Finally, I have been able to find the time to write me next story in the 'Past' sequence, 'Into Perspective'. This story is set a few years after 'Sabotaged Dreams', and in the first chapter, Randall is about nineteen years old. The problem is, the way I've done it has meant that there might be big time jumps between each chapter. Hopefully I'll have made it obvious in the chapter itself, but if I haven't, feel free to ask any questions in reviews. As always, I appreciate constructive critism, but flames are a no-go. Umm...what else...Oh, 'Into Perspective' has been rated PG, but there's no swearing or anything explicit. And finally, a disclaimer- any characters from the film Monsters, Inc. are owned by Disney, not me (unfortunately) and any characters that are original are mine and are not to be used in anything else without my permission.
Thank you for reading the boring bits, but they were a necassity, so now you can get on with reading the story!
Chapter 1- Felicity
The rain poured with ferocity outside, hammering against the windows. Lightning crackled above, electricity sparking from the sky like tiny Catherine wheels, shooting here and there with an atmosphere of pure magic. The tiny monster children in the usually bustling city of Monstropolis were just little quivering lumps under their bed covers, and though their parents tried to comfort them, their fears of what came from above were as strong as ever. But for the children that didn't have parents, that no-one cared for and ever would care for, this evening was as evil and scary as any other.
Randall gazed out the window thoughtfully, sipping a cold cup of coffee. Boxes surrounded him and were to be seen in every nook and cranny in his tiny apartment, but he didn't care. Finally, he had a place of his own, somewhere he would be able to look after his own belongings without anyone else soiling them, somewhere where he could be by himself and have these thoughtful moments without any disturbance. It was a relief, especially after what had gone on in the past few years in his OTHER University.
A little drop of rainwater that had splatted against the window began to trickle downwards, gathering others as it went. There was another flash of lightning and the thunder clapped a few seconds after. Randall was so deep in thought and so mentally satisfied that the doorbell ringing gave him a bit of a shock. His whole body jolted, knocking the mug to the floor and spilling coffee everywhere, and as the doorbell meekly rang again and again, he called out an agitated "Coming!" and picked up a few broken shards of his formally beautiful mug off the floor. Then, grabbing a paper towel, dabbing it forcefully at the puddle and willing it to go away, Randall looked up, astounded by the continuous ringing of the doorbell. Whoever it was was obviously desperate, so, sighing with a slight growl, he left the mess for later and went into the living room.
"I'm comin', I'm comin'..." He opened the door, rolling his eyes. "Yeesh, what's the pan-"The lightning illuminated Randall's guest for a second, her blue scales shining and green eyes flashing. The rumble of thunder came soon after, silencing Randall's gasp. "Marie...?" he mouthed, not for the first time in his life.
They stood there for a second, gazing into each other's eyes, until Marie bustled past Randall, putting a little pile of blankets on his sofa carefully. The blankets stirred. Marie made her way to the door again, but not before Randall could shut it. He stood in front of her determinedly, glaring.
"Oh no," he said quietly, shaking his head. "You're not going anywhere 'til you tell me what's going on." Marie didn't reply, instead staring at her twin-brother, wishing the tears that were rolling down her soft cheeks would go away.
She choked out a suffocated "I can't," and ran towards Randall suddenly, gripping one of his arms and trying to pull him away from the door. But he wouldn't budge, and as Marie struggled, Randall peered over at the bundle on the sofa. A little head peeped out of the cloths, and a small hand rubbed a set of lavender eyes.
"What's that?" Randall said without feeling, getting a firm grasp on Marie and holding her still. "Who's that?" Marie was trembling as she answered.
"Her...her name's Felicity, and she's yours now." Randall let go of his sister, feeling numb.
"WHAT?!" He took a deep, steadying breath. "What are you talking about, Marie? Huh? You gonna explain what's happened? Why...why THAT'S here?"
"I told you, I can't! I'm sorry Randy...I'm so sorry..." She burst into tears, heaving great, racking sobs and laying her head against her brother's chest. He looked down at her and tentatively patted her on the back. But, as she wrapped her arms around Randall in a squeezing hug, he couldn't help but accept the warm embrace with a bit of his own tenderness.
"Hey, hey, it's okay...I'm not mad at you- you know what my temper's like...c'mon, buck up..." Marie eventually let go, but still held Randall's hand tightly in her own.
"I love you Randy, I love you SO much, but I can't tell you anything. I just can't." She glanced up at the shabbily hung clock, her eyes widening. "I have to go now; if they find out that I've been here..."
"Who? What are you talking about? Look, where have you been all these years?" Randall was asking a lot, and he knew it, but he couldn't let Marie go without getting any answers.
"Just look after Fliss, please, just look after her," Marie pleaded to Randall, her grip on his hand getting tighter. "Please! PLEASE!" she wailed. Randall was getting a little worried about his neighbour hearing the commotion, and tried to get Marie to quieten down.
"Okay, okay...shush now, ssshhh...I just want to know a few things-"
"BUT I CAN'T TELL YOU! I CAN'T! THEY'LL KILL ME AND YOU, AND IT'LL BE ALL MY FAULT! I CAN'T!"
Marie pushed Randall so hard that he tripped over a box and fell flat on his face. She threw open the door and ran, along the corridor...still running...down the stairs...gasping for a breath...outside...got to keep running, got to keep running...they'd seen her...and they were going to catch her...
BANG!
The sound of a gunshot reverberated off the tall apartment-blocks.
Randall shakily got to his feet. Everything was spinning. Maybe it was the shock of Marie having just visited, maybe it was that little feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him that that gunshot was aimed at Marie, but whatever it was, it made him feel sick.
He leant against the sofa, breathing heavily, and the only time everything seemed to get back into focus was when he gazed upon the little girl sleeping soundly on the blankets in which he had first seen her in.
--------------------------
The morning sunlight peeked through a slit in the deep purple curtains of Randall's bedroom. The storm of the previous night had cleared up completely, giving the morning a fresh, new feel. Though it was full of boxes, the room felt airy and spacious, the sunlight dancing over the thick, purple sheets of Randall's bed as a light breeze fluttered in through the half-open balcony doors, making the curtains seem to slither and sweep.
It was quite a beautiful sight, but what some would consider an even more beautiful sight was a little girl, tucked away in the crinkled covers, waking up in amazement and wonder, sitting up, yawning, stretching, and looking around wide-eyed. She sat there for several minutes, wondering if this was all a dream. A smile spread over her face.
She pushed back the covers gently, taking her time, and crawled out of bed. As the soft purple carpet came up between her toes, a shiver ran down her spine. What if this was all a dream? The smile vanished.
There was a loud THUMP from the other room, and a short yelp. Felicity suddenly felt very scared, and thought better than to look around, especially without Jud Green. She quickly climbed back into bed and was about to curl up into a ball when she caught sight of a little bump in the bed covers. Slinking cautiously like an animal inspecting something new, Fliss made her way across the bed and stopped inches before the unknown object. Then, in a second, she swept her hand across the covers, grabbing them and tugging them away.
"JUDDY!" Felicity dove forward and grabbed the bright yellow soft toy, hugging it tightly. The two eyes on their floppy soft sticks of the fluffy toy swung and bounced in the embrace, and the long tail in its back dangled. It was a ragged toy, limbless and flaccid, and where there had been great big tears and holes previously, there now were a collection of stitches. But although the person who had mended Fliss' favourite and only toy had had the nicest of intentions, they hadn't done a very good job and some stitches were already beginning to come loose and fall out.
Felicity looked at Jud fondly and gave him one last squeeze. Her confidence had grown and she made her way down to the ground and to the door, getting more and more anxious with every step. Before reaching up to grasp the door knob, she took a deep breath, turned around to look at the room which was almost a haven for her once last time, and gazed down at her beloved Juddy.
"This is it, Juddy. Now I find out if it's a dream or a nightmare."
The door swung open. Randall was sitting on the floor, rummaging through a box and taking bits and pieces out. He inspected a weirdly shaped glass with confusion, then covered it with the bubble-wrap, only just noticing his guest. Looking up with an air of surprise, Randall acknowledged her presence.
"Morning," he said in a blank tone, rubbing an eye. Felicity didn't move. Randall was getting back to his unpacking, and looked up at her again. "Want some breakfast?" He was nervous- children weren't exactly his area of expertise, but tried to be as welcoming as possible. Fliss shook her head. "Wanna help me unpack?" Without answering, she shuffled over to Randall, staring into his eyes. Feeling as though he was being scrutinized, Randall then pointed over to a small box on the other side of the room. "You can do that one." She did as she was told, lying on her front with the box's contents spilled over the floor.
Minutes passed. There was silence except for the birds twittering outside and the cars zooming along in the streets below. Randall had opened all the windows, so the sounds of the great outdoors were bombarding his flat. The two of them kept glancing across at each other- when one was, the other wasn't, and the edgy atmosphere remained. But, soon enough, the tenseness subsided and Randall was chuckling in the centre of the room. Fliss narrowed her eyes, bewildered, but realised that he was looking at a photo album. Now was the time to be brave.
Felicity coughed, once, then, twice, catching Randall's attention.
"Yeah?" he grunted, bothered by the disturbance.
"Where's...I-I mean, I was just wondering, but where's Marie?" A fierce, strong, exhausting pain burnt in Randall's chest. It was searing, and hurtful, and utterly powerful, but he was used to it. It's what he always felt when he had lost something.
When he had lost someone.
"She..." Randall stuttered, thinking desperately for a reasonable answer. "She had to go."
"Why?" Felicity asked in her sweet, innocent voice. Randall couldn't look at her whilst he lied; he couldn't gaze upon her shiny purple scales, her smooth, webbed hands, her soft, expectant smile, and her sweet lavender eyes. It was the eyes that were the worst- they were almost unbearable to look at, especially when you were trying to hide something from them. But there was also something weirdly familiar about them, about Felicity in general. And it wasn't Marie's influence.
Randall sighed.
"Because she's a very busy monster."
"So she'll be back?" Randall swallowed a rising lump, focusing on his album.
"No." Fliss became very panicky in a matter of nanoseconds, and the sweat on her forehead glistened in the morning sunlight.
"But why? I don't get-"
"Don't ask any more questions." Randall's hard-core act was falling apart. "Don't ask any more questions that you know you won't like the answers to. She's gone, and she isn't coming back. That's all you need to know, okay?" He was devastated to see that Felicity had begun cry a little. A few minutes later, she was weeping desperately, sobbing with her head buried in her hands. She wrapped herself up into a secure little ball, shaking with sadness. Biting his tongue angrily, Randall stopped the urge to whack himself and thought about what to do.
He could comfort Felicity, give her a talk, maybe a hug even. After all, he knew what it was like to be left without any family, and it wasn't much fun. The problem was, he might get attached to her, and deep inside, Randall knew that he only wanted this to be a part-time arrangement, so to speak.
Or he could just leave her there, crying her eyes out. It was cruel, but she'd get over it. Wouldn't she?
Figuring that he might as well start on the right foot with Felicity, Randall crept over to her and sat by her side, his eyes never leaving her face.
"It's gonna be okay," he whispered. A second later, the depressed little girl threw her arms around Randall, giving him a bit of a shock, and hugged him as tight as her little arms could. Still she cried, but at least there was an element of comfort in her tears. Randall let a little half-smile cross his face. That Felicity was such a sweet little girl...
"You...you wanna talk?" he asked shyly, giving her a slight pat on the head. She nodded, not opening her eyes, still clinging onto the guilty lizard- monster. Eventually, she let go, but not without a fight.
"I thought you wanted to talk!" Randall exclaimed. Smiling for the first time in front of someone she was really beginning to warm up to, Fliss sat back and grabbed Jud, stroking his tail. It was obvious that she wasn't going to start the conversation, so Randall decided to ignite it with something warm and reassuring, and also something that he knew she was familiar with.
"Who's that, then?" Randall pointed to the scraggly toy cradled in Fliss' arms.
"His name is Jud, but I like to call him Juddy. He likes it too." Now it was Randall's turn to smile. He had always thought of himself as almost allergic to children of any form, but Fliss was different somehow. She was sweet and caring, almost adorable.
"Really? He looks a little rough, doesn't he?"
"He's been through a lot- I've had him my whole life. And it suits him! But someone sew-ded all his holes up, and they didn't do it very well so now he looks stupid."
"Hey! I was just trying to mend him!" Randall gently tried to take the stuffed toy from Fliss' grasp, but she wouldn't let go. "I thought I did a good job of the little guy." The humour dwindled a bit, and the conversation changed its colours to a serious mood. "You said that Jud's been through a lot. What do ya mean?"
"Well, he was with me when me and Marie had to keep moving around, and he kept getting lost."
"Poor guy," Randall replied, not sounding particularly sympathetic. He wanted to move on to other, more pressing matters. "You call your mother by her first name. I don't understand why though- didn't she ever tell you to call her Mummy or something?" Felicity paused, in deep thought for a few moments, before answering.
"She said...she said that it made her feel old or something if I called her Mama, so she liked it if I called her Marie."
"And how old are you exactly?"
"I don't know exactive-arly, but I'm six in two months time! Wait a second..." She stopped again, then glared at Randall persuasively. "Am I gonna get a birthday party?" Randall chuckled, relieved.
"Sure."
-----------------------------
They sat in the kitchen, sipping their orange squash in silence. Randall had brought the little stool from his bedroom by the table, and Fliss was quite happy perched atop it. There was no awkwardness between them now, but though Felicity was perfectly happy concerning Randall, the lizard-monster was feeling increasingly remorseful. He couldn't just get rid of her, could he?
Licking his lips thoughtfully, Randall took another sip and peered over at the person who had invaded his thoughts.
"Why you lookin' at me like that? It's weird." She blinked naively up at Randall, gripping her seemingly giant glass with both hands.
"I'm looking at you because..." Randall trailed off. "D'you prefer to be called Felicity or Fliss?"
"Fliss. I HATE being called Felicity. What's your name?"
"Don't you know? Didn't Marie tell you that you'd be coming here?"
"No...She doesn't tell me when we move. We just do." Fliss grinned somewhat cheesily up at Randall, her eyes almost disappearing. "You still haven't told me your name!"
"Randall. Ya know what I hate being called? Randy. Horrible name." Fliss giggled delightfully.
"That name's funny!"
"Which one? Randall or Randy?"
"Both of 'em!"
"Oh, really? And you think your name's all that now, do you?"
"Yeah! It's like candy floss, and I LOVE candy floss!" Randall wagged a finger at her.
"Well, I guess I'll have to take note of that, won't I?"
"So will I be living here with you now?" This caught Randall by surprise. He slumped back in his chair a little, folding his arms. All he wanted to do was make a fresh, honest start with Fliss, but being honest was going to be a lot harder than he thought it would.
"We'll see." Fliss nodded, not seeming to be too bothered about that. She wasn't looking very happy though. "I'm sorry..."
"No. It doesn't matter. I've always had to move around anyway, all my life. Who cares if I have no-one to look after me now?" Randall was looking very sincerely at Fliss by this point. Her situation was so desperately like his, and at the same age...but there was one key difference. Back then, Randall DID have someone; his twin-sister, Marie. But Fliss seemed to be an only child, or if she did have any siblings, they certainly weren't going to just turn up at any moment.
"I haven't said no just yet, Fliss. And...and I doubt I ever will." There was another pause, another minute or two of silence. Both monsters were getting increasingly depressed, but Fliss was handling everything a lot worse than Randall. At first appearance she might've seemed brave and strong, but she was still only a child. She had begun to cry again, quietly this time, and had crawled onto Randall's lap. No words had passed between them, but none needed to- their feelings and emotions were taking the most important roll at this time.
"Hey..." Randall began, Fliss looking up in attention.
"Yeah?"
D'you know your father?" Fliss shook her head, looking a little downcast.
"No...Marie didn't like to talk about stuff like that."
"Oh...okay." Fliss looked up once more, a hopeful glint in her eye. "What?"
"Well...you know stuff about me, but I don't know anything about you." Randall grinned.
"Nosey little so-and-so." Fliss laid her head against Randall's chest. "Okay, okay...Well, this is where I live, obviously. I work at Monsters, Inc., though I haven't actually started yet- I begin next Monday."
"Wow! Marie told me about Monsters, Inc! She said her brother wanted to work there!"
"Yep. That's me. She...talked to you about me, ever?" Fliss thought hard.
"Not really...she said that if she talked too much about that kind of stuff, they'd come for us."
"Who?" This was getting interesting.
"I don't know. She never said. But they were dangerous. Did...did they...?" Randall shrugged softly, then shook his head.
"You remember what I said 'bout asking questions?" Fliss smiled a little.
"Can I ask something else?"
"Depends what it is."
"Oh, okay." Randall winked slyly.
"Only kiddin'. Go ahead."
"Marie once said that it was really hard to get a job at Monsters, Inc., and coz of what...what we look like...it'd be even harder..." Randall chuckled knowingly.
"Let's just say that if ya do someone trustworthy a favour, they'll always pay it back, no matter who you are." Randall hefted Fliss up and placed her on the table, which creaked ominously. They looked at each other warily, and Randall quickly grabbed her again before the whole table would collapse.
"Breakfast?" Randall yawned, still feeling as though he had just woken up, and tutted.
"You said you didn't want any before." Preparing her argument, Fliss went into the lounge.
"Well, I wasn't hungry THEN, was I?"
"Fine," Randall said, pretending to be annoyed. "Look, how 'bout you get back into bed with that battered toy of yours, and I'll bring your breakfast over in a minute. Okay?"
"'Kay!" Fliss bounded into the bedroom, feeling quite satisfied with herself, trying with all her might to push her troubles to the back of her mind. Meanwhile, Randall had got back into his almost brooding state, trudging into the kitchen. He looked outside. It was coming on ten o' clock, and the streets outside were full of monsters going here and there, getting on with their daily chores, meeting up with friends...And everything for them was perfectly normal. Absolutely fine. For them, nothing strange or unusual had happened, nothing life-changing. They could just get on with it all.
Another pang of longing overcame Randall. He wanted to be like them, for nothing bad to ever happen to him, for his life to be pain-free and happy. But only yesterday his sister was shot...the last member of his family was gone, and he was left with no-one. Or maybe not the last.
Maybe Fliss was Randall's last hope. Maybe.
