It was a rainy evening in the small town of Roscoe. The evening sky was filled with stratosphere smokes clouding the horizon. In addition raindrops flooded the banks. Ray, Robbie, and Lily entered their destination hideout. The interior was rather bleak, windows seemingly cracked as it seemed they've stepped into a ghost house. Lily switched the lights on.

"It's a good thing the power hasn't gotten out," she said. "Otherwise we'd be dead meat."

"You're holding a flashlight," Ray contradicted her. Lily punched her friend by the arm. "Did you really have to do that?"

"Children, let's get down to business and do what we have to do. Besides it's raining dogs and cats." Robbie said.

"I hate it when you use that phrase," Lily retorted. "Whenever it's a rainy day, you say that stale, worn out figure of speech."

"Well one thing is for sure, I did not make up that quote," Robbie said. As they got settled, the door leading the way into the bank sealed shut. The three all startled the moment they heard such an erratic noise.

"Okay, can somebody please tell me what's going on in here?" Lily reacted. She hung the dampness of her jacket on the coating rank as did Robbie and Ray.

"Hey at least the lights didn't go off." Unfortunately this spoken wish turned out to be one granted.

"Your wish has been fulfilled," Ray said. Lily collapsed onto the couch agitated, putting her fist on her forehead.

"Anybody checking to see what is up with the power?" Robbie asked.

"Great, anything we say will eventually happen. I mean who knows what miracle may happen next." Lily said frustrated in ways that she could snap at any moment. To re-illuminate the room, Ray used the flashlight that he brought over. He held the item below his chin, the light flashing upon his face.

"It's already pouring down in the town we call Roscoe. The storm is dreadful as is the dark horizon's evil grin. Who knows what secrets lie beneath the fury of life." Ray lectured of his created anecdotes.

"Sometimes I wonder how we manage to cope in the first place," Robbie pondered. It was no surprise he had to listen to his friend's satirical sense of humor. As the threesome have bonded since way back in the day, specifically speaking grade school, they would have thought to be a little out of the border.

"I don't know what you meant by that, but let's not waste any time and get our problems fixed," Lily suggested. She looked over at the window, raindrops rapidly pouring down. If they left their territory, there would be hell.

Robbie and Ray seek for better shelter. Soon they realized a downpour leaked through the rims of the ceiling. Ray took action as he comply his friend to grab a bucket. As Robbie returned he placed the bucket on the spot where water was leaking.

"This is going to be awhile," he mumbled.

"I can't seem to deal what you're trying to pull off from this? Knowing you I don't see you having tricks on your sleeve." Robbie seemed somewhat deter. From these wacky adventures comes beyond inevitable that seems to carry a load of obstacles.

Ray gave a quick glance at Lily who remained on the couch. "I'm trying to do something that will make Lily convinced that she loves me. Granted she may be a pain in the rear, but we both been through situations like these."

Robbie sighed. "She already knows she loves you. Aren't you being overzealous?"

"If you were Question Mark right now, maybe we would discuss this," Ray said arrogantly. He went through the vault tossing a series of items deemed as junk. Robbie held his head comprehending Ray's unusual mood.

"I don't understand why you two dragged me down here," the teen muttered. Meanwhile Lily stood away from the couch glaring at the pouring window. She crossed her arms in a way as though agitated.

"Sometimes I don't get him. It's not like Ray to act like this," Lily said.

"Sometimes I don't get him either," Robbie restated. "Maybe we should have him come to his senses."

"It's not so simple. He can get whatever he wants, but as far as I am concern, our relationship is not going anywhere." Lily snapped immediately following that statement.

"I wish there was something I can do to help. On top of that I can't see ourselves distancing away from Ray. He's our class clown." Robbie said.

"Well that's not saying much," She replied.

"Look, just don't push it too rough. I'm sure somehow you'll get over this; maybe tonight maybe tomorrow. It's not the end of the world." Robbie gazed at the outside as rain continuously poured.

"...And what exactly do you mean by 'it's the end of the world'? I'm being serious here. Or maybe I shouldn't let the stress get to me," Lily said.

"So, I don't mean to startle you two but shouldn't we do what we were supposed to do? We're caved in, the power is out, and we're....just, sitting ducks." Ray delivered his rant.

"It's your fault we're stuck here. Our parents don't even know we're gone." Lily sighed. As a way of cooling her temper, she walked away from the two boys. Granted there have been numerous occasions that peeved her. Lily was skeptic, or unsure of the fact she had been on a joyride sometime during the summer break. There was no telling of her contemplations regarding the changes since then. "Look, fact of the matter is we're trapped during a stormy weather and nobody knows we've ran off. I wish I could believe that it didn't have to be this way."

Ray and Robbie remained silent. Speechless after hearing their friend's comment, there wasn't a shadow of a doubt their adventures as adolescents have altered. In recent months though it seems a certain piece to a puzzle was missing. The person that helped built the foundation laid down on a silver platter; the person who created a concept symbolizing freedom of speech. What fragments of that particular puzzle go?

"First of all, I could've found what I was looking for some other time. What I wanted to show you is something that we've kept since we all met. I wish I could've told you guys awhile back but I didn't have the courage." He reached inside his pocket unveiling three neck-worn crests each shaped of an oval.

"It's a locket," Lily said. "Ray, how did you make them?"

"Didn't you guys remember when we were kids how we kept these as a token of friendship? Yes, it's somewhat cheesy the way I explain it and all. For some unknown reason we somehow lost these crests and it wasn't inside our time capsule." Ray explained thoroughly as possible. Meanwhile Lily and Robbie gazed towards their creation of art. They gazed with shock and awe.

"I think I remember. Weren't we the ones who thought they were sketchy?" Robbie asked.

"What do you mean?" Ray replied back.

"It's hard for me to explain it but I'm sure there were carvings in each of our crests." Robbie's attempted to recollect their art work seem to be proven as their forgotten gem.

"You meant our names?" Ray looked at the back of the crest. Engraved were their initials for each of the three.

"I almost forgot how horrible my carving was," Lily said, "On a brighter note I like it. How were you able to find these?"

Ray organized his thoughts prior to the anecdote. "Long story short a couple of months ago, and this was before Travis left, I was cleaning out some of the junk left over. While I was getting rid of the dust, inside the file cabinet I stumbled into a safe. It was stuck for a moment until there was a lever right beside it. When I opened that bad boy, it wasn't until I rediscovered them. It symbolized our friendship would carry on forever."

Lily and Robbie grabbed individual ovals engraved with their initials. She held one featured with lime yellow colored substance as Robbie was a navy blue. The color crest Ray obtained comprised of scarlet red. The trio began wearing their neck-worn crests.

"No hard feelings but I feel a little unusual wearing this," Robbie said.

"Come on, we were kids back then. Besides I think it looks great on both of you." Ray removed his necklace as he laid it back onto the panel.

"I don't think it's all that bad. I never understood why it meant anything more than a friendship. Come to think of it, it's not so bad." Lily said following her thoughts of an art of their nostalgic value. As the three gathered around, the dimmed lights would eventually flicker. In this case the power line was back and running.

"Hey, the lights are back on," Robbie said. He glanced through the window only to notice hardly any downpour. "Not to mention any more rain."

Meanwhile Ray and Lily stared each other down. It makes it seem as though they were settling a rather unkindly confrontation. On the other hand it was nowhere near from a start of gunfire. While this pair has experienced a sense of untouchable love, between these two there was intentional spark.

"Look, about what I said. It was only sarcasm, and I didn't mean it wholeheartedly. Knowing myself I could have poverized you if I had to." Lily humbly apologized. "Do you forgive me?"

With no hard feelings whatsoever, Ray assured a warm response. "What more can I say, my love? Seriously I couldn't have said it better."

"I guess I got a little too edgy there? Let's put our differences aside and not lose our friendship. I don't want to lose any of you guys." Lily wrapped her arms around Ray. Robbie would later chime in. When they broke the hug, an awkward moment of silence rose that was until Ray retorted:

"Why don't we just head back as a family? I mean things are going to get back to normal."

Following that statement the gang nodded and headed out of their hideout. As the last person out, prior in closing the door, Robbie switched off the lights.