Summary: When the inhabitants of Four Corners are plagued by a rash of pranks, it's no wonder everyone looks at their very own True Tanner as the prime suspect…but is she the culprit?
Author's Note: Hey guys! I know it's been awhile and some people have been requesting something in the "True Verse" so I thought I might go ahead and post this. HOWEVER be warned…this is a bit different.
It started as a special request from a reader (Marau Teatime) and I decided to take up the challenge. Although this is written as an extension of Wolfpyre's Magnificent Seven "True Universe," and follows our storyline, this may end up being an alternate reality one shot. I will have to see how this particular story turns out in order to decide if I want it to be a part of my on-going storyline or just an AU one shot. I'll ask for your feedback at the end.
For those of you who have never read any of the "True" stories, Wolfpyre created this "verse" and she deserves all the kudos for this fun AU! You might want to read our other stories to get up to speed because although this is M7, it is also quite AU.
Warning: Disciplinary spanking of minors. If you do not like or approve of this PLEASE to NOT read this story. There is some use of harsh language in this story (this is True we're talking about after all).
Disclaimer: I don't own the Magnificent Seven characters and am writing this just for fun and for no personal gain. I do not speak any of the foreign languages represented in this fiction and have used certain words found in online sources without an understanding of syntax; apologies to anyone with a clear understanding of these languages.
TRUE FRIENDS
"Come on Sunshine," Vin's voice was firm but not unsympathetic. He knew True'd had a rough night. "I already done called ya twice. Ya got school."
True groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. She couldn't remember the last time she felt like this. Her head was pounding and felt as if it had been stuffed with cotton. "Jest let me sleep."
"Nope. I done told ya last night, if'n ya didn't settle yerself down an' get ta sleep ya weren't gettin' no special treatment t'day. Up, NOW, or I start swattin'," the tracker warned his voice gaining an edge of irritation. He pulled the pillow off her head, tossing it onto his own bed, and then stripped the blankets from the girl as well.
True cracked one heavy lidded eye and glowered at the longhaired man. Fortunately, her brain had not awakened enough for her tongue to engage or the scathing string of curse words she intended to loose would have earned her a morning trip over Vin's knee. As it was, all that came out was a low growl.
"I'll see to her, Vin," Rhianna offered from the doorway, entering the room to make her way to her cousin's bedside.
"Ya got five minutes," the sharpshooter replied gruffly before exiting.
Rhianna laid a comforting hand on True's head and concentrated her efforts on easing the younger girl's headache. "What exactly was that last night?" She asked.
"Hell if I know," True responded grumpily.
Following supper the previous evening she hadn't been able to calm down. A general restlessness had escalated to an inability to sit or concentrate at all which had earned her more than a few swats from Josiah who'd been left in charge of seeing that True's homework was completed. Rhianna had finally taken pity on her cousin and finished the assignments for True when Josiah wasn't looking. When Vin returned from the restaurant where he'd shared dinner with Lauren Willis, he'd found True bouncing off the walls and unwilling to settle down for bed. The sharpshooter had finally resorted to a tried and true method of gaining her compliance, though even after a trip over his knee she couldn't calm down enough to fall asleep until well after midnight. Garish nightmares that had not haunted her for months plagued her sleep and she'd awoken screaming more than once.
"Fuckin' feels like I downed a canteen of go juice," she continued as her cousin encouraged her to sit up and then stand. It was easier now that the pounding in her head was gone, though she was still exhausted.
"Undiluted and untempered go juice," Rhianna snorted, turning to fetch her cousin's clothes. The stimulant often used by warriors in their clan was similar to a synthetic amphetamine though it was made from an infusion of a mountain herb. In it's pure form it could bring on a state of uncontrollable frenzy so it was always diluted. Even still its side effects were unpleasant enough that the infusion was also tempered with the time-released antidote when it was prepared for use by the clan's fighting force. Soldiers had no time for hallucinogenic nightmares and debilitating hangovers while on critical missions.
"Yeah," True agreed, pulling off her night clothes and not even arguing when Rhianna put the shirt over her head, helping her dress as she had when they were small children. True chuckled as the shirt fell into place. "Ya remember that time I dared Naomi ta lift some go juice offa Blaed an' try it?"
"She got switched for that as I recall," Rhianna answered.
True nodded with a grin, "Only cuz she decided ta do hand springs down the elder's hall and knocked over a torch nearly settin' the whole damn place on fire." Rhianna rolled her eyes, handing True her overalls.
"Here, clean and dry."
"Thank tha Lord!" True replied accepting the clothes and pulling them on quickly.
Yesterday had been a bad day for True, actually a fantastically horrible day. Somehow, every single pair of pants and overalls she owned had ended up in the wash and not a single pair was dry when she went to dress for school. She'd been forced, practically kicking and screaming, to wear a dress to school and then had to sit all morning on the hard school seats on a sore backside because of her tantrum. Miss Willis had made her sit out recess because she'd been late to school, then she'd gotten blamed for putting a grasshopper in Lizzie's lunch, which she hadn't done, though she did think it was pretty damn funny. True had made record time back to the boarding house so she could change into something more comfortable before going to muck out Eavan's stall. Then to top off the all out rotten day, Vin had jumped on her for NOT doing her chores, dragging her over to the Livery to show her a stall full of dirty straw and manure, the exact same stall she knew good and well she had cleaned after school. She didn't know how it had happened but somebody was going to pay for the fact that she wasn't allowed to ride her horse for a week.
Rhianna ran a brush quickly through True's hair, adeptly coaxing the tangles out in the short time they had left. "Your boots are still downstairs on the porch," she reminded her cousin. The footwear had needed to be thoroughly cleaned after True took out her anger at Vin's unfair riding restriction by kicking up a fuss in a spot of mud outside the Livery. Luckily for her, Vin had not witnessed the little fit, or she would have been in even more trouble.
After thundering down the stairs, True skidded to a stop at the breakfast table with a wave to Rhianna who was already leaving. She wolfed down some eggs and shoved an entire piece of toast in her mouth without even sitting down, barely pausing to chug a glass of milk. If she was late again today, she'd be in big trouble with Miss Willis, which would equate to big trouble with Vin.
Hurrying out the door, she shoved her feet into her boots only to stop stock still at the crunching sensation followed by a disgusting ooze that seeped into her socks. The awful sulfuric smell that arose nearly caused her to upchuck her hurried breakfast. Someone had put rotten eggs in her boots.
"God Damn, Jesus Fuckin' Christ!" True exclaimed upon realizing what had happened.
"True Tanner!" a furious Josiah roared, coming out the door behind her and lifting her off her feet only to deposit her over his lap once he was seated on the porch rail. "I have warned you for the last time about taking the Lord's name in vain!"
"But, but, 'Siah…"
Her plea was cut off by the resounding SMACK of his palm across her overall covered seat. Several more powerful swats fell before Josiah paused, eyes squinting and nose crinkled.
"What it the name of all that's holy is that foul smell?"
"I was tryin' ta tell ya," True sniffed, blinking away the tears in her eyes. "Someone done put rotten eggs in my boots!" Josiah set True down on the porch, looking down at her footwear. "Bet you'd be cussin' too if'n someone put rotten eggs in your boots," she accused bitterly as she rubbed the sting from her rear and shot Josiah an outraged glare at his callous and unfair treatment.
"Well, I might say a few words, but I wouldn't say those words and neither should you – ever!" The former preacher lectured, helping the girl to remove her befouled boots and strip off her stockings. "I promised you a proper tanning next time I heard you use such language, but I'm prepared to let you off light, seein' as you were provoked. Don't mean you're gettin' off Scott free, though. You need to get cleaned up and off to school but right after I expect you at the church."
"Ah, Josiah," True whined. "They ain't fair. I had cause."
"You had cause to be angry, not to use that kind of language. Keep arguing and you won't find sitting through school all that pleasant today," he threatened.
True bit her tongue and stuck out her lip. Damn it all to hell if today wasn't shaping up to be worse than yesterday!
M7***M7***M7***M7***M7
As it turned out True was in for a difficult day, but she wasn't to be the only one. Miss Willis excused True's tardiness when Josiah escorted her to school to explain the reason. However, the girl was in such a foul temper that her rude, sarcastic responses landed her on number two before lunch. On top of all this she bombed a pop quiz in reading because the only thing she could concentrate on was finding out who had dared to put rotten eggs in her boots and what she was going to do to that person when she found him or her.
Rhianna sat with her cousin at lunch listening to True rant and rave. Creed was home in bed with a head cold and Billy had opted to eat his lunch with other friends once he noted True's mood. The older girl had waved Conal away as he approached for the very same reason.
"Someone's gonna pay fer messin' with me," True growled hurling a small rock into the brush.
"I have read all of the students in class," Rhianna said shaking her head, her brow furrowed. "None of them are responsible."
"Who the hell was then?" True demanded.
"I do not know," Rhianna replied calmly, "But you need to calm it down a notch because the last thing that you need is for Miss Willis to get to number three."
"God damn it all to hell!" True exploded.
"That is not exactly what I meant by calming down."
"True Tanner. Rhianna Larabee." Miss Willis called them from the classroom steps, her displeasure evident in her voice.
"Sonofabitch! What now?" True grumbled.
The two girls reluctantly made their way into the schoolroom to face the obviously unhappy teacher.
"True," Miss Willis started holding up the quiz from earlier, "Exactly what is this? You didn't answer a single question correctly. You didn't even answer half of the questions at all."
True just shrugged her shoulders, a belligerent scowl on her face.
"Then perhaps you would like to tell me why you have made absolutely no progress on your mathematics assignment," the young teacher demanded holding up a blank slate. "I know you are very talented in mathematics, True, but that does not give you leave to completely ignore the assignments that I give you."
"I FINISHED the damn thing!" True exploded.
"Young lady you do not curse at me. That is three. Now march yourself right over to that corner."
"The hell you say!"
"True Tanner!" Lauren had had more than enough and was at the very last of her patience.
"Coyrt raad mish freayll rick er shoh ben vooinjerey (Let me handle this, cousin)," Rhianna said quietly, but with an intensity that got True's attention.
"FINE!" True huffed, using every bit of her will power to keep her mouth closed and stomp over to the corner without overturning the nearest piece of furniture.
"Though I appreciate your help, Rhianna, I am none too pleased with you either," Miss Willis said holding up a piece of paper. "I found this sticking out of your literature book. Would you care to tell me how you came to have all of the questions from the quiz today?"
"I didn't," Rhianna answered calmly. "That isn't mine."
"This isn't the first time you've attempted cheating, young lady and I believe Mr. Larabee made it very clear what would happen if you were caught at it again."
"First of all, we didn't know we were going to have that quiz today."
"You obviously were snooping around my desk, found the quiz, and copied it down," the irate teacher accused.
"Secondly," Rhianna continued as if Lauren hadn't spoken, "There is no reason for me to cheat when I know all of the material. If you do not believe me, give me a more comprehensive oral exam right now. If I miss even one question, I will go to Chris and tell him myself."
Miss Willis pursed her lips and checked the time on the small clock on her desk. There was still plenty of time before she was due to the call the other children in from lunch recess. "Very well," she replied tersely, taking a seat at her desk. She proceeded to test Rhianna on the material, asking the most difficult questions she could come up with. To the young teacher's chagrin, Rhianna did seem to know the material inside and out.
"As you can see, I would have no reason to cheat. Someone planted that paper in my book. Probably the same person who erased True's slate."
"That hardly excuses True's dismal work on her exam today or her deplorable behavior."
"She had nightmares last night," Rhianna said softly, "About before we came here."
"RHIANNA!" True exclaimed, spinning around to glare at her cousin.
"What? Vin is courting her, True, and you've already told her everything. She's practically family." Rhianna turned back to Lauren. "Then to top it off someone put rotten eggs in her boots this morning. She has had a rough couple of days."
Lauren sighed and glanced over at True who was now using her baby blues to good affect, looking sad and forlorn. The young teacher could easily see the circles under True's eyes and the girl did have a gaunt look about her today. As a teacher, she might need to be professional and impartial, but Lauren had to admit to having a soft spot for True. Not to mention that what Rhianna said about being practically family had definitely struck a chord. She wasn't just True's teacher. Rising from her seat, Lauren walked over to True and brushed the hair softly from her face, cupping her cheek lovingly.
"You do look, tired," she noted. "Alright, if you can behave yourself for the rest of the afternoon, I won't say anything to Vin, but I expect a dramatic improvement."
"Thanks, Lauren – ah, I mean, Miss Willis," True said with a smile, throwing her arms around the teacher.
Lauren returned the hug, before pulling away to head for the door. "It's time to call the other children in."
M7***M7***M7***M7***M7
Josiah yawned as he pushed open the door to his room, glad his patrol was over and he could finally go to bed. It had been a long day. A lamp was burning low and a cup of tea sat on the small table next to his bed and he smiled. Mrs. Whitaker was a thoughtful woman and often provided little extras for the peacekeepers that called her boarding house home. He reached for the cup and was pleased to find it was still warm. After pulling off his boots he sat back on the bed to enjoy the soothing liquid.
Once he'd finished, Josiah blew out the lamp and pulled off his clothes, tossing them on a chair as he was simply too tired to do anything else with them. He pulled back the blankets, but when he went to slip between the sheets he found that his feet only went a couple of feet. Lifting up the bedding, he growled upon realizing that someone had short sheeted his bed. Grumbling, he quickly pulled all the bedding off and gave it a shake, before crawling underneath without even properly making the bed.
He couldn't have been asleep more than an hour when he awoke with a start realizing he needed the chamber pot - NOW! Jumping out of bed, Josiah looked around the dark room, but the portable necessary was nowhere to be seen. He quickly checked under the bed and then in the small closet, but realized it wasn't there. Pulling on his trousers, he rushed out of his room, down the stairs, and to the outhouse in record time. As he made his way back to his room he grumbled about having a little talk with one mischievous little girl tomorrow morning.
M7***M7***M7***M7***M7
Saturday morning dawned bright, but cold. True stayed snuggled under the blankets for a while, just relishing the fact that there was no school. She couldn't take Eevan out for a ride, and Creed was still recovering from a cold, so she didn't know what she was going to do today, but after her rotten week she was definitely going to find something fun to do. Considering her options made her anxious to get on with it so she threw off her covers ignoring the shiver that ran through her as her feet hit the icy wood planks.
She was dressed in record time and made her way downstairs to the breakfast table. Only Nathan, Josiah, and Ezra were missing as she took her seat. She was surprised that Mrs. Whitaker didn't have the first round of flapjacks out yet. The milk wasn't even on the table. Just then the woman bustled in with two platters in her hand and a glower upon her normally cheerful face.
"Sorry, breakfast is late this mornin' but someone," here the woman's eyes narrowed and fell on True, "Seemed to think it funny to switch the salt and sugar bins on me. I ruined a batch of pancakes and the first round of eggs before I noticed."
"Why the hell ya lookin' at me? I didn't do it!" True countered, earning a smack to her thigh from Vin. "OW!"
"Watch yer language. Who else ya thinkin' mighta done it?" he asked.
"Maybe the same person who short sheeted my bed or took the chamber pot from my room," Josiah suggested, sporting bags under his eyes. He'd had more than one trip to the outhouse last night in the frigid cold and now wondered if the children of the household might have had something to do with that as well. Maybe that tea hadn't been from Mrs. Whittaker afterall.
Before True could even form a denial Nathan entered the room and added his two cents. "Or could be the same person that filled my drawers with JD's clothes." The tall, dark-skinned healer turned to the young sheriff, "Sorry, JD I ripped out a pair of yer long johns 'fore I realized what was goin' on."
"True, you got somethin' ta say?" Vin growled.
"Yeah I do. I DIDN'T FUCKIN' DO ANYTHING!"
Vin had her out of her seat and over his lap in record time and landed a series of powerful swats on the seat of her overalls. He let her up, his blue eyes boring holes into her.
"Anythin' else ta say?"
Giving a sniff, a tear trickling down her cheek, True shook her head. "Fine. This weekend ya kin help wash dishes an' clean the kitchen, strip an' make all the beds, clean the chamber pots, an' do the laundry."
True opened her mouth to object but Rhianna beat her to it. "She didn't do it," the older girl stated with a defiant edge to her voice.
"So you know who did?" Chris asked, his voice low and threatening.
Rhianna rolled her eyes. "I didn't do it either if that's what your thinking, but I am telling you, neither did True."
"Think I told you before that covering for a prank's not all that far from pulling it. You can just help True with her chores this weekend while you think about that," Chris answered grimly.
TBC...
