#(however 10-12 is young enough that bonnie really does NOT need to know right now. especially not on top of everything else.

[beneathsilverstars]

i keep adding things to this one post and then realizing they'd make more sense as a separate post. so here's how the party explained what happened in dagger ending au to bonnie:

Siffrin was very sad and worried about everyone leaving, because he was alone before he met us and he didn't want to be alone again. But he didn't talk about it because we all had plans that seemed very important, and he didn't want to get in the way, and he didn't want to admit that he didn't have anything else to do. It sounds pretty silly when you put it like that, but the rest of us were nervous to admit how much we cared about each other, too! Sometimes it's hard to tell someone how important they are to you, if you don't know whether you're important to them.

During the quest it was okay, because Siffrin knew we would stay together until Vaugarde was saved. But getting to Dormont meant the quest was almost over, and they got so upset at the idea of everyone leaving, that they didn't really care about what they were doing. Why did it matter what happened to them, when they were going to be sad and alone tomorrow either way? So they weren't very careful while they were training, and they got hurt. Luckily Odile saw, and Mirabelle healed them right up.

Now, he's really glad that we all decided to stay together longer! But he might still feel worried for a while, because it's hard to believe that everyone isn't leaving, after he's been dreading it for so long. And sometimes when you're sad for a long time, your brain just tries to keep being sad even when there isn't any reason to be. But if we keep reminding him that we love him just as much as he loves us, it'll start to stick in his brain better! We might also need to remind him to be careful and take care of himself, because that can be hard to remember when you're sad. And while he practices that, we can help take care of him, too!

[natg1rl-blog]

Alias

Chapter 3, Part 2 of “Little Black Book".

****

The next weekend Sally invited me over to try on some of her clothes. We wanted to get somewhat glammed up before attempting to visit Joe again. After speaking about it constantly all week at school I began to get used to the idea... and after a few sips from a bottle of Lemon Rusky, I was feeling confident! I had chosen to wear long dark-blue pants with one of Sally’s pink low-cut tops, which sparkled in all the right places. I wore minimal make-up but just enough to widen the eyes and brighten the lips. My hair was naturally wavy so I didn’t need to put in much effort there. As Sal and I arrived at Joe’s there was a light on inside the house indicating that someone was home this time. Sally knocked on the front door and an overwhelming feeling of deja-vu showered me. My heart raced hard in my chest.

     When Joe opened the door he didn’t look like how I remembered. He still didn’t know what a pair of shoes were, but it appeared as though he had scrubbed up in the sense that he had clearly showered, and also shaven his terribly overgrown facial hair.

‘Ladies!’ He greeted enthusiastically.

Sally let out a flirtatious laugh while I tried to force a smile. I couldn’t help the bad thoughts that were intent on invading my head-space.

‘Hi Joe.’ Sally greeted back.

‘Come in, come in.’ He invited.

Sally went first and I followed closely behind. Joe held the door open until we were both well inside the hall way. I noticed he had a friend sitting on the couch who seemed too lazy to turn back and look at us.

‘Apologies, what were your names again?’ Joe asked as he walked back past and gestured the two of us towards the lounge room.

I waited for Sally to respond.

‘Bonnie.’ She lied.

Sal and I were obsessed with the movie “The Craft”. Her favourite was Bonnie and mine was Sarah. It was nice to not have the same favourite character in a movie, it minimized the conflict. I was surprised that Sally had lied to him but I assumed there must have been a reason for it. Maybe she didn’t trust him as much as I thought she did.

‘I’m Sarah.’

Sally headed over to a single chair in the corner of the lounge room and I sat right next to her on the three-seater. Joe’s friend was across from us on the other single chair.

‘Hello.’ He greeted finally.

Joe’s friend looked weird. His head was shaved almost two lengths too short for his head shape, and he had an unfortunate lazy eye. He also seemed very out of it, as though he were high on something.

‘I’m Anthony.’ He went on.

‘This is Bonnie and Sarah.’ Joe introduced as though Anthony wouldn’t have heard us say it at the door anyway. It felt weird hearing those names though.

‘So what do you ladies want to do tonight?’ Joe asked.

I hadn’t given any thought past knocking on Joe’s front door. Apparently Sally had her own ideas however...

‘I was thinking we head down to St. Rhices High School and borrow their swimming pool if you know what I mean?’

Sally and I had done it before. I had completely forgotten about it until she was bringing it up now. The school had a fence around its pool but was very easy to climb over.

‘Rebel, I love it.’ Joe teased.

Sally looked pleased with herself.

‘I’m going to go get dressed, Anthony be nice while I’m gone.’ Joe warned.

‘I’m always nice.’ Anthony defended as he began to roll a cigarette.

I assume the boys were trying to throw off a witty-banter vibe but they weren’t really selling it.

‘Do you smoke?’ Anthony asked, not generalized at either one of us.

‘No thank you.’ I replied almost too quickly.

‘I do but I’m fine for now.’ Sally added.

I had no idea she even smoked cigarettes.

‘Ready?’

I couldn’t believe how quickly Joe had gotten changed, I envied that about men. I was happy he had managed a pair of thongs at least.

‘You coming man?’ Joe asked Anthony as Sally and I stood up and made our way toward the door.

‘Nah I’ve gotta babysit remember?’

I shot Sal a concerned look. Who the hell would get that guy to babysit their child? Who knows what was in the joint he had just rolled.

     As the four of us left the house, Anthony went his own separate way whilst Sally, Joe and I headed toward the school. The more time I spent with Joe the more comfortable I became around him and before long my bad thoughts begun to fade away. He was still a bit of a dero. I knew he and Anthony definitely weren’t the working type, the two of them had dole-bludger  written all over them, but I wasn’t about to marry the guy so what did it really matter? When we reached the school the three of us looked around for something to aid us in climbing over the fence to the pool. It was a lot higher than what I remembered. I couldn’t believe our luck when Joe just so happened to find a small ladder.

‘Ladies first.’ He offered as he placed the ladder up against the fence.

I took his hand as I stepped up. With one swift movement I was over to the other side with no dramas. The pool looked so inviting. Its crystal blue water was calling out to me and I couldn’t wait to jump in. I could hear chatter going on over the other side of the fence and I was curious to know what the hold up was.

‘What’s going on?’ I yelled out.

It took a second for one of them to respond to me.

‘This ladder is really unsteady.’ Sally whined.

‘Don’t be a baby!’ I teased.

This was her idea.

‘Can we go somewhere else?’ She asked.

I was surprised at how much of a wuss she was being.

‘No it’s easy, just climb over.’ I argued.

I had seen that pool and I was not willing to leave it now. Sally stepped up on the ladder again only this time I heard a loud crack. Sally let out a little squeal.

‘I’m not doing it. Let’s go to the beach instead.’

I was momentarily pissed off but I figured the beach was the next best option and we weren’t too far from it. We also weren’t breaking the law so that was a plus. I hopped back over the fence and Joe caught me as I landed. When we approached the Ocean water, Sally ran in fully clothed. I had a feeling she was trying to show off in order to get Joe’s attention, and it worked because he ran in behind her laughing at her madness. I took my pants off and followed suit, I was not keen for an uncomfortable walk home in soaking wet clothes. The water was a little colder than I would have liked. It was nearing the end of Autumn so Winter wasn’t far off. Not exactly beach weather but you’re only young once. It didn’t take long before I began to feel like a bit of a third-wheel. Sally and Joe were splashing each other playfully before he begun to put her over his shoulder and throw her into the water like they were some in-love couple just frolicking about.

     On the walk home Sally had strategically let Joe gain some ground in front of the two of us so that she could hang back and get my advice on something.

‘I think I like him Bella.’ She admitted to me.

The smirk on my face was hard to hide.

‘What?’ She pressed.

‘You think that I didn’t pick up on that already?’ I teased.

She smiled shyly.

‘You know he likes you too right?’

‘No he doesn’t.’ She argued back in a self-deprecating fashion.

‘He does, I can tell.’ I promised.

She went silent for a minute.

‘Do you think you could go up and ask him?’  

The desperation in her voice broke my heart. He didn’t even know her real name.

‘Of course.’ I said willingly before jogging off in front.

‘Wait up.’ I called out to Joe who was further in front of us than I thought.

Joe slowed down for me and as I reached him, he put his arm around my shoulder. This isn’t going to look good, I thought to myself.

‘What’s up babe?’ Joe asked coyly.

‘Judging from the look on your face I think you might already know.’ I wondered.

‘Haha.’

He actually said the words Ha ha.

‘So?’

‘So what?’

This was about to get old fast.

‘Would you want to hang out with Sal some more?’ I asked him in a round-about way.

‘Absolutely!’

After that moment I was officially a third wheel. For the rest of the way home the two of them held hands as though they were boyfriend and girlfriend. I had to keep reminding myself that not only did Joe think that Sally’s name was Bonnie, he also thought she was sixteen…and she most certainly was not.

     As the three of us reached my house I said goodbye and left the two of them to do whatever they were bound to do as soon as they had a moment alone. I momentarily freaked out over the fact that I had no idea what the time was. The last thing I told my mum was that Sally and I were going to her friend’s house for a few hours. I knew for a fact that it had to have been longer than that. I didn’t have a phone or a watch so I could only assume it was about 10:30. I entered the key into the lock and turned it cautiously, trying to be as quiet as humanly possible. I thought that if mum was asleep in bed and it was later than I anticipated, I would be safe anyway because she would never know. I shut the door slowly without making a sound and crept over to the clock on the wall. My heart dropped into my stomach when I saw that it read 12 midnight. I was dead. In that very moment the lounge room light switched on and I turned to see mum standing in the doorway with a horrified look on her face. Shit!

‘What time do you call this Bella?’ She asked rhetorically.

‘I’m so sorry mum I had no idea it was that late.’ I promised genuinely.

‘Don’t lie to me.’ She accused.

‘I’m not.’

Mum’s eyes looked at me doubtfully.

‘Where were you?’ She demanded.

I took a second for me to answer because I didn’t want to lie, but at the same time I was worried that the truth wouldn’t do me any favours either. What Sally and I had done - it was dangerous.

‘I was at Sally’s friend’s house.’ I lied.

‘This whole time?’ Mum continued to question.

She wasn’t about to let this go in a hurry.

‘Yes.’

‘You’re lying.’ She accused.

I was.

‘You mean to tell me there were no clocks in this friend’s house?’ She interrogated.

‘We just lost track of time.’ I admitted.

That part was true.

‘What did I say to you before you left?’ She asked me.

I had to think about it for a second.

‘To come home at a decent time?’ I assumed that’s what she meant.

‘And what time do you call this?’

I didn’t answer her. I was getting nowhere with my responses anyway.

‘And what are you wearing? You look like a slut!’

Those words hurt.

‘They’re Sally’s’ I told her, becoming more and more upset by the second.

‘Why do you want to dress like her Bella, it’s not you.’

I felt as though the conversation was becoming irrelevant. Whenever I was in trouble my mum would go off on a tangent and almost find things to say to purposely hurt me.

‘So how should I punish you?’

Dumbest question ever. Why would I come up for a punishment for myself? I remained quiet but I don’t think it helped my cause.

‘Well?’ She pressed.

I looked up at her and noticed the fury behind her eyes. She was really mad.

‘I don’t know.’ I answered softly.

‘It’s like talking to a brick wall. Get your ass to bed, you’re grounded for a month.’

I made my way toward the entry way where she was standing and as I walked past I couldn’t help but tense up knowing that there was every possibility she was about to physically hurt me. I made it past her safely and let out a sigh of relief as I reached the serenity of my bedroom.

‘Wake up your brother and I double it.’ She warned.

As I got to my bedroom I prayed to god that my brother didn’t come out of his room to see what all the fuss was about.