The End…
By James’s Rose

Chapter 4: The Last Time

The cook brought the plate of poached eggs into the dining room and put it in front of James.
James turned to Jessiebelle who was sitting beside him.

“But you know I don’t like poached eggs.” He whined.

“Nonsense James, there’s no difference. Now do as I told you.”

James looked at the poached eggs and felt like gagging. He really didn’t like them. He picked up the knife and fork and sliced a part of the egg, bringing it to his mouth. He grimaced at the taste, but tried not to show it. After swallowing in it, he turned back to Jessiebelle who was shaking her head in disappointment.

“Can’t ya get anything right?” she shouted.

Taking her own knife and fork, she took a part of the second egg and ate it. James stared at her.

“I did it just like you? There wasn’t anything wrong!” James shouted back at her.

“James please! If you can’t eat a poached egg properly, how on earth am I meant to train you?”

“Well what did I do that was so wrong then?!” James shouted again, crossing his arms and frowning at a blank space on the table.

“I’ll show you what you did wrong. You held the fork up-side down, you leant over your plate, you didn’t dab your mouth where you’d finished, you didn’t put the knife and fork at the side of the plate, James the list is endless.”

James stared at her blankly, “All I did was eat a poached egg.” James said quietly.

“Jessiebelle dearest!”

Both children turned to the doorway where Susan was standing, “Your ballet instructor has arrived.”

Jessiebelle turned back to James, “We shall finish this lesson tomorrow.”

She rose up from her seat and walked through the door to the Ball Room.

This was James favourite part of the day. For an hour everyday, Jessiebelle stayed in the Ball Room for her Ballet lesson’s, so James could do what he liked without her telling him what he was doing wrong every second.

James quickly got down from the table and ran outside to the Hallway. Grabbing his Mareep wool hat, scarf and mittens from the coat stand, he headed towards the front door.

“James?”

James spun around quickly. He could hear his mothers voice from upstairs.

“Yes?” he asked, nervously.

“What are you doing?”

James couldn’t see her, so he was hoping she couldn’t see him.

“Umm, I’m, just going, to sit on the garden bench and take in the beautiful scenery.”

Susan didn’t reply at first. James hoped she didn’t guess what he was really doing.

“Very well, but if you even think about going to see the Growlithe I will have you sleeping in Jessiebelle’s room for the next month.”

James gulped, “O, okay.” He replied.

Turning the knob on the door, he opened it and went outside. He immediately wrapped his coat tighter around him as an icy cold wind hit him directly in the face. Trudging through the snow, James turned around a corner of the mansion and faced the gigantic doghouse. He knew his mother told him not too, but this was the only hour James could see Growly. Taking a key out his pocket, he walked up to the door and put the key in the lock. After opening the door, James quickly went inside and through the coat off, welcoming the warm fire in front of him, and especially his favourite friend.
Seeing his master, Growly leapt of the floor and lunged at his best friend. Knocking James to the ground, Growly licked his face over and over again while James just laughed.
A few weeks ago, James had found the doghouse key on the floor after it had fallen out of his father’s pocket. Asking one of the servants if he could secretly make a copy, the servant of course agreed, and made it in time for his parents not to notice it was missing.
For the past year, James had had a terribly miserable time. With his parents banning him from talking with any servants, James could only quickly talk to a few when he passed them by, which wasn’t very often.

James sat on the floor cuddling his favourite dog. For the first time that day, he could be on his own.
As the hour went by, all James did was play with Growly, in fact, he was having so much fun, he didn’t notice as the clock struck 6.

Back in the Ball Room, Jessiebelle had finished her ballet lessons and was now searching for James. Walking up to the front door, she noticed Susan staring out the window towards Growly’s doghouse.

“Jessiebelle my dear,” she said slowly, looking at the shadow of James and Growly flickering across the curtains “James has disobeyed me for the last time. I want you ta toughen up your training, I think it’s time we show James about our little surprise downstairs.”

Hearing this, Jessiebelle smiled. Turning around, she called out;

“Oddish!”

Waddling through the Ball Room door came Jessiebelle’s little Oddish. Picking it up and holding it by the window, Jessiebelle patted it on its leaves.

“Its time we found out how much fun we can really have with James.”

Back in the doghouse, James lay flat on his back staring up at the ceiling. Growly lay next to him, resting his chin on James’s chest. James gently stroked Growly behind his ear, as they both listened to the crackling of the fire. Suddenly, James realised the time and shot up of the floor.

“Oh my god it’s six fifteen! Jessiebelle’s probably looking for me.”

“You’re so right.”

James and Growly spun around to see Jessiebelle and Susan standing in the door way. For a moment they just stared at each other, before Susan stepped forward.

“What did I tell you before you came outside James?” she asked sternly.

James looked at the floor.

“I told you not to come in here didn’t I?”

James continued looking at the floor, while Growly sat growling at Jessiebelle. Suddenly Fredrick came though the door looking sternly at James.

“This is the final straw James.” She shouted

“Yes, “continued Fredrick, “It is obvious that the servants are responsible for your behaviour, because you certainly didn’t pick it up from us.”

“Although darling Jessiebelle is trying her hardest, those servants are bringing you down.”

Fredrick leaned over his frightened child, almost cowering from his angry parents. James had seen them get angry many ties before, but something told him this time was going to be worse.

“Therefore, every single servant, the Cook, the Gardener, the Butler, and the maids, everyone you have ever spoken to, are hereby dismissed!”

James shrieked, “WHAT?! YOU CAN’T!”

“We certainly can James dearest.” Jessiebelle snickered.

James ran up to his mother and grabbed her sleeve.

“Please! I’m sorry, I’ll be better from now on, I’ll do as you tell me, I promise, but please don’t fire them!”

Tears rolled down his cheeks. The servants were the only ones who cared about him, and if he lost them, then to him he’d have lost everything. Susan grabbed James’s wrist and thrust it away from her.

“You brought this on yourself dear.”

Taking Fredricks arm, the walked out of the doghouse leaving James and Growly standing alone.

@~>~>~~

Half an hour had past, and all his favourite servants were gathered in the Main Hall, most very angry at what they were hearing.

“…and further more, we will no longer tolerate you all befriending my son. We told you before but obviously you decided to completely ignore our orders. You have completely corrupted him, and therefore, you will all no longer work here.”

A few gasps were heard in the crowd. Susan turned around and faced James who standing in the corner looking at the ground with tears threatening to fall again, not wanting to look at his friends, as it was his fault they were losing his jobs. She grabbed him by the arm and made him stand in front of her so all the servants could see him. Grabbing his chin harshly, she made him look up at the servants.

“Just remember, it was James that has gotten you all dismissed,” James shrank back, the tears falling once again. He slowly looked up at Natalie, one of his favourite servants. She was scowling at him. James saw the hate in her eyes and turned away, he couldn’t bare to look at her, “And also, if you all hadn’t made him the way he is now,” she looked down at her son, “a ragamuffin, in-polite, disobeying boy, then you would all still be here.”

Although James didn’t see it, all the servants’ expressions softened. They realised it wasn’t James’s fault; his parents were just using him as an excuse. However, James still looked away, un-aware that Natalie was every so slightly smiling softly at him. Susan looked back up at the servants, “So now you know why you have to leave, then please pack your belongings and leave.”

The servants slowly made their way back up the staircase to their small rooms and started packing their few belongings.

“Right,” Fredrick began, “Now they’re out the way, it’s time we hired some new, stricter, and obeying servants. Let’s start with the Butler.

“An excellent idea Fredrick.”

Taking each others arms again, they walked side by side into their study. James stood alone in the Hall staring at the floor. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Not only would he never see his friends again, but now they hate him for getting them fired, or at least that’s what he thought.
He slowly sank to the marbled floor and brought his knees to his chest. Burying his face in his knees, he quietly sobbed. From the shadows, Jessiebelle watched James on the floor.
Smirking, he walked up behind him.

“At last James dearest.”

James immediately stopped crying and spun around leaping off the floor.

“Now those awful servants of yours are gone, we will have so much more time together.” She finished, gently tapping a whip that hung from her dress belt.

James had never seen her carry a whip around, but her comment was enough to scare him. It was all he could take. Screwing up his eyes, he ran up the stair case to his room, slamming the door shut.

@~>~>~~

Like so many nights in his still short life, James cried into his pillow, though this time it was a much deeper sadness. He stayed there for a while before the heard the front door opening and faint voices outside his window. Quickly, he got up from his bed and ran to the window. Outside in the dark of the night, the servants that were fired were walking down the long pebbled driveway towards the main gates. James pressed his hand to the window, almost as if he was trying to grab them and make them come back.
One of the servants, Rachel, turned around. She looked up at James’s window and saw him looking down at her.
She smiled sadly, and then turned back around.
All James could do was watch, as the only people who ever cared about him, walked out of the estate, and out of his life.
A tear rolled down his cheek and he watched them until they were out of site. James didn’t notice when his father, followed by Susan and Jessiebelle, opened the door to his room. Walking up behind him, Fredrick grabbed James’s waist and put his hand over his mouth. James jumped in surprise but soon became petrified. He struggled to away from his fathers grip, but he was still to small to fight back with any chance.

“Don’t think that was your punishment my son, yours is yet to come.”

James tried to scream. His own parents were acting like kidnappers. Picking his son of the floor, he walked out the door as Jessiebelle smiled evilly at James, a sparkle in her eye.

Where the stairs met the top floor, there was a door facing it. James had never been in there before. When he was younger, what time his parents did actually spend with him, was telling him stories of terrible monsters that eat you alive in that room. Of course being so young, James had believed every word.
His eyes were wide with fright as he struggled even harder. Fredrick brought him down a long and very dark staircase before coming to the end where a giant, dark metal door was luring over them.
Susan walked up to the door and pressed a small button at the side. As the door opened, James though they were feeding him to these supposed monsters and was frozen with fear. But as the door fully opened, all he saw was a load of old Gym Equipment. The Fredrick walked in and put James on the ground.

“If you run now James, your punishment will be worse.”

James gulped. As his feet touched the floor, he stayed where he was. Jessiebelle walked up beside James as Fredrick walked out.

“It is obvious that no matter what we do, you never learn how to act the proper gentleman.” Said Susan, “Therefore, Jessiebelle will be keeping you in here every time you do something wrong until you learn how to do it right.”

James looked down at the floor again. He was still afraid, but he was trying not to show it now he was away from his fathers grasp.

“Have fun Jessiebelle.” She said, before she pressed the button and the door started closing.

James couldn’t believe what his parents were doing to him. They were treating him like some kind of animal. James watched, trembling, as the door closed and looked.

“Well then James.”

James gulped and nervously looked over at Jessiebelle. She was now standing a few feet away from him, and in her hand she held the whip he had seen earlier. He took a few steps away from her, but she kept on walking towards him. Soon James backed up against the wall. He was now terrified. He was locked in a room with a maniac with a whip.

“W, w, what are you, you going to do?” he stuttered, keeping an eye on the whip.

“I’m going to give you the training of your life.” She answered, “I’m going to whip you into shape.”

James whimpered, “W, what?!”

She brought the whip up above her head. James couldn’t believe she would do it. As she brought it down, James turned and ran, but he was too late…

Susan and Fredrick sat in the Living room with their cups of herbal tea.

“James will be straightened up in no time,” Susan sad, sipping her tea.

“Quite right, we will soon have out perfect son.”

“I can’t understand why we didn’t do this straight from the beginning.”

As they carried on talking in the living room, the only other sound that could be heard around the house, was the faint echoing cries, of a young boy in pain.

To Be Continued…