unconsciousness would be an undesirable outcome

[self_composed]

On Sunday, Bella drives to the movie theater with Angela in tow, and her car breaks on the way home from Angela's house. She calls a tow truck, and calls her dad, and she goes home in the cop car and her station wagon goes on vacation to the mechanic.

On Monday, Charlie drives Bella to school.

As she's been discharged from the car and Charlie pulls away, a van driven by a panicking teenager screams out of nowhere towards Bella.

Making wishes is easy.

It is not automatic. It is not instantaneous.

The van creams Bella, good and proper.

Comments

[self_composed]

Bella giggles.

They pull onto her street.

"You haven't seen my house before," Bella remarks to Alice. "It's not as big as yours."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Yeah, I'll bet it's not," he agrees. "And I'll bet you don't have an underground lair, either."

[self_composed]

"There's a cellar!" Bella says. "It contains boxes and the old microwave and mousetraps and plumbing."

[edgeofyourseat]

"How's it on pillars?"

[self_composed]

"There is one metal pole in the middle of the whole thing," chuckles Bella. "That's it."

Charlie pulls into the driveway to let the teenagers out. "Since you're okay," he says, "I'm going to go handle some things at work. I'll be home at the usual time. Call me if you need anything, Bells."

"Will do, Dad," she says, and he waves and pulls away.

[edgeofyourseat]

"You're gonna take over the wooooorld," Alice sings, bouncing a little.

[self_composed]

"Yep," laughs Bella.

She has a key. It's in her backpack; she hasn't started separately carrying a purse yet. She lets herself and Alice in.

[edgeofyourseat]

"I like your house," he chatters as he follows her in. "It's little and cute and it's yours and I like it."

[self_composed]

Bella chuckles. "It's my dad's. I've had very little influence on the decor. I think the kitchen has been yellow since before I was born."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Man, why am I so happy," he wonders.

[self_composed]

"Could it be," Bella says innocently, "because you have magic powers?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"Ooh, you are smart."

He twirls. Just because he has to let the glee out somehow or other.

[self_composed]

Bella laughs and lets herself collapse into a kitchen chair.

"Huh," she says. "What time is it? I'm hungry. The microwave and oven are always set to different, wrong times..."

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice checks the time.

"Ten past two," he says. "Want I should make you lunch?"

[self_composed]

"Ooh, lunch," says Bella. "Sure, if you feel like cooking. I'm really tired - apparently vehicular collisions are exhausting - and I don't think I want to start using wishes as caffeine." She taps her chin. "I'm going to use the chicken for dinner tonight - probably with the help of actual coffee - but there's some asparagus I haven't done anything with, and pasta in the cupboard?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"I will make you pasta and asparagus!" he says. "Do you mind if I hurt myself on your stove?"

[self_composed]

"As long as you triangle away the suspicious smell of bacon. We are out of bacon, and Charlie always knows whether or not we are out of bacon," says Bella.

[edgeofyourseat]

"You got it," he says brightly, and sets about preparing for pasta.

[self_composed]

Bella leans her head down on the table. "I'm sorta wondering what you'd have done if the car had killed me."

She's pretty sure the answer is that he would have taken her star, and tried that.

[edgeofyourseat]

"...Cried more," is the first thing that comes to mind.

[self_composed]

"Huh," she says. "I was going to guess an attempt to raise the dead with the star."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Yeah, I probably woulda got around to that," he says. "But first the crying."

[self_composed]

"You're sweet," Bella says. She yawns again.

She's just gonna put her head on her arms on the table, that's all.

[edgeofyourseat]

"You're tired," Alice observes.

[self_composed]

"Yeaaaaaah." She closes her eyes. "Wake me when pasta."