I don't remember much from my old life, bits of beige colored buildings and a sky so blue it was almost too blue. I have a few more memories from before the accident but said that I really shouldn't focus on it. I guess I should introduce myself; my name is Justin, Justin Tuner. I'm seventeen years old, the middle child of the Tuner's , and their only adopted son. My mother is Mary Tuner and my father is Henry Tuner, who has two more children, my older brother William and my younger sister Sara. All of us together created a very normal family, mundane even, truthfully.
The shill sound of a bedside alarm-clock was always the first thing to go off in Justin's room every day signaling that it was five-thirty in the morning. The next sound was that of a deep groan. In the bed next to the alarm-clock, Justin rolled over, stretching and cracking his body as he attempted to arise from his bed and get ready for the day.
"Justin?" A knock at the door asked, "Are you awake?"
Justin turned his glazed eyes over to the door and sat up, trying to remember the dream that he had just had. Every morning it was like this, he remembers some weird scene but nothing other than that, try as he might.
"Justin! Are you up?"
"I'm up Mom!" He called out to the woman on the other side of the door. Justin pulled himself out of bed and proceeded to throw some dirty clothes off the floor, attempting to find one clean uniform in the never-ending, clustered piles that covered a large part of his bedroom floor and found a pair of slacks. Sniffing them, he decided that they didn't give off too much of a funky smell before slipping them on and buttoning them around his hips.
"How on earth can you find anything in here?"
Justin turned to his Mother, who had just attempted to open his door against a towering wave of laundry. She handed Justin a white button up shirt, still warm from a drying cycle.
"So, what's on tap for today?" Her smile warming up her face.
"School" Justin shrugged, pulling the shirt over his head not bothering to tuck it into his pants before grabbing a jacket too.
"Well I know that" Mary Tuner's eyes sparked as the beginnings of laugh lines appeared. She shook her head that the sleepy teen, "Do you have practice today?"
"Ya, coach is calling us right after school until about six, can I have the car?" Justin looked hopeful at the idea, but that was quickly dashed as Mrs. Tuner walked down the hall grinning to herself, "you're so silly Justin."
"I wasn't joking?" He tried after she had already descended the stairs. God I hate these uniforms. Justin checked himself out in his mirror, tugging at his trousers at trying to straighten some of the wrinkles.
Justin had always been rather dissatisfied with his appearance for it always reminded him that he was different. The Tuner family on his father's side had dark brown hair, almost black, that both his siblings inherited. His father and sister both had brown eyes, the color of coffee beans, while his mother shared her eyes with her eldest son, a vibrant hazel.
Justin on the other hand looked nothing like his family, which in a way was expected seeing as he was adopted. Hair the color of cherry licorice seemed too red to be real against skin that was paler than sour milk. It wasn't that he hadn't tried to get a healthy tan, in fact he spent many days during the summer holidays burning underneath the sun, but his skin always peeled and returned to its natural color. Perhaps the most unnerving part of his appearance though was his eyes which where the color of faded jade encircled by dark rings to which everyone attributed to his chronic insomnia , although something at the back of his mind told him it was probably just genetic. The last thing that bothered him about his appearance was the scar that was etched on the left side of his forehead. At first his parents thought it was just an odd-looking scar but as they would soon find out after an eventful afternoon at their favorite farmers market, it was actually a word in Japanese, the word for love. Soon after being informed of that, Justin had come to the decision that he didn't want to meet his birth family , fearing what kind of people would carve the word for love into their child's forehead. In other words , Justin didn't like his appearance because it was just too much, too extreme and too weird to be normal. That was the exact opposite of what he wanted to be . He had enough strange in his life already.
"Breakfast!" His mother's voice resonated as the smell of blueberry waffles wafted up to his room.
"WAFFLES!" a little girl squealed, pigtails bouncing up and down. Sara pushed ahead of Justin who had started to make his way down stairs.
It was going to be a long day, Justin could tell.
"And so if I call you out, raise your hand and I'll toss you a candy "
Justin's head shot up at the mention of sweets that his teacher was handing out. This is why Justin studied for tests and he knew it. He couldn't even pay attention to the other names just hoping he heard his.
"Justin Tuner, hundred percent. Well done!"
Justin's hand shot up to catch the sweet before offering a smile to his favorite English teacher, Mr. Martinez.
"That's all for today, remember to bring your book for Friday, we're doing an in class reading and I want to be able to hear every one of you ." reminded over the sound of the last bell of the day, chatting to each of his students on the way out. Justin walked past but not before his teacher could catch him.
"Fantastic job on the test Justin. You really like the candy I give out, don't you?" grinned.
"You know that's what I live for Sir ," Justin quipped back playfully. His teacher gave a small chuckle as he shook his head side to side, "I'll look forward to your next quiz too, Mr. Tuner."
With that Justin sprinted to practice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~two days later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Can you describe the setting in this dream Justin?" Dr. Foster paused to look up at his patent, waiting for him.
Justin shifted uncomfortably from where he sat, not quite sure of himself. He had always had these dreams but in general, he tended to avoid telling people about because they were just so, out there, and it didn't help his case when it came to defending his sanity, something that had been questionable since the day he met the Tuners.
"I don't remember much". Justin trailed off, hopping his psych would just forget out the subject, but alas , he didn't posses such luck.
"Just describe anything. Could be a color or a sound, even a feeling that you had."
Justin stared down at his hands before starting, " I just remember being in a room,one that was just made out of stone . There was a man standing in front of me but I can't make out his face. I was holding a brown bear too."
"Any feelings surrounding the dream?"
"I dunno, disappointment ?"
"Disappointment?"
"I guess I just felt that there was something I had to do, but I couldn't."
"What where you supposed to do?"
Justin shrugged again, counting the seconds until the session was over and he could return to his normal life and forget out his dreams his unknown past, and worst of all, the voice. Ever since he had accidentally let it slip that he heard a voice in his head, he was carted off to different psyches by his mother in hopes that there was something that could help. Truth be told, nothing helped. There was not pill or meditation soundtrack that could turn it off, not that he told anyone that anymore. Justin had learned a long time ago that talking about the voice was not something to do, especially to a school councilor who had just asked you why talk to yourself every now and then. Nope, it was something you kept to yourself.
"Could you hear the voice in the dream?" 's question snapped him out of his thoughts as he shook his head.
"No, I couldn't hear anything. I don't hear the voice anymore, honestly."
"Let's talk about something different, are there any new leads on your past?"
Justin sighed and shook his head. There were never any leads. He had just mysteriously just appeared, no files or missing persons database could find a match. The day that he had first been hit by the Tuner's car was essentially the first day he was born. He didn't remember anything except a vague age of six and general feelings of distrust for those around him. He wasn't surprised that he couldn't remember anything, after getting hit by a car going sixty down a relatively empty highway it was even a miracle that he survived. Especially at the age of six. Justin also had a feeling that it may have contributed to his mental problems, at least he hoped that was the case.
"Nope, same old story. I apparently run out into the street and get hit. Wake up and have no memory of who I am" Justin informed his doctor for what felt like the billionth time. Dr. Foster slipped his glasses off his face and rubbed his eyes before turning them to Justin. He looked as if he was about to say something but stopped, picking up his pens and scribbling something on his pad of paper.
"Is the medication helping?" The doctor asked, not even bothering to look up from his writing. Justin nodded his head but seeing as the doctor wasn't paying him any attention, Justin's confirmation was lost.
"Justin?"
"The meds are fine Doc." But there not working Justin. It was times like these where he really wished the voice would shut up and leave him alone. You're making your mother sad , Gaara. My name isn't ' Gaara', it's Justin. What the hell kind of name it that anyway?
"Justin!"
The call of his name shocked him out of his thoughts and over to , who had opened up his appointment book on his laptop. Justin stared at him hoping that the doctor would give him some clue about what he had just been asked.
"Uhh, could you repeat that sir?" Justin inquired tentatively, hoping that Foster hadn't noted his inattentiveness.
"What are you doing next week?" looked expectantly at him. Justin stuttered, his mind searching for the answer it had temporarily lost, "I think I'm free next week on Thursday? My next basketball practice is on Friday so coach is giving us a day off."
The doctor just nodded, keying in the data and time for their next appointment while Justin fiddled with his hands, trying to make himself invisible. The clicking sound of the keyboard was making his uneasy and the room had just become unbearable cold.
Foster swiveled around in his chair to look at Justin, concern blatant in his eyes.
"Are we done?" Justin knew that he was being a bit rude bit he really just wanted to get out of that room. The doctor shook his head slightly and Justin quickly jumped from the chair, bade him a good day, and slipped out the door to his awaiting mother.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Next day: lunch~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"And then she got mad that I had stayed up until two to do my homework!"
Justin laughed at his friends antics. He had many friends but only three best friends; Kenny, Brian, and Jake. He and Jake had gone to the same elementary school, Kenny joined them in middle school, and Brian had been the last to tag long because he had just transferred school that previous year. All four of them made an odd group. Jake had always been the more outgoing one , seeing as his charisma knew no bounds . Kenny had joined their group in the middle of the seventh grade. She was quiet and witty with her comebacks but she also was one of the most loyal friends Justin had. Lastly Brian, with his video games and awkward pop culture references that nobody got, had transferred to their school due to bullying problems thus making him the fourth and last person. Justin honestly didn't know what he'd do without them. When he wasn't at practice or doing homework he was hanging out with one or all of them. They had been his summer and weekends since his adoption by the Tuner family.
"I get yelled at if I don't do my homework and I get yelled at if I do and don't take care of my chores!" Kenny threw her hands up in exasperation, "I can't win with that freakin' woman!"
"What about if you did it when you got home instead of looking at cat videos on the web?" Jake suggested jokingly. Kenny raised her eyebrow and gave him a look that clearly stated how much of an option that was.
"And not be able to keep up with you three at the table? Hell no. anyways, it's not like I even watch cat videos"
"I'm sorry," Jake grinned, "I meant the makeup tutorials". Kenny playfully took a swipe at Jake's head while the entire table laughed.
Justin pulled out his chair, sitting himself between his two parents who sat across from each other. The smell of the food in front of him was tempting and he was eager to help himself.
"So, how was school? Tell me about your day." His father began, taking the bowl of mashed potatoes in front of him and scooping some onto his plate.
"I dunno, I guess it was alright. I had-""today was so exciting! We went to the library and got to pick out any book we liked" Sara interrupted, abruptly cutting off her brother. Her father shot her a look and motioned for Justin to continue.
"I had, " he paused for a second to look at Sara , who shrunk down in her chair , " a history test. I think I did alright."
"Did you study?" His mother questioned. Justin shrugged his shoulders a bit and proceeded to take a huge bite of his dinner. Sara wiggled in her chair a bit , increasingly eager to share how her trip to the school's library had gone, and just as she almost couldn't hold her tongue any longer her father turned his attention to her.
"And I got a book from the fantasy section! It was one of those on huge top-shelf that only the fourth graders can reach" Sara blurted. She then proceeded to tell the entire family all about her day for the rest of dinner until Justin quietly tuned to his mother.
"When's Will getting home?"
looked up from her food and thought for a moment before replying, "I think later tonight, but it could be tomorrow evening as well. You know how busy your brother is with college and his part-time job." Justin acknowledged what she had said before turning his attention back to his sister and her long story of something that had happened in her day. Although he hadn't really been paying any mind to what she said, he nodded and "ah uh " his way through the one-sided conversation, which continued through dinner until it was time to clear the table. Sara suddenly became extremely tired and decided that helping Justin clear the table was just too much work for her, so she bounced her way into her room to get ready for the night.
Justin sighed as he stacked the plates on top each other, ready to get them into the dishwasher quickly so he could play some video games before going to sleep. Footsteps in the kitchen made him turn his head.
"Hey dad"
Justin's father, Henry Tuner, stood in the kitchen rolling up the sleeves of his sweater and reaching a shelf to get a glass.
"That was a great game that you played today in practice" praised his father, "you put some real effort into that. I can see why your coach is proud of you. "
Justin smiled at his father's compliment, something that he always treasured. It was one of those things that made him feel loved and something deep inside that that's really all that mattered. Justin chatted with his father a bit before saying goodnight, trudging up the stairs and into his bathroom. Justin debated taking a second shower even though he had rinsed off after practice but finally came the conclusion that he was okay. Justin glanced at the time on his phone. 11:30 eh? I guess I should take my meds and go to bed. Not that they work. Justin winced at the voice and opened his Medicine cabinet, pulling out three bottles with little orange tags on them. He proceeded to pop his dosage amount into his mouth, swallowing them dry before reaching his head down to take a sip from the tap. Justin caught his gaze in the mirror one last time before turning off the light to go to his room, where he pulled out his game controller and sat back on his bed, turning it over in his hands. It the end, Justin decided that he was as too tired to play anything. Stretching himself out under the covers on his stomach, he turned to his thoughts for tomorrow.
Maybe is right. Maybe I should go and explore more of my past. Justin was puzzled on how to go about this, seeing as he had absolutely nothing to go on. There was no record of him even existing before that day. He barely remembered anything and what he did remember made no sense. He had searched countless books and magazines, trying to find a place that matched the description of what he saw in his head but there simple wasn't anything like it. With nothing to go on, Justin determinate that the best place to start was at the stretch of highway right outside of town, where he had apparently been stumbling out on to the road from. He still felt uneasy though. There wasn't anything significant about that stretch of land. It lay next to the coast and there was only about a few blocks between the pavement and the highway. In between it was just sandy rocks, a small cliff whose drop was about three feet on a good day, and scraggly bushes that caught on your arms, giving them little white lines and small cuts. But as he closed his eyes, Justin ignored the feeling of uneasiness and made plans to go there as soon as he woke up thinking 'Nothing bad is going to happen and I just need to stop freaking myself out' and he promptly fell asleep.