Chapter 9: Your First Home

"Hello? … Hello? … I hate it when this happens." Inside the Boarding House, an annoyed Stella hung up the phone. "They could at least say, 'Sorry, wrong number', but no. Just say nothing and run." She looked at her husband and their ten year old son, Arnold. The two were setting up a board game which Stella didn't find amusing. "Monopoly? Really?"

"Sorry, honey. You don't have to play if you don't want to." Miles suggested to her, but she took a set between her two boys. "Stella, I know that …."

"I always go to jail just before passing go." Stella took her piece. "But I refuse to be a quitter. Hand me the dice, Arnold."

Her son gave her a small smirk and handed her the dice. She rolled and landed on a card spot. She picked her card, read it to herself, and tossed it in the air.

"Jail?"

"Jail."

Arnold started laughing uncontrollably, which thankfully cheered his mother up. "Don't give me that look." She rubbed his head. "You always get lucky in this."

"Mine turn." Miles landed right next to Stella and drew a card. "Well Stella. Looks like you get a new cellmate."

Everyone burst out laughing. "S-Sorry, Arnold. We're crook parents now." Miles laughed.

"You're … you're going to have to be a delinquent and break us out!" Stella landed on the couch, holding her thighs.

"But…But I can't break the law." Arnold joked. "Or let the guards get me. They'll beat me up."

"Just bonk their favorite person on the head." Stella said as she imitates a person swinging a hammer. "They'll rush over to him and you can get us back in that sweet daylight."

Arnold laughed along with his parents' jokes he would considered 'immoral' in real life. "Mom, Dad. I'm glad you guys are here."

….

"Mom, Dad?" Arnold looked around and found himself in a dark void. "Mom ….. Dad….?" He called out their names over and over, but no one answered.

"Where …. Where am I?"

Suddenly a vision appeared before him. Arnold walked closer to it to see the masked creature, Mascasa, speaking with Chief Nuuk.

"Mascasa?" Arnold walked toward him to make contact, but his hand went through him like a ghost.

"(We are now at War with the Atlantians.)" Chief Nuuk spoke in the Green Eyes' language that Arnold could still understand. "(Itzam has designed you to become more powerful as you grow. Through this development, similar to us humans, you can train yourself and master your power more naturally.)" He kneeled down the creature. "(I want you and the other Faceless to become soldiers for our war. Your training and our struggle could last for years, but you alone may lead us to victory, and vengeance.)"

"(Vengeance?)" Mascasa curiously asked.

"(Vengeance, revenge, justice. It is what you do to punish those that wrong you greatly. Like the murder of your entire village.)" He placed his hands on his shoulders. "(Will you fight for the Green Eyes Empire and save our people?)"

Arnold could see that all of this was building up on the confused Mascasa. It has only been a single day since the attack and now everyone is preparing for this thing called 'war'. All the other masked creatures, called Faceless, were joining the soldiers to fight the Atlantians as the rest of the citizens were in turmoil for what to come. Despite his young age, he knew what to do.

"(I'll join your cause. I'll be your warrior and bring peace to our empire.)"

"Mmmmaaaasss … Mas?"

Mascasa quickly turned to see an unusual looking toddler waddling towards them.

"(Toma!)" Mascasa happily flew right through Arnold. The boy turned to see the surviving son of Itzam and Ixch, Toma.

"Toma!?" Arnold was in pure shock by the very look of the baby. He looked almost identical to himself. A stack of black hair and the uncanny football shaped head.

Mascasa lifted the tan-skinned boy up and swirled him gently. "(You're O.K.?)" A nurse came in to inform that he has no signs of trauma from the attack yesterday. "(That's good to hear.") He looked back to the boy and smiled. "(Isn't that right, Toma?")

The baby smiled as Mascasa laid his forehead onto Toma's forehead. The boy looked alert and glanced around. "(Mamma, Dadda?)"

Mascasa's green eyes widen and she slowly flew back. "(They ….. they …. Are not currently here.)"

"Oh no." Arnold had to watch as Mascasa carefully explain to Toma about the death of his parents.

Toma looked into Mascasa's eyes, waiting to him to tell him where they went.

"(They're away ….. far away …. It's a natural thing ….. for this to happen.)"

Feeling that they may be gone for a long long time, Toma started whimpering.

"(There there.)" Mascasa gave the baby a hug, but the boy shivered. "(Oh, right.)" Mascasa held out his claw and a single icicle formed. "(My new ice powers … ha.)" Mascasa grabbed a blanket and wrapping himself in it to give Toma a warm hug. "(But … your parents want me to look after you.)"

"(Ba … Ba?)"

Mascasa and Arnold understood this as Toma asking when they'll be back. "(They won't come back here. But..") Mascasa placed his wrapped claw on Toma's head to gently brush him. "(You'll go to where they'll be someday.)" Mascasa lifted the boy up and rocked him to sleep. "(I'll be here to protect you. Always.)" Mascasa gave the sleepy child back to the nurse and looked at Nuuk. "(I'll be a part of your army, but I want to raise Toma, just like Itzam and Ixch did for me.)"

"(Understood.)" Nuuk asked Mascasa to follow him. "(Mascasa, to begin your training, you must first learn where our magic abilities come from, and no it's not 'believing in yourself'.)"

"(Then where?)" Mascasa asked with his face tilted.

"(From our greatest treasure, La Corazon.)"


Arnold slowly woke up from the sunlight beaming into his room. He pushed himself up and looked at his slumbering friend in the other bed. Before forgetting the dream he had, Arnold took out his dream journal and wrote down the next vision and his own thoughts.

'I feel so bad for baby Toma and Mascasa, but at least they have each other. I hope the war they're having ends soon enough before Mascasa has to fight. I just don't see him doing such things; especially since after watching him with Toma, who looks like me for some reason.'

'Is this supposed to be symbolic to me? I can understand if this is just one dream, but I've been having the same ongoing dream since I found my dad's journal.'

Arnold gazed at his father's journal on the nightstand.

'But besides that, this dream is started to get weird. Atlantis, war, masked creatures called Faceless. I feel like that name's taken for some reason.'

Arnold took a breath and recalled the last part of the dream.

'But I do find it interesting that Chief Nuuk talked about La Corazon. That was the name of the treasure La Sombra stole from the Green Eyes. Does it really have actual powers? My Dad's Journal does say its' a sacred relic that should be seen since it's too sacred.'

Arnold then realized something.

'But how did La Sombra stole it in the first place and why? He found a secret race of people in the middle of the jungle, and how did Eduardo know about that?'

Arnold looked through the journal and found the part where Eduardo was telling Miles and Stella about La Sombra stealing La Corazon. "Maybe some henchman bragged about it, or the Green Eyes gave him a letter. I should ask him when I get the chance."

A gentle knock interrupted his thoughts, almost waking Gerald up from a sound sleep. "I'll .. I'll take you all on by myself."

Arnold chuckled at Gerald's half-awake talk and opened the door.

"Good morning, Arnold." Mr. Simmons said. "Just letting you know we'll be eating breakfast in an hour and heading on out to a small town for lunch."

Mr. Simmons gave a half-light glare at Rhonda asking about the quality of the town and village. "See you soon!" he gave a bright smile and walked away.

.

.

.

'I mean criminally, first it's all sad and tragic, then it turns bad-to-the-bone awesome, and now it's turning into both. What's next?'

"Helga, are you using a dream journal?"

Helga jolted and hid the book from her sister. "No, who asked you?" Helga sighed from the fact she had to share a room with Olga and not Phoebe.

"Don't worry, I keep one too." Olga handed a journal to Helga. "Go ahead, read it."

Helga, out of pity to amuse her sister, read the journal out loud. "Miles and Stella jump through the portal to meet the Angry Beavers … what?!"

"Woops-y!" Olga swapped the journal with another. "Read this one, instead."

Helga sighed and read through the dream journal. Not too surprising, it was crazy to her, but not nearly as close as her 'imagination without the toys' stories. "Then the spirit showed me more and more visions as I bestow upon her my vast knowledge. I was shown a stranger representing new chances, water representing the circle of life, and a mask representing …. This is getting weird." Helga gave the journal back. "I'm showering first."

The two sisters gotten themselves ready and headed to the dining room. Helga wore a pair of cargo pants with camouflage coloring, a pair of old boots, and a shirt similar to her usual pink dress. She looked at Olga and was kind of surprised, relieved, and impressed that her older sister wasn't wearing a fancy 'boys, look at me', safari dress. Instead she was dressed similarly to her, with a shirt identical to her usual get up.

"Miles and Stella taught me all I need to know on how to prepare for the wilds." Olga said with a sparkle in her eyes. "And we'll be going to where they made all their medicine! EEEEEEK!"

Helga wanted to gag at Olga's fangirl-y-ness, but she was just as thrilled to be going to the old home of her beloved's parents. "So …. Anything I should know when we get there?"

Olga tapped her cheek. "It's best not to straight up ask questions about them, especially when Arnold's around. But don't worry; I'm sure he'll ask all the questions you want to hear." She winked at her baby sister and met up with Mr. Simmons and Principal Warts, both dressed in traditional African safari outfits which are most likely outdated now.

Helga looked around to see Phoebe and Lila at a table. "Morning, Helga. Did you sleep well?" Phoebe cheerfully asked. "I've already set up a well-balanced breakfast for you."

Helga thanked her and began chowing down. She gazed around the room to see other students well dressed for the jungle, minus Rhonda in some overpriced designer whatever clothes. Then she noticed her favorite football headed boy.

Arnold also wore a pair of cargo pants, and was wearing his flannel shirt on the outside this times, which she found more attractive.

"You shouldn't be staring like that, Helga." Helga quickly turned to see Lila playfully eyeing at her. "Forgive me, but people will notice."

Helga hid her shame and started eating again.

After breakfast the kids and chaperones met up outside with their packages. "Kids, we'll be traveling in a haystack truck to a small town where we'll have lunch, and after that we'll be brought to the villager where you're all going to be sleeping till the day you head back home." Eduardo explained to the class. "Any questions?"

Rhonda raised her hand. "I'm sorry. I thought you said 'hayride'."

Right on que, the truck came by, carrying its hay cargo.

"Suck it up and get on." Helga told Rhonda who stood there for several minutes.

Rhonda shivered as she struggled to make the first step. "You can do this, you do this. It's just dry up grass, I think. Dry, itchy, plants they use to feed b-b-barn animals. Disgusting animals that they probably got the hay right out of their filthy pins!"

"Easy now, my dear. Daddy will get you." Seeing Curly reaching for her, she accepted her far less disgusting ride.

The truck drove them out of the city and onto a dirt and bumpy trail with few trees scattered around the clear farmlands. Abner nuzzled up next to Arnold as he nibbled on some hay. "Soon we'll be back, Abner." Arnold whispered to his pet pig.

They eventually passed the farmlands and have finally entered nature's territory, the jungle. All the kids gasped and pointed in amazement at all the exotic plants. Hardly no tree looked the same as plenty of plants surround their path. Arnold reached out to touch a large leaf as Abner took a bite out of one of them.

Lila pointed at a very attractive flower that Rhonda must have in her hair. Sheena gasped in amazement at a beetle that landed on her shoulder. Phoebe educated Gerald on all the different species they see. Mr. Simmons awed at all the flowers as Principal Wartz took as many pictures as possible. Olga was squealing quietly to herself. All the classmates were getting real excited and making noises. Helga however was just quietly watching the jungle plants passing by.

"So what do you think?" Arnold sat closer to her, catching her off guard a bit.

"Good. At least Rhonda's being quiet and Curly's …." She pointed up to the trees where Curly was jumping from branch to branch as he howls like a monkey.

"C-Curly!?" the adults shouted as they tried getting the boy back down.

"So typical crazy mixed with jungle. Big whoop."

The boy chuckled. "Trust me; I'm sure you'll love it eventually."

"Hm, how much you're gonna bet on it?" she playfully asked.

"A lot, actually." Arnold smiled as the two just stare into the jungle until they've reached a town after a few hours. It wasn't anywhere near as spectacular as the city with its dirt roads, older buildings, and some more animals walking around. But everyone looks just as happy in their daily lives just like anyone at home.

"YOU MUST BE KIDDING ME!?"

All except for one.

"We are gonna eat here?!" Nearly every town folk gave the tourist an annoyed glare. "There are filthy animals walking everywhere. I just know that everyone stepped in something in this rundown town."

The locals all wanted to complain, but silenced themselves when they saw the familiar football headed boy telling her it's not that bad.

"Is that you know who?" Everyone started whispering to each other and kept to themselves.

"Well, here we are." Eduardo pointed to another picnic table area with two men bringing two coolers.

"Is that ice?!" Rhonda asked. "Then they must have electricity!"

The men just frowned at her for apparently not ever hearing about iceboxes and a good walk to the city.

The kids gathered around as they picked out wrapped sandwiches and bottles of waters from the coolers and had a quick lunch.

"Here comes the plane." Curly said as he moved a sandwich close to Rhonda's face.

"The food looks hygienic, but I'm not touching anything you had your hands on."

After eating, the kids all climbed back onto the truck for the ride to the village, but Arnold couldn't help but notice a few gazing eyes. "Must be popular here too." He thought as the truck drove off as the two men whispered to each other and walked away.

It didn't take real long for the class to reach their destination, the village Miles and Stella lived in.

"Here we are; class of P.S. 118." Eduardo let the kids out to see the small village with a few yet wonderful decorations hung around the huts and poles of the peaceful village.

"Everyone, gather around!" Eduardo called all the villagers who've welcomed hi m back.

"Eduardo!" a man called. "You're back, does this mean…."

"Indeed it does." He showed them the class. "Everyone, I like you all to meet the winner of the contest and once residence in our fine village." The football head walked up as Eduardo placed his hand on his shoulder. "Arnold Shortman."

"H-Hi." He nervously asked. His heart was racing as soon as he set foot on the soil of his old home. Even though he was only here for the first few months of his infanthood and the village had expanded, he could still feel a scent of nostalgia coming off the place, and from the people.

"A-Arnold." A few men took their hats off in respects as the women gracefully smiled with their little ones pointing and jumping. "We are proud to welcome you back."

A few young women kneeled down to him, making Helga a little jealous. "You've grown so much since you were a baby. Now you're growing up." Arnold slightly blush which infuriated Helga.

"You are gonna love it he-a." A small child said as a bunch of kids started pulling him around. "You gotta see dat and dat and dat!"

Arnold softly laughed as he gazed around the village. "I can't believe I'm actually here."

"You're first home." Eduardo said as the small kids decided to give up and run around the other students. "I know you must have plenty of questions. Ask till your hearts content."

That's when all his friends rally up around Arnold. Seeing the eager faces on all of them made Arnold relieved that he'll be getting through with this right here and now. "So about my parents…."

They all held their breath.

"Did they really make new medicine here?"

The kids' eyes widened as they finally gotten knowledge on what his parents was doing here.

"I'm glad you asked." Eduardo pointed to a hut near the edge of the jungle with a good sized tent stationed next to it. "That is where they performed many different studies and combined a variety of different plant ingredients to create their life saving medicine.

"You're parents are heroes!?" the kids asked.

"Miles and Stella for the win!" Olga shouted. "I can't believe that's actually their home and lab." She shook like crazy as she gave Eduardo the 'May I' look.

"I know what you're thinking, and we've kept the hut public for everyone." Eduardo motioned them all to gather in front of the hut. "Four at a time, please. It's not as big as it looks."

Eduardo told Arnold he has the right to go in first with three others. Arnold was quick to choose Gerald and the two performed their signature handshake.

"Who's lucky number three and four?" Gerald asked, gesturing to Phoebe.

Arnold happily picked her for his best friend. "And noooooooow…." Arnold looked around the excited bunch, Olga mostly, and chose the one pretending to look unamused. "Helga."

"Me?" Helga asked as everyone groaned. She hid her thrilled feeling and calmly followed the boy and Eduardo inside.

"Things are looking great." Lila whispered to her big sister, Olga.

"I know. We get to see there lab."

"No, I meant Helga and Arnold."

"Oh ….. but still. Their laaaaab!"

Then out of the jungle came Jozen carrying some logs of wood in his arms. "What's going on?" He looked over to see some newcomers and instantly remembered. "Right …." He groaned. "The American children." He set the wood down and pinched between his eyes. "I've just been hearing stereotypes. They're not all fat, annoying, greeeedy and-"

"I'm hungry!" shouted Harold.

"I am Tarzan!" shouted Curly as he jumped onto a hut.

"If I get eaten, you all will get sued. My daddy's rich!" Rhonda shouted as a large rodent ran by.

"Why me? Really, whyyyyyyyy … wh … wh.…." Suddenly a beautiful love song started playing as he gazed upon the diamond in the rough. The tall, blonde, beautiful woman standing next to some redhead. "Wh…..Wh….. Who… is playing that music?"

Jozen looked next to him to see Eugene with a boom box. "Just passing the time to see Mr. and Mrs. Shortmans' lab …. Shortman…" Eugene thought to himself as Jozen decided to meet the three adults that he prays are more mature.

"You must be the winner of that contest I heard about." Jozen introduced himself to Mr. Simmons, Principal Wartz, and Olga. "I'm Jozen. A traveler looking for his destined path."

"Oh, those destiny folks." Principal Wartz said. "I am Principal Wartz. The, well, principal of P.S. 118 of Hillwood. That's in America you know." He boosted for his home country.

"South, Central, or North?" Jozen folded his arm, acting a bit unamused. "Canadian, right?" he cracked a smile.

"Sorry about that. It's the United States." Mr. Simmons said as they shook hands. "I'm their teacher. Mr. Simmons." Jozen crushed him with a powerful grip. "Wooah. Good hand there."

"Thank you." Jozen smiled. "So I heard that a single student won an essay contest." Jozen said. "I haven't really asked around about it, but it must be really important for everyone to act so joyful."

"I'll be happy to tell you then." Olga said. "You see, the one that won that essay contest is none other than-"

"Hey Gerald!" Stinky called out as Harold and Sid snickered. "If you see some of them glowing water stuff, mix them together and see if they blow up!"

Jozen immediately looked at the hut of Miles and Stella. "Are kids in there, unsupervised!?" Mr. Simmons and Principal Wartz stood back from the horrific glare from the young man. "You …. You…."

"NO ONE IS RUINING THE LAB OF THE GREAT MILES AND STELLA!" Both Jozen and Olga shouted in pure rage, which set the kids dead silent.

The two slowly caught their breath as they looked at one another. "Wow … you respect Miles and Stella too?" Jozen said as the blonde smiled.

"They are the greatest people and an inspiration!" she caught her breath and grinned. "I knew them personally and they told me all about their adventures in the jungles!"

"That sounds amazing!" Jozen smiled. "I wished they could tell me their adventures the last time I saw them … hmmm." Jozen's smile faded. "Right ….." He noticed the worried look on Olga's face and quickly calmed down. "S-Sorry. It's just a big deal in this country. Which I'm not saying it's important to you, they probably saved your life also. So this isn't your first time here?"

"Don't worry about it." Olga said. "But they didn't save my life, exactly. Miles and Stella moved back to Hillwood after their jungle adventures. We've met at a small restaurant and they quickly became my role models."

"Incredible." Jozen said in awe. "They're my role models too. Wished they …. Wait." Jozen's eyes widened. "You said that you, you mean, you …. lived in the same city as Miles and Stella after they left?!"

"That's correct." Olga informed the shocked man. "Hillwood, the same city Miles grew up in and set out here to find all source of cures to horrible diseases like the Sleeping Sickness the Green Eyes."

"Yes ….." Jozen thought back a moment before realizing something else. "So wait. The kids here should be about ten years old … most of them." He noticed Torvald, who looks nothing like 13. "If you don't mind me asking, but who won that essay contest?"

"Hm, didn't think Jozen thought strongly of Miles and Stella." Eduardo checked through the closed curtains covering the large entrance.

"Wow, I can't believe this." Arnold and the small group looked around the small hut with all sort of chemistry equipment, scanners, butterfly cages, and a variety of tools. He pulled a seat from a desk and sat down. "Mom and Dad used to work here."

"They must be extraordinary doctors." Phoebe said as she studied some notes lying around. "Even I know little about this subject."

Arnold pointed at the desk draws to ask if he can check them. "You have the rights to your parents' belongings, but don't get too carried away." Eduardo said.

"I won't take everything home." Arnold told Eduardo. He looked around his folks' old belongings and found more study paper of different plants and chemicals. There were even some pictures drawn by his own dad. Then he came across a photo of them working on making some new medicine. "Eduardo, may I?"

"Go right ahead." Eduardo said. "Just make sure you leave enough momentums for the rest of us."

Arnold chuckled as he noticed his three friends looking at a wall with frames of his parents.

"So Arnold. These guys are …." Helga felt a little unsettled for asking.

"Yes, they're my mom and dad." Arnold pointed to the two adults in the photos.

"Wow, had no idea your parents looked like that." Gerald said as he looked at the blonde father and oval shaped headed woman.

"Yes, they look fully fit for the harsh jungle environment." Phoebe said as she looked at a photo the two climbing a cliff.

"Well Football Head, I like your mother already." She pointed at a photo of Stella punching an animal. "Let me guess. You're mother's a straight up 'get me mad and I'll pound you' woman and your dad is the one with the heads in the clouds."

"That's exactly right." Eduardo said. "People used to be afraid of getting Stella angry. And Miles, oh boy. He was more than just a romantic dreamer. Heh, I remember after he saw Stella for the first time, he fell off the side of the road and rolled all the way to the ground. The road was on a cliff by the way."

"And he lived?" Helga asked in disbelief, almost disbelief since he's the reason Arnold is here.

"It wasn't that steep. But he and Stella survived much worse, Miles mostly. He was always a clutch." Eduardo chuckled, but realized this could lead to some unwanted emotions from Arnold. "Of course that didn't stop them from finding new cures and treating plenty of people around this remote part of the world."

"Hey Arnold." Gerald spoke up. "You told me they were both doctors and scientists mixed together with adventurers. So does that mean we'll be hearing more of their action filled stories?"

"Well I guess we will." Arnold said, eagerly wanting to ask all about their adventures right this very minute.

"Yes, but tonight we'll be having our Masked Festival." Eduardo said as they exit the hut. "A newcomer by the name of Jozen had already made more than enough masks for all of us."

"Jozen?" Arnold asked as he leaped off the entranceway. "So do you think he made a mask that will fit me?" Arnold then noticed a young man next to Olga staring at him.

"That will be the winner of the essay contest." Olga said. "The son of Miles and Stella himself, Arnold."

"Arnold …." Jozen walked up to the boy as the rest exit the hut.

"Oh Jozen, there you are." Eduardo said. "I don't believe you know this, but this here is the child of two special people you know named-"

Suddenly the man surprised everyone by bowing down to Arnold. "Arnold, Son of the Great Miles and Stella. It is an honor to meet you!"

"And things just got weird." Helga said.

End of Chapter