Author's Note: Alright, remember when crazy Margaret locked Blair in the car trunk? Well, for those who never saw the episode or just don't remember it, there was a scene where Blair was sleeping and she dreamt of future for her family if she and Todd were to die. In the vision, Starr was older and recently coming out of what appeared to be an abusive relationship with someone "who reminded her of Dad". Jack was living with Dorian (who had white hair and hobbled around with a cane) and he was pretty much a little punk who spray painted gravestones and cursed at Dorian. This story takes place in that alternate "dream reality". Enjoy.
Chapter 1—"Setting the Scene"
Jack Manning sat in the uncomfortable wooden chairs outside Principal McKay's office. His nose had finally stopped bleeding, Thank God. Splatters of blood dotted the now torn and dirtied khakis of his school uniform. Jack's nose throbbed, his eye hurt, and he could taste blood in his mouth, but Brendan Halwell wouldn't be walking for a week and that was all that mattered.
Stupid football jock and his stupid football playing monkey friends. This entire school was stupid, filled with stupid teachers, stupid students, and stupid cliques. Jack hoped he got suspended. It wouldn't be the first time.
"Mr. Manning," Jack looked up as the polished wooden door beside him opened and Principal McKay stepped out, a frown marring her features. This frown seemed to be reserved specifically for Jack due to the fact that she only frowned when looking at him. "We meet again. You've been fighting again, I see. Step inside, would you?" The middle-aged woman turned and walked back into her office, silently ordering the blonde boy to follow.
"Aw, admit it, you'd find it weird if I didn't come here ever couple of days," Jack replied with a smirk as he rose from his seat and followed the principal inside, closing the door behind him.
Starr Manning had sworn of men. It was the fourth time she had done it, but this time it was for real. Really. Truly. Honestly. Men caused nothing but trouble and proof of that was her ex-boyfriend, Nathan Frederick. The prick had thought he could get away with hitting her. Starr was pretty sure she had sprayed so much mace in his eyes that he'd never see again. Plus, she'd probably made him sterile with that well aimed kick of hers.
Tapping her fingers impatiently on the black steering wheel of her car, Starr glared at the red light. About half an hour ago, she had received a phone call from Jack's school. The office had been unable to reach Jack's legal guardians, Dorian Lord and David Vickers (Probably because they were having sex, Starr mused with a shudder), so they had called her. Jack was suspended for two weeks for fighting. Again. The annoyingly calm secretary had also informed Starr that should Jack get into trouble again, he would be expelled.
God, sometimes Starr just wanted to pound her brother into the ground. What the hell was wrong with him! Schools counselors claimed that Jack had issues dealing with the death of his parents, ten years prior. Starr found that hard to believe. She was horribly depressed after Mom and Dad died, but she didn't develop self-destructive habits.
Okay, so maybe Nathan had been a bad idea, but still, Jack was treading in dangerous waters. Starr just hoped she could manage to contain her temper and strangle her brother after they left the school campus.
Twenty-Seven year old Adriana Cramer smiled as she watched her son sleep. Evan sighed and rolled over, muttering something about cookies. Adriana contained a laugh and rose from her perch on the small chair with a clown face. She eyed the chair unhappily for a moment. She never liked that chair. It reminded her of that Stephen King movie. Pushing the thought of her mind, she left her son's bedroom and closed the door behind her.
"Evan's asleep. The cold medicine knocked him out, but he'll probably feel better when he wakes up." She stated as she walked into the living room and sat down beside Rex on the couch. Rex fiddled with an action figure of Evan's, jumping slightly when the plastic toy's head and limbs popped off. Rex leapt off the couch and scrambled to collect the parts.
"Don't worry, it's supposed to do that." Adriana assured him. There was an awkward silence before she added quietly, "Rex, you don't have to do this." The man in question glanced up at Adriana curiously from the floor and gathered the toy pieces into his palm, trying to figure out how to snap them back into place on the figure.
"Do what?" He asked innocently.
"Don't pretend. You know I'm talking about visiting Evan." Adriana snapped, her voice rising in anger. Rex eyed her for a moment before grinning as a leg clicked into place on the figure. He spoke in a laughing tone,
"Hey, watch the voice. You'll wake our kid up." Adriana's eyes flashed in anger and she rose from the leather couch.
"The only thing Evan has in common with you is DNA. Nothing more. I've raised him for the past five years, not you. I'm his mother. Not you." Rex stood up and tossed the action figure and its parts on a nearby table.
"Well, would you look at that. Little Adriana has a temper on her. It's quite attractive, I've gotta say." Adriana glared and glanced around the room for something to throw at Rex Balsom's big dumb head.
As if sensing a potential threat, Rex backed up towards the door.
"I'll be back tomorrow around noon. Try to make sure my son's actually awake, okay? Later, toots." Rex gave a mock bow, opened the door, and left. Adriana stormed over to the couch, picked up a pillow, placed it to her face, and screamed into it.
"Jack Manning! How dare you dishonor your mother's memory! If only she could see you now!" Jack stared angrily at the kitchen floor as a silver haired Dorian Lord screamed at him. David sat at the kitchen table enjoying a bowl of noodles and watching the lecture.
"She can't see anything. She's dead." Jack muttered, glancing towards the living room where Starr presumably still was, waiting until she could go back to her own apartment. She was probably typing away on her laptop, most likely murdering Nathan in the written word. Starr was Jack's favorite member of his family. Even though she had driven him home from school and spent the entire trip yelling at him.
"Are you even listening to me? Oh, you are just like your father!" Dorian continued to yell.
"Babe, maybe you should take it down a notch." David suggested around a mouth full of food.
"David, do not interrupt me while I am in the middle of disciplining."
"It's pretty sexy when you're disciplining."
Jack repressed a full body shudder and used Dorian's distraction to his advantage. He simply walked out of the kitchen, heading for the stairs. He just wanted to go to his room.
"You're still standing. Guess that means it's safe for me to head home?" Starr piped up from the floor. She was leaning against the wall, her laptop balanced on her knees.
"Guess so." Jack responded dully. His nose had stopped hurting a while ago, but a steady throbbing in his head had set in. Starr stood up and slipped her computer into the thin black back that she carried it in. She strode over to her brother.
"Look, Jack. Next week is the anniversary of when they, um, found Mom. Want to go to the cemetery with me?" Jack raised his eyebrows.
"You usually have crying jags when talking about Mom and Dad. What's up?"
"Oh, shut up, Jack. I can be well adjusted to problems in my life."
"Bite me."
"Screw you!"
"I'm not into incest."
"Fine, I'll visit Mom and Dad alone."
"You do that. Talk to them and tell me if they talk back."
Starr glared, her hazel eyes sparking before she snarled at her little brother and whirled around, not bothering to inform Dorian that she was leaving. Jack leaned against the wall and listened to the Dorian and David talking quietly, wincing as the front door slammed. Pushing himself off the wall, Jack stormed towards the stairs, pushing a gray vase off of the table it sat upon. It hit the floor and shattered. Life sucks and then you die.
