Room 508, Friday All Day
"--And let me tell you another thing, Katherine," her father said, towering over her. "I won't have you--"
And then Kathy did something she had never done in her life. She interrupted him. "No," she said, straightening up and staring at him full in the face. "Let me tell you something, Dad." She barely recognized her own voice--she'd never heard it sound that confident, that strong. Especially not while she'd ever spoken to her father. "I'm tired of you tearing me and Sarah down just to push yourself up. I'm tired of you thinking that 'man of the house' means 'petty fucking tyrant!'" Her father looked utterly flabbergasted, stumbling backwards a bit as Kathy advanced. He opened his mouth to retort but she continued to talk right over him. "You're a petty, childish bully! You think your sulks and tantrums are intimidating? Only because you have us so terrorized that we're afraid to set you off! But not anymore! I. Have. HAD IT! I'm not going to take it anymore!"
Her father tripped backwards over the edge of the rug, sprawling out on the living room floor and looking up at Kathy with something like real fear in his eyes. Kathy saw it and it felt like victory. "Now apologize to Sarah for what you just said to her."
"Now see here--!"
"I said, apologize." There was no mistaking the malice in her tone. Or the implied threat.
"S-Sorry," he said quickly. "I'm sorry, Sarah."
"Things are gonna change around here," she told him, the start of a vicious smile tugging at her lips.
Since getting back to her room after class yesterday, Kathy had barely moved from her spot at her desk. Her schoolwork and test prep had all been shoved off to the side to make room for the mirror she'd gotten at Needful Things. She'd fallen asleep at her desk last night and hadn't given a single thought to getting up today. Somewhere, distantly, she knew she should probably be hungry and thirsty, that it had been something like thirty hours since the last time she'd eaten, but it was hard to be really concerned about that. Not when her mirror had new and amazing things to show her. At any time, it could fog up again to show her something new! She could grab a bite to eat or take a shower anytime. This was far more important.
[mostly establishy, but could be open. Mirror-vision NFB, please!]
And then Kathy did something she had never done in her life. She interrupted him. "No," she said, straightening up and staring at him full in the face. "Let me tell you something, Dad." She barely recognized her own voice--she'd never heard it sound that confident, that strong. Especially not while she'd ever spoken to her father. "I'm tired of you tearing me and Sarah down just to push yourself up. I'm tired of you thinking that 'man of the house' means 'petty fucking tyrant!'" Her father looked utterly flabbergasted, stumbling backwards a bit as Kathy advanced. He opened his mouth to retort but she continued to talk right over him. "You're a petty, childish bully! You think your sulks and tantrums are intimidating? Only because you have us so terrorized that we're afraid to set you off! But not anymore! I. Have. HAD IT! I'm not going to take it anymore!"
Her father tripped backwards over the edge of the rug, sprawling out on the living room floor and looking up at Kathy with something like real fear in his eyes. Kathy saw it and it felt like victory. "Now apologize to Sarah for what you just said to her."
"Now see here--!"
"I said, apologize." There was no mistaking the malice in her tone. Or the implied threat.
"S-Sorry," he said quickly. "I'm sorry, Sarah."
"Things are gonna change around here," she told him, the start of a vicious smile tugging at her lips.
Since getting back to her room after class yesterday, Kathy had barely moved from her spot at her desk. Her schoolwork and test prep had all been shoved off to the side to make room for the mirror she'd gotten at Needful Things. She'd fallen asleep at her desk last night and hadn't given a single thought to getting up today. Somewhere, distantly, she knew she should probably be hungry and thirsty, that it had been something like thirty hours since the last time she'd eaten, but it was hard to be really concerned about that. Not when her mirror had new and amazing things to show her. At any time, it could fog up again to show her something new! She could grab a bite to eat or take a shower anytime. This was far more important.
[mostly establishy, but could be open. Mirror-vision NFB, please!]