The one thing that was both a boon and a bane about the whole stay at home order is that Desiree was at home all the time due to school being forced into reprieve as people spent time figuring out how to manage everyday life. A bane, as we both now lived with my mom who continued to micromanage both of our lives. And a boon, as I could be there to protect my sister from her manipulative bullshit 24/7. Although in the first week, Desiree spent all her time in her room except for when we stopped by their house to pack up her things. The entire time, I did enough speaking for the both of us. I honestly tried to get her to open up, as something seemed to be really bothering her about this whole situation. But she chose to stay quiet, so I had to fill that gap.
The second time I noticed something unusual was five days later on Saturday. When I woke up, I was feeling like utter shit. I was surprisingly achy and slow. It felt like I was trying to swim through stone, to be honest. I thought I could audibly hear myself creaking as I struggled to get out of bed. Was it a cold or the flu? I didn't really FEEL sick, just severely drained. Everything seemed to be a struggle for me. It even hurt to lift my arms above my head to get dressed. Pure agony, plain and simple.
Heading downstairs, I was immediately hit with this... I don't know, a scent of some kind? It was REALLY pungent, but some part of me kind of... liked it? I have no idea. Hearing the sound of the blender made me realize just how hungry I really was, so I started stumbling towards the kitchen to get something to eat. And the closer I got, the stronger the smell became. It really did feel like I was being hit so hard by something, it was making me punch drunk. My head was swimming as my feet felt like led, stomping forward autonomically like a robot as I got dizzier and dizzier. As I stepped through, the whole kitchen was beginning to overwhelm me. I could practically taste whatever the scent was, now. And as I looked over at who was in the kitchen, I became incredibly confused. All that was in there was my mom, standing in front of a blender in a pair of tights and a sports bra, looking like she had just finished a run or something.
"About time you got up," she said, not even looking at me as she poured herself a glass of whatever she had just made. "I was wondering if I should get your lazy butt out of bed or not."
"What do you mean?", I asked her, shuffling to the fridge to pull out some milk.
"I mean you're burning daylight when you should be taking care of things around here," she chided me as she sat down. "Desiree and I have been up for a while now, while you practically slept the day away!"
Moving over to the counter where I kept my phone and charging bay, I looked at the time.
"It's only 9 AM," I told her. "That's a usual start for most people."
"Not while I'm around," she told me smugly. "It's time you got a little organization in your life!"
I shook my head and grabbed a glass, not trying to pay her any mind. But the entire time, it felt like my mind was fogged over. I took a couple deep breaths, trying to focus. But all I could sense was whatever that damn scent was. It was overpowering. It felt like everything was an echo, especially my mom's words as her voice buzzed in the back of my head. I couldn't really focus. It was only when I felt someone yanking the milk out of my hand that I realized she had walked to me without me realizing it.
"First thing's first," she said, ripping off the cap and pouring the milk down the sink. "We're changing your diet. No dairy, less protein, more fruits and veggies. You're putting on weight and that's going to stop now."
I suddenly snapped to attention at what was going on.
"What are you DOING?", I shouted. I reached for the milk, but for some reason, my mom was able to easily hold me off with one hand. As I struggled, I couldn't believe that I was unable to stop her as she pushed me back. Keeping me from stopping her until the milk was all gone. Not even our height difference was enough for me to do anything.
"Doing what's best for you," she said, smiling proudly. "You're becoming a lazy good for nothing and obviously need your mommy to make you the man you should be! Which is why I'm going shopping later to make sure you eat right!"
I scoffed at her statement.
"I eat well enough as is," I shouted. "I always eat the right proportions! I work out! I take care of myself! By whose standards are you saying I'm not eating right?"
With a wicked grin, she reached over beside the blender before slapping some papers to my chest. Flipping them over, I immediately noticed they had official letterhead and everything from some new department I had never heard of before.
"The Department Of... Equivalency?"
"Government orders," my mom crowed. "As per the orders of the Equivalency Department, the rankings of individuals within a home are as followed: A for individuals of most importance, B for moderate importance, and so on down to F."
Ripping the papers out of my hands, mom pointed emphatically to a specific paragraph.
"Read it," she joyously demanded.
"Fine," I told her. "In regards to the Cavalleri Household, the rankings are as followed: For Laura Cavalleri, A ranking. For Desiree Cavalleri, A Ranking. For Desmond Cavalleri... F RANKING?!"
"That's right," mom said, pushing the papers into my chest again. "As per the decree of the Equivalency Department, the balance of power in a household is as follows: A Ranks get the most reward, while those of F Rank must attend to those duties A Ranks dole out to them. With the completion of their duties, a person's reward is attributed to their ranking. After one year's time, a person may file for a changing of their rank. But let's face it, you deserve where you're at!"
I stared at the papers that mom showed me, trying to figure out what this all meant.
"When did this happen?", I asked her, completely unable to wrap my head around this and whatever that damn scent was. That damned, pungent, sickening... sweet, enticing scent that grew more and more pleasant the more time I spent around it.
"Don't know," mom said, sitting down at the table and grabbing her drink. "And frankly, I don't care!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH, MOM!"
Desiree's voice cut through the haze and confusion, breaking me out of the spell I was under. I had never known her to be so forceful. Normally, she remained quiet and distant. But in this instant, it was like a wind cutting through the mist I was trapped in. A wind that carried a... sweet, flowery scent? She quickly ran to me, hugging me protectively. I was too tired to resist, so I just put my arms around her shoulders.
"Morning," I gently told her.
I noticed mom just rolled her eyes, standing up from her seat as she began walking away. I couldn't put my finger on it, but now that I was getting a good look at her, I saw there was something different about her. I didn't know exactly what, but something about her had changed, if only slightly.
"Tch, children..."
As she left the room, I could swear whatever scent was in here before began to dissipate, putting less strain on me.
Squeezing me one more time, Desiree quickly made her way back out of the kitchen. Stopping at the doorway, she looked back at me with a somewhat remorseful look on her face.
"I'm sorry about the ranking," she said. "But I'll try to do what I can to help you from mom. She's known about the rankings all week and has been gloating in secret about this being 'her house now'. Just... a bit of warning, the rewards are not what you think they are. Mom will try to take full advantage of them, and you, in the next year. Be on guard."
Before I could even ask anything, she quickly ran back upstairs. Leaving me to sit and ruminate over what the fuck was going on.