AN: As Will's transformation gets completed his aunt and uncle make one
final attempt to get their nephew back. Could it work?
Chapter 22
"Wiliam, are you ready, dear?"
He met his aunt at the point where they said they would, be it half an hour too late. She didn't comment on it, but he could see by the look on her face she didn't like it one bit. She just endured it because her nephew had been very ill.
"Yeah."
They drove home while William listened to the cheerful chatter of his aunt. Apparently she had met some of her old friends there and told them all about the dreadful things that had happened to her lately. They had wished him well.
"Hm."
"It wouldn't kill you to care a bit, Will." Then she realised her choice of words. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."
"Hm."
As soon as the car stopped he was out of there. He went straight up to his room, where he tried on his new clothes and especially, his coat. Standing in front of the mirror, he checked himself out.
"Not bad. . . This'll scare 'm so much in that revalidation centre they never want me back."
There was just one thing he didn't like, his hair. It was too curly and too dark, he looked like a real nancy boy. Why hadn't anybody told him about that? Why had they let him run about like someone straight from preschool? Stupid people, the lot of them. He'd cut the hair, or. . . Then an idea came to him. He ran into the bathroom, where he had seen a bottle of bleach his aunt used now and then, to cover up grey hair. He reached for the bottle and read the instructions.
Half an hour later his aunt passed by the bathroom and heard sounds of someone in pain. She immediately thought William had injured himself, but the door was locked.
"Will, are you alright? Let me in!"
"No, I'm fine! I'll be okay!"
So she left, the doctor had said the best thing to do was to let him be for a while. She hadn't expected the result from Williams trip to the bathroom, though.
"Oh my god, what did you do to your hair!!"
"Don't you like it, auntie? I think it looks good."
"God, and that has to grow out! You used bleach you stupid boy!"
"I bloody well know I used that! That was the whole point! Are you just playing stupid or what?"
He wasn't fast enough to duck when the slap came. It hit him hard on the cheek.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that! We gave you everything when you arrived here! A home, money, food, even let you use the car. Is that how you thank me?"
He just turned around and walked out the door, to the revalidation centre. Everything was better than staying in that house, even if it meant putting up with all those doctors again. At least his friend Mike would be there, so he had someone to talk to.
"Will, is that you?"
Mike was the first person he saw when he came strolling in. On the street he had gotten a few raised eyebrows, but mostly people didn't even look up.
"Yeah, went shopping with auntie."
"Geez man, you look so different. You're like. . .Sid Vicious, Billy Idol or something."
"Who?"
"Oh, wait, I'll get something for you."
He watched as Mike ran to the room where all the stuff of the nurses was kept and came back with an album of the Sex Pistols.
"Here, young Sid Vicious. . . Looks like you."
"Right, those guys. . . Yeah, guess there are some similarities."
"Just don't be such a rebel here, or you'll get kicked out."
With those last words ringing in his ears, Mike left William. Could it be someone got kicked out of revalidation centre when they didn't behave? That wouldn't be too hard to manage.
He started the next morning by throwing his breakfast off the table and refusing to pick any of it up. He declared the stuff was not even good enough for pigs and that he even had to pay for it. Then he locked himself up in his room, listening to the CD of the Sex Pistols he had borrowed from Mike. He answered nobody and didn't do his exercises. Late in the afternoon he heard someone call his name.
"Will, please come out."
His aunt and uncle had been summoned.
"No."
"There is a phone call for you, someone important."
He knew it was a trick, but he opened the door. They all stood there, watching him. If they thought he would apologize they had another thing coming. His uncle pressed a phone in his hands.
"Hullo?"
"William, this is your sensei."
"Sensei? How. . . Why?"
"You practiced karate for years, William, I suggest you pick it up again. It will help control your anger and keep your strength up."
"I can do that, sensei."
"So be it. Do your exercises and work hard. Goodbye."
"Bye sensei."
When he was done they all looked expectantly at him.
"I want to go back home." He said decisively.
Chapter 22
"Wiliam, are you ready, dear?"
He met his aunt at the point where they said they would, be it half an hour too late. She didn't comment on it, but he could see by the look on her face she didn't like it one bit. She just endured it because her nephew had been very ill.
"Yeah."
They drove home while William listened to the cheerful chatter of his aunt. Apparently she had met some of her old friends there and told them all about the dreadful things that had happened to her lately. They had wished him well.
"Hm."
"It wouldn't kill you to care a bit, Will." Then she realised her choice of words. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."
"Hm."
As soon as the car stopped he was out of there. He went straight up to his room, where he tried on his new clothes and especially, his coat. Standing in front of the mirror, he checked himself out.
"Not bad. . . This'll scare 'm so much in that revalidation centre they never want me back."
There was just one thing he didn't like, his hair. It was too curly and too dark, he looked like a real nancy boy. Why hadn't anybody told him about that? Why had they let him run about like someone straight from preschool? Stupid people, the lot of them. He'd cut the hair, or. . . Then an idea came to him. He ran into the bathroom, where he had seen a bottle of bleach his aunt used now and then, to cover up grey hair. He reached for the bottle and read the instructions.
Half an hour later his aunt passed by the bathroom and heard sounds of someone in pain. She immediately thought William had injured himself, but the door was locked.
"Will, are you alright? Let me in!"
"No, I'm fine! I'll be okay!"
So she left, the doctor had said the best thing to do was to let him be for a while. She hadn't expected the result from Williams trip to the bathroom, though.
"Oh my god, what did you do to your hair!!"
"Don't you like it, auntie? I think it looks good."
"God, and that has to grow out! You used bleach you stupid boy!"
"I bloody well know I used that! That was the whole point! Are you just playing stupid or what?"
He wasn't fast enough to duck when the slap came. It hit him hard on the cheek.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that! We gave you everything when you arrived here! A home, money, food, even let you use the car. Is that how you thank me?"
He just turned around and walked out the door, to the revalidation centre. Everything was better than staying in that house, even if it meant putting up with all those doctors again. At least his friend Mike would be there, so he had someone to talk to.
"Will, is that you?"
Mike was the first person he saw when he came strolling in. On the street he had gotten a few raised eyebrows, but mostly people didn't even look up.
"Yeah, went shopping with auntie."
"Geez man, you look so different. You're like. . .Sid Vicious, Billy Idol or something."
"Who?"
"Oh, wait, I'll get something for you."
He watched as Mike ran to the room where all the stuff of the nurses was kept and came back with an album of the Sex Pistols.
"Here, young Sid Vicious. . . Looks like you."
"Right, those guys. . . Yeah, guess there are some similarities."
"Just don't be such a rebel here, or you'll get kicked out."
With those last words ringing in his ears, Mike left William. Could it be someone got kicked out of revalidation centre when they didn't behave? That wouldn't be too hard to manage.
He started the next morning by throwing his breakfast off the table and refusing to pick any of it up. He declared the stuff was not even good enough for pigs and that he even had to pay for it. Then he locked himself up in his room, listening to the CD of the Sex Pistols he had borrowed from Mike. He answered nobody and didn't do his exercises. Late in the afternoon he heard someone call his name.
"Will, please come out."
His aunt and uncle had been summoned.
"No."
"There is a phone call for you, someone important."
He knew it was a trick, but he opened the door. They all stood there, watching him. If they thought he would apologize they had another thing coming. His uncle pressed a phone in his hands.
"Hullo?"
"William, this is your sensei."
"Sensei? How. . . Why?"
"You practiced karate for years, William, I suggest you pick it up again. It will help control your anger and keep your strength up."
"I can do that, sensei."
"So be it. Do your exercises and work hard. Goodbye."
"Bye sensei."
When he was done they all looked expectantly at him.
"I want to go back home." He said decisively.