Haggis, not my favorite meal, then again I wasn't a fan of eating in the first place. But I had to hand it to Coriane and Cal they were delicious. Who would've known that seasoned sheep pluck somehow converted to pudding could taste like this?
"So Maven, any plans this summer?" Coriane asked casually with a rather genuine smile from her seat diagonal from me.
Mother shot me a pointed grin from next to me, I'm surprised she hasn't pinched me yet.
Well there was new DLC coming out for Ludi on June 19th, and marching band seemed like fun, but did I really want to get in involved in something Cal had left such a long shadow for? But at the very same time, Thomas really wanted me to get into it... "Considering Marching Band, may I ask why your asking?" I could almost feel the heat radiating off Mom's foot as it hovered over mine, a silent nervewracking warning.
Coriane opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by a frustrated Cal "After all these years you're now interested in marching band? I've been trying to talk you into it for years."
A voice not belonging to anyone at the table whispered, Smooth move, I clamped my mouth down to stop myself from gasping. Alexandret was back
Leave. I gave a silent command. I promised myself I wouldn't entertain these-these figments of imagination.
Your very existence entertains us if you truly wanted to win I guess the only escape would be death, And he came along with Sonya, great.
They were a distraction I'd long learned to ignore, They're just figments of imagination, they don't matter, they aren't anyone. I told myself flashing back to reality it wasn't one of my serious attacks anyway I could do this. "I never really saw the appeal till now, A friend of mine recommended it but I'm still considering, I may just go to math camp again," I said taking a small sip of water.
"So you're still deciding?" Since when was Coriane ever concerned with what I was up to? Half the time she didn't even come to our bi-weekly dinners, then again neither did Dad or Cal or Mother for that matter, very busy bees they were. If Dad was busy, Mom really didn't see the point of sitting and eating at a table with me.
"Yerp," I said taking another sip of water, Mother glared at me for the informality, I'm surprised she hasn't jam her heel into my toe yet.
Coriane broke into a grin, "Well we hope you'll add this to your ever-growing list of possibilities this summer," She was awfully enthusiastic as she handed me the medium sized box father had held in the foyer. It was paperweight so it probably wasn't anything I'd want, besides maybe money or freedom.
Ungrateful Much? Sonya's voice rang through my head.
NOT NOW SONYA. I screamed back Time either seems to move ridiculously fast or slow when those two appeared, Alexandret and Sonya weren't the only voices my mind conjured up, just two of the more prominent ones. I'm pretty sure they were dating though,one never appeared without the other, it'd be fitting for them both.
I didn't exactly want to open the present, right now, what if I got wrapping paper everywhere? Mother would skin me. I thought, grazing my thumb along a seam, I could feel their stares boring into the box.
Gently I picked at the tape lining the seems, They weren't gonna make a fool outta me.
"Mavey, Rip the god damn thing open already," Father crackled "I pity you wife on her wedding night," He chuckled
I was embarrassed, but I laughed along too, not because his joke was funny, but at the thought of me with a wife. No amount of love or hate I could ever feel for a person would ever cause me to let them into this family.
I hurried myself along, ripping away the paper in under ten seconds, I wasn't sure if I should be excited or not, Coriane sure did, along with Cal.Mother kept a monotone expression her eyes examining everything and everyone. I refused to meet Father's gaze.
A small white box was concealed inside, maybe it was an action figure, Cal would know to get me that, (I think?) or lightweight shoes, something Father would want me to have, probably a new shoulder rest, something Mother would've nagged Dad for.
I took a breath flipping the top off to finding myself digging through unending layers of sparkling tissue paper. At the bottom laid two long scraps of card stock.
"Cruise Tickets?" I asked turning over the thick slices of paper in my hands
"We've known we've never been the tightest family," Coriane started
"Wonder why," Cal snorted from her side
"We've been thinking, with Cal off at college, and you joining him soon, time together is... precious," Coriane announced throwing her son a cold look then fixing her cloudy eyes on me. "And we thought it be good for us to spend at least one complete summer together before, you go off touring colleges next summer."
"Great idea," I murmured, analyzing the two slices of cardstock that wanted nothing more than to steal my summer, "I'm guessing the second if for a friend of my choosing?" I asked knowing the obvious answer, but I still dared to hope the second wasn't for Mother. I'd never agree with my free will if I couldn't bring Thomas, we'd spent every summer together in some aspect. Whether it was chatting over Xbox live or meeting up at the library. I'd go to every marching band competition and he'd show up to my summer orchestra concerts.
"I mean if you count your mother as a friend and you choose her, then I guess you could put things like that,but it is a family trip after all," Father huffed rolling his eyes at my insufferable comment, "though the Samos' will be attending also," He added not sounding too delighted. He and the Samos' had a confusing relationship, They were sorta the royal family of the iron industry, monopolized everyone out of business. Father was the equivalent of them in Coal industry, though they were in completely different sectors of economics they still made each other uneasy. If this was a family trip, why would they accompany us, you should feel comfortable around family and the presence of the Samos family we'd feel anything but Though I was deep in thought I didn't miss Cal's uncomfortable shift in Movement at the mention of their name, Could this have something to do with him?
"We'd be honored to accompany you and the Samos's," Mother announced shattering my train of thought and speaking for me.
I threw her a glare I wasn't sure I even wanted to go, I was about to open my mouth before her heel clamped down on my big toe. How did she walk in those things the heels tip was razor sharp, like everything else about her.
If Cal sitting right across from me noticed the distress on my face he didn't say anything, letting his mother speak the words I'd hoped someone would say. "And we'd be honored for you to join us, but," She said angling her attention towards me "We'd first like to hear Maven's response as it is his present," She said as kindly as she could. Sadly No amount of kindness Coriane could've conjured up could not evade the inevitable, Mother would offended and moody later,though Coriane wouldn't be affected I would...
"I'll consider it," I said with a smile, there was truly nothing for me to consider. Mother would never let me decline, I saw the way she looked at the tickets. She saw another way to bury herself further into the Calore family.
Coriane gave me a lighthearted smile, at that moment I understood a little bit more of Father's world why he'd stayed with and loved her.
"Anyone care for some dessert cocktails with homemade stolen?" Mother asked with a yawn. Dinner was nearly finished as the time neared seven thirty.
Cal and I took our stolen to the balcony while the alcohol drinkers took it to the porch, Mother wanted anyone passing by to know who she hosted tonight.
"Did she actually make this?" Cal asked setting his plate down on the railing after one bite.
I snorted "Course not, she's got a private German chef on speed dial, the second she heard your mother was bringing haggis she placed an order, "
"Of course, " Cal said thoughtfully as a fresh breeze of May air kissed his skin, ruffling his curls. "She doesn't know she does it."
I didn't need clarification on who he was talking about. Coriane effortlessly ignited a fire in Mother, a fire she didn't notice or care that was there. Coriane was Moms P Wave, effortlessly going through things always a few seconds ahead. Mom lagged behind as her S wave noticing everything, noting every last detail in her memory, but never missing the big picture. Maybe that was her fault, she always saw the big picture and never lived in the moment, everything was about the future to her, a strength and a weakness. They were two sides of a coin whether they knew it or not, complete opposite that needed each other to be what they were. They were Heads or Tails. "Yeah" I muttered under my breath, as another breeze came by.
"Thinking about the Cruise?" Cal had taken another bite of his stollen, his eyes far away. He continued when I didn't respond, "It was Mom's idea to bring you along, not dad's or mine, I would've wanted to but never would have had the balls to ask,"
"Oh" I shifted uncomfortably, I didn't particularly care about what he had to say, there was no convincing to be done, mother made the choices in this house. It never mattered what I wanted.
"Dad's set this up in some crazy scheme to benefit my love life," Cal muses flicking an invisible speck of dust from his shirt. "And Mom's unknowingly dragged you into it,"
"Great" So maybe that's why the Samoses were accompanying us, they were trying for a match, though our families unsettled each other dad leaped at any moment to mend our families odd rivalry.
"But that aside you'll still come, might be fun," Fun, fun without Thomas? in the middle of the god damn Atlantic Ocean, stranded on a boat with people I hate.
"I think we both know the choice isn't mine, Cal," I said without emotion, I was confused to find the sadness bundled in hurt layered in Cal's eyes I was going isn't that what he wanted? I guess the facts were facts, everyone was a complex bundle of emotion, chemicals festering in our brains like a disease forcing us all to act and react irrationally. I would never understand Cal and he I. We'd missed too much of each other's lives, too many puzzle pieces missing to even begin what to understand what we were looking at.
"But it is, you say the words and I'll tell Mom. She'd be heartbroken but she won't force this on you Maven,"
"And what about Dad,?" He'd had always been forceful throughout my childhood, making me attend banquets, smile in front of his death coal mining traps, I didn't know the exact number of fatalities but he definitely wasn't releasing them to the public, he framed himself as eco-friendly never using surface mining, the type he used was much more efficient and dangerous, not to mention cheap.
"It wasn't even his idea to bring you along, Mom begged for months, Dad's still shaky about bringing you and your mother along, but he agreed, for her. I'm not sure why she's so set on one last family vacation but I know she has good intents," He pleaded like I could be swayed, Truthfully I stopping paying attention at Dad's still shaky about bringing me.
Only in this family would a father ever be shaky about taking his own son to a family vacation. We'd been wrecked beyond repair, way before I was born. I could I hardly blame him, a day in his skin must've been worse than mine and mine were terrible. Shadow's screaming, haunted my every hour and day. I didn't know exactly what my father had been through to conceive me but it haunted him every time he looked at his own wife. The fractured bit of soul he called a wife, was barely hanging onto reality.
She'd become so good at hiding it, but if you watched close enough in the reflections of those blue colorless eyes at times there was a fierce fire ignited reflected in her eyes other times there was nobody at all, no not nobody a ghost. A beautifully crafted ghost, carved with the cruelty of a million lifetimes. I knew bits and pieces of what had happened, and those alone made reminiscing on the tale bring about uncomfortable feelings at the very least, to live though it must've been a nightmare, or something much, much worse... something words cannot describe.
"Your mothers an odd woman, wanting to bring her bastard stepson on a family vacation" I tutted, I believed Cal on the innocent intents thing, she'd been broken and battered too far to even hurt herself. "But I believe you,"
"So you'll come?" He said with a fabricated grin, I wasn't sure if he full heartedly wanted me to tag along or not. I think he did but he seemed uneasy? I puckered my lips at the thought, as he added a please to the end of his sentence.
"I'll consider it," And I genuinely would it felt good to for once to feel like I had actual control over my future they were asking me, and I'd think long and hard about it.
"Tiberias, would you come here for a minute?" Dad's voice rang throughout the house followed by shrill of female laughter.
Cal's cheeks bloomed at the sound of his full name, and the laughter following it. Embarrassment, even he felt it every now and again. His eyes meant mine, a silent apology as he slipped out the door.
I didn't bother to wait for him to come back and carry on our conversation, it was late and I had school tomorrow as I would for the next two weeks. When I slipped my dress shirt off the clock read 10:42 Thomas would be done with band awards night and hopefully home by now maybe playing Ludi, I thought glaring aimlessly at my knocked over desktop, I didn't dare pick it up I'm sure I heard a cracking sound when mother had yanked my keyboard I didn't have the heart to confirm my suspicions. I closed my eyes rendering myself for another day of what was said to be the best years of my life, High School.
Okay so I know I promised Maven's Side would be back this summer but it's gonna be postponed I lent my copy of Red Queen to my friend and her dog ATE it don't, believe me, I'll show you a picture:
So until she can get me a new one it's gonna be postponed even longer, but not to fear because the next chapter of Family Business will be out June 20th so that's something to look forward too!