THREE

Later that evening, I sat watching the king-size concave, elevated, 3d plasma television in the...living space, of our shared wing of the mansion, Luis really went all out on us.

For the third time, I criticized the actions of one of the female protagonists by saying,"I'm starting to think that lady only got a formal education to achieve the ability to effectively, easily and orotundly verbally assault and demean the other characters without them knowing and thus giving her the upper hand."

"Isn't that what you're doing?"Scarlet Sapphira asked.

"Wait, you understood me?!"I yelled as Rose giggled.

Scarlet Sapphira shrugged then nodded and said she was off to bed, then went up the stairs.

Landing on the grass from behind the window and running away.

The next day, all heads were turned in the middle of the hallway as Scarlet Sapphira walked through, the prettiest girl in town.

Akane, her main rival, glared at her through her emerald eyes as Scarlet Sapphira turned to look at her, then flung her wavy scarlet locks behind her, making everyone get flustered.

Everyone knew of the epic rivalry between the two.

Though Akane was the queen bee... at age five, Scarlet Sapphira was much more beautiful, with her red hair and blue eyes as compared to Akane's brunette hair and green eyes.

Akane shut her locker and stormed the other way as Scarlet Sapphira moved her tongue through her chin, then bit her lips fluttering the pages on the single exercise book held to her chest, with her target on sight...

Rose and I were having dinner with Jack Johnson at the hospital and the doctor said he would have to be homeschooled for about a year afterwards and we agreed, till we got a call on our phone, it was the principal of Scarlet Sapphira's school...

Junior sat on his desk, with his head resting on his chin during the soulless lesson he was being tortured with.

He looked at his detention partner, and the main hall bully, grinned and took a wad of gum from his mouth, then flung it in the air and it landed right in the back of Trey's throat as he drooled on the table.

The guy choked and fell off the table and Junior chuckled to himself as the guy coughed continuously to get the amorphous viscoelastic fluid from his oesophagus.

The instructor frowned at him and helped Trey then sentenced Junior to detention for the rest of the month.

He then yelled,"What?! The guy was sleeping and you were right there!"

"I'm calling your parents."

"No, no, please don't call them, especially not my dad, please!"

The teacher looked at him with an ambivalent expression then started dialing, then Junior slumped on his seat, and smirked...

Luis came in a few minutes later as he was already nearby, then looked at his oldest and only son, then sighed and said,"I'm sorry for the trouble Mr Rogers, this wouldn't happen again."

"Sir, it can't, he could get expelled if this continues any further."

"I understand, you are coming with me for a little talk."Luis said while forcing his son out by the shoulder.

Junior was actually relieved his dad was called, because even though he was strict, the spanking, grounding and kneeling for thirty minutes in the hot sun his dad would do in private was better than his mother being disappointed in him, he couldn't stand seeing her sad...

"What are you going to do with me?"Junior asked.

His dad was silent for several seconds and the suspense was killing him, maybe he should have let his mom be called instead as his father slowly parted his lips to say,"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Like you don't know how painful it would be? Or you mean you don't know how long the torture will last?"

"I mean I don't know what I'm going to do with you in all, clearly you've gotten used to my punishments and aren't going to change, so why should I bother?"

"No dad, please, don't give up hope, you should punish me, spank me or something."

"So you wanted to be punished in the first place? I can't believe you."

"No dad that's not ehat I meant..."

"I'm disappointed in you son."

Those five simplified words struck him in the heart which began to beat faster, but everything seemed to slow down to a stop, even the words and promises to be better he yelled were muffled, only his father's voice was audible as he spoke again,"You've said that several times to me, and your mother, now you've began lying to me, to her, she can do whatever she wants with you, I know you wouldn't change anyway."

"Dad please, I'm sorry and I promise not to get into a fight at school again, ever."

Luis looked at him and saw his sincere expression, sighed then said,"If you do anything to get expelled from school, I'll officially disown you as my son."

Junior nodded several times then faced forward and Luis smirked, Mark wasn't the only manipulator around...

***

When they got home, Luis said he still had something doing, so Junior should stay and train with his sisters, then left.

In the car, he looked at a picture with tear filled eyes then spoke,"I'll find you soon Lucille, I promise..."

Junior stood in the centre of the sea sand covered floors of the large training area, then he brought out his slingshot and in an instant, the pebble flew and hit a man right in the forehead, having dodged the longsword he held.

He then began making successive shots at several men, knocking all of them down to the ground, till he began spinning the slingshot by the foundation and ramming the closest men by the shaft, then swung it so it got firmly locked on his elbow, with which he gave a flying elbow uppercut to a man and a spinning back elbow to another, using him as a human shield from where he shot down the rest.

As the men lay and groaned on the floor, he spun the slingshot in his finger as his father wouldn't let him be caught dead with a gun yet, then called to Lucinda, who was practicing the violin.

"Hey sis! Wanna spar?!"He yelled.

She walked towards the window and rolled it almost shut, so he squinted his eyes then made a shot through the slight opening and the playing stopped, there was the sound of a falling pebble, then it continued again.

He shot three times till she came out and yelled,"Will you just quit it?! You're not the only one who wants to be like their dad!"

"Why don't you just come and make me?"He asked with a grin.

She frowned and walked down the stairs towards him and there was a loud crashing sound, before she walked back in, with the broken violin over his head, as he lay on the floor...so she did make him stop.