(The Lorax and The Once-ler do not belong to me. They're Dr. Seuss' and Illumination's. Same goes for his family shown in the film. You know who they are! Marie and her family are only mine.) As of 11/14/12, this chapter is updated because of a certain mistake. Once-ler and Marie are still sophomores so they can't attend prom, but I did learn from my dad that at his high school sophomores could attend to serve. So mistake fixed!

Chapter 11

Broken

"Marie, could you come in here?" Clarisse's voice was stern. Hesitantly and ready for bed, Marie came into their office.

"Did you need something Mother?" she asked. It was rare for her parents to talk to her nowadays with their separate lives.

"We need to talk to you about something," said Dashiell. He sat in his office chair sipping a mug of coffee. "Sit down Marie. We have some serious things to discuss."

"We've decided that you are old enough to hear this with your birthday coming up tomorrow," said Clarisse leaning back in her chair.

What Marie heard that night changed her life forever, scarring her and leaving her in misery. After trying hard to not feel sad about it, she lost it in bawls. Marie would keep sad feelings in as long as she could. It wasn't healthy. She didn't want to talk with anyone, not even Once-ler! This was something he couldn't possibly understand! The usual good head on her shoulders went into irrationality with a plan. Everyone did things they didn't mean when upset, but what she planned was dangerous. Her mind kept fighting back and forth with worries of consequences. It seemed like a horrible idea! She worried about big decisions, but if thought out long enough they usually ended up good. This one wasn't good in any way. She made up her mind the minute she closed her eyes to sleep. She wouldn't do it yet, but after the festivities finished she would.

For the past seven and a half years they had been friends, Once-ler would have a private meeting with Marie on birthdays. On April 12th Marie's birthday rolled around and she hadn't been able to come. It was a Friday, a school day, so seeing Marie would have to wait. She had her art club after school, Frankie would make her wait during his wrestle practicing, then he would take her somewhere, and her parents would do something extravagant. By the time it was ten at night, Once-ler hadn't seen Marie or heard her voice. She didn't answer her phone or swing by.

He took the cupcakes he had made for her upstairs away from his hungry family and left Brett and Chet some cake batter. He waited at his desk and sketched a rough idea for his future project. It had a name, but needed a design. Folded up on his dresser was an almost finished sewing project. Isabella was getting tired of buying him clothes, but for some reason she didn't seem tired doing it for the twins. Once-ler figured that he'd have to make his own if he kept growing.

Though high school was a still pain, Once-ler was doing very well in classes. Mathematics, English, and Home Economics were his best subjects. He took workshop for an extracurricular activity and the buiding of furniture was fun. He had already been asked to join part of the band that would play for the upcoming prom. His and several other high schools in the county allowed sophomores to attend to help serve. Though he was still a target for teasing, school wasn't too terrible for the second semester.

As for his feelings towards Marie they seemed gone! He felt warm and content when he thought of her. The feeling didn't feel fast or anxious so that had to mean that his crush days were over.

"I knew it would go away," he thought confidently. "Everything's okay. We're just friends again."

His friendship would go on like nothing different had happened. He didn't feel jealous of Frankie anymore either. He still felt intimidated from his burliness, but not jealous. He reminded Marie that if Frankie did something wrong, she could always tell him. He knew she would if so, she had told him of wrong things before boyfriends became a priority.

Friendships will either grow stronger or weaker over the years and are tested over time. Once-ler and Marie's friendship had not received any too big of a test. Of course, they had their disagreements and fights, but it was always resolved. By the time they apologized they forgot about what they were bickering over. A big test though would have been about trust and loyalty. So far nothing rocky had happened. Once-ler thought they had the most optimistic friendship in the world. Everything worked out among the bumps.

Finally, Marie showed up dressed in a black dress and curly hair pulled in a ponytail. She felt tired after a long school day, painting, a movie date and a huge party at both her parents' companies. Shaye and Neely had a huge cake for her decorated with flowers. Diamond Waters had a fondue fountain of chocolate. Not that she wasn't grateful of the effort, but she needed something simple. She let herself in the house, gave a quick hello to the family and hurried upstairs. The hike up had gotten easier since the first time.

"You're Uncle Ubb said you were up here," Marie said walking into the doorway. Then she stopped in surprise. "Whoa!"

Once-ler turned from his desk where he had sketched and smiled broadly as part of his surprise for her.

"I've caved into your ideas," he said teasingly. He gave a light shake to show off his hair.

Marie couldn't believe he had cut it! After all those years of badgering him he had done it! His usual, clean hair was trimmed down in a perfect form to compliment his facial features. His bangs which had always been long were a little shorter and were brushed to his left. They fell gracefully over his forehead and just over his eyes, but not long enough to hide them. His ears were modestly shown and the back showed his long, thin neck. Marie ran a hand over his head. It was still fluffy with a silk touch. He looked like a young man and she was proud of him for doing it. He still looked adorable, but also handsome in a way.

"You look great," Marie laughed. She gave him a quick hug. "I'm glad you finally took my advice."

"Sometimes I give in," laughed Once-ler. She ran her fingers over his locks again. Gently he pulled her back. "Are you going to mess up my hair or have a cupcake?"

"I'll have one if you tell me why you only wanted jeans for your birthday." she said crossing her arms.

"To make these," he said excitedly. Hurrying to his dresser he unfolded a material of two different shades of grey. Halfway done was a pattern of wide stripes shaped into knee-length pants. "I'm making some jeans with my own personal style. I still have more to do."

"So you're making a pair of pants out of two pairs?" Marie questioned. Sometimes she didn't get Once-ler and his sewing habits.

"I cut out strips and sew them together," he chirped. "They're the right size; they just need to be longer."

"You're crazy," laughed Marie shaking her head. "Now are we going to talk about clothes or eat?" She sat herself on his bed while Once-ler fetched some matches out of a drawer. She saw drawings of a funny looking scarf on the walls with the title "Thneed." She'd have to ask about it later.

"Happy birthday to you!" Once-ler sang the traditional song and held out a plate with one of the cupcakes to her that had a candle lit. Marie had to blow twice to get it out.

"Thank you," she chuckled, taking the small pastry. After taking the candle out, she twirled the purple icing around her finger. With a quick swirl of her tongue around her fingertip she had licked it off. "How much food coloring did you need to make this?"

"Not too much," Once-ler said with a smile. "You'd be amazed with how much red and blue drops it takes. It took four of each," He confessed when Marie stared him down with a grin. He sat next to her with his own treat.

"This is the only good thing that happened today," Marie said finally biting into the soft cake.

"I think I finally have my inven-" Once-ler began. He grasped hold of her words. "Only good thing? Didn't you have a great birthday?" He licked some icing of his lips.

"I found out something," she said hesitantly after she crammed the cupcake in her mouth. She didn't mean to bring it up, but she should have known that Once-ler would question and maybe he as well ought to know. "My parents confessed something to me last night."

Once-ler sat up right to listen. He felt confused to see within the corners of her small eyes tears began form. So much for a happy birthday.

"Hey," he said gently taking her free hand. "You shouldn't cry. It's your sixteenth birthday, not your seventieth."

"I'm not crying," she said quickly, but that didn't stop the tears from breaking through her eyelashes. Once-ler took an old handkerchief from his pocket and squeezed it between their clasped hands. Marie didn't speak for a whole minute.

"They told me of-something bad had happened," she continued. "They-they had a…Just forget it!"

Once-ler got up to close and lock his door. Then he crawled over the bed's footboard and rested on his stomach behind her. Marie, regretting she had brought it up, looked over her shoulder. Folding his arms to rest his head he shrugged, eyes attentive and ears open. They were definitely alone. Anything could be said. He shrugged again as if to encourage her on.

"Five years before I was born," started Marie. She swiped her eyes, ruining her makeup. She talked slowly and would only stop to dry her eyes. "Something really bad happened in the family. Mother and Father had a-I'm not an only child." She twisted her body around to face him. Once-ler looked shocked and he lifted his head a little.

"I had a brother. His name was Nathan. Nathan Joel Finnegan. He was…he didn't survive. He was stillborn. The doctors didn't know why he was, it just happened."

"That's awful!" said Once-ler. Maybe that explained why her parents never seemed happy. He couldn't imagine losing a child and he didn't even plan on becoming a father. It did seem shallow to bring up such a depressing topic on their child's big day though. "Why didn't they tell you earlier?"

"They said now was a good time," Marie huffed. "Apparently I'm old enough. As if that wasn't the worst thing they could tell me, they brought up the worst subject. Their biggest regret; they said life will have regrets."

"Losing their kid?" Once-ler's question only brought a pause. There was not one drop of sarcasm, but sympathy. Then the silence stopped from a sob.

"No Once! I am! I'm their biggest regret!" Marie's cry was so loud it made Once-ler sit up on his knees. He was glad he had shut the door and there were more than one flights of stairs from his family. Marie's cries got stronger as her words tumbled from her lips.

"They wanted a boy to carry on the family businesses, but they got me. Me! They didn't want a girl so they regret they didn't know earlier. They would've-they wished that they had-they don't want me alive! I'm nothing to them! Okay?!"

Poor Marie's body was shaken with heartbreaking sobs. Once-ler couldn't believe it. Who would not want Marie in their lives? It hurt him to see her in such a state. It hurt more than he expected. As Marie hunched over to drown her sobs, he ran a hand on her shoulder. Marie felt a little comfort from his touch. She felt dissapointed that she was crying on her special day, embarrassed to ruin the moment and still wounded from the painful truth. Once-ler innocently rested his chin on her opposite shoulder. He hadn't found himself in a similar situation, but he hoped he wouldn't. He was confident he wouldn't experience something equal to Marie's.

"My parents don't love me," she sniffed and pressed the handkerchief over her nose to inhale the minty scent. She realized it was also in Once-ler's hair; cool, refreshing and sweet.

"Maybe deep down they do," Once-ler said hoping to give reassurance. "They've given you nice things. That means something, right?"

"Those nice things were to keep me busy so I wouldn't pester them!" she snapped. "And if they didn't people would talk! If they could do it all over again, they would've adopted a boy! I'm a disappointment."

Now Marie felt lanky arms clasp around her. Only there did she realize how strong Once-ler was. The hidden muscles in his arms held her close, but so tenderly. It ached her to bring up her plan, she almost wanted to end it as he held her, but she felt it needed to be accomplished. She could trust Once, her Once, with keeping a secret. The only thing that confused her was the little flutter in her stomach as he held her. It must've been nerves.

She stood up and gestured for him to come. Once-ler had told her of his secret money stash in his closet, now she would do the same. With both teens inside Marie flicked on the lone light bulb and Once-ler closed the door. He felt his heart skipping beats as Marie stood close. The warm feeling slowly felt hotter and intimate.

"You need to promise me that you won't tell anyone," she said firmly. "You can't tell your family, you can't tell mine, not even Betsy or Rufus. Nobody can know! If you are my best friend, then I can count on you not to tell."

"I promise," he said placing a hand over his chest and the other up. Two shades of blue, aquamarine and sapphire, locked into each other with one stare. Marie sighed and told her plan.

"I don't feel like I belong here anymore. Palmer seems so different. Mother and Father don't love me. Betsy and Rufus have done enough to look after me and I will always be grateful for them. You have always been on my side, but things need to change. I'm leaving. I'm running away tomorrow."

"What?!" Once-ler's voice rose into a shout. Marie snapped her hands up to prevent him.

"Don't yell!" she ordered. After a minute she let go. Once-ler went backwards and hit the wall in disbelief.

What in the world made Marie think that running away was an option? She wasn't that stupid!

"I'm getting some maps at a drug store tomorrow and I'll find a route," continued Marie. "I haven't told Frankie yet, but-"

"You want him to come?" Once-ler couldn't control himself. "You're sixteen! I'm not even old enough to travel on my own! You-you don't have a car or-"

"I'm not asking him to come with me! I know he'll stop me. I've had enough! Nobody will tell me what to do. I won't feel unloved. I want freedom from it all. Just to be free! Free in the world! You know that right? You've said yourself you wanted to be free from your home! You want to see the world."

"Not because I have problems!" Once-ler felt desperation. "Marie please! You can't do this; you barely know the world outside of Palmer."

"It's an adventure Once. You know I like adventure. I'm taking my savings out of the bank and I'll leave. Simple. I'll be okay. I'm not scared to do this. I'm ready go on my own. Don't worry about me."

"What if you-"

"Once-ler! You've already promised you wouldn't tell. Don't you dare tell anyone about this! If really care for me, love me as your friend, then you'll keep your promise."

"I don't like this," he whispered crossing his arms like an upset child. He looked down sadly. "What if I never see you again?"

"I thought you were the optimistic one between us two." Marie lightly chuckled. "Come on, you know I'll see you again. Maybe I'll come back or when you leave we'll be in the same area."

Once-ler couldn't accept it. Marie being far away scared him for certain reasons. It made him feel sick. However, he didn't want to break his promise. So with a sigh he nodded. That was enough for Marie that he would be trustworthy and she pulled him into a hug.

"Tell me your name," she whispered after a moment.

"What?" Once-ler managed to clear his throat.

"Your first name Once-ler. I want to know before I go. I need to know."

Once-ler frowned and turned his head stubbornly from her. She smiled at his behavior. He could be such a child, but she found it endearing. She hugged him tighter to encourage him to answer. He rolled his eyes and turned back to her.

"Okay," he muttered. "But don't laugh!"

"I won't," she said gently. Still in his arms, she stepped back to see his eyes.

"It's Willard. Willard Edmund Once-ler."

"Willard," said Marie with a genuine smile. "It's nice. It flows together."

"My dad picked it," he said solemnly. "At least that's what Mom said. Only thing I have of him."

"I like it, but if it's okay with you I still see you as Once-ler."

"Good. Now you know my deep, dark secret." Once-ler gave a small smile.

Marie pressed against him one more time. She breathed deeply and smelled fresh cotton on him. He felt warm and soft. She would miss his hugs, his singing, and all his quirks.

"When did you get taller than me?" she asked softly. "I feel so small next to you."

"I can't help my growth spurts," Once-ler chuckled.

"I'll never forget you Once," said Marie. "I'll always love you."

She was going to miss him. The thought of leaving seemed terrible again, but she couldn't bear being with the people who didn't care for her. The people she called Mother and Father.

"I'll always love you Roses," he whispered. He suddenly wondered what kind of love he meant. The word felt like it had a new meaning.

Marie felt tears at the use of her nickname. They fell and seeped into his vest. It took effort, but she finally let go of him. Looking up at him for hopefully not the last time, she gave a smile. The flutter in her stomach returned making her heart jump.

"Nerves," she thought calmly.

Then as easily as she had arrived, she left. Once-ler watched her exit and thought of how beautiful she looked as her dress swished around her calves. He may never see her again if bad things happened to her on the road.

He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. Instead he sulked in his room. He tried occupying his time by sewing his new jeans, drawing more thneed ideas, nibbling on what was left of the cupcakes, but they didn't help. Never seeing Marie again? How would he live? Not only that, how would she survive out there?

"I promised," he thought. "I can't break a promise." That was true. Promises couldn't be broken. Unless...

It was the next morning that Marie woke up and downstairs was the smell of omelets. Her last meal in the Finnegan residence would be Betsy's cooking. Just the smell made her hungry. Putting on her bathrobe she headed down. The royal blue chiffon fabric flew behind her as she hurried. She tugged on the frilled cuffs up to her elbows to keep them out of her breakfast. It felt like any other Saturday morning. Except of course she planned to say she was going out with Frankie. She would lie and she didn't care if she did this time.

"Morning!" Marie said cheerfully as if nothing bad was stirring her inside. She sat down in her usual chair. Only then did she notice four angry faces. Clarisse, Betsy, Dashiell and Rufus were all looking at her.

"Marie Vanessa Finnegan!" said Clarisse coldly. "You are in big trouble!"

"What-what did I-" stuttered Marie. "I didn't do anything bad!"

"Your room!" boomed Dashiell. "Now!"

Marie obeyed. Before she knew it she was sitting in her room, fingers twisting her dark-colored nightdress that matched her bathrobe. The yells at her clouded her mind as her dangerous adventure was brought into the light.

"What kind of idiot are you young lady?!" "Why would you plan this Violet Eyes?" "Baby doll do you know what could have happened?" "Look at me when I am talking to you Marie!" "We ought to smack your smile clean off your face!" "You would've gotten hurt!" "You are even more worthless if you thought running away was good for you!"

When they stopped, Marie spoke. She asked a question, but had a feeling she knew the answer.

"How did you find out?"

Her answer was correct. Marie received discipline for her near crime; she had to be in her room for the rest of the weekend and the following. She would go back to her prison after school for the next two weeks. No art club, no dates, no friends, no desserts, and no phone calls. It was a complete lockdown. Marie went into a meltdown that night and Betsy, the most soft of them all got worried. Maybe she could bend one rule a little.

"Marie?" called Betsy as she later on knocked at her door. "Someone wants to see you. It's Once-ler."

No answer. Betsy nodded and opened it herself. Once-ler nervously came in. He gripped his hat between his fingertips in front of his chest. Betsy had called him, begging for him to come and calm her down. She was sure Marie wouldn't be mad at him and he could get through to her. Yet Marie stood there, still in her pajamas, with a face that could sour milk.

"Why did you tell them?" snapped Marie after a minute of silence. "I told you not to!"

"I know, but I changed my mind." Once-ler didn't know what else to say. "I broke my promise because-"

"I thought I could trust you!" screamed Marie, her sobs shaking her pear-shaped body. "If you really cared you would have kept your mouth shut!"

"If I really cared for you then I would've stopped you from doing something dangerous," sighed Once-ler. Frustration was kicking in.

"Dangerous?" Marie screeched. "It was going to make me better! I needed to leave here! My life is so-ugh! You wouldn't understand!"

"Wouldn't understand?!" Once-ler shouted. "Have you seen my life? I leave and come home to a family that barely notices me! My mom says I'll never amount to anything! My brothers punch and slap me. My aunt and uncle ignore me! They all laugh at my ideas! I get picked on in school! I've grown up without a dad! At least you have one! Don't tell me I wouldn't understand!"

"You don't have my life!" Marie shouted back. "Frankie would understand! You haven't been cheated on, pushed around, had self-esteem issues, lost a sibling or been called a mistake! Betrayed by your own best friend."

Her last sentence was as strong as venom. Once-ler lost his composure. He threw his hat on her bed and stalked to her. Marie didn't budge. They both stood there, eye to eye, toe to toe.

"Betrayed?" Once-ler said darkly. "I can't bear the thought of you leaving! What if someone kidnapped you? Dare I say the worst? Don't make me! If I am going to betray you then I did with good reason! I don't want to read the newspaper finding out you died or something!"

"You think you're some hero don't you?" Marie hissed. "You think you do everything right! Well you don't! It's annoying how you think you're perfect!"

"It's annoying how you are blaming me for this!" Once-ler seethed in his anger. "You know what? You know what's also annoying about you? You fret over big decisions, yet this one, you aren't fretting over it! That's annoying!"

"You sing goofy ditties for no reason!" Marie retorted. It was a battle of words and nonsense. "Na, na, na, na, na! I'm perfect and yooour'e not!" Marie sang off-key with taunting.

"You sing badly!" Once-ler felt crushed by her offensive criticism.

"You put your legs and feet up on anything! For goodness sakes! Put them on the floor where they belong!"

"Uh! You slouch!"

"You're too sarcastic!"

"You have two left feet! When are you going to take dancing lessons?"

"You only eat marshmallows!"

"You hate marshmallows!"

"You're greedy!"

"You're whiney!"

"You never use syrup on pancakes!"

"You think cereal is better for breakfast!"

The screaming out of each other's flaws (some that didn't even matter) and bothers continued. It was a shock that nobody barged in to make peace between them. The four adults below could hear the bickering and tried to ignore it. Two adults cared, the other two didn't. The anger of Once-ler and Marie spouted off into ridiculous accusations.

"You only wear dresses! Why don't you wear pants?"

"You're making pants with stripes! Do you want to look like a zebra?"

"At least I don't hate mules!"

"At least I don't have a mule!"

"You can't knit to save your life!"

"You thrum your fingers!" Marie pounded her fingertips on her vanity. "How do you like that?"

"At least I have a sense of rhythm! You can't keep rhythm!"

"You're so sickly thin! Put on some weight!"

"You complain about your hair! All the time! When are you going to accept it?" Once-ler leaned forward to her face.

"When are you going to go by Willard?" Marie shot up on her toes to size him up.

"When are you going to break up with that jerk face?"

"When are you going to get a girlfriend?"

"When will dating not be a big deal to you?"

"When will it be a big deal to you?"

"Why can't you accept I'm not relationship material?"

"You're too optimistic about everything! It's like you've never seen a bad day!"

"You're pessimistic!"

"You're quirks drive me crazy," Marie began.

"You think the world is against you," Once-ler started. Their sentences ended with one last remark.

"Sometimes I can't stand you!" Both of their voices spoke at the same time. A dreading silence hung over them as they glared, eyebrows knitted together with teeth and fists clenched.

"Get out of my house Willard," she finally said. "Only a real friend would've let me do what I wanted. Frankie isn't as controlling as you." She turned away from him.

"I hope you have a happy life with him," said Once-ler sarcastically. "I hope you have your seven kids! Good-bye!"

With a swipe to get his fedora, Once-ler stormed out. Marie sat on her bed with arms crossed. Deep down inside, part of her was yelling at her. "Why did you do that to him?" She couldn't answer. She still felt angry and hurt for Once-ler breaking his promise. She crawled under the covers and tried to sleep knowing it would be a long night.

"It isn't fair Melvin! She snaps at me for trying to protect her, but she's fine with letting that ding-dong rule her! What is she thinking? I still can't believe she would do something that stupid! She's smarter than that!"

Once-ler was rounding Melvin in for the night. As they walked over the field to the barn Melvin could tell it was going to be a long walk if his owner was talking more than usual.

"What makes her think that he would take care of her? I bet he barely knows her. The real her! Did he know her since she was eight? Has he made her presents with his own two hands? Does he know her biggest fears? Favorite things? Dislikes? Loves? Does he?!"

The whole time he ranted Once-ler clenched his fists and his voice rose. Once-ler didn't go off on fits unless he was deeply stressed. The fight with Marie had very much upset him along with the thought of her running away. It wasn't just Marie running away or the fight that angered him. He was angry at her parents who prompted her to try. It was their fault for opening their big, fat mouths and telling Marie that they saw her as a big mistake. What kind of parent did something like that? How could any parent be so heartless? They might as well have just abandoned her in a foreign land with no support.

"It's those Finnegans!" His voice got deeper, almost a growl when he said the last name. Melvin looked alarmed by his owner's fury. Once-ler couldn't even say their first names with how upset he was.

"If they have a problem with what happened to them, they why don't they get a psychiatrist? They're rich enough to afford one! They have no right to treat her like that! Spoil her and hope it will keep her away from them! Stupid!"

Her parents, her boyfriends, did anyone really care for her? Yes, but he couldn't see it now. He felt sorry for her, but there was something more. Something deep in his heart was filling him. He thought of her; every single thing about her. He examined the bad and good of her as he stopped Melvin and let go of his bridle. The mule dove his head down for the grass.

Marie. Golden curls that ran down her back like a waterfall. Dark blue eyes framed with thick eyelashes. The smell of blossoms in her hair and roses on her clothes. Beautiful with or without makeup. Curved body instead of lean and firm pressed against him. Shapely fingers holding paintbrushes. Short torso, but completed with thick, long legs. Thin lips covered in lip-gloss. Her smile showing her small teeth as her voice said his name.

Her adventurous nature, patience, curiosity, kindness, modesty, yet so fragile inside from grief and needing comfort made her dear. Her encouragements to him, the sound of her laughs and giggles. She could sew, bake and paint. She liked reading and exploring. She couldn't knit, dance or sing, but she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty or try new things. She loved simplicity instead of glamour. She seemed more sensible than him and more well-mannered. She preferred cleanliness and organization to a messy room.

Marie had low self-esteem thanks to peers and bad family. She worried over things now and then. She kept sad emotions bottled in until they burst. Marie could be a liar. She acted irrational sometimes, longed for things, could be stubborn (proof of that from the fight,) and would feel bad if she did something wrong. Even if it took a long time, she would feel remorse. She had things in common with him and some not so, yet they worked things out. They were a good match for each other. Those boyfriends didn't match with her. All the thoughts made him realize something that he should have told her. It might've stopped her plan and it seemed too late to tell her.

"I care for her…"

There was a silence around the young man and mule. Melvin turned his head as if expecting his owner to speak more. When nothing happened he bent his head down to eat more grass. Once-ler leaned his backside against the mule, dominant hand gripping his left arm. He looked down wearily in thought at the ground and then he tilted his head to look out at his surroundings. Among the stillness of the prairie, only his soft voice was heard.

"I love her."

Author's Note: So you know his first name (I had ten in mind) and how he really feels for Marie! If you think Willard and Edmund are weird names, first off, I picked those because I loved the meanings. Willard means "Will Brave," and Edmund means "Rich Protector." Besides, he's still Once-ler to us. Also, I thought I saw a fan fiction were someone named him William and that was one of my choices, but I didn't want to use someone's idea. I'll let it be theirs. We all have our ideas, let's be respectful of each other. Poll is up for naming a pet for Marie. I'll have it up until Tuesday, when the movie is out!