Joseph walks to the door. His father, Dan, stops him in his tracks. Joseph looks at his father wondering what he was about to do.
Dan hugs his son and smiles. Joseph was really wondering what was going on.
“Son, I know that we’re (makes a sound) men, but I just wanted you to know that I love you and I’m proud of you. I don’t say enough but I am.” Dan says to his son. Joseph smiles.
“I love you too pop.” He responds. “Anyways boy, I was headed down to the Country Club I joined. You want to come with me?” he asks. “Uh, not today, dad, I was headed over to the Lightman’s house.”
“Oh! Well you know Scott Lightman is part of the club too. I’ll tell him you said you will come one day.” “Okay…” Joseph said with a forced smile. “Alright son, I’m off. Where’s your sister by the way?” “With mom, shopping for more plants.” “Ugh…we’ve got enough plants in the house. I know your mother is a botanist, but come on. Also…is your sister alright? She’s been acting a little more unusual.” “I think she’s fine.” “’Kay. Alright boy, I’m gone.”
Dan walks out the door. Joseph grabs his keys and jacket. He sees his shades smashed in the trash. He frowns and knows who had done it. He walks out the house and locks the door behind him.
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Joseph arrives to the house. He sees a disturbing sight. It was the three girls at the door. There was egg on the window of Annabelle’s room. The girls turn to Joseph and smile. Joseph was about to get back in the car when they called his name out. He grinds his teeth and forces a smile at the wild women about to surround him.
“Hey handsome? What brings you here?” Marilyn asks Joseph looking him up and down. “Annabelle lives here.” He responds with a slightly annoyed tone in his voice. “You mean, the dud? Look, she’s not in with anyone. She’s a freak. You hang around freaks long enough and you become one. So…here’s what I suggest.”
She places her finger on his chest. She strokes his chest and he just looks at her. The other girls with her wink. Joseph grabs her hand and gently pushes her away.
“Not interested. I came here to talk. I did not come here to talk to you. Now, if you don’t mind getting out of my way.” Joseph said with his rising in deepness a little. Marilyn and the girls however, block his way to the door. Joseph rolls his eyes annoyed at them. He didn’t have time for this.
“Why do you want to hang out with her! I’m clearly better than the freak! Back away from the door and go. Maybe I can forgive in two to three weeks.” Marilyn says to him.
“Why would I need your forgiveness? I’m not friends with you. I don’t even you. And I’ve done nothing to you. So…move or you I will make you move, all of you.” Joseph said with a deeper voice but a calm spirit.
“You’re not going in there with her!” Marilyn yells. The step-mom was on the other side of the door listening. She was on Marilyn’s side that Joseph should leave. She didn’t want Annabelle to have anything out of life. Marilyn was her favorite person in town.
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[NOTE: I’m not trying to write the cliché old mean step-mom. However, in the original story, she was this way. So I’m trying to keep as close as possible to the original version I had written. Added to that, contrary to TV portrayals, it’s usually the children adamant to the new mother not the other way around. I will try to develop this character more to give her more than the “evil step-mom feel”]
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Annabelle heard a scream and looks out of her window. She sees Joseph carrying all three girls in his arms without really struggling to carry them all, at least that what it seemed like to her.
They were all placed in the car that they had ridden to her house. He walks away from them and Marilyn clenches her teeth together. She throws her head forward and cranks the car up driving away.
Joseph knocks on the door. The door opens and there was her step-mother. Joseph smiles at her and she doesn’t smile back.
“I don’t get it. Why did you come back? I mean, why would you hang out with the freak? Marilyn is far better than Annabelle.” The step-mom tells him. “That’s your opinion, not mine. I came back, because Annabelle is my friend, not Marilyn. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to go upstairs.” He tells her.
“I do. Please, leave my house.” The step-mom says. Joseph frowns and looks at her. He uses his full height. “I will do the same thing to you if you don’t move.”
The step-mom moves out of his way. She walks into the living room back to her daily soap operas. Joseph goes up the stairs and knocks on the Annabelle’s door. Annabelle opens the door for him.
“Come in!” she says. He opens the door and finds her on her bed drawing. Her hands moved delicately across the paper, her strokes forming an image he couldn’t see yet.
“You came by today? Why?” She asked him not looking up. “I’m came to see how you were doing and if we could hang out again.” Joseph said.
“I saw what you did to those girls…comedy gold.” Annabelle said looking at him with a smile on her face. “I thought you might appreciate it.” He said. “You knew I was watching?” “Of course I did. I know my surroundings, like how to your right, there is a bat in the closet. Why? Do you play baseball?” “A little bit. But dad gave it to me so I could hit someone if they thought they could get the better of me.” “I can teach you to do more than hit someone. But, uh, we’ll save that for another day. About your step-mom. She doesn’t seem like she likes you very much. She really is kind of a witch.”
“Her? Well, if you want to know about her, I can tell you.” “Humor me.” “Well, she’s kind of a rival of my mother, when she was alive of course. She used to contend against my mother all the time.
Beauty pageants, talent shows, even little school tests. My mom used to get the better of her all the time. Then there was the contest for my father’s heart. You can imagine who won. She hated my mom for that.
And then…she was gone. My step-mom moved in on my father in his weakest moment and she stole him from my mom. She felt like she finally got a win, until, she moved in and saw me. That was the icing on the cake. I was the one thing truly left from my mother her nuisance.
What made it worse…things I overhear when they think they’re arguing quietly, is that she’s jealous of my mom. Mom had me…she had, has…no one. I’m everything she hates. And so, she’s not the nicest person to me.”
“Still, she’s your mom. Mother’s aren’t supposed to be that way.” Joseph said to her. She gives him a soft look. “I don’t care Joseph. I knew my mother. I remember everything about her. That’s all I need to know. That’s all I care about. My mom loved me. That keeps me going throughout a day of harassment. I’m a tough Jas.” “Yeah….I can see that now. And what about those girls? What’s their bone against you?”
“Them. Just Marilyn really. We’ve been rivals too.” “Something about your family?” “I think so. Marilyn and I grew up together. I guess, she saw that people liked me when we were younger, so she became a little tyrant and used money to make herself popular. By the time I was 10, the entire school was against me and the fact was my mom made it worse.”
“What did she do?” he asked her. “This was before I was born. I know how they found out but I just don’t get how they could be so cruel about it.” “Well, what happened?” “My mom, about 5 years before my birth, burned the library down. There was nothing left. The men and women inside had to run out. They all thought she was crazy.
When she was asked why she had done it, they couldn’t get an answer out of her. They nearly sent her into the crazy house, but the doctors, thank goodness, couldn’t find anything wrong with her. And back then, the old man you met in the park was a good friend of my mom’s. He was the sheriff when he could at least aim right, and he was able to get the charges dropped on her. They were in need of a new library anyhow and he used that to get everyone off her back. Didn’t work for me. I guess the kids all heard whispers on how nutsy my mom was.” “That’s sad.” “It is…for them.” “Is there anything left of the library?” “The old one or the new one?” “Old one.”
She laughs a little bit. “Well, you’ll find that there is not a things left of the library. In an effort to taunt me, I suppose, Marilyn had her father by the land and build her a club there. That’s the new thing on top of the library.” “Oh. Well…thanks for clarifying. You ever find out why your mother burned it down?” “No. I didn’t.” “Maybe the answers in the diary. How’s that come along?” Joseph asks her.
“I’ve managed to decode something…it’s about a formula. I don’t think it has to do with the one you’ve taken but it’s something that supposed to change the life of humans as we know it.” Annabelle says taking the diary out.
Joseph looks at the circled words that Annabelle had chosen. He noticed that she had done well in decoding her mother’s book. Reading it normally, he couldn’t decode it even if he wanted.
“You have a talent of knowing your mother.” Joseph said giving her back the diary. “Well…I spent most of my time with her anyhow. Would be a shame if I didn’t know her. So where are going today?”
“I don’t. I don’t know much about this town.” Joseph said to her. “How about the movies? I hadn’t seen anything lately…and I’ve been itching to go see something to rot my mind.”
“Sure. Sounds good to me.” Joseph said smiling. Annabelle grabs a pair of cute tennis shoes and puts them on. She puts her sketchpad into her little backpack and throws it over her shoulder. They fly down the stairs.
“We’re going to the movies.” She says to her step-mom. “Don’t come back.” She fires at Annabelle. Joseph looked as if he was about to say something back to her. Annabelle shook her head at him. She takes him out of the door.
“I can defend myself Joseph. Plus, I don’t think you need to get emotional about it. Besides, momma didn’t raise a weak girl.” Annabelle said with an adorable smirk. “Come on Jas.”
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Joseph opens the door to his house and Natalia runs into his gut once again. He falls over giving a forced smile as he tries to catch his breath. He picks her up. “Still working on the Iron Head attack…oi…please stop using it on me.” He tells her. “I’m going to know an ancient Iron Move like you one day!” she says smiling. “Did it have to be the head? Oh…my lungs are screaming for oxygen. Alright, princess, let me get some sleep.” “Maddie’s in there.” “My room?” “Living room. Later!”
Natalia runs off with her arms in the air pretending she is a plane. Joseph enters the living room. He sees Madison, who looks at him with a faint smile on her face. He knows something is wrong.
“Madison? Are you alright?” he asks. “I don’t know how to tell you this. I know what you’re going to feel but at the same time, you’re the only person I want to tell.” She said with her eyes tearing up.
“What is it Madison?” he asks hurriedly. “My mom…she…died.” Madison said tears rolling down her face.
Joseph felt nothing. He was stone cold on the inside. The memories of anger faded from him. The memories of being annoyed faded. Any feeling of the memories he had for her mother was gone. But he knew one thing, his friend was hurt and he hurt to see her like that.
The issue was that he felt bad for Madison. He however, felt nothing for her mother. He wished that he could at least feel sorry for her. He pushed the feeling but it was not for her. He could see clearly in his head who he felt sorry for…Madison. He could only sigh within himself and allow himself to feel sorry for his dear friend, Madison Parks.
“I’m…” “What Jas? What are you?” He looked at her teary eyed himself. He sat beside her and hugged her tightly. She fell into his chest, her red hair making her face disappear from sight.
“Maddie, I wish I could. I wish I could lie and say it. But…every fiber of my being stops me, both my own moral code and…the formula. I wish.” He said with a tear coming down his face stroking her red hair. “I can feel for the both of us Jas. It’s enough for me that you want to.”
Now, what he didn’t know was that his parents were listening in the other room. They couldn’t really grasp what Joseph and Maddie were talking about. They were ducked and dodged the issue, knowing what each other meant.
Beverly was truly worried that it was something very serious. His father, didn’t push the matter. He knew that there would always be secrets between Madison and Joseph. They were always that way. So he allowed himself to let the matter go.
Madison and Joseph stayed on the couch for an hour or so. Joseph then took the sleeping red head to his room and laid her in his bed. He walks into the living room. His mother was waiting on him.
“I overheard. Sad thing about Madison’s mom right?” she asks him. “Uh…” Joseph couldn’t bring himself to answer her. She looked at him with that motherly wisdom in her eyes.683Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jUGDv4PBj
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Joseph told his mother. “Mmm, hmmm. Are you alright Joseph?” She asked him. “I’m fine mom.” “Joseph. I can’t help but worry. You’re my son, my first child. Every time I see you, I see years of my life spent trying to get to you. Then all my wishes came true. Your my baby, my one wish out of life.
I can’t stand to see you in pain. I can’t stand to see you going through things. You know I’ve always had an affinity to knowing when something is wrong with you. I can’t help it. What is wrong you my child.” She asks him desperate to help her miracle child.
“There’s nothing you can really do about it anyhow mom. Trust when I say that. It’s alright. I’m big boy. If I need your help, I’m going to come to you momma. I can promise you that. I think I’m going to get some sleep now.” He says to her.
She looks at him still wondering but decided to let it go for now. She kisses him and leaves him alone. Joseph lies on the couch staring at the ceiling, not sleeping a wink…he couldn’t, not with the horror of being inhuman.683Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBb8XS1ma9
