So, here's chapter two. Hope you enjoy.
I don't own Transformers Prime. If I did...it probably would still be going, because I'd still want more.
A raven haired teenage boy sat at a desk, surrounded by kids clumping into groups. None of them talked to him, a few (including a ginger haired boy) glared at him, and two kids sat on either side of him. The boy himself had his head down on the desk, forehead against the cool desktop. His long pale fingers grasped large chunks of hair on either side of his head. His eyes were clenched tightly shut, his eyebrows furrowed, and his lips were set in a firm frown. His breathing was ragged and he groaned.
"Miko," The one boy on the raven's left side asked over the male to an Asian female. "Do you think we could get them to be quieter?"
"We tried that already Raf," Miko replied. She slowly ran a hand on the raven haired boy's back in an attempt to comfort him. "Thanks to Vince, they're only getting louder. And the teacher left so we can't ask her."
"What about aspirin?" Raf asked again. "Don't you have some in your bag?"
Miko frowned.
"I had some," She spat, glaring over at two a blonde girl in a pink shirt and blue skirt, who let out a screech of laughter. "But it was in my gym bag. And that got stolen and I only found the bag. Nothing from inside."
"It's...okay," The raven boy in the middle said weakly. "We've only got a few minutes left of class. I can hold out until then."
"But are you sure you can ride with Arcee, Jack?" Raf asked. "Having a migraine this bad and trying to ride probably isn't such a good idea."
"I'll let her do most of the driving," Jack said. "I usually do anyway."
Jack let out another groan, and clenched his hair tighter. His skull was fracturing and splitting more and more with each passing second. Miko and Raf frowned. They both could see the oldest boy was near involuntary tears from the pain.
The bell rang and Jack nearly screamed from the sound. He slowly picked himself up and grabbed his backpack. After four agonizing minutes, he, Raf and Miko got out to the parking lot.
Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead waited for the trio patiently. Raf and Miko sped off with their respective guardians and Jack slowly got on Arcee and strapped on his helmet. The femme felt something was off about her partner.
"Jack?" She asked. "You okay?"
"F-fine Arcee," Jack said. "But I've got pretty big headache. How about just straight home today?"
The boy's response made Arcee uneasy. She slowly pulled out, taking full control. Within minutes they arrived at the Darby home. They pulled into the garage and Jack got off, pulling off his helmet slowly.
"You sure you're okay?" Arcee asked again.
"Yeah Arcee, I'm fi-" Jack was cut off by another stab of pain slamming into him. The teen gave out a yell and crumpled, hitting the cement floor with a thud. Arcee jolted in surprise and transformed back to bipedal form and tried to reach out to her partner, only to stall, unsure of what to do. Within a second she picked him up and held him close to her body.
"Jack!? JACK!?" Arcee yelled in concern. At the loud noise, Jack screamed in pain and rolled into a ball, clutching his ears and head. The door to the garage opened and June ran in.
"What's wrong? I heard yelling," June asked in a panic. Arcee brought Jack down to his mother and held him out.
"I don't know," Arcee replied, her voice shaking. "He said something about a headache. We drove back here and he screamed and collapsed!"
June looked at her son with worry. She picked him up from Arcee's servos with minimal effort. The blue femme was surprised the Darby matriarch possessed such strength. Despite Jack's lanky frame, he had to weigh at least 140 pounds. June felt her son's forehead and frowned. She looked up at Arcee with a calm face.
"It's alright Arcee," June said, so quiet Arcee had to strain to hear. "Jack just has a bad migraine. It's like an extreme headache. Sounds that are too loud or lights that are too bright can seem unbearably painful. It'll go away soon, he just needs a quiet, dark room to lay in for a while."
"Are you sure?" Arcee asked, equally as quiet. Jack whimpered and shifted in his mother's arms, curling in towards her like a child would.
"Positive. I had them all the time as a kid. I know what works."
Arcee nodded with a frown. Her comm beeped and she answered it, listening to Ratchet giving her orders. The femme frowned and nodded.
"I have to go," Arcee told June after she got off the comm. "I'll be back afterwards."
"Good luck," June said. "I'll let you know how he's doing when you get back."
Arcee nodded and shifted back to her motorcycle form, activated Sadie, and drove off. June watched the two-wheeler speed off; when she could no longer see her, June closed the garage door and carried Jack into the house. The boy groaned when the Nevada light reached through the large sliding door windows and hit him.
June frowned and kissed his forehead, carrying him into his room. She set him on his bed and walked over to the window and pulled the dark, light and sound cancelling curtains shut. Behind her Jack breathed lightly in relief, only to groan when his head pounded again. June shut the door, clicked on the ceiling fan and sat down next to her son on the bed, calmly running her hand through his hair. Jack whimpered in pain and buried his face in his cool pillow.
"Shhh," June whispered. "It'll be okay."
Jack's eyelids cracked open slightly, blue eyes misted in pain.
"...Mom?" He breathed. June smiled in a sad and comforting way.
"It's okay," She whispered. "I'm here. You'll be alright. It'll pass."
"...Jasper..." He whispered. June's face dropped.
"What about it?" June whispered. Without warning, pain exploded in June's skull and she clutched her head with the hand that wasn't on Jack's head.
The three kids and their guardians stood at the edge of the Groundbridge.
Miko with her hand up against Bulkhead's window, about to cry.
A beam of light descending on the Base.
Megatron and Starscream standing on the Autobot insignia of the base's floor, burning ruble around them.
Optimus Prime's hand laying motionless out of burning rubble as the laughter of Decepticons echoed in the ruins.
June gasped, opening her eyes again. Her vision cleared and she ran a hand through her hair, gripping it with a vice. She felt another hand on hers and she turned her head to see Jack, one hand gripping her hand and blue eyes looking up at her with a knowing expression and not a trace of pain on his face.
"Mom? D-Did you see that too?" He asked. While Jack often appeared nervous, or unsure, this was the first time in a while she'd seen him genuinely scared.
"Yes," June said. "I saw it all."
Jack looked down, and muttered. "Optimus."
June nodded and frowned. Jack saw Optimus as the father he never had and June knew it. She ran her fingers through Jack's hair in an attempt to soothe the boy's nerves.
"I know...I know," June looked her son in the eye, and he slowly met hers. "Jack, did you see anything before? During school or at any point?"
"...A-after I met the Bots for the first time," Jack replied quietly. "I...I saw myself at Vector Sigma, and me giving Optimus back his memories."
She ran her fingers through Jack's hair in an attempt to soothe the boy's nerves.
"I know...I know," June looked her son in the eye, and he slowly met hers as he sat up. "Jack, did you see anything before? During school or at any point?"
"...A-after I met the Bots for the first time," Jack replied quietly. "I...I saw myself at Vector Sigma, and me giving Optimus back his memories."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"You didn't know about the Bots at that time," Jack said. "And I thought I was hallucinating, or making stuff up, or...or..."
June cupped her hands on either side of his face, shaking her head. "While you have a point with the first part, you should tell me if this happens. I know what that pain is...and the consequences of those visions."
"Consequences?" Jack gave her a wary look. June looked down with a frown, remembering Dennis, Cliffjumper, Evan and many others.
"It's the curse that has been in our family since ancient times," She explained. "Have I ever told you the myth about Cassandra?"
"No."
"Cassandra was a daughter of Priam and Hecuba of Troy. She was given the gift of prophecy by the god Apollo in an attempt to seduce her. When she refused his advances, he cursed her so that while all her prophecies would be true, no one would believe her. She foretold the fall of Troy and during the subsequent fall she was captured and given to Agamemnon as a concubine. In the myth, she is killed by Clytemnestra, but in reality, she lived and had a family after Agamemnon was killed. Throughout the thousands of years, there have been several descendants of Cassandra who are also cursed in the same way, but now, there's only you and me."
"I'm sorry, what?"
Review if you liked, review if you don't. And hey, share this with someone if you want.
Thanks!