PeaceMaker

"N-no…" Marie muttered, she crawled in front of the messy pile on the floor and struggled to put them back together, "s-stop looking, stop looking at them please."

"Marie? What are you doing? Don't block them, let them see," Annabeth growled, pushing away Marie, "you bought this to use on people right? You gotta get used to people looking at them right? So STEP ASIDE!"

Marie fell to the ground, trembling as everyone peered at the items on the ground. She was devastated and refused to look up from the ground. She was ashamed.

"Nonono sister," Annabeth muttered, she bent down and lifted Marie's head up, turning it to the pile of items on the ground and then to her family, "look at them carefully. You were pretty proud when you were showing me your collection so why are you like this now?"

Marie shut her eyes shut and refused to look at her family, she didn't want to see their expressions. She didn't want to see their expressions, how ashamed they were at her, and how disgusted they were at her actions. This was the first time she had experienced terror and humiliation and it was by the hands of her own sister, punishing her for the actions she thought were ok and fun. She covered her face with her hand, she didn't want to be seen now. 

"Sigh… you're not excited as you were when you first bought them or when you used them on Kalmin and Alice, "why do you look so ashamed now? Isn't this what you like? DIDN'T YOU ENJOY PRACTICING WITH THEM?! WHY CAN'T YOU LOOK AT THEM NOW?!"

"No! PLEASE NO! I DON'T WANT TO LOOK!! TAKE THEM AWAY!!!" Marie begged, "I-I was wrong… this was all so wrong, I messed up and I did something so disgraceful in the end. Please take them away, I will never do such an action again."

Gasps echoed from Mrs. Crowly and her husband simply clenched his fist, Beside them, Jena and Justin trembled, horrified by the scene in front of them. They looked away from Marie, unable to take the scene. They knew they were next. Whatever was happening to Marie now would be served to them later. It would soon be their turn to be humiliated and they were dreading it. 

"Hmm… okie then! It's never too late to repent!" Annabeth grinned.

Marie perked up, a smile forming on her quivering lips, "Really sister? You'll get rid of them? I promise I'll quit all my actions after that!"

Annabeth smiled, "That's good then~" she chuckled, her smile switching to a frown, "Seriously? Promise? I'm supposed to trust the words out of that filthy mouth of yours? Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Marie trembled, the harsh words ricocheting against her ears, "Annie?"

"Oh for god sake, shut up!" Annie yelled, squishing Marie's cheeks. "If you really think I'm going to get rid of this for you and trust that you'll stop it then you must be hallucinating."

Annie stopped for a second and gave it a thought. 'Getting rid of it…' she thought to herself as she place where her hand met Marie's cheek started to burn. 'Ah!' her eyes brightened up, 'I got it!'

She let go of Marie's cheeks and smiled, "you want to get rid of this right? You want to finally be able to stop right?"

Marie immediately nodded, tears running down her cheeks, "Y-yes, yes please."

"Okie then, go out there and sell them yourself," Annie grinned.

"What?!" everyone exclaimed in unison. 

"If I get rid of them for you then you don't truly get to experience letting it go yourself. But, if you go out there and start selling them to others, just like the people who sold them to you then you'll get to feel the 'pain' of letting them go and the humiliation and guilt that comes from being a fine lady having all these toys at your age," Annie explained. She looked up at her mother, "isn't that right mother? The best way to get rid of something is by letting go of it yourself. After you've gone through all of that humiliation, you wouldn't DARE to lay your hands on such disgraceful things again. You do agree with me, mother. Right?"

Marie turned to her mother, pulling her hands away from her face to reveal a wet, tear-soaked face. "Mother… No.. you- No, please... Don't do this to me…"

Although Mrs. Crowly felt disgusted, a pang of pain rang in her heart as she looked at her daughter. She let out a shaky sigh, "A-Annabeth…"

"Haha- are you kidding me right now?" Annabeth growled, "do you think you've been doing your job lately? As a stay at home mother, you only have one job and yet you can't manage to do that. But when you're given a chance to make that up, you toss it aside? YOU MESSED UP ONCE! WHY DO IT AGAIN?!"

Mrs. Crowly trembled at Annabeth's sharp words, her head hung low in shame. 

"You couldn't look after the children you called angels you were pathetic enough there but now… instead of making up for the times in which you were a horrible mother, you'd rather throw it away?" Annabeth chuckled, pain embedded in every laugh and disappointment hung on her face, "those children strayed down the wrong path and didn't listen to you. You are given a chance to correct them but would rather let them go down to the devil. Be smart, mom. Use your brain, it's not only used to know how to cook. Please think through this… or else it's the last time I'm ever calling you mom."

Mrs. Crowly pressed down on her quivering legs and shakingly stood up. 'If not for Annabeth, when was I ever going to find out about this? If not for the one child that went against her siblings would I even know of the sins my kids committed? A noblewoman of the house is what I'm supposed to be… I'm supposed to look after the kids and make sure this house met the expectations of nobility. That in the presence of a royal we can stand strong and show them we can be relied on… but have I ever done any of that? Do I even deserve to be a noble anymore?'

With staggering steps, she approached her daughter laying sheepishly on the ground. 

'I've done nothing in this family but be blind to all their secrets. I'm not even strong enough to punish them,' Mrs. Crowly pondered, 'My daughter is right, I am pathetic. Pitiful even. A pathetic excuse for a noble. But..' She stood over Marie.

"Mother…" Marie smiled, expecting to be met with forgiveness. A large hand was brought down on her cheek.

"Marie Rose Crowly," Mrs. Crowly spat, "you have brought disgrace to our family. In two days you shall be stripped of your luxurious attire, and cast to the streets to sell these dirty goods you have gathered. The money you have stolen will be returned twice-fold, the extra money made from you finding a job and working to earn back the money. Everything, Every Aire you earn will be returned to the household. After that, you shall be banned from leaving the house after 6:oo pm and will be asleep by 5:30 each day." 

"No… mother NO PLEASE!!!" Marie begged as the pain on her cheeks from her mother's slap brought fresh tears to her eyes. 

"After we visit the King in 2 days time, you will be put to the streets. Working and selling your items then returning at 5 sharp, every day until you pay off twice the amount you stole. If you dare to return home after 5 three times, there will be a certain amount you have to earn daily and you will be forced to cook if you do not achieve that amount," Mrs. Crowly voice was so stern that it had no room for negotiation, "I deeply regret not keeping firmer rein on my children. That will be changed now." 

"Nice decision mother," Annabeth nodded, walking next to her mother. She placed her arm on her trembling shoulder and gave a tight squeeze. It was a way to motivate her mother, a way to say she did good job.

"Now," Annabeth smiled, "we can't leave the other two out can we, for they committed far worse crimes than the thief on the ground."

Mrs. Crowly gave a small nod. It had been a while since she felt in control of things. Below the ladder was where she had always sat, waiting for a chance to crawl up. She thought she had only made one good decision in her life, and that was giving birth to all three of them since it was her job to give birth. Then she had lost rein before she even knew she had messed up. How she had missed knowing she was still the Lady of the house. 

'With just a little bit of guidance,' she thought to herself turning to her daughter Annabeth, 'with just a little bit of guidance… that maybe I can learn to be a mother again.. I can learn to really be the lady of the house.