Chapter One – Expectations

Kids in the classroom sat in complete silence. Their teacher had a stern look on her face as she waited for someone to answer the problem that was written on the blackboard.

"5211 tan(25666 × 44π × 5 + 666 ÷ 8"

"The entire class is not leaving until someone answers. Be it right or wrong."

Of course, not a single student had a clue what the answer was. Bobert would have answered it on the spot had he not had called in sick. (His mother said he "Needed some cables to be re-routed.") So the entire class was out of luck unless someone owns up to look like an idiot. Obviously, no one wanted to but longed for freedom from this wicked witch's classroom.

The overgrown ape sat back in her chair behind her desk. She slowly picked up a notebook and started flicking through the pages very slowly. She then very slowly picked up her coffee mug and took a sip.

Very, Slowly.

'Kill me now, kill me now, kill me now, kill me now...'

"Psst."

The young lad lifted his head from the wooden desk. He looked to his right to face his brother looking at a textbook. He noticed the side of it had a note that read, 'Just answer it so we can all leave!' with red and blue star stickers on the edges.

"What, and look like an idiot?" whispered the boy.

"Just. Do. It."

"Ugh..." He was defeated. He raised his hand up. His teacher noticed it immediately.

"Do you have an answer, Watterson?"

"Uh..." He destroyed his mind for an answer that would be somewhat close. "Four thousand?"

"Oh, Watterson," cooed his teacher in a soft voice.

"Wrong, as always!"

The boy rolled his eyes. 'Like anyone else would know. Like you would know the answer.'

'BRIIIING!'

"Everyone, get out of my sight!" yelled the teacher, pointing at the door. Each student grabbed their things and bolted out the door. Away from that ape was like heaven to them.

The failing student stomped his way out of the classroom. Not pleased with his teacher in the slightest bit. He wanted to just walk and never stop, but he knew a wall would stop him sooner or later.

"Hey, Gumball!" shouted someone from behind "Dude! Wait up!"

"What is it, Darwin?"

"You okay dude?"

"No, I'm never okay!"

"That's kind of an understatement."

"Well it's the truth, you know."

"Dude, chill out. It's just one question."

"One out of a million impossible questions she's gonna ask me for the rest of the semester!" shouted Gumball. "Darwin, she's always out to get me! Just because I'm an easy target!"

"Maybe you wouldn't be a big target if you studied for once," mumbled Darwin.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." Darwin looked at his shoes, avoiding his brother's gaze.

Gumball rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's besides the point." He stepped closer to Darwin. "I got something to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"Come here for a second." Gumball led Darwin over to his locker. He jiggled with his lock till his locker popped open. He dug around and at one point, stepped inside of it. He then came out covered in notes with a newspaper in his hand.

"Read the first page."

Darwin did as Gumball requested. He flipped the paper open and mouthed the front page story to himself.

'Last Sunday night at 8:30 on Blvd. Wayward, two more people have gone missing after trespassing into the abandoned construction site of the hotel known as 'The Akumu'. Eyewitnesses (who have asked to remain anonymous.) said that the unidentified people walked into the building at around 8:13 and never came out. Police investigated and found traces of blood on some construction equipment but could not identify what had taken place.

The Elmore police HQ released a statement this morning saying, "We could not figure out what had occurred after 8:30 that night, but we will investigate the lot history and figure out if anything is linked."

This is the forth time someone has gone missing at the site of 'The Akumu'. Last month, a family of three went inside the lot for an unknown reason and never came out. Two months ago, a shooting took place between three police officers and two armed gunmen at the site and all five went missing.

The first disappearance of the site occurred six months ago when an electrical fire broke out and burned the place to the ground. 11 year-old Zach Daimon was stuck in a closet when a support beam fell on the door and he could not escape. When the fire department investigated they found his remains under the rubble. Police found a photo and ID of his parents and notified them immediately. They were overseas at the time of the fire and when they arrived at the site they, "went in to search for anything salvageable," says a police officer at the time and, "an hour later, they just disappeared." (Story continued on page 5.)'

Darwin was baffled at the story written on the page. Mainly because Gumball gave it to him. (Never in his life would he imagine his brother being interested in something in the paper.)

"What does mean, Gumball?"

Gumball brought an arm around Darwin and said, "It means me, and you, are gonna go check it out!"

"I never would have imagined... Wait, what?" asked Darwin.

"Yeah! You and me buddy! Lets go!" exclaimed Gumball as he ran down the hall.

"Hold it!" Darwin grabbed Gumball's tail and yanked it back. Gumball landed flat on his rear, the force of Darwin's pull felt like it could rip his tail off had he been tied to a tree.

"What the what was that?!" yelled Gumball. "You could have ripped my butt off!"

"I just want to get one thing straight. You read this paper, correct?"

"Yep."

"You read the part about people going missing?"

"Yep."

"And right now, you want me, and you, to go to this place, where people have gone missing, correct?"

"Yep."

"..."

Darwin proceeded to walk in the opposite direction away from Gumball.

"Dude! Wait!" Gumball ran up and walked with him. "Come on! It'll only be for a bit!"

"I'm sorry, Gumball, but that is the dumbest thing you've said all day!"

"I thought it was Four thousand..." mumbled Gumball.

"I just think it's a bad idea overall, dude."

"Come on, Darwin! Live a little!" Gumball tugged on Darwin's fin. "We'll slip out right before lunch, look around for five minutes and leave. Twenty-five minutes at the most, we can make it!"

"It's not that I'm worried about getting back to school. I'm just worried about, uh, I don't know, not going missing?"

"Dude, please? Just for a bit and I won't ask you ever again!"

"Eh..."

"Pretty please? With sugar and rainbow farts on top?"

"Ew, dude!"

"Rainbow sparkle fart cakes?"

"Alright, alright! I'll go."

"Yay!" Gumball hugged his brother out of joy. "You won't regret this!"

"I hope I don't."

"Okay, so after science, we'll head out and go visit the place. It's not too far of a walk so we'll make it back in time if we hurry."

"You still sure you wanna go through with this?"

"Of course dude! School is boring, and Miss Simian is bound to attack me with that slip up in math again."

"Slip up?"

"Oh, don't worry about it. She rigged that thing anyway."

Darwin rolled his eyes at his brother. He then gave him a light punch on his arm and chuckled.

"Like every other time you said she rigged a question?"

"Hey! I have proof she did! Pie isn't related to math in any way because it's not on a calculator!"

'Not on the one you use, anyway.'

The two brothers continued to walk down the hall. Darwin was still a bit nervous about the whole plan, but a thought crossed his mind.

"Dude, wait."

"What is it buddy?" asked Gumball.

"What about Anais? She'll know something is up once lunchtime rolls around and were missing."

"Hm, good point." Gumball thought about it. His little sister would surely rat on them if they aren't at lunch.

'Unless...'

"Okay, I know what to do," said Gumball.

"Great!" exclaimed Darwin.

"We'll go now."

"That's great!"

"..."

"Wait, what?!" Darwin stopped in his tracks. "Now as in now?"

"Sure! Why not?" asked Gumball. "She never seems to notice if we leave after and before lunch, as long as were back by then."

"Uh..."

"Come on! This is our only chance!"

"But we'll... but...oh, fine! As long as we're real-" Darwin was interrupted as Gumball grabbed his fin and ran down the halls like their dad was invited to a potluck.

'Oh, don't worry. It'll probably be super boring and he'll want to go back to school as soon as we get there.'

"Oh man, this is gonna be cool!" exclaimed Gumball as he ran with his brother down the school halls.

'I hope...'

A/N Welp, that wraps up the newly revised first chapter! Now that I feel better about my writing, I decided to rewrite the whole thing in its entirety. Look how nice it is now! Ima gonna try to keep this as active as I can and write as best as I can on this. My goals are an update once a week or less and 1500 words a chapter. (Excluding AN's)

Oh, and after this story is done, ya'll can ask for the original chapters. I pulled em' off because it might confuse people about progress and stuff. :T Leave a review if you can, Fav and follow if ya haven't and I'll see you next time!

The answer is 2362916.79917 – Water.