Slow Burn (Repost)

[babyamylee]

Older brother and younger sister Chris and Amy were the terrible twosome.Everyone said it, affectionately. They were often scheming, pranking and playing games. Usually non malicious, but sometimes out of control, people looked to these two with humour until they were affected by them, and it happened too often. What people didn't realise was, Amy the younger of the two, was the ringleader, and Chris really got roped in so she would quit hassling him.

She had a way of needling him and breaking him down so he ended up being a party to some grand plan, but he liked nothing more than the quiet life a normal boy would enjoy. The occasional football match, the endless video game tournaments. It was only with his sister he ever misbehaved, but they never took it too far for their mother until one day.

It was the first week of summer, and Chris was playing the final stages of a football tournament he and his friends were finishing online. There was plenty mirth and bantering back and forth. The tell tale sign of his door swinging open told him his sister was on the prowl.

"Guess what we are going to be doing?" There she was, playful, exhuberant. Amy, in her inimitable way, bouncing with ideas.
"Not now" he sighed. "I'm playing a tournament."

"Correction, my fine friend. You are finishing a tournament, I can see this is the final!"

"Please, I can't just leave now. We're starting another. Maybe another time."

He was the best player among his friends, and used to winning, entirely down to the amount of time spent practising.

She giggled.

"Look, you know how this goes by now, I nag you, you give in, we have fun, and that's that."

He rolled his eyes. She continued.

"Let's skip the first few parts and get to it."

"...Okay fine." He said his goodbyes, telling his friends that his mother was calling him.

[babyamylee]

"What is it we're going to be doing this time?"

She clapped her hands, and got to work.

"Well, Kelly, our cousin Kelly, word has it she has a dance performance coming up..."

Where does she get such info from, he thought. She is like a hive of information.

"Thing is, she has this costume, a really grown up, snazzy number. A red leotard with a cute built in skirt. Very cute. Very modern."
He didn't care.

"Aanyway, I figured if that somehow went missing, she would have to go to practice in her old tutu from last year."

He shrugged.

"So what?"

"So what?! It's only the most embarrassing thing ever! The tutu is childish, really poofy pink, and she will look so foolish next to all her friends. They have all moved on! OMG it will be so funny! We will give it back don't worry. She will get it for the performance, it will just be funny to see her dressed like that for practice."

"You want to hide a dress? And you need me why?"

"In case there is someone there, you can distract. I know Misty will be there, forever guarding the house, you can play with her while I do the deed."

Misty was the lovable dog.

"Anyway, I have the key and I'm doing all the dirty work, you can even deny you knew anything it will be fine."

He couldn't see an issue, she would take the fall, and he would go back to his games. Five minute walk. Five minutes to get the dress, five minutes back. They walked together, him nervous, and her, loving every minute. At the house, sure enough, the dog was there. It wasn't out of the ordinary for them to be there without their Uncle and Aunt, they often fed the dog for them.

Amy left to go upstairs, and Chris stood there amusing himself with the dog. Amy came down after 8 minutes, holding a colourful garment and some matching shoes. That was it? That was the big idea?

[babyamylee]

Disaster! Suddenly, there was someone at the door, talking into a phone.

Instantly, they panicked. They could explain being there well enough. But being in Kelly's room, holding her dress? Not so much. Amy grabbed Chris' hand and ran him out of the room to the back door. He opened it, and they ran as fast as they could.

Little did they know two things. One, the person at the door was only there to make a delivery and two, they left the back door wide open, and Misty got out.

An hour later, a panicked call was made to the house, about their back door being open, and the location of the dog. Aunt Elise was stricken. As the key was used, it was only ever going to have been them who used it, so their mother got them both together angrily and asked what happened. She was getting quite fed up of the increasingly embarrassing phone calls regarding their pranks, but Misty going missing was a new experience.

They did not mention the dress at first, but they did admit to being in the house, and a search was put out. Their Mother, Anna, sent them to their rooms, and went to help search. It took three long hours before Misty was found, playfully unaware of any hullabaloo, in a dirty stream at the back of the park. Both children were a little bit more concerned than usual. Their pranks didn't usually have big consequences.

Chris of course, had his computer to play with, to keep his mind off it, and try to not concentrate on the forthcoming punishment. The more he thought about it, the more he assumed Amy was probably cooking up some excuse. He heard some foot stomps up the stairs.

"You two, on the landing, now!"

He had never heard his Mother booming so loudly.

They both made their way  to the landing, and looked guiltily at each other.

"I have NEVER been so embarrassed.  To think that anything could happen to that poor dog. And my sister, my poor sister and her family. You have both gone too far this time. Go back to your rooms, I'm going to get the whole truth out of both of you." They looked distressed at each other. and stepped back into their rooms.

Anna followed Amy in to hers.

Amy would fess up, right? She said she would...She did...Of course there was always the possibility she might lay the blame on him.  Would Mum believe that? Maybe, but in his word against hers, she might believe him. Wait, Amy was going to lay all the blame onto him wasn't she? Two can play at that game!

As he was playing this mental game, Amy was doing nothing of the sort. She told her mother calmly what happened, that it was all a joke, and a mistake. She took responsibility for what she had done, and left her Mother in no doubt they were both to blame.  She was very sorry, and cried at the news the dog was safe and well. Chris did not know this.

[babyamylee]

Anna then stomped into Chris' room.

He was going to give Amy no chance to blame him for everything.
"In your own words tell me what happened."

"I was minding my own business. Amy comes in, just says I have to help her with something. You know how she gets. I can't say no. It was her idea!"

"So, you were weak and helpless to resist your two years younger sister. Continue."

Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"So she had a plan to get this dress but we were going to give it back before she had practice!"

"Amy already admitted she was going to give it back *after* practice but before any performance, so that's a lie. You're not doing too well Christopher. Continue."

He was only ever called his full name when he was in trouble. And he knew that he couldn't call Amy a liar. Why would she admit to that if it were not true?

"So she went and got it, I was just playing with Misty, and then we heard them coming, so we ran and must have left the  door open! It was all her idea!"

"...and who went into the living room to get Misty in the first place, and who opened the back door?"

He hesitated. Had he not done that, he might have been able to lie. But that gave it away.

"I did...but....she was dragging my hand!"

"So it's all her fault is it? You instinctively do whatever your little sister tells you do you? And it was you who got Misty, you who opened the door, not her, you should have closed it too!"

This was not going well.

"So to sum up, you accuse your tiny little sister of bullying you into doing it, you lie to me about it, and it was you who got the dog, opened the door and failed to close. The dress is not the issue. The dress was a little prank. The door is. The door was the reason the dog got out. That was on you!"

Tears were welling up in his eyes.

"I will call you down when punishment has been decided. You have gone too far this time."

She slammed the door, leaving him in no doubt things were not going to go well.

[babyamylee]

Two hours later, they were both called down. They looked at each other annoyed. It seems Amy had heard his attempts to blame her for everything. He was annoyed she had roped him in to another scheme. They dared not speak, but the look said it all.

They stood in front of their fireplace. Their mother approached.

"Sorry will not cut it this time. I am fed up to the back teeth of the pranks and the jokes. This was waiting to happen. I told you a million times to stop pranking people!"

He whined, Amy shot a look across from him.

"I don't want to do it but SHE always ropes me in!"

"Don't you DARE try to blame your little sister. I can see that she has far more maturity than you. She took full responsibility, and you did not.  She admitted the truth immediately and took responsibility for what she did. You have done nothing but blame her for everything, you could have said no at any point and it was you who left the door open!"

"But..."

Amy suppressed a satisfied grin.  She was furious with him right now.

"No buts. I am angry, and it will make me madder. Now onto your punishments.

Amy, the dress I am not too concerned with, but I did tell you no more pranks. I guess it is embarrassing to wear that tutu is it? Well guess what? You will be going to dance practice with your cousin for the time being. And you will be dressed most wonderfully."

She said this with sarcasm, and left it in no doubt what Amy would be wearing. Amy was relieved. As punishments went, it could have gone worse. It would be embarrassing to wear the tutu after playing such a prank, but she had the charisma to pull it off as a joke. A couple of sessions and she'd be fine.

"Now, my immature boy. It seems you just love doing your sisters bidding. Well by the end of the summer you will be sick of it."

She turned to Amy.

"It seems he can't say no to you. Well now he is yours. He has to do what you say. No matter what. For the rest of the summer. If you need anything from me to achieve it, let me know, and I'll be here to make sure he doesn't disobey, with an extra week for every serious infraction. We are very wealthy, so ask if you need anything. Sky is the limit."

She turned to him.

"By the end of the summer you will resent doing anything your sister asks you, same as most boys.  I don't know what she will want from you, but I'd encourage she has fun, because you wronged her too lying and need to learn a lesson. Also, I am fed up with you spending all your time on the computer and your sullen attitude. This will make you yearn for independence and break you out of that cycle."

He was speechless and stood there, mouth agape. Amy was esctatic.
"Cat got your tongue?"

"What? She only got dance classes! What? this isnt fair! I wont do it!"
"She showed responsibility, and she didn't almost lose Misty".

"No way! I wont do it! I wont!"

[babyamylee]

She grabbed him and pulled him over her knee. "That's an extra week. Takes you right into school! I should have done this a long time ago. Amy? Do I have your permission to spank him?"

After a brief moment of confusion, she grinned and clapped. "Oh...yes. Sure!"

"Do you want to try?"

She squealed. "Uhm...yes, but, get started, I'll just go grab something!" Anna pulled down his pants exposing his bottom.
The spanking started, slowly, and he whimpered with each swat. Amy came running in holding a wooden school ruler. Anna stopped. "Good girl. Your turn!"

She swatted, hard, and it stung not like before. The whimper was louder, and the tears started to well. She gave him 7 more swats and the dam burst.

"How many was that?" She asked.

"6 in total I think?" His Mother was either counting wrong or playing with him. That was now 10. Amy swatted him four more times, and the boy was a blubbering mess. He rose to his feet.

"Now, Amy is in charge of you. Do you accept this?"

"Yes.." he mouthed, dejected.

"Good. Time for bed I think. We will start tomorrow. "

Amy had an idea already.

"Mum? can I stay up for an hour? I'll send him to bed but we can talk right? In fact, we can have girl talks every night, his bed time will be earlier than mine!"

He looked offended. But what was the point?

"Wonderful! Okay you can stay up..." She looked at Chris, who was silent. Then looked at Amy and coughed.

"...oh! yes...Bedtime Chris. You go to bed right this minute!" His sister was loving this. Had she not done wrong also?

He trudged upstairs ashamed, and could hear the telltale signs of laughter and entertainment. He fell into a frustrated, worried sleep.

[babyamylee]

Have to catch up to where I was tomorrow, ive been sent to bed early today. Ill post a new chapter as well dont worry i will finish posting this!