"And you what?!" I yelled in Kamek's face.
"Say it don't spray it," he grumbled.
"Anyways, this little implant can allow you to breathe fire," he started. I doubted this strongly, but I was a tad bit scared. "I could just cast a spell on you, but those are merely temporary. Boring!" He explained.
"You can actually do that?" I breathed windlessly. "He made me breathe fire," Morton confesses, munching on a bag of hot chips. He then belched, hot flames and ashes erupted from his lips.
Kamek gently swung his arm in Morton's direction to strengthen his point. "Like that, but stronger," he said.
"Here, it'll hurt so let me numb you," he says as he pulls out his wand, speaking powerful foreign phrases as he strikes me with it. I felt the glassy orb crash with my skin once he was done.
"O-" before I could get that out, the pain dissolved, much similar to when Ludwig cast a spell on me to numb the pain when Roy pushed me off the railing back at our old neighborhood. It only lasted a while, I had a headache for a solid day after that.
Of course I didn't bug anyone about it.
"Kamek," I whined as the pain from the wand's fisticuff with my skin nullified completely.
"It's gonna be alright," Morton smiled comfortingly as Kamek injected the device into the back of my neck with a tool. He made it quick, and I made sure to stay silent as a scalding sensation coursed through my body.
"Now, blow, but with fire on your mind," Kamek grinned. Bowser strolled outside in yet another pair of basketball shorts, a black and mild perched on his lips. Bowser junior stood at his side, playing on his Nintendo Switch.
I thought about fire. Brimstone. Hot ashes blowing high, and poisoning the air. I let out a sharp and powerful breath...
A triumphant flame burst from my jaw. Woah.. I did it.. I DID IT!
"Atta boy! You're almost ready for the koopa troop! That's my son!"
I felt proud to be a son. To have someone be proud of me.
"He's not getting in until he's 18! Don't plot on him already!" Kamek scolded.
"But daaddd!" Bowser whined, ashes falling from the black and mild he was holding. He briskly flung it up and burned it with his breath without even looking at it.
"It took Morton weeks to get a flame that big. Taemin, a human mind you, did it his first try," Bowser argued
"I'm- right here?" Morton rolled his eyes, vaporizing his now empty bag of chips with a brilliant flame.
"First of all, Morton was 6 when you gave in and taught him. And Taemin had just turned 15 yesterday!"
"Sorry to interrupt," I start, "My birthday, was the day I was in the hospital," I chuckled nervously. Me and my big ass mouth.
"You're right, I'm sorry,"
Wow, I was expecting a chew-out.
"So? What does that matter? I put Ludwig in, WHEN HE WAS 12!" Bowser roared, raising his voice.
"I don't care! There's a difference between why you put him in the Koopa Troop, and why you think- THINK you should put him in!" Kamek raised his voice to the same level. This was getting heated fast.
"Who the fuck do you think arranged the troop anyways?!"
"I'm telling you. You're being blind again! He's too young! This is how you got that 13 YEAR OLD koopa KILLED! He wasn't ready and neither is he!"
"It wasn't my fault he BROKE THE FORM AND CROSSED THE LINE OF FIRE! He also saved a life mind you! You can't BLAME ME for that boy's death you piece of shit!"
"Oh, are you kidding me? You wanna lose Taemin too now?"
"I'd never let ANYTHING happen to..."
"Come on," Morton whispered, nudging my arm. He engulfed his huge, clawed hand around my small one carefully as to not scratch me, and dragged me on to the deck. We went in through the back door as their voices grew faint.
A thirteen year old was killed? Was he gonna put me in anyway? Was I gonna be killed? I rubbed my temples in deleterious agitation. Morton shot me a look and pat my back.
"I'm gonna walk to the park, who wants to come?" Morton announced as we stepped down the steps into the into the basement.
"Lemme put my shoes on," Larry hops off the couch, turning off the Xbox on his way into the hallway. "Yeah," Lemmy, Wendy and Roy after from the conversation area by the bay window. "Bet," Iggy vouched from the bar, causing Ludwig to cringe.
"That words been dead for a while now," Ludwig rolled his eyes, slipping off the barstool and heading to his room to grab shoes.
Once everyone regrouped at the bar, we headed out the basement door. It really was convenient. It lead to a path that curved around the house. Bowser and Kamek were full out brawling, Kamek using his wand, and bowser using his fire breath. The field seemed charred.
"Shouldn't we do something?" I whispered to Iggy and Wendy at the back as we rounded the side of the house.
"Nah, they do this every time he comes over, it's routine those toddlers fight about something," Iggy explained.
"Sometimes I catch one and post it on my instagoomba, it gets a ton of likes!" Wendy squealed.
"Why would people wanna watch a king and his wizard father fig- Ahh, I hear it now," They both grinned nodding in agreement.
We headed down the street, following Morton's way. Everyone except me, Wendy and Iggy were group conversing in the front, while us three hung back and had our own conversation.
At the corner of the street, I noticed some men with professional cameras taking photos of us.
"Hey," I nudged Wendy. She looked up from her phone. "What is it?"
"Should we worried about them?" I quizzed, hoisting a finger in their direction discreetly.
"Who?" She asked, looking around.
"The men in black, over there,"
"Taking pics?" She asked. I nodded.
"Does this answer your question?" She began to walk further away from the group and closer to them.
"Hey! Paparazzi! Make sure you get my good side!" She posed in the cameras.
"Most definitely!"
"Right away Princess Wendy!"
"You're a natural born star!"
They nearly ran themselves over to get photos of her. Heh. Ran over. I got ran o-
My thoughts became appropriate as she walked back over to me.
"Feels nice to be royalty!" She said as we turned the corner. The park came into our view.
Iggy fell back with me and Wendy. "Do you really wanna go back to school tomorrow?" Iggy asked me, shooting a concerned look my way.
"You were thinking about that?"
"That doesn't answer my question. And yeah, why wouldn't I be thinking about it? You're my little brother!" He ruffled my hair. "By literally a few months,"
He rolled his eyes. "But seriously," he got back on topic, which my attempt to dodge has inevitably failed.
"Why didn't you two help me? You were in my class, but didn't say anything. I would've stuck to you guys," I asked, confused. He frowned in guilt. "I didn't know you were in my class until I saw you leave and go into the hallway. I tried to call out to you, and so did Larry. It was just too loud. When you turned around from your friends, we tried to follow you, but there was a crowd. We assumed there was a fight so we turned around. We didn't know you were in there," he said, guilt stricken. "You blind bats," Wendy muttered sassily while eavesdropping.
"It's okay, I understand. I was just wondering why you two didn't notice me in class,"
"Me and Larry are the worst people when it comes to awareness in class because we're too focused on our work," he explained.
"Larry?"
He nodded.
"Laaaarrrryy?" I repeated, glancing at the twelve year old jubilantly talking to Wendy, who was at the front now.
He nodded again.
"I expect that behavior from you, but Larry?"
"How else do you think he got into Sophomore AP?" I nodded in understanding. "You know how we're all getting our age frozen?" Iggy asks. I nod, the first thing I've had beforehand knowledge of all day.
"Well, he's busting his ass to skip as many grades as he can so he can get frozen when he's 13 or 14. In the North and South Islands, you can skip whatever grade no matter the age, just as long as you're smart and can handle the work. That's why you see some kindergarten students in middle school," he chuckles dryly. "It's rare though," he concluded.
A few minutes of walking later, we finally get there... only.. it's not a park. It's a water park. "Morton, you sack of nuts. Why would you bring us here?" Ludwig facepalmed.
"I thought it was a park,"
"Yeah, it's a water park," Junior rolled his eyes from his new spot on Larry's neck. We stood in a group on the side of the road in front of the entrance gate, deciding whether we should go in or not.
"Let's go eat first," Ludwig proposed, spotting an eatery down the road.
"No. It looks expensi—" I began to protest but was covered up by none other than Iggy. I rolled my eyes as we began to walk there. Iggy let me go a few seconds after.
———
"That was nice," I said as we walked on the grass across the street on our way home. We decided against the water park.
"No, it was expensive," Ludwig rolled his eyes. "You asshole," I said, tackling him into the chartreuse pasture. We began to wrestle playfully. Everyone except Wendy joined in as we wrestled each other on the ground.
"Guys..." Wendy trailed off.
We continued playing.
"Guys!" Wendy shouted.
We should've been running by now.
Wendy let's out an alarming shriek as gunmen opens fire on us as we scramble to run.
Junior is struck in the leg.
"Fuck!" I run back to help him.
I'm struck in the stomach. "Go get dad please!" I plead, groaning as telling hurt my wound. People nearby fled for their lives. I crawled to Junior as fast as I could. I shielded him from anything else coming our way.
The gunmen grabbed us roughly. They quite literally tossed us into their black van and drove off with us. They were all masked.
"We're gonna be okay, Junior. I promise you, okay?" I whispered. Junior nodded, being smart and not crying out loud. He muted his sniffles with his shirt and made sure everything was silent.
I soon begin feeling fatigued. The blood loss eventually got to me.. and I blacked out.
————
"YOU BETTER LET US GO, YOU SICK MOTHERFUCKERS!"
That earned me a baseball bat to the stomach. Right on the mone- wound.
"Our men are kidnapping the king right now, we wanted all of you originally, but who better to target than his biological..." he ran his hand over junior's hair, causing him to whimper quietly.
"...And his only human child. We should slaughter you both and watch the king suffer. But... we have a better plan in mind," he grinned. "You sociopath. You better not hurt my dad," He grabbed my slit hand that was still bandaged, and squeezed. I screamed in utter agony. "This isn't a negotiation child,"
"Stop!" Junior screamed. The assailant kicked poor child and left the room. Junior shrank down and began to cry.
I hurried to tend to his aid. These damn handcuffs...
I grabbed my shirt collar and wiped some of the fresh blood off. I scooted to Junior as he leaned on me.
———
"Guess who we found?!" A masked guard with a rifle shoved my dad in here. His eyes widen as he sees the poor condition we're in. It's been so long. "What happened?" Bowser asks while kneeling in front of us, a fresh set of handcuffs on his wrists.
"The opened fire on us. They shot me and Junior and took us here. We're apparently targeted hostages," I explain.
"Enough. Where's our code?" The guard asks, pointing the infantry rifle at my father's head. My eyes grew wide in shock. "666. Go to hell," my father spat.
"Alright," the guard nodded. He strikes my father in the head with the barrel of the gun. He clattered to the ground.
"Bust the safe," the guard commands into the walkie.
"Everything could've turned out alright for you all. Instead you've disobeyed our demands, king. Thought you wanted what was best for your princes and princess," the guard speaks.
"You monsters don't deserve my wealth. Good luck busting that safe. You will pay for hurting my boys,"
"Nonsense. You will be executed with your foolish kids," The guard spat.
"Don't you fucking dare!" I ululated cautiously. Before he could respond, I heard a voice say something over the walkie that sunk my heart into a bottomless pit.
"Safe's busted. Assassinate the king. And make the kids watch,"
"Roger that,"
"No! You won't do such a thing!"
"Stop! Please!" I pleaded.
I watched in absolute dread as the terrorist executed my father.
The screams we both let out were drowned in my conscious. Pain emancipated in our screams.
Everything was in slow motion. His lifeless body collapsed to the cold, stone floor. He was dead. The blood pooled around my father.
He was dead. My new, sweet, caring, father.
He was dead. The man that changed my life, the man meant everything to me.
King Bowser II, was dead.