The car ride was long, hectic and at times, got extremely boring. They got lost twice, for the GPS froze up, the directions got spilled with coffee and the road map got shredded by accident. It was almost like there was some kind of force stopping them from going to their destination.
But they finally arrived to the small town, since Sam asked directions from a couple of friendly truckers. Vince will never understand how his mother can easily make friends with people who look like they can break you into two. Vince was staring out the car window, as they drove into the town.
"Amity Park: A Nice Place To Live!"
Vince frowned at the sign as they drove past it. 'That's not very reassuring.' He thought, still looking out the window.
He stared at the buildings and such as they continued driving. The town was giving off a strange vibe to Vince. Almost a familiar vibe, like perhaps he's been here before? But that was impossible. Vince never left his home state before so why would he feel like he's been to this town before?
He heard Tucker chuckle and saying, "Wow, it's like nothing's changed!"
A teenager on a skateboard skated past them and Vince stared as the teen gave him a look. He frowned, resting his head on his hands. The town people look pretty normal, just doing things people would do.
They made a turn, entering a neighborhood. The houses looked decent. Sort of bland and this neighborhood had all the houses almost looking exactly alike. This made Vince a little uneasy since back at home, the closest neighbor was a mile away.
"Here we are!"
The car came to a stop and the engine turned off. Vince looked out through the other car window and his frown deepen. Out of all the houses, the house they parked in front of was the strangest.
It had something on the roof, and other strange devices on it. A large sign with an arrow saying "Fenton Works" and the arrow seem to be pointing to the front door. Vince sank in his seat. He wanted to go home.
"C'mon Vince, out of the car." His mother said, opening the door. He sighed, unbuckling his seatbelt. He climbed out of the car, stretching. He stared at the house again.
"So, um, he lives here?" He asks quietly, looking at over at his mother.
Sam sighed and nodded. "After his dad retired and moved to Europe, he promised to look over it." She explained.
"Oh." Vince mumbled. Tucker put his arm around Sam and his hand on Vince's shoulder, smiling. "Well? What are we waiting for?" He asks.
They go up the front door and before Sam could ring the doorbell, the door opened. Danny had a big, excited smile on his face. Sam forced a smile back as Tucker had a genuine smile on his. Vince was just looking down, not bothering with eye contact.
"You guys made it!" Danny said.
"Uh, yeah! Here we are!" Sam said, chuckling.
"Sorry it took us a while, Danny. Got a bit lost, which totally wasn't my fault." Tucker said, giving Danny a hug as Danny hugged him back.
"Come in! We'll get your stuff a little later!" Danny said, leading them inside the house.
Vince glanced back at the car. He sighed and followed the adults inside the house. It was rather big but also a little messy. Scattered papers and Vince could see where dust was gathering. He was tuning out the old friends talking among themselves as he continued looking around the house.
The house felt familiar too. He stared at the walls, decorated with family photos and such. He walked into the kitchen, frowning at the dirty sink. He saw a door, guessing that it leads to the basement.
Vince heard a whisper. It was faint but it was close to his ears. It was beckoning him.
"Open the door."
His hand lingered to the doorknob, his heart beating. Someone grabbed his arm and Vince jumped, letting out a yelp. He looked up to see Danny staring down at him, a stern serious look on his face.
Danny smiled and dragged Vince away from the door. "Sorry kid, but the basement's off limits." He explained, letting Vince go. Vince backed away, bumping into his mother. Sam placed her hands in his shoulders, frowning down at him.
"It's rude to go through things in someone else's house." She scolded.
"Ah, it's okay Sam. The kid was just curious." Danny said, opening the fridge to get some drinks out.
Vince glared at him. He wasn't a "kid". He shrugged off his mother's hands off him and sat down on the chair. Sam and Tucker did the same, thanking Danny when he gave them some juice. Danny held a cup out for Vince, smiling.
"I'm not thirsty." Vince muttered, looking away.
Sam frowned at her son's rudeness as Danny just shrugged at her, putting the cup away. "So hey! I was thinking for dinner, we all go out to eat!" Danny said, leaning against a counter. "I was thinking maybe Nasty Burger?"
Vince held in the sick groan. If he had to eat another fast food burger, he'll throw up. They ate so much fast food junk on the car ride. Sam cleared her throat, smiling at Danny.
"That sounds nice, Danny but we had a little too much of that kind of stuff getting here. I think for now we just need to rest. It did take us a while to get here." She said.
"Oh. Yeah, ha stupid me. Okay, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping then!" Danny said, getting up.
Tucker followed as the two started talking. Vince got up, but got stopped when he felt his mother's hand on his wrist. She was frowning at him, and it was the frown that meant he was in trouble.
"Vince, please try to be more nicer to Danny. We're his guests in his house so can you please be more polite? You know better." She whispered to him.
Vince sighed, holding back the need to roll his eyes. "Okay." He whispered back. She nodded and got up, walking where Tucker and Danny was. Vince frowned, putting his hands in his pockets.
He glanced back at the basement door. He shook his head and went to catch up with the adults. Danny led them upstairs, showing them the bedrooms they'll be staying in.
"Tucker, Sam. You guys can sleep in my parents' old room. The bed's big enough for both of you." He said, showing them the bedroom.
Vince raised a brow at said bed. 'The bed is big enough to fit all of us.' He thought. Danny placed a hand on Vince's shoulder and Vince looked up at him.
"Vince, you'll be staying in my sister's old room. Don't worry, she moved all her stuff out so it won't be that girly for you." Danny said, chuckling.
Vince scowled at him. "It shouldn't matter if the room's "girly" or not. As long as it has a bed." He said. "A room holds no gender."
Danny blinked and he laughed again. "Wow, he's really your kid, Sam." He said, looking at her.
"Well, he's right, you know." Sam said, crossing her arms.
Vince frowned, blushing. He knew his mother, although probably proud of him for the moment, was probably also upset that he couldn't hold his tongue and just be nice like he promised.
The day went by, they unpacked most of their things, and now was spending the rest of the day relaxing. Vince walked into the room he was staying in, looking around.
Saved for a few trinkets that showed a girl stayed here before, the room was bare. Vince placed his suitcase down and sat on the bed. He kicked off his shoes and laid on the bed with a huge sigh.
He didn't want to be here. He rather be home, in his own bedroom. Home felt safe. Here, in this house, in this town, it didn't felt safe. Thinking about the basement door, Vince worried his lower lip.
He knew something was calling to him. He heard it, and he was listening to it. He was doing what it was telling him to do. What was in the basement? Why is it off limits?
He heard a knock and he lifted his head up to see his mother. Sam smiled at him, looking a bit tired. Vince sat up, the bed squeaking as he did.
"Listen, in a little while, Danny and I will be cooking something for dinner since we don't want to go out to eat. Tucker's taking a nap right now. Do you want to help us or are you going to take a nap as well?"
Vince gave her a shrug. "I'll just relax for a bit. Um, my back hurts and stuff." He answered.
Sam nodded. "Okay. I'll be downstairs if you need anything."
"Okay Mom." Vince said.
Sam turn to leave but paused. She turned back to Vince. "I love you." She whispered.
Vince blushed but he smiled back at his mother. "I love you too." He said.
Sam smiled and closed the door behind her. Vince sighed, laying back on the bed. He felt like he should go to sleep but he couldn't. Instead, he dug into his suitcase and pulled out his MP3 Player. He stared at the ceiling as he listened to music.