Chapter 2:
Wren POV-
The bright light was sunlight and there was a lot of it when we were dumped into a park. I blinked against the light looking up at the sky. It had been two years since any of us had seen the sun and we were drinking in every bit of it.
The park was empty, at least where we were, despite the bright, clear day.
'Everybody must be in school or at work,' I thought, looking around. It was obvious that we were still in Amity Park, but what year, I still could not tell.
I was so focused on my surroundings that I didn't notice the old man rise off of the bench not to far from us, until he was standing directly in front of us.
"I am Clockwork, Ghost of Time," the old man introduced himself, and the more I studied him the more that I could make out the blue-ish glow about him.
Most of the others recoiled in fear, which made sense since ghosts had taken over our world and enslaved many humans not only in Amity Park, but everywhere. Clockwork, did not seem surprised by this reaction as he sighed.
None of my family members expressed the same fear of the ghost. My our dad talked about ghosts, a lot, which, because of his knowledge, I had often guessed that was why he was awarded such a high position in the rebel forces. Anyway, my dad had always said that Clockwork was one of the good ghosts of the Ghost Zone, one of the few that not only supported the human race, but also was fighting to protect us.
"Guys, he's on our side," I told them, and most of them calmed down but still seemed weary of the wise old ghost. Clockwork looked at me, an amused smile on his face that obviously said, 'I-know-something-you-don't.'
"Thank you, Wren," he told me, and I was a little taken aback by the fact that he knew my name, "Now, with that said, I will continue. I will be your guide in this time, so if you have any questions you will call me. Anyway, you are in the year 2013, the year that many of your parents were teenagers. In fact, you are likely to run into your parents while you are here, or you might even be staying with them. But, I must stress how important it is that you never let any of them know who you are," Clockwork glanced especially at me, "Also, please do not get 'involved' with anyone of this time, that just creates a mess I have to sort out later. Also, no technology from your time is permitted around the people of this time," this time he glanced specifically at Sasha, an part African American, part Mexican girl who loves all things technology, a trait she got from her dad. She's a year younger than me but she's a close family friend because her dad and my dad were best friends in high school, so I know her well. Sasha looked down, embarrassed which made everyone laugh. "According to the cards you all hold, you are all foreign exchange students from an American military base in Turkey, which is why you all speak English fluently. That card in your hand has all the information you will be needing about yourself as far as your backstory goes, Including the new names you will be going by. Memorize it."
I looked down at my card. It had a small black and white photo of me along with my name in bold followed by smaller print beneath. Apparently now, I am Wren Elizabeth Erikson daughter of Daniel and Samantha Erikson. Sister of Jackson and Eli Erikson. Born on September 14, 1999. And I previously lived on the Incirlik Air Force Base in Incirlik, Turkey. College Dad went to: Southern Illinois University. College Mom went to: Southern Illinois University. How parents met: in college. Black hair, Blue eyes (seriously, do they think I don't already know that). Reason here: Foreign Exchange Program. Reason why you don't have any bags with you: you were told not to bring anything to give you more of an immersive experience here. Favorite Movie: the Avengers. Favorite Character: Captain America. Favorite Part: "Doth mother know you wearith her drapes." Favorite Book Series: The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Favorite Book in Series: The Battle of The Labyrinth. Favorite Song: Stronger- Kelly Clarkson
'Wow, really?' I shook my head, 'Way to be thorough.'
Part of that I didn't have to pretend, the Avengers is one of my dad's favorite movies so I've seen it like a million times (and that is my favorite part).
I turned to Jackson, "What'd you get?"
"The Matrix," he grinned, also one of Dad's favorites.
Clockwork cleared his throat, glaring at us when we looked back up, "If you're quite finished?" I blushed, embarrassed as some of the kids around us chuckled.
"You will be going to the Amity Park schools. Do try to look lost, you're not supposed to know the school, you're new," he reminded us, "Now I will pass out your schedules. And living arrangements. Don't worry, no siblings will be broken up."
My schedule was weirdly familiar to my actual schedule back in 2035. Then I looked at my living arrangements and nearly laughed out loud, I was living with my dad and my grandparents (unless there are another Jack, Maddie, Daniel, and Jasmine Fenton in Amity Park).
Again Clockwork gave me a very pointed look when my schedule was handed to me.
'Gee, thanks, ten minutes here and you already think I'm going to screw it up.' Which maybe I was, after all he does know the future, but I would have appreciated the benefit of the doubt.
"Wren, we got Dad," Jackson beamed, "This is going to be weird, seeing Dad in high school."
Out of the corner of my eye Clockwork cracked that knowing smile again an I rolled my eyes.
I turned to Eli, kneeling down to his level, "Now Eli, you know we're in the past, right?"
He nodded giving me a smile, which was kind of funny since he was missing one of his front baby teeth, "And we're going to see dad, but you can't call him dad, okay?" I asked slowly.
He nodded, "I know," he said proudly. I grinned and ruffled the hair on his head. I wondered where my cousins were staying.
"Where are you guys staying?" I asked walking up to them.
My sixteen year old cousin Carrie, the only child of my Aunt Jazz, shrugged. "You guys are already living with my mom, and my dad wasn't from here, so I'm living with...the Manson's."
"That's my mom's family," I told her.
"Oh, cool," she smiled and turned to our eight year old cousins, Mikey and Thomas, who are the sons of my Aunt Danielle.
"Who are you living with?" I asked them.
"I don't know," Mikey shrugged and handed me the paper. I scanned it, looking for a name.
"Foley. Oh, you guys will be staying with Sasha's dad," I told them, which meant that Sasha must be staying with her mom, Paulina. The two twins shrugged in unison, obviously not caring too much. I shook my head, rolling my eyes a little before handing them back their schedules.
"Hey," I heard a voice behind me. I turned around. It was James Baxter, only the most popular boy in my grade, not that I'd let that intimidate me or anything, we've known each other since kindergarten when he 'accidentally' put glue in my backpack. "Are you staying with one of your parents?" he asked.
"Yeah," I replied, "I got my dad."
"Oh really," he grinned, "Me too. I wonder if they were friends in high school? My dad always said he was a big football star, maybe I'll actually get to play with him."
"Yeah, that's awesome. What is your fake last name?" I wondered.
"Oh...um, Green," he shrugged, "What about you?"
"Erikson," I told him handing him my schedule.
"Hey we have three periods together," he exclaimed.
"Awesome! I'm glad I'll know someone!" I replied, then I looked over at our group. Clockwork seemed to be getting us ready to leave the park.
"We better go, it looks like we're going to leave," I pointed my chin towards the crowd.
"Oh yeah, I better go get my siblings, see you around," he called running off.
"See you," I called back and went over to where my brothers stood.
"...They should be expecting you, but please don't act like you know them. Now, is everybody ready to go?" Clockwork asked.
We all replied with various forms of 'yes' before we headed out in a mass heard down the main street in town.
Amity Park didn't look so much different than I had remembered it before the war started. You know, without constant ghost patrols everywhere and a sky that never got brighter than a dark purple.
Each kid or kids were taken to each of the houses individually, by order of the block, which made us one of the last, this I knew because of the location of Fenton Works, which is now the center of the Amity Park rebel base.
I saw Sasha get dropped off at her mom's house, it was a pretty big house, she waved goodbye to us as the door closed behind her.
James and his younger brother and sister were dropped off next at, yet another, really big house, this must be the richer area of the city.
In the future wealth gets harder to distinguish because everything monetary and personal was taken by the ghosts. Instinctively, I touched the golden locket around my neck, one of the few belongings that I was allowed to keep. It belonged to my mom's grandma and my mom had given it to me.
Speaking of my mom, Carrie was dropped off at my mom's house next. My mom actually came to the door, I recognized her instantly. In the future she might not be Goth like she was here, but my mom's personality, coupled with her bright purple eyes, are hard to miss and I resisted the urge to wave at her.
The twins were dropped off at the Foley's, and slowly the rest of the kids were dropped off until it was just me and my brothers.
Clockwork floated up and waved goodbye to us, "Good luck, and remember what I said," he winked as he disappeared. I rolled my eyes and the three of us walked up the front steps to the door and I rang the bell.
"Ghost!" I heard the deep voice if my grandfather call out and I resisted the urge to laugh as my grandmother opened the door.
"Oh, you must be the foreign exchange kids, please come in, I'm Maddie Fenton," she smiled, it was so familiar it almost made my heart ache to be back home, "So you guys are from, Turkey?"
"Yes, well, actually the American Air Force Base in Turkey, but yeah," I lied easily.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Jack Fenton," grandpa said getting off of the couch and shaking our hands firmly.
"Danny, Jazz, come down here!" she called and I heard footsteps above and then saw my dad and my aunt come down the stairs. It was weird. That was not at all how I had pictured my dad in high school. I pictured him more muscular, like he is now.
"Danny, Jazz, these are the kids from the foreign exchange program that will be staying with us for a while," grandma told them.
"Hi," I waved. And Jackson took the opportunity to introduce us.
"I'm Jackson, this is my sister Wren, and our brother Eli," he said.
"Nice to meet you," Aunt Jazz said, shaking our hands.
"Yeah, nice to meet you," Dad said, shaking our hands too.
"Nice to meet you too," Jackson and I replied in unison, while Eli just seemed to be stunned.
And thus it begins.