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When the Swan girls move in to Charlie's, it doesn't take long to notice that something's up. The sunset curfew is a weird thing to hang onto in the middle of winter, the statistics Charlie uses to justify it are weirder.
The way Bella can suddenly do gymnastics after she and Soph have been moved in for a couple of weeks is weirdest.
Scratch that: the apparition that shows up in their bedroom, causing Bella to punch the bunk above her with surprising force in order to wake Soph and confirm that she's not hallucinating? That's weirdest. And so is what it has to say.
Soph sleepily wonders if Slayers have time to play softball. Bella opines that she does not think any of this is a good reason for her to start playing softball.
Soph goes to sleep. Bella stays up, at first, then she crashes too.
And the next day during her free period she's in the library, peering through the vampire books.
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cross_and_bow
darkeningofthelight
"It's definitely why they tell themselves there are gangs of PCP-addled barbecue-fork-wielders roaming the streets after sunset even if they have evidence to the contrary. There isn't a, like, coordinated misinformation campaign going, though. That would require all kinds of nonexistent cooperation."
cross_and_bow
"Okay, good to know, the Magic Police aren't going to come after me for knowing too much or anything."
darkeningofthelight
"Yeah, they only exist in urban legends, don't worry about it. How'd you find out, anyway?"
cross_and_bow
"Sunset seemed like a much more reasonable curfew when I was here in summertime only, and was younger. Asked my dad to justify keeping it up in the winter. He's chief of police, has some awfully peculiar statistics - I wouldn't describe myself as having been certain right away, but the book collection here is much more internally consistent, extensive, dryly written, and archaic than I expect for fiction, and then there was you."
This isn't the whole story, but she's keeping the whole story on the down low.
This isn't the whole story, but she's keeping the whole story on the down low.
darkeningofthelight
"Really, you'd think books about immortal bitey death-monsters would be a little more interesting, but no."
cross_and_bow
"Well, their existence is highly interesting. Their contents..." She shrugs. The bell rings. "Meet you and your brother here after school? Can I bring my sister?"
darkeningofthelight
"Works for me," Delilah says, standing up. "The more the merrier."
cross_and_bow
"Right, see you then."
And after school, there in the library is Bella.
And after school, there in the library is Bella.
princeofsalem
Followed by a Neville.
"Oh," he says, looking at Bella. "We have history together, right? Hi."
"Oh," he says, looking at Bella. "We have history together, right? Hi."
cross_and_bow
Bella blinks at him. "Oh! Yeah, we do. Nice to properly meet you, though, I'm Bella, I don't think the history teacher was one of the ones who made me introduce myself to the whole class. And this is my sister Soph."
cross_and_bow
"Supposedly you are a potential source of lessons in witchcraft?" says Bella.
keyed_up
"Bella's way more interested than me in doing it, but I'm curious," says Soph.
darkeningofthelight
Delilah will reward her curiosity by glowering with nominally less intensity.
keyed_up
"Did I, like, accidentally knock you over in the hall one time and not notice?" Soph asks Delilah.
cross_and_bow
"I can just about self-teach, given the materials and someone to ask questions of," Bella assures him.
princeofsalem
"Del," Neville says with clear exasperation before turning back to Bella. "I meant if you have the aptitude for magic, not if I can teach it."
cross_and_bow
"About how common is this aptitude? Is it a binary condition or more spectrum-like?"
princeofsalem
"Definite spectrum. And I don't know how common it is, honestly. I don't think anyone's ever been able to run controlled trials."