The Pretender
Summary: The secrets that you keep are ever ready, are you ready? -The Foo Fighters
A/N: I know there are a lot of Bones High School fics, but I wanted to write one based purely on Brennan, without the rest of the cast. This is gonna be a very dark, angsty fic, so if that bothers you, don't read.
Disclaimer: I do not own them.
Temperance Brennan sat in the passenger seat of the silver sedan, her arms crossed, her jaw set. Her worn out Converse on her feet, worn out jeans and a long sleeved black shirt. The rest of her possessions sat in the seat behind her. Next to her sat her case worker, she was tapping out the tune to some Beatles song that played on the radio. Temperance pushed herself back harder against the seat, wishing that it would swallow her whole. She was alone. She was unwanted.
Russ had left her, he couldn't take care of her, why should he? He was only nineteen, he wanted to go out with his friends and go to parties. Her parents didn't want her, obviously. They had left her, they had left her and they didn't come back.
Temperance gritted her teeth tighter, breathing deeply through her nose, picking at a loose thread on her jeans, she would not cry. Tears were irrational. They did you no good. Every action had an equal and opposite reaction, what was the reaction to tears? Sympathy? She didn't want that. She was stronger than that.
"I think you're gonna like this family Temperance." Her case worker, Lynette said. Lynette was an overly happy person, always wearing a smile on her face.
Temperance didn't respond, they'd be just like the others. This was her third home in just a couple months. She hadn't even spent a week at her last house, what was she doing wrong? She didn't speak, she did her school work, what more could they ask for?
"I know you wanted to stay in your old town," Lynette kept talking, not even realizing the lack of response from the sullen teen, "But I think you'll like Northville... the high school has a good science program."
"Have you heard from Officer Davison?" Temperance spoke, her tone even, lack of emotion left every word hollow.
"Temperance... we discussed this." Lynette glanced at her as she turned left onto a dirt road.
"I know. They closed the case, but Officer Davison said he'd keep his ears open. Has he heard anything?" Temperance asked, all she wanted to do was go home.
"I'm sorry Sweetheart, nothing." Lynette said, pulling into a gravel driveway. The yard was filled with toys, a few children were playing on the swings, "The Johnson's mainly take in little kids, but they agreed to let you stay with them."
"How nice.." Temperance muttered as Lynette parked.
"Temperance." Lynette placed a hand on her arm, "Give them a shot."
"No." Temperance pulled her arm away and got out of the car, grabbing her garbage bag of possessions, she slammed the door shut, waiting for Lynette at the front bumper. Temperance followed Lynette up to the front porch, a woman sat in a long summer dress on the front porch.
"You must be Temperance!" The woman jumped up to greet her, "I'm Bonnie Johnson."
Temperance gave a single nod.
"My Husband Michael will be home later, he's workin' at the foundry." Bonnie explained, her makeup was over done, her feet were bare and her hair was coated so thickly in hairspray that a hurricane wouldn't blow it down.
"Temperance, you're in good hands. I'll check in next week." Lynette said and squeezed her shoulder, leaving them on the porch.
"Well I bet you're waiting to see your room, ain't ya?" Bonnie asked, grabbing Temperance's bag of clothes and books. She lead her into the house, through the living room, and into the study, "Lynette said ya liked books, since we don't have a spare bedroom, we figured we'd set ya up in here."
Temperance nodded, sitting on the edge of the pull out couch. She ran her hand over the itchy green blanket that was tossed over it. She wanted to be alone.
"Well, you're just Chatty Cathy." Bonnie remarked, opening the window, "Well the little kids are Carlene, she's the blond, the little colored boy is Charles and the babies are Vanessa and Daniel." Bonnie pointed to the children who were running around the front yard.
Temperance didn't care, she wouldn't be here long enough to become attatched, she couldn't let that happen.
"Well I'll let you get settled." Bonnie sat the bag on the floor, leaving the room.
Temperance breathed a sigh of relief, she grabbed her bag, dumping it's contents on her mattress. She rifled through her belongings till she found it, the picture of the four of them. Russ, her father, her mother, and herself, playing at the park. An elderly woman had taken it for them, it was the one picture she had of them, the rest were in storage somewhere.
She kicked the rest of her belongings off the bed, they landed in a pile on the floor, she stretched her long body out on the bed. She pounded her fists against the mattress, she was so angry, so hurt. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out what she had done, what had made her entire family not want her. She missed them, she missed the way Russ made her feel normal, the way her mother's hugs made her feel complete and the way her father had encouraged her. She'd never have that again.
Temperance laid on her bed till the sun was setting and Bonnie called them all in for dinner. Michael was home from work, he sat at the head of the table in a work shirt and jeans, oil stains everywhere. The little kids took their seats and Temperance found herself sandwiched between Daniel and Bonnie.
"Ya'all this is Temperance Brennan. Temperance, this is Daniel, Carlene, that's Vanessa and Charles." Bonnie introduced them.
"I'm Michael." Michael extended his hand and Temperance bit her lip, before she extended hers and shook it.
"Temperance don't say much." Bonnie explained.
Temperance stared at her plate, mash potatoes, hamburger and green beans, she felt nauseous.
"How old are ya?" Michael asked as he dug into his food.
"Fifteen." Temperance whispered.
"What?" Michael asked, placing a hand near his ear.
"Fifteen." She whispered again.
"Fifteen. You could work down at the gas station. I'm sure Mr. Reynolds could get ya a job." Michael said.
"Don't worry about that Temperance, you get used to things first." Bonnie reassured her.
Temperance nodded and stared at her food, she moved the mash potatoes around her plate, never bringing her fork to her mouth.
"You one of them anorexics?" Michael asked, Temperance raised her head, eyes wide in shock.
"Michael!" Bonnie exclaimed, a hand over her heart.
"I'm just askin' Bonnie, the girl hasn't had a bite all night."
"Maybe she's just nervous!" Bonnie shot back.
"Excuse me." Temperance whispered, standing up, she rushed out of the room, out of the house. She ran, sprinting to the far corner of the yard, where she heaved up the little bit she had, had for breakfast that morning at Denny's. She fell to her knees, pushing her back up against the fence post, she whispered, "I'm invisible, I'm invisible, I'm invisible."
"You ain't invisible." Carlene spoke, the little girl stood before Temperance, she was filthy from playing outside all day.
"Could you leave me alone please?" Temperance asked.
"Fine. Daddy said to get your butt inside though. It's night time and there are coyotes in that woods of there." Carlene pointed.
"I don't care." Temperance said with a shaky voice, for all she cared, the coyotes could come and eat her.
"Who'd you lose?" Carlene asked.
"What?"
"I lost my Grammy" The seven year old said, "My Grammy raised me, cause my mamma was crazy. My Grammy died and they sent me here."
"My parents disappeared. My brother left me." Temperance whispered, unsure of why she trusted the little girl.
"I'm sorry." Carlene said, the air was still, the sky was dark, the only light was the glow of lightening bugs.
"I'm sorry you lost your Grandmother." Temperance replied, barely able to make out the little girl in the dark.
"It ain't so bad, ya know? They're nice people." Carlene told her.
"I'm sure they are." Temperance swallowed hard.
"Come inside?" Carlene asked, "I don't like them coyotes. Please Miss Tempe, come inside."
"Alright, Carlene, I'll come inside." Temperance said and stood up, Carlene took her hand and lead her inside the house.
Temperance lay in her bed that night, the green blanket making her itch, the howl of the coyote making her shiver. Tomorrow she'd start life at another new school, another day where she'd hardly say a word, another day where she'd be labeled a freak. Tomorrow was another day for Scarlett, but it didn't sound too good to Temperance Brennan.
A/N: Alright, so what'd you think? Honest. this is just chapter 1. Longer stuff to come.