Chapter 16: Teasing

"AHHHH!!!"

Early in the morning, a piercing shriek echoed through the Vance Family’s house, so loud it felt like the building itself was shaking.

Felix Ford was startled awake. A moment later, he reached for the earplugs he’d prepared beforehand and stuck them in his ears. He didn’t forget to hand one to Amanda Vance before snuggling against her and going back to sleep in her arms.

Amanda also heard the scream. It was Shirley Vance’s voice, though she had no idea what Shirley could have possibly encountered.

She glanced at the earplug in her hand, then at the little guy with a smile playing on his lips. She chuckled softly, put in the earplugs, and closed her eyes to go back to sleep.

Felix unconsciously burrowed deeper into her embrace, his small hand clutching the corner of her shirt as he mumbled, "Mommy."

While mother and son slept soundly, Shirley wasn’t having nearly as good a time. She had been fast asleep when she suddenly felt something cool crawling on her. It felt rather pleasant against her skin, but its constant movement was annoying. She reached out to grab it, her eyes still hazy with sleep. The moment she saw what it was, it scared the life out of her.

"Ah! A snake!"

She flung the thing from her hand in terror. The snake landed on the floor, flicking its red tongue as it slowly slithered toward her again.

Shirley shrieked, threw a pillow at it, and ran out of the room, screaming all the way. Unbeknownst to her, there was something slippery on the floor. She stepped on it and went flying forward, the back of her head hitting the ground with a THUD. The pain made her see stars.

"What’s wrong? What happened?" Hearing her daughter’s cries, Sarah Sullivan rushed over. She couldn’t help but gasp at Shirley’s disheveled state.

"What’s all this shouting so early in the morning?" Holly Vance emerged from his room, his face grim.

"Honey, look at Shirley." Sarah quickly went to help Shirley up, her eyes filled with pity. Before she could say another word, she heard a RUSTLING sound. She looked up and froze.

Noticing something was amiss, Holly grew puzzled. "What is it?"

Sarah didn’t speak, her eyes wide and face pale as she stared in one direction.

’What’s all this fuss about?’

Holly glanced over impatiently, his gaze meeting a pair of cold, sinister eyes. He instantly stiffened, not daring to move.

"What’s happened?" Butler Morgan heard the commotion and hurried over, instantly exposing himself to the snake. The creature reared up and lunged, sinking its fangs into his leg.

Only then did Butler Morgan understand why the others had been frozen in place. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, his face deathly pale.

After biting him, the snake slithered toward Shirley. Fueled by a sudden, unknown burst of strength, Shirley shoved Sarah aside and kicked wildly with her eyes shut. "Ah, don’t come any closer! Stay away! Go away!"

Her frantic kicking actually managed to send the snake flying. It ended up draped over the banister, its eyes slowly dimming.

"Is... is it dead?" Butler Morgan, lying on the floor, had the clearest view. He asked in a trembling voice.

Hearing this, Holly stiffly turned his head. As he looked, he noticed something wasn’t right.

He strode toward the snake. Sarah shrieked, nearly fainting when she saw him actually pick it up with his bare hands.

Holly’s expression was grim as he walked back over, dangling the snake. "It’s fake."

He’d thought something was off when he saw a red light flashing on its belly. Now, feeling it in his hand, he knew for sure.

It was just a realistic toy snake.

"Who did this."

It couldn’t have appeared here for no reason. Someone must have put it there on purpose.

Butler Morgan also checked the "bite" on his leg. It was just a small mark that would fade soon enough. He sighed in relief, but then grew annoyed as he recalled his pathetic display just moments before.

He saw Sarah Sullivan give him a look and understood immediately. "It was the eldest young miss," he said at once. "It must have been her. I saw her son bring something back yesterday, all sneaky-like. He was hiding it in his coat. I didn’t get a clear look, but I saw a tail flash by."

’That explains it. Only that mother-son duo would pull a stunt like this.’

Holly Vance gritted his teeth and marched to Amanda Vance’s room, only to find the door was locked from the inside. He had Butler Morgan fetch the spare key, but they discovered she had changed the lock at some point. Furious, he began to BANG on the door. "Amanda Vance, get out here!"

There was no response from inside.

He gritted his teeth and continued to pound on the door, even kicking it a few times. He hammered until his hand was numb and shouted himself hoarse, but there was still no sound from within. He panted heavily, his eyes fixed on the door as if he could burn a hole through it with his glare.

Shirley Vance also realized it had all been their prank. The thought of how she’d just acted, combined with the throbbing pain in the back of her head, made her want to explode with rage. Sarah had to hold her back to keep her from erupting. Her eyes darted around before she suddenly started wailing, "Ow, ow, ow."

"It hurts so much."

Holly Vance looked over. Seeing her pale, weakened face and the bump swelling on the back of her head, he grew even more furious.

Sarah Sullivan said gently, "There must be some misunderstanding. Let’s talk about it when Megan wakes up."

Her words only fueled Holly’s anger. "She can sleep peacefully after hurting her own sister like this?! I told you, she’s an ungrateful wretch! Shirley is your daughter! How many times have I told you to treat her better? You only dote on Amanda, but does that heartless monster even appreciate it?"

Just as he finished, the door was pulled open. Amanda slowly took out her earplugs and looked at him with a smirk, repeating his word playfully, "Ungrateful wretch?"

In that instant, Holly was reminded of what she had said before.

’Who’s the real ungrateful wretch...’

His face darkened. He snarled, "Look what you’ve done!"

Amanda shifted her gaze to Shirley Vance and raised an eyebrow. "Getting your just deserts?"

’Why should I be the one getting what I deserve? It’s that vicious mother and son who should be punished!’

She said mockingly, "Sister, Butler Morgan saw everything. It was your son who brought that toy snake home. Are you still going to deny it?"

’He did choose the toy snake yesterday.’

"And?" Amanda yawned, leaning lazily against the doorframe. "You knew it was a toy snake, yet you still scared yourself like this? You must have a guilty conscience."

Shirley was rendered speechless with anger.

Just then, Felix Ford shuffled out in his little slippers. Seeing the toy snake clutched in Holly Vance’s hand, he looked heartbroken. He snatched it back and hugged it tightly. "Oh, Little Green, what happened to you?"

He examined the toy snake. The battery had just fallen out; it wasn’t broken.

He was relieved. Mommy had bought it for him; he couldn’t let it get broken.

He looked up at them and decisively turned the tables. "There are so many of you adults, and you’re scared of Little Green?" he complained. "You even threw him around like this. Don’t you have any compassion?"

Shirley was so exasperated she almost laughed. "You’re the one who put this snake in my room, and you have the nerve to blame me? I haven’t even made you pay for my emotional distress yet! Oh, and my medical bills."

Felix’s eyes went wide. "I don’t have any money."

He turned to Amanda. "My mom doesn’t have any money either."

This reminded Holly of how she had squandered all her money and come back to live off them. His expression turned even fouler. Unwilling to waste time bickering with the two of them, he snorted heavily and left.

Shirley shot them a resentful glare. Then, a thought occurred to her. Her eyes shifted, and a sudden smile spread across her face. "You really are something, sister. I just wonder if you can be this impressive everywhere."

’She doesn’t want to join the car race, right? She must be afraid of embarrassing herself. Well, I’m going to make her go. All the rich heirs from the most powerful families will be there tomorrow. I’m going to make her utterly humiliated in front of everyone. We’ll see how she dares to show her face in Aethelburg after that!’