Teeniacs: Into The Shadowed Maze

Coming of Age

I nevеr needed to change or add to my strengths
I can brеak through my design

song: Kaleidoscope - mxmtoon

Yakko hums softly as he drives him and Wakko to their school, a gust of the cool September air passes through the open car windows. Sounds of the leaves swaying interspersed with the music from his phone makes the experience much more upbeat. The siblings are dressed in their sentimental clothes. Yakko, wearing his mother's old lavender jersey jacket, and Wakko, in his favorite blue hoodie and childhood hat from their dad.

Everything around them feels like nostalgia, they're practically drowning in it, take the red convertible car they are riding. It was supposed to be a gift from his dad when he was teaching him how to drive. Yakko finally took this car for a spin after getting his license the day before and with the death of their parents, William never got to see Yakko get his licence.

Wakko peered out of the window, his eyes roaming the expanse of fields and woods as they sped by. The first day of high school was an exciting yet nostalgic milestone he had anxiously anticipated for months. A colorful medley of pins on his hat caught his eye in the reflection of the rear view mirror: a rainbow pin, a non-binary flag pin, and a heart-shaped one with the words 'he/they' that Yakko had made for them for their birthday. His stomach felt hollow since this was the first time he'd spent a special occasion without his parents, but the presence of Yakko, Pinky and Brain helped to fill that void.

The song "Victims of Nostalgia" by mxmtoon plays softly in the background as he zones back from the memories of yesterday and recognises the lines his brother is singing. "I wished that time passed like seasons in LA. When grass in the front yard was waiting for greener days"

Wakko had a small grin on him as he chimed in, "It's the panic of growing up. It's the fear of fallin' down." Yakko smiles as he sees Wakko jamming with him from the rear view mirror, as the song went on both of them are singing it out. "And if life ain't what you want. It don't come back around!"

The younger Warner sibling leans forward, as does Yakko, as they balled their fists like they're holding a microphone in a karaoke machine. "I don't wanna, feel so bored of, what I have right now..." Yakko swayed to the music, humming it under his breath. The siblings exchanged a relieved glance; for a few blessed moments, all of their worries and anxieties melted away. They knew that life was about to get much more complicated, now that one of them was entering high school, but for this brief moment, everything felt alright. After everything that happened to them in such a short amount of time, small moments like this are a calming pause before they start the story.

Wakko looked back at the road when the song ended and changed to another song. Wakko's gaze lingered over the view of the campus, a medley of students walking, some carrying their iced coffees and confections, strolled on the sidewalk while cars were caught in the traffic. He fiddled the fluff from his jacket, feeling a twinge of nostalgia for their past. "You know, Yakko," he murmured softly, "these songs, this car ride, it's like a piece of our old life traveling with us into this new chapter."

Yakko smiled thinly at Wakko, pretending not to notice the shift of ambiance. "Sure thing, sib sib. Remember our traditional first day of school pancakes that mom used to make? They were really something else." Yakko's voice was wistful as he remembered the long-ago days when his parents would fill their bellies before heading off for a new year of learning.

He forced a laugh, trying to break the heavy mood that hung in the air. "I made pancakes this morning - though I'm sure they weren't quite as good as mom's! A bit too crunchy, maybe?" Wakko managed a little smile, but then silence descended between them again. The question hung unspoken in the air: what happened to their parents? Why did they have to leave? Wakko finally broke the stalemate, his tone somber and reflective. "Yakko... will there ever be a chance that we would know who did it?"