Playing With Death

6

Axel stood by his daughter’s bedside, watching her rest. His boney arms hanging from the bar which held his daughter in. Like a sleeping prison; nobody can get in nor out. He watched, tiredly as his little girl snuggled her doll. The skeleton leaned over and kissed the Younger, carefully on the head. He smiles lightly and leaves the room; Closing the door silently and stepping foot in the long, dimly lit hallway, his socked feet padded across the lovely, dark red carpet; he looked around at the paintings of each individual person in the group, the wall paper was red with wooden strips in the wall, painted gold. A large brown door was set at the end of the hallway. He approached it,slowly. Placing his boney hand on the doorknob and turning it waiting for a clicking sound, he then pushed open the door.

As he walked in he felt the sound of calm music filling the main hall. On a table in the centre of the room sat four boys. Connor, Hades, Alpha and Twitch. They seemed to be playing blackjack, “so this is how you play boys.. Oh hey Axel, pull up a chair” Hades chirped, Grabbing a chair from the corner of the room he sat in one of the open space around the table, “anyway as i was saying, if a players first two cards are an ace and a “ten-card” giving the count of 21 in two cards, this is a natural or “blackjack” if any player has a natural and the dealer does not, the dealer immediately pays THAT player one and a half times the amount of their bet” he finished looking at Axel, “have you played before?” he pondered. Followed by a shaking head Axel replied, “no sir”

Hades sighed and shuffled the cards as if magic and gave each player two cards, Looking back at Axel, “step one put down your bet, step two get your cards dealt, three place a side bet, four decide if you want to “hit”, five stand, six understand your opponents hand, and step seven.. The outcome” he smirked with putting another card on Alphas pile, “24, you loose” Hades chimed and took his money. Axel nodded, still not understanding, Alpha looked furious, “i didn't say hit i said stand!” Connor laughed hoping to god he wasn’t serious. He wiped a single tear from his eye and looked at his friend, “you definitely said hit bro” The table erupted with laughter as Alpha left, “BOYS!” he cried, “JUST A BUNCH OF LITTLE BOYS!” slamming the door shut behind him. Axel and Twitch laughed till they couldn't feel their non-existing lungs.

Hades sat with the money in his hand, looking down at it. He started doing magic with it. Making it disappear and reappear, flipping it with his thumb and setting it on fire and laughing cunningly, “he had so much bad luck. He would have won if he didnt hit” he continued to laugh. Axel looked at him with a smile, “he's always been a dunce person since highschool”

More laughter erupted as Victoria walked in, “what on earth are you guys doing?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips. She and Boom had just gotten back from robbing a bank and she left Boom to take the bags into the loot room below the dungeon; Hades and Connor looked at her as Axel laughed, “blackjack” he smiles at her, Victoria nodded and sat down next to Twitch, “his seems quite interesting” she groaned, rolling her eyes; Twitch didn't see the eye roll but sensed the sarcasm, “oi, that's not very nice is it little lady?” Victoria shrugged, “have ya seen molly? She was supposed to help me break into the bank?” Twitch shook his head, “that better be a joke, cause i'm as blind as an old man in his 80s” he playfully asked, Victoria laughed and stood up, “nah i was serious” she looked up at the others, “have fun doing whatever this is you call fun” she said running out the room to help Boom.

Hades rolled his eyes, “what's her problem” He looked at Axel who was looking at the time, “yoohoo? Reaper?? Are you awake?”

“Huh yeah? Sorry boss just wondering if Sugar is alright” He sighed, Hades nodded and looked at the clock. He looked back at the others and smirked, “how long has it been since we did some crime. As in guy time?” Twitch looked at the vodka in his glass, shrugging. Connor looked at his notebook, “before I got married.. So around 4-5 years?” He noted, Just as Hades was about to talk, Alpha barged in, “Victoria woke up Sugar” he walked into the room behind Hades that led to a well decorated kitchen with a very modern look towards it- despite the Castle’s age; Axel sprung up like a slinky and ran towards the door and down the hallway. Connor rolled his bright blue eyes, “I'm guessing we are taking a 3 year old with us?” He groaned, Hades hit a hand on his table, “I ALMOST FORGOT” he yelled, running into the laboratory. Connor and Twitch looked at each other then at the door.