Beautiful People: Albany’s Childhood | Fantastic Friday

Hullo, everyone! I kind of… forgot about posting, didn’t I? Whoops. I was trying to figure out what I could do for a Fantastic Friday post this week, and I had pretty much decided to just wait and do the Monday post I was planning, but then this month’s Beautiful People link-up appeared in my inbox! So why not? I was originally planning to use Anvil for the next Beautiful People, but since this one is a childhood edition, I decided it would be better to use Albany, since Anvil’s would be… not happy. Well, let’s get on with the questions!

1. What are their first childhood memory? Albany has a lot of vague “first memories,” but the first one that’s actually clear is the first time she and Brooklyn communicated telepathically, which was when they were about three. That was the first time they realized they were doing it, at least. It was a very traumatic moment and consisted of lots confused baby talk in their heads.
2. What were their best and worst childhood experiences? Her best childhood experience was probably the time she spent with her dad and Denver at a playground for three hours. That’s one of her older memories, but a favorite one. Her worst childhood experience was probably the time she fell off a tall slide, off the side, or any other time when her curiosity got her into trouble.
3. What was their childhood home like? It was an averaged sized house, but it was an older house, so it had lots of fun nooks and crannies to hide in. It was certainly a happy place, and they were sad to leave it.
4. What’s something that scared them as child? Albany was absolutely terrified of heights when she was younger. Bugs and snakes she could handle, but put her up on a tall ladder and you would find out how loud she could scream–and how tight she could hold onto something.
5. Who did they look up to most? Her older Denver, for sure. To her, he was the most awesome person in the world, and she would follow him around everywhere she could. Until he got too cool to have his little sister hanging around him. But he got over that phase pretty quickly.
6. Favourite and least favourite childhood foods?  I’m not sure she had a least favorite food, but if she did, it would probably be broccoli or something like that. Her favorite food growing up was Mac and Cheese. Any kind, anywhere. Especially if it had breadcrumbs on top.
7. If they had their childhood again, would they change anything? Albany would probably say no. She loves they way her life is, and she wouldn’t want anything to change that. Plus, she had a really good childhood.
8. What kind of child were they? Curious? Wild? Quiet? Devious? Heh. Need this even be a question? She was the most curious child on the face of the planet–still is, in fact. She got into trouble quite a bit, and relied on Brooklyn to help her out.
9. What was their relationship to their parents and siblings like? Albany was close to her parents when she was little, and told them everything (still does, if she can), but she was always closer to Denver and Brooklyn. She and Brooklyn went everywhere together, since they were twins, not to mention they had their telepathic connection. And as I mentioned before, she adored Denver.
10. What did they want to be when they grew up, and what did they actually become? When Albany was little, she wanted to be a character in a book. Not kidding. Because don’t all bookworms want that at some point? (Don’t tell her, but she got her wish!) There were times when she wanted to be a princess or an elf, and sometimes she decided she wanted to be a spy or a president. Nothing normal, that’s for sure. As of yet, all she’s become is a superhero, so…

I hope you enjoyed getting to learn about Albany’s childhood! She’s an adorable character, and I can’t wait for all of you to read Twinepathy in its full and final form soon!

Twinepathy (Part 43/44): Some Trouble

Hullo, everyone! Guess what, I remembered to post today! Will wonders never cease! It’s been a while since I last posted, so I figured I’d post an extra part as an apology. If you’re new, start at the beginning!

43

Blaze grimaces. “Ah, yes, we did leave kind of suddenly, didn’t we? I guess we should head back.”

Oh yes we should. We never told Denver we were leaving, and Mom and Dad didn’t know either… oh boy. This is a big mess.

I follow Blaze to the meeting room and that’s when I get smothered in a Brooklyn hug. “What happened? You scared me so much! What were you even thinking?” She’s definitely in mother hen mode now. Finally, she lets go of me and holds me still for an inspection. “You look all right.”

“We weren’t in too much danger.” Mostly. Just a little bit. “Volt was the one who was really in trouble.” I give her a meaningful look.

Brooklyn’s face stays blank for a second, and then realization dawns on her face. Her eyes widen. “Oh no! Is she okay?”

I shrug. “She’s with Data, resting.” I purposefully don’t give any details. No need to worry her until we get somewhere private and I can tell her the full story. “But we need to get home before they try to put us on some missing people list.”

Brooklyn’s eyes widen again. “Oh, I totally forgot!” She motions for Maddie to come, and now I notice that Finch and Keller are here.

Blaze nods and turns towards Finch and Keller. “If Data asks, tell her I’ll be back soon.” And with that, we teleport.

We don’t land in the bedroom, like I expected. Instead, we’re in a deserted alley. Blaze points toward a main street. “Head that way. You should know your way from there, and you’ll be home soon. Anything else before I go back?”

I desperately want to ask him about that beach we landed on, but I figure it’s best to wait on that. Might as well get out of the doghouse first. All three of us shake our heads, and Blaze disappears.

I look at Brooklyn and Maddie. “Well… might as well get this over with.”

Blaze was right – it doesn’t take us long to get home. When we step inside, I get the sinking feeling that we’re in even bigger trouble than I thought. We check the whole house from top to bottom, but no luck. No one’s here.

Brooklyn calls Mom, and I wince when I hear Mom through the speaker, even though it’s not on speaker phone. I think Brooklyn will do much better in this delicate situation than I could. We haven’t worked out a story yet, but Brooklyn says something about helping Ezra and not having a chance to call them.

I give her a look. That might be too close to the truth. She waves her hand dismissively. I guess it’s a good enough story. If anyone asks Ezra about it, we know she’ll vouch for us.

My thoughts flash to the guy who attacked Ezra, but I push the anger and curiosity away. This is one thing I can’t investigate on my own. After all, I have no way to get across the Atlantic without Blaze. My only option is to get over this little bump at home and hope Jen calls us in to help. Soon.

44

Mom, Dad, and Denver all converge on the house at the same time. Then it’s a mass of questions and confusion and hugs and lectures and… I don’t even know what. I’ve just got the phrases “I’m sorry,” and “We’re okay,” on repeat.

We get off lighter than I thought we would, with Mom and Dad reminding us to at least leave a note before leaving. Brooklyn gets lunch duty for a week and I wash the cars and rake the lawn, but I figure that’s a pretty easy sentence. We’ll just have to warn Blaze that he can’t just whisk us away.

Denver is a way different story. After Mom and Dad get busy, he corners Brooklyn and me while Maddie’s upstairs. “What’s going on? You two have been acting so weird lately. And it’s not just stress. Even I can tell that much.”

He doesn’t get demanding very often, since he’s usually pretty passive and easy-going. But he’s smart, and it won’t be easy to get around this. I glance over at Brooklyn. There’s no way we can tell him the truth…

Brooklyn sighs. “Denver… it’s kind of a secret. We can’t tell you.”

He crosses his arms. “How did I know you were going to say that? Is it something dangerous?”

“No,” I say before Brooklyn can say anything.

Denver gives me a skeptical look. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better, and I don’t believe you one bit.” He pauses. “Is Ezra in on this secret?”

Brooklyn and I exchange glances. “Yes,” Brooklyn says reluctantly.

He stares at the wall, thinking. I really wish I was in his thoughts right now. “Tell Ezra before you do anything. Hopefully her common sense will beat out your…” He looks at us. “Just please, please be careful. And whenever you’re able to, tell me what’s going on.” I see the worry and fear in his eyes, and I get the feeling he’ll keep thinking about this.

Brooklyn places a hand on his arm. “We will. And don’t worry, there are responsible adults involved.”

I nod in agreement. Jen’s certainly responsible, and an adult, and I guess there are probably some other agents that qualify as that, too. Hopefully that’ll be good enough. Denver relaxes a little, thankfully. “That’s good. Just make sure you stay safe, okay?”

We both nod, and he heads past us upstairs, muttering something about stubborn sisters and stress. But despite his nonchalance, I can tell he’s really worried about us. Does he even suspect that Maddie’s involved, or the international scope of everything? I get the feeling that he’d worry even more if he knew the whole truth.

“We should get Data to talk to him,” Brooklyn says, facing me. Her voice is low, to avoid being overheard. “And maybe Mom and Dad, too.”

I just give her a tired look. “Do you think that she’d actually agree to that?”

She pauses, unsure. “Maybe. I don’t know. She’s a puzzle.”

I shrug. “We can ask. But I don’t think that she’s got very much spare time on her hands right now. I doubt she’d talk to them, anyway.”

The doorbell rings, but Mom calls to say that she’s got it. “We shouldn’t keep this from them,” Brooklyn says, her tone somber. “I want them to know.”

“Girls!” Mom calls. “Your friend Blaze is here!”

Big News (Alaska-Sized) and Twinepathy Part 38

Hullo, everyone!!! As the title says, I have HUGE news for today!

I HAVE FINISHED WRITING TWINEPATHY!!!!!!!!

I think that’s worthy of some dancing and celebration, don’t you? 😀 It’s been about five or six months since I started, and I’ve found that I really enjoyed writing this story! Now comes the hard part – the editing. We’ll see how that goes! 😉

In the meantime, enjoy a special extra part for today! (See part one if you’re new!)

———

Jen frowns at me. “Volt?”

I nod. “Yeah, you know, pretty, tall, purple hair…” Jen gives me a look and I clamp my mouth shut.

“She’s on a little mission. Why?” Jen asks, almost suspiciously.

“She was on a date with our brother and had to cancel,” I explain, tilting my head.

Jen nods. “This is more important than a date. And speaking of that mission…” She gives Blaze a pointed look, and he leaps to his feet.

“All right, let’s head back out to the lobby.” He begins herding us toward the door, motioning for Keller and The Finch to follow. We pile out of the office, leaving Jen alone at her desk. Blaze shuts the door behind us. Com glances at us disinterestedly, and Blaze leads us down a side hall that we haven’t been down before. The Finch and Keller follow us, Keller because she has no choice and Finch probably because he doesn’t have anything more exciting to do.

Blaze holds open a door, and we step into a large room with a bunch of circular tables with chairs around them. Quite a few people are in the room, talking, working, or just hanging out. Blaze has us sit down at a table and then teleports to who knows where, leaving us in awkward silence.

I glance at Brooklyn as she scoots her chair around to sit next to Keller. She starts by introducing herself, and before I know it, they’re having a casual, friendly conversation. Who knew? I look around for Maddie and notice that she’s talking to Finch. You’d never put the two of them together if not for their similar amnesia experiences.

Blaze reappears suddenly, a huge grin on his face and two boxes of donuts in his arms. He sets them on the table and slides into the chair next to me. “I hope you guys like donuts. You’d better get what you want before everyone else catches the scent.” He winks and plops two chocolate-glazed donuts on a napkin.

Brooklyn reluctantly takes a donut, probably thinking about how guilty she’ll feel later. Keller refuses, and Maddie takes a plain one. Finch grabs a couple, and I take a chocolate one, too. Might as well.

The other two conversations resume and Blaze turns to me. “So, how are you?” he asks in a conversational tone.

“Oh, I’m doing just wonderful,” I reply sarcastically – my go-to response when anyone asks me how I’m doing. “My sister is stressed out and keeps having monster headaches, there’s a serial amnesia-causer on the loose, and I’m…” I trail off grumpily.

“You’re not doing so hot, either, but no one’s really asked about that,” Blaze finishes, lifting an eyebrow.

“No,” I retort. “I’m frustrated with everything and all I want to do is hit something. Hard. Preferably whoever messed up my wonderful life.”

“So… Data, then?” Blaze says skeptically.

I pause. “Well, no. More like this amnesia-causing person.”

“Serial memory killer,” Blaze offers with a grin.

I glare at him. “This isn’t a joke, you know. It’s serious.”

“Well…” he says slowly. “Not all jokes have punch lines.” I groan, and he leans forward earnestly. “Really, Albany, when’s the last time you let loose and had a little fun?”

I shrug. “The last time it was appropriate.”

Blaze sighs, but then gets a twinkle in his eye. “If I take you to where Ezra is, will you promise to do something fun soon?”

I narrow my eyes at him as his question sinks in. “Are you asking me out?”

His face darkens suddenly. “No. I’m not. I don’t date.”

I give him a skeptical look that turns to curiosity as I see the hardness and distance that has taken over his expression. “What? Why not?”

Blaze shakes his head, and his expression nearly returns to normal, but it lacks its usual spunky, mischievous look. “Never mind. But will you?”

I pause, curiosity heightened, but I stuff it down. “Sure.”

He grabs my arm, and we teleport.

—Note: This is not the final part. Just so you know. ;)—

Twinepathy (Part 33): Acting Kind of Strange

Hullo, everyone! Oddly enough, I forgot about the post on Monday (I posted it on Tuesday, though!) but I remembered to post today! My brain must be very confused. Enjoy! If you’re new, start at the beginning.

Jen asks Keller a few more questions, and then tells her that she needs to go to IDIA headquarters. Keller reluctantly agrees to go, but Maddie and I leave. We’re probably going to be late to lunch, but at least we’ll have a good, truthful excuse – we lost track of time.

But my big worry right now is Brooklyn. What is she going to think when she finds out I did all of this investigation stuff without her?

Mom’s already got the food for lunch out, and Brooklyn, Denver, and Dad are already at the table. Mom turns when we come in. “What took you so long?” she asks.

“We lost track of time,” I say, doing my best to act normal.

“You and bookstores,” Brooklyn says, grinning.

I can’t help but smile back as Maddie and I take our seats at the table after I set our shopping bag in the living room. Maddie’s quiet, but isn’t she usually? I don’t know. I’m expecting her to act differently, so I’ll notice it more than the others. Right? I hope so.

We dig into Mom’s delicious homemade beef enchiladas. To be honest, the enchilada sauce is my absolute favorite part. That and the delicious melty cheese on top. It’s one of my absolute favorites – but then again, I say that about pretty much every meal she makes. I do my best to keep up a normal chatter during the meal, but it’s hard because my brain is buzzing with all the new information. We have so many answers now, but we still have so many questions. It’ll be just my luck if Brooklyn notices how distracted I am.

Brooklyn volunteers to help Mom with cleanup, so that leaves Denver, Dad, Maddie, and me to entertain ourselves. We go into the living room to show Denver our books while Dad heads to mow the lawn. Maddie and I show Denver our books, and I give my book to Denver for inspection. He doesn’t read as much as I do, but we have similar interests – mystery and thriller books. I tell him when I find a really good book, and if he likes the description, he’ll probably read it.

Denver flips through the book absent-mindedly and then hands it back to me. He leans forward, his eyes worried. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting kind of strange.”

He noticed, and Brooklyn didn’t? Or is he talking about the past week? True, Brooklyn hasn’t had a chance to ask me, so maybe she did notice. I’ll find out soon, I guess. “I’m fine. I’m just a little stressed out with school. And Brooklyn having her headaches and stress isn’t exactly helping.” Definitely not a lie. Not the whole truth, but it’s definitely true.

Denver nods, looking satisfied with my answer. “Okay. Let me know if I can do anything to help.”

I smile at my wonderful big brother. “Don’t worry. I’ll let you know if anything’s really wrong.” As long as it doesn’t have anything to do with IDIA, I add mentally.

He grins. “Good.” He turns his attention to Maddie’s book, but I pause.

“Wait, weren’t you on a date with Ezra? Why’re you back already?”

Denver sighs. “She got an emergency call from work, so we had to reschedule.”

Now that worries me. Is this something related to IDIA, or is it her real job? Does this have something to do with our discoveries this morning? She wasn’t at the meeting or anything, and she must have got the call around that time. I manage to collect my thoughts. “Did she give any details?”

Denver frowns at me. “You’re starting to sound as suspicious as Brooklyn. No, she didn’t but it’s not any of my business, anyway.”

But if she’s discovering the truth about all of Maddie’s past, then it is my business. And if she’s in trouble… then it’s definitely my business.

Twinepathy (Part 31): Lila or Maddie?

Hullo, everyone! I hope Monday’s post hasn’t left you hanging too much. 😉 Let’s learn a few more things today, shall we? Enjoy! New? Check out part one.

I gape at Keller, mouth wide open. Maddie looks panicked and freaked out and tries to pull away from Keller. Her whole body is rigid. Keller pulls away, frowning. “Lila?” she asks.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” Jen comments from the doorway. I jump in surprise, my eyes meeting hers. She raises an eyebrow, and I look down at the ground sheepishly.

Keller grabs Maddie’s shoulders. “Lila, what’s wrong? What’s going on?” She sounds panicked.

“She has amnesia,” Jen says quietly. “You know her?”

Keller stares at Maddie. “She’s… my sister.” She whirls on Jen, eyes flashing. “What did you do to her?!”

Jen stands calmly, watching Keller. “I didn’t do anything to her. Why don’t we go inside and see if we can piece together everything that’s going on?”

Keller looks back at Maddie, a look of mixed horror and anger crossing her face. Then her shoulders slump and she nods.

We head inside and Maddie grabs my hand again, looking up at me with fear and worry in her eyes. I avoid looking at Keller as we head into the living room. I’m surprised to see Blaze relaxing on the couch, again with his mask on, but I’m not as surprised as he is. I’ve never seen so much shock on his face, not even when Brooklyn passed out. Then again, I’ve only known him for a week.

“What…!” he sputters.

The corner of Jen’s mouth twitches. “What perfect timing, hm?” She sits down next to Blaze, somehow looking just as at home as he does but still appearing poised. Keller slumps down into the armchair across from Jen, her eyes occasionally straying towards Maddie.

Jen turns towards me. “Let’s start with the easiest string to untangle. What are you doing here?”

I take a deep breath and dive into the whole story of how we tracked down Keller, doing my best to keep it short. Jen nods periodically, but when I finish, her expression doesn’t change. I squirm in my seat.

“Well,” she begins slowly. “You certainly have a knack for investigating. And being too curious.”

My face turns pink. “Maybe just a little bit,” I admit.

“And Brooklyn doesn’t know anything?” Jen asks.

I shake my head. “Not that I know of. She might be a little suspicious, though.”

“I would be,” Blaze says. He pauses. “Maybe not, if I was Brooklyn.”

I turn a fiery glare on him. “Are you insulting my sister?” I say in an icy voice.

Blaze grins, but Jen steps in. “Enough. Let’s move on. I used the same technique to find Keller, except I gained more information from Genesis. Keller is one of the people who was fighting in Brooklyn’s brain. That’s as far as I’ve gotten.” She turns to Keller. “I’ll let you explain the rest to us.”

And Keller begins.

Twinepathy (Part 15): IDIA Headquarters

Hullo, everyone! As one of you so wisely predicted… yes, I am leading up to something big. And it has a terrible cliffhanger, as well, so… *prepares Captain America’s shield* And Vision’s on my side, too… he’s a big fan, and he’ll be laughing maniacally with me after the cliffhanger… Just kidding. 😉 But that’s in Part 17, so you must wait in suspense until then… New? Check out part one!

After we finish setting up Maddie’s sleeping bag, I coach her in some of the questions Mom and Dad will probably ask. She quickly catches on, so we go ahead and head downstairs.

Our parents quickly grow comfortable with Maddie. It’s still a little weird, of course, but they’re definitely making an effort to make her feel welcome. Denver’s not home when the three of us go upstairs to go to bed, but that’s typical. He and Ezra spend a lot of time together. He’ll probably be back around eleven.

Brooklyn falls asleep instantly – she’s a knock-out sleeper: once she’s out, she’s out. Maddie takes a while, but soon she falls asleep too, cuddling one of Brooklyn’s old stuffed animals. But I can’t fall asleep. It’s understandable, I guess, after everything that’s happened. My brain’s on overload, trying to figure things out. Not only is this the weirdest and most unusual day I’ve ever had, it’s a real-life mystery, too.

I’m still awake when Denver gets home. I can hear him come in, and Mom and Dad start talking to him, probably explaining about Maddie. Soon, doors close and I guess everyone goes to sleep. But I’m too busy trying to figure out how we can solve this mystery.

Tomorrow’s Monday, a school day. Obviously we can’t skip… and what’s going to happen with Maddie? Mom and Dad might try to get her into school, but we only have a couple months left. Then again, I don’t think we should leave her here by herself. Maybe she can go to IDIA Headquarters. I guess we can contact them and ask about that tomorrow… And I should probably try to find some information online about the others with amnesia…

Before I know it, it’s morning. I know it’s morning because Brooklyn and Maddie both jump on my bed, laughing. I would sleep forever if I could, but Brooklyn won’t let me. Stubborn. I certainly don’t need as long as she does to get ready in the mornings, so why won’t she just let me sleep in? After I finish getting ready, I help Maddie pick her outfit. When Brooklyn finally finishes, we all head downstairs. Mom already has a buffet of steaming bacon, eggs, and sausage out, along with some fresh, fluffy pancakes. She usually sets the food out like this since we all get up at different times. Mom and Dad get up at six, Brooklyn and I usually wake up around seven, and Denver… well, who knows when he gets up. His classes at the local college don’t start until eleven, and he usually stays up late working on who knows what.

The three of us eat quickly, and when we finish, Brooklyn notices a note from Mom on the fridge. Mom’s the co-owner of a small café close to our house, and she usually goes to help out at least every other day. Today’s one of her days, so the note asks us to take Maddie to the daycare facility owned by our friend Felicity’s mom.

The problem is that “our friend” Felicity was our friend about ten years ago. We haven’t talked to her in ages… and we have no idea where the “daycare facility” is. Plus, Maddie’s ten! She doesn’t need daycare.

So the only solution is to contact Blaze. He appears in our room only two minutes after I push the button. “Whaddya need?” he asks, scanning the room.

Brooklyn points at Maddie. “We have to go to school, and she needs somewhere safe to stay. We were thinking you could take her to IDIA headquarters.”

Blaze nods. “Sure.” A slow grin spreads across his face. “Why don’t you guys come, too? It’ll be quick and fun and you don’t have to worry about being late to school.”

I’m pretty sure my grin lights up my face. Brooklyn’s shaking her head, but I jump in first. “Definitely.” Curiosity killed the cat, and Brooklyn always says it’ll be my demise, too… but really, I can’t help it.

Brooklyn rolls her eyes, but Blaze grabs all of our hands before we can say anything else, and the next second, we’re in the middle of a completely different room. The walls are whitish, an odd texture that I can’t distinguish, and it’s a pretty large room. Jen is sitting at a huge desk, but leaps up when we appear. She relaxes and smiles when she sees who it is. “Hello, girls. Are you here for a tour?”

Brooklyn shakes her head firmly. “We’re just dropping off Maddie before we go to school.” She gives me and Blaze a pointed glare.

Jen nods. “Of course. Maddie, would you like to stay and help me?”

Maddie looks around cautiously, then at Brooklyn, then turns back to Jen and nods. “Sure.” She goes over to the desk.

“Come on,” Blaze says, grabbing our wrists. “I’ll show you the main room, and then we can go back.”

Jen walks around her desk and takes Maddie’s hand. “We’ll come, too.” She seems to be hiding a grin. Why?

Blaze leads us out a door and into a huge, huge, huge room. It’s like Kohl’s… except three of them laid out in a row. And the ceiling! It’s so high… and walls and ceiling are made of the same weird white texture. I’ve never seen any building, not even in pictures, that looks like it could be shaped like this. It certainly doesn’t look like any government building I’ve ever been to. Where are we?

“Where are we?” Brooklyn asks in amazement. Twin-ness, I tell you.

Jen grins. “Girls, welcome to Antarctica.”

Antarctica! Woo-hoo!!! I may like Antarctica… a lot… And if anyone thought that Jen doesn’t have a sense of humor… you’re wrong. 😉 What thoughts do you have, my friends?

Stay tuned this week for a special character interview with Jen! If you have any questions you’d like to ask her, comment below!

Next Part –>