Note: Ah, sequels. They haunt me so. Well, this overwhelming urge to make a sequel clouded my better judgment. I'd be typing up my original novel, Between the Lines, but I let my friend borrow the rough draft. Ah, well. She's trustworthy, I'm sure it'll all come back in one piece.

Anyway! I own nothing, but my plot and own original characters. Anything else belongs to SEGA. Someday, I swear to God, I'm gonna work at SEGA, and then this disclaimer will not be necessary, because I will WORK for the company that owns them, which is kind of like... ah, just forget it and get to the story...

Chapter One: Lock and Key

A knocking on my door. The same rough, harsh knocks that await me every morning, accompanied by a deep, rough, "Get out of bed before I Chaos Control you out of it myself!"

Five... Four... Three... Two... One...

"Get out of bed before I Chaos Control you out of it myself!"

He's really in the same rut every morning, isn't he?

However, I can't refuse, and roll out of bed anyway. Grumbling as I do so, yes, but I do.

Well, what do you expect me to do? Just lay there? I'd be going to school with the stink of Chaos in my fur.

So I go downstairs to my usual breakfast of overcooked toast. Oh, Uncle Shadow, haven't you figured out the toaster by now?

But it's the usual routine every morning. Uncle Shadow threatens me to come downstairs, then I eat breakfast, then I get a radioactively-glowing backpack shoved into my arms.

Why is it radioactively-glowing? Because Uncle Shadow moved it with Chaos Control while he was off doing other things.

You know, I noticed Uncle Shadow never looks me in the eyes anymore. I really wonder why, considering we're the only two living creatures in the house besides my pet fish, and Uncle Shadow loves pet fish.

"They don't whine for attention, they don't make annoying noises, you don't have to walk them, they don't eat a lot, and they don't pee on your carpet. What more could you want in a pet?" he once said.

But Uncle Shadow never looks me in the eyes anymore.

Well, not today. I don't care if I miss my bus today. School's only full of bullies and jocks and angry, underpaid teachers.

"Uncle Shadow?"

"Hmm?"

That's the only answer I get. I suspect that's the only answer I'll ever get. He's hunched over a machine with a mask on, and a blowtorch blazing in his left hand. He's welding something together, but I can't see what. I'd hazard it's pretty small, otherwise I'd be able to see it. I try looking over his shoulder to get a glimpse, but I only noticed a glimmer of something golden before Shadow turns, and, without looking me in the eyes (or is he? I can't tell, he's still got the blast mask down), says,

"What do you want? Your bus is leaving, Scooter. Go."

"I noticed you've been working pretty hard lately, have you ever considered taking a day off?"

Uncle Shadow sighs and puts down the torch and flips his mask up.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I promised myself I'd get this done."

"You will, you just need to take a quick break. A day or two."

"Didn't you hear me? I can't!" He snaps.

I suddenly find myself at school in the blink of an eye and a flash of green light.

Fan-freaking-tastic. He's Chaos Controlled me to school again. I hear the snickering of my friends behind my back and I turn to them, my emerald eyes blazing.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Except..." Julie starts, giggling like the air-headed bimbo she is. The only reason I hang around her is because she's going out with Marcus, and he's one of my buds.

"What?"

"Your pants are still on fire."

I look behind me and sure enough, the seat of my pants was aflame with green fire, the kind that doesn't burn but instead just publicly humiliates you.

Fan-freaking-tastic. I grab my school I.D. and my pencil out of my bag and clip them together before slinging them around my neck. Then I forcefully send myself reeling backwards into the dirt to put out the flame, and luckily it works. Sometimes it doesn't and I have to go the nurse for a fire extinguisher. That poor woman knows me by name now.

I stand back up, and dust the dirt off my butt.

"Sorry about that. Uncle Shadow's been really distant lately. He'll barely even talk to me." I say.

"I'm sorry. Sadness for Scooter." Nichole says sweetly, petting my head. She does that to anyone she feels bad for. It's a thing for her. She'll say "Sadness." and pet your head. It's her meat-headed way of making you feel better.

Well, I can't lie, she's really nice and it does make me feel better. No, you perverts, I do not have a crush on her. Granted, I also don't have a girlfriend, but it's alright. No one really wants to date the nerdy son of a dead super-hero.

I look just like my father, except I hunch when I walk, and I wear glasses. Not big, Coke-bottle glasses, but small ones with semi-trendy frames. I also have a more distant personality than what my father had. At least, Uncle Shadow's recollections of him. I was only eight when he died. People think I don't remember, but truth is I do. I remember that my older brother died the same day.

I remember so clearly it's eerie.

"Oh God... Not now!"

"Brother...?"

"Scooter, go! I... AHHHHHHH!!"

There was fire... his eyes turned solid white, like he was blind...

His skin blistered from his bones and burned away...

Machines were exploding...

Tubes broke and spilled their contents all over...

A blast of solid crystal came shooting out of his open mouth like dragon's fire...

Doctors and nurses came rushing in, and could only strap him down...

Inject a needle into his arm...

His face contorted into a gruesome, hideous, grotesque mask of bubbling flesh and explosions...

Uncle Shadow pulled me from the room before a final burst of crystal flame came shooting from the door...

"Hey... HEY! Scooter! Is anybody in there? The bell rang!"

I snap from my memory and look into the dull jade of Webster's eyes. Webster is a buddy of mine. He's bright orange, like fire...

But enough of my angst-ridden life.

I follow Webster into the building and don't look back...

But...

I thought I had that memory locked away, so why...

Why am I remembering it now? I heard everything as if it were happening...

Oh God, why now?