Rules Are Meant to Be Broken

by N. J. Nielsen

“Babe, in case you never realised it, al the noise last

  night wasn’t just from us, there was one hel of thunder

  storm going on.” Michael pul ed the curtain aside. “See,

  there’s no sun,” Michael glanced back over his shoulder.

  “Just a lot of black clouds and it’s pissing down rain. But

  you are right, we got lucky, and next time we don’t stay.”

  “So you’re saying there’s going to be a next time? I may

  not be welcome after what we just did.”

  Stopping in the laundry, Michael threw his sheets into the

  washing machine on the way to where his family waited in

  the kitchen. “There wil definitely be a next time, and you’l

  always be welcome. My mum thinks you’re a huge spunk.

  She also thinks you resemble Spike. And I’m pretty sure

  Gypsy has a crush on you, but she is out of luck. This sexy

  body belongs to me.” Michael said with a grin before he

  brought their lips together in a brief kiss. Even with morning

  breath, Christian loved the taste of Michael on his lips. He

  groaned as his tongue slipped in and explored every inch

  of Michael’s mouth.

  Every few steps Michael would reach out just to touch

  Christian. It was nice knowing his family was so accepting

  of his lifestyle, because he wasn’t planning on giving

  Christian up anytime soon.

  The closer they got to the kitchen they could hear his

  mum and dad in a deep discussion.

  “What’s going on?” Michael asked when his parents

  came into view. His mother had her address book open

  before her. Gypsy was sitting across from them,

  complaining and rol ing her eyes with each new name their

  mother suggested. He could tel his sister wasn’t happy at

  al . The more frustrated she got, the more Michael had to

  bite his lip to stop himself from laughing out loud, because

  he realised his parents were trying to find someone to stay

  with Gypsy. What had she done to warrant the need to be

  babysat at her age?

  “Aunty Kay just rang; she can’t come and stay with Gypsy

  while Dad and I are away. Uncle Alex has something going

  on and it wil be too much for him. We’re just working out

  what to do,” she indicated to the address book.

  “Mum, Dad, you do realise Gyps is twenty-two…right?”

  Michael glanced toward his sister, and she rol ed her

  eyes again. “You go on one little rampage and smash a few

  mailboxes and you are never al owed to stay at home alone

  again. It’s your fault anyway, Mikey.”

  “Me? How is it my fault?”

  “Because dumbarse, you had to go and run away from

  home. You left me, which pissed me off, and I just…” She

  shrugged.

  “Language, Gypsy,” their dad said before he continued

  discussing possibilities with their mum.

  Before Michael had a chance to make a sarcastic retort

  to his sister, Christian blurted out. “Gypsy can come and

  stay with us. We have plenty of room at our house.”

  His dad’s head snapped up and stared at Christian.

  “Maybe we should ask Gypsy what she wants to do.

  Mikey’s right, she is twenty-two after al ,” he stated, winking

  at Michael, though he looked a little nervous as their mother

  glared at him. “Do you think you can behave yourself if you

  go and stay with Mikey and Chris?”

  It sounded to Michael as though his father wasn’t half put

  off by the idea. Deep down, Michael knew that his parents

  stil worried about them, and if Gypsy real y had vandalised

  those mailboxes then his mum wouldn’t think they were old

  enough to keep her in hand. Just the thought of his sister

  doing this was strange as he had never known her to

  destroy anything before. Hit people to protect him, yes, but

  never wilful y damage another person’s property.

  “Dad, it’s Gyps — what could possibly go wrong? She’l

  bring movies and a hairbrush and be in her glory. I promise

  not to feed her too much junk food.” Michael laughed as his

  parents looked at each other. His dad seemed to be

  finding it hard not to laugh, and a smile tugged at the corner

  of his mother’s mouth.

  His mum rol ed her eyes at his dad in the exact same

  fashion Gypsy always used. The Marsden women had the

  move down pat.

  Snorting, Michael explained to Christian. “So one time

  when you are nine you feed your sister so much chocolate it

  makes her puke everywhere and they never let you live it

  down.”

  “I’m sure Jess wouldn’t mind staying,” his mum began

  again, and Gypsy grunted in protest at being treated like a

  child.

  “Dad…” Gypsy complained and Michael knew she was

  about to go into a ful on tirade over it al .

  In the end, Michael decided it would be best to cut her

  off. “Okay, okay, I promise not to corrupt her too much or

  take her to too many unsavoury nightclubs. I’l even make

  sure you get no phone cal s from police or irate neighbours.

  Please, I real y do want to spend some more time with

  Gyps. I have a lot of making up to do. Besides, the others

  wil love having her around, especial y Charm. It wil mean

  another girl in the house and Charm wil definitely love not

  being the odd man out. Or woman, so to speak.”

  His dad had astonishment clearly written on his face.

  “Others?”

  Michael knew his father was more comfortable now that

  he knew he was gay, and his dad would now have no

  trouble leaving Gypsy with him. It had always frustrated

  Michael how his father never ful y trusted him around Gypsy.

  One innocent misunderstanding when they were eighteen

  had tainted him in his father’s eyes. Michael shuddered,

  because having sex with your sister was not only wrong it

  was just… gross!

  “We live in a house with three other people. She won’t

  be alone with the five of us there — there’s Charm, Doyle,

  and Kerr living there as wel ,” Christian said as he

  explained a little about the house dynamics. Michael

  grinned at Christian’s excitement.

  Michael realised his parents knew nothing about his new

  life or the people in it. “They’re real y nice people, you’l like

  them.”

  Gypsy rol ed her eyes at Michael. “Hey! I’m right fricken

  here, people. You do know I can hear everything you’re

  saying? It is not as though I have suddenly gone deaf, or

  become invisible, or anything. I am an adult. You do realise

  this, don’t you?”

  “A point yet to be proven,” their mother mumbled under

  her breath.

  “And Gypsy wil just love Drack,” Christian said with a

  grin, pretending he hadn’t heard her.

  “Drack?” His dad asked.

  “Our pet owl. He’s only a baby, and he is so damn cute,”

  Michael said as he gestured how smal Drack was with his

  hands. “He is just this tiny bundle of feathers.”

  His dad was actual y listening and seemed genuinely

  interested. “Why would you have named the p
oor thing

  Drack?”

  “Wel , you know, Dracula, creature of the night. Just like

  an owl. Wel it sounded cool in my head when I thought of

  the name in the first place,” Christian frowned, “I guess I

  could always rename him.”

  “I think Drack is an excel ent name,” Gypsy laughed.

  “Can you pick him up? Can I pick him up? Wil he let me

  carry him around? Wish he was a bat. I love bats.”

  “Sure!” Michael said, “I have to keep moving him off my

  side of the bed, so he doesn’t mind being handled.”

  “It’s just because your side is just more comfortable,”

  Christian retorted. Michael glanced at his parents warily to

  gauge their reaction to what had just slipped out. He

  blushed when he saw his mother was staring at him.

  Michael turned and poked his tongue at Christian before

  turning to his parents and asking. “So, are we taking dufus,

  or not?”

  Gypsy punched Michael in the arm. “Hey, dumbarse!”

  Their dad tried to sound casual, “She’l love spending

  time with her brother again. And I trust she wil act al of her

  twenty-two years and not the twelve-year-old she has been

  imitating lately.”

  “It was one time, Dad. I have been perfectly wel behaved

  ever since. Cost me a damn fortune to replace al those

  bloody mailboxes. I’m not dumb enough to go and do it

  again. Besides, there is no need to get angry. Mikey wil be

  right there with me. He can’t run away if I am watching his

  every move.”

  Michael winced; he knew his family were al tip-toeing

  around the fact he had been gone for over a month without

  any contact whatsoever.

  “Come on, Peg. Love, it’s only for a week. What do you

  say we trust her? I mean she is an adult, it isn’t like we can

  ground her or anything.” Michael marvel ed that his dad

  said that without laughing.

  The boys knew they had won the argument when his

  mother sighed, and began to bul y Gypsy into getting her

  stuff together. Breakfast seemed to be forgotten as she

  gave them a long list of names and numbers they could cal

  if something went wrong. Why did she always think

  something was going to go wrong? She always thought he

  and Gypsy went searching trouble where ever they were.

  What she didn’t realise is they didn’t have to look. Trouble

  just usual y found them.

  His mother insisted on packing food for them to take,

  even when they protested they had enough at home. She

  slipped in three family blocks of peppermint chocolate

  knowing it was Michael’s favourite and Michael couldn’t

  stop the grin forming on his lips. God, he loved his family.

  “Peg, honey, how wil they get everything home?” Their

  dad grinned. “You have given them everything but the

  kitchen sink.” His dad turned to Christian. “Don’t worry

  she’s not always this crazy, you’l get used to her in time.”

  “Chris, come and help me pack,” Gypsy demanded

  grabbing his arm in passing.

  Worriedly, Christian glanced at Michael for help before

  fol owing Gypsy to her room. Al Michael did was chuckle at

  Christian’s dilemma. Gypsy was going to want his opinion

  on everything, from what clothes to take, to what everyone’s

  hair was like. His sister had a serious hair fetish; she was

  going to want to play with everyone’s hair. She had always

  loved playing with hair since they were about five. And she

  was just going to love Doyle’s hair, because even Michael

  found himself wanting to run his fingers through those dark

  locks. Shaking his head, he pushed Doyle and his hair from

  his thoughts.

  “You can help me pick what to wear to al those

  unsavoury nightclubs we’l be going to.” Gypsy laughed as

  her mother tossed a tea towel at their retreating backs.

  “Don’t take al day about it either. No getting side

  tracked with gossiping or listening to music,” his mother

  cal ed after them, “And for the love of God, don’t talk his ear

  off! We want him to come and visit again.”

  Michael teased Christian fondly when they had returned.

  “Think Gyps has made a new friend?” His hand reached to

  take a hold of Christian’s, and pul ed him into his embrace,

  blushing deeply as Christian kissed him. His gaze flashed

  to his mother’s over Christian’s shoulder. She smiled at him

  and he relaxed, knowing she was happy for him no matter

  what way of life he had chosen to fol ow.

  His mum refused to listen to any of their protests. “I won’t

  take no for an answer. If you’re taking her home today then I

  insist on driving you there. Gyps can’t go out in the rain. Her

  hair wil never bloody dry, you know how thick it is.” Michael

  bit back the joke he was going to say about thick hair to go

  with a think head mainly because he thought Gypsy would

  king hit him. It had been known to happen before.

  “You know they invented hair dryers for a reason,” Gypsy

  mumbled so only Christian and Michael heard her.

  His mother had made Christian and him load al of the

  gear into her car and forceful y tried to bul y them in as she

  locked up the house.

  Knowing ful wel his mother was only doing this so she

  could see where she had just al owed her daughter to stay.

  Michael also knew his mother wanted to also make sure he

  was living properly, because mothers were always meant to

  take care of their kids, no matter how old they got. And his

  mother was a prime example of a mother who ruled her

  family. Gypsy was a close second and it was no wonder,

  because she had learnt from the best.

  Christian had been sent back in to get Gypsy’s favourite

  karaoke DVD from where it had been left in Michael’s

  room. His eyes lingered longingly on the bed and he felt his

  body stir with recol ection. Their scent of being together

  was so overpowering; he wondered how the others couldn’t

  smel it. For a moment he had a sense of déjà vu, as if he

  had stood in this room in the exact same spot and thought

  this. A shudder ran through him at the weirdness of it al . As

  he came back out of the house, he showed them he had

  stopped off to grab a few more DVDs from Michael’s

  cupboard just in case they wanted to watch them. Michael

  was stil gazing at his mother when he got there. Christian

  could only imagine how happy Michael was feeling right

  now.

  They talked about inconsequential things on the drive to

  Ambrose Street. As they got closer to home, Christian saw

  Peg’s eyes widen in surprise as the house came into view.

  “You know,” she said as she pul ed into the drive, “I’ve

  always wanted to see inside this house. I bet the attic is just

  ful of wonders.”

  In the back seat Michael started laughing, and his

  mother looked at him in the review mirror in confusion.

  “Actual y Mum, it’s just ful of crap, but please feel free to

  come by and clean
it any time you want,” Michael teased

  her. “It’l save me from having to finish the job by myself.”

  Christian could feel Michael’s happiness, it was as if it

  flowed through him as wel .

  Peg’s eyes lit up at the prospect, “I’m going to hold you

  to that. Don’t think I won’t. When I was a little girl, a very old

  man lived here with his son. If I remember, the boy used to

  be gorgeous and al the teenage girls had a crush on him.

  Wel , the man seemed old to us kids, but real y he was only

  probably only in his forties. It’s funny now, but when I was

  younger the kids used to always cal him Dracula, mainly

  just to creep each other out I think.” She shivered. “We used

  to dare each other to come up and touch the door.”

  A sudden coldness ran through Christian’s body. A

  tingling sensation as if a memory was trying to break

  through. Something deep inside him was saying how he

  should know this. But what he should know was just outside

  his grasp of understanding and it frustrated him to no end.

  Michael and Christian stared at her as she told her tale.

  Christian’s insides were crawling and he hated the queasy

  feeling her story was causing. He was almost afraid to ask,

  but he knew he had to.

  “Do you remember his name?” He asked uneasily, but

  Peg didn’t seem to notice. He just hoped it was a

  completely different person. Please let it be a completely

  different person.

  She shook her head, “It was a weird name, foreign I

  think, but I do remember his first name was Sebastian. I

  only remember his first name because my younger sister’s

  favourite book was cal ed The Tale of Sebastian Mouse.”

  A slight tremble sounded in Michael’s voice. “Mum, Gyps

  wil be okay here. I promise there’s no old guy named

  Sebastian living here. We have a Charm, a Kerr, a Doyle, a

  very sexy Christian, and a Michael, but definitely no

  Sebastian. Man or mouse.”

  Christian couldn’t help but smile at the way Michael had

  described him. It was good to know Michael thought he was

  sexy.

  While piggy-backing Gypsy, Christian almost slipped as

  they ran through the rain to the house, they were laughing

  hard as they opened the door so Peg could enter.

  They had left Michael to grab al of his sister’s things,

  seeing as they hadn’t bothered to take anything. Grumbling,

  Michael dropped the bags inside the front door as he went