JP
A week earlier

"Jay-Parker Beckett," I said, watching as the official took down my name with a black ink pen in his notepad.

"And you said your aunt is expecting you?" The official asked, tipping his glasses to study me.

I swallowed harshly. "Yes. She just moved here a few days back. We planned to meet here at the gate, I'm not sure where she could be-"

"JP, baby!" A female voice cried out in the distance, and I knew right away it was Aunt Katherine. She scurried up to the gate, looking frazzled by the sight of the official talking to me through the chain link. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry I'm late. He's with me, officer."

Aunt Katherine was dressed in blue jeans paired with a white ruffled blouse. Her sandy blonde hair fell in distinct curls, and she had plum colored lipstick swiped on. She appeared to have more distinct lines on her face than I remembered, but then again it had been five years since I saw her in person.

The official let out a grumble, reluctantly opening the gate and allowing me to go with my Aunt. She was not my biological aunt, but that's what she always called herself when I was younger. Aunt Katherine was my Mother's best friend, they grew up together and she was even my godmother.

"You're so big," Aunt Katherine gushed. "How old are you now, sixteen? Seventeen?"

"I'm twenty, Aunt Katherine," I corrected gently. She meant well, but sometimes her mind ran away from her.

She forgot things easily, and it was a miracle that she managed to live alone for so many years without somebody to remind her of the little details. Aunt Katherine was never married, and had no children. That's the way she wanted it, and it never changed.

"Wow, has it really been ten years already since-"

"Don't," I warned. "Just...we don't have to talk about it, okay?"

Aunt Katherine looked stunned, nodding softly in agreement. She cleared her throat, walking me down a steep hill that led to some sort of train station. The signs were almost unreadable, and hard to figure out. She rubbed my back in small circles when she saw my confusion.

"I still don't know the train signs real well, either. We'll learn together, don't worry," Aunt Katherine reassured me. She was always so kind to me, kinder than I deserved.

Aunt Katherine's fussing over me began from the very moment we arrived back at her house, and continued on throughout the afternoon. She kept asking if I was hungry or thirsty, and reminded me no less than fifty times where my bedroom and bathroom were. She was worried about me and she had every right to be, but I was twenty and capable of taking care of myself. I'd done it for so many years in the past.

I decided then was the time to apologize for my little outburst towards her when I first got to Moonstone. "Auntie Katherine, I'm sorry about earlier," I said, looking over to the opposite side of the couch where she was seated drinking a cup of tea.

"Jay, you have nothing to be sorry for," Aunt Katherine whispered. "I shouldn't have even brought that up, I don't know what I was thinking."

Aunt Katherine sometimes just called me Jay, since that was my Mother's name of choice for me. My Father liked Parker, and they fought up until the day I was born about what my name would be. Fifteen minutes before they were required to fill out my birth certificate my Mother uttered the names together, and they came to a compromise, hyphenating the two names to create one.

"It's really okay, and you don't need to worry about me. I've moved on from that part of my life."

The truth was, I thought about that part of my life everyday. It was dark, and it felt like it was never going to end. It was something I would carry with me on my shoulders for the rest of my life and never be able to forget.

"You're in a good place. Moonstone is rated very high on the citizen satisfaction scale, and happiness levels are at a good amount," Aunt Katherine explained to me.

"I wonder why that is. It doesn't look like there's anything special about Moonstone so far. I mean I know I've only been here a few hours, but still..."

"Give it a chance. I'm sure things will work out."

I nodded, turning my attention towards the television. Aunt Katherine appeared to be watching one of her soap operas. This was something she used to do when she would babysit me, and it brought back memories that I wish would just go and stay away. Drumming my fingers against the couch's arm rest, I stood up.

"I think I'm gonna go for a walk, check the place out," I said, moving to put my shoes on. Aunt Katherine looked worried at first, but quickly changed her expression with the conversation we just had in mind.

"Alright, be safe," She replied, sipping from her floral patterned cup and grabbing the remote to turn up the volume.

"Will do."

With that said, I headed out the front screen door and down the driveway. Looking from left to right, I decided to go right. I noted the scenery, which was colorful and there were lots of trees and flowers. There were even a plethora cherry blossom trees, which reminded me a lot of the house I grew up in until age ten. It definitely was not a gloomy place, but something still felt off about Moonstone. I could not put my finger on it, so I just decided to abandon those thoughts for the time being.

When I examined the outside of one house I noticed a guy looking to be about my age, maybe a little younger was sitting on the porch. He looked lonely and in desperate need of a friend, so I jumped on the opportunity to meet somebody new. He looked up once he heard my footsteps approaching, surprised to see me there in front of him.

"Hey," I said to start, forgetting the fact that I always did a shit job making friends in the past. "I'm JP, I just moved in a couple houses down."

"Blake," The boy who now had a name stated. "I didn't even notice the new neighbor had a son."

My chest stung for a brief moment, my throat hitching at his words. "That's my Aunt," I corrected. "And I just showed up today, don't worry man you're not losing it." I offered him a smile, and he stood up from his original seated position.

"Were you looking for anything in particular? Or just wandering to see what you can see?"

"Just taking a walk," I replied honestly, gazing over at Blake's now empty porch. "Why are you out here by yourself?"

"Oh, I..." Blake said, looking down at his shoes and then back up at me. "I was just thinking, is all."

"No worries man, we all gotta do that sometimes," I reassured him.

Blake nodded. He looked around the lawn. "Well, do you wanna come in for a bit?"

"Sure," I answered right away, following Blake inside. Of course we immediately gravitated towards the tv in the living room where his Xbox was.

He picked up a controller, holding it out to me. "Do you play?"

"Are you joking?" I coughed, laughing to myself.

Blake laughed as well. "Nope, but I guess we'll see if your skills are a joke." He was testing me, and it was working.

I snatched the controller out of his hands, seating myself on the couch. He sat down next to me, and we played games for what felt like hours. Actually, it was hours, and he was far better than me. I guess my skills were a joke after all, Blake was spot on. My phone lit up around ten, and of course it was my Aunt wondering where I was. It was silly, me being an adult and my Aunt still frantically searching for me as soon as the clock struck ten.

"Is that your Aunt?" Blake asked, chugging  down a can of Mountain Dew.

"Yeah, I should probably head home. As stupid as it sounds, she's worried."

"Not stupid," He corrected. "There's nothing stupid about having someone who cares about you."

I almost forgot what that felt like, to have someone sit up at night and worry about me, to genuinely care about my wellbeing and want me to succeed in life. Aunt Katherine may have got on my nerves, but she just wanted me in one piece, healthy and happy. Though she had to know she may never get that last part.

"You're right."

With that said, I left Blake's house and started home which was only a few houses down thankfully. When I reached home, I walked inside to find my Aunt asleep on the couch. She fell asleep waiting for me, and that made me feel loved. I tip toed over to her and contemplated waking her up, but decided against it because of how peaceful she looked in her slumber.

Instead, I reached over and turned off the lamp beside the couch and removed the magazine that was resting face down on her lap. I headed to bed myself after stripping down to just my boxers, which was the comfiest way to sleep in my opinion. In the darkness of my new room, I started to remember things. I blinked rapidly, forcing the thoughts out of my brain. I decided the best way to fall asleep was to turn on the small television that sat upon my dresser.

Aunt Katherine was nice enough to buy me a lot of new clothes to wear, even though I had some of my own in the suitcase I brought. She loved to shop, which I guess benefitted us both. With the sound of the tv present to drown out my thoughts, it was much easier to fall into a deep sleep.

Today was a good day. I just wished they could all be like that.

-

Authors note: woahhh, I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter from JP's perspective. It was super interesting to write since there's still so much we don't know about him. There were a few hints in this chapter, but nothing major yet so just sit tight. There's lots more JP coming. (;

what do you think of JP so far? of aunt katherine?

thank you so much for reading!