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Summer vacation elapses, and sees their storefront doing one heck of a business in the Avalon with the help of their griffin employee. There is a suggestion box for new spells they should invent, some of which have to be long-term projects but others of which are converted into new product fairly promptly.
School starts up again. Darren and Bella are both skipping straight into twelfth grade. (Bella looked into just starting college early, but while she does technically have the sort of resume that can lead to that kind of thing, she can't exactly write an essay about how she saved the life of another person and this caused her to have Moral Character, let alone about how she started a small business - so skipping one grade it is.)
They apply to colleges. They both get into University of Washington and get sufficient scholarships to accommodate both going there.
Summer ensues again.
One afternoon, Bella is over at Darren's, and has fallen asleep - in purring fullform - across his lap on the couch.
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shesepankh
shesepankh
How is a loud familiar scream at convincing Savannah she's wrong?
"I DON'T KNOW - I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING - AAAAAAAAUNGH -"
"I DON'T KNOW - I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING - AAAAAAAAUNGH -"
morethanimaginary
Pretty damn good. She has to stop Darren from rushing off to go be heroic - she can feel him pull insistently at the hand gripped in hers towards the source of the scream. She pulls him back. They will go, but they're going to go carefully.
The people that took her want to keep Bella alive, if they want to know things from her. The twins can do more good if they get a good grasp of the situation instead of going in proverbial guns blazing. Savannah's aware of this. She hisses her explanation of it to Darren, under her breath.
"And then," she finishes, still in a murmur, "once we have a good position, we kill them all."
The people that took her want to keep Bella alive, if they want to know things from her. The twins can do more good if they get a good grasp of the situation instead of going in proverbial guns blazing. Savannah's aware of this. She hisses her explanation of it to Darren, under her breath.
"And then," she finishes, still in a murmur, "once we have a good position, we kill them all."
castmyown
"Fine," growls Darren, after a pause, sounding like he hates the word.
Back to investigating. Someone in charge, they need someone in charge. Someone to stop Bella's torture.
shesepankh
"TOLD YOU I DON'T AHHHHH FUCK STOP NOT - SINGAPORE!" comes Bella's wildly inventing scream. "THE SPHINXES ARE IN FUCKING SINGAPAAAAAAAAGH!"
Here is a whistling fellow in a business suit with a coffee mug approaching the coffee machine.
Here is a whistling fellow in a business suit with a coffee mug approaching the coffee machine.
morethanimaginary
Why, hello, whistling fellow in a business suit. How important does he look? Like he's in charge of anything?
shesepankh
He seems pretty full of himself, is that a hint?
"I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"
"I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"
morethanimaginary
Enough of one, yeah. Hand squeeze, gentle pull of held hands in the fellow's direction. Hey, Darren, think we should?
castmyown
Return of hand squeeze, then Darren starts murmuring something under his breath, a chant for the correct spell. That's a yes, they should.
The spell's so no one will hear the fellow scream.
The spell's so no one will hear the fellow scream.
morethanimaginary
Because oh is he going to scream.
Savannah releases their held hand, waits for Darren to be finished with the spell, and then, after it goes - the fellow is tackled to the ground.
"Hello," purrs Savannah, into his ear. "We have some questions for you."
She's invisible, but he gets to feel the knife, at his neck. Look at it, so sharp. So insistently at his neck.
Savannah releases their held hand, waits for Darren to be finished with the spell, and then, after it goes - the fellow is tackled to the ground.
"Hello," purrs Savannah, into his ear. "We have some questions for you."
She's invisible, but he gets to feel the knife, at his neck. Look at it, so sharp. So insistently at his neck.
shesepankh
The fellow is very surprised.
"Wh-what? Who's...?"
Meanwhile: loud jagged sobbing.
"Wh-what? Who's...?"
Meanwhile: loud jagged sobbing.
morethanimaginary
"The lovely lady with a sharp, pointy knife and a silencing spell, that's who. Tell me, who's in charge of this? Who thought it was a good idea to snatch up the sphinx?"
castmyown
(Darren is so glad that a breaking heart isn't audible. He wishes there was a way to tell Bella to hold on, that they'll be there, they'll be there soon. Just hold on, Bella.)
shesepankh
Bella is unrelieved in her ignorance. "Oh god n-AAAAAAAAAAH -" panicked gasping, "AAAAAAAAAAAAH SADISTIC FUCK -"
"M- no, I can't -" the gentleman in the suit says, struggling, trying to feel around for the invisible knife and pull it away from his neck.
"M- no, I can't -" the gentleman in the suit says, struggling, trying to feel around for the invisible knife and pull it away from his neck.
morethanimaginary
Mhm, that's real cute, trying to find the invisible knife. What about this other invisible knife over here, this one that's ever so delicately moved to threaten some fingers from the hand trying to find the invisible knife?
"You can't? Are you sure? Because I can always ask your, hmmmm..." She slams the offending hand into the ground with her palm, knife threatening the pinky finger. "Talkative pinky finger, here. Look at it, pretty, isn't it?"
Does she draw blood? Oh yes, oh yes she does.
"You can't? Are you sure? Because I can always ask your, hmmmm..." She slams the offending hand into the ground with her palm, knife threatening the pinky finger. "Talkative pinky finger, here. Look at it, pretty, isn't it?"
Does she draw blood? Oh yes, oh yes she does.
shesepankh
"Hsst- look - I really - the boss'll," pants the fellow in the suit.
And screaming and screaming and screaming -
And screaming and screaming and screaming -
morethanimaginary
"Don't worry about your boss right now, just tell us -" Slice, that'll hurt, oops, clumsy her. "Where a person that can stop the torture on our lovely screaming sphinx is. Or you get to start putting her to shame."
shesepankh
The man in the suit yelps.
(But not as loudly as the sphinx.)
He doesn't talk.
She starts a panicked gabble through what sounds like it has to be the hundredth time of saying she thinks it was her mom, she thinks her mom didn't know, she doesn't have any aunts or uncles or live grandparents, she thinks that side of the family is some combination of English and possibly Swiss but not for generations and she doesn't know she doesn't know she doesn't know.
(But not as loudly as the sphinx.)
He doesn't talk.
She starts a panicked gabble through what sounds like it has to be the hundredth time of saying she thinks it was her mom, she thinks her mom didn't know, she doesn't have any aunts or uncles or live grandparents, she thinks that side of the family is some combination of English and possibly Swiss but not for generations and she doesn't know she doesn't know she doesn't know.
castmyown
And that is what finally causes Darren to snap.
"This is taking too long," growls Darren. "Invisibility's about up. She's in pain, we can't just -"
"This is taking too long," growls Darren. "Invisibility's about up. She's in pain, we can't just -"
morethanimaginary
"I have another idea," says Savannah, quietly. "Hey, man in suit. Last chance to squeal, or bad things happen."
morethanimaginary
"Sucks to be you."
And then she slices his throat wide open.
And then she slices his throat wide open.
morethanimaginary
"Invisibility's up in - how long?"
She turns the man over, to be face up, probably still spluttering. Good thing Savannah's not squeamish.
She turns the man over, to be face up, probably still spluttering. Good thing Savannah's not squeamish.
shesepankh
He is indeed still spluttering and twitching.
And now Bella's howling again.
And now Bella's howling again.