The Clubhouse (unfinished)

by Random_Reenan_! 6/22/2010, 11:55 pm

A black 4WD stopped outside the steady iron gates. They looked very daunting if you were stepping out of the car and looking up at them, like this boy was. He was 14 years old, with dark hair combed neatly back, and polite brown eyes. He looked pretty ordinary, very neat, but nonetheless, ordinary. “Here we are, Jonathon. You’ll be staying here for a little while, and I’m sure you will have lots of fun!” said the driver of the 4WD, who looked like she was used to working in an office, sipping coffee, not driving kids around the town. “Your things have already been unpacked for you. Well, I’m in a bit of a rush, so...” Within seconds, the black 4WD had zoomed round the corner and disappeared. The boy shrugged and entered the gates, absentmindedly wondering why that woman had been constantly keeping her distance from him the whole time she was there.

“Jonathon! You’re here! Welcome, mate. You took your time getting here. I’m Oscar, your very own personal tour guide and annoyance for the rest of your time here at The Clubhouse. Yeah, I know, my...” Jonathon merely shrugged and took in Oscar’s appearance as he continued to chatter on. He was tall and unusually thin, with grey eyes and a mess of spiky blonde hair which stuck out at all sides. “...kind of weird like that. Hey, hello, are you listening to me? Well anyway, we have to go, the founders are gonna introduce themselves and that in a moment. Come on.” Oscar took Jonathon’s arm and led him to what seemed to be, well, in short, a small mansion standing on short stilts.

It was cream and beige and was very elegant-looking, with bright lights shining out of the windows. There was a ladder out the front of the house, which led to the front doors. A small queue of about six people was slowly making their way up the ladder and into the massive house. Oscar joined the queue, climbing up about halfway before looking down and noticing Jonathon still standing at the bottom of the ladder staring up at the scene. “Well come on, we haven’t got all day.” Oscar sighed, as Jonathon hastily caught up with him, noticing that Oscar’s arm had stretched to an unnatural length, but he didn’t say anything. As he entered the hallway, his jaw dropped. The hallway was simple, with cream-coloured walls and the only decoration to be seen was a chandelier directly in the middle of the ceiling. “Keep moving.” Oscar led Jonathon into the hall, where there was a low stage and a group of about 50 people sitting in front of it, aged from 11 to about 16, all chattering away or looking around. Oscar quickly took a front row seat and Jonathon sat down next him. “You’re not much of a talker, are you, Johno?” Oscar pointed out. “It’s Jonathon,” was the soft reply. “Ah, so you do speak! Good to know. Sssh, they’re coming out.” Oscar said, grinning.

One by one, the founders came onto the stage. “There are 5 founders, together they are super powerful. They’re close too, like family to each other.” Oscar whispered. “The first one, that’s Samuel, he can fix things and build stuff really easily.” He was about 15, with auburn hair that could almost be called red, and there was a clever look in his brown eyes. He was wearing faded denim overalls and a red shirt underneath. “The next one is Laura, 14 years old. She can control plant growth, and she is really nice to everybody.” Laura had dark brown hair down to her chin in ringlets, and matching-coloured eyes. She wore a plain purple skirt and long-sleeved shirt. She smiled at everyone in the hall as she took her place standing next to Samuel. “That one is Adam, he’s also 14. He’s kind of like you, quiet and serious. You know the phrase “Fly like the wind”? He takes it literally. Flying, and controlling the wind. The second one is only sometimes though.” Adam was tall and had curly blond hair and his eyes were a startling electric blue colour. He wore dark blue jeans and a loose grey t-shirt. “The little one, that’s Hazel. She controls water. Don’t be fooled by her ‘little girl cuteness’ though, when she’s angry, it’s scary.” Hazel practically skipped to her spot, grinning and waving at everyone. She had long wavy brown hair and dark green eyes, and wore a silky white dress. “And the last one is Sara. She’s pretty shy and sensitive, so no one dares to upset her. She can make things go invisible.” Sara had long, straight dark hair, grey eyes and very pale skin. She wore a black skirt and hoodie. Jonathon leaned over and whispered to Oscar, “We’re in a madhouse...” Oscar smirked. “Nah mate, we’re in the Clubhouse.”

Samuel stepped up to the podium and began to speak. “Welcome to the Clubhouse, new arrivals. Welcome back to the people who were here previously. As the majority of you know, the Clubhouse is neither a club nor a school, more like an activity, unless of course you are boarding here. You are here because you have particular talents, unlike other people. And I’m not talking about whether you like singing or playing the piano. Over the coming year, you will learn to become aware of your talent, control it, and how to use it in the right way. For today, you can wander around and learn where everything is, meet new people and when you are finished, goodbye and see you tomorrow. Speaking of new people, we have 5 new people attending this year. New people, come up and introduce yourselves. ”

“That’s you, mate.” Oscar gave Jonathon a nudge. Jonathon stood up and stepped onto the stage with four other nervous-looking people. He did not pay attention to the introductions; instead he just looked out at the crowd of people who were staring back at him. When it was his turn, Samuel gestured to him to speak. “Um, my name is Jonathon...” he began. “Heeeere’s Johny!” someone in the crowd said, causing a bit of laughter before Samuel silenced them with a look. “I’m 14, I’m not sure what my ‘talent’ is...” (I've added some more and changed the descriptions a bit)
“That’s ok, you’ll find out.” Came Laura’s voice from behind him cheerfully. “Um, yeah...” He hurried offstage with the others and returned to his seat as quickly as possible. “Good job.” Oscar whispered, smirking. “Well, off you go, shoo shoo.” Samuel announced, with a grin on his face. Promptly, everyone stood up and began to talk or wander out into the hallway, but Jonathon just sat there, stunned. Oscar jumped up and turned to him. “Well, come on, you need a better introduction than that.”

Jonathon nodded vaguely, standing up. “Oscar! You’re back again this year!” said an excited voice. Oscar looked around, confused. “I’m right here!” the voice sang, poking him in the back. Oscar tuned around to see Hazel standing there, smiling. “Hello, Hazel.” He replied, shaking her little hand formally. “And you are Jonathon, right?” Hazel asked, peering at Jonathon. “Yes.” He replied quietly. “I was going to introduce Jonathon to the other founders.” Oscar cut in, smiling. “Oh, I can do that for you!” Hazel said, tugging on Jonathon’s sleeve. “Oh you don’t need to, I’ll be happy to.” Oscar insisted. “I said, I can introduce him. Shoo.” Hazel said determinedly, waving her hand away. Oscar sighed. “Yes, Hazel.” He walked off. “He’s nice and all, but I just don’t trust him for some reason.”Hazel said thoughtfully. “Anyway, let’s go introduce you!” she said, with renewed energy. Jonathon nodded and smiled at her random changes of mood.
“Samuel! Samuuel! Come meet someone!” Samuel looked towards them, and walked over reluctantly. “Yes?” he said in a bored tone. “This is Jonathon!” Hazel said enthusiastically. “Jonathon, this is Samuel, Samuel, this is Jonathon.” She announced. “You’re the one who doesn’t know his talent.” Samuel pointed out, crossing his arms. “Isn’t that unusual, he’s the first one to come here that doesn’t know!” Hazel told Samuel, amazed. “Hazel, do me a favour, shut up.” Samuel said, staring at Jonathon, making him feel uncomfortable. “Yes sir!” Hazel saluted and closed her mouth. After a few moments, someone came over to talk to Samuel. “See you later, Jonathon.” He said, leaving. Automatically, Hazel began to talk again. “Oh look, Sara is over there! Sara! Would you come here, please?” Hazel called. Sara, who had been standing in a corner watching everyone, walked (although she was practically gliding) over to them. “Hello Jonathon, my name is Sara.” She said, holding out her hand. Jonathon was not surprised by her quiet, gentle voice. “Nice to meet you.” He replied softly. Sara smiled, and turned to Hazel. “I’d stay, but I have to get the lasagna out of the oven.” She said apologetically. “Oh don’t worry; you can chat more later on!” Hazel replied cheerfully. Sara smiled and left the room silently. “She’s lovely, isn’t she?” Hazel commented. “Moving on! Let’s go find- Oh, you’re here already! “Adam held out his hand. “Adam.” He said simply. “I’m Jonathon.” Jonathon replied, shaking his hand. “Seems like there is going to be a lightning storm. I’m going to go turn on the protection, ok?” he told Hazel. “Ok! Don’t hurt yourself!” she called after him as this time, he really did glide away. “And last of all, let’s go find Laura!” Hazel announced, grabbing Jonathon’s wrist and ran onto the stage where Laura and Oscar were putting away the little podium. “Ah, Hazel!” Laura said, picking her up and spinning her around. “Laura, this is Jonathon!” Hazel said when the world stopped spinning and Laura put her down. “Jonathon, that’s a cool name.” Laura told him. “Thank you.” He mumbled. Oscar came to stand next to Jonathon. “Now that you’ve met them, want a tour? The backyard is amazing.” Oscar insisted.
“That’s a great idea, Oscar! Laura, let’s go show him around!” Hazel said, leaping to Jonathon’s side.
“Great!” Oscar said enthusiastically. Hazel just looked at him. “Shoo, right, I get it...” Oscar mumbled, walking away quickly.

Laura and Hazel led Jonathon through the hall, downstairs and through a particularly large wooden door, which replied “Who’s there?” sarcastically when they knocked on it to let them through. “And here we are!” Laura announced happily. Jonathon’s jaw nearly dropped off. There was a small hill to the left and a large, calm pool to the right, but what seemed to be the bottom half of the area was a huge garden, with a winding path going through it. “That garden is my pride and joy.” Laura smiled. “It’s really nice.” Jonathon mumbled. “Hey Jonathon, we have to go and do something, but if you go round the corner there, behind that big oak tree, you’ll see Laura’s pet unicorn.” Hazel whispered. “Come on.” Hazel and Laura walked away. Jonathon peered behind the oak tree.
Hazel and Laura watched him, and a snapping twig told them that the other founders had turned up. “What do you guys think of him?” Samuel asked. “He’s so helpless, it’s cute.” Sara commented. “But so gullible.” Hazel sighed, as Jonathon walked away from where the unicorn was supposed to be, confused.

“There you are!” Oscar spotted Jonathon. “What’s with the confused look on your face, mate? Anyway, come on, I have to introduce you to your room.” He told Jonathon, grabbing his arm and taking him back inside. Oscar led him own a different hallway and a small tunnel-like area, which showed them to a large lounge area, with many beige couches and armchairs, and a crackling fire in the fireplace. “Seeing as it’s a big place with only 20 or so people staying in it, because not every member comes as a boarder, almost everyone gets a separate room, depending on how old you are. We have to share a room, up until this point, this was my room.” Oscar explained, opening Door number 17.
“That’s my side of the room,” Oscar said, pointing to the left side, “and that’s your side. I’m not being overprotective, that’s just the rules.”
Jonathon noticed how considerably messy Oscar’s side of the room was compared to his side. Oscar, seeing the look Jonathon’s face, smirked. “Like a before and after photo isn’t it?” he noted. “Anyways, the start of year dinner is starting in a few moments, so we’d better hurry up and go.” He said, checking his watch, and leaving abruptly. Jonathon started and hurried after him. They entered what was obviously the hall they had the introduction in, but it was changed. There was an ornate crystal chandelier glistening in the middle of the ceiling, and smaller versions of it in various different areas. There were small tables scattered throughout the room, all seated for different numbers of people. Along the edges of the room were small tables with vases on them. Each contained a unique type of brilliantly coloured flowers.

“Sara and Laura love to show off their skills.” Oscar explained, sitting down at one of the larger tables and started chatting to the person next to him. Jonathon only just had time to sit down and take in the scene when about a dozen little robots on skates skidded to all the tables, serving lasagna as if their life depended on it, then skidded out of the room in line. Immediately, everybody began to eat. Jonathon had not eaten since breakfast, so he ate almost as quickly as Oscar. For half an hour, everyone chatted casually, ate, and generally enjoyed themselves. Jonathon spotted the founders at their own separate tables, as well as a few other familiar faces, such as the other new people besides himself, one of which gave him a dirty look when he gave him a friendly wave.

When the last person had finished, the little robots came and promptly took away the plates. A minute later, they came back, delivering dessert. A sigh of happiness went throughout the hall, and a few people stared adoringly at Sara, whose face flushed crimson and looked down, smiling shyly. “It’s Sara’s specialty. Hot apple crumble and cream.” Oscar sighed, as everyone dug in. Jonathon took a bite of the crumble, and closed his eyes. Oscar was right. It was fantastic! Another half an hour later, the hall was filled with the tired sounds of people yawning and half-heartedly keeping up conversation.

People began to stand up and file out of the hall in groups and Jonathon followed Oscar through the doors, down the hallway and to their room, already half-asleep. They changed into the pyjamas with their eyes half-closed and crawled into their large, welcoming beds. The sheets were warm, the mattress was warm and soft and the pillows were heavenly. Oscar buried his face in the pillows while Jonathon snuggled down into the warmth. “Goodnight.” he said sleepily. A muffled response from Oscar was all he got. Jonathon couldn’t remember why he had been worrying all day, and drifted off to sleep, feeling peaceful.