Here we are with Chapter 2, a little bit smaller but I hope you guys can still enjoy it ^^

Message to Bears - Find our way home

08.09.2016

Ooozten was surprisingly nice.

The city was big, with lots of people, but despite that, it was still surprisingly clean. The few people she had talked to thus far had been polite to her, and as far as she could tell everything was pretty good signposted.

Bonnibel herself wasn't eager to see the city though. She was content with just knowing where the next grocery store was, and how she would be able to get to her college, was enough. But there was no way she would be able to keep her little brother Neddy inside their new home. So instead, she went for a walk with him, pretty much daily.

And she actually had to thank him for forcing her to go outside. On one of their voyages, they had found a quiet and somewhat isolated park, which in of itself was surprising. Ooozten was not a small town at all, but most people were probably just to busy to visit this park on a regular basis, despite it being summer.

Well, look who is talking. Let's see how much free time I got left as soon as school starts.

Right now they strolling through the city center.

"Look how big the houses are here, sis!"

"Oh, that's right, you never actually saw skyscrapers before, did you?"

"Nuh-uh. Just look, sis, that one is even bigger!"

For Boonie, it was amusing seeing how excited her brother could get over something like as simple as that.

"We need to show those to mom when she gets home."

Bonnibel gave her little brother a smile. "As soon as she has a free day, she will go visit them herself with us."

"Really?"

"She promised it, did you already forget?"

"... No?" He said, after a short pause. Neddy was not a good liar. Not yet, at least.

Then, all of a sudden, a girl to their left that went unnoticed until now, got jumped by a big brown dog.

"What the hell! G-Get away!" She screamed in panic while trying to hold the belling dog at bay. Neddy immediately got startled by the sudden sounds to his left and froze up.

Bonnibel couldn't help it. Just standing by and doing nothing was not her thing. Sometimes she wished she could be like all the other people who stood around the poor girl, smiling at her. But she wasn't like them. She always needed to help.

But just how do you help someone who is being jumped by a dog?

Not really knowing what to do, and not wanting to hurt the animal either, she pushed herself between the two. "Bad, bad dog! Stop it!" She said while wagging with her finger. "Sit!" And to her surprise, the dog stayed where he was.

Just a moment later, a small guy came running towards the two girls. He wore a pretty baggy yellow t-shirt, which had a similar color to his blond hair, and brown shorts. As he approached them, he yelled in a deep voice. "Susan! Susan, stop it!" He grabbed, what was presumably his dog, by the red collar, and pulled 'Susan' back.

Bonnie looked at him for a moment, making sure that the dog wasn't going to go at them again, and then turned around to the girl behind her back.

Now, as she got a closer look, the girl behind her was actually really pretty. She wore a pink shirt, accompanied by a rainbow-colored skirt.

After a moment of lingering panic, the pretty girl said. "Your hair is really pretty. Oh, and thanks for saving me." In a weird accent.

"It's not like you were in mortal danger or anything." Bonnie tried to downplay what just happened, not really liking all the attention.

"I'm so sorry!" The boy in yellow said again, after checking up on his dog. "She does that sometimes… Susan, apologize to those two." As if she could understand what her owner was saying, she darted towards the blond girl, who was still scared and snuggled against her legs, signaling her that she wanted to be petted.

"C-Can I touch her?"

"Of course! Susan may seem scary, but she is a nice girl. Isn't that right, Susan?" The dog's tail started whipping from left to right, upon hearing her owner's voice.

Just what is going on, right now? Bonnibel thought to herself.

"I wanna touch the dog too!" Neddy seemed like his usual excited self again, once the shock had worn off.

The boy in the yellow t-shirt looked down to Neddy, and with a big smile, he asked. "Sure you can." His brown eyes then came up to Bonnie's. "I mean, only if you're cool with it."

"I think…"

But Ned wasn't even paying attention to them anymore, as he was too busy getting his face liked by the big dog.

Seeing her brother getting kinda overwhelmed by Susan, she couldn't help but chuckle. "I think we are."

"You know, little man, she only wants to be petted by good people."

"Really?"

"Yep. She would never ever let a bad guy get close to her."

"But she just licked my face.!" Neddy said.

"Means, you're a good guy."

"Wow…"

"What about me then?"

Surprised by that, Bonnie, the guy, and even Ned turned around. The girl in the rainbow skirt grinned awkwardly at them, shrugging.

"T-That means you must be pretty cool too."

Bonnibel could see the blush on his face, as he turned away from the blond girl.

"So, anyway…" He coughed slightly. "Little man and hero girl, thanks for helping to keep my dog from getting into more trouble again."

"Hero girl?"

The blond girl started laughing on that. "Don't be so humble."

"I-I'm really not." Bonnie furrowed. She was not special. She just did what she thought was right. "It was nice meeting you guys, but my brother and I really need to get going again. See you around."

"Do we really have to go? I Wanna play with the dog some more?"

"We still need to cook for tonight, Neddy."

"Oh, can I help you cut some vegetables again?"

His positive attitude made Bonnie's lips quirk upwards as if she didn't have a say in the matter. She had almost forgotten the two strangers right next to them, but then she turned around once more, to say goodbye.

"So long, hero-girl." The boy nodded to them.

The blond girl still had that inhumanly bright smile on her face, while energetically waving with her hands. "Bye Bye!"

What a weird day.

As they got back home, after buying some stuff from the grocery store, the two siblings started cooking in harmony. Bonnie knew how important it was to be able to cook for oneself, so teaching, the little that she knew, to her brother, always made her feel satisfied. As if this was a confirmation that she was doing a good job as a big sister. And anyway, Ned seemed like he was having fun. He was humming a song, she didn't know, and was cutting potatoes in the same rhythm as the song.

The two of them were preparing the meal for quite some time before Ned broke the silence.

"You think mom will make it for dinner, tonight?"

Bonnie knew that their mother wouldn't be here for it. They needed the extra night shift bonus their mother would get.

It's my fault Neddy. I'm going to college now, and mom has to work for it…

"Maybe she will surprise us, who knows." She said with a smile, to her little brother.

08.14.2016

This was so typical. Of course, she had to attend one of his little parties again. Well, they were not small at all, but they were a pointless waste of time, in her eyes.

All those pretty people that knew her, just through her father, were of course present, wearing pretty dresses and expensive suits.

But what she hated the most was how all of them smiled at her.

I know, I'm not my father but thanks for reminding me. Marceline thought while sitting at a bar all by herself. She knew that she had a standard which she had to follow.

"You look very pretty tonight." Someone said, behind her.

"Oh, it's just you Ash." She nodded toward the blond boy, as he sat down next to her.

Ash was… probably her boyfriend. At least if someone asked her father. For him, Ash was the guy she would marry one day, anyways.

It could be worse, though. He's not a bad guy. Good looking seems polite enough, and his family is really important.

She didn't like it, but she didn't want to disappoint her father either.

Marceline knew, he was just doing what he thought was best for her.

And it wasn't like he was playing the bad guy all day long. He even allowed her to enter a normal college, although it needed a bit of convincing to get his agreement.

How can I be successful someday, if I don't even know how our society works? Keeping me isolated won't help me, father. To be frank, she was still proud of herself for that little speech.

"You doing okay, babe?"

"Sure. A-okay." She gave him her best smile. "Bored as always, though."

"You really hate those parties."

Marceline just shrugged on that.

"Hey, if you're bored, maybe we can dance together? Your father wanted us to anyway." Ash said, holding out his hand.

"... Sure."

08.16.2016

"Mommy, Mommy!"

"Yes, Ned?"

"I need to show you this playground in the park nearby!" Her little brother was excited as always, and while Bonnie didn't mind that at all, she could see how her mother was literally being dragged by her son.

And yet, her mother had a warm smile on her lips. "Sure, show me." She said while following him.

Their mother had gotten a free day because they just moved here.

Seems like her new boss is at least a little bit nicer than before.

As the three of them reached the park, Ned was already darting through the sand, to the climbing contraption.

"Be careful, Neddy," Bonnibel yelled after her little brother, while her mother chuckled on that.

The two of them then walked over to a bench, which was nearby. "So, how are you guys holding up?" Clarabel asked her daughter.

"We manage, you know that. Someday you will get worry wrinkles if you don't stop."

"Well, can't help it. I just wish I could be more with you guys."

Bonnie furrowed on that but didn't respond right away. The plain truth was, that she wanted that as well. More time with her mother? That would be amazing. Ned would be so happy if she could be home a bit more, he always missed her the most.

"We are holding up just fine, really. Just look at Ned, look how much fun he has." She said, pointing at the young boy, with a smile.

"You're right. I just… worry too much I guess."

"I'm telling you…"

The two of them then fell into a silence, as they observed how Ned was fooling around the playground, climbing something up, jumping down from something else, he was like the little kid he was supposed to be. Both Bonnie and Clarabel felt happy just securing exactly that. A good childhood for a good child.

Then, after a few minutes, Bonnibel could see out of the corner of her eye, how her mother's smile grew duller and duller. She wasn't looking at her son at all anymore. Just staring into the distance. Was it all too much for her? The move, the new workplace, Bonnie, and Ned… Her mother had a lot on her plate.

But mom is strong. She taught me to be strong. Someday I will be as strong as her!

Then, just as quick, Clarabele's face reawakened again. "Ned, it's time to go soon!"

"Okay, mom!"

We are doing just fine.