Chapter 5- Little Nerd Boy

Chapter 5-Little Nerd Boy

                Princess had woken up the next morning with a pounding headache, a tongue that seemed to be coated in sand and an inspiration.

 

                Mixed drinks were a kind of art. Princess had gotten on the phone with her secretary had arranged for a local restaurant supply company to deliver a bar that very day. She was going to learn how to make those fantastic concoctions in the gallery upstairs.

                She had had such a fantastic time with Whitley and Torrance. Everything she’d been holding so close to her had kind of melted away, and she was anxious to be able to try that again.

                Kellan was working on a painting of a fire spirit. He felt it embodied what he wanted out of life, and how he wanted to get it. He knew that there were papers from his ancestors that explained a lot about the Blue heritage somewhere, and thought they might be helpful in his mission.

                He had decided that today was the day he was going to begin his mission to become the patriarch of the Blue family. Kellan started out at the town cemetery. “The family mausoleum might be a good place to start looking for something to oust Hale,” Kellan thought as he entered the hushed building.

                Kellan had totally not been prepared for Royal Blue to come out of his grave like that when he’d opened it. In the end, Kellan decided that maybe he needed to start on another avenue.

                He’d dropped by the diner for a bite to eat and ran into his high school sweetheart, Maksine. Maksi was bubbly and fun, but above all she had a feel for revenge that had thrilled him; it still did. But standing there talking to her, he had a revelation that she was not right to sit at the right hand of the head of the Blue empire. She didn’t have the sweet temperament that earned peoples trust. She wasn’t quietly confident in her outcomes. In short, she wasn’t Whitley.

                Kellan mentally added that to his list of things now to do. Her opinion did not matter. Looking around, he realized he must have been in soliloquy longer than he’d thought. Maksi was not there any longer. However, there was one person there who he realized could have vital information for his quest. Torrance.

                Lucky for him, she spotted him almost at the same time he’d spotted her.

                “Kellan! I haven’t seen you since I made you pee your pants under the slide all those years ago!” Torrance nearly shouted the words, letting everyone know what a weeny he’d been, how he’d been bullied, how it continued.

                “Torrance,” Kellan deadpanned to her. She walked up closer to him, a sly smile on her lips.

                “Let’s go grab some nachos, huh? Let me make it up to you for being so mean,” she purred.

                Kellan was not impressed. Torrance was dressed like she was looking for attention. If he remembered correctly, that’s exactly what she wanted, and what he didn’t want to give to her.

                “I don’t think so Torrance,” Kellan said, pushing her away from him. “I don’t want nachos, or anything to eat from you. I just want information. Has your sister told you anything about Hale that might not be good? Anything that I can use to keep this town safe from him?”

                Torrance was absolutely dumbfounded. She had remembered that Kellan was a strange little kid, but he didn’t seriously think Hale was a danger to anyone surely? Hale had released the frogs they were supposed to be dissecting in biology. Hale had made sure that the school got to go on a special field trip to the science center. Hale had even been voted Prom King! No one didn’t like Hale.

                “Kellan? Have you been drinking?” Torrance asked Kellan gently, concerned what he might say to strangers in this condition. “Do you need me to call you a cab home?”

                Kellan exploded at her coddling and burst away from her leaving Torrance confused and worried.

                “It’s nice. Happy. I like it,” Hale told Whitley. They were hoping that Princess would be more appeased if Whitley took up art. They had brought up Hale getting a job, and Princess was not very happy about it.

                Whitley took his hands. “I’d like to make you happy,” and pulled him away from the wet canvas.

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                Late that night, a strange noise woke Kellan, who slept downstairs, and Princess, who slept lightly. Princess went downstairs to see the ground floor and grounds flooded with light. A burglar was prowling outside their front door, and it looked like Kellan was out there as well. Princess gave a loud shriek and ran outside slamming the front door hard enough to shake the wall. Slamming the door also woke up Hale. Princess knew that Kellan was not strong enough to take on a burglar, Hale was though.

                Princess’ fear had more substance than she thought it could have. Her feet stopped her a short way away from where Kellan was taunting the masked man. Unbeknownst to her, Hale had stopped too. Only he had stopped to watch through the bars on the front door.

                Hale had caught a note of rebellion from his little brother in the last few weeks. It was never open and out-right, merely snide comments and eye-rolls. Maybe this burglar could help him put Kellan in his place. Just in case, he went ahead and phoned the police. Hale knew it would take them quite a while to get out to their country estate, so there was still plenty of time to see what happened.

                What happened was Kellan’s taunts did what he’d intended them too, and a fight broke out. Princess, who usually was the first to defend her baby, oddly enough stood aside and watched as well. She, too, knew that Kellan was no match for this man. However, Princess was hoping that she had woken Hale and that he would get here in time to keep Kellan from getting hurt.

 

                Hale saw Kellan step away from the burglar with fury on his face and knew that Kellan had been bested. It was time to show Kellan why he, Hale, was in charge and why he needed to show a little more respect. Hale walked out the door confidently, a smile on his face. He knew what he was going to do. Jackson had showed him a lot of moves and had insisted on training his “little nerd boy” so that he could be tough. He had thought Kellan was tough enough. He never knew.

                Even before Hale had reached the man, he was cringing. Kellan stood with his lip curled. If he was no match for the burglar, there was no way Hale would even survive. Let him try.

                Kellan had time to register a strange sound come out of his brother’s throat before he attacked the burglar. It was also then that he realized that now his mother was frightened. She hadn’t even flinched the entire time he was getting beaten up by this man. And Kellan had seen that.

                The noises had awakened Whitley, who had been thoroughly frightened when she discovered Hale was not beside her. She didn’t join Princess in her panic though. She trusted that Hale was hearty enough to take this stranger down.

                When Kellan saw that Hale was the one standing over the bleeding would-be burglar he was stunned. How had Hale done it? He looked at Whitley to see her glow with pride watching Hale. “How can she even think that he deserved such a look? It isn’t possible. Hale had merely gotten lucky. Doesn’t she see it? Don’t they all see it?” Kellan thought.

                Whitley showed her true feelings for the stranger while Kellan sized up Hale again. He couldn’t let his brother continue as patriarch. He could not let his brother be better than him. He was best. He deserved it.

                Princess applauded Hales heroism as they all turned to go back in, and back to bed. Such a display made Kellan a little bit sick. She hadn’t even flinched when it was him. She was worried sick when it was Hale. In that moment, he hated her. Hated her for coddling him, not letting him be strong enough, man enough to take over. But she would see. He’d show them all.