| Chapter Eight A month after the beating, Lucky had almost entirely healed, but he would carry the emotional scars for life. The glass had cut a large gash in his cheek and it left a nasty scar. He still refused to sleep alone and he wouldn�t go near Stavros. He started to realize that maybe his parents weren�t coming back, but he didn�t give on them because that hope was the only thing that kept him going. As the rain fell outside, Lucky and Nikolas were in the kitchen bugging Mrs. Landsbury for a snack. She decided to keep the boys busy by having them draw something. She taped a large sheet of butter paper across the table and dumped out pens, colors, paints, and markers in pile. She grabbed a large black marker and divided the paper unevenly between them. �Sorry kiddo, but we don�t want a repeat of Christmas, but here this will make up for the difference,� she said handing him a piece of candy. Lucky looked up at her with his wide blue eyes and tried to smile. She couldn�t help but pat the boy on top of his head. �He was so sweet and Stavros was a monster for beating him that way,� she thought. They were coloring when Helena walked in the kitchen, looking for the boys. She watched with great interest as they colored. Michael�s painting came to mind and she got an idea. Helena walked up to them and knelt down between them. �I see Mrs. Landsbury has you coloring. Do you enjoy it?� she asked. �Yes. I love it,� Lucky replied. �It is all right,� Nikolas said, �but I would rather be outside doing something else.� �Nikolas, I�m going to ask you to do your grandmother a big favor. Lucas has to do a lot of things with you and I want to make up for the events of Christmas. Would you sit through some art and music lessons for him and not tell your father or anyone else? This would be just between the three of us,� she said. �Yes, I�ll do it. Lucas does do a lot of things he doesn�t like. I can do some for him,� he told her. Helena smiled down at him and kissed him on the cheek. �I knew I could count on you. We want to make him feel like this is his home and help him get over his parents' absence.� Nikolas smiled and looked over at his brother, who looked at Helena with affection. �Thank you, Mrs. Cassadine. I will do my best to make you proud of me,� Lucky promised her. �I know you will and maybe you will be good enough to paint my portrait someday,� she told the boy with an odd smile. Lucky couldn�t wait for the art and music lessons. He loved them the best and Nikolas kept his promise and made it look like he loved them. Stefan had guessed the truth, but didn�t let on. He was glad that Lucky was doing something he liked. Stavros looked at the lessons as a big waste of time, but Helena hadn�t relented in dropping them. He all ready had her angry with him about Christmas and didn�t want to push it. So, the argument was dropped. Lucky was drawing a picture when Stavros walked into the room to check on their progress. He quickly switched drawings with Nikolas before Stavros got too close. Stavros looked down at the drawings and said, �Nice. At least you are not wasting your time. Unlike, someone else I know.� He told Nikolas looking disdainfully at Lucky. The six-year-old just looked down at his paper. He couldn�t look up at him. Stavros lifted his head and asked. �What are you?� �I�m a little bastard, Master Stavros,� Lucky said, in a small voice. Stavros smiled and walked out of the room, whistling an odd tune. Lucky had tears running down his checks. Nikolas got up and went to his little brother. �He liked your drawing and didn�t know it. Thank you for switching them. He wouldn�t like mine and I would have gotten into trouble. I want to tell you something. You aren�t what he says and your parents do love you. They just can't come right now, but I do know they love you. My father is a liar and he is evil. Don�t ever believe anything he says. I have a secret, do you want to see it later?� �Yes,� Lucky said, looking at his brother as he wiped his eyes. �After our lessens. I will show it to you, but it stays between us.� Nikolas warned him. Lucky nodded and took his drawing back and began working on it again. Later on that day, the boys headed up to the attic and Nikolas pulled a cloth from a large portrait. Underneath was a picture of Laura in a white dress. Nikolas said, �This is our mother. She posed for this when she lived here. I come up here every once in while to look at her. I will bring you with me from now on. I know she loves us, but things aren�t easy for her and Luke right now. I know for a fact that they will come and get us. We just have to wait until they do. We can�t let Stavros win, because if he does, then gets what he wants and that can�t happen,� Nikolas said, looking down at his brother. The boys made a pact that day. They would look after each other and would not let the other one forget about the love Laura had for them. They even started to make up stories of the lovely lady in white with her gallant knight. Fighting all kinds of monsters to save the young princes and their two magical guardians. Lucky added a mysterious witch that could be evil and good at different times. Chapter 9 Return to Cassadine Revenge |