His Game

Chapter 4: Jack

This is such crap. That Elsa girl threatens me with death, and then after I close the door on her, she has the nerve to stand outside with a hurt expression on her face, as if I'm  the one with issues here. 

No way. If she thinks she's in charge here, she better be ready for a change of command, because I'm not going to play by her rules.

No, Elsa has better be ready to play my game.

I glance around my room. Everything is so freaking clean. The carpet is beige, a large bed is in the corner by the window, and a wardrobe against the wall seems like a good enough place to hide my pot until I can use it.

A door leads to my own bathroom, and huge windows let in a lot of light. It looks exactly like my house at home, minus the death metal posters and wrappers and trash on the floor. 

I open the wardrobe to throw my clothes in and my mouth falls open with shock.

There are freaking school uniforms in there. 

Each one is like a suit, only it is white and plaid, the same style as Elsa and Anna's, only mine has pants and a long tie instead of a skirt. 

They want me to wear this every day?

Heck no. 

My leather jacket is fine, thanks.

A knock sounds on the door. It's soft, so it isn't Agnarr or Anna. I don't feel like talking to Elsa at all, or her mother, but it's one of the two.

"Go away." I snap.

Iduna comes in anyways.

I roll my eyes and put my bag in the wardrobe without taking anything out of it.

"Hey," She says.

"I'm not wearing these." I say.

"Yes, you are." She tells me gently, as if I am a small child.

"If I had a nickle for every time I've heard that, I would have a lot of nickles, believe me." I smirk.

"I'm just wondering if you need help getting settled." Iduna says, smiling, as if she didn't hear me. The woman is so unlike mom. She doesn't ignite easily or rise to my bait at all, almost like she's refusing to get angry with me.

"I'm settled, thanks." I snap, hoping she will take the hint and leave, but Iduna doesn't move.

I raise my eyebrows at her. 

At home, that would have made mom mad enough to not speak to me for the rest of the day. 

"You can go now." I say finally. 

Iduna narrows her eyes, and then I see it.

Her eyes are cold and sharp, like ice, piercing through me. I've underestimated her, I see that now. Iduna is dangerous. She threatens me. Mom used to have a saying for people like her. It was... Oh, yeah, a dove on the outside, but a hawk within.

Iduna is definitely a hawk.

"Listen to me very carefully, Jack." She says, "If it weren't for me, you would be in a boarding school. I'm doing my very best to make you a better person."

"Maybe I don't want to be a better person!" I cry. "Maybe I would rather be living in the streets than here!"

"You need to show some effort while you're here."

"What I need is a cigarette!" I laugh.

"You're too young for that. Your mother doesn't want that for you. Believe me, I would love to send you back to her with your heart in the right place."

I despise her. I have never hated anyone as much as I do her.

Iduna takes a deep breath and then smiles, talking to me as if I am a small child, "Your dinner will be brought up to you since you've only just arrived, but tomorrow, Agnarr and I expect to see you at breakfast."

"Whatever."

"Please wear the clothes that we've had made for you."

Damn. 

She looks at me for a moment, daring me to argue, but I only glare, silently condemning her to death. Then she leaves, leaving the door open.

I see a flash of red hair and blue eyes, and then a terrified squeak when Anna realizes that I've seen her. She runs down the hall, her small footsteps echoing as she flees. 

Good. I like it when people are afraid of me. It gives me power. It makes it easier to pressure them into doing things that benefit me. 

But Iduna wants me to change. She wants me to become a good boy who follows rules. She doesn't want me to scare people.

But if I want to be scary, if I want to do nothing with my life, isn't that my decision?

Yes, it is, actually.

And they'll see that soon enough.