This is a short I wrote about Ashley Charming, one of the main characters in my Novel 'Rayne In The Black Wood.' Ashley goes to school at Legends Primary where he is constantly picked on. Today, Ash is going to exact his revenge on the school bully.
~
Ash ran through the halls of Legends Primary as though his life depended on it. Which was very possible. If plans went south, Domino Charmin would have him strung up by his shoelaces. However, Ash would not entertain thoughts of failure.
He fingered the Secret Weapon in his jacket as he smuggled it into the cafeteria and through the sterile dining hall, avoiding eye contact with the other students. This was the gauntlet. If he could make it to his table at the back of the Hall without attracting the attention of the Weird kids, the Valiant’s, or the Charming’s, he would be home free.
Ash kept his eyes to the floor as he passed the Weird kids, a table full of odd boys that kept to themselves. If you were unlucky enough to anger them, their ring leader, Brody Wicked, would stick you in a trashcan and be done with you. Ash breathed easier once he passed them, but they were the least of Ash’s worries. He could suffer bruises, it was the public ridicule the Charming's dolled out that he couldn’t handle.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ash spotted the Valiant’s table. They were the children of the Valiant brothers, a soldiering family whose great deeds earned them lands, titles, and fair ladies. They were stuck up and stern, but kept to themselves when not in competition with the Charming's. He caught a glimpse of Samba Valiant, his long time crush. He had never actually spoken to the girl, but would someday have the courage to ask her out. Someday.
Ash passed the table, ignoring the snickering comments they made under their breath. Now, he started to sweat. If he got past the Charming’s, he would be home free. The Charming’s were the children of those Princes who won fair damsels and defeated magnificent monsters. The only good things being a Charming had provided Ash, was a square jaw and a thick head of hair. No premature balding for him. It was his mother’s side of the family that had provided the bad skin and gangly structure. Puberty was not being kind, Ugly Duckling Syndrome, his mother had called it.
He was bitter toward his Cousins. They were rich, filthy rich, part of the richest family in the Kingdom. Ash’s parents on the other hand, though having the title, had no fortune to speak of. His father Sue Charming had rebelled from the Charming family, refusing to take part in their deeds, lands, and sizable fortune. He married Ash’s mother Cindy Rella and though Cindy was a beauty, she had no dowry to speak of.
Ash continued past his horrible relatives to sanctuary, the table at the back of the Mess-hall. His childhood friend Harper Beanington and their sometimes lunch buddies Hettie and Horatio Hatter were already half way threw their meals. Ash slid onto the seat across from Harper and looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was suspicious.
“Where have you been? Lunch is nearly half over,” Harper asked concerned.
“Why are you hunched over the table and what are you hiding in your jacket?” Hattie asked.
“It’s a secret.”
“You’re keeping a secret?” Harper laughed doubtfully as she swept he thick golden hair away from her bronze face.
“Not from you, from them,” Ash replied nodding back at the Charming table. “Today, my friends, is the day I exact revenge on Domino for all the pranks he’s played.
“What, like the time in the Locker room when he replaced your shampoo with a Coloring Spell?” Horatio offered.
“It was a lovely shaved of violet,” Harper smiled.
“Or the time Domino wedgied you in front of Samba,” Hattie laughed.
“Or when he knocked you in the fountain."
“Or-”
“Yes,” Ash cut them off. “All that. Thanks for the reminder.”
“Okay then what’s the plan this time?” Horatio asked. “Exploding potatoes like last week? Or attack pixies like the week before?”
“The pixies were adorable,” Harper smiled reminiscently.
“Yes, but they just danced about, stealing everyone’s breadcrumbs. Not much of an attack,” Hattie laughed.
Ash smiled as he set a small box wrapped in polka dot paper before them. The three kids looked at it confused.
“You’re going to give him a present?” Harper asked.
“Its not really a present. It’s a trick,” he whispered. “Soon as he opens this, it's going to release pigment bugs.”
“Pigment bugs? Where did you get those?”
“You know how Mom is. She keeps all sorts of creatures around the house. Found them when we were cleaning out the shed. Anyway, it will be amazing. Domino will open the box and the bugs will get all over him eating away that tan he works so hard on. He will be white as a ghost for weeks!”
“That’s it? Harper asked. “You're going to ruin his tan?”
“It’s perfect,” Ash replied. “Diamond and Domino have skin white as snow like their Mom. He has to tan every other day to keep his color. He complained about it every time our parents made us play together. It's the perfect revenge for the purple hair.”
“Violet,” Harper corrected.
“Yeah that’s great Ash. Just one problem,” Horatio replied. “How are you going to get him to open it?”
“…I was going to hand it to him.”
“Don’t you think that’s a bit suspicious?” Harper asked.
“Well how else do I get it to him?”
“I don’t know,” Horatio laughed. “It's your Master Plan.”
Ash sat stumped. Domino not opening the box had never factored in. “Well,” Ash told them. “If he doesn’t want to open it. I could put it in his locker.”
“The anonymous package thing is probably a better route,” Hattie replied.
“It will be plan B if he doesn’t open it,” Ash replied.
Harper shook her head. “But then he will know it's from you and the second plan won't work either.”
“I'll rewrap it!”
“Domino is pretty dumb, but he’s not going to fall for that,” Horatio replied.
“Ash isn’t going to listen,” Harper chuckled. “He’s got it in his head. Go exact your revenge. We're watching.”
Ash looked like he would explode with excitement at any moment. Quickly he took his box and turned toward the Charming’s table. Every step felt like an eternity as he advanced on his nemesis. After about a year, he found himself before the Charming table.
“Can I help you?” Diamond asked coldly.
Ash had something witty to say upon giving them but his mind was a blank as he he held the box out for Domino.
Domino looked up at it in disbelief. “Is that supposed to be for me?”
Ash nodded, praying he would take the package and let him go back to his table and watch the mayhem from a safe distance. Domino glared then reluctantly took the package and Ash quickly turned to leave.
“Aren’t you going to at least watch me open it?” Domino asked suspiciously.
“I can see fine from my table.”
“I insist you stay,” Domino replied. In an instant, his larger cousins Zed and Ted stood on either side of Ash, towering over him.
Ash stood watching. He knew he was going to be beaten to a pulp in front of the entire school, but it was totally worth it to get back at Domino. He had nearly opened one side of the package, when his Sister stopped him. Ash’s heart sank.
“I would hate to think that our dear cousin Ashley might give you something harmful, but we should take a precaution,” she smiled cunningly.
“Precaution?” Ash choked.
“Just a simple spell,” Diamond replied and placed her hand on the package where she mumbled a few words. “There,” she smiled.
“Thanks Sis,” Domino replied and continued opening the package.
As soon as he opened it, tiny white bugs streamed out toward Domino. Ash watched excitedly, when the bugs suddenly changed direction, headed back to Ash.
“I love the 'Return to Sender' spell,” Diamond laughed as the bugs crawled up Ash’s leg. “It repels malicious deeds, sending them back on whomever dispatched them.”
Ash tried to back away, but Ted and Zed held him in place as the bugs began crawling into his pores.
~
“Pssst,” Ash called to the chipmunks on the branch next to him. “Come chew these laces will you?”
The chipmunks just laughed and ran off into the tree. He hung from his shoelaces dismally. He could talk to animals, sure, but getting them to do what he wanted was another thing all together.
“There you are,” Harper called. Ash looked down from the tree in the center of the courtyard. “Next time, just put the box in his locker,” she told him and began scaling the tree.
“Duly noted,” he groaned.
“So how long is your skin going to stay white?” she asked unknotting hiss laces.
“About a week.”
“That’s not so bad,” Harper replied positively. “They tied these things pretty good though. I’m going to have to cut them,” she sighed and began rifling through the art supplies in her bag.
“Alright,” Ash groaned. “Just let me know when you're about to-“ he started to say when the lace snapped and he plummeted to the courtyard.
“So, have you learned your lesson?” Harper asked as she came down the tree and helped him to his feet.
“Yes,” Ash replied. “Next time ill use a long range surprise attack. Up close and personal clearly doesn’t work”
Harper shook her head as she escorted their albino friend to their next class, listening as he spun new schemes to get back at Domino.
The End
