OK! Chapter 3! Yay! I'm so so sorry for such the delay! GOMEN! Well, I'm very glad you guys are liking this! Thanks for sticking by! Like I said before, if you'd like pictures that I've done for this fic, email me and I'll try to get them in ASAP. ON with the FIC!

This chapter deals with( the start of) a true problem in life. I think the rating I chose it suitable to this story, but may go up with the next chapter. Thank you.

Disclaimer: Don't own Hey Arnold. Getting no money off this. sniffle

(Chapter) 3: Dollars

The world had gone spinning, then had gone black. The eerie stillness of the evening woke the girl up. One moment, she'd been perfectly fine, the next she was out like a light. She decided to get up and take a walk. Maybe that would help her clear her mind.

" Oh, I feel like I was on the tilt an whirl, gone terribly wrong." Helga had been out for what seemed like a long time, but was really only out for ten minutes. She usually had no qualms about fast trips or being shook around so much, but that was unlike an experience she'd ever had. She looked around her as her vision got less fuzzy. Helga recognized it as their neighborhood, but something was different; something was terribly different.

" Arnold?" She asked as she started at the city in awe.

No response.

" Arnold?"

Helga turned her head, but there was no boy. She got up and looked all around her, but still no blond haired Football-head.

" Great. Figures I'd get stranded in a strange place, with my love, only not with my love. Now I have to find him. God, he better be okay." Her face got one of its rare, in public, worried looks as she began down the sidewalk.

Everything seemed so familiar, but so drably. It was haunting almost. She tired to recall the events that had happened early. She was in an ally. The ally next to Sunset Arms. She saw Arnold with Lila.

" Oh, no."

It dawned on her. She and Arnold had been the victims in her mad little plot to get rid of Lila for a few days. Instead of her sending Lila to this place, herself and Arnold had been sent. However, try as she might, she couldn't remember where she had plotted to send Ms. Perfect. As she continued to walk down the streets, taking subconscious lefts and rights, she began to feel more freaked out. She knew where she was going, but how? She was looking at all the stores along the way. Lots of building condemned, some torn down, in the process of being torn down, you name it. She stopped, taking it all in until she saw something that made her heart pump faster than before.

P.S. 118 was condemned. Boards on the windows, paint far-gone, bricks looking shabby, it was a total mess. Helga felt something wash over her, which she only felt on rare occasions: fear. Her eyes threatened to tear up, and her legs felt like giving out. She turned and began to run in the opposite direction to avoid the sensations, but was stopped quickly as she ran into someone.

" Ohmp."

"Agh."

Helga got up and shook her head. Most of her fears drained away as she saw the boy whom she had collided with.

" Arnold! Uh, . . Ha, so there you are Football-head. It's about time I found you." Helga said as she got up.

However, the boy was not as happy to see her.

" Who are you calling Football-head, Bucko! And who are you for that matter?"

Came the voice of a not too please 9-year-old boy.

Helga did a double take. The boy was a head shorter that her. His hair was a golden blond, which was slicked back behind his 'football-shaped' head. His eyes looked like a greenish-blue and didn't have a very soft look to them. His clothes were very different. He had a black fake leather jacket that came down to his hips, and he had on somewhat baggy blue jeans, which was partially covered by the jacket. If this boy had one phrase to sum up him, it was: Leave me alone, or regret it.

" Helga. Uh, I'm new." She covered. " Who are you?"

" Why should I tell you?"

" Cause I told you who I was, now spill." She was getting annoyed at this kid fast. Who'd he think he was?!

" Aaron, and it would be best if you stayed out of my way." He said as he pushed her aside to get by.

Helga didn't take too kindly to that. She whirled around and grabbed the boy, swung him in front of her and stared him down.

" Listen geek-bait, nobody pushes me around!"

" Nobody until today, Uni." she smarted, pushing her back a little.

Helga fumed. No one was ever brave, or stupid enough to ever insult Helga G. Pataki. With out thinking she clenched a fist and punched the kid in the jaw. So what if he looked almost identical to her sweet dove; no one said such things to her. However, the minute she punched him, she regretted it. She was lashing out to a smart-alec stranger. The boy looked up at her from where he had been put on the ground. He looked furious. He got up and looked about ready to hit back, when he clamed, and looked at her.

" No one's ever had the guts to hit me before. Especially a girl."

" No one's ever had the guts to cross me." She eyed him.

The boy held out his hand.

" As I said, name's Aaron. And your Helga?"

" Yep." She said, taking his hand.

An odd since of trust forming from there contact.

" So, why exactly did you call me 'Football-head'?"

" Well, besides the obvious, my friend that I seem to have parted with looks a lot like you. Have you heard of an Arnold by any chance?"

" No, can't say I have."

" Well, do you think you could help me look around the city?"

" Sure, no prob."

They began walking and talking a bit. Aaron looked up to Helga and gave a small smile and chuckled. Little did she know that was a rare thing from him.

" What's so funny?" She remonstrated.

" Ah, you just remind me of someone."

" Who?"

" My sister."

The feeling of having one's stomach turned upside down, then spun at such a fast rate, made Arnold feel like he'd never recover from the sickness. When the boy came to, his vision was blurry from his dizzy state. As his eyesight cleared, he surveyed his resting spot. The last thing he remembered, he was near his home, with Lila across the street and him trying to get a water gun out of Helga's hands. He looked around him.

' Where is Helga anyway?'

Arnold got up and looked around at the buildings. They all looked familiar. All of them were falling apart, and most of them where condemned. He walked for a while to see if his suspicions were true. If they were, he'd find a park not to far from where he was.

The trees were a healthy green, the water of the lakes were clear and cool, and the grass was free of any trash. The park in the city had been untouched from development for the years it existed. The only sign of development were benches, the lights, and a path that cut through the park. The lights were on since the night was upon the city. No one was in the park, except one lone figure. The figure sighed and jumped off the bench, running.

Arnold was half way through the park when he heard footsteps. Footsteps of someone running his way. He couldn't see where the person was coming from, but knew if he didn't move. .

Too Late.

"Ahg!"

"Oh!"

Someone had collided with the boy.

Arnold looked up into the sky. He wondered how he always ended up on the ground after collisions. As he leaned up, he saw that the person was a girl. She had blonde hair, with two dropping pigtails, the flash of a scowl. Well, at least one question was answered.

" Helga! Sorry for running into you."

" No, I'm sorry, I ran into you."

He grabbed her hand. Wait a minute? Did she just say 'Sorry'? Arnold look at her closer. She had on a pink top, but a white skirt. Her eyes were an aqua blue and she had no unibrow.

" I'm sorry, but my name's not Helga."

" I'm sorry, you just reminded me of her."

" Are we sorry about being sorry now?" She grinned, then started at him.

" Yeah. . .uhm, is something wrong?"

" Oh! No, you just reminded me of someone too."

Arnold and the girl walk out of the park and towards an unknown destination. He had felt it was ok to explain to her the predicament he was in. He felt he could trust her, put his confidence in her. In turn, she did the same. She told him many things that had her bothered lately, including her brother's recent actions. Something she couldn't understand. Not to long ago, she remembered him running away in the rain. She knew he was afraid their parents would do something horrible to him. She had chased after him, in hopes of changing his mind, but to know avail.

" Wow."

" Yeah. I just don't know. He hardly ever show the real him anymore."

" My friend is like that. She only brings her defenses down occasionally."

They stopped in front of an old long condemned building. The windows were boarded up, the paint hardly recognizable, and it looked like it would give away. Arnold stared at the building in terror. His stomach made him want to throw up, but he was also so in disbelief.

" It's a shame."

" My. . home." Arnold choked out.

The girl turned in surprise.

" You never said the name of the place you lived was the Sunset Arms."

" What happen to the people that lived here, Hikari?"

The girl, Hikari, looked back at the building.

" They moved out along time ago. I don't really remember what happened to them. I was too young to remember."

" You met them?"

" When I was really tiny." She smiled.

They continued their walk until another familiar building was coming into Arnold's view. He didn't want to know the sorry state this one was going to be in to. Fortunate, as Arnold hoped this, he no more than collided with another moving object.

" Ohff!"

"Agh!"

" Hikari!"

" Aaron!"

Helga got up and shook her head.

" Arnold!"

As Arnold came to her leaned up and gave a mellow:

" Hey Helga."

" I've been looking all over for you Football-head!"

At that moment, Aaron turned to see whom this 'Arnold' guy was that Helga seemed to have a thing for. Of course she hadn't said anything like that, he was able to figure it out on his own. However, he didn't seem to take much of a liking to him.

" So your this 'Arnold'?"
Arnold stared at Aaron. Now he could see why Hikari thought he reminded her of her brother. He looked a lot like him.

" Yeah. Nice to meat you." Arnold extended his hand.

" Likewise." Aaron replied unenthusiastically, not returning the gesture.

Arnold took back his hand. He could tell this Aaron kid wasn't going to be the easiest person to get along with.

" So Arnoldo, just how the heck are we going to get home? I haven't seen hide nor hair of my house, much like I care." Helga stated.

Arnold just pointed across the street. The brown flat stone was in a sad state. The building was otiose and devoid of life. Board were put over all the windows and some boards were on the door. However, it looked as though someone had pried some flanks off the doorway, and using it as a home.

" Oh, my."

" This is your house?" Hikari looked at the girl.

" Well. . it was." Helga suddenly felt scared. She had been ever since getting to the awful place, but now, she was almost terrified. At least she had known she had a home and family to go home to, regardless of her being ignored. But now, she had nothing. Arnold seemed to have picked up on this, because he saw the look in her eye. The scared, sweet, innocent girl that he'd every so seldom see in Helga, before she masked her away. He walked over to her, gently taking her hand. Helga didn't look back, but she squeezed back slightly.

Aaron didn't like this at all. He turned back from the house to see the two, and felt something he didn't like. Aaron shoved past Hikari and grabbed Arnold's shirt, pulling him close until their noses touched. Helga turned back to see what was going on, still a little shocked at the events playing before her. Aaron narrowed his eyes.

" I don't like you. What so great about you anyway, hiretsukan?

" Aaron!" Hikari gasped.

Never had she heard the boy call someone that to his or her face!

" What do you mean?" Arnold asked, a little hesitantly.

" You're just a shinshi, a push-over."

" Aaron, stop it!"

" Iie, Onee-san!"

Hikari was getting scared. Aaron and her only used a lot of Japanese when he was angered or saddened. She could tell he was going to get hostile if she didn't do anything. With all her might, she forced both boys apart.

" Tomeru Shatei!"

Arnold looked confused as Helga walked closer to him. Aaron looked stunned for on mere seconded then put up his front. Hikari looked mad but soon changed face and looked towards the two strangers. She smiled quickly.

" So, anyone hungry?"

The two nodded with small grins, but Helga was still worried and stunned by the sight of her home. Arnold was still a little shook up by what just happened, but was okay for now. Maybe later he would ask Hikari about the events that took place. Hikari smiled and was going to talk with her brother, but he turned and took off. He walked away without so much of a word. Hikari grew quiet. When they were younger, she had such a bond with him. Now she was afraid she was losing him. It hurt her deeply to see him shut everyone out. Even their own family.

" Baka Onee-san."

The day turning to dusk. Every few moments a street lamp would flicker on and light up a lifeless part of street. Aaron had been walking for about twenty minutes. That is, after his almost fight with that 'Arnold' guy. Aaron could never get away with fighting in front of Hikari; not once had he been able to trick her into thinking he got bruised from falling or tripping. He could fool his dad quiet a few times, and sometimes even his mother; though she seemed to know the truth; but never Hikari. Damn her!

" Aaron! Hey man what's it?"

" Hey Daemon, it's cool."

Aaron felt a lot of stress fall off his shoulders as he met his friend. They looked around before walking into a near by ally. It was deserted except for one other person.

" Hey AA. Cool all that?"

" Hey, Luk. Upbeat."

The two other boys, whom were a bit taller than Aaron, leaned against the wall opposite him. The boy Luk, took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one, handing it to Daemon. He lit up another one and handed it to Aaron, but Aaron shook his head.

" You know I don't hook with that, Luk."

" Oh, right, right."

He put the rest away and looked onward.

" So you sure you're ok, man? I mean, you looked a bit bothered."

" Well, some new kids just came to town and one looks like me. I don't like him."

" Because he looks like you?" Luk looked at him.

" Not just that. It is unnerving. But this chick-"

"Oooo."

" Spill man."

Aaron looked at the two with a grin and half-lidded eyes.

" Total Siren."

The boys jaws dropped.

" Now way!"

" Nu-uh!"

" Yeah. She was with the guy. I met her before him, but she told me a few things about him. I know she has it bad for him."

" Oh, does he know?"

" Not a clue." Aaron grinned.

" Your not gonna-"

" Yes."

The two other boys looked at him amused.

" Well. So, you up for some?"

Their conversation just stopped from kid like musings, to something all together serious.

" Yeah."

All three boys huddled close to each other. As they did, they each took out a few bucks.

" Ok, Luk has five, and, you got three?"

" I'm a little tight this week."

" A'ight, no big."

Daemon pocketed the money and then pulled out a plastic bag. The bag had a bunch of cotton balls in to but as he dug into it, he pulled out three small blue things. They looked like pills. He gave two to Luk and one to Aaron. They were about the size of a Tylenol and in a capsule like form.

" Remember to break open the false capsule."

" Yeah, yeah."

Aaron shifted the contents of the pill into one side and broke open the capsule, pitching it away. He then began to empty to blue powdery substance on the end of his tongue. He choked for a few moments as the substance dissolved in his mouth. The boys bid their farewells, and soon they all left on their ways. After a few moments, the substance kicked in and Aaron felt his body relax and his dreams take control.