A/N: Y'know, this is the longest chapter I've ever written of ANYTHING? Sad, huh?
Disclaimer: Let's see... if I owned Zim, do you think I would be sitting here wasting my time writing this senseless crap? Phh. I thought so.
----
When skool let out, Dib fled out of the building to take shelter behind some shrubbery. DON'T ask me how that is possible with his bloated head. I don't know. Maybe the shrubbery was giant or something. Okay, fine, I'll shut up. Geez.
Zim finally came out of the skool, one of the last students. Dib immediately lashed out, grabbed him, and yanked him behind the really gigantic patch of shrubbery. "What are you--" Zim began to protest before Dib clapped a hand over his mouth. "Shut up!" he hissed. "Just shut up!" Seeing that Zim was going to comply, he released him. Zim hunkered down and peered through the leaves to see Jess come skipping out of the skool. "What are we doing, Dib-monkey?" Zim whispered, hatred gripping his voice. He didn't understand the big-headed kid, really. I mean, there aren't many people that do.
"I told you to shut up," Dib snapped, unfazed by the venomous expression that had crossed Zim's features. "You have to be quiet, okay?"
Zim bit his lip to restrain a full-blown rant of doom and stuck his tongue out at his nemisis when Dib had returned his attention to Jess, who had stopped to breathe in the fragrance of a cluster of pink-hued flowers. She drew in a large lungful of air, sucking a few bees up into her nasal cavity. She smiled contentedly before plucking a flower out of its little nest of soil. She tore the stem off and for a moment, one would think that she was going to place the flower in a convenient spot on her head in her hair. But instead she popped the top of the flower into her mouth. Chewing the mess of fine petals and pollen, she proceeded to skip to wherever her destination was.
"Oh-kay... that was disturbing," Dib said, creasing his forehead in amusement. Zim, of course, agreed, but did not say so. Why? I don't know, you ask him! He didn't want to agree with him or something. Nyagh, leave me alone, it's a Sunday night!!
So anyway, Zim wheeled around to face his enemy. "Dib," he spat, "tell me now why you have treated me like... some... THING instead of the wonderful being that I so am?! Pulling me into this... horrible... plant thingie of doom and speaking to me so rudely, I mean!"
Dib blinked, gaping at him blankly. "Come on," he ordered, rising to his feet and stealthily pursuing Jess. "What the -- oh, you little weasel!" Zim spat, stumbling to his feet and chasing after Dib. He was about to run headlong into him to send him sprawling onto the concrete, but Dib, sensing his sudden prescense, held his palm out behind him. Zim, startled, screeched to a stop as best as he could, his momentum carrying him forward only to crash into Dib's outstretched hand with an "oof!" This minor collision left the invader's wig askew and he quickly readjusted it before regaining his composure. "There she is," Dib whispered. Zim had his mouth open, anger contorting his features, but he was at a loss for words.
Dib ignored him, his eyes still trained on Jess who was olivious to their being there. She had sat down on a bench to stare intently at a little old lady who was tossing flecks of food onto the ground, where pigeons were attempting to get at it, tearing each other's heads off in the struggle. Yes, I mean litterally. The food was coming from a reeking, old potato sack labeled, "Brain Meats." The little old lady was busily blathering on to Jess, mistaking her for someone who likes to listen to little old ladys' "Why-back-in-my-day" rambles.
"Yes, so anyway, when I was speakin' to Jerry Hawker, mah best friend Lisa Wing came wit a sack o' potatoes. You know them potatoes, right, da ones made o' rat heads? Yeah, Ma and Pa used to love dem potatoes, I tell you. Wolfin' dem down like a pack o' animals. You kids these days, you eat nothin' but chocolate! Why, back in my day, any kid who ate too much chocolate wound up gettin' rotten teeth! Wheneva Ma found me eatin' chocolate, she would spank my big round healthy butt till it was red like an apple! LIKE AN APPLE, I TELLS YA!"
"Wow. That's horrible," Zim commented, scared beyond belief. Dib nodded, the expression on his face bearing no disagreement. Jess seem unfazed by the woman's rant, though. In fact, she had instead resorted to gawking at the pigeons tearing at the brain meats. She suddenly leapt up and screamed like a monkey before attacking the old woman and beating her with the potato sack. Dib and Zim both gaped. When she had finished, she got up, cradling the sack of brain meats and popping some into her mouth. She skipped away, her eyes alight with happiness. Dib looked positively sickened, as did Zim. They glanced at each other before keeling over and bidding farewell to their lunches. Dib straightened up, wiping his mouth. "Come on," he urged when Zim had finally finished. "We have to follow her." They began running and only slowed their pace when they were nearing her. She had ditched the bag of brain meats (thankfully) and was standing in front of a small, modest-looking house. She smiled before bursting through the door and vanishing into the it.
Dib and Zim advanced into the lawn, staring up at the house. It looked plausible and welcoming, painted a cheery light blue, and it was kept tidy. Dib looked about to see that the lawn was mowed. There was some shrubbery and patches of honeysuckle and tulips lining the picket white fence. The sun shone upon the little house, illuminating it in kind yellow light. It seemed to say, "Come in, come in, child, for some milk and cookies!" Even so...
"You go in," Dib said, pushing Zim ahead.
"Not a chance," Zim snapped, "You go in."
"No, you go in."
"No, YOU go in."
"YOU go in!"
"No way! You go in. You were the one who wanted to follow her anyhow."
"So what? You came with me. Go in."
"Correction, you DRAGGED me along. I am not going in first."
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not, YOU are."
"Are not."
"Are too."
"Are not."
"Are too."
---
Meanwhile, Jess tore up the stairs to her room, which was sponge painted with dark blues and light blues. There was a light blue rug, and she had a light blue bedspread. Talk about blues. She immediately ran up to a very bad, sketchy drawing of something... God knows what, the picture was that bad. She smooched it, threw it up into the air, and began dancing a jig for no apparent reason.
"Jessica! What do you want for dinner?" someone's voice called out from below. "Pie!" Jess chirped, abruptly ending her dance to fondle a stuffed dog perched at the foot of her bed.
"You can't have pie for dinner," the voice argued.
"Brownies, then," Jess suggested.
"Okay!" the voice agreed. Jess nodded with contentment before rummaging around in a box and yanking out multi-colored sheets of paper. She hurriedly ripped them up, flung the window open (facing the other side of the street, not the lawn, mind you), chucked the paper out and screamed, "HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!" Giggling, she turned on her heel and went to play a game on her computer, letting the hours simply drift by as the sun sunk lower and lower in the sky.
---
"Rock, paper, scissors says SHOOT!"
"Paper and paper? Ugh, another tie. Rock, paper, scissors says SHOOT!"
"Oh. We both have rocks. Rock, paper, scissors says SHOOT!"
"HA! Beat you! Paper beats rock!" the victor than clamped his hand onto the other's in a display of the paper consuming the stone.
"But... I don't wanna go in first!" the loser cried, staring fearfully at the door to Jess's house.
"Oh well. I won fair and square. You're going," the other snarled. The loser shuddered with disgust before advancing on the door. He raised his hand as if to press the doorbell, but the other one shook his head rapidly and made a gesture that indicated to open the door instead. The one at the door gulped before putting his hand on the knob. He slowly turned it and then proceeded to push the door open, cringing when it protested by creaking loudly. The person at the door froze, eyes darting about, before relaxing and slipping in.
Dib pressed himself up against the wall, his clenched fists shaking. Jess truly disturbed him. Who knew what she might do to him if she found him wandering about her house? She already knew so much about him... but how? Maybe she had mysterious psychic powers... despite the negativity in this suggestion, Dib couldn't help but perk up. Jess was ignorant. If she had psychic powers, surely she would reveal him her secret... and he could send it to Mysterious Mysteries! "Amazing Psychic Girls Do Exist!: Psychic Girl Found by Dib!" He almost cried out in joy at the possibilities. Then again... maybe Jess was just a regular loony. A loony with knives and sporks just waiting to tear him apart. The young boy shuddered before surveying his surroundings.
The house still looked normal, even on the inside. It was decked with the usual family photos, flowers, paintings, tables, etc. It looked clean and smelled of perfume and other neat fragrences. The only thing wrong with it was that the girl residing in it was DEFINATELY not normal. Perhaps she was an alien of another species? After all, she had willingly consumed brain meats. God knows where those things came from.
Dib inched forward and turned right to stare up at a carpeted stairwell. It didn't LOOK menacing. He turned around and smelled the air once again. Now, along with the smell of perfume and disinfectant, came the rich scent of brownies. Dib licked his lips, but then shook his head. "You have a job to do," he muttered to himself, like he often does. He jumped nimbly down the stairs, careful not to make the slightest noise, before opening the door and beckoning for Zim to come in. The alien approached the door hesitantly. Dib turned around and made his way toward the stairs. Zim, still intimidated, rushed in, gently shut the door, and followed.
When they finished their ascent up the stairs, Dib pulled Zim over and whispered into the place where his ear should have been, "She's in one of these rooms. My guess is that it's that one," he said, pointing to a door that had a JtHM poster taped onto it. Zim nodded. Suddenly, a heavy silence fell upon them as they both looked expectantly at each other.
"Well," Zim said, "What are you waiting for?"
"You," came the reply. "Go on, open it."
"Me?!"
"Yeah, you. I had to go into the house first, you have to go into the room first."
"But I--"
"No way, Zim. You're not getting out of this this time. You go." He pushed his nemesis forward and stepped back, a smirk on his face.
Zim did his best to remain indifferent. He scowled at his enemy, growling, "I'll have your filthy head for this, Dib-worm." Dib snorted and crossed his arms. "Do it," he ordered, "I'm waiting."
Zim glanced around for any escape; the only way out was the stairway, which Dib was blocking. Zim sneered before turning to face the door. Gulping, he turned the knob and opened the door and widened his eyes. He opened his mouth to yell, but Dib tackled him and held a hand over his mouth. "What are you, crazy?" he hissed under his breath. "Don't say a word -- don't move!" He slowly released Zim and inched over to the doorway.
Jess was on the floor under her desk, seemingly looking for something. And her computer screen was filled with a creepy lookin' red and black swirly pattern. But it wasn't projected on the screen. It seemed almost alive, like a another totally different thing itself, having nothing to do with the computer at all.
"What IS that?" Dib whispered.
"A portal," Zim answered, still on his back, "a portal to another dimension."
---
Ooh. Spookyness.
Disclaimer: Let's see... if I owned Zim, do you think I would be sitting here wasting my time writing this senseless crap? Phh. I thought so.
----
When skool let out, Dib fled out of the building to take shelter behind some shrubbery. DON'T ask me how that is possible with his bloated head. I don't know. Maybe the shrubbery was giant or something. Okay, fine, I'll shut up. Geez.
Zim finally came out of the skool, one of the last students. Dib immediately lashed out, grabbed him, and yanked him behind the really gigantic patch of shrubbery. "What are you--" Zim began to protest before Dib clapped a hand over his mouth. "Shut up!" he hissed. "Just shut up!" Seeing that Zim was going to comply, he released him. Zim hunkered down and peered through the leaves to see Jess come skipping out of the skool. "What are we doing, Dib-monkey?" Zim whispered, hatred gripping his voice. He didn't understand the big-headed kid, really. I mean, there aren't many people that do.
"I told you to shut up," Dib snapped, unfazed by the venomous expression that had crossed Zim's features. "You have to be quiet, okay?"
Zim bit his lip to restrain a full-blown rant of doom and stuck his tongue out at his nemisis when Dib had returned his attention to Jess, who had stopped to breathe in the fragrance of a cluster of pink-hued flowers. She drew in a large lungful of air, sucking a few bees up into her nasal cavity. She smiled contentedly before plucking a flower out of its little nest of soil. She tore the stem off and for a moment, one would think that she was going to place the flower in a convenient spot on her head in her hair. But instead she popped the top of the flower into her mouth. Chewing the mess of fine petals and pollen, she proceeded to skip to wherever her destination was.
"Oh-kay... that was disturbing," Dib said, creasing his forehead in amusement. Zim, of course, agreed, but did not say so. Why? I don't know, you ask him! He didn't want to agree with him or something. Nyagh, leave me alone, it's a Sunday night!!
So anyway, Zim wheeled around to face his enemy. "Dib," he spat, "tell me now why you have treated me like... some... THING instead of the wonderful being that I so am?! Pulling me into this... horrible... plant thingie of doom and speaking to me so rudely, I mean!"
Dib blinked, gaping at him blankly. "Come on," he ordered, rising to his feet and stealthily pursuing Jess. "What the -- oh, you little weasel!" Zim spat, stumbling to his feet and chasing after Dib. He was about to run headlong into him to send him sprawling onto the concrete, but Dib, sensing his sudden prescense, held his palm out behind him. Zim, startled, screeched to a stop as best as he could, his momentum carrying him forward only to crash into Dib's outstretched hand with an "oof!" This minor collision left the invader's wig askew and he quickly readjusted it before regaining his composure. "There she is," Dib whispered. Zim had his mouth open, anger contorting his features, but he was at a loss for words.
Dib ignored him, his eyes still trained on Jess who was olivious to their being there. She had sat down on a bench to stare intently at a little old lady who was tossing flecks of food onto the ground, where pigeons were attempting to get at it, tearing each other's heads off in the struggle. Yes, I mean litterally. The food was coming from a reeking, old potato sack labeled, "Brain Meats." The little old lady was busily blathering on to Jess, mistaking her for someone who likes to listen to little old ladys' "Why-back-in-my-day" rambles.
"Yes, so anyway, when I was speakin' to Jerry Hawker, mah best friend Lisa Wing came wit a sack o' potatoes. You know them potatoes, right, da ones made o' rat heads? Yeah, Ma and Pa used to love dem potatoes, I tell you. Wolfin' dem down like a pack o' animals. You kids these days, you eat nothin' but chocolate! Why, back in my day, any kid who ate too much chocolate wound up gettin' rotten teeth! Wheneva Ma found me eatin' chocolate, she would spank my big round healthy butt till it was red like an apple! LIKE AN APPLE, I TELLS YA!"
"Wow. That's horrible," Zim commented, scared beyond belief. Dib nodded, the expression on his face bearing no disagreement. Jess seem unfazed by the woman's rant, though. In fact, she had instead resorted to gawking at the pigeons tearing at the brain meats. She suddenly leapt up and screamed like a monkey before attacking the old woman and beating her with the potato sack. Dib and Zim both gaped. When she had finished, she got up, cradling the sack of brain meats and popping some into her mouth. She skipped away, her eyes alight with happiness. Dib looked positively sickened, as did Zim. They glanced at each other before keeling over and bidding farewell to their lunches. Dib straightened up, wiping his mouth. "Come on," he urged when Zim had finally finished. "We have to follow her." They began running and only slowed their pace when they were nearing her. She had ditched the bag of brain meats (thankfully) and was standing in front of a small, modest-looking house. She smiled before bursting through the door and vanishing into the it.
Dib and Zim advanced into the lawn, staring up at the house. It looked plausible and welcoming, painted a cheery light blue, and it was kept tidy. Dib looked about to see that the lawn was mowed. There was some shrubbery and patches of honeysuckle and tulips lining the picket white fence. The sun shone upon the little house, illuminating it in kind yellow light. It seemed to say, "Come in, come in, child, for some milk and cookies!" Even so...
"You go in," Dib said, pushing Zim ahead.
"Not a chance," Zim snapped, "You go in."
"No, you go in."
"No, YOU go in."
"YOU go in!"
"No way! You go in. You were the one who wanted to follow her anyhow."
"So what? You came with me. Go in."
"Correction, you DRAGGED me along. I am not going in first."
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not, YOU are."
"Are not."
"Are too."
"Are not."
"Are too."
---
Meanwhile, Jess tore up the stairs to her room, which was sponge painted with dark blues and light blues. There was a light blue rug, and she had a light blue bedspread. Talk about blues. She immediately ran up to a very bad, sketchy drawing of something... God knows what, the picture was that bad. She smooched it, threw it up into the air, and began dancing a jig for no apparent reason.
"Jessica! What do you want for dinner?" someone's voice called out from below. "Pie!" Jess chirped, abruptly ending her dance to fondle a stuffed dog perched at the foot of her bed.
"You can't have pie for dinner," the voice argued.
"Brownies, then," Jess suggested.
"Okay!" the voice agreed. Jess nodded with contentment before rummaging around in a box and yanking out multi-colored sheets of paper. She hurriedly ripped them up, flung the window open (facing the other side of the street, not the lawn, mind you), chucked the paper out and screamed, "HAPPY NEW YEAR'S!" Giggling, she turned on her heel and went to play a game on her computer, letting the hours simply drift by as the sun sunk lower and lower in the sky.
---
"Rock, paper, scissors says SHOOT!"
"Paper and paper? Ugh, another tie. Rock, paper, scissors says SHOOT!"
"Oh. We both have rocks. Rock, paper, scissors says SHOOT!"
"HA! Beat you! Paper beats rock!" the victor than clamped his hand onto the other's in a display of the paper consuming the stone.
"But... I don't wanna go in first!" the loser cried, staring fearfully at the door to Jess's house.
"Oh well. I won fair and square. You're going," the other snarled. The loser shuddered with disgust before advancing on the door. He raised his hand as if to press the doorbell, but the other one shook his head rapidly and made a gesture that indicated to open the door instead. The one at the door gulped before putting his hand on the knob. He slowly turned it and then proceeded to push the door open, cringing when it protested by creaking loudly. The person at the door froze, eyes darting about, before relaxing and slipping in.
Dib pressed himself up against the wall, his clenched fists shaking. Jess truly disturbed him. Who knew what she might do to him if she found him wandering about her house? She already knew so much about him... but how? Maybe she had mysterious psychic powers... despite the negativity in this suggestion, Dib couldn't help but perk up. Jess was ignorant. If she had psychic powers, surely she would reveal him her secret... and he could send it to Mysterious Mysteries! "Amazing Psychic Girls Do Exist!: Psychic Girl Found by Dib!" He almost cried out in joy at the possibilities. Then again... maybe Jess was just a regular loony. A loony with knives and sporks just waiting to tear him apart. The young boy shuddered before surveying his surroundings.
The house still looked normal, even on the inside. It was decked with the usual family photos, flowers, paintings, tables, etc. It looked clean and smelled of perfume and other neat fragrences. The only thing wrong with it was that the girl residing in it was DEFINATELY not normal. Perhaps she was an alien of another species? After all, she had willingly consumed brain meats. God knows where those things came from.
Dib inched forward and turned right to stare up at a carpeted stairwell. It didn't LOOK menacing. He turned around and smelled the air once again. Now, along with the smell of perfume and disinfectant, came the rich scent of brownies. Dib licked his lips, but then shook his head. "You have a job to do," he muttered to himself, like he often does. He jumped nimbly down the stairs, careful not to make the slightest noise, before opening the door and beckoning for Zim to come in. The alien approached the door hesitantly. Dib turned around and made his way toward the stairs. Zim, still intimidated, rushed in, gently shut the door, and followed.
When they finished their ascent up the stairs, Dib pulled Zim over and whispered into the place where his ear should have been, "She's in one of these rooms. My guess is that it's that one," he said, pointing to a door that had a JtHM poster taped onto it. Zim nodded. Suddenly, a heavy silence fell upon them as they both looked expectantly at each other.
"Well," Zim said, "What are you waiting for?"
"You," came the reply. "Go on, open it."
"Me?!"
"Yeah, you. I had to go into the house first, you have to go into the room first."
"But I--"
"No way, Zim. You're not getting out of this this time. You go." He pushed his nemesis forward and stepped back, a smirk on his face.
Zim did his best to remain indifferent. He scowled at his enemy, growling, "I'll have your filthy head for this, Dib-worm." Dib snorted and crossed his arms. "Do it," he ordered, "I'm waiting."
Zim glanced around for any escape; the only way out was the stairway, which Dib was blocking. Zim sneered before turning to face the door. Gulping, he turned the knob and opened the door and widened his eyes. He opened his mouth to yell, but Dib tackled him and held a hand over his mouth. "What are you, crazy?" he hissed under his breath. "Don't say a word -- don't move!" He slowly released Zim and inched over to the doorway.
Jess was on the floor under her desk, seemingly looking for something. And her computer screen was filled with a creepy lookin' red and black swirly pattern. But it wasn't projected on the screen. It seemed almost alive, like a another totally different thing itself, having nothing to do with the computer at all.
"What IS that?" Dib whispered.
"A portal," Zim answered, still on his back, "a portal to another dimension."
---
Ooh. Spookyness.