1 Family War [Part I]

My brothers and I had just escaped from solitary confinement- oh, my bad, I meant school.

Going through the usual routine of walking through a small bit of forest to get home faster, we were having a conversation with each other.

If anyone were to see us from afar, they'd immediately be struck by a feeling of dangerous foreboding, almost as if we were planning a crime. You could practically see the aura of depression around us.

"So, what's the plan?" My little brother Lane asked, pushing his black rectangular glasses up while looking a bit more excited than he should be considering what was to come.

Lane was a 4th grader, currently 9 years of age. Sporting black rectangularly framed glasses, which seemed to compliment his smooth black hair which was short and combed over into a look that made him look older than his real age. He enjoys wearing bowties, which adds to his classy look. He gets excited way too easily, though.

"Oh, plan? That's easy. WE HAVE NONE! WE'RE GOING TO LOSE FIFTY BUCKS AGAIN!" My twin, Jared, screamed while tears shot out of his eyes at a trajectory that seemed to defy the laws of physics.

Jared Gamble, my twin brother. We look the same aside from our hairstyles. Well, not that you could call his hair a style. It's messy and long, and when that gets coupled with his bedhead in the morning, it could be described as a bird's nest. He's very weak-willed and gets upset way too easily.

There was complete silence as we continued walking, a few twigs crunching under our shoes.

When we got about half the way through the woods, it struck me. Pure genius in the form of a thought, which could clear of us our weekly problem!

"I think I may have just found the solution to our problem. I can't believe it took me to figure this out!" I cleared my throat, trying to create an atmosphere of suspense to showcase my brilliance before continuing, "Listen closely, I'll only say it once..."

I explained my plan to them as we continued our hike through the woods, you could almost smell the tension... or maybe that was just the woods.

Oh, and by the way, my name is Gary Gamble IV (The Fourth). Yeah, I know, Gary isn't exactly the coolest name. My dad wanted me to carry on the family legacy, but honestly, his father and his father's father have gone to jail for a good amount of time before... I don't want to carry on that kind of legacy. I am 13 years old, along with my twin brother, and I have black medium-length hair on the top of my head, but the sides are a lot shorter. I consider myself to be the most fun person in this city, no competition in sight.

Yet, little did these boys know, their plan had already been overheard by the very source of their problems himself.

[SCENE CHANGE: THE GAMBLE FAMILY RESIDENCE LIVING ROOM]

I started my announcer's speech which signals the beginning of our usual suffering, BUT NOT TODAY!

TODAY, WE HAVE A PLAN!

"Here we are, the 143rd Weekly Torture Session is about to begin!" I began in my best radio-host voice.

"The teams are the same as usual, we have the red team holding the second floor, while the blue team holds the downstairs floor."

"For the sake of tradition, I shall announce the members of each team and their respective positions."

I cleared my throat, preparing for the best part.

"Hit it, Jared." I motioned my hand at him, signaling to turn the background music on.

Now that my background music was on, I was ready.

I blew into my hands two times before rubbing them together and grabbing the karaoke- I mean announcer's mic. Yes, announcer's mic.

"IN THE RED CORNER, WE HAVE {Lane Gamble, the Excitable}!"

"STANDING BEHIND HIM IS {Jared Gamble, the Crybaby}!"

"HEY! WHY IS MY NAME INSULTING? THIS IS UNFAIR!" Jared said while stifling a sob, trying to not prove my nickname for him right.

I continued, ignoring his complaints. "I, your magnificent and handsome announcer, will also be participating in the red corner! For I am {Gary Gamble IV, the Genius}!" I made sure to put extra effort into my title, as I was proud of it.

The cause of our problems himself decided to snort and make a comment, "I think you mean Gary the Chuunibyu."

Stifled laughter appeared all over the room, much to my dismay.

Yes, this man was my Grandpa, Gary Gamble II (The Second). He went to jail for a while before I was born for robbing a grocery store. I'm not certain of the reason, nor do I care. All I know is that he reformed himself in prison and he's a cool guy now. Well... cool, but certainly not fair when it comes to games. He sports decently long black hair, with a few gray streaks here and there. He slicks it back, giving him a fancy look. Coupled with his thick mustache, he seems to have an aura of calmness.

Unfortunately, his calm attitude does not go into effect during anything competitive. He's way to skilled at everything we challenge him to. Darts, bicycling, toy guns fights, water balloon fights, we've never beaten him. Not once. He's not a humble winner, either.

I ignored this and continued announcing.

"In the blue corner, we have [Gary Gamble II, the Unbeatable]," I said this much more reluctantly than the last time. I would prefer to call him Gary Gamble II, The Unfair, but I lost the right to call him anything other than the Unbeatable once he beat me in a game of jump rope.

"Also in the blue corner, we have [Gary Gamble III (The Third), the Unlucky Optimist]." I sighed as I picture his antics in every game we've ever played. If something can go wrong, it will. So much so that whenever he plays with us he wears protective glasses and a helmet. He's never upset about it though. Even if he is our father, he's way too clumsy. I'm surprised he can even leave the house and come back in one piece.

Gary Gamble III, my brothers, and I's father. A happy-go-lucky yet unlucky man with naturally spiky hair. He keeps it short-length, cause it might fall over if he didn't, and he likes his spiky hair. Black hair, complimented by a goatee that almost makes him look frightening, of course, that's if you've never met him before. Anyone who knows him would never even think of the word 'frightening' to describe him. It wouldn't even cross their mind.

"Okay," I took a deep breath, preparing for the last sentence. "Into positions, you have five minutes to prepare your base and grab your weapons. I'll set the timer, and we start as soon as it goes off. You should all know the rules, but in case you forgot, anything goes. You're out as soon as you get hit with a foam dart, as long as you're hit you're out." I exhaled and rushed upstairs to prepare everything for my master plan.