Author's Note: Welcome to the first real chapter of Tales! I admit that not a lot happens in this chapter; basically it just sets up the environment of the story for you, lets you see J and Rox's personalities, and covers some exposition. I do hope you enjoy!

"Rox. Roxie. Roxie!" came an insistent whisper.

I groaned sleepily as someone shook me gently, muttering my name. I didn't want to wake up. I was having a good dream. There was a black-haired, green-eyed guy onstage, singing a love song he'd written for me… If I lose everything in the fire, I'm giving all my love to you… I wanted to hear him sing to me for a while longer.

"Roxie, c'mon, wake up!"

I sighed and opened my eyes to see the pale, angular face of my older brother looming over me. I jumped at seeing him so close, then groaned softly and rolled over so I could see him better.

"Jesus, Jimmy. You hovering like that is like someout out of a horror movie, you know that? Whaddyou want?" I asked, yawning.
"I want you to get up and ready so we can get out of here before he wakes up," Jimmy replied.

I glanced at the clock- 6:30 am- and nodded. I braced myself for the cold as I threw off my comforter and sheets, shivering slightly as the frigid air hit me. I straightened my boxer shorts as I stood, then grabbed some clothes and walked into the bathroom, leaving Jimmy to collect my stuff for me.

I sighed to myself as I pulled on my jeans and black The Clash t-shirt, shoved my feet into my red chucks, braided my hair, and lined my eyes. I hated our morning routine. Jimmy and I had to get out of the house before 7, when our bastard of a stepfather, Brad, woke up, or else we'd likely fall victim to his form of "affection". We'd both sustained enough bruises, cuts, and broken bones to last us for a lifetime, thank you. Why the hell had Mom married him, again? Oh, right. Because he was her drug dealer. We couldn't expect any help from her, then.

Jimmy tossed me his jacket as he picked up my backpack and led me to his beat-up old Mustang. I pulled the jacket on, shrugging into the comfortable leather that smelled like his cologne and pot. We walked silently out of the house, not talking until he'd pulled out into the street and we were headed for the 7/11.

"One of these days," he muttered. "One of these days, Rox, I'm gonna get us out of here. We won't have to deal with Brad… or Mom… or any of this shit. We'll be free. And it'll be great."

I smiled to myself as Jimmy painted our future for us. He was a dreamer, always had been. But the thing about St. Jimmy was that he could make his dreams come true.

I stayed in the car as Jimmy ran into the 7/11 to get us some food. I drew my legs up against my chest and rested my chin on my knees, wrapping my arms around my legs in an attempt to keep warm. It was now 6:45. We'd be cruising around town for another 45 minutes, at least, before Jimmy drove me to school.

I found it strange that Jimmy was the one who took care of me. He was notorious on both sides of the Bay- both the East Side, known as Suburbia, and the West Side, where we lived, known as Strangeland- as THE best dealer, the lord of the Streets. If you wanted a fix, you came to him. And he spent the money he earned on me, making sure that I was okay. I was the only thing he cared about in the world, and the reverse was true for me. J was all I had, and I loved him.

Jimmy re-entered the car and handed me a box of Poptarts and a turkey and swiss sandwich.

"Bon apetite," he grinned as I opened the Poptarts and handed him a package.

He drove us to Tight Wad Hill as we ate. I glanced at him; he normally didn't bring me with him when he was working. He preferred if I didn't interact with his customers, for reasons I didn't know. All he'd ever say was that he didn't want me to get hurt.

A chorus of "St. Jimmy!" hit us as we reached the top of the hill. About half a dozen people were there, toking up or just standing there. They all rushed for Jimmy.

"Who's the ho, J?" one of the sleazier guys asked.

Cue J snapping. His eyes blazed with anger as he punched the guy, knocking him flat on the back. He placed a foot on the poor idiot's chest and leered down at him.

"The 'ho' is my sister, Sobrante," he sneered. "And if you ever want any of my shit again, you'd do well not to insult her. Got it?"

Sobrante nodded, gasping for breath. Jimmy nodded and walked away, shooting him a disgusted glance. Everyone else gulped nervously and avoided so much as glancing at me. I rolled my eyes; one of the hazards (or was it a blessing?) of being Jimmy's sister was that anybody who knew him avoided me like the plague. Jimmy's temper was legendary, and nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of it.

When J had finished his business, he draped an arm around my shoulders and led me down the hill back to the car. He glanced at the clock as he started the car; 7:45.

I groaned. "I don't wanna go."
Jimmy smirked. "Aw, come on Rox. It's only school."
I shot J a glance. "Why did you get to drop out, but I can't?"
"Because I'm a loser," J replied. "You… you're gonna get out of here, Rox. But you gotta have a diploma to do it."
"You're sounding like Dad again," I grumbled, folding my arms.
Jimmy sighed as he pulled up to my high school. "He's going to work early tonight. So if you're good I'll bring you to Gilman, alright?"

I nodded, grinning. Jimmy smiled- a real smile, for once- and drove off, leaving me to go inside and face my own personal hell.

I don't know if there's a place I hated more than school. The people who knew my brother either treated me like some sort of saint, or avoided me completely. But everyone else… it seemed to be their mission in life to torment me. This was one thing I would never share with Jimmy; the teasing I got at school. They teased me for the music I listened to, for being poor, for my family situation. The stupid people even teased me about my "deadbeat" brother.

For some people with my family situation, school is a safe haven, a place they can escape to. For me, it was worse than home was. I dreamed for graduation… but that was a long, long time off. Two and a half years, to be exact. But I had to put up with it; there was no way in hell that J would let me drop out.

"So how was it?" Jimmy asked as he picked me up. I shot him an evil glare, and he chuckled. "Okay, okay, stupid question. Sorry," he grinned.
"You should be sorry for making me go to that hellhole," I muttered.
Jimmy shrugged. "It's better than home. Or the streets."
"I guess," I said.
Jimmy nodded. "Exactly. Now, cheer up. We're going to Gilman tonight… and the other side of the Bay today."
"Why are we going over to Suburbia?" I asked, surprised.

Jimmy's jaw tightened a little bit. I nodded, instantly understanding. Brad had come home early… and he was drunk.

"He didn't hit you, did he?" I asked, turning to look at him.
"Nah, I got out before he got that far," Jimmy said.
I sighed. "But he yelled at you."
"I can take it, Rox," Jimmy said, smirking. "It's not like words can hurt."
"Words can scar deeper than physical attacks," I replied.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Jesus Christ you're emo."
I shrugged. "Okay, so I'm a melodramatic fool. Call me pathetic, call me what you will. I don't care, woo woo woo."

Jimmy snickered as we drove through the streets towards the East Side. It was the nicer half of the Bay… not that that was saying much. After all, northern California isn't exactly the rich half of the state. But at least Suburbia had decently upkept homes, some sidewalks, clean-ish streets…

J parked his car in an underground lot, and then we wandered through the streets for a while. He led me through town, bringing me into coffeeshops and music stores, and anything else that struck our fancy. He bought me something at every place we went (I told you, he used the money he got from dealing on me… I really need to get him a girlfriend). There was a time or two when he got stopped and he sold some drugs to people, but other than that we were undisturbed. It was just my brother and me. Just like it always should be.

When we got bored with walking around town, Jimmy led me into Gilman. He was here a lot more than I was, and greeted handfuls of people as he led me to a booth in the back.

"Stay here, okay?" he said. "I have to talk to a guy over there about bringing me a few kilos of weed. I'll be back in a bit. Here, buy yourself something to drink, okay?" he said, handing me a $20.

I nodded. J nodded back and moved off to have his talk. I leaned back into the booth and closed my eyes, tuning out the world. There was some band playing… Green Day, I think they said their name was? Eh, they were alright… nothing amazing. Just a bunch of Bay rejects, like we all were. They wouldn't get out of here; none of us could. We were stuck here… stuck in Suburbia… stuck in Strangeland…

That was the tragic case of our reality. This was our screwed-up life. We were all going to waste into nothing.

Welcome to Paradise.