Arthur opened the front door to his house and walked inside; he then grabbed the doorknob and pulled it towards him, closing to the door. After another training session with Sharkbite, he was ready to head up to his room and relax. There was a slight pain in his arms, but he knew- Sharkbite had explained it to him before -that it was nothing more than his muscles adapting to the constant exercise he was going through. That was a big relief for Arthur, he actually thought that it was something more critical; and if it really was then his parents would later find out about his boxing lessons and he would receive an even harsher punishment than the one he had now.
Arthur walked to the stairs and was about to take the first step up when D.W.'s voice called out to him from the living room. "Hey, Arthur, Mary Moo Cow's on!"
"D.W., I don't care!" Arthur replied; he didn't yell and but he said it in a loud voice.
Arthur climbed the first two steps before D.W. shouted, "Don't make excuses! Come on, let's watch the show together!"
"Never in a million years, D.W.!" Arthur roared. "Besides, I know you're just saying that to get me into trouble!"
"I am not!" D.W. protested. "I just want us to spend quality time together!"
Arthur could feel his heart pounding furiously against his chest. It was the rage that was returning and filling his subconscious, telling him to use his boxing skills to threaten D.W. never to infuriate him ever again- he had the model airplane calamity and his fight with Binky to use as defense. At that point, he didn't care if he hit D.W. a second time. He didn't even care if she went to their parents and told them that he had attacked her again. Arthur was aware that his mother and father would be enraged with him, but he figured he could use his abilities to straighten them out the best he could.
Reality stepped in and Arthur began to visualize what harrowing future might be in store for him if he used violent force against his parents. He feared that if he might accidentally say that an older kid was giving him boxing lessons and they would overreact and possible give him a punishment that would last for months- it was in his own imagination, but it did seem it could happen in real life.
Knowing that only proper intelligence would get him out of trouble for now, Arthur lowered his voice and told his sister, "Look, it's been a long day for me. Right after school, I had to help out with my principal with his important project. I'm exhausted, I'm sweaty, and I'm going upstairs to take a shower and relax."
Arthur started walking up the stairs, but D.W.'s voice made him stop once more. This time, the four-year old said in a quiet but audible tone: "Good; maybe you'll smell better."
It was a typical retort any little kid would say; still though, it made Arthur growl loudly. It was times like these when he wondered why he had to put up with his nettlesome sister- she was so annoying, she was incredibly bothersome, and she was always the center of attention when it came to certain occasions, and that irritated Arthur to his very soul. He just couldn't understand why D.W. was so special- sure, most if not all children are adorable at a very young age but that didn't mean that they had to be spoiled. That's what he heard from a lot of adults: children who are always spared of punishment end up believing they can get away with everything. This caused Arthur to wonder what would happen to D.W. in her later years when she would end up in trouble with other authority figures such as the police.
Arthur soon entered his bedroom. He took off his backpack and threw it onto his bed, landing with a noticeable bounce, causing the mattress to wiggle like gelatin. He let out a long sigh that symbolized his exhaustion not from manual labor but from his day's boxing lesson. Just like the past few days, he was lifting dumbbells with the weight slowly increasing. When he lifted the last pair, however, Sharkbite announced that they were moving on to the next lesson, which were the punching bags. Needless to say, Arthur had a blast. Whether it was the simple speed bag or the tougher heavy bag, the young aardvark put all of his strength into his training.
While he did have fun and all, the majority of the training session was filled with Austin and Kyle's endless heckling. Everytime the older rat and dog would throw ridiculous insults at him, ranging from common retorts to nasty jeers, it would add more anger into Arthur's thoughts. As bizarre as it may sound, this actually fueled him, making him throw harder punches into the punching bags. Sharkbite, as well as Austin and Kyle when they noticed, were astounded by the aardvark's sudden energy boost, as if it was something out of a video game. Instead of the three older gym members demanding Arthur to stop, they just watched in amusement and, when the 8-year old eventually ran out of breath, Sharkbite praised Arthur for his outstanding performance while Austin and Kyle smiled and nodded.
Arthur removed his shoes and placed them close together near his rabbit slippers. As he slid his left shoe into place by his right shoe, there came a small bark followed by gentle footsteps. Arthur knew that they weren't made by any of his family members unless it was Pal. He was not an infant like Kate; he was a little dog of gold fur with a playful smile. Arthur had earned Pal long ago when he started a small pet care business to prove to his parents that he was responsible enough to own a dog. He wouldn't say that the entire thing was a disaster, he would refer to it as a "reality experience".
Pal, while he was an adorable animal by sight, was quite a handful for the first few weeks. Every annoyance associated with owning a pet, most notably the chewing on objects and the unwanted "surprises" on the floor or carpet, was present. All of the problems were eventually solved and Pal was shaped into a much better dog. He still had the ecstatic attitude of the common puppy, which everyone would define as "goofy behavior", but Arthur couldn't care less about that- he felt proud and privileged to have a pet of his own.
Arthur reached down and patted the head of his tiny dog. "You still like me, don't you, Pal?" he asked. "No matter what I do, you'll still be a good friend to me?"
Pal didn't reply with words- obviously since he was a dog -but he licked Arthur's hand and looked up at him with the selfsame smile he always had.
Arthur smiled as he felt a warm sensation in his heart. It was comforting to know that even though everyone- mostly family members and close friends -had distanced themselves from him because of his grisly act of violence, he still had someone he knew close as a friend. The only friend he had now was Sharkbite, his boxing instructor. It was odd that he was sharing a companionship with a kid who was way older than he was, but Arthur wasn't interesting in debating if it was a good idea to be with him; all that mattered now was that he was starting something new- something that would hopefully give him a new purpose in life rather than being an outcast.
Arthur went to his closet and got out a fresh set of clothes. He carried them to the bathroom so he could change and have a shower.
As an endless jet of hot water sprayed out of the shower head, the aardvark felt the cloud of anger diminish as he cleaned himself, making sure that he wouldn't stink from the sweat caused by the tough boxing session he endured. D.W.'s absurd retorts and evident attempts to get him in more trouble for violating his punishment were completely infuriating. He just never understood why she had to have such an atrocious disposition. He didn't understand how anyone could put up with her either, even their parents.
Arthur shook his head to get both the unwanted thoughts out of his head and the water and shampoo out of his eyes. That didn't work so he rubbed it away from his eyes with his fingers. The thoughts of D.W. being an unruly miscreant were gone, and for Arthur that was good enough.
Arthur turned around and reached for the water valve, turned it sharply in one direction, and shut the water off. He then stepped out of the shower and grabbed the tower to dry himself. Once his body was free of any unneeded water, the aardvark put on his clean clothes and walked out of the bathroom, leaving the door open so the heat would escape.
For the next two hours, Arthur remained in his bedroom with the door closed. He felt more relaxed being separated from the world around him. Of course it was a horrible thought to be isolated from friends and family, but because of how they all regarded him now, it was fine with the aardvark to seclude himself from everyone else.
Since he was forbidden to watch anything on TV until his punishment was over, Arthur kept himself occupied with his collection of comic books and the grueling homework assignment Mr. Ratburn gave him.
When Arthur was about to begin reading his third comic book, he heard his father call out, "Arthur, D.W., dinner's ready!"
Arthur put the comic book down and walked out of his room. D.W. was ahead of him, so he slowed down to keep his distance from her. The last thing he wanted was to be involved in another verbal war with his irritating little sister. She didn't turn around to confront him so there was no point in preparing himself for a fight.
Arthur soon entered the dining room and took a seat with speaking. Everything was normal from what he could see. D.W. was sitting in her chair as David served her a plate of the night's dinner: a juicy slab of meatloaf with a glob of mashed potatoes and a small mass of green peas. Jane was busy placing baby Kate in her high-chair. The infant giggled as she was given a colorful bowl of mashed potatoes and a quite large spoon to match the bowl's design.
David gave Arthur his plate as he poured himself a glass of water. With everyone sitting down to eat their dinner, everything was completely casual- a normal family scene.
No one spoke for at least a minute until Jane placed her fork down and asked her children: "So, how was school today?"
"It was the best day I've had all week!" D.W. told her mother cheerfully. "Emily and I made a pretty pony farm out of clay!"
"That must've been a lot of fun," Jane replied.
"You bet it was!" said D.W.
Arthur rolled his eyes. Unlike him who attended elementary school, D.W. was a preschooler. This meant that all day long, she and many other kids her age would be educated in various enjoyable ways, such as playing games and singing songs. At his school, exciting activities were a rare occurrence. It was one of the many reasons why Arthur envied his little sister; she never got homework or anything like that.
D.W. went on about her day at preschool. Jane and David listened with great interest. Arthur ignored everything his sister was telling everyone about- he simply continued to eat his dinner. Kate, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to it all. Instead of listening to D.W., she went on messily eating her mashed potatoes.
After D.W. was finished talking, David turned to his son. "How about your day, Arthur?" he asked.
"Oh, it was fine," Arthur responded in a voice molded from boredom. "It was another day for me."
"Nothing special?" David questioned.
"Nope," Arthur replied. "All I did was everything according to my normal school schedule and then I went to help Mr. Haney with the school project."
"How's that been going so far?" Jane asked.
"We're making progress," Arthur told his mother. "It's slow and tough, but we're getting somewhere."
Arthur thought that the conversation was over based on the silence that followed his reply. But not more than ten seconds after the speaking ceased, D.W. spoke. "Are you sure you're telling the truth, Arthur?" she inquired her brother suspiciously.
David or Jane could've instantly told her not to harass her older brother but Arthur replied before they had the chance to. "D.W., I'm not in the mood for your stupid tricks," he told her. "The trouble I've been through is enough to handle. So, I kindly ask that you stop."
This did not shake the suspicion out of D.W. at all. "I know you're up to something," she said. "There's something going on that we don't know."
"D.W., your brother asked nicely for you to stop bothering him," Jane told D.W. "You shouldn't be annoying him like that."
D.W. grew furious with her mother. "But, mom, he's-"
"That's enough!" David said angrily. "Not another word about Arthur or you're going to your room; is that clear?!"
D.W. felt anger and fear collide inside her. One moment she was ready to fight against her brother, and now she was afraid of her father. The four-year old hung her head and muttered, "Yes, dad."
The family went on with their dinner, only now it was silent, no words were passed to anyone. Arthur didn't mind that; in fact, he was perfectly okay with it. The way his father had scowled at D.W. was enough to make him laugh in wicked joy. He did not sense the need to laugh, but he did grin at his sister who was now moping as she ate her food.
Not so tough now, are you, D.W.? Arthur thought, as if he was actually talking to his little sister. Keep to your silly Mary Moo Cow show and stay out of my way. It would certainly lift a heavy weight off of my shoulders. You want to get me in trouble? Be prepared to fight me, bitch!
Arthur's thoughts about teaching D.W. a harsh lesson suddenly vanished. They were now replaced by shock and astonishment. He couldn't believe it. Even if it was said in his own thoughts, Arthur couldn't believe that he actually used the word "bitch" to describe D.W.- it was surprising as it was awful. He was thankful that he didn't say any of his thoughts aloud. If he did, anyone could imagine the chaos that would follow- everyone would yell at him and then give him a punishment more merciless than the one he currently had.
Arthur looked around to see if anyone was eyeing him suspiciously. No one was. They were all busy finishing dinner to notice him. Thank God, Arthur thought.
Eventually, dinner came to an end. Everyone collected the plates and took them to the kitchen sink. Then, while David was bringing out dessert, Jane carried a slightly tired Kate upstairs for an evening nap. Arthur and D.W. remained in their chairs, waiting for whatever delicious after-dinner delight to be served. They were equally silent, but Arthur could faintly hear D.W. growl as she kept her head down. He knew that she was still mad at her parents and that continuing to stare at her or saying something would trigger rage in the little girl, and getting into another fight was something nobody wanted in the house. So he looked away from her and kept quiet.
Jane returned to the dining room as David appeared with plates, forks, a knife, and half of a chocolate cake. He placed the cake on the table, sliced it into five separate pieces, and placed four slices onto four individual plates. Once everyone had a slice of cake and a fork, David sat down in his chair and the family enjoyed dessert.
Before long, everyone was done eating. It didn't strike anyone how odd it was- mostly because the affair was noiseless. David and Jane got up and gathered all of the plates and forks and strolled to the kitchen.
Arthur got out of his chair and started to collect the glass cups. When he reached out to take D.W.'s near-empty cup, the girl grabbed her brother's wrist. Arthur felt his heart skip a beat and he almost screamed in terror. His eyes met hers. He saw the rage in her eyes. For him, it was like staring down the devil himself.
"Why can't you just tell us what's going on?" D.W. asked in a vicious growl. "It would make things a whole lot easier than doing detective work, wouldn't it?"
Arthur felt fear dissolve as vexation began to form within him. "There's nothing interesting you'll find in the school project I'm involved in," he told her firmly. "So do us all a favor and stay out of my way."
"Don't you dare lie to me!" D.W. scowled. "You've been going to your friends' homes to watch TV, is that it? You're in so much trouble, Arthur!"
Arthur once again felt his heart thump against his chest as anger morphed into rage. "That's a lie!" he snarled. "Because of you, I have no friends!"
"Don't blame me for your evil ways!" D.W. yelled. "You should've never hit me in the first place!"
"Maybe I wouldn't have if you didn't destroy my model plane!" Arthur roared.
"How was I suppose to know if it was made to fly or not?!" D.W. hollered. "You never tell me anything!"
"I told you not to touch it, but you went ahead and did it anyway!" Arthur yelled, his hands slowly molded into fists. "It was you who made me hit you! It was you who turned everyone against me! It was you who made me fight Binky Barnes!"
At this point, Arthur was ready to attack D.W. fiercely. Pure fury was now controlling him, commanding him to begin the assault. He could've punched her like he had before if D.W. had not grabbed her glass cup containing a small amount of water and hurled it at her brother. She did not keep it in her hand, allowing the water to splash in his face; she literally threw the cup at him.
The cup hit Arthur's forehead and he staggered back from the impact. Then it plummeted to the floor and shattered with a thunderous crash. The water was soaked into the carpet leaving a noticeable stain. All around it were pieces of glass.
David and Jane, who had overheard the kids' shouting, stood in the doorway completely frozen in shock. They thought that they could've ended the argument before things could've escalated into a brutal war. But then they entered the dining room and watched as D.W. cruelly threw her glass cup at Arthur. Both parents found themselves unable to react.
For a brief moment, time had seemingly stopped. No one moved or spoke for what seemed like hours.
Then, Arthur pivoted his head to face his sister. His face held an expression no one in the Read family had ever seen before. His eyes were pitch black and lacked the tenderness the eight-year old aardvark always had. His teeth were visible as he snarled like a wild, rabid animal. The fingers that made up his fists appeared to pulsate like a person's beating heart. He looked like he was actually possessed by the devil.
No one said anything or acted, but in a low, hissing voice, Arthur uttered one sentence: "So, that's how you want to play?!"
Before anyone could react, Arthur lunged at D.W., catching the girl before she could run. The four-year old screamed as her older brother clutched her by her left shoulder and right underarm, and then tightly squeezed. She could do nothing but stare into Arthur's dark eyes, reflecting the evil taking over him.
By now, David and Jane had snapped out of their shock and rushed towards their children. Together, they were able to separate a terrified D.W. from an insane Arthur.
"ARTHUR!" David shouted as he shook his son. "ARTHUR, SNAP OUT OF IT!"
It took a few seconds, but eventually, the fury diminished and Arthur regained control of himself. He was soon breathing as if he had run a great distance between Elwood City and the neighboring town or city.
Arthur looked up at his father. "What just happened?" he inquired.
"You don't remember anything?!" Jane asked angrily.
"I do remember D.W. and I were fighting and she threw a cup at me," Arthur replied.
"So you attacked her?!" Jane yelled.
"Mom, please understand, I-" That was all Arthur could say before David spoke up.
"Okay, that's enough," he said. "Arthur, D.W., go to your rooms. Your mother and I need to talk."
Arthur obliged and left the dining room. D.W. waited until Arthur was climbing the stairs before she cautiously followed.
Jane rose up from her crouching position and glared at David. "Is that seriously how you're going to take care of this?" she asked enraged. "Arthur attacked D.W. like a wild animal!"
"I know, I saw it, too," David replied. "This is yet another horrible thing that's happened since that plane incident."
"I can't believe Arthur would openly hit his own sister!" Jane roared. "He should know better than to do that! He's her older brother! He's suppose to help her out when we aren't available!"
"I know, Jane," said David. "But don't you think we've been adding too much stress on Arthur since he's going through too much already in life?"
"What are you saying, David?" Jane asked. "Are you saying that we're not being good parents? You know that people can't have kids using violence on their siblings!"
"I'm sure they also don't want other kids to get involved, am I right?" David responded.
Jane sighed. She knew he was right about that. She remembered that one afternoon when Arthur came home after school slightly bruised and told them he got into a fight, and how he survived near death while the other kid, Binky Barnes, was taken into custody.
Even when she had the entire memory playing out in her mind, Jane still felt disgusted by her son. "You're right, but still, David, Arthur needs to learn that violence is not the answer!" she told her husband. "We have to get him to stop his awful fighting!"
"Will he even see us as his parents?" David asked timidly.
Jane was surprised by what came out of her husband's mouth. "David, why would you say that?" she demanded.
"On the same night Arthur told us he was in a fight, I told him he should've learned from the experience and then he got angry with me," David explained. "I told him to stop but he didn't listen. When he eventually went to his room, he said it's hard to believe that I'm his father."
Jane was appalled but she didn't let it get in the way. "Dave, no matter what happens," she said; "we have to keep going until good defeats evil. Arthur is in the worst trouble he can be in, and it will get worse unless we help him."
"What will we do?" David inquired.
"We'll start off by talking to him," Jane told him; "and if it doesn't help, we'll seek medical help. One way or another, we're going to end this for the good of our family."
David nodded and they went to fetch some supplies to clean up the mess from the battle that occurred in their home.