A Name for Ourselves

Something About Apples

Author's Note:

If you are reading this (and I know you are!), it's a rule of thumb to consider all previous chapters of this story as preview chapters. This chapter marks the actual beginning of the book! That should get rid of any confusion. Now onto that savvy introduction I was going to give you all!

*Dramatic music plays*

From the streets of Södermalm, all the way to ma lil' house in the suburbs o' Texas, I give you, with millions of peaches and colors, the world's first elite edition of, drumroll, please--

Crisper: (drumrolls with pencils on desk)

Me: "A Name for Ourselves", but novelized.

Crisper: Oooh! When does it start?

Me: Right now! Hit it, Crisper!

Crisper: (hits it)

"Do you remember that?" Gill asked, pointing to another picture of himself, Aiden, Maya and Lukas after winning again at Endercon, another memory Aiden couldn't truly claim as his own. The brunette strained to look at the picture past the glare from the bright afternoon sun reflecting on the page.

In the picture, he was about a year or two younger, wearing a white and blue striped-tee but no jacket. None of them wore the famous ocelot-jacket in the picture, making him guess the age of the picture. Even Gill's beard wasn't as fully grown as it was now. He stood next to the loud, rowdy man, Gill, the slightly shorter and high-spirited girl Maya, and the blonde, cheery one Lukas. He didn't feel like he knew them as well as they claimed he did.

"Not really." Aiden answered, sounding slightly upset.

"Whaddya mean 'not really?" He asked.

"Like, I, um... I only know what happened because of what you told me and... I... I don't remember it on my own." He said, completely turning away from the book and resting his head in his hands.

"Oh...." Gill said disquieted. "You wanna try looking at some more?" He asked hopefully. Aiden shook his head, still staring at the floor with discouragement.

"I've p-pretty much memorized the whole book by now... I don't think it'd help any." He mumbled quietly.

"Okay, then." Gill said, giving Aiden an understanding look as he closed the book. Thinking it would be helpful, Gill had made sure that they both sat down once a day to spend at least an hour of their time studying the long-drawn-out scrapbook together. He undoubtedly anticipated that Aiden would soon get frustrated and bored after a week or two of hearing the same stories and looking at the same pictures each day, but didn't want to be the person to give him the idea of quitting.

Hearing a door quietly open, the men turned around as Maya arrived in the small, neat living room from her bedroom.

"Hey, guys." She cheerfully greeted, plopping down on the couch between Aiden and Gill. "So... how's everything going?" She asked, eyeing the scrapbook that lay askew in Gill's lap. She felt Gill's callous hand gently touch her arm. He mouthed 'no' to her question and she nodded quickly, hoping Aiden hadn't heard her. She barely glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, surprised to see him looking directly at her with a slight frown.

"Okay, then... um... nice weather, huh?" She asked. She instantly regretted her awkward attempt at starting a lighter conversation when she felt Gill stiffen up beside her while Aiden looked away.

"Yeah... does... does anyone have plans for the day?" Aiden asked, trying to draw the attention off of himself and onto a lighter topic.

"Actually, yes. The guys need some more help with the rebuilding project." Gill replied loudly and quickly.