Woah I didn't even realize I didn't write for two weeks. Well, that happened. These also keep getting shorter, so I don't know what's wrong with me.
Angry, laying on her bed, Mer wished badly that it was the gangly idiot at the other end of the rubber band gun. And also that it was a real gun, or perhaps a flamethrower. Her brothers' toy wasn't much of a stress-reliever.
"You shouldn't shoot in the house." Elinor appeared in her doorway. Mer shot a stinging look at her mother and dropped her arm down.
"Where else am I going to shoot? Can't do it outside the house, I'd be burned at the stake."
Elinor crossed her arms and scoffed, "You should be thankful to not be in trouble."
"Oh, I'm not in trouble?" That wasn't true, they both knew it. "I'll say thanks when I have my bow back."
"You can't learn what's right without consequence."
All of their arguing was growing bothersome, but still she challenged, "Tell me what I did wrong, then!"
"You cannot be reckless here. Did it ever once cross your mind that one slip of the hand could have killed someone?" That warning should have sounded worse, but had a concerning bit of intrigue folded into it now.
"I didn't even know anyone was there! When have I ever tried hurting someone?"
"Settle. Down. I never accused you-"
"He did." Merida's voice was low, but firm. She turned away, thinking Elinor would reprimand her for the interruption, but she responded calmly.
"Do you know why he would tell his father you shot at him?"
"Because he's a horrid, whiny, scunner, like every kid from here." Merida grumbled.
With shut eyes, Elinor shook her head and groaned, "I pray your brothers don't hear half of you say, they'll learn to copy. We all have enough to get used to here. Just give this a chance, would you?"
There was too much to say, too many more reasons to not 'give this a chance' than Merida could even start on.
"It's not fair."
She'd said it countless times before, during, and after their move. By now, her mother had heard it enough. She left the room with an impatient response, "Merida, it's not the end of the world."
Merida, in reply, threw the door shut behind her and could picture the wince Elinor made at the slam. Then, falling back onto the bed, buried her face into the pillow, then her fingers in like claws. It felt like her blood had gone past boiled and had burnt. There wasn't even any use being angry anymore, and she knew it, but there was no stopping it. So she just stayed like that, for a long time, deciding to wait for morning. Looking out the window only to see that the green hills had been replaced with the mildewy siding of the next house over ruined the entire day every time she awoke. Can't wait.
Sometimes, when there was enough silence, it didn't seem so bad. She really was grateful that the guys were here too. That way she at least had three familiar people at school to talk to, and without American accents. Even a few others from the town were decent. So, maybe it wasn't entirely fair to say everyone here was awful. But if her parents didn't have to be fair, neither did she. And she wasn't planning on giving chances to people that didn't give her any, either.
At least now, she had a new target to hit.