Chapter 3

Jake woke up the next morning and stretched, looking to see the spot next to him was empty, which told him Diane had already gotten up. He hoped she had slept well as he sat up and looked around before seeing Balan come in with a tray in his hands, a tray that had tea and biscuits on it. "Ah, good morning, my boy," the tall being said with a warm smile, sitting down beside him. "I brought you some breakfast."

"Thank you," Jake said, grateful to the tall being for his kindness as he accepted the tray from him. As he was enjoying his breakfast, he decided to talk to the maestro that had saved both him and Diane. "Balan, first off, thank you for letting me and Diane sleep inside your theater," he said to him.

"You're welcome, Jake," Balan said. "As I said before, I wasn't about to leave you two to freeze out there."

"Where is Diane, by the way?" Jake asked.

"She's in the kitchen with Iben and Yuri, having breakfast with them," the maestro replied. "She was at first quite surprised to be here and a little unsure at first, but I told her that you had brought her here last night out of the cold. I even found her a new pair of glasses that she tried on and thankfully, they work for her."

"Oh, good," the young man said in relief, deciding he'd check on Diane after breakfast. "Hey, Balan, what kind of theater is this, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind at all," Balan said with a smile. "This theater is the entrance to a place called Wonderworld, where those that have lost hope and balance in their lives come and I help guide them to restoring their hope and balance. My counterpart does help me out with that and we've managed to help many people, even those that have been through horrible tragedies."

"So, the theater is kind of like a shelter of sorts?" Jake asked.

"You could say that," the maestro said with a nod. "We've actually even sheltered children who have been bullied, such as little Yuri and young Haoyu."

The young man noticed Balan looked sad at this. "Why were they bullied?" He asked as he didn't like bullying either.

"Our little Yuri has a passion for learning about insects and she's quite good at it, but not all see her passion as a good thing," Balan explained. "While Haoyu has big dreams of flying, but sometimes his inventions don't always work out right, which leads to frustration and others belitting him for having such a dream."

"That's just wrong," Jake said. "If a boy can like bugs, then why can't a girl like bugs too? And flying isn't a stupid dream. It may take a bit to get there, but if a kid's got a dream like that, all the hard work to make that dream come true will be worth it when that dream comes true for them."

The maestro looked at the boy in surprise, but then smiled. "I can tell that Yuri and Haoyu will like you right away, my boy," he said.

The young man shrugged humbly. "I like kids and I know what it's like to have someone tell you that your dreams aren't worth it," he said, his voice quieting at the end.

A hand rested gently on his shoulder and he looked to see the tall being was giving him a concerned look. "Sorry," the young man said. "I'm...I'd rather not talk about it."

Balan nodded understandingly, sensing it was a sore subject. "I understand and I won't push you to tell me," he said. "But if you do ever wish to speak about it, I'll gladly lend an ear."

Jake looked at him in surprise. "Really?" He asked. "But...I'm a total stranger."

The maestro chuckled in amusement. "All who walk into this theater become friends, my boy," he said gently. "And we all help each other, even if we've only just met. It's what Wonderworld stands for."

Jake pondered that as he finished his breakfast and Balan snapped his fingers, to which the tray vanished, making the young man jump and he looked at the maestro, who chuckled. "Just my magic," he said before standing up. "Come, I'll give you a tour of this place."

The young man got up and followed the tall being down the hallway, gazing around before noticing a classic guitar left on a siding. Jake picked it up, amazed at how beautiful it looked and he could tell it had been well taken care of. Balan noticed his interest in the guitar and smiled. "You like playing the guitar?" He asked, intrigued.

Jake nodded. "I used to play since I was six years old. I would sing songs for my friends and family and they'd all dance," he said before he began strumming the strings, singing a song that Balan was familiar with and smiled.

Leo, who had been walking down the same hallway, heard the familiar notes of the song 'Together', which he had heard quite a few times at the theater and he went to find the source, finding Balan standing with a young man of about nineteen years, who was strumming the guitar and singing the song. The blue-eyed boy at once began dancing, which Balan noticed and smiled, knowing how much the young boy loved to dance.

After the song ended, Jake looked up to see a boy a bit younger than him and the boy grinned. "Dude, that was awesome!" He said to the young man.

"Thanks," the young man said, a bit surprised the boy had liked it, but happy too.

Balan chuckled. "Jake, this is Leo, a dear friend of mine and a passionate dancer," he said. "Leo, this is Jake. He arrived here last night along with Diane."

"Cool," Leo said, his smile friendly as he held out his hand for a handshake, which Jake accepted. "Your guitar skills are amazing, Jake."

The young man gave a soft chuckle. "Thanks, Leo. I've gotten a little rusty a few years back, but that doesn't stop me from playing," he said.

Just then, Emma came up behind Leo and Balan smiled at her. "Ah, there you are, my dear," he said, gently tugging on one of the girl's pigtails in affection, making her giggle. "Jake, this is Emma, another dear friend of mine. Emma, this is Jake, one of our newest visitors."

Jake kneeled down to be at Emma's height and smiled. "Emma, huh? A really sweet name for a sweet little girl like you," he said before ruffling her hair, making her giggle.

Leo grinned. "Hey, Balan, is it okay if Emma and I borrow the stage? We wanted to get some more practice in before the performance tonight," he said.

"Of course, young one," Balan said, ruffling the boy's hair.

Leo grinned while playfully pushing away Balan's hand, to which the tall being chuckled and gently poked his ribs, making him jump with a squeak. Jake smiled at that, seeing that Balan really did care about kids and the two kids seemed to be attached to him. Leo looked at him and smiled. "Hey, Jake, do you want to be part of our performance?" He asked.

"Sure," the young man said with a smile, a little surprised the boy wanted him to take part, but happy to do so.

"We'll see you later then," Emma said as she and Leo headed to the main stage while Jake continued to follow Balan to the kitchen, the tall man looking at the young man with a smile.

"Leo and Emma usually don't warm up to newcomers right away, but it looks like you won them both over," he said.

Jake shrugged. "I've always like kids," he admitted.

Balan chuckled as they arrived at the kitchen door, but paused as they heard a conversation between Yuri, Diane, and Iben.

"You were in the dumpster for a week?" Iben asked in shock.

Diane nodded. "They broke my glasses, so I couldn't see," she said. "I was a bit startled when my rescuer found me, but he was nice to me, which was different from how I was treated before."

"What do you mean?" Yuri asked.

"I was often bullied by my other classmates when I appeared in front of people and I'm wearing my glasses," Diane explained. "They called me horrible names and...made me feel like I didn't belong."

She bit her lip as she sniffled, her head hanging until Iben placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Oh, honey, you shouldn't let the people who judge your appearance get to you," she said soothingly.

"Yeah," Yuri said. "Cause I think you look beautiful in glasses."

Diane looked at her. "You really do?" She asked.

The child nodded. "Believe me, I know what it's like to be bullied," she said. "I get bullied for loving bugs and for my glasses, but one thing I've learned from being here is that it doesn't matter how you look, you'll always be as beautiful as you are."

Balan smiled at hearing the child's wise words and he could tell those kind words helped Diane feel better. "Thanks, Yuri," he and Jake heard her say. "Jake would have said the same thing too."

"Who's Jake?" Iben asked, intrigued.

"He's the young man that rescued me from the dumpster and proved to me that not everyone is going to be mean to me," Diane said. "I don't know much about him since he and I just met last night, but...he's really amazing."

She said the last part with a smile, to which Yuri giggled, sensing Diane had a crush on Jake and Iben smiled. "Tell us more," the woman said, curious.

"Well, I honestly find him really attractive," the young woman admitted. "His green hair with that brown ahoge, his eyes, and his caring nature. Balan told me that Jake was very protective of me when he found us both in the alleyway and once he had convinced Jake to come with him to the theater, Jake had carried me inside and asked Balan if he could find me a new pair of glasses, the ones I'm currently wearing."

"He sounds like a caring, respectful young man," Iben said, smiling.

"I hope we can meet him soon," Yuri said. "He sounds like a really cool guy."

Jake blushed at hearing Diane describing him and he was surprised that she found him attractive. Balan noticed how red the boy's face was and he chuckled, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Jake, take a deep breath, my boy," he said gently.

The young man did so and looked at the tall being. "I...I never thought I would have made such an impact in her life after just meeting her last night," he admitted.

"Well, you were kind to her and you were thinking about her and not yourself when I approached you last night," Balan said. "I suspected she didn't have too many people be nice to her, but what she said now confirms it."

Jake nodded and took a deep breath again. "I know I just met her, but I swear I won't let anyone hurt her again," he vowed.

The tall being smiled at hearing that vow. "I think she'll like that," he said with a smile before hearing the three inside. "Ah, here they come."

The three girls came out of the kitchen and Diane smiled. "Jake," she said, hugging him and he returned the hug. "I never really got a chance to thank you."

He shrugged. "Just doing the right thing," he said humbly before seeing Iben and Yuri looking at him with smiles. "Hi, I'm Jake," he introduced himself.

"I'm Iben," the young woman said, shaking his hand. "It's nice to meet you. Diane told us about how you were kind to her."

Yuri grinned. "I'm Yuri," she said. "Nice to meet you."

Balan grinned at seeing this, taking it as a good sign.

Three days passed and in those three days, Jake and Diane had been introduced to all the inhabitants, the costumes, the Tims, and even Lance himself. The tendriled being had come into the living room on their second morning there to speak to Balan when he saw the two and they had been a bit startled by his appearance, but Balan reassured them that Lance meant no harm. "He helps me keep things in balance," he said.

Lance nodded, bowing to the two and apologizing for startling them. "I know my appearance can be rather startling, but as Balan said, I mean no harm," he said.

The two had calmed down and they got along great with everyone. On their fourth morning at the theater, they woke up to Balan coming in with breakfast for the two of them. "Good morning, Diane. Good morning, Jake," the tall being said with a smile.

"Morning, Balan," Diane said, smiling back.

"Morning," Jake said before a yawn overtook him.

Smiling, Balan set gave them the breakfast tray. "Eat up, young ones," he said with a smile.

"Thank you," the young woman said and the young man echoed her.

"Also, I do apologize for not having rooms ready for you two. It's taking a little bit longer than I thought it would."

"It's okay, Balan," Diane said. "The couch is very comfortable."

Jake nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Actually one of them most comfortable couches I've ever slept on."

"Nonetheless, you two deserve to have rooms," Balan said as the two ate breakfast. After they finished up, Yuri came in along with Haoyu and went up to them.

"Diane, do you want to join us girls for shopping today?" She asked, looking hopeful.

"That sounds like fun," Diane said. "I'd love to."

Haoyu looked at Jake. "Cal and the others are going shopping too and invited me to come to and I was hoping you could join us," he said.

"Sure," he said, smiling at the boy. "By the way, how did your project go at school?"

"Well, I got cornered by the bullies, but Lance appeared and scared them away so that I could get my project to my teacher," the boy said.

"Good," Balan said before he frowned. "You would have thought with how many times Lance has scared them that they would have backed off by now."

"Guess they don't learn," Jake said.

Yuri nodded. "Lucy scared off some of the girls that wanted to destroy my report on beetles the other day," she said.

"Does the principal do nothing about the bullies?" Lance asked as he came in.

"Guess not," Balan said. "You and I just might have to pay the school a visit, Lance."

"Fine by me," his counterpart said with a nod. "Because no one bullies the kids and gets away with it."

The kids looked grateful about the two deciding to fix the matter while Diane and Jake got the strong impression that the two maestros were very protective of their friends, especially the kids.

After breakfast, Diane was about to head out to meet up with the girls when Jake came up to her. "Here," he said, pressing something into her hand. "In case you want to buy anything."

She looked to see it was a few hundred dollars. "Wow, this is quite a lot," she said.

He nodded. "Yeah, it's part of the last paycheck I got before I had to quit my job," he said. "Wasn't sure what to do with most of it, but I want you to have it."

"Are you sure?" She asked.

Jake nodded again. "It's okay," he said before he felt a bit sad as he recalled what happened. Balan, who was nearby, sensed Jake's sadness and watched, figuring that his current sadness had to do with why he was in the alleyway with Diane the night Balan had found them.

Diane smiled at him. "You're really sweet, Jake," she said before giving him a kiss on the cheek to help him feel better. The young man's eyes widened at that and she smiled. "Thanks, Jake. Love you," she said before going to go join the girls, who were waiting for her at the door and they headed out.

Jake stood rooted to the spot in stunned silence as he gently placed a hand on the cheek that Diane had kissed and he smiled as he watched her head out. "Love you too, sweetie," he said softly before blushing a little.

Balan chuckled as he came up behind Jake, surprising the young man. "Well, well, do I sense a new couple under the theater roof?" He teased gently with a smile.

The boy shrugged, but was still smiling. "I don't know, but...she's really something," he said.

The tall man chuckled. "The guys are waiting for you," he said.

"Thanks, Balan," Jake said before heading out with the guys while Lance appeared next to Balan.

"Those two would make a cute couple," the tendriled being said.

"Let's hope it keeps going in the right direction," Balan said.

Out in the city, Diane and Jake were having fun shopping with their friends. The guys all looked in various places while Leo and Haoyu pulled Jake to the toy and CD section, to which the racer didn't mind. While looking around, Jake actually spotted a toy model of his Corvette Z06. Picking it up and gazing at it, he was reminded of what he had to leave behind and he took a deep breath before seeing Haoyu coming up to him, the boy noticing what Jake had been looking at. "That's a cool toy car," the boy said. "Do you want to get it?"

Jake grew thoughtful for a moment. He hadn't told Balan or anyone that he had once been a racer and he wasn't yet ready to tell anyone yet as the pain of what happened still hurt. "I was thinking about it," he admitted before looking at the boy. "Do you think I should?"

"Yeah," Haoyu said with a smile.

Smiling, the young man ruffled the boy's hair, making him laugh as he then showed Jake the model airplane he was looking to get. Leo found a couple CDs from his favorite artists and they made their purchases before catching up with the other men.

Meanwhile, at another store, Diane was with the girls and she found a beautiful necklace with a pink heart gem for a pendant. "That's a really pretty necklace," Emma said. "You should get it, Diane."

"I agree," Cass said. "It would look beautiful on you."

Seeing they were right, Diane nodded, purchasing the necklace before she and the girls continued looking around. While they did, the young woman noticed some posters in the poster section and saw the posters were of famous racers from around the world and to her surprise, she recognized Jake on one of them pictured beside his Corvette.

Curious, but deciding not to say anything to anyone, the young woman continued shopping with the girls, enjoying herself more than she had ever enjoyed herself before.

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