Second Reality: Surge of Power

Chapter XXIV: Consequences

Saturday morning the children all got home from the "party" at Faul's house.

Six in the morning Niel entered the Aires' household with careful steps. He slowly put down his jacket and wiped the snow off his shoes before tiptoeing into the living room. As he slipped past his brothers' bed and entered his room the sour stench of manure hit his nose. He took a step back from the gut-twisting smell and hastily searched for the light switch. He flicked the switch to find a wheelbarrow full of pig-excrement in the middle of his room.

"What the fuck?" He raised his voice making all the stealthy action before useless. He turned around to see whether his exclamation was loud enough to wake up his family, and his fears were confirmed by his parents and standing behind him with arms crossed. "What is this?" He looked at them questioning the disgusting prank.

"What I warned you about! If you don't get to work, the work will get to you!" His father said with a stern look clearly visible by his bushy eyebrow being squished. Hercule Aires was a man of short stature, but with the physique of a working man. He showed more bulk than lean muscle, his broad shoulders, and veiny arms his presence demanded respect. With skin that was singed by the Sun for decades and nails that dirt darkened and damaged every day since he took up a tool to work, he was the epitome of what hard work does to our body.

"We did the house chores for three days straight, covering your ass! It was time for revenge!" His older little brother, Alex stepped forward furious.

"I'll give you revenge!" Niel approached his brother with his fists clenched.

"Niel Aires!" His father raised his voice halting Niel's steps. "You have a lot of work to do. I think you should conserve your energy. And take the wheelbarrow out already. I don't suppose you want to sleep with it in your room." As Hercule ordered his son, the youngest of the bunch, Hyll chuckled in the back. For a second Niel looked at him and the giggling boy ran back to his mother for protection.

Niel sighed and grabbed the wheelbarrow. Everyone in the house went back to their business and let Niel work. "What a jolly fucking welcome."

"Wait son! I'll open it for you." Meg, the chubby, short woman wore a knitted beige sweater, she grabbed the doorknob with one shaking hand, but she needed the other hand to turn it completely.

"Thanks mom! There is something I want to ask of you!" Niel said as he finally pushed the source of the smell out the house.

"What is it?" Meg looked up at his son surprised.

"I wouldn't come home from school on Wednesday. The class will hang out together. I'd be home by ten." Niel said trying to be quiet, in hopes that his father wouldn't hear.

"About that..." Meg shifted her eyes to the side clearly holding back something.

A couple of minutes later Ren's phone rang. It was a group video-call with all his classmates, instigated by Niel.

"Is everybody home already?" Niel screamed into the phone.

"I'm still on my way!" Ren answered.

"What do you want Aires? My mom almost woke up because of your yelling." Ken shouted back into his phone with complete disregard for his own concern.

"When she wakes up get ready for an upset conversation! All of us are grounded for the entire week!" Niel declared to the group.

"What?" Everyone asked in disbelief.

Niel spent the next minutes explaining what his mother told him:

At six am, after the children asked for permission for a 'sleepover' at Faul's house, one of the parents had enough of all the secrecy their children engaged in. Luna and Sun's mother, Halley went to the Pisces residence to inquire about this sleepover from Faul's mother, but to her surprise no child was there. Faul's mother, Ruhi could not endure the pressure put on her by Halley and spilled the beans about the sleepover being a hoax. Halley was understandably furious and called every parent to a meeting at the Pisces house much to Ruhi's chagrin. They all gathered in the living room. Maria stood a bit farther from the others leaning on the doorframe observing them. Meg was admiring a painting hung on the wall while Ruhi brought a teapot full of steaming green tea. She did not have enough mugs for every parent, but she substituted with glass.