Crystal Mayhem Part 1

Chp 5

Zen strolled up to the door just as Isaias stepped out of a brown sedan. His jovial mood was missing and he kept staring at a piece of paper in his hand with uncertainty. Zen waited for him to approach the house before slipping her thumb into the slide and unlocking the house.

"What do you have there, Isaias?" she asked, stepping into the small house and heading to the couch. Isaias sighed and followed her, showing her the paper.

"I passed the equivalency test for the Guerreros army force. I could essentially become a Guerrero now."

Zen stared at him before squealing and hugging the hell out of him. "This is great! You can move out of servitude and that gang! You should be thrilled!"

"Zen, I'll have to move away and besides, mom won't like it."

Zen let him go slightly and stared into his eyes. "Isaias, do you want to do this?"

Isaias ran his hand through his hair and nodded. "Yeah, sis I think I do."

"Then go for it. If mom says no then there is always uncle. I'd hate to go over her but if it's something you really want then..."

"You think uncle would let me into the Guerreros?"

"Psh, if he knows what's good for him, he will!"

Isaias laughed. "Hell hath no..."

Zen's hug tightened. "Finish that sentence dear brother and you'll find out personally," she muttered.

"Ok Ok, you win. Still, I don't think Mom will like this."

"That's her problem, pretty boy!"

The sound of a car driving up got their attention. The door slammed and heavy footsteps sounded. A few curse words were caught by the twins as their mother arrived at the door in a temper. She put her tailcoat on the rack by the door and stomped into the kitchen searching for pots and pans.

Zen sat up and moved to help her. The slam of a heavy pot on the kitchen counter, made the twins jump.

"Mama? Do you need help?" Zen asked worriedly.

Rosa turned to her children who were staring at her in alarm. She smoothed back her flyaway hair from her bun and sighed. "It was a trying day at work is all," she said taking the pot and filling it with water. They always cut the water at eight every night. She set it against the fire and let it boil.

"Go take your baths. This will take a while to make," she said shrugging one shoulder and smiling.

Isaias rose from the couch and snuck towards his room. "I call dibs," he said.

"Oh no, you don't! You take forever and take all the hot water, Isaias," screamed Zen as she rushed to her room and got her things but, it was too late and Isaias had taken the bathroom.

"Great," she muttered slamming her hand against the closed bathroom door. "Don't take forever please!"

"No promises," came Isaias's muffled laughter through the door and Zen groaned.

Rosa chuckled at her children's antics.

Thirty minutes later and Zen was screaming bloody murder at Isaias as she took a bath in cold water. Rosa left the stove to Zen and took her bath then returned long used to cold showers. That didn't mean she preferred them. She served everyone on plastic plates, took out the warm water, and set it on the dinner table. Everyone began to eat their food which was a strange supplementary soup, with all the required nutrition. It tasted like crap though.