Wahoo! Didn't I say there was gonna be a sequel? Huh? Anyhow, this story
takes place around three to four years after "Childhood," so Randall's
pretty much an adult now. This is the second part of "The Past" series
("Childhood" being the first) and there are three in all. Soooo...on with the
story! Oh, and a quick disclaimer- I don't own any of the original
Monsters, Inc. characters, but I DO own any of the characters that aren't
in the film. And a final word- reviews are greatly appreciated, and are
pretty much my motivation. (Not that I wouldn't carry on writing without
them, that is.) So, read and enjoy! (and review.)
Chapter 1- In the Shadows
The fan spun slowly, carefully pushing fresh air into the dark, dank room beneath it. Something smelt stale and putrid, and infected its surroundings with pulsating evil. There was no light here except for a single lamp stood on a table, flickering. As the flames inside it jingled and spun, the blue light coming from it peeked into the corners of the room, disturbing the creatures that hid in the shadows.
Spiders scuttled around on the stone walls, retreating from the brightness that had startled them, and a relative of theirs shoved open the heavy wooden door of this underground dungeon, three others following behind him. The room seemed to tremor with evil, frightened of what it might see. The four monsters sat at the table, the blue light from the flame playing over their faces. One of them spoke.
"I assume that you have chosen a suitable base to carry out our plans?" The monster that sat opposite him chuckled, his yellow eyes gleaming.
"Always straight down to business, huh?" His friend frowned at him, so he continued, trying to ease his troubles. "Look, everything is gonna go according to plan."
"You sound certain."
"I'd bet every one of my scales on it." The smallest of the four daringly piped up.
"You wouldn't get much from them though; they're not worth much, especially coming from you!" he joked in his high-pitched, slightly stuttering voice. The first one that had spoke fumed, glaring at his little friend.
"This is no time for humour. This is a serious matter, and you'd do well to address it with the respect that it deserves!" Only one had remained silent through this conversation, but he spoke up for the first time, shaking his head at the idiocy of his company.
"As long as we all follow the plan, all the others who are involved will do the same. They are counting on us- no, I'm counting on you, to produce an example. If one of you makes a mistake, we all will make a mistake. You are what's keeping this all together, and if one of you slips up during the course of this plan, I will make it a personal duty of mine to arrange your punishment. And that especially includes you, Stefani." The small monster's grin was abruptly wiped from his face. The others remained silent. This pause seemed to last for years until, finally, someone spoke.
"Everything is arranged, I swear. Would you really expect me to lie to you?" he asked adamantly. The relative of the spider's answered.
"Since you bet your scales on it, I guess not. But you know, as all of us do, that I don't trust you. Your kind is never to be trusted." The scaly monster stood up, outraged at this discriminative comment.
"That's very rich coming from you, crab." He prodded a claw at his adversary. "We trusted your family to make the first plan work, but did it?" he asked rhetorically. "No. So why should I trust you?" The monster who was a varied mix of crab and spider retorted to this remark, embarrassment fringing his tone.
"You can't blame me for what my brother did."
"Oh, can't I? Well, if I can't blame you, who can I blame? Because I'm getting revenge, no matter what." The leader of the four interrupted this squabble.
"Please, settle down. We need to make the final arrangements-"
"Well, I'm not making them with him in the room. I'll help out with this plan when you help me." The lizard-monster stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut, the clamour reverberating around the walls. The crab- monster then stood up.
"My old friend," he said, heaving a sigh, "I told you not to trust him. But it's your decision whether you want to leave this...this delicate matter in his hands." He too then left leaving the smaller monster, Stefani, and his boss.
"Why can't everything just go to plan?" he asked his little friend, his eyes cast to the floor. "I only hope that those I have hired for this operation to be carried out are trustworthy. If not, all my years of hard work have gone to waste." Stefani nodded sympathetically, but said nothing.
"You can go now, Stefani. You're not needed until the beginning of term." The little monster nodded once more, then clambered off his chair and scuttled out the door. The one remaining monster sighed yet again, and then brought two of his claws over the dancing blue flame, putting it out. The room was bathed in darkness.
******************
There was a loud and sudden scream of annoyance as Jay poked his spiky head around the door of his sister's bedroom.
"Get out! NOW!" She threw her bright pink teddy at him, which just missed as he ducked.
"But Celeste-"
"Just GO!" she screamed once more in undeniable fury. Fed up with all of his sister's protests, he shut the door firmly, and then called out through the wood.
"You'll never see me again..." he teased in an annoying sing-song voice.
"I don't care!" Jay sighed and made his way down the stairs, defeated. As he opened the door of the kitchen and sat down huffily at the table, his parents looked up.
"So, how'd it go with your sister?" his father asked, chuckling. Jay shook his head.
"It serves you right for playing that joke on her yesterday," said Phoebe, Jay's mother. His father patted him on the back.
"Shouldn't you be going now, anyway?" Jay made no effort to even move.
"Look son, you've just got to face it. Your sister finds you annoying, and there's nothing you can do. Just leave her be, and she'll come around."
"Well...I guess you're right. And I do have University to look forward to."
"Exactly!" said his mother encouragingly. "So, shouldn't you be getting a move on? Don't want to be late now, do you?" Jay got up, squeezed his mother so tightly that she nearly suffocated, and left the room, his spirits high in the clouds.
"Celeste is not the only one who finds him annoying," Phoebe said, once he was out of earshot. Her husband smiled.
"But he's leaving today." He got up and walked over to Phoebe, laying a hand on her rough, grey shoulder. "We're finally free."
******************
"But the car won't start," he replied to his mother whose temper was gradually getting shorter and shorter.
"Just turn the key again, honey. It'll start this time." Jay tried again and again, but the car just stuttered and heaved before falling silent once more. Stuart, the father of the two troublemakers, strode over to the car, leaned in through the open window and turned the ignition key. The car, after such a long struggle, roared to life. Jay chuckled, embarrassed.
"Well, what do ya know? It does work...heh." Stuart shook his head and rolled his three eyes. When was his son ever going to learn?
"Just go, and put us all out of our misery."
"No worries, Dad. I am the expert driver in our family." And with that, he reversed into the front wall of their kitchen. Dust spilled out of the bricks as they tumbled and collapsed onto the car. Jay's parents just stared at him in shock. His father was about to explode, but before such a thing could happen, Jay rammed the car into first gear and sped off, waving to his parents who were standing stock still.
"I'll write to you later! Bye!"
Celeste stuck her head out of her bedroom window, wondering what all the commotion was about. She gasped at the mess below.
******************
Randall stuffed his few belongings into a bag, a permanent grin seeming to have been tattooed across his face. Finally, after all those years of waiting, today was the day. He would be leaving the orphanage, never to come back. After zipping up his bag, he dropped onto all eights and looked under his bed for any mislaid items. Nothing. Satisfied that his packing was done, Randall glanced at that clock that hung on his bedroom wall. 3:30pm. His friend should have been here half an hour ago.
"And a good thing he wasn't", Randall thought in his head. "Gave me more time to pack."
He grabbed his bag, hefted it over one shoulder with a grunt, and trudged down the orphanage stairs for the last time. The place was empty; that afternoon, there had been a big Shotzock game at the field a couple of streets away, leaving the orphanage deserted. Which suited Randall just fine; there wouldn't have been anyone there that would wish him a pleasant farewell, though there would be many to spoil this perfect moment.
As Randall passed the rooms that held so many memories, he peeked in through a few open doors for the last time. He smiled as he looked around a small but airy room, the colour scheme neutral and a large bay window at one end, letting the light from the setting sun flood in. This was where he and Marie had played games as others in the orphanage entertained themselves by watching the fights in the Main Room. Looking up at the vent on the ceiling, Randall chuckled lightly.
This vent lead to everywhere in the orphanage; the kitchen, all the bedrooms, even the Carer's offices, and Randall had used this knowledge to his advantage many times. He shut the door softly behind him. The next room was much larger, and was known as the "Entertainment Room." There were worn- down chairs and several broken televisions in this room which nobody had ever bothered to repair. Randall sighed, slightly disgruntled. This room held too many memories.
Finally, at the end of this corridor was a set of large, wooden double doors. Randall shoved them open to reveal a massive hall, the tables being laid out in preparation of dinner. There was a weird smell in this room; as though some animal had died and the carcass had been left to rot. It made Randall feel slightly queasy, but he had put up with it for many years. He glanced at the corner where he had always sat during meals, alone, all the while jealously watching Marie chatting and laughing along with all of her friends. Randall growled under his breath and slammed the doors shut. It had always been like that.
He turned to his left into the tiny reception room, and then brushed aside a laced curtain, looking out of the window hopefully. His friend wasn't there yet. He sat down on a sunken chair, the dappled sunlight playing over his pale purple scales.
"What if this guy's like all the others?" Randall suddenly thought. "What if he treats me the same, like...like some kind of a freak?" The second this thought ran through his mind, Randall regretted it. "No, he isn't gonna be the same. He can't be." A weary silence followed. Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the air. Randall jumped to his feet and shoved the front door open. His friend was here.
Chapter 1- In the Shadows
The fan spun slowly, carefully pushing fresh air into the dark, dank room beneath it. Something smelt stale and putrid, and infected its surroundings with pulsating evil. There was no light here except for a single lamp stood on a table, flickering. As the flames inside it jingled and spun, the blue light coming from it peeked into the corners of the room, disturbing the creatures that hid in the shadows.
Spiders scuttled around on the stone walls, retreating from the brightness that had startled them, and a relative of theirs shoved open the heavy wooden door of this underground dungeon, three others following behind him. The room seemed to tremor with evil, frightened of what it might see. The four monsters sat at the table, the blue light from the flame playing over their faces. One of them spoke.
"I assume that you have chosen a suitable base to carry out our plans?" The monster that sat opposite him chuckled, his yellow eyes gleaming.
"Always straight down to business, huh?" His friend frowned at him, so he continued, trying to ease his troubles. "Look, everything is gonna go according to plan."
"You sound certain."
"I'd bet every one of my scales on it." The smallest of the four daringly piped up.
"You wouldn't get much from them though; they're not worth much, especially coming from you!" he joked in his high-pitched, slightly stuttering voice. The first one that had spoke fumed, glaring at his little friend.
"This is no time for humour. This is a serious matter, and you'd do well to address it with the respect that it deserves!" Only one had remained silent through this conversation, but he spoke up for the first time, shaking his head at the idiocy of his company.
"As long as we all follow the plan, all the others who are involved will do the same. They are counting on us- no, I'm counting on you, to produce an example. If one of you makes a mistake, we all will make a mistake. You are what's keeping this all together, and if one of you slips up during the course of this plan, I will make it a personal duty of mine to arrange your punishment. And that especially includes you, Stefani." The small monster's grin was abruptly wiped from his face. The others remained silent. This pause seemed to last for years until, finally, someone spoke.
"Everything is arranged, I swear. Would you really expect me to lie to you?" he asked adamantly. The relative of the spider's answered.
"Since you bet your scales on it, I guess not. But you know, as all of us do, that I don't trust you. Your kind is never to be trusted." The scaly monster stood up, outraged at this discriminative comment.
"That's very rich coming from you, crab." He prodded a claw at his adversary. "We trusted your family to make the first plan work, but did it?" he asked rhetorically. "No. So why should I trust you?" The monster who was a varied mix of crab and spider retorted to this remark, embarrassment fringing his tone.
"You can't blame me for what my brother did."
"Oh, can't I? Well, if I can't blame you, who can I blame? Because I'm getting revenge, no matter what." The leader of the four interrupted this squabble.
"Please, settle down. We need to make the final arrangements-"
"Well, I'm not making them with him in the room. I'll help out with this plan when you help me." The lizard-monster stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut, the clamour reverberating around the walls. The crab- monster then stood up.
"My old friend," he said, heaving a sigh, "I told you not to trust him. But it's your decision whether you want to leave this...this delicate matter in his hands." He too then left leaving the smaller monster, Stefani, and his boss.
"Why can't everything just go to plan?" he asked his little friend, his eyes cast to the floor. "I only hope that those I have hired for this operation to be carried out are trustworthy. If not, all my years of hard work have gone to waste." Stefani nodded sympathetically, but said nothing.
"You can go now, Stefani. You're not needed until the beginning of term." The little monster nodded once more, then clambered off his chair and scuttled out the door. The one remaining monster sighed yet again, and then brought two of his claws over the dancing blue flame, putting it out. The room was bathed in darkness.
******************
There was a loud and sudden scream of annoyance as Jay poked his spiky head around the door of his sister's bedroom.
"Get out! NOW!" She threw her bright pink teddy at him, which just missed as he ducked.
"But Celeste-"
"Just GO!" she screamed once more in undeniable fury. Fed up with all of his sister's protests, he shut the door firmly, and then called out through the wood.
"You'll never see me again..." he teased in an annoying sing-song voice.
"I don't care!" Jay sighed and made his way down the stairs, defeated. As he opened the door of the kitchen and sat down huffily at the table, his parents looked up.
"So, how'd it go with your sister?" his father asked, chuckling. Jay shook his head.
"It serves you right for playing that joke on her yesterday," said Phoebe, Jay's mother. His father patted him on the back.
"Shouldn't you be going now, anyway?" Jay made no effort to even move.
"Look son, you've just got to face it. Your sister finds you annoying, and there's nothing you can do. Just leave her be, and she'll come around."
"Well...I guess you're right. And I do have University to look forward to."
"Exactly!" said his mother encouragingly. "So, shouldn't you be getting a move on? Don't want to be late now, do you?" Jay got up, squeezed his mother so tightly that she nearly suffocated, and left the room, his spirits high in the clouds.
"Celeste is not the only one who finds him annoying," Phoebe said, once he was out of earshot. Her husband smiled.
"But he's leaving today." He got up and walked over to Phoebe, laying a hand on her rough, grey shoulder. "We're finally free."
******************
"But the car won't start," he replied to his mother whose temper was gradually getting shorter and shorter.
"Just turn the key again, honey. It'll start this time." Jay tried again and again, but the car just stuttered and heaved before falling silent once more. Stuart, the father of the two troublemakers, strode over to the car, leaned in through the open window and turned the ignition key. The car, after such a long struggle, roared to life. Jay chuckled, embarrassed.
"Well, what do ya know? It does work...heh." Stuart shook his head and rolled his three eyes. When was his son ever going to learn?
"Just go, and put us all out of our misery."
"No worries, Dad. I am the expert driver in our family." And with that, he reversed into the front wall of their kitchen. Dust spilled out of the bricks as they tumbled and collapsed onto the car. Jay's parents just stared at him in shock. His father was about to explode, but before such a thing could happen, Jay rammed the car into first gear and sped off, waving to his parents who were standing stock still.
"I'll write to you later! Bye!"
Celeste stuck her head out of her bedroom window, wondering what all the commotion was about. She gasped at the mess below.
******************
Randall stuffed his few belongings into a bag, a permanent grin seeming to have been tattooed across his face. Finally, after all those years of waiting, today was the day. He would be leaving the orphanage, never to come back. After zipping up his bag, he dropped onto all eights and looked under his bed for any mislaid items. Nothing. Satisfied that his packing was done, Randall glanced at that clock that hung on his bedroom wall. 3:30pm. His friend should have been here half an hour ago.
"And a good thing he wasn't", Randall thought in his head. "Gave me more time to pack."
He grabbed his bag, hefted it over one shoulder with a grunt, and trudged down the orphanage stairs for the last time. The place was empty; that afternoon, there had been a big Shotzock game at the field a couple of streets away, leaving the orphanage deserted. Which suited Randall just fine; there wouldn't have been anyone there that would wish him a pleasant farewell, though there would be many to spoil this perfect moment.
As Randall passed the rooms that held so many memories, he peeked in through a few open doors for the last time. He smiled as he looked around a small but airy room, the colour scheme neutral and a large bay window at one end, letting the light from the setting sun flood in. This was where he and Marie had played games as others in the orphanage entertained themselves by watching the fights in the Main Room. Looking up at the vent on the ceiling, Randall chuckled lightly.
This vent lead to everywhere in the orphanage; the kitchen, all the bedrooms, even the Carer's offices, and Randall had used this knowledge to his advantage many times. He shut the door softly behind him. The next room was much larger, and was known as the "Entertainment Room." There were worn- down chairs and several broken televisions in this room which nobody had ever bothered to repair. Randall sighed, slightly disgruntled. This room held too many memories.
Finally, at the end of this corridor was a set of large, wooden double doors. Randall shoved them open to reveal a massive hall, the tables being laid out in preparation of dinner. There was a weird smell in this room; as though some animal had died and the carcass had been left to rot. It made Randall feel slightly queasy, but he had put up with it for many years. He glanced at the corner where he had always sat during meals, alone, all the while jealously watching Marie chatting and laughing along with all of her friends. Randall growled under his breath and slammed the doors shut. It had always been like that.
He turned to his left into the tiny reception room, and then brushed aside a laced curtain, looking out of the window hopefully. His friend wasn't there yet. He sat down on a sunken chair, the dappled sunlight playing over his pale purple scales.
"What if this guy's like all the others?" Randall suddenly thought. "What if he treats me the same, like...like some kind of a freak?" The second this thought ran through his mind, Randall regretted it. "No, he isn't gonna be the same. He can't be." A weary silence followed. Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the air. Randall jumped to his feet and shoved the front door open. His friend was here.