So... yeah, this chapter isn't too bad. But it doesn't truly get interesting until the end, sorry. But I think it still flows pretty well. Let me know!

Warnings and Headsup!

1) this story does contain mention of abuse, and full out present day abuse. It got a little detailed in one of the chapters and though nothing is stated specifically, for those of you who are smart enough to know what 2+2 is... you'll be able to understand where the train of thought was going. I will mark which chapters are the bad ones... If you skip... you wont really miss anything important, just an awesome rescue attempt!

2) this gets depressing and a little dark... but it comes out cheerful and rainbow and butterflies in the end, I promise!

3) THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY! Duke does NOT fall in love with the OC and the OC does NOT fall in love with him! Sorry if I've made it sound like it was going in a different direction.

4) its not that good at the end... but like my last story... it gets better as it goes on I promise!

5) It may seem that my OC has a few things to realize before this is all said and done... and there are... I've tried to keep it organized... but if you have trouble basically she needs to gain self-confidence, trust, and a belief that there are heroes out there who wont fail her... kinda ties in with the whole trust thing...

6) THE END NOW READ!

Ch. 2: Realization

"Polly?" a voice woke me. I sat up, trying to remember the dream I had had. Something about being captured by dinos and rescued by six ducks who tried to convince me that heroes were real. What in the world brought that on? I wondered as I rubbed my left eye and tried to get my barings.

"Polly? Can I come in?" I didn't recognize the voice. Or did I? It sounded farmilar, but I couldn't place it.

"Err..."

"It's Mallery."

Mallery? Wasn't that the name of one of the...

"Yes?" I said, more of a question then an answer.

The door opened and the red haired femail duck stepped into the room. I stared. So it wasn't a dream.

"Are you okay?" She asked looking worried about me.

"Yeah, just... still a little sleepy. What's wrong?"

"Nothings wrong. I just wanted to tell you that we were going to go out for dinner and woundered if you wanted to come with us." She looked uneasy.

I glanced at my watch which told me in huge lit up numbers, that it was 7:05pm. I thought about turning her down and rolling over and going back to sleep, but then my stomach growled so lound that she gave a small smile.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'?" she said.

I nodded reluctantly and swung my legs out to put on my shoes. Before I left the room, I made the bed. Mallery stared at me.

"I don't want him to come to a messy bed tonight. That wouldn't be pollite." I explained. Even though I couldn't see expressions, I've always been able to sense what a person was thinking, more or less any ways.

"He's letting you stay in this room until you go back." She told me.

"I can't take his room."

"It's okay. Nosedive has bunks in his room so Wildwing's going to crash with him. Honestly, its fine." she assured me. And when I gave her a desperate, guilty look, she walked over and put an arm around my neck. "Polly, he doesn't mind. Honestly, you care so much about the smallest things; what we would think about your blindness, kicking someone out of their room. Don't you ever think of what's best for you?"

I winced. This duck read me like a book. It was true, I never gave a thought of what was best for me half the time, if other people were happy, even though I felt sorry for myself alot, I was content that they were pleased. And hiding my blindness... well, lets just say I haven't yet accepted that myself, and I didn't want to appear helpless or a burden... so...

"Come on." she led me out of the room and down the hall to the living room area. Duke was sitting in a chair, legs over one of the arms, hands behind his head, his visable eye closed. It looked as if he was asleep, that is until we walked in and he said without opening his eye, "How ya feel'n kid?"

"Fine, thanks." I muttered.

He nodded slightly. He was kinda creepy I concluded.

Wildwing and Grin were on the coutch watching TV. Both of them glanced at me as I walked in. I know because their heads turned in my direction and then flitted back to the telivision set. Tanya was in another chair oposite Duke, fiddiling with some small, whatever. And Nosedive was propped up on his elbows, chin in hands, lying on the rug, reading.

"Polly! Sleep well?" He said looking up at me.

"Err... yeah, thanks." I muttered.

"Ready to go?" Wildwing asked, and Mallery nodded. All of them were in there 'casual' clothes. All except Duke who seemed to whear his one-piece marune suit no matter what he was doing, fighting crime or going to the food store.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"There's a little resteraunt just around the corner called Bannito's. We're meeting our manager there." Mallery explained.

"Who's your manager?"

"Oh, you'll love him girl!" Nosedive said. "Real charmer!"

I stared but then shrugged. "We'll see." I said.

When we reached the resteraunt, it became clear to me why the ducks found it strange that I didn't know them. Practically every kid ran up to them and got an autograph from their favorite team member. Wildwing and Mallery seemed to be the most famous.

After we fought our way through the crowd of fans, we sat at a table in the back where a very farmilar fat guy with a pony tail sat waiting for us. I tried to remember where I'd seen him before.

"Boobalas! At last! And..." he broke off when he saw me. "Oh, hi again!"

As he flashed a cheesy smile I finally realized where I'd seen him. He was the poor annoying sap I had ran into on the streets. I guess it just goes to show that no matter where you are in the cosmos, you really are in a small world. I thought shaking his hand and then choosing to sit between Wildwing and Duke.

While everyone glanced at their menues, I sat pollitely. One leg crossed over the other, hands in lap, head bent down. It was Duke who finally realized why I was just sitting there.

"Oh, sorry, kid. What would you like? This place has every thing Italian you can think of."

The others, except the manager who's name was Phil, looked embarrassed and I could sense Mallery and Grin were looking at me like You should've said something.

I felt my cheeks burn as I asked a little more quietly then I entended, "Do they have pizza?"

"You better believe it girl!" Nosedive said brightly. "We can split one if you want, but there can't be anything on it except cheese and peperoni." He was sitting on the oposite side of the table, facing me. I decided it couldn't hurt to share a pizza with him, and besides he seemed to share my idea that cheese and occasionally peperoni was all that a pizza needed. I nodded.

"Well that was easy enough." Tanya said. "You'll fit right in, Polly." I gave her a weak smile.

In answer to Phil's questioning glance, Wildwing explained how I was captured by Dragonis, exaped, and needed to get home.

"Oh, so you're baby sitting her?" he had said the wrong thing. I did my best to keep my composer, but after everything else that had happened, yeah, it didn't work out too well.

"I don't need a baby sitter." I said a little sharply. Duke put a hand on my sholder.

"Hey, hey of course not. He just meant, we're helping you stay out of Dragonis's claws." he said trying to calm me down.

"Err... yeah. That's all I meant." he said, looking a little nervous at my reaction.

I closed my eyes and took a calming breath. "I'm sorry." I muttered. "I've just... had a rough day."

"Yeah, I've heard." he said. "So, do you have any special tallents?"

I stared at him for a moment before answering. "Depends on what you've got in mind. But if it's... exotic tallent you're after... forget it."

"Phil..." Wildwing said warningly. "No."

"Wildwing, Baby! You haven't even let her..."

"No." Wildwing said a little more fermly.

Just then our waiter came over, stoping me from asking what they were talking about.

I was extremely pleased to find out that this place had, what I concidered nector of the gods, ROOTBEER! I was plaining on getting coke or pepsi, or maybe even mountain dew... anything with caffeen since that stuff has the same effect on me as alcohall does on 'normal' people, but I decided against it. I knew better then drowning my troubles in a glass of caffeen, especially mountain dew. Plus, these guys had been way too kind to me for me to repay them by making them take care of a super-hyper girl who would go off the walls, then get a splitting head ache, then have to crash for 24 hours... or longer. No, I decided that sticking with good old rootbeer was the best way to go. Plus, it would help me keep my wits about me... that... and it had been almost 15 hours since I had had a rootbeer and I was long over due.

After we ate, and after the ducks said 'no' to half of Phil's 'publisity scams', we headed out. I now knew what Phil meant by asking if I had any 'tallents'. He wanted to try and use me as a proffitable gold mind just like he was trying to use the ducks. I could not express my graditude for Wildwing standing up for me. In order to express true graditude, you have to be willing to trust that the person who you are thanking will be there for you, is your friend... and I just can't open myself up like that.

When we got back to the ice rink, which was called The Pond, it was a little after 8:00pm.

"Hey, Polly!" Nosedive called out. "You wanna skate around the rink a little... maby play a little one on one?"

I thought about it. Slamming a puck into the net would help get rid of some frustration... for a while. It might be a good anger management technique so I didn't unexpectedly explode at my new found... aquaintences.

"Why not." I agreed.

"Cool!" he said and ran off to fetch some skates. I stood there bemused, counting to three. As soon as I hit three, he poped his head in the door and asked what my size was. I couldn't supress a small smile as I told him, "7", and he ran out again.

"Over here, Polly. I'll get you a good sized stick to use." Wildwing said. "Tanya, check to see if Dragonis's goons have made any movement."

"Right, on it!" She replied, heading over to Drake 1.

After I was suited up for a small, one on one, game with Nosedive, who seemed to be taking a small interest in me for some reason, we headed out on to the ice. Duke, Mallery, and Grin fallowed us to whatch.

As I stepped out on to the slippery ice, I almost lost my ballance at once. I quickly grabbed the side. I could feel my cheeks burn again as I tried to look like I knew what I was doing. Did I forget to mention that when I said "skating" earlier, I meant inline skating, not ice skating.

"Wow, you okay?" Nosedive asked, skating over to me.

"Yeah, just, haven't been on in a while, that's all."

"You look like you haven't been on the ice, ever." said Mallery. I must have looked like I was going to collapse at any moment cause she, Duke, and Grin had all run to me as well.

"No, no. I've been on the ice before." I reasured her. Once, about five years ago. I finished in my head.

"Why don't we just skate around for a little bit, try and get you used to ice skating before we start playing." Nosedive sugested. "You look like you could really use some practice, no offense."

"Alright, fine with me." I said. I decided I wasn't in a possition to argue. The moment I tried skating out in to the center of the ice, WHAM! Flat on my knees, then toppled over onto my side. I skidded a little ways before I was able to get up into a crawling possition. Though the ice was freezing to the touch, I was extremely hot under the collar as I stumbled, trying to pick myself up. I could feel my eyes sting with tears. Oh no you don't. I told myself. Not here. But I knew I couldn't hold it back. I allowed Nosedive to help me up and lead me back over to where the others were. I sat down and took my skates off.

"I'll try later, I need to go lay down." I muttered, then ran to the elevator. Again, I have a trait that some might find extremely surprising for a blind kid, I have a photographic memory, to a certain extent. But it covers the layouts of buildings perfectly. I can still remember the exact detailing of the first house I'd ever lived in, and I haven't lived there in over 12-13 years. Not since I was 5. I ran passed Wildwing and Tanya who were examining Drake 1, looking for any sign of the big dragon/dino thing that had brought me to this stupid place. I barely registered them calling after me. I didn't stop until I reached the room Wildwing was kind enough to let me have. I closed the door behind me and slid down the wall behind it, sobbing, my hand pressed over my mouth to muffle my cries. But it was a fruitless attempt. The door opened and Duke and Grin came in. Those two were the ones who seemed to really want to make sure I was okay. Or maybe they were the only two who felt comfortable with comforting me. I don't know. All I knew was that Grin had picked me up by the sholders and sat me on the bed. Then the two boys sat on eather side of me, Duke putting an arm around me.

"Hey, hey it'll be alright, Polly." he said soothingly as I cried into my knees which I had brought up to my chest, hugging them to me. After all, they were the only farmilar things that I could hug. Grin spoke next, and what he said made me cry more, but because it prooved just how bad I was at hiding myself.

"This is not just about being dragged from your world. You are conflicting with a life style you have grown up with. I sense much hurt within you, little friend. But if you let us in, we can help you."

I looked at him and he seemed to understand. "Ah, but that is what you are struggling with, isn't it." I nodded.

"Polly, you can trust us. We're not going to hurt you." I looked up. Wildwing stood infront of me, and he wasn't alone. Nosedive, Mallery, and Tanya all stood behind him.

"Yeah, come on girl, we'll get ya back home." Nosedive said. But that was only partly concerning me. And the conflictions I had with in me weren't just trying to let these guys in. I was a little scared of going back home, and it had just hit me when Nosedive had spoken up. I cried, if possible, even harder.

Duke looked at me, then sqeezed my sholders gently. I raised my head again to look at him and he tried to brush my hair away from my face, but I stoped him. I was sobbing to hard to speak, so I just shook my head violently, which unfortunately shifted my bangs. I instantly put my hand over my eye. It was then that I sensed Duke had come to some sort of understanding. I burried my face in my knees again as he asked if he could speak with me alone. In other words he was jostling the others out. I heard Grin say something, but was too busy crying to really make out what it was, and Duke replied a little sharply, "No, I have to talk to her alone. I think I finally realized her problem. But I don't think she has."

When I heard the door close, I looked up, Duke and I were alone, and he was kneeling infront of me, close enough so that I could make out the look of empethy, understanding, and effection?

I said in the warnings and I'll say it again... NO LOVE INTEREST!

So... what's her problem? Besides letting them in? It kinda sounds confusing now that I'm re-reading this... but I'm hoping I made it a little more plain as the story goes on. please R&R!