Being accepted by his roommate is one of the best moments of Murray's life. Kids don't make friends with him very often, and the ones that do usually get adopted out pretty quickly after that, and he never sees them again. He shakes Sly's hand and feels like he could fly straight to the moon with how happy he is. It stays with him even when Bentley clears his throat to get their attention.

"I'm glad you two have come to an agreement of some kind, but I would really like some clarification on a few things, if you don't mind."

The other two boys look at him, one expectant and the other still glowing from the handshake and acceptance.

"First things first." He eyes the hippo suspiciously. "How do you know my name? We've never spoken to each other."

Murray brightens. "That's easy! I learned it when you first came here and Ms. Puffin introduced you."

"But that was a year and a half ago," Bentley gapes. "Why would you bother retaining such irrelevant information when we've never interacted since?"

"Uh…"

"I mean - why would you remember my name if we never even met?"

"Oh." Murray plays with his hands, suddenly having a hard time looking at either kid. "I dunno. I like it when people remember my name. I thought it'd be nice to do it for others."

He looks at Sly, who hasn't said anything yet. Actually, Murray doesn't think he's ever heard his roommate say anything. It's probably cause he's so shy.

"You know what I mean, right?" He asks the raccoon. "It's nice when people know who you are. Like, I know you don't like that everyone calls you Sylvester. You want them to call you Sly, right?"

His roommate cocks his head at him, looking surprised, but nods. Murray smiles.

"Yeah, see? I think it's a nice thing to do."

"I see." Bentley adjusts his glasses, studying both of them. "Then I appreciate the courtesy, uh, Murray. Second inquiry: you're both roommates?"

"Uh huh!" The hippo nods enthusiastically. He's delighted to see the raccoon do the same, even if he's not as excited about it. "What about you? Who are you staying with?"

"No one, at the moment. My former roommate was just recently transferred."

"Oh. That sucks." When Bentley gives him a confused look, Murray explains. "It's scary to be all alone in your room, don't you think? Especially in the dark. It's better when there's other kids with you, cause they help keep the monsters away."

The turtle's face changes, looking suddenly sad, and Murray feels bad. Before he can fix it, though, Sly reaches out and touches his arm to get his attention. His eyes are wide and he's staring up at Murray like he's shocked by something, like he's trying to ask him something, but the hippo doesn't understand what it is.

"Um…" He glances at Bentley, who's still sad but is also watching Sly now, just as confused as Murray is. "See? Sly knows what I'm talking about, I think."

The raccoon wrinkles his nose, letting go of his roommate and folding his arms as he starts thinking about something. Murray has noticed he does a lot of thinking. That's probably why he and Bentley the super smart kid are friends.

"Well, uh." Murray tries to figure out what else to say, because he doesn't want the fuzzy feelings that he has while talking to these guys to go away. "If you want, you can stay in our room. It'll be like a sleepover!"

Bentley doesn't look like he likes that idea. "We're not allowed to leave our own rooms at night, though."

"Yeah, but…I dunno. If you're lonely, I thought maybe…"

His words turn into a mumble as he struggles to come up with a good reason for the turtle to risk breaking the rules. Bentley seems to understand he didn't mean to make him get in trouble, because he sighs and pats Murray's arm.

"It was a nice thought. Thank you for the offer."

The hippo beams. "You're welcome!"

Before he has the chance to say anything else, Sly suddenly stands up straight and turns his head, looking down the hall. Murray and Bentley look too, wondering what he noticed that they didn't, when suddenly an adult turns the corner. She blinks as she sees them, then scowls.

"There you are! Mrs. Puffin wants all of you to see her in her office, right now. Come on"

Every good feeling Murray has had today disappears as his stomach turns into a pretzel. A visit to that scary lady's office always means he's done something bad, even when he didn't mean to. His eyes drop to the ground in shame as he walks towards the staff member, and Sly and Bentley follow after him. The turtle looks really nervous now, too.

They march upstairs under the adult's careful gaze, with Murray's worry getting worse and worse. At the headmistress' office, the staff member knocks twice on the door.

"Come in!" Mrs. Puffin's scratchy voice calls out, and the hippo hugs himself as they all enter.

The old woman is writing something down when Murray, Sly and Bentley are told to stand on the other side of her desk, and it takes a long moment for her to finish. The instant she sets her pen down to peer at them, Murray hunches his shoulders.

"I heard there was an incident today," she says, looking at each child like they're the worst people ever. "Would any of you like to come clean and tell me what happened?"

Murray tries to make himself look small. He sees Sly shift from side to side out of the corner of his eye, face completely blank. Bentley looks just as scared as the hippo is, wringing his hands nervously, but he somehow finds the bravery to speak.

"A - An incident?"

"Yes. An incident." She glares over the top of her glasses. "Since none of you have the honesty to admit it, let me do it for you: cheating, intimidation, and threatening physical violence towards other children."

All three boys are stunned; Murray's hands drop limply to his sides, Sly gets wide eyes and looks like he's about to run out of the room, and Bentley tries to get words to come out in his shock.

"But - what - we didn't - what-?"

"I just had four children inform me about this incident, so don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." Mrs. Puffin stands up, folding her hands behind her back as she begins to circle the desk towards them. "Helping each other cheat in class, and then threatening others if they speak up about it. Absolutely disgraceful, criminal behavior."

She stops in front of Murray first, and he wishes that he knew how to turn invisible.

"You've received multiple warnings for destruction of property," the old bird says. "And every time it happens, you apologize and claim it was just an accident, or that you didn't realize how big or strong you are. The excuses are getting tiring, Murray, and now you're threatening other children! If I didn't know any better, I'd think you like being a juvenile delinquent."

The hippo feels an inch tall. He swallows every useless plea and promise stuck in his throat and stares at the ugly carpet. Mrs. Puffin shakes her head, giving a disappointed click of her tongue, and moves on.

"Sylvester." Everyone catches the way he twitches, even Murray. "You've only been here a week, but I was starting to believe you actually understood and were following the rules. I don't know why I had such a slip in judgment - you're obviously just as bad as Murray. I see it was appropriate to put the two of you together."

Sly glares at her, heaving a long, angry breath through his nose. The headmistress narrows her eyes but doesn't say anything about his disrespect before turning to the smallest of the boys.

"And Bentley. I thought you were better than this. Truly, I did." She sighs as if more disappointed than upset, and the turtle draws his head into his shell a little bit. "You'd been keeping up with your studies, hadn't been breaking any rules, and you've been more obedient than most children I've had the displeasure of dealing with. But here you finally are, proving that once a rotten egg, always a rotten egg."

Bentley looks like he's about to cry. Murray wishes he could hug him, because he feels the exact same way.

Mrs. Puffin takes a step back to stare at all of them at once. She had seemed so upset when they'd first come in here, but now she looks happy, and the hippo wonders how any of this could make someone happy.

"The three of you will spend the rest of the day cleaning our family visiting room, and you will not be having dinner tonight. If any of you are caught cheating or threatening other children again, expect this punishment for the entire next week."

Murray feels like throwing up.

"I also want all of you back in my office when you're finished cleaning, so I can inspect it myself. I won't tolerate an unsatisfactory job even if you are delinquents. That room must be spotless before you go to bed tonight. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Murray and Bentley murmur at the same time, never meeting her eyes.

Sly is still staring at her. The hippo is amazed at his bravery. When the headmistress scowls at him, arms folded, the raccoon finally nods his understanding.

"Good. Cleaning supplies are in the janitor's closet down the hall. Remember; spotless."

Wood floor cleaner always makes Murray sick. It smells gross and is so strong that it stays with him for hours afterwards. He plugs his nose with one hand, pours a little more of the disgusting stuff on the floor, and starts scrubbing away at a really bad stain with the old mop in his other hand.

On his left, Bentley stands in front of one of the couches with a hair remover, combing over fabric inch by inch and trying to get every single strand off of it. He's been going at the same couch this whole time, and there's two other chairs to go.

And above them, Sly balances on a chair, stretching out with a feather duster to reach the low hanging ceiling lamp and the cobwebs covering it. Murray tries not to stare, really he doesn't, but he can't help sneaking a peek every now and then of his roommate being so cool.

The sun is starting to set through the window, making the whole room turn orange and red. It would be so pretty if it didn't remind Murray of how late it is, and that they have to miss dinner. Already his stomach is protesting being late. He knows it's just going to get worse, and hopes he'll be able to fall asleep tonight with hunger gnawing at him.

Bentley mutters something to himself about germs and hygiene as he brushes hair off his shell and bowtie. Murray bites his lip.

"I'm sorry I got you guys in trouble," he says quietly. "You were both really good kids and I screwed it all up."

The other two boys stop what they're doing to look at him. Sly never takes his eyes off of him as he slowly climbs down from the chair.

"What are you talking about?" The turtle asks. "All you did was assist us with those ruffians. We're the ones who…cheated." He grimaces like even just the word is bad. For someone super smart like him, it probably is. "If anything, we're the ones who got you in trouble."

Sly nods, looking angry. He's looked like that since they've left the headmistress' office, and Murray wonders how he's able to be so mad without saying a word or doing anything about it. The hippo knows that when he's mad, holding it in just makes it explode and then everything gets worse.

"But you've never been punished by Mrs. Puffin before," he tries to justify his guilt because it doesn't make sense that they wouldn't think this is his fault. "I've done bad stuff all the time, and I always get other kids in trouble too, even on accident."

"I've gotten in trouble before." Bentley crosses his arms, looking upset either by the memory or that Murray thought he was such a goody-two shoes.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I accidentally got separated from our group when we were doing a fundraiser in town. It was last year, before I got my glasses. I couldn't see very well, and I got lost for about twenty minutes. It was terrifying."

Both Murray and Sly stare at him, captivated by his story.

"What happened next?"

"They found me on the front steps of someone's house, bawling my eyes out." He clears his throat and turns his head from them a bit, face red. "Got scolded pretty badly for 'scaring my chaperones'. The one good thing that came of it was that it convinced them to finally get me proper eyewear, because with my history Mrs. Puffin knew it was going to happen again sooner or later."

The hippo tilts his head. "Your…history? What do you mean?"

Now, Bentley goes rigid, and turns completely away from both of them in silence. Just when they think he's not going to answer, his voice comes out in a whisper.

"How I ended up at the orphanage. Wandered too far from home and some stranger found me and brought me here."

"Your parents are still alive?" Murray's eyes nearly pop out of his skull. Sly almost drops his feather duster. "Why hasn't anyone told them you're here?"

The turtle hunches his shoulders. "...Because they don't care. They never came to look for me. Never even told the police I was missing."

It feels like someone punched him in the gut. His mouth drops open, stunned speechless, and Sly looks like he can't even understand the meaning of those words, much less it actually happening in real life.

"...Oh."

"Yeah. 'Oh'," Bentley pulls his glasses off and wipes his face before turning back towards them. His voice cracks. "It doesn't matter now, anyway. They've got a lot of other kids and they've probably moved far away, and I'm here, and that's that. No use dwelling on things I can't change."

That doesn't sound right to Murray, but he's not smart like Bentley is, so what does he know?

"Well, um…" He hesitates, unsure what to say to make the turtle feel better. "Y'know, I…I never knew my parents at all."

"You didn't?"

Now it's his turn to be stared at by the other boys. It makes him a little nervous, but he keeps going.

"Nope. I've been here as long as I can remember. Mrs. Puffin said since I was a baby, even."

"Oh," Bentley breathes. "That's a long time."

"Yeah, but it's okay." The hippo manages to smile, even if it's a little shaky. "Cause I don't mind being here, and I get to meet a lot of cool people, like you guys."

Sly inhales, sharp and silent, and stares down at the half-polished floor.

"That's why you took the time to remember my name, huh." Bentley says quietly, looking at Murray a little differently now. "You've probably been here longer than anyone, so you know what it's like for someone to ignore or forget you."

"I mean, I guess." He shifts from side to side. Something about those words makes him really uncomfortable, and he doesn't want to talk about himself anymore. "I guess we both do. But now that we know each other, it won't happen again! Right?"

The turtle starts to smile just a little bit. "I don't think that's quite how it works, Murray, but I appreciate the sentiment. And you're certainly correct about one thing - we know each other now. I'm glad to have made your acquaintance."

"Me too!" Murray grins, big and goofy. "You and Sly! Even though we got in a lot of trouble, I'm so happy I got to meet you!"

They look over at the raccoon, who finally lifts his eyes from the floor. He hesitates, looking afraid, and Murray wonders how any of this could be scary. Having friends is the best thing ever!

The fear slowly leaves his face. A real smile takes its place, shy and unsure, but it's enough to make Murray's whole body feel warm and fuzzy in that way only friends can do.

Still the best day ever.

When the room is done, the boys are told to wait in Mrs. Puffin's office while she goes to inspect it herself. They stand side by side, giving each other nervous glances as the clock on the wall ticks away a horrible minute of waiting.

Once again, Sly is the first to straighten before they hear or see anything themselves, and this time they follow his lead just in time for the headmistress to reenter.

"Well, I suppose the room is adequate enough," the bird says, sounding like she's just been forced to eat something really gross. "You three are allowed to return to your rooms for the night. But before that…"

She walks over to a bookshelf in the corner of the room, reaches up to grab a jar sitting on the top shelf, then sets it down on her desk. There's a cookie symbol on the front of it, and both Sly and Bentley stare at it, confused.

Murray closes his eyes and braces himself for the worst part of these punishments.

"Dinner usually comes with a single chocolate chip cookie for each child, as you are all aware of."

She opens the jar and sets the lid aside. A tasty smell wafts out of it, making the hippo's mouth water. The other boys smell it too, because they both make faces like they're trying to pretend that they don't.

"Whenever a child misbehaves and has dinner withheld from them, I like to put those cookies in here. It serves as a reminder of the rewards they lose for their terrible actions."

The headmistress pulls three cookies out of the jar, stacking them neatly in front of her for them to see. Murray swallows. Bentley holds his breath. Sly's eyes dart between the sweets and the old woman.

"Consider this your reminder," Mrs. Puffin sneers, taking a bite into the first one.

They stand there, stomachs growling, staring at her until she's eaten all three. When she dabs her face with a napkin at the end of it, shooing them off to bed for the night, Murray glances at the others. Bentley is pale and quiet.

Sly's hands are clenched in shaking fists.

A/N: It's still technically Tuesday where I am so I'm technically not late shhhh.

Anywho! There's a lot that happened in this chapter but I feel like it made sense to put it all together here. Get some insight into the gang and we finally see the infamous cookie jar! I could have sworn I read somewhere that Mrs. Puffin did indeed fill it with what she stole from children, but I couldn't find a source on it no matter how much I scoured the internet. Oh well, it's canon here now lol.