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The whistling wind blew open the shutters on the old Victorian. A branch of the old oak outside the window scratched the glass as lightning lit up the sky, interspersing the solid crack in between the loud booming of the thunder and the pounding of the rain on the roof.
Beatrice Shakespeare Smith woke with a jolt, falling off of the couch in the library where the crackling flames in the fireplace threw shadows on the walls.
“Ow.” Her long sleeved paint-splashed shirt bunched at the bottom and her snowflake patterned lounge pants twisted uncomfortably, she stood and shook herself awake, stumbling to the kitchen where she heard voices, loud laughter and the slamming of cabinet doors.
Eyesight still blurred from sleep, she was unaware of the veritable war zone she’d wandered into.
"Bertie, look out!" Peaseblossom shouted just as a large brown egg smashed on the top of Bertie's head. All other activity in the kitchen ceased as they waited with baited breath to see what she would do.
Bertie glared at the group of fairies, egg white sliding down her temples as the yolk wound its way down the top of her nose. She used her sleeve to wipe the yolk off her face and affected a sense of calm that would have impressed even the notoriously stoic Theatre Manager.
Cobweb and Moth appeared to understand just how annoyed she was, slowly backing away until they could fly up to the cupboard and sit on the highest shelf.
Mustardseed, it seemed, had not yet caught on and was currently standing on the edge of the counter covered head to toe in what appeared to be blackberry jam. His wings were dusted in a fine layer of flour and there were unmistakable patches of sticky dark molasses clinging to the hem of his pants.
Moth and Cobweb were in a similar state, looking as though they'd flown straight into a cloud of powdered sugar. They at least had the grace to look contrite.
Ariel and Nate finally appeared to be getting along, if she judged by the smirks on their faces. They wore approximately as much food as the fairies did, though the ratio was skewed.
"Bertie, the boys and I just wanted some pastries!" Peaseblossom added, her dress covered in the icing Bertie had written up for the cookies she would be taking to a book club meeting; her attempt to blend into the small town they were currently living outside of.
Her eyes not leaving Bertie, she tried the best wounded puppy expression she knew, knowing that she and Nate would most likely be relegated to cleaning up a large amount of the mess.
Bertie sighed, her glare diminishing somewhat. Glancing around the kitchen she spoke, unmistakable exasperation coating every word.
"It's fine Pease. It's just, couldn't you all have waited to have a food fight on a sunny day when we could open the windows while cleaning up? I mean, how long did we just spend cleaning out the spider webs and restoring the inside of this place? And you two," here she turned her glare on Nate and Ariel, both of which still stood in the back of the kitchen, "You two especially know better! It seems you're the ones that might need a keeper!"