The Wonderful House of Jubie Chew

1 :-: Welcome to life.

Chapter One

   Elex Oswald was named after his father’s father, who wasn’t really his grandfather at all. Grandpa Elex was actually a friend of the family, who took in Elex’s father, John, after his parents passed away. It had always bothered young Elex; his name. His grandpa was a fun loving, unconventional man that was forever searching for his ‘Next Great Adventure’. But Elex was practical and sensible. He didn’t like adventures, and would rather read a news article than some wild fantasy. His name was not only a hand-me-down, but it didn’t fit him either.

   Elex wasn’t all work, though. He would play games, too – just not the kind of games other fourteen year old boys liked to play. Elex enjoyed solitaire, and puzzle games; games that challenged his whit rather than his imagination. This, of course, left Elex without friends. In three years his parents had transferred him to a different school twice because of bullying. Elex never let it bother him, though. Those other boys were only mean to him because he was different, and people didn’t like different. His mother on the other hand couldn’t stand the thought of her ‘little man’ being picked on. To say she was overprotective would have been an understatement.

   Luckily for Elex’s family, they had a decent income and could afford to place him in various private schools. But this time was different. This time his father had put his foot down and chosen Elex’s next school rather than allowing his wife to do it; claiming that his son needed tough love, not pampering. Elex was indifferent. School was school, and whether he went to a private academy or a public one didn’t matter. He was sure there would be bullies at each school, regardless of income or status of the students. For the sake of putting an end to the continual transfers, though, Elex would try harder to avoid any bullies.

   His dad shot Elex a wary look, though he tried to give out an air of firmness. Up until that point the ride to his new school had been silent. “How are you feeling?” his dad asked, risking another glance at his son sitting comfortably in the seat next to him.

   Elex shrugged. “Normal, I guess.”

   His dad didn’t seem too sure of that – a frown pulled at the sides of his beard-rimmed mouth. “It’s okay to be a little nervous,” he told him. “Starting a new school can be scary.”

   Elex turned to look out of his window, watching the houses as they blurred passed. “Yeah,” he refrained from sighing, “I know.”

   It was mid-April. Whether his first day went well or not, he only had to deal with it for another six weeks, at which point summer break would begin. He wasn’t worried, really. Maybe just a little nervous – his stomach burned and sizzled the same way it did when he was embarrassed – but it was only fear of the unknown, not of his fellow students that caused it.

   The car fell silent once more, though the watchful glances from his dad didn’t end.

   Elex’s dad may have looked like a gruff guy, and sometimes he could be, but usually John was as laid back and worry free as Grandpa Elex. Instead of living adventures, though, his dad wrote about them. His children’s books were well known and enjoyed. Titles like ‘The Grand Rabbit of The Moon’ and ‘The Quest of Jimmy Joe’ littered their house and engulfed John’s office. Elex only pretended to read his father’s books – he even kept copies of them in his room on their own special shelf. He was proud of his dad, sure, and didn’t want to hurt his feelings – but his books were just too far ‘out-there’ for Elex. Once in a while, though, when Elex was feeling especially curious, he would pick up a copy and skim through it.

   His mother was an entirely different story. She was a professor of law at Colby University; logical, straightforward, and brilliant. How she ended up with a boyish, silly author for a husband Elex would never know. But the two were happy together – as if they completed one another. His mother, Evelyn, didn’t pretend to read his father’s books. “I don’t have time for fairytales,” she would say. His dad never seemed to mind, only smiling and wrapping his arms around her lovingly. Perhaps it was John’s own personal challenge – to write a book his wife was willing to read.