Hello all! It's been quite a while since I've updated. And this update might be a bit short... it's about 2 ½ pages (front and back) written out... so it seems long, but it might not be so.

So anyways, this chapter should be good... at least I'm proud of it... we see some beginnings of Mort's writing and whatnot...

And I don't own Mort... or anything that sounds vaguely familiar from the movie. I think y'all know that by now.

Mickenzie could smell the dinner Mrs. Rainey was making from upstairs: Meatloaf and potatoes and... CORN! It made her mouth water.

She was sitting on Mort's bed just watching him. Mort was rummaging through papers looking for a story. Every once in a while he would mumble "too much too soon"

Too much too soon? Mickenzie thought, what could he be hiding? It's just a story!!!!!!!

"Found it!" Mort cried out triumphantly. He handed the yellowed manuscript to Mickenzie, "Friday Surprise" she read out loud smiling. Mort told her to read and he was going to go ask his mother how much longer until dinner would be ready. Mickenzie read:

"The school cafeteria served 'unfood' to call it food would be a crime. Todd Downey knew exactly what to do. He'd dump the lunchlady in a vat of her own "Friday Surprise"...

"Hey Mick!" Mort called from downstairs, "Dinner's ready!"

Mickenzie was almost relieved. Even though she knew it was only a story... how could he write about killing somebody?!?! She put the story down and bounced down the stairs...

"Mickenzie... that's an unusual name..." Myra commented staring at the pretty blonde girl her son had brought home.

"it was my grandmother's maiden name." Mickenzie explained smiling.

Myra didn't like it. The girl was too pretty. Too cheerful. Why would she like Mort? It's not that Mort wasn't handsome, he was a very good looking young man...but Mort was different. The opposite from the plastic smiled Barbie doll he'd brought home. Mort was real!

Myra tried to keep an optimistic smile on for her son, but every cheerful word the girl said made her skin crawl.

"My older sister is the head cheerleader, my brother was the star quarterback, but I'm not very athletic at all. I'm more... artistic. I've done choir and theatre (but I didn't like theatre too much). I write for the newspaper..."

Mickenzie really didn't want to ramble, but she was nervous. The small domineering woman had her mouth wrinkled into a scowl. Mort could feel the tension. He had to do something...

"I'm writing a new story!"

all eyes on him.

"it's about this boy who doesn't know real love. When he thinks he's found "the one" he freaks out... but then she goes missing. Everyone thinks he had something to do with it, but he's determined to tell everyone that he's innocent..." Mort blushed, he could tell that they were thinking he was crazy...

"it's a work in progress..." he stammered.

"Sounds interesting" Myra said. She always admired her son's fantastic imagination. It amazed her that such a quiet boy could concoct such inventive stories.

The rest of dinner went quickly. While Mort was walking Mickenzie home Myra vented her frustrations.

"That girl is USING Morton! She's trying to be 'well rounded' trying to be voted "Student Body President"!!! she doesn't like him at all! She's a bad egg! A SLUT!!!!!!!! I must tell Morton, but I can't break his heart. It's just puppy love, though, how long can it last?" Myra finished her rant (thank God) before Mort returned home.

Mort continued writing his story, but he was having trouble with the ending. He stayed locked up in his room and didn't come out. He distanced himself from Mickenzie. The voices had been getting stronger... all he would eat was corn... it inspired him.

Mort... Your using the same name again.... The voice cackled. "Todd Downey" had always been his name of choice. Always a different character, but the same name. He knew that he'd have to change it when it was published, but for now, it was perfect.

Mort's dream awoke him one night, stricken with inspiration he wrote and wrote. "Perfect!" he said, smiling, his drawl stronger than ever. All he had to do now was test it. To be sure that his story would work.

When Mort was working on his story, he didn't spend as much time with Mickenzie. And though they saw each other in the hall at school and he walked her home... she missed spending time with him. She figured that if he needed this in order to be "creative" then she'd give it to him. With Mort away, though, she heard a lot of stories... stories about why Mort suddenly came to live here. She didn't believe most... except one. It sounded vaguely familiar... like something she had read once...

MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! So we all have our "Todd Downey"'s don't we? I know mine... "Mickenzie" oooooooo! A bit of trivia for y'all! Mwahaha! So yeah... that's this chapter... I'm really sorry that it's so short... I just wanted to get it up now because I feel bad that I haven't updated in so long! So hope y'all like it! And FEEDBACK! I Heart Reveiws! Tell me what you like, tell me what you don't like... tell me if you think another title would be better... I'm working it in... but it still doesn't strike me... I dunno. That's it! Hope y'all liked it! I'll update more soon! Definetly before.... Halloween? I dunno... I will get it up! Till then!