Devastation

Punishment

Do not own "Danny Phantom", or Coke®

Punctuation herds words together, keeps others apart.
Punctuation directs you how to read;
in the way musical notation directs a musician how to play.
~ Lynne Truss

"What was that, Darlene?" Vlad asked.

"Yes, sir." Sarah didn't care if Vlad read her mind and found out about her derisive attitude toward him. Like he didn't already know about it. The

man tried to kill her Dad on an almost daily basis, hit on her mother, and tried to force her half-brother to come to his side, although he kept

predicting that he would come willingly. "Both you and your mother", as he put it.

"Gunther has told me that Darlene here can't help with the horses since she's a stranger to them."

"That's right. She can help get lunch or supper ready."

"Make it supper. She's helping with our lunch. But she must be back by at least nine. I'll make an exception for bedtime tonight, since she's being punished."

"Yes, Masters. I'll send someone to retrieve her and someone will walk her home."

"Yes. Well," Vlad checked his watch, "It seems your school day must continue after lunch, Darlene. It's time for you to help Nancy get lunch ready."

"Sarah." Sarah insisted.

Vlad picked her up and carried her to the castle. He put her down in the kitchen.

"There you are, Darlene."

"Sarah." Sarah said.

"Go and wash your hands. It's time to set the table." Nancy told her, as though Sarah hadn't said anything.

"Yes, ma'am." Sarah transformed and phased through the walls to the half-bath.

She washed her hands, then phased back into the kitchen. She transformed

back into a human and took the plates and silverware from the staff member who

offered them. She phased through to the dining room. There was Vlad.

"You've practiced your phasing plenty today. I have some diseased trees I'd like for you to practice your ghostly wail on today. James, the yard man, will show them to you. You're lucky my staff knows about hybrids."

"I figured they would, you being their employer and all." Sarah put one plate, a knife, and fork at Vlad's place. The place mats had been left

there all night. She put the other plate and silverware at her place. She went back and got the glasses and napkins. She placed them where

they belonged. She went back and was handed a hot pad.

"Put that in the middle of the table, please." Nancy told her.

"Yes, ma'am." Sarah did as she was told. Then she went back into the kitchen to see if she was needed anymore.

She was handed a Coke® bottle. She carried it out and put it at Vlad's place.

"Spaghetti today?"

"I'm not sure." She went back and was handed a plate of toast.

"Spaghetti, today, sir." She put the plate down in the middle beside the hot pad. She took the knives back up and took them back into the

kitchen. She was handed a pot of spaghetti. She carried it out to the dining room. She set it down on the hot pad and picked up her plate, but

then realized that there was no fork in the pot. Nancy came out and put the fork in the pot, explaining, "I was afraid that it would be too much