Chapter 15: The Empire Changes
Hey, name’s Mina. Ya know, oldest daughter of Devin and Alecia Abaddon, heir to a pretty cool job. I’m gonna be takin’ over for my dad when I grow up. He’s the Emperor of Evil, just like his mom before him. That’s right, my grandma Felicia started this little tradition in our family. I think it’s pretty cool myself and I’m lookin’ forward to it, but ya know what? I wanna be a kid first… well, in my case a teen. And I was likin’ bein’ a teen a lot.
Because I’m the oldest, I got my own room up on the second floor of our house. Since it was a pain to come downstairs, dad also okayed having a little bathroom built up there too. My brothers groaned a little and asked why they can’t have their own rooms too, but I think they did it more for form than anything. They’re good kids… unlike me. *unabashed grin* See? They do their homework like good boys… I get the boyfriend to help me with mine.
Speaking of boyfriends… I was over at his house and lost track of the time so when curfew hit, I didn’t have enough time to dodge the cops… Lucky for me, dad was the one waiting up for me so it wasn’t bad. I think the only reason he even yelled at me at all was so mom wouldn’t freak out. He’s pretty easy to get around anyway. All I had to do was lay on a bit of a pout and pretend to beg and we were cool.
Maybe my Dad should learn that technique… since his birthday, he’s been goin’ through a major midlife crisis and he and my mom aren’t gettin’ along too well, not at all. They’re trying to fix things, but it seems to be an uphill battle. I love my mom, I do. She’s terrific, but she never understood my dad very well, I don’t think, nor did she ever come to terms with his calling. Then again… admitting their love life was getting stale was not the best move on his part… Smooth move dad!
Us kids are trying to ignore it, pretending everything is ok. Personally, I think it’s great that they’re trying to make things work, but… well, so far, this family doesn’t have a great track record. Some of my earliest memories of Gram were of her tellin’ me that we shouldn’t really fall in love. Fallin’ in love was for saps. Grandpa Rudolph really hurt her I think… I don’t know, to me, if ya don’t take a few chances, then you won’t get anywhere.
Oh cripes… Tyler… Tyler why… I TOLD you not to tell dad that way! I had known for a little while that Tyler was looking to go the exact opposite of the rest of the family and go into… law enforcement! He read too many spy novels as a kid… Cripes… getting in between your father and brother is not cool. *sighs audibly*
*Sniffling as she writes* Well, it’s happened… Dad’s midlife crisis just gets worse. He actually suggested to mom that they see new people. Between her and Tyler… think my dad finally cracked! Well, my mom had taken all she could. I’ve never seen her so angry… she hauled off and let my dad have it right across the face! She stormed out, sending divorce papers in the mail. She took Tyler with her. Bracen and I are just… thunderstruck.
Now that mom’s gone, I’ve taken over in the kitchen. If I didn’t my dad and brother would survive on cereal, I swear… *eyes tear up* I miss my mom, but I try my best, especially for Bracen. He misses his twin desperately. None of the three of us has had the courage to try to contact either Mom or Tyler, not really knowing what to say…
Maybe with Mom leaving the way she did, Dad was finally ready to tell me all about the family business, the ins and outs. Now, his mom had made him get a job in high school, but he wanted me to enjoy myself while he could, so he said when I turned into a young adult would be soon enough, but I should start training now, while I had the chance. He also gave me some warnings and some strategies to try out.
With all the crap going on, there’s one rock I can depend on and that’d Dimitri. He’s the only one I can confide in really. He’s great. He lets me forget things for a while and just have fun. Just like any teenagers, we also enjoy the occasional movie and cuddling on the couch. He doesn’t even mind when my little brother joins us.
I do love the balcony off my room. It’s a great place to come and watch the stars. Sharing that with Dimitri is even better. Dimitri really gets along with the family, even my dad which is kinda odd, considering. My dad isn’t a bad guy, but he can be a bit scary at times.
Going to school just isn’t the same. Just me and Bracen on the bus now… There’s no Tyler. It’s a very weird feeling, for both of us, but I think Bracen is taking it harder than I am, Tyler being his twin and all. The poor kid is even having trouble working on homework. I mean, he and Tyler always did it together, so I think not having him around throws him off his game. I’m just not a substitute for a twin…
Ya know… I think my dad is seeing someone new… she’s new to the neighborhood and came over to introduce herself one day. She and dad hit it off and they’ve been doing a lot of phone chats lately… Not sure how I feel about this yet… Nor do I even know if it will go anywhere. Guess we’ll just have to see what the future holds, hm?
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