Hey, hey, yo! What's up, everyone? I hope you've been waiting for the next chapter of The Words Inside My Head, 'cause it's comin' at ya! What's with my speech today? Just read Azumanga Daioh…And it's Summer Break! Yeah! So I'm really into this plot now. Heehee…Enjoy!

Chapter 2: King Sandy's Evil Plot

There wasn't much time for Numbah 4 to react; he only knew that by the time the whistle blew, he had to be in the water. He was afraid of drowning, and he hated the idea of being Numbah 1's bait, but he wanted to see the look on King Sandy's face when his plan was ruined…if Numbah 4 lived to see that…

He shook his head to clear it of such thoughts, then, as the deep pool came in view, he put on a burst of speed. He was determined to stop Sandy, even if it meant drowning—Sandy had tried to marry Kuki before, hadn't he? He shook his head again—he had no time to be thinking about girls, especially that one. He jumped over a lawn chair in a single bound, ran across the hot cement, and jumped into the pool, his entire body spread eagle, and landed with a wet flop on his stomach.

The breath was knocked out of him instantly, so he couldn't even manage to struggle to the surface for a breath of air. He just slowly floated downward, towards the bottom of the pool. He couldn't think straight—there was too much going on to do so. His thoughts raced as he thought of the possibility of death, how now that it seemed so close he really didn't want to face it, and of how his friends would miss him when he was gone…especially Numbah 3.

Here I am, he though, thinking about that stupid girl till the very end. I wonder if this is my punishment…for being so rude to her…and now God is trying to show me what I've been missing out on…Those were his last thoughts before he lost consciousness—then everything went black.

Meanwhile, Numbah 1 was watching by the snack bar, licking a cherry shaved ice, and watching as the lifeguards streamed out of the base. If everything went according to plan, every lifeguard would have their hands full in the next few minutes. Then he could sneak in without being seen, and find Sandy. He waited a few more minutes, licking his shaved ice thoughtfully, until he thought the cost was clear, then tossed the shaved ice into a nearby trash bin, and walked inside the lifeguard base.

Surprisingly, there wasn't much in the "base"—just an overflowing trashcan, a desk, some cupboards, and numerous first aid kits and other…lifeguard stuff. Numbah 1 raised an eyebrow. This couldn't be the real base, could it? Everything seemed orderly.

"Maybe this is all just a false alarm," he said, scratching his bald head, and walking further into the room. He looked suspiciously at the boxes that claimed they were first aid kits, wondering if they really held everyday items for medical help. Just as he was about to open one and discover for himself, he heard a small, almost maniacal laugh coming from down the hall—a hall he hadn't noticed until he had stepped further in. He cautiously moved forward, wondering if it was King Sandy who was laughing, following the sound of the laughter. But as suddenly as it had started, the laughter stopped, making Numbah 1 pause and look around. There were doors on either side of him, and he had no idea where exactly the laugh had come from—there were also no lights, so he couldn't make out his surroundings, and the sunlight from the door didn't reach the hall.

He turned on his heel, quickly drawing his wooden dart gun—but there was no one behind him. He looked around the hall, and turned around in a small semi-circle, before sighing, and lowering his weapon. He was just being paranoid—there was no one here, and certainly not a King. He scratched the back of his head, then turned around and started to walk out of the hall. But before he could walk any further, a large, armored man jumped on him from above, sending him falling to the floor, and instantly knocking him out cold.

Numbah 4 was dreaming—he was in an odd place, where the only thing you could see for miles was white. He blinked—for being so empty it was extremely loud. He tried to cover his ears, but he couldn't move, and when he tried to move his head erupted in pain. He tried sitting up, but that only made things worse. There voices all around, making his head pain ever worse, and someone kept shouting his name over and over. He sqeezed his eyes shut, trying to drive out the noises, then blinked again as the voices continued. The white light started to fade, leaving a slightly blue one in its place. He blinked harder as light still flooded all around him, then closed his eyes once more. The pain was so great. He could hardly move, and the light was so scalding…and now suddenly its burn was less. He opened his eyes a crack to see a shadow hanging over him. He blinked some more until the vision became clearer, and say to his amazement that it was Numbah 3. There tears in her eyes, and she was squeezing his hand tightly. He opened his eyes a little wider, and sat up slowly, finding the pain in his head had lessoned. When he did so, he saw that was at the pool, and there were people in red all around him. There was also a group of noisy kids, his friends among them, and they were all talking loudly as he looked at his surroundings. He was about to ask what had happened, when the girl who had been holding his hand, Numbah 3, hugged him tightly, tears flowing from her eyes.

"Numbah 4, don't you ever do that again!" she said, hugging him so tight the air was almost extinguished from his lungs once more. He didn't care about air right now, though—he was more worried about the girl hugging him, and his face that had started to turn beet red.

"G-get off me, you crazy girl!" he said, prying Numbah 3's arms off of him. "I'm fine! There's no reason to embarrass yourself, not to mention me!" Numbah 3 still cried, and would have hugged Numbah 4 again if he hadn't pushed her away before she got the chance.

"But…But…I thought you were dead! You know you don't know how to swim, and I was worried…Numbah 1 said you'd be perfect bait for this mission, and at first I didn't know what he meant, but…but…Oh, I was just so worried!" Before Numbah 4 could stop her, she had pulled him into another hug, and was crying all over his shoulder. Numbah 4 turned bright red, and stood up the best he could, pulling the sobbing girl off him, more gently this time.

"Come on," he said, "we'll go find Numbah 1, and you can tell him off all you like. Just stop bawling like a big baby, all right?" Numbah 3 still looked teary-eyed, but she wiped her face, and walked in the direction of the rest of the team.

"All right," she said, "Let's go find Numbah 1 and see what's up with all this! And he better have found King Sandy by now!"