Anything you recognise from Young Dracula isn't mine.
I'm struggling with writers block over my crossover stuff and my other active YD fic, but this one is all over my head so I guess I'm putting out more!
As I said, will not be in first person like the diary entry of Chapter 1.
-ASYD-
Scrubbing a hand through his floppy dark hair, Adam looked out at the passing scenery. George was clinging to his hand, emotional and sad about them leaving their life behind and the loss of her father. It was understandable, he'd only died two months ago. It felt like hours, not weeks since then. Everything had passed in a haze of grief and responsibility, Adam having to go and empty out the last treehouse they'd built and take it apart for the house sale. The tears hadn't stopped falling as he dismantled the wood and nails, ignoring the way sharp splinters cut at his hands and letting the pain anchor him to life as the remnants of their families mark on the place was removed. Helping George pack up her room, promising to help decorate her new room however she liked. Propping up his mum when she broke down crying again, getting George ready for school when their mother was too upset to drive them. It was lucky their schools had been so understanding, his grades suffering as he forced each day out of himself.
The funeral had been the hardest day, holding George to his side while his mother wept into his shoulder. Tears had rolled down his own pale face, the weight of adulthood starting to press in when they lowered the coffin into the ground. Endless people had paid tributes and remembrance, offering condolences and the old lady next door had kept turning up with tea and cake. He was going to miss her, Mrs Jones who had used to tell him stories when he was a boy, laughing when his scruffy hair had peeked over the garden fence. She'd even knitted George baby things for years, saying it was nice to be busy when she had no children of her own. She'd also been invaluable as a confidant to his mum, understanding the loss of a husband to tragedy herself. Clenching his fist until there was crescent-moon indents in his palm, Adam mastered the emotions. He could break down privately later, now he needed to be tough and help start putting their lives back together.
They pulled up outside a row of terraced houses, still only about to clock into the afternoon after their early start. Lifting George from the cabin, helping his mum down and greeting the team of men who'd came to help them move the boxes into the new house. They'd barely even unlocked the truck before one of the neighbours was poking her head out of the door, bright smiles and waves and talking a mile a minute. "I'm Elizabeth Branagh, you must be the new neighbours!" Adam shook the womans hand politely, eyeing up the family behind her. Two older boys, a younger girl around George's age, and a man in overalls Adam presumed to be Mr Branagh. Looking up at the house, he could see a boy almost as pale as himself watching out of the window. Offering a short wave to the dark haired boy, Adam nudged his mum to agree to the womans offer of coffee. "Go on mum, me and the big guys there will get the boxes in. You could do with a friend." His mum looked hesitant, but the neighbour was truly persistent and eventually she relented, handing him the new house keys and taking George along with her.
An hour later and multiple choice swear words exchanged with the burly moving men later, the truck was empty and Adam realised he needed to go relieve his mum of the keys so the men could take it away. Knocking quietly on the door, the dark haired boy he'd seen earlier. "Hi, I'm Adam and my mum's in here somewhere?" "Robin, Robin Branagh." The teens shook hands quickly, and Robin led him through to the kitchen. Adam already liked this family a little, he hadn't seen his mum smile like that since Michael had died. "Mum, the moving guys need the keys. All the boxes are in." His mum scrambled in her bag, tossing him the keys and promising to be along in a few minutes. "Oh nonsense, stay for lunch! I doubt you'll find anything in time and teenage boys need their food!" Mrs Branagh was a force to be reckoned with, and five minutes later Adam had made sure their new house was locked, handed off the truck keys and found himself dragged out into the Branaghs garden to be plied with lemonade and cheese sandwiches.
"Do let us know if you need help re-decorating, my boys would be happy to help!" The older boys, who Adam had gathered were non-identical twins Ian and Paul (though he wasn't sure who was who just yet) nodded dutifully, and Adam could already picture them in overalls with paint everywhere. Mr Branagh, who insisted on being called Graham, had overalls tied around his waist over a bright orange polo shirt and his wife said he was a plumber. Robin by contrast was clad in head to toe black and sitting almost silently next to Adam. The youngest child, Chloe, was just as quiet as George but they seemed to be conversing amicably enough about whatever nine year olds talked about. Sipping quietly at his lemonade, Adam didn't really need to add much to the conversation as Mrs Branagh filled any and every silence. It was another hour before they esc... left, claiming they needed to start unpacking before it got dark. "Shout if you need help!" His mum nodded and thanked them for lunch, and the Giles left for their actual home next door.
The main priorities were beds, and Adam was grateful Michael had taught him DIY from a young age as he puzzled over instructions and bolts and bits of frame. The main furniture in the living room was already put up, so Adam set George up with hot chocolate and a movie while he and his mum sorted out critical things like sleep and food and bathroom necessities. The place didn't feel especially 'homely' yet, but a few hours work and it at last started to look like it was inhabited. They ordered pizza for dinner, his mums way of thanking Adam for being so good and helpful today - pizza was his favourite. George had started flagging from the early start by 8pm, so Adam tossed her in the bath and put her to bed while his mum made a list of what they'd have to go out shopping for tomorrow. Finally collapsing into bed after seeing his mum go herself, Adam felt thoroughly shattered by the day and barely managed to clamber into pyjamas before falling asleep. It felt alien, his room bare of posters and mementos at the moment but he was almost asleep before his head hit his pillow.
Mrs Branagh had been knocking on their door at 9:30am, no doubt just back from dropping her children off at school and holding out a tray of tea and toast. Adam was still rubbing sleep out of his eyes when he brushed his teeth and pulled on clothes, dragging a still pyjama-clad George down for their impromptu breakfast delivery. The mothers had chatted over coffee and Mrs Branagh was a fountain of local knowledge, practically drawing a map with her words when his mum asked about places like supermarkets and DIY stores. Mrs Branagh even offered to take George, but his sister was dying to choose colours for her new bedroom and rushed off quickly to get dressed in case she was left behind. They managed to see off the unbelievably chatty woman and set off to stock their kitchen essentials before they finally pulled up at the rather ridiculously huge hardware store for a town this small. Adam picked basic black and blue for his room while George picked out something she said looked like sand, and stencils of what he thought were hieroglyphics. They picked up neutral colours for the other rooms, and George demanded they get rugs so she didn't have to wear socks on the tiled floors in winter. Chuckling at the spark of his sisters cheek returning, Adam helped her pick out some she liked. George even tried to convince Adam he'd look 'smashing' in bright pink overalls, to which Adam pointed out the various shades of green he knew she hated. Their mum chuckled at their antics, and Adam let the first spark of hope that things would be alright fill him up.
They'd barely gotten back through the front door before being besieged by Mrs Branagh again (Adam wondered what she'd done with her time before they moved in) carrying fruit cake and yet more tea. Somewhere there was a serious shortage of the miracle brew. Adam wasn't a huge fan of cake, but politely ate a piece before tidying up the groceries and acquiring George to help dust sheet their bedrooms so they could be painted. His adorable sister grew more animated when handed a paintbrush, and their mum looked surprised to find them not only getting along, but laughing and making progress. George's room was the priority, as she'd need the most help to feel settled in their new home. Adam slept on the sofa that night while George took his bed, then he was up at 6am to surprise George by finishing off her walls with the hieroglyphics. "I've left you one wall to do yourself munchkin, but I thought I'd give you a head start." George was thrilled, making him an utterly terrible cup of tea, but it was the thought that counted as he snuck it down the sink when she darted off to finish her room. His mum had given him a tight hug for being so good through everything, not complaining as loudly as she normally would at his "dark room" colours.
A few pieces of furniture and a poster of Indiana Jones later, George's room was all done and it was plain to see how happy she was now her room was her own again. While his room was drying they painted his mums room, and he gave up his bed again in favour of his mum clearly needing her rest. By the fourth day after their move, the bedrooms were all sorted and the Branagh twins had been sent over in overalls and told to be "as helpful as possible". Adam put them to painting the bathroom, their frankly enormous height an advantage while George 'helped' him paint the living room. As the last of the door frames were glossed and their mum warned them for the thousandth time to be careful as gloss paint never came out, Adam couldn't believe the difference they'd made in a week. The house felt more like a home already, and it was clear whether they wanted it or not, the Branagh family were fully intent on being "helpful and supportive" in their time of need. Or at least, that's what he suspected when Mrs Branagh fed them at least once a day and spent the rest of the time peering over the fence to "see if they needed anything". Falling into bed all over again, Adam sighed as the last week caught up with him. Next week they'd be getting registered at Stokely Grammar, the local school that catered for 4-18 year olds. His mum had been in and explained the whole situation, so the school would know they were adjusting to a complete overhaul of their lives. George wouldn't be alone, being put in the same year as little Chloe Branagh and that was Adam's main worry. Previously George had never struggled to make friends, but she was still coming back out of her shell as they pieced their lives together again and he'd been concerned she'd become a loner just like him.
Adam didn't mind being a bit of a loner, he had his family and that was what mattered to him. Though he'd be in class with Robin Branagh, so he supposed at least he'd know somebody. Adam wasn't entirely sure if the boy liked him or not yet, he was quiet and spent alot of time in his room but he was never outright rude to Adam, so he supposed he'd work it out as he went along. Looking over at the school uniform already hung over the door of his wardrobe in preparation, Adam rolled over and forced himself to get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be spent working on the garden, though there was no tree for them to put a treehouse in anymore, so it would more be somewhere his mum could work on her art without making a mess and somewhere to enjoy when the weather was good. Looking up at his black ceiling, currently covered in a mix of glow in the dark stars and bats (a gift from Mrs Branagh as Robin had run out of room for them), Adam smiled to himself. There would be a normal life again here eventually, he was sure of it.
-ASYD-
This just kept going and going, and I'm 99% sure it's so long its boring but it's gotten the whole beginning stuff out of the way. And of course they had to live next to the Branaghs, I could hardly put them in the castle!
Suppose I should start working on something other than this... damn writers block!