CHAPTER 1: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, PART 1

"E pluribus unum (Out of many, come one)."

-Motto of the United States of America, 1782-1956


Welcome to Ocean Shores.

Once upon a time, this place was a Mecca for skaters, surfers, and beachgoers all alike; it was once the single best vacation spot to visit for any American, and, with offerings ranging from the beach, to Madtown skate park, to the classic fried foodstuffs of the Shore Shack, you are guaranteed to have a good time when you come here.

Then, that slowly started to decline.

With much of American youth turning their attention to their phones and the internet, interest in going outdoors slowly began to erode, and, as a result, caused a great economic downturn in Ocean Shores. In search of a better place to build a future for themselves and their families, people left the town behind to rot and decay.

This was taken advantage of by a millionaire named Alex Gravity. Owner of the Zero Gravity Zone skate park chain, a business that slowly but surely monopolized the skate park industry across the country, and changing the very sport of skateboarding for the worse.

Seizing the opportunity as the cunning capitalist he was, Alex Gravity proceeded to buy up all of Ocean Shores, doing so in a corrupt scheme to turn the entire town into a massive skate park city, advertising both the largest single skate park on the planet, as well as a selling feature that no other park could compete with:

Skateboards that ran not on wheels, but defied the very pull of gravity itself.

Said skateboards were also tested by a group of rogue skaters working underneath Alex Gravity, a team calling themselves the Rippers. Consisting of juvenile delinquents and adolescent adults with a penchant for violence, they became the mob enforcers made to push out the last remaining lives in Ocean Shores so he may do with it as he pleased.

But that conspiracy was stumbled upon and uncovered by a young man named Otto Rocket. Known for being a rambunctious youth, often rebelling over most directions to go and skate, he was a down-on-his-luck skater who posted his tricks to NewTube for money, with dreams of being a skating superstar like his heroes past, but had no success whatsoever.

His lack of success and poor living conditions became a point of contention for his father, who, upon inviting him to a dinner party, attempted to confront his son over his unclear and uncertain future. What began as a fun, happy family dinner erupted into a fight between the two, leading Otto to leave in anger and shame.

Following a walk about the town, he stumbled onto the Rippers in the midst of destroying a local business, one belonging to a friend of his, and dove in to intervene against the crime. Discovering the identity of one of the skaters as an old rival from his past, a man named Lars Rodriguez, he made it his personal mission to investigate and expose the conspiracy.

Those who aided him in this caper were...

Maurice 'Twister' Rodriguez, the younger brother of Lars Rodriguez and Otto's best friend, staying with him to develop an unrequited love for Otto...

Reggie Rocket, his elder sister, who, as a result of Alex Gravity buying and shutting down her place of business, was out of her job as a journalist...

...and Sam 'Squid' Dullard, the tech genius whose building Otto saw destroyed, investigated the affair to stop it.

The amateur investigation led to many points of interest, but success would not be one for a long while.

Having grown estranged from his family due to his rebellious nature, Otto, in trying to infiltrate the Rippers, became enamored with their group, considering turning to join them and abandon the desire for justice altogether, believing to have finally found a group that accepted him as he was.

Through reverse-engineering, Sam managed to not only replicate the hoverboards the Rippers used, but even improve upon them. In reconnecting with the old friends he once had as a child, he began to grow a closer connection with Reggie Rocket, eventually forming a romantic relationship with her.

Twister, on the other hand, found his attempts at gaining Otto's love not only fruitless, but also one that he barely understood himself. Not fully content or understanding of his own feelings, the turmoil he felt, combined with the mistreatment Otto dealt unto him, led him to run out from his arms and into that of his homicidal brother.

The betrayal that Otto put upon his friends and family soon bore greater consequences; Twister had received massive trauma over the time spent with his brother, having watched Lars mercilessly murder several people, and, in a loss too great to justify even for his own actions, Otto watched his father die trying to save his life.

The loss and guilt that he felt over his father finally brought him to realization of his wrongdoings, and swore to redeem himself for his wrongs. Teaming up with his old friends once again, Otto defeated Alex Gravity, Lars, and the Rippers, having killed the former himself, and believing Lars to be dead.

What followed after was a new age of prosperity for Ocean Shores.

With Alex Gravity dead and gone, alongside his park and financial ties to Ocean Shores, as well as the newfound fame that Otto and the rest had achieved, the city became a new hotbed for vacations and visits, bringing in a new, healthy economy that created a new Ocean Shores wtih many new citizens as well as old ones.

Those who fought for their city also gained their own stakes in it; the Shore Shack once again reopened with the Rocket family running the business, Sam opening a new electronics store next to the Shore Shack, and Otto running the pro shop Rocket Boards just below the restaraunt.

It brought in a new golden age for both the Rocket family and friends as well as Ocean Shores itself...

...but, in recent days, not for Otto Rocket.

An example has been more than provided on this day, as the businesses of Ocean Shores have been open for the past few hours. The work day has slowly gone underway, but it picks up the pace to normal hours and regular flows of customers coming through all business fronts.

The Shore Shack and Squid's Electronics still stand as the two shining examples. The Shore Shack, serving relentless flows of customers that come into the restaraunt for their hot and delicious meals, many opt to order take-out, deciding to carry their food to the beach to enjoy alongside the sand and sun.

This means that the waiters have less work to do, but the tables are already full with those customers who prefer shade and seating, and it most certainly does not make work less easy for Tito Makani, the head cook of the Shore Shack, as he tries to direct the chaos within by getting his teenage employees to see the meals they cook ready to serve.

For now, this goal seems few and far in between.

"C'mon, c'mon, cuzes, we got a big day today! Plenty of hungry people are coming by, and they're coming to get the best burgers in town! So we gotta give 'em what they want!" Tito cheered.

Walking up to a cook on the fryer, Tito lifted the basket out to find french fries turned black from the oil, ruining the batch.

"Caleb! You let them cook too long! You gotta get a new batch!" Tito complained.

"Sorry, Mr. Makani." Caleb said.

Moving past one nasally-voiced teenager with a perpetually-cracking voice, Tito moved onto another by the grill, finding the burgers on it to be small and dry.

"Jessie! You flip the patties only once! Too many times, and you lose all the juiciness!" Tito complained.

"Sorry, Mr. Makani." Jessie said.

And once more does he find a mid-pubescent boy doing his job insufficiently, accidentally putting wrong numbers on a pair of orders.

"Brandon! You got the orders backwards! Order 37 is a Big Kahuna Burger, Order 38 is the Coco-nuts Chicken Sandwich!" Tito complained.

"Sorry, Mr. Makani." Brandon said.

Sighing at the incompetence of his employees, Tito shook his head, receiving a friendly nudge from Noelani Rocket, his cousin and co-manager of the Shore Shack.

"Go easy on them, cuz. They're just kids, they gotta learn by experience. You weren't exactly a master at their age, either. You had to work your way up." Noelani said.

"I know, cuz. That's a lesson I've learned well. Ancient Hawaiian saying: 'The pineapple is not sweet when picked too early'..." Tito said.

"...'so let it grow and gain its sweetness'." They said in unison.

"I grew up on the sayings, too, you know." Noelani said.

"Yeah, yeah. But it's times like this when I miss Reggie. She might not have had best skills in the kitchen, but she at least could hold her own." Tito said.


Reggie Rocket has served her time in helping the Shore Shack get back on its feet, but now currently works at a local news outlet as a writer. Either at her office or at home is where she spends her time working, but, with her lunch break in effect, she has made it a point to visit Squid's Electronics, both to see that her laptop has received its necessary repairs...

...and to pay a visit to Sam Dullard, her boyfriend, going straight to the back of the store to find him working on a broken TV. Reaching her arms around his neck, she has managed to break his near-unbreakable concentration away from his task and received a kiss from him, giving both of them a happy spot unto their days.

"Hey, Sammy." Reggie said.

"Hey, Reg. Got your laptop all fixed up." Sam said.

Rolling his chair over to another desk, he took Reggie's laptop from it, handing it to her.

"Battery was corroded beyond belief, but that one should last you a long while." Sam said.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, Sammy! I really needed this for my article tonight." Reggie said.

"You're welcome. Now, how about you take me out to lunch in return?"

"An excellent idea, and I know just where we can go."

The two lovers then stepped out of Squid's Electronics, with Sam announcing his lunch break to his employees, walking next door to the Shore Shack to get their much-needed lunches. Seating themselves at a table, Noelani was quick to find them and greet them, giving each of the young adults a hug and kiss each.

"Hey, Noelani." Sam and Reggie said in unison.

"Hello, my sweet children. What'll it be today, the usual?" Noelani asked.

"Yes, please."

"Alright, then. I'll have Tito cook it all up, and we'll all come out and eat with you. Just wait here, my loves."

As Noelani departed to retrieve their orders, Sam and Reggie shared a brief moment alone to themselves, soon joined by Twister, coming off his own lunch break. Unlike the two other members of the family, who took great leisure in their work days, Twister appeared exasperated and stressed, as if though he had worked through a difficult day.

"Whew, finally. Hey, guys. Lunchtime, huh? I'm starving." Twister said.

Once Twister sat down, he let out a deep sigh of content, further adding evidence to his overworked state, and warranting a response from Sam and Reggie.

"You okay, Twist? You don't look so good." Reggie said.

"Yeah, fine. Just a real busy day today. I missed breakfast, and I haven't eaten anything all day. I'm starving. Been a long day all by myself." Twister said.

"What? All by yourself? Wasn't Otto there with you?" Sam asked.

"Nope. He didn't show up for work this morning."

Sam and Reggie took the news with great anger, but the latter took it with a greater personal offense, in light that he was her brother, and knew his ways.

"Goddammit, Otto. Just when I thought he was actually getting somewhere near being a functioning adult." Reggie said.

"Well, c'mon, be fair, he was up late last night, he probably missed some sleep." Twister said.

"If he has work early in the morning, then he should know better than to stay up late all night."

"How'd you know he was up all night?" Sam asked.

"I got up to take a leak, and I heard his TV on." Twister said.

"Well, if he does bother to show up today, I plan to give him my-" Reggie began to say.

Just as Reggie spoke, Otto was seen at last walking towards the Shore Shack, arriving on his skateboard at a slow speed. Upon reaching the Shore Shack, he kicked up his board, carrying it with him to the table and laying in next to him as he sat down with the others.

"Thanks for joining us, Rocket Boy. Nice of you to grace us with your presence today." Reggie sneered.

Seeming to care little for his sister's remarks, Otto rubbed his temples, keeping his eyes closed and his head down.

"Whatever, Reg. I'm not feeling so good." Otto said.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have been up late last night watching TV. Some of us actually try to keep normal sleeping schedules to keep our jobs." Reggie said.

"I'm my own boss, I don't have to worry about that shit. Besides, I passed out sometime at 9, didn't get up until a few minutes ago."

"You slept for over 12 hours?"

"Yeah, so? Sue me if you got a problem with it."

Noelani once again returned to the table, coming back with two plates of burgers, fries, and sodas for Sam and Reggie.

"Here you are, Reggie and Sam, and I see Otto and Twister are joining us, too! The usual again, boys?" Noelani asked.

"Yes, please." Twister said.

"Not hungry, Noelani. Can I just have a beer instead? A tall glass." Otto said.

Otto's request for liquor gained raised eyebrows, viewing it as irresponsible for his business.

"Don't you have work today, Otto? You shouldn't be drinking while on the job. Ancient Hawaiian saying: 'The surfer must not be drunk on pineapples, or else he-'" Noelani began to say.

"Noelani, look, I love you, but I really don't give a shit about work or Hawaii or whatever right now. I don't feel so good, and I just want a goddamn beer to get better, okay?" Otto asked.

Otto's rude and exhausted remark left a sour taste in all their mouths, but Noelani nonetheless complied with her stepson's request.

"Okay, then, Otto. If you insist." Noelani said.

As Noelani unhappily walked away, the consequences of Otto's actions were shown by the reactions of the others at the table.

"Otto, what is wrong with you? Why would you yell at Noelani like that?" Reggie asked.

"Because I just want a goddamn beer, and I wasn't in the mood for preaching. I get enough of it out of you." Otto said.

"And you don't think that's going to mess up your ability to do your job today? You already overslept, now you wanna get drunk as soon as you wake up?"

"I don't have work today. I have the day off."

"Since when?"

"Since now. I'm the boss, I make the rules, so I decide I want a day off."

"Oh, that's real smart. And how is that any fair to Twister? He's been working his butt off all day because you decided you needed a day off."

"I don't know, let's ask Twister, shall we? Hey, Twist, do you care if I need a day off?"

"Well... it kind of sucks that you left me all by myself, but... If you're not feeling so good, then-" Twister began to say.

"Twister, will you stick up for yourself for once? Stop defending him." Reggie said.

"But, I mean, look at him. Does he look like he's in good enough shape to work?"

The tired and sickly-looking Otto was clear enough evidence that perhaps his condition was serious enough to warrant a day off, ending Reggie's comments.

"Look, Reggie, we all need a sick day from time to time. It happens. Why don't we just lay off Otto until he's better?" Sam asked.

"Ugh. Fine." Reggie said.

Silently taking to her burger, Reggie joined Sam in eating lunch together. Noelani returned again, with a plate in one hand and a beer in the other, handing Otto the latter.

"Here's your food, Twister, my dear... and... your beer, Otto." Noelani said.

"Thanks." Otto said.

Taking an energy drink ouf of his pocket, Otto opened it and poured its contents into the glass of beer, mixing the alcohol and caffiene together into a cocktail of consciousness-warping contents that guaranteed him no clear mind whatsoever. The action gained shocked looks out of the table once again, and the observing Noelani.

"Can you say 'cirrhosis', boys and girls?" Reggie asked.

Once Otto began swigging down the contents, drinking nearly half of the glass in one sitting, he took out a joint and lit it, beginning to smoke it.

"Now you're smoking weed, too? Are you trying to screw your head up as much as possible today?" Reggie asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I am. I said I don't feel good." Otto said.

"Otto, you know you can't smoke that in here. We don't allow anyone to smoke in the restaraunt." Noelani said.

"Yeah, for tobacco. This is weed. Nobody ever got hurt from second-hand weed smoke. Besdies, it's an open-air patio."

"Otto, I'm not going to have this fight with you. If you want to smoke that, then go outside. This is a family-oriented restaraunt."

"So? I guarantee you no kid'll be put off by weed."

"Otto."

Hearing the sternness in her voice, Otto could find the heart no longer to test her patience, conceding to Noelani's demand.

"Alright, fine. I know when I'm not wanted." Otto said.

"That's not what I was-" Noelani tried to say.

Noelani's attempt at saying something to assure Otto was left unsaid as he quickly bolted away with his joint and drink, leaving the family alone and off-put by his behavior. The disposition towards him was not as hostile as it once was, but now screamed of concern for the prodigal son.

There is almost a loss of appetite at the table, but Noelani tried to assure those present not to worry, as not to see their lunch ruined.

"Don't worry, children. I'll go tell Tito to talk to him." Noelani said.

Noelani quickly departed to do just as she said, leaving the rest of the family to eat quietly. Their lunch is delicious as always, but uncomfortably silent to sit through.


Leaving the lunch table to consume his alcohol-energy drink mix and smoke his joint, Otto stepped to the back of the restaurant to face something to give his focus to. Through the haze of the various substances he consumed, there is only one thing that he can clearly focus on now, and cannot stop focusing on no matter what he consumes.

That something is the mural of his deceased father, Raymundo Rocket, painted by him 2 years ago now. He has made it as a permanent reminder to the world that this man once existed, and to show how much he was loved and the degree to which people would go to express it...

...but this has only served to cause him pain, remembering the estranged relationship that they shared together.

He regrets every word he said to him that was harmful and not loving, he regrets that he has not been a faithful son and an active part of the family he was born into, and it makes him feel less as a son to the man, and even less of a person to everyone else around him.

The several substances he consumes are an attempt to stop caring and stop thinking, but it still does not work.

In his drugged-up state, barely aware of his own surroundings, he caught a glimpse of something that he did not recognize was originally there, and focused his attention on it to try to discern what it was. And what it was turned out to be a group of children with skateboards, all looking up to him in wait.

Otto does not care for why they are there, only concerned with being alone.

"What the hell do you want?" Otto asked.

"W... We... We're big fans, Mr. Rocket. We were wondering if you could come skate with us and show us tricks." One child said.

Turning away, Otto took another inhale of his joint, blowing it in their faces as he exhaled.

"Piss off." Otto said.

The rude dismissal successfully rid Otto of the children, who ran off with sad looks and a few tears among the group. Caring not for the cruel treatment he inflicted on the children, Otto turned back to the mural, continuing to smoke and try to waste his brain away as not to feel his hurt any longer.

But once again, he is proven to not be alone. Alongside him he finds Tito standing over him, crossing his arms in disapproval.

"Not a good look for you, cuz." Tito said.

"You here to shit on me, too, Tito?" Otto asked.

"Never, Otto. Just here to talk some sense into you. You feel good about yourself about that? Feel proud of it?"

"No. I just wanted to be left alone, and they wouldn't let me be."

"Those kids look up to you, you know."

"Didn't ask 'em to."

"Doesn't matter. You saved this whole town 2 years ago, and helped make it what it is again. Anybody in your place is gonna get people lookin' up to him."

"So, if I didn't do what I did, I wouldn't have all this unnecessary attention on me?"

"That's not what... Otto, you listenin' to yourself? You would go back and let someone get away with the crime of the century just so you'd be left alone and be a nobody?"

"And he'd still be alive."

Looking to the mural on the wall, Tito understood at last the root cause of Otto's dismay, and let out a sigh.

"That what this is all about, cuz?" Tito asked.

"I'm the reason that he's dead now, so, you tell me." Otto said.

"No, Otto. Raymundo saved you because he loves you. You can say all kinds of vile crap about yourself you want, but Raymundo wouldn't have ever said any of that about you."

"He called me a loser."

"He didn't mean that, and you know it. Would he have jumped and saved you if he didn't think you were worth saving?"

"Apparently, I'm just some asshole that doesn't do anything but get high and drunk, so he made a huge mistake."

"No, cuz. You're making the huge mistake. Your dad saved your life, and what are you doing with it? Trying to waste it like this? You think this is a good way to pay back what he did for you?"

"It's the only way I can almost forget how much I miss him. And how much I screwed things up."

Sighing once again, Tito felt a deepening sense of defeat out of his failure to shake Otto out of his misery.

"Come on, Otto, you think I ain't hurtin', too? We all got our ways of dealing with grief." Tito said.

"I got mine right here." Otto said.

"Not like that, you don't. That doesn't get you anywhere but in a hospital, if you're lucky."

"Since when do you buy into the reefer madness bullshit?"

"There's a difference between enjoying an herb to think differently and overusing it to try to stop thinking altogether. I know someone with a problem when I see one."

"So is this the part where you say some stupid saying about coconuts or pineapples or whatever?"

"Not this time. This time, I got just one thing. If you wanna take some time, then fine. But don't go wasting yourself like this. Don't waste what your dad did for you. I already saw my best friend go into the ground. I ain't about to see his son go in there with him."

Tito then left Otto to his vices, hoping that his words left within him a message that could make him correct-course on his current path in life. Looking back at the mural, Otto thought over the heartfelt sharing of words that his metaphorical uncle left him, once again implanting thoughts that he could not drink away.

But the loss of his father soon overrode the words, with trauma once again supplanting love.


The day passes normally enough for the rest of the family, Otto's attitude towards them aside, and they all return home after a good day of work once again.

The Rocket house, once home to the Rocket offspring as children, now serves the same once again, with the recent additions of Sam and Twister under the same roof. Combined with Tito moving in, his old home destroyed as the old Shore Shack was, the Rocket family now lives together as one again, giving life to a home once occupied by but a widow.

Following dinner and various other night activities, most of the family goes off to bed, with the exception of Reggie Rocket. As per her job as a journalist, her employment requires her to keep up late to write her articles, such as now when she continues to write on her newly-fixed laptop.

Her work at home is easy to a mind like hers, and comfortable enough to do in her pajamas, and she takes extra comfort on laying on top of Sam in their shared bed. While she laid on top of him, Sam quietly enjoyed the pressure and warmth her body gave to his, leisurely reading a book on science to further educate himself.

However, the work necessitates nutrition just as much it does concentration, and Reggie requires her share of it, departing from the bed to get it.

"Hey, I was just getting comfortable." Sam joked.

"Ha-ha, Sammy. I need to get a snack. I'll be back in a bit." Reggie said.

Departing from their bedroom, Reggie made her way to the kitchen, but stopped outside the door to Otto's room. Though the house was dark with all the lights turned off, a series of lights could be seen from underneath the door, with faint noises coming from the other side.

Recognizing this as another instance of Otto neglecting his sleep schedule for a healthy work life, Reggie stepped inside to confront his poor decisions.

[Soundtrack Cue: KMFDM - Ganja Rock]

In the instant upon entering the room, Reggie's nose was assaulted with the smells of burnt marijuana, as well as alcohol, energy drinks, and various snack foods. Given a taste of his neglectful life before moving back in, Reggie's discontent was already put to its limits, and the blaring music that filled the foul air was also another annoyance that prepped her for plenty of harsh words to say against her brother.

But upon seeing him on his bed, and what he was doing, her anger suddenly became far less strong.

Continuing to smoke another marijuana cigarette and drink another beer, Otto also had the videotape Twister recorded after during their battle against Alex Gravity and the Rippers playing on his television, which he watched with the intensity of a conspiracy theorist with the Zapruder film, but with a focus on one specific part:

The supposed death of Lars Rodriguez.

Remembering him as the one to blame for Raymundo Rocket's death, Reggie understood Otto's anger much better now, and gained a degree of sympathy for the trauma her brother was going through, and what measures he was taking, no matter how drastic, to try to relieve the pain.

Continuing to watch the video, repeatedly watching Lars being dragged down to what he believed was his father's killer's death, Otto cannot hear anything except the loud, blaring music, hating Lars so much that he desired not even to hear his voice. All he wants is to keep watching him die, wishing that this moment of reality was the true end of Lars Rodriguez.

"Otto... Otto... Otto..." Reggie called.

Stoned and frustrated, trapped in immense focus of his video, Otto could not hear his sister, and, even if he could, would not heed her.

Grabbing the remote in Otto's hand, Reggie tried to pull it out from his hands, but Otto tightened his hold on it, fighting back against Reggie in refusal to give it up. Groaning in protest, refusing to get out of the failing, perpetual attempt at sanity he made, Otto finally lost control of the remote, Reggie having wrested it from him.

Turning off both the TV and stereo, she put all audio and visual noise out from the room.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

"Otto, what are you doing?" Reggie asked.

"Getting a sleep aid. I need to watch that piece of shit die again." Otto said.

"He's not really dead, Otto. I don't know how, but he survived. Watching that isn't doing anything."

"Sure it is. It reminds me that I failed to avenge Raym- Avenge dad. I thought I did it, but I didn't. I failed. I couldn't even avenge his death right. And that scumbag's still out there, and he's killed tons more people. I watch this just right, I can imagine he goes under the water, and he never comes back up. I can forget he's still alive."

"Otto, that's enough. What are you accomplishing by doing this?"

"I don't know."

"That's right, you don't know. But I know what you're accomplishing by doing this: Nothing. Getting stoned off your ass and putting yourself in a fantasy isn't solving the problem."

"It makes it hurt less."

"Oh, come on, Otto. You're not the only one who lost a dad, you know."

"Nope. Just the only one of us two that treated him like shit, and got him killed."

"No, he gave his life to save yours. You didn't get him killed. And sitting there and feeling sorry for yourself isn't gonna magically make it all better again. What's done is done."

"Yeah, Tito was feeding me that same bullshit earlier today, and I wasn't buying it then, either. And it wasn't because of his stupid Hawaiian sayings, because he didn't give me any this time."

"And how many times has he ever done that? Been so personal that he couldn't even do that?"

Ignoring her question, Otto prepared to take another puff from his joint, but Reggie knocked it away, pulling Otto to the side of the bed and speaking with him face-to-face.

"Otto. Listen to me. You might think I'm just some bitch that doesn't serve any purpose on this planet except to annoy you or piss you off, and that's all fine, you can think that all you want, but that's not gonna change the facts. You have a problem. You're bitching and moaning about how you screwed things up with dad, but what about the rest of your family? We're still here. And believe it or not, we all still love you. Dad loved you, and he loved you so much that we was willing to jump in that explosion to save you. Every one of us would do the same thing. Even me. You can't just keep running. You gotta let us back in. And you have to take care of yourself." Reggie said.

Pulling him off the bed entirely, Reggie took him out of the room and carried him to the bathroom, placing him in front of the sink with a toothbrush his hand.

"Now, brush your teeth." Reggie said.

"The hell is this, you my mother now?" Otto asked.

"I'm someone who cares about you. And I'm proving that by making sure you take care of yourself, because if I didn't care, then I wouldn't bother. Now, stop complaining and brush your teeth."

Sighing in annoyance, Otto began brushing his teeth as ordered. As he brushed, Reggie walked out of the bathroom, heading into Otto's room and digging for a fresh pair of pajamas. As soon as Otto finished his broken habit of oral hygiene, Reggie returned with the pajamas, handing them to him.

"And put that on. Your clothes smell like weed." Reggie said.

A quick change into his pajamas later, Reggie then walked Otto into her shared bedroom with Sam, finding her tired bedmate looking at the entering two with confusion.

"Something wrong?" Sam asked.

"Yes. Otto needs to be shown that people here do care for him. He's going to sleep with us." Reggie said.

Without question, Sam set away his book, helping Reggie bring Otto into the bed, demonstrating as well that he does care for his friend. As soon as Otto was in bed, he instantly took to the blankets and sheets, wrapping himself tight in them as a means of seeking comfort.

Looking on Otto with pity, Sam gave him an affectionate hug to further comfort him.

"Hey, come on, bro. You're alright. You're gonna be alright." Sam said.

"That's right. We're gonna wake up in the morning tomorrow, and we're gonna fix you out of this funk you're in together." Reggie said.

Reggie shared a kiss with Sam as a goodnight gesture, as well as a kiss on Otto's forehead.

"Goodnight, boys." Reggie said.

"Goodnight, Reggie." Sam said.

Otto gave no response, as his slowly-fading consciousness was beginning to slip away into nothingness as the warmth around him managed to relieve his stressed and exhausted brain. Once the lights were out, Otto was all the way gone into sleep, getting some of the first steps towards peace.

And with another step towards peace, humor is made in the situation, spoken by Sam.

"You know, this might be better for all of us if we put him with Twister. There's not a lot of room on the bed." Sam whispered.

"Shut up, Sammy." Reggie whispered.


The next day passes along, with Otto returning to work at Rocket Boards. He is not as well as he once was before, still in a clouded state of mind, but he has not been permitted any substances that make his mindset any worse, putting him a step in the right direction.

That said, his withdrawal also makes his head mostly swim in turmoil for the day, and saved only by the occassional painkiller. He mostly goes through the motions of work without any enthusiasm or glee, which he once felt from the work he enjoyed. All he can concern himself with is getting home as quickly as possible, so he can go straight back to bed.

The only thing capturing his attention at the moment is the news playing on a TV in the corner of his store, which currently moves on to its weather reports.

"This just in, we're getting reports of a huge tropical storm coming in to Ocean Shores, just barely making the cut of a hurricane. Winds are at 70 MPH and rising, with a warning put out for all residents of California's Orange County and southern are to stay indoors and off the streets. Ocean Shores' beach has been scheduled to be closed tomorrow as a result. Sorry, surfers and sun lovers, looks like you'll have to take a day off from the nation's surf capital." The reporter said.

Otto found no disappointment in the news shared, but instead felt an idea start to sprout in his mind. What idea came to him is a sort that he never had nor contemplated up until this point, and it almost shocks him that he could conceive of it, but, the recent events of his life make this idea tempting and enticing, no matter how permanent it may seem.

His thoughts on it are broken by the arrival of a returning customer coming up to the counter.

"Hey, Otto. Got my board ready?" The customer asked.

A brief pause is made in between him hearing the customer and the answer he gave, a testament to his focus of thought.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, here, one sec." Otto said.

Otto then stepped aside to a back room, retrieving the customer's board out of several commissioned repairs, and handed the finished product to him.

"Thanks, man. Sucks that storm's gonna make me miss out tomorrow. Gotta find some other way to pass the time now. But no better way to do that then the waves, right?" The customer asked.

"Yeah, sure." Otto said.

Returning to his sulking state of mind, Otto paid no more mind to the customer, who waited to make his payment for the services.

"So, uh, what's my damage?" The customer asked.

"It's fine." Otto said.

"But... I didn't pay yet."

"Just take it home, it's fine. It doesn't matter."

The sudden act of charity is one that the customer did not understand, but did not feel the need to question further.

"Uh, well, okay. Thanks. I'll see you next time, okay?" The customer asked.

The customer departed with his newly-finished board, with his temporary farewell not even registering with Otto Rocket. Nor does the loss of profit register to his concern, either; what he contemplates now makes all Earthly concerns with the world not anything he has to care about anymore.

All he can think about now is the release he will soon get.


The work day concludes with all stores shuttering and barricading themselves against the incoming storm, with the Rocket family going home for the day to rest.

Yet another dinner together is shared, with all present eating and indulging happily, except for Otto Rocket. His lack of appetite is noted, but not pushed on, for none are willing to push him through any hard times. Tito does his best to insist he eats, but even he fails to make the Rocket child eat.

Otto goes to bed like the rest, this time in his own bed, and not hungry despite his refusal to eat. For many nights, he has gone to bed with great difficulty in getting up in the morning again, finding very little reason in justifying the effort in doing so, and often sleeping in...

...but, as the morning has risen with the sound of heavy rainfall and the whistling of wind, he now has a reason.

The rest of the Rocket family wakes up later on, waking from the noises of the storm just as Otto has. Unable to attend their businesses, they are forced to spend a day in together to wait out the storm. It is not an inconvenience that they look to with frustration or anger, but with joy, knowing that they will spend a fun day together as a family.

Not bothering to change out of their pajamas, they come together in the living room, allowing the TV to play the news in order to keep updates on the storm. Coming together by the couch and living room floor, the young adults allow the older adults to come out with breakfast and board games, looking forward to waiting out the storm together.

"Alright, cuzes, I got a whole smorgasbord of breakfast ready, and Noelani's got out all the board games from the closet; we got Django, Very Hungry Hippos, and Hypercapitalism, what should we start with?" TIto asked.

"We still didn't finish our game of Hypercapitalism last time. We still need to finish." Sam said.

"That's because you rigged the game so it would never end, Sammy." Reggie said.

"I didn't rig it, I fixed it so it would work correctly. The whole point of Hypercapitalism was to show who anarcho-capitalistic principles like followers of Ayn Rand and market libertarians don't work when left to their own devices, and cause a total collapse of the economy altogether. You don't 'win' Hypercapitalism so much as 'lose' first. Under my version, I add a basic tax system and universal basic income program, so that way everybody stays in the game for good, and the game lasts healthily."

"Then there's no way to beat the game at all. You're just letting it go on and on forever."

"That's how a market should work. The market's not a game where you 'win' or 'lose', it's a utility to make sure that the consumer is protected, and the manufacturer and corporations are playing by the same rules so nobody gets hurt."

"In real life, yeah, but this is a game, Sammy. You just win or lose. A game that goes on forever isn't any fun."

"Well, I was doing it to make a point."

"And you made it well, Sammy. Now that you've made it, we're not playing it. Got it?"

"Hey, wait, Otto's not here to play yet. Shouldn't we go get him?" Twister asked.

"He's probably sleeping still. He could use it." Sam said.

"Not anymore. We can't just keep leaving him to sleep all day. Go on and get him up." Reggie said.

"But I-"

"I'm not leaving you here so you can pick Hypercapitalism again."

"Aw, alright."

Begrudgingly complying with Reggie's command, Sam walked up the stairs to the door to Otto's room, knocking on it and opening it soon after.

"Otto, we're playing some board games to wait out the storm, Reggie wants you to come join us-" Sam began to say.

When Sam found no sign of Otto in the room, he cut off his speech, heading back down the stairs to declare the absence of its intended audience.

"He's gone." Sam said.

"What?" Reggie asked.

"He's not in his room."

"Is he in the bathroom?" Twister asked.

"The door to the bathroom was open, he's not in there, either."

With the absence of Otto made a priority for the family, the interest in board games and fun was long gone, and instead the search for Otto was immediately put in place. Separating to check multiple corners of the house, the family continued in search of the Rocket child, but none found any luck in locating the absent family member.

"I can't find him anywhere." Noelani said.

"Maybe the cuz went for a surf? Wouldn't be the first time he tried it in this weather." Tito said.

"Oh, god, he better not have. The last two times nearly got him killed." Reggie said.

"I don't think he is." Twister said.

"Why not?"

"Because he didn't take his surfboard. I just checked the garage, it's still there."

"Couldn't he have just taken another surfboard?" Sam asked.

"Nope. He never takes any surfboard besides his own out in the water, and none of ours were missing, anyway."

"Then where the hell could he have gone out in this weather?" Reggie asked.

The answer came from the television, which continued to play updates on the weather, including a live feed on the streets of Ocean Shores.

"We are getting reports of heavy rainfall here in downtown Ocean Shores! I'm reporting to you live near the boardwalk, where the waves are hitting harder than ever, and there's nowhere to be found on the beach. Some might be adventurous enough to risk life and limb to try the waves in this storm, but the people of Ocean Shores have apparently wised up to stay- Wait, what's this?" The reporter asked.

The camera feed then showed a lone man standing atop the boardwalk rail, staring out into the raging ocean before him.

It was Otto.

"Oh, my goodness, that looks like somebody actually trying to make a surf in this weather! But I can't see his surfboard! Is he some sort of professional diver? Or this some other sort of beach sport? Whatever it is, I hope he's a professional. Any other man doing this, you'd think that they're suicidal!" The reporter said.

'Suicidal'.

That word began to bounce in the head of Reggie Rocket like a raging electron set loose from its pull around an atom, setting off stress and anxiety unlike any she has ever felt in her life before. She knew that her brother had his share of emotional troubles, but never before now had she thought that he was capable of taking his own life.

Not until she saw it with her own eyes.

"Oh, no." Reggie whimpered.

"Get the car." Sam said.

"I'm on it!" Tito announced.

Without hesitation, the family rushed out of the house and into the car, with Tito quickly starting it and driving straight towards the boardwalk.

Wasting no time to make their way to the boardwalk, Tito also makes full use of the car's gas pedal, putting it straight to the floor. The passionate act to reach Otto in time gives them plenty of speed, but, with the streets filled with rainwater, the high speeds of the car make it hard to control, and the low visibility in the weather make the act all the more dangerous.

Forced to lay off the gas pedal, Tito instead drove at a normal rate to reach him.

"Tito, what are you doing?! We need to get to Otto as fast as possible!" Reggie shouted.

"I can't, cuz! I go fast in this weather, the car's gonna topple!" Tito shouted.

Forced to race to Otto at a much slower rate, the fear and anxiety felt among the family is made all the worse by inaction, forced to fester and stew in their own frustration.

Not too far from the family, but far enough to leave him on his own, Otto continues to look out in the raging sea.

He takes a look back on his life, doing so with a passing interest. The moments of joy that he once felt in his own memories no longer give him the delight he once felt from them, recalling only the motions and no longer gaining anything significant out of the days he lived.

Instead, there is only regret and anger over his many mistakes. They are many and overwhelming, overtaking whatever sort of pleasure that he once felt in life. Combined with the withdrawal from the various substances that once gave him comfort, the last remnants of support are no longer in place.

Now, he is ready to jump.

The Rocket family car makes it to the boardwalk, and immediately does the family rush out of it and run straight through the rain to reach Otto. Pushing through strong winds and rain, they continue forward to try to reach the last member of the family before he could depart from them.

Then, he jumped.

The image of seeing him jump to his death, all while fighting through hell itself in order to prevent him from doing so, is an image that even the worst of nightmares could not conjure, but reality itself does. The Rocket family reach the edge of the boardwalk in vain, arriving only to see Otto fall into the ocean.

"OTTO!" Reggie screamed.

But the cry that Reggie yelled for her brother went unheard, just as Otto fell into the ocean.

Witnessing the suicide of the Rocket son, all immediately go into a state of depression, all coming to tears, with Reggie falling to her knees in sorrow. Sam does his best to comfort her, and Tito and Noelani also converge to cry as well, all coming together to overcome the traumatic experience...

...but Twister does not join them. It is not because of a lack of sorrow that he refuses, but because of a need for action he does.

Instead, he climbed up onto the edge of the boardwalk himself, making the rest of the family look towards him in shock and confusion.

"Twister, what the hell are you doing?!" Sam yelled.

"Meet me on the beach! I'm gonna get Otto!" Twister shouted.

Jumping off the pier, Twister dove in with his hands pointed forward, bracing himself for the high dive he took. Many times has he taken to the ocean, and from great heights, but never before has he dared to make such a dive, not when the consequences could be deadly.

But for Otto, he dares.

Diving into the ocean, he dares to swim through the roughest of waves and ocean currents, being beaten back and thrown about by the merciless hand of nature. With only a build of light muscle against a lanky body, it is no different than seeing a bug being blown away by human hands, but still he dares to swim on.

He dares to swim further down into the ocean, searching for any sign of Otto among the ocean floor or drifting somewhere in the seawater, frantically searching for him through the dark, poorly-lit waters of the ocean. He dares to push through the pressure that builds on his ears, pushing so painfully that his ears nearly bleed.

Only does he break this dare to come up for air, just so he can continue further.

He dares to continue searching through the ocean, looking for Otto at all costs. His body has been seriously cast out to sea with the currents brushing him away, but still he dares to search on, fully willing to give his own life for Otto's without a second thought on the matter.

He dares to depart so far from the Ocean Shores beach that swimming back would be a challenge in and of itself, nevermind the fact that carrying Otto along the way would be nearly impossible. He dares to try anyway, and dedicate all his energy and being to find the most important person in his life.

And, at the ocean floor a ways away from the beach, he finds Otto.

He dares to swim at the bottom of the ocean floor, feeling the pressure start to pierce his ears so badly he wants to scream, pushing back against the urge to conserve his air. He dares to grab onto Otto's body, and swim back up to the surface with his precious cargo, making an even slower descent with the extra weight he has now.

He dares to swim back to shore, barely even able to see it under the storm, and catching only glimpses of it in the rough waves of the storm. He dares to push against the currents and swim through the waves, not letting the extra weight of Otto keep him back, and does not even consider the possibility of dropping him.

He dares to keep going despite his lack of breath, getting shorter and shorter from exhaustion. It is only adrenaline that keeps his body moving, acting in an act of self-preservation that is shared between both him and Otto, reserved only for the natural instinct to protect those who can carry one's own offspring and progenitors.

He dares to reach out for the beachhead which now lies just a few mere feet away from him. He knows that he has already won, and he only needs to make his final push to the land to succeed. He does not know if this has all been enough to save Otto, but he does not permit himself that self-doubt yet.

And, finally, he who has dared, has won.

Grabbing onto the sandy beach, Twister crawled his way out of the water, dragging Otto along with him. Once he reached a sufficient distance away from the ocean, he at last released Otto, falling down on his back in exhaustion to catch his breath again.

His brief rest is joined with the arrival of the Rocket family, rushing up on the beach to see the success Twister has achieved.

"Holy shit! He actually saved Otto! Twister, you did it!" Sam cheered.

But the victory declared is cut short when Tito checks Otto's breathing and pulse, only to find no signs of either.

"Cuz... He's not breathing... and he's got no pulse." Tito said.

Hearing the news out of his exhaustion, Twister shot back up again with another boost of adrenaline, rushing over to Otto's body. Immediately beginning CPR, he pulsed down on his chest with vigor, lifting his head up to breathe air into his mouth, then returned to his chest to revive him.

"C'mon, Otto! Breathe! Get up!" Twister shouted.

Continuing to pulse down on his chest, Twister once again breathed into Otto's mouth, moving back to his chest.

"Otto! Breathe, goddammit! Breathe!" Twister shouted.

Continuing to pulse down on his chest, Twister once again breathed into Otto's mouth, moving back to his chest.

"Get up, Otto! Breathe already! Don't be dead, don't be dead!" Twister shouted.

Continuing to pulse down on his chest, Twister once again breathed into Otto's mouth, moving back to his chest.

"Come on, Otto! You gotta breathe! Don't die!" Twister shouted.

Continuing to pulse down on his chest, Twister once again breathed into Otto's mouth, moving back to his chest.

"Otto! You son of a bitch! I can't live without you, now, breathe!" Twister shouted.

Continuing to pulse down on his chest, Twister once again breathed into Otto's mouth, moving back to his chest.

The vigorous efforts made by Twister, while once watched with anticipation and hope by the Rocket family, now found little reason to keep watching or allow him to continue with the lack of results showing. Reaching out to Twister, Tito tried to pull him away from Otto, but Twister shoved him off.

"Cuz, he's gone. You did all you could." Tito said.

"No, I didn't! He's still got it! Otto's done so much already! He can survive this! He never backed down from anything! He's my best friend!" Twister shouted.

Continuing to pulse down on his chest, Twister once again breathed into Otto's mouth, moving back to his chest.

Once again receiving no results, Twister, letting out a pained, agonized yell, began vigorously punching Otto's chest, desperately trying to make him breathe once more. Still receiving no results, he slapped Otto across the face, trying in a delirious bid to try to revive him.

"COME ON, OTTO! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!" Twister shouted.

Finally, Twister stumbled back in total exhaustion, unable to continue any longer. Back into Tito's arms does he fall, and deep in them does he cry over his failure.

"It's okay, cuz. You did your best." Tito said.

Trying to support Twister, Tito attempted to hold back his own tears, but found himself unable to. Having been the best friend to Raymundo Rocket for most of his life, he cannot stand to see one of the two remaining parts of him die, and reacts accordingly as he cries with Twister.

The rest of the Rocket family cries as well, all sulking and mourning over the loss of the Rocket child. Like Otto in his last moments, they, too, remember all the times they spent with him, and, seeing him gone from this mortal world, they regret as well, but their regrets are towards all the hostilities and fights they had with him, wishing they could take it all back or have another try.

As always, the past cannot be changed by these humans...

...but, as Otto began to cough, they have their wishes for another try.

Coughing up all the water in his lungs, Otto gasped for breath, taking his first gasps of air following his death. The revival brought instant relief and cheer to the Rocket family, and Twister, jumping out of Tito's arms, immediately put his own around Otto, lifting him up off the ground in a hug, crying over his shoulder.

Realizing it was Twister crying over him, Otto let out his first words following his revival.

"Twister... Why'd you save me, man? I was gone. You didn't need me." Otto moaned.

"Because I do need you, man. We all need you. We love you. I love you." Twister cried.

With Twister's heartfelt confession spoken to him, Otto's suicidal actions became feelings that he regretted greatly, now taking great selfishness in his attempt to throw his own life away, and deprive his loved ones of his presence. No longer does he doubt his own worth, not after knowing the lengths in which they had gone to save him.

Overjoyed to see him alive again, the family sat before him, watching with teary smiles.

"Otto..." Reggie began to say.

"Mom and dad say hi." Otto interjected.

The sentiment brings further tears to Reggie's face, making her need to compose herself for what she intended to say.

"...don't you ever do that again." Reggie said.

"Don't worry. I won't. Not ever again."


And time passes once again, a long while past this near-tragedy. Otto has been given a second chance at life by those who love him, and he does not waste it feeling any unnecessary misery or hate. Instead, he embraces what he has, and does so with great joy and pride.

His relationship with his family is much healthier and stronger, and now does he share a deeper bonding with those among him; he has their support whenever he needs it, he gives support to others when it is needed, and he feels like he is part of something greater, just as a human should.

And his business has never been better. He is beloved by the customers who come see him, and always does he provide the best service in all of the southern California area for any skating or surfing needs. Working together with Twister, they make Rocket Boards a small business that has no competition, even among the larger companies in the sport.

One such day when he takes a break from that business, he steps outside for a smoke break, enjoying a smaller joint of marijuana to pass the time. It is not in so much excess that he uses the herb that he numbs himself, but just enough of the drug to give himself a temporary relief to the day.

But, to his side, are the group of youths who looked up to him once before. He remembers when he first encountered them on a darker time in his life, and how he shooed them away out of anger and frustration, not welcoming anyone else into his personal sphere.

Now, that time is over, and he does not treat them as such. Instead, putting his joint out, he reached for his skateboard, holding it up, and asked...

"You kids looking to learn a few tricks from the master?" Otto asked.

In response, the children cheered, and followed Otto along to the nearest half-pipe. Allowing himself to be a role model to the children, he is patient with them and welcomes all their questions and dialogue, listening carefully to any of their thoughts and concerns, and looking out for any personal attention any of the children needed.

It reminds him of the time when he was young and learned from his father, and, somehow, he knows that Raymundo is smiling on him.