Little Angel

Chapter 12

The principal's office was too quiet for the kind of trouble Xander and Xavier usually found themselves in. The large mahogany desk separating them from Principal Harris felt like a barrier keeping doom at bay, but it wasn't working. The twins sat side by side in matching chairs, feet swinging nervously, trying to look as innocent as angels.

Principal Harris folded her hands on the desk, eyeing them like a lion sizing up its prey. "Do either of you care to explain why there was a snake in the teacher's lounge this morning?"

Xander's lips twitched. Xavier elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"No?" she pressed, raising a perfectly arched brow. "Perhaps you'd like to explain the chickens loose in the cafeteria instead?"

Neither twin spoke.

She sighed. "Let me be clear—this isn't funny. Someone could have gotten hurt. Not to mention, the mess took hours to clean up. Do you have any idea how hard it is to corral chickens in a lunchroom full of screaming kids?"

Xavier finally opened his mouth. "It was just a joke. No one got hurt—"

"Yet," she interrupted sharply. "The school has rules, boys, and you've managed to break several. Repeatedly."

A knock at the door cut her off. The door opened before she could answer, revealing Lucas, his towering frame filling the doorway. He stepped inside, tension radiating from every inch of him. His eyes, cold and calculating, swept over the twins, who immediately shrank under his gaze.

"Mr...." Principal Harris glanced down at her papers, "Lucas. Thank you for coming so quickly."

Lucas gave a curt nod. "Principal Harris."

He didn't sit. He didn't speak. He simply stood there, arms crossed, eyes fixed on his brothers.

The silence stretched.

Xander squirmed. Xavier coughed nervously.

"Well," Principal Harris continued, uncomfortable with the charged atmosphere, "I trust you'll handle this at home. The boys will be serving a week of detention. I expect better behavior from them moving forward."

Lucas's voice was calm, low, and terrifying. "Oh, you can count on it."

He turned to the twins. "Let's go."

The twins jumped up so quickly their chairs scraped the floor. They followed Lucas out without a word, heads down, hearts racing.

The car ride home was torture.

Lucas gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. The twins sat in the back seat, as far from each other as possible, stealing nervous glances at their older brother.

He didn't speak.

The longer the silence stretched, the worse it got. The tension was suffocating.

Finally, Xavier whispered, "He's not even yelling."

Xander whispered back, "I know. That's worse."

When the car pulled into the driveway, Lucas killed the engine and sat still for a moment. The twins held their breath. Then, without a word, he got out of the car and slammed the door shut.

They scrambled after him.

The door barely clicked shut behind them before Lucas spun around, eyes blazing.

"What," he began, pacing like a caged lion, "were you thinking?"

"It was just a—" Xavier started.