After a long, hard day at school, I gratefully sank into the passenger seat of my mother’s car. A glare from Garroth met my eyes. If you haven't already been able to tell, we argue a lot over stupid stuff.
“What? It’s my turn!” I protested.
“I don’t care,” he shrugged, dismissing me with a wave of his hand.
I sighed. “If it means that much to you, fine.” I moved from the front seat and climbed into the back.
“No, Y/N. I don’t care about the front seat,” he said flatly.
“Oh. Okay then.” I turned back to the front, resigning myself to the back seat.
“I care that you joined the Shadow Knights!” Garroth finally exploded, his voice rising in anger.
A collective gasp went up from the others. “Y/N?!”
“I didn’t! They made me sit with them at lunch and in class!” I retorted, frustration bubbling over.
“Why’d you go to them in the first place?!” Garroth shouted, relentless in his accusation.
“I told you! I was helping Zane! Do your ears work?”
“Zane could’ve handled it by himself,” Vylad said calmly, his voice cutting through the tension.
“Vylad, he dragged me over there,” I rolled my eyes, exasperated.
“Oh. Then, Zane, how dare you get m—”
“Zuzu! Why’d you need help?” Mom cooed, her voice laced with concern.
“Mom! Don’t call me that! We’re still at school!” Zane groaned, mortified by his mother's nickname.
“They bully him!” I interrupted, trying to deflect the attention.
“Why didn’t you ask Garroth, Zane?” Vylad pressed, his calm demeanor unwavering.
“He was busy with Laurence.” Zane shrugged. “Besides, he only helps you two for some reason.”
“Oh. You’re right, Garroth never seems to help you,” Vylad echoed quietly, observing the dynamic between them.
“Let’s just forget this matter, kiddos! I hate seeing you guys fight and lord knows what your father would say if he heard about this,” Mom said, her voice firm but laced with warning.
Everyone nodded, a strained silence falling over the car as the weight of her words settled in. Everyone knew the consequences of their father hearing of any conflict.
When we got home, Garte was already on the couch. “Afternoon, kids,” he greeted us with a tired smile.
“Afternoon, dad,” we chorused.
“How was your first day at school, Vylad?” He asked, turning his attention to the youngest.
“Fine.”
“And yours, Y/N?” He asked again.
“Okay.”
“Great!” He cheered, his eyes sparkling. “Anyone on for family game night?”
“Eh.. sure!” Everyone responded, a collective sigh of resignation.
This should be fun.
“Well, get out Monopoly!” Garte yelled in a cheery voice, already reaching for the board game.
Of course, Monopoly. Dad’s favorite. He liked it because, well he’s a businessman and it deals with making financial choices. Garroth retrieved the game from the closet. I’ll never forget the last time we played this.
“It’s alright Vylad, you can have Boardwalk,” Garroth insisted. I was five, and so was Vylad. It was our first time playing. Zane was seven, and Garroth was nine.
“No! Vylad has to earn Boardwalk!” Dad yelled, his voice laced with frustration.
“Sweetheart, it’s just a game,” Mom cooed, trying to soothe him.
“It’s not just a game, Zianna! This is life lessons! Garroth can’t be there to give Vylad everything he needs!” Dad said, flipping the game board in anger.
I was mortified. Mom tried to calm him down, but he just wouldn’t listen. He thought it was very important that we all learn good financial tactics, even though we were all very young at the time and hardly understood the game. Especially Vylad and I. I could tell Vylad was very upset, too, as he hardly talked for the remainder of the time we cleaned up and ate dinner downstairs.
That night, Vylad and I sat in our room and talked about stuff. The room was dark apart from the one lamp that we had turned off. I was sitting in Vylad's bed and whispering to him because we were supposed to be asleep.
“Hey Vylad, what is a financial tactic?” I asked him, my voice barely audible.
“Something to do with money I think.”
“Well, why does dad care about that so much?” I asked. “He seemed very angry.”
“Let’s go ask Garroth.” He suggested.
“Yeah.”
We tiptoed off to Garroth’s room and opened the door. It creaked and he looked up at us from his bed. He looked upset.
“Gar-Gar, why does daddy care so much about financial tactics?”
We play the game, and well, it definitely wasn't as bad as last time. Maybe dad has lost his edge. I mean, he’s always had anger issues and this was very unexpected.. I’ve never seen dad so humble about losing. Something must be up.
“Good job, Zane!” I said, congratulating him on winning.
“Hey kids,” Dad said, his voice laced with a quiet tension. “I have some news.”