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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 6

Remy was back in familiar territory, the streets of New Orleans, the place he called home until he was adopted. He slammed on the brakes, stopping his bicycle in front of a fruit stand. Remy parked the bike by the side of the building and walked around the corner to find an old man selling merchandise. "Hi, M'sieu DuPree!"

"Well, how ya been, boy? I haven't seen ya in months." The old man tossed an apple to Remy and started counting the oranges. He looked up, noticing Lapin. "And who's your friend?"

"My cousin, Lapin." Remy introduced his cousin. "Lapin, dis is M'sieu DuPree. If it wasn't for him, I would've starved."

"Your cousin's giving me too much credit. He took care of himself." The man reached into a crate of apples, pulled one out and tossed it to Lapin. "And you can call me Jerome." "T'anks." Lapin caught the apple and bit into it. "This child could steal ya blind and smile so innocently while he's doing it." Jerome nodded in Remy's direction who was holding an orange in his hand. "See, what I mean?" "But y' always let me slide." "Word on the street is, ya got yourself adopted. I'm happy to see the rumor was true." Jerome spotted the bicycles leaning against the wall. "They treat ya good, I see." Jerome patted Remy's head and returned to stacking crates of apples. "What do they call ya?"

"Remy, an' he's a pain in de butt." Lapin said with a laugh. He finished the apple and tossed the core into the nearest garbage can. He picked up his bike, turned it around and glanced down the street. A dark sedan was parked, it's lone driver appeared to be watching him. "Remy, dat car is followin' us. We better get outta here."

"Dere ain't no car followin' us, it's just your imagination." Remy said, knowing it was time to go home. "We gotta go, M'sieu DuPree."

"You two take care." The store keeper said, waving to the two boys as they rode.

Lapin kept looking over his shoulder, convinced they were being followed by the dark sedan. He sped his bike down the narrow passages, between several building, forcing people out of their way as he followed behind his cousin. He was having a difficult time keeping pace with Remy, who knew every dark alley and back street of New Orleans. "If dat car was followin' us, we've lost dem now."

The chimes of a local church started chiming, announcing the time. Remy hit the brakes, spinning the bike around. He held out his hand, halting Lapin as he started counting the chimes. When the chime struck five, Remy gasped. "T'erese's gonna kill me an' if dat's not bad enough, Henri's probably out lookin' for us."

"I wish Henri was here now." Lapin admitted, silently.

"I know a short cut." Remy announced, leading the duo down an alley way, across four streets and in between two abandoned buildings. He turned the corner and came to a stop. Shocked at what he saw, Remy could only shake his head. The bike and pedestrian trails were no longer visible, in their place stood a rusty fence covered in over grown vegetation. A lone dumpster stood nearby, leaving nothing to the imagination at how run down the place had become.

"Dey fenced in de place." Remy angrily kicked the rusty barrier, knowing time had been wasted, forcing them to back track to get back home. "We gotta go back de other way."

Lapin turned and saw the same dark sedan parked at the end of the street, blocking their way. "Remy!"

The car's engine started and to the boy's horror, the sedan was racing in their direction.

Remy searched frantically for an escape route. Finding a dark alley in between two building nearby, he shouted. "Dis way!"

The alley was a fifty feet away but deep down Remy knew they would never make it before the car caught up with them.

A blurred black object came into his line of vision, moving towards him at an unbelievable rate of speed. Knowing the object was another car and on a collision course with the sedan, Remy jumped off his bike, yelled at his cousin to follow him as he ran for the back wall of the building.

Both boys pushed themselves up against the wall, waiting for the crash to happen. The black car did an eighty degree turn, spinning it's tires and defying the sedan to hit it.

Slamming on the brakes, the sedan came to a screeching halt. The smoke cleared, revealing the familiar black Lamborghini that belonged to Henri.

Henri and Bernard jumped out of the Lamborghini, yanked open the doors of the sedan and dragged the two would-be assassins out. The sedan's occupants were thrown, unmercifully down to the ground. "Runnin' down kids is low even for y', DuBosè." Henri yanked the driver off the ground and threw him against the side of the sedan. "Julian must be mad to try an' do somethin' like dis."

Bernard picked up the other man, harshly guiding him towards the passenger side of the sedan. He shoved the man into the car, daring him to move as he slammed the door shut. "Y' show your face again an' I'll finish what I started."

"If I hear y' tried to hurt a child again, DuBosè, you'll find out de hard way how a thief can make a body disappear. Now get outta here." Henri threatened the driver, who drove away without saying a word. Once the car had gone, he turned his anger on the two boys. "Get in de car!"

"What 'bout our bikes? Dere ain' enough room in your car for dem." Remy straddled his bicycle and started riding around in a large circle in front of the car. "We know de way home. Y' an' Bernard go ahead an' we'll catch up."

"Uh, Remy, I t'ink we better go wit' dem." Lapin pleaded with his cousin. The look on Henri's face was enough for him to drop his bike and do as Henri ordered.

Henri yanked his brother off the bicycle, forcing Remy into the car.

The ride home was silent, Remy, afraid to say another word, fearing if he did, it would make Henri angrier. Once the car was safely parked in the garage did Bernard speak. "Y' t'ink Jean-Luc knew dese two were missing when he called?"

"Papa called?" Remy's throat went dry. He looked at his cousin who gave him the same terrified look Remy was wearing. Therese walked out, meeting the four in the garage. Things were about to go from bad to worse. "T'erese, we didn' mean to be gone for so long."

His sister said nothing, glared at him and then went back inside to answer the ringing phone.

"Père told y' not to leave de property petite frère, an' yet y' did anyway." Henri slammed the car door shut. "To make t'ings worse, Tante calls to say you an' Lapin are in Assassin territory. A place dat's off limits to everyone an' y' know it."

"We didn' know it was Assassin territory." Remy tried to defend himself, knowing the phone call from their father worried him more. He reluctantly asked, "Does Papa know?"

"Non, Henri and T'erese lied to save your butt." Bernard answered. "Dey told Jean-Luc y' were in bed asleep."

"Y' can forget 'bout dat fishin' trip tomorrow," Henri added, "y' both are sayin' in de house."

"Y' promised to take us fishin'!"

"Get up to your room Remy." Henri shoved Remy to the door. "Y' don' come down until I say y' can." Turning his attention to Lapin, he barked. "Y' too."

Lapin ran out of the garage, up to his room in record time. He had no desire to make the situation worse. Remy slammed his bedroom door hard, sending a vibration through the hallway. The sound of heavy footsteps soon followed, announcing Henri's arrival. Henri was angry and Remy was on the receiving end of that anger. Lapin held his breath hoping his Henri wouldn't punish him like he was going to do to his younger cousin.

"Where did you find them?" Therese asked, pacing back and forth at the bottom of the staircase. Glancing once upstairs, she resumed her pacing.

"Julien's daily underlin' was tryin' to run dem down wit' his car." Therese gasped at the news and Bernard took her hand and held it. "Henri taught de man a lessen he won't soon forget. De boys are safe an' unharmed T'erese, calm down."

"Uncle Jean trusted me and I let him down. He's only been gone for a little while and look what's happened." She fought hard to keep her emotions from showing. "Remy runs off and almost gets killed by the Assassins."

"Soiur, dis isn't your fault." Henri walked down the stairs and faced his sister. "It's petite frère's an' y' aren't goin' to cover for him dis time."

"What did you do to him, Henri?" Therese asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Nothin'." Therese shot him a surprised look, he explained. "I didn' have to say a word to him. Remy's more afraid of what Père's gonna do to him when he gets home."

Upstairs, Lapin tapped lightly on his Remy's door, waiting for an answer. Hearing nothing, he opened the door and found his cousin stretched out across the bed.

Remy's head shot up, his anger flared. "Y' an' your stupid ideas, if we hadn' went to dat junk yard we wouldn't be in dis mess."

"Don' blame dis on me, Cousin. Y' de one who wanted to stay in Assassin territory. I warned y' but y' too stubborn to listen." Lapin argued. "Y' t'ink Uncle Jean's gonna be angry wit' y'?" Lapin asked. Remy's expression gave him his answer. "Mebbe Henri won't say anythin'."

"Only one way to find out." Remy left his room, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. He reached the balcony landing and saw his brother, sister and Bernard standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Henri, y' gonna tell Papa where y' found us?"

Henri glanced upwards, seeing the misery on the boy's face. "Sorry petite frère, but once de guild tell him de reason why I had to leave de meeting dis afternoon, Père's goin' to know. It's outta my hands."

Remy slowly got to his feet and went back to his room.

Lapin eyed him, waiting for Remy to say something. "Y' ain't to good at dis are y'?" He left the room, knowing his cousin was following him. "Watch an' learn from de master lil cousin."

Henri and Bernard were out back working on Bernard's car. The hood up and the engine running, neither heard or noticed the two boys. "Turn if off!" Henri shouted before slamming the hood down.

Lapin glanced into the car as Bernard turned the engine off and got out of the car. "We been upstairs talkin'. Me an' Remy want to do somethin' to make up for what we done today. We wanna wash de car, can we?" Lapin asked, trying to look sincere and remorseful. "Or do anythin' else y' want us to do."

Henri studied the boy for a second and then glanced over at his friend. "It's your car, what y' say?"

"Alright," Bernard agreed. "I got a ton of paper work to finish anyway."

"Wash de car! Anythin' else we can do for y'!" Remy shouted at his cousin once Bernard and Henri were gone. "What y' tryin' to do Lapin? Show me how much de master can suck up?"

"Y' see how well it worked didn' you?" Lapin grabbed a bucket and filled it with water. "C'mon Remy, y' not dis stupid. All we have to do is act like we're sorry an' Henri an' Bernard will be eatin' out of our hands by de end of de week. They'll even stick up for us when Uncle Jean gets home." He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Y' got a lot to learn Remy an' I'm goin' to teach y' everythin' y' need to know."

"Dat's what I'm afraid of," Remy tried pulling the hose but found it was several feet short from reaching the car. "Go tell Bernard he needs to move de car closer to de house."

Lapin noticed the keys were still in the ignition. "I can do it." Against Remy's protest, Lapin turned the key, cranking the engine. Leaving the car door open, he yelled. "I'm gonna put it in drive. Y' let me know when I am close enough."

"Lapin!"

"I know what I'm doin' so stop actin' like a baby." Lapin shifted the gear stick and took his foot off the brake shoe. "Watch dis!" He hit the accelerator and to his horror the car went in reverse. He didn't have time to hit the brake as the car fell trunk first into the swimming pool.

Hearing the noise, Henri, Bernard and Therese rushed outside. Lapin climbed out of the pool and half hearted waved at them.

"MY CAR!!!!" Bernard grabbed his hair and screamed. "Henri, I'm gonna kill 'em."

 

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