New BeginningsA young boy wandered on, even though he was exhausted. His only true friend, his faithful pet Grauf, had been left behind. Even though Grauf would have wanted to come, and even though the boy wished his friend could be by his side, it simply could not be. The boy forced himself to continue walking, promising himself he would stop once he reached a clearing.His mind started to wander, but it was suddenly jerked back to reality. He heard a man shouting a distance away. The boy, in his state of exhaustion, could not tell if the voice was one he recognized, nor what the man was shouting. Regardless, the boy�s heart leaped; perhaps this meant someone was looking for him, perhaps his parents cared after all.
The young boy staggered towards the voice and soon found himself in a clearing by the side of an iron fence. A man was standing there and it seemed he was the one shouting.
�Are you looking for me?� the boy asked, hopeful.
The man quickly turned around, then replied sadly, �No. I�m sorry, but I�m looking for Jenny.�
�Oh,� the boy despondently turned to leave.
�Wait!� the man exclaimed. �What�s your name, boy? And where are your parents?�
�My parents?� the boy asked, his eyes widening. He realized at that moment that there was a chance he might get sent back home against his will.
The man seemed to sense that the boy was scared, and said, �Don�t worry, boy. I won�t send you home if you really don�t want to go.�
�Oh, good,� the boy smiled a little.
�I don�t think you told me your name,� the man prodded.
�Oh, um�� the boy thought quickly. The only name that came to mind was his real one. Since he couldn�t think of another name, it would have to do. �Jon,� he answered, hoping he was making the right choice.
�Just Jon?� the man questioned, raising his eyebrow. �No last name?�
�No, sir,� the boy said looking down. �It�s just Jon, short for Jonathan.� Just because the man said he wouldn�t send the boy home didn�t mean the man would stick by his word, especially if there was any sort of reward out for the boy.
�Well, in that case,� the man said, interrupting the boy�s thoughts, �I suppose you might as well come into the house and get cleaned up.�
The boy wasn�t sure if this was a trick or not. The man sounded sincere, but maybe he recognized the boy. The boy decided to follow the man. Even if the man wasn�t being sincere, Jon could always run away again.
~*~*~*~*~*~As they walked down the halls, the boy looked about. The halls seemed very well-decorated, almost as well-decorated as home. This place seemed different, though the boy couldn�t quite put his finger on why. Then it suddenly hit him. This place looked lived in. Not in a messy sort of way, in fact the halls were quite neat. Here and there sat random odds and ends, dolls and other children�s playthings, as if they were exactly where they belonged. That was what made this house feel more like home than Jon's own house.
�Here you go,� the man said, once again interrupting the boy�s thoughts, �this is the guest bath. While you take a bath, I�ll look for something cleaner for you to wear.�
The boy happened to glance into a mirror and noticed, with a bit of satisfaction, that he indeed did not look like the same boy he had been when he ran away. He tried to remember what the servants had done when bathing him. He couldn�t remember all the exacts, but he had the feeling it didn�t matter much anyways.
After he finished, he saw that some one had left an oversized sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants in the next room. The boy put these clothes on and went to explore the rest of the house. He soon realized, however, that his surroundings were frighteningly unfamiliar. Just when he was starting to get worried, the man appeared in front of him.
�There you are, kid. I was just looking for you so I could give you the grand tour of the house. Say, are you hungry?� Jon could only nod as he grinned widely. �Then our first stop will be the kitchen,� the man said as he led the way. They made their way past the guestroom, through the hallways they had come through earlier, and down a hallway that led to a large kitchen.
As the man began opening and closing cabinets, a thought occurred to Jon. �Where are the, uh, servants?� he asked, trying not to sound too obvious.
The man stopped for a moment to look directly at Jon. �That�s a good question,� the man said as he nodded slightly, �Jonathan, isn�t it?�
The boy nodded, and waited for an answer. The man continued his explanation and his search for food.
�All of the servants are out looking for a young girl. Aha!� the man exclaimed, taking two cups out of the cabinet. �Here�s where Pierre hid the cups.� After filling the two cups and putting some plates and food on the table, the man sat down with Jon to eat.
While they were eating, Jon asked, �Where you looking for the girl, too?�
The man looked a little surprised, �Yes, yes I was.�
�So, I guess she�s Jenny.�
�Yes, she�s Jenny,� the man said half to Jon and half to himself.
The boy looked down and realize neither of them had any food on their plates. Now was as good a time as any for him to make his suggestion. �Maybe,� he began hesitantly, �I could help look for her?� Jon looked at the man questioningly, trying to silently plead with him to let him help with the search.
The man chuckled, �How do you plan to find a girl you know nothing about?�
�Well,� Jon began and then trailed off. He hadn�t stopped to think about that. Suddenly, he had an idea. �Well, I�m a kid, and she�s a kid, so I could look where a kid might hide and maybe I�d find her.�
�Doubtful,� the man just smiled and shook his head. After seeing Jon�s confused look, he continued, �For one, Jenny�s not a regular kid��
�Neither am I!�
�Okay, okay. Don�t get so defensive on her account, kid. Anyway, I can tell you�re not a regular kid, what with those clothes you were wearing when I saw you.�
So, he had known this whole time that Jon wasn�t just another lost kid. Jon's eyes narrowed, �How much do you know?� His heart dropped as the man pulled out of his pocket a folded reward poster.
�Even without this, I�d still know you. You resemble your grandfather.�
�M-my G-grandfather?� Jon stammered as his eyes widened. His grandparents were sort of reclusive, and he hadn�t seen them in a few years. Without warning, though, Jon�s mind raced back to the lost girl. He shook his head violently. �That�ll have to wait. I want to look for the little girl first.�
�Persistent, aren�t you, kid? I guess I have no choice but to let you look. I�ll tell you more about her while we search.� Just then, the sound of the walkie-talkie on the man�s belt interrupted them.
�Travis here.�
An agitated female voice responded, �Now Samantha�s missing too.�
�I�m sure we�ll find them; they�re probably together. Besides, I found some help.�
�I�m sure you did,� the woman was calmer now. �Let me know if you hear any more.�
�Will do,� the man turned back to Jon. �Looks like we have two little girls to find now.�
~*~*~*~*~*~Over the next few hours, Jon learned that the man who had found him was a research scientist whose interest was Elemental Spirits. Professor Travis was the father of Jenny, short for Jennifer. He had known since Jenny was born that she was very different from other children. He also had an older daughter named Samantha, the other missing girl. Samantha was about two years younger than Jon, and Jenny was about two years younger than Samantha.
�So,� Jon had to clarify, �Jenny is four years younger than me, right?�
�About three or four years younger,� Travis nodded. �I don�t know exactly how old you are.�
�Let�s keep looking for Jenny,� Jon said to avoid the man�s question.
�Fine by me,� Travis said as he shrugged. �What would you rather talk about?�
�My grandparents,� Jon said after a moment of silence.
�Well, like I said before, you resemble your grandfather.�
�Uh-huh.�
�You kind of act like him too.�
�Really?� Jon was surprised by this.
�Yeah,� Travis nodded, �he�s a nice guy, likes to help people. I don�t know you very well, but you seem to be nice and like to help.�
�How do you know them, anyway?�
�Well, I could avoid that question, like you do.� Jon looked down at his shoes. �Or I could just tell you the whole truth. I�ve known them for years, since I was a kid. In fact, I became like a son to them.�
�Wow!� Jon didn�t know what else to say. If he�d had any doubts about Travis� honesty, they were erased now. Anyone that his grandparents liked had to be a good person.
�Say, I have an idea,� Travis once again interrupted Jon�s thoughts. �I don't have a son. Maybe you�d like to stay here for awhile. After we find Jenny, of course.�
�That sounds like fun. Are you sure no one here would mind?�
�Everyone would love to have a boy here on the estate. Plus, your grandparents can come visit you.�
�Sounds like a deal then. Let�s find your daughters.�
�I guess now you can think of them as your sisters.�
�I guess so,� Jon smiled at the thought of this. �I�ve gone from an only child to the big brother of two sisters. Do I get a new mother as well?�
�Yes, not to mention another set of grandparents. You were just at their house. You�ll like them; they�re a lot like the grandparents you already know.�
A thought suddenly occurred to Jon. �You said you were like a son to my grandparents. Do��
�I know what you�re going to ask. What about my real parents?� Jon nodded. �There isn�t much to tell. My father took almost everything when he left my mother. She left me on a doorstep when I was a baby because she couldn�t afford to take care of me. I haven�t seen either of them since I was about twelve.�
�What a sad story.�
�It was better for everyone that way.� Travis saw Jon�s confused expression and continued, �They were too young and too different from each other. If the three of us had stayed together, we would have ended up miserable and hating each other.�
�I guess that makes sense.� Jon�s view of family was definitely changed from that point on.
Suddenly, the walkie-talkie on Travis� belt started crackling.
�Travis here.�
�I found them,� the female voice from before responded.
�Where are you?�
�About halfway between Eric Wood�s place and town.�
�I�ll be there soon.� Travis smiled at Jon, and suddenly looked very tired. �Well, everything�s all right, for the moment at least. Let�s go meet up with you new family.�
~*~*~*~*~*~Well, how was that? I'm rather new to the idea of asking the opinions of complete strangers, so let me know your unbiased opinions. Time for me to go do more writing.