I forget the disclaimer. Silly me!
Michael Grant owns Gone, not me. If I had owned Gone, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction about it.
First song is 'Lovefool' by the Cardigans. 'Kids with Guns' by Gorillaz is the second song mentioned, although no lyrics were written down.
Town Hall was a mess. Things that once sat on the receptionist counter were now scattered across the floor. The calming paintings of Perdido Beach's Oceans were no longer on the walls. They had been torn off in hopes of hitting something—or someone—behind the counter. The only real thing that had stayed intact was the room's paintjob, which was a refreshing shade of baby blue. Not a neon blue, but merely a blue mixed with so much white. Perdido Beach's main industry was fishing, so the Town Hall reflected on that. Tourists adored it.
Andria Jones stepped into the office in shock. Surely, she had seen it yesterday, but she didn't think it had been that bad.
Oh, shit! Andria thought; with one of her frequent swear words. She didn't curse to people, because some people were against it, but her thoughts were teeming with them. What if Caine or Diana gets mad at me for doing a shitty job? Damn it... I'll get fired for sure.
She looked to the clocked. 5:03. Yes! She thought. I'll have time to clean it up.
She started with the paintings, hanging them back on their hooks. Next, she bent down to the floor, picking up the things that once sat on the counter. She set them in their rightful place, and then looked to the floor. Little specks of paper adorned the floor, too small for her hands to pick up. She looked around, and headed to the janitor's closet.
"Thank God for vacuums." she said as she pulled one out.
It had taken her less time than expected, so she sat down in the chair behind the counter. She had forty-five minutes before the office opened. The computer screen in front of her had survived unharmed, it's blank screen only showing one thing. Her reflection.
SHIT! She thought as she studied her appearance. I'd been so caught up in worrying that I forgot about how I looked. Her blonde hair was pulled back into the ponytail she'd slept in, little hairs sticking up every which way. She was wearing a plain red tee and average jeans, but the bottoms had been ripped off ages ago.
Wait... I can make it! My house isn't that far! She thought, praising her missing mom for buying a house near the plaza.
She set off at a heavy sprint, running down a street to her right. She wasn't the fastest, but she wasn't the slowest. Another one of her mediums. On her way, she passed a group of teenagers. They didn't even notice her, because a person running like mad was normal in the FAYZ.
She skidded to a halt in front of a white Victorian, and then quickly turned on one heel and ran to the door. Being inside her house brought back old and sad memories, but she shoved them away. Later. She told herself. I'll mourn later.
She ran up the stairs, leading into a hallway with the sister's bedrooms. She was about to go in her room when a thought stopped her. She only had bland clothes. Stephanie, on the other hand, had a wardrobe full of different things.
Andria slowly walked to Stephanie's door, widening her eyes as she opened the door. Stephanie's room was as bad as the office, before Andria got to it. Hair products adorned the floor, which Andria carefully stepped over. Andria had a feeling that her elder sister was watching her, ready to get mad if she stepped on anything. Regardless, she headed to the closet.
There were so many things to pick from, but Andria had chosen the least bold things. A black skirt with three tiers of ruffles, and an ivory blouse—Not too childish, not too old-lady-like.
Ah, hell. Shoes. Andria thought. She only had sneakers. Guess that means I'll have to take some of Stephanie's... She picked out a pair of black flats, which were a size too big for her. She'd had to fill the points of the shoes with toilet paper, but they still semi-fit.
She went to the mirror to check out the damage on her hair. It wasn't greasy, but something told her she should leave it up in something else. She followed the instinct, letting it down, brushing it, and then putting it back up into a bun where the tips of her hair fanned out at the top. Her bangs had been left out, so she quickly flat ironed them.
She looked to her sister's alarm clock, gaping when she read the time. 5:45. She had fifteen minutes to waste. Make-up, her mind screamed. Andria had never been one for make-up, but now seemed like an appropriate time to start. She rummaged through her sister's floor, looking for things that wouldn't be too flashy. Three minutes of searching later, and she found a set of neutrals.
Finally... Done. Andria thought. She didn't get how Stephanie had liked to do that every single morning.
She glanced around the room, taking in the sights. She's gone... She's really gone. Andria had bad thoughts towards her sister, but deep inside, she loved her. Stephanie was just a bit... pushy. In the middle of her staring, she caught sight of something. An iPod speaker system, with a silver iPod sticking out of the platform.
Of course! Andria thought. Stephanie's music is just monotonous, quiet, calming stuff! She rushed to grab one of Stephanie's many bags to fit the dock into, iPod included.
She sat there for a minute, and then stood up when she thought she should leave. Andria felt a horrible gush between her legs, and she ran to the bathroom.
Fuck my life. She thought towards the giant red stain. Why does this always happen in bad situations! She put on some protection and headed back to Stephanie's room. I certainly don't want to smell... like that. She thought as she sprayed herself with the closest bottle of perfume she could find. The smell intoxicated her, but it was worth it.
Andria looked to the glowing blue numbers of the alarm clock. Three minutes to six. Rushing, Andria ran down the stairs but nearly tripped. She hastily took off the flats and headed out the door, a bag in one hand and shoes in the other.
Andria found herself humming along with Stephanie's music. She had set up the speaker on the corner of the receptionist counter, and the remote was by her hand. She hadn't guessed the full potential of Stephanie's music. Despite the fact that she was a girly girl, Stephanie had all sorts of vile music on her iPod. Andria found herself thinking rude thoughts towards her sister. Huh, I guess that the bitch had another side after all. Then again, so do I.
Andria pressed the little right arrow that indicated the next song, and started humming along to the melody.
Dear, I fear we're facing a problem; you love me no longer. I know and maybe there is nothing that I can do, to make you do.
The day had gone by quickly, and quite boring. All Andria had done was talk to people about their complaints and threats against Caine. Andria had just sat and nodded, writing down what people had said on sticky notes.
The only highlight of her day had been when Diana came in, and told her not to let anybody through to Caine. When Andria asked how she would have to turn them away, Diana simply responded about making up a lie about him being in a meeting or that they needed an appointment.
Andria was starting to regret saying the comment about needing a receptionist. Diana hadn't praised her, or even said her thanks.
The office was moderately quiet, the only sound coming from the speaker to her left. Her thoughts drifted, straying from things like her family to such trivial matters as what to wear tomorrow.
I wonder if my parents are safe... My dad wasn't even in town when the giant wall thing came up. It was true: her dad hadn't been in town. Mason Jones was in Afghanistan when it happened, fighting for his country. I hope my mom's alright. I wonder if she's watching over me right now, telling me to go to the family shop. Good luck getting me to, bitch. The 'family shop' was actually a butcher shop, filled with dead cows and chopped up pigs. Andria despised the place, as she was forced to work there in the summers, helping to chop up smaller animals. The sight was gross, but it gave Andria the resistance to being squeamish.
A loud thud snapped her back to reality. A boy was storming his way into the office, not even giving her a second glance. He was tall, with sandy blonde hair. He would have been cute, had it not been for the gun slung on his back. The song on the iPod had changed, now on 'Kids with Guns' by Gorillaz. Fitting. Andria thought.
"When the hell did Caine get a secretary?" He said, his face turned away.
"I started today." Andria said, attempting to put on a professional tone.
"Does it look like I care?" He said, his voice finally ringing a bell in Andria's mind. He's with Caine! What do I do? Do I send him in, or do I do what Diana said and tell him that he's in a meeting? Her mind was racing.
"Well, you kind of asked, and you can't go in to see Caine. Diana's orders."
He gave her the weirdest look, like she was talking nonsense, and then walked for the door that lead to Caine's office.
She stepped up from her chair, and then walked around to grab his arm. "I said you can't go in there."
Finally, he turned to face her. "What a bitch." He spoke through unmoving lips.
Andria gaped, staring, mouth hanging open. How the hell did he say that without his mouth moving? She pushed the thought away, passing it off as hallucinating.
"Don't call me that!" She said. She may have been shy and self-conscious, but she still stood up for herself when people called her names. Her mom had told her not to, that a bully only wanted a reaction, but in high school, you didn't just sit around and take things.
"I didn't call you anything. I didn't even speak to you!" He said, disgust was written on his face.
"Yes, you did. You called me a bitch!" She was pissed. It was one thing to call a girl that, but another to deny it.
"What a freak. I didn't even speak to her and she said that I called her a bitch. She is a bitch though." He said, once again, through a still mouth.
Andria couldn't deny it anymore. His lips weren't moving, but his voice was ringing out in the room. He must have a weird power. She thought.
"You just said, and I quote 'What a freak. I didn't even speak to her and she said that I called her a bitch. She is a bitch though.' Don't even try getting out of this, I heard you loud and clear!" Why couldn't he just accept that she'd heard him and move on with things?
Realization flashed in the boy's face, as he shot his hand out and gripped her throat, dragging her through the door with him. Caine woke up from his nap with a start, a pile of unfinished paperwork on his mahogany desk.
"What the hell, Drake?" He snapped at Drake, obviously mad at him for waking him up. He put his hand out and then swiped it across air. All of a sudden, Drake released his hold on her neck and was shot against the wall, face first.
"She's got the power, you dumbass! Even Diana said so!" Drake yelled, still pressed against the wall.
"I think I know that, Drake." And then, he added with unmoving lips. "What the hell is she? She's only a one bar, so why's Drake bringing her in here? One bars are useless!"
Andria was angry at being kept in the dark. She addressed Caine. "What the hell is a one bar and why do you keep calling me that?"
Caine looked to her, his arm still extended in the air. "Excuse me? How do you know the term one bar?"
"You just said it, and then you said that one bars are useless." Andria was furious, but she still couldn't help thinking about if she was going to get hurt for using this tone.
Caine did a double take. First, he was staring at her like she was nothing, and then, in an instant, things changed. He screamed out. "Yes! I knew that when powers developed that there would be a mind reader! I knew it! " He had stood up, and his hand dropped, releasing his hold on Drake.
"I told you I'd figured it out. Was there any need to throw me against a wall?" Drake was rubbing his shoulder, on a spot that had taken most of the impact.
"Actually Drake, there was." Diana said, as she walked into the room. "It's a shame I didn't get to see it happen, again."
"Shut up, Diana." Drake spat. If it weren't for Caine being in the room, he would've shot her by now.
"Make me, psychopath!" Diana shot back.
"Believe me, I will!"
"Shut up, both of you." Caine said, obviously bored of seeing them fight.
"Fine." Diana said, crossing her arms across her chest. She looked towards Andria. "Have you found out her power yet?" Her face was filled with scorn.
"Why, yes, I have. She's a mind reader." Drake said, obviously proud that he found something out before her.
Diana didn't quite believe him. "Show me. What am I thinking?" And then, when her lips stopped moving, she sent a silent thought throughout the air.
Andria didn't know how to put it, or if she should say it at all. "Well... You called him" she turned to Drake "a psychotic loser who gets off on watching people scream..."
Drake started towards Diana, but Caine put his hand out and he stopped. It wasn't that hard for Andria to guess what his power was.
Andria turned towards Diana. "He's thinking about how he's going to hurt you when Caine isn't looking. Along with... other violent thoughts."
"Oh, I already know that. You don't need a power to be able to tell that." Diana said, looking at his face.
"Would you two just shut up for a minute? I'm tired of all your fake death threats." Caine said, ticked off. He turned to Andria. "You can leave if you want."
Oh, she wanted to, and she did.
Andria didn't want to go home. She didn't want to go somewhere that was filled with memories, but she needed comfort. She needed a friend. Her only friend. She also needed to test out her new power.
Jillian Woods' house was not far from hers, so she headed there. The porch light was on, and Andria immediately knew that Jill was home. Jill and Andria had been friends before the FAYZ, but not extremely close. They talked between classes and hung out after school, but there was never any precious moments shared between the two. Maybe this will be what brings us closer, Andria thought.
When Andria knocked on the door, a child answered. Jill's little sister, Megan, answered the door.
Her six-year-old face beamed with excitement when she saw Andria. "Andria!" She squeeled, and then preceded to jump on her.
Jill, having heard the commotion, walked to the door.
"Hey Jill." Andria said with a slight smile, an extatic Megan still wrapped around her waist. "Mind if I come in?"
"Sure." Jill was happy to see her friend, honest, but she's not the type of person to show it.
They walked into the main room, complete with two sofas and a flat screen.
"So, what bring you to our humble abode, besides wanting more crackers?" Jill said, using an inside joke between the two. And then, when she stopped talking, Andria heard more. "Oh please... please ask to stay with us! I need a friend! Please, please, please! It's lonely with just Megan, and I need help getting used to this! I need my friend!"
Andria took her up on her mental offer, even if Jill didn't know that she sent one. "I wanted to ask if I could stay with you guys... since... y'know... Stephanie's gone."
Jill was obviously happy, but she tried to hide it. "Sure. You can take Amy's old room." Amy was Jill's older sister. She disappeared in the poof.
Andria swooped in on Jill to give her a hug. "Thanks, Jill. Really. Thanks." She pulled away, still holding Jill's forearms. "I have some errands to do before I come back though, and I need to get some of my clothes. I'll see you in about an hour." She smiled and headed out the door.
She didn't actually have errands to do, she just needed to test out her powers.
