POV William

Something was off about this situation. William’s instincts screamed that this had to be a setup. No, he knew it was a setup; that much was obvious, especially with a no tech rule hanging over the household. He wouldn’t take his eyes off that black gift; it was too precious.

Mathias walked the length of the room, around his bulky brown armchair, passed the coffee table, and over to Astral’s side of the sofa. William reached for the gift, pushing his summer guest into the sofa with the back of his arm. She resisted only for a second before giving him the space to lean past her.

His dad glared, tapping William’s hands with the back of the gift.

William gestured in silent confusion, but then remembered that protocol was an important part of their religious culture. Those rules were extended to William as long as he lived under a roof provided by the Red Order.

He took a breath, released the nagging stress that was clouding his mind, and smiled a wide toothy smile, unable to contain his excitement. He sat back and lowered his arms, placing his hand in his lap, like a good obedient little boy. He knew the game.

He’d already come up with a list of apps to download, and was deciding just now on which of his affluent friends he’d contact first.

He’d enjoy Astral’s strained look while making her peace offering under duress. She didn’t like him any more than he liked her.

His dad stared at him expectantly; dark brow raised. William wracked his brain for a clue. What else did he need to do? An apology maybe? Was there something his dad had caught wind of that he needed to say sorry for? He wasn’t sure. He matched his dad’s persistent gaze. He knew better than to assume guilt. In his dad’s eyes, he was always guilty of something. William had accidentally confessed to many personal offenses, some major, some minor. The problem was, William never really knew what crimes his dad was aware of.

He wouldn’t apologize this time. She hadn’t been here five minutes and he was already in trouble.

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“Move,” Astral said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He glared at her, fighting against shouting, ‘No! You move!’ but decided against it and shuffled onto the center of his own cushion, giving Astral more breathing room than she deserved.

The gift was passed to Astral, who placed it primly onto her lap and plucked a cream-colored card from under the gold ribbon.

He pawed at the black box in her lap, only to have her slap his hands away. William recoiled at the sting. He silently appealed to his dad for support, at least hoping he’d reprimand her for hitting him. The reprimand never came. His dad’s dark look told William that the man’s patience was wearing thin.

Astral passed the card to William, who thought it best to put on his A-game for show. He was trying to be nice. He was trying so hard. He smiled at her, something that he hoped passed for genuine, and faked an interest in the card. “Nice card,” he commented while rubbing the thick cardstock between his fingers, but never letting his eyes leave the much-desired box in her lap.

Astral was less inclined to bring her A-game in politeness. She stared at him for a long time. Staring had to be one of her favourite pass times because she did it often, and she didn’t care who noticed. He fidgeted with the card while pressured under her pale stare. She smirked. He wasn’t sure what he was meant to do. He wasn’t sure how to get her to give him the gift she was meant to give him.

He looked to his dad for help, who had taken his seat in his chair and watched the silent fight with growing annoyance. There was a lesson here. William felt it. It was one of these stupid learning experiences, ‘growth opportunities’ as his dad would say, where Mathias would just let the scene unfold while watching William’s every move.

“Read the card, William,” Astral said, her tone hard and commanding.

William swallowed, the smile dropping from his face with the heaviness of his loss, knowing that the cream-coloured card was going to ruin his night.

She had won. Again.

He lagged behind. Again.

He flipped the card over. ‘To my favourite niece, congratulations on your acceptance to the Council’s Academy. Love, your favourite uncle, Damien.’

William’s brain screamed. He flicked the card at her just to have some control over the situation. He stood up, pulled at his shirt, took a deep breath and glared at her with his back to his dad. He couldn’t trust himself to hide his rage entirely. With a deeply controlled tone that failed to hide his frustration, he said, “I’m going to my room.”

He didn’t see why he had to go through this cruel joke that had set him up to be angry for the rest of the night, maybe even for the rest of the summer.

“William, sit.” Mathias commanded, his tone speaking volumes of the level of shit that was about to get piled on him. “Astral, get settled in. This matter does not concern you.”

Astral left without a word. She didn’t even so much as glance back at William to take a snapshot of his humiliation.

It was going to be another terrible summer.