are you thinking what i'm thinking? || annabel

Annabel wasn't stupid. She didn't have problems with learning or passing her classes. It was more like she didn't enjoy sitting in a classroom for an hour listening to the teacher prattle on about shit she didn't care about. Hell, what teenager did? Josh can help me on homework, she thought as she zoned out, thinking about all the things she could be doing that did not involve sitting in a desk being bored out her mind. Ugh, I bet I won't be able to get on the internet during lunch. How is it still morning? She wanted the day to be over already so that she could go home and hang out on the computer or even go out with friends or something. Wonder what Em's doing for lunch... Her friend Em could actually drive and sometimes they would go into Maple Hollow during the lunch breaks and get coffee at Timmies or sandwiches at Subway. Do I want Subway? She could always go for an iced capp at Timmies even in the middle of winter but it seemed pointless to waste her friend's gas money when she wasn't planning on getting anything else. She insisted on paying for gas and meals sometimes just because her family had the money to spare but her friend was stubborn. I mean I guess if they're having anything good in the mess hall...

Her plans changed when the bell rang and she caught the gaze of her friend Fox as he hung back after class. She made a point of 'struggling' with the strap on her bag so that the teacher didn't get too suspicious, then made another fuss out of adjusting her shirt and tugging it down when she stood up. It ended in success as she left the classroom with Fox and returned his look with a knowing smirk. Hell yeah. She had no idea what her best buddy and partner in crime had in store for today but it didn't matter either way. They tended to just go with the flow. Sometimes there were plans but most of the time they went whatever way the wind blew. She liked the spontaneity, it made things fun. Sometimes it was inconvenient when they had to scrounge together materials from scratch but they always managed somehow... even if it did end in detention at times. "Sup, Fox?" Her tone was casual and she flashed a smile and a wave at a friend they passed on their way out of class and into the hall. Belle had a lot of friends, being so sociable, but Fox was definitely one of the people she considered really close.

When she was sure no one could hear them (or at least no one important like their enemies or teachers), she asked, "Got anything in mind? Anyone? I'm not hungry." It was her way of saying that she was fine with skipping lunch. He knew her well in assuming that she'd be up for a good prank. She could already feel the pre-prank excitement building and there was a smile fixed on her lips as she looked around at the students milling about and wondered which one would fall to their attack.

Annabel tried her best to look calm and inconspicuous as she leaned against the wall and listened to Fox as he brought her up to speed on his plans for a potential prank. This beats lunch any day. When she'd first come to the Academy she'd been a little shy when it came to pulling pranks. She came from a private school that didn't tolerate anything of the sort but now she was as much a part of the Academy as any other tenth grader. She knew where to go to slip any pursuers and she was good at acting innocent. "Frogs, huh? Bet they're for dissections." She made a face. "Biology is weird." She didn't see the appeal of cutting things open and examining their insides. She got that a lot of people thought that it was cool and interesting but it didn't appeal to her. Not because of the gore—she could handle that, no problem—but because it was boring. Most school was.

Her eyes were bright with curiosity and excitement as Fox pulled a tub out of his bag. It didn't take her more than a second to catch on. Hell, she'd figured from the moment that he mentioned the frogs in the Biology department that they were going to be kidnapping the poor specimens and depositing them somewhere. "Your source tell you whether they're alive or not?" She hoped so. It would be a lot less fun if the subjects of their prank didn't squeal and run around as frogs hopped around wherever they were planted. Would they be slipping them into someone's bag? A classroom? A dormitory? The library? There were so many possibilities. If the prank was more collaborative she might have made a couple suggestions but this was Fox's brain baby and so she allowed him to take charge.

Thunder elementals were her least favourite group in the entire school. Though like most Waters she obeyed the alliances and stayed away from the Fires, pranking them cruelly on occasion, she much preferred to get revenge on the Thunders. Her family were Fires, one of her friends was a Fire. She had no ties to Thunder. "I say let's do this!" She grinned wide and started off toward where she knew the Biology lab was located. "We should get there fast, 'cause my brother told me he used to study in the labs after lunch in high school. Can't take a risk we'll run into any nerds." She said it lightly, obviously not meaning it in a derogatory way. She was wary that someone might get in there before they did, though, and so she walked slowly enough so as not to draw attention to herself but quick enough to make good time.

They reached the biology lab and she held up her hand for a moment, striding in with purpose. She was planning to ask for confirmation about a Biology assignment if a teacher was in there to get them out of trouble. She might not have liked Bio as much as her brother did but she'd taken it because she knew she could always ask him if she got stuck. Walking in to find it empty, she skipped back out and stood by the door. "All clear. I'll play lookout—I'll knock on the door if someone's coming." That way it would look like she was trying to get a teacher and Fox could hide or something.

Annabel made a face. "Only thing I care about is computers." When it came to figuring out how they functioned, at any rate. She practically lived on her computer when she was at home and sometimes even when she wasn't. She had always enjoyed technology. Biology? Not so much. Too much blood and guts for her liking. She didn't clam up easily and she could handle gore in movies but there was a difference between watching someone stick their hand in a guy's guts and actually doing it. "True. Dead things, too. Bonus points." She had always been that kid that didn't give two shits if the squirrel that had become one with the road had rabies or not. If it was a subject of interest then you could be sure she'd go right up to it and give it a little nudge with the branch of a tree. "Probably. My sister's like that. I bet she keeps all the house spiders as pets or something." Nell was a little odd sometimes but it was the loveable sort of odd, the kind that warranted a small smile and maybe a laugh or two.

She raised her brows as he seemed to tune her out, a little put off by it. Excuse you. However, she was more interested in getting this prank pulled off than being snippy with him for not paying her any attention and so Annabel shrugged it off like it hadn't bothered her in the least. Besides, it wasn't like it was that important. He'd surely figure out what she meant if they actually ran into any of the nerds in question.

Left on her own for a moment as her partner in crime went to go gather capture the materials for their latest grand scheme, Annabel pulled out her phone and pretended to be messing with it as students and teachers alike slowly filtered past her through the hall. To a passer-by she probably looked like she was texting or playing a game but in reality she simply scrolled aimlessly through her contacts list while watching everyone out the corner of her eye. Restless, she kicked her foot lightly against the stone wall she was propped against until after what seemed like ages (but was probably only a minute or two) Fox returned from the room and nudged her with his elbow. She ignored him, staying with her phone and allowing him to walk a good bit ahead before starting after him. That way they didn't look like they were together and it would attract a lot less attention.

She caught up with him in a deserted hallway and exchanged a smirk, expression filled with excitement and muscles tense with adrenaline. She loved the rush she always got from breaking the rules. She used to always wonder why kids got such thrills from disobeying their parents but it was not until high school that she understood the euphoria of even silly rebellion such as this. It was the thrill of doing something wrong, something out of bounds. "Oh, but I thought you ordered the frog soup!" Her sly comment was more than enough to confirm to Fox that she was completely on board. "Should I distract one of them so that you can work your magic?" She wiggled her fingers at the word magic, chuckling. She was good at distractions.

Annabel giggled with mirth at the idea of scaring a Thunder so badly that they shocked the subject of their fear. "Poor frogs won't know what hit 'em." There was a good chance that they might end up killing off their props for this prank but Belle wasn't too concerned. They were just frogs and besides, the biology kids would probably have got around to them eventually.

She paused when he slowed down, eyeing him with an expectant blue gaze. The Water dipped her head in a brief nod to show that she understood and was willing to cooperate with this plan. "Be careful." Her words of warning were accompanied by a friendly smirk that suggested she trusted Fox to get in there and pick their target without getting caught. It wasn't like they'd never done this before, after all. They were Waters, born for a life of petty but entertaining crime. "We'll split up once we get inside. Less suspicious that way." If anyone from their year recognised them as Waters and saw them milling about the mess hall together they were bound to catch on to the fact that something was about to go wrong. Waters had never made a secret of their prankster ways, after all.

There was a wide variety of food in the mess hall and most of it wasn't as bad as people initially thought. It was a year-round boarding school and so they had to keep the students well-fed and happy lest the parents complain. Annabel didn't eat breakfast or dinner in the hall thanks to the fact that she lived in a mansion with her brother and sister-in-law and could eat much better there but she often stayed for lunch. She wasn't a big fan of meat loaf, however, and so when she saw that it was one of the courses she wrinkled her nose. Pizza days were her favourite. She'd hazard a guess that they were everyone's favourite.

Catching the signal, she moved fluidly away from the table she'd been leaning against and strode toward the Thunders at a leisurely pace. Having grabbed a bottle of water from the table of refreshments, Belle uncapped it as she got close and manipulated a small spray of it to cascade over their targets. It wasn't much but it was enough to catch their attention, especially the Fires, who rose immediately with fierce glares. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said with false innocence, swaying on the spot with a sweet smile. "I tripped." The Thunders were standing too now, frustrated and ready to back one another up. "How's about I trip and wring your neck?" That was a Fire she recognised from her class. She's so pleasant. Annabel pressed her lips together to hold in a laugh. "Don't look so cocky, bitch. We've got the edge over you." That was one of their Thunder targets, sparks dancing across her hand as she spoke. Annabel blinked at them. "You'll get in trouble if you start a fight in the mess hall," she insisted, rolling her eyes. She scuffed her foot across the ground, her signal for Fox to do his thing while their attention was focused on her. "It was only a bit of water..."

Though she could see Fox creeping up behind the girls and over to their table from the corner of her eye, Annabel refused to look directly at him. If she broke eye contact with those she was meant to be distracting and made it clear that something else had caught her attention, they might look round and the whole ruse would be broken. A good prankster knew these things and also knew how to avoid such triggers. It was an effort to hold in a giggle as she saw him sneaking away back toward his own table but she managed for the sake of the prank.

"Ugh, you guys are such drama queens," she said, tossing her hair as she shook her head. She was playing it up on purpose. "I came here to eat lunch, not pick fights. I'm out." With that, she started to walk away. A couple of the girls (she assumed the Fires) called after her, trying to antagonize her back into the fight. Before anything else could happen, however, there was a loud shriek from the Thunder elemental who'd rolled her eyes and followed Annabel's example in going back to her food.

Belle turned around in time to see the other girl backing several steps away from her salad in disgust. "Frogs! Gro-oss!" One of the two Fires seemed equally grossed out while the third looked more irritated than panicked. She swung around on her heel and approached the Water girl, grabbing her by the collar before Annabel could find a path of escape between the tables that blocked her way. Shit. "You better not have had anything to do with this!" She called Annabel a name that her mother would have been ashamed of and Belle had to think fast in order to get herself out of the sticky situation. The Thunder girl was still freaking out over the frog ("It's moving! That thing is alive!) but the other Fire was coming up fast to help her friend.

"I was standing here the entire time, arguing with you idiots!" She probably shouldn't have called them idiots when they had the clear advantage over here, but what was done was done. "I can't help that you weren't paying enough attention to the rest of the damn mess hall!" Her opponent scowled at her and then let go, shoving her back a little before heading back to her table with a mutter of, "I can't eat this now. Ugh." Annabel wasted no time in getting away from them and out of the mess hall, grabbing a snack on the way out and waiting for Fox. She wasn't going to risk meeting up with him inside. Annoying as those girls were, they weren't completely thick. They'd realise what was up.