2 | Defiance Discipline Dream Repeat

10 Expelliarmus - Sophia's POV

''Don't fear. I'm not coming to deliver scoldings or thrashings,'' Michael smiles, laid-back despite the chaos around him. ''Debbie sent me here after she got a call from Jody, who got a call from Holling, saying that you two departed from school.''

''Bella, for god's sake!'' I exclaim snappishly.

Bella's elfin countenance gleams, forming a smirk. ''Well, maybe Holling forgot. He's a teacher, and teachers are often stressed, and stress makes you forgetful.''

''I'd try to come up with a much better excuse until tomorrow because apparently, he was dreadfully upset, especially with Miss Vampire,'' Michael says.

''Oh, that silly man will get over it.'' Bella reclines beside me again, patting the free spot to her right. ''Do you want to watch TV with us?''

''Are all the animals supposed to be inside? They have their own houses,'' Michael queries. ''The pigs and chicken?''

''Yes, they get to be inside when it's stormy.'' Bella giggles as she leans over to pick up the giddy chicken exploring the table. ''The floors and walls will dry, and we live on an old, shambolic farm, anyway.''

''Would your mum, who is the one to dry the floors and clean the house, say the same?''

''She doesn't do that very often, and she's told Debbie to chill out with the cleaning, too. Our priority is to keep the kitchen and animals' enclosures and ourselves hygienic and clean."

''I see." Michael sits down, and the Samoyed, with soaked long white fur, prances up to him for chin rubs. ''You have time to consider it since they'll be home late tonight.''

''I know. Anyhow, I totally forgot about lunch! Who's hungry?'' Bella hops up from the sofa, skipping to the door. ''You wait there, alright?'' she says and hurtles out, making a din as she hustles downstairs.

''Did she trick you to come here?''

''Yeah, she did. Well, I was never fully convinced, but apparently convinced enough to go,'' I sigh, a bit embarrassed. ''She said her mum had talked with Holling about Bella needing to go home and take care of the animals in the storm, and then she said she didn't want to go alone because of the scary storm and that Bastian approved of me joining because the electricity at school ceased and that meant we cannot; be taught properly. I think I wanted it to be true so much that I fell for it.''

''She's getting better at lying if she managed to almost fool you, though,'' he chuckles.

''Yeah, she said it was a-okay if I told him that she invited me and all about her asking and her mum confirming it, and I thought; why would she be fine with it and get herself in trouble like that?''

''She's basically a skittish child. Away with the fairies,'' he whispers.

''Yes! You need to tell your wife that because she thinks she's playing dumb and basically threatened to whack her senseless that time we skived before the summer,'' I whisper.

He chuckles. ''Yeah, I can do that, but she doesn't listen. She calls me a softie and too laid-back.''

''Mums are always rude to the agreeable dads,'' I tut.

''Lunch, lunch, lunch!'' Bella sings, tiptoeing in with an overloaded bowl of popcorn and a basket of apples, bananas and a cucumber. Under her arm, she carries a bottle of sparkling water that falls on the floor, startling the chicken and little Terrier mix to bolt.

''These are some of my favourite foods.'' Bella giggles excitedly and plunges on the sofa, kicking her Harry Potter-themed slippers off before swinging her feet on the table. ''Of course, chocolate and curried veggie wraps are my top 2.''

''Do you need help to cook a real lunch?'' I ask as if I would know how to cook a proper meal.

''No, this is a cracking meal,'' Bella snatches one banana to break in half and mash into her mouth.

''I've seen much worse lunches,'' Michael laughs and hands me an apple.

''Anything with apples is my fav,'' I remark and bite into my apple, fresh from Everly's garden.

Bella witters on through the episodes, Michael lacking interest in watching High School Musical, dozes off with the Samoyed in his lap, and I keep checking my phone anxiously.

--

The door swings open, and Debbie marches in, eyes fixed on the cords...

''Oh, my god, the ghosts are visiting again!'' Bella chirps as the TV goes black, nudging me, and I nudge her back to make her realise who the ghost actually is. More like a witch. ''Oh, no ghost,'' she pouts.

''What the hell is going on!?'' Debbie snarls. ''Michael!''

Michael abruptly wakes up from his nap and looks around, disoriented at first. ''I came here to check on them, and Bella invited me to watch TV with them and have lunch,'' he explains calmly. ''I couldn't text you back because there's no signal out here–''

''Right, but the Wi-Fi worked fine when I plugged it back in,'' Debbie darts a glare at Bella.

''Probably one of my brothers this morning,'' Bella shrugs, gnawing on her apple core. ''Or the silly ghost.''

''Did your brothers let all the muddy, soaking wet animals inside, too?''

''Most likely,'' Bella nods, biting her bottom lip and scrunching her top lip up to look like a dumb vampire.

''She has a big heart for animals,'' Michael tries to ease Debbie's quiet rage.

''How many times; have you been told not to let certain animals inside and dry the paws of those you bring inside, Bella? Your mum complains about it all the time!''

''Many times, but apparently, you haven't told my brothers.''

''Who's going to clean up the mess? The walls are painted in muddy water, and the floors have been printed with dirt!''

''You seem keen on cleaning since that's all you do–'' Bella sasses, and I wish I had a remote to pause and rewind this conversation. Actually, I'd rewind to this morning and never left school.

The phrase triggers Debbie to act out her rage, and one of tossed away Harry Potter slippers comes into Debbie's possession and is wielded at Bella.

''Expelliarmus!'' Bella exclaims, pointing the half-eaten cucumber at her. ''...You're supposed to drop the slipper now.''

Debbie looks like she wants to and as if she is capable of murdering her here and now.

''Bells, you're gonna have us all killed,'' I snort as I forcefully hold in a laugh.

Once again, the laid-back father is there to step in. ''We don't knock out the ones who are already out of it.''

''Michael, you need to go home and make sure Zander and the lads don't fuck up the house. They're planning on using the hot tub this evening.''

''Right, I'll bring Phia, and Holling can pick her up there,'' Michael strolls to the door, beckoning me.

Debbie turns to look at me, and I hope she can see the worry flickering in my eyes. ''Yeah, text Holling on the way before he heads here.''

I make my way out hurriedly, mouthing at Bella not to push it before I rush downstairs, but I doubt she caught the message...

''Is it safe to leave those two alone?'' I ask when we settle in the car.

''Well...'' Michael drones, seemingly not very confident about it. ''Bella runs faster than Debs and fits under a bed, and I reckon the animals have a calming effect on Debs.''