I got chapter three up. Look at that. Sometimes my prowess surprises even me. But hey, this is still a new challenge for me.

Anyways, this chapter was a lot to take in. I'm telling you, no one can handle what I do. Which is why I do it. It'll all work out in the end.

It was a dark, serene night as the luminous moon gleamed and the white twinkling stars gave harmony at the black-blue sky. Hogarth looked away from his window and turned his attention to the stitchpunks. They were all gathered at his nightstand, watching him page through a book he had in his lap. Hogarth turned to the stitchpunks and came up with an idea.

"I bet this was the most excitement you've had," said Hogarth to the sticthpunks.

"It was something new," said 5. The twins nodded.

"I'll say," quipped 9.

3 flickered to Hogarth, who tilted his head confusedly in an attempt to understand him.

"What's he saying?," he asked any of the two verbal stitchpunks.

"He's saying that he liked when we went to the library," said 5.

"Oh," uttered Hogarth, smiling, "so did I." He sat back, bringing the covers to his knees. "My favorite books are on science fiction."

"They were really interesting," said 9.

4 nodded, beside her, 3 shared his sister's enthusiasm.

"I liked the statue of you and the Giant," threw in 9. "It's really my favorite thing in your town."

"Really?," quipped Hogarth, arching a brow. "Mine too."

"When I looked at it," spoke 9, "it reminded me of me and the Scientist for some reason."

"Huh?," said 5, turning to look at the zippered male. 3 and 4 flickered curiously. He looked at each of the three before coming up with an answer.

"Well, it...," said 9, nervously, "it just... I don't know. It just did." He paused. "Like when each of you got to meet him," he continued, "it made me imagine what it must've been like for you. Meeting him for the first time."

"Do you wish you could have met him?," asked Hogarth.

"I did," answered 9, "the first time I woke up. After realizing he died, I grew to accept his death and move on."

5 patted him on the back. 4 sidled over to 9 and smiled.

Hogarth mulled over his next question.

"Hey," he uttered, closing his book, "how do you guys feel about coming to school with me?"

The four blinked curiously.

"It got me thinking," he said, "I can't leave you all here alone." Then more seriously he added: "I don't trust you all to be unsupervised."

"This is because of me, isn't it?," quipped 9 defensively.

"No, no," reassured Hogarth, letting out a light chuckle. "I just think that it'd be cool if you saw a real school."

The twins nodded their heads at that idea. They hadn't seen humans since they first came to life, but seeing live ones was just invigorating.

5, seeing their enthusiasm, smiled and shook his head.

"We'll go," he said, "so long as we can get to see what it's like, and to satisfy their curiosity."

"I wouldn't say no to that," replied Hogarth. Before he could turn off the light, Hogarth added, "Hey, maybe after school we can keep searching for your friends in the forest."

"I like the sound of that," quipped 9. Hogarth nodded.

"Goodnight, guys," said Hogarth, switching off the light switch.

"Goodnight," said 5.

Hogarth's morning went quickly as the past mornings. Enjoying breakfast, and getting ready for the school day, he looked forward to sneaking the four stitchpunks to school and showing them the ropes. As soon as the plates were cleared and his mother giving Hogarth his lunch, Hogarth, grabbed his backpack he set on the floor next to him, picked up his science book, and headed on his way.

The school bus stop was further down the road from Hogarth's house. Hogarth walked to the bus stop, despite Dean insisting he can drive him there. Hogarth thanked him, and waved goodbye to him. Dean may have bought himself a car, but he still kept his motorcycle and rode it from time to time. Buying the car was a start to Dean making a progress into the family life.

Hogarth reached the bus stop, where he saw a few more students there. Some of which were friends of his, he waved to Duncan—heavyset, blond, and a slight overbite; Michael—wiry, light brown hair and hazel-eyed; and finally, Terrence—tall, dark brown hair that was almost black, brown eyes and in a green jacket.

"Hey guys," said Hogarth.

"Hey, Hogarth," said Terrence and Duncan in unison.

"Hey," squeaked Michael.

"So how was your weekend?," asked Duncan.

"Aw, the usual: spending it riding my bike and going into town," replied Hogarth casually. "That sort of thing."

"That's cool," commented Terrence. He turned to Duncan and Michael. "Hey did you guys catch..."

The conversation lasted until the school bus arrived, after which it was time for Hogarth and his friends to get on to the bus and head for school. Hogarth near the middle where his friends were at. Duncan sat in the seat behind Hogarth, while Terrence and Michael sat across from Hogarth's left. Hogarth had the seat to himself and he opened his backpack halfway to let the stitchpunks look out the window. The four peeked out the window while being careful not to get spotted. Hogarth listened to his friends's talk while tracking the minutes.

In about ten minutes the school pulled into the school, along with another line of buses disembarking its cargo of students.

"Okay, stay out of sight," whispered Hogarth to the stitchpunks as he stood up. He zipped his backpack and waited. Three buses already left and it was their turn to get off. As soon as the doors opened, all the students filed out of the bus. Hogarth fell in line just as quick, accompanied by his friends. All the students got off and made their way to the school building.

Rockwell High was a prestigious establishment, most noted for its reputation of having schooled notable figures in the past. The school was one of the best in all of Rockwell. Their mascot was the sparrows. And their school motto was "Beyond the sky we rise."

That's what Hogarth liked about his school. That everyone got a chance to get an education and meet their potential. He also liked that he got to go the same school his idols went to. And he wanted to live up to their expectations.

His locker being on the first floor, as with all freshman, Hogarth went down the left, where his locker was located in the middle. He entered the combination and made a quick checkup. He opened his backpack, alerting the stitchpunks.

"I can only take one of you at a time," he whispered as he grabbed his books. "So, three of you will have to stay here until my next class."

"I'll stay behind," offered 5.

"So will I," said 9.

The twins, however, weren't so sure about this arrangement. They have never been apart before. 3 flickered to his sister, which grabbed Hogarth's attention. After a few seconds, 4 stepped up and nodded.

"3 and 4 came to an agreement, and 3 wants his sister to go with you," said 5. 4 nodded again.

"Okay," said Hogarth, grabbing his backpack, "hop in." 4 jumped into his backpack, and after getting his notebook, he closed his locker.

With one of the stitchpunks in his company, Hogarth strolled through the corridors to his first class. Economics. The class was located in the west wing, first door near one of the exits. Hogarth strode in, found his desk near the window, and sat down. It was in the back, and good thing he chose that as his seat on the first day. It was convinient, because that way 4 can observe the class without being seen by the other students or the teachers.

The teacher stood at the blackboard, writing with a piece of chalk. As soon as the last student came in, the bell rang and that meant the start of class.

Hogarth read the title on the blackboard, and immediately grimaced.

"We have a test today," he whispered over his shoulder to 4, who happened to peek. "Glad I studied." He winked at the hooded stitchpunk, who flickered at him sheepishly.

Hogarth turned his attention to the teacher, who started passing out the test.

Hogarth's school day was spent with introducing each stitchpunk to a different class. Because there were only four, sometimes he let the same one join him to another class. He liked their zest for observing a human setting and seeing how they learn at a school. It was fascinating to 9, who had never seen living humans before. It was the last class of the day; history. 9 was the last one to join him on this class, and after that, continue his search in the forest.

The teacher, Mr. Bryson, stood at the blackboard, counting to see who was here before the bell rang. Terrence was the last to enter, and just in the knick of time. The bell rang, Mr. Bryson closed the door, and class was ready to get started.

"Today we will be reviewing from last week's lecture," droned the teacher, strolling toward the blackboard and picking up the open book on his desk. "If you can turn to page 33..."

The class was spent in what seemed like an eternity with Mr. Bryson's voice nearly putting the class to sleep. Hogarth paid complete and full attention to the lesson. Truthfully, history was a breeze to him, as were the other classes, except, maybe, English. Hogarth never admitted it, but things that involved reading Shakespeare and Jane Eyre was a struggle to him. Hogarth dreamt of being a sci-fi author one day, but it seemed like literature wasn't doing him any favors. Perhaps a ghost writer was of good use.

As he counted the minutes to the end of class, all Hogarth could think was going back to the forest to continue searching for the possible stitchpunks that might have ended up in his world. He could only hope that the other five might be around, and if they are, he'll bring them into his home just like he did 9, 5 and the twins.

"For tonight's homework," said Mr. Bryson, "you will answer questions one through twenty..."

Time stretched on immeasurably in the stagnant classroom. Bored faces were plastered on the faces of the students who wished for the bell to ring and release them from Mr. Bryson's dullness.

Come on, come on, thought Hogarth in anticipation, looking at the wall clock next to the door. Any minute and he'll be home free.

Hogarth glanced down at his backpack. 9 was observing the class while being careful not to get spotted. It was the most eventful day he and his friends had, so he couldn't fault him for being overly curious.

At long last the bell finally rang just as Mr. Bryson was wrapping up his lecture. He even gave them a last minute reminder as each student filed out of class. Hogarth was the second to last to leave the room, waiting for Terrence to catch up with him. Terrence was gathering his book and notebook and walked out the door.

"I've got basketball today," said Terrence as soon as he caught up with Hogarth. "You?"

"Ah, I've got nothing today," replied Hogarth, "tomorrow though I've got photography club."

"You taking snaps of the forest?," asked Terrence.

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"Why not try out taking shots of the park?," suggested Terrence.

"I might do that."

The two strolled down the stairs to the first floor, their history class being on the second. Terence gave Hogarth a wave goodbye before ambling to the gym. Hogarth made his way to his locker to get the rest of his books as well as getting the other three stitchpunks.

"Hey," he said as soon as he opened the locker door.

"About time," said 5, standing up.

Hogarth opened the backpack and the three jumped in. The boy carried his books rather than put them in his sack. With his things gathered, he made his way outside to catch the bus home. Duncan was the only one of his friends to join him on the bus, which was no surprise. He and Duncan talked most of the way home, at least until Duncan reached his stop and Hogarth rode the rest of the way home alone. There were only about three kids left. Once the bus left Hogarth at his designated spot he made the walk home.

Before he could even think about going to the forest, Hogarth had to do his homework first. He may want to look for the other stitchpunks, but he had responsibilities to uphold. Arriving home, Hogarth found that neither of his parents' cars were parked. That indicated they were still at work. Upon opening the door and then locking it, he walked up the stairs, entered his bedroom, and immediately opened his backpack, allowing the four to jump out.

"We'll go to the woods as soon as I finish my homework," he said, taking out his history book.

"We understand," said 9. Then more curiously he added, "Anything we can help with?"

Hogarth mulled over his offer.

"Well, I can use all the help I can get," he answered. He outstretched a hand for any of the four to hop on. At the last minute, 5 was the one who stood on his hand. Hogarth took him to his desk, laid out his notebook and textbook. 5 hopped off his hand as Hogarth sat in his chair. The boy picked up a pencil and opened his notebook to the next available page.

"Okay, so," began Hogarth, "what we have to do is answers these questions—" he pointed to the column on the designated page the teacher assigned. "It's on the Industrial Revolution."

5 skimmed over the page. "Hmm." He scratched his chin. Looking his shoulder, he said, "3, 4, would you come over here?"

Hogarth stood up and brought the twins to the desk. Once on the desk, the twins flickered their optics.

"Well?," said Hogarth.

"They know about this," said 5, "having spent their lives in a library."

"Of course."

3 and 4 flickered to Hogarth, which he still didn't understand.

"5?"

5 smiled savvily. "They're saying that the answer to the first question is the 18th to 19th centuries."

Hogarth looked back at the paper. "That sounds just about right." He wrote it down in his notebook.

An hour passed with Hogarth doing his homework with the help of the stitchpunks, except for 9. He watched while the others pitched in, making him feel unwanted. He wouldn't admit it though.

"And that's the last one," said Hogarth, writing the answer to the last homework question. Closing his notebook, he set his textbook aside and placed his notebook back in his backpack.

"Is there anything else?," asked 9 hopeful.

"I've got math," replied Hogarth, "though it doesn't need to be turned in until Friday." 9 nodded sympathetically. He turned to the other stitchpunks. "You guys wanna get started on the search?"

3 and 4 nodded and flickered their optics.

"It wouldn't hurt to try," said 5.

"I guess we can go," said 9.

Hogarth grabbed his binoculars, placed his helmet on and carried the stitchpunks in his arms. After locking the door, Hogarth got on his bike and his the four in his jacket pockets. Once he was ready, he started pedaling. They rode through the same path he took them yesterday, only when they reached their spot, Hogarth kept pedaling. It seemed like today they were going to go to a different location. The stitchpunks watched from the safety of the coat pockets, the wind combing through them. Hogarth sped up when the road looked familiar to him. He knew where this path would take him. He could see the chain-link fence, and the rest of the structure. Hogarth slowed down, and braced himself. He did a wheelie once he was in close range sight the power plant.

"Whoa!," shouted 9, holding his lightstaff tightly.

"Wild, huh?," said Hogarth.

"I'll say," commented 5.

Hogarth hopped off and leaned his bike against a tree. He walked up to the power plant, remembering that night like the back of his hand.

"This is where I found the Giant," said Hogarth, taking off his helmet. He motioned for the stitchpunks to get in the helmet, which they did.

9 blinked. "And you said he tried to eat this?," he queried.

"Yup." He sidled closer to the structure. "I was out here with my BB gun, that's when I saw him." He gazed up at the power lines. "He was eating those power lines up there." He glanced at the spiral, conical-shaped devices. "He touched those things over there," he pointed at the devices, "and got electrocuted."

3 and 4 flickered a single flash of light. Hogarth thought it was their way of expressing surprise.

"I saw the off switch," he continued, cocking his head at the aforementioned off switch, "I pulled it down, the power went out and the Giant fell. I swear I felt the ground tremble." He stepped away, running his hand across the fence. Holding the helmet in his other hand, he walked towards the right, keeping his eyes on the power plant.

"You said you woke him up," said 9.

"Yeah," said Hogarth.

"Bet it wasn't fun for either of you."

"No, but the next time I saw him, he was thankful that I saved him." Hogarth traipsed over to a pine tree. He held his helmet up to allow the four to reach for the branches. 3 and 4 were the first to climb its branches. Followed by 5, and finally 9, who gave Hogarth his lightstaff to hold for him.

"You should've seen him learning new words," said Hogarth as he sat on the ground. He set his helmet aside. "It was...kind of fun. And then he wanted to follow me home, and I kept telling him that I would come back tomorrow." He let out a laugh, and he flopped back on the ground. "It was like talking to a two-year-old."

"I can imagine that," said 5.

Hogarth looked at 9's lightstaff. "You know," he quoth, squinting his eyes as he held it up to the light, "I bet Dean would be impressed by this."

"Would he?," asked 9.

"Definitely."

A pinecone fell on Hogarth's face, prompting the boy to sit up. He looked at the pinecone before glancing up at the tree with a scowl. He spotted the twins flickering to him and using hand gestures to calm him. The crease in Hogarth's forehead lightened since he understood it was an accident. At least that's what the twins were trying to tell him.

"How come they don't have voice boxes?," he asked to either of the two vocal stitchpunks. "Couldn't 2 give them ones?" He glanced at 9. "Like he did with you?"

"The Scientist tried," said 5, "but they were so fast, he couldn't, so he moved on to create the rest of us."

"Why didn't he put voice boxes in them before he brought them to life?," inquired Hogarth.

"He was in a hurry, Hogarth," said 5. "As painstaking as it was building each of us, there are some things he couldn't include."

"That's understandable," replied Hogarth. He picked up his helmet again, put it on and rose to his feet. "Come on," he said, holding up his arms, "let's check the lake." The stitchpunks hopped on to his arms, clinging to his hands. Hogarth let them grab on to his shoulders this time, and he made his back to his bike.

As they rode off, Hogarth hoped he would find the other stitchpunks there, or at least one of them. Were they really going to be there? Maybe not. If Hogarth did find them there, would they have to leave at that moment? And what of that lake portal? How did that work exactly? Was it supernatural? Was it scientific? He didn't know, but what he did know was that he needed to keep the stitchpunks he had safe, even if someone did find them. But this wouldn't be like with the Giant. Yes, these stitchpunks were walking and talking, but hiding them will be easier since they're only about seven inches tall (or taller). They could pass off as toys easily.

Hogarth saw the lake several yards ahead. He felt one of the stitchpunks grab at his neck collar. As he pedaled faster he felt the adrenaline coursing through him. He balanced his weight and did a nose wheelie. He took it a step further and even spun in place.

"Whoa!," hooted 5.

"Woohoo!" Hogarth felt on top of the world.

9 held out a hand to feel the wind whipping against his face.

Hogarth shifted his weight, bringing the bike down on both wheels and Hogarth climbed off, staggering.

"That one always leaves my head spinning," he said, trudging toward a boulder. Leaning against it, he removed his helmet, bouncing off and landing on the side. The four stitchpunks jumped off the boy's shoulders.

"Where's my lightstaff?," asked 9.

"Right here," said Hogarth, pulling it out of his pocket. He planted it on the loose dirt, where 9 went and retrieved it. The boy sat on the ground, exhaling a breath. He placed a hand over his forehead, briefly glimpsing at the afternoon sky and then glancing over at the tall grasses. He looked over at his back, which he left lying on the ground. He didn't want to, but spinning that way really left him dizzier than going on a roller coaster.

"You alright?," asked 9, climbing on to Hogarth's knee.

"I didn't even feel you," replied Hogarth breathlessly. He grabbed at his binoculars, which were still around his neck. "Yeah, I'm okay." He pulled them up to his face and took a peek, swiveling around to see the lake.

He saw nothing but the crystal clear water. On the other side of the lake's shore was the treeline and a few birds pecking at the ground. Looking up, he could see the treetops scraping against the sky. Hogarth felt 9's metal fingers climb their way to his shoulder. He couldn't help but let a chuckle.

"That tickles," he giggled, flinching.

"I thought you couldn't feel it," retorted 9, raising a stitched brow. Hogarth continued laughing until 9 settled on his shoulder. The boy faced the lake again and looked through the binoculars.

"You see anything?," inquired 5, climbing the boulder. The twins followed after him.

"No," replied Hogarth, "it's quiet. Too quiet." He squinted despite having the binoculars. There wasn't a trace of anything that looked close to being a stitchpunk. He looked down at 5. "You said 7 has white fabric?"

"That's right."

"She also wears a bird skull on her head," threw in 9 as a helpful clue.

"A bird skull?," said Hogarth, turning to look at him.

"Yes, she wears it like you wear your helmet."

Hogarth mulled over their descriptions.

"She's got to be easy to spot," he finally said. "And...6?"

"He's white with black stripes," said 5. He gently tapped at his patch. "And his left optic is bigger than his right one."

"Funky." Hogarth put his binoculars down, blinking his eyes a few times. "Well, there's nothing so far. Maybe they already found their own way—that is, if they did make it through here." He added that last part to be sure if they were here or not.

"You got any more stories about the Giant?," asked 9, tapping Hogarth's head with his finger.

"Aww yeah," he replied, "I do."

"Care to tell us?"

Hogarth cackled before beginning.

"He," he snorted, "he...one time, the Giant brought me and Dean to this lake. And I," he puffed out his chest, "I wanted to impress Dean, who was sitting over there—"he pointed at a spot a few away from where they were. "—and I was standing on this boulder, I dove into the water, and it was freezing." A shiver ran up to his spine at the memory.

"And the Giant?," asked 5.

"Well," continued Hogarth, "I asked the Giant to come in, and he walked away into the woods. I thought he was being a coward, but then he came running and he dove and he—" The boy broke down laughing, pounding the boulder with his fist. "He—hic—he...he flooded up the whole forest." In that moment, Hogarth laughed with all his might, grabbing at his stomach. 5 and 9 burst into laughter, while the twins smiled and let out, what Hogarth could tell as, quiet giggles.

"And then what?," asked 9.

"When the water drained," he pointed at a pine tree, "I was holding on to the top of that tree. And when the Giant got me down, we found Dean stranded on the road. He wasn't amused."

"I'll say," quipped 5. 3 and 4 nodded their heads. Hogarth gave them a smile. Glancing at the lake, he peeked through them again to see if he might spot something.

"Still don't see any of your friends," said Hogarth. His heart tensed as he saw a figure moving through the trees. "Oh, wait! I see something."

"What is it?," asked 5.

"Is it one of the stitchpunks?," queried 9. "Is it 7? 8?"

"No," answered Hogarth, "but you'll be just as amazed." He lowered 9 and placed him in the boulder. He put the binoculars down, pointed at the lenses and the zippered male took a peek. What he saw left him speechless.

"What did you see?," asked 5.

"You have to see this," shouted 9, stepping away. 5 walked over to the binoculars and looked. He heard the twins' footsteps skitter past him. Ignoring their noise, he continued gazing through the lens.

"Is that...is that a...?"

"A deer," said Hogarth.

"I've never seen one before," uttered 5. "Well, not a live one, but the twins showed me in a book once."

3 nodded at Hogarth. He turned back to the binoculars.

"Must be different seeing one alive, huh?"

"Definitely," said 9, who was more enthusiastic about seeing a deer.

Hogarth had already seen a deer once with the Giant. Then tragedy struck and some hunters shot the deer, killing it and prompting Hogarth to explain death to him. It wasn't easy teaching him the value of life and the soul, but he could tell that the Giant understood. Now he wondered whether the stitchpunks understood that or not.

Hogarth turned and saw the sun descending behind the trees. Another day has come and gone. He loved this part of the day: observing the rich, bold colors and then await the next one. There wasn't anything Hogarth would give up to watch a sunset. There wasn't anything in the world that would stop him from watching a sunset.

"That's enough for the day," he said as he grabbed the binoculars. He picked up his helmet and put it on. He picked 9 up and lowered him to this jacket pocket. "Come on," he said, picking 5 up. After he went in it was the twins' turn. "Let's go home."

He picked up his bike, climbed in and ride away, leaving behind a cloud of dust in his wake.

Well, that was something. I hope we get to see more of Hogarth's friends. I don't know how important they'll be to the story. We'll see how this all plays through.

Be on the lookout for chapter four. ;)