Oblivion
An: I don't own Kickin' it.
Three.
When Jack first entered the dojo early the next morning he was greeted by Jerry's whining. He was surprised. His friendstated he wasn't a morning person but yet here he was.
"I'm not going to give you a free smoothie," Taylor remarked. "You have to pay like the rest of us."
"Jack doesn't have to pay."
Jack looked to her and noticed she was blushing.
"That isn't true," she replied instantly. "Everyone pays."
Jerry grumbled as he forked over the money. "Jack has a girlfriend you know?"
Taylor narrowed her eyes at him but accepted the money anyway. Jack laughed softly as he sat near Jerry. He handed the smoothie expert some money and received his own beverage. He raised the glass to signal he paid.
"Are you happy now Jerry?" he asked.
Jerry pouted and nodded. Jack patted his back before taking a generous sip of his smoothie.
"Don't you have work?" Jack asked as he pointed at the clock on the wall.
"Yeah," Jerry nodded as he arose. "I'll see you all later."
Jack waved in response and then headed over to the mat to stretch before another day at the dojo.
He looked both ways before heading out of his bedroom. It was now or never. If he could successfully get into the forbiddenroom he would be granted with answers. He desperately needed an explanation. The key was hard to come by but he was able to grab it before his father noticed. He pushed the key into the key hole and fiddled with the knob before he heard a tiny creak. The door was closed so long it began to squeak when it opened. He glanced inside and was confused. There wasn't a bed in sight. Why wasn't there a bed?
"Son? What are you doing?" a voice boomed from behind him.
He glanced toward the owner of the voice and nearly had a heart attack. His father loomed over him, watching him curiously. Jack smiled sheepishly and attempted to close the door quickly behind him. His father glanced over his shoulder at the slightly ajar door. A sigh left from between his lips.
"I just wanted to know what was in the room," he remarked. "I'm eighteen dad. Don't you think it is time to tell me exactly what is going on here?"
His father looked off into the distance before fixing him with a firm look.
"You may not understand this now, but we do this because we want you to live a normal life, son. Please don't go searching for clues. Be happy, be young, be a teen."
Jack's mouth hung agape. "So you don't want me to know anything? For how long?"
His father took the keys from his hands then reached behind him to lock the door. After he checked the door he gave Jack one more stern look before heading down the hall toward his own room. Now Jack was certain that his parents were hiding something. He just had to figure out what and why.
Jack, Jerry, and Milton sat within Phil's bowling alley waiting for their food. The boys' schedules were free. Theydecided to play a few games of bowling and eat. Aftershamefully losing to Jerry they were ready to eat. Jack's mind began to wander to yesterday. His father locked the door and promised him he wouldn't ever receive any answers. It was outrageous. Why keep such secrets?
"Hey Jack, are you okay?" Milton questioned.
Immediately Jack turned his attention to his two friends. Both males held deeply concerned expressions on their faces.
"I had an interesting evening last night."
He began to tell the story of his conversation with his father. As he told the tale he began to feel more and more angered by the situation.
"That is odd," Milton responded.
"I don't know what has been going on with my family or me," Jack confessed. "When I first moved here I felt strange."
"Strange how?" Jerry asked carefully.
Jack sighed. "My heart was beating really fast and I felt like the walls were closing in. It was almost as if I couldn't breathe. Sometimes I just feel frightened but not frequently. It has been a while since I felt that way. Then we go to the playground and the same feeling struck immediately."
"Maybe you were feeling sick," Jerry suggested and then took a large sip of his beverage. "Sometimes when I feel sick it feels like I'm dying."
"I just don't think I was feeling sick," he frowned.
He noticed the look on Milton and Jerry's face and decided to continue.
"When I brought up the playground my mom was upset about it and my dad looked nervous. Why all the secrets?"
Milton smiled sadly. "All families have secrets."
"Like mine. We have a ton of secrets. I've just grown tired of asking," Jerry supplied. "Besides something tells me I don't want to know."
Jack's frown deepened. He thought about all the strange behavior he had seen recently and in the past. As he was growing up he didn't pay it any mind but now that he was older. He began to realize how bizarre everything was. His motherwould fidget during certain off limit conversations. His father would nervously laugh and or give him a stern look as if he had done something wrong. It was awful to think they were hiding something.
"Hey Jack," Jerry stated bringing the other from his deeper thoughts. "It may be farfetched but maybe you are adopted. Theroom may have info about your real parents or something."
"Adopted?"
Milton rolled his eyes. "The chances of being adopted isn't high Jerry. Maybe for a drama but not for us."
Jack pondered on Jerry's statement. He pondered it all the way back home. When he was clearing the table with his mom he began to gather all the questions he wished to ask. It was time to understand all this.
"Mom, you and dad have been very secretive lately."
She paused.
"I know there is something you aren't telling me."
His dad looked up from where he sat in the living room.
"I don't want to be left in the dark anymore."
She sighed before giving him a sunny smile. "And what may we be hiding?"
"For starters the room upstairs is locked," Jack commented.
"Yes."
"And some of our conversations have been off limits it seems," he continued. "I don't know what to think anymore but I'm beginning to believe that maybe you aren't my parents."
His mother rushed to him. She threw her arms around him and began whispering 'don't say that' and 'you are our baby' over and over. He spotted his father arising and soon he was standing beside them.
"Where did you get that idea?" his farther pressed seriously. "What have you been thinking? Who have you been talking to?"
"I don't know," he sighed as he watched his mother detach herself from him.
"No don't be ridiculous, you are our son," the elder male promised. "You aren't adopted."
"Then why are you being secretive? What do you think you are protecting me from?" Jack exclaimed and then quieted. "Why don't you want me to know?"
Their faces spelled out everything. Shock befell both of them. Their eyes widened at the fact that Jack had just raised his voice to them. Jack frowned. He didn't mean to yell at them. It was uncalled for but he definitely deserved answers. He was too old to be playing hide and seek with information.
"What are you hiding from me?" he rephrased.
His mother took a hold of his father's arm and smiled with a strain.
"Nothing," she said. "Nothing at all. Now, Jack dear it is getting late. I think it is time we all head to bed."
Jack watched them leave. He couldn't believe this. They were lying to his face and he knew it was true. He stormed toward the living room where he dropped down on the couch. He picked up the remote and selected a movie from the TVguide. He needed to get his mind off of what just occurred or he may say something he will regret next. As the film moved forward he began to feel extremely disheartened. Maybe he was adopted.
He awoke suddenly to the melodic pinging of his mypad. He ran his fingers through his tousled locks as he tried to shake sleep from his body. When he was partially awakened he headed over to his desk. He frowned as he turned on his desk lamp. Who was calling him at 2 am in the morning? This was absolutely ridiculous. He noticed Kim's name and picture flashing on his screen and immediately dropped all the malice from his thoughts.
"Kim," he called out as soon as he accepted the message.
"Hey, Jack," she smiled sweetly. "I know it is late over there in Seaford."
"Oh no," he brushed the comment aside. "I was practically awake."
She gave him a knowing look. "Right, but how are you? We rarely get to chat like this due to the time difference."
"I know," he grinned forgetting the time. "How are you?"
"Amazing," she beamed. "I love studying here. It is truly beautiful but I wish you and I could be here together."
Jack smiled softly. "I wish the same thing especially with howeverything has been going over here."
Jack constantly informed Kim on the mystery on goings of his family. She agreed he deserved answers but at the same time sided with his parents.
"Parents are still keeping secrets?" she asked even though she knew the answer.
"Yes and it really bothers me," he remarked. "Every time I think about it I get so angry."
Before Jack could continue his rant there was the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. He placed his finger to his lips. Kim immediately got the message and quieted quickly. From the hall he could hear his parents chatting. It was strange. What were they doing up so late?
"Maybe we should tell him," a soft female voice stated.
There was silence for a few minutes before the conversation continued.
"No, he is doing so well," his father reminded her. "After all, do you remember how he was when it first happened? Do you remember how difficult it was to get him out of his room?"
Jack focused his attention on their conversation. He began to realize there was a chance for carelessness. They could let the truth slip right now. A small grin painted across his lips as he turned his face to Kim. He wondered if she could hear but she seemed to be unaffected by the whispering outside his door.
"He was always so scared," his mother whispered sadly.
"Exactly, extremely frightened," his father added. "After a while he refused to do anything besides going to school. He didn't want to play with the other kids after school. He wanted to come straight home. There was a point he asked us if he could be homeschooled."
"Like he was afraid of the outside," his mother supplied.
"Our constant presence and the sessions ensured he didn't reach a level that would be unmanageable," his father said. "At a point he decided he didn't need Karate anymore. He didn't completely leave Karate but he refused to go back to a dojo. He trained himself in his bedroom with videos but not as frequently. The panic attacks were the worst. You see, our secrets are better for him. If we tell him I guarantee you nothing good will come from it. We will lose him. We tell the truth and we will lose him all over again."
His mother sighed heavily. "I understand. You are right. I don't think I can bare to see him suffer as much as he did when he was younger."
The last round of silence was obviously the end of the conversation. He heard their footsteps retreating from his door.Once he heard the door close he let out a sigh of relief. He was surprised they didn't bother to enter the room. Were they so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice his lamp on?
"What is it Jack?" Kim asked.
"My parents were talking in the hall."
"What was it about?"
"Their secrets of course," he groaned from frustration. "It is big Kim. I used to spend the rest of my time after school in my room. There are so many things they said I used to do that I don't do anymore."
Kim smiled warmly. "They'll tell you soon, Jack. Don't be too angry with them. They are only doing this because they remember how you used to be."
"Right."
"Well, Jack, I'm going to let you get back to sleep," she laughed. "I know it is late over there."
"Bye Kim," Jack waved.
"Bye Jack."
A red phone appeared alongside a pinging noise, which symbolized the end of their video chat. Jack reclined in his chair as he went over their conversation in his mind. Kim said he shouldn't be angry but he still couldn't let it go. They thought Jack was better because of their lies but it was far from the truth. Jack still experienced attacks from nowhere. He was still frightened at inappropriate times every other day. From Jack's perspectives their secrets were causing more trouble than necessary. He growled inwardly before he headed back to bed. He glanced at the ceiling. He only hoped his sleep would be free of nightmares but the familiar grip of fear claimed him like it did every other night. Jack fell into a troubled sleep.
Hey Wonderfuls! Whoa, a long packed chapter. Fun fact: the last scene wasn't going to be there at first. I was inspired suddenly. Wow, all the awesome feedback is so nice. I want to give special thanks to reviewers:
WALKINGDEADMARSHALSKILLETGIRL, thanks for the review. Was Jack Kidnapped? Are his parents the kidnappers? Stay tuned to find out. Thanks again for the support.
Camela1998, thanks for the review. I'm glad you enjoy this chapter. I'll try to update as often as I can. Thanks for the support.
SOFIAROSESOFIAROSE, thanks for the review. Hm, I like your idea. You'll just have to keep reading to find out. Thanks for the support.
Baby Porcupine-Cute but DEADLY, thanks for the review. Does Jack have PTSD? Does seem like it doesn't it. I can say that is similar to that. Was the little boy a ghost? First I want to say congrats. I didn't think anyone would notice the tiny bit about the boy. I can confirm one thing. The boy wasn't a ghost. What is in the room? You'll find out soon. Thanks I'm glad you like the story. I'm glad it gives off a different vibe. I wanted to be as mysterious as possible, so thanks. Thanks for the support.
Elevate08, thanks for the review. Will Kim be in the story? Hm, you'll have to stick around to find out. But I will say is highly likely. Thanks for the support.
I would also like to thank those who favorite:
Thanks Elevate08, for the favorite.
Thank you all for dropping by to read, review, favorite, and follow. I truly appreciate all the support and nice feedback. The next chapter is 87% of the way done. I'm truly excited about this coming chapter. It is going to be interesting. Thanks again everyone.
Until Next chapter
Bye