Generation 1: Chapter 15

 

Time flew by for the Dubois family; Hitomi and Anya were in high school now, Julia was in Junior High and Jason was on his last year of elementary. Sadie made pancakes for breakfast and the girls sat at the table with Marrick, waiting for breakfast as they talked about school and other things.

Hitomi was now dating her friend John whom she had been friends with since she was a child, while Anya hadn’t found anyone yet, but the line of boys at her school that wanted to date her stretched across the whole neighborhood. Marrick hated Hitomi’s boyfriend, he was convinced he was a bad influence on her because for the first time in all of her school career, ever since they started dating her grades had been slipping from the constant A’s to high and low B’s, and he new she was smarter than that. He especially hated seeing how fast his girls were growing up into women and he dreaded the day that they would move out to go to college. Marrick didn’t like the attention that Anya was getting from all the boys in her grade, but he was happy that she wasn’t jumping into anything until she was done with her schooling. There were even a few times where boys had come over to ask Marrick himself to date Anya, and Marrick was happy to use scare tactics as a way to keep them away from her; inside and outside of school.

“I can’t believe Jason is already 11 today,” Hitomi began, “It seems like only yesterday he was learning how to walk, and failing at it,” she said with a giggle.

Anya and Julia laughed, “Just because he learned later than the three of us doesn’t mean he was failing, he can obviously walk, now. He just took a little longer..” Anya said with a smile, defending their brother.

“What do you think he wants to do today?” Julia asked everyone, Marrick continuing to drink his coffee as he listened to his daughters, relaxed and content as he sat there.

“Hm.. He’ll probably want to go to the library or something boring,” Hitomi threw in, always loving to tease her younger siblings.

“Well, we’ll have to do something super fun. My babies are growing up too fast, we need to make the most out of each of your birthdays,” Sadie joined in, soon finishing the pancakes and walking them over to the table for everyone.

Sadie called Jason to breakfast, but he never came down to eat with them, the rest of the family then deciding to eat without him since the food was getting cold. 

“Why does he hate breakfast so much?” Anya wondered out loud, “He loves mom’s cooking, but he never eats in the morning, and it’s like, the best food, too!”

“Oh, thank you, sweetie,” Sadie said with joy, clearing everyone’s plates from the table as they finished and cleaning the dishes at the sink.

Hitomi rolled her eyes at Anya’s comment about Jason, “He’s always like this, he’s so absent minded and over-emotional lately, he never knows what’s good and what isn’t anymore,” she said with little hope.

“Hitomi, that’s enough.. It’s his birthday,” Sadie chimed in again, Hitomi shrugging and choosing not to talk anymore.

About fifteen minutes later, Jason finally showed his face in the kitchen and Anya was the first to notice him, “Hey birthday boy!” She said excitedly and Jason smirked slightly.

“Morning,” he said quietly. Hitomi, Anya, Julia and Sadie all looked to Jason and smiled, but Marrick kept his attention forward, sipping his coffee and not acknowledging his son. Jason and Marrick still never got along; Jason didn’t give Marrick the time a day, let alone listen to anything he said or told him to do. He only listened to his mother and sisters.

“Wow, you look.. Fancy,” Julia said with a giggle afterwards, Jason then adjusting his jacket and collar.

“Thanks,” he continued to reply quietly.

“You missed breakfast that your mother made for you for your birthday,” Marrick said with a rather bland tone, already knowing that Jason wouldn’t care.

“..I wasn’t hungry..” Jason replied to his father, furrowing his brow and already not liking how the day had started off since his father had now spoken to him.

“Hi, Baby!” Sadie said happily, drying her hands from washing the dishes and coming over to Jason to give him a strong hug, “Happy Birthday,” she continued and Jason smiled wide. Jason loved Sadie the most of all, always listening to what she said and always enjoying her company, his mood being lifted completely now that his mother had taken away his attention from his father.

“Hey, ma!” He replied, hugging her tightly in return.

“If you didn’t want breakfast food then I could’ve made you something else, you know that. You get whatever you want today!” She continued happily, kissing his cheek.

“No, it’s okay, ma. I wasn’t hungry,” he replied with a smile and she caressed his face lovingly, admiring how handsome her little boy had become and how much he resembled Marrick.

“Well, I’m sorry I’ll miss a tiny bit of your birthday, but I’ll be back really soon, alright?” She said with another smile and he nodded happily. Sadie had recently been guest speaking at art museums and schools, giving lessons and teaching art all around town. She was getting very well known, and even became a small time celebrity throughout the city.

Marrick stood from his seat and put his mug in the sink, walking to Sadie and pulling her close, “Teach your class quick, we don’t want to have all the fun without you,” he said with a slight smile, kissing her lips gently and Sadie smiled warmly.

“It won’t be fun without her,” Jason said under his breath, hinting that since Marrick was the chaperone, they wouldn’t have any fun.

Sadie smiled at Marrick and kissed him once more, “I’ll be back soon, just let me know what you guys decide to do and I’ll meet you there or something,” she added and Marrick nodded. The family all said their goodbyes to her and Marrick watched her leave the house, soon looking to Jason and keeping a blank expression and Jason scowled at him slightly.

Hitomi got up quickly to break the tension between the father and son, walking over to Jason and forcing him into a hug, “Happy birthday, baby brother,” she said with a smile and Jason smiled as well, hugging his oldest sister in return.

“Thanks,” he replied.

“Are you ready for Junior High next year? It should be challenging, but I know you can do it!” Hitomi continued and Jason shrugged.

“Yeah, I guess I’m ready,” he replied, soon giving her another smile and seemingly not that excited for his birthday.

Anya soon came over to him and hugged him as well, “Happy birthday! What do you want to do today?” She asked, watching as his expression twisted in thought and he soon shrugged, being in the same position as Anya when she was his age and not caring what they did.

“Let’s go do something fun, like the arcade!” Julia suggested, Jason’s expression growing happy and he nodded. Jason then looked to Marrick as if asking him without words if they could go there, but he soon looked away and didn’t want to bother talking to him.

“That’s a great idea, let’s go there,” Hitomi took over being in charge as she looked to Marrick, smiling at him as if to say 'just say yes and don't be mean' and his expression didn’t contest to what the kids had decided.

“Alright, the arcade it is,” Marrick replied, and soon the family loaded up into the car and left.

The arcade was in the city and Marrick took forever driving to it; he still hated the city. He stopped at a gas station and got gas and drinks for the kids, taking his time when doing so as all of his children hassled him to hurry up. 

“When’s mom going to be there?” Jason asked as they drove towards the arcade.

Anya tousled his hair and giggled, “Don’t worry, she’s good at what she does, so it won’t take her long before she meets us there,” she assured him and he smirked, looking out the window and watching the buildings begin to get taller, more modern and they were soon inside of the city.

The first thing that the kids did is play video games against one another, Hitomi against Anya and Julia against Jason. Marrick sat on the sofa not too far from his children, watching them enjoy themselves and having fun on Jason’s birthday.

“You are sooooo going down,” Hitomi threatened, a devious and confident grin upon her lips.

Anya kept a straight face with a slight smile, “I doubt that, I’m awesome at this game,” she rebutted and gave a devious chuckle.

“Anya always wins, Hitomi!” Julia added, laughing as Hitomi gave her a threatening glare.

“This game’s stupid, let’s do something else..” Jason said with a disheveled expression.

“You’re just mad because I’m winning!” Julia replied with another laugh.

“Shut up! You’re not winning!” Jason hissed back, getting frustrated at the game.

“Be nice,” Marrick added, not enjoying whenever one of them got mad at the other, Jason simply rolling his eyes at his father's request.

Anya and Julia moved on to whack-a-gnome, Jason went to try his luck at the claw machine, and Hitomi was on her phone, most likely texting her boyfriend. 

“I’m gunna.. Go upstairs to play on the arcade machines,” Hitomi said with a smile to Marrick, him then watching as she raced upstairs to the second story and he raised his brow, wondering what she was up to. He continued on his way towards the others, watching them play their games and seeing Jason winning a toy. Marrick then remembered back to the time when they had gone to the tiny circus that came to town for Hitomi’s birthday when she was a toddler, thinking of the pink bunny he had won her on her birthday and a smirk ran over his lips.

Sadie eventually showed up as dusk rolled over the horizon, finding Marrick instantly and going to greet him. 

“Did I miss anything fun?” She asked and gave Marrick a quick peck on the lips.

“No, the kids have just been playing their games,” he replied simply, watching as she smiled excitedly, “We should bowl for a little bit,” he suggested and she nodded in agreement.

Jason came over to her quickly after hearing her talking to Marrick, “Hey, do you wanna play a game?” He asked her with a wide smile, feeling her brush his hair down and kiss his forehead.

“Your father and I were about to go bowling, it'll be fun! Do you want to come with us?” She asked in return, watching as his expression went slightly annoyed.

“No,” he replied and walked away from them, finding something else to do without them.

Sadie was concerned for Jason, but her and Marrick continued on to go bowling, talking about Jason as they did it. “Do you think I should’ve played with him?” She asked, getting a strike and not really even caring.

“He’s fine, you can play something with him in a little bit. We invited him to bowl with us and he said no, just let him do what he wants,” he reassured her and she smirked slightly.

“Yeah, I guess so,” she replied, continuing to bowl with Marrick for a while longer.

When they were done bowling, Sadie went to look for Jason and Marrick went around the arcade, looking for Hitomi and wondering where she had gone to. On the second story, the arcade seemed dead and Marrick walked all around it, checking each area in search for his eldest daughter.

The last place Marrick checked was the comic book section, finally finding Hitomi and he was displeased to see her with her boyfriend, John. His blood boiled at the sight of him, he hated him and knew Hitomi could do much better than a trouble maker like John. He watched as he flirted with Hitomi, getting close to her and even dragging his finger down her arm and Marrick had the sudden urge to hold him down and beat the living shit out of him. His protective nature was fierce and he didn't like seeing his daughter with someone he disapproved of.

Marrick’s eyes widened then as he watched Jason take hold of Hitomi and force her into a kiss, Hitomi acting as if she didn’t want it but letting him do it anyways. Marrick made a beeline towards them and forced them apart, surprising Hitomi and she was shocked by her fathers actions.

“Dad! What the hell?” She asked in anger.

“Watch your mouth, and while you’re at it, keep your mouth off him!” He retaliated, John’s eyes widening in shock and he didn’t know what to say, “You stay away from my daughter, do you hear me?” He asked John and he cowered in fear, looking to Hitomi and wanting help out of this horrifying situation.

“Dad, stop! This is stupid, he’s my boyfriend, I can kiss him if I want!” She replied, getting angry with her father and Marrick didn’t back down.

“Look man, I didn’t mean to upset you, I was just-” John tried to reason but Marrick butted in.

“I don’t want to hear it, keep your hands off of her,” he warned, looking to Hitomi and pushing her towards the steps to go downstairs, “Go by your mother,” he demanded, giving John one last death stare before escorting his daughter away from him.

“Dad, what is wrong with you? Let me go!” Hitomi yelled at him, gathering the attention of the rest of their family as she jerked her arm out of his grip, “I’m waiting in the car, leave me alone!” She threatened, getting her arm free from his grip and storming out of the arcade.

Sadie was in shock and worried for Hitomi, “What happened?” She asked with concern, Marrick’s expression going back to calm and bland.

“Nothing, let’s go,” Marrick replied simply, Sadie not asking anymore questions and taking his final word.

Of course Dad manages to ruin a fun day, Jason thought to himself, sighing in defeat as everyone kept quiet and left, the entire ride home awkward and almost nauseating from how much tension there was in the car.

When they arrived home, Anya, Julia and Jason went upstairs to their rooms and got ready for bed as Marrick and Hitomi exchanged heated words in an argument about John as Sadie watched, wondering what she should do to stop it. Marrick eventually grounded her and sent her to her room, not saying anything to Sadie as he went upstairs to their bedroom. Sadie was left alone in the living room, waiting until she heard both of their doors slam closed and deciding to go upstairs to check on Jason.

“Are you okay?” Sadie asked, noticing his annoyed expression and Jason soon went happy at the sight of his mother.

“Yeah.. I’m fine. Dad just.. Makes me angry,” he replied, looking to the floor and Sadie sighed.

“Why?” She asked.

“Because.. He always finds a way to ruin everything. No one can ever make him happy, and if anyone around him is happy, he has to ruin it,” he replied and Sadie’s expression went saddened.

“That’s not true, you make him happy. Hitomi, Anya, Julia, we all make him happy, he was just concerned for Hitomi.. He’s not ready to lose his first child yet, neither am I,” she replied, “I admit he may have handled it wrong, but he’s just scared and nervous for her. She has a serious boyfriend, she's going to be going to college soon.. It's a lot for him to handle.”

Jason sighed and nodded, understanding her but still unsure of his father, “Still.. He didn’t need to do that, Hitomi should be with someone who makes her happy. I don't see the problem when John does make her happy,” he replied and Sadie pulled him into a  hug.

“I’m so happy to know I have such a kind, caring and understanding son,” she said with joy and Jason smiled, taking the compliment and liking that he wasn’t like his father, “Get some rest,” Sadie finished, kissing his cheek goodnight and she left his room.

Jason had fallen asleep, but only for roughly two hours, suddenly sitting up in his bed and breathing in a panic. He looked around his room and saw nothing, standing to his feet and walking over to his window to look out of it and loving the view of the city that he had from his window. He suddenly looked down, his eyes widening in shock when he saw an old, white and dark gray patterned dog walking though the yard. Jason worried for the dog, noticing that his chest, paws and underbelly was covered in blood and he wanted to help him.

Jason raced out of his room, tip-toeing down the stairs and hoping that he wouldn’t wake either of his parents since he wanted to sneak outside. He quickly typed in the code on the security system and the front door unlocked, Jason racing outside and running though the grass and the wet dew almost made him loose his footing a few times. His worry for the injured and mangled dog caused his heart to race and he ran as fast as he could through the yard and to the tree that was outside of his window.

Jason reached the back yard and still saw the dog in the distance by the tree, approaching with caution, “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you,” Jason whispered to the dog. Jason could smell the blood that the dogs fur was soaked in, walking around the tree to get closer and see what was wrong, but the moment he went passed the tree, the dog was no longer there. Jason looked around the hay blocks and around the tree, then looked around the entire rest of the yard and wondered where the dog had gone. 

“I.. Couldn’t have imagined it, I smelled the blood..” Jason said to himself in a whisper, confused by what he had just seen and wondering where the dog had gone to so quickly.

Jason soon came back inside, but only after checking the rest of the back yard first. He punched in the security code and locked the house again, making his way back up to his room and he stopped in the hallway when he noticed Hitomi sitting on the couch. 

“Where’d you go?” She asked, watching Jason walk over to her a little more.

“I, um.. I saw a dog outside, it looked really hurt, so I went to go see what was wrong with it,” he replied simply.

“A dog? Well, was it hurt, or no?” She asked, standing to her feet and walking over to Jason.

“Well, I think so, but.. It ran away before I could get close enough,” he answered with a defeated tone, Hitomi’s expression going curious.

“What did it look like?” She wondered, seeing Jason’s expression begin to remember.

“It was kind of a big dog, tall, really furry. It had two different patterns, a dark gray and white, he looked old, and it was covered in blood,” he replied, Hitomi’s face then went worried.

“Are you sure? Maybe it was just a different pattern or color,” she replied, not wanting to believe his story and hoping there wasn’t an injured dog running around.

“Yes, I’m sure! I could smell the blood!” He replied with a sudden burst of anger and she put her hands to his shoulders.

“Okay, okay! Keep your voice down, jeez.. Come into my room for a second,” she suggested, pulling him into her room with her and shutting the door silently.

“Wait, what are you doing up, anyways?” Jason asked curiously.

“I was on the phone with John,” Hitomi replied simply, “Now you’re sure it was hurt?” She asked, getting them back on the subject of the dog.

Jason’s demeanor was twisted with all different emotions, wondering what he should do, “Well, I don’t know.. It was covered in blood, I just kind of assumed it might’ve gotten into a fight with another dog or something,” he replied hastily, “We have to go look for it!” He pleaded, taking her arm and trying to lead her back outside with him.

“Jason, stop this, if the dog was hurt, then it wouldn’t have been able to get away so fast, I’m sure it’s fine,” she tried to reason with him and calm him down.

Jason’s eyes suddenly widened when he saw a picture hanging on Hitomi’s wall, never noticing it before now, “That’s it, that’s the dog I saw! Why do you have a picture of him?” He asked, walking to the photo and Hitomi sighed.

“That’s Archor, Dad’s old dog.. It couldn’t have been him, he died when you were a baby,” she replied, now not believing a single word he had said.

“It can’t be, it was this dog, I’m sure of it! I smelled the blood..” He replied, trying his hardest to convince her.

“Jason, just go to sleep, we’ll talk about this more tomorrow, I’ll even go looking for the dog with you in the morning, but I don’t care what you say, it wasn’t this dog,” she replied with a stern tone, pushing him out of her room and closing the door before he could plead with her anymore.

Jason walked to his room and shut the door quietly, walking back over to his window and looking out, seeing nothing by the tree but the grave of his father’s old dog and the bundled up hay blocks. He sighed as he looked down to the yard, hoping the dog would be okay and vowing that he would go looking for the dog in the morning with Hitomi. He slowly walked back over to his bed and crawled under the blankets, starring out the window at the trees swaying in the wind, his eyelids soon growing heavy and falling asleep as he thought of the dog covered in blood.

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Original chapter written and posted on April 14, 2013