Authors Note: Hello person reading this story! I'd like to take a moment to point out some things you should know:
One: This is an AH fic . . . or so it seems *cue ominous music* . . .
Two: The ages for this story are; Max, Iggy, and Fang- sixteen, Nudge- thirteen, Ella- fourteen, the Gasman- ten and Angel- eight.
Okay, I think that's about it. The rest you'll have to figure out all on your own. I suppose I'll let you get to reading the story now.
Chapter One
-Dearly Beloved-
I stared glumly out of the window, watching as the shapeless blurs of buildings and other scenery rushed by at a steady speed of sixty miles an hour. Colors melded together in a mushy rainbow, perfectly capturing how I felt about this whole 'moving' thing.
I let out a melodramatic sigh, leaning my head against the cool surface of the glass window while closing my eyes and imagining that we were back in Arizona. I pictured the scruffy creosote bushes and the gritty and cracked dirt covered earth. My heart yearned for the wide open spaces and the clear, cloudless blue sky. I wanted to physically feel the sun's blistering heat beating down on my back as I stood at the open mouth of one of the caves I had discovered on the towering rock formations a few miles from my house. I wished more than anything that I could stand with my feet over the edge, just hoping that one of these days I would miraculously sprout wings and fly away.
That was the past though.
Now, I was in my mother's tiny, packed car as we drove cross country to our new place of living (I refused to call it home. It would never be home). Today was our last leg of the journey. Pretty soon we would be out of New Jersey, and into Manhatten, where we would then cross the Brooklyn Bridge into our new city of living. You know, the place where the acrid pollution would infiltrate my lungs and cause me to die at a young age. Where the smog and lights were too overpowering, making it impossible to see the stars at night. Where my every dream of flying would be crushed.
I hadn't even seen it and I already hated it with every fiber of my being.
On the contrary, my sister Ella was practically having kittens in the back seat, she was so excited. Throughout the whole car ride, which consisted of many days spent driving and many nights spent sleeping in any number of sleazy motel rooms, I could hear her scrambling from one side of the car to the other. It seemed to be her mission to take in every sight imaginable. From the moment we left Arizona all that could be heard from her was a cacaphony of 'oohs' and 'ahs'.
Fourteen year olds . . . Jeez.
"Look up girls!" Mom suddenly called out, her hands drumming on the steering wheel in anticipation.
With my head still in my hand I glanced over wearily. Up ahead I caught my first sight of the New York skyline. It wasn't as impressive as people made it out to be. All I saw was a bunch of tall buildings clustered so close together I already found it suffocating. Nothing special, not like Arizona was.
"Oh. My. Gosh." Ella stated in a voice of wonder.
I heard her seatbelt click as she untangled herself from it, and when I glanced over my shoulder I saw that her face was pressed up against the glass, her breath fogging it up and distorting her vision. She seemed unpertrubed by this, and just wiped it away with her sleeve. Her eyes were wide and glazed over, her mouth hanging open in evident elation.
"What do you think?" Mom asked, smiling widely at me. I stared back, my face carefully blank. Her grin faltered at this, but then Ella started speaking and she adopted it onto her face once more.
"It's the most amazing thing I have ever seen! OMG! This is so exciting," she exclaimed, throwing her hands out and inexplicably knocking over a box full of snack foods that I had refused to eat. Bags of chips and crumpled cookie packages now cluttered the ground.
"Pick it up," Mom said, seeing the mess in the rear view mirror.
Ella grumbled to herself as she cleaned, sweeping up as many crumbs as she could manage. When everything was safely put away she returned to her previous engagement while I leaned back in my seat and continued to day dream about home.
Soon thereafter Ella couldn't help but break the silence.
"Do you know how awesome this is going to be!? Max, we're going to have so much fun! First, we'll have to get a whole bunch of maps, oh and subway passes too! Then we can hit the streets and sight see for a bit. Mostly though, we need to go shopping. Can you imagine all the cute stuff we can buy? It's going to be magnificent," she gushed.
"I hate shopping," I said bluntly, without even opening my eyes.
"Yeah, yeah I know, but still! We have to go, even just a little bit. Ooh, and we can make signs! You know, saying hi to people back home, and then we can go to Rockafeller Center in the morning and be a part of the crowd on the Today Show! The girls back home would freak!"
"Only tourists do that Ella," I replied crossly, frowning to myself.
"So? Technically we are tourists. I mean, we're really new to the area, and it'll probably take us awhile to get used to it, you know? I don't see the shame in buying a few maps and being on live television," she insisted.
"Mom," I complained, finally sitting up. "She's going to make us look like tourists!"
"Max, honey, leave your sister alone," she said, her eyes never straying from the road in front of her.
"Gosh, no need to be rude Max! I'm going to familiarize myself with everything so that we don't look like tourists."
"Whatever, Ella, just do what you want . . . as long as you don't tell anybody we're sisters."
I heard her catch her breath, and then the resounding thump as she fell back onto her seat. When I snuck a quick peek at her I saw that she was leaning back, her arms over her chest and her lower lip quivering.
"Apologize to your sister," Mom demanded, glaring at me quickly before she resumed watching the road.
"Sorry Ella," I said sarcastically.
She sniffled a bit and then said, "Aren't you excited though?"
I stared straight ahead, no emotion discernable on my face. In a menacing tone I replied, "I'd rather be dead."
"Max," Mom sighed.
"I don't even get why we have to move here! Have you even begun to imagine the crime rate!? One of us will get gunned down while walking to school . . . Maybe, if we're lucky, all we'll do is get raped!" I exploded, not able to hold my feelings in any longer.
Ella shrieked loudly at my claim, and Mom shot me a look that was meant to make me bite my tongue, but I was determined to get my say in the matter.
"Besides, you're a vet! Why are we moving to a city with only sparse patches of grass here and there!? It's not called the Concrete Jungle for nothing!"
"You'd be surprised by how many people own dogs, cats and other small rodents. Maybe we can get you a dog. Would you like that? It might make you feel more at home," she suggested softly.
"This will never be home, Mom. Never . . . And besides, we already have a dog, remember?" I spat acidly.
"Magnolia is Ella's dog. This could be just yours."
"Yeah, it can be just like Lassie . . . then it will run away and get run over by some taxi in the afternoon traffic. Sounds great," I replied sarcastically.
"Stop being so negative, Max! You haven't even given it a chance. Who knows, maybe you'll love New York," she insisted.
"Or not," I muttered under my breath but she heard me clear as day.
"Or maybe you'll just have to learn to love it," she said sternly, giving me a glare that told me to shut the hell up.
For once, I complied.
-- }{ --
Mom wound her way through the streets, slowing and speeding up where need be. Through Manhatten the sidewalks had been clogged with people bustling here and there. Men and women in proffesional suits, and then the others in their everyday clothes, juggling shopping bags and sobbing children. It had all looked just so wonderfully inviting.
Um . . . not!
Finally though, we had managed to cross over the Brooklyn Bridge. I had stared down at the murky waters of the East River, noticing with a keen eye that the current was swift. My eyesight had always been that way though. Better than normal. I never questioned it, and everyone else just added it up to hightened senses. Nothing special, nothing truly abnormal.
As we entered Brooklyn the sense of foreboding in the pit of my stomach deepened. The inevitable was coming closer and closer. Soon I wouldn't have any choice but to unpack my few meager belongings and settle into life in New York.
I hated the sound of that.
"Did you know that New York City is actually made up of five boroughs? Manhatten, Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island and Brooklyn, which is where we're going to be living," Mom said cheerily, trying to lighten the mood.
Ï glanced at her dryly, rolling my eyes at her meager attempt while Ella 'ooh-ed' like a good little girl.
"Brooklyn also has the highest population of all the boroughs," she added, navigating a sudden turn which had my elbow knocking against the side of the car. She muttered a quick sorry.
"I see you did your homework like a good girl. Would you like a gold star?" I asked sarcastically.
"Normally I would respond to that," Mom said heatedly, giving me 'the look' which was usually saved for special occassions. Of the late though, it had been used more frequently. I hadn't been much of a saint these past few weeks. Ever since she told us we were moving and my whole life came to an abrupt halt.
Then she continued on to say; "but we're here."
She eased the car into a spot behind a weathered and battered looking camaro. From my perch I couldn't see what model it was, but then again, I was never really good with cars anyway.
As soon as my mom shifted to park and the doors automatically unlocked Ella had herself out of her seatbelt and tumbling through the door with impressive speed. She almost tripped over the ledge of the sidewalk, but she flung her hand out and grasped a park bench's handle to stop her fall. Mom soon followed suit, though albeit a bit more slowly. I, however, remained rooted to the spot, content to observe my surroundings from the passenger seat.
The house in question, which I had never seen before- even in pictures, was only two stories high. It was made of brick and had an aging wooden molding. The roof was completely flat, and I vaugely saw a fire escape poking out from the side of the building, leading all the way up to it. It was inconspicious . . . medium sized and blend-able.
At least it would have been in a sea of architectural designes like its own. It's placement now though . . . not so much.
Finally I managed to drag myself out of the car, trailing my feet across the ground as I approached Mom and Ella. There we stood, side by side, staring at our new "home".
"Well . . . what do you think?" Mom asked slowly, breaking the comfortable silence. For once, she sounded genuienly afraid. As if our opinion actually mattered.
"It looks like a midget compared to those monsters," I replied, indicating the towering buildings surrounding it. The one on the right appeared to be just a bunch of office space, while the one on the left seemed to be apartments.
"I think it's unique!" Ella enthused, grinning brightly.
"You would," I muttered, kicking at a pebble by my foot and watching with disinterest as it skittered across the concrete and landed with a plop in a muddy brown puddle at the side of the street.
After that I straightened up, putting on a mock smile and saying, "Would you like me to say a few words?"
The reproachful look I got from Mom told me exactly what her answer was, but I continued to speak anyway.
"Dearly beloved . . . we are gathered here today to witness the unbecoming and atrociously disasterious demise of my entire life. Let us take a moment of silence in recognition for this deed," I spat angrily.
I ran forwards then, knowing what the pricking in my eyes meant. I didn't want my family to see. I didn't want them to realize I was capable of weakness. Without a second thought I gripped the sides of the fire escape, taking the creaking steps two at a time. The whole thing shook as I thundered up them, but I didn't care. The worst thing that could happen was for me to fall . . . and maybe death would be welcome at this point.
Authors Note: Review? Please, tell me what you think. I need to know if this story is worth continuing or not.