Bound and Gagged

Chapter One: Searching

He's helping me search, my father. In the basement, looking through a flurry of souls, we have yet to find the one we want—the one Ineed. We have shuffled through the contents of the Earth for my best friend's (well, my only friend's) soul what feels like a thousand times, but still, we have yet to find him.

And I know that Squee doesindeed have a soul; the purest in fact! The rarest, sweetest, loveliest soul—I couldn't be more jealous. Though, at the same time, I couldn't be more pleased. My dearest Todd has shown me that not allof Earth's inhabitants are simply a waste, and in fact, there are those worth it…

I miss him. I miss him so much.

If only I knew. I'd give anythingto know, at this moment, where he is, if he is well…

"Son," says Daddy, breaking me from my reverie. "I'm afraid I just cannot find him."

My chest aches. Imaginary spiders crawl along my skin and my throat feels tight, as though I've been simply tying my own noose this whole time. I don't remember ever feeling like this before now. I do not like it. But it grows stronger as I try to fight it away, and now I'm shaking; a furious quake jarring me from the inside out.

I…do not understand.

But Daddy seems to. He scoops me up in his arms, sighing, and hugs me close like mother does. And I greedily squeeze him closer, craving comfort—a natural reaction to this horrid feeling. He rocks side to side, smoothing my hair. I don't remember Father ever doing this, though according to pictures that Mother has taken, he did when I was just a sick little baby—which I will explain at a better time.

He shushes me and I sniffle, feeling my damp cheeks with my clawed fingertips. What is this? What are these forked rivers flowing from my eyes; falling from my chin in the smallest of water falls?

I have not heard my father croon to me in a very long time. "Shhh. Don't cry, little one. Daddy's here, Daddy's here." But, I feel…safe…hearing him like this again. He's so gentle, so caring... Hmph. I'd nearly forgotten that Daddy loves me. And, feeling his long fingers stroke soothing circles across my back, I am content to be reminded.

As my cheeks dry, I listen to his words of comfort.

"We will find him, son; just not this way."

I but nod into his shoulder, much too exhausted* to make a coherent verbal answer.

The man that my precious Todd used to live by—Johnny; the wastelock—seems to miss dear Squee just as much as me. It surprises me so, to know that there really is another person that's out there, searching, and waiting. I thought I might have just been the only one that really, truly cared. It appears I was wrong; and for the first time, I am glad to be mistaken.

Together, we search, and indeed we make quite the endeavor. Still, he is yet to return, just as I am yet to be consoled.

I get migraines from all the stress. I'm only six—six —but I feel more and more like I'm in my mid-fifties every day. My heart hurts—all the time. My eyes are itching constantly and are much more moist than I remember them ever being. I do not like it. At all. I want nothing more than for him to be home, to be safe, so that I will no longer worry; no longer keep myself up at night with images, nightmares of cold, lifeless caramel eyes; no longer wonder why. I'm sure he's wondering why, too, wherever he may be.

"Pepito…" My mother's voice comes to me as I lay emotionlessly on the floor, exhausted. I've yet to sleep since the last time (which, if you really must know, was a month or two ago), and I do not plan to now. "Pepi, I have good news…"

Her tone is gentle, as it always is. And I know why; she knows exactly what will set me off. That last thing she'd just said, in fact, had set me off quite nicely.

"'Good news'? 'Goodnews'! What good news might you have, Mother? He is gone—I am starting to think he always will be."

I open my eyes to see her standing above me, smiling slightly. Her small, silver cross charm dangles and sways from its chain like a pendulum, and, as thought her words weren't aggravating enough, it is mighty annoying. I glare at I as she replies, "Oh, not always, you silly goose! Come on."

I sigh, not comprehending why she would be so happy, so hopeful. We'd been searching for a solid six months now. Solid. Six. Months. Any confindence of mine had slowly crashed and burned.

But, behind her stands an equally cheerful-looking Johnny C. And this waste-lock in particular was never quite happy, lest his present moment include a cherry Brain Freezie, his dear head voice of reason, or the squeeing boy that lived next door to him.

And on that note, I take my mother's hand.

*Well, he has been searching, without rest, for quite the while.

AN: OH GAWSH OH GAWSH OH GAWSH FOUR REVIEWS FOUR REVIEWS FOUR REVIEWS! And that's just on the PROLOGUE! A simple TEASER CHAPTER! GAWSH I LOVE YOU GUYS!

To you, I give magical cookies baked individually by hand, forged in the (stove) fires of...eh...KENTUCKY. Yeah. 3 GAWSH I LOVE YOU ALL.

And UPDATE SCHEDULE: I'm thinkin' that, once I start gettin' into some real shizz, once a Monday. :P Buuuut, I can't say for certain just yet, FOR I SUCK AT WRITING QUICKLY. Ugh, I already haven't updated in what, a week and a day? (I SUCK) But, hey, I've got two sisters, an annoying female doh, and a loud, angry mother. A HOUSE FULL OF CHICKS. DX It's hard to write, being the "man" of the house. Siiiiigh. *dramatic, woe-is-me pose* But, yeah. I'll post ya'lls shit up once a week, if I can. :D