Fools Game (The Volturi)

13

Ithaca, New York

"Can we have a sick day?" Elizabeth asks moving her rook to take one of her dad's pawns.

"I don't think your mum would approve," Edward replies using his queen to take a knight.

Elizabeth scans the board for a second before making a move. "I didn't hear you say no, check."

Edward was quiet for the moment he considered his next move. "Don't waste your energy sweet-talking me, Lizzie, you know it's a waste of time."

"Talking to mum straight away is a waste of time, you always manage to soften her up," Elizabeth takes a bishop.

Edward retaliates by moving his knight, forcing Elizabeth to retreat away. "I'm not getting involved."

"Pussy," Elizabeth mutters and takes her turn.

"Pardon?" Edward deliberately doesn't look at the board, waiting for an apology before continuing.

"I'm sorry mum wear's the trousers," Elizabeth smirks and Edward shakes his head. "But seriously, can we have a sick day?"

"You'll have to ask your mum," Edward repeats.

"I'd like to think I'd be considered old enough now to decide these things myself? Check," Elizabeth squares against Edward's king again.

"You aren't as old as me," Edward says moving his king to safety once more. "What do you want to do in stead?"

"Continue to play chess?" Elizabeth shrugs and positions her last bishop to block an exit route for Edward's king.

"Can't say I'm not tempted," he smirks and sighs as he moves into the last available space.

"Check mate," Elizabeth smiles victoriously.

Edward nodded, biting his tongue as he continued to smirk. "How much did we agree on this time?"

"Only twenty," Elizabeth resets the board as Edward pulls twenty dollars from his pocket and passes it over the table. "Lovely doing business with you, dad."

"I'm keen to skive, you can teach me how to play, you child genius!" Emmett says walking in just as the exchange of winnings took place.

"Emmett, don't encourage her," Edward frowns.

"Dad, I'm physically seventeen now, and this is my second bout of highschool! I know the syllabus just like you and everyone else...well, maybe not Jake," Elizabeth grins cheekily. "Chess is good at developing life skills. You always say, 'soft skills are more important'."

Emmett grinned, he loved starting things.  "Yes," Edward agrees. "However, bad attitudes create bad habits."

"If I said I had a bad feeling about today...would that be enough to convince you to let me stay home?"

"Don't fish for reasons, hoodwinking me is just seeing yourself off."

"You'd let Ness and Jake skip..." Elizabeth grumbled through her grin.

"Elizabeth Cullen, don't push your luck," Edward warns softly and his daughter's mouth falls into a regular smile. "The answer is no by the way, you can't have a sick day." Edward smiles almost victoriously, he may have lost the chess game, but he'd never loose the dad game.

"Better go get my bag then," Elizabeth huffs and leaves the table.

This was the fourth house Elizabeth had lived in now, it was round two of high-school although in the middle she'd convinced her parents to allow her to complete a degree. Unfortunately though, Elizabeth was cursed with forever being youthful and would never look old enough to continue at anything for too long.