A/N- Ok, so you guys don't get confused I'm going to write a list of whose child is whose. Here's the key: child: parents
Danny: Kai & Popuri
Nikki: Rick & Karen
Mitch: Jack & Ann
Jackie: Jack & Ann
Aaron: Gray & Mary
Michele (Micky): Gray & Mary
Jared: the doctor (Tim) & Elli
Emily: the doctor (Tim) & Elli
I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I was gone for two days at a writing competition. Oh, and a big thanks to my reviewers! Thank you so much! I'm honored you took time to read my stories.
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Chapter Two-Curiousity About Kai
Little Danny had never known his parents. He was just a baby when his mother left him. Rick, Karen, and their daughter, Nikki were the only family he'd ever known. All the other kids had a sibling, except Nikki, but she was more like Danny's sister than his cousin. Nikki was Danny's only close friend that was his age. Danny frequently visited the Yodel Ranch to see May. His relationship with May seemed to be sent from above. May was the only one who really understood Danny and vise versa. She was the only other one to know what it was like to be unwanted. Her mother had left her just like his had.
Rick constantly worried about Danny. He just wasn't normal. He wasn't like other kids. He never played or got out that much; mostly all he did was either sit looking out the window or go to Yodel Ranch. He once brought Danny to the clinic to have Doctor Tim look him over. Tim said that Danny had a case of depression at a very young age. He also said that there were medications for it, but Rick decided to keep Danny off medication until he was a teenager. He desperately hoped that in time things would work out.
Pink-haired Danny was neither teased by nor involved with the other kids. To them he was just quiet, keep-to-himself kind of boy that scarcely talked to anyone besides May and his family. He wasn't really noticed; he was just there.
On the way to one of his frequent visits to Yodel Ranch Danny ran into Mitch and Jackie, Jack and Ann's kids.
"What's up, Danny?" Jackie kindly questioned.
"I'm just going to Yodel Ranch," Danny blandly replied with his fists jammed into his pockets.
"You want to come play with us?" Danny wordlessly gave her a piercing, blank stare.
"Uh no thanks...but thanks for asking." Despite his unsocial nature, he always made sure that he was polite. Jackie shrugged and she and her brother moved on. Danny continued his trek to Yodel Ranch. It was no surprise to Barley when Danny showed up at the door. It was a routine so he'd gotten used to it.
"You must be here to see May. I'll get her," Barley softly said. The five-year-old just fiddled with his fingers as he waited. Within five minutes Danny and May were chatting away. It was kind of funny to see a five-year-old and a seventeen-year-old getting along so well. Besides Stu, Danny was May's best friend. Actually he was more like a little brother. Suddenly Danny struck her with a question.
"May, do you ever wonder about your dad?" May just sat there stunned for a minute. She was caught by surprise. Her father? She didn't even know who he was, unlike Danny. Danny added, "Do you ever think if he wants you or not?"
"Well," May began, "I don't even know who he is." Danny's eyes dropped to the floor. Right then he wished he were May. He wished he didn't know who his father was. He hated his father, and as you can imagine his Uncle Rick didn't help his affection for Kai grow at all. But despite the fact that he hated him, he frequently wondered about him. Was he really the devilish person Rick had made him sound like when Danny eavesdropped? Did he really love his mother, Popuri?
As for Popuri, Danny didn't know what to think of her. After all she was his mother. Rick never said much about her. Danny got the feeling that they were really close at one time.
"What about your mother?" Danny questioned May. "Have you ever heard from her?" May pondered for a moment.
"Well occasionally she'd write grandpa, but that stopped years ago." May and Danny chatted a bit more until Danny had to go home. May felt so sorry for the lonely five-year-old. It was like looking into a mirror and seeing herself when she looked into his gaunt face. The way his unique pink hair fell over his sad brown eyes was almost more than anyone could stand. Danny slowly treaded home and thought about his father. What was he really like? Did he ever want me? These were only a few of the various questions that popped into Danny's young mind. As he rounded the corner to the Poultry Farm he noticed that it was unusually quiet. He then looked up at the sky and realized dumbfounded that the sun had already sunken beneath the horizon. He quickly hurried into the house where his Uncle Rick was waiting.
"Danny, where have you been?" Rick questioned vigorously with his arms crossed. "We were worried sick!" Despite the loving nature of his Uncle Rick, he was sometimes known to lose his temper. "I'm so sorry, Uncle Rick. I-I didn't pay attention to the time." Rick's faced turned gentle and he patted Danny's head graciously.
"I'm sorry I got mad, Danny. I know it wasn't your fault. The only other time I got mad like that was when your father..." His voice trailed off into the distant pass. His statement got Danny thinking about his father again and he mustered up the courage to ask Rick something.
"Uncle Rick, what was my father really like?" Rick shot his nephew a blank stare. He didn't have the heart to tell him that his father was a walk-away- Joe. It angered him that Kai hadn't even taken the time to at least meet his son after all these years. It wasn't Danny's fault that his lady's-man father had ruined his life. So Rick just decided to tell Danny only of the positive things or in other words, his record.
"Well, your father, Kai was a teen when he first came up here. He owned a small shop called the Seaside Lodge, which was at the beach. His skin was sort of dark, not at all like yours. He wore a purple bandana around his head." Danny knew that Rick was only telling him a part of the big picture and that he was hiding something, but he decided not to question him any further. "Well, we should both get to bed now. Goodnight, Danny." Rick began to make his way up the stairs, but Danny just stood there. He didn't want to go to bed. He couldn't possibly sleep now. His brain was way too active so he decided to sneak out and go to the beach. As soon as he was sure that everyone was in bed, he slyly sneaked out of the house and over to the beach. It was a beautiful sight. The crisp full moon sailed freely on the sea of stars. The whole beautiful scene was brightly reflected on the desolate waters. Danny tossed his shoes to the side and let the water and sand ooze between his toes. It was a very peaceful moment for him. Then he set his gaze out to the distant waters. Would his mother ever come back? Would he grow up his whole life without his parents? But his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a sudden deep sleep.
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Rick woke up in the middle of the night from a very realistic nightmare. In his terrifying dream Kai had come back to steal Danny from them. Rick still shuddered at the thought. And just to make sure that the dream wasn't real, he went to go check on Danny. He was terrified to find he wasn't there. Like a madman he raced to the beach, the only place he could think of. Sure enough lying on the shore with sand smothered all over his face was Danny. Rick gently brushed the sand from Danny's inherited pink hair and picked him up. As he carried his young nephew home, he breathed a sigh of relief. When he finally reached the Poultry Farm and set Danny down on his bed he thought to himself, I hope Danny's future is brighter than what it seems right now.
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Hi! I'm sorry this chapter is so boring and doesn't have much of a plot, but I'll try my best to make the following ones more interesting. Thanks for reading and please R&R.