Odyssian FanFiction

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Miah Robinson
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Posts: 48
Joined: February 2019
Location: across the pond

Odyssian FanFiction

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Hey y’all! A while back I came up with a theory. I told some people about it and we decided we’d all write some fanfiction based on that. Well, here’s mine! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
I was relieved to be done with school. There were teachers meetings so we were off for the next four days. I walked up the steps of our porch, opened the door and walked into the kitchen, humming. I dug through the pantry trying to find something to eat. 
“Jules?” I heard Connie say from the other room. It sounded like she was crying. 
I grabbed an apple and walked into the living room. Connie was sitting on the couch, tears running down her face.
“Connie, what- what happened? Are you okay?” I asked as I set my backpack down slowly.
“Jules, it’s dad.” 
“What about him?” 
“I just got a call from his girlfriend. She said that he had gotten drunk and took his car out. He got in a reck.”
“Is- is he okay?”
“No Jules, he, um- he died.”
“What?” I felt like a sledgehammer had hit me. 
“I- I’m sorry,” Connie finished as more tears rolled down her cheeks.
I took a breath, “Typical, so typical. Of course he was drunk! Am I supposed to be surprised?” 
I walked to the door. 
“Jules! Wait!” Connie called as I slammed the door shut.
I hopped on my bike and rode the three blocks to the Meltsner’s house. I pounded on their door.
“Jules?” Katrina said in surprise as she opened the door. I stepped inside. I looked over and saw Buck laying on the couch. He was looking at his phone with his headphones in. He glanced up. 
“Jules? What’s wrong?” He asked as he got up quickly and came over.
“It’s dad. He- he died,” I said, refusing to cry.
“When? How?” Katrina asked slowly. 
“Connie got a call. He was drunk and got in a car accident.”
“Oh, Jules. I’m so sorry,” Katrina said and put her hand on my shoulder. I flinched. I sat down on their couch. Buck sat next to me.
“Are you okay?” He asked slowly.
“I’m fine, I mean, he didn’t love me, so why should I care? He’s dead and can’t ruin anyone’s life anymore.” 
“Is that how you feel?” 
“Yeah,” I said coldly.
I stood up, “I’m going on a walk. I’ll see you later.”
“Can I come?” He asked. 
I took a breath and clenched my jaw, “I guess.”

We walked in silence for a while until we found a bench in Macalister Park and sat down.
“It’s okay to be sad you know?” Buck said. 
“No, it’s not. That’s a sign of weakness. I can’t afford that,” I said as I looked at my shoes.
“I used to think the same thing after Mr.Skint left me. I realized that I was carrying a burden that I didn’t need to. I had to chose to forgive him, and some of that included being willing to be sad.” 
“You sound like a Christian,” I laughed. 
“Sorry. I guess that’s what happens when you live in a Christian house, go to youth group and stuff.”
“Makes sense. At least Connie doesn’t make me go.” 
“Hey, you should come sometime, it’s really fun. You just have to ignore what you don’t want to hear.” 
“Maybe I’ll go, sometime...”
“Okay, no pressure.”

“Bye Buck, see you later!” I said as I stepped onto our porch.
“Bye Jules... Wait, who sent flowers?” Buck asked.
“Flowers?”
“The ones to your left.”
“Oh.” 
I bent down and picked them up. 
The note said, “To Connie. I hope you feel better soon. I will be praying for you and your sister.”
I looked at Buck. He shrugged.
“I guess I should take these to Connie. See ya.” 
I stepped inside and walked into Connie’s room holding the flowers carefully. She was sitting in bed looking at her laptop, eating Cheetos. Her eyes were puffy.
“Oh, hi Jules. Whoa, who are the flowers for?”
“They’re for you. They were on the porch.”
I sighed and handed them to her as I sat at the foot of her bed.
“Oh! There beautiful! I wonder who they’re from?”
“I don’t know. The tag didn’t say.” 
“Oh. Too bad.”
Connie got out of bed. I followed her into the kitchen and watched her put the flowers in a vase. 
“I’m sorry I ran off, I don’t know what happened.”
“It’s fine... Where’d you go?”
“To the Meltsner’s.”
“Oh, okay. Listen, we have to go to LA tomorrow for the funeral. We’ll have to drive because I couldn’t get any plane tickets on short notice. We’ll also be staying at dad’s house.”
“Why?” 
“Because it’s free and we need to pack stuff up. I talked to the funeral home director and we decided that we didn’t want a viewing. Is that okay with you?”
“Um, yeah. I guess,” I said, shrugging, “Connie, why is this so hard for you? You didn’t exactly have an amazing relationship with dad either.” 
“Jules, it’s hard for me because dad wasn’t a Christian. I can’t believe that he went to heaven. I’m grieving for him.”
“That’s sad. I guess it’s a good thing I don’t believe in God,” I muttered. 
Connie sighed, “Jules, I pray that you will believe. I hope that one day God will show himself to you.” 
I got up and walked out of the room, “Me too,” I whispered.

I sluggishly walked up the stairs to my room. I crashed on my bed and stared at the ceiling. ‘Mom!’ I thought and quickly picked up my phone.
“Hey, mom. It’s Jules,” I said hesitantly. 
I hadn’t talked to her in over four months.
“Oh, hi honey, guess what! I’m in the Bahamas for a-“ 
“Mom! I don’t care. Just listen. Did you hear about dad?” 
“Oh yeah. I heard.” 
She didn’t sound the least bit perturbed.
“Does that mean you’re going to the funeral?” I asked slowly.
“Oh no. Why would I? Your father was a selfish brat. I have no reason to go.”
“Okay then... Talk to you later.” 
“Wait, Jules-“
I turned my phone off and swallowed.

I lay on the couch watching a documentary on Giraffes. After around two hours Connie emerged from her room.
“Jules, can you run to the store for me? We need some stuff for the drive tomorrow.”
“Fine.”
I slid off the couch and got my shoes on. I pulled my black hoodie on and hopped on my bike. Once I got to Finamins Market I looked at the list. SMALL MILK was at the top. 
I walked to the milk aisle. I grabbed the smallest milk carton on the row. I turned around and bumped into Jason. 
“Whoa, Jules!” He said.
“Oh, hi Jason.” 
“I didn’t recognize you in the hoodie. I heard what happened. How are you guys?”
“I’m okay. Connie’s been crying all day though.”
“Oh, that’s understandable. Tell her I’m sorry. Oh and um, did she like the flowers?”
I raised an eyebrow, “So it was you?”
He looked at me for a second with a smirk then said, “See you, Jules. And uh, don’t mention this to Connie, will you?” And turned to the next aisle. 
I got the rest of the things and headed home. I opened the door and stumbled into the kitchen with a load of groceries. I set the bags down with a thud. Connie came in. 
“Katrina invited us to dinner. We need to go in the next ten minutes.” 
“Okay,” I said as I unloaded the bags. 

We arrived at the Meltsner’s and knocked on the door. Buck opened it and let us in. 
“Hi, Jules.” 
“Hey,” I muttered, feeling numb inside.
“Okay...um, we’re having enchiladas for dinner.” 
“Cool.”
“Come on!”
He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the dining room where everyone else was. We sat down at the table. I looked up as Eugene prayed to see Buck with his eyes closed. I clenched my jaw and exhaled. Eugene finished and we all dug into our amazing food. After we had eaten Buck suggested we play a game. We all headed over to the couches. I sat down on the carpet next to Buck. Katrina put out the board for Ticket to Ride. 

About halfway through the game, Buck said, “Hey, Jules, I’m going have to cut you off. Sorry.” 
I raised my eyebrows at him as he put his piece in front of mine.
“Ha!” I said triumphantly and blocked him from another angle.
He put on a fake look of horror.
I smirked, “Hey, I can make a comeback. Sorry, Connie looks like you’re gonna lose!” I laughed for the first time today. 
“Hey!” Connie said and bit her lip. 
“It seems as though Jules and Buck are tied in the middle,” Eugene said and studied the board carefully. 
“Of course we are,” Buck smiled.
Connie looked back and forth between us skeptically then turned her attention back to the game. 
Eugene won the game as expected, Katrina came in second, Buck third, I got fourth and Connie came in last. We walked to the door. Buck gave me a hug.
“Have fun tomorrow. And call me if you want to talk.”
“Okay, I will.”
Connie and I walked out to the car. 
“Okay Jules, we need to leave around 8:00 tomorrow morning so be up on time. And we’re going to trade off driving this time.” 
“What! Why?” I looked at her in shock. 
“Because I can’t drive 28 hours straight and now that you have your driver's license you can drive too.”
“But I can’t.” 
“Why? You drive all the time by yourself and with Buck.”
“Yeah but, not with you.” 
“Is that a problem?”
“Yes! I can’t drive with you freaking out every second! I barely survived driving with you when I had my permit. I can’t survive for 28 hours!”
“Sorry, Jules. You’ve gotta do it. And it’ll be a good experience for both of us.”
“Ugh, fine!” 
Once we were home I went up to my room to pack. I stuffed some clothes into my suitcase then went to bed.
Last edited by Miah Robinson on Sun Aug 25, 2019 6:57 am, edited 3 times in total.
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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Miah Robinson
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Chapter 2
I woke up to my phone alarm blaring. It was 6:00 am. I groaned, slapped my phone then rolled out of bed. I stomped downstairs to get breakfast. I ate my cereal like a zombie then marched back to my room to get ready. Once I was all ready and packed I carried my backpack and suitcase down. Connie came around the corner with two huge suitcases and a stuffed backpack. 
“Connie, seriously? Do you really need all that stuff?” I scoffed. 
“Yeah, we’re going to be gone-“ 
“For four days,” I interrupted her.
She rolled her eyes and headed out to the garage calling, “Don’t judge Jules!” 
I followed her out to the car and threw my suitcase in the trunk. I hopped in the passenger seat, Connie got in next to me.

Once we were on the highway I pulled out my phone and headphones. I scrolled through my music library trying to decide what to listen to. I decided on NF. His music always made me feel understood and it helped me get my emotions out. 
We had been driving for a while when Connie said something.
“Hmm?” I asked as I pulled out my earbuds. 
“I said, how has school been recently?”
“Oh, um, fine. Why?”
“I got your report card last night. It said you’ve been failing your history classes again.”
“It’s just been super hard recently.”
“Listen, if you don’t get your grades back up soon your teacher suggested a tutor.”
“What? No! I’ll work harder!”
“Okay, that’s all I’m asking.”
I shoved my headphones back in my ears and stared out the window, refusing to look at Connie. 
After around two hours of driving, we pulled over at a gas station. 
“Oh boy,” I thought as Connie and I switched seats. 
“Okay, Jules. You got this,” Connie said.
I looked over at her and raised my eyebrows.
“Let’s see if we can get through fifteen minutes without you screaming,” I said sarcastically. 
I turned the key, shifted into drive then pushed the pedal gently. Connie took a sharp breath. I glanced over at her. 
“Eyes on the road Jules!” 
“Fine!” 
We pulled out of the gas station and got on the highway again. Connie seemed to have calmed down a bit. I glanced over without her noticing. She was looking at her phone. Good. I looked ahead, squared my shoulders and kept driving. 
Every two hours we stopped and switched. Once it started getting dark it got pretty tricky for both of us. Connie made me get coffee each time it was my turn to drive. I hated it so much. Every time I would take a sip I wanted to spit it out all over the dashboard. Thankfully I managed to keep it down...and it kept me awake. I got around four hours of sleep the whole drive. Connie did surprisingly well...until we got into LA the next morning. I was the one driving when we started getting into the busy city. That’s when Connie started freaking out. I took a sip of coffee and slowly pushed the break as we rolled up to a red light. Connie slapped my arm. I started choking and sputtering coffee. 
“Jules. Stop!” 
“I am stopped! I have my foot on the break!” I coughed. 
“Okay good... Are you okay?”
“I will be. My esophagus feels like it’s on fire. But otherwise, I’m great.”
“Okay, Good. Jules, make sure to take a left up here. Sorry, no right, no left!”
“Connie! I can see the phone. Don’t worry.” 
“Okay, but...be careful!” She said and clutched the sides of the seat.
After twenty minutes of that, I had had enough and pulled over. 
“Jules? What are you doing?”
“We’re switching. I can’t drive with you freaking out like this.”
“Great.”
Last edited by Miah Robinson on Sun Aug 25, 2019 6:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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PennyBassett
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Okay, I really enjoyed this. I'm gonna post my first chapter (I'm one of the people lol) super soon. But this was great! You do a fantastic job of changing up the scenes and keeping it quick enough to follow but still enjoy. The dialogue is very fitting. I can hear the characters saying everything. I think the character development is great and on point with the show. Very excited to read more!
"Let me get this straight. I bet all those non-friends of yours try to embarrass you about your love for that stuff, right? So, you almost feel like you have to hide your treasures away and can only take them out in secret on rainy days when your mom goes to the store to get more liver and nobody is around to berate your sensitive spirit. Is that what you’re saying?" -Jay Smouse
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Miah Robinson
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Posts: 48
Joined: February 2019
Location: across the pond

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Chapter 3
As soon as Connie unlocked the door to dad’s house a flood of emotions and memories crashed down on me. The staircase where I used to slide down the banister, the cubby next to the huge window that lined the staircase where I used to sit and read. It all seemed like a dream now. I took a deep breath and walked to the stairs. 
“Jules? Where are you going?” Connie asked. 
“Up to my old room,” I smiled sadly. 
I walked up the stairs slowly, running my hand along the wooden bannister. I stopped in the hallway and looked at the pictures hanging on the walls. There were ones of Connie, of me, of some awards dad had gotten, but the one that caught my attention was one of dad, mom, and I. I was really little, maybe four or five. We were in a field, I was sitting on Dad’s lap and he had his arm around mom. We were all smiling happily. I smiled then felt a pang of sadness. What had once been a perfectly happy family had got so wrong somehow. I turned away, not able to look at it anymore and walked down the hall. I pushed open the white door. My room was exactly as I had left it. I looked at the wall where my bulletin board was. Pictures of my friends and I at our favorite hangouts covered it. I set my backpack down and walked over to my bed. I sat down and stared out the window, thinking of days gone by. I smiled at the memories and looked over at my side table. I opened the top drawer, curious to see what was inside. There was a small wooden box with a sticky note on it. “For the future me,” it said. 
I opened it slowly and read, “What’s the year been like? Has it been crazy? Probably. You’re hopefully learning what love really means and what friendship really means. Where are you now? Do you have any new dreams? Did you fulfill any? Do you feel happy where you are in life?
-Jules Kendall, age 13” 
I sighed. This was three years old. I had changed a lot. So much had happened since I had written the note. 
“Jules?” 
I heard the door creek and Connie walked in. I looked over at her and smiled. 
“What is that?” She asked. 
“It’s a letter I wrote to myself three years ago. This is the first time I’ve read it since then.”
“Oh. What’s it say?”
I read it to her. She smiled and hugged me. I pulled away. I caught a flash of disappointment in her eyes.
“So this was your room?” She asked.
“Yeah.”
“I see why you thought yours in Odyssey was small. This is huge.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“It’s funny, this looks almost the same as your room in Odyssey. Just bigger.”
“I am the one who decorated it,” I said sarcastically.
“True... Okay, well, I’m going to take a nap, you should too.”
Connie walked out of my room, shutting the door.
I got up and unpacked my stuff, which took about five minutes. I crawled into my soft bed. Within minutes I was asleep. 

My alarm when off two hours later. I sat up and picked my phone up off the side table. 
“Wanna talk?” I saw Buck had texted five minutes ago.
“Sure.”
“FaceTime?”
“Ye ok. I’ll call.” 
I called him and his face appeared on my phone screen. I was happy to see him again.
“Hey, Jules! How are you?” 
“I’m okay. It’s been hard.”
“How so?”
“Well, there are so many memories attached to this place. I got pretty overwhelmed earlier.” 
I knew that I could confide in Buck. He was trustworthy and he had gone through some similar experiences.
“Wow, I can imagine. Whoa, nice room,” he said as I stood up and walked to my chair. 
“Yeah, here.”
I turned my camera around so he could see the whole room. 
“Wow, it looks kinda like your room here in Odyssey, just, bigger.” 
“Connie said the same thing,” I laughed.
“Well, not much is going on over here. Eugene is trying to get some position at the college or something. I don’t really understand what the position is.”
“Ha! When has anyone ever understood what Eugene does?” I said sarcastically. 
“Jules? Who are you talking to?” Connie called from outside my door. 
“Buck,” I responded.
“We need to go get some dinner. Tell him you need to go.” 
“Okay!” I called back. 
“So, I’ve gotta go. Maybe we can talk another time?” I asked him.
“Okay. Let me know how the funeral goes.”
“Okay.”
“Bye Jules!”
“Bye.”
I sighed and turned off my phone. I walked out to the staircase. I looked around to make sure Connie wasn’t watching then slid down the banister like I had done when I was younger. I laughed all the way down, which abruptly stopped when I tripped and fell at the end. I regained my balance then went to look for Connie. I found her in one of the eight bedrooms in the house.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Yeah... This place is so big! I still can’t believe you grew up here!” 
“Yeah, well, this was my life a few years ago.”
“Oh, um, I was thinking about dinner. I think it might be a better idea to order some food and pack up tonight. Do you have any local places that you enjoyed when you lived here?”
“Um, yeah, there was a Chinese food place. They deliver. I think the flyer should still be on the fridge. It was one of dad’s favorite places to eat.”
“Okay, I’ll call. What do you want to eat?” 
“Sweat and sour chicken. And a coke.” 
“No coke. It’s almost time for you to go to bed,” Connie said.
“What? Seriously? Caffeine doesn’t affect me.” 
“I know you keep saying that but according to Eugene, it takes four hours for the caffeine to wear off. Plus you said the coffee kept you awake when you were driving.”
I turned around and walked out defeated. I walked back up to my room and started packing stuff up that I wanted to take back to Odyssey.
By the time the food arrived, I had nearly gutted my room of decorations. 

Connie and I sat on the couch watching Tv as we ate. 
“Connie, I’m gonna take a shower and go to bed.” 
I got up and stretched.
“Okay, goodnight Jules.”
Last edited by Miah Robinson on Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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Miah Robinson
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chapter 4
I woke up the next morning with a start, then quickly realized where I was. I took a breath, slipped out of bed and walked down the stairs quietly. 
“Jules?” Connie asked and I walked into the kitchen.
“Oh, Connie. You’re up.” 
“Yeah, I woke up about an hour ago,” she said, putting her phone down. “Can you go get ready so we can go get some breakfast? I’m starving.”
“Oh, sure.”

Thirty minutes later we were at a cafe ordering breakfast. I got some toast and a yogurt. We ate quietly. 
Connie looked at her watch, “We need to get back to get ready for the funeral. We have two hours.” 
“Okay,” I sighed. 
I hated funerals, so I wasn’t looking forward to it.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I had the black dress that I had worn to our high school dance earlier this year. 
I walked down to Connie’s room. She had on a black shirt and navy blue pants. 
“You look...snazzy,” I said as I looked at Connie. 
“Thanks. You look nice too.”
“Um, thanks... Let’s just get this over with.” 
“Jules, it’s okay to grieve. You don’t need to keep everything bottled up inside.”
“I don’t need to ‘grieve’, there’s nothing to grieve about,” I said and walked out of the room. 

We got to the funeral home as people started to arrive. There were only around fifty people there, which didn’t surprise me. Dad definitely wasn’t the most popular person in the world. Connie and I got seats in the front row.
“Are you Bill’s daughters?” A tall blond woman asked. She was maybe in her mid 50’s. She wore a tight black dress and had an annoyingly calm voice. I knew immediately that I didn’t like her.
“Yes,” Connie said with the ‘who are you?’ look in her eyes.
“Oh, I’m Clara, Clara Anderson. I am, er, was, Bill’s girlfriend.”
Connie shook her hand, “Nice to meet you. I’m Connie, and this is Jules.”
“Hey,” I muttered.
“Ah, you would be the one who lined Bill’s toilet seat with toothpaste, covered his car in sticky notes, put white hair dye in his shampoo, and-“
“Yeah, we get the idea,” Connie said, cutting her off.
“Well, Bill told me so much about you both,” Clara said.
“We noticed,” I said, feeling my anger rising, “and by the way, I did all that when I was twelve. I don’t do that anymore.”
She gave me a fake smile of empathy. Connie put her hand on my shoulder. At that moment the pastor or whoever he was started talking. 

The funeral lasted about an hour then they said that it was time to lower the coffin. I had managed to keep my emotions out until the end. My eyes started burning with the effort not to cry. As we walked out to the cemetery a tear rolled down my cheek. I quickly brushed it away. Most everyone was crying which made it even more important that I didn’t. 
A couple of people said a few last things. I moved to the back of the group, watching from a distance. All of the sudden I couldn’t take it anymore. I ran to the car and unlocked it. I sat there trying not to cry. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I was physically and mentally drained. I stared out the window in a daze until I heard tapping. I quickly unlocked the car to let Connie in. 
“Jules? Are you okay?” She asked hesitantly.
“Yeah, I just didn’t want to be there when they lowered the coffin. That’s all.”
“You sound like-”
“Dad? I know,” I interrupted her.
“Um, sorry... Listen, I’ve gotta sign some papers and go over dad’s will with some people. Why don’t you go drive around for a while? Just be back in about an hour.” 
“Okay. Thanks, Connie.”
I was about twenty minutes away from Malibu so I decided to drive down. 

I guess I looked kinda silly walking on the beach in a nice dress because people kept looking at me. I took some pictures of the gorgeous sunset and sent them to Buck, then found a bench and sat down. I looked out over the waves. There were some surfers out. I longed to be out riding the waves with them. That was one of the things I missed most about living so in California. 
I was interrupted from my thoughts by someone yelling, “Jules? Jules Kendall!?”
I turned around with a start to see two kids.
“What? Alysa? Justin?” I said in shock. 
They were two of my friends from when I had lived here before. Justin was tall and had curly blond hair. Alysa was a model and had wavy brown hair. She had been the core of my insecurities through middle school. Somehow we had managed to stay friends. She and Justin had also been my comrades in pranks through my younger years.
“Whoa! Jules! You’ve changed!” Justin said laughing.
“Yeah, I’ve heard,” I said sarcastically. “What are you guys doing here?” 
“Um, we live five minutes away. The question is, what are you doing here? I thought you ran off to some town in the middle of nowhere?” Alysa asked.
“I came for my dad’s funeral.”
“Oh, that’s sad.” 
“Okay, hang on. Jules, why are you in a prom dress?” Justin asked, eyeing me.
I sighed, “It’s the only nice thing I had to wear to the funeral.”
They both laughed.
“How long are you going to be here? We should all hang out sometime.” Alysa said.
“That’d be fun. I’m here until Tuesday.” 
“Cool! So some of the kids from school are having a beach party tomorrow. Do you want to come? It’ll be super fun!” 
“Sure...actually, let me talk to Connie first.”
“Connie? Who’s Connie?” Justin asked.
“She’s my sister. I live with her.”
“You have a sister?”
“Yeah. Well, she’s my half-sister, but who cares?”
“Is that why you left?”
“No, I didn’t- never mind.”
“Okay, well, let me know if you can come,” Alysa said.
“Okay, I will.”
“Well, we’ve gotta go,” Justin said, grabbing Alysa’s hand.
They walk off into the sunset. I sighed, stood up and walked back to the parking lot. I got in the car. My phone vibrated. I saw Buck had responded to my picture.
“Looks beautiful! Also, r u wearing the dress you wore to the dance?”
“Yes, don’t ask”
“Ok...”
“I just bumped into some old friends. They asked me to a party tomorrow night.”
“R u going?”
“Idk. Maybe.”
“Ok. Let me know how it goes. How was the funeral?”
“It was ok. We met dad’s most recent girlfriend. She’s totally fake.”
“Oh, sry.”
“I have to go. Connie needs me back at the funeral home soon.”
“Ok, ttyl”

I walked into the air-conditioned building. 
“Hey Connie,” I said as she walked up to me.
“Hi, Jules.”
“Can we go?”
“I guess. Do you want to see the grave before we leave?”
“No, I just want to get out of here.”
“Okay then, let’s go.”
We walked back out into the heat and got in the car.
“So, what did you do?”
“I went to the beach...”
“Anything else?”
“I saw some old friends...”
“Okay... Spill it.”
I took a breath, “Well, they asked me to a party tomorrow night. Can I go?”
“It depends. Are there going to be any adults there?”
“I don’t know, I can ask.”
“Good, let me know what they say.”
Last edited by Miah Robinson on Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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Miah Robinson
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Chapter 5
‘Hey Alysa. It’s Jules. I was wondering if there’s going to be any adults at the party?’ I texted as I ate breakfast.
‘Lol. Nope, just us. It’ll be awesome!’
‘Oh’
‘Is that a problem?’
‘No’
‘So does that mean you’ll be coming?’
‘I guess’
‘Great! It’ll be at Matt’s beach house at 10:00 tonight. You remember where it is?’
‘Who’s Matt?’
‘Oh, right. He started coming to school after you left. Anyways, I’ll send you directions.’
‘K’
I sighed and set down my phone.
“So, what did she say?” Connie asked suspiciously.
“There...” I had to make a quick decision, lie or tell the truth, “...aren’t going to be any adults there.” 
“Then you can’t go.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I’ll be careful, don’t worry.”
“You’re not going.”
“Ugh, fine.” 
I finished my breakfast, pretending to be happy then headed up to my room. 
I was gonna go to that party even if Connie said not to.

I looked around to make sure Connie wasn’t watching. I picked up the car keys off the table as quietly as I could.
“Goodnight Connie!” I called,
doing my best to keep a cheerful tone.
“Goodnight Jules! I love you!” She responded from her room.
“Mhm...”
I walked up my stairs and took a deep breath, pulling out my phone.
‘I’m going to be a little late. Sry.’
‘Np. C u soon!’
‘K’

I waited until I heard Connie stop moving around downstairs. My heart pounded against my chest as I tiptoed down the stairs. I opened the garage door. It creaked, my heart skipped a beat. I listened quietly for a few seconds before slipping into the garage and closing the door behind me. I walked out and hopped in the car, pulling out of the driveway. I pulled up the directions Alysa had sent me, then rolled the windows down. I was free. I headed out into the night and drove towards the beach. The air was fresh, my hair whipped around my face. It was perfect. I arrived at the beach neighborhood. I found it. House number 17. I pulled over. There were nice cars lining the street. It made Connie’s car look pretty shabby. I walked on to the front lawn. I heard voices and music from the back and walked around. There were around thirty kids there. I spotted Justin and walked over to him.
“Justin! Hey!” I called.
“Oh, hey Jules. Glad you made it! Now that you’re here we can really get this party started!” Justin laughed as he turned up the stereo.
Alysa walked up in a green tank top and jean shorts. Justin put an arm around her shoulder. 
“Hi, Jules!” She said.
“Hey.”
“Come join us!”
“Um, okay.”
I followed her over to a group of girls. I immediately recognized one of them as Sofie Peters. She was a blond sixteen-year-old who had recently starred in a popular Tv show called ‘Live it Like it’s a Dream’. 
All the Junior High and High School girls were going crazy over her, in Odyssey. The point was, all the girls were talking to her. They stopped when Alysa and I walked up. Clearly, Sofie and Alysa were the popular girls here.
“Hey guys, this is Jules. She used to live here,” Alysa said.
“Hey Jules, I’m Allie,” a girl said. She had the stereotypical American teenage girl voice.
“Um, hi.”
I hung back. Alysa pulled me into the group. I hopped on a picnic table next to her.
They all talked about their current relationships. I ignored them for the most part, pretending to listen.
“Hey Jules, you’ve been quiet. What’s wrong?”Alysa asked.
“Oh, um, I’m fine.”
A muscular guy walked up to us. He had a red plastic cup in his hand.
“Hey, Matt!” Allie cooed.
“Hey baby,” He said, kissing her cheek. “You new?” He asked, looking at me.
“Oh, I- um.” I stuttered.
“She used to live here,” Alysa cut in.
“Hmm. Okay, well I’m Matt. It’s nice to meet you... Hey girls, there are some drinks over at the table.” He pointed to a green plastic table. 
“Oh, yes, I’m thirsty,” Sophie said, the pack of girls followed.
We headed over to the table. That’s when I realized what was in the plastic cups. There were sodas too, but most everyone grabbed a red cup. I stood in the back of the group. I had the feeling that they were just doing it to show off.
“Jules, here,” Alysa said, handing me a cup.
I had to make a split-second decision. I knew if Connie found out I’d be grounded forever, then again, I was here.
“Um, thanks,” I smiled.
I took a breath and looked at the bubbly golden liquid. Several of the girls glanced at me. I raised the cup to my lips, but then, my nerves failed me. I set the cup down, refusing to look up at the others. 
“What’s the matter, Jules? Come on,” Sofie said as she took a sip.
“I’m- not thirsty.”
“Mhm? What do you think, girls? Is Jules one of those ‘Christians’?”
“No! I’m not. I just- don’t want anything to drink.”
“Ha! You’re soft. You need to toughen up Jules.”
“No, I’m not-“
“Come on Jules, take a sip it’s not gonna kill you!”
I glanced at Alysa, hoping she’d cut in and save me. She just gave me an empathetic smile and stood back.
“Come on Jules!”
My heart pounded. My hand moved forward but I stopped, ‘I shouldn’t’ I thought.
Soon a bunch of girls were cheering, “Jules! Jules! Jules!”
I looked around hopelessly. I had to get out of the group. I tore between them and ran down to the dark beach. 

I sat on the sand and rested my chin on my knees. ‘What am I doing?’ I thought. I looked up at the stars. There were so many out. The sky was so clear. It reminded me of Odyssey. I longed to be back there.
“Jules?” I heard a soft voice say.
“Hmm?”
“I’m sorry. They didn’t know what they were doing,” said Alysa, standing with her arms crossed.
“Mhm, just sitting there and smiling with the rest of them. That’s your idea of support?”
“No, I just...” her voice trailed off. 
“Listen, if you came down to talk with me, then great, but if you came here to try and justify yourself then just go back.”
“I just came to say sorry, and um, do you want to come join us?”
“No thanks. Maybe later.”
“Okay then, have fun...”
She walked up to the house. I sat there for a while until I got curious. I walked up the beach slowly, then entered the sliding glass back door. I stood against the wall watching a crowd of dancing teenagers. I decided it was time to leave. I snuck out the front door, pulling Connie’s car keys out of my pocket.
“Jules! Wait!” 
I turned to see Alysa running out after me.
“What?” I asked, angrily.
“Why are you leaving? The party was just getting good.” 
“If that’s your interpretation of ‘good’ then that’s a reason all by itself.” 
“So I guess you’re just gonna go home?”
“Yeah. See you later Alysa.”
“So, it’s true? You are one of those religious people, aren’t you? Somehow I never pictured you as-“
“I’m not a religious person or anything else!” I shouted. “Just because I have friends who are doesn’t mean I am! And why does that matter anyway? I don’t understand why people here treat Christians like dirt!”
“Um...”
“I moved to a city where people care about me. They love me how I am! And all I ever got here was everyone telling me how I should act! And the worst part was, I went along with it. Yes, I’ve changed, but that doesn’t mean I’m a Christian.”
“Whoa, calm down. I just meant-“
“I’m sorry, I have to go.”
I hopped in the car, slamming the door.

I drove home with the feeling of nausea growing in the pit of stomach. A few years ago I would’ve done anything not to be bored, to gain social status, anything. It was then that I realized just how much I had changed.

I opened the garage door and walked into the house.
“Jules?” Connie said as I tiptoed past the kitchen. She was sitting at the counter eating cookies.
“Um, hey Connie,” I said as my heart sped up.
“Where’d you go?”
“What? Um, go? I didn’t go anywhere.” 
“Yeah? Then why did you just come out of the garage?”
“I, um-um-I...”
“Jules, you went to that party, didn’t you?
I took a breath, “Yeah.”
“I told you not to go!”
“I know, I just...wanted to prove to you that I...” my voice trailed off.
“You what?”
“I don’t know...”
“Jules? Are you okay?”
“Yeah... I’m just, sorry.” I said, looking at my shoes.
“Why did you decide to come home?”
I let out a breath, “Because, they were, um, drinking and stuff. And I was, uncomfortable.”
A huge smile ran across Connie’s face. She ran at me, wrapping me in a tight embrace.
“Oh, Jules! I’m so proud of you!” 
I pushed her away and took a step back, smiling slightly.
“Thanks, Connie. I’m, gonna go to bed now.”
My spirit felt light. I had made the right choice for what felt like the first time in my life. And Connie was proud of me. 
I smiled.

The next morning I stood in my room, looking at my barren room and sighed. We had packed the house up the day before. I had also plucked up the courage to go visit dad's grave. I had forced myself not to cry. 
I walked down the hall slowly, trying to take a mental picture of everything.
I headed down the staircase, “I’m going to miss this place.” I sighed, as Connie came around the corner.
Connie smiled and said, “Come on Jules. Let’s get back to Odyssey.”
We carried the boxes of stuff that we wanted out to the car. 

Soon we were on the road with a packed car. We switched off driving again. Which wasn’t as bad as it was the first time. Connie decided that we would stop at a hotel so we wouldn’t have to drive all night, being that we weren’t under a deadline.
The next afternoon we drove into Odyssey. I was happy to be back. We pulled into our garage and unloaded our stuff. I carried three boxes of stuff up to my room. Then went down to help Connie unload. 
“I still have no idea why you wanted all this stuff!” I laughed as I carried a box full of random things into the living room.
“Just help!” An annoyed Connie shouted from the other room. I chuckled.

Later that afternoon I sat at my desk in my room, with a piece of paper in front of me. I lifted my pen, ‘Dear future self. As of recent times, I have realized how much change I’ve been through. I have started to realize what friendships you can trust and others you can’t. What’s going on in my life now? How have I changed since this was written? Am I still living with Connie? How’s Mom? What’re my beliefs now and how have they changed? Well, I guess I’ll see what happens. And as Mr.Whitaker says, The best is yet to come. 
-Jules Kendall, age 16.’ 
The door creaked. 
“Hey, Jules!” Buck stepped in my room.
“Buck!” I ran up and hugged him. He laughed.
“Hey! Wanna go to Whit’s and get some ice cream? I’ll buy.”
“Sure.”
Maybe, just maybe, I was off to a good start.
Last edited by Miah Robinson on Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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Miah Robinson
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Here’s a new story! I’m trying to come up with a name for it. Let me know if you have any ideas.
Chapter 1
“Bye Connie!” I called, walking out our front door into the cold winter air. Snow was piled on the sides of the street and driveway. The oak tree in front of our house was bare. Snow fell lightly.
Buck had invited me to go ice skating for the afternoon. I hadn’t ever been ice skating before. I guess I probably should’ve told Buck beforehand, but I mean, how hard can it be? Little did I know that the next few weeks would be some of the most terrifying weeks of my life.
Anyways, I walked down the driveway, kicking snow out of the way. Buck was waiting for me in his car.
“Hey Buck,” I said as I opened the door and sat down.
I hadn’t seen him in a few days due to the fact that we were on Christmas break.
“Hi, Jules. Ready to skate?” He asked as we pulled out of the driveway.
“I think so...”
Buck laughed. “So, how many times have you been ice skating?”
“Um, along the lines of- never.”
“Oh... Well, I guess I’ll have to teach you then.”
“Okay.”

We pulled into the Trickle Lake parking lot. The frozen lake was beautiful, it almost looked like it should be on a postcard. Snow covered the ground. The trees that lined the lake drooped with snow. The ice glistened in the sun. There weren’t any clouds out. 
“Let’s do this!” Buck said, jumping out of the car. I could tell he was excited, he had that boyish gleam in his eyes. 
The snow crunched beneath my feet as we walked over to a picnic table. I brushed the snow off before sitting down. Doing my best not to fall off the bench, I yanked my boots off, then slipped my new white skates on. Buck sat next to me tying his skate laces. He stood up and walked over to the frozen lake. He smiled at me before stepping out onto the ice, then he took off. 
“Come on Jules!” He yelled.
I stood up and awkwardly walked to the ice. It was slippery. And of course, I slipped and fell immediately.
“Ow!” I groaned.
Buck skated over to me.
“Are you okay?” He laughed.
“Yeah...”
“Here,” Buck offered me his hands and helped me up, “just try and walk. Then try pushing backward slowly.” 
I held his hands as he slowly skated backward, I took a shaky step forward, “Like this?”
“Yeah! Good job!”

Within the next fifteen minutes, I had it down for the most part. Buck had let go of my hands and was now swirling around on the ice.
“How are you so good?” I asked, watching him in awe.
“Mr. Skint and I spent a winter in Maine one year. I had a lot of free time, so I guess this is what I learned.”
“Wow.”
“Here, I’ll teach you how to do the jump I was doing earlier. So, the first thing you want to do is-“ he took a step backward. Everything happened so fast. There was a kind of groan, followed by a cracking sound. Buck’s eyes met mine, panic welled up inside them. Then he disappeared between shards of broken ice.
“BUCK!” I screamed.

Buck’s POV
As soon as my left foot hit the ice everything happened. The ice was thin, my eyes met Jules’. Panic welled up inside of me as I realized what was about to happen. The ice broke below my feet. I tried to jump but couldn’t. Then I plunged down into the cold icy water. I could hear Jules’ screams for a split second. My muscles ached as I tried to swim upward but my skates were too heavy. My lungs felt like they were going to burst as I used my last bit of energy to swim. Then, everything went black.
Last edited by Miah Robinson on Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:10 am, edited 4 times in total.
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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MIAH. I expect chapter 2 by tomorrow. Cliff hangers are not my friends. Unless I'm writing them. But everyone already knows that.
"Let me get this straight. I bet all those non-friends of yours try to embarrass you about your love for that stuff, right? So, you almost feel like you have to hide your treasures away and can only take them out in secret on rainy days when your mom goes to the store to get more liver and nobody is around to berate your sensitive spirit. Is that what you’re saying?" -Jay Smouse
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Miah Robinson
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Here ya go! \:D/
Chapter 2
I fell to my knees. All I could do was scream and cry. I heard a car and looked up. A man got out and started pulling fishing equipment out of the trunk. He was average height and had wavy brown hair that stuck up in the front. 
“Help!” I screamed.
He looked up, then sprinted across the ice. 
“What happened?” He asked, seeing the shards of broken ice.
“My friend, he- the ice broke- and...” I couldn’t go on.
“Jules, how long has Buck been underwater?”
I didn’t have time to think about how he knew Buck’s name or mine.
“I don’t know!” I cried.
“Call 911!” He handed me his phone then started fumbling around with his fishing equipment and threw something in the water.
“Hello. What is your emergency?” The operator asked.
“My friend- he fell through the ice...”
“Okay, where are you?”
“Trickle Lake! Please- please hurry!”
“Okay. We are on our way.”

Katrina’s POV
I sat on our couch watching Tv. My phone rang. Monty Whittaker?
“Hello?” I asked. I Hadn’t talked to Monty since he had arrested Skint. 
“Hi, Katrina! I’m calling about Buck. He and Jules went ice skating...”
“I know.”
“...Um, Buck fell through the ice. And they’re sending divers down to find him right now.”
“What!?” I felt like a sledgehammer had hit me. I dropped the Tv remote. Turning my phone off I ran to the door and grabbed my coat, half hoping it was just a bad dream.

I pulled into the Trickle Lake parking lot. Three ambulances, a fire truck and two police cars lined the lake’s edge. I ran out on the ice. Jules was huddled in a ball crying.
I swallowed when I saw a diver drop down below the ice. 
“Excuse me. Who are you?” A fireman asked as he walked up to me.
“I’m Katrina Meltsner. Buck’s foster mother. Is he going to be alright?” I asked as a sob escaped my mouth.
“We’re not sure if, um, your foster son is...” he didn’t finish.
“No...” I collapsed next to Jules. She looked up at me, her neatly applied makeup now smeared across her face. 
“Jules...” I sobbed, wrapping her in a hug. I was half surprised that she didn’t pull away. Overall Jules was a very guarded being. Physical touch was normally something she hated. Now it didn’t seem to matter. We sat there crying together.
There was a splash. The two diver’s heads appeared above the ice. All the paramedics rushed forward. Buck’s limp body was pulled out of the water onto the ice.
“No!” I screamed, rushing forward. A policeman held me back. One person started doing CPR on him, while another checked his pulse. Water gushed out of his mouth. Still, he didn’t stir.
“We got a heartbeat! Get him to an ambulance! Quick!”

Jules’ POV
As soon as his body was pulled out of the water, it was like my worst nightmare coming true. One of the people I cared about the most was possibly laying dead in front of me, and I could’ve stopped it. Everything that happened next was a blur. They put Buck on an orange stretcher and carried him to an ambulance, Katrina and I followed.
“I’m sorry, but you two will have to ride in another vehicle,” a paramedic told us.
“But he’s- he’s my...” Katrina began, then burst into tears again.
I grabbed Katrina’s hand and led her to her car.
I looked out of the window, feeling a mixture of numb nausea, “Um, what do we do about Buck’s- his car?”
“Leave it.”
Katrina pulled out of the parking lot. I saw the man who had helped me in the beginning. “Katrina, who’s that man?”
“He’s- he’s um, his name is Monty. He’s Mr. Whittaker’s grandson. He was the one who arrested Mr. Skint.”
“Oh...”

Katrina’s POV
‘He’s mine. I’m not going to lose him again! I can’t!’
I followed the ambulances in a daze. The red and blue lights, flashing, carrying the sign of an emergency. But this time it was my child. 
We pulled into the hospital parking lot. The ambulance stopped at the emergency entrance.
“Jules! Park the car for me. Come meet me inside when you’re finished.”
“Okay, but...”
I jumped out of the car, leaving it running then ran to the entrance of the building. I walked up to the desk, not seeing where they had taken Buck.
“Ma’am, do you need something?” Asked the woman behind the desk.
“Yes, the ambulance that just arrived. Where did they take him?”
“I’m sorry. Who are you?”
“I’m Katrina Meltsner. The boy- Buck, is my foster son. Please tell me he’s alright!” I wept.
“Just a minute-“ She picked up her phone and spoke to someone for a second.
“You can wait in the waiting room. They'll come talk to you when they have more news.”
“Okay, but is he alright?”
“I don’t know ma’am. That’s not my job.”
“Okay, thank you...”
I hurried into the waiting room. A few people sat around, watching me. 
‘God! Please save my child. Please, Lord!’ I prayed.
Jules came in. Her face was wiped clean. She sat down next to me.
“Any news?” She asked.
“No...”
Just then a nurse came out, “Are you Katrina Meltsner?”
“Yes.”
“Come with me.”
Jules and I stood up. The nurse looked questioningly at her.
“I’m- I’m his girlfriend. Jules Kendall.”
“In that case, you may come.”
We followed her into a small private waiting room.
The nurse took a breath, “Buck’s heart is beating steadily now. And he has started breathing again...”
I sat down with Jules.
“...but, he’s in a coma right now. He also suffered from hypothermia. Due to the fact that he went without oxygen for that long, there may be side effects.”
“Like what?” Jules asked.
“At best, he’ll come through fine. The most probable thing is temporary amnesias. It can vary though, he can have most anything happen. Loss of speech, hearing...”
“What?” Jules went pale, I’m pretty sure I did too. She gripped my hand.
“Can we see him?” I asked.
“Not right now. They are still doing tests on him... Mrs. Meltsner, to be brutally honest, there’s no reason this boy should still be alive.”
Last edited by Miah Robinson on Sun Aug 25, 2019 7:13 am, edited 3 times in total.
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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...WOW...um WOW! That was freakin amazing! Like usually I don't read fanfic cause it's about Connie marring Richard or something but this is GOOD, real GOOD!!
“We all change. When you think about it, we’re all different people, all through our lives. And that’s okay, that’s good, you gotta keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be. I will not forget one line of this, not one day. I swear. I will always remember when the Doctor was me.” - Matt Smith
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Miah Robinson
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Sorry it’s been a while. Anywho, thanks PennyBassett for the editing help and feedback!

Chapter 3

I strolled briskly thought the snowy college campus, humming. A few students passed me. My mind buzzed as I relived the discussion on Quantum Mechanics that I had just taken part in. Once I reached my car, I pulled my phone out of my coat pocket. I saw five missed calls and three voice messages from Katrina, two lengthy messages from Jules, a message and two missed calls from Monty Whittaker. Monty Whittaker? Why would he be calling? I played all of Katrina’s voice messages. Within those ten minutes my world cracked in half. Buck’s in a coma!


My heart raced as I drove down the highway. I arrived at the hospital in exactly twelve minutes, seventeen seconds. I burst through the front doors.
“Where is he? Where is he?” I shouted.

Everyone stared. The man nearest me scooted down three seats. 

“Ahem, um, do you need anything?” Asked the man behind the desk. He had a high nasally voice.
“Yes! I’m looking for Buck Oliver! Where is he?”

“I’m sorry, we are not permitted to give out information unless you are a relative. Who are you?”

“My name- is- Eugene Meltsner,” I panted. “Buck- is my foster son...”

“Okay. Let me check... Buck Oliver...” he scrolled through his computer lazily. “Aha, follow me.” 

I followed the man to the elevator. He pushed the level 3 button. I turned to see him looking at himself in the mirror. He straightened his stringy hair. The elevator stopped and the metallic doors slid open.

“He should be in room 36.”
“Thank you...” I stepped out and the doors closed behind me. 

The hall was a dull white. Doors lined each side. A nurse pushed a cart past me. I assumed she was on her medicine route. My heart pounded in my ears as I walked down the hall. Finally I found room 36. A wide white door stood in front of me. I took a shaky breath and knocked.

“Come in,” I heard Katrina say.

I turned the handle and stepped in. The room was a depressing shade of beige. A small amount of light shown through the window. Buck was laying on the bed, unconscious. He had an air tube in his noise, an IV, and several monitoring devices attached to him. His face was pale, yet peaceful. I noticed a drain tube for his lungs running out from under the covers, the sight of which made me woozy. Jules sat in a recliner next to the bed holding his hand and crying silently. Katrina was huddled in the corner of the couch with Connie, who had her arm around her.

“Eugene...” Katrina whispered.

Connie stood up and moved to a nearby chair. I sat down next to Katrina and wrapped her in a tight embrace. She buried her face in my chest and sobbed. A tear slipped down my cheek.

“Oh Karina...” I cried, running my fingers through her hair gently.







Jules’ POV
I sat there crying. Unable to feel anything but a numb sadness. I don’t know how long I sat there holding Buck’s hand. I kept thinking back to everything we had done together. Now that may all be over. And it was all my fault. It felt like I had just lost the most important person in my life.

“Jules?” Connie asked, finally breaking the silence. “We need to head home. It’s almost 10:30.”

“I wanna stay,” my voice came out sounding unintentionally cold.

“I’m sorry Jules, they only let two people stay the night. We need to go.” I felt her hand gently touch my shoulder.

“Okay... Bye Buck,” I said, looking at his peaceful face. “Wake up for me- for all of us.”

Katrina smiled slightly. I took a deep breath and followed Connie out to the car.

Connie was quiet most the drive, but then, “Jules?”

“Hm?” I asked, staring out the window into the darkness. 

“How are you doing with all this?”

“You mean with Buck?”

“Yeah...”

“I don’t know... It’s just- hard...” 

‘Dang it Jules! Don’t be vulnerable!’ I scolded myself.

“I understand...”

“Really?”

“Yeah... You remember when I told you about Mitch?”

“The guy you were gonna marry?”

“Yeah... Well, he was forced to go into the Witness Protection Program. He had to fake his death. For two months I thought he was dead. I know it’s not the same, but I get how it feels.”

“I guess, that’s good to know.”

She smiled.







Eugene’s POV

I sat in the recliner between the hospital bed and the couch, holding my wife’s and my foster son’s hand. Katrina spoke, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

I smiled and squeezed her hand. My eyes met hers. Those beautiful grey eyes that I had looked into so many times now reflected something new. Terror that only a mother can truly know, that kind of terror that comes when a mother’s child is in danger.

She took a deep breath. “Eugene, we should probably get some sleep.”

“You’re probably right.”

She curled up on the blue couch. I looked over at Buck’s peaceful face.
This child, the one that we had taken into our life, the one we had given our hearts to, now lay there at the mercy of God. 
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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Miah Robinson
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Chapter 4
Katrina’s POV
The door creaked. My eyes opened slowly. I fumbled around on the side table for my glasses. Three nurses waked in.
“Sorry, this should just take a few minutes,” one nurse said, as the others got to work.
One changed out Buck’s IV bags while another placed a green clear mask over his face. A high hissing sounds started as fumes filled the mask. The other squeezed the chest tube to drain his lungs. He glanced at the measuring box on the other end of the tube and wrote something down.
“When the noise stops just take the mask off and turn this,” he motioned to a red knob.
“Okay...”
“Well, we’ll be back in about an hour.”
They filed out.
I looked over at Buck. A heating pad lay across his bare chest. The heart monitors, the IV, the nose tube, the lung drain, all the wires. It was all too strange. It felt like everything you’d see in movies but no one believes actually happens.
“Well,” Eugene took a breath, “how about Tv? We haven’t watched anything in a while.”
“Sure...” I cuddled up next to him as he flipped through the channels.



Jules’ POV
I walked down the street and pushed open the Meltsner’s wooden gate. A loud bark echoed through the backyard. Sparky came running up and jumped on me.
“Hey boy, wanna go on a walk?”
He wagged his tail.
I walked around back to where the hidden key was. I turned and looked up at Buck’s tree house, wondering if he’d would ever be able to see it again. If we’d ever be able to sit up there and talk as we watched the stars. I took a breath and looked away as tears formed in my eyes. I lifted the flower pot and grabbed the key.

The kitchen was cold and still. Sparky’s leash lay on the island. Buck’s backpack sat on table, his homework strewn about. I stepped forward. His notebook sat open. Notes from history class ran across the page.
‘Henry VIII-Six wives, all died except one. Creator of the Protestant faith...’
Doodles lined the top and corners of page. In the top left corner were the initials B.O.+J.K. A fresh pang of sadness hit me. I heard a whine and looked down. Sparky sat on the floor wagging his tail.
“Fine. Let’s go...”
I attached his leash and walked out into the street.

I kept my eyes on the snow-lined road. Music filled my ears. What felt like my one escape in life.
“Cold skin, drag my feet on the tile
As I'm walking down the corridor
And I know we haven't talked in a while
So I'm looking for an open door-“
“Hey! Girly!”
I stopped and pulled out an earbud. “Who? Me?”
“Yeah, you.”
Mrs. Kramer sat on her porch swing, a mug in hand. “I heard what happed to that criminal boy. What was his name? Buck Oliver?”
“He’s not a criminal,” I said, feeling my anger quickly rising. “And yes, his name is Buck.”
“You knew him, right?”
“Yeah...”
Sparky sat down next to me. I nudged his tail with my foot.
“I thought so. I’ve seen you two together.”
I nodded.
“You know, I once knew a young man who looked similar to Buck.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, He died.”
“Oh.”
“The man left a wife and child. His wife was my best friend... She died too...”
“Okay...” I muttered.
“I do feel bad for you. I know what it’s like to lose someone so close-“
“I didn’t lose him! He’s just- not here right now...”
“Yeah, that’s what all the kids these days say right before-“ she stopped.
I heard footsteps crunch in the snow behind me.
“Well hello, Whit!” Mrs. Kramer croaked.
I turned to see Mr. Whittaker.
“Hi there!” He responded. “How are you Mrs. Kramer?”
They started talked. My escape. I turned to walk away.
“Jules.”
I stopped.
“Can I talk to you?”
I took a breath, “Fine.”
“Can we walk?”
“Sure.”
“Bye, Mrs. Kramer!” he called.
“Bye, Whit!”
Mr. Whittaker and I started walking. No one said anything for a few minutes. It felt like a cold hand was wrapped around my heart. Finally I stopped.
“Mr. Whittaker, is there something you want?”
“Yeah... How are you doing?”
“I’m- fine,” I said as a led ball formed in my throat.
“That’s good.”
I looked down at Sparky, who was sniffing the trunk of a tree.
“I’m about to head over to the hospital,” he said after a while.
“Too see...Buck?”
“Yeah.”
“...oh,” tears stung my eyes as I forced them back down.
“Do you want to come with me?”
“I- no, I’ll go later.”
He glanced over at me. “Jules, are you trying to avoid going?”
“No. I just- don’t really...” my voice trailed off.
“Jules, you know it’s okay to be weak? You don’t have to be strong by yourself all the time.”
“I- I know.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Mhm...” I sniffed. “I need to get back home.”
“Wait, Jules. I need to tell you something.”
I stopped. That tone. Something was wrong. “What?”
“Buck- He has a fever. That’s not good. It’s up to 103.”
“What-“
I turned the other direction to try and control my breathing. My heart pounded as I fought back tears. My lungs felt tight. And then I broke.
“I can’t- I can’t handle it! I want to die! I want this to end!”
“Jules, what are you talking about?”
“Me. My dumb life! Every time I get attached to someone they disappear. He was the only good thing in my life, now he’s gone!”
“Jules, that’s not true.”
“Yes, it is!” I sobbed.
“Hey, listen. He’s not gone. He just needs a-“
“What? A miracle?”
Mr. Whittaker nodded.
“Oh yeah, sure. A miracle. You believe that God’s just gonna pop out of nowhere and heal him? I’m sure he’ll come through this time,” I said through tears.
“He might, Jules. You just need to give him a chance.”
“I already did...” I said coldly.
“What?”
“Five years ago.”
“Ah... What happened?”
“I just-“ my head throbbed.
“Jules...?”
I didn’t respond. I had gone too far. Shared too much. There was no way I could go back.
“Listen, would you like me to drive you over to the hospital?” He asked gently.
“Yeah...” I cried.

We walked in silence to the next block where Whit lived. He unlocked his car. I got in and stared at my lap, fidgeting with my hands.
“Jules, do you want to tell me what happened?”
“No.”
He took a breath and started the car, “Okay then. Can I tell you a story?”
“Sure.”
“There once was a woman who had almost everything she wanted. A husband and two wonderful kids. Life couldn’t be any better. Then her husband went on a work trip and she got a letter from him saying that he wouldn’t be coming home. She was devastated. But instead of handling her anger and pain like she should have, she took it out on everyone. And therefor made everyone around her miserable. Two years later, she was asked out again. She said no because she didn’t want to be hurt again. This man asked her over and over. After five months she said yes, mostly to get him to stop. They ended up dated and eventually got married. She let her broken heart get healed again. But now, if that man left her, I bet she’d just say, ‘yep, I knew he would’.”
I looked over at him. “What’s your point?”
“Jules, I have a feeling you’re doing the same thing with Buck. This is just a guess, but I bet you and Buck have both been emotionally hurt if not abused. You came here to Odyssey as an escape. Then you met him. And you opened your heart up again, you took a risk. You shared what happened because you both understood each other. Now that he’s not here so to speak, you’re building your walls up again. Am I right?”
“How- how’d you know?”
He chuckled slightly, “Jules, that woman is my daughter. I’ve lived a lot of life and I’ve seen this happen way too often.”
I returned my attention to the rip in my jeans.
“So, um. What am I supposed to do?”
“Share, Jules. Talk to Connie, Katrina, me, a counselor, Anyone.”
“I- I already tried going to counselors. And- I just can’t. I can’t share. It hurts too bad.”
“You talked to Buck, right?”
“Yeah...”
“That was a huge step forward. And I’m sure Connie would be more than happy to talk with you.”
“I- we’ll see. Maybe...”
He pulled into the hospital parking lot.
“Well, we’re here. Mind if I come with you?”
“No.”



Eugene’s POV
Nurses came in every hour. Dozens of people came to give their apologies and prayers, but all it felt fake. Like no one understood. Katrina didn’t say or eat much that day. I wanted to reach out to her, but she was closed off. This felt almost like an emotional replay of when we found out we couldn’t have kids.
Whit came by too. He talked and prayed with us for a while. I knew he understood pretty well what it was like. He had lost so much in life. It felt so nice, having a father figure with us through this hard time. Then there was Jules. She didn’t say much either. She just sat in the corner, staring at Buck. I figured she was probably processing everything. Katrina and I both tried to talk to her but all we got was short answers. The whole room felt cold. Like all hope was gone.
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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Miah Robinson
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Joined: February 2019
Location: across the pond

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Chapter 5
Jason’s POV
I walked into the snowy parking lot outside of Whit’s End. I saw Eugene walking towards me. He had his head down.
“Hey! Eugene!”
He jumped and looked up. “Huh? Oh! Jason. Greetings.”
“Hi. What’s up?”
“Well, I’m on my way to Whit’s End.”
“I can see that. I mean, how are you guys?”
“Well, if you mean in parlance to Buck’s recent plight, then I’d say we’re- coping.”
“Ah... I’m so sorry that that happened.”
“As are most people.”
“Okay... Well, I’d better get going.”
“Where are you off to?”
“Um, Connellsville Prison,” I said as I unlocked my red Toyota.
“Connellsville Prison?” He repeated. “Why?”
“To uh, see- an old friend.”
“Who?”
“I- uh, would rather not say...”
“Ah, I see. Secret stuff.”
I laughed and sat down in my car. “Something like that. See you Eugene.”
“Bye, Jason.”
I shut the door and glanced in the rear-view mirror. I fiddled with my hair, trying to get it to lie down flat. My hand turned the key mechanically and I pulled out of the parking lot. A mixture of excitement and nervousness echoed through my lungs.



Eugene’s POV
The bell above the door rang as I opened the front door of Whit’s End.
“Miss Kendall! I’m here!”
The kitchen doors swung open and Connie walked out.
“Eugene! What are you doing here?”
“I’m am here to work,” I announced.
“But shouldn’t you be at the hospital with Katrina?”
“Um, well, I realized that I needed to, as some might say, ‘get my mind off of resent events’.”
“Um- okay... So, how are you?”
“As I told Jason mere moments ago, I’m coping.”
“Oh, I guess that’s good... How’s Katrina?”
“Well, I- I honestly don’t know. She hasn’t really said much to me in the past few days.”
“Do you think she’d talk to me?”
“You know, I believe she might.”
“Okay, well, I’ll call and see if she wants to come over to my place later.”
“Um, Connie. Who was Jason going to visit?”
“Oh, um. He said he was gonna go see a friend.”
“In prison?”
“I guess.”
“Hm, Okay...”
I walked down to the basement to check on the computers.



Katrina’s POV
I took a deep breath and knocked on the Kendall’s front door. The door opened and Connie appeared.
“Katrina! Hi, how are you?”
I stepped inside. “I’m doing- okay.”
“How’s Buck?”
“Well, his fever’s down, so that’s a relief.”
“That’s great. Oh, I made some chocolate chip cookies for us.”
“Thanks.”
I followed Connie into the living room. Jules walked out of the room with a plate of cookies and a glass of orange juice. She disappeared up the stairs without a word. I sat down on the couch.
“How is she?” I asked.
“She’s having a hard time. And she locks herself in her room most of the day.”
“I see,” I said and plucked a cookie off the plate.
“So, how are you?”
I took a breath. “To be honest- I’m not doing very well...”
“Hm... that’s understandable.”
“I just- don’t understand why this had to happen... I mean- Eugene and I have been through so much. It doesn’t seem fair...”
“I bet. I’ve never really been in your situation before.”
I nodded as a tear rolled down my cheek.
“Anyways, what can I do to help?”
“Just, listen?”
“I can do that.”
I smiled slightly.



Jules’ POV
I walked down the stairs and saw Katrina and Connie in the other room. I backed up against the wall so they wouldn’t see me and pulled out my headphones.
“-there was this one time when he put his red sweatshirt in the washing machine with all of our whites. It was one of the few times that I actually got mad at him. I can still remember the look of fear on his face. And now- now I wish I hadn’t said anything,” I heard Katrina sniff.
Connie sighed. “Yeah, I did that when I was a teenager. Jules did that a few weeks ago too.”
Katrina laughed slightly. “For what’s its worth, I’d have let him wash all his colored cloths with the whites if it would mean he’d still be here...“
I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall. Pictures of him filled my head. The ones I had stared at on my phone for hours. Why was this happening? Why to us?
“It’s crazy that it takes such a huge loss to get people to realize how unimportant things really are,” Katrina said.
“Yeah...”
“Um, there was this other time when he made me a Mother’s Day card. My first Mother’s Day card... He told me that he had worked on it for hours...”
“Aww, that’s so sweet.”
“Yeah. It was...” Katrina sighed.
A tear rolled down my cheek and landed on my bare foot. I looked down. I wanted to curl up and go to sleep until this was all over.
“And the worst part- if he- he doesn’t make it- I- I don’t think he ever excepted Christ.”
“Oh... I didn’t think about that,” Connie muttered.
I wiped my face with the back of my sleeve. If it was gonna involve God I was leaving. For all I cared God was the one who had caused this whole thing.



Jason’s POV
I walked up to the entrance of a huge two story building. Narrow barred windows lined the dingy beige walls. A sign at the top of the doors read Connellsville Woman’s Prison Facility. Four guards sat just inside the doors. I approached slowly. A female guard looked up. Her name tag read Phoebe.
“Approval certificate please, current ID or photo, and name of person who you will be seeing,” she asked.
I handed her a folded piece of paper, along with my backpack. “It’s all on the paper.”
A guard began going through my bag while she read through the paper.
“Come this way,” a male guard said and motioned towards a metal detector.
I walked through it and he handed me back my backpack.
“Go down the hall and to the right.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”

My footsteps echoed as I walked down the dark hall, my palms damp. I turned right and pushed open the brown double doors. Individual windows lined the big room. People filled the room, talking to their loved ones and friends. I looked back and forth between the different windows. Finally I saw who I was looking for. A red haired woman sat in front of a window. No one was talking to her. I approached slowly. She looked up as I sat down.
“Hey, Jason,” she said.
“Hi, Monica.”
“I thought you wouldn’t come.”
“I told you I would.”
She laughed slightly. “It’s been eight years, why do you keep coming back?”
“I just- think it’s important.”
“Okay...”
“So, um, how are you doing?” I asked slowly.
“I’m good. I’ve got good some news.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, I’m getting out on good behavior in three months.”
“That’s awesome!”
“Yeah, it is.”
“So, do you have any plans for when you get released?”
“I- um, dunno yet.”
“Why don’t you come back to Odyssey?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because... I just- don’t think I’m ready to face everyone again.”
“Come on Monica! It’s Odyssey, everyone would be happy to see you again.”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it.
“Okay... So, how have they been treating you?”
“It’s prison Jason,” she laughed. “It’s not summer vacation, that’s for sure.”
“I get that.”
“So, um. What have you been up to?”
“Well, we’ve had some excitement over the past five or so months.”
“Really?”
“Yep,” I let out a breath. “You know how I told you about the Meltsner’s and their foster son?”
“Mhm.”
“Well, Buck’s old mentor came back. His name was Jebadia Skint. He also had a new sidekick, Tom Luker.”
A strange light flickered in her eyes.
“Yeah?”
“Anyways, they got dealt with, and just three days ago Buck and a friend went ice skating and he fell through the ice.”
“Wow. That’s rough.”
“Yeah-“
A loud buzz sounded and a voice spoke over the intercom.
“The allotted visiting time is up for the day. If everyone could make their way out, that would be helpful!”
“Well,” she took a breath, “maybe I’ll see you in a few months...”
“Yeah... Bye, Monica.”
“Bye, Jason.”
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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Miah Robinson
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Joined: February 2019
Location: across the pond

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Chapter 6
Katrina’s POV
The next five days were a blur. Nothing much happened. Eugene returned to his work at the college and Whit’s End. We traded off every other night at the hospital. Everything started settling into a sad normal. But one day everything changed. And I believe that it all started with a prayer meeting conducted at Whit’s End.


Wilson’s POV
I looked out at the group that had gathered in the Little Theater. The low murmur of around thirty people filled the room.
I cleared my throat, “Hello everyone! I’m sure a lot of you know why we’re gathered here tonight. But in case you don’t, we’re here to pray for a young man named Buck Oliver. We’ve all grown to know and love him in so many ways... He and a friend went ice skating and he fell through the ice. He’s in a coma right now...” I took a deep breath. “I guess I’ll start us off.”
And I prayed for him.

One thing I realized when my wife had died was that people often think to pray for the one that is sick or injured, but they rarely think to pray for the other people who are effected. So I had Katrina come up to the front so we could pray for her. I stepped down off the stage to join the circle of people who had gathered around her. We prayed for both her and Eugene.


Jules’ POV
I stood in the back close to the doors. Originally I had no intention of staying the whole time. But something about the way they all cared so much for Buck made me stay. All these people who hardly knew him were praying like they’d known him forever. The pastor called Katrina up to pray for her. Everyone had gathered around her, except me. I stood in the back awkwardly. Eventually they finished. One of the women in the group looked up, straight at me.
“Did you know him?” she asked.
I turned red as the whole group turned to look at me.
“I- yeah...”
“You’re Connie’s sister, aren’t you?
“Yeah...?”
She smiled. “Can we pray for you?”
“Um... I- I don’t know...”
I looked over at Katrina. She smiled and nodded reassuringly.
“Okay... I- guess...” I walked up awkwardly.
Everyone put their hands on me. I wanted to disappear. People, touching me. That was one of my least favorite things. I just stood there, staring at the maroon curtains draped from the ceiling until they finished. I didn’t really feel anything happen, as I had expected.


Katrina’s POV
The prayer meeting finished at around 10:30. It was my “shift” at the hospital that night.
As I walked out of the Little Theater I saw someone that surprised me: Detective Don Polehaus. I noticed that his eyes too, were puffy from crying. I stopped.
“Um, you came?” I asked suspiciously.
“Yeah...”
“Why? I- I didn’t know you were a Christian.”
“I didn’t know that you had to be a Christian to go to a prayer meeting.”
“I guess you don’t... but why did you come?”
“Because, I just- care...”
I nodded slightly.
“I uh, need to get going,” he muttered and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“Thank you, Detective...”
He took a breath, “You’re- welcome...”


I pushed open the hospital door. Eugene got up off the blue couch that sat against the wall.
“How was it?” He asked, walking up to me.
“Really good.”
“I’m glad.”
“You should probably get home...”
“Indeed,” he looked over at Buck then back at me. “I love you.”
“Love you too...”
He kissed me before walking out. I soon fell asleep to the familiar beeping sounds of the monitors.


I was awoken by a noise, maybe it was just my imagination. Then there it was again.
“...Katrina?”
“...Buck? Buck!” I jumped off the couch and ran over to the side of the bed. “I’m here...” I cried.
“Water...”
“Oh, yes!”
I poured him a cup of water and held it to his lips. He took a shaky sip.
“How- how do you feel?”
“Tired... My throat hurts... What happened?”
“You went ice skating with Jules. You fell through the ice. And you’ve been in a coma for eight days. Do you remember?”
“Um... no. Jules?”
“What about her?”
“Who...? What...?”
“Buck, she’s your girlfriend. Do you not remember?”
“Oh... yeah, Jules... Is she here?”
“No, it’s three in the morning. She’s probably asleep.”
“Oh... Where’s Mr. Eugene?”
“He’s at home. Oh! I should call him!”


Eugene’s POV
My phone vibrated on my bedside table. I found my glasses and saw that the incoming call was from Katrina. My heart started to race.
“Hello?”
“Eugene! It’s Buck!”
“What’s wrong?” I asked, panic filling my chest.
“Nothing’s wrong. He’s up Eugene! Buck woke up!”
“He what?” I asked in disbelief.
“He woke up! He’s not in a coma anymore! And Eugene, he wants to see you.”
“I- I’ll be there posthaste!”
I hung up and got dressed. Buck was up. At last.

I sped down the wide hospital hallway. My heart raced. As I approached the room I saw Katrina standing outside the door.
“Katrina. Why aren’t you inside?”
“They’re doing tests on him right now. We can’t be in there for that.”
“Oh... Did I miss anything?”
“Not much. They pulled his chest tube out. That wasn’t fun. But he did surprisingly well. He barely flinched. The nurse told me that most people are in agony when it’s removed.”
“I’m not surprised with what he’s had to grow up with,” I muttered.
“Yeah... Eugene, he’s back...”
“Indeed...”
The door opened. Six nurses filed out and shut the door.
“What did you determine?” I asked.
“Well, he doesn’t seem to have any amnesia. His hearing is a little off, it should be back to normal in around three weeks. He’s able to move all his limbs for the most part, but the big test will come tomorrow. We’ll come by sometime tomorrow afternoon to help him try to walk. But overall, he was fortunate.”
“That’s wonderful,” Katrina said.
“Well, have a goodnight.”
“You too.”
Katrina and I looked at each other.
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go see him!” Katrina laughed. Her eyes were shining.

I pushed open the door. Then I saw him. He looked up.
“Eugene...?”
“Buck...” I choked back tears. “How- how do you feel?”
“Tired... my head hurts, but the nurses said that’s normal.”
I nodded. I couldn’t say anything. For the first time in what felt like forever we were all together again.
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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Miah Robinson
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Chapter 7
Eugene’s POV
I sat on the couch in Buck’s hospital room, writing out the assignments for my students at the college. Katrina sat next to me reading, and Buck lay in bed asleep. I glanced at the time on the bottom of my screen. ‘7:45 am’. I sighed.
“I need to get going,” I whispered.
Katrina looked up and smiled. “Okay. Good luck.”
I got up and stretched. I was glad to see Katrina happy again. It was difficult being the one who had to emotionally support the family. 



Katrina’s POV
I heard a moan and looked up from my book. Buck yawned and looked over at me with one eye open.
“...Mrs. Katrina?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think a lot of people will come by today?”
“Probably... Jules normally does sometime in the afternoon. Whit’ll probably come by at some point too, and I got several messages from people at church asking when they can come by to see you.”
“Oh joy.”
I laughed.
“Um, do you think you could wait and not tell Jules that I’m awake yet? I’d like to surprise her if that’s okay,” he coughed.
“Oh, Buck! Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he coughed again, “I’m fine…”
“Okay…” I hesitated. “I’ll go call Connie.”
I stepped out into the hallway. Connie picked up on the second ring.
“Hello?”
“Hi! Connie, it’s Katrina.”
“Oh! Hey Katrina. What’s up?”
“Well, Buck woke up,” I couldn’t help but smile.
“Seriously? That’s awesome!”
“Yeah,” I laughed.
“Now Jules can stop moping around all day.”
“About that… Buck was wondering if you could send Jules over but not tell her that he’s awake. He’d like to surprise her.”
“Um, sure. She’s still asleep, but I’ll let her know once she wakes up.”
“Thanks, Connie! See you later!”
“Okay, bye Katrina!”
“Bye.”
I hung up and walked back into the room.
“What did she say?” Buck asked as he inspected the IV in his hand.
“Jules is still asleep, but Connie said she’d send her over when she wakes up.”
“What time is it?”
“Um,” I looked at my watch, “11:05.”
Buck laughed slightly. “Figures.”



Jules’ POV
I rubbed my eyes as I tromped down the stairs. I walked into the kitchen. Connie sat at the island scrolling through her IPad. 
She looked up. “Oh, Jules. Katrina called. She wants to talk to you. Can you get ready and head over to the Hospital?”
“Is Buck okay?”
“I don’t know…”
I swallowed back my fear. “Connie, what did she tell you?”
“She just said she wanted to talk to you about Buck. That’s it.”
I took a shaky breath. “Okay…”

Soon I was pulling into the hospital parking lot. I took the all too familiar path to Buck's room. My footsteps echoed down the hall, a cold hand wrapped around my heart. I pushed open the door.
“Hey, Jules.”
That unforgettable southern accent. I looked up to see Buck smiling at me.



Buck’s POV
As soon as Jules saw me her eyes lit up.
“Buck…” she breathed out and ran up to me. She bent down and hugged me.
“Agh! Careful, my IV,” I said as pain shot through my hand and forearm.
“Oh! Sorry!” she said, panic filling her voice. 
I flexed my hand. “It’s okay.” 
Her eyes met mine. 
“Buck, I’m so, so sorry. It was all my fault. If I- I hadn’t-” Tears ran down her face.
“Shh… It’s not your fault. I’m alive, that’s what matters.”
“But-”
I squeezed her hand. It didn’t surprise me that she was blaming herself for what had happened.
“Jules, listen. For real, I don’t blame you. It isn’t your fault. Please don’t beat yourself up. Okay?”
“Okay…” she sniffed and took a shaky breath. “I- I missed you…”
I reached up and wiped the tears off her cheek. She put her hand on top of mine.
“I’m so glad you’re back,” she let out a breath.
“Me too,” I smiled.
She laughed slightly “...so, um- when are they gonna release you?”
“I think Katrina said Christmas Eve.”
“Wow… Perfect timing…”
“Yeah…”
“Speaking of Katrina, where is she?”
“Oh, she had to go meet Eugene for some ‘urgent errand’. She wouldn’t tell me where though.”
“Weird…”


Katrina’s POV
Eugene and I walked out of Odyssey Court House. I was smiling. Eugene was whistling blissfully. 
“I wish we didn’t have to wait so long…” I sighed.
“Indeed. But it’ll be more special if we do.”
I pulled my phone out of my purse and saw a text message. 
“Connie says she’s at the hospital right now. It sounds like everyone from church decided to visit at once.”
Eugene laughed. “I bet Buck’s enjoying that.”
I frowned. “Poor Bucky-Bear…”


We walked up to see a huge group of people stood outside the door. I didn't recognize most of them. I spotted Whit in the crowd. 
“Whit!” I called.
He walked up to us. “Hello, Eugene, Katrina!”
“Greetings,” Eugene said.
“Whit, why are all these people here?”
“I think a lot of them are his friends from school and their parents.”
“Friends from school? I didn’t know he had this many…”
Whit shrugged.
We pushed our way through the crowd. Buck lay in bed surrounded by guys from his football team. Jules sat against the wall. She waved when she saw us. Buck looked up laughing. 
“Oh, hey there!”
“Buck, are you okay?”
“Um, sorta.”
I smiled. Just then Mr. Whittaker came in. 
“Okay, guys. Buck has to do his walking exercises now. All of you need to leave.”
All the guys said bye to Buck. They filed out, laughing. Buck sighed as the nurses came in. He made a face. “Let’s do this.”
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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ByeByeBrownie
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This is sooo good! I literally got chills at the part when Jules walked into the hospital room and realized Buck was awake. :)
Shiyanne Rylie Steele

Buck and Jules Shipper
Wooton is the best character on Odyssey ever. Fight me.


"It's not that we don't make sense, it's that we have a different way of looking at things that do make sense." ~Wooton Bassett
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Miah Robinson
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Little FYI to avoid confusion. Buck is now out of the hospital and at home. Now carry on with your reading. :D

Chapter 8
Buck’s POV
I lay on my bed, watching the Christmas lights on my wall flash back and forth between green, yellow, red and blue. I had a dull ache in my left ear.
“Buck, everyone’s here!” Katrina called from downstairs. 
I got up, limped down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. It smelled amazing. Katrina, Connie, and Penny were preparing the food. Jules sat at the island.
“Hey, Buck,” she said.
“Hi,” I smiled.
I looked over at Katrina. "Um, can I help with anything?”
“No sweetheart, just rest,” she said as she pulled the rolls out of the oven.
Jules let out a snort.
“Mrs. Katrina, I’m fine. I don’t need to rest.”
“That’s not what the doctor said.”
“I don’t think carrying a bowl of mashed potatoes is going to send me back to the hospital.”
“Okay, you can carry in the mashed potatoes. But then go sit down.”
“Fine…”
Jules and I grabbed bowls of food and carried them into the living room. Jason, Jeff, Wooton, Eugene, and Whit sat around talking. I sat down on the couch next to Jules.
Jeff looked up. "Oh, hey guys."
"Hi," Jules and I said at the same time.
"Are you feeling any better Buck?" he asked.
"Mhm. I still have a slight headache, but otherwise, I'm fine."
"That's great."
I nodded.



We all sat around admiring each other's gifts.
"Well, I guess that's it," Jason said, looking under the tree.
"Actually, we have one last gift for Buck," Katrina said. She handed me an envelope.
“What?” I asked in surprise.
"Open it," Eugene said.
"Okay..."
I opened the envelope and pulled out a document. It had gold symbols lining the edges. I read it out loud.
“Certificate of adoption. This is to certify that Buck Jebidiah Oliver has been formally adopted into the Meltsner family on December 22nd…” my voice trailed off. I looked up. My throat constricted. “What?”
“It’s your adoption certificate,” Eugene said, with a huge smile on his face.
“Pff, I think he knows that. Well, Buck, what do you think?” Katrina asked.
“I- I- don’t know what to say…” Tears clouded my vision. Eugene and Katrina moved forward, wrapping me in a hug. 
“You don’t need to say anything, son…” Eugene whispered.
That one word. Son. I had heard Mr. Skint say it hundreds of times, though it was never in a positive sense. But something about the way Eugene said it made my heart soar. I was a son again. I belonged to a family.
“Thank you…” my voice cracked as I pulled back. Tears rolled down my face.
“We love you, Buck…” Katrina said, pulling me into another hug.
Soon I felt Jules’ arms around me, then Eugene's, then Mr. Whittaker’s. Eventually, I was the center of a big group hug.
“I love you guys too,” I said as I pulled away.
Everyone laughed.
“So, Buck ‘Meltsner’, how does it feel?” Jules asked, smiling.
“Really good,” I laughed.
Everyone laughed again.
“Well then, shall we play a game?” Eugene asked.
“Ooo, yes. Let’s play that game you guys got Wooton. Speak Out,” Penny suggested.



“Okay, Jason, go,” Connie said.
“Mmm,” he picked up a card, “tuttle- were- carf- im- ah- winna-”
We all laughed.
“Um, I think he said something about ‘in the winter’?” Penny said.
“Maybe turtle?” Jules asked.
Jason started making frantic reassuring hand gestures.
“Wait, turtles wear scarves in the winter!” Wooton yelled.
Jason yanked the plastic piece out of his mouth. “Yes! You got it!” he laughed.
“Woo-hoo!” Penny cheered.
We all laughed. My phone vibrated in my back pocket. I pulled it out and saw an incoming call from Cooper.
“Um, sorry. Just a sec.” I stood up and walked back into Eugene and Katrina’s bedroom. I pushed answer. “Hello?”
“Yo, Buck. Sorry to interrupt, but Dad and I were driving past Whit’s End. There were all these fire trucks everywhere.”
“What?”
“We asked what happened. There’s been an explosion in the basement or something. Dad couldn’t get ahold of Mr. Whittaker or Eugene, so I called you.”
“Okay. I’ll go tell them! Thanks, Cooper!”
“No problem. Bye!”
I hung up and ran back through the house into the living room. Jules looked at me in alarm. I clutched my side as my lungs burned.
“Mr. Whittaker- an explosion-” I panted as I leaned against the doorframe.
He stood up. “What?”
“At Whit’s End- in the basement…” my head spun.
“Buck, you’re really pale. Are you okay?” Katrina asked, standing up.
"I-" Stars filled my vision. Then everything went black.
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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Miah Robinson
Chocolate Chip
Posts: 48
Joined: February 2019
Location: across the pond

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Sorry, it's been about a month. I'll try to get the next one out sooner. ;)

Chapter 9
Whit’s POV
I pushed open the car door and ran across the snowy street to Whit’s End. Cold air stabbed at my lungs and I tried to catch my breath. Jason ran up behind me.
“Dad…”
I swallowed. A five-foot crater sat the ground. I could see through it into the blackened basement. Part of the fence was gone, but Whit’s End was still intact. Fire trucks, a few police cars, and multiple ambulances filled the parking lot. Their lights cast an eerie glow on the white wooden slats that lined the sides of the building.
A soot-covered fireman trudged by.
“Hey,” Jason reached out and stopped him, “did anyone get hurt?”
The fireman nodded, glancing in the direction of the ambulances.
“Who?” I asked.
“We don’t know yet. It was a young man. Probably in his early 20’s.”
“Hm… Is it safe for us to go down to the basement?”
“I believe so.”

Jason and I carefully made our way down the charred staircase and into the basement. Grey dust swirled through the air as beams of light shown through the gap that led out to the street. Shards of wood and fragments from different inventions littered the room. Everything was covered in black soot. I knew what the cause of the explosion was right away. Panic filled my chest. I walked up to the one thing that was left unharmed: a black metal safe. I put in the combination and pulled open the heavy metal door.
“Dad?” Jason asked hesitantly.
I closed it and let out a breath in relief. “They’re still here.”
“Good...”
Footsteps echoed down the staircase. I turned to see Detective Polehaus.
“Jason, Mr. Whittaker…”
I swallowed.
“We can’t figure out what caused the explosion, though we do have some video evidence. Would you two mind following me back upstairs?”
“Sure Detective,” Jason muttered.
We followed the Detective up the narrow staircase and into the dining area. Computers sat on four of the marble tabletops. I hadn’t noticed them when we had come in. Detective Polehaus pulled up a video on one of them. We watched in silence. I could barely make out a figure emerge out of the staircase into the basement, and walk up to my desk. Then there was a flash of light and everything went black.
“I can’t figure it out... It looks like he just walks in, then everything explodes,” Detective Polehaus took a breath, biting his lip. “Do you have any idea what could have caused the explosion?”
My eyes met Jason’s. I shook my head.
“We found the body. Would you mind seeing if you recognize him?”
“Sure…”

We walked out to the middle of the ambulances. A man lay on the stretcher. Dirt and soot covered his face. He had multiple gashes on his forehead and arms. His sandy hair was plastered to his forehead. His denim overalls were covered with blood and dirt. I had flashbacks to my time serving in the military during World War II. I fought back panic and nausea.
“Do you recognize him, dad?” Jason asked apprehensively.
I nodded. “I hired a crew to clean up after the Christmas Eve play since Eugene wasn’t able to help. This was one of the men…”
The Detective folded his arms. “Do you know his name?”
I took a breath. “...His name was Joel Morris.”
“So let me get this straight, this random guy just happened to stumble into your basement, and somehow blew everything up? I’m sorry Whit, but I’m not buying it.”
I shook my head. “From the video, it looks like he went in knowing what he was looking for.”
“That’s true… Mr. Whittaker, I get the feeling that there’s something you’re not telling me.”
“There’s nothing that I can tell you right now.”
“Dad-” Jason started.
I gave him a look.
“Cooperation is best,” Polehaus said, looking back and forth between us.
“I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“Whit-”
I shook my head.



Buck’s POV
A low hum filled my ears. My head throbbed. I opened my eyes slowly. My vision started to clear. Gray plastic surrounded me. I couldn’t see anything but gray. The rumbling started to get louder and louder. My heart began to race. I tried to move, but couldn’t. I slammed my hand against the wall. My chest started tightening. My lungs burned as I gasped for oxygen.
“Help…” I muttered as I fought back the oncoming panic attack.
A loud buzz sounded, and everything started to move forward. All of the sudden I was in a room filled with bright lights.
“Buck?” a soft voice asked.
I swallowed as my chest heaved. “Who- what?”
I realized the room was full of nurses. A gray-haired nurse stood next to me. Her name tag said, Lily Graham.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I looked at her in alarm. My arms shook. “N- no…”
She looked over at a young nurse and said something that I couldn’t understand. They both walked out.
"Don't leave... please..." Everything spun. I blinked, trying to stop the dizziness.
Doctor Graham and a nurse came back in, followed by a blond woman. I couldn’t see clearly.
“Buck!” she grasped my hand.
“K- Katina?”
She knelt next to me. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know!”
“Katrina?” the Doctor Graham asked.
She stood up. Panic grasped my heart. “No! Please don’t leave!”
“Hey… listen, we’re done for today…” the other nurse said.
I took a shaky breath. “I- I can’t do it again...”
“You may not need to.”
Another nurse walked in. “Can he walk?”
Doctor Graham shook her head. “Could you get the stretcher?”
She nodded.
Doctor Graham looked down at me. “You’re claustrophobic, aren’t you?”
Memories flashed through my brain. I nodded as I fought back tears.
I looked over at Katrina. “...What happened?”
“You passed out, and you needed to have an MRI,” Katrina said softly.
“Oh…” I lifted my shaky hand. A white band circled my wrist. ‘Buck Meltsner’. It hadn’t been a dream.



Unknown’s POV
The video finished playing. I smiled as I pulled up my email and sent out an email blast to all my- what shall we call them? Ah yes, my followers…
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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Miah Robinson
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Posts: 48
Joined: February 2019
Location: across the pond

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Chapter 10
Jason’s POV
I sat at the counter of Whit’s End. A newspaper lay open in front of me. “Explosion At Whit’s End” sat at the top in bold lettering. I looked up as Connie slid the cup of coffee over to me.
“So Jason, what do you think?”
I sighed. “I don’t know…”
“Is this going to be your new ‘top-secret mission’?”
“I- don’t know,” I said again and laughed.
“Well, I’m sure the town will be very excited to hear what our undercover agent has up his sleeves.”
“If I can help it, I’ll keep my hands clean. And I’m not an agent anymore, everyone knows that.”
“Sure…” Connie smirked.
I heard a crash and looked over to see a child staring in horror at the pink liquid and shards of glass spilled across the floor.
Connie sighed. “Duty calls.”
I glanced over at the once beautiful black and white tiles that led to the makeshift door blocking the entrance of the basement. They were cracked and covered with black smudges. I heard footsteps and saw a tall young man approach. He had black hair and wore circular black-rimmed glasses. He sat down next to me.
“Who are you?” I smiled.
“Mark Reaves.” He had a thick British accent.
“Okay... Is there something you need?”
“Actually, yes. I recently moved here from England, and I’m a junior reporter for the Odyssey Times. Are you Mr. Whittaker?”
“No, I’m his son; Jason.”
“Well, in that case, would you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
“I guess. This place was swarming with reporters this morning, did you guys not get what you needed then?”
“We decided it would be best to wait until everything calmed down.”
“I see.”
“So,” he pulled a notebook out of his backpack, “what caused the explosion?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“What kind of things were in the basement?”
“Well, all of dad’s equipment, experiments, inventions, plans…”
“So valuable items?”
“Yeah…”
He scribbled a few things down in his notebook. “What kind of inventions?”
“Random contraptions for the Bible Room- um, these questions don’t necessarily sound like the normal reporter's questions…”
He smiled. “Just doing my job.”
I took a sip of my drink.
“How long until Whit’s End will be fully up and running?”
“Probably another two or three weeks.”
“Was anyone hurt?”
“Yes, one man.”
“What was his name?”
“I think it was Joel Morris.”
“Will you be taking any future precautions to make sure this doesn’t happen again?”
I nodded. “We’re planning on installing better security.”
“Well,” he closed his notebook and stood up, “thank you for your time.”
“No problem. Oh, and tell Dale hi for me.”
“Dale?”
“Dale Jacobs. You know, the head reporter?”
“Oh, right. Sorry, there are so many employees nowadays, it’s hard to remember who’s who.”
“Right…”
“Thank you again.”
I watched him disappear out the back door. Something wasn't right. Yet I couldn’t put my finger on it. He came across as an honest young man. Maybe it was the questions that triggered something in the back of my mind.



Katrina’s POV
I looked over at Buck as we waited for the red light to turn green. He was slouched in his seat, staring out the window. His cheeks were slightly sunken in.
“Buck?” I asked slowly.
He looked over at me. “Hm?”
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” He looked back out the window.
Lies. Honesty. Don’t push.
“Is there something on your mind?”
“No.”
I swallowed and readjusted my grip on the steering wheel. “Okay…”
I could see Whit’s End in the distance. Buck sat up as we got closer. His blue eyes narrowed as he looked at the taped off section out front.
“Did they figure out what happened?” he asked.
“I don’t think they know.”
“Oh…”
“We can stop by if you’d like something to drink?”
“Sure.”

I held the door open for Buck and followed him in. We walked up to the counter. Jules stood with her back turned towards us, wiping off the soda fountain. Buck smirked. He walked up and hugged her from behind.
She jumped. “Buck! Ugh, you scared me.”
“Hi there,” he smiled.
I laughed and sat down at the counter. “Hey, Jules.”
“Hi, Katrina.” She set down the rag.
“Buck, what would you like?” I asked.
“Um, a Wod-Fam-Choc-Sod,” he said and sat down next to me.
The kitchen doors swung open and Connie walked out. “Hey, guys.”
“Hi,” I smiled.
“Do you guys want something?” she asked.
“Buck would like a Wod-Fam-Choc-Sod and I’d like some water.”
“Okay. Jules, can you make it?” Connie asked.
“What? Why me? You can make it too-” Jules started.
“Hey, I’ll help,” Buck stood up.
“Buck-” I gave him a look.
“I know! I’ll be careful!”
The two of them disappeared behind the kitchen doors.
Connie sighed and leaned against the counter. “How’s Buck?”
“Pretty good. They let him out this morning. Doctor Graham said he shouldn't do anything strenuous for the next two months. He’s not happy about that.”
“Hm. Did they figure out why he passed out?”
“Yeah. His lungs haven’t recovered. He wasn’t getting enough oxygen when he ran through the house. And he got a concussion went he passed out. We’re supposed to go back once a week for the next month.”
“Oh.”
The kitchen doors flew open and the two teenagers walked out, cups in hand. Buck was laughing. I smiled.



Unknown’s POV
I looked at the small group of people gathered in the room.
“Welcome all… You may be wondering, ‘why are we here today?’ Well, our goal is to get some of America’s best criminals out of prison. How do we do that? Easy. I have a little video for you to watch.”
Light beams shot out of the projector and as a video began playing on the screen.
“Okay sir, I was able to get away from the group, and I’m headed down to the basement now,” a voice said as a camera moved down a dark staircase. A flashlight beam moved around the room.
“Ah, yes… there we are. I think I found it...”
The camera moved to a clear plastic box. I couldn’t tell what was inside.
“Let’s see if I can-”
A hand reached inside the box. There was a bright flash and everything went black.
The group was silent.
I smirked. “You see. That is what we need to find out. What did that unfortunate young man find? I have a basic idea of what it is. Thanks to Ariana, our wonderful ex-FBI agent, we got a tip-off. Now, there is only one person who is close enough to the man who created it and has the skills and knowledge to be able to find out what we’re dealing with and steal it.”
I pushed a button on my remote. An image of a good-looking teenage boy appeared on the screen.
“This is who we’re looking for…”
I looked at the group in the room. A woman raised her hand.
“Yes, you have a question?”
“Sir, he’s just a teenager…”
“Exactly. I’ve heard from a reliable source that this boy was a con artist for years.”
Everyone laughed in approval.
“So! You will all be dispersed into Odyssey. Here on the table, I have a pile of papers. The papers have each of your jobs listed. It gives a detailed description of what we’re trying to find out. I expect you to make good of it. Oh, and we will be adding a few more members to our group soon.”
The group cheered.
“One more thing! Is Erin Castillio in the room?” my voice rang out.
A handsome young man stood up. “Yes, sir.”
“Did you get any information from Whittaker?”
“Yes, sir.” He walked up and dropped a stack of papers on the table. “But this is all I could get out of him.”
I looked into his grey eyes. They did not lie. I nodded.
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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Miah Robinson
Chocolate Chip
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Joined: February 2019
Location: across the pond

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Over 2000 views now, that's pretty sweet! Thanks guys! \:D/

Chapter 11
Buck's POV
The next two weeks flew by with little commotion. My weekly doctor's appointments came with news of improvement and soon the stitches in my side from the chest tube were removed. A few days later school started back up, carrying with it the joys and struggles that come with being what most people would call the “popular kid.”



Bethany’s POV
A blast of heat hit my face as I walked into the crowded hall of Odyssey High School. Wet footprints covered the floor. A yellow caution sign sat in the corner, being ignored by all. Blue lockers lined the walls. A banner hung from the ceiling saying, “Welcome Back!”. The low murmur of hundreds of voices filled my ears. Nausea wrapped around my stomach as I swallowed back my nervousness. I readjusted the backpack on my shoulders.
Locker 173…
My footsteps echoed in my ears. I saw it. Two kids stood in the way, talking. The girl was average height, she had brown wavy hair, and her clothes suggested that she was pretty well off. The guy had dirty blond hair and wore a maroon letter jacket. He had piercing blue eyes. The girl opened her locker, the one next to mine.
I cleared my throat. “Um, hey…”
They both turned to me. I stood there awkwardly.
“Oh, uh, is this yours?” the guy motioned to the lockers. He had a southern accent.
“Yeah, 173,” I said.
“Guess we’ll all be locker buddies,” he smiled and stepped aside.
I nodded.
“Well, I’m Buck, and this is Jules. What’s your name?”
“Um, I’m Bethany.”
“I feel like I’ve seen you before,” Jules said, as she pulled a book out of her locker.
“Maybe,” I muttered.
My brain buzzed as I anticipated her next move.
Jules laughed. “Ever been to Whit’s End?”
“Yeah. I- uh- was like 11 last time I went.”
Shut up. No one cares when you last went.
“Hm, well you should go again sometime.”
No, I can’t.
“Okay…” I muttered.
“You new here?” Buck asked.
“Kinda. We just moved back here from Connellsville.”
"So you used to live in Odyssey?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s cool.”
I smiled slightly as I pulled the identical history book as Jules out of my backpack.
“Guess we’re in the same class,” she noticed
“Yeah.”
A loud bell rang out through the building. I hurriedly shoved my backpack into my locker.
“Wanna walk with us?” Buck asked.
“Um- sure.”
I followed the two of them at a slight distance. Buck put his arm around Jules’ shoulder.
Great. So they’re together. Two fewer people to understand me.




Tom’s POV
I walked up to the desk and cleared my throat. The clerk looked up.
“I’m looking for,” I glanced down at the paper in my hands, “Buck Oliver.”
“Just a second…” the clerk said, scrolling through her computer. She looked up. “We don’t have any ‘Oliver’ in the school system.”
“That has to be a mistake. This paper says ‘Buck Oliver at Odyssey High School’...”
“I’m sorry, but our files don’t lie.”
I sighed. I was in trouble.



Eugene’s POV
I removed the drill bit from the last screw, stood up, and took a few steps backward. A new wooden door stood in the way of the basement entrance. I sighed in satisfaction.
“Eugene?”
I jumped. “Oh, Mr. Whittaker. Greetings.”
He laughed. “The door looks nice.”
“Why thank you.”
“Eugene, I wanted to show you something. Would you mind following me down to the basement?”
“Sure.”
I opened the newly installed door for Mr. Whittaker and followed him down the steep basement steps. The room was nicely redecorated. A new concrete wall stood on the far end of the room where the blast had knocked out the bricks. A large oak desk sat against the wall, and a shelf stood at the opposite side of the room.
“Eugene, I’d like you to see what I’ve been working on for the past six months,” Mr. Whittaker motioned towards a diagram on his computer.
I approached slowly. Thin white lines covered the screen. I stared at the complex design in shock.
“Mr. Whittaker, is this what caused the explosion?”
He nodded. “I left one out, but it wasn’t anywhere close to being finished. That’s how Joel found it so easily.”
“This- this is truly genius, I mean, who knows what people could accomplish with this…”
“Exactly. I decided that it would be best to tell you about it in case something happens. But Eugene, listen. You can’t tell anyone.”
“Katrina and Buck included?”
“Katrina’s fine, but I don’t want Buck getting involved.”
I nodded. “Understood.”



Bethany’s POV
I unlocked the front door and closed it behind myself quietly, hoping to avoid detection from my parents. I made my way into the living room, my eyes fixed on my end goal: the staircase. The wooden floor popped beneath my feet.
Dang it.
“Bethany, is that you?” dad called from somewhere in the back of the house.
I sighed. “Yeah.”
He and mom appeared in the doorway.
“Well, how was it?” mom asked excitedly.
“Fine…”
“Did you meet anyone?” dad asked, leaning against the door frame.
Well duh, it’s a 4A school. Of course I met people.
“Yes,” I muttered.
“That’s awesome. Who?”
“Their names are Buck and Jules.”
“Aw, that’s great!” mom hugged me.
I fake-smiled and pulled away. “Mhm.”
“We’re so proud of you,” dad smiled. “This is a huge adjustment.”
How old do you think I am, ten?
“Hm, thanks.”
I turned and started to climb the stairs.
“Oh, Bethany!” dad called.
I stopped. My heart started to pound.
What did I do this time?
My brain ran through every possible mistake that I had made in the past three months.
“We’re talking about stopping by Whit’s End tomorrow, you down for that?”
I sighed in relief. “Yeah, sure!”
I walked into my room, shut the door, and collapsed on my bed. I took a shaky breath. The day that I had been dreaming about for years had come true, but it hadn’t gone as I had expected.
"Well, that wasn't Shakespeare's Henry IV, but it'll have to do." -Don Polehaus
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