A/N: Thanks again for the sweet reviews KuroTenshiYuki, babyangel22, and the Leander! I hope you guys received my replies! :D
Oh, and thanks for the warm compliments on DeviantArt, Orkidee! X3
I might be able to get this chapter up sooner than I thought! I'm not gonna say much beforehand. There's another character appearance in here. Not a lot of action happens in this chapter, but there's a bunch of conversations going on. It may be a little mushy at some parts too, but it shouldn't be anything 'over the top mushy.' I'm so happy this chapter is done; now I can finally work on what I have planned next… (Snickers to myself) So I guess here's chapter 9, hope you enjoy!
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"Dang, I can't even get a frigging B, and here you are getting an A on every single algebra test, Jeff!" One of my friends, Pete had complained to me. I laughed.
"Well then why don't you listen in class more? All you do is draw your lame comics while the teacher's lecturing!" I replied. Pete pouted.
"They're not lame… And that's easy for you to say Jeff, you're gonna be promoted to calculus any day now," He sighed. I flashed him a cheeky grin. We were both stopped by Maxwell; he must have been heading to the library in a hurry.
"Hey Jeff, we're meeting in the library today, don't forget," He told me passing by with three overflowing boxes in hand. Pete glanced from him to me, perplexity striking his face.
"Hey, how come you have to go to Maxwell's room everyday afterschool? Do you have detention with him a lot, or do you just help him out with science stuff?" He asked. I frowned.
"It's nothing like that," I replied trying to stray from the question. But he continued nonetheless.
"Well then what is it?" He asked again. Before I could become hostile, we both spotted Tony and his gang of very strange friends approaching us. I noticed how Tony had a huge frown on his face.
"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked. Tony shrugged.
"I failed my math test again, and he's only letting me re-take it one more time…" He replied. Jeez, was I the only kid in this school that didn't suck so horribly at algebra? Tony sighed.
"It's ok Tony you'll get it next time!" One of his friends told him. I crossed my arms.
"You need help studying this afternoon?" I asked him. Tonys eyes lit up slightly.
"I thought you were busy all afterschool today," Tony said. I shrugged.
"I'm sure we can work something out. I have to go to the library today right afterschool anyways. Maxwell will understand, most of the time, I'm stuck doing nothing in his room anyways. Just meet me there; I'll make sure you understand every problem, alright?" I told him. Tonys frown lifted up to a semi smile.
"You'd really do that?" He asked. I nodded. Tonys mouth finally curved all the way up.
"Alright, thanks Jeff… I'll see you there," He grinned walking away with his friends while Pete and I made our own way. Pete looked back at Tonys crowd.
"Heeeey, how come you only help Tony out with school? Can't you help me too?" Pete asked with a pout. I managed to chuckle at his question.
"You never ask," I said.
"Well he didn't ask!" Pete sulked about. I sighed.
"Look Pete, it's not that I won't help anyone else. I'm just busy all the time… and besides. I'm sick and tired of seeing Tony frown all the time."
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The Universe Will Die Without You
Chapter 9 Homesick
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I woke up with the feeling of air being punched out of my stomach. I opened my eyes to find Paula sitting on top of me. Apparently I forgot to take off my glasses before I fell asleep. Ness was laughing.
"Paula, don't jump on Jeff to wake him up!" He said handing me a bowl of honey nut cheerios, a cereal I hadn't eaten since I was at my boarding school…
"Morning guys," I smiled up at Paula, who was still sitting on my legs.
"Morning yourself, Jeff. Your hair is awfully messy, let me brush it!" She said searching for a comb in her bag that was then brought to her by Mr. Ziggy. I saw a small piece of paper fall out of her bag that Ness picked up instantly on instinct. Ness's looked like something had dawned on him when he looked at the paper, but resumed on what he was doing afterwards. I enjoyed my cereal while Paula was happily combing my hair behind me.
"Ah-" I yelped. Paula tugged on a knot.
"Sorry," Paula mumbled. Ness shook his red and blue cap out, and set it sideways on his head like he always did; pieces of his clean but messy jet black hair poked out underneath. Paula broke the silence with an embarrassing question.
"How come you forgot to put the toilet seat back down?" I practically spit out my milk, though Paula didn't seem fazed by it. Glancing at Ness, his jaw hit rock bottom.
"What?" My freckled cheeks turned magenta.
"You didn't put the seat back down last night?!" Ness questioned me in a whisper.
"Jeez, alright, I admit it! I forgot to put the seat back down! I'm sorry." I put my hands up in surrender.
"How come boys need to lift the toilet seat, I never have to…" She asked innocently. I looked at Ness, who tried to hide his laugh with a snort. Both of us let our steam loose, and laughed our hearts content.
"What? Tell me!" I could have sworn there were tears collecting in the corners of my eyes.
"Maybe when you're older" Ness lied when he was able to talk straight again.
--
I was happy to find that the so called 'magician' was gone. He just freaked me out. But still, I didn't remember him showing me any particular magic trick.
"I already have." He repeated in my mind. And just how he talked about not only Ness, but Paula as well… I shuttered at the thought. I started to think that he had to do with what we were trying to accomplish, which was something I still wasn't sure of myself. Or… hopefully it had nothing to do with my folks back up in Winters… I thought. Now I was just being paranoid… When we were downstairs, I talked to the man at the counter while Ness went to the phone with Paula. I asked the man at the counter about the magician club.
"I don't know how long they're staying in town, but as long as you guys have the money, you can stay here all you want, alright? I know how hard it is these days to get a place to stay," He told me.
"Thanks" I said before walking up to Ness.
"Paula, I have a surprise for you," Ness grinned handing Paula the phone.
"Who is it?" She asked. Almost immediately, she shouted happily "Daddy!" I couldn't help but grin myself.
"Ness, that was so nice of you," I told him. Ness couldn't erase his grin.
"I couldn't help it when I found her home phone number fall out of her bag," He said holding up the small piece of paper up. Paula kept yakking happily to the other line.
"Yes, he's practically my big brother now!" Ness and I snickered to ourselves. "That was probably me she was talking about" Ness said.
"And someone else is traveling with us too! His name is Jeff." There was a pause.
"Yeah, he has freckles, and he blushes a lot, it's so funny!" She spoke gleefully into the phone. Ness snickered as I blushed trying to hide behind my glasses and averting my gaze. My goodness, spread it around the world will you, Paula, I thought.
"She likes you!" Ness said.
"Well at least she doesn't hate me," I replied.
"Ok... I love you daddy, tell mommy that I love her too as well as everyone at the pre-school. Love you, bye-bye!" She hung up the phone, then ran up to us and gave both of us a bear hug. It was so foreign to me; to hear someone tell their father that they loved them so much. I know for a fact; it was something I could never say to mine. I smiled down to her, almost in admiration.
"Thank you two so much!" She squealed, looking at both of us. Without a second thought, she grabbed both of our hands, we were out the door. Talking to her parents made her extra happy I thought. I wonder if my mood would have cheered up if I gave Maxwell a call sometime.
"To the desert!" Paula cheered.
--
The construction site had grown three sizes, a round trench forming with a cave entrance. It seemed to attract quite a lot of attention. I loosened my tie around my neck from the heat. We found, and spoke to the same man we saw before; the one that offered us gold.
"We couldn't find anything yet, but we discovered a cave with weird wild creatures inside, and five giant moles claiming to be the third strongest. I don't know, but they were frightening! I'm not getting back in there as long as they're still in there!" The construction man said. So I was guessing we had to kick some mole butt inside the cave. Great… Ness sighed.
"Come on guys, let's go..."
Inside the cave was just basically a maze of ducks, poisonous snakes, and overgrown ants and walking nooses! I had to admit, that freaked me out at first, especially when one was able to strangle my neck. It took a while, but we were able to pull through, and defeat each of the moles, all of them claiming to be the third strongest for some strange reason. We picked up some nice items along the way, including a nice looking device, but had been broken in my knowledge. When we exited out of the cave, all three of us felt like collapsing.
"You kids cleared out the monsters? You guys are amazing! Now we can go back in there and dig again, thanks a lot! Go purchase some lunch and take a breather out in that hut over there, my treat!" He said handing us around thirty dollars. Well at least it was something…
"Thank you so much!" Ness smiled.
"Oh, and if I find any gold, I'll let you know!" He said before descending into the cave. Paula sighed and put her hair up in a pony tail.
"Alright, let's go get something, and cool off in the cabin." Ness said.
--
From the convenient stand for the crowd, Ness bought three wet towels to keep us cool as well as three hamburgers and soda pop. After that, we ate at the table inside the cabin. I wrapped my wet towel around my neck.
"Ahhhh..." I sighed in relief. "I forgot how hot this place was."
"Yeah., it's like summer is repeating itself already! I was just in this kind of heat at home when it was July," Ness replied. My eyes averted in thought.
"I never had to worry. Up in Winters, it's always cold if not covered in snow," I said rubbing the back of my neck with the towel. Which reminded me oh so much what I missed about it, there was no blazing heat. Though I guess a blizzard would be just as bad. My thoughts started trailing off as I ate more. They trailed to Mr. Maxwell and his bizarre experiments, the Friday lunch specials in the cafeteria, my friends from science class. My roommate and best friend Tony… I pulled out a piece of paper, and a pen; I had always carried a small notebook, just in case.
Besides, didn't I promise to write to him?
Dear Tony,
I'm alive and well. These past few weeks have been hectic, but interesting. Just to let you know, I've made it safe and sound, even though I had an unpleasant encounter with my father; the first time in ten years in fact. Hmm, he didn't acknowledge at first that I was his son, and tried to play dumb with me. I knew he knew better, we both did. The last words he spoke to me were "Let's get together again in ten years..."
Though these days have been hard, tiring, and a bit confusing, I'm not alone. I travel with two others, one is a young precious girl named Paula. She's not your typical little girl; she can be a smart, obnoxious mouth if she chooses to. She's friendly though, and I think she cares for us quite a bit. I think she'll be very pretty when she grows up. I think you two would have gotten along in the playground, she seems to be the type to make friends with, and she even helped me think a little straighter one time. She's pretty mature for her age, and her favorite ice cream happens to be yours as well.
The other person I travel with is a guy around our age names Ness. He's younger than me, but a few months older than you I'm afraid. Nonetheless, our relationship started bumpy, but all in all, he's not a bad person. In fact, I feel bad for him. We share some differences and similarities as well. For instance, I don't think he had as great of a childhood as he should have had. We also met his sister along the way apparently; she embarrassed him a lot in front of us. But even so, you know what, Tony? He has the guts to do something neither of us could do; he contacts his parents at least once a week. I envy him in that sense; he has a loving family, especially his mother. I have yet more things to learn about him as well as Paula, but sometimes he's very open when we're having a conversation. He even said that he was once afraid of me… whatever that means. But I'm not ready to tell him more about myself; does that make me a coward?
I would love for you to meet them someday, and I hope to see you again as soon as possible. By the way, how have things been at school? How was your birthday? Have your study habits changed? Are people respecting you like they should? Mr. Maxwell hasn't done anything obscure, right? But just most of all, how are you? As much as this journey has its ups and downs, there is still one thing that hasn't changed, and will never change.
I miss you, Tony, I really do. I miss your smile, your laugh, your bubbly personality, your voice... fuck, now I'm starting to sound too mushy. In that sense though, I can feel a little homesick. Sometimes I pretend you're right next to me to say that everything will be alright, so I can get back up on my feet again. It's so different without you... sometimes it's frightening.
Just promise me this. Take care of yourself, and be happy. As long as I know that, I'll be fine. And I promise I haven't done anything too reckless, at least not yet. So try not to worry, alright? Sorry for the late, mushy letter. I'll write to you soon, ok?
P.S. Please don't show anyone else this letter, okay?
Sincerely,
Jeff Andonuts
"Oooo, who are you writing to?" Paula asked over my shoulder. I blushed brilliantly, and covered the letter.
"It's… just-nothing!" My voice shook. Paula giggled.
"It's something; you've been showing many emotions on your face while you were writing. Is it to someone you like?" Paula asked. I could feel my cheeks burning. I looked to see if Ness was aware of our conversation, but he was busy throwing away the trash.
"It's just to one of my friends from school, that's all! Besides, there were no girls at my school, so there!" I spoke semi harshly. However, the smirk still remained plastered on her face.
"Can't boys fall in love with other boys as well?" Paula remarked innocently. Jeez, and I even wrote in the letter that she was mature. I was stumbled on what to say to her.
"Well...uhh...-"
"Paula, why are you making Jeff look so uncomfortable?" Ness asked with no clue whatsoever. Paula looked bewildered as she smiled happily at Ness.
"Oh nothing..." She said before kicking the floor boards softly. I sighed in relief. Thank you Ness, I thought. Though I don't think that smile from her face completely went away…
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After we were done, we started to head back to Fourside before it became too late. Once we got there; as we were crossing the bridge, we were stopped by one of the yellow construction cars. Out of the car came the same guy that offered us gold. Did he follow us all the way here? Wait, we could have gotten a ride from him if he was going to follow us this far!
"Hey! Guess what? We couldn't find anything as valuable as gold, but we did find this diamond, so I'll give it to you guys. Hey, it may come in handy for you guys more than us!" He laughed handing Ness a decent sized diamond. Why the heck didn't he think diamonds themselves were treasure? Coming across diamonds these days were very rare. We said our thanks, and waved him goodbye; departing into the city limits.
"It's a diamond... but maybe we could work something out with the manager of the Topolla Theater?" Ness mentioned holding out the dirty diamond in front of us. He grabbed his not so wet towel anymore, ran it under a nearby fountain, and polished the valuable rock. Looking around me, I tried to find the nearest post box.
"I'll be right back" I told Ness and Paula. Jogging to the corner of the block, I snuck my sealed letter out, and slipped it in the box. When I turned around, Ness and Paula were already right behind me.
"What are you sending?" Ness asked curiously. I became impatient, and hostile of the situation.
"It's just a letter to my friend back up in Winters, alright?" I stated. I was happy to see that Ness didn't argue back, but instead shrugged.
"That's fine, I was just wondering." He smiled. I smiled back.
"Can you check the time?" Ness asked. I nodded checking my watch.
"It's around six. Should we purchase tickets again to go see the manager?"
"Yeah, let's get going," Ness said grabbing Paula.
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"Oh my… that's… are you offering that diamond to me? I'm sorry, but if you're proposing to me, I don't think I'd want to marry such a young man like yourself, nonetheless I don't think it's legal…" The female manager of the jazz joint replied. Ness rolled his eyes.
"It's not a proposal! We-" I cut him off.
"We were just wondering if this would cover the bill of The Runaway Five's debt, that's all," I answered for him. The lady formed an 'O' on her lips. Inspecting the diamond in Ness's hand, she timidly reached out for it.
"Can…can I touch it?" She asked quietly.
"You can take it if you let The Runaway Five go!" Ness spoke in hostility. I sighed. The lady practically snatched the gem out of Ness's open palm, and held it up to the sun glistening through the window blinds.
"It sure looks beautiful… and diamonds are worth a lot of money…well maybe this one is worth fifty bucks, but hopefully it's the real deal. But it sure is beautiful…" Ness started gritting his teeth.
"So what'll it be?" Ness asked. Moments still went by.
"Alright, it's a deal," She said suddenly in a monotone voice twirling around to face us. "You kids are even lucky that I would follow through with such as deal," She said while taking The Runaway Five's contract out and ripping it in front of our eyes. Paula cheered. It was at that very moment that The Runaway Five barged into the room. Were they eavesdropping throughout the entire conversation?
"Did I just hear the sound of a contract rip? This is gonna make a hip beat, baby! Thanks again, sugar!" One of the lead singers said with confidence as the entire band circled around the desk.
"Sorry for being such troublemakers, ma'am, we won't mess with your theater again!" He said before leaving the room. The other band singer walked up to the desk.
"We won't be so gullible anymore… Well, gotta go, Ness and co. Our fans are waitin', baby!" Then he left as well. One by one they left with some of their last words.
"Finally, let's just do this one last show, and then get outta here," He said rolling his eyes.
"We have no idea how we can thank you guys! Thank you so, so much!" The last one took a while to get going as he practically sang to us.
"Money that's what I want! Money, that's what is hot! Money that's what I want! Money, it's what we ain't got 'cept freedom, freedom, freedom is what we've really sought!" He kept singing, until one of the band members came in, and dragged him out of the room.
"You gonna keep singing here, or are you going to run with us?" He said before they were out of the room. All four of us snickered to ourselves.
"Well, I guess you kids made them happy! Go on, see their last show before they hit the road," She said to us. We all said our thanks and went to watch them perform one last time in the Topolla Theater.
--
"Welcome to the final Runaway Five performance at the Topolla Theater!" One of the Band members spoke into the mike. They had already started once we entered the door, so we just stood again, seeing that it was a full house.
"It's gonna be a great show! Why we're so good, it makes me… think that those kids by the exit will wet their pants! Those kids are hip, baby!" Paula, Ness and I exchanged glances to each other. I noticed most of the heads turning to look at us, if they could even see. I was very timid of the whole situation, that it must have come to Paula's attention as she held my hand. I looked down at her, and chuckled nervously.
Their performance I enjoyed much better this time, since I was in a better mood. The entire audience started to clap at the beat once the music had started on a role. Eventually, everyone shouted and wooed when a foxy lady in a revealing black dress. She walked out on stage and started to sing and dance with them.
"Yeah, Venus!" One of the men shouted on the top of their lungs. Eventually through the song, their tour bus actually drove on stage, and they all got on the bus, including the popular female singer known as Venus.
"Thank you everyone! Have a good night!! One of them shouted before they all drove off the stage. Everyone stood, and cheered for them. For some reason, I just knew that this performance would make it on the news somehow.
--
Once we headed outside the theater again, Ness's receiver phone rang.
"Yeah?" Ness answered. "Ok, we'll head right there. Hey guys, let's go get some ice cream, The Runaway Five is there waiting to talk to us." Ness said. Paula grinned.
"More ice cream!" Paula cheered lifting Mr. Ziggy in the air.
"What do they want?" I asked. Ness shrugged.
"I dunno, he just said that they really needed us to come right over to talk to them."
"Probably for getting them out of their debt," I assumed.
"Probably. Maybe they'll propose an apology to us." Ness snickered.
--
The tiny ice cream parlor was packed with either people that got ice cream on the go, or just people that wanted a glimpse of The Runaway Five. For some odd reason however, there was a bunch of men as well, but it wasn't for them, it was because accompanied with them was feminine singer, Venus, still dressed in her revealing black gown.
"There they are!" one of the band members gasped pointing at us in the doorway. One of the singers stood on his chair.
"Everyone in the shop, may I have your attention! These three kids, Ness, Paula, and… what's your name again, kid?" I frowned, until one of the other band members whispered something in his ear.
"Ness, Paula, and Jeff, of course! Sorry kid! These three, believe it or not, has been supporting our recent struggles like a back bone of taaaaitanium, baby! Boy, if it wasn't for these kids, we'd still be stuck, heck, we'd still be in Twoson at the moment! Please, everyone, give them all around applause!" Everyone clapped as they cheered for use. Paula's grin spread wider than Ness's and mine. I wasn't used to all of this attention; it kind of reminded me of when we returned to Threed. I just hoped that it wasn't going to be like this for the rest of our trip. Soon enough, the commotion died down. One of the band leaders shook Ness's hand; more like his whole arm up and down. It was like this, all of them shook our hands, until soon enough we were introduced to her.
"Venus, there's someone I'd like you to meet. This is the famous Paula Polestar from Twoson. Paula, this is Venus."
"Glad to meet you, Venus, you're very pretty, and your voice is pretty as well," Paula commented sincerely. Venus had a look of awe on her face.
"Aww, aren't you the sweetest doll I have ever met!" She embraced Paula in her arms. "I have been a huge fan of you for the longest time; it is such an honor for you to watch me perform on stage!" Venus said actually blushing. Paula blushed herself.
"I'm only expressing the truth, ma'am" She smiled. Venus giggled.
"They say you are one extraordinary young girl. I'm not sure if you know this yourself, though you probably do, but you really are special, even just by looking into your gorgeous eyes, my problems just seem to wash away. Did anyone tell you what a gorgeous young face you've got?" Paula shook her head yes, blushing from the compliment.
"My Mom, and Dad tell me that all the time, but I don't hear it very often from others." Venus's expression was somewhat sympathetic.
"Would you like some ice cream, Paula? I'll buy you any flavor you'd like!" Venus asked kneeling down to her level, and softly pinching Paula's nose. Paula grinned.
"I'd love some, thanks!" She said, as Venus held her hand, and led her to the ice cream display. Me, and Ness sat next to each other, watching Venus buy Paula an ice cream cone. Ness sighed.
"I'm beat! Those damn moles underground really whipped me out today," He said yawning. All of them wouldn't shut up about how they were the third strongest; they were both equally tough and puny at the same time! I dunno where Paula gets all her energy; she doesn't even know any healing spells yet!" Ness rambled.
"Well, what can I say, she's still really young. And besides, how many times did you treat her back in the underground maze, six?" Part of Ness's mouth curved down.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Most of my PSI is wasted on her; I barely have any left to fend for myself. You don't think… I baby her too much, do I?" Ness asked. Ness seemed tentative about the question as he tapped his foot on the ground averting his eyes to the black and white checkered floor.
"Well, if you're keeping her from getting hurt, it shouldn't be considered 'babying' anyways. It just shows that you're looking out for her, that's all, and that's perfectly fine." I replied honestly. Ness sighed.
"I try… I really do. I know I'm going to sound like a jerk for saying this… but sometimes I really do think of her as a younger sister. I think she's really grown on me. She doesn't bug me as much as Tracy does." I chuckled.
"She's your friend, and that's what friends do. I'm pretty sure she cares for you like you do for her, I mean, remember what she said about us over the phone? She thinks of you as a bigger brother, something she probably couldn't have gotten anywhere else. If it really bugs you, just tell her, and don't let it get the better of you." I replied. Ness soaked in what I had told him, and smiled softly.
"Yeah… I guess you're right Jeff, thanks." Once Venus and Paula walked back with two ice cream cones, The Runaway Five started a conversation with us.
"So you kids up to going to the new department store once we break this joint tonight? It just opened this week, there's a huge sale going on."
"A new department store?" Ness asked.
"Yeah, just a few blocks from here actually, it's across from the Monotoli tower, can't miss it. We boys want to do something for yah three in return for your generosity." However Ness shook his head.
"We really should be heading back after Paula finishes her ice cream, it's already 10:00 after all. But thanks for mentioning it; we'll check it out tomorrow morning. Speaking of ice cream, I want one myself. Jeff, you want some ice cream?" I shook my head.
"No thank you Ness, you don't have to do anything for me." I replied, but I didn't miss the disappointment in his frown.
"Jeff, come on… you never let me get you anything, you've barely eaten anything these past few days!" Ness whined. I chuckled.
"I'm sure Ness, I'm fine, I'm not gonna die from the lack of an ice cream cone. Just get one for yourself." I smiled.
"Come on, just get something…" I frowned at him.
"Yet again, Ness, I'm positive about my decision. Now go and get your ice cream," I told him as nicely as possible. Ness looked like he was going to pout, until his shoulders dropped.
"Suit yourself." He said in both defeat and annoyance. I couldn't shed off the feeling of Venus keeping a close eye on me, until she stood up, told Paula she would be back, and walked over to Ness. I wasn't sure what they were talking about, but when Ness looked over at me, a sad frown forming on his face. I felt my eyes quickly dart from him. Were they talking about me?
"Venus is such a nice lady!" Paula smiled at me licking her ice cream. I nodded in response, collecting my senses again.
"Did you like the performance?" She asked. One of the band members decided to kick into the conversation.
"Yeah, Jeff, how'd you like our last concert there at the Topolla Theater?" He asked scratching his chin. I averted my eyes to the table, deciding to fiddle with a nearby napkin.
"It was… I have to be honest it was a lot better than when I first saw you guys perform," I replied. The man 'hmmed.'
"Probably, we were kinda sad at the time, we were hopin' it wasn't going to rub off, but I guess it did. However, we're free now, so it doesn't matter all that much anymore." He grinned as Venus walked over to us, immediately grabbing a chair, and sitting right in front of me. She positioned herself where she was able to cross her legs, and lean her elbow on her knee while resting her chin in her palm. The way she was positioned, I was sure that her cleavage was showing, because of how many men around us were staring at her blankly. However, I was too shy at the time to even look at her, and I almost started to tap my finger on the table impatiently.
"Something really is bothering you," Venus said. Paula gave me a glance. Great, she got Paula's awareness. I gave Venus an apathetic look.
"And what makes you say that?" I said leaning my elbow on the table. Venus frowned.
"I can always tell when something is on a man's mind. Tell me, what's bothering you?" She tried again. I was unresponsive.
"Your friend, Ness told me he's been trying to figure out why you wouldn't let him do anything for you. He wants to help you, Jeff, but you don't seem very open about your emotions, do you?" I rolled my eyes.
"It's nothing personal, alright? I'm just not used to anyone doing anything for me, that's all." I noticed on the corner of my eye Paula following the conversation closely licking her strawberry ice cream.
"Why aren't you used to it?" She said to me, which somewhat got my attention. I glanced over at the counter where Ness was purchasing a cone of rocky road, his face seemingly mute.
"It's just… something I never needed, alright?" I replied, while still looking over at Ness, who was now exchanging money to the worker.
"There is no such thing. Everyone needs something from someone once and a while. For example, at one point, you relied on your mother in order to survive as an infant, everyone did," Venus spoke. I shuddered slightly when she said the word 'mother.' I think Paula took note.
"Yeah, so? What if I said that once that need was done with, I never had the need to need ever again? I don't want to sound offensive Venus, but this conversation is getting us nowhere…" At least until Paula finally spoke up.
"Jeff… are you homesick?" My eyes widened, snapping my head over to her. Paula's frown was sympathetic, as if she knew something that I never told her. Not even Tony could predict such precise…
I was homesick…
I didn't understand; technically, I didn't even have a home, just a boarding school, and that's hardly perfect in any way. Venus sighed as we saw Ness making his way back to the table, trying to avoid my eye contact. "We need to talk," She said grabbing my wrist, and dragging me up to the ice cream counter. I growled.
"What? We barely even know each other, why are you trying to figure me out?" I questioned in hostility. Venus somewhat glared at me.
"I spoke to both Paula and Ness, so I might as well talk to you. Paula is possibly the sweetest person I will ever meet. She loves both of you boys like family, and claims that she would do anything for you two. Ness on the other hand feels the same exact way towards Paula, but is afraid to know what to think of you yet. I could tell from how he spoke to me that he worries for you, like he does for Paula. However, he told me, that no matter how much he tried, how much he opened up his shell for you, you're still withdrawn towards him. He confessed that he had to ask little Paula a number of times what might be bothering you. Are you distant from everyone like this, or do you just not want to be friends with them?" Venus explained. I was baffled. Was she…
"What are you trying to say?" I asked. Venus glanced back at Ness and Paula with The Runaway Five.
"You may not need Ness for any of your needs, but please, give him a chance. He may need you more than you need him." She smiled when the realization dawned on me. Of course, why hadn't I thought of that? I glanced at Ness and Paula, who were both laughing about something while Ness whipped Paula's mouth clean. Had he thought all this time that I didn't want to be his friend?
"There's no point in arguing with a friend- especially if they're going to help me save more people than I'll ever meet." I remembered Ness telling me last night.
"I guess you're right…" I said softly shaking my head. "This makes me feel like a complete jerk," I replied running my fingers through my blond hair. This whole situation was starting to make my stomach feel uneasy. Venus had a pretty face; which was one reason why I kept my eyes averted. But it was also the fact that she was starting to unravel personal things about me.
"Don't say that, Jeff, like you said, you weren't used to such behavior. You don't have to do much, just let him help you once and a while. But don't take advantage of it, you should help him too." She smiled down to me. I smiled back sheepishly when my glasses became out of line. When I adjusted them however, Venus caught me by surprise by taking my glasses away from me, leaving my sight temporarily blind. Venus 'hmmed' in an interested manner, sliding my glasses back on passed my ears. I scratched them in response to the tickling sensation, slightly blushing as she seemingly studied my face.
"I noticed how many times tonight that you had to adjust your glasses. On first glance, it makes you look like a klutz. Though, when I was able to see your face without them for the first time, I realized that you're really a handsome young man," She murmured comfortably. My cheeks embarrassingly flared up.
"I… ahh-" Venus put a finger on my mouth.
"I didn't realize your eyes were green, they're beautiful. Who gave them to you?" She asked. I hesitated to speak.
"My… mom, why?" I asked. Venus smiled sympathetically.
"She must have been beautiful…" My eyes widened, taking note of her using past tense.
"How-" I shook from the reality of it all, picturing my mother smiling down to me when I was young.
"You cringed when I mentioned her." She replied. My expression must have mirrored my mind, feeling my head spin uncomfortably. I hesitated.
"Shhh… I wouldn't tell a soul, I can tell it's very personal to you. However, I think Paula already has an idea, though I can't say about Ness since you're never open to him. Now that I understand, just slightly, your actions speak louder than your words. You're very expressive when you choose to be." My sigh was staggered; cheeks still a flame, I averted my eyes annoyingly down towards my left.
"Hey…" Venus said grasping my chin softly to face me towards her. Her breath smelt faintly of musty cigarette smoke, and vanilla.
"I don't know how to phrase this, I'm sure it's hard to deal with, I can never feel what you feel, no one can, it's what makes you 'you'. But don't let the past get in the way of your dreams. Remember, in order to achieve them, you do need to communicate, weather you want to or not, it's become a necessity in life for all of us. And it's necessary to both Paula and Ness as well. Give them a chance, especially Ness. Who knows? You may discover something about him, or even yourself that you wouldn't have by keeping quiet. And whatever you have to tell him, I'm sure he'll understand." She spoke to me earnestly. I was speechless, nodding silently.
"I'll… try my best," I said breathlessly looking over to Ness and Paula again talking to The Runaway Five. Venus put her hand on my shoulder.
"Good luck. A handsome, mysterious young man like you needs it. It's too bad… you're not a few years older…" She giggled walking to the table. My cheeks burnt up again, watching her blond hair sway back and forth. It took a little while, but I eventually ventured back to the table.
I stood in front of Paula, and Ness, feeling my heart flutter for what I was about to say.
"Hey…" Paula said when she saw me. Ness's expressed empathy with a hint of anger.
"I'd… can I have some ice cream too?" I mumbled shyly, with annoyance. When I looked to the table again, Ness's last expression was erased with a big fat cheesy grin. I think he's been waiting for me to say this for the past few days.
"Okay," He spoke happily. "Stay here Paula, we'll be right back." He said before making our way towards the ice cream bar. I studied all the flavors from mint, to Neapolitan. Mocha sounded a bit too much for me at the time.
"What kinds of ice cream do you like, Jeff?" He asked. I supported my chin.
"I'm not quite sure. They only served Neapolitan back at school," I replied. "There's so many to choose from…" I must have admitted. I was at awe by the selection. Ness laughed.
"Well that's a bad selection to grow up with. To tell you the truth, this selection is nothing compared to other shops." It didn't matter that much, there was so much to choose from.
"What flavor do you think I'd like?" I asked him. Ness speculated scanning the tubs.
"I dunno…" Ness looked at me again. "You kinda look like a cookies and cream type… in a way," He said finally.
"How come?" I asked. Ness looked down again.
"It's kind of hard to tell if one is more like a cookie or ice cream. I know that probably doesn't make any sense in any-"
"Is it because you don't know what to think of me?" I asked raising an eyebrow. Ness's eyebrows perked up.
"It's ok, don't look alarmed. I actually had my eye on that type anyways, I'd love some," I smiled. Ness nodded happily.
"Okay. One cookies and cream please," Ness asked the waiter. At the register, Ness held out three dollars.
"It costs three dollars for one cone of ice cream?" I asked surprised of how pricy it was. I was used to paying 50 cents back at school. But then I thought of the alternative, this was more for Ness's sake, not mine.
"It's ok, I'd like you to try some anyways," He smiled handing me my ice cream. I nodded.
"Thanks Ness," I said sheepishly, taking a lick of my ice cream. My taste buds became magnetically attached to the new, exotic flavor that was cookies and cream ice cream.
"It's delicious…" I said in awe. Ness snickered.
"Told you, you didn't believe me earlier?"
"Nah, I guess not," I chuckled shamefacedly. Ness extended his arms over his head to yawn.
"When you're done, let's head back to the hostel, I'm beat!" I nodded in response, thinking about how I wouldn't have discovered this ice cream without him.
"Really Ness, thank you," I told him. Ness spun around and smiled.
"Just ask if you need anything else." He said. I nodded. Though I wasn't sure what else I would need, at least not yet.
For the rest of the night, we, plus The Runaway Five, and Venus were the only ones left, as we talked about the performance. Venus gave Paula one last good night kiss before turning to Ness, giving him a hug. Venus finally turned to me.
"See? Don't you feel better for communicating to Ness, just slightly?" She smiled to me. I figured it was on her mind all this time.
"Yes, it really did make me feel better actually. I don't think I would have realized it without you telling me, Venus." I thanked her, as she winked.
"Now I better see you again someday, come by and hear me sing, I'd love to do an encore, just for you. All you have to do is tell me." My face cringed from my blush as she gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Catch you later, tiger," She spoke flirtingly to me walking away with The Runaway Five. Ness whistled.
"You realize how many men out in the world are jealous of you right now?" Ness laughed. I rubbed my cheek, and straightened out my glasses.
"Yeah…" I spoke zoned out by the fact that I was Venus just kissed me on the cheek. I don't think I had been kissed by a female; or anyone period in what seemed like years. Paula giggled.
"Jeff just got kissed by a pretty girl!" She laughed, tickling my side.
"Stop that!" I stuttered giggling and blushing. Besides, we gotta get going, right Ness? I must have caught Ness out of a reverie, when in a moment, he said, "Yeah of course, let's get going."
--
We got back at the hostel by 10:30 pm that night, but it seemed awfully loud upstairs. The same guy at the counter before was there when he spotted us.
"Wow, you kids are up late. It makes me wonder what you three are doing out there. Well, here's your key." He said handing Ness the room key, and saying good night. When we got to our floor, a bunch of the magic club members were in the hallways, drinking lemonade, possibly hard lemonade and playing card games.
"Hey you three, what's up?" One of them asked. Neither one of us replied as we rushed towards our room, unlocking the door, and shutting it behind us with a sigh. Ness crashed on his bed.
"Bed…" He mumbled in the pillow. Paula sat on the floor to let Mr. Ziggy free from her bag.
"Would you like a snack, Mr. Ziggy?" She smiled pulling out a bag of crackers in which the Mr. Saturn was excited about. I sat on my bunk, smelling my arm pit in disgust.
"I need to shower. Is that ok with you two if I use the restroom? If you need to use it, I suggest you do so." I said loosening my black tie around my neck. However, Paula stood up.
"Can I take a bath too?" Paula asked. I sighed.
"Yeah, you should use this room's bath tub. No worries, I'll just wait," I said patting her on the head. Paula smiled up to me.
"Come on, Mr. Ziggy, let's take another bath!" She squealed picking up the small sneezing creature, and heading inside. I wasn't sure why I did what I did next, but I felt as if I had to.
"Hey Paula?" I asked. Paula poked her head through the door.
"Can I… talk to you later?" I asked shamefacedly. Paula nodded slowly.
"Yeah, sure…" She said. I erased my sad smile with a satisfactory one until she closed the door behind her. I sighed, plopping down on my bunk bed and kicking off my shoes.
"Mbeff?" Ness asked with his face buried in his pillow.
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure." Though, I wasn't sure if I would answer it yet. Ness turned to his side, and faced me.
"What did Lady Venus say to you?" He asked gazing in the distance. I raised my eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" I asked. Ness sat up.
"Well, how come you all the sudden asked for an ice cream?" He said. I shrugged.
"It's noth-"
"…Give them a chance, especially Ness. Who knows? You may discover something about him, or even yourself that you wouldn't have by keeping quiet. And whatever you have to tell him, I'm sure he'll understand." Venus said again in my mind. Ness's eyes became filled with disappointment. I hated it when people looked at me that way…
"Alright alright… where do I start? She was basically telling me to… I dunno, be more open with myself I guess. So you and Paula can get to know me a little more. I dunno it's the way she said it that convinced me, alright?" I told him. Ness smirked.
"Did she hit on you?" Ness asked. My cheeks blushed, I was sure of it.
"Possibly, I'm not quite sure; I haven't been around girls that much in my life. It's kinda hard for me to tell when one is, you know?" I explained.
"Well, what did she say?" He asked with slight interest. Jeez, he seemed pretty eager, I thought.
"Well… I remembered her saying that she liked my eyes," I said. Ness 'hmmed.'
"What's your favorite color?" He asked randomly. I frowned.
"Are you going to keep asking me questions?" I asked.
"Yes," Ness replied.
"Well it's burgundy."
"What kind of color is that?" He asked.
"It's a dark reddish color, like maroon," I said.
"Oh…" Ness replied. I chuckled.
"What's your favorite color?" I asked. Ness frowned as he leaned against the bunk railing.
"Probably a dark navy color," He replied as we heard two people talking and laughing loudly pass by our room. We then heard thuds from nearby.
"Those people are fucking annoying," I said. Ness nodded.
"They're pretty loud…" He said. I sighed again.
"Seriously Ness, why were you uncomfortable around them?" Ness hesitated from the question.
"I dunno… I guess it was just because this journey has gotten me so uptight about things that I guess I just felt a little uneasy around them. Don't worry though, Jeff, he was actually really nice to me, really." He replied. Yeah right…
"Jeff? You didn't talk to him harshly last night… did you?" He asked. The answer was yes, but I lied, and I didn't feel bad for it either.
"Don't worry, Ness I didn't get into any unnecessary circumstances with them," I replied once Paula opened the door from the bathroom.
"Hello," She said. "It's hot in here, you guys, Jeff open the window, I'll open the door," She said making her way towards the door. I would have stopped her, but she was already there, and once she opened it, I cringed.
Outside of our door from what I could see was Demetri, leaning casually against the wall outside, smirking down at Paula; golden tooth shimmering in the hallway light.
"Oh, hi there, Demetri," Paula smiled. Just why was Demetri in front of our door?
"Greetings there, Paula. I'm just checking on how things are going with you three this fine evening," He spoke nicely. "May I come in?" I would have said no, but instantly Paula spoke kindly.
"Of course," She smiled, ushering the shady magician inside; his bushy hair swaying behind his back. I inwardly shuddered.
"I heard that you trio went to go see the great Runaway Five this evening, am I right?" He smiled drifting his eyes from Paula to Ness.
"Yeah… how did you know that?" Ness asked. Demetri smiled.
"It was on the news moments ago. They interviewed The Runaway Five in the new department store that just opened a couple of nights ago. By the way, you three should check it out; they're having a wonderful sale tomorrow. I went today, but everything seemed sold out the time we got there," He explained, drifting his eyes towards me. My eyes weren't exactly glaring at him, but they were weary. For a moment, I could have sworn that he leered down at me.
"Good evening, Jeff. Sorry about my prude behavior last night. I'm not very good when it comes to meeting new people with different tastes," He smiled nicely to me, which left me confused. Why the hell was he acting so nice all the sudden?
"U-huh," I said with caution.
"Really, it's not often that a magician clashes with a scientist, it was a tense moment for both of us. But issues aside, I'm just glad to see that you three are doing well." Ness's eyebrow rose.
"I don't understand; are you a group that's going to perform somewhere, like the Topolla Theater?" Ness asked. Demetri shrugged.
"You could say that. In reality though… I'm actually trying to track something down," He said. "Have you three ever heard of the rumor that's looming around a place called Jackie's Café?" All three of us shook our heads. Demetri took out a deck of cards, and started shoveling them.
"Well you see there's a little speculation going around that the recent people that have disappeared from the public including Mayor Monotoli has been reoccurring at that certain café. Though the reason is beyond me, there's another rumor going around that the people that recently visit the café have been acting so strangely, that the police often find them roaming the streets; ganging up on random citizens for no apparent reason. Then they even claim that they didn't even remember anything, and the last thing they usually remember is the café itself. I'm thinking of visiting the café myself tomorrow, I've noticed there was something fishy about this city when I first set my sight on it, just to warn you kids." Ness's eyes widened.
"That… does sound strange. And you're sure that Monotoli has been rumored to appear there too?" Ness asked. Demetri nodded. I frowned at Demetri.
"Why do you know so much?" I asked suspiciously. Demetri cast me a semi cold look.
"With open ears, you can find out a lot of things. Eavesdropping can be a very useful trick if I might add. And it doesn't take a magician to learn it either, scientist," He replied smartly back. I frowned at him. Well duh there was something fishy going on. Demetri yawned and stretched his arms over his head.
"Well… I should be heading off to bed; I got me a long day ahead. You three kids should just relax tomorrow, go check out the department store, I hear that they have a great selection of sports goods too, you could get yourself a new cap," He said flashing Ness a smirk. Ness shook his head.
"Oh no, I couldn't get rid of this hat, even if I was forced to," Ness said holding the hat on his head. Demetri looked at Ness for a couple more moments until he shrugged.
"Suit yourself kid. I'm not trying to run your life," He said standing up. For some odd reason, I took note of that last sentence.
"You three kids take care, and have a good night sleep," He said waving to us, and exiting out of the room. Thank goodness…
"So Monotoli has been rumored to appear at this Jackie's Café, huh?" Ness thought out loud.
"Should we go check it out tomorrow?" Paula asked. "We might be able to find more information about Monotoli… Pokey… maybe even the Mani Mani statue," Paula said. Ness yawned.
"Damn it, I think that magician passed his yawn to me… yeah, we should check it out tomorrow, after we go to the department store. You could use a new outfit, Paula," Ness said. Paula's eyes lit up.
"Finally! These clothes still smell slightly, and my skirt is starting to fray at the edges; it won't be long until it rips completely," She laughed. Ness chuckled.
"We'll make sure that doesn't happen. Well… I'm beat… night guys," He said plopping down in bed. Paula smiled at him.
"G'night," She said.
--
I got into my pajamas, but I wasn't tired like Ness or Paula, so I decided it was another good opportunity to work on some of my broken supplies. I decided to work in the small cramped bathroom so I wouldn't have to worry so much about waking up Ness or Paula. The broken iron was almost complete, but I was shocked to find that it wasn't a gun per say, but instead it shot what looked to be slime, and it got all over the bathroom floor.
"God damn it!" I swore as the broken iron spilled more sappy substance on the floor. "Who the hell would make such a useless invention anyways?" It was then that I heard the bathroom door open. My eyes slightly widened, as I spun around; slime covering my dirty hands and arms. At the door to my surprise and not surprise was Paula, rubbing her eyes, and holding Mr. Ziggy.
"It's 12:30, what are you doing up?" Paula asked groggily closing the door behind her. "And… just what are you doing in the bathroom?" She asked scanning me and the slime covered room skeptically. I chuckled.
"You can go back to bed Paula, I'm just trying to get this machine to work again. Though by the looks of it, I think I just wasted it. Who would make an invention that was only good for one use anyways?" I muttered under my breath as I resumed what I was doing. Paula shook her head.
"Mmmm… not tired enough to go to sleep. Ness is though," She yawned putting the toilet lid down to sit on it. "Besides…" Paula began. I stopped to look at her.
"What is it? Is something wrong?" I asked her.
"You wanted to talk to me, right?" Paula asked. Oh yeah…
"Yeah actually, I really do," I replied.
"Well then, what is it?" She asked. I shrugged.
"Well… I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about what happened… Why did this 'Pokey' guy kidnap you, and why is he stalking you guys pretty much?" I could tell by the look on her face that this wasn't a very comfortable conversation to her. She fiddled with the bow on top of Mr. Ziggy's head.
"Umm… yeah, I can tell you all I know. But after I say my side of the story, can you tell me more about yourself as well?" She asked. Dang it. I sighed.
"Only if you answer my question first, but yes, I can tell you more about myself," I said. Paula sighed.
"Ok… well I don't know much about Pokey Minch except that he and Ness must have known each other when they were younger. I tried asking Ness about him… but every time I bring it up, he tries to veer the conversation somewhere else. All I can say is that Ness hates him for a reason I'm not sure of." That's suspicious… I thought.
"So how come they kidnapped you; did it really happen before you met Ness?" I asked. Paula nodded.
"Pokey wasn't the only one that kidnapped me though… he did it with a couple other shady figures, but that was when the Mani Mani statue was back in Happy Happy Village… there was a cult; and uprising of a community that had a very strange religion. But once the Mani Mani statue was gone, everything turned back to normal somehow. We hadn't heard from Pokey since until yesterday of course… I really thought that he was just under the spell of the Mani Mani statue…" She said hugging Mr. Ziggy tighter. I frowned, putting down my wrench.
"I… want to ask you something else, but I don't want to scare you, do you mind?" I asked. Paula slowly nodded.
"I wanna know… what makes you so scared of him?" I asked. Paula drifted her eyes to the side.
"All my life… I can recognize how someone's feeling just by looking at them. But when I look at Pokey… he's the only person I noticed something that…" Paula winced, stopping in mid sentence to stare off into the distance. I averted my eyes.
"I felt like that too… when I saw him look at me the first time, it wasn't clear, but he had a strange wicked glint in his eyes for the slightest second. I don't know what else to say, but it was terrifying… No one has ever looked at me or anyone I had met like that in my entire life. His expression was so blank that it expressed everything…" I explained as best as I could. Paula shrugged.
"It's hard to explain without knowing more details, isn't it? What could fuel such a person?" Paula asked. "Ness may be the only other person that could answer that question." I frowned.
"Yes, but we both know well enough what ruined it," Ness growled at Pokey in my mind. I sighed.
"Enough of this 'Pokey' talk, tell me something, please?" Paula asked. Here we go, I thought.
"Alright then… what would you like to know?" I asked flashing a smile.
"Who's Tony?" She asked. My eyes slightly widened, but then softened. I knew it… she saw who I was writing to.
"He's my best friend back in Winters. Heck… he was my only true friend to be brutally honest. I don't think I could have a better friend than him… and in that sense, I really do miss home," I said. Paula smiled sadly.
"You don't have anywhere else to call home, do you?" She asked. It took a while, but I eventually nodded. I didn't turn my head to look at her. I couldn't speak, but the words flowed through my mind, along with the pictures.
I missed everything about what I would call home. I could smell of pine trees and the blistering cold that left my nose pink every time I walked out into the snowy hillsides that was Winters. Spending a half an hour everyday afterschool with Maxwell didn't become a chore like I first thought it would. I could remember my classmates; eyeing me with jealousy whenever it came to subjects such as science and math. I could remember Tony right then, his tawny eyes would bright up every time he spotted me; I was sure that mine did the same. I remembered when we were young we would build our own creations in the snow, and we often destroyed them; laughing in the process. He was the only one that knew how to make me laugh; to truly smile. He was the extra shoulders I could lean on when I was too weak to walk. He was the only person I truly trusted… ever…
"Yet you still came to help us…" Paula spoke softly ringing me out of the depths of my memories. I looked over to her with open eyes as her beautiful deep sapphire ones gazed into mine. Paula said nothing as she walked out of the room. At first I thought she was mad, and that made me somewhat loath in self pity. But I was surprised once more when she returned quietly; she held what looked like a pendant in her hands.
"I've been meaning to give this to either you or Ness… I decided since Ness has my Franklin Badge… keep this safe, okay?" She said handing me a small golden pendant with a garnet inside. I was incredulous.
"What is it? Don't you want to keep it?" I asked. Paula shook her head. Her face looked sad and reddened.
"It's a flame pendant. I don't need it; I really want you to keep it… as an apology present for dragging you in this terrible mess…" She spoke softly. Did her voice crack?
"Paula… I don't need it, why don't you keep it?" I asked. Paula shook her head faster. Oh no…
"Please keep it for me, Jeff…" Paula spoke, voice cracking in the process. I was tentative, until Paula took my hand by surprise, and placed the pendant in my palm. I gazed at her wide eyed in awe. She looked like she wanted to cry. I was hoping that I wouldn't make her cry damn it…
"Paula, you don't have to give this to me, especially if you want to keep it for yourself…" I spoke softly. Yet again, Paula shook her head swiftly.
"It's not that… I just feel guilty," She said rubbing her eyes. I raised my eyebrows. I knelt down to her level.
"Guilty? Paula, I understand completely that you needed someone to help you two, there's no need to…" It was useless. By the time I could explain myself, she was already sniffing, not sobbing, but it was obvious that she was crying
"I'm so sorry… it's my fault you can't get back home…" She spoke.
"Paula…" Both of us were silent for what seemed like moments. Just what could help her cheer up? I thought. I sighed.
"I'm still happy that you did what you did… after all, I wouldn't have discovered some things if it wasn't for you calling out to me that night…" Paula finally looked at me, I was sure, though I looked down to my supplies.
"If it wasn't for you… I wouldn't have discovered the things that I would have never found back in Winters. Whether they were good or bad; and besides… if you didn't call me that night… I would have never gone up against my deepest fear…" Paula's eyes were finally open wide, revealing those mystical sapphire eyes she owned. It seemed as if she wanted me to continue with more though.
"I also wouldn't have made any new friends either. Especially one that was a girl, like you," I chuckled. Paula's cheeks seemed to redden, though it was partly from the fact that she had been crying.
"Are you saying that…?" I smiled to her.
"You're the first one," I chuckled. "And I wouldn't have discovered that, no matter how happy or miserable I was back in Winters." I explained. Paula finally smiled. I could only offer the same to her.
"So… you'll stay with us?" The question reminded me of the conversation Ness and I had on the bus. Apparently he wasn't the only one that dwelled on it. Why should they?
"It'll take more than a couple of overgrown moles and a creepy guy such as Pokey to get rid of me," I said in all honestly. Paula's eyes lit up again. I flinched when she quickly shot forward to wrap her arms around me in an embrace. It took a moment for me to register, but I soon returned the gesture.
"Thank you for helping us… you have no idea what this means to us…" She spoke to me in my ear before I could have sworn I felt a pair of lips touch the side of my freckled cheek. I flushed again, the fact that I was kissed twice that same night. Paula let go of me, and flashed me a cheeky grin as she took the pendant out of my hand, and put it around my neck. As I fiddled with it, Paula picked up Mr. Ziggy, who was sticking his nose in the slime on the floor left from the slime generator. I managed to smile while yawning.
"No Paula… I should be the one thanking you…" I said. Paula looked up to me again; in a state of awe from what I told her. I smiled; stretching out my spine.
"I'm tired. We really should head off to bed, it's already one in the morning," I said. However Paula waited for me as I put my tools away, and helped cleaned up the mess.
"Jeff?" She asked.
"Hmm?"
"… You'll have no idea how happy Ness will be if you help us," She finally said.
--
When we finally got out of the bathroom, I practically let myself fall on my bunk as Paula climbed to the one above us. I yawned; taking my glasses off in the process, and laying them on my stuff. My hands went to take off the pendant she put on, but I then decided not to. Before I crawled under the covers, I took one last look over to the bunk that Ness was sleeping in. Now that I thought of it, I could have sworn that I heard some noise in this room. I wondered…
Did Ness eavesdrop though our conversation?