Hey everyone! Welcome to my new story, Beast Wars: Far Away. This story was inspired by two of my favorite Beast Wars fanfiction stories, In Love and War (Which is a crossover with Calvin and Hobbes) by Blu Taiger, and Beast Wars: My Guardian Angels by DreamPrincess2591. Both are very good, and I recommend you check them out.
This story will take place during season one of Beast Wars for those of you who are wondering. I am very excited to share this with all of you and I hope you enjoy this first chapter introducing my new characters. PS, sorry for any grammatical errors.
Beast Wars: Far Away
Chapter 1: Meet the Pierces
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers and Beast Wars
The thunder rumbled loudly in the sky as lightning danced around. The dark clouds gave the scene an ominous tone as it stormed over a rocky landscape. Even the fog was enough to make anyone feel uneasy.
Deep in a gorge, two silhouettes, a large and small one, ran through the fog and hid behind the rock wall. A glowing pair of blue optics peaked around to make sure the coast was clear. Seeing no sign of danger, the two figures ran over to the other side. Once they ducked down behind a large rock, the larger figure peaked around again. The lightning flashed in the sky, revealing his face. He was a tall robot with red and blue armor that resembled a flat nose semi-truck. His battle mask was on and ready as he scanned the area.
Beside him was a smaller bot with yellow armor resembling a Volkswagen beetle and horns on his head. With his weapon in his servo, his glowing blue optics looked up at the tall bot. "You see anything, Optimus?"
Optimus had his suspicions as he kept scanning. "Be on your guard, Bumblebee," he told his friend as he held up his gun.
The two carefully stepped out from their hiding spot as they kept their weapons up and ready. Both were back-to-back as they tried to see through the fog. It was so thick that they could barely see what was in front of them. Just then they heard movement, alerting them both.
"You hear that?" Bumblebee asked.
Something then rushed past the two, making them point their weapons in the same direction. They saw a large dark silhouette slip away as it disappeared into the fog. Both remained quiet and still as they readied themselves.
Just then a shot was fired in their direction. Optics wide, they leaped out of the way before it could hit them, making it hit the ground instead. They then heard someone maliciously laughing through the fog. Recognizing the laugh, both turned around to see the dark figure walking towards them.
The large figure then stopped as the fog cleared away from him, revealing who it was. He was taller than Optimus with silver armor, glowing red optics, and a large black cannon on his arm with smoke escaping from the barrel.
"Megatron," Optimus said with a frown.
The Decepticon leader evilly grinned. "Well, well. If it isn't Optimus Prime and Bumblebee." He raised his cannon at the two and charged it up. "Prepare to perish!"
Both Optimus and Bumblebee again dodged his attack as they leaped out of the way. Once Optimus landed, he aimed his gun at the tyrant. "Not today, Megatron!" he declared, "we will not allow your tyranny to continue on this or any other world!"
The two Autobots fired at the Decepticon with everything they had. Megatron easily repelled their attacks and fired at Optimus. The Autobot leader was hit in the torso, making him fall to the ground with his weapon flying out of his servo. He let out a groan as he laid there on his back.
Megatron evilly chuckled as he went to fire at the Prime again.
"Leave him alone, Bucket Head!" Bumblebee cried out as he charged at the large Decepticon.
Optimus' optics fearfully widened at this. "Bumblebee, NO!" he shouted.
The yellow Autobot didn't listen as he leaped into the air and went to strike. However, his attempt was proven futile when Megatron's servo reached up and grabbed him. With barely any effort, the Decepticon threw Bumblebee away, sending the small bot flying into the rocks. Optimus watched in horror as the rocks fell down on top of his friend, completely burying him.
Megatron evilly laughed as he turned to look at the Prime. "Once I finish you off, I will seize control of this planet you call home, and the humans you swore to protect shall be crushed under my heel!" He threw his head back and maniacally laughed as the lightning flashed behind him.
Anger immediately took hold of Optimus as he glared at Megatron. Making a fist, he punched it into the ground, using it to push himself back onto his pedes. "I will not allow you to harm anyone, Megatron." He fully faced his foe as he activated his battle axe. "At the end of this day, one shall stand, one shall fall!" The Prime then released a battle cry as he charged.
"Megatron, begone!" eight-year-old Valerie shouted as she charged with her toy battle axe.
The tall, thin bearded man, who was wearing a cut out silver bucket on his head, playfully fought his daughter who was dressed in her homemade Optimus Prime costume. Letting out an evil laugh, he wrapped his arms around Valerie, making the girl squeal in surprise as he trapped her.
"Haha!" he laughed with his 'Megatron' voice, "Now I got you, Optimus!"
Emerging from the big pile of pillows on the couch, a five-year-old boy dressed in a homemade Bumblebee costume let out a battle cry as he leaped onto his dad's back. "No one hurts Optimus!" he bravely shouted.
This made the dad let go of Valerie, allowing both her and her brother Rory to attack. Each grabbing a pillow, the two kids gleefully laughed as they whacked their dad with them.
The grown adult pretended to be overpowered as he let out a fake cry. "Decepticons, retreat!" He then started running away as the kids cheered and chased him around the house. After running around in a circle, the dad ducked down behind the corner as he heard the two approaching. Once they were in range, he let out an "AH HA!" before grabbing them both, making them squeal as he pulled them in. Valerie and Rory soon found themselves getting tickled as they laughed and squealed even louder.
The three were too busy laughing that they didn't notice the blonde-haired woman walking over towards them. "Alright," she chuckled, gaining the three's attention. "Time for bed."
"Aww!" both of the kids whined.
"I don't wanna!" Rory argued.
"Can't we stay up a little longer?" Valerie asked with big sad eyes, "Pleeease!"
"On a school night? No," her mom said, "plus, your dad has to leave early in the morning."
The dad chuckled as he removed the bucket from his head, revealing his short brown hair. "Listen to your mom," he told his kids, "I'll tuck you both in once you're in bed."
Both Valerie and Rory pouted but did what they were told.
Soon after she brushed her teeth and put on her flannel pajamas, Valerie hopped into bed and waited for her dad. Sure enough, he entered and tucked her in. As he did, she looked at him sadly.
"Do you really have to leave?" she asked.
"I gotta, Kiddo," her dad said, "but I'll be back in a couple weeks."
"But that's too long."
Her dad softly smiled as he sat down beside her. "I know it's not ideal, and I wish I didn't have to go. But I'll be doing a lot of traveling with this new job. Which means when I'm gone, I'm going to need you to help your mom out and to take care of your brother. Can you do that for me?"
Valerie was still sad but gave him a soft smile as she nodded. "Okay, Daddy."
Once Valerie said her prayers, her dad leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night, Kiddo," he said, "Love you."
"I love you times infinity," Valerie said with a big smile.
Her dad chuckled as he smiled back. Turning off the lights, he closed the door behind him as he left the room.
Valerie looked at the door for a second before rolling over onto her side. Closing her eyes, she soon drifted off to sleep.
(Seven years later)
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP…!
Valerie woke with a start as her alarm clock beeped loudly on her nightstand. Groaning to herself, she brought her hand up and smacked it down on the button, silencing the accursed alarm. She then let out a yawn as she sat up in her bed. Tucking her long brown hair behind her ear, her hazel eyes glanced around her room.
She tried to keep it as tidy as possible. The only thing that was messy was her desk. She had a ton of homework the night before and still had her papers and notebooks just scattered on the desktop.
There were pictures of friends and family on her walls and dresser plus a few of her old toys she still had for keep sakes. On her shelves were books and baseball trophies she had won over the years. She even had a few medals hanging up on some of the small hooks. She looked over at her chair in the corner. On it was her blue baseball uniform and glove, waiting to be worn again later in the day.
Finally, she looked over at the picture on her nightstand. On it was her when she was ten years old dressed in her baseball uniform with a gold medal around her neck. Kneeling down beside her was her dad as they both smiled big at the camera.
"Morning, Dad," she said softly.
Once she showered and dried herself off, she put on her day clothes. She decided to wear a lavender V-neck t-shirt and dark blue slim jeans with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. After a quick inspection in the mirror, she made her way upstairs to wake up her siblings.
Once the fifteen-year-old made it into the hall, she noticed the master bedroom door was cracked open. Quietly she made her way over and peaked inside. Her mom was fast asleep with her work clothes at the foot of her bed, waiting to be worn again. Her mom had been working a lot of late shifts and would return home when everyone was asleep, meaning she wouldn't be up for another few hours. Not wanting to disturb her, the teenager quietly shut the door and continued on.
Next, she entered her sister's room. Almost everything inside was animal themed. There were posters on the walls with kittens, bunnies, and koalas, and stuffed animals everywhere. Valerie made her way over to the small bed and looked at the bundle buried underneath the butterfly printed covers. Placing her hand on the bundle, she gently shook it.
"Chloe," she said, "time to get up."
There was a small whine from under the covers. Taking the corner of the blankets, Valerie pulled them away, revealing the half asleep six-year-old cuddling her favorite stuffed cheetah.
Letting out a yawn, Chloe brushed her strawberry blonde hair away and looked at her sister with her tired blue eyes. "I don't wanna," she whined.
"Sorry, Kiddo, but it's a school day," Valerie said, "Go use the bathroom before your brother gets to it first. And don't forget to make your bed."
The little girl pouted but did as she was told.
Getting Chloe up was the easy part. Now it was Rory's turn.
Valerie then headed for her brother's room and opened the door. She was greeted by a mess as usual. Clothes were scattered all over the floor and his nightstand and desk were cluttered with junk. He even kept a lot of gadgets around. Video games, a radio, headphones, a camera, walkie talkies, a discman, and even his dad's old computer. She looked over at the bed. The 12-year-old was sprawled on the mattress with his grey blanket partially covering him. He lightly snored as his shaggy dark hair covered his eyes.
The teenager walked over and gently shook her brother's shoulder. "Rory, time to wake up."
Instantly he stopped snoring. But he didn't budge.
"Rory, come on, get up." Valerie said as she shook harder.
Still nothing.
She frowned at him, knowing he wasn't asleep. "I know you can hear me!" she said in frustration.
"Go away," he finally grumbled.
"Not until you get up."
The boy only rolled over and turned his back to his sister, telling her he refused.
Not in the mood to put up with Rory's attitude, Valerie stormed out of the room and came back with a large cup of ice-cold water. Immediately she dumped it onto her brother's head, making him jump up in surprise.
"HEY!" Rory exclaimed as his brown eyes shot daggers at her.
"That's what you get!" Valerie scolded him, "When I say time to get up, I mean it." She then stepped on something, making her look down to see it was an empty plastic cup of pudding. "Seriously?!" she exclaimed as she picked it up and held it in front of her brother's face. "For crying out loud, Rory, you have a trash can! And it's the only thing in this room that's clean!"
"What are you, the garbage police now?" her brother asked snidely.
She frowned as she chucked the empty container at him. "Just get ready for school! And for Pete's sake, clean up this room!"
"Yes, Mom!" Rory resentfully mocked.
Valerie ignored him as she left the room. She still grumbled to herself as she made her way back downstairs to start making breakfast.
It didn't take long for her to get eggs cooking on the stove. As they cooked, she put some bread slices in the toaster before opening the fridge. She took note it was starting to look a little bare. She then grabbed the carton of milk and shook it. Not a lot left. Rory and Chloe would have to split what remained.
"AAAAAAH!"
Valerie jumped when she heard her sister screaming. Shutting the fridge door, she booked it up the stairs and ran into her sister's bedroom. Even Rory rushed out of the bathroom to check on his little sister.
Chloe was on the verge of tears as she stood on her bed with her blanket and cheetah held tightly in her arms.
"Chloe, what's wrong?!" Valerie urgently asked.
"SPIDER!" the girl cried as she pointed at her dresser.
Valerie looked over to see a small black spider crawling up the white dresser, not even bothered by the scared six-year-old. Seeing it was nothing major, she sighed and shook her head.
Chloe always had a fear of spiders. It wasn't as bad before until one night when she decided to sneak out of bed to see Valerie and Rory watching Arachnophobia. Not only didn't she sleep for a week, but she would freak out at every single spider she saw.
Rory gave his little sister a look. "Seriously Chloe? You screamed bloody murder over a tiny spider? You're such a sissy."
"I am not!" Chloe argued.
"You are to."
"Am not!"
"Are to!"
"Enough, both of you!" Valerie scolded them. Walking over to the window, she opened it before grabbing a piece of paper. She then used the paper to scoop up the spider and then release it outside.
Rory looked at Chloe and smirked. "I bet it's already too late," he told his little sister with a spooky voice. "It probably crawled inside your ear while you were asleep and laid its eggs in your brain!"
The little girl's eyes widened with horror before she started hysterically crying.
"Rory!" Valerie scolded her brother as she closed the window shut. She walked over to her sister and helped her off her bed. "Don't listen to your brother," she said as she tried to comfort her sister, "He's just being an idiot. It's alright. I promise you no spider laid eggs in your brain."
The girl still bawled her eyes out, making Valerie glare at the boy.
"What?!" Rory asked, "Not my fault she's a crybaby."
"Grow up, Rory!" Valerie retorted.
"Make me!" he said snidely.
Valerie grumbled at him but was relieved when Chloe finally calmed down and wiped her tears away.
The six-year-old then scowled at her brother. "That wasn't funny, Rory!" she angrily exclaimed.
The boy only snickered at her. He then sniffed the air and made a face. "What's burning?"
Valerie's eyes widened. "Crap, the eggs!" she exclaimed as she took off running before the smoke detector could go off.
Once the two younger siblings were dressed up and ready, they sat down at the table eating their half-burnt eggs and toast.
Rory was wearing his black Jurassic Park t shirt, a pair of silver jeans, and his black and blue digital watch. His hair was still a mess, but he didn't care.
Chloe was wearing her white butterfly short sleeve dress with minty green leggings and a beaded bracelet that had a white daisy in the center. Her wavy shoulder length hair was left down with a butterfly hair clip on the side.
Both looked at the TV as the news came on. They stopped eating and stared at the screen while the news reporter spoke.
"After a major battle struck Mission City, the Autobots were able to prevail and save countless lives," the reporter said before it cut to the footage. "Here you see two of the Autobots saving a bus load of people seconds before it could drive off the broken overpass. Again, we thank our protectors for their heroic deeds. But the questions remain. Will the Decepticons' tyranny ever end? Will the Autobots still be able to protect us from such a threat?"
"You think the Autobots and Decepticons will ever come here?" Chloe asked her brother.
"To Dull-side?" Rory asked with an emotionless expression, "doubtful."
Valerie silently agreed. Not a lot happened in their small town, Hillside. It was a quiet neighborhood far away from any major cities. The only real excitement about it were the large hills near the outskirts, known for their hiking trails and beautiful scenery.
Seeing that her siblings were too distracted, Valerie grabbed the remote and turned the TV off.
"Hey!" Both of her siblings exclaimed as they looked at her.
"Finish your breakfast," she told them, "The bus will be here soon."
Rory rolled his eyes as he bit into his burnt toast. "I'd be more eager to eat it if it didn't taste like charcoal. What did you do? Cook it with a blow torch?"
"Keep it up and I won't cook for you ever again," she warned.
"You promise?" he asked with a cheeky grin.
"Shut up and eat your eggs," she scolded him.
He responded by sticking his tongue out at her.
Valerie then went back to making their lunches for the day. For lunch she put together sandwiches with lunch meat. Hers with mustard, Rory's with ketch-up, and Chloe's with cheese spread and no crust. Once they were made, she put them in their lunch bags along with cups of yogurt and juice boxes. She then went to the fruit basket to grab them each a banana. But once she got to the counter, she noticed something hiding behind the basket with a dish cloth over top. Frowning, she moved the basket away and ripped off the cloth, revealing a stash of dirty dishes.
"RORY!" she angrily yelled. She turned around and scowled at her brother. "Are those the dishes I told you to clean last night?!"
"Clean?" her brother asked, pretending to be dumb, "you told me to deal with them. You should have been clearer."
"Don't play dumb! You knew what I meant!" she scolded him. "You're cleaning them before going to school."
Her brother dropped the facade and frowned at her. "And what if I don't?" he challenged.
"Then you can eat your future meals off the floor," she threatened.
Rory glared at her before looking down at his plate and angrily poking his eggs with his fork.
Chloe remained quiet until she was sure her siblings were done arguing. She then looked at Valerie. "Is Mommy coming to the game tonight?"
Valerie looked at her and sighed. "No, Chloe. Mom has to work late again."
The little girl was sad by this. "Why's Mommy working all the time?"
"Because we're poor," Rory answered without hesitation.
Valerie shot him a look. "We're not poor," she told him. Her expression softened as she looked back at her sister. "Moms just been falling behind on some bills and needs the extra hours to pay them off."
"Couldn't we help her out somehow?" Chloe asked, "what if we open a lemonade stand?"
Rory face palmed himself. "Oh gee, why didn't we think of that?!" he asked sarcastically, "that should cover about negative 0.5 percent of mom's bills. Genius!"
Chloe frowned at her brother, knowing he was making fun of her.
"It's a nice thought, Kiddo, but a lemonade stand won't do much," Valerie told her sister, "We'd be spending more money than actually making it."
Her sister sadly looked down.
"Hey, don't worry," Valerie told her, "We are helping mom by making sure we keep things in order while she's at work. That means doing our homework and our chores." She said the last part sternly as she looked directly at her brother.
Rory huffed at her. "Whatever," he grumbled.
Chloe sadly looked at her siblings. "But we barely see her. And when she is home, she's always sleeping." She looked down and sadly sighed. "I wish she didn't have to work all the time."
Understanding how her little sister felt, Valerie sighed as well. "Me too, Kiddo," she said softly, "me too."
(Time skip)
CRACK!
The baseball went soaring towards the outfield soon as the bat made contact with it. Dropping the bat, Valerie ran to first base then second. She managed to reach third base before the other team could tag her with the ball.
Her team cheered at this as they clapped their hands and stomped their feet. Over on the bleachers, Rory and Chloe sat together as the little girl cheered her big sister on.
"Way to go, Val!" Chloe shouted. She looked over at her brother. "Did you see that?!"
Rory was too focused on his hand-held video game player to even bother. "So, she made it to third base. Big whoop," he said unenthusiastically, "it's not like it's a home run."
Chloe frowned at him before looking back at the game.
Once Valerie's teammate hit the ball, she ran as fast as she could to home base. It was a close call as the ball was thrown back to the pitcher before being thrown to the catcher. Valerie slid through the dirt and managed to get her foot to touch the base a split second before the catcher caught the ball.
"Safe!" the umpire shouted.
Her coach and team cheered as she got up and jogged over to the bench.
"Nice hustle, Valerie!" her coach congratulated.
"Thanks coach," she said. She looked over at her siblings still sitting on the bleachers. Her sister happily waved at her. Her brother on the other hand was still glued to his game. She let out a sigh before sitting down with her teammates.
It wasn't long before the team grabbed their gloves and rushed out into the field. After a while of watching, Chloe grew bored. She looked at her brother playing his game and tugged on his sleeve. "Can I have a turn?"
"Heck no!" he said without even looking away from his game.
She frowned at him. "You've been playing that game this whole time! I want to try it!"
"It's not for sissy girls like you."
"I'm not a sissy!" she argued.
"Stop bugging me!" the boy snapped, "I'm almost at the boss fight."
The girl scowled at him. "I'm telling Val!"
"Go ahead," he said, "not like she won't yell at me anyway."
Chloe huffed as she looked away and folded her arms. After a while, she glanced over her shoulder and noticed a rabbit hopping along before stopping to eat a dandelion. Wanting to say hi to the bunny, Chloe grabbed her stuffed cheetah as she got up and walked away from her brother.
The rabbit lifted its head up as it heard footsteps approaching. Chloe immediately stopped as she tried talking to it.
"It's okay," she said gently, "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to say hi."
The rabbit was still afraid of the girl as it took off running.
"Hey, come back!" Chloe called out as she followed after it, getting further away from the baseball diamond.
Rory frowned at the screen as he fought the main villain. The level was harder than he thought, but he managed to get a few attacks in. But just when he thought he had the upper hand, he made a mistake which cost him. The villain released one last attack, killing off his character and ending the game.
"Ugh!" the boy groaned as he threw his head back. "So close!" Letting out a sigh, he looked to the side where Chloe was… only to find an empty spot beside him. Confused, he looked around for his little sister. "Chloe?"
Seeing the rabbit hop around a bush, Chloe slowly followed behind so not to scare it. She then heard laughter as she made her way around. There she saw two older boys about her brother's age laughing as they threw rocks at the rabbit. The poor animal tried to scurry away as it dodged the projectiles being thrown at it.
Angered by the boys' actions, Chloe ran over and yelled at them. "Leave him alone!"
The two taller boys stopped what they were doing and looked down at the girl half their size. One of them smirked as he stepped towards her. "What was that, runt?"
Chloe soon found herself growing scared now that she had their attention. "St-stop tr-trying to h-hurt him."
The red headed boy stepped forward. "Or what?"
Chloe nervously took a step back. "I… I..."
"I. I," the brown-haired boy mocked her. Both laughed at her scared reaction. She could feel her tears start to build up as she hugged her toy cheetah.
"Ooh, what's that you got there?" the brunette boy asked.
Chloe's eyes widened as the boy instantly grabbed her toy out of her arms and held it up above her. "HEY!" she exclaimed, "give her back!"
The boy laughed as he held the cheetah over his head and out of her reach. "Aww, what's wrong? We just want to play with the kitty." He then tossed it to his friend, making Chloe run over to try and take it back. But the friend caught it and kept the toy out of her reach.
Chloe couldn't hold back the tears anymore and began crying. "Please give her back!" she cried.
"Aww, the wittle baby is cwying!" the redhead boy mocked as he laughed. Just then he found himself roughly pushed from the side. He landed on the ground with a thud before looking over to see a very angry Rory.
"Give my sister back her cheetah!" he warned.
The boy stood up as he and his friend confronted him. "Says who?" he threateningly asked as he shoved Rory by the shoulder.
Rory stood his ground and glared at him. "Says me!" Without warning, Rory threw his fist back and punched the kid in the eye.
The redhead let out a cry as he dropped the toy and held his face. The other bully tackled Rory to the ground as they fought.
Scared at what was happening, Chloe grabbed her cheetah and ran off to get help.
Rory punched the kid who returned it to his cheek. The two locked arms as they got up and tried to overpower the other. The bully ended up kneeing Rory in the gut, making him grunt as he staggered. The boy then pushed Rory away, making him stumble back as the redhead appeared and grabbed him from behind. Rory tried to free himself as the redhead restrained him, allowing his friend to continuously punch Rory in the gut. Rory grunted from each blow as the bullies laughed at him. Letting out an angry yell, Rory managed to free his arm and elbow the redhead in the face. The redhead grunted as he fell back and held his bloody nose. Rory then tackled the brunette to the ground and got on top of him. He heard his name being called, but he ignored it. He angrily punched the bully as the latter tried using his arms to defend himself. Just then Rory felt a pair of hands roughly pull him off the bully.
"Rory, that's enough!" Valerie exclaimed as she pulled her brother away from the kid.
"These jerks made Chloe cry!" he angrily yelled.
"I said enough!" she snapped.
The bullies got up and ran out of there, leaving the two Pierce siblings behind. Rory growled under his breath as he pulled away from Valerie's grip. Soon Chloe ran over and hugged her brother tightly, happy that he was alright. Rory placed his arm around her as she hugged him. However, when he looked at his older sister, she had a look of disapproval on her face.
(Time skip)
Once they returned home, Rory sat on the couch with an icepack on his cheek. He frowned as Valerie stood in front and lectured him.
"You know better than to start a fight!" she scolded.
"They were picking on Chloe!" he argued, "what was I supposed to do?!"
"There are better ways to deal with bullies that don't include violence!"
"Well, they deserved it!"
"What you did was still wrong! Plus, you were supposed to keep an eye on your sister!"
"Oh, lay off!" Rory tossed the ice pack away, revealing a bruise under his eye, "you really expect me to keep my eyes on her all the time?!"
"You're the second oldest! That means when I can't watch her, you're responsible for her safety!"
"I never asked to be the middle child!"
"Well tough! We each have our own responsibilities! Dad always said-"
"DADS NOT HERE!"
Valerie's frown softened from her brother's outburst. Both quietly just looked at each other. The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.
After a moment, Rory stood up. "I'm going to bed," he said as he brushed passed his sister and stormed away.
"Rory!" Valerie shouted, only to be ignored. She heard him stomp up the stairs before hearing the sound of a door slamming shut. She let out a frustrated sigh, not knowing what to do. Just then she heard a noise coming from behind. Turning around, she saw Chloe hiding behind the armchair with a sad look on her face.
The little girl was told to play in her room while the two talked, but she wanted to know what they were saying and sneaked back down. She regretted it as the argument turned into a scream fest. Once her sister saw her, she stood up and hugged her cheetah.
"He was only trying to help," Chloe said softly.
Valerie's frown disappeared as she walked over and knelt down in front of her. "I know, kiddo. But he still shouldn't have thrown the punch. That's not how we deal with bullies. I'm just glad you're both alright." She then looked at her sternly. "However, you know better than to run off without telling us where you're going. Something worse could have happened and we wouldn't even know it. You have to be more careful."
Chloe shamefully lowered her head. "I'm sorry."
Her expression softening, Valerie hugged her sister. "Just please don't do it again."
"I promise," the little girl said as she tightly hugged her sister back.
(Time skip)
Valerie ended up passing out on the couch with the TV still on. Just then she woke up to the sound of the front door unlocking and opening, making her sit up with a yawn.
Her mom walked in wearing her work clothes with a tired look on her face. However, it turned to a look of surprise when she saw her oldest still up.
"Hey mom," Valerie greeted as she got up and walked over to her.
"Hi, Sweetie," her mom said, "I thought you'd be asleep already."
"I passed out on the couch," she said, "how was work?"
"Same old," the woman said as she tossed her purse onto the small table and hung up her jacket. "The stores been very busy with summer on the way."
"Suppers in the fridge," Valerie said.
"Thanks," the woman said as she hugged her daughter before making her way to the kitchen. "Now, tell me again what happened today with Rory."
Valerie sighed. "He got into a fight with a couple of kids. They were picking on Chloe, and he hit one of them. I tried talking to him, but he wouldn't listen to me."
"I'll talk to him before I leave for work tomorrow," her mom said as she grabbed the plate waiting for her in the fridge.
Valerie sat down at the dinner table as her mom took the wrap off her plate. "I don't know what to do with him! He's been so frustrating to deal with lately!"
"I'm sure he's just going through a phase. He'll come out of it eventually," her mom assured.
"I don't know if I have the patience to wait till eventually," Valerie commented, "all we do is argue. He even hid a stash of dirty dishes behind the fruit basket! And when he's supposed to keep an eye on Chloe while I'm playing baseball, he's too busy playing his stupid video game to even notice Chloe had wondered off!" She let out a sigh as she calmed down. "I don't know how long I can keep doing this."
The mom looked at the teenager and sadly sighed. Heating up her dish in the microwave, she sat down beside her daughter.
"I know I've been putting a lot of responsibility on you, and I'm sorry," she said, "things haven't been easy since your dad died. But I promise things will return to normal soon. If it makes you feel any better, I'll be home earlier tomorrow. The four of us can have a movie night. How's that sound?"
Valerie smiled. "I'm sure Chloe will be excited. She says she misses seeing you."
The blonde-haired woman smiled back. "And I miss spending time with all of you." Once the microwave went off, she got up and grabbed her plate of spaghetti and meatballs. An idea soon came to her as she looked at Valerie. "It's Saturday tomorrow, right? Why don't the three of you go hiking?"
Valerie raised her eyebrow at her mom. "Hiking?"
"Why not? You three loved going hiking with your dad. It could help you and Rory bond again. Plus, Chloe would love to see some of the wildlife."
Valerie wasn't so sure about the idea. "I don't know," she said, "we haven't been hiking in a long time."
"Well, why don't you sleep on it," her mom suggested, "I'm sure it will do the three of you good."
Valerie stayed up with her mom for a bit before retiring for the night. Putting on her pajamas and brushing her teeth, she climbed into bed and said her prayers before turning off the lamp beside her. She didn't fall asleep right away as she thought about what her mom said. She and Rory did enjoy hiking when they were younger. They would run up and down the hills and climb up the trees while their dad pretended to be a bear to scare them. Plus, the path they took always had a great view on the top. Maybe a hike was a good idea. What was the worst that could happen?
(The next morning)
Once she was ready for the day, Valerie grabbed each of their backpacks and filled them with the essentials. Water, sandwiches for lunch, snacks, whistles, walkie talkies, a compass, first aid kit, flashlights, sunscreen, bug repellant, and anything else she could think of. She even decided to pack the pocket multitool her dad got her for Christmas one year. He always did say to pack smart.
Soon she heard her two siblings making their way downstairs. Both stopped near the bottom when they saw their backpacks packed and waiting for them by the door.
"What's this?" Rory asked, "you kicking us out or something?"
"Nope," Valerie said, "the three of us are going hiking today."
Rory stared at Valerie for a couple seconds as he gave her a look. "I'm going back to bed," he finally said as he turned around to head back up the stairs.
"Oh, come on, it'll be fun!" Valerie told him, "It's been a while since we've gone hiking. We'll have a good time."
"Getting bitten by mosquitoes isn't my idea of a good time," Rory argued.
"I want to go hiking!" Chloe said as she excitedly made her way down and hopped off the last step.
Valerie smiled as she looked back up at her brother. "See? Chloes excited."
"Then you both go," Rory said as he started walking back up the stairs. "I'm staying here and playing video games."
Valerie wasn't giving up. "How about this. The three of us go hiking together, and you can pick the movie we'll watch with mom tonight."
Rory stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Moms working late."
"Nuh uh," she said, "she'll be back early tonight and the four of us will have a movie night. She told me herself."
"Really?!" Chloe asked, getting even more excited.
"Uh huh," Valerie said with a grin.
"YAAAY!" the strawberry blonde girl cheered as she jumped up and down.
Valerie looked back at her brother. "Come on, Rory. Just one hike. That is unless you want Chloe to pick tonight's movie."
The boy glanced up the stairs before looking back at Valerie. The last thing he wanted to do was go on a stupid hike. But he didn't want to end up watching a sissy princess movie that his little sister always picked. After a while, he let out an annoyed groan and turned back around. "Fine, I'm in. But don't expect me to enjoy it."
Chloe cheered as Valorie victoriously grinned. Rory only grumbled, already hating it.
And that was the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter is when the real excitement happens so be sure to check it out once it's posted. Until next time! God bless!