Page 22 of Home: Posy 5

Archer, Wayne, and I sat at the dinner table. Although I was super hungry, I tried to be patient as I waited for the rest of the family to join us. Dad and Mom were finishing up in the kitchen, but the little boys were already seated across from us.

At first, I didn't know why everyone called the little boys heathens. Their names were William and Winnie, not Heathen and Heathen. If they both had the same name, how would anyone know which Heathen was which?

Then Spring 'splained what heathens meant and why the little boys were called that, and it made more sense.

Their names were still William and Winnie, though, and that's what I called them.

"WAYNE! ARCHER!" we heard Wade suddenly bellow from somewhere above us.

We looked at each other and giggled as he stomped down the stairs, then laughed harder as he raced into the dining room with only a towel around his waist. Winnie and William burst out laughing, too, when they saw that his wet hair was hot pink.

So was most of his skin, which I had not 'spected.

It worked!I linked my besties in amazement.

'Course it did,Wayne linked back.We know what we're doing.

We dyed Wyatt a couple of years ago,Archer added.

Seconds later, William and Winnie both fell out of their chairs to roll on the floor, and I stood up to make sure they didn't get hurt since they were screaming.

"They're fine," Wayne chuckled as he grabbed my shirt and pulled me back down on my chair. "They are just laughing."

"What happened?" Mom Evie asked as she hustled into the dining room. Her eyes went right to Wade and her lips twitched a bit before she turned to me and my besties. "Did you three do this?"

I nodded with a big grin, and both Archer and Wayne groaned and covered their faces with their hands.

"But we did." I tilted my head with a frown. "We put dye in—"

Archer put his hand over my mouth before I could say anymore, and Mom Evie started to cough.

"No, Reau!" Wesley giggled as he walked past me to get to his chair. "You're supposed to deny it!"

"Oh!" I nodded fiercely, then looked up at Mom Evie with wide eyes. "I deny it!"

That made everyone laugh, including Wade and Spring, although I didn't know why.

"It's not like we didn't know the responsible party," Dad Nathan rumbled as he set a giant pan of lasagna down in the middle of the table. "Wesley never pranks anyone, and the heathens are too little to do anything that complicated."

"For now," Wayne grinned. "They'll learn fast enough."

"Don't encourage them to be bad!" Dad Nathan snapped as his eyebrows smushed together. "You've done enough of that with Reau!"

At his words, my body stiffened and my heart thudded hard in my chest. When Spring growled from his spot at my feet under the table, Dad Nathan's eyes flew to mine and his face relaxed in an instant, but I wasn't fooled. I knew he was mad. Twisting my fingers together in my lap, I stared at them and tried to hide how I was shaking.

"Sorry, Wade," I whispered, hunching my shoulders to be smaller in case he started to hit. "Sorry for being a bad boy, Dad Nathan. I will spend the night in a cage."

I hadn't seen a cage here yet, but maybe they kept it in the basement. I shuddered at the thought of being locked in the basement. A cage I could tolerate, but not the dark.

I was scared of the dark.

A little whimper slipped out at the thought, which made me shake harder. I was in for it now! Mommy Daddy always doubled the punishment if I made a sound.

When two arms wrapped around my neck, I closed my eyes and waited for them to tighten and choke me. It was what I deserved, after all.

"No, Reau,I'msorry. I'm not mad at you, okay?" Wade moved his hands on my face and tilted my head up so I could see him grinning down at me. "Besides, I totally rock pink hair, don't you think?"

"Yes, you do! You look super cute!" Sniffling a bit, I asked, "You're not mad?"

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