Chapter 3

Catherine used the first commercial break to escape the ordeal of watching this unspeakably stupid movie and quietly went upstairs to look after the children. From Henrys and Claude's bedrooms came the unmistakable sounds of a heated football game.
The days when all of them - as a family - watched the Seahawks live at the CenturyLink Field Stadium were things of the past. She herself had never cared much for this rough sport but her husband as well as most of her children were heartfelt fans of the first hour. Each new season they lived through the highs and lows of their beloved Seahawks.
When did Henry stop seing the games in the stadium with Francis, Lizzy and Claude?

Probably when their marriage had gone to hell in a handbasket 13 years ago and when her husband started to avoid his house and family like the plague. The thought of how many hardships she'd caused her children in all these years while living her very own hell of a marriage hurt more than she could ever put into words.

Catherine knew that she wasn't paying enough attention to her children and didn't spend as much time with them as needed, but the constant balancing act between leading a multi-million dollar company and living up her obligations as a mother was an energy-sapping strenuous effort. And far too often her family was left behind.
Even elitist all-day schools, expensive educations or the ill-conscience-led permission to let their Lizzy travel through Europe with only her backpack for a year could not change that. A decision that still sent a chill down her spine when she thought about the dangers her child might be facing at the back of beyond.

Catherine paused outside the closed door of her oldest daughter. She put her hand on the doorknob but did not find the strength to enter the room. She simply did not have the time nor the energy to lose herself in melancholy.

Instead she knocked at Claude's door in determination. At that very moment the teenager yelled an obscene curse. A similarly rude insult came from Henry's room.
"Claude," Catherine admonished after she stepped in and gave her girl a once-over. Claude was kneeling on her bed, arms raised in frustration and stared at the screen, mesmerized. Over her long-sleeved shirt she wore a dark blue jersey in the colors of the Seahawks with the mumber 3 of her favorite player printed on the back.

"Not now, Mum," she said absently without taking her eyes off the TV. Nonetheless, Catherine crossed the room and kissed her distracted daughter on the forehead.
"You'll be going to bed immediately after the game, have I made myself clear?"
"Mm," was the only answer her daughter could hum before she moaned loudly and started to run her fingers through her curls in frustration because of an unsuccessful pass.
"Good night, child," her mother sighed resignedly, reaching for the empty food carton and leaving the room again.

In Charlie's room she was greeted by the usual chaos of scattered clothes, school supplies and manga books. The room was dark and the smell that hit Catherine sensitives nose was a sour mix of sweat, unwashed clothes and over-worn sneakers.
Her son's attention was fixed on his computer screen where he intended upon playing World of Warcraft. Shaking her head, Catherine went to the window to let some fresh air in. Her boy only paid her any attention when a cool breeze reached is motionless form and he looked up from the monitor for a split second.
"What do you want?" He snarled, not even bothering to lift his head once more. "Are you kidding me?! Not on my watch!"
"Excuse me?!" Catherine asked indignantly and placed herself between her son and the monitor, an ominous expression on her face.

"Not you - Demonchild! Mum, get out of the way!"
"Charles Valois! Don't take that tone with me! And you better look at me when I'm talking to you."
Charlie however ignored his mother and furiously pressed upon a few buttons in rapid succession.
"Can't it wait, mum? Look, that ... Holy shit, you fucking traitor. MUM!" Her youngest son nearly fell from his chair in an attempt to get a better view at the monitor.

"That's enough now, Charles." Catherine circled the desk and pulled the plug of the device with dead serious resolve. Then she took the laptop and shut down the device, regardless of the still running programs. Instantly the game sounds died away and the room went into complete darkness.
"MUM!" The teenager exclaimed indignantly while his mother switched on the light.
"Time to call it a day." Catherine looked at the mess that Charlie lived in. With a shake of her head she pointed at the scattered clothes. The worn one was not to be distinguished from anything that still might be clean. "I don't like the amount of time you spend on this foolish game. Even less I like how your room looks like. You need to clean up, Charlie. How can you even feel comfortable in this mess?"

"I like it," came his defiant response that Catherine just ignored.
"But I don't. So tidy up. No more WoW until you have your room in order", she informed him and pointed to the confiscated computer. Her youngest was staring at her full of panic. But his reaction couldn't soften her heart. Actually this confirmed that she was doing the right thing. It was not normal for a teenager to live solely in the virtual world.
"Why don't you invite Mike over? You two have always been inseparable. I have not seen him for ages," she tried to lead him in a different direction.
"No wonder. You're never at home. I see Mike each day! At school and online."

Just then Charles phone started to ring.
"Hey man. Yeah shit, my mum took away my computer. Yes, so not cool. Could you tear up Demonchild's ass? No? Shit but ... well, okay, see you tomorrow, Mike."
Angrily he threw his cell phone on the bed and stared accusingly at his mother.
"Thanks to you we've lost this battle. Are you happy now?"
"I'm satisfied after you've cleaned up here and came back to the real world with us other mortals. And do not forget to bring down your laundry so Ana Maria can wash it tomorrow. Good night, Charles."
Catherine left the room and quietly closed the door behind her.

When she turned around she nearly collided with Henry.
"What's going on? Am I not even allowed to watch my game without disturbances?" He had planted himself in front of her and without her heels Henry towered over her. But she had never felt intimidated by other persons height.
"Then turn your TV louder. Maybe you'll be suffering from hearing loss. That would relieve me of the obligation to continue communicating with you when you're old," she bawled him out but instead of offering a nasty reply, Henry just laughed in amusement.
"It doesn't bear contemplanting. All those wonderful sarcastic insults that would escape my attention that way, Kitten. But seriously, what's going on between you and the boy?"

She hated it when he called her Kitten. The days where they had exchanged terms of endearment were long gone and it annoyed her to an extent that he chose this nickname all of a sudden just as if he wanted to drive her up the wall. She decided not to give him the satisfaction by responding to it.
"The usual, Henry. If you were to talk to your kids more than just two words per day you would know that your youngest spends every waking hour with this online crap that slowly but surely makes him turn into an Internet zombie."
As if to underline her words she pointed to the confiscated computer that was covered with likewise alarming stickers.
"I think you are exaggerating. It's good for the boy to occupy himself with modern media. After all there's a promising job waiting for him within a company that is focused on the internet. Taking away his laptop is the wrong signal, Catherine."

Getting angry at his ignorance, she slammed the computer against her husband's broad chest, which also held the empty lunch box from Claude's room that left a yellow stain on his shirt. "Please, go ahead. In that case I will leave the parenting responsibility in your capable hands, Henry. Best of luck!" Catherine stomped past him to her own room.
"Does that mean I can watch my game downstairs?" Henry yelled after her and made Catherine's blood boil. So she turned instantly and rushed past her husband. While passing she gave him a dirty look and stormed back down into the living room.
"Only over my dead body!"

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this fanfic. You're the best.

I'm sorry if this chapter appears a bit lame - I needed to get into their family dynamic. More Cathry moments will follow.

I have decided that they have only 4 kids. Francis is the oldest with 21. Then Lizzy, Claude and Charles.
More background information will be slipped in in the next chapters. I try to show a picture of their past here and there but focus on the presence. But no worries, I will feed you with more details... as soon as I know them... :-)