The Beginning

by Christopher R. Martin

Chapter 14 – Sooner or later

"Alright, everyone. Time to hand in your assignments. No questions asked."

The end of another school week had come for all of Elmore Junior High. Fridays were supposed to be the most exciting part of the week, but there were times where such was not the case.

Like right now…

The classroom was split half and half between those who groaned and those who complied without any complaints. Gumball fell into the latter category, handing over his worksheet to the coach in as casual a manner as he could. Upon sitting back down at his desk, he felt Penny gazing at him over to his left.

"You look rather confident, Gumball," the shapeshifter remarked, staying completely still while her classmates marched to the front of the room to submit their assignments. "Did you get that essay done?"

Gumball planted his head against his paws and crossed his legs underneath the desk. "You bet I did," was his calm, collected reply.

"I see," said Penny, resting her head on her hand. "Tell me, what did you write for your essay?"

"That's a secret," Gumball teased as the two of them sometimes did to one another. "I'm afraid you're going to have to wait before you can find out."

Penny chuckled and shook her head. The last time either of them said those words, which was a month ago, give or take, it was her who did it. It was her who had a secret to hide.

And what a secret it turned out to be.

His stunned expression was as vivid as when she first saw it. She could recall perfectly how his jaw dropped when he opened the door. How his eyes were aglow like a star in the night sky as they fell upon every nook and cranny. From the scented candles to the chocolate fountain to the satin sofa to the faux bearskin rug to the fermented apple juice.

A perfect recreation of his original lakeside lounge idea. That's what it was, minus the lakeside part. And the 'nearly choking to death from a twenty-five dollar ring' part. And the antifreeze.

To say that it took his breath away would be such an understatement. If it could sweep Gumball off of his feet, then she was sure that she did a bang-up job. If it could invoke such an overwhelming reception from him, then it meant that he was more than just breathless.

As impulsive as Gumball could be, and as disconcerting as his attempts at courtship could sometimes get, she was nevertheless endeared by his actions. They have only proven time and again his affection, his devotion to her. The least she could do was repay him a hundred times over.

Gumball shifted his eyes to the front of the classroom and glanced downwards. The smile on his face was slowly slipping away. His pocket has not shone for the past few days. He had planned to finally introduce Remy and Penny to each other. It appeared that the long overdue formal introduction would remain in the backburner.

Moreover, he wondered what he was doing inside the rock in the meantime. He couldn't help but ask himself the same question over and over again, and it has gone on ever since that night.

It never occurred to him that his human friend's sunny disposition was more than what it seemed. Granted, there were people like that in the world who used fake smiles and faux laughters to shield their deepest, darkest, innermost secrets from those around them, but Remy was the last person the blue cat would expect this from.

When he thought about it, the two of them were alike in more regards than one.

That was most likely one of the big reasons the venture to the graveyard took him by surprise. Another reason was the thought that all this time, Elmore's existence was because of one boy's fate…

If there was ever one thing the entirety of Elmore Junior High's student body unanimously agreed on, it was the fact that recess was too short. It was a perfect opportunity to blow off some steam and to get the blood flowing in one's veins. No other time of day was more suited.

The students all partook in some activity or another during this allotted half-hour. On one end of the schoolyard, Teri, Masami, Banana Joe and Tobias were enjoying themselves a game of hackey-sack. Masami in particular astonished her peers with how dexterous she was with her once-concealed pair of legs.

On another part, Leslie, Idaho, Juke and Hector tossed around a hackeysack back and forth between the three of them. Hector's size brought about some complications, however, as he often bumped into his classmates and even ended up kicking the sack one or two or thirty acres too far from the school. Retrieving it was no issue at all, but it did waste precious 'recess time'.

At the center of the schoolyard were Gumball and Darwin accompanied by Penny and Jamie respectively – a gathering that has left the former scratching his head. It was an idea put together by the orange fish boy and subsequently met with ambiguous responses.

But even the unlikeliest of groups can forge the strongest of bonds.

"Not bad, Fitzgerald," Jamie applauded, praising the shapeshifter for showing off her newest cheerleading routine. "But can you do this?" Taking a step back, she proceeded to cartwheel, somersault and front flip in one impressive display that left the other three agape. She took a bow in front of her peers, relishing in the adoration they were giving her.

Penny, recouping from her reverie, drew closer to Jamie. "You really should consider giving the cheerleading squad a try," she offered, clapping her hands. "If memory serves me, we have an open slot that needs to be filled."

Jamie caught her breath and wiped a small layer of sweat from her brow before she could give the shapeshifter a concrete response. Standing upright, she looked Penny in the eye, but diverted her gaze and rubbed her arm nervously.

"Um, thanks for the offer, I guess," said the troglodyte, her words accentuated by her wry expression.

"But it's just not your style, is it?" said Penny, somewhat anticipating the statement before it could be spoken.

Jamie furiously shook her head, as if in denial. "I didn't say that. I mean…ugh. How do I put it?"

Resting her head on her knuckles, Penny contemplated, immersing herself in her thoughts for quite some time. There was no need to try and predict what Jamie had in mind. It was all too obvious in the uncertainty she was conducting herself with at this moment.

With the reputation she had built up for herself over the years, it wasn't surprising that her classmates would feel just a little bit intimidated by her presence. Alright, very intimidated. Honestly, what person out there would easily, without a shadow of a doubt, associate themselves with a hoodlum? A ne'er-do-well? A bully? That's just the way it goes.

Her standing with her classmates aside, Jamie was willing to give it a chance. And Penny saw the effort that she was putting into being a more sociable person, even if it was just through Darwin's persuasion.

Putting these thoughts to heart, Penny perched an arm around Jamie's shoulders. She leaned her head forward and gazed into her face.

"Tell you what," said Penny, wearing as good a smile as she could fit on her face. "Why don't you leave this to me? I'll put in a good word for you."

"Um, you do realize that my mom's the coach, right?" Jamie asked in return, furrowing her brow. "I don't think that'll be necessary."

Penny giggled. "I mean I'll put in a good word for you to the rest of the squad. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to have you on-board."

Jamie cracked a ghost of a smile. For all she knew, the squad would be terrified rather than happy about her joining them. She could tell that Penny herself was also doubtful as she told her this. Regardless, she appreciated the offer. She appreciated the attempt on Penny's part. It was so much more than she could ask for.

Over on the sidelines, Gumball and Darwin looked on at their respective darlings whilst partaking in their lunch on the metal benches. The latter was especially enraptured by Penny and Jamie getting along just fine, which caused him to take even more time with his sandwich.

"I knew it would work. See, Gumball? I told you," Darwin gloated, speaking the last three words in sing-song. Pointing a fin at his feline brother.

"No, you didn't," Gumball countered, taking a bite of his sandwich afterwards.

"Oh, right." It was the last thing Darwin spoke before returning to his own sandwich.

Silence swept across the Watterson brothers. As he neared the end of his food, Gumball spoke in his mind, hoping they would come across to the Marvelite stone in his pocket. As expected however, there was no response. He wondered how long Remy was going to stay in his little limbo.

The silence was broken with Gumball rising from his seat and slapping the bread crumbs off of his paws. He cat descended down the benches and fished for the Marvelite in his pants, gazing at the stone for the longest time before putting it back in. If he couldn't bring him out of his statis, then perhaps someone else could. He made his way to where Penny and Jamie stood.

"So," the blue cat began, putting on a sleek, welcoming smile. "What are you two talking about?" Without a second thought, he put his arms over Penny's and Jamie's shoulders, coming in between them and drawing them close to him. "A little girl talk? A secret, maybe? That's alright, I understand. I'll give you two your personal space."

Not a second later after saying that, he took his arms off both girls whilst still maintaining his grin. He then glanced at his right pocket, hoping that his little act, his attempted conversation, would get Remy's attention. That he would pop out with every intention of making Penny's acquaintance. Nothing.

"Actually, Jamie here's going to try out for the cheerleading squad," answered Penny, giving her new friend an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Isn't that right, Jamie?"

The question had earned the shapeshifter a nervous chuckle from her new friend and a quirked eyebrow from Gumball. His brow furrowed, he looked at Jamie in a scrutinizing fashion. At first, he thought Penny was joking, but immediately took note that such was not the case.

Laughter dared to leave his lips only to be stifled. Gumball brought a paw over his mouth, his cheeks bulging bigger and bigger like an overinflated balloon.

"You? In the cheerleading squad?" said Gumball, tears welling in his eyes. "That is the most ridiculous thing I think I've ever heard." Forgetting exactly who it was he was speaking to, he finally released every ounce of pent-up laughter in his lungs.

Jamie was, for lack of a better word, unamused. She merely stood still and flashed a tepid stare at the blue cat, her message sinking into his head eventually. If she could grab him by the neck and throttle him, she would, but she had already gained Penny's favor, something she couldn't afford to lose. Besides, she didn't need a repeat of that…incident that she refused to speak of.

Not that Gumball wanted to hurt her anyway, or could,for that matter. Either way, he saw the look in the troglodyte's eyes and was quick to cease his laughing, clearing the phlegm from his throat.

"And it just might work out," said the feline child, letting out one last nervous laughter. "You never know."

"Gee, thanks," said Jamie dryly, eyes narrowed and arms folded.

Phew, Gumball spoke inside, breathing easily. Barely dodging a bullet. One more glance at his Marvelite, and he came to realize that Remy wasn't going to come out any time soon.

The doorbell in the Watterson home rang three times in the space of twenty seconds. Gumball scrambled down the staircase, shouting "I got it," to the rest of the house along the way. Twice more the doorbell tolled, exasperating him even more.

"Alright, I'm coming, I'm coming," the blue cat answered, nearing the bottom floor.

Waiting on the other side was a slender, elderly man shaped like a paintbrush, sporting a suit and bowtie, the bristles atop his head acting as his hair. As the door swung open for him, he gave the feline a courteous bow and the best smile that he had to offer.

Gumball shot a squint at the man. It was a face that he recognized all too well. A face that he did not expect to find at his doorstep.

"Ah. It appears I've made it to the right place," the paintbrush mentioned, chuckling to himself.

"Mister Emery," said Gumball tentatively, leaning against the doorframe. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, I came to check up on you, of course. Oh, and if you're wondering how I managed to find my way here, I asked the principal of your school for directions. You need not worry, I told him I was on official business."

By 'official business', Gumball assumed that it was about the Marvelite piece that Emery had given him during the field trip. He didn't once think that a tiny little rock would qualify as 'official business'. Why he couldn't just be straightforward with him, he didn't know.

It made him wonder if this man had a one-track mind. If he had some sort of unhealthy obsession. Either one of them was plausible, especially considering that he had come all this way just to speak to him. Not only that, but he could have easily arranged for someone else to come on his behalf.

An unease crept underneath Gumball's skin, his fur, as he delved on this deeper. The sooner he could get this man to leave, the better.

"Do we really have to talk about this now?" asked Gumball following a sigh.

"Yes!" was Emery's response. He uttered it so quickly, so loudly, that he might have foreseen the question.

Surprised from the hastily-spoken answer, Gumball staggered in place for a solid five seconds before regaining his composure and closing the door behind him. He then led the aged paintbrush down the stairs and to the front lawn, as far enough from his family's earshot as possible.

"Do you have it with you?" asked Emery, clamping his thumb in between his lips.

Following the question, Gumball pulled the stone from his pocket and presented it to the jittery museum curator, who simply stared into it intently.

The sight of the thing never failed to take his breath away. It was like beholding some great event as it took place, such as the birth of a newborn baby or the blossoming of a beautiful flower. The rapture was otherworldly. It was indescribable.

After his brief inspection, Emery stood up and turned his attention to Gumball, who promptly returned the stone in his pocket. Then, from the inner pocket of his suit, he took out a notepad and a pen.

"What have you found?"

Before Gumball could utter his reply, a warmth disseminated from his leg to every other part of his body. The familiar voice of his human friend rang in his mind.

"Don't tell him anything," beseeched Remy, his tone somber.

"What?"

"Just don't. I'm begging you, Gumball."

"What should I say, then?"

"I don't know, come up with something good."

"Well?" an excitable, impatient Emery prodded, his hand trembling, as did the pen it was holding.

His teeth clenched and gritting like a saw, Gumball's face went through all sorts of contortions as he tried to formulate a sentence, a phrase. Anything that Emery could buy. It had taken longer than was necessary, but he finally arrived at something.

"Let's just say that it's not as simple as you think it is," told the young blue feline, stilling his nerves and letting each breath pass in and out every orifice.

For a while, Emery pondered on Gumball's answer, his mind soaking up each word, each syllable. His restless hand was quick to jot the whole sentence down on the blank page of his notepad. Word for word. His eyes then widened to the size of tennis balls, a window into his sparked fascination.

"And?"

Once again, Gumball released a groan. When he first met this man face to face, he took him to be eccentric, yet still approachable. But now he was convinced that there was more to him than just his child-like enthusiasm and his contagious smile. That perhaps they were nothing more but a front belying even more layers of depth.

That he was something else entirely.

What that 'something else' was, he wasn't keen on finding out.

Gumball scoured his mind for a good response, but his search yielded nothing. The more that the seconds elapsed, the thinner Emery's patience wore, evident in his quickened jitters.

"That's all I've got to say," said Gumball after holding his breath. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you to leave."

The last phrase was all it took to get Emery to settle down. It wasn't the response he expected. Elmore's greatest mystery was about to be unraveled. He felt it at the tip of his fingers.

Refusing to be swayed by a minor setback, he flashed a small grin at Gumball and nodded his head in a curtly manner, a gesture that made the blue cat's foundation quake. He still had plenty of time. One way or another, he would be paid his dues.

"Very well," the paintbrush spoke, clasping one hand over the other. "Thank you for your time, Gumball. I shall be back again next week to check on your discoveries. Farewell."

With a gentlemanly bow, Emery took his leave, the sun just about to set. Gumball watched from behind as the distance between him and the paintbrush grew until he was but a mere silhouette.

He sighed, containing his rattled nerves. Secretly wishing that he wouldn't have to come across the man ever again. Gazing at the sunset for one whole minute, he then traced his steps back to his house, tucking his paws in his pants.

"Thank you, Gumball," Remy said, speaking like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Gumball kept quiet as he walked through the front door, climbed the stairs and entered his room. It wasn't until the door was shut and he was lying flat on the bottom bunk that he addressed the human boy in his crystalline confinement

"Y'know, people are going to find out sooner or later," the feline explained.

"I know. No harm in me trying to keep them in the dark just a little longer, right?"

"Why are you doing this?" Gumball crossed his legs and closed his eyes, his inhales and exhales sounding at one continuous interval.

Within the first ten to fifteen seconds of him asking that, no voice was there to reply to his query. Gumball had thought that Remy had resigned to his solitude already, until the boy's stark change in his tone of voice proved him wrong.

"Do you know the difference between you and Emery and a lot of other people here in Elmore?" the human asked, a much different person from the lively, outgoing child the first time he showed himself to his cat friend.

"What?" Gumball rolled to his side, dreading the answer he was about to get.

"Trust."

Author's Note:

Sorry for the delayed updates as of late. Between looking for work and jumpstarting my YouTube profession, I have a lot on my plate these days. Speaking of which

Gratuitous Plug Alert

For those of you who don't know, I have a brand new YouTube channel. It's small as of now, but I hope to amass a following. If it's no trouble for you guys, I'd really appreciate it if you check the channel out at:

https (: / /) (www) . you-tube (dotcom) (/) channel (/) UCrEyNe7lUaT4ARz8tomuyPg

And don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, as well as letting me know in your review of this story what you think of the channel.

Thanks a lot.

- Christopher R. Martin