TheScaleborne
New Member
(So to give some background, this is a story I had been working on Quotev before that all went to hell. I'm putting it here now as a sort of archive until I can find a better place to put it. Enjoy!)
Chapter 1:
Welcome to Gryffin Drive!
It was a sign that, for Andrew Diggs, meant a fresh new start. He hadn't been here since his uncle vanished, presumed dead in a test gone wrong for Omega Industries, attempting to tap into a new energy source, according to the news. After that, his family moved to California, an effort to get as far away from town as possible. They never really talked about what happened and slowly they lost touch with their family here.
Stop. He chided himself, turning his blinker on to turn into town. He shouldn't drudge up the past and he knew it. All it would bring him were bitter memories, of wondering why they had to leave, of tearful goodbyes and those normal woes of moving away. Focus on the present, on the future. Move in, spend the summer relearning the town, get his degree in Literature, start a writing career. That was his plan.
He pulled into the driveway of his late uncle's house, and experienced a bit of a shock at how well... colorful the old place was. When Andrew was last here, his uncle hadn't bothered to paint the outside, only doing his best to preserve the look of what the old house once looked like when he inherited from his father, and his father before that. Now, the ancestral home had been painted a pleasant sky blue, something Liv no doubt did when she inherited the house on her 18th birthday. Though how she was managing to pay for it alongside her studies was beyond him. Now it was his home for the next few years, something that his cousin was all too eager to suggest when he brought up that they would be attending the same college, when she wasn't talking about her best friend, or music, or her best friend, or her drawings, or her best friend. He was pretty convinced that Liv was in love with this best friend, though whenever he brought it up, be it teasingly or seriously, she would never fail to change the subject.
He didn't have time to think on it too much, as soon as he locked his car, he was on the ground thanks to Liv's patented "Attack Hug", where she would rush you like a 250 pound linebacker and you were the quarterback.
"Ow, Jesus Liv, you couldn't have waited until I was inside?" Andrew grumbled, struggling to get up after that concussive display of affection.
"Nope! I've just missed you, that's all." Liv giggled as she started helping Andrew with his luggage. "Hey, how's that girl you were seeing? What was her name again? Linda? Laura? Lisa?"
"Lucy. And we uh, we broke up before I left. On good terms, at the very least. She didn't think she could do long distance, and I didn't want her to stop pursuing her dreams just to be with me, you know?" He said, grabbing the last box as he locked his car doors.
"That sucks, I liked her. It's good you were both mature about it though. I know some of those breakups can get kind of ugly."
"Yeah? Sounds like you got some stories to tell."
"God, trust me, Diggs. You don't wanna know."
"Damn, you don't pull out the last name unless it's serious. Alright, I'll stop asking."
It felt nice, this back and forth. To Andrew, it felt like no time had passed at all. He was still himself, she was still herself. Way back when, they could've been convinced they were siblings. Now, he was worried they'd be strangers. Clearly that wasn't the case.
"Hey, did you get an email from Cyrus Stone, by any chance?" Liv said suddenly, as though she had just remembered.
"Uh... I'm not sure actually, I haven't had a chance to check my email, why do you ask?" Andrew asked
Liv bit her lip, clearly debating whether or not she wanted to tell me. "Well... He sent me an email the other day. He said a lot in it, but the biggest thing... He said my dad is still alive."
“Sorry, what? How would that even be possible?!” Andrew grabbed his bag, taking out his trusty laptop… which was dead. And because he hadn’t connected to the house’s Wi-Fi along with having barely any service, there was no way Andrew could check his email.
“Honestly, I have no idea. When I replied asking Mr. Stone for, you know, actual proof, all he said was ‘Not Here’ and gave me a time and a place to meet.” Liv showed Andrew the email, and more importantly, the meeting place:
The Cafe And Diner, 7 PM
Bring your cousin.
“Bring me? Why? How would he even know I would be here?” Andrew questioned, alarmed.
Thousands of questions were swirling in his head. Was Stone lying? If he wasn’t, where the hell was Uncle Nicholas? Why now? Was Stone keeping tabs on him? If so, for how long?
“I don’t know, Andrew. I really don’t. But we’re not going to get any answers if we don’t hear him out, right?” Liv said in a tone with just as much uncertainty as Andrew himself was feeling.
That was easy for her to say. She had been the good little girl, staying in the Observatory Deck that day when he had snuck out to get a closer look It was his fault that-
Stop. It wasn’t your fault.
Andrew took a deep breath, calming his nerves, that rational voice in his head proving once again to be a calming force. When he was younger, he convinced himself that that voice was his imaginary friend. Now, he knows that it’s just the rational part of his brain keeping him grounded.
“Okay. We hear him out. That’s it, though. After that, I want nothing to do with him or Omega Industries.” He decided.
“On that we agree. Now come on, I’m starving and I really don’t feel like cooking. What are you feeling, pizza or chinese?” Liv asked.
“Is that really all you got around here?”
“Without DoorDash and GrubHub severely ballooning the price? Yeah, pretty much. Besides, the nearest fast food joint is McDonalds and that’s like a half an hour away. You really want cold, soggy fries?”
“...yeah, fair enough. Lets do chinese. How are the crab rangoons around here?”
“Best in New England. Rice or Lo Mein?”
“Come on Liv, really?”
“Lo Mein. I’ll call it in. Oh by the way, Thalia called before you pulled in. She’s gonna be here in like 10 minutes. That alright?”
“Why are you asking me? It’s your house, I’m just living in it for 4 years.”
“Well yeah, but if wanna get unpacked first-”
“Liv, stop. I really don’t mind. We have like 2 months before classes start, I have plenty of time to unpack. That being said, I’m gonna go raid your fridge for something to drink.”
“Kinda figured. I bought some of that cherry limeade sparkling water you like yesterday. It’s in the fridge.”
“You’re the best!”
“Yeah, yeah. Still think you should drink soda like a normal person.”
Chapter 1:
Welcome to Gryffin Drive!
It was a sign that, for Andrew Diggs, meant a fresh new start. He hadn't been here since his uncle vanished, presumed dead in a test gone wrong for Omega Industries, attempting to tap into a new energy source, according to the news. After that, his family moved to California, an effort to get as far away from town as possible. They never really talked about what happened and slowly they lost touch with their family here.
Stop. He chided himself, turning his blinker on to turn into town. He shouldn't drudge up the past and he knew it. All it would bring him were bitter memories, of wondering why they had to leave, of tearful goodbyes and those normal woes of moving away. Focus on the present, on the future. Move in, spend the summer relearning the town, get his degree in Literature, start a writing career. That was his plan.
He pulled into the driveway of his late uncle's house, and experienced a bit of a shock at how well... colorful the old place was. When Andrew was last here, his uncle hadn't bothered to paint the outside, only doing his best to preserve the look of what the old house once looked like when he inherited from his father, and his father before that. Now, the ancestral home had been painted a pleasant sky blue, something Liv no doubt did when she inherited the house on her 18th birthday. Though how she was managing to pay for it alongside her studies was beyond him. Now it was his home for the next few years, something that his cousin was all too eager to suggest when he brought up that they would be attending the same college, when she wasn't talking about her best friend, or music, or her best friend, or her drawings, or her best friend. He was pretty convinced that Liv was in love with this best friend, though whenever he brought it up, be it teasingly or seriously, she would never fail to change the subject.
He didn't have time to think on it too much, as soon as he locked his car, he was on the ground thanks to Liv's patented "Attack Hug", where she would rush you like a 250 pound linebacker and you were the quarterback.
"Ow, Jesus Liv, you couldn't have waited until I was inside?" Andrew grumbled, struggling to get up after that concussive display of affection.
"Nope! I've just missed you, that's all." Liv giggled as she started helping Andrew with his luggage. "Hey, how's that girl you were seeing? What was her name again? Linda? Laura? Lisa?"
"Lucy. And we uh, we broke up before I left. On good terms, at the very least. She didn't think she could do long distance, and I didn't want her to stop pursuing her dreams just to be with me, you know?" He said, grabbing the last box as he locked his car doors.
"That sucks, I liked her. It's good you were both mature about it though. I know some of those breakups can get kind of ugly."
"Yeah? Sounds like you got some stories to tell."
"God, trust me, Diggs. You don't wanna know."
"Damn, you don't pull out the last name unless it's serious. Alright, I'll stop asking."
It felt nice, this back and forth. To Andrew, it felt like no time had passed at all. He was still himself, she was still herself. Way back when, they could've been convinced they were siblings. Now, he was worried they'd be strangers. Clearly that wasn't the case.
"Hey, did you get an email from Cyrus Stone, by any chance?" Liv said suddenly, as though she had just remembered.
"Uh... I'm not sure actually, I haven't had a chance to check my email, why do you ask?" Andrew asked
Liv bit her lip, clearly debating whether or not she wanted to tell me. "Well... He sent me an email the other day. He said a lot in it, but the biggest thing... He said my dad is still alive."
“Sorry, what? How would that even be possible?!” Andrew grabbed his bag, taking out his trusty laptop… which was dead. And because he hadn’t connected to the house’s Wi-Fi along with having barely any service, there was no way Andrew could check his email.
“Honestly, I have no idea. When I replied asking Mr. Stone for, you know, actual proof, all he said was ‘Not Here’ and gave me a time and a place to meet.” Liv showed Andrew the email, and more importantly, the meeting place:
The Cafe And Diner, 7 PM
Bring your cousin.
“Bring me? Why? How would he even know I would be here?” Andrew questioned, alarmed.
Thousands of questions were swirling in his head. Was Stone lying? If he wasn’t, where the hell was Uncle Nicholas? Why now? Was Stone keeping tabs on him? If so, for how long?
“I don’t know, Andrew. I really don’t. But we’re not going to get any answers if we don’t hear him out, right?” Liv said in a tone with just as much uncertainty as Andrew himself was feeling.
That was easy for her to say. She had been the good little girl, staying in the Observatory Deck that day when he had snuck out to get a closer look It was his fault that-
Stop. It wasn’t your fault.
Andrew took a deep breath, calming his nerves, that rational voice in his head proving once again to be a calming force. When he was younger, he convinced himself that that voice was his imaginary friend. Now, he knows that it’s just the rational part of his brain keeping him grounded.
“Okay. We hear him out. That’s it, though. After that, I want nothing to do with him or Omega Industries.” He decided.
“On that we agree. Now come on, I’m starving and I really don’t feel like cooking. What are you feeling, pizza or chinese?” Liv asked.
“Is that really all you got around here?”
“Without DoorDash and GrubHub severely ballooning the price? Yeah, pretty much. Besides, the nearest fast food joint is McDonalds and that’s like a half an hour away. You really want cold, soggy fries?”
“...yeah, fair enough. Lets do chinese. How are the crab rangoons around here?”
“Best in New England. Rice or Lo Mein?”
“Come on Liv, really?”
“Lo Mein. I’ll call it in. Oh by the way, Thalia called before you pulled in. She’s gonna be here in like 10 minutes. That alright?”
“Why are you asking me? It’s your house, I’m just living in it for 4 years.”
“Well yeah, but if wanna get unpacked first-”
“Liv, stop. I really don’t mind. We have like 2 months before classes start, I have plenty of time to unpack. That being said, I’m gonna go raid your fridge for something to drink.”
“Kinda figured. I bought some of that cherry limeade sparkling water you like yesterday. It’s in the fridge.”
“You’re the best!”
“Yeah, yeah. Still think you should drink soda like a normal person.”
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