Moving On
October 2416
It's been a long nine years for Sergeant Kaja T'Soni and her two sons, who are now fifteen. She's done her best to provide the support her son needs, but it is never enough. Not when it comes to the younger twin, Eric. Saying he's been difficult is an understatement. Things have only gotten worse since they started high school last year. Eric is hanging with a new friend and a someone Kaja rather him not hang-out with. He is trouble and she knows it. Eric hasn't gotten into trouble with the police, yet. She feels if he continues to hang with this kid, he will soon enough. If that happens, she's unsure what to do about it.
Kaja's gut tells her to let Eric sit in jail if he gets arrest. Maybe it would teach him a lesson. Her heart tells her to get him out once and if it happens again, then he'll sit. She knows he still misses his mother, Dr. Cassandra Mitchell. Kaja does too, but she has moved on the best she can. Her main focus these past nine years have been to provide what her children need. That includes Karrera, who is away attending the University of Serrice to work on her law degree. It took some heavy persuading from Kaja to get Karrera to leave home to attend college. To Karrera's credit, she calls home regularly and sometimes her calls are for only Eric. He would love nothing more than to have his sister at home too, but at least he can talk to her. Unlike his mother.
Derek has handled losing Cass in a more positive way. He also misses his mother, but has moved pass the anger, the resentment, the sense of loss and has accepted she's never coming back. He wishes his brother would do the same. The young man has found a passion for cooking. Unlike Eric, Derek usually comes home after school, watches two different cooking shows. If a show has a recipe he thinks his momma and brother will like, he goes to the show's extranet site and downloads the recipe and will make it for them. Some meals are a hit, some are duds.
Kaja always appreciates his effort and praises him for it. She wishes she could praise Eric more, but the young man doesn't do anything worth receiving any praise. That bothers Kaja more than she will ever admit to another. Including her mother and sisters. She sits at her desk and looks at a picture of her two sons taken on their tenth birthday. Looking at the twins, Kaja sees her failings and her successes. The things she's been doing since her bondmate died has worked for Derek and Karrera, but it hasn't worked for Eric.
There are times she is at a loss on what to do for him. Kaja has had many chats with her human friends over the past few years. Most tell her the same thing. He's a teenager, they rant, rage, and then at times they are angry. Derek gets moody, but nothing like how Eric is on a daily basis. Hopefully, someday, he'll learn to move on from his grief. It's something Kaja understands all too well. For his sake, she hopes he moves on soon, or he is going to have an unhappy adulthood.
Sergeant T'Soni goes back to reading over the arrest reports from her squad's latest cases and pushes the thoughts about her sons to the side. She needs to focus on work, not dwell on an issue she is having problems fixing at home. She tells the detectives in her squad to leave their home life at home when they are at work. It's best to leave work at work when at home. It does make home life easier if you don't bring work home with you.
Some detectives don't follow their commanding officers advice and when that happens, it usually ends up causing problems either at home or work. Home problems are not Kaja's concern. Her concern is work problems. When a detective shows problems, she attempts to guide them in the right direction and if they continue to cause problems. They get transferred to a different unit. Kaja's homicide squad has the highest case closing percentage of the four homicide squads throughout Illryia.
Kaja's omni-tool beeps. The ID says Illryia Northwest High School. The asari sighs knowing when the boy's school calls, it's about Eric. "Hello, Mr. Douglas. What can I do for you?" asks Kaja.
Mr. Douglas answers, "I need for you to come to the school, so we can discuss it in person, Sergeant T'Soni."
"I'll be there shortly. Thank you," answers Kaja. The school's principal terminates the call. Kaja shakes her head, wondering what Eric has done now. Usually, it's a fight or him skipping class. She tells her squad she's taking some personal time, but she is available if they need her.
Derek and Eric Mitchell are walking towards their next class after their lunch break when they walk past a known senior bully named Mico picking on a freshman. Neither twin knows the freshman being bullied, but neither one likes the bully. He did the same thing to the twins or attempted to last year when they were freshman. Mico is subtle enough with his bullying that he gets away with it without too much hassle from the teachers and other adults working at the school. Mico's run in with the Mitchell twins didn't turn out well for Mico and the older teen usually has given them a wide berth since.
Today, Mico doesn't see Derek or Eric in the area when he starts bullying the younger teen. Eric smacks his brother's upper arm, "Well, look at that. Mico bullying that guy. I don't know him, do you?'
"No, I don't know him. I still don't like Mico picking on anyone though. Friend or not," replies Derek.
"What do I care. I don't know the kid. Mico hasn't messed with us since we beat his ass last year. Plus, he leaves our friends alone." Eric waves his hand in a dismissive manner.
Derek stops when Mico pushes the kid into the lockers. He turns to Eric, "Go to class. There is no need for you to get into more trouble than you already do, Eric. I'm stopping this."
"I can't let you do that." Eric grins at his twin.
The older twins replies, "Eric, let me deal with it. I don't want you getting into trouble."
Eric furrows his brow then asks, "You sure?"
"Yea, I'm sure," answers Derek. He turns his back to Eric then walks over to Mico and the younger teen. "Whatcha doing, Mico? Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" He stops in front of the senior with his arms stretched out, leaving himself open for Mico to hit him.
Eric sticks around to see if Mico swings on Derek. When he doesn't, Eric does what his brother wants and heads to his galactic history class. It is one of two classes Eric actually enjoys attending. The other class being gym. He'd rather not leave Derek alone to deal with Mico, but Derek is right. He does get into too much trouble. He doesn't mean to, but trouble does find him. Of course, a few of his friends don't help either. He looks down the hallway before entering the classroom. He debates if he should go back and help his brother or do what Derek wanted and for him to go to class and not to get into trouble. Derek is right, I don't need to have momma come up here again and give me another lecture. Maybe she'll be happy I went to class instead of getting into another fight. But then I did leave Derek behind.
"Eric, you joining us today?" asks the galactic history teacher.
"Oh, yes, ma'am. I am." Eric takes his seat while hoping Derek is handling Mico. The teacher shuts the door and begins her class.
Mico pushed the freshman again. "I said, give me your lunch or give me credits. I'm not asking again." The bully turns his attention to Derek. "Why should I when shrimp boy here is an easier target." He pushes the kid again when he tries to get away when Derek enters the fray.
A few students stop to gawk at the fight bubbling to happen between Derek and Mico. Derek steps between the freshman and Mico. The freshman squeezes through the crowd to find a teacher or another adult. "Typical of you, Mico. Too scared to bully anyone besides the weak. But then that is what makes you a bully."
"Suck my dick, Mitchell. I'm not scared of you. Not if you're by yourself. It's not a fair fight when it's you and your brother against me. So, who is bigger pussy me or you?"
A smirk appears on Derek's lips and he wills himself to not laugh at the older teen. "You. I stepped up to you, not someone younger and weaker than me, Mico." Derek puts his finger in Mico's face.
Mico slaps Derek's hand away with a backhanded motion with his left hand then punches Derek in the cheek below Derek's left eye with his right hand. Derek does as Kaja has taught him and goes with the punch, so he doesn't lose his footing. Mico rushes and forces Derek against the lockers which forces Derek's head against the vent with a thud. Derek pushes his left forearm under Mico's chin to force the bigger boy back enough for Derek to maneuver away from the lockers. Derek gets one solid punch to Mico's solarplex, knocking all the air from his lungs and forcing the bully to his knees grasping for breath.
Derek goes to hit Mico to finish him off when Mr. Weir grabs Derek to stop him from hitting Mico. "Stop it both of you." Mr. Weir gets between Mico and Derek. He looks at the students who are still lingering around. "Show is over, everyone head to class." The physic teacher escorts the two students to the principal's office.
The freshman who was bullied by Mico is talking to Mr. Douglas when Mico and Derek arrive in his office. Mr. Douglas has the reputation with the students to be firm, but fair. Most students like him, but the trouble makers do not. Derek is indifferent, where Eric doesn't care for his speeches. "Mico, take a seat over there," Mr. Douglas points to an empty chair to his right. "Derek you sit in the chair next to you."
Mr. Weir whispers what he witness to Mr. Douglas before going back to his class. Mico sits in the chair. He rubs on the sore spot on his chest where Derek hit him. Derek nods to Mr. Douglas then sits tall in the chair. He keeps a stoic look the best he can, but he feels pretty good on how he handled Mico. He doubts his momma will approve, but then again she might because it did it to protect another student. He'll deal with that when the time comes.
Mr. Douglas looks at all three boys sitting across from him. "Tell me again, Fredrick, what started this fight."
Fredrick, the young freshman, answers, "I was at my locker getting my books for my next class when he..." Fredrick points to Mico, "...came up to me demanding I give him my lunch or my money. He pushed me into the lockers. Then he..." Fredrick points to Derek, "Got in between us. That is when I was able to get away and find an adult to help."
"Do you know either of these students before today?" asks the principal.
"No, I've seen them around in the halls, but I don't know either of them," responds the freshman.
A voice comes over the comm, "Mr. Douglas. Mico's father is here."
"Thank you, Ms. James. Have him take a seat and I'll be right with him," says Mr. Douglas. He turns his attention back to the boys in front of him. "Fredrick, you may go. Get a pass from Ms. James."
Fredrick gets up from his chair and heads out the door, leaving Derek and Mico along with Mr. Douglas. The one thing the principal notices is the difference in demeanor between Derek and Mico. Derek sits tall in his chair with confidence he did the right thing by getting between Mico and Fredrick. Mico leans back in his chair with a 'I don't care about nothing' attitude. It's an attitude Mr. Douglas is tired of seeing from Mico. There is a history between Mico and Derek. He is surprised Derek's brother, Eric wasn't involved. "Derek, please explain to me why you felt it was your place to stop Mico from picking on Fredrick instead of getting an adult and let them handle it?"
Derek looks his principal then to Mico then back to Mr. Douglas. "Because I'm tired of seeing him picking on people. A teacher or another adult just breaks it up, but nothing ever gets done about it." He keeps his confident demeanor with his head held high.
Mr. Douglas can sympathize with the young man, but he can't allow him to police the hall for bullies. "Derek, it's not your responsibility to stop bullies. You need to get an adult then let the adult handle it. Do you understand that, Derek?"
"Yes, sir." Derek nods when he answers.
"Who threw the first punch?" asks the principal.
Mico answers, "I did, but Derek wanted me to hit him."
Ms. Jones' voice comes over the comm again. "Mr. Douglas, Derek's parent is here also."
"Thank you, send them in," say the principal. He hasn't spoken to Mico about his behavior, but he is waiting until his father arrives. He's going to deal with Derek involvement before dealing with Mico.
Kaja and Mico's father, Mr. Borsa, enter the principal's office, Mr. Douglas motions for them to sit by their son. Kaja gives Derek a curious look when she sees it's him instead of Eric. He gives his momma an impish grin, but doesn't say anything.
Mr. Douglas says to the parents. "Thank you both for arriving in a timely manner. There was an altercation between Derek and Mico." He looks at Mr. Borsa when he says, "Mico was bullying another student when Derek stepped in and got between Mico and the other boy. Mico has admitted to throwing the first punch."
Mr. Borsa asks, "So what's the problem? Sounds like Mico was defending himself to me."
Kaja snaps her head to the left and glares at Mico's father. "Excuse me? That's not what I heard. Mico was bullying another and punches my son for defending the other boy, but your son was defending himself. Unbelievable." She shakes her head in disbelief.
Mr. Douglas says before the situation between the parents gets out of hand, "I have a few things to say to you about your son, Mr. Borsa. We'll get that in a moment. Now, Sgt. T'Soni. Derek was defending another student, but he still was involved in a fight and there for Derek is suspended for the next two days. With it being in the afternoon, his suspension starts tomorrow. Talk to Ms. James in the outer office, she should have all his assignments ready for him."
Kaja asks, "Where is Eric?"
Derek answers, "I told him to go to class. If anyone was going to get into trouble, it would be me."
Kaja nods to her son without saying anything verbally. Mr. Douglas gets on the comm and double-checks to make sure Eric Mitchell is in class. When the teacher confirms his presence, Mr. Douglas says, "Yes, Eric is in class. I will admit, I am a little surprised Eric wasn't involved. However, I am also glad he was not. Sergeant, you can take Derek home. He can return on Monday."
"Thank you, Mr. Douglas. I'm sorry, I was needed to come down here and pick Derek up." Kaja glances at Derek, who still has a confident demeanor radiating from him. She hopes it because he protected another student and not from beating up Mico. If it's the latter, they need to sit and have a long talk about that. They need to talk either way, but his answers will dictate which talk they will have once they get home.
They leave the principal's office, stop by Ms. James' desk to pick up Derek's homework for the next few days, then Kaja and Derek walk to Kaja's car. Once they get in and shut the door, Kaja asks, "Derek, what propelled you to get into a fight with Mico? Didn't you and Eric have enough trouble with him last year?"
Derek scratches his chin, thinks about why he stepped up to Mico in the first place. "Yea but, I'm tired of Mico bullying people and getting away with it."
Kaja starts the skycar then heads home. "If you knew you would get into trouble and told Eric as much, why did you do it, Derek? It's unlike you. Is there something going on I should know about?"
The youth shakes his head, "No, momma, nothing going on you should know about. I stepped in between Mico and Fredrick when he was pushing Fredric into the lockers. I didn't swing on him until he hit me first and smashed me against the lockers. I used the techniques you taught us to protect ourselves and took over when I punched him in the chest, knocking the air from his lungs. I was going to hit him again, but Mr. Weir stopped me. I was going to finish him off."
Kaja ponders what he is saying. It doesn't explain why he stepped in knowing it would get him into trouble. She's glad he is sticking up for others, but it's not his responsibility to protect others. She gets a feeling something else is the reason for him to get into a fight willingly, knowing he would get into trouble for it. Eric doing it, is something Kaja has come to expect, but not Derek.
Derek can tell his momma is thinking about what he said and he isn't sure she liked his answer to why he did what he did. He isn't sure any more why he did it. It felt right at the time and he just went with his instinct and got between Mico and Fredrick. "I'm sorry, momma. I don't know. It felt right getting between them. Yea, I might have invited Mico to hit me, but I didn't throw the first punch. Yea, I knew I would get into trouble for it. Sometimes doing the right thing isn't always the right thing."
"Well, Derek, you didn't do the right thing. It's not your responsibility to rid your school of bullies and I don't want you taking on that responsibility, Derek," remarks Kaja as she turns into their neighborhood.
The youth furrows his brow thinking about what his momma is saying to him. If it wasn't the right thing, then why does it feel right? I'm confused. "I don't understand. It feels right."
Kaja reaches over and pats Derek on the shoulder. "I know, Derek. We'll talk more about it when I get home from work. I do need to get back." She parks the car in the driveway. "I left a credit chit on the kitchen counter if you need to go to the market to pick up anything for dinner. I forgot to mention it this morning."
"Thanks momma. Grandma will take me right?" asks Derek.
Kaja sees he is still thinking about what she said about him not being responsible for ridding his school of bullies. "Of course she will. Derek, listen to me. What you did was wrong, but I know you felt you did it for the right reasons. We'll talk more when I get home, but I want you to think about why it was wrong. I love you, Derek."
A soft grin appears on Derek's face. "I will, momma. I love you, too." He exits the skycar then enters the house. Kaja waits until he is inside before leaving again. Derek puts his things in his bedroom, then goes to the extranet terminal and searches for a new recipe he thinks everyone will enjoy. He needs to score some brownies points with his momma. He knows one of her favorite meals is clam chowder in a bread bowl.
He's never made bread before. Leaning forward, Derek scratches his chin wondering how hard bread is to make. Normally, they buy the bowls at the store, but Derek feels like making the bread. Reading over several different recipes, he finds one using frozen bread loafs from the store. The recipe is simple enough for tonight. He hasn't tried making bread from scratch, but might in the future. He uploads two different recipes to the terminal in the kitchen. One for tonight's dinner and one he will use over a weekend when he has more time to make bread.
Derek doesn't hear his grandmother enter the house. He jumps in his chair when Liara says, "Derek, I'm surprised to see it was you who got sent home and not your brother."
"Oh. Hi, grandma. I didn't hear you come in," comments Derek with an impish grin to go with his shoulder shrug. "Yea, well...I felt like I was doing the right thing, but momma says I didn't do the right thing."
Liara sits on the small sofa. She is very surprised Derek is the one who got into trouble at school. Normally, it's Eric. "What did you do, Derek?"
The teen smirks then says, "I stopped Mico from bullying someone then I got into a fight with Mico."
"So, that is where you got that bruise on your cheek," comments Liara as she takes a closer look at Derek's face.
"Yea, Mico threw the first punch then pushed me into the lockers. I was able to get away and punch him in the chest and knocked the wind from his lungs. I was about to hit him again to finish him off when Mr. Weir stopped me and took us both to the office. It doesn't hurt or anything, grandma." His grandmother hasn't said anything, but Derek gets the sense she, like his momma, is disappointed in his behavior at school. He furrows his brow, thinking about his fight with Mico.
A smile appears on Liara's face because she knows Derek is thinking about things. He's always been a thoughtful kid and the older Derek gets, the more he thinks about things. Derek is the grandson she worries about the least. After today, she might worry about him more. It is unlike Derek to get into a fight and Liara thinks he might have a problem without someone or something and won't or hasn't talked about it.
Liara promised Kaja years ago she would not interfere when it comes to how Kaja disciplines her kids. So far, Liara hasn't felt the need to interfere with how her daughter handles the everyday issues with the twins. The older they get, the harder is it getting for Kaja to deal with some of the problems that have risen over the years. Eric's behavior at times is a huge problem, but one even Liara doesn't have an answer for. She has also been in contact with a few human friends and they tell her the same thing Kaja's human friends have told her. He's a teenager, have patience with him.
Considering what everyone has been through since Cass' death, Liara is proud and surprised on how well Kaja has handled everything. Things between her and Eric haven't always been perfect, but no parent/child relationship is ever perfect. Her relationship with her mother and her daughter, Gaia, are shining examples. Liara thinks Derek still looks up to his momma the same way Kaja looked up to her father. Derek doesn't seem to want to follow down the same path as Kaja. He hasn't expressed any desire to pursue any type of career in either law enforcement or by joining the Alliance, but he does try to follow Kaja's example by doing the right thing.
Which is why Derek getting into a fight at school is surprising. He does think he did the right thing, but is finding out, he is wrong. Liara is content on letting Kaja talk to him when she gets home. Hopefully, he will listen to what his momma says and tries to do better next time he is in the same situation. Liara happens to think the school needs to do something about Mico. He's been bullying other students since he moved to Elysium two years ago. She hasn't used her influence as the Shadow Broker to do anything about Mico, but she has been keeping close tabs on the boy's activities.
Derek turns off the terminal, gets out of his chair, then heads to the kitchen to see what he needs from the store to make tonight's meal. Writing down the few items he needs to make the chowder, the youth asks, "Grandma, will you take me to the market, so I can get a few items I need to make dinner? Momma left me a credit chit." He grabs the chit then puts it in his pants pocket.
"Of course, I will, Derek. Ready?" asks Liara before she gives him a hug. Derek and Eric are only fifteen, but they both are as tall as Kaja and Liara. They both have several more years of growth before they're full adults and by then, they'll be taller than their asari family members. As they leave the house headed for the market, Liara tells Derek how she feels about him protecting another student and to keep it just between them.
Kaja and the twins are sitting around the kitchen table talking about their day while they eat their dinner. Kaja listens to Eric explain how Derek is the school's newest hero because of his fight with Mico. Turns out, Mr. Douglas had enough of Mico's bullying and the fight with Derek was the straw that broke the camel's back. Mico didn't just get suspended like Derek did, Mico got transferred to another school. He deserves the transfer, but Kaja worries for her sons because she gets a feeling Mico will do something to retaliate against Derek for getting him transferred to another school.
Mico Borsa reminds Kaja of Jimmy Nichols. She knows enough about Nichols to know he had a juvenile record and so does Borsa. It's mostly from fighting, plus a few petty crimes. For Jimmy, it snowballed into a criminal career. She is sure Mico will do the same. Which is cause for concern. Derek makes the comment about how he is glad he won't have to deal with Mico again, Kaja replies, "What will you do if he comes after you, Derek?" She looks at Derek then over to her other son, Eric. "And you, Eric, what will you do?"
The boys exchanges looks before Derek asks, "What do you mean? You think he'll come looking for another fight after I already beat him?"
Eric bluntly says, "Bring it on." He smacks his right fist into his left palm.
Shaking her head, Kaja takes her time formulating her reply. She needs to say this in a way for both boys to understand. From Eric's response, he's looking for a fight. "I'm going to say this to both of you. Be careful. Mico reminds me of Jimmy Nichols. I doubt Mico will let this drop."
Derek pushes his unfinished dinner away from him when he hears Jimmy's name. Suddenly, he's no longer hungry. Eric seems unfazed by Kaja's comment. "Mico comes after me, he'll receive another beating," says the younger twin. He finishes the chowder in the bread bowl then eats the remaining bowl too. "Are you going to finish this?" Eric points to Derek's unfinished dinner.
"No, finish it if you want. I'm no longer hungry," replies the older twin. Derek gives Kaja a somber look then asks, "May I be excused?"
Kaja nods to her son. Watching him leave the kitchen, she knows her Mico equals Jimmy comment has Derek thinking about things. Which is what she wanted. She wished Eric took it the same way, but he seems unfazed by her even mentioning the man who murdered his mother. Kaja doubts he has forgotten. It's a name Kaja knows she'll never forget, ever. She has many centuries to go before she reaches the matriarch stage.
Eric slides Derek's plate closer to him, then starts eating it. Kaja is always amazed on how much the twins can eat. She remembers Cass telling her once, beware, they'll eat us out of house and home. Kaja really didn't understand what Cass meant at the time. Now, she understands it perfectly. Kaja reaches over and touches Eric's left arm, "Eric, I want you to listen to me, Learn from my mistakes. View Mico as a threat. If he's been transferred, chances are he'll want revenge. Derek will be his target, not you."
Eric puts his spoon down and listens to his momma. "If he goes after Derek, he have to deal with me too, momma."
"What if he bring friends or a weapon? If you see Mico again, it won't be on school grounds. Anything goes outside those walls. Remember that, Eric." Kaja keeps her voice calm and soothing, but deep down she wants to yell at him. Maybe that is what he needs someone to yell and scream at him to get and keep his attention.
"He doesn't have friends, momma. I think that is why he bullies people. I don't know what I would do if he had a weapon." Eric pauses to think about what he would do if Mico came at him with a weapon. "I think I can disarm him if he had a knife, but a gun. I don't know. You haven't taught us anything on how to deal with that."
Kaja scrapes the last piece of bread from the bottom of the bowl, leaving half of the outer crust uneaten. She offers the last of her bread to Eric, he declines. Getting up from the table, Kaja grabs Eric's empty plate and takes the dirty dishes to the sink. After scraping off the plates into the garbage disposal, Kaja turns to face Eric, "Eric, there isn't very much you can do if someone pulls a gun on you. If you're close enough, you could disarm them using the same techniques to disarm someone with a knife. By doing that, the gun can go off if someone hits the trigger during the struggle. Meaning you or someone else could get hit. You're better off giving the person with the gun what they want. Don't fight them. Trust me, you don't want to get shot. It's not a pleasant experience."
Eric finishes the last of Derek's bread bowl. "I don't think Mico has a gun. I'm not scared of him, but I will be careful." He takes his plate and puts it into the sink as Kaja is washing the dishes. "I promise, momma. I'll be careful. I doubt he'll do anything. Mico is a coward."
Kaja turns her head to respond to Eric's assessment of Mico, but Eric has already left the kitchen, headed to his bedroom. She hurries to finish washing the dishes. She still needs to talk to Derek alone about what happened at school. He hasn't said much since she got home. Eric's been the one doing most of the talking during dinner. After putting the sauce pan away, Kaja goes looking for Derek.
Derek sits at the picnic table, drawing a picture of the moon peaking behind the mountains. Kaja walks outside, seeing him looking up at the sky, then turning his attention back to his artwork. She wraps her arms around her son from behind, looking at his drawing. "That looks nice, Derek. Your shading is getting better."
"Thanks, momma. The more I draw the better I get, same with cooking," replies Derek. He looks up at the mountains. Instead of seeing where his mom died, he see it's where is mom is watching over him. It's how he got through his grief. By turning the negative thoughts into positive ones. If only his brother would do the same.
Kaja ruffles his hair before sitting next to him. She leans her back against the table with her elbows flat on the table. "Have you given any thought into what I said this afternoon?"
Derek puts his drawing pencil down, straddles the bench, then says, "Yes, I have. I'm still confused though. I still feel like I did the right thing. Mr. Douglas and you both say otherwise. Grandma didn't say anything, but I get a feeling she agrees with you and Mr. Douglas."
"How are you confused? By the adults saying you were wrong but your gut says you're right?" asks Kaja. If that is why he is confused, she can understand that. She's gone through what he is going through. Parents saying one thing, but you feel something else is right. She learned over the years, her parents were right more times than they were wrong and she's sure Derek will learn that too. It is a part of growing up and becoming adults.
Derek answers his momma's question with a question. "If no one stops it, am I just suppose to do nothing about it?"
Most parents don't like this type of discussion with their children. They want their kids to listen and not engage in the conversation. Kaja actual enjoys it. She finds it engaging and she feels not only does she learn something, so do her children. "Could you have stopped Mico by getting an adult instead of stepping into the middle of it?"
"Well, yea, I suppose, but they don't ever do anything to him, momma. At least I did something," answers Derek. He shrugs his shoulders.
Sighing softly, Kaja pats her son's arm. "How do you know they would not have done anything to Mico this time? He has been causing problems at your school since he moved to Elysium two years ago. It was only a matter of time before they finally did something."
Furrowing his brow, Derek rubs his chin then shrugs his shoulders again. "I suppose I don't know they wouldn't do anything, but it seems like they never do anything to him. Mico is always picking on someone."
"Do you think every criminal gets arrested with the harshest penalty for their first minor offense? Getting transferred to another school is a harsh penalty, Derek." Kaja thinks she's got him with that comment.
Derek knows enough about the judicial system to know only those who commit major crimes go to prison for a long time on their first offense. He is starting to see his momma's point. "No, I suppose not. I get it, momma. Mr. Douglas probably has a thick file on him."
A smile appears on Kaja's face. "Yes, I'm sure he does." She places her hand on Derek's left forearm. "Derek, I don't want you think it's okay for you to stop a bully. Go and find an adult. Let them handle it, okay?"
"Yes, ma'am. What if I'm not at school and I see Mico picking on that kid again in say a park? What do I do then?" asks Derek. He's throwing the situation out there to see what answer he gets.
Kaja grins at her son. If he wants to give her a situation where it's okay for him to step in, she's going to make him give her more details on the park. Sports park? City park? Amusement Park? Which park. The city has more than one. Kaja asks, "Which park?"
That isn't the response Derek is looking for. He answers with the first park that comes to mind, "Shepard Memorial Plaza."
"My answer is still find an adult. There are enough uniform police patrolling the area, you can find one without any problems. Derek, think about this." Kaja grabs his right hand. "Say you get into another fight with Mico and you break this hand. What would do you do then?"
Derek looks at his drawing then to his momma, "I never thought about that. I get it, momma. No fighting for any reason. The last thing I want to do is break my hand."
"Good, I don't want you breaking it either. I love your artwork. I think you're very talented, but maybe I'm biased. Oh and you're grounded until Monday and you have to go to your grandmother's every day. Same as when Eric got suspended last month." Kaja stands then hugs Derek. "I love you, Derek. I'd rather see you worry about things you can control and not worry abut the things you can't control. Like your artwork or your cooking for example. I loved tonight's dinner and the fresh baked bread bowls. I hope you didn't think I was going to lessen your punishment by making it. Brownie points they may be, but nowhere near enough points to earn a no grounding."
Derek chuckles at Kaja. "I didn't think that, I did hope it would put you in a better mood though. I didn't think I wouldn't get grounded for getting suspended."
"It did to that. As much as I love your artwork, Derek, I also love your cooking. And your better at it than I am, which is sad I think." Kaja gives her son a smirk. The smirk her mother loves seeing.
"I don't know about that, momma. You're a good cook." Derek stands, grabs his drawing pencil and the drawing he is working on. He goes back into the house to finish his drawing in a better light. The patio light isn't bright enough for him to work on the small details he wants to add.
Kaja follows Derek into the house. She wonders as she watches him work on his drawing if that is his calling or is being a chef in his future. Every day she wonders what the future holds for her children. She's sure her parents wondered the same thing about her and her two sisters while they were growing up. Karrera is away making her future by getting an education. Eric doesn't seem to have any paths for him to go down. That concerns Kaja very much. She's unsure what to do to motivate him to do something with his life.
Eric goes to school most days and gets okay grades, but he doesn't seem to have any inspiration to do anything besides what little is required of him. Which for Eric means going to school and staying out of trouble plus a few chores around the house. There are days where he does a very bad job at going to school or staying out of trouble. Thankfully, today he did a good job at both. Which, Kaja is grateful.
Kaja's talks with the twins usually gets Derek thinking about things, but with Eric, she feels they just talk and he doesn't think about anything she says. She sees herself and her sisters in her kids. One does their own thing, while the other two stay grounded to the family's philosophy. Kaja sees herself in Eric with him unable to move past losing his mom. Kaja knows all too well how destructive not being able to move on is to a person.
Only time will tell if Eric can finally moves past his anger. Kaja hopes it happens earlier rather than later, but all she can really hope for is for Eric to finally move past losing his mother. She goes looking for Eric and finds him in the study, with a headset on his head, playing a fantasy MMO with his friends. Kaja's about to ask Eric about his homework when she hears him tell someone he has a few assignments from geometry to do and was only playing for about an hour.
Kaja leaves the study when she hears Eric tell his friends if they didn't like it, he'd leave now and they can do their four-person quest without him. Hearing that makes Kaja realize Eric is slowly getting it. She needs to remind herself, he's a human going through puberty. Her sons are twins, but they are a different as Kaja is to her sisters. It seems maybe, Eric is a little slower on learning the lessons she tries to teach them. Kaja turns around, so she can watch Eric play his game. Deep down, she knows Eric has a good heart and knows the difference been what is right and what is wrong. Some days, he doesn't care and does what he wants and that usually gets him into some type of trouble.
Coming down hard on him isn't the route Kaja wants to take. Telling a kid they can't do something is one quick way to make sure they do exactly what you told them not to. It's the forbidden fruit. You're not suppose to have it, but you want it and you'll do what is necessary to get it. She will continue to do what she has always done and show what some humans would call having too much patience. She's willing to give him enough slack for him to trip himself up if Eric decides to push things too far.
At least for tonight, Kaja doesn't have to worry about either twin getting into too much trouble. Derek is in the kitchen working on a drawing and Eric is playing a video game. The asari feels good about her talk with both boys. She doubts Eric takes too much of what she says to heart. Deep down, she feels Eric is a good kid, and she knows he is no angel. He is just a teen with a few issues to resolve yet.
A/N: As with every other mulit-chapter story, I'm still working writing it. I only have enough done to post once a week. This story is being written very slowly. I'm still bouncing ideas with my buddy, Tkvis, about things and I don't have what I want to do figured out yet. Don't fret, it's getting there. :)
As a warning now, there might be a week where I don't post a chapter on Monday. If this happens, I will pass that info along, so your not thinking I've abandoned the story. I have not.
I hope you enjoy this story and see you next week.