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More time then she had wanted had passed since Belladonna had last been in her dorm room. A fine layer of dust had collected over the majority of her things, along with little trails of tiny feet that indicated the pets that remained in her closet had been just fine without her. And dust was not the only thing she had seemed to collect. A few stacks of old homework had been stacked outside her room along with notices from the school, each more threatening then the last. These notices were all instantly thrown into the garbage, along with the homework, because Belladonna believed in starting new.
Even if that meant starting new for the second time.

The first time had gone rather alright for the first few days, but it had quickly spiraled back into the same familiar pattern of regret and lack of action. But, this was her second try and those always fared better then the first. So, with a great sigh of mixed feelings, the witch swept her hat off her head and placed it carefully on the foam head atop her desk. Two hairbands put her hair into pigtails and a quick change into a pair of frilly bloomers and a lacey tank brought some much needed comfort for the witch.
"Going to clean?" Binx asked as he curled around her ankles and his too long tail brushed against the back of her knees. The witch let out a nervous cackle as the feeling and nodded down at him.
"Yup. Going to put on some music and get this place back to new." But just as she was about to turn on her eye-pod, her eye-phone let out a deep caw.

The witch whirled around and stared at the pink phone that lay in the middle of her perfectly made bed. Who was texting her? No one wanted to talk to her... But it was probably just her parents or one of her sisters, asking if she was re-admitted to the school. Belladonna rolled her eyes and snatched the thing off the bed and looked at the screen.
And almost dropped it.
She let out a tiny squeak and slapped a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide as she stared at the message.
"Your Mother again?" Binx drawled from his new place on the window ledge. With deft kitty paws he unlatched the lock and pushed the window open to let in some much needed air. "That witch is the worst kind, the one that begins with a 'b'."

The reply he got was not the one he expected. Instead of Belladonna laughing or at least agreeing with him in violent and exuberant terms, she only squeaked again. When he turned to look at her, he could not decide what emotion she was currently experiencing. It looked like a mixture between intense sadness and great relief. There even seemed to be tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. As he opened his mouth to ask, she slumped to the floor and furiously began texting. Even months of cut off communication seemed unable to curb her quick fingers.
"Its from Mort." She said between clicks of her fingernails on the screen. "I bet he's away on the trip with the others..."
The witch and her cat had been wondering where most of the school had gotten, but a nice visit with Jackb had answered all their questions. The school was visiting the Four Clans.
Belladonna was a little sad she had not gotten back in time to join them. The Four Clans all had impeccable fashion sense.



After another moment of pause, the witch reopened his last message and sent another one.



Belladonna held the phone pressed close against the bottom of her nose and hoped that Mort understood how much this meant to her. He probably didn't, but any sort of contact was enough to make her spirits lift.
Things were getting better...

With renewed vigor, the witch bounced to her feet and snatched up the cloth she intended to use for dusting and had just made one swipe of her desk before her phone went off again. A dilemma was presented to the witch. Should she finish dusting or--



She hoped her questions prompted him to give her more details. Belladonna never would have guessed Mort would be one to restrict his texts, but she wasn't judging. It was just interesting is all... So, as quickly as she could in case Mort replied soon, the witch jumped off her bed and dusted her desk.
Which ended up being a good idea, because while the witch was waiting for her phone to chirp with a text message, she was not expecting it to ring. But ring it did.
And even though she had told Mort to call, she hadn't expected him to actually take her up on the offer. Not that she was unhappy... Actually, she was a little more then pleased. She was almost... Giddy!
"Aren't you going to answer that?" Binx asked in a bored manner as he flicked his tail and settled down on the window sill for a nap.
Belladonna took a deep breath and hit the 'answer' button.

"Mort? Hello?" She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at the screen to ascertain he was still on the line. She could hear him, but it was fuzzy. "Yeah, no, yeah! Talking is fine, I just wasn't expecting it. But its fine! Really!" A pause as she bit her lip. Was she nervous? "What? Lonely? Yeah... A little. Well, a lot actually. No one is here! Its just me and Binx."
The witch turned to the cat and did a little hop-skip of joy. He merely twitched his tail and didn't open his eyes.
"So what have you been up to? What are you all doing on the Clan's Islands?"
There was so much she wanted to say. She wanted to say 'Thank you', for calling and texting and caring, but she also wanted to say 'I miss you'. But he might not miss her, so she didn't want to say that... Not yet at least...



It had never occurred to Belladonna that she had ever failed to mention her familiar to the boil, so it was good that she continued on in such a blissfully unaware manner. And it was quite nice of Mort not to call her out on such a thing when their time was so short.
But, nevertheless, the witch listened intently, nodding her head encouragingly even though Mort couldn't see it. She even managed not to say anything until he had finished and was waiting for her response. It was bit much to take in, for Belladonna had never seen any of the Clans Members. She had heard of them from her family and through the various caveats of knowledge, but seeing them was another thing entirely.
The Famine Clan didn't sound entirely like something Belladonna would be fond of. Desert and survival? While she liked survival, she wasn't a fan of the desert. Too hot. One couldn't layer properly in the desert...

"Forehead kissed?" The witch echoed, "New brain?" She paused for one long moment then jumped up and down. "You're NOT stuttering! Oh Mortimus, that's wonderful!" She wasn't sure how she felt about that whole forehead kiss thing... At the end of their last meeting, she had bestowed upon him a kiss. But it sure wasn't anything as wonderful as getting a new brain... "I'm glad a Clansman's kiss can do that. And your talking is just fine. Besides, I'll help if you like! Practice makes perfect as they say." She paused and twirled a red curl of hair around her finger. "So you're at War now? Do you know what's planned for next? Grab me a feather if you can! I know they have such beautiful feathers..."
Belladonna didn't want to impose, really... But... A gift would be nice. She couldn't go on the trip, but at least Mort was including her in some small way... "But if its too much of an imposition, please don't worry! Just come back safe..."

She paused once more and pursed her lips.
"Please, do try to be careful... I know you will but... Well, I guess I'm just worried..." Her voice had dropped to a softer note that she hoped didn't betray altogether too much.



The witch couldn't help but purse her lips a little as Mort told her he'd be ok. He was acting so nonchalant, when they both knew that something terrible would most likely happen. These trips always ended in such and although it seemed that the Clans so far were being friendly (and helpful, even!) Belladonna knew better then that. The Clans and Halloweeners had very different ideas of things and the witch was sure these varying ideas would come to an unfortunate and very messy head...
"Well, you're speaking so well already! I'm so proud." She even did a little jump for him. But before she could say anything else, the speakers on her phone rustled in a strange manner and the witch jumped to make sure the call hadn't been lost.

"Was that wind?" She asked as she pressed on finger to her other ear so she could hear him better. "Tree tops?! Mort, are you in a tree?!" That sounded so much fun! Belladonna loved tree tops and being up high! Its why she loved being a witch, she could just hop on her broom and sail away whenever her heart pleased. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that Mort probably wasn't a fan of such. She'd have to take him flying at some point... "Tie rope and lasso people?" She bit her lip. Was flirting ok? "You'll have to show me when you get home..." To keep from letting out the most inane giggle, Belladonna slapped her hand against her mouth and instead only chuckled softly. "But a flying mount? Well, if you do, don't look down, ok? And always keep a tight grip and always make sure your feet are in the proper position!"
For riding a broom, it was tucked behind you, but for a flying mount it was probably in a pair of stirrups or something...
"I ride a broom, so when you get back we'll go for a ride. Its fun!"

"But YES! Yes send me a picture! I'll send you one too!!" Now she giggled, but it was a little happier then just some ditzy laugh. "If you can send pictures of the islands too, that'd be nice... I'd love to see what everyone wears..." Now she was mumbling and that was silly. "And you can text me whenever too... Since I'm here at Amityville, there isn't much to do... I know you're busy, but its fine if you can't text much... But I'd like it!"
Oh Hecate, she sounded so laaaaaame...



Wings, he said? How interesting... Belladonna hadn't known that. She so wished she could have gone on the trip to see all these lovely people and their homes... They probably could have even taught her a thing or too! She could certainly use such a jarring event as meeting the Four Clans.
"Well, even if you don't want to fly right away that's ok. We can always fly together some other time!"
From his window sill, Binx made a soft mewling noise. For a moment the witch stopped and looked at him, expectant.
Was he alright with all her flirting? Was he advising against this? Did he think Belladonna was being stupid?
Err, no. He was just sleeping and having a dream. Whoops...

"Yes! Pictures would be lovely. I can track your journey from back here, or... Something." Now a terribly nervous laugh broke out of the witch and she winced at the sound of it. "And I'll take pictures of stuff here, but uh... It might not be that interesting. But I'll find something fun to do and I'll send you a picture of that, ok?!" She told him with a bit of a bounce.

Now she paused and balled her fist up and shook it. Should she ask? It seemed like he had some time...
"So! Um! What have you been up to since I've been gone?"
The last they had met was... After he had come back from the first Island and had died. They had bonded (or, at least, she thought so), but then the witch had been shipped back home.
"Did... Did you go to the Scarentine's Dance? I did, but I, um... I didn't see you... Not that I was looking! Well, I was a little... But not in.. Um..." Shut your big fat mouth! Shut it right now! "What have you been up to?!"
Best to just stick with the easily answered questions...



"What all are you planning?" The witch asked jovially enough as she skipped over to her bed and plopped down. The conversation seemed to be going well enough, so she might as well get comfy.
As for taking classes, yeah... She'd have to get right on that... If she didn't, her parents would take her out of Amityville for good and wouldn't let her come back. Not only would that totally demolish what little she had left of a social life, it'd also kill all her chances for a good future. No career, no happily ever after. Nope. And that would be just awful!
"Yeeahhh. Well, when you get back you can help me pick out a class or something... If I don't, I'll probably be kicked out of Amityville..."

But that was an unfortunate topic of conversation, so the witch snuggled against her pillows and went with the topic change.
"You were late too? Huh! I must have been the last one there then. I was craaaaazay late." She paused, blinked once and let out a very loud and shrieking "WHAAAAT?!". The noise woke up Binx who did his own kitty screech and glared at the witch. "You got into a battle with a HUNTER?!"
Oh my Hecate, that was bad! They were invading the school now?! Did she need to be extra careful since she was here alone? Because she fought ok, but she hadn't had a lot of experience for it and ooohhhhh jeeeez.
"Are you ok? Did you win? Did they hurt you?! What happened?!"

As for whether she had fun or not, well... She had fun when she got to chat with Westy, but besides that it... Not very exciting. She had tried to meet new people, but it hadn't gone the greatest... And after that little debacle, she had hung around by the food table then snuck out and back to her room. Which eventually led back home... Again. Whatever.
"Yeah, it was fine." She eventually murmured in what she hoped was a cheery enough note.



Dear Jack, that sounded terrible... And a mysterious corridor somewhere in Amityville?
Oh... Oh dear, that wasn't good.
It wasn't that Belladonna necessarily wanted to seek out trouble, no that wasn't the case at all... It was mostly that, well, she was horribly curious by nature. And she just wanted to know what these hunters had going on that made them so fearsome. Not that she was thinking of wandering the halls to find this mysterious corridor. No, that rarely worked anyways.
But then...
"Well..." She replied in an equally hushed tone. "I'll try." He sounded so concerned and she didn't want to worry him... Not really. Fine. She wouldn't look for the corridor, at least.

The witch sighed slightly and angled her face from the speaker so Mort couldn't hear her. How had she been since the dance? Ugh, maybe that was not a good question.
"Um, maybe I should explain that when you tell me about your hunter fight when you get back..." She bit her lip and nervously swiped Binx from the ledge and onto her lap.
"Sooooooooooooo... Are you going to be graduating to Year 2 soon?" Was that an ok question? Belladonna will still so behind, they'd probably be Year 2's for a while... Which wouldn't be so bad, since its nice to have friends...



There was an unnaturally long pause from Belladonna's end of the phone that might prompt Mort to wonder if the call had been dropped, but finally it was broken by a soft "Oh." from the witch.
Well, that was only the most embarrassing thing she's probably ever asked anyone ever. The witch took a moment to drop her face into her palm and mumble an embarrassed "Open mouth and insert pointy-toed shoe".

"Well, um! Sorry about that. it really has been.. Quite a long time. But hey! Congratulations! I hope your test went well! Did you get the testing professor's pin?" Belladonna remembered obtaining Savage's pin during her test, so maybe Mort got lucky and got one too. After another moment of thought the witch perked up. "Hey! You must have gotten taller or grown your hair out, right?" Certainly the witch had changed inbetween her first and second year of school. She vaguely wondered if Mort had noticed her changes, but she wasn't sure... "You should send me a picture!!"



"Oh my Hecate, a pit?! That sounds terrible! I guess you're alright since we're talking now... I'm glad you passed though! And wait... If you pass the test the horsemen give you... You'll be a... Third year?!"
Wait... Wait, had she been gone that long? Maybe she was just confused... But that would be just so... So strange if they all graduated lightyears before she did...

"So you've been experimenting? How long is your hair now?" Belladonna gave Binx a kiss on his forehead, but he squirmed against her until he escaped her grasp. "As for height... Maybe a few inches? I dunno... I'm short and I'm pretty sure I won't be getting any taller, so no matter what you'll be looking down at me." A nervous giggle escaped and she shrugged her shoulders. "Ehh, I think I'm the same since you last met me..." Maybe a little more messed up? Nah, don't bring the conversation down like that... "I think my hair is longer?" She pulled at a pigtail, but shrugged again.
For a moment she looked down at her most prized feature which had probably increased at least a little, but decided telling Mort that would be a bad idea... "Learn any cool new FEAR tricks?"



Well, that made a bit more sense... Belladonna, as much as she adored her friends and wanted to refriend them, did NOT want to be left behind academically. But... Funnily enough, she hadn't realized it was a possibility until Mort mentioned taking the Year 3 exam. How dreadful it would be if all her friends graduated ahead of her and she was permanently stuck as a second year?! The shock! The horror! The shaaame!
"Teachers pin are nice. But they're hard to earn... When I took mine, only one other girl got the teacher's pin too and there were maybe 6 or 7 of us taking the exam. But we did it!" Belladonna's pink eyes looked up to the small cork board above her desk that held various momentos, but also in the top right corner her own school pin as well as Professor Savage's.

With a small giggle, the witch settled in and listened to the most she'd heard Mort ever say. It was good to know that she was learning about him and what would get him talking. While she liked his quietness (naturally noisy people always prefer to spend time with someone who is softer), she did take a strange sort of relish in his frenzied speech. It was a little hard to follow sometimes, almost like someone whose first language wasn't English, but she followed well enough and gave little noises of encouragement at the proper places.
"Robohand? That sounds so interesting! You'll have to show it to me when its finished..." She finally pronounced, a little lost on what else to say.

"And its ok about the phone. I know I've been keeping you and you probably have much more important things to do, so I won't keep you much longer." A pause. "Unless you want to keep talking. I'm not saying I want to stop talking. I like talking to you. Its fun. I was just... What I was trying... What I mean to say is..." She huffed into the phone. "Yes. I'll take a picture of myself and send it to you when we're done chatting!"
There! That was it! WHEW. What was it about this boil that got her all tongue-tied?



"Yes, of course. With the wings too." As someone who could fly with the help of a broom, Belladonna couldn't help but romanticize the idea of flight with lovely, leathery bat wings as well. She almost asked him what sort he was making (feather or skin) when he mentioned a nap and the witch jumped from her bed.
"I was keeping you from sleep!? Oh my Hecate! Why did you let me do that?!" She squawked at him as her free hand flailed about. "You need your sleep, especially on a trip like this!"

"But yes! Please do check in every once in a while to let me know you're ok! I'd do the same, but I don't want to bother you since I don't know when you'll be busy or not..." She pursed her lips and took a breath. "Have a good nap and a good day tomorrow and horrible luck on your next class with War!" A pause. "And I'll send you a picture in a second!! You do the same!" Another pause. "OK. Night Mort! Bad dreams!!"



For one long moment the witch stared triumphantly at her phone. Job well done! She had communicated with another person and they were friends and it was great! She couldn't help but smile proudly as she looked at her phone happily.
"What a fantastically awful job at flirting you did." Binx broke the reverie with his deadpan voice before he flicked his tail once and hopped back to the window ledge.
"Flirting?!?!" Belladonna shouted at him. "I was not flirting!!"
The cat leveled his gaze with her's before he sat up straight, puffed out his chest and in a strangely accurate imitation of Belladonna's voice and cadence, said "Did you go to the Scarentine's Dance? I didn't see you! Not that I was looking~ Oh, I do ever so much like talking to you!"

"............................I never said 'ever so much'. I don't say that." Was all the witch could reply before she grabbed the cat from the window ledge. "Now shut your mouth and take my picture. I swear. I don't ever recall asking for a cat with quite so big an attitude."
Binx said nothing but smiled as Belladonna's face was bright red.
"Here." She instructed him as she pushed her phone into his paws. "Press the button to take the picture..."
"Besides the fact that I am not in possession of thumbs in which to hold this contraption, you've got to stop blushing first before we take any pictures."
This little remark dictated that Belladonna fuss over both cat and her complexion, change her shirt and then set up a bunch of pillows so all that was necessary was for Binx to press the button and for the camera to snap. These all coincided happily and Binx bounced over to his owner's shoulder to look at the picture.

"Don't you think you've got a bit too much cleavage going on to send to him?" Binx flicked his tail. "Wouldn't want to give him the wrong impression of you."
"Oh pish. Tosh! Its perfect." Belladonna cooed as she placed the picture into a text, wrote a short message and then sent it off.





A few minutes later, Belladonna got her reply.
"Binx! Binx look! He grew his hair out!" She told him in an excited tone that relayed much more excitement then was usually necessary for hair length.
"Ahh. So this is the boil." Her little black cat said as he pressed one paw against her phone screen. "He looks alright enough... I daresay, certainly your type. Shy yet sweet and very much blue."
The witch gasped and snatched her phone away, her face bright red yet still managing to look utterly betrayed at the same time.
"We agreed not to talk about that." She said in a softer voice then Binx expected. He also did not expect her to look wistfully at her phone once more, heave a sad sigh and click away from the picture. It was even more of a surprise when she quietly set the phone down on her bed and went about cleaning the rest of her room in a very silent manner.
Later that night Binx would cuddle up to her and tell her he was sorry when it was time for bed. He would say he didn't mean to insult her and in fact, meant it more in a way of approval. Belladonna would reply that she knew and that it was ok and that she wasn't even sure if she liked this boil in that manner or not.

But for right now, she would going to hide her happy smile from her familiar because it was all too much fun.

((Sorry if you get tagged again. XD))