Chapter 1 The Prisoner of the Scale\u00a0<\/p>\n
My dad, Dorian Ravenscroft, was basically a walking scale, obsessed with keeping things in balance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When my brother, Barnaby Ravenscroft, shattered an 80-dollar vase, I had to pay for it with my own savings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Barnaby flunked an exam, I had to score ten points higher next time to make things right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad called it the \u201cShared Accountability System.\u201d designed to instill a sense of responsibility in\u00a0<\/p>\n
So I learned to stay ordinary, afraid to shine again to tip the scale.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then came the day Barnaby got into a fight and broke his leg.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Winona Hargrove, my mother, and Dad cornered me in the hospital hallway, their eyes cold as ice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSyl.\u201d Dad said evenly. \u201cBarny has broken a leg. Now, tell me, how should the balance be restored?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
I clutched the envelope with the 5,000-dollar scholarship inside. My palm was slick, the sweat soaking through the paper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was a national scholarship, something I had earned after pulling countless all-nighters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I felt no joy, only an overwhelming sense of dread tightening around my heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a seat at the dinner table, the air heavy with suffocating tension.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom flashed an ingratiating smile and gingerly laid a pork rib on my plate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With a clang, Barnaby tossed his fork onto the table, his face darkening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t even want to eat! Her face alone is off-putting! What a nightmare!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He glared at the empty plate before him, his face filled with resentment and disgust.\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 1 The Prisoner of the Scale\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Across the table, Dad folded the newspaper with ease, his eagle eyes sweeping over me before resting on Barnaby.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, they stopped at the center of the table.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nothing was there, yet I knew he was checking his damn imaginary scale.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBarnaby, how was your interview today?\u201d Dad asked, his voice betraying no emotion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Barnaby\u2019s shoulders sagged as he shot back, \u201cThat fucking manager is blind! Not in a million years would I go to that crappy company!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a nutshell, you got rejected again,\u201d Dad stated, his voice flat and cold, like a coroner reading a death report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes the fifth time this month.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mom quickly chimed in to ease the tension, \u201cEasy now! Barny just had some bad luck. A talent like him will not go unnoticed! And son, don\u2019t worry. A good job doesn\u2019t come overnight!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad dismissed her, his sharp gaze locking onto me. \u201cSylvie, did you get your scholarship?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze, like a struggling student called out in front of the class, and I shakily pushed the sweat- drenched envelope toward him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dad took out the papers, ignoring the check entirely, his eyes fixed only on the certificate with a\u00a0<\/p>\n
red seal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA national scholarship. Well done!\u201d He nodded, yet his tone was judgmental.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve made us proud.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My throat was dry. I didn\u2019t dare to utter a sound.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As expected, his tone suddenly turned cold. \u201cNonetheless, our family functions as a whole! We must be on the same pace! If one side of the scale goes up, the other must come down! Now, this scale is completely off balance!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His knuckles drummed on the table, each sound quickening my heartbeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour brother hasn\u2019t earned a penny this month, leaving a huge hole in the family\u2019s accounts! On top of that, his repeated failures in the job hunt have taken a severe toll on his mental health!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He slid the certificate toward me, the red seal searing into my eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSylvie, you do the math. How do you plan to even this out?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
39.79%\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:38:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 1 The Prisoner of the Scale\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hung my head, nails digging into my palm, the taste of blood blooming in my mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026 I\u2019ll give my scholarship to Barnaby,\u201d I murmured, my voice barely audible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As soon as I finished, Barnaby jerked his head up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 \u00a1Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
His dull eyes suddenly glinted with greed, like a ravenous wolf catching the scent of fresh meat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
91.36%\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:38<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Marriage On Hold by Mark Twain 1 Chapter 1 The Prisoner of the Scale\u00a0 My dad, Dorian Ravenscroft, was basically […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-story-of-my-life-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23186"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23186\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}