I walked into the dimly lit Pet room. It seems like Avalynn has been doing some redecorating in the last few weeks. She has moved the alligator tanks to the farthest side away from the door, they are moved nearer to the window that faces the courtyard. Meanwhile where the tanks were before, it looks like she has been adding shelving to her snake Wall. Each snake tank has its own atmosphere. Avalynn makes each snake feel like they never left the old world they used to live in. Avalynn will have plants, food sources and even sand imported from their original habitat to make them feel more at home. She has a four-legged area for her Thorny Devils, Gila Monsters, and her Iguanas. In the middle of the room is a small living room of sort. A little black couch, a table and 4 chairs, tea set and little finger food. She is still a little girl.

  Avalynn walked to the table set, where four old wicker chairs stood. Avalynn had found this set on the side of the road with her older brothers. I walked behind her with Mercy slithering up and down my arm. I sat on the black couch, just like I would normally do, if Avalynn asked her mom to let me keep her company.

  “Did you know that almost all of my aunts and uncles are here?” I rubbed Mercy’s head.

  “Yes. I saw them. Are you not happy they’re here?”

  Avalynn, just like Micheal, are truth seekers. They want to make sense of a situation without having everyone’s opinion in it.

  “Aunt Zarah-Rose is mad at mom and dad. I’ve seen her like this before, but she is sticking to the cruelness she has towards mom. Now, Aunt Zarah-Rose is mad that I told her off.”

  “You did what? Why would you tell off your aunt? What happened that you got so mad?” I was shocked. Avalynn, like any other pre-teen, has a temper, but she has never shown it to her aunts and uncles. Avalynn tries hard, sometimes too hard, to look like the little princess that she never deems herself fully to be.

  Avalynn reached for the tea pot on the table and poured herself a cup. The maids will come around every two hours to put the tea pot onto the stove so she will have hot water. I could tell Avalynn was still mad about the situation, her hand twitched as she made her tea.

  “How inconsiderate do you have to be, to take another woman’s husband and scold him in front of his kids? Aunt Zarah-Rose came into the room like she owned the place. She walked up to my father and said she understood it was his choice to marry her, but your wife still needs to uphold the image of a Blackwood wife and a daughter of the Grimshaw. Aunt Zarah-Rose told my father, if my mom couldn’t be trusted taking care of her own family correctly, then they both should have never imposed on having kids in the first place.”

  Avalynn paused to take a sip of her tea. She would not look at me. I waited for Avalynn to put the cup down, but she held it at chest height and began talking again.

  “I yelled out to Aunt Zarah-Rose and scolded her saying; that it was none of her business what goes on in this house or with this family. I told her, “You are not here long enough to even understand the dynamic of our house and how it runs, let alone tell my father to control his wife. I said you do not get to dictate our way of life when you are an outside family member looking in. We don’t tell you how to run your home, so don’t come here trying to run ours. I may have also said that unlike some of my cousins aren’t your kids the most troublesome, weather with the family or the law.”

  I was too stunned to talk.

  Mercy slithered near my face, and she put her cold nose onto my cheek. The cold sensation made me jump in response. Mercy moved from my face onto the couch itself. She then maneuvered her way back to Avalynn. Avalynn took a couple more sips of her tea.

  “Did you know Aunt Zarah-Rose came over and smacked me across my face for being rude. Said I didn’t have an excuse of being so bluntly disrespectful to an adult.” She paused. Avalynn looked down on the floor and picked up Mercy and held her up to her face.

  “I hit her back and took out Fred; you know my Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake? Then I told her, if she ever raised her hand at me again it would be the last thing she does. I may be young, but I am Avalynn Blackwood, Daughter of Aubrey and Harrison Blackwood. I will not let you ever disrespect my mother, and I sure won’t back down when you disrespect me. I saw the fury in Aunt Zarah-Rose’s eyes, and she did try and raise her hand again. Then father yelled Stop.”

  Wait Harrison yelled? He never yells. I watched Avalynn cautiously.

  Avalynn got up, still not looking at me. She walked to Mercy’s Cage and set her gently down on a branch. She then closed the cage, turned around and walked back to me. She sat on the couch, but she still refused to look at me, which now I’m thinking more out of shame or maybe not wanting to see my reaction until she was done explaining.

  “Father yelled Zarah-Rose’s name. Father told me to go to the other side of the room, away from my aunt. Before Aunt Zarah could protest, he yelled again don’t speak. You know very well father is not one for conflict, he leaves that for mom. He was very angry, so I walked to the other side of the room where Collette, Aaron and Micheal sat stunned. Father turned to Aunt Zarah-Rose, who was foaming at the mouth by this time. He said, “I am fine if you scold me, my wife will address you with what you said about her. However, I draw the line when it comes to my kids. You have no right to raise your hand at Ava! I don’t care if she threw you off a cliff, you don’t ever touch my daughter. I have half a mind to tell you to leave. You’re lucky, your sister wasn’t here. I don’t want you near my kids. go back to your wing of the house and stay with your siblings. Then he yelled again. Now! Zarah-Rose!”

  Avalynn looked sad now. “My aunt said something that struck me, it was a weird thing to say about her sister.” Avalynn finally looked at me.

  “Why would she say, you let that bitch taint our bloodline as well as yours. Yet I am in the wrong. Like mother like daughter. I know mom is adopted but how is her blood so tainted that she would taint both bloodlines?”

  My mind raced with all the information that was just told to me.

  “Avalynn, your aunt was just saying things out of anger. You and I both know there have always been rumors around your mother and your father. Nevertheless, no one, and I mean no one, has ever criticized your mother’s bloodline. Your mother is respectable, kind and doesn’t put up with bullshit, and she raised you to do just the same. Don’t ever let your aunt make you question your family.” Avalynn’s eyes were welt up with tears.

  I could tell now that she wanted to make sure, she truly was not in the wrong. Avalynn started to cry her eyes out. I held her as she did. Avalynn is so brave at such a young age. I hope she never loses it.   Maybe an hour or two had passed and Avalynn and I came to an agreement. In the next few weeks, the only time she can come in here is to feed the animals (Which most of them don’t need feeding for a while. Just the Alligators) and if her aunts and uncles are being a pain, she can hide in here for a few hours, but not all day. Avalynn and I also decided to play a round of UNO. Which helped me find a good time to negotiate with her. I finally was able to leave the Pet Room; I told Avalynn to tell her mom she is sorry, as well as Margery because she also was worried about her.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  * * * * *

  I laughed to myself that I did well. However, my body felt like I had been crushed by a rockslide, survived and then was told I had to walk back home. I made my way back to the wheelchair that still sat in front of the library. I turned and sat back into the chair and gave a good sigh. I put my head in my hand and closed my eyes for a bit. The library had music on, which relaxed me.

  My head tipped off my hand and I jerked awake. I looked around to see where Micheal or Mildred was, but I found myself in a completely different area of the house. I tried to adjust myself in the Wheelchair, when a sharp pain ripped through my side. I bit my lip and screamed through my throat. The pain was so intense, I bent over the other side of the wheelchair trying not to fully scream.

  I took staggered breaths before I felt like I was able to fully breathe. The ripple of pain that went through my body took a lot of energy out of me. I adjusted myself as slowly as possible, I straightened myself up in the chair correctly.

  “Well, that looked horribly painful. Are you breathing correctly yet?” I heard a voice. It was a woman’s voice, stern but sensual. I opened my eyes, but no one sat near me. Then suddenly the wheelchair moved.

  “Don’t turn around, my Blood servant will wheel you over here.” Blood Servant? The only person who will call someone a blood servant and not by their name in this house is Zarah-Rose.

  The wheelchair moved to the opposite of the room where Zarah-Rose sat in a long satin dress, she smiled wickedly at me as she drank from a wine glass. The Blood servant moved the wheelchair onto the other side of the table, in front of Zarah-Rose. I could see the Blood Servant now, a scrawny little thing but she looks around my age. Darker skinned than I, visible scarring around her face and arms. Her eyes were very unique. She has a genetic default called Heterochromia, which means she has two separate eye colors. Very rare in our society, let alone a blood servant having this genetic trait. She was very rigid; she looked at me with disdain more than her employer. I know who she is. Her name is Demeter; she hates me almost as much as I hate her. I actually thought she died a couple years back because I haven’t seen her.

  “You! Watch the door while I have a discussion with Scarlett.” Demeter bowed to Zarah-Rose, then turned and faced me. She gave me the look to say go die in a hole and then walked away. Zarah-Rose didn’t talk until Demeter closed the door behind her.

  Zarah-Rose twirled her wine, smiling like she had no care in the world. Then she started to laugh out of know where.

  “Oh my goodness, it is so funny. That dumbass little girl out there is so mad, she thinks I am giving you special treatment, while I treat her like crap. Oh jeez, isn’t that just hilarious. She should know I would rather see you all die with your family members, before you ever even became a blood servant. You Know?” Anger ensued in me, but I couldn’t talk back.

  She finally stopped laughing and took a sip of her wine.

  “You know, I brought my own wine bottles from my home? I didn’t think my undesirable, ungrateful, younger sister would have anything for me. Being a celibate prude that she is, I don’t understand why Harrison puts up with it?”

  I don’t understand why you’re still so obsessed with your sister’s husband. Get over it lady, he doesn’t like you. She made one of the most disgusting sounds I have ever heard come out of a woman’s mouth. Then she laughed again. I think Zarah-Rose has finally lost it.

  “Hey! Scarlett. Do you want to know why it’s so ungodly to have that daughter of a whore as my sister? Do you want to know why she cares so much about blood servants? Especially you, out of all of them? I will tell you a secret.” Zarah-Rose puts her index finger over her lips.

  “You can’t tell a soul…”

  There’s no way this woman is okay. She has to be drunk; she never acts like this. Let alone let someone she thinks is beneath her see her this way.

  “When I was a about 16 years old, my mother came home with a blood Servant. She told be this one is your companion; she will have to do what you say. You will take her everywhere with you because you are a princess and your life is in danger more often than not. She will be your shield, your bodyguard, anything you want her to be. Ha, you know it’s funny, I used to call her my little white hair Appia doll. Her name was Veronica Lynch.”

  I know that last name. The lynch family was killed off except for one. The notorious, Meeria Taylor Lynch was a horrific serial killer, scarier than my own sister. They had the same obsessive trait where they needed control. When their sights locked in on one target who they deemed to be theirs, they would never let that person go. No one was allowed to get in the way. If the killer couldn’t have them, no one could. I was my sisters target, and ironically, Meeria also picked her little sister. However, Meeria would beat her sister into submission, if she didn’t comply with what she was asking. While my sister would guilt trip me and then find a way to eliminate the problem later. However, I never heard about Veronica Lynch ever dying. The government makes it a point to broadcast Blood servants’ deaths. They say if you want to see justice happen in the making, you can. They used to make everyone watch but now it’s the people’s choice.

  “I see the gears turning in your head, Scarlett.” I looked into Zarah-Rose’s eyes; she is studying me, which frightens me deeply.

  “Veronica did a good job of not pissing me off, she listened well and was very attentive to my needs. She also kept her mouth shut when she was told, which was a plus. Then around the age of 19, I went to college and my parents told me I wasn’t going to take Veronica. The Institutions did not allow blood servants to come, for fear of escaping or procreating. I was fine with this; I could honestly care less about the dimwit. I would like to remind you; Veronica is 2 years younger than I. I was gone for less than 2 years. I came back at the age of 21 when my parents got into a serious accident. My parents were not doing well, lawyers and other legal people were going back and forth, room to room, to settle accounts if death was near. Also, remember, my parents lived for another 8 months before dying.”

  Zarah-Rose starts laughing like a cartoon villain. I just sit and watch.

  “One day, about 4 months before they died. A legal advisor brought all the children of my parents into a room. My mother is sitting up and drinking tea, this is the most lively I have seen her. My mother was recovering okay but she had bad setbacks. Same with my father. Today my mother is doing very well. She looks at us, tells us that she is sound of mind, she also has the doctors confirm this statement. Then suddenly she tells Veronica to come to her side. She reaches for her hand. Your name is no longer Veronica, you are now Aubrey Seraphine Grimshaw, we are officially adopting you. HA! One of the fucking worse days of my life. A Blood Servant who should have been slaughtered, was now legally my sister. And no one corrected it.”

  My hand shook with fear. What does she mean by Lady Blackwood was a Blood Servant? But if she was a Blood Servant, with the title she has now? This means the family knows how to make people a citizen again. Why would Zarah-Rose tell me this? And how many more people know this?

  “Oh, sweet child, you have Panic written all over your face. Why is that?” I swallowed the spit pooling in my mouth.

  “Speak!” Zarah-Rose yelled.

  “Why, why would you tell me something like that?” I asked, my throat clamming up. The smile that crept on Zarah-Rose’s face scared me.

  “Because you talked to Avalynn, right? You know she threatened me, right? Hmm, you know Blood servants aren’t supposed to reproduce. But I don’t blame Avalynn, she is just a child. I blame her mother, her father and you.” Zarah-Rose placed her glass on the table and stood up. She walked over near me and sat at the table in front of me.

  “There is a war about to start, a war only few truly know about and fewer know how bad it will get. I will protect my family at all costs. Unfortunately, that sadly includes Aubrey. I blame you because Avalynn confides in you and so do all the other children. That was something I wasn’t counting on. It’s a hazard for you to be so close to them. Scarlett Corina Thana, Listen to me carefully. When it is time for you to run, you are not allowed to let the family know. I can’t protect them if they are chasing after you.”

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “Your kind is about to start a revolution, on top of that a group of people, who hasn’t seen the light of day in decades, are about to be set free. A mass conspiracy is about to be revealed and it’s going to hit The Renascence Earth with full force. No one will be able to stop it because there are too many different factors all for one goal. What I know is Direwood and The Common Dwellings will fall when all of this is over. I will not let my family be taken with it. I will not let you get in the way; I will kill you first if I have to. Do you understand me, Scarlett?”

  I nodded my head. I couldn’t breathe.

  Zarah-Rose stood back up and reached for her glass of wine. She gulped the rest of the wine, then grabbed the bottle that sat next to it and turned back to me.

  She smiled.

  “Sorry, not sorry.”

  Zarah-Rose laughed as she swung the bottle across my face.

  “Nighty Night.”