PLEASE READ
Okay...(I know, I know)
So...first off...I AM SO SO SO SORRY FOR NOT WRITING! It's been like... MONTHS. And I honestly don't even have an excuse. The only thing I could say was...ENDGAME. But like, I literally saw it the first day it came out and I'm STILL not over it. The first week I almost cried EVERY SINGLE DAY. Like how pathetic XD
But seriously, now that it's summer, I'll try to get more done( so I say now XD).
So here's the REAL announcement: for everyone who was suspicious of some...character, here's the chapter. So I had this plan in mind for what I wanted to with said character for a bit, but I wasn't sure how to enforce it. This was one of the WORST ways I could've done so, but I really needed to get a chapter out XD
Needless to say, the next chapter will be much more exciting because a new guy, or should I say 'mech' arrives. (I'll go home, I swear) Just try to get through this one, and the next chapter will make more sense, I swear. Yet, you still get a good look into Dylan's mind sooo... not sure it's a good thing, but imma shut up now.
Please try to enjoy!
Chapter 13
I spent the next day resuming my task of pulling a party together, and may I add...Dylan and Sam didn't do anything. On the day of the party, Mikaela and I had gone back to my house to get ready. Apparently, my dad was out on a business trip, and my mom was away with one of her friends in the Caribbean. That meant we had the house to ourselves. On a much brighter note, I had gotten Alice back. As it had turned out, my mom had kept my dog in her room until I "returned". I was surprised to find that Mikaela instantly loved her. She was adorable though. I figured that I would bring her to the base one day, just so the team could see her. Though Lennox wouldn't admit it, I knew he had a thing for dogs. I had also gotten to meet Sarah and his daughter Annabelle.
Annabelle was just the sweetest thing, and Sarah surprised me by immediately throwing her (not literally) into my arms. I expected her to cry at the sudden change of human, but she took one look at me and giggled. I couldn't help but grin and coo at her. After I handed her back to her mother, I gave her a look.
"And I expect that you'll be attending Sam and Dylan's party?" S
arah blushed and shook her head, yet her eyebrows were raised in confusion. "I thought it was you and Mikaela's party? And no, we weren't invited. Supposedly only the important people are coming."
I snorted and rolled my eyes.
"Do I look important to you? Well, either way...you're coming and I don't care who says what. I am planning it, so if I say you can come, then you shall." Sarah laughed nervously.
"Are you sure? I mean, I wouldn't want to intrude."
I waved it away. "You're fine. You and Lennox should come." Then I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. "Please. Don't leave me alone with the boys." Sarah laughed, though this time it was actually out of humor.
"You have Mikaela. Also, speaking of boys, are you and Dylan a thing." I went to respond, yet something stopped me.
"Nope."
She gave me a look and I smiled despite of myself.
Mikaela went through multiple outfits she was choosing between and she asked my opinion on everyone.
"Hey! What if we matched. Like not exactly. But same colors and whatnot." I shrugged. "Fine with me. But we have to be there in a little less than four hours, so you'd better choose now." Mikaela nodded in understanding and finally, for the love of all that was holy, finally, she picked out a dress. I nodded in approval, after all, this meant that I'd be able to wear my favorite color. I glanced at her and frowned. Mikaela looked down slightly.
"What is it?" My eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh I'm sorry! I was just thinking about a hairstyle for you. That's just my 'deep in thought' look. She smiled and scrunched her nose.
"Could you make it look like yours? Like with the curls that are pulled back?"
I nodded.
"Yeah sure." I grabbed the curling iron (which I was smart enough to leave out).
Mikaela turned back to me.
"What are you doing for your hair?" I just shrugged.
"I'm just gonna curl it and pull it back into a ponytail. Maybe put like a small flower in it. Nothing big." Mikaela sighed and stared at me.
"You really don't want to go do you?" I bit my lip and shook my head.
"No. Not really." She gave another side and gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "It'll be fine. Trust me." I gave her a small smile and stood up. I quickly grabbed the curling iron and rushed into the bathroom. It took me all but ten minutes to finish and I came out quickly, but my quick pace ceased as I stared at Mikaela, who had something in her hand as she stared into her lap. I frowned and stared, not exactly sure what to do. See, my definition of "comfort" was entirely different than most people's. I wasn't sure exactly what to do, so I slowly walked over and gave her shoulder a soft pat.
Her head snapped up and she gave me a surprised glance. My face remained neutral, even as she gave me a soft, fake smile. As my expression bore down on her, she sighed and ran a hand across me bed.
"I'm sorry. I just…" she paused. "I wanted to let you borrow something." I raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps you shouldn't let me borrow it if it's upsetting you this much." She shook her head as soon as I noticed her left hand. It was closed around an object and it shook with a sudden sadness that I couldn't pinpoint. Slowly, she turned her hand over and opened her palm. I smiled slowly as I saw the blue flower that rested in it.
She took a small breath before speaking.
"I-It was my mother's. She gave it to me. Right before-" she cut off. I didn't matter. I knew what came next. She quickly cleared her throat and handed me the flower, standing up and walking into my bathroom wordlessly. I bit my lower lip as my gaze bore a hole into the flower. This was wrong. This was her mother's. It just wasn't right. Yet, on the other hand, I knew that if I didn't accept it, I would hurt her feelings. I let out a frustrated sighed as I went through a battle of logic and emotion. Naturally, as I wasn't used to it, emotion hit with a blunt attack and logic was tossed to the ground. I sighed again and quickly clipped the flower in my hair. As I felt a small gust of air rip lightly on my back, I turned and saw Mikaela. She wore a huge grin on her face and tears streamed down her face. It was a good thing she hadn't put on her makeup yet.
I had openly and bluntly refused to put anything on my face that had even the slightest bit of resemblance to dirt, yet then again, when have I ever really gotten my way? So there I was, my face dusted with a light blue eye shadow, yet I refused to call it anything but dirt. I wasn't giving her the benefit of the doubt, though in the back of my head, I had to admit that it was pretty. I mean it was in my drawer. Yeah you know, the one I haven't opened in months. My mom always used her makeup with the competitions and whatnot. But now, as I stared at Mikaela, a guilt like no other spread through me. I stood awkwardly, staring down at my feet.
"You look so beautiful," she whispered. My head snapped up in surprise.
"Thank you," I said, my voice strained with a false politeness. She seemed to sigh to herself and with one turn, she was back in bathroom.
'What is happening?' I thought to myself. I shook my head before thinking back to Mikaela. Her dress. Hers went up a ways past her knee, while mine wasn't so er…revealing, it was still quite short. I had tried to talk her out of it, but her mind was set. I personally assumed it was because she wanted to look good for Sam, yet I kept the thought to myself. I did, however, let my lips curl into a little smirk, which she immediately caught onto with a blush.
"What?" She asked, though it sounded more like a demand. I just waved it off with a "nothing," and turned around, waking out of my room to grab a drink.
Anyways, I had necklace that I thought would go really nicely with her chosen outfit. I quickly jogged to retrieve it(because as much as I hated the competitions, boy did it teach me how to run in heels). I did keep it at a jog, however, because I wasn't in the mood for the heel to snap under the white, marble floor. The necklace was in my moms room, but it was my moms. Though I wasn't planning on telling Mikaela, the necklace had belonged to my grandma. She was my life. I adored her more than anything. I sighed thinking about her. Would she be proud of me? I knew he answer...no. I but the inside of my lip and rapidly blinked, my method of calming myself down. I walked back into my room, and was surprised to see Mikaela resting in my bed. Maybe I was gone longer than I had realized. She raised an eyebrow, most of her emotion tried to appear hidden.
Competing only with Optimus Prime in the competition of hiding feelings, I easily saw through it. Mikaela knew that.
Still she asked, "where did you go?" I blinked and shook my head slightly. Oh yeah. The necklace. I quickly held it up for her to see, and she gasped in awe.
"Oh my god! It's beautiful! Where did you get this?" I smiled slightly. "Oh it was just a gift. I want you to wear it because I think It'd look nice on you." She grinned and turned around so I could clip it. I quickly did so and smiled at her finished look, looking somewhat satisfied with myself. Quite a rare feat if you asked me. I grabbed my phone and checked the time. As soon as I read the numbers, I immediately began to panic.
"Oh man! We've gotta go," I said as I grabbed my friends arm and pulled her through my house. I picked up my pace as Mikaela shot questions at me, which I ignored. I stepped outside, surprised at how cool it was. The wind snapped quite fiercely and I grinned. I loved cold wind. I didn't know why, I just did. Ever since I was little.
Optimus stood in my driveway, pacing around, most likely getting worried at the time we were taking. As soon as he made eye contact with...me, he gave a relieved sigh. I glanced at Mikaela, ready to ask her if she had seen him show an emotion, yet she stared at him like nothing happened. Then I realized what it was. Most likely to her, it just seemed like he was moving his shoulders. Like he was simply shifting. So why did I know he was sighing? It wasn't like I heard it. I just...knew. Without a word, Optimus transformed, and the two doors gently opened. Mikaela and I hurriedly jumped in, and the doors softly shut behind us. Mikaela was smiling, while my neutral expression was being threatened with an emotion of regret. This was going to be bad.
I just knew it.
The NEST base rang with a different energy than normal. The usual tense and professional vibe it gave was replaced with a classy, troubled vibe. I glanced up at Optimus who also bore a concerned expression. So I wasn't the only smart person who was calculating all the ways this could go wrong. The party wasn't due to start for another half hour, and I had just finished helping set up. As I expected, Sam and Dylan were M.I.A. I was going to slip out if they brought anything illegal. Nobody would really know I was gone. Besides, I had planned to stay out of the spotlight anyways.
Optimus went to rejoin with the rest of his team, and I was surprised when he looked back as if he expected me to follow. I blinked before speeding up to join them as well.
Ironhide glared at anything and everything, Ratchet curiously scanned every human(except for me 'cause I made Optimus tell him to stop), Bumblebee hopped around impatiently, excitement filling his optics, and Jazz was already starting to dance around in the corner, his music on shuffle, though I couldn't really say anything because the volume was at a tolerable level, and Optimus was well...Optimus. He looked down at me for a second, an optic ridge raised before speaking.
"As a human, we thought it best to ask you the do's and don'ts of your race." And why the hell he choose the most antisocial person in the world on how to act around humans, I still can't figure out. I gave him a look, though I had everyone's attention now, and all stared at me, waiting for an answer. I sighed and went to run my hand through my hair, though I shot an annoyed look at Mikaela as I remember I had put it into a Ponytail. Everything that went wrong with my attire today, was being completely blamed on her. With absolutely no remorse. At all. I bit my lip and tried again.
"Well I wouldn't exactly know about do's and don'ts because I find it hard to get offended, yet I could offer advice on how to handle humans." I gave Optimus a look, clearly asking for permission to continue. He gave a quick surprise glance, though his neutral expressions was back almost immediately, and nodded.
"You may proceed." I nodded and continued on.
"Okay so one thing you need to know about humans is that we are a very insensitive race. Don't be surprised if a few humans call you 'machines'. I know it'll offend you to the pit and back, but address them kindly and professionally." The Autobots all gave me an odd stare and I raised an eyebrow at them.
"What'd I say this time?"
Ratchet spoke, usually the one to point out what I say.
"To the pit and back?" I gave him a fake goofy smile, that he believed, and I threw my hands into the air.
"Sorry... It just slipped out," I said. That's was about all I had. This was escalating slowly and I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. I supposed it was a whatever thing. At least at the time. I quickly finished off my list, surprising myself by adding a few 'do's and don'ts', making sure to use my normal language only. Optimus only nodded after I had finished.
"Thank you. Your suggestions are greatly noted." I nodded back to him. I frowned afterwards though.
"Have any of you seen Sam and Dylan?" I asked.
Bumblebee shrugged.
"I was going- to ask- the same-thing. They said- they were going to- come back- within ten minutes." I glanced at Ratchet.
"Where is Dylan?" I questioned. He gave me a 'how should I know' look. So Ratchet was sorta Dylan's guardian be default, and he didn't take the news like Optimus had had thought he would. I had no sympathy for the Prime when Ratchet straight out refused to associate with him. Especially when he gave me a pleading look to assist him. I mean, after all, I had warned my guardian. Finally after two whole hours of debate, Ratchet finally relented with a huff. It lasted for about eight in a half minutes.
After immediately disowning him after he told the medic he lost points on his test because he didn't know where his lungs were located at, Ratchet had firmly told Optimus that he wasn't dealing with someone who thought the heart's job was to take in Carbon Dioxide and thought the Cybertronian spark worked the same way. Before the two mechs could get into another argument, Bumblebee had promised that he would take care of him too. Besides, he really liked Dylan. He was like a younger version of Sam.
Ratchet shrugged at my question and gestures to Bumblebee. I gave Optimus a look and he gave one to Ratchet. Ratchet, however, seemed to be used to the look because he simply grabbed a wrench from...Yeah where the hell did he even pull that out from? He twirled it effortlessly between his digits, and I wanted to call him out for being a show off, but I preferred the wrench to remain in his hand. I huffed and checked my phone again. "Well if they aren't here in a little less than ten minutes, they're missing their own party." I glanced back at Mikaela, who was helping someone turn a table around. As soon as she was finished, she lightly trailed to our area, her eyebrows perking up in confusion.
"Is everything all right? What are you guys talking about? If it's important, shouldn't you wait for Sam?" Though I said nothing, the question annoyed me to wits end. Even if all the Autobots wanted to tell me something important, Sam didn't have to be there. I raised my eyebrows at her and she gave me a look. I glanced up and was surprised to see that Optimus was giving me a look as well. His was different, however. His was one of confusion, like a 'I thought you two were friends' look. I shrugged and mouthed 'I thought so too.' He gave me another look, though it was a look of surprise at me. I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out the issue.
Just as I was about to mouth him a question, I felt a tap on my right shoulder. I immediately tensed up and moved to defend myself. It was an instinct I had developed when I turned nine. To this day, I still wasn't sure if it was a good thing.
"Jumpy huh?" Lennox said, though it sounded more like a statement than a question. "You need to learn to relax," he continued on. I narrowed my eyes, though it had a playful edge to it.
"I survive."
He scoffed.
"Yeah I'm sure. Where's the twins?" The twins. Everyone's nickname for Sam and Dylan. Surprisingly enough, Jazz came up with the nickname. When he presented it, the rest of the Autobots gave a light chuckle, while Ratchet groaned. Everyone had looked past it, but I figured it was like a inside joke. Maybe mechs they knew. I wanted to ask Optimus, but I figured it wasn't my business. I was surprised that my "Cybertronian powers" were put on hold. Of course it was when I actually wanted to know information. I shrugged. "That's what we're all trying to figure out. Where is my dearest Sarah" Lennox frowned. "Did they just...leave? What form of transportation or they using? Also, your Sarah isn't feeling well." Lennox glanced at Bumblebee, waiting for a response. I snorted, glanced around and bit my lip.
"I'm not exactly sure. Are there any cameras we view. At least we'd have an idea of where they went." Lennox smacked his hands together.
"On it," he said as he briskly walked away. Ratchet snorted as he walked away. I didn't want to ask but as I was about to, I was surprised to find that Optimus beat me to it.
"Is everything alright, Old Friend?" Ratchet snorted again before answering.
"I don't see why he went to find an actual security camera. We could've done it just as easily."
I raised an eyebrow at him.
"You hacked the security cameras?" He shrugged.
"Naturally," he said, as if the statement made perfect sense.
Optimus gave him a reprimanding look, but said nothing else. I didn't blame him. Optimus was a smart mech.
I checked my phone again. "Well, they are officially late." I glanced around. "And lucky for them, so seems the president." As soon as the statement left my mouth, the President himself walked in, a whole squadron of armed guards closely following. I gulped and tensed up, my shoulders squaring, and I had an overwhelming urge to salute. He quickly made his way over to our group, who had made a line, all stances regal, but Mikaela's. She just wasn't used to it. I didn't blame her. I had gathered that he knew my name considering he knew my mother personally.
I had never met him in person, however. He firmly shook my hand and gave me a surprisingly wide grin. I tried my best to return it, but it came out as a forceful grimace. He seemed to notice a little, but he moved on to Mikaela. I glanced up at the Cybertronians above me, and I gave them all a reassuring look. I would introduce them. The president glanced at me and I knew he had the same idea.
I nodded and began, starting down the line.
"This is Jazz . His positions lies with the head of the Special Operations group." Jazz dipped his head down, his normal well...Jazzy personality, disappearing in a sparkbeat. The President gave him a respectful salute. I moved onto Ironhide.
"This is Ironhide. He serves as the Weapons Specialist." Ironhide followed Jazz and dipped his head down. The president saluted and moved on. I pointed fondly at Bumblebee.
"This is Bumblebee. He is the scout of the group and arrived here first. He's Sam's guardian." The president nodded before giving Bumblebee a longer salute. Naturally, Bumblebee playfully gave it back. I smiled at the youngest, and playfully whirred at me. Ratchet huffed, and I shot him an apologetic glance.
"This is Ratchet, the medic of the group. He was the top medic back on Cybertron." I figured I would talk him up a bit, just for the sole purpose of him not murdering me later. Even still, with Ratchet, you never really knew.
The president continued with his routine and gave Ratchet a form salute. Then, I pointed at Optimus. From there, I felt my body give a slight shudder. For every Autobot, I used my newfound "ability" to simply confirm what I already knew about them. But Optimus was different. While the Prime was my guardian, my knowledge was limited on what I knew about him. Basically meaning that my "abilities" were taking over, and my brain began spewing out everything I learned about him.
"This is Optimus Prime, designation: Orion Pax from Iacon. He was named a Prime when Megatronus the great gladiator's speech turned violent and Orion spoke of how Cybertronians should live on a planet that is ruled peacefully. After the high council made Orion Pax a Prime, his designation was changed to Optimus Prime. After Megatronus was re-designated Megatron, he started a group of rebels called the Decepticons." From that point, I attempted to pull myself out of the mental spiral that I had fallen into, so I awkwardly coughed.
"So...ahem. Here we are." I cleared my throat and finished pathetically. "So these are the erm...Autobots?" The President smiled warmly.
"Did you think of the name?" He asked. I wanted to facepalm then and there. However, I sighed and forced a smile.
"Uh no sir...Not exactly." He frowned. "Then why di- never mind," he waved it away.
Optimus glanced at me and slightly raised an optic ridge and I mouthed at him, "kill me now." He quickly looked away, turning his attention back to the President.
"As you have been informed, my name is Optimus Prime. It is an honor to be in your presence," my guardian said. The President smiled and shook his head.
"Ah, but the honor is all mine. It's not everyday that you get to meet a new race." I was so surprised, I almost let out a gasp, when Optimus let out a small chuckle. I've never seen my guardian smile, let alone any form of a laugh. I did, however, snap my head up to gaze at him in surprise. Perhaps it was because I could only see one side of his face, but even so, I could almost swear he winked at me. Was he drinking high grade or something? I shook my head in disbelief, but I was shaken out of my thoughts as the President asked me a question.
"It is my understanding that while you and your friend planned this party, it wasn't your idea. May I ask where they are?" I sighed and looked down.
"I'm not exactly er...sure?" The President smiled.
"Well I suppose boys will be boys." I wanted to point out how sexist his comment was, and how much I thought about ditching, but as always, I kept my thoughts to myself. I lightly laughed. The President looked around before smiling.
"Well we might as well begin."
Moments later, the lights dimmed and the music started as more and more political figures began to arrive. Mikaela immediately attempted to grab my hand and lead me to the dance floor, but that was one fight I would always win. I stood by the Autobots as I made a point to watch for the boys. Where could they be? I thought if all the possible places they could go, and the reasoning behind it. Eventually, I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of Jazz's voice.
"So are we allowed to party?" I frowned and looked up. While I was busy thinking about Sam and Dylan, I had let the thought of the Autobots slip my mind. I pursued my lips and shrugged .
"It doesn't matter to me."
Ratchet snorted.
"I feel as though your opinion is different from the rest of the humans concerning us." I thought about his statement and fiddled with my hands. A nervous habit.
"Well I guess so. But the President seems like he likes you guys enough. And the party is themed around you so…" I trailed off, hoping they would stop asking me for permission. Deep down, however, I knew they were right. They wouldn't ever really be accepted by most humans. It just wasn't realistic.
Jazz crossed his arms, clearly pouting.
"This is stupid. Why the hell are we here?" I glared at him.
"The same reason I'm here. And let me remind you all that every single one of you voted for a party theme. I didn't want to have a party, but yet here we are," I snapped. I made it very clear that I didn't think a party was a good idea, but everyone else voted anyways. I wasn't going to sit and listen to anyone complain about it. So with the thought in mind, I walked off, not exactly sure where I was going. I walked through a couple of doors, and suddenly, I was outside. It was like a book. Like when the main character gets so lost in thought, they end up somewhere with no memory of how they got there. Because suddenly, I was back in the forest. I blinked and looked around. I had to be at least thirty minutes away from the party! I squinted at the realization that the edge of the forest had a slight haze. I bit my lip and sat down on the forest floor.a breeze twisted through my hair, and I smiled at the thought of….thinking. By myself. Without the voice telling that I don't deserve to live. Without the voice telling me what I need to be.
And the best one, the alien voice that I don't understand. It was just me. All alone. I pursed my lips and stared around myself. I was always like that. Cautious when I was obviously safe. My eyes narrowed, however, and I stood up. Something wasn't right about the forest this time. It still felt the same, that was for sure. But at the same time, it did feel different. The feeling was different. I was able to be more alert. So what was the issue? It looked different, I knew that much. The haze of cloud and light that edged around the outer layer of the forest was not a figment of my imagination. I stood back up and made way towards the edge of the clearing.
Then, a realization made me pause in my tracks. My friend! He had told me to remember. I found he was right, on how easy it would be for me to forget. When you're trying to forget. For the last few days, I had been trying to convince myself that I was dreaming. Because, on a serious note, when does that ever work? But the ring and crown that kept appearing whenever I "summoned" pushed away every doubt in my head. My head snapped back as the crackling of leaves interrupted my train of whatever thought I had just had.
Thoughts are easy to forget.
"Ah, so you have escaped," the voice rang through the trees and I grinned. My safety was here. I scanned the area, attempting to find Him and bounded over to him when I spotted him. He gently reached out for my hand, and I gladly handed it over. We began to walk, yet I paused and turned to him.
"The haze over there." I pointed to the misty light. "We can't go through it. I'm not even sure what it is," I said, clearly frustrated. I hated not knowing things. Call it a "pet peeve" if you will. He chuckled and continued to pull me along. "The "haze" of which you speak of, is you're mind functioning one location at a time." I paused as what he said sunk in. I jumped back with my newfound knowledge.
"This is a vision?!" He chuckled again and led me to where the haze began. He slowly reached a hand in and gestures for me to do the same. I gave him a confused look, before slowly sliding my hand across the mist. I gasped as I opened my eyes. I was back. Just outside of the gate.
"Oh come on!" I yelled to no one in particular. I wasn't done talking to him.
"I should've invited him to the party," I said under my breath sarcastically. I huffed and made my way back inside, my arms crossed angrily. I knew I looked exactly like a four year old who was about to have a temper tantrum, but at the moment, I didn't really care. I took a deep breath and sighed. Then, on the other hand, the President was here.
'Do you wanna pull yourself together?' I snapped at myself.
I glanced around and my eyebrows raised in confusion. Was the party so awkward that nobody felt a little compelled to move? Not even a little? I sighed. I really couldn't blame anyone though. The host weren't even here! I made my way back to the Autobots, the frown on my face clear. Ratchet gave me a concerned look and the sarcasm was gone from his voice. See, Ratchet was one of the most odd Autobots I knew. I knew he really had a sweet and caring personality. It was just a simple factor that he wasn't...accustomed to: humans. It wasn't that he hated humans. I supposed it was just the fact that he didn't understand them. Or us. Lately, I had been having to remind myself that I too, am human. It's just that, when you start getting Cybertronian visions and weird elemental powers, your balance of life and biology seems to shift. At least in the mind of said person. I shrugged, my face kept blank and free of emotion.
"Guess I remembered that the host aren't here. Otherwise, I would've just went home," I joked nervously. At least it sounded nervous to me. However, despite how I felt, the other Autobots went with it. All but Optimus. He gave me a look, one that had an odd edge to it. Like he knew something I didn't. Something that related to me. I immediately thought of my friend. I paused as panic sunk in. I glanced around, making sure that he wouldn't waltz in, glowing light and all. Lucky for me, he didn't.
I gazed back at Optimus's unrelenting stare and I shifted under it. A loud whoop interrupted our stare down. He wasn't relenting,
yet I would say the same thing about myself. I was not about to expose my weird visions to the Autobots. Besides, I wasn't supposed to say anything about the forest. Or anything else for that matter. I quickly whipped around as Optimus's head shot up. I gasped at what I saw. In front of me was Dylan and Sam. That wasn't the issue here. It was that I noticed the slight wobble to their waltz. Sam's was more noticeable than Dylan's.
"Oh my god," I mouthed to Bumblebee, who gave me a concerned glance. I blinked, praying that this was a vision. No way this was happening! They come almost thirty minutes late, and they show up somewhat wasted. As if this wasn't bad enough, it wasn't the part I was most concerned about. It was that they were both underage! They would both go to jail! Or something like it. If I had it my way, I would've punched both of them and walked out, but I wasn't crazy. I would beat the shit out of them later for making me look like I was an idiot, and that was a promise. I never wished to die from embarrassment so much than now. I didn't even want to look at them. I knew for a fact I was going to be held responsible for their ignorant asses.
I pulled my hand against my face and turned back to the Autobots. I prayed I didn't start crying. I was more compelled to cry out of anger than sadness. I glanced around, wondering if I could find an exit really close to me. As soon as I found one, I was never here. I slowly turned back to Sam and Dylan and groaned. As it seemed, they had brought extra and were attempting to place it on the wine table. I peered closer and saw that Sam had a bottle of vodka, while Dylan held a bottle of fireball and rum. How the hell had no one tackled them to the ground yet?
I spotted the president, and winced as he swiftly walked over to me, a group of men following. Oh, I was so dead. I didn't even bother to give him a fake smile as his frown deepened. It was times like this where the Autobots were completely useless! He stopped right in front of me and crossed his arms. I looked at the ground as tears pooled in my eyes. I was going to murder those two! I hadn't cried in a long time, and I wasn't planning to start now. Rage tears or not.
"While I know it would be unreasonable to hold you personally accountable for Sam and Dylan's actions, I would really appreciate it if you could attempt to calm down." I nodded, still not looking up and walked towards them, my head rising as I prepared to give them everything they deserved. I quickly approached them and grabbed an ear from each boy. I didn't care that people were laughing and recording. I almost hoped they would post it. As I dragged the two boys from the N.E.S.T base, I swore at them, sometimes switching from a different language. Occasionally, I would copy Ironhide and Jazz's swearing, the type that made Optimus glance at them and give a look. I threw them onto the ground and let them have it. The swearing must have sobered them up a bit because they stared at me, eyes wide. I finished off angrily.
"You two left me at a goddamn party I didn't want to come to in the first place, then you have the fucking audacity to come in drunk! You have two fucking minutes to explain yourselves before I shatter those drinks you two brought over your heads!" They both glanced for a second before Dylan stood up, and began to explain.
Sam stood in my room, pacing nervously.
"You know, we should've never invited the President. We're idiots!" I glanced at him. "You just figure that one out," I bit back sarcastically. Sam wasn't the only one regretting this decision. Rose had done great planning and everything, but she refused to help host. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair that had the slightest touch of gel in it. Sam sighed and his hand shook as he fumbled with the lining of his suit.
"I need a drink," he muttered to himself. I frowned.
"You drink?" He shook his head.
"Not at all. I heard it helps with situations like this." I would be lying to myself if I hadn't said I'd been known to drink a bit, no matter my age. It helped. Numbed me from my family. And most of all...myself. I didn't know what it was about her, but Rose helped so much. She made me better. Like I actually mattered. Me knowing I could never do the same for her added to the list of things I hated about myself. She was just too different. I couldn't empathize with her. I could never be enough. I wrapped my arms around myself, something I had done since I was little. It helped. It helped when my parents were screaming at each other. It helped when my sister went missing and was found being sold. It helped with when my dad was killed in an accident caused by a drunk driver.
And here I was, throwing back shots at least three times a week in my own kitchen. Pathetic really. A fifteen year old alcoholic. I scoffed and Sam looked at me.
"What," he snapped at me. "I know I'm being ridiculous, okay?" I glared at him, but kept my mouth shut. I wasn't in the mood to argue. My hands began to shake, and squeezed my eyes shut. Pathetic. The need already there. I was weak. I hissed and began to march downstairs. I had offered for Sam to come to my place and he had accepted. He had said that his parents were too protective and his mom would've picked out his clothes and everything. I could relate. I guessed the only difference between Sam's mom and mine was that my mom wasn't as observant. I was glad. She worked so hard to keep me and my brothers and sister in school. To provide food and a house. I couldn't help but envy Rose. Everything handed to her. So what if she had to do a few pageants? It wasn't a big deal. At least not when she could have a life like mine. Then I met her. In the middle of woods. She was trying to run away like I was.
We were running away for different reasons, sure. She was running away to save herself. I wasn't. One less kid would help my family. I had heard about her in the news and in spite of myself, in spite of her story, I still offered to help. She was defensive, that much was clear. But she was different. I knew there was more to her than meets the eye. I know there is more to her than meets the eye. I continued down the stairs, Sam on my heels. He was talking, but I wasn't listening. He was rambling about absolutely nothing for crying out loud! I figured it was a nervous habit, but it seemed that he couldn't figure out, was that I get snappy when I'm nervous. I quickly found the alcohol cabinet, and I pulled out the first thing I could find.
Perhaps we were struggling, but somehow, the cabinet was always full. I didn't bother pouring anything as I simply drank from the bottle. After I had set the bottle down, I glanced back at Sam, who stared at me, eyes wide. I gestured at the cabinet, giving him a 'get what you want' look. He slowly grabbed a bottle and took a small sip. He immediately began to cough, pounding on his chest as if that would help. I raised an eyebrow at him, something I called the 'Rose look,' and rolled my eyes. I took another swig and huffed as I remembered the party. The plan originally was to bring a couple of drinks anyways. Not for us though. If only I knew I would learn something tonight. Something that might've changed my life. One shouldn't count on "originally". Originally wouldn't always work out.
I sighed at the two, Dylan's story not making any sense. All he told me was that they had originally planned to bring drinks for the guest, but somehow managed to down a bottle in the meantime. I raised an eyebrow at him, knowing that the story was more painful than that, but I dropped it. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Alright then, sure. Just go in there and...fix it." With that, I walked back into the base, an odd tiredness washing over me. I really didn't want to be here. The boys followed me quickly, the two talking quietly as I approached the Autobots. Who were, might I add, in the exact same position as they were when the party first started.
"Are the children alright?" Optimus question. I smiled at his concern. Always putting others above himself.
Bumblebee broke in.
"Yeah- how is- Sam?" I gestured at the two who had slowed down at the entrance.
"They're fine. Apparently, only a few people noticed. One of those people being the president of course, but they weren't as drunk as I thought. I'm just concerned on why they got drunk. Dylan's story doesn't make sense." Ratchet crossed his arms.
"You think Dylan does it more than we know. To numb himself." He didn't ask this as a question. It was a statement. I nodded tersely. I gave them all a serious look.
"We don't say anything about this tonight, but I want answers. If he won't tell me...he needs to lie better," I said seriously, before walking away. I knew where a few of the bathrooms were, but I wanted to go to the one farthest away. I walked at a slow pace, giving myself as much time to think as possible. It just didn't make sense. Everything is fine between the two, especially Dylan, and out of what seems like nowhere, they show up drunk. Dylan. It was him who I was more worried about. How he was able to hide it better than Sam. Yes, there was no doubt in my mind that he had drunk before. It was the severity of it that concerned me. I was also reminded of how little I knew about him. Compared to what he knew about me.
And for once, I was a bit fearful of him. It was no secret that I'm not one to trust. At this point, right in this moment in time, I trusted only the Autobots. The only human I trusted was Sam.
Dylan knew to much. I found the bathroom and swiftly ducked into it, not understanding why I was getting so nervous about Dylan. Everyone had issues after all!
'No,' my thoughts argued back. And I agreed. I had learned to trust my instincts a long time ago, and for the time being, my instincts told me to be wary of Dylan. And I knew for a fact it wasn't just because of the drinking. It was something else.
I was at my weakest when I met him, that much was for sure. I had deemed him totally fine, which just might've made my life a hell of a lot harder. And then, the other side of me, what most people would describe as one's heart( last I checked, mine was smaller than the Grinch's but it was still there) argued that I was being to paranoid.
I stood in the stall, debating on what needed to be done, when I heard the door swung open. Someone walked in, loudly talking to someone who must've been on the outside of the door. It would explain the volume of her voice. Maybe her boyfriend. Her voice was high in pitch and it had an entitled sound to it( if one could sound entitled).
"Can't you just wait? We'll find her!" I frowned and debated on whether to leave.
'Wait for her to leave...or have an almost guaranteed awkward conversation,' I seriously weighed the two options. I decided to take the risk and instantly regretted it. While I had no idea who this lady was, she seemed to immediately recognize me, a smirk appearing on her thin face, and even thinner lips.
"Well, well, well. I think I just found her." I froze, my naturally sarcastic system stuttering to an ultimate stop. What was with my luck? What had I done to the universe? With that fact made known about my sarcastic system, I went for the next best option: polite and fake innocence.
"Um, my sincerest apologies, but I'm afraid I don't remember you. Are you a friend of my mother or father?" She chuckled and twirled a piece of long red hair.
"Your dad. But I'm afraid I'm a little more than a friend hun." So he was cheating! I had suspected a few times, but I could never get enough evidence to make a compelling case to my mother. Yet of course, she could be as new as a couple of weeks. I just stared at her, biting my lower lip. It was very rare to say something that would leave me speechless, but that news did the trick. I just sort of bobbed my head up and down.
"And I'm assuming you'll know what'll happen to you if your mother finds out?" Alright, there was so much I could take in one night. Cut me a little slack! I was having major trust issues with someone I actually liked. Like as in liked, liked. Yeah. That kind of liked. Then she comes in like I'm somehow supposed to know who she was.
Well one thing was for sure...She was about to find out who I was.
I raised an eyebrow and my hands dropped and curled up into fists.
"Pardon me? What's going to happen to me? I'll bet it'll be nothing compared to what would happen to both of you if either one of you lay your hands on me or my mother. Or even my sister for that matter! If you hadn't been caught up to date on what the hell I have been doing for the last few days, let me catch you up," I hissed.
Her eyes widened, but she glared at me, eyes darkening. I gave the look right back to her. There might be a few things people could beat me in, but a stare down wasn't one of them.
You realize you've reached the top when even Optimus Prime falters at your gaze. I continued.
"For the past few days, I have made very good friends...no family with five robots, and heed me when I say robots. Giant robots. And all it would take for them to beat the shit out of both of you would be something as simple as me asking. There are many people you can mess with in this world, but let me tell you...I'm not one of them. It'd be wise of you to learn that when you've still got the chance."
With that, I spun out of the bathroom, giving my father a withering glare before rejoining the party, and trying to last throughout the night.
The rest of the party was surprisingly boring, but I was completely fine with that. It had been over for about three hours and I had took the chance to finally be with my guardian by myself. I vented to him about my dad and his girlfriend, and he listened, making the correct noises at appropriate times and nodding every now and then. Though when I mentioned her little 'threat,' his service clenched, and his optics slightly narrowed.
After all was said and done, he had also expressed his own concerns with our...race. To put it lightly. Mainly the political system in which we ran by.
In other words, he thought our government was complete bullshit, but I of course, paraphrased a bit. He also was very worried about Dylan and made it a point to have Ratchet scan him more frequently.
To my surprise, he ended our small chat, his reasoning surprising me for the second time.
"While I have enjoyed our time together, I am making it a point that you recharge tonight. One of your planet's soldiers have picked up a bottle of the medication you call melatonin. You must get as much recharge as possible for tomorrow." I pursed my lip from my position on his shoulder, giving him a puzzled look.
"Why? What's going on tomorrow?" Optimus paused before answering. "Tomorrow...the new Autobot recruits arrive." I jumped up and I felt him frantically position his servos, assuming I fell. It wasn't impossible factoring my natural clumsy er… ness? The fact that I was pretty tired also contributed. Not that I'd admit that though.
"And you're gonna let me come?! Also why do you always do that!" I knew if he was any of the other Autobots, he'd chuckle, but since this was Optimus I was dealing with, I had to settle with the slight raise of his lips.
"If you would accompany me, yes. You are my charge, are you not? And what do you mean?" He asked, answering both of my questions...with questions( though one was rhetorical).
"Do the dramatic pauses. Also can we talk about that laugh you did earlier with the President?" He lifted a servo for me to hop onto and I easily jumped onto it.
"I am having trouble remembering what you mean," he lied, gently setting me on the ground. I smirked at him and playfully narrowed my eyes. I made a point to quickly take my medication( I had showered before my chat with my guardian) and nestled into the couch.
"Recharge well," I heard Optimus whisper.
Then I was gone.
I wasn't asleep. Not yet. I was back. Back with my friend. He sat next to me, this time the setting relating to where I was. The couch. The only thing missing were the rest of the Autobots. I stared at him, my tired smirk, unwithering.
"What should I call you? What about Mark? 'Cause then, whenever you walk in, I can say "oh hi Mark." I giggled at my stupid little joke, yet he chuckled with me. I glanced at him and frowned, surprising myself by asking a serious question.
"Do you think I should trust Dylan. I don't even know why I'm making such a big deal of the drinking, but somethings telling me that there's more to it."
My Friend gave me a look and answered slowly.
"While I am uncertain of what will come for Dylan, I believe that it would be wise to watch him. Especially around the Decepticons."
I immediately sat up straighter and gasped.
"The Decepticons?" My Friend remained silent. And then, in that silence, I asked a question I should've asked myself a long time ago. I stared into his eyes, my eyes narrowed, easily opposing his.
"Can I trust you?"
Then with a flash of darkness and pain, my Friend was gone, and a pain in my chest was left in his place
Was that a wrong move by Rose...or was she correct to be suspicious? Find out in the next episode of Drago- okay, I'm done XD!
But seriously...any ideas or theory's?
So Dylan... might have changed his life. We'll just have to find out, won't we?
But next, the new Autobots arrive! Two annoying twins, three girls that seem to hate Rose with a passion, and more!
(Also why are all my awful chapters the longest? XD...I can't with myself)