storm ◇ jasper hale ◇

chapter one ; normal

Madej Jones knew what the move was for. Ever since ... certain things happened, his mom had to mend and make do. She had a way of fixing things, even if they always broke. She was good at fixing things.

Madej didn't mean for things to go the way they did, didn't want to do what had happened. But they did, and now he, his brothers, and his mom were paying the price. Madej wished this wasn't the hand he had been given, but he couldn't control it. They'd had an accident, and now their family was separated, broken beyond repair.

He felt bad for his mom, she was stuck with him and his mistakes. But he knew she would be regardless. He needed her, and she needed him. They worked well together. But Madej would have preferred it if his older brother, Benedict, had been there with them too. If things had been different, then maybe they'd be able to work with others, but it happened the way it did, and now they were on their own. He missed his twin brother, Zeke, with more than what he could put into words. It was too quiet without Zeke there to liven things up.

But he wished they could've moved to somewhere like New York. Not ... Forks.

Whatever, there were trees and it was mostly rainy. It reminded him of home, in a good way. But it would be quiet and he knew he'd find paths in the forest around the town. It made him feel safe, in the trees, surrounded by nature. It made things bearable, like he could control what he could do.

"How are the gloves working for you?" Mandy Jones, Madej's mom, asked. She went into the van, pulling out some more boxes.

He looked over at her and shrugged, fingers to his ears, readjusting the BTEs there. "They're alright. Not too tight. Think the school will let me keep them on?" Madej took one of the boxes.

Mandy nodded. "I emailed the principal that you have a sort of skin condition, so you're wearing them for that reason." She looked at her child, an unreadable expression on her face. His mom was good at forging medical papers, and he supposed it came with being a doctor. "And not for the actual reason. It's also got you out of sports."

"Totally worth it then," Madej said, earning an amused look from Mandy. He moved off into their new house, box heavy in his hands.

It was an alright house. It wasn't too big, and Madej had to be honest in that this house was bigger, and cheaper, than the house he used to live in before. It was a nice change. He wondered if he'd have the bigger bedroom or not, he supposed he wouldn't. Then again, he wouldn't be sharing with Zeke, so it would feel huge without his brother there. God, he missed Zeke. (He even really missed Benedict, the oldest out of the three of them.)

Madej continued to help his mom, taking in boxes in the right rooms. His mom shouted her claim of the bigger bedroom, telling him he was too slow on his claim. He smiled a little out of amusement, shaking his head at her antics. He wondered if she was purposely referencing The Walking Dead or not. He supposed with her insane love of Daryl Dixon, she probably was. She'd always had a crush on that character since he appeared on the show.

"Help me with the stupid drawer."

Madej sighed and exited the house. He and his mom had gotten the wardrobes and drawers out first, the beds waiting to be built once more. But there was one stupid drawer. It was always slightly too big for their house, no matter which one they were in. It was inconvenient, but it was useful.

"Think it'll fit?" Madej asked Mandy.

Mandy shook her head. "Fuck no,"

He smiled a little at his mom's choice of words. She could be vulgar sometimes, but it wasn't often enough so always elicited a laugh.

With a few grunts and muttered curse words, the two managed to heave the drawer into the house and up the stairs.

"Pivot," Mandy shouted when they hit the angle of the stairs.