Chapter 1.
Being in a car has always put me in a hazy state where time passes quickly and my thoughts float about of their own accord. The trip to my “aunt’s” house was four-hours long but it felt like not much time at all when my sister Becky nudged my leg and pulled me away from the window which had my full attention for the last leg of the trip. “We’re almost there Bobby, it’s time to wake up”. Becky was your usual girl. She was meek and quiet but at the same time could be bossy. Just because she was a year younger than me she tended to act like she more mature. My oldest sibling Justin who sat up front often said “we’re just kids to her but she considers herself a deputy adult”. Like I said, she was a very typical girl.
“I always tell you I wasn’t asleep, god” I began to huff but Becky didn’t take the obvious bait for another go at sibling argument. “Ok, well you still need to get ready” she chided calmly. I knew the situation was weighing on her as much as me but I didn’t move or respond. I continued to huff. After a short pause Becky asked me if I needed any help. “I got it” I snapped and started shoving my video game and book back into my bag.
“Just leave him alone Beck. It’s not your job to tell him what to do” Justin snarked. He’d always been able to provoke a reaction from Becky. This time it was a rant about how “Somebody has to keep him on task” and “If only we had an older brother to keep us together”. I tuned most of it out. I wished she would stop trying to be the responsible one. Sure I wished that Justin was the compassionate and responsible big brother since our mother died but that just wasn’t him. Justin often felt more like a twin than my big brother. He was 15 going on 16 but he didn’t seem much different than me or any other 13 year-old. Although Becky often oppined that the way we acted she was surprised we weren't still in diapers. We shared a joy for practical jokes and breaking rules that was only matched by what she called out childish sense of humor.
“Enough, kids” chimed in Ms. Mirrian. “Becky is right we are almost to your “aunt” Janice’s. Don’t you want to be on your best behavior?” Becky nodded while Justin let out a loud “pfft” and followed it up with a fart noise. Ms. Mirrian tried to cut through our shared laughter as Becky fumed “Come now let’s make a good impression. Janice offered to adopt you right from the start. You’re going to be there a long time”
“If we’re going to be there for a long time then shouldn’t she know what she’s getting?” Justin countered while giving her his most winning roguish smile. Neither girl seemed particularly impressed. Becky went back to picking up her own neat little mess and Ms. Mirrian started going on about the importance of first impressions. Like Becky earlier I didn’t really listen. Why do girls talk so freaking much?
“If you boys don’t learn to behave you’re going to have a really hard time considering her personal beliefs…” she trailed off and as all three of us tried to ask what she meant the car pulled to a stop. “Well, you boys will find out soon enough now stay in the car. I’m going to go let them know you’re here. Becky would you accompany me?” Us boys shared confused to glances and Becky seemed just as confused and a little concerned. Did she know what was happening? She paid way more attention to world politics than we did. Before we could ask any more questions or find out what was happening they were both long gone and we were left alone. Just the boys.
We both stared out into our new home. It wasn’t hard to see why it had been so hard to get a hold of Janice. She was our mother’s best friend a long time ago and had been listed as our mothered prefered guardian for us when the cancer finally took her. It was clear that famed author and botanist Janice Teller was very reclusive. We were sitting smack dab in a huge piece of land. Janice’s house was gigantic and it wasn’t the only building on the property. Just from the car I could also see an old barn, some sort of old toolshed-looking building and a Green house surrounded by a large garden. All that and the property also seemed to be a farm while also being surrounded by hills and small mountains. The place seemed completely isolated.
“Bro we are going to Fuck. This. Place. Up.” he said shooting me an evil grin. “We could do whatever we want out here and nobody would ever find out”
“Yeah, I guess” I said avoiding his gaze. “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me Mirrian’s stuff back there got to you?”
“What? No, I wasn’t even listening. It’s just that I’m really sick of moving and being put with people who don’t even really want us. It sounds like Janice might really want us”. FInally Justin seemed to get serious for a second. “Yeah maybe but if she really does there is nothing we could to change her mind right?” he sighed as his words clearly didn’t comfort me much. “Ok ok we’ll keep things quiet for awhile until we settle in ok? No way the usual stuff will make her change her mind after she’s loved you and Becky for a couple months”. I smiled at this finally and we waited in silence for a few more minutes until finally Ms. Mirrian returned with a girl. She was tall for a woman with neat blonde hair and seemed to be in her mid-twenties. She seemed like someone who could be very pretty except that her hair was pulled back and her face was very serious. She was wearing what looked like a vintage nanny uniform right out of mary poppins. She took control immediately.
“Boys I am Nanny Meredith. You may refer to me as such or just “nanny” or “Ma’am”. You don’t want to get caught calling me Meredith only and you will strongly regret calling me anything else, I promise. Now I will be escorting you to the family room where Mistress Janice will go over the room and then I will give you a tour before bed. Ms. Mirrian has informed me you have already eaten dinner but we still have much to do before eight so step lively now. Oh yes and say goodbye to Ms. Mirrian”
Nanny Meredith’s commands were a powerful force. It felt almost like a superpower. We would quickly discover that all women here had that same super-power and they would soon teach it to Becky. Even she would have us leaping to her word soon enough. For now though we were confused and rushed to the main house before having a chance ask questions like “What do you mean we have to call you “Nanny Meredith”, “What happens if we call you the wrong thing” or “What do you mean eight? That can’t be our bedtime”. Soon we were in the entrance all of the huge and immaculately clean house. We were told to leave our jackets and backpacks in a series of cubbies on the wall. While we put our stuff away I marveled at just how ridiculously clean this place was. I thought about how that must mean Nanny Meredith was VERY good at her job. I was right but I hadn’t realized her job was keeping us boys on task yet.
We were escorted into the family room. It was a huge space with a series of extremely comfy looking oval chairs and a very angular sectional couch. It was filled with women. Each sat in a chair. An older woman in her 50’s who must have been Janice. She wore a fashionable casual skirt-suit or whatever it’s called. She had a soft smile and shared her blonde hair with her two daughters. Because of the hair Becky practically slotted in perfectly with the other girls. Both daughters wore clothes that matched their personality. Clara was the oldest at 16 and while everybody here rode horses horseriding was definitely “her thing” with her designer jeans, riding shirt and sensible ponytail. Sharon was a little younger at 14 and more of a scholar. They both also had a lot of interest in boys although not in the way you’re thinking. Beck in comparison looked meek in her ratty simple dress. She was avoiding our eye contact. She looked worried.
There was also a boy wearing overalls sat open legs out at the on the floor in the middle of the room. This was Charming. He was their 13 year old brother. I didn’t understand at first but there was something weird about him. He reminded me of Becky.
“Ah good the boys are here.” began Janice “We can discuss this more when we’re alone alright, Rebecca? Now it’s we got right to the rules of the house so we can put the boy’s right to bed. We want them to be ready for their first day here don’t we? Now boys why don’t we you next to Charming on the ground there.”
I couldn’t help but notice the way we were being talked about. It felt like we weren’t even acknowledged except to be told what to do. As we sat next to Charming who gave us a wide welcoming smile my brother began to speak. “It’s only six thirty what the-”
“Are you speaking out of turn?” Sharon spoke fearlessly over him casually not even looking up from the pad she had been absently drawing at since we had entered. Janice smiled. “Thank you, Sharon. Boys you will find both of my girls are very good at keeping order. This is something you will need to come to understand very quickly. You see, they are not your equal in this household nor will Rebecca be the underling that you’ve treated her as, Justin” she paused a moment to allow the implications of what she was saying to hang in the air before confirming it with her next sentence. “You see our household is strictly female-led. You will be expected to obey any order given by the women in this room or any other woman.”
“BULLSHIT” shouted Justin as he jumped up. Clara and Sharon both had annoyed looks on their face but nobody seemed as concerned as I was. I made eye contact with Becky. She couldn’t really mean this right? Just expect us to agree with this? Becky looked guiltily at me for a moment and then averted her eyes.
“Now Justin you don’t want to say things you’ll regret do you?” asked Janice with a soft smile.
“WHY THE HELL SHOULD I LISTEN TO YOU! ANY OF YOU! YOU BULLSHIT SEXISTS” Justin screamed in panic. Suddenly he seemed more scared than I’d ever seen him. So was I but I handled it differently. I got quiet. I waited to see what would happen to Justine. Before he would always be back and I would follow in his footsteps but this time felt different.
“Meredith why don’t you take Rebecca and little Bobby on a tour of the house and tuck Bobby and Charming in while me and the girls deal will with Justin” she said calmly as she reached out for his ear as if this were an old movie and he were an errant six-year old. Sure enough it caused him to stop cursing and let out a whine.
Meredith gapped a bit “Mistress wouldn’t it be proper for me to take disciplinary measures?”
“I think in this particular instance our new additions need to see who the head of the household is” spoke Janice calmly as if her arm didn’t end on a young mans ear. Before she was even finished Nanny Meredith was already ushering us out of the room as the girls closed in on Justin.
“Yes, leave it to us Meredith” said Sharon with a hint of concerning joy.
As we entered one of the connecting halls leading us to the girls section of the house I pulled at Meredith’s dress like a scared five-year old. “Uh excuse me, Nanny Meredith? Can I ask you a question?”
“So well-mannered. I can tell who’s going to be my favorite boy already. You may, Bobbie”
“Is my Brother going to be ok?”
“Oh of course. He’s just receiving his first discipline session.”
