Chapter 9 – Start spreading the news, we're leaving today….
"Can I borrow the truck?"
Renée asked sweetly at Bella right as the sun went down. Bella furrowed her brows but agreed. when she asked 'why' Renée smiled cryptically and said nothing as she pocketed the keys. Bella missed entirely her mother exchanging a smile with both her ex husband and her current one before hopping in the truck and driving away.
"Sure. If you say so. Alright I will. Bye!"
Faye hang up her phone and looked at her friends puzzled.
"My mother just told me not to go home unless I call"
She informed them. Joy looked at her confused.
"Did something happen after she sent you away after the funeral?
She asked Faye who shrugged telling her she had no idea.
"I'm bored. Wanna grab a movie?"
"Lemme check"
Joy went to her grandmother and Bella returned with an equally puzzled look on her face.
"My mother took my truck"
"My mother told me not to go home without calling tonight"
"My grandmother let me go"
Joy added.
"So who's in for the movie!?"
"I am"
"Me too"
What three single girls choose to see? A horror movie.
"Why didn't we pick the other movie?"
Was the first thing Joy asked Faye as soon as the witch answered her phone before connecting the three way call?
"Did you want to see a couple making out with zero plot and a happily ever after for 2 hours?"
Faye smirked at the dead of night. Bella laughed seeing her point.
"Fair enough. Do you thin we'd get any sleep then though?"
She enquired staring at her alarm clock, watching the minutes go by, huddled in her soft covers. She normally didn't get afraid at horror flicks but the disturbingly human one, with a stage house eerily similar to her own, they saw got under her skin. To make matters worse, Charlie had the night shift so his loud yet calming snoring wasn't there and Phil with Renée were out. Joy snorted
"No"
"Only to be attacked by nightmares of nights past"
Faye finished the thought. It would be too easy to let memories of hers and Jake's night escapades in her room flood her mind. To chase them away the three girls began talking about nothing in particular until the music from Faye's radio, the calming sea waves from Joy's window and Charlie's snoring once he returned lulled them to sleep.
When morning came Bella was attacked by the rays of the sun and sitting on her bed she was startled to see the light grey cord going from the ear bud in her ear to the pink Samsung on the night table and the light breathing coming from it, showing that Faye and Joy were still sleeping. Quietly she removed it and hung up the phone to go and make breakfast.
"Morning Bells"
"Morning dad. What are you doing awake? I thought you came in late"
Charlie chuckled and poured them cups of coffee
"Do you know what time it is?"
He asked with raised eyebrows. Bella furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the clock hanging on the wall by the lights before gasping. The light red clock hands were straight together. It was noon.
"So much for breakfast. Where are mom and Phil?"
She opened the fridge to get ingredients for brunch. Soon she and Charlie had each a burrito in front of them and dug in.
"Went to do something. Do you have any plans for today?"
Charlie evaded answering while refilling his coffee mug. Bella shook her head. She really had no plans.
"Remember the cop that showed up two nights ago?"
Bella nodded her mouth filled with food
"He wanted to offer me a promotion"
"What kind of a promotion"
She asked. Where do you go after being sheriff?
"He offered me to take his job as county sheriff when he retires in the fall. Till then we'll go at it together"
Charlie explained with a slight blush on his cheeks. Bella smiled brightly proud for her dad and initiated a hug.
"And either I'll commute to Port Angeles daily or we'll move if you want to"
Charlie proposed. It only took a minute for Bella to tell him what he really knew. It was time to move
"What about your life here? Are you ready to say 'goodbye'?"
Charlie took charge of the dishes thinking before he replied
"I already said 'get lost' to my friends bells. And Port Angeles isn't too far away"
Bella fumbled with her fingers
"You argued with Billy dad. You have more friends in the rez"
Charlie never replied choosing to open Bella's laptop and show her some houses he had found.
"Morning baby"
Dawn smiled at her daughter across the breakfast table. The strawberry blond witch had achieved her lifelong quest but at a price. She had gotten her powers back but her lover was in a magical coma filled with demons, her daughter was alienated from her and she realized she had pretty much failed as a mother.
"Morning"
Faye replied confused. It wasn't like her mother to be... motherly. it was even more stranger as dawn had burned breakfast and made plans for them to spend the day together shopping, having lunch in Port Angeles and then visit the salon before going to a few open houses.
The raven haired witch found her wishing she could say no and go swimming with her new friends to test her new tail but for the first time in her life she didn't want to be a burden. She liked her new friends and didn't know what she'd do if Bella or Joy decided they needed a break from her.
So she got dressed in her strange new fashion of green and followed her mother out of town. She let her mother guide her to the mall but balked at the spa
"I don't want a natural Pedi treatment with sweet water and goldfish"
She exclaimed as dawn proposed to go visit the spa. Dawn's eyes widened at the vivid refusal
"Since when?"
"Since I almost died surrounded by them"
Faye used a bit of guilt. What could she say? Since I grow a tail every time I touch natural water?
"Can't we do something else instead? Anything else!"
Faye said upset and calmed down only when her mother conceded and after dropping the shopping bags in Dawn's car they settled for house hunting.
"Too small"
"Too big"
"Too old"
"Too new"
"Not many people around"
"Too many people around"
Dawn wanted it to be close to her work and in a 'safe' neighborhood. Faye wanted it to be near hot boys! At last they both got their wish
"This is the last one for today"
Dawn said tiredly parking in front of the house. It had a largish porch, faded red roof and two stories tall. It was in a good neighborhood a few roads away from the downtown area but still near the ocean.
"Hello, welcome to the open house"
A short frumpy woman welcomed them and then tactfully left them alone to walk around. Dawn was swooning over the location of it, glad for the large yard around it while Faye walked around bored liking the large spacious rooms but it didn't meet her "hot boys" rule. Until she walked out the back door.
A guy with slightly curly, slightly long hair was there planting a lime green surfing board on the soft ground.
"Hello there"
She gave him her most alluring smile.
"Hi. Are you here for the open house?"
"Yes"
She replied her eyes raking him in. tall, slim, athletic, dark blue shorts riding low on his hips letting a deep v leading to his navel.
Yum...
... Until he shook his wet hair like a dog splashing water all over her. Faye gasped, her eyes growing wide, muttered a quick bathroom excuse and took off running to the mentioned room. She had barely gotten in when she felt her body elongating and transforming until her legs gave away to her slippery green and gold tail and she fell forward to a huge belly flop.
"oomph"
"Saw the hottie too?"
A chocolate haired girl with a blue/purple tail asked smiling sadly.
"What are you doing here?"
Faye smiled. Joy shook her head
"Brought sandwiches from the cafe, little blondie ran from the beach, pushed a vase, got me wet"
Her blue eyes widened as she realized what she just said
"Not wet, wet just"
"Wet?"
Faye offered her green eyes sparkling with laughter.
"Hey why do you have a scale bra and I don't?"
She motioned to Joy's covered breasts and her bare ones. Joy chuckled
"Glitch in the system. If you want to be covered when you change put a bikini bra one beforehand, learned it when I flashed some reservation kids last year"
Faye laughed and pulled her suddenly, ultra long hair in front of her to cover up.