Growing Pains - REVIEW THIS STORY

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

Chapter 3

Early the next morning Remy felt someone tugging on his bedcovers. "Leave me alone," He grabbed a pillow and covered his head with it. When the pillow was jerked away, he angrily shouted to the person who had entered his room without his permission. "Go away I want to sleep."

"Get up, we got company comin'." Henri yanked the covers off his younger brother. "It's nine, Remy. Y' plannin' on stayin' in bed all day?"

"Don' care what time it is. I ain' gettin' up, now go away." He stuck his head under another pillow and tried to go back to sleep. He vaguely heard another person coming into his bedroom, without looking, Remy knew who had entered his room. As soon as a hand touched his back, Remy knew he had to get up.

Remy pouted, hoping for another hour of sleep. "Papa, I don' wanna get up right now. I'm still sleepily."

"Petite, y' want Henri to get y' out of bed de hard way?" His father asked, not as a question but a threat. Remy sat up, yawned twice before placing his head against his father's chest. "No more stayin' up past your bedtime, Remy. When school starts y' goin' to bed even earlier, y' understand?"

"Huh?" Remy woke up fully, hearing his father's announcement. "Papa, I'm awake! Y' don' have to change de time when I go to bed." He climbed out of the bed, trying to prove that point. He changed his clothes, remembering what his brother had said about visitors. "Who's comin' over here anyway?"

"B'sides your Uncle an' cousin, some guild members an' dere families." His father answered, leaving the room with Henri. "Dey should be here b'fore noon."

Remy rushed to the closed door, pressed his ear against it, listening for voices to tell him where his father and brother were. Satisfied, the men had gone downstairs, Remy ran to his closet and pulled out a huge box he had hidden in the back.

Opening the box to look inside, he smiled down at what was inside. "Hiya doin' Jake? Got somebody for y' to meet in a lil while."

Noon.

Therese glared at Remy from across the table, frustrated because he absolutely refused to continue with his math lessons. Having taught Remy to read and write, both she and Tante had worked hard to make sure he would began school at the correct grade level.

Remy shut the math book, placed his elbows on the table and gave his sister the sweetest innocent smile.

"If Tante were here, you wouldn't be this difficult, Remy." Therese sighed, losing her temper. "I can be just as stubborn as you are Remy." She pulled out another sheet of paper and slapped it down in front of him. "You're not getting up until you finish this last chapter and I mean it."

Remy grinned, turned and yelled. "Papa, why do I have to do dis stuff on Saturday?"

"Because you pretended you were sick three days this week, that's why." Therese opened the math book, pointed her finger inside it. "Now read it!"

"Papa!"

"Y' leave me outta dis, Remy." Jean-Luc tossed down a card, winning the game he was playing with Henri. He laughed, slapping his oldest across the back as he added numbers on a notepad. "Dat makes a thousand y' owe me, Henri."

"Papa, do somethin'." Remy pleaded.

"Non." Jean-Luc said simply, glancing at the table where Remy and Therese were sitting. "Dere's a penalty for lyin', mon fils an' you're payin' dat price now."

Sighing in defeat, Remy pulled the math book closer and began to study the lesson that his sister was demanding he complete. He was on the last question when the phone rang, announcing their guests were arriving.

Therese cleared the table. "All right you're finished for the weekend. Take the books to my room and put them on my desk." She gave Remy the books. "And don't be snooping in places that doesn't concern you."

Upstairs, in his sister's room, Remy put the books on Therese's desk. He heard the sound of a car door slamming and went to the window to investigate. Looking outside, he saw his father and brother greeting three people; a man, woman and a boy who appeared to be twelve years old.

Remy studied the boy very carefully, watching for any sign of weakness he could use against the boy. Sitting down on Therese's bed, he tried to think what do next. His train of thought was interrupted by his father calling him down stairs.

He walked down the stairs, meeting his father at the bottom. "Dis is Philip, Remy." Jean-Luc introduced the boy, who gave Remy a disapproving glance by lifting his nose in the air. Remy pretended not to notice, he'll deal with the stuck-up snob soon enough. He greeted the other boy with a friendly handshake. The gesture pleased his father, Jean-Luc pointed both boys in the direction of the stairs. "Why don' y' take Philip upstairs to your room an' entertain your guest, fils."

"Oui, Papa," Remy motioned for the boy to follow him upstairs. Once they were inside the room, he started his plan into action. "Why y' pretendin' to act so tough? I bet I could scare y' easily."

Philip folded his arm and snorted, "There's nothing a shrimp like you can do that could scare me." He opened his eyes wide and laughed. "Let me guess, you're going to turn the light off and yell boo?"

Remy walked to the closet, pulled out the large box and took the lid off. "Take a look at what's inside."

Philip walked over, looked inside and announced. "It's a fake!"

"If it's fake, pick it up!" Remy dared him, trying hard not to laugh.

Philip pulled out the ten foot long python snake and stared at it's head. The snake's tongue slithered out touching Philip's nose. The boy dropped the snake, ran out of the room screaming as loud as he could.

Remy picked up the snake and put it back in the box. "Good boy, Jake. I knew y' wouldn' let Remy down." He heard the boy still screaming downstairs mixing with angry adult voice's as well. A door slammed and within a minute, a car cranked up, it's tires screeching away told Remy his plan worked. He fell in the floor laughing.

The door flew open and his angry brother's face glared down at him. "What y' lookin' at?" Remy looked up and asked.

Henri yanked his brother off the floor and half carried him downstairs.

"Put him down, Henri." Jean-Luc demanded. With hands on hips, his father stood glaring at him. "What did y' do to dat boy, Remy?"

"I never laid a finger on him, Papa, I swear." Remy answered. "He said Jake was a toy snake." He snickered, "I guess he knows better now, non?"

"Jake!" Therese shouted. "You were told to get rid of that thing." She was almost hysterical. "Uncle Jean, do something"

"Henri, take it outside."

Henri sighed, eyed his brother with a glare and then did as ordered. "Dis is de last time I do dis, Remy. I'm gettin' tired of cleanin' up after your stupid pranks."

Therese grabbed Remy by the ear and pulled it hard. "You give me a good reason why I shouldn't tell Tante that you didn't mind her. She told you to get rid of that snake days ago when it got loose and slithered into my bedroom."

"I forgot 'about Jake, T'erese, honest I did." Remy lied, hoping she would believe him. "You forgive me, don' you?" His sister didn't answer. She walked out of the room, leaving Remy feeling he was losing his touch.

"Sebastian's bringin' his family over an' I want y' on your best behavior, Remy." Jean-Luc folded his arms, an habit his father expressed when he meant business. "Dere better not be anot'er snake in dis house. In fact, de only t'ing breathin' in dis house better be human."

"I promise Papa, no more pets." Remy smiled in agreement. With Jake out of the house, he would have to think of something else to use on his next victim.

An hour later, the Renault family arrived. Sebastian introduced his wife and their thirteen year old son to the LeBeaus'. "Jean, dis is Adrienne an' our fils, Maurice."

Remy tapped Maurice on the shoulder, "Y' wanna go outside?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders, "Might as well."

Remy led the way, walking to where his tree house was build, he sat down under the large tree. He watched Maurice kicking up stones with his shoes, taking his time looking around the back yard.

Maurice sighed. "Y' might as well tell y' right now. I didn' wanna come but Father told me if I stay 'ere he'd buy me anythin' I want." He started staring, making a face at Remy. "Dey told me y' we're a mutant but I didn' know y' had demon eyes. You're creepy lookin'."

It took everything in Remy's power to control himself. He wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of this older kid, but Maurice being a lot older and taller would be the victor. There were other ways of getting revenge. "Y' mean your father didn' tell y' 'bout me?"

"What 'bout y'?" Maurice snorted angrily. "Y' jus' some stupid kid who needs his nose wiped an' I got stuck doin' de job."

"Non, I mean de eyes." Remy pointed at his glowing eyes, "I have dese eyes b'cause my father has dem. Didn' M'sieu Renault tell y' what's suppose to happen tomorrow night?" Remy leaned closer so the other boy could get a good look at his eyes. "I was called Devil Boy b'fore M'sieu LeBeau adopted me."

"So y' were called Devil Boy, big deal." Maurice still stared at Remy's eyes until he couldn't look at them anymore. "Wonder if you're related to a vampire or somethin' like dat."

"Worse dan dat, my dad is de Devil." Remy explained. "He's comin' to get me tomorrow night b'cause de moon is full."

"You're lyin'! Y' ain' de son of Satan." The boy protested.

"Y' know anybody else who has eyes like mine, non?" Remy questioned him. "M'sieu LeBeau's leavin' de country b'cause he knows my real father has sworn to kill someone in de house tomorrow night for dem stealin' me." He sighed deeply before continuing his lie. "I'm not suppose to tell y' dis but de only reason M'sieu LeBeau is makin' y' stay here is b'cause my father demands a human sacrifice to forgive de clan for dere sin. Y' are dat sacrifice, Maurice."

From the direction of the swamps, a strange animal made a loud noice. Maurice jumped, tripped over his own feet and tumbled to the ground. Remy looked back in the direction of the swamps. He turned, stared at Maurice's paling face, "Still t'ink I'm lyin'?"

"I jus' remembered dat I have to see my...." Maurice climbed to his feet and dusted himself off. The older boy kept looking at the swamps. "Uh, I can't remember who I am suppose to meet but y' understand, don' y'?" Maurice ran towards the house, looking back long enough to yell. "I'm not scared but I can't break a promise, can I?"

"Was it somethin' dat I said?" Remy yelled at the retreating boy. He fell to the ground, holding his side as he laughed.

The door opened and Jean-Luc walked out, interrupting Remy's moment of triumph.

His father yanked him up before Remy had time to get to his feet. "Why y' doin' dis, Remy?" His father asked. "Y' have dat boy beggin' his parents to take him home b'fore de moon gets full. He's convinced you're de devil's fils. Y' want to tell me why he t'inks dat?"

"He's de one who said I had vampire eyes." Remy shrugged. "I jus' played along wit' him."

"I want dis to stop now, boy. Y' scared off Philip an' I am not even goin' to ask why y' tied dat other boy up in a tree." When Remy started laughing, his father cut him off. "Dis isn' funny, mon fils. His parents are convinced y'are workin' for de assassins."

"It's not my fault dey stupid."

"Look at me, Remy." His father gently squeezed Remy's shoulder and Remy obeyed. "I know why you're doin' dis an' it isn' goin' to work. Y' have t' understand dat de Guild demands I be in France."

Remy opened his mouth to speak but Henri called out to their father, "Père, Uncle Jacques an' Lapin are here."

Remy followed his father back inside the house and angrily threw himself in a chair and sulked. He glared at Maurice who ducked behind Sebastian, making it clear he didn't want anything to do with the youngest LeBeau.

"I'm sorry to cut de visit short, Jean-Luc but somethin' has come up an' we must leave." Sebastian took his leave and he and his family left.

"Frances, y' see how Remy's been runnin' dese kids off?" Jacques went down to his knee to speak to his son. "I want y' to promise me y' won' let your cousin do dat to y'. I know y' know how to handle him."

"It's Lapin, Père." Lapin corrected his father. Frances hated his name, refusing to answer if anyone called him by it. Spotting Remy, Lapin pulled his favorite possession, a worn New Orleans Saints football cap down over his ears and walked over to his cousin. "I'm Lapin."

"Lapin! Y' t'ink you're Bugs Bunny or somethin'?" Remy looked at his cousin and chuckled. "Y' kinda look like a rabbit. Betcha eat carrots an' yell 'what's up doc?' a lot too."

"Why don' we go outside an' I'll show y' why I call myself Lapin." Lapin challenged his cousin. The two boys went outside with Lapin grinning at the adults as he closed the doors behind them.

"Y' want to go back towards de swamps?" Remy asked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "or are y' afraid y' might get lost?"

"Lead de way," Lapin suggested, following behind Remy. "What y' got in mind?"

"I bet y' can't keep up wit' me in dere." Remy said, standing at the entrance to where the swamps began. His father had warned him repeatedly to stay out of the swamps, but scaring his cousin was more important.

"So we play hide an' seek." Lapin turned his back to his cousin. "I'll count to fifty an' den I'll come look for y'."

Remy listened until Lapin counted to 'five' before he ran into the swamps. Dodging around several moss covered trees, Remy kept running until he found the perfect tree to climb.

Minutes passed, Lapin came into view, walked under the tree Remy was in and moved on without looking up. Watching the boy disappear out of his sight, Remy snickered, covering his mouth to keep from being heard. He waited an hour and then climbed down, heading back towards the house. No doubt Lapin was lost by now, he better go tell his father.

A scream made his blood run cold. It came from the direction quicksand was located. Another scream, this time it was Lapin's yell for help. Remy took off in that direction, he came to a complete stop when he saw the football cap, turned side ways, left by the edge of the quicksand. Fifteen feet away, a mud puddle rested in silence, giving no indication of anyone disturbing it.

"Lapin!" Remy screamed as he picked up his cousin's cap. A practical joke was one thing, but he never wanted to hurt anyone. A twig snapped, he turned and saw his cousin standing behind him.

"Y' stupid idiot! I t'ought y' fell in de quick sand." Remy glared at Lapin who stood in front of the mud puddle, making no effort to stop laughing.

"Not so funny is it, when de joke's on you." Lapin grabbed his cap out of Remy's hand. "Let's get somethin' straight right now, lil cousin, y' ain' gonna scare me off."

"Y're gonna ruin everythin'." Remy screamed, balling his hands into fists. Nobody was going to separate him from his father. He shoved Lapin into the mud puddle. "Dat'll teach y' to stick your nose in my business."

Lapin was on his feet so fast that Remy didn't have time to react. Lapin grabbed his cousin by his shirt and slung him down into the puddle. Pointing a dirty finger at Remy, he laughed. "Fast enough for y', cousin? Now y' know why I call myself, Lapin."

Remy's temper got the best of him, he jumped up and yanked Lapin back into the mud. Both tried to force the other's face into the muck.

"Stop it!" Henri shouted, causing both boys to stop their fighting. Neither had time to blame the other, both were yanked out and thrown onto the marshy grass. "Père told y' not to be in here, Remy, an' here y' are. Why are y' an' Lapin fightin'."

Remy lowered his head, knowing he was in trouble.

"We weren't fightin' Henri. I fell in de mud," Lapin spoke up, surprising Remy by taking the blame. "Remy tried to pull me out but he lost his balance and fell in too. I'll tell Uncle Jean I was de one who went into de swamps an' got lost. All Remy did was try to find me. He didn' do anythin' wrong."

"Y' lie an' Remy swears to it." Henri sighed. "C'mon, y' can use de hose to wash de muck off."

"Why did y' take de blame?" Remy asked, whispering to his cousin.

"Jus' say y' owe me one." Was all Lapin said before running off.

"He's weird." Remy said, walking with his brother. When they reached the house Lapin had finished washing the mud off his clothes. Lapin handed the hose to Henri who turned it on his brother.

"It's c..c..cold!" Remy screamed, chattering his teeth as Henri took his time washing off the mud.

"Y' two stay out here an' dry off." Henri returned with several towels, giving one to Lapin and using another to wrap Remy inside it. "Well, petite frère, your plan didn' work did it?" Remy tried to hide his disappointment but his brother wasn't fooled. "Everythin' is gonna be alright. I promise y', Remy."

"I don' want Papa to go Henri. Can't he make somebody else go in his place?" Remy asked, trying hard not to cry. He didn't want his cousin to think he was weak. "He's de Guild Master. Papa can make dem go, can't he?"

"No, petite." Henri continued to dry Remy off with the towel as Lapin listened in. "I know you're upset 'bout all dis but I will take good care of you."

"I don' need nobody takin' care of me, I can do dat myself." Remy pulled out of his brother's grasp. "I don' want Papa leavin', Henri. De Assassins, dey gonna..."

"Non, mon petite frère, de Guild has taken precautions to guarantee de councils safety. Security is de highest prerogative. All of de Guilds are sendin' dere Guild Masters, dat's why Père must go. Do y' t'ink de Guilds would send dere most important members to a place dat has no security?" Henri reached out and pulled his brother back to him. "Is dat what has been botherin' y'?"

Remy nodded his head, acknowledging his brother's question. "Henri, y' sure Papa's goin' to be alright? De Guild will protect him from de Assassins?"

"I promise y', Père will be fine an' home b'fore y' know it." His brother said, still holding him. Lapin moved closer to the brothers and Henri pulled him into the embrace and looked at both boys. "As for de Assassins, dey are our enemies, but our Guild's strong. We take care of our own mon frère. Nothing will happen to us. I give y' my word on dis."