Rudy kept on running. He didn't know where he was going, or how long he had been doing this. He hardly remembered bursting through the doors. He hardly remembered the faint words of his mother when she tried to stop him. All he could think about was propelling himself forward, his eyes focused only on what was in front of him.

He became aware of blurs of green and grey as he ran along the sidewalk. He was vaguely aware of dodging around the neighborhood kids, ignoring their cries of confusion. He continued down the street, not bothering to make a turn, not even when there was a chance to. He ran out into the streets, crossing them, without looking both ways. He heard a loud beeping sound as he ran in front of a car, which barely stopped in time for him. Yet this did little to slow him down.

He soon to a stop at long last. Up ahead of him stood a large tree. It grew pretty close to the sidewalk, nearly tearing into it. He slammed himself against it. The loud thud radiated through his body, although this wasn't enough to subside the emotional pain that wracked through his head. Pressing himself against the tree, he found his body sliding down, trembling in fear and shock and pain. He was not able to stop the tears from flowing.

He couldn't believe that his own father had struck him like that. He knew he was angry at him. He understood why. But...but how could he do this to his own son? How could he smack him like that?

Maybe he was overreacting like this. Maybe he was being childish. Maybe he should take this in stride and go back. Maybe running off like this was a stupid idea. He had done this before and he had worried his mother to death, who had ended up calling all the neighbors to find him. After the scare with disappearing today, he didn't want to subject her to that. And as much as he was angry and fearful towards his dad...he didn't want to wish that upon him either.

But at the moment, his legs felt like jello. He didn't think he'd be able to get back home like this. The emotion whipped through him and prevented him from doing anything. All he could do was lay there and let himself cry. Perhaps..this was for the best. Let out his emotion now so he could better confront his father later. With this resolve, he pressed his cheek against the tree and let himself cry.

He was not aware of the two figures who were coming towards him. He did not see the glints in their eyes. He did not see the shadows moving over him. He was unaware of it until it was already too late.

A loud thud, a tight grasping of his throat, a slam against the hard surface of the tree. This was enough to jolt Rudy out of his current state, new fear washing over him as he opened his eyes and saw the figures standing before him. It was hard to tell as they stood in front of the light, which made them appear much darker, but he recognized who they were.

It was Bobby and Harvey.

"Wh-What are you..." Rudy started to say before Harvey, the one holding his throat, tightened his grasp.

"We want to ask you some questions..." Harvey spoke in a low, hissing voice.

Rudy took in a few breaths as he stared at the two boys in shock. His mind raced rapidly as he tried to make sense of this. Despite neither of the boys looking particularly angry, he could feel his gut twisting in nervousness. How did they manage to find him so fast? And why did they want to talk to him? Did this have anything to do with what happened at the school?

Yes, it had to be that. The thought made him clench his teeth. Had what Reggie said got through to them? Were they merely curious? Did they believe the words that Reggie had spewed out? Whatever the reason, it still resulted in his heart pounding against his chest.

Nonetheless, he still managed to squeak out a question. "What did you want to know?"

Harvey paused for a moment, and turned his head left and right, as if to make sure no one else could see him. Bobby, too, looked around, likely as a way to ensure that they would be alone. Harvey leaned in towards Rudy, his eyes furrowed in curiosity, his head turning to one side. He hissed out, "What was Reggie said true...? About that light...?"

Rudy knew this would be what they'd ask. Despite the anticipation, he still found it difficult to answer him properly. All he could do was choke out one word. "I..." Then it devolved into stammering and gibberish.

Bobby narrowed his eyes at this. "So you do know..."

"Tell us what you know." Harvey said, his voice a little firm.

"I...already told you guys what we knew." Rudy told them. He grabbed onto Harvey's hand and started to push back. "Now please let me go. I need to go back home now. I..."

Harvey tightened his grip. Bobby helped him by grabbing onto one of Rudy's arms and pressing it firmly against the bark. This made it even harder for Rudy to push back against them. Bobby looked up at him and said, "Don't make this harder on yourself. We just want to know what the big deal of this place is. We can all return to our business quicker if you just cooperate."

Rudy gritted his teeth as he stared at the two boys. He realized in that moment he was not going to be able to get them to listen to him and make them release him. They looked determined to find out more about what he and Penny were doing. It was clear that they were no longer convinced that they did nothing. They appeared to have no intentions on letting him go unless he told them what they wanted.

But how was he going to be able to do that without jeoparding ChalkZone? It was already in enough danger as it was with that memotrice running around. If he told these kids about it, all he would be doing was introducing even more threats to it. Something else for the zoners to worry about. Considering Biclops's recent corruption, this would only add to the memotrice's attempts, making things even harder for him and Penny.

But he wouldn't be able to do anything unless he figured out a way out of here. What could he tell these two that would satisfy them? How could he make them let go of him and let him be on his way? He didn't know what the answer was going to be. But he'd have to think of something fast. Otherwise, he was trapped.

sss

"I do hope you feel proud of yourself, young lady." Mrs. Sanchez hissed softly as she picked up the chalkboard. "I am very disappointed in you."

Penny flinched at this and lowered her head. She was silent for a few moments. Then she said, "I know. I'm sorry, mother."

Mrs. Sanchez softened up her expression. She looked down at her daughter sadly. She did come to realize that she and Rudy didn't mean to worry them or cause trouble. That didn't make what they did right. But at least they seemed to understand what they did was wrong. That reduced the chances of them repeating this incident.

Still, they needed to be punished. She didn't know what Rudy's parents would do with him. She trusted that they would figure out a fair enough punishment. She imagined it would be similar to what she was doing with Penny. Taking away the chalkboard. Their children both loved their chalkboards and they used it often. It seemed like the perfect thing to go after in order to teach a valuable lesson. Penny was clearly upset by it, but she did not try to protest and had, even if reluctantly, accepted it.

If that is what Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie did with Rudy, she wondered if he would react the same way, or in a more negative manner. Based on what she had known about the boy, he might take it immaturely at first, but learn to swallow it later on. She remembered his behavior at the Christmas party they had a couple months ago. She had arrived late, but they did tell her some of the things that happened, including Rudy's bratty behavior initially and how he warmed up later on. Yeah, that's probably what happened.

She turned her attention back to Penny. Her daughter still hung her head low, her eyes likely shut. Mrs. Sanchez bit her lip. She set the chalkboard down and she moved towards the little girl. She lowered herself down, pressing a knee against the ground. She reached over and she placed a hand against her shoulder. This prompted Penny to look up at her. For a few moments, they just stared at each other, neither saying a word.

Soon Mrs. Sanchez reached out with her other hand and gripped her other shoulder. "Penita..." She gently pulled her closer to her, staring at her in the eyes. "You do know I love you, right?"

Penny nodded her head slowly. "Yes, mama."

"And you know I'm just doing this because I love you..." Mrs. Sanchez moved her head closer to Penny. She pressed her forehead against her. "Am I right?"

"Yes. I understand." Penny said softly. She bent her head down even lower. She then leaned in forward, pressing her head against her mother's chest. "I love you too, mama."

Mrs. Sanchez felt warmth spread through her chest. She wrapped her arms around her daughter and pulled her close. In that moment, the anger she felt towards her actions faded away, and now she could only feel gratefulness that her daughter was still around. She held this posture for several moments before she pulled away and continued smiling down at her daughter.

Before any of them could say another word, she felt a rumbling in her pants. She straightened herself up and pulled out her phone. She noticed that it was the Tabooties. She immediately flipped the phone open and she spoke into it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, is Rudy there?" It was Mrs. Tabootie.

At this, Mrs. Sanchez immediately frowned. She looked down at her daughter, who stared up at her in confusion, wondering what was happening. Mrs. Sanchez kept silent for a few seconds, wondering why Mrs. Tabootie was calling her about Rudy. "N-No..." She finally answered. "Why?"

"Because he's...he's not home..."

At this, Mrs. Sanchez felt her gut twist in a knot. Her eyes widened and it was hard for her to hide her look of shock from Penny. She could hear her daughter asking her what was going on. She could feel her tug at her arm, try to listen in. Mrs. Sanchez had to hold out her arm and push her away just so she could continue the conversation with Mrs. Tabootie.

Her mind reeled at this information. What a terrible thing to happen right after they got their child back. What had happened when they got home? What ahd transpired that resulted in Rudy not being there? She tried to keep herself calm and reasonable. Maybe he just went outside to play or something and... No, he wouldn't do that. Not after he had scared his parents like that. They wouldn't let him out of their sight. So what...

"His father hit him." Mrs. Tabootie's voice was slightly bitter at this. Mrs. Sanchez gasped, placing a hand against her mouth. "He didn't mean to, but..." An exasperated sigh. A low growl. "..it still caused Rudy to take off. I thought he would have headed down to your place to see Penny."

Mrs. Sanchez was tempted to ask what caused Mr. Tabootie to snap at his son like that. After all, he had never done anything like that. At least not during the time she and Penny had moved in here. But she resisted the urge to ask; that wasn't really important right now. Wanting to move things along, she asked, "How long ago was this?"

A pause. "I'd say about half an hour ago. I know that's not long, but my little boy just rushed out, not looking, not stopping... He had done this before..."

Mrs. Sanchez blinked. "He did?"

If she could see her, she was certain she would have seen the large woman nodding her head. "When he got upset when his father and I weren't taking him with us on our honeymoon. He got upset and left and he didn't come home for hours. I was so worried about him..." A small sniffle. "I just..hope he's okay."

Mrs. Sanchez couldn't believe she had forgotten about that incident. She had been among the first people called. Not wanting to dwell on past events, she tried to think of a solution. She hadn't seen Rudy, but perhaps she could make an offer that would help her friend feel better. "I can go out and look for him. Maybe he's almost here?"

"Could you do that?" Mrs. Tabootie asked, sounding hopeful. "Please...I would appreciate it."

"Will do." Mrs. Sanchez was about to say goodbye, but she needed to do one more thing. "Did you call the police?"

"I will do that now. Thanks." Mrs. Tabootie said. "...goodbye."

Although reluctant, Mrs. Sanchez brought herself to hang up. She stared at her cellphone in silence for a few moments, her rushing mind trying to make sense of the whole thing. She had been hoping that it was all over and they could begin to recover. But it seemed that fate had other ideas. She bit her lip. She hoped that Rudy didn't do anything too extreme, like run into town by himself or anything.

If he wasn't heading here, then where else could he go? He didn't really hang out with many other children aside from Penny. On occasion, yeah, but mostly Penny. So it did make sense that he'd come here. But if he didn't, then they'd have to look elsewhere. But where else could he go?

She looked down at Penny. She could see that she was still staring at her, eagerly waiting to know what happened, her eyes wide in confusion and uncertainty. She might know where else Rudy could have gone. Surely Rudy would have confided in her the places he'd like to be. Maybe she'd even know his secret hideout he disappeared to for hours during the day. That must be where Rudy had gone to, especially if he was too angry and upset to see his parents for a while. She had no idea if Penny knew or not, but...there was only one way to find out.

"Penny..." She said in a gentle voice. "Do you know where Rudy goes to when he's upset?"

Penny's eyes widened at this. "Why...? What happened?"

Mrs. Sanchez bit her lip. She hesitated for a moment. She soon brought herself to speak. "Rudy...ran off."

Penny gasped at this. "What...?" She took a few steps back. "Wh-Why would he do that...?"

"His father got mad at him and hit him." Mrs. Sanchez made to attempt to hide that bit of information. "He's sorry about it, but I guess he couldn't apologize in time and Rudy just ran off." She closed her eyes and her voice took a solemn tone. "His mother was hoping that he was here."

Penny stared at her mother in shock. She lowered her head. "Oh Rudy..."

Mrs. Sanchez gripped her daughter's shoulders gently. She stared at her in the eyes, locking onto them. She paused for a couple of moments before she attempted to speak. "If you know anything... Any place he might have gone... Please, tell me."

Penny stared at her in silence, her eyes wide, her mouth open. They remained this way for a while, just looking at one another. Penny looked uncertain, unsure of how to answer. She looked left and right, clenching her teeth tightly. It looked almost as though she was debating internally of what to say. As if she was going to betray her best friend if she said too much. Mrs. Sanchez kept silent and waited for her daughter to speak.

Mrs. Sanchez hoped that her daughter would choose to do the right thing. Even if Rudy made her promise not to tell, sometimes secrets had to be exposed. Especially during times like this, when trouble as at hand. Rudy might have gotten himself into more danger. The sooner they find him, the better. His safety was more important than some secret.

And she knew Penny was aware of that as well. Penny would not keep a secret if keeping that secret potentially meant more harm being placed against her and those she cared about.

It took Penny a long while to answer, but at last she spoke. "Let's just go find Rudy..."

Mrs. Sanchez widened her eyes at this. She felt a small pang of disappointment. She looked down at her daughter, watching as she wriggled herself free and began to head towards the door. "Penita... you didn't answer my question."

Penny looked over at her. She looked a little regretful, sucking on her lip. But she did not look like she was going to answer her question any time soon. "Let's skip the questions and find Rudy. That's what's important right now."

Mrs. Sanchez couldn't argue with that. It was true that they were going to waste time if they continued to stand here and talk. But the question she was asking her daughter wasn't one such waste. It was a crucial piece of evidence that would help them find Rudy. Just rushing out there wasn't going to solve anything and might make things worse. They needed a plan. A location to go in. An idea of where to look.

But she didn't want to waste time trying to convince Penny to tell her. Right now, finding Rudy was of the utmost importance. She decided not to argue with Penny and simply nodded her head. She followed her daughter close behind as they headed down the stairs.

sss

There it was. Up ahead. His target. He kept his eyes focused on it, not daring to look away. Although it looked small and insignificant, he knew there was much more to it than met the eye. Only the untrained would see it as worthless. But he...he could see a lot more than just a simple piece of chalk held between that space.

He saw opportunity.

Beside him, he was not alone. He looked left and right, noting the other participants. He watched as their large butts hung highly in the air, their goofy faces narrowed in determination, an act that was hard to take seriously with those beady eyes and strange, unusual smiles. They, too, were eyeing this object, all looking equally determined to grab a hold of it. He tried his best to ignore them as he turned to stare at the piece of chalk, his own eyes narrowing into slits. He hunched his back and prepared to run.

He could hear the loud bang. He immediately bolted forward. The others around him also took off, using the air to their advantage. It took only seconds for them to gain ahead of him. He watched as they zipped down towards the chalk, their puffy arms moved foward so they could grab the item. He narrowed his eyes at this. No way he was going to lose to them.

He pushed himself to go faster. He pounded his feet against the ground. He could feel his chest setting on fire, jaws open and panting. He flinched as he hit his foot against something. One of the others that didn't get off the ground. He managed to ignore the hapin as he moved himself as quickly as he could, his eyes focusing on the target straight ahead. But no matter how hard he pumped his arms, no matter how fast he launched his feet from the ground, into the air, and back again, he knew he was not going to be able to keep up with them, let alone get ahead of them to get to the chalk.

He needed a plan. He needed to think his way out of this. As he kept running, he scanned the land for anything he could use. Something, anything at all. He soon saw what appeared to be a long, bent log that went upwards, to a cliff overhead. That's it. It was risky, but he knew what he could do.

He headed towards that way, veering off from the others. The competitors didn't really seem to notice his change of direction, let alone question it. They were more focused on the task at hand, zipping in a straight line to get to the chalk. He used this to his advantage as he began to climb up the log.

It was slippery and kind of wet. But it also had plenty of grooves and hooks and branches and stubs sticking out to act as footholds. He gripped onto the log tightly and shimmied his way up. He pressed his feet against the holds, keeping himself from falling down. He slipped a few times, and he winced as the wood scraped against his underside. But he managed to prevent himself from falling down and he continued on his way up. After a few moments he managed to reach the top and now he was on the cliff.

He immediately rushed over towards the edge and he looked down. He could see his flying competitors not far. They were just about completely passed underneath. They were gaining speed, getting ever closer to the target. He narrowed his eyes further, still determined to get there first. And he knew of one way to do it. A tricky, almost suicidal way. But if he timed it right, it should work. He tightened his leg muscles, looked down, and waited for the right moment. And when it came, he launched himself.

Down he fell, feeling the rush of air all around him. He tried his best not to let fear get a hold of him. He pushed that aside the best he could, his eyes focusing on his intended target below. He stretched his arms outward at his sides, clenching his teeth in determination. Soon he landed on the back of one of his competitors, the impact causing the competitor to weaken and lower towards the ground.

"Hey!"

He ignored the call as he grabbed onto the competitor's ears. He held onto them tightly and then yanked them back. The competitor let out a screech and pulled his head back, trying to grab onto him. His arms could not reach him, no matter how hard he tried. He took full advantage of this, then, holding on even tighter, he pushed forward.

This act caused the competitor to dive downwards. The increased pain in the ears made him move even faster, a vain attempt to get away. He slammed against the others in the process, dodging left and right, his eyes sometimes shut, sometimes widened. The passenger did not relent; he continued squeezing and twisting the ears roughly, forcing the competitor to scream and try to move faster to get away. He could practically hear his heart pounding despite riding on his back.

Soon they were gaining towards the front. He narrowed his eyes in determination. Just a little longer and they would be able to get past the others. He leaned himself forward, pressing his stomach and chest against the back of the competitor's head. He ignored the pain of the hard cap tip against his belly as he struggled to get a good look at the situation ahead of him. He looked out at the landscape, turning his head from side to side. The back of his mind rapidly calculated the distance of the two, and he soon leaned towards the one on the right, which was closer.

Another hard yank, another yelp of pain, and the flying competitor charged even faster, still trying so hard to get away. He didn't know if he even cared of the target at this point. But it didn't matter. So long as he kept heading in this direction, it would work out in the end.

He waited until they got closer, and he soon released his grip on his ears. He stood up on his back, stretching out his hands and arms to keep himself from falling down. He wobbled slightly, but before the competitor could regain his senses and try to knock him off, he leapt off of him and landed on the one in front.

"Ouch!" Cried this new competitor. "Get off!"

He did just that. But not right away. He first grabbed onto one ear and yanked it, prompting him to fly to the side in an attempt to alleviate the pain spreading through half of his face. This act allowed the passenger to get close enough to the other competitor. He paused and looked over and saw that they were getting ever closer to the object at hand. He had to act quickly.

Off he went, just in time to feel a rush of something behind him. He realized that the competitor had tried to grab onto his leg. He tried to brush off how lucky he was and focus on the task at hand. He glared out ahead at his target, spreading out his arms. The target looked up at him and widened his eyes. But it was too late to react. He collided with him and the two spun in the air for a few seconds before some ear pulling prompted the flyer to keep moving forward quickly.

They were so close now. The passenger didn't need to stay on for very long. A good thing, too. The one he was standing on looked ready to tear into him. He knew jumping off was going to be tricky, so he would have to do it fast. He waited until they were practically on top of the chalk. He waited until they were close enough he could reach it by a mere leap. Only then did he made his move.

He placed his hands over the competitor's eyes, temporarily blinding him. The head jerked from side to side. But it wasn't enough to knock him off. Steadying himself, he leapt into the air, kicking his feet off against him. The forced caused the flying competitor to be knocked back, letting out a grunt. The former passenger was now flying down towards the piece of chalk. Or rather, falling towards it. He did not pay attention to the fast growing ground nor did he worry about how much it was going to hurt when he impacted. Right now, all he cared about was getting that chalk.

But just getting there didn't mean that it was over just yet. There was still a little more.

He had landed right in front of the contraption he spotted before. Tall, human-like in shape, holding the piece of chalk tightly. The eyes glowed green. A normally comforting color, but here it made him clench his teeth in fear and anger. The contraption raised the chalk up as if to strike, but instead a small glow eminated from a small cannon-like stucture underneath its wrist.

It was quite easy to dodge the attack at first. The blast came in slowly, without much pressure, and it didn't seem like it could move well. But then suddenly it spun itself around and struck him harder. He let out a cry as he was tossed back. He didn't allow this to deter him for long. He got up to his feet, determined to keep himself moving forward. He dashed back at the contraption, this time, running around it to avoid getting struck by the blast of energy.

For the next several moments, he used his speed and agility to his advantage, keeping himself balanced with his arms stretched out. He danced around the contraption, his eyes glued to the item. If he didn't act soon, one of the others was going to take it. He couldn't allow for that to happen. He gritted his teeth, nearly biting his tongue in the process. He watched as the contraption raised up its free arm and struck out at him. He dodged, whipping himself around to behind it, and then he struck out with a foot, banging it against one of the metal poles that worked as its leg. He managed to dislodge it.

With the contraption falling forward, he took advantage of this. He grabbed onto the limb that held the chalk. He got a hold of it and he wrenched it free. He then jumped back. Before the contraption could turn around to get him, or even to take another shot, he raised his foot up and he kicked forward. The force of the impact was enough to break the leg further, causing the contraption to fall forward, the break sparking a little.

With the chalk in hand, he rushed forward and stepped into a circular pattern on the ground, its edges glowing brightly. He stood there firmly, holding up the chalk as proof of what he had accomplished. The other competitors stared at him in shock, not one of them speaking a word. Not even a congratulations.

But he didn't care. For now, this was his moment. He had accomplished this. He was going to enjoy this few seconds.

Before he knew it, the circle around him shined more brightly as something from above was pointed down at him. Everything else darkened up, making it look almost like night time. He looked left and right as he watched the light fading away from everywhere except the spot that he stood on. It soon became as though he was in the spotlight on a show.

"Well well well... Congratulations, Snap." A voice boomed through. "I didn't know you could do it."

At this, everything around began to fade away, melting like it were being held near something really hot. This revealed the true landscape, the virtual room owned by Skrawl. Snap watched in curiosity as the room, which was smaller than it had appeared to be before with the hologram on, lit up.

High above him, he could see Skrawl standing there, positioned in front of the controls. He was smiling down at him in approval, his claw raised above the controls, likely there from when he had shut off the simulated environment. Even the contraption from before was gone; only the piece of chalk remained with him as proof of his accomplishment. Snap did not say a word and he merely bowed in Skrawl's direction.

"Yes...You will do just fine." Skrawl said with a smile. "You really are quite talented. Thoughtless was right to have recruited you. This might be just the first test, but you still managed to beat my Beanie Boys on your first try. You are quite a clever little zoner, aren't you?"

Snap turned his head to stare at the Beanie Boys. A couple of them, the ones he had ridden, were rubbing their heads. They glared at him softly, clearly annoyed by what he did. None of them appeared happy that he had shown them up. He responded to this with a smile, raising his head up in a haughty manner. He folded his arms against his chest, his hand still holding onto the piece of chalk. He smirkd smugly at the Beanie Boys before he looked up at Skrawl.

"Why thank you." Snap said, puffing up his chest in pride. "I told you I could handle it."

Skrawl nodded his head. "That you did." His smile spread wider. "Congratulations."

Snap felt a warm swell in his chest as he heard his savior and new partner say that. It made him feel even more proud of what he had accomplished. He knew that if he kept this up, he would be the favorite among his ranks. He would outrank all those stupid Beanie Boys. He was a better fit to be Skrawl's parter than any of them. He would prove it too. He'd prove it by helping Skrawl take down the ones that had been a thorn in his side for so long.

Rudy and Penny.

The thought of them made his gut burn and twist, making him feel sick. The contraption he had faced before was a sort of model of Rudy. It was way too imperfect and did not account for everything. But after some adjustments due to his advice, it would soon be a perfect replica. It would be used by him, and by the others of course, to prepare for a physical fight with Rudy if it came to that. There was no telling how the fight might go. Best be prepared.

Not only that, but it would serve as a good outlet. He had buried that horrible memory inside of him for too long. Okay so it wasn't as long as it could have been. But he had allowed the feelings to accumulate overtime. He could feel his body shake with adrenaline. He could feel eagerness to sweep through him. He wanted to get back at those two for betraying him. He wanted to lunge on Rudy's back and tear off his face. He wanted to beat him to a pulp. He wanted to make him cry and plead for mercy.

But such a time wouldn't come soon. He had no idea when the boy would dare try to sneak back into ChalkZone. So he would need an alternative. He could not use the Beanie Boys for it. Not unless he wanted to get on Skrawl's bad side, which he did not want to do, nor did he dare want to use that memotrice. However, that contraption that was used for the simulation... That had worked out just fine.

He could remember how good it felt to strike it. To slam himself against it, his foot, watching as it toppled down... It felt so gratifying. It might have been metal instead of flesh, but it did well enough. He could easily picture Rudy's face. So scared and horrified... Snap smirked at the thought. He couldn't wait for the real deal.

Sooner or later, he would make them pay for what they did. They had hurt him badly. He would get back at them. He would shed their blood. He would make them scream and plead and beg for mercy. He knew exactly how he was going to deal with them when it was time for him to make his move.

But for now, he continued his training.

sss

"Look, I'd love to tell you more, but there really isn't anything else to say." Rudy said as he stared at the two boys before him. "I know you must think something was going on, but really, it was nothing that big. Reggie was overreacting."

The two boys glared at him softly. Neither of them looked entirely convinced. Their expressions alone were enough to tell him that they intended on remaining here until he told them what they wanted.

Rudy couldn't help but sigh at this. He didn't know what else he could say to make these two listen to him. He wasn't worried about getting beaten up by them a second time. They were reluctant to do anything serious, and he doubted they would even try after what happened earlier. However, they were still getting in his way and they refused to move. He needed to get back home before his parents call the police again.

Which, in hindsight, they might have already done. He felt more guilt twisting up inside of him. He should have known better than to just run off like that. He immediately regretted doing so. He never wanted to worry his parents even further. But before he could even get back, he needed to figure out a way to get away from these two.

"Come on, Harvey... Bobby... You know me better than this. Why would I hide anything?" Rudy asked them, giving a soft smile.

Bobby shrugged his shoulders. "We aren't sure. Why do you think we're asking?"

"I know you and Reggie are well acquainted. But he 'hangs out' with us more than you." Harvey narrowed his eyes slightly. "We know him better than you. We know what he gets paranoid over and what he doesn't. For him to be so convinced of this... There has to be a reason." Harvey leaned in closer. "We know you are hiding something. It is better that you just tell us. We don't want to keep you here all day."

"Then just let me go." Rudy said, raising his hand up in gesture. "You will gain nothing by keeping me here. I have nothing more I can tell you."

Harvey shook his head. "You really are stubborn." He paused for a moment, and tilted his head slightly to one side. "Then again, so are we."

Bobby nodded his head in affirmation. "How do you think we can handle being around Reggie all the time?" He folded his arms against himself. "It requires a certain...personality type to handle him."

Rudy growled softly at this. He certainly wouldn't deny that fact, but it was going to make things tougher for him. If they were as stubborn as they claimed they were, then no lie he could drum up was going to make them let go. They would see right through his attempts and keep holding onto him until he relented the information. He could simply wait for an adult to come by to make them let go. But this would only last a short time. They would simply come back for him at a later date.

What he needed was to tell them something that would satisfy them enough to let him go. If he satisfied what they wanted now, they wouldn't come back for him another time. They'd leave him alone. But how would he figure out an answer that would please them? What could he say to make them let him go?

Or, perhaps, there was another option. There were times when honestly was not the best policy. Sometimes lies needed to be spoken in order to protect something or somebody. This was something that he and Penny needed to do for ChalkZone. But perhaps this time around, he could go for something completely different. Something that he never tried before. Something that was incredibly dangerous and risky, but may just be good enough to keep these two from actually finding out about ChalkZone.

He told the truth.

Rudy sighed and lifted up his head. He gave them the most dead serious look he could muster. "Okay, if you really want to know, the light that Reggie saw was a portal into another world. This world is made of chalk and all sorts of drawings live in there. Anything erased ends up here. They are called zoners."

Bobby and Harvey stared at him with wide eyes. They remained in shocked silence as Rudy continued speaking.

"There are all kinds of zoners in that world and all kinds of creations. A talking jellybean bent on world domination. Areas that are always day or night. Many suns and moons. Plants that die in contact with the light. Zoners that can take off their heads. Zoners that can show you television in their eyes. A large runny nose for an attraction. Walking smiley faces." Rudy gave a small chuckle at this. "And that doesn't even scratch the surface."

The two boys frowned slightly at him in confusion. They glanced at one another, many questions running through their heads. They looked back at Rudy, looking at him up and down, looking for any sign of him lying. Rudy continued to stare at them with a serious expression.

Bobby breathed out, "You're kidding, right...?"

Rudy shook his head. "Nope! One time..." He motioned with his hand. "I met this huge chinese dragon that needed wings, so I drew large butterfly wings on him. He was so happy he stopped destroying the city and flew off."

At this, silence fell upon the area. The two boys stared at him, blinking a few times. Rudy looked back at them in silence, doing nothing to indicate he was joking. Not even a smile graced upon his face. He believed he had spoken enough. Now all he had to do was wait and see how they would react.

Bobby and Harvey had never looked so confused before in however long he had known them. He had never seen them make these sorts of faces before. Their expressions were like a cross between perplexion and almost horror. As if they never thought he would say something like this to them. Neither did Rudy. He just hoped that this risk taking was going to pay off. He knew the horrible consequences if he ended up making a huge mistake here.

At long last, after what felt like many minutes, Bobby and Harvey did something other than stare at him. Bobby took a few steps back, raising his hands up as if he thought Rudy was something dangerous. Harvey's own grip loosened up, his eyes widening for a few seconds before they returned to that confused frown. His lip curled back into a partial snarl and he shook his head slowly.

"I never thought you would be a loonatic, Rudy." Harvey said softly. He let go of the boy and took a few steps back. "I'm not sure if I'm that curious anymore about what you were really doing."

Bobby leaned in towards Harvey and spoke sideways, "Anyone who can say those things with a straight face has something seriously wrong with them."

Rudy did not say a word to that, despite how it stung him. He had enough problems with bullies; he didn't need to worry about a whole new reason for him to get targeted. But he kept the straight face, remaining silent. He didn't want to do anything that would lead Harvey or Bobby to think that he was hiding something. If he did so much as chuckle, that might give them reason to think that he was lying, and they might keep him here long for further interrogation. So he remained there in silence and waited.

"Yeah, uh... I think we're just...going to go..." Harvey managed to say, pointing down to one of the streets. "We...we are late for an appointment anyway."

Bobby looked up at him in confusion. "We are?" Harvey elbowed him. "Ow! Er, I mean...yes..." He raised a pointer finger up and smiled. "We are so, so late.. We're sorry we have to cut this short."

The two boys began to back away slowly from Rudy. He simply watched as they stared to leave him. He did not try to run. He instead gave them a fake perplexed look and he motioned with his hand for them to come back. This prompted the boys to shake their hands and move their hands from side to side.

"You can just...go back to what you were doing." Bobby told him. "We will see you later."

Harvey nodded. "Yeah.. So have fun with that..chalk world thing you spoke to us about.."

"Yeah." Bobby agreed. "Don't let us stop you!"

"Are you sure?" Rudy called out, placing his hands out forward, at his sides. "I could show you guys if you want to!"

"Uh, no thanks!" Harvey called out. Bobby grinned nervously, his head looking over as if looking for an escape route. "You can...do that on your own, yes. Don't worry about us! We're just..." He turned his head and looked at Bobby. "Lets get out of here before he tries to invite us to a whiteboard world as well...!"

Rudy watched as the two boys turned around and immediately sprinted away. They looked back at him and he waved, prompting them to move faster. Harvey and Bobby didn't bother looking back another time and focused all their energy on just running and getting away from him. It was only after they disappeared completely that Rudy smirked.

This worked out better than he had expected. They both thought he was so crazy and luny that they had lost all interest in that light Reggie had seen. They must think that he and Penny were doing something quite crazy. And many people preferred to leave the crazy ones alone. Rather than try to prompt him to tell more, they just wrote him off as nuts and ran. This might all come back to bite him later. Unexpected consequences and all. But for now, at least he was free. He will worry about problems later.

Besides, if they were that sure that he was crazy, then it wasn't like they were going to actually search for evidence of it being true, right?

Of course, he would need to make sure that he didn't do something this crazy again. This tactic would not work on everyone. It only worked on Harvey and Bobby because they already thought he was nuts. If he tried this with someone like, say, Terry or Vinnie, they would take him more seriously and he may end up making things worse for ChalkZone. At least here, only Harvey and Bobby heard it. He shuddered to think what might happen if one of those two creepazoids heard his little speech.

He shrugged it off. Perhaps now was a good time to start heading home. His parents would be worried sick about him. He was still hurt by what his dad had done, but his frustration and near-scare with Harvey and Bobby and ChalkZone made him forget about that. Besides, he knew his dad would never hurt him on purpose. He probably felt horrible right now. He needed to help fix this before their relationship got any worse.

He didn't get too far when he heard someone shouting for him. He raised his head up and looked left and right, trying to find the source of it. He turned his head to the street he had just run down on, and he could see a couple figures in the distance. They weren't Harvey or Bobby. They looked like...

"Penny? Mrs. Sanchez?" Rudy called out as he took a few steps forward. He watched as the two females approached him quickly. "What are you...?"

He didn't get a chance to finish when Penny, despite her injuries, ran close to him and wrapped her arms around him. Rudy grunted in pain as his injuries were slightly irritated. It was a wonder Harvey and Bobby didn't do this earlier.

"Penny...?" Rudy managed to say in his state of shock.

"Oh Rudy... I'm just so glad you're okay!" Penny told him as she held him close. "We...we found out what happened and..."

Rudy's eyes widened. "You did..?"

"Yes." Rudy looked up at Mrs. Sanchez as the woman walked towards him. "Your mother called and told us. They even called the police to try to find you." Rudy lowered his head in guilt at this. Mrs. Sanchez placed herself onto one knee and grabbed his shoulder gently. "Come on. Let's get you home. Your parents are so worried about you."

Rudy nodded his head, not bothering to reply. Penny released him, much to his relief. They began to head down the sidewalk. Mrs. Sanchez stood behind them while Penny walked alongside Rudy. She continued to stare at him in sympathy as they walked. Rudy hung his head, feeling guilt wash over him.

He hoped that his parents were okay. He hoped that they would be able to forgive him for scaring them like that for what must have been the third time in a row. He got beat up and he got in trouble with the school, and now he ran off. What kind of son was he? What kind of immature brat was he becoming? He needed to fix this. He needed to reassure his parents that nothing like this was going to happen again. And as soon as he got home, he would fulfill that promise.

sss

"I'm so sorry, mom...dad...I-I didn't mean to..." Rudy whispered softly as he pressed himself further into his mother's arms. "I didn't mean to scare you..."

"Oh Rudy, it's all right." His mom said gently. Her hand moved up and down his back in an attempt to comfort him. "Shh...it's all okay now..."

Mr. Tabootie watched in silence as his son and wife hugged each other. He hadn't said anything to Rudy yet, or even tried to move towards him. All he could do was stare at him sadly, biting his lip. He still felt tremendous guilt for what he had done. He couldn't bring himself to do anything except watch as the scene before him played out.

It was his fault this happened. He was the one who lost his temper. He was the one who hit his own son, despite the fact that he was injured previously. Oh gawd... how could he have lost control of himself like that...? Rudy was already in pain and he... He could only hope that Rudy would forgive him for being an idiot. But he would understand if Rudy couldn't do it. He did really screw up this time after all.

Even if Rudy was somehow not angry at him, there was still his wife. She was not exactly happy with him, and he couldn't blame her. It wasn't like during the whole honeymoon thing. He hadn't actually struck Rudy that time. He left on his own, due to his own anger.

But time, he had hurt Rudy. Not intentionally so, but he still did it. There would be a lot more healing to do than just telling him he was sorry. He never hit him before. This was something none of them had experienced as family. But despite the difficulties, he was still willing to do whatever it took to mend what he had done. He owed it to them, as a father and a husband, to help set things right.

At first, he remained frozen where he was. He still felt unsure about moving forward. A part of him didn't want to mess this up. He didn't want to do something stupid that would cause Rudy to feel worse. He had already hurt him enough. He didn't need anything else added on top of that. But... he couldn't just stand there. His family needed him right now, and he needed them. With that resolve, he took in a deep breath and he moved forward.

He stopped when his wife looked over at him. She gave him a somewhat stern look. He lowered his head and looked away in shame. She was still made at him. Why shouldn't she be? He was the reason their son ran away. He was the one who struck their son while he was already injured. He was the idiot. He had...

He was confused when he saw that his wife was motioning towards him. He looked at her hand, seeing how it indicated for him to come closer. He leveled his gaze with her, looking into her eyes to see if he was just seeing things. The stern look from before was gone, now replaced with a look of sympathy, a small, sad smile spread over her face. Mr. Tabootie stared at this for a few moments, wondering what to do. Then, not wanting to waste this chance, he licked his lips and he moved over towards her and Rudy. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around his wife and son, joining in the embrace.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like this. He didn't know how much time had passed. But he didn't care. He just held onto his family. He let a few tears of remorse move down his cheeks. He felt his chest sting as he remembered how he had treated Rudy earlier. He clinched his eyes shut tightly, taking in a few shaky breaths.

But here, trapped in the warmth of his wife and son, he did start to feel a little better. He could feel his sadness start to melt away, especially when he felt his son place an arm around him, gripping him as tightly as he could. Mr. Tabootie felt the corner of his mouth curl up into a small smile. This prompted him to hug his wife and son a little more tightly and snugly. They stayed like this for a good long while before they finally broke apart.

Mr. Tabootie looked down at Rudy. The boy met his gaze, and he could see how they were shining. He reached down and touched Rudy on the shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Rudy did cringe slightly as if he thought he was going to hit him again, but the boy quickly relaxed.

"Son... I'm... I'm so sorry... about what I did." Mr. Tabootie said quietly. "I-I didn't mean to do it. I just...lost control and I..." He lowered his head. "Oh Rudy... I'm so sorry."

"I know you are." Rudy said. Mr. Tabootie lifted up his head and looked at the boy. "I admit, I got carried away, too." Rudy shifted his gaze from side to side. "You're not the only one who lost control there. I'm sorry, dad. I didn't mean to scare you." He looked up at him, biting his lip. "I'm sorry, too."

Mr. Tabootie stared at this in surprise. He didn't expect Rudy to apologize. In his mind, he was the only one at fault. He should have been more careful. To hear Rudy apologize as well... It caused a few more tears to stroll down his face. "Rudy... you have nothing to be sorry for. You..."

"I was an idiot!" Rudy snapped. "I shouldn't have run off! I should have just accepted the punishment, but I went on and on and I provoked you and..."

Mr. Tabootie gripped Rudy's other shoulder and gave him a firm shake to snap him out of it. "No, Rudy. It was my fault." He placed a hand against his chest. "I should have controlled myself more. I hit you. I chased you away." He let out a sigh as he leaned in closer to Rudy. He planted a quick kiss on his forehead. "I hope you know that I love you very much. Let's...try to put this behind us, okay?"

Rudy stared at him for a few moments. Then, slowly, he smiled. The sight of this made Mr. Tabootie's chest warm up, stretching his mouth into a smile. Rudy suddenly leaned forward and wrapped his arms around him. "Oh dad... I love you..."

Mr. Tabootie didn't say a word. He kept his son pressed against himself in a hug. Next to him, Mrs. Tabootie watched and smiled for a few moments, allowing them to enjoy their father and son moment. Only after a while did she take a step forward and joined in the second family hug.

sss

"Rudy...are you sure about this? Remember what happened last time...?"

Rudy looked over at Penny. He knew that she meant well. But he knew that if they didn't take action now, the worse everything was going to get. They couldn't afford to go another day without going into ChalkZone. Not with what was going on there right now.

"Blocky and Rapsheeba will be wondering about us, Penny. And what of Snap?" Rudy felt his gut twist at the mention of that zoner's name. "He might still be alive. He might be their prisoner. We have to go in and rescue him."

Penny nodded her head. "Yes, I know, but Rudy..." She turned her head and looked towards the door. "What if your folks come up and wonder where you were?"

Rudy paused at this. He had already scared his parents three times recently. He didn't want to do something like that again. If he did, how much more damage would he do to their relationship? It was by shere luck that they were able to fix things the other day. Granted he still felt some soreness towards his dad. But at least it was over. And his dad even let him keep the portable chalkboard. Not that he had to, but he guessed his dad must have felt horrible for what he did.

This portable chalkboard was going to come in handy. Although quite small, he could fit through it if he wriggled himself around enough, and so could Penny. They could use it to get into ChalkZone. Although he understood her concerns, he just couldn't remain here and do nothing forever. It was time to take action.

"My dad will be gone all day. He's at work, remember?" Rudy told his friend. "And my mom will be downstairs all day doing cleaning. And your mom..." He pointed at Penny. "...won't be back until this afternoon to pick you up."

Penny nodded. "It was a good thing she let me spend the night."

"Yes it was." Wanting to move on, Rudy said, "We need to go in now, while we still have a chance. We can meet up with Rapsheeba and Blocky and see if they have any news. Then we can discuss a plan to figure out where Skrawl and the memotrice harding. Then we can save Snap."

"If he's still alive..." Penny said solemnly.

Rudy felt his heart clench at this. He knew it was very well possible that Snap was gone. He could feel a tear starting to form in his eyes. He struggled to push them back. No, he couldn't give into the sadness just yet. He narrowed his eyes in determination. There was still hope, still a chance that his friend was okay. "And for that 'if', we owe it to Snap to try."

Penny said, "Yes.. you are right, Rudy. You're absolutely right." As the seconds passed, all except for a tinge of doubt and worry faded away. She looked sternly at Rudy and she nodded her head. "Let's go."

With that, the two friends turned to the portable chalkboard. Whatever was going to happen. They knew one thing for certain.

They would stop Skrawl and this memotrice partner of his. No matter what it takes, no matter how long it took. They were going to stop them, and save ChalkZone.

sss

"Ah...you are ready now." Skrawl said with a smile.

"What? But he..." One of the Beanie Boys tried to say. A glare from Skrawl shut him up.

Skrawl turned his attention back down to Snap. "I had always seen you as nothing more than a nuisance for a while, Snap. But... you have changed my mind about you."

He began to walk towards Snap. The blue and white zoner stood in the center of the room. His posture was quite stiff, his eyes were narrowed, and he stared out into nothingness. He did nothing as Skrawl approached him, allowing him to look all around him and judge him, as if this was a normal, everyday affair.

Snap looked so cunning and intimidating like this. Even some of the Beanie Boys were looking at him with caution spread across their facial expressions. Skrawl had never thought he'd see Snap like this. This was certainly a welcome change from his usual behavior he had grown accustomed to over time. This Snap would certainly be much more useful. Especially considering that he had outperformed his Beanie Boys despite having little training beforehand. How impressive...

"You performed admirably in the tests. You showed skill, grace, and determination. You showed me that you aren't just some 'comical sidekick' as you had been called before." Skrawl said, his smile spreading. "No... you are so much more than that."

"It fills me with honor to hear you say that, master." Snap said as he bowed his head.

"I know it might be early now, but I really do think that you have earned this." Skrawl moved around in front of Snap. He reached forward, holding something in his hand. "This is for you. It is the mark that shows that you are one of my loyalists. An ally, and someone I can depend upon. A symbol of your utmost dedication to me."

Skrawl reached over and placed the small gold band around the zoner's wrist. This was supposed to go to one of the Beanie Boys after he ran rigorous testing. But he felt that Snap had done more to earn it than any of these Beanie Boys had. Most of these Beanie Boys had taken weeks to train. It took Snap only a day to rise up in the ranks and be his top performer. If that wasn't deserving of praise, he wasn't sure what else would be.

Plus this would be a good way to keep on Snap's good side. He knew all too well how dedication that was soured could be the biggest influence when it comes to allies turning against each other. So long as he gave a reason for Snap to want to keep working for him, he could prevent or at least delay the process. This would give him time to think of something to do to Snap should he begin to change loyalties somehow, in case Thoughtless's grip on him didn't last for long.

But for now, Snap was his.

He watched as Snap looked down at the golden band now around his wrist. He turned his arm around, examining it further. He then looked up at him, the look on his face indicating that he was waiting for him to continue. Skrawl did not disappoint.

"Congratulations, Snap." Skrawl said, his mouth twisting up into a grin. "You are now my second in command."

Although the Beanie Boys were not all happy about this, none of them dared to protest. As Snap turned around to look at them, each of the Beanie Boys immediately bowed to him. They lowered their heads and went down onto their knees. Snap looked all around and, slowly, he began to smile. It was clear that he fully accepted this new position.

(I hate to interrupt...)

Skrawl turned his head away to see Thoughtless approaching. Skrawl took a moment to look at Snap. The zoner was busy basking in the glory of the new position he had given him. He decided to leave him at that and he turned his attention back to the memotrice. "What did you need?" He asked.

(I wanted to inform you that Rudy and Penny are now back in ChalkZone.) The memotrice said.

At this, Snap immediately stopped what he was doing. His teeth clenched, he walked towards them, his fists clenched and his body posture clearly hostile. "Let me at them... I'll..."

Skrawl grabbed onto his arm and kept him from going any further. Skrawl shook his head. "I can see you're still working on your anger. Sorry, but you can't go after them yet."

Snap hissed at this. "I deserve this more than anyone..."

"Yes, I know." Skrawl nodded. "Just...wait, okay?" He looked over at the memotrice. "What would you recommend?"

Thoughtless raised a wing towards itself, scratching its beak thoughtfully. (Well, perhaps now, nothing. Let them start to piece the puzzle together. Let them get a few steps closer to uncovering what to do. We will just have to keep a good eye on them to see what their progress is.)

"I don't understand." Snap tilted his head to one side. "How is this going to help?"

"I'm with him." Skrawl said, frowning in confusion. "What do you propose this will do? Why not just focusing on how to keep them from getting far? Wouldn't that make more sense?"

(In some ways, yes. However, there is something you are leaving out.) Thoughtless stated, a twinkle developing in its eyes. (You see, nothing hurts more than to make all this progress, only to be stopped in the end. We wiggle something in front of them, wait, and pull the rug out from underneath. They will be devasted. Mentally weak. Easy to capture.)

Snap's smirk returned. "I'm liking this."

Skrawl scratched his chin thoughtfully. Yes...this sounded really good. He hadn't thought of something like that before. He wasn't sure why. He was glad that Thoughtless had figured something out. "This could be a lot of fun."

The memotrice turned its head towards Snap. (And I believe I know just how we can pull this off...)