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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Mar 31, 2018 23:51:14 GMT -6
A Tale of Two Siblings:
(Part 1)
15-year old Isabella Thomas lounged herself on the leather couch of her living room in suburban America, having returned home from school after a long day. Sporting long black hair and blue eyes, her clothing consisted of a shoulderless black shirt with the Wiccan symbol of the Triqueta on the front, a short black leather skirt, Victorian fishnet tights and thick black boots. Reddish black lipstick, with dark eyeshadow and eyeliner around her blue eyes, rounded off a very gothic look.
Around her neck was a pendant of a pentagram, complete with a purple gem in it's centre. Next to her feet, was a mysterious book and a notepad with a pen laying in it's centre. Her pastimes revolved around fantasy novels and films, the supernatural, poetry, mythology, and witchcraft.
"No.... That's not it." Bella muttered, trying to memorise an incantation on her notepad. Despite her stark choice in clothing, she was a very bright young teenager. Her intelligence and alternative look usually made her a target for bullies; specifically the cheerleaders.
Her left hand grasped the remote control, powering up the television as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey played. Anything with fantasy-style scenery, dwarfs, trolls and other mystical beasts always kept her quiet.
The front door opened, then closed, revealing her step-brother, Ryan Swift. At 17 years old, he was the oldest of the two. The ensuing 5 years had been tough for him; a messy divorce between his parents took its toll on his young life. Both sides failed to reach a settlement on joint custody of their son. With no other option, his parents decided to send him to live with relatives across the Atlantic. Bottled up with sarcasm and guilt, Ryan nevertheless tried to adapt himself to his new surroundings as the years went by.
Unlike his step-sister, Ryan was the complete opposite. A rebellious attitude, a penchant for all things classic sci-fi and horror movies, heavy metal - particularly the sub-genres of thrash and death metal - and a healthy disdain for authority regularly made him and Bella argue. Though not a bad person, Ryan took unbridled delight in winding Bella up, just for the fun of it.
Ryan wore a leather jacket, a Slayer t-shirt and jeans, with short black hair and green eyes. Kicking off his boots, he breezed down the hallway without even saying hello to his step-mother preparing dinner in the kitchen.
Bella, oblivious to her stepbrother's presence, continued to be engrossed in her fantasy world. Ryan simply walked over and changed the channel to one of his personal favourite film, Aliens.
"Hey! I was watching that!" Bella declared.
"Yeah? And now you're watching this." Ryan smirked back, taking his seat on the sofa, relaxing with his hands behind his head like he was on a first class flight.
"Change it back!" The young teenage goth angrily ordered.
"Uh-huh, Nope, nope, nope, nope, don't want to." Ryan trolled in a goofy voice, testing the young witch-in training's patience.
"MOM!" Bella yelled, glaring daggers at her brother.
Anna Thomas appeared from the kitchen, dressed in her white doctor's overcoat and a black pencil-thin skirt. She was in her late thirties, with short shoulder length black hair and brown eyes. Selfless, kind, and at times strict, she juggled her job as a doctor at the local hospital in synchronicity with her role as a single mother, raising her daughter following a divorce of her own.
"What's the problem?" Anna asked.
"Don't look now, Anna, but the teenage witch has gone crazy again." Ryan joked, still not making eye contact.
"He started it! I was just minding my own business!" Bella retorted.
"That's right, you're always blaming me." Ryan sarcastically sniped. "And your mother wonders why we fight."
"Jerk." Bella hissed, folding her arms.
"I know you are, but what am I?" Ryan immaturely bit back, pointing to his head with a victorious grin.
"Okay, okay." Anna sighed, knowing she had to stop their petty squabbling. She turned the channel over to a popular talk show. "You'll watch this quietly, or you'll go to your rooms until dinner is ready."
"Jawohl." Ryan affirmatively spoke.
"I don't care." Bella sulked.
Anna returned to the kitchen, hoping that there would no further squabbles between her daughter and step-son. Ryan, however, just couldn't resist winding Bella up further. He sidled close to the young half witch.
"The queen's gonna get ya. She's gonna get ya!" Ryan taunted, referring to the Xenomorph queen from Aliens and making his hands resemble claws.
"MOM!" Bella yelled again.
"Just kidding, just kidding! Yeesh, Bella, lighten up." Ryan joked, gaining another small, yet insignificant victory over his step-sister. Anything to cheer him up after his detention. Bella always came off second best when it came to a slanging match of insults, so she continued to scowl at her brother and refrain from speaking.
(End of part 1)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Mar 31, 2018 23:52:22 GMT -6
(Part 2)
The popular talk show that Anna had switched over to was Dr. Phil, a renowned host across America. Ryan and Bella were never interested in this sort of programme, but today's instalment displayed a very interesting topic.
"Sibling rivalry. How it can affect your family."
Bella resorted to fiddling around on her iPhone, expressing huge disinterest in the topic. Ryan merely rolled his eyes at how patronising the programme was, sharing the same mutual feeling.
"How can he sit there and be so patronising?" Ryan asked, shaking his head. "As if he would know what he's talking about."
Bella said nothing, her gloomy mood manifesting in her rude manner of texting and sending out random tweets on her iPhone, as well as flipping through her spell book. The black cover on her phone had a Lost Boys logo on the back, another one of her favourite films.
As the TV topic continued, Ryan got an idea; with a delightful smirk, he couldn't resist another attempt at winding her up. Bella's quiet manner only served to make her that more of a target of his elaborate taunts.
"She's gonna get ya!" Ryan taunted again, his sudden tone of voice making Bella jump and nearly drop her spell book.
"Knock it off! I'll tell mom on you." Bella threatened, slightly annoyed at her brother's childish manner.
"Really?" Ryan dryly insinuated, trying to suss out his step-sister.
"I...I mean it!" Bella nervously spoke, trying to think of a decent comeback.
Ryan rolled his eyes and backed down. "Whatever you say, half-pint." He joked, taking a pot shot at his step-sister's height. This was enough to push Bella over the edge. In a huff, she grabbed her spell-book and iPhone and stormed off upstairs to her room, giving her brother the freedom of the television set.
With a victorious smirk, he changed the channel back to Aliens. Another small victory for him. Little did his step-mother and step-sister know was that he was using this facade as a cover to hide his deep-rooted insecurities.
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2 hours later, Ryan joined Anna and Bella at the table for dinner. Tonight's meal was spaghetti bolognese; a specialty that Anna took great pride in preparing. Bella had sufficiently calmed down, and was now sporting her long black hair in pigtails. She sat to the left of her mother, while Ryan sat opposite with his leather jacket slung over the chair behind him.
"So, Bella. How was school today?" Anna asked kindly.
"It was okay, I guess." Bella exclaimed, brushing a strand of dark hair out of her eyes while cutting into her meal. "And the cheerleaders still don't like me."
"You'll always be different from them. Sometimes you shouldn't let the criticism bother you." Anna reminded, her tone of voice kind and caring.
"Don't you think I don't let it bother me?" Bella asked, exasperated. "Anyway, I managed to get an Aon my English test."
"Whoopee." Ryan muttered silently under his breath, picking at his food like a jackal. This caused Bella to look up and glare at her step-brother. He didn't respond, continuing to twirl his fork around his plate.
"That's good to hear, sweetheart. I'm so proud of how grown into a smart young woman." Anna smiled, full of praise for her daughter. She then turned to look at Ryan, who was still unenthusiastically poking his spaghetti. Her general comments made him bristle inside with anger, eating away at the very pit of his stomach and suppressing every ounce of the decent teenager that lived inside his soul.
"How about you, Ryan? How was your day?" Anna kindly asked.
Ryan didn't respond, still staying silent and full of simmering internal rage. It was either the silent treatment or the truth.
(End of part 2)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Mar 31, 2018 23:55:27 GMT -6
(Part 3)
An uncomfortable silence fell over the dinner table. Ryan didn't say a word, his inner conflict of anger, rage and cynicism bubbling up beneath the surface. He continued to spin his fork around lines of spaghetti, which began to annoy Bella.
"Mom's talking to you. Say something." Bella chimed in, silenced by a look from Anna. She immediately backed down and returned to her meal.
"Ryan, please. You've barely touched your food." Anna spoke, slightly worried about her step-son's vow of silence.
Finally, he spoke. "It was fine." He spoke calmly, finally acknowledging Anna question. His tone of voice was accompanied by a distant rumble of thunder from outside, signalling the onset of an incoming storm.
"You came home half an hour before Bella. Is something wrong?" Anna asked again.
"I told you. It was fine!" Ryan snapped, his dark blue eyes burning with anger. Outside, large grey clouds began to swamp the early evening skies.
Anna could tell that Ryan wasn't being entirely honest. Her role as a doctor and occasional psychiatrist knew that his mask of lies was slipping away. Instead of raising her voice, she regarded him with a very stern look.
"Okay, okay. I..... got detention." Ryan grumbled, swallowing his own selfish pride as the truth emerged.
"Again? That's the fifth time this week." Bella exasperatedly sighed
Anna rubbed her left temple, sensing another argument brewing. "We've been over this countless times, Ryan. How can you expect to graduate if you keep on starting fights in school?" She asked, trying to keep the peace.
"Bradley's a d***. He's been riding me ever since I arrived." Ryan huffed, trying to defend his actions. "He deserved it. Any excuse to punch his smug face."
"Violence isn't the answer. I can understand why you stand up for others, but there are consequences in this life and you have to face them." Anna lectured, her advice barely registering with the disinterested teenager.
"So I just walk away whenever Bradley provokes me and let him win?" Ryan asked, impaling his fork in the centre of his spaghetti bolognese. "Justice is blind."
"Always with the fights. Always with the special attention because of your abandonment issues." Bella droned, her voice making Ryan angrily glare daggers directly at her.
"Don't push me, half-pint." Ryan warned.
"At least I don't get my hands dirty. You should be listening to me." Bella spoke, the barely palpable tension at breaking point. Anna braced herself for the worst.
"You have your nose stuck in a spell book. I don't expect you to listen to me ANYWAY!" Ryan hissed, slamming one fist on the table. He rose from his chair, grabbed his leather jacket, and stormed out of the kitchen
"Ryan, don't take it personally." Anna pleaded, her words falling on deaf ears.
"Forget it! Have fun being miserable with the golden child." He called out, placing his boots over his feet.
Anna looked to her teenage goth daughter, who was feigning innocence with a mouthful of spaghetti bolognese. Bella shrugged her shoulders, as if denying her provocative words that enraged her step-brother.
"What?" Bella asked moodily.
"I think you leave no room to compromise." Anna lectured, hearing the front door slam as Ryan left the house to calm down.
"How can you compromise with that?" Bella asked, gesturing to her departed sibling with her fork.
"You know what he's been through. These last 5 years have taken their toll on him. And it doesn't help when you squabble with him all the time." Anna replied, feeling as if she was fighting a losing battle.
"Why should he be treated differently?" Bella snapped back. "He's not part of this family. It's not my fault his mother had a drink problem."
"Bella, stop." Anna stated, warning her daughter to refrain from going too far with her words. "Your step-brother is part of this family, whether you like it or not."
With a heavy sigh, Anna could only turn and look out the kitchen window. A flash of lightning accompanied a rumble of thunder, her mind wondering how a single mother like her could ever attempt to make peace between her squabbling children. She could only pray that Ryan returns home safely, given his current hair-trigger temper
(End of part 3)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Apr 1, 2018 0:00:38 GMT -6
(Part 4)
A bus pulled into a nearby bus stop and its doors opened with a hiss. Ryan stepped off, glancing left and right until his eyes settled on a nearby fast food restaurant. It's neon sign flashed in the evening rain, an obvious signal for him to sate his hunger pangs after rejecting a meal made out of pure kindness.
"Screw it, I'm hungry." He muttered, ignoring the falling rain as he trudged down the pavement and towards the diner. A sly grin crossed his face as his fingers touched a handful of dollar notes in his jacket pocket; which he had pocketed from one of Bobby's jock friends named Trent. After serving his detention, Ryan let off steam by breaking his victim's nose on his way home.
"Thanks for the money, Trent, you wanker." Ryan smugly spoke to himself, pride overruling his every human emotion as he stepped into the fast food establishment.
5 minutes later, he sat at a table nearest to a window. He had ordered at least two quarter pounder with cheese meals, 2 large fries and 2 chocolate milkshakes, the sound of the rain rattling on the window outside his only comfort. Discarded wrappers and an empty paper drink carton lay on the first tray, having already devoured his first helping of greasy junk food.
"That hits the spot." Ryan declared, beginning his second helping of veritable junk food feast.
The diner was relatively quiet, even for a Friday night. Apart from the odd young couple and cheerful suburban family, Ryan ignored the small number of customers that came and left, biting into his burger. Outside, a rumble of thunder shook the town as he took a sip of his milkshake. His iPhone was switched off, an obvious ode to letting his family worry as to his current whereabouts.
As the rain continued to fall, a white Cadillac Escalade SUV stopped at a set of traffic lights, revealing a driver with a scowling pair of brown eyes that focused on Ryan. They belonged to Bradley White, the head jock of the school who's rivalry with the brooding anti-jock Brit had reached an intense fever pitch of jealousy, loathing and mutual disrespect.
"Hey. Isn't that Swift?" Asked his passenger.
"Yeah, it's him." Bradley growled, his fingers gripping the steering wheel and burning a hole through his arch-enemy, who was enjoying his second fast food helping without noticing.
"You should teach him a lesson, man." Came another voice from the back of the SUV.
"Not right now. We'll get him on Monday." Bradley promised, pulling away from the traffic lights the moment the bottom light turned green.
By now, Ryan had finished his fast food meal and took his leave, stepping out into the evening storm and walking down the street to begin the short 10 minute walk home. The rain had lightly eased off, much to his delight. His footsteps took him past 24 hour convenience stores, pawnbrokers and diners, all of which had closed down for the night.
"It's not like they need me home anyway." He muttered, hoping Anna and his annoyingly brattish step-sister would cut him some slack upon returning home in the next minute or so. The weekend was upon him, which meant more time to himself and no detentions hanging over his head.
Little did he know was that he was in for a longer weekend than usual.
(End of part 4)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Apr 1, 2018 14:42:15 GMT -6
(Part 5)
Anna sat at the dinner table, pen in hand. She was filling out a patient evaluation form for an important appointment next Monday. A flash of lightning illuminated the grey granite worktop in the kitchen, casting her shadow on the wall. A half drunk glass of red wine sat nearby, her self-medicating method of coping with her warring siblings. She wasn't an alcoholic, but even the most hardworking of doctors needed to unwind.
Bella walked into the kitchen, her long dark hair flowing loose. She had changed out of her everyday clothes and wore a black tank top and loose pants with skulls down each side. She brewed herself a herbal tea, it's strong aroma calming her senses while she glanced at her mother.
"Another storm. Some evening this is turning out to be." Bella muttered, heading back up to her bedroom and leaving her Anna to her solitude.
Anna took a sip of wine to calm her nerves, anxiously glancing out at the stormy night outside. At times it eased off, only to deliver more torrential downpours and rumbles of thunder. There was no sign of Ryan, leaving her to believe if he had truly run away from home.
A lone figure than appeared on the pavement, trudging through the rain-swept streets with his hands in his pockets. It was Ryan, soaked by the rain and cutting a gloomy looking figure.
Ryan walked up the short path to the front door, opening it. The sounds of the door locks clicking made Anna look up in relief as she rose from the table and walked into the hallway to speak with him.
"Ryan, where on earth have you been? It's almost 8 o'clock." Anna asked, watching him take off his boots and close the front door behind him
"I went for a walk. What does it look like?" Ryan responded, trying to defend his actions.
"Look at your clothes. You must be soaked to the skin." Anna spoke, her voice attracting the attention of Bella, who emerged from her bedroom to witness their talk from the first floor landing.
"I'm fine. A little rain doesn't hurt anyone." Ryan interrupted, keeping his voice reasonable as he removed his leather jacket and hung it nearby.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Bella asked, hoping to gain a reaction from rue safety of the upstairs landing.
"Actually, no." Ryan sardonically quipped back.
Anna looked up at Bella and motioned for her to be quiet. The young teenage witch pouted upon being told off, looking away in a huff in annoyance at trying to interrupt her step-brother's reasons for storming off earlier.
"Ryan, please. I understand that you're still angry, but leaving in the middle of dinner for an hour is not the answer." Anna lectured, hoping her wise words would try and gauge reason for her step-son's abrupt leave of absence.
"So I just sit there and let that little toad on the landing get away with murder? You don't understand." Ryan growled, drifting past her and heading upstairs to his bedroom. "I don't think you'll ever understand."
Anna watched dejectedly as her step-son trudged upstairs, feeling as if the weight of the entire world was on her shoulders. She refused to accept that her children were at each other's throats regularly, but the reality was there for her eyes to witness.
"I'm not a toad!" Bella sniped, her voice causing Ryan to stop and regard her with an unimpressed look.
"No. You're a toady." Ryan hit back, shutting his step-sister down and slamming his bedroom door. He always enjoyed getting one over Bella when it came to insults, but now it felt meaningless to him.
With a sigh, Ryan removed his wet jacket and. t-shirt, slinging the former over his chair and dumping the latter into a pile of clothes he planned to wash over the weekend. The walls to his bedroom were painted light grey, with a grey carpet covering the floor. His bed was covered by an army print duvet and pillowcases. A chair and desk littered with homework papers and heavy metal magazines sat in the corner near his window, some of the pages dog-eared, next to a lamp with a Union Jack lampshade.
His walls were covered in various posters of heavy metal bands, ranging from Death to Motörhead, and Slayer to Iron Maiden among others that he made up his loud taste in music. Other posters lining his walls included one of the bloody and brutal fighting game Mortal Kombat X, as well as sci-fi movies the Terminator and District 9.
Above his bed was a poster of a dragon curled around a sword amidst a backdrop of flames, next to one of a snarling panther emerging from the shadows. His wardrobe was adorned with a Sin City poster, while his back door housed a dartboard with various faces cut out from gossip magazines.
The other corner of his room saw a flatscreen TV with a PlayStation 4, mounted on a metal stand. Two low hanging shelves housed a Hi-Fi and his CD collection of heavy metal music, especially the death and thrash sub-genre.
Closing his curtains, he locked his bedroom door from the inside so no one could bother him for the rest of the evening. But even his moments of isolation were of concern to Anna, who tentatively knocked on the door outside. Another rumble of thunder accompanied Ryan's reaction....
How would he react?
(End of part 5)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Apr 1, 2018 14:42:57 GMT -6
(Part 6)
The gentle knocking on his bedroom door caused Ryan to turn and scowl in it's general direction. He didn't want to be disturbed, not after the day he just had.
"What do you want?" He called out, placing a black shirt over his torso and changing out of his jeans into a pair of army print boxers.
"I've heated and left your dinner in the refrigerator, Ryan. Don't let good food go to waste." Anna urged, her voice calm and reasonable.
"Just leave me alone." Came the cold reply, accompanied by a rumble of thunder as the rain continued to pour outside. Ryan was in no mood to talk, deciding to shut himself away until the morning. He slumped on his bed, switched off his lampshade and sat silent in the darkness.
Defeated, Anna disappeared downstairs with a heavy heart. This wasn't the life she envisioned for herself and Bella when her husband abruptly walked out on them following a divorce of their own. Even now, she and her daughter got by every month, but only just. She returned to the kitchen table, and her half glass of red wine.
"What have I done to deserve this?" She thought to herself, still hurt by Ryan's distant and coldhearted demeanour. The prospect of a weekend with her two siblings arguing constantly terrified her.
2 hours later as the clock struck 10:00, Anna, dressed in a white satin nightdress, locked the front door and switched off all the lights before heading upstairs to the master bedroom. She passed by Ryan's bedroom door, which was littered with a red circular NO ENTRY sign and a small black banner that read Pop Music Sucks, Metal rules.
Bella's bedroom door was adorned with a yellow and black rectangular sign that read ALERT: WITCH WORKING. APPROACH AT OWN RISK, flanked by two five-pointed stars and two triangular exclamation marks on the sign itself. Anna could only shake her head as she closed the bedroom door behind her.
Outside, the storm became more intense with more rain pouring down into the streets below, forming small puddles across the road. Even though it was a cool summer night in early June, the deluge was enough to keep most residents inside.
Ryan eventually drifted off to sleep, briefly awoken by a flash of lighting before settling down again. He muttered angrily and closed his eyes, hoping to get some form of respite from today.
The night passed, along with the storm as the first rays of dawn began to peak in the early morning sky. A few white clouds lingered, the only blemish amongst the backdrop of azure blue. The leaves on the trees and the grass in every house's front lawn and back garden were covered in a smattering of dew following the storm's aftermath.
Ryan was the first to wake up, grumbling audibly as his tired eyes opened. The time on his alarm clock read 8:00 in red lights, having switched off the alarm button since it was the weekend and there was no school. Sunlight filtered through his curtains, illuminating every corner of his room.
"Just another day in paradise." He muttered, rubbing his eyes. Once the inner lock on his bedroom door clicked, he stepped out and quietly trotted downstairs to the kitchen to avoid waking Bella and Anna up. With any luck, they'd be sleeping in.
Ryan opened the fridge, deciding on what to have for breakfast. He picked out a pack of sausages, some eggs and 3 strips of bacon. He followed this up with a tin of baked beans and two slices of white bread from the cupboard, placing both slices into the toaster.
"May as well cheer myself up." Ryan smiled to himself, pulling out a series of frying pan and beginning to cook his breakfast. Adding a small pinch of cooking oil, he cracked two eggs and allowed both yolks to drift over the base of the pan. The bacon strips and meaty sausages soon followed; the sounds of crackling grease soon wafting through the kitchen. He closed the door and opened the main window, not wanting the whole house to smell of grease.
His day was off to a good start. Or so he thought.....
(End of part 6)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Apr 1, 2018 14:43:32 GMT -6
(Part 7)
20 minutes later, Ryan sat at the table with his fry-up, which he was enjoying so far. To the causal observer, this would be seen as strange choice for breakfast. Not in Ryan's eyes; he dared to be different.
"Finally, some much deserved peace." He smirked to himself, biting into a meaty sausage.
Faint footsteps could be heard descending down the stairs, which caused Ryan to snap his eyes shut. "Please don't be Bella. Please don't be Bella." He spoke internally, the door handle turning downwards.
To his relief, it was just Anna. She wore a white dressing gown over her night dress, her short dark locks still impeccably unblemished. It took a moment for her brown eyes to spot her lone step-son, as well as the empty pots and pans in the sink.
"You're up early, Ryan." She enquired, pouring herself some coffee.
"Couldn't sleep. Storm nearly kept me awake." Ryan responded, washing down a mouthful of egg and bacon with a sip of smooth orange juice.
"It was horrendous. I didn't get to sleep until 5 to midnight." Anna lamented, adding milk to her black coffee. "Maybe I'm a light sleeper."
"Well, if that's all, there's nothing to worry about." Ryan shrugged, his calm exterior forcing a half-hearted smile. He returned to his breakfast, biting into another strip of bacon.
Bella shuffled out of her bedroom like a vampire avoiding sunlight, her long dark hair covering her face. She preferred the darkness of her own sanctuary, where she could conjure up new spells and practice her hobby of witchcraft with no disturbances. Her footsteps were soundless as she floated down the stairs.
"I need to go to the shops for some groceries later, Ryan. You're more than welcome to join me." Anna suggested.
"Sorry, Anna. Not interested." He replied, finishing off a piece of toast that was dipped in runny egg yolk.
"But you could use a change of scenery. Many hands make light work." Anna wisely spoke
At that moment, Bella walked into the kitchen to prepare herself a bowl of Count Chocula. She opened the fridge and grabbed the milk, pretending as if her mother and step-brother didn't exist.
"Well, well. Look who's emerged from her coffin." Ryan dryly chuckled, popping a final mouthful of bacon and beans into his mouth.
"Ryan, your English breakfast looks good, I see. The only thing missing is a cup of tea." Bella rhymed, putting a unique spin on her own comeback as she parked herself in a seat at the table with her cereal.
"Shut up." Ryan muttered, leaving his chair with his empty plate in tow. He trudged over to the sink where he opened the dishwasher. "Thought you were sleeping in."
"Bella's staying with her friend tonight. I gave her permission to go." Anna announced, sipping on her coffee.
"And I'm not missing this night for anything else." Bella vowed, twirling her sthingy around her cereal.
Ryan ignored her, placing his plate and cutlery into the dishwasher, closing it. "You mean your annual sacrifice a cheerleader to the devil ritual?" He snorted, dismissing his step-sister's weekend plans.
"Ever heard of a pastime? At least I don't sit in my room and listen to that savage trash you call music." Bella insulted.
"It's better than your nursery rhyme goth opera crap." Ryan snapped angrily, being held back by the arm by Anna.
"Enough. Both of you." She ordered, already at her wits end with the warring siblings and their constant needling of each other. "This has got to stop right now."
The kitchen fell silent, with Anna preparing to lay down the law to ensure that both her daughter and step-son cease their endless childish feud that was never prevalent before her husband divorced and walked out on her and Bella, She just wanted a normal life, but even the most positive of human beings would struggle in her position.
(End of part 7)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Apr 8, 2018 15:33:48 GMT -6
Part 8)
A testy Ryan scowled at Bella like a viper, the latter chewing on a mouthful of cereal. They had done nothing but argue for the whole week after coming home from school, which was enough to drive Anna to an early grave. Still, she vowed to make the best out of a bad situation and find the middle ground that would hopefully see all the constant needling and antagonising end.
"I don't know why you two can't stop arguing, but something has to change. And this is my last warning." Anna said sternly, allowing Ryan to angrily jerk his arm free from her hand and turn his seething gaze away from Bella.
"Don't worry. I was going to get washed anyway." Ryan grumbled, walking out of the kitchen and muttering obscenities under his breath with barely concealed rage dripping from his teeth and tongue. Once he disappeared upstairs and slammed the bathroom door shut, Anna turned back to her less than impressed daughter.
"Do you have to be so antagonistic?" Anna asked, folding her arms.
"Mom, he started it. You heard what he said." Bella whined, trying to twist the story to her advantage.
"I don't care, Bella. The last thing I need is for you and Ryan to constantly annoy one another this early on a weekend morning." Anna lectured, which made her daughter roll her eyes.
"So you just conveniently ignored the coffin comment? I deal with those comments every day." Bella retorted, haphazardly finishing her cereal, rising from her seat and pouring the bowl's contents into the sink.
"But you learn to ignore them." Anna wisely stated, appealing to Bella's strengths. "Which is one reason why I'm proud of you."
Bella huffed and brushed past Anna, heading to her bedroom and closing her door without even acknowledging her mother's praise. Even the bowl of Count Chocula didn't perk her up for this morning. This only heightened the sibling rivalry between her and Ryan.
Anna, to her credit, sighed outwardly. She was relieved that the morning hadn't descended into chaos, sipping from her coffee. Her brown eyes noticed a small brochure for the local zoo, advertising a special weekend offer for families. Flipping through the pages, she searched out the contact number in case Ryan and Bella's already fractured relations became more broken than before.
"This might prove useful....." She mused, picking up a pen and preparing to log an action plan.
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3 hours later, Ryan sat downstairs in the living room. He wore a black Metallica t-shirt with the Kill 'Em All album cover on the front and jeans. His hair was styled with a hint of wax, while his fingers held a small black and white photograph of his real family in happier times. Before his mother's alcoholism.
Anna appeared in the hallway, wearing a brown jacket over a white blouse with slim black trousers and flat shoes. Her handbag was slung over her shoulder, which contained her purse, 2 pens, a doctors notepad and car keys. She politely cleared her throat, which made Ryan look in her direction.
"Oh, Anna. It's just you." He responded sheepishly, folding the photograph and putting it into his pocket, sitting up from the couch and walking over to her.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Anna enquired, sensing that Ryan had spent the latter part of half an hour keeping a wide berth from Bella, the latter still cooped up inside her bedroom, preferably conjuring more spells.
"No, I was just..... Having some time to myself." Ryan responded, his left hand lightly grazing his pocket where the photograph was located.
"Ryan, I want you to promise that you won't argue with Bella when I'm out at the grocery store. Since you're the oldest, I'm leaving you in charge of the house." Anna revealed, walking down the hallway to the front door.
This came as a shock to Ryan. "Really? What about Wednesday Adams sulking around upstairs?" He asked, gesturing his thumb upwards in the direction of the staircase.
"Don't let her get to you. Be the bigger person and walk away." Anna suggested, preparing to step out into the early morning sunshine. "And finish your spaghetti bolognese from last night. Good food shouldn't have to go to waste."
"Yeah, I know." Ryan sighed guiltily. "How long will you be?"
"I'll only be a few hours. Don't break your promise, Ryan. I'm trusting you this time." Anna warned, leaving the house and walking over to her grey Dodge Journey people carrier. The engine hummed to life and she reversed off the driveway, disappearing from the neighbourhood.
Ryan looked out of the window, now saddled with a near impossible task of being in charge of the house and with his moody goth step-sister being anti-social upstairs. Though he was sufficiently calmer, he heard Bella emerge from her bedroom and skip into the bathroom for a shower. Once the hot water was running, Ryan smirked and got an idea.
"This'll wake you up, half-pint." He chuckled, turning the cold water tap on the sink downwards. 5 seconds later, Bella screamed as ice cold water, not warm and hot, grazed her skin. Ryan turned the cold tap off, then moved to the fridge where he took out is clingfilm wrapped spaghetti bolognese.
"May as well heat it." Ryan shrugged, throwing it into the microwave to be reheated. He could hear Bella angrily stomping out of the bathroom, petulantly slamming her door now and her hair soaking wet from the unwanted cold shower. Her internal excitement for Fantasy-Con had plummeted.
Round one to Ryan.....
(End of part 8)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Apr 8, 2018 15:34:25 GMT -6
(Part 9)
Morning gave way to afternoon. Ryan sat at the kitchen table, tucking into the spaghetti bolognese he neglected last night. The only comforting sound came from the washing machine, which hummed as it washed his clothes. He knew that Anna wasn't at fault last night; she had taken the time to cook a delicious meal out of pure kindness. It was Bella, that little brat of a teenage witch that seemed to always find a way to get under his skin.
"Guess I owe her an apology." He pondered, referring to Anna and glancing out the window at the warm sunshine outside.
Bella stomped down the stairs, her long black hair sufficiently dry after the unwarranted cold shower. It was tied back in a ponytail, complimenting black nail varnish on her fingers. She wore a white vest top with the Nightmare Before Christmas logo on the front, a gothic purple and black skirt, and white and black leggings over her legs. Around her neck was the Triqueta symbol, with a purple gem in the middle.
"Ryan, did you use up all the hot water this morning?" She asked, hands on hips and looking for an argument
Ryan ignored her, placing his empty plate and cutlery into the dishwasher. His casual mood only served to heighten the young teenage witch's annoyance at having her morning partly ruined. He rinsed out the empty pots and pans that were used to cook his breakfast earlier.
"Excuse me. I'm talking to you!" Bella raged, still hoping for a reaction.
"Get lost, half-pint. Don't you have weeds in the garden to pull up like a good little brown-noser?" Ryan retorted, drifting past her and entering the lounge. He slumped on the couch and switched on the TV to by greeted by a heavy metal video, namely Wuake Up Dead by Megadeth.
Bella seethed. She hated insults that mocked her height and for being a suck-up, which she always denied. Though she was not the tallest in her family, she regularly ended up as a target for Ryan's repertoire of cutting put-downs beand sarcastic comments. All of which served to increase the ongoing rivalry between them.
Ryan turned up the volume on the television, the lyrics "I know if I wake her, I'll wake up dead." blaring out at tolerable levels and feeding off his insecurities and rage. He was in a good-mood already.
"Fine, Ryan. This isn't over." The teenage witch in training pledged, stomping back upstairs. Ryan let out another victorious smirk as he heard her bedroom door slam shut.
"Looks pretty over to me." He muttered.
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An hour later, tiredness crept into Ryan's psyche and he fell asleep on the couch. Last night's storm woke him up half a dozen times, so he decided to catch up on lost sleep. Bella appeared in the doorway, her purple and black skirt replaced by a pair of black leggings, with can of shaving cream in one hand and a feather in the other. She grinned in sheer delight, silently creeping forward.
"You want to play hardball, Ryan? Your call." Bella whispered, spraying a medium-sized handful of white cream onto the bridge of his nose. Ryan was a heavy sleeper, so she used it to her advantage.
"Tickle tickle" She chirped, wiggling the tip of the feather across Ryan's nose. Instinctively, his right hand moved to swat away what he thought was a bothersome fly. Instead, his hand smeared all the foam across his nose and face. Bella laughed silently and disappeared into the garden to begin removing the weeds, revelling in her own small victory. She picked up a pair of brown leather gloves and a black bin bag that Anna had left outside for her, setting to work in the warm afternoon sunshine.
"Weeds in the garden, how you infest. You're nothing more than little pests." Bella rhymed, seemingly happy now she'd got her step-brother back.
Her joy was soon to be short-lived. Ryan awoke, grumbling to himself as his eyes opened, yawning to himself. "Must of nodded off." He stated, stretching his arms and standing up. Once he caught his reflection in his mirror, face smeared with shaving cream, he blurted out incredulously, "WHAT THE HELL?!"
Bella caught his response, stifling a small laugh as she resumed her chores, the black bin bag beside her already filling up with dead weeds and soil.
Ryan turned and glared out of the window at his step-sister, knowing that she was behind this childish little prank. "This means war, you little brat." He vowed through clenched teeth, heading upstairs to the bathroom to wash off the shaving cream. This was one battle he swore not to lose.
Bella was blissfully unaware of Ryan's payback. The patio doors opened behind her, Ryan creeping towards her like a cat stalking a mouse. His eyes zeroed in on the bag of weeds and dirt that sat beside her.
No one pranks him and gets away with it....
(End of part 9)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Apr 8, 2018 15:34:56 GMT -6
(Part 10)
Bella hummed to herself, pulling up more weeds and depositing them into the bin bag beside her in the early afternoon sunshine. All she had to do was finish her assigned task and she would be able to go to Fantasy Con some several miles away in a nearby city.
She failed to hear Ryan's approaching footsteps, as well as the bag disappearing from beside her. Her brother emptied the entire contents of the bag - dirt and weeds - all over her head. Some weeds ended up tangled in her dark hair, with dirt and soil falling into her opened mouth.
"GAH! It's all in my hair!" Bella screamed, frantically trying to brush any stray worms or creepy-crawlies out of her long dark locks. Once she saw a familiar pair of black boots in front of her, she looked upwards.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I break your concentration?" Ryan sniped, folding his arms.
"I'll break your nose, you jerk!" Bella vowed, clenching one fist.
"Ooooh, will you?" Ryan mocked, kneeling down to her level and repeatedly gesturing his stepsister to hit him in the face, pointing at his left cheek. "Go on then. Hit me right there. I dare you."
Bella knew she couldn't hit back so Ryan went in for the kill in the only way he knew how.
"Or don't you want to get you hands dirty?" He sneered, effectively putting the young teenage witch firmly in her place. Bella hesitated to speak, rendered powerless in the face of her step-brother. Her silence felt like victory to him.
"That's what I thought. You're a gutless little coward." Ryan hissed, getting up from his knees and turning to walk back into the house.
Bella lost it. Her left hand grabbed a small handful of mud and mashed it into a ball, ready to throw it while Ryan's back was turned.
"Here's mud in your eye!" Bella yelled, launching the ball of mud towards Ryan.
Ryan easily ducked as the mud slammed into the window of the patio door behind him. "Lousy pitch, half-pint." He laughed, brown specks and stains spreading across the glass and splattering over the patio floor too.
Bella gasped in horror at the mess she had just made. Not only would she have to pick up all the weeds, but also clean the mud off the patio window and wash her hair all over again. This was going to delay her attempts to get to Fantasy Con.
"Clean that up." Ryan coldly ordered. "Unless you don't want to get your precious little hands dirty."
"But.... that.....You...." Bella stammered, falling over her own comeback as Ryan skewered her pacifistic beliefs, mocking her stuttering voice.
"And you'd better hurry. Wouldn't want to miss the freak convention, would we?" Ryan smirked, disappearing into the house and closing the door. Bella yelled something audible, but he ignored it and walked into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water.
"Maybe I should of gone with Anna." He thought, looking out of the front window with feelings of guilt clouding his anger. The thought of shuffling through a boring supermarket and making inane conversations would of been better than dealing with his annoying goth stepsister.
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Across town at the local supermarket, Anna strolled down each aisle purposefully. Amidst the small number of weekend shoppers, her basket was already filling up with bare essentials, from healthy vegetables to various everyday items like bread and milk. Aside from the odd stray bottle of red wine and snacks (Oreos and Count Chocula for Bella, chorizo chilli and full English breakfast ingredients for Ryan), she made sure that her stepson and daughter were given the right and healthy diet.
"Anna? Is that you?" Enquired a tentative voice in the same aisle as her.
"Oh, hello, Bethany." Anna smiled, recognising her fellow doctor from the local hospital.
Bethany Ravencroft was Anna's work colleague. In her early thirties, she was seen as Anna's apprentice in the medical, surgical and psychological sciences. Her short blonde hair matched her blue eyes, hidden by a pair of horn rimmed glasses. She wore a grey poncho over a black t-shirt, with white jeans and flat black shoes. Her basket was filled with 2 bottles of red wine, a bottle of balsamic vinegar and smoked salmon.
"Picking up supplies, huh?" Bethany asked.
"Just the bare essentials. Anything to take my mind off my daughter and stepson's constant arguments." Anna sighed, referring to the bottle of wine. "What are you doing here?"
"Planning a romantic dinner for my fiancé tonight. He recently got a promotion." Bethany revealed, proudness in her voice.
"I'm glad to hear that." Anna honestly replied, conveying a small hint of sadness in her voice while placing a small bag of tomatoes into her basket.
"You seem distant, Annie. Problems at home?" Bethany enquired.
"It's Isabella. She won't stop arguing with Ryan. No matter how hard I try, they always seem to antagonise and belittle each other until one wins and the other walks away." Anna revealed, trying to brush off this uncomfortable question from her colleague.
"Sounds like your typical sibling rivalry. They'll grow out of it." The blonde positively suggested.
"Ryan won't. He just doesn't listen to reason." Anna denied, shaking her head.
"What do you mean?" Bethany delicately asked.
"Ever since his older brother died 2 years ago, something snapped in Ryan's head and it changed him." Anna confessed. "Whenever I try to talk to him, he just locks himself away in his room. Bella just seems to irritate him for a reaction.
I know some good counsellors who deal with people and their anger issues." Bethany suggested.
"Most counsellors charge extortionate fees." Anna admitted, deciding that rather than waste money, she would try some one on one time. "I'll try and talk to him myself."
"Are you sure?" Bethany said in concern.
"Absolutely. With the right approach and non-offensive questions, I'm sure I can make Ryan realise that there is goodness in him." Anna promised, still doubting herself. She was a doctor, not a psychiatrist. But this was one challenge as a single mother that she vowed to overcome.
(End of part 10)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Apr 8, 2018 15:35:26 GMT -6
(Part 11)
2 hours later, roughly around 3:00 in the afternoon, Ryan was now sufficiently calmer after getting his own back on his stepsister. After hanging his laundry out to dry, he sat at the kitchen table with a pen in his hand, answering a questionnaire that the school had dispensed, which encouraged students to honestly answer questions regarding their health and state of mind.
"Trouble sleeping..... A lot." He darkly laughed to himself, ticking the box that he felt appropriate. Most of the questions ranged from minor issues such as headaches to dizziness. Some, however, included questions that circulated around depression and even anger management.
"No, I don't think I need anger management." Ryan thought, ticking the correct box that he felt was the right answer.
Bella stormed downstairs, her footsteps thudding across the landing. She had changed out of her dirty clothes and was now wearing a short black shirt dress with red trim and fishnet tights. Her long dark hair was tied into two long pigtails on either side, a Triqueta pendant around her neck. Her fingernails were painted with black nail varnish, with chained bracelets on both wrists over long fingerless gloves with metal clips. She stood by the worktop, hands on hips.
"Well, I hope you're happy. It took me 2 hours to wash my hair and pick up all those weeds again for Mom." Bella snapped, looking for a reaction.
"Shut up and get over yourself, half-pint." Ryan bit back, distracted from the questionnaire. "You've done nothing but moan for the entire morning."
"I've done nothing but moan?! You ruined my morning with that cold shower." Bella responded, refusing to let her stepbrother off the hook.
"Woke you up, didn't it?" Ryan smirked, ticking another box on the questionnaire.
Bella let that comeback slide, stomping over to the fridge for something to drink while casting a short glance at what her stepbrother was so engrossed in. "At least I'm not filling out a detention sheet." She joked, at least trying to get back at Ryan.
"Hate to burst your bubble, but this is an annual health questionnaire. Principal Anderson allowed me to leave detention early and collect one to fill in." Ryan revealed, shoving it in Bella's face.
"Sure she did." Bella retorted, rolling her eyes as she poured herself a glass of chocolate milk and closed the fridge.
"Besides, everyone's favourite golden child doesn't get detention, does she?" Came the snide insult.
Bella nearly dropped her glass of chocolate milk, that insult making her blood slowly boil. "I told you not to call me that." She darkly warned.
"Awwwww, did I touch a nerve?" Ryan taunted, taking great delight in watching his stepsister squirm like a worm on a hook. He rose from the kitchen table, mockingly approaching Bella and towering over her.
"Ryan, don't push me!" She warned, her confidence completely evaporating in front of her stepbrother. "Mom'll hear about this and ground you."
"Do you think I care about being grounded? I tell the truth all the time. You just lie to get attention from Anna and she believes you." Ryan cruelly insinuated, almost crossing the line. "So tell me who's the liar again?
Bella's bottom lip quivered, almost on the verge of tears. She never knew that her own brother could be this mean. "Hey! I'm not a liar. Mom loves me more than you. And you know it." She bravely hit back.
"You're so transparent. Just like your one and only friend. Emily, isn't it?" Ryan sneered. "No wonder you've got one friend. Everyone else can't stand the sight of you. So do me a favour and hide behind Anna's skirt, you little coward."
Bella shuffled to one side, letting Ryan walk past her. She bravely held back tears as she watched her brother walk towards the staircase. "You..... really aren't nice at all. "She sniffed.
"Welcome to the real world, half-pint. It's not a nice place." Ryan coldly spoke, stopping and turning his head
An idea suddenly popped into Bella's head. Maybe a small spell would make her stepbrother choose his own words wisely next time. With a cheeky smirk, she uttered the short incantation.
"Until you learn to be nice, I'll just fill your head full of lice!"
Ryan stopped and felt a strange itching sensation across his scalp. Instinctively, he reached up to scratch his scalp in a frenzied manner. "AH! What is this?!" He barked, fingers moving back and forth through his hair.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Am I bugging you?" Bella quipped, laughing lightly.
Ryan scowled at her, still scratching at the lice that were crawling across his head. Enough was enough. "Cut the crap, half-pint!" He yelled, his voice loud enough for Bella to hear.
"Okay, okay." The teenage witch grumbled, rolling her eyes. With a wave of her hand, the spell was lifted and Ryan stopped scratching his hair. However, this was not the end of their argument, and the short-tempered rebellious metalhead approached his cowering sister.
"You get clever with me and pull a stunt like that again and I will stuff so much cotton wool down your skinny little throat that it'll come out your arse like the tail on a Playboy bunny." Ryan gravely warned, before finishing with the words, "GOT IT?!"
"Yes, Ryan." Bella squeaked.
Satisfied that his little threat had gotten through to Bella and intimidated her into silence, Ryan turned to walk away. While his back was turned, Bella immaturely poked her tongue out at him. She thought she had gotten away with it, but froze once Ryan stopped and seemed to catch a glimpse of her gesture in the hallway
"Oh, dear. How very very sad." Ryan sighed sardonically. "Bella, what have we got mounted on the hallway wall? A mirror. And what do I see reflected in that mirror?"
Bella was rendered speechless again, laughing nervously.
"The pathetic sight of a Buffy reject reduced to childish gestures to get the better of her older stepbrother." Ryan quipped, turning around to stare back at her. "Bet you feel really big, don't you?"
"You called me a coward, clear as day. Next time, try something nice to say." Bella rhymed annoyingly. If there was one thing that she excelled at, it was rhymes. Like the Mad Hatter from the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, she knew that the best way to get under Ryan's skin was to play him at his own game.
(End of part 11)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Apr 8, 2018 15:35:53 GMT -6
(Part 12)
Ryan folded his arms, giving no ground as he listened to Bella sound off one of her annoying little rhymes. He hated how she spent every waking hour reading fantasy books and locking herself away in her room for strange rituals. Naturally, Ryan preferred to remain grounded in reality and not bother with the ridiculous fantasies of his step sister.
"Really? You're going to keep rhyming? No wonder Anna puts up with a freak like you." He sniped.
"A freak I am, yet unique. I always learn to turn the other cheek." Bella rhymed again.
Ryan was slowly getting frustrated, even though he didn't show it. The teenage half Wiccan/half human was getting under his skin, ensuring their constant need for pranks would escalate into something much worse.
"Stop it. Stop the stupid rhymes!" Ryan snapped, visibly irritated.
"No, I won't. I think I'll keep going. It just shows there's nothing but your anger showing." Bella rhymed again, starting to get herself into a semi-decent rhythm of one-upsmanship.
Ryan acted, marching towards her with one fist clenched. "If you don't shut up, I'll really show you anger." He warned, his voice low and as threatening as possible. "I'll put this fist right through that smug grin of yours."
"Careful, Ryan, don't push your luck. Or you'll be the one who will cluck." Bella smirked.
With that rhyme, Ryan felt his body disappearing in a bright flash of light. What was once his arms were now wings, and his legs resembled rough and sharp leathery talons. His clothes became feathers, and his nose was replaced with a beak. He had been turned into a chicken. Like his new avian form, he started running around and cawing loudly.
"Hey! What the f**k?!" He cried out internally.
Bella couldn't help but laugh. She had finally scored herself a victory over her step brother, with help from her extensive knowledge of spells. The sight of Ryan running around as a chicken would stay with her for life.
"Now you know how it feels." Bella taunted, a victorious smirk on her face.
"This... CLUCK... Isn't... CLUCK.... FUNNY!" Ryan called out, small traces of his human voice mixing with the cawing sounds of his new avian filtering through, but only just.
"Yes, it is! This is so funny!" Bella laughed, ignoring her brother's concerns.
Small beady eyes narrowed in on his hysterical step sister as Ryan goose-stepped towards her feet. "Change....CLUCK.... Me... CLUCK.... Back.... CLUCK.... NOW!" He ordered, his voice still stifled by the animalistic nature of his new form.
"What's that?" Bella asked, kneeling down to his level in a mocking manner. "Speak up, please. I can't hear you."
Ryan decided that enough was enough. Using his new form to his advantage, he leapt onto Bella's head and began angrily pecking at her scalp. The young teenage goth staggered and screamed, flailing her arms across the kitchen. Chicken or not, Ryan was fighting back.
"Alright, alright!" Bella called out, throwing the farmyard fowl off her head, feathers flying everywhere. "Form of chicken, obscuring truth. What was once was false, restore to youth."
Another flash of light followed, and Ryan was back to normal. His t-shirt and jeans were lightly covered in feathers, his mouth spitting up several more. The ordeal of having to walk around the house as a chicken was over, much to Bella's annoyance.
"Spoilsport." Bella muttered.
Ryan glared at her, a sudden rush of anger rising within him. "You little brat. I should rip your arms out of your sockets for this!" He growled, brushing more feathers off his chest and arms.
"Temper temper. If you hadn't been so violent, I wouldn't of turned you into a chicken in the first place." Bella nonchantly and arrogantly surmised.
That was the last straw for Ryan. Instinctively, he reached for a porcelain vase of flowers in the hallway as a weapon. This rivalry had gone beyond childish pranks and immature spells. A rush of anger surged through his veins.
"Here's a violent reaction for you!" He roared, launching the vase towards Bella like a baseball pitcher. Bella ducked as the ceramic container whizzed past her head and smashed itself onto the wall behind her, scattering nonmetallic shards and the flowers flying across the kitchen floor.
"Are you crazy, Ryan?!" Bella asked, aghast as her step brother march over to her. "You sound insane. Do you realise that?! You should be medicated!"
"Screw you, half-pint. I know you purposefully turned me into a chicken. And I want to hear your dirty little mouth admit it." Ryan retorted, raising one fist.
"Get out of my face, or I'll bewitch your ass." Bella warned.
Ryan stopped, then got an idea. "Go on then. I dare you." He urged, lowering his fist and smartly waiting for her to call his bluff.
"Alright. I did it on purpose." Bella confessed. "Do you want to know why? Because my life was just fine until Mom decided to take you in after your parents divorced. She always told me it was only temporary, but she lied to me. And you've ruined my life!"
Ryan was used to hearing the truth. But this came as no surprise to him. The last 5 months had seen Anna try her best to repair a fractured bond between her daughter and step son, but it had disintegrated into nothing but mutual self-loathing, anger and distrust.
How Ryan would react was another story.
(End of part 12)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Apr 8, 2018 15:36:21 GMT -6
(Part 13)
"Oh, please. I haven't ruined your little fantasy life." Ryan spat, ignoring the shattered ceramic vase pieces across the kitchen floor as afternoon sunlight shone outside. "Is it my fault you act like a hermit who can't fight your own battles?"
"Everything" is directly your fault, Ryan. You don't listen to me or Mom and spend every waking hour in detention. And you're rude to me all the time. You don't take responsibilities for your own actions either, so Mom has to suffer because of you." Bella lectured. "I don't know why you're even living in this house."
"Well, that makes two of us." Ryan retorted, preparing to let Bella have this round out of pure disdain. "At least I have a reason to be angry. What do you have?"
"A mother who doesn't drink. And a REAL step brother who's not dead because of his own selfish pride." Bella sniped, threatening to overstep her boundaries.
Disrespecting his deceased brother. That was enough for the red mist to descend upon Ryan. "You take that back right now." He warned, fist clenched and drawn back as he grabbed his sister by her shirt dress.
"What are you going to do? Beat me up?" Bella smirked, further egging him on. "Boys can't hit girls, and you know it."
Ryan suddenly got an idea, switching from an angry expression to a confident smirk. He released his grip on Bella, then turned to walk away towards the hallway. "You're right. I can't." He admitted.
"Where are you going?" Bella asked, wondering why he was smirking.
"I'm going upstairs. Because I'm going to put my fingers on your spellbook. Okay?" Ryan pointed out, ascending the staircase towards his step sister's bedroom. For that little disrespect towards his brother's memory, there was only one way to deal with a spoilt little brat like Bella.
"Don't you do that - I am warning you right now. If you touch my spellbook, I will turn you into a c0ckroach and step on you!" Bella called out, trying to sound threatening.
The door to Bella's room opened and Ryan stepped inside. The walls were covered in black and grey stripes, with a black and white spiral effect carpet spreading out across the floor. A large queen-sized wooden gothic bed frame, black with gargoyle-like faces carved on either side, sat on the right hand side of the room, with grey pillows and a black duvet with purple trim. A vampire teddy bear cuddly toy from The Nightmare Before Christmas sat nearby. A gothic chandelier hung from the ceiling, it's lights able to be as dimmed and bright as possible. A bat shaped lampshade sat on her bedside table, next to a grey alarm clock.
Bella's makeup desk lay to the left of her bedroom window. It's counter was flanked by 4 grey candle holders shaped like skulls on either side. What creeped Ryan out was the sight of a dozen voodoo dolls with pins sticking out of them, marked with various celebrity names and local cheerleader and bane of her existence, Chloe Summers. Each drawer contained her many styles of gothic eyeliner and jewellery, as well as countless diaries for the past 5 years with all her memories. To the right of the window was her low dresser drawer, which housed her many gothic clothes. An ornament of a silver and purple dragon sat on top.
Above her bed frame was a Bram Stoker's Dracula poster, with a Rob Zombie poster on the back of her door where her black trench coat and skull-emblazoned backpack were hung. Posters of symphonic and gothic metal bands like Epica, Nightwish, and My Dying Bride as well as a trademark Nightmare Before Christmas poster, adorned her walls. Two spiral metal CD racks housed her music collection, which contained some surprising choices. Like Ryan, she too had a hi-fi, situated on her dresser drawer.
A flat-screen television, mounted on the wall, was flanked by a decorative border of 3 bats, all carved out of fake marble.
Beside her door was a medium-sized marble column with the masks of comedy and tragedy on the very , also marble. Her gothic bookshelf, shaped like a coffin, housed all her fantasy, poetry, mythology and literature books as it stood next to her drawers.
"Looks like Halloween came early." Ryan muttered, ignoring Bella's repeated warnings to stay out of her bedroom. His eyes found her spell-book on the floor and he picked it up, opening its black hardback Triqueta cover and flipping through each page.
"If you even go in my room, I will blow a gasket! Do you hear me?!" Bella threatened from downstairs.
Ryan wasn't listening. His fingers were busy sullying and soiling every page. "Better not miss a page." He thought, turning his head back to the opened door in preparation to really push his step-sister's buttons.
"Aleister Crowley's getting fingered for real!" Ryan taunted loudly.
Bella snapped, rushing up the stairs. "I swear to God. I swear to God!" She yelled, absolutely furious at having her own personal sanctuary defiled by her step-brother. This day had gone past the point of pranks. Now it was all out war.
(End of chapter 13)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Apr 8, 2018 15:36:48 GMT -6
(Part 14)
Ryan flipped through the pages of Bella's spell-book, his fingerprints touching each of the rare scriptures that contained ancient incantations for protection spells of any kind. Bella's spell book collection included shapeshifter spells, pyrokinesis, telekinesis, psychic and even reality bending.
He failed to hear his step-sister charge into her room. Screaming in sheer rage, Bella leapt onto Ryan's back and tackled him to the ground, her spell book flying across her makeup desk to safety. Once her step brother landed on the carpet, they began to struggle. Due to the quickness of Bella's attack, she latched one arm around Ryan's throat and began to lightly choke him.
"I warned you! There's one rule in the house, and you broke it!" Bella screamed, Ryan rising to his feet.
To his credit, Ryan was the stronger of the two siblings. "Little spider-monkey!" He grunted, expertly throwing Bella off his back and onto her bed. He clutched his throat. "What are you trying to do? Strangle me to death?!"
"Get out of my room, you monster! NOW!" Bella raged.
"You want a monster?" Ryan asked, looking over at her bookcase and getting an idea. He walked over and grabbed one book. "You want a monster?! HAVE YOUR FILL!"
Like a baseball pitcher, Ryan launched the book - a mere nondescript fantasy novel - directly at Bella. It struck her as she raised her arms to protect herself, more and more paperback novels flying across her room.
"Not my books! Anything but my books!" Bella screamed, the constant barrage of her book collection emptying her bookshelf.
Ryan didn't care. For him, this day had gone beyond the childish and false sense of superiority he held over his step-sister. With all the anger he could muster, he showered Bella with book after book, throwing them violently and relentlessly at her.
"Oh, look. Bram Stoker's Dracula. Let's see if it tears!" Ryan yelled, preparing to tear this limited edition novel of a classic tale to pieces.
Bella immediately jumped up from her bed in a blind panic, her expression filled with a pleading look. "Take it easy, Ryan. Control your rage! I'll give up if you don't tear that page!" She rhymed.
An angry scowl crossed Ryan's face. He hated her rhymes.
"d**n it! I'm sorry! Please!" Bella panicked again.
To her relief, Ryan dropped the book to the floor and she quickly picked it up. His next target was a brown hardback spell-book with the symbols of the four elements - water, fire, earth, and air - printed on it's cover, was the next target of his rage.
"No, not that one! I bought that book of elements at the occult bookstore in town!" She pleaded, hoping her step-brother would stop desecrating her most valuable possessions that always provided her with some form of escapism.
"Well now you can throw it away." Ryan retorted, drawing back his fist. With all the strength he could muster, he punched a large hole right through the book.
Bella let out a stunned cry of alarm, dropping to her knees as she frantically tried to gather up the destroyed pages like an obsessed fan. "Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay....." She repeated.
Ryan grabbed another spell-book, launching it right at Bella's head. "Heads up, half-pint." He smirked, watching her flinch as she held the destroyed remnants of her element spell-book.
"That was one of my favourites, you jerk!" Bella hissed, opening the palm of her hand. Calling upon all her magical knowledge, she telekinetically flung Ryan out of her room. This sudden surge of power sent him crashing out into the upstairs landing, his head striking the back of a nearby wall.
A nearby small and round table shook and it's contents, a priceless family vase, spun and fell downwards. Luckily, it fell right into Ryan's hands. "That was a little too close." He stated, groggily climbing to his feet and placing it back carefully. Had Anna witnessed this antique ornament being broken, he would of been grounded
Bella was busy flipping through the pages of her main spell-book, finding it's pages marked with Ryan's fingerprints. Angry at the violation, she turned and threw more short and sharp bursts of telekinesis, repeatedly slamming Ryan into the wall, being careful to not leave any small dents and draw her mother's ire.
"Do you know how much that book will cost to replace?!" She asked, flinging him into the bathroom door and then onto the landing floor, mere inches from the staircase.
"Stop it with the spells, half-pint! I mean it!" Ryan angrily ordered, ignoring the pain in his back and shoulders.
"No. You had your fun, so now it's my turn." Bella warned, preparing to send him tumbling down the stairs. She figured that it would be more fun have Ryan put in hospital by making it look like he had fallen down the stairs and broken a few bones on the way down. And if Anna would be gullible enough to believe her lies, Bella's life would soon return to normal and Ryan would be in hospital for an extended period of time.
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Unbeknownst to the teenage witch, Anna had returned from the shops with her weekly groceries. She rolled the people carrier to a stop on the driveway, shut off the engine and climbed out.
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As Bella approached and prepared to put her plan into action, Ryan managed to trip her up while on one knee by grabbing her ankle. He quickly limped down the staircase, trying to get away from her rage.
"Enjoy your trip? See you next fall!" Ryan laughed.
Bella quickly answered with another surge of telekinesis behind his back, knocking her step-brother down the remainder of the staircase and onto the hallway floor. He landed awkwardly with a loud THUD.
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"What on earth was that?" Anna asked, the noise causing her to look in the direction of the front door. She hoped the worst wasn't happening.......
(End of part 14)
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Post by LexingtonDeville1984 on Apr 8, 2018 15:37:19 GMT -6
A Tale of Two Siblings:
(Part 15)
With raised voices and several loud bangs coming from inside the house, Anna, grocery bag in hand, opened the front door. In the hallway, she witnessed Bella flinching as Ryan grabbed her by the front of her shirt dress, his left hand drawn back to deliver a punch.
"Please! I'm sorry!" Bella squeaked, knowing that she had pushed her luck by using her telekinesis to throw her brother around earlier.
"No, you're not. Not this time." Ryan swore, preparing to jackhammer his fist into his bratty sister's face.
Anna couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her trust had been betrayed by her stepson. The sight of her siblings devolved to mindless animals was enough for her to speak up loudly.
"What on earth is going on?!" She asked loudly, nearly dropping her bag of supplies.
Ryan turned to see his disbelieving step-mother standing in the hallway, his look of anger giving way to a look of guilt. Though he was clearly in the wrong, he knew that Bella had pushed him around to begin with.
"I am so dead......" He muttered, relinquishing his grip on Bella's dress shirt in disdain
"Ryan, let me handle this." Bella spoke, seemingly remorseful for being involved in such a petty squabble as she turned to her stern-looking mother. "Mom, I can explain."
With trademark manipulativeness, Bella quickly passed the blame to her step-brother. She was clever at blaming others and not herself.
"It was Ryan's fault!" Bella whined, pointing to her stepbrother in hope that she would get off scot-free and go to Fantasy Con
"Yeah, it's all my..... WHAT?!" Ryan incredulously replied, looking like he'd just been sold down the river.
"He went into my room and ruined all my spellbooks!" Bella whined, pleading her case in a spoilt manner. "I didn't do anything wrong!"
"That's a load of c**p and you know it. You disrespected my mother!" Ryan snapped, barely containing the rage that was now rising within him. Though his real mother was an alcoholic mess, he still took insults towards his family very personally.
"Oh, boo-hoo, Ryan. Cry me a river." Bella fired back. "Maybe you should play nice, otherwise you'll be the one paying the price.
"Stop it with the stupid rhymes!" Ryan snapped angrily.
"Temper, temper. All that anger won't get you anywhere. Maybe you should learn how to play fair." Bella rhymed tauntingly, pushing her seething stepbrother closer to his breaking point.
Ryan instinctively lunged forward and shoved Bella to the ground, hearing her yelp audibly in pain. "Shut up! SHUT. UP!" He raged, finally at the end of his tether with the childish rhymes. Anna could see that the situation was beyond her control now.
"Did you just see that, Mom?!" Bella whined, her voice sounding more and more annoying. "He hurt me!"
"I'll do more than hurt you, you little brat!" Ryan raged, advancing on his terrified stepsister.
Putting her groceries aside, Anna quickly stepped in between the feuding teenagers with one hand preventing Ryan from causing anymore harm. Enough was enough, and she was prepared to put her foot down.
"That is enough." Anna sternly spoke, laying down the law as Bella pulled herself up with a manipulative look of fake sadness on her face. It was a convincing ruse she always pulled to get her own way. And it worked nearly all the time.
"I am extremely disappointed in both of you. Especially you, Ryan." She lectured, turning to her raging stepson, knowing that he had broken her promise to not let Bella get under his skin. The smirking teenage witch hoped her mother would ground Ryan, or worse, throw him out of the house for laying a hand on her.
"What?" Ryan asked, astounded at being made to look like the instigator.
"You promised me that you wouldn't let her upset you. And you broke that promise." Anna continued, folding her arms.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm such a disappointment, aren't I?" Ryan retorted sardonically, less than impressed with how he was being talked to.
"More like a skin rash." Bella muttered under her breath.
Anna spun around to face her daughter, almost at the end of her tether. "Shh, don't speak." She ordered, one finger pointing at a sheepish Bella. Slowly, she was starting to exert her own control, and turned back to Ryan.
"It's not about you being a disappointment, Ryan. It's about knowing when to walk away and be the better person." Anna spoke, somewhat conveying a hint of condescension.
"Oh, spare me your namby-pamby care in the community crap." Ryan sneered, on the verge of exploding again as he pointed at Bella. "She gets away with murder, and you stand there and cover up for her."
"I will not say that because it's not true." Anna denied, trying to find a way to defuse this already volatile situation. "My daughter is many things, but a liar she is not."
"As clear as daylight, my mom tells the truth. Such a shame that you're so uncouth." Bella taunted with one last rhyme.
This set Ryan over the edge. With one balled up fist, he swung it sideways and slammed it directly into the wall with a loud BANG. A shocked Anna watched as the wall was left with a small dent, a small crack running parallel to it.
"Okay, that's it. I'M OUT OF THIS ONE!" Ryan lightly raged, lightly limping off into the lounge and sitting on the couch to calm down. Somehow he felt that the world was against him. If that were possible.
"Mom, I...." Bella squeaked.
"Enough, Bella. You have to stop these petty little games." Anna sternly ordered.
"But he....." Bella interrupted, glancing over at the clock on the wall. It was now approaching 5:00, and she was due to leave for Emily’s house. "Oh, no. I gotta go. I'll be late!"
Anna watched her daughter scarper up the stairs and disappear into her room. She came across the smashed vase Ryan had thrown earlier, its watery and porcelain contents spilled across the kitchen floor. With a heavy sigh, she swept up its contents with a dustpan and brush, depositing the remains into the bin.
Ryan folded his arms, still seething from his step-sister's annoying rhyming game. The day had taken its toll on him, with any hope for peace and quiet completely undone. His refusal to acknowledge Anna's reaction to her smashed vase only served to heighten his angry state of mind. It was impulsive, but he didn't care. Not even when his step-mother walked into the living room.
"First you damage the wall. And now I find a vase of flowers smashed." Anna lectured. "What has possessed you to think you can wreck my house?"
Ryan didn't respond. Not even as Bella appeared from downstairs. She wore a black tank top with a skull emblazoned on the front, half black and purple shorts with chains and zip-up pockets that complimented fishnets over her slender legs. Her long dark hair flowed down her shoulders, a small skull bag attached to her back. She wore black boots over her feet, which reached to her knees.
"I'm going now, Mom. Emily will be here shortly." Bella called out, preparing to walk down the hallway.
"Bella, could you wait for 5 minutes? I just need to calm things down between you sad your step-brother." Anna asked.
Bella froze, a look of fear on her face. If Ryan were to spill the revelation of her using her powers to ragdoll him around earlier, then her dream of a quiet weekend would be shattered.....
(End of part 15)
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