Chapter One - No Good
Disclaimer: I own NONE of these characters nor the wonderful story of "Holes." Only the OC is mine.
When getting bit by a rattlesnake was a good way out, you knew your life was no good no more.
Lewis looked at that rattlesnake like it was an angel - like the gates of Heaven had opened up, and the angels within held out their hands to welcome him. But then, why was he so scared? Why did he so hesitantly grab that hand? There was so much sweat on his face, and there was no skin on his body not covered in dirt. Sweat and dirt became his "character," so that "Barfbag" could become his name. The angels were so clean compared to him. And he… Lewis wanted that so badly.
He wanted to be smeared clean from this place.
He couldn't dig anymore.
He couldn't live here anymore.
He couldn't do it.
He was so, so tired; his throat was so crusty and dry.
Around him, his fellow camp members dug their holes. They each sweated and panted, wanting nothing more than to finish and go back to the Wreck Room. The sun was blaring down on them, almost like it was teasing them to work even faster.
The angel was getting impatient.
Lewis needed to grab its hand.
So he walked closer, his muscles aching from his physical labor and the anxiety he felt. In those moments, all he heard was the hiss of the angel - his savior. It showed him its teeth, while the instrument in its hand shook alluringly. Yes, Lewis was scared.
But not scared enough to stop.
This was the only way out.
"Barfbag…?" he barely heard his tent-mates' quiet words of confusion. "Yo, Barfbag!"
"Man, what you doin'?!" another one of the boys shouted. "It ain't that bad!"
Lewis didn't listen.
"C'mon, man!"
No matter how loud they yelled…
"This ain't funny, dog!"
Or how hard they tried…
"Get back, Barfbag, for real!"
He inched closer…
"C'mon, what're you doin'?!"
And closer…
"Deal with it, baby!'
Until…
"Barfbag…!"
"AHHH!"
Lewis looked up into the light of the brightest star.
He was free.
Free from the holes, and free from that shovel. And if he was put into a hole with that shovel, so be it.
It was better than Camp Green Lake.
"Mommy, Mommy! Tell me another story!"
"Star… Again?"
"Pleeeaaase! …I won't ask again?"
"Is that a lie, Star Sirius?"
"…Kinda?"
"Haha, oh, you."
"Mommy, please? I wanna hear another story about Kissing Kate Barlow and great-grandfather being best friends!"
"They were thieves, Star."
"I know, but… At least they were cool?"
"What have I done to you…?"
"I don't know, Mommy."
"You know thieving is bad, right?"
"Uh-huh! I would never steal! Even from a fly!"
"Okay, well… I guess it won't hurt to tell you another one."
"Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Sit down here, Star."
"Mhm!"
"So, Star… Let me tell you the story of how your great-grandfather and Kissing Kate Barlow stole a treasure chest full of gold!"
"Woah…"
"One day, while Kate was riding her trusty horse, she came across-"
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!
Sometimes dreams were better than reality.
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!
However sad they were, they were an escape from the real world.
BEEP, BEEP, BEE-
And nobody knew this better than Star.
"Mph…" Star mumbled lethargically after shutting off her alarm clock. "Already…?"
Star usually had dreams about her parents, especially about the stories they used to tell her. They were her ephemeral reminder to not go insane - to continue being herself above all else. Those dreams were there almost every night to remind her of this, however bad the real day went. She could still feel her mother's touch, and the way her voice sounded like a lullaby. It was fleeting, but it was worth every second.
Don't complain, Star.
Don't complain, or give into hatred, however hard it was.
Mom and Dad believed in you.
They needed you to be the person they wanted you to be.
Yourself.
So with that reminder in set, Star retelling it to herself a few times, she was ready to get out of-
"STAR!" However, she almost fell out of bed once hearing that woman's complaining, hate-filled screech. "You better not be stayin' in bed longer than needed! There are chores to do and food to cook!"
"Y-Yes, Mrs. Sirius!" Star stuttered while quickly jumping out of bed. She slipped on her cargo pants and dusty flannel over her equally dusty t-shirt. Slipping on her Converse, Star stood up to open the basement's tiny windows. "Hello there, moon."
4:30 a.m.
Mrs. Sirius had already gone back to bed, even with her yelling, and was probably dozing off to some fantasy-filled dream. On a normal day, Star would usually wake up around 5:30, being that today she had to go to work and would have less time to do all that needed to be done. But she was used to it, so it was okay.
At least she had a roof over her head.
Squeak, squeak! Just then, Star abruptly heard a noise she knew all too well from behind. Turning away from the dark outside world, she smiled brightly at her three friends emerging from a small hole in the brick wall.
"Jaq, Gus, Fido!" Star exclaimed, running over to the three rodents. She kneeled down before them, letting them immediately climb onto her lap with happy squeaks. Jaq and Gus were both mice, while Fido was a hole-digging prairie dog that lived right beside the basement. "Hello there, you three! Did you have a good sleep?"
Squeak! Fido let out a joyful noise as Star rubbed underneath his jaw. Both Jaq and Gus climbed onto her shoulders, nuzzling against her neck. "Haha," Star giggled at the familiar feeling. "Are you three cheering me on?"
Yep, these three were Star's only friends. Sad, she knew, but at least she had some. Moreover, Star liked their innocent company; it was a total one-eighty of what she was used to in her Texas home. This was enough for her kind soul. "Okay, are we ready to start the day?"
Squeak, squeak! All three rodents agreed, causing Star to let out yet another laugh and stand up. She straightened up, took a deep breath, and allowed a true smile to form on her face. It was just another day, she told herself. She could get through it. "Let's do this."
But little did she know how this 'another day' would change the entire course of her life.
"Here you go, Mrs. Sirius!"
"Petunia, here's your pancakes!"
"I made your eggs exactly the way you like them, Poppy!"
Star did not get a single "thank you" back from the three ladies, but she did not notice it in the slightest. She had done this long enough to not expect any polite words from them, and Star honestly cared more about pleasing them than getting anything back in return. They had a hard day ahead of them, so Star just wanted to help make it a little easier. And so, regardless of her kind smile and thoughtful actions, her three last family members acted the way they always acted.
"Ew. You're all dirty, Rat," Petunia grumbled with a disgusted look on her face. She was a red-head with green eyes, and was sitting on the wooden table beside her twin sister. "When was the last time you took a shower?"
"She smells hella bad, too," Poppy said, whose looks were the same as Petunia's. However, she had more blue eyes than green. "She is a rat, though. What can we expect?"
"I-I'm sorry!" Star apologized before their mother could say anything more. "I'll be sure to take a shower before I leave!"
Sadly, however, her dirty stature was not going to go un-acknowledged by her step-mother. "Star, how many times has this been now? I give you a roof over your head, food on the table, clean water to drink and clean from, yet this is how you continuously repay me?"
"Mrs. Sirius, I am so-"
"Tch, if your father could see you now." But when Mrs. Sirius snapped this, a painful feeling shot through Star. She looked down shamefully to the ground, feeling utterly worthless. "He would be so disappointed in the dirty rat you've become today."
"Star, you will always be my most precious treasure."
Her dad…
Her dad's smile, her dad's hugs, her dad's generosity… Star missed it all so very much.
After her mother died of cancer, all she had was her father. Yes, they got closer in those years because of their shared loss, but it nevertheless hurt to only have him left. So Star clung to him like a leech, always wanting to be around him or to be able to see him. Her dad was no different from her mother as a storyteller, and there were many nights that they stayed up to just talk.
But then, one day, her dad came home with a woman with hair as red as fire. She was beautiful like a sun, radiating confidence unmatched by any lion - ferocious like one too. Star's dad had met her, fallen in love with her charms, and she took his last name only a month after Star met her. Her two daughters came into the picture, stayed in her childhood home with them, and the rest was history.
If her dad was happy, so was Star.
So why…
So why did he have to leave her too?
"Make yourself useful and clean this all up," Mrs. Sirius ultimately ordered after she and her daughters had finished. Star's head immediately snapped up, completely lost in her thoughts just prior. When she thought about her parents, her now common nickname of being an "airhead" was proven once more. "And don't forget about your job today at Sheila's - I need some more pocket money."
"Of course, Mrs. Sirius," Star remarked politely as she started picking up their dirty plates. "I'll also start cleaning the house right after I've finished the dishes."
"Pffft. What a loser," Petunia jested with a roll of her eyes. "The girl has nothing else better to do than clean… What part of her doesn't make her a loser?"
"Petunia, it's dumb think there's even any good about her," Poppy mocked, sending Star an evil smirk. "All Star will ever be good for, is being a lowly, boring, unlovable rat. Now you tell me: Where's the good in that?"
At this, Poppy laughed merrily. "Haha! Not even her parents could love that!"
And even though Star's back was already turned to the three, she could simply feel the proud smile on Mrs. Sirius' face. With her head down, she cursed herself for being so sensitive toward their words. They were cruel, but…maybe they were true. If she was so great, why would the world take her parents away? Did she not deserve them?
Once she walked back down to the basement, Star placed the white dishes into the sink. And leaning her hands against the counter, she took a deep breath in and out. The breath itself was shaky; the hands gripping the counter were shaking as well. Above all else, Star hated this part of herself. The sensitive, coward-like side.
Star was a modest person ever since she was born.
She didn't think she was anything special.
So ever since her parents died, and all her family talked about was how horrible she was, it affected her deeply.
She believed their words
Oh, she did more than believe. Star felt their words in her heart, making it beat faster with pity and fear. Why couldn't she be better? Why couldn't she be the type of person her family wanted? However hard she tried, Star never seemed to impress them. And if her own family didn't love her, then who would?
Turning her head toward a small mirror in the corner of the basement, Star cringed at the sight she saw. Ugly. Dirty. Weak. Stupid.
There was nothing good about her.
Nothing at all.
But yet she stayed.
She stayed in her childhood home.
And she would never leave it.
The house was her parents' pride and joy - the place that held so many important and precious memories for her.
"So stop it," Star cursed to herself while wiping her eyes from any lingering tears. "Get to cleaning… This house deserves it."
This house was Star's reason for living. It might have been depressing as hell, but she truly had nothing and no one else. In her heart, Star truly believed that nobody could ever really care about her or her life, that she was completely unlovable to all around her.
But that…
That was only the beginning of her story.
Star may have been an airhead attached to the home of her dead parents, but…
She was also accepting, kind, and generous beyond all else.
And she had no idea how many people absolutely needed that in their lives.
