Here's the next chapter. Enjoy more itty bitty Kendall and Hortense!

o*o*o*o*o
We learn of great things
by little experiences.
-Bram Stoker
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10 years old

"Hortense, sweetie?" Hortense looks up from his book to find his mother standing in his bedroom doorway, the phone clutched to her chest.

"Yeah mom?"

"Have you heard from Kendall?" She moves towards his closet, knowing it was a favorite hiding spot for the blonde who lives down the street. When her search of the closet comes up empty handed she turns back to her son. "Hortense?"

The brunette shakes his head. "I haven't seen him since we walked home from school. Why?"

Instead of answering his question, his mother puts the phone back up to her ear. "Sorry Jennifer, Hortense hasn't seen him."

Recognizing the name of his best friend's mother, Hortense slides off his bed. He walks over to his mother and holds a hand up for the phone, waiting patiently until the older woman gives it to him. "Mama Knight?" He speaks once he has it, "what happened?"

"Hortense! Are you sure you haven't seen Kendall?"

"Not since school today, sorry. Why?"

"We got into an argument about his grades after I got home from work today." Hortense's gaze flickers to where his own report card is sitting on his nightstand, waiting for his mother to look it over. "He ran out and I can't find him."

The small boy has never heard his friend's mother sound like this. Frightened and helpless and small. She had been a rock for both he and his mother when his father had left the year before. It hurts the younger boy to hear her sound like this. He loves Mama Knight as if she were his own mother. He's sure that Kendall is safe. He can feel it and he's quickly learned that, when it comes to the blonde, his gut feelings are never wrong. But he knows that won't do Mama Knight much good right now.

"It'll be okay, Mama Knight." He tells her. "I'll go look for Kendall."

"Hortense, sweetie, no-"

But he doesn't hear whatever she was going to say against his idea, because he hands the phone back to his mother. "I'm going to go find Kendall, Mom." He moves to his closet and grabs a sweater because it's starting to get just cool enough to need one.

"Hortense, you are not going out when it's dark out."

Hortense looks up at his mother, face serious. He knows she's nervous because he's only ten and very small, but she needs to understand. He can do this. Probably better than anyone else. "Don't worry." He assures her as he grabs the flashlight stored in his nightstand for when the power goes out during really bad snowstorms. "I won't be gone long, I promise."

Then he closes his eyes and just thinks about his best friend.

"Hortense Logan Mitchell, what are you do-"

"Shh." He holds up a hand to silence her, cutting her off mid-question. He concentrates and after a few seconds he can feel a gentle tug that's pulling him in the direction of the neighborhood park a few blocks over. Or that's where Hortense would say it was going to lead him if he had to guess. He opens his eyes and heads towards the stairs. "I'll be right back as soon as I get Kendall!" He calls, moving downstairs and out the door before his mother can stop him.

Mama Mitchell stands at the top of the stairs, getting a perfect view of the front door as it closes behind her only child. "What in the world?"

-0-

Hortense moves quickly, not quite running, but definitely not walking, as he follows the gentle tug in his chest. It's like someone or something he can't see has grabbed his shoulders and is steering him in the right direction. Five minutes later he realizes his first instinct was right. He's standing at the playground that's only a few blocks from his street. It's almost halfway between where James lives and where Kendall and Hortense live. It's even in walking distance of Carlos' house, although he has to walk a little farther, and all four boys often meet up there during the summer.

At the very end of the playground are several large plastic, well, tubes—for lack of a better word. And from one of the tubes Hortense can just make out the outline of a very familiar pair of converse sneakers.

Wordlessly, the brunette makes his way to the tube. The sound of his feet on the sand makes just enough noise that the blonde is alerted to his presence. Without even waiting to see if his friend recognizes him, Hortense climbs into the tube with him. It's a tight squeeze; if the boys were any bigger they wouldn't fit at all. As it is, the brunette, who is slightly smaller than Kendall, has to sort of snuggle up against his friend.

"Hey." He whispers once he's settled.

"Hi."

Hortense shifts just enough to lift his head up and make eye contact with the other boy. Or try to. Kendall refuses to meet his gaze. "So you're mom got mad."

Kendall nods. "I'm just…I'm not smart like you are, 'Tense. I try to be but I just-I'm not interested in that stuff. I don't want my mom to hate me, but I can't help it."

"You're mom doesn't hate you!" Hortense remembers how scared Mama Knight had sounded on the phone and knows without a doubt that she doesn't hate Kendall. That she could never hate him.

"I know she wants me to be smart. I bet it would be better for her if I was smart"

The brunette shakes his head. "You're mom wants you to do your best. And we both know what you can do if you put your mind to it. And she only does it 'cuz she knows life will be easier for you if you do."

Kendall tries to shrug, but it's difficult in the cramped quarters. "I know. I just…" he sighs, "it's hard to do my best when it's all so boring!"

Hortense frowns and wishes, not for the first time, that he could share his enthusiasm for learning and his thirst for knowledge with his best friend. "Maybe we can work on it together." He says finally. "I mean I love learning and school and I'm not boring…am I?"

"No way!" The blonde's head shakes furiously. "You're the only one who makes school even a little interesting!"

The other boy smiles. "Okay. Together then."

Kendall pulls the smaller boy closer, ruffling his hair affectionately. "What would I do without you 'Tense?"

"Probably hide out here in this tube all night." His light demeanor turns serious. "You shouldn't have run off like that, Kendall. You're mom was really scared."

"Yeah," the blonde looks guiltily down at his shoes. "I just hate when my mom is disappointed in me. I needed to get away from it."

"Next time, come to me. I won't make you go home and it's safer than the park."

"I-I wanted to go to your house." His friend admits quietly. "But I was afraid I would be bothering you."

Hortense pushes himself up so quickly he nearly hits his head. "Kendall." He forces the blonde to look at him. "Remember last Christmas? When you told me you were always going to be there for me?" Kendall nods. "Well that goes both ways. You're my best friend. And you'll never be bothering me. Not matter what it is."

He slides out of the tube and waits patiently for the blonde to mimic his actions. "Now let's go home."

He turns to leave but Kendall grabs his hand, preventing him from moving. He turns back to face his friend who is looking sheepishly at the ground. "Let's not go back yet. Can we look at the stars for a while first?"

The brunette nods. "Sure." They climb up to the monkey bars, stretching out side by side, Hortense's feet next to Kendall's head, on top of them.

"Do you know where the constellations are?" Kendall asks.

Hortense shakes his head. "No. But I can find out. Maybe Friday we can lay out in my backyard and find them."

Kendall nods, smiling warmly at his best friend. "If I'm not grounded for doing to bad in school."

The smaller boy thinks back to how worried Mama Knight had sounded on the phone and realizes that if Kendall is going to get grounded for anything, it will be for running off, not for his grades. But the blonde is finally starting to smile again so he decides to keep that information to himself.

The stars aren't going anywhere after all.

There's chapter six! Seven will be up soon!