SIN

Chapter 8: Delightfuls

(3:30pm at the DCFDTL Mansion)

Taylor continued to read the Sunday paper. His blue eyes skimmed through everything that he could get his eyes on. He loved reading and paid no heed to the teasing he got from the other boys in the mansion. Greta also teased him but he simple called her a 'fat retard' and that always sent her off bawling. Mary Jane didn't mind his love of reading and sometimes even sat with him and read a book of her choice.

"Taylor?" Lenny asked from the doorway, "may I come in?"

"Sure faggot," Taylor responded indifferently.

Lenny clenched his fists but quickly calmed himself and entered Taylor's bedroom.

"What do you want?" Taylor asked formally without looking at him.

"Can I ask you a question?" Lenny asked softly as he sat in a seat across from Taylor's bed.

"Go on," Taylor responded.

"Do you think I'm an evil person?" Lenny asked in a small voice.

Taylor looked up at Lenny through his blonde bangs, which nearly covered his blue eyes now. Father had told him earlier that they needed trimming and Taylor simply agreed. It made no sense in the end to disagree with Father. But right now Taylor was focusing on Lenny and he noticed that the black haired African American teenager was staring at his feet and shaking. Taylor wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew (that) he didn't like it.

"No," Taylor responded, "why?" he asked looking at Lenny carefully.

"I was just wondering," Lenny said hoarsely then cleared his throat, "I just had to ask you."

"Is there something wrong Lenny?" Taylor asked with concern.

Lenny shook his head and rose to his feet.

"Thanks," Lenny told Taylor then left the room without another room.

Taylor turned back to his paper. But his mind was no longer on the articles in it.

(Meanwhile in Greta's bedroom)

"Yeah I'd die too," Greta agreed as she twirled one of her raven pigtails, "yes blue is definitely NOT Terry's colour," she agreed, "anyway I got to go," she said, "Father," she said and that was enough for the girl on the other line, "see you at the mall on Wednesday, Bye," she said and hung up the phone.

Greta sighed and lay back on her purple bed. Father had always complained that her obsessive love for the colour dark purple, especially dark purple velvet; was unnatural and vulgar. The other colours that would've been worse to obsessive about would be black or red, especially dark red, but Father had added that at least red pointed to beauty. Greta knew that he meant that she wasn't beautiful. But she never needed anyone to tell her that. She always knew that she fat and ugly. Even her biological family thought so before sending her to live with Father so that she could be properly trained into a true young lady of the rich hierarchy. She always knew that her family hated the way she was. The total opposite of her thin, beautiful and perfectly poised older sister Gabrielle. Her family was always one who believed that if you weren't the best then you were the worst. And since was nowhere near her sister in both beauty and etiquette of the rich, she was the worst.

Taylor hates me, Mary Jane and Alexander barely notice me and Father despises the very sight of me just short of how much more he despises Lenny. Lenny, the only one who pays any real attention to me. Well any positive attention anyway. I don't mind that he's gay unlike Father and that know it all book worm Taylor. Alexander seems okay with it and Mary Jane is sympathetic with how upset Lenny is that Father is so cold to him because of his homosexuality. But I'm the only one who truly shows how much I care about him and not about him being a homosexual. Even though Lenny's made me hide my true thoughts from Father to prevent him from finding another reason to dislike me, I still let him know how much I care about him when I get the chance. We both have one great thing in common Lenny and I. We're both forced to live a lie in the public eye because of the family we were born in or in Lenny's case adopted into. Bet Father wouldn't have adopted Lenny if he knew that Lenny would've grown to be a faggot. Oh my, damn Taylor and his use of that word when Father's not around. Now I'm internally adopting that word too. Well I won't have it! That word is degrading to homosexuals and I WON'T use a word that's degrading to Lenny. I'd never do, say or think anything low of Lenny. Lenny's my friend. Lenny's my only friend. Lenny's my best friend. Lenny's my…. (Greta's thoughts)

There was a sudden crash and Greta was forcefully brought out of her deep thoughts. She hurried out of her room to see Mary Jane sobbing as a maid busied herself with picking up the pieces of an antique vase that Father had gotten from Japan. I gasped because I realized that was the same jar he had bought his wife on her birthday three months before a drunk driver hit her car in the side and she died two days later. Mary Jane was six then and that Jar meant a lot to Father because that was the last birthday present he ever got his wife. Mary Jane was in a WORLD of trouble.

"What happened!" Lenny cried as he appeared around a corner, "fuck!" he shouted when he saw what had happened, "I mean, oh my," he added when the maid dropped her cleaning supplies and looked at him in shock.

"I'm so sorry," Mary Jane wailed, "it was an accident."

"Don't cry Mary Jane," Greta said and tried to comfort her.

"I'll be right back," Lenny said suddenly and left us alone.

"Father is going to be very upset Madam Mary Jane," the maid said with her thick French accent as she shook her head and Mary Jane started to cry even harder.

"Thanks a lot," Greta snapped at the maid and escorted a devastated Mary Jane to her room.

Greta had allowed Mary Jane to continue sobbing into her (Greta's) plush dark purple pillows. Suddenly Greta's bedroom door flew open. Standing there was Father and Lenny. Father looking angry and foreboding and Lenny standing beside him with his clothes severely scorched.

Oh no, Lenny please don't have done what I think you did. Please don't Lenny. (Greta's thoughts)

"Lenny will be severely punished for breaking that priceless vase," Father snarled and Greta's heart fell when she realized that he had done what she had hoped he hadn't done, "do you see my daughter crying!" he exploded at Lenny, "she CARED about her mother and the memories and importance that vase MEANT to ME!" he shouted, "Greta," he said coldly and calmly, "Lenny said you saw him break it," he said Greta gasped and shook her head, "tell me the truth Greta," he said firmly.

"Tell him I broke the vase Greta," Lenny said seriously and nearly glared at me, "please," he added in a cracked voice.

"Yes Greta," Father spoke, "tell me that the wonderful boy that I thought that I had adopted who's turned out to be nothing more than a MENACE to me, broke that vase," he said to me, "TELL ME!" he shouted at me.

"No you jerk, I wont tell you ANYTHING!" Greta screamed and put her hands over her ears, "you just want a reason to harm Lenny!" she shouted at him.

Father looked at Greta then at Lenny then at Greta again.

"You really are pathetic," Father said formally then left the room.

Lenny walked up to Greta and hugged her.

"You should've just told him that I broke the vase," Lenny said as he hugged Greta even tighter as she now hugged her tighter, "now he knows (that) you like me," he told her, "you know he's going to tease you about crushing on me when I'm…"

"I don't care WHAT you are!" Greta cried, "I can crush on and love anyone I want!" she declared, "you love me more as a friend than anyone ever has," she continued in a soft voice, "why shouldn't I deserve the honour to love you even more?" she asked.

"Because I can't love you the way I …you want me to," Lenny started to say then corrected himself, "I'll always care about you Greta," he said and lifted his helmet to kiss her on the cheek.

"Thank you," Greta whispered and rested against him as she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Mary Jane had sobbed herself into exhaustion and hadn't heard or noticed anything since she entered Greta's bedroom. But unknown to all of them, someone else had.

Peeking through a secret peephole in the wall opposite to Greta's bed, Father watched everything unfold and his anger grew. Greta and Lenny weren't brother and sister but he'd almost rather Mary Jane to be the potential fancy to his otherwise gay adopted son. He didn't want Greta in his life after her parents returned for her to take her back to England when she reached seventeen. He'd see himself in hell before she got involved with any of his children. Even if it was his son who he always wanted to fall for a girl and get rid of his sick 'feelings' for those of his own sex. He'd rather Lenny remain a bachelor for the rest of his life than for him to even consider Greta as someone to show romantic affection towards to. Father didn't even want to imagine them becoming married. One warped son was enough. He didn't need totally warped grandchildren too.

I'll keep them apart even if it kills me. Why couldn't my son be more like Taylor or better yet Alexander? Now there's a boy who'll NEVER be a disgrace to his parents. They'd probably faint in embarrassment for me if they knew that Lenny was gay. They'd DISOWN Alexander if he were a faggot. But Alexander isn't one and has nothing to worry about with his fabulous future. Lenny however, he better keep himself in line. I wont be disgraced in public by him like Greta is to HER parents. I'd send Lenny to Military School if he were anything like HER. What a joke. Falling in love with a gay teenager two years her senior. Wait, that makes it even WORSE! I definitely have to keep those two apart. I'll none of that 'robbing the cradle' thing under my roof! Even though I have to remember for future references that it was obviously my darling daughter not Lenny who had broken the vase. Hmmmm. Better he doesn't know so I don't have to apologize about throwing those fireballs at him. Wait, me apologize? Now that's a laugh. I'd more likely go to a homosexual rally and wave a 'support gays' flag. Not that would happen in this or ANY lifetime. (Father's thoughts)

Done

Death's Soulmate: Well that's a look inside the life of the Delightfuls according to this story. What did you think? Is Father Creepy? Is Greta's crush useless? Is Lenny immune to having affection towards women? Is Father naïve to things happening with some of the kids he's caring for? Is Taylor a jerk with a heart or the heart of a jerk? Or is Taylor just misunderstood? Is Greta so bad or are her parents and Father overly snobbish and mean towards her for unfair reasons? Is Lenny okay or is something eating away at him? What could it be? Could it be his homosexuality? Father's treatment of him? Taylor's scorn? Or is it something else or more than one reason? What will Father do to ensure that Greta and Lenny never get romantically involved? Tell me your opinions in your review and tell me what you think of this chapter. There'll be more Wally and some Abby in the next chapter. Stay tuned!