Family is Forever
Hello again fellow fanfiction members,
First off I'd like to thank "BananaB0mb" for my first review. Haha, if your thinking of ridiculous scenarios you've probably got a good guess :p, also check out his awesome story "Like Family".
Also, heads up, I am changing POV from Bentley's to either his Uncles or Third Person at some point in the story, I haven't decided yet but it's worth mentioning.
On with the second chapter!
Bentley's BackgroundI shivered slightly as I stepped out of my uncle's police car. The Forest of Fontainebleau looked spooky at night.
"U-Uncle, I'm not sure if I can do it" I stammered putting on the camouflage jacket, he'd brought along for me.
"Do what?" he asked grabbing his crossbow out of the boot of his car.
"K-Kill all those poor defenceless animals" I replied, I really didn't think this through when he asked me to come hunting with him.
To my surprise he just laughed. "We're not doing this fun or sport Bentley," he said softly, "the government want this place destroyed, all the remaining deer will be crushed in the destruction, it's not a bad thing to give them quick painless deaths." He held up his crossbow, locking the bolt into place.
"Will you take care of the first few?" I asked.
"Of course."
For the next few minutes we spent our time crouching few the bushes, I would occasionally spot a deer and close my eyes as my uncle took them out with solid blows through the neck.
"Uncle, why is it some animals, l-like us, have developed intelligence, yet others haven't?" I asked indicating to the primitive deer a few yards away from us.
He fired another bolt and we watched the deer hit the ground with a thud.
"I'm not too sure Bentley, scientists have been trying to figure it out for years."
"Couldn't my dad have his men work on it, I know there a powerful organisation, it could really help the world." I pondered out loud.
"Don't think that's his primary goal in life," said my uncle.
I could tell he was still thinking about what was said earlier, about him never inheriting the empire. Would I be like that in later life? Would I be awkwardly greeting my brothers or never speaking to them again?
"Uncle, why is my father so mean to everyone around him, except me?" I asked, squinting in the dark forest.
I could hear my Uncle reloading in front of me then he began to speak.
"He wasn't always like that- Which I know is hard to believe, our father raised him to take the empire and shun everyone else, and told him, once he was old enough, he would have to have a son to continue the legacy."
I gulped. "Did you ever take much part in the empire's business?" I asked.
"Nah, after I turned eighteen, I decided to become a police officer, haven't changed since." He crouched down to take aim at another deer. Another shot was fired. Another thud hit the ground, several yards away.
"How long have you been a police officer?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation casual. I was still panicking about the dilemma with Rob running away.
"Twenty eight years this September."
"Wow! What's it like?"
"Er- great," he replied, clearly trying to sound cheerful.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Never mind. It's a bit complicated." He answered.
"I'm sure I can keep up."
My Uncle sighed and relaxed his stance slightly.
"Bentley, you've got to promise me not to mention a word about this to your dad," he said, looking around nervously to check if we were truly alone. I nodded quickly.
"Do you know what the word 'corrupt' means?" He asked slowly. I nodded again.
"Well, chances are most of my fellow employees are corrupt. I can't do anything about it either."
"Doesn't my father have some control over the police?" I asked.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that."
"Well then, why doesn't he look into it?"
My Uncle sighed, "I have no idea, it's beside the point anyway. I'm still unsure what to do at work."
There was a brief silence for a moment before I thought of something.
"Hey Uncle, have you ever heard of the term 'vigilante' before?" I asked, knowing he might not like this.
"Yes." He replied, staring me down curiously.
"Well, have you ever considered becoming one?"
There was another brief silence, before my uncle laughed a little bit.
"Bentley, I'm going to take a guess you got your view of right and wrong from your dad. Vigilantes are just as bad as criminals like Connor Cooper and don't even get me started with him!" He was almost shouting.
"I-It's just, if everyone in your department is corrupt, then why don't you take matters into your own hands?" I asked timidly, "I mean, if you're breaking the law for a good reason then you're not truly a criminal. I'd bet my shell there's plenty of people within the government who are completely corrupt."
Another short awkward silence followed before my uncle started to smile.
"I don't think your dad was lying when he said you were a child prodigy."
I smiled, before spotting a deer just ahead of us. It had stopped to drink at the stream and hadn't noticed us. The poor thing is going to get killed when the government decide to destroy the place. I guess that's what my uncle and me were here for.
"Hey Uncle, can I have a go of the crossbow?"
"Yeah. Sure." He replied looking around to spot the deer drinking. He crouched down to hand me the crossbow. I've read about crossbows, from my opinion they were much better from ordinary firearms. Quick. Silent. They were in no way loud like most other weapons.
I peeped out of bushes to see the deer still drinking absent-mindedly. Aiming down the sights of the crossbow, I had to push up my glasses to see more clearly. Perfect precision is key.
The bolt soared through the air. Everything seemed to slow down. Then I saw a squirt of scarlet come out of the deer's neck and it collapsed to the floor dead.
"Nice." Said my uncle.
"If one more driver run's a red light I'm gonna pull them over, off duty or not." Said my uncle.
We we're on our way back to my house. I was thinking desperately what to say when Rob didn't return. Maybe my mother would just believe he'd stayed over at one of his friend's house for the night. Then I remembered something else that worried me, my father and his personal army were probably waiting for me when I got back.
"Do you hear sirens Bentley?" asked my uncle looking in the rear view mirror.
"Erm- No I don't think s-" Before I could respond multiple fire engines came swerving down the lane and sped past us, sirens blazing.
"Good god," said my uncle stroking his moustache, "may Aswell get you home quickly and then see what all the fuss is about." He sighed. "Another late night at the station I'm guessing."
"Please by all means take your time, I really don't want to see any of my father's friends for a while." I said bitterly.
My uncle just laughed. "Lovely people" he added grinning.
Before I could laugh at his sarcasm, several police cars came speeding past us, sirens also blazing.
"What on earth could be going on?" said my uncle.
"Probably a sale on donuts" I replied absent-mindedly.
My uncle however didn't laugh and put his sirens on to follow his fellow officers.
"What's up?" I asked. I couldn't really be taken to a crime scene. Then I realised what he had seen in the distance. There was a mansion burning down to the ground, sirens could be seen vaguely at the location. It was my family's mansion….
(A/N – Take note, I'm changing to third person for a bit before returning to Bentley's POV)
Uncle Seymour skidded to a halt at the raging inferno that used to be his brother's home. Not even bothering to ask what happened he ran straight towards the crumbling mansion.
"Seymour, what the hell are you doing?" yelled one of the police officers.
"My family's in there!" he shouted running head on through the flames.
Miraculously he was quick enough to avoid severe burns, but the sight outside was nothing compared to the inside. Despite all his experience, he dropped to his knees to find his sister-in-law's burnt corpse.
Margaret Wiseturtle just lay there, unmoving, burnt all over. There was a sad sort of look in her lifeless eyes.
"Margaret?" he screamed, already knowing she was long dead.
He couldn't let Bentley see her. The building was on the verge of collapse, he needed to escape, and then he spotted something next to Margaret's body. Kneeling down quickly, he picked up the infamous calling card of none other than Connor Cooper.
"You son of a bitch" he whispered softly before fleeing from the crumbling mansion. Unable to believe the thief he had chased for years had become a murderer.
(A/N Back to Bentley's POV)
I couldn't believe it. It couldn't of happened. It couldn't. My Uncle emerged from the fire. No one was with him…
He handed something small and blue to a fellow police officer before running back to the car.
"Bentley, I couldn't find Rob, James or your father, I think they're safe," he said pulling me into a massive bear hug.
"And what about my mother?" I asked, tears starting to roll my cheeks.
"I'm so sorry Bentley," he replied, his voice cracking slightly.
We could have been there for hours, I didn't know. All I knew was I was crying freely into his chest. Till my eyes were beyond swollen and I was finally accepting the truth that my mother was gone forever.
I was sat at the local police station, being seen to by the police. Whilst my uncle was in the other room talking to his fellow officers, I was shaking uncontrollably trying to process fully what had happened.
Eventually he asked me to enter his office, where his boss was waiting. Barely being able to move, I was escorted inside and the three of us were left alone.
"Bentley," said my uncle softly, "there's no easy way to say this, but we both need to go into hiding. The perpetrators who attacked your home could come after us."
"W-where will we go?" I asked, "what about Rob, my father and James?"
"We're looking for them now. In the meantime, I've arranged for you to stay at a local orphanage for a while before we locate them." He replied placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Wait a minute? An orphanage? I'm staying with you!" I said fiercely.
"No, your not Bentley," he replied, his lip quivering slightly, "I need to get you into hiding, in the meantime, I'll flee the country."
"Shouldn't I be fleeing Aswell?" I asked.
"No, they'll be expecting that. The last place they'd expect you to be is still in Paris. But we need to delete your birth records, background, surname, everything, as far as the media should know, William Wiseturtle's fourth son perished in that fire."
His boss nodded. I began to sob again.
"Hey. Bentley, don't worry, we're going to get through this. You'll be out of the orphanage in no time, once our family's been reunited."
I sniffled a little, but nodded.
It was nearing sunrise as me and my uncle approached the place known as the 'Happy Camper Orphanage'. I didn't want to stay in this place for long, not without my family. The orphanage was made of wood, three floors high (by the looks of it) and was fairly distant from the heart of Paris. Surrounded mainly by fields, except for this winding country lane.
"I'm going to come in and sort everything out with the owner of the orphanage, then I'll be leaving for a little while." Said my uncle not meeting my teary eyes.
Next thing I knew I was being picked up and carried towards the front doors of the orphanage by my uncle. I wanted to run, or refuse to leave my uncle, but he would have neither.
He walked up the wooden steps to front door and knocked lightly, presumably not to wake the orphans. After a few moments, a dark blue aging female bird opened the door, shocked to see a police officer at her doorstep this early.
"Can I help you?" she asked, sounding quite stern.
"Yes, I'm officer Wiseturtle," said my uncle.
"I'm Ms. Puffin, by any chance are you related to the William Wiseturtle?" she asked curiously checking to see if anyone else was with us.
"Er- yes, look, could we come inside please? There's a lot to discuss."
"So Bentley here has to take on a whole different background?" Asked Ms. Puffin for the umpteenth time. We were sat in her office, whilst my uncle was busy discussing the situation to Ms. Puffin; I was hanging my head in shame. The last thing I told my mother was a lie. I told her Rob would return home that very night and she believed me; sound's pathetic I know, but now she was gone, that irreversible guilt had kicked in.
"Yes," replied my uncle, "it's imperative his background remains a secret, one, so the perpetrators responsible for his mother's death don't track him down and two, for the sake of social stigma."
"Indeed," said Ms. Puffin printing off new records for my background. She cleared her throat before speaking. "Bentley, who no longer has a surname, was delivered to the orphanage anonymously as an egg." My Uncle nodded taking in every word, I still hung my head. "It will take some doing, but I'll help convince the other orphans that Bentley, has lived here his entire life. Now what's his date of birth?"
"December 16th 1978" replied my Uncle.
"Seven years of age. What school did he go to before tonight?"
"Er, none, he was home tutored." Replied my uncle.
"If you still believe it's dangerous for Bentley to come out of hiding then I'll make arrangements for him to start third grade at a local school."
"Thank you" said my uncle, before getting up and shaking Ms. Puffin's feathery hand.
"Chances are Bentley, you'll be out of here in no time, but remember to keep your head down and stick to your new story." Said my Uncle, before hugging me once last final time and leaving the orphanage. I watched him drive off till his vehicle was just a spec in the distance. Ms. Puffin took me to my new room on the third floor.
All the orphans were still asleep, I couldn't even think of sleeping, not after what had happened. I was left in a dingy room with three beds all to myself. It took a few hours before I cried myself to sleep ready to start my life a new at the orphanage.
It took a few weeks for me to start talking again. I came to the conclusion that my mother wouldn't want me moping around for the rest of my life. The orphans were shocked to see me, but (being so young and gullible) believed Ms. Puffin's story.
Nonetheless this didn't mean I was their friend. My mother's death had left even more shut-in, timid and shy.
My alarm clock went off. I groaned softly. It was September 3rd. That meant I would be starting my first day at the local primary school. I was beyond nervous and with good reason…
"Hey look everyone, it's four-eyes!" yelled a nine year old bear as I entered the orphanage's cafeteria. Everyone laughed. I ignored them and quickly got my breakfast. Trying not to cry, I ate my egg in an eggcup whilst everyone threw stuff at me.
I couldn't handle this. I had gone from protected son of William Wiseturtle to the kid, which everyone bullies. My uncle had called occasionally but said that I still needed to remain in hiding. I was already dreading my first day at school.
A loud horn came from outside, indicating the School Bus had arrived. My stomach did a somersault. Wiping off the egg yoke and everything else, which had been thrown at me, I grabbed my new school bag and lunch box and prepared for the first day of school.
"Hello Class my name is Miss Spencer. If you would, please open your new books and write down the date."
September 3rd 1986 I wrote in tidy handwriting. My ears pricked up when I heard my name being repeated several times. I didn't dare turn round, but I knew it was that squirrel that lived at the Happy Camper Orphanage with me. He hated me the second he learnt I wasn't very good at sports.
"Now today class we'll be learning basic punctuation," she turned to face me, "oh, and for those who do not know, this is Bentley." She gestured towards me. The squirrel and his friends began shouting things.
"Settle down, I want you to make him feel welcome." Said Miss Spencer airily.
"Don't worry about that!" Shouted the squirrel, making his friends laugh.
"Be quiet Jamie! Now class turn to page 26."
I could hear Jamie and his friends sniggering amongst themselves. Oh no…
"Bentley, what happened?" asked Ms. Puffin as I returned home from school.
My face was bruised and I had a slightly bent nose.
"Dodge ball," I replied quietly, knowing what that squirrel would do if I told on him.
She looked me up and down for any signs of lies. Then took me to her office to get me patched up.
Before long my face looked okay.
"Be careful in sports next time," she said putting her first aid kit back.
Suddenly one of the other workers walked in, I recognised him as scary John the janitor.
"Ma'am, someone's here with an orphan," he spoke in a gruff voice.
"Bring him in," she ordered, forgetting I was there.
He nodded and in came a social worker, and then a smaller boy. At first I thought it was James, but this pink hippo was much younger, he was less muscular.
"Name of the boy?" asked Ms. Puffin, already sat at her desk.
"Murray. Murray Hippo." Replied the social worker.
Okay guys that chapter 2. Much shorter than the first but oh well.I hope Bentley's thoughts and feelings were realistic when his mother died.
Also, Bentley's family will become a central plot point later on, but for now the next few chapters or so will be centred on Bentley's orphan years.
Thank you for reading my story :)
Feedback is much appreciated and inspiring.