Life. Not always enjoyable. You have the good moments, but you also have the shitty ones. The moments in life are what define us. Life is supposed to be short, yet enjoyable. One chance is all we have in life, and while many wish to extend these chances, it has not happened to anyone's knowledge. For Vex, life was different as a 17 year old. Having a single parent had its perks, but it also had its downsides. A mother that suffers from depression makes things hard, especially when the child also suffers from it. Willpower is needed to push through this, yet not everyone can. When your only parent does commit suicide, it's even worse.

Vex wandered through the streets, his only friend perched on his shoulder, snuggled against his neck. A Quaker Parrot. Vex always took extra care to make sure she was safe every day. While he had no home, he still had her company, soothing him and keeping his darker thoughts at bay.

"It's alright Jaz; we'll be out of the cold soon." He assured her. They were near his Grandparents old place, now abandoned and run down, unsafe to live inside. Vex made his way to the somehow intact shed, where he had built his makeshift shelter. When his Grandparents had passed away, he only had his mother left. While they had the house in the will, it was split between his mother and her brother, who was in the Air Force, unavailable for contact to ask permission to. It wasn't long before the floods came either. It washed away most of the items and belongings of the house, erasing the many memories it held. The government felt it worthless to repair while it had no tenant, and every other house in the street was still recovering from the disaster, unable to lend a hand until they had their own lives back on track.

The Shed was filled with old equipment, odds and ends for when Vex's Grandfather would tinker around, building some small things to help out with chores, or for the odd occasion we would go fossicking for gemstones. While it served as a useful shelter, it was also a makeshift forge of sorts. Vex was often with his Grandfather when he tinkered, and would help with designs and construction. It meant he could salvage things from the house and make fixes to useful items.

There was one item in particular the Vex paid more attention to. His Grandfathers laptop. The hard-drive was intact, yet unusable without a device to access it. One day, he hoped to fix it enough to view the memories stored on it as a reminder of what good his life once was, and what he should try to rebuild.

The town he 'lived' in wasn't small by any means. However, it was built on a form of Equivalent Exchange. Nothing cannot make something. This meant that Vex could not earn money, having no real experience in any jobs available. His dreams had once been to build a company of 3D printing, a place for people to get help with designing things for 3D Printing, or simply having items built. But alas, it was not possible currently.

Jazmin, his Quaker Parrot, hobbled her way over to her makeshift nest, built from sticks, tissues, paper and some shiny bits of dulled metal, making herself comfortable and closing her eyes. It reminded Vex of when she used to have a Beanie she would use as a blanket, and would sleep peacefully within. A smile crossed his lips at the thought, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared, touching the painful reminders of his current life. He made his way to his own bed, a torn and damaged mattress, and laid down. He picked up the hard-drive and placed it by his side, a kind of memento to have close by.

As he drifted off to sleep, one thought lingered in his mind, what would things be like if I still had my family?

A/N – Alright, did a bit of editing to this one. Had some help from AzureStoryTeller with advice on what needs changing and what can be furthered upon. Go check his stories out, as they are absolutely brilliant. Each chapter will be edited further, but over time. If you want to give advice, be blunt about it, yet mention that you are being blunt, I will not be angry if you speak the truth, as that is what I value most in your reviews.