RockScars

Saturday evenings meant everyone was to be at the evening meal. It was the only time when the whole ‘family’ was together and it was practically mandatory.

“Everything looks great, Daisy.”

“Thanks, Mr. Vengeance.”

Still they all waited and all eyes were on Daisy. “Aren’t you going to make us say grace again?” Lark asked.

“Oh!” Daisy looked around the table. “That’s all right, y’all just go on an dig in.” After realizing her mistake, she squeezed her eyes shut and mentally cursed herself. “I meant to say, please go ahead and start eating.”

Vengeance noticed her behavior and how she was trying not to be Daisy. Gates saw it too and knew full well why she was acting the way she was acting. She’d even gone so far as to change her appearance entirely. Her hair was pin straight and she wore no make up at all. She had a natural beauty anyway, but it was obvious that she was uncomfortable in her own skin right now. Vengeance was about to ask her about her strange behavior, but the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get that.” Daisy rose from her chair, but Vengeance stood as well.

“You sit, I’ll get it.” Daisy nodded and took her seat and started eating her dinner, unaware of the fact that Gates was looking at her hoping she would look back so he could at least offer her a smile, but she didn’t.

When Vengeance opened the door, his eyes caught a very familiar sight. “What the hell did he do now?”

Officer Nix was a regular at Vengeance Manor where Johnny was concerned. Her full last name was Nixon, and it was actually Johnny that started calling her Nix. The nickname seemed to have stuck with everyone else. “Well, how’s urinating on my squad car for starters?”

Vengeance smacked Johnny in the back of his head. “Christ, what the fuck?”

“If it wasn’t for the fact that the twerp is harmless, I’d have put his ass in lock up for the weekend.”

“I appreciate you bringing him home instead. We were just about to have dinner, want to join us?”

“I’ll take a rain check, I’m still on duty.” She looked at Johnny and pointed at him. “Keep it in your pants!”

“Yes sir!” He saluted her and Vengeance smacked him in the back of the head again.

“Thanks, Nix.” Vengeance shook her hand and she nodded and walked back to her car. When Vengeance closed the door, he turned to face Johnny and looked at him like he was about to strangle him.

“What?” Johnny shrugged. “I had to pee.”

“Christ, I swear you are on thin fucking ice right now.”

Johnny was the resident bad boy. He was irresponsible, good looking, and had no respect for authority. Where females were concerned, he was every father’s worst nightmare in skinny jeans and a leather jacket. “I’m starving,” he walked into the dining room, sat down next to Gates and started serving himself.

Vengeance rejoined the rest of the family at the head of the table and turned his attention back to Daisy. They carried on their conversation quietly just among the two of them while other conversations took place around the table.

Christ jabbed gates in the side. “Who’s the babe?”

“What?”

“The piece talking to Vengeance, who is she?”

Gates set his fork down on the table to keep himself from jamming it into Christ’s thigh. “That’s Daisy, you fucking moron.”

“Wow. Dig the new look.” Careful what you wish for Gates, you brought this on yourself.

Johnny couldn’t take his eyes off of Daisy and when she did finally look over there, she caught him winking at her.

“Twyla, you could give Daisy a hand in the kitchen with the dishes.” Twyla didn’t say anything; she just nodded at Vengeance and picked up her plate as well as her sisters and Vengeance’s.

“I’ll do it,” Johnny jumped up and took the plates out of Twyla’s hand and headed for the kitchen.

“What the fuck got into him?” Shadows asked and Lark giggled.

“Zacky he said a bad word.”

“He sure did,” Vengeance glared at Shadows. “Mind your mouth at the dinner table.”

For Lark’s sake, Shadows tried to look like he was thoroughly scolded by Vengeance and Vengeance tried to make it look like he was actually scolding Shadows. “My apologies sir, it won’t happen again.”
“Better not,” Vengeance winked at Lark and she giggled. “Come on little one, let’s go get an ice cream cone.”

“Can I have two scoops?”

Vengeance looked at Shadows. “hmmm, What do you think? Was she so good today that she can have two scoops?”

Lark was sitting there very patiently watching Shadows and waiting for his answer. “Well…..Yes. You can have two scoops.”

“Yay! I’m gonna go get my jacket!” Lark ran out of the dining room and Vengeance turned his attention to Twyla.

“You want to come with us?”

Twyla couldn’t stop the sarcasm; it was practically dripping off her lips. “oooh was I good enough for two scoops?”

Vengeance wasn’t having it. “Go to your room and I don’t want to see you for the rest of the night.”

Meanwhile…in the kitchen.

Johnny was drying the dishes while Daisy washed. They’d never really interacted before, but when Johnny wanted the attention of a female, he usually got it by any means necessary.

“Hey, you want to catch a movie after?”

“No thanks, Mr. Christ, I have some homework to do.”

“Awe come on baby, “ he put his arm around her shoulder. “You can do your homework tomorrow.”

Daisy turned off the faucet and tried to move away, but he wasn’t letting her get away that fast. “I don’t really like the way you’re touching me, Mr. Christ.”

“Come up to my room and I promise I can touch you in ways you never dreamed of.” His hands roamed all over her body as she tried to get away from him.

“Mr. Christ, please stop.”

“Don’t be such a tease, baby.”

“CHRIST! Get your damn hands off her.” Johnny rolled his eyes at the sound of Vengeance’s voice and turned around to see him standing with Gates in the doorway.

“Daisy, go do your homework.”

She nodded nervously and walked past him and Gates out of the kitchen and went up to her room.

“Consider this a warning, Christ.” Vengeance walked over so that he was standing directly in front of him. “You better shape up or you’ll be out of here faster than you can blink.”

Christ just snickered and walked out of the kitchen.

“You don’t look so good, what’s going on?”

Gates winced. “Strangest thing the last two days. I can feel someone else’s pain and I don’t know where it’s coming from. I can’t block it out either.”

Vengeance put his arm around Gates’s shoulder. “My guess would be one of two bedrooms upstairs, buddy. Come on; come with us to get some ice cream. Maybe if you’re away from the house you won’t feel it anymore.”

“Maybe,” Gates nodded and followed Vengeance out of the kitchen. Lark grabbed Vengeance’s hand and walked with him ahead of Shadows and Gates.

About an hour later, there was a knock on Twyla’s door. When she opened it and saw Shadows, she had to stop herself from lashing out at him again.

“WHAT?”

Shadows rolled his eyes and shoved a white paper bag into her chest and walked away. Twyla slammed the door and sat down on the bed. She opened the bag and reached inside feeling something cold. She pulled out a cup of ice cream. Her favorite, vanilla with caramel sauce and peanuts. Three scoops.