Chapter 7: Surprises and Stalkers

The rest of the week was very eventful. Everyone had something go either incredibly right or incredibly wrong. It was Wednesday, but everyone wanted it to be Friday. Everyone wanted school to stop for the week, for Autumn to be gone, and most importantly for things to be back to normal. This was the week when the surprises hit. Maybe I should start with early Wednesday morning, before I woke up.
I tossed and turned. “No!” I remember myself shouting. It was happening again. The same dream that had haunted me for the past three months. I looked over the edge of the building that was below me, down onto the street. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This was it. It would be all over after this. But why had I chosen this way to die? I was terrified of heights. I shrugged it off. I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. I jumped, then felt a heavy weight on me. It was a person. It was yelling “Roderick!” It was Athena. She had jumped and grabbed a hold of my shirt. I looked down. A trampoline stood at the bottom. My family surrounded it. I managed to look up into Athena’s eyes. “Don’t do this to me Roderick. Please.” Suddenly I realized I was in the air, falling. I woke up in a scream. I looked around my room. I was still in my bed. I sat up in bed. My heart was racing. I rubbed my eyes. When were the nightmares going to stop? I heard a knock at my door. It was Mel.
“Roderick, are you okay?”
I hesitated. “Yeah, I’m…I’m fine. Just a bad dream is all. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
I heard Mellanye sigh. “Okay,” she said uneasily.
I got up and made my bed quickly. I was going to be late for school if I didn’t hurry. I got dressed in a pair of ripped black skinny jeans and a black t-shirt that said on the front in red letters:

“I love life” and on the back “Because the pain makes it oh so worth it. “

I walked out of my room and into the kitchen, where Athena was busy making lunches and getting breakfast on the table for the others. Mellanye met me at the door.
“Are you SURE you’re alright? I heard you scream.”
“I’m fine,” I said, looking away from her.
“Look me in the eyes and tell me that.”
“I…I…I can’t.”
“You dreamt it again didn’t you? Your suicide attempt.”
I nodded. “I’m fine, Mel. Just…let me eat so I can get to school.”
She looked at me uncertainly. “Okay, fine. But if you want to talk about it…I’m here.”
I nodded again and made my way into the kitchen to get some food. Athena met me with a hug. I looked into her eyes then recognized the look she gave me. She had had the same dream. She mouthed “are you okay” and I nodded. I mouthed the same to her, and she nodded in return. Both of us knew what had happened, both of us still had the memories, the nightmares of what had occurred those few months ago.
I grabbed an apple and a slice of bacon, suddenly not so hungry. Athena didn’t eat much either. I finished my very small breakfast, grabbed my lunch, and ran out the door. I didn’t stop running until I got to school. I burst through the door to find Jake leaning against his locker, looking at the floor. His cheeks were red, and he had a stupid grin on his face.
“Thinking of Athena?” I teased as I approached my locker. He glared at me.
“You going to HELP me or sit there and give me shit?”
“Fine, fine. Since when do you like my sister, anyway? You should have told me.”
“Well…I’ve liked her since I met her two years ago. I didn’t tell you because I thought you would think it was weird and I didn’t want things to turn awkward. To be honest…I thought it was just a simple crush, you know? It would fade within time. But…it hasn’t. It’s only become stronger. I mean…dude do you know how lucky you are to have her as your sister, living under the same roof? She’s amazing. Smart, beautiful, considerate…everything I’m looking for.” He sighed. “Think about how much you like Halyn…and times that by twelve. That’s how I feel about Athena.”
“Wow. Really?”
“Yeah. And I don’t know what to do.” Silence.
“Does Drake know?”
“Hell no. If he does, he hasn’t said anything.” I nodded, thinking.
“Well…do you know what she likes?”
“Not really.”
“Find out.”
“How?”
“I don’t know…stalk her.”
“Stalk her? You mean follow her around?”
“Yeah.”
“Or you could just tell me.”
“But then it wouldn’t be fun… Look, just stalk her.”
“Dude…isn’t that illegal?”
“Not if she doesn’t know. I’ll help you.”
“Alright…well…if you say so. I could give it a shot.”
“That’s my boy. OH and I’ll ask the family to invite you to dinner this weekend while Autumn is gone.”
“Thanks. Oh God, here she comes!” He started freaking out.
“Dude, chill. Follow my lead.”
Athena approached my locker. “Hey.”
“Hey. Athena, you remember Jake.”
“H-h-hey Athena,” Jake said.
She blushed. “Hey…um….uh….”
“Jake.”
“Right…haha…hi Jake.”
He blushed bright red. “It’s almost time for class…I’m…I’m gonna go. Later Rod…later Athena.” He took off.
“You like him,” I said.
“Oh shut up.”
“Never,” I said, grinning. She grinned back. We started to walk down the hall. Suddenly she stopped. “What’s wrong?”
“Do you feel like…we’re being followed?” I paled and stopped, knowing Jake was right behind us.
“Why do you say that?”
“I just…don’t know. Never mind…let’s get to class.” Suddenly Drake popped up.
“Hey guys.”
“Hey Drake,” Athena and I said together.
“Athena, I have to tell you something.”
“Um…ok?”
“You know my brother Jake right?”
She blushed. “Yeah.”
“He likes you.”
“He…he does?”
Drake nodded. “He doesn’t know I know. But I figured I should tell you. Give him crap for me, will you?”
“Of course! How long has he liked me?” Drake looked around as though to make sure Jake couldn’t hear him.
“For two years, from the day he met you. He thought it was a crush…that it would fade. But it became stronger over time, and I knew he liked you because all he could talk about was you. He still hasn’t stopped. You’ve got him under some sort of spell.”
“Wow. I didn’t think anyone liked me that much, outside of my own family.”
“Well he does. Just…do me a favor and don’t let him know that I told you. He’d throttle me in my sleep if he knew.”
“Lips are sealed,” Athena said with an evil grin.
“Good,” Drake said with a twisted smile. “Anyway, I have to go. Catch you later.”
“Bye,” we said.
Athena turned on me. “Did you know?”
I shook my head. “No, but it gives me reason to tease him once he finds out Drake told you.” Athena shook her head and whacked me playfully.
“You are so full of yourself.”
“Duh!”
We rushed off to class. Chemistry was first. How I hated chemistry…I didn’t get it – no one in my family aside from Mellanye got it really – and it was boring. Pouring chemicals into beakers for lab and reading about the Periodic Table of Elements was not how I wanted to spend my time. If you asked around, everyone that knew me would tell you that I thought chemistry was a waste of time. I sat through class, watching Jake stare at Athena, and finding myself staring at Halyn. I was turning sappy, but I had her talking to me at least. Soon school was ended, my detention was over, and rehearsal was almost done. The balcony scene had gone perfectly, the next scene we were rehearsing was the graveyard scene at the end. I stayed a little later than I wanted to, but since I was with Halyn I didn’t care much. I walked home, more tired than usual. Tomorrow I had sports practice for gym. Ugh, I thought. Gym was another waste of my time. I reached home to find that only Athena, Mellanye, Vlad, and Bree were home. Autumn was still at the grocery store, I found out from Mellanye, getting carrots. Mom and dad were not home from work yet. I put my things into my room and decided I would ask if Athena needed any help with dinner.
I walked into the kitchen only to find that Bree was helping Athena with dinner instead. Over the past couple of days, Bree had gotten accustomed to her handicap and was trying her best to help with chores and cooking. She was stirring pasta sauce when I walked in.
“Hey bro,” she said with a tired smile. “How was school?”
“It was alright. Tiring. Boring. You know, the usual. Glad to see you don’t have another detention slip yet. Feel good to be free for once?”
“It was actually kind of weird. I’ve gotten used to getting detention. But since I can’t fight…it’s difficult. And what’s worse is I have gym tomorrow.”
“What do you play again? It’s hard to keep up with my own schedule let alone yours, or anyone else’s in this family. That’s why we have that nifty little schedule board in the living room that Athena got before school started…”
“I play tennis.”
“Ouch…that’s gonna suck.”
“You aren’t kidding.”
“So are you and Athena okay? It seems as though both of you had dreams last night.”
Athena and I looked at each other. “We’re fine. Just…wish the dreams would die, you know?” Bree nodded.
“I can understand that.” She gave me a hug. We heard a car drive up; the parents must be home. Sure enough we heard the front door unlock and in walked Dad.
“Hey kids,” he said giving all of us hugs.
“Hey Dad,” the reply came from all of us at once.
“Where’s Mom?” Athena asked.
“Getting some stuff out of the car. Listen, she’s had a really rough day at work today…try to keep things positive when she walks in, will you?” We all nodded, not daring to disobey Dad.
Mom walked into the kitchen, a few shopping bags in her hands. “Ugh…I hate it when we have to get new medical supplies. Spends the budget like crazy. Here Bree. I bought you a new brace and sling since you said they were uncomfortable. We’ll replace the old ones after dinner.”
“Thanks Mom,” Bree said, giving mom a hug. Mom hugged Bree back then sat down. Bree went back to stirring the pasta sauce.
“I’m going to go change out of my work clothes,” Dad said, making his way towards the doorway. Suddenly, Bree’s arm slipped and hit the spoon. In what seemed like light speed, the spoon flew out of the pot, stringing along bits of pasta sauce which landed on the floor and countertops, and hit Dad in the back of the head. The spoon landed on the floor and my dad spun around.
Bree approached him, shaking. “I-I-I’m sorry, Dad,” she said shakily. Instead of being angry, Dad patted her on the head and smiled.
“It’s okay. I needed a shower anyway.” He bent down and picked up the spoon. I looked at Athena, who grinned. I followed her gaze. It landed in Dad’s eyes. Then I saw it. He was wired. As in, he was horny. And not just a little. His pupils had dilated completely. I grinned. He looked at the spoon for a second, then at Mom.
“Oh Dusty…” he said in a somewhat taunting tone.
“What?” she replied, not catching on. He looked at her with a mischievous grin. She paled. “Uh…Sean? Are you feeling okay?” She got up and backed up towards the door.
“We may be a little late for dinner guys. Don’t wait up for us.” Suddenly Mom took off in a run, Dad chasing her.
“EWWWWWWWWWW,” all of us said. We heard a door close, then nothing more. Bree got out another spoon and started stirring the pasta sauce, while Athena was cleaning the floor and countertops of the pasta sauce.
“I am NOT cleaning that spoon,” Bree said with a grin. The kitchen erupted in laughter. Suddenly Autumn walked in. She looked sad; melancholy even.
“Hey Autumn,” Athena said softly. “Dinner is almost ready. I made you your favorite: vegetarian lasagna.”
“I’m not hungry, Athena. I’ll be in my room.” The room went quiet, and stayed that way for a few minutes after Autumn left the room.
“No insults? What’s her damage?” Bree asked.
I shrugged. “I dunno.”
Dinner finally finished cooking. We ate and cleaned up together, then went to our rooms to do homework. Well, I didn’t. I went to my room to grab something else. I closed my door and went over to my bed. I reached underneath my bed and felt around. Then I grabbed the long neck of the bottle and soon after found my shot glasses. I dragged them out. I peeked out of my door and saw no one coming. I travelled quietly to Autumn’s room and knocked.
“Who is it?”
“Open up Autumn.”
The door opened and a very sad, tear-stained Autumn peeked out from behind it. I lifted the vodka bottle and shot glasses up. “Can I come in?” She opened her door and I stepped in. She closed the door behind me. Her room was a nightmare to any Goth kid. Barbie pink walls surrounded burgundy furniture and a pink bed. Even the floor was red. Clothes were everywhere. Heart-shaped pillows were tossed on the floor. A book shelf (painted purple) contained romance novels, some chick flicks, and pop music like the Jonas Brothers. I cringed but sat on her bed.
“I take it you’ve had a rough day too?” Autumn asked shyly as I poured a couple of shots. She sat down next to me.
I nodded. “I had a dream about…the jump…last night.”
“Ouch.”
“What happened to you?”
“The kids in my class say I’m fat and ugly.”
“You are neither fat nor ugly Autumn.” I downed the first shot, so did she.
“I used to think that too, Roderick. Then I reached high school…things changed.”
I looked at the clothes hanging in her closet. Autumn was a size four in jeans. “You wear a size four…how could you possibly think you are fat?” She shrugged.
“Once you hear something long enough, you start to believe it.”
“I don’t care. You are not fat. And as for the ugly business…not true either. You are the envy of every girl at school, outside of your family. You are the trendsetter, the fashion diva.”
She looked up at me. “I act confident but I’m not, Roderick. What’s wrong with me?” I looked at her in shock.
“You want to know what is wrong with you? Honestly?”
She nodded.
“Absolutely nothing.”
“But…”
“Listen, you may be a bitch sometimes but you are still beautiful. Why do you think we put up with you Autumn? It’s because we love you. You can be a bit judgmental, even a bit harsh…but all of us can be. We are human. It’s what we do. You are a beautiful girl who can do whatever she puts her mind to. You knock most guys out of the ballpark. You just need to build your self-esteem.” She threw back another shot.
“I guess.”
I felt bad for Autumn. I didn’t know her real well…but when she opened up, you could tell that for once the demon had a heart and not a dungeon in its place. I decided to tell her about my own insecurities.
“You know I went through a period where I thought I was never going to get a girl.”
“You did?”
“Yep.”
“How?”
“I don’t know exactly…I just…when I was a teenager…looked in the mirror one day and I saw myself as a hideous creature who wasn’t smart or cool or cute…and I had convinced myself that I would never get a girl. I thought I was fat and pimply. All boys go through a phase like that. We just get over it quicker. You’ve heard the saying that boys mature slower than girls, right?” Autumn nodded. “Well it applies here. To boys, looks aren’t huge…we feel like we were made to be grungy and kinda dimwitted and dirty. We go through a phase but it goes almost as quickly as it comes. Then we start thinking about girls. Looks on a girl please guys. When a guy hits sixteen, his hormones start up. We look at makeup and hair on a girl, how big her breasts are and if she has a hot ass. It’s what we do. Then we ask for nudes.” I smirked, and she giggled a little. We had both put back about six shots each, and were getting more and more drunk. “And Mel has been in the same position you have. Bree and Athena too. All girls go through a stage where they think they are fat or ugly or not good enough for a guy – just ask your sisters. But, as I said before, you are neither fat nor ugly, and you are good enough for the right guy.” I hiccupped. Within time, Autumn was feeling better, and you could tell because the conversation changed direction drastically.
Autumn confessed, hiccupping as she talked.
“Really? I always thought you were a caramel person.”
“Nope.”
“I’ve always wanted to dance naked in the living room.”
“OMG NO WAY!” Autumn said, half-way dazed.
“Yes way. I think it would be fun!”
“Well…no one is out there now. You could if you wanted to.”
“You know what? I will!” I stripped, right there in front of Autumn, and bounded out towards the living room. Autumn, laughing up a storm, started some music and I started dancing. I danced for about half an hour. I shook my ass and my hips and did a few flips. Then I saw a flash. A camera flash. I looked over in the direction the flash had come from and there stood Bree, a camera in her hands. At first it didn’t register. Then it hit me. I chased her through the house, trying to get a hold on the camera.
“Roderick PLEASE can I keep these pictures?”
“WHY?” I asked, still trying to get the camera from her grasp.
“I…I…I want to put them in my scrapbook.”
“What scrapbook?” Autumn asked drunkenly.
“My Roderick Scrapbook,” Bree said bluntly.
Autumn yanked me off of Bree and told me to get dressed. Athena came bounding out of her room, a large black scrapbook in her hands. She saw me and screamed.
“MY EYES!!! COVER IT UP RODERICK BRANDYN!” I grabbed a pillow and quickly sobered up, putting the pillow in front of my crotch.
“Sorry Athene,” I said, blushing.
“Bree, please tell me you aren’t taking pictures to put in your scrapbook.”
“Wait, what scrapbook?”
Athena sighed. “Bree has a scrapbook of you…Bree…”
“Uh…I…no?” Bree stuttered as she snatched the scrapbook out of Athena’s hand and ran to her room giggling. “WOO PICTURE OF RODERICK NAKED!” That was how Wednesday ended, but NOTHING could prepare us for what was to happen on Thursday.
Thursday would be a very violent day. People who usually never got in trouble actually were sent to the guardhouse, fights broke out at school for an actual reason, people walked in on awkward moments in the Kallow household, faces were slapped at baseball practice, and even more surprises were unleashed by our mother. I’ll start with Thursday morning. Things started normally. We all made it to school, Jake was stalking Athena as planned, and the sun was shining. No fights had broken out in the Kallow house this morning, though things between me, Autumn, Bree, and Athena had been pretty awkward since my drunken dancing the night before. I made it to my first and second classes, Algebra and English, with no problem and actually passed my English quiz. Third period was gym class. Everyone at our school hated gym, though some people for different reasons. I loved playing baseball though, so I went to gym class. I was an instructor, and taught people how to swing a baseball bat. Today was really exciting though because I got to tutor the person who was tutoring me in theatre: Halyn.
Halyn walked over and said hi.
“Hi.”
“Um…I’ve never used a bat before…”
“Oh. Well here let me help you. First we need to get you one.” I walked over and grabbed a suitable bat for her height. “Now, let’s go to the plate and I’ll walk you through the basics.” She nodded and followed me to home plate.
“Okay so you’re going to stand like this.” I stood on the side of home plate with my back straight and my knees slightly bent. Halyn assumed the position. “Great! That’s perfect. Doing good for a first-timer,” I said with a smile. Halyn blushed. “Now, holding the bat can be tricky so here let me adjust your hands.” I stood behind her and took one of her hands and put it on the bat. My palms were sweaty and my face was red. I did the same with her other hand. “Now let’s try a swing. You are going to go like this,” I said, working with her to get a sturdy swing in the making. She gave a couple of good, sturdy swings, but was a little off balance. “Alright, doing well. Here, let’s adjust your balance.” I did some rearranging with her grip and footing, then helped her take another swing. As the bat swung back, my hand slipped and touched her breast. I realized what I had done and was very red.
“Oh God I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“ SLAP!
“OW!” I said as she slapped me. “What was that for? I didn’t even mean to…uh…” I went redder.
“Pervert.” She walked away and gym class ended.
I went to two more of my classes, History and Grammar, and then moved to my locker. My day was almost finished. On my way to my last class, I heard crying. I followed the sound, trying to figure out where it was coming from. When I located the source, I found it was Halyn, sobbing in the corner. I went over to her immediately.
“Halyn, what’s wrong?”
“This girl…said some things about me…and…” She started bawling again.
“What did this girl say?”
“She mocked me. She said to make sure I cut downwards, not across the wrist, for me to go curl up and die. She said that no boy would ever love me and that I’m not worth the ground I walk on.” She blew her nose. “She said no one would miss me if I was gone, that I should hurry and kill myself before I hurt anyone else by living. She told me to stop being an attention hog, stop cutting. She said if I did I might get a boy. She said if I wore different clothes and didn’t look like a creepy, f-ed up freak I might get lucky. But she said it was a big might. More like a probably not. She said she swore I’d never get a guy as long as I was alive so I might as well kill myself now.”
I hugged Halyn close. “Who was it?”
“You know her as well as I do.”
I gasped. “Autumn?”
Halyn nodded.
“She wouldn’t! She didn’t!”
“She did.”
“Stay here and don’t do ANYTHING. I want you to stick around okay?” She nodded.
“Now promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”
“I promise Roderick.”
“Alright then. I’ll be back. Stay here.”
I ran into the hall. “Drake. Jake. Have you seen my sister?”
“Which one? You have four, dude.”
“I know where Athena is!” Jake said excitedly.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m talking about Autumn.”
“Cafeteria.”
“Thanks.”
I ran off towards the cafeteria. Spotting Autumn almost instantly I grabbed her arm and dragged her out to the hallway. I slammed her up against the locker like Dad would do to Mom if he got really pissed.
“You told Halyn to kill herself. WHY?” I yelled.
Autumn smirked. “She’s a Goth kid. Like you. Who needs to go curl up and die. No one cares. No one wants you here. No one wants her here. I only told her the truth.”
“You BITCH, I want her here.”
“Why?”
“BECAUSE I LOVE HER DAMN YOU!” I felt empowered. I pushed her further into the lockers.
“Then why don’t you go and die with her?” That did it. I blew a fuse. I slammed her into the lockers again.
“Why don’t you?” I asked her, my voice dark, my eyes narrow slits. She turned and ran, and I chased after her. I tackled Autumn down to the floor and we tumbled, throwing punches. I locked her arm behind her back.
“APOLOGIZE!”
“NEVER!”
I heard a “crack”, much like the one I heard on the day Bree broke her wrist. Autumn cried out, tears were running down her cheeks.
“Roderick you are hurting me!”
“THEN APOLOGIZE!”
“I said NO!”
“Your funeral, bitch.”
We tumbled over and over again down the hall. Things were getting more violent. Autumn scratched my cheek with one of her snapped nails. I didn’t care anymore. I saw Vlad and Bree and Athena running towards us. Both of us got up and resumed wrestling, throwing punches at each other until our faces were covered with blood. I picked Autumn up (she only weighs about a hundred and fifty pounds or so) and threw her at the lockers. She fell to the ground. The lockers were dented in. Autumn was on the ground, knocked out, and I was finally starting to calm down. Then I blacked out.
When I woke up, I was in the principal’s office, getting bandaged up. Autumn sat there with me, along with Halyn in a chair across the room. My mom burst through the door.
“What happened?!” she asked, her face filled with alarm.
“Your son-“ Principal Blackthorne began.
“Your son was standing up for me, Mrs. Kallow,” Halyn said shyly. “Your daughter said some nasty things to me that…that made me cry and…Roderick was just defending me. Things got ugly.” My mother looked at Autumn.
“Is this true young lady?” Autumn looked away, not wanting to answer.
“Excuse me, but I need to make a quick phone call to some relatives,” my mother said. She stepped out of the room. Halyn approached me.
“Thanks for standing up for me Roderick.”
“No problem. It’s what I do.” She smiled. “Wow.”
“What?”
“You have a great smile, you know that?”
“R-really?”
“Really. Can…can you smile again? For me?”
She did. I smiled back and she blushed. My brother and sisters came into the room suddenly.
“RODERICK ARE YOU OKAY?” Athena squealed as she came up to give me a hug. I grinned.
“I’m fine but don’t squeeze so hard. It hurts.”
“Sorry.”
Vlad spoke up. “You looked like Dad back there, man.” The principal looked stunned.
“Did you just talk?” she asked Vlad.
Vlad just backed into the shadows and stayed quiet.
Suddenly mom came back into the office. “Autumn Thorne Kallow, I don’t know what I’m going to do with you. Aunt Sam and Uncle Raphael are going to come get you from the office and straighten you out for the weekend. Halyn, I’m so sorry you had to put up with my daughter’s insolence. How would you like to come over this weekend? You can even stay over.”
“That sounds great Mrs. Kallow.”
“Mother!”
“Shut your mouth Autumn. You had better be thanking the good Lord that your father isn’t here.” Autumn stayed quiet.
“Roderick are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Mom.” My mother looked at the principal.
“What’s the damage?”
“Three hundred and fifty dollars worth of damages to the school, another week of detention, and community service for two weeks.”
I looked at the principal, and before my mom could respond said, “Here’s money for the damages. Sorry about the school and my behavior. I’ll even do community service for a month if you want me to. I feel so bad.” I dished over the money. Principal Blackthorne looked surprised.
“Perhaps there is some integrity and decency left in you after all, Mr. Kallow. Perhaps I misjudged you. For that, I’m sorry. And…don’t worry about community service. I’ll override it. You have paid enough for your wrongdoings.”
“Wow, thank you Ma’am,” I said gratefully.
Suddenly two familiar faces poked their heads into the principal’s office.
“Uncle Raph! Aunt Sam!” I squeaked. They came over and hugged me.
“How you doin’ Sport?” Uncle Raph asked. I grinned as he messed with my hair.
“Eh…in a bind.”
“You’ll get through it, just like your old man. Don’t tell your father I said that about him, though ahaha.” He turned to Autumn. “YOU on the other hand…you need some good, old-fashioned hard work to get you from rotten to good again. No one in this family will tolerate your behavior Missy, and I guarantee you that your father would have a cow if he knew what happened here today.”
Aunt Sam cut in. “Agreed. You need some behavior modification young lady. And I will be glad to give you some. Now, come on. Get in the car. We will get you to our house and cleaned up and fed. Then you will be put to work.” Sighing, Autumn got off of the chair she was sitting in and followed Aunt Sam and Uncle Raph out the door. Mom gave Aunt Sam a hug, thanked her for taking Autumn for the weekend, and watched her depart.
Suddenly Jake burst in. “ROD ARE YOU OK?!”
“Dude, I’m fine. OH, Mom, would it be okay if Jake came over this weekend too? He and Drake can’t stand another game night with the fam.”
“Sure.”
“And Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Will Dad be hearing about this?”
“Yes but I doubt you’ll get in trouble for it.”
“Oh good…can we go home?”
“Sure. Come on kids.” We bid Halyn and Jake good bye and got into the car. We drove home in silence. When we got home, Athena and Bree went to get some aspirin and bandages for me. I sat on the couch and Mom sat on a chair. Mel got home and sat down in another one. Finally Vlad and the other two girls came into the living room and started bandaging me up. While they were doing so, my mom stood up. “Kids, we need to have a talk. I haven’t had this talk with your father yet but I’m so excited…I can’t keep it in anymore.”
“What is it mom?” Athena asked, curious as always.
“Well…I don’t know how to say it any better than this…but…” She paused for dramatic effect. “I’m pregnant!” The whole room stood still. This was definitely a shock, but nothing could prepare us for what mom would say next.

Chapter 6: Too Hot To Handle...

Monday morning I awoke feeling refreshed. My head hurt from where Bree had pounded me a couple of days back, but otherwise I felt fine. I packed my things up for school and got dressed. It seemed as though no one else was up yet. The house seemed way too quiet. I looked at my watch. Six in the morning. Well I was up a little early, but I couldn’t sleep anymore. I cleaned up my room a little bit in case Halyn came over again, then walked out into the kitchen. I smelled coffee so I figured Athena was up. Boy was I wrong – Bree was up early this morning, packing lunches and making breakfast. I nodded a hello to her, she returned it. Everyone was looking forward to the weekend, even though it was only Monday. Autumn would be going to Uncle Raphael and Aunt Sam’s house to play with Sarah Ann, so the house would be quiet and peaceful. Mellanye would be able to do some homework, and the whole family would be able to get along without a problem. But that was still 5 days away. I grabbed an apple from the basket of fruit on the table and munched on it. Apple juice dripped down my chin, so I grabbed a napkin and cleaned myself up. Bree handed me my lunch, and I looked inside. A juice box, an apple, and a ham and cheese sandwich sat inside. I looked up at her and grinned.
“What, no candy?”
She grinned and threw a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup at me, backwards over her shoulder without looking. I caught it, somewhat impressed, and hid it in my lunch box.
“So what are you doing in the kitchen so early?”
“Athena didn’t get a lot of sleep last night…so I thought I’d let her sleep in a little bit. You know how hard she works…”
I nodded. Athena spent hours making sure the family was functional. Instead of taking time for herself, Athena would clean and cook and make lunches and set out clothes for all of us, including mom and dad. She also went to school, was an honor student, volunteered at the local dog shelter on the weekends, tutored kids in piano, wrote stories to entertain us, and held down a job at Hot Topic four days a week. Usually she would get about four hours of sleep a night, and be grateful when summer got here. Summer was still a few months away, and people knew she got tired quickly.
“We should make dinner tonight Bree. Give Athena a break.”
“Sounds good. What should we make?”
“What about sausage, pancakes and fruit salad?”
“Sounds good. Do we have milk?”
“I’ll pick some up after theatre rehearsal.”
“Have detention today?” She grinned.
“Last day.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“What time does rehearsal end?”
“Six, I think. I should be home at six thirty or so.”
“Good. Everyone will be home and hungry.”
Suddenly Vlad came in, his usual black attire accompanied by his messy black and purple hair and his spiked bracelets and choker. He grabbed his lunchbox. Bree smiled.
“Morning Vladdy,” she said. He smiled a little. “Oh, here I almost forgot.” She went over to the cabinet and brought out a big Tupperware container. On the outside, in Athena’s handwriting, was “VLAD’S STASH”. She opened the box and pulled out a big chocolate bar. She handed it to Vlad. “Here, Athena said to put one in your box.” Vlad smiled. He grabbed an apple from the basket and took a bite. A knock came at the door. Bree went to open it, and in walked Jayde.
“Morning Vlad,” she said shyly. He smiled.
“H-h-hi Jayde. Ready to go to school?” The kitchen stood still. She nodded and the two departed.
“I have never heard him talk so much,” Bree said, looking through the doorway which was now vacant.
“Me either. This will be good for him though.”
“Agreed.” Next, Autumn walked through the door. I saw Bree’s fists clench. The two hated each other, that was to be certain, but sometimes it was difficult to tell which one hated the other more.
Autumn was a vegan. She only ate certain vegetables and fruits and criticized anyone who ate meat. She grabbed an apple from the table, along with an orange. I could tell that Bree’s day was going to start out rough because Bree, being tired and not used to being up this early, completely spaced on Autumn’s veganism and said, “Morning, sis. Want a glass of milk?”
“No, I’m vegan you idiot.” Autumn was the picture of perfection in the eyes of most of the girls who went to our school. She was skinny, with perfect skin. She wore lots of makeup; her hair always set right. Her wardrobe was the envy of the school. Today she wore a bright pink V-neck top with sequins surrounding the neckline and sleeves, along with a black pleather mini skirt. She wore red high heels that were about six inches high, and bangles surrounded her wrists. Pretty much every girl at our school wanted to be like her; but no one except our family knew how cruel and bitchy she really was. No one wanted her here, but more than anything, she didn’t want to BE here. If she could get up right now and move into Uncle Raph and Aunt Sam’s place, she would. She hated us all, even from an early age. She thought we were freaks, not people.
I could tell Bree was hurt, but she said calmly, “Oh, right. Sorry. Forgot.”
“Whatever, loser.”
Bree’s fists clenched tighter. I got up and went over to where she was. I touched her shoulder, letting her know she should calm down. She unclenched her fists. “Here’s your lunch, Autumn. Fruit salad, a bottle of organic pineapple juice, and some organic carrot sticks. Is that all you wanted?”
“Was anything else on my list that I set out for you last night?” Autumn’s tone was getting sharper.
“Well no, but I was just checking. I know people are tired in the evenings and they tend to forget things.”
“Well thanks for your false concern Bree, but I don’t want or need anything from you.”
“Oh. Well…sorry.”
“You should be.” Autumn finished her fruit, grabbed her lunch, and left the room. Bree was almost in convulsions trying to restrain herself from punching Autumn in the jaw.
“Calm down. She’ll get hers.”
“Next time I fight with her, I’m breaking her oh-so-perfect manicured nails,” Bree said.
I smirked. Autumn’s looks meant everything to her. If Bree broke her nails, hell would really break loose. I heard a mumble come from the other room. I followed Bree’s softened gaze to the living room door and saw a very tired Athena come crawling through the door. She sat down in her chair at the dining room table. Bree plopped a small bowl of Fruit Loops in front of her, and she ate quickly. Her energy slowly returned.
“You have my lunch together?” Bree nodded and handed Athena her lunchbox. Athena took it gratefully.
“All the others aside from Rod and me have gone off to school. I just finished making lunches for mom and dad. OH and Rod, here.” Bree handed me a paper bag. “It’s a snack so you can eat before rehearsal. I know how hungry you can get.” I smiled.
“Thanks.”
“Well we had better be off. Athena can you drive?”
“Sure. Come on.”
We piled into Athena’s car, a Camero, and drove to school. I got there on time and met up with Jake and Drake at my locker.
“Hey Rod.”
“Hey guys.”
“What’s up?”
“How’s your sister?”
“What?” Drake and I asked.
“Uh…I mean you. How are you?”
“Dude, that is so not what you meant,” Drake butted in.
“Jake…care to explain?” I asked.
Jake blushed. “Well…I kind of like Athena…”
“Dude for how long?”
“A while, man.”
I groaned. “Well maybe you can knock some sense into her. She’s overworking herself.”
“What is she doing?”
“Cooking, cleaning, packing, etc. She’s running herself rampant.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Invite me to dinner sometime this week…maybe I can refocus her attention.” I grinned.
“Sounds good.”
“How’s it going with you and Halyn?”
I blushed. “She and I rehearsed at my place last night.”
“Alright Roderick! Score!” High fives were exchanged.
“Don’t push it. It might not happen.”
“What do you mean? You guys are great for each other!”
“Yeah…well…she met my family on Saturday and…I’m kind of nervous. Bree and Autumn got into a huge fight and….ugh…what a weekend. How were your weekends? Better than mine I hope…”
“Eh, it was pretty boring. We had family game night.” Both of them shuddered.
“Ah. Well I’m excited because Autumn is going to be leaving to go to our aunt and uncle’s house this weekend. If you guys want to come over for a Saw marathon you can.”
“Sounds great. I don’t think we can stomach another game night.” I looked at Jake. He had been quiet. I followed his gaze. He was looking at Athena. I grinned.
“Why don’t you just go talk to her?”
“She doesn’t even know I exist,” he said glumly. “I just want her to know I’m HERE. Unfortunately I don’t know if talking to her will help that.”
“Yeah, remember Rod, he’s the dorky one,” Drake said. The two took turns whacking each other until the bell rang.
“Well class is starting. We’d better go,” I said, making my way to the classroom.
We walked into the classroom and instantly my gaze met Halyn’s.
“Hi Halyn. Thanks for the help last night.” She rolled her eyes and looked away. I was confused. Was she mad at me? Was she just pretending as though she wanted nothing to do with me? I took my seat next to my friends but my mind quickly drifted from class to her. Why wasn’t she talking to me?
Class ended quickly, but I didn’t notice until Jake whacked me upside the head after class had been dismissed. I gathered my things and went to my next class. My day was about to get worse. I wound up failing yet another pop quiz, getting another detention for accidentally spilling vinegar everywhere in chemistry, and even worse, getting ignored by Halyn yet again after theatre practice. She wouldn’t even say hi.
I walked home after rehearsal, feeling worse and worse by the second. I got home and handed the milk to Bree, as I had promised, then went straight to my room and shut the door. I locked it and laid down on my bed. The thoughts of the months before flooded my mind. I had jumped off a building in a suicide attempt and failed. I shuddered. My dad had laid into me with the razor wire for what I had done. And if Athena hadn’t been there… I shook my head. I couldn’t be thinking of this again. I heard a knock at my door.
“Rod?” I recognized it as Bree’s voice.
“You have the key.”
“Oh yeah.” I heard her footsteps retreat back to her room. Bree was the only person aside from me that had a key to my room. I trusted her with it. She and I understood each other – we were close. Sometimes it seemed as though we were closer than our parents. I had given Bree a key simply because she and I would have times at night where we would break down or struggle with our thoughts. Now we could meet up at night and talk in my room. I heard her footsteps approach, then the key in the lock. She walked in, closing the door behind her.
“Roderick…”
“I’m scared Bree.”
“You’re thinking about jumping again aren’t you?”
I nodded. My mouth had gone dry.
“Roderick, don’t. Please don’t. We can’t lose you. Not now.”
“Who would miss me?”
“Mel, Athena, Vlad, Mom, Dad…” She paused. “Me…” I looked at her. “Especially me Roderick. Don’t make me lose you.” She wiped her eyes. I hugged her close.
“Bree…I’m going to need your help staying afloat.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” Silence. “Roderick.” No answer. “What happened at school?”
I let it all out then and there. I told her about my failed pop quiz, about my epic fail in chemistry, and about Halyn. She took pity on me, as every good sister does. We sat there for about an hour, hugging and talking. After I stopped crying, Bree told me to change clothes and then to join her in the kitchen so that we could start dinner. She left the room and I quickly changed into a fresh (and dry) t-shirt and jeans. When I walked into the kitchen, Bree had already gotten out the sausage and pancake batter. I took the sausage and put it on the cutting board.
“Oh my God it’s so big!” Bree exclaimed, laughing. I started laughing with her, knowing full well where this conversation was going.
“And white. My God!” I said, pointing at the pancake batter. Suddenly Autumn burst in, flipping out.
“What the hell is going on in here?!” She saw the sausage and batter and blushed. “Oh.”
“What did you think it was Autumn?” Bree asked, a smirk on her face.
“Mind your own business, Skye,” Autumn replied, calling Bree by her middle name.
Bree’s knuckles tightened again. “We’ve all had a rough day, Autumn. Let us get dinner started.”
“Awww even Roderick had a rough day? What’s the matter,” Autumn began in a dangerously mocking tone, “did your precious Halyn not talk to you?”
I looked at Bree, frustration on my face. “I didn’t tell anyone,” Bree said, looking confused. She turned to Autumn. “How did you know that?”
Autumn grinned malevolently. Bree glared at Autumn. “You told Halyn something didn’t you, you whore?”
“One thing, I’m not a whore. Two, yes. Yes I did. She thinks you don’t want to talk to her because last night was awkward.” She smiled smugly.
“One thing, you are a whore. You got caught fucking a guy today at school. And it was found that you weren’t a virgin before that, so don’t act so innocent,” Vlad said as he came into the kitchen with an empty juice glass in his hand. The room went quiet. “And two, that was not your place. You have made life shit for Roderick now. You owe him an apology and Halyn both an apology and an explanation. And I am going to be at school tomorrow, with you, when you do. So stop being such a snotty hypocrite and hand me the juice.”
Autumn turned bright red. I was still dumbfounded about Autumn having sex on school grounds, but Bree was well past it.
“I don’t owe anyone anything.”
“HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO YOUR OWN BROTHER, YOU BITCH?!” In an instant, Bree had pushed Autumn to the ground. “I am sick of being nice. Rod do you remember what I told you this morning?” I looked at Bree thoughtfully, remembered, grinned, and nodded. “Remind me please? And say it loud so that Autumn can hear.” This was about to get ugly.
“You said nails would be broken,” I said calmly, taking a step back.
“And break they will,” Bree said with a malevolent grin. Autumn’s eyes widened.
“If you TOUCH them I will break your arm.”
“Let it break.”
The two tumbled around the kitchen floor, knocking each other into chairs and counters. Bree knocked into Floppy, making the dog wake up sleepily.
“Sorry Floppy!” Bree called out. The dog wagged its tail then walked over to where I was and crashed on his side, falling asleep almost instantly. I rubbed the dog’s tummy, wanting to do something while I watched the fight take place. Suddenly I heard a “snap”, and a cry of pain. Autumn’s first nail had cracked off. The girls continued to tumble. Bree threw a punch that landed on the floor instead of Autumn’s face, and a “crack” was heard. Bree held her ground, though now trying to hide falling tears that were being instigated from her now broken hand. Autumn rolled over.
“That’s what you get for being a violent dipshit,” Autumn said breathlessly.
“I’m not done with you yet bitch,” Bree said as she got up. Her arm was still at her side. “NO ONE messes with my brother.” She clobbered Autumn to the ground and the fighting started again. Autumn took a chance and reached up to scratch Bree’s face. She succeeded, but at a cost. Another snap, another cry of pain. Finally the rest of the family came up to watch, Athena being the first to show up. Instead of breaking up the fight, however, she ganged up on Autumn.
“Get her Bree!” she called. I grinned. No one liked Autumn. At least, not in this family.
After two more nails snapping and a few more punches being thrown, the floor was coated in blood. Nails were spread across the kitchen floor. Floppy was still asleep, content at having his belly rubbed and not making any fuss to get up or see what all the ruckus was about. Mom and dad came into the room, Vlad and Mel hot on their heels. Dad was the first to speak.
“Bree! Autumn! Stand at attention. NOW!” My father, being military, always handled fights this way. Bree got up right away, whimpering and holding her hand at her side. Mel rushed to get the first aid kit, while Vlad ran to call a doctor. Autumn got up slowly. Both of them stood at attention, both of them shaking with fear.
“What is this all about?” Mom said, making her way towards the girls from the doorway. Bree looked up at my father.
“Permission to speak freely, Sir?”
“Granted.”
“Autumn came in here and treated both of us like shit, then told Halyn a false story about how Roderick thought their rehearsal last night was awkward. Halyn won’t talk to him now, and both are hurt emotionally.”
Autumn said nothing, as she knew I would back it up one hundred percent.
My father looked at Autumn. “You have already been in enough trouble today. I am very disappointed in you. Tomorrow you will go to school, and you will talk to Miss Morgenstern. You will apologize and tell her the truth. Now apologize to your brother and sister, then I want you to go straight to the guardhouse. After that, you will spend the rest of the night in your room. Am I clear?” She nodded. “I said AM I CLEAR?”
“Y-y-yes Sir.”
“Good.”
“I’m sorry Roderick. Sorry Bree.” She walked out of the room. I abandoned Floppy and the uncut sausage on the counter and helped Bree into the living room.
She sat down. “Bree are you alright?” I asked. She was still cradling her hand.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I think it’s broken…”
“I called a doctor,” Vlad said, coming over to comfort his sister. “Let me look at it. Can you move it?” Bree tried but couldn’t without screaming in pain. “Yeah, it’s broken. Dr. Malory will be here shortly.” We waited until the doctor came, hugging Bree and thanking her for teaching Autumn a lesson, and telling her how much we admired what she had done. Mom and dad were lenient with her, as they figured a broken hand was enough punishment, and Mel and Vlad and I agreed to pick up the extra chores that she wouldn’t be able to do. An hour later, Bree had been taken to the hospital and been x-rayed. She came out another two hours later with a cast on her arm and a sling around her neck. She was put on painkillers, one of which she took as soon as she got home. I helped her to her room and helped her undress. I tucked her in, and the day ended.
The next day, everything was normal again. Apologies had been given, and fights had been forgotten. Halyn started talking to me again, though she wasn’t saying much, as NOW things had become awkward now that the rumor had spread to her ears and mine. When I got home from rehearsal that afternoon, I groaned. Athena and Vlad and Mel were in their bathing suits. I had completely forgotten: today was bath day for Floppy. It was incredibly humid outside, so the water would feel good, but I had a lot of homework. All well. I grabbed my swim trunks and slipped them on and met the others in the back yard. Hoses and soap were out, ready to be used, and Floppy looked scared as hell. He hated bath day.
We let him off the leash and turned on the water. Floppy took off. We chased him, hoses in our hands. We got him wet finally, and he stood there, shivering and soaking wet. We put the hoses down and grabbed the soap. He shook the water off of his coat, getting us wet. Mel let out a scream.
“AH the water’s freaking cold!” she screamed as the dog continued to shake. Athena couldn’t help but laugh at her, so Mel sprayed her with the hose. Another scream filled the yard and Vlad and I looked at Athena, who was soaking wet in her black and blue bathing suit.
“Good thing we’re in our swimsuits,” Vlad said as he looked her over. I nodded. The two girls had totally forgotten about Floppy (who seemed to be very happy about this) and were now spraying each other with the hoses, laughing and having a great time. Meanwhile, Vlad and I hadn’t forgotten about Floppy. We managed to coat him in soap and give him a good rub-down. Then we grabbed the hoses again. He took off.
“FLOPPY GET BACK HERE!” I yelled as he continued to run away. The dog stopped, having heard his name, and was then splashed with water. Vlad caught him and rinsed the soap out of his coat. We dropped the hoses, and the dog stood there, looking at us with pure hatred for a few minutes. Then he shook the water off of his coat and seemed happy again. We dried him with a towel, then let him back in the house, where he proceeded to fall asleep in front of the heater in the bathroom.
Vlad and I were still perfectly dry. We looked at the girls, who were still spraying each other with water. Vlad went back inside but I stayed outside to watch. I grinned.
“This is…HOT,” I said. Mel and Athena dropped the hoses for a minute, looked at each other, nodded, and with a grin turned both hoses at me.
“This is what you get for being a pervy little brother,” Mellanye said, giggling now that the hose was not pointed at her. I picked up my hose and turned it to both of them. The water fight lasted for about an hour, and when all of us came back inside, we were soaked from head to foot, and pruning. We changed into some dry clothes and ordered takeout. The night was long, but quiet. Bree was starting to try to help out with chores and cooking, but we all knew it would take a while before she would be well enough to do some things herself, like putting on clothes. After dinner, I did the dishes and went to my room. I had a lot of studying to do.
I finished up my homework, then crawled into bed. I was tired. I turned out the light and dreamed about Halyn for the rest of the night.

Chapter 1: Caught

There I sat, sinking lower and lower in my chair, awaiting my fate. At the sound of a doorknob turning, I wrenched my head around and stared at the office door. The door opened and in walked a woman angrier than ever. Her black hair was mussed, her green eyes sunken and dark. By the wrinkles in her clothes, I could tell that she had just gotten dressed in her black clothes. A bruise sat above her left eye, and her lip was cut. She looked at me and glared, then sat down. I could tell she was mad – I knew I had done it this time. I turned back around in my seat, facing the principal. My legs felt like jell-o. If my mom didn’t kill me, my dad surely would. This was my third visit to the office this week. Not something that my parents would be proud of. I sat quiet, avoiding my mother’s harsh gaze.
“I’m sorry for dragging you down here, Mrs. Kallow,” Principal Blackthorne said as she pointed to me.
My mom sat there, exasperated. “What has he done this time?” she asked. All attention was directed at a small box on the principal’s desk. It was a small, white box that had, imprinted in black, the word “MARLBORO” on the front. On top of the box was my lighter – black, with a red dragon running up the side and the initials RBK on the bottom. My mom looked at me dumbfounded.
“Cigarettes? Really, Roderick?” I looked down, not so much ashamed of smoking as I used to be. I stayed quiet, knowing she wasn’t done. “Wait until your father hears about this. What kind of example are you setting for the others? Athena, Bree, Vladymyr, Mellanye, and especially Autumn? Honestly, I expected better of you.” I sighed. I wasn’t the youngest, not by a long shot, but I always seemed to be the screw-up.
“But Mom,” I began, “I’m eighteen! I should be able to smoke if I want to. Besides, no offense to you Principal Blackthorne, but I shouldn’t even BE here. This is my last year of school…can’t I splurge a little?” I paused, knowing I was going to get in trouble for what I was about to say next. “On top of that, you smoke! Why can’t I?” My mother looked at me with concern. There was a tint of anger in her voice as she spoke.
“Smoking is not something I am proud of Roderick. You shouldn’t be either. You have always been the troublemaker. I don’t know where you got it from. All I know is, I’m sick of this.”
“What about you?!” I shrieked. “I remember stories that dad used to tell. You’d cuss and smoke and drink and fight all the time. You want to know where I get it? What goes around comes around. You were a bad kid, and that has made me worse.”
I half-expected her to tear me limb-from-limb. Instead all she did was look at the principal and say “What’s the damage?”
My principal looked at me and said, “Well detention for 6 weeks for one thing.”
My mom looked at the principal uncertainly. “That’s all?”
“MOM!” I shrieked in alarm.
“Well he could do some community service to the school.” I looked at my mom, who was clearly enjoying this.
“What did you have in mind?” Principal Blackthorne looked at me and smiled. I shook in my chair.
“Well we are hosting a play a few months from now. We could use another stagehand. This will require him to stay after school for a few hours and come to each rehearsal. I know that is a lot of extra time – especially since he works and has a lot of homework and now detention – but I think it would help him to learn responsibility and respect.”
“That sounds good,” my mother said, smiling.
“MOM!” I said again, terrified that my mother was going to put me in the school play.
“Well hopefully he’ll get straightened out. I will have a LONG talk with his father tonight. Thanks for calling me down here Principal Blackthorne.”
“No problem. I expect your behavior to improve young man.”
With that, mother and I walked out of the school in silence. She was pissed off, I knew that much. We reached her car, a vintage black Mustang. She unlocked the door with a sharp click, glared at me and said, “In.”
I climbed into the front seat and buckled myself in. After my mom was buckled up, she looked at me. Her gaze was fierce. “Don’t EVER talk to me that way again or so help me I’ll have your father take you into the guardhouse every day for a month. You got that?” I nodded.
We drove home in silence. I burst through the door and threw my backpack on the couch. In walked my mother, still a little pissed off that I had gotten dragged to the office yet again. I walked down the hall and reached my door. Suddenly a voice appeared behind me.
“What was it for this time?” The voice was accompanied by long black hair and piercing green eyes. Those eyes were filled with concern, and reminded me of my mother’s eyes.
“Drop it Mellanye,” I said, pounding my head against my door in frustration.
She didn’t. “Roderick…” I turned on my sister sharply.
“What do you want Mel? A confession? A sense of confidence? For me to say that you were right and I was wrong?” I was freaking out. I felt a hand on my shoulder. She spun me around gently.
“Well, although that WOULD be nice…I just want to know that you are okay. It’s only been three months since the accident…and you need to vent. Come on.” Wrapping her arms around me, she brought me to her room, a black abyss of posters and cherry furniture. Mellanye, being the neat freak, always had a clean room.
I looked around. The only thing on her floor was a jacket that had fallen off of her bed. Her chair was pulled out from beneath her desk where she had been working on her homework. I sat on her bed and took a look around. It was rare that I was in Mellanye’s room. Mellanye was the eldest of all of my brothers and sisters, one of my triplets. She was always logical, and every time I saw her, she had her nose in a book. I looked at some of the books on the bookshelf across from me: Photography: How to Snap a Decent Picture, Computers and Technology, Computer Science for Dummies, Chemistry Made Simple, Calculus in the Real World, The Scientists’ Almanac. Mellanye, much like my mother, had skipped a few grades in school and was already in college. She was a triple major, again like my mother, but only on my dad’s side of interests. For some reason Mellanye had always been obsessed with logic – her majors were big ones, Computer Science, Math, and Chemistry – things that took a lot of work (she was a brainiac but still) and things that would also pay a lot of money. Even at a young age, everyone in my family knew that Mel would get far real fast.
“Sorry for the mess,” Mel said as I continued looking around. I picked the jacket up off of the floor and handed it to her.
“Mel, your room is never messy.” She hung the jacket up in her closet, then sat down on her chair.
“Okay little bro,” she started. “Vent.”
I laid down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. “I don’t know what to do Mel. I try to stay out of trouble…but I just…can’t. It’s like I’m void.”
“Well you DO get in trouble a lot,” Mel said, taking a sip of Mountain Dew.
“Not helping Sis.”
“Sorry.”
Silence.
Suddenly Mel spoke up again. “Well has anything been bothering you? Maybe there is a more logical reason.”
I blushed. There was one reason. A beautiful reason. A reason that hated my guts. She was a girl. Mellanye looked at me. I debated telling Mellanye about the girl who had stolen my heart but decided against it. I would tell her when I was ready. Instead I told her about dad.
“I think it’s dad.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Well…he and I have been having some difficulties lately.”
“This is true. But you always instigate something with him. You know dad…he is the one who controls this whole family. Even mom lets him run the household.”
“She lets him control her.”
“She’s naturally that way, Rod. You know this. You’re like her. You’re submissive too. Don’t think you can hide that. I think that is a part of why you get in so much trouble. Especially after…well you know what happened. I won’t bring it back up. But you were numb.”
“I just want to prove something Mel. I’m so sick of being the screw-up.”
“You aren’t a screw-up, Roderick.”
“I am too.”
“You sound like mom.”
“I can’t help it.”
Mellanye sighed. She looked tired. I noticed the open calculus book on her desk. I tried to change the subject. “How is school going for you? Lots of homework?” Her eyes grew wide and she let out a breath.
“I swear my calculus professor is trying to kill me. Forty calc problems and two chapters to read – JUST for that class.”
“Ouch. But you’re good at calc.”
“Not that good. What’s more we have an exam next week. I haven’t even started studying for it.”
“Why not?”
“Tons of comp homework…Computer Science is really kicking my ass. Not to mention Chemistry…Ugh…”
“Why not drop a major to a minor? Or completely?” The look she gave me made me wince.
“I’m not a quitter Roderick.”
“I know. I wasn’t implying that you were!”
“Well I can’t. Dad is already paying for the classes. Plus…I don’t want to disappoint anyone. Mom is so happy that I’m triple-majoring…Dad is really happy because I went into science fields.” I thought about this. Mom and dad were both triple-majors in college. Mom had gone into Psychology, Philosophy, and English with a minor in German studies. Dad had gone into Mechanical Engineering, Philosophy, and Anatomy and Physiology with a minor in Physics. Both of my parents were super smart overachievers, and apparently some of that had been passed along to Mellanye.
Mellanye looked at me. “So what is your punishment?”
I looked back at her. “Six weeks of detention, helping out with the school play as a stupid stagehand…plus whatever dad decides to do.” Mellanye went pale.
“Dad is going to have your ass.”
“I know.”
“Are you scared?”
“DUH! Wouldn’t you be?”
Mellanye looked at me. “Well first-off, I wouldn’t be getting in trouble. What were you even in trouble FOR anyway?”
I mumbled something under my breath. “What?” Mel asked.
Sighing, I said, “I got caught smoking in the boys’ bathroom. Happy?”
“Oh boy…Dad is NOT going to like that. He’s been trying to beat it out of mom for months.”
“Really?”
Mel nodded. “Haven’t you heard the screaming at night?”
I looked at her as if to ask her if she honestly thought I was awake during the night. She shrugged. “Guess not.” I smirked. As dysfunctional as my family could get, I loved my sister. I heard a door close and I shook. I walked to the door and listened closely.
“Dusty? I’m home!” It was my dad. I groaned. I heard my mom talking.
“Hey Sean. You need to have a little talk with your son.”
“Vladymyr?”
“No. Roderick.”
“What’s he done this time? Honestly I’ve had a really hard day at work. This is the LAST thing I need. I had to fire four people today. I’ll be working double shifts. Is he the only one in trouble or has Autumn been having attitude problems again?”
“Nope, Autumn is fine. Roderick got caught smoking in the boys’ bathroom today. I got called to the office. We’ve already decided on a punishment – the principal and I – but I thought you might want to add something else.” Silence. Then it came.
“RODERICK BRANDYN KALLOW GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!” Shaking, I looked to Mellanye. She nodded and followed me out the now-open bedroom door. We walked into the living room. Mellanye sat on the couch and I stood shaking before my father. His brown eyes met mine and for a second I thought he was going to kill me. I looked at the floor, trying to hide tears of fear, waiting for hell to break loose.
“Dusty go get me a vodka will you?” My mom headed towards the kitchen. Soon it was me and Mel and my father. I looked to Mel for encouragement. She looked more frightened than I did. Dad looked at me, then sighed. “Roderick…perhaps you can explain to me why you were brought to the office today.” His demeanor was calmer than usual, but his glaring eyes had no remorse in them at all. I gulped.
“I…um…I…” I faltered.
“That’s not good enough Roderick!” my father yelled. I trembled. My mom came back in with a shot of vodka in her hand. She handed it to my father, who downed it in one gulp. Mom took it and filled it again, this time putting it on the table. She went back into the kitchen, but dad pulled her back in. “Who has dish duty this week?”
“Athena,” my mom replied.
My father looked at me. “Dishes for two weeks.” I wanted to groan, but knew better. I hated dish duty. With a family of eight, there was a ton of dishes every night. They took about two hours to do. My dad wasn’t done. “That isn’t all.” I looked up at him thinking over and over ‘Don’t drag me to the guardhouse. Anything but the guardhouse.’ At this point, Mellanye spoke up.
“Father?” Dad looked her way.
“Yes?”
“Perhaps this is enough punishment. He already has six weeks of detention and a job as a stagehand for the school play. Dishes will only keep him up later.”
Dad looked at Mellanye with a frown, knowing that she was right. And why wouldn’t she be? She was the logical one, after all. Dad looked back to me, a trembling mass wanting to sink through the floor. He shook his head. “Sorry Mellanye, but he needs to learn his lesson. Smoking is serious business. On top of everything that you have already had as punishment, no video games for a month. And,” he paused as if he was considering whether or not to punish me further. “Guardhouse, NOW.” At this point, I was shaking. I fell to my knees.
“Please, not the guardhouse. ANYTHING but the guardhouse. I’ve already been there twice this month. My back needs to heal. PLEASE.” I was nearly in tears. The guardhouse was a terrible place. I went there every once in a while for a large offense. It was only a small shed in the backyard, but it held every whipping implement I thought possible. I hated going in there – I always got whipped by a long, sharp razor wire hanging behind the door. Then, like my mom, I would get horny from the pain. Double punishment for the same offense.
My dad looked at me. “Nope, you’re going.” He pulled me up. “DUSTY!” he called. My mother made herself visible in the room. “Yes?” she asked.
“How many licks do you think he should get?”
My mother thought for a second, then took pity on me. “No more than ten Sean.” My father looked at her. She shrugged. “He isn’t like me where he doesn’t learn his lesson. I think anywhere from five to ten would be enough. If it were me that was in trouble…I’d say differently. Roderick, go out there and take it. I’ll have Athena get out her first aid kit to bandage you up when you come back in.” I looked at my mom. She was looking at me with regret. Then I remembered what Mellanye had said: mom endured this all the time. If she could, I could too. Of course, my mother loved pain – she lived for it. And dad would give it to her. He would catch her doing something wrong or too controlling for his liking. Then he would take her back and beat her. That’s how they met – and my mom and dad have done it ever since.
Reluctantly I followed my dad out to the guardhouse. He unlocked the door and I walked inside. I stripped out of my shirt. I knew the drill. My dad grabbed the razor wire from the door and I turned around, grabbing the ropes on the opposite wall. Once I had a good grip on them, I waited. The first blow came. Hard. I cried out louder than ever before. It stung my skin and I could feel the blood trickle down my back. Another blow, another cry. After five lashes, I felt nothing. I had gone numb. Well, not completely. My mind had gone back to the girl I was crushing on. I visualized her clearly in my head: Long black hair, piercing blue eyes, pale skin – she was flawless. I frowned she hated me…but she was so incredibly beautiful. Suddenly I felt horny. I groaned. This was awful. I barely felt the last of ten lashes from the wire, then let go of the ropes I had gripped. I grabbed my shirt and met my dad near the door. Through tears I said, “I’m sorry dad.” My dad looked at me. Wrapping his arms around me, I started crying. I could feel my dad’s smile.
“It’s okay son. I didn’t want to do that…but you have to learn from your mistakes and unfortunately the best way that you learn is through lashes.” I buried my head in his shoulder. My nose itched from his shoulder-length brown hair. Slowly we walked back to the house, my back still bleeding. It could have been worse. Then I realized something – regardless of how badly I ached, I was still going to have to put up with Athena and her alcohol. That was going to be almost unbearable. My sister always used lots of alcohol when tending to wounds. She would pour it on our wounds until we didn’t feel anymore burning simply because she believed that no burning equaled no germs. I shuddered. As we approached the side door, I heard my mother shout for Athena. I reached for the door handle, and once the door was opened, came face to face with my sister.

Chapter Two: Girl Trouble

Athena took my hand and led me to her room. She unlocked the door. Navy blue walls and blood red furniture greeted us. Athena ordered me to lay face-down on her bed. I did. Athena was the youngest of the triplets, but was still older than Vladymyr and Autumn (the twins) and Bree, who we adopted earlier in the year. Like mom, she had long black hair and green eyes. Smart and funny, she could cheer anyone up and make anyone feel better. She was the nurse of the family, there was no doubt about that. She was tending to me now, occasionally running her fingers through my brown and black hair to calm me down. I was still crying a little. I never liked crying in front of my parents or my siblings, but Athena I could trust never to tell. Being siblings we fought, but Athena and I were really close. We got each other, and could relate to everything that each other did.
“Now keep calm,” Athena said. “This will hurt a bit.” I groaned. Thanks, I thought. The alcohol hit my back. I cried out into a pillow. It stung like crazy. “You okay?” Athena asked, her eyes full of concern. I nodded, trying to keep back the continually falling tears. Another burst of alcohol. Athena looked at me, then took a towel and laid it across my back. It soaked up some of the excess alcohol and the rest of the blood that was seeping out. My back hurt worse than it had in the guardhouse. Athena paused. “I’ll be right back,” she said. She disappeared for a minute, then came back with a large bowl of mint chocolate ice cream. She handed it to me. “Eat.” I took the bowl and sat up slowly. My back burned. “How are you doing?” I shrugged.
“I’m in pain.” Athena giggled.
“That’s obvious big bro.”
“Then what did you go ask me for?”
“I don’t know. Just figured I’d ask.”
I looked down at my bowl of ice cream. The girl was back in my head. For a minute I was silent. Athena noticed. “Okay bro, spill.”
“Spill what?”
“Who is she?”
“Who is who?”
“The girl you’re thinking about right now.”
“Who said I was thinking about a girl?”
“Roderick…”
“Athene…” I could tell by the look on Athena’s face that she knew this was a touchy subject. I only called her Athene when I didn’t want to talk about something, which, lately, had been a lot.
“At least tell me what she’s like,” Athena pleaded, not dropping the subject. I sighed. Why did she have to know now?
“Fine. She’s…beautiful. She goes to my school – kind of a theatre geek, a math geek, and on the rifle team. She’s got long black hair and blue-green eyes…she’s an army brat. Now will you leave me alone?”
Athena chuckled. “Awww. Roddy’s got a crush!” I blushed.
“Shut it Athene.” I put the dish on the nightstand beside Athena’s bed and laid on my stomach again.
“Whatever Bro.” She poured more alcohol onto my back, making me jump up and around in pain.
“YIPE! What the hell was that for?”
“For being a jerk. Now lay still.”
“Grrr… Fine.” I laid down again on my stomach, wincing as she wiped up the alcohol. I whimpered, but eventually it was all gone. She started bandaging my back, and for a minute I thought the ointment she used stung worse than the alcohol.
When she was through, I went to my room. A knock sounded, and my mother appeared.
“How is your back?”
“Sore.”
“I know you’re mad at me…but…well you have right to be.”
She looked down. I looked at her. Her face was filled with remorse. “You stood up to dad?” I asked. She shook her head and smiled.
“No. I don’t dare go against your father.”
“You usually do,” I said with a smirk. She tickled me and I squealed. “Stop it!” She finally did. I loved my mom, and didn’t think I could ever stop.
“No, I didn’t. But if I do…” She shivered as her voice faded. She seemed to be thinking. I smirked again.
“He would totally thrash you.”
“Pretty much.”
“But you like pain.”
“And from what Athena tells me, you do too.” She sighed.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“In some ways…yes.”
“Why?”
“Well…loving pain was never something I was proud of, exactly.”
“Why? It’s cool! It’s like having a superpower!”
“It’s a lot more than that Roderick. It’s a bind. And if you are like me, pain comes with an extra penalty.” I looked at her and nodded. She smirked. “So you know what I mean, do you?” I nodded again.
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“What are you?”
“What do you mean?” She stroked my hair.
“Well…Mellanye keeps saying you…and dad…and…” I stopped. I didn’t know how to go on. Mom looked at me.
Smiling, she said, “She says your father beats me?”
“Pretty much.”
“She’s right.” My jaw dropped.
“Why haven’t you reported him?!”
My mom grinned. “Because I don’t want to.”
I looked at her strangely.
“I’m his slave – his bitch. I don’t care what he does to me. It’s always been that way. That’s how he and I met. You know this story. You know how he and I met. Well…sort of. You know the surface details.” I looked at her.
“Surface details?”
My mother paled and muttered something to herself. “Never mind that…come on, dinner’s on.”
I followed my mother out to the kitchen and painfully helped Bree set the table. Under her breath, Bree whispered, “You okay?”
I nodded.
Bree again. “I’ll help you with the dishes.”
“No. It’s my punishment and if dad catches you he’ll skin you too.”
“Like I care.”
I looked at her, and she looked at me. I was starting to consider it when dad came into the room. I shook my head no, and Bree shrugged. We finished setting the table and went out into the living room until dinner was cooked. I sat awkwardly at the dining room table – not wanting my back to touch the chair. I spooned some tomato soup into my mouth. I felt someone staring at me. I knew who it was but I looked up anyway. My eyes met Mellanye’s. She looked concerned. Our gaze separated and dinner was finished. I started the dishes reluctantly. The normally empty, spot-free marble countertop was now crowded with dishes. I groaned. This was going to take forever. Suddenly I felt as though I wasn’t alone. I knew who stood in the room with me.
“I know you’re here Mellanye.”
“You should. You and I have a somewhat special bond Roderick.”
“What do you need?”
“Nothing. I thought I’d keep you company. Either I can do that or I can bring you your iPod. Dishes suck. Music or talking helps them go by faster.”
“You always were the smart one.”
I could feel Mellanye’s smile. “You are too. You just don’t show it.” I shrugged. “So…Athena tells me you have a crush. Care to tell me about it?”
I got angry. “She what?!” I shrieked, raising my hands out of the sink, soaking the window curtains with soap suds.
Mellanye put her hands on my shoulders. “She didn’t tell me vocally Rod. I read it. She always acts a certain way when she is keeping a secret love.”
I relaxed a little.
“Tell me about her. What’s her name?”
“No.”
“I won’t tell a soul, Roderick. I would have thought that you would trust me by now, especially after your little building jump.”
I blushed. “Fine. Her name is Halyn.”
“That’s a pretty name. What’s she like?” I spent over an hour talking about her – what her interests were, what she looked like…that she ignored me completely.
“Well that explains why you are acting out. I knew it didn’t have to do with your father.”
“You could have said something.”
“Yeah…but I wouldn’t be a good sister if I did that now, would I?”
I sighed.
“What’s wrong? You have your first crush!”
“I see her tomorrow.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Not my idea of a good day considering I can’t even talk around her.”
“Well, try. Just start small. Say hi. Maybe something will happen.” I nodded.
I finished up the dishes, talking with Mellanye about school and homework until I was through. After that, I unlocked my door and disappeared into my room. I looked around. Black walls and a navy bed. Chocolate brown furniture. Messy. Black carpet. My own world. The walls were covered in band posters and movie posters galore. My bed and floor were covered in clothes I had been too lazy to put up. I quickly changed into a pair of boxer shorts and a t-shirt and fell asleep.

Chapter Three: Theatre Games

I woke up hurriedly the next morning. It was cold outside, but I slipped on a t-shirt anyway. I pulled on some jeans and then it hit me: Today was my first day in the theatre. The first day working with…her. I gulped. How was I going to do this? Pull it together, I thought to myself as I proceeded out into the hall to grab some breakfast before school. I grabbed my messenger bag, since my back was still sore, and yanked it off the hook in the living room. It was heavy with all of the notebooks inside of it. I checked to make sure I had some pencils and my history book inside of it, and my computer. It did, so I laid it on the couch alongside my jacket. I walked into the kitchen, to find the dishes put away. I stood bewildered for a moment then saw a flash of messy, black hair sneak into the pantry. I grinned.
I looked through the fridge. My lunch was all packed – a sandwich, some applesauce, and a juice box. On top of it was a note that said, “There is a snack on the counter for you for after detention.” I recognized the writing as Mellanye’s. Looking over at the counter, I saw a huge piece of cake with a fork, a banana, and a bottle of iced tea. I smiled. I packed everything into my lunchbox then hit the jackpot when I saw one last package of Poptarts on the table. I downed a glass of milk, opened the package of Poptarts and headed out into the living room. Remembering the little lifesaver in the pantry, I rounded the corner then said, “Thank you Bree.” I ran out the door and grabbed my skateboard. I reached the school in about ten minutes. I was about to enter the school yard when I saw her. She was wearing long, skinny black jeans with a black top and black combat boots. Her long, black haired was being blown by the wind. She looked like a goddess. All of a sudden, SPLAT! I ran my skateboard into a tree, smacking my head on the ground. I got up and dusted myself off. Luckily nothing was torn. I remembered my Poptarts and took them out of my pocket. They weren’t broken either, though now, one was cracked and the blueberry filling was coming out of the top of the icing just a little. I popped a piece into my mouth and walked into the school. I remembered what Mellanye had told me the night before. “Start small. Just say hi. See how it goes.” I decided that I would say hi eventually, but not now. I walked to my locker and stuffed my skateboard in. I snatched my Algebra 2 book and rushed off to class, getting there right as the teacher was locking the door. He let me in, thankfully, and I took my seat next to Jake and Drake, my two best friends – twins. They were both tall, had deep brown eyes, and short blonde hair. Jake had dyed his hair black, but they still looked the same. One was a class clown, and one was a ladies’ man. Either way they were my friends, and they knew all about Halyn.
Class started, and I tried my best to concentrate. I couldn’t though. I kept thinking about her. Class finally got out, and as we were packing up to leave, the teacher said, “Oh, class, I meant to tell you. Today is the first day for theatre tryouts. The play this semester is Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, a wonderful tragedy telling the story of love and death. Our very own Miss Halyn Lenore Morgenstern is in the school play, so if you have questions be sure to talk with her. Be sure to sign up. The sign-up sheet is in the hall, isn’t it Halyn?” The girl nodded shyly, and I went pale. I had no clue she was in my class. I couldn’t believe it. Who knows what she had heard. The twins were always kidding me about liking her. I groaned. I thought I was going to throw up. Class was dismissed, and I ran out of the classroom, Drake and Jake at my heels.
“Roderick what’s wrong?” Drake asked.
“Oh come on, dipshit,” Jake said to his brother, “you know full well what’s wrong. Halyn is in that class.”
“OH. And don’t call me dipshit.”
“I’m older, I’ll call you what I like.”
“That’s not the only problem guys.” They looked at me. “I have been shanghaied into working as a stagehand as punishment for my little smoking incident. I’ll be seeing her a lot.” I slid down to the ground, my sore back grinding against the locker door. I suddenly felt nauseous. “What am I going to do?” I cried, putting my head in my hands. They grabbed me by my shoulders and hoisted me up.
“Don’t go all sappy on us. Everything will be fine. You just have to get her attention.” Drake paused then said, “Besides, we can help you. Just act out at the theatre tonight. The more you annoy her, the more she’ll fight back.”


I got through the rest of my day then went to detention. There the torture continued. Halyn was the detention monitor, and I was the only “bad egg” in the room. I studied her closely. Her nose was stuck in a book, though she would look at the clock above my head what seemed to be every fifteen minutes. Finally, she got up to leave.
“Does this mean detention is over?” I asked shyly. I stopped. I had asked her a question! She nodded to me and left. I walked down the hall to my locker and grabbed the extra books that I would need to finish my homework this weekend. I then ran to the theatre, somewhat excited at seeing Halyn again. I was ten minutes late, and Principle Blackthorne was not happy.
“You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago, Kallow,” she said with a frown on her pretty face. She sighed. I didn’t apologize. “Start working on the set. I will show you the controls tomorrow. For now you need to start painting.”
“Wait…tomorrow?”
She smirked. “You didn’t think that this job was something that only occurred during the week did you? No…we work every day except Sunday. Better get used to coming here every day…You’ll have to be here by ten tomorrow morning. If you don’t want to spend your full Saturday here at school, I’d suggest you start painting.” She handed me a paint brush and a can of brown paint. “Start with that tree.”
Sighing, I took the brush and stuck it in the can of paint. I drew it upon the tree slowly, then stroked again. Suddenly I heard, “Romeo! Juliet! We need to rehearse the balcony scene! Take your positions!” I saw a boy with short black hair proceed to the stage, the beautiful Halyn at his feet. She wore a robe of passion red, a gown of royal blue. She was beautiful. He was, in a girl’s eyes, cute I suppose. He was dressed in a puffy shirt with a ruffle at the neck. He wore brown tights, which I found hard not to laugh at. Then I remembered something when I had read this play for English – Romeo and Juliet kiss in the balcony scene. Jealousy shot through me. I wanted that kiss more than anything. “I would give myself six more months of detention just for my lips to touch hers,” I thought to myself as I watched her climb the steps to the balcony. Just then, Drake’s words rang through my skull. “Just act out at the theatre tonight. The more you annoy her, the more she’ll fight back.” I grinned. He was right. Now I knew what I had to do. I continued painting, pretending not to notice what was going on. Romeo was climbing the ladder. Now was my chance. Dropping my brush, I ran headlong into the ladder, knocking Romeo to the ground. I rolled off of the stage, in agonizing pain, as I had landed on my back. I groaned and passed out. I woke up to find both Principal Blackthorne and Halyn leaning over me. Principal Blackthorne didn’t look pleased, neither did Halyn. Halyn looked more concerned than unhappy, however, and that made me feel a bit better. I got up uneasily, holding my hand to my head.
“What happened Mr. Kallow?” Principal Blackthorne asked. I thought up a story quickly.
“I thought I saw the ladder falling, Ma’am,” I said with a smile of reluctance. “I wanted to stop it. I ran too far and fell off the stage. I’m sorry.” Principle Blackthorne looked at me with concern.
“Well then. Perhaps a bit more sleep will do you some good. Halyn, what is the damage to Romeo?”
It was at that moment that I heard Halyn speak for the first time. Her voice was quiet, and somewhat shaky, but she sounded intelligent. “Romeo is hurt, Principal.” I stood there in shock. Her voice was like a melodious tune that I never wanted to leave my ears. “Damn,” I thought, “she is way out of my league. Come on, speak again.” Principal Blackthorne thought for a moment. “Well we need a new Romeo.” She looked at me. I turned pale.
“No…don’t put me in the play…please…” I thought to myself. Principal Blackthorne smiled.
“Why Roderick…I think you would make a wonderful Romeo…Tell me, what is your clothing size?” I gulped.
She brought the costume to me and told me to change. I took the costume reluctantly and changed. I looked ridiculous. Halyn, since the first time I had seen her, was hiding a very shy smile that had appeared on her lips. Then it hit me: I was Romeo! I would be kissing her! I blushed as I thought of this. I walked out on stage, looking and smiling like a complete idiot. I smiled a little at Halyn, who in turn glared at me. I looked away quickly. A script fell into my hands.
“Make sure you know these lines backwards and forwards Mr. Kallow,” Principle Blackthorne said. “Miss Morgenstern will help you.” At this, Halyn’s head popped up and the expression said it all: “You have GOT to be kidding me.”
Instead of making a fuss, she nodded. “I will,” she said.
The principal spoke. “You may go now Mr. Kallow. You will need to learn some of your lines by Monday. Be prepared to spend a lot of time here, for now you will not only help with props and costume design, but also have a lead part in this play. I will make a call to your mother and let her know that you are planning to spend most of your free time at the theatre.”
I said nothing but nodded. I changed back into my regular clothes and, with a new costume and a four-hundred page script in hand, walked home. I walked through the door at seven o’clock. Once inside, Mellanye met me at the door.
“How did it go?” I grinned.
“I’m Romeo!”
“WHAT?”
“I…got jealous in the balcony scene. I’m Romeo now – look!” Grinning stupidly, I pulled out the script and costume. Mellanye’s jaw dropped.
“Wow Roderick. I didn’t think that you would be excited to be in the school-“ It hit her. “There is a catch, isn’t there?” I nodded. “Tell me.”
“She gets to help me learn my lines! And get this: she’s the detention monitor!” Mellanye grinned.
Chuckling she said, “Come on. I have dinner waiting for you. You must be starving.” I followed her into the kitchen. On the table was a large glass of milk and a plate of steak and a baked potato. I grabbed a fork and sat down. While I ate, Mellanye asked me questions about the play and about how I got the role. I related the whole story to her. After I ate, I started the dishes. I was so tired that I accidentally cut myself on a fork, and Mellanye had to get the first aid kit. By the time I finished the dishes, it was nine o’clock. I still had homework to do. I asked Mellanye if she wouldn’t mind helping me finish, as I had a lot to do, including a four page paper on Alexander Hamilton for history, sixty pages of English, a new song for my piano class (which I took on Mondays as an extra-curricular activity), and a beaker experiment for science. I also had a mural to paint, as I was in art class. And now, on top of all of that, I had a four hundred page script to memorize for the school play. Mellanye gladly stayed up with me. We worked until two in the morning, and after that I remembered nothing more.
I woke up the next morning in my own bed. My room had been cleaned. My books and clothes were set out, including my costume and script for the play. My alarm was going off an hour before I had to be at school. I got dressed and for once, made my bed. Grabbing my costume and my bag, I walked out into the hall. Something smelled delicious. I walked into the kitchen to find Athena cooking pancakes and bacon. Vladymyr, Bree, and a very tired-looking Mellanye sat at the table. They smiled upon seeing me, but stayed quiet. Athena came over and hugged me tightly.
“Morning!” she said happily. “Hope you are hungry.” I nodded and sat down after Athena broke the hug.
I ate quickly, then said, “I have to get to school. Be back later.”
Mellanye ran after me and said, “Here, I have to go to work anyway. I’ll drive you.” I nodded and put on my jacket. I grabbed my lunchbox, which Athena had already packed for me, costume, the play script, and messenger bag then followed Mellanye out the door. A navy blue Mercedes sat parked in the driveway. I climbed in after setting my things gently in the back. I looked at the clock. It was ten until ten.
“Mellanye, can you make it quick? I don’t want to be late.”
Mellanye looked at me in shock. “I never thought I’d hear you say for me to make sure you were at school on time.”
“This is different. This is for Halyn.”
She nodded and drove me to school. I sat there, thinking of her. The beautiful black hair, the stunning blue-green eyes, the melodious voice. Nothing I could do could keep her off my mind. Every song I heard on the way to school reminded me of her: You and I by Anarbor, All Around Me by Flyleaf, Little Wonders by Rob Thomas, Reason by Hoobastank. I arrived at school finally and, gently grabbing my things from her car, said goodbye to Mellanye. She offered to pick me up but I had other plans. Mellanye grinned and rolled her eyes, but wished me luck and drove off. I walked up to the theatre and burst through the door. Principal Blackthorne looked shocked. I plopped my stuff in a chair, grabbed my costume and script and said eagerly, “I’ll be right back!” I rushed to the dressing rooms and put on my costume. I walked back out onto the stage, then flung my regular clothes into a chair and opened my script. I looked at the principal.
“What is my first duty today?”
“Wow…Roderick I didn’t think you would be so enthusiastic about this play let alone show up on time…Miss Morgenstern is over there – she’ll tell you what to do.” I nodded and walked nervously over to Halyn. She looked up.
“Principal Blackthorne said that you would tell me what my first duty for the day was?” I asked shyly. She nodded and handed me a list. I looked it over. Written in her neat scroll, were these tasks:

To Do List:
1. Paint Tree Leaves
2. Polish Juliet's Shoes for Balcony Scene
3. Rebuild Balcony Ladder
4. Learn Controls for Lighting
5. Help Hang Curtains
6. Re-enact Capulet/Montague Meeting Scene
7. Sweep Stage
8. Arrange Lights

I smiled. The hardest tasks were these in my hand right now. I switched into my old clothes again and took off to paint the tree leaves, occasionally bugging Halyn with color choice. I vowed to that day that I would take that list home with me and tape it to my wall with my best posters. Perhaps I could get a photo of her from one of the photographers. I was through with the tree leaves around one o’clock or so, and so I stopped to eat. I pulled out a ham and cheese bagel and an apple. I ate fast, packed up my trash, and went back to work. I consulted the list. I had to polish Juliet’s shoes for the balcony scene. Normally this was one of the lowliest tasks in the theatre, but considering that Juliet was being played by Halyn herself, I took on the task with pride and content. I spotted the shoes hanging up backstage, and I took them down. I grabbed a cloth and some polish then sat down. I started scrubbing, humming a song I had heard on the radio earlier – Boulevard of Broken Dreams. After a while, I saw Halyn enter, but kept humming, staying focused on my work. She stopped for a second, the royal blue gown swishing around her ankles.
Shyly she said, “You…you know Green Day?” I spun around.
“Mmhmm,” I said, trying not to smile. “It’s one of my favorite songs by Green Day.”
Halyn smiled a little. “Oh. Well, carry on.”
“Actually, I just finished your shoes for the balcony scene. Time to rebuild that ladder.” I hung the shoes back up, put away the polish and scrubber, then grabbed a hammer and a carton of nails. I walked over to the ladder and laid it down gently. I started hammering fresh wood into the rails and on one occasion lost my precision. I had been looking at her when suddenly I felt a huge pain in my finger. I frowned. I had to pay attention otherwise I would hammer my fingers off. By the time I finished the ladder, it was close to three o’clock. What else did I have left? I consulted the list again. “Learn the controls for lighting,” I said aloud to myself. “Sounds easy enough. Principal Blackthorne could I have your assistance please?” She came over.
“What seems to be the problem Mr. Kallow?”
“Oh, nothing is the problem, but my next task is to learn the lighting controls. I was wondering if there was a booklet or something?”
“Oh, yes. Come with me. I will show you.”
It took a while, but finally I had memorized the controls well enough to follow commands by the other members of the stage crew. After this was done I climbed a ladder and started hanging curtains. Principal Blackthorne had never been happier.
“I can’t believe your work ethic, Mr. Kallow,” she said, smiling.
“Don’t praise me, Ma’am,” I said. “I got this from my parents. They deserve all the credit.” It was four o’clock. I didn’t have a lot of time left. My pocket vibrated, so I climbed down the ladder and answered my phone. It was Mellanye, asking how much longer I would be and how things were going.
“Things are going well,” I told her. “I have spoken to her, Mel. I’m making baby steps at least. I should be home by seven. Do you…” I paused. “Do you mind if I have someone over for dinner?” I could feel her smile on the other end of the line. Once I got the okay, I decided that now would be as good a time as any to ask Halyn over. I approached her.
“Yes?” she said, looking me over. I was covered in sweat and dirt.
“Um…well we still have to go over some of my lines. I was wondering if you would like to come over tonight so we could practice. My family will be cooking dinner, and you haven’t really eaten much today…” My voice faded. She smiled shyly.
“Sure. We don’t have much left to do today, but you still have three things to do on that list of yours. Go change. We’ll rehearse the meeting scene.”
I nodded happily and went to change. I only had 15 lines, 4 of them being stanzas, in the first scene, but it still took me two hours to perform the scene accurately. By the end of the scene, my head hurt, and I realized how tired I was. I looked at the list. I still had to sweep the stage and re-arrange the lights for the balcony scene. The sweeping only took ten minutes, but the lights took about half an hour. I fixed the last light then fell flat on my back tiredly. I winced. My back hurt. I ran to the changing rooms and showered quickly then got dressed. I didn’t see Halyn anywhere. My heart sank.
Then I felt a tap on my shoulder. Halyn had changed and she looked beautiful, even in a t-shirt and jeans. I blushed as I looked her over. I smiled. “Ready to go?” She nodded shyly. We gathered our things and left the theatre, heading for my house. When we approached the door, I noticed that both of my parents were home, along with all of my siblings. I groaned, and Halyn noticed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…just…I have a weird family. Just saying.”
Halyn shrugged and looked away. Suddenly the door opened, and Mellanye stood there, waiting for us.

Chapter 4: Awkward Meeting: the Feminine Revolt!

“Come on in,” Mellanye said with a wry smile. Halyn followed me in and I looked at Mel.
“Don’t make a fool of me,” I mumbled to Mel as I crossed the threshold.
“It’s not me you have to worry about,” she muttered back.
We entered the dining room, where Athena was laying out bowls of pork spaghetti. She saw me and I groaned. Halyn walked in behind me, her wide eyes looking over the house. We sat down.
“Rod, who’s your friend?” Athena said smugly. I glared at her as if to say ‘watch it’.
“This is Halyn. She is in the theatre club. Halyn, this is my older sister Mellanye and my younger sister Athena.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said shyly.
Athena, being bubbly as she usually is, came over and gave her a huge bear hug. “Welcome! Have a seat, have some food!” With the smile on her face, Athena looked like one of those cute anime figures in the cartoons. She reminded me of Little Italy in my favorite anime series Hetalia – cute, somewhat innocent, and loving to all. Halyn gave her a small hug back then sat down. I sat down beside her, and the girls sat across from us.
“So Halyn,” Mellanye began as I cringed, “what did our brother drag you here for?” Halyn smiled a very shy smile and looked at me. I could tell she was scared.
“She’s here to help me learn my lines for the school play. She’ll be spending a lot of time here.” Halyn looked across the room suspiciously. I followed her gaze; so did the girls. A boy the age of sixteen stood by the counter. He had black hair, with a bright purple stripe running through it. The hair reached his shoulders. His eyes were a brilliant green, much like my mothers. He wore chained jeans, an old band t that dad had supposedly gotten rid of a year ago, and a spiked collar with a padlock in the back. He reminded me of mom – everything he wore and just his mannerisms were exact replicas of hers. He looked at all of us, then went back to filling his bowl with food.
“Awww is my little brother hungry?” a hyper Athena asked. Vladymyr stopped in his tracks. He opened his mouth to speak but upon seeing Halyn, closed it again. Before he knew what was happening, Athena was speeding towards him, her arms opened in a hug. Within minutes, Vladymyr was laying on the floor, groaning from both humiliation and pain. He got back up and, as was custom, Athena patted his head and gave him a chocolate bar. He left. Athena came back over and sat down.
Halyn looked at me. “Vladymyr is really shy. Kind of like you – he doesn’t come out of his room much.” She nodded, satisfied with the answer.
Athena beamed. “He’s my favorite little brother!”
I could imagine Vladymyr blushing and grinned. “So the whole family is here,” I said nervously. Mellanye nodded.
“Well you have met 4 of the clan…wait until you meet the parents, Bree, and Autumn.” Suddenly there was a big “EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW” that rang from the table.
“Who’s Autumn?” Halyn asked shyly.
Athena spoke up. Her voice was spiteful. “Our bitch of a sister. She thinks she’s the best thing since sliced bread. More like the best thing since the bottom of Floppy’s butt, if you ask me.”
“Floppy?”
“Athena’s dog,” I explained. She nodded. “Floppy!” I called out. Suddenly a chubby brown dachshund came waddling into the dining room. “Hey boy.” I picked him up. “His name is really Shultz but we call him Floppy.”
“Awww he’s cute,” Halyn remarked as the dog looked at her, a stoned expression on its face. I chuckled and put the dog back down on the floor by my chair, where he crashed and fell over on his side.
Silence, then: “So what is Bree like?”
Mellanye grinned. “Imagine Athena here…and you have Bree. She’s our adopted sister.”
Athena nodded. “Yeah. Rough times at home…you’d think they would have treated her better.” Everyone nodded simultaneously. Suddenly she came in through the dining room door, a bowl of food in her hands. Her black hair was mussed – it looked like she had just now woken up. She wore a pair of black shorts, some fuzzy blue slippers, and a tank top that said “Argh, here there be pirates”.
“Hey Bree. This is Halyn.”
Bree looked over sleepily and sat down. “Hi. I need coffee.” Her brown eyes were pale and sunken. Athena ran into the kitchen to get her some.
“Good dreams again sis?” Mellanye asked. Bree shot her a glare.
“Mellanye!” she whined. “Not in front of Roderick.” Athena returned with the coffee.
“Look out,” I whispered to Halyn. “She gets crazy off caffeine.” And indeed she did. Athena took the coffee away from her.
“No more coffee for you.”
Bree got up as Athena walked back into the kitchen to put the mug on the counter. “But Athena…” she began.
Mellanye grinned and took a bite her pasta. “Looks like you are going to get a show today.” Halyn looked at her quizzically.
All of a sudden, from the kitchen: “STOP TOUCHING MY ASS!” Sounds came from the kitchen.
“THEN DON’T GRAB MY BOOB!”
Mellanye and I looked at each other. “Here we go again.”
I heard a pot fall to the floor, then screams from both girls.
“Knocked the food off the stove, I’d be willing to bet,” Mellanye said.
“I told you my family was crazy,” I said to Halyn. She only grinned. Mellanye cut in.
“Oh God wait until you meet mom and dad…”
Suddenly dad walked in. I groaned. He was shirtless, with a sting slapper. Halyn took full interest.
“A sting slapper? Those are hard to come by.” The room stopped. All eyes were fixed on Halyn. Dad smiled.
“You must be the Halyn we’ve heard so much about. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too Mr. Kallow.”
Suddenly Autumn came in. “Great, another freak,” she said, noticing Halyn’s attire. I groaned. “Halyn, this is Autumn…my other sister.” Autumn turned to face Halyn, her brown hair falling in her green eyes and her pink attire clinging tightly to her small body.
Halyn tried to be polite. “Hi Autumn. Nice to meet you.” Wincing, she said, “I like your skirt.” Autumn rolled her eyes.
“You don’t have to fucking pretend that you like anything I am wearing you freakish bitch,” Autumn said smugly. I looked at her with disdain and was about to cuss her out when dad spoke for me.
“Watch your mouth Autumn Thorne Kallow, or so help me you won’t be able to sit down for a month.” She shrugged.
“Whatever dad.”
She walked out of the room, a banana and a glass of orange juice in her hand.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with that one,” my dad said as he grabbed a bowl of pasta. I looked around. Someone was missing. I looked at dad, who was muttering something about having a vegan in the house.
“Where’s mom?” Dad blushed. Suddenly a swirl of black hair enveloped my shoulders.
“Hey Roderick. Is this Halyn?” My mom had a fresh cut on her cheek.
“Yeah. Um…mom?” I pointed to my cheek. She reached her hand up to her cheek and pulled it back. Red stained her fingertips. She blushed and ran to the bathroom. I grinned. Halyn blushed. “Why are you blushing?”
“No reason,” she said shyly, looking down at her bowl. She took a bite of pasta. “This is really good Athena.”
Athena beamed. “Thanks! It’s my own recipe but Vladdy gave me the idea.”
“Wow. Cool.” Mom came back in and grabbed a bowl of pasta.
“So Halyn, you are in theatre?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Well I appreciate you helping my son learn his lines.”
“It’s no problem Mrs. Kallow.”
Suddenly Bree called out from the other room. Athena took her bowl, excused herself from the table, and went into the living room. Suddenly dishes were everywhere and noise was increasing. We went to see what was going on. Bree and Athena were on top of Autumn, tackling and pinning her to the ground.
“GET OFF OF ME!” Autumn was yelling.
“NOT UNTIL YOU APOLOGIZE!” Bree yelled back.
The two wrestled together, Athena pulling hair from behind them. I came up to the front to watch.
“Your mother and I are going back to our room…break this up.” My dad left dragging my mother behind him. I grinned and looked on. “I really should break this up…but it feels SO right.” Suddenly all three girls stopped fighting.
“EWWWWWWWWWWWW!” Athena and Bree said at once. Autumn got up.
“For once I agree with them.” She went into her room. Then the other girls attacked me. In an instant I was sprawled on the ground with two eighteen year old girls pinning me down.
“I kind of like this!”
“EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW” They whacked me repeatedly, until Halyn was in convulsions from laughing.
“Kinky,” she said, still laughing. I looked at her oddly.
“Kinky huh? What do you know about kink?” She blushed.
“Uh…”
“Sit down and tell us what you know.” I forced her into a chair and waited for a response. When it finally came, the whole family launched into a discussion we NEVER thought we’d have – the most awkward moments of our lives.