Remember that other one-shot that was in a poll I had a long time ago? If you forgot then that's okay because so did I.
You all know the drill for self-promo. All the information is at the end.
Never in my life did I think I would be thanking Buzzfeed for an idea but thank you Buzzfeed. I literally couldn't think of an idea for this sneak peek but Buzzfeed provided.
Photo #76: When It Happened
Eadlyn smiles bittersweetly as she looks at the next photo. Her mother is young, she and her father were probably engaged when this happened. She thinks that this photo is in her mother's old home in Carolina based on the stories she has heard.
The house in the photo is empty. It's the day they all moved out and left that home behind. It sounds like nothing but the extraordinary, powerful, life-altering moments get all the attention. That's because they're memorable. They're exhilarating. Still, the little moments deserve some sunlight, especially because they still bring joy when remembered.
It's the people in life that matter, not the places you occupy. But a family home is a family home nevertheless.
It's a place you can never fully leave.
-o-
Today was moving day for the Singer family! After the announcement of the engagement of Maxon and America along with the death of Maxon's parents due to the rebel attack, they waited for the hype mixed with grief to settle down before this came into action. America was finally going to move the rest of her stuff into the palace just as her mother, May, and Gerad were going be moving into the house near the palace which Maxon bought for them.
Maxon huffs, exhausted. He sits on one of the closed boxes containing linens. May hands him a glass filled with room-temperature water as Magda leans against the wall behind him and pats his back. Magda smirks at him as May goes to check up on Gerad.
"You have a lot of stuff," Maxon tells her. He's been helping out in moving the boxes from in the house to the moving truck. Then, when they arrive at their new place, it will be the opposite.
"You offered," Magda argues. It was an offer she immediately said yes to. "You could've gotten some of your guards to help instead of just having them make a perimeter to the nom-existent threats. If you don't want to do any heavy lifting, then stop having such impressive muscles."
Magda jokingly winks at him. Maxon smirks at her as she goes out to the moving truck.
He gets up and walks around the house. Movers continue emptying the house and Maxon stops at the entryway of a bedroom. He leans against the doorframe and sees America with her back to him. She has her elbows on the windowsill and has her head tilted against her intertwined hands as she looks out the window.
"This was my childhood home," America says to him. "I was born here and I grew up here. It's weird to think that just a year ago I was a Five in this small house with thin walls, hearing every note being sung and harmonizing whenever an opportunity arose. I remember watching May and Gerad being born and growing up - despite Gerad still being an infant. Now, I'm going to be a One in the biggest palace ever. I was a musician at parties and now I'm going to be the Queen of Illéa. Nobody else but me could say that. It's not easy to pack memories and emotions into boxes and store them away because those just stay with you and make your heart heavy."
"Sadly - or happily - life doesn't always go according to plan," Maxon responds. "Life moves on and we just have to keep up with it."
Maxon couldn't be more right. America never thought her life would be the way it is now. Everything could change so quickly and Maxon is right on just needing to keep at pace with it.
"How do you always know what to say?" America asks him.
Maxon shrugs. "Oh, America dear, that was a Hallmark quote you could use for any situation. I'm pretty sure I read it off a card someone gave me. I have lived in the same place my whole life so I actually have no idea what to say when it comes to just leaving."
America wipes her tears with her thumb. "That's okay. You don't have to say anything since you'd actually be surprised at how much someone could say without talking. It's nice to get all of this off my chest. Someone should send me that card but make sure to address it to the palace and not here."
Maxon hugs her from behind. His hands wrap around her waist as he kisses the back of her head.
"If you got a chance to say something to your younger self to warn her about leaving this house, what would you say to her?" Maxon asks her just to lighten the mood.
"I could say anything to young America?" America questions, excited to play along with this game.
"Anything you want."
"I wouldn't say I'd be warning her."
"Bad choice of words on my part. Just say that you're telling her in advance, giving her a glimpse into her future. I mean, young America would've had to have moved out of the house eventually, wouldn't she?"
"Hey!" America exclaims. "Nobody knows what goes on in young America's mind. Sometimes present me is even confused."
They both laugh a little. America looks up as she thinks about that question for a bit. Maxon rests his chin on her shoulder and she leans her head against his. He can feel her smiling a little as they both look out her window.
"Younger America," America starts, "tune that violin of yours and practice your scales because you will never see this day coming. This is the day when it all happens. It's when you realize that you are growing up into an exceptional woman."
If you've ever moved from your childhood home like I have, you know it's hard. I know that even when I would go back to my childhood home, I would always feel like crying.
I tried so hard not to make any puns in relation to the story it's advertising but here it is:
When It Happened - (spoilers for The Heir) Everything was completely fine for her until her heart stopped and the world around her completely shut down. See the story of America before, during, and after her heart attack. (Maxon x America OS)
Stay Tuned - "How do you take your popcorn?"
