Okay, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
Present Time- 10 years later
'Crap! I'm late again! Cravers is going to have my ass for this!' I thought as I skated to the worst place ever invented; high school.
My totally awesome skateboard, with the Autobot insignia on the bottom, was made by me and Ratchet; and when I hit the button on the back, it turns into a hover board. I know, cool right?
Oh sorry, where are my manners? I'm Samantha Jane Cross! But everybody calls me Sam, mainly because of my tomboyish look and attitude. I have short brown hair that reaches my chin and curls in and chestnut eyes. I'm in great shape, of course spending your whole life at a military base for giant robots keeps you active, not to mention the special training. I'm wearing a black tank top with a black short-sleeved jacket that has a thin red line going across the back. I also have on my favorite guy, black of course, that go a little past my knees and have blue flames at the bottom, and my black converses. (Guess what my favorite color is?). I have on a pair of leather fingerless gloves that count as my fighting and skateboarding gloves, and, of course, no helmet. I never wear a helmet, which pisses Ratchet off to no end, because he's always worried I'll fall off or something. I don't know, I usually tune him out.
I get to the school fifteen minutes late, and the yard is completely empty. I skate to the stairs and pick up my board, jumping the steps two at a time. I carefully open the door, looking around for any adults; none.
'Yes!' I cheered happily in my mind. 'I made it!' I tip-toed down the hall, my classroom inching closer. 'I am home fre-'
"Miss Cross." A voice called from behind me just as I was reaching for the doorknob. I cursed under my breath and turned to face Mr. Cravers, the principal.
"Mr. Cravers, so good to see you again! Is that a new haircut?" He just scowled, his balding head reflecting light. I love being a smartass! Ha-ha!
"Come with me." He turned and I followed him. I let out a sigh of defeat. I should've known I wasn't going to get away with this, I never do.
I sat down in the chair while he sat behind his desk. I just leaned back and crossed my arms behind my head. I was so used to this, I had it all down. He wasn't going to punish me; he always just gives me a lecture and sends me off to class with a warning.
"Let's get this over with, Cravers, I've got a chemistry test and if I don't hurry, I can't cheat off of my partner." I said. He just ignored the comment.
"Samantha-"
"Sam." I corrected.
"Sam, I'm afraid I can't let you go this time." He paused, "I called your guardian. He's on his way to pick you up."
WHAT!
I shot forward in my seat, hands gripping the arm rest.
"What? But, b-but-" he held up a hand to stop me.
"Sam, this is the forty-seventh time this semester that you've been late without an excuse."
"Forty-eighth." I corrected again. "But a few of them were good excuses!"
"Your alarm clock sprouting legs and running away so you couldn't wake up does not count as an excuse." He simply stated.
"Oh." I slumped back in my chair.
"I'm sorry, Sam, but this is for your own good. This is the only option I have so I don't have to get you suspended, or expelled. You're a good kid, Sam, and I don't want your future to be ruined by a little irresponsibility."
"You're sending me home, though; doesn't that count as suspension, or something?" I demanded.
"It's only for a day; just look at it as the official beginning to your weekend. Besides, I thought you, of all people, would be happy to be sent home early without severe punishment?"
"Wait, wait, wait! You're telling me that you're sending me home without putting this on my record?" I was hopeful; maybe this day won't be so bad after all.
"No, I didn't say that. Yes, you can have the day off without severe punishment, but," with emphasis on the 'but', "when you get back, you'll have to serve detention after school for two weeks. Miss one single detention, Miss Cross, and I can assure you, there will be consequences." He warned.
Before I could make a remark and joke about Cravers' bald head, the door opened. I turned around and nearly shrank back in my chair.
"Ah, Mr. Ratchet, thank you for joining us. So sorry for the inconvenience. I hope you weren't too busy." Mr. Cravers looked at me when he said 'inconvenience'. I let out a low growl. The sound of someone clearing their throat made me stop and I looked over to see Ratchet glaring at me, which I mockingly returned, and stuck my tongue out at him.
"As I was saying," we both turned to face Mr. Cravers, "Miss Cross will be sent home early and will serve detention every day after school for two weeks starting Monday."
There was a silence in the room, Mr. Cravers and I stared at Ratchet expectantly, of course Mr. Cravers didn't know the secret that I knew. It's so much easier saying your kid is in trouble when they don't know she lives with giant alien robots.
Ratchet seemed to daze out, his eyes darkening. Oh man, I knew it! He's pissed!
His eyes returned to their light blue color and quickly stood up, making me jump up with him. Mr. Cravers also stood up and extended his hand. Ratchet took it, a fake smile placed on his face.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Cravers."
"The pleasure was all mine."
The ride home in Ratchet's alt form was quiet. I stared out the window while Ratchet's holoform was 'driving'. I wanted to say something, anything, to break the silence, but every time I opened my mouth nothing came out. Ratchet must have sensed it, because he let out a sigh.
"I don't know what to do with you, Sam."
There was a pain in my chest. Usually I don't care what people say about me, but when Ratchet says it, it hurts. Because he means it.
I gripped my skateboard that was sitting on my lap.
I stayed quiet; knowing he probably had more to say. It was another thirty minutes of continued silence before we pulled up to the base. He stopped inside the hanger, but neither of us moved, even though he unlatched my seatbelt. I looked over to him, his holoform disappeared, so I stared at the dash.
"Look, Ratch, I-" I stopped, not knowing what to say.
"You're incredibly stubborn and irresponsible," he sighed and muttered, almost inaudibly, "just like your mother."
Unfortunately for him, I heard it. My eyes grew wide, tears threatened to fall, but I refused to let them, because it showed weakness. I threw open his door, jumped out, and ran out of the hanger, outside. I threw my board to the ground, hopped on, and used my foot to press the button on the back. Two small rockets appeared on the back and blasted me forward towards a cliff side. I went over the edge, my wheels folded into the board and I was off.
-With Ratchet-
Ratchet transformed as he watched Sam fly off. Pain and guilt tore at his spark. He didn't think she heard him. 'Why the Pit did I say that at all?'
"Sunstreaker!" he called. Said twin walked into the hanger.
"What do you want, you cranky old bot?" Ratchet ignored the remark.
"I want you to follow Sam. She's upset. Find her and tae her home."
"Primus, what'd you do this time, Ratchet?" he demanded. Sunstreaker has been Sam's guardian for the last ten years, and whenever someone hurts his charge, he unknowingly gets a little angry.
"Nothing! I-" he paused, and then murmured something Sunstreaker couldn't understand.
"What?"
"I mentioned her mother!" he shouted. Silence.
"For Pit's sake, Ratchet!"
"I didn't do it on purpose, Sunstreaker!" he defended. There was another moment of silence.
"Fine, I'll get her, but you're going to have to tell her the truth sometime soon. I mean, it's been ten years, she's going to find out how Nina really died someway or another, and if she doesn't hear it from you, then that'll only distance herself more from you."
The mention of Nina's name and 'death' in the same sentence made him cringe.
True, he lied to Sam about her mother's death; he told her that she was driving in a storm and lost control. He never mentioned Sideways, or the fact that she almost died. Sam's stubbornness was as wide as Nina's was, and if she knew the truth, then she would stop at nothing to find Sideways and face him.
"I never thought it was that big of a deal if I could just keep her existence a secret from him." He said to himself.
"Lying to the one you consider a daughter about a Con that killed her mother ten years ago and nearly off lining her in the process, you don't think that's a big deal, Ratchet?" Sunstreaker blew up in his face.
After not getting a reply and seeing the remorse in Ratchet's optics, Sunstreaker backed off.
"You'd better tell her soon, Ratchet, because it's only a matter of time before Sideways figures out she's still alive." With that, Sunstreaker transformed and sped out of the hanger.
'He's right.' Ratchet thought, 'Sideways wanted them both dead ten years ago. And if he found out that he failed…' He stared out of the hanger entrance.
'He'll stop at nothing to get her.'
Sam's POV
I reached the city, calming down a little after my flight, and landed on the sidewalk next to an intersection, the intersection where my mom died.
I don't remember much from the accident. There was a bright light, and I woke up in a hospital. Ratchet told me she lost control in the rain.
I transformed my board back into a skateboard and stood at the corner.
For mid-afternoon, the city wasn't as crowed as I thought it was going to be. I looked around but a gleam of silver caught my attention.
'Silver!' I remember from the funeral, there was a gleam of silver that took off before I could see what it was. I looked across the street to see a shiny silver Ferrari parked along side a curb, facing me. For some reason I was very suspicious of this car, it was as if it was staring at me.
A loud, impatient honk interrupted my thoughts and I turned to see a familiar yellow Lamborghini pull up next to me. The passenger door opened and Sunny's holoform was staring at me from inside.
"Well? Are you going to get in or am I going to have to drag you?" Not wanting to see him follow through with his threat, I got in. As he drove away, I looked back to see the Ferrari had disappeared.
Something wasn't right.
Unknown-
He sat at the curb for hours. He hated this planet, especially the species.
'Disgusting humans.' He sneered. He suddenly saw a human girl jump off of a hover board across the street from him. He was amazed when the board turned into a skateboard. He scanned the device.
'Th-That board is made up of Cybertronian metal! But how could that girl possibly come into possession with-' he stopped when he noticed the girl staring at him, almost with suspicion. As he studied her face more, there was a hint of familiarity about this human, but was long forgotten.
'Who are you, girl?' He wanted to make a move and grab her, but his sensors started to scream of an Autobot fast approaching.
"Autobots!" he growled. He put up a field dampener so he wouldn't be detected. The Autobot pulled up next to her and honked it's horn.
'So, she's with the Autobots, huh?' He backed away from the intersection and drove away.
'That girl, I know that girl. But how? I don't remember, but perhaps a little visit will help jog my memory banks.' He chuckled darkly and disappeared.