Disclaimer: I don't own any characters blah blah blah owned by Anthony Horowitz blah blah blah don't sue me.
Summary: Some rules are meant to be followed. Others were made to be broken. John decided the rule of not writing about his ordeals was one of the latter. Years later, Alex finds a notebook in the attic and decides he needs to know what it means. His decision changes a lot.
Slight AU (Alternative Universe), characters acting slightly OOC (Out Of Character).
'Cause you're a Natural
Chapter 1
"59… 58… 57…"
At 8, Alex protested that he was too old for hide and seek. Secretly, he still enjoyed it. He may be fluent in more languages than some adults (English, French and Spanish) (1), and his hobbies may be a bit on the physical side (karate, scuba diving and skiing, to name but a few), (1) but sometimes Ian seemed to forget he was only a child.
It was nice having so much independence, but sometimes Alex wished Ian would act like an actual parent. Nag at him to finish his homework, answer his questions and bring him to meetups with his classmates. That was why he was happy Jack was hired as a housekeeper. She knew when to be strict and when to be relaxed and was a mix of older sister and friend.
By the time Alex realised he was falling, it was too late to stop himself. His attempt to stop himself only succeeded in moving one of the hooks on the nearby coat hanger. Staring up at the ceiling, he watched as a door opened and a ladder descended, hitting the floor with a muted thud.
Alex scrambled to his feet, peering up at the (until this moment) secret attic. Thoughts of Jack and hiding vanishing from his mind, he put his foot on the bottom rung and climbed into the attic.
(A.N: Alex is more childlike than in the books - though he is eight rather than 14, so what do you expect? - yet he still has that Rider curiosity
(1) As far as I can tell, the order or ages Alex learned various languages or sports, so I'm putting these in now. If I'm wrong, please tell me in the review.
The house in this fic is the one shown in the Stormbreaker movie, which can be found at 17 Saint Leonard's Terrace)