SUPRISRE! Guess who? Now before you all start throwing stuff (not that i'm denying you have the right it has almost been a year) I will actually be updating this now that I have a computer. Not that this is much of an excuse, so please except my most humble and sincere apologies.
Thank you to all those who have reviewed, alerted or favoured this story even in my little sabbatical your interest and support means a lot to me.
Now for what you've all been waiting for (drum roll please) Chapter three!
Chapter Three: Morning Showers and Encounters
With a start Fermat was wrenched from sleep by the shrill sound of his alarm. Rubbing sleep from his eyes he pulled on his glasses blinking as the room he shared with his best friend came into focus. Sighing he began his morning routine realising that once again, like so many mornings these last few weeks Alan was already up and gone. If he had ever come back to the room to begin with, a theory that as days passed with Alan managing to come and go without once waking Fermat was seeming more and more likely. Fermat was really starting to believe that Alan wasn't sleeping at night. The behaviour of his best friend this term had been increasingly puzzling, he seemed to have woken up one morning a completely different person.
Alan had begun to act calm and distant as apposed to the volatile, devil may care attitude he had portrayed around the school since his arrival. His grades had picked up, a sign that had shocked Fermat even more then the erratic behaviour. Oh Alan was smart, he had the capability to do better in classes then he showed but Alan never had. Admitting to Fermat once that he could never see the point. These days though it seemed that every time Fermat saw Alan he was studying or on his way out to run.
Walking through the hallways from the dorm towards breakfast Fermat stopped at the notice boards as he passed to double check the dates for his advanced physics excursion, noting with disbelief as he did so Alan's name scrawled down on the sign up sheets for track. Blinking in confusion he stopped a passing older student who was walking past. "Excuse m-m-me but i-is the n-n-n-name A-Alan Tracy on th-th-there?" with an odd look at the small genius the boy focused on the sign up sheets "Hey whatcha know Tracy has signed up, wonder if he's any good?" with an absent shake of his head he continued down the hallway pausing only to shout "Later kid" in Fermat's direction.
As much as he was glad that Alan seemed to be taking his studies seriously for the first time since finger painting, and trying to participate in school life for the first time since he had been sent to boarding school, Fermat couldn't help the shiver of unease that ran down his spine at the dramatic changes in behaviour that his friend was showing. With Alan so closed off he had no idea how to help his friend, all he knew was that it didn't take a genius to see this wasn't going to end well.
At this exact moment Alan was in fact awake, after having jerked out of the nightmarish images that clouded his mind whenever he left it idle, the condemning voices of his dreams echoing in his conscious mind. Rubbing his eyes with a curse Alan gathered the books that had become his impromptu pillow. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but it had been harder and harder to stay awake over the last few weeks. However that didn't mean the blonde had any intention of trying to get any real sleep anytime soon, he didn't have the time for one and more then anything he could not bare to dream. To see the dead bodies of his family, to hear their voices hard, cold and unforgiving, telling him over and over how it had been his fault, how he had killed them. How he hadn't been enough.
Looking at his watch Alan hurried out of the corner of the library that had become his hideout during the long hours of the night. Throwing a handful of chocolate coated coffee beans in his mouth, his latest dietary staple, Alan fairly flew down the hallways to the area of the school were the offices were situated. The guidance counsellor had requested a meeting this morning and thanks to his little nap he was almost late, an old habit but a particularly bad one as this was one meeting he really couldn't be late for.
Running as he was, Alan wasn't really focused on his surroundings, therefore it came as a surprise when he turned the corner before the administration building and barrelled straight into the chest of his science teacher. New to the faculty this year, Mr Cal Tessaro was a man of unremarkable appearance aside from the general unpleasantness he tended to wear as barrier between himself and the people around him. The most notable fact about the quiet, weedy man was the instant dislike he seemed to take towards Alan the moment he had laid eyes on him in class some weeks before. Alan had supposed this was due to the horror stories that he was certain the teachers told each other of his pervious behaviour, both fact and rumour from pervious schools, on his arrival.
Picking himself up of the ground Alan offered a hand to the man he had quite accidentally knocked over, only to be brushed harshly aside as the man hauled himself to his feet and snarled in his direction "In the future Tracy you would do well to watch were you are going." With one last glare the man stalked away in the direction of the science buildings leaving Alan watching after him for several seconds before he jumped back to action grabbing his fallen book bag and hurrying on his way, already forgetting about the encounter with what had to be his least favourite teacher in the school, and considering some of the teachers here, that was saying something. He had a meeting to get to.
On Tracy Island the lush beauty of dark tropical forest and pale sandy beaches, the calming rhythmic beat of the crystal waves and the warming glow of the morning sun, banishing the chill of the night, did little to improve the mood of a brooding Jefferson Tracy. Seated at his desk, several reports laid forgotten on the smooth wooden surface as he gazed unseeingly at a photograph of his five children. He couldn't help but think about his youngest son, after the horrific events of a few weeks ago, an adventure that still had him jerking awake in the middle of the night, his sons names caught in his throat. Jeff had thought he was finally making progress with the teenager. It had been such a long time since the father had been able to connect with his youngest, and for a time he had thought they were getting closer, reaching a level of understanding that Jeff had been missing since the kid had hit puberty. However before Alan was sent back to school their relationship had fallen back as though nothing had changed. If anything He felt as though things were worse now then ever before, It was as though every time the father saw his son he drifted further out of reach.
Sighing into the quiet of the morning Jeff ran a finger over the faces in the picture, before a loud shout startled him out of his revery. "GORDON" at the anger apparent in exclamation Jeff looked up to see what his second youngest's sense of humour had driven him to do now. Seeing his incensed eldest stalk furiously into the room dressed in only a pair of shorts Jeff did a quick double take before suppressing the laughter that bubbled up seeing his usually serious son, with skin a particularly garish shade of barbie pink.
The red haired trouble maker followed behind at a leisurely pace, laughing heartily at his brothers ire. Once he trusted himself to speak, Jeff forced himself to turn away from the the spectacle of Scott. "Gordon, explain" the red head shrugged.
"Why does everyone always accuse me, maybe this time it was Virgil playing with his paints again."
"What was Virgil" The dark haired artist stumbled sleepily into the room roused by the raised voices and laughter.
"You know it was you Gordon." Growled Scott. "Dad he put cool aid in my shower head. Again." The fledgling argument was interrupted by riotous laughter causing the others to pause and look down to were Virgil had collapsed on the floor at the sight presented by a pink Scott, setting Gordon off again. Raising his head in his brothers direction, he forced out between gasps "look it's Barbie Dream Scott" before completely loosing it once again. Pouting like a three year old Scott crossed his arms against his chest and went to storm out of the room, muttering about showers and bleach, completely missing the soft click of the camera Gordon had pulled out of his pocket, as the klaxon went off. As the boys stood by there pictures Jeff reflected that Gordon was lucky he wasn't standing next to his eldest brother, as John's parting comment had Scotts jaw clenching in a way that had to be bad for his teeth.
"Good thing we wear helmeted suits, hey Scott." and if a recording of Aqua's 'Barbie Girl' was played through the comms on the way home that afternoon, well Scott had always said he should have his own theme music hadn't he.
"Good morning Mr Tracy" the severe face of Wharton academies guidance counsellor looked up as Alan walked into the room. Miss McKinnon couldn't have been further from the the fictional ideal of a sweet friendly woman whose appearance compelled you to confide in her. Perhaps that was because Alan had never been in her office but for punishment and lectures. You know failing grades, destruction of property, fights. Not that it was ever his fault, exactly, he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, a lot.
"Miss McKinnon" He nodded in her direction as he sat in one of the seats in front of her desk, wondering not for the first time, if these seats were purposefully made short enough that whoever sat in them felt as though they were being towered over. As the women seated on the other side of the desk seemed to be doing now as she peered at Alan over the top of her wire rimmed glasses. As intimidation tactics went he supposed it was pretty effective, if you hadn't been raised in the Tracy family with four older brothers to boot that is.
"You wanted to see me?" He hoped to God that this meeting was what he thought it was, that he wasn't in any trouble. That would be just what he needed, more trouble for his dad to be disappointed about.
"Yes" She looked him over, eyes narrowed in disapproving suspicion. "It has come to the attention of the faculty that your attitudes in regards to work ethic have changed dramatically this term. So far, in the first few weeks your grades have pulled up, a change that given your prior history I would not have thought possible." At this she raised an eyebrow. "However as we can find no evidence of cheating." She stared him down with a piercing glare. He met her eyes with a steady gaze of his own, inwardly laughing at the continued attempts at intimidation, like that was going to happen. Seemingly satisfied with what she saw, the dark haired woman continued on, her voice, if possible, becoming even firmer. "It has been decided that if this new trend of yours continues, and your grades rise and stay there for the rest of the term we may have you moved into some of the more challenging courses."
Alan couldn't help the expression of shock that crossed his face and fought to close his mouth before he looked any more ridiculous, did she mean? she couldn't mean...
"Yes, Mr Tracy I mean advanced placement courses. You have started to show your true potential this term. Consider this offer an incentive if you will, to work even harder and work consistently. Do we have an understanding?" It took Alan a minute but he shook his head in the affirmative, speechless in the face of the unexpected, and consumed with a kind of hungry satisfaction that his plan was working. All the hard work, all the sleepless nights and the skipped meals. He would show them, soon enough. "Very well, you may go." with a dismissive wave of her hand the women focused her gaze on the screen in front of her. Mind still reeling Alan numbly rose from the chair and headed towards the door, almost missing the teachers parting comment.
"Oh and Tracy, congratulations on finally locating the library."
Hope you enjoyed this long over due installment. You will find the exists to your left, please leave a review on your way out. Have a lovely day or night where ever you are. Until next time darlings, I remain eternally yours xox.