A/N: Thanks again to KuroTenshiYuki , and babyangel22 for the reviews/messages on ! Cx
And thank you Orkidee, and luhtoaster101 for the compliments on DA! :D
Alright, so a lot of things happen in this chapter. Things really start to get more serious than the previous chapters. There are two new character introductions in this chapter, one of them you may or may not be surprised about. :I And to warn you about the very ending… something big is revealed from Jeff.
It should be pretty obvious though if you paid enough attention.
And of course, according to the game, we all have to say goodbye to a certain someone temporarily. :C
And the next two chapters will be a little darker, so beware of that as well. This chapter is longer than the rest because… you'll find out. So ya…
And to warn you again... please, not everything in this fic is completely canon.
Hope you guys enjoy chapter 10!
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The oldest visual memory I can recall is a picture of my mother and father; kissing under what looked like the mistletoe at Christmas time. It is the oldest visual, and it's been stuck in the back of my mind, as if someone hammered my skull with a white hot, sharp nail, making me bleed. I don't remember how old I was, but I was young enough to believe that we would grow up to be one of the many humble, happy families that inhabited this world. It was only a couple years later that it would all change…
…Oh what a twisted fate it was…
"I need to talk to you about something…" My father told my mother one dark fine evening. I don't think I've ever heard father sound so serious; he was usually apathetic, busy or unfocused; but that night he seemed to be a completely different man. I had a cold then, and I lay on the couch, wrapped in my sheep print wool blanket that I kept for years after. My eyes were closed, but my ears stayed open.
"What is it?" My mother was curious; eager of what father had to tell her. I didn't think they had such an intense conversation before. My father's sigh was staggered.
"…I'm at the end of the line here…" He spoke.
"What do you mean? They couldn't fire you, you're one of their top scientists, how-"
"It has nothing to do with the job…" He said. "I'm sure you know as well as me by now though…" There was a moment of silence. I could see mother giving him the most skeptical look I had ever seen. He rested his forehead in his palms when he finally spoke. It was the most horrified voice I had ever heard escape from his lips.
"Something horrible will happen to this planet in approximately 20 years."
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The Universe Will Die Without You
Chapter 10 Fear
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My eyes shot open silently, shaking once I realized I was awake. My eyes roamed the bottom of the top bunk wildly, scanning all the graffiti; maybe the right words. It didn't matter… there was no explanation, no excuse…
"What about breakfast, Ness?" I heard Paula ask.
"We'll just get some at the department store. I kinda feel bad taking the clubs food without asking," Ness replied. I yawned, sitting up, and stretching out. Why was I always the last one to wake up?
"Morning, guys" I said shaking my head, slipping on my glasses. To my surprise when my vision was clear, Paula had already sat on my lap to give me a morning hug.
"Morning, Jeff!" Paula giggled; putting Mr. Ziggy on my lap, in response sneezed. "Can you watch him as I get dressed in the bathroom?" I nodded. Paula got up, and headed in the restroom. I checked my watch, which read 8:07. My eyes drifted down to the small creature that was a Mr. Saturn, whose big fat nose was roaming my lap, and sniffing the blanket. Wait, was he sniffing my groin? Embarrassed by the sudden thought, I picked the now bewildered creature, and set it on the floor. Brining my bare feet on the thin dirty carpet, my eyes drifted to a rather silent Ness, sitting on the edge of his bed, rummaging through his back pack to pull out a spare black tee. He seemed out of it for some reason…
"You alright?" I asked feeling my voice soften. Ness looked up at me, blue eyes open, but tired.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He said quietly as he tugged off his striped shirt over his head.
"Do you need privacy while you change?" I asked turning my eyes to the opposite side of the room immediately. Ness sighed.
"Nah, you're right. We're both guys after all. And you're my friend, so I don't mind too much," He said. However, when I did look to him, his cheeks looked rather flushed, as if he tried to ignore my presence, grabbing his black shirt, and pulling it on over his head. He combed his hair with his fingers.
"How are you?" He finally asked.
"Oh me? I'm ok so far…" I said.
"That's good." He spoke in a sad monotone voice, surprisingly stuffing his cap inside his back pack. "As you probably already know, we're gonna check out the department store this morning, Paula needs a new dress, or clothes at the least. Do you mind?" He asked. I shook my head.
"Nah, I'm cool with that," I replied. Ness sighed. He looked upset.
"We're gonna leave as soon as you and Paula are ready." He said lying back down on his bed. I wondered why he seemed so troubled. Paula walked out of the bathroom with a smile on her face.
"I'm done" She said picking Mr. Ziggy up off the floor. I complied, grabbing my clothes, and walking in the bathroom. I looked in my reflection as I noticed my glasses became out of line again. I straightened them, grumbling to myself. Thoughts of the previous night kept flooding back to me. The concert… The Runaway Five, me and Paula's conversation, Venus... I took off my glasses to re- a line them.
"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." Venus spoke flirtingly to me in my memories. I blushed grumpily, slipping back on my glasses again. Yeah, right…
After changing into my outfit, I walked out of the bathroom, rubbing my head yawning.
"You ready?" Paula asked me, putting Mr. Ziggy in her bag. I nodded, scratching at my eyes.
"Yeah, whenever you guys are." Paula and I glanced over to Ness, who looked like he was day dreaming.
"Ness?" Paula asked. Ness snapped out of his reverie, sitting up. Something obviously was on his mind, and it was bothering him greatly.
"We're ready whenever you are." She smiled. Ness nodded silently, flashing Paula a faint smile before ruffling her hair softly. When he looked up to me however, he took a second longer, before breaking eye contact. He seemed sad every time he looked at me for some reason.
"Let's get going…" He spoke softly as we headed out of our room.
--
When we were heading down stairs, I was appalled to see two of Demetri's friends walk up the stairs towards us, talking, and laughing about something. When they spotted us; more so when they saw Ness and Paula, they started snickering to each other. One of them was about to say something until I slipped pass, guarding Ness and Paula. I didn't miss how their smiles became replaced with disgust. Both of them snorted, as they made their way pass us.
"I guess we'll be staying here another night, if that's alright with you," I told the manager at the counter, handing him the hostel key.
"Like I said, you three kids take your time, there's no rush," he replied taking the keys. "You need the room more than most of the people here anyways. It's the least I can do." I nodded sincerely, facing Paula, and Ness, who was on the phone with his father.
"Yeah… I'm sure, I'm fine, Dad, you don't have to worry…" He spoke into the phone. Though I was pretty sure his dad knew better. I didn't understand how he was drunk that night; he seemed like a very intelligent man over the phone when I talked to him. Was there any possibility that he wasn't drunk? Maybe he had been possessed by a ghost as well as I was.
"Paula's fine. Oh… he's been doing alright, I think. He doesn't talk much about himself, but I think he's okay… don't worry, I promise, I'm fine… sigh… alright Dad, thanks for the cash… ok, I will… love you, bye." He spoke quietly in the phone. Ness let off a hefty sigh.
"Dad worries too much. Oh well…" He said shrugging. Paula frowned.
"You should be proud he worries. It means he cares about you." Paula told Ness. Ness sighed.
"I know… it's just, I don't want them to worry about me too much. Besides, I'm sure things will turn out decently in the end." Ness replied making his way towards the door.
"Are you sure?" She asked. Ness didn't respond as he walked out of the hostel.
"Something's wrong with him…" Paula said. I grabbed her hand.
"Come on, Paula, we shouldn't let Ness wander off on his own," I told her shaking my head as we headed out of the hostel.
--
It was a cloudy sky that day, and I could have sworn it sprinkled once and a while. When we caught up with Ness, he was already waiting at the crosswalk. We stood silently next to one another until the crosswalk was free to pass. I hesitated at first; I didn't want to make him mad or anything. But when I was about to speak up, we all heard someone saying Ness's name from afar.
"Hey, Ness, Paula!" A bushy man hollered waving his arms in the air from the distance. I saw Ness's semi wide eyed expression as he muttered, "Everdred?" When the man caught up, he looked to be in his mid thirties. Everdred was a plump, average sized man overall. He looked to be a mix between Italian and Jamaican; his long black curly hair covered nearly his entire back, and his big pink nose twitched above his cheesy mustache. His business hat didn't flow right with his bright orange Hawaiian shirt and pants, and he seemed to be carrying a sneaky looking bag over his shoulder. The round black glasses concealed his eyes from the public. My first impression of him was vague when it came down to personality, especially when he spoke his next sentence.
"Almost didn't recognize you with the black shirt. Hey there, Paula, I still apologize greatly for last time, I could never accept your forgiveness," He said flashing Paula a smile.
"Hello yourself, Everdred; and don't worry, it's over with now, we can forget about it." Paula said. Everdred shrugged.
"So Ness, what'cha do with the bundle of bucks I gave you?" He asked with odd interest. Ness suddenly fumbled with the question nervously.
"We… kinda blew it off to get The Runaway Five out of their debt….?" He spoke tentatively. Everdred raised his eyebrow.
"Rrrriiiiiight. So you blew off ten thousand dollars to get some joke of a band out of their debt?" He asked, raising his voice in a darker tone. Ness ducked his head gulping. A moment later, Everdred sighed.
"Suit yourself kid, it was your money after all. So, who's the new, neat looking kid? He wouldn't have any bang for my buck, would he?" He asked lifting his glasses as he observed me with his black irises. I felt my back stiffen as he scanned me. Ness glanced at me after frowning at Everdred.
"You'll make him nervous! Jeff, this is Everdred, he's-"
"Don't tell him my identity kid," Everdred spoke suddenly. I flashed Ness a daunting look. Ness shivered.
"Right… I won't. Jeff, meet… ummm… Everdred." I slightly raised my hand until Everdred took it by surprise.
"Nice ta meet'cha. What's with the perplexed expression Jeff, didn't scare ya off, did I?" He spoke to me.
"N-No, of course not. It's just, what can I offer to get you money?" I asked. Everdred shrugged.
"It's nothing. I'm just heading to the market to set up a booth, s'on the other side of town. Got a lot a goods 'ere to blow off fer money. So were you three heading? You should check out the museum, heard they got some dinosaur bones there." He said starting to snicker to himself. Ness frowned crossing his arms.
"We're just heading towards the department store, that's all," Ness replied.
"Oh, you mean the new one that just opened up? I heard it did well on its opening night. Nonetheless, have fun there; never know what bargain you can run into. Oh, by the way, the day after tomorrow; morning… let's say around 9:30, meet me at Jackie's Café, there's something I need to talk to you about." Everdred asked. "Breakfast will be on me, I'll be expecting you there, so if you're going to bail, let me know ahead of time, ayte? Oh, and if you do go, and you manage to get there before me, ask for the mafia seat!" He said walking away. Ness looked bewildered. Jackie's café eh?
"Where's that?" Ness asked.
"Get to central park. It's further down the street," Everdred said waving his hand up as he walked away. Ness sighed.
"I hope he's not stirring up trouble like the last time," Ness spoke grumpily shoving his hands in his pockets as we walked off again. "Sorry if he seemed odd to you, he's just some guy we met a while back." I grunted in reply keeping note.
--
"There it is," Paula said pointing to the grand opening banner across the entrance from afar. The store happened to be, and was oddly across the way from the Monotoli building. Looking up at the windows high up, Pokey Minch was nowhere in sight.
"Free cheese sample?" A lady asked us. Ness and Paula took samples of their own. I declined the offer as we headed in. Right off the bat, the place was packed with shoppers and tourists. It was bigger than any store I had been in to be exact, it even had an upstairs!
"Huh, this is Foursides idea of a department store? It looks more like a mall to me," Ness commented.
"I've heard of malls, but I've never actually been in one before," I replied looking around the spacious building. Ness nodded.
"I need to go to the ATM machine first," Ness said making his way towards the machine in the corner. As me and Paula waited for him to withdraw some cash, I saw a mouse scurrying about. What was strange was that the mouse came to a sudden complete halt, and looked up at the ceiling. It stayed in that position until Ness was ready.
"Alright, let's get some breakfast first, I guess," He said.
--
We got ourselves greasy fast food from the breakfast menu in the hamburger stand in the corner of the food court. We claimed the table that was next to the window. Paula managed to sneak a few bites in her bag for Mr. Ziggy. I silently munched on my bagel sandwich, while Ness merely picked at his own food. I kept my eyes glued to a door on the other side of the food court. The sign on the door announced "No person's under 15 years of age allowed."
"Huh, I wonder what's in there," I asked pointing to the door. Ness looked over his shoulder.
"I dunno… probably alcohol or something…" Ness automatically assumed. I gave him a skeptical look.
"You have to be 21 years or older to drink legally, nonetheless the privilege to purchase it, Ness," I said. Ness sighed.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," He mumbled; resting his chin on the table.
"It says on the door that you have to be fifteen. You can't purchase alcohol at the age of fifteen," Paula said. Ness snorted.
"Who cares? It's not like me and you could go in there anyways," Ness replied. I studied the posters around the door. My eyes went wide.
"They sell bottle rockets…" I said in awe. It was a good thing; I had already run out of my supply.
"What's a bottle rocket by the way, Jeff? Are those the things you've been firing at our enemies all this time?" Paula asked sipping her orange juice.
"Well yeah… it's just basically a miniature rocket, the size of a bottle," I explained.
"That's a great description, Jeff," Ness snickered. I frowned.
"Well… that's kinda what it is," I said.
"It's alright. You really know how to use 'em, don't you? I mean… they did some massive damage to Master Belch and the Trillionage Sprout back there," Ness said. "Is it easy to fire one?" He asked. I shrugged.
"For me it is, I guess. A lot of the folks back at my school had some trouble. You just need a good concept of dimensionality and the space around you in order to pull it off well enough," I explained.
"Wow, so do you know how to use other things like that?" Paula asked. I chuckled.
"That's kind of a vague question there, Paula. But to answer it, yeah probably," I replied.
"Maybe you could teach me and Ness sometime, it'd be cool to learn how to be like you in combat," Paula smiled.
"I wouldn't mind teaching you guys someday," I replied. When I looked down to Paula again, her eyes seemed glued to Ness. I looked over to find Ness's eyes seemingly wide in horror; staring off into the distance.
"Ness?" Paula asked; looking in the direction he was looking in, though it seems that she couldn't pin point what he was gapping at.
"Ness, what's wrong?" I asked. Ness quickly took his backpack off to bury his face in it.
"Don't let him see me… don't let him see meeeeee…" He whined in his back pack.
"Huh?" Paula and I spoke in unison. When I looked over again, all I could see was a small crowd of five. Though I had to admit… they rather did stick out in public. First off, they all had this punk 'biker' look to them. Though it was strange, it seemed like their leader was only a kid… maybe older than Paula, but definitely younger than Ness and I. He wore a black leather jacket, and dark jeans. His blond hair was parted to the side, almost like an emo cut. The shirt he wore was all black, except it was labeled with a faded letter 'M', almost as if it was advertising the band 'Metallica.' There was a cocky, almost egotistical vibe to him, as he talked to what looked like a vicious looking body guard, as if he was communicating with one of his own peers. Whoever this kid was, he seemed to have a lot of power. They headed towards the door we had talked about, three of them waited outside, but the kid and the body guard got in with no problem. I raised my eyebrow.
"That's strange… that kid was definitely younger than fifteen…" I said.
"Is he gone yet?" Ness asked, face still hidden.
"Yeah, they're gone… I don't understand, Ness who are those people?" Ness lifted his head, and shook it.
"I dunno who he was with… but holly crap, I didn't recognize him at first!" Ness said before taking another big bite of his breakfast burrito.
"Well? Who was he?" Paula asked sipping her juice. Ness hesitated with the question.
"It's just… umm… hey, Paula, you need a new outfit! Let's go, now," Ness said standing up immediately to grab Paula's arm.
"Uhh… okay," Paula spoke awkwardly. Before they could leave, I halted Ness by grabbing his shoulder.
"Ness, wait," I said. Ness spun around almost instantly.
"What?" Ness spoke nervously. I sighed. I hated asking stuff like this.
"Can I borrow some money-" Almost instantly, Ness shoved two one hundred dollar bills in my hands.
"Yeay yeah, go get your bottle rockets, we'll be upstairs," He said instantaneously before taking Paula's hand, and pacing off. I stood there in confusion. Apparently that kid was bad news somehow…
--
So I entered the door that only let my age and older in. Inside, there were a lot of boxes everywhere with warfare items. The glass counters consisted of lighters, knives, swords, guns, rifles… Jeez, it was almost like a black market… When I spotted my beloved bottle rockets, they were behind the counter. There was a sign there that claimed that one had to be 21 years old, and own a license in order to purchase the merchandise behind the counter. Shit… did I even bring my firearm license?
"I want that lighter… that knife… and that gun, please," The same kid from before asked the man at the counter. He crossed his arms.
"Aren't you too young to carry a firearm, kid? In fact, aren't you too young to even be in this store?" He asked.
"Aren't you old enough to know not to pick on kids half your size?" The kid asked back.
"No, no kid, you're too young, get out," He said. It was then that his so called body guard stood up tall, almost towering over the guy behind the counter. He seemed to flash him a card. However he didn't seem fazed. My eyes went wide from what the man at the counter said next.
"Monotoli, eh? Fine, you can buy the lighter and the knife, but I won't sell you the gun, got that?" The kid frowned.
"Deal…" He muttered handing him cold hard cash. Seriously, couldn't the employee just call security on these guys? Either that or this place was kind of fishy… And what did that kid have to do with Monotoli? Did he have something to do with…
Was he related to Pokey Minch in any way?
When I caught another glimpse of the kid when he walk passed me, we made eye contact. He frowned, but when he looked away, I saw a smug smirk form on his lips. My mouth curved down as I saw them both exit. I walked up to the counter then.
"Who the hell does that kid think he is? Probably just wants to carry the crap around for status, and doesn't realize the responsibility that goes with it. Oh well… if he burns himself with that lighter, it's his fault," He ranted. "Sorry kid, what can I get you?" He asked me. I knew what I was about to order would shock him.
"Yeah, I'd just like to buy some bottle rockets, please," I said handing him the two hundred bucks that Ness lugged around. However the guy raised his eyebrow. He wasn't buying it.
"You have to be 21 years or older in order to purchase those. You don't look like you're 21, kid, in fact you look younger than 18. You can buy the other stuff though," He said. I rummaged through my bag.
"You should look at that sign more carefully," I told him.
"Excuse me?" He asked. I pointed to the sign.
"Sure being 21 years old is a requirement to hold firearms, but that's not the requirement," I told him. The guy 'hmmed.'
"And you're telling me that you have a firearm's license?" He asked. I pulled out what I was looking for. Thank goodness…
"Yeah, pretty much," I said, showing him the fine sheet of slick plastic. It took a moment for it to register; he took the license in his hand. His eyes went wide.
"Sid, come look at this…" He spoke seriously. Another man carrying boxes walked over.
"What is it?" He said looking at the license with him.
"This kid is only 15, and this is his legal firearms license!" He said. I chuckled.
"Studying rocketry in school does wonders, neh?" I grinned.
"Scan it through the computer," He said handing the card to the other while he slid the card through. I wasn't sure what came up on that computer, but my grin grew as they gawked at the screen.
"I don't believe it… Alright sir, how'd you get this legally?" He asked.
"Well, I don't really come from around here, I came from Winters, its-"
"Did you go to Snow Wood Boarding School?" He asked. "Don't you kids have an intense science and ROTC program up there?"
"Well, yeah, why?" I asked. They looked at each other.
"Maxwell…" They said in unison. "Alright kid, I guess you win. How many will you be buying?" He asked putting the license on the counter. I cheered inwardly.
"I'll take three regular sized and one big one please," I asked. They still kept gawking at me. It's not that amazing, jeez, I thought. They put the merchandise on the counter.
"Is that all for you, sir?" He asked. I actually speculated for a second.
"Actually, how much for that hyper beam up there?" I asked pointing to the one on display.
"You won't have enough with two hundred bucks if you want all these bottle rockets as well," They replied. I sighed.
"Alright then… my eyes trailed around the counter, until I found a neat looking knife. It had to have been stainless steel, but it was cheap price nonetheless.
"I'll take that knife as well," I asked. The man nodded.
"Alright, will that be it for you?" He asked. I nodded, handing him the cash, and stuffing my new belongings in my bag. I was soon on my way, as they told me to have a nice day in a very monotone manner. However, I couldn't knock what the man at the counter had told his co worker out of my mind when I left.
"Hey, Sid… did you get a glimpse of his last name?"
--
I scanned the food court, and the escalators, Ness and Paula nowhere in sight. Didn't he say to meet them on the next floor? So when I stepped on the traveling steps, the lights in the store flickered. It got everyone's attention around me for the slightest bit, but they soon resumed with what they were doing. I looked up at the ceiling. It was strange… I could have sworn that the hanging lights swayed side to side. Once I got up, I forgot all about the random moment. Still… they were nowhere in sight, but I did noticed an apparel store, so I walked in there.
Right off the bat, this place was a mad house, consisting mostly of teenage girls shopping for the latest styles and mothers shopping for their family. Clothes littered the floors everywhere; apparently they were having a huge sale. As I searched though the aisles, for any sign, it came to me, as I quickly saw Ness pace passed one of the aisles.
"Ness?" I asked. Ness took a huge step back to find me down the aisle, eyes widening when he rushed up to me.
"Jeff, I lost Paula!" Ness panicked. My jaw fell.
"You lost her? How could you lose her, she was the only one you were with!" I remarked.
"She said she would be in the fitting rooms, but then when I checked there, they told me that she already left to go find me!" He replied. I shook my head. Ness, you buffoon, I thought.
"Well she wouldn't just walk out of the store without you, would she?" I asked crossing my arms.
"I dunno, probably not," He replied.
"Why didn't you just wait in front of the fitting rooms for her, where did you go?" I asked. Ness looked around him.
"I was kinda… hiding," He replied. I let off a hefty sigh.
"Ness, who are you trying to hide from? Does he have to do with Pokey Minch or not?" When I said that, Ness flinched with the question. Obviously the answer was yes.
"I know, let's split up! You go that way, and I'll check this way!" He said already running off.
"Ness, you didn't answer my question!" I hollered to him. But it was no use.
"Damn it Ness, you idiot," I cursed under my breath, walking the other way. I eventually made my way towards the fitting rooms he must have talked about.
"A little girl with blond hair and a pink dress you say? I think she went in that general direction," The lady at the fitting rooms told me. I thanked her and was on my way. I couldn't believe how many people were here, it made everything more difficult. I didn't understand, you'd think it would be easy to spot a young girl in a bright pink poof dress?
About what seemed like several minutes later, I could have sworn I faintly heard her voice; it sounded like she was talking to someone.
"A boy with black hair and a black shirt you say? I think I saw one heading towards the fitting rooms a little while ago, why, are you looking for him?" A random lady asked.
"Yeah, he's my older brother," Paula must have lied to her. "He must have gotten distracted from something like he always does," Paula said. I snickered to myself as I tried approaching them, but was cut off by a huge crowd of people. Damn it!
"Well, okay ma'am, I'll check there again, thank you," Paula said. When the crowd disappeared, I saw Paula walking away from me down the aisle. I tried picking up my feet.
"Paula, wait!," I called, almost tripping over something on the floor that someone obviously was too lazy to put away. However, my eyes widened when I saw, and heard Paula bump into someone. But it wasn't just anyone, it was that kid… Though it was strange this time, he was alone now.
"Ahh…" Paula took a step back in embarrassment, bringing her hands to herself. The kid was apathetic of the situation, as he looked down at Paula blankly. Did his mouth curve up slightly?
"You should be careful, this place is pretty crowded," He spoke in a nice tone. Paula just stared at him nodding in response. I was finally able to reach them.
"Paula, I finally caught up to you," I said. For some reason, I could have sworn that the boy's visible gray eye became more open. He must have recognized me from the firearms shop. I frowned at this.
"Alright kid, Paula didn't mean to bump into you. However, I want to know, why were you in that shop downstairs?" The boy's mouth curved up again.
I was just doing some errands for someone I know, why?" It was then I heard Ness's voice from afar, loud, and aggravated.
"Picky, what the hell are you doing here?!" Ness questioned when he caught up to us. Picky seemed to recognize Ness right off the bat, but nonetheless, he didn't look surprised.
"Ahh, hey Ness. What are you doing here all the way in Fourside yourself?" Picky asked crossing his arms. Ness balled up his fists.
"It's none of your concern. Seriously though, do you live in Fourside now or what? And why is your older brother subbing for the mayor?!" Ness questioned. So Picky was Pokey's younger brother, I thought. Picky shrugged.
"Well technically, I don't live here; mom and I still reside in Onett. It's dad that landed the big promotion, and he decided to bring Pokey with him instead of me. I dunno what my dad does for a living yet though; I'm just here for the weekend. It's pretty nice, with the Monotoli guards; I can practically get anything I want!" He smiled. Ness skeptically nodded.
"Alright then… but really Picky, what's with the new look?" Ness asked. Picky looked down at his leather jacket, and dark jeans.
"I've always wanted a leather jacket," He said. I sighed.
"Picky… why did you go into the weapon's shop?" I asked him. Picky drifted his visible eye to me.
"Like I said, I can get whatever I want with the body guard by my side," He replied.
"Well he isn't here now. And besides, you weren't eligible to purchase that gun, now were you?" I said. Ness's eyes widened.
"You tried to buy a gun?! What for?!" Ness questioned. Picky waved his hands in front of him.
"It wasn't for me, honestly!" He replied. Yeah right… It was then what it looked like one of his guards approaching us.
"Is there a problem?" He asked Picky and the rest of us. Picky shook his head vigorously.
"No, no, there's no problem! Let's get out of here, catch the others; and we'll go to Todd's house to play Mortal Kombat," He told him as they immediately left us. "Guess I'll smell 'ya later, Ness." Ness growled.
"Picky!" Ness said. However, Picky was already lost in the crowd.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier, that he attempted to purchase a gun?!" Ness questioned me.
"Well, it should have rung a bell during breakfast when he entered the damn store in the first place, Ness! But apparently you had your face buried the whole time that you didn't notice!" I replied irately.
"In the situation we're in right now, Pokey could have been using him to spy on us!" Ness shot back. Fuck, that could have been true, but it didn't matter.
"Why the hell are you blaming me; I didn't know his connection with Pokey until now! You kept your mouth sealed all this time!" I stated.
"Guys guys, stop fighting, will you?!" Paula ordered. Both of us halted. When we looked down at us, she looked back up with her daunting weary eyes.
"It doesn't matter; he's gone now! Besides, he's not anyone you particularly hate, is he, Ness?" Paula asked. It took a moment of registration, but Ness shrugged.
"I guess… but I don't understand, Picky was the normal one of their family, and now he's out wearing black leather jackets and trying to buy guns. Was there anything else that he bought there, Jeff?" Ness asked.
"Just a lighter and a knife," I replied. Ness let off a hefty sigh.
"I hope he's not getting himself involved in this too…" He said walking away. "We got a few more stops; then we'll check out Jackie's Café, alright?" He told us. We followed. I looked down to Paula, who seemed a little uneasy.
"You alright?" I asked her. Paula nodded, but kept her gaze straight. I wondered what she was thinking of…
--
"Would you like to exchange your bat with this one? We can pay for it too," The man at the counter asked. Ness handed him his broken in half bat that he was able to stuff in his bag. That was odd; they accepted a broken bat… In return, Ness received a nice sturdy, metal bat. That was going to hurt when he'd swing it in the future.
"Thanks. Paula, do you want a new teddy bear?" Ness asked. Paula still seemed spaced out. She soon shook her head and said 'no thank you.' Ness nodded.
"You guys tell me if you need anything else along the way out," He said. However, we were off after that.
I spotted a nice protractor in a display window along the way out, but since I already had one, I didn't ask Ness for money. At the second set of escalators we went down, there were three people that were in such a hurry that they actually walked down, and squeezed passed us without excusing themselves. I glared at them for their rude behavior, but it was when the last person scurried passed us that Ness seemed to lose balance. My eyes went wide, and it was only my quick reflex that kept him from making a nasty topple down the moving steps. Ness must have been caught by surprise when he grabbed not only the moving rail, but my sleeve as well.
"Ahh… sorry," He said in hesitation. I complied, only letting go once he caught his balance again. I didn't say anything back; I was still a little ticked off about before. Ness seemed a little bit more flustered once we got off.
--
When we got to the ATM machine again, I could have sworn the lights flickered again. But this time, Paula noticed it as well; she still looked very uneasy. The faster we get out of here I figured, the better.
"Alright, so I got my money in the bank again, so I guess we're off again…" Ness told us. I nodded, but Paula was still looking anxiously around us.
"Paula, what's wrong?" Ness asked almost immediately. In a moment, Paula grabbed her head, and shook it.
"No no… I don't know you… I won't go with you…" She spoke softly. A horrid Ness and I looked at each other. Was she getting a telepathic message from someone?
"We need to go," Ness said immediately, grabbing Paula's arm, as we paced out of the store.
"NO, I WON'T GO WITH YOU!!" She shouted to herself. We were almost there…
SHOONK! CRASH! BANG!
It happened so fast…
We must have been distracted from all the lights shutting off at once. And the fact that everyone in the store screamed and tried to rush out of the store all at once didn't help all that much either. We ended up getting caught in the stampede, but when it was clear, I saw Ness, desperately searching around him panicking.
Paula was nowhere in sight.
"Paula's gone… she's gone; someone took her!" Ness panicked. Before I could say anything, there was a strange voice over the intercom.
"Ness… Ness… report to the office at the top floor… Ness… gyork!!" The voice choked. Ness looked at me, irises wide. He was speechless… every time he tried to say something it would always come out in gibberish.
"We… should…" Apparently I wasn't better off.
"Ness… report to the office at the top floor if you want to see your precious Paula again… Ness…" It said again. Ness still couldn't move from his spot.
"We… have to get her… before… something…" Ness looked at me, and I nodded back. We both paced up the escalators without a second thought.
We were halted in our steps when we were confronted by what looked like a walking record disc and a guitar. It looked as if the merchandise was brought to life… but how? The guitar suddenly lit up, and shot what looked like lightning in the air. Nonetheless, it missed both of us, but it didn't stop us from flinching. The disc tried to tackle into one of us. You'd think that its attempts would be pathetic, but in fact, it was enough to knock me off my feet. I gasped as I fell down.
"You alright?!" Ness asked immediately, taking out his bat, and swinging it forcefully at the disc. He managed to make it crack, but for some reason, its cracks faded almost instantly.
"They know how to use PSI as well?!" Ness questioned. As I tried standing again, the guitar tried another lightning attack, and I could feel it this time; the stinging sensation traveled up and down my spine and my skin. I cried in pain, for what seemed like moments but was only a second. It was then that Ness jumped in front of me; I could see the lightning surrounding his body. My eyes went wide.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed, or-" The lightning shot right back at the guitar, making it shatter in the process. The disc tried taking Ness down during this, so I pulled out my gun. It took multiple shots to take it down, only because my laser gun started to malfunction on its own. At least it was enough to take the possessed disc down. Both of us panted; I was still jittery from the mental and physical shock.
"How did you do that?!" I asked Ness turning to face him. He looked as if he had run a marathon, when we only walked up a flight of escalators. Ness took off his back pack, and grabbed out his red cap. When he flipped it out, he rested his finger on what looked to be a badge, sitting on the rim. There was a picture of a lightning bolt on it. It read "The Franklin Badge."
"Paula gave this to me a while back. I don't know how many times this simple item saved my life. It reflects everything electrical back at whoever cast it." He spoke putting his cap on top of his head. I nodded blankly. There were so many questions I had to ask, but now wasn't the time.
"Let's hurry," I replied.
Upstairs was no better. Instead of living guitars and records, we ran into two rather odd looking cups of what looked like hot coffee. It started splattering it everywhere. God, what the fuck was this world coming to? Ness yelped and hissed as one of the mugs decided to splash Ness, his skin must have burned from the contact. Ness shot one of his special PSI powers at both of them, while I could only fire my gun at them. When I got splashed by their coffee, for some reason, it didn't burn as much. Was it because I was wearing the flame pendant? Ness swung his bat at one of the mugs. It splashed coffee everywhere, but it was defeated nonetheless. However, when I saw the other mug about to toss more boiling hot liquid on Ness, I dashed in front of him just in time, and got drenched instead.
"Jeff?!" He questioned as I shot the mug multiple times. It was enough for the pitiful being to stop moving. I squeezed my clothes as dry as I could, and flashed Ness a soft smirk. His anxious face had a look that was crossed with worry and anger. Ness placed his palms on himself in a gesture to heal himself. In a matter of moments, his skin wasn't red anymore. We started to pace again.
"I'm alright, see?" I spoke flashing him the pendant that Paula gave me. Ness grunted in positive response before we approached the door.
"Ness… Neeesssss….. GYORK GYORK!!"
--
I couldn't believe my eyes when we finally stepped into that dark room.
It was monstrous to say at the least; green and slimy with several tentacles wrapping around the desk, chair, everything. It had three eyes, two sticking above its head, and floating around like a hermit crab, and one bigger glowing red eye, plastered across its face like a Cyclops. Its vicious wide toothed grin looked permanent, as if it could smile for the rest of its life.
"I've been waiting to finally meet you… Ness…" We were both unresponsive, gapping at the creature before us. Casting Ness a sideways glance, he looked horrified; stiff as his wide eyes were glued to the creature.
"Certainly the world doesn't depend on such a timid young boy like yourself?" It sneered at him. Ness could only gulp as one of its tentacles wrapped around a telephone that sat on the desk.
"Why the horrid look? I'm sure you've seen more like me. Besides, there's far worse to come in the future…"It spoke as it hurled the telephone to the space by us. Ness and I flinched in fear.
"You should get used to others seeking ones such as yourself… that way, you'll be able to predict these things in the future, and prevent horrible… but beautiful things from happening… GYORK!" It said. Ness's voice was small; I could barely hear it.
"Where's Paula…" Ness muttered. The creature tilted its head in question, though its grin was still spread on its strange face.
"What was that?" It asked. Ness gulped.
"Where is Paula?" Ness questioned, voice still shaken up. The creature laughed at us in its high pitched, mutated howl.
"You'll have to beat me in order to find out," It grunted, while wrapping its tentacles around the chair. Our eyes went wide, but none of us seemed to move. It hurled it at us, and I was all the sudden pushed down to the ground by Ness. Slam went the chair, against the door. The creature let off a brain shocking screech. Both of us covered our ears.
"I'll distract it… you set up a bottle rocket to fire at the beast!" Ness ordered. There was no arguing in this situation; I felt more welcome to. Ness quickly got to his feet, and dashed to the other side of the room; the spook of the store's eyes following him. Its eyes glowed again, as it tried breaking apart the desk itself. All the sudden, a laser of what looked like fire shot from his eye. It just barely missed him.
"I'll make sure I kill you both…GYORK!" It grinned as it snapped the desk in half. Ness put out his hands.
"Jeff, close your eyes!" Ness yelled as I was temporarily blind by a flash. Squinting, I dug through my bag to grab out one of my newer bottle rockets. I un-wrapped the object, and with fumbling hands, I set it up, as quick and carefully as possible. I flinched when I heard Ness yelp in pain. I snapped my eyes up, and saw the boy being choked by the monster, tentacle wrapping around his neck. I pulled out my gun swiftly to aim at the eye on its forehead.
"Let him go!" I yelled firing my gun. Except only after three shots, the gun stopped working. I growled in frustration. I was lucky though; Ness was able to unleash another one of his special abilities, which made the creature stumble backwards. Ness caressed his neck with his hands, and started to cough. My eyes were wide.
"Ness, are you alright?!" I asked. Ness kept coughing, but managed to choke out some words.
"Set up the rocket…" He uttered. I was tentative; wanting to help him instead, but I put all my trust in him, and nodded slowly, putting my focus back on the rocket I was constructing for launch. I arranged the rocket around as best as I could, pointing it towards the spook. I reached for my matches, which seemed like long moments, as I was aware of the brutal brawl Ness was in. I cringed when I heard Ness yelp in pain. I felt useless… Ness yelped again, but this time I was startled the fact that Ness hurled into me, ruining the set up bottle rocket in the process. My head knocked against the wall pretty damn hard, but I think Ness had it harder. Ness groaned as he got off of me; hissing when he tried standing up.
"Oh no…" Ness said noticing the knocked down bottle rocket. "I didn't mean to…"
"GYARK GYARK GYARK!! Just stay put so I can pull off every single one of your limbs, Ness!" It spoke tauntingly, hurling part of the desk at us; sharp edges in the part that he tore.
Oh shit… I couldn't forgive Ness for what he did next. While we were helpless on the floor, immediately, Ness grabbed me, and shielded me as best as possible. But it wasn't any use… the desk still hurled at us, and both of us felt the amazing impact that paralyzed us both temporarily. The creature laughed humiliatingly. When I could finally open my eyes again, I felt something wet against my cheek. Brining a hand to caress it, I found my blood on my fingertips. Ness was shuddering, and panting harshly next to me, I think he tried brining one of his hands to the side of his stomach. I didn't know how harsh the wound was at that time…
"Jeff… fire the rocket, please…" He begged as I could see a tear collect in his eye. I pushed the desk part off of us, but I was shocked when the spook managed to grab a hold of Ness again, by the ankle.
"Oh no… I won't let you use life up on yourself; I'll only just suck away the power you have left!" It hissed at him. Ness hissed again as it seemingly stared into him, eyes glowing in the process. I snapped back to my business, setting the stand back up… couldn't they make an easier bottle rocket for combat or something? I lit the match, set it a spark, and it launched towards the beast. Sparks flew everywhere when it struck it. I ran up to Ness, who was panting on the ground, holding his lower side.
"Ness, what happened; are you going to be okay?!" I asked kneeling down to him; not truly aware of the scenario. Ness hissed, as he tried to stand. He seemed very weak… The spook laughed again.
"This will only take a moment," It sneered, picking up the other half of the table.
OH GOD...
Ness immediately, the fastest he could, reached for his bat, and tossed it at the beast, as forcefully as he could manage. The beast held its three eyed head in pain, screeching in the process. I quickly dashed to my bag to reach for my second bottle rocket to set up.
"Ness, don't move alright?" I ordered. However, Ness was unresponsive, as he dropped to his knees again. Shit, I thought. I lit the second bottle rocket, right when he was about to make a move to toss the desk towards Ness. I swiftly got out my knife that I bought, and threw it at the creature.
"HEY! Eyes over here buddy!!" I yelled sarcastically at the thing. The knife wasn't able to stab it, but I suspected that it cut it at least, according to when it rubbed at the certain spot where the knife hit. The creature let off another hiss when the bottle rocket finally let off, making another explosion of sparks. I ran to Ness's side again to shield him like he did for me. When the smoke started to reside, the room was silent, except for Ness's harsh breathing pattern. I looked down to him, his head was hung low. I could hear grunts in the back ground…
"Jeff… help me up… I have to ask it something…" Ness breathed. I silently complied, grabbing a hold of Ness's shoulders, and helping him up to his feet. He still held that spot; it must have taken him a moment to collect the right words. The beast lay, twitching its tentacles, and squinting; its three eyes in pain. Its grin however, was still plastered.
"Alright, we beat you… now please, where are you keeping Paula?!" Ness asked. There were tears collected in his eyes, both from the emotion behind his words, and the wound that he tried hiding from me oh so well. The spook choked, as it weakly flailed on the floor.
"Ghak… ghyarg… Paula… is with… someone else…" It spoke. Ness hissed.
"And who may that be?" Ness asked. The spook weakly chuckled.
"It's no use… you don't know where he is… no one knows where he is… she's with him… Monotoli…" It uttered. Ness's eyes widened.
"Please, tell me that she's alright!" Ness panicked. The spook could only weakly chuckle more.
"She… won't be… if you don't do a thing…" It spoke before disappearing slowly from our eyes. When he was fully gone, Ness brought blood covered hands to his forehead.
"Paula… Paula, I'm so sorry…" Ness started to cry. My eyes hardened.
"Ness… Monotoli?" I asked, until I trailed my eyes to the huge dark blood stain that kept growing. My eyes went wide when Ness collapsed to his knees.
"NESS!" I panicked now. Ness winced as he tried brining his hands to his wounds in an attempt to heal it, but nothing happened.
"I… don't have any more PSI…" Ness managed to say. His head started to sway back and forth. My hands were shaking when he lifted his shirt to reveal a huge gash through his skin.
"Oh my god… Ness we need to get you to a hospital now!" I spoke feeling my voice shake. Ness was unresponsive.
"You're… Ness… you're losing too much blood…" I mumbled. Ness grunted weakly. My entire being went in shock.
Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god… I panicked in my mind. What do I do?!
"Jeff… Paula…" Ness mumbled. Fuck. I took off my overcoat, and tied it tightly around Ness's waist as best as I could. It would have to do for a moment to keep the blood in. I pulled on my bag, and gathered everything in the room that was ours. Ness sat on the floor weakly, wheezing softly. I rushed back to his side.
"Ness, we have to get out of here. I know you're weak right now, but you need to put at least a quarter of your effort in if we plan to get moving anytime soon," I told him calmly. It took a moment, and I hardened my gaze until he nodded, taking a hold of my grip as I help his wobbly knees up. We took baby steps as we walked out of that room, and down the first set of still escalators.
Even if he was able to walk at this point still, most of his body weight leaned on my shoulders. It frightened me both the fact that he was in critical condition, and I was his only ticket to get to the hospital. I was sure the blood was drenching my school coat very well, and soon possibly my white shirt I was wearing as well. We were silent when we finally walked out of that department. All this extra weight was starting to exhaust me.
The first thing that came to my mind when we finally stepped out in the late afternoon was that there were no cops, no ambulance, no fire trucks… nothing. In fact… no one was even around the department store, at all. Why didn't I notice this before?! I was starting to believe in Demetri's suspicions.
Something very strange was going on with this city…
Ness almost fell, but I kept him up as best as I could, his breath harsh on the side of my neck. It started to send shivers down my spine. We spotted a taxi that passed by. I waved my hand as best as I could. I was lucky, for he stopped. When he let us in, right off the bat, I could tell that there was still something strange. But it didn't matter now; I had to get Ness to the hospital as quickly as possible.
"Where to, young man?" he asked. He looked rather pale… almost blue, and he didn't seem to acknowledge Ness's condition.
"Please, we need to get to the hospital right now…" I told him. He looked at us strangely, nodding in the process.
"Alright then. It'll be ten bucks though," He told me. Fuck, I thought. I helped Ness into the car as gently as possible, keeping myself from getting too angry with the scenario. I rummaged through Ness's back pack. Thank goodness, I found enough to get us through. On the ride there, Ness kept swaying his head with the car. I tugged at his shirt.
"Just hold on a little longer… I promise I'll get you the treatment you need…" I told him. It was the least I could do… in return for him protecting me in battle not once but twice. His face was so pale… he looked like he could have been dying. My heart beat rapidly when he weakly drifted his eyes to mine. I couldn't read them…
"Jeff…" He barely whispered. I winced.
"Yes?" I asked. Ness closed his eyes. Oh no…
"Well, here we are… Foursides hospital," The man told us. I opened the door immediately, even while he was still moving. I dragged Ness and his stuff out of the car. The taxi drove off without a second thought. In the position we were in, Ness rested his head against the nook of my neck. I could have blushed, but then he seemed lifeless.
"NESS, PLEASE, JUST HOLD ON!!" I ordered, feeling tears collect in the corners of my eyes. Please don't die, I thought. I was about to actually try to carry him in myself, but the nurse must have heard my panicked voice from inside.
"What happened sir?" She asked concerned.
"YES! PLEASE, SAVE HIM!!" I panicked, trembling with Ness in my arms. She took a good look at him.
"I'm going to ask you to calm down. Now please, help me set him on the ground gently," She told me. I nodded, as we both lay Ness on the concrete side walk pavement, passerby's casting us odd glances. She un-wrapped my drenched coat; revealing the gash in his skin to the open fumed contaminated air.
"Eww… he's gonna need a few stitches… this isn't good," She spoke into her walky talky; asking for an emergency bed.
"Do you know how much blood he's lost?" She asked. I wasn't sure myself…
"It was obviously enough to knock him out like this…" I replied semi harshly. The woman looked like she was going to say something back, but instead we were distracted by the intrusion of the emergency bed. They all talked among each other. My eyes glued to the lifeless Ness on the ground while they gently picked him up and onto the bed, hooking him up with the breathing and fluid devices. We walked in together at first, but when we hit the emergency doors, they refused to let me in. I watched my only companion left being hauled off into emergency. Sure he'd be alright… right? I felt a tear stray from my eye…
Silly me… why was I crying?
--
It must have been hours in that waiting room. It was probably dark outside by then. The doctor told me that I could visit Ness in the morning once I got their permission. I sighed… boy did I hate waiting… I sat there, leaning forward in my chair, hands supporting my forehead, and concealing my weeping eyes. I'm crying like the baby I was all those years ago… I haven't changed a bit… I thought to myself. I was worthless- compared to Paula, Ness… on this journey, I was nothing…
Why couldn't I do something to prevent him from getting hurt… this was how he must have felt every time he saw Paula get hurt before I tagged along…
How did it all even start? We tried scurrying out of there once we were aware of Paula's strange behavior. Was that creature the one speaking to her? Just what happened to her?
It was still an incomplete puzzle in my part, but it was no wonder why Ness worried so much about her… about his friends. He must have figured back with the spook that he could heal both of us… he didn't realize that the creature could suck his power away.
What was PSI? How do Ness and Paula know how to use it, why do they use it, and for what purpose? What was the purpose of me tagging along? Wasn't I just some ordinary fuck with only a high GPA, and a firearm's license? There were plenty of other smart kids… probably smarter than me… so why was I the one to tag along?
Was it because I was the son of that damn Dr. Andonuts? Why didn't they just ask for that jerk instead of me…?
"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." Ness spoke into my mind…
Was that why he risked his life for mine… because he thought of me as a friend…? What exactly planned to threaten our kind? And why was Ness… Paula… me… why were we the only ones to stop it?
And why did that Pokey Minch… why was he bothering Ness and Paula so much? Especially Ness… did he have something to do with the future destruction of our planet? Was he the neighbor… that made Ness feel uncomfortable? He must have been… I was starting to think obscure thoughts.
"Thank you for helping us… you have no idea what this means to us…" Paula spoke next in my memories. She was right… I had no idea what all this meant to them… I don't think I ever would. My thoughts trailed to last night at the ice cream parlor.
"It's ok, I'd like you to try some anyways," Ness 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." I thought back to the parlor shop where Venus forced me to push all my shyness aside. I remembered the smile Ness gave to me that evening… I drifted my eyes to my blood stained coat.
Come to think of it… that was the biggest smile I had ever seen on Ness's face…
"… You'll have no idea how happy Ness will be if you help us," Paula had said later that night. Why? How the fuck was I so special in all this?!
All I could think about for some reason… was that damn goofy grin and his smiling eyes. Did Tony ever smile like that? Could I ever smile like that? I growled in frustration.
I was sick of this. All I wanted was to live a normal god damn life. Who would have thought that it would have ended up like this? Who else was in the scenario I was in? I wanted to scream to the world… I miss the boarding school… I miss my piles of homework, Maxwell, Tony…
I miss home… my home I had all those years ago. The home where my mother raised me… taught me to walk, speak, I missed her embrace, her smell, her touch, her voice as she sung me a lullaby. It was the only thing I could ever have that was closest to a home… the only one I admitted to myself loving… craving…
So why did I torture myself… longing for the thing that I could never have again?
Wasn't I the one that shattered such a beautiful thing?
I didn't remember falling asleep that night…
--
"…Jeff? Jeff, are you there…?" Her voice spoke into my mind… my dreams. I was in a dark void of nothingness.
"Jeff… if you can hear me… it's Paula… I've been trying to contact you and Ness…" She echoed. I raced my eyes around the darkness I was confined in.
"P… Paula?" I asked dumbstruck.
"Jeff… if you can hear me… don't fear… I'm fine. But I'll be waiting for you two to find me…" She spoke. I shouted in my mind.
"Paula, you need to tell me where you are!" I asked. There was a pause. I winced from the silence.
"All you need to do is follow my voice… you'll find me that way…" She spoke again.
"Paula, please!" I said. She cut me off.
"In the meantime… please take care of Ness… each other…" Her words made me feel more lost than ever.
"PAULA!!" I screamed pulling my hair in the darkness. It was no use… I wasn't like them… she couldn't hear me.
--
I felt someone touch my shoulder gently once my eyes fluttered open in the morning. It felt uncomfortable, sleeping on three chairs as a bed in the lobby. My head hurt from the dream… was it a dream?
"Are you Jeff? With patient Ness?" The nurse asked. She bolted me out of my reverie, as I snapped my weak eyes up to her. She looked tired with a hint of empathy. My heart skipped a beat. I sat up, gazing at her. I was afraid of the look on her face… whatever it meant.
"Don't tell me that… Ness…" I uttered. The nurse chuckled slightly.
"You look like you're having a panic attack there young man… yes, he's doing fine now, he's recovering smoother than most of the other customers, and he's gotten some good rest. At this rate, he may be healed completely five days or so," She smiled to me. I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I let off a hefty sigh.
"Are there any other injuries I should know about?" I asked. The nurse shook her head.
"He just lost so much blood that he lost consciousness. Though, when we got more fluid back into his system, he started whimpering for his mother. He also mumbled something about a 'Paula.' But then… he repeated your name over and over. He kept asking if you were still there with him, and he kept saying sorry. One of us had to pretend we were you to keep him from getting too upset," She explained. I gawked at her.
"And now…?" I asked.
"He's awake now if you want to see him. I have to warn you though… he isn't talking much now. But I'm sure he'd like to see you," She said sympathetically. I nodded standing up, rubbing my dry tears away.
"Yes please… take me to his room," I asked her.
--
The nurse opened the soft sun lit room for me. I thanked her, and walked right in. I winced as I passed by the first hospital bed. A man; in a full body cast, had his leg extended out, and was footless. I knew it was possible to lose a limb, but it was the first time I witnessed it with my own eyes. I parted the curtain, leading over to Ness's side of the hospital room. I squinted from the light shining through the window.
There he was, lying on the bed; the soft white light seemed to make his skin glow. However, Ness's eyes were staring blankly at the ceiling, until I approached the side of his bed. He was hooked to a couple of necessary wires. His eyes; that seemed to sparkle from the sun light drifted to mine again. Still… it was hard for me to read them.
"…Jeff?" Ness asked; lips apart. I sat in the chair besides him. My face softened, as I attempted to smile calmly at him.
"Are you coming to?" I asked. Ness took a moment to respond, nodding slowly.
"I don't understand… did you carry me all the way here?" He asked looking around the room. My mouth curved down.
"Well… more like dragged your ass here, but yeah, pretty much," I replied chuckling. Ness rested his head against the pillow, closing his eyes.
"I… Paula spoke to me last night…" Ness admitted. "…She told me that she was fine now… that she can wait for us to find her," He told me. I was silent, but my eyes must have expressed more.
"She… spoke to me too, Ness," I replied. I was guessing that it wasn't a dream after all.
"Jeff…" He asked again. I sighed.
"I dunno… hopefully she'll be fine…" I replied. Ness looked at his palms. "I'm so weak right now…" Ness muttered. I frowned.
"Don't say that… you'll get better before you know it… I'm sure," I told him. Ness sighed. He continued.
"I'm such a weirdo, aren't I? That spook even said itself… how can the world depend on such a timid boy such as me…? I even felt myself cower when we ran into Picky today… I still consider him a friend…" He started to say. He looked deep in thought, as if he was trying to discover a lost part of himself. "You and Paula probably think the same of me… to a certain extent." My frown deepened.
"No…" I began to say. Ness cast his eyes to mine. I didn't realize until I started speaking that I was about to pour out my inner emotions like a pitcher. Was it too much to say now… or was it better to keep it bottled away?
"You're the opposite of what you think you are… if anyone's a coward, it's me," I finally admitted wincing. Ness's irises widened.
"Jeff? No…" I continued, running my fingers through my messy, possibly blood coated hair.
"Nah… see, you actually have the decency to admit what you fear the most… I can't even do that… I still haven't to this day. At least I've never told anyone. Ness… I honestly thought that you were going to die…" I spoke. Ness shook his head. He seemed at loss with words. I continued to ramble.
"Lady Venus once told me… that I needed to communicate… in order for me to reach my goals… she said it was a necessity for all of us. Maybe that's why I haven't accomplished anything with my life. But it seems like every… fucking time I come close… some freak occurrence happens, and I have to abandon everything I've worked so hard on…" I ranted under my breath. Ness winced from my sudden spurt of anger.
"Jeff…? What are you trying to say?" He asked. I sighed aggravatingly. Even I wasn't sure where this rambling was going to lead… somewhere different I suppose.
"When I first saw the department store spook… I was petrified. My mind went blank while you fought bravely… only for the sake of Paula's safety. There were some times, back in boarding school; that I couldn't stick up for some of my friends… simply because of the hurtful words the bullies threw at me… But to face something such as that… you're not a coward Ness… you're brave." I finally said, looking up to his wide eyed expression.
"…So you've bottled that in… for all this time?" Ness finally spoke bewilderedly. My eyes cast down.
"You're not the only one that's afraid… I'm scared shitless now from what the future could hold for us. I don't want to see you or Paula hurt either… after all, you two are my friends, right?" I said. Ness still looked surprised, nodding in agreement.
"Until I find all eight locations… I'll be as lost as you are in this journey. So… better be lost with someone then alone, right?" Ness smiled softly. It was my turn to gawk at him. His eyes softened, but beneath them, they looked hurt for some reason. I felt myself blush as I cast my eyes down.
"Yeah… we'll be lost together…" I replied, brining a hand to caress my forehead. Just what was it about his eyes that kept me from looking at him for too long?
"You seemed grumpy yesterday morning… care to talk about it?" I asked. Ness 'hmmed.'
"I just wonder who, and where Monotoli is," Ness finally said. "I wonder if he really does go to Jackie's Café', just like Demetri said. Well… I hope we can go there by tomorrow morning…" Ness replied. "I wonder if there's any connection between him and the Mani Mani statue…" It was when he said that; that a certain realization washed through. I had a feeling that he wasn't going to like what I was about to ask.
"Ness… you may not like this… but may I ask you a personal question…?" Ness's eyes widened. He seemed to shy away.
"Like… like what?" He asked timidly. I sighed.
"Well… what exactly makes you fear Pokey Minch? You two used to be best friends… at least that's what he said," I finally said. His eyes widened. He turned his head in the opposite direction huffily. I knew he wouldn't… if Paula couldn't knock it out of him, there was no chance that I could, I thought. There was a long moment of silence. When he finally broke the ice, I caught my breath. It was far from what I had expected… and it strayed from the conversation. It was enough to shutter my entire being… it was a topic I had avoided for most of my life. Someone finally asked it…
"If you really want to know… may I ask what happened to your mother?" He finally said. My eyes widened in fear. My mind went numb.
I… couldn't possibly tell him… My hands started to tremble. I think Ness took note. The thing was… I really wanted to know… I had a feeling… I felt myself breaking apart in the scene. I remembered… it was all flashing back to me. My mother cradled me… sung me a lullaby that I fell asleep peacefully to.
It was a strange being… tall, robotic, and it stood taller than even some of the trucks in the neighborhood. I disobeyed mother that night… all I wanted was to finish my creation in the sand box. It must have looked down at me when it started to make these weird sounds. There was nothing else like it… I assumed it was one of father's creations. My mother was screaming my name… it happened so fast…
I clenched my forehead in fear; agony… why was I about to say what I feared to say? My breath shook, as I felt tears streaming from my eyes. I tugged my hair, squinting, I finally let it out in a strangled, low voice. I finally said it… Ness was the only other person I spoke these words to. I was sure Ness widened his eyes.
"It's because of me… that she's dead."