high school is kind of boring really

[self_composed]

School plods along. Bella is native-quality fluent in Spanish, professor-level at math, well and thoroughly versed in the workings of the United States government, capable of doing actual independent research projects in biology, and she's been speaking English since she was one. Alas, these skills only make classes easier for a short time. After the novelty wears off they're just tedious. Bella winds up squaring her homework done more often than not so she can work out the kinks in her design for telekinesis, or play music, or attend soccer practice, or write little computer games, or read, or just fly around. This works out fine. Magic is pretty good at homework.

She winds up not attending most of the dances, but she does want to go to the end of year one, as she will be leaving Forks High School forever and it has some good points. Alice promised her a dress...

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[edgeofyourseat]

[Awesome,] says Alice.

[self_composed]

Bella calls Renée in Baltimore and says "my friend who I think I mentioned, Laney only he likes to be called Alice because he's weird, will be around Jacksonville same time I am - wanna meet him?" And Renée says "of course, I'm always happy to meet your friends" and Bella says "great!" and hangs up.

[Yep,] Bella tells Alice.

[edgeofyourseat]

[Awesome!] says Alice.

[self_composed]

Bella gets on her new plane and flies to Florida. Renée is there to pick her up and is thrilled to pieces to see her. Phil is not there because it is the middle of baseball season; normally Renée would accompany him but for Bella's visit.

Renée compliments Bella's outfit and remarks on the length of her hair (it's only about half an inch longer than the last time they saw each other, but Renée does this anyway) and chatters excitedly about all the things they need to do while Bella is here, including visiting Renée's favorite restaurants and seeing that one museum and making paper chains just like they did when Bella was six, for some reason.

[edgeofyourseat]

[Holy shit, your mother is adorable.]

[self_composed]

[Rather, yes.] Renée's car is decorated by gifts from her students - half-recognizable tokens of paper and yarn and glue, taped to the dashboard and dangling from the mirror and, in one case, tied to the antenna. Bella moves Renée's sewing bag from the front seat to sit down, and Renée drives away from the airport.

"When does your friend want to come by?" Renée asks.

"I think our most recent plan was dinner tonight, but we can tweak it if that's not going to work for you." She echoes the conversation to Alice. [I just made that up - that work for you? We can have a more observable phone conversation to change the "plan" if you want.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Sure!] he says cheerfully. [Just tell me where to 'meet' you.]

[self_composed]

"That's fine, dear," Renée says. "Does he know where to find the Atlantic Beach Seafood Shack?"

"Well, he can find it online if nothing else," Bella says.

"Then he should meet us there at six-thirty," Renée says.

"I'll call him," Bella says.

She goes through the motions of phoning and informing Alice of all this.

[edgeofyourseat]

[Okay,] says Alice. [Should I go find the place, or follow you there and be fake-late?]

[self_composed]

[Second thing seems easier.]

Bella half-unpacks, in the guest room; this is not the old house in Phoenix and she does not have a room here. Renée makes tea and chatters away, with Bella occasionally uttering sentences too.

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice sprawls out on the roof.

[Hey, Bella, what's the name of that superpower where you can set things on fire?]

[self_composed]

[Pyrokinesis. I don't think I approve of it, if that's what you're asking.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Why not?]

He expands the principle in his mind: not just set things on fire, but control fire, so he can play with it without it getting on anything and put it out when he's done.

[self_composed]

[I suppose if you're only going to set yourself on fire it's not a big deal. Just mind you aren't breathing normally at the time if it's more than a little burn - you don't want to pass out from smoke inhalation and catch on something and torch everything around you.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Cool,] he says, and thinks about the power some more. Might as well add in the ability to sense fire, which is surely related, probably generally useful, and will come in handy if he somehow manages to accidentally light up something that isn't himself without noticing.

And, notably, he does not want it to come with immunity to fire. That would just negate the entire purpose.

[self_composed]

[Well, of course,] Bella remarks dryly.

[edgeofyourseat]

He laughs.

Hopefully no one hears him.

[self_composed]

At a quarter past six, Bella and Renée pile in the car and drive to the seafood shack. It's a divey little place on the beach.

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice finds somewhere to land and de-invisible, and then trots up to the shack in question while the other two are still outside.

"Hi!" he says, waving.

[self_composed]

"Hi!" Bella calls back, waving. "This is my mom, Renée. Mom, this is Alice."

"Hello, Alice," says Renée, not batting an eye. "It's so nice to meet you. What brings you to Jacksonville?"

[edgeofyourseat]

Awwwwwww he really really likes her. Alice bounces a little.

"Do I need a reason?" he asks cheerfully.

[self_composed]

"Well, it's a happy coincidence, I suppose," Renée laughs. "Won't you join us?"

They all sit down and get menus. The prominently advertised special is a giant basket of deep fried shrimp. "So how did you two meet?"

"At school," Bella says. "We had gym class together."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Yep!" says Alice.

[Does she want the real story? I like the real story.]

The one where Bella called him a freak and he fell in love on the spot. That story.

[self_composed]

[Eenh, I'd save that for later, but maybe eventually.]

Bella orders swordfish and Renée orders salmon, and then informs Alice that it's her treat and he should get whatever he likes.

[edgeofyourseat]

"Giant shrimp basket it is," he says, grinning.