When Mayabella woke up on Wednesday morning she hoped that James' behavior would return to normal. Neither she nor anyone else knew the truth about James' Cocerojuana stash.
"I'm sure James is feeling a lot better today. A good night's rest must've done some good. If all goes well there shouldn't be any incidents today" thought Mayabella as she got out of bed before getting dressed & going to make breakfast. She filled Scrap's food & water bowls before she started making bacon & eggs. The sizzle of the food was oddly satisfying as it cooked in the frying pan. It also gave off an inviting scent that made Mayabella's mouth water.
"Nothing beats bacon & eggs for breakfast. I bet James will enjoy this delicious breakfast treat" said Mayabella as she finished cooking. She then plated up the food & set it on the table before going to wake James up. Once she reached his room she knocked on the door.
"Are you up James? I made bacon & eggs for breakfast" said Mayabella.
"OK. I'll be out momentarily" said James as he yawned & stretched out. After he hoped out of bed & got dressed he retrieved 3 more Cocerojuana pills from his stash before sneaking into the bathroom & ingesting the pills with a mouthful of water.
"Keeping my stash hidden is easier than I thought. I would've thought it'd be a lot harder than this. Either I'm good at hiding stuff or everyone else is completely oblivious. Either way it means that I'm in the clear" thought James as he left the bathroom & headed to the dining room. He smiled in delight when he saw the bacon & eggs set on the table.
"Yay we have bacon & eggs for breakfast. I bet they taste delicious" said James as he licked his lips.
"Bon appetit" said Mayabella as James & she tucked in. The bacon was juicy & succulent with a salty taste & the eggs were light & fluffy in texture. James & Mayabella happily ate breakfast before rinsing off their dirty dishware & putting them in the dishwasher.
"That was delicious. Good job Mayabella" said James as he gave Mayabella the thumbs up.
"Thanks. Anyways can you promise me something James?" asked Mayabella.
"What is it?" asked James in an uncertain voice.
"I want you to promise that you won't act strangely. After what happened yesterday I'd prefer that you keep your behavior under control" said Mayabella in a concerned tone.
"Don't worry I feel much better today. You've got nothing to worry about" said James with a reassuring smile.
"Are you sure?" asked Mayabella in a nervous manner.
"100%. Everything will be fine" said James.
"OK. I'm glad to hear that" said Mayabella as she gave James a hug. Soon it was time for her to go to school. After she grabbed her school bag she went to leave.
"See you guys after school" said Mayabella as she smiled & waved to James & Scrap.
"Have a good day Mayabella" said Scrap as Mayabella left for school. James & Scrap then went into the lounge to watch TV. James flicked through the channels looking for something to watch. After a few minutes he came across an episode of Apollo the Super Pup.
"I hear the pups love this show" said James with an amused chuckle.
"They sure do. It's really good" said Scrap as James & himself got cosy on the couch. Apollo was shown walking along when a cry of distress was heard.
"It sounds like someone's in trouble. Will Apollo be able to save the day his own way?" asked the narrator as Apollo ran into action. As usual Spider King was causing trouble & had wrapped a kitten in his web & left it dangling from a branch hanging over the river. When Apollo confronted him Spider King tried to trap Apollo with more webbing but Apollo flew in circles around Spider King to avoid being caught. Spider King's carelessness about where he was shooting his web eventually caused him to tangle himself leaving him stuck & unable to move. Apollo used his super breath to send Spider King flying away before saving the kitten & flying away with it on his back.
"Once again Apollo saves the day his own way" said the narrator as the episode ended. Scrap smiled enthusiastically at the outcome of the episode.
"Wow that's got to be the best Apollo episode yet. What do you think James?" asked Scrap with a curious smile.
"It was OK. I feel a bit hungry. I'm going to get something to eat" said James as he got up & went into the kitchen. When he opened the pantry he saw giant arachnid creatures standing on the shelves. James screamed in horror as he slammed the pantry door shut.
"Are you OK James?" asked Scrap as he walked over to see what was going on.
"There are massive spiders in the pantry. I have no idea how they got there" said James as he shook nervously.
"Are you sure? Let me see" said Scrap as he tilted his head in confusion.
"I don't think that's a good idea. They'd eat you alive" said James with a nervous gulp.
"Just open the door. I can handle this" said Scrap in a confident manner.
"OK fine. Don't say I didn't warn you" said James as he opened the pantry. When Scrap looked inside he didn't see any spiders on any of the pantry shelves. He was unaware that the spiders were yet another hallucination James was having as a result of the Cocerojuana pills he'd taken earlier that morning.
"James there's nothing in there. You must've been seeing things" said Scrap.
"They're right there. How can you not see them?" asked James as he pointed to where he saw the spiders. Scrap still didn't see anything.
"James it's all in your head. I'm telling you there's nothing there" said Scrap with confusion in his voice.
"I'm not imagining it. I know what I'm seeing" said James as he saw the spiders start to crawl out of the pantry. He slammed the door shut again before leaving the kitchen. He then started seeing more of them crawling out from other rooms in the house.
"They're everywhere. I'm out of here" said James as he ran out of the house.
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" cried Scrap as he watched James run off.
"Anywhere that the spiders won't get me" said James as he continued running. Scrap tried to call Mayabella using his pup tag but it didn't work. Her phone was on silent.
"That's not good. How do I stop James from doing anything crazy? I'm so confused. I guess I better go after him to make sure he doesn't get hurt" said Scrap as he ran after James. Meanwhile Mayabella arrived at school completely unaware of what was going on. She was under the impression that James & Scrap would be fine & since her phone was on silent she didn't notice that Scrap was trying to call her.
"I'm glad James feels better today. I'd assume he's at home with Scrap watching TV. I should be able to get through the school day without having to worry about anything" thought Mayabella as she went inside to grab what she needed for 1ST period from her locker. Just as she got what she needed Angel, Elias & Kelly walked by.
"Good morning Mayabella. How are you this morning?" asked Angel with a warm smile.
"I'm feeling good. How are you all doing?" asked Mayabella in a polite voice.
"We're all feeling great. How are James & Scrap?" asked Elias with a curious smile.
"James is feeling a lot better than he was yesterday which makes me feel better. He & Scrap are at home probably watching TV" said Mayabella.
"We're all glad to hear that. Anyways enjoy 1ST period" said Kelly as Angel, Elias & herself went to get what they needed from their lockers.
"See you guys later" said Mayabella as she smiled & waved. The bell then rang signalling the beginning of 1ST period. All the students grabbed their stuff from their lockers before heading off to class. Back in town James was still running around trying to avoid the giant spiders that seemed to be coming from everywhere. Fear & paranoia set in as he frantically tried to find a place to hide.
"This whole town is filled with giant spiders. I don't know where they're all coming from. I must find a safe place before they eat me alive" said James as he continued running amok through town. Scrap followed his scent trying to catch up to him. The spiders James saw were nonexistent to everyone else.
"James must've had a bad dream last night. That's the only possible explanation I can think of regarding these so called giant spiders he sees. I hope I can prevent him from doing harm to either himself or someone else" said Scrap as he continued tracking James down. He followed the scent trail all the way to the farm on which Farmer Al & Farmer Yumi lived. James was hiding in the barn thinking he'd be safe there. Scrap was understandably confused when he found James hiding behind a bunch of haystacks.
"We should be safe here. The spiders will never find us" said James as he tried to catch his breath.
"Stop acting so weird James. There aren't any spiders. You had a bad dream" said Scrap with a sigh of frustration.
"No I didn't. I'm not making anything up. I wouldn't be stupid enough to believe that I'm seeing things" said James.
"Are you seriously going to hide here until these so called spiders are gone? This is ridiculous. Sooner or later Mayabella will find out what's been going on" said Scrap in an annoyed tone.
"I doubt it. Until the spiders disappear I'm not going anywhere" said James in a stubborn manner. Scrap rolled his eyes. Trying to convince James that there weren't any giant spiders was proving to be easier said than done.
"I really don't get how James can possibly see something that's not even there. I thought his behavior from yesterday was bizarre but this is on a whole new level. What am I going to tell Mayabella? She's not going to like this at all" thought Scrap as he thought about how to reason with James. Over the next few hours James & Scrap remained hidden behind the haystacks in the barn with neither of them budging either due to the fear & paranoia of the spider hallucinations or uncertainty as to how the situation can be resolved. Mayabella remained none the wiser as she got through her schoolwork still thinking nothing was wrong. At recess Mayabella played on the swings. She felt the wind against her body as she swung back & forth trying to go as high as possible. With each swing she got an overhead view of the school & surrounding area which amazed her.
"This is fun. I like being able to see the school from a higher viewpoint. The weather is beautiful & warm which is just how I like it. So far today has been fantastic" said Mayabella as she continued swinging back & forth taking in the view all the while. She didn't think about James at all during recess. When the bell for 3RD period rang she & the other students headed off to class as normal. Back at the farm James & Scrap were still behind the haystacks.
"What do you plan to do if we get found by Farmer Al & Farmer Yumi? They'll force us to leave for sure" said Scrap.
"They'd reconsider that option once they see the giant spiders" said James.
Scrap groaned in annoyance. No matter what he did or said James was refusing to listen. A short time later Farmer Al & Farmer Yumi entered the barn to sort out the hay.
"Where exactly are we going to put the hay honey?" asked Farmer Al with uncertainty in his voice.
"We'll leave it out near Bettina's pen. There's plenty of space for it there" said Farmer Yumi as Farmer Al & herself began moving the hay. James & Scrap knew that they'd be caught sooner or later if they didn't sneak out but they knew it'd be difficult to leave the farm without being seen.
"This isn't good. How do we get out without being seen?" asked James as he gulped nervously.
"I don't know. It was your idea to come in here" said Scrap as the hay was transported outside bit by bit. It wasn't until the last bits of hay were retrieved that Farmer Al & Farmer Yumi spotted James & Scrap.
"What are you 2 doing in here?" asked Farmer Al as he tilted his head in confusion.
"We're hiding from the giant spiders" said James.
"What giant spiders? I haven't seen any" said Farmer Yumi in a confused voice.
"It's all a figment of James' imagination. He seems to think there are giant spiders emerging all over town. I've tried reasoning with him but he's not listening" said Scrap with a frustrated sigh. James then saw giant spiders coming towards them.
"OH NO THERE THEY ARE" cried James as he pointed to where he saw the spiders. Farmer Al & Farmer Yumi both understandably felt confused since neither they nor Scrap could see anything.
"James there's nothing there" said Farmer Al with confusion in his voice.
"YES THERE IS. WE HAVE TO GET RID OF THEM" cried James in fear.
"How do we get rid of something that isn't even there in the 1ST place? I don't know what you want us to do" said Farmer Yumi as she shrugged her shoulders.
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES" cried James as he ran off.
"JAMES WAIT" cried Scrap as he ran after James. Farmer Al & Farmer Yumi stood & watched in confusion at what was happening.
"That's quite possibly the strangest thing I've ever seen happen" said Farmer Al.
"I can say the same. Anyways let's finish up with the hay" said Farmer Yumi as Farmer Al & herself continued getting the hay out of the barn. James ran through town looking for another place to hide. He went just about everywhere he could think of including Adventure Beach, the ski resort in the mountains, the bay near town square & so on. Scrap gave chase the entire time. He knew it was only a matter of time before Mayabella found out the truth.
"I don't know what I'm going to do to stop James from going too far. Mayabella's going to find out about this sooner or later. The problem is that I have no idea exactly where James plans to go. Every time he gets to a different part of town he ends up running away because he sees more giant spiders. This is getting really out of hand" thought Scrap as he continued chasing James through Adventure Bay. Back at school lunch had just started. All the students were in the cafeteria eating pasties, tater tots, fruit infused lemonade & French cheesecake. The pasties had a beef & vegetable filling which was encased in a flaky pastry crust that was a delight to eat, the tater tots were crispy & offered a burst of potato flavour, the fruit infused lemonade was brightly colored & sweet to drink & the French cheesecake had a light but mouth watering texture with a great heavenly taste to match. Everyone happily ate lunch while holding idle conversation.
"So Mayabella is James feeling better today?" asked Ace as she tucked into her pastie.
"He sure is. It's such a relief to know that he's not acting strangely" said Mayabella as she gobbled down her tater tots.
"I take it he's at home correct?" asked Carlos as he gulped down his fruit infused lemonade.
"Yes. If I had to guess he's probably watching TV with Scrap" said Mayabella.
"I must admit the way he acted yesterday was certainly something I've never seen before. Streaking naked through town is something I've never even considered which says a lot when you take into account how daring I usually am" said Danny as he finished off his French cheesecake.
"Please don't try it. It's not worth it" said Mayabella with concern in her voice.
"She's right. It'd only make you look like a fool" said Elias as he nodded in agreement.
"At least I can take it easy knowing that James' health & safety is in good condition" said Mayabella in an optimistic voice. As if on cue James burst into the cafeteria & ran over to Mayabella still thinking there were giant spiders after him.
"HELP ME MAYABELLA. THE GIANT SPIDERS ARE AFTER ME" cried James in a horrified tone.
"What giant spiders? I don't know what you're talking about James" said Mayabella as she tilted her head in confusion.
"THEY'RE OVER THERE. LOOK" cried James as he pointed towards the doors to the cafeteria. When everyone looked over at the doors they saw nothing.
"There's nothing there" said Katie in a confused manner.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS? WHY IS IT THAT I'M THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN SEE THEM?" cried James as he shook nervously.
"Calm down James. Everything will be fine" said Kelly with reassurance in his voice.
"NO IT WON'T. THE SPIDERS ARE GOING TO EAT ME ALIVE" cried James as he began to sweat from panic. Scrap then arrived having tracked James' scent trail to school.
"I'm really sorry about this Mayabella. He's been seeing giant spiders everywhere since this morning. It started in the pantry at home & no matter where he's gone they still keep appearing to him. I think he must've had a nightmare last night about them which has manifested as some twisted daydream" said Scrap.
"What do we do? I have no idea how to deal with this" said Mayabella with a sigh.
"Perhaps it's best we get him to the nurse. She'd be able to sort this out" said Ryder as James continued to shake in panic. His breathing was extremely rapid, sweat dripped down his body & his heartbeat went speeding. Suddenly he fainted from shock much to everyone's horror.
"I better get him home. Something's seriously wrong here. See you guys later" said Mayabella as she pulled James up from the floor. With Scrap's help she carried James home. It was an exhausting walk because of the amount of weight that needed carrying but they managed to make it home using all their strength. Once they did they put James on the lounge room sofa & laid him down before grabbing a blanket & pillow for him. They both were uncertain as to whether the spiders James saw would disappear to him when we woke up.
"I hope when James wakes up he'll be back to normal. I really wasn't expecting this at all" said Mayabella with a sad sigh.
"Me either. The strangest thing is that over the last couple of days his behavior has changed in the blink of an eye without warning. There must be something we can do to get to the bottom of this" said Scrap as he tried to think of a solution.
"For now I say we wait until James comes to & once he does we'll be able to talk to him. That'll help us understand him better" said Mayabella.
"Good idea" said Scrap as Mayabella & he went to do whatever they felt like. Mayabella went to her room & lay on her bed to rest while Scrap played with a bouncy ball. As Mayabella lay on her bed she thought about the situation regarding James' behavior.
"I just don't understand what's going on at all. The last 2 days James wakes up & at 1ST seems to be completely fine & then a couple of hours later he starts acting strangely. What could possibly be causing it? I hope it's nothing more than nightmares & scary daydreams of some sort. At the moment that's the only logical explanation. When James gets up later I'll be able to hear from him so that I'll be able to determine how to keep his behavior under control" thought Mayabella as she lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling. Without realizing it she stayed there for nearly 2 hours before getting up & leaving her room. Just as she entered the lounge she saw James starting to stir. Once James opened his eyes he sat up & noticed that he was on the living room couch.
"How did I get here?" asked James in a confused voice.
"I & Scrap brought you home. Apparently you ran around town in a panic thinking there were giant spiders after you. When you turned up at school you fainted from shock. Why are you acting this way James? It's rather alarming that you're going around town like that" said Mayabella in a concerned tone.
"Last night I had a nightmare that I was attacked & eaten alive by giant spiders & the night before I dreamt about a naked woman telling me that some emperor guy had declared public nudity legal. For some reason I just couldn't stop thinking about those dreams & they overwhelmed me to the point I started confusing them with real things. For a long time I've had trouble opening up about it because I thought if I did everyone would think I was a psycho & that I'd get put in a psychiatric hospital. I don't know what to do. I wish I could find a way to stop getting dreams & reality mixed up" said James as he began to tear up. Mayabella gave him a hug to make him feel better not realizing he was lying to her.
"It's OK James. Just remember I'm always here for you when you need me" said Mayabella in a reassuring manner.
"Thanks. Anyways shall we watch TV?" asked James with curiosity in his voice.
"OK. Let's see what's on" said Mayabella as she turned on the TV & flicked through the channels to find something to watch. James was amazed that Mayabella believed him. He thought for sure she'd see right through his lies.
"I must be a very good liar. There's still nobody who knows the truth. Keeping up this charade is easier than taking candy from a baby. Everything should be smooth sailing from here" thought James as he, Mayabella & Scrap sat together watching TV. A short time later Mayabella went to get a start on dinner. She decided to cook chicken nuggets & potato wedges. It took only 30 minutes in the oven for them to be cooked. Once they were done she served them up before James & herself tucked in. The nuggets were juicy & succulent which made them a delight to eat & the wedges were seasoned well with salt to give it a good flavour. Once James & Mayabella finished eating they rinsed off their dirty dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. James decided to go to bed since he was feeling tired. After entering his room he changed into his pajamas & got under the covers. As he lay awake he thought about how easy it was to deflect suspicion away from his stash of Cocerojuana.
"I'm glad that nobody has discovered the truth about my stash. I intend to keep it that way. There's nothing I need more than my Cocerojuana fix. Based on how everything has played out so far it's safe to assume that I'm in the clear" thought James as he drifted off to sleep.