Chapter 2: Happy Birthday Tai
Saturdays would forever bring me happy memories of morning cartoons, the scent of pancakes and on that day—my thirteenth birthday—the end of everything normal.
"Happy birthday Tai." My dad greeted as I stumbled into the kitchen at nine that morning where mom was cooking pancakes and my father sipped coffee while reading the morning paper.
"Mmm." I groaned and sat down at the table where mom immediately began stacking my plate full of pancakes. I poured a river of syrup over them and began scarfing down.
"Bounday called and said he'd be here at noon." Dad told me.
"Good." I replied between bites. "My friends and I can wake up."
"Who all are you inviting over?" my mom inquired from where she cooked at the stove. "I have to know how big of a cake I have to make, ya know."
"Just Thorne and Melanie." I replied with a yawn. From the stove, I sensed my mother frown.
"You should get out more and meet new friends." She told me. "Why don't you try out for cheerleading? I remember at your age when I…"
"Cheerleaders are just a bunch of pom-pom waving girls with air for brains." I cut my mom off. "Their uniform costs more money than the choir gets for budget and all the guys see in them is their chests."
"Tai" my father warned.
I looked up at him, "What? You can't tell me it's not true."
My mother sighed as she finished cooking all the batter and sat down at the table. "If not cheerleading maybe for one of the athletic sports."
"I wrote a debate speech about the evils of athletics in schools. How they milk money that can be better spent on more educational programs."
"Fine Tai, don't do anything I suggest." My mother began to sulk. "Don't try to see what you're missing."
I looked up from my stack of pancakes and gave her a wry grin, "The only thing I'd be missing is my mind."
After breakfast I walked over to Melanie and Thorne's house. Before Melanie's mom married Thorne's dad, Melanie used to live right next door to me. Now Melanie lived in giant white Southern mansion with Thorne that looked like it was ripped right out of Gone with the Wind.
When I rang the doorbell, Mr. Cyningesleah's creepy butler greeted me and escorted me to where Thorne, Melanie and their parents were eating breakfast.
Seriously the guy was creepy. Wore all black, had a chauffeur's hat on all the time that sent almost his entire face in shadows and the only thing that showed was his bright eerie smile. Majorly creepy, I still shudder at the memory.
"Tai, so glad to see you!" Melanie's mom exclaimed when the weirdo and me walked in. "Have you had breakfast? We're having Eggs Benedict."
Since I didn't know what eggs benedict was I didn't want to chance offending Ms. Kyle.
"Uh-h no thanks, Ms. Kyle." I replied sitting next to her and Melanie at the table. "Mom whipped up a killer amount of pancakes and I couldn't refuse."
Across from me, Thorne smiled and murmured, "Happy birthday, Tai."
"Hey I forgot!" Melanie exclaimed and gripped me in a giant bear hug that threatened to choke the life out of me. "Happy birthday!!!"
"Thanks Mel," I gagged. "You can let go now."
Chagrined, Melanie released her hold on me, "So when's your uncle Bender comin'?" she asked abruptly.
Across from me, Thorne snickered. I gave him a swift kick to the shin before answering.
"Bounday. Dad said Bounday'd be coming around noon."
Melanie nodded as her stepfather inquired, "What's so special about this-- uncle of yours Tai? Thorne and Melanie seemed excited about his arrival."
"Every time Bounday comes, he brings the neatest things!" I exclaimed ignoring the sinister feelings I got around him. "Last year he brought some Majolica candlesticks for mom."
"Were they antique?" Mr. Cyningesleah inquired with interest.
I thought about it for awhile and nodded, "I think Bounday said they were the Italian fifteenth century kind. He said he got them in Russia, though I don't know how that's possible."
"What else has your uncle brought your family, Tai?" Ms Kyle asked as her husband nodded in deep thought.
"A hand painted triangular guitar called a Balaika. Some freaky bronze sculpture of a dude with four arms, spiked hair so sharp you can kill with it squatting on a pedestal wearing a loincloth. My personal favorite is the wooden scale rendering of St. Basil's Cathedral." I answered.
Thorne leaned close to me, "Maybe some day I can take you to the real St. Basil's Cathedral."
I blushed and let Melanie and Thorne finished up eating before we left.
The creepy butler drove the three of us to the mall and delivered a large envelope full of cash to Thorne before he left. Thorne slid it in one of the deeper pockets in his black cargo pants.
My present from my rich best friends: a shopping spree. Melanie dragged me store to store making me try on cool outfits alongside her. Then we made Thorne sit through our fashion show. From the smirk on his face every time we came out, he wasn't too upset.
In fact I could have sworn he loved every moment I popped out of the dressing room in a hot outfit. Most of those hot outfits ended up becoming a bundle or bag in Thorne's arms and still he seemed to love it.
The three of us went into an occult shop and checked out all the stuff the place had displayed. Melanie ogled the clothes hanging around and gems while Thorne chatted with a friend of his he spotted inside the shop and I looked at the jewelry in their cases.
Lapis in setting of silver, onyx bracelets alongside quartz geodes. All sat in black velvet and glass cases. Chess sets of a variety of themes sat next to the jewelry. One was a gold and silver fantasyland where knights rode dragons and wizards were the bishops. Another was of eerie black pewter skeletons where the glossy metallic spheres at the bottom determined the color.
"May I help you?" a voice demanded of me so suddenly I started. I looked up and saw a woman standing behind the glass cases in front of me.
"No, it's okay." I told her backing away. "I'm just looking."
The woman smiled slightly at me and said loud enough so only I could hear, "Happy birthday."
I turned around and ran to Melanie and Thorne.
"Can we go, this place is freaky."
Melanie gave me a puzzled frown as her stepbrother exchanged looks with his friends, then turned back to me.
"Sure Tai, today is your birthday after all…" Thorne replied. He turned and said goodbye to his friends then we were off.
Nothing else happened that I care to describe in great detailed. We shopped some more, we looked and then we went home where my mother had just finished putting the final touches on my cake.
Years from now I can remember the scene that greeted my friends and I as we entered the apartment. The sweet smell of baking. The sun filtering in through the window, small dust motes dancing in the air. The scent of my mother's perfume wafting all through the room. The sight of my father reading the newspaper in his favorite chair by the window.
"Hey, we're home!" I called out. Thorne and Melanie dropped my purchases off in my room. Mom and Dad would have had a fit if they knew I blew over five hundred dollars at my friends' insistence.
"Welcome back birthday girl!" Dad greeted putting his paper aside and getting up to give me a hug.
Mom and my friends came in at that time so they exchanged pleasantries with my mom as well. It was a sight I was never going to forget.
"So, do you want to wait for Bounday to eat cake and ice cream and open presents?" Mom inquired. I exchanged looks with Melanie and Thorne and we exclaimed in union.
"Nah!"
The three of us laughed as we ran off toward the dinning room where my mother had set the cake, ice cream and bowls for all of us to eat. My cake was simple, chocolate with chocolate icing. On the top in candy lettering was HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAI. The candy was white chocolate.
Yes, I was quite the chocoholic. Still am, but I digress. Back to my birthday.
Bounday arrived just as I finished off my cake and ice cream. He was greeted enthusiastically by my mother and father. When he finally came to me and my friends, he was three parcels short and smiled at the stunned expressions on my friends' faces.
He wore a red stalking cap over his orangish hair that went with his pale skin. Over his sea green eyes were wisps of bangs and two red stripes. He also appeared to be wearing eyeliner. Around his neck was a black studded dog collar. He wore a red and black knee length vest with a black short sleeve shirt underneath. On his thin legs was form fitting vinyl pants and to top the outfit off, comado boots and his never leave home without it, violet granny purse.
"Melanie, Thorne meet Uncle Bounday." I said breaking the silence. Both jumped and stepped forward to shake my 'uncle's' out stretched hand.
"Hullo, pleasure to meet'cha both." Bounday said as he shook one of their hands with both of his. "Tai has told me absolutely nuthin' of you two."
"Bounday!" I cried as he enjoyed a good laugh at my friends' expense. "Stop acting like yourself!"
He really wasn't doing anything really bad but it was an old joke between the two of us. There were lots of those around.
"Okay Tai, who shall I act like?" he inquired of me. "Since 'tis yer birthday an' all that, you get to decide."
I seemed to ponder this to my friends' puzzlement and then I exclaimed as I always had, "Act like the best uncle in the world and spoil me with presents."
Bounday and I busted up laughing.
"Ach, princess you know I always do." He told me. Bounday motioned to my father who came up behind me and slipped a glossy black box into my lap.
"Now before you open my present, let me tell you the story of this item first." Bounday warned me. I sat back and listened to him. "Long ago, dragons ruled this planet and they were a ruthless breed, controlling human and those who were not human alike. These beasts rule with a fiery fist until Hecate the witch Queen and her followers came up and bespelled them into slumber."
Behind me, Thorne seemed uneasy.
"How the witches and warlocks did this has been shrouded in mystery until now. Open the box now Tai." My godfather instructed. I turned the box around where the hinges faced away and popped open the box. Inside was a beautiful short sword, in a way like the ones samurai carried only different in subtle ways. Like there was no carving on the ivory pommel. Just the strange looking metal blade and the ivory and silk covered handle.
"What you hold now, Tai is the Sword of The Darkness, an enchanted tooth of a dragon."
**Sorry for just posting one chapter and then starting yet another set fics. I had such a case of writer's block on this story you wouldn't believe…**