The Wand of Nightmares

Sister Bonding Night

I hurried into the cabin where Isabelle stood standing next to an art easel.
"Hey, Belle!" She turned around and her eyes lit up.
"Beth-a-ny! You ready to start sister bonding night!? It's gonna be awesome! I hope you like paint!"she ran over and pulled a cardboard box out for, underneath her bed. She pulled out a box of acrylic paints and two aprons.
"You ready to become the next big thing in art?!" I took one of the aprons.
"That's a little ambitious for sister bonding night," I said. She pulled back her rainbow hair.
"Ambitious is my middle name, hon," she commented. She pulled out a jar of paint brushes.
"So what are we painting tonight? I thought last week's button pictures were pretty cool," I said.
"Oh, tonight? Just...whatever." I nodded and stared at the blank canvas.
"So. What's been going on in the life of Bethany Davis?" I shrugged.
"Not much. Just...."
"Just gaining popularity by the second?" I glared at her.
"What?"
"Oh, come on, Beth! You are what everyone at this camp is talking about!"
"Uh! As if!"
"Nope! I heard Daphne and Frank from the Demeter cabin talking about the flowers outside your window. And Rosie, from Athena? On and on about your capture the flag strategies! And don't get me started about all the love letters I've burned from the boys of the Aphrodite cabin..."
"Wait, love letters?" She stopped rambling and looked down at her paint.
"That's besides the point! Anyways, I'd say you're doing pretty well for a five hundred and fifteen year old lady." I laughed.
"Belle you keep making these comments about my life, how's yours?" She shrugged.
"Not great. My little half-brother is attending a big fancy prep school, and my dad had stopped writing me. Well, except for Christmas cards......that I'm not on."
"Oh, Belle, I'm so sorry."
"Yeah, it's okay. My stepmom has had it out for me since the beginning. So separating me from the family? That's an opportunity she couldn't hand down." She showed little to no emotion on that last part. Mainly because she was caught up in her painting.
"But, on the bright side, Mom visited me yesterday." I looked up from my art.
"No way, really?"
"Yeah, she said that I should keep on being me, no matter what. "I gave her a sad smile. I knew she had been laughed at and teased because of her hair and spunky personality, but once I got to know Isabelle, there's no one I would rather spend sister bonding night with.
She made a few final strokes with her brush then stepped back.
"Voilà! Tis' finished!" I studied her painting. It was a beautiful landscape of a hill and night sky.
"Wow, Belle. You have some talent." She bowed.
"Why, thank you," she said,"and what does your masterpiece depict?" I gave a slight laugh.
"Well, I'd hardly call it that," I turned canvas around to show her the picture.
"It's brilliant! You captured all the colors of the rainbow in one simple art piece! It's amazing! It's extravagant! It's...."
"It's your hair." We both stood in silence for a couple of seconds before bursting out into laughter. But we couldn't laugh for very long before Justin came running in.
"Bethany! Isabelle! Come quick!"