(Untitled)

[inmiracles]

Seeing and believing, as the saying goes, are not one and the same. In Anabelle’s case, this isn’t so much an issue of doubt as it is one of imagination; now more than ever, she believes in the power of miracles, convinced that the island of Tabula Rasa is one such wonder, yet she remains astonished with all that the island holds, caught in a

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[teenagerenegade]

If he's completely honest, Charlie does love the trampoline. He's got a basket of laundry on his hip, but he drops it into the grass and wanders closer. He's seen that face on people before but, somehow, he thinks he's never met her. She looks new.

"It does look pretty fun," he says.

[inmiracles]

It may have been excessive on her part - or perhaps on theirs, she and Elvis combined, two parts of a whole as they have been ever since coming here (maybe even long before) - but Anabelle has scarcely left the hut in two weeks. She has had no desire to leave Elvis's side, too shaken by everything that happened to her, to him, to them. Nothing is forever; it's a lesson she never really had to learn but knew all along, that life is transient in nature, but this hasn't kept her from latching tightly onto what (or who) matters most. However, she knows that they can't spend every waking moment together and after some time even begins to feel restless

[teenagerenegade]

"I'm trying to be domestic and responsible today," says Charlie, flashing another grin before he hauls himself up over the edge of the trampoline. "But clearly that's a lost cause." He bounces up and down experimentally.

"Hey," he says. "I'm Charlie."

[inmiracles]

Not one for responsibility - at least not yet, anyway - Anabelle shrugs off the mention, but she does have some respect for the domestic life, the one she found and lost and found again. She would be there now, inside the hut that is quickly becoming home, were it not where she has spent almost every waking hour until now. The vultures don't circle like they did in Texas, and she is free to walk, to talk, to bounce at leisure. "Hi Charlie," she grins, extending a hand to shake. "I'm Anabelle. Brand new here but I bet that's easy to tell. What about you?"

[teenagerenegade]

"Just about two years," he says, bouncing even as he's taking her hand and shaking it. "And, yeah, okay, you do look kind of new, but that wears off really quickly, I promise." He bounces as high as he can. "What do you think of it so far?"

[inmiracles]

"Two years, good lord!" Anabelle exclaims excitedly, unable to keep from giggling at the prospect. From what she has heard - and admittedly, she has not heard much - the island is almost evenly divided between those who consider Tabula Rasa a heaven and those for whom it is a hell. Thankfully, she falls into the former category, but can definitely sympathize with those in the latter. They're lucky they have something to go home to, yet unlucky not to have found a way back yet. Propelled into the air by the momentum from Charlie's jump, Anabelle's answer comes in broken spurts. "I love it! It's like somethin' - out of - a dream! How 'bout you?"

[teenagerenegade]

"People get here, they settle," says Charlie, still bouncing alongside her. He bends his knees and bounces higher. He used to have a trampoline in the grounds of the house. He, of course, broke his arm falling into the swimming pool instead.

"I love it here," he says. "Sometimes. I miss home."

[inmiracles]

"Where's home?" Whether it can be called deflection or not, she isn't sure. Technically, he didn't ask a question and she didn't refuse him an answer. However, while she feels a small sting of guilt for not adding to the conversation, Anabelle doesn't feel like explaining just now why she doubts she will ever miss 'home', if it can be called such.

[teenagerenegade]

"New York," he says, still bouncing. "But I've been here so long, and I've got so much I love here. Ed's here, you know? So...And people say you stay there even when you're here, so I know my Mom's okay."

[inmiracles]

Anabelle doesn't know, but now that he has her attention, she can't deny wanting to. "Who's Ed?" She asks, still smiling to herself at the previous sentence. Everyone deserves to be surrounded by love, she believes, especially in so magical a world.

[teenagerenegade]

"My boyfriend," he says, letting his feet out from under him so he drops down onto his butt, still bouncing. "Edmund. We've been together for...a while now."

[inmiracles]

"Oh. Really?" In retrospect, she will probably come to regret answering so immediately and before having a chance to strain the awe from her tone, but none of these things concern Anabelle in the moment; they never do. That's the reason she and Elvis got off on the wrong foot, after all - she's yet to learn to mind her words. One doubts that she ever will. "Congratulations are in order, then," she adds, smiling. "That you've been together so long, I mean. He must be somethin' special."