Chapter 3

About a week after their sand castle excursion, Stefan and Alexis sat in the children's room in the basement of the
mansion. All three of the children had once shared the room as a playroom, but Stavros had long retired from it.
He spent most of his days with his mother or preparing for entrance at any number of fine universities that he was
sure to get into, if not by intelligence then by the Cassadine influence. The room was now where Stefan and Alexis
were kept in under the watchful eye of Katia. Stefan and Alexis both agreed that Katia was a fair and nice nanny,
when Helena wasn't around, but when she was you better watch out because she became a tyrant. Mostly
because she would lose her job if Helena thought she couldn't be strict and disciplined with the children. But Katia
wasn't around right now. Tuesday afternoons were her day off; that's when Stefan and Alexis would go off on
their little trips to the beach or go horseback riding…they could bribe any number of servants around in saying
that no one had seen them disappear into who knows where. It wasn't likely that anyone would look for them
anyways, but being Cassadine had taught Stefan that you always had to be prepared.

Alone in the playroom without any supervision, Stefan and Alexis were busy plotting. They couldn't do anything
else, Helen was having a garden party oustside, so sneaking out was impossible. But plotting was fun. Especially
when it involved humiliating Stavros in some way. Stefan sat at the small table in the middle of the room while
Alexis sat on the ground leaning against the side of the chair. Both had a pair of scissors and a stack of magazines
near them. Snip, snip went the scissors against the paper as devilish laughs came from angelic faces.

''What do you think Helena would say about her precious Stavros if she saw these?''
Alexis asked as she looked disgusted at a bikini clad woman in one of the magazines and proceeded to cut it out.
They were flipping threw the magazines and cutting out all the ladies that had been dogeared.

Grinning. ''I'd love to see her face when she realizes that Stavros is up late studying these instead of those Latin
books. No wonder he has such problems with that language, he's too busy trying to study body language.'' Stefan
barely got out the last words without breaking into laughter as he cut out the last picture. The cutouts were
gathered and put into the fireplace. The evening fire would be set before Stavros would even miss the pictures.
They snuck back into Stavros' room unnoticed and put the magazines back under the bed.

''What a stupid place to hide these.'' Stefan commented. ''Anyone can find them, as we have well noted.'' He
continued with a slight grin.

''This is Stavros we're talking about. He couldn't think for himself if he wanted to, and why should he? He has
Helena.'' Alexis said.

''Well then he's missing out 'Lexis.''

''Why?'' As they retreated back into the playroom

''Stavros takes his advice from Mother, but I take mine from you, and yours is worth ten times more in gold than
hers.''

''Really?'' Eyes sparkling, content at the thought that her prince of a cousin actually thought that much of her…but
when she stopped to think about it, she knew it was true.

''Definitely and don't you forget it.'' His little princess was warming his heart with her little charms, but saddening it
because she never believed that she was worth anything…but how could she with the way she was often treated
around here. An unwanted castoff. If only he was the next Cassadine heir and not Stavros…things would be so
much better. He knew he could command more power than Stavros any day, and he was smarter too. Ahh, the
curse of the second child fell on his shoulders.

''Come on, 'Lexis. Helena's party should be over by now, and I think the stables would be free for us to take a
ride. Care to join me?''

''If I can ride Daisy.''

''Now would Daisy let anyone but you ride her?''

''No, but I had to make sure.''

Once the stables were reached, the sight was not pretty. There in the middle of the warm up coral was Stavros
riding Daisy. And he wasn't being nice to her, which was causing her to get riled up and was trying to buck him
off. Alexis rushed over to the coral to try to shout comforting words to her.

''Daisy, Shh. It's Okay. Stavros, ease up on her a bit, your hurting her like that. The bit's digging into her mouth.''

''I'll ride her anyway I want to you little…'' He eyed Stefan and decided not to go any farther remembering what
happened the last time he made snide comments to her in his presence.

''Stavros, she's used to being ridden in a gentler fashion.'' Stefan said sternly, knowing that Stavros knew this but
was choosing to ignore him.

''Pulling on the reins harder, causing the bit to dig even farther into her mouth Stavros replied, ''And why is that?
Becasuse you let Alexis there coddle her just like you coddle your precious 'Lexis? There's no good in coddling
woman, they need to know who's boss. Right Daisy?'' Tugged even harder.

Daisy couldn't take it anymore. She started bucking even more wildly and Stavros flew off her. He landed hard
with a thump on the ground. Laying motionless on the ground, everything went silent. Deadly silent. Until Helena
appeared on the scene.

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