The Other Bellefonte Princess

[François Laffont]

Franck was in the cafeteria when he heard some students comment over Erika and the latest entry the Dirty Laundry made about her. This was not the first time he heard them talking like that. Erika and the whole Bellefonte family was almost royalty around here, people were meant to talk a lot about them. That didn’t make him like it more. It annoyed him, how people seemed to see but one side of the girl. Of course, she had friends to back her but Franck was able to see just how much it hurt her, despite the smiles she gave to everyone to say otherwise.

This disgusted him out of the rest of his lunch. To choose, he preferred to leave them to their bitching and find some nicer place to be at. Usually, he left the cafeteria in a hurry because the feelings of others were too much for him to handle. Now, it was his own that risked to blow up. He resisted the temptation to reply to the Dirty Laundry, knowing how pointless that would be. But he knew he might not be so kind with the girls. All they knew of Erika was her look. She made one mistake and this is what happens, everyone has an opinion about it. Like she was some kind of celebrity they loved to hate or something. And they were oblivious to the pain it caused.

Franck left the cafeteria and headed outside, thinking some fresh air might actually calm him down. It was then that he was certain to see someone familiar. He definitely knew that long and curly brown hair, that face, that silhouette. She was alone right now and he did think about joining her. He could really use a good company to take the edge off. “Hey, can you believe so little happened in people’s lives they’re still busy talking of yours?” he commented as he joined Erika. Little did he know that he made one small mistake...

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa normally avoided the cafeteria. Oh, she'd go if some of her friends were headed that way, or if Erika wanted someone to tag along, or if there was some other reason to make Elsa head to the cafeteria instead of getting her food and taking it somewhere a  good deal more private to eat. However, Elsa knew that people were going to look to her family for strength, what with their being the family the school had been named for and all. Since Erika was... distracted and Alexis was about as inspiration as a chihuahua, that pretty much left Elsa to do it. She figured she could sit patiently and eat her well-balanced meal, possibly do a little reading.

Then someone had shown up, plunking down next to her without even asking. Elsa blinked, looking over at the boy, trying to remember why he looked familiar. He certainly acted as though he and Elsa were close, which made Elsa's lack of knowledge of him all the more suspicious. She sat in silence as he spoke, raising her eyebrows as he finished.

"Really?" she repeated. She lowered her hand and tucked away her e-Reader. "They must be quite bored if they're busy chatting over my life." It had to be Erika he was talking about; Elsa had read the blog, after all. Didn't mean that she knew what the guy was thinking of, though she could find out easily enough. Be just as easy and possibly less offensive if she did what most people would do:

"What have they been saying now? Something about how I'm drinking and sleeping around?" it was a good guess, though only half accurate, from what Elsa knew.

[François Laffont]

Franck would generally eat outside, where it was quieter, if only because of his ability making hard for him to deal with large crowds. But he figured he’d be fine and he had been, until he heard those girls talk. Franck always tried not to be mean to others and for this reason, he left before saying something he might regret. He didn’t mean to act like Erika’s knight or something. He knew she could handle things on her own and he was certain many other guys would like to take that spot, like Felix, for example. And rooting for Felix, knowing the feelings he had for their friends, he would let him take that spot anytime before stepping in. Still, he wished people would find some more interesting things to talk about than to make fun of Erika’s problems. It was not helping, not at all.

Franck genuinely believed this was Erika he talked to. He didn’t know her family too well. He was acquainted to her brother, knew there were other members too, but he never really met them, at least not properly. And let’s face it, Elsa was Erika’s twins, so even if he might have seen her in the halls, he probably mistook her for Erika.

There were signs however, now that he was next to her, that struck him as odd. First, the way she responded to him. Erika would not have talked like that, not about this. She might have been a little pissed, or shrug, accepting her fate. There was also something else. The feelings he was usually picking up from her were not the same. Sure, it was only natural that she would not feel happy or sad or confused all the time but there was always something, your neutral feelings for lack of a better word, that stayed unchanged.

He hesitated a moment, trying to see if he had not been wrong or anything. But the more he thought about, the more he saw the differences. “You’re not Erika,” he let out, pointing at her. He tone sounded somewhat questioning. Who was she, someone who could take anybody’s shape, or get in people’s head for a time?

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa started brushing through Franck's surface thoughts.... quite a few of them were in French, which wasn't that helpful to her, since her brain had to translate them. That was sort of like running text through an online translator, only with a little bit more intent. Thoughts could form intent after all. Still, she could pick up enough to see that his thoughts were moving in a pretty direct path, figuring things out.

"You don't know that," said Elsa, blinking. "I could be Erika and just have my brain scrambled, or maybe I'm having an off day?" she leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table and cradling her hand. "You never know, Francois," she used his full name, the accent only a little off. She held the position though, curious as to what it was about her that had immediately given Franck reason to suspect. She could usually hold an Erika impersonation longer than this, even without actively attempting to do precisely that. When she tried.... well, her ability did mean that she could handle telepaths.

What was Franck's power again?

Elsa could look, but maybe she'd get lucky and Franck would just let it slip...

[François Laffont]

The signs were subtle. In fact, just as soon as he noticed a few things, they seem to simply vanish away. And now, Franck wasn’t sure anymore. Again, he let his senses scan the so-called Erika. No, she definitely was not feeling the same. He tried to read the love, the confusion and the pain he generally get from her. Sure there were all those feelings and many more, as any human being, but he didn’t seem to get them as he would normally have with his friends.

And then she called him François. Sure, that was his name. There was nothing weird calling him that. But he was used to being referred to as Franck. The R, the way the last syllable was pronounced... he just never liked much when English people tried to say his name. He supposed it was a bit hypocritical, as he was destroying their language with his French accent the same way he hated them to butcher his. But the big difference was that apparently they understood what he was saying, when he often had trouble getting them. Especially the Americans trying to speak French. At least some British people learned it at school.

She argued she could be Erika. Now Franck was hesitant, frowning, questioning himself. But he shook his head, very slowly. He had to stick with his first impression. “You don’t feel like her,” he replied, his voice almost as slow as his head when he shook it. Was he still hesitant? Alright, he was. A little. But he was mostly confused as to why someone would pretend to be someone they aren’t. Did he catch some shapeshifter in the middle of a prank and they wished he did not blow their cover?

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa had messed up, somehow. She had to admit that she wasn't trying very hard to imitate her sister. When trying, she could pass for Erika to all but the most astute observer. Francois was obviously close to Erika, close enough to pick up on the little differences between the two twins. Elsa was also pretty sure that he could literally feel emotions, and those were intensely difficult to replicate, especially with enough accuracy to fool someone who knew better.

Hence "don't feel like her." Though at least Elsa had Francois confused, which she took some solace in. that meant that she could at least pass for Erika even to a close friend, or at least for a while. She couldn't quite help but smile a little as Francois tried to sort through this, perhaps enjoying his squirming a little too much.

"If I'm not Erika, then who would I be?" she asked, arching a brow. "And you never did answer my question about who was talking about me. I'm really interested in finding that out," mostly so she could approach them later and possibly deal with it, either that or work to clean up another of Erika's messes. Damage control, yay.

[François Laffont]

Franck tried to find a solution to this little problem. Who was she if not Erika? Her family? Did she have a twin sister? They didn’t talk a lot about family. Franck knew mostly of her brother, because she did suggest the guy could like him. He tried to find the answer. Come on, he had been here for a little while, he should know, right? As he thought of twin, that kind of came back to him. Yes, she had a twin. Two girls, very similar, two different names.

She asked who she was supposed to be. He was trying to dig in his memory for the name. Back when he heard it, he barely knew Erika as well, making him not consider her twin’s name as something that much important. Now, he somehow wished he did. “Her twin sister, right? I’m sorry, I can’t remember your name,” he admitted. He was right, right? Erika was the one with a twin sister? There were a few twins at school so it wasn’t always easy to remember. Unless they were constantly with each other, you might not necessarily notice , even more when you barely knew them.

He smiled at her when she asked once again what people were saying. “Well, technically, it’s wasn’t about you,” he pointed out before shoving those girls away with a move of his hand. “I don’t even know who they were. They’re not really worth the bother anyway,” he added.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

Elsa raised her brows as Francois guessed her identity... more or less. She didn't see any reason to argue overmuch, what with Francois more or less having guessed. Oh, Elsa could certainly try, might have even succeeded, or at least succeeded in ticking Francois off; as she had no desire or reason to do so at the moment, she elected not to. Besides, it wasn't as if gaining a French enemy sounded all that appealing, not to mention that it might get Erika all huffy.

"It's Elsa," she offered, smiling, "and don't feel bad if Erika hasn't mentioned me. We're close, but you know how it can be with identical twins," she waved that aside, even she knew all too well that the statement wasn't entirely likely: Francois didn't have an identical twin stashed away in a closet somewhere. However, when he dismissed the rumors and pointed out that they weren't about her, Elsa's smile turned upside down as quickly as though someone had pulled a string.

"They're about my sister," she said flatly, "and I care about her," and the family name, which Elsa tactfully left off, seeing as she doubted that Francois would put much stock in a claim toward keeping a name untarnished. "I'm just curious what people have the nerve to actually say, especially to one of my sister's friends," she paused for a moment, then turned to Francois, cocking one eyebrow, asking without words if Francois would admit to possessing that label, even with all the trouble attached.

[François Laffont]

Elsa. Well, Franck will have to try and remember the name. And make a mental note that Erika could be Elsa. He will have to pay closer attention next time. Franck opened his mouth to protest when she said it was fine if her sister never mentioned her. He gave her a sheepish smile. “Well I knew she had siblings, I just never thought one was an identical twin,” he told her. He didn’t want to make it sound like her sister was purposefully ignoring her siblings or hiding them to her friends. Franck had meant their brother after all. Now he would know the twin sister.

He was a tad surprised by her change of attitude when he dismissed the rumours he heard. Obviously, she cared about her sister. He didn’t know how close they were and even now probably didn’t. But he liked to see she cared for her. Franck might not have a big family but he cared for his parents. Yes, even his mother, despite how he probably was everything she hated in humanity. Despite all that, he loved and cared for her.

Franck shrugged when she shared her curiosity about what had been said. “They didn't say it to me in particular. I think they just didn’t care if someone could hear or not,” he argued. But that was not the point now, was it? “I suppose you know what she’s going through right now? They just shared their opinion as if they knew better. Added some more nonsense to it too. I wanted to warn her before she’d start hearing things,” he explained. He wasn’t sure if he showed just how much he disapproved those girls’ behavior in his voice. He did clench his jaw a bit more but if Elsa missed the twitch there, she probably couldn’t tell. “I don’t hear a lot about you, you leave the spotlight to Erika?” he asked. Or maybe she did things and people assumed it was Erika. How easy could it be for her to do that, right? Or maybe it was the other way around, who knows. It was not as if Franck had a lot of experience with twins.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"It's alright; we sometimes don't tell people so we can trick them," replied Elsa, keeping her tone level. It was true: they'd done that in the past. Elsa was slightly surprised that Erika hadn't mentioned her to Francois. Then again, knowing Erika, their conversations could have entirely been about her ever rotating love life and various hijinxs. Hence why Elsa was so very interested to discover what it was that Francois had heard.

So she listened intently while he did precisely that. Not in particular, but not caring if anyone could hear. There were times when Elsa wished that she had a slightly more vicious power, because then she sincerely doubted that anyone would be talking about Bellefontes loud enough to be overheard. That Francois wanted to warn Erika actually got a strange reaction from Elsa: she smiled and actually felt some relief. It was always good to know that Erika had friends like this.

"I've heard a lot of that,' agreed Elsa, sighing and rolling her eyes. "Mostly because of that damn blog. If it weren't so helpful I'd try to do something about it," she shifted, again smiling at Francois. "It's more that Erika is naturally drawn to the spotlight. I'm sure you know how it is: more outgoing, more egregious, prettier," Elsa shrugged. "It's alright though. Makes it easier for me to run around behind her and clean up any messes she leaves behind. Though it's good to know that she has friends like you to help with that too," she meant that too, and there was real warmth in her voice when she said it, almost like the statement melted some ice well within.

[François Laffont]

Franck was certain Erika did tell him at one point for her twin sister. But you couldn’t blame him for thinking he was talking to his friend at first. Now however, he chose to make a mental note to watch out next time he was to see either one of them, just so he would not call them by their sister’s name. “You get that often? Being called Erika?” he asked. He supposed so. Physically, they looked very much alike. They were identical, except perhaps in their clothing style and expressions on their face. But it was nothing they could work on should they ever try to trick someone, he supposed. Although this time it was he who messed up.

He could tell Elsa was pissed at the thought of people talking. Franck immediately assumed it was sisterly love. He didn’t have any sibling but he assumed he’d be acting like that himself and so jumped to that conclusion about Elsa. He nodded when she said she heard about it before. Yeah, students read the blog and decided to comment as if it didn’t matter. But Erika could overhear, and some of the things they said were hurtful. Made him put the whole idea of commenting an artist and making fun of them in perspective. They might never hear the mean things he had to say but it got to hurt, to have a ‘I hate’ fanclub.

“I’m not really liking what they wrote either. If they are tired of Erika getting all this attention, all they have to do is stop writing about it,” he said. He knew Erika chose to ignore and just pity the Dirty Laundry. He found it noble but he still disapproved of the blogger. He nodded as she explained Erika was just naturally drawn to the spotlight while Elsa preferred to stay in the background. He frowned however when she said she was cleaning her sister’s mess but he tried to chase it away from his facial expression. “I guess people love to talk to her. Don’t they say things about you too?” he asked. Was there any jealousy between them, because Erika was always the one mentioned while Elsa remained in the dark? He supposed it could lead to conflict. He softened his gaze a bit as she mentioned him. “I’m trying to be there for her. I know she’d be there for me,” he simply replied with a shrug. He didn't think there was any more to it than this.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"Let's just put it this way," said Elsa, adjusting again, meeting Franck's eyes and smiling tightly, "it doesn't usually happen the other way around." Again, the ice drifted into that tone. Elsa did get it often, too often, though she'd grown used to it. Hard not to, considering that her sister was admittedly popular and vivacious. Elsa loved Erika herself; she could hardly blame anyone else for doing so. Plus, it was probably better that she remained in the shadows. It left her more room to move.

Again, Elsa found herself nodding, pleased that Erika had at least one friend that hung around for more than just the potential popularity boost. People were often willing to associate with someone merely because that someone made them look good. Franck seemed to just associate with whomever he wanted. Then again, it did seem like many of their students were free thinkers. Maybe it had something to do with the way mutations worked. At any rate, Elsa certainly agreed with Franck's assertions, nodding herself. "They need someone to gossip about, and Erika does make herself an easy target," Elsa sighed, rubbing at her eyes. She could already feel a headache developing and she hadn't even started using her ability.

Joy.

"Again, not really," Elsa said, keeping her hand up. "She's the one out in the sun, after all. Works better for us both that way," another sigh, and Elsa lowered her hand this time, looking up at Franck. "she probably would," she agreed, nodding. "Erika is usually there for the people that care about her. That's part of the problem." She sighed, pushing herself up to a standing position. "You shouldn't worry so much about her. Though I suppose it certainly won't hurt Erika to have at least a few people concerned about her wellbeing and reputation. God knows she doesn't do it herself." Elsa sighed, again bringing her hand up. Yes, she was definitely getting a headache.

[François Laffont]

He chuckled a little. Yeah, he rarely heard Erika being called Elsa, or her sister’s name that often around the corridor. “So you’re the quiet one?” That might not be exact. She could be loud or have several friends, she just didn’t get the attention on herself. There might be some resentment from her part but Franck could tell there was mostly love for her sister and so assume that jealousy was natural. Everyone could be envious of something had. Didn’t make them bad people for it. “I suppose it gives you more liberty,” he added. After all, while everyone was watching her sister, she could do whatever she wanted. Well, he just hoped Elsa was independent enough not to be hurt by this attitude. Otherwise there must be some tension between the twin sisters.

Franck felt lucky the Dirty Laundry had not written about him already. Well, there was something, but so small and ridiculous when you knew he was gay that it didn’t count. Anyway, what could she write about him? The worst he could see would be to refer to him as someone going after popular kids to have a taste of it. Popular by association. Which was ridiculous as well and no doubt Erika knew it was not the reason why he was around. Well, he assumed she would not believe it. Franck was so used of feeling people’s emotions all the time that he sometimes forgot they could not read his.

He nodded to what she said. If people were not talking of Erika, they would be talking of someone else. It was in the human nature to do so. “Yeah. And I guess it’s hard to know how much words can hurt if you don’t get a taste of that medicine too,” he added with a sigh. It made him think of his mother and he didn’t want to. He tried to chase her away from his thoughts. He tried not to frown but there was a light twitch on his face. Could it really be a problem, to be there for others? If so, Franck would have a lot of problems. He frowned for good when she brought her hands to her eyes. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked. Franck couldn’t help but wonder if it was not her power acting up. It was a logical assessment, considering where they were. Made him wonder if she had the same power her sister had.

[Elsa Bellefonte]

"More unobtrusive than quiet," replied Elsa, slightly amused, amused enough to smile slightly. "I'm the Bellefonte who follows the rules.... at least, I'm the best at it," considering Erika and Alexis, that wasn't saying much. But Elsa even edged out Abel, when Abel could actually be seen doing anything worth taking real note of. She nodded at Franck's estimation. "That's part of the point," she agreed. Another sigh left her.

She kept skimming Franck's thoughts, though it was more to keep her mind busy than anything else. Lucky that Dirty Laundry hadn't said anything about him yet. "Give it time," said Elsa, not caring that she was speaking to thoughts instead of words. "Dirty Laundry will make something up if it has to, and if you keep drifting near its personal favorites, you're going to catch some of their flak. It might not be such a bad thing though..."

And that did  give Elsa an idea, one that had her looking to Franck, studying him closely. She could potentially throw someone to the wolves, take some heat off Erika by giving DL some sacrificial lamb to throw upon the altar of gossip. Franck though... Elsa didn't want to do it to him. Not because it would be "wrong" or something, but because that would deduct from his usability. He was a friend of Erika's, or at least friendly enough with her to know what was going on and fight for her. Enough that he'd empathize with the situation.

"What? I'm fine," said Elsa, only lying a little. "I just---I have to look out for her," she said, putting a little more emotion than she actually felt into her voice. Could he tell if someone was faking emotion? She wasn't sure, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out. "Someone has to."

[François Laffont]

Franck wished he could nod at what she said but he frowned. “I’m sorry, unob...” he began to say. He tried to translate the word in French, maybe that would help. English was not his first language, it was not always easy for him. The closest he got was intrusive, and un meant not so... “I’m sorry. As you probably guessed, English is not my first language,” he said with a sheepish smile. She said later she was the one following the rules the most. “Even over your brother?” he asked as he knew Abel could sometimes be called a goody-two-shoes. Not that Franck would call him that as their personalities were very much alike. With what she said and how he tried to find a French version for the word, he thought he got a good idea what she meant. The way she acted around him helped too.

He startled when she mentioned the Dirty Laundry, especially when she started talking of her as if reading his thoughts. Wait, reading his thoughts? Normally, he would find that ridiculous but in here... “Are you... Did you just read my mind or something?” he asked her. He wasn’t about to lose his temper on her or anything. They had an expression in French that depicted it very well. He believed they had one too. Something like it’s the pot calling the kettle black. Yeah, he couldn’t really yell at her, as he was able to pick up her feelings. Maybe she could not prevent herself from hearing his thoughts after all. So he tried to get over it and shrugged at her comment. “What can it say, really? That I cling onto Erika for her fame? I’m not even in any club or anything, if I wanted fame, I should start there,” he replied.

He hesitated however when she said it might not be a bad thing if they started to talk about him. Had it been Erika, he’d say she was joking or wanted to throw a funny rumour, one that might end up with him getting laid or something, as she seemed to have an interest in his love life. But this was Elsa Bellefonte and Franck didn’t know her. “What do you mean?” he asked, unaware that he pulled away from her a bit as he said that. It was almost as if he was getting ready to run away before she’d start doing anything. Not that he would, really, but the body had a language of its own.

He was ready to nod again when she said she just wanted to look out for her sister, but since it was not why he asked if she was fine, he failed to understand why she brought it up. Unless she was doing so right now. But how? By reading thoughts? His? She was one very puzzling girl. “I meant physically. You didn’t look so well,” he said, deciding to let it slip for now as he was not certain she’d talk to him. He could feel she was still very defensive with him and he grew to know it was best not to force people in that situation.