Ok Ok, first off I know the chapters are way too short and that the last one was even shorter, but I had a bad case of writer'

Ok Ok, first off I know the chapters are way too short and that the last one was even shorter, but I had a bad case of writer's block. I didn't know how to finish it off, so I kinda tied it together and called it good. I just wanted it posted. Sorry!

But never fear, I've got an idea, so maybe this chapter will be a tad longer!

(I hope)

Only Second Best

Chapter 6

"Human technology is pitiful," said Canard, setting down the plastic bag.

"Tell me about it," said Wildwing, putting down a box. "Where's Dive? I gotta tell him that that video game he liked is at Lectric Land…"

Suddenly their communicators went off. "Hey Wildwing? The Migrator's on the friz. I could really use some help here!" said Duke.

"Fine!" said Wildwing. "You coming?"

Canard shook his head. "Naw, I've got something to do…"

"Like what?"

"…something."

Wilding raised an eyebrow. "Oh, alright. Catch ya later." Canard nodded as Wildwing left the room.

Glurrrrrrrrp rumble rumble

"Mmm…chow time!" Nosedive hopped over the back of the couch. He walked into the kitchen, only to find Canard fiddleing with an electronic device. A few curses went through his head as Canard turned to stare at him. Dive just continued to the fridge. Canard's eyes followed him.

"Your not helping the others with the Migrator?" asked Canard.

"Nah." Dive said, shrugging.

"It wouldn't hurt."

"Why aren't you then?"

"I have business to do."

"Like what?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Wanna bet?"

"Not really."

"You just know you'd lose."

"I doubt that."

There were a few moments of silence between the two. Canard continued pushing buttons on the pad. Nosedive got the carton of milk out of the refriderator and took a few swigs.

"I thought you weren't supposed to drink out of the carton."

"Screw you."

Canard stood up. "Don't talk to me like that!"

"Why not?" Dive returned the carton to the fridge. It's a free world."

"You're forgetting you wouldn't be on this free world if it wasn't for me. You'd still be on an enslaved world."

Nosedive stopped. His blood started to boil. "If I remember correctly, Wing was the one who brought me along. You were going to leave me there in that camp! Why should I owe you anything?"

"You forget, I sprang you."

"Oh high and mighty master, I bow at your feet!…yeah right…"

Canard gritted his teeth. "Why you little…"

"Shut up and leave me alone."

"I don't take orders from you."

"And I don't take them from you."

"Well you should because I was the leader of this little peanut gallery."

"Wildwing's leader. And this isn't a peanut gallery!"

"It's sure turned into one."

"Are you saying Wildwing can't lead a team as good as you can?"

"No, of course not. He's one of the best. He only can't control his obnoxious little brother. He never could. It's really quite sad."

Silence. They just stood glaring at each other.

"I hate you…" Nosedive spat.

"Well then I guess the feeling's mutual then, now isn't it?" Canard said.

At this moment the team decided to enter the kitchen to prepare dinner(excellent timing, guys!). The stopped when they saw the two ducks glaring at each other.

"What's going on?" asked Wildwing, confused.

"Nothing," Canard said.

"It doesn't look like 'nothing'," Mallory said.

"It's just nothing," Nosedive said.

"Nosedive? What's going on?" Wildwing asked. Nosedive looked at the floor. Wing looked over at Canard, who was looking at the ceiling.

"Guys?"

"Look, it's nothing, ok?" Dive said.

"It causes too much pain to be nothing…" Grin said.

"It's nothing that concerns you," Canard said, turning his attention back to the device. Dive turned back towards the fridge.

"Well, now my curiousity's aroused," said Wildwing, crossing his arms. "Care to elaborate? Oh come on guys, There's something going on. I'm not naïve, you know!

Nosedive snickered. "Oh that's a good one…"

Wing uncrossed his arms and stared at his brother. "What does that mean? You're saying I am naïve?"

"Duh!" Nosedive shouted. "You've finally figured that out, after all these years! You've finally figured out that you've missed something!" he said with a laugh. "Oh man, you're worse than I thought…"

"Shut up Dive," Canard said nervously from the table. He started to fidget.

"You stay out of this!" Dive screamed, pointing at Canard. "I don't want to listen to you!"

"Dive, please stop screaming at Canard," said Wildwing. "What has he done?"

Nosedive stared at his brother. By the look on his face, you'd think Wing hauled off and hit him. "What has he done? What has he done? Why don't you ask him?" Dive was practically hysterical. He leaned against the table. "So Canard, what have you done? Shall we ponder? Boy, this won't take long, will it?"

"Dive, calm down," said Wing.

"Before you loose it," added Canard, concerned.

Dive let out a laugh. "Before I loose it? Before I loose it?! Before I go and beat the living crap out of someone?! You're sure one to talk, Canard!"

"I didn't…" Canard lowered his voice. "I didn't beat the living crap out of anyone…"

"What are you two talking about?" asked Wilwing, confused. "Canard, did you hit anyone?"

"Well, it couldn't have been the goalie net, now could it? Nah…of course not. Why would the goalie net go and hit me? It's truly baffling!" Nosedive said, throwing his arms in the air.

A lightbulb went off inside Wildwing's head. "Oh stars…" Canard put his hands on his forehead. Duke glanced over to Mallory, who was shifting uncomfortably to her other foot. Tanya looked at the ceiling, and Grin was…well…whatever Grin is. Wildwing was dumbfounded.

"Dive…" he stuttered. Dive turned to face the wall, fighting back tears. 'Can't cry now can't cry now can't cry now…' he repeated inside his head. Wildwing walked up and put a hand on Dive's shoulder. He jerked away and ran out of the room.

Wildwing couldn't move. As hard as he tried, his feet just wouldn't go.

Nosedive sat on a park bench. The rain was pouring down heavier now, and it was cold. 'Isn't it wonderful how the weather just knows to change when your day's been hell?' he mused to himself. 'Of course…'

It had been an hour since he stormed out of the Pond. Nosedive had been wandering around doing nothing. He just couldn't face anyone back there. Not now. Let things cool down. Maybe next year…

A woman down the way slipped in a puddle and fell, spilling her parcels everywhere. Dive got up and walked over to her. She was muttering something in a different language.

"Are you ok?" he asked, helping her to her feet.

"Ya, I sink so…oy, if it varn't raining so hard I might be bettah off…" She began muttering again.

"Here, let me help," Dive offered, picking up her bags. She dusted herself off.

"Oy, you's a good boy, sank you," she said.

"Where are you going?" Dive asked. 'It's not like I have anything better to do,' he added to himself.

The old woman looked at him funny. "Sis vay," she said. Dive followed her down the street.

The shop they entered was full of odd items. There were lanterns and candles, and a great many old books. It smelled like spice.

"Now," said the woman (Madam Silvarn, she had told him), taking the wrap off her head. "You shall be revarded. Vhat can I give you?"

"Nah, that's ok…" Dive said.

"HUSH!"

Dive hushed. Madam Silvarn hung her dripping coat up. "First of all, you need a towel. You get sick…" She handed him a blanket. "Here. Now I put on some tea…"

Nosedive looked around the store. It was a magic shop, with all sorts of odd things. Beaded hangings and tapestries adorned the walls. There were herbs along one wall, and stones on another.

A young girl entered the room. "Mirsha, you look after sa shop. I have business with sa guest. Put tea on, too," Madam Silvern said. The girl nodded and went into the back.

"Now, you need a revard. Does anysing in my shop interest you?" she said.

"Do you have anything that I can use to change the past?" Dive asked. 'So I can talk the guys out of finding Canard?' he thought to himself.

"Vhy vould you vant to do sat?" she asked.

"It's not important."

"I believe it is. Tell me vhy."

"Look, it's no big deal…"

Madam Silvern wasn't convinced. "Come." She led Nosedive into a room. "Sit." Dive sat at the table. She took a small bad off of the small table behind her.

"What're you doing?" asked Nosedive.

"If you von't tell me, I find out for myself," she said, pulling out a deck of Tarot cards. "I give you free reading. Sat is your revard."

Dive was skeptical.

He watched her shuffle through the cards. "You find I read cards diff'rently san osers do," she said, laying them out. "But I find se trus." Nosedive had no idea where her accent was from. Granted, he knew next to nothing about other countries on Earth, but it still seemed odd. It could be fake…

"Vhy is se boy…vhat is your name?" she asked.

"Nosedive."

She stared at him. "Unusual name…but you an unusual customer…Now…vhy is Nosedive so upset?" She ran her fingers over all of the cards, stopping at one. She flipped it over and stared at it. "Hmm…interesting…"

"What?"

"Betrayal."

Dive looked at her. "Betrayal?"

"You have been betrayed? No?" She flipped another over.

"No…well…kinda…"

"By whom?"

"Well…" Flip

"A newcomer?" Flip flip

Dive stared at her.

"No…not him…" she said. She examined two cards in her hands. "Someone else. But who is sis newcomer?"

"Someone who I wish didn't come."

"Vhy?" Flip

"Because I hate him."

"Vas he sa von who betrayed you?"

"I guess."

Flip. "He vas not!" she shrieked. "It vas anoser…somevon closer to you…Who?"

"You tell me! You seem to know everything else…"

"HUSH!"

Dive hushed.

"Now…who is se closest to you?" Flip

"My brother."

"Did he betray you? Does it have somesing to do vis sis newcomer sat you hate?"

"Yea, I guess he does…"

Flip "So your broser hurt you ven sis new person you hate shows up? Do you fell neglected or somesing?" Flip "Yes you do."

"I guess so."

"You're not used to sharing him, are you? Vait vait, yes you are…"

"Yea, Canard's been around for, like, ever."

"Have you alvays hated him?"

"More or less."

"Vhy?"

"Cuz he treats me like dirt."

"Alvays?"

"Well, he used to be a little nicer to me, until I started playing hockey on the same team as him and my brother…"

"How old is your broser?"

"He's twenty-three."

"Five years. Kvite[quite] a diff'rence vhen two boys play. Did you do sis game vell?"

"Yea…hey, how come you're not flipping any more cards over?"

"Your problem so simple, no need. As plain as sa nose on your face…pardon sa saying…"

"'S ok."

"Car-nard treat you like dirt, you say?"

"Worse, sometimes."

"Like how?"

"You don't wanna know."

"Of course I vanna know! Vhy else did I ask?!"

"Well, he gets mad at me, yells at me…but never when Wing, my brother, is around. One time he even hit me."

"Ick."

"Yea. Then he was going to leave me behind while him and my brother went off to fight the evil tyrant on our planet. But my brother wouldn't go unless I could come."

"Your broser cares for you. But he has no idea of vhat is going on between you and Car-nard?"

"No. It'd upset him."

Madame Silvern nodded. "I vill draw von more card. Sis card vill tell us exactly vhat is going on, beneath sa surface." She flipped a card over. "Jealousy."

Suddenly a light bulb in Dive's head went off. "I get it now…what should I do?"

"Talk to you broser. Visout Car-nard. Sort it out. Sat's all I can say."

Nosedive thought for a few moments. "I'm gonna go home and do that. Thanks, Madame Silvern. I'm gonna go home now. Thanks a lot!" He turned to leave.

"Anytime! Mirsha! Vhere's my tea?!?"

Nosedive dashed out the door and headed for the Pond.

TO BE CONTINUED…