Chains II: the Links Holding the Chains
By La miseria y la muerte
Author's Note:
Okay, the next chapter will have fluff. And Jenny/Tuck fluff at that. Prepare to have your eyes sucked out of their sockets! D
Chapter Four - Salt Lake City
Tuck sat in his room, his pencil racing across the paper. He would have been typing it on his computer, but his parents had taken it out of his room a few days ago. He had wanted to ask why, but he didn't.
He was trying to find an answer, a reason. He felt like he shouldn't be writing anymore, but there was no logic behind his thought. He suddenly felt as if it was bad when he wrote. But it was hard to stop himself. He really didn't want to do anything but write. It was hard for him, trying to decide what the next step in his life would be. He could do what he wanted, but it seemed like the world was choosing something else for him.
You all know just as well as I do that it wasn't the world preventing him from writing- it was just his parents. But Tuck was only ten, he didn't know any other world. These were the people he had known all his life. If they couldn't accept him, then who could? He thought he had to change. All these opinions that didn't matter clouded his mind for years.
Because his mind was so clouded, there was something Tuck failed to notice- the town recognized him. After he won the writing contest, people assumed that something great, eventually, was going to happen to him. He was the prodigy of his home town- until he had to leave.
Like everything else that happened in Tuck's life this was cause and effect. The cause- Mr. Magoy was offered a new job in California; the effect- their entire family had to move.
Brad moped around the house for weeks. He didn't want to move. He had friends in Salt Lake City. And besides, who wanted to live in some two thousand population town like Tremerton? It was in California, but it wasn't near a beach, it still snowed in winter and there was an annoying fair every other week (an annual brother & sister picnic didn't exactly scream 'fun' to Brad.
He was having another one of his moping days not long before the family moved. Almost everything was packed in boxes and Brad was just sitting on the couch, trying to make himself look as depressed as possible. Mrs. Magoy carried another box into the living room and gave Brad a tiresome look. "Bradley, I know you don't want to move, but that's just too bad." Mrs. Magoy started lecturing, "I don't want to move either, but I'm not whining about it. Now go to your room and start packing or we'll just leave all your stuff behind."
Brad sighed and got up. He knew his mom was just making another empty threat, but it sounded like she might extend the lecture. He put his hands in his pockets and started walking to his room.
Tuck didn't even understand. Why did they have to leave? He didn't want to move. He knew no other place in the world besides his home. He was almost twelve now, and things were growing more confusing to him by the minute. He couldn't figure out what direction he was steering his life, and now he couldn't figure out where he was. He felt like this would be a little bit of a wreck- moving. True, he didn't really have many friends in Salt Lake City, but it was still his home.
He sat at the kitchen table, his head in his hands. Mrs. Magoy walked by and sighed. "Here we go again...." she muttered to herself.
She sat down next to Tuck. "Is something wrong, sweetie?"
"Why are we moving?"
"Because your father has a new job in California." She answered. He knew that she would say that.
"I don't want to go..." Tuck trialed off and his small plea remained unheard by his mother.
He really didn't want to go. He didn't know what was coming. He didn't want to adjust to new ways.
But they left all the same.
As the car pulled away from the one home that their complete family had ever known, Tuck was the only one who looked back. He was the only one that wondered what was going to happen to him. He lifted himself up and looked out the back window. His home at 441 Maple St. faded away. And then the entire town of Salt Lake City faded, but it wasn't just a town to Tuck- it was his town. It was the only place he had ever known. It was where he grew up and for all his life it was where he thought he belonged. And now he was going to some strange new place where no one knew him. As his town faded away his life seemed to fade away with it.
Tuck sank back into his seat and started humming himself a song. But his parents were arguing with each other over the directions and Brad had turned the volume up on his CD player to drown out the world around him. And no one heard Tuck.
He was humming 'Happy Birthday' to himself. That day was May 21st- Tucker's twelfth birthday.
"Well, here we are." Mr. Magoy said as he parked the car in front of their new home.
Brad got out of the car and immediately sighed. "Can't wait to start living here." He said sarcastically.
Mrs. Magoy rolled her eyes. "Bradley, for once can you stop complaining about the new house?"
"What'd I do?" Brad threw up his hands defensively.
"Augh, never mind." Mrs. Magoy said as she took one of the boxes out of the car.
Brad looked over next door. It seemed like just a normal house, but there was something... mysterious about it.
"Hey mom," Brad said, "Who lives next door?"
Mrs. Magoy looked over at the house. "Some old 'Wakeman' lady. She's been living there for years now, never seems to see the light of day."
"Maybe," Tuck said, climbing out of the back seat of the car, "She's a mad scientist and stays in there all day doing evil experiments and creating horrible machines and-"
"Enough, Tucker!" Mrs. Magoy said, "Our next door neighbor is not a mad scientist. Honestly, that imagination of yours!" She sighed. "Me and your father have to unpack all these boxes. Just find something to do and stay out of the way." She shook her head and walked inside with one of the boxes in her arms.
Tuck took a good look around at their new home. It seemed pretty nice, a lot smaller than their old home had been, and it was obvious that the city was much less popular. He didn't really think much of it at the time, so he went and got his baseball and bat from one of the boxes in the trunk of the car. He might as well have fun and play a little baseball while he was there. He put on his hat and ran outside.
Brad Magoy had been in Tremerton for about five minutes- and already he was bored. He grabbed one of his comic books and sat on a chair in the front lawn. He thought to himself, the next four or five years of my life are gonna be pretty boring- but that thought didn't last very long.
A noise of shattered glass resounded through the air. Brad looked up from his comic book. There was a hole in the shattered glass of the front door on the Wakeman house.
Author's Note:
Okay, the next chapter will have fluff. And Jenny/Tuck fluff at that. Prepare to have your eyes sucked out of their sockets! D
Chapter Four - Salt Lake City
Tuck sat in his room, his pencil racing across the paper. He would have been typing it on his computer, but his parents had taken it out of his room a few days ago. He had wanted to ask why, but he didn't.
He was trying to find an answer, a reason. He felt like he shouldn't be writing anymore, but there was no logic behind his thought. He suddenly felt as if it was bad when he wrote. But it was hard to stop himself. He really didn't want to do anything but write. It was hard for him, trying to decide what the next step in his life would be. He could do what he wanted, but it seemed like the world was choosing something else for him.
You all know just as well as I do that it wasn't the world preventing him from writing- it was just his parents. But Tuck was only ten, he didn't know any other world. These were the people he had known all his life. If they couldn't accept him, then who could? He thought he had to change. All these opinions that didn't matter clouded his mind for years.
Because his mind was so clouded, there was something Tuck failed to notice- the town recognized him. After he won the writing contest, people assumed that something great, eventually, was going to happen to him. He was the prodigy of his home town- until he had to leave.
Like everything else that happened in Tuck's life this was cause and effect. The cause- Mr. Magoy was offered a new job in California; the effect- their entire family had to move.
Brad moped around the house for weeks. He didn't want to move. He had friends in Salt Lake City. And besides, who wanted to live in some two thousand population town like Tremerton? It was in California, but it wasn't near a beach, it still snowed in winter and there was an annoying fair every other week (an annual brother & sister picnic didn't exactly scream 'fun' to Brad.
He was having another one of his moping days not long before the family moved. Almost everything was packed in boxes and Brad was just sitting on the couch, trying to make himself look as depressed as possible. Mrs. Magoy carried another box into the living room and gave Brad a tiresome look. "Bradley, I know you don't want to move, but that's just too bad." Mrs. Magoy started lecturing, "I don't want to move either, but I'm not whining about it. Now go to your room and start packing or we'll just leave all your stuff behind."
Brad sighed and got up. He knew his mom was just making another empty threat, but it sounded like she might extend the lecture. He put his hands in his pockets and started walking to his room.
Tuck didn't even understand. Why did they have to leave? He didn't want to move. He knew no other place in the world besides his home. He was almost twelve now, and things were growing more confusing to him by the minute. He couldn't figure out what direction he was steering his life, and now he couldn't figure out where he was. He felt like this would be a little bit of a wreck- moving. True, he didn't really have many friends in Salt Lake City, but it was still his home.
He sat at the kitchen table, his head in his hands. Mrs. Magoy walked by and sighed. "Here we go again...." she muttered to herself.
She sat down next to Tuck. "Is something wrong, sweetie?"
"Why are we moving?"
"Because your father has a new job in California." She answered. He knew that she would say that.
"I don't want to go..." Tuck trialed off and his small plea remained unheard by his mother.
He really didn't want to go. He didn't know what was coming. He didn't want to adjust to new ways.
But they left all the same.
As the car pulled away from the one home that their complete family had ever known, Tuck was the only one who looked back. He was the only one that wondered what was going to happen to him. He lifted himself up and looked out the back window. His home at 441 Maple St. faded away. And then the entire town of Salt Lake City faded, but it wasn't just a town to Tuck- it was his town. It was the only place he had ever known. It was where he grew up and for all his life it was where he thought he belonged. And now he was going to some strange new place where no one knew him. As his town faded away his life seemed to fade away with it.
Tuck sank back into his seat and started humming himself a song. But his parents were arguing with each other over the directions and Brad had turned the volume up on his CD player to drown out the world around him. And no one heard Tuck.
He was humming 'Happy Birthday' to himself. That day was May 21st- Tucker's twelfth birthday.
"Well, here we are." Mr. Magoy said as he parked the car in front of their new home.
Brad got out of the car and immediately sighed. "Can't wait to start living here." He said sarcastically.
Mrs. Magoy rolled her eyes. "Bradley, for once can you stop complaining about the new house?"
"What'd I do?" Brad threw up his hands defensively.
"Augh, never mind." Mrs. Magoy said as she took one of the boxes out of the car.
Brad looked over next door. It seemed like just a normal house, but there was something... mysterious about it.
"Hey mom," Brad said, "Who lives next door?"
Mrs. Magoy looked over at the house. "Some old 'Wakeman' lady. She's been living there for years now, never seems to see the light of day."
"Maybe," Tuck said, climbing out of the back seat of the car, "She's a mad scientist and stays in there all day doing evil experiments and creating horrible machines and-"
"Enough, Tucker!" Mrs. Magoy said, "Our next door neighbor is not a mad scientist. Honestly, that imagination of yours!" She sighed. "Me and your father have to unpack all these boxes. Just find something to do and stay out of the way." She shook her head and walked inside with one of the boxes in her arms.
Tuck took a good look around at their new home. It seemed pretty nice, a lot smaller than their old home had been, and it was obvious that the city was much less popular. He didn't really think much of it at the time, so he went and got his baseball and bat from one of the boxes in the trunk of the car. He might as well have fun and play a little baseball while he was there. He put on his hat and ran outside.
Brad Magoy had been in Tremerton for about five minutes- and already he was bored. He grabbed one of his comic books and sat on a chair in the front lawn. He thought to himself, the next four or five years of my life are gonna be pretty boring- but that thought didn't last very long.
A noise of shattered glass resounded through the air. Brad looked up from his comic book. There was a hole in the shattered glass of the front door on the Wakeman house.