[It's been such a long time since I've written this, but I felt inspired to continue! So here's chapter 4.]

CHAPTER 4 – Growing Up Fast

"It's finally complete! My new and improved gloom ray is sure to make me victorious!" Murky said proudly, running into the other room where Lurky was.

Lurky turned around when Murky entered the room, and motioned with his hand for Murky to come over.

"What is it, Lurky?" he asked, slowly walking to his partner's side. Then he saw exactly what.

If they had not had suspicions that the baby was strange already, they would have wondered what a toddler was doing in their lair. She had been with them for a week, but had grown the equivalent to a year in age overnight last night. She was not lying down in the fenced-off space that the two had provided as a play area; she was crawling around, observing her surroundings, and standing up against the fence to look at the two.

"Isn't she just the cutest, Murky?" Lurky patted the girl's hair, and received a giggle in response.

"Lurky, have you noticed that she's growing much faster than…normal babies?" Murky asked nervously, eying the girl with a glare as if it were her own fault. She returned the glare, laughed, and returned to her toys.

"Yeah, I mean just a week ago she was just a cute little baby and now she's a cute bigger baby!" Lurky said, apparently pleased with the situation.

"No, cheese brain, it means that in just a few weeks she'll be a kid, able to think for herself and then we'll have a real crisis on our hands! What if Rainbow Brite finds out about her? My entire plan will be ruined!" he started pacing the floor, one hand behind his back and one at his jaw, scratching it in thought.

"Well, Murky, how can Rainbow Brite find out about her if she never leaves?" Lurky asked, lifting the girl out of the playpen at her request. "If she never leaves the Pits, Rainbow Brite will never see her."

Murky's eyes lit up at Lurky's last sentence. "That's genius, Lurky!" He took the girl from Lurky's arms and swung her around, pleased. He then realized what he did and quickly handed her back to Lurky, embarrassed.

"That's the first time you've ever said that to me, Murky," Lurky said, a tear forming in his eye.

"Don't start blubbering, dodo brain," Murky replied, "you just said the right thing at the right time. Don't forget who the true genius here is."

"Yes, Murky." Lurky replied automatically.

"Ma…key."

The two froze at the unfamiliar sound. It came from Lurky's arms, a voice which neither of them had heard before. The girl had spoken her first word. She repeated it with enthusiasm.

"Ma-key. Ma-key."

"Oh, Murky, she's saying your name!" Lurky enthused. "It's her first word!" He danced around, swinging the girl in his arms with delight. "Murky! That's right! You're so wonderful!"

"Ma-key, whee!" the girl sang, swinging through the air in Lurky's arms.

"Well, at least now she can reply when I talk to her," Murky grumbled. He still didn't want her to be there. She was taking up so much time being taken care of that he hadn't had time to devise a plan to take over RainbowLand for a while. All he had accomplished that week was finishing his gloom ray, and that wasn't all that special because he had been working on it for several months.

A "Hey, Murky," from Lurky interrupted his thoughts.

"What is it, Lurky?"

"I've been thinking…"

"Have you?" Murky replied, slightly amused.

"Yeah, I have," Lurky said, "her saying your name got me thinking. Why doesn't she have a name?"

Murky thought this over. He had considered giving her a name, mostly because he was growing tired of calling her "the baby" or "the girl" all the time. But he knew that if he named her, he might start getting attached to her. Then again, he also knew that Lurky wouldn't accept her not having a name. He sighed again.

"Okay, we can give her a name. But," Murky warned, "nothing having to do with color. It's bad enough just looking at her, I don't need to be reminded every time I hear her name, either. Hmm…" he thought aloud, "something that reminds me of gloom. It'll help her get it into her head that she cannot like color at all…"

"I've got it!" he exclaimed suddenly, getting full attention of both Lurky and the girl. "Shadow. It's perfect."

"Shadow," Lurky repeated. "It's a pretty name." He looked into the girl's eyes. "Do you like that? Should we call you Shadow?"

The girl replied with just a giggle, clapping her hands together in delight.

"It's settled then. Shadow. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to work on my inventions." At his last statement, he stalked out of the room, back to his laboratory.

He couldn't wait until Shadow was old enough for him to start teaching his scheming ways to. He could finally have someone to have intelligent conversations with, to build elaborate and complicated machines together, and to share a mutual hatred of color. Lurky really liked colors, but he wasn't going to let Shadow be the same. He was going to make her hate colors like him if it was the last thing he did.