Just let it be said that whatever this was, it wasn't fair in the least bit of ways.

Glaring around at the much larger smiling faces, Adelaide Esper Brandon, for not the first time in the past three minutes, wished that reincarnation was an impossibility because suffering through the cheek pinching years of childhood twice was just plain wrong.

Wincing at the horrid feeling of acrylic nails digging into the delicate skin of her face with a pinch, she internally growled.

Adelaide - or Esper most of the time - narrowed her one blue and green eye and frowned.

She was mentally nineteen and terrified that all the constant babying and goo-goo noises were going to drive her up the wall and give her permanent brain damage.

Esper was physically three, not a goddamn idiot.

Sometimes she was unsure if she was actually in hell because surely this was some kind of torture method but nevertheless, she wasn't that lucky.

Stiffening at the sight of another reaching hand entering her personal space the blonde resisted to urge to snap her tiny teeth at the questing fingers and instead sat stock still.

Esper only had to tolerate this for ten more minutes and then all of these vultures in human form would finally leave her be.

Hissing quite vocally at the unpleasant feeling of someone tugging at the strands atop her head in a way they obviously assumed wouldn't cause her pain - she reached up to rub her scalp when they finally let go.

Esper was going to go bald at this rate.

"Her hair is just beautiful!" The brown haired woman giggled in her thick Mississippi accent. "She's lucky she got natural. I wish mine was like that."

Missing her previously mousy colored tresses something fierce the young girl decided that waiting any longer would result in a tantrum to last the ages - she could clearly see the obnoxious harpy gearing up for another grab with every twitch of her claw-like fingers - so Esper forced out a yawn and blinked her lids as if they suddenly weighed a ton.

She drew the line at messing with her hair and that was that.

The resounding chorus of coos that clashed against her eardrums told her all she needed to know as the same brunette witch of a woman called for her grandmother and steady hands lifted her up to a shoulder.

"It looks like the little darling is tired." The she-witch drawled and Esper could practically hear the sugary smile in her voice.

"Well, she has had a very active day." A kindly but spry voice said with a grain of amusement and Esper smiled against the woman's shoulder. "It's best for children her age to get some rest for a few hours."

Praying for the crazed vultures to take the excuse, she nearly burst into tears when she heard them all chorus in agreement.

Daring a tiny peek over her grandmother's shoulder she could clearly see the lot of them now deep in conversation about some trivial small town thing and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Glancing upwards at who held her in their arms, Esper gave a little giggle when the woman rolled her eyes at the gossiping group they left behind.

"The lot of em couldn't keep outta trouble even if the heavens forbade them." She muttered as she pushed open the door leading to her room and suddenly a real sense of fatigue fell over the girl as soon as she caught sight of her bed.

Esper was out before she even touched the pillowcase.

Edit: 4/13/18