Ignorance always protected them. From bullies. From villains in general. From the reality. Drugs were not exposed to the two of them, and according to the public, it was much more suitable that way. Their innocence had to be protected. It was important. And ignorance was the wall guarding them from harm. But it couldn't protect them from themselves. And it failed to prepare them for tragic circumstances.
The terror began when Chum Chum disappeared. Nobody knew where he was. He and his best friend, Fanboy, were walking to school and Chum Chum went back to their water tower terrace, saying that he had forgotten something. He disappeared after that without a trace, foot print, or a clue of any kind.
A searching party was rounded up, led by Fanboy himself, and everyone searched hard for a while. They finally found the little boy, dead. He was on the other side of town, his neck broken. Nobody found out how or why he had been at that particular location.
To Francine's horror, Fanboy lost it and went into denial. He refused to believe that his best friend was dead, even at the funeral. He believed that Chum Chum was still out there and needed his help. So he continued to search, the poor little soul, for his best friend, who was already gone. He refused to give up, or give in. People tried to console him, telling him that there was no point, Chum Chum was in heaven, but he insisted that Chum Chum still needed help. Oz even signed the boy up for therapy, convinced that he was just in shock.
But it ceased to work, and at this point in time, everyone had gotten seriously worried. Fanboy would go up and down the streets, shouting Chum Chum's name, and asking where he was. He would proceed to go up to his classmates and random people walking around town if they had seen his best friend. He always received the same answer, and it created a cycle. When denied, his denial would grow stronger. He would cry out in class in desperation for answers. He grew unstable at some times, and mourned for his best friend's return. It seemed that he was broken.
Months of this transpired and nothing about Fanboy improved.
Francine sat at the lunch tables, reading her magazine and secretly watching Fanboy out of the corner of her eye. The wannabe superhero walked blindly around, and asking classmates if they had seen Chum Chum. The diva's heart clenched. It pained her to see Fanboy this way, lost in his own world of denial, wishing for something that would never come true. She flickered her eyes back to the book when Fanboy started towards her.
At first, she pretended not to notice him, but he lay a gloved hand on her shoulder and shook it gently. "Francine? Francine?" His voice sounded breathless, like he had been moving at a very fast pace for awhile.
"What?" Francine asked, knowing full well what the question would be. It was the same question he had been asking everyone for quite some time. Some had gotten tired of it and directed him to random locations where his friend supposedly was, just to get the hero off their backs for a while. Some just came clean and told him that his best friend was dead and he should have gotten over it and moved on by now.
"Have you seen Chum Chum?"
Francine bit her lip before she answered, choosing her words carefully as the taller child tensed up with anticipation. "I...I haven't seen him Fanboy. I'm sorry... He's dead...remember?"
Fanboy grew crestfallen at her answer, but shook his head at the idea of Chum Chum's death. "Oh, no, that's not true Francine! My little buddy's still out there, and I have to find him! He needs my help because he's still lost, so are you sure you haven't seen him?"
The girl shook her head. He truly believed it. He believed it with all his heart. "Oh..." Francine watched him slump in defeat, tears building up behind his eyes. "I miss him," he sniffed sadly. "I hope he's still okay."
Francine smiled a half smile. She couldn't tell him; she didn't gave the heart, or the courage. It was strange, because he seemed the same as he was before, perky, energetic, determined. But no longer was his ignorance protecting him from reality. Francine patted him on the back.
"Don't worry Fanboy, I'm sure ChumChum's in a great place. He's probably having so much fun and just forgot to come back," Francine theorized with a grin.
Fanboy perked up. "Yeah!" He smiled at her. "A great place! With tons of nice people!"
"A-And free video games!"
"Roller coasters!"
"Sunshine... And flowers!"
"And an endless supply of Frosty Freezy Freeze!"
Then, for a moment, they just stared at each other, the image planted in their minds, the sane mind and the insane mind. Then, Fanboy's bottom lip started to tremble and his tears started to leak out of his eyes and down his cheeks. He was immediately pulled into Francine's arms as he began to bawl. Classmates watched until Francine shot them a glare that clearly said, "Leave us alone."
"I-I miss him so much!" Fanboy shrieked into Francine's shoulder, drenching her neck with tears and saliva. "I want my best friend back! I-I-I want to to see him! I want Chum Chum!" His whole body shook, wracking with sobs while Francine soothed him.
"Hey! Don't cry! It'll be alright; you'll see Chum Chum again. We will all see him again someday." Francine assured.
"B-But I wanna see him now!" Fanboy cried, yanking on her sleeve, as if that would somehow get his point across. "I have to go find him before he gets hurt! I have to go look for him! I-I miss him!"
Francine pulled him closer to her. "You will find him, and I promise you that," she reassured, she promised with all her heart. "And until we find him, you can play with me."
And as she held the hysterical boy in her arms, she realized that his ignorance was no longer his sole protector against the world; it was her.