- and no matter the curses she mutters in her head, Diana didn’t actually want her to get hurt. She found herself keeping a close watch on the other girl; deeming her the flight risk; but she found herself worrying and thinking about her more than she should.
And once Faye was in her head, it was almost a complex, the girl had her twisted up. But that was not so surprising; Diana knew the day they formed the circle; when she looked at the brooding, blasé Nick; and the impressionable, girly Melissa; and the handsome, gentlemanly Adam; that it would be the head strong, tough-as-nails Faye that would give her hell. Faye would give her headaches and knots in the stomach-impatient and unpredictable, too willfull for her own good, and then there was that tongue of hers…
Don’t kid yourself, you think you can order me?
So what if I don’t stop?
Or what, Diana?
Faye would say things along those lines, the both of them glaring at each other in an epic standoff while the the others stood by; not knowing whom to side with- Melissa who was best friends with Faye, Adam who was dating Diana, Nick couldn’t care either way, and no one could unbiasedly intervene. In those instances, when Faye made it obvious she was not going to back down; despite being in the wrong most of the time; Diana was sorely tempted to make her. The anger would rise within her, fierce like fire, as only Faye could stir it, and she would catch herself before the spell left her lips, nails digging into her fisted palms. She would stop because she could see it: that dark excitement in Faye's eyes, the daring arch of her one raised eyebrow as she waited for a comeback; Faye was trying to bait her.
It was also during these times that Diana wondered what it was all about, really. When they would be shouting at each other and Faye would have this twitch in her cheek like she was on the verge of laughter. When they would be in each other’s faces and Faye would still lean closer. When they were glaring and Faye's eyes would keep flickering to her lips. She didn't know what the true motion was, if it was about what they were fighting over or just the fight itself. those moments when the air felt charged and the skin of her cheeks felt warm, because of all the blood boiling in her veins. and she would ask herself this:
did Faye want to be confronted?
does she want to be stopped?
does she like to be challenged?
Diana could only guess as to why. She doesn’t know when the taunts started sounding like teases. when narrowed glares were heavy lidded gazes, and suddenly there were smiles; Faye invading her space, touching her even; seeming to have made a game out of pushing her buttons. And it worked, no one riled her up like Faye, no one got under her skin that fast and made her break composure. the method she chose to go about this made it all the more rattling. Diana could handle Faye being mean, because its Faye and she's like that with everyone- but Faye being flirty is another thing entirely.
Diana recognized the moves; these head-to-toe once overs and devious smirks; from Faye around Jake. a certain way about her actions when she was with him was mirrored in her actions when she was with Diana; pushing and pulling strings, tugging and loosening a tension that carried coy undertones. Diana didn’t question it because it confused her, left her flustered at the suggestion of those winks Faye threw over her shoulder, before she walks off with a sway to her hips.
But at least Diana had some compromising effect on the other girl, too. She was one of the few people who could stand their own against Faye, unafraid of the bad girl facade. She could push back, give the punches as good as she took them, getting away with snide comments that other people wouldn’t be spared from. whenever Faye went gone too far, it was Diana who could reproach her, as Faye recognized as leader, however reluctantly. She went along with the decisions that Diana made; which showed some degree of trust-sometimes complaining the whole way through the order and other times just rolling her eyes and getting it over with. but she didn't challenge Diana's position as her coven leader, at least.
And on occasion, it seemed like Faye was actually listening to her. few, far between occasions.
The times when they were most amiable toward each other was when they were all learning spells together. At the abandoned house, with Diana reading spells from her book of shadows and everyone, Faye included, would attentively listen. she was the better spell memorizer, the one who tried to learn the most, and so invested on co operating during those times, to achieve more magic. and animosities aside, she was a great witch. Faye was the daring, always volunteered to test out the new tricks, too eager to argue or insult. never quitting just because they don’t get the spell right the first time; which Diana admired about her, her tenacity. she would only get more determined to get the spell to work more, never blaming others or accepting excuses. for all the misperceived grievances she would often accuse her of; calling her 'controlling' and 'self righteous'; she did not hold 'failed spell casting' over Diana's head.
It was as good as she could get from Faye. But Diana was not content with things as they were; antagonistic and confusing- when their relationship had such potential for friendship or sisterhood or greater things. She looked through Faye and searched within herself, and Diana saw the parallels between them: two pretty brunets, both grieved by the loss of a parent, both strong, young women, fierce witches. Diana thought that if only she could try harder, be firmer and more patient with Faye, who in turn would be more compliant and kinder, then perhaps- as the other girl could come to see these similarities, too-she would start to get even better from her.