Well, hello again. Here's the newest chapter and here's where things start to get dramatic and character changing and all that. So basically we're now riding up that rollercoaster to the climax and I think it's pretty awesome. If you agree please review.
I continue to own nothing and most likely never will and as much as I'd like to, no I'm not getting paid for this.
Chapter 10
Ferb put a hand into his pocket and looked away.
"Come on, Ferb if you told her then this entire mess would be resolved. If you talked to her-"
"What then I'd been normal Phineas?"
"No, no that was not what I was thinking!"
"Sure, it was Phineas sure. I have my reasons why I hardly ever spoke and why I always insisted on being your shadow."
"My favorite shadow," Phineas offered.
Ferb ignored him.
"It's safer there… No one gets hurt. If I told her what happened to mom. I-I don't even know how'd she'd react. I don't know if she'd ever look at me the same way again."
Everything snapped back into focus.
"Today's the anniversary isn't it? I'm so sorry, I completely forgot." He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
He smiled, signaling that it was alright.
"She died today Phin, can you believe that it's been ten years?"
The tears started to form in his eyes and he didn't even bother wiping them away.
Without a word between the two of them, Phineas wrapped his arms around his brother. No matter what had happened between them they would always be there for each other. Even though there was still anger from their lack of time spent together during the summer, Phineas always was able to read his brother's mind. A talent he had gained from their many years together and their childhood where Ferb hadn't talked at all.
While in his brother's warm embrace a long forgotten quote flashed across his mind:
Ferb! Why? Ferb…why didn't you-
Isabella caught up to Alice. She stopped, clucthcing her side, silently reminding herself to do more core workouts.
"Alice! Gosh why do you run so fast?" She panted.
Alice stopped. "Sorry, Isa just…"
"Don't worry it's Ferb he'll come around sometime. By Monday he'll be ready to talk to you…you just have to give him some time. Now come on, my mom's coming to get me in an hour for the weekend. You're folks picking you up?'
She nodded.
"Good then we'd better get packing up."
She cocked her head to the side.
"Don't worry, Alice he'll come around."
She linked her arm with hers.
"Isa, out of pure curiosity why doesn't Ferb talk?"
She shrugged. "Guess I just never questioned it before same as what the name Ferb stands for. I just never questioned it and I've known him since I was what…six maybe? I always just assumed that that was just Ferb, no other questions there."
"Alright thanks Isa I was just wondering, that's all." She said.
The weekend was uneventful. Ferb had retreated to his bedroom and his family let him be, knowing that he just needed some time alone. Phineas would come and sit with him looking over different blue prints with Perry curled up at his side. He would talk even though he wasn't sure if Ferb was really listening. He built a little –inator [As he called it] to zap his normal clothes into a tux.
The dance was that following Thursday and he just had to look good for that.
Alice stayed at her house that weekend video chatting with her family back in England. Asking advice on which dress she should wear for the dance. She tried not to think about Ferb…yes it was best to keep him out of her mind for now.
However this proved impossible.
She couldn't stop thinking about him. Wondering what he could possibly be hiding. And why he didn't trust her enough to tell her.
There seemed to be a shift in the atmosphere. A strange force still left unnamed and unidentified. No one could deny that there was something different. There was a different mood and an odd feeling in the air around the Home that day and it was very soon confirmed.
Buford was holding Wendy's hand.
They sat at one of the tables, there was no real awkward silence between them. They chatted about anything and everything as if nothing had changed. They knew that there was something different now, of course they did.
And if anything they were more happy about it than normal.
Barbara watched the exchange from the office before winking to her co-worker.
"I believe ya owe me five bucks now, Olive."
The younger woman reluctantly pulled the cash from her wallet and handed it over to her co-worker.
"I guess you were right," she admitted. "They were bound to fall for each other from the start."
"Yes and now I'm five dollars richer!" She smiled.
"Oh shut it."
Barbra laughed and peeked out of the office again. Buford had just said something funny and she could hear Wendy's cheerful laughter. She couldn't help but smile herself.
Ring! Ring!
Olive managed to get to the phone first and answered it with a polite.
"Hello this is Olive. May I ask who I am speaking with?"
There was a pause.
"Sir, I have to ask you how you came about this number…I cannot give away that information, sir and I cannot tell you where we are located."
The last sentence caught Barbara's attention. She turned and mouthed 'who is it?'
Olive mouthed back 'some man.'
"Sir, for the last time no I can't tell you our location. That is classified and private to our guests."
Another pause.
"…Sir, I will pass on the message. Thank you and have a nice day."
Olive hung up the phone. She tangled her fingers into her hair and sighed.
"As if that poor boy needed anymore grief."
"Wait? Do ya mean…was that?" She stumbled.
She nodded. "That man was Harry Van Stomp."
"Ferb! Why? Ferb…why didn't you-"
His mother's eyes pleaded with him but he held back. He tightened his hold on his wrench and backed away. The blood and the smell scared him. The little boy didn't understand what was happening or why that man had done this to her. She didn't deserve it…did she?
Ferb straightened his spine and looked down the alleyway. The man with the murder machine had fled along with his mother's purse.
"I'll go get daddy…mommy I'll go get help."
With that the three year old ran from the alleyway.
"Please…please hurry Ferb."
"Please…please hurry Ferb."
"Please…please hurry Ferb."
He clamped his hands over his ears trying to block out the sounds of her last plea from his mind. But he knew that she would never leave him and his guilty soul never would either. Could he have done differently? Had there ever been a chance for her to live?
He cast his eyes downward and remembered back to days surrounding her death.
'Is he still not speaking?"
Ferb covered his ears and leaned back into the chair. He tried not to pretend that they were not talking about him.
His father responded. "Not a word since the funeral, mum. The doctors said it was normal after what he'd been through but I don't know what to do with him."
Doctors. Ferb had seen six of them already and they all said the same thing. This was just a phase, he would get over it soon enough.
But it wasn't just a phase.
Ferb celebrated his fourth birthday…and then his fifth without a word to anyone.
He began school and he played with his cousins every single day. Playing football and whatnot. But he never ever spoke a word. Not to anyone at any time.
Lawrence was offered a job in Danville. Ferb went without a fight. It wasn't long though before his father met a woman named Linda Flynn.
Ferb could still remember that first day. He hadn't been looking forward to meeting Linda's son and daughter still he carried a little British flag inside.
"Hi!" The youngest said. "I'm Phineas and I just turned four!"
The boy was practically jumping out of his skin in his excitement.
"What's your name?"
Linda and Lawrence exchanged a look.
"Phineas, sweetheart Ferb doesn't talk much." Linda said.
Phineas paused for a moment before breaking out a huge smile.
"That's okay, want to build something with me? I just got a new train!"
Ferb smiled back on the old memory. After that he had started to talk more, normally only to Phineas. But soon after he started talking to other people as well still he was always viewed as weird because of his lack of speech patterns.
He had always been content with being Phineas's shadow.
"My favorite shadow..."
What was he supposed to do now?
He had been so silent for so long that he didn't remember who he was before. Had he spoken much before even? Was he always unknowingly silent?
Could he tell Alice the truth?
He wanted her.
He wanted to be with her.
Ferb sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He had never wanted to hurt her and now his silence has hurt her.
He blinked once.
He turned up the music on his iPod and listened to it for a moment.
Wasted moments trying
Being someone I never wanted to be for you
But I feel my world coming back to life
My eyes are finally opened again
Now I see it in a different light
Standing on the outside
Finally on the outside looking in
He smiled, he knew how he was going to apologize to her.
Through the way that they used to way back when- through music.
Please review! I will be updating another chapter either tomorrow or Monday...Gosh not having internet at home is terrible...