Chapter 2

Edside Out

Double-D stepped out of the water at last, still dripping. He squeezed his shirt in an attempt to get the water out of it, but there was no hope. Noticing everyone standing around, Double-D had to ask, "What's going on?"

Johnny approached him, looking perplexed. "Eddy told us to wait for him while he cleared a path in the trees. He's not back yet."

Overhearing, Kevin yelled, "If that dork doesn't show up in two minutes, me and Nazz are leaving." Nazz swatted at invisible bugs around her head, and nodded her head in agreement.

Meanwhile, Eddy had no idea how long he was taking. He was absorbed in his curiosity. Who was this girl anyway? He had no clue that anyone even lived in Peach Creek Estates! The last thing he remembered of the area was it being a development under construction, but that was several years earlier. Clearly, a lot had changed here since he had last seen it. Houses had popped up all over, and it had turned from a development into a neighborhood quite beautifully. But it looked somewhat like his own neighborhood. The house he could see most clearly closely resembled Kevin's house. The one next to it looked almost like his own

That was when Eddy remembered his tour group. He raced back through the trees, but slowed down before he reached them. "About time, dork." Kevin was in no mood to wait.

"Eddy, I believe Ed's deodorant is giving out!" Double-D commented, noting the flies orbiting Ed.

"All right, all right. I found a path, don't have a bird."

Eddy led the group up the side of the creek, which was slippery with mud. "Wilfrid would find much joy here." Rolf said while regaining his balance from a near-fall.

After the procession reached the path Eddy had found, Eddy felt his insides heat up. What was the deal with Peach Creek Estates? Now seemed to be the time to find out. Maintaining his leadership, Eddy marched on through the path, and soon he had reached the other end, and they were standing behind the houses of a new cul-de-sac. Again, he was dumbstruck. It was just bizarre.

It didn't seem to have that effect on anyone else. The rest of the group looked fed up with the entire trek. But how could they not notice this? If they saw kids they might. Eddy led them between two houses and into a deserted cul-de-sac. The houses were all silent, and not one person was around. But its resemblance to their own cul-de-sac was uncanny.

Eddy wasn't entirely sure why he himself found the mystery so incredible; but something about it attracted him. The proposition of a new cul-de-sac was an interesting one. New kids, new suckers. But that wasn't all. It was just a curious enigma. And a quiet one as well. The sounds of kids playing had filled the air when he had last come here only minutes earlier. They must have all gone inside. Eddy tried to appear as if nothing was bothering him, when this was definitely doing so. It reminded him of the day nothing made sense; when he, Ed, and Double-D tried to become smarter. This couldn't be just an illusion. It couldn't be. Instantly, Eddy made this a summer priority: find out what's up with Peach Creek Estates.

After the trip back to their own cul-de-sac, Kevin crossed his arms, looking critical. "That sucked." Nazz nodded, and she and Kevin left quickly.

Rolf shook his head in confusion and walked away mumbling, "The Ed boys have lost their marbles?"

The three Eds and Johnny stood in a speechless tension, with Johnny staring sheepishly out into space. "Um, Eddy? Can I go on the next nature walk?" He asked innocently. "Plank, I don't care. I want to go and you can't say anything to stop me. I never said you had to come!" Johnny scolded Plank. Eddy watched the one-way argument. It was hard for him to believe that this fifteen-year-old still carried around that piece of wood. Not only that, but conversed with it. Would Johnny and Plank always be "friends?" They had been as long as Eddy remembered, and it didn't look like it would change any time soon. But the nature walk plan was ancient history.

"Sorry Johnny, we're booked. And we're going to be booked for the rest of the summer. Can't you do something else?"

Disappointed but willing, Johnny carried Plank left for their house. Double-D was in a state of shock. Someone actually wanted to take part in a scam and Eddy turned it down! True, it had to be the lamest thing they had done in years, but still "Eddy, why did you refuse Johnny? You had a chance at more money!"

It seemed like a shift in perspective; Double-D wanted to go after more money, and Eddy turned it down. But Eddy stuck by his idea. "No, I have a better plan than those retarded nature walks. Remember what Ed said about guitars and bands? We should ditch the walk thing and start a band! My brother told me that no chick can resist guys in a band!"

Ed's attention was caught the second he heard his name. "Band? I want a band!"

Eddy started up again. "This would be the best idea yet! Fame, fortune, and females. That spells happiness for me!"

Double-D was enthusiastic, after all it was his suggestion, but how could they do it? "The idea is a good one, but we need instruments, stereos, microphones, lyrics, a name"

"We have a name. Ed." Ed answered proudly.

"No, no, Ed." Double-D raised his hand to his forehead. "A name for the band."

"So what's keeping us? Why don't we get to it?" Eddy wasn't bothered by the fact that the trio had no equipment or experience. That was just a technicality to be dealt with later.

"It's almost dinner time. And I'm not allowed out after dinner." Double-D explained.

"What, still? Oh well, I guess it can wait until tomorrow. Until then, try to think about names for the band, ok?" Ed and Double-D nodded, and the three went their separate ways.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

Ed crept through the back door of his house, and stealthily turned to shut it. He breathed a sigh of relief, as Sarah was nowhere to be seen. Then he went to take his place at the table. He knew his parents were going out for dinner, so they had put some food in the fridge for Ed and Sarah. Ed knew he should eat, but he wasn't hungry. That was unusual; most nights he would come racing in to eat even though lunch had been only a few short hours earlier. But now his stomach was too jumpy to eat. The feeling was tense, but he enjoyed it. It was as if he knew something extraordinary was about to happen.

This had happened before. Ed was usually spot-on when it came to sensing ominous events. And this one had to be something very big and very real if it was keeping him from eating. This was different from things he had been nervous about before, such as Sarah or money. Thoughts of those things frightened him, or left him angry or sad. This was different. He was happy. The promise of the band was Ed's first thought for a reason, so he just tried to accept that. But that didn't seem like all of it. There was something he was overlooking. What could it be?

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

A door shut in Peach Creek Estates. A girl wanted to be in the silence of her room. She had seen the strangest thing that day. "I have got to tell Jenny about this!" she picked up the cell phone, crashed down onto her bed and pressed the button for Jenny's number on the speed dial.

Girl: "Hello?"

Jenny: "Hey!"

Girl: "So how are you doing?"

Jenny: "Pretty good. How about you?"

Girl: "Great, but you won't believe what I saw this afternoon."

Jenny: "Start talking."

Girl: "Well, remember when you asked if Jen and I wanted to come over to your house? And I went home to get a bottle of pop? When I looked through the living room window, I saw about half a dozen kids going through the cul-de-sac."

Jenny: "Whoa, hold on. I'll bet it was just someone bringing friends over. Not a big deal."

Girl: "I've never seen any of them before. And the odd part was they came from the woods behind your home."

Jenny: "You're serious? I never saw anybody."

Girl: *frustrated* "Do you think I would make this up?"

Jenny: "Not really. You're not the type."

Girl: "Thank you."

Jenny: "So they came from behind my house?"

Girl: "Yes."

Jenny: "Oh crap! I had been sitting out behind my house waiting for you! But then I got tired of waiting and went to the living room to wait for you and Jen."

Girl: "That's where they came from. I tried to get a good look at them, but they were hard to see. It was strange. Do you think they came from the other cul-de-sac?"

Jenny: "There's a cul-de-sac next to ours?"

Girl: "I haven't gone over there, but that's what I've heard."

Jenny: "Well, why don't we go find out?"

Girl: "It's eight o'clock at night. I doubt anyone would be out this late."

Jenny: "Duh. I mean tomorrow."

Girl: "Why not. There's nothing else we have to do."

Jenny: "Not really."

Girl: "All right. We can tell Jen then and see what she thinks."

Jenny: "But we already know that nothing!"

Girl: "That wasn't a nice thing to say."

Jenny: "I know. I'm so mean."

Girl: "Yes, you are. Okay, so I'll see you and Jen tomorrow. Bye, Jenny!"

Jenny: "Bye, Jenn."

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

Finally, Ed gave in to his hunger and opened the door of the fridge to see what there was for him to eat. Not much, just a cold chicken sandwich and some carrots. Ed took the sandwich, tossed it in the microwave for a few minutes and ate it. It was pretty good, but after he had gotten it down, it felt as if it would soon come back up. "It's not the band." Ed muttered to himself. He had wanted to have the band, so how could it make him so tense? Sure, he was happy, but he was still tense. It was the tension that bothered him. It was similar to what he felt when Eddy and Double-D fought, but it wasn't as much of a nervous reaction. And there had to be another reason. But he didn't want to think about it.

Maybe if he tried to think of a name for the band like Eddy had told him to, he could get his mind off it. Ed hoped so. Nothing was coming to him. Just blank. He tried to picture a CD jewel case for the band. There he was, with Eddy and Double-D. Now that he could see the case, what was the name of the band? Still, Ed could not picture a name. Only the band itself. A movie could help. They always did. Ed left the kitchen for the basement, where he could put on a B-movie. He always thought better when he was watching monsters terrorize the populace of some large city.

Inserting a tape into the player, he crashed backwards into the chair. In this movie, a one-eyed monster rampaged erratically through a crowd, attacking them. Ed smiled. "Now I can think." All kinds of different names danced through his head. Wafflebutt? Armpit? Headlice? There was a connection between all the names Ed could think of; they were all body-related. Still, he liked the sound of them. The idea of being in a band called "Armpit" appealed to him in particular. It was such a unique name without being too off the wall. Armpit. Or better yet, something he had come up with earlier that day. Ed had been considering it, but tried to forget it, as Eddy would never go for it. Love Gravy would be the perfect name for a band.

While Ed was mulling over the wonder of the name Love Gravy, he heard a thud. The thud was followed closely by a scream, which could easily be identified as Sarah's. Beads of sweat pooled on the back of Ed's neck as he awaited Sarah's appearance. The words, "Sarah bad for Ed! Sarah bad for Ed!" echoed in his mind like a broken record. Not even his movie could comfort him now.

"Oh, Ed!" Sarah cooed in the sugar-coated voice she used before shouting at her brother.

Ed recognized this and instantly became nervous. "Yes, oh esteemed pentagon of virtue?"

"Why was all your crap on the stairs? I fell and I'm telling!" The little sister strategy was still alive and well in Sarah. "Pick it up now!"

Wanting to obey, Ed nodded his head shakily and climbed the stairs to pick up all his things that he had left there. There weren't all that many, only some old comic books and action figures. There were some markers from when he had made the poster as well.

When he was finished, he mopped his brow. "Safe stairs, sweet sister Sarah." Ed assured her. Sarah smirked, looking proud of herself.

"That's great, Ed. But you know what? I'm still telling!" And she raced up the stairs to wait for her parents to return. Ed was alone again, and greatly thankful for it. Sarah could tell on him ten thousand times, but it wouldn't be nearly as bad as just about anything else she could do to him. Sarah hadn't even laid a finger on him. He returned slowly to his chair, plunked down into it again, and relaxed, watching his movie. Ed was so thrilled with the name he came up with for the band! Although Ed had considered calling Eddy or Double-D about his idea, he decided that it really wasn't worth it to call this late. He stared wistfully into the cul-de-sac. Ed couldn't wait until the next day when he could tell Eddy and Double-D.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

Double-D had long since eaten and had flopped down on his bed with a book. He chuckled to himself, muttering, "Only the first day of summer, and already I want to go back to school." Picking up his reading again, Double-D hadn't gotten far before he remembered Eddy's request. "Oh!" He exclaimed, quickly placing the bookmark in his book again. Once the book was safely placed on his desk next to his magnifying glass where he wouldn't lose it, Double-D leaned against the wall, trying to come up with the perfect name for the band.

A name like "Demon Sadist" appealed to him, as did "Hell's Psychos" and "Phlegm." Double-D smiled at the ideas, then his expression became sour. Picturing Ed in a band called "Demon Sadist" was difficult. The other two, especially "Phlegm," could almost work. But still, these names were so gruesome. But he liked it that way. What would be a better name for a crappy garage band?

Double-D was content with those names for the moment, and considered going back to his book. Somehow, he didn't feel like it. Life hadn't been this good to him in such a long time. Not by a long shot

Feeling himself drifting off into a daydream, Double-D came quickly back to reality at the sound of the phone. He picked up the phone on his desk, automatically saying:

Double-D: "Double-D's room, Double-D speaking."

Eddy: "Hiya, Double-D!"

Double-D: "Oh, hello, Eddy. You called me last night! The phone bill will go through the roof!"

Eddy: "Geez, Double-D, you gotta cool it. So what are you doing?"

Double-D: "Well, I was just considering names for the band."

Eddy: "Sweet. Come up with anything good?"

Although he hoped he had, Double-D didn't want to brag about it, especially not names like "Demonic Sadist."

Double-D: "Well, perhaps, but"

Eddy: "Let's hear it!"

Double-D: "Well, what do you think of Demonic Sadist?"

Eddy: *shocked* "Uh kinda freaky, huh?"

Double-D: "I guess you're right. Why don't we wait until tomorrow and ask Ed?"

Eddy: "Oh man, I can't wait to hear what he's come up with!" *laughs*

Double-D: *laughs*

Eddy: "Well, all right. See ya then. Your house?"

Double-D: "Certainly. Bye."

Eddy: "Bye."

Eddy hung up the phone and sat on his bed again to consider the band-to-be. Sure, he had enlisted Ed and Double-D in the search for the perfect name, but a perfect name alone was not going to make a perfect band. Still, it was more than Eddy could do alone, as he had had no luck coming up with anything. He wanted the name to be along the lines of "- - - - and the - - - - - -s," but he couldn't think of anything good to fill in the blanks. The best he had come up with so far was "PimpEddy and the 4-Skins," but he knew Ed wouldn't get it and Double-D would never approve.

Still, he liked the sound of it. "PimpEddy. That's me!" he sighed contentedly, admiring himself in the mirror. But where had he come up with such a perfect namesake for himself? Surely he hadn't. He knew its roots were deep, and it had come from someone somewhere long before, long before he could distinguish its origin. Eddy sat heavily on the edge of his bed, yawning and stretching. It had been a long day. The first day of summer shouldn't be this rough. Too tired to bother with changing his clothes for bed, Eddy simply flopped onto his back, his hands laced together on his chest. He would only rest his eyes for a moment, that was all

Eddy was nervous. "I've been trying to call you" he stammered in a fright.

"Huh," scoffed another voice, bearing a similar tone to his own, but the sound was more feminine. This was certainly a girl he was talking to. "Then it's kinda fucked up that I always get your machine when I call." Who was she? Her face was a blur. Like it had been rubbed out. He remembered her, but neither her name nor her face came to him. But the voice and personality were familiar. So familiar. But so long ago...!

"Ugh," Eddy grunted, sitting up. "I am ready to forget that. At least it was a dream this time. What time is it?" Leaning over, he looked at the clock on his nightstand. "It's not even midnight yet! Well, I better get to bed." Eddy changed for bed, and threw some clothes near the door for the next day. He lifted the sheets of his bed and got in, turning off his glowing lava lamp. It was dark and quiet in his room now, but Eddy couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about the dream. It wouldn't have bothered him so much had it been just a dream, but this had been real once. After all the years of trying to forget, Eddy tried to remember. But it was no use. In only a few moments, Eddy was asleep again.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

It was now officially the birthday of the band. Well, it was still two in the morning, but that didn't make Ed any more willing to sleep and wait for it to come. He wanted to be ready for it. Eddy and Double-D had long since been asleep, but Ed was in no mood for it. He sat on his bed, proudly eyeing all of his B-movie posters and the layer of objects that coated the floor of his room. Many times he had tried to clean it, but every time he had failed. Now he just concentrated on controlling the clutter's depth.

The room was completely dark except for the ray of moonlight that shone in through the window of his basement room. The ray poured in across the room, and Ed's eyes followed it to where it ended, or simply became too pale to see. Rising from the bed, Ed tiptoed cautiously through the mess. If he made a noise and Sarah heard him, he could end up grounded forever. But the deafening silence remained as Ed reached the end of the beam. "Maybe there will be a pot of gold." He whispered to himself. Although a moonbeam certainly wasn't a rainbow, and there couldn't be many leprechauns in Ed's room, it was good enough for him.

He dug through the mess, and came up with several things in his hands. Ed had to squint in the dim light to be able to see them, but they just looked like some plastic action figures. Returning his gaze to the end of the moonbeam, Ed noticed something tall and thin standing upright in the cluttered corner. Ed reached over and picked it up, letting the action figures fall to the floor. It felt smooth and wooden, so he assumed that it was a stick. But what would a stick be doing in his room? Holding it up to the light, he could easily see that this was not just a stick that he had found.

It was a drumstick. Ed smiled, realizing what this meant. If he had one drumstick, there was surely another. And hopefully, a drum. Although fearful of making noise and waking Sarah, the fear that Ed would have forgotten where to look by morning bothered him more. Sarah could do anything she wanted, but all Ed wanted was a band. He shifted some of the things in the pile, and after what seemed like hours of frantic searching, he found it, buried deep in dirty clothes several feet away from where he found the first. Now to search for the drum.

The clock flashed 4:16 on Ed's wall, but there was still no sign of any sort of drum. Ed plunked himself back down on his bed again, sighing heavily. Where could it be? These were definitely drumsticks; there was no denying that. But if he had drumsticks, there had to be a drum. Ed mulled this over until it finally just faded away

Ed woke, realizing that the moonbeam had gone and that he had been sleeping. Sunlight now filled his room, and he looked over at the clock. 9:02! Ed jumped up and dashed in the direction of the door, but stopped, remembering he was in his underwear. Even though it was unseasonably hot, even for June, Ed knew that going outside in his underwear was a bad idea. He threw on some clothes and left his room carrying his drumsticks, off to wherever Eddy and Double-D had chosen for the making of the band. As he ran through the house, the words *Love Gravy* echoed through his head. Now he could tell Eddy and Double-D the name he had come up with!

After several minutes searching the cul-de-sac, Ed spotted Double-D and Eddy sitting on the front steps of Double-D's house. Eddy shot Ed a crooked grin. "Ed, what took ya?"

Ed twisted the bottom of his red and white shirt as he often did when he was nervous or embarrassed. It was a bad habit he had developed over the years, and mostly because of Eddy. But this was not a big deal. "Uh, I fell asleep." Ed had wanted to stay up all night to be ready to go on time, but obviously that hadn't worked.

As Ed released his shirt from his wringing hands, Double-D spotted the drumsticks. They were in Ed's pocket, and he had planned to address the missing drum problem later. "What are those?" Double-D asked, pointing at them.

"Hey yeah, Lumpy. Whatcha got?" Eddy asked, seeing Double-D's discovery for the first time.

Ed whipped the drumsticks out of his pocket. "Drumsticks! Extra crispy!" He danced around nimbly, pounding his drumsticks on the air. Double-D watched Ed's agile movements, his hand cupped over his mouth. Ed put his whole heart into everything he did, and this was no exception. Although Eddy watched patiently for several minutes, he was only willing to go along with it for so long.

"Where's your drum?" Eddy asked, critically.

In mid-jump, Ed's motion stopped at the sound of the question. Ed landed softly on the grass and turned back around to face Eddy and Double-D. "Drum? That's the thing. I don't know."

"You don't know?" Double-D repeated after Ed's words. Ed shook his head solemnly. "Did you look everywhere?"

"Ed! How could you just lose a drum, but keep track of the sticks? I thought stuff was never in the last place you looked!"

It was clear that Ed was at the end of his rope. "I don't know, Eddy!" He let the drumsticks fall from his hands and clatter to the ground. "I looked all over my room, but it was dark and the mess was deep!"

Double-D rolled his eyes and smiled at Ed's unusual description of what happened. "Well, Ed, perhaps we could return to your house later for another look?" Ed looked skeptical, but he did want to find his drum. He nodded and turned to face Eddy again.

Eddy shrugged. "Okay, first of all the band needs a name. So Any suggestions?"

Ed had been holding his dream name inside him all day, which was far too long for him. "Love Gravy!" Ed announced, grinning broadly. Eddy and Double-D stared at him, unsure if they had heard right.

"Love Gravy?" Eddy repeated, trying not to laugh. "Sounds a little"

"Eddy," Double-D interrupted, a warning tone in his voice. "Ed deserves a right to his ideas as much as you do. What have you come up with that's so much better?"

Nothing could stop Eddy from sharing his idea now. "PimpEddy and the 4-Skins!"

The garage was silent, and Eddy wondered whether that was a good idea after all. "As if," double-D began, "I would be part of a band that has such a vulgar name! I mean ugh!"

"All right, I get the idea!" Eddy was in no mood to hear a lecture. "How about 'Blue Balls Deluxe'?"

Double-D crossed his arms, and Ed snickered quietly. Eddy couldn't tell whether Ed understood what that meant or not, but Ed still saw humor in it where Double-D did not. And Double-D's perfectionism was starting to get on his nerves.

Still, Double-D was persistent, and was ready to go to war to prevent the final result from being "Blue Balls Deluxe." Raising his hand to his chin, he suggested, "How about 'Science Diet'?"

Eddy was not thrilled with that idea. "Like hell am I going to be in a band called 'Science Diet'!"

Double-D stifled a laugh at Eddy's dramatic response, but he sobered up quickly when a thought came to him. Possibly a good compromise. "Thanks Eddy."

"You're welcome. But I'm sure you would have figured out how retarded that sounded before long."

"No, no, Eddy. What you said. What do you think about calling the band 'LikeHell'?"

Eddy was shocked that Double-D would suggest that, but considering what he had come up with over the phone the night before, it shouldn't have been that much of a surprise. Double-D wouldn't mind an edgy name, just not something like "The SofistoFuks." But LikeHell was the best thing Eddy had heard so far. Love Gravy was a little too reminiscent of Ed's obsession with gravy more than anything else.

"Yeah! LikeHell has my vote. What about you, Ed?"

"I like it." Ed answered.

"Then LikeHell it is!" Eddy cheered. "That didn't take too long. We can paint it on the drum later. If we find it, that is."

"Speaking of which, Eddy, we should try to locate the missing drum before we forget." Double-D suggested, remembering that the drum had yet to be found.

"Yeah, drum." Ed repeated.

"Will you be joining us, Eddy?"

"Forget it! I'm tired. I'll make lunch."

Double-D shrugged. "By all means. We should be back soon, anyway." Eddy watched his friends tear across the cul-de-sac. Shaking his head and smiling, Eddy turned and went inside Double-D's house to make lunch. Why couldn't Ed keep track of his things? Even if he and Double-D did find the drum, Ed would probably keep looking for it for the rest of the week.

The front door of Ed's house creaked open. His house was one of the oldest in the cul-de-sac, and it certainly acted the part. "So you didn't look anywhere except in the basement?" Double-D asked, wanting to verify Ed's original search. Ed nodded his head, looking perplexed. "Well, why don't we try somewhere else first, because" Double-D's true reasoning for starting the new search somewhere else was for the sake of avoiding Ed's grimy room, but his gentility wouldn't let him say that aloud. "because you have already looked there. I suggest we begin somewhere else, just to make sure before we go down there."

Both boys hunted all over for the missing drum: the living room, the den, the kitchen, bathrooms, and Ed's parents' room. After no success, Double-D was becoming more and more confident that he would have to go through Ed's room. Ed was ready to go. "Okay, to the lair of the Ed!" he cheered, and turned for his door. Then Double-D remembered the one place they had left out.

"Hold on, Ed. Sarah's room! We didn't check Sarah's room, did we?" A loop hole! Doubtful as Double-D was that Sarah did have the drum, it would put off the trek to Ed's room. Ed hung his head and followed Double-D as if he was being led to his execution. If Sarah caught him, the consequences would be close enough to an execution for his taste.

Double-D pushed open the door to reveal the pretty room of a girl done in pastel colors. Ed squinted at their brightness. The floor was littered with toys, much as Ed's was, but there was more structure to this mess. It was clear that Sarah and Jimmy had begun some sort of game yesterday and planned to finish it today. Double-D knew that he and Ed would have to be quick but careful, as there were a pair of intricate but huge thrones near the closet, and two dolls occupied them.

Ed knew better than to even approach the thrones, as all he could imagine was moving the wrong way and knocking the thrones to the floor. He stayed far away from them, skulking through a pile of toys in the opposite corner. Right in front of the thrones, Double-D stood, looking them over from top to bottom. "Double-D, stay away from them!" Ed called across the room.

"Settle down, Ed. I only want to look." Double-D looked at the thrones from top to bottom. Each resembled an Eiffel Tower of toys, slender at the top and spreading out as it got lower, then split into four legs. The larger one held the king doll, and the smaller one held the queen. The seats of the thrones were very interesting, each was a different size, but embroidered in a red, green, and blue pattern. One appeared to have a gong-like thing hanging from it. "Ed, come and look at this."

Seeing that Double-D was still staring at the thrones, Ed answered with a firm, "No."

"But Ed, I just want to know if these are your drums." Ed raised his eyebrow and approached, still cautiously.

Once he had reached Double-D's side, he looked at the seats of the thrones. "That's them!" he exclaimed happily. Those were certainly his drums. He remembered getting them for Christmas one year. They weren't large drums, nor were they terribly professional in appearance, but they made enough noise to get the job done.

Double-D was chuckling in shock that the drums had been found and relief that there would be no need to go to Ed's basement. "Why didn't you tell me there were more than one?"

Ed shrugged, and chuckled as well. Then, he noticed that Double-D was no longer laughing. "What?" Ed asked nervously.

Sizing up the throne, Double-D asked Ed finally, "How on earth do you plan to get those drums out?" Ed looked at the throne. That was a good question. They were the seats of huge thrones that nearly reached Sarah's ceiling. She would have had to stand on a chair to create this masterwork.

Wanting to get out of this problem with as little harassment from Sarah and Eddy as possible, Ed tried desperately to figure out a way to get the drums without destroying Sarah's throne. "Maybe we can wait for Sarah be done with it."

Double-D considered the idea, not wanting to anger Sarah either, then doubted that Eddy would accept an empty-handed return. "Maybe we can simply replace the drums with something else."

That sparked an idea from the depths of Ed's mind. "I have some boxes in my room that we could use." With that, he took off for his room. He returned carrying several attractively colored boxes, and placed them all on the floor. These boxes could replace the drums, if there was a way to remove the drum without destroying the tower in the process.

Carefully lifting the dolls from their perches, each Ed slid the drum out from where it had been, and replaced it with a box, then returned the dolls to their thrones. The boys stood slowly, picking up the drums and turned to leave. The sound of approaching footsteps made them wish they were anywhere else. "Sarah has come to make me pay!" Ed whimpered, and Double-D looked desperately for a place to hide when there was nowhere. Ed took a deep breath, fearing it might be his last.

"What is taking you guys so damn long? Did you even - - - oh, you did find the drums!"

Ed's breath turned to a sigh of relief. "Eddy! It's you!"

"Who else would care that I wanted to start on the band at nine and now it's almost ten? Wait, this is Sarah's room! Can we go now?"

"Yes." Double-D answered seriously. Ed cradled the drums in his arms and followed his friends out the door. "Ed, you should hide those drums. Should Sarah see you" The words meant worlds to Ed, and he tucked the drums inside his jacket. The boys continued out of Ed's house, only to pass Sarah and Jimmy on their way back to the front door

"What if she takes the drums back when she sees they're gone?" Ed asked nervously.

"She won't." Eddy assured him. "Because Double-D will be keeping them at his house when you aren't using them. Right, Sockhead?"

"Of course." Double-D agreed, watching Ed's face light up.

But Eddy was still impatient. "Okay, can we eat now?" The three headed for Double-D's garage, and Ed set each of his drums down on the floor. Eddy sighed. "No, Ed. Like this." Turning the largest drum on its side, Eddy tried to set up the drums to look like the drums in rock concerts. They were a little on the small side, and Ed would have to play them sitting on the ground, but they were better than nothing. And if the name of the band was printed in huge letters on the big drum, then it would be perfect.

Double-D sat down near the drums, and Ed went behind the drums, taking up his sticks. He raised them over his head, trying to look professional, and brought them down, beating wildly on the drums. It was difficult to tell whether it was good or bad, as he was beating so fast, but it was interesting. When Ed finished, he smiled, then looked at Double-D. "But I wanted to play guitar."

"Well, none of this has even been decided, Ed. They are your drums, but you don't necessarily have to play them."

"Ok, Double-D. Come on, if you think my omelettes are boss, you haven't lived until you've tried my pancakes!" Eddy announced, racing into Double-D's house.

"But I've alreadyEddy! Please remove your shoes!"

"Food for Ed!" Ed jumped up from where he was sitting and ran in circles, eager to eat. Because of his rush to Double-D's house earlier, he hadn't gotten anything to eat earlier in the day.

"Once you have removed your shoes, Ed, please come in." Double-D instructed, opening the door that led in from the garage. Ed complied quickly, removing his shoes. He didn't want to, as he knew he would only have to put them back on later. Still, obeying Double-D was much faster than fighting with him, and Ed was willing to do anything to get his lunch.

Eddy was standing over by the stove mixing various things in a frying pan on the stove. The aroma drifted over to the kitchen door, and sent Ed's stomach into a roaring fit. "Hurry, Eddy! I am hungry." Ed pronounced each word carefully, as he often did when something important was happening. And in Ed's terms, lunch qualified as important.

Lurching up to where Eddy was creating his pancakes, Ed licked his lips. "Can I lick the bowl, Eddy?"

"No way, Monobrow! You remember last time."

"But the feeling is back in my tongue now."

"I don't care. You can wait a few more minutes." Eddy was ready for Ed to leave him alone, although it was amusing to listen to Ed go on about food and tongues. Ed sat at the table next to Double-D, and the kitchen was silent except for the sizzle of the eggs in the frying pan and the hum of the ceiling fan. But the memory of the other cul-de-sac yesterday was still fresh in Eddy's mind, and he couldn't figure out what the deal was with the "kids" there. It was a mystery, and no matter which way Eddy turned it over in his brain, he couldn't figure it out. Surely he hadn't imagined it. But how else could Peach Creek Estates go from bustling to mute when he only turned his back for a moment?

Maybe Double-D could shine some light on the problem. He would certainly know if anyone lived there. "Double-D," Eddy began slowly, not entirely sure how to phrase the question so it didn't sound like something Ed would say. "You know Peach Creek Estates?"

"Well, duh. We were just there yesterday."

Although a little surprised that Double-D would respond this way, Eddy had to admit that the question was asking for it. "Yeah. But did you know anyone lived there?"

Double-D put a finger to his chin in consideration. "No Well, sort of. I knew they had finished construction, but I didn't know for certain that anyone lived there."

This was Eddy's chance. "Well that's the thing. Remember when I went ahead to find a way through the trees?"

Double-D nodded. "Kevin told me that's what you were doing."

"And I was only looking for a way through. But I found the cleared out path already there. I didn't do that. And the thing that was really fucked up the sound of it. I could hear kids and even see some, but by the time we got there, they were gone! If they were ever there, how could they just disappear?"

"I'm not sure. That's quite a quandary, Eddy."

"Yeah, it's really that. But we'll probably find out what - - -"

"Don't burn Ed's lunch!" the words suddenly flew from Ed's mouth as he pointed at the frying pan. Eddy quickly remembered the pancakes and turned to see the steam rising from the frying pan.

"Uh oh." Eddy sighed, looking at his pancakes. Using a spatula to flip them over, he smiled. "Ed, you'll be glad to know that the pancakes are ok. They'll just be a little crispy on one side." Eddy chuckled at the sight of the pancakes, which now had a creamy white side and a deep brown side with a few black places. Still, if Ed wanted to eat so bad, he'd have to make do with these, Eddy told himself. No way was Eddy going to go all the way back to the start. But that wasn't the most critical matter at hand. The band was more important. As for the Peach Creek Estates enigma, that could wait until there was time to deal with it. And lunch was not that time.

Eddy flipped the pancakes over to see the bottom. Still a little bubbly, but it was dying down enough that they would be ready in a few moments. As he listened to the sizzle of the batter in the frying pan, Eddy felt better than he had in awhile. And he had been so tense only hours earlier! What could have been bothering him so much then?

"I've been trying to call you"

"Huh, then it's kinda fucked up that I always get your machine when I call."

Oh yeah, what else. Why did he have to try to remember? Now he would spend unlimited time wondering about this. So much unanswered But how much did this even matter? It was over and done with, and all Eddy could determine from it was that it was only something he just happened to remember. Long-forgotten memories would occasionally appear in his mind for no apparent reason. This was certainly another of those. Making peace with these phrases was something Eddy wanted to do, but it was easier said than done. Still, he resolved not to think about it, so it would have to go away eventually.

The pancakes were done, and Eddy turned off the stove. While he did see cooking as being something that a girl, not a boy, was supposed to do, Eddy did enjoy making pancakes. Spatula in hand, Eddy flipped each pancake onto a paper plate. "Think fast, Sockhead. Incoming!!!" Eddy yelled, flinging the paper plate over to the table like a Frisbee. Double-D lunged for the plate, managing somehow to catch it before it went skidding off the table.

"Eddy, please! Remember that you are in my kitchen, and you should abide by my rules. Such as: no throwing plates."

Eddy scowled. "Damn, don't have a bird."

"And no cursing." Double-D added. Ed smiled, biting his lip. The anger that appeared on Eddy's face was to hilarious to ignore. Ed put his hands over his mouth to conceal his widening grin. If I laugh, Eddy will hurt me, but if I don't laugh, I'll explode! Ed thought to himself. Ed decided that he would rather take his chances with Eddy, as Double-D would be mad at him anyway for exploding in the kitchen if he suppressed his laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha! Eddy look funny!" Ed released a deep laughter finally, unable to contain it any longer.

Eddy was in no mood for this. All day he had been fighting with himself to forget the conversation in his head, and Peach Creek Estates as well. The whole thing was just becoming annoying. Sure, Ed's dim laughter was full of only rough, easy friendliness. There was no malice in his guttural murmurs, but Eddy was in no mood to be laughed at by anyone, even Ed. "Shut up, just shut up already!" Eddy shouted in Ed's face.

"But" Double-D began to protest, but a warning glare from Eddy buttoned his lip.

Ed sobered up quickly, his smile disappeared, and his eyes lost their jovial gleam. "Aw, come on Eddy. I was just playin'." Crossing his arms, Eddy grunted. Still, he went back to the counter to retrieve his own pancakes. If I wasn't in Lord Sockhead's Kitchen, I would have given it to Ed for that Eddy turned back around and sat at the table, poking at his pancakes with his fork. Ed grabbed his pancakes, rolled them into tubes, and crammed them greedily into his mouth. Seeing the disgusted look on his friends' faces, Ed wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Syrup, please!"

Double-D's nauseated expression turned gleeful as soon as the words were spoken. "Why, Ed! How genteel of you to be so polite!" Ed scratched his belly and smiled.

As soon as the syrup had passed from Double-D's hand to Ed's, Eddy raised an eyebrow. "Ed, you don't have any pancakes left."

The remark froze Ed. "Does that matter?" asked Ed. Leaning his head back, he opened the cap and poured the creamy syrup into his mouth. Once he had consumed about a third of the bottle, Ed placed it back on the table and put the cap back on. "Ahhh. That hit the spot."

Too disgusted to speak, Double-D covered his eyes with one hand. Eddy just stared blankly for a moment, then burst into a fit of laughter. "Ed's guzzling syrup! That was awesome, Lumpy!"

"No photos, please." Ed announced, bowing his head. Eddy pounded the table with a closed fist as he laughed at Ed's idiocy. It was impossible to stay mad at someone who counted his teeth every night to make sure they were all there. Double-D removed the hand from his face and daintily carved at his pancakes with a knife and fork. It seemed to him as though his friends would never improve, never advance and become more polite. Ed's request for the syrup was reason for celebration, as that was about as good as Ed or Eddy got. Shaking his head, Double-D sighed, pushing himself to work harder to accept their "quirks."

When they had finished, Double-D picked up the paper plates and placed them in the trash under the sink. "I can't remember ever having pancakes for lunch." Double-D said finally. The kitchen was silent for several minutes; not that there was much to be said.

Finally, Eddy spoke. "Want to paint 'LikeHell' on the drum now?"

"Sure." Double-D agreed and followed Ed and Eddy back to the garage. Eddy flipped the big drum back up so the side where the writing would go was on top. Double-D examined the embroidery on the sides of the drum.

It was mostly red, but swirls of emerald green and royal blue spanned the red background. Gold bits sparkled here and there. Double-D was mesmerized by its incredible appearance. "Ed, however did you get these in the first place?"

Ed tried to remember. "I know it was at Christmas. Maybe I got them because Sarah was tired of me hitting bowls in the kitchen." Still, these drums were exquisite. Not terribly professional or serious looking, but very interesting.

While Ed and Double-D were discussing this, Eddy tried to figure out what color the letters on the drum should be. "Ed, got any gold paint left from that time we sold 'jewelry'? I think the writing should be gold."

Double-D looked at it, trying to analyze it for himself. "Yes, gold would be nice. What do you think, Ed?"

"Green." Ed crossed his arms and smiled.

"Green?" Eddy repeated. "Why green? That would be stupid!"

"But green's my favorite color!" Ed whined.

"But you're outvoted, Ed! I say gold, and Double-D says gold! Tough luck, Ed."

Ed pouted, looking like he would fall apart. That expression always won, Double-D over, making him reconsider. "Eddy, we could simply have green letters and outline them in gold."

Although he did seem to be considering it, Eddy didn't look too thrilled with the idea. "No. Just gold. Green and gold would look stupid together."

"It's just a drum. This isn't that big a deal." Double-D added dryly.

"It's only our band's symbol and it isn't that big a deal?" Eddy shot back. Ed hated seeing them argue, so he covered his eyes. But he could still hear them. So he covered his ears instead. Still, that wasn't good enough. Rising from where he sat, Ed left through the door of the garage, leaving Eddy and Double-D to their "discussion" of the color of the writing. Now he was a little mad at himself, as well. It didn't even matter! Why did I open my mouth? He thought to himself. Walking around and just getting away from their bickering eased his churning stomach. Sarah and Jimmy were playing outside again, and Sarah didn't even look up as Ed went by. At least she didn't seem mad at him for once. Kevin and Rolf were tossing a football back and forth. They couldn't wait for football practice to start. And Nazz was near the end of the street with three other girls?

Ed's first impulse was to run back to the garage -fast- because to him, girls in threes equaled only Kankers. But these girls didn't appear to be the Kankers at all when he actually stopped to look at them. They looked sweeter, gentler. Ed tipped his head to one side, wondering who they were. Ed could see Nazz's mouth moving, and watched her gesture with her hands as she spoke. He wanted to know what she was saying, but his mother had always told him never to eavesdrop. But still he was curious.

Nervously, Ed watched the four chatting girls. An etchy smile was plastered across his face in an attempt to hide his unease. But were they coming closer? They were! Now, Ed no longer cared what they were saying. He just wanted to leave. They looked nice enough, but a neurotic feeling welled up inside Ed. It had something to do with the fact that they were girls, but why it was there at all, he didn't know. Ed turned, extending one leg a great distance forward in an attempt to sneak back to the garage. Maybe Eddy and Double-D had decided to paint the letters blue or some such thing. He had only taken a few steps when he heard Nazz's voice from behind him, "Wait, Ed. I want to introduce you."

Stopping in his tracks, Ed turned his head and the rest of his body followed. "Hello. My name is Ed." Each word was pronounced clearly, and Nazz giggled. Ed looked at the girls. His eyes widened, and a broad grin spread on his face. One girl was much shorter than the other two. A few freckles were splashed across her face, and deep reddish-brown hair fell to her shoulders. The other two girls were about the same height. One had rich, coffee-colored skin, and long raven hair with a few skinny braids here and there. What was most striking about her were her blue eyes. Ed was absorbed by the shock of them. The third girl had blue eyes as well, but against her chalky skin, they didn't have the same effect. Her blonde hair was up in a ponytail, and she was easily the least intimidating of the three.

The short brunette spoke first. "Hey, Ed. I'm Jenny."

Next the blonde. "I'm Jen."

And finally the raven. "My name's Jenn. That's spelled with two 'N's."

Ed's eyes were ready to pop out of his head. Three girls named Jen? Inside, Ed wanted to laugh, at what he had come across. "Um" Ed began quietly. "Want to come meet my friends?"

"Sure. Is that okay with you Nazz?" Jenny answered. Nazz nodded, whispering something in Jenny's ear. "I don't care," Jenny said out loud. Nazz continued. Finally Nazz stepped away. Jenny stared at her for a moment. "I don't give a shit. I want to meet them."

Nazz looked surprised at Jenny's response, but said nothing more. Ed motioned for the girls to follow, and they did. Jenn whispered to Jenny, "What did she say?"

"Nothing. Damn preppy girl. She said one of this guy's friends is a loser and the other is a nerd."

Jenn rolled her eyes. "Who cares? After all, girls like her are known to exaggerate."

"Look at me, I'm Nazz!" Jen said, dancing around, pretending to be a cheerleader. Jenn and Jenny giggled, watching her, and even Ed had to laugh. He had crushed on Nazz ever since he was young, but so had every other boy in the cul-de-sac. And this was a great impression of her. He smiled at Jen, and she slowly stopped dancing, smiling back. The four walked in silence the rest of the way back to Double-D's garage, and Ed hoped that Eddy and Double-D had stopped fighting.

No such luck. The two were still going on about the letters, and the Jens just stared at them. "Do they always do that?" Jenny asked.

"Unh-uh." Ed shook his head. "Only sometimes." Ed approached Eddy and Double-D. "Hey." He said, interrupting their argument.

Eddy turned, annoyed. "Whaddaya want now?" Ed pointed at the Jens. Eddy and Double-D's mouths dropped open, as they didn't know where the girls came from. But after he stopped to really think about it, Eddy wondered if he had a clue.