Delphine and Sofine stood over the red, gooey blobs that used to be the monsters that attacked them. They both panted and were covered in scratches, bruises, and remnants of the monsters. Suddenly, light engulfed them, and they were wearing their regular clothes. The sisters stared at each other and screamed.
“What the hell was that!?”
Delphine shrieked. She looked down at Sofine’s pants.
“I think you got your period.”
Sofine exclaimed, “How the fuck should I know?”
Then she glanced down at her pants and saw a reddish-brown stain around her crotch area. She looked at Delphine and saw a similar stain on her skirt.
“You got your period, too.”
“Allow me to explain,” a familiar third voice interrupted them.
Both girls looked at the wooded area where their mother stepped out.
“Mom!”
The sisters ran to their mother and clung to her. Emelie enveloped the girls in a tight hug, carefully examining their injuries to make sure they were alright.
“Don’t worry, these will heal in an hour,” she assured them.
Sofine said in a worried voice, “What if someone saw us? We might get taken away by the CIA. I don’t want to get dissected!”
Emelie put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. “Don’t worry. After you defeat a monster, any human left alive within the battle will have their memories reset so they won’t exactly remember a battle taking place in front of them.”
“Now what happened?” The twins told Emelie everything, including the awful prank their brother had played on them.
Emelie’s rage boiled over, fueled by her desire to remove Darius from the house. She had always believed that he would eventually warm up to his sisters, but the extent of his bullying and emotional abuse towards her babies was unacceptable. She was surprised it took this long for his negative emotions to breed a monster.
Emelie told her daughters she told the administration a fake story of how they called her, and she took them away from the school to take a shower and change into clean clothes, which is what they did before returning to the school. She also told them they would return once school was over.
They had to meet with Principal Collins in the medic hall since Darius was still recovering from the punch Sofine gave him. He rested on a cot, holding an ice pack over his right eye. Their father, Tyson, was there a little before Emelie and the twins came in. Emelie completely ignored her stepson, not even glancing at him; she angrily told her husband everything that he had done to his sisters.
Tyson Mclurkin had an intimidating presence, standing at 6’4 and with a very muscular build. He had ebony skin and a shaved bald head. He was usually calm and composed, especially for his family, but his tense posture and gritted teeth showed he was seething with anger. He turned angry eyes towards his son; Darius put his head down.
For a moment, Emelie swore she had seen his eyes turn blue. Principal Collins ran a hand through her long brown hair.
“Darius, the school doesn’t tolerate bullying.”
Darius sat up from the bed, “Sofine punched me. She gave me a concussion.”
A sound of disgust escaped Emelie’s lips, making him flinch in response.
“Sofine was defending herself, Darius,” Principal Collins said, her eyes rolling in exasperation.
Tyson, whose anger has reached his peak, yelled at his son, “Really, Darius, did you think throwing Sofine under the bus would help you?”
Darius tried to defend himself. Tyson’s words were like a sharp knife, cutting him off mid-sentence.
“I don’t want to hear it. I’ve been letting you get away with everything for too long,” he spat.
Darius’s eyes began to well up with tears. Emelie couldn’t feel remorse for the boy he had terrorized her daughters for years. As they held each other, Sofine and Delphine felt a mix of relief and sadness wash over them, knowing their dad had finally seen their brother’s true colors. And they were sad because it took him a long time to realize how awful he was.
Tyson closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, and then squeezed the area between his eyebrows. He carefully observed his son, his eyes lingering on the boy’s features. The guilt of abandoning his mother, Tori, after they graduated consumed him, knowing that her once-loving nature had transformed into toxicity and clinginess.
When Emelie came into his life during his first year of college, Tori went off the deep end, and their son was along for the ride. When Emelie got pregnant a year later, he wanted to do right by her and married her when she was seven months along. Tori actually caused a scene at their wedding and was carried away by his older sisters. Emelie wasn’t phased in the slightest and looked at him only for the remainder of the ceremony.
After the birth of the twins, Tyson put in for joint custody of Darius. As Tori caused a scene, security quickly moved in to escort her out of the courtroom. Darius was two and a half years old when his sisters were born. Initially, he got along well with them, but his behavior towards Sofine and Delphine took a turn for the worse when he turned eight.
He showed no respect for Emelie, and his behavior towards her was utterly degrading. It was clear to him that Tori was likely the one to blame. Hoping to make a difference, he thought that by giving Darius an abundance of love and spoiling him, he could aid in his growth and maturity. But clearly, it got worse. He can’t disregard the needs of both his daughters while favoring his son. Not anymore
He sighed, “Clearly, this arrangement isn’t working for you.”
“It is!” Darius exclaimed.
He sat up from the cot and dropped the ice pack, his black eye on full display.
Tyson fixed his gaze on him with a stern look, “No, it’s not. You are disrespectful to both Emelie and your sisters. I absolutely cannot accept that kind of behavior.”
The sudden sharpness of his voice made everyone flinch in unison. Tyson’s shoulders slumped, his defeated expression evident on his face.
“I thought I was doing the right thing.” he choked.
Darius and the twins exchanged wide-eyed glances as they witnessed their father shedding tears for the first time, completely taken aback. Emelie walked closer to her husband. She felt the tension in his back, prompting her to offer a comforting touch. She was certain his next words would shatter both his and his son’s hearts.
Darius, tears welling in his eyes, pleaded, “Please, Dad, I’ll be good,” and swiftly got off the bed and fell to his knees.
Emelie, while feeling a little sorry for her stepson, couldn’t overlook his repeated boundary violations and the monster his hostility had created. Sofine and Delphine remained emotionless, their gazes fixed on their brother’s tears. They felt no sympathy; his punishment was well-deserved.
Tyson, ignoring Darius, spoke to Principal Collins and requested transfer papers for him. He then pulled out his phone to call Tori and update her.
“I’m pulling him out of the school today.” He addressed Darius with a curt, “I’m sending you to military school.”
Darius continued to sob loudly, but his tears couldn’t stop the reality of his actions.