The Fractured but Whole: Freedom Pals Unite!
Chapter 5: Mission 1: Dolly in Danger Part 1
Mysterion and I climb down from the window pane and into Karen's bedroom. I feel a chill run down my spine, not only due to the temperature of the room, but also, it's condition. The room is extremely dirty, with cracks all around the ceiling and walls. The carpet is stained with mystery stains and her furniture looks like it's about to fall apart at the seams! Her bed is only an extremely filthy mattress! Even though she decorated the walls with multiple drawn pictures of pink butterflies and flowers, the horrible sting of the overall living conditions of the McCormick household overpowers it.
It was moments like this where I really felt pity for Kenny and his family. His dad is usually drunk, almost as bad as Randy; he can't hold down a job because of it. His mom washes dishes at the local Olive Garden, but she only earns enough for electricity, pop tarts, and frozen waffles, if she is able to keep it away from her husband and her oldest son, Kevin. Kenny seems to be the only member of the family that is trying to better their lives. He's been working for Mr. Kim at City Wok in order to earn extra money for the house, himself, and Karen. I know that Karen would want to help the family, but she's too young to understand how hard that is to do.
(No wonder he uses Mysterion to try and change his family's ways.) I look over to Karen and fell my heart sink even more. Her face shows signs of healing bruises and her green coat is wrinkled and stained. Her maroon gloves look ready to unravel. Her black pants and shoes look alright, and her hair is tied into two cute little pigtails. I watch as Karen runs into Mysterion's arms, trying hard not to cry again. Mysterion looks at me with a worried look on his face. He smooths Karen's hair in an attempt to calm her down.
"Shhh, Karen," Mysterion soothes, "I'm here. Tell what's wrong." She lifts her head from Mysterion's chest and looks up at him. She looks like she's about to say something, but then she turns her head to me.
"Who is that," Karen softly asks. Mysterion looks at me and back at his sister.
"Uhh … He's a guardian angel in training. I brought him along to learn what it means to be a guardian angel."
(Guardian angel? … Wait, Karen called Kenny that. … Oh my gosh! Kenny, you are a saint!) I can't help but beam at the realization of what else Kenny's been doing as Mysterion. I see Mysterion return a soft smile before returning his attention to Karen.
"Karen, please tell us what's wrong." She wipes away the emerging tears from her eyes before looking back up at Mysterion.
"I wanted to play with some of the girls from my class at the playground," Karen whimpers, "so I brought my doll so I could play too. But then these big kids came and started kicking sand at us. I tried to get away, but they pushed me to the ground. They picked on the girls I was playing with and said that hanging out with a poor kid will make them poor to. They then took all of our dolls and ran away. The girls started calling me names and blaming me for what happened. I … I didn't mean for any of this to happen!" Karen buries her face into Mysterion's chest and bitterly cries. My heart stops sinking and starts shattering. Mysterion switches between faces of pity and anger.
"So, you're upset that those girls blamed you for their dolls being taken away," Mysterion questions.
"No," Karen squeaks as she looks back up at Mysterion, "I'm more worried about my big brother Kenny! He bought me my doll, and now it's gone! I lost a gift from him! How can I ever face him after this?!" Karen hugs Mysterion tighter as more crystal tears fall down her cheeks. My heart shatters into dust.
(She's more worried about Kenny being mad at her for losing her doll.) Mysterion looks as if he's about to start crying too. He gently kisses Karen's forehead and holds her closer.
"Karen, your brother loves you. I know that he won't stop loving you just because your doll was taken from you. Please, don't think like that." Karen only continues to cry into Mysterion's chest. Mysterion's entire being seems to dim. He falls silent and continues to hug Karen.
I feel the dust of my heart flare up and freeze over. You'd think our modernization would make the citizens of our quiet mountain town more cautious of how they treat one another. … Then again, they did send Officer Barbrady to kill us when we scared many homeless people away from Kenny's house, forcing them to make camp around Shi Tpa Town and the Whole Foods. Once they learned that we were just playing ninjas, they pushed the blame onto Barbrady when he accidentally shot David. I return my attention to Karen and feel a powerful tugging at my heart. I pull out my note pad and start writing.
(It's my duty as a Freedom Pal to help the people of this town, and Karen McCormick is one of the few people that truly deserves our help.) I finish my message and clear my throat to get Karen's attention. As she turns her head towards me, I show her the note.
{We'll get your doll back for you.} Karen wipes her eyes and looks at me with hope twinkling in her eyes.
"You … you will," Karen stammers. I give her a sweet smile and confidently nod my head. Karen's frown transforms into a wide grin as she let's go of Mysterion and wraps her arms around my waist.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," she squeals in delight. I fell the pieces of my heart begin to reassemble as I pat her head. Mysterion gives me a look of pride before returning to his poker face. As Karen let's go of me, I pull out my note pad again.
{Now, what does your doll look like?}
"She looks like this," Karen replies. She walks over to the dresser and pulls out one of the bottom drawers. She lifts out a long, medium-sized box and hands it to me. I look at the photo of the doll at the back of the box. It has a baby-like face with rosy cheeks, pink lips, blue eyes, and long eyelashes. Its blonde hair is tied into the same pigtails Karen has. It wears a hot pink dress with a blue flower sown into the side and dark pink flats. I quickly snap a photo of the doll before handing the box back to Karen.
"Please be careful Guardian Angels," Karen pleads, "The big kids who took my doll were really big and mean." I pat Karen's head and give her a reassuring smile. Mysterion gives her a quick hug before leading me back to the window.
"Don't worry Karen," Mysterion consoles, "We can handle this." We pull ourselves onto the window pane and jump down onto the ground. We jog over to the rain gutter and climb up it to reach the roof. Once my feet are on the roof's surface, Mysterion gently grabs my shoulders and pulls me to the side.
"Thanks for stepping in back there," Mysterion thanks, "You really gave Karen a hope boost."
{How could I say no that face?}
"Heh, yeah. One look from Karen and I'm putty in her hands too. If my kryptonite wasn't poverty, it would be her." He leaps over to the roof of his garage and trudges up the curved roof of Bi the garage. As I catch up to him, we notice Mrs. Broflovski pulling Gerald away by his ear across the front yard.
"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS," Shelia rants, "YOU'RE LUCKY THAT KENNY CALLED ME BEFORE YOU COULD DO ANYTHING STUPID!"
"UNHAND ME YOU VILE MAMMARY GOBLIN," Gerald screeches. I stifle a snicker at the scene. Mysterion smirks in amusement before leading us over to the back of the roof and climbing down onto the glass railing. I follow right behind as we descend down the stairs and out of the abandoned shop.
"Alright Douchebag," Mysterion instructs, "all investigations should start at the scene of the crime. We'd better head over to the playground. The kids there may have seen what happened to Karen's doll." I quickly nod my head and jog behind Mysterion across his yard. We pass over the train tracks and head over to where Kyle's house is. We turn just a few meters from Kyle's front lawn and approach the open gate of the playground. I am met the playful cheers of kindergarteners, 1st graders, and a few 2nd graders playing on the pirate themed fort, slide, and swings. I'd have to say that there are about 12 kids in total. I notice Mysterion's overall demeanor begin to soften as he approaches the sand lot. A little boy with spiky black hair, black sneakers, blue jeans, and a red t-shirt with a monster truck on it notices us and jumps up in excitement.
"It's Mysterion," he chants. He rushes over to Mysterion and jumps into his arms just as the other kids begin to stop what they're doing and rush over themselves. I watch as a wall of bubbly children circle around Mysterion, trying to get his attention by showing him toys or pictures on their phones, tugging on his cloak, or by hugging his legs. Mysterion chuckles in amusement and adoration as he places the black-haired kid down on the asphalt.
"Hello little superheroes," he greets. He starts shifting his attention from kid to kid, trying to quiet them down. I feel my lips pull into a full smile and my heart begins to melt.
(Note to self: Mysterion loves kids.) Once the kids begin to settle down, I move in next to Mysterion.
"Are you here to tell us another story about your adventures," a little kindergarten girl with yellow pigtails asks.
"As much as I would love to," Mysterion sighs, "I'm on a mission right now with our rookie." He gestures his hand towards me and I smile and wave at the kids in response.
"We actually could use your help," Mysterion continues, "We're looking for this stolen doll. Have any of you seen it?" I pull out my phone and open up my photos. I press on the photo of Karen's doll and show it to the children. I notice four girls narrow their eyes at the photo. All of them look to be Karen's age. One is a little Asian girl with pencil straight short hair and a yellow t-shirt with pink flowers on it, blue jeans, and grey sneakers. Two of the girls are blondes and look to be identical twins. One has her hair tied into a pony tail and is wearing a light blue blouse, white shorts, and grey flats. The other has her hair cut short and is wearing a red t-shirt, jean shorts, and black sneakers. The last girl has short red hair with her bangs clipped back and is wearing a purple and blue stripped shirt, black pants, and black flats.
"Oh, it's that poor kid's doll," the red-haired girl mumbles.
"Her doll wasn't the only one taken," the Asian girl remarks flatly, "My doll that my nǎinai bought for me was taken too."
"All of our dolls were taken because of that poor kid," the twin with the short hair fumes, "Those boys were right, we shouldn't have played with her!" Mysterion and I narrow our eyes at that remark. Mysterion closes his eyes and slowly exhales, stopping himself from lashing out at the four girls.
"We'll get all of your dolls back," Mysterion flatly sighs, "but I want to hear any more of that talk."
"But those sixth graders only started picking on us when we started playing with her," The twin with the ponytail responds, "They said that Kelly McDonald is a worthless piece of …" I frantically shake my hands in front of her eyes to stop her from saying the last word.
(I can stand a lot of fucked up things, but not little kids cursing.)
"Her name is Karen McCormick, and she is not the reason that … WAIT! Did you just say that the big kids were sixth graders," Mysterion blurts! I feel my blood freeze over. I can't count how many times the sixth graders attacked me around town. I've been assaulted with wet willies, burps, snot, and piss balloons almost weekly.
(I can't believe we're biologically destined to become those monsters in a few years.) The girls tremble as they nod their heads. Mysterion's expressions softens as he kneels down to the girls.
"I can understand why you blamed Karen for what those Sixth graders did to you, but you need to understand that she was being picked on too," Mysterion consoles, "So, will you girls give Karen another chance if you see her again?" The girls look between each other for a few seconds before gently nodding at Mysterion. I feel my heart lighten at the girls' quick change of heart. I pull out my notepad and begin to write again.
{Do you know where those sixth graders took your dolls?}
"I heard one of the boys say they were going to a restaurant with a strange name," the Asian girl declares, "I think it was called 'Prunes' or something."
"Raisins," Mysterion states, "Why would they bring the dolls there?"
{Your guess is as good as mine.} I've never been to Raisins myself. I've only heard about it from the guys. It's apparently run by very attractive girls our age. They sell typical fast food but charge at high prices. They seem to get away with it since they charm every boy they blow a kiss to or wink at.
"Well, don't you worry about a thing girls," Mysterion reassures, "We'll have your dolls back before you know it." We pull ourselves up from the asphalt and jog towards the west entrance of the playground. I hear the cheers of the kids begin to fade into the background as we reach the crosswalk leading to Main Street. I glance at Mysterion and find myself pulling my lips into wide smile. Mysterion catches my smile and returns a slight smile in response.
"Yeah, as you can see, I'm good with little kids," he declares, "I try to be a good role model for them so they don't turn into little shits like us and the guys. But don't expect to see the kid-friendly Mysterion often. The main Mysterion is a dark, cold, bad-ass."
(In other words, your cuddly around kids and cold around everything else. Got it.) I quickly nod in response and continue to jog down Main Street. We stop at the gap leading to the construction site and unhitch the gate. I notice an advertisement sign for Raisins on the left side. I guess this is the only way to Raisins with all the construction and the concert going on. I hold my breath as we trudge down the alleyway, trying not to breathe in the scent of piss and smoke again. I'm able to breathe again once we leave the alley and sprint across the road. We make a sharp left and continue down the sidewalk. I think I can see Raisins up ahead. Looks like a regular old restaurant from the outside.
(I wonder what it's like in …)
"WARNING! YOU HAVE 5 SECONDS TO STEP AWAY FROM THE DOOR!" I trip over my feet and fall onto a metal plate. I push myself up a little and look in the direction of the voice. I feel my blood chill as I see two laser guided machine guns pointed at my head. I suddenly hear the robot voice counting down from 5. I scramble to my feet and leap out of the way just as the voice reaches 1 and the machine guns start firing at the metal plate. I fall hard on my side a pretty good distance away from the firing range. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest and my ears. My breathing is sharp and short. I push myself up again to see what those guns were protecting.
(… W-WHAT THE FUCK!) The building that the guns are wired to looks like a Kentucky Fried Chicken! I feel a pair of hands hook under my arms and pull me up to my feet. I turn my head to look at Mysterion helping me up.
"Dude, are you ok," he asks. I softly growl as I yank my arms to my sides.
(OK?! I WAS ALMOST TURNED INTO SWISS CHEESE!) I angrily and frantically gesture towards the KFC. Mysterion lifts up his hands in defense.
"Woah dude, chill," he declares, "Don't get mad at me for what the Medicinal Marijuana shop did."
(MEDICINAL WHAT!?) I snap my head back to the KFC. I can't see anything inside due to the windows and there is no sign. I look back to Mysterion confused.
{How is that a Medicinal Marijuana dispensary?}
"It just appeared two weeks ago. They got rid of the KFC and moved it somewhere else. I guess they considered not supplying Marijuana to anyone who 'needed it' was non-PC." I softly groan. I get really annoyed by PC Principal and his fraternity group. He constantly polices others' words, clothing, and movements and just starts punching them if he sees that they are not being politically correct. I am safe from his wrath by being silent, but I wish he would chill out sometimes. I shake my head and motion for Mysterion to lead on to Raisins.
"Raisins is just in the next building. Be ready. Those girls may look harmless, but they will suck you dry."
{By suck you mean?}
"Money Douchebag." Mysterion narrows his eyes at me. I get the message to drop the joke. I write a quick sorry on my page and follow Mysterion to the other side of the pavement.
We stop in front of a larger building painted in white and orange. I see small flags decorating the gutter, posters of some girls in the windows, and I can hear music and laughter coming from inside. Mysterion nods to me and moves toward the door. I follow right behind and help him push open the door.
Author's note:
I'M NOT DEAD! I am so sorry for not uploading in nearly a year. I have been busy with school, have gotten writers block, but the main reason is that I just forgot about my story. I hope to not have such big gaps in my uploads anymore, but I can't make any promises.
I do plan to continue my story and possibly start a new series staring my New Kid, but within the original story in the game. I plan to upload part two of this story soon. Thank you all for your support and patience.