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Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
 
 
 

Growing Pains - REVIEW THIS STORY

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

Chapter 1

Summer in New Orleans had always been hot and sticky and today was no exception. In the high ninety degree heat, most business meetings were being conducted inside where it was cool.

A black Lamborghini drove up to the three story house and the owner stepped out and went inside. Henri LeBeau, eldest son of Jean-Luc tossed his keys down on the nearest table. "Where's everybody?"

"Up here!" A female voice answered from upstairs. It belonged to Therese Chastine, Jean-Luc's, god daughter and the day her parents were killed in a car accident, eight years ago, she became Henri's sister. Due to resent family events, Therese had left college to return home.

Everyone was on alert with the recent activities of both guilds threatening to start an all out war. Tensions have been running high since the discovery of an Assassin Guild member's body found floating in the swamps two months ago. As fate would have it, three days later, another body was found, only this time it was a Thief. With both guilds blaming the other, it was only a matter of time before something was done to spark a war.

Henri rushed up the stairs, searching for her. Finding Therese in their younger brother's bedroom, he stood inside the doorway watching her. The Twenty-one year old young woman was making the bed, humming a song Tante had taught her when she first came to live with the LeBeaus'. Seeing enough, he finally spoke, interrupting the song, "Remy needs to clean his own room. Y' heard what Père said last night, no chores, no allowance."

Therese turned, her long dark hair flying around her head, "Henri, as long as Remy's playing in the back yard, I don't have to deal with his pranks." She finished making the bed, moved to the dresser and opened the top drawer. Sighing, she reached inside the drawer and pulled out several candy bar wrappers, showing them to Henri. "No wonder he doesn't eat lunch. Tante's going to have a fit." Therese angrily slammed the drawer shut. "Why does Remy do things like this? He knows how Tante feels about him eating junk food."

"B'cause Remy knows y' let him get by wit' it. You're spoilin' him, soeur " Henri walked into the large bedroom, took the candy wrappers from his sister and began counting them. He counted seven and then laughed. "Glad y' watchin' petite frère today, wit' dis much chocolate, Remy's goin' be bouncin' off de walls tonight an' speakin' of Tante, when is she comin' over?"

"Tomorrow and I wouldn't want to be in Remy's shoes if she finds out about those candy bars." She picked up the discarded toys that were thrown about the room. "Where you going tonight? You just got home from New York yesterday."

"Bernard an' I have to meet some contacts tonight for de Guild." He noticed the smile Therese was trying hard to hide after he mentioned Bernard's name. "I still don' understand why y' keep playin' hard to get, I know y' like him."

"And what makes you think I like Mr. LeBranche?" She asked, with hands on hips, daring him to say another word on the subject. Henri laughed out loud, causing her to blush. Embarrassed, Therese grabbed the small waste basket and looked inside.

"Mr. LeBranche!" Henri started laughing again. "De other night when he was over here, y' be runnin' to de kitchen to refill his drink every time he took a sip from his goblet."

"I did not!" She shot straight up, glaring at him. "He was a guest in our home and I only made him feel at ease."

"Yeah, den how come Père an' me had to refill our own glasses twice cause y' be makin' goo-goo eyes at Bernard?" He asked, enjoying the teasing he was giving her.

Therese opened her mouth in shock. "What? You were seeing things and besides even if I did, and I did not!" She made a point to be sarcastic. "It isn't none of your business." She grabbed the dust rag from the dresser top and walked past him into her bedroom, two doors down. Henri followed, needling her for the fun of it. "Out!" She screamed.

"All right, I'll drop de subject." He promised. "Where's Remy, Père wants to take him to meet some of de Guild members today?"

"He was by the swimming pool about ten minutes ago." Therese went to window and looked out. Her bedroom view was over the swimming pool, over looking the swamps in the distance. "He's not there. I wonder where he is now." She leaned closer, trying to get a better look out the window. Looking towards the left, where a huge gully was located, she found her missing brother and screamed, "Henri!"

Henri stared out the window in the direction his sister was pointing. "What de?" He stuttered, not believing what he was seeing. "What's he tryin' to do? kill himself?" He ran out of the room, down the stairs and out the patio doors with Therese running close behind him.

With one end of a rope tied around a tree and the other end looped around a huge boulder, Remy walked across the rope bare footed. Having the time of his life, he paid no attention to the deep gully below him or Henri and Therese arriving. He reached the boulder, turned and saw the two staring at him with terrified expressions on their faces.

"Remy, I want y' to stay where y' are an' I'll come an' get you." Henri said, holding his hands out as if he could will his brother to stop. "Jus' don' move."

"What y' talkin' 'bout?" Remy balanced himself on the rope and started walking back their direction. He looked up, smiling at the two, "I know what I'm doin'. Watch dis." He jumped up, tucked his knees into his chest and flipped twice before his right foot came down and slipped off the rope.

Therese gasped, stopping herself from screaming as he regained his balance.

Three feet away from his older siblings, Remy tried to do a cartwheel but before he could gain momentum, Henri reached out and grabbed him.

"What y' think your doin'?" Henri shouted, shaking him harshly.

"Jus' walkin' on de rope, nothin' wrong wit' dat, is it? I wasn't hurtin' nothin'." Remy pulled out of Henri's reach. "B'sides y' suppose to live each day like it's your last."

"What idiot told you dat? Remy, you're only ten years old. Y' got no business doin' dis kind of stuff." Henri motioned with a nod from his head to follow him. "C'mon, we goin' back to de house so I can keep my eye on you."

"Y' ain' papa. I don' have to mind y'" Remy glared, baiting his brother into a conflict. He turned his back to the others and moved towards the rope. "An' dere's nothin' y' can do 'bout it."

"We'll see 'bout dat." Henri pulled out a knife, grabbed the rope and cut it. The rope broke free, swinging across the gully and crashed into the other side. "Looks like your days of playin' circus are over petite frère."

Remy glanced at the rope and then back at his brother. He balled his hands into fists, narrowing he eyes, he swore. "Y' goin' pay for doin' dat."

"Pah!" Henri laughed, ignoring Remy's threat by yanking the boy up and tossing him over his shoulder. Walking back to the house, Henri bopped Remy on the bottom. "Père's not goin' be happy wit' y', Remy. He already warned you 'bout dis."

"Papa never said nothin' 'bout me walkin' on dat rope. He said not to climb on de roof." Remy shouted, struggling to free himself. "Henri, put me down b'fore y' make me mad an' I have to hurt y'."

"You better behave yourself Remy because Tante's coming over tomorrow." Therese said while walking behind them. She lifted up Remy's head and showed him one of the candy wrappers "And if you don't eat a big supper tonight, she's going to learn the reason why. You understand me?"

"Y an' Henri got nothin' better to do but bug me?" Remy wrestled to free himself. Henri entered the house, turned and locked the door behind him. Remy opened his mouth, ready to hurl insults but the words stuck in his throat the second he saw someone else was standing in the room. Thinking quickly, he put on his best smile and greeted his father. "'ello Papa."

Henri tossed his brother on the sofa, grabbed his keys off the table and angrily stomped to the front door. "Père, y' better do somethin' wit' him, and fast. He was walkin' across dat gully on a rope." Opening the front door, Henri glared back at his brother, and pointed an accusing finger at him. "Next time, Remy, I won' be so nice." With those last words, he walked outside, slamming the door behind him.

Remy could hear Henri's car engine starting, the squeal of tires burning out of the driveway quickly followed. Remy would have laughed out loud over his brother's angry threat, but the silence in the room made him re-think his decision.

Jean-Luc's silence was short lived, "Thought we already had dis talk, Remy."

"Papa, y' said, non climbin' on de roof an' I didn'." Remy defended himself, hoping if he played dumb, his father wouldn't act on the consequence of if the rules of that ' talk ' were broken. He looked at his sister, using her as an unwanted participant in his latest scheme. "I wasn' on de roof. Was I T'erese?"

Therese threw both her arms up in the air and walked off, leaving Remy franticly thinking of a back-up plan.

"Don' play stupid wit' me son. Y' know what I'm talkin' 'bout, don' you?" Jean-Luc asked, waiting for Remy to nod his head in agreement before he sat down beside him. "Dis be de last warnin' y' goin' to get, boy." His father vowed, "De next time, we're goin' in de study an' when we come out one of us is goin' to be standin' for a long time. Y' understand dis, petite?"

"Oui, Papa." Remy whispered, bowing his head to keep from seeing the disappointing look on his father's face.

"Come here." Jean-Luc grabbed the boy and hugged him tightly. "I got a meetin' wit' some very important people today. I want y' to meet dem." He said, releasing Remy. "Go upstairs, get cleaned up an' wear somethin' real nice."

"Oh Papa, not dat suit an' tie again. I hate wearin' dat." Remy protested, thoughts of wearing the suit made him shiver. Not only did the thing itch but everybody in his opinion, seemed to go out of their way to make a fuss over him. "Why can'I wear jeans an' a shirt?"

"Three reasons; one, de place has a dress code." His father began, making sure he had Remy's undivided attention. "Two, dese people are very important members of de Guild an' I want y' to make a good impression. After all de braggin' I've been doin' on my petite, dey want t' meet you."

"Y' braggin' on me?" Remy grinned proudly before laying his head against his father's chest. He suddenly jerked upwards and stared at his father. "An' de third reason is b'cause y' say so, huh Papa?"

"Oui, son." Jean-Luc laughed, pointing at the staircase. "Y' get up dere an' get ready while I make some phone calls b'fore we leave."

 

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