Catch A Brief Reflection

by DarkHououmon

Sequel to Sinful Behaviors and Play The Game. "Oh dear Penny...You honestly don't believe your friend is any different, do you? The Black Chalk has planted its seed in him, just like it had with me. It is...just a matter of time. All the pieces will soon drop into the fray, and there is nothing you can do to stop it."

11. That Boy Will Pay

"What...? Are you sure...?" Penny asked. Her voice was laden with fear.

Snap nodded his head weakly. "Y-Yeah.. I'm sorry, B-Buckette..." He hissed at the pain. "I wish I was wrong about this..."

"It's not your fault." Mrs. Sanchez said as she looked at Snap's bandages. "Now please, hold still. If you move around too much, you'll hurt yourself."

Snap tried his best to keep still. He tried to do what Mrs. Sanchez told him to, but it was very hard. The burns were stinging him all over. The burns were tiny, but they were wide spread and the combined pain was unbearable. And then there was this stomach, which he was forced to stab. The human blood had been cleaned out of it, but the damage was already done. There was some internal damage to his intestines, with some holes burned into it, making the damage inflicted from the knife even worse.

He watched as Mrs. Sanchez removed one of his bloodiest bandages from his face and glanced at the wound. Although Mrs. Sanchez hadn't been given permission to do this, she did still have knowledge on how to treat wounds. She was a vet after all, and she had spent some time in the past learning how to treat wounds on chalk beings. It was not much different than what she did before, except she had to use chalk materials, not things from the real world.

Penny would often assist her, drawing whatever she needed to treat a wound. And for this burns, the woman asked Penny to draw a small thing of chalk water, some cloths, and some ointment. Snap wasn't sure if the doctors would appreciate her doing this without their permission, but knowing Mrs. Sanchez, she'd find some kind of excuse to give them that would pacify the doctors. And he didn't mind. He had been treated by her before and she always did a good job.

It had been scary for him to wake up in the hospital room. He hadn't remembered anything right away, and he couldn't understand why he was in so much pain or why he was there to begin with. He had attempted to get up, but the severe pain in his stomach forced him to fall down and cry out in agony. It was then that he realized he wasn't alone in the room. He could hear Penny's comforting words and her hands gripping on him gently, trying to get him to calm down. He looked up at her with a blurred vision, which sharpened seconds later.

Penny wasn't alone. She had brought her mother with. Snap couldn't see Rudy anywhere and wondered where he was. Penny told him Rudy was with Sophie in the real world hospital. She promised him that Rudy would come over to see him as soon as he could. Mrs. Sanchez told him that he was lucky to be alive and that the stab in his stomach could have easily been fatal.

It was then that Snap's memories started to come back. He recalled how he and Sophie were taken by Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir, if he remembered their names right. They took them out to an isolated area, in a barn specifically, and both were tortured for information. He flinched as he recalled how he had been sprayed by water and Sophie was stabbed. And, to his chilling horror, how he had been forced to stab Sophie in the stomach. It was such a horrible moment. He tried to push it out of his head, but now he couldn't stop thinking about it. The way she looked at him, her screams, the feel of the knife going into her stomach, it all clung to him and wouldn't let go, filling him with horrific realization.

He...had wounded someone. He had been forced to stab someone, a little girl, a person he cared about, in the stomach and nearly fatally wound her. The psychological damage was apparent. His heart was overtaken by grief and guilt. He had no idea if she was okay or how long it would take her to recover. He had stabbed her... He should have resisted. He shouldn't have let Jenny get the laugh on him like that. He shouldn't have let her control him. Sophie...he hoped she was alright. He hoped that she would forgive him for what he did to her. Please...he didn't mean to do it...

That had been such a low blow. He wasn't the type of zoner to do something like that. He wasn't violent. He didn't like inflicting harm on others. Stabbing Sophie like that, an innocent little girl, completely went against his nature. He wouldn't do such a thing even to Mr. Cosmo, even after all the horrible things that man did to him. Heck, he didn't think he could even do it to Bardot, who was a lot worse than Cosmo. And he had a feeling Jenny knew this. Jenny may have known he was not an aggressive zoner, and forced him to do that just to screw with his head, to strike him where it hurts the most just to be sadistic.

He let out a small hiss and cringed as Mrs. Sanchez pressed the water-soaked cloth against his face. It hurt only for a few seconds, then the coldness started to provide some relief. He relaxed and let her clean the burn marks on that area.

"I'm sorry. Did that hurt?" Mrs. Sanchez asked, her eyes a little wide.

Snap said, "Y-Yeah..but don't worry. It's better now... Just a little sting, that's all."

"Let me know if it hurts again." Mrs. Sanchez said as she continued gently rubbing the wet cloth on his face. "Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Snap replied.

He laid as still as he could as Mrs. Sanchez cleaned up that burn on his face. When she pulled the cloth back, Snap was shocked to see some specks of blood on it. The burn must have been worse than he thought. He wasn't sure how it had started to bleed again. At least it was just a small amount. The blood shouldn't take too long to clot.

Mrs. Sanchez dried his face gently and then applied some ointment on his face. This stung a little, but he resisted the urge to cringe back and allowed her to apply it. The stinging did go away quickly and soon it started to feel rather soothing on his face. After she was done applying the ointment, she had her daughter draw some bandages. She then had Penny lift up his head for her. Mrs. Sanchez wrapped the bandages around his head, carefully avoiding his eyes and mouth in the process. Once Mrs. Sanchez was finished, she motioned for Penny to set his head back on the pillow.

"I still can't believe Jenny has the magic chalk now..." Penny said after some uncomfortable silence had passed. "And if she's anything like Mr. Cosmo..."

"She is definitely very similar to him. She forced a sadistic choice on me, just like Mr. Cosmo had with Rudy." Snap said, cringing at the memory.

"What...what did she make you do?" Penny asked, her voice quiet and filled with fear.

Snap grimaced and turned his head away. "She...she forced me to stab Sophie...and then myself..." A gasp of horror came from Penny and her mother. They looked at him in shock, their eyes quietly asking him if it was true. He lowered his head in shame. "I-It's true... It was either I nearly fatally wound the both of us, we would be killed... I...I didn't want to...I.." Tears formed in his eyes as he started to cry. "B-But she made me and.."

"Shhh...it's okay, Snap.." Penny said as she gripped his hand. "You didn't mean for it to happen. It's not your fault."

"But..." Snap started to say.

"Penny's right, Snap." Mrs. Sanchez said as she gently placed a hand on his cheek. "You didn't initiate that attack on her. They made you do it. You're not the one to blame. They are."

"Yeah, don't beat yourself up, Snap. They won't get away with what they did to you and Sophie. Don't worry." Penny said reassuringly.

Snap gave a smile. He wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind. What could he say? He was happy that they didn't blame him for what happened. He still blamed himself, however, and he wasn't sure if the guilt would go away anytime soon. He could have resisted or found someway to get her free. Maybe he could have used the knife to cut the ropes instead and they could have made a run for it. He could have thought of something that might have helped them out of there.

But Penny and her mom were right. He shouldn't blame himself for what happened. He had done all what he believed he could do. He couldn't allow those evil humans to mess with him like that. They attacked his heart, his emotions, and if he continued to act this way, they would have won. He had to be stronger than that. He had to remind himself that, in the end, he wasn't the one to blame. It was Jenny, Tyreek, and Ghadir who should feel the guilt. They did this to him and Sophie. They were the ones who decided to kidnap them and subject them to horrific torture. And they weren't going to get away with it.

Snap's smile faded as another thought entered his mind. He wondered how Sophie was doing. He, Penny, and Mrs. Sanchez hadn't got an update yet. Not surprised, considering that Rudy was in the real world and it wasn't like the cellphone signals could cross dimensions or anything. Snap hoped that Rudy would be here soon. After what he was forced to do to Sophie, he wanted to make sure she was all right. And he wanted to apologize to her and make sure they were still on good terms. Sophie seemed to be understanding, but he wanted to be sure.

He was also worried about the fact that Jenny now had the magic chalk. Perhaps now was a good time as any to look through more of the diary to see just how much of a threat she is. He and Sophie got an unwilling taste of what she was capable of. What frightened him was the chance that she might be even worse than how she acted in that barn. It was an uncomfortable thought. She had made him hurt someone he cared about, something even Bardot never tried. What if she would go further than that? What if that was just a mild taste of what she was capable of?

He shuddered at the thought. And now she had magic chalk... He had no idea if she was in ChalkZone now, or if she was going to bide her time. If she was like Mr. Cosmo, she would lay low. At least for a time. It scared him knowing that she could be in ChalkZone, walking around, and he would have no idea if she was here or not. And if she decided to attack him while he was down, well, there was little he could do to escape. He was going to be in pain for a while, even with pain medication. He couldn't even stand up without being in agony and that was going to last for a while. But, in the end, at least he and Sophie were still alive.

"Snap?" Penny asked, tearing him away from his thoughts. "Can I...ask you something?"

Snap nodded his head. "What is it, Penny?"

Penny glanced at the bandage that her mom just put on his face. "What..what happened to you? How did you get all those burn marks?"

Snap winced at that question. His mind swirled with memories of what had happened. He could sometimes still see that blasted water bottle when he closed his eyes. Ghadir had put it so close to his face. He had been able to see the real world water moving around in there, taunting him. Ghadir smiled at him almost the whole time. No remorse in her eyes, no indication that she felt sorry for what she was about to do. No, she was smiling deviously. She had wanted to pull that trigger and was disappointed when it was called off.

And when the trigger had been pulled, it was like being sprayed with lava. Each droplet, even the tiniest ones, hurt like hell and burned small portions of his skin. It reminded him so much of the vinegar that Mr. Cosmo used on his feet. The sensation of being burned by real world liquid was horrific. He had hoped he would never have to suffer through that again. And then something like this happens. He couldn't believe how horrible his luck had been. Somehow, he had a feeling that wasn't the last time he was going to be faced with water torture. A part of him was worried that he would have to endure it again sometime soon. He hoped he was wrong.

He looked at Penny in the eyes. His lower lip quivered as he thought of the intense pain he had been put through. He could still feel the water burning into his face, everyone he had been sprayed. "W-Water bottle.." He said in a soft voice.

"What...?" Penny asked, her eyes wide in horror. "They tortured you with water..?"

Snap nodded his head slowly, closing his eyes.

"But..doesn't real world water...?" Mrs. Sanchez started to say. Snap looked up at her and gave another affirmative nod. Mrs. Sanchez gasped at this. "Oh my... I..I can't believe they did that to you..."

Snap looked away. "Yeah... It was horrible. They did it to force Sophie to talk."

"Those bastards..." Mrs. Sanchez muttered under her breath.

"They just..kept spraying me with water until Sophie spoke..." Snap said, shuddering at the horrible memories plaguing his mind. "And when they finally got her to speak, they found out that Mr. Cosmo had his memories back.. And that Rudy had defeated him. But Jenny..she...she thinks Rudy did it on purpose..." Penny's eyes widened at this. "Just like Draow, she believes Rudy killed Mr. Cosmo... And she is going to make him pay." He turned his head and looked at the horrified humans standing by his bed. "I'm sure that is why she had Sophie stabbed so many times... She wanted Rudy to suffer."

Penny brought her hands to her mouth, her eyes big. "Sophie is only eleven years old..."

"Which makes Jenny's actions even more disgusting." Snap narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "The next time I see her I..." He clenched his hand into a fist. "I don't know what I'm going to do..."

"What else did they do?" Penny asked hesitantly.

Snap opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped when he heard the door open up. He, Penny, and Mrs. Sanchez looked over and saw Rudy walking into the room. A small smile spread across the zoner's face. He watched as Rudy walked up to the bed. There was a sorrowful look on his face, although Rudy was still trying his best to smile. There was a hint of tears in his eyes.

"Hello, Bucko." Snap said, smiling up at Rudy.

"Hey, Snap..." Rudy reached down and touched Snap's shoulders gently. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Snap replied. He hissed a little in pain. "Would be better if I wasn't sprayed by a water bottle..."

Rudy's eyes widened in horror at this. "They did what to you?!" He looked over at Penny and Mrs. Sanchez. They nodded their heads solemnly. Rudy looked back down. He bit his lip, more tears flowing down his face. "S-Snap.. I'm so sorry..." He picked up Snap's hand and gently squeezed it. "I promise, they won't hurt you again.."

Snap smiled back. "It's not your fault, Rudy. Don't blame yourself."

"I know..." Rudy lowered his gaze. "I still wish I had done something different, I... I didn't need to go into ChalkZone right that second. I could have done something else. I could have watched Sophie and waited. I could have..."

Snap raised his other hand, silencing Rudy. "Even if you had stayed to watch Sophie, something could have happened. Jenny might have found another way to have her nabbed. She seems like the type of person who can adapt to get what she wants." He narrowed his eyes in contempt for that disgusting woman. "She was truly vile..."

"Yeah I know." Rudy said in agreement. "What she did to you and Sophie was just...inexcusable. Neither of you had done anything to her or her two lackeys, and they.." Rudy stopped, taking in a deep breath to calm himself. Snap could see that his chest had inflated rapidly. The thought of what Jenny had done was clearly upsetting the boy and he couldn't blame him. "At least you two are safe now and can recover." Rudy said, a small smile replacing his previous glare.

"Yeah..." Snap nodded. "How is Sophie?" Penny and her mother looked at Rudy expectantly. "Is she going to be fine?"

Rudy nodded his head. "She's going to need mild surgery, but the doctors' prognosis for her is looking good. They say she should be out of there not too long after the surgery is complete. The stab wounds were manageable and they got treated."

Snap, Penny, and Mrs. Sanchez gave a sigh of relief. They were happy to hear the good news. It was nice to know that Sophie was going to be okay and that her injuries weren't as severe as they thought they were. Her needing surgery was a little worrying, but if the doctors say she'll be out of the hospital shortly after and if their prognosis was really as good as Rudy hinted, then it wasn't as bad as they initially thought.

Snap wasn't sure when his surgery was going to take place. There was some internal damage thanks to the human blood. The doctor that came in earlier didn't say exactly what time it was going to be. He would guess later today or tomorrow. The surgery was going to be pretty mild, at least when it came to surgeries overall. He suffered similar damage to his stomach as Sophie, only his were a little more serious thanks to the human blood burning the wounds. At least it wasn't water; that would have been disastrous.

"Snap, what exactly did they do to you and Sophie?" Rudy asked. Snap looked up at him. "Sophie passed out before she could tell me." Snap grimaced as he recalled what had been done to them. It was not a comfortable subject. "Please, Snap. I know it's painful, but you have to tell me. What happened?"

Snap paused for a moment. He didn't stay quiet for long. He had explained some things to Penny and Mrs. Sanchez. Rudy had the right to know as well. As painful as it was to talk about what happened, he had to. It would not be a smart move to just keept quiet about it.

"This is what happened..." Snap began his story.

sss

"This is...perfect..." Jenny said as she held up the magic chalk. She stared at it, watching it glint. It was beautiful...although not as much as black chalk. Though she'd rather use black chalk, the white chalk would have to do for now, until they could get their hands on more. "The return to ChalkZone can finally begin..."

There was a dark chuckle behind her. She turned her head and saw Ghadir standing there. "I wonder if they will remember us."

"I doubt it. Zoners are pretty stupid." Tyreek muttered, rolling his eyes. "Even if we told them our names, they'd just stand there, dumbfounded."

Jenny was standing in her bedroom with Ghadir and Tyreek. It wasn't really much of a meeting place. Yeah she spruced things up, but it still wasn't the ideal place she wanted to be. It felt...unprofessional was probably the word she was looking for. But then, where else could she go? She wasn't ready to expose ChalkZone yet. She hadn't done what she wanted with it yet. There were still so much to do, so much preparation that needed to be done first.

And of course, there was Rudy Tabootie. The little brat was more trouble than he was worth. Though it would be nice to get the black chalk reawakened inside of him, he was certain to make an excellent ally, her main goal right now was to remove him as a threat. Out of everyone, he was the biggest danger to their plans. If he was able to kill Mr. Cosmo, then he was to be taken seriously. The only other one who had ever defeated Cosmo was Wilter, and luckily that man had been taken care of.

She wondered if she should have just killed him. That would have prevented him from being a threat later on. Then again, what she did do to him would keep him from doing much of anything for a while. Yeah, there was no way he could try to stop them after what she, Ghadir, and Tyreek did to him.

The night that she restored Ghadir and Tyreek's memories, the three of them had paid Mr. Wilter a 'friendly' visit. It had been easy, considering they worked at the same school he did and he saw no reason to be too nervous around him. He had been confused as to why they visited him, but if he was suspicious, he had done a great job of hiding it. When he asked why they were there, Tyreek, being the principal, simply stated he needed to discuss something regarding his job. Mr. Wilter was confused, but before he could say anything, they forced their way into his house.

Tyreek told Mr. Wilter that Ghadir was going to take his place as teacher for a while. Mr. Wilter tried to protest, stating that Ghadir was a lunchlady and wouldn't know how to handle the teenagers. Ghadir insisted that she could do it, but Mr. Wilter was not convinced. He asked how long this was going to last, and Tyreek's only response was 'however long it takes'.

Mr. Wilter was getting uncomfortable as they continued to talk. The longer they stayed, the more suspicious Jenny was sure he had gotten. Mr. Wilter didn't understand why he needed to take a break from the school and had done his best to convince Tyreek to let him stay, that he felt just fine. But Tyreek said he was not in any condition to work. Now this really threw Mr. Wilter for a loop. He clearly couldn't understand why Tyreek would say something like that when he was in good physical condition, even for his age. And when Tyreek gave him that eerie look, Mr. Wilter realized in seconds that he was in big trouble.

The man had obviously realized that they had regained their memories of ChalkZone. He had tried to get away, but they already trapped him. They blocked his path and rounded on him, forcing him into the ground. Then they had proceeded to beat him up horrifically, using heavy objects to strike him with, and after he was beaten to a pulp, Ghadir grabbed the butcher knife and stabbed him in the stomach and chest. After it was all over, Wilter was laying on the ground in a whimpering heap, blood spilling all over the ground. The trio had just smiled down at him. It was so satisfying getting some payback against the artist who had stopped the black chalk's glory.

After they cleaned up the bloody mess they had made, they took Wilter and dragged his battered form outside. They got in the car and they drove down the road. When they came by the hospital, they drove as close as they could to the window. They picked up Mr. Wilter and, uncaring if they hurt him more, threw him through the glass. Wilter let out a strangled cry of pain as the glass shattered and sliced his skin. The three of them then drove off before anyone could see them.

Mr. Wilter paid the price for his defiance against Mr. Cosmo. And now, it was Rudy's turn. Jenny was not going to forgive him for what he did. Murdering Mr. Cosmo in cold blood...That will not be tolerated. She would make sure he'd pay for that. She didn't care how. Corrupting him so he would be forced to be one of them, killing him so that he could never be a problem again, torturing him, or even torturing or killing his loved ones. All of them sounded good to the nurse. Any one of them would be able to teach Rudy a lesson.

She had started that when she had Ghadir continue to stab Sophie. She knew Rudy must care a lot for his cousin. And even if the bond wasn't as strong as she thought, she was still family and Rudy would still feel awful about her being hurt. She wished she could have seen the look on his face when he found Sophie and Snap like that, bloodied and unconscious. She hoped Rudy took a nice long look, because what she did to Sophie and Snap was just the beginning of her revenge against him.

She had an idea of what she was going to do with Rudy. If she knew him well enough, then things will fall into place very quickly, allowing her to launch her move. She still had to be careful, as she couldn't move too quickly. What she had to do, it required intelligence and the ability to decieve. Thankfully, the black chalk tended to give this ability to its loyal users. And already she formulated a plan in her head. Yes, after she was finished with the boy, he was going to regret killing Mr. Cosmo. He was not going to get away with doing it. She cared about Cosmo more than anyone, and the thought of someone like that boy killing him like that..it made her blood boil.

"When do we make our move?" Ghadir asked, a wide grin on her face. "Are we going into ChalkZone now?"

Jenny stayed quiet for a few seconds. "...No."

Ghadir looked shocked and disappointed. "Why not? We have the magic chalk. Wouldn't it be wise to go in now? It's not like those lowly zoners can do anything to stop us."

"Yeah." Tyreek said, sounding just as disappointed as Ghadir. "What was the point of getting the magic chalk if we aren't going to use it?"

Jenny turned to face the two. "Patience, Ghadir and Tyreek. We will go in soon enough." She explained. She narrowed her eyes and glanced down at the magic chalk. "We can't rush things. The boy will be expecting us to arrive as soon as possible, and we all know around when Rudy is likely to enter ChalkZone. We need to wait until late at night and go in while he's not there."

"And then we start to wreck the place, right?" Ghadir asked, her eyes twinkling.

Jenny shook her head. She forgot how eager Ghadir could be. Sometimes a little too much for her own good. "I know it's tempting to do that, Ghadir. But we need to take care of Rudy first."

"I'd say we just drag him to the Solar Pillars and force corrupt him like we did with some of the more resistant artists." Tyreek suggested, pointing a finger up to get attention. "That would remove him as an obstacle."

"Or we could just torture him." Ghadir said. "Just like we had with those two stupid brats and Mr. Wilter."

"Both are such wonderful suggestions, but I have another idea." Jenny said, a dark smile spreading across her face. Ghadir and Tyreek stared at her, waiting for her to speak up. "First, we need to set up an ambush point. And then..." Jenny proceeded to explain her plan to her comrades.

sss

Rudy was seething in anger. Rage filled his blood, practically burning it. Even a trip into ChalkZone, walking along side Penny as he was now, it wasn't enough to clear his mind of what Snap had told him.

Snap explained the entire story to him. Whatever the little zoner could remember, he relayed the information. At first, Rudy was shocked and horrified by what Snap said had happened. As the story continued, though, anger and hate slowly replaced those feelings. When Snap was finished, Rudy was so boiling with rage that he had to excuse himself so he wouldn't bite someone's head off. He went into the hospital bathroom and just sat there for about ten minutes, doing whatever he could to regain his composure.

No one was surprised by how he had reacted. They agreed that what Jenny did was disgusting and vile. Hurting a little child like that...blackmailing...forcing Snap to stab Sophie...it was all unforgiveable. It would seem that Jenny really does have a lot in common with Cosmo. She was just as disgusting as he was, if not even more so. Everything she and her lackeys did to Snap and Sophie was vile and abhorrent. Neither of those two had done anything to deserve what they got. And when Snap told Rudy how, even after Sophie agreed to give them the magic chalk, they still continued to stab her, Rudy thought he felt a vein pop in his head.

The anger inside still continued to burn him. It was the following morning since Snap and Sophie were taken to the hospital. And still he felt his blood boil. The anger did little to die down. He didn't think it would go away for a long time. Going to school was going to be painful. In about an hour, he and Penny had to go. They had no choice whatsoever. They couldn't call in sick. The fact that their principal was a black chalk user...that had been horrifying news. It was going to be hard discussing anything in private when he, their lunchlady, and their nurse were all corrupted. They could try something and no one was going to know.

It was scary. But despite how frightening things had become since they found that diary and the Solar Pillars, he and Penny tried their best to stay positive. They had been in tight scraps before. Mr. Cosmo and Bardot both had put them through hell, especially Bardot. And they still managed to come out on top. They would figure this out. They would be able to stop these three evil black chalk users. And somehow, someway, they were going to find a way to permanently end the black chalk's reign of terror so ChalkZone could finally be at peace.

They had been told there was no way to destroy the black chalk. They had been told how it had some built-in defense, such as enabling black chalk users to create more black chalk. Still, Rudy refused to believe that destroying the black chalk for good was impossible. There had to be a way. Something that Biclops and Wilter had never thought of. He was certain there was a way, somehow, to destroy the black chalk completely.

Speaking of Mr. Wilter, he hoped he was all right. Snap told him that Jenny and her comrades did something to him, something painful, but had no idea what it was. Rudy's heart clenched at the thought of Wilter being somewhere, possibly dying. He had to be okay. He just had to be...

"Rudy?"

Rudy turned his head over to Penny as he felt a hand on his. "What is it?"

Penny must have been reading his mind. The way she was looking at him, he could see the sympathy and empathy shining in her eyes. He didn't even need to tell her what he was thinking. She already knew. "We'll stop them."

Rudy looked at her. He replied, "I hope you're right." He stopped walking, Penny standing beside him. He looked up towards the blue ChalkZone sky. "We've faced dire threats before and we always managed to win." He looked towards the ground, then turned back to Penny. "I just hope that Jenny isn't where our luck runs out."

Penny looked at him sympathetically. She took a step towards him and put a hand on his shoulder. "We can do it together. It might not be today, or tomorrow, or the next day. But somehow, we will win. They won't get away with what they did."

"Yeah...they won't." Rudy said. His eyes narrowed as he thought of the horrific things Jenny had already done. "We'll take them down."

As soon as he said that, there was a cold laughter. The two teens stiffened up, their hearts tightening in dread. They looked around for the source of the laugh. They couldn't see anything at first. The laugh seemed almost omnipresent, like it was coming from all around. But whether or not it was, they weren't sure. Then they heard the laugh again and this time, it sounded like it was coming from their left side. They shifted their heads to see who it was, but still there was no one in sight.

Then there was the sound of rustling leaves and foliage. The two teens pressed against each other and looked all around. Another cold laugh, more rustling, more noises all around them. Rudy and Penny narrowed their eyes, apprehension filling their bodies. They readied their magic chalk, prepared to fight whoever it was that was threatening them. Rudy looked all around, wondering where they were and why they hadn't shown themselves yet. Even before they showed up, he had a feeling he knew exactly who it was.

"I know you're there, Jenny." Rudy said, his voice filled with venom. "Come on out here..."

Without warning, someone jumped from the bushes and rushed towards them. Rudy turned his head just in time to see Principal Tyreek rushing towards him. The man pulled his fist back and punched him square on the jaw. Rudy cried out and was thrown into the ground. Penny screamed Rudy's name and rushed to his side. But Ghadir came from the bushes and came towards her before she could do anything. The lunchlady grabbed Penny by the neck and kicked her in the stomach. Penny grunted in pain and fell to her knees. She looked up just as Ghadir delivered another kick to her chest, knocking her onto her back.

Groaning in pain, Rudy got up to his feet. He raised his magic chalk to draw. But he didn't have time to draw anything. Tyreek punched him on his nose, causing it to bleed and he staggered back. He ended up dropping the magic chalk as he held his nose, crying out in pain. He recovered quickly, but by then, it was too late. Tyreek had taken his piece of magic chalk.

Penny still had hers. She tried to use it, but Ghadir stomped on her arm. Penny let out a cry of pain as Ghadir started to twist her arm roughly. The pain was enough to force her to let go of the chalk. Ghadir took it. Instead of just walking off, she proceeded to stomp on Penny's stomach a couple of times. Penny cried out again and again as Ghadir slammed her foot on her vulnerable abdomen. Blood trinkled form her mouth.

"P-Penny.." Rudy said, horrified by what was done to his girlfriend. He attempted to get over to her, but Principal Tyreek had grabbed onto him, securing his arms behind his back and pressing the teen's body against his. Rudy struggled to get free. "Let me go!"

Ghadir grabbed Penny roughly by the arm and yanked her off the ground. She held the female teenager in a headlock, squeezing a little too hard. Penny opened her mouth and gasped for some air. "R-Release us...at once!" Penny managed to say.

"Silence you two!" Tyreek growled. "You are in no position to tell us what to do."

"Yeah. Be lucky that we weren't sent here to kill you. Otherwise..." Ghadir squeezed Penny's neck a little harder, causing her to gag. "..I would be twisting your sweet little neck until it broke..." Penny's eyes widened in horror at that.

Rudy was horrified, not only by what Ghadir had said, but by the fact that this had happened so fast. One minute, he and Penny were just walking through a forest in ChalkZone. A usually peaceful forest at that. Then something like this happened. There was no warning, no time to react. They had been assaulted and quickly subdued. He couldn't believe how quickly they had lost, how fast that these two black chalk users had been to disable them. Now they were immobilized, unable to do anything except wait and see what they plan on doing to them.

When he glanced at Ghadir and strained to see Tyreek, he realized something. These were the two in his dream, the one he told his parents about. The figure he didn't recognize, it had been Ghadir and Tyreek, formed together to create a single person. That was why he didn't recognize who it was. It wasn't just one person. It had been two. The dream...it had been warning him about these two.

He didn't have time to dwell on that. He heard another chuckle. This one sounded different than the others. He recognized the voice instantly. He narrowed his eyes as a third figure came towards them, coming in from the bushes. Sure enough, it was Nurse Jenny. She was walking towards them very slowly, her hands folded behind her back. Even just from the way she walked, she was so much like Mr. Cosmo. And the way she was looking at them, that sneer on her face, that smug expression, that was exactly how Mr. Cosmo would be looking at them if he were still alive.

"Ah...Rudy Tabootie..." Jenny said in a cool voice. She stopped in front of him, smiling darkly in his direciton. "I couldn't believe how easy it was to catch you." She tilted her head to the side. "For someone who was able to kill Mr. Cosmo..." There was a dangerous edge to her voice in that sentence. "I would have thought you would be less predictable..."

Rudy seethed. "I did not kill Mr. Cosmo. The idiot killed himself."

Jenny growled at this. She took a step forward and slapped Rudy hard across the face. The boy let out a yelp. "Don't you dare speak about Mr. Cosmo that way..." She hissed, glaring at him. Rudy just glared back, a defiant look in his eyes. Jenny's expression softened up slightly. "I can see you have a lot of spirit in you. Too bad you're using it for all the wrong reasons."

"And what you're doing is horrible!" Rudy yelled at Jenny. "I will make you pay for what you did to my little cousin and friend! That was sick, you know that?"

Jenny just smiled at this. "Consider it payback for what you did to Mr. Cosmo, boy." She turned her head in Penny's direction. "Perhaps we should give your girlfriend the same treatment?"

Rudy's eyes widened at this. "Penny...?"

Ghadir, her arm still tight around Penny's neck, sneered down at the girl she was holding. Penny hadn't attempted to talk. She couldn't. Ghadir's grip was so tight now that she could barely take in a breath. Rudy could see her mouth open up wide for air. Ghadir wasn't applying more pressure, but she wasn't letting up either. She just smiled, getting clear enjoyment out of Penny's suffering.

"Stop that!" Rudy cried in desperation. "Let her go! What gives you the right?!"

"We give ourselves the right, boy." Tyreek said simply. "And soon, our rule will control all of ChalkZone. We will complete what our old leader, Cosmo, had been trying to accomplish. And this time, no one is going to stop us." He lowered his head and whispered into Rudy's ear. "Not even you, you miserable little chalk hugger..."

"Shut up! Penny doesn't deserve that kind of fate! Neither did Snap and Sophie!" Rudy yelled, struggling to get free. "I'll get you for that!"

"Oh pipe down." Ghadir said coldly. "It's not like we killed them. Besides..." A sneer spread across her face. "They would have been less injured if they had been cooperative. They brought that fate onto themselves."

"Fuck you!" Rudy yelled at the lunchlady.

Ghadir's eyes widened. She then narrowed them into slits and spoke through clenched teeth. "Watch your language..." It looked like she was about to hurt Penny, but Jenny raised her hand to stop her. Ghadir clearly looked disappointed. "What?"

Jenny looked at her briefly. "Let's not get too hasty... After all, it wasn't like Snap and Sophie begged for them to get hurt. It is not their fault." Ghadir looked at the blonde woman in confusion. Before she could say anything, Jenny began to walk slowly towards Rudy. "Isn't that right, Rudy? It would be...unprofessional if I attempted to pit the blame on those two, don't you think?" Rudy bared his teeth at her. "But let's not waste time on that... There is a reason I confronted you here, and now."

Rudy snarled at her. "What do you want?"

Jenny stared at him intently, widening her eyes just a tad. This made Rudy feel very uncomfortable, especially with the way she was looking at him. "I issue you a challenge. And if you accept, and if you win, I promise I'll leave ChalkZone for good."

This prompted Tyreek and Ghadir to look at her with shocked expressions.

Rudy glared at her. "And if you win...?"

"If I win..." Jenny's smile grew a little psychotic. "Penny dies."