AN: Well, this idea came to me out of nowhere, and I'm pretty sure that for the most part, it's original… It's not an idea that I have many ideas for, but I might always develop some!
LATER NOTE: Sorry, but this took a while because my flash drive caught a virus, so I had to run all sorts of virus fighting things on my laptop, and the desktop, as I worked on both of them. I had to completely rewrite this, as nothing could be salvaged from the diseased little memory stick. RIP Purple Flashy.
DISCLAIMER: I've gone through this with you people already! Fine. I do not under any circumstances own Alex Rider… * sobs * Why do you people have to do this to me?
A Coincidental Relative
Chapter One
Please tell me I'm hallucinating.
Alex stared at Jack.
"What?" He couldn't possibly have heard that right…
"I have a brother, Alex." Jack told him. "He lives here in England and he recently called me… He's been having financial problems, and he doesn't have enough to pay rent for his apartment… And he has nowhere to go, so he's going to be staying with us for a while."
Alex nodded. "Why have I never heard of him?"
Jack sighed, putting a hand to support her head. "It started years ago when my mom died… And our Dad… Well, my brother took it hard and sort of separated from our family… I haven't heard from him in years…"
Alex nodded thoughtfully. "His name?"
"Well… It's Jack."
Alex stared blankly at her before breaking out into laughter.
"Your… hahaha… parents named… hahaha… both of you… Jack?"
Jack frowned. "Yeah, yeah, yeah… We were twins… To everyone I was Jack number 1, and he was Jack number two… My real name is actually Jackie…" She made a face.
Alex couldn't seem to stop laughing.
After a few moments of Jack glaring at him and him laughing like he'd never heard anything more funny (and he hadn't!), he sobered up long enough to ask "So when is Number Two coming, Number One?"
Jack glared at him. "He's coming today. And I'm already regretting the fact that I didn't give him your room."
Alex looked up. "Today? And when were you planning on telling me?"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Well, I was planning on telling you now, and I'm right on schedule!"
Alex sighed. "So… are you planning to tell him about… you know…"
Jack echoed his sigh. "I don't know… I probably will have to, if he stays here for a while…. After all, those bastards don't seem like they're going to let you go from their evil clutches." She pursed her lips.
Alex stared at her bemusedly. "Evil clutches? Jack, have you been reading those fantasy books again?"
Jack swatted him with her book, which was in fact a fantasy…
They then got up from the table and cleared up the dishes from which they had eaten from before Jack had spilled about Number Two.
Alex then went upstairs to do his homework.
He was doing as much work as he could, to catch up as soon as he could.
Tom texted him after an hour into algebra (damn a, b, x, y and all the rest to bloody hell), and asked if he could come to the park to play football. (1)
Alex texted back, Sure, and called to Jack as he went out the front door "Jack, I'm going to the park with Tom!"
Jack yelled back, in routine "Okay, be back before dark!"
So Alex rode his bike to the park, where Tom was sitting on a bench, looking totally and utterly bored.
"How are your parents?" Alex asked when he sat down next to him.
Tom flinched. "My mom started going on about no freedom, and my dad kept yelling about how she made a commitment, and how he should've known she wouldn't honor it…"
"Over what?"
"A broken dinner dish."
Alex patted him on the back. "Remember, you've only got to hold up for a few more weeks. Then, summer, and you're going to Italy!"
Tom took a deep breath in, and an equally deep breath out.
Alex started chuckling. "I just remembered. I have family trouble as well."
Tom looked at him oddly. "No kidding? What kind?"
Alex smirked. "Jack's brother is coming to live with us."
"Oh, I didn't know she had a brother…"
Alex shrugged. "Neither did I… Apparently they hadn't talked in years… Oh! And Jack's name is actually Jackie! And her brother's name is Jack! So they called her and him Jack Number One, and Jack Number Two!"
Tom cracked up. "Hahaha…"
After Tom's laughter ceased he thoughtfully tapped his chin. "Hmm… I'm beginning to think you're trying to get me into a conversation because you're scared I'll beat you at football."
Alex snorted. "As if!"
So they started a football game, dodging, kicking, and tripping.
By the time they were finished, it was nearing dark, and they were completely exhausted.
So Alex biked back to the house, went through the back door, and hearing Jack in the kitchen, he walked there, and seeing Jack alone, he stepped forward and asked. "Where's Number Two?"
Jack jumped a little, and then turned around. "Oh, he went to go freshen up… Umm… Alex, I sort of didn't tell him that I took care of you… So…"
Alex nodded. "So you wanted me to stay upstairs until you break the news?"
"Yup. Now run along…"
Alex grinned and went up the stairs, waving at the top.
Jack motioned for him to 'shoo.
So he pretended to go to his room, while he peered from the top.
He wanted to get a good look at Number Two.
When he heard "Hey One, when's dinner?" he gasped.
He knew that voice…
And he had been hoping that he would never hear it again…
Jack Starbright (Number Two) was not having a good week.
It began when his co-workers played a prank on him…
Having paint splattered all over him when he walked into the bathroom was not his ideal start on a Monday.
And pink was NOT his color.
After that, it so happened that his roommate had decided to move in with his girlfriend, and Two couldn't afford to pay rent on his own.
So they went their separate ways, and poor Number Two had to find One's number, which was found in his sock bag.
How it got there, Two didn't really want to know…
But it was there, and Two stared uncomfortably at the number before dialing it hesitantly and waiting for One to pick up…
A woman's voice rang out. "Hello?"
He waited a second. "Umm… Hi One…"
The woman on the line gave out a little yelp of surprise.
"Two? Is that you?"
Two nodded, and then realized that One couldn't see him, so he said quietly. "Yeah…"
"Oh my God! Two… why haven't you called?"
Two sighed and thought a bit before answering. "Well… your number was in my socks, so I couldn't find it until I looked for a while… and because I felt guilty… I haven't called you in forever… And now, I'm being selfish and calling for a favor…"
One's voice sounded concerned. "It's fine Two… But I expect phone calls at least every month from now on… Wait, a favor?"
Jack 2 sighed. "Yeah… see, I'm having a bit of financial trouble since my roommate moved out… I can't afford to pay rent by myself… and I was wondering… Could I move in with you?"
One didn't answer for a while.
Two got worried and hurriedly explained. "My job takes me away a lot… And there's no point paying for an apartment where I'll barely be… So I decided to ask if you needed a roommate, but if that's a problem, I'll just… find a cheap place…"
One interrupted him. "It's fine… Just wasn't expecting that…"
Two chuckled. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting that you would move to England after me… Made me think you were stalking me till I remembered that Dad wasn't on speaking terms with you…"
One was silent.
Two started to blab. "I mean, I guess you forgot, but whenever you forward things, for some reason you send it to my old email address, and I sort of read them, cause I missed you… and..."
One interrupted him. "How did you know that Dad and I weren't on speaking terms?"
Two flushed a bit. "Well…Do you remember the time Dad yelled at me for being lazy and not pursuing a career, and how I should've gone to boot camp?… well, I knew you heard that, and I heard you yelling at him how until he apologized you wouldn't talk to him… And he sent me several emails saying that he wanted me to call you and tell you to talk to him… But he didn't apologize…"
Two took a deep breath and continued. "I wanted to thank you… for that… but then Mom died… and… well, I didn't really get a chance."
"Well, I'm the older one... No pun intended on the One part… And it's my job to take care of you. Get a pen and some paper. I'll give you the address."
So Two got a pen, and quickly scrawled down what One dictated to him.
He then said goodbye to her, and promised to call her tomorrow, when he would be moving out.
Two sighed sprawling out on the cheap cot that had come with the apartment.
He was going to see his sister for the first time in years…
And he was going to live with her.
Oh God.
Two was nervous.
He was sitting in his car, outside of the house that had the same address that was written down on his piece of paper.
He had expected Jack to be living in a nice apartment…
But not a beautifully furnished family house…
Oh God.
What if she was married?
What if she had kids?
Oh GOD!
WHAT IF SHE EXPECTED HIM TO BABYSIT?
Two took a deep breath in, stepped out of the car, and knocked on the door.
It was opened a few seconds later.
He was looking slightly down at a redhead, who stared at him and then said in a very disbelieving voice, "Two?"
He nodded, and grabbed her into a big bear hug.
"Can't… breathe…" Jack 1 gasped out.
Two pulled back. "Sorry."
One examined him. "When'd you get so big?"
Two chuckled. "Jackie…It's called puberty…"
One smacked him. "I swear, if you call me that in public I will hurt you. Badly. I picked up a few things…"
Two shook his head.
Same old One.
One took him by the arm, and dragged him into the house.
Jack 2 looked around in awe.
The house was beautifully furnished.
It had a Victorian Manor House air to it.
Two found himself wondering, once again, how the heck Jackie, he thought he was safe to call her that in his mind… but what if there were aliens? With mind-reading powers? Never mind… He would just call her One. Anyways, he wondered how the heck One could afford such a nice place.
She led him into the kitchen where he gulped down a cup of strong coffee.
He then asked to see his room.
She then led him to a room just past the staircase.
It was plain, but the furniture inside it was very intricate.
"This is the guest room. You can decorate it however you want."
One then left him in the room.
Two looked at the bed, and then at the ceiling.
It was high enough.
He leaped onto the bed and started jumping, as was the American tradition when introduced to a new bed.
After a few minutes of gleeful jumping, he laid down, and nodded off.
When he abruptly woke up, he was conscious of only one thought.
He was really happy that he had called Jack 1. Or One… whichever she preferred…
He sighed happily when he smelled her cooking.
She had really improved.
As in, she couldn't even get close to burning water.
He stood up, and got closer to the good smell.
Yeah. He was really happy that he had called One.
AN:
(1): It might show a bit that at the time of writing this, I was pretty angry at algebra…
Well, that's the first chapter.
Can anyone guess who Two is?
Please review!
I'm planning on writing a few more chapters before I post, so by the time you read this, hopefully I'll be halfway through…
Anyways,
Please guess! I need reviews!
Begging for Reviews and Guesses,
Marie