"What I don't understand," Séance said as he, Space, and Horror walked down the hall, "is why the food is never purple."

Space cast him a sidelong glance from the corner of his eye. Horror sighed. So it began, yet again.

"Generally that means its gone bad," pointed out Space.

"To some people yeah," snorted Séance, "but I think it's just a matter of seeing all the pretty colors. Food should come in prettier colors, and not just desserts. I'm thinking about entrées here. Rainbow trout that's real rainbow and shit like that. And speaking of pretty colors, anyone see Vanya's new haircut?"

"What?" asked Horror, "I didn't think that she'd cut her hair. I mean, it looked the same to me today."

"Ah, don't be stupid. You know what I'm talking about," Séance said vaguely, "Her hair's all short now."

"That happened two years ago," Space said carefully, "And what does that have to do with colors?"

"Ah, shapes, colors," said Séance, "They're the same thing, you know?"

Once more there was the covert glance.

"No," Spaceboy said firmly, "They're not."

"Wow," Séance smirked, "Somebody's grumpy, you big grumpy monkey."

"You're high Séance," said Space frostily.

"Ah," frowned Séance, "High is such a very ugly word. I prefer the term smashed, or pissed. I know they're both drinking terms, but it's how I feel. By the way, does anyone know the way to the Banana King?"

As soon as he finished speaking Séance fell forward onto the ground suddenly.

"I'll take that as a no then?" he giggled from the floor.

Space cast a sidelong glance at Horror. Horror turned his head away. Over the past year Séance's substance abuse had gone from bad to worse. It had gotten to the point that Hargreeves had Séance searched every time he came into the house, but to no avail. Somehow he had gotten it in his system and there it stayed.

Over the past few years Séance himself had changed too. Horror doubted that much of his brother was left in there. He couldn't be one hundred percent sure though. It wasn't like Séance talked to him anymore, well, not about anything important anyway. Then again, Séance rarely talked to anyone those days. To Horror it looked like the whole thing was spiraling out of control.

"Do you need me help?" asked Horror as Spaceboy bent down to pick up Séance.

"Always appreciated," he said.

Horror bent down and took his right arm at the same time Space took his left. Hoisting him up they started walking back the way they came.

"Hey!" demanded Séance, "Where're you taking me?"

"Your room," Space said authoratively.

"That's cool," shrugged Séance, as best he could in his half dragged position.

Space shook his head.

"This is just great," he muttered, "We're on patrol in ten minutes and Rumor's at the library. We're going to have to get Kraken. Can't just go on patrol with two members. It's dangerous. Do you know where he is?"

Horror shook his head and Space sighed. No one ever knew where Kraken was, except perhaps Vanya. Maybe they could ask her. She had just returned from college after all. That thought gave him pause, even as he continued dragging his incapacitated brother along. It was odd that she was away so much of the time. Well, make that all of the time. It had taken him two years to get used to the idea that she was in college, and a college halfway around the country no less.

Ah yes. Colleges, the Grand Institutes of learning. Horror thought wistfully about college. He hadn't even gone to a formal high school, much less a college. It was probably a little late for him to start at twenty though. Maybe he could go some day. It wasn't a completely insane idea. Other people had done it. Now, if Hargreeves would only let him…well, that was for another time. In any case, he voiced his opinion on asking Vanya to Space.

"I suppose," grumbled Space, "If that's our only option."

"Why do you say it like that?" frowned Horror.

The look Space gave him said that he clearly shouldn't be questioned. However, he did answer.

"You know what I mean. Whenever she comes back from college she acts…different."

Horror frowned, trying to see this difference in her behavior that Space did.

"You mean…happy?" ventured Horror.

Once more Space shot him the glare.

"I mean energetic," he snapped, "Bounces back from just about everything Hargreeves says to her. Oh, she doesn't answer back, but she's different. In the past she used to go off and sulk like a dog that's been hit. Now she's not even upset fifteen minutes after it. It's like she's completely thrown common sense out the window."

"I sulk enough for the both of us," Séance insisted.

Horror just shook his head at his brother before turning back to Space.

"Isn't that…a good thing?"

Space rolled his eyes as they approached the hallway that held their rooms. He paused as they went by Vanya's.

"We can hit hers up first," he said, trying the doorknob.

Suddenly he frowned.

"What?" asked Horror, shifting his feet so he could reassert his hold on Séance.

"It's locked," he said.

"We can come back later," shrugged Horror.

"We need to know where Kraken is now," he said.

Then he placed his hand on the doorknob, and gripped it tightly. Jerking it to the left the door sprung open. Horror was surprised. He had no idea that Space was anywhere near that strong. It also raised some other, rather uncomfortable questions. If the door to their room was locked, and Space wanted to get in…then he could. He could just yank the door open. Goodbye privacy. Horror wanted to say something indignant, but what he saw when the door opened killed the sentence on his lips.

When the door had opened, Vanya and Kraken had whipped around, but it was too late to do anything. They didn't have time to react, so their arms were still wrapped around each other and Vanya was still up against a wall. More damning then either of these things was the fact that Vanya's lipstick was smeared, some on her face and some on Kraken's. This led to a very awkward silence between the people who had burst in and those who had been ambushed. Suddenly Séance burst out;

"Vanya and Diego, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"