Upon returning from my fanfiction break, I read all of my uploads to be up-to-date, and YIKES. Bad writing, the formatting gives me a headache, and incredibly short chapters (can you even call them chapters, really?). So I'm editing all of them! Here's the first chapter of Shattered Expectations (originally the first three), drastically modified for the good of everyone involved. Enjoy!
"Papa papa papa!" My daughter's energetic squeals are the first things I hear as she jumps onto my stomach. "Oof, Milly, get off!" I begin to say. But it's no good; a second later, LiLi soars onto the bed with a cry of delight.
"Good morning, Papa! School's canceled!" She cheers. "We're snowed in! Didn't stop the postman from coming, though." Milly pipes up. I reach towards my nightstand for my phone, thoroughly disappointed at my arm's inadequate length. "What time is it?" I mumble. "6 in the morning!" She declares, bouncing on the mattress.
"Wow, you really wasted no time telling me about this. Shouldn't you two be going back to sleep like normal kids?" I ask. LiLi looks scandalized. "Papa, we aren't normal!" She says. "Duh, he knows that!" Milly replies. They begin to bicker. "Hey, knock it off. And Amelia, stop straddling me. I'm not a gymnastics mat." I say. Milly sighs and flops down on the bed.
"No school, no drama! I'm freeeeee!" LiLi sings as she leaps off the bed and begins to dance. Milly makes a face. "Sheesh, sissy, is it that bad?" LiLi nods, her face darkening. "Yes." she says gravely as her phone pings. With a sigh, she looks at her screen before turning to me. "It's May and Jessie."
"Haven't you blocked them already?" I ask, turning onto my side. "No. They'll get over this eventually." She says. A moment later, however, her face falls. "Hand it over." I say. She sighs again, defeated, and hands me her phone. I begin reading the messages.
"Well, even if they do 'get over it', they're not coming over anymore. Why didn't you tell me this had to do with Milly?" I say finally. Milly reaches for the phone. "Me? I want to read!" she says, but Lili snatches it away. "Not a chance, Milly.
"Ainsley, I don't care if these are your best friends. This is disgustingly wrong, and Milly doesn't deserve to be treated like this." I lecture, taking her phone back. "Papa, what are you doing?" LiLi asks. "Collecting evidence." I say, screenshotting messages. Milly rolls over at the foot of the bed.
"Papa, can I please read?" she presses. "No, but you can go get the mail." I state. Milly groans, and LiLi smiles. "And you, LiLi, can go feed the cat." I add. She sighs, and they both leave the room. Good. I have some emails to write.
Edward and Mary,
I'm sorry to tell you that Jessie has been saying some pretty racist things to LiLi. I have a few screenshots of texts that she has been getting from your daughter about Milly. I trust that you will deal with this properly.
Teddie
I copy the message, hit send, and paste it onto a second email, this one to May's parents. After the second email has been sent, I sigh. Living in a predominately white town, Milly is one of the only people of color in the neighborhood. LiLi and I are both white, too, so it's not even as if she has a family to share the experience with. At seven years old, it's not right for her to carry a burden like this one.
I put my face in my hands. No one should, no matter their age, I think. There's nothing wrong with having more melatonin than your peers. The entire idea of racism is absolutely ridiculous. My phone pings with an email.
Hi Teddie,
I'm confused. Did Jessie say anything that wasn't correct? You can't fault someone for telling the truth, even if it's not to your questionable taste.
Best regards,
Mary
A wave of nausea rolls over me as the words sink in. Of course. Of course Jessie would talk like that if her parents did. As soon as I think that, memories come pouring back. The couple finding excuses to leave when Milly would enter a room, or saying that Jessie couldn't sleep over if Milly joined in. I thought they were all coincidences, or it had been their distaste for her bold, forthright nature. Now, I'm surprised I even missed it.
Another realization comes to me, even more sickening than the last. Milly isn't safe here. What can start as nonviolent racism can quickly become the opposite. And even if it never got that far, what kinds of verbal abuses would she be subject to? The very thought of it is too horrifying. We'll have to leave.
Right as I make this decision, Milly comes back with a stack of mail. "Go give this to your sister." I say, passing her a glossy issue of Young Rider. She obediently leaves, and I shuffle through the rest of the mail. A small pamphlet catches my attention.
NEW FARMERS WANTED! Interested, I scan the rest of the page. Join us and help Oak Tree Town grow as you work the land! I stare. "What's that, Papa?" LiLi asks, walking into my room. "Go get Milly, sweet. I'm pretty sure I hear fate knocking."
"Guy's here!" My sister- Beth- calls, and my brothers race down the stairs to the front door. I, however, take my time. My childhood days are over, and seeing my oldest sibling has lost its juvenile thrill.
Guy's figure is still framed in the doorway when I walk in. "Hey, Holly!" He greets me with a tip of his hat. I just smile and help him pry Daniel and Rowan off of his legs. "So, you're an adult now. Ready to join me on the farm?" He asks, releasing Beth from his one-arm hug.
"Actually, I was hoping we'd be able to talk about that." I say. Guy grins. "Sure. What's up?" he says, but mom calls "dinner's ready!" from the kitchen and we drop it.
"Pasta!" Rowan squeals. "Me first, me first!" Daniel cries, racing into the dining room and sending Beth tumbling to the floor. "Ow, hey!" She shrieks, and launches herself at Daniel.
"Triplets." Guy says, shaking his head in disbelief. We share a look of amusement. As the oldest pair of the Fairbanks siblings (Guy's 20, I just turned 18, and the triplets are 7), we've always found the energy contained in our little brothers and sister quite entertaining.
"Bethany Taylor Fairbanks, you get off of your brother!" Dad scolds as mom hurries to separate the brawl. Beth's bottom lip begins to tremble. "But daddy, he pushed me!" she whines, but dad is not having any of it. "That's no reason to start a free-for-all!" He continues as Guy and I grab silverware.
Finally, the table is set and we have a few minutes of peace before the triplets go berserk again. "Well, Guy, how are things going?" Mom asks once we all sit down at the table. He grins. "Great! The road to Tsuyukusa just got fixed, and Erin and I visited the other day." He says, and launches into the story.
I try to focus on Guy's story about two guys and a practical joke they started, but my mind wanders to my future. Living with Guy and his best friend would be a blast, and I'd never get lonely. But all the same… my mind wanders to the pamphlet. It would be great to become fully independent of my family and lay some roots of my own.
"And what about you, Holly?" Mom says, turning to me. "Huh? Sorry, what?" I say, snapping back to reality. My mom smiles understandingly. "Do you have everything ready to go join your brother next week?" She asks. Now's a better time than any, Holly, I think. I take a deep breath, then begin to explain my idea.
"Actually, I was considering doing something else. I found a little pamphlet in the mail this morning advertising some farm land. There were some awesome pictures of the nearby town and the land, and I'd love to move out on my own. You know, start my story as an independent person?" I say, my eyes on Guy.
"Hey, if you want to do it, I'm fine with that." Guy says, slapping me on the back. "Erin and I lasted this long without help, I'm sure we can manage it." Mom seems to have doubts, though. "If you want to get your own land, that's alright," she begins. "but don't forget that starting a farm is harder than maintaining one. And you might not even get chosen. I just don't want you to have your hopes riding on this opportunity, okay, sweetie?"
"Eh, I'm sure she'll get the farm. Friendly personality, is familiar with country livin', and that smile could get her wherever she wants in life. It's a no-brainer!" Dad says genially. Mom rolls her eyes. "Oh, yes, because all those qualities prove her to be the best choice." she says sarcastically, a small smile on her face.
"She gets it from her ol' papa." Dad says, not missing a beat. "Does anybody else want seconds or can I eat the rest?"
After dinner, I'm filling out the form in my room when I hear a soft knock on my door. "Come in," I say. Guy steps into the room. "Hey, Holl, whatcha doing?" He says, coming over. I roll my pen between my fingers. "Filling out the application for the farm. I'm just having trouble coming up with a name. How did you come up with one?"
"I didn't." Guy says, grinning. "Erin came up with it. If she wasn't there, it would probably be 'Talking Tree Farms'." We laugh a bit, but then he pauses, a thoughtful expression on his face, before he speaks again. "Ivy."
"Huh?" I say, confused. "Ivy Farm. It was one of Erin's ideas before we settled on Echo. I think it suits you well." he explains. "Ivy Farm." I muse. "I like it. Thanks, Guy!" He grins, grabbing the ottoman and dragging it over. "No problem, sis. Got any other questions I can help you with?"
"We're here." I announce, halting my horse. Milly and LiLi both pull to a halt, LiLi's horse bumping into the back of Milly's and setting off a chorus of giggles. "Papa, is this how we're going to have to get around forever?" Milly asks as LiLi helps her off the horse.
"From what I can tell, it's either that or walking." I say, sliding off my own ride. "Now, you two. It's really important that we make a good impression. We're the newest family here and we don't want to ruffle any feathers." I glance at Milly. "I mean, with you there are going to be some feathers ruffled anyway, but try to keep your attitude in check for the first few days."
"Okay, Papa, I'll do my best." Milly giggles, saluting me. Typical of Milly to not take anything seriously. "Can I sit on your shoulders?" I sigh slightly. "Alright." I say, crouching down. She happily swings her legs over my shoulders and we walk into the Guild, LiLi looking at something on her phone. I shoot her a look, and she quickly pockets it.
The Guild had a cozy, worn feel to it. Books were stacked in multiple places, and the deep brown floor and walls made the building feel less scattered and more casually tied together. A row of cushy chairs is lined on the other side of the guild. A girl is sitting in one of them, fidgeting with her ponytail.
I'm about to go sit down when a woman walks briskly towards me. "Ah, Teddie, welcome to Oak Tree Town! I'm Veronica, the Guild Master." She says, shaking my hand. "Holly, this is Teddie. Teddie, this is Holly. Now that you're both here, let's talk about the land." She gestures towards the cushy chairs, and we all take a seat.
"Now, lots of people applied for the farmland. But we narrowed it down to you two." Veronica begins. I feel my stomach tighten. If this is going to be some sort of contest, I'm sure not going to win. Plants and I have never really got along, so my general plan was to make money from the animals. I included that in my application, so I sure hope Veronica remembered that when coming up with whatever this is.
"Of course, neither of you are perfect in every field. We were mainly choosing based on personality. And your applications were full of personality! In fact, just the personalities that Oak Tree Town could benefit from." She smiles. Holly clears her throat slightly. "Excuse me, Ms. Veronica." she says politely. Her voice is louder than I imagined, and more self-assured. "Are you saying that we both got chosen for the land?"
"That's right." Veronica nods. "Of course, we hadn't really intended to pick two new farmers, so that might be a bit of a situation. You'll see when we get there." She adds sheepishly. I notice LiLi and Milly glance at each other, obviously putting two and two together in a way I still hadn't. Based on the confused look on Holly's face, she's in the same boat I am.
"Anyways, it's about time you saw your new home!" Veronica says, clasping her hands together. Milly starts giggling and dancing around in excitement. LiLi smirks and rolls her eyes, twirling her into a hug. Holly shrugs at me, a small, friendly smile on her face. "Alright, let's go." I say, smiling back.
"Right this way, please." Veronica says, pushing open the door out of the Guild. "Normally I would show you around town, too, but your neighbor volunteered to give you the grand tour once you get settled in."
We lapse into a comfortable silence, taking in all the beautiful scenery. I don't even realize that we're climbing a steep hill until my legs cramp. After about 15 minutes more of walking, Veronica stops.
"Here we are." She announces. "Ivy Farm." As soon as I take a good look at the land, I understand what Veronica had meant by "situation" earlier. There was more than enough land to accommodate my children and myself as well as Holly. But the problem was that there was just one house for us to live in. And even that tiny building looked like it was about to fall apart.
Thanks for reading! Chapter 2 is in the works and will be top of the list, after I finish giving my other fafictions their desperately needed makeovers.