The Rules

Chapter FIVE

"Evony, I--" Game began, but was cut off by his sister.

"Racing around the city again?" Evony asked. "I mean, I know dad doesn't know that's your bike, but it's pretty obvious, Tre. You teach yourself to ride at night when no one's around."

Game breathed a silent sigh of relief: she didn't know. But he had to pretend that that was his 'big secret' or she'd be onto him. Plus, if she told their parents about secret night rides, they'd take the bike away and he'd have no way back to the outskirts.

"You're right," Game said, head down, feigning defeat.

Evony smirked again and held out her hand to help him up. She was surprisingly strong for only 13 years old. Game clambered into his room and sat on his clean white bed in his large clean room, fiddling with his engraved chrome alarm clock.

"What do you want?" Game asked. Nothing asked of his sister was ever free.

"I want you to protect me at school," she ordered.

"You are entirely capable of defending yourself, Evony," Game said, confused slightly.

"Not like a 'You hurt my sister, I hurt you' kinda thing, but a kind of social protection, you know? And I want a little word put in there for me." She paused, then, her voice soft and quiet, added, "Something to get people to like me."

Game understood. Evony was always socially rejected because of her scars. She got called names like 'ScarFace', 'that girl with the scars', 'that girl who got torn up', and, most frequently, 'Little Miss Voldy' or 'Voldy Girl'. She suffered a terrible incident when she was a very young child that left her without a nose and their parents one child less.

One hot summer, Evony was whining about wanting to go to the beach. Their older brother, Orson, being the kind, caring brother he was, said he would take her. Their parents, being the rightly protective couple they were, wanted to send them with bodyguards. But Evony had insisted that would take all the fun out of it. It would be better if people didn't know who they were, she had said, and Orson agreed. Very reluctantly, Mr and Mrs Irioné relented, solely because Orson was trained  in martial arts and was able to protect himself and his sister if need be. Game was grounded at that time and thus not permitted to go.

Someone tried to attack them at the beach, but Orson took them down. Then, when they were about to leave, a gang of 6 assassins ambushed them. Orson managed to knock 3 of them out and one ran away, but when one of the remaining two attacked Evony she froze when Orson had yelled for her to run. As a result she had acid poured on her face. While Evony was down, Orson took down the man who had hurt her, but in his rage didn't stay on guard, allowing the other man to seriously injure him and get away.

Luckily, a group of tourists who were walking past heard Evony's screams and found them, took her and Orson to hospital and called the cops on the gang. Orson died on the way to hospital and Evony had her entire face reconstructed, though they left in a few scars, and a prosthetic nose made since her own had completely come off when she had fallen and hit the concrete.

Evony blamed herself for her brother's death and was still overridden with guilt. She has trained in martial arts ever since, to make sure nothing of the sort ever happened again. (Following) identical reasons, Evony and Game's parents never left their two remaining children unprotected. The other children didn't understand. This left Evony striving for popularity, power, and, most of all, friendship.

Game nodded. "Of course."

Satisfied, Evony nodded and left the room. "Night, Tre."

Even though she probably couldn't hear him by now, Game replied, "Night, Ev."

<<=+=>>

The next day at school, Trevor and Evony Irioné entered Hetherhall Academy with his hand on her shoulder. Everyone stared, no one spoke. The most popular guy in school with Voldy Girl. It was a sight to see as not many knew they were siblings.

During recess Game saw Evony swarmed by people, not that this was unusual, but instead of picking on her, they seemed to actually like her. The only thing that troubled Game was that instead of liking her for who she was they might just be liking her to get close to him. But he knew she could handle herself.

It was just the usual: Game, or rather Trevor, would be flanked by his best friends, a crowd would swarm them and he would slip away to bask in the ever-present sun the clearing he liked to call his own behind the great redwood trees that bordered the school grounds provided. No one ever found him there, he had never shown the clearing to anyone. Well, he did show one person, but they weren't around anymore. So it was just him and his thoughts.

But then, of course, there were classes. Trevor couldn't afford to miss classes or his parents would be ridden with worry and fear. Game didn't care if he went to classes or not. All or none, it made no difference.

Then the most extraordinary thing happened: someone broke into Game's clearing among the redwoods. Someone had found his secret glade and he was very, very angry about it. Until he realized just who had emerged through the trees.

"Game?" the person asked in confusion.

Game's mind froze. He didn't know what to do so he said the only word revolving in his mind, "Cessa."