The family certainly had a history with politics, and my father's expectations were for me to go into business or political science. I had no desires to follow such a route, but I understood that a safe, comfortable, and wealthy life would lie before me if I heeded his request.
Despite the fact that William was born a ghost, he appeared to age and grow in a manner comparable to normal infants. Or so I believed. I wasn't fond of young children and tried to avoid him when I could. Even Charles could be bothersome at times. He was in elementary school, and acted with such a cocksure attitude that I was certain he would get in trouble when he was older. Leah's legacy of cold popularity created the walkway for Charles. While the rest of us shunned paparazzi and the attention attached to our names, Charles lived for it. Although not particularly skilled in STEM subjects, he excelled at communication classes, picking up languages easily and engaging in debate club. His focus, however, was on making as many friends as possible. Equipped with a golden-tongue and passive parents, there was nothing Charles couldn't get away with.
Despite being extremely spoiled, even I could admit that Charles was not selfish. He was particularly affectionate with William, happily accepted baby-sitting duties, and always put William first. Begrudgingly, I could admit that Charles was a far better elder brother than I.
I preferred to occupy my time with other activities. Fishing, conducting science experiments, looking out the scope of a telescope... They all appealed to me far more than interacting with others. The leniency of my parents drove me to make decisions by myself of morality and what was right and wrong. Which led me into trouble on more than one occasion.
For some reason, our town enforces a curfew. This is a law I've begged my father to change, but which he has insisted lies outside his jurisdiction.
I could come up with exactly two reasons for a curfew: in order to prevent teenage crime, and in order to prevent teenagers from being a victim of a crime.
In order to avoid these things, I decided to enjoy my nighttime activities close to the house, where I knew I would be safe.
Unfortunately, even fifty feet off my property was considered to be breaking curfew in the eyes of the man who cuffed me and returned me to my parents.
"This is completely unnecessary," I fumed, pushing my glasses further up my nose.
The cop chuckled. "Really? This is for your own safety. You know the rules. Don't break them."
"I can handle myself."
"You're covered in soot, for some reason. Clearly you can't."
"I'm not going to follow illogical laws. Laws forbidding stealing and unethical acts are sensible. Laws forbidding someone from exiting their home at a certain time are dystopian."
He didn't say anything more, simply dropping me off and informing my parents that next time, it wouldn't be a warning. For once, my parents actually tried to discipline me, and 'grounded' me. I put the word grounded in quotations because the times they restricted me from exiting the house were the same that curfew was enforced.
Needless to say, I didn't care enough to abide by such a trifling matter.
Somehow, between the lines and math and the space between the stars, I had discovered something tangible that grounded me on the earth.
Sailing. Ever since our travels to Egypt, I had begged my parents to enrol me in windsurfing and sailing classes, and had placed various pieces of fishing equipment on my Christmas wishlists.
There was something about being on the water that made my mind clear and an inexplicable sense of happiness overwhelm me. Every morning, I rose before dawn to fish, bringing home my catches for breakfast. My parents hadn't minded me getting up before curfew for that.
In the evening, I would attend debate club after class, go home, do my homework, eat, and then head out on the water until I was surrounded by nothing but the glassy ocean. That's when I would begin my dives, collecting seashells and swimming alongside the fish.
I was lucky my family was rich, because all the oxygen I bought for my scuba tank cost a pretty penny.
I managed to successfully sneak out for a few days. One night, I returned home a bit later than usual and climbed upstairs to work on some experiments. Unfortunately, my purple father was waiting for me. Yes, purple.
"Dad, are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine! Don't I look fine, son?"
"I don't understand... were you outside? You must be freezing! Should I call the hospital?"
"Phillip. I know you've been sneaking out. I've spent the last two hours searching every nook and cranny for you—including outside! The surfing equipment was gone from the garage, but even when I swam in the water, I couldn't find you!"
I was a bit baffled that he would swim in an attempt to look for me. "Dad, I don't really understand the situation, but I don't want you to be mad at me. I'll clean the whole house if that's what it takes for you to forgive me."
He blinked twice. "Okay, that sounds reasonable."
I hid my smirk when he turned his back. That man had no idea how to discipline.
I felt a reassuring hand on my shoulder and put on my best pouty face as I turned to face my mother. "Mom, I don't understand why he was like that..."
She smiled. "Don't worry about him. He was just stressed. Listen, Phil, he went into the water looking for you and turned blue within ten minutes. He was getting frantic thinking about how cold you would be."
"That's why I have a wet suit!"
"Still, you're not invincible."
I shrugged and gave her a hug. Truth be told, despite my lanky frame, I withstood the elements far better than the average person, and even the frosty winters didn't deter me. I looked like a fool while wearing the full body wetsuit, but I had no qualms looking like a fool if that allowed me to pursue my passion.
Although I had found a passion, something to direct all of my energies towards, Leah was still looking for hers. She mastered the piano easily, yet didn't challenge herself further with her pursuits. Instead, she wanted to feel validated through other means. Namely, by flaunting her body in an attempt to woo others her way.
I shouldn't be too discrediting. After all, Leah was struggling with discovering who she was. The crux of her self discovery happened during a daytime bikini beach party put on by the most popular teenagers. Needless to say, it wasn't a crowd I mingled with. Leah was kind enough to extend an invitation, despite knowing I would decline. Her stories afterwards made me glad I had missed the drama.
Around school, Leah had gained the nickname "Iron Keys" as a play on"Ivory Keys". She claimed that this was because she was either ice or fire depending on her mood. I held my tongue in mentioning that the temperatures of metals do not change "because of their mood".
She was a flirt, to summarize my findings, and was known to make out with at least one new boy at every party she went to. Since she was only a second year in high school, not many people were venturing further than that.
At this bikini beach party whatever event, Leah had made sure to wear the most revealing bikini she could possibly find to compliment her spray-tanned skin and minuscule physique. After seeing her in it, I considered burning my eyes with bleach, but decided against it since the last image imprinted into my brain would be an utterly horrifying one of my sister.
After choosing her prey, someone else drew Leah's attention.
It was fitting, truly. The equation suddenly made sense. The only other person who could match Leah's flirtatious, attention-seeking, confident personality was that of another girl. The girl's name was Jo (a bit contrarian in my opinion), and she was cool as a cucumber and as nasty as cat claws.
Feeling irresistible, Leah didn't wait long before attacking her prey.
There were plenty of eyewitnesses to report back on the event. The show was something the male (and female, apparently) onlookers greatly enjoyed.
Leah told me that from this moment, she knew that she was gay. That throwing away any preconceived notion, accepting that she would never be heiress anyway, and embracing her desires allowed her to feel comfortable in assessing her attractions.
Unfortunately, this moment was not quite as enlightening for Jo.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Jo had screamed, causing the onlookers to avert their eyes.
Leah had been repentant, apologizing profusely and promising not to do it again. And, just to push her luck, she asked if they could start over.
"I'm not thrilled at the idea of dating someone who lunges at me like that," she had responded.
Leah had promised her that if she ever did something even remotely unwanted again, she would allow Jo to reject her without putting up a fight. After many minutes of promises and flattery, Jo agreed to try things out.
And that was how Jo started coming over to our house every single day, at first, to do homework, but considering Leah's intellect, that usually left them plenty of time to swap spit.
I had hoped that when Charles got older, he would have acted as an ally to me. Alas, he was even more rambunctious and difficult to handle than either Leah or I. I broke rules, Leah partied hard, and Charles did both. Tensions quickly rose between him and my father. The breaking point was when my father prohibited Charles from babysitting William. Despite his many flaws, Charles had an enduring love for our youngest sibling, and immediately resented my father for this decision. Father told him that if he wanted to be a good brother, he would have to start by being a good role model. This led into a tumultuous argument that I evaded, using the opportunity to sneak outside.
It was exhausting to listen to them. I still wasn't sure of the details of their relationship. All I knew is that to this day, my father and Charles never saw eye to eye. Most parents grow more lenient with the more children they have. With my parents, it was quite the opposite. I was the golden child, and almost all rules were let slip when I was the one breaking them.
The most brotherly act I've ever done was one that, at its heart, was selfish. I was fascinated with the challenge of creating the famous metamorphium potion, and offered it to my sister to test its effects on her imaginary friend. When I saw what her friend turned into—a pudgy, trashy girl with a nasty sense of humour, I couldn't help but feel that I had done something wrong. After all, why would Leah ever imagine someone so despicable?
To my relief, Leah seemed happy at this transformation, and thanked me rather than reprimanding me.
Her friend, Francina, made her introduction to the family by approaching Charles and immediately ensnaring him in her grasp, feasting her lips on his. Leah was thoroughly amused, especially when she explained the situation to Charles and added in additional details, such the fact that when Francina was invisible, she would hide in his room to watch him change.
Leah later told me that this story wasn't true at all and Francina always stayed close to Leah's side growing up. One can imagine the great relief this information was to me.
Charles, of course, immediately despised Francina and warned her never to approach him again. Francina's obvious mirth seemed evidence against any attraction she claimed to have for him.
The largest issue with this growing number of teenagers was all of the other teenagers they brought into the house. I made sure I was scarce every evening, shutting myself away in my room to do my homework and escaping to the outdoors as quickly as possible. My parents' loose control on my siblings meant there were no restrictions on the frequency of their parties and hangouts.
Leah's motivation was Jo, who she claimed to be 'completely obsessed' with. Sometimes, I wondered if Leah was simply stoking her own ego. Jo was, without needing to dwell on the subject, hot. Leah enjoyed many public displays of affection, especially during school hours. Avoiding my siblings was my favourite activity while trying to attend class. Leah paraded around her relationship (if one could call it that), and laughed about how she and Jo were the exact same size and could swap outfits at any point in time. To which many boys usually requested an example viewing.
The only point I ever defended Leah on was her motivation to be so public with her interests. Many self-indulgent males claimed that she and Jo acted for the satisfaction of the boys rather than their own hormonal desires. I simply told them that if they wanted to attract any attention, it would be that of the other girls.
As for Charles, his intentions were purely unethical. He proudly informed me that his goal was to sleep with as many people as possible, male or female. Personally, I thought he was way too young to be thinking about such things, but that didn't stop him from inviting over muscular men and busty ladies. He was really a simple minded guy.
He never admitted it to me, but I was fairly certain that Francina was his first kiss. Maybe she was the ignition to his desires. However, sleeping with her was certainly never going to be an option.
That didn't mean that having brawny friends around helped deter her interest, however. Francina may have been aware of her unattractive personality and appearance, but that certainly wasn't an obstacle in her quest for... well, whatever it was that she sought.
Her latest victim was one of Charles' friends, Marion. He was nice, kind to Francina, and instantly regretful in his behaviour towards her.
Marion gave her an inch and she took a mile. Er—that is to say, her advances towards him were certainly not reciprocated. And once more, this reaction apparently caused her little distress. If anything, Francina's ultimate goal was to make others as uncomfortable as possible. I can affirm that I've been locking my door for a very long time now.
On this particular night, Charles had succeeded in convincing his friend Jon to join him privately... outdoors in our front yard on a bench, despite the five centimetres of snow we had received that evening.
This information I can share confidently as being accurate, as, unfortunately, I had been caught once more for being out after curfew. The cop was only lenient because it was half an hour after curfew and I was making my way back to shore. Frankly, it would have been amusing if he had tried to wait for me all night. I could have windsurfed to the other end of the island and simply gone to school the next morning.
However, I didn't have the energy to deal with such an ordeal, and submitted to returning home. Unfortunately. Maybe if I had acted as a rebel, I wouldn't have had to see Jon and Charles canoodling. I also wouldn't have had to witness Francina's jubilant expression upon seeing this display, nor how she stood there watching them. I busied myself by taking care of mother's horse, given the cold, to earn myself a few brownie points with my parents. And to avoid going back inside with all the sweaty teenagers. Eventually, I used the trampoline to launch myself onto the balcony, then I snuck back through Leah's room into my own.
Okay, fine, I didn't actually do that. But it would have been better than seeing Leah's tongue making circles on Jo's chest, with her hand down her pants. Honestly, our house had seven locked rooms and they chose to conduct their business in the living room with the lights on. Nothing could deter me more from the thought of engaging in such activities than having to witness my younger siblings fornicating with their partners everywhere.
Thankfully, the ambiguous man in the sky must have heard my desperate calls for help, because he bestowed upon me a joyous gift that alleviated my grief and even brought a dash of excitement to my heart: father was cursed by a mummy.
To clarify, it was not the curse itself that brought me joy, but the consequences of this curse—a return trip to Egypt. It also explained why I had frequently seen father trying to learn snake charming. Charming a snake could apparently also mend the curse, but he was running out of time and hadn't made any progress.
Honestly, I had just accepted my family's peculiarities and assumed he wanted to learn snake charming for personal growth and leisure.
A week without Francina, William, or other nuisances/responsibilities. A week without seeing my siblings shove their tongues down someone's throat, of worrying about our idiotic curfew, or the mundanities of school. Finally, a week where I could just relax. Surely nothing would interfere with that!
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