[scene]: first contact
Characters: Bobby
Setting: Bobby's room
Content: Bobby gets an unexpected phone call...
Status: Complete
Notes: As a result of this phone call, there will be a day-in-the-life type of thread for Bobby posted later today, so keep an eye out for that! Mods, might I suggest a new tag for this arc: [arc] family and friends? =)
"Bobby?"
The sound of her voice, after all this time, knocked the wind out of him. He had to sit down on the end of his bed, clutching his phone as though it was a lifeline, the car keys in his hand immediately forgotten.
"...Mom?" His own voice sounded strained and weak. There were so many questions racing through his mind: why was she calling? Was she okay? Was his dad okay? What was Ronnie up to these days? Were they asking him to come home for Christmas? Or was she calling to tell him, officially, that his family no longer wanted anything to do with him?
"How... how are you?"
Bobby wanted to laugh. It was just so her, to pretend that everything was fine even after everything that had happened. His mother was always unfailingly polite.
"I'm fine."
"What... uh, what have you been doing? Are you going to college?"
With a pang, he realised that the last time he had spoken to his family, he had still been in high school. Had it really been that long? With difficulty, he swallowed. "Yeah. I'm studying accounting."
"Accounting! That's good, Bobby. I'm sure you'll make an excellent accountant."
"Thanks."
Any illusions he had that this might actually be a pleasant conversation were knocked out of him at her next question. "And... um, are you still... still a -"
She trailed off, but he heard the last word. Even now, she could barely say it. Mutant. Like it was a swear word or some unspeakable disease.
Posture stiffening and fingers clenching even tighter, he answered with a proud "Yes." He decided to ignore the slight tremor in his voice as he said the word.
He took a deep, steadying breath, trying to mentally steel himself, calm down, push through the pain of realising that his mother still couldn't accept who he was.
"Mom, what's going on? Why have you called?"
There was a long pause.
"It's your brother."
It was her tone more than anything that swamped him with sudden fear. Her voice was quiet and strained, carefully controlled, and his mind raced with a myriad of horrible possibilities.
"Ronnie? What happened? Is he okay?"
"He's... he's been away, at college, but your father and I... we haven't heard from him in a few weeks. We tried calling his cellphone, but it's been disconnected. We called the college but they don't know where he is. He's just... disappeared."
Her voice cracked on the last word and Bobby's heart clenched at the sound of it.
"When was the last time you spoke to him?"
"About a month ago. He sounded happy, said he'd made some good friends, was spending time with them. And then he told us he'd be busy, so when he didn't call again we thought he must be studying or having fun with his friends. But we tried calling him last week to see if he was coming home for Christmas, and... Bobby, has he contacted you? Do you know where he is?"
The tiny note of panic in his mother's voice and his own concern about his little brother allowed him to set aside the pain he felt at the mention of a family Christmas. It was obvious that he was not going to be invited home for the holidays.
"No, mom, I don't know where he is. And he hasn't contacted me." Why would he? he thought, maybe a touch more bitterly than was right. Last time he saw me, he called the police.
"Okay. Well... if you do... please, call me right away." There were obvious tremors through her voice now, and Bobby realised that he must have been her last hope of finding him. She knew perfectly well that Ronnie bore a huge amount of animosity against his older brother, she knew that it was incredibly unlikely that he would have called or gotten in touch.
Bobby could feel his heart breaking.
"Of course I will," he promised, fighting hard to keep his voice calm and even.
"Okay. I... I should go. Look after yourself, Bobby."
He spoke quickly before she could hang up. "Mom, wait." He took a deep breath. "I'll try and find him, okay? I'll do everything I can to find him for you."
There was another long pause.
"Thank you," she said finally, very softly. "Bye, Bobby."
"Bye, mom."
He hung up and took a deep, shuddering breath, staring at the phone in his hands.
Setting: Bobby's room
Content: Bobby gets an unexpected phone call...
Status: Complete
Notes: As a result of this phone call, there will be a day-in-the-life type of thread for Bobby posted later today, so keep an eye out for that! Mods, might I suggest a new tag for this arc: [arc] family and friends? =)
"Bobby?"
The sound of her voice, after all this time, knocked the wind out of him. He had to sit down on the end of his bed, clutching his phone as though it was a lifeline, the car keys in his hand immediately forgotten.
"...Mom?" His own voice sounded strained and weak. There were so many questions racing through his mind: why was she calling? Was she okay? Was his dad okay? What was Ronnie up to these days? Were they asking him to come home for Christmas? Or was she calling to tell him, officially, that his family no longer wanted anything to do with him?
"How... how are you?"
Bobby wanted to laugh. It was just so her, to pretend that everything was fine even after everything that had happened. His mother was always unfailingly polite.
"I'm fine."
"What... uh, what have you been doing? Are you going to college?"
With a pang, he realised that the last time he had spoken to his family, he had still been in high school. Had it really been that long? With difficulty, he swallowed. "Yeah. I'm studying accounting."
"Accounting! That's good, Bobby. I'm sure you'll make an excellent accountant."
"Thanks."
Any illusions he had that this might actually be a pleasant conversation were knocked out of him at her next question. "And... um, are you still... still a -"
She trailed off, but he heard the last word. Even now, she could barely say it. Mutant. Like it was a swear word or some unspeakable disease.
Posture stiffening and fingers clenching even tighter, he answered with a proud "Yes." He decided to ignore the slight tremor in his voice as he said the word.
He took a deep, steadying breath, trying to mentally steel himself, calm down, push through the pain of realising that his mother still couldn't accept who he was.
"Mom, what's going on? Why have you called?"
There was a long pause.
"It's your brother."
It was her tone more than anything that swamped him with sudden fear. Her voice was quiet and strained, carefully controlled, and his mind raced with a myriad of horrible possibilities.
"Ronnie? What happened? Is he okay?"
"He's... he's been away, at college, but your father and I... we haven't heard from him in a few weeks. We tried calling his cellphone, but it's been disconnected. We called the college but they don't know where he is. He's just... disappeared."
Her voice cracked on the last word and Bobby's heart clenched at the sound of it.
"When was the last time you spoke to him?"
"About a month ago. He sounded happy, said he'd made some good friends, was spending time with them. And then he told us he'd be busy, so when he didn't call again we thought he must be studying or having fun with his friends. But we tried calling him last week to see if he was coming home for Christmas, and... Bobby, has he contacted you? Do you know where he is?"
The tiny note of panic in his mother's voice and his own concern about his little brother allowed him to set aside the pain he felt at the mention of a family Christmas. It was obvious that he was not going to be invited home for the holidays.
"No, mom, I don't know where he is. And he hasn't contacted me." Why would he? he thought, maybe a touch more bitterly than was right. Last time he saw me, he called the police.
"Okay. Well... if you do... please, call me right away." There were obvious tremors through her voice now, and Bobby realised that he must have been her last hope of finding him. She knew perfectly well that Ronnie bore a huge amount of animosity against his older brother, she knew that it was incredibly unlikely that he would have called or gotten in touch.
Bobby could feel his heart breaking.
"Of course I will," he promised, fighting hard to keep his voice calm and even.
"Okay. I... I should go. Look after yourself, Bobby."
He spoke quickly before she could hang up. "Mom, wait." He took a deep breath. "I'll try and find him, okay? I'll do everything I can to find him for you."
There was another long pause.
"Thank you," she said finally, very softly. "Bye, Bobby."
"Bye, mom."
He hung up and took a deep, shuddering breath, staring at the phone in his hands.