Hiya, everyone! Long time no see! Anyway, this is the sequel to the black comedy, "The Skylers," in which Brad's childhood stalker and family came to visit...er...sort of. It's kind of a bit more complicated than that and I suggest reading the first story before this one because you might be slightly confused about what's going on and the first one, imho, is really funny (in a sick, sort of twisted way)! But, hey, to each their own; if you want to skip the first one and start reading this...well, I warned you. Anyways, this is the second installment of the Skylers...I'm planning the third one, but that's a surprise (I'll probably give some info on it later on or if someone is REALLY desperate to know)! It was kind of hard to try and make a story that would tops the first one in all it's insane glory, but I think I will be able to...the first chapter and prologue is, I will admit, more set up than anything else, but it's important to read otherwise the rest of the story won't tie in together as nicely. But, I will warn you, in order to...er...top the insanity and evilness of the first one, people will die in this...not in a serious way, of course! It's all supposed to just be funny! And it's not anyone all that important... And if you thought the Skylers were insane in the first one, you'll be VERY surprised to discover that they are actually WORSE than the Blitz team realized (just trust me; especially in the case of Kylie and Dawn-they're a LOT more psychotic/evil). What else? Hmm...I guess I'll list the titles for you, just to leave you in suspense! Chapter 1 is "A Prelude to Freedom"; Chapter 2 is "The Return of Ray Skyler"; Chapter 3 is "Reunions"; Chapter 4 is "The Not so Innocent Kylie Atwater"; Chapter 5 is "Naomi Fluegel versus Ray Skyler Revisited"; Chapter 6 is "The Three that Had to Die"; and, Chapter 7 is "The Sad, Sad Life of Brad Hunter." That's it! LOL! Also, you may notice that some of the chapters later on are parallel to the first story (for example, Chapter 4 of the first story was "Kylie Snaps" while the fourth chapter of the sequel is "The Not so Innocent Kylie Atwater"); this was PURPOSELY done, just so you all know. Note the same seven chapter structure and all! LOL! Anyways, um...one more thing! The poem in the beginning (also known as an epigraph) was written by my sister (so if you have any questions about it, ask her not me!) just for me and the Skylers! LOL! She is kind of obsessed with the Skylers...like, she wants to marry Ray...don't ask me why...lol! Anyway, and now I present to you the sequel to "The Skylers": "The Skylers II: And the Insane Walk On..."! Hope you enjoy! And remember, don't take any of this too seriously! It's supposed to be funny!
EPIGRAPH:
What, what is this thing?
That plants its seeds among the - indifferent.
The cancer that spreads to the - apathetic.
There are three, were three, are three,
Three that make this thing.
Oh, plus the fourth.
The first and third a picture of insanity,
The second one strange cruelty,
And the fourth…nothing.
It is, it is this thing.
The hands which strangle the - selfish,
The poison that snuffs out the - ignorant.
All three work their malicious ways,
And the fourth plots her own ways,
And she eats they eats them.
Beast are they that growl,
That take their claws and pin them down,
And watch…and wait…to pounce.
I know, I know this thing,
That causes all to slowly - wither.
The three and the one are - evil.
Purely Skyler
PROLOGUE…
Negotiations were tough, but Dawn Skyler somehow managed to make a deal. Having to go to the most prestigious and most expensive mental hospital on the planet Zi, Dawn still had to pay triple in order to have the three committed for life, but she continuously told herself it would be well worth it. She would be rid of them for eternity, and she was willing to make any sacrifice necessary, even if it did include financial loss, to ensure this. And now she swiftly marched down the corridor with Dr. Grey, head doctor at the mental hospital, to see the three for what she hoped would be the final time.
Each had their own room with white padded walls; a thick, locked iron door that had one small barred window; bright lights; and a white straitjacket. The first room she approached was that of Kylie Atwater. Dawn stared in through the glass windows with an aloof look in her eyes. Kylie Atwater didn't seemed to notice her as she sat in the corner, head between her knees, trembling in her straitjacket and murmuring inaudible nonsense to herself. Dawn rolled her eyes.
"Would you like to see her, Miss Skyler?" Dr. Grey asked. "She had been sedated and shouldn't be a threat to your safety. I can let you in, if you like."
Dawn scoffed. "That won't be necessary," she answered flatly and moved on to the next window. She could see her brother, Michael Skyler, growling ferociously as he wrestled with his straitjacket. Slowly, but surely, he was winning, the jacket gradually beginning to tear.
Dr. Grey sighed. "No matter what sedatives we give him, he won't calm down. It's as if he's immune to them. Moreover, he's already ripped apart three straitjackets, and I'm afraid that'll be the fourth. I've never seen anything like it before. It's as if he isn't even human." Dawn just snorted as a response. "Still, I'm sure he'll tire himself out eventually."
"Eventually," Dawn muttered bitterly in reply and then went to the final window.
And there say on the white sheets of his new bed, the infamous Ray Skyler. Yet, unlike the others, he was grinning from ear to ear and was without a straitjacket. He sat writing something and Dawn looked to Dr. Grey for an explanation.
"We had him in a straitjacket originally," he began, "but it didn't seem to be necessary. As soon as he got here, he was rather content with his new accommodations, as if he were in some blissful denial. All he has been doing is writing letters. He's written a dozen so far. And all to the same person, at that."
"Let me guess; Brad Hunter," Dawn said wryly.
"I'm afraid so," Dr. Grey replied solemnly. "He seems to have a strange obsession with this Brad Hunter, though the reasons behind this infatuation are still unclear."
"Whatever," Dawn stated coldly. "It really doesn't concern me." She then turned her back to the barred glass window, face severe and eyes sharp. "I'll be leaving now. I don't plan on returning, so their lives are in your hands, Dr. Grey. Do what you like with them; I don't care. As I said, it really doesn't concern me any longer. I'll send you the payments weekly, so there's no reason you'll need to contact me any further."
"But, Miss Skyler, what should I say to them if they ask of you?" Dr. Grey questioned as Dawn began walking away.
"You're a doctor," she snapped. "You ought to be clever enough to make SOMETHING up. You CAN do that, can't you?"
"Yes, but-"
"Good," Dawn flatly interrupted. "That'll be all then, Dr. Grey." She ten started down the hall again, leaving a stunned Dr. Grey speechless in the corridor. However, when she reached the end of the hall, she halted. "Oh, and Dr. Grey," she began and she turned her head to Dr. Grey with a sly smirk and wicked eyes. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you."
END PROLOGUE
Chapter 1: "A Prelude to Freedom"
6 MONTHS LATER…
Mary Champ awoke in bed with a terrified scream. She panted harshly, desperate for air. Placing a hand over her heart, she looked toward the window to see that although it was early morning, the sun hadn't risen yet and the night sky still hung over the earth. Realizing she was in her own bed, she sighed in relief and brushed her bangs off her forehead with her hand.
"It was only a dream," she said breathlessly. "Only a horrible, awful, terrible dream." She then fell back onto her pillow. However, she bit her lip nervously. But say if it WASN'T a dream? Say if it was more than that? Say if it was some frightful premonition of some forlorn disastrous fate that she would soon have to suffer? Say if-
"NO!" Mary cried, shooting up in bed, cutting off her worries. It had been six months since her last visit to her brother Harry and that horrible incident had occurred, and now she started to feel doubt. "Maybe I shouldn't have come back," she whispered, lowering her head.
Mary then laughed, finding herself acting absolutely ridiculous at the moment. "Now, don't be silly, Mary," she told herself. "It wasn't a bad omen! It was just a bad dream-a bad nightmare caused by bad memories.
"But that's all in the past now," she said with a happy grin, and fell back into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin and closing her eyes.
However, a moment after, the sound of Harry's terrified screams caused a shiver to run down Mary's back and she immediately opened her eyes.
She gasped. "Harry!" Throwing her covers off of her, she hastily ran to her brother's room to see what was the matter.
When she arrived, she saw Harry sitting up in bed and panting, a look of horror on his face, just as she had looked only moments before. "Harry…?"
Harry turned and as soon as he saw her, he leaped out of bed and rushed to her, falling into her arms. "Mary! Mary! It was simply awful, Mary!" he cried, shaking his head in a panic as Mary looked at him in disbelief.
"Harry, what's wrong?" she asked with deep concern. "What happened?"
"A dream! A terrible dream!" he exclaimed fearfully. "No! It was more like a nightmare!"
"A dream…?" Mary's face turned deathly white in horror and she clasped her brothers shoulder frantically. "What did you dream, Harry?" she demanded anxiously, the two falling to their nears. "You must tell me what you dreamt!"
"I dreamt," he began, trying to catch his breath. "I dreamt that…" He seemed to be having difficulties with the words.
"Harry!" Mary cried impatiently.
"I can't, Mary!" Harry protested, looking shamefully away. "It's just too horrible to even say!" And he almost began to weep.
"Harry, this is very important!" Mary insisted. "You must be brave and tell me!"
\ "But…all right," Harry gave in reluctantly and he gazed up at her with wide eyes. "I dreamt…that the Skylers…they…they returned."
Mary pushed away from her brother and stood up, staggering backwards and shaking her head. Her face was one of the utmost terror. "No, no, no," she repeated over and over again in a trembling voice.
Harry, still on his knees, stared up at his sister in bewilderment. "Mary, what's wrong? Mary?"
"No, no, no," she continued, her quivering voice growing louder and louder. She stumbled back until her back hit into the wall. Her face was as white as the moon and her eyes were wide and unblinking. And she shook her head more and more, and her voice grew louder and louder until Mary suddenly burst, letting out a shrill shriek of fright that could have shattered the sky.
Mary Champ had had the same dream.
Dawn Skyler stood behind the podium on the steps of Skyler Enterprises as photographers snapped pictures of her and reporters anxiously asked questions of her.
"Miss Skyler, how does it feel to be the youngest billionaire on the planet Zi?" one asked. Dawn shrugged and held off the urge to roll her eyes, having been asked the question so many times before.
"In my case, I don't think age is an issue and therefore I don't find the shallow title, 'youngest billionaire' anything to be proud of. Wealthiest might suffice, but not youngest," she answered flatly.
"In recent years, the Skyler Corporation has plateaued. However, over the last six months, it has been booming; it's the highest grossing company presently. How do you account for this sudden boom? What do you think you may have done that might differ from what your brothers or parents have done in the past?" another reporter asked then.
Not being a brain dead idiot, she thought coldly, but simply smirked and replied, "A lot of hard work, intelligence, and focus. I think my brothers were too concerned with…personal interests…instead of the company."
"For a fourteen year old girl, you have dealt with a lot of strife already," one reporter began, "First your parents' gruesome murder four years back and now to discover your brothers' mental instability and having no choice but to have them committed. How do you cope?"
How did I cope with them? Dawn thought bitterly, but tried her best to feign some sort of remorse. "My mother and father had always had an…abusive…sort of relationship, even after the divorce. It almost seemed inevitable that they would shoot each other to death in a fit of passionate rage. As for my brothers, they are getting the best help available and I am proud to say they are doing better. I make an effort to visit them weekly at the asylum and most of their…violent…behavior is depleting." Of course, this wall all lies, Dawn not having visited them in the last six months, but she realized that the press was too stupid to figure it out. "I simply try to keep forging ahead, focusing my attention on the business. Next question?"
"Miss Skyler, is it true that you also paid for the institutionalization of Kylie Atwater, your younger brother's girlfriend?"
Dawn tried her best not to roll her eyes in spite of the idiocy of the reporters. "Yes, it is true. I felt it was my obligation, my brother Michael caring so much about her, and did what any generous person would do," she lied with little enthusiasm and thought, besides, I didn't want to deal with the insane moron.
At that moment, one of Dawn's employees came up to her and whispered in her ear, "Miss Skyler, Dr Cyrus Grey is on the phone; he says it's urgent."
Grey? Dawn thought and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Trying her best to smile as she turned back to the press, she said, "I'm sorry, but that will be all for today. I have some important business to attend to. Good day." There were loud protests from the reporters as she turned from them, her platinum blond hair shining white in the sunlight. The guards held the press back while others escorted her into Skyler Enterprises. "I'll take it from her," she told them.
As soon as she stepped into the elevator, she muttered to herself in disgust, "Idiots. The world is full of a bunch of idiots."
"What do you mean you're releasing them?!" Dawn questioned fiercely as she slammed her hand on her desk, standing in her office at Skyler Enterprises. She was on the phone with Dr. Grey. "You know as well as I do that none of them are fit to be let out!"
"I know, Miss Skyler," Dr. Grey desperately tried to explain, "but to put it frankly, the entire hospital staff is scared. Just last week Michael bit off one of the nurse's fingers!"
"So?" Dawn questioned. "That's what they're PAID to do, isn't it? Deal with the insane; they knew the risks!"
"Miss Skyler, I tried to have them transferred, but no one would take them. Please, try to understand-"
"What about all the innocent civilians you're putting in danger, hmm?" Dawn interrogated, voice raising with anger. "You can't just-"
"Don't give me that bullshit, Skyler!" Dr. Grey snapped. "You know perfectly well that all you care about is your precious enterprise!" A low growl of frustration escaped Dawn's lips then, knowing Dr. Grey was right, her face fierce in rage.
"Listen to me. There is no way that you can have them released," Dawn began in a low, trembling voice. "It would be simply impossible for you to get clearance to release those psychopaths."
"Is that so?" Dr. Grey began sneeringly. "You seem to forget that I'm the one with the main authority here. I've already signed their release papers."
"You WHAT?!" Dawn shouted.
"They'll be released this evening."
Dawn had now reached her breaking point. "If you think that I'm just going to sit by and let everything I worked for get torn apart because of YOUR incompetence, you're dead wrong." Her eyes narrowed then and she said with a murderous ring in her voice, "Believe me, you'll live to regret this, Dr. Grey." She then slammed the phone onto the receiver, breathing harshly. Her fingers tightly dug into her desk as if ready to break the wood and yet she knew she could do nothing. All her life, Dawn Skyler had suffered, trying desperately to reach one goal, and had taken all her strife in stride. However, this was the first time in her life where she had something worth keeping, and, at the same time, something worth keeping that she could very well lose because of her idiotic older brothers and the equally stupid Kylie Atwater.
And Dawn Skyler decided right then and there she could not go back after she finally left those fourteen painful years behind her. She would not suffer at the hands of her older brothers again. And, above all things, she would not hand over Skyler Enterprises, and all the hard earned millions she gained over the last six months, to Ray Skyler.
At least, not without a fight.
Brad Hunter yawned as he sifted through the mail that morning. After picking up the six letters that belonged to him, leaving the rest on the kitchen counter, he immediately made his way to the trash can as he usually did every morning.
"Junk, junk, junk, junk, junk and…junk," he said, noting each was sent by Ray Skyler before throwing them into the trash.
"Hey, Brad," Brad looked up to see Leena standing at the doorway. "Happy Birthday."
"My birthday isn't for another three days," Brad informed her
"Yeah, I know. But I figure I'll forget by then so I might as well tell you now," Leena reasoned. "So, how does it feel to be eighteen?"
Brad shrugged. "Not much different from seventeen, I'm guessing."
"Yeah, well, there's some Dr. Grey here to see you."
Brad looked to her in surprise. "Dr. Grey? Who's that?"
"Don't ask me," Leena replied. "He's sitting in the living room right now and he's waiting to see you. And he's with these two really stupid looking guys…"
"Okay…"
"Well, are you going or what?"
"I guess so," Brad reluctantly answered and then went to the living room, Leena following behind.
When he arrived, he found, just as Leena had said, Dr. Grey sitting on the couch with two stupid looking guys standing over to the right. One looked like a nurse and the other looked like a security guard of some sort.
"See? I told you, Brad." Brad just nodded and walked over to Dr. Grey.
"You're Dr. Grey, right?" Dr. Grey rose and extended his hand.
"Yes, and you must be the famous Brad Hunter I've been hearing so much about."
"Famous?" Brad questioned, warily shaking the doctor's hand. The doctor smiled nervously.
"Sit down, Mr. Hunter, and I will explain everything to you." Brad complied and Leena took a seat as well, curious to find out what this was all about. "Now then, you must be rather curious to who I am or why I've come here to see you, Brad Hunter, considering you don't know me and I don't TECHNICALLY know you."
"Yes…" Brad started, still suspicious. "Go on…"
"As you know, my name is Dr. Grey. I am the head psychiatrist at Zi Planetary Mental Hospital."
"Mental Hospital?" Brad questioned. "But why would you-"
"Hey, Brad," Leena cut in with a smirk and a snicker, "Maybe you're going crazy and Dr. Grey's come here to commit you." Brad gave her a sneer, but said nothing.
"I wish that were the case, but I'm afraid the situation is far worse," Dr. Grey said gravely. Both Leena and Brad looked to him with worried puzzlement. Noticing their worry, Dr. Grey chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, and exclaimed, "Oh, no! It's not THAT bad…" He trailed off, however, not sounding very convincing, and Leena and Brad exchanged glances of doubt. Dr. Grey coughed and cleared his throat. "Anyway…Brad-I mean, Mr. Hunter-have you received…any…letters…from a certain…Mr. Ray Skyler?" Brad gasped, his eyes widening, a fearful revelation slowly beginning to piece together in his mind. Leena, however, was quite calm, oblivious to the revelation that Brad was in the process of realizing.
"Oh, yeah, sure!" Leena answered for Brad, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Brad gets dozens of them all the time!" She then frowned. "He never actually reads them, though…
"How do you know Ray Skyler?" Brad questioned, leaning forward in his seat with narrowed eyes.
Dr. Grey grew nervous, but ignored Brad's question. "So you are then aware of the fact that Mr. Skyler has what some people would call an…infatuation…with you."
"More like an obsession," Brad muttered bitterly and Leena nodded in agreement.
"Yes, well," Dr. Grey continued on, "however, although he may have this INFATUATION with you, Mr. Hunter, we at Zi Planetary Mental Hospital feel that, for the most part, this infatuation has…basically subsided and that…Mr. Ray Skyler is…for the most part, that is…BASICALLY…mentally…er…stable." He seemed to have trouble getting out all the words. Brad blinked in surprised.
"For the…most part?"
Dr. Grey winced, but replied, "Yes." Brad then glared at him in annoyance.
"BASICALLY mentally stable?" he questioned.
"Er…yes."
"Um…you DO realize that I just got six letters from him today."
Dr. Grey frowned. "Yes…"
"And what about the other two-Mikey and Kylie? Has your little institution found them magically sane, too?" Brad interrogated in aggravation.
"Yes, it has actually."
"Now hold on a second!" Leena exclaimed, suddenly realizing what was going on. "Are you trying to tell us that YOU'RE the one who runs the asylum those nutso Skylers are in?!"
"Yes," Dr. Grey answered in some shame.
"And you're going to RELEASE them?!"
"Yes, tonight; we feel-"
"Are you crazy?!" Leena exclaimed, rising to her feet. "Ray nearly tried to kill Brad last time because he has this ridiculously insane notion that he needed to 'purify' him!"
"Please don't remind me…" Brad muttered.
"I promise you, Ray Skyler is far past that," Dr. Grey insisted. "He has grown a lot over the last few months and he realizes now that-Naomi Fluegel, is it?-is not the epitome of evil nor is there any need for him to…'purify'…you, Brad."
"And the others?" Leena questioned as Brad began shaking his head, slowly accepting his miserable fate.
"They're fine…really," Dr. Grey answered, obviously stretching the truth a lot. "Both of them are not nearly as…er…violent as they were before." He then added, "After all, I'm a doctor; I should know these things."
"You're an idiot!" Leena exclaimed. Dr. Grey narrowed his eyes, growing cross, but kept his temper as best as he could.
"I assure you we're taking the proper precautions just in case something goes wrong…" He then looked behind him to where the officer and the nurse stood, the officer scratching his chin with his gun, and the nurse staring off into space.
"THEM?!" Leena questioned in complete outrage.
"Well…I assure you, they're the best we have to offer…"
"Yeah, right!" Leena shouted. She then looked to Brad. "Brad! Do something!" Brad let out a sigh and stood up.
"You couldn't get anyone else to take the job, could you?" Brad asked Dr. Grey. Dr. Grey frowned.
"No…we couldn't," he reluctantly admitted.
"I figured as much," Brad muttered. "So, what are they supposed to do anyway?"
"Um, this is John Parker, a nurse at Zi Planetary Mental Hospital. He will be making sure that the Skylers' sanity stays…RELATIVELY stable…"
"Huh?" the male nurse asked, snapping out of his daze.
"Never mind, John…" Dr. Grey said unenthusiastically as Leena scowled in frustration and Brad put a hand to his head as if in a migraine.
"And the OTHER one?" Brad questioned.
"That's Roger Glass, an officer. He will make sure that none of the Skylers physically harm you…not that they WILL or anything…"
"Right…" Brad trailed off as he looked at the stupid looking officer who still scratched his chin with the barrel of his gun and was looking off into space, not even bothering to acknowledge that he was being introduced.
"Brad!" Leena cried, frustrated at Brad's apathy. "How can you be so calm about this?!"
"I already told you, Leena; I knew that they would be back…EVENTUALLY." Brad let out another sigh. "It was inevitable really…"
Leena frowned and reluctantly admitted, "Yeah, I guess you are right…"
"So, is that it?" Brad asked Dr. Grey. Dr Grey frowned and rose to his feet.
"Yes, but…" Dr. Grey said. "I just hope you understand-I am sorry for your misfortune, but we all must fend for ourselves in this cruel world. I held out for this long, but there's only so much a mortal man can take of…THEM…"
Brad gave Dr. Grey a nod. "I understand. I would have done the same thing if I were in your position."
Dr. Grey placed a hand on Brad's shoulder. "You're a strong man, Brad Hunter." He then turned to the two stupid men behind him. "Let's get going."
And as they left, Brad knew then that if Ray Skyler was going to be released that night, then he would be to see Brad by dawn.
Someone was following Bit Cloud-but who? Brad hurried along, glancing back over his shoulder every once in awhile to see a man in a black hooded and tattered cape. And as soon as he did, the man would let out an "eep" and duck into some alleyway. Bit frowned in dismay, but continued walking anyway.
"What's up with this guy…?" Bit wondered aloud, shaking his head. He looked back again and the man did the same thing once more. Bit stopped then with a sigh and turned around. "Um, excuse me, sir?" he called out warily. The man cautiously peered out from behind the "Is there some…uh…reason to why you're following me…?"
The man suddenly jumped out from behind the alley, spastically waving his arms around in the air and shouting, "BEWARE! BEWARE! BEWARE THE EVIL ONES!" He then started wailing and running around in circles and Bit raised an eyebrow in annoyed confusion.
"Excuse me?"
"BEWARE, BIT CLOUD, BEWARE!" he called one more time before running away, hands still waving stupidly in the air. He tripped as he was running and fell to the sidewalk, but was quick to get up and scurry off again, still wailing and waving his arms about.
Bit scratched the back of his head in confusion, scrunching his eyebrows in perplexity. "I wonder what the heck THAT was all about…" Bit then shrugged, casting the crazy raving man aside and began walking again.
"Doc, you went over the budget; AGAIN." Jamie scolded and Dr. Toros frowned.
"Not by that much…"
"You spent double the amount we had for this month's budget," Jamie pointed out.
"Well…"
"And you didn't even get anything worthwhile!" Jamie continued. "You spent it on ridiculous Zoids models and Zoids parts that we can NEVER use."
"But they're so nice to look at!" Dr. Toros defended himself.
"DOC!"
Fortunately, the phone rung then. "I'll get it!" Dr. Toros exclaimed and darted to the phone before Jamie had a chance to protest. "Hello?"
"Doc really has to learn to have some responsibility when it comes to money…" Jamie muttered to himself as he sighed and shook his head. "I mean, we still haven't even upgraded out security yet…"
"You?!" Dr. Toros cried in horror as he stood up. Jamie turned his eyes to Dr. Toros in concern. "It can't be! But-" He stopped and listened. "You want to talk to…Jamie…?" Dr. Toros lowered the receiver from his ear and looked to Jamie with a fearful expression across his face. He whispered in a panic, "Jamie…it's HER! And she wants to talk to you!"
"Her?" Jamie asked in confusion. "Who's her?"
"You know!" Dr. Toros's hands were trembling. He swallowed hard, and in a shaky voice, he said again, "HER."
"Doc, I have no idea who or what you're talking about," Jamie answered honestly. Dr. Toros then handed the phone over to Jamie.
"Just take the phone, Jamie."
"Okay…" Hesitantly, Jamie took the phone from Dr. Toros. Warily, he asked into it, "Hello…?"
"I've decided to take a risk and invest again." Jamie's eyes widened at the sound of the familiar voice and the familiar words.
"Dawn-Dawn Skyler?"
"Yes," she answered.
"But why are you-"
"I already told you; I've decided to take a risk and invest again."
"Why, though?"
"Business has taken an unfortunate turn." Jamie frowned.
"Business? But how can I help with that?"
"Don't be so simple minded, Jamie," Dawn snapped. "No matter, though. You'll understand in time. Very soon, in fact."
"Dawn…?"
"They're coming back, Jamie," Dawn sharply stated. "And I can't stop them-not as of now. But in this day and age, where loss is inevitable, we must find other alternatives than victory. And I have begun to find another alternative-yes, I have planned for that. I will not so easily stand aside and let everything I worked for be ripped apart. Even if it is inevitable, I will still retaliate-I will let my anger be known."
"Dawn, what are you-"
"But you will see that later, Jamie. Don't concern yourself with that now; I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself." She almost chuckled. "Right now, we must deal with the problem at hand. We must prepare ourselves."
"But what for?"
"Haven't you been paying attention to anything I've been saying?" Dawn asked in annoyance. "We must prepare ourselves for their return. For the return of Kylie and Michael…for the return of Ray Skyler."
Ray Skyler stepped out into the free air, taking a deep breath and looking up at the sky as the sun began to set. "Ah!" He picked up his luggage that sat beside his feet and looked back to where Mikey and Kylie stood, in front of the entrance of Zi Planetary Mental Hospital, each holding their own luggage. Mikey had an annoyed scowl on his face and Kylie had her head bashfully lowered.
"Come on, guys!" Ray exclaimed with a big goofy grin. "Let's get going! I can't wait to see the expression on Brad's face when he sees me!" Mikey and Kylie both complied and started to follow. Then Ray looked back up to the sky with a dreamy smile and he whispered excitedly, "Brad Hunter!"
EPIGRAPH:
What, what is this thing?
That plants its seeds among the - indifferent.
The cancer that spreads to the - apathetic.
There are three, were three, are three,
Three that make this thing.
Oh, plus the fourth.
The first and third a picture of insanity,
The second one strange cruelty,
And the fourth…nothing.
It is, it is this thing.
The hands which strangle the - selfish,
The poison that snuffs out the - ignorant.
All three work their malicious ways,
And the fourth plots her own ways,
And she eats they eats them.
Beast are they that growl,
That take their claws and pin them down,
And watch…and wait…to pounce.
I know, I know this thing,
That causes all to slowly - wither.
The three and the one are - evil.
Purely Skyler
PROLOGUE…
Negotiations were tough, but Dawn Skyler somehow managed to make a deal. Having to go to the most prestigious and most expensive mental hospital on the planet Zi, Dawn still had to pay triple in order to have the three committed for life, but she continuously told herself it would be well worth it. She would be rid of them for eternity, and she was willing to make any sacrifice necessary, even if it did include financial loss, to ensure this. And now she swiftly marched down the corridor with Dr. Grey, head doctor at the mental hospital, to see the three for what she hoped would be the final time.
Each had their own room with white padded walls; a thick, locked iron door that had one small barred window; bright lights; and a white straitjacket. The first room she approached was that of Kylie Atwater. Dawn stared in through the glass windows with an aloof look in her eyes. Kylie Atwater didn't seemed to notice her as she sat in the corner, head between her knees, trembling in her straitjacket and murmuring inaudible nonsense to herself. Dawn rolled her eyes.
"Would you like to see her, Miss Skyler?" Dr. Grey asked. "She had been sedated and shouldn't be a threat to your safety. I can let you in, if you like."
Dawn scoffed. "That won't be necessary," she answered flatly and moved on to the next window. She could see her brother, Michael Skyler, growling ferociously as he wrestled with his straitjacket. Slowly, but surely, he was winning, the jacket gradually beginning to tear.
Dr. Grey sighed. "No matter what sedatives we give him, he won't calm down. It's as if he's immune to them. Moreover, he's already ripped apart three straitjackets, and I'm afraid that'll be the fourth. I've never seen anything like it before. It's as if he isn't even human." Dawn just snorted as a response. "Still, I'm sure he'll tire himself out eventually."
"Eventually," Dawn muttered bitterly in reply and then went to the final window.
And there say on the white sheets of his new bed, the infamous Ray Skyler. Yet, unlike the others, he was grinning from ear to ear and was without a straitjacket. He sat writing something and Dawn looked to Dr. Grey for an explanation.
"We had him in a straitjacket originally," he began, "but it didn't seem to be necessary. As soon as he got here, he was rather content with his new accommodations, as if he were in some blissful denial. All he has been doing is writing letters. He's written a dozen so far. And all to the same person, at that."
"Let me guess; Brad Hunter," Dawn said wryly.
"I'm afraid so," Dr. Grey replied solemnly. "He seems to have a strange obsession with this Brad Hunter, though the reasons behind this infatuation are still unclear."
"Whatever," Dawn stated coldly. "It really doesn't concern me." She then turned her back to the barred glass window, face severe and eyes sharp. "I'll be leaving now. I don't plan on returning, so their lives are in your hands, Dr. Grey. Do what you like with them; I don't care. As I said, it really doesn't concern me any longer. I'll send you the payments weekly, so there's no reason you'll need to contact me any further."
"But, Miss Skyler, what should I say to them if they ask of you?" Dr. Grey questioned as Dawn began walking away.
"You're a doctor," she snapped. "You ought to be clever enough to make SOMETHING up. You CAN do that, can't you?"
"Yes, but-"
"Good," Dawn flatly interrupted. "That'll be all then, Dr. Grey." She ten started down the hall again, leaving a stunned Dr. Grey speechless in the corridor. However, when she reached the end of the hall, she halted. "Oh, and Dr. Grey," she began and she turned her head to Dr. Grey with a sly smirk and wicked eyes. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you."
END PROLOGUE
Chapter 1: "A Prelude to Freedom"
6 MONTHS LATER…
Mary Champ awoke in bed with a terrified scream. She panted harshly, desperate for air. Placing a hand over her heart, she looked toward the window to see that although it was early morning, the sun hadn't risen yet and the night sky still hung over the earth. Realizing she was in her own bed, she sighed in relief and brushed her bangs off her forehead with her hand.
"It was only a dream," she said breathlessly. "Only a horrible, awful, terrible dream." She then fell back onto her pillow. However, she bit her lip nervously. But say if it WASN'T a dream? Say if it was more than that? Say if it was some frightful premonition of some forlorn disastrous fate that she would soon have to suffer? Say if-
"NO!" Mary cried, shooting up in bed, cutting off her worries. It had been six months since her last visit to her brother Harry and that horrible incident had occurred, and now she started to feel doubt. "Maybe I shouldn't have come back," she whispered, lowering her head.
Mary then laughed, finding herself acting absolutely ridiculous at the moment. "Now, don't be silly, Mary," she told herself. "It wasn't a bad omen! It was just a bad dream-a bad nightmare caused by bad memories.
"But that's all in the past now," she said with a happy grin, and fell back into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin and closing her eyes.
However, a moment after, the sound of Harry's terrified screams caused a shiver to run down Mary's back and she immediately opened her eyes.
She gasped. "Harry!" Throwing her covers off of her, she hastily ran to her brother's room to see what was the matter.
When she arrived, she saw Harry sitting up in bed and panting, a look of horror on his face, just as she had looked only moments before. "Harry…?"
Harry turned and as soon as he saw her, he leaped out of bed and rushed to her, falling into her arms. "Mary! Mary! It was simply awful, Mary!" he cried, shaking his head in a panic as Mary looked at him in disbelief.
"Harry, what's wrong?" she asked with deep concern. "What happened?"
"A dream! A terrible dream!" he exclaimed fearfully. "No! It was more like a nightmare!"
"A dream…?" Mary's face turned deathly white in horror and she clasped her brothers shoulder frantically. "What did you dream, Harry?" she demanded anxiously, the two falling to their nears. "You must tell me what you dreamt!"
"I dreamt," he began, trying to catch his breath. "I dreamt that…" He seemed to be having difficulties with the words.
"Harry!" Mary cried impatiently.
"I can't, Mary!" Harry protested, looking shamefully away. "It's just too horrible to even say!" And he almost began to weep.
"Harry, this is very important!" Mary insisted. "You must be brave and tell me!"
\ "But…all right," Harry gave in reluctantly and he gazed up at her with wide eyes. "I dreamt…that the Skylers…they…they returned."
Mary pushed away from her brother and stood up, staggering backwards and shaking her head. Her face was one of the utmost terror. "No, no, no," she repeated over and over again in a trembling voice.
Harry, still on his knees, stared up at his sister in bewilderment. "Mary, what's wrong? Mary?"
"No, no, no," she continued, her quivering voice growing louder and louder. She stumbled back until her back hit into the wall. Her face was as white as the moon and her eyes were wide and unblinking. And she shook her head more and more, and her voice grew louder and louder until Mary suddenly burst, letting out a shrill shriek of fright that could have shattered the sky.
Mary Champ had had the same dream.
Dawn Skyler stood behind the podium on the steps of Skyler Enterprises as photographers snapped pictures of her and reporters anxiously asked questions of her.
"Miss Skyler, how does it feel to be the youngest billionaire on the planet Zi?" one asked. Dawn shrugged and held off the urge to roll her eyes, having been asked the question so many times before.
"In my case, I don't think age is an issue and therefore I don't find the shallow title, 'youngest billionaire' anything to be proud of. Wealthiest might suffice, but not youngest," she answered flatly.
"In recent years, the Skyler Corporation has plateaued. However, over the last six months, it has been booming; it's the highest grossing company presently. How do you account for this sudden boom? What do you think you may have done that might differ from what your brothers or parents have done in the past?" another reporter asked then.
Not being a brain dead idiot, she thought coldly, but simply smirked and replied, "A lot of hard work, intelligence, and focus. I think my brothers were too concerned with…personal interests…instead of the company."
"For a fourteen year old girl, you have dealt with a lot of strife already," one reporter began, "First your parents' gruesome murder four years back and now to discover your brothers' mental instability and having no choice but to have them committed. How do you cope?"
How did I cope with them? Dawn thought bitterly, but tried her best to feign some sort of remorse. "My mother and father had always had an…abusive…sort of relationship, even after the divorce. It almost seemed inevitable that they would shoot each other to death in a fit of passionate rage. As for my brothers, they are getting the best help available and I am proud to say they are doing better. I make an effort to visit them weekly at the asylum and most of their…violent…behavior is depleting." Of course, this wall all lies, Dawn not having visited them in the last six months, but she realized that the press was too stupid to figure it out. "I simply try to keep forging ahead, focusing my attention on the business. Next question?"
"Miss Skyler, is it true that you also paid for the institutionalization of Kylie Atwater, your younger brother's girlfriend?"
Dawn tried her best not to roll her eyes in spite of the idiocy of the reporters. "Yes, it is true. I felt it was my obligation, my brother Michael caring so much about her, and did what any generous person would do," she lied with little enthusiasm and thought, besides, I didn't want to deal with the insane moron.
At that moment, one of Dawn's employees came up to her and whispered in her ear, "Miss Skyler, Dr Cyrus Grey is on the phone; he says it's urgent."
Grey? Dawn thought and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Trying her best to smile as she turned back to the press, she said, "I'm sorry, but that will be all for today. I have some important business to attend to. Good day." There were loud protests from the reporters as she turned from them, her platinum blond hair shining white in the sunlight. The guards held the press back while others escorted her into Skyler Enterprises. "I'll take it from her," she told them.
As soon as she stepped into the elevator, she muttered to herself in disgust, "Idiots. The world is full of a bunch of idiots."
"What do you mean you're releasing them?!" Dawn questioned fiercely as she slammed her hand on her desk, standing in her office at Skyler Enterprises. She was on the phone with Dr. Grey. "You know as well as I do that none of them are fit to be let out!"
"I know, Miss Skyler," Dr. Grey desperately tried to explain, "but to put it frankly, the entire hospital staff is scared. Just last week Michael bit off one of the nurse's fingers!"
"So?" Dawn questioned. "That's what they're PAID to do, isn't it? Deal with the insane; they knew the risks!"
"Miss Skyler, I tried to have them transferred, but no one would take them. Please, try to understand-"
"What about all the innocent civilians you're putting in danger, hmm?" Dawn interrogated, voice raising with anger. "You can't just-"
"Don't give me that bullshit, Skyler!" Dr. Grey snapped. "You know perfectly well that all you care about is your precious enterprise!" A low growl of frustration escaped Dawn's lips then, knowing Dr. Grey was right, her face fierce in rage.
"Listen to me. There is no way that you can have them released," Dawn began in a low, trembling voice. "It would be simply impossible for you to get clearance to release those psychopaths."
"Is that so?" Dr. Grey began sneeringly. "You seem to forget that I'm the one with the main authority here. I've already signed their release papers."
"You WHAT?!" Dawn shouted.
"They'll be released this evening."
Dawn had now reached her breaking point. "If you think that I'm just going to sit by and let everything I worked for get torn apart because of YOUR incompetence, you're dead wrong." Her eyes narrowed then and she said with a murderous ring in her voice, "Believe me, you'll live to regret this, Dr. Grey." She then slammed the phone onto the receiver, breathing harshly. Her fingers tightly dug into her desk as if ready to break the wood and yet she knew she could do nothing. All her life, Dawn Skyler had suffered, trying desperately to reach one goal, and had taken all her strife in stride. However, this was the first time in her life where she had something worth keeping, and, at the same time, something worth keeping that she could very well lose because of her idiotic older brothers and the equally stupid Kylie Atwater.
And Dawn Skyler decided right then and there she could not go back after she finally left those fourteen painful years behind her. She would not suffer at the hands of her older brothers again. And, above all things, she would not hand over Skyler Enterprises, and all the hard earned millions she gained over the last six months, to Ray Skyler.
At least, not without a fight.
Brad Hunter yawned as he sifted through the mail that morning. After picking up the six letters that belonged to him, leaving the rest on the kitchen counter, he immediately made his way to the trash can as he usually did every morning.
"Junk, junk, junk, junk, junk and…junk," he said, noting each was sent by Ray Skyler before throwing them into the trash.
"Hey, Brad," Brad looked up to see Leena standing at the doorway. "Happy Birthday."
"My birthday isn't for another three days," Brad informed her
"Yeah, I know. But I figure I'll forget by then so I might as well tell you now," Leena reasoned. "So, how does it feel to be eighteen?"
Brad shrugged. "Not much different from seventeen, I'm guessing."
"Yeah, well, there's some Dr. Grey here to see you."
Brad looked to her in surprise. "Dr. Grey? Who's that?"
"Don't ask me," Leena replied. "He's sitting in the living room right now and he's waiting to see you. And he's with these two really stupid looking guys…"
"Okay…"
"Well, are you going or what?"
"I guess so," Brad reluctantly answered and then went to the living room, Leena following behind.
When he arrived, he found, just as Leena had said, Dr. Grey sitting on the couch with two stupid looking guys standing over to the right. One looked like a nurse and the other looked like a security guard of some sort.
"See? I told you, Brad." Brad just nodded and walked over to Dr. Grey.
"You're Dr. Grey, right?" Dr. Grey rose and extended his hand.
"Yes, and you must be the famous Brad Hunter I've been hearing so much about."
"Famous?" Brad questioned, warily shaking the doctor's hand. The doctor smiled nervously.
"Sit down, Mr. Hunter, and I will explain everything to you." Brad complied and Leena took a seat as well, curious to find out what this was all about. "Now then, you must be rather curious to who I am or why I've come here to see you, Brad Hunter, considering you don't know me and I don't TECHNICALLY know you."
"Yes…" Brad started, still suspicious. "Go on…"
"As you know, my name is Dr. Grey. I am the head psychiatrist at Zi Planetary Mental Hospital."
"Mental Hospital?" Brad questioned. "But why would you-"
"Hey, Brad," Leena cut in with a smirk and a snicker, "Maybe you're going crazy and Dr. Grey's come here to commit you." Brad gave her a sneer, but said nothing.
"I wish that were the case, but I'm afraid the situation is far worse," Dr. Grey said gravely. Both Leena and Brad looked to him with worried puzzlement. Noticing their worry, Dr. Grey chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, and exclaimed, "Oh, no! It's not THAT bad…" He trailed off, however, not sounding very convincing, and Leena and Brad exchanged glances of doubt. Dr. Grey coughed and cleared his throat. "Anyway…Brad-I mean, Mr. Hunter-have you received…any…letters…from a certain…Mr. Ray Skyler?" Brad gasped, his eyes widening, a fearful revelation slowly beginning to piece together in his mind. Leena, however, was quite calm, oblivious to the revelation that Brad was in the process of realizing.
"Oh, yeah, sure!" Leena answered for Brad, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Brad gets dozens of them all the time!" She then frowned. "He never actually reads them, though…
"How do you know Ray Skyler?" Brad questioned, leaning forward in his seat with narrowed eyes.
Dr. Grey grew nervous, but ignored Brad's question. "So you are then aware of the fact that Mr. Skyler has what some people would call an…infatuation…with you."
"More like an obsession," Brad muttered bitterly and Leena nodded in agreement.
"Yes, well," Dr. Grey continued on, "however, although he may have this INFATUATION with you, Mr. Hunter, we at Zi Planetary Mental Hospital feel that, for the most part, this infatuation has…basically subsided and that…Mr. Ray Skyler is…for the most part, that is…BASICALLY…mentally…er…stable." He seemed to have trouble getting out all the words. Brad blinked in surprised.
"For the…most part?"
Dr. Grey winced, but replied, "Yes." Brad then glared at him in annoyance.
"BASICALLY mentally stable?" he questioned.
"Er…yes."
"Um…you DO realize that I just got six letters from him today."
Dr. Grey frowned. "Yes…"
"And what about the other two-Mikey and Kylie? Has your little institution found them magically sane, too?" Brad interrogated in aggravation.
"Yes, it has actually."
"Now hold on a second!" Leena exclaimed, suddenly realizing what was going on. "Are you trying to tell us that YOU'RE the one who runs the asylum those nutso Skylers are in?!"
"Yes," Dr. Grey answered in some shame.
"And you're going to RELEASE them?!"
"Yes, tonight; we feel-"
"Are you crazy?!" Leena exclaimed, rising to her feet. "Ray nearly tried to kill Brad last time because he has this ridiculously insane notion that he needed to 'purify' him!"
"Please don't remind me…" Brad muttered.
"I promise you, Ray Skyler is far past that," Dr. Grey insisted. "He has grown a lot over the last few months and he realizes now that-Naomi Fluegel, is it?-is not the epitome of evil nor is there any need for him to…'purify'…you, Brad."
"And the others?" Leena questioned as Brad began shaking his head, slowly accepting his miserable fate.
"They're fine…really," Dr. Grey answered, obviously stretching the truth a lot. "Both of them are not nearly as…er…violent as they were before." He then added, "After all, I'm a doctor; I should know these things."
"You're an idiot!" Leena exclaimed. Dr. Grey narrowed his eyes, growing cross, but kept his temper as best as he could.
"I assure you we're taking the proper precautions just in case something goes wrong…" He then looked behind him to where the officer and the nurse stood, the officer scratching his chin with his gun, and the nurse staring off into space.
"THEM?!" Leena questioned in complete outrage.
"Well…I assure you, they're the best we have to offer…"
"Yeah, right!" Leena shouted. She then looked to Brad. "Brad! Do something!" Brad let out a sigh and stood up.
"You couldn't get anyone else to take the job, could you?" Brad asked Dr. Grey. Dr. Grey frowned.
"No…we couldn't," he reluctantly admitted.
"I figured as much," Brad muttered. "So, what are they supposed to do anyway?"
"Um, this is John Parker, a nurse at Zi Planetary Mental Hospital. He will be making sure that the Skylers' sanity stays…RELATIVELY stable…"
"Huh?" the male nurse asked, snapping out of his daze.
"Never mind, John…" Dr. Grey said unenthusiastically as Leena scowled in frustration and Brad put a hand to his head as if in a migraine.
"And the OTHER one?" Brad questioned.
"That's Roger Glass, an officer. He will make sure that none of the Skylers physically harm you…not that they WILL or anything…"
"Right…" Brad trailed off as he looked at the stupid looking officer who still scratched his chin with the barrel of his gun and was looking off into space, not even bothering to acknowledge that he was being introduced.
"Brad!" Leena cried, frustrated at Brad's apathy. "How can you be so calm about this?!"
"I already told you, Leena; I knew that they would be back…EVENTUALLY." Brad let out another sigh. "It was inevitable really…"
Leena frowned and reluctantly admitted, "Yeah, I guess you are right…"
"So, is that it?" Brad asked Dr. Grey. Dr Grey frowned and rose to his feet.
"Yes, but…" Dr. Grey said. "I just hope you understand-I am sorry for your misfortune, but we all must fend for ourselves in this cruel world. I held out for this long, but there's only so much a mortal man can take of…THEM…"
Brad gave Dr. Grey a nod. "I understand. I would have done the same thing if I were in your position."
Dr. Grey placed a hand on Brad's shoulder. "You're a strong man, Brad Hunter." He then turned to the two stupid men behind him. "Let's get going."
And as they left, Brad knew then that if Ray Skyler was going to be released that night, then he would be to see Brad by dawn.
Someone was following Bit Cloud-but who? Brad hurried along, glancing back over his shoulder every once in awhile to see a man in a black hooded and tattered cape. And as soon as he did, the man would let out an "eep" and duck into some alleyway. Bit frowned in dismay, but continued walking anyway.
"What's up with this guy…?" Bit wondered aloud, shaking his head. He looked back again and the man did the same thing once more. Bit stopped then with a sigh and turned around. "Um, excuse me, sir?" he called out warily. The man cautiously peered out from behind the "Is there some…uh…reason to why you're following me…?"
The man suddenly jumped out from behind the alley, spastically waving his arms around in the air and shouting, "BEWARE! BEWARE! BEWARE THE EVIL ONES!" He then started wailing and running around in circles and Bit raised an eyebrow in annoyed confusion.
"Excuse me?"
"BEWARE, BIT CLOUD, BEWARE!" he called one more time before running away, hands still waving stupidly in the air. He tripped as he was running and fell to the sidewalk, but was quick to get up and scurry off again, still wailing and waving his arms about.
Bit scratched the back of his head in confusion, scrunching his eyebrows in perplexity. "I wonder what the heck THAT was all about…" Bit then shrugged, casting the crazy raving man aside and began walking again.
"Doc, you went over the budget; AGAIN." Jamie scolded and Dr. Toros frowned.
"Not by that much…"
"You spent double the amount we had for this month's budget," Jamie pointed out.
"Well…"
"And you didn't even get anything worthwhile!" Jamie continued. "You spent it on ridiculous Zoids models and Zoids parts that we can NEVER use."
"But they're so nice to look at!" Dr. Toros defended himself.
"DOC!"
Fortunately, the phone rung then. "I'll get it!" Dr. Toros exclaimed and darted to the phone before Jamie had a chance to protest. "Hello?"
"Doc really has to learn to have some responsibility when it comes to money…" Jamie muttered to himself as he sighed and shook his head. "I mean, we still haven't even upgraded out security yet…"
"You?!" Dr. Toros cried in horror as he stood up. Jamie turned his eyes to Dr. Toros in concern. "It can't be! But-" He stopped and listened. "You want to talk to…Jamie…?" Dr. Toros lowered the receiver from his ear and looked to Jamie with a fearful expression across his face. He whispered in a panic, "Jamie…it's HER! And she wants to talk to you!"
"Her?" Jamie asked in confusion. "Who's her?"
"You know!" Dr. Toros's hands were trembling. He swallowed hard, and in a shaky voice, he said again, "HER."
"Doc, I have no idea who or what you're talking about," Jamie answered honestly. Dr. Toros then handed the phone over to Jamie.
"Just take the phone, Jamie."
"Okay…" Hesitantly, Jamie took the phone from Dr. Toros. Warily, he asked into it, "Hello…?"
"I've decided to take a risk and invest again." Jamie's eyes widened at the sound of the familiar voice and the familiar words.
"Dawn-Dawn Skyler?"
"Yes," she answered.
"But why are you-"
"I already told you; I've decided to take a risk and invest again."
"Why, though?"
"Business has taken an unfortunate turn." Jamie frowned.
"Business? But how can I help with that?"
"Don't be so simple minded, Jamie," Dawn snapped. "No matter, though. You'll understand in time. Very soon, in fact."
"Dawn…?"
"They're coming back, Jamie," Dawn sharply stated. "And I can't stop them-not as of now. But in this day and age, where loss is inevitable, we must find other alternatives than victory. And I have begun to find another alternative-yes, I have planned for that. I will not so easily stand aside and let everything I worked for be ripped apart. Even if it is inevitable, I will still retaliate-I will let my anger be known."
"Dawn, what are you-"
"But you will see that later, Jamie. Don't concern yourself with that now; I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself." She almost chuckled. "Right now, we must deal with the problem at hand. We must prepare ourselves."
"But what for?"
"Haven't you been paying attention to anything I've been saying?" Dawn asked in annoyance. "We must prepare ourselves for their return. For the return of Kylie and Michael…for the return of Ray Skyler."
Ray Skyler stepped out into the free air, taking a deep breath and looking up at the sky as the sun began to set. "Ah!" He picked up his luggage that sat beside his feet and looked back to where Mikey and Kylie stood, in front of the entrance of Zi Planetary Mental Hospital, each holding their own luggage. Mikey had an annoyed scowl on his face and Kylie had her head bashfully lowered.
"Come on, guys!" Ray exclaimed with a big goofy grin. "Let's get going! I can't wait to see the expression on Brad's face when he sees me!" Mikey and Kylie both complied and started to follow. Then Ray looked back up to the sky with a dreamy smile and he whispered excitedly, "Brad Hunter!"