No... Oh no...
Please... not that...anything but that...
Rudy could feel his heart pounding hard in his chest as he looked around left and right. What had happened to this place? Just where was he? Everything was just... dark and smokey. It was like he was going through a thick, neverending fog. It felt like it was swirling around him, refusing to let him go.
And yet he still kept moving. He wouldn't stop. He was determined to keep on moving, determined to figure out just how to take care of this situation. He didn't know what it was, but he was compelled to keep moving. He had to keep going, or else he couldn't...
"Bucko!"
Rudy lifted his head up immediately at the sound of his friend calling out for him. It sounded faint, but he knew that Snap was around here somewhere. He rushed forward, pumping his arms forward and back, his heart pounding against his chest, threatening to come out. He tried to fight against it as he rushed forward as quickly as he could, his legs burning throughout.
He could see something in the distance. Just barely... Some sort of shape... As he got closer, he thought he could see a shape forming slowly. Something dark was coming out of the mist. Rudy licked his lips slowly and pushed himself to go faster, going at maximum speed and then some.
Just then, he could feel the clouds parting a little, allowing him to see the huge beast before him.
Draow.
Rudy widened his eyes in horror at this, seeing the wolf bat creature holding onto Snap with one of his feet, the talons wrapped around tightly. Snap was covered in blood and trembling, wriggling his way about the paw, hoping to break free. Rudy could feel his heart tightening up when Snap looked at him in fear like that.
"R-Rudy! Please... Help me...!" Snap shouted loudly before silenced by the squeeze of Draow's paw.
Rudy rushed forward, but something rose from the ground. A serie of thorny vines shot up and pushed him back. He yelped in pain as he rolled around on the ground. He kept going a few times before he finally skidded to a stop. He rested there for a few moments before shaking his head and looking up.
Draow was sneering at him. The mouth corners had pulled up, giving the beast an expression Rudy had never seen before. It was somehow more chilling than jsut assuming this thing was non-sentient. Rudy watched Draow carefully as he pushed himself up from the ground, his eyes unable to leave the piercing teal orbs that appeared to glow in the encroaching darkness. Rudy could hardly focus on just how dark it was getting, nor had he noticed the slow changing hues around him. All he could see was just Draow holding Snap.
Rudy took a defensive stance. He reached into his pocket to grab his magic chalk. He wielded it in front of himself, hoping that it would be enough to deter Draow. But the creature only just laughed at him as though he was being presented with some silly gift or something. Rudy gritted his teeth and growled loudly, moving forward and jerking the chalk a little more. He tried to do whatever he could to make Draow back down, but the creature just wuldn't budge.
Soon the beast pulled his head back and he opened his mouth up a little, the sneer somehow becoming broader. Rudy felt himself jump when he heard those loud, booming chuckles coming out of the creature's mouth. Then words flowed from the open mouth despite there being little movement outside of the winged wolf licking his lips slowly.
"You think you can save your pitiful friend? You didn't even try to save him before." Draow told Rudy. He raised Snap up more, shaking him from side to side like he were just a ragdoll. "Do you think you have a chance to get him back from me? Why, I probably would finish eating his head before you get any ideas to save him!"
At this, Draow pressed a claw against Snap's body, causing the blue zoner to scream, "Rudy, why aren't you helping me?!"
Rudy felt his heart freeze at this. He took in several shaky breaths as he tried to think of how to respond. He struggled to say something. But his sentences fell short from his mouth. He soon found that he couldn't say anything else. He was just frozen still there, nothing more than forming squeaks from his mouth.
Draow just laughed at this. He moved himself forward, his back becoming parallel to the ground, and he motioned his wing towards Rudy. "You see? You won't even try to save your little pal here! I guess you really don't care!"
Rudy shook his head. "N-No... That's not..."
"Rudy..." Snap whimpered softly. Tears flowed down from his face. "Y-You don't really care about me?" It broke Rudy's heart to hear Snap say something like that to him. He never though that Snap would view him like that. "I-I thought we were best friends. Was I just a toy for you?"
Rudy could feel his mind turning into ice when Snap said that. The young boy continuously tried to think of something to tell his friend. He tried to think of a way to help him feel better, something to reassure Snap with. But his mind was just...locked, and no matter what he did, he just could not...
Without warning, Draow made his move. Rudy didn't have time to react. Draow tossed Snap up into the air and opened his jaws wide. Rudy felt his heart skipping several times before he rushed forward as quickly as he could, holding his hand out towards him, trying to grab Snap. He moved forward as fast as possible, and yet somehow, everything around him began to slow down.
"Snap! No!" Rudy shouted as loudly as he could.
Everything still seemed to slow down greatly. He could feel his breath becoming shallow and his voice going dry as this happened. Snap seemed to fall in slow motion towards the gaping mouth. Rudy couldn't forget how Snap looked at him as he fell. A look of disappointment...
Suddenly, Snap was gone in the chomp of the beast's jaws. In an instant, Rudy was suddenly aware of the coloring around him. Things had taken on a blood red tinge, now pronounced and accented by the blood dripping from Draow's jaws. Rudy remained frozen, horrified by what had just taken place. He struggled to breathe, struggled to speak, the sound of bones cracking filling his ears, invading his mind.
No... Oh gawd no... Please.. This couldn't have happened...
Rudy gripped the sides of his head and shook it slowly, his wide eyes staring at the ground. He could barely hear Draow's gloating words as he became lost in his own mind. He didn't notice the dark clouds swirling around him, closer and closer. He didn't notice the red mist covering over him, drawing in to him. He didn't notice the world starting to collapse all around him. He was only aware of his swirling, torrent of emotions. He shook and trembled for several moments before he finally couldn't take it any longer.
Rudy pulled his head back and let out a loud scream, "Snap!"
sss
Rudy jolted awake in his bed, shouting, "Snap...!" He took in several shaky breaths as he looked around him. Sweat dripped from his body and onto the ground. He panted heavily as he raised his hand up, wiping the sweat and tears from his face.
He continuously looked around the room, slowly getting a sense of just what had happened. It took him a while before he realized just where he was. Not outside in ChalkZone, but instead here, right back in his own home... But despite that, he was still rather shaken up, his lower lip quivering as tears continued to stain his cheeks. He pulled his legs to himself as he rested his chin on his knees.
That nightmare felt way too real. He could still hear Snap's screams in his head. He could still feel the blood from his friend dripping onto his face. He could still feel drool from that monster coming down, soaking his body in it. He could still hear his own screaming as he kept trying to breathe, a few hiccups coming about as a result of his constant sobbing.
This... This was... Oh gawd... That nightmare was going to be etched into his head. He would never forget it. Not with how detailed it was, not with that look Snap had given him... Not with how Draow just chomped down on his friend's body like it was nothing...
Rudy closed his eyes and let his burning tears flow more. He didn't want to think that Snap would hate him for this. He wanted to believe that Snap was smart enough to know that he would never abandon him on purpose. But... But what if Snap really did blame him for this? What if Snap felt he was the one at fault? What if he rejected him if he were to try to come to him? What if...
Rudy shook his head hard a few times before he settled down, trying his best to get those thoughts out of his head. He didn't want tot hink about that. He didn't want to believe in any of that. Snap doesn't hate him. And he was waiting for him to come rescue him.
Yeah, that's what was happening. Snap was just trapped and just waiting for him to come over and get him out of that situation. Snap wouldn't hate Rudy for what happened. Snap would be happy to see him. Snap would have faith in Rudy to come rescue him. That's just how that blue zoner was. Rudy had known him long enough to know his personality. After all, he did design him.
Rudy took in a shuddering breath as he forced himself to lay back down. It was still dark out yet and he needed to get some more sleep before tomorrow. But as he laid down to rest, he made a silent promise to look for Snap as soon as he could. He would go into ChalkZone, find Draow, defeat him, and save Snap. His best friend was counting on him to succeed.
Rudy would be sure that he wouldn't let him down.
sss
Rudy poked around silently at the piece of scrambled egg on his plate. He licked his lips slowly, wanting to take a bite from it, and yet he could not bring himself to do that. It wasn't that he was full. He just couldn't eat the rest of his food for some reason.
His parents didn't seem to notice.
"I can't believe how exciting this is!" Mrs. Tabootie cried out. She rubbed her hands together rapidly, raw energy running through her body. "Today's the beginning of..."
"Oh will you calm down, Millie?" Mr. Tabootie spat lightly. He sounded upset, but really, it wasn't that much. "I know you're excited for this, but at least try to approach it with some dignity." He raised his hand up in gesture. "And just why the sudden change of heart? You were a little suspicious before."
Mrs. Tabootie blinked a few times before smiling sheepishly. "I guess that was before I understood what was going on and... Wait, why are you telling me this? You were just as excited before, too! Why the change?" Mrs. Tabootie put her hands on her hips.
Mr. Tabootie shrugged his shoulders. "I am excited. I just want to approach this more calmly so that we don't screw things up again."
"And how did we do that?"
"Remember Dr. Von Dotkor...?"
Rudy flinched at that name. He tried not to remember the time when he nearly exposed ChalkZone becaues he forgot to draw a stupid power supply to his creation. But what he also could not forget, which stung just as much, is when his parents found out he wasn't a genius. They were so deflated after having gotten so worked up over their son creating perpetual motion. And remembering that, his dad's behavior made sense now.
His dad didn't want them to get worked up again. He didn't want them to set themselves up for failure just like last time. His dad just wanted to err on the side of caution. His mom was just getting a little too excited. Trying to remain calm about this would be a good idea.
As for Rudy himself, he wasn't entirely sure what he thought of this idea. He wasn't sure if he should be happy about where they were going to day. He didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. And he did feel a bit stupid for thinking like that. But with what happened to Snap, his mind was pretty choppy and messed up. He couldn't focus as well, which might explain why he couldn't finish his breakfast.
"I'm sorry, dear. I'm just so... I mean, not many people are able to see the Teddison Cosmo, the man responsible for much improvement in our quaint little down." He could hear his mother say.
His father replied, "I know. It is...unprecedented. A once in a lifetime opportunity." He gave pause for a moment and Rudy thought he could hear him release a few small coughs. "But we also need to remember that..."
Rudy could barely hear his parents at this point. As he continued to swirl his fork over the last few pieces of scrambled egg, he thought back to his earlier trip into ChalkZone. He didn't want to wait until Penny got a hold of him and they check it out together. He was so distraught over that nightmare and over his failure to save Snap that he went in by himself to try to look for his friend. He didn't care that it was six in the morning when he did this. He just wanted to try.
Sadly, there wasn't much development. None of the zoners had seen him yet and no one had noticed Draow at all. The beast's location still remained a secret. Rudy bit his lip firmly, feeling pain from his teeth pressing into flesh, as he thought about the implications of this. He didn't want to believe that it was always going to be like this. That everytime that he headed in, it was only going to lead to more disappointment...
He shook his head once and tried to knock those thoughts out of his head. He could not let himself become to drawn into the despair. He reminded himself that he would keep looking for his friend. Although he didn't succeed this time around, that didn't mean that he couldn't try again. Maybe he would succeed one of these times and...
"Oh shit... I lost track of time!" Rudy yelped when he felt his dad jumping up from the table, knocking into it. "Mr. Cosmo wanted to see us around ten thirty in the morning and it's already close to ten!"
His mom let out a sharp gasp. "Oh dear, you're right!" She looked over at Rudy, her eyes widening further than Rudy's ever seen them go. "Finish eating, Rudy. We need to head out in a minute!"
Rudy watched as his parents scrambled to get ready. He was beside himself in shock. He had never seen his parents move so fast like this before. And all for some man named Mr. Cosmo...
Well it's not like he didn't know who the guy was. But his dad just finished telling his mom to remain calm or else they might end up making things worse. Yet here he was, scrambling about like some kid getting ready to go to an amusement park. It was insane. But then again, he had seen his parents get worked up over the littlest things. So perhaps he should not really be surprised by this.
Regardless, Rudy did as he was told. Despite the fact that he was not hungry, he did force himself to eat the rest of the scrambled eggs. He didn't really care that the eggs were cold and it felt like ice slithering down his throat. He just wanted to get this done and over with so that he could focus on what he felt was most important right now:
Finding his best friend.
sss
This was Mr. Cosmo's place? This was where he worked at? It was so hard not to be drawn in by it. The shere size, the shere beauty of the design... With him being an artist at heart, Rudy could easily appreciate all of the details. His parents were just as wowed by it, but he doubted that they understood as fully as he did. They couldn't appreciate it just like he could.
The building was massive in size, stretching up, looking almost like a series of skyscrapers that were pressed together. The silver was bright and nearly glowed, and somehow it seemed to also have a tinge of green. Rudy didn't know how Mr. Cosmo managed that, but he was impressed. And how parts of the building seemed to twist around and yet still blended in as one piece... Man, that must have taken quite the eye for design.
Just approaching this thing felt intimidating. Rudy licked his lips slowly as he tried to process what was happening. Each step felt stiffer and slower and he found it increasingly difficult to keep going. He took in breath after breath as his eyes constantly scanned up and down, staring at the building. He swallowed hard as he forced his stiff legs to keep moving.
It seemed to take forever before they reached the door. They paused for a moment, collecting their thoughts. Then, slowly, they entered the building.
The inside of the building was more massive than they thought it would be. In fact, it seemed to be larger than the building was on the outside. They didn't know how this feat was performed, but they were caught in amazement at the very sight of it. Their breaths were held in their mouth as they entered in very slowly, taking the time to explore the details of where they were and what was going on with the design of the building.
It was nice and brightly colored, with rows upon rows of fluorescent lighting. Everything almost felt like a saturated white color and yet somehow, it didn't seem to hurt the eyes. That might be due to the material of choice. It was hard to tell if this was actual wood or just painted wood, but whatever it was, somehow it helped to absorb some of the lightning. It felt like such a sharp contrast, seeing this wood seem like it was both white and not, but that's how it was. Just how did Mr. Cosmo manage to do this?
The family of three continued their way further in. The area they had arrived in had a tall ceiling with a window above them, letting in some natural lighting. Then there was the hallway in front of them. A short one where the wall from the arrival area seemed to shoot down and cross over, creating a sharp transition. The area went from feeling open and inviting to, somehow, more serious and focused in the span of a few moments.
Swallowing hard, Rudy forced himself to continue forward. He fumbled with his hands a little as he went, his teeth clenching tightly. He didn't know what to expect when they would arrive at their destination. He hadn't fully known how to feel about this meeting before, but now that he was heading in, now that he was going to meet Mr. Cosmo in his own place, after seeing all of this, it was enough to make him hesitate a little, realizing just what a bit deal this truly was. He could feel his heart racing against his chest as he let all of this sink in.
He and his parents soon arrived at the end of the small hallway, where it suddenly turned a sharp right. They didn't know if this was where they were supposed to be going or not. But there was literally nothing else here to guide them with. They looked at one another, exchanging looks of nervousness, but they also tried to reassure each other. Surely, this wouldn't be that bad.
Then they finally saw what looked to be a small window on the side. Was this where people had to sign in? The family approached slowly, moving in cautiously, their eyes watching cautiously and with much anticipation as they tried to see who was there.
They did not expect to see Mr. Cosmo sitting in the chair, staring out at them.
Immediately, Rudy and his parents were startled, jumping back away as they looked at the man in shock. They struggled to say something, but their words were just muddled together, interlocking in a huge mess, just a jumble of words.
Mr. Cosmo didn't seem to mind this. Instead, he just interlocked his fingers slowly and smield at the family. "Did I surprise you?"
Mr. Tabootie spluttered a little. He swallowed hard, cleared his throat, and he tried again. "W-Well, we thought that was where we sign in and..."
Mr. Cosmo raised his hand up slowly. "Oh don't worry. It is. You aren't lost. Here..." He reached underneath the opening of the glass window. He pushed a piece of paper towards the family. "...please fill this out and we can get started as soon as possible."
Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie looked at one another before they looked back at Mr. Cosmo. Rudy could see how confused and nervous they looked. Despite that, he could see his dad reaching out for the clipboard with the pen attached to it.
"Oh and if you want to know why I'm here... Well, I often prefer doing these things myself, you know?" Mr. Cosmo raised his hands up at his sides for a few seconds. "It's a good way of making sure that things go exactly how I want them to. Sometimes, to do a job right, you have to do it yourself." He motioned his hands towards the parents. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Mrs. Tabootie fumbled with a strand of hair for a bit and said, "I do agree that does make some sense..."
Mr. Tabootie gave a slow nod. "I think I see where you are coming from. Well anyway..." He looked down at the clipboard, bit his lip, and looked back at Mr. Cosmo. "We'll fill this out as soon as we can."
"Excellent." Mr. Cosmo smiled.
"And after this?" Mrs. Tabootie asked.
Mr. Cosmo's eyes twinkled a little. "Then we begin your son's assessment. I do think he holds a lot of promise. What he's about to do today..." He leaned in closer, resting his arms on the table, elbows cocked outward, his grey-blue eyes staring intently at the parents. "...will determine just what kind of promise that is."
sss
The young fifteen year old boy struggled to keep up with Mr. Cosmo. That guy moved quite fast, something that wouldn't have been easily suspected from his physical appearance. Not that he was out of shape or anything. He just didn't come across as someone who could move this quickly. "Mr. Cosmo, is this really necessary?"
"But of course! In order to determine your skill, we need to ensure maximum efficiency!" Mr. Cosmo raised his finger up towards the air. "The best way to do that is to put you in a nice, quiet room, away from everyone else. Your parents and I would only affect your scores." He looked over his shoulder and stared at Rudy. "Have you never taken a test like this before? Alone?"
Rudy answered, "I think I have, but not like this." Rudy flinched when he said that. "I-I mean..."
Mr. Cosmo chortled softly. "That's all right. I think I get what you mean. Now..." With a smile still on his face, the red-haired man looked out ahead, his arms folded behind his back. "...once we get to the room and you are settled down, I will give you an hour to complete the tests. I have given you three of them. Don't worry, they aren't too long. I have chosen specific questions for this task. They are focused and will reveal more about your potential than some long, hundred-question test."
Rudy wasn't entirely sure how that was possible. He couldn't help but stare at the man with some skepticism. But he did not attempt to counter the man. He didn't really feel that it was his place to do so. Instead, he just watched him carefully and wondered just what was going to happen. He still didn't know what the man planned to do with these tests right after. He was light on those details.
Rudy looked out ahead and he saw that they were rapidly approaching a room at the end of this hallway. The room had a label on the side that read 'Warning: Test Happening Inside'. Kind of awkward wording. He'd certainly seen better at his school. But it seemed to serve its purpose.
The teenager didn't say a word as they got close enough for Mr. Cosmo to reach out and grab onto the door knob. Mr. Cosmo turned it easily, allowing Rudy to step inside. The boy looked around, noticing how this room was a bit smaller than he thought, but didn't feel too crowded. There were some rows of computers with walls around them for privacy, a small round table with a single chair, and a chalkboard on the side.
Oh and some weird black window that confused him. He did notice how they walked, it did shine of several colorations. He wondered if it was there to help calm people taking tests. It did seem pretty relaxing.
Rudy turned around and asked, "Where do I take the test?"
Mr. Cosmo motioned to the computer located right up against the corner, to his right. "That computer should have the tests right there. I put them there because you can either just take the test right at the computer. I have a program set up for it. It'll make things quicker for me. But..." He then looked over at the small table. "..if you would rather do it by hand, that's fine. Either way will work."
Rudy nodded his head slowly. He looked over at the clock, taking note of what time it was now versus how long Mr. Cosmo had allocated for him. "So... I guess I better get started, right...?"
Mr. Cosmo smiled. "If you need more time, feel free to ask me. That small red button on the wall? It'll connect you to me and you can just ask." He let out a small chuckle and said, "But you're a bright child, aren't you? I don't think you need more time..." He stared into Rudy's eyes, almost as though trying to pierce his soul. "...do you...?"
"I-I..." Rudy moved back, feeling his heart clench for a moment. In a split second, Mr. Cosmo's face returned to normal. But that still didn't fully calm him down. He looked at the man, breathing in a little quickly. He then said, "Y-Yeah, I'll be fine." Rudy cleared his throat and tried to sound confident. "I'll be done before the hour is up."
"That's a good lad. See, having some determination doesn't hurt." Mr. Cosmo moved towards the door. "Now, I shall leave you to it. Good luck!" Soon he shut the door behind him, leaving Rudy alone in the room.
Rudy stared at the door for several long moments. He bit his lip, licking his tongue over it slowly, before turning his head to look back at where the test was located at. He swallowed hard, glanced up the clock above him, and then forced himself to walk over towards the computer.
His head began to fill up with so many questions. Some of them, Mr. Cosmo already answered, but Rudy didn't feel fully satisfied with them. Others just left him in a state of confusion. Some weren't even answered at all, as he couldn't ask them. There were just some things that he couldn't completely understand about what was going on here.
Mr. Cosmo saw potential in him, sure. But just what kind of potential? What about his scores impressed him? Rudy could not imagine why Michelle didn't get chosen, or even Penny, who was certainly a lot smarter than him. He wasn't being down on himself, either. It was the truth. There were so many other potential people to choose. So why, out of all people, did Mr. Cosmo choose to further test him? He knew that Penny was not doing this because she clearly stated that Mr. Cosmo never sought her out. It was just him.
Rudy narrowed his eyes slowly. He did hope that things would be explained eventually. He hoped that, at some point, he would come to understand just what Mr. Cosmo wants. But in the meantime, he had only one option, and that was taking the test.
Rudy went over to the computer and grabbed onto the papers. He held it up, seeing how they were all neatly stapled. The instructions were clear and easy to read, and he had been provided with a numbe two pencil to help mark in the answers. He looked at the computer before him, remembering Mr. Cosmo's words. But he never did feel too comfortable using a computer. He was always a hands-on sort of guy. So he took Mr. Cosmo's offer of just sitting down in thte chair and doing this manually instead of crunching it into the computer.
Upon seeing the questions, Rudy couldn't help but blink a few times. This was not entirely what he was expecting. It was still similar to Mr. Cosmo's tests, but he didn't think that the subject would revolve around art so much. Had Mr. Cosmo guessed that just from his tests before? Was he focusing on finding someone with an artistic skill to help him change the world, or whatever he was talking about before?
Well, the man did say that even the 'lowly artist' would benefit from this, so...
Rudy wasn't sure how much time had passed before he finally put the pencil down for a break and look up at the clock. He noticed that it had been twenty minutes so far, and he filled out he would say...a quarter of the way through. He was making some good time. If he kept it up at this rate, he would be finished pretty soon. He just needed to...
Rudy let the pencil drop as he rested his elbows on the table and held up his head. He gritted his teeth and hissed softly, feeling his head spinning a little. He felt a sudden onslaught of emotions hitting him like a hurricane, and suddenly it became hard, if not near impossible, to concentrate on this test.
What was going on with Snap? What about the other zoners? Had Draow appeared again? Rudy's head continued to pound with these questions, which repeated themselves over and over again. A dull headache spread throughout and he was unable to focus on much else for much longer.
He released a small grunt as he pushed himself against the table, letting out a small sigh as his hands gripped the sides of his head tightly. He looked down at the test. He could hear the sound of the second head ticking away, the minute hand moving slowly, creaking along. Rudy tried his best to ignore it, but no matter what he tried, it seemed almost impossible to do. His headache only got worse and worse...
...that is, until he eyed the chalkboard. Rudy could barely turn away from it. His eyes focused intently on it as he felt his tongue wetting his drying mouth. Some thoughts moved through his head and he tried to struggle with sorting them and understanding them.
Did he really want to do it? Did he really want to get up and leave just to see what's going on ChalkZone? He already checked this morning, and he already decided that he should wait until after this was all done before he did so. This test was only going to last another, what, forty minutes? Surely, things would still be how they are in forty minutes, right?
But he was aware of how fast things do change. Sometimes, all it takes is a single minute for all things to go wrong...
He looked back down at the test. How would he even begin to justify leaving? Would he even have enough time? He had no idea how far out he was from ChalkZone City. He hadn't noticed how far his parents drove or in what direction. This would make navigating ChalkZone pretty hard. He might as well wait until after he got home and...
...but what if he didn't get home until late...? What if by the time he did look, something worse happened...? What if...
All this worrying about Snap and the other zoners caused his stomach to churn inside of him. He tried to rub his hands against his stomach, hoping that would soothe it. But it seemed to have no effect on it. If anything, it seemed to start making it worse and he struggled not to throw up.
There was no way that he could keep taking this test. He needed a bit of fresh air. He needed to stop and take a rest. Clear up his mind. It was the only way that he could possibly finish this. He did feel bad about stopping right now after he had been on such a role. But if Mr. Cosmo wanted his optimal performance, he would need understand the need for a rest. Rudy will finish this test in time. He just needed a small break for now.
Rudy stared over at the chalkboard once more. He did bring his magic chalk with him. He always did. He could just take a peak inside and see what was going on. That wouldn't hurt, right? Maybe he would run into a zoner that he could speak to. Someone that could give him an update on what was going on. Then he could maybe search a little while for Snap, but stick with that immediate area so he wouldn't take long to get back.
Rudy decided that there was no more time to waste. If he wanted to check on Snap and the zoners, if he wanted to push aside these emotions so he could finish this stupid test...
With his eyes narrowing slowly, softly, Rudy took a moment to look around. It didn't seem like there were any cameras hidden in here. There didn't seem like there were any signs of a window and certainly no signs of someone in the hallway, coming in or not. He looked back up the clock to see how much time he had left. With that in mind, he looked back towards the chalkboard.
He walked up towards the chalkboard. He reached into his pocket to pull out his magic chalk. He stared at the sparkling piece of white stick for a couple of seconds, took another look around the room, and then he proceeded to draw a portal on the somewhat small chalkboard. The light flashed in his eyes and he looked away, holding his arm up, then he looked through the opening, seeing the details of ChalkZone inside. Without much hesitation, Rudy immediately crawled through the portal, disappearing inside.
Unbeknownst to him, a pair of eyes were watching him intently.
sss
Mr. Cosmo watched in silence, his fingers tapping against one another, as he watched the teenager do something that most people wouldn't believe if he told them.
Disappearing into the chalkboard.
The man remained still for several long moments, his mind trying to ponder if what he had seen was truly real or not. He kept staring long hard, waiting to see any sort of sign that this had been faked or not. He felt his stomach churn slightly, emotion starting to move through him rapidly, as he waited for any possible hallucination to clear up.
But as time passed, things stayed the same. Through the one way mirror he had set up, cleverly disguised as a black rainbow thing to anyone looking in from the other side, he was able to see the glowing opening that was the portal. The chalkboard was illuminated as was anything close to it. The portal showed no signs of being closed. A bold move by the teenager, he would say so himself. He must be really confident that no one was going to come in and see this.
But for all his artistic intellect, for all his ability to notice the details, it would seem the teenager hadn't yet noticed the trap that he had just walked into. Mr. Cosmo smiled to himself, proud of what he had been able to accomplish. He knew that his efforts would be worth it.
He turned his attention to Ms. Saffron, who had just arrived. She was moving in slowly, her wide eyes staring at the mirror. It was obvious she had seen what he saw as well. She was struggling to speak, but her voice consistantly failed her. Mr. Cosmo watched this for a few moments before turning his attention back to the chalkboard.
Slowly, his eyes furrowed softly. This wasn't exactly what he thought would happen. He had been jumping a little at straws, taking some guesses and some risks. To find this child this quickly... He would need to bump up his plans a little bit. Fortunately, he had already been doing something pretty similar before. It was just a matter of time before it would all fall into place.
"S-S-Sir... what's..." Ms. Saffron spoke up, her voice a hushed whisper.
Mr. Cosmo looked over his shoulder. A single blue-grey eye pierced through Ms. Saffron. "It would seem that we have went to the right school after all..." He turned his head as he watched the open portal. "I think we've found our perfect...candidate."
"Really? You still want that..." Ms. Saffron whispered softly. Staring at the chalkboard for a moment, she moved in closer, holding her hands and arms to herself. She was still in a state of shock of seeing the open portal this quickly. "You are sure about this?"
"As sure as ever." Mr. Cosmo spoke with confidence. "Now..." His voice remained quiet, nothing more than a mere whisper, as he barked out the order, "Inform our ally of the news."
Ms. Saffron gasped at this, her eyes widening as her hand moved to her mouth. "This soon? But sir..."
Mr. Cosmo swerved his head in her direction, cutting her off. "I know he's already had his work cut out for him. But still, be a dear and tell him." He slowly turned his head as he looked at the portal. His frown remained on his face for a few moments before a darkened smile spread along his face. "Things are about to get very...interesting."
Ms. Saffron hesitated for a moment. Then she turned and walked away.
