The Otherworlders Academy - An Original Teen Fantasy

Ep. 1.2 (R) - Sir Geoffrey Sends the Boys Off

Farid and Sebastian scurry down the circular, flagstone driveway of the family mansion, around to the back of the house, headed for the kitchen where even if the cook were awake and busy preparing the family's breakfast, all the servants knew to pretend the boys were invisible when they'd sneak in at five or six o'clock in the morning.

This time, however, they were really pushing it given it was fifteen minutes past seven.

The McFadden estate sits on the outskirts of the capital city on ten lush, green acres of land, right where the city wall meets the Aysgarth River. Luckily for the boys, the house is set far enough back from the main road that they can easily use the house's trees and shrubbery surrounding it as protection from discovery.

Made of elegant beige and gray sandstone with crisp white trim, the sprawling mansion was designed for a man of great prestige who had many wives and even more children. The central portion of the home is reserved for the First Family: Sir Geoffrey, his First Wife--Lady Brigitte, and his First Son--Sebastian. On either side of the home are two extensive wings, one that houses his Second Family--Mina and Farid--and the other that houses both his Third Family, Anka and daughters Astrid and Greta, and his Fourth Wife, Marianna, and their six-year-old son, Mateo.

While each family has its own personal space, for the most part, all the children manage to congregate in the TV room, the home theater, the indoor gym, or the pool house where they have easy access to the exquisitely-designed swimming pool, the professional-grade tennis court, the garden cottage, and the loggia with an outdoor kitchen, fireplace, and living room.

Their current plan was for them to slip quietly down the servants' hallway, through the main hall, and over to the side stairs that went up to Farid and Mina's wing, where from there, Sebastian could easily traverse a shared hallway over to his bedroom without any chance of his parents seeing him.

Unfortunately, as they pass by the dining room on their way to the stairway, a booming voice calls out after them.

"Boys! Come! Now!" Sir Geoffrey barks, his sharp-edged, commanding voice causing both boys to freeze in their tracks. Caught outright, they exchange worried glances, then turn around and sheepishly head inside.

Sitting at the head of a large, ornate dining table is their father, Sir Geoffrey McFadden. Although tall and on the slender side, Sir Geoffrey's severe countenance and regal demeanor make the mere act him calmly tapping his fingers on the table as he stares at his sons with his piercing gray eyes feel both foreboding, and to be honest, rather sinister.

"Sit down," he says, his voice tight, as he points with his chin to the chairs on either side of him.

Farid and Sebastian slide into their seats, Farid on Sir Geoffrey's right and Sebastian on his left.

Sir Geoffrey glances down at his watch, then he looks up at his sons with a carefully arched brow. "Well, this is certainly a new record," he murmurs ruefully. "Sneaking in right before breakfast. I didn't think you two had it in you. It's bold," he cracks an unnerving smile, "at least I'll give you that."

After a moment of watching his boys squirm, Sir Geoffrey waves the allegation away as if it were a mere trifle instead of breaking one of his cardinal rules--something that would typically set him off on a rant for hours. "No matter," he says almost too casually. "We'll address this issue later."

Sir Geoffrey clears his throat as he shifts in his chair. "Now, I've asked both your mothers and your sisters to have breakfast in the morning room so that we can have a little chat... just the three of us." He gives his boys an almost diabolical smile.

Sebastian and Farid exchange confused and panicked looks.

Usually, whenever they get into trouble, their father just yells at them for a bit, then banishes them to their respective bedrooms for the rest of the week, forcing them to sit and eat in isolation in order to "contemplate the significance of their actions."