Chapter 32: You Gotta Believe
Meanwhile, at the Kanker's trailer, the Eds and Kankers were occupied with having conversations regarding the ups and downs in their relationship; as Chris decided to go outside to check on Kenji, who was currently stuck in deep thought.
"Hey man, what's going on? You've been gone for a while." asked Chris, closing the door in the process.
"Ahh... I'm afraid we might stick in a scenario that requires our immediate attention." said Kenji, sounding concerned, which Chris took note of.
"What's the situation? We gotta save Cassie or what?" stated Chris.
"Not quite." said Kenji, as he took a deep breath. "In short, we must make our way to the address of a blacksmith who Cassie's father is attempting to employ. Cassie informed me that according to information she acquired, the blacksmith is reluctant to join, and if we can attempt to convince him otherwise in regards to accompanying her father, it shall hinder their operation."
Chris leaned against the trailer with his arms crossed, while his left hand's palm was beneath his chin; indicating that he was thinking.
"Okay, well, I guess we can try to go to this guy's place, but how do we plan to get there, where is the location, and who else should we bring?" asked Chris.
"To provide a resolution all of your queries, we can only attempt to ask your father for transportation, as it will be the most time efficient. Cassie has already sent me the address, so there's no need to overwrought oneself there. Lastly, as much as I detest dishonesty, we should keep this an operation between us, and your father, should he agree." explained Kenji.
"Wow, you seem pretty confident." said Chris, chuckling slightly. "Alright, cool, but when do we leave, now?"
"Not yet, I would say we depart at around 11:40 AM, as we need time to convince your father to bring us to the address. To our benefit, it's not far from Peach Creek, so we have a increased likelihood of success." stated Kenji.
"Okay then. Shall we go back and join the rest of them?" asked Chris.
"Indeed. But avoid informing any of them regarding our plan, as it will be a disturbance to what the purpose of the gathering is." responded Kenji. "As much as I wish we could reveal our actual intentions, we will cause a disturbance; and I'd rather evade intruding on the family gathering."
"Relax, I'll say nothing, haha. Besides, well improvise a solution to getting out easily." stated Chris, as he opened the door, and made his way back inside with Kenji back to the table.
Meanwhile, at the table, the Eds, Kankers, and Jane have been having conversations regarding the past of the two groups. Jane, being absent for practically all of the events, couldn't contain her laughter regarding the absurdity of their antics back then.
"It's incredible how you all went from running away from each other, to being inseparable." said Jane, speaking her mind. "How would you all say it got resolved?"
Before Double D could explain his response, Eddy was first to answer with his own response.
"I think the best way you can understand is that, people tend to change for the better sometimes." said Eddy. "But it's not like all change is good, heck no! I'm sure me and the boys can agree that this is one of those cases where it is, however."
"While lacking depth, I would say you summarized it very conscientiously in a straightforward manner! The Kankers recognized the flaw in their constant aggressive manners in regards to displaying affections, ranging from quite mortifying public coups, to rather humiliating coerced private encounters." further explained Double D.
Jane couldn't help but crack a joke at her three daughters' expenses.
"Really?" stated Jane, turning to face her daughters. "My god, you girls were really losing your mind over these boys!"
"MOM!" yelled the Kanker trio, which resulted in Jane laughing, while the boys sat there awkwardly.
Speaking of the boys, Chris and Kenji rejoin the commotion at the table, wondering what all the fuss is about.
"Oh! Welcome back you two, everything alright?" asked Jane, realizing two of her guests have returned.
"Yeah, we realized that there's a small possibility that we might need to leave in an hour or so to help my dad with something, but other than that, we're fine." said Chris, attempting to sound convincing.
"That's okay, no need to feel like you're forced to stay. When you two have to leave, just let us know." responded Jane, reassuring both of the boys.
Lee then interjected with a question of her own, curiosity getting the better of her.
"So, where are the other two ladies? Surely you two didn't say no to them coming, eh?" asked Lee, with a small smirk.
"For god's sake, NO! They are just busy with other stuff, more specifically an assignment that they accidentally forgot about, so they're busy wrapping that up. Nothing else to it than that, okay?" responded Chris, somewhat annoyed.
"When will they come on over?" said Marie, adding her two cents into the mix, giggling while doing so. "I'm sure you're missing your part- I mean, friend so much!"
Chris couldn't help but clench his jaw, sigh, and facepalm at Marie's joke.
"I don't know. It depends how fast they finish everything, and if that's the only thing they plan to do. Even with all that being said, just be patient, it shouldn't take them so long to get here, so it's not a big deal." explained Chris. "And I heard what you were to say. Stop it already."
"Oh yeah, where were you when you were absent for that investigation we did?" asked a naive May.
Chris and Kenji gave each other very brief glances of concern; as the latter had kept the information private at the former's request, but this situation is one where they might fall into peer pressure.
"I'd rather keep this private, but in short, I was helping someone I care about with something important." said Chris, taking a small pause. "Look, I wanted to join you all, I did, but at the time, I didn't want to leave that person alone with the problem, so I had to dip out just for that day. But either way, it's resolved, so there should be no more issues."
"That's nice! At least you didn't waste your time!" responded May, believing Chris's fabricated explanation, much to the latter's relief.
"While we're on the topic of situations, might I pose an inquiry Jane?" asked Kenji.
"Yes Kenji, ask away." said Jane.
Kenji paused for a quick moment before asking his question.
"I apologize in advance if this is a talking point that's rather sensitive, but in regards to the previous fathers, who do you think is most foreseeable to be the perpetrator of this current scenario?" stated Kenji, slightly reluctantly.
Jane put her palm to her chin, while her daughters sat in wonder in regards to her response.
"It's absolutely not Rod, I can assure you. If anything, he'd rather have a conversation about... what happened. Which leaves us with Butch and Bubba, who are both too similar to really draw any distinction. They're both aggressive, very bad-tempered, and unpredictable. But like I said, I can't tell which one of them would do this, as I don't know what their limits are." responded Jane.
"If we can be incontrovertibly reassured that it isn't Rod, that helps us, as we can withdraw him from possible dubious behavior." said Kenji.
"Do you know, or knew should I also say, anyone else that might act this way?" asked Chris.
"No. Sure, there might be someone was hot-headed let's say, but that goes to this extent? Absolutely not." stated Jane.
"Can't we just ask Cassie what the name of her dad is?" asked Marie, interjecting. "It could be so much easier if we'd just ask her, and she could tell us!"
"That would be the most optimal of solutions, however based upon the common happenings that Cassie encounters, it shall have to be carefully configured ahead of time." said Kenji.
"Whatever or however we decide to do it, it's unimportant, as the sooner we know who it is, we might be able to understand more context about this." stated Chris.
Jane, curious, decided to pose a question to everyone at the table.
"Once we stop whoever is behind all this nonsense, what's the plan for them then? Surely we're not planning on something cold-blooded?" asked Jane.
Everyone present at the table didn't give much thought to that question originally, but it was something important to decide. Ultimately, everyone, while conflicted on whether or not this is safe from failure, settled on a decision. Eddy was the first one to explicitly state the choice.
"It's best we leave it to the cops, as surprisingly a bunch of teenagers can't do much." said Eddy, with a hint of sarcasm.
"Yeah, Eddy's got the right idea." stated Lee, adding onto her boyfriend's original statement. "If we try to do too much, it's unlikely we'll end up in a good situation. Plus, the cops might start trying to do something that helps this guy out, and that won't help us, shocking ain't it...?"
Lee and Eddy shared a small chuckle with one another at that statement, while Marie spoke her mind regarding the situation.
"Mom, are you certain that May's father will not be the culprit of this stuff?" asked Marie.
"Marie, I can promise you Rod will not be the guy responsible. If anything, I promise you that if we talk to him, he'll be just as surprised as you all are regarding the situation. Trust me." explained Jane.
"Look, it's cool that you have confidence in him, and that's great!" stated Chris, jumping into the conversation. "However, while the odds are extremely low based on what you're saying, we must keep an eye out for the chance that it is him. Becoming complacent is something we want to evade, all the time."
"Wise words, but I understand what you mean. I think tomorrow, we can attempt to contact him..." said Jane, looking down at her knees and taking a deep breath. "...should he still want to talk."
"Pardon if my questioning is inappropriate, but what do you refer to with that statement?" asked Double D.
"No worries Double D, you can ask what you wish." said Jane, staring directly at him. "The main thing is, I don't know if Rod has the desire to talk to me beyond a simple hello or whatever. Me and him have been anything but in contact with one another, oftentimes he just drops off cash to support the girls, in the case of emergencies. Which I'm grateful for, believe me. But I can't even remember the last time we had an actual conversation."
"Mom, can you please try at least?" asked May, sounding slightly upset. "You'll never know what dad is going to say! Please?"
While May wasn't one to mince words into complex meanings, it's simple nature still struck a deep emotional nerve on Jane. There was no two ways about it, her youngest daughter was correct, she'll never know how Rod will respond. There was still hints of doubts inside Jane's mind; but she decided to ignore them for the time being.
"Okay... for the sake of us all, I'll talk to him tomorrow, I promise." stated Jane, somewhat reluctantly, before then looking to her daughters. "Do any of you wish to come with?"
"All of us will go. It makes no sense for any of us to not be there, that'd just be dumb!" stated Lee.
"You bet, we'll all be there!" said Marie and May, simultaneously.
Jane cracked a small smile at her daughters' words; as she silently prayed in her mind that everything went according to plan.
Meanwhile, all of the boys, while having very little to no personal involvement regarding the matter, were happy to see the Kanker family progressing forward together. Most importantly, the Eds felt the majority of the exuberant feeling; as the relationship with the Kankers had changed drastically, to the point where they'd go out of their way to see that only the best happened to their beloved girlfriends.
An hour and a half later, and Chris & Kenji realize that it's time for them to depart. The pair were at the couch currently, while the Eds and Kankers hung out at the table. Chris has already planned for their departure appearing normal; as he plans to make up a small explanation that he got a text from his father that indicated he needs assistance. Kenji, while not feeling proud of the fact that he is about to indirectly lie, decided to go along.
"Oh no!" said Chris out loud, as he looked down at his phone and with his eyebrows raised. "Looks like my dad texted me saying he needs me to help him with something!"
"What are the details?" asked Kenji, attempting to assist.
"Well, it seems he just wants me to come over and help him right now." explained Chris.
"Do you two have to depart now?" asked Jane.
"Yeah, sorry." responded Chris. "If you guys are still here, me and Kenji will rendezvous back here."
"I think we will, right guys?" said Eddy, receiving two thumbs up from Ed and Double D.
"Okay then, we'll be back." said Chris, as he and Kenji got up. The two of them were about to start leaving; but then the voice of Marie called them over for a question she had.
"Hold on, what about Hilde and Skylar? Should we just them that you two went to go help Zoltan?" asked Marie.
"I mean, that's what we're doing, no? Just tell that, no need to lie." responded Chris, while laughing in his mind at the irony he just displayed.
"Okay then, but if Skylar angry with you, you're in trouble mister!" taunted Marie.
"Yeah, sure pal, haha." said Chris.
Chris then pulled out a smoke bomb from his pocket and slammed it onto the floor. Once the small amount of smoke went away, both Chris and Kenji disappeared; leaving the rest of the people present confused as to how that just occurred.
"I wish I could understand the logic and science behind those mysterious disappearances..." stated Double D, rolling his eyes as he did so.
"Ask the author, not us." responded Eddy.
"Never seen that stuff before." said Jane. "Is this always a common occurrence with those boys?"
"Yeah, but mostly with Chris." responded Lee. "Believe me mom, you'll see that more often than you think. It's a cool effect though, can't lie."
"What if we learned this power guys?" asked a curious Ed.
"Maybe when we've got sometime to spare, we can get some lessons, right Double D?" stated Eddy.
"Eddy, the logic behind this smoke bomb capability of sudden disappearance of its user has a low probability of an understandable explanation! How can you just expect a simple elucidation regarding-" responded Double D, before being cut off by Eddy.
"Could you say that in English, not Einstein language?" asked Eddy, earning a small laugh from everyone at the table, minus Double D who sighed.
"It would be hard to explain the way it works." said Double D begrudgingly, which resulted in Marie chuckling and lightly tapping him with her elbow.
"Lighten up cutie, you don't need to be using all the fancy words all the time!" said Marie, as she leaned closer to Double D's ear. "But it is what makes you cute."
Double D felt as though literal lightning rode through his spine due to Marie's comment. While the latter looked at the former with a grin, the rest of the table couldn't help but burst into small laughter. Most important of all however, Jane admired the teasing between her daughter and her boyfriend, reminding her of a time where she and Rod would do the same.
Once the laughter died down a bit, the crew heard knocking at the door. May got up to go answer the door; as she already had an idea of who it was.
Sure enough, her feeling is proven correct, as the door revealed Skylar and Hilde standing next to one another. Something that caught May's eye was what appeared to be a record in Skylar's right arm. May was unable to make out what the record was due to the angle she was standing at, but nevertheless, she welcomed in her two friends.
"Hey you two! Come inside!" said May.
"Hi May, hope all is well." stated Skylar, as she and Hilde entered the trailer.
Skylar and Hilde took notice of the lack of seats remaining at the table, so the pair decided to take their seats at the couch. Skylar placed her record on her lap, with the front cover of the album facing upwards.
Jane walked on over to the two girls to introduce herself.
"Welcome, you two are Skylar and Hilde, yes?" asked Jane.
"Yeah, I'm Skylar, and she's Hilde." responded Skylar, pointing at Hilde.
"Yep: it's nice to meet you. Never expected to be at a family gathering in this part of the area, but surprises occur often, don't they?" stated Hilde, chuckling a small bit.
"Well, a certain string of events led up to this, but trust me, I couldn't be more grateful for it. You two may call me Jane by the way, make yourselves at home!" responded Jane, as she then made her way back to the table.
Once Jane went back, Marie made her way on over to where Skylar and Hilde were at.
"Oh hey Marie, how's everything?" asked Skylar, taking notice of Marie's presence.
"Good, but I'm here to tell ya that your best friend has gone with Kenji to help his dad out with something." responded Marie, which surprised Skylar and Hilde.
"Did Chris mention the specifics of what he had to do?" asked Hilde, curious.
"No, but since he's with Kenji, he shouldn't take too long. Did you two not see them leave?" stated Marie, who got confused.
"They weren't even remotely within our bloody view when we came here. We, or should I say, my mom, parked in front of the alleyway that leads here, and I nor Hilde saw neither Chris or Kenji." explained Skylar.
"Wow... I guess they really disappear when they do that smoke bomb trick." said Marie, chuckling a bit.
Skylar, upon hearing the mention of smoke bombs, facepalmed and laughed a bit; as she is more than familiar with Chris's antics with those things.
"He's doing that bollocks again I see. Well, blimey, I was going to share this record that I don't he's listened to." said Skylar, as she looked down at the record in her lap.
Marie took a glance at the record, and noticed two pink-colored orchids on a black background, with "Opeth" written on the top left corner. Skylar, noticing that Marie was taking a look at the album, decided to flip it over, which released the backside. On the backside was an image of the band to the right side covered in shadow, while a tree was to the left, both being in front of a sunset. The songs were listed exactly in the middle of the artwork, with the song being split into 4 sides, indicating that the album was a 2 LP set.
"I wanted to see him listen to this, so that he can give it a shot, as it's an album that means a lot to myself personally." stated Skylar.
"It looks nice, but it has four sides to it?" asked Marie.
"That would be because it has two vinyl records, as the songs, minus two, are usually around 10 to 15 minutes." said Skylar, as she removed one record from the sleeve to demonstrate, which revealed that the vinyl was in a notably vibrant pink. Skylar reinserted the record back into its sleeve afterwards.
"It looks pretty, but are you sure that he'll be able to stomach like six or something songs that are extremely long?" asked Marie, with a small smug expression.
"What's stopping him? After all, he's the same lad who went through hours of martial arts in a day, yes?" said Skylar, with a grin of her own, after which the three girls shared a laugh. "Seriously though, I'm positive he'll be patient enough, as I think he'll like what these songs have to offer."
"Let's hope so, but better, he needs to comeback from whatever he's doing." stated Marie.