Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider and intend no copyright infringement.
A/N: Co-written with Cedricsowner. Third in a series of one-shots set in our private little universe where Alex moves to San Francisco after the events of Scorpia Rising and tackles his probably most challenging task: Trying to live a normal life. We've created a friend for him, to help him along…
A school excursion. To New York. Mother Superior Ancilla had given them a fire and brimstone lecture on appropriate behavior all the way to the Big Apple. Vivid descriptions of judgment and eternal damnation anyone? It was Genesis 19 and Deuteronomy 29 all over the place.
"I'm getting paranoid", Alex quietly told Junior.
"How come?" His friend stifled a yawn. He had the amazing ability to fall asleep anywhere and also actually did so. It was almost comical, but his explanation was quite serious: You never know when you need to be awake and alert. So you better get some rest whenever possible. Made a lot of sense, but Alex didn't like sleeping in the presence of strangers.
"I keep thinking Mother Superior is staring directly at us…"
"You're not paranoid. She is." Junior shrugged his shoulders. "After the thing with the terrorists, who could blame her?"
"Considering the way she disposed of the bodies we should be the ones staring at her…" Alex shuddered.
"We keep silent about a few extra graves in St. Julian's nun's tomb and she allows us access to proper education while no other school wants to touch us with a ten foot pole… in my book it's a deal."
Not for the first time since Alex had met his friend he wondered about his interesting standards… sometimes he sounded like a seasoned criminal, sometimes he was surprisingly squeamish and had a tendency to feel guilty for odd stuff… the thing with his former ice hockey buddies at the Cow Palace came to mind, where he had actually taken a beating because he felt responsible for a lost match years ago.
Speaking of… Maybe now that Mother Superior Ancilla had finally finished her "You're going to behave yourself on this trip or you're going to BURN IN HELL"-pep talk, it was a good moment to address that incident.
"At the Cow Palace the guys called you "Ashley"…", Alex began cautiously.
"Changed my name a couple of months ago…" By now Alex knew Junior well enough to see he was trying on purpose to sound casual, as if it was no big deal.
But it was. Alex could tell from the way he pressed his lips together. Just a tiny giveaway, nevertheless definitely there.
"Too many "sounds like a girl's name"-jokes?"
Alex already knew of all possible explanations that one surely wasn't it. But it was up to Junior spilling the beans.
Mother Superior Ancilla came walking down the aisle. "You two."
She descended upon them like a very large black bird.
"You're going to wear these ALL. THE. TIME. No exceptions."
She handed them what looked like black plastic bracelets. "I've specifically asked for exemplars not looking too similar to penitentiary equipment."
"GPS Trackers?"
"Seriously?"
Yes, seriously. Mother Superior Ancilla was adamant about it.
"At least she didn't feed them to us…" Junior sighed, putting his bracelet on.
"Feed?"
"Chocolate chip cookies with extras…", Junior grumbled.
Alex burst out laughing. "Gives a whole new meaning to the term tracking cookies."
After a second Junior started chuckling along with him. "My real mom gave me a Maori name when I was born…" He abruptly turned very serious. "I'm Kiwi by birth and she was pretty deep into the native culture."
Maori… Alex thought of the massive tattoo on Junior's upper arm.
"Aitua… Translated it means "monster" or "demon". Unsurprisingly my stepmom wasn't terribly fond of it and changed it to Ashley… as in Ashley Wilkes, the only honorable person in Gone with the Wind…"
Whoa. Gone with the Wind… "Yeah. Much more cheerful", Alex said after a moment.
"Lots of shit happened in the past year and I figured it didn't fit anymore", Junior continued. "Kind of runs in the family, the name changing thing, you know. My dad changed his name, too, when he wanted to turn a fresh leaf."
Mother Superior Ancilla spoke up again, told them they were almost there. It vaguely occurred to Alex that she must have carried another name once upon a time, too. Maybe she, like Junior, had one day decided it was time to turn a fresh leaf… and had become Mother Superior Ancilla, your not-so-typical nun.
Turning a fresh leaf… that's why he had come to the States, hadn't he? To start a new life with the Pleasures, to finally be a teenage boy, not a spy, to finally find a bit of rest… Maybe he should change his name, too? John Rider… Ian Rider… his own last name inevitably tied him to a history of violence, loss and death… if he wanted to put all that really behind him…
But on the other hand… One thing he knew for sure: His father and his uncle had dearly loved him. If not for them Alex would have never ended up with MI6, yes… but also if not for them, if not for the abilities he had inherited from his father and learned from his uncle… he wouldn't be alive today. He wouldn't be the person he was today.
Alex shook his head. For once he disagreed with Junior. Changing your name, pretending the past had never happened, wouldn't cut it… there was no outrunning history.
In New York one of the first items on their agenda was a visit to Ellis Island. The immigrant's gate to the USA for decades… The place they had come to with all their dreams and hopes… some heading towards even greater disaster than what they had left behind. Not all fresh starts work out. But Alex suddenly felt strong. He'd make it here, he'd find a way into this new life… with the help of the abilities he had inherited from his father and learned from his uncle.
He was Alex Rider, son of John Rider, nephew of Ian Rider, for all the good and all the bad that came with it.
In the past and in the future.