Chapter Three: Gone in The Morning

Wilt's eyes cracked open as he was greeted with a sharp pain in his legs. He moaned and rubbed them. He was still riding in the van, his legs crunched up under the seats. Apparantally, even if he stretched them out, they'd still get a little sore.

"Frankie?" He called. Frankie took a second to glance over her shoulder, then concentrate on the road again.

"Yeah, Wilt?

"How long are we going to be riding?"

"Umm... well, we've only been on the road for fifteen minutes, and you've been asleep for ten."

"Oh."

No wonder they weren't there yet. They still had at least five minutes till they reached Foster's.

Five minutes passed and Frankie stepped out of the bus, shortly followed by Wilt. In his mind, Wilt thought back to Ke. She wouldn't know he was gone by sight, but what would happen when she tried to find him? Wilt was worried. She had already lost her friends.

Wilt sighed as he pushed open the large doors. He was greeted by choruses of imaginary friends singing carols and small squeaks of small friends. Bloo lay on the couch next to Mac, who was smiling as he watched all the hustle and bustle.

"Come ooooonnn!" Bloo whined. "When do we get to open the presents?"

"Not yet." said Mac. Wilt managed a small smile at his friends' bickering as Mac continued to try to make Bloo wait to open his presents.

"But I want to know if I get a jet car!" Bloo yelled. Wilt laughed and suddenly found himself wondering how anyone could fit a jet car inside a small Christmas package and wrap it. Frankie trotted into the room, whistling a happy Christmas tune of her own.

"It's almost time to open presents!" she announced. Cheers rose from the floor all the way to the high ceiling. Bloo hopped off the couch.

"Finally!" he said.

Wilt laughed again.

A few minutes later, everyone gathered around the humongous Christmas tree. Bloo was the first to get to his presents, of course. He ripped the biggest one open with a greedy smile, but as soon as he saw what was inside, he began to whine again.

"But I wanted a jet car!"

Mac rolled his eyes with Frankie as he uncovered a brand new and shiny paddleball.

"Hey Bloo, did you ask for a paddleball again this Christmas?" There was a pause.

"No."

But Mac knew that even if Bloo insisted on having a jet car, he wanted a paddleball as well.

Wilt was busy gently and slowly tearing open his presents with his only arm with a warm smile.

"Thanks, Ed." He said as he uncovered a potato sack. Eduardo smiled.

"It es me favorite." he told his friend. Wilt smiled, and even if Wilt himself didn't like potatoes, he was glad that Eduardo would give up one of his favorite things to him.

"I'm sorry, but are you sure you don't want it back?" Wilt asked. Ed shook his head with his smile still stuck on. Wilt smiled.

And from under the tree, his long arm reached out and pulled from it a large egg shaped present. He turned it over in his hand before setting it on the floor and unwrapping it. A bright red plastic egg held his reflection as he gazed at it, knowing immediately whom it was from. He popped it open and inside lay a cereal bowl. But it wasn't just ANY cereal bowl, no! It was decorated in painted on basketballs. Wilt smiled at the imaginary bird friend as she blinked.

"Thanks Coco."

"Coco!" she said. Wilt smiled again.

After everyone had seemingly opened every present and the young imaginary friends had gone to bed, Frankie walked up to Wilt, who was ready to open the door to his shared room, where all his friends were sleeping.

"Wilt! Wait a second!" she called. Wilt plastered on a smile.

"Yeah, Frankie?" he asked. Frankie smiled and held up one last present. "I've been saving it." She whispered.

Wilt looked at the colorful box in her delicate hand. "Who's it from?" he asked.

Frankie smiled and pushed it towards him. "A special friend who I talked to." She said. "What else was I supposed to say when somebody asked about you?"

Wilt curiously took it from her hands and watched her retreat to her own bedroom. Looking at the tag on it, his eyes widened at the childish and clumsy handwriting.

Quickly, he sped off, his sneakers squeaking on the wooden floors.

Skidding to a halt in the clock room. They ticked and tocked on and on. Silence reigned besides that. Wilt carefully and slowly opened his present to reveal an orange ball with some black. A basketball. One with the same clumsy handwriting on it. Reading it, he figured out that on the ball, it said "Wilt". Holding it close to his chest, he got up, threw the wrapping paper away, and climbed beneath Bloo's bed, drifting into sleep with the ball tucked beneath his arm.

And back in the clock room, the tag still lay on the floor. And on it, it read "KE."