The New Kid
Chapter 5: More Than Meets The Eye
Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun. If I did, Isaac would be real and would be MY boyfriend :-P (That's one way to settle the issue on who gets paired with him) And any last names in this fic are made up by me.
Isaac: I'm almost embarrassed by how she came up with mine.
What's wrong with "Isaac Wood"?
Isaac: A certain blue-eyed hobbit from the new Lord of the Rings movies comes to mind…as well as a certain Gryffindor Quidditch player from Harry Potter…
Elijah Wood, Isaac Wood…both blue-eyed, both cute. Elijah Wood, Oliver Wood, both have accents, both cute… *dreamy look*
Isaac: Yuja doesn't own Lord of the Rings or Elijah, or anything in Harry Potter…thank God…
I heard that! And I know the guy in the movie was only acting as Oliver Wood, who is a fictional character. *walks away pouting* Figures…
Felix: And she doesn't own "The Scarlet Letter". She's never even read it. Only one of her friends has read it for class, and they couldn't stand it.
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In less than ten minutes, Garet was jumping out of his red truck and hurrying up to Isaac's front door, Felix close behind. Garet hadn't said a word since leaving the house, but Felix didn't care. He just wanted to know what was going on. When the two were both on the front steps, Garet rang the doorbell. After a moment, a clicking noise could be heard and the door was opened, revealing Isaac behind it.
"Oh, hey guys! What's up?" said the teenager, seeing his friends and smiling.
"Isaac, someone called me at home a little while ago," said Garet hurriedly. "They were asking if I knew an Isaac Wood."
Felix, who was still completely at a loss, watched as Isaac's smile faded and his eyes narrowed. He didn't speak.
"Would someone like to tell me what the heck's going on?" exclaimed Felix.
Isaac seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had been in. "Sure, Felix. But you two had better come on in."
Isaac stepped back to allow his friends through the door before closing and locking it again. He stood there for a moment still holding the doorknob, seemingly lost in thought. How'd they find me so quickly?
"Isaac, you okay?" asked Garet, having seated himself in the recliner. Felix now sat on the three-person couch at the end closest to the door and Garet.
The noise of the question startled Isaac again, and he turned around. "Sure. I'm fine," he said, trying to force a smile as he walked over and sat on the other couch, a two-seater. He sat with his elbows on his knees and his face resting in his hands. The clock on the wall chimed four 'o clock.
After a moment's silence, Isaac sighed and raised his head so that his hands were now together in a fist and his chin rested on top. "You say they were looking for an Isaac Wood?" He sounded tired. Garet nodded. "Did they say anything else?"
"They just asked if I knew where they could find a young man by the name of Isaac Wood. When I said 'no', they apologized for bothering me and hung up."
"Was it a woman in a cheery voice and her first word was 'hi'?"
Garet sat up straighter. "Yeah, but…how'd ya know?"
"Menardi," Isaac mumbled before speaking more clearly so the others could hear better. "She can feign sounding good, but she's nothing but evil when met in person."
"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm still lost at what's going on," Felix reminded them.
"You're right," replied Isaac, sitting back. "Garet only knows a little bit about it himself, and I think I can trust you two enough to tell the truth behind all of this. But, to fully explain it, I think you must first see it for yourself."
The blonde teenager glanced around the room and his eyes rested on the small potted plant that sat on the corner table beside him. It was a mum, and there were already a few hot pink flowers showing as well as a few little buds. He raised his hand and closed his eyes as the usual golden glow radiated from him.
Felix's jaw dropped as one of the tiny buds began to enlarge and the amount of pink increased until it had fully bloomed. "H-How did you…What just…When…" he stammered as the glow faded and Isaac opened his eyes. He stopped trying to ask questions, not knowing what to say and proving to be more amusing than even Garet had been.
Isaac sighed. "Where do I begin? I guess you could say everything was completely normal for me at first. It wasn't until I was about seven years old when I first noticed that I could make plants grow several inches in a matter of minutes and even revive the seemingly dead ones. But…I couldn't control it. It was, like, one moment, I was just fine. But then I would use my powers somehow, and the next moment…"
He paused to think. "I'm not sure how to explain it. I'd feel this surge of energy and then I'd suddenly just release it all. I became…afraid…of my powers, afraid of the surges and afraid of not being able to control it. I managed to hide it from everyone for a few years. I was ten when my dad finally caught me trying to heal one of Mom's favorite plants." He smiled slightly and chuckled at the memory. "I had kinda lost control of my bike and went off the path through the garden and crushed it. Mom always did love her garden."
Felix was staring at Isaac in awe. This had to be some kind of joke. But, then, why did the idea of making plants grow so fast, and even reviving them, not sound so strange to him? And hadn't he just seen it happen for himself?
"So, you've had this power for almost ten years now?"
"Actually, I think I've had the ability all my life. I just never noticed until about then. And I've only gotten better over the years. Now, I know how to fully control it, and I can use my powers for longer amounts of time before I start getting tired."
"Okay, now that you've made a believer out of our little friend here," joked Garet, pointing at Felix with his thumb, "what's the deal with this Menardi chick?"
"Trust me, she's no chick. She works for a very rich and powerful man from Tolbi. I don't know how, but that man learned of my powers a while back. Mom's been wanting to leave Tolbi for the past five years; ever since Dad died. It wasn't until three years ago that she saved enough money that she was finally able to start looking for a new place for us to live. She never really liked the city, but we lived there because of her and Dad's jobs. But Mom was always busy working, and she hardly had time to think of moving. Then, he appeared. I had heard of him in the news for several years. He makes a lot of money off of the science experiments and advancements his scientists do, mostly in the field of medicine and reducing the aging process."
Isaac's eyes seemed to narrow and glaze over at the memory. "It was a few months ago. One of his secretaries called me and said that he was offering internships to some of the local high schoolers with good grades and that, if I was interested, I come to an interview the next day. Mom and I had already planned to let me finish high school in Tolbi before moving, and we needed all the money we could get to afford a move later, so I accepted. Even Mom said it was a good idea and that it would help me get into college later." Isaac paused again.
"So, what happened at the interview?" asked Garet, earning him a glare from Felix. "What? I wanna know!"
Isaac took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before continuing. "The interview was after school the next day. Everything was going fine at first. I was interviewed by the big boss himself! He asked how I did in school, did I do my work, why did I think I'd make a good employee, and other stuff like that. It was like that for about half an hour. But then, he said that sources told him that I could be a 'valuable asset' to the company. I thought he was talking about my references being the sources, like my teachers. But then he said that it seemed that I had certain 'gifts' that were hard to come by. That's when I realized that it wasn't some ordinary job interview."
"He was after your powers," said Felix thoughtfully. Garet returned the glare from earlier, but Felix just shrugged it off.
Isaac nodded. "Everything went downhill from there. I said I was willing to be an intern, but I refused to become his guinea pig. We talked some more, but I finally had enough and left. After that, he kept calling and asking if I had changed my mind. He even starting making offers to me that were hard to ignore. Mom finally asked what was going on. She somehow managed to force it all out of me, including the part about my powers. We decided to just keep turning him down on his offers, but, one day, he called me out of class and the principal let him use his office. That's when I met Menardi. Turns out that I'm not the only person with special abilities: she can control fire."
"You mean there's others out there?!" Garet almost jumped out the chair in his excitement.
"Garet! Calm down before you break something!" cried Felix.
"Heh heh… sorry."
Isaac grinned at the duo. "Hey, I was just as surprised as you when I found out! For once, I wasn't the only person that could control an element. But that was all a while back, now. Basically, Mom and I got tired of it and moved here, to the small town of Vale." His smile broadened. "If anything, I didn't have any friends at my old school - I guess I wasn't 'cool' enough for any of them - so moving's kinda given me a second chance at fitting in. Even if that rich man has managed to track me down, I'm not really alone anymore, so maybe I won't need to run again. To be honest, I'm tired of hiding." Garet watched Isaac, suddenly realizing just how old Isaac seemed sitting there. He found it almost hard to believe that the person in front of him was only 17.
Felix silently stood and stared down at Isaac as he spoke. "Then leave it to us. You're part of our group now, and none of us are gonna let anyone make you use your powers for their own benefit."
Isaac held eye contact with the dark-haired boy for a few seconds longer before nodding. "Thanks, Felix."
"Then what are we waiting for?" The two boys turned to Garet as he got out of his chair. "Let's call Jenna and Mia so we can start filling them in. I've always heard that there's strength in numbers, ya know? Against the five of us together, that jerk won't stand a chance!" He clenched his fists in the air as if ready to fight some invisible person.
Isaac looked from one teen to the other before standing himself, looking relieved. "Thanks, guys. This…It really means a lot."
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An hour later, Jenna and Mia were helping Isaac unpack a few more boxes around the house. Garet was sitting at the computer in the room next to the computer and Felix sat at the kitchen table, both working on their English report.
"I'm tellin' ya, the only way we'll ever manage to understand this book is if we use this site's cliff notes!"
"And I'm telling you, you might actually understand the book if you just read the book in the first place like everyone else!"
Their voices carried up the stairs to Isaac's room where he and the two girls were unpacking another few boxes of his belongings.
"I swear!" cried Mia finally, putting down the CD's she had been organizing. "Those two are as different as night and day! Garet never really bothers to work hard and somehow manages to get someone else to do everything for him. Felix, on the other hand, does his work and receives top scores for it."
"They may be near opposites, Mia," said Jenna, pulling books out of the two boxes at her feet and placing them on the book shelf, "but they're both great guys and great friends. I think they have a system where Garet basically digs his own grave and creates his own tombstone, and then Felix comes along and saves him." Jenna smiled and giggled slightly. "Then they fuss a bit, and it's over, until the cycle starts over again."
"Hey, Jenna? Can I ask you something?" asked Isaac, standing on a chair to hang a poster on the wall.
"Ask away."
"How is it you and Felix are in the same grade, yet he's so much older than you?
"Actually, I'm not really sure how it worked out. But don't feel too surprised. Felix may be several months older than me, but I know a girl in Art 3 whose brother is a full year and one month older than her, and they're still in the same grade." Jenna lifted another book out of a box. "Mia. Toss me that towel beside you."
Mia obliged and tossed the damp cloth to her. "Thanks." She wiped of a few covers before setting them on the shelves with the others.
"Thanks again for helping me unpack," said Isaac. "I've been meaning to unpack this stuff for a while, but every time I see how many boxes there are, I just give up and do something else."
"It's our pleasure, Isaac," stated Mia as she finished with the CD's and opened another box. This one contained several framed photos, and Mia scolded Isaac in her mind for not packing them properly. From the looks of it, only three in the entire box full were wrapped in packing paper.
Garet and Felix could still be heard arguing downstairs, but Mia ignored it and started withdrawing the photos and stacking them on the floor beside her. When she came to one of the wrapped ones, she pulled off the paper and found herself looking at a photo of three people, a man and woman kneeling on either side of a swing in which a small boy sat.
Mia recognized the woman as a younger Dora, Isaac's mom. That meant that the little boy in the middle must be Isaac. He had the same untamed blond hair. Mia didn't recognize the man to Isaac's left. Could this be his father? It wasn't hard for her to believe: the man shared the same wild hair, only the man's hair was darker than Isaac's. Mia stared back at the boy. He looked so happy as he smiled for the camera, his blue eyes bright and innocent.
Then, Mia noticed it. The Isaac in the photo was young, maybe about ten years old. His eyes and childish smile made him seem so carefree there between his two proud parents. But then, Mia remembered the eyes and face of the Isaac she knew, and wondered how the boy in the picture and the boy next to her in class could possibly be one in the same. The Isaac she had come to know over the past two weeks seemed to be drained of all happiness, his eyes reflecting a sorrow that none of the others could begin to imagine, though joy sometimes managed to pry its way through Isaac's mind. Mia unwrapped the other two pictures, both containing the same man she assumed to be Isaac's father. None of the other pictures contained him.
"Um…Isaac…" started Mia, hesitating. "Who's this man in these pictures?"
"What's that? I didn't hear you." Isaac got off his chair and walked towards his blue-haired friend.
"The man in the pictures: who is he?"
It was then that Isaac noticed the photos laid out before her and recognized one of the frames. He hurried over.
"Where did you find these?"
"They…they were in this box." Mia was surprised. Isaac had been acting so happy when she and Jenna and arrived, but now his voice was rushed and almost fearful. As he stared at one of the images, Mia noted how he looked somewhat pale and stunned.
Isaac gazed at one photo. The torso of the same man filled the space. "That's…that's my…," He paused and shook his head. "These are my mom's photos," he finished quickly. He hurriedly placed the stacks back in the box before lifting it and starting for the door.
"What was that all about?" questioned Jenna when Isaac had left the room.
Mia shook her head. "I don't know, but I think those were pictures of his father."
"Huh. Well, maybe he's just sensitive when it comes to his dad. He doesn't seem to like talking about him much."
Mia thought about this for a moment. Jenna was right. The only things any of them knew about Isaac's father was that he knew about his son's powers and that he died five years ago.
"Where ya goin'?" asked Jenna as Mia made her way for the door.
"I'm gonna go check on Garet and Felix and make sure they haven't killed each other yet."
Jenna shook her head and shrugged. "Oh well. It's your funeral."
Mia was almost to the stairs when a door to the right opened and Isaac slowly came out, closing the door gently behind him. Mia thought he looked tired. "Hi, Isaac," she said as she came closer.
Isaac lifted his eyes and noticed her for the first time. "Oh, hi Mia," he said happily, hoping his smile didn't look too fake. "If you're going downstairs, be careful. It's gotten quiet; too quiet for those two if you ask me."
Mia smiled back. "I wouldn't worry too much. The several minutes of silence is natural in their arguing cycle."
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Mia was correct in her guess. When she reached the kitchen it was to find Felix sketching ideas for the poster part of the project while Garet sat at the computer in the next room.
Felix looked up as she entered. "Hey Mia. What's up?"
When Garet heard Felix addressing Mia, he got out of his chair and came to join them. Mia opened her mouth to speak, but found her feet more interesting than whatever she wanted to say.
Garet stood in the doorway opposite her. "Mia?"
Mia bit her lip. "What…do you two know about Isaac's dad?" she said slowly.
Felix was the first to answer. "All I know is that he died five years ago and that he knew about Isaac. What I wanna know is why Isaac never talks about him."
"What about you Garet?"
Garet hesitated, but Mia's gaze made it impossible to hide what he knew. "I…I know what Felix knows, but…I think Isaac doesn't talk much about him 'cause he…he blames himself."
Felix swung around in his chair and Mia took another step into the room. "What's that supposed to mean?" said Felix, looking shocked.
"Um…" Garet was searching his mind for something to say. He knew Isaac had told him more about Mr. Wood than he had told anyone else and, whether it had been on accident or on purpose, he knew Isaac didn't want the others to really know.
"Please, Garet, tell us. How could Isaac blame himself for something that happened when he was only twelve?" Garet had to tear his eyes from Mia. Her pleading eyes pierced into him, making it near impossible for him to hide what he knew.
"Come on Garet. Spill it," came Felix's voice. Garet looked from one friend to the other. He finally fell to their demands and sighed.
"Isaac said that his dad caught him using his powers when he was ten, and it became their secret. Mr. Wood told Isaac that he couldn't tell anyone about it because he might be taken away. Also, there were people out there that would want his powers for themselves and would turn him into their own science experiment. When I asked what happened to his dad, all Isaac said was that Mr. Wood tried to help him, and for that he's gone."
Felix considered this before speaking. "So, Isaac believes that it was his dad trying to help him that brought around his death? That explains why he never told his mom until a few months ago."
"He was afraid that her knowing might cause her to get hurt or killed," said Mia, staring at the floor tiles as if expecting them to confirm her guess. "Maybe…" She looked up at the boys. "Maybe he's scared of us getting hurt, and that's why he keeps everything to himself."
The boys were now staring at Mia and she was staring back at them as they all considered this.
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Sorry it took so long to update. How was that chapter for everyone?
Isaac: Depressing.
Gee. Maybe I should make this angst or suspense. I'm hoping to get in more action later. Here's some good news: I've already written chapter 6! I have no idea when I'll post it, 'cause I'd like to have a few reviews for this chapter first. And it's not because I'm trying to be mean. I just want to make sure I've got this story going the right way.
Ivan: That's one excuse.
Jenna: Don't forget. You currently share the computer with 3 or 4 people.
Yeah, well…that's what you get when there's only one computer connected to the Internet in this entire household. Good thing I have a laptop now and can type while someone else is online.
Felix: It's an even better thing that you're on vacation, 'cause this staying up till 2 in the morning typing wouldn't work if you were back in school.
True. And in response to Rain Child's review: I put you on my favorites list 'cause I read a few of your stories and thought they were very good! Sorry for not reviewing. Either the computer freezes or someone else needs the computer.
Ivan: That, and you're lazy.
Hey! Anyways, thanks to The Rain Child and Dragona for not being like me, and to everyone else who has reviewed. And I forgot to thank Sarah fully for helping me, both in learning what a flame is and how to make italics and such.