The New Adventures of the Backyardigans

Prologue: Clean Slate

A/N: This is my first fanfic, and I honestly have no idea what I'm doing. Please leave a review and tell me what you think and if I need to improve anything. Thanks and enjoy!

As he watched the landscape zoom by him from the car window, his mind raced with thoughts and his heart was filled with an array of different emotions. Curiosity to where his family would soon make their new home. Fear of facing a brand new environment, completely different from the one he was used to. Sadness that he was leaving his old home, the one he had known for his entire life. And yet…it was dim compared to the other emotions, yet he knew it was there, deep inside him: a glimmer of optimism and hope that he would get through this after all, that he would soon acclimate and settle in to what would be his new home.

Even though he was nervous, and admittedly a little upset about moving, he didn't really have a choice anyhow. His father had recently been hired for a new job in Oaksburg, and of course, they had to move. It was a very stressful and complicated process, but they all thankfully got through it. Now, his family was nearing the end of their long, arduous journey. Literally. They were less than 10 minutes from arriving at the new house where they would soon be calling their home.

Oaksburg seemed nice and all, but he couldn't deny that he missed Atlanta dearly. His heart ached with a mix of sadness and nostalgia as he recalled the brisk, peaceful walks he would take with his father, the many restaurants that dotted Atlanta that his family would frequent, the school that he used to attend, and most of all, his old friends.

Wait…did he really miss them?

To be honest, he wasn't sure. Sure, they were nice at first and treated him like an equal, but over time, he felt that they were more distant toward him for some reason. Then they started being mean to him. He remembered feeling so betrayed and angry when they began bullying and targeting him. Even now, the very thought of it began stirring up again within him and caused his blood to boil with resentment. He remembered it getting so bad, that it resulted in him being pulled out of the school entirely. On the one hand, it was a bit upsetting that he had to leave, though on the other hand, he was glad to finally leave them behind.

Maybe there are other kids my age around here, he wondered. I could even find some new friends here. This could be a chance for me to build up a new social circle. He smiled wistfully as he fantasized about making new friends, people that were kind, friendly, loyal, different from his old friends…

"Hey, are you OK, dude? You're staring off into space again." The sound of his younger brother's voice abruptly interrupted his train of thought, startling him. "Uh, y-yeah, I-I'm fine. I'm good," he stammered. He didn't mean to sound so nervous; he was just so immersed in his thoughts that the sound of his brother's voice was unexpected.

"Thinking about Atlanta?" his dad asked. "Yes," he replied. "I know you miss Atlanta, honey. We do too," his mother said, joining the conversation. "But we can't change what happened in the past. All we can do is hold our heads high and hope the future is better."

"Your mother's right," his father agreed. "This may be unfamiliar to us, but we can also see it as a new chapter in our lives, a fresh start. Don't stress over it, OK, son?" He nodded in response. He felt more relaxed after hearing his father's words, his anxiety being somewhat relieved. Just as e was about to drift back into his thoughts, he suddenly felt the car slow to a halt. Looking out the window, he saw they had arrived.

The house's structure resembled somewhat that of a forest. Its walls were painted a luxurious dark green, and the trunk and branches that were the house's framework were smooth and straight, standing tall and proud.

It actually looks better than expected, he thought. The family of four exited the car, and decided to take a look inside the house that stood before them.

"So this is our new house? Cool," his brother said. He wasn't wrong. The interior was surprisingly well-kept, looking very neat and clean, save for the thin layer of dust that coated everything inside. It was currently vacant, not yet having any furniture to occupy its empty spaces. The rooms were quite spacious, each seemingly to be specifically designed for a different part of the house: a place for a living room, a kitchen, an office, etc. There was even a back door connecting to the kitchen which led to what looked like a large backyard outside.

Wow, this place doesn't look half bad, he thought. After a few minutes of looking around, they decided to head back outside to get their belongings out of the car.

As he walked through the doorway of his new house again, he took a deep breath of the warm, pleasant summer air. Maybe it was just the sun shining on his skin, but he almost felt like this whole neighborhood seemingly emanated a warm, welcoming aura of happiness. Guess this place wasn't going to be so frightening after all. This had the potential to be the beginning of a new chapter in his life…a clean slate.

He was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts again, only this time by his mother. "Hey, could you come and help us with these suitcases? They're pretty heavy," she called. He promptly headed down to the car and began helping his parents unload. As he carried his suitcase back up toward the house, he smiled to himself. He was still a bit nervous, but now he felt other things too. Comfort. Relief. Hope. He was looking forward to living here.