Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Laurell K. Hamilton, Jim Butcher, J.K. Rowling and The Berkley Publishing Company. I own nothing and this is a parody for your enjoyment only
Rating: R just to be on safe side.
It was the forth of January and the day my siblings were moving into their new homes. Both Marie and Bo, along with Danise, were moving into apartments at Wolf Hill. It had been snowing most of the night and part of the day. I was standing by the window, when a moving van pulled up outside the apartment complex at the old manor. I was in my own little world as Danise continued to argue with my sister about what the color of Marie's apartment should be. Marie wanted everything to be green, yellow, or orange. Danise thought she was nuts and tried to persuade her to use normal colors. It wasn't going very well, cause Marie wasn't hearing any of it.
Richard and I renamed the place after the remodeling was finished. Richard believed it gave the lesser wolves that didn't make much money, a better life at a low rate. He wasn't too happy with the fact some of them were living at the circus, because they couldn't afford their own place. I agreed with him on some of his reasons, but the other reasons were just a waste of breath.
A lot of unexpected things have happened since Christmas, like the call from my father three days ago. Then yesterday, gram calls me from Virginia in the middle of making dinner. We talked for three hours; it was mostly her doing the talking and I was doing the listening. She gave me the run down on what the council has done to tie up all loose ends. They paid off all debts to the bill collectors, the mortgage, and sold the house. They even sold all the stuff that was in the house. What money they got from the sell was divided between Mike and Jeannie. They also opened up a banking account for each of them. My mom's family packed all of their belongings and had shipped them to St. Louis on a cargo plane. They also bought them new furniture for their apartments. Grams said to expect the plane to land in the Lambert-St. Louis airport by mid-morning.
She also had said that all records were transferred to St. Louis as well. They didn't have to do anything, but go take the driver's test for their license. Their mail will be directed to the new address, without delay. So they were all good to go and didn't have much to worry about. Grams wanted to make sure that all they had to do was get settled in, before they had to worry about anything. The family was worried about whether or not they will be able to make a fresh start here in St. Louis. That�s why they had agreed to take over the responsibilities of taking care of things for them. We had said our good-byes, once the business part was over and went back to preparing dinner.
This morning Richard took Bo, Jamil, Shang-Da, Bradly, and Darwan to the airport to fetch the luggage, and odds and ends. I had left the house with them, but instead of going to the airport, came here instead to help the girls with painting the apartments. Grams was a few days early with getting stuff done and we were a few days behind in the painting and maintenance work.
Now it was going on three o'clock as I turned from the window. Shaking my head I returned back to the task at hand. Finishing up the decor for Marie's apartment. I was allowing her to have her own place, as long as it was next door to Bo and Danise. To make sure none of them got into any trouble, we had them put in apartments on the top floor, surrounded by people we trust and who were high up in the pack. They gave me their word that nothing will happen to them, while they were on watch. Richard and I trust them to keep their word.
Listening to Danise and my sister argue is kind of funny. You hear Marie say, "Damnit Danise, this is my place. I have the right to make it any color I want. It's not like I�m going to have that many visitors."
"I'm aware of that Marie, but you can do better than those colors. How bout a softer yellow, instead of neon," Danise said threw clenched teeth with a smile, but you know she was going to lose her cool any second.
"Because I don't like a softer yellow. I like neon. What part of that don't you understand," Marie responded, while moving her head and snapping her fingers.
Danise just threw up hers arms and stomped out of the apartment. Marie looked over at me and rolled her eyes. I had to giggle, which cause her eyebrow to rise. "I'm glad you think this is funny, Phoenix. I for one am glad you let me have my own place. I love Bo and Danise dearly, but not that much," she stated.
"I'm sorry Marie, but it was kind of funny from where I was standing," I said.
She just threw up her hand and announced, "Yeah, I'm sure it was."
The door came open and Richard appeared, nearly dropping the box he was carrying. He looked around the room in shocked horror at the neon yellow walls. Marie just grinned from ear to ear and I had to cough in my hand to keep from busting out laughing. Bradly had to push his way through the door and when he finally got in, dropped the boxes he was carrying, throwing up both arms in front of his face and yelled, "Darwan bring me my shades. I've been blinded by the light."
It couldn't be helped and I rolled with laughter, getting looks from everyone, which made me laugh that much harder. I grabbed for my side, it begun to hurt and tears rolled down my face. Richard left, dragging a supposedly blind Bradly behind him. When they were gone and my fits of laughter stopped, I helped my sister finish the painting, then laid down the carpet, magic style. We were finished with all the painting, carpet laying, and cleaning when Richard began moving in the furniture. It was going on six o'clock when all her stuff was finally unloaded and in the apartment. Every time Richard came through with something he would stop, take a look around and shake his head. The others were trying not to laugh at Bradly who kept coming in with a pair of sunglasses on, while making smart remarks about the color of the walls. Marie had enough when he had said, "Wonder if the vamps will go blind if they see this color." Marie had taken a paintbrush still coated with paint and smacked him on his butt with it. Leaving a neon yellow paintbrush mark on his backside. He screamed bloody murder, and then ran out of the room holding his butt.
Richard just sighed, shaking his head and I could see the question in his eyes. 'Why me? Oh why me?' Richard came over to me, where I stood trying to arrange the couch to Marie's liking.
"Bo and Danise's things are completely unloaded and in their apartment. They are unpacking now and arranging the furniture the way they wanted it and wants us to call them when dinner arrives," he said.
I hugged him, then kissed him on the check, and said, "Ok. Have you decided what you want for dinner?"
He leaned down and kissed the top of my forehead and answered, "Yeah Chinese and Pizza for those who don't eat Chinese."
"Ah ok. Good choice," I stated.
He let me go and went back to work, while glancing over at Marie just as she pulled out a neon yellow lava lamp. He made a face and she just smiled at him, and then stuck her tongue out at him, when he was going out the door. He either didn't see her or was ignoring her. I think my sister was too weird for him, so he just left her alone. A few minutes later Darwan came in with sunglasses on, while carrying an armload of boxes. Bradly was trying to act cute, coming in with a cane, acting like he was really blind. Marie had about enough of his antics, walked over to him, grabbing the cane and whacking him hard as she could with it.
He jumped ten feet off the ground, and then yelled, "It's a miracle I can see." Which got him another hard whack, this time across the butt.
He smiled at her and said, "Beat me. Please me."
She however didn't think it was funny and whacked him again. This time catching him between the legs with the cane. Bradly went down to his knees, then looked up at her and pouted, "OUCH that hurt."
"Good. If you keep that up, I'm going to really give you something to complain about," she stated.
"I don't think you can hit me anywhere else, that will hurt this much little lady," he croaked.
"Oh you want to make a bet on that funny man. And for your information I'm not so little," she stated, while glaring at him.
He glanced over at me with a hurt face, hoping I would step in and heal his wounded pride. I just shook my head and continued with unpacking boxes. Marie had turned her back on Bradly and left him lying on the floor. Darwan was grinning from ear to ear at me as he sat down the armload of boxes. It made me wonder what he was up to, until he went to his knees in front of Bradly. He began to rub his sensitive area and I immediately knew what he was up to. He was going to try to ease his lover�s pain and I was so not going to watch. I was about to leave the room, when Jamil came threw the door. He nearly dropped the lamps he was carrying at the sight of Darwan playing with Bradly. He turned his face from them to the walls, dropped the lamps and just stared at the walls. He looked around with a shocked expression on his face. I had forgot that he hasn't seen the apartment yet and the look on his face was priceless. I knew he must of thought he had lost his mind, because he turned around and went back outside into the hall. He came back two seconds later, glance around, sighed in relief, shaking his head in the process.
He started to pick up the pieces of the lamp as I sent a spark of magic towards them. Jamil jumped back as the pieces came back together, making it hard to tell that the lamps had ever been broken. He glanced over at me and I just shrugged. He left without saying a word and I picked up the lamps and placed them on their stands by the couch. We had placed the couch along the far back wall. Marie and I started working on taking the boxes with the kitchen stuff into the kitchen, while the rest of her stuff was being brought up.
By the time the moving van was completely unloaded, it was nearly nine thirty. Once that was accomplished, we set about ordering food. Everyone was getting hungry, so I sent Bradly and Darwan out to the store for drinks, while Richard ordered pizza and Chinese food. Bo started making comments about what Chinese food really was. We all just glared at him with sour looks on our face. Good thing Shang-Da wasn't in the room at the time. He probably would have smacked Bo for it.
Bradly and Darwan got back from the store just as dinner arrived. They brought back soda, beer, and some snacks for later. I would love to know where those two put it all. Richard and I began to open up the boxes of pizza and Chinese food, while the others gathered around Marie's kitchen. I had found out from Richard, that we are splitting up to help out both Bo and Marie with unpacking. Richard, Jamil, and I will be helping Marie. The other three will be helping out Bo and Danise.
Since Marie's kitchen had fewer boxes, Richard thought it best to eat over here. Bradly brought out paper plates from his many bags with a smile. I took them, smiled back, and handed everyone a plate. They began to fill their plates with food. Some sat at the table and ate, while other's leaned or plopped onto the counters. We sat around and chatted about a lot of things, like how things were run in St. Louis, all the politics, where the best places are for shopping, movies, dancing, and dinning.
It was going on ten thirty, when we had eaten our fill and started to clean up the kitchen. Once that was done, Marie and I began to move her bedroom furniture around the way she wanted it. While Richard started on unpacking the boxes in the kitchen. Bradly, Darwan, and Shang-Da left to go help Bo with his apartment. When that was done, she started putting the rest of her clothes away. I took the bathroom, while Richard and Jamil worked on the living room. It was going on three in the morning, when we finally finished putting my sister's things away. Now it looked like a home to her and she began taking pictures for a scrapbook. When asked what kind of scrapbook she was making. She just shrugged and said, "It's My Life."
I smiled and knew what she meant, cause in a way that's how I felt when I moved here. Once everything was in order, we all called it a night, saying our goodbyes to my siblings. Richard and I left in his car, heading home. While Bradly and Darwan went back to their own apartment, two floors down. Jamil and Shang-Da were taking the van back to the loaners, and then heading home themselves. Richard and I were silent all the way home, but that didn't stop me from snuggling with him in the car. I thought to myself on the way home, that it's good to have family in town that was normal. Sometimes it's good to have some normalcy in your life. It outweighs all the bad things and keeps nature in balance.