Here's another fic, this time about Trouble's manhood ceremony and how he chooses his name. After reading, please REVIEW!
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I looked out of the moving train and sighed. Trains. Old, useless, and outdated junk, but Foaly had budget cuts again, and this was all the LEP could spare for the graduates. Not much of a prize, but we had made it. Finished the required LEP Academy training. All I had to do was turn sixty-six this weekend, and then I would have a job. Retrieval Fifty-Two [with a job as dangerous as Retrieval, the LEP had to keep a lot of reserves]. My dream, except for the fifty-two part. But, someday soon, I would be head of Retrieval One, and the Commander of the LEP. Well, maybe not so soon, but someday.
A shout jolted me from my inner musings, "Leslie! Over here, baby!" I sighed heavily. Leave it to Mother to find the worst way under the world to embarrass me at the station, in front off all my other classmates, er, colleagues. Knowing she would do something worse if I didn't answer, I jumped off the platform and headed towards my impatient, overprotective mother and kid brother.
"Hey Mum, Grub. Er, It's nice to see you," I grudgingly said.
Mum said excitedly, "Leslie Kelp! You are so like your father. I can't believe it's your manhood ceremony this weekend. It seems like only yesterday you were in diapers!"
"Mum! Stop talking about things like that. It's downright humiliating. Anyway, there's a lot more than that stupid manhood ceremony this weekend. I'm going to look for an apartment, and I just found out that I start at Retrieval Fifty-Two on Monday!"
"Oh, Lee, I wish you wouldn't be in Retrieval, but I am so proud. And don't think that just because you have a job that you have to move out. ALSO, your manhood ceremony is NOT stupid, or ridiculous, or any of those other awful names you have called it. It is a time-honored elfin tradition that you WILL be a part of. Leslie, I swear, if you don't take part it in, you will wish you had been killed by a troll on your first day in Retrieval instead. Understand?"
I despondently responded, "Alright, Mother. Honestly, though, the only good thing about that awful ceremony is that I can change my name to something other than silly, wimpy Leslie."
"You wouldn't dare! It's just a formality that that option is offered. No one has ever taken it. It would be a disgrace to the family name."
"Well, I don't give a Frond's butt about the family name. It's your fault that I'm stuck with an absurd name like Leslie. Do you know how long I have been teased about it? No matter what you say, I'm changing my name. It is my choice, anyway."
Mother's tight-lipped answer was, "We'll talk about this more at home."
Silently, she led the way to our small pod-car. It was Haven's newest trend, although the only reason we had one was that we really needed a new car. Our last powder blue, beat-up clunker had to be at least fifty years old. I climbed into the back seat, careful not to aggravate Mum any more than usual.
I was the family breadwinner, with athletic records and excellent grades, but Grub was and had always been Mum's favorite. He also worshipped the ground I walked on, unfortunately. He followed me everywhere, never speaking but noting my every action. Grub mimicked all of my decisions, which was unfortunate for he was inept at just about everything except eating. I tried to be friendly, and asked, "What's up?" No answer. Typical.
During the ride home, the car was quiet. I am kind of out of place in my family, the odd one out. Mother and Grub enjoyed poetry, I played crunchball and almost failed Language Arts my first year of high school. I loved horror and action flicks, Grub and Mum started crying at commercials with dogs in them. The only person who had ever really understood me was Holly. Holly Rosemary Short. She had been my girlfriend my second year of high school, but I had had to leave for the country just before Spring Formal because of Grub's allergies. I hadn't seen her since. Though we had both dreamed about going to the LEP academy, there were two in Haven alone. The main one was closer to the country [where I had gone], and the other on sat smack in the middle of Haven's busy downtown [where Holly would have gone]. Maybe I could see her again when I started at the LEP. I was sure she had graduated from the Academy- in high school, she had usually beaten me in all areas- especially gym.
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Weird place to stop, I know, but it was too long for a one-shot. Whatever you think, just REVIEW please!