Okay! new chapter coming up!
Chapter 8
The sun rose over the Mausoleum, casting a long shadow of a doubt over the melancholy group within. Dinah groaned as she shoved on her school uniform in the mysteriously materialized bathroom, Edrear was fighting Edaniel about his hair, and Jane just stood there, watching the whole scene play out with a very disapproving air about her.
Finally Dinah emerged, fully dressed, distracting Edrear just long enough for Edaniel to slice off Edrear's ponytail. With an angered yell Edrear punched his little brother in the gut. Edaniel laughed, despite being doubled over with pain.
"It's too early for you two idiots to be doing this to me." Dinah groaned; she had not slept well. This was to be expected, she had slept in Edrear's room, it was an all together uncomfortable night for both. "Why can't I have my own room again?" she sighed, taking the cup of coffee a cleaner held out to her. Aunt Jane refused hers'; she still couldn't stand the sight of the gruesome cleaners let alone deal with them directly.
"Because… it's too much work." Edaniel gasped, attempting to stand, only to be felled once again by his brother.
"Edrear, behave yourself." Dinah said, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him from continuing his assault on his brother. "It'll grow back." Edrear nodded once and straightened up. Edaniel hopped up quickly and hid behind Dinah.
"Save me before he breaks my perfect face!" He wailed. Dinah rolled her eyes; this whole constantly-with-these-idiot-guardians thing really wasn't working. In fact it was starting to really annoy her.
"Be safe." Jane said seriously, utterly hating the idea of being left behind in this creepy mausoleum with little to no protection from its inhabitants. Not that she really needed it but… she just really hated the thought of being alone.
"Yeah, no problem." Dinah smiled reassuringly, she hoped.
"Super Daniel awaaaaaaaaay!" Edaniel shouted, running off his arms held out as if he was an airplane. Edrear shook his head.
"My most sincere apologies." Edrear groaned, offering his arm to Dinah, who took it with a slight blush.
"Edrear, we really need to work on the way you talk." Edaniel laughed, "No one gonna know what the hell you're saying. You need to cut loose, go with the flow, improvise… something other than talking the way you do. In fact why don't you not say anything, that's a sure fire way to make sure you're not considered a complete moron. Even though that's kinda hard to do" He snickered.
"Edaniel be nice, geez," Dinah sighed, giving Edrear a sideways glance. He looked away hurridly.
"I'm just stating the obvious." Edaniel pouted.
"Behave please!" Dinah begged.
"Nope too late, we're here!" Edaniel sped off, running up the school's front steps. All eyes turned to stare at him as he burst through the doors. Dinah dropped her hand from Edrear's arm, much to his dismay.
"Hey there…" Sarah Parker said seductively, giving Edaniel the most cliché wink ever.
"Hey…" Edaniel replied in an equally seductive tone.
"Rule number one Daniel," Dinah sighed, yanking Edaniel down the halls by the collar of his shirt, "No making out in the hallways with anyone; especially Sarah Parker."
"But she seems so willing!" Edaniel whined.
"No duh! She's the school slut. She's conniving and a total…. I can't think of a nicer word than bitch." Dinah growled.
"Is this really a suitable environment for you Miss Dinah?" Edrear worried.
"Yeah, she's the only really bad influence and I usually ignore her anyway." Dinah shrugged.
"You realize you can't call chicky-pie here 'Miss' anymore." Edaniel said matter-of-factly.
"But –" Edrear protested.
"I hate to say this but he's right. People don't talk like that anymore." Dinah cut him off. He looked rather crest fallen.
"As you wish… uh… Dinah." He blushed furiously. The bell rang through the halls. Dinah forcefully dragged the boys to class.
"So as most of you have seen," the teacher droned, "We've got a couple of new students. I'm sure you'll all give a warm welcome to Daniel and Edward Menos." (Only he pronounced it Mainous. Teachers always screw names up.)
Edrear stood at the front of the class uncomfortably while Edaniel was busy winking at every girl in the class-room. The teacher seated them in the middle of the room on either side of Dinah.
"Please open your books to page 323 and do problems ten through fourteen on your own." Dinah groaned inwardly as her guardians scooted closer to her desk to see her math book.
"What don't you like math?" Edaniel grinned. Dinah shook her head. Math was her least favorite subject. She had always thought someone up there must really hate her to give her math first period every day.
"I have to agree with M- I mean Dinah on this one." Edrear sighed scratching his head and looking blankly at the problems
"Having trouble?" Kathryn turned around to face the three struggling students. Dinah nodded sadly. "Subtract the 7 from both sides of the equation." She instructed. They did so.
"Then divide?" Dinah fished. Kathryn nodded. "I got it!" she said happily. Edaniel was quick to copy her answer and Edrear just ran a hand through his curly black hair. An audible sigh came from the seat to Edrear's left. Edaniel snickered.
They finished their equations quickly with Kathryn's help. The bell rang signaling the end of class. Then the end of the next class and the next. Luckily the day was going by with little incident. That was until…
"Hey Crazy, how's life at the Happy Hotel? Meet any ghosts lately?" Sarah said snidely, sitting herself on Dinah's desk just before literacy class started.
"You could say that." Dinah gave the fakest smile she could muster.
"Freak." Sarah sniffed. She turned suddenly to Edaniel. "Hey handsome, how 'bout you and me ditch the loser and go have some fun?" she flirted winking.
"Sorry darling," Edaniel said coldly, "I don't date girls who've got no clue." Sarah looked as if she'd been shot in the face with an arrow.
"What are you talking about?" she sneered.
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about. For one thing Dinah is not crazy or a freak or a loser and I happen to find her good company, unlike you." He stood up abruptly, knocking his chair over. Edrear stood beside his brother. You could practically feel the fire in their eyes.
"What, you guys actually believe her stories about ghosts and whatnot?" Sarah eyed them suspiciously.
"In fact, we most certainly do." Edrear said stiffly.
"Guys…" Dinah placed a calming hand on Edrear's shoulder as the bell rang to signal the start of class. Everyone sat in their seats without another word.
The rest of the day passed. Everyone, besides those who were Dinah's friends, ignored Edrear and Edaniel. Neither seemed to mind. On the way home Dinah grasped a hand of each guardian.
"Thank you." She whispered, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"We're here to protect you Dinah," Edrear sighed, wiping Dinah's eyes with his thumb.
"You can count on us kid." Edaniel gave Dinah's hand a reassuring squeeze. They continued on their way home to the Mausoleum.