Oblivion

An: I don't own Kickin' it.

One.

Jack still remembered his first day back in Seaford. He was extremely anxious with the new move and he could barely sit still throughout the car ride. He shook his head at the memory. With all the friends he made over the years he could barely understand his initial fear. It wasn't to say his anxiety was completely gone. There were many times he had odd unexplained attacks of fear but not as much as in his younger years. His first day back seemed so far away now.

Jack hunched over his mypad at a table outside of Wasabi Warrior Academy. He sensed a presence looming over him. A smoothie appeared before him suddenly.

"Hey Taylor."

Taylor was a new addition to the dojo. She didn't participate in the sparring or classes but she was a great smoothie artist, or so Taylor liked to say. She took a seat beside him in an effort to see what was on his screen.

"Emailing Kim," he answered her. "She got tired of my short phone calls."

"If I were Kim and your girlfriend, I'd be tired too. Although, phone calls to Japan are expensive," Taylor remarked.

"I know," Jack stated a bit outraged. "It is doesn't make sense to me. I'm just making a phone call. It isn't like I'm getting into a plane and going there."

Taylor giggled as a response.

"It is funny," she stated.

"What?"

"How we use to argue."

Jack chuckled. "I remember. We were pretty mean to each other. I'm glad we both came to an understanding."

"Jack," a familiar voice called out to him.

Jack turned his attention toward the source of the voice. Hesmiled at the familiar face of his best friend Jerry Martinez. He nudged a chair beneath the table to make room for the other boy to seat.

"What is going on?" Jack asked as he returned back to his email.

"I need four dollars in quarters or cash is fine too," he asked and then winked at Taylor who scoffed.

"Why?" Jack crossed his arms and waited for a response.

Jerry smiled sheepishly before continuing with his story. "Okay, so you know the vending machine in Phil's bowling alley?"

"Yes."

"Well, it ate my quarters," he stated. "I asked Phil for a refund and he told me to talk to the goat. Jack, I'm on break. I need snacks man! This is so uncool."

Jack shook his head. Jerry wouldn't be borrowing from him anymore.

"Alright so the machine did say out of order but in my defense I played that trick before. I put up a fake sign last week," he smiled triumphantly. "Some kid kept buying out all the fruit explosions and I can't have that. But they must have gotten back at me."

"Did they?" Jack asked amused.

Jerry's face transformed into an expression of complete annoyance. Jack inwardly laughed. There were days Jerry was too much.

"Well, I don't know," Jerry threw his hands up exasperated. "All I know is I'm short four dollars in quarters and my break ends in ten minutes. Please, Jack."

"Dude, you have a job," Jack pointed out. "And when did I become the national bank of Jack or something?"

"I don't know," Jerry replied with a wide grin.

Jack rolled his eyes before dishing out four dollars from his wallet. Jerry's eyes lit up with glee before he greedily grabbed the money and darted. Jack would have been insulted by the aggressiveness but decided to let it go.

"Thanks Jack, bye!" he hollered waving and cheering.

Taylor laughed. "He is a character."

Jack nodded. "He is but, Milton, Rudy, Jerry, and I, we've been through a lot. I consider them family. And if that means sometimes giving Jerry money so be it."

Taylor smiled. "Wow that is sweet. Oh, the smoothie isn't free by the way."

Jack succeeded in spitting out the refreshing beverage onto the table. He groaned. Now he would have to clean the mess.

"Really?" Jack exclaimed. "So this isn't a gift for being such a good guy?"

"No."

Jack frowned as he reached for his wallet. Taylor grabbed his wrist suddenly.

"I'm kidding."

Jack chuckled. "Right, of course. Now if you excuse me I have a lengthy email to write. I don't remember this time of day being so busy all of a sudden. All these annoying distractions are really taking getting to me."

Taylor gave him an offended look before arising from the table. Jack laughed.

"I was kidding, Taylor," Jack promised. "Taylor? Oh, well that could have been better."

Jack wasn't worried. Taylor never stayed mad for long. Okay, she did stay mad for long but not as much as she used to. The brunette pushed the incident aside. It was time to finally return his email to Kim.

Jack stretched while he listened to Milton's usual scientific babble. He could barely understand what Milton was going on about. He thought it may be in another language. He politely let him finish before he steered the conversation elsewhere.

"I like my 3' o clock class," Jack shared. "They are well behaved for eight year olds."

Milton beamed. "Not all young kids are wild children."

Jack enjoyed sparring and partaking in tiny tournaments around Seaford. Ever since Rudy gave him more responsibility in the dojo he found a new love in teaching classes. He especially enjoyed all the oohs and ahhs of the younger students. He would admit to showing off just for them.

"Gosh," a voice hollered out. "I'm am so done with gum. Now I understand why teachers don't want you to stick it under the desks at school."

Jerry looked thoroughly peeved as he stomped through the entrance of the dojo.

Milton snickered. "Not only teachers Jerry, everyone."

Jerry plopped down beside them and began to stretch. Jack only had one hour but it would be just enough to get into a friendly match with one of his two closet friends. As he was about to rise from the ground Taylor stormed into the room looking upset.

"Taylor?" Milton eyed her disheveled appearance. "You okay?"

She opened her mouth to speak but decided to move in a little closer.

"Have you heard the news?" she asked urgently.

"No, what?" Jerry questioned.

"Little Wallace was abducted."

"Wallace?" Jack arose instantly. "Five year old in my one o'clock class? How? I just saw him yesterday."

Taylor shook her head as she held the daily mail with the image of Wallace on the back. Jack frowned deeply. He took the paper from her and glanced at the picture of the five year old boy. He unfortunately saw many images like Wallace's but with other young faces. It was horrifying to think the little boy was in such a situation.

"Who goes and kidnaps a kid?" Jerry glared.

"A monster," Milton sighed. "Do they know where they last saw him?"

"A mall," she continued sadly. "His mother turned around for a split second and he was gone. It is horrifying. I wish the best for the family. I just started babysitting the little boy for a bit of extra cash and now. It is just too sad. Wallace is a nice little boy. He always had this way of brightening your day."

The three males exchanged saddened expressions with each other before they all rose to their feet.

"I'm not in the mood for sparring anymore," Jerry announced.

Taylor sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It is not you," Jack bit his lip. "The news is heart breaking that is all."

Milton agreed. "I'm sure they will find him. Of course they will find him. They have to."

Later that night at dinner Jack nearly inhaled his meal. His workout at the dojo had definitely worked up an appetite. His mother chuckled at his teenage antics before taking upon a more solemn look on her face.

"Poor Wallace Sanders," his mother stated out of the blue.

His father glanced at her before nodding. "A terrible shame."

"I talked with Mrs. Sanders just this afternoon when she told me the news," she remarked. "I tried my best at comforting her. I may have been mediocre at best. I tend to be a cynic from time to time."

Jack eyed his mother with surprise. Carol Brewer was nothing but a ball of sunshine when she entered a room. She volunteered at the children's daycare down the road as a story reader. She always gave her time to a neighbor in need. Jack found it hard to believe his mother would ever be less than helpful in any situation.

Although his mother was the epitome of optimism, Jack couldn't deny he noticed her wavering from her bubbly nature. More often than not, he caught her responding a little more sarcastically to certain situations. It wasn't anything new really but it wasn't anything to worry about. She only acted that way if the situation permitted.

"You don't think they'll fine him then?" Jack asked carefully. "I've noticed you tend to be a little more doubtful about this."

Strangely his mother and father exchanged a look. Jack caught how they looked at each other as if they had a secret but he shrugged the phenomenon aside.

"Oh no dear," she smiled. "I'm certain Wallace is just fine."

Jack nodded. "He is a natural at karate. Hard to believe Mrs. Sanders said it was his first class."

A sweet laugh burst from the woman beside him. "Oh please, I'm certain Mrs. Sanders did say just that. If you don't know dear Mrs. Sanders can be a bit of a fibber."

"Carol," her husband smiled.

"Now, Steven, you and I both know that is true," she giggled.

Jack was happy for the change in subject matter. The discussion of Wallace and his mother's less than hopeful behavior was putting a frown on his face. Now as he glanced between his joking father and smiling mother he was at ease again.

"May I be excused?" Jack asked politely once he noticed dinner was over.

"Of course dear," she smiled.

Jack grinned at his parents before he rushed up the stairs. Slowly he made his way to his room. Right before his door on the left there was a locked room across the hall. He stood before the door. A feeling of curiosity swept him away. He placed his hand to the knob and fiddled with it to make sure of its secureness.

"This door is always locked," he whispered to himself. "Why are you always locked?"

At a young age his parents always wagged their fingers in a warning manner when it came to any contact with the locked door. He remembered another locked room in a previous home.There seemed to always be a bedroom or room that was off limits to Jack. He could never guess exactly why. Why buy a four bedroom house and then lock one room forever? It didn't make any logical sense. What could possibly be so confidential to be behind a locked door for years?

Sighing he moved away from the door. His parents specifically told him never to snoop. He didn't mind so much the secret when he was younger but he was eighteen now. Shouldn't they tell him exactly what is going on in this particular room? Wasn't it time to throw open this door and end the senseless circle of secrecy? He let out a frustrated sigh.

Jack headed to his room immediately. It wouldn't do him any good to be caught staring at a forbidden room. He opened his own door and sat before his desk. He wondered if Kim had received his email. Casually he tapped the message app on his mypad. A grin appeared on his features at the sight of a new message.

He awoke from bed with a jolt. Heavy labored breaths left from between his lips. Moderate shakes claimed his once peacefully resting body. He kneaded away at his temples with his fingers in hopes that the tightness would go away. The clenching feeling in his chest was back like it was every few nights. He gritted his teeth from frustration. A glass of cool water would help get his mind off the problem but even venturing far from his bed seemed like an impossible task in his state.

He tried to understand his current attack but was failing miserably. There wasn't a nightmare he could remember. It was as if he had just woken in unexplainable fright. He felt terribly horrified but the source was unknown. He tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat from nerves. Why couldn't he calm down? He was able to do it all the other times but tonight, the early morning was proving difficult for him.

He briefly thought of little Wallace and began to reason with himself. Wallace was still missing. He was worried. He thought of his students as more than students. They were like little brothers and sisters and he was concerned for all their wellbeing. Wallace was missing and Jack was simply worried. Wallace would be fine though. Of course he would be just fine.

With this hopeful thought swimming through his head he tried to relax in bed but his body refused. Instead he felt his body tightening up. His heart thumped sporadically in his chest. Frustrated tears welled in his eyes as he fought with the growing anxiety. Wallace's misfortune was truly upsetting. It had to be the cause for Jack's pain. He took a slow and steady breathe in and counted before releasing the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere around him.

"I'm okay," he remarked, knowing fully well he was the opposite. "Everything is okay. Everything will be okay. They'll fine Wallace and I have nothing to worry about."

Jack knew deep down that Wallace's disappearance wasn't the case at all. As he eased himself into bed again he began to realize just how wrong he had been. Everything wasn't okay. He didn't know why but he was certain something else was happening with him. He gripped the comforters in attempt to anchor his mind. There was something deep inside trying to pull him out of the present. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Finally a familiar sense of calm washed over his body. Before he drifted to sleep he tried to understand his recent episode. He still felt at loss when it came to understanding his own behavior.

Why was he so frightened?

There was no internal answer to his question. He decided to push the phenomenon out of his head. He readjusted his body in bed and finally fell easily into a peaceful sleep. Whatever just happened couldn't possibly happen like this again.

He was fine. Everything was fine.

Hey Readers! Poor Jack in the last scene! Here is a really long chapter for you. Fun fact, this last part wasn't going to be in the chapter but I was inspired. I want to thank you all for the support. It is a new fandom for me and it is great to see the great feedback. Special thanks to reviewers:

Cheerswag, thanks for the review. I do plan to continue the story. Jack's past will be revealed just stay tuned. Thanks for the support.

Camela1998, thanks for the review. I'm glad you loved it. Thanks for the support.

I would also like to thank those you who favorite, Hannah1796, MarshalMattersFan, sweet angel love music, thanks for the support.

Also thanks to the followers, Camela1998, Musiclover22

Lastly I would like thank all those just dropping by to read. I appreciate all the support. The next chapter will be up eventually it is 75% of the way done.

Until Next Chapter

Bye