Hello, everybody! I've been working hard on this chapter, while working hard at work in real life at the same time. It's difficult finding enough time to write during pandemic days, but I'm coping exceptionally well. Hope everyone else is, too! :) In this part, we've got Rex's selfish, manipulative mother making another appearance, a few Randall/Becca moments, and Ghost Sam finally gathering the courage to speak to his son again. There's plenty of drama, with just the right amount of heart-warming moments, so I hope you enjoy! See you at the bottom!
Chapter Thirty-Three: Family Ties
Rex had gotten used to the new 'going-to-school' routine rather fast. It wasn't really all that different from going to the factory daycare. He'd get up early, have breakfast with his uncle—and sometimes Miss Suzie if she decided to join them—and be dropped off at Frighton Elementary soon after. And since the school was only a few blocks from Monsters, Inc., Rex was given a wonderfully strong sense of security, knowing his uncle wasn't too far away.
Despite that reassurance, it was still a bit scary in the beginning. At the factory daycare, he was easily the oldest kid, being amongst mostly monsters in their toddler years. Frighton Elemantary was full of students all the way up to sixth grade—which to Rex's five-year-old self was very intimidating. He felt even smaller than he already was and very out of place. His kindergarten class consisted of twenty students, with two teachers to guide them—since twenty rambunctious little monsters was a lot for just one teacher to handle. It was a completely new environment: the classroom was spacious with big round tables that seated multiple kids. All around in an organized fashion were toys, shelves of books, colorful art projects, and puzzle-piece-shaped playmats on the floor. The whole room was very kid-friendly and Rex liked it, even though it was full of strangers.
The sole thing that made it less scary was Penny Brennen. She just so happened to be in the same class (although Rex suspected Uncle Randy had asked Bernard which class she was in, so as to let him have a friend nearby.) Penny was of the more fearsome-looking children with her strong gorilla-like frame and the beginnings of sharp angler-fish teeth jutting out from her jaw. Every day she looked more like her father and grandfather, save for the bright yellow skin inherited from her mother.
Penny was an incredibly good friend who made sure Rex was adapting well to all these new things. One day she asked as the class sat around the tables, coloring, "How are you liking it so far?"
Rex thought for a moment, then looked up from the picture he was working on. "It's nice, I guess. There isn't a whole lot of learning going on, though." The class usually spent the day playing games, and any schoolwork done was far too easy for him. The other children were still learning the basics of reading and writing, which Rex already knew how to do, so the statement only applied to him.
Penny seemed to understand. She often saw Rex bring his own books to class, which were easily at a grade five level. "Did your uncle teach you lots of stuff already?"
"Yeah. At home, I'm trying to learn a bit of French. Uncle Randy picked up some languages when he was in the Human World." Rex bragged proudly. "But it is neat being around monsters our own age. The grown-ups think it'll be good for me before real school starts; a most stimulating test when it comes to socializing."
Penny laughed, her little angler-fish teeth showing. Her friend was always using funny words that were big and long. Rex proceeded to give her a vocabulary lesson while the other two kids at the table—a pink gelatinous girl with a hairbow, and a skinny insect-like boy—listened with interest. It was only moments later when another kid in the class-a fire-breathing one—sneezed and lit up several sheets of finished drawings. The resulting chaos involved the two teachers scrambling to dig out fire extinguishers while the entire class either screamed or cheered.
When the episode was over, Rex and Penny resumed their talk without the others listening in. "Miss Becca helps with study sessions, sometimes," Rex explained. "She's been around lots, 'cause she's been having a lot of weird dreams about her sister lately. She likes to talk to Uncle Randy about them; I think it makes her feel better." What Rex didn't tell was the fact that Becca's 'dreams' were in fact real. For the last several weeks, Miss Suzie had been visiting her sister during the night. But since Becca didn't believe in ghosts, she merely thought these ghostly visits were only dreams. "At first I think they scared her, but when I hear her talking to my uncle about them, it sounds like she doesn't mind them anymore."
"Good." Penny said happily. "When dreams are weird or scary, I always tell my mom. Then they don't seem so bad anymore."
"I wholeheartedly agree." Another big word to impress his fellow kindergarteners.
Penny asked something out of pure curiosity. "Do they really like each other? Your uncle and Becca?"
"Yep. I know she's not the easiest monster to get along with, but Uncle Randy really likes her. When they disagree or argue, it's like their own way of flirting. It's weird. They think I don't notice, but I do! It's nice to see them so happy, isn't it?" There was no way to tell what would happen next. Both grown-ups were pretty good at hiding their feelings, but Rex was enjoying having an aunt-like figure around. He told these thoughts to Penny and she listened like any best friend would. It sure was great having someone to talk to. It made the whole new atmosphere of kindergarten a lot less daunting.
Recess was an entirely different matter…
Frighton Elementary was a beautiful school full of well-kept trees, a perfect soccer field, and multiple playgrounds. The jungle gyms and other structures were built in many sizes to accommodate different age groups, so of course the grounds became a busy place during recess. Children with abilities like flying or spike-shooting tended to cause a ruckus, especially the older ones. So the various teachers outside supervising were constantly running around, keeping order. More or less.
Rex was glad his class had their own designated playground. The supervisor watching over them was one of their teachers from earlier: a willowy-thin bubblegum pink lady with extremely long clawed fingers and a kind face; Miss Abyss was her name. The kindergarteners played and ran around as loudly as they wanted, never going far from their designated grounds. Rex was on the see-saw with Penny, enjoying being outside in the spring sunshine without a care in the world. The see-saw was perhaps not the best choice, though. Penny's strength and bigger size made the thing somewhat unbalanced, but they laughed, knowing how absurd it must look. When Rex was up high, there was a decent view of the rest of the grounds. (The big eleven-year-olds seemed to assert dominance over the swing sets on the other side of the field.) Suddenly, an unexpected sight met Rex's eyes. It made his happy smile disappear instantly.
Far off, just beyond the school's perimeter fence, stood a lady monster on the sidewalk. Rex craned his neck to better see, hoping he was imagining her…she was reptilian and slender, with a dark-eyed face, two arms and two legs, and a wide flap of skin around her neck like a frilled lizard. She carried a sparkly handbag that caught the sunshine obnoxiously, and she was even harder to miss by the fact that her scales were the same bright orange shade as his own…The lady was gazing out across the playground and soccer field as if looking for someone…
A pang of alarm resonated throughout Rex's entire being and he promptly went invisible without even trying. This left Penny see-sawing with thin air. "Rex?" she said to the empty seat.
"It's my mother! Down there on the sidewalk. Ugh. I gotta get out of here!" He quickly hopped off. "My Grandpa said to tell a grown-up if my mom ever showed up again; none of us trust her, not after the last visit and how badly it went."
Penny had never seen Rex's mother, but had heard about what happened during her visit to the hospital back in winter: nothing more than a manipulative, entitled, gold-digging troublemaker who only wanted to use Rex as a means to reach Zachariah. The wealthy astrophysicist would do anything to protect his grandson and Rex knew his mother would use that to her advantage.
Worried for her friend, Penny tried to follow, but couldn't see him anywhere. "Rex, where are you?"
"Still here." said a voice beside her. "I'm gonna go talk to Miss Abyss; I'll be back in a minute. Can you keep an eye on my mom?" There was a sound of eight limbs scuttling across the grass, fading away.
Penny found a spot in the grass and pretended to watch the clouds. All the while checking to see what the orange-scaled lady would do. So far, the frilled lizard stayed down by the school's perimeter fence, still scanning the playground. There was no doubt she was searching for her son.
…
Meanwhile, Randall was busy at the factory. Wearing a hard hat and tool vest, with black-framed glasses in the pocket, he was going from Floor to Floor for weekly inspections of all the stations. The rest of the maintenance team was doing the same. With the silver, sleek new door stations all up and running, and so many new components to learn how to upkeep, Randall was constantly called to answer technical questions by the other maintenance monsters. "Sullivan had better appreciate this," he muttered to himself after spending far too much time on a Scare Floor inspection. "My invention is making everything much more efficient around here, and I still have to work twice as hard as anybody else!"
Nonetheless, he was far less stressed these days, doing something he enjoyed. There were times when he missed being a scarer, but not very often. Contributing more in order to better not only the Monster World, but also himself, felt far more rewarding, somehow.
He groaned upon approaching a Laugh Floor entrance. Already the utter silliness made the lizard dread crossing the threshold. Today a bunch of laughers had inhaled helium from balloons and were singing nursery rhymes, practicing their acts before heading through the closet doors. Randall rolled his eyes. "At least some of the Floors around here still take things seriously—whoa!"
Suzie suddenly blinked into view right in front of him. The surprise made him disappear, leaving his vest and hardhat floating in mid-air. "What?!" he hissed at her, reappearing and glancing around to make sure no one saw that.
"We've got problems, Randall!" Suzie exclaimed in mild panic. "I was just over at the school; you know, to check in on Rex to see how he's doing? And you'll never guess who showed up out of the blue…"
He listened as she told about Karissa being there. Just hanging around the grounds and not causing trouble…yet. Before Suzie even finished explained, a feeling of exasperated dread began to arise. "It must be another hair-brained scheme to get to my father." He concluded.
"Or maybe even you." Sam materialized beside Suzie. The pewter grey lizard looked out onto the Laugh Floor, where the gleaming row of silver chrome door stations was hard at work. "Ever since the factory was upgraded, you've been getting recognized everywhere you go. Karissa would have heard about that through the TV interviews or the papers, no doubt."
"And yet I'm still a lowly maintenance monster. Let's focus, here!" Randall snapped worriedly. "Suzie, is Rex in trouble? Did you see Karissa actually go onto the grounds?"
She was about to answer, when a few laughers walked by and witnessed him talking to himself. He played it off as reading from the clipboard in his hands. That coupled with an evil-eye glare to make the group scatter away. He was about to lead the two unseen ghosts to a more secluded corridor, when the cheery voice of Celia Mae came on the building's loudspeakers: "Randall Boggs to reception, Randall Boggs to reception."
Right away he had a feeling what this was about and hurried off towards the foyer. To the ghosts, he quickly assured them, "I'll handle this, got it? Don't worry about a thing, Sam; everything will be just fine. I'll make sure of that. Just don't go losing your head!"
His brother nodded, though not without concern. He and Suzie watched as Randall turned on a dime and dashed off. They debated tagging along for whatever was about to happen, but this seemed too important to be following and potentially causing distractions. Sam immediately started pacing around. Many monsters whom he knew walked right past him, not even knowing he was there…it was hard, being surrounded by friends and not able to find a shred of awareness from them.
Suzie braided her fin-tipped feelers. It was a habit she did whenever she was nervous. She looked at her fellow phantom companion. "You OK, Sam?"
He sighed. "My son is in a very safe place at that school, and he knows what to do. I just hope Randall can talk some sense into that loony ex-wife of mine."
…
The reason Celia Mae had summoned him to the foyer was because there was a phone call for him. And it was indeed a teacher from Frighton Elementary asking him to come to the school right away. Of course, they wouldn't directly say why, pushing Randall's patience. (Even though he already knew the reason.)
It was already getting close to the end of the day. He and Becca had planned on getting takeout sushi for the gang after work, but Randall suspected the incident at school would take up a bit of time. So he took a shortcut to the factory training rooms to quickly let Becca know what was going on.
He walked in on the tail end of a scare-coaching lesson for a group of monsters. None of the group was a newbie—in fact, they were some of the top scarers in the factory. But all scarers and laughers had to keep their skills polished and often took part in brush-up coaching classes. Becca herself was not that scary in appearance, with her gold-speckled, forest green scales and almost graceful stride, but she knew her stuff when it came to the skill. Compared to everyone else in the room, she was quite short, yet walked about with an air of supreme authority. Her tough no-nonsense ways intimidated even the eight-foot dinosaur monster with numerous fangs and spikes all along his body.
The group Becca was coaching was separated into pairs to practice fearsome stances on one another. She went around correcting things like a drill sergeant. "Rufus, your knees aren't bent enough. Honestly, you've really let your posture slide these last few weeks." The huge, fanged dinosaur stuttered an apology and corrected himself. Becca was about to go on when she noticed Randall over by the room's entrance. She made an excuse to slip away from the group. "OK, everyone go over the tactics and make sure your partner is focusing on posture. I'll be back in a minute, alright?" She let the fearsome group go about practicing and came over to the entrance. (Though not too quickly, lest they all figure out that she was secretly dating Randall Boggs and label her a softie.) "What bring you here, Genius? You know I hate getting interrupted in the middle of a class—"
"Karissa is at the school." Randall got straight to the point with disdain.
"Oh!" Becca straightened in disbelief. "Well, that's an emergency! She had me thrown out of the hospital when she came to see Rex after the bus accident."
"Only because your temper got the better of you with all that was going on that day." He pointed out, remembering the accident all too well.
"Eh…" she nodded and shrugged with reluctant admittance. She returned to the problem at hand, instantly anxious for Rex's well-being. "So you're heading to Frighton, then? Do you want me to come, too? I can always ask one of the other coaches to take over—"
"Thanks, but I can handle it. This is more of a family thing, anyway."
"Hmph. Don't I count at all? For shame!" Becca teased.
"Har har. More on that later," Randall wanted to discuss something serious regarding that, actually, but now was not the time to be changing the subject. He explained how he might not be back by the time the last whistle blew, so she agreed to pick up the takeout and meet at Bernard's place later. She was entirely calm and cool, which put Randall more at ease. But the thought of dealing with Sam's ex-wife again was dreaded. She may be Rex's mother, but she didn't feel like family whatsoever.
Becca rolled her eyes at the mention of Karissa. "Monsters who cause trouble like that simply have nothing better to do. So hurry up and get going! There's not a moment to waste!" She spun Randall around and practically pushed him towards the double doors. "And remember to keep your patience in check so you don't do or say anything stupid."
"Thanks, I think." Randall started to leave. Then he paused for a moment…He double-checked that the scarers further in the room were occupied. They were too absorbed in their practice session, and the hallway behind him was empty. Nobody was looking this way. What Randall did next was purely on impulse. He quickly leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on Becca's cheek. It was so rare when they had a moment alone, that Randall decided to take the chance for this one split second.
It was so unexpected that Becca blinked in surprise, having not even time for her brain to register what just happened. But she wasn't complaining. She gave one of her rare smiles and squeezed one of his hands before he backed away into the hall and left. She remembered a time when the purple lizard had been nothing more than a sneaky, lying, untrustworthy banished monster who only cared about himself. Now here he was, a respected (if still feared) inventor, making nice attempts at affection, and running off to save his nephew from a potential threat. Becca knew being banished had been the start of it all.
She returned to her coaching session feeling very light on her feet. "Genius sure has come a long way," She maintained the tough exterior, so no one would suspect she was suddenly in a much better mood. There was one underlying worry, though. "I only hope Karissa doesn't do anything stupid, either."
…
Randall got to the school as fast as he could. Being only a few blocks away sure was convenient, but he still had to walk over here! Having no bus on route at the moment only made the short walk seem a whole lot longer, given the situation. Recess had ended, and so the grounds and hallways were empty when he arrived. Being here put him out of his element. The halls of the elementary school were lined with giant-sized class photos or artworks from various classes. He was far more used to the serious walls of the factory and being surrounded by machinery.
Rex's kindergarten room was in a sunlit area of the school with lots of windows, making it warm and inviting. He had to go past it in order to reach the school office but was surprised to find he didn't need to go that far. Immediately after turning a corner, he was met with the sight of Karissa, Rex, and the kid's teacher in the middle of a spoken argument, right outside the kid's classroom. The three were in the hallway, the adjacent doors of other classes closed so as not to be overheard. The teacher, Miss Abyss, seemed to be trying to convince Karissa to move to another area of the school where they could talk more privately.
But Karissa wasn't having it and continued to argue.
Rex stood behind the teacher, looking more mad than scared. Randall could tell by the way the kid's scales flickered a red-orange hue. His nephew was the first to notice him coming down the hall and promptly ran over on all eights. The boy practically jumped into his uncle's arms and whispered, "My mom said that you had sent her to pick me up after school, but I know you'd never do that."
"Excellent judgement, Squirt." said Randall, impressed by the kid's deduction.
The bubblegum-pink, long-clawed teacher looked greatly relieved by Randall's prompt arrival. She was about to greet him when the bright orange frilled lizard interrupted. "Hello, dear Randy!" Karissa said in a fake sweetness upon seeing her former brother-in-law. The frill around her neck threatened to pop up in irritation, though. "I heard you got full custody of my son."
Randall frowned. Even he was a better actor then that. "Don't call me that. That privilege falls to him alone. And yes, I did. So what are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to see him. There's no crime in that, is there?"
"There could be." Randall challenged, raising a brow in a stern reminder of how things had gone the last time she visited.
The unspoken warning made Karissa falter, but not give up her act. She noticed the recent tattoo on Randall's left side. The sunburst shape was full of such intricate abstract patterns that it was hard not to notice, really. The tendril winding onto his upper left arm caught her attention the most. "That's new; the ink, I mean. Are you trying to be like Sam?"
This made Randall's blood boil. Having the tribute to his brother insulted in such a way was like a punch in the stomach. OK, OK, just stay calm…she's only trying to rile you up. Just stay calm and collected. Keep your temper in check…He inhaled and exhaled slowly, keeping his scales their usual color without turning deep red in anger. Rex sure was turning red, though. Still held in his uncle's arms, he frowned at the strange woman with disdain.
Karissa went on, "Anyway, you may be stuck with him now, Randall, but I still have the right to come visit if I want—"
"'Stuck with?!'" He snapped. "I fought so we could stay together! And you're still not welcome around here, not after what happened at the hospital."
"Hey, that was what, six months ago?" She spoke casually, as if that day of her scheming had never happened. "It would have gone a lot more smoothly if your friends hadn't been there."
"Good for them. My father isn't the most confrontational guy, so someone had to deal with you." Randall shot back. The teacher, meanwhile, was stalk-still, her sweet, kind eyes darting back and forth as the quick-fire game went on.
Karissa huffed. The purple lizard was certainly a good match when it came to manipulative argument. She opened her mouth to try and turn it in her favor, but he quickly stomped on it, holding up two hands in protest. "Don't even bother trying. No more of these weak attempts of getting your way. The only reason you're here is to try and get to my father, and in case you haven't noticed, Karissa, I'm not lying helpless in a hospital bed anymore. What you're doing here could be considered attempted kidnapping."
Karissa's heavily shadowed eyes became a tad worried. She hadn't thought about it like that…so she tried to set the record straight. "No, I'm not! I swear, that's not what's going on. I just—look, your father is really well-off, so I thought…" she trailed off, annoyed and not sure how to continue. She glanced at her son, still held in Randall's right arms. "What if Rex wants to see me? I am his mother, after all."
"No you're not." Rex cut in without fear. He was very aware of his mother's true intentions; Grandpa Zach was very well-off out in the countryside; that was all that she was interested in. And possibly Uncle Randy, too, given his new inventor status and becoming known across the city. It was time to intervene! The boy piped up as sternly as was possible for a five-year-old. "You may be my parent, but you're not my mother. Dad was more worthy of that title. Using me to get stuff from Grandpa is really mean. Not even an unreformed Uncle Randy would ever do that!"
The wide frill around Karissa's neck popped up for a moment, and she pushed it back down, a tad confused by her son's statement. "Sam used to say you were the troublemaker of the family, Randall."
"Years ago, that was true." Randall defended himself. He then gave a truth that felt unbelievably good to say aloud. "But I'm not the bad guy anymore."
Honesty rang strong. Rex beamed with pride at his uncle's words. The simple statement had an effect on Karissa, for she began to admit defeat. Her neck frill went limp, her arms slumped, and there was a great resemblance to a spoiled teenager who wasn't getting her own way. She tried one last time, though. "Why would Zach pick you to be a guardian, anyway? The only experience you have with kids is sneaking through doors to scare them."
"That's more experience then you. And it's never too late to learn." Randall said coolly. "And unlike you, I've worked harder then I care to admit at bettering myself. So let's go over the facts here: neither of us want you around and I'm certainly not about to let you be this toxic around Rex, or my friends. None of us trust you. So if you're willing to put some effort into changing your ways, I might be willing to listen—but that's a big might—or you can leave. Your choice."
The finality of the words threw Karissa for a loop. One final decision; that was all she had to do.
A part of Randall hoped she would take the offer of visiting, if only for Rex's sake. Over the past few years, Randall had learned that any monster was capable of change. He himself was proof of that. All it took was a ton of hard work, lessons in morality, and good friends to help along the way.
But Karissa, it seemed, was already too far down the wrong path. After all the stories she'd heard about Randall Boggs, it seemed like he really had changed. Undoubtedly, he would do all he could to protect his nephew. She bit her lip in consideration. The thought of Zachariah's wealth and Randall's growing stardom in the city certainly were tempting…but if they were going to be this protective? Her former brother-in-law was a lot more challenging than his father, and not afraid to pick a fight or back down. It seemed more trouble than it was worth…
"Fine. Have it your way." Karissa made her choice. "I'll just leave, then. This may not be worth my time if you're going to be this difficult." She took one last look at her son—who only viewed her as a stranger, anyway. "You take care of yourself, OK, Rex? Don't drive anyone crazy."
And just like that, Karissa left. She took one single glance over her shoulder, but the gaze she cast was one of annoyance of not getting what she wanted. Not an ounce of concern for her family, nor even the tiniest hint of care.
Randall and Rex were in a semi-state-of-shock. At first, Randall wondered if he should have chosen his words more carefully. The clash had not exactly been healthy for a kid to be a part of. But his nephew hugged him extra tightly once Karissa had turned the corner and was gone. "Thanks, Uncle Randy! And don't worry; I won't miss her one bit!"
Randall chuckled. This was quite an optimistic little monster he had to raise.
Both remembered that Miss Abyss was still here. The poor young teacher hadn't said a word the entire time, still standing in place with eyes as wide as ever at what she had just witnessed. Randall tried to snap her out of it, "Thanks for calling me down here. My brother's ex is kind of a handful. She never used to be like that, believe it or not." Miss Abyss nodded, and he went on. "I think I'll take Rex home a bit early today, if that's alright?"
The teacher was still dumbfounded, but at least she nodded again.
…
As evening approached, the sky remained clear and cloudless, with the sun staying high as the days grew longer. The gang of friends planned on having takeout from the famous Harryhausen restaurant. It was the best sushi and seafood place in Monstropolis, and today was a beautiful day where no one felt like cooking dinner. At the Brennen's house, Becca and Randall had yet to arrive, since they were picking up the food, so Bernard and Naomi chilled in the living room while they waited. Bernard was pacing around to show off his new prosthetic leg: a brand new personalized one with a red stripe down the center. It had taken months to be made, and was thick, sturdy, and strong enough to support his five-hundred-pound frame. It was even more comfortable then the last leg.
"It looks great!" complimented Naomi, lying on the floor with her feet up on the couch seat. "I guess all that physical rehab paid off."
"Oh, yes. It feels much better, now." Bernard hopped from one leg to the other, happy that he was so mobile. "Not for the first time I'll say this: I'm glad that boating accident happened."
"Oh, no no no, I am not talking about that day! Never, ever. Do you know how traumatizing that was for me? I saw the whole thing while you barely remember what happened!" Naomi gasped in horror. "It's too rough to think about, you know?"
"Sorry. It's just that ever since I broke the real version of this leg back in the Human World—"
"Ugh. That was traumatizing, too! But at least I fought off a pack of wolves to keep the rest of you safe!" Naomi immediately got to her feet upon seeing Becca coming through the backyard towards the sliding patio door. "Yay! Food's here! Where's Randall and Rex? Weren't you guys picking it up together?"
"Supposed to, but there was a setback." Becca set down the bag of takeout containers. The smell of freshly made sushi wafted around the room enticingly. She was slightly miffed; not about picking up dinner alone, but because of the reason behind it. "Listen up, guys, Frighton called the factory asking for Randall—"
Bernard laughed in amusement before she could explain. He easily pictured Rex wandering the hallways, practicing with how long he could remain invisible. Or pulling harmless pranks on unsuspecting classmates. "What did Rex do? That boy really needs to find a more productive pastime!"
"You didn't let me finish—"
"Let's hope they get here soon. I have exciting news to share!" Naomi, ever bubbly and talkative when in a good mood, started babbling on. "Thanks to all the chef training and Randall's on-the-side baking lessons, I've landed a coveted new job at—drumroll, please!—the Karloff Hotel! You know, that super-fancy five-star place by the docks? I swear the place is plated with gold on the interior." She squealed like a schoolgirl. "I'm so excited I could just burst!"
"Oh, put a sock in it, Princess! Do shut up and listen, both of you!" Becca finally calmed the others' excitements and told about Karissa being at the school. Their reactions were just as horrified as she felt inside.
"Oh my goodness, not her again…" Bernard groaned. "I never spoke to her, but all the things Zach has told me make me glad I hadn't." He suggested putting dinner aside for now and heading over to the school to see if they could help, when Randall was seen coming through the backyard. There was a small orange monster riding on his shoulders. "On second thought, maybe we don't have to go anywhere." Bernard was the first to question them as they came inside. "Becca just told us what was going on."
"Nothing to worry about; just cleaning up loose ends with my nightmare of a sister-in-law." Randall set Rex down. While both remained their usual colors, the ink of Randall's tattoo gleamed a rich red shade, indicating he was cooling off from a temper outburst. It was all the evidence his friends needed to know how he felt inside.
"So what the hell happened?! Oops." Becca held her tongue, remembering that Rex was here.
He was used to her mild language by now, though. "It's OK, Miss Becca. I know that's just a bad habit of yours. Dad taught me what 'no-no' words are, and that I shouldn't say them, so you have nothing to worry about. Hey, Mr. Bernard, is Penny home? I wanna tell her what happened." Bernard said she was in the library (this mansion-sized home was certainly big enough to have one.) so Rex scampered off to find her. "We'll be back in a few minutes for dinner! Don't start without us!" The boy called over his shoulder.
Rex's good mood put Randall's mind more at ease. "At least he's taking it rather well." He collapsed onto a sofa with mental exhaustion.
"What happened?" Naomi asked. "We haven't seen or heard from that woman since the accident!"
"You didn't think she'd be gone for good, did you? Good thing I wasn't there to beat her up." Becca pointed out, taking the seat beside Randall. "Well, Genius, it's time to dish, already! Or else I will personally go find that woman for a few choice words."
The sushi was spread out, and everyone lounged about the living room as casual as could be, while Randall told all about that afternoon. When Rex and Penny joined them, the kids listened to the adults' opinions with interest, so the gang was careful with what was being said. Eventually, Randall drew the conversation to a close. "…so I gave her the chance, but I doubt she'll change. She left with a fast and mediocre goodbye."
It really was a shame, for Rex was not meant to have his mother in his life, apparently. Bernard nodded curtly at the result. "That's what I call a bad influence. Even more so then you—er, used to be, I mean!" he corrected when Randall sent a prompt scowl his way. "In all fairness and honesty, it's for the best. You're the only family he needs, isn't that right, Rex?"
"That's what I told him!" Rex laughed.
The group of monsters turned to more positive topics as the evening went on, such as Naomi's new job at the ritzy Karloff Hotel, and Becca's latest escapades with coaching scarers at the factory. Soon, they all forgot about Karissa and of what happened at the school. It was all over and time to move on. Still, it is a shame how the kid's mother turned out. Randall thought when Rex began to beg the gang to start a game of charades. And poor Sam, being married to her! Maybe she really is a good actor if he missed all the warning signs early on. And he's a shrink!
The thought of his brother made him realize that Sam had not turned up for the afternoon's entirety. That was indeed strange…there was no sign of apparitions in the living room either, as the games went on and takeout containers began piling up. Even as his friends made fools of themselves—Naomi hopping up and down while making faces, for example—the temptation of scrutinizing the room was too great to resist. But there was no ghost to be seen anywhere. Hm…maybe he wanted to see how I would handle it on my own. It'd be just the sort of little test Sam's brainiac mind would cook up.
For now, Randall focused on having fun with his friends and forgetting about any troubles. He even took part in a few rounds of charades as well, which he didn't normally do. The seat next to Becca became a most cherished spot. The surprise peck on the cheek he'd given her earlier made this whole evening feel different when sitting next to her. And best of all, she liked it, too. A part of him wished to have a few moments alone so he could discuss something rather important, but this still didn't seem like the right time. There's endless time, now that Karissa is out of the way…Randall realized. Then there came second thoughts. Actually…maybe I should talk to Suzie first. And Sam, too. Having those two around works wonders for getting some advice.
…
They got home rather late, so Rex was sent upstairs to his bedroom loft, yawning the entire way. Randall hoped fruitfully that his nephew would fall asleep soon. While there was a chance, he decided to search the rest of the house for any specters; Sam or Suzie had to be around here somewhere…
The darkness of the organized house was the perfect environment for ghosts. Yet the ones Randall sought were the furthest things from being spooky. He even checked down the hall in Sam's bedroom—it had since been cleaned and decluttered following the accident, but mostly left the same as Sam left it. Randall finally heard his brother's voice emanating from the living room. He turned the corner and saw Suzie sitting high up on the shelf above the barren fireplace. It was quite an impossible spot to sit, for monsters who were alive and prone to gravity. Her royal blue scales gleamed healthily, and she seemed so solid it was easy to forget she was a mere spirit. Her fin-tipped feelers even caught the faint moonlight streaming in through the window. "OK, let's try this one, Sam," she said, jovial as always. "'How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?'"
Sam was seated more dignified on the armchair below. "Eight, of course."
"No. That's not even funny; why would it be that? The answer is 'ten.' Get it? 'Tentacles?'" she giggled at the corny joke, even when Sam didn't. "We gotta work on that riveting sense of humor of yours."
"Randall!" Sam got up as his brother came in to join them. "That was a superb show today. I didn't think you had it in you."
"You were there the whole time, weren't you?" Randall crossed his arms, leaning against the wall.
"Well…yes. I didn't want to be a distraction. Especially with my ex-wife is hanging around. I had to let you focus." Sam admitted before smiling with joy. "I'm glad, knowing Rex is in good hands with you. But still…I'm sorry he won't have a mom in his life. It's kind of hard to think about…"
Randall, without meaning to, uttered quietly, "That might change, actually…"
"Huh?"
The mistake being made, Randall covered it up quickly. "Speaking of the kid, why don't you go talk to him? And before you protest, just let me point out that it's been almost six months. He really misses you, and look! You're all healed from the crash. There's not even a bruise left over."
Sam looked down at his pewter grey body. The two arms were straight, the tail was no longer bent and broken, even his sleeve tattoo was back to normal and not distorted from skin abrasions. It was like all those injuries never occurred in the first place…Sam was glad, for it meant that he'd finally accepted his fate. Over these past months, he had wanted nothing more than to see that his son was going to be alright and have a solid future. That was the unfinished business that had needed to be seen through.
Randall went on, just in case his brother backed out again. "That kid really wants to see his dad again. You were gone so suddenly that even just one more conversation would mean a lot." He prompted again when Sam still looked unsure. "You know, he's probably still awake, reading like he usually does."
"Well…" The fully healed ghost rubbed his fronds as he thought for several minutes…a smile and encouraging nod from Suzie was the last little push he needed. This would be like a breath of fresh air, going up stairs to talk to Rex. "…OK. I'll go see him." Sam resolved. Instead of blinking out of sight like he usually did, he began to nervously walk down the hall towards the staircase that led to the loft.
Going upstairs the long way surely meant his brother was nervous, but that made sense. After six months of being gone and struggling emotionally for so long, it was no wonder Sam wanted the walk to last as long as possible. Randall claimed the armchair and turned to Suzie, still perched on the shelf. "And as for you, oh corny-joking bookworm, there's something extremely important I want to talk to you about. So come down here. And it's very serious, so don't make fun of me, got it? 'Cause I know that's exactly what you'll do."
Suzie was immediately curious, for she had never seen Randall appear so earnest, despite the rough words. So she blinked down from the shelf to the vacant sofa and listened to what he had to say…
…
Sam stood at the bottom of the stairs, gazing up with much trepidation. Suzie had said he could let anyone see him whenever he liked…it was only a matter of if he wanted to be seen. And he truly did want to talk to his son again…he checked his body again for any lingering wounds, but there were none. So the grey, green-eyed lizard took a deep steadying breath and ascended the stairs. And with every step the nerves became less so.
Although Rex had been yawning earlier, his light was still on. He always stayed up to read or play for a while, no matter what. Today was no different. Sam was glad to see the habit still rang strong. On the second half of the stairs, he blinked away for a second. The ghostly form of travel was handy, even at a time like this…
Rex was sprawled out on his bed with a book open in front of him. It was a story with lots of words and hardly any pictures: an old, battered copy of a story called 'Treasure Island.' Miss Becca had loaned it to him. It was one of the many treasures of Miss Suzie, back when she was alive. The younger McKeen sister had often searched for thrown-away books out in the Human World, and Rex was thoroughly enjoying the exciting tale.
It was several minutes until he became aware of another presence in the room. A slight movement in the corner of one eye made him book up from reading. He expected to see Suzie, ready to read for a while like they so often did in the evenings.
But it wasn't her…It was his father.
Rex squeezed both eyes and blinked several times to make sure the apparition wouldn't disappear.
Sam had materialized on the loft's windowseat. No grand entrance or anything. Just sitting there, greeting his son with a nervous wave. That was all Rex needed. "Dad!" he jumped up so fast the book fell to the floor. He ran over on all eights, but was met with the great disappointment of every arm going right through Sam. He tried again, but it made no difference. "Oh…!" the boy cried out sadly. After all this time, he couldn't even hug his own father?
"I know, I know…" Sam was disheartened, too. That was the disadvantage of not being physically here. He patted the spot beside him, which Rex took eagerly.
The boy had a thousand questions. "Dad, I've really missed you! Where have you been? Well, I figured out that Uncle Randy can see you, but why were you hiding from everybody else? Namely me!"
"I'm really sorry about that…" Sam cringed with regret. His injuries had been so bad that he hadn't wanted to expose Rex to such a sight. "The last few months have been hard. There was a lot of thinking and healing to do…and helping Randall with all the changes happening around here."
"Wow, really? You were helping?" Rex asked. "I thought it was all Grandpa."
"Him, too." Sam rested an arm on the space behind Rex, so it almost felt like a hug. It was hard to know exactly what to say after so long an absence.
"It was really weird at first, not having you here…" Rex began a bit sadly, filling the void of silence. "But things are really great now! Uncle Randy is a good guardian—did you see how he safeguarded me from Karissa today? I bet you were there to see the whole thing! And his invention is gonna be used in more factories really soon. And Mr. Bernard, Miss Naomi and Becca are always around, and Grandpa calls every day, so it feels like we're one big family, I guess…"
Sam smiled as Rex babbled on, telling all sorts of things that had happened as of late. The boy focused on positives and became so ecstatic to be talking to his dad again that every ounce of melancholy mood soon evaporated. Children sometimes accepted the loss of loved ones quicker and more easily; Sam was glad to see his son seemed to be one of these.
"…and everyone is so much—I dunno…happier!" Rex summed up after a long-winded speech about the group's exploits. He tried again to hold Sam's hand, but no such luck. He sighed again in disappointment but was determined to keep a brave face and let his father know that it was alright. "It's OK, Dad. You don't have to look so sad…I'm just glad you're here."
"For much longer then you thought, actually." Sam had been around completely unseen to all accept Randall, ever since the accident. He told this to Rex and explained the many reasons behind it. "But I promise not to hide from you anymore, OK?"
"Thanks. I don't think I would have wanted to see you all banged up with broken bones, anyway. It's much nicer having you all in one piece. But Uncle Randy could see you the whole time, right?"
Sam nodded. "He helped me get through the worst; it's such a hard thing to accept…and you've been very brave through it all."
There was much to catch up on after so long apart. Rex told of every little detail about his life. From the new class at school, to his improving camouflaging abilities, to the days out with Bernard, Naomi, and the rest of the gang, and even about Becca coming over to visit almost every day. Sam didn't have anything nearly as interesting to talk about. He was only grateful for overcoming the fear of having this evening together in the first place.
As it got later and later, the two didn't want it to end. Rex didn't even feel sleepy anymore. "Hey Dad, now that you're all better…" He looked up from the book he held, for they had spent the last hour reading some of 'Treasure Island' together. "…Do you have to leave?"
"No. I want to stick around for a while. Suzie isn't quite ready to leave, either." Sam explained. "She's down in the living room talking to Randall right now; I have a sneaking suspicion on the topic of conversation, too. He thought I didn't hear that little slip-up earlier, but I did! Would you like to hear my theory?"
"Yeah!" Rex eagerly got more comfortable on the windowseat, grabbing an extra cushion to sit on. Having intelligent, mindful conversations with his dad once again was such a treat. The little orange monster savored every moment of it. They both came up with their own theories about whatever it was Randall was hiding. He was not the sort of monster who admitted secrets willingly, so it was always fun to guess.
Midnight soon arrived. That was when Randall finally came up to the loft to check on things. The light was still on, shining down the staircase, so Sam must still be up there. At the top, he did indeed find his brother, still there even hours later. Sam was sitting in the window, gazing outside into the dark night peacefully. And next to him was Rex, fast asleep with a just as peaceful smile on his face.
Randall didn't want to disturb them, but he put Rex into bed, anyway. "I take it things went well." He said to Sam once Rex was settled. The boy was shifting random colors in his sleep, indicating a dream was taking place. It was a bizarre trait shared by the Boggs brothers as well. Randall was curious as to what Sam planned to do next and was hoping he'd stick around. "So, now that it's all over…you're not going to up and leave just like that, are you?"
Sam shook his head. "Nah. It's way too soon for that. Plus, there are still a lot of things going on around here." He said with a shrewd tone. "I'm just interested to see how it plays out. What were you and Suzie talking about downstairs, anyway?"
Geez…I hope he doesn't figure it out. I should've been more careful earlier… Randall reconsidered the private conversation, now wondering if it had been wise to talk to Suzie about it at all. So he kept a deadpan face. There was no way in the Monster World he was going to tell anyone else. At least not yet. "…Goodnight, Sam." And with that, he meandered downstairs without another word. Unlike his ghostly, meddling brother, he really needed to get some sleep. As an afterthought, he switched off the light to leave Sam in the dark.
But of course this only made Sam more determined to figure out whatever it was Randall was hiding.
Thanks for reading! :) I'm super proud of how this part turned out, given how freakishly long it took to write. lol. Stay tuned for more, my lovely readers! It's kind of hard to believe that after working so long on this story, we've almost come to the end. (oh, let's face it; this is practically a full-blown novel by this point.) The final chapter and epilogue are coming up fast in a double-update, with more heart-warming moments in the big finale.