Chapter Eight: An Eventful Walk Home

Anxiety; a general term for several disorders that cause nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worrying.

*

The tension seemed to subside within a few hours of the Trial by Court. But for the rest of the day and night, I didn't see Amada and Amia in the same room.

From what I gathered, by the time I went to bed the two hadn't made up yet.

Once again, I was the first up the next morning, or at least I thought I was. By the time I had gotten changed and went down to the kitchen, Mia was standing before an open pantry, looking up at one of the high shelves. I approached and saw a box of 'Marshmallow Crunchies' on the top shelf, the cereal box was bright pink with unicorns and rainbows on it, the name of the cereal in glittery gold letters.

"Need a hand?" I offered before she started throwing potatoes at it. She nodded as she placed the potatoes back down. I reached up and pulled the cereal off the shelf, but before I gave it to her, I read what was in it. I raised an eyebrow, "How on earth is this a breakfast cereal?" I asked looking at Mia, who gave me a blank stare as she waited for the box. I withheld it from her.

"I'm not willingly feeding you this sugary crap at seven in the morning," I informed replacing the box. I was given an angered punch to the stomach, which coming from her wasn't very strong, as she stomped past me and reappeared at the table. I hadn't noticed the newspaper sprawled on the surface.

"You read the paper?" I asked, surprised this dorm even got the paper.

I heard a loud Estelle yawn as she entered the room, unlike yesterday she was still in her silk pyjamas. She rubbed her eyes as she made a final stretch in the doorway.

"Good morning," she announced, her eyes fell on the newspaper Mia was reading, "Nerd."

Without looking up, Mia made some gestures, prompting Estelle to roll her eyes as she sat at the kitchen counter, "Sup Landy?" she asked.

I raised an eyebrow at the nickname, "Landy?"

"Yeah, Landon, Landy, it makes sense, dummy," She yawned again as she rubbed her eyes, "I want coffee."

"You drink coffee?"

"No," Estelle rested her forehead against the kitchen counter, "but people drink it when they're tired."

I didn't remember seeing coffee, "I can make you some tea?" I offered.

"What kind?"

"I think there was chamomile and English Breakfast," I informed.

"Chamomile tastes like hay," Estelle grumbled.

I nodded, "English Tea is it," the kettle made a metallic clink when I picked it up off the stove.

"Good choice, chap," Estelle drowsed with an accent.

I turned on the tap for the water, "Mia, tea?" I called. She ignored me.

Estelle left to get changed, coming back by the time the kettle started shrilling. On her way past Mia this time, she leant over the table and said, "Can I have the funny pages?"

The faintest shadow of a smile came to Mia's lips as she pulled a page from the paper and handed it over. She returned her gaze to the article, making a small gesture as Estelle walked back to me. Even I recognised it.

She signed 'dork.'

I pressed my lips together to keep from smirking as I poured water into mugs.

"What?" Estelle caught my smile.

"Oh, nothing. What's the joke of the day?" I asked dropping the tea bags into the cups.

Estelle cleared her throat as she flicked the page, "Are you ready for your sides to hurt?" she asked.

I nodded as I mixed the teabag in the water, watching it change colour slowly, "Hit me."

"What did the drummer call his twin daughters?" she read. I shrugged, "Anna one, Anna two!" Estelle raised an eyebrow before cringing, "Oh God that's bad."

I agreed, "Yeah that's pretty bad," I sipped my tea to check how strong the flavour was.

"The rotation of the Earth makes my day," Estelle added.

I coughed as I suppressed a laugh, "That's so bad…" I choked hunching over the counter as I continued hacking. Looking over at Mia, a hand was over her mouth as her body trembled as she tried not to laugh.

*

When I saw the school down the road, I hopped off my bike and walked it inside. When I approached the garden shed, like yesterday, it remained heavily padlocked. I was impressed by how big the inside was considering it looked like a small green cube.

I hadn't seen Alexis go home. Was there a bed in there?

I sat down on some grass near the front gate of the school, watching as kids trickled in. Like yesterday, the girls walked into the school in their own time. Amada and Amia entered separately this time. Amia wandered in first and spoke to some girls, leaving Amada, a few minutes behind her, to stand awkwardly at the entrance. I could almost see the worry on his face when Amia didn't come back.

"Spying, Landy?" Estelle asked. She plonked on the patch of grass next to me.

"Don't you have suitors to snub?" I asked.

"Nah, I feel like causing rumours," she replied resting her head on my shoulder, "Imagine: Princess Estelle communing with a scholarship commoner."

"Oh," I exaggerated a wince, "My feelings, princess. Too much."

"What part? Commoner or scholarship?" Estelle asked.

I scoffed, "What praises me with your presence, Your Benevolence?" I asked as Amada shuffled across the courtyard and sat by himself under a tree, "That is Amada, right?"

Estelle lifted her head and shrugged, "Probably. He's the biggest introvert this side of Bill Gates," she sighed as she laid down on the grass, covering her eyes with her arm, "you sound worried."

"I am worried."

"Why?"

"I mean, look at him."

Estelle groaned in protest as she lifted her head, Amada looked so uncomfortable, "he always looks like that when he's alone."

"Well, why's he alone?"

"I love my gossip, Landy. But I'm not Google. He doesn't go out of his way to make friends, and people pick up on his weirdness," Estelle laid back down.

"Why don't you go and sit with him?" I asked.

She laughed, kicking her legs against the ground as she held her stomach. I didn't think what I said was funny, but she added, "Cause that's social suicide. If I'm seen with Amada, it could ruin my entire social life."

I raised an eyebrow at her, "'Entire social life'? I can't even tell if you're serious right now."

"Oh, I'm dead serious, Landon," Estelle assured, "I have a reputation to uphold. I have friends with standards."

I tilted my head at her, "Dial down the bitchiness, Estelle."

She gave me a crazed look, "Never."

I looked back to Amada, looking slightly less awkward by reading a book. Now that I recognised Amada as a boy, seeing him in a skirt was weird.

"Why are you sitting with me?" I asked.

"Because you look like the sad loner who just moved to a new school and has no friends," Estelle sat up, her hair falling in front of her eyes, "imagine how people will react at seeing you with a princess?"

I ignored her question and brushed aside some of the loose bits of hair from her face. "Gorgeous, Your Majesty."

She blew the others away with her mouth, "I'm well aware of my beauty."

With that final statement; the bell chimed for roll call.

*

"You know, it's thanks to you that I am slightly cooler than I already was before," Estelle informed as we walked through the gate. She had found me in the hallways and followed me when I went to the shed; still locked.

"Oh really? Was that even possible?" I asked.

She jogged further forwards and walked backwards, making broad gestures, "I know, I'm shocked too," she joked, "But seriously. Half my girlfriends want your number, and some of my guy friends were 'O-M-G, who is this new guy you're hanging out with? We're so jealous of you, Estelle. Ahh!'" She made her guy friends have a strange voice.

"I should say hi to them next time I see them," A small group of girls had snatched Estelle away from me when the bell chimed. It was a strange encounter; a movement of giggles and a wave from Estelle before disappearing.

Estelle threw her bookbag at me and started running around me in circles, "Oh, hi Thing 1, Thing 2."

I looked over my shoulder, Amada and Amia trailed behind us, "Hi Estelle," they greeted.

They were linking arms. Who I thought was Amia made sure their steps were in sync, and when Amada noticed he would put it out of sync. It became a funny game between them.

"You two good now?" I asked.

"I'm still annoyed," Amia said elbowing her brother, "But we apologised. We're good now."

I nodded, recalling all the times I had argued with my sisters. While I had never done something as dangerous as knee them in the gut, we haven't been on speaking turns for days at a time over issues like the toilet seat or whose turn it was to empty the dishwasher. Lost in thought, Estelle suddenly hopped on my back in a piggy-back.

"Onwards my steed!" she yelled.

I barely caught her weight as she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and neck. I released my bike and watched it clatter to the ground, "Estelle, what're you doing?"

"Mush!" she demanded, ignoring my statement.

"I'm not carrying you, get off me," I let go of her legs, but she had looped them and clutched onto me.

"Gonna need to do more than that," she said.

I rolled my eyes as I regripped her legs and balanced her better on my back.

"Fine, whatever. Can one of you guys walk my bike?" I asked turning to the twins.

One of them passed the textbooks they were holding to the other to pick up the bike. The bike seat was level with their shoulders.

"Why is your bike so tall?" they asked.

"It's a cycling mountain bike, designed for racing and such," I informed as we started for the dorm room, "usually cyclists lean forwards, so they go faster and conserve energy."

Estelle groaned in my ear as she rested her chin on my shoulder.

"Just listening to you talk about exercise is making me tired," I snorted as I twirled, prompting her to yell in surprise.

We walked slower back to the dorm, but it was a lot more fun having company. The twins recounted the events of their day, describing how a guy in one of their classes nodded off and got so frightened when the teacher called his name he stumbled off his chair. As we approached the main roads, cars became more apparent, so we walked closer to the sides. Some cars honked their horns, and the twins or Estelle would wave as they passed. I suppose everyone knows everyone in a small town, I mused, but then I looked down at our uniforms, noting how blatant it was we were part of the school.

Estelle started becoming slowly heavier the longer we walked. It soon became apparent Estelle was too tired to walk as she had dozed off on my back, her arms loosely draped over my shoulders. It reminded me of times when I was younger, and I carried my little sister on my back. I remembered she would always be too tired to walk home and fall asleep on my back before we made it there.

The twins were discussing something behind me. Occasionally I heard my bike run over a pebble or the twin who walked it complain that the handlebars were an awkward height, but aside from that, it was serenely quiet.

"What're your plans when we get home, Landon?" A twin asked.

I looked over my shoulder, "Want to get my homework over and done with, but I was thinking of going for a bike ride around the area, familiarise myself with it again."

"Is this the first time you've been here?"

"No, I lived here for a couple of years when I was twelve or so. My parents had work overseas, and I went with my Dad while my sisters went with my Mum."

"You have sisters?" Estelle mumbled.

I chuckled, "Yes. I have three."

"You went with your Dad?" the twin holding the bike asked, "Are your parents separated?"

"Amada…" his sister hissed.

"No, they aren't separated. My parents were never formally together," I explained how myself and one of my sisters were biologically related to my parents, and my Mum had adopted the other two.

My parents never married but did want to start a family. They loved each other but chose their unpredictable careers over one other. It was a reoccurring romance between them every summer when we all got together, Dad saying many times he couldn't wait for their retirement when they would get married, assuming they weren't old and crabby towards each other by then. I hoped for that day, but it wasn't something I was expecting to happen any time soon. I went with Dad because my sisters needed Mum more than me, and I had a more significant interest in his job than hers.

My thoughts were interrupted by the crumbling of pebbles under a car. As I turned, a black car with tinted windows pulled up behind me but beside the twins. We all stopped, I thought perhaps they wanted to ask us something, but two large men stepped out of the small car, each dressed in a black suit, with black ties and shirts.

"Amada and Amia Romano?" one asked. His voice was remarkably deep.

The twins took an uncertain glance at each other before answering, "Yes…"

"Your Father has sent us," they informed as one opened the back seat of the car, "Andrea Romano. Urgent family business."

Despite the mention of their Father, they looked confused, taking more nervous glances at each other as Amia placed a hand on her hip and said; "perché il padre vuole vederci?"

"Those little punks know Italian?" Estelle whispered to me, currently aware and wide awake.

Everyone fell silent.

Amada added on, "But what about our rabbit Alfonso?"

"Your Father said it was urgent and that we would go get him later," the man assured gesturing to the open car door.

Both twins became sickly pale, Amada slowly shuffling closer to his sister, who I noticed had her jaw clenched.

"I must object," I chimed in, Estelle taking in the atmosphere and dismounting the piggy-back, "It's my job to oversee their safety back to their dorm. No one told about this little pick-up."

They turned their attention to me and appeared vastly unimpressed.

"We're just following instruction. Something unexpected popped up, and Mr Romano wishes to have his children close by at this time."

I sized them up, each had a muscular build and were taller than me. Against one I had my doubts, but against two it seemed unfair.

"I'm sure if their Dad had an emergency for them he would have sent someone they may recognise. They've never seen you two before," this was an assumption of course, but based on their sudden demeanour change I doubted they were all acquainted with each other. "If Mr Romano gets upset with you, just tell him it was my fault and for future reference to let me know about these little arrangements." I held my stare with the man, who I could tell was fighting a sneer, while out of the corner of my eye I saw the twins were still petrified to the spot.

"This was supposed to be an easy pickup," he suddenly said, his twitchy expression turning into a smirk, "but oh well."

I don't remember the impact, just a sharp pain in my cheek and suddenly staring at the sky. Estelle's face quickly came into view.

"Landon!" She was yelling at me, yet in my shocked state, I could barely hear her. My bike crashed against the ground, and Amada quickly came into my line of sight.

"Landon?" And just as quickly he was snatched away.

The screaming sobered me up as I saw the man who had punched me pick a struggling Amada off the ground.

"Get the other girl," he told his comrade, who nodded and approached Amia like one approaches a skittish kitten.

In the heat of the moment, I went after the man holding Amada.

As I got to my feet, I could hear my mind rationalising what I was doing. I ducked beneath Amada and struck the man's stomach while he had no hands, forcing him to hunch over, and in the same movement went to a kneel and struck his liver. I recalled the effects it caused; nausea, a moment of disorientation, but above all incapacitating pain. The blow sent the man to his knees, dropping Amada like a ragdoll.

Amia seemed to take the approach of an attempted kidnapping in an entirely different way. While Amada most certainly froze, Amia seemed angry and attacked. The books she held were her weapons as she flicked the hardcovers one at a time at the abductor, one striking him in the chin.

"Get away from me!" When she ran out of books, I recognised self-defence techniques often used by girls. She punched at his throat and immediately followed it with a knee to the groin. While it disoriented him, she wasn't strong enough to weaken him and got violently snatched by the arm.

When he wrapped his big arms around her and lifted, she didn't stop fighting. She started cursing in Italian as she kicked and flailed, once managing to sink her teeth into his forearm. I quickly came up behind him and wrapped an arm around his throat, prompting a choke hold. It was difficult given the height difference, but my surprise attack stunned him enough to force him to lean back into me, his arms releasing Amia to try and detach mine.

I watched as his cheeks started turning crimson and his eyes widen as I chokehold him. When choke-holding, it was all in the constriction of blood flow to the head. With my arm disturbing the trachea and jugular veins, blood wants to flow to the 'in danger' areas but can't because of my obstruction. When done correctly, a grown man can lose consciousness in under thirty seconds.

He became heavy in my arms after sixteen.

As I laid the man down, I looked to Amia, "You okay?"

She was panting, but her jaw remained clenched it looked to be out of anger than fear. I heard Estelle cry out.

"Go away!" Looking over, the other man had recovered enough to stand up and loom over Estelle, who stood between the man and Amada.

"Out of my way!" he demanded and, no holding back, backhanded Estelle. The strike was enough to send her to the ground clutching her face.

Like Amia, she seemed more angered then pained.

"How dare you!" She scooped up a handful of rocks from the road and threw them at the man's face, the dirt amongst it blinding him.

"Leave my brother alone!" Before I could stop her, Amia threw herself onto the back of the man, her smaller arms wrenching the man's head back as she clawed and tried to choke him. Realising who was on his back, the man latched onto Amia's thrashing arms, keeping her from getting off him. Sensing the new danger, Amia squealed as she struggled against him, the man staggering back towards his car.

In a blind moment of panic, I ran up to the two and forced them apart, grabbing Amia as she fell to the ground and stumbling with her. The man free of the extra weight of his shoulders suddenly made a backwards decision; he retreated to the car, empty-handed. The man whom I had previously rendered unconscious, soon following.

The car sped away before anyone could pick themselves off the ground.

Estelle crawled over to Amada, who reacted violently at first to being touched, while looked down at Amia in my arms. In all that just happened, she had fainted.