Devil Days - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Missy Red and Kaleidopy
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 2

Opening the door to the large house, Jean-Luc steps inside. " Coming petite?" He asks, holding the door open for the boy. " I'm gave y' my word boy, nothin' is goin' t' happen t' y'."

The boy slowly sticks his head inside to see if anyone or thing was waiting to jump him. Feeling safe for the moment, he enters but making sure first that the owner of the house stays in front of him. He wanted to make sure that his escape route was not cut off just in case this man was really wanting to hurt him.

Once inside the home, the boy quickly looks around the huge living room. A large fire place sits at the far wall with several pictures in gold frames on the mantle. Several small trinkets layered in silver and gold sits on several tables with many other valuables laying around.

" If y' need t' wash up, dere's one upstairs second door on de left, anot'er one is down de hall." Jean-Luc tells him as he head for a small room next to the living room. " I'll b' in de study if y' need me. I've got some business t' tend t' b'fore I do anyt'ing else. Make y'self at home, petite."

" Who else lives here sides y'?" The boy asks him all the time watching his every move.

" Henri, Therese, de housekeeper and Tante Mattie, y' be meetin' dem soon enough." Jean-Luc answers him.

" Who's Henri?"

" Mon fils, he should b' here in 'bout an hour." He goes inside the study.

The boy looks around the living room, quickly and quietly he begins to tie the bottom of his over size shirt into a knot. He keeps watching the study door while taking several trinkets and stuffing them down his shirt. Running into the bathroom, looking up at the window, he realizes that it is too small for him to crawl out of and escape with his new found treasures. Turning back around, he quickly runs towards the front door. Before he can turn the knob, the door is opened and a huge tall man with a mustash walks into the house and grabs him.

" Let me go."

" Who are y', boy?" The man tightens his hold on the boy and lifts him up. " An' what y' b' doin' in dis house?"

The door to the study room comes flying open and Jean-Luc steps back inside the living room. He instantly takes a quick look and notices that several items are missing, glancing over at the boy, he knew exactly where those items were, and who had taken them. " Henri, let de boy down." He says. " He's a guest in our home."

Henri lowers the boy back to his feet and walks over to Jean-Luc. " Pere, why y' brin' dis petite home?" He whispers. " Dis not like y' t' bring strangers into our house."

" Trust yer Pere, Henri, Have I ever been wron' b'fore, no?" Jean-Luc whispers back while watching Remy trying to act innocent. He smiles. " De boy has potential. If given de right up bringin' he could b' a legion in de guild."

A knock on the front door breaks up their private meeting, a woman enters the home carrying two bags of groceries. " Jean, didn' t'ink y' an' Henri both b' home at dis hour." She suddenly notices the small boy sitting on the sofa. " An' who might dis one b'?" She turns to Jean. " Is de chile stayin' for dinner?"

" Non, he's leavin',"

" He's stayin' Tante." Jean-Luc answers and over rules his son. Henri didn't hide the fact that he disagrees with his father, but he remains quiet. He turns to the boy, who was staring at Tante Mattie, watching her put the groceries up in the kitchen. " Petite, would y' like somet'ing t' eat?"

" Oui, merci beaucoup, M'sieu LeBeau." Getting to his feet, the boy smiles at Tante. " M'dam Tante, can I help y'?"

" Sure chile," Tante glances over at the boy, giving him a smile of her own, she waves him over. " Y' can help me fix de gumbo, would y' like dat?"

" Oui," The boy rushes over and begins to help with the preparation of dinner.

An hour later, Tante begins to sit the dishes down on the table when she notices the boy was about to eat a bite from the huge pot. " Wait chile, it's t' hot for y' right now." The boy ignores her warning, he places the spoon in his mouth and quickly cries out in pain. " Y' be a stubborn one, aren' y' chile?" She quickly picks him up and sits him on the table. " Drink dis down real slow an' don' argue wit' me."

The boy obeys and as soon as his tongue stops burning, he gives the glass back to Tante. " Merci."

During dinner, Jean-Luc, Henri and Tante Mattie talk among themselves while the boy eats three bowls of gumbo. Tante gives him two slices of bread. " Y' must have been starvin', chile." She swipes his hair out of his eyes. " Y' need t' call yer folks an' let dem know where y' be."

" Don' have anybody," The boy manages to answer her between eating. He shovels the food into his mouth as fast as he can possible do it. " I take care of m'self."

" Y' need a family, chile." Tante continues to play with his hair. " Mebbe Tante will take y' in an raise y' proper." She glances over at the two other men, who were both talking among themselves. " Jean, it's gettin' late, is de chile stayin' de night?"

" If de boy wants t' stay, he can."

" Non, y' been nice enough," The boy gets to his feet and starts for the door, making sure that the items he had stolen were still inside the shirt.

" Petite, y' got no business bein' on de streets at dis hour." Henri suddenly speaks up. He walks over to the boy and gently pulls him back towards the table. " Y' stay 'ere wit' us."

The boy looks at all three people in the room and nods slightly. " Merci beaucoup, but just for de night."

" Bien," Jean-Luc smiles. " Tante, would y' show de boy where he will b' sleepin'?"

" Come with me, chile." Tante guides the boy upstairs and shows him to a large bedroom. She turns on the light and allows the boy to see the room for himself. " Y' get settled while I go run y' a bath."

" Bath! non, no bath."

" Oui chile," Tante begins to go through several of the drawers looking for clothes, while the boy takes his shirt off and carefully makes sure his trinkets are still inside. He tosses the shirt under the bed to hide until he can get them the next morning. She pulls out a long t-shirt and holds it up to the boy to measure. " Goin' t' be way t' long for y' but at least it is somethin' t' wear." The boy tries to run out of the room, only to have Tante catch him. " Y' are goin' t' take a bath or I'll give y' one myself."

" Dis not fair," The boy screams in protest after giving up struggling in the woman's arms. " M'sieu LeBeau didn' say not'in' 'bout no bath."

" Well chile, y' best settle down right now, b'cause yer gettin' a bath." Tante turns the boy around to face her. " Now y' best march yer'self down de hall an' into de bathroom, or y' be findin' out real fast how hard my hand feels across yer bottom."

Downstairs Henri and Jean-Luc are laughing, they hear what is going on upstairs. " Tante is enjoyin' herself, non?" Henri listens carefully as he hears several loud slaps across bare skin. " I t'ink she misses playin' mere.

" Oui, it good t' have a petite in de house again, Henri." Jean-Luc smiles while drinking a cup of coffee and listening to the sounds upstairs. It has been a long time since his house felt like a home.