A/N yep. this story is gonna be depressing. buckle up, kids. Enjoy

Chapter 2: Goo's discovery

The sky was a dull grey overcast. The imidiate area was a mixture of black and white suits and dresses. The mood was a mixture of disbelief and sadness, gloom and depression. It was no small funeral, Mac's mom and older brother Terrence was there, Goo and her parents, and the better half of all of fosters, including Wilt, Edwardo, Coco, Frankie, Madame Foster, and a good chunk of imaginaru friends as well. Mr. Herriman could not come because he had to keep the peace at Fosters, but he sent his best condolences. The most surprising person to show up was none other than Mike himself, who was clad in a cast on his arm and leg, with the addition of a crutch, and bandages on his eye that wrapped around his whole head. Tears soaked the faces of everyone present. A person would need an absent heart not to. Death was tragic enough, it was even more so when the death was a child. Even more so, it was a closed-casket funeral. Not many saw the broken body of the boy, but those who did would never forget. Each of them walked up to the casket and payed their respects to the fallen child, many gave either flowers, pictures, or a trinket that reminded them of him. In no time at all his coffin was adorned in color, many thought that's what he would have wanted. But it was Goo who, natrually, added the most flair to it. She had drawn a picture consisting of her, Mac, and all the friends at Fosters in the house with tons of colors and symbols and other bits.

"M-Mac... W-why..." For the first time in her life, the poor girl was at a loss for words. Then again, what words could be said at this moment? Nothing prepares you for the death of your closest friend. She still couldn't believe it. She half-expected the chesnut haired boy to burst in and make everything all better. No car crash. No funeral. And no more sadness. Her realist side in knew, deep down, that this was impossible. That simple fact made her even sadder than before. The tears flowed freely down her face and soaked her dress. Her parents consoled her the best they could, but they weren't fairing much better. They had heard all the stories Goo would tell them of the first real friend she ever had and all the adventures they shared. They knew this was going to hit their daughter hard so the tried their best to prepare for it.

"Sweetie..." Her mom said in a soothing voice. Goo looked at her and sniffed. "He... Mac, is in a better place now." Goo shook her head stubbornly.

"No... there's no better place than here..." Goo replied while sniffling.

"Now Goo, you shouldn't-" Her father began, but she quickly stood up and shouted.

"No! He belongs here! Not in that box! He was my best friend and I want him back!" Her parents tried their best to calm her down, but to no avail. When others tried to comfort her, she tore away and raced off. "Goo! Stop!" Her fathers words were a blur. She shook her head and covered her ears as she ran blindly. She ran, and ran, and ran until her legs felt like lead. At that point, she ducked into a nearby alley and slumped down against a wall. She sniffled and sobbed there for the longest time. She remembered all the good times she had with Mac, all the fun they had, memories they made. She dwelled on these thoughts, and they only made her sadder. She was suddenly ripped from her thoughts when she felt a light tapping on her arm. Her head shot up and she was placed face-to-face with a certain little boy with brown hair and a red shirt. It was Mac, alive and well!

"Goo..." He said softly. Goo should have been elated. She should have been happy for her best friend's survival. Except... she knew this was not her best friend. The boy she knew was lying mangled in a wooden box who-knows-how-far away. No, this was just a cheap carbon copy. A knockoff. An imaginary friend. Point of fact was, she was horrified: Not by his presence, but because...

"I imagined you..." She said in shock and disbelief. Mac winced at those words.

"I... I guess you did..." He replied. Goo started to panic.

"What have I done... What will I do?" She said. Mac tried to calm her down, which only freaked her out more.

"S-stop! You're not helping! You're... dead..." She said as fresh tears soaked her face. Mac again winced.

"I... I..." He shook his head. "That doesn't matter. I... I might not be me, but... You're still my friend... I can't see you like this." He said with genuine care. He truly was a carbon copy...

"I... T-thank you..." She hugged her knees to her chest, trying to figure out what to do. Suddenly, they heard two sets of footsteps and some familiar voices. It was Goo's mom and dad. They walked passed the alley she was in and heard the sniffling. They looked in and immediately saw the conundrum.

"Oh... oh my word..." Her mom said as she covered her mouth. The next few minutes were confusing and equally conflicting. Ultimately, it boiled down to what should they do with Mac?

"We need to tell his family." Goo's dad said. Mac's eyes immediately went wide.

"No! You can't do that!" He replied. Goo's dad asked why. "Because! I'm..." He struggled for a word that was better than what he wanted to say. He quickly gave up and hung his head. "An abomination... They'd hate me." He said.

"Then... What about fosters? They take in imaginary friends." Goo's mom suggested

"That wouldn't work either. They were just as much my family." The confliction grew. What were they going to do with him? Just then, Goo got an idea.

"Mom... Dad..." She started "Can he live with us?" Her parents looked at her for a moment.

"Honey... Goo... We can't just..." Her dad began.

"Dad! Please! He's got no where else to go! W-what about my self-esteem? My confidence? All that stuff?!" Goo was pushing her dad against a wall. He looked to his wife for support but found none. She had an air-tight case. He rubbed his eyes and groaned a bit. "Alright... But you have to understand, life isn't going to be the same anymore." Goo nodded and looked at Mac.

"So... What do you think?" She asked. Mac thought for a moment. He felt... dirty... he felt like a fake and an intruder, but he didn't have any other options. It was either live with Goo or live on the street. It was an easy choice for him in the end.

"Ok... If you guys will take me." They nodded and quickly ushered him into their car. As Goo's dad made phone calls telling everyone that they found Goo, Mac looked out the window and wondered... what was this life going to be like?