Shackled Serenity

by Leon Logos

  “Screw the advice, here’s a warning,” Lindsey threatened. “If I see you hitting on him again, you’re the one who’s gonna get hit. Got it?”

  “Who the hell are you to talk to her like that?” Amara interjected.

  “And who the hell are you talk to me like that?” Lindsey scowled snidely, looking at Amara as if she was some inferior peasant. “You’re a nobody, you know that?”

  “So are you!” Amara fired back. “All you’ve got is a rich daddy!”

  “At least I have a daddy!” Lindsey sneered coldly.

  This statement silenced Amara instantly, who averted her eyes. It took Serenity a moment to register the meaning behind it. Amara had never once mentioned her father to her. It had never occurred to her that she had an absent father. Did he pass away or leave? How did Lindsey know? Regardless, what Lindsey retorted crossed the line. Serenity didn’t have a chance to respond, as they all left at once. A watchful teacher patrolled by them.

  Amara didn’t look willing to speak anymore. Serenity respected her desire to be left alone and didn’t talk to her. A whistle was blown, signaling the end of the drill and for everybody to return to third period. The students moved as slowly as possible to maximize the amount of time out of class. Security guards yapped at them to quicken the pace, but nobody listened. They climbed up the stairwell to the third floor where Mr. Ramos’s class was. Once everybody was inside, Mr. Ramos had difficulty settling the class down and returning to teaching-mode. Serenity looked at Amara, who appeared melancholy, deciding it was time to inquire.

  “Amara, are you—” she began.

  “My dad passed away last year,” Amara confessed suddenly. “Since you didn’t know. Well, since I didn’t tell you.”

  “I’m sorry,” Serenity sympathized. “I get why you didn’t tell me. Why you wouldn’t tell anyone.”

  “Please don’t pity me and say some shit like, ‘I know how you feel,’” Amara said broodingly.

  “Well, truthfully, it’s a bit different, but I never knew my mother,” Serenity said candidly. “Though, it’s not the same as losing a parent you’ve already known.”

  Truthfully, Serenity didn’t know her real father either. Gunther was no father to her. He never was. As a child, she used to ponder endlessly what her real parents were like, who they were, and where they were. Only once did she seek the answer. And through Gunther, too; the response she had received was a beating. “I’m your parent, don’t ever forget that,” was what he had viciously said. From then on, she had never questioned it again. Obviously, Gunther was keeping her and the brothers’ parentage secret. Though, the brothers didn’t care anyway.

  “Sorry, I didn’t know that,” Amara said. “Guess we have another thing in common. When he died, it was a really shitty month for us. I got over it eventually, but when it’s brought up again it just upsets me…”

  “How did Lindsey even know?” Serenity asked.

  “It’s a small town, everybody knows everything,” Amara said, unperturbed. “But honestly, I may hate Lindsey even more than Tony. And the way she came at you! What a bitch!”

  “I have her in English, the class where Tony sits next to me,” Serenity explained. “She always gives me mean looks. Now we know she’s got a thing for Tony. Though, I’ve never seen the two of them interact before.”

  “Hey, I know we agreed not to talk about the party…but now…I actually want to go,” said Amara.

  “Wait, why the change of heart?”

  “Well, Lindsey’s going to be there for sure. And I think it’s time for some revenge,” Amara said deviously.

  “Whatever you’re planning, stop it,” Serenity cautioned. “If we go, we go just to have fun…like regular people.”

  “If what I’m thinking goes down, it’ll be real fun,” Amara grinned. “I’m not asking for your help, so don’t worry about it. Like Lindsey, Tony’s family is rich around here. So his house should be huge.”

  “He did mention that,” Serenity confirmed.

  “Then it’s settled,” Amara said gleefully. “We’re going, though, I never thought I’d say it.”

  The sudden shift in decision was fascinating. Just an hour ago, Amara was impassionedly protesting the whole thing. She would’ve never expected her to agree to this. The Lindsey accosting must’ve triggered something. However, it was still highly unlikely they’d be going. And that was on her.

  “I won’t,” Serenity said. “Sucks that you want to now. I’m not allowed to go to parties without permission. And I’m not going to get it.”

  “Are you serious?” Amara groaned. “Then why try and convince me to go in the first place? Is it a hundred percent you’re not going?”

  “I guess I can try, but don’t be optimistic,” Serenity said hopelessly.

  The plan to was get it over with and ask Desmos during lunch. However, as lunch arrived, and Serenity waited by the area they usually sat, Desmos was nowhere to be seen. And not just Desmos; all of the brothers were absent. She waited around for ten minutes before giving up. It was clear they wouldn’t show up. Serenity returned to Amara at the table they always occupied. Amara glanced at her curiously as she took a seat.

  “Shouldn’t you be with your brother and doing his buddies’ homework?” she quipped.

  “They weren’t there,” Serenity said. “I was trying to ask my brother if I could go; besides my dad, he’s kind of the head in my family.”

  “I’m not surprised, since he’s a giant,” Amara replied. “Don’t tell me your dad is even bigger?”

  As far as Amara was aware, Garen was her only brother. The others were just Garen’s “buddies” who needed tutoring. She had expanded on the implausible lie regarding “helping in classwork.” Fortunately, Amara wasn’t too suspicious. Though, she felt it would’ve been way easier if she had just told the truth from the start. Lying never resulted in anything beneficial. For her, all it did was ignite conflict and sever relationships.

  “No, my brother wouldn’t think of crossing him,” Serenity said truthfully.

  Garen would emulate and challenge Desmos’s authority here and there, but Gunther was the one person he wouldn’t dare defy.

  The final class of the day was P.E. All the classes were in the gym working on the fitness gram, which was mandated by the school district once a semester. The fitness gram consisted of body measurements and basic physical exercises, which were comprised of jumping jacks, squats, push-ups, sit-ups and even a pacer test. Coach Jacobs, right after they finished with body measurements, had them in the push-up position. The girls went first.

  Serenity was the last to go down with twenty-five done. Her form had started to break. Despite her arms shaking slightly, she probably could’ve done more; push-ups were no stranger to her. All the girls in the class applauded her, since the majority of them stopped at under eleven. Serenity twiddled her fingers, unimpressed. Doing twenty-five push-ups was no feat, even for a girl, considering the brothers could get up to the hundreds. The boys went after the girls. The last boy to go down was Deandre, at sixty-five; he was easily the strongest one in the class.

  Overall, the fitness gram wasn’t difficult. She didn’t even break a sweat. All the classes exited the gym to the locker rooms.

  The afternoon announcements came on in the PA, invariably attracting no listeners. The noise level in the locker room rendered the announcements impossible to hear anyway. As soon as the bell rang, Serenity rushed out and made her way towards the van.

  During the ride home, she kept quiet as usual. There was no way she’d bring up the party when the other brothers were within earshot. Once they arrived at the house and Desmos was alone, she’d ask for permission. Optimism was lacking in her; she knew the answer would be “no.” But there was no harm in at least trying. It would be done in an instant, and after that there would be one thing left to do: text Amara the decision.

  The van pulled up to the driveway and they all got out.

  “Today we’ll hit the gym,” D
esmos announced. “Consider this a day off. Be ready to go in an hour.”

  There was no such thing as days off in the family. They rarely got actual days off. Desmos only called it this because lifting weights at the gym was significantly easier than the calisthenics and brutal strength training they normally did. Rest days were essential for muscle and strength growth, yet they didn’t get many. Gunther had drilled into their heads from a young age that “rest” led to “laziness,” which resulted in “weakness.”

  “Remember that big dude from last time?” Garen said. “Guy was delusional to think he could deadlift more than me.”

  “He had a good thirty pounds over you, mate,” Agno refuted.

  “‘Mate’?” Cackle jested. “You haven’t said that shit in a century!”

  “Yeah, stick to your roots, British pansy,” Garen laughed.

  “I’ll take these roots and shove it down your mouth,” Agno riposted.

  Cackle, Garen, and Agno continued to squabble heartily inside, as they made their way immediately into the kitchen. Desmos lagged behind, crouched down while readjusting the hidden handgun under the wardrobe next to the door. Every house they moved into must’ve had five or six weapons hidden around the house, in case of a burglary or attack. This was her chance.

  She stood behind him but couldn’t get herself to open her mouth. This wasn’t supposed to be that difficult to do. Should she try later? Even with his back turned, Desmos clearly was aware of her indecisiveness.

  “Spit it out,” he snapped.

  “T-there’s this thing at school I was invited to, and I was wondering if I could go…?” she blurted.

  Desmos got to his feet and turned around, narrowing his eyes. Desmos was adequately tall at around 6’2”. However, it felt like he was a skyscraper as he gazed down. Her nerves were inexplicably kicking in.

  “What thing?” he demanded.

  “A party. That I was invited to. On Wednesday.”

  “What party?”

  At least the denial wasn’t immediate.

  “This guy in my class…well, his name is Tony…”

  “‘Tony’?” Desmos repeated, in thought. “That kid you gave your number to? Who is he, your boyfriend?”

  “NO,” Serenity affirmed irritably. “And yes, that’s him. So, can I go?”

  Desmos only gave his reply a second or two of thought. But the reply was utterly shocking.

  “Fine, go ahead,” Desmos decided casually.

  “Wait, WHAT?” Serenity asked, thunderstruck. “A-are you serious?”

  “Did I stutter? Just don’t go running your mouth about all of our secrets to anybody. Can I trust you enough not to do that at least?”

  “Yeah, of course,” she nodded vigorously.

  It was astounding, but she took care not to question it too much. Desmos could easily change his mind, despite his resolute character. She ran upstairs to her room and shut the door behind her. Why she was feeling so euphoric was incomprehensible, considering this was still Tony’s party. Furthermore, the essence of parties still sort of repelled her.

  We’re going, she texted Amara promptly.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Wednesday didn’t take long to arrive. It was the last day of school before Thanksgiving break, so naturally half the school was not in attendance, the brothers included. Strangely enough, Desmos agreed to drive her to school and even pick her up. Since Monday, he was acting oddly. To recap, it started with granting her permission to go to the party. Now, he was even allowing her to attend school, going through the hassle of driving her there in the process. Though, he did mention he was going into town anyway. She didn’t want to go, but Amara insisted she attended so that they could discuss the party in person.

  “Did Tony text you anything else? Amara asked.”

  “No, just the address and the time of the party.”

  “Are you sure he wants me to come?”

  “He told me I could invite you.”

  “Great, I’m not even an invitee,” Amara grunted. “Just a plus-one.”

  “You still haven’t told me why you want to come,” Serenity said. “I’m not buying this ‘revenge’ thing.”

  “About that,” Amara smiled. “I was planning to somehow embarrass Lindsey in front of everybody at the party. But the real reason is that I want to see her break down. She’s going to embarrass herself anyway.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Rumor has it that she’s planning to make a move on Tony, finally,” Amara explained. “This girl has been after him since freshman year. Everybody knows Tony doesn’t give a damn about her. So, at the party when Lindsey gets rejected, I’ll be there. RECORDING, like everyone else.”

  “Now that you mention it…I really don’t want to see Lindsey at the party,” Serenity said, irked. “Or ever again.”

  “It’s a huge house and they’ll be a lot of people, we’ll just avoid her,” Amara reasoned. “Then, we’ll enjoy the show from afar.”

  “I guess…”

  They conversed until the end of lunch. Since the brothers were absent, she spent the whole half-hour with Amara. The school was even less crowded due to the outflux of students leaving early. School security was lax, not even bothering to stop or reprimand skippers. A group of seniors even hopped the fence in the teacher’s parking lot, while the security guard patrolling the area merely shrugged as he spotted them. In general, the entire staff was slacking. During P.E., Coach Jacobs took attendance in the gym and left them to do whatever they wanted. They were not required to dress out today. Serenity laid back against the wall in boredom, waiting out the period. Give or take, there were only thirty kids in the gym.

  The bell rang for dismissal and they were free. Getting out into the student parking lot wasn’t difficult, as campus wasn’t packed at all.

  She sat on the curb of the sidewalk, waiting patiently for Desmos to arrive. He was supposed to pick her up, though Serenity wasn’t sure if he was actually serious. Desmos was definitely preoccupied with something else. Nevertheless, the van pulled up into the parking lot after twenty minutes, driven by a rather irritable-looking Garen who must’ve lost at rock-paper- scissors. She didn’t disturb Garen as they drove home, not wanting to vex him any further. An infuriated Garen was almost as intimidating as Desmos.

  At around 7:00 PM, Serenity started getting ready. Parties were a nonexistent aspect of her life; therefore, she was a bit confused on how to prepare. Picking out clothes wasn’t difficult, considering her selection was very limited. After picking an outfit, she began to do something she hadn’t done seriously in years: makeup. The whole process took an hour. The party was scheduled to begin at 9:00 PM, according to Tony. And his house was about a seventy-minute drive away. She stepped out of her room, into the hall. It was time to remind Desmos; she hoped it wouldn’t be too presumptuous to bother him with requesting a ride. Serenity approached his closed door and knocked gently.

  “What?” his gruff voice responded.

  “It’s me,” Serenity replied. “I don’t know if you remem—”

  “Come in.”

  Serenity grabbed the door knob and twisted it open. She stepped inside. She only went inside the brothers’ rooms on rare occasions. Desmos’s room was organized, but it looked more like an arsenal than a bedroom. There were two racks of weapons on the walls that held guns and melee weapons, and the closet was filled with more hunting gear than clothes. Desmos was seated on his bed, shirtless, packing things into his black duffel bag. Serenity winced, as she observed his bare back which was heavily coated with scars.

  “What is it?” Desmos asked patiently, not even looking at her.

  “Are we going on a hunt?” she asked, distracted by the bag.

  “Very observant of you,” he nodded.

  “I-I thought we don’t work during school-season.”

  “What do you need?” Desmos raised his voice.

  “You know that party I told you about? It’s tonight. Like in an hour,
but I need somebody to take me. Please,” she added.

  The fact they were embarking on an impromptu hunt, during school-season, boggled her. It had never happened before. This was the last thing she wanted to do tonight. Desmos turned around. He opened his mouth and then closed it, double taking at the notice of her attire. He scanned her from head-to-toe as if she was an armed security guard whom he was planning to take down; or a mechanic appraising a perverse-looking car.

  “Why the hell are you dressed like that?” he asked sternly.

  “Like what?” she asked, dazed. “I’m going to a high school party. It’s completely normal…”

  “If Father were to see you in that, you’d be chastised.”

  Serenity said nothing. The only possible explanation justifying his absurd reaction was that the brothers never really saw her dressed up like this, especially with makeup. Gunther must’ve transferred his old-fashioned sentiments onto Desmos. Obviously, she wasn’t wearing anything too odd. A regular T-shirt and denim shorts were her attire.

  “Look, can I get a lift?” Serenity asked forthrightly. “Like, now?”

  “Fine,” Desmos said. “Get to the van, I’ll be out in a minute.”

  “Thank you,” she said, before leaving.

  Just as she shook her head in exasperation, something worse came along. Cackle came up the stairs. He saw her and stopped in his tracks. Like Desmos, he glanced up and down at her speechlessly. A moment later, he roared with laughter. Serenity walked past him irritably, ignoring Cackle’s joking gibes.

  “WOAH, WE’VE GOT A HARLOT IN THE HOUSE!”

  Thankfully, it was only Desmos in the van with her. They took off immediately, Serenity putting the address onto the GPS. As estimated, it was about a seventy-minute drive. For once, she sat in the passenger seat next to the drivers. The sun bled over the horizon, an incandescent violet with a tinge of red indicating the approach of sunset. They’d reach Tony’s house by nightfall, that was for sure.

  Desmos’s duffel bag was in the backseat, which she noticed only now. She only assumed he’d be commencing the hunt right after dropping her off.