New Friends

While Meg was in the Abarat for a few hours Leeman has been in Quahog for about a week and four days. Strangely he had been able to fit in to his new home but it did take awhile. The first day had to be the hardest, people kept on staring at him or worse screaming in fright. He remembered going to the grocery store with Meg's family and somebody just looked at him once and his eyes melted out of his sockets. "Oh, I'm never going to fit in!" he said out of despair. Lois rolled her eyes slightly thinking, God he sounds like Meg. "Don't worry, Lee, people will soon warm up to you."

As the day went on Peter took him over to the Drunken Clam to meet his friends. "Hey everyone, this is Meg's boyfriend Leeman Vol. Leeman this is Glen and Joe."

"Hi" he said waving to his father's buddies. Joe looked at him suspiciously while Glen gave him a wink with a knowing smile. Leeman sat in between Glen and Peter; it was silent for a few uncomfortable few seconds until Glen broke the ice. "So….how did Meg get so fine?" Leeman looked at him quizzically. "What are you taking about?"

"You know, how did she get so sexy looking?" said Peter. "Before Meg disappeared she was rather ugly looking."

"How ugly looking?" Leeman asked, envisioning her as this deformed creature that looked far more hideous then he and he was pretty ugly looking. Peter took out a picture of Meg before she went into the Abarat. Is this what Quahogians consider ugly, he thought. Sure the girl in the picture had glasses, a plain face and non hour glass figure but she wasn't ugly. He had seen ugly and the most ugliest thing he had seen so far was himself (well, maybe not just him if we count Chatterer earlier).

"Well, she might not be as shapely as I've met her but she's not ugly," said Leeman. Peter made a laugh, "Ha yeah right. She's so ugly that when she was born a nurse turn to stone by just looking at her!" At this joke everyone began to laugh except Leeman. Already he hated her father for being so insensitive, that goes the same for her mother. Leeman stood up, "Excuse me but, here's the bathroom?"

"Over that way," Glen pointed to the right. Right after Leeman left Joe said, "I don't like him."

"Me neither."

"I know you guys but, the wife kept insisting that I take him out."

While the guys were already talking negatively about him Leeman was in the bathroom staring at himself then back at his girlfriend. "No wonder you went into another dimension," he said to himself wondering were she was this time. She could be back in the Abarat but, Shrewie she otherwise. "She could be in any part of the universe, Lee. I just have to find out where." As he was thinking about Meg he heard a moaning sound in one of the stalls, it sounded to be in pain. "Hello?" he asked the voice. It responded, "Help…..me"

As if on que blood began to pool on the third stall. Leeman's first instinct was to help the man in the stall until a hand was on his shoulder. "I wouldn't do that unless you want to take his place." Leeman turned to the speaker and almost screamed once he saw his face. It was a man with a pale face with pins sticking all over his head wearing a leather bound cassock. That's when Leeman realized something about the man, "Are you that guy that's like a boss to…Chatterer?"

"Oh yeah, I know what you mean. He always whines about that. Anyway I remember you too!"

"You do!"

"At least, briefly, I remember you were with a girl, a caterpillar and Yoda." Leeman looked at him confused.

"Who's Yoda?"

"He's…some puppet or something…I don't know from Star Trek or something. Anyway, the names Pinhead but, you can call me Pinz." Both men shook hands then Leeman turned his attention to the stall were a voice almost scream, "Can somebody please help me?!" With magical hands the stall door opens to a skinless man sitting on the toilet with cool looking box in his hand. Leeman had to suppress a scream after seeing this man. This kind of monstrosity was similar to the horrors of Midnight. Sure he was scary himself but, the things that go on in the Twelfth Tower or even were the Hag lives was beyond scary.

"Hey guys," shouted Pinhead, a door behind the victim opens to another side were two figures appeared. "What is it?"

"What is it? What is it?" said Pinhead annoyed. "I want you to do something you assholes."

"What do you want us to do?"

"What do you think? I want you to take him beyond the limits"

"Ok, we'll do that. Aren't you guys coming?"

"I'll be there in about five but, this guy isn't one of us."

"Are you sure? He looks like he could be one of us with the three mouths and stuff."

"Oh, I'm sure he's not one of us but, he's not from around here either."

"Really then were did he come from?"

"Yeah were did you come from?"

"HELP ME!"

"SHUT UP!" they shouted, the man moaned in pain some more. As the demons argued with each other Leeman was silent for a moment. He didn't understand the question, his mind was still on the suffering man. Pinhead could see he was uncomfortable with the new prisoner. "Take him away!" he commanded then everything was gone. Blood, screaming victim, everything gone as if nothing had happened. Pinhead asked him again, "So where did you come from?"

"Abarat," Leeman was excepting Pinhead to look at him in confusion but, his jaw went wipe open with surprise as if Leeman as if he came from Mars. "Abarat! You mean as in twenty-five islands Abarat?" he asked as if there was another Abarat of a different kind. Leeman couldn't help but, smile. Finally somebody knows what I'm talking about, he thought. "Of course I know what your talking about, I've been on Midnight plenty of times. Oh cool, I need to tell Candy about this!"

"Candy Quakenbush!" said Leeman excitingly he had heard the rumors that a Hereafterian by that name was in the Abarat. Pinhead looked at him confused. "Quakenbush? No, I mean Candyman…..ha Quakenbush" Pinhead looked in the mirror and held up his fist. With each finger appearing he said a name. "Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman!"

"What up, homies!" said a black man with a hook in his hand who looked at Leeman with his hand and hook up giving a 'wow' face. "Whoa, I swear you Cenos are getting freakier by the year!"

"No Candy, he's not one of my minions."

"You sure about that brother? He makes Chatterer look hot compared this guy right here."

"That's the thing, he's from the Abarat."

"Abarat!" he shouted as if someone just announced it was raining white woman. "Like twenty-five islands Abarat?"

"Yes"

"Wow, that is awesome. Hi, I'm Candyman by the way but, you can call me Candy." Leeman shook his hand. Finally he didn't feel like an alien.