The End

Sue found Tobey sitting alone in the garden. Not like he was meditating, but sitting more like a sack of onions sits in a field - slumped to one side and stinky.

Smiling, she sat down on the grass near him. "Hey Tobey, what's up?"

"It's not me."

"Why not? And phew! You're even slinkier than usual – I bet if you'd go get a shower you'd feel better."

"I already had a shower, the fish smell is lingering."

"Is that what that smell is? I thought you had a long-dead skunk soaked in vinegar in your shoe."

"Shut up, its not funny. I fell into a pile of old fish at the wharf."

"Well if I had seen it happen – I might have thought it was at least a little funny . . . but seriously Tobey - what happened?"

"I saw Kong Li a little before dark, or should I call him dad?"

"You should call him Kong Loser, just like you always have. He was never your dad. Nana has been mom and dad to all three of us since we were small. Where did you see him?"

"I saw him just after I made my first delivery. He called to me and tried to come near, saying he just wanted to talk. But I ran. He chased me for a while, calling to me to stop, but I just kept running. I was running away when I fell in the fish pile and I even left my bike behind because it was too close to where he was to try and get it."

"Tobey, its okay – you can just go back and get it now. If Barney has deliveries, Sid and I'll take 'em."

"I . . . I don't . . . Oh man! Sue, I'm afraid – I can't believe it – I've never been afraid to go out alone before! But I really don't want to run into him again."

"I understand I think – Kong Li is scary and after finding out well you know." Sue sat and looked at him for a moment to see if he would say anything. When he didn't, she continued, "Do you want me to take you to go get your bike? Or I can go get it for you. Where did you leave it?"

"You shouldn't go alone either! I gotta get it – right?"

"Right."

"It's near Drumm and Orchid. I hope Kong Li didn't notice it, but you can come with me if you want. We could stop for ice cream."

Tobey jumped up and held his hand down to pull Sue up, but even after she was up, she still held onto his hand. He smiled and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze just before he opened the garden gate for her to take her bike through. In the alley, she got on her bike and he stood behind her on the axle, as she pedaled down the alley toward the street.

As they went, Sue pulled her phone out and called Sid. He picked up right away, and she said, "Hey Sid."

"Hey Sue. What's up?"

"Tobey and I are heading to Drumm and Orchard. Where are you?"

"I'm near Orchid and Stockton, on my way back to Wu's."

"Kong Li may be out and about tonight, wanna meet us?"

"Kong Li? Um - sure, be right there, but . . ." Sid started to ask what made her think Kong Li was back, but she hung up.

Sue put her phone back in her pocket, "Feel better now Tobey?"

"Some . . . I guess."

"What's bothering you so much? Is this still about Kong Li saying that he's your father?"

"No . . . well yeah, that's part of it. But now he wants to talk to me alone. I'm sure he wants something from me again. And I'm afraid he will somehow convince me to betray you guys again – I regret so much about what happened – mostly about what I did to Nana."

"We've told you before Tobey, don't worry about it, any of us that situation would have done the same thing. If Kong Li said he could bring my mother back. I would have done whatever I could for the chance to see her or my dad again - and I'm sure Sid feels the same way."

"Well, it wasn't you guys - it was me who fell for Kong Li's lies and put you and all of Chinatown in danger."

"Tobey – but. . ." Sue started to argue, but Tobey exclaimed, "Look – there's my bike." He pointed over her shoulder. "It looks okay from here – I'm glad 'daddy' didn't take it or something."

"Tobey, stop calling him dad! Even if he was a sperm donor, he is not your 'dad'!"

"Yeah, okay Sue. Whatever." Tobey answered quickly and jumped down from Sue's bike. He ran enthusiastically as always to his bike, quickly bending over to unlock it. He was blinking back tears hoping she hadn't seen. Sue rode up right behind him and put her feet on the ground to wait until he was ready to ride.

As she watched him she saw he was keeping his head down and doing his best to keep his face turned away from her. She heard him sniffle as he started to put his leg over to sit on his bike and she knew he was really upset. Sue was involved in watching Tobey and Tobey was involved in trying not to cry in front of Sue, so they didn't see his bike dimly glow blue for an instant when Tobey touched a handlebar.

"Tobey! Wait," Sue stopped him. He stopped and took his hand off his bike, but didn't turn to face her so she took his arm and pulled him around. "Oh Tobey," she leaned down to see his face, "I hate to see you so upset."

Sue's kind words were too much, and Tobey couldn't fight back tears anymore. Sue pulled him close and hugged him. He weakly pushed back, "No . . . sniff . . ."

"It's okay Tobey - or it will be, you'll see." She hugged him tighter. He whispered in her ear, "Sue, if it even looks like –sniff- if it happens again . . . if it even seems like I might . . . just banish me okay?"

"Just banish you? What . . . Oh NO! Tobey we would never!" Sue pushed him back a little to see his eyes, but he had his eyes shut and turned his head away. Sue held on to each of his arms to be sure he stayed facing her, "Tobey- nothing's that bad- this will pass, you'll see, and we have to work together – we aren't going to . . . to abandon you – ever – not for any reason!" When she finished speaking, she grabbed Tobey forcibly and hugged him tightly as if it could keep her from ever losing him.

Tobey tried to push her away, but she was as upset and as strong as he was, maybe stronger so he gave up and hugged her back.

His best friends and his sister in a tight embrace, was how Sid found them when he rode up. "Boy – can't leave you two alone for a minute, can I?"

Sue held her hand up toward Sid, her hand behind Tobey's back. Sid stopped, "What's going on?"

Tobey pulled himself together and when he tried to pull away that time, Sue let him go. Tobey said, "Nothing Sid, nothing's going on, except I saw Kong Li earlier and Sue thought it might be a good idea to check around to see if he's up to something."

"Tob, are you sure it was Kong Li you saw? We haven't seen him since the festival – he's gone."

"No he's not SID, he chased me – I heard his voice. It was him, my dad!"

"Sorry Tobey, but wouldn't Nana have sensed it if he was up to something?"

"Not always Sid and I think it's good if we just take a look around."

"Okay - okay – I still think there's something going on with you two." Tobey had his helmet on and was already sitting on his bike. While his back was turned, Sue poked her brother, and whispered, "He needs to do this – Tobey was afraid to even leave Wu's to get his bike! He's still having a hard time – try at least to be sensitive to his feelings."

"Okay Sue, I understand. All you had to do was tell me. Do you really think he saw Kong Li?"

"He thinks he did, and that's what's important here."

"I hope his nightmares aren't coming true. He still wakes me up crying and yelling in his sleep at least a couple times a week."

Just then Tobey growled in frustration, he was standing with both feet on one pedal, "The chain won't turn – I can't even make it roll!"

"Is there something stuck in the spokes buddy?" Sid got off his bike and walked with Sue toward their friend. Tobey was angrily stomping on the pedal.

Sid and Sue were only a car-length away from him when Kong Li appeared between them and Tobey. His back was to the siblings, but before they could react he swung his staff followed by a round kick and knocked them down.

He completed his kick slowly and put his foot back on the ground, smiling at Tobey. Since Tobey couldn't ride away, and to help Sid and Sue, he tried to jump off his bike, but fell with the bike on top of him. He cried out in frustration as he tried to pull his hands off of the handle bars, but the bike had grown tentacles and held his wrists bound to each handlebar. The small round headlight turned into a mouth with very sharp teeth, still with a light inside so he could see each tooth and how sharp it was.

"Aaaaah! No! – You said you wanted to talk Kong Loser – now you do this? I knew you were up to something really evil!" Tobey cried, barely keeping the teeth away from his face. He kept his feet braced against on a sort of body that made up part of the creature that used to be his bike. The tentacle-like arms kept his hands pinned out to his sides.

"I only set this trap to be sure you stuck around long enough to hear what I had to say, son."

Hearing Kong Li call Tobey 'son' made Sid and Sue fight hard to stand up. Sid winced as he held his hand over a bruise on his abdomen where the dragon-headed staff had hit him. Sue winced when she put her hand against her head and took a couple of unsteady limping steps as she yelled, "Kong Li! Call that thing off of Tobey and we'll be happy to listen while you say what you have to say."

Sid added a threat, "Release Tobey right now or you'll have a fight on your hands!"

"I said I wanted to talk to my son, not to you two." Kong Li waved his hand toward them, and trapped Sid and Sue in separate bubbles. With them floating a few feet above the ground, he turned back toward Tobey, still struggling against the 'bike serpent'.

"Promise you won't run away, and I'll call your bike off of you."

"Let Sid and Sue go! When I get up from here I'm gonna kick your ass! . . . dad."

"No, you won't, because when I let you up, you will stand patiently and listen, or terrible things will happen to them."

"Okay – I'll listen – but I won't believe a word you say! No matter what – you'll never convince me to turn away from my real family again!"

As he spoke, with slow hand gestures, Kong Li made the bike serpent stop threatening and it released Tobey's wrists, but more tentacles grabbed his ankles instead.

"Hey! You said you'd make it let me go" Tobey stood up, but was leaning down, punching at a tentacle.

"I will turn it back into your precious bike, as soon as you're a little less emotional."

"I'm not going to be less emotional while my bike looks like this and you have Sid and Sue trapped like that!"

"Too bad, now be quiet and listen, if you have even a small ability to control yourself."

"I can control myself – I choose not to!" Tobey whined and kicked some more. In the darkness, the occasional car or truck that went by didn't see the strange group, with an adult using magic to attack the three teens.

Kong Li watched Tobey struggle for a moment, but his patience was wearing thin. He sighed suddenly and finally, "Okay son, I didn't think you'd make me do this."

Kong Li waved his hand and Sue's bubble started drifting out to hover in the left lane. "Are you watching, son?"

Tobey stopped kicking and seeing Sue floating away, screamed, "What are you doing to her?"

Kong Li's shape shifter appeared in the passenger seat of a truck that had just driven by. The driver screamed and fainted without Shifty even having to touch him. As the shape shifter steered the truck with long tentacles, turning it around to go back to where its master was he revved the engine more than needed, just for dramatic effect.

"I am showing you just how serious I am!" Kong Li yelled and they heard the small delivery truck's engine roar as the shifter accelerated toward the bubble.

Sid was yelling and threatening curses from his bubble, but they could barely hear him. Tobey stood up to see and begged Kong Li, "No! Please – I will listen to you – STOP THIS!"

Kong Li smiled and holding his hand up, quickly closing his fingers into a fist, and the bubble popped. Sue dropped out sight, landing in front of the speeding truck.

"NOOOOO!" they boys screamed together, but Sid's cries of anguish went unheard as the truck sped away, and Sue's body lie unmoving, on the other side of the street.

The truck's engine could still be heard in the quiet night. The shifter had turn around again, and stopped facing where he had just hit Sue. He revved the engine again in a most threatening way.

"Now, Tobey." Kong Li spoke softly. "Now you know I am serious, and the same thing will happen to Sid if you even blink while I am talking."

Sid couldn't hear what Kong Li was saying and right then, didn't care. He had fallen to his knees inside the bubble, making it bounce gently. He went forward to his elbows, and with fists beating on his bike helmet, he sobbed so hard for his sister that the bubble shook.

Tobey heard what Kong Li said even though he had some very strong feelings and thoughts screaming through his mind at the same time. He remained strangely still while Kong Li spoke. "Well, it looks like I have your attention."

Tobey stood and stared at Kong Li, a blank look on his face, like he was in some sort of shock.

"I've been trying to catch you to warn you my son – the end is near. And only you and I can save Chinatown."

"Wait," Tobey spoke softly and slowly, it was scary how little he sounded like Tobey. "Don't tell me . . . you want me to bring you the cookbook, so you can save Chinatown."

"Yes, but you and me! It is our destiny to do it together!"

"I'm not the sharpest took in the shed, but just how stupid do you think I am? If there was a threat coming to Chinatown that you could possibly know about, Nana would have known about it – long before you and I would gladly help her save Chinatown!"

"I know, it surprises me too that she hasn't seen this coming. Even when we were in school, she was always much better than me when it came to seeing and sensing spells."

"You've wanted to destroy Chinatown and Nana so you could get out of here for years. How are you gonna make me believe you want to save it now?"

"Because my son, if this disaster hits Chinatown, no one will survive, not you or me."

"Then let's tell Nana. I'm sure she will help then."

"No son - There is just no time!"

"Forget it Kong loser! There must be time! You just don't want to tell Nana because she would never fall for your tricks. The same reason you didn't want Sid and . . . Sue to hear you talking to me!"

"No son, I promise – I've changed. What happened at the spirit festival and seeing how well you fought for what is good, inspired me."

Tobey ignored him. He was still all choked up after saying Sue's name. Then it occurred to him, "if I can work this right, this disaster, whatever it is, could rid Chinatown of Kong Li, and I can be sure that Nana and Sid will save Chinatown no matter what."

"What are you mumbling, son?"

"Nothing, just . . . okay, if there is no time – let's get to it – release Sid."

"Thank you my boy, you won't be sorry!" Kong Li didn't bother to lower the bubble before he popped it and dropped Sid unexpectedly to the pavement. Still holding his side, he managed to stand up crying, "How could you?"

"How could I what?" Kong Li seemed to have forgotten for a moment, "Oh - you mean little Sue Yi."

"Yes you monster! You killed my sister!" Sid stumbled forward like he would try to attack Kong Li.

"It was necessary; you know - sacrifice the one to save the thousands blah blahblah."

Sid roared and charged him; Tobey stepped in front of him and Sid pulled up short. "WHAT? Tobey! Don't tell me you're protecting him again?"

Tobey smiled confidently and charged Sid. He body-slammed him, but not too hard and they both went down. Tobey landed next to him, but immediately rolled over and grabbed him in a bear hug. Not giving Tobey a chance to say anything, Sid cried, "Tobey! Please – can't you see?"

"Yeah Sid – I can." Tobey pretended to punch Sid over and over in the ribs, but wasn't really connecting as he whispered in Sid's ear, "I really do see this time, I promise. Help Nana. Kong Li won't be coming back from this one - and neither will I. I'm so sorry it's too late for Sue, but believe me, you'll be better off."

"What – Tobey?" Sid was confused, but Tobey threw a punch to his face that turned his head. It didn't hurt as badly as Sid expected, but he didn't finish his question.

Tobey joined Kong Li and they started to walk away. Sid rolled up on one elbow and cried, "Wait Tobey! No! Don't do this!"

"I have to. I'm the only one that can. You know - prophesies and all that crap." Tobey laughed sadly.

Kong Li added, "Go Sid, take your sister's body back to Mei Hua. You have a funeral to plan – I say make it a nice one – it will be the only one your sister will have." Kong Li laughed and feeling victorious already, put his hand on Tobey's shoulder to guide him away. Tobey shot a final, expressionless look at Sid and they disappeared into a portal.

/TDTDTD\\\\\

Tobey Continued . . .