Oblivion
An: I don't own Kickin' It
Ten.
Early in the morning Jerry retold the story of his weird encounter with the Brewers. The memory of his family conversation put a frown on his face. His parents seemed a little concerned but instantly comforted Jerry in his time of emotional turmoil.
There was nothing to worry about. They were right. It was all some big misunderstanding. The Brewers didn't know what they were talking about.
Jerry sighed as he glanced out the window of his family car. The world outside brightened immensely as the sun illuminated the scenery. He rested his elbow comfortably upon the edge of the window.
The familiar lands of Seaford passed him by. He wasvery excited for the family outing. The vacation was a little impromptu but he was pleased all the same. The last time they traveled seemed so long ago.
"Jerry, honey," his mother smiled from the passenger seat. "We will be staying with relatives but there is still much we can do you want to go first? We can go to the beach? Anywhere you want."
"What?" Jerry asked, breaking from his deep thinking. "Oh, beach sounds nice."
"Everything alright there, Jerry?" his father asked.
"I'm fine," he responded absentmindedly.
His parents didn't peruse their line of questioning any longer. A sign reading 'You are now leaving Seaford' greeted them as they drove. He waved quietly and then stopped abruptly. He wasn't leaving. They were just on vacation. A vacation Jerry desperately needed.
He still felt worry creeping beneath the layers of his skin. The long drawn out conversation with his parents was useful but failed to calm his nerves completely. He walked through the home of his Uncle Marcus and Aunt Liza.
They lived in a little town outside of Seaford. It was a four hour drive. Jerry usually enjoyed visiting his Aunt and Uncle but today he wished for solitude.
He sat silently in his room watching the wall. He refused television, video games, and even walking around the down town area. He never refused the downtown area. The prettiest girls roamed there but today Jerry didn't care. He rested upon the guest bed and glanced out the window at the pretty pale blue sky. It was such a nice day outside.
Jerry tried to take a nap. His eyelids drooped but each time he drifted to sleep he was awoken by a distant voice. The voice called him from a place he couldn't pinpoint. Finally he gave up on his efforts and instead glared at a stain on the carpet until dinner.
Dinner came and went. His cousins were extra rowdy and succeeded in getting on his last nerve. He retreated to his room for the rest of the night. As he lay back down on his bed he heard hushed whispers outside his closed door.
"Honey, we have to tell him something," his mother's sweet voice demanded.
"We tell him nothing," his father spat.
"He is acting so strangely. We need to explain."
"We tell him absolutely nothing."
After seconds of silence the door opened. "Honey, Jerry, are you feeling well?"
Jerry frowned as he pretended to awake from sleep. "Yes."
"You don't look well," his mother sighed. "You seemunsettled."
"I am."
His parents exchanged looks. "Honey, we haven't been completely honest with you."
Jerry eyed them both before chuckling. "I know."
Their eyes widened.
"I mean our families have secrets," he responded tiredly. "I stopped trying to figure out why a long time ago."
"Oh," his mother replied. "Baby, just give us a few minutes of your time and we will leave."
He sat upright and gave them his full attention. He watched his father look at his mother sternly before giving him a wide grin.
"Like your mother said we haven't been honest."
Jerry nodded showing them they may proceed.
"Son, you are adopted," his father said.
Jerry laughed easily but their faces held so much truth. They weren't joking.
"Oh."
"I know we should have told you but we wanted to wait," she smiled sadly. "Sorry, so so sorry."
Jerry looked at them both. It was odd. He felt relieved. Even before the Brewer family incident he had strange episodes. He hid all these brief occurrences from his family. Things pieced together in his mind. All the unexplained feelings he harbored were related to his adoption. It was all clear to him.
"Okay," he stated as if they needed his approval.
Jerry confessed to feeling a bit out of place in the large Martinez family but he never admitted it out loud. He feared the path his inner thoughts led toward. Now he knew what his subconscious was trying to tell him. He was adopted. Everything made sense.
"It is funny," Jerry beamed. "Jack also thought he was adopted. I never did figure out what was going on with him."
"Jack?" his mother asked sweetly. "Jack Brewer?"
"Yes," Jerry continued on. "You never met him. When we get back to Seaford I'll introduce you both."
His parents' facial expressions changed to anxious in a matter of seconds. This look wasn't foreign to him.
"Mom? Dad?"
His mother smiled despite the obvious anxiety welling in her body. "That is wonderful. We would love to meet your lovely friend."
"Ah, yes, we can't wait," his father added.
Jerry smiled before falling back onto his bed. Before he forgot he looked to both his parents.
"Thank you."
"For what dear?" his mother smiled as she knelt beside his bed.
"Being honest and don't worry," he smiled. "I won't go looking for my other parents, not yet anyway. You both are all I've ever needed."
A soft and gentle hand caressed his forehead before combing through his hair. He looked up at his mother's beautiful face. He allowed a lazy grin to fall across his lips.
"I'm going to bed," he remarked through yawns. "Love you."
"We love you too," she whispered as she kissed his forehead.
He slept peacefully that night.
A suffocating tension grew in the house as a week passed. His cousins were fine but the adults were on edge. It took a few days but he was able to see the change. When he entered the kitchen one afternoon he noticed they were discussing in hushed whispers.
After he announced his presence, his mother tried to pour orange juice into her cereal. He chuckled lightly at the mishap. He lent against the island playfully. His eyes fell upon his mother who sat on a stool to his left.
"Mom, are you okay?"
"What?" she asked as she turned her bloodshot eyes to him.
"Mom, your eyes! Did you sleep?"
She laughed. "Don't worry Jerry. Mother is fine."
Jerry sighed heavily before grabbing a muffin out of a basket. "Hey, have you seen my phone? I know I brought it with me."
His father grunted. "Typical irresponsibility. You wait a week before you notice."
Jerry wanted to glare but decided it wouldn't be wise.
"I didn't tell my friends I was going to be out of town for this long. I never got to call off work either."
"No, I haven't seen your phone."
"Crap, wished I memorized those numbers," Jerry whispered under his breathe.
"I'm sure your friends and job are just fine," his father assured.
Jerry agreed. "It was just a week. I'll be back by Monday."
"About that," his mother stated. "We were thinking of extending this vacation."
Jerry polished off the muffin before looking around the kitchen at the occupants. "What like another week?"
"Maybe another two."
Jerry paused with a glass to his lips. He put the glass of milk down and then responded.
"Two more weeks? I really need to call off then."
He thought about asking for his cell phone again but the adultsalready moved onto their separate conversations. Jerry groaned. He would find it himself. He searched through the living room, his bag, and one of his cousin's rooms. His cousins' favorite past time involved hiding his belongings. He wouldn't exempt them from the crime of stealing his phone.
Once he finished rifling through his cousins' rooms he was done. He moved to the guest room of his parents. He wondered why he skipped the obvious. Inside to his right was a neatly made mahogany wood bed and matching dresser to the red drapes shielded the room from light. Two large thought provoking paintings hung above the bed and by the door.
It was a nicely decorated guestroom. His aunt was an interior designer. It was expected. His attention moved from the design of the room to his phone. He glanced around before a peculiar sight caught his attention.
"Now what are my shorts doing on the floor, I wonder," he pondered as he picked up the article of clothing and rifled through. "Gotcha, whoo! My phone."
He turned it on. A glowing screen indicated his cellphone was on. His brows furrowed in confusion as he watched the message alert screen appear. Over a hundred messages aggressivelyjumped at him. The bulk of the texts were from Jack, some from Milton, and the rest were missed calls from both. Curiously he opened one text and read carefully.
Jerry, please pick up. I'm worried about you.
A soft smile fell across his lips. Leave it to Jack to become concerned because of his absence. He was about to close his phone but his curiosity got the better of him. There were several more message. He opened the tenth message.
Jerry please call me. Please don't leave. I can't lose you again.
Lose me again, Jerry mouthed as he stared at the message, when was I ever lost? He swept his eyes over another message. Jack must be trying to pull his leg.
Where are you man? Please don't do this to us. Please call me. I just need to know you are alive.
He didn't understand. His palms began to steadily produce a little more moisture then necessary. Why wouldn't he be alive? His mouth went dry as he pondered on Jack's urgent message. His fingers began to shake a bit. Why was he worried? The text messages had no power to harm him. Everything was fine. Jack was pulling a prank. They've texted each other strange things before.
Jerry! Don't listen to a word they said. You need to get out of there.
They? Did Jack mean his parents? What was he talking about? Why did he have to run? His heart began thumping in his chest. Why was he frightened? Why was Jack texting him so desperately? He looked at a couple of Milton's texts and saw urgency in all the messages. His stomach churned violently but he forced his eyes to view the last message.
Jerry please come back. Those people they are not your parents.
Jerry dropped his cell phone and backed up slowly.
"Jerry?" his mother called out.
His heart leapt into his throat when he bumped into a figure behind.
He barely felt her arms wrapping around his shoulders. His body was trembling but he didn't know why. Sure, the messages were strange but Jerry mastered the art of moving on from fearful experiences. It usually took a while to calm down but this was different. The fear tearing into his heart, mind, and soul was terrifyingly familiar. This feeling visited him from time to time.
"What is wrong, oh," she stated as her eyes connected with the cellular device. "Look at that you found your phone and yourshorts."
Jerry looked to his mother with a frown. "How did you know they were in my shorts? I thought you didn't see my phone?"
His mother laughed. "Honey, your shorts are right there. I have no idea why you would do such a thing. This is how you losethings. That phone wasn't cheap."
The rich sound of his mother's laughter brought down his anxiety a few notches. He watched her retrieve his phone.
"You really need to learn how to put your things in the right place," his mother reprimanded as she lifted the phone. "Oh no."
The phone slipped from her hand. She picked up the phone carefully but held the phone in her hands for a few additional seconds. Jerry stood rooted in his spot as his mother turned to him all smiles. He felt comforted but there was something else bubbling below the surface. She stepped forward and oddly he stepped back. Why was he retreating all of a sudden?
"Here," she handed him the cell phone. "I think I accidentally deleted some messages. I apologize. You know I'm lousy with technology."
Jerry smiled as he took a deep inhale and exhale. He was being silly. He took his phone and noticed his mother was right. The messages were gone. He began to think about what he saw. He must have imagined it all. He had been seeing a lot of strange things for years. Long ago he decided he had an overactive imagination.
"I think it would be the perfect time to go to the beach right?" she questioned as she wrapped her arm around her son.
Jerry nodded. "Yes, great idea."
"Call your cousins. Get them ready."
Jerry rushed toward his room to gather his swim trunks. The beach was going to be great. He laughed away the haunting text messages. Jack and Milton would never send him messages with such desperation.
The prank texts they sent were creepy but light hearted. No, the texts were all in his head. He knew for a fact he read the texts wrong. A large smile painted upon his face as he ran into the hallway. He was ready for the beach and all the beautiful girls.
The beach was a success but he was too energized to sleep when they arrived home in the pitch black darkness. Jerry stood before his door listening to the voices meeting in the living room. He was curious of what they were saying. He cracked opened his door.
"However long you wish to stay please do," the hushed voice of his uncle stated.
He tried to head to sleep after what he heard but the voices became louder.
"We won't let them interfere with what they don't understand,"
Jerry frowned. He headed back to his slightly opened were they talking about?
"Do we tell him eventually?" his mother asked.
"No," his father commanded.
"I don't know," his aunt said. "Maybe just a little clue into what is going on."
"Absolutely not," his father growled. "Do you want him to be afraid? No doubt that family will have a lot to say if they ever get a hold of him again."
"Which they won't," his mother promised. "He is our son."
Jerry bit his lip as he backed away. The footsteps grew nearer and he didn't want to be seen eavesdropping. He leapt from his position by the door and landed upon his bed. The lights were off. No one would suspect a thing. The voices were even louder.
"Well goodnight," his mother announced.
"Good night," his aunt and uncle replied.
Jerry heard a door close in the distance but kept still.
"I just can't believe, after all these years," his mother cried. "Why can't they just leave us alone? Can't they just leave us alone?"
"Nothing has happened yet," his father promised. "We've already begun to fight. Besides, as long as we stay out here we will be fine. We left some things behind but it doesn't matter. Our son is more important than material possessions."
"We give it a month," his mother suggested. "One month and then we can leave. We can find a new town, new school for Jerry."
Jerry's eyes widened. He slowed his breathing the best he could. He closed his eyes just as the door opened. He felt his mother's hand caress his face. The warmth disappeared seconds after. At the sound of the door closing he flipped over to his back and gazed at the ceiling. What was going on? Why were they planning to move? What happened?
He frowned deeply as he looked at his cell phone. The dimly lit back screen illuminated the room in a minimum glow. His eyes widened at the sight of double the amount of messages from before. It is nothing, Jerry thought to himself. Jack and Milton are pranking me, he repeated to himself.
A lump formed in his throat as he imagined the same desperate texts from before. Jack and Milton seemed to think he was in danger. He decided to open one message.
Say something to me please. Please don't let this be it. It can't be over. Please. Say something.
Jerry bit his lip as he thought calmly about what to do. He began to recall the past week. His parents' behavior was strange. Hewas beginning to think he wasn't going to see Seaford again. He chewed the inside of his cheek before he finally replied to the message. His previous cell phone experience frightened him. He didn't look at another message until now.
Once the message disappeared from his large screen a peace settled upon him. He turned onto his left side and gazed out the window. He gripped his comforters feeling a bit anxious but was able to sleep minutes after.
He sat across from his parents the next morning. The rest of their relatives had places to be. They went out to complete errands and attend to business. He tapped his fingers against the kitchen table.
"Jerry."
Jerry glanced at his father.
"Jerry, son, we want to tell you some good news," his father said brightly. "I got a promotion at my job."
His mother clapped her hands from excitement. Jerry smiled with a strain.
"Wow,a promotion."
"I've been transferred to the big headquarters building. It is located hours away from Seaford."
"So, we are moving?" Jerry questioned.
Jerry's mother nodded. "Yes, we are."
Jerry's chest tightened.
"We've already got everything together," his father informed him. "Therefore we don't have to go back."
Jerry thought back to the hushed whispers last night. The secrets never bothered him before. Now he believed there were new secrets. His heartbeat began to change. Despite the anxiety, he arose from the chair and patted his father on the shoulder.
"Congrats, dad," he said, with fake happiness. "I'll just be in my room."
"Jerry," his mother called out. "Cynthia and Stephen want to go to the park this afternoon. Would you mind taking them when they get back?"
Cynthia and Stephen were his younger cousins, ages 10 and 8 respectively. They were the culprits of every single missing belonging. Jerry nodded. He disappeared down the hall and toward his temporary room. He didn't protest to babysitting like he usually did. He flopped down onto his bed and pushed his fears to the side.
There were a few things he noticed about the move. They just told him about the move while in the process of moving. His parents had no intentions of allowing him one last meeting with his friends. Saying goodbye to Jerry's friends was nowhere on their moving list. He gulped as the revelation stung him.
He grabbed for his phone and glanced at the dark screen. Therewere no new texts. His heart clenched as he tried to calm himself.
There was love in his family. He loved his parents. Of course they loved him so he didn't have to worry. An image of an unconscious child snuck into his brain. He gasped. Who was that? The thumping of his heart began increasing.
There was no reason for him to worry, he thought. Sadly, the fear and worry, from before, crept beneath his skin again. Moisture collected in his eyes as his senses heightened.
He placed a shaking hand over his mouth as he tried to stifle his own sobs. He was over exaggerating. That was it. There was nothing suspicious or wrong happening around him.
His father got a well-deserved promotion and they were moving immediately. Jerry would be just fine. Unfortunately, deepwithin his heart he knew everything was very wrong. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he silently begged for a reply from Jack.
"Please reply," Jerry begged. "Please reply and tell me this is all a joke because I'm – I don't understand.
There was no new message.
"Please, Jack, please," he whispered to the cellphone.
His inbox remained empty.
"You jerk! Tell me you were playing with me right now!" he angrily whispered. "You hear me jerk? You can't send me crap and then leave me. Tell me now!"
Jerry curled his body into a spherical shape to the best of his ability. His aggressive rant was over for now. He held the cell phone desperately in his hands as his heart and mind battled.
He clenched his chest in hopes of physically calming his beating heart. His mind furiously fought against his paranoia. He opened his mouth and tried to calm himself down.
"Sh, calm down. We are just moving. I'll visit Seaford again soon."
Tears slipped from his eyes and ran down his cheeks.
"Mom and Dad love you. They have never hurt you before. They will never hurt me. They never did anything wrong."
His grip tightened on his phone as tremors racked his body.
"I'm safe," he said, but barely believed it.
The excited babble of his cousins' return drifted to his ears but Jerry was too busy fighting against himself.
"Please, Jack – please," he let out a strangled sob. "I'm so scared."
Hey Wonderfuls! This chapter was heavy I know. Poor Jerry. Will things get better? You'll have to read on. Wow! Over 2,000 views. I'm so excited! Thanks everyone! This chapter had many changes. If you saw the original, ha-ha, not nearly as ready for online reading.
I would like to give special thanks to reviewers:
SOFIAROSESOFIAROSE, thanks for the review. Actually, Jerry is on vacation (not really), but he is in some situation right now. Thanks for the support.
Maddyliza1234, thanks for the review. I'm glad Jack told his friends. It was a good move now he doesn't have to suffer alone. Aw, thanks for saying my writing is amazing. You are too kind. I will update soon. Thanks for the support.
daphrose, thanks for the review. I'm glad you pointed at Phil. There are certain things and ways that he does something and I was hoping I got it right. I appreciate the compliment. I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. Thanks for the support.
Baby Porcupine-Cute but DEADLY, thanks for the review. Oh no didn't you hear? Jerry's father got a promotion (wink* wink). I enjoy your theory though. Tune into find out more. Thanks for the support.
Bluedog270, thanks for the review. Thanks for reading and reviewing even if you were in a hurry. I'm glad you liked the chapter. You are the queen of cliffhangers! Don't worry about the rant. I had no idea my PM was down. Sometimes the site doesn't listen to my new account updates. I don't think your story is rough at all. And no problem, your story is amazing. Still reading after all. And you are welcome for the shout out. Anyway I'm glad you like the chapter. Also thanks for favoriting me. Thanks for the support.
I would like to thank everyone for reading, reviewing, following and leaving favorites. All the support gives me the inspiration to get these chapters out faster. Thanks so much. You all are too too kind. It is really nice to see all the positive feedback. I'll try, to the best of my ability, to make amazing chapters for all of you. Well, the next chapter is 85% of the way done. Hopefully it'll be a quick update.
Until Next Chapter
Bye