Landon, Whitney.
These names brought abought an icky sensation to the Lutman house.
A sensitivity and hostility that every head despised but then again, they were taught to do so. Yes, taught. Every youngling knew the story, the past was told of the Black Goats, the twins of chaos.
Slowly, each person took a seat.
Knives scrubbed against ceramic, forks picked at tissues of food, glass clanked lightly. Clearly, everyone was quick to eat yet set for whatever was to unfold.
Reece finally took a sip off his highball.
"A meeting will be held in the next hour" he began "This man will state his purpose, explain himself and walk out immediately"
Landon laughed warmly, "Now, now brother, that's not how it works" he bit at a piece of meat "Might the budding age of 94 be the cause of this?" his tongue scrapped at his cheek before his head tilted as if in thought.
Reece paused, "Adhere to rules, you are not above it"
"I believe myself to be a stranger to the Lutman name, right Sir. Reece Lutman?"
With the silence in the hall, came sharp glares. For how long will this go on?
"Truth be told, my presence is with no intention to contend" Landon paused "As we are in our elderly ages, I only came because I was called"
"By whom?"
"Now, now brother, take no heed to my affairs as you have done in the past 59 years" Landon drank and stood to his feet, dragging along his cane.
Slowly, the dining hall grew empty.
In the blooming of the gardens, Berry and Belle sat on the swings. After the family meeting with Ruby clearing the rules, Berry sat in thought.
His mother, Meredith had always hinted at how redundant they were to the household. This was no news to him, as much as his cousins were welcoming, he couldn't help but float into the comforting depths of detachment.
Jeremy. A cousin he couldn't fathom, a cousin who he dreaded.
From the stories, Jeremy was a man who should have been a Black Goat, and yet, he walked into those halls back at the meeting like he owned it, like he didn't care.
Something about it brought in tumult and a distant rage.
He wasn't disrespectful to them, most notably with the fact that they as twins were older with a gap of a year and still, the air around him was met with respect and somehow, the people around him bent to his will. Including them.
He and his sister were always good, like Meredith said, obedient. And yet now, they were nothing -but obedient.
How could he make his mother proud? how could he establish himself in the midst of the chaos that took everyone by storm and brought them all back? How could he get to the Ledger first, how could he lead? How could he be Reece Lutman, the ruler.
"Brother"
Berry awoke, recollecting from his thoughts and daydreams as he turned to his sister.
"Thinking about what mom said?"
He nodded before turning back and staring at his fingers as they wove in between each other.
Belle sighed with a warm smile "We'll never be like them"
Berry gnashed his teeth in refusal of the possible fact.
"We can watch", "It's fun to watch" she paused "Why so serious?" she asked rhetorically before turning to him "Everyone's so stiff"
He smiled and remembered.
No matter how much they had aged, Belle knew herself to be careless with matters of status, power but he accepted the reality and took a thought to focus.
"We'll earn the favor of the family"
"What?" Belle turned to him.
He smiled "We'll get the vote to be summary writer and reporter"
"Mm" she shrugged "That's some task now, isn't it?"
Berry chuckled and nodded in response.
Marilyn strode alongside Ruby, her pride and joy, across the warm, silent hallway.
To her, Ruby was the exemplary woman. At the grown age of 40, Ruby not only stood as a head figure in the Lutman household but also held a family with a dignified and humble man.
Marilyn felt it in her that in a soon case, her time to go would come. Her bones were fragile, her flesh, sagging and her shoulders had already tilted forward.
Steadily, they headed towards the long doors of Harry's room and walked in.
The duo watched as he had sat up, the nurses checking his vitals. Slowly, Marilyn took a seat at the bedside armchair and soon, the nurses walked out.
Harry turned to Marilyn, his head tilted in a pale, warm smile "You look well"
She smiled "You don't"
A light laughter erupted in the room.
"Anyone wanna fill me in on any recent events" Harry relaxed into the bed
Marilyn turned to Ruby and she stood properly.
"Where did you stop down the memory lane?"
"Um" Harry began in thought "I received the confiscation news from my lawyer and while coming home, had an accident" he paused "What next?"
"You were rushed to the hospital, wounds and all were taken care off, I and Will came, handled things with the hospital and you were brought home, Logan and his team came over and handled things here" she paused
"Everyone came back and attended the meeting in the hall, everything was explained but they decided that after 3 days, they will come back and that means, they will be here unfailingly in the day after tomorrow. The next morning which was yesterday you convulsed, Logan came over. We had a meeting, and came to these rules, listen carefully" she paused again, glancing over at him, he did the same.
"First, no major activity will be carried out without informing everyone or me- "
"And what kind of activity is a major activity?"
"Deciding to leave the estate for example or deciding to do something that can hinder the progress of finding the ledger or even attempting to start another or continue your business, this can incriminate us and cause the government to fine us, do you understand?"
He nodded. She did same.
"Second, there will be a vote soon for a summary writer and someone who will screen it thoroughly then report back to Father, this was requested by the government officials"
He nodded.
"Third, if anyone was to notice suspicious movements, activities or even notice anyone among this household who breaks these rules, reports with corresponding evidences, will be handed over to Father"
He nodded.
"These were the decided rules before you woke up this morning" she paused "Uncle Landon came"
Ruby paused again before glancing at him after a long second. Harry sat up and was just as shocked as she expected.
"He's still here and a meeting will be held so we can hear what he has to say"
"What did father say?" Harry turned to Marilyn.
Marilyn shrugged lightly, with a worrying sigh "Just wanted him gone as soon as possible"
"Would you like to attend the meeting?" Ruby asked
Harry sat silently. Clearly, there was something more.
"I'll take my leave" Marilyn stood "Your father might need some company"
"Alright then, take care" Ruby walked her out before taking a seat on the armchair.
"Come on"
Harry turned to her, unsure.
"What happened?" she paused, leaning into the chair "You're not careless when you drive and you have a chauffeur, tell me what the fuck happened?"
He scoffed, sinking back on his bed.
"Same old work, just calculating and missed a step and then BAM!"
They sat in silence for a short while before Ruby sighed, "I'm not going to force you" she paused "But one thing I know, that you know, is that we never slip, no matter the work that piles up on us"
Ruby sat up, retouched her dress before standing to her feet and heading to the door.
"What are you going to do?" Harry spoke, his voice saddled with the uncertainty of the reaction his words would bring, "If you knew, nothing would change"
"You underestimate me" She turned on her tracks "Dear brother, only a few things are beyond me but I definitely have it in me to do as I wish"
Harry laughed lightly, clearly easing up to her words before a silence that seemed like an hour befell them. Ruby took a seat, waiting.
"I don't know what I did?"
Harry's head sunk slightly, his eyes averting while he swallowed back on his emotions. The baritone of his voice weighed in the depths of the lengthy silence.
"I don't know where I got it wrong, I…" he paused and slowly, his eyes watered, "She called it off"
Ruby leaned in, "Lily?"
He licked on his pale, dry lips before swallowing down the hardness in his throat and biting back the tears "She said she had understood herself to be a waste on me"
Ruby watched as Harry shook his head, slowly, then vigorously "I was wrong, … I apologized… and yet, yet" he paused tilting his head up to his sister "it wasn't enough"
As her eyes met his, she held firmly unto his fingers. In the midst of worry, she shot him a strong stare, allowing him continue, taking his time to gather the words.
"I got the confiscation news early" he started, "Not too early, just a day before, I spoke to you and Harry, remember?"
Ruby nodded.
"That night, we had sex, I wanted to tell her after but she brought up a talk about marriage or what not, I laughed it off but-" he paused
"I don't understand, it's not like it's the first time. We've talked about it, taking our time, we already decided things, … what? Where? … I- I don't understand"
The room fell silent once again. Ruby watched him lay back on the bed as he ran his fingers into his hair in frustration while shaking his head in refusal.
"You know what I think?"
He turned to her.
"Come to the meeting, see Uncle, hear what he has to say, get yourself out of here and then I'll tell you what I really think"
Harry sighed heavily before pausing his movements suddenly and nodded nonchalantly.
"Let's hear it for The Bleating Black Goat"
Ruby laughed warmly while he laughed lightly, "I'll send for the wheelchair"
He nodded and watched her leave.