Waiting For Sunrise - The Books Of Beginning AU

13. The Best Of Friends

"Boys are ridiculous," Abigail huffed.

Emma groaned, "is my brother lecturing everyone about dwarves again?"

"No." Abigail wrinkled her nose as she sat beside the other girl on the front steps of the church. "Does he do that often?"

"Yes, he most certainly does." Emma rolled her eyes. "Now, who are you mad at?"

"Jake and Beetles, naturally!" Abigail exclaimed.

"What'd they do now?"

Abigail growled, then said, "they thought it'd be a real smart idea to use a levitation spell on a chair that I was sitting in. An' then, they lifted me too high and my head bonked the ceiling! Those hooligans didn't even have the decency to apologize, they just ran once they put me down 'cause they knew once my head stopped aching, I would chase them down and give them the tongue lashing of a lifetime. I'da done it too, but I can't find them anywhere!"

This was the sort of moment where Kate or even Michael might have lent a compassionate ear and a chance to blow off steam, while providing advice and talking the younger girl down from her precipice of anger. However, neither of the elder two siblings were there to provide a voice of reason, and Emma had a fire that ignited all too easily.

"We can't let 'em get away with that nonsense! We need a plan, something that makes their stupid prank look like child's play. Something to warn everyone not to mess with us!" The twelve year old exclaimed with passion.

Abigail's face lit up. "Emma, I like the way you think. It's time to show those boys who's boss. What's our plan?"

"Uhhhh..." Emma hadn't exactly gotten to that point yet. "Well, when I wanna get back at Michael for being a nuisance, I take his glasses while he sleeps and I hide 'em. But Jake and Beetles don't wear glasses."

"No, but they do like to play around with these fancy pipes," Abigail responded, her eyes lighting up with mischievous glee.

Emma perked up. "What're we gonna do with those pipes?"

Abigail grinned. "Miss B keeps a ton a' herbs and plants and spices and powders around to make potions for healing and all that. Some of them taste real bad and smell even worse. It'd be a nasty shock for those two if one made its way into their pipes."

"Brilliant!" Emma shouted, "we just need to go find the grossest ones."

"Preferably without Miss B noticing," Abigail added, "I ain't gonna get yelled at by her, not even to get back at Jake and Beetles. She's got one hell of a death glare."

"I'll bet," Emma commented, thinking about her own older sister, who possessed quite the intimidating glare herself.

"They keep their pipes under their pillows, and their cots are at the front of the main room. If you can get them, I can grab some spices," Abigail instructed.

Emma mock saluted. "You can count on me!"

The twelve year old felt a smirk tug at her lips as she strode down the halls of the church. It was hazy afternoon, and most of the children were still working on their daily chores, out thieving, or helping in the kitchen. Those who were present were engaging in their own hobbies or sorting the day's haul. No one was paying any attention to the two beds Abigail had mentioned, the ones that Emma had seen Jake and Beetles return to each night.

Before approaching, she looked around the room to ensure a few specific individuals were not anywhere nearby. Jake and Beetles themselves, thankfully, were not in sight, and neither were the people with authority over Emma - Kate, Henrietta Burke, and Rafe. Most importantly, though, Michael wasn't anywhere to be seen. Emma refused to deal with his snitching, lecturing, and pestering - not when she and Abigail were on a mission.