Respect

 

            The first thing I did after banishing my mom and brother from the house was to run down to JB. “Hey guess what!” I exclaimed, exhilaration enhanced by nerves. I was on edge! I’d just seen something terrible, done something terrible, and I was ready to do something. Anything! “You can come back upstairs to the house with me!”

“Really?” A smile came to his face, but then he suppressed it. “Is your mom okay with it, or are you sneaking me in?”

“No and no! It’s perfect, just come on!” I took his hand and pulled him toward the stairs.

 

 

            JB and I watched a movie on the couch together, occasionally interrupting the romantic scenes with our own sloppy making out. When the credits rolled, he asked me what was going on. I told him about what I saw and the banishment, expecting his full support. I didn’t get it. While he admitted that what I saw must have been shocking, and he was impressed I learned another power, he said that I couldn’t just disrespect my family like that. They were my family; who was he to tell me what to do with them?

            Before I could argue with my boyfriend, Hans came home.

 

            My brother saw us instantly and joined us. He had a lot of questions about who JB was, how we met, and whether or not he was wearing his pants. I kept telling him to buzz off, but JB took the time to answer all his questions. And truthfully too. Hans wasn’t going to believe him, but then he remembered that his siblings were freaking magical! I mean come on!

 

            JB excused himself to look at the pool, saying that now that he wasn’t made out of stuffing and cotton that he might give swimming a try. “Narissa, where’s Mom? What is she going to say about you moving your boyfriend in here?”

“You stink,” is all I could come up with to say.

 

            Later that night, when I was finally tired, I decided to try out the master bedroom. I mean, I was the master after all! I sat down on the bed, calling for JB, and trying my hardest to block out the fact that I was on the bed that my dad used to woohoo in. Claude and Mom probably did it in there too. Gross!

 

            JB joined me, sitting with a rigid back on the very edge of the bed. “Relax,” I said. “I gave the blankets a quick magic cleaning.”

“It’s not that.”

“Well then what’s wrong? Don’tcha wanna share a bed with your girlfriend?” Even though I was worn out enough to sleep, l could have perked myself back up enough for some action.

“I just don’t find this to be appropriate, Issy. I am going to locate a different bed for me to sleep in tonight.” He gave me a weak smile. “Goodnight.”

 

            Wow, so he was going to leave me high and dry like that? What a loser! I tried to think rationally about JB’s decision to not fool around me with, to reject my offer, but I just couldn’t bring myself around to his side of things.

 

            The next morning I shared some time with my bros, pointedly ignoring JB. Hans showed off the impressive amount of improving he’d gone through with piano, actually giving me a run for my money in musical talent. He could play pretty melodies and then seamlessly dive into an aggressively complicated flurry of notes.

            When James and Hans started to ask too many questions about Mom and Claudey, I had to bolt.

 

            JB found me sitting alone outside. He helped himself to a snow cone before starting up a chat. I gave him the silent treatment for a while. “Are you angry at me, Issy? Is it because I wouldn’t share a bed with you last night?”

“Duh!” I shouted at him. “I practically threw myself at you and you turned me down. Do you know how embarrassing that was for me?”

 

“I did not mean to embarrass you or hurt your feelings. I simply have a lot of respect for you, and I wish that you had the same for me. Personally, I don’t want to rush anything in our relationship. I’m just experiencing being a human for the first time, and I would like to savor everything. And you had so much happen to you last night. What kind of man would I be if I were to take advantage of that?”

“He has a good point,” Grandma commented, unwarrantedly.

“And you are too young to be thinking of doing such things, Missy!” Dad angrily threw at me.

“Technically, she’s old enough. Once a female has gone through—”

“I don’t want to hear this!” I said and covered my ears. JB flashed a hurt look and I pointed at my head. Understanding, he nodded.

“Why don’t you and I go on a date today?” he asked. How could I say no to that?

 

            I got all dressed up and came rushing back down to him. I was a little disappointed when he suggested playing on the seesaw, but that had been our thing. And it was pretty fun too.

 

            I suggested that we go somewhere, out to the park probably, and he eagerly agreed. He’d never been off my lot before. He asked if I was still mad, so I gave him a quick kiss. That was easier than explaining that I knew I shouldn’t have been mad, but my hurt pride was still making me be.

 

            We really didn’t spend much time together on our date. I decided to get earn some extra money.

 

            And JB decided to give snowboarding a chance. He was really good! Good enough to make me swoon!

 

            But then he wiped out and gave it a rest for the day.

 

            I was surprised to see that Mom had grown balls enough for her to think she could just waltz back in. When Hans and James weren’t looking, I banished her again. “You’re going to need to practice some more. Your banishments are weak.”

“Gee, really?”

JB had seen what I’d done and looked as though he disapproved. Kept his mouth shut though.

 

            That night, all four of us left in the house decided to watch a movie together. Hans threw a hissy fit about his spot on the couch being taken by JB. My boyfriend offered to move, but I clamped down on his arm and made him stay.

 

            The conversations that night were pretty tense. At first, I couldn’t figure out why. And then the lectures started. My so-called brothers ganged up on me about dumb shit, and my stupid boyfriend agreed with them. They said that I could do what I wanted with my life, but that they all had rights too. Apparently Mom said I’d kicked her out, conveniently keeping quiet as to why, and they all wanted her back. Brats who wanted their mommy. Typical.

 

            When it got too annoying, I pulled out my tablet and tuned them out. They didn’t know anything! It was my house and I could do what I wanted.

“That’s my girl!”

 

 

 

 

Mother Kisser

 

            “Issy?” JB called from the other room while I washed up our dishes from dinner. Or was it lunch? Maybe a linner. How was I supposed to know what time it was? Everything started to become really disorientated for me since I started to spend so much time underground.

I’d totally lucked out! I found a bunch of old junk—“It wasn’t junk!”—tucked away that I was able to hawk for a few weeks’ worth of bills. I could finally take a break from strumming in the park and enjoy some quality time playing house with JB.

“Yeah?”

“Isn’t it close to being time for your family reunion?”

“So?” I asked, barging back into the main room.

 

“Shouldn’t you attend it? You made it sound as though it was important to your mom that you attend.”

“Yeah she really wants me to.” I leaned in for a kiss, really itching for a good make out session, but he ducked it. “Here’s the problem: I don’t want to go. Don’t you want me to stay down here with you?”

 

“You know I love our time together, but I still think you should go. After all, you are the leader of the family now, aren’t you?”

“Not really, I’m just the heir…” I started to mumble but stopped myself. Leader? Nobody’d called me that before. It sounded good though. And I was kinda the leader, wasn’t I? “Maybe I should go. Will you be okay down here by yourself?”

“I always am!” he beamed.

 

 

            Somebody, Mom thought it was Uncle Freddy, organized some lame family reunion party at the boring club uptown. In the limited exposure I’d had to her that week, Mom’d strongly encouraged me to go. It sounded so awful, and I had a bad feeling or whatever.

            JB had wanted me to go though too, so I’d just have to toughen up and survive a few hours with my relatives.

 

            It looked like it was late afternoon by the sun outside, but my family were all still clad in pajamas when I went up to announce that I was going. I had to sit there for, like, thirty minutes and wait for my brothers to change. “Are you gonna wear that?” I asked Mom with a laugh.

“Oh, I’m not going.”

“And I’m staying here too,” Claudey threw at me, defiant look in his eyes. Mom elbowed him.

I shrugged. “Whatever.”

 

            So the place ended up being pretty much dead. At first, it was just Hans, James, and I. I pulled out my guitar, ready to entertain my tardy family whenever they showed up.

 

 

            James’ cool factor went up like eight hundred notches in my book when he went behind the bar and took advantage of the fact that there were no adults around. He was surprisingly good at making iced juices.

 

            Hans lamely danced while James and I drank. He was totally out of his comfort zone.

 

 

 

            Two of my cousins finally showed up. Or great cousins or second cousins or something!

 

            And then I learned that one of my biggest fans was dating the girl, Kylie.

 

            Only one more relative ever showed. I felt blessed by somebody for the genetics I’d managed to snag.

            When it was clear that the whole thing was a flop, I announced to my brothers, “I’m outta here! You two coming with me?”

“Shouldn’t you wait until the juice wears off first?” Hans asked, trying to keep his worried voice discreet. I was so bored that I’d forgotten that I’d even stolen a few swigs from James’ mix. I didn’t feel weird at all, so I just told them I was fine and walked off.

 

 

            I decided to go into the house first to tell Mom what a fiasco the reunion turned out to be. I wanted to rub it in her face. What I walked in on… well I didn’t expect it. Dad did though. I was still waving, trying to register what was in front of me, while he screamed a frighteningly long list of curse words in my head.

 

 

            “M-Mom?” I was eventually able to gasp out.

 

            They separated as soon as they realized I was there.

 

 

            “How did it go, H-Honey?” Mom had the balls to ask me like nothing had happened. What the hell had happened?! Mom had been kissing my brother! Her son! Watcher! What kind of disgusting crap was my family into?

“I knew that lousy bastard was going after her! Narissa, protect your father’s pride! Get rid of him!”

What I had seen was so gross, so unbelievably gross, that I felt like I could cry. My eyes even started to sting. “What the hell is going on?”

“It’s not what it looks like!”

“Narissa, you should just stay the hell out of our business. It’s bad enough you took the money and the house. The least you could do is keep your mouth shut.”

 

 

“Claude! You’re freaking disgusting! That’s our mom! How can you shove your tongue down your own mom’s mouth? This is like… like that one thing.”

“Oedipus Rex? Watcher, you are so dumb! Why did he pick you?”

“Shut up!” I screeched at him, shaking with rage. “You don’t get to insult me, Mother Kisser!”

 

 

"Like she said, it’s not what it looks like. Trish isn’t my mom. She’s not even your mom,” Claude said like it would reassure me.

“You need to shut up!”

Mom had the audacity to look upset. “I will not have you speak to your brother that way.”

 

 

“Oh like you can tell me what to do! Like either one of you can!” I yelled at both of them. “I don’t care if you aren’t actually Claudey’s mom. You raised him like he was yours! This is so fucked up!”

 

 

            A storm I’d never felt before tore threw me. It ripped out full grown trees and uprooted houses. It wasn’t going to stop until I did something. “You really can’t tell me what to do. This is my house. My money. My family. I don’t need you guys around.

 

            “I can’t even look at you. I just wish you two would go away!”

And then my wish came true. An unknown magic released in me, and I banished my mom and my brother from the family estate.

 

 

Duties

           I couldn’t spend all of my time in Daddy’s shed. As much as I’d have liked to just goof around with JB all day, I still had to earn a living. I could barely afford to pay bills, never putting them in the mail before the last minute. Even with hours playing for tips in the park, it was kinda rough. At least I had my amazing fortress to look at though. I sorta loved the way it overtook the landscape. Sometimes I heard other people gossiping about my estate being trashy, but those people probably lived in two bedroom little shacks. They didn’t know what it was like to be the daughter of Francis DeMarco.
 

            I didn’t usually have a lot of time to think like that though. I was building up a crazy fan base. Gotta concentrate on the rockin!

“For the last time, you’re not rock, punk, or even grunge.”
 

            When I did have time for JB I used it for flirting
 

And cooking.

            Okay, so I didn’t really cook any of our meals per say, more like magically created them, but still. JB enjoyed them. And I enjoyed all the compliments he bathed me in.

            There were sparks growing between the two of us! Every time I saw him, he let me push our friendship a little further.
 

 

            Until the day he finally asked me to be his girlfriend and then sealed the deal with our first kiss. Yes! I was finally dating someone. Finally someone’s girlfriend! He made all my teenaged fantasies a reality.

            The family, the dead family I should say, didn’t really approve though.
 

            What did anyone of those oldies know? I was in love!

 

            I was so obsessed with my first relationship that it took me several days to notice that Claude was different.
 

            “Hey, you look old now!”

“Uh thanks for noticing?”

“Cool. So when are you gonna get a job or get out of here, Claudey?”

“I believe I will be staying around here for quite a while. There are things here that need attending. My attending.” Claude laughed like a maniacal idiot and I just shrugged it off. Brothers are such weirdoes!

Yikes! Once again I am sorry for the terrible lack of updates! And I’m also sorry to post for the first time in weeks with these two tiny chapters. The next one will be longer though. :)