Chapter One: Secrets revealed

Double D awoke to the sound of his alarm. He stirred sleepily and shut it off. 'That dream…' He recalled the dream he had that night. 'Why did I dream of that time…?' He rubbed his temples and forced himself out of bed, heading to the bathroom for his morning shower. His house was quiet, which wasn't all that uncommon considering his parents were away for weeks at a time nowadays, much to his dismay. He had grown accustomed to being alone. Finishing with his morning routine, he pulled his hair back into a ponytail. He had abandoned the ski cap a few years back, when he was 15. Putting on his red shirt and pulling on his black cargo pants, he walked down to the kitchen, scrounging for something to eat before his day began.

He pulled out a blueberry muffin from the fridge, something he himself had been stocking with his own job recently. He had acquired a car from the junkyard, something he himself had fixed up over the summer. The old man who ran the junkyard even taught him how to drive, and this had allowed him to acquire his license. He finished his breakfast and washed it down with some orange juice, noting that he would have to pick up more on his way from school this afternoon. Looking at his watch, he slipped on his boots and black windbreaker, walking outside in the cool spring air.

Most days he would drive to school, but he was enjoying the spring weather, and decided to walk on most nice days. He had become far more active over the years, and now stood at 6' 3". His scar was now hidden by his long black hair, though the tip of it still showed on the right side of his head, just above his temple. Walking along the road, he took the usual shortcut through the woods and the junkyard.

"What in the…? Oh, good lord." Double D exclaimed irritated as he witnessed the construction going on, blocking his usual path. "This wasn't supposed to happen for another month…" He cursed his luck. Good thing he usually left with plenty of time to spare. The only other path would lead him through the trailer park. He walked swiftly, not wanting to lose any time from his practice. No one in the cul-de-sac was aware of what exactly it was he did that early in the morning. He still had his two friends yes, and after the issues they had with Eddy's brother, the whole neighborhood had come to accept them. But this was something he wanted none of them to know about. He confidently strolled through the Park N' Flush.

Yes, his secret and the reason he wore the loose-fitting windbreaker… He had been taking all sorts of martial arts from one of the school's morning janitors to pass the time. He had found he was actually quite proficient with them. This in turn, led to an increase in his overall physical stature, as well as stamina. This was what he didn't want the others to know though. It would surely change the way they thought of him, and Double D was content with them thinking he was the same physically weak person he once was.

His attention was ripped from his thoughts as the door to the sky-blue trailer on his right opened, the Kanker sisters walking out. His eyebrow raised slightly as they eyed him and grinned. While he had gotten skilled in avoiding them, Ed and Eddy were often captured still, their screams littering the air. It had become a game that they played back though, or so Double-D told himself, not wanting to believe his friends were still trapped in some sort of juvenile state in their heads. "Well look who it is girls. I think we found your man Marie."

"Yeah! Should we get him for ya!?" May questioned Marie after Lee, grinning just as devilishly. They had not changed much over the years, though their style had. Lee Kanker still stood tall, wearing a more revealing version of what she once did. Her curly red hair however, was now shoulder length, and was kept out of her eyes for the most part. May Kanker was the same. Slightly more revealing versions of her clothes, and hair more maintained than it once was. She did, however, fix her buck teeth within the last two years or so. Marie perhaps was the least changed. She had grown into her clothes more than the others had changed theirs, and it looked especially tight and attractive. Eddward allowed his eyes to roam about her figure. While they had, all grown into young women, Marie had acquired the best genes it seemed. He had to admire her whole build. From her fit frame, to her bust, to the way her freckles danced across her face and highlighted her Icy blue eyes. Her signature blue hair was delicately taken care of, in such a way that it framed the right side of her face. It hung slightly above her shoulders layered in an attractive, almost gothic, or punk style.

Marie smiled at him devilishly. "Hiya dreamboat." She cooed into his ear as she stood before him, resting her hand on his chest. Why was his heart racing? "Haven't seen you around lately. You weren't avoiding me were you handsome?" She pouted at him as she gave him the best puppy eyes a devil like herself could manage, all the while tracing circles on his chest.

Eddward chuckled. "I've simply been busy." It took everything he had as walked past her, eyeing the other two girls as they blocked his path. "Look ladies… I really do not have time for this." He allowed his green eyes to sharpen, as Marie laughed. A grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. 'God I love that laugh…' She put her arms around him, and he allowed her to turn him and gently back him up to the side of the trailer. He had to mentally keep himself from grasping at her hips. She placed a single kiss on his cheek, and considered his eyes. 'Two ways out… I could overpower… or…' He smiled mentally at the second option, deciding to take it. "Look Marie… I really am running late for something. But I tell you what… I'll… humor you with this game later today. Wouldn't want your sisters to feel left out after all."

In a split second, all three girls' eyes widened as Double D- Weak Feeble Double D- spun the tables on Marie, easily escaping her grip and holding her wrist in one of his hands. She could feel his breath on her cheek as he whispered into her ear. "If you'll excuse me ladies." Releasing her, he hurried past her two sisters on the path to the school.

Marie was lost in her thoughts as the three walked towards the school, only two or three minutes behind Double- Eddward. She saw now that he was no longer the small and frail boy that she chased after for all these years. He was a man. She couldn't help but feel herself flush at the idea of that. Her sisters gossiped about what they would do to the Eds once they found them at lunch. And after a while she smiled and joined in on it. Her face changed when she saw Eddward walk into the school near the gymnasium.

"Hey hold up. Why's my dreamboat going into the gym? He hates that kind of stuff." Marie went to follow, but her sisters decided against it.

"Now Marie, there'll be plenty of time to follow him when he runs." Lee assured her sister, though it may have been wasted on the blue haired girl.

"Yeah! Come on let's go get ready!" May grabbed their wrists and dragged them into the school.

The first half of classes went by quickly for Eddward, and as he walked out of the lunchroom with his two friends, he found that the Kanker sisters had taken him up on his offer. Ed and Eddy were too busy in their conversation to notice the three girls tailing them, and Eddward didn't want to spoil the surprise. After all, he hadn't fully decided on his course of action. The three boys walked to their usual spot in the courtyard to enjoy the rest of their lunch outside. Sitting so he could watch them approach, Eddward couldn't suppress the grin that dominated his mouth.

"Hiya boys!" The Kankers cooed at them.

"KANKERS!" Eddy and Ed freaked out and ran for it, running directly from school grounds, something Eddward had not thought of. His eyes widened as he thought of the repercussions of that action. Marie grinned devilishly- she had caught him off guard. She turned and assisted her sisters instead of going after Edd.

"SHIT." He stated as he bolted off after them, trying to reign them back in. Before he knew it though, he had inadvertently wandered into a clearing, FAR from school grounds. "Damn it!" He realized that the Kankers had outthought him. Sitting down on a stump he cursed himself for not thinking of this. They had been planning since that morning, and he should have been doing the same. God knew if they had Ed or Eddy yet. He raised his eyes towards the five people heading towards him. "Well, that answers that." He chuckled and waited until they made it to him, his good nature returning to him. The three Kankers had tied Ed and Eddy and were now standing before him.

"Hiya Double D!" May and Lee cooed at him. Marie smirked as she approached him.

"You wanna make it fun and run?" She cooed as she leaned into his ear. He frowned.

"Well since you have already caused us to ditch school, why not?" He looked her in the eyes and responded a bit more sarcastically then he intended. This wasn't the first time they had ditched of course, they had gotten used to doing it from time to time. But that was beside the point.

He stood on the stump and as Marie dove for him, he backflipped, causing his friends eyes to widen considerably. Landing with grace, he looked at her. "Thought you wanted to play?" He cooed, a little more flirtatiously than intended. 'Damn, I need to watch myself.' He mentally scolded. Marie's devilish grin returned, and off she ran.

They ran this way and that, had a couple close calls, and ultimately ended back up at the stump, where Marie caught him off guard. He wasn't the only one who had some new tricks up his sleeve. She gracefully tripped him, though he returned the favor, and they landed in front of the other four. Since they were slightly out of breath, no one caught on to the fact that their breathing was heavy and the dark blushes across their cheeks. Marie sat up and felt something rub against her, causing her body to betray her and grind her hips slightly. Biting her lip, she slipped up and let a slight gasp out of her mouth. Edd grabbed her hips unintentionally, though because of the situation, no one noticed what was really going on.

'This is bad. I need to regain control of the situation…' His mind raced, knowing that he was losing. He could feel his chest swell up with his hidden emotions, and he could feel his body forcing his mind to give in to the feeling of pleasure that Marie was causing. It took every ounce of strength in his being, but he managed to flip the tables once again so he was now the one on top. Rolling backwards, he managed to put some distance between the two of them, ending the stand-off. They both stood up staring each other down.

"So… What's your plan from here?" She stepped back slightly, her eyes widening. She was not used to seeing this confidence in him. She wasn't sure to be honest. His confidence had wiped that from her mind. He smiled at her, knowing full well he had won. "Well, if there are no plans, I guess we will be on our way. Come along gentlemen." Eddward walked by and started to untie his friends. He felt Lee's hand before it actually made contact. His training finally betrayed him. In a single swift move, Lee was on her back in front of him, his eyes widening as he realized what had happened. He grabbed his two friends and bolted, not letting them react to what happened.

"What." Lee started.

"The." May's eyes widened.

"Fuck." The girls stood there. Well, except for Lee who lay there. They knew they had to find out what was going on with Eddward, one way or another. "I'm gonna go after him."

"The fuck you are Marie!" Lee seethed, standing up and brushing herself off. "What in the hell was that!?"

"I-" Marie paused and thought, searching frantically for any type of answer. "I don't know."

Lee composed herself, realizing she was not harmed in any way. "Well… I guess he didn't hurt anyone. Still, I've never noticed Double D to have a temper or anything."

"Neither have I. Look, I need to see him. I need to find out what happened." Marie's eyes pleaded with her sisters, and they finally looked at each other and shrugged.

"Well, you better hurry after him." Lee conceded to her sister's request.

"No, he won't talk while those two are around him. I'll stop by his house tonight." The three sisters walked towards their trailer, the clouds gathering above them.