In which Erin Rivers is a spitfire, created by the gods themselves for the sole purpose of testing the Kings patience...
"Bite me bloodsucker and see what happens!"
"Do you ever stop talking?"
~{~}~
"There's something truly wrong wit...
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B E L L A S W A N seemed completely out of place in the Rivers kitchen where she sat at the kitchen counter, her decrepit form hunched over a history textbook. For the past hour, she had been mostly silent, only offering occasional nods and affirmations when Erin made suggestions about their project. Erin had initially been surprised when Bella agreed to come over after school to work on their project, but now she was tempted to retrieve the gallon bag of glitter she'd stashed under the kitchen sink. Bella was her partner, and Erin wasn't about to let her coast through the project while she did all heavy lifting. If threats of glitterization meant that the Swan girl would get her act together, Erin was willing and able to deliver.
Participation or glitter.
"So, what events, conflicts, or issues sparked the Russian Revolution," Erin read aloud from the project guidelines as she tapped the eraser of her mechanical pencil against her notepad, the soft tapping the only sound within the Rivers household as they - she worked. Their project outline was due on Friday so they - she'd spent the last hour trying to compile different topics and guiding points. A task Erin was finding increasingly difficult considering her less than stellar partner who didn't even seem to know where she was much less what was going on. She was tempted to call Angela, she seemed to be the only one capable of getting through to the Swan girl as of late. "I know food shortages, inflation, and shitty working conditions were a big one."
Bella simply hummed.
"Social class discrepancies was another one, though I think that'll work as an attached category with working conditions and food shortages."
"Mhmm." She wrote it down on the diagram, placing it to the right of the previously written points before looking back at the Swan girl. She still hadn't looked up from the book, the page still numbered 319 at the bottom. Leaning slightly over the counter, Erin snapped her fingers just above the pages. Bella flinched back, nearly falling off the barstool. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the Swan's coordination, or more specifically, lack there of.
"What do you think, Bella? That book offering any insights into the wonders of the RR?" Erin teased lightly, pencil still tapping rhythmically against her notebook. "Tales of a creepy faith healer? Escaped princesses? An inside scoop on a late-night slaughter of the Tzar and his family?"
The Scarlet Letter had nothing on the redness of Bella's cheeks. "I'm sorry, I've just been kind of distracted lately." She sheepishly spoke, hand rubbing against the back of her neck as she finally flipped the page.
"I noticed," She scoffed in response. "What's got you so distracted? 'Cause, unfortunately, I don't think our project is going to do itself."
"It'd be nice if it did though." Bella offered her a soft smile. "I've just, my friend Jake, he's been..." She trailed off momentarily, a weird look tugging at her features before she continued. "He just started ignoring me all of a sudden. He was sick for a while, so I get it, you know? But he's still ignoring me, and his dad says he's fine, but-"
