Isabella Grayson

Please tell me that you didn’t just see that? I swear i’m not normally that odd but - did you see her. Man, I need to get out more in this city. 

See what? My lips are sealed— wait no... my eyes are sealed. Both my lips and my eyes are sealed! Except figuratively because I kinda want to see where I’m going.

Either someone is cutting onions near by or I have some kind of eye leaking disorder.

Do you need to go to the hospital?

[ The brunette had been walking through the funeral home, barking orders for what seem an endless amount of hours. Making sure that the flowers were placed correctly, that people were seated accordingly and that their pastor didn’t give a ridiculous sermon seemed much easier than dealing with her feelings. The overwhelming urge to curl up in a corner of the room and cry until she fell asleep was easier to ignore if she kept her mind busy so she took the reigns of the planning, ignoring her grandmother’s pleas and her mother’s along with Jim’s to take things slow. She couldn’t, the less time she spent thinking the better off she’d be, orders… orders were easy she could handle orders she knew how to command a room and how to get people moving it was comfortable, safe. ] I’ll be the last to speak after my uncle, mother and grandmother, no uninvited guests… people in this town can step off [ She warned briefly as she raised a finger to the man next to her with much more to say but her words were lost as her eyes caught sight of her grandfather’s casket and just like that the act that she had tried so hard to keep up shattered and her eyes swelled with tears, as she stepped forward if only to be closer. ] You’re okay, you’re fine [ She told herself softly as she wiped her tears away and closed her eyes taking a deep breath in an attempt to keep herself calm. She had turned off her cellphone if only to avoid her friends a little bit longer, which was ridiculous as she had the overwhelming sense of needing them. Yet wanting to be alone was also an issue, a complicated one but she still found herself wanting Avery and Aaron, just like she wanted Tizi, Winnie, Laura, Bella, Gracie, the rest of her friends but especially Jeremy. The first and last were already there, somewhere she had lost them while bossing people around.] 

[There weren’t many things that Bella hated; bullies, animal cruelty, when someone left an empty container of cookies in the pantry. But without a doubt funerals were on the list. It was a reminder that no matter how much she hoped and prayed, bad things still happened to good people. The best of people even. Lyra’s grandfather was considered the best in her mind. As her body slipped past the people now gathering around the casket, Bella accidentally glanced in their direction. Her eyes didn’t fight the tears that fell. But she continued to head in the opposite direction, searching for her friend. Death left a wake in its path— there was nothing anyone could do to fix the families affected. The Hathaways didn’t deserve this. They had opened their arms and invited the young Grayson girl into their household when most would have dismissed her silly actions. They were her other family.] Excuse me, have you seen— [It was no use. Her voice was barely above a whisper and the fact that everyone surrounding her appeared to be six feet tall didn’t help. The only advantage to being small was her ability to easily move through the crowd until she had found herself standing in front of Lyra.] ...Hi. [Immediately, her arms wrapped themselves around her in a hug. She had learned that words were sometimes useless and the physical proximity between two people that cared for one another could be more soothing than any apology.]

But. You. Are. Short. Bella, you are the size of my pinky if I wanted to I could probably manage to smush or step on you with my foot. Don’t fight it, it’s what makes you cute.. and probably the reason why no one in their right mind can be upset with you. Besides Violet seems to think you’re her new friend, says you’re the prettiest doll she’s ever had and the fact that you talk? Blame Laura, she told her you were here new toy.  I am nice, niceish… on a good day okay so every once in a while but that’s for me to worry about okay? If she does end up chopping my legs off then you’ll have a protest buddy just keep me away from Hathaway will you? She’s tried to kill me once ever day since we’ve met. —— Sure. In some cases, I mean we haven’t died yet and that was in Titanic so don’t take your romantic advice from a movie like that go for something a bit less dramatic like…. “This is where you help me out” I have no idea I usually fall asleep during these things. Laura is better than the FBI, there would be no hiding from she’d trick them into giving me up in seconds. It’s okay I’ve managed to come to terms with it.

I am not the size of your pinky! Not even close! I’m the size of you! Normal size! Just... ignore that I’m on my tippy toes right now. And please shrink down just a bit. If you do that then see! Average height! ...Laura told Vi I was her new toy? No wonder she tried dressing me up every day. I really thought we were playing a game! And now I can’t tell her otherwise or else I’ll feel bad. Think a new doll will help? I’ll buy her one. Yes, this will work. I won’t break her heart and everything will be fine. If not, then I might be moving into your house and living on a shelf. Sam, as nice as you are, I can’t keep your away from Lyra. She comes with me to almost all the protests! I think you both need to sit down and eat some cookies. I’ll teach her that killing you is wrong because it’d upset me, and I’ll teach you that underneath all the attempts on your life, she’s a good person! But... just to be safe, I’ll make the cookies when she isn’t around. —Great! Sam! How am I supposed to know what movie if you have no idea either! I asked another guy and he said Twilight. Which was really confusing because I’m not sure how to find a vampire. And they eat animals... I don’t think it’ll work out. Then I asked Laura and she said that love is when you hate the person you’re standing next to. That doesn’t even make sense! 

Wha— thank you for catching yourself on that one, Winnie! If you hadn’t then I might have gone home tonight and had nightmares about the dissection of your brain. It needs to stay in your head, okay? Don’t let anyone dissect it. —Of course I did! I got you a shot glass which I was against buying at first. I got you a shirt, a hat, an umbrella... because it’s going to start raining a lot soon, a sweater for next winter, a snow globe... salt and pepper shakers too! I thought you’d like to fill them with poison or whatever ingredients witches use. 

I was about to say something about how changing clothing and going to the bathroom might be sort of hard, but then you mentioned baked goods and I sort of forgot to care about the aforementioned. No one says you have to be anything but yourself, B, you know that. I actually have no idea where the remnants of my sanity would be if you were crazy evil. Great use of bribe, though! You know my weakness.  –You can use the step stool Lyra used to say she carries around! Or was that actually you? I forget, but we could do that or I could stand on my knees in every shot. We’ll work it out. My break was spent mostly at Lyra’s where her Grandma refused to stop knitting me a new sweater and baking cookies. Not that I’m complaining a bit. I mean, I kind of almost died. Kind of. More so emotional shock and potential heart failure, but I dodged the bullet!

Then we will just have to start our own clothing company that accommodates friends who glue themselves to eachother. It’s probably a much bigger market than you would think. I mean, it’s not right now, but it’ll grow! Aves, there was a very long period of time where I didn’t know that. Almost all of high school actually. I thought that the wires inside me were crooked or broken. That the wires inside you and Lyra were connected and... normal. But I’ve realized that my wires are swirly and twisty while your wires are curly and loopy. I was never meant to have curly loopy wires! And then there’s Laura and Winnie who don’t have wires at all. ...That was confusing, wasn’t it? I should really write a book on this whole wire business. —No! Your legs might start to hurt! The rest of us will all jump at the same time instead. It’ll take some getting used to but I think we can do it. Me, Grace and Lyra are coordinated enough... I think. Baking cookies! Oh! I have missed her cookies. I have missed that house. I missed— wait, what? Please do not use emotional shock, heart failure and bullet in the same sentence. That easily worries me!

Really? Oh no, you’re not forcing anything. I love cooking and it would be fun to teach someone how to make a new dish. 

I have never once burned anything— that’s not true. I burned cookies before. So let me rephrase that... I have never once burned the house down.

That or maybe you’re wearing to much sun block. C’mon, you now you love me for it, Bel.

Oh, yes, that’s definitely the case. I have to use bottles and bottles of sunblock because you’re just so hot. You’re right, Alec. Just another reason I’m friends with you.