FRIENDS…THIS IS IT. THIS IS THE FINAL CHAPTER OF NEW GIRL OLD STORY. …..I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY. PLEASE COMMENT, RATE, ECT. LET THE END FINALLY COME.

Ch.64: The End

The daylight streamed through my broken blinds, glaring into my closed eyes. I rolled over, groaning. I don't want to get up…. Through the haze of sleep, I heard the door creek open loudly on its busted hinges. A loud, incisive meowing filled my room. I felt the massive weight sink onto the edge of the bed, padding over my legs with no regard for my comfort.

The weight settled onto my side when an icy nose shoved hard into the side of my face. I jerked back and tried to shove the massive tomcat away, "Leftover, you fata**…go away. Mommy's sleeping." The tabby's loud purring was interrupted by his wake up call, thrice this time. He then proceeded to sit on my head, shifting his class so that they dug into my scalp, purring all the while. F***** cats….

Tired of having my nose smushed into the pillow, I grabbed the 15 to 17 pounds of fur, setting him down next to me as I sat up and stretched. He rubbed his back up against me, asking for a pet. I set him down in my lap on his back and rubbed at his belly. "Who's my fata**, huh? You are!" He purred and wriggled in my lap. I shove him off and got ready for the day, whatever it may bring.

After nuking a few microwave pancakes for a minute or two, I downed them and grabbed my bag. After making sure the house was locked up, I set out, felling the heat of the unforgiving sun.

I see my time in Wonderland did nothing with this d***** drought…. According to the weathermen, we were currently in a high pressure zone and only God knew when it would come up. What WAS known is that this is the hottest summer on record. I've lived here for years and I guess I've gotten used to it. And by that, I mean I've gotten used to the sweat, stink and mosquitos. No one gets used to heat stroke.

I swatted one of the annoying, biting insects on my arm and wrinkled my nose at the bloody spot it left. I wiped it off and looked ahead. My park was up ahead, in all its run-down glory. Some of the neighborhood kids, four teenage girls, were chilling in the shade of the play mat and drinking sodas they'd gotten at the corner store. They waved and said hi, I returned the greeting, and headed along.

I considered going to the groove, thought immediately against it, and headed to the woods beyond it instead. I picked my way through the thorny bushes below and the prickly branches above till I found one of the thousands of foot paths. I trotted along, trying to think.

If what Nightmare had said yesterday was true, then there was really nothing I could do. I mean, exactly how does one travel between worlds willingly? Precisely; THEY DON'T. I gulped as I passed a pile of junk that may have once been part of a bench press machine, a lawn chair, and a fridge door. D***, this is the ugliest forest this side of the state.

I picked through the shrubs and ferns to exit the woods. On this side, a large, corporate owned clearing stretched all the way to the power plant's parking lot. It was usually lovely in the spring, all kinds of beautiful flowers blooming. Due to the process of time and the lack of rain this year, however, the clearing was depressingly brown and dead, like the rest of this town uncared for vegetation. And I'm pretty sure the near right corner was a big pile of broken glass…I think someone 'tossed' an old box T.V there, on account of the bits of black plastic in the mix of glass and shattered circuitry.

…Nightmare had said that White would talk to the Dealer. What did that mean? Would the Dealer let me come back? At what cost? I held my head, feeling a head ache coming on.

I've got some cash in my pocket…from here, I can hike it over to Jack-in-the-Box for a shake. Ice cold. With a cherry. In the air conditioned building. I deserve it.

I started to trudge lead-footed through the familiar tall weeds of this field, memories of me wading through this place in summers and falls past coming and mingling with my new worries. Remember when I'd walked here with Train and Glenn, on our way to Jack-in-the-Box, our own sodas from the corner store in hand. I remember Train shaking and spraying Glenn with his Pepsi. D***a**.

I was about halfway through the field when a familiar voice stirred me from my thoughts. I turned to the high pitched mewling. "Leftover?! What the hell are you doing so far from home baby boy?"

And there he was, my fat gray tabby, standing up to his raised tail in weeds. Leftover was an outdoor cat; as all my cats were. My backdoor had a flap so he could come and go whenever. In my opinion, it's a happier way for a cat to live. And he's a tomcat, so it's not surprising for him to wander from home. Sometimes I'll go for weeks without seeing him. What WAS surprising is that he was approaching me outside my house.

He's like an adolescent, in the phase where they cuddle up to you in the house like a child, but refuse to be seen with you in public, like a teenager. As is the way of cats.

But approach me he did, mewling and whining. I leaned down, worried he might be hurt in some way. He's come home scuffed up before. Seeing nothing wrong, I hoisted the feline up, ignoring the extra weight, heat, smell, and the unpleasant feeling of hot and sweat on animal fur.

He stopped crying and rolled his head a little bit, as though trying to see over my shoulder. Thing is, I always hold Lefty on his back like a baby. Most cats hate that, but he grew up with it. And I can rub his massive tummy. But now, he was squirming, trying to crawl over my shoulder like there was someone waveing a can of tuna at him behind me.

I shifted him and held him under the arms away from me, "What's gotten into you?!"

He only meowed once before I felt large hands on my shoulders, pulling me back….

And back…

…and back….

WTF?!

….

And when I opened my eyes, my feet were on solid ground again. Leftover was cradled in my arms, wide-eyed but otherwise calm. Aside from the vertigo of my apparent blackout, there was something else strange. What was it? Oh, yeah! SOMEONE WAS HUGGING ME!

I threw the cat off me a few feet and started kicking and screaming. The strong arms tightened and dragged me down, trying to keep me from getting away. "For Dealer's sake C.J, have you forgotten me already?!" All motion stopped. I slowly looked up to the familiar wine colored eye.

White smiled and rubbed his jaw, now red from where I'd cuffed him a good one, "Blood was right about you packing a good punch." I opened my mouth and closed it. The tall, lively and colorful trees of the Joker forest surrounded us, not the blue skies of the clearing.

"W…W-white?" "Yes?" He smiled warmly at me, "I'm real C.J. I'm here. YOU'RE here." Then, I noticed our position. I shoved him away hard and stood, staggering back. "W-what the f***?! How did you-?! Why did you-?!"

He stood and held up his hands, "I'm sorry I scared you C.J. Look," he pulled a vial out of his pocket, "your vial. I talked to the Dealer and he said you could come back on one condition." I stared at him, gape mouthed, "A-and that is?!" He smiled and pressed the container in my hand, "That this time, you play the real game."

I took the vial, staring at it, wrapping my head around it. "So…I'm really back in Wonderland? It was all real?" He nodded. "And you felt the need to surprise shove me down the hole because…?"

Now he looked away, "Umm…." I put my hands on my hips, "Well? You scared me half to death!" He had turned his head so I only saw the eye patch side, but I saw the tinge of red on his face. "I…um…was afraid you didn't want to come back." I raised my eyebrows, "And that warrants extreme measures?" He lowered his head and refused to look at me.

"…I would have come back, you know." He looked at me a little, "Hm?!" I looked away, "I wanted to come back. I missed it here. I missed…all of you." He smiled, "Everyone missed you to C.J. Especially me."

I gulped, aware that I was blushing. I looked down at the vial and absent mindedly uncorked it. "Bottoms up." I chugged the liquid. It was fairly tasteless, but just a little…fruity. Like watered out flavored water. I finished and recapped it. "Well…now I'm an actual player…now what? Go see the others?"

He nodded, "Yes…but just one thing first." I cocked my head, "Umm…what?"

This time, he looked directly at me, "I thought about this a lot and…I promised myself I'd tell you if you decided to stay. And Black said he'd kill me if I didn't." I gulped, nervous, "Uh…yeah?"

He actually TOOK MY HAND. WTFRIPPERTYFRAP WAS GOING ON HERE?!

"C.J, I like you. A lot." I gaped at him, sure I'd heard wrong. He looked away a bit, embarrassed, "I know that…you're not the type to say it so fast, so I won't say I love you…yet."

…Holly s***, this is actually happening, isn't it?

"At the very least will you say that I have a chance?" …My good sir, I do believe you have MORE than a fair chance.

I swallowed the scale model of the Great Wall of China in my throat. "Well…u-ummm…White…I um…like you to."

He tilted his head, puzzled, then a smile spread, "What was that C.J? I didn't hear you." I glared at him, knowing that he knew d*** well why I was blushing. "D*** it you sadist clown, I said I like you to and don't make me say it again!"

I felt a hand on my cheek. "No need."

I would write what happened for the next few seconds, but words currently escape my thoughts. It was pleasant, I can tell you that.

When he pulled away, I was feeling very light-headed. Until a VERY familiar voice yelled out.

"AAANNNND HE SCOOOORRRRRSSSSEEEEE!" We both jumped a mile high.

I stared at the mask on his belt. "…BLACK?!" "That's not alllll~!" I was then bombarded with just about every voice in Wonderland. I stared blankly at the mask.

"C.J, we're happy for you!"

"White, way to shoot!"

The rage having been given a good stewing time, I ripped the mask off White's belt, "BLACK YOU RAT B******, I'LL MASACER YOU!" I pointed to the other one, "And you!" He held up his hands, "I had nothing to do with this, I swear."

I growled and shoved the hysterical mask back to White, "Turn them off!" They instantly cut off, leaving the quite rustling of leaves.

He opened his mouth. I held up my hand, "Don't start. Let's hurry up and go kill him already. Ok?" He nodded, embarrassed.

As I walked past him in the direction of the prison, an irritatingly instantaneous need made me reach out and take his hand as I walked. I glanced back and saw his smile light up and turned back, feeling fluttery.

We'd only been walking for a short time when, "MEOW! MEEEOOOOOWWWW!" I turned and saw Leftover running up behind us, mewling like he was hurt again, afraid of being left behind in this strange place. I let go of White's hand and reached out to the kitty. "Leftover! I'm sorry baby, I almost forgot you!" I scooped him up on his back and straightened. White looked at Leftover. "…Yours?"

I nodded, "Yup. White, meet my tabby, Leftover. Lefty, White." Leftover bobbed his head sleepily and White narrowed his eyes. "…Let's get moving." I smirked as he took my elbow and led me down the path, as he couldn't take my hand.

As we walked, White explained to me that due to the fact my first game had been over without doing it, I didn't really have to kill Yuri. Since Elda was…elderly, and the fact that nothing lasts forever, the original five would be together someday, so no need for me to help it along. To his knowledge, Yuri was at the prison with the others right now to, awaiting my return. Thank God…no more killing people I like.

I sighed to the green leaves in the trees above, …Is this how it's going to be from now on? Friends, my cat, a place to call home? Is it really possible that my journey is over? Of flippen course not.

I stared gape mouthed as something rather small stumbled sorrily out of the brush. White got in front of me, but there was no need to be afraid. God-shocked, though, there was plenty call to be.

WHAT THE F********?!

THE END?

*CRIES HYSTARICLY AND THROWS CONFETE* WELL MY FRIENDS…THAT'S ALL. THE END OF MY VERY FIRST STORY…THIS IS TRULY A PIVITOL MOMENT FOR ALL WRITERS, IS IT NOT? WELL…GUESS WHAT? THAT'S NOT IT!

YES, I WILL WRITE THE SEQUEL TO NEW GIRL, OLD STORY SOON ENOUGH MY FRIENDS! STAY TUNED, AND KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED FOR THE LAST BOOK OF THIS SERIES; ROLL CALL

…BE SEEN YA. LATER.