Willow had barely sat down on the lounge chair on her deck, her homework on the wood planks beside her, when stomping footsteps announced the arrival of family. Wondering what it was with her being on the deck and people coming to bother her, she stood, eyebrows up when she saw the little parade that was approaching.
Her dark hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, her hazel eyes bright and hard as they locked onto Willow’s, Carol didn’t look to be the least bit happy. Following just behind her were more familiar faces. Ed, Nathan, and Francis didn’t look much more pleased than Carol, but at least none of them looked ready to bite through someone’s arm. “What happened?” Willow asked.
Carol stopped in front of Willow, fists clenched at her sides. “Ed wants me to drop this,” she growled, pointing one finger at their cousin. “But I won’t do it. I’m appealing it to you.”
Frowning at the other girl’s use of the formal right of one of the family to appeal a decision to one of the Elders, Willow said “I’m not an Elder, but if you want my opinion on whatever’s got you riled up, I can give it to you.”
Her cousin nodded sharply. “That’s what I want.”
Ed nodded too. “Thanks.”
Willow, sighing inwardly, waved the lot of them up to the deck, settling back onto her lounge chair. The others dropped down around her, cross-legged. “Alright then, what’s the issue?”
Carol jerked her chin in Nathan’s direction. “He was jumped by that Walter bastard. Bad enough he’s been trying to provoke both Nathan and Francis into going at him, but he actually attacked Nathan. Ed won’t let me teach him a lesson. He keeps saying what Nathan did is enough, but I won’t stand for someone attacking one of mine.”
This time, Willow sighed audibly. She should have known Carol would be out for blood and been prepared for this, but Nathan having come out without even a scratch, she’d thought Carol wouldn’t have felt like Walter was a threat to her boys. “I can understand that you want to beat his face in. I felt the same earlier today, after I found out he was the one who hurt Rune,” she said, feeling a momentary surge of anger as she again remembered Rune’s face covered in blood. “But after I saw the mess he was in since he surprised Nathan, I relaxed. He was walking very stiffly, favouring his right arm, and had the beginnings of a massive bruise on one shin. He’s hurting and will for a while. That, along with the fact he lost even after he jumped Nathan, ought to keep him well away from Nathan and the rest of the family.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then we’ll deal with that if it happens. But you going off and beating him bloody is only going to raise more questions, fuel more rumours. It could also make Walter feel like he’s been backed into a corner. And you know how dangerous someone who feels like they’re trapped can be. Until we know how he’s going to jump, it’s best we leave him alone.”
“See, I told you Willow wouldn’t tell you any different,” Ed said, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s just not safe for any of us to be out for revenge.”
“So we’re just supposed to let people hassle us and not say anything?” Francis demanded, glaring.
Willow snorted. “No. Heck, if Ed and Rune hadn’t stopped me, I’d have punched Walter until his face was unrecognizable and to hell with the consequences. But that’s the problem. None of us should be making decisions while our blood’s up. I don’t know if it’s because of the curse or what, but the lot of us have got pretty hot tempers. And when we see red… That’s when we attract the most attention. So, wait until you cool down, discuss it with others, find other solutions, and if nothing else works, beat the person into such a pulp that they won’t dare say anything against you.”
“Willow!” Ed snapped.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t give me that. You know it’s a valid strategy.”
“You can’t be encouraging the others to start fights!”
“I’m not. I’m trying to say that fighting should be our last resort, but if it comes to that, you need to finish it in a way that leaves no doubt over who’s stronger.”
Carol glowered. “I don’t think he should be allowed to get away with just a simple beating.”
Francis nodded, face still tense. “Exactly.”
Nathan sighed. “It’s fine. I’ve dealt with it.”
Willow smiled. “I said you shouldn’t hit him and you should leave him alone until we know what he’s going to do. If he doesn’t start avoiding you, then it’ll be time to be creative. There are plenty of ways I’m sure you three can come up with to get him to leave you alone without having to hit him. Wouldn’t be so much more satisfying to screw him over but in a way that you can’t get in trouble from the school or the family for?”
“Like what?” Francis demanded.
“Well, if there was a girl he liked, wouldn’t it be awful for him if she found out what a bully he was? Or arrange it so she comes across him doing something like that? It would also be horrible if rumours got started about him. I think you three would know him well enough to know what kinds would get under his skin the most. And all of us know how best to go about starting and stopping rumours. And as long as it can’t be traced back to you…”
Ed stared at her while Francis and Carol exchanged a look. A moment later, two identical evil grins spread across their faces. Nathan looked at them and sighed again. “Why do I have a feeling this is going to become their new thing?”
Willow shrugged. “As long as you guys are only doing it as a defense, and only against people who won’t leave you alone after being ignored or gently redirected, then I don’t really care. It’s better than us getting into fights.”
“Only marginally,” Ed muttered, barely over Carol and Francis’s whispers.
She flashed a bright, false smile at him. “If you’d let me hit him when I wanted, none of this would have happened.”
YOU ARE READING
Silver Bound Girl
FantasyWillow's a Byron and they aren't just your average family. Not just because there are so many of them, but because they have secrets and traditions far outside the norm. Like spending as much time outside as in, and doing everything to keep rumours...
