Todd was awake when Shmee came back, though he had fallen into a fitful sleep a few times. Lately Todd had been sleeping poorly, and when he did he had bad dreams. The scary neighbour man's house would rise up and grow legs, claws, teeth, and most memorable of all, long, snaking, grasping arms. Many of them. And Todd was always standing in front of it, with the scary neighbour man and someone else. Todd couldn't recognize the obscured face, but he was almost sure it was a woman. But Todd always woke up before he could find out how the dream ended. But this time Todd woke up feeling completely restless. He looked at the limp teddy bear in his arms, and suddenly there was some imperceptible change in it.
"I see you're back now," Todd said. "... Is something wrong, Shmee?"
"Yes, Todd. You know how I keep on telling you that my meetings are none of your concern?" asked the bear in an unsettled and unsettling voice. Todd nodded.
"Well, this time, Todd, it is your concern. It touches you, and everyone else on this planet, for that matter. But I cannot tell you anything now. We have to find some people. I do so hate repeating myself," said the bear.
"What people?" asked Todd.
"A few other special people who, like you, have special assignments. One of them you know already, Todd. He's Johnny, the scary neighbour man. You have to go next door and bring him here," Shmee said. Todd reluctantly nodded, and grabbed Shmee.
"No! Wait, Todd. I can't go over with you," the bear protested.
"Why? I need you to go with me. I'm scared," said the boy, beginning to tremble.
"There are evil influences over there. I dare not go into that house, or they might silence me, like they did to his guide." Todd put down the bear and forced himself to leave him on the bed.
Todd crept quietly down the stairs, every sense alert, straining to see further in the dark, ears flared open to listen for the sounds of his parents rousing themselves. He even used his nose, testing the air to try to pick up his father's pungent, alcoholic aroma. Todd's dad was tricky, and had crept up on him a few times when Todd had been caught out of bed. That rarely happened anymore. Todd had learned from the neighbour man how to travel undetected, taking advantage of the dark, and by now Todd was much more agile and light-footed than any other person in his class. Todd used all of his skills as he stole down the stairs, across the room, and to the door. Waiting a minute to see if he was being followed- another lesson Johnny had taught him- Todd let himself outside. He hid in the bushes then, making sure the coast was clear (he was in no real danger, but it was good practice), he streaked across the street to his neighbour's house.
"Hello?... Mr. Neighbour man? Are you here?" Todd called into the house. No response. He walked down the hallway, repeating his call to make sure Johnny knew that it was him. Suddenly Todd heard a noise. He looked into a room and saw Johnny sitting on the floor, staring at nothing in particular, shaking. The scary neighbour man, who towered over Todd when drawn up to his full five-foot-nine-inch height, was curled up against the wall, his large, slate-blue eyes- quite lighter than Todd's- were peeled open, and full of fear. Johnny's eyes were amazingly expressive.
"Forty-six hours..." he muttered to himself, his voice trembling with fear. "Then it's free..."
"Nny?" Todd asked, using a nickname used by the few close friends of the lonely killer. It seemed to have an effect; Johnny lifted his head up.
"...Squee? Hi..." Johnny said, without turning his head. His voice was somewhat calmer, but his eyes were still wide, staring, scared. Todd understood and sympathized. He had felt that way too many times to be unable to sense it in someone else, and he knew that Johnny felt scared and helpless. Now Nny didn't seem like such a surreal monster to Todd, but a human being with emotions just like himself. Just another person you would see walking down the street, not a fanged, bloodthirsty beast lurking under his bed.
"Nny.. what's wrong?" he asked the man, who shook his head.
"I don't know... I heard a... a voice a while ago... it wouldn't have bothered me so much, but I've been having this dream lately... I think something bad will happen, Squee..." he replied. Todd was tempted to discuss it, but he had more pressing business to attend to.
"Hey, Mr. Nny? Shmee wants you to come over," Todd asked shyly, uncertain of how he would react. Johnny's look of disbelief turned into a scary, wolfish grin.
"Ah. The lying bear is inviting me over. I don't know..." Johnny said. The two hadn't exactly hit it off when they first met each other, and Nny distrusted him. But Todd had a secret weapon.
"I could make some skettios..." he said.
A few minutes later, Todd and Johnny were sitting in Todd's kitchen, sharing a bowl of skettios. Johnny's gaunt, angular face was radiating absolute pleasure as he slurped down the canned goodness. But not a sound did they make, because Todd's parents were still asleep upstairs. And Todd knew what light sleepers they could be. As they finished the last of their meal, Shmee spoke.
"If you are quite finished..." he said sharply, before Johnny could open another can, "We have business to attend to. Two of us are here now, but we need another. We need the Luck-drainer."
"Was a 'ruk-rainer'?" asked Johnny, his mouth full of raw skettio goodness from a newly opened can.
"A Luck-drainer is somebody who is chosen to absorb all the bad luck they come into contact with and convert it into good luck. Just like you, Johnny, as a Waste-lock, absorb anger, hate, and sorrow, and you, Todd, as a Trauma-magnet, absorb trauma before it happens. Johnny, I know that you have met the Luck-drainer. She is somebody that you know quite well," Shmee said, mentally fixing his eyes on Johnny. He felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He couldn't mean...
"Devi?... What do you need her for?" asked Johnny, suddenly becoming frantic.
"I cannot tell you anything here, Johnny. We must go over to Devi's place. Only then, when we are all together, will you learn what I have to tell you. And Johnny, find the body of the rabbit. You'll need it, and we're not going back to your place until we need to."
"I see you're back now," Todd said. "... Is something wrong, Shmee?"
"Yes, Todd. You know how I keep on telling you that my meetings are none of your concern?" asked the bear in an unsettled and unsettling voice. Todd nodded.
"Well, this time, Todd, it is your concern. It touches you, and everyone else on this planet, for that matter. But I cannot tell you anything now. We have to find some people. I do so hate repeating myself," said the bear.
"What people?" asked Todd.
"A few other special people who, like you, have special assignments. One of them you know already, Todd. He's Johnny, the scary neighbour man. You have to go next door and bring him here," Shmee said. Todd reluctantly nodded, and grabbed Shmee.
"No! Wait, Todd. I can't go over with you," the bear protested.
"Why? I need you to go with me. I'm scared," said the boy, beginning to tremble.
"There are evil influences over there. I dare not go into that house, or they might silence me, like they did to his guide." Todd put down the bear and forced himself to leave him on the bed.
Todd crept quietly down the stairs, every sense alert, straining to see further in the dark, ears flared open to listen for the sounds of his parents rousing themselves. He even used his nose, testing the air to try to pick up his father's pungent, alcoholic aroma. Todd's dad was tricky, and had crept up on him a few times when Todd had been caught out of bed. That rarely happened anymore. Todd had learned from the neighbour man how to travel undetected, taking advantage of the dark, and by now Todd was much more agile and light-footed than any other person in his class. Todd used all of his skills as he stole down the stairs, across the room, and to the door. Waiting a minute to see if he was being followed- another lesson Johnny had taught him- Todd let himself outside. He hid in the bushes then, making sure the coast was clear (he was in no real danger, but it was good practice), he streaked across the street to his neighbour's house.
"Hello?... Mr. Neighbour man? Are you here?" Todd called into the house. No response. He walked down the hallway, repeating his call to make sure Johnny knew that it was him. Suddenly Todd heard a noise. He looked into a room and saw Johnny sitting on the floor, staring at nothing in particular, shaking. The scary neighbour man, who towered over Todd when drawn up to his full five-foot-nine-inch height, was curled up against the wall, his large, slate-blue eyes- quite lighter than Todd's- were peeled open, and full of fear. Johnny's eyes were amazingly expressive.
"Forty-six hours..." he muttered to himself, his voice trembling with fear. "Then it's free..."
"Nny?" Todd asked, using a nickname used by the few close friends of the lonely killer. It seemed to have an effect; Johnny lifted his head up.
"...Squee? Hi..." Johnny said, without turning his head. His voice was somewhat calmer, but his eyes were still wide, staring, scared. Todd understood and sympathized. He had felt that way too many times to be unable to sense it in someone else, and he knew that Johnny felt scared and helpless. Now Nny didn't seem like such a surreal monster to Todd, but a human being with emotions just like himself. Just another person you would see walking down the street, not a fanged, bloodthirsty beast lurking under his bed.
"Nny.. what's wrong?" he asked the man, who shook his head.
"I don't know... I heard a... a voice a while ago... it wouldn't have bothered me so much, but I've been having this dream lately... I think something bad will happen, Squee..." he replied. Todd was tempted to discuss it, but he had more pressing business to attend to.
"Hey, Mr. Nny? Shmee wants you to come over," Todd asked shyly, uncertain of how he would react. Johnny's look of disbelief turned into a scary, wolfish grin.
"Ah. The lying bear is inviting me over. I don't know..." Johnny said. The two hadn't exactly hit it off when they first met each other, and Nny distrusted him. But Todd had a secret weapon.
"I could make some skettios..." he said.
A few minutes later, Todd and Johnny were sitting in Todd's kitchen, sharing a bowl of skettios. Johnny's gaunt, angular face was radiating absolute pleasure as he slurped down the canned goodness. But not a sound did they make, because Todd's parents were still asleep upstairs. And Todd knew what light sleepers they could be. As they finished the last of their meal, Shmee spoke.
"If you are quite finished..." he said sharply, before Johnny could open another can, "We have business to attend to. Two of us are here now, but we need another. We need the Luck-drainer."
"Was a 'ruk-rainer'?" asked Johnny, his mouth full of raw skettio goodness from a newly opened can.
"A Luck-drainer is somebody who is chosen to absorb all the bad luck they come into contact with and convert it into good luck. Just like you, Johnny, as a Waste-lock, absorb anger, hate, and sorrow, and you, Todd, as a Trauma-magnet, absorb trauma before it happens. Johnny, I know that you have met the Luck-drainer. She is somebody that you know quite well," Shmee said, mentally fixing his eyes on Johnny. He felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He couldn't mean...
"Devi?... What do you need her for?" asked Johnny, suddenly becoming frantic.
"I cannot tell you anything here, Johnny. We must go over to Devi's place. Only then, when we are all together, will you learn what I have to tell you. And Johnny, find the body of the rabbit. You'll need it, and we're not going back to your place until we need to."