The Deadly Seven

Kale Connelly [6/7]

There’s always that one person you know that can never be satisfied.  Whether he or she complains about trivial matter at a restaurant, or argues over who won or lost in a game of chess.  Then there is that person who yells at the waiter and storms out of the restaurant, making sure to yell the server’s fault as he or she leaves so that other patrons never come back as well.  And then there is that person that flips the game board or shoves the other player, regardless of whether or not they cheated or lost.  Kale Connelly was the latter.

At nineteen-years-old, Kale was still in junior year of high school.  He had to repeat sophomore year twice due to getting in trouble with a juvenile robbery and seducing the principle’s daughter.  His parents paid extra for him to stay since they were sending him to a good private school and, more so, wanted to preserve what left they had of their reputation.  Kale was adopted along with his two half-siblings by loving parents who had wanted children for over five years.  His other two siblings, Macy and Clara, were precious.  They were hard workers, had part-time jobs, and were average students.  There was no lack of love between the three children; it was just Kale who made himself the problem.

He didn’t hate his family like many thought he did.  He just didn’t respect them because he believed he didn’t need someone else to tell him what to do since he had spent most of teenage years fending for himself.  His parents understood, and they tried their hardest not to make him feel trapped.  But they knew there was only so much supervision they could provide him before he disconnected himself from them completely.  And they didn’t want to disown him, at least, until he struck Clara violently for winning in Wii. 

It was a Saturday night and everything that day had gone wonderfully.  Kale agreed to stay for lunch and go to the movies with the family before heading back to his apartment.  It seemed as if he was getting along with his sisters, so, the parents allowed him to hang out with them in the playroom while they went out for dinner.   The parents were aware of Kale’s temper, but they knew he had taken his medications and trusted him to look after the girls—he had never harmed them before. 

In the voice of a small eleven-year-old, Clara looked up at her older brother and smiled widely.  “It’s my turn to play, you’ve been playing all evening!”  Her arms stretched out to grab the remote Kale had been using all night.

Pushing her away, he replied sharply, “No.  One more game, okay?”

“That’s what you said last time, liar.”  She folded her arms and plopped down on the couch.

The sounds of the game stopped and Kale turned around, staring at Clara with anger burning behind his glistening brown eyes.  Clutching the remote control in his hands, he placed his feet apart, as if he was facing a mad bull rather than a harmless middle-schooler.  “What did you call me?”  His voice was lower.

“I said you’re a ‘liar’!”  She stuck her tongue at him and her face contorted into a strained frown.

Smashing the plastic control onto the floor, he lunged at the girl, who let out a piercing scream.  Grabbing her by the tiny arms, he smacked her frame against the sofa before throwing her to floor.  With his fists, he punched her up and down the arms, yelling profanities at her.  Macy, who had heard the commotion from upstairs, ran down and tackled Kale to the floor.  She was only fourteen, but she was strong enough to knock her brother to the floor.  But she wasn’t powerful enough to keep him there.

“Stay away from us!  You hurt Clara!”  Macy shouted, collecting her bruised and sobbing sister in her arms.  “Get out of here, you monster!  Mom and Dad will kill you if they see this!”

As if a switch had turned off, Kale realized what he had done.  Turning back into the sweet brother that had protected the sisters every day and night since their birth mother had kicked them out of the home, he begged them profusely.  “Please, please, Macy, I didn’t mean it!  You know I can’t help it!”

“Yes, you can!  I’ve had to help a lot of things since Mom kicked us out!  You are just as capable of doing it yourself.  Now, get out!”

And Kale did just that.  He didn’t take anything with him.  He just ran and ran until he ended up outside of the Lilac Casino.  Knowing nowhere else to go, he went inside where a man named Finn Hoyt asked him if he played poker.  Wanting to take his mind off of what had just happened, Kale said he did and took a seat.  Finn dealt him two cards.