honorstudent97: Lol, I know, right? Pinocchio scars all little kids for life. xD Hm, okay, I don't think that you'd like my story idea that much then because it's mostly tragedy and romance like what I usually write. :P I'm not very good with changing genres, you know?

marioandsonicFTW: It is good that Doom left Randall alone! Do you think that their peace will last? Thanks for reading this!

Mysterious: That's cool that you're such a big anime fan! I actually would like to try watching some anime sometime. Are there any that you can recommend to me? Thanks for liking the chapter! :D

James95:Thank you so much for the compliments on my writing! I agree with you that it would be rather obvious if Doom happened to be the culprit. He seems like more of a weirdo at this point. Randall definitely does need his mother more than he thinks. He doesn't seem to realize just how attached to her he really is. I feel the same way about the Dean although I understand where she was coming from to some extent. Mike isn't exactly made for the scare floor. Let me know what you think of this chapter!

jade4563: Lol, yeah, Randall's mom is a bit of a nutcase really. :P It seems like something in her mind is a little screwed up. Like you said, it has only been a week, so she shouldn't forget her own son's name already! And yeah...Doom has some major issues. *shivers* Thanks for commenting!

Mickfang27: Your prediction is right as always. :) It does seem likely that Randall will lose his mother soon, and when he does, he'll need someone like Sulley to comfort him. Thanks so much for saying that I have a friend in you! *hugs* You'd definitely make a great comparative psychologist someday! Definitely don't give up on that dream because I think that you'd be very good at it. I know what you mean about being anti-social and not having many friends. It's good and bad, I guess. Nancy is a sweetheart trying to protect Chet from the world. Of course, he will probably have to realize that Johnny just isn't into him at some point, you know? And hehe, Reggie and Javier won't become a couple for quite a while still. Javier actually ends up getting with someone else and Reggie finds a short-term girlfriend. Thanks so much for the review!

Anna Sparkles: Haha, I love that part from the movie too! Randall doesn't know how to threaten Mike properly apparently. :P And wow! It sounds like your great grandma and Randall's mom have something in common since they're both seeing little people. I'm glad that you had fun yesterday, but wow, that place does sound haunted! I haven't seen The Conjuring before, but I love horror movies. Would you recommend it? Thanks for the comment!

badberry123: Yay, I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter! It was good that Randall got a chance to talk to his mother, but I agree that he's probably feeling a bit unnerved and weirded out right now. I'd feel the same way if my mom told me that she was seeing little red people. Doom doesn't talk for a while still actually. I think that he only gets a few lines in this story total. *hints* It does seem like Doom is a bit of a stalker though. He obviously wants something of Randall's. Randall does seem like the type who would be good at math! I suck at math, so I'm so glad that I finally graduated from high school. Hehe, yes, Fungus has a big crush on Randall! He's actually a more loyal friend to Randy than Sulley is in this! Funk sticks with Randall until the very end because I see him as the sort of guy to do that. So RandallxFunk is your OTP then? Mine used to be RandallxSulley, but after seeing Monsters University, I like JohnnyxChet and JavierxReggie the best. Contacts are actually pretty comfortable as long as you aren't wearing them when you have an eye infection. I've had them for eight years now and they're actually really fun because you can get different colored ones and stuff. I got purple this year so I could have Johnny eyes. Noooo, I'm not obsessed with him. I think. :P Anyway, I'm glad that I'm not the only one who doesn't like Mike and Randall together. It seems like everyone thinks that they made great friends in MU, but I didn't think that Mike was a very good friend to Randall and I just don't see them getting along very well together. I can see Mike "using" Randall in a sense. I'm going to write a story about that next. ^^ Oh god, that would be so weird if Don hooked up with Sheri if he was the same age as the rest of the OKs! I guess I knew that he was older before I watched the film, so I was okay with the age thing, but the proposal still seemed really out of the blue to me. Omg, I love your vision! You should write a story based off of it maybe! That would be awesome. :D What was Randall's and Sulley's kid like, btw? Thanks so much for the comment!

Chapter XXXVI

I stare at the phone in my hand in despair. If only I had been paying more attention to the time! There are still lots more things I want to tell my mother. Unfortunately, my time is up and I notice that the next monster waiting in line outside of the phone booth tapping his foot on the lawn and giving me an impatient look. I reluctantly hang up the shiny black phone and trudge out of the phone booth, leaving the door open behind me for the next monster. As soon as I exit the booth, Professor Knight smiles at me until he notices my expression.

"Is something wrong? You look awfully grim. We can't have that on such a fine day, can we?" Professor Knight asks, trying to make me feel better. I appreciate his concern to some extent, but I can't tell him about the concern I feel toward my mother regarding her memory loss and the fact that she is now seeing little red people.

"I'm fine," I tell Professor Knight, making an effort to look like I'm telling the truth. Professor Knight doesn't look like he buys my lie, but the student inside the phone booth is asking him about long distance phone calls, which keeps him from pursuing his conversation with me. Before the Professor can turn around and start talking to me again, I quickly pad between the two long lines of students that lead back up to the school's entrance.

Only once I arrive at the entrance of the school do I remember the problem I had with the heavy wooden doors last time I tried to enter the school this way. Last time, Sullivan helped open the door since Scott and I couldn't get the damned thing open even with our strength put together. Determined not to make a fool of myself in front of all of the monsters lined up on either side of me, I tell myself that I'm gonna open the door on my first attempt. Reaching forward, I tug on the handle. Just like before, it doesn't budge. I sense monster eyes from nearby turning to look at me. Gritting my pointed teeth together, I use all of my strength and manage to get the door open just a sliver. It's not much, but it's enough. I slip through the crack feeling temporarily proud of myself.

Unfortunately, my good mood does not last. Thoughts of my mother all alone in our rundown shack on the shabby side of town are enough to make me cringe. What makes me cringe even more, however, is the idea of my mother losing her memory more and more by the day. I can't believe that she didn't recognize my voice when I first spoke to her on the phone. Well, alright, it's not that I can't believe it, I just don't want to believe it. Also, who or what are these supposed little red people she's talking about? It's more than likely that they're composed solely of her imagination.

I plod back to my dorm room and stay there for the rest of the morning. Although I try to study my history and science facts, my mind is elsewhere. I keep worrying about my mother no matter what I do. Even my afternoon classes don't take my mind off of the situation. Anxiety wraps a tight hand around my chest, making it impossible for my mind to function properly and my heart to beat steadily. By the end of the day, I'm a nervous wreck. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do for my mother. I can't call her again until next week, and without money or the spare time, I can't take a bus to go visit her.

Friday night comes and goes in a flash. When Saturday shines its morning light on the gigantic university, I hide under the scratchy sheets on my bed. I slept fitfully last night, no thanks to a certain one-eyed Doom who decided to keep me company five minutes before curfew. Today, my head throbs with a painful headache and my eyelids feel like they have weights attached to them. I know that I should get out of bed, stop being lazy, and start studying. That's what weekends are for, right? Studying, studying, and more studying.

I eventually drag myself out of the warmth of the bed, stumble across the room, and plop down at my desk. My reflection stares back at me from the shiny screen of my laptop sitting at the far end of my desk. I look horrible to put it bluntly. The reddish-purple veins are protruding around my eyes, my fronds hang limply on top of my head, and my scales look dull. Stress has already taken its toll on me and it's only the first week of school. Of course, I probably wouldn't be so stressed out if it weren't for Charlie's murder and my mother's memory loss. School in itself is stressful, but these added factors make it almost unbearable.

The morning passes by in just a few hours since it took me so long to drag myself out of bed. I plan to spend my afternoon the exact same way I spent my morning - studying. I'm lightning fast at arithmetic at this point, I have all of my science terms defined to the point of perfection, and I can practically recite chapter one of my history book aloud.

To my annoyance, my afternoon plans are interrupted by my neighbors. No, they don't knock on my door and actually interrupt me, but they make noise. Lots and lots of noise. There must be some sort of party going on in the dorm room next to mine. Loud, raucous music travels through the wall and makes my head spin. Laughter, constant chatter, and even gleeful shrieks keep me jerking my head up from the textbooks spread out before me on my desk to glare at the wall to my right. Exasperated, I'm about ready to get up, exit my room, pound on the door next to mine, and ask the neighbors to keep it down. There's no need to disturb everyone on the fifth floor. You can have a party without deafening everyone.

However, my typically quiet nature gets the best of me and I end up with my head in my hands, very frustrated. Since I'm tired, I rest my eyes for a few minutes, planning on resuming studying as soon as the party ends. It really should end by evening, right? Wrong. The hours pass and the party does not end. In fact, it gets louder. My headache has increased to the point where I can't study even if I want to. Ear-splitting, head-banging music continues to roar from the dorm next to mine. I groan when the loud smacks of feet running up and down the hallway sound just outside of my doorway. Enough is enough. I'm never gonna be able to study at this point tonight and I'm dying for a reprieve from all this chaotic carousing.

Head pulsing painfully and unable to think, I allow my feet to carry me across the room to the door. I step out into the hallway only to find that the party has moved outside of the dorm room. Monsters are dancing in the halls, a music player blares loud music into the air, and someone has covered Wazowski with glitter and has attached him to the ceiling, causing him to morbidly resemble a disco ball. A group of monsters turn the corner and run down the hallway, laughing drunkenly. Their eyes are bright and one of the monsters has a lamp shade on his head.

Not wanting any part in this "celebrating", I head directly for the elevator. Even on the opposite side of the fifth floor, I can still hear the sounds of that awful rock music ringing in my ears. It's not that I have anything against rock music. In fact, I like it when I'm not studying or when I don't have a headache. However, a constant rock 'n roll party outside your bedroom door is enough to drive anyone crazy after a little while. I've pitched off of the edge of crazy and am now dealing with a painful migraine.

I take the elevator down to the main floor of the school. A few monsters travel here and there, either on their way to the cafeteria or the gym or coming back from one of those two places. I can't hear the resonant blares of the partiers here, but I feel like I need some fresh air to help clear my head. Glancing up toward the clock, I realize that it's only nine pm. I still have an hour before curfew, the perfect amount of time to take a short walk around the school grounds.

Knowing that I need to keep moving to make it back before curfew, I hurry to the heavy school doors, pry them open, and stumble out into the murky August night. Relief hits me smack in the face as cold gusts of wind wrap around me in tendril-like funnels. I tilt my head upward and feel the beads of sweat leave my forehead. Everything is very still and peaceful outside, the direct opposite of the situation on the fifth floor. I'd stay out here all night if I could.

Already starting to feel my headache subside, I mindlessly place one foot in front of the other as I start a slow, amiable walk around the verdant university lawn. As the sky darkens, stars peak out from behind the clouds and decide to shine their light down upon me.

I've been walking along happily enough, enjoying the serenity of the great outdoors when my solitude is shattered. Rapid footsteps sound from somewhere behind me. I glance inconspicuously over my shoulder, but the night sky is too dark to allow me to see anything at this point. Despite myself, I can't help but feel a little nervous. What unknown dangers are lurking outside of the school at this hour? What if Charlie's assailant has taken his killing field outside?

I guess it's stupid for me to feel nervous. After all, I'm training to be the school's top scarer. Still, it's clear that the soft footsteps are coming closer and closer to me. Someone is clearly following me, and considering the fact that I didn't tell any of my friends that I was going for a walk, the someone is probably unfriendly. My heart starts to beat a little bit faster and my feet start to move a little bit quicker. To my alarm, the footsteps behind me speed up as well, adjusting to my new pace.

I take a deep breath and decide that now is the time to form a plan. I've established the fact that someone is following me, but I haven't figured out what I'm gonna do about it. Running isn't an option. I'm not a coward and I know that my stalker will catch up to me before I know it. I'm going to have to fight. There's no way around it. I'll wait until my assailant is about to descend on me, turn, and pummel them in the face. If all goes according to my plan, I'll knock them down to the ground and proceed from there. Dark plan now formed, I feel a bit calmer. My feet slow and I strain my ears for the sound of footsteps approaching in the grass directly behind me.

Thump, thump, thump. There they are getting louder by the second. The stalker is almost upon me now. As weird as it sounds, I swear that I can feel the pattern of the wind shift to make room for the assailant behind me. Just as a dark shadow falls over my head, I whirl around, raise my fist, and hurl my clenched hand upward. Pain explodes in my wrist as my fist makes contact with the side of someone's face. Despite the fact that the flesh I've encountered is covered with sleek fur, the area under it is bone.

"Damn, damn, damn..." I curse as I wring my hand in the air in an attempt to stop the excruciating throbbing.

Through the blur of pain, I suddenly realize that despite my pulsating wrist, I managed to achieve exactly what I wanted to achieve. Whoever was descending upon me is now lying flat on the ground. I should turn and go back to the school, but a sudden thought makes me hesitate. The pain in my wrist is starting to dull and the fog in my mind is starting to clear. When my fist met its target, I felt fur. There's only one monster I can think of who is covered in sleek, glossy fur.

Dropping to my knees besides the motionless figure, I squint in the moonlight and cautiously reach out towards the lump lying on the ground. I poke at it carefully with a webbed fingertip. A grunt meets my ears. Just then, the cloud concealing the moon moves to the right, allowing me to see that the figure lying face down in the dirt has turquoise blue fur flecked with violet spots. It's Sullivan!

"Sullivan?!" I exclaim, half in surprise, half in indignation. "What the hell are you doing out here? My god, I thought you were some sort of assassin!"

"Mikey's been holding a party in our room all day long. It was fun at first, but it started to get a little rowdy in there after Mike invited all the girls in. I thought that taking a walk would be a good way to clear my head. When I saw you walking all alone, I thought that I'd join you," Sullivan says in a muffled voice, still face down. "I guess that wasn't such a good idea."

"Clearly not," I reply dryly, still feeling a little suspicious as I add, "So you just happened to feel like taking a walk only thirty minutes before curfew?"

"Yeah. Why?" Sullivan asks, clearly not sensing my suspicion.

I think for a moment before dismissing the accusatory thoughts from my head. It isn't hard to understand how someone might get sick of partying after their room being filled with constant music, dancing, and drunk girls all day long. Guess I'm being a little too hard on Sullivan. ...I guess that maybe I shouldn't have smacked him either.

"No reason, but you shouldn't have snuck up on me like that," I chide the shaggy beast with a frown.

"I wasn't sneaking up on you. The grass probably just muffled my footsteps," Sullivan points out reasonably.

Realizing that Sullivan is right and that my paranoia has gotten the better of me once gain, I sigh and reach out to the blue monster with one hand, saying, "Okay, okay, I guess you're right. Look, I'm gonna help you turn back over, alright?"

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