Changing With The Tides (A TommyInnit Au)

Chapter One: The Orphanage

Dear reader,

                          This book will contain possibly triggering themes such as blood, self harm, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, eating disorders, and more. There will be no smut. This book is quite a bit shorter than my previous book, but still fairly long. Although I would recommend that you read my first book, Black and White (A Tommyinnit Vigilante Au), you do not need to read it in order to read this one. They are completely different storylines. This book is a bit of a filler book, so I'm sorry if it isn't quite as good as Black and White. I have a third book in the works that I plan to be just as good and as long as Black and White, and as soon as I can confirm a description, I'll post it here. Other than that, I hope you enjoy the book!

-Cubed

Tommy was sore. Or rather, in a lot of pain. His last foster home had been one of the worst, and he bore plenty of new scars, cuts, and burns to prove it. It had been two years since he had last seen his friends. Two years and some change. He missed when times were simpler. When all he was worried about was finishing college and editing YouTube videos. He hated it here. He was a literal millionaire, and here he was stuck in an orphanage. Then again, the orphanage didn't know he was a millionaire. Tommy had done business with a few different banks in the past, but the one he currently used was very reliable. The orphanage would never find out about his surplus of money. Even with all the money in his bank, which had been continuously building up over the last few years, he still struggled to find food and clothes. The orphanage provided as little as possible for the children, with no remorse. They didn't really care about the children, and it showed with how little the children got. It was also hard to sneak out to get any money. He couldn't very well let the orphanage find him with a stack of cash. They would assume he had stolen it and he would be beaten for stealing. So he had to be very careful about when and how he got his money. There was only one good thing that had come from the orphanage so far. Tommy had learned violin. He had learned it at a foster home once when the parents weren't home. When his foster parents eventually found out, they threw the violin at the boy, hitting him in the head and knocking him out cold. When he woke up in a pool of his own blood, he had taken the violin and left. He didn't think the parents even knew the difference.He had also learned a lot about electrical wiring, coding, and the construction of anything electronic. He had gotten so good that he had made himself several gadgets. He kept most of the finished products in a toolbelt that wrapped around his waist. One of his personal favorites was strapped around his wrist that very moment. It was in the shape of a bracelet, but it was far more useful than any old bracelet. No, this bracelet had three distinct buttons, one red, one blue, one green, all disguised as part of the design. The red one would give him GPS to wherever he wanted to go. The blue one would analyze his surroundings to point out possible dangers and escape routes. He used that one at a lot of his foster homes. And finally, the most impressive one, the green one. The green button would form a hologram of greenish lines, which could morph into the shape of anyone. This was useful when he was supposed to be somewhere, but wasn't. He could just send his hologram to act like him, and boom. But the hologram was especially useful because it knew everything. Tommy could ask it any question in the world, and it would have some sort of answer. In a way, the hologram was both Tommy's creation and his only friend. Tommy had named his creation Henry. The technology, which was hidden inside the bracelet, would not work if it did not recognize Tommy's skin cells, meaning that it was rendered useless if it was stolen. And it was only able to be taken off with a key, so it stayed with him at all times. It was Tommy's ongoing project as he tried to make new models with more high tech advancements. In his newest model, he was experimenting with electrical shock waves for dangerous situations."Thomas!" Upon hearing his name, Tommy threw all of his gadgets and tools into his small, waterproof bag, and tucked it into the pocket of his suitcase. He didn't need some foster parent or orphanage worker finding out about his tinkering. No, it was better off a secret. And yet he longed to tell someone, despite the nagging feeling from within him that forced him to keep it hidden. His trust had long since been broken, but that didn't mean he didn't long for someone who wouldn't break his trust. He still longed for it, but he was past hoping for it. "Thomas!" The voice was closer now, he could hear the steps of the worker as they approached his door. He shoved the last of his gadgets into his suitcase and shoved it under his bed, turning around to wait expectantly for his door to be thrown open. Almost as if on cue, his door was flung open forcefully, and one of the workers, Lisa, stalked forwards and grabbed his arm. Her nails dug into his skin, but he didn't even flinch at the light pain. With what he had been through, a little pain wouldn't bother him. Lisa dragged him to the door, finally releasing his arm. "Let's go, brat." She spat, turning on her heel to leave. "A couple is here to possibly adopt you. Try not to get sent back this time. I'd rather not have to deal with you any longer." The woman led the way out of his room and down the stairs, stopping in front of the worn old door that Tommy knew all too well. It was the meeting room. It was his forty fifth time in this room, and not one time had he been fully adopted. "Get in there. Hurry up." Lisa said. Tommy followed her instructions, slipping inside, ignoring the sound of Lisa slamming the door shut behind him. As long as his new foster parents left him alone, he would manage on his own. He sat down on the floor and stared at the wall, deep in thought as he waited for his new temporary guardians to arrive.

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Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it! I am so thankful for each and every one of you who read this. I'm so excited to finally be back to writing! It feels so good to post again! New chapters will be posted every three days as long as I am able. Just like before, I will not abandon this book. One way or another, I will finish it. Also, as mentioned at the top, there is another book in the works, currently 14,623 words long, and I'm just getting started. Hopefully I can properly announce that one soon, but for now, I'm keeping it a secret. I'll just say I'm really excited to announce it, because I'm having a lot of fun writing it. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all later, yeah? Bye! <3