2.2

Dinner was bound to be noisy. Everyone knew that. Everyone was prepared. And everyone guessed right about who would light the fuse.

*

By the time the twins were born, Monwort was a president in the Orion group. Two thirds of the members of the Orion family were in the Orion group, which was started a few generations ago as a single business and had steadily grown into a corporation that had many businesses under its umbrella in many different fields. The remaining third of the family remained in the government, which was what their ancestors originally were. Pete grew up in awe of the long history of his family, and longed to be like his ancestors, like his father once was, in the government. And so, from when he was five, he grew up under the care and directions of his uncles and aunts. "It was never too early to start," they said, and he agreed, just as he agreed to every thing they said. "You have to be very careful with every action and every word you voice, you have to be absolutely certain about your actions. That great burden, that great responsibility, is what it means to be in the government."

Pete took the lesson to heart. He grew up far more rapidly than others his age, than his twin sister, than his second brother. And that was the problem really. Eldest brother was interning at father's company from when he turned thirteen. Little things at first that steadily and quickly grew bigger, and by the time eldest brother was starting college, he had earned a position as an assistant to the president's office, to father's office. That was the kind of person Pete aspired to be. He had to be even better because he was going to be in the government.

And then there was his second brother. Lazy. Nonchalant. Didn't care about his studies, about his grades. Didn't care about people's opinion of him. Didn't care to follow in the steps of eldest brother. Didn't care for his future. By when most of their cousins were already decided at least about what path to walk, second brother was still a child playing around.

Pete found that difficult to accept. Even more since the adults seemed perfectly happy to accept that. Many of them were even rather fond of second brother, more than other children, more than their own children too.

And what had second brother done today? How could he, as a child of the Orion family, get called to the principal's office because of delinquency, and even have their parents called? How was any of this acceptable?

*

"Mother, father," Pete said when they were halfway through dinner, and had been carefully avoiding the incident from earlier. "Don't you think we have to talk about what happened?"

Father sighed. Mother smiled, a little sadly, a little disappointedly, and spoke in a soft and calm voice. "What do you mean?"

"Second brother, being punished by the school," Pete said, trying his hardest, and believing that he succeeded quite well, to keep the frustration from showing.

"Is that so?" mother said. She sounded vaguely as if she snorted.

"Is it not so?" Pete asked, taking the bait knowingly.

"If you say so," mother said. "Go on. What do you want to say?"

"I think its time second brother starts growing up. I think this is a good opportunity. I think a change of environment would do him good. He is more spoiled than even Petra. It's as if he's the youngest child of the family. Why are you all okay with that?"

Mother said nothing. She continued eating, as if she had stopped listening a while back. Petra was relishing the dessert. Her meals usually were two thirds the desserts and everything else making for a third. And everyone thought that was okay because she was healthy and perfectly fine despite the amount of sugar she consumed. Doctors said her body constitution was probably perfectly suited for it, so she would be okay. She just had to make sure she didn't overdo it, by her standards. And Petra was smart, enough to know when she had had enough.

Pete could only look at father and eldest brother, both of whom sighed sadly. Eldest brother looked at Haven, who was as always the unaffected nonchalant. Father replied to Pete.

"I understand Pete. We will do what is right. I promise you that. Also, I have something to say to you. Can you not be in such a hurry? You're still a child. That is why everyone treats you like a child. And that's because there's still a lot you have to learn. It's okay to go at your own pace. You don't have to compete with anyone."

"I want to be as good as eldest brother," Pete argued. "What is wrong in that?"

Father sighed too. Gavel smiled at Pete indulgently. And Pete looked back at them impassively. The other three weren't part of the conversation, and were happily enjoying the food. And when they were done, mother first, then Petra and Haven last, it signalled the end of dinner. Everyone got up and left.

*

The next morning, after breakfast, Gwen followed Haven to his room. Mother and child sat comfortably on the bed, with his laptop open between them.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked.

On the laptop was open the brochure of Stine Academy. An elite academy with a student population only in two digits, and with extremely strict requirements for admission. Of course, it wasn't popular, mainly because it didn't award a certificate upon graduation that carried the same weight as other, more popular and renowned academic institutions. And it wasn't intended to. It was an academy where students studied what they liked, and graduated when they chose to. It was also an academy on the small island nation Jorges, a thousand miles away.

"Yes," he said, beaming. "It's perfect. I had spoken in length with prof Winse. He's the dean of the academy. He agrees. It's the perfect institution for me. I was still figuring out the right time to bring it up. Thankfully, the heavens are helping me. The opportunity has been presented. And I want to go."

"I hope this hasn't got anything to do with Petey," she said slowly.

"You know it most certainly does," he said, and stopped.

She sighed, and brushed his hair. "I'll confess. I have read up on it too. Remember we were discussing Angel's academy?"

"From Star Writer."

"Yes, Star Writer. We were discussing our differing opinions about its popularity and its deficiencies when compared to other tv dramas, and ended up discussing the academy that was central to the first half of the drama."

"Mama, I remember."

"I know you do. I am still going to say it. And you are going to listen. Okay?"

"Of course, mama. Is there another answer?"

"Good boy. That's when I knew. You clearly weren't very fond of the traditional schools. And I thought, no I was quite sure, that when the opportunity presented itself, you would leave. You would want to go to a more alternate kind of school. I knew you would create the opportunity if it didn't present itself, when you were ready. And so, I've been reading up on the rather well known alternate schools. Stine was in my list. Though not very high up, I must confess."

"I like Stine best because it is remote. And separate. And truly individual."

"And because it is quite far from your little brother."

"And because it is quite far from Petey. I think he would like it better this way. And you, and papa, don't have to feel stuck between us disagreeing brothers."

"More like the disagreeing younger brother and the indulgent elder brother."

"Sometimes you really confuse me for Gavel. I think we have to do something about that."

"No. I don't. I am very clear about the difference. You're worse. In every way. So much worse. And Petra won't like it."

"I know. I won't either. There's no Wendy's on the island."

The two had a good laugh, and then poured over the brochure, going over every little aspect and detail, making sure they had everything covered. It was evening when they were done. They were so completely engrossed, they didn't even realise they had missed lunch. They hadn't even felt hungry. And they were done just as Petra was returning.

They didn't tell Petra immediately. It was something the two of them wanted to bring up over dinner. That was tonight's agenda. Haven's admission to Stine academy. And Haven's departure.