The Favorite Fives: Mystery of the Missing Member
On a beautiful day at Ohio, The Favorite Fives were walking back to their treehouse. After a week of being in school, it was time for them to relax.
"That was one heck of a week back there," Crank commented. "That new P.E. teacher sure knew what he was doing. Thank God he isn't mean like the ones seen in cartoons."
"I'll say. That English class was kind of engaging with the story we have been reading," Luke said. "I never knew how bittersweet romance stories can come from youthful teens."
"It's a great thing the cafeteria provided the desserts that my family has been making. It helps make the profit!" Jennifer exclaimed.
"Some of the students helped paint the school to make it more appealing. I like that," added Linka. "It gives a clear message that students are welcome to the place, old or new."
"I will admit, I never expected to spend social studies class by watching MindBang. It made the subject we were learning a bit entertaining," Steven said.
The five kids pulled a jump rope attached to bring out a ladder. One by one, the children climbed up inside. However, upon further inspection, the five were agape at their sight. There was graffiti over the walls, some of the treehouse's bottom area had holes, and the chairs had broken legs.
"You got to be kidding," Crank muttered. "Those guys really get on our nerves."
All Jennifer did was facepalm.
"Not again!" Linka exclaimed.
"What a disaster," Luke said. "They are at it again!
"That is honestly one big cause of destruction I have seen," Steven said. "Wait, who is this 'they' you are referring to?"
This got the other kids to look in Steven's direction.
"Wait, you don't know what caused this?" Crank asked. "Let alone who?"
"No. What do you mean by that?"
Jennifer stepped up. "We'll talk about it when we get the chance. The TV should be able to help provide context on what we are, but due to the state of this place, it might not function properly to prove our statement. Right now, we got to restore our treehouse."
After a half-hour of cleaning up their place, the five sat down on the couch.
"Steven, you ever had any enemies before?" Jennifer asked.
"Well, there was Cortex, those leprechauns, pretty much the majority of the people from that city we stopped from destroying our neighborhood."
"No, not them. We mean enemies before we met those guys," Crank answered.
"I can't say," the boy replied. "I barely know anything about the old neighborhood I was in before I met you guys."
"Perhaps we should reveal our problems," Luke suggested while using the remote to activate the TV. Three figures consisting of two boys and one girl were shown. One boy had orange hair, white skin, and sharp teeth. The girl had braces, a backwards hat, and tan skin. The other boy was a black-haired boy with brown skin, a mole, and a nose ring.
"They seem like trouble," the leader commented.
"They really are. They are the Triplet Tramps," Linka replied. "The kids that spell out disaster."
"You got some history with them, do you?" Steven raised an eyebrow.
"You can say that." Jennifer stated. "They have a history of screwing around with the neighborhood. These guys are terrible. It is a mystery of where they came from. All it is known that they were from an orphanage. They made it hell for the others including the nuns."
"One night, they escaped the place, leaving them to fend for their own. It's confusing of how just the three of them had no known family. The way of how those three became who they are now is complicated. All it is mentioned is that they got the ideas from shows that had violent people in them, acting like everything around is their property." Linka explained.
"It ain't just the kids those three mess around with. Everyone always gets harmed by them. Even the adults!" Crank said.
"Not to mention that they just want to cause mischief for the heck of it," Luke played a recording of the three kids tiptoeing to a field where a sleeping horse is. The one that looks like the leader crawled on top of the others to push the sleeping horse off the hill. Although the horse woke up when it landed on the ground, it kept rolling around until it crashed into a supermarket, which leads to chaos as people ran out of it to avoid being trampled. Some of the cakes Jennifer's family made were tossed on the ground. Little kids including Georgia Foster were harmed by the horse. Linka's hair was messed up thanks to the horse falling onto her. The Watterson's car ended up being lit on fire. What made Steven even more upset than before was that she saw a little girl being dizzy thanks to that catastrophe and she ended up falling to the floor on her face, causing her to lose her tooth while shedding tears to show she is in pain.
"That's called 'horsing around'!" the leader of the terrible trio guffawed with his cronies before walking off to make more trouble. The television turned off, which the reflections shown the disgusted looks of the Favorite Fives.
"I can see why you have issues with them," Steven spoke out of silence.
"You are not wrong. Everywhere they go, disaster follows." Luke answered.
"Has anyone tried to stop them?"
"Yeah, and no success came out of it," Jennifer grumbled.
"Just only bruises and bandages," Crank crumbled.
"Something has to be done," Steven suggested.
"What do you have in mind?" Linka asked.
"Perhaps we should try fighting them," Crank complained. "I can't wait to rip them apart!"
"How about challenging them to a race?" Luke popped in.
"Doing a competition will sure teach them a lesson," Jennifer cracked her knuckles.
"Guys let's not go to extreme measures about this. Perhaps I can straighten them out with speaking to them," Steven announced.
Most of the kids gave deadpanned stares to their leader.
"You're kidding, right?" Crank asked.
"You're not just going to talk to them, are you?" Jennifer added.
"Well, it would be one way to analyze them from a close-up."
"Steven, whatever you are doing, it is a bad idea," Luke interrupted.
"It won't do much good if you just go up to them to straighten them out!" Linka added in concern.
"Linka, there must be action done about this whole thing. Those triplets have been causing mayhem in this place," Steven said as he started walking from the others. "If there is action to be made about this, it begins now!"
After their leader climbed out from the treehouse, the others looked at each other with concern.
"Convincing that kid didn't work. There must be something else we can do," Jennifer broke the silence.
"You think we should follow him, just in case?" Linka asked.
This was enough for the others to agree. Linka looked outside the treehouse with a telescope to check where Steven was. The boy was walking down the street to encounter the last place the triplets were at – the playground. Usually, the playground was open and colorful in the neighborhood, which shown that families were welcome. But ever since the three troublemakers caused havoc, it looked like it was in a war zone. The boy walked in the area, looking around. Winds blew, some rats squeaked, and stones stomped. Steven heard some whispers, but as he turned around, they suddenly faded.
This is getting creepy; Steven spoke silently to himself. He was unaware that some figures were watching his every move. Suddenly, a sandbox nearby was submerging. The boy looked back to face it. A figure covered in sand was rising from it. Shaking off the substance was the first thing it did. Steven got his first glance at the three small children, stacked like a totem pole. The leader of the Favorite Fives spoke after ten seconds of silence occurred. "Uh, hey?"
The three kids stared at the boy mysteriously. Unaware to them, four other children were watching their move.
"They better not harm him," Linka muttered.
"We should be behind Steven to make sure they don't pull out any stuff to hurt him," Crank replied.
Suddenly, the leader of the trio spoke. "I think I have seen you before. You were bullied by this guy named Cortex?"
"What's it to ya?" Steven crossed his arms.
"News carried around that you and your pals have been causing mayhem in these parts ever since," the second kid spoke. "Bad news for ya, kid."
Before Steven could ask, the third kid punched his stomach with a big boxing glove. Steven winced in pain as the child spoke. "We don't take kindly to those that intrude in our territory. You and your friends better get lost or else!"
This was enough to infuriate Linka Test and the others. The four marched to the kids in anger. However, Linka noticed that the triplets started to grab Steven and threw him at the ball pit. "Guys, they got Steven!"
One of the triplets noticed the remaining Favorite Fives members speeding up their movement. "Guys, they are almost here! Scram!" The three kids dove to the ball pit as quick as they can. The ball pit they went into can be described as a labyrinth since a lot of stuff usually gets lost there. But there are some unexpected effects from it, which this day became a primary example of its strange usage. Once the triplets went inside the ball pit, the four kids stopped in front of it.
"They won't get away from us!" Crank bellowed. "Dive in, guys!"
The four kids quickly dove into the ball pit. They tried to find their friend, but with the large number of balls inside, it was making this task quite difficult to achieve. After a few minutes, the group had to go out of the ball pit. Jennifer was coughing as Linka pulled her out of the ball pit.
"Did anyone see where those kids went?" Crank asked.
The other shook their heads in response. Linka noticed something clear in the ball pit. She kneeled to pick it up. It was revealed to be Steven's glasses. The pupils in her eyes shrank in fear when she seen the blood and cracks on the glasses. The others had their jaws dropped from the shock they have, seeing what was left from their friend. Luke decided to rush to a nearby police officer to tell them the news. Crank pounded the ground with his fists in anger. Jennifer comforted Linka by patting her back. All Linka did was stare in the ball pit, horrified.
A missing person report was filed. The police were informed about Steven's disappearance. Several kids in the neighborhood looked everywhere in the school for the boy, but he was nowhere to be seen. The adults tried to assist in to look in more of the neighborhood, but they didn't have much luck. Although Jennifer and her friends filled in what happened, there wasn't anything much done since no one really knew where the triplets were. Even when the four kids went back to their treehouse, they didn't feel happy to be back there without their leader. Luke is currently working on a machine to track Steven's whereabouts since his broken glasses had some of his DNA in it. Crank had to stop by some shops to collect the required materials for it. Linka and Jennifer went back to the park Steven was last seen, but no matter how many times they returned, they never found a clue of where the triplets took their friend.
Five weeks later, a little girl was going outside a house. She had black hair and eyebrows, tan skin, space buns for her hair, and she is 5 years old. She walked through a familiar neighborhood, walking down a hill. She encountered her destination: a treehouse. Before she started to climb up on it, Crank stood guard. "Who goes there?"
"Um, I'm Bianca. I'm h-here looking for someone named Linka Test," the girl stammered.
Crank squinted his eyes in suspicion. After analyzing the girl, he was planning on interrogating her of why she came to the area. However, Jennifer stepped in from behind the latter. "You can keep on lookout, Crank. I'll take it from here,"
The red-haired boy nodded before heading back to his post. Jennifer led Bianca inside the treehouse. It had some changes made due to the mystery it has now. The two girls reached a room where it was mysterious. It looked like a detective's office. Jennifer opened the door to access the room, but not before doing some DNA tests to get accepted. Upon entering, she and Bianca encountered a desk. The person sitting in front of the desk was none other than—
"Linka. We have someone that wants to talk to you," Jennifer stated her business.
The brown hair girl stood out of her chair and walked towards them. Linka was dressed as a detective, looking like an official one. She had become more serious ever since that fateful day, and there were frequent times when she became stern and tough. The girl decided to become a detective to solve this case thanks to the stories and movies she had seen involving mysteries and thrillers. "What brings you here, kid?"
Bianca nervously stepped forward. "I hea-ard y-you be-ecame the current leader of the Favorite Fives. I feel bad that you-ur friend disappeared that one day,"
Linka grimaced, remembering the day Steven got taken. "That's nothing new to me. What are you really doing here?"
All Bianca did was open her hands to show an item. Linka carefully grabbed it and investigated it with her magnifying glass. The girl was confused what it was until the 5-year-old girl said, "It's one of the things he was last using before he disappeared."
Linka stared at Bianca before heading to the center of the treehouse to confront Luke. After some progress, the item was a positive match on the machine. Linka smiled at Bianca, knowing they were able to continue their mission. However, as she left her office, she told Bianca to go back home so she can be safe. But Bianca wasn't agreeing to this decision. "No, I'm coming with you to find Steven,"
"Kid, this case might be someone your age can't handle. There could be some people that would want to harm you,"
Bianca refused to take the warning. She wanted to take the risk to help Linka. "Please let me go with you to find Steven. I know you guys miss him. If you really want him found, you're going to need all the help you can get. That includes me."
Linka stared at her sternly. Bianca stared back at the girl sadly with puppy dog eyes. Soon, Linka caved in. "Alright, alright, fine. You can help me out. You do know this is adding my responsibility, right? I'm trying to look for Steven, but now I have to look after you."
Bianca beamed a smile by leaping into Linka and giving her a hug. "Don't you worry about that, Linka. I'll give the best support I can!"
Once they exited the treehouse, the two girls walked to the town of Quiet Country, Ohio. The other members of the Favorite Fives stayed back at the treehouse to gain any more clues of Steven. What can be described about the major town is that it is a common location for citizens to travel around society. There is a café there when people want to wind down and chat while drinking beverages, a library when some want to take the time to read stories, a hospital for those that are heavily injured, and various other locations you would find in a town setting. Linka decided to stop by the tavern. Bianca was confused when she and Linka were about to enter the bar. "What are we doing here?"
Linka made no answer as she opened the door. Many adults are sitting on stools, drinking beverages and what not. Some were sitting in tables as others played pool. Linka approached the head bartender known as Gerald Nefario. "Hi, Mr. Nefario. How's business going?"
"Doing just fine, Linka. Several people shown up here frequently. I even got new drinks for the customers. I can't let you kids drink them since it might harm you. What brings you here to my bar?"
"Well, I'm looking for your kid. He might be able to help us with a problem," Linka smirked. "He could be a fan favorite."
Nefario smiles as he hands the girl a card. After thanking the bartender, the two girls walked to another door of the bar. Once the card was scanned, the entrance was enabled. Bianca was surprised to see what was inside. A place like this usually served acholic drinks for adults, but what makes this tavern unique is that it has an expansion. In other words, there is a kid version of the tavern. It is called "The Sweet Spot". It's like the adults' one, but it's majorly different since it is brighter and has more space in it. Aside from a jukebox, there are also arcade games like Chomp Guy, Bury Boy, Rodent Rebellion, Chimp Callout, Chased Gal, and Space Shooter. Several of the kids that are in this bar usually occupy those cabinets to game. Bianca was fascinated with awe with this structure before she approached the central area of The Sweet Spot with Linka. The two of them sat on some stools. The bartender approached them. His name is Henry Nefario. He is a common ally with the kids that visit him, including the Favorite Fives. "What will it be, girls?"
"A cup of milk for me and some apple juice for the little one here," Linka announced. The girls got to drink their beverages before their conversation began. "Henry, have you been receiving more people here? We are looking for anyone specific that can help us with our problem."
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Depends on who you mean. What kind of problem you are dealing with?"
Linka leaned closer to whisper the situation. All Henry did in response was signal the two girls to a door behind him. Henry, aside from being a junior bartender, was also a good classmate of the Favorite Fives. Sometimes after school, the five kids would wind down to socialize with people and game on arcades, which helped Henry's business improve thanks to the population growth. "So, you got any leads on how to track down this guy?"
"Somewhat. All we know is that there were triplets that took him," Linka adjusted her hat. "We never got the chance to find out their location. Not even the cops were able to find out where it is, and the proof we got to show them, there has been no findings."
Henry pulled out a sketchpad. "Maybe if you can describe me their qualities, it could give us an advantage on pulling a weakness care on them."
As Linka described the qualities of the trio, Bianca was thinking about the other members of the Favorite Fives and their adventures. What can be described for Bianca is that she is a common fan for the group. Thankfully, it's not to the point where she becomes a full-on stalker. Bianca sometimes makes fan art of the five kids. One habit of hers would be that she has a talent for making clay sculptures, specifically clay sculptures of people. As the girl was stepping back, she accidentally made a bucket fall on her head. Bianca chuckled nervously as Henry finished writing. "You sure these can help us defeat those three troublemakers, Linka?"
Linka only gave a nod in response. As she was about to walk outside the bar with Bianca, a small kid in a fedora approached them, staring menacingly at the detective girl. "Hey little lady, is this gal bugging you?"
Bianca defended Linka. "No, she isn't. She just trying to fix a problem she has,"
A big kid appeared behind the small fedora kid. "Well, she's bugging me!"
Linka was kicked outside of the bar through the back door. The big kid grabbed her arms to ensure she doesn't escape his grasp. The small fedora kid straightened his coat while getting in front of Linka. The girl was unamused by these actions. She also was a little confused since the small boy looked familiar, but she was too annoyed to give it a second thought. "Kid, you don't want to get on my nerves. You're going to regret this," she grunted.
The kid pulled out a switchblade. "You are a very nosy peeping tom, you know that? Wanna know what happens pests like you sneak around the wrong place? Huh? Wanna guess?"
"I don't know, a noogie?" Linka sarcastically replied.
"No, they get sliced!" the fedora kid replied as he used his weapon on Linka. The detective girl shouted in pain during this process. She received many cuts from the kid's weapon. Once complete, the kid put away his switchblade. "Next time, it's the seekers. Got it, punk?!"
The fedora kid walked back inside the bar. The big kid followed, but not before punching Linka in the chest and stuffing her in the dumpster. Bianca reached Linka after the thugs left and pulled her out of the dumpster. "Linka! Are you ok? Those guys did a number on you!"
Linka sighed in response as she covered her injuries while Bianca cleaned her up. "It's fine, Bianca. They are real jerks."
"You don't think those guys have anything to do with your friend's disappearance, do they?"
"Could be possible. Come on, let's go see the other members of the Favorite Fives to see what new clues they found," Linka grunted while walking. Bianca had to help her get to her destination since she got injured by the two kids. It took them fifteen minutes to get back to the treehouse. Luke, Jennifer, and Crank were still trying to keep a lookout until one of them spotted Linka and Bianca. The three members approached them, brining them back to the treehouse. Jennifer applied some bandages to Linka's injuries as Bianca told the boys what happened.
"Wait till I get my hands on those thugs!" Crank cracked his knuckles.
"Do you happen to know where they went?" Jennifer asked her friend.
"Not really. One of them stuffed me in the dumpster before taking off," Linka grumbled. She noticed something strange about Luke. The boy had some vines on his shoulder. "Luke, what's with the vines?"
"I had noticed my suspicions rising when I entered the forest,"
"How come you were there on the first place?" Bianca was curious.
"Ever since that one time my family had a tussle with a rabbit, I figured I would head there for clues," Luke grabbed the vines.
"Did you find anything that can give us a lead?" Jennifer wondered.
"Well, I did hear some whispers in there. It's like there could be a group of children that resides in there."
Linka's eyebrows raised in curiosity. "Luke, I need you and the others with me to head to the forest. We might have this case settled once and for all." After Bianca helped Linka put on her coat, the children went straight to the forest. Last time Luke went there, it was occupied by several animals there. It remained the same now, but with one polarizing difference: there is a cabin there.
"That wasn't there before," Luke muttered as the group quietly walked towards it. Upon further inspection via windows, they were able to see that the interior of the cabin via the windows. They see the three kids hanging around, drinking sodas from the cans.
"Where is Steven? They might be hiding him here," Linka whispered.
"Based on the number of thugs that I have seen, they would usually use victims either as holding them hostage or bait." Crank stated.
"We should get a closer look," Bianca mentioned.
Inside the cabin, the triplets were relaxing in a chair. The lead kid finished his drink. "This was a great haul, eh guys?"
"You got that right, Dave. All those items we stole were a jackpot!" the girl replied.
"Yeah. With this number of items we got, we can make a killing selling these. So, Lucy. How is you-know-what holding up?"
"Almost got away few times, but we managed to teach a lesson to him." Lucy cracked her knuckles.
Dave asked the third kid eating a turkey drumstick with a switchblade. "You sure no one followed you here, Danny?"
"Frankly, that ain't a problem. With the amount of cautions I took, no one would dare meddle in our matters. One of these switchblades were a bent dented when I encountered an intruder."
Linka and Bianca's eyes widened when they heard that. They realized that the fedora kid that harmed the detective gal before was Danny. Linka furrowed her eyebrows when they noticed Dave holding a picture of Steven. Linka decided to sneak inside by using a box through the back door, but as she did so, she accidentally tripped, causing her to be spotted by the trio. "Uh-oh."
Dave smiled mischievously. "Well, well, well. Looks like we got one of those Freakshow Five fools here, fellas,"
Linka stepped forward with anger. "What have you done with Steven?"
All Dave did was snap his fingers. Lucy came out with a wheelbarrow carrying something. Linka couldn't believe what it was.
"Shocking, isn't it? It wasn't easy to trap him to turn him into a wax statue, but I will say it's worth it to keep the money. We scam certain people we see in secret to admire our 'craftmanship' and take their cash." Danny chuckled. "We're making a killing by selling these things to those gullible enough to put them in museums. Museum curators will do anything to get attention and the big bucks they get when people observe the stuff they got. Best part is that these wax sculptures we trap kids into are permanent!"
The detective girl had enough of this scam. It was time she got her friend back. "This all ends here!" Linka tried to grab Dave, but the big thug from earlier managed to get ahold of her. Linka was unable to escape his grasp as the huge boy held the girl in the air.
"No. THIS all ends here." Dave retaliated. "Tony, take that gal to the wax machine! We will get double the rate of cash we receive! Crush her limbs if you have to!"
Jennifer and the others decided to barge right in, but not before getting prepared. They noticed some weapons and grabbed them. Bianca grabbed a frying pan, Crank got a bat, Luke carried a bow and arrow, and Jennifer handled a sword. Jennifer kicked down the door with her might, breaking it. "Looks like we managed to catch up to your shenanigans, Dave."
Dave was angered at her sight. "Damn, they got us!" The boy threw a rock to cause an avalanche of the stacked rocks they have. Jennifer and the others struggled to move the rocks blocking the path. Bianca was small enough to squeeze through an opening. She saw Linka being shoved in the wax machine. Luckily, Bianca managed to knock out Tony at the last second, causing him to let go of Linka.
Linka dusted herself when she landed on the floor. "Thanks, kid. Appreciate the save. Let's go get Steven back."
"You got a lot of nerve for stealing one of our pals!" Jennifer battled Lucy, who had a blade of her own. The two of them kept nearing each other onto spikes.
"Give it up!" You got no chance!" Luke stated while shooting arrows at Danny. Danny had to use a shield to avoid being impaled.
"You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!" Crank bellowed while hitting Dave with his bat. Bruises were on both boys, and this brawl was becoming brutal.
It wasn't before long Linka and Bianca encountered Steven, who is currently a wax statue. While figuring out what to do next, they find a wheelbarrow. After lifting the petrified boy, they tried to move the wheelbarrow. Luckily, it wasn't too heavy. The trio and Tony were busy fighting the others that they didn't notice Linka and Bianca trying to escape the cabin. Unfortunately, a creaky noise was made. The four villains, tired from fighting the others, noticed the two girls trying to sneak off with their bounty. They rushed to catch them, but a broken piece of the floor made them trip, turn into a ball, making them roll outside the cabin. They continue rolling down the hill, bewildering the Favorite Fives and Bianca.
"That was very anti-climactic," Crank commented.
"At least we got Steven back," Jennifer said, before the others looked at Steven. The gang decided to carry him back at the treehouse with the wheelbarrow. It took a while, but they managed to roll their petrified friend to the treehouse. All that's left to do is to find a way to restore him. Linka analyzed Steven to see how they could revive him. Crank tried ruffling his hair, Jennifer tried to move his arms, and Luke struggled to move his leg. None were successful. The others saw Bianca carrying a torch that was lit with fire. Bianca lifted it near Steven, which caused some of the wax to melt. The others are surprised at this occurring. Steven's hair was no longer stiff as stone like a wax statue. Crank was able to ruffle it.
"It's working! Keep it up, Bianca!" Linka said with glee. Bianca nodded in agreement to let more of the wax melt. The others decided to help by carrying some lit torches as well to speed up the process. can't wait to reunite with their friend.
After a few minutes, Steven was able to come out of the wax. He gasped for air and was finally able to move. "Ugh. That was very painful." The boy noticed his friends and Bianca. "Guys, what's going on here?"
He was interrupted when Linka and Bianca hugged him immediately. Crank, Luke, and Jennifer celebrated the return of their friend. Linka was eager about this as well. "Don't worry about it, Steven. The important thing is that you are back."
Steven was still confused about what happened while he was a wax statue. But he was happy that he is back with his allies. His eyes got bigger when he found Bianca. The girl rubbed her head against his head while sitting on his lap. "Steven! I missed you so much!"
Steven grabbed Bianca, hugging her back. "I missed you too, sis. You had no idea how much I tried to head back to you guys. I hope your mouth is feeling better when you lost your baby tooth,"
Crank was surprised. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're telling us that little tyke is your sister?"
Steven responded while carrying his sister. "Yeah. I told you before that I have a sister. Well, little and big one anyway. She's the one that lost her tooth in that chaos that one day. I think you guys don't know Bianca that much since she is a shy little one," He proceeded to notice Linka with a detective outfit. "Linka, is that a detective outfit?"
Linka nodded and smiled as she approached the boy. Since Steven didn't walk for a while, she had to help him by carrying him on the arms and shoulders. Due to him not being strong enough to climb on the ladder, Steven had to be carried by a hand Luke made. Steven was brought to the couch to relax. Jennifer gave him some food and water so he can get his strength and energy back.
"Did those three kids do anything horrible to you when you got held captive by them?" Luke asked his friend. However, Steven was a bit static when he recalled those memories those weeks.
Steven shuddered at the thought. "It's best if I don't talk about it,"
Linka and Bianca sat between the kid. "It's alright, Steven. We can understand that."
"Later, I should head back home with Bianca. Mom and Dad are worried sick. Come on, Bianca," Steven tried to move but he fell on the floor since his legs were tired. Bianca and Linka had to carry him to his home so he can sleep to get his energy back. "Thanks for coming to look for me, guys. I appreciate it."
Linka and Bianca smiled as they continued carrying Steven. The other kids were talking for a bit. Crank was confused about something. "Hey, do you guys know what happened to those triplets that took Steven? It's a shame we didn't rough them up to the fullest."
Luke agreed. "Although it is nice that we gave the cabin to a family that want to live in the forest and returned some items back to their owners, I feel a bit unsatisfied that they didn't receive their comeuppance."
Jennifer dusted her elbow. "Don't worry, guys. They ain't worth it."
Back at the forest, the triplets and Tony were still rolling down the hill. They finally stopped rolling when they ended up in a cave. Dave was still dizzy, but relieved. "Good thing that's over."
Danny shook his head. "Those Favorite Fives really get on my nerves! Worst part is, we lost our riches thanks to them,"
Lucy was busy waking Tony up, unaware of some eyes behind her. "I will say this. That plan would have worked better if we went after all five of them to turn into wax statues. Confused why we never did that, considering Tony can easily beat them by size and strength. He's a tank!"
The kids hear some growling. Dave was annoyed. "Danny, if you are hungry, we can't go to the hot dog store. We stole it's supply of food back in the cabin!"
"That wasn't me, boss,"
"Let me light up the way," Lucy lit a match. Her stomach dropped when she has seen angry bears in front of her. She stammered as she tried to get Dave's attention.
The boy was curious. "What is it, Lucy?" Dave's pupils shrunk in fear when Lucy pointed at the bears nervously. One bear managed to grab Tony. Even Danny feared the bears. The three hooligans began running out of the cave, but the bears simply grabbed ahold of them with their paws and pulled them back inside. The camera zoomed out of the cave and into the sky as the kids were screaming while bears growled with the only sounds being heard are bones being crunched and claw swiping. Blood spilled out of the cave. The last sound heard was a yawn.
Soon, back at Steven's house, the boy was put in bed. He was still tired from being gone so long, so he might have to be in the hospital soon in case he felt worse. Bianca opened the door to his room and entered. Steven noticed her approaching. "Oh, hey sis. Isn't it late out to be up?"
Bianca kept walking to his bed. "Yeah, but here's the thing. I want to sleep with you. I can't bear to see you get taken from dangerous people. I don't want it to happen again. It's like an extended nightmare that can't end,"
Steven knew she was right. Bianca is a sweet little girl to Steven, and she cared a lot for her big brother. She wouldn't be able to live without him. Steven decided to move a bit to let her climb on his bed to sleep with him. "Go for it,"
Bianca was cheerful. "Yay!" She climbed to the bed, laying down on it next to the mattress. She grabbed the blanket and closed her eyes before yawning. "Good night, Steven."
Steven yawned as well. "Good night, Bianca." Steven shivered for a bit due to the room being cold, but Bianca grabbed onto him to ensure nothing else happens to him. She also moved part of the blanket to protect him from the cold. The two kids smiled as they slept. Thanks to Steven's friends, he was found and brought home. Steven knew one thing: no matter the problem, you can't always face it alone. Friends are there for you.