Three Delivery "Another Dimension" 5
By Crystalquirt
Nana is using a 'seeing' portal recipe to find Sid, Sue and Tobey and see what they're doing, but she can't help them. Kong Li creates the portal to 'another dimension' again while he is fighting with Nana to get rid of her, but is trapped in it himself. Now he's there with the kids and they are in no shape to battle him.
Kong Li still has the Black Liquid recipe, but Nana got the portal recipe back from him. She has to hurry to use it to get them back, but first – Tobey still has to realize that he's trapped in an illusion.
Violence, more violence, possibly disturbing and scary situations, mild expletive possible.
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FROM PART 4
Now Nana only had the picture of Sid, Sue and Tobey together. The rest of her pictures went into the water when Kong Li attacked. It would still work as long as they have found each other!
She sat in the grass and leaned the mirror against her herb bag. She put the picture behind it. As the 'seeing portal' recipe ran down it, the other dimension came into focus.
They were together! Mei Hua was so relieved to see Tobey was still conscious when Sue and Sid got to him. But he was fighting them and there was a lot of blood! They weren't going to have an easy job of convincing him it was all an illusion.
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Part 5
An orange disk-like objected appeared over the white floor. The darkly clad, cloaked Kong Li came through it feet first and gracefully landed, already staring in the direction of Sue, Sid and Tobey.
"I can smell you from here!" He said as though his enemies could hear him.
Kong Li started to run toward the smell, but stopped when everything around him suddenly went pitch black.
When it got light again, he was wearing overalls over a dirty gray shirt with many large stains and holes. He looked around calmly, as though amused by the rundown, barely furnished old mobile home he was standing in.
Mei Hua's higher than usual voice was shrieking at him from the kitchen. "Get out there and change the oil in the tractor! You have to get it done before you go back to work at the chicken farm! I swear - if I didn't tell you every move to make, you would be fired as 'egg gatherer' and 'chief chicken poop collector', and this place would fall apart."
Kong Li made a talking motion with his hand and mouthed, 'Blah, Blah, Blah.'
Sid, Sue, Tobey, Sandra, Karla and Karl, each under five years old, ran screaming out of the kitchen. As the children ran by Kong Li, little Tobey hit him in the knees with a dirty cooking pot from the floor that the dog was eating leftovers out of.
Kong Li planted his boot in Tobey's little butt after he went by. That caused Kong Li great pleasure, but it caused little Tobey to squeal, scream at the top of his lungs, and throw himself on the ground. Little Sid went back and kicked Kong Li in the leg.
"Do you really think you can hurt me? I thought this was supposed to be a nightmare? " Kong Li laughed maniacally and knocked little Sid down. "So far it has been a GREAT time, for ME!"
Mei Hua's high pitched, screeching voice yelled again from the kitchen, "Husband! When you get home from work tonight take a shower right away! I really want to try for another baby! Wouldn't it be wonderful to have 10 more? But I can't get interested in romance if you smell like chicken poo."
That did it.
"Time to end this!" He closed his eyes, waved his hand and the whole illusion vanished immediately.
"I know Mei Hua will try to open the portal to save those kids. The only one she is going to find alive here, is me!" Kong Li turned on his heel and gracefully, silently swept across the white floor towards what he said was the smell of those rejects.
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The siblings had slowed to a walk, they were sure it was Tobey lying on the floor, still a couple hundred feet away. Sue started walking faster again and got out in front of Sid.
"Oh no! Sid! Look at him!" they were close enough to see the blood. The contrast of Tobey's blood against the white floor made it very noticeable.
Sue jumped into a run again, with Sid right next to her. They were a little relieved to see Tobey move and even get up as they got closer. Blood dripped off his fingers and he looked so weak, Sue tried to run faster to catch him thinking he might fall.
Tobey held a hand out toward them and yelled, "Stop!" They stopped not wanting to upset him more than he already was and even from a distance they could see his hand was shaking. "Oh Sid! What happened to him?
"Tobey! Easy man – why are you bleeding? What do 'you think' happened to you?"
"I think I fixed it so Nana won't have to 'waste her time' to take me back! How could you guys do this to me? I thought you were my friends!" Tobey ran at them ready to fight.
"Tobey whatever you think happened . . . it wasn't real, STOP!"
"Ya-Tobey! It's all been an illusion." Sid tried.
Tobey kept running at them. He turned slightly to run at Sid first. He tried to punch him and Sid just stepped sideways. Tobey stumbled to a stop and turned to face them breathing hard and bent over in pain. "I heard Nana with my own ears, and saw her with my own eyes – what are you talking about – are you trying to deny it?"
"We're all trapped here . . . in an illusion!"
"When you saw Nana, what did she say to you?"
It didn't seem like Tobey was listening to either of them. "If you didn't think I was good enough, why didn't you tell me so I'd have a chance to fix it before . . . before you guys and Nana decided to send me back?"
"Tobey? Good enough at what? What did Nana tell you?"
". . . and send you back . . . back where?" Sue added.
"As if you don't know!" Tobey took a step and though at punch as Sid's head. Which he easily blocked, and caught Tobey to keep him from falling. Tobey struggled and got out of Sid's arms.
Backing away from them he pleaded and reasoned, "Nana told me what she thinks – and what you two think of me! I just wish you had told me yourselves when you started feeling this way. Maybe I could have tried harder - although I don't know how I could have! I try my hardest all the time, I loved being trained by Nana, and having your friendship."
Tobey lifted his leg and weakly swung it at Sue. She stepped back. "Tobey, just trust us - everything's fine, we just need to get home."
"I have no home and now . . . I know I can't trust anyone." He stumbled forward, all the activity got his heart rate up and his wrists were bleeding faster. Even though he was very weak, he took off running!
"No Tobey - don't run!" Sid looked dismayed and started running after him, but Tobey didn't make it very far. He stumbled and fell, rolling to a stop on his back. He was very close to where he had laid for so long bleeding and came very close to falling on his knife.
Since he was already down, Sid kneeled next to him and with a hand in his chest kept him down. Sue tore the bottom off of her favorite shirt and tore it into two strips. She handed one to Sid to wrap around the bleeding wrist he was closest too.
"Why bother Sue, his injuries aren't real, all we have to do is convince him, right?"
"I think so but he is very upset. Haven't you noticed? He hasn't been listening! The longer it takes to convince him it isn't real the weaker he will get. He believes he is bleeding, and we have to stop it. If he passes out, how can we convince him it's all an illusion? He might even . . .
. . . and I don't know what else to do to help him!"
"Help me? Why would you care?" Tobey was weak and spoke softly. Sid let up on his chest to use both hands to wrap his wrist. Tobey rose up a little to see what he was doing.
Sid spoke softly. "This isn't real Tobey, whatever you think we did - everything that's happened since we've been here has all been an illusion. You, Sue and I are all that's real here." While Sid was talking to him, Sue was looking at his head to find the wound in his hair.
"I wish that was true, b-but - it really hurts you know? I have a headache - Nana kicked me in the head!" Sid and Sue both looked shocked for a second. "But that's not what hurts the most."
"Your wrists probably really hurt . . . but Tobey, we're trying to tell you . . ."
"Not my wrists either. What you said, what Nana said – all hurt so much more and now you're lying to me! WHY?" Tobey's fingers found the knife lying next to him near Sue. He brought it up past her leg and across to stick it, up to the handle in Sid's upper arm.
"Aaaahgnnn!" Sid fell away and landed on his side holding his arm. The knife was stayed in it. Sue jumped over Tobey and landed next to Sid. Tobey rolled to his feet and stumbled into a jog.
"I'm ok! Stop Tobey!"
Sue jumped up and caught Tobey by the back of his belt, trying not to knock him down and hurt him more, she guided him down as gently as she could. Sid joined them and sat down. He moaned through his gritted teeth. "Sue! What's going on? I know this isn't real! Why is it still in my arm? It really smarts you know?"
With the two siblings so close, Tobey didn't try to get away again. He closed his eyes, but he was listening to them.
After hearing Sid's questions, Sue thought for a moment and reached over to pull the knife out of his arm with no warning. "OW!" he yelled and glared at her. He covered the wound back up with his hand.
"My best guess is that like you said, you, me and Tobey are the only beings or things that are real here. The knife is Tobey's. It's the one he carries in his pocket all the time, so we know it's real too." Sue closed his knife and put it in her pocket.
"You mean he could have killed me? For real?"
"I think so. If the knife was big enough, and got you someplace other than your arm - you 'whiney-butt'."
"Hey, I'm not whining." Sid got right in Tobey's face. "Tobey, you have to listen to us! As soon as you understand, truly realize that this is all an illusion, you will be fine and your injuries will disappear."
Sue spoke very quietly but they both could hear her. "Maybe it won't be that easy. He is real and he used his own knife on himself too."
"He, um . . . oh man – I hope your wrong Sue!"
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At least now they had him restrained. Nana couldn't hear what they were saying through the mirror, but could see Tobey was not happy to see them. In his weakened condition, he could pass out before they convince him it's an illusion.
Nana had the mirror set up on the counter near where she was preparing the 'another dimension' portal recipe. She was just like a mom cooking for her family while watching a soap opera. Emotional when something bad happened, and finding it a little hard to focus on what she was doing right in front of her.
She was compelled to keep watching, especially now that Kong Li was there with them. They were finally together, and at least it looked like their illusions had vanished. Nana was hurrying to get the portal ready so she could get them back – hopefully before Kong Li found them.
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"Tobey! Please try to understand! I know it sounds impossible – but this is all an illusion. We all went through a portal that Kong Li created in the bookstore."
"Do you remember being in the bookstore? You kept a book case from falling on Sue during the fight – you saved her."
"Ya, I do remember, but that was a long time ago. I also mastered the ways of the Nian, stopped a runaway school bus, and got half of Chinatown back out of a painting, but none of that seems to make a difference to you." Tobey turned his head away and stared out across the floor.
"Of course what you do makes a difference! We might have lost the battle with Kong Li a long time ago if it wasn't for you.
Tobey looked back at them with tears in his eyes. "Then why would Nana say the horrible things she did? Why is she sending me back to the orphanage?"
"Oh Tobey! That's what we've been trying to tell you – when you thought Nana was here, and you thought she was talking to you – it wasn't real she wasn't even really here. She would never say those things to you. There is something about this place that takes your thoughts fears or doubts and makes them play out. It's just energy playing around with your mind."
"It felt very real when she kicked me in the head – and look at the blood."
Sid smiled and put his hand on Tobey's shoulder. "Nana would never kick you either – I might – but not too hard."
Tobey sat up and hugged Sid, and then Sue. "Are you sure Nana's not mad either?"
"No Tobey, she isn't mad, she's trying to get all three of us back."
". . . but-I . . . I got so upset . . . Oh no! Look what I did to myself!"
Tobey held out his wrists like they hadn't seen the blood yet. "I thought I wanted to die – I'm so weak now - I hope I didn't succeed." Tobey broke down and cried again.
He went from being afraid to live; to afraid he was going to die in a matter of minutes. It was all, confusing – but he realized for the second time in the same day, how much things can change and how quickly.
"Tobey." Sid muttered. It seemed like he was accepting what they were telling him – Sue must be right, Tobey's injuries aren't disappearing like mine did. Sid took his own shirt off to make more bandage material. His shirt was thicker and would hopefully stop the bleeding for good. He still had on a white t-shirt.
Sue pulled Tobey close to hug him tighter. He turned his face into her neck.
"Young Tobey, just in case you didn't succeed in taking your own life, I will be glad to deliver the final blow and get it over with."
Tobey gasped, and Sid and Sue turned to look. Kong Li was standing right behind them! He sneaked up on them while their attention was on Tobey. Kong Li aimed his staff at Sue's head. Sid rolled onto his back and blocked it with the bottom of his shoe.
Sue left Tobey sitting on the floor and stood up between him and Kong Li. Sid jumped to his feet and joined her.
"This, this is all your fault Kong Li – we'll never forgive you for this! It's just too much!" Sid charged Kong Li delivering a series of punches and palm strikes that actually drove Kong Li back at first.
"I'm not looking for your forgiveness!"
Kong Li jumped and did a back-flip away from Sid. His foot struck Sid in the jaw as he went. Sid bent over and held the Sid of his face for a moment. Sue ran by him to start an attack of her own.
Kong Li flung a splatter of blue liquid in her path from a bottle. The blue vanished right away like it evaporated instantly. As Sue ran into the area that got sprayed by it, she started to sink into what was the solid floor. In three more strides she was all the way up to her knees in the floor.
It was like trying to run in white, melted plastic. Sue made the mistake of putting her hands down and they got covered with the warm heavy liquid.
Kong Li jumped over the mess he made of the floor right over Sue's head and charged Sid. Tobey was still sitting on the floor behind him with his wrists pressed against his stomach trying to stop the bleeding.
Sid made fists and got low. "Kong Li, you found the recipe didn't you? The one we were looking for in the bookstore! It melts any material without adding heat! Hang on Sue!"
"Why yes I did, with you three having all the FUN, wasting time here and your Nana frantically trying to find you – there was no one to even slow me down!
Tobey was now standing up. "Fun! You think we were having fun?" Tobey stumbled weakly as he started to go around Sid to attack Kong Li himself, but Sid put his arm in front of him and held him back.
"Sit back down Tobey, you'll only lose more blood – I'll handle this." Sid ran forward. He noticed Sue had made her way over to the edge of the melted floor and was trying to pull her legs out.
Sid threw a punch but Kong Li caught his arm and flipped him over in mid-air three times before he hit the floor on his back. Before he could get up, Kong Li kicked him so hard it picked him up off the floor and threw him over Sue. He landed head-first into the liquid part of the floor.
Sid pushed down with his hands, but instead of lifting his head out, his hands just sank into it. He kicked and thrashed finding it impossible to get his head up. As Sue watched her brother drowning in the goo, she turned and tried to get to him quickly, but it she couldn't move very fast in the liquid floor.
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Nana was just completing the recipe when Kong Li appeared in the mirror. While she waited impatiently for it to get to the right temperature in the pot, Kong Li was attacking her kids. When she saw Sid go face down into the liquid floor, she yelled "Close enough!" grabbed the pot off the stove and threw it at the wall. She screamed. "Fu -Fio -Ku!" It was a reverse of the original spell. There would be no tentacles from this end to 'help' them get through it.
"Come on you three, find the portal - hurry!"
Nana saw Tobey struggling against Kong Li, but Sid and Sue were too far to the side to be seen.
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With Sue and Sid thrashing around in the floor, Kong Li turned to face Tobey next.
"Now for you." Tobey was staggering toward Sid and Sue and stopped short when Kong Li threatened him. The bandages they made out of Sue's shirt were soggy with blood and even that small weight seemed heavy to him as he raised his hands to defend himself.
Kong Li just slapped Tobey's hands to the side and that almost knocked him off his feet. He spun him around and held him around the neck from behind. Kong Li put his mouth very close to Tobey's ear and whispered, "I think I will take you with me to see your Nana."
"Get back, your breath smells awful man! You could really use a box of mints!"
When the orange disk-shaped vortex appeared in mid-air nearby, Kong Li forced Tobey to walk with him toward it. "No! I have to go help Sid and Sue! Let me go!"
In the liquid floor, Sid couldn't breathe! Sue fought her way to him and pulled up on his arm until his head was above floor level. The recipe had made the floor so gooey and heavy that a thick white layer of it still clung to him. Sid's hand found her belt and he used it to hang on to her. Sue used her hands to scoop large handfuls of white goo off her brother's face while he struggled to stay on his feet.
The instant he could open his mouth and feel air again, he sucked it in loudly. Sue kept scooping it away from his nose and eyes. He got his feet back under him and was able to stand on his own. They both started pushing their way back to the edge, this time helping each other, but it was still slow going – and they had to get out fast to help Tobey.
"No! No! I don't wanna go!" Tobey wasn't aware of where Kong Li was pushing him, but he knew he didn't want to go, he wanted to go help Sid and Sue. Too weak from the blood loss, Tobey couldn't fight back. He just let himself go limp hoping Kong Li would drop him. Kong Li just picked his light frame up and put him over his shoulder to carry him.
"Instead of killing you here, I will take you with me through the portal and hold you ransom for your Nana's cookbook. Once I have it, I'll get rid of all three of you." Tobey started struggling weakly but Kong Li could barely feel him hitting his back.
Sue and Sid finally made it out of the goo and ran to stand between Kong Li and the portal. Kong Li looked annoyed.
"Alright you two back away, if don't go through the portal first, neither does this little reject friend of yours - ever." Kong Li poked him in the back of the leg.
"Don't call me reject!" Tobey had never been upset by Kong Li's little nickname before – but this time it really bothered him. Tobey was trying to twist around so he could see Sue and Sid. He elbowed Kong Li in the back of his head as hard as he could three times very quickly and Kong Li dropped him.
Too weak to get away Tobey took too long to get up. Kong Li pressed down on his back with his staff and held him down.
From Tobey's less than heroic position, he made a pretty heroic speech, "No guys, don't let him get back - with or without me – he should never be allowed out of here – and if I have to stay with him, I will. You two hurry, get back to Nana!"
"No way Tobey, we won't just leave you here, right Sue?"
"Right! . . . and we won't let Kong Li get to the other side either."
Sid was still trying to get white floor goo out of his ears, but stopped when Sue finished that last statement and got ready to fight.
"I have beaten the three of you before. And really, little Tobey down there doesn't even count this time. "He's always been pretty worthless if you ask me." Tobey yelled, twisted out from under the point of the staff and knocked it away. Kong Li was still faster and picked him up by his shirt. He held him by the neck like a shield in front of him.
"Get away from the portal, now, or you can watch him die before I take care of you both."
Sue and Sid looked at each other before they backed away in different directions.
Kong Li kept Tobey in front of him as he jumped into the portal. Sue jumped next, and Sid got his toes pulled in just in time for it to close behind him.
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Surprised, Nana backed up when Kong Li came through holding Tobey by his neck. Kong Li landed and stepped aside before Sid and Sue landed after him. Nana was shocked at the site of all of them, but especially Tobey. She was bewildered about why his injuries didn't vanish once the illusion was over.
After Sid and Sue landed on their feet in Wu's kitchen, the white coating of floor hardened on their skin and clothes. When they moved, it was so brittle it shattered and fell in shards on the floor around them.
"Now that we're all here, Mei Hua, I will give you time to go get the cookbook and all the recipes you have for me. You better hurry. I don't think Tobey will live through a long argument between us.
Tobey answered him, "You jerk even if I am completely worthless - I'll protect my family and the cookbook from you for as long as I can.
Sid and Sue looked at each other, wondering, now that they have Tobey back – can he still believe they thought those awful things about him?
No time to figure it out, Tobey stomped on Kong Li's foot. It really only made him angry and he tightened his grip on his neck. It made Tobey cough but it was enough of a distraction for Sue and Sid to jump Kong Li.
Sid body slammed Kong Li and Sue grabbed Tobey and pulled him away. She turned and pushed him toward Nana who caught him in time to keep him from falling. Sue ran at Kong Li.
Nana grabbed at Tobey again and missed. He was running back toward the fracas to help Sue and Sid. Nana ran after him to get in on the fight too.
Kong Li had Sid down on his back pinned with the staff across his neck and his knee in his stomach. He had Sue frustratingly pinned on her stomach with his hand in the middle of her back. The only surface she could reach to hit was the side of Sid's face, so punching something wasn't an option.
As Tobey landed on Kong Li, his knee struck him in the neck and knocked him off his friends.
Nana quickly helped sue and Sid up.
Tobey and Kong Li landed against the side of the large, walk in freezer. Kong Li threw two handfuls of herbs at her. They exploded when they came in contact with each other. It drove Nana, Sid and Sue back. He easily pushed Tobey off and jumped to his feet.
Tobey was lying on the floor trying weakly to get up when Kong Li turned back to face him.
"You little cretin! I should have finished you in the other dimension!" Kong Li held his hand down toward Tobey and chanted "Mah-lit-jiph".
The barfiest color green lightening ever, shot from Kong Li's fingertips. It crackled and quickly zipped through the air at Tobey.
Just a little bit quicker than lightening, Sid leapt and landed on Tobey to cover him. The lightening hit him instead of Tobey. Sid screamed as it burned the back of his shirt away and ran around his skin. "Sid!" Tobey screamed when he fell limp on top him.
Sue was frozen in place with her mouth covered and tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at her brother.
Nana attacked Kong Li viciously and got him away from Tobey and Sid.
Sue gathered her wits and helped Tobey get Sid off so he could get up. Tobey scooted the rest of the way out from under him not wanting to roll him over on his sore back. He felt Sid's neck for a pulse. The steady beat he found provided him some relief. Tobey started to get up to help, but was so weak it just didn't happen.
He leaned against the freezer and shook Sid's shoulder. "Sid please – wake up."
"Hey -Tobey, are you ok?" Sid said quietly before he even opened his eyes. Tobey leaned forward and looked hopefully right into Sid's face. Sid opened his eyes and Tobey helped him roll on his side and sit up.
Sue joined Nana against Kong Li. Their battle took them closer to the door. Kong Li slammed the door, like he was afraid one of them would try to leave. "This ends here!"
Sue screamed, "Yeah right, you've said that before!" She attacked with all her rage and got in a series of kicks that made Kong Li bend over. The door Kong Li slammed and was now leaning against suddenly flew open. It knocked him down to the floor. Mr. Wu charged in yelling, "Why is nobody working!" he didn't look down, and stepped all over Kong Li.
Kong Li rolled out of the way making threats and looking for his staff. In a blur of cape, Kong Li ran out the door, down the hall and over the garden wall. Mr. Wu followed Kong Li out apologizing for stepping on him. He kept apologizing in a louder voice even after Kong Li went over the wall.
Sue ran quickly back to Tobey and Sid. They were still sitting on the floor and had seen that Mr. Wu just accidently saved all of them. Sid chuckled quietly.
Sue went to her knees, slid up to Sid and gave him a big hug. Her hands went across his burned back and made him wince. "Sorry." She let him go. Nana asked if they were ok and they both said there were but Tobey hadn't tried to get up again yet.
Nana said she'd be right back, and went out to try and calm Calvin down and keep him out of the storeroom until they got things cleaned up.
"Tobey, do you still think we're mad at you?"
"How could I? But Sid, I wish you hadn't done that just to prove you want me around."
"Don't get a big head." Sid smiled at him. Now Tobey was convinced they really did want him around. Nana and Sue helped the boys stand up and Tobey gave Nana a tight hug. She let him hug her as long as he wanted.
"Tobey, you and the others will have to fill me in on all that happened later, but for now you're going to the doctor. I want to make sure your ok. At the doctor he did a little 'out-patient' surgery to reconnect the artery that was cut on each wrist and the nature of his injuries made the doctor order six months of counseling even though he and Nana told the doctor that there were 'unusual' circumstances.
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"If you won't tell me what happened, at least talk to Nana."
"It's ok Sid, since it wasn't real, it's no big deal right?"
Sid was worried that Sue refused to talk about what happened to her. "I don't know, I still feel bad, I ruined everything, I got you guys killed and Kong Li won and took over as King! It was terrible."
"Well, it was just . . . I lost control of a situation and got you . . . um, hurt."
Sid didn't believe her. He knew she was leaving a lot out. Barney came in unnoticed and started wiping tables. He leaned over the back of the booth behind Sue to tell them hi.
Sue startled and landed a palm against Barney's jaw. He fell on his back with the damp rag for the tables over his face. "Ow! - what did I do?"
Sue jumped out of the booth and took Barney's hand. "Barney! I'm so sorry, you scared me! Oh man, I really didn't mean to do that!" She helped him up. He was working his jaw back and forth to make sure it still worked.
Tobey and Nana came back just in time to see Sue helping Barney up off the floor. "What happened kids?"
"Oh nothing Nana, he startled me – Are you alright? Barney I'm sorry!"
"You said you were sorry already Sue, and it's ok – I know not to sneak up on you anymore huh?" She saw his smile was a little crooked when she looked at him. Barney went back to wiping off the tables. Nana and Tobey joined Sue and Sid in the booth. Sue sat with her hands over her face.
"Well kids I am very happy to have you all back. I know you all experienced some terrible things. Are you all ok?"
"We will be, but I think Sue needs to talk about what happened to her."
"No Sid I told you I'm fine."
"Tell it to Barney, you almost knocked him out because he walked up and startled you."
Nana explained, "I was able to see some of what happened to all of you using a spell. I feel bad I couldn't get to you to help you sooner, but to get out; you had to overcome the illusions and find each other. The only way to get you back was if I stayed here to watch and open the escape portal when you were ready."
Tobey was unusually quiet. "Are you ok Tobey?"
"Yeah, it's just that it was only a few hours ago that I thought I'd be back in the orphanage or on the street by now." Nana saw he needed a hug again so she hugged him.
"Tobey that will never happen; I have made arrangements, legal and otherwise sufficient to ensure you that you will always have a home and a family. All of you will."
"But what if I mess up something – really bad? What if I'm not good enough?"
Sue offered, "We all mess up, we learn from it and move on."
"You are already 'good enough' as you are right now. You were 'good enough' when I first met you. Your doubts will fade; it's just left-over worries from what you went through."
"Now kids, we still have work to do. Kong Li got away with the Black Liquid recipe. We still need to get it back before he uses it again.
"Boy, I'll say-that was on dangerous and nasty recipe!"
I will begin the search while you three get some rest. Especially you Tobey - No video games – after you all sleep a while we will get that recipe and bring Kong Li down!
They all agreed reluctantly to do as she said. But they didn't really want to be sleeping while Nana was investigating or looking for Kong Li!
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Before Sid went to their room he went to the store room and got a hammer and nails, and the longest rope he could find. There was no one around when he pried up a step in the staircase and dropped the rope down into the space.
He hammered the step back down tight and returned the hammer to its place in the store room. "If I ever do fall down there, now I can get back out!" satisfied, he went to rest a while like he promised Nana. Sid was having some left over worries from what he went through too.
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Tobee Continued . . .