Mammon's Curse

"You are going to let me sleepover as well, right?"

"Why didn't you book a hotel?"

"Because I thought it would make sense for a mother and her son to sleep together?"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Lucario sighs to himself before pointing at Billy. "Go arrange a room next to the one that Ethan will be using during his stays here. Ms. Turnip will be staying with us tonight."

It's not only Billy. Every single one of the men who happened to be in close enough proximity and heard Lucario's order freezes. Their jaws drop so hard that it sounds like someone is hammering the floor.

Other than Lily, no woman has ever stayed a night let alone been invited in the Buenavista Estate after Lucario became the family head.

"I'll be in your care then," Haily comments, setting a hand on Billy's shoulder.

Snapping back to reality, Billy clears his throat then motions over to the guest hall. "Yes, of course, right this way."

Haily glances over at Lucario, catching his attention. She eyes Ethan then looks back at Lucario. Understanding what she wants, Lucario rolls his eyes then sets a hand on Ethan's back.

"Lily, can you come help me get settled?" Haily asks sweetly. "Wouldn't it be nice to be with another girl after being surrounded by men all of the time?"

"Okay!" Lily excitedly answers as she skips over to Haily's side.

Watching the pair disappear down the hall, Lucario looks down at a nervous child. "Ethan, there are things that we need to talk about. Follow me."

Obeying the command he is given, Ethan follows behind Lucario without questioning why. However, he becomes confused after they head outside rather than going to Lucario's office. After walking for a few minutes, the two of them make it to the Guest House.

"Your mother has agreed to let you become a subordinate for the Buenavista Family," Lucario mentions before grabbing onto the handle of the only door in or out of the Guest House. "She says that your life is yours to deal with, so if you want to become a subordinate, she won't stop you."

"So, I can work under Lily?!" Ethan hurriedly asks.

"Before you work under Lily, you have to work under me." Opening the door, Lucario releases the putrid scent of burned flesh that has been dying to escape from the small house. Ethan nearly vomits after the smell infiltrates his nose but manages to catch himself. "You must have known that the Buenavista Organization falls under the mafia category in the country's underground directory. Otherwise, you wouldn't have blindly offered to work for this horrendous group. Unless you are actually a lot dumber than I think."

Barely holding himself up after being attacked by such a disgusting scent, Ethan manages to stand up straight. "I knew that your organization deals with some bad stuff, but I wasn't aware of how bad."

"The Buenavista Family is more commonly known as America's Shadow," Lucario begins to explain. "Our headquarters is here in Aurora, Illinois, but we have branches in major cities around the country. We are feared for a reason. Not just because we are violent, but because we protect this country from blowing itself up. Without us, the US would have already become a wasteland. The reason why there are no other family members on the estate besides me is because they live at the branch sites. Only the leader and his family can live at the headquarters."

Ethan noticed it before. The lack of family on the estate. The lack of life that even a basic family would have. Realizing this fact is due to the nature of the organization, Ethan fortifies his determination. He doesn't want Lily to grow up without playing with kids outside of school. Even if he has to become a ruthless person, as long as he can stay on the estate on the weekends and keep her company, then that's fine with him.

Smirking at the fire that is starting to grow in Ethan's eyes, Lucario points inside the house. "Go inside and take a look at what this organization actually does."

Taking a deep breath, Ethan walks into the Guest House where the sight of decomposing bodies lay in a corner. "What happened in here?" he asks, wiping away the tears that the smell causes.

"These bodies belong to the three men who tried to kill Lily Monday morning," Lucario answers as he flicks the light on, exposing the various torture devices along the walls. "It is part of the rules of the Guest House. Those who are invited inside must stay for one week before leaving. You don't have to worry about that, though, since this is for you to witness your new job."

"How did they die?"

"I burned them alive because they wouldn't answer my questions." Lucario picks up a tool that has fallen down and hangs it back up. "One of them eventually answered, but no one leaves the house alive after going inside since those are the rules."

Ethan glances up at Lucario whose face isn't affected the slightest by the smell. He comes to the conclusion that Lucario must have had to do this more than a handful of times. "You keep saying things about rules. If you don't like the way they are sought up, why not change it. It seems unsanitary to keep dead bodies festering in such a hot building for a week."

Lucario heads out of the Guest House, so Ethan follows suit. After locking the door back up, Lucario stares at the boy in front of him. "I know it will sound stupid, but this family is cursed," Lucario responds before heading to another building that appears to be closed off by caution tape. "When this family first made its name as America's Shadow, it wasn't very successful in becoming powerful. It was just a small family with a handful of men.

"My family originated from an extremely small community in Cuba, and we had a rich history in dealing with spirits and demons. One day, one of my ancestors made a deal with Mammon. In exchange for success and money, he would worship him. However, my ancestor became greedy and didn't hold up his end of the deal. Mammon didn't like that and cursed my family by making them follow a list of various rules. We grow up learning the rules and embedding them within us so that we can find a way to lift the curse."

"What happens if you break the rules?"

Lucario stops short of the door to the main house and leers at Ethan. "Then the entire Buenavista Family dies. No one knows if it's true, but I've felt it. I almost broke a rule because I thought that what my parents told me was just a way to scare me, but I suddenly felt my heart beating like it was going to burst out of my chest, and I couldn't breathe. The feeling of death being right in front of you then letting go as quickly as it started was enough for me to believe in the rules. My parents felt the same thing that I felt, and I was severely reprimanded for it."

Ethan looks up at the house and notices Lily and his mother laughing in the kitchen. "So since Lily is a Buenavista, she is going to learn the rules as well?"

"The rules don't apply until a child turns ten in order to give them time to learn. However, Lily isn't a Buenavista by blood, so maybe the rules won't apply to her. Nonetheless, I will teach her slowly, so it will be your first job as her subordinate to ensure that she doesn't break them; otherwise, you will never see her again."

Firmly nodding his head, Ethan answers, "I understand. I will ensure that Lily Buenavista lives long and well under the rules that have been sought."

Entering the house, Lily and Haily run up to their respective family members and drag them over to the dining room. Everyone sits around the table and somehow happily eats with each other. Billy and Ryan continuously rub their eyes to ensure that what they are seeing is actually happening. The men who are serving the two pairs of parent and child can't help but stare at the group. None of them are sure if they should be rejoicing in the new atmosphere or fearing about what would happen in the future if anything were to go wrong.

—

Saturday morning, Ethan stands outside the Buenavista Estate with his mother.

"Do you really have to go back?" Ethan asks, holding onto his mother's skirt.

"I was only able to leave work yesterday because I had someone to take the fall for me," Haily answers as she rubs her son's head. "I have to go back so that I can save that person from getting fired."

"Do you promise to come back again soon?"

Haily squats down then pulls her son into her arms. "I'll try to come as often as possible. I know that mentally you're mature enough to handle yourself, but I still don't want to leave you alone for too long. Lucario knows about you, so you don't have to hide it. Try to put more trust in him so that you can survive in this organization."

"I will, Mom," Ethan assures as he hugs his mother as tightly as possible.