Hey, sorry for the slight delay, but ya know...it's to be expected that eventually a weekly update schedule would crumble ^_^; but hey, 7 weeks in a row was a pretty good streak lol
And look! We finally get to see Chomp's side of that conversation Zim spied on last chapter! And..wait...OH SNAP! IS THAT A PLOT?!

Chapter 8

When Kailah finally got home (after getting lost and having to go all the way back to the skool, just to recognize the streets, so she could find her way home), she gave her dad a tired hello. As she put the mail on the kitchen counter, she gave him a quick and casual explanation of hanging out with friends after skool to explain her late arrival. She then gave an off handed comment about being tired from the walk home, before heading out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. Her dad called after her to say that dinner would be ready within the hour and don't forget to wash your hands first. She gave a soft verbal confirmation that she heard him as she disappeared into her room.

She shrugged off her backpack and dropped it onto the floor next to her dresser before closing the door. A few shuffling footsteps forward and she flopped down, hard, face first onto her bed, suddenly feeling too exhausted to do much else. Her room was a little cluttered but far from dirty. There were still two boxes sitting in one corner by her closet that haven't been unpacked yet from the move-as well as several personal mementos that hadn't yet found permanent homes that were leaning up against one wall. She really should work on that...maybe later. The walls were painted a light lime green with white accents that gave the room a warm spring time feeling, something left over from the previous owners. But honestly, Kailah liked it. Her bed was pushed up against the wall where a small window sat right above her pillow.

She rolled onto her back and threw an arm dramatically over her eyes to block out the afternoon sun coming in through the window. She then let out a long, low exhausted groan and tried to unwind from the stress of the day.

After a few minutes of silence, she felt a faint mental nudge, light and distance, filled with soft questions and a hint of worry.

"I don't know why I'm so tired…" She mouthed in response, knowing that if she simply thought her reply, she'd end up falling asleep midconversation.

I've been running non-stop since I left the skool, maybe you're feeling that? They tried to reason.

"Doubtful." she hummed. "You've run long distance plenty of times before...like when we drove to Florida? You ran off and on for a lot of that trip and I never felt this tired ...I don't think it's physical exhaustion…"

...It might be all the emotional stress then. A lot has happened today…A flash of Zim's face, sneering at the viewer. Followed by Dib; leaning in close, eager for answers.

Kailah let out another soft hum, agreeing a little, but not fully. Today was definitely a different type of emotional stress than what either of them has ever had to deal with before, between Zim being an alien and…'Chomp's' existence now being known. She thought numbly that perhaps; exhaustion may actually be the best reaction. It was definitely better than the alternative of panic and anxiety.

They both lapsed into silence for several moments, her thoughts reviewing the events of the day for what must have been the second dozenth time. If she focused, Kailah could feel the rhythm of running through the Bond, as if that's what her Bondmate was mainly trying to focus on. The journey, rather than the destination or the reason for going.

Step. Step. Pant. Step. Step. Pant.

"Where do you think you are?" She asked, knowing that if she kept listening to the rhythm of them running she'd fall asleep without getting any answers.

...I think I crossed the border into Michigan about a mile or so ago.

"So far already?" She was impressed and a little surprised. Though she could also feel a hint of deep lonely longing gripping her chest, she tried her best to keep that emotion away from the Bond.

I don't have to follow roads, They reminded, that helps. And I've also been switching between running and flying, so I haven't had to detour around lakes or anything. It's helped...but I'm still probably a few days out.

"Are you sure you'll be able to find your pod?"

If it's where I left it, yes. Once I make it back to Pennsylvania, it will be very easy to backtrack to where I landed...after I find where we used to live.

"It's just been sitting in the middle of a forest for six years...do you think it'll even work any more?"

Of course. It's a hybrid of multiple alien technologies, it's built to withstand the vacuum of space, and the intensity of entering a planet's atmosphere. I doubt a little bit of weather or a few plants will have done any damage.

"Why did you leave it there anyway? Wouldn't you have wanted it close by, since you were supposed to be joined by others of your kind? Wouldn't they need the pod to track you? Why haven't you gone back for it till now, or tried to reach out to the rest of your kind before this? Why is there suddenly so much about you that I don't know?" the hand over her face curled into a fist as she tried not to think about how Dib was right: she should have questioned this sorta stuff long ago.

I'm sorry...I'm sorry that you feel this way. The constant rhythm of running slowed, and the blackness behind Kailah's eyes started to shimmer and brighten as images were shared through the Bond.

Emerging from the treeline of a forest, Chomp paused to stand at the edge of a highway, traffic heavy with early rush hour. She could hear her Bondmate debating with themselves the best way to cross safely, while also trying to find the best way to answer all her questions.

I left the pod where it was, because it isn't invisible like I am. They waved their head side to side, trying to judge the speed and distance between cars, to see if they could simply run across while dodging. I never checked back with my kind because I was told not to, The cars were too many and too fast for that plan. that they would come to me when the time came to get the report. They shifted into a crow and started flying over the highway. I probably should have tried reaching out to them when the three year mark came and went. But I had you...I was happy just living our life. I...I didn't want to risk ending our peaceful life by reaching out and reminding them that I was still here. And when we moved away, I didn't think to go back to get it...or maybe, on some level, I didn't want them to be able to find me and disrupt our life…

There was silence between them for several heartbeats, then Chomp added: I don't...I don't know why they sent me to this planet alone, with so little information. I thought I did...but the more I think about it, the less I understand...

"I thought you were a hivemind, shouldn't that be something you'd know?" She was genuinely curious.

I only just hatched, I didn't have much time to absorb the knowledge of my kind before I was given my mission and placed in the pod. They explained, wing beats ending each sentence. I had to be placed in hyper-sleep in order to survive the long journey-my kind dies without a Bond in less than an hour if we're off our home planet. The pod has some sort of technology that kept me alive without a Bond-as long as I was suspended in hyper-sleep. By the time I woke up on this planet...I couldn't hear any of them. I just assumed it was the great distance of space. As if an afterthought, they added in a soft, sad whisper. I know more about Earth and its history, the animals that live here, than I do about my own planet. I know more about your culture and your family than I do my own.

"I'm sorry…" And she meant it, because she knew they were telling the truth. They really didn't know anything else, about the mission, about their kind. She could see in their mind, the vague instructions for this mission mere moments after they became conscious of being alive, before they were placed in a pod, put to sleep, and shot into space.

Don't be. I should have been more honest with you…even if there wasn't that much to tell. We're Forever Bondmates, I shouldn't have hid any of this from you.

They both lapsed into silence then, just finding comfort in each others' mental company. Kailah watched as the images of trees and small ponds and lakes passed by below her Bondmate as they flew east.

Kailah moved her arm to her forehead, all the mental images dissipated as she opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling.

"I miss you." She whispered out loud, meaning it with all her heart.

I miss you, too. And they meant it with all their core.

Kailah looked towards the window behind her head for a moment, wishing they weren't so far apart. She then laid back in her bed, moved her arm again to cover her eyes, and wiggled a bit to get more comfortable before letting out a soft sigh.

...I promise I'll come back to you. I won't abandon you. I just…

"Need to know…" She mouthed.

Yes.

"It's ok, I understand."

A pause:...And Kay…

"Yeah?"

I love you.

A sad smile formed on her lips, "I love you, too." She whispered.

Exhaustion continued to creep over her slowly as Chomp landed and shifted back to their usual Velociraptor form then began running through a new forest.

Kailah fell asleep to the images of trees flashing by and the rhythmic thoughts focusing on running and breathing.

Step step. Pant. Step step. Pant. Step...

A gentle hand on her shoulder. A quiet voice calling her name, slowly pulling her from a deep, restless, dreamless sleep.

The hand moves from her shoulder, gently presses against her forehead, then her cheek, then her neck.

"Maybe you should stay home from skool." It sounded a thousand miles away.

Kailah lets out a soft groan, the words waking her up even if she didn't fully understand their meaning. Something about skool? Was it time for skool right now? Was she late? She tried to force her eyes open, but they seemed to be glued shut. Her thoughts felt like they were being dragged through thick mud. Actually, her whole body felt like it was submerged in mud-an odd weight pressing down all over.

Kailah could hear her mom leaving the room. The girl's arms felt heavy and sluggish, but she eventually managed to drag one up to her face and rub at her sleep crusted eyes.

As she started to rub her other eye clear, she looked around her dark room with sleepy confusion. The clock on her bedside table informed her-in very blurry blue numbers-that it was twenty mintues passed when she was supposed to wake up for skool. She must have forgotten to set the alarm before she passed out...Ugh, she hadn't even done her homework! And she must have slept right through dinner, too. Well, at least she didn't feel hungry.

After a moment's hesitation, Kailah literally rolled out of her bed and onto the floor in an ungraceful heap. She reached up and grabbed her nightstand, bracing herself against it, she struggled up to her feet.

She looked down.

She was still fully clothed from the day before, shoes and all. She huffed and shuffled to her closet while rubbing at her tired face. She could feel-in the back of her mind and very far away-the rhythm of her Bondmate still running. Had they even stopped while she slept?

Kailah pushed her closet door open-taking more effort than she'd like to admit- then struggled to get changed and ready for skool, simply picking clothes at random (a purple shirt with an aquarium logo on it, the same blue jeans she was already wearing, and a mismatch pair of ankle socks).

Her mom came back with a thermometer in hand, and made a disappointed noise when she saw that Kailah was trying to pull her favorite green hoodie on backwards over her backpack.

"Kiddo, didn't you hear what I said?" She asked as she gently but firmly pulled the hoodie back over Kailah's head then tugged at the backpack until her daughter let it go and placed it back on the floor. She then directed Kailah to sit down on her bed and placed the thermometer under her tongue. "You passed out as soon as you got home, not even bothering to get undressed, skipped dinner, and now you're looking deathly pale. You probably have the flu, you shouldn't be going to skool today."

But I have to go to skool. Kailah argued groggily, partly because she was unable to talk with the thermometer in her mouth, and partly because in her sleepy state she actually forgot that her mom couldn't read her thoughts like Chomp could. I promised Dib I'd tell him more about...plus who knows what Dib'll do to Zim if I'm suddenly not at skool...especially if he thinks Zim did something after that fight at recess...and I think there's a math test? It's only been a month, I can't miss skool or any tests now...besides, I've never had the flu before. And I don't feel sick, I feel fine, I'm just tired, that's all.

She felt her Bondmate probe her mind curiously, confirming that it seemed to be simple exhaustion and nothing worse.

Her mom removed the thermometer and frowned softly, "Normal?" she said confused and placed a hand on Kailah's forehead again, as if that was more accurate than the device in her hand, "How do you feel?"

Kailah shrugged. "Okay? Like I said, I don't feel sick, just really tired...but, I gotta go to skool today mom." she insisted.

Her mom stood up straighter and looked down at her, arms on her hips and face both doubtful and thoughtful with a raised eyebrow and pursed lips. "Are you sure? I'd understand if you want to take a day off, you really are looking pale, sweetheart."

"I am, I...I have to go to skool today…" She was having a little trouble thinking clearly, and words seemed to be a bit of a struggle, but something told her she really had to go to skool today.

You should stay home and rest if you need to, missing one day of skool isn't a bad thing. A very distant, and reasonable, voice whispered.

Her mom sighed and let her arms fall back to her side "Okay, but I'll drive you so you won't be late." Her mom raised a single finger to emphasise her next words sternly, "And if you start to feel worse, don't be afraid to go to the nurse and have them call me or your father to come pick you up, okay?" She said in her best worried mom voice.

Kailah agreed.

She finished getting dressed for skool. Her thoughts were a little scattered, and her whole body felt as heavy as lead, but with her mother helping her brush her hair it didn't take long before they were making their way down to the kitchen. Her mom forced her to eat at least half a poptart-since she skipped dinner the night before. When Kailah insisted that she wasn't hungry enough to finish, her mom relented and handed her her lunch bag as they both left the house and loaded into the car.

"Are you sure you want to go to skool today?" Her mom asked for the umteenth time as the car pulled up in front of the skool, she placed a hand on Kailah's face again, her own face filled with worry.

"Yes, mom. I'm sure." Kailah lovingly brushed her mom's hand away and gave her a sleepy, reassuring smile, before she pushed open the car door. "I'll see you after skool."

"Love you." Her mom added.

"Love you, too." Kailah gave her another smile-this one more genuine-then closed the door and turned to walk towards the skool as her mom drove off. Kailah mentally reached out to her Bondmate out of habit as she made her way up the front stairs.

I'm still here. They sounded so far away, like the two of them were on opposite sides of the first telephone call.

I must have slept for 14 hours, but I swear I feel even more exhausted than I did last night…Kailah confided as she made her way slowly up the stairs, one step at a time, hand gripping the railing.

...I ran throughout the night, maybe you didn't sleep well enough because of that? I think I'm in Ohio now though, the sooner I can get answers, the sooner I can come back to you.

All night?...How were you even able to do that? She thought in a joking tone, I can't even keep my eyes open right now. As if to prove the point, she wacked her shoulder painfully on the doorframe as she tried to enter the building. Ow...

There was silence for a moment as Chomped searched her thoughts again, after confirming she wasn't actually hurt they said: I'm not sure, but I can feel that you're exhausted. Promise me you'll take it easy today, okay? At this rate, I should be back by Sunday, we can worry about this strange illness then?

Alright...Kailah made her way through the skool towards the classroom. Even though she had gotten a late start, thanks to her mom driving her, she was still technically early. What day is today?

Thursday. Chomp said after a quick pause.

Dib sat at his desk, one leg bouncing with excitement and anticipation. He pushed his glasses up his nose and looked around the classroom. Everything looked...bolder? More colorful? More defined? Everything just looked very different and was in absolute max HD quality and it was fascinating! He could see colors he didn't even think existed before! Like shimmering metallic blues and greens in the chrome legs of the desks, a color he could only call 'blurange' speckled throughout the chalkboard, and he'd never be able to look at a pigeon's head the same way again!

He could also see lots of details in the world that used to be too tiny for him to notice! Such as chalk dust particles floating in the sunbeams coming in through the window. Or the imperfections of the wood of Ms Bitter's desk with little splinters sticking up on the legs. Or the veins on each individual leaf on a tree outside that was more than 50 feet away!

Dib and his dad had spent most the night working on different versions of the lenses; they went through four versions of the prototype before Professor Membrane finally proclaimed it was perfect. His dad had been surprisingly enthusiastic about helping build the glasses once he understood just how complex the eyesight of the Mantis Shrimp was. His dad actually seemed to really enjoy the challenge and even agreed to help add a few extra features!

Along the right side of the glasses were four buttons: one for the HD clearity that Dib was currently using-this was the one that should hopefully let him see Chomp the same way Kailah did (and so much more! There were so many more colors and details than he would have expected possible with this feature!). The second button turned on Thermal Imaging-so he could see heat signatures in case the HD one didn't show Chomp (plus, you know, there were so many other useful things Dib was certain he could use Thermal Imaging for!). The third was Night Vision-so he could go cryptic hunting late at night without a flashlight that would give his position away (though he totally used a different excuse to include it in order to convince his dad to help him add it on). And the last one was Normal Vision ("So as not to ruin your eyesight!" His dad had said, "Now, Son, don't leave these glasses on one of the other settings for more than 30 minutes, or they'll do some permanent damage to your eyes, understand? This is all still very experimental after all!"). Once they had the lenses perfected, it had been a simple act to switch them from a bulky set of goggles, to something more akin to Dib's usual pair of glasses.

Dib grinned to himself as he pressed through the buttons again, he couldn't wait to try them all out! His legs bounced excitedly as he set the glasses back to HD and watched the door for the arrival of Kailah and-hopefully-her alien friend! He was so excited to test out his new glasses, he momentarily forgot that the Loughran had run off the day before.

Oh! And Zim! Dib couldn't wait to look at Zim with the Thermal setting! What was that alien's core body temperature? Was he cold or warm blooded?! What would he look like compared to everyone else?

His legs sped up as if he was running a marathon as his thoughts branched off into separate theories on what it would mean if Zim was one or the other. Cold blooded would mean he'd need a heat source to function, but what would his normal temperature range be? Is Earth even a good temperature for him? Winter was in a few months, how would that affect his metabolism? But if he was warm blooded then that wouldn't matter..but warm blooded creatures tended to need to eat more often than cold blooded ones, right? And Dib very clearly remembered Zim refusing to eat at lunch yesterday...he'd just have to find a way to observe Zim at his house or base or lair or nest or...whatever, to see what, and how often, the alien ate. Maybe he could follow the alien home after skool today?

Then a new and scary thought popped into his head, causing his legs to momentarily pause: what if Zim didn't even show up today?! After all, Dib had tried to expose him, then Kailah had attacked him...then Chomp had attacked him...and when the bell rang Zim bolted. What if Zim didn't even show up at skool today? Or what if he's already left the city! What if Dib had completely missed his chance to gather proof of a real life alien!

At that moment Kailah finally shuffled into the classroom, Dib almost jumped to his feet and ran over to her, bursting with questions and nervous energy. The thing that stopped him was the look on her face.

She was so pale, like she just saw a ghost or was about to throw up? And she was walking as if it was a great struggle to do so, shuffling her feet like a zombie. Dib was frozen, half standing at his desk, as he watched her drop her backpack unceremoniously with a loud thud on the floor next to her desk before sitting down heavily. That's when Dib noticed that she was breathing a little laboriously too, maybe she'd woken up late and ran to skool? No, wouldn't her face be flushed then-instead of this sickly pale? And she was still early enough to class that it wouldn't make sense for her to have needed to run till she was that exhausted.

Thinking that maybe it was the setting of his glasses, Dib switched them to Thermal mode-noting that her body temperature matched that of the other students-so...not a fever. He then switched to Normal mode and saw that she was indeed looking rather pale today. He slipped the rest of the way out of his chair and walked around the row of desks to make his way over to her. He swung his leg over the chair of the desk in front of her and sat down backwards.

He knocked on her desk with one knuckle when she didn't immediately acknowledge him.

"Hey?" He said with a hint of concern in his voice. He gave her a small frown when she jumped slightly, as if he just woke her up. His eyes screwtinized her face.

"Wha-oh, yeah, hey...morning…" She mumbled. She rubbed at her face with one hand then looked at him with unfocused, sleepy eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked, examining her face closely, his brows furrowing. She just looked...really tired? Maybe she hadn't slept much last night? But then why was she so pale? And she didn't seem to have any bags under her eyes, which was usually a big sign of lack of sleep, wasn't it? Sure, Dib never really got bags when he went a night or two without sleep, but he's also never felt as tired as Kailah looked right now.

Kailah shrugged-or rather-her shoulders twitched up for a second before falling back down. "Yeah, I'm fine...just tired. Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Maybe cause you're almost as pale as a ghost? Did you get any sleep last night?" Though he wasn't really one to talk, staying up all night with his dad working on the glasses, he hadn't slept a wink (not to mention he only had about three to four hours of sleep the night before). But he didn't feel a quarter as tired as she looked right now. But then again, he was a known insomniac, who often missed out on sleep cause his brain was too busy trying to connect the dots and solve the big mysteries of the world. So maybe he was just used to it.

"Yeah," She gave a tired sigh, "probably close to fourteen hours." Her eyelids started to droop.

"Seriously?!" Dib was shocked and leaned back in the chair, fourteen hours? That'd mean she'd had to have gone to sleep the second she'd got home, maybe she really was sick?

Kailah nodded, placing both elbows on her desk and propping her head up on her hands. She almost looked like she was about to fall asleep again?

"Where's Chomp?" Dib asked after a moment, his curiosity finally getting the better of him. He watched her closely for a moment, his fingers itching to switch his glasses back to HD mode and look wherever she did. He only remembered as he asked the question that the Loughran had gone away. Part of him still hoped they had returned already, so he could test his newest invention out, but he knew that wasn't possible; Pennsylvania was several states away.

Instead of looking towards the windows or a corner of the classroom, she just kept looking at him with those half closed, unfocused eyes, and gave another small shrug. "Ohio. We think. They ran almost all night long, they haven't really stopped moving...since they left." Her eyes slowly dropped closed and her voice got softer and softer as she spoke. "We think that's why...I'm so tired…"

"Yeah, that can't be healthy." Dib said thoughtfully, though at the same time his brain also curiously jumped to the thought: Wait, didn't Zim call the Loughran a parasite? What if this long distance thing is the cause for her exhaustion?

"Hmm" Kailah agreed sleepily. "They should...be back by...Sunday?" Her breathing still seemed a little labored, even though she'd been sitting for the past few minutes. And Dib noted with more than a bit of concern that her face was still the same pale shade as well. "Maybe sooner...if they can...get the pod...to…"

Dib snapped his fingers by her face to keep her awake. "Hey." He tried to keep his voice light and curious, but it accidentally came out a bit more accusatory. "Why'd you even come to skool? If you can't even keep your eyes open? Plus, with how pale you look, why not just take a sick day?"

Kailah cracked one eye open to look at him, her voice was barely louder than a mumbled whisper, forcing Dib to lean in closer to hear her. "Because, I promised to answer more of your questions today...it'd be rude...if I didn't come to skool...after making that promise…" her eye slipped closed again, so she missed how dumbfounded she just made Dib.

He just stared at her, she was exhausted and literally falling asleep while talking to him. She quite possibly was having her life force drained by an alien parasite! But she still came to skool because...she promised to answer his questions?! He tried to come up with a response and instead felt his breath catch in his throat and his jaw go slack; is this what it's like to have a 'friend'? Why else would she go so out of her way otherwise? Did she think he'd expose her secret if she didn't come today to answer the rest of his questions? Or was this really because she made a 'promise'?

He just continued to stare at her in disbelief as his mind failed to come up with a satisfying answer.

Without warning, two gloved hands slammed down on the desk between them-making Dib jump back, painfully hitting his funny bone on the desk behind him. Dib winced and rubbed at his elbow, looking up just in time to see that Zim's face was leaning threateningly close to Kailah's. His weird purple eyes narrowed, and an ugly sneer on his green alien face which pulled his lips up over his teeth. The girl jumped and let out a surprised squeak as she was jolted awake. She sat up straight while also leaning back a bit and looked at Zim, suddenly fully alert and with a very confused-and slightly fearful-look on her face.

"Where is the Loughran." Zim demanded in a hiss before Dib could do anything more than disentangle his leg from the desk and stand up.

"I...uh...What?" Kailah looked at the alien in confusion, the focus seeming to slip from her eyes as whatever exhaustion was affecting her started to take hold again.

"The Loughran!" Zim shouted, drawing the attention of the few other students that were in the room. "The invisible feathery-toothy-clawy-monster parasite, thing!" And that lost their attention. Typical.

"They're not a PARASITE!" Kailah was suddenly on her feet, slamming her own hands atop the desk on either side of the aliens and leaning in towards Zim, a look of pure anger on her face (Zim seemed momentarily speechless and a little taken aback by her outburst, even going so far as to to remove his hands from the desk and standing up straight). Then, somehow, the girl's face went even paler than before as it began to shimmer with a sheen of sweat. Before either Dib or Zim could react, Kailah swayed, her eyes rolling back into her head, and she collapsed sideways onto the floor with a painful sounding thwack.

"Kailah!" Dib quickly dropped down next to her, placed a hand on her shoulder, he rolled her slightly to get a better look at her face. He let out a relieved sigh. She was still breathing, deathly pale and unconscious, but still breathing and no sign of blood or a visibly cracked skull. He glared up at Zim. "What did you do to her!" This has to be him! Revenge for the fight from yesterday, surely!

"W-what?! Zim didn't do anything! The host-girl simply fell over on her own!" Zim waved his arms at her to emphasize his words then folded them defensively across his chest and stuck his chin up in the air with a haughty huff.

In one fluid motion, Dib jumped to his feet, leapt over the row of desks, and grabbed Zim by the front of his pink shirt with one hand while winding the other back for a punch.

Zim glared hard at Dib, his green upper lip curling back to reveal very odd shaped teeth-seriously! how was it that Dib was the only one to see that this guy was clearly an alien! Dib forcefully pushed the thought away and held his fist higher and tightened it, completely forgetting they were still in the middle of the classroom.

"Zim did nothing to the host-girl." The green alien said in a hard whisper, refusing to acknowledge Dib's hovering fist and instead glaring straight into the boy's amber eyes. "If that parasite is still attached to her, but not nearby. Then it is the cause of...this." He waved one hand towards Kailah, who was slowly starting to regain consciousness.

The same thought from earlier reentered Dib's mind; Kailah was slowly dying, because Chomp was so far away. Dib then remembered that she had said they were unable to release the Bond, so there was probably only one way to save her. His grip on Zim loosened slightly as he turned his head to look back at her, his other arm still poised for a punch if needed.

"'m fiiine…" She mumbled, though remained laying there with her eyes closed. "Just...fell asleep…"

Zim swatted Dib's hand away from his tunic and the boy willingly let go before lowering his other arm, still watching Kailah.

"Yuh-huh." Kailah continued softly, "it's okay, Dib's making Zim back off…"

Zim gave her a 'what-are-you-talking-about' look. Dib climbed back over the desk to kneel down next to her again and gently shook her shoulder.

"Hey, Kailah? Are you okay?"

"Hmm-hmmmm…" She peeled one lid open a crack and looked up at him with a very unfocused eye. "It's Dib, 'm fiiine...just fell asleep for a moment…" She paused. "Oh? Is that right?" She giggled, "Okaaay...I stood up too fast and blacked out." She admitted as she closed her eyes and let out another soft giggle. "My fault...it's alllll goooood."

Dib sat up a little and just watched her helplessly. Was she talking to him? Or…

"Caaan't do thaaat. We got a maths test today, and I promised Dib we'd…" She paused. "I know Mom said that, buuut I don't wannaaa."

"...Kailah?" Dib tried, the feeling of helplessness growing.

"Maybe tomorrow." Another pause. "I knnoow, I knoow." Pause. "Naaah mmy head's fiiine, I don't feel annything. Just sleeeeeeepy."

Dib blinked and furrowed his brows. Was she talking to Chomp? Outloud?

"Wow," Zim said casually from the other side of the desks. "She's spirling a lot faster than I calculated." Dib looked up with a hard glare and met his eyes. "Where is the Loughran?" Zim asked again, keeping his casual tone.

"...Why do you want to know." Dib asked suspiciously, his voice low and slow as he tried and failed to read Zim's intentionally blank expression.

"I have my reasons." He glared back. "Now, answer Zim, Urth Worm."

Dib grimaced and looked back down at Kailah as she continued to mumble nonsense, her eyes lulling and words slurring past understandability. Dib tried to weigh his options.

Other than being an alien pretending to be a human, Zim hadn't actually done anything 'evil'. He hadn't even retaliated or anything at recess when first Kailah, then Chomp, attacked him. And here he was, at skool again instead of disappearing to another part of the planet or going back into space. And yeah, he was being pretty rude and a bit confrontational in how he was demanding the Loughran's whereabouts, but he hadn't done anything when Dib threatened to punch him. And he knew what a Loughran was! So...Zim probably knew exactly what was going on, and how to reverse it…maybe...he was being so demanding with the Loughran's whereabouts because he knew Kailah was dying and didn't have time for this arguing?

Dib glanced at him, Zim was tapping his foot waiting for an answer. What was he thinking? Did he want to know where Chomp was because he wanted revenge for attacking him yesterday? Or did he want to know so he could help save Kailah? But why would he really want to help her after that whole thing yesterday? Dib couldn't see what Zim could possibly have to gain from helping them right now. Zim must want to know where the Loughran was for his own reason. But what reason would that be!? According to Kailah, Chomp has been on Earth for six years, and as far as Dib knew, Zim had only just arrived. Where was the connection? Did Zim come to Earth for Chomp? No, he seemed genuinely surprised when he saw the Loughran yesterday. How could Dib know he could trust Zim? Was there a way to make a deal with the Alien?

Deal…?

Promise...she'd come to skool because of a promise she'd made. A very simple and very childish thought popped into Dib's head. No way it would work.

But if it could save her…

Dib gritted his teeth and made up his mind. He stood up and thrust his pinkie towards Zim.

Zim squinted one violet eye at him-not even flinching at the sudden movement-and eyed Dib's little finger with disgust. "What's this."

"It's called a Pinkie Promise." Dib said with as much confidence and determination as he could muster, really hoping Zim wouldn't call his bluff. "It's a very special and sacred Earth ritual. We come up with terms of agreement and make a deal. We shake pinkies, and if one breaks the promise, then the other gets to chop off their littlest finger. That way the whole world will know that that person went back on their word and broke the promise." Dib wiggled his pinkies as a subtle way to show he's never broken such a promise. "It's very serious."

"Of course!" Zim said, waving a gloved hand dismissively-wait, did Zim only have three fingers?! "Zim knows of this 'Pinkity Promise'. Ehhh, but why are you proposing it now?" He added uncertainly.

"I promise to take you to where the Loughran is, if you promise to answer all my questions about aliens." It was worth a shot.

Zim laughed loud and hard for several seconds then sneered at Dib's finger with even more disgust as before, his upper lip curling to reveal those weird teeth of his again. Dib kept his hand as steady as he could, holding Zim's gaze with all the determination and conviction he could muster.

"Zim will answer some questions. And only of other races." He negotiated while folding his arms tightly across his narrow chest.

Dib bit his lip thoughtfully and narrowed his eyes, he could hear Kailah's breathing become shallower and a bit more uneven behind him. Honestly, the fact that Zim seemed to be accepting his bluff so far was more than he could have hoped for.

"Okay." Dib said. "I promise to take you to where the Loughran is-with Kailah, so that they can get back together as soon as possible. And you, Zim, will, in return, agree to answer some of my questions about other alien races." He pushed his pinkie forward a bit more, "Deal?"

Zim stood there a moment longer, arms still tightly folded and eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And if you do not keep your word, Zim gets to take your 'pinky' as proof that you are a stupid big headed liar?"

Dib's eyebrow twitched at the insult. "Yes, and same to you."

Zim eyed Dib's pinkie a moment longer.

"Well?" Dib tried his best to hide his anxiety and keep his face expressionless, even so, he could feel his jaw tightening against his will.

"Deal." Zim reached out with one hand and gave a large toothy grin that sent a very unsettled feeling of regret to the pit of Dib's stomach the instant their littlest fingers locked together.

"Deal." Dib agreed in a tight voice before he let go and let his hand fall to his side.

So fun fact! Chapter 1 happened on Tuesday, chapters 2-7 all happened on Wednesday! And here we are, finally starting Thursday 8D (I'm actually pretty surprised all of this has happened in the span of like, three days lol)

Also, I'm curious, do you guys think Dib's glasses are a bit OP? I feel like they would totally be something that he would have in cannon if given the chance, but I want to make sure I don't make them too powerful

Vote now:
Is Zim warm or cold blooded?
Are loughrans actually parasites?
Will anyone actually lose a finger as a result of a pinkie promise in this fic?
Find out next time; on Dragonball Z! Erm, I mean: Chomp!