Family Tree (Elsa)

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika stood up on the tip of her toes as she reached up for the box standing on the upper shelves of the closet. Their parents, Mikayla and Anthony had yet again left the state to go on yet another business trip, which basically meant Mikayla was at a spa and Anthony was avoiding her. Well, at least that was how Erika read and understood it. Then again, she didn't exactly have a great relationship with her mother, and couldn't quite understand what their father saw in the snobby woman. Blowing a strand of her hair away from her face, Erika placed her fingers on the corners of the box before sliding it towards the edge.

Sure, she could have used her powers for this, but Erika also enjoying feeling accomplished without the help of something supernatural. It was her need to feel good enough, and maybe a little about the fact that her ability had been harder to control the past days; Whenever she had trouble on the emotional plane, her emotions got a little out of control. She didn't need that to happen. Not here. Not now.

Wrapping her arms around the box, Erika lowered it towards the floor with a huff, before bending her knees until it hit the ground. Sliding down to a sitting position, the telekinetic dug her hands into the box and started pulling out various items; Old toys, some old skates, a broken down chew toy, a moldy hat and some old pictures. She wasn't particularly looking for anything, she was simply restless. She needed something to do, and thus she had ended up playing treasure hunt through the old manor.

''Ah, screw it,'' the brunette muttered before standing up, giving the old box a solemn stare before turning towards the hallway, ''Elsa~'' she called, her fingers curling around the door frame; The markings from the Bellefonte children's heights growing up was still there, though barely visible. It was a surprise Mikayla hadn't painted them over yet. She had never crossed Erika as a very nostalgic woman.

''Do you want something to drink? Warm, cold, filled with alcohol?''

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa wasn't entirely sure why she'd agreed to accompany her sister here. No, that was a lie: she knew exactly why she was here: because Erika asked her to. Erika was getting restless, which usually made Elsa feel at least a little restless herself. Side effect of having a twin and being a mind-reader. Therefore Elsa had reluctantly agreed to accompany her sister, figuring that she could do some digging herself. The difference being that while Erika was rummaging around in closets, Elsa was rummaging around in her father's study.

Their parents had left yet again to go on a "business trip," which probably meant that Anthony was doing his best to accomplish something while his wife spent her time in the spa. At least that's how Elsa read and understood it. Then again, she didn't exactly have a great relationship with her mother, and she couldn't quite understand what her father saw in the frivolous woman. Elsa blew a strand of hair out of her face and reached for some books on a high shelf. It was at times like this that she wished that she were the telekinetic twin. She briefly brushed her mind against her sister's, not at all surprised to find that their thoughts were eerily similar. that happened. A lot.

Thus Elsa "heard" her sister despite being out of earshot. She closed the book she was reading and stuck her head out of the study, turning to look down the hall at her twin. "You're the one that does all the drinking," she said. "I'm busy watching our girlish figure. But water would be fine," and then she stuck her head back into the study. She knew that Erika would get something, and then likely come bother her, either to figure out what Elsa was doing or insist on something of her own. The possibilities were, after all, equally likely.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

A smirk crossed the brunette's lips at her twin sister's comment. It was a shame, but it was also quite nice. Seeing that they weren't identical on the inside as well as the outside. Having a sister that looked just like yourself could often be troublesome, though Erika couldn't really blame anyone for making the mistake. After all, they were identical and all though their personalities were similar, they were also incredibly different.

''As you wish,'' Erika called back as she started walking towards the kitchen, opening the fridge before absentmindedly tapping her fingers against the door. Luckily, the housekeeper (Whatever her name was this time) kept the fridge filled with things they didn't have to worry about expiring, such as bottles of water. Not that Erika could really picturing her parents actually eating in or anything, but the fridge still seemed to contain traces of food. Picking up two of the bottles, Erika shut the door with her heel and headed towards the study.

Once inside, Erika tossed the bottle towards her twin, assuming she had heard her enter. ''What are you looking for?'' she asked she hoisted herself up on their father's desk. She let her feet dangle in the air before twisting off the tap of the bottle. ''Money? A gun? Old pictures that should be burned?'' Well, the room didn't seem to contain a whole lot of private things. Well, not that kind of private things anyways. Mostly endless shelves filled with folders and the usual boring crap.

''You know,'' Erika began before taking a sip of the cool water, ''We should take advantage of the fact that we have the entire house to ourselves. Throw a party or something.'' Okay, if there was alcohol involved - or rule breaking, Erika really doubted Elsa would be on board, but she could always try, right? But throwing a party would require Erika to invite her friends, which included Everett, Felix and Ellen. Three people she didn't want to see sharing the same room.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Despite herself, Elsa smiled at Erika's response, even as she poked around in the various books. There was a lot here, and it all interested her. She did wish that they could get into their grandfather's materials though; that would have been more interesting. Sometimes she swore that Erika didn't even seem to realize that they were Bellefontes, and that meant a lot of responsibility and respect, in addition to housekeepers that kept the fridge stocked with their favorites. Elsa moved to the desk, pulling at things, eventually finding a drawer and pulling that out to examine. She still kept "tuned in" to Erika, effectively following her sister as the other girl traveled through the house, hearing bits and pieces of thought that weren't worth really processing or following up on.

Thus, despite previously having her head under a desk, Elsa was able to pop up and catch the bottle with perfect accuracy. She cracked the top and took a sip before plopping down into their father's chair. "We don't need money, and if I wanted a guy, I'd just buy one," said Elsa. Most of the room was just filled with boring personal crap though, endless shelves filled with folders and the like that wouldn't be readily recognizable.

They really should be taking advantage of the privacy. now that things had heated up, this was a chance to throw a party get into things and figure out that Elsa would never be on board though, not if it involved rule-breaking, what was going on with their parents and grandfather. Of course, Erika was already debating a party, and of course the main stumbling block had to be that her circle of friends would be at each other's throats inside of a few minutes.

"If you put all three of them in the room, two will end up screwing on a bed. Probably mine, because they'll think it's yours and they're out for revenge," Elsa raised her brows and then looked back at the drawer. "Do you really think that you could get away with a party? That's more of something Alexis would think," Elsa flicked her eyes over to her twin for a moment, hesitating. Well, it was Erika's life, and it had been a little stressful lately, what with everything. Elsa did, after all, know everything that was on her sister's mind...

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Shrugging, Erika nodded her head, ''Fair enough.'' Sure, Erika didn't think Elsa would actually buy a guy, but it was still a good point. Erika was a hopeless romantic at heart, and she often got ahead of herself whilst dreaming about the perfect fairytale relationship with a happily ever after. It was silly, she knew that. And it would most likely never, especially not with her track record, but it still didn't keep the usually naive girl from hoping.

Erika frowned at her sister's comment. It was well deserved, she knew that, but that didn't stop it from hurting. Instead of commenting, the telekinetic remained silent, furrowing her brows as her eyes dropped to the bottle of water in her hands. Yeah, it was a bad idea. She had really screwed up any chances of her friends ever getting together. She had kissed one of them, and therefore eliminating any chances of Felix and Everett being in the same room, and Ellen had confessed her love, which more or less meant she couldn't be let loose around anyone Erika enjoyed being with. Ellen was jealous and possessive. ''You weren't supposed to know that,'' Erika suddenly said, turning to look at her sister. She had promised Ellen she wouldn't tell anyone. Well, okay; So maybe she hadn't exactly told anyone.

''No, I don't think I'd get away with it, but when did I ever care about that?'' she said, the corner of her lips turned upwards into somewhat of a smirk. No, a party was probably not the best idea, and Erika would more than likely end up being bored as she couldn't really invite the usual people she wanted to without causing an awkward scene in one form or another.

Running her hand through her brown locks, Erika sighed before pushing herself off the desk, ''What were you looking for anyways?'', she asked, a little more serious this time. Only a little.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Erika was too much of a romantic, that was the problem. She got ahead of herself while dreaming of a perfect fairytale relationship complete with happily ever after. It was silly, especially considering her track record. It also left Elsa in the strange combination role of "fairy godmother" and "ugly stepsiter." This latter being the more amusing of the two.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," said Elsa, meaning it. No one else would've gotten an apology from her: she didn't see any reason to, and her name usually salved any wounds. Erika had just screwed things up, making it so they could never get together. She also shouldn't have been telling anyone about Ellen, though surely Ellen knew that pretty much anything Erika knew, Elsa did as well. Elsa met her sister's eyes, blinked, and nodded. "I won't tell," she said. that was all she needed to: it was hardly the first time that Elsa had picked up something from Erika that wasn't supposed to be shared. They'd developed that code at a very young age, even before Elsa's power had developed, back when she jut seemed to know what her twin was thinking.

"No one thinks about the consequences but me," said Elsa. She didn't sound put out: that was just the situation, those were just the facts. They both knew that party was not the best idea; Erika would just end up bored without being able to invite the usual people. "If you're that desperate for a party, bother Alexis or Frank, just keep them both far away from me."

Elsa flipped through more stuff, as she had been, frowning at the papers. It almost looked like she was paying more attention to the documents than her sister. They both knew that was literally impossible though, given how they were linked. "I don't really know," Elsa admitted. "But you're the one whose forming the security squad. A mind reader isn't exactly great for the front line of defense. I'm better suited for trying to figure out if we've got something we can use here," she sighed, leaning back and tapping her fingers. "I guess I'm just worried. It's stupid though. They won't attack us, especially not us," the second obviously meaning Bellefontes. They'd have to be stupid to go after one of them, obviously.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Nodding, since there wasn't much else to do, the telekinetic looked away again. She already knew Elsa wouldn't tell. Unlike Alexis, the mini-Bellefonte with authority and severe attitude issues, Elsa and Erika was close. Despite everything, they always had been. Even if it annoyed both of them when being mistaken for the other, and even if they resented sharing the same body and face, they still looked past all of it and loved the other unconditionally. Ellen might have been Erika's best friend, but Else was her sister; Both by blood and by the term one often used for someone incredibly close. Yes, Elsa was the one and only person Erika would trust with everything.

Erika grinned and a chuckle escaped the brunette's lips. Alexis? Not a chance. If there was anything worse than having Everett, Felix and Ellen in the same room, it was sharing a party with her baby sister. Frank would do, because even in all the confusion that made up the Cox girl, Frank was adorable. She was like a hyperactive little bunny you simply had to love. ''Aw, don't be like that,'' Erika said, feigning a pout before smirking. ''Frank isn't all that bad.''

Then again, Erika had a thing for being naive and blindly trusting people. Apparently she desperately clinged to whatever good traits people had, and blindly refused to believe they had any bad sides; Which she always - or at least often - ended up regretting. It was rather pathetic.

Remaining silent, Erika's eyes scanned over the shelves before sighing. Nodding, she made her way towards the different folders, running the tip of her fingers over the dusty covers. ''You know,'' she began, chewing on the inside of her chin. She paused before shaking her head, a furrow growing above her right eyebrow, ''Mmm, I don't really think we'll find anything in here. I mean, there's a reason father hasn't been elected as the next headmaster,'' she pointed out. Their grandfather was old, that much was obvious. And he probably should have stepped off the throne a long time ago, yet he hadn't. Which only meant he was waiting for one of them to come of age.

''And especially not since mother wears the pants; Who knows what she'd end up doing with the information.'' The mere image of it had Erika shrugging; She really, really didn't go alone with their mother. It didn't seem like either of the children did.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Frank was like a hyperactive bunny: annoying and likely to hump your leg at totally inappropriate times. She wasn't, technically, "all that bad," not in comparison to some people that Erika hung out with. "She does come from one of the better families,' admitted Elsa, pausing to consider. Perhaps it would have been better if she attempted to tolerate Frank Cox, but if Erika was already involved, then they didn't really need to have both of them sucking up to the Cox family. Frank was due to inherit everything, after all.

Not that any of that mattered to Erika. She was too trusting and naive for that. She just looked and saw the best in people, blindly trusting them. Then she'd end up clinging to their better traits while pretending that those bad ones weren't lurking just around the corner. This was why Elsa had to constantly second-guess her own twin's decisions at what nearly felt like every turn. At least Elsa had gotten better at being, well, gentler at it.

Nothing really worth looking at there; Elsa had half-expected it herself. She hadn't quite jumped to the same conclusion that Erika had regarding their father and their grandfather: the Bellefonte scion had clung to power far longer than he probably should have. He hung about on his throne far past his prime... which probably meant that he was waiting for someone to come of age.

Probably Erika.

"Mother would have to think beyond her next spa treatment or affair to consider what to do with pertinent information," replied Elsa, taking another sip of her drink. Both the twins didn't care for their mother, apparently. "Still, you never know. It's not like there's anything else to do in the house, unless you're thinking of reenacting 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman' for the dozenth time," though as Elsa said that, her lips twitched a little. If she was going to share a name with a Disney character, Elsa was happy that it was a queen who pointed out the idiocy of the world.

Which, actually, did seem an awful like like Elsa and Erika. Not that the two of them hadn't already come to that same conclusion.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

''See?'' Erika chirped. The laughter still held traces in her voice. Erika really did like Frank, even without her wealth and status; Quite frankly, there was only two people Erika didn't like; Ellen (Well, half of the time anyways) and Ophelia. Ellen had been her best friend for the past fourteen years, but their relationship had been bumpy, and had nearly ended on several occasions. Now they were on common ground, mostly because Erika actually had something to hold the girl back with; Ellen no longer held all the power. And then there was Ophelia. The girl Erika had met in Felix's dorm; She was nothing but a huge pile of constant contradictions, dense personality and probably a little crazy. Okay, a whole lot of crazy. Something was seriously off and immensely creepy about the young girl.

Now, when it came to a heir of the Bellefonte throne, Erika had always assumed that it would be Abel because he was the oldest, or Elsa because she was the most trusting and chill out of the children. She couldn't even picture Alexis on the throne, and herself... Well, why would anyone ever put Erika in a position of power? She was naive, she was reckless and she was stubborn; Sure, she had a good heart and all, but that didn't seem to cover it. It wasn't enough. She wasn't enough.

Besides, she didn't even know if she wanted that kind of position. Did any of her other siblings?

''Mmm, true that.'' Well, their mother was power hungry. To think a woman born poor could ever turn into such a greedy creature. It was disgusting. Especially since none of her children were particularly spoiled. Except maybe Alexis. Another thing Erika didn't agree with her mother on, was the fact that the old hag seemed to expect her daughters to sit idly by and wait for some rich douche to come along and swoop them off their feet. Apparently marrying rich was far more important than marrying out of love. ''Oh come on, you love that scene,'' Erika said and tossed a wink at her sister. Frozen wasn't exactly one of Erika's favorite movies, but it had a cute moral to it, one the telekinetic could easily relate to;

When all came to all, there was nothing she wouldn't do for her younger twin sister. No matter the cost.

''Doesn't it get lonely?'' Erika looked at her sister before smiling; A faint smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, ''That you don't have anyone you like, I mean.'' Assuming she didn't of course, though Erika was fairly sure she'd know if she did.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Erika liked everybody, whether she realized it or not. She kept thinking that she didn't like Ellen, but Elsa knew better: you did not spend that much time around someone you detested. Plus, Elsa could still remember all the childhood talks, bits and pieces about how they were the bestest friends ever (well, besides Elsa, but Elsa "didn't count"). This other girl Elsa didn't know, though her sister's thoughts on the matter nearly made Elsa chuckle.

The Bellefonte throne, as they thought of it, was a little up for grabs. Abel made the most sense, but they so often considered the power of the Bellefonte. Elsa made sense in many regards, being the most rule-abiding of them, along with having a moderately useful power. But Erika was the vivacious one, the one that, let's face it, would end up with the power in a Disney film. She'd be the one voted into the throne, and that made her a good candidate for it to some degree. Elsa supposed that she'd just end up assistant or something.

That was assuming that Erika even wanted the position; did any of Elsa's siblings really want it?
Did Elsa?

Elsa was done thinking about her mother and the woman's driving desire to see her daughters married off like a bad Jane Austen novel. As if they really needed more wealth and prestige. If that were the case, they should just marry Ellen, Frank, and pick another random rich person from the student body at random. Though Elsa sometimes wondered if Erika didn't just pick someone to be the exact opposite of whom their mother wanted.

"I did," Elsa admitted. "But---" Elsa actually stopped, realizing where Erika's thoughts were heading and where they were going. Elsa sighed even before Erika started really talking. "No, it doesn't get lonely. I have you. I have friends," that she wasn't going to name right now for reasons. "And I like people," she trailed off, trying to think of someone she could invent or something. Nobody immediately came to mind, which made Elsa glad that her ability didn't go both ways. "Besides, I get enough residual interest from you," she finished. She tucked away the files, sighing. Nothing there was even remotely interesting.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika knew that she probably should have been grateful for being born into a family that offered everything she could ever possibly want, and for a time, she had been too. But the fame, the wealth and the perks that came with it? It wasn't enough. Money and the like only got you so far in life, and Erika would rather be poor and happy rather than rich and miserable. She had been thinking about this for years, but she hadn't really realized it until Everett had come stumbling into her life. As silly as it sounded, he had truly showed her that there was more to life. Even if he was an idiot.

And she was well aware that her mother would never accept the relationship, if that was even what it was anymore. She didn't know. Erika had avoided mentioning anything to the hag. She didn't see the point; She had nothing to do with it, and she would probably cause more trouble and drama than what was needed. The 'relationship' was already on shaky grounds.

''I see,'' the older twin said, taking a few steps towards her sister. Erika had always admired her younger sister, but even as much as Elsa tried hiding it, or maybe even refusing to admit it, she still seemed a little lonely. Maybe it was preferred that way, as Erika hadn't been the best example. Not that she needed to be, as different as they were, Elsa didn't seem like the kind of person who would ever repeat Erika's mistakes. A smile crept over the telekinetic's lips, and she sighed. ''Does it ever bother you? That people mistake us for each other?'' Erika asked, pursing her lips, ''I mean, I understand why, because look at us. But does it annoy you?''

Bending forward, Erika let her hair fall over her shoulders and down towards the ground. Cupping it, she tied it into a messy bundle at the top of her head before swinging her arched back upwards again. She simply couldn't remain still for long periods at a time. She could already feel her powers acting up; Restlessly reaching out for anything to touch - to play with - or to grab a hold of.

''Let's get out of here, hm?'' There was no point sitting in this old, dusty office if they weren't going to find anything.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

For some reason, Elsa felt a lecture bubbling at the surface of her mind, something about how Erika should be thankful that she was in a family that would provide for her. Even if Erika were to be disowned by their parents; Abel, Elsa, and even Alexis would never disown her. They'd provide for her even if she decided to run away to Paris and live with her cook (especially Elsa, who would probably have to follow her twin to Paris and complain about the food or something). However, Elsa also had the feeling that Erika knew this, and it was likely why it had bubbled up in her own mind. It didn't help that they'd just been talking about their mother too, and that woman always brought up the bad relationship thoughts for both of them.

Did Erika see when she said she did? Elsa thought she might, on some level, though the younger twin now looked up at her "older" sibling with some curiosity. "I am not lonely!" she couldn't help but snap, gesturing. She knew that meant that she'd just picked up a loose thought from Erika, and that could sometimes cause Erika to shut off the link (which always felt odd to Elsa, like when a foot fell asleep or something). There was a question though, which should help cool things. Elsa arched her brow a little. "Does it ever bother you that people think you're me?" she retorted before sighing. They both knew that almost never happened. "Of course it annoys me. We're two different people who just happen to have bodies that are almost completely identical," she rubbed her face, trying to remember what brought that on. Their relationships? That didn't make much sense to Elsa. She had to be careful that she didn't get too involved in thinking about what Erika was thinking though; that could lead to one of her "link hunts."

And not even Erika liked being on the receiving end of one of those. It felt... weird.

"You're just feeling antsy," said Elsa, looking up at her sister. She rose anyway, moving aside things and moving to come around to her sister. "What were you doing anyway? Before you fetched me water and decided to come annoy me, that is."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Arching her eyebrow, a playful smile played over the telekinetic's lips, ''Uh huh,'' Erika said between pursed lips, trying her best to keep a chuckle from escaping them. No, Erika didn't feel the need to shut off any links - by know the twin was used to it. Even to the point where she barely thought about it anymore. She had nothing to hide from her sister, and if any thoughts popped up that Elsa didn't want to hear, she had the means to shut them out herself. Well, that and Erika was feeling lazy. Shrugging, the older twin looked away for a second, furrowing her brows as if she was actually pondering about it;

No, she couldn't really say she minded it. Granted, it did not happen as often as it seemingly did with her counterpart. However, it would probably have annoyed her a lot more if someone she cared about - like Everett - ended up mistaking them. Erika had a little hope he knew her well enough to tell the difference, but they had never met - nor talked about it. It left a little sting in her stomach.

''I see,'' Erika said silently, putting the topic at rest there. She didn't want to dwell further into it. She understood, she really did, though it did make her feel a little lonely, without really knowing why.

Clapping her hands together, Erika chirped cheerfully as her sister stood up. Swirling around, Erika skipped a few steps towards the door, but turned as soon as Elsa spoke again. Shrugging, Erika ran the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip, ''Nothing really. Just looking through stuff.'' She hadn't been looking for anything specific; Or at least that's what she told herself. It was a nice way to pass time when getting drunk grew a bit old. Well, that and almost getting caught by cops, only to be saved by a sixteen year old boy with the charm of a snail. ''Just doing what I always do when I'm restless! Now, come, come!'' Turning towards the door again, Erika headed towards the hallway without another word.

''Did this house always seem so empty?'' she asked, assuming her sister had followed. If not, she was basically talking to nobody. She let her gaze move over the picture and art covered walls. What was the point of having such a big house when no one really lived in it? It seemed so... Cold.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"Everett would never mistake the two of us unless we wanted him to," replied Elsa, answering her sister's thought again. "No one who's loved you that much has ever done it before." Though some others who hadn't loved her sister quite as much had. There had been some awkward moments in the past, which both of them knew all too well. Thankfully, Erika had pretty much put the subject to rest with a word. Though Elsa wondered if it left Erika feeling lonely too, or if that was just a momentary pang that existed just for Elsa.

They were up; they were moving. Erika moved; Elsa froze. Nothing, which either actually meant nothing or "nothing that I should have been doing." Elsa did what she usually did when a sibling said that: she began poking around in her mind. Considering that Erika almost immediately started thinking of drinking, soon followed by...

a sixteen year old snail? "Okay, you're--hey!" Elsa hurried to catch up with her sister. "You're messing with me, right? You didn't actually meet a sixteen year old snail person, right? Because I'd think that I would've heard if we'd gotten another of those really strange mutants running about the place..."

Though Erika's mind had of course already moved on, leaving Elsa to try and play catchup. Of course she'd followed; that was what Elsa did when it came to her sister. "It wasn't," she said, not bothering to look around. "Because there were four of us, not to mention mom, dad, and various playmates. Ellen was over regularly, and there were others too. It was fuller then. Now..." Elsa looked around. "Maybe we should be here more often, but with the school..." She trailed off, looking around for a little while longer. She sighed, looking back to Erika. "Now you're making me want to drink, and you know I don't." She ran her hand over her face, blowing out her lips and looking around.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

As much as Erika appreciated her sister's word, it didn't put the doubts to rest. They would probably always be there, and Erika had a feeling she just had to get used to it. They were similar, and even if their personalities were completely different, all it took was a second of forgetfulness and mistakes could easily be made. And Everett wasn't exactly the kind of person who used his brain - rather, he acted directly from his emotions, and never stopped to think. Well, rarely anyways. ''Maybe,'' Erika said silently, looking away with a shrug. She didn't really want to find out which one of them was right.

Turning to face her sister with an arched eyebrow, and a smile that was a little too amused, Erika flipped the switch to block her sister out of her mind; Erika then answered with a shrug and turned her attention back towards the lines of artwork covering the walls. This was as much fun as she could get out of her sister's ability; And even if the moments were few, she still tried to take full advantage of it. ''Mmmm,'' was all the girl responded with.

Erika could see the past memories play in front of her eyes like they had happened just yesterday; Things had seemed so much easier back then. No boys, no drama, just fun and games. Erika had met Ellen at the age of four, and they had spent every summer together ever since. Then Ellen's powers had manifested and the blonde had moved to Montana. After that, the pair had spent as much time as they possibly could. Then Erika manifested her abilities during a fight with Ellen where she ended up throwing a cup at her - and before she knew it, she had moved in at the academy and ended up sharing a dorm room with both her sister and Ellen.

''What's the point? We'll be miserable here. You know that as well as I do,'' Erika responded with a sigh. ''No, I don't want to be here more than what I need to. It's one thing to be here when everyone's away, and a whole different matter when they are home.'' Erika avoided her parents as much as she possibly could. ''And don't knock it 'til you try it.'' Though, that made the older Bellefonte wonder just how her sister would react to the intoxication.

Switching off the flip, Erika turned to face Else, waving her hands in the air before they once again fell still to her sides, ''Do you want to build a pillow fort?''