CHAPTER 1- I shouldn't be doing this. I really shouldn't. Too much homework, my other story that I'm working on…my life is too complicated. But here I am.

SOMEONE FIGURE OUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!

Hem. Anyway…don't own Randy Cunningham. This idea has been in my head for a while…lets see what the response is on this. (:

GENERAL POV

Randy Cunningham shut his locker and swung his backpack over his shoulder, letting it dangle by one strap, something his mother would give him grief about when the strap finally ripped. But until then, he would continue to do it.

"So, Howard, ready for some epic grave smashing when we get home?" Randy asked his best friend, a grin on his face.

That is, it was on his face until Howard turned around and shut his own locker, revealing his pale face and swollen eyes. His nose was bright red, and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "Sure thing, Cunningham."

Randy's jaw dropped. "What the juice, Howard, you are so sick! You should go home! Why didn't you say something?"

Howard coughed weakly and leaned heavily against his locker. "Man, the only thing worse than going to school is missing school."

Randy cocked his head. "Not sure I follow, buddy."

Howard sighed. "When you miss school, you have twice as much work to do as if you came to school in the first place."

Randy nodded. "Ah. But Howard, you look miserable. You should really go home. I'll bring your work to you."

Howard sighed wearily and rubbed his face with the palms of his hands. "Ok, ok. Tell Heidi, so that she doesn't look for me at lunch to give me my money."

The teen trudged down the hallway so slowly that Randy thought he was watching his friend walk in slow motion.

The ninja winced and turned the corner, searching the halls for Heidi so he could relay Howard's message. He spotted the girl halfway up the steps, deeply into what looked like "The Catcher in the Rye."

"Heidi!" Randy called, breaking into a jog to catch up with the girl.

She looked up and rolled her eyes in disgust as Randy ran up. "What do you want, Andy?" she asked in annoyance.

Randy slapped his forehead. "It's Randy, Heidi. It's always been Randy, and it always will be Randy."

Heidi groaned and shifted her weight. "Fine. What do you want, Randy?"

Randy mock clapped for her. "Very good Heidi! I just wanted to tell you that Howard went home sick."

Heidi's face morphed from annoyance to slight concern. As much as she tried to hide it, she actually cared a lot for her brother, and didn't like it when he got sick, hurt, or bullied. "Is he ok?"

Randy nodded and started backing down the stairs as the bell rang. "He should be fine. Might be the flu. But then again, flu season has been going on for a while. I'm amazed he lasted this long."

Heidi nodded. "Thanks for telling me, Sandy," she said, turning and walking up the steps rapidly.

Randy almost smacked his head against the railing. "RANDY! It's always been RANDY!"

The day passed by uneventfully, which almost worried Randy. Very little time ever passed between stankings or a robot attack from McFist, so this reprieve made him a little suspicious.

But not so suspicious that he wanted to investigate, of course.

He caught up to Heidi at the end of the day and handed her a stack of homework for Howard. "Tell Howard I said feel better, ok Heidi?"

Heidi rolled her eyes and tucked the papers into her bag. "Whatever Randy," she called over her shoulder as she skipped onto her bus.

Randy had just started toward his bus, when suddenly he spun around and blinked. "Hey! You got my name right!"

Heidi smirked and sank into a seat on the bus, sticking her headphones into her ears and leaning back in the gross rubbery seat to enjoy her music.

After a few minutes, she shut off her TobyMac music (which no one knew about, she was slightly ashamed to say) and skipped off the bus, walking jauntily down the street to her house.

Heidi pressed open the front door and dropped her bag onto the floor. "Mom, I'm home!" she called, tucking her iPod into her pocket and winding her headphones up. "Is Howard feeling better?"

She slipped into the kitchen to find her mother humming tunelessly as she listened to her own music and chopped vegetables. Heidi rolled her eyes and tugged one of the phones out of her mother's ear.

"Hi, Mom," she said pointedly.

Her mother chuckled and dusted off her hands on her apron. "Hi Heidi," she said, brushing a kiss across her daughter's forehead. "How was school?"

Heidi shrugged and snatched a carrot from the chopping board, popping it into her mouth. "Not bad. No monster attacks today, so that was good. How's Howard doing?"

Mrs. Weinerman frowned. "What do you mean, dear?"

Heidi swallowed her carrot and cocked her head. "I mean, how is Howard? Randy said he went home sick early this morning."

Laura Weinerman shook her head. "Honey, Howard never came home. I've been here all day."

Heidi blinked. "He…huh?"

Laura frowned and darted to the phone, starting to panic. "You sure Randy said he would be coming home?"

Heidi nodded. "Yeah, positive. And Randy wouldn't lie. I mean, he and Howard are best friends."

Laura nodded and rapidly dialed a number. "Hi, Susan?" she said, referring to Mrs. Cunningham. "Yeah, is Howard at your house...? Ok. Yes, please keep an eye out for him. Thanks, bye."

She hung up the phone and dialed a few other people in rapid succession, none of them having seen Howard.

Finally, Heidi put a gentle hand on her mother's shoulder. "Mom, maybe…maybe you should call the police," she said softly.

Mrs. Weinerman sighed and slowly dialed the three numbers she had never wanted to dial.

The police showed up five minutes later, and after speaking to Heidi about the last time she had seen Howard, her mother sent her up to her room.

Heidi sank into her bed, staring numbly at her window. This was not happening. Howard was not missing. Her little brother couldn't be….gone.

Heidi realized that she was trembling, and she wrapped her arms tightly around her. A gentle breeze blew through her window, and Heidi frowned.

She never left her window open while she was at school, just in case it started to rain or something.

The girl slowly lifted herself off of her bed and walked over to the window. A piece of paper caught in the sill fluttered, and Heidi froze when she saw her name written on it.

Very slowly, the girl nimbly plucked it from the sill and shut her window firmly, stepping carefully back over to her bed.

She sank onto her cushy comforter and crossed her legs under her, unfolding the note slowly. She read it twice and almost started crying at the impossible task given to her.

Heidi:

We have your brother. We know he knows who the ninja is and just isn't telling us. If you want to see him alive again, you will bring us the ninja. You have exactly twenty four hours from the final bell at the high school today. Don't fail, and don't call the police. We will know, Heidi. Don't push us.

Twenty four hours. Give or take a few hours.

-McFist

For a second, it blew Heidi's mind that McFist of all people had taken her brother.

Also….did Howard really know who the ninja was? Of course not! And that meant that Heidi had an impossible mission to accomplish.

She gulped back the lump in her throat and tossed the note into her backpack.

She groaned and flopped back lifelessly onto her bed, her shoulders trembling. What was she going to do? Even if she could find the ninja, he would never willingly turn himself in for Howard.

Heidi rolled over and buried her face into her pillow. Poor Howard….what could she do?

Heidi sat up slowly, rubbing the tears away from her eyes. Ok, first of all, what time was it?

She turned to look at the clock and sighed. Good. Only two hours had passed since the final bell. She still had twenty two hours. Not nearly enough time, but it was better than if she had gotten the note that night at ten o'clock or something.

She stood up and started pacing her room slowly. How could she find the ninja?

She couldn't stage a monster attack…that would take too much time. Where would a ninja be? Who would know? He always just vanished.

In fact, Heidi realized that she knew very little about the ninja. The only person she knew who knew almost everything to be known about the ninja was Howard.

Heidi froze mid-stride. And who did Howard do absolutely everything with? A smile grew on her face and she grabbed her backpack, tossing her phone and wallet into it.

She sprinted down the stairs, grabbing onto the railing and spinning around it and into the kitchen, where her mother was sitting with two police officers.

"Mom, can I go out?"

Laura looked up with red eyes and Heidi felt bad about asking. Laura sighed. "I suppose, Heidi. It is still light out. But be careful, and call me or come home if you feel even the least bit threatened. Where are you going?"

Heidi was already heading for the door. "Thanks Mom! And I'm going over to the Cunningham's."

So, what do you think of it so far? Can you see this happening? Is Heidi out of character at all? Even the slightest?

Feedback please! (: