A/N: Hi everyone! I had a dream about this so I turned it into a story lol. As of right now, I'm not sure if Captain Man and Kid Danger will be in this story. It might just end up being Ray and Henry. But that could change who knows lol If you're a first-time reader of mine, just know that I love angst. A lot. This story is going to be dark. Hence the M rating. If that's not your cup of tea, I understand. This story will be told from Ray's point of view. He lives in a town and state I made up called Opal, Superior; a deserted country state with a population of 503. He lives a lonely, boring, normal life with his dog Lucy. For now lol There most likely will be a couple OCs. Nothing worth mentioning any further though. Anyways, hope you enjoy!
Ray's POV
"I don't know if it'll even work, but you never know," I said to the cashier.
"Yeah I'm not sure," she replied. "I've heard about it but I don't know how accurate they are." She bagged the rest of my things, and I nodded as I left the store. I've always wanted to find out more about myself, and I've seen commercials about DNA searches and how people find out all cool facts about themselves. I'd love to find something. Anything.
I took the long way home and enjoyed the warm, country air. It's been a while since I could drive with the windows down so I savored every minute of it. There's not much around here in Opal; trees, dirt, a few stray houses, maybe half of a park. I pulled into the driveway and put my truck in park.
"Hi Mr. Manchester!" one of my few neighbors called.
"I told you, Callie, call me Ray," I replied.
"Hi Ray!" she said. She was a cute kid. 7 years old. Nice family: two-parent home, one son, one daughter, one dog. Some would say perfect. Is it normal to be envious of a 7 year old child? Made me remember my purchase from earlier. I couldn't wait to see how this worked.
"I'll see you later, okay?" I carried my bags inside and set them on the table. "Hi Lucy! You're probably the only lady excited to see me every time I walk in the house." I gave her a quick scratch behind her ears then started to put the groceries away. "What do you think this'll tell us, Lucy? Do we have a family?" She sniffed the box as I held it up to her nose. I carefully read the instructions:
Fill tube with saliva
Tighten cap
Shake tube
Place in collection bag
Mail in sample
"Seems easy enough." I followed the directions to a T, sealing the mailer tight so nothing could fall out. I didn't know what else to do. I had cleaned the house already, and I had a little bit before I needed to prepare dinner. Luckily, the doorbell rang which startled me. I forgot I had one actually. No one ever rings it.
"Hi, Mr. Manchester! I mean, Ray!" Callie smiled. "Can Lucy play with Roscoe?" Before I could even answer, Lucy bolted out the door and the little girl happily galloped after her. I pulled out my phone and shot my friend Schwoz a text. He was planning on coming over tonight to watch Superior's Got Talent, and I wanted to remind him to bring the drinks.
"What's new, neighbor?" Callie's father called out with a wave. I could never remember his name, and I hated that, with how few people there were here in Opal to begin with.
"Eh, you know," I said with a smile. "Same old, same old." He went back to cutting the hedges around his gate. I watched the kids and dogs enjoying the nice weather, running and laughing, not a single care in the world.
While we have the time, let me give you guys a little back story on myself. I was adopted by my parents when I was really young. I can't even remember how old I was. They raised me like I was their own flesh and blood. I guess they couldn't conceive children on their own, and they really wanted one so they picked me. Can't say I blame them. Anyways, it was always just us. Me and my parents. I never had any siblings, cousins, uncles, aunts, anything. And as I got older, I grew more lonely.
Well, my parents are older now. They moved to a retirement community in a faraway place called Florida. They told me it was time to move out and start my own life. Can you believe that? I've never been great at making or keeping friends. Except Schwoz. But I swear that guy was made in a lab somewhere so he doesn't really count. I've always wanted a family, children to call my own. But my parents never really taught me people skills, and apparently, according to Schwoz, girls are "turned off" by my awkward sense of humor.
So I managed to move out on my own. I have my own house. It's small, but it's something. I have my own truck. Again, it's something. And I have Lucy. The only lady in my life. Unless you count 7 year old Callie. But I still don't really know who I am. Is my name really Ray, or did my parents change it to that when they adopted me? Who are my real parents? Why didn't they want me? Or did they want me but just couldn't keep me? Do I have any siblings? Uncles? Aunts? I need to know who I am. I love my parents dearly for loving me and raising me. But I need to find out where I came from. I hope that this DNA tester thing gives me some sort of lead.
"Hey guys, can you look after Lucy while I quickly run to the post?" I asked.
"Of course!" called Callie's father. He was hidden somewhere amongst the hedges. I wanted to send the kit out before the mail was sent out for the day. I quickly ran inside and grabbed the mailer, and hopped in my truck. When I got to the post I kissed the package before sending it off. Not that it makes a difference but maybe it'll help get me some answers.
When I pulled back into my driveway, Schwoz had already gotten here and joined the kids and dogs in running around the yards. I think it took more effort getting Schwoz to stop goofing off and in the house than Lucy. I decided I didn't want to cook anymore so we ordered pizza to go with our beers, and we ended up watching Cops instead of Superior's Got Talent. There wasn't much talent this season. There's never really any talent in Superior so I don't really know why they still host the show here.
This episode of Cops was shot in a city called Swellview. That place was filled with crime. Everyone who lives there is involved in some type of criminal activity. I remember my parents took a wrong turn once when we were driving back from vacation one year and we had to drive through Swellview. I don't know if it was because I was like 10 but that place gave me nightmares. Anyways, back to the show. This punky kid thought he could outrun 4 officers with his hands in cuffs behind his back. He threw himself over a fence and still was able to bounce back up onto his feet and keep running.
"Bet you couldn't do that," Schwoz commented.
"Um you're right," I said. "Because I would never put myself in a situation where I'd have to run from the police." The kid ended up stumbling down some cement stairs, and it took all 4 officers to hold him down and get him to stop resisting. "Come on kid. You've got your whole life ahead of you."
"Yeah, he really cares about that," Schwoz retorted, cracking open another bottle. The camera angle zoomed in on the kid and he spit on it in response. "I just don't understand why kids behave this way," he continued.. "It pisses me off. They think they have it so hard."
"Maybe some do. You never know," I said. The show cut to commercial and I got up to pee. I caught myself smiling here and there throughout the night because I kept thinking about what results I was going to get. What if I'm related to somebody famous? What if my parents are in the CIA? What if I'm an heir to a throne? I went back into the living room and saw Schwoz already nodding off. I figured it was probably time I do the same. Hopefully these next 3 ish weeks go by fast.
Hope you guys liked this! The chapters will be longer from here on out. Also, I'm currently writing another HD story called The Interview. I'm very invested in that story and it has developed quite a following so I'm most likely going to update these stories on an alternate schedule. One update for The Interview, One for this one, etc. So what'd you guys think? Do you think Ray will find something interesting in his results? Let me know in a review! :)