N E E D

By DarkHououmon

Chapter 11: Plans

What lies ahead is a mystery, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't prepare your next step.

sss

"Oh Rudy...I can't believe she said that to you..." Penny whispered softly. "I can't believe she slapped you..."

Rudy nodded his head numbly in agreement. "Y-Yeah... Me neither..."

Penny remained silent. She wasn't sure what to say to her friend. She was shocked by this turn of events. She had never thought things would taken such a horrible path... She was expecting...something. After all, his aunt was yelling quite loudly. But...but for this to... She was unsure of just how to respond to it.

She watched her friend with a saddened expression. Rudy was sitting against his bed, his bed touching it. He was staring off at nothing in particular. He was barely responding to Sophie. The little girl had been trying to get him to play, but soon, she appeared to realize that Rudy was upset. So at the moment, she was trying to cheer him up by getting him to draw or showing him some drawings. It didn't appear to work, but Sophie was still trying.

Penny had to admire Sophie for her persistence. Sometimes, this trait can be a bad thing or get them in trouble, like the situation with ChalkZone. Other times, it was a great quality to have. In this case, she had a strong hunch it was the only thing keeping Rudy from falling into a deep depression.

Right now, Rudy was largely unresponsive. He would still reply at times, but only in quick, short messages. He stayed to himself, hardly ever looked at her, hardly turned his head. He looked almost like he had seen a ghost.

It was uncomfortable for Penny see Rudy like this. So unlike himself. Usually, he'd be talking, drawing, doing whatever to get his mind off of what was bothering him. But at the moment, he was just...not doing anything. He was like a lump on a leg. It was at these moments that Penny was most concerned for him. To get him in that state, whatever had happened must have been pretty bad.

And from what Rudy told her, it was. It was just as they had both feared. His aunt found out about ChalkZone. This, in of itself, was a devastating piece of news, which left ChalkZone's future in a place of urgency.

However, it didn't stop there. Rudy didn't describe too much, but Penny was able to get the gist of what had gone on.

Rudy's aunt had rounded on him, and yelled at him for his 'careless behavior'. She had boxed him in a corner and got increasingly angry as the conversation went on. Then one thing led to another, then she found out she herself had gone in there, and the incident with Sophie... Understandably, the woman had gotten even more furious. After all, she didn't know anything about ChalkZone, other than it being another world, in another dimension.

But when Rudy tried to explain... She had gotten angrier. She had taken it as Rudy 'not caring enough of the family' or something like that. This did boil Penny's blood, as she found it hard to believe that Tilly would say something like that about her own nephew. At the same time, she could hardly blame her. She just felt that was anger talking, and that she just needed a bit of time to cool down. She wished both of them had just left before things escalated.

Sadly, they didn't, which resulted in Tilly apparently insulting Rudy and striking him down. Penny had to admit, she found that hard to believe. Tilly never came off as someone who was particularly aggressive. But when she saw the red mark on Rudy's face and the bruise on his shoulder...

Penny hoped that the two of them could reconcile soon. She had a feeling that both of them were upset. Well she could certainly tell Rudy was. But there was no doubt in her mind that Tilly was also suffering from this. She imagined that she must have been horrified when she found out what she did, and perhaps tried to make amends. She would understand why Rudy would choose to get away from her, however. Now may not be a good time for an apology. Both parties needed to calm down.

"Rudy..." Penny called out as she stared at her friend. Rudy didn't reply. "Rudy." Penny tried again, this time in a louder voice. Rudy turned his head slightly, but did not look at her. At this acknowledgement, Penny said, "In about an hour, why don't you go down to see your aunt? I'm sure that.."

Rudy shook his head. "No."

Penny's eyes widened when she heard just how cold he sounded. This wasn't like Rudy. She bit her lip, raising her head up slightly. "What do you mean? She's your aunt. You were both just angry. You should try to make amends with each other."

Rudy let out a soft growl. "And risk getting hit again...?" He turned his head slightly. He looked at Penny with a narrowed eye. "I'm sure I'm going to love that again."

"Oh come on, Rudy. Don't be this way." Penny pleaded with him. "This isn't who you are. You don't hold grudges for that long."

"I...I just don't want to..." Rudy said, his voice stern. There was still that cold edge, but it had softened up a little. "You weren't there, Penny. You didn't see the look in her eyes. You didn't see...any of it."

Penny nodded her head. "True... But that doesn't mean I don't understand. People get into fights a lot, even between loved ones. Don't let this eat you up inside, Rudy. Let yourself cool down, and then speak to her. You both should make amends with each other."

At this, Rudy shot her a glare that made her stiffen. "What did I do?"

"Well..you did keep this world a secret and you did lie to her and your parents, and Sophie did get into ChalkZone..."

"How is any of that my fault?!" Rudy cried. Sophie cringed at this and she moved away from him. "And we got Sophie back and she was not harmed!" Rudy gripped his head. He seethed loudly, looking like he was trying so hard to calm himself down. "Just...just why should I apologize for any of that? You and I both know.."

Penny cut him off. "Yes, I know, Rudy. We have a good reason to keep that world safe. And yes, Sophie was fine. However, we know that world better than anyone in the Real World. We know how the inhabitents are. We know what is dangerous and what isn't. We built relationships in that world, and we have grown a desire to care about the people there."

Rudy stared at her. His frown slowly softened up. He gave a small nod, acknowledging what she was saying. Penny was glad that he seemed to understand where she was getting with this. So she continued.

"It is easy to think that Tilly was being unfair. But Rudy...she doesn't know that world like we do. She doesn't know what to expect from it. You know that, don't you...?"

"Y-Yeah...I do..."

"And you know that your aunt was just worried sick about you...right..?"

"Yes."

Penny narrowed her eyes at this, giving a small nod. "With that in mind, can you blame her for reacting the way she did when she found out? She just..doesn't understand, Rudy. And she was so angry that it clouded her judgment." She held out her hand in gesture, watching as Rudy lowered his head and turned it away. "I think you should give her another chance. Try to explain to her about this world. Try to get her to understand." She smiled the best she should. "I'm sure this next conversation will go much better than the first one."

There was a long silence between the two. Penny wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she did not dare speak up again. She gave Rudy all the time he needed to reply. His narrowed eyes, and the few small grunts she heard indicated he was struggling with an answer. He must be so conflicted...not that she blamed him.

Even if Rudy decided not to do anything tonight, she knew that he would, eventually, do the right thing. This was Rudy that she was talking about. He always tries to fix things he broke. He was strong enough to admit when he was wrong. He would always apologize if he upset someone.

And she was certain that Tilly was the same way. She was probably sitting down there, waiting for him to come down, or perhaps she was getting ready to come up. Penny knew she didn't mean to hit Rudy; it was just an act of the moment powered by emotion. People say and do things they don't mean when they are enraged.

Rudy finally turned his head back towards her. Penny pressed her lips together as she waited for his answer. A few more seconds passed before he shook his head from side to side.

"I'm sorry, Penny. I-I...I don't think I can do it..." Rudy said softly. Upon seeing Penny's face, he looked away in shame. "I know... But... I'm just..afraid, Penny. I...just don't know if I can face her again."

Penny frowned slightly at this. "You've faced challenges before, Rudy."

"Yeah, but this is different." Rudy replied.

"How?" Asked Penny.

"She's my aunt. I've known her for longer than you." Rudy said softly. "I've known her ever since I was born. She used to babysit me when my parents were away, back before my mom decided to stay at home." Rudy closed his eyes. "Aunt Tilly and I grew close. I would have trusted my life with her."

"I see... And for her to strike you..." Penny said.

Rudy finished, "It broke something inside of me. I...I felt like I..couldn't trust her anymore." Rudy reopened his eyes and looked at Penny. "I know I must sound pretty selfish right now. It's just..how I feel..."

"I understand, Rudy." Penny said. "Families..can be pretty complicated. They're not always perfect, and every one has their flaws." Rudy nodded his head slowly at this. "But Rudy...you shouldn't let that control you. It's only going to get worse if you wait too long. You and your aunt should make amends as soon as possible."

"What if she hits me again? What if that becomes...normal?" Rudy bit his lip. "I-I don't want..."

"I'm sure it was not intentional. Rudy, do you really think your aunt would ever hit you on purpose?" Penny's eyes widened at this.

"I..." Rudy shook his head. "No. I don't."

Penny nodded her head. "Then you know what must be done."

Rudy was quiet for a few moments. Penny and Sophie watched him from a distance, neither of them making a move. They simply waited for Rudy to make a reply. After a few moments, Rudy climbed up to his feet. Penny leaned forward a little, hoping that he was going to do the right thing, either now or later.

But instead, Rudy just went towards his ladder. He hung his head, gritting his teeth. He didn't look like he had lot of confidence right now. He casted a saddened glance at her and Sophie. He then looked away.

"I'm sorry. I just..." Rudy grabbed onto the ladder. "I just need some time to think..."

Holding onto Sophie, Penny nodded her head once. "Sleep on it if you need to, But Rudy..." The boy gave her a backwards glance. "At least try. You both will feel better when you do."

"Hmmph..." Grumbled Rudy as he climbed up the steps to his bed. Penny watched him sadly. There was nothing she could do except watch as he pulled himself in the covers in preparation for sleep.

Penny wished there was something she could do or say to make the situation better. But she had said all she needed to, or could have. The rest was up to Rudy and Tilly. She hoped that one of them would make a move and apologize to the other. And she hoped that it would be soon; she couldn't imagine how worse this might get if neither of them spoke to the other for who knows how long.

Penny felt Sophie squirming in her arms. She set the little girl down and watched as she rushed over to the bed. The tyke jumped up and down, trying to get Rudy's attention. She bit her lip at this. Sophie didn't seem to fully understand what was going on, and how could she? She was only two years old.

Penny looked at the time. She flinched when she saw how late it was. Looking at the window, she saw just how pitch black it was, save for the street lights that popped on. Now would be a good time to go to sleep. They did have school tomorrow, after all.

For a moment, she wondered if she should head into ChalkZone and see how the others were doing. She still needed to find Blocky and thank him for taking Sophie back home, and for keeping her company while in ChalkZone. She could do it now, actually. There was still a bit of time, and Blocky is probably at his Night Zone house, getting ready for bed.

However, she quickly decided against it. With the situation regarding Tilly, she had a feeling that if she saw her missing, she might get angry at Rudy all over again. Tilly must know she was here; her mom would have told her. And if she didn't... Penny bit her lip. Yeah, best wait until tomorrow before she did anything, just to be safe.

Besides, it wasn't like it was that important to head down right now. Blocky was probably crawling into bed right now anyway. He must be so exhausted and tired... Yeah he was probably sleeping right now. She could wait until tomorrow to see him.

Penny got out her sleeping bag and she prepared for sleep.

sss

Blocky tried again to squirm. He tried to yank his arm out. There had to be a way to do this. He was rather flat. He should be able to do this. He was a piece of paper after all. If he could just try hard enough...

He hissed in pain when he felt the jagged parts of the cuffs cut into him. Not enough to draw blood, thankfully. He immediately stopped, allowing the pain to dissipate seconds later. He shivered as he just laid there his mind racing, the reality of the situation weighing down on him.

He was trapped. Truly trapped... He had been captured by the two humans he never wanted to meet. At least Vinnie wasn't here. That would have been even worse. Not that it made his current situation any better. He was strapped down with serrated cuffs, unable to use his 2D powers to get anywhere. The only way he could move at all was if Terry or Von removed the cuffs, and he knew they'd only do that when they were watching him carefully. They were not going to allow him to get way so easily.

He couldn't stop shivering. He was not able to calm himself down. How could he? He was out of ChalkZone in a dangerous world. He was exposed to the elements here. And he was trapped with humans that meant him harm. He had no idea just what they plan on doing with him, but their expressions... That was all he needed to know that they had nothing good planned for him. Even if he did get out, he didn't know where he was or how to get back home. If it rained, he would die. And what if someone else saw him? Blocky had no idea what to expect, and the fear of the unknown gripped his heart.

How was he going to get out of this mess? How would he inform Rudy and Penny of what happened? He knew they would realize he was missing, but they wouldn't know what happened to him. Sophie may not be able to tell them; she was just a little kid. And even if she could, she didn't see him get captured.

He could only hope that Rudy and Penny eventually put two and two together and realize what happened to him. His friends were his only chance of getting out of here. He was not going to be able to do this alone.

At that realization, he took a moment to look around the room. The two humans had left him alone. This was both a blessing and a curse. It was nice that they were away from him. At least they can't do anything while they were gone. But...he still didn't like being alone. And it was so quiet here..and so dark... He could hardly see anything. Even after his eyes adjusted, he could just make out a few shadows and shapes and that was it.

The quietness began to eat away at him. It irritated his ears, causing a dull drumming effect in his head. It was hard to explain. It was just so..uncomfortable, that he wished something would happen. He'd give anything for some noise, even the dripping of water.

Unable to do anything, Blocky just stared up at the ceiling. He took in a deep breath and sighed. He still couldn't stop his shivering, still couldn't get himself to relax. All he could do was lay there and feel his stomach being eaten away by the terror that was taking a hold of him. He wished that something...anything...would take him away from here. But he was not going to be so lucky.

The terrified zoner could only hope that one of his friends realizes what happened before it was too late. He didn't know how long these humans planned on keeping him, or if he was still going to be alive afterwards. The thought that he might die here... He felt ice shoot through his heart at the possibility.

He felt tears form in his eyes. He couldn't imagine what his friends might be thinking. They were either worried sick about him, or they would think he was fine. Either way made his stomach twist in knots. He gritted his teeth as the tears came faster. He closed his eyes, and let his cheeks sting with the salty-tasting liquid.

Please..let someone take him out of here... Let someone make this nightmare go away... Let someone come and end this... He just wanted to go home...

Suddenly, there was a bright light. He stiffened up, letting out a yelp. He turned his head away as something illuminated on his face. He tried to see who it was, but the light obscured them. All he could make out was a bright light in his eyes, and some kind of dark shape. He only knew that it had to be Von or Terry.

When they got closer, Blocky began to struggle left and right. "No, please! Don't hurt me! Just let me go! Please!"

The figure paused, watching him struggle. Blocky didn't dare look, afraid of what he might see. He just trumbled and tugged frantically at his limbs, despite what might happen to them if he used too much force. A cold cackle eventually froze him in place, and he looked over with a wide eye as the light was moved away.

Von stood there, smiling at him. In his hands was a lantern. He must have been using it to navigate the dark hallway of..wherever he was. Blocky had no clue, and at the moment, he didn't care. He just wanted to go home. Was that so wrong? Was that really such a hard request to grant? What did he ever do to Von? What did he do to deserve this kind of treatment?

"You're zuch a..fazcinating zubject." Von spoke in a coldly professional voice. "I've never zeen zomething quite like you. How remarkable..." Von moved closer. He began to pace around Blocky, examining him through a scrutinizing eye. "I wonder how you can live like ziz... Made of chalk... How you can eat, live, all zat..."

"I-I can just tell you." Blocky suggested. He offered a nervous smile. "Do we really have to resort to anything drastic...?"

Von stared at him for a moment. He lowered the lantern on the ground, which ended up making his face appear darker, more threatening. The man folded one arm against himself while his hand on the other arm rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Zat might zound like a good idea... But I zink I will pazz."

The smile never left his face. It sent chills down Blocky's spine. As the man moved around, he struggled to keep his eyes on him. He had no idea what this man was going to do to him. He didn't know what he was planning, what he was going to do to him, and it unnerved Blocky terribly.

Around and around the man walked. At this point, he was no longer speaking. He was just silent. He paced around the zoner slowly, eyeing him up and down like he was just a piece of meat. Blocky felt more tears drip down as he whimpered softly. He increased his rate of breath as he kept his eyes glued on the man's cold ones. What was he going to do to him...?

"All ziz time, I zought perpetual motion waz going to be my ticket to fame, but I waz wrong." The man finally said, breaking the eerie silence. Blocky watched him, his heart beating faster when the man's words began to hint at more of what he was going to do. "I have found zomething elze, zomething far more imprezzive." He stopped at Blocky's side. "And zat, my rectangle friend..."

Blocky let out a gasp when the man suddenly leaned in much closer. His head short forward, becoming only inches away from him. Blocky leaned away the best he could, clenching his teeth in fear.

"..iz you."

Blocky took in several quick breaths, his heart pounding against his chest, a cold shiver moving through his body. He darted his eyes wildly from side to side, trying in vain to find a way out. He winced when he felt the man grab his head and force him to look at him.

"Now...let'z zee how you tick..." Von said in a soft, menacing voice.

His eyes bulging wide open, Blocky jerked himself to the side. He yelped when he felt the serrations in the cuffs start to cut him. "No!" He screamed. "Please! Don't hurt me! I don't want this! Let me go!"

The only response the man gave was a cold chuckle. Blocky stared at him in horror. As the chilling realization of what this man was going to put him through came to light, he shut his eyes and started to cry.

"Please...Rudy, Penny, Snap...somebody...anybody..." Blocky whispered softly, his voice cracking, barely audible. "..h-help me..."

"Oh, zey will not be able to help you..." Von said darkly as he patted Blocky on the head with his other hand. "But don't you worry... Zoon, zey will not be your biggezt conzern..."

Blocky cried harder at this.

sss

Tilly stood outside the door to Rudy's room. She bit her lip, keeping her hand on the doorknob. She wanted to turn it so badly, but she just couldn't do it. Not yet. Something was holding her back. The guilt... It ate away inside of her, leaving behind an internal, blazing trail that made her want to throw up.

This was so hard... She never realized just how hard it was. It really was true, that apologizing was one of the hardest things to accomplish. Parts of her mind were yelling at her, telling her that Rudy should have known better, that he should have spoken to her earlier, that he had it coming. She did her best to shake those thoughts out of her mind, but they kept crawling back, causing some of the bitter anger to return.

But then she would remember what she had done to him, and that would fade away, replaced by sorrow and strong guilt. She fought back the tears, doing what she could to keep them from coming. It was difficult to do so, and she could not stop a few tears from flowing down her cheeks. She was still distraught over what she had done to Rudy. She was in such disbelief that she had...she had actually hurt him... How could she have done that to him?

At this point, however, she was finished with asking herself that question, and the others that popped in. She was tired of crying, of curling up in a ball in a fetal position. What good was that going to do her? Her sobbing would solve nothing. She might still be angry with him. She might still believe he had much to answer to. But she still had to make this right. She had to mend what she had broken.

She needed to apologize. He..he deserved one. She had hurt him. She had spoken so harshly and coldly to him, something she had never done before. She struck him so hard, he hit the ground. She recalled how he had grabbed his shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat at the realization that she may have done more harm than she thought.

She couldn't take it anymore. Narrowing her eyes and sucking in a deep breath, she opened up the door and entered the room.

It was dark, the light having been turned off. She looked around, trying to find Rudy. She wasn't sure if he had collapsed on the ground or if he went up into his bed. A quick scan of the room revealed that he was indeed on the top bunk. She moved in closer, taking care not to step on any of the stuff strewn across the room.

She took notice of Sophie slapping on the ground cuddled up with Penny. Tilly took a double take. Penny? What was she doing here? Was she told about her and forgot or... She shook the thoughts out of her mind. That wasn't important right now. If Penny was here, then she got permission. She kept her focus on Rudy.

She soon reached his bunk and she looked up at him. He had his back turned to her, his body mostly covered by his blanket. She watched as he breathed in and out slowly. He looked so peaceful. It was almost as if nothing had happened.

This moment was soon broken, however, when she reached over to touch him. She gently shook him, and it didn't take long before the boy stirred in his bed. He got up, balancing himself with one arm. He rubbed his eyes and let out a soft yawn. He turned himself around and he stared at her. At first, he just looked tired, his eyes only part way open. But when he rubbed his eyes a second time and blinked, he seemed to realize who she was. Then everything flooded back to him.

Immediately, the boy let out a whine and he cringed away from her. He leaned away, pressing his back against the wall of his room. He gave her a terrified expression, his teeth clenched, eyes bulging, and his body shaking. He didn't attempt to speak; his voice was too busy emitting whimpers.

The sight of this broke Tilly's heart. She had really screwed things up. She had gone too far, and now the boy was frightened of her. It wasn't just the act of hitting him, she knew. It was her whole demeanor. This was a side that he had never seen of her. Seeing just how much this had startled the boy twisted her heart, and she did what she could to fight back her tears.

"Rudy...honey...I'm so sorry..." Tilly whispered. She reached out towards Rudy. He cowered from her, clenching his teeth as if he wanted to bite her. She paused and, curling her fingers inward, pulled her hand back. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I should have controlled myself more. I should have just walked away, but instead I carried on and on... and I..." She closed her eyes, letting tears flow down her face. "Oh gawd, Rudy.. I'm so very sorry..."

Rudy didn't say anything. He just continued to stare at her warily, his body shaking like a leaf underneath his covers. His eyes widened a little, and he looked as if he expected her to hit him again.

Poor Rudy... She never meant to hurt him like this. Yes, she was angry at him still for lying about this chalk world, but... she could have at least tried to hear his side of the story. He must have had a good reason to keep it a secret, right? She should give him a chance to explain, and this time, actually listen to him, and not treat him like he was a darn criminal or something.

Tilly reached out towards him again. Rudy hunkered down almost like a frightened dog. He did not growl or anything like that, but he had that look in his eyes... Despite that, she still reached out towards him. Very gently, she placed her hand on the top of his head. He shuddered and shut his eyes, his whimpering filling her ears. She began to gently stroke his hair.

This gentle act appeared to calm down Rudy somewhat. But the trembling stayed, and he still looked distrustul of her. Well at least it was something of a change. She continued to run her fingers through his hair, giving him the most gentle look she could muster. She wanted to show him how much she still cared about him, and that he had nothing to worry about from her anymore.

"I'm sure you meant well...with not telling us about this chalk world. I'm so sorry I didn't listen..." Tilly whispered softly to him. "I'm sorry I insulted your art. I take it back. I think you're a great artist. It wasn't right of me to say those things about it. I'm sorry I sold your chalkboard without asking you." She moved her hand down to his cheek, the same one she struck. "And I'm so, so very sorry I slapped you. I didn't mean it..."

Rudy still didn't speak. He still looked cautious of her, but there was now something else in his eyes. Curiosity. Her words had piqued his interest. His body began to tremble a little less.

Tilly smiled the best she could, tears flowing down her face. "I love you, Rudy..." Using the ladder as leverage, she leaned towards the quivering child and gently kissed him on the forehead. At this, Rudy stopped shivering altogether and just stared at her, looking almost uncertain of what to make of it. Tilly stroked his hair a little more. "Goodnight, sweetheart..."

Not wanting to bother her nephew any longer, the brown-haired woman turned and walked out of the room.

sss

Rudy watched as his aunt left him alone, shutting the door behind her. He took in a few deep breaths, replaying what happened over and over in his mind.

He hadn't expected his aunt to come apologize to him. He didn't think that she would try anything tonight. He would have thought she was too angry or too ashamed to try to speak to him agian until tomorrow or so. He was fully prepared to go to sleep without seeing her again. But for her to show up...

It made Rudy feel a little guilty. Penny was right. He usually was the one to try to make amends and correct mistakes he made. He had provoked his aunt into hurting him by calling her a bitch. He winced at that word, unable to believe he had used it against his own aunt. He could have tried to speak more calmly to her and try to prevent the situation from escalating. He could have just tried to walk away and let her blow off some steam. He felt he could have done something to keep things from getting that bad.

He also could have gone back down to speak to her. He could have taken Penny's advice and try to fix things. Instead, he hid like a coward because he was afraid his aunt would hurt him again. On instinct, he had cringed away from her because he thought she was still mad at him, even when her expression said otherwise. He felt simply awful for that, and he wished he had reacted more rationally.

He had seen the hurt look in his aunt's eyes. He could see how much she was suffering for this mistake. He could see just how much she regretted hurting him. She had apologized to him, and he knew it was sincere. She had said her piece, and left him to he could go back to sleep.

But how could he now? He didn't say a word to her. All he did was treat her like she was some kind of monster. He didn't even accept her apology. He just...looked at her and cried like a big baby. How could he have done that? He wanted to slap himself in the face for not saying even one word to her.

Well he wasn't going to let that mistake run on for much longer. He pushed the covers off of his body and climbed down his bed's ladder. He crept across the room, careful not to kick Penny or Sophie, and trying not to wake them up. He looked down at them for a few seconds. Seeing them sleep together peacefully caused a smile to crack on his face. He then opened the door and walked out.

He immediately noticed some lighting. A faint bluish glow, and a faint sount. The television was turned on. His aunt must be trying to watch some television. Maybe that movie she had told him about before.

Being as quiet as he could, Rudy moved down the staircase. He didn't want to startle his aunt. He tredded lightly on the steps, making sure that each time he put his foot down, he did not use much force, making his steps quiet, the sound virtually nonexistent.

When he reached the bottom step, he crept along forward and peered into the living room. He could see his aunt was laying on her side, a blanket pulled over her. He bit his lip, wondering why she would chose to sleep down here instead of the nice bed in his parents' room. Was this her way of punishing herself? He hoped that wasn't what she had in mind.

Slowly, he walked forward. It didn't take him long to realize she had fallen asleep. His aunt did have a habit of going to sleep rather quickly. Faster than most people that he knew. Doing his best not to wake her up, he moved even closer, and he caught his breath at something he noticed.

Her face...it was sleek and looked wet. She had been crying... Rudy bit his lip at this. His aunt must really feel horrible to have cried like this. Then he saw her twitching, her leg kicking out slightly, her eyes going wild underneath her eyelids.

"No..Rudy...I'm sorry.. Please come back...please..." Aunt Tilly whispered, her voice cracking. More tears emerged from her eyes. "I-I didn't mean to.. No, don't run away..please..."

At this, Rudy felt his heart ache. His poor aunt... She was having a nightmare. She must really feel guilty about what she did. He bit his lip, watching as she cried in her sleep. He looked left and right, and then stared down at her. He couldn't leave her. Not like this.

Noticing that Aunt Tilly had pressed herself against the back of the couch, leaving some small amount of space, Rudy took action. He climbed into the couch next to his aunt, laying on his side facing her. He pulled the blanket over himself, making sure his aunt still had some covers as well.

As soon as he did this, his aunt stirred and her eyes opened up. She sniffled a little as she looked around, detecting something was a little off. When she saw him, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "R-Rudy...?" She managed to choke out.

Rudy looked up at her. After a few seconds, he smiled and whispered, "I forgive you..." He cuddled up against her, laying close and snug, feeling her warmth against him. "I love you, too.."

Rudy got as close as he could to his aunt. He laid his head on her, rubbing his cheek against her affectionately. He took in a deep breath and let out a sigh of contentment. He could hear his aunt's heart beating, creating something of a lullaby, He felt his eyes flutter shut, his mind being soothed by the gentle rhythmn of each thump.

He opened up his eyes when he felt something move along his body. He quickly realized that his aunt had looped an arm across him, pulling him close to her. He looked at her, seeing her relieved eyes staring down at him, a small smile on her face. Rudy smiled back before laying his head back down and closing his eyes. He did not notice the uncomfortableness of their position on the couch, so little room, as he remained cuddled up against his aunt, his mind shutting down, entering dream land.

sss

When the recess bell rang, it was a relief to all of the students. Being cramped in school for so long, at least for them, drove many of them crazy. Children had boundless energy and they couldn't wait to exert it when they went outside for recess. A time to frolic and have fun.

At least, for most of them. Today, Rudy and Penny weren't able to enjoy the usual antics of recess. They had more important things on their minds.

The two of them went around to the back of the school, away from the others. They couldn't let anyone see what they were doing, or hear their discussions. Thankfully, not many students came back here anyway, and they were all too busy to really care about what they did. Never once had any of the students ever questioned where they would go, and usually just focused on each other.

This was a relief to Rudy. It provided a safe place for him and Penny to talk. They would often look left and right to see if anyone was coming. In their current position, it was impossible for anyone to sneak up on them. There weren't too many windows here, and with the building blocking them, they only had forward and the sides to watch. Pretty easy with the two of them. Penny was assigned one side and Rudy the other, and they both shared the front duty.

Both Rudy and Penny were quite concerned. Penny suggested that they meet here to discuss things further, as things were pretty complicated back at Rudy's place. Neither of them were entirely sure about how to handle that situation.

Aunt Tilly now knows about ChalkZone. He had done what he could to explain it to her during breakfast today. While Aunt Tilly did say that she wouldn't speak a word of it to anyone else, this was just a temporary thing and he and Penny both knew it. She just hadn't made any final decisions on it yet, and he knew that, sooner or later, she was going to want to tell his parents about it. She was not one to keep things a secret from her own sibling. And his mom surely wouldn't withold information from his dad.

Rudy could feel his gut twisting from this precarious situation. He had hoped he never had to deal with this situation, but here he was. A family member has found out about this world he went to, and of course, it had to be Aunt Tilly, the one aunt that he was closest to. For once, he wished that it was Uncle Chuck who found out. He wasn't his favorite uncle, but at least he gives so few fucks that he wouldn't bother telling anyone.

The future of ChalkZone was at stake. He would need to devote some time into convincing Aunt Tilly to guard its secret. He needed to know that he could trust her not to tell anyone.

But it would be hard. She was not happy with him. She may have apologized for her behavior and tried to see things his way. But it was clear, from what she said, that she was still upset that he never brought this up in the past two years since this began. She hinted that she was eager to tell his folks about it when they came back from their vacation, which filled him with dread.

At least for now, it's on hiatus, allowing him and Penny to focus on another pressing matter.

"I can't believe they didn't see him..." Penny whispered softly. There was a strong tinge of doubt in her voice. "How could they not have..." Her voice trailed off.

"I know, Penny." Rudy admitted. He leaned his head up, staring up towards the sky. "It's not like Blocky to not show up at all..."

Rudy reflected back to when he headed into ChalkZone. He had done so while his aunt was still asleep. Due to the tough situation they were in, he chose this time so that she wouldn't stop him from going. He had Penny wait with Sophie and guard the portal. Just in case Aunt Tilly came into the room, he didn't want to run the risk of his aunt trying to mess with the portal on the portable chalkboard. He was glad that at least that hadn't been sold.

He had gone to the hospital to see Snap and Rapsheeba. He was glad to hear that Rapsheeba had been discharged after her arm was stitched up. Snap has to stay a few extra days, but he was doing fine as well. He had talked to them for a bit about what was going on, including the thing with his aunt. Understandably, they were both worried, but they agreed that Rudy would be able to figure out something for that.

But when he mentioned Blocky, neither of them had any clue of where he was. This confused both Rudy and Penny. They had thought for certain that Blocky would have shown up to say hello to them. But according to his two friends, he wasn't there at all, not last night, not eary morning.

In fact, as he and Penny went around town, speaking with people, they quickly learned that absolutely no one had seen Blocky since the other day, when the twister had struck. Some zoners had even stopped them when they were walking down the street and asked them about Blocky. The fact that no one had seen Blocky worried the two deeply.

Things got even more worrisome when they found out that Blocky was supposed to be a part of this marching band. Rapsheeba had apparently arranged something for him, but according to the other zoners involved, he hadn't shown up at all. This was very strange; Blocky wasn't the type to miss out on a recital like that. He was usually pretty good wth the time. For him to not show up or even contact anyone and tell them he couldn't make it... the two children knew that something was very wrong.

What could have happened with Blocky? Why wasn't he anywhere to be found? Where could he have disappeared to? So many questions raced through Rudy's mind. There was a large number of possibilities of what might have happened to their friend. And none of them were good.

He tried to calm himself down. Maybe Blocky just got lost. Maybe he took a wrong turn and ended up somewhere else. Or maybe he just was so tired, he fell asleep. Maybe he was just a late waker today. It was possible. Rudy hoped that's all it was. Blocky sleeping in late. He's done that before when there was no important appointment to keep, or when he was incredibly tired.

Rudy turned his head to Penny. "Do you think it's possible that he is just...a late sleeper today?"

Penny looked over at him. She bit her lip. "I'm not sure. He doesn't do that often." She turned her head away. "Although it would explain why he hasn't been spotted yet." She looked back at Rudy. "Rapsheeba's marching band does sometimes have really early practices. With what happened yesterday, maybe he just didn't feel up to it."

Rudy could feel some sense of relief. "Yeah...that's what I was thinking. Maybe he was too shaken up and had a hard time sleeping at night." He paused for a moment, trying to think of what the next best course of action would be. "Maybe we should head back into ChalkZone, though? Just to be sure?" Rudy suggested. "Maybe something new happeend. Maybe someone has spotted him."

Penny nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah... That seems like a good idea." She frowned softly, looking left and right. "I think only one of us should go, though. The other must stay here and guard the portal. I don't want to risk someone else finding out about ChalkZone."

Rudy winced at this. "Yeah... After with what happened with Aunt Tilly..." He watched as Penny silently nodded. This was a situation they did not want to get repeated again. It was just too risky. His aunt finding out was bad enough. He didn't need anybody else to figure this out. "I went into ChalkZone last time. I'll stay here and guard. You go in. Try to be as quick as possible."

Penny smiled at this. "Aren't I always?"

Rudy cast her a brief, playful smirk. "Just get going." He tossed her the magic chalk.

Penny grabbed it and nodded dutifully at him. She looked left and right to make sure no one was looking. She then drew a small portal on the ground, just barely big enough to let her squeeze through. Rudy watched as she ran off into the distance. He remained by the portal, awaiting her return. He hoped that she would bring good news.

sss

"What? Are you sure..?" Penny asked.

The zoner in front of her nodded his head. "Affirmative, ma'am." He gestured to the group that he was with. "We had another practice, and we haven't seen any sign of Blocky."

Another of the band zoners nodded his head. "We even tried to contact him, but have gotten no response."

Penny felt her heart clench at this. No response? That was not like Blocky... Maybe he was just still tired and...No, that wasn't it. Blocky would have answered his doorbell no matter how tired he was. And one of these zoners just told her that someone went to check on him and he wasn't there at home.

"Perhaps someone saw him wandering around?" Penny asked hopefully. "Please...did anyone say anything about spotting him?"

The lead marching zoner shook his head. "I am sorry, but no. He was nowhere to be found."

Penny fell silent at this. She could feel her heart ache as the realization began to dawn on her. It was odd enough for Blocky to miss an appointment without telling anyone. But it was even rarer for it to happen again. And for him to not be at his home but no one spotting him anywhere in ChalkZone? That was even stranger. Something was very wrong here...

She tried to stay positive. There had to be a logical explanation for this. There had to be a reason why Blocky hadn't been found. Could he have wandered off somewhere else? Could he have gotten lost in a less used part of ChalkZone? There were some uninhabited lands. Perhaps he went off somewhere there? It didn't seem like the most plausible thing, but it still had some kind of merit. Maybe she could look around ChalkZone some more and...

No... It was too late for that. She was almost out of time. She would need to get back to the Real World and inform Rudy. She bit her lip. She wished she could have brought better news than this. Some positive news would have been good for them both.

Poor Blocky... She hoped that, wherever he was, that he was all right. She hoped that he was able to stay out of trouble. He was such an innocent and friendly zoner... She feared that he might fall prey to some of the more unscrupulous zoners out there. She narrowed her eyes, unable to believe that such people like that exist. If any such zoner got their hands on Blocky...

She pushed the thoughts aside for now. Standing here thinking about what might be will not help her. She would need to get back to Rudy and discuss what they were going to do. They needed a plan to find their friend. As soon as possible, she would have to discuss this with Rudy. She hoped they would be able to think of something to help their missing friend.

"Thank you for the help." Penny said to the zoners. "Well I best be off now. See ya."

"Goodbye! And good luck!"

Penny turned around and left the zoners. She hurried as fast as she could back to where the playground portal was, where Rudy was waiting for her. As she moved towards it, a single thought raced through her mind.

Be safe, Blocky...

sss

"I understand what you're saying, Penny, but..." Rudy's voice trailed off.

"But what?" Asked Penny.

Rudy was silent for a few moments. He tried to think of the right words to say. He didn't want to sound like he was dismissing what Penny was saying. It was just that... He found it hard to believe that something like this could have happened. Especially to Blocky of all people... It just wasn't fair.

It was hard to believe that Blocky could be...be missing... How could that have happened? There hadn't been anything strange happening lately except for that twister. None of the zoners reported anything particularly wrong. Skrawl certainly wasn't doing anything; he was quite an attention hog, and it was hard for him to keep any of his plans secret.

So how could Blocky have disappeared? The last he checked, Blocky was with Sophie. He had thought he simply dropped her off and went home. But something else clearly happened. If no one in ChalkZone City saw him since the other day, he knew something was really wrong. Blocky was in ChalkZone everyday, rarely missing a day in there. He loved to socialize, much like Snap. Perhaps even more so. For him to not show up at all...

He sitll held onto the believe that perhaps something else had happened that wasn't as bad. Despite how bleek this outlook became, he still struggled to hang onto the idea that Blocky was just merely lost or he was hiding or something. He hoped and pleaded that it wasn't the result of some new villain that he knew nothing about. It was one thing to deal with Skrawl, whom he knew how to fight. But it was another matter entirely to deal with someone, or something, he had no knowledge of.

He stared at Penny, biting his lip. He struggled to think of something to say to her. He continued to stare pleadingly at her, hoping that she would say something that would be some good news. But she could only stare sadly at him, shaking her head.

"Are you positive they didn't see him?" Rudy asked softly, his voice barely a whisper.

Penny nodded her head affirmatively. "I'm sorry, Rudy. They told me what they could. Blocky hasn't been spotted."

"But...but how could he have gotten lost?" Rudy narrowed his eyes slightly. "He's never gotten lost before... Then again, first time for everything." Rudy paused for a moment. He tilted his head up towards the ceiling, the bright lights of the room filling his eyes. "Or he could have been caught..."

"Don't think like that, Rudy. I'm sure Blocky is fine." There was a falter in her voice. It was clear she had thought of the same possibility as well. "Besides, who would want to capture him? No offense to him, but there isn't any villain we know of in ChalkZone who would find him that useful."

"Except to get to me." Hissed Rudy, glaring softly at Penny. The girl moved her head back, eyes widened. "That is what he's good for.."

Penny was quiet, staring at Rudy. She looked a bit guilty for not thinking of that faster. She soon shook her head and said, "Even if that were the case, Rudy, wouldn't you have gotten a ransom note?" Rudy tilted his head at this. She held up her hand in gesture. "It's kind of hard to make use of someone as bait if the person being targeted doesn't know what to do or where to go."

Rudy nodded his head slowly, his eyes slowly widening in realization. "You're right, Penny. That is strange..." He thought about it for a moment. "Perhaps Blocky wasn't captured after all..." This did bring about some relief, but that was soon overtaken by worry. "But..if that's not what happened, then what did...?"

"We will have to go into ChalkZone later, as soon as possible, and find out ourselves." Penny's voice was as confident as she could musture. "If we cannot get information from the zoners, we will do some searching around. Maybe we can use that plane you drew from when we went to Chalk Spain."

"Good idea, Penny!" Rudy exclaimed. "We can fly around ChalkZone and see if we can spot him from the air!"

"Exactly. Or at least, find any clues to what may have happened to him." Penny said.

Rudy lowered his head as he looked around, gritting his teeth. "But it'll have to be at a later time. We've no time in school for that." He casted a nervous glance forward. "And especially not in here..."

Penny nodded in agreement. "Definitely..."

Rudy took a moment to remind himself that he was in school still. Specifically, Mr. Wilter's classroom. It wasn't over yet. Recess was finished, lunch was over with. Now they were on the final quarter of the school day. It would still be a little while before they were done with the day and they could return home.

"We'll go when we get back to your mom's place." Rudy said softly. "I don't really feel like dealing with my aunt right now; she will slow me down."

Penny replied, "I understand, Rudy."

"So it's settled then? We have your mom pick us up and drop off at your place," Rudy explained. "Then we head into ChalkZone and use whatever time we have to explore with the plane." Penny nodded her head affirmatively. Rudy gave a small smile of confidence at this. "All right then. Here's to hoping we will find something."

Suddenly, they were interrupted.

"Rudy Tabootie! Penny Sanchez!"

The two kids froze. Suddenly, they could feel a ton of eyes glued to them, watching their every move. Their bodies hunched, they flinched as they looked up. Upon seeing Mr. Wilter standing there, his arms folded against his chest, they knew they were in big trouble.

"Do you mind telling the rest of the class what was so very important?" Mr. Wilter spoke. The other students looked on curiously. "Well...? He tapped his foot impatiently. "We're waiting."

Rudy and Penny couldn't say anything. Their lack of a response further fueled Mr. Wilter's anger and made some of the students laugh.

Mr. Wilter pointed towards the door. "To the principal's office! Both of you!"