Figure it out
Oh my readers it has been way to long, I must admit. I have missed the fanfiction world, my stories, my readers and my reviewers. I have so many ideas for so many other stories but my inspiration to actually type the words always came back to this one.
Before I get on with the story I have to say this: I started Welcome Back two years ago, I was fourteen and basically sheltered and bored one day. I am now 16 and have had a lot more experience and get out a whole lot more, so my ideas and perspectives and maturity levels are a lot different. Because of these factors, and being over halfway through high school, this story and writing will be different then its prequel, it will be edgier and more real. I am hoping my new and old readers still enjoy it and Constructive Criticism is highly recommended.
Without further interruption... Sequel!
Chapter One:
Gretchen the Great
This one is quite long, possibly one of the longest chapters I will write. But I feel the need to shine some light on Gretchen and her perspectives.
It was 3:47am. It seemed as though the only sound heard in the small town was the clicking of keys on a keyboard in a dark room, illuminated only by blue light of the computer screen. The young lady typing yawned but her fingers never slowed down. Her round glasses slipped down her face and she simply pushed them back up, her pupils wide and her eyes red, her ginger hair was a mess and her pyjamas were folded neatly at the bottom of her made up bed.
"Gretchen?"
"Not now, Livy," Gretchen sighed, turning her chair to face the girl. She was eight and quite tall for her age, much like Gretchen had been. She had short, copper hair and large green eyes and was wearing a long white nightgown. "You should be in bed," Gretchen glanced at her computer screen, which went slightly blurry as her head started to pound slowly.
"So should you," she responded, entering the room and kneeling on the stool near her sister's computer desk. "Mom will be mad if she sees you up again,"
"She'll be livid if she see's you up with me, Livy," Gretchen stood up and took her sister gently by the arm and steered her towards the bedroom door. "I won't type so loud. I'm going to bed soon anyway,"
"I want to stay in here," said Olivia, skipping towards her sister's bed and taking a seat on it. "Can I stay here for a bit Grech? Pleeease?" She grabbed a large yellow dog that Gretchen often used as a pillow and hugged it tightly. "I won't distract you, I promise. My room is too dark, and I like yours," she smiled, revealing two slightly crooked front teeth. Before Gretchen could answer she lay down on her stomach, facing her sister and holding the dog in front of her.
Gretchen knew that her sister liked her room because of all the neatly placed stars on the ceiling and science projects on her window sill. Gretchen put the stars up there as a replication of the constellations and when Olivia was 4 she had a fascination with crawling into her sister's bed with her and starring up at them, getting Gretchen to explain the story behind each. Her sister's fascination made Gretchen proud; she was becoming a little science kid.
"Okay, but not for long, Livs," Gretchen responded. Olivia grinned and turned on her back, using the dog as a pillow as she starred up at the stars and started tracing out constellations with her finger.
Gretchen turned back to her computer and continued typing. About ten minutes later she turned her chair around to see her sisters eyes still glued to the ceiling and she smiled, but she knew that Olivia really needed to get back to bed or she'd get in trouble. Plus, her sister needed her sleep and Gretchen didn't want her sleeping patterns messed up at such a young age.
"Okay Livy, time to head-"
"Gretch, when I get older. I'll discover you a constellation," Olivia said before Gretchen could continue. "It'll be really bright and prettyful and I can tell everyone the story behind it," Gretchen couldn't help but let a smile show up on her tired face. It seemed foreign, a real smile.
"Well it needs a name," said Gretchen. "We can research some good ones and-"
"No, No, I have a name," Olivia proclaimed. "Gretchen the Great. I like it. It will have a great story, don't you think?"
Gretchen didn't respond, she felt like crying. Not because it was so touching, because really it was, her sister looked up to her so much and that frightened Gretchen. It frightened her cause she felt like she was misleading a little kid, who could be so much. Gretchen felt like crying because the one person she loved with all her heart thought she was so great.
And she was anything but.
"You can sleep here tonight, Olivia," Gretchen whispered and turned back to her computer. "Goodnight,"
"Night!" Olivia yawned.
That night, Olivia fell asleep; staring at the stars and Gretchen fell asleep with her watery eyes glued to her computer screen.
FIO
Gretchen awoke the next morning to the sound of her beeping computer. She opened her eyes and yawned, noticing she'd been sleeping on her keyboard. About 15 seconds later her alarm clock went off and she moaned slightly, walked over to her night table and turned it off.
The first thing she noticed was that Olivia was no longer in her room. Her bed sheets were slightly messed up and the large yellow dog was on the floor near her bed. Gretchen hoped that Olivia had decided to go back to her own room, not that their mother had found her.
But she was out of luck as a slightly annoyed voice called up the stairs. "Gretchen! I need to have a word with you over breakfast!" Gretchen sighed, noticing her mother's stern tone. That only meant one thing: Their mother had awoken early and found the two sisters and now Olivia was in a cranky mood so Gretchen was about to get the 'responsibilities of being a big sister' speech.
Gretchen got ready and put together her books for the day, purposely wasting time. She brushed her hair, pulling it up into a loose pony-tail, slipped on some fitted jeans and a blue sweater, winter was not yet over so it was still pretty cold out.
The red-haired girl walked down the stairs and noticed Olivia sitting on the couch, watching cartoons with an annoyed look on her face, not touching her breakfast with her book-bag near her side.
"Your breakfast is ready, dear," called their mother from the kitchen. She walked in a took a seat at the round table across from her mother.
Gretchen picked at her eggs as her mother read over her reports for work and sipped her coffee. Gretchen stood up and poured herself up a cup and then took a seat again. Her mother looked up at her, glancing at the coffee then are her eldest daughter.
"Tired?" Mrs. Grundler asked and Gretchen knew exactly where this was going.
"Mom, Olivia wanted to sleep in my room, I'm sorry," Gretchen bit her lip and looked at her mother. "Is she... really cranky?"
"At everyone but you, apparently," she responded. "Oh, there's another appointment with Dr. Greene scheduled for Thursday," Gretchen dropped her fork.
"Mom! I don't need to see a therapist!"
"He is not a therapist, Gretchen," Mrs. Grundler responded. "I just thought that his sleeping pills helped you a bit a few months ago and that maybe..."
"Mom, I don't need sleeping pills!" Gretchen was getting annoyed. "I stay up one night to do a project; you're only mad because Livy wanted to sleep there. I try not to wake her, Mom and I-"
"If you don't want to deal with your insomnia that is your own problem, Gretchen Grundler," her mother spoke in a firm voice that hurt Gretchen's head. "You're 17 now; you've wanted to be treated like an adult since you were 10 and I haven't had to lay down much since then but your problems are pushing your sister down the same path. She is 8-years-old and needs her sleep and if your typing keeps waking her up, then I'm going to have to take it away from you until you learn a better work schedule,"
"Mom! I'm not trying to hurt Livy, in anyway, you know that. I am just under stress and I have a lot of work to do!" Gretchen bit her lip and her mother sighed and took a seat next to her daughter and took her hand.
"Give yourself a break, Sweetie," her voice was soothing now. Gretchen didn't know which tone hurt her head more. "You're a smart girl but lately you haven't been able to juggle everything and have your needs fulfilled at the same time. I know most teenagers parents say the opposite but stop stressing about schoolwork take time for yourself, go out with your friends, let loose. At least, put away the books and get some sleep because your father and I are truly worried," she squeezed her daughters hand and Gretchen just wanted to pull away and leave.
Her parents really didn't understand. They were both big on parties who picked themselves up in college and pulled through successfully. Gretchen was different. She'd always been full of ambition, brains and determination but in her teen years she was full of distrust to the point that all she needed was she to get through. Her parents think she never saw the real world but she had, and the result of that made her slip into these bad habits and she wasn't going out there again.
"I'll take Olivia to school," was all Gretchen said and her mother looked defeated and dropped her hand as Gretchen stood up. "I could use the walk." She left the kitchen before her mom could say anymore.
FIO
Hope you guys like it so far. It took me forever to write this first chapter and I felt the need to make it all about Gretchen! Yay!
Anyways, ReadandReview!
-Stef
