Maria had on her reading glasses as she read a list of things that human boys do. She and Pinocchio had been talking, and for him to be a human, he had to do things that human boys did. Top of the list;
"School?" Pinocchio groaned. "Why?"'
"I dunno." Maria admitted. "School can be fun sometimes."
"Sometimes." Pinocchio repeated, folding his wooden arms. Maria rolled her eyes.
"School is a basic building block for society in general." she told him. "So I suggest you stop whining so we can go to school."
"When does it start?" Pinocchio asked.
"Two hours ago." Maria told him, simply blinking at him. "But my mother allowed me to have a few hours off to get you ready."
"Am I ready?" Pinocchio impatiently asked. Maria looked him over. Pinocchio was wearing a generic t-shirt with dark wash denim pants.
"Yeah, I think so." Maria decided.

The two walked together to the school and stopped at a crosswalk. There, a man and a woman in plain clothes looked at Maria and Pinocchio. The man and woman looked at the animated puppet and discussed something among themselves.
"Hey puppet," the man said, "Are you alive?"
Pinocchio looked at the man.
"Do I look like I'm alive to you?" Pinocchio asked sarcastically. The man recoiled at this statement and looked at the woman, who looked back at the man with interest.
"Have you heard of a place called Mangiafuoco's Theater?" the woman then asked.
"No, can't say I have." Pinocchio admitted. "But I've only been completely carved for a few weeks though, so it's not like I know everything to begin with."
The man and woman looked at each other, then the man got something out of his pocket and gave it to Pinocchio. It was a flier for a show, Maria peered over Pinocchio's shoulder to read it.
"No." she instantly told him after reading the flier for herself.
"Why not?" the woman asked with a slight shrug of her shoulder.
"Because Pinocchio is going to school, like he promised his father." Maria told the woman, folding her arms.
"Oh really?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow. "Would you like to come too?"
"No!" Maria shouted, unintentionally. "That place is dangerous. There are kids at school who plan on going to that place, ditch school because of it, and never come back!"
"But he isn't a real boy, is he?" the man asked, motioning toward Pinocchio. "Nothing will ever happen to him."
"He's not going!" Maria sounded, knowing she was losing a battle that had to be won. The man stepped closer to her and attempted to hit her. Luckily, Maria jumped out of the way just in time. She gave a cold look at the man, but said nothing as the man stepped closer again.
"D-don't hurt her." Pinocchio said, not sure what to say exactly. He had never been in this kind of situation before, and his father had instructed him to keep Maria safe. She was a family friend after all.
The woman looked at Pinocchio and smiled at him in a creepy way.
"Come with us and we won't hurt your sister here." she said.
"Don't listen to them Pinocchio," Maria said, trying to watch the man in case he tried to hurt her again, "They only want you to go to that show!"
"And I do." Pinocchio told her.
"What?!" Maria cried in surprise.
"I'm going to see the show." Pinocchio told her with a serious face. Maria looked at him in a moment of surprise that the man punched Maria in the face, knocking her out.
"Then let's go then," the woman said, forcing Pinocchio away from the scene, "Since your friend is out of the way and all..."
Grudgingly, Pinocchio followed the man and woman to the theater while Maria lay on the pavement until the bus driver came. Maria found herself at home with a ice patch on her head and a horrible headache.
"Where's Pinocchio, Maria?" Geppetto asked fearfully.
"Some crackhead and his girlfriend took him to Mangiafuoco's Theater." Maria said, winching at the sound of her own voice. Talking made her head hurt more. Geppetto and Teresa looked at each other and grew the same equal shade of white.
"We have to find him." Geppetto told them.