"You know that we are still young,
So don't be dumb,
Don't trust anyone,
'Cause you only live once...,"
YOLO; by the Lonely Island
If there was one thing Alaina would want more than anything, it would be for her parents to be completely different than what they turned out to be. Alaina's parents, Ava and Easton Beckett, weren't exactly...pleasant, in any sense of the word. Easton's temper was unpredictable—and, in most cases, would involve violence when it got bad enough—and Ava seemed to find amusement in emotional abuse. It hadn't always been that way, though. During most of Alaina's childhood—especially when she was very young—things were good; Ava and Easton seemed to be very good parents. Alaina also grew up with her maternal half-sister, Frances, from Ava's previous marriage. Frances and Alaina always had a close relationship when they were younger, but when they got older, they weren't as close as they used to be. Alaina still wanted that sisterly relationship, but Frances was interested in other things. Things Alaina wasn't really fond of.
Because of Frances' interest in other things, that meant Alaina would be left alone with her parents.
The change happened suddenly, not long after Alaina's sixth birthday. Easton had walked into Alaina's room, noticed there were some toys scattered on the floor, and out of nowhere, started screaming at his young daughter. The screaming lasted for at least five minutes, and Easton didn't seem to care that his behavior had driven Alaina to tears. Ava had come in, but despite Alaina's slight relief in seeing her mother, she soon realized that Ava was starting to act odd, too. Noticing that her daughter was crying, Ava manipulated Alaina's behavior, making it seem like it was her fault that Easton had blown a fuse at her. That left Alaina feeling confused and terrified for days afterward.
It was almost like Ava and Easton were two separate people when they started lashing out; it was like they were Jekyll and Hyde, and in Alaina's young mind, that was the most terrifying experience ever.
Soon, the changes in Alaina's parents started becoming worse. Easton's short temper became so bad sometimes that he started hitting Alaina. Ava was completely aware of the situation, but, again, she manipulated the way Alaina was feeling to make it seem like it was her fault she was being abused.
"I don't think you understand just how hard your father works to provide for this family," Ava would say. "You're a selfish girl, Alaina. That's why your father gets so angry at you; you're not helping out around here. This is your house, too, understand?"
By the time Alaina turned eight, she had grown accustomed to what her parents were putting her through. Because of her father's occasional violent tempers, Alaina had experienced breaking both her arms—on separate occasions—three different times; received a concussion from being hit on the head too hard; a black eye; an almost broken nose; and a fractured leg. Ava continued to twist Alaina's emotions around, bringing her down and smashing everything she ever thought about herself.
Frances had since moved out, at that point. Alaina's older half-sister had done nothing to protect her from the abuse her parents were inflicting.
By the time Alaina was close to her ninth birthday, there had been a knock on the front door.
Ava had been the one to open it, and had been greeted by the police and a social worker. From what Alaina understood, a concerned neighbor had called the police.
Initially, Alaina had been confused. No one had called the police before, so why had they done it at that moment?
"We'd like to talk to you for a little while, is that OK?" The social worker, a woman somewhere in her thirties or forties, knelt down to look at Alaina, a warm smile on her face.
Everything that happened afterward was history.
-0-0-0-0-
Alaina Beckett ended up living with Ron and Judy Witwicky not long after her ninth birthday. She ended up living in foster care for a little bit, staying with a foster family for a short amount of time, before being taken into the Witwicky home. Alaina's parents had been charged for multiple accounts of child abuse, and once their sentence had been set, it was agreed upon that they'd have no contact with their youngest daughter. As for Frances, she had been absent throughout the entire trial and everything that happened afterward. Alaina maintained zero contact with her older half-sister, which may have been a good thing on both of their parts.
The other good thing was that Alaina was in an environment that was more positive than her old home life. Ron and Judy were more accepting, less aggressive, and seemed to enjoy praising Alaina in anything she did.
Then there was their son, Sam. Sam Witwicky was a year and a half older than Alaina, which, in the eyes of Ron and Judy, seemed to be the perfect age-difference for the two kids. Judy always talked about how she wanted to have more children, but life seemed to be getting in the way and made the dream almost impossible. That is, of course, until the couple looked into adoption. Judy openly stated how she wanted to adopt Alaina, but Ron made sure that Judy and Alaina understood that the possibilities of an adoption ever taking place would be under Alaina's terms.
It would take two years before there'd be a new member of the Witwicky family.
Once the adoption was finalized, there was a big celebration. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Alaina actually felt happy.
The way Alaina saw it, she'd finally get the normal life she craved. The one her parents stripped her of. That wasn't asking too much. Right?
(A/N):
May not be the best first chapter—possibly a clichéd first chapter, too—but, hopefully, the rest of the chapter makes up for it! I have ideas on how Alaina's character will be written, but I pray it's not like a Mary-Sue kind of character. But, my wish is that you guys can stick around to see for yourself.
Do I own anything in this franchise? No. No I don't.
More than likely, this story will be based around the first three TRANSFORMERS movies, with a possible sequel being around the fourth (and the fifth, once it's on DVD). But this idea is still being determined. If you've got ideas on whether this story should only involve the first three movies, with the fourth and fifth as a sequel; or if you want all four movies in this story with the fifth serving as the sequel, let me know. Again, this is still an idea. It's the first chapter, so it's a bit early to determine what I really want to do with everything just yet.
I digress.
If there's anything in this chapter that's confusing, leave a review or PM me.
Leave a thought on anything I can improve on.
Sincerely,
Alek Haydn