AN: I'm sorry you guys had to wait so long for this chapter! Long story short: I broke my glasses, got them fixed, haven't been on the computer as much, been gone out of state, there was a huge storm so my internet went out for a few days, and had a Cold. So all in all, I've been busy and away from a computer but now I'm back and able to type! It's all good~ Yay!

Mud Creatures and Soggy Cereal

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"Richard, you know, your cereal is getting soggy" Her soft playful voice said as she caressed Richard's cheek. He chuckled and placed his hand on top of hers that was caressing him, taking her fingers, he raised them to his lips and kissed them. "I like soggy cereal, makes it easier to just drink" Richard teased back as he laid there on his bed smiling. He felt her shift to get up, wanting her close to him for a bit longer, he spoke up, "Don't go" He mumbled.

Feeling her shift again on the bed, she giggled and whispered, "Never. I love you, Richard"

Silence fell upon him as he didn't feel her anymore, didn't hear her voice, and couldn't smell her favorite perfume anymore. "I love you, Ko-"He began when he heard a voice.

"Dick, wake up, we're going to be late for our venue location appointments! We're scouting today remember!" He heard Babs hastily say as she pulled the sheets off him and practically rolled and threw him off the bed.

Groaning, Richard fully awoke and looked around him. The room was different, the mood was different, and the woman was different. He never felt so cold and alone before.

Things were definitely different with Babs. She wasn't as patient or very fond of the little things like Kory was. She didn't wake up right next to him in the mornings and when she did it was because she was late for something and would immediately jump out and get ready. She didn't prepare homemade breakfast and bring it to their bedroom, wouldn't even fetch him a bowl of cereal if it meant the damage to one perfectly manicured nail. She didn't play around in the mornings or any given time of the day; it always had to be when she was in the mood or on her terms. Babs wasn't Kory and that depressed Richard more and more as the days went by. He thought it was ridiculous; his behavior, his sudden interest in her again after seven years, his cold feet. Maybe the wedding was just getting to him.

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"Whoa, you have it bad" Wally said as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Richard was preparing dinner since Babs sure as hell didn't cook and he hated having to rely on other people to do simple stuff for him all the time. He sighed and grabbed a cutting board, "I don't know what the hell is wrong with me, Wally. I-I-I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't even talk around Babs! I'm afraid of slipping and saying Kory's name. She knows I dated a model in the past but that's as far as she knows" Richard took a knife and began mincing onions.

"Hey well that's a start. Kory isn't a typical name so as far as Babs knows, she was probably some international model and she's long gone from anywhere near here. You know, too busy with her career and all that. Which isn't entirely a lie since you know that Kory moved back to Tamaran and she's no longer a model" Wally added.

"I don't know if she moved back to Tamaran, it's just a hunch I had. I know her; she wouldn't have ran off to some other country or state without her uncle's consent. If you remember him, the man was a giant" Richard coughed as the onions were getting to him. Another reason why he guessed that she moved back to Tamaran was due to the way she left him. Kory was emotional, of course all women generally are but Kory gave her heart and soul to everything she does. He hurt her on an emotional level where it gave her the urge to just pack up and leave. He didn't chase after her, he didn't beg her to come back, he gave her space, he just wanted her to be happy.

"Why don't you try calling her? Even just drop by Tamaran? Tell Babs you're being sent to do some checking up on one of your dad's overseas buildings. What if you slip up sooner than later? Especially if you have sex with her! That's not cool, bro" Wally pointed out as he opened the fridge to rummage for food.

At the mention of sleeping with Babs, Richard got distracted and cut his finger. Wincing, he quickly turned on the sink and cleaned off the wound with water. Wally had a point, if he slept with Babs, which he doubt would be anytime soon since she was too busy planning the wedding to even spend a single moment with him; it would be the worst possible thing, women don't like hearing you call them by someone else's name let alone during a time like that.

He would make things worse, feel even worse, and would have to answer a million questions to get her off his back. On that front, Wally had a point but to go to Tamaran? What business would he have there? Just drop by, tell her that he was curious as to what she's been up to for the past seven years and then what? Leave her again for another seven? What if she found someone else, someone that was better for her, someone that's she's married off to or even has a family with? If he lied and went to Tamaran, found her, would he even get a chance to talk to her or would her uncle choke him to death before he could ever get a chance to?

There were multiple outcomes to one simple suggestion and he didn't like the possible solutions to either of them. One could end in a happy ending, the other in more pain, and the other in depression, or the other one could end in death.

Pressing his finger with a napkin to stop the bleeding, Richard went back to chopping vegetables. Sighing, he answered, "I miss her Wally. I miss her a lot but she's a famous designer now. She might not even be there and even if she was, I don't know what would happen. I'm not risking hurting her again or this marriage. Even if I am miserable for the rest of my life, at least I know she's happy. That's all I want for her. I want Kory to find a good man, have kids, and be loved unconditionally and happily for the rest of her life"

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"Ms. Anders, I can't thank you enough for helping out mia famiglia! Oh mia mamma is going to look so, so, so bellissima, so beautiful in her wedding dress! We couldn't have done it without you!" Kory's Italian client kissed her cheeks and tightly squeezed her hands. She giggled, "It will be the most glorious wedding I can assure you. You're very welcome!" She nodded and hugged her client.

If there was one thing she loved about her job, it was the full feeling of bringing someone's vision come to life. She loved being the one who made something happen for a family or bride. Her client for the week was a very special family. A young man wrote her a letter asking her if she could design a dress for her mother who would be getting married for the very first time. Since they lived in a small farming town, it was impossible to raise enough money for his mother to have her dream wedding. Touched by the story, Kory offered to make them a dress free of charge. They were so thankful, that they invited her to a family party and even to the wedding itself. Kory being unable to refuse such kind people, had to reschedule the rest of her plans for the following week.

Thankfully she already had the dress done, it was one of her newer designs that wasn't out yet to the public. She attended the wedding which was held in the same week of her consultation. It was rare for her to get invited to the wedding of the bride she helped out but she wasn't complaining; she loved the small rare opportunities she would get.

Back in the hotel room, Kory began packing for France seeing that her time was running really short. She didn't want to extend her time in Europe since she wanted to be home by the time that Mar'i would get back from camp. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she sighed and thought of her daughter. It had been a couple of weeks since camp started and she still hadn't heard from her at all. As much as she hated to overreact and worry so much, she just couldn't help it. That was her baby after all, her baby that she loved very much.

Staring up at the ceiling of her gorgeous cream colored walls, she closed her eyes to relax, sitting there she wondered what everyone was up to. Surely her K'Norfka Galfore was up to no good in the kitchen, the man loved to cook but he was no good at it. Kory never had the heart to tell him anything; she just loved seeing him happy. Just when she began thinking of Mar'i, her phone started ringing.

Opening her eyes, Kory dug into the pocket of her pencil skirt and retrieved her phone. Sliding it open, she answered, "Hello?"

"Mom!" The voice on the other side happily said.

Kory's face immediately lit up. "Mar'i! Oh honey, I miss you so much! Are you hurt? Are you taking your vitamins? Is there enough mustard? I can send you bottles if you'd like"

"Mom," Mar'i whined, "Stop, you're embarrassing me!" Mar'i playfully rolled her eyes and answered her mother's questions. "I miss you too. No, I'm not hurt, yes I'm taking them, and yes there's plenty of mustard" If there was one thing that Mar'i and Kory agreed the most on – it would be their love for mustard. There was no such thing as too much, only too little.

Spending some time on the phone, Mar'i told her about camp and some of the activities she's done. Mar'i didn't bother complaining about the little things like the lack of hot water in the morning or the fact that they barely had time to nap in the afternoon or more importantly the demon known as Damian.

Hanging up after an hour, Kory sent Mar'i off to bed after hearing her yawn a couple of times. Assuring her that she would be back in Tamaran in a couple of weeks before camp ended, she said her goodbyes and I love yous and hanged up. Kory went to bed that night more relieved than the previous weeks. Knowing that her daughter was safe and having fun made her feel proud and eased her worried mind from negative thoughts.

Lying in bed, Kory closed her eyes and went to bed smiling.

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It was the middle of the afternoon and scorching hot. California was known for having humid heat rather than dry heat and that difference made it unbearable. Seeing as it was camp and they - the older teenage staff forced the 'big' kids outside to do activities; the girls found themselves outside sitting down in a patch of green grass in between two giant rocks.

"So what do you guys wanna do?" Iris asked with an optimistic tone seeing as the other two were just fanning themselves with their hands.

"It's too hot to do anything" Lian complained as she opened her water bottle.

"Hey, why don't we go swimming?" Mar'i suggested as the two girls quickly jumped up.

"Yeah, lets!" They said in unison as they ran back to their cabins to get their swimsuits. Unzipping her luggage, Mar'i was relieved to see that her mom didn't forget to pack her things for swimming. Swimming was one of her favorite hobbies back home, the water was so warm and refreshing; she almost missed Tamaran.

Changing, Mar'i wore a purple and green swimsuit; Lian had a green and red, and Iris with her favorite colors of yellow and red.

Once at the lake, Mar'i and Lian set their towels and bags down on the pebble and dirt floor while Iris ran straight into the water and stood still holding her arms against her as she shivered. It was freezing and she ignored the girls' warning of not going in too deep all at once. "C'm-m-mon, i-i-it's n-not so, so bad!" Iris stuttered as her teeth chattered.

Lian laughed and shook her head in disapproval, "Speedsters, I swear"

"Speedsters?" Mar'i asked curious about the nickname.

"It's what we call Iris and her twin brother Jai. Since their dad is a runner, you know, marathons, triathlons, charities, competitive running and the likes. He's the fastest runner ever and he always wears yellow and red, it's his lucky colors. Iris is pretty close to him so naturally those are her favorite colors; when you see him running, in an instant it's like he's not even there! Like a flash and gust of wind passing by. Iris wants to join the junior cross country running team once we enter middle school so seeing as that won't happen for another few years; she just trains with her dad. Jai sometimes joins the training sessions so that's why we call all three of them Speedsters. They have a cousin that's also a runner, his name is Bart, but he's a little more impulsive" Lian rolled her eyes at the last bit.

Mar'i nodded at the new information, moving her head slightly - she glanced over at Iris who was now splashing about in the water. Mar'i looked at her in awe, to have a close bond with her dad and to even train with him! She suddenly wished she had some sort of hobby, something to share with her dad, whoever he was and wherever he was.

"What about you, Lian?" Mar'i curiously asked as Lian read a magazine.

Flipping through the pages slowly, Lian replied, "I'm more into the relaxed and focused centered sports like archery. My dad loves archery so I usually watch him train in our gym or in the woods. He prefers the woods to the small gym we have at home. I'm too young to handle a bow and arrow since all his are too heavy for me but right now I'm learning the mentality of archery. How to be cool, calm, and focused on my target. When I get older, my dad said he'll sign me up for a local contest around Star City – the city I'm from so I'm looking forward to that" Lian closed her magazine and looked up at Mar'i smiling,

Mar'i was struck with awe again. She wondered that if she had a dad, would he be willing to take her to competitions and have the patients to teach her new things? Part of her was getting excited just by the thought but the other side told her to calm down because she didn't have a dad. Mar'i sighed, bummed out by her negative thoughts winning over; she quickly rummaged through her tote bag and took a mustard packet out.

"That's glorious" She responded softly as she ripped the packet open and started sucking on the sour condiment as Lian gave her a strange look. "You really love mustard, don't you?" Lian asked.

Embarrassed by her actions, Mar'i felt her cheeks growing warmer as she blushed at the question. Nodding, Mar'i explained her love for mustard, "It's really silly; you see, my mom really loves mustard, she eats it with just about anything and with nothing at all sometimes. It's a snack when I'm hungry and it's also a little treat to calm my nerves when I'm scared or nervous about something. When I was little, I would watch her eat it all the time so I guess at some point, I just tried it and ended up liking it"

"Wow, you're the first person I've met that really likes that sour yellow stuff!" Lian smiled.

Mar'i laughed at that as she and Lian playfully pushed each other. Iris was getting bored of being alone in the water so she shouted out to them, "Hey! Quit the chit-chat and get in here! I'm getting lonely!"

Holding hands, Lian and Mar'i entered the water slowly as they shivered at the contact. Iris brushed them off as she teased and swam around them in circles. Once they got used to the water, Lian and Mar'i freely swam around and had a splash war with Iris. Giggling and having a good time, they didn't notice what was happening on the lake's floor.

Bubbling to the top behind Mar'i and Iris was something tall made out of mud. "Umm… guys" Lian slowly said as the two girls talked about something not hearing Lian at all.

The mud thing quickly rose to the top and looked like it had the form of a person like a mud creature. "Hey… Mar'i… Iris…" Lian said slowly as Iris looked at her, "C'mon, Lian I'm trying to tell Mar'i the good part of the story! You're killing the suspense!" Iris winked as she was about to go on with the end of her story.

The mud creature stood there for a good minute until it got bored and roared getting the attention of all three girls. Frozen stiff, Lian screamed, "Monster!" Quickly remembering how to move she began swimming back to the shore as Mar'i and Iris slightly turned to look behind them. Seeing the mud creature, they quickly swam to shore, "Mud Mutant!" Iris yelled as Mar'i quietly followed. She was just as freaked out by the thing as the other two but something told her that something was off about the creature. Once out of the lake, Mar'i narrowed her eyes and noticed a patch of clean skin on the creature's right arm. If she's learned anything from staying up late on weekends watching scary movies with her uncle was that monsters didn't wait for their victims. They either killed you right away or slowly chase after you and this mud thing didn't do either.

Hearing snickering coming from the woods, the girls huddled together as they were bombarded by water balloons. Screaming, Lian and Iris hopped on one foot as they tried guarding themselves from the onslaught of never ending balloons. Mar'i ignored the water balloons as she watched the mud creature come to the shore.

"Damian" She calmly said as the 'creature' laughed and wiped the mud from his face.

"You're smarter than I thought, Grayson" He said as he crossed his arms and shrugged his shoulders as a signal for the balloons to stop.

Once being able to see clearly, Iris noticed Jai hiding behind a large tree with a balloon in his hand and a bucket right next to him. "Jai! You're so dead!" She yelled as she dashed off after he brother who quickly sprinted away.

Lian looked around and noticed the second target, which was Colin who was hiding across from Jai's spot. "I'm sorry!" Colin shouted as Lian shook her head and sighed, walking over to his direction, she placed her hand on his shoulder, "It's okay. Just don't do it again" She calmly said. She was mad since the attack of balloons on her, caused her skin to turn red, but she knew she couldn't blame Colin since he was just one of evil Damian's minions in his grand scheme to bug Mar'i. Lian walked off with Colin as she waved back signaling that she was leaving.

Damian and Mar'i stood face to face as he yawned, "You're really going to start to bore me if I can't get a single reaction from you"

Mar'i raised an eyebrow in confusion. Why was he being so mean to her? Ever since camp started, it seemed like Damian's main goal was to make camp the most traumatic experience ever for her or at least it seemed that way.

"I'm sorry to disappoint. I am Tamaranian, I am quite resilient" Mar'i responded as Damian scoffed, "I swear, sometimes you sound just like him. Always trying to be the peacemaker"

"Who, Damian?"

"That's not important"

"Why do you want to scare me? I have done nothing to you, Damian" Mar'i asked. She wanted to understand him, maybe even become his friend if possible; she disliked having someone not like her for no apparent reason. So what if she was trying to be a peacemaker, she just didn't want to call home to ask if they could pick her up just because someone was being 'mean' to her at camp.

Damian stood there silent for a long time until he noticed the mud on his body becoming hard and cracking. He wanted to leave so he answered her question with, "Simple, you're a girl" Passing her, Damian headed back to camp. Leaving Mar'i alone at the lake, he smirked, he wasn't going to give her a solid reason for why he was targeting her, and he wasn't going to play nice either. He honestly didn't have a real reason why other than he enjoyed messing with her, getting under her skin, seeing how far he could go before getting kicked out of camp, being told on, or going back home.

Balling her hands into fists, Mar'i tried to stay calm. It was really frustrating having to deal with Damian, she wondered how his family even did it. She reminded herself that she was an And'r and therefore not rutha, she was not weak. She would fight back in order to get some peace and quiet. Her home had a rich history of warriors and not losing in their determination. She would not cry, complain, or back down from an older boy who was harassing her.

"Oh X'hal, I do not wish to stoop down to his level. I do not wish to but if I must, I will, and this will mean war" Mar'i whispered as she picked up her towel and wrapped it around herself. Walking back to camp, she thought of her payback.

Damian was going down, one way or another.

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Done! To be continued.

A nice long chapter~

What does Mar'i plan to do about Damian's bullying?

Will Dick's dreams of Kory ever stop taunting him?

Remember to R&R, Alert, etc. Plz & Thankies! :]