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School plods along. Bella is native-quality fluent in Spanish, professor-level at math, well and thoroughly versed in the workings of the United States government, capable of doing actual independent research projects in biology, and she's been speaking English since she was one. Alas, these skills only make classes easier for a short time. After the novelty wears off they're just tedious. Bella winds up squaring her homework done more often than not so she can work out the kinks in her design for telekinesis, or play music, or attend soccer practice, or write little computer games, or read, or just fly around. This works out fine. Magic is pretty good at homework.
She winds up not attending most of the dances, but she does want to go to the end of year one, as she will be leaving Forks High School forever and it has some good points. Alice promised her a dress...
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self_composed
self_composed
Karachi is all the way in Pakistan. It's a long flight, and it's good Bella doesn't need to breathe and isn't bothered by the cold.
She learned Urdu on the way east, and she has not yet decided to risk traveling visibly in heavily Islamic countries anyway, but she zips around the city looking at things, playing hide-and-seek with Alice.
She learned Urdu on the way east, and she has not yet decided to risk traveling visibly in heavily Islamic countries anyway, but she zips around the city looking at things, playing hide-and-seek with Alice.
edgeofyourseat
Hide-and-seek becomes especially interesting when one party can read the other's mind and the other can locate the first via absolute directional sense. Alice decides that this way is much more fun.
Also, when they catch each other, there are hugs!
Also, when they catch each other, there are hugs!
self_composed
Eventually it is dark.
Bella has not yet killed the need for sleep - she's considered it, but she doesn't yet have quite enough things to do to fill the time. (She'll see if the novelty of making out with Alice wears off or not before declaring that to be "enough things to do".)
She finds a flat roof - of a business, not a house - and sprawls out, conjuring a mattress and a pillow half-consciously.
Bella has not yet killed the need for sleep - she's considered it, but she doesn't yet have quite enough things to do to fill the time. (She'll see if the novelty of making out with Alice wears off or not before declaring that to be "enough things to do".)
She finds a flat roof - of a business, not a house - and sprawls out, conjuring a mattress and a pillow half-consciously.
edgeofyourseat
Alice touches down on the same roof and curls up invisibly beside her conjured bed.
self_composed
In the morning, Bella starts for Iran, which she hopes to cross (sightseeing en route) by the end of the day. It is time to head back west so she can catch her plane out of Heathrow, and see her parents before going off to college.
The next day she traverses Iraq and Syria and Turkey, and checks into a hostel in Greece.
The next day she traverses Iraq and Syria and Turkey, and checks into a hostel in Greece.
edgeofyourseat
Is there room for Alice on the floor by her bed? He likes it best when that happens.
self_composed
There is room for him under the bed. He'll get tripped on anywhere else.
self_composed
Bella travels around Greece for three days, using a fair amount of standard transportation to do it. Then she takes a boat to Italy.
edgeofyourseat
Alice stays invisible the whole way across, although he spends most of his time perching on various sections of the boat.
At the end of the trip, when all the passengers disembark, many of them are met by locals or fellow travelers waiting at the docks. There is one nondescript Italian fellow standing a little apart from the rest, peering anxiously at everyone as they get off the boat, as though he is looking for someone he doesn't know well and isn't sure of recognizing.
At the end of the trip, when all the passengers disembark, many of them are met by locals or fellow travelers waiting at the docks. There is one nondescript Italian fellow standing a little apart from the rest, peering anxiously at everyone as they get off the boat, as though he is looking for someone he doesn't know well and isn't sure of recognizing.
self_composed
Bella is pretty sure that she is not looking for a nondescript Italian fellow. She ignores him, and carries on through a tour of various cities in Italy. She is particularly fond of Venice.
Next is Switzerland!
Next is Switzerland!
edgeofyourseat
And in Switzerland, while Bella is on a train and Alice is keeping pace in the air, the engine makes a coughing noise and then gracefully shuts down. The train comes to a halt on a long, curving track through some very pretty forest.
[Damn,] says Alice, pulling up to hover beside Bella's window.
[Damn,] says Alice, pulling up to hover beside Bella's window.
self_composed
[Huh. I could wish it fixed but I don't know who's looking at the broken part, if anyone - could be obvious - I'll wait for the announcement, I guess, I'm sure there'll be one.]
edgeofyourseat
The announcement, when it comes, cites engine failure of unknown cause, promises the attention of onboard mechanics to the problem, and apologizes most sincerely for the inconvenience to travelers. Alice isn't sure he believes it, at least not about the last part.
self_composed
Bella starts wondering how long the wait is going to be. She consults her map; if they're within vaguely plausible hiking distance of a town she might just ask to get off here.
self_composed
Eenh. She'll wait for four hours and then seek someone to ask for disembarkment permission.
edgeofyourseat
After one and a half, the train starts up again, limps along for a few minutes, and then coasts to a halt.
They are now farther from the town.
They are now farther from the town.
self_composed
Rrrg.
Well, the fact that they were able to get it started at all suggests that they have an idea of what's wrong, now. They'll either fix it, or determine that they can't fix it and have to send another locomotive to pull them out of the way of other trains, soon enough.
[I'm going to sleep,] Bella announces.
Well, the fact that they were able to get it started at all suggests that they have an idea of what's wrong, now. They'll either fix it, or determine that they can't fix it and have to send another locomotive to pull them out of the way of other trains, soon enough.
[I'm going to sleep,] Bella announces.
self_composed
Bella goes to sleep, and manages to stay that way for about five hours, and then wakes up and looks out the window to see if they are moving.
self_composed
Hurray! Bella enjoys herself a Switzerland.
She has already been to France, so she goes through Spain on her way to Heathrow (a bus breaks on her, but it's on a densely traveled route so everyone can just cram into the next bus), and then she flies to Florida, where she will spend a week with her mom before popping up to Forks for one more week and then going to school.
She has already been to France, so she goes through Spain on her way to Heathrow (a bus breaks on her, but it's on a densely traveled route so everyone can just cram into the next bus), and then she flies to Florida, where she will spend a week with her mom before popping up to Forks for one more week and then going to school.
edgeofyourseat
[Hey, can I meet your mom?] wonders Alice halfway through the flight.
It is genuinely the first time he has thought of the question.
It is genuinely the first time he has thought of the question.