by Beth Hoyer
on the door a serious of three knocks.
He heard a faint “Go away! I don’t want to talk to you!”
He spoke raising his voice “Victoria!”
He was interrupted by her voice sounding a bit louder “I said go away I don’t want to talk to you!”
Jinks groaned rubbing a hand on his forehead walked away from the door lowering his hand. He sighed recalling Robert at age thirteen acting rebelliously angry at him from time to time which stopped when his son was sixteen after having a growth spurt. He groaned feeling déjà vu again with Victoria walked to his bedroom to sit on the armchair staring at the open doors of the room. He frowned letting his thoughts wonder wondering how Robert was doing with Samira.
Sighing he saw Gustav come into view speaking that “Victoria has told me that she’s going to bed and doesn’t want to be disturbed till morning.”
He groaned a soft sound as he spoke “Thanks Gustav, dismissed.”
He watch the butler leave the room leaving the doors open.
He sat in the armchair with a frown on his face and thought to himself “I might as well go to bed myself. Nothing I can do about Victoria and her attitude. Must be hormones talking hence she acting like this.”
He groaned and got up going to the doors shutting them then went into the bathroom. Jinks came out clad in his pajama pants went to the lamps shutting them off plunging the room in the darkness with him seeing with night vision. He went to the bed and yanked the blankets for him to get inside. He lay on his side and threw the blankets over his head shutting his eyes falling asleep.
Jinks dreamed of he facing Lance who looked disgusted judging by the look on his face.
I’m still clueless to how’s Lance survived being thrown into a gate and arrived back to Shadan despite Zerra still insisting “Don’t focus onto that now!”
Jinks frowned as Lance spoke “Victoria and her attitude towards you teaching her karate have me disgusted. I’m not happy about that.”
He spoke “You got anything planned about that?”
He saw Lance’s eyes turn all black that made him feel nervous as his father spoke “Victoria is your responsibility. Solve her attitude problem yourself. I’m not doing anything about it period.”
He opened his mouth to speak and found his eyes forced shut.
Jinks came to hear the alarm sounding its noises yanked the blankets off to glare at the alarm clock he saw listed the time of eight o’clock in the morning. He got up and went to grab some clothes from the closet which he put on his form and tossed the pajama pants onto the unmade bed. He went into the bathroom to brush his hair and walked out to the doors opening them to spot Gustav standing in his familiar spot with the always same look on the butler’s face.
Jinks spoke “How was Victoria this morning?”
He looked at the butler questioningly who spoke “She was rather withdrawn and quiet, didn’t talk much despite Jacqueline trying to strike up a conversation with her. That’s all I know of Victoria.”
He frowned then spoke “Thanks Gustav.”
Jinks saw the butler nod his head as he walked to the dining room to sit at the table waiting for Jacqueline to arrive for his meal. He sat as Gustav went into the kitchen which Jacqueline later came out carrying a tray which she set down on the table in front of him and gave him her familiar look expecting him to eat the nourishment. He obeyed eating all of the food on the plate with silverware and drinking all of the orange juice in the cup. He once finished got up and walked out of the dining room to the TV room which he verbally ordered the TV on. He sat down and frowned seeing the TV show was a soap opera from the looks of it and verbally changed the channel to an all local news channel which he sat absent mildly watching the TV while glancing at the wall to let his thoughts wander. He felt himself getting bored with the news program verbally changed the channel to back to the soap opera channel which he sat watching it giving his attention recognizing the soap opera as the one he watched with Katherine years ago when Robert was in school from time to time. He exhaled a breath sounding annoyed as he saw a mating scene feeling distaste running through him for it reminded him of the time he last mated with Katherine before her cancer diagnose and wasn’t able to mate with her anymore due to her complaining of being too sick to do it. He continued to watch the soap opera entirely till another soap opera came on which had a science fiction theme focusing on Human life on a large space station depot with all kinds of manoid alien life forms. Jinks groaned for the soap opera brought memories of him visiting a space station depot among races that were manoid versions of ancient Earth’s gonoids while wearing nothing but sweat pants. Jinks recalled the races’ treating him with fear including talking to an Annukai who didn’t want to talk to him by his behavior. He groaned to continue watching the soap opera entirely till another one came on with a hospital theme in it. He growled as a memories of himself visiting Katherine at the hospital from time to time when she was staying overnight for cancer cure treatments. Jinks snarled a growl as he watched the soap opera with the memories repeatedly running in his mind.
He fisted his hands glaring at the TV forcing himself to watch it entirely and heard a voice speaking “TV off!”
Jinks jerked from the TV turning off to look at the doorway to spot Gustav with disapproval in his eyes despite having a blank expression in his face.
He stared at the butler who spoke with disapproval in his voice tone “its lunchtime time for your special drink.”
Jinks got up from the couch and walked out walking pass Gustav without a word. He sensed Gustav follow him to the dining room where he plopped himself in a chair and folded his arms. He formed a glare on his face as Gustav went into the kitchen slamming the doors with a loud bang sound. He flinched from the bang sound to glare at the kitchen doors to spot Jacqueline walking out carrying a cup full of strawberry milkshake liquid in it who grimaced seeing his glare. He followed her movements as she placed the cup on the table which he snatched it up drinking it all down then slammed the cup onto the table. He got up storming from the dining room going to the TV room and once inside verbally ordered the TV on. He sat on the couch to glare at the soap opera he saw had a political theme that made him feel annoyed recalling himself kicked out of the King position accused of cheating to win the election. Jinks folded his arms leaning back on the couch glaring at the TV watching soap operas back to back with themes that would bring a pained memory hitting him making him feel between disgust and annoyance.
He heard a throat clearing noise looked at the doorway to spot Gustav who spoke “its two thirty five, time for Victoria to be out of school now.”
Jinks spoke “Thanks Gustav, dismissed.”
He heard the butler leave the room which he verbally ordered the TV off and went to the gym room to stretch while keeping an eye on the clock stuck in the wall next to the double doors. He saw the time blare fifteen minutes to three o’clock swung he up with a karate move and began his motions of doing karate while keeping an eye on the clock. He felt himself getting annoyed as four o’clock arrived and still no Victoria. He growled an angry sound walked out of the gym room to Victoria’s room seeing her door was ajar.
He knocked on the door speaking “Victoria.”
He heard silence as his answer and nothing from his senses telling him that she was in the room. Growling he thrust open the door and walked into the room looking around. He spotted nothing amiss to hear Gustav behind him step in the doorway while clearing his throat.
Jinks looked at the butler who spoke with confusion in his voice “A woman answering to the name of Susanna Israel has called to say that Victoria was staying overnight at her house with her daughter a friend of hers. Ms. Israel when she called sounded like something else was going on hence she calling to inform of the sleepover.”
Jinks felt his annoyance spoke “Dismissed.”
He saw Gustav leave as he looked around the room seeing it was in a mess.
He thought to himself �
�I think I’ll make sure Victoria cleans up her room next time I see her.”
He left the room walking to his bedroom and thought on the way “Victoria will do anything to avoid learning karate from me hence this sleepover at her friend’s house.”
He stomped to the bedroom slamming the doors to go to the arm chair to sit and felt sleepiness shuts his eyes.
Jinks dreamed of the beach and Lance who spoke “Victoria confessed some lie claim to Missus Israel that you were abusing her by keeping her up at a very late hour in forcing her to learn karate. She claimed you wouldn’t let her go to bed till she got every single movement correct to your standards. This stopped at an every early morning hour hence she nodding off in school who backed her up by noticing her yawning and falling asleep in classes along with her school work appearing to be going down.”
Jinks felt rage hit him hard snarls out “Drat that daughter of mine.”
He felt a hand gagged him on the throat to look at Lance who had all black eyes with a glare. Jinks felt his rage leave him followed by nervousness as Lance narrowed his black eyes while gagging him harder.
He stared at Lance who spoke with anger in his voice tone “You will not do anything about Victoria and leave it up to me for I insist on that.”
He gagged out “fine father.”
He felt his eyes