A/N: Hopefully, it'll get a bit more interesting now :P This chapter's pretty short, sorry about that.

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Annabelle took a deep breath before she replied,

"Daddy…?"

"Ah, yes, Merry Christmas, darling" Her father, Carnaby Fritton, greeted in his usual monotonous tone.

"What is it you want, Daddy?" She asked, feeling suspicious. After the whole ordeal with the Vermeer heist, which included selling her own father a fake Vermeer for half a million quid, her father had point-blanked refused to speak to her; she wasn't complaining about that, either.

"Are you still working at that god-awful school?" He asked, never failing to get straight to the point at hand.

"Yes, why? Is that a problem?" She retorted tartly, sitting down at her desk and crossing one leg elegantly over the other.

"Look, darling, I can't sit back and watch you work at that confounded place and go home with a meagre 'average' salary. I'm going to make you an offer. Being big in the art world, I can get you into an art college, no questions asked… There's plenty of money to be made in this business, and, dare I say it, your 'backhanded' techniques you learnt at that school may well come in handy. You managed to flog an expert a fake painting for half a million in a day." There was no denying the undertone of bitterness in his voice.

"No thank you, Daddy. I'm not interested in your stupid counterfeit paintings and shady black market deals. You just want me to bring in enough money to get you a decent pension!"

"Honestly, Annabelle, sometimes I wonder…"

"If I'm even yours?"

Carnaby was silent for a moment, and then spoke on in a shaky voice, "Wh-Wha… How did you…?"

"Look, there's no point trying to manipulate me anymore, Daddy, I'm not a child and I'm happy where I am!" With that, she cut the conversation with a quick tap to the 'end call' button, slammed the phone down on the desk and cradled her head in her hands.

Her father had always been the biggest role model in her life, until he brought her to St Trinian's. She was always a Daddy's girl, and not ashamed of it, either; until she overheard a conversation between him and her aunt, revealing what he really thought of her. Finding out it was all a façade had been one of the toughest revelations Annabelle had to see through.

Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt.

Annabelle turned her watery glare on her phone which was, yet again, heralding an incoming call. Cursing under her breath, she picked it up and answered it again,

"And harassing me will not work, Daddy!"

"…Woah. Hold on, Annabelle, calm down"

Despite the fact she was seething with anger and almost blind with rage, her mind pestered her relentlessly, trying to tell her that was not her father's voice on the other end of the phone. She tore the device away from her ear and glanced at the caller display. This time, her eyes widened even further than they had when it had read 'Daddy'.

On the screen, in a striking red font, was the single name, 'Kelly'

Forcing it back to her ear, she stuttered, "K-Kelly? I'm s-sorry; I thought you were… someone else." She choked, trying not to well up and sound like an idiot.

"I figured" Came the reply, "So, how's life after St Trinian's treating my favourite new girl?" She asked, and Annabelle could almost see the smile playing on her bright red lips.

"Ah, St Trinian's never ended. I work here now"

Kelly chuckled softly, "Oh dear, joined the ranks of the teachers, have we? Kids been giving you a hard time?"
"Not really, everyone still sees me as the coolest Head Girl ever. Well, after you, of course" She grinned, wiping the drying tear-droplets for her lashes.

"Speaking of which, who's the new Head Girl, anyway?"

"Roxy"

"Good choice"

It hadn't really occurred to Annabelle for a while, but she realised in that moment how much she missed having a pointless gossip with her old mentor. "It really has been a while, Kelly. What's the deal, anyway? Why are you calling all of a sudden?"

"Just needed a catch-up, I suppose. It might be a long time till I see you again"

It's already been a long time since I've seen you! She thought bitterly, "How come?"

"I've been allowed to take a holiday for the first time since… Well, the first time" Kelly laughed, "I'm thinking about seeing the world outside of Europe. Well, not from the underground or in the back of a criminal's truck, anyway. You know what international calls cost…"

Way to put her worried heart at rest. "Where are you now?"

"Moscow"

"Moscow, Russia?" Annabelle gawped

"Jeez, you must have passed Geography with flying colours."

There was a silence while Annabelle's mind raced. She honestly didn't think that, after being able to talk to Kelly for the first time since she had left her beloved school, she would be able to cope with not seeing or hearing from her for another year or so. She didn't exactly know why, but her heart was pounding away in her chest. She didn't exactly know where the next thing she said came from, either.

"Come to England, Kelly."

"…What?"

Annabelle closed her eyes, "Come back home."

There was a long, awkward silence. Then Kelly broke it, "I don't know, Annabelle. I don't know when I'll get another chance to travel a bit…"

Annabelle knew she was being selfish, but now she couldn't stop herself, "Not travelling? You're in bloody Moscow, Kelly! I don't know when I'll get a chance to see you again! I could be anywhere when you next get a break, but isn't it convenient I'm still at the school? Auntie wouldn't mind… The sixth formers still remember and miss you. And the teachers. And me. Especially me." Oh dear, now I'm begging and sound like a desperate prat.

"Well… When you put it like that…" Kelly bit her bottom lip as she weighed up Annabelle's speech, as Annabelle wondered furiously if she'd said too much, not that she knew what it meant if she had said too much, "Alright. When the snow is all cleared up I'll… I'll catch a plane over and book a hotel near the school"

Annabelle mentally punched the air in delight, "Oh, thankyou, thankyou, Kelly!"

"I'm only doing it because you begged so hard. Reminds me a little of Flash. Only cuter and with less facial hair- at least I hope so. I'll see you soon, then!" And on that note, she hung up.

Annabelle grinned widely, still in a sort of trance. She couldn't believe in perhaps just a few days she would be able to see her old partner-in-crime again. Wait, what had she said before she hung up? She was like Flash?

Oh, bugger. She really had sounded too desperate.

At the same time, in Russia, a dark-haired, red-lipsticked girl shoved her phone in the pocket of her leather jacket and smiled to herself.

"I guess I'm going to England, then"

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As always, thanks!