Snippets!

So, one of the top four poll requests was a story snippet or scene, so here is a stand alone scene I wrote for Vandi’s and my project, Never Mind. I had a lot of fun writing this ^^

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Kayu walked past his little sister as she washed the dishes, giving her hair a tug.

“Hey!” she cried, but it turned into a bubbly laugh. “You just can’t resist doing that can you?”

“Nope.” He answered, shaking his head regretfully.

Casy giggled again and rolled her eyes. “I could just make you wash these.”
“You could.” He agreed, pretending to be thoughtful.

Casy stepped closer and hugged him tight. “Nothing phases you… you just roll with the punches and won’t let anything frazzle you.”

He put his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “Life’s better that way. You can be prepared for anything.”

“How? Even if you don’t know what’s coming?”

He nodded. “Because you know how you’ll react, no matter what happens.”

She sighed and rested her head on his chest. “I wish I could be like you.”

“You are, Cas.”

“Yeah, I am, kind of. But not… exactly like you. I don’t how to prepare for everything and be calm no matter what, like you are.”

“It takes practise.” He said after a moment.

“But you’ve always been like this. When did you practise?”

Before he could answer, they both heard heavy footsteps outside the door. It flung open, and a man stepped in. His clothing was soaked from the drizzle outside and the drops made a puddle on the floor. He shed his coat and tossed it over a chair, his eyes landing on the two siblings.

“What are you doing?” He demanded.

“Talking.” Kayu answered, instantly wary.

“I wasn’t talking to you!” Their father stared fixedly at Casy. “What are you doing?”

“I’m about to finish the dishes.” She said in a meek voice.

“I didn’t ask what you’re about to do. I asked what are you doing?”

A brief glance at Kayu, then, “Standing here talking to you.”

Father’s face hardened. “Don’t get smart with me, girl. What were you doing before I came in?”

“Doing the dishes.”

“You weren’t when I came in.”

“Kayu and I were talking.”

Father’s gaze turned on his youngest son. “I’ll thank you to stop distracting your sister from doing her chores.”

“I wasn’t aware that conversation was forbidden in this house.” Was Kayu’s instant reply.

“Ka–EEEAK!” Casy’s gasp turned into a scream of pain as her father’s hand slapped across her cheek. His eyes never left Kayu.

“I told you what would happen if you kept talking to me like that, boy.”

Kayu’s face was like graven stone, furious, yet at the same time calm. Casy stood beside him, holding the side of her face and trying not to cry.

“I’ll thank you to stop abusing my sister for so reason at all.” He said quietly, black eyes like fire.

Father took a large step forward, standing right in front of him. Kayu didn’t move. Father grabbed the front of his shirt and squeezed til his hand was white.

“I am entirely too fed up with the lack of respect you show to me as your parent.”

“I can’t respect someone who doesn’t act respect–”

“SILENCE!!”

“KAYU!” Casy screamed as her father raised his fist and slammed it down, aimed at Kayu’s temple. But the boy was quicker. He dropped, and even though his father was still holding onto the front of his shirt, the blow went high, meeting only thin air.

“I WASN’T DONE SPEAKING!” Father roared, hauling Kayu to his feet. When he refused to stand, Father just held him up by his collar, staring down into those cool, defiant eyes.

“I’ll give you a lesson you won’t forget.” He snarled.

“You already gave me one, last week.” His tone just a casual reminder.

“Kayu, no!” Casy cried.

“Quiet, girl! Or I’ll beat you too!” Father dragged Kayu out the door. When Casy tried to follow, Kayu glared at her and shook his head furiously, shooing her back away from the door. That didn’t stop her though, and she followed a moment later.

Their father had taken Kayu around the back of the house and shoved him up against the wall of the barn while he searched for something to beat him with. Kayu stood calmly, arms crossed, waiting, as the rain poured down on them. The only light came from a window in the back of the house.

When Father couldn’t find a suitable tool, he jerked the sword-knife from his belt and grabbed Kayu’s arm, flinging him down onto the ground. He then proceeded to beat the boy repeatedly, over and over again, with the flat side of the blade. The blade wasn’t very long, and when he didn’t get a reaction out of Kayu, he turned the weapon and used the hilt instead.

Kayu gasped for breath, his face half smothered in mud, but he wouldn’t move. He wouldn’t scream, or cry. If he did he’d lose all nerve, all strength. He could do this. He’d done it before. Just breath. Don’t let him force a reaction out of you. That’s all he wants.

Suddenly the hilt came down on his right kneecap, the one Father had crushed the year before, and he screamed. His father laughed, slow and evil.

“I know how to break you, boy. You can’t keep it in forever.” He lifted his hand to begin beating again, but in a blur, Kayu was gone from his position on the ground. Father looked up and jumped back, switching the sword to hold it from the hilt. Kayu stood a yard away, tense, favoring his right leg.

“You gonna fight this time?” Father asked in a dark, crooning tone.

“I’ve always fought you.” Kayu hissed. “You never defeated me. Not once.”

“I really never thought I’d hear the day when you actually asked for another beating.” His father said, taking a step forward.

Rain dripped down Kayu’s face and he shook his head, tossing hair out of his eyes. “You may beat my body, but with every blow you strike you only beat more strength into my spirit.”

The sword-knife was glowing dimly now as his father’s fury rose once more.

“You never won.” Kayu continued. “I did. I won by provoking you into beating me. I control you, you never controlled me. I’m too free for you. I won’t play along in your game. Sorry, but I’m not a pawn. I’m a person. I’m your son.”

“Shut your mouth before I shut it permanently.” His father snarled.

Kayu’s eyes flickered toward the knife. “No.”

His father yelled and leaped at him. Kayu ducked out of the way and brought his elbow up, catching his father in the shoulder, spinning him so he landed on his back. Kayu was on him before he even landed, wrestling with the hand holding the sword, fighting to stay on top as they slid through the mud.

His father’s other arm flailed, hitting his side repeatedly, but it was nothing to Kayu. Having been raised with constant abuse from his father he had an extremely high pain tolerance, and so barely felt the blows.

He grasped at his father’s right hand, twisting the knife away from himself and striking his father’s wrist with the heel of his hand. His father howled in pain and Kayu planted his knees on his chest, close to his neck. Another strike to his father’s wrist, and his grip loosened. Kayu snatched at the knife and it ripped away from his father’s fingers of it’s own accord. Kayu didn’t spare any time wondering at it. The blade burst into a line of blue fire as his own fingers closed over the hilt, and he glared down into his father’s face.

“You thought you could cow me. You thought you beat me into submission. Well, you can’t. No one can control me. No one can make me bow to them. I serve myself, and myself alone. You’ve hurt too many people, Darhor Arashi, and you better be thankful my conscious wouldn’t let me live if I killed you. So instead… I’ll make it so you can never hurt anyone again.” He slammed the hilt of the knife into his father’s chin, wrenching his mouth open. Shoving his fingers into his mouth, he jerked out his tongue and sliced it off with the burning blade. While his father gagged and choked, Kayu took each of his hands and sawed off his thumbs and middle fingers. Flinging away the bloody mess, he rose and stepped back. His father rolled over, spitting up blood and retching over and over again. The rain pounded everything into the mud, and Kayu turned away, walking back to the house.

Casy was leaned against the wall near the door, staring at him as he approached. “Kayu,” she whispered, half horrified, her eyes wide and moist.

“What?” He snapped, not meaning for his voice to be so harsh.

She ran to him and hugged him, sobbing into his already soaked shirt. He sighed and held her close. “Shh, shh, calm down, Casy baby. You’re safe now. He’ll never hurt you again, I promise.”

“How’d you do it?” She asked, looking up at him.

He couldn’t answer, so he gently unwrapped her arms from around him and gave her a push toward the door, walking past her when she didn’t move. He went inside and came out again a few minutes later, bag in hand. The sword-knife was tucked safely away in his boot, out of sight. Rain still pounding, water streaming from his hair and down his face, he walked with determined strides down the road.

“Kayu!” Casy’s voice called after him. “What are you doing?”

He stopped and turned. “Aren’t you coming?”

After a moment’s hesitation she dashed after him and grabbed his hand, and together the two of them left without leaving word to anyone of what had happened.