Steve had gotten scolded from his grandmother when she saw the small burn mark in the drapes. She rambled on about how He didn▓t appreciate what was given to him while children in third world countries starved. If Steve had his way the kids would have this and he would deal with hunger. After opening the windows to let out the "Odd smell" his grandmother kept commenting about and promising never to do it again, his grandmother called the maid to work to pack for him.
"Grandmother there▓s no need, I CAN pack for myself." Steve said a little angry he was being treated like some disabled person. He grandmother paid no attention as she fired off commands to the poor young maid.. Now what you should know about grandmother is if a man like James. Powerful, egotistical, power hungry and so on is hard and cunning. Who does he marry? An English generals daughter. From a young age Gertrude commanded the attention from all. Weather it be school mates, her so called friends in social clubs or her hired help she commanded and was very strong. A woman now in her mid-50's wearing a soft lavender dress suit stood doing what she did best. Keep a tight shift and run her home as if it where a well oiled machine. Her short salt and pepper hair up in a French roll as she had the maid pack her grandsons bag.
"Estephon, don▓t worry. I will make sure you have all your necessities, I would hate for you to get all the way to Rome and have forgotten socks or undershirts." His grandmother gave him one of her famous fake smiles. "Milly don▓t forget the toothbrush as well." Milly like lightning went into the bathroom and came back with that, Steve's inhaler, and retainer. Steve growled low. "Granny you talk as if I▓m the absent minded professor or something geez...I▓m not crippled I can do this myself." Milly stopped packing and looked up in shock. Gertrude turned slowly to Steve with one eye raised....shit he slipped again..."Look here young man, I don▓t know what your learning on those garbage American shows your watching but as your grandmother I will be respected as so. Am I clear?" She never rose her voice, her words and the face melting glare was enough to satin stand and listen. Steve looked a little paler than usual when he mumbled a "Yes, ma'am" He knew the lashes weren▓t over yet. "You say you can do it...your not handicap- Milly the blue suit please, and the black loafers- but you leave tomorrow and this is not done. You haven▓t even packed you back pack yet?" Steve's head snapped up. "I have" He said in defiance. She shot him a cold look. "You mean that sorry black thing with griffin on the front there." Steve looked in the corner she pointed out and mentally slapped himself. 'Ok, its official I need to lay off the weed.' Gertrude cleared her throat. "Do it now Estephon. So I can be sure you have everything, but I will not have you taking that bag. Take the new one I bought." Steve sighed and trudged to his closet and grabbed the back pack it was buried under all his dirty clothes. All the spoiled little rich kids in his school had this back pack...he hated it... But could do nothing at this point, he pissed his grandmother off too early in the game to negotiate anything. His safe bet was to yes ma'am the rest of the day till she left him alone. Gertrude began to pace, seeing nothing she could complain about that she hadn't before she then stopped and took a seat on the bed. Crossing her legs like the dainty woman she was he began to survey the bed. It was messy and unmade, as was the rest of Steve's room messy. She detested messes. Neat and organized or not at all. She would have a talk with Steve about this when he came back home. Not now, he need to focus on one thing and one thing only. The scholar's convention. Steve had the opportunity to rub elbows with the most promising and maybe...God willing come home with a decent friend...hell a friend at all would be good. Steve hung out with such scum, those of which his grandmother knew and judged. She chocked it up ar his mothers rebellious streak coming again or his worthless father's ways, but either way She and James would weed it out of him no matter what. She looked a little harder and noticed spots on the bed. "Estephon what are these spots in the bed." Steve looked up from cramming his back pack to see in horror his grandmother sitting on his bed....where he had been dreaming about his teacher hours ago. With worry and a red face he jumped up. "Oh that...I spilled milk in the bed. I like to have a warm glass of milk before bed. I'm sorry." His face burning, but the lie coming so smoothly. It was always easy to lie to them..they weren▓t people, why should he care. His grandmother slowly rose from the bed as Milly finished packing. Paper crinkled as she got up. Steve knowing it was his magazine dover for the bed and began to strip it smiling. "I feel so bad grandmother..Maybe I should have Nora clean these. I mean they▓re just dreadful." His grandmother not paying attention just waved him off. He balled up the linen and the rushed over to the laundry shoot. He slowly fed the sheets in, smoothly extracting his porn and hid it in his desk drawer. Once done he sighed and turned to see his grandmother walking towards his door with Milly in tow. "Estephon, I want to see that back pack filled and ready by the time you go to bed young man." She walked out with a huff as Milly stayed behind. She look nervously to the door then to Steve. Rushing over she pulled out a can of air freshener and a little plug in air freshener smiling. "Young Master please be careful. Next time she may tell Master James, and I'd hate to see you get in trouble." Milly smiled again and left them on the bed. "I'll clean your room while your gone. Just put all the "Other things" She said with two fingers each in quotations "In your desk drawer and please lock it. She snoops when your gone." Steve's mouth fell open then he blushed. "Does she snoop everything?" Milly lightly blushed as she nodded "Sometimes not knowing what she's looking at but always reports back to the Master." Steve swore under his breath and scratched the back of his head. "Thanks Milly please, see that my friends are fed." Milly smiled ⌠I will sir, I think Noah likes me." Steve smiled as he dug in his closet shelves. "Just don▓t let him get lost in the garden again" Milly blushed. "I▓m so sorry sir. I put a bell on him but I guess he..." Steve turned with a big white box and black ribbon on it. "It▓s fine Milly, just be careful, and this is for You, Nora, Pete, and Harry to share when the old bitch is out or whatever." Milly lit up and smiled.
"There from-"
"Straight from Sweden. I know you like the truffles." Without warning Milly glomped Steve into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you sir." Steve smiled and hugged her back. "This just to tie you over till Christmas. Now go before horse face starts to yell and don▓t let her see that." Milly took the box and hugged it to her chest. "You are by far your mother's son." Milly gave Steve one more smile before rushing off to hide her candy. Steve smiled sadly as he looked as his three packed trunks. He knew that the pre- conference was a week but he was always asked to stay on for the whole month, so why not pack for it. With a Sigh Steve finished packing his notes and speeches and other useless crap. He showed his grandmother who was pleased but disliked his previous attitude so sent him up to bed with no dinner. He said nothing because he knew around 11 after everyone went to bed, Nora and Milly would sneak him a tray full of food and sweets. Steve sat on his now freshly laundered sheets and looked at the clock. 9pm read the clock. He laid back and breathed deep...He hated his life and almost all it inhaled. Very few people made it worth while and sad to say they where all on the family payroll. He needed to get to bed, 5am would be here before he knew it.
Rome
After Joseph's last super creepy dream and three bottle's of A+ He decided to stay up. He was analyzing all his dreams up to this point.. what that all meant and how they went together. He was trying not to hold to much weight to them but came to the conclusion he couldn't just forget them anymore. He didn▓t remember walking off the jet or the ride home all he knew was when he looked up he was home with his father waiting outside. Joseph groaned he knew he was in trouble. Once the car stopped and Ian slid out, Joseph slid out too. It was dark as he looked up into the night sky wishing he was anywhere but here.
"The little man returns." Alphonso said a half grin playing on his face. Joseph sighed and walked up to his dad. "Hey dad" Joseph said dead panned. Joseph's father grabbed him with one arm. The other holding two wine glasses full of blood wine. "I heard, Ian had to beat the crap out of you" Ian fixed his tie and cleared his throat as Joseph frowned and snorted. "No he didn't." His father smiled "Come, I want to talk to you." Joseph adjusted the strap on his shoulder before he walked in behind his father. He was quiet as they made the short trip to his father's office. Ian closed the door behind them and stood in front of it, his arms behind him and quiet. Joseph sat in one of the leather chairs as his father leaned on the wooden desk in front of them.
"Joey I wanted to talk to you. I know your birthday's not for another week but you'll be turning 18. It's very important, not only as an heir but as a vampire. You will start if you haven't already the path to find your mate." Joseph shifted uncomfortably in the chair. He didn▓t like talking at all about being social. To be honest because of his background he wasn▓t anything but social, many people usually snubbed him off till they found out who he was or who he was related to. Joseph hated that so he avoided it in every way he could. "Now I know you wanna wait but I have something for you." Alphonso went into his desk and pulled out a book and gave it to Joseph. Joseph's brow creased as he took it. "What is it?" Alphonso smiled. "It's a journal, a leather bound Journal." Joseph looked at the tanned front and back. In the corner it had his full name pressed in it and closed by one large strap in the front. Joseph looked wary "Uh..thanks dad." Alphonso smiled. "You can record your ideas, thoughts, dreams. Whatever you like." It can help with your next task ahead. Joseph nodded and gave a small smile "Thanks dad." Alphonso smiled "Now on to business. Tomorrow begins the first day of the Young scholars convention." Right away Joseph's head snapped up and he went on the defensive. "Oh so this is why you butter me up. I am not going to that snob fest. No thank you." Alphonso pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "Joey come on, you haven't been in it for 6 years. Please...you need to make and appearence and be-"
"Social" Joseph cut him off. "Oh yes because I really need those who think they▓re so high and mighty's in my pocket. You and grandfather have tried for centuries over to keep those hungry swine▓s happy and complacent. I want nothing to do with it." Alphonso rested his chin oh his arm as he watch his son pace and rant. "You know what they call me...? A mutt, not worthy of such an honor. And you want me to sit and eat, you want me to give wonderful speeches to stroke there egos, you want me to kiss up like you and that old bastard have done for millennia over. I WILL NOT! When great-grandfather burned down the monarchies in France and Europe he did it so the common man and the rich were equals. Not so that his son and grand some could help those rats build it back up and not to have his great-grand son tortured into submission again." Alphonso crossed his arms over his chest as he watch the now full blown speech. "I wrote that essay to be kicked out. Not to show off. I aired there dirty laundry not to be a know it all. I wanted them to know that you can still be a poor man and be a great mind or you could be rich and a dumbass. I'm glad I'm barred for life. I wouldn▓t have it any other way!" Joseph was slightly panting and sweating when he finished. Alphonso smiled wide and clapped. Joseph's eyes went red. "Are you mocking me?" Alphonso stopped clapping and folded his hands. "On the contrary. I am quite happy that you have so much distain for those stuff shirts, Lord knows one of us should, but what you don▓t know is not all of us had the opportunity to say no." Joseph cocked and eyebrow. "I want you to go with the same fire you just showed me. The same hate and anger. I not only want you barred for life here I want you to be feared by them. I want them to be uncomfortable in your presence. I want then to not be able to speak your name without having to look over there shoulder first for safety. Joseph I want you to finish what A Jeremiah Valentine started." Alphonso was now eye to eye with Joseph he placed loving hands on his shoulders. "You are a great man Joey, and maybe I'm not the only one who sees that." Joseph smiled. "Ok now upstairs, get some rest, we leave by 9am" Joseph's mouth fell. "After all that you will still make me go." Alphonso smiled. "But of course. Your grandfather wished you to go so you will go." Joseph growled and pulled away. He turned and went to the door grumbling. ⌠Once his lap dog always his lap dog." Ian moved so Joseph could pass. As the door slammed Alphonso slid into his chair and sighed. Ian casually walked over and looked. "Master, are you unwell." Alphonso smiled "I▓m fine just a little tired." Ian quickly slid out of his suit jacket and began to roll up his right sleeve. "Will this help master." Ian gave his arm over without care to Alphonso. He smiled at his servants diligence. "Thank you Ian but I'll be fine, don▓t worry." He kissed Ian's arm lovingly and rose from his chair. Ian blushed now unable to look his master in the eye. "Go and get some sleep Ian. Hard days follow." Ian nodded and went on his way. "Good evening master." Alphonso rose his glass and smiled. "Sleep well old friend." And drank deeply as the door closed and Ian was gone.
A/N: Well I doubt anyone is reading this but I don▓t care...this story has been retelling around in my head for forever. I had to get it out...I like it if you don▓t. With more like it to come.