June 2, 2000
Daniel's School
People say you create your own destiny, that you have total control over it. I knew that wasn't true. Truth be told everyone on earth are puppets. We live our everyday lives thinking the choices we make are ours, but their not. Someone out there is pulling the strings. Their doing it to me too. I can go around thinking I have free will, but I don't I'm just part of someone's great master plan. So I will live out that destiny, but what is it? I know it would be years before I fulfill it cause I'm only a child, but a child I will forever be.
I stood there looking at the biggest tree we have on school ground. I just stared at it. It was once an acorn, but now it's was a full grown tree. I stood and understood, I am like a tree. Start from the ground and make my way to the top, but what will I find there? One. Two. Three. I jumped up the branches climbing my way to the top like a monkey. I was determined to stand at the head and look at the world around.
"Don't break anything", Jack yelled from the ground.
"Then what's the point of climbing", I yelled back.
I finally made my way to the top and looked over my surrounding. Thinking clearly I knew my life would be a lot harder than this tree. All it had to do was eat and grow. It never had to protect the world. I looked at Jack smiling up to me waiting for me to slip and fall and I noticed Liz and Cam walking towards him.
"Is Dan still climbing that tree?" Liz asked Jack.
"Yeah".
"Doesn't he get tired climbing that same tree?" Cam replied.
"Never".
They stood and watched me, and I watched the world. Minutes passed and I saw a familiar blue car pull up in the parking lot. From out of the car emerged my mother looking at me high in the sky.
"Daniel Summers get down here this instant", she yelled.
I immediately jumped down from the tree only to find myself being pulled away from my friends by my ear, by my mother. Total embarrassment. She dragged me by the ear and pushed me into the car. Afterwards I saw her give a smile to Jack, Liz, and Cam like nothing happened. They smiled back probably thanking God that wasn't their mother. Hmmm. In my mind I knew it was going to be a long drive home.
In the Car
(Whose Bed Has Your Boots Been Under)
I sat there and listened to this music. This music. It was killing me. I immediately tired to change the station, but my hand was slapped away.
"Mom. What are we listening to?"
"Country music".
"Hmmm WHY?" I said smartly.
"Maybe you didn't know this, but before I met your father I lived in Tennessee. Listening to this music makes me fell like I'm home. I'm just trying to get back to my roots".
"Well I like pain, but not this kind of pain, can I please change it?"
"No".
"So you're torturing with this?"
"Yes".
"I'm going to die", I said hitting my head continually against the window.
And we continued our way home.
Daniel's Home
We entered the house and I immediately took off my shoes and started to run up to my room, but somehow with all the speed I have my mother stopped me with her words.
"Daniel. Hold on a second. I thought I should tell you your cousin Zack will be spending a couple of weeks with us".
I stopped in my tracks.
"WHAT?"
"Zack will be spending time with us" she said.
"What, how, why, what, when".
"He should arrive in a couple of hours".
"Why does he have to stay with us?"
"Now Daniel you must learn to get along with your family. You can't pick them you know".
"No, but you can hate them for all eternity. I don't even know where he lives".
"He lives in Tennessee".
"Great. So I'm going country look at them boots (Allen Jackson). So when does he arrive?"
The instant I said those words the door opened.
"Guess who's here?" said Zack.
"Zack", my mother replied and walked over to hug him.
"Aunt Annie how are you doing?"
"I'm doing well, and yourself?"
"Good. Good. So where's my little cousin?"
I so wanted to avoided him. I had so many ideas to get away, the thoughts just ran through my head. I could run up stairs and jump out the window. Orb in front of him and make him past out. Look away from him and just walk away, that's the most hurtful thing to do, it states I don't want you here and leave me alone. I really didn't want to be around him, but out of respect for my mother I tried to play nice.
I walked over to him and gave him a fake hug. After that I analyzed him. Zack was one year older than me, but since my birthday was in August and his was in February he became two years older than me just for those few months. He was always taller than me since I was 9 and he was 11 he had at least 6 inches on me. Zack was always a lot darker than me. I some times thought I was white growing up with my first family, but Castiel tells me I'm not and all will be reviled in time. I took another look at Zack and noticed what he was wearing. He was wearing worn out blue jeans with a white button up shirt. Ever since I've known him he always wore then same brown hat and boots. I'm sure he had to out grow both of them, but they always looked the same to me. Of course he had a country accent living in Tennessee all his life, and he loved their music. Zachary was 100% country boy. After I hugged him he started talking again.
"You're getting strong Dan, been working out?"
I smiled a little I had to fight demons is really a great workout; I needed to be in tip top shape.
"At least you're not a girly girl any more".
My smiled disappeared and the urge to punch him was back, but I suppressed it and laughed with a fake smile.
"O how will I miss the way you call me a girl when you leave. When is that exactly?" I said very evilly.
My mother stepped in the middle of us, maybe because she thought I was really going to hurt him. I wouldn't do that, well not hurt him much, but I could make him cry uncle.
"Zack will stay with us for a month", my mom said staring straight into my eyes. "He just here to get the full experience of L.A. life".
"Yeah, he yelled. "We can go see some celebrities."
"I don't know any celebrities", I answered.
He looked at me with disappointment in his eyes, I guess that's the only reason he was here. My mom looked at him as well and knew that he was upset so she charmed her way out of it.
"Daniel, can you take him around, you know show him your life".
A smile went across his face and his eyes brightened. My mother continued.
"So Zack go up stairs and unpack dinner is in a while".
As Zack made his way upstairs the words of my mother went through my mind. Show him your life. It played over and over again until I finally said it out loud.
"Show him my life. Hmmm".
"Not that life", my mother said.
"If I did who would be the girl then. He would freak and run home screaming. I would never have to see him again", I laughed evilly. "I could deal with that".
My mother didn't say anything, she just walked away. I wouldn't really do it, just thinking about it made it fun. My mother's way of responding was just a way to ruin my fun.
