There were a lot of things that Reggie found difficult to process. But this took the cake.

This Mr. Quillon guy suddenly wanted to listen to him? After what happened before? No, that doesn't sit well, he thought. This had to be some kind of test. Maybe Mr. Quillon wants him to slip up by saying the wrong thing so he would be punished more. The memories of that dreadful visit haunted his mind. Mr. Quillon's harsh words fluttered about his head.

Being compared to an ogre, the description of him tearing everything up around him like a mindless monster, of only needing one slip up to fail, like that tale of some dude throwing a rock at a giant.

"I'm waiting."

Reggie flinched. Telling him something to draw that would mess with Rudy wouldn't have been an issue to him before. But now knowing about that chalk world, would this have further implications? Would he inadvertently do something worse that would land him in the pit? His attack on Penny was incriminating enough.

Reggie shrank at the shadow crawling over him. He leaned away as Mr. Quillon reached for him. He braced for a smack. Mr. Quillon's fingers pressed against his chin. His head was forced upwards. He squeezed his eyes shut. That did nothing to block out the voice.

"Listen to me," Mr. Quillon hissed. "I'm only going to tell you this once."

Reggie let out a whimper.

"I have never screwed up a case before. I have a reputation in other cities, you see. I'm the one they call to 'fix' bratty little children like you."

Mr. Quillon's grip tightened. Reggie coughed weakly.

"But now that 'problem child" Mr. Wilter goes on about besides you, that Rudy kid, he's vanished. How can I offer him my advice if he isn't here? I will not allow my reputation to get stained, especially not because a worthless bully refused to give helpful information."

"B-But..." Reggie tried to speak. Mr. Quillon squeezed his neck tighter, stopping his voice.

Mr. Quillon continued, "You've wasted my time with your stupid stories about some magical chalk world. You dare to try to justify what you did to that Penny girl. And even when I offered to amuse you, still you hesitate. Are you trying to keep Rudy lost forever?"

Reggie shook his head. He tried again to speak. Only gags came out.

Mr. Quillon's narrowed. "And why don't I believe you? Oh that's right." He pulled Reggie closer to him and growled, "It's because you're a selfish nobody who only cares about himself! Rudy could be in danger and you're doing squat to help!"

Reggie grunted as Mr. Quillon shoved him further into the chair. Reggie cowered underneath Mr. Quillon as fear dominated his mind. He tried to look away. His eyes refused to budge. Mr. Quillon moved in closer, cornering him against the seat.

"I give you a chance to redeem yourself and you decide to squander it! Heh, typical selfish behavior, don't you think?"

A few tears burned against Reggie's eyes. "I-I...please..."

"You've such a bad reputation, Reggie. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if you become a suspect."

Reggie said nothing as Mr. Quillon drew in closer to whisper.

"Everybody in this school knows how awful you are. They all know how you hate Rudy. There's been witnesses to your past assaults. Now Rudy's discovered missing almost at the same time as you clobbering his friend. Hmm I wonder how long it will take before someone connects the dots." Mr. Quillon smiled.

Reggie gulped as his heart raced. Mr. Quillon was right.

"If you don't help me, I could just...suggest to the principal that you might have had something to do with this unfortunate matter."

Reggie couldn't stop the dread from burning his insides. His head throbbed and his face grew slick with sweat. His breathing had been turned into a racing car with no way to slow down. He pushed himself further into the chair in an attempt to get away from Mr. Quillon. He only ended up trapping himself more than he already was.

Attempts to talk back failed. His voice caught against his throat. His eyes remained locked onto Mr. Quillon. Memories of his encounters with his father formed a shadow over his mind. But this was far worse.

Mr. Quillon tilted his head. "Still a no? My, you're the most selfish child I've encountered."

His face stinging with tears, Reggie said, "H-How do I know you won't still try to f-f-frame me?"

Mr. Quillon asked, "Frame you? Oh no, it's not framing when you already have the motivation." His smile stretched. "You had the means and the reason. No one would question me if I said you did it. No one will take your word."

Reggie said, "If I told you something Rudy Tabootie feared, and you draw it, a-a-and it really does..." He paused and gulped. "Y-You would just use it a-as an excuse to still point fingers at me!"

Mr. Quillon stared at him for a few moments. "Is that what you think?"

Reggie shakingly nodded his head.

Putting a hand to his face, Mr. Quillon let out a snicker. "That hadn't even crossed my mind. But thanks for the idea. I could use it in case you decide to disrespect me and my authority."

Reggie opened his mouth, but quickly shut it.

"Good, you're learning." Mr. Quillon patted Reggie on the head. "Maybe there's still hope for you yet."

Reggie flinched and lowered his head.

Mr. Quillon said, "Make this easier on yourself. Do the right thing. You don't always want to be known as the terrible cyclops, do you?" Mr. Quillon's voice darkened. "What will your father think...?"

Reggie let out a whimper and gritted his teeth. There really wasn't any other option, was there? He drew in a deep breath and spoke meekly, "...okay, I'll help you..."

Mr. Quillon's smile shifted, a juxtaposition that didn't do anything to make the man look less intimidating. "Now that's what I like to here." Mr. Quillon leaned in close again. "What do you want me to draw...?"

Closing his eyes, Reggie said the first thing that came to his mind. "M-Ms. Tweezer..."

sss

Rudy sighed and wiped his brow. It was finally finished. His aching hand struggled to maintain its grip on the chalk. Tenderness in his muscles spread along his arm as if someone had whacked it. He let his legs buckle as he leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath.

Who knew redrawing buildings would be this much work? Not like he was a stranger to it, but it was a whole different game when so many needed to be recreated or repaired. Returning to the school may have been the easier option.

Speaking of which...

"When are you heading back, Bucko?"

Rudy's body jolted. "Don't scare me like that!"

Snap chuckled, his hand clamping his mouth. "I'm sorry, but you should have seen the look on your face!"

Rudy didn't return the laughter.

Getting the hint, Snap calmed himself down and said, "Anyway, isn't it a school day for you, Bucko? Shouldn't you be going back now? They might notice you're..."

"I know and I've been trying to leave, but..." Rudy's voice trailed off for a moment. He swung his hands towards the sky. "They won't let me leave!"

Snap blinked. "Who won't let you leave?"

"Oh, some of the civilians who live here." Rudy rubbed his forehead. "They insist that I should help them rebuild everything that cyclops destroyed. They say that I owe them that much."

"Didn't you tell them it was risky for you to stay here?"

"Yes. They wouldn't listen."

Snap folded his arms and huffed. "Do they have no idea who they are talking to? What gives them the right to force you to keep working on this? You can always come back later."

Rudy shook his head. "I know. I shouldn't still be here. I-I don't know what'll happen if I don't return soon." Rudy paused for a moment. "They must have noticed my disappearance by now." He widened his eyes. "They might have called law enforcement..."

Snap's eyes narrowed. "Then you need to head back. These civilians can wait a few hours. You've done enough for them already."

Rudy bit his lip. There was no doubt that Snap was right. Rudy had never been gone for this long from school if he didn't plan for it. He fought back the urge to kick himself for running off earlier.

Will Penny be able to handle the situation until he got back?

Rudy wasn't able to further ponder this. Those zoners from before, one a stick figure and the other a football, were coming back. Rudy whipped himself around to face them. Snap remained at his side and glared at the incoming zoners. Rudy furrowed his eyes. The looks on the zoners' faces were telling, but there was still hope that they would listen to him now.

"Marvelous! Just wonderful!" Said the stick figure zoner, clasping his hands together. "You're doing a great job with these new building constructs!"

"Though I hope you remembered to make them resistant to further damage," Said the football zoner. His expression carried more weight to it.

Rudy held up his hands. "I'll get to work on that when I can! But I should really..."

"You're not thinking of leaving already, are you?" The football zoner raised an eyebrow. "There's still more work to be done."

Rudy said, "I know, but I have school and if I don't get back, I will be in serious trouble!"

The football zoner growled, but held his tongue when the stick figure zoner took a step forward.

"I think we have a misunderstanding here. Now, we all know about this 'school' you go to and how there's certain times that you cannot be here. Yeah, we get it. But surely you wouldn't think 'school' takes precedence over this, now do you? I mean, you're the Great Creator! You wouldn't dare abandon us in our hour of need for something as lame as that...now would you...?"

Rudy gulped as his mind spun. Any response he previously had slipped out into nothingness.

Snap didn't have any such obstruction. "Rudy's done so much for you already! You can't wait a couple of hours for him to return? Whatever happened to giving breaks?"

The stick figure zoner tapped his fingertips together. "Oh no, you don't understand. There can be no breaks. Not until all the buildings are replaced."

The football zoner snarled, "It's the least he can do for us, after failing to stop that cyclops."

Rudy's chilled body went rigid, widening his eyes.

Snap glared at the football zoner, baring his teeth and taking a defensive stance. "Repeat that. I dare you..."

"You can't handle the truth? You don't want to admit that your useless creator did nothing to protect us from that monstrous beast?" Sneered the football zoner. He folded his arms to his chest. "Heh, I can see why you call yourself Rudy's Greatest Creation. Only you would be blind enough to dismiss that brat's failures."

Rudy pressed his fingernails against his palm as he fought back tears. He ground his teeth together to keep from letting out a cry. Silence was all that he could muster.

Snap growled, "Nobody insults my friend like that and gets away! When I'm done with you..." Snap stalked towards the football zoner. "...your eyes will never be straight again."

The football zoner laughed. "You're really precious, you know that? Defending your creator like you were his lap dog. Did he train you to bark, too?"

Snap's body trembled. Rudy reached out for him, but it was too late. Snap was already in a sprint. Only seconds had passed when Snap grabbed onto the football zoner's arms, leaning his face in like he was trying to intimidate him. The football zoner was unimpressed.

"Are you looking for a fight? I can give you one here, right now!" Snap raised himself up to appear larger. "Just say the word!"

Rudy stepped forward. "Snap...!"

The football zoner curled one side of his lip upward. "You better listen to your creator, chump. You don't want to mess with me."

Snap growled, looking ready to strike.

Before he could, the stick figure zoner broke his brief silence. "There is no reason to get upset over the truth, blue one. You know my compadre is telling the truth. Rudy did let him down before." The stick figure zoner glanced towards Rudy. "I would think someone like him would jump at the chance to make amends."

"He's already done that! Just let him leave for..." Snap tried to say.

The stick figure zoner cut him off. "Let him go? And give him another chance to mess up? Oh no, we can't allow him to do that. He's wronged us and the only way he can prove himself worthy is if he finishes all the repairs today."

Snap and Rudy cried out in unison. "Today?!"

The football zoner sneered, "Surely a creator like yourself would find this no trouble."

Rudy couldn't bring himself to respond. His face must've lost several shades of color. His breathing became as stiff as his body. His hands trembled and ached as visions of countless buildings filled his head. Early onset wrist strain was inevitable.

But those thoughts weren't as bad as the ones involving his parents.

"That's not fair! Rudy's just a kid!" Snap shouted as he pointed at the two zoners. "You can't expect him to fix everything in a day!"

The stick figure shrugged his shoulders. "If he cares about us, he will."

"You..." Snap growled, his body shaking. "Y-You don't have any right to..."

The football zoner's expression didn't change. "Your friend here technically has no right to be in Chalkzone. Biclops only let him in if he helped us zoners out." A smile spread across his face. "I wonder how Biclops would feel if he found out that Rudy turned his back on us zoners. Would the kid be allowed to keep coming in?"

"You know Biclops wouldn't...!" Snap's voice took a momentary higher pitch.

"...but what if he would? You don't know that." Said the football zoner.

Rudy hung his head. More tears stung his cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut as he burned up on the inside. His head ached from the internal struggle of choices. What decision should he make? Did it matter? The walls were closing in on him. All he could do was shrink into himself as if that would stop this sickly feeling.

A flash zipped across the corner of his eye. Rudy whipped his head around, scanning carefully. Nothing seemed to be there.

Another quick blur. And again, nothing.

What was going on?

"Hey, we're talking to you here!"

"Rudy, Bucko, are you okay?"

The voices became nothing more than fading static in Rudy's mind. Even his vision was no longer detecting the zoners' presence. Loneliness clawed at Rudy's heart, a drastic shift that left feelings of confusion in its wake. Something loomed all around him, stretching outward like a storm cloud. Rudy took a few steps back as he hugged himself. Chills crawled along his skin.

Something glinted just behind a broken building. Rudy held his breath as faint waves of energy danced around, using the building as a radiating point. Rudy's body was bathed in it and his vision glitched as if it were part of a television set. He clutched his face and shook his head. The effect only strengthened its hold on him.

And then he saw the face. White glowing eyes. Round and sharp features. A twisted smile. Shadows dissipated from the figure as it came into view.

Rudy screamed.

sss

"Look, I understand the concern, Dr. Sanchez. I really do. But if we don't..."

"You heard what Nurse Jenny said. Back off."

"Our son is missing! Penny should..."

"Dear, don't you think she's been through enough? Don't look at me like that. We won't find our son by harassing his friend."

"How long do we have?"

"They already sent out a few staff members to find him."

"And if my fellow teachers aren't able to find him...?"

"...We'll think of something if it comes to that."

It didn't matter how much Penny snuggled against her mother. She still couldn't shake off the burns in her stomach or stop her cheeks from getting further stung by tears. The adults arguing did nothing to improve her mental state.

"We don't have time for this!"

"Settle down, or you'll...!"

"If she doesn't want to help, then she's no friend of Rudy's!"

Penny let out a whimper at this. Her mother pulled her closer. Penny's attempts to speak were broken into shaky sobs.

Dr. Sanchez growled, "Leave my Penita alone! She has already been through too much!"

Mr. Wilter narrowed his eyes. "You would rather have a child missing?"

"It's not that," Said Dr. Sanchez. "But I already told you. My Penita isn't in a good state to help you. She needs..."

Mr. Wilter stepped forward. "I'll tell you what she needs! She..."

"Stop it."

Mr. Wilter froze when Principal Stringent grabbed his wrist. "B-But... You said..."

"Dr. Sanchez is right," Said Principal Stringent, cutting Mr. Wilter off. "I've already sent out some staff to look for him. This school isn't that big and Rudy couldn't have gotten that far. We don't need to squeeze more information from Penny. Let her rest."

"But what if they can't find our son?" Mrs. Tabootie whispered. "What if he was taken?"

Mr. Tabootie said, "Don't think like that, Milly. I'm sure Rudy's just fine."

Thoughts swam in Penny's mind. Where was Rudy? Why hadn't he returned yet? Was he really that scared of Mr. Quillon that he was willing to risk ChalkZone just to get away? She grinded her teeth.

Accusing Rudy of not caring seemed blasphemous. But that was the signal being played out here. It had been at least two hours since Rudy had left. Two hours since her assault by Reggie. And he was still not back. He should have been back by now. He should be here, talking things out with her.

Penny growled. This was all Rudy's fault. If he hadn't been so selfish and run off like that, this wouldn't have happened.

Did Rudy actually care about her? Maybe he didn't. He did leave her to her fate with Reggie Bullnerd. Bitterness ate away at her stomach. She resisted the nausea and, through the emotion, made an effort to put on a smile. There was no reason to keep her mother worrying like this.

"I-I think I'm better now, mama," Said Penny as she let go. She wiped away her tears. "Thanks..."

"Ahem..."

Mr. Wilter folded his arms.

"Are you able to answer some questions, Penny Sanchez?"

Dr. Sanchez growled, "Seriously? Didn't you hear the nurse?"

Penny flinched. Would she be better off with Nurse Jenny around?

Mr. Wilter ignored Dr. Sanchez. "I know this is hard on you, but you must understand how serious this is, don't you?"

Penny nodded.

"Good then. I'll be right to the point," said Mr. Wilter. "And I expect you to answer truthfully."

Penny narrowed her eyes, but said nothing. She paused to wipe her tears and waited for the first question. A fearful thought tugged away at the back of her mind: Would she be forced to answer a question that would put ChalkZone in direct jeopardy?

"Tell us exactly what happened."

Penny bit her lip. The pressure from an audience intermingled with the fear of a bad answer. There was no chance in backing out of this now. No more retreating to her mother. Maybe she should have given herself more time?

Words needed to be chosen carefully here. Sending them on a wild goose chase would only reflect badly on her. Earning the ire of the Tabooties was not a desirable outcome. A satisfactory answer that wouldn't blatantly contradict what actually happened, did that even exist? Was she smart enough to navigate this problem and reach a conclusion without harming her zoner friends?

Penny stifled a snort. Of course she was, she thought to herself. And with that, something began emerging in her head.

Penny said, "Rudy and I had a stupid argument. I don't even remember what we were arguing about. He had some drawings with him and in our fight, I accidentally knocked his drawings down and they began blowing away in the wind. I tried to catch them, but I couldn't do it. Rudy was going crazy trying to grab them and he started to run off. I lost sight of him before I could stop him from getting close to the school exit."

The words flowed more easily as the story shaped itself.

"Reggie had heard the commotion and came over. I...I don't know what got into him." Penny shivered as pain echoed along her face. She caressed her cheek. "He started rambling about something that didn't make any sense. Something about fictional chalk worlds or the like. And that's when he..." Penny gulped. "...attacked me."

There, it was done. The only thing left now was to hope that this story was good enough to the adults in the room. Penny held still and closed her eyes, her body giving another shudder. Her mother wrapped her in her arms.

It took several moments before someone spoke up.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Penny," Said Mr. Wilter. "I am so sorry to have put this pressure on you."

Principal Stringent said, "If you want to go home now, you may. You've been through enough today."

As tempting as the offer was to Penny, it wasn't an option. What about Rudy? She couldn't just let him face this alone. "N-No, I'm good. I want to see Rudy when he's found. I want to know that he's okay."

Dr. Sanchez kissed Penny's forehead. "I'm sure he's alright, sweetie."

Trying to ignore the looks from Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie was like an impossible puzzle. Even as Principal Stringent and Mr. Wilter left the room to discuss what needed to be done, even when Nurse Jenny returned to further tend to her, the Tabooties' glare was unshakeable.

sss

Rudy had lost track of how long he had been running. He couldn't remember what happened to Snap and the other zoners. Rudy had already started running before any of them could stop him.

And now he had come to a dead end. He had ended up wedged between two broken buildings that been knocked into one another. It was in that moment that drawing buildings for hours was more appealing.

Rudy pressed his back against the wall and held up his magic chalk. Any hopes of this deterring Chalk Tweezer were quickly dashed. Her swaying body crept closer to him, her eyes managing to glue to him despite the erratic motions. Her voice echoed with that dreadful word over and over again.

"Unreal! Unreal!"

Rudy covered his ears, ignoring the discomfort from the chalk, as he tried to drown out the voice. His body trembled harder and he curved inward as though in the beginnings of a fetal position. His teeth nearly cracked from how much pressure he put onto them.

Chalk Tweezer continued to close in the space between them. She would eventually get there. What was he going to do when she does?

Rudy continued to show Chalk Tweezer his chalk. There was still some hope that maybe she'll back down once she realizes what would happen if he were forced to use it. There would be no joy if action needed to be taken. Chalk Tweezer must be able to understand the risk, right?

Chalk Tweezer wasn't getting the memo. Her presence grew heavier, almost enough to push him into the ground. Rudy's legs wobbled and made it difficult to keep standing. The chalk started to come loose from his fingers. He couldn't move his eyes from Chalk Tweezer, those eyes boring into his soul. Those same words continued to flow from her mouth like a twisted mocking bird.

"Unreal!" Chalk Tweezer's eyes glowed. Her mouth stretched, showing him sharp teeth. "Unreal! Unreal!"

Rudy's knees caved in. The magic chalk rolled out of his hand as his body trembled. Chalk Tweezer closed in on him like he was her prey. Warm, stinging wetness covered his cheeks as he raised his hands up in self defense. "P-Please stop..."

Memories flashed into Rudy's mind. He clawed at his scalp as the memories taunted him. His teeth were close to popping out from how hard he was grinding them. It didn't matter what he tried; the flashes intensified.

Ms. Tweezer had singled him out. She forced him to stay behind. She wouldn't let him leave until he submitted to her demands.

For a brief moment, everything around him shifted. He was back in that dreadful outdoor classroom. He was surrounded by those awful instruments. Ms. Tweezer's grating voice pierced his ears. Distorted art flashed before his eyes, twisting and churning and melting into one another. All the while, he was being squeezed against something, his breath pushed out and leaving him to asphyxiate.

Until finally, he couldn't take it any longer.

"Aaaaah!"

Rudy's throat dried up and tightened. His body rattled with emotion, curling inward against itself. His tears left his cheeks stinging. Breathing came in shaky gulps. He tried to keep his eyes shut. Curiosity burned too much.

Rudy stifled a scream as Chalk Tweezer's head began twisting unnaturally. Her neck cracked and snapped, the vivid images of the bones shifting filling Rudy's head. Like an owl, her head turned until it was upside down. Her mouth contorted, stretching into a hideous grin. Sharp teeth greeted Rudy.

Rudy sucked in a breath as adrenaline pumped through his muscles. Trembling, he lost himself in the fear and desperation. His feet carried him in a bee line towards Chalk Tweezer. He swung his fist only to be stopped mid-attack. Chalk Tweezer's hand twisted his own and she yanked him from the ground. Rudy shrieked and pounded against her hand. He tried kicking her, but he was out of reach. He had no time to think of another plan as Chalk Tweezer threw him into the ground.

He coughed and spluttered as dirt caked his mouth. He shook his head and struggled to his feet. He ignored the aches as he took the risk and made a run for it. The destination didn't matter; just putting distance between him and that...thing.

He never got far.

Rudy's body erupted in convulsions as Chalk Tweezer's fingers wrapped around him like rope and slammed him into the ground. Rudy managed to land a few kicks. This did not discourage Chalk Tweezer from securing him and moving her head closer to his. Her eyes grew larger with each passing second and soon a white light shone from them. Rudy shut his eyes and turned his head away.

"What are you afraid of...? Why do you fear the real...?" Came Chalk Tweezer's voice, breaking her repetitive shouts. "Do you want to live in fantasy forever...?"

Rudy yelped as Chalk Tweezer grabbed his face. Her nails scraped along his cheeks. His head was yanked and he gasped as Chalk Tweezer's upside down head had her wicked teeth close to his face. Her drool dripped on him, but his frozen body wouldn't let him move.

Chalk Tweezer curled her lip up as she traced along Rudy's face, eliciting a whimper from him. "Don't be so scared of the real, child... Don't let yourself become blind..." With that, she dragged her nail across Rudy's right eye.

"P-Please s-s-stop..." Rudy whimpered. "I-I-I don't want this... Please..."

Was this to be his fate? Why wasn't he trying harder to fight back? Was anyone going to find him in time?

Rudy's body jerked when Chalk Tweezer began applying pressure.

sss

Mr. Quillon yawned as he leaned against the wall, his hand keeping Reggie in place. Time ticked by increasingly slowly as things remained exactly the same. Just as he had predicted.

There was no magical portal as Reggie claimed. It had all just been a fanciful story created by a young boy desperate to avoid punishment. It had been a mistake to come out here. What a waste of time.

Mr. Quillon chuckled to himself. He had to give Reggie credit. A world made of chalk was not an excuse he had heard before. Reggie deserved brownie points in creativity. Or had he stolen his idea from another student? It would fit what he knew of Reggie well. That boy didn't have a creative bone in his body.

It didn't matter if the idea was Reggie's or not. Reggie had still eaten up time that could have been better spent in finding Rudy. Mr. Quillon's fingers curled. Reggie didn't care what happened to Rudy, did he?

"This is really cute, you know that?" Said Mr. Quillon.

Reggie gulped and stared at him with wide eyes.

Mr. Quillon continued, "I guess my incentive wasn't enough for you. Still you lie and waste my time. I did exactly as you said. But I don't see anything..." Mr. Quillon gave Reggie a sideways glance. "...do you?"

Reggie stammered. "I-I wasn't l-l-lying! Y-Y-You j-j-just have to g-give Tabootie more t-time!"

Mr. Quillon said, "We have been standing out here for, oh dear, fifteen minutes maybe? Maybe you see things that I don't, but the only people who appeared on the playground since we came out were the school staff sent out to find Rudy."

Reggie said, "But they're l-looking in the wrong p-p-place! Th-They should be..."

Reggie let out a squeal as Mr. Quillon yanked him upwards. Lifting Reggie off the ground was child's play.

"You want them to waste time on your little chalk world game?" Mr. Quillon let Reggie struggle. "What do you think you will get out of from your attempts to sabotage the search? Are you hoping to permanently get rid of Rudy just because you don't like him?"

Reggie shook his head. "That's not what I..."

Mr. Quillon released his grasp. As Reggie grunted against the concrete floor, Mr. Quillon straightened himself up. Reggie looked up at him like he were some tall, hulking force.

Good.

"I am tired of humoring you. All you've done is waste valuable time instead of helping with finding Rudy. You're just the same as I had first met you: a selfish brat. I had hoped that you were onto something. I see that had been wishful thinking. I should have known better than to trust the kid responsible for Rudy vanishing."

Reggie's face paled and he scrambled to his feet. "I didn't have anything to do with that!"

Mr. Quillon smirked. "But you were there, right? Not far from where he disappeared."

"What about Sanchez?!" Wailed Reggie. "She was there, too!"

Mr. Quillon shrugged. "I don't think she'd have time to do anything with Rudy." He narrowed his eyes. "Not while she was...busy...with you."

Reggie cowered back from him, shaking his head. He held his hands up defensively. "I-It's not like that at all! P-Please...! I-I-I didn't do anything to them!"

"And why should I believe you?" Mr. Quillon's voice took on an icy tone. "You told me that if I drew Ms. Tweezer, it would scare Rudy right out of ChalkZone. I never believed you, but I guess a part of me was hoping you wanted to help." Mr. Quillon stepped towards Reggie. "I gave you a chance to do some good and you waste it on lying to me!"

Mr. Quillon's body shook, the heat rising up inside of him. His stomach stung and something bitter washed over his tongue. He couldn't stop the nagging thoughts taking over his mind. Questions haunted him.

Was Rudy okay? Had anyone taken him? Did any other child disappear from this part of town?

Mr. Quillon couldn't speak for the other potentially missing children. But there was one thing that was certain.

Reggie Bullnerd played a role in Rudy's disappearance.

Curling his lip upward, Mr. Quillon hissed, "You're coming with me to the principal's office. You have goofed around long enough. And since you refuse to tell me the truth, maybe your father can squeeze some information out of you."

"Th-That's not fair! I would never go that far!" Reggie's breathing started to quicken.

Mr. Quillon sneered. "But you did go far with Penny, didn't you...?"

Reggie's body shook harder as sweat dripped from his face. Reggie hunkered his body like he wanted to run. The look in his eyes made it clear that he knew he wouldn't get far.

His mind growing weary from this, Mr. Quillon cornered Reggie up against the school building wall. His mind simmered with more things that he could say. He opted to remain silent. There was nothing more that could be said to Reggie. He grabbed Reggie's hand and began to drag him back into the school.

"W-Wait! I-I can see the glow!" Reggie cried out, struggling to yank his arm free. "It's over there! C-Can't you see it?"

Mr. Quillon said, "That was just some trick of the eye. I was a fool to think it was of any significance."

"Please! At least t-take a closer l-look!" Reggie's feet scraped the ground.

"Stop wasting time! Either you tell the truth or..." Mr. Quillon never got a chance to finish.

"Help! Somebody, please, help!"

Mr. Quillon and Reggie both froze where they stood. Silence followed, bringing down the temperature around them. Then another echo shot through the air like a knife through butter.

"Help me!"

Mr. Quillon held his breath. "That's Rudy..."

With Mr. Quillon's weakened grip, Reggie was able to free himself. "It's coming from that glow!"

Mr. Quillon just stood there for several moments, his mouth hanging open. Thoughts could barely traverse the twisted landscape of his mind. Comprehension of what transpired slipped out, causing his thoughts to be unable to connect to anything. It was as if reality itself was choking his brain.

Reggie couldn't have been right, could he? It had only been a story, an excuse to get out of trouble. Another dimension didn't exist. There was no proof of such a thing. It had to be another one of Reggie's tricks.

"Come here and look!" Reggie was already kneeling on the ground. "It's still here!"

Mr. Quillon's rigid legs moved as if through concrete. His mind was locked, unable to fully process everything else around him. Any emotion in him had emptied out, leaving behind a husk. Even when Mr. Quillon reached Reggie, the notion that any of this was real fell through the cracks.

And when that glow entered his sights for a second time, everything stopped.