THE RED HOODY
PART 2
Chapter 5: Sweet Sixteen
The day of Gus’ sweet sixteen birthday dawned as Sunny as Justin’s Sunshine, as golden as Brian’s eyes and as sweet as the birthday boy himself. A warm and fragrant breeze blew over the castle that fluttered all the flags that were on top of the many turrets.
Gus awoke bright and early as he was wont to do. He was in his castle room today due to the celebrations that would take place later that day. He always woke instantly, and bright and chipper. This annoyed Brian to no end because he was sluggish in the morning and needed at least two cups of coffee to feel halfway human.
He stretched, did an easy 100 push ups and went to shower. After, he dressed in jeans and a nice dress shirt for the day. Over all he wore his omnipresent Red Hoody.
Timothy had really found his passion and genius in tailoring. Gus thought fondly on his Opa as he admired his Hoody as if for the first time. It was so strange, but it was like the first time every time Gus picked up his Red Hoody and every time he loved it anew.
Opa had been as good as his word and better, thought Gus fondly. He indeed had added to it year by year as he grew and moreover made other alterations so that with a tuck in here, a fold over there, snap up here, unsnap there, etc...etc...the Red Hoody was now a thing of wonder. It could be converted into: a full cloak that reached exactly to his ankles, a half riding cloak, a warm outside jacket, a light spring jacket, a hoody, and a inside dinner jacket. There were plenty of deep pockets that were all zippered.
But the most wonderful thing about the Hoody was that there was a kind of magic attached to it. Gus didn’t know how Opa had done it and Opa would never say. He was just glad it was there.
The Hoody could change into its different forms by itself, based on Gus’ surroundings or feelings and desires. If he was inside, it would remain as the dinner jacket unless he willed it otherwise. If it was cold outside it would transform into the warm jacket and if it was warmer into the cape, hoody, or light jacket depending on Gus mood.
Gus threw it on (it was in dinner jacket mode) and banged out of his room. His little brothers and sisters were in the living room watching TV.
In the ten years since Gus’ six birthday, Justin had had six more children. There was the first, the golden haired beauty who was coming up on his 12th birthday. He had been named something fancy but it was forgotten now because he had been nicknamed by everyone that met him who wanted to be his Buddy. And now that’s all there was. He was known only as Buddy. Then there was the next youngest, his brother Rudy. Rudy had brown hair, blue eyes and freckles. He was 10. The next was a girl with soft, dark hair and angelic features. They named her Jennifer. Justin wanted to name her after his mother whom he loved even though she could not be in their lives. Jennifer was 9 years old.
The real Jennifer never recovered. She remained institutionalized to this day and was completely insane. She perpetually thought she was on a trip to Club Med and had the best to eat and ate with silver and dressed in gauzy white. She was attended by a hunky, muscular butler/attendant who did everything from bring her food to wave her with palm leaves. (she thought.)
In reality, she was in her own wing of the asylum, Brian and Justin had caused it to look like a poolside outside area with a few palm trees and a nice bedroom that resembled a hotel room. She was locked in every night but since she never checked, she never knew. The attendant was muscular but the skimpy speedo costume he wore was only in her mind. Nurse Tucker wore only hospital whites.
Brian and Justin visited her a few times but only behind one way glass but then gave up and just provided the hospital ridiculous sums of money to satisfy her eternal greed. Jennifer thought she was in the tropics and had let her vapid pleasure and consumerism... well... consume her. She wouldn’t have acknowledged them even if she had known they were there.
And so, Brian and Justin had to move on with their lives. They had their children to think about. After Jennifer there was a pair of identical twin boys. They were blond and inseparable. They slept together and then in the same room, dressed alike, made their hair the same way, and ate the same things and at the same time. And they loved it this way. Their names were John and Matthew. They were 8.
Justin had a brief respite and for a year or so lived an otherwise normal life. But all too soon he was knocked up again. This made Justin alternately want to jump for joy and murder Brian. Brian just smiled a shit eating grin which made Justin want to alternately jump his bones and murder him. It was a tempestuous pregnancy.
Out of this hoohaw came Noah. It was a difficult pregnancy and a difficult birth. The baby had to be turned in utero or it would have been a breach birth. And after all that Justin figured he deserved a little rest and Noah means rest. Noah was 5.
And shortly after, he was indeed given rest. One day, a few months after Noah had been born, Justin awoke and he was itchy....down there. His small pregnancy hole had shored up into a scabby mess. This scabbed over more and more and then one day in the shower it washed and rubbed off until there was only a small white scar left to remind him that anything had been there at all. It was gone and there were no more children.
So there they all were: Buddy, Rudy, Jennifer, John and Mathew, and Noah. And Gus made seven. And that was quite enough for Justin.
And there they all were, plugged into their various devices or watching TV. Gus started breakfast but conscripted the two older ones into helping him. No way was he doing all this by himself...well...anymore, now that a few were old enough to help.
With the coffee brought his dads. As always they were sleepy and dishevelled. Justin had a smile on his face and as usual Brian was grumpy as a bear poked in the side with a hornet’s nest.
“You wouldn’t have this problem if you didn’t drink this much coffee,” Gus said for what seemed like the millionth time, handing it over.
“Happy 16th,” Brian returned, “How are you enjoying it?”
“I’m enjoying it very much. Thank you Dad.”
“Good.” Brian took a noisy sip. “Now shaddap or you won’t see 17!”
Gus was used to this type of answer and ignored it. He sighed gustily and sat and perused his tablet screen for a used motorcycle. “Boy it sure is tough being your enabler,” he said.
This was met with a snarl and then a contented sigh as Brian was at last caffeinated.
After breakfast, they all got dressed to go down to the stables. When he was 14, Gus had been promised his own horse when he was 16 if he had kept up his home-schooled grades. Gus had more than delivered and was now anxious and excited to collect. He’d already picked out a magnificent specimen, a black Arabian. He had named him Onyx as he was black all over, even the irises of his eyes.
Gus was ready yesterday and waiting for everyone had him hopping from one foot to the other in anticipation. It was teen angst at its finest and everyone ignored him to his annoyance.
Finally, everyone was ready, they went outside. As he stepped out, the Hoody unsnapped here, molded itself here, resnapped there into light spring jacket mode. Gus ran ahead to the stables careful to not run into other patrons who were using the castle grounds and patios. Brian and Justin followed a bit more sedately along with the rest of the children who were eager to see the horses and which one Gus would choose.
Thanks to the gift of beauty, the years had been kind to Brian and Justin. Their hair remained rich and colored and not only had they yet to see a wrinkle but they looked virtually the same as they did when they had first met. Brian was still hugely muscled which he maintained with rigorous weight training and Justin joined him for his exercise as well. And although Justin never got as massive as Brian, he had all sorts of pleasing bumps, six pack abs, and a deep chest of his own. Both of them still had a spring in their step, something that they were deliberately slowing down at the moment to further annoy the bouncing birthday boy. Both of them found this highly amusing.
Gus was not amused. “Come on! Come on! Hurry up! Opa moves faster than you two!”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Justin said, biting his cheek and bending to fuss with Noah for the sixth time in 60 steps.
“I think you do! Now hurry up and stop fussing with that toddler! He’s as cute as he’s going to get today! Come on! I want my horse!”
However, Brian and Justin continued to move along as sluggishly as the tempo of this chapter and so at last Gus took the initiative and just trotted ahead of them and went to the stables himself, moved down and over to stall 86 where the black Arabian stallion he had chosen a long time ago was housed.
Arjax was there as always, and was very kind and courteous to Gus as if he were a little Prince of old, which in a way, he was. And when he saw which horse Gus was attached to, he was extremely pleased.
“An excellent choice, milor—uh, Gus,” said Arjax in a proud voice. This is the biggest and healthiest horse I have in my stables. And it’s been newly gentled so it’s ready to ride.” As try as they might, the workers could not get past that they lived in a medieval castle and therefore sometimes slipped up in their titles to the upstairs crew. Some liked it, a lot of the guests loved it but Brian, Justin, Jack, and the original crew still cringed a bit.
“I know. I’ve been keeping up with his progress and visiting him every day for a while now. We’ve developed quite a good rapport already, but today...I want to think of him as mine. No one else is to ride him. And I’ll take care of him from now on. The other stablehands have been showing me how.”
“Very well, Gus,” Arjax said. “Do your fathers know?”
“Yes. And they’ve been riding with me for quite a while. They know I can handle it. Although I don’t know if they realize I really want to take care of him every day. I’ve been learning in secret, you see.”
“Learning what?” asked Brian, appearing out of thin air.
“How to take care of my new horse,” Gus answered, “I’ve been mucking out his stall and feeding and watering and brushing him for 6 months now, every night.”
“Are you sure this is what you want, son? You’ll have to do that in the morning now as well. Every day.”
“I know Dad. And yes. I will.”
Are you really sure of this?” Justin asked. Riding a horse was one thing but taking on one as a pet was whole different ballgame in his opinion.
Gus climbed aboard and closed his eyes. His Hoody unsnapped and tucked and folded and blew out behind him as if in a high wind. When it settled it settled around his shoulders in the half riding cloak. It could have looked silly but it didn’t. Somehow, he pulled it off and he looked very regal indeed.
“Yes. I am sure.” He said in a final word type of voice and everyone present could tell that he really was.
And so, since Gus promised so fervently, had decided with such finality, and because this part of the chapter has gone on waaaayyy too long, Gus was at last allowed to saddle and bridle Onyx and lead him out of the stable and climb up upon his back and ride away across the grass and among the horse trails; their first official ride as horse and owner.
BJBJBJBJBJBJBJB
He was hungry all the time now. So very hungry. But this hunger had nothing to do with his stomach.
He hungered for revenge, thirsted for blood, thought about what he would do to the old man and the boy constantly. But the old man was protected by his iron fence and the boy by the Hoody that was as red as the blood he craved to spill. He was powerless, helpless and had remained so for these many years.
He knew he could have attacked any of the other tender and juicy kids in their unconventional flock but he never really considered it. He wanted Gus. Gus was the Head Patron’s firstborn and he knew that his revenge involving the boy would strike the deepest blow against the father.
But day after day, week after week, month after month, the boy wore that red talisman and he could do nothing to stop it. And so he had to wait.
The months turned into years. And still Gus wore that accursed thing everywhere. Not only that, it developed magical properties that made it all the more valuable to the boy. And so, he was forced to wait and watch. He watched him grow up strong and healthy and happy with two sets of parents and a grandparent that loved him and it made his blood boil. The boy grew into a young man, a little Prince who was sexy and strong, confident and rich. And he was kind and humble and unassuming and pulled off everything else with a flair. And everyone loved him for it.
And the more everyone else loved him, the more the Beast hated him; the more he wanted to kill him. If he had been hungry for his revenge before, now...now, he was positively ravenous. He must have his revenge. He MUST! The sooner, the better. And it was worse than ever before. Before, he wanted to kill the little Prince. Now...now, he wanted to make him suffer.
TBC