Dark Childhood Chapter III: Camp Jade WILL IMPROVE, a monsters inc. fanfic

Dark Childhood

6/1/07

By Organization XIII rules

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Disclaimer:

Organization XIII rules here again, fourth time's the screw up. I swear I'll get a better chapter up June 10th, save the date, because I'm going out of state. Wow, that rhymed! The author that yet doesn't own the movie and isn't Pixar actually is a poet, as well! I'm full of sarcasm for disclaimers, ain't I? Those annoying lil buggers just get to me sometimes... but they can be so cute. Especially while they're burning over an open flame. Burn, baby, burn! Pixar's glad I make them though, and probably Disney is, too. If you aren't glad I make them, I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU!! Here it is anyway. I vote for people who make funny disclaimers! They rule!! And so do people who exclude disclaimers... I include them just to annoy you and me together. Ha-ha, I'm a nerd... ok, I'll shut up now, here's the crappiest chapter ever.

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Chapter III: Camp Jade (I WILL UPDATE, I SWEAR!!)

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Randall had finished packing his things, which of course, included his crafts, mandatory things (warm clothes, toothbrush, etc.), and typical things you'd pack for an entire summer. It was true he once had gone to Camp Jade, but of course, this as well as many other things, was a mystery to everybody. He stood at his door, remembering briefly about the adoption interview failure, his older female roommate, the night with Jenny, Fungus' kindness, and now Camp Jade. As he held a heavy suitcase and overweight backpack, he gripped the door knob, looking at his room full of three months of memories. He knew he'd probably never see the place for a long time, if never again.

With one last glimpse of this room, he closed the door behind himself, and wandered down the long hallways, making his way to the first floor. He was very excited about Camp Jade, especially since he'd be there with Fungus. Yet he was reluctant to leave, because of his relationship with Jenny, and how much he'd miss her that summer. She saw this as an opportunity, and so far she'd always done what was best for him, so she was right about this. Randall sometimes was a little too unsure about this himself, even though he knew he should trust her more.

At the first floor, there was: Jenny, his caretaker; Anne Killregan, the lady who had his records; Anna Bakeston, his old roommate in April; and Fungus. He gasped to see them all in a group downstairs, just waiting for him. It was such a shock that he dropped his suitcase, and fell over from the weight of his backpack. There was laughter, and Jenny helped him up with a smile on her face.

Randall smiled, "What's so funny?" He asked his caretaker.

She smiled and said, "I'm trying to cherish this moment. We might not see each other again for some time, Randall." She said, looking over at the three monsters in the background. "I love you and I'll miss you." Jenny said, giving him a brief hug, and then picking up his heavy suitcase, that was probably heavier than himself.

Randall looked at Anne, and gave her a brief hug. He heard her say, "When you get back, we'll check your records again, ok?"

"Ok." Randall said, his smile seemed invisible. He looked at Anna with confusion, surprise, and happiness... the sort of reaction you'd get if you see an old friend who shows up unexpectedly. "Anna, what're you doing here?" He asked, trying not to laugh.

"I'm wish you luck." Anna said, hugging him, even though she was two years older than he. "You're going to a pretty cool camp, and the orphanage will miss you. Even though I'm adopted, I still contribute to the program, giving orphans all that they need, and this includes you, Randall."

"Aw, Anna." Randall blushed. He looked at Fungus, and realized that they'd actually be spending time together on the plane ride there. Fungus also looked ready, but with not as much luggage as the lizard boy bore. He smiled, "Fungus..."

Fungus gave a smile in return, if not more sincere than Randall, "Yo Randall!" They did give each other a brief hug, if not briefer than the others, because they were both embarrassed hugging each other in the presence of women. "It's been a long time." They now shook each other's hands, with Randall looking down at his shorter friend.

"It certainly has, Fungus." Randall said, knowing that thanking the smaller boy wouldn't be wise in front of females. He looked at the open door and said, "Shall we go then?" In orderly fashion, it was said, and Randall hauled out his heavy backpack.

"Sure!" Fungus said, taking his share of luggage. They both struggled to get it out the door, while the girls inside waved, with the exception of Jenny putting the luggage inside her car trunk, to take to the airport. "Thanks." Fungus said as his bags were placed inside the trunk; Randall didn't say anything, because he was too concentrated in the shock of Fungus' appearance so early, and he wasn't even at Camp Jade yet!

The car ride there was pretty short, because Randall and Fungus had lots to catch up on. They weren't exactly friends, but acquaintances trying to get to know each other better, and this was the perfect opportunity. The entire time, they talked about random subjects as they came along to continue the conversation. Randall did find out that Fungus lived with both parents, like in an ordinary family with no dysfunction present. Of course, Fungus knew better than to ask an orphan about his parents, so he kept silent about Randall's past. They talked about roller-coasters, cars, popular movies, money, jobs, and possible future colleges. Before they knew it, they made it to the airport.

Randall bid his last farewells to Jenny and his luggage; the boys boarded the airplane without delay of any sort, and they knew that on the plane they could chat forever about things. Here, in the plane, the trip was going to be roughly three hours. This didn't bother them, and they had fun talking on and on about things. Talking made Randall realize how much he missed out on life that Fungus got to experience daily, and how unfair life could be to certain people. On the positive side, Randall got to explore certain subjects, such as science, that he'd never get to talk about to anybody else, but Fungus.

Not only was Randall creative, he enjoyed science, as well as arts and math, just as he mentioned in his adoption interview. Little did anybody know that science was a true passion, almost as strong as his crafts. Randall promised to show Fungus his scrapbook, and his discoveries in them; Fungus promised to show Randall his collection of science-fiction novels. All this would have to wait until Camp Jade.

From thousands of feet high, Randall could spot out the noticeable figure of thick woods and a luxurious campsite. It seemed shabby, but more homelike and down-to-earth than most campsites, that made you feel like you were doing something blank and pointless. Camp Jade was humongous, no doubt about that, and Fungus pointed out several memories from the fun times he had during the past years.

Something that was true and Randall remembered for quite some time, was when Fungus said, "I can't believe that we've both been to Camp Jade, and yet never recognized each other when we met again!" This got Randall thinking.

The plane landed safely, Fungus was bracing for the impact, and both sighed of relief when the plane didn't crash, as if they expected it to. Finding their luggage was an extreme hassle, and it usually was no matter what. Randall was complaining a lot at this point, while Fungus kept the situation under control with maturity, as his mother taught him. After Randall got his bags, he kept on muttering under his breath. Fungus thanked the people for finding his luggage before he did, and had to catch up to Randall, who had a very quick walking pace.

"Randall, wait up!" Fungus called out, and the lizard boy stopped for a moment. He tilted his head to one side, relying on his hearing rather than vision, to know when Fungus was on his tail, literally. The recognizable footsteps of Fungus came closer and closer, until Fungus was about ten feet away from Randall, and he began walking again. Fungus thought this was neat, "Whoa, do you have eyes on the back of your head or something?"

Randall chuckled, "Rely on instinct and nothing else, Fungus. You don't need your eyes for everything." Fungus realized the truth and meaning behind those words. He smiled dorkily, and had a running pace to keep up with the taller monster. They were both the same age, but different species with many differences and experiences.

The entire time they had together, Randall still hadn't built up the courage to actually confront Fungus and thank him for everything. Even though he felt like Fungus deserved it, he just couldn't. The taxi ride to Camp Jade was bumpy, but fun. They pointed out historic landmarks, and each had a story to tell. Here, Fungus actually heard Randall mention having a photo opportunity with a parent, but he didn't say which one.

Slowly, but surely, Fungus wanted to build up Randall's trust in him, to unveil the mystery of Randall Boggs. It was twenty minutes before they made it to a lush forest, down the dirt pathways, with light precipitation and strong humidity. It was a tropical environment, which made Fungus sneeze due to huge amounts of moisture, and Randall was sensitive to wet places. He lived in a dry climate, yet enjoyed the cold, when it was comfortable, about sixty-five degrees. Wet places made him feel sticky, and that was disgusting to reptilian monsters that were more lizard than alligator or turtle.

Once they entered the tropical forest, Fungus began sneezing, and Randall shivered. "Must be Camp Jade." They both said in laughter.

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Author's Note:

I'm so sorry about the crappy chapter! I know it's been a while since I've written a chapter, but I've had so much work to do. I'm going out-of-state on June 10th, so I'll write my experiences on the plane, the ride over to my destination, and all that, word-by-word into Randall's experiences and enhance the story more. And my sister will be Fungus... ha-ha! The most random things, some people I'll meet on the plane, etc. will be awesome. I'm going to see my cousin, so she'll be one of Randall's distant relatives... gasp, did you hear that? One of Randall's relatives! Yes, it'll be his cousin, female. Here, she'll protect Randall, and won't answer anything about his parents, and will only mention that her mother's brother is Randall's father.

Once again, sorry for the crappy chapter, like the hiatus in Average Monster, I had to end it with a stupid chapter to hang on until I get time for something. Average Monster will be delayed, possibly for the entire summer, so I can finish up Dark Childhood. This one will detail more about my experiences this summer at my cousin's house, hence why I wrote this story in the first place. Here's the moment that you've all been waiting for...

Mike and Sulley do appear in Camp Jade! They go there too, and Childhood Laughter, the contrasting opposite story that comes later on, will also be based around Camp Jade, except in Sulley's view-point. For the hey of it, I might throw in Celia, Roz, Needleman and Smitty, and Waternoose (the Waternoose possibility is very low, as he's not a favorite character of mine. He was rude to Randall AND Sulley in the movie's ending).

Don't get me started on Waternoose. I love Roz, though, she's totally my homie! Anyway, no Author's response for this chapter until June 10 or after, ok? You guys can be patient until then, right? It's only 10 more annoying days until then. Yay, then I'll make up for lack of creativity. My bad, the other reason why this seems like a stupid summary is because it's 1:42 AM! I'll shut up, go to bed, and see ya June 10th! Thank you for reviewing, FicCheck and SylverStrike!

I still don't own the characters, just the fic.

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