Ok, to all those who thought the last chapter was the last chapter, it's NOT. In fact, I came here to show you more future entries. Woah, lots of Ruby and Skull Boy moments over the 4 years before the sad day… who knew? Must have made it harder… — FUTURE Iris Degloom)

••••••••••••••••••••••

2014

Today was pretty uneventful. It didn't involve an awesome party because today was the first day of examinations for the seniors. It didn't involve roller coaster syndrome because I didn't run into Skulls even once. (Huge disappointment!) And it didn't even involve any time in the janitor's closet because we found there was a big fat lock on the door that wasn't there before. (The horror!) The highlight of my day was eating tacos at lunch, and that's just really sad! Luckily, a totally exciting thing happened after school!

There's a new frozen yogurt place in town called YoSoYummy. It's one of those places where you can mix all kinds of flavors and then pile candy, cookies, and fruit on top. So we decided to go hang out there and check out the frozen yogurt choices. And when I got there, I saw they had cookie dough. See, I told you it was totally exciting! The end.

Just kidding! (You knew that, right? I mean, I may be random, but I would not devote an entire entry to gooey chunks of cookies!) The exciting thing happened when we found a table and started digging into our yummy cookie dough frozen yogurt. MISERY STARTED CHOKING!

Ok, in my head, considering I knew what happened after that, it sounded good. Written, it seems like I am a sadist. Anyway, after getting it out of her respiratory system, it turns out that…

WE WON FREE MOVIE TICKETS! TO SEE 'WAVES', THE GREATEST MOVIE OF THEM ALL WITH 'LET IT FLOW', THE GREATEST SONG OF THEM ALL!

••••••••••••••••••••••••

Misery and I managed to escape our clib activities and were the first ones to arrive at the Gloomsville Theatre. This was not an average cinema with small concession stands and a ticket booth. The ceiling must have been fifty feet high, with many urban-building themed restaurants sprouting up along the sides of the miniature mall. In addition to the food, there were several gift shops and even one sporting bike gear. There were billboards with flashing lights that helped illuminate the huge rooms, advertising different movies and foods. Misery and I randomly chose a stall to buy snacks from before running into the theater just in time. All of the extensive trailers and advertisements had finished, and the first scene was just opening. The theater was packed with teens eagerly waiting to see the latest movie, and normally, we would have no chance of finding a place to sit together. Luckily, I had 6 seats reserved just for us. As I hoped that the others would come in time after their club activities, I glanced at the ticket stubs to find where our seats were located.

To get to our seats, we had to make our way through the crowded aisle. After we finally reached our seats, we situated ourselves in them and I realized that there was a problem with my view of the movie screen. A very tall man was sitting in the seat in front of me, and even though my seat was higher than his, I was still unable to see the majority of the screen. I stretched and fidgeted in my seat to get a better view, to no avail.

I first thought about moving to another seat, but quickly threw the idea out. All the others were taken and I knew none of my friends would like having theirs occupied. I still struggled to see past the man even as the others greeted us and went to their respective seats, which was funny considering he was actually a ghost but still… I kept wishing that I could get some elevation.

And what can I say? I got my wish when I was suddenly prompted to get up and later, propped up by a pelvis. Thanks Skulls!

He's so thoughtful!

••••••••••••••••••••••••

2015

I've come up with a really cool project that I'm SUPER excited about! I decided to take a picture of us doing something fun every day, and then, at the end of the year, make a cool video flipping through them all. It will be like our own little video yearbook. What do you think, dear diary? Perfect right?!

The first entry was about backpacks. As Misery say, if you have to break your fragile back lugging home a ton of books, you might as well do it in style! We came up with some ideas for a totally unique backpack. Which do you like best, dear diary?

-Buy a white one and paint it like a canvas

-Make a backpack out of duct tape

-Make a denim backpack using old pairs of jeans

We all decided to make one for the names we drew out of Poe's hat! I drew out Frank and Len's names and decided to use guitar strings as pulling stings, with great guitar picks as zippers. Music notes were drawn as prints. They seemed to like it, considering how long they've been carrying their instruments in it.

Turns out, Skulls picked my name and gave me a great cute purple purse with a few modifications such as an iPod stereo system, personal ATM, and a color TV and computer monitor combo for planning parties and listening to baking shows! Yes, baby!

He's so creative!

••••••••••••••••••••••••

2016

Today was sports day here in my school. There was pandemonium, as unintelligible screams reverberated through the decrepit stadium, stemming from the sea of students in blood red, electric blue, slime green and yuck-ish yellow in stands as they yelled themselves hoarse, trying to win the cheering competition. The segregation was distinct as every single student became defensive of their respective houses. Zesty enthusiasm was pouring forth from the fervent supporters and the grandstand was exploding with the synergy of the adrenaline-filled crowd. In stark contrast, there was a flurry of prefects and teachers that dashed around the worn-out track or the neatly mown field in a bid to complete certain last minute preparations.

Even though I have never seen a bullfight before, I know one thing, the bull never wins. Luckily, unlike traditional bullfighting, we were not going to have the bull as steak at the dining table. I ensured that by getting rid of all swords.

When a trumpet played the fanfare, a group of matadors who would not kill the bull but rather just hug it, Skulls being one of them! Oh god, he looked so… desperado! Dressed in a gold-embroidered bolero and tight-fitting, calf-length pants, swoooooonnnn!

When the bull was released, Iris yelled 'Ole!'. That's my girl, she's the life of the party!

Skulls smoothly stalked the bull on flat, dance-type slippers. With a graceful ballet-like wave of his cape, the bull charged. They continued the pas de deux untilSkullswore the bull down by taunting it with his cape, just in time for the other matadors to give the poor thing a bear hug, some refreshments, hot towels and other accommodations I thought it would need. I had never seen a bull smile that big!

And then, squeeeee! Skulls said he actually dreamt about me! Well, not really, I don't actually know what happened in the dream, but I DO know it was a good one! Here's how I found out;

Once we brought the heavy bull to its stall, he noticed my eye bags( note to self: no amount of powder can hide your tiredness) I replied that I was super tired because I didn't sleep great last night, thinking about the competition.

He then said, "Me neither. But I did have a great dream about you—"

But he stopped right there! I asked him to finish, and all he muttered was, "YouTube. Yup, that's right. I had a dream that I was in a video that went viral. Oh, eeree… beep! My grandmother's calling me. Talk to you later!"

Do you think maybe he DID have a dream about YouTube? Or was it really about me? And if it WAS about me, what do you think happened in the dream?

That, and since when did Skulls have a grandmother?!

He's so funny!

••••••••••••••••••••••••

2017

I'M SO EXCITED!

There's a huge carnival a couple towns over, and I'm going there with the others this weekend! I LOVE carnivals but not as much as Iris! First of all, there are all the rides. Iris has the best, single ride rule: it has to be SO fast that it could make anyone throw up!

Then there are the games. I just LOVE to step right up and try to win a huge stuffed animal (even though I'll probably win a tiny, cheap one that looks like it could have been in one of those claw arcade machines, which are also super hard to win).

And, let's not forget about the food. Huge salty pretzels, candy apples, fried dough…yum!

Oh no, I heard a crash, be right back. I hope everyone's alright.

••••••••••••••••••••••••

I feel SO bad for Misery! She fell off her bike and sprained her ankle, and she was stuck at home elevating it. She was probably totally bummed to be stuck indoors, I mean, just look at her! And she JUST got that bike. I'm sure she is dying to ride it again! Since she couldn't go anywhere, I decided to just skip the trip and try to cheer her up.… and there was only way to do that— make the four-times-removed Cousin Mabon's Special Illness Soup. He gave the recipe to Misery just before he ate a bowl of it and died.

Don't ask.

While I'm glad Misery's feeling all better, it sure is kinda sad that the carnival is closed now. The good news is Skulls actually won several stuffed toys for me! Yes! I'm gonna call the dolphin Dollie, the giraffe Bruno, the vampire-elephant Edward, the lamb Bella and the dog Jacob! Perfect for an epic vampire-elephant romance retelling!

But that wasn't the best part. It was when Skulls and I walked to my room!

We walked to my swing-elevator-thingy, near the fireplace, having settled together into a comfortable silence as he prepared to escort me to my room.

Well, I admit, I wasn't feeling entirely comfortable. I was thinking about the anticipated good-night kiss which we haven't had yet, and was a little concerned that I would get to my door and start to make my move, only to have someone come bursting out with some camera in his or her hand. Not quite how I was hoping to conclude the evening.

The swing began to rise skyward, and we exchanged a matched pair of suddenly bashful smiles.

"Thanks for the plushies," I grinned.

"Welcome," He replied. Pausing only briefly, he added, "It would have been good to hangout with you Ruby… and guys, all of the people living here… as a group… except for now… anyway, winning those prizes were quite easy actually…."

Gazing into the emerald pools of his eyes, I savored the moment. I was alone with the boy I had loved for so long as he looked at me with a sweet and – dare I imagine it? – adoring expression.

"You're the jack of all trades. Of course you would find winning a breeze, and probably impress everyone, especially in contests… I just…"

Of course, I was not prepared for his weird question after that confession,

"Are you related to a long line of claustrophobics?" He blurted out.

My kinda 'no' was hardly out of my mouth before Skulls was hitting the stop button on the control panel, and the elevator-of-a-swing jolted to a halt. He turned towards me with a subtle curl of his lips.

"Because you fell for me in a similar way?" He inquired with a smooth tone.

And then I felt a boney hand slide under my chin and he oh-so-tenderly tilted my head back to face him. He had a passionate expression, his emerald green eyes brimming with - could it be?- like, like?! AIEEEEE!

Any uncertainty I felt as to the next step was swept aside as Skulls advanced on me. He snaked his arms around my waist and held me so close! I couldn't help but let my hands slide up his chest and across the breadth of his skeletal shoulders, then they crept behind his neck and I drew him down to meet me, sinking into the kiss and relishing the intoxicating taste and scent of him. The pressure was a wonderful feeling, a feeling I could easily get addicted to. As my head began to spin, I staggered back against the strings of the swing, and we rocked back and forth. I swore that there were flowers surrounding us, water spraying all around, and gentle music, as the world moved so fast.

Apparently, that was due to our hands accidentally touching various switches— including one that set the swing on turbo-speed, and spinning around like a twister!

He's so passionate!

••••••••••••••••••••••••

Poor Mr X! Actually, that's not his real name but I'm referring to the Olympiad mathematics teacher to that title to spare him further embarrassment. He actually came to class with his fly open according to Misery (she's on that team because she's super great with angles of depression). He was obviously oblivious to the terribly mortifying situation. Most of the students sat quietly with stern faces, pretending not to notice. Mr X continued his lesson without a care in the world, too busy explaining some theorem to see the members' discomfort as he walked and posed in front of them like a model on a photo shoot. Everyone could see the color of what he wore underneath his pants— er… not only is it difficult to spell but kinda embarrassing to know how many people noted the color.

At least now I know why Skulls quickly rushed him into the Home Economics Room and refused to let me in. Apparently, the zipper was spoilt and Skulls had to fix it. He could have asked me and I reminded him that but he simply gave me a look as if I was a lunatic,

"You seriously wanted to see that?"

Hehe. Good point.

He's so smart!

••••••••••••••••••••••••

2018

OH GOODNESS GRACIOUS! MY DADDY AND GRANDMA ARE COMING HERE! AIEEEE!

When I got the phone call, I hyperventilated, fainted and rolled around on the floor having seizures. Then once Scaredy Bat fainted after seeing me unconscious, I let him sleep on my pillow before cleaning up the entire house. Then rallied everyone to prepare a huge party!

My dad's one jovial voodoo doll. While he is a wizened 700-year-old man, he has a lot of charming traits that will make you think that he is still a teenager. Eyes like earthshine pools, a smile electrifying scintillating. Maybe it was because he was the third 'monster' Frankenstein accidentally created, he constantly had to sew up his stitches. (At least this project was good enough to become Mayor of Gloomsville this time) I fact, when I answered the door, I gave him not only a huge hug but lots of sewing pins. Lots.

Grandma can be described as a pocket-sized lady with delicate features and a full head of fine, white hair which was carefully permed on a regular basis. When I was young, I used to tell her that her hair reminded me of fairy floss. She still laughs whenever I say that. She has a surprisingly hearty laughter for someone of her petite stature. At the wizened age of 84, her eyes still sparkle.

"Any gifts? Any gifts?" Iris bounced up and down.

"Iris, you shouldn't be thinking of yourself only…" Misery sighed until Daddy said,

"Oh? I guess you don't want the hospital kit I bought for you Misery."

"GANGWAY!" She squealed.

After everyone was more than satisfied with their giftsexcellent for Doom who just wanted a nap and Dad... Well, he was always a cat person...

To let Doom rest, we decided to have game night win the afternoon!

"There's Monopoly!" Iris exclaimed happily, eyeing a box stacked upon many others in the distance. She turned to us, her eye enlarging at an alarming rate whilst pleading, "Can we play? Can we play? Can we please play?"

She was practically hopping up and down her spot in enthusiasm, with her new rocket boots, hoping, even though her fingers were already reaching for the cardboard box marked with colorful letters and momentarily let go of it to cup her hands together in a pleading motion.

Most of us shuddered because one thing about Iris, she was seriously competitive. She threw the figurine at Len when he won Snakes and Ladders and tried to glue Scaredy to the board when he beat her in chess.

The game itself had ended with surprising results.

Frank came first as he lucked out near the end of the game and the board naturally curved in his favor, Iris in second place (which no matter how hard she tried to hide, I knew she hated the failure), Skulls in third, Len in fourth and me who had fallen behind near game point came last.

Iris had taken her defeat surprisingly well, seeing as she offered to shake the winner's hand. Which is something she had never done before and she even said the phrase, 'good game' to all participants of our little family game night.

Apparently, that was because in five nanoseconds, two overlapping emerald green leaves were assembled together and twisted loosely to form a makeshift cone in the hollow of my cupped hand, my grandma more than happy to teach me how to make dumplings. The aim was to fill the cone with the right proportions of condiments prepared, without allowing it to come apart. The ratio was very precise, having been passed down from one generation to the next ever since Grace died… (apparently, she was a big fan of rice dumplings as well so Ian taught her how to make one, d'aww…)

Slowly, I started heaping a small mound of glutinous rice into the cone to form the base, followed by thumb-sized morsels of meat and cut mushrooms, then cooked mung beans and egg before adding a final topping of rice. Once that was done, I stared perplexed at the filled cone and began wondering how to fold the ends of the bamboo leaves together so as to form a closed covering. At least the others were finishing their respective tasks, what with the table all set, and other fine courses placed.

A loud and shrill voice interrupted my moment of rumination. Grandma tottered over, looking flustered, strings of rapid Hokkien escaping her lips as she berated me for not following her earlier demonstration. But what really shocked me was when my daddy started talking to Skulls,

"Oh. And, uh, are you interested in dating her?"

Did he not realize how inappropriate that question was?! He gave me a 'what?' glance while I continued to stare him down, even ignoring Grandma.

"You don't have to answer that," I panicked for Skulls, whose eyes were just as frantic.

"No, no it's fine. Actually yes, I am interested in your daughter," Skulls began so courageously (well, aside from accidentally spilling his glass of milk but it's just spilt milk and Scaredy was the friend who cleaned it up with him so that he wouldn't cry over it), earning shocked looks from everyone at the dining table. "She's one of the most intellectual, stunning girl I've ever met. Her wit keeps me always smiling and guessing, and she's the happiest girl in the world, her optimism is so infectious that I can't stay mad. Trust me, one time, I swore that I was related to a long line of angry Vikings and all she had to do was play some Celt music and get me dancing. I think I put my ancestry to shame by doing that… and for once, I didn't care. I would love your blessing to be able to date her. Sir, Mr Gloom… I mean Mr Mayor. Or is it…?" He added the last part for good measure, but was struggling to find the approved term. I could only blush and look down at the crushed dumplings. I almost legitimately starting aww-ing but kept my fan girl feelings inside. Still, I couldn't help but let a ear to ear grin escape from my mouth, still red (curse my embarrassing genetics)

He's so brave!

••••••••••••••••••••••••

Just the week after...

Oh goodness gracious! Guess what happened?!

Hold on, please let me catch my breath. I just stopped my joyful jig, but still grinning from ear to ear. This is like a wonderful dream, somebody pinch me!

Oh wait, no. Len just none too gently tweaked my tender flesh. I'm still nursing the bruise… which means everything IS real! AIEEE!

I mean, at the beginning of the exam, my handwriting had been neat and precise. However, 2 hours later, it had deteriorated into an untidy scrawl. The last part of the question was a brain teaser and I pondered over it for quite some time. I was starting to fervently wish that I had paid more attention to my notes on that particular section of the work. So you can imagine my surprise at winning the DSA (Direct Scare Admission) to Horrorvard! Poe received the acceptance letter and was practically busting moves left, right and centre before showing it to me. I wouldn't have gotten this far without his wisdom! I joined him in the Harlem shake and Gangnam Style before realizing one particular problem;

I would have to leave Gloomsville.

And then I found out that Mr Buns was missing (again) so I knew that Skulls was doing the laundry again and I had to quickly rummage through the basket to check if he had accidentally taken anything else. All throughout the spot-check, I talked to Doom and like always, she understood me. Just that I could barely understand her miming, it was more frantic than ever!

It only took a nanosecond to decipher her gestures... Skulls was coming in a nanosecond! And he already said,

"Er... Ruby, are you ok?"

"Pftttt! What? Yeah!" I tried to feign nonchalance by fixing my collar all the while laughing nervously. I popped the black material with my fingers a few times before looking at him again; badly suppressed guilt seeping through every inch of my skin.

"Ok, I can't hold it back anymore! I'm going to Horrorvard, Skulls! Thanks to Poe, my essay got accepted!"

"What?! That's great news Ruby! No wonder Poe was mamboing so seriously!"

"Er… his gums or himself?"

"Both..."

Oh man... I think he started to realize a nanosecond later,

"Wait, that means..."

"Yes, London..."

"Wow..a few kilometers and hours away..."

"Yeah… so do you think…?" I couldn't help but ask him. After all, he did leave us once for quite some time (5 hours and 40 minutes) to explore the outside world, next to Iris and Frank and Len.

He closed his eyes, as if preparing himself. "You are one of the most important, if not the most important person in my life. You have been there for me for everything. You are such an amazing person. You're beautiful, intelligent, kind… I could go on for hours. I guess I'm trying to say is that…" He grabbed my hand suddenly. "I am going to miss you so much. We will ever see each other?"

I put my hand to his cheek. "Of course we will. It's only Twenty three and a half miles apart."

Skulls stopped. "You—you know the miles?"

I dropped my hand and turned away, blushing. Oops... "Yeah,"

"I'm glad I'm not the only one. Well, time to get out your cute purple purse..."

He's so understanding!

••••••••••••••••••••••••

I really didn't understand what was happening at first. Long story cut short— my friends spontaneously threw a party! And for no excuse or legitimate reason! But hey, a party was a party! :D

The air was filled with the sound of poppers and bursts of colorful streamers. The candles on the cake were blown out, but the smell of smoke lingered for a little while more as evidenced by Misery's occasional coughs and I had to give her an entire pitcher of water to get rid of it. As the creamy cake was cut into pieces and dished out to everyone, we sat around the part of the garden near the trolley station until Iris announced that it was time to open the presents. My cyclops gal constantly urged me to open up the box in chants. While I was unwrapping Iris' gift, Misery warned me,

"Careful. Paper cuts can be surprisingly painful as they can stimulate a large number of pain receptors in a very small area of the skin. Because the shallow cut does not bleed very much, the pain receptors are left open to the air, ensuring continued pain. Don't believe me? Then ask my great, great, great, grandmother's friend's doctor. He got one while writing my ancestor's prescription."

Everyone just blinked in disbelief. Even after being subjected to years of Misery's weird warnings and bemusing behavior, the unlucky girl could still leave us speechless. Only Misery seemed oblivious to the chaos that she had created and to the fact I saved her from further scrutiny as I quickly opened the box (and got one paper cut, oops?) and gasped.

"Oh my god! A jade plant!" I grinned. Iris giggled and explained its meaning. Apparently, it was meant to spread love and happiness if you keep it watered daily.

"Gee, I think Iris is trying to give Ruby more chores." Len guffawed until he felt the heat of the others' black looks. With the plant in hand, I headed for the kitchen. Opening and closing cabinets, pulling out pots and bowls, shoveling dirt, turning on the tap, snipping with scissors and humming a tune, I soon came back with the plant in a red pot thanking Iris and promising her to take care of it. All the adventuress did was smirk at a blushing Len, much to everyone's amusement.

Next was Misery. In her hands was what appeared to be a friendship bracelet. She tied it on my wrist and explained that it was a Native American tradition. If she made me wear it, I could wish for something. I started to wish hopefully until Misery rapped my knuckles with her weird staff. The glowing skull flickered slightly as Misery shook her head furiously.

"No, don't say it aloud."

I massaged her hands before shooting Misery a pearly smile and adjusting the bracelet. I am going to wear it everyday, it looks great!

Timidly, Scaredy went up me, shaking like a leaf as he handed me a glass key chain in the shape of a turtle. According to him, it was meant to protect and preserve friendship. I couldn't help but give him a huge bear hug! Now my bag looks even greater!

Doom nuzzled my shoes briefly before giving me a book. All I had to do was take a quick glance at the book before my cheeks suddenly were on fire,

"Er... I'll read it when I'm a little bit older. Maybe on my twentieth birthday?"

Doom gave me a sassy smirk and a wink, briefly arranging her face in such a way that it became skull-shaped.

"Doom!" I whispered fiercely into her ear. "He's right here!" I mouthed angrily.

Doom briefly pointed to herself, then to me before cupping my probably at that time crimson red cheeks, as if saying that it was her job to embarrass me.

"What did she say, Ruby?" Iris asked.

"Ummm...," I fumbled, "it's Skull Boy turn now!"

Just before giving his gift, Skull Boy strangely asked everyone not to laugh at him no matter how silly he was. He threatened us in a rather morbid yet poetic way;

"You're my friends, so I don't want to say good-bye, but if you laugh, chortle, chuckle, giggle or guffaw, you'll die."

Still, we couldn't suppress our laughter when Poe whispered to us that Skull Boy was giving me a poem he wrote for me. All of us couldn't help but wonder if Skull Boy actually realized that giving me a poem was a rather romantic gesture. We stifled our giggles and chuckles when he began though. In the end, I felt my eyes clouding over. Len and Scaredy even started to bawl.

"That… was… BEAUTIFUL!" Iris sniffled.

"M-marvelous. Excuse me." Scaredy choked back a sob as he took out a handkerchief and blotted his eyes.

"Look, I know that I've been saying this so often, but thank you."

"Aw, you're welcome Ruby. My pleasure." Skull Boy smiled until he realized...

"Hey! You didn't speak in rhyme!" Len exclaimed, taking the words out of Skull Boy's mind. Turns out, because he was suddenly overcome with literacy desires, he vowed to speak in rhyme for the entire day and was succeeding until that point. My skeletal (friend?)/ (boyfriend?) frowned but shrugged it off.

"I shan't be able to check my beak without my beloved treasure… but I suppose I can sacrifice for the greater beauty in a young lady who has certainly blossomed." Poe spoke as he handed me… his mirror! I was so touched, especially when I learnt he spent so long thinking about my gift

I guess that was when the water banks exploded.

Scaredy twiddled his wings nervously before asking,

"Ruby, we will not... be apart right? I mean, thinking that we are going to be apart is... well.. BEYOND SCARY."

At Scaredy's plea, I couldn't help but stare at him. I knew that I had hurt them once but I didn't expect Scaredy to remember it. Or hear of it considering that he was doing the grocery-shopping on that day. The others couldn't hide their anxiety, fear evident on the faces so I plastered a fake smile, until Skulls nudged me,

"Oh, er… yeah… about that…"

"Oh, we already know Ruby."

"Er… know how happy she is to have you guys?" Skulls raised an eyebrow.

"Happy Bon-voyage Ruby!"

"We're going to miss you so much, Ruby, but we're not gonna hold you back..." Iris sobbed, wiping a tear from her single eye.

"I'll miss you too, Iris," I insisted, "I'll miss you all,"

"Please don't say that, the pain is killing me… and I have a high threshold." Misery sobbed, dropping my suitcases. I would have winced at my glass skull breaking were it not for the fact everyone looked so devastated at my sudden departure. Skulls hung back from the crowd, staring at the darkened, unkempt lawn, his skull tilting downwards. A bell rang from far away, announcing the arrival of the trolley. The hardest part was coming… actually breaking up with Skull Boy.

"Please don't go, Ruby," Len begged, strumming a beat on the guitar he shared with his twin. I couldn't help but smile sheepishly and opened my arms to hug everyone as a group, also reminding Doom that she had only a few hours to pack. All except Skulls. I glanced up at him through the sea of heads and shoulders. When they let go of me, I loomed near him, slanting my head to the side to see his handsome skull… possibly for the last time. I took a deep breath and gazed down, finally taller than him in my stilettos… and I didn't like it one bit but I planted a fake smile on my lips,

"Skulls?"

He just gestured at my luggage, "You good?"

"Good as your brain huh? Seriously, what did you fill it with, nonsense until you are actually talking to me, auburn?" I mimicked him on the day we met, even using his then, harsh but still crisp voice. It was just hard to believe at this very spot, where we first saw each other, that was his very first time taking to a human, and my first time meeting a skeleton.

"Well, the brain has a limitless capacity to store memories, especially those of future friend that I have not met. I'm Ruby Gloom by the way, may I know your name please?" He played along in a fake Southern drawl. At least he was starting to crack a smile but I barely stifled my giggles. Was he trying to make me a valley girl just before I left? Not funny! ;P

"Don't have one."

"Well, I'm just gonna call you… oh! Skull Boy!"

"Ya… I'm going to break something if you call me that…" I sighed, especially at the 'b' word.

"Yeah… break. Lots of things break. Vases, floors, ceilings, other stuff at home, skulls, bones, heart, other internal organs… but not relationships…" Misery declared.

"There's always long-distance relationships. Why, when I was in Oxford, I was courting this lovely lady who was all the way in MIT!" Poe chuckled.

"What happened in the end? I have never seen the girl." Scaredy timidly asked.

"Er… messy break-up. Turns out she was cheating on me… I mean, I realized we were not equals and how her intellectual capacity could never rise to my level."

The trolley rolled up and chimed once more and when Skulls actually embraced me, he rested his chin on the top of my forehead and rubbed my back. I just had to bite my lips to prevent the sobs before getting onto the trolley. Hanging from the stairway, he called to me, "Hey, Ruby?"

I glanced at him, grinning, "Yes?"

"You're on your way."

He always loved re-using lines… especially the good ones.

I just hopped onto trolley when it was about to depart, standing at the very back, waving at them until they were out of sight. Though I swore I heard Misery screeching before Doom slapped her forehead and turned to pack her things,

"We're going to die!"

Then she did a fireworks display, igniting the ropes with lots of lightning.

I was still giggling over her over-dramatic response even as the faint pearly glow of the rising moon started to linger in the early evening sky, smiling happily. However, its happy disposition seemed to add urgency to the crowd, filling the trolley with a smorgasbord of contradicting vibes. The riotous mix of overly zealous majority versus the haplessly passive minority which I belonged to was evident as commuters from the enthusiastic camp would go all out to shove their nonchalant counterparts. Once I had been kicked out of the game and forced to stand in a tight spot, I managed to get you out and write down all of this. Especially how worried I am. Maybe I shouldn't be…

But what about the house, it could be in such disrepair by now. Someone has to make the meals. And who will prepare Frank and Len for their next gig? And Poe needs help editing his autobiography. Misery told me she wanted an extra person to count her first aid kits in case she loses her current if someone gets in an accident? What if Mr. Mumbles needs help with a new ride for his amusement park, or if he needs someone to help organize the next Brain Decathlon? How will the moon go to sleep if I don't sing him a song? How will everyone stay cheery if I'm not there? Who will help Skull Boy find his family, or where he comes from?

Then again, if there really is an emergency, Misery does have a good handle on medical attention from years of bad luck. She can treat them. Iris will help Mr. Mumbles if he has an idea for a new ride, and if he needs help with the Decathlon, I am sure Skull Boy or Poe will be more than happy to aid. Misery can sing the moon to sleep. Skull Boy has come up with all of his crazy theories without me, and I'm sure the others can all help if he asks. And they will stay cheery!

Then again, just to be safe, I'm calling Skulls to check on everything once I get to my dorm room.

He's so unforgettable.…

••••••••••••••••••••••••

I'm writing this entry at the very playground where I spent many blissful days there. It is still situated just near Skelly-T's club and remains to be a beloved haunt for many children who live in the vicinity. The vibrant atmosphere of gleeful squeals, roaring roars, the hurried platter (or vibrations) of the exuberant children scrambling about seems to characterize the space which the playground inhabits. Its astounding popularity lies in the spectacular variety of brilliantly designed offerings such as the swing set, monkey bars, and slides.

Currently, I'm sitting near a particular red spiral slide, tearing my hair out. While it is quite a sight to see protective parents trailing after their mindlessly daring toddlers who are flocking the slide like flies to Venus flytraps, I am more worried about leaving.

Especially since my passport was stolen! Realizing that was like the rotten cherry on top of the spoilt banana split. (Hold the nuts though, I gotta give them to Len's furry grey rodent.)

The trolley had accidentally dropped me off the wrong terminal and then I tripped over my undone sneakers, landing in a heap on the floor. Luckily, I found my bright side in time — the skytrain!

The deafening roar of the jet engine reverberated through the glass walls. Beyond the glass panels of the viewing gallery I managed to get inside, airplanes soared majestically through the skies. On the ground, I could see traffic controllers clad in neon yellow bibs scampering about. I had to join them when I rummaged through my bag, only to be missing my passport! I was frantic. There was a representative from the school who would be waiting for me and classes started tomorrow! How could I even get to my twelve-hour flight without my passport?!

Time to call for help! Or not… my phone was missing as well!

Luckily, WacDonalds provided free computer usage, I could easily Skype them about my quandary. Unfortunately… let's just say Frank and Len left the rubber-duck-of-a-webcam in their shower by mistake.

Not a pretty sight.

After screaming our lungs out and Poe quickly tossing them a towel, I explained my predicament,

"Duh, the fact you had to see naked boys is a problem! How are your eyes?" Iris asked.

(What? I'd be scarred for life if I had to see an undressed boy! - Iris Degloom)

"And you're in London already? Wow, that's one fast plane… it's even better than Skulls Airlines… I remember the first flight…" Skulls started reminiscing until everyone shouted,

"Let it go!"

I had to quickly get to the point before the others became more distracted,

"No… it's my passport! It's gone!"

"What?!"

Doom thought it had fallen behind the desk somehow so everyone, at least that's what I saw, squatted down, heaved the desk aside and examined the dark crevice behind it. Dust bunnies dancing, the tail of a lizard as it scurried away from Doom, a sweet wrapper, and an eraser. As Doom shoved the desk back into place, I broke out into cold sweat.

Doom finally shrugged her shoulders. So, Frank and Len pulled up their sleeves and began to haul my mattress aside to check underneath it, although it would be anyone's guess how it would have gotten there.

"Great, somebody took it." Misery sighed.

"Guys, I know all you won't possibly think of this so I am..." Len announced solemnly.

"LEN CAN THINK?!" Frank gasped.

"It's Scaredy Bat!"

"Oh thank goodness, still Len intelligence." He sighed in relief.

"Actually," Boo Boo clarified, looking at his notepad, "At 2:45 in the afternoon, scared Scaredy at cellars. Then, nada."

Somehow, I suspected that the innocent Scaredy wasn't innocent Scaredy as I dialed his number frantically, the phone rang on and on. Finally, he answered but as soon as he heard my voice, he began sobbing,

"You are leaving all of us! Even Iris and Skull Boy! Of course I took your passport! Please take me to the big house, put me in jail for liiiifeeee!"

He slammed down the phone. I was ready to get to Misery's rickety old red car once everyone came to the airport but as I tried to get into the driver's seat, both Iris and Misery stopped me,

"Heck no, not now." They said simultaneously. Well, perhaps that was for the best. In the mood I was in, anything could have happened so I just let Skulls take the wheel and we raced along the expressway in less than 20 minutes.

"Wait, as James Bond as we all look, thanks again Frank and Len for the cool shades, where could he be?"

Then I remembered where I first met Scaredy Bat, at the playground. He was so scared of going down the little slide so we both went down together (well, it took some time for me to fit into the little slide but hey, at least he was happy)

Quickly telling Skulls directions from memory, we all split up to look at the various equipment for serious hard-core playing. Eventually, I found him on the little slide again, sobbing his poor little heart out.

Again, that guilt overwhelmed me. So, I walked up to him rather carefully,

"Hello, Scaredy."

Of course, that made the little fuzz around his neck stand at attention,

"Oh, hello Ruby. Are you here to apprehend this cold criminal?"

"Nah, this criminal seems rather cute, small, warm… and committed the crime of love, a most honorable crime."

"Still, Ruby, why do you want to leave?"

"Scaredy, for the longest time I could imagine, I have been dreaming of being a writer. Horrorvard has a lot of courses to offer for that kind of job. Mythology, English, etc. And I am finally write all of our adventures, activities and parties we had together as the best of friends."

"Well, at least I can see why you got accepted and Skulls did not."

WHAT?!

I guess upon seeing my shocked expression, Scaredy decided to elaborate,

"When he heard you were leaving for Horrorvard, he decided to apply there but because his essay was weak, he failed."

He looked so despondent over that so I quickly shifted my attention towards the little guy even though I knew I would had to talk to Skulls about this at some point.

"Scaredy, parting is such sweet sorrow.."

"But we will not meet each other tomorrow…" Scaredy sighed.

"No, but it's better than not having met at all."

It was true. Scaredy Bat may be the cute critter afraid of flying and the dark and loud noises and avocados and… well, you get the drift. But in spite of all those phobias, he is brave, selfless and cautious for us because he truly cares for everyone. Though after a few seconds, he remembers to be afraid a moment later and faints in horror. We make each other feel needed and appreciated. And there were always other forms of communication like Skype... I told him so and he burst out into smile before giving me back my passport.

"And eek-mail I guess, huh, the internet is not scary at all actually…"

I couldn't help but just squeeze the life-force out of him. He is just so adorable!

It also turns out, it wasn't only Scaredy who stole just to hinder the process. Iris took away all of my clothes so that I couldn't bear the winter there and would be forced to come home, Misery hid all of my medical supplies so that in case of an emergency I would have to turn back, Frank and Len deleted all of my music so that I would feel angry that 'London' deleted my music and stomp my way to the Manor, Poe took my ink supply so that I wouldn't be able to write in you and would yearn to come to Gloomsville, and Skulls actually got my iPhone! My iPhone is like a little digital shrine to all of my friends. They are my screensaver. I have TONS of photos of them in my albums. Their faces come up when they call. He was basically kidnapping himself and the others!

Still, once the all left after reassuring them that I would be fine on my own waiting for the next flight after explaining to the principal of Horrorvard my predicament, I stayed behind, thinking of all the gloomy memories, the most recent being the feast before leaving.

Iris gabbing about the tricks she was trying to teach her flying worm, Squiq, using her hands to help them visualize the tricks. Poe perching himself on the top of Misery's chair, his legs crossed, chatting about his younger days and all the things he had done, whether they might be true or not. Misery picking at her plate, listening to the various conversations and adding her comments to each one in her sullen but loveable way. Frank and Len sitting at the head of the table with their guitar in their lap, plucking a new tune and arguing over lyrics. Skull Boy discussing with Scaredy Bat about his newest project and ancestry theory, although I couldn't exactly remember what that was. The dining room was brightly lit and had a happy atmosphere.

Love is the greatest ingredient of friendship… with a little sugar fromMisery's sugar bowl from her acceptor living until the Great Fire of London.

••••••••••••••••••••••••

I'm on the last plane to London now. I would have gotten you out earlier to write about this were it not for the fact I had to scoot and squish, trying to get comfortable on the squeaky, germ-invested airplane chair. I found myself sitting next to a hootchy middle aged woman and a three year old boy that refused to stop screaming. And a heart that's so obsessed about a skeleton.

His face just keeps popping in my head, and I've been shaking my mind clear, but it has produced nothing. His sharp white skull, his sparkling green eyes, his charming smile . . . they have been eternally imprinted in my mind. I wished Scaredy hadn't reminded me so much. Like how badly I fell for a certain skeleton at the tender age of 5.

At first, I thought I had suddenly developed an allergy to Skull Boy so I avoided him... until I realized that it didn't soften the ache I felt but rather intensified it and I started missing him even as I browsed through some medical dictionaries. Then I realized that my heart kept leaping like some gymnast whenever I just HEARD his name. And that was way before the hugging started. I usually ignored that strange yet sensational... sensation. Whenever our hands touched and eyes met, there was always a sudden silence and sudden heat. And finally, a rush of joy down my spine.

I told Dad this because I knew he was a fountain of wisdom in matters of the heart. Well, he wasn't that knowledgeable in terms of surviving a heart attack the moment I described the situation but still, he was rather happy that it was Skull Boy. In fact, he already has saved a stunning wedding dress for me. I admit, I sometimes try it. Sometimes... like twice a week. I'm also bringing it along.

There was just something about having a long term relationship with a someone who you feel a connection with, someone who your feelings have blossomed for overtime that was just, wow. Then the moment you realize it much, much, much later, it's life-changing. Scaredy even gave me a word to describe him.

Manchala… the giddy heart, the mad man…