DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my own delusional plotbunnies.
SONG: "Slow and Steady" by Of Monsters And Men.
Dib awoke to the sound of his sister pounding on the door and cursing his existence. They were going to be late for school if he didn't get up and get ready. Dib and his sister always walked to school together since he was older and had a responsibility to take care of his sister. Often enough he was the head of the house because their father was always working or away on business. Not that Gaz needed Dib for protection; she was frightening enough on her own. Anyone who chose to mess with her chose to sign their death warrant. It was simply customary for the elder brother to walk with his younger sister to school. That and the fact that they both went to the same school…
Crawling out of bed, he stretched, watching as the numbers on his digital clock changed. The sun had risen and was shining through his window. He loved how bright and happy things looked in the morning. Peaceful; he longed for these mornings and used to fantasize about enjoying them once he'd exposed Zim and saved the town. How interesting it was to experiencing this morning knowing Zim was most likely up to something.
Meeting his sister in the kitchen, he sat at the table and poured himself a bowl of cereal. His father, as usual, was working in the lab but the hovering monitor was placed over the chair to simulate his presence. Dib hardly took notice, lost in his thoughts. Gaz scowled at her bagel and told Dib to hurry up. Once they'd cleared the dishes and gotten their bags, they headed out the door and down the street. The trip to school was uneventful. Having learned the places where bullies and jerks frequented, they arrived at school unscathed.
Surprisingly, Dib walked into class and Zim wasn't there. On any given day, Zim could usually be found in his seat, scowling at some device or scribbling on some papers, muttering to himself. He'd occasionally look up to glare or scowl at Dib and Dib would return said glare. It was as it had always been, except Zim would never confront Dib. It was almost as if he were avoiding him. One time, Miss Bitters made a remark about how quiet they seemed and Dib had made a comment about how he was evilly plotting the demise of the human race, just to keep face. Zim had scoffed and played innocent. Something was certainly different about the two, but the students in their class and Miss Bitters were too self-absorbed and ignorant to care.
Dib wondered about where the demon could be. He hadn't seen him in the schoolyard, cafeteria or any of the hallways. It didn't seem like anyone else might know where he might be either. Class began quickly and Dib lost his thoughts of where Zim might be as he was subjected to the mind-numbingly inane lecture on how pterodactyls once ruled the universe and the heroic efforts of sea-lions founded the North Pole and freed the universe from the pterodactyls' evil reign.
After what seemed like an eternity, the final bell rang signaling the release from the torture that was school. The other students rushed out of their seats, exiting from the door and windows and into the sunny afternoon. Dib walked out after everyone else and found his sister reading a book on the steps. He sat down and watched the sky for a while before she finally got up and began walking. Dib followed after her and as usual, walked by the house and stood by the lamppost to listen to the music. But there was no music. Dib frowned, confused; not only was there no music but Zim was absent from school all day. He really must be up to something, Dib thought and turned to go inside. Frustrated with the day, he set his thoughts on watching his beloved reruns of Mysterious Mysteries of Strange Mysteries.
The night grew on without Dib noticing it and suddenly it was nearly eleven o'clock. Stretching on the couch, Dib got up and made his way to his room. He sighed as he opened the door and turned on the light. His thoughts were slow, and he was groggy so he didn't realize the small black box next to his bed. When he turned out the light, a small noise came from the box and it began to play a soft song. Dib's eyes popped open and he looked at it in shock. He listened to the faint music, breathing slowly and watching the light blinking on the small black music box. He sighed and a small smile lifted one corner of his mouth before he fell asleep…
"The lights go out, I am all alone
All the trees outside are buried in the snow
I spend my night dancing with my own shadow
And it holds me and it never lets me go
I move slow and steady
But I feel like a waterfall
Yeah, I move slow and steady
Past the ones that I used to know
My dear old friend, take me for a spin
Two wolves in the dark, running in the wind
I'm letting go, but I've never felt better
Passing by all the monsters in my head."