a u t h o r s n o t e
i got this idea a while ago when writing my one shot entry for Saving Elliot, but didn't enter it. so here it is, full and in the flesh. you may be able to understand the story without reading SE but i totally recommend reading SE for not only the full experience, but because it is a beautiful book
-hannah
ps. i heard the deadline was extended. in that case, idk if this will count as a one shot entry, but if does, that'd be great
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Of Endings... And Of Beginnings.
This story takes place after the events of Saving Elliot. Because it is a one-shot/fanfiction, I have *some* creative liberties such as filling in the back stories for O'Connor and Finley as well as changing some things, including timing. also, certain chagacters don't exsist (teagan o'connor) and some are not mentioned but are still part of the story (tamara and west)
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3 months after SE
•3rd person POV•
When Benjamin O'Connor was born, some said he was a lucky, fortunate child, favored by Love, filled with Hope, and lucky with Fate. But others, those who could see further into the future, predicted that Misery, Despair and Hate would be his close friends.
In the end, both were right, yet both were wrong. Benjamin O'Connor did have the luck of the draw when it came to the genetic pool. Destined to be tall, with large, beautiful blue eyes and a shock of golden hair, he was a charmer. However, he was not academically gifted, as he preferred to spend his time watching and playing football. Obsessed from a young age, only Time could see where it would lead him.
This first few years of his life was uneventful. He had a relatively normal childhood, visited occasionally by Misery or Pain, though they were careful to reduce what damage they could. There was normal Pain, the sensation of teething, his first scraped knee, the first day at childcare, and then there was the Pain and Misery that was just a hint of what was to come. His parents noticed that he was a very pensive child, often spending time contemplating things whilst staring off into a distance at something unseen.
Many people said that he could see things in the future, which was partly true. Pain and Misery were patiently waiting in the eves for their turn, occasionally popping up to do the usual damage. Fate and Love often checked up on him, as they knew he needed them more than anything if he was to get through the next few years. And Hope kept a careful watch over the sleeping baby, whispering to him the things that he had to live for.
When Benjamin turned 5, his father discovered his mother was having an affair with his brother. A proud, honourable man, Mr. Colin O'Connor was anything but unloving, and though it did not appear so, he genuinely loved his wife. This broke the man, and his heart, and he would never be the same. He gradually dwindled away into a shadow of the once powerful man he had once been.
Although he was too young to understand, Benjamin was very empathetic, and as he watched his father sink even further into the pits of Despair, he too became close friends with Misery and Pain, as predicted. With his father loosing all will to live, little Benjamin grew up by himself, a dull monotonous life interrupted only by the sporadic visits of his family.
Mrs. Shelby O'Connor was a vain, selfish woman. Although she loved Colin's brother, she chose Colin as he held a good position in the bank, and held great promise. His brother, Jamie, was a great friend of Slough and Glutony. Existing off of their parents generous allowance, he was a regular patron in many of the city's bars and whore houses.
