Walking Deer with Kanes

[FoggyKnight]

Matt finished slaying the last of the alien invaders as a mechanical, musical montage of the hero overlay the rest of the screen. The usually-ignored, often tedious march of credits began scrolling from the bottom of the screen as the teenager tossed the controller on the table.

Booored. He thought. The usual fun of forbidden gaming had been taken away this weekend as he had been told by the families' babysitters and bodyguards that he could play as many video games as he could stand after the incident involving the water hose, a male bodyguard, and his female partner. Which was after the incidents involving fake snakes and the secret servants passages. Which was after luring a bodyguard had to chase him out of a helicopter cockpit he accidently started up. It was the only way that the agents - of who knew where, Matt figured out they weren't FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, or something else recognizably cool - could keep an eye on him.
Stupid Diana and her stupid rescue. Now we're stuck here, while she gets to walk around and do stuff. He knew he was being unfair, but the bored and frustrated mood he was in dominated his thinking. More likely, she was holed up another place, not a mansion, and answering questions by lawyers around the clock. Plus she had missed her soccer game, which she had been excited about. "Stupid Katrina." He told the game controller. His parents had skimmed over the details on why her dad was supposedly after them, and he didn't know more than the fact that Katrina was at fault for this. "She's messing up my life!" He groaned, throwing himself backwards to stare at the ceiling.

What made it worse was when his sister's other friend's family showed up the next day. Bad enough that he was forced to share a house with his brother and his parents without the possibility of leaving. Plus the other family came over - Diana's booooyfriend. Ick. - and he couldn't seem to not run into Chris' sister at all. If he wanted to go to the library, she was there. If he wanted to play video games, she was watching television. The first hour he was there, he explored the house to see if there was anything cool to be found, and she was already in one of the secret rooms.

The Walkers were stupid as well. His parents didn't notice, but he did. Whenever the subject of his sister came up, he caught these stupid looks that Sam's Mom had, like she knew something they didn't. He had been through most of Sam's Dad's belongings that were left in the bedroom given to them, but he hadn't dared go through more than the stuff on the dresser.

Aurgh, there she was again! Matt's head snapped up and he sat up sharply. "Whaddyu want?" He said, crossing his arms at Chris' sister. He vaguely remembered seeing someone like her in his grade, but not recently. He hadn't bothered learning her name yet, he figured he wouldn't see her after this. That and guessing her name got her torqued whenever they met, which was hilarious. "You can't play my games, Tasha."

[Foxtrot]

"My name is Kelly... You dork!" the young girl snarled with annoyance. Idiot! It was bad enough that they had to hide out because of that dumb Katrina's dad, but to be stuck here with only one person her age and having that person be as annoying as this guy was just drove her to the end of her rope. If she would have been here with friends it would have been like a fairy tale dream. But no, she had to be stuck here with a bunch of adults and this loser and his hyperactive ninja turtle brother. One would think that with a place this big he would stop following her around and bugging her. At least that was what she thought. Especially after he showed up in the library and the when she was watching TV and worst of all when she was in the secret Scooby Doo passage. Creep. And now here he was hogging the TV. Why couldn't he go get lost in the bush maze outside?

"And I want to watch TV, loser" she said with a bossy attitude. She sat down on the couch making sure to keep at least one whole cushion between herself and the other boy. She used to think her brother was annoying with all his 'Oh my god I'm feeling so bad because some girl that doesn't even like me yelled at me again. Now I have to sit in my room and sulk all night while playing slow songs so that I can make myself feel even worse about not having any friends.' Boys were so dumb!.

It's so unfair! She was stuck here while Chris got to be out doing whatever he wanted. It was always like that. He always got to go out and do whatever he wanted and never thought about the family while she was always being told she was too young. Too young to do anything other than sit at home by herself all the time. It was no different here. Even with all the secret service looking guys running around.

"Where's the stupid remote?" Kelly asked as she scoured around the couch and room for some sign of the device that would save her all of the work it would take to get up and turn the channel away from these video games.

[FoggyKnight]

I'm sitting on it, stupid. Matt smirked, propping his legs up on the footrest and leaning back on his half of the sofa. No way am I watching those stupid shows of yours.

"Have you checked the kitchen? I thought I saw Mrs. Walker using it earlier." Tormenting the girl seemed to be a lot more fun than video games. Diana was wise to most of his taunts. Fresh meat. "Besides, don't you know too much My Little Pony rots your brain?"

[Foxtrot]

"Better than your stupid video games," Kelly sneered back. She didn't believe for a second that Mrs. Walker was walking around with the remote. For one thing, Mrs. Walker seemed really nice, if not a little distant for some reason. More than even the other adults. Probably just worried about her daughter is all. Adults were such babies sometimes. Kind of like this kid. She couldn't be sure he had the remote, but it sure seemed like the most likely option given he was just using the TV. "And for your information I wasn't going to watch My Little Pony. I'm too old for cartoons. Too sophisticated. Maybe someday when you grow up you'll understand that. Now where's the remote? Really."

[FoggyKnight]

"Ooooh. So-phi-sti-cated." Matt drawled, stretching out the word with relish. "Large word for a small brain. What other words can you say?" Matt taunted, wiggling in his seat to make the remote sink down further into the cushion. "The remote's under my butt. I dare you to come get it after I've had my pants all over it." He retorted, wondering with half of his brain if maybe she had a point about the cartoons. He usually watched them with Peter, saying that he was keeping his brother company, rather than admitting that he still liked some of them. Nah. At least I know what to do when the zombie apocalypse comes. She'll get eaten, nice and slow, and bloody. He went back to smirking.

"Besides, shouldn't you be with your babysitter now?" Matt asked. Part of the 'video games' agreement was that he wasn't followed around by an agent. Good for not being watched, but he couldn't go anywhere without having to ask someone to follow him. Though, he had caught Agent Jill Ashton watching the video games he played more than she watched the windows. She seemed oddly enthused about Zelda.

[Foxtrot]

"Ha. Ha." Kelly oozed with sarcasm. This boy was really starting to get on her nerves. Why did boys her age always have to be such poopy heads? She felt sorry for this guys sister. What was her name? Dinah or something? "You're the one that needs the babysitter. Sitting on the remote. Ewwww....! I suppose you farted on it too." Her face twisted into one of disgust. She wanted to watch TV, but she didn't want to touch something this boy had been sitting on. "Just turn the TV to the Disney channel and go away."

[FoggyKnight]

"I didn't, but I will now." Matt scowled back. "And heck no, I'm not giving up the television. You can suffer." He said, as the music finished scrolling, and the entry screen appeared again. He loaded the game again. The hero waited patiently at the beginning of the last level, shotgun in hand, ready for aliens.

With a couple of clicks, Matt moved his character forward, eyes scanning the screen for sights of alien defenders. It was his mission to stop the Zoteran Command from blowing up the Earth, and it was all down to him. Perhaps he would even reach the end faster this time. His physical body leaned forward a little bit as Matt got back into the game, leaning to one side slightly as he twisted the controller in an effort to make the character lunge to one side that much faster to dodge a laser beam.

[Foxtrot]

"A nice guy would have let a girl watch what she wanted to. You're just a jerk! You've had your chance with it. It's my turn to have the TV now!" Kelly raised her voice as she stood up and stood in front of the screen so Matt couldn't see what he was doing. She wasn't about to give in now. If this boy was going to poke a hornet's nest he was going to get stung. "Why don't you go play in traffic or something? Or better yet, go think about how you'll never have a girlfriend because you are such a loser. Cause I'm not going to let you have the TV! So you might as well just give up now."

[FoggyKnight]

Matt growled in frustration as his hero died, leaning from one side to the other in an effort to see around Kelly before giving up and pausing the game.

"Yeah, well, when it's impossible to take a shower thanks to a certain girl taking an hour in the bathroom in the morning, nice guys get annoyed! There's more than just you that needs the bathroom in the morning!" He said, glaring at the girl. "Besides, you're never going to find a boyfriend with those-" He held his hands up close to his chest. "Maybe you should grow a pair first." He was beginning to sense that he was losing this fight, but he couldn't figure out when he lost or how.

He heard an annoyed cough coming from the hallway as one of their prison guards was growing rapidly annoyed with the childish banter.

[Foxtrot]

Kelly's eyes went wide with shock. She had never in her life been talked to like that. And for a second she wasn't sure how to react. The shock soon turned to righteous fury as her face reddened and she exploded, "I have never, ever been talked to like that! You are so gross! And I'll have you know, I wear a training bra!" Her face changed in reddish color as she just embarrassed herself by saying more than she should have. The young teen brushed her long blond hair out of her face in an effort to recover from her mistake, "You better say your sorry or... or.... or else I'll make you regret it!" She was shaking. If her brother was here, there was no way this jerk would have gotten away with insulting her. But now she was on her own and had to take care of herself. Something she had always wanted, but was now starting to wonder if that was a mistake, "And I only take an hour in the bathroom because unlike you I like to look good!"

[FoggyKnight]

He had definitely crossed a line there and it didn't take an irate girl to tell him that. Blushing slightly himself at his audacity, he wordlessly got up from the couch and stalked off with the ragged tatters of his dignity. He wouldn't apologize, but he wouldn't keep pushing her.

"Young man, you really stepped in it." The bodyguard around the corner said as he passed him.

"Bite me." Matt growled.

"Don't push me dude, I have a gun." The agent called after him.

Ooooh. Like I'm so scared. You wouldn't shoot me, you're keeping the big bad guy away from us. He stomped to himself up the stairs. He ignored the overly-flowery wallpaper of his room and collected his shower things, heading into the equally flower decorated connected bathroom. With so few of them and so many rooms, their bodyguards got a wing, with a wing for each family. That didn't stop Kelly from wiping out their connected hot water supply though. When the plans fell through, the installation of a bigger tank hadn't been done yet. Stripping and turning on the water, he winced at the still-cold water. Fast shower then.

[Foxtrot]

Kelly was shaken and even yelling didn't make her feel better. If anything she kind of felt bad when she saw Matt stalk off. She knew she had been a little selfish, but so was he. It wasn't like he couldn't have taken a break from his game to let her watch TV for a while. All she knew was that he better not interrupt her when she watched Twilight later in the evening or there was going to be hell to pay.

Kelly calmed down as she sat on the couch and switched the channels until she found something worth watching. Her face was solemn. She didn't know why, but she felt guilty. She knew how she would have felt if someone had come and taken the TV away from her. She hurt him and she couldn't say that she didn't mean to do it. But he hurt her too. She didn't need a babysitter. She wasn't some little girl anymore. She was a young woman. She was thirteen now. Almost an adult. Still nothing stung worse than the idea that she might never find a boyfriend because she didn't have the right looks. It wasn't her fault. She just hadn't developed yet. At least that was what people told her. Kelly felt terrible. She felt ugly, both inside and out. Finally, she leaned over on her knees and began to weep, "Stupid boys..."

[FoggyKnight]

A flurry of whispers ensued behind Kelly as the out-of-his-league bodyguard asked for situation advice over his mic before an annoyed female voice approached, Luke, you're an idiot. They're thirteen. Of course it's hormones. Why you guys think being a woman would qualify me for this is beyond me.telling off the man as she walked into the living room.

"Don't cry, sweetheart." The agent said awkwardly. She wasn't very experienced with this either. By some fluke of chance, all the agents with their own children were on perimeter duty. "Boys of any age tend to be idiots." Luke squawked softly behind her and she smirked. Deciding to go with the "get to their level so you don't look threatening" approach, she moved to the facing chair and sat. "I'm not sure what you were fighting over, but it can't be that bad, can it? I'm sure you gave back as good as you got."

[Foxtrot]

Kelly sniffled and slowly looked up at the agent wiping her eye. She kind of laughed in between her sobs, "Yeah... I did." A smile cracked the young girl's face as she tried to compose herself despite still feeling terrible. "I just don't understand why he had to be such a jerk about it! All I wanted to do was watch a little TV. Is that too much to ask? I mean it's not like I wasn't going to ask nicely, but then he started getting all dumb and all I wanted to do was make him go away. He's not even that bad. He's even kind of... It's just that after he said... God I can't believe I'm even saying this. I wish my brother was here." Kelly started sniffling again and lowered her eyed to the floor as she tried to fight back her tears, "Why are boys so selfish and stupid?"

[FoggyKnight]

Arianna felt trapped. "Uhh. I'm not sure. Maybe because their hormones are acting up at that age. Or ... um...maybe he likes you? Boys are supposed to act strange around girls they like. Like Luke does with me. He acts like a big puppy the moment he wants something from me, but the moment he's around a girl in high heels and a dress, he's all fingers and thumbs, and bad accents. And if I want him to do something for me, he acts like there's a stick up--nevermind." she had just enough time to say before Luke squawked again, ripping his earpiece out and glaring at Arianna. Even two feet away, he could hear Bruce in the security room howling with laughter.

"Maybe next time he gets on your case, you smile as nice as you can at him and watch him get tied in knots wondering why you're being so nice to him. Paranoid too." She said, smiling sweetly with all of her teeth showing at Luke. "Like Luke here. He's going to be stepping around me lightly for the next week. Of course, that's because I also know how to find skunks in the woods around here, and he doesn't. Do you think putting one of those in his room would help?" As she spoke, she knew it was a bad idea, but kids weren't her forte, and she was tempted to run screaming to find the girl's parents.