Ms. Saffron groaned in frustration as it started to rain heavily. "Well that's just great. The weather didn't forecast this!" She pressed a button on her car, activating the windshield wipers.
Even with the wipers' help, it was still hard to see. The rain was coming down hard. There was so much of it, she could see the roads were covered in a sheet of water. She could see the millions of ripples move through the extremely shallow water as the rain droplets hit.
The liquid made steering a little more difficult. She hated it when it rained. Her news van's size made it harder to drive in. She did have an option for one better built for all weather, but no, she had to go cheap and get this piece of junk. Oh well, nothing she can do about it now.
She started thinking about Mr. Cosmo's plans. They were...unpredictable to say the least. If she hadn't known him well, she would have thought he was joking. The way he wanted to execute his scheme was quite different than she had expected, feeling like it involved leaping through a lot of holes and relying on luck.
Yet despite her skepticism, she still agreed to help him. He promised that he wouldn't let this discovery spring onto the public. He said he wanted to be secretive just like she wanted. He had guaranteed, with all that was about to unfold, the public would be none the wiser.
A part of her had some doubts, but she fought not to let it show. She had worked with Mr. Cosmo for years and he certainly earned her respect. She trusted his judgment and knew when he was speaking the truth. And, to an extent, she felt safe with Mr. Cosmo. Before she worked with him, she had to compete with some rival reporters who had given her a hard time. Mr. Cosmo took her under his wing and the rest was history.
A questioning of her loyalty to him felt like a back stab to her. How could she doubt him after all he had done for her? How dare she begin to doubt him when he had proven himself time and again to her?
But then, this time was different. They were dealing with something that no one else knew about, save for two children. This something was so different, so bizarre, she couldn't help but feel frightened by it. It was something that she didn't want to be publicized, at least not until more about it was understood and the risk factors taken note of.
They were dealing with a world made of chalk. Just how was she supposed to digest this information? How were she and Mr. Cosmo supposed to treat it, react to it? These thoughts plagued her mind as she went to pick him up from his house.
She parked in front of the large pale yellow house. She looked at the house as she waited for Mr. Cosmo to come out. They didn't have much time. School started soon and Mr. Wilter was expecting him to show up. At most, they had about ten minutes to spare. But she wasn't too concerned; Mr. Cosmo was usually on time about stuff like this.
As she waited, she stared at his house being bombarded by the rain droplets. It, along with the yellow color, made the house appear to almost glow. In a sense, it felt almost symbolic to her. Mr. Cosmo was the one person she could trust the most, the one person who had made her life feel better. The glow made his house appear almost like a safe haven, inviting and comforting. It was almost...beautiful.
She shook her head. No, she couldn't get lost in that. Not now, when she had important work to get done. She had her own instructions of what to do after Mr. Cosmo went into the classroom. She mustn't lose sight of that.
A minute later, she saw the door open. Mr. Cosmo came out, holding only a dark blue umbrella to shield himself from the rain. He was dressed a little differently. A little more informal. She guessed it was because he was going to a school. The dress code wasn't as strict there as it is down at the news station. She also guessed it was because he wanted to make himself look friendlier and more approachable to the students. Perhaps it was to keep those teenagers, Rudy and Penny, off guard.
Mr. Cosmo got into the passenger's seat. He folded up his umbrella and placed it next to him. He gave her a single nod to start driving. She pressed the gas pedal, aiming to go as fast as she could without causing the vehicle to topple over.
"Whoa there." He said, a little surprised by how fast they were moving already. "We have plenty of time to get there!"
"But the school will..." Saffron said.
"I'm not due to appear in the classroom until about an hour from now. So please, slow down." He said in a soothing voice.
As she slowed down to a much more comfortable pace, Ms. Saffron's mind went to the boy, Rudy. The meeting the other day hadn't gone exactly as planned. She had been prepared for resistance. She had expected the boy to snap at her. What she hadn't expected was him turning so silent suddenly after she told him the reason she was there. And the reaction from his parents was a tad more extreme than what she thought she'd encounter.
And a part of her was actually relieved about that. Had they not reacted like that, she would have had to say more to Rudy, and by that point, she actually had nothing else to add. She hadn't come prepared with questions. She was simply following Mr. Cosmo's orders, which she still couldn't make sense of.
She decided to bring it up.
"Mr. Cosmo, sir?" When the man looked at her, she asked, "Why did you want me to talk to Rudy the other day? Why did you want me to make it sound like he had been sought out for some news story about grades?"
Mr. Cosmo was silent for a moment. She couldn't look at him since she was driving, but she guessed he was leaning back in the chair, deep in thought. The van on the way to the school was not the perfect place to discuss this, but she knew if she didn't say something now, it would eat away at her the whole time she waited for Mr. Cosmo to leave the school.
When Mr. Cosmo spoke, Ms. Saffron was not sure how to react.
"It was important to gauge the boy's reaction."
Ms. Saffron wanted to stare at him wide-eyed, yet her eyes remained glued on the road for obvious reasons. The boy's reaction? What did that have to do with anything?
"Excuse me? Care to explain?"
"Certainly." The man said, sounding not at all annoyed with her questioning. "In order for me to go forth with my plan, I needed to see how the boy reacted to negative stimuli. Specifically, an insult."
"Is that why you wanted me to call him a delinquent?" Ms. Saffron said, a tone of disgust in her voice. She absolutely hated using that term on the boy. It was way too harsh. It didn't at all fit what he was, or did it? She didn't know much about the boy. Still, she hated what she said to him and this was one idea of Mr. Cosmo's that she definitely did not agree with.
The man said in an almost nonchalant manner, "Well yes. You see, I need to know how...fragile his mind is." He tapped his fingers together once, looking out the window and seeing some students walk to school in the rain. The building was straight up ahead. "The weaker the mind, the easier it is to...work with them so to speak."
Ms. Saffron gave him a quick sideways glance. Her eyes widened. What was this man's plan? Was he talking about what she thought?
"How...what are you..." She stammered, unable to come up with a coherant question.
Mr. Cosmo chuckled. "I had a feeling you would be confused. Don't worry, all will be explained in due time."
She slowed down as they were coming to the turn for the school. As she entered, her mind was invaded with new thoughts, most of them not so pretty. While she still trusted Mr. Cosmo, a part of her was questioning him even more. And to think that he wanted the boy's feelings to be hurt, it was distasteful in her mind. She had never been angry at the man before. This was a first.
When they parked, she kept the doors locked. She was not done talking to him yet. And like he said, they still had time. She needed to understand what his motivations are. They weren't what she had expected. And why did his plans involve that little boy? She understood questioning him about this chalk world, but for the love of Pete, why did it have to involve calling him a criminal and angering his loved ones?
"Before I let you out," Ms. Saffron said softly. Any sign of respect she had for the man was temporarily lost in the anger that was starting to fill her mind. She fought to keep it under control. "Will you tell me how shattering that boy's mind will benefit you?"
Mr. Cosmo took not of a few shakes of fury from the woman. Yet he did not react to her piercing glare. He had expected a reaction like this from her, and he was prepared with a reply almost immediately. "A weak mind is easier to mold, you see. Any information I want from the child, I can get knowing how his mind reacts to harsh comments. Understanding his reactions, how he deals with such comments, is key to knowing for certain that he's hiding something, which then can be used against him should he try to resist."
"I very much doubt he would tell you anything, even if you confronted him with any evidence." Ms. Saffron said softly. She was starting to cool down a little, but she was still angry at Mr. Cosmo.
"True, quite true." Mr. Cosmo nodded his head. "Which is why I don't plan on confronting him...not yet." He ran his hand along his umbrella, unfastening the belt that kept the umbrella flat. "Which is why, with some knowledge with how his mind works, based on the information you so helpfully gave me, I have other ways of getting what I want."
Ms. Saffron didn't stop glaring at him. "I don't see how you can possibly think this convoluted plan of yours will work. It was still crazy before, but this...how are you certain you won't fail?"
The ego radiating off of Mr. Cosmo as he simply smiled at her was astounding. If she had known Snap, she would have believed his ego rivaled the blue boy's.
"You will just need to trust me on this, Ms. Saffron. I am fully confident that, when the time comes, Rudy will reveal what I want to know." He glances over at her as the doors are finally unlocked. "But if you don't believe me, time will reveal all. Yes, time will confirm whether or not my ideas are 'too convoluted' to work."
Ms. Saffron sighed deeply, refusing to look at him. In a voice that sounded almost defeated, she said, "Just go. I'll get started on that assignment you wanted."
A grin plastered on the man's face. "Great! And don't worry. It'll all work out in the long run."
As she watched the man enter the school, Ms. Saffron shook her head slowly from side to side. "I sure hope you know what you're talking about, sir..."
sss
Penny was worried. There were many things that concerned her right now. There was school. Always having to study to keep up her good grades and make her family happy. There was the upcoming test which she needed to study for. Outside of school, there was a family reunion planned in a few months. Although a way's away in the future, and no matter how many times she went to one of these reunions, she was always nervous, afraid of saying the wrong thing and making a fool of herself. It was times like these she felt like Rudy did when he danced with that flower costume on.
She was also worried about the reporter coming to the school. She heard some students talking in the hallways, stating to see the guy at the school. If he was there already, she had to be on her guard. Every so often, she would look over her shoulder, expecting to be tailored by the reporter and a cameraman, like how Terry did with her. Even something as simple as turning a corner, she had to take extra precaution just in case she was being followed.
But above all, she was worried about Rudy.
He hadn't spoken much after he told her about Mr. Cosmo's visit at the school. His mind may have gone back to what Ms. Saffron said. She wanted to stay and comfort him, but her parents were expecting her. Reluctantly, she had to leave him. He seemed to understand, even smiling and waving goodbye to her. But that smile, she could tell it was fake.
She had tried to speak to him as they walked into the school together. He didn't reply. She felt bad for him. She understood the sting of words and how much they can hurt. She had to deal with that herself, with people mocking her for wearing glasses. Seems archaic, but she would attest to any doubters that, yes, there still exists people who give others a hard time wearing glasses.
But her issues were small compared to Rudy's, at least with her. All she wanted to do was find a way to make him happy again. But with him being silent, she didn't know how she'd be able to accomplish that. Perhaps she would have better luck in class, before Mr. Wilter came in.
Penny took her seat behind Rudy. She hesitated, biting her lip. From behind here, it was hard to tell if he was still upset or not. At least to someone who didn't know him well enough. Penny had been Rudy's close friend for years. She could tell, by his body language, that he was troubled by something.
She reached over and touched his shoulder to get his attention. The boy turned to look at her. He put on a smile, which she could tell was just as fake as the one he gave her when she left.
"What is it, Penny?" He asked her.
"Rudy, I was just wondering..." She paused, trying to think of the words to say. "Are you sure you are okay? You still seem...upset."
Rudy's fake smile faded, reflecting his true mood. His eyes faced towards the ground. Knowing he couldn't lie to her, he said, "Yeah, I guess you could say that. But now isn't the time to talk about it, Penny."
Penny understood. But she still wanted to make an attempt to comfort him. Seeing him so sad made her upset as well. "Ms. Saffron is wrong about you, Rudy. Please, don't let her words get to you like this. I know you better than that. I..."
"I get it, Penny!" Rudy was a little snippier than he meant to be. He sighed and turned his head away. "I'm sorry, Penny. I didn't mean to... Well..." His expression hardened a little. "I understand you want to cheer me up. I do appreciate your words, Penny. I do. But that woman...she..."
Sensing there was something Rudy wanted to confess to her, Penny leaned closer towards him. "Rudy?"
"She may have been right about me, Penny...she may have been right." His answer came in a harsh whisper, a slight shiver to it.
Penny's eys widened at this. "Rudy..how can you say that?"
Rudy looked at her. He said, "Penny...do you have any idea how many rules we broke g..." He stopped himself before he mentioned ChalkZone in class, worried someone will hear.
"That doesn't make you a criminal, Rudy." Penny tried to explain. "You had no choice. You didn't cause harm to anyone."
"Yeah...I know..."
Penny could tell he was still upset. She wanted to continue speaking with him, but she was interrupted as the door swung open. Everyone, including her and Rudy, snapped to attention, watching as Mr. Wilter walked in the front of the class, his arms tucked behind his back.
"Class, as I am sure you are aware, we have a special visitor today." Mr. Wilter said.
Penny and Rudy winced, knowing who this 'visitor' was. Their eyes slowly turned towards the door. They could see a shadow falling upon it.
"He has come here because he has something important to tell you all." Mr. Wilter continued. He took one step to the side and turned towards the door. "I am sure we will all learn something from his visit. Please welcome..."
The wait for the man to enter the room was agonizing for Rudy and Penny. The man slowly walked in, taking as much time as he could as if he wanted to prolong this moment. He stopped in the middle of the room. A smile came onto his face and he raised a hand to greet the classroom.
"Mr. Cosmo."
"Hello, students." Mr. Cosmo said politely. "There is something I would like to talk to you all about."
Rudy tried not to cringe when Mr. Cosmo's eyes met his.