Hello and welcome to a Spare Story for the Boolpropian Round Robin Legacy (BRRL). I have the good fortune to attempt to tell Wyn Doran’s story. Wyn is from Generation Two of the BRRL. Her brother Gethin was the heir. If you haven’t read the chapters for Generations 1, 2, 3, and 4, you should. They’re awesome. As is the Spare Story for Generation 1.

And now, on to our story…

Wyn Doran had been on the run for several months already. At times it seemed like forever. Other times it seemed like she had left yesterday.

She knew she could never go back. But when the memories started to come, she wished things were different.

She would never forget the moment she and Gethin came into the room to find their mother clutching at her throat, gasping for air.

Her father had explained to them what was happening. She didn’t want to leave. She didn’t want to leave her friends behind. She didn’t want to leave her mom and dad behind.

A final kiss from her dad was all she had left of them. They were forced to leave without being able to take anything but memories.

So she and Gethin ran and never looked back. Eventually they too had to split up. It would be safer for them if they weren’t together. It was the second most difficult decision she ever had to make. She should have stayed with him. She should have taken care of her little brother.

She found some solace in the piano skills her mother had forced her to practice. She was able to move from town to town, making a little money here and there, sleeping in parks and homeless shelters when the weather turned cold.

She was constantly on the lookout for a job, a place to live, and her next meal.

She didn’t have much luck though. There weren’t many people out there willing to hire a high school drop out living off her own wits.

Another dingy dive in another dingy part of another anonymous city. It was her last hope. She was down to her last two simoleons. The few pieces of clothing she had managed to acquire were almost in rags. She hadn’t eaten in two days and the last time she felt safe enough to sleep she ended up being forced to move on.

She looked in the dingy window, patted her hair into place and opened the door.

Inside, she found the man who looked to be in charge. His name was Victor Martinez.

Wyn plastered a smile on her face, and launched into her spiel about needing a job. She listed all her good qualities she could think of, and noticing the stage, made sure to mention her musical skills.

Victor seemed to be listening, so she didn’t stop there. After rambling on for ten straight minutes, he finally got a word in.

“I could use someone to clean up,” he told her as he eyed her thin frame and the dark circles under her eyes. “There’s a small back room with a bed if you’re interested. It’s not much. Meals are included in your wages, so the actual cash is a bit lower than you would find elsewhere.”

Wyn was exuberant. Impulsively she hugged him. “Thank you Mr. Martinez. I promise, you won’t regret it.”

“Don’t thank me yet. The work is hard and tiring. The shift goes from 3:00 in the afternoon to 3:00 in morning. You’ll have one day a week off. And your accommodations are marginal at best.”

Wyn’s face blanched as she looked at the condition of the “small room” she would be spending her free time in. Still, it was a bed and not the floor. The bathroom wasn’t much better, but at least it was hers alone.

“Better rest up,” Victor told her as he turned to leave the room. “Work starts tomorrow. There’s food in the fridge if you’re hungry”

It was her first time in a bed since she’d left her family. Needless to say, Wyn fell asleep immediately and remained that way through the rest of the night.

The morning, or rather early afternoon, found a stack of clean clothing on the crate in the corner which was clearly her uniform. She put it on, washed her dirty clothes in the shower and hung them around the room to dry. She had 45 minutes before her shift started so she hurried to the kitchen to see what she could find to relieve the hunger pangs she was feeling.

Victor wasn’t lying when he said the work would be hard. The dishes she was expected to wash came at a steady stream.

And when there was a break to the dishes, she had to clean up the cook areas. It was a constant process of dirty and clean from one end of the kitchen to the other.

Occasionally she had to pitch in and help cook simpler dishes.

The worst part though was cleaning up the bar at the end of the night. The bartenders did their best when they could, but there was never really enough time to clean everything up. It was sticky, stinky, and crusty by the end of the night.

She came to treasure her days off. She would often spend the time practicing and goofing around with the instruments on stage. It reminded her of her mother, and kept a closeness with her that she wasn’t quite ready to let go of.

She was saving every penny she could, but also made infrequent trips to the local mall where she saw some very interesting people.

She wrote in her diary daily as well. Her story couldn’t be told to anyone because of the complications of the Bluewater Plague, but it needed to be told. Perhaps someday she would find someone she trusted enough to share the stories of her family.

She also became close friends with Christy Stratton, who was one of the bartenders Victor had hired. Christy was a little older than Wyn and could offer her day to day advice as needed. Mostly though, she was a good listener and had a good sense of humor that Wyn shared. Christy and Victor were the closest thing to family that she had.

One day Victor approached her with a slight look of panic on his face. Wyn held her breath, fearing that he was going to tell her to leave and waited to hear what he wanted.

“Wyn, we don’t have a singer for tonight. Melody called in. She quit. I hate to put you on the spot, but I really need someone up there. I’ve heard you practice. I think you can do it,” he rambled on.

Wyn tried and failed to keep the panic off her face and out of her voice. “I’m not sure I can do that. I mean, I’ve sang all my life, but my mother, now she was the one you wanted to sing. She had a beautiful voice. I…”

“It would mean more money for you.”

“I guess I could try a few songs.“

“Great. I have a few wardrobe options for you. Let me get them. You can decide what you’ll be comfortable in.”

From that night on, Wyn became the featured singer at Victor’s Bar. She was quite good. Not as good as her mother. She didn’t have the passion for it that Tessa had, but she could hold her own.

Some nights Victor found himself free enough to accompany her on the keyboard.

Other nights she sang with a full band behind her. But always, she sang. And as she sang, she put away more and more money for her someday plans.

Things were going quite well. She had a warm, dry place to sleep every night. She had started getting back to a healthy weight. The bags under her eyes were gone. She was making a few friends here and there.

Then her world shattered. She didn’t watch television often, but that night she sat down to relax for a few minutes. The news reports spoke of her father and his contribution to the Bluewater Plague rescue efforts, and to his contributions to finding a cure after he died. It confirmed for her that her mother was gone as well, something she always suspected.

Part of her had always known that she would never see them again, but having it broadcast for the world to see brought the pain to the forefront of her mind again.

Silently, she turned off the offending television set and made her way to her room.

She cried herself to sleep that night, mourning the loss of what could have been.

Little did she know it would be a night that changed her life forever. She awoke with a start after hearing a thump that sounded as if it came from the foot of her bed.

Rubbing dried tears from her eyes, she sat up and turned toward where she thought the noise was coming from.

“Don’t be afraid dear,” the ethereal figure standing there said. “I’m Bim. Bim LeTourneau. We’ve met before.”

Unbidden, a memory came to her from one of her trips to the mall. She had met Bim. She remembered the surprise when the witch had turned to her briefly and stated, “You are Doran” before she vanished.

“There is danger. I’ve come to help. You are Doran. You and your family have enemies. Though none of the animosity is your fault, they will look for you,” Bim explained.

“But, why? How?,” Wyn asked.

“Long before you were born, the Elves of the North Forest put a bounty on your bloodline. Tragedy has befallen every generation. I’ve found you and can protect you.”

“Wait, what about Gethin? Have you found him?” Wyn asked, hope widening her eyes momentarily.

“It is not my destiny to help Gethin. You are whom I have been sent to help. The spell I place on you will block all from recognizing your Elvin heritage. You will be effectively hidden from view but in plain sight,” Bim explained before she started the chant for the spell that would make Wyn safe from harm.

“Only those with a pure heart will come to know who you are and where you came from, and only when you choose to tell them,” she further explained as Wyn began to sparkle in the throws of the transforming spell.

“I feel different,” she said as she examined the light coming off her hand.

“You will feel different. Your sorrow will diminish though you will not forget. Others will see you for who you are, not who you were. Though you look the same, they will not recognize any Elvin characteristics in you,” Bim told her, and with a wave of her hand and a poof of light she was gone.

Wyn was truly liberated. She could return to school now. She worked out a deal with Victor. Since she was only singing now, she could attend school, nap in the afternoons, and be on stage at night. She didn’t realize how much she missed school.

She could meet more people and not have to worry about divulging too much of her background.

And she could date boys. Like Cody Trimball, who worked at the mall.

She liked Cody a lot, but she didn’t have a lot of time for dates with him. He would come by the bar and they would spend as much time together as they could.

Wyn enjoyed their time together and tried to make time for him, often meeting him out back for a few stolen minutes.

He seemed to be content with the short dates they were able to have.

Wyn worked extremely hard at getting herself caught up in school and was able to complete two semesters in one, making up the work she had missed.

At last, her final day of school arrived. She boarded the bus with different feelings than most of the other students. She had accomplished something she didn’t think she was going to have a chance to do. She was graduating from High School.

She arrived back at the place she had called home for the past few months and over a celebratory drink discussed the prospect of growing up with Christy.

“I can’t wait,” she told Christy in an excited voice. “The possibilities are endless, aren’t they?”

“They can be. It’s not always as easy as it looks though, Hon,” Christy tried to warn her.

So, without much fanfare, Wyn stepped aside and twirled her way into adulthood.

She knew that Christy was right. She had things pretty good here. Victor had been pretty good to her.

She still sang every night, and had a pretty big fan base following her.

But her heart wasn’t in it and her passion lie elsewhere.

This night would be her last show. It was time she let go of the past and pursue the possibilities.

The next morning, she packed up her meager possessions, pulled all her saved money from under the loose floorboard where she’d hidden it, and called a taxi to take her to the next phase of her life.

This is where I will leave you for now. Wyn’s journey into adulthood and her own life will be continued in Chapter 1, coming soon. Many thanks to those who had the idea for the Boolpropian Round Robin Legacy (BRRL), and to Gin for creating such a fantastic character, even if she did become the dreaded spare. Also to Gin for unknowingly allowing me to “borrow” a few of her original slides. And to Jane who was going to tell Wyn’s story, but ended up not so I could take a stab at it.