Seeded: Day 3

Word Count: 18,066

Summary of Events:

Having finished setting up for the picnic — for which people were starting to arrive — Lark and several of the other volunteers went and started playing one of the games they'd set up to pass the time until lunch, after which the fun would really get underway. Brandt and his family enjoyed pulled pork for lunch at their campsite — even if Brandt got doused by his half-brother, who was trying to film a fail video — following which Brandt wanted to know what dessert was, but on his way over to his grandma to ask, his half-brother threw his paper plate into the fire, so Brandt tossed his half-brother's cell phone off into the trees, only to be reprimanded by his father…

Excerpt of the Day:

“Brandt, honestly, what is going on with you today?” Dad asked. “You can’t seem to be civil to anybody.”

“Why should I if people aren’t going to be civil to me?” Brandt asked.

“Who hasn’t been civil to you?” Dad asked.

“Him maybe,” Brandt replied, pointing at Cullen.

“He’s a kid,” Dad replied.

“I could never play that card,” Brandt said. “Why can he?”

“Brandt, just go get his phone,” Dad said firmly.

“No,” Brandt replied.

He walked over to Grandma, who looked disappointed. She set aside her plate, which was now empty, and stood up, grabbing his hand in hers, which was smooth and soft, yet with a measure of firmness beneath that came from having done a lot of working with her hands.

She towed Brandt over to where he’d tossed Cullen’s cell phone, which was easy to find thanks to its brightly-coloured case. She picked it up and looked at Brandt.

“I agree with you that it wasn’t very nice for Cullen to have done that,” Grandma said. “But retaliation isn’t the best answer dear. You should do to others what you want them to do to you.”

“Who says it’s retaliation?” Brandt pressed. “If he’s going to do that kind of stuff to me then obviously he wants me to do it to him.”

Grandma looked at Brandt with a disappointed gaze.

“As Manley pointed out, Cullen is a child,” Grandma said. “You, on the other hand, are a grown-up, and as such, you should be a good example to Cullen of how we should behave.”

“But shouldn’t he also get punished for stealing my plate and chucking it in the fire?” Brandt asked.

“It’s just a paper plate, Brandt,” Grandma said.

“But the principle, Grandma,” Brandt protested. “What if he were to be at a restaurant and just decided to steal some random stranger’s plate or tray and chuck it across the room to make a fail video?”

“That would be rude,” Grandma said.

“But it’s not rude for him to steal his half-brother’s paper plate and chuck it in the fire?” Brandt asked.

“No, that’s still rude,” Grandma said.

“Then is he going to get punished?” Brandt asked.

“That’s up to your father to do,” Grandma said.

“I know he won’t,” Brandt muttered.

“Now Brandt,” Grandma chided. “Even if I don’t like it, Manley does play favourites with his children, and I’m sure you know that you’re his most favourite.”

“Then why don’t I feel like it?” Brandt asked.

“I don’t know dear,” Grandma replied.

“Give me the phone Grandma, it’s still filming,” Brandt said, having noticed that the screen was still illuminated.

Grandma handed Brandt Cullen’s phone and he ended the video before deleting it not simply from the library, but from the trash area as well, as he was sure Cullen wouldn’t have the technological genius necessary to circumvent the attestation by the pop-up warning that the action couldn’t be undone, either in his own brain, or in the brain of a friend.