Rich Boy: Growing Pains - 7. Chapter 7

"How could you do this?" Jamie shouted the next morning. He'd taken one look at the smug look on Worthington's face, the way Colin walked into breakfast and his temper had flared. Instead of eating, Worthington had been dragged up to the same platform they'd used yesterday, and now Jamie was yelling at him, his face nearly purple with rage.

"It's what he wanted." Worthington countered calmly. He could feel his brother's rage like a hammer blow inside his head.

"He's only fifteen!" Jamie shrieked.

"He turned sixteen yesterday, brother mine." Worthington snarled as he stalked to the other side of the platform. Jamie followed him but stopped once he reached the middle.

"Why didn't he tell me it was his birthday?" Jamie asked, and Worthington bit off a bark of laughter.

"Shouldn't you have known?" Worthington countered. "If you're going to mother him, you should remember things like that."

"I'm not mothering him!" Jamie shouted back. "He's my responsibility!"

"Not anymore," Worthington stated with his back to his brother. "He asked me to be responsible for him from here out, and I agreed. He's old enough to understand the importance of that decision, and according to Dark traditions that means he's old enough to make that type of decision. I accepted him."

"Before or after you fucked him?" Jamie snarled.

"Before." Worthington shrugged as he answered. "If he didn't understand what he was asking, what he wanted, and the consequences of it, I'd have spanked his butt and sent him crawling back to you."

"Who were you to make that decision without even consulting me?" Jamie snarled, and Worthington's head pounded.

"I was raised a Dark mage." Worthington countered as he spun around. "You weren't. You are still infected by those stupid Light principles, and you tried to use them to hold Colin back. He rejected the Light, he wishes to be Dark, and he fully understands what that decision means. It was wrong of you to not recognize that."

"So you go and fuck him!" Jamie snarled. "How the fuck is that right? Is that your answer to everything? Stick your fucking dick in a hole?"

"You know better than that." Worthington snarled back. "Let's just get right down to the true issue you have. Colin is not Carl. He was not raped. Colin knew what he wanted, and he went for it."

"What if it had been Carl?" Jamie snarled. "Would you have stuck him again too?"

"If he understood what it was he was asking for, yes." Worthington's answer was honest, and his brother stared at him for a very long moment.

Time seemed to slow in that moment, as Jamie lifted a hand glowing with all the power he could muster. His chest was heaving as he tried to fill his lungs with air amidst the pain and the fury he was feeling. Even as he clasped his fist and made a throwing motion, sending the bolt of power flying towards Worthington, they both felt the ripping sensation inside of them, the split that tore them apart.

Worthington raised his shields despite the pain that filled him as he felt himself being mentally ripped in half. The barrier was gone as if it had never existed, but there was no Jamie there, just a gaping hole. Another bolt slammed into his shields, and he was forced back against the platform's railing. He had no choice but to fire back a bolt before Jamie could slam his shields again. There was no guarantee the shields would hold against another strike like that.

Jamie shrugged off the attack like it was a spitball and began drawing power for another bolt. He reached out to Carl to make it more powerful. The boy was close enough for that and was getting closer as he raced towards the flashing light of mage power, but when Jamie tried to draw power from him, the boy cut him off, refused to let him inside. That elicited a snarl as he flung more power at Worthington, and his power ripped the last of his brother's shields away.

"Stop!" A voice rang out, but it was too late as he threw another bolt at Worthington. This one would hit, or it should have. More shields sprang up around Worthington just in time to stop his strike, and Jamie recognized the power signature. So, the little slut would interfere with…

With what?

What was Jamie doing? The fact that his brother would betray him, would take Colin's most precious thing away had enraged him, took him to a point of anger he'd never been at before, and he realized something. He had been holding Colin back, wanting to preserve something in Colin he'd lost himself, and he understood how that had been wrong.

"Fuck." Jamie murmured as he released the power he was holding and looked at his brother who was just now straightening up off of the safety railing. "You were right. Fuck you, but you were right."

"Can you feel it?" Worthington asked as he probed that blank place in his mind, like a tongue probing a sore tooth.

"It's gone," Jamie said as several others climbed up onto the platform. Colin was the first up, his face white with fear and Brandon and Carl, both of whom were looking scared, followed him closely.

"What's going on here?" Brandon demanded. "What are you two fighting about?"

"We're fighting," Worthington said in a voice of disbelief. "We're really fighting."

"Yes," Jamie said in the same tone of disbelief. "It's gone. There's like a hole in my mind where it was, where it linked us together."

"Why?" Worthington asked.

"It seems simple," Jamie said in astonishment. "Think about it. This was something we couldn't agree on, something we could never agree on. It was something that no matter how hard it tried, it could never bring us into the same position. When we fought over it, when I struck at you, that tore it out of us."

"It seems so simple," Worthington said in wonder. "Why didn't Jones tell us this? We could have found something we disagreed on earlier."

"Maybe it wouldn't have worked earlier," Jamie said in a quieter tone and Worthington crossed the distance between them, so they stood close together.

"You're saying the thing is gone?" Brandon asked in surprise. "What were you fighting about?"

"Me," Colin said confidently.

"Yes, you," Jamie growled angrily. "I'm fucking pissed as hell, Colin. You should have told me straight out what you wanted instead of going behind my back."

"I tried to…" Colin argued as he flushed a bit.

"No excuses," Jamie growled. "Well, done is done. You're his responsibility now, and I suggest you stay out of my way for the next few days. I wash my hands of you."

"I'm sorry," Colin said quietly, and there were tears in his eyes. "I do like you, Jamie, but you don't understand me."

"Don't go crying now," Jamie growled, and he looked at Worthington. "You better stay away from me too, for a bit. I'm pissed at you too, brother."

"But we're not going to let it destroy our friendship, right?" Worthington asked calmly, and there was the barest hint of a smile on Jamie's face.

"No, we're still brothers, and we're still best friends," Jamie said tenderly, and he reached out to touch Worthington's cheek briefly. "I love you, brother, but I'm going to be pissed for a while."

"I can live with that." Worthington did smile, and Jamie nodded before he stomped off the platform, growling at Carl to follow him. Brandon and Colin went to stand in front of Worthington.

"I'm sorry," Colin said gently.

"Don't be sorry," Worthington growled. "You were within your rights to do what you did last night, and I think you enjoyed it too."

"Fuck yeah I did." Colin grinned and then grimaced. "It fucking hurts like hell though. I think you were a little rough on purpose."

"I was." Worthington smiled. "You deserved it."

"What is going on here?" Brandon asked suspiciously. Worthington filled him in a while still testing that blank spot in his head. He could detect no remnants of the Sinclair consciousness, and he was mentally blessing Colin.

"So this was a good thing?" Colin asked nervously.

"Overall, yes it was," Worthington said and then narrowed his eyes. "Here's a lesson for you to remember as you set your feet on the Dark path. What happened between Jamie and me, well normally in Dark path mages, it is the type of thing that will lead to really bad feuds between mages. If I had been my father, Jamie and I would either be fighting to the death, or we would be fighting against each other for the rest of our lives. That's one of the weaknesses of the Dark path, and it is only because neither of us walks that path that we'll get over this. He's still angry at me, and to some degree, I'm mad at him for striking at me, but we're going to get over it."

"I think I understand," Colin said, but then he got a defensive look on his face. "Still, I want to be Dark path."

"That's fine, just remember this lesson," Worthington said gently. "Now, let's get back down to breakfast. I'm hungry."

If this morning's breakfast was any indication of the camp's food for the next two weeks, Worthington realized he was probably going to be losing some weight. Scrambled eggs were something to be tolerated at the best of times, and these were far too dry for his taste. The bacon was limp, barely cooked, and the pancakes were doughier than he could stomach. When he put his tray away, it was with half his food still on it, and he grimaced at the reminder of one of Mr. Hall's lectures on making the kids ate all their food.

He did finish in time for the morning ‘hike.' Before the kids arrived around eleven, Hall and three of the camp's permanent staffers took all the counselors on a hike around the grounds, showing them all the equipment sheds and main trails they would be using. As instructed, they were all wearing full-length jeans, blue t-shirts with the camp's logo on it, and boots. Jamie purposely moved to the front of the line of counselors, keeping Carl close to his side while Worthington hung further back.

He was confident Jamie would get over his anger eventually but didn't want to provoke his brother. What he'd told Colin about brothers and the Dark path was very much in his mind, and he wanted to make sure he didn't create more bad blood between them. The unintended consequences though were something he was very happy to have. As the morning progressed and he slowly got used to the gap in his mind, he realized just how pervasive the Sinclair consciousness had been and was glad it was gone forever.

Yes, he'd miss the closeness with Jamie, but like his brother, he didn't want to be bound together by that thing. Jamie was his own person, with his own dreams, his own goals, his own life. As the experience with Colin had proved, they weren't the same person and it was a good thing, not only for them but for others. Certainly Colin was far happier this morning.

That must be something else that would irritate Jamie. They had both seen Colin's distracted attitude and knew he was unhappy about something. The fact that what he was unhappy about was Jamie's attitude towards him had to hurt. Worthington was no longer bound to Jamie as he had been for the last several months, but he knew his brother. His brother's memories were still there, as clear as his own although now he understood instinctively they were Jamie's memories and not his.

Worthington? Colin's mental voice was tentative as if he feared being shut out and Worthington let him into the surface layers of his mind, just past his shield.

What is it, buddy? Worthington asked and let the fondness he was feeling for the redhead show in the top layers of his mind. Colin flushed a little bit, and Worthington felt his dick twitch a bit as he remembered the blush that had crept across that face after Colin's second orgasm last night. It seemed Colin remembered that too because a glance showed him trying to hide his erection. The guy wasn't anywhere near his size but had a respectable bulge.

Last night, can we do it again? That question was overlaid with a familiar heat, easily identified as pure lust.

Yes, you're a good fuck. Worthington replied with a hint of a laugh in his mind. It was quite obvious from the mental overtones that Colin wanted more, and the truth was he had been very enjoyable in bed. He'd be willing to say that Colin was almost a natural when it came to sex. In fact, if you don't want to wait until we get back from camp, I'll be willing to show you a few of the magics that Wilson hasn't taught you yet.

Really? Colin asked in an excited tone. I'd love that, but isn't it hard to practice on each other? I mean, the spells are about controls, right? You'd let me set controls on you?

Hell no. Worthington snorted as the female staffer began a lecture on several of the plants along their path. He had no interest in them whatsoever and pretty much tuned her out.

Then how…oh, you're going to use one of the campers? Colin asked with even more excitement. They'll be mundanes, so…

No campers. Worthington said sternly, and he frowned. Colin winced slightly at the tone but had a confused look on his face.

Then who? Colin asked.

Briggs or one of the other counselors. Worthington answered. Maybe one or two of the girls as well. The spells work a little differently for women than men.

What's the difference? Colin asked. I mean, it's not like we're going to ask their permission first, and if we used some of our campers from our dorm, it'd be easier, right?

The first lesson in my version of ethics. Worthington snorted mentally. Your people are your people, and different rules apply to them. Do you think I'd do any of this stuff to the MR?

Didn't you at first? Colin asked. I remember Jamie mentioning how at first you just cast spells on them without their consent.

I did, but loyalty earned is far better than loyalty taken. Worthington said. Their willing participation, reinforced by spells is far stronger and more definite than the other options. Loyalty derived only from a spell disappears the moment a spell is broken. With the MR the way they are now, a mage has to break the spells protecting them and then cast his own controls on them to make them betray me. To return them to loyalty to me, all I have to do is break the spells of that mage. You see the difference?

Yes. Colin said thoughtfully, and that ended their discussion for a few more minutes before he continued. So it didn't have anything to do with the ages of the campers?

There's that too. Worthington stated.

What does that matter? Colin asked.

Even if we make them forget what happened, we still take something from them. Worthington said softly. You and I may not have had the best childhoods, and frankly, these kids probably don't either, but that doesn't make it okay for us to just take whatever innocence they have left away from them.

Innocence is overrated. Colin thought derisively.

That's your opinion. Worthington's chastisement was gentle. Many people disagree with you. Don't become so lost in the Dark, hunting after more power that you forget the value of other people's opinions.

Why? Colin asked with another snort.

No matter how strong you are, there are always others, or groups of others, who are stronger. Worthington chided him. Step on enough toes, and no matter how strong you are, they will decide you're a big enough pain to get rid of before you do more harm.

I didn't think of that. Colin said honestly. Thank you, by the way. I could never ask these questions of Jamie, or Mr. Wilson because Jamie always asked him about how I was doing.

You're welcome. Worthington said, and he could sense what wasn't spoken. Colin believed Worthington would actually answer his questions with real reasons, and wouldn't judge him unfairly no matter what he said. Well, it was only natural that Jamie, having been raised as a Light mage would react differently.

At fifteen minutes past eleven, the small fleet of big yellow buses began pulling into the campground. Worthington stood with Colin at his side in the spot pointed out by Mr. Hall. There were a few feet between him and the other counselors, and he watched with a little trepidation as the buses began to unload what seemed like a mass of unruly, wild demons all hunting fresh food. The adults that got off the bus with them had to use whistles and lots of shouting to get the kids into some semblance of calm.

"Hold it up," Worthington said quietly to Colin who glared at him.

"Why do I have to do this?" Colin complained as he held up the sign with the representation of a badger on it.

"Because I told you to," Worthington replied with a laugh as the kids began to slowly look around from whatever the adults had been telling them and sought out the picture of what they'd been told were their dorms.

"Ah fuck you mean I get two whiteys?" A tall young man with skin almost as dark as King Odras's complained when he saw the badger.

"If you were told you're a badger, you're stuck with us, shortshit." Worthington said gruffly and pretended to ignore the look of surprise on the guy's face. For a twelve-year-old, he was probably considered tall, but he was nowhere near Worthington's six-four height. "Grab your bags and stand over here, if you can keep those things you call pants from falling down."

"Hell, didya paint those things on you this afternoon?" The boy sneered back at him.

"Naw, I had my personal attendant do that." Worthington sneered back, not willing to let the boy gain any ground. He knew about pissing contests.

"Shit figures I'd get a queer counselor too." The boy sneered.

"After you see his meat swinging you'll be on your knees begging." Colin joined in the act.

"Ah hell, ain't no cracker I seen got that big a piece of meat." The boy laughed as two other boys approached cautiously.

"Seen a lot of them, have you?" Worthington asked and laughed as the boy spluttered his protests that he hadn't. "What's your name?"

"Dechaun Williams." The boy said proudly. "What's yours?"

"Worthington Michael Sinclair the Fifth, but you can call me Mr. Sinclair," Worthington said with a grin. "Either that or Worthington."

"Damn, what you one of them really rich boys?" Dechaun asked sarcastically.

"I've got more money than I even know how to count," Worthington said in a very offhand way. "That don't mean shit, though in the long run."

"I'll trade ya." Dechaun snorted as four more boys drifted over, watching the conversation already going on.

"Now why would I do something like that?" Worthington laughed.

"You think you're better than me just because you have a lot of money?" Dechaun demanded angrily as he let his two bags slip to the ground.

"I better be better than you," Worthington said snidely.

"Why's that?" The boy was angry now, and there were mutters from the other campers beginning to congregate around them.

"I have to be, or despite all my money by the time we're all old men, you'll be richer than I am now and I'll be homeless on the streets," Worthington said calmly and in a serious tone that got through to the boy. "One thing I know, it's not how much money you start out with in life, it's what you do with it along the way that matters."

"So you say when you got so much of it you can't even count it." Dechaun snorted with disdain.

"I'll prove it to you," Worthington said in a calm tone and the boy narrowed his eyes.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Tonight, during free time, I'll show you what I mean," Worthington said. "If you think you can understand it."

"I can understand anything you fucking throw out," Dechaun said proudly.

"Good," Worthington said and raised his voice a little. "If you're Badgers, get over here!"

It took a few more minutes for the last of their twenty campers to arrive, and Worthington pulled the list of names out of his back pocket, reading them out loud. Nine of their campers were black, seven were Latino, and the rest where white, not that the color of their skin mattered to Worthington as much as it seemed to matter to them. They made a knot of three groups with the white boys standing in between the Latino and black kids, talking to one or two of the two groups that they knew.

"Looks like everyone," Colin said softly as several of the other groups began moving into the dormitories.

"Okay, here's what's going on today," Worthington said in a louder than normal voice, gathering the attention of his group of eleven and twelve-year-old campers. "First off, we're going to see our new home for the next two weeks. We've got about twenty minutes to get all your stuff put away and then we have lunch. I swear to God, I hope it's better than the crap they served for breakfast."

That got a few laughs from the campers, and he relaxed ever so slightly.

"What's after lunch, boss man?" Dechaun asked.

"Everyone except Dechaun here can call me Worthington," Worthington replied as if he couldn't hear the boy. "For him, I'm Mr. Sinclair if he wants to get an answer."

"He's got your number, Dechaun." One of the other black kids laughed.

"What's after lunch, Mr. Sinclair?" Dechaun said with a great deal of sarcasm loaded onto the name.

"We're going for a hike of all the wonderful things we could be doing today," Worthington said with gusto and smiled at the groans. "We're going to get to learn all about nature and the beautiful green things that grow up here in Mother Earth land."

"Sounds great," Dechaun said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, you didn't have the stupid hike we did earlier today." Worthington retorted and nodded at them all. "Everyone grabs your gear, and somebody helps Dechaun so he can use at least one hand to hold up his pants."

"My pants are just fine," Dechaun grumbled as several people laughed at the joke. When they reached their dorm, there was a rush to claim bunks, and three arguments broke out immediately.

"Silence!" Worthington shouted and nodded when he saw he had everyone's attention. He pointed out the three biggest kids who had been pushing others around to claim lower bunks. "You three, you've got the top bunks right here, nearest the door."

"Shit," Dechaun muttered since he was one of them.

"If you gotta take a dump, the bathrooms through there." Worthington retorted. "Now, you got ten minutes to stow your stuff in the lockers and make sure to put your locks on them. Colin here likes to sniff people's underwear."

"You!" Colin fumed, pushing at Worthington while several people laughed and the rest just shook their heads. The redhead was blushing, but there was a slight smile on his face. Maybe he'd thought Worthington had been asleep when he'd been sniffing Worthington's underwear this morning.

They were on their way to lunch, moving in a larger group broken into three smaller groups that didn't look all that different from the other dorms he saw filing out. It only took a few words to keep them from splitting off as soon as they saw friends who were in different dorms. This was one thing Worthington agreed with Hall on, that it was best for the campers to learn to stay with the group they were doomed with more than pre-existing relationships.

If he'd had any misconception about the relative ‘innocence' of the boys, it was shattered when they started chatting with a group of female campers as they neared the dining hall. Unlike a few of the other counselors, including the nerdy Briggs, Worthington didn't bother trying to get them to ratchet down the language. Briggs already looked like he was nearing a fit and only managed to get the boys to start teasing him instead of the girls, who had been giving as good as they got.

"If you wanna eat, get your asses in gear," Worthington said loudly when the line in front of the door thinned out enough. Sure enough, that was enough to get his group into motion, and they left behind Briggs who was starting to look frantic before Brandon stepped in and took control. He had their group lined up and following the Badgers within a minute while Briggs tried to analyze where he went wrong.

"You better get in here if you want to eat." Worthington could hear Brandon saying to the older counselor.

Lunch was better than breakfast, so maybe this morning had been just a fluke, Worthington decided. Granted, grilled cheese sandwiches were hard to mess up, but they were tasty and not too soggy or too burned. Still, they weren't quite what he was used to having, and he once again looked forward to getting back to a place where he could expect better food.

The hike wasn't too bad, although the boys in his group made it sound like it was the end of the world. After the hike came the ‘lecture' time on what the camp was about, the rules and all that other crap. Taking the campers for a hike first, he decided, had been a good idea and showed that for all his bluster, Mr. Hall might actually know what he was doing. The campers were worn down just enough from the hike that the hyper-activity that had been apparent after they got off the bus was gone, but they weren't so tired that they were falling asleep.

Then it was back to the dorms where Worthington and Colin helped their campers find the sheets and blankets the camp kept for them. This was easier than sleeping bags, something most of them may not have been able to afford and would be washed at least once while the campers were here. By the time they were done and had done the expected explanations of what to do in a fire or other emergency, it was time for dinner.

Dinner was the best meal of the day, with real roasted pork, mashed potatoes, and several vegetables. Worthington found he was eating heartily, and had to do little encouraging getting his campers to clean their plates. Two staff people by the area where trays were returned marked each dorm as they returned their trays. It was one of the little things they used to ‘grade' each dorm and award prizes at the end of the camp.

After dinner was the first of the camp's ‘structured' activities with each dorm making name badges. The little pieces of wood soaked up the ink from the markers fairly well, and only three of his campers managed to get the glue for the pin backs all over their hands. A stern look convinced the two trying to sniff the glue that it wasn't a good idea.

His campers weren't the only ones not liking the ‘square dancing' routine after making name badges. Worthington thought the music was the worst thing imaginable, but gritted his teeth and played the happy counselor leading by example. The fact that it was obvious that was what he was doing was not lost on him, or the campers, who followed his lead, enthusiastically swinging around and pretending to have a good time while being obvious they were pretending.

Oddly enough, by the time the ordeal was over, Worthington realized he had had a good time, even if the good time was making fun of what someone thought was a good time. His twenty boys were laughing as they walked back to the dorm for free time, and making fun of some of the dance routines they had just learned. He noticed how it was Brandon, not Briggs who kept their group of Tigers together on the way back and decided that later they would be using Briggs for Colin's next lesson. The geek deserved it for making Brandon do all the work with his incompetence.

"So, what was it you're going to show me?" Dechaun asked as soon as they were back in the dorm. Worthington just smiled at him and went to get the laptop he'd brought with him. It took just a few minutes for him to boot it up, and use the satellite antennae to connect to the internet.

"How you getting a signal out here?" Dechaun asked.

"Satellite," Worthington answered.

"Damn, ain't that expensive?" Dechaun asked.

"Yup," Worthington replied as he pulled up a screen of his investments that he had made from his personal allowance. He spent the next hour going over what he did with Dechaun and the nineteen other boys that were crowded around.

"That's all nice and stuff, but I don't get money like that every damn month." Dechaun snorted when Worthington was done. "My mom and grandma don't bring in that much money in six months!"

"So, what do you get?" Worthington asked him, and he frowned. "Look, just tell me. I am not going to make fun of you."

"I get ten bucks a week," Dechaun said glumly.

"What do you do with it?" Worthington asked.

"I spend it." Dechaun snorted.

"On what?" Worthington asked.

"Stuff," Dechaun replied.

"Well, let's see what would happen if you didn't spend half of it," Worthington said, and fifteen minutes later he was frowning as much as Dechaun.

"See, I told you it doesn't make a difference," Dechaun replied. "That's chump change."

"You need to make more," Worthington said slowly.

"No shit." Dechaun laughed, and several of the other campers laughed as well.

"Do me a favor," Worthington said. "Tomorrow, think about what you can do, legally, to make more money than what you get now. We'll talk about that tomorrow night."

"What's in it for me?" Dechaun asked sharply. "You said you'd show me how to get rich tonight and you didn't."

"That's not what I said I'd do." Worthington retorted. "I did what I said I'd do. Now I'm telling you the next part, how we're going to get it so you make more, and can invest more. As for what's in it for you, I say fifty bucks is enough. You come up with six ideas, real ideas, real things you can do to make more money than you do now, I'll give you fifty bucks in payment."

"You're shitting me," Dechaun said slyly. "You mean six things besides suckering you out of money?"

"Yes, and they have to be legal," Worthington added as he shut down the computer.

"You got a deal," Dechaun said triumphantly.

"Good, now get ready for lights out." Worthington snapped. "We have a busy day tomorrow."