A/N 4/30/10: I feel like sort of re-writing this one. At least the section between Jeff and his dad. Sorry for the long wait for my chapters. I'm finally out of school now, and I'm going to try and get the next chapter done soon. I can't seem to promise when things will get updated, can I? :C Anyways, please enjoy this revised chapter.

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In my class I was known as the kid that never uttered a word when I first stayed at the boarding school program. I was seemingly a lifeless doll that could magically walk, breath, eat, use the restroom... Everyone thought I had a communication disability, or I spoke a different language. But no one seemed to try to break me out of my shell… until I met Maxwell for the first time.

He was more withdrawn back then, and he didn't have as much goofball humor. Maybe he loosened up because of me that day...

I was upset. Every day seemed to be a living nightmare. A group of boys finally had the guts to corner me. They wanted me to speak. I never made eye contact ever I was more withdrawn than Maxwell, as I would try to hide my eyes behind my square glasses, and blond bangs.

"Why won't you say anything, Jeff? That's your name, isn't it? Can you tell me that's your name?" He spat tauntingly in my face, pulling me up by the collar. I knew I was intimidated, but it meant nothing to me at the time.

"Do you miss your mommy?" The other kid spat playfully. I winced.

"Hehe, well you won't be able to see her in another year! Just face it you're a stuck duck, just like everyone else! So why don't you say something back, baby?" It was then that I heard Mr. Maxwell's voice for the first time.

"That's enough from you three!" Mr. Maxwell ordered the three boys as they snickered and entered the room. I didn't look at my savior, but I knew he smiled down to me, ushering me in the classroom.

I know now he only wanted to help me, but I wanted to keep my distance from everyone. He taught science, a subject I hated at the time. From my homework, he could tell that I wasn't disabled, but he could also tell that I wasn't motivated in this new world I was stuck in either. Each and every class, he would ask questions. I never raised my hand, but he tried asking me easy things like what lights up the sky during the day, and what we use to breathe. Though in reality, all he wanted was to hear my voice.

It was show and tell day. Everyone had something to share with the class. But I had nothing. He tried me once and a while, but I ended up being the last one to present in the class.

"Jeff, would you like to tell us something about you?" Maxwell asked politely. "You don't have to stand in front of the class or anything, just tell us something about yourself." I was silent, averting my eyes under my desk.

"Ok... would you like to tell us your favorite color, or maybe your favorite animal or food?" I could tell Maxwell was beginning to become impatient, but he didn't seem to give up.

"Can you tell us when your birthday is? Maybe your favorite book or toy? Or I know! Maybe you could share with us something about your family. I've met your father before he's truly a brilliant man!" I looked at him in the eyes. It was the first time in three weeks that I had made eye contact with anyone, and he felt as if he had made some progress.

"Yes, please tell us something about your father, maybe your mother?" I became hostile of the situation when I was finally able to stand up.

"Yes, that's it, we would all love to hear-" With all my strength and anger, I tossed my desk angrily towards the teacher. The boys in the room were caught out of their daydreams, their reveries from the tension in the air as I coldly glared up at Mr. Maxwell, who had taken three giant steps back. I was so tempted to hurt someone that day. His timid eyes were looking down at someone that was almost twenty years younger than him. Anger. Tragedy. That was all I knew back then.

The dilemma didn't get me detention, but I was sentenced to spend a half an hour with Maxwell after school every single day for the rest of my boarding school career. I still didn't say anything, but that was fine.

"I am so sorry..." Maxwell spoke to me that first afternoon. I could have smiled back at him, but I was too weak from the sudden interaction that day. He gave me an A on the project, no questions asked. He knew exactly what I had shared to him that class.

Sometimes, actions spoke louder than words.

XXXXXXX

The Universe Will Die Without You

Chapter two The Unforgiving Face

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The night was sarcastically pretty, but extra frosty in my opinion. It always kept a nostalgic cheery spirit up here in Winters. I decided, since it was so close by, to head into the small store that was open 24/7 it seemed. It was surprising, to see how many adults were actually shopping at this time. I hadn't realized how cold I actually was, until I entered the warm, cozy shop.

I shivered madly, feeling my teeth clatter together as I grasped my shoulders to hug myself warm. Soon, I could have sworn I felt a tug on my pants, but I chose to ignore it. I walked up to the register.

"Hello! What's a school kid like you sneaking out of the dorms this late at night? You're not sneaking out here to buy some tobacco, are you?" One of the managers asked, as they carried a box of what looked like a set of hot coco packages through the door behind the counter. I shook my head in denial.

"No no, I'd never do that," I replied, as another worker had popped out of the door. She was an elderly woman, wearing what seemed to be a hand-knitted and hand-patched sweater. She gave me a smile, before seemingly recognizing my appearance.

"Wait a second you're that Jeff kid aren't you?" The she asked. I could only grin nervously and sarcastically. "That really smart quiet kid?" The other manager had walked out free-handed asked. I bit my lip.

"You mean that boy that hangs out with that cute little Tony?" She smiled. I really didn't want to create more attention, so I quickly lied.

"No... You're mistaken me of my twin brother, actually. My real name is Tim," I said suddenly. Both of them nodded with slight confusion written on their faces. But as soon as they gave up on the topic, I sighed.

"Alright, Tim... Well, what do you wanna buy?" I looked at the merchandise. Anything that was less than two dollars seemed to be packs of bubble gum. I frowned, looking at the only two dollars I had as I picked up the pack of bubble gum. Damn shops charging more money in less crowded communities! It was during this self-debate in my mind that I felt my pants slightly tug down to my waist. Flushing, I swiftly spun around to see in my surprise, a small red monkey tugging at my pants. I raised my eyebrow. What was a monkey doing here, in a place like "Winters" anyways?

Staring down to the monkey, he could only look back up at me with these deep chocolate eyes. As he tilted his head with his expectant expression, I could only cock my own. He seemed to be expecting something… Soon enough, and randomly, the monkey started dancing wildly, pointing at the shelves and at my hand, generally at the gum.

"That monkey seems to like you, young man..." A lady said sneaking besides me closely, swiftly snatching the pack of bubble gum out of my hand. Feeling my space being invaded, I scooted away from her a couple of inches, glancing her an awkward glance.

"You can keep that monkey if you buy that pack of bubble gum for a dollar. But only if you buy the gum, I can't give you the monkey for free," She said waving the pack of bubble gum in my face. My face must have looked perplexed by her offer. She looked possessive, standing only two inches away. Just who the hell was this lady, soliciting a school kid for money? I shrugged sighing with annoyance.

"Fine, I'll buy the pack of bubble gum if you leave me alone." I grumbled, taking the pack of bubble gum from her as I walked towards the counter. The old lady had rung me up, smiling happily.

"There you go young man, now don't go freezing out there, and have a good night!" She spoke, before walking into the back room. I could only nod in response, as the other lady swung behind the counter.

"And thank you for taking that monkey off of our hands, he's been nothing but trouble," She spoke, before dashing into the back room, as I heard her voice in the background saying something about being able to support her family and kids now. I felt so swindled then…damn.

I sighed as the monkey took the pack of bubble gum out of my hand, and started unwrapping a piece to chew it. I looked down at the small animal. What was I to do with this little guy? I watched him chew his gum. Apparently this monkey liked gum...a little too much. Then...wha? My eyes shot open. Looking around me, no one seemed to be in the room to see.

The monkey blew a giant bubble, bigger than any of the students could. But what caught me off guard was that the bubble made the monkey float to the ceiling of the shop. Statistically, this was impossible, but I was witnessing it on first hand. First off, there wasn't enough gum to even support the monkey in the air. And second off, carbon dioxide doesn't rise for it was heavier than oxygen… so did this monkey magically have helium breath? Did she hand me an unordinary pack of bubble gum? Studying the package, I couldn't tell. What a weird monkey I thought. After a moment, the monkey sucked the bubble back into his mouth, and chewed again. I studied the monkey for a moment, as I put the pack in my pants pocket. My first taste of the unordinary that I've been waiting to witness for a long while? Possibly. I chuckled to myself. I guess I wasn't going to be alone after all finding these people I didn't even know. They could have been anywhere. Pamela…Paula? She had told me clearly that they were in a place called Threed down south from where I lived, wherever that may be. I sighed, and left the shop, the bubble-blowing monkey trailing behind me, sometimes not all together, and spacing out.

I wondered, what exactly was going to happen to me ahead? Until I remembered a certain laboratory that had been recently discovered…

I cringed to myself. And it wasn't the bitter cold that caused it.

xxxxx

The trail was covered in snow, hell, everything was covered in snow, but I trusted the multiple foot prints on the ground to lead me the correct way, all the while thinking about where I was headed. I kept myself from getting too upset balling up my fists; but though the knuckles became as white as the snow, my mind could not stop the images from pressing into my mind. A silhouette; through a doorway… just for a moment; glasses gleaming from the light behind. Expressionless; hidden face, looking down at me in shame. I shook my head violently, before my entire body shook.

Looking over my shoulder to see if bubble monkey was in eye distance, I let off a staggered breath, watching the steam escape my mouth. I could hear barking in the distance, as the monkey caught up to me. Something in my chest turned uncomfortably, as I heard the sound of a growl, nearby. Looking around me swiftly, I dug my fingers into my shoulder bag, digging out the cheap pop gun I had been given from school… just in case. Before, I could really react once I spotted something, a dog had been running wildly around in circles. Once it spotted me, it seemed to freak out at my presence, charging and growling roughly. I was slightly alarmed by the dog's odd behavior, even moreso as I saw the creature lunge out to me, before I could really react. I yelped, wrestling the dog off my arm, in which it desperately tried chewing at my arm. When I managed to try kicking the dog off, bubble monkey managed to tackle the dog off me. I stumbled to my feet, feeling relieved that the dog wasn't able to puncher through my skin. I exhaled heavily, quickly aiming the pop gun towards the mad dog. The dog was foaming, as it hissed at me bitterly. I winced, froze if you will, first instinct, not wanting to hurt the animal. But on second thought, I hoped to god, even if I wasn't religious, that this dog didn't have rabies. The dog lunged at me again in attempt to be in control. I dodged quickly, and actually pulled the trigger at the dog. Instead of a bullet coming out of the gun, it was a laser that didn't seem to physically harm the dog, but it phased it pretty good, as it shook its head violently. My heart was racing. I had never seen a dog act so vile before…. Bubble monkey lunged at the dog, and hit it on the head. And for some odd reason, that did it, as the dog became tame, running away from us. I straightened my glasses, and huffed, seeing the puff of steam race away from my nostrils in the wind once more. I looked down at my gun. The fact that I was carrying some sort of gun in the first place for violence… even if it was to protect myself, made me wince. Bubble monkey however, got my attention again, pointing down the trail again. I sighed.

"Fine fine, I'm coming," I told him, as if he could understand.

xxxxx

I continued on the trail, running into some more dogs, and crows with the exact problem. Now that I think back at it, weren't all those animals a slight shade of green? I probably wasn't going to look at a dog the same way again after this cold night.

I soon spotted a tent in the distance, so I decided to go after it. Dodging a couple enemies along the way, including a goat that spotted me in the distance, I eventually tripped over my untied shoes laces and fell in front of the tent, which was wide open, and two kids; who happened to be a couple of classmates from school and science class, were cuddled around a pot over an open fire. They looked down at me until they recognized who I was from their chemistry class. This was sort of awkward, I thought.

"Hey! It's Jeff!" One of the boys, named Issac pointed.

"Hey, get in here Jeff before anyone see's you!" The other, who was Pete laughed. All of us, including bubble monkey were huddled around the pot of what looked like tomato soup I figured from a can of some sort judging by its generic smell. They provided me a warm wool blanket over my shoulders which I took generously.

"Why are you two out here in the middle of the night? Why are there so many tents in the distance?" I shivered. Pete sipped his tea.

"You know… it's the Tessie watching club, Jeff! We're out here looking for the magnificent Tessie out in the lake!" I huffed at his response. The Tessie watching club, I thought… how ridiculous. It was a club at school, who believed Tessie, a mythical creature, really existed in the depths of the Lake Tess… But as soon as I thought back at what had been happening to me recently… I had started to wonder. What if the rumors really were true? …

Still, I thought it was a ridiculous assumption.

"Why are so many students here so interested in some mythical creature anyways?" I muttered to myself, deep in thought. Neither of them responded.

"Of course, we're on our break at the moment, but don't be alarmed if you find more kids, and official club members outside," Pete told me.

"Ahh…" I could only respond. A moment of pause, as I let my eyes stare into the small flame below the pot.

"By the way, Jeff, we should be asking you. Why are you out here so late at night? Aren't you going to celebrate Tony's birthday with him? And..." Issac pointed at bubble monkey, which tried sticking his finger into the pot. I swatted his hand softly, and he backed off.

"Did you buy that monkey from the store by the school?" Issac joked. Both of them laughed. I chuckled slightly.

"He should be our new mascot! SnowWood boarding monkeys… wait...is he chewing gum?" Pete asked. I took the spoon to my mouth.

"Yeah...I had to pay a buck for it. This lady said she needed it to 'support her children' in the other room after I bought it," I shrugged. "Though that was just a joke I wasn't supposed to hear, I think they just wanted the animal out of their store." Pete snorted to himself.

"How the hell can she support her kids with one dollar? You can't even buy a bag of crackers at that store without having at least 3 dollars." Pete replied. I shook my head, brushing the joke aside.

"Didn't you guys see a bunch of rabid animals out there? I was attacked by multiple crows, and dogs on my way here… What the hell is going on around here?" I asked curiously. However both of them looked at each other in confusion.

"What are you talking about, rabid animals? Those dogs belong to the Tessie watching club. They're guarding the tents. Maybe you were suspicious to them, considering you were heading your way here. But rabid crows? When the heck does a crow attack a human?" They both laughed. I frowned at this. Only me? My expression must have looked grumpy.

Issac leaned to Pete and whispered into his ear, even though I could clearly hear what he was saying.

"Well I have been seeing a lot of mountain goats lately. But I wonder why he's out in the middle of the night, talking about rabid animals?" I growled to myself in frustration.

"Alright, fine" I said. All of us sighed. We were all silent for a moment. I started to fiddle with my black bowtie around my neck, my mind still in deep thought. I bit my lip.

"Please don't say anything to Tony, alright?" Both of them gave me a skeptical look.

"Why, are you running away or something?" There was another moment of silence until I sighed.

"I got Tony a new hat. He got pranked one day; someone must have taken his hat and tried to flush it down the toilet. He was pretty devastated, his grandfather gave it to him before he passed away," I explained. Both of them "ooed" for some odd reason I didn't understand.

"That poor Tony...I don't understand why some guys at school are so mean to him… So what if he's somewhat different, he doesn't do anything bad… he just does what he loves; theater and art. It still amazes a lot of us how you two with such drastically different characteristics still can be best friends like you are today," Issac said.

"Yeah, he seems really fond of you, Jeff," Pete continued. As he said that, I thought back to earlier tonight, as he held the new hat to himself, smiling. I tried hiding a slight blush across my right cheek by keeping my expression slightly on the stern side.

"Yeah... hopefully, he can keep up with school, I always helped him with his homework after school... just hope he'll be ok without me." I mumbled.

"Wait, what was that last part?" Pete asked. My eyes perked up as I realized how quiet my ramblings became.

"Oh nothing, I just...erm...hope he does well whenever I'm not with him, that's all," I scratched my head in embarrassment.

"Like right now?" Issac said. I snorted, keeping that thought on the edge of my mind as I stood up, keeping my eyesight away from them.

"Thanks for the soup and tea guys, I'll see you later" I grumbled stepping outside the tent, bubble monkey trailing behind me, holding my bowl in his hands.

"Jeff?" They both said in unison until I was positive they shrugged and minded their own business.

My mind trailed to memories of Tony for a little while after.

xxxxx

I was amazed at how many people were out, with binoculars, and clip boards. Apparently the Tessie Watching Club was more popular than I thought. Luckily for me, no one even minded that I had escaped from my dorms, and actually invited me to go sight searching for their "beloved" Tessie. I was far enough to where I was surrounded by a bunch of tents, the area a glow with candles here and there. I shivered again, looking down to bubble monkey. How could the little guy deal with this freezing weather? I dug through my bag for a moment, until I found a scarf. I knelt down to the monkey.

"You need this?" I asked the monkey. The monkey touched the scarf, but only looked up at me with that weird expression of his. I just shook my head, and decided to wrap the scarf around his neck. Bubble monkey tugged at the scarf for a moment, until he seemed satisfied. Standing back up, I let my eyes drift over to the waters. We were all by Lake Tess's shore. I fixed my eyes out in the distance, watching the ripples of the dark lake reflect the soft glows of the candles in the distance, and the snow floating down and disappearing in darkness. It was beautiful nonetheless. Still, I frowned to myself.

"Hey, where's your stuff?" A member of the group spoke as he walked up to me. I hoped he wasn't going to send me back or something.

"I just wanted to see what all the gathering was for… that's all," I replied. I was pleasantly surprised that he didn't tell me to get out or anything.

"Oh, sneaked out to see the magnificence I see. It's alright, none of us really mind. However none of us are taking responsibility either. Come and go as you please, there's a tent over there where you can camp out for the night. You look like you've been through some rough stuff anyways. Why don't you get some of those scratches taken care of, and get some rest?" The man suggested. I nodded.

"Thanks you," I replied.

xxxx

Inside the tent, there was nothing but a lantern, another wool blanket, and a man, who was oddly walking around the tent with his binoculars on. Maybe he was trying to test the lenses… or something. Still it didn't make much sense, as he looked at me through the lenses.

"Hey, you look extremely tired there, do you need some stew, and a place to rest?" He asked. "You look familiar… and you came from school, didn't you?" He asked I figured that I'd need to sleep for I wasn't going to make it south in less than a night.

"Yeah… Do I need to pay something?" I asked.

"No no, you don't need to pay me anything, just relax..." He eyed my monkey companion.

"And...I guess your monkey friend can stay as well. But whatever droppings he leaves, you pick up, alright?" I sighed, but agreed, looking down at the monkey. Hopefully he was potty trained to some degree.

"Aight."

"Good! Just make yourself at home. Take as much stew and tea you'd like, I'm going outside for a while," He said walking outside the tent. Since I already had something to eat in the other tent, I went straight towards the wool blanket and wrapped myself, still shivering from the bitter cold. At least the boiling pot and the candle-lit lantern kept things slightly toastier than outside of the tent.

My mind shuffled between wandering and thinking. The more I wandered, the more I thought about the person I wanted to forget existed. But the more I thought about him, the more, I realized how scared I was… Grasping my forehead firmer, I tried thinking away from that path… think of Tony… Maxwell… anybody but him. But nonetheless, no matter how much I tried, he was still there, lingering in the dark corners of my afterthoughts. I must have made a disturbed sound, as bubble monkey got my attention, tugging at the cover I was under. I looked up to the monkey with blurry eyes. I sat up then, placing my now freezing glasses on my nose again. I couldn't sleep anyways… disturbing thoughts always kept myself awake.

I decided to brainstorm for a while, thinking as I took out my little red tool box, and examining the broken spray can I had been lugging around school for a while. Something was wrong with the tube going into the can, and the connection with the sprayer. I had to a line it somehow, but then prevent it from getting out of line again. It took around a half an hour, but eventually, I put the handy tools to work, fixing, and adjusting, until the broken spray can was broken no more. It was kind of useless though, for it was an insecticide spray. What kind of bug would live up here? But I figured there would be more insects the more south I traveled, so I decided to keep it in my inventory for now, and turned off the lantern, and I finally felt myself drift off into sleep.

xxxxx

"Jeff! Jeff, please… if you can hear me, it's your friend in which you have never met before, Paula! If you get my message, please...head south...you are the only one that can help! Ness and I are still waiting for you to come! Please Jeff… I'm begging; you're our only hope!" She spoke desperately into my mind until I snapped my eyes open. Jumping up frantically, I recoiled slightly as the realization hit that I had just woken up. The bitter air clashed with my sweat covered forehead. Grabbing my shoulders, curled up into a ball, I shivered to myself.

"Hey, kid, you alright? You look like you had a nightmare... did you run away from home?" Another man asked in the tent. I was still slightly flustered at the time, but I shook my head.

"I...guess you could say that..." I replied, roaming around for my glasses.

"Looking for these?" He said handing me my glasses. "Your monkey friend was playing with them, so I took them from him before he could do anything harsh." He replied. I had forgotten that I had just slept in my uniform over the night. I stood up, and checked my watch, which read 6:39 am. I had only slept for a couple of hours?

"Where's the monkey?" I asked. He pointed outside the tent.

"The last time I saw him, he was playing by the shores, why is he yours?" He asked.

"I...guess. Thanks" I nodded as I left the tent.

It was definitely brighter outside, with the sun just grazing the horizon. But the wind had picked up as well, and it was very cold, it sent shivers down my spine. Why the hell didn't I bring a proper jacket? I could instantly see bubble monkey in the distance, standing on a small peninsula, just looking, and playing with the water. As I made my way to him, I heard murmurs along my way.

"Here it comes!"

"Hey! See that whirlpool in the distance?"

"Is it Tessie?" I rolled my eyes to myself.

Good grief.

Right when I was about to reach the gum obsessed monkey, I could have sworn I heard something… a weird song playing, and it seemed to come from the sky. Without much thought, I looked up, and my eyes went wide, not from shock, but by complete confusion as I saw a bearded man dressed in a suit and top hat, twirling and floating down from the sky.

"It's the photographer man again!" Someone in the distance spoke out. The…wha? When he landed, he looked at me in the eye seriously. Was he looking at me? There was a blimp in the air as well, which seemed to have a camera of its own. And once he opened his mouth, my ears could not comprehend…

"Pictuestakeninstantaniously! I'm a photographic genius if I dare say so myself! Get ready to capture the memory, look at the camera! Ready? Say...FUZZY PICKLES!" It was in a millisecond that I was momentarily blind from the flashing from both cameras. Can you believe he didn't even let me look at the photo before he was off? I just hoped this guy didn't work for a corporation that was after me… if one even existed.

Hopefully not…

"WOW! What a great photograph! It will always bring back the fondest of memories!" He sang as he grabbed onto the rope hanging from the blimp, twirling back into the sky magically disappearing before my eyes. I looked around me… No one seemed to even pay any mind to what happened… Instead, everyone's attention was on shore. I took one glance myself. Did I have to cross this body of water?

… how in the world would I be able to do that?

Erasing the odd moment out of my head, I went over to bubble monkey, whom instantly seemed to reach into my pants pocket, and pulled out the pack of gum, and started chewing again. I still watched astoundingly as the monkey floated into the air, and over the water, where there was an eruption of some sort in the water. It wasn't until something huge and bright purple arose from the dark waves that I was stock still, my jaw dropping to the ground.

Tessie, the mythic… was emerging, right before my eyes.

Apparently Tessie was a giant purple water serpent. Bubble monkey managed to land and sat on the head of this magnificent creature; everyone behind me awing in amazement, taking out their cameras, and sketch book and studying the magnificence that was Tessie, whom was making its way towards me. Jeez, one odd moment after the other!

Tessie's long neck stretched down slightly so I could meet small black bead eyes, as it looked at me expectantly. My body was shaking however; it was hard for me to respond. When the creature cooed at me, the monkey started to dance wildly on top of its head.

"Wha…what do you want from me?" I asked out loud.

When Tessie and bubble monkey were right next to me, bubble monkey seemed to invite me, as Tessie revealed its back above the water to me. I was tentative, but felt possessed as I attempted to step on the ride, until Tessie managed to curve its long neck around to my back to nudge my back with its nose, shaking myself out of my state of shock. Yelping, I jumped onto Tessie's back, grasping around its neck, hoping I wasn't choking it. There was something odd going through my mind in that moment, as if my body was telling my mind that this was what I had to do right now. So be it, I thought, it wouldn't be bad… right? When I managed to find my balance on Tessie's back, I watched everyone looking back at us, studying all of us with their binoculars, and clip boards, as they steadily became smaller and smaller. I could only shiver violently. I tried not to pay attention to the cold waters around us…oh god.

I should have taken those swimming classes in my younger boarding school days. Sitting on my knees and practically hugging the neck of the calm creature, we started drifting away from shore. Gulping, I looked behind me again, seeing the snowy land mass drift farther and farther away…

And soon my eyes landed on the school from afar. I hadn't seen the school this far away… I didn't think ever. Something in my stomach sank.

I just hoped that Tony would stay happy there...

xxxxx

When we made it to the other side of the lake, bubble monkey and I stepped off of the purple lake-serpent, ungracefully as my foot slipped on something, making myself fall face first into the snow. I groaned, rubbing my head before turning around. There was a slight breeze, as Tessie cooed at me again, tilting its head at me. I tilted my head back.

"Umm… thank you," I told the lake creature. Tessie cooed again, before turning around as another breeze blew my bangs in my way.

Bubble Monkey and I watched Tessie descend into the depths of the lake. No wonder there was a club named after her. I just refused to believe there was such a thing... though in a sense, maybe I had always known that this wasn't the case. It definitely wasn't the case now.

Once she was under, we were off again...

...Only to be stopped by an enraged mountain goat. Ugh. I froze for a moment, as the creature eyed us. When bubble monkey blew another bubble that soon popped, the ram dug its hoof into the snow. I grabbed bubble monkey and ran away into a nearby cave, ignoring the sign. When we entered, we seemed to be in a miniature maze. I sighed as we were on our way again. Where we even making any progress? …Or my progress?

Looking around, I realized that whoever designed the maze was a complete idiot. The walls were more like fences, except they had barb wires around them, so I couldn't just climb over the fences. Along one of the paths, I ran into a package with a broken iron that I took along. Eventually we ran into a sign that read "watch out for objects that fly down from the ceiling. Then I cringed as I heard that same music again, with that same insane photographer. I clutched my fists, as I turned around.

"Picturestakeninstantaniously! I'm a photographic genius if I do say so myself!" I gritted my teeth together as bubble monkey did the same except to his gum.

"Ready, say...FUZZY PICKLES!" I flipped off the camera, but he didn't even seem to care.

"WOW! What a great photograph! It will always bring back the fondest of memories!" He cheered as he twirled in the air and disappearing through the crack in the ceiling of the cave. I growled in frustration. Good riddance, I thought. He better not come back, I don't want some pedophile following me around to take pictures, I thought to myself as I stomped through the rest of the maze, picking up random bread rolls along the way, oddly, and avoiding mad ducks, or zapping them, whatever I preferred. I just assumed the bread rolls were prizes or something along the way.

When I made my way to the end of the cave, I noticed the phone, but decided not to use it. It was just odd to me; I decided it could've been a trap.

When I stepped out of the cave and back into the frosty snow, there was an odd looking man already awaiting me outside. I was slightly startled as the both of us kind of examined each other. What is with the old men so far? I hoped they were worse than my old man… on second thought.

He had thin black messy hair and a moustache, as he brought up a hand to rub his small pink nose. He looked Hispanic.

"I guess the maze was too easy. My name is Brick Road, I've been designing dungeon layouts for the past few years, and I've been trying to design a good maze. I guess this one just wasn't cut to be the one." I looked at the man, raising my eyebrow as he seemed embarrassed at the gesture.

"If you're hoping to make a good puzzle… or dungeon, you might want to go through your thumbnail stage more," I replied. "It wasn't…horrible, but if you were thinking of a labyrinth, then it's not quite there yet," I told him nicely. Brick Road let off a cough.

"My dream is to make a huge moving dungeon. Basically a building that can move like you and I. In a sense… I want to become this in a way. I want to become the 'Dungeon Man' you see… Maybe if I find him… with some help from Dr. Andonuts, that idea could become reality," He spoke. As soon as he mentioned him, I scowled at him.

"Oh well I'm sure he'll do a great job, just don't let him take all the credit for it and shun you in the dark," I replied grouchily. The man tilted his head at me.

"Do you know who Dr. Andonuts is?" Another quick flashback in my mind. It was always a memory of him working at his desk in the basement. I glared and flared my nostrils.

"Does it look like I even care?" I spat bitterly averting my eyes away from him. He sighed. He seemed to want to avoid any complications, I thought.

"Oh, well, would you like to rest up a bit?" He asked. I declined, and was on my way, feeling freaked out about the nice gesture. Looking at the corner of my eye, the goat was back, and before we knew it, me and bubble monkey were out of there into another cave.

xxxxx

This cave was much darker, and didn't seem to be of any layout of any sort, except the fact that there were ropes dangling from high cliffs. The mice were a brutal pain, their bites were worse than getting pinched on St. Patrick's Day. And the mushrooms were odd, and startling, one time I felt a little nauseated. We eventually made our way to a cliff that we needed to climb, but the rope was at the top. I instantly handed bubble monkey a piece of gum, as he chewed, and floated up, and threw the rope down to me.

When I climbed up, I was distracted by some sort of presence around us. I started to feel cold… as if I didn't belong in this place. I bravely stood in front of it, but I heard words of denial in my head- "Only Ness has the power to awaken this area"-

Ness? Wasn't that Paula's friend, and my friend in which I didn't know? I shook my head in confusion as me and bubble monkey found our exit out of this hell hole, probably into a new one. I shivered, as I walked away.

I had just slight speculation about Paula… I wondered what this Ness would be like?

When I squinted from the cloudy white light, bubble monkey seemed to spot another monkey that wore...a pink ribbon? Why were there monkeys around here, and why did they have such weird characteristics? Bubble monkey immediately ran towards the monkey with the bow without looking back at me. I stood there before sighing to myself.

After getting ditched by the monkey, I was by myself once again, making my way around what I suspected to be Stone Hedge. I made it. Oh goodie.

In the center of Stone Hedge, there was a hole in the ground with a ladder. For a moment, I could only stare at the hole, feeling an odd chill approach my shoulders. I had the strangest feeling, as I decided to climb down the hole.

It was only about half way down when a horrible freight crept up on my shoulders. Almost in a panic, I instantly climbed back up. Something wasn't right… I thought. Terribly.

I climbed out of the eerie hole, only to be greeted by what looked like a giant cave man above me. I did my best not to look at it straight in the eye, but that soon failed as I saw the man hold up a gigantic club above his head. My eyes were wide with shock as the cave man roared and swung his club at me. I tried dodging, but lost my glasses in the process. Then a bone crushing pain roared on my back as I yelped in pain. Grabbing out my pop gun, I aimed as best as I could, aiming only at the giant moving blob, instead of one of the still ones in which I suspected was a one of the giant stone structures. He seemed to roar in pain, as I scrambled around feeling for my glasses. When I was able to find them, I dodged quickly, and the cave man attempted another swing at me. I aimed then, more precisely at his eyes, my arms shaken from the pain on my back.

Firing the trigger made him swing the club around madly, until he managed to club himself on the head, which seemed to knock him out good. I dodged out of his way when he landed on the ground with a thump. My heart was still racing as I brought a hand to caress my forehead wiping the sweat off my forehead, and limping towards a strange building in the distance, managing to get away from the fight.

And then on closer examination… it was the lab.

Something in my chest swelled up. And I hadn't felt that feeling in years.

xxxxx

I didn't know how long I stood in front of that building, feeling a similar anger swell in my chest for the man that inhabited inside.

I had only learned about this news a year ago. Only a year.

"Jeff! Jeff, have you seen the news yet?" Maxwell told me, worry in his eyes. I could only cock my head, as the man put his hands on my shoulders. My heart sank for some reason. Maxwell only did that if he was really being serious.

"Wh… what news?" I asked. Maxwell could only usher me into his office, sighing as he closed the door.

"Jeff, sit down. I have something to show you," He spoke calmly. I bit my lip, sinking into my chair.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

"Nah… but I'm sure this will be relevant to your interests... even though you may not like it," He spoke to me, handing me the newspaper. My eyes scanned the big black bold letters on the paper:

The Frizzy Doc Andonuts Found?

My eyes widened as my breath caught, before I read the rest of the article.

I shook my head out of the flashback to bring myself back to reality. I was probably to the point of frostbite by then just standing out in the snow like I was, just staring. That's all I could do.

"So he's been living here all this time…" I mumbled to myself, looking over the building again for the millionth time. I exhaled a puff of steam, grabbing my shoulder from the slight pain of the previous encounter, walking up to the door. I bit my lip, heart beating faster and faster. What was I doing? Was I even ready? I paused again.

"Jeff please, we need your help!" Paula spoke in my memories. I squeezed my eyes as I forcefully knocked on the door, enough to make my knuckles hurt. A moment of pause.

After a minute, no one still had answered the door. I had almost walked away.

And as I turned around the door opened. Heart stopping, I swiftly turned around, only to widen my eyes.

There standing in the doorway was another caveman. Biting my lip so hard it must have bled, I stumbled back, eyes wide as I dug out my pop gun again, aiming the point in between the hairy man's eyes. The cave man could only tilt his head at me. My grip started to shake, palms sweating, even in this weather. The moment of pause commenced, until the man handed out what seemed to be a hand of jerky.

For some reason, I let my guard down, wincing as my shoulder screamed in pain again.

"Now now, don't hurt him, he's not your enemy... put the gun down," I heard an old man's voice say. My heart fluttered.

"Oh really? Then why the hell was there another one out there swinging its club around in my face?" I replied hoarsely. It was at this time that the caveman stepped aside, and another man, smaller and more human-like revealed himself in the doorway.

"Because anyone inside my lab isn't affected by the brainwashing waves hitting some of the beings that have been attacking you," He spoke. "You should come inside, away from some of the chaotic things that have been happening outside lately." I could only shiver, staring at the old man in front of me. He was wearing a stained white lab coat, old frail hair… older than I could ever recall. A few aging spots have appeared on his now more pruney skin as he straightened his glasses in front of his dull gray eyes. A feature that hadn't changed one bit.

I couldn't move. The man tilted his head at me, keeping that blank stare on his face. I watched a mouse scurry behind his feet, paying me no attention as I slowly brought myself back to my feet. Now the traitor shows his face. He was much older than the last time I saw him… all those years ago. I flared my nostrils. I never wanted to admit that this praised man by many was my…

"Dr. Andounuts…" I barely muttered. Dr. Andounuts raised an eye brow. He didn't seem to recognize me.

"Excuse me?" I couldn't look at him for long... it was hard enough to stand in front of him. Just to stand. I should have known, but it didn't stop my rage towards him, something I had bottled away for years. I balled up my fists.

"Dr. Andounuts!" I roared angrily. I could see him flinch at my response. Something about my rage enabled me to look him into the eye.

"I...I don't understand what's to be angered about… I don't even know who you are young man. If you need to, I have a-" My eyes widened ever so slightly at him. Something seemed to click inside of him as well… Even so, I quickly kept myself from getting hurt by what he had just told me.

"Don't give me that bullshityou knowexactlywho I am!" I spat at him. I could sense the mouse, and the club boy cowered fearfully inside the depths of the dark room, but not the Doc. The Doc could only sigh, not letting his eyes off of my own. Was he afraid of me at all? He frowned, letting the tip of his bottom lip sink in between his loose teeth. He then turned around.

"C… come inside…" He said. I exhaled.

"And why should I?" I asked, trying to keep my voice down. Dr. Andonuts held his head lower, drifting only his eyes towards me.

"It's the… least I can do for you. You must be freezing," He spoke to me. I deepened my frown.

"It's a little late for that… don't you think?" He could only look away again.

"Still… please come in," He spoke. I was silent, and unresponsive, but I kept glaring at him. "I...you're my son that I haven't seen in ten years..." Finally, the old man said it.

"Yeah, I bet you couldn't wait to get rid of me back then, could you? I remarked. My father frowned at me.

"But… you're looking much healthier than ever, I presume...aside from the fact that you're leaning to one side more than the other and… you're freezing. Surely you wouldn't need me… an old hoot of a scientist, to take care of a boy with such potential?" He asked chuckling nervously. I leaned by painful back against the door frame.

"I was four." I stated. "And I knowthat's not the reason."

"What… was that not a good enough reason? It doesn't matter now, ten years have passed… and there's nothing you or I could do to fix it…" He replied, voice becoming softer at the end. I gritted my teeth at him.

"Then why don't you build a god damn time machine, and find out. I'm pretty sure an old man of your potentials could create one." Dr. Andonuts turned to me, and smiled softly.

"It's already in the process, my boy. It's called the Phase Disorder. With it, I can connect two points in space and time. However-" I cut him off.

"Why should I care… about your dumb inventions anyways… you abandoned me, and nothing you can do now will change how I feel about you…ever…" I told him. Dr. Andonuts paused, clearing his throat after looking at me again. He always looked at my eyes…

"It's not finished yet," He replied. I brought my hand to my forehead in frustration… and from the brain freeze I was having. It was then that, the caveman had walked into the doorway again, startling me as I stumbled inside, as he shut the door. Dr. Andonuts started to walk away.

"You're here because someone needs your help, don't they?" He asked. My mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"How..."

"You'd be surprised at how much both of us know," He said reaching for a pink box. I could only watch him. This family reunion… wasn't really a family reunion, I thought.

"Would you like a donut?" He asked.

"No..." I stated. Dr. Andounut shrugged, and took one for himself.

"The machine over there; The Instant Revitalizing Device, will heal your wounds. You won't get far how you are right now. There's no need to argue with me, either way, I'll help you get to your destination. Brick Road himself told me you were on your way…" He said walking away from me. Though I didn't want to follow what he said, I was in a lot of pain, my back stiffening overtime. I limped over to the machine, looked at it, and looked over at the scared cave man, edging as far away from me as possible. I slammed the red button as the door slid open, and I stepped inside. It seemed as if moments that the machine magically melted all my internal injuries away, and opened its door once it was done. I sighed. It felt good, but I hated the fact that it was his work. I took a moment, gazing my eyes around his lab…it was more open than a cooped up little basement, I thought.

"Jeff, would you come over here for a second?" Dr. Andonuts said. I shivered as that familiar, yet unfamiliar voice finally spoke my name. Though I felt much better physically, I was ticked off the same on the inside, as I stomped away towards him, and whatever stupid invention he wanted to show off.

"This is what you'll use to reach them. It is called the Sky Runner. I can't really tell you where to go with this, but just listen… listen to the message that comes from your destination… if you listen to your friends… I'm sure you'll make it." I crossed my arms at him.

"How can I even believe you?" I asked him. He straightened his glasses.

"Because I knew something like this would happen… that's all I can really say," He replied. I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Really? You need to say a lot more than that to convince me…" I replied. He frowned.

"Very well," He spoke. But that was all he said. After a moment of pause, I could only growl to myself, stomping towards the hovercraft.

"Why the rush, son?"

"Well, I'm kind of in need right now, so if you'll excuse me… you don't have anything interesting to say anymore anyways… old rugged bastard," I muttered the last part to myself. I ignored everything else that he could have brought up then, as I daringly stepped into the hover craft, and closing the door. A moment went by as I heard Dr. Andonuts mutter his final words before I was going to leave. I know he was talking to himself, or I thought he was. I just wanted to get him out of my memory….

I slammed on the button, and covered my ears so I didn't have to hear him, squeezing my eyes shut, even for just a moment. Soon enough, the hover craft lifted from the ground, and I was finally out of there... I looked down, and Dr. Andonuts was already off to a different invention. He hadn't changed one bit it seemed. I didn't care if he helped me reach my destination, I still couldn't erase the last thing he said to me.

"Let's get back together again sometime in the next ten years."