Bella of the West

Uma’s eyebrows rose, a hand set firm on her hip. Yes, she definitely didn’t understand what the girl was doing, but she wouldn’t judge her. Each to their own, after all. She took a small step back as the monkey ran onto the beach with another shell, as if possibly afraid of the creature, ❛ It’s diving for them? ❜ The teal-haired girl asked, trying to understand exactly what was happening; knowing was your best defence, after all. The more she knew and understood the more she could protect herself against.

That little revelation earned Bella a rare smile, small though it was. He didn’t really feel the need to hide; his mother could be a bit tyrannical, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle, and his dad was rather content to leave him to his own devices. Still. It sounded like something Evie would do, if she didn’t have to worry about maintaining her silly princess facade that their mother forced on her. Hazel nodded so she knew he heard her, that he understood. He still didn’t want to talk just yet, but he did feel slightly less uneasy about being around the girl.

She glanced toward him with a shrug, “I just thought it was a nice place for everyone to get a break. Everyone’s welcome as West castle too, all the kids anyway.” Evanora had welcomed everyone Isabella brought home with open arms, which seems shocking even for other kids on the Isle, given the Wicked Witch of the West wasn’t supposed to like anyone. She stepped out onto a balcony that stretched across and alley below them and into the next connected building. “Adults have to make an appointment.”

Jam exhales slowly as she listens to Bella, breathing too deeply hurt. It wasn’t a pain she was eager to keep experiencing, “Jay tried to get me somewhere safe a while back,” She can’t help but laugh bitterly at the memory. “It was maybe an hour before Jafar started losing his shit. I couldn’t leave Jay to deal with that on his own, so I came back, and this horrible cycle that makes up my life just keeps repeating day after day after day,” The teen hums softly before she inhales again, slowly and deeply, trying to not cause herself too much pain, “You should keep an eye on that monkey. Jafar will know the moment he walks in if anything vaguely shiny is missing. I’m sorry I’m not more enthusiastic or whatever, but trust me, Jafar is not a father figure you want in your life. Take it from the girl who’s had to live with him for sixteen years. You should get out of here and run as fast as you can.”

“Okay,” getting her to leave seemed to be out of the question, and while Bella could agree on the not wanting Jay to get hurt in her stead, she thought for a moment, “what if you only came for a few nights at a time?” She seemed to start to wonder if maybe she just wanted to not be an only child anymore, instead of not having a father. “You can both come, and I can give you something to help with the pain.”

The thief couldn’t help but wonder if Bella knew what she was getting herself into with these thoughts in her head. Even if they were true, which he hoped for her sake they weren’t, she needed to forget she had ever learned about who Jafar was to her biologically, “Not an option,” Jay shakes his head. He’d tried to leave once before. Well, he’d tried to get Jam to leave once before. It didn’t go well, to say the least. He still had nightmares about it, “You don’t get what being his child is like, and trust me, you don’t want to. If you want to talk I’ll come find you in a few hours; I do my best scavenging for the shop at night. But I can’t leave here, not permanently. You need to forget about trying to have him in your life, though. Do you understand?”

Her brow furrowed, what could anyone do against a bunch of monkeys that could fly? Fine. He wouldn’t leave, but the things he wasn’t saying were saying a lot, and she’d never known that fear. “Okay,” but maybe she wanted something else entirely, she hadn’t decided at the time. She felt a sinking feeling that it wasn’t important anymore, “later, okay?” Did she really want Jafar in her life, or was it the thought of not being an only child anymore?

Slender eyebrows rose curiously. It was her turf, so whatever Bella was looking for belonged to her and her crew. Her arms crossed tightly beneath her chest as she walked closer to see what the girl was holding. A shell… Uma laughed a little, because she didn’t see what was so special about it. Shells were forever littering the small beach, and rocks, and seaweed. ❛ Shells? You’re looking for shells? ❜

Please don’t reblog

“My mother’s savage daughter” by Wyndreth Berginsdottir

@wickedslippers​ said: [touches forehead] “You’re burning up!”