Leaving home was a big thing.
It always would be really, but to Jack it was bigger, he always seemed to go home no matter how far he travelled but now he was leaving, like actually moving away. It wasn't as if he would never return again but it was the feeling that he was moving somewhere else, that he would have a semi-permanent home for himself and was frightening, that he was growing up, getting older. Looking around his room, he noticed just how bare it was, all that was left was the furniture as the rest had been packed away, all in his car ready to leave.
He could hear the footsteps thundering their way up to his room and was able to put down his hockey stick before his sister barrelled herself into his arms. He couldn't help but bend down and wrap his arms around her in return.
"Hey, what are those tears for?" He asked her, lifting her chin slightly and wiping the tears from her cheeks with the sleeve of his sweatshirt.
"You're leaving us" The younger girl mumbled, her warm brown eyes flicking up to meet her brother's icy blue.
"Not forever, never forever" Jack promised her, hooking his pinky around hers. "Do you hear that, Emma? I promise I'll come back, I mean when have I ever broken a promise?"
"Okay" She said, sniffing slightly before her lips turned up into a smile.
Picking up his hockey stick, Jack took his little sister's hand and began to make his way down the stairs, swinging their arms between them to try and keep the smile on his sister's face. When getting down to the front door, Jack noticed his parents standing there with a large smiles on their lips and could only return them with one of his own. Resting his hockey stick against the wall, Jack let go of his sisters hand and embraced his mother who was bordering on tears. After releasing his mom's hold, he stood in front of his Dad, not knowing what to do, knowing his father wasn't the affectionate type. It shocked Jack when his dad pulled him into a hug before letting go and clapping his hands down on his shoulders.
"I am so proud of you" His dad told him, making sure he looked Jack in the eye when saying it.
It wasn't long before Jack was in his truck and driving away from home and of to college where he was ready to spend the next four years of his life studying philosophy while on a ice hockey scholarship. He was ready for a long drive but as he drove, the time seemed to fly away with every different track that played as he drove to his new home. After a very long drive, Jack turned off the music in his truck and took a deep breath before turning into the road where his his new home was situated.
Looking out the window, Jack slowed down slightly so he was able to count the house numbers as he drove. His ice blue eyes landed on the house with the number four attached to the door and after checking the paperwork he had on his dashboard, he confirmed that to be the house he was to live in for the next four years.
Noticing the driveway, Jack pulled onto it and parked the car before stepping out of the car so he was able to look at the house properly. The house itself was a really decent size, he had seen pictures of it when securing a room there with the landlord but seeing it in person was a completely different thing, it seemed to be a lot bigger than he had given credit for. He knew that he would have to make a few trips back to the truck to get all his stuff in the house so he settled for his hockey stick and a duffel bag he kept in the front seat.
Fishing the key from his pocket, Jack managed to unlock the door and kick it open with his foot so he was able to step into the hallway and kick the door shut behind him. He turned to turn the lights on before realizing they already were and furrowed his eyebrows, looking around the open plan hallway and toward the kitchen where he swore he could have heard a sound.
"Hello?" He called out, listening intently for an answer, only to be met by silence.
Sliding the strap of his duffel bag slide of his shoulder, Jack moved his arm and dropped it on the laminated floor but kept a hold of his lucky hockey stick as he slowly padded his way toward the kitchen. He stepped into the brightly lit room and looked around for anything which could have made a noise, it was only when he made a 360 turn that he was face to face with a petite girl with long blonde hair passing her waist holding up a frying pan.
"Wai-"
Jack wasn't even able to finish the word on his lips before the girl swung and the pan came crashing down on his head, causing Jack to fall down on the floor, unconscious.