The Universe Will Die Without You

by The-EverLasting-Ash

It’s so different without you... sometimes it’s frightening. AU JeffxNess, JeffxTony, Other pairings in the future. Novelized version of Jeff's point of view in the game. Not completely canon, Paula's 8 yrs old. Dark themes Shonen-Ai/slash

20. Out of Breath

A/N: Thanks to Red, the Leander, Dream, DanMat6288 and DevirouBa for reviewing my latest chapter, and thanks for all that have given them a read!

I finally realized that I suck at keeping myself on my updating schedule. But nonetheless, I wanted to get this one done before this coming week.

Finally, I got the story to move along; though it still kind of feels like a bridge chapter; not quite to the parts I want to write about a lot, but now I finally can! Yet again, I really hope I didn't rush this too much… I give you all permission to blame me and throw tomatoes at me if the sanctuary boss is a bit rushed. :C

Next chapter, I'm sure if you're still reading this, you'll probably be wondering about, because yes, he's gonna be barging in ;D Also, Pokey's diary from now on until the diary is done, will take up the majority of the intro's, except next chapter's intro. And the entries will all be scattered throughout different parts of my fic as well. :P

Otherwise that, I don't have much else to say for this one.

I hope you guys enjoy the latest chapter!

EDIT: lol, right when I went to bed at 4 in the morning, I remembered, oh crap I forgot to add something important. I almost ignored it, but I thought, people would question me if I left it out, so I got back and wrote it up! xD I hope no one noticed... and if they did I hope they check again! xS

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May 23, 199X

Did I ever tell you that I loved to draw?

Anything. Anything that came to my mind, I would draw it. There were fascinating things, or at least I thought as I would draw, even the small pebbles at my feet outside in the back yard. I held my candy bar in my hand as I knelt down to study the pebbles. Some were gray, others blue and purple. And underneath one of these pebbles, was a rolly polly. I loved those insects when I was young; I was always fascinated when it would curl into its own ball. It was possibly something I envied for a long time whenever I would go to school. So I sat on the ground, with my notebook in hand and I drew the creature in its habitat. But even when I look and observe something in real life then try to put it on paper, it would always come out to be a different thing all together. I started from an insect, and then when I looked across the yard to find my mother's pig-like garden ornament under a bush, I quickly would start sketching that as well, almost combining the two until it was a curled pig, sitting under a rock. And oh the fly… as it nestled itself on my knee as it would rub its small hands together. I observed its delicate wings and I added that as well to the curled up pig.

After finishing the poor design of what I would call a chimera now, I smiled at how silly it looked, it was a fresh idea, but I thought maybe it could grow into something more. And that was when I was suddenly startled and interrupted.

A baseball must have flown over the fence and landed in front of me. I paused for a moment as I took another bite of my candy bar. The ball must have come from the new neighbors I thought, there was no other way. I know it would have been polite to throw the ball back into the other yard, but I started sketching the ball as well, started thinking of how the ball came to be and how much it must have done just to get itself wound up in front of my own eyes. That was when I heard a distant door bell, coming from inside my house. Knowing that my mother was out shopping and my father was at work, I got up to answer the door, after the third ring of course. When I opened the door, I froze slightly.

There he was. Looking at me with innocent; unknowing eyes. I wasn't sure exactly how to respond to his sudden visit at the front of my door step. He cocked his head, looking me over. He seemed nervous as he spoke.

"Umm… I think my ball landed in your back yard," He said. I stood there for a moment, looking at him through blond locks. There was something different about him… I nodded, closing the door and receiving the ball, remembering how strangely his eyes glittered in the sun. When I returned with the baseball and opened the door, Ness fiddled with his fingers as I handed him the ball. At first, we just stood there.

"…Well don't you want it back?" I asked him. Ness's mouth curved slightly as he took it into his hands tentatively.

"Thank you…" He said quietly. "… What's your name?" He asked. This was surprising I thought, considering that most of the kids in the neighborhood didn't even noticed I existed, or didn't want to believe I did. Not that I even cared, but it was nice that someone wanted to know what to call me by. Something awkward settled into my stomach.

"Pokey…" I said quietly.

"Poh…key," He pronounced. "My name is Ness…" Ness? What a peculiar name, I thought.

"Wanna play baseball someday soon at my house?" He asked. Baseball? Me? Was I even physically built for such a game?

"I could try…" Was all I could really say. Everything was awkward at the time, and I was sure the boy now known as Ness could feel it too. So he started off back to his house.

"I'll see you later then," He said almost quietly before running off back to his house. All I could really do then was watch the strange boy walk back into the comfort of his home. Away from me. I almost preferred it that way, seeing him from afar. I was almost hoping that he would come back out, but he didn't. So I walked back inside, Ness still on my mind.

Ness… I thought.

I got my notepad back out, and drew everything that came to mind while thinking of the name Ness...

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The Universe Will Die Without You

Chapter 20 Out of Breath

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When my skin became consciously aware of the cold fresh morning air, I started to stir, wrinkling my nose and becoming interrupted by the great golden morning sun shining through my eye lids. Come to think of it, I thought… it seemed pretty cold, and the surface I was sleeping on was rough, like sandpaper. I opened my eyes, only to flinch.

We were still on Ness's roof?

How did I fall asleep up here so comfortably? I thought, while stirring over onto my back to look up at the now cloudless blue sky. The stars were now gone of course, coated by the strength of the sunrays keeping our earth warm and alive. When I heard one's snores, I drifted my eyes over to my other side…

…Only to be startled when I felt an arm swing over and onto my stomach. I recoiled slightly, quickly glancing down to my abdominal section. Surely enough, Ness's arm was slung lazily around my waist while he must have been sleeping, not so soundlessly as I head another snore escape his nostrils. Great, I thought embarrassingly as I tried gently to move his arm off of my body while trying to avoid waking him up. However, he would only sling it back up, and soon enough it landed high enough to reach around my chest. The pressure on my neck from bending it up was building up to a boil so I let my head bounce back down on the roof surface. Frowning deeply, I let off a hefty sigh through my nose, all the while blushing as his arm moved again slightly.

This isn't helping me forget my other previous feelings for you, ya know, I thought grumpily while Ness stirred next to me, soon moving his arm away off of my body. Thank you. I sighed, finally deciding to scoot away from him. However, Ness yawned, stretching his arms over his head, and once he was done, his other arm soon plopped right back down and hit me, right smack on the face. I hissed, grumbling while my eyes were squinted and my nose was shriveled up.

"G'morning, Jeff," Ness yawned again, moving his hand off of my face. "Sorry 'bout that; didn't mean to hit you," He said with a hint of humor behind his voice. I ruffled the hairs on my forehead.

"Yeah, sure," I grumbled. Ness I was sure was stretching next to me.

"You know I didn't mean to…" Ness said before yawning again. I closed my eyes.

"It's ok Ness, don't worry about it… how'd we end up sleeping up here anyways?" I asked, putting my arms behind my head.

"How do you think? We just forgot what we were doing and fell asleep, I've done it many times," He replied. I paused, sinking in his statement in my mind without letting off some sort of opinion.

"… You fell asleep on your roof before?" I asked.

"… Yeah," Ness replied. I kind of thought that was odd, but honestly after being up here with him, I couldn't dock him much points.

"I see," I said, watching a bird fly over us, only after leaving behind a nice present that fell right down at us.

"Gah!" We both yelped as we rolled in opposite directions, hoping to avoid the drop of bird feces that had almost hit us. Turning over to the space between us, I saw the nice small fresh white bird pie sitting between us. Ness sighed in defeat.

"I guess we should get off the roof now," Ness said.

"Good idea," I replied.

---

"So one time when my brother and parents were away, someone thought it was a good idea to try breaking into our house. I was the only one home of course," We heard Picky say. I looked over to the clock, which surprisingly read a little before ten.

"Oh wow, were you scared?" Paula asked.

"Me? Naw, I didn't get scared. I don't get scared easily," He replied. Ness looked over to me while shaking his head as we walked into the living room.

"Picky, why aren't you in school?" Ness questioned Picky, who was sitting on the couch with Paula. Picky rubbed his nose then pointed back at him.

"Why aren't you in school?" He countered. Ness stumbled with the sudden accusation, fiddling his fingers looking around the room until Picky snickered.

"You just don't want me around Pa-"

"Picky, go to school!" Ness said again biting his bottom lip. Picky instead stuck his tongue out at him. Ness growled in a fit of rage.

"Who wants waffles?" Debbie asked, walking in. Picky jumped up excited.

"Me!" He exclaimed, walking into the kitchen with Ness's mom. Ness gritted his teeth as I glanced at Paula, who shrugged with apathy.

"Well, I know Picky loves his waffles, doesn't he?" Debbie smiled at him. Ness crossed his arms.

"Enough for him to skip a school day for it, obviously," Ness grumbled.

"Ness, Picky's going through some rough times too, so let the boy take the day off," Debbie said, as she put a fresh batch of waffles on Picky's plate. Picky gave Debbie the puppy-eyed look as he took his first big bite of fresh waffles, which were now getting to my appetite. Once she turned the other way, Picky stuck his tongue back at Ness, which was covered in his broken down food. Ness growled with rage before stomping upstairs and slamming the door.

"Picky..." Paula said. Picky shrugged.

"He'll get over it in the next five minutes or so. Want one of my waffles?" He asked with a big syrup covered grin as he held up a soaked waffle with his fork. Paula giggled in the fashion that she wasn't interested.

"That's ok, I'm sure she's making more for all of us…" She replied. I finally sighed.

"Let me go get him…" I said, walking off as my stomach let off a big gurgle. I paused in mid stride, frowning as my stomach replied again. Paula snorted.

"Looks like someone is hungry," Debbie said, with a plate full of waffles. Paula walked ahead of me.

"It's ok Jeff, I'll go settle him down, you settle down your tummy," She said. It was at the point where I couldn't stand smelling the damn waffles without wanting to scarf one down.

"Thanks…" I said; wandering over to the table before Debbie set my plate down.

"You're so nice for doing this," I said. Debbie smiled.

"Oh just be quiet and eat your breakfast," She ordered. I had already taken a bite anyways. A big one.

"Yes ma'am," I replied. About three minutes later, Paula had led down a still grumpy Ness, who slouched into his chair and gave Picky the eye.

"Don't look so down Ness, the sun is out shining and the birds are singing, and I don't have to go to school," Picky smiled before eating his last bite. Ness snorted.

"Yeah, well guess what, me either," Ness smiled, taking a bite of his waffles.

"Yeah me either," Paula said.

"Me three," I replied.

"Is there a time when you do need to go to school?" Ness asked. I bit into my waffles.

"Yes."

"Oh."

Debbie sat at our table with her waffles in front of her, making a giant grin before slicing up her waffles.

"So boys… how were the stars?" She asked, taking a bite. Ness and I glanced at each other awkwardly.

"It was alright mom," He replied.

"Find any aliens?" Picky asked cocking his head. Ness rolled his eyes.

"No Picky, there were no aliens," He replied, taking a big bite.

"Ah yes, your clothes should be ready for you in the laundry room, so go help yourselves once you're done eating and when you're ready to leave. I'm sure you three have a big journey ahead of you," She smiled. Ness smiled as well.

"Yes, the three of us," He said with glee, looking at Picky in the eye. Picky frowned.

"It's nothing against you, really Picky," Paula laughed. Picky slouched in his chair.

"Aww come on, you said you wanted home, so here you are," Ness said.

"Yeah, well it's not like I really wanted to come home," He replied. Debbie took a sip of her orange juice as Picky got out of his chair.

"Thanks for breakfast… I'm going back home for the afternoon. See you guys later," He said, walking out of the kitchen. Ness frowned.

"Picky, wait," Ness said, getting out of his chair. But nonetheless, it was too late. Ness sighed.

"I didn't mean to make him mad," He said, sitting back down. Debbie had a crooked smile.

"Yes, well you have to remember that Picky's lifestyle is much different from yours now. You have to remember that, and not put him down for it," She replied. Ness took another bite of his waffle.

"If he really wanted to escape from his lifestyle, then he would have gone to school," He said. Debbie shook her head.

"Oh Ness…" She said as she finished her food. She ate rather fast I thought…

"Well, I'm going to go water my flowers now. You three check in with me before you go," She said.

"Thanks mom," Ness smiled as he finished his breakfast.

"You're always welcome, Ness dear."

---

It was about time when Ness and Paula got ready and packed for our trip back to That One Place I Never Wanted To Return To That I Always Have And Always Will Dread. I sat on their couch; taking out the small red yo-yo I practically took from Ness's room without asking and examined it's screwed up balance. I couldn't really hear specifically but Ness and Paula were walking around talking about something I was sure I had no connection to whatsoever. I wondered if it was going to be like that the whole time. Sooner than I expected, Ness and Paula rushed down the stairs. Paula almost tripped down the last step, but Ness prevented the fall from happening. I put the yo-yo away before anyone could notice.

"You two finally ready then?" I asked, straightening my glasses. Ness looked around the house.

"Kinda…" Ness replied. I smiled slightly, plopping right down on the couch.

"Take your time, I don't mind," I said. I was sure Ness looked a bit puzzled at my mellowness but Paula was right on the dot.

"You just don't wanna go back there," She replied while I frowned in anger in mid sentence.

"Well… I know you don't want to go back but… it would only be for a little while… I promise by tonight we'll be sleeping in a hotel in Summers," Ness said with a smile on his face. "A room that will be far from Winters if that's what you want," He said. I sighed and paused for a moment, letting the now familiar area back into my skin before we had to go. I stood up.

"Alright, I'm ready when you two are then… let's leave and get business over with," I said, picking up my bag. Ness and Paula looked at each other and smiled.

When we walked outside in the sunny day, Debbie was tending to her flowers with love and care. Was that the kind of life we were supposed to be living too? One where we didn't have to worry about ours or anyone's future and just live like normal people should and have time nourishing other lives such as flowers with ease? Well… I never saw myself watering flowers at least… Ness stuck up to her and wrapped his arms behind her back. As a joke, I think Debbie took the hose she held and quickly squirted Ness in the face. Ness laughed, grabbing his face in protection.

"Breaking into my garden before leaving his own mother I see, well this calls for a special punishment, come here," She said, grabbing Ness around the shoulder, taking off his hat and rubbing his head with her fist, which was more of a man's gesture of affection, but for some reason it suited her as Ness laughed in protest. "Come and give your mother a hug," She said, finally wrapping her son in her arms. Ness settled down and was cradled by her. All the while Paula and I just stared, almost impatiently as we looked at each other and chuckled. It was nice to see, that someone in this world could still make one of us laugh and smile.

"Hey you two, get over here and hug us, come on I won't bite ya!" She said, opening her arm. Paula grabbed my hand as she literally dragged me over to them as I was finally smothered in the giant embrace of Ness's mom. She squeezed the three of us until finally letting go.

"Now be sure to change your underwear, no one wants to smell your aroma from a mile away," She said pointing to all three of us, especially Ness, who's face had just turned crimson.

"Mooom," He whined. Paula couldn't keep a straight face as I was trying not to even snort, but it was useless. Debbie sighed.

"But most of all… look out for each other, stay clear from trouble… you know how long I could go on rambling like typical mothers do. Just be safe for me," She said, finally kissing Ness on the forehead, who in return whined again in embarrassment.

"You'll get over it once you grow up Ness," She smiled. Ness frowned.

"… Now go do what you need to do," She smiled winking. Ness shook his hat back into shape and plopped it onto his head.

"I'll call you tonight Mom," Ness said, as he finally started to walk away.

"I'll pick up," She said, watering her flowers again. Paula and I followed Ness out of the front yard.

"I'll miss you!" Ness said louder as we walked off. His mother in return waved us all goodbye. All we could do was wave back and walk away to a quiet street.

And once we knew we were out of sight, we disappeared from the green sunny streets of Onett…

---

Back we were. Back in a land of cloudy gloomy skies and atmospheres as the sharp difference between Onett and Winters kicked in. Our legs sunk down into the blistering cold snow.

"We'll need to get used to this contrasting weather if we're going to teleport more often," Paula said, grabbing her shoulder in attempt to keep warm. "I forgot how cold it was up here already." Ness let off a steamed sigh.

"Where's the lab?" He said scanning his eyes around the place. Our eyes looked around the area, until my eyesight froze in a certain frame. Something in my chest sank.

"Ness… you didn't manage to quite make it to the lab… did you?" I asked. Ness grunted in question.

"Why? This isn't Winters?"

"No… this is Winters…" I frowned.

"… Are we lost then?" Ness asked. I shook my head, taking another glance at the gated mansion-like academy from the distance.

"No… we're not lost," I said.

"Then where's the lab?" Paula said. "All I see is a fancy building over there," She said.

"Hmmm, maybe they can provide us with directions, at least to Stone Hedge, then we can find our way from there," Ness said. I widened my eyes.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said, trying to stop him in almost a fit of panic.

"What, why not? Do you know what that building is? Just say it," He replied with a hint of impatience. I sighed.

"Look, I just don't want to go there," I told him.

"Why not?" He asked. I paused.

"Be… because I just don't want to. I know where we are, trust me, the lab is just a few miles from here," I said, forgetting about the lake issue. "Or… can't you teleport to the lab from here? You didn't seem to have a problem when you tested it out by yourself," I said. Ness shrugged.

"I can't guarantee that we'll get there this time anyways. Just tell me why you really can't go to that building to convince me to stop walking towards it," He said as he started marching through the snow towards the academy. I growled in hostility.

"Ness!" However, Ness just kept marching, and he wasn't going to stop unless if I told the truth.

"Okay Ness, if you really want to know, that building-"

"That's your school, isn't it?" Paula added. I frowned.

"Yeah…" I replied. Ness paused for a moment and looked back at me.

"… It's not like you hated your school so much that you can't bear to go back, right? You said yourself that you would let me…" For some reason Ness paused in mid sentence. I sighed.

"Well Ness, now that you know that building is my school, can you now trust me that I know the way? I went by myself down to the lab to go find you two, I know where we are," I said. Ness frowned.

"Don't you want to see the people you care about again before we continue…?" He asked. I paused as Tony and Maxwell raced through my mind.

"I can't do that, I can't see them now. Besides are you crazy, the place is gated, they wouldn't let you two in, and if I got in, they wouldn't let me back out. We're on a mission Ness, not vacation. Da- I mean… Dr. Andonuts said that the sky runner would be ready today didn't he? So let's go back to the lab, get the sky runner and get the hell out of here!" I told him, trying not to sound too harsh. Ness frowned.

"… But don't you want to at least stop by and say hi? I don't even know when we'll be back here… if ever…" He said. There was a long pause. Damn it, it wasn't like I didn't want to see Maxwell and Tony now… it was just that I couldn't. I finally let off air through my nostrils and marched the way towards the lab.

"This time Ness, convince me why I really need to go see them, and I'll stop to think about it. Otherwise, this is the way back," I told him. Paula sighed.

"Jeff…" I didn't look over my shoulders to see the look on Ness and Paula's faces, but eventually, I heard one's running footsteps merging closer to me.

"Jeff wait, don't go without us!" Paula said. "Ness, come one, don't just stand there!" She said. Poor Paula, I thought, always trying to bring the two of us back on friendly terms, though it didn't really seem like we were truly fighting yet.

"Jeff what do I have to do?" Ness hollered at me. "What do I have to do to help you into happier spirits? I know deep down inside that you miss your friends here…" He said as his voice became hushed. I thought of what he was trying to do for me. We visited his folks and friends, and then he promised Paula that he'd do the same for her. And now he's trying to convince me that I'm next? I finally slowed down to a stop. I took a minute to collect what I was to say next before turning around to him, who was standing at the top of the snowy hill now, Paula being the monkey in the middle between us. I smiled, assuring him that I wasn't angry.

"Ness, I really appreciate you for what you're trying to do for me. But I can't. I can't go back to them, then leave and make them worried; I want them to believe that I'm safe. And besides… they're not my only friends, you two are my friends as well. We decided that last night, right? And those friends can wait, because I need to help you two out more than anyone. Instead of visiting our folks every once and a while over time… let's just get this journey over with so we can go back to our families and friends for good. What do you say?" I asked. Ness's features softened after I said that, though not fully into happier spirits, but enough for him to smile.

"Jeff… okay. Let's go and get this chore over with once and for all," He said, walking down towards us. Paula sighed.

"Well it's a good thing I didn't have to force another hugging session on the two of you," She laughed. I chuckled.

"Hopefully something like that won't happen, anytime soon," I replied as Ness joined our party again.

"Let's go, move ahead! I smell a sanctuary under my nose!" Ness stated, pointing to the future.

---

When we reached down to Lake Tess, I noticed how much at awe Ness and Paula were when they looked at the glorious lake.

"It's so pretty!" She said. Ness crossed his arms.

"I guess we have to walk around it, there's no other way," He said. I paused, thinking about the last time I was here and how that giant… purple dinosaur thing helped me and bubble monkey across the lake. Why, when I first saw the thing, wasn't I so shocked? Though now, there was none in sight, and I didn't know how to summon such an odd creature.

"Is there something on your mind, Jeff?" Paula asked. I scratched my head.

"Well… let's just say that if there was a ride across the lake, it's somewhere swimming in the lake at the moment? I don't know… if I tried explaining what I meant… you two would think it to be really silly and dumb," I said. Ness shrugged.

"We've seen many things that would sound really dumb if we tried explaining them to others, like that spook? Who would believe such a creature to exist in the first place?" Ness laughed. I chuckled. He was right. Before I was about to say anything however, Mr. Ziggy poked his nose out of Paula's bag to sniff around.

"Mr. Ziggy, what is it?" She asked as he tried wiggling out of her bag and jumped out. He waddled slowly towards the edge of the dock we were standing on, and he just stood there, antenna straight up almost like he was picking up a radio signal. Then nothing. I didn't know how long we stood there in complete silence.

"… Mr. Ziggy?" Paula said.

"Well… we're making great progress now," Ness sighed. It was moments later but it was a few moments that were subtle but real. I could have sworn I heard something under the banks of the lake… rumbling… was something emerging. It was a minute later that it was really noticeable. Ness took a few steps back.

"What's going on?!" Paula tried running up to the Mr. Saturn, but Ness stopped her as she protested. I just stood and watched.

SWOOOSH!!

Suddenly, the climax came as the head of a giant creature crashed up from underneath the water of the lake. Water rained everywhere; even some splashed us as I uncovered my eyes again to see what the club at my school always marveled at.

"What… is that thing?" Ness said shocked. Tessie cocked her round head as her long neck tailed behind it, looking down at us with round black eyes. The giant creature then trailed her eyes down at Mr. Ziggy who looked back up at her, with no sign of surprise whatsoever. I wondered if the two species were linked somehow. Finally after a bit of staring, Tessie lowered her head for Mr. Ziggy as he jumped onto her head, and the magical creature lifted Mr. Ziggy back up high in the sky and soon turned to its side, almost in a gesture to let the three of us onto her back. But none of us seemed brave enough to get on her. What was actually keeping me from doing so? I got on her no problem the last time, maybe because I wasn't in such a rush? No, that didn't make sense…

"… Jeff you rode that?" Ness asked. I bit my lip, walking towards the magical being.

"She didn't seem to mind… it's not like I would swim across…" I said, emphasizing my point.

"She wants to help us," Paula noted. Ness and I looked at her.

"She's telling me through my mind that she wants to help us across the lake," She smiled, pacing past us and gently climbing onto the purple Tessie. Ness protested.

"But Paula, what if that was-"

"Come on Ness, let's trust her here, I've done this before anyways," I laughed as Tessie sneezed water out of her nostrils like a steam engine. Ness sighed.

"Alright alright, she doesn't seem bad really," He mentioned as I let Ness climb onto her back before me. Paula looked up to Tessies head as Mr. Ziggy poked his nose over to look back down to her. Finally the creature set sail. Ness was in awe of everything, but at the same time, he seemed kind of tentative about the whole thing. Tessie let off a cry and Ness jumped in surprise. It almost looked as if he was about to fall off her back, but Paula and I held him still. Ness shivered again.

"I can't wait to go back home and tell mom that I rode a twelve foot tall sea animal," Ness said as his voice jumped. Was it from the cold or just the situation? It was pretty chilly now that we were in on the middle of the lake in a cold atmosphere. The middle of the lake… I thought.

"Shouldn't be long now…" I said almost mutely. "Just don't fall into the water…" And sure enough, we made it to the other side of Lake Tess. Tessie lowered her head for Mr. Ziggy as she parked on the beach for us to depart onto. Paula got off easily, though Ness seemed to have trouble getting off for some reason as I slid down onto the side of the small cliff carefully but quickly. I held out my hand for him, but he didn't seem to take it. Tessie then turned her long neck to get her nose behind his back to nudge him onto land, which made Ness surprised as he jumped, successfully, but not gracefully on the snowy ground next to me. I kept him from falling down onto his face however as I grabbed his upper torso. When Ness found his ground, he rubbed his nose.

"Thanks," He said before sneezing. As Tessie made her goodbyes, she finally descended back down in the lake banks as Mr. Ziggy could only stare, so we let him. He looked so entranced for some odd reason. Paula had to pick him for us to continue on.

---

It was when we approached a certain pencil statue that I noticed that we were near that odd maze I remembered. I noticed a note hung by the side of the cave, and while Ness and Paula were busy getting rid of the giant pencil, I made my way to take the scrap of yellow paper to read it:

Dear Dear Passerby,

I am ashamed to announce that my maze isn't an active attraction no more and I have moved on deep into Scaraba desert to create the greatest puzzling invention humankind has ever created. If you need through the caves, by all means, pass on through, but it's as empty as a foreclosed home. If you need me, find me, I'll be waiting in the walking dungeon man.

Sincerely,

…Brick Road

Hmm I thought. I wondered if we were ever going to cross paths with him or for me again. I remembered shying away from him the first time I met him, it was a rather strange encounter. Maybe back then it was fresh, so he wanted my opinion. Ness called me to join them again, so I shrugged and walked away without a second thought.

"It's kind of funny that you're heading this way without asking me if it's the right way or not," I said humorously. Ness had a sort of confident grin on his face.

"I know because we're getting near," He said. I formed an 'O' on my lips.

"A sanctuary is near," Paula said. Ness stretched an arm over his head.

"It's been a long time… last time was just around Saturn Valley wasn't it?" I asked.

"Before we even made it into Fourside at least," Ness said. "God, we barely even knew each other then, now look at us, we're an actual team now." I chuckled at his remark.

"Yeah, we had a lot of fights in the past time, but we pulled through," I said. Ness hummed in agreement.

"Well here's the cave… kind of nervous as well, but… I can't wait to gain this next part of me," Ness nearly mumbled as he walked in front of us into the cave. I looked at his back before proceeding with them. I smiled to myself.

---

The deeper we proceeded through the cave, the colder it got as Paula and even Ness who tried to hide it, shivered.

"Baw, rope, I suck at climbing rope," Ness said with annoyance and sighed.

"Paula you go first," He said. Paula's expression went under disgust.

"What? You go up first!" Paula protested. Ness frowned.

"I don't understand why it's such a big-" Paula quickly emphasized the fact that she was wearing a skirt, grabbing the rim of it and tugging it in a gesture that she was wearing one. Ness closed his eyes.

"Right right…" He said, slapping his forehead. "I'll just go," He said, taking the rope and struggling the climb up as I tailed along.

When all three of us got to the top, Ness suddenly froze as he had his eyes locked up ahead. Paula looked the same way while I was trying to see what the whole deal was about.

"It's right ahead…" Ness let off a deliberate sigh. "Well, let's get this over with," He said as he walked in front of us. I could see the bright exit to our left as we passed it by and strolled down into the colder depths of the cave.

---

Ness's chest became slightly tight again as we emerged the area that was crowded in what looked to be multiple red mushrooms. How odd… I thought; that such a cold frosty place could even host mushrooms. This had to be the area Ness was talking about then. Such unusual things like that shouldn't happen on their own. Though all we could do was stand there. Waiting.

"I've been waiting for you… Ness…" A spiritual being spoke. "If you must obtain this part of yourself… then you must face me… if you dare so…" Ness gulped.

"I have to…" Ness said. There was a pause. I gulped slightly. Was it going to be like last time, easier or even worse? Who knew…

"… So be it." All the sudden, the ground below our feet started crackling, all until something big arose from the ground, making the dirt and rock around us crumble. All three of us jumped back as we looked at what the heck could have jumped out at us. And even though my eyes widened at the result, it was to be expected that the being was going to be out of this world… or more like kind of pathetic.

"… A giant… mushroom?" I spoke out loud. The over-grown fungus sneered its narrow glazed eyes down at the three of us; cracking its smooth skin to create a torn sinister smile down at us. The being started to laugh as a thick aroma started filling the air. I covered my mouth with my sleeve. Paula and Ness, and soon enough I started coughing as a few of its minions came running after us. Paula immediately cast PSI fire among the army of mushroom, which had burned to a crisp almost instantaneously. It was around this time that the strange, thick aroma returned into my lungs, replacing the wanted oxygen. It was getting hard to breathe as I rummaged through my bag.

"Cover your eyes," Ness coughed as a blinding flash filled the tunnel. I didn't blink in time, and it clashed uncomfortably with my clouding eyes.

Bottle rocket… didn't I have a bottle rocket left? I thought in a panic as I roughly rummaged through my bag. My head started to sway. I tried breathing in again, but it was no use.

"Jeff! You alright!?" I heard Ness yell out to me, though I perceived it very faintly. When I looked over to the giant shroom, whose face, might I add, looked rather like a clown from a nightmare at the time, pointy teeth with a bright white complexion as its red topped head looked as if it was running slowly down its face like mud. The weird aroma came back once more as another burst of flames anguished the giant enemy, flashing colors, I knew on the back of my mind couldn't be created by fire alone. I choked as everything around me started to spin.

"Jeff!" Paula cried as I felt myself fall onto my side.

"Shit, he's either mushroomized or poisoned, he isn't doing good." That was the last thing I heard, before I finally blacked out.

---

May 25th, 199X,

Just like every other kid in the neighborhood, I was excited, enthralled- school was almost done. For me, this meant a whole three months to myself, doing what I loved and did best; draw, play games, or just take long naps in the back yard under the tree. I loved summer, just like everyone else. I never had to interact with anyone I didn't like or didn't know. I thought though that… possibly this time would be different. Maybe I would finally, if ever, have at least someone to play with- someone that wasn't you Picky. And I apologize; you just weren't old enough yet for me to understand.

I sat under the tree in the front yard, playing a simple game of Tetris on my old game boy. Though in reality, you might know why I was really sitting out there.

A car drove up next door, a small white sedan. A young man in nice tidy clothing stepped out, loosening the tie around his neck with a sigh as he shut the door. As he grabbed his suitcase and walked towards the front door, it burst open, and a hyper-active child ran up to him, and jumped at him to embrace his own father.

"Haha, you're an excited little one, aren't you Ness?" He smiled, picking the small excited boy over his head and swinging him around before putting him down. It was then that he whispered something in Ness's ear. Ness then nodded, eyes lightening up as a big grin spread across his face. He looked excited, I thought, taking his hand as they walked inside their new humble abode. I wasn't sure but I thought he spotted me at first before he ended up past the door as it shut behind him. I was zoned out, zoned out enough that I didn't even notice one's footprints approaching me. A newspaper swatted my head.

"Inside Porky; mom and dad have many things to do," My father ordered sternly before tugging at my shirt to make me stand up properly. I groaned, trying to fight his grip, until he grabbed my arm and forced me inside the house. I dropped my Tetris game in the process.

---

"I think he's coming to his senses now…" I heard familiar voices talking, though they were faint but they were subtle.

"Wake up Jeff you idiot, we're here…" I heard Ness say. It was then that I felt someone's hands lightly slap my cheeks in attempt to awaken me. I tried blinking as the bright gray-white sky made me blink multiple times. The images of Ness and Paula's faces filled my eyes sight as Paula must have put my glasses on for me. I finally must have figured that I was laying in the snow below them. Was the monster vanquished then? Were we already done?

"Wha…" I was a bit confused. "What happened…?" I asked. Ness sighed.

"I forgot that you aren't like Paula and I. You got sick from the poisonous spores and you passed out. It's ok, we got rid of him and I got what I needed. Do you need a little bit to collect yourself?" Ness asked. I blinked a couple more times before I slowly sat up to the sound of raindrops on a nearby pond.

"… It's only raining on that certain spot…" I said looking at the small pearly pond a few feet away from me. I decided not to question the logic of it all… I could only assume it made sense to Ness in a way. I took in a deep breath.

"For a while I couldn't breathe…" I said. "I'm really sorry you two had to deal with the nuisance yourselves," I added, getting up onto my feet, wobbling slightly. Paula, who walked up beside me, kept me on my feet.

"Thanks…" I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

"It's alright… because now we need you to guide us back to the lab… if you don't mind that is," Ness said. I remembered then. My spirits suddenly sank down to the snow again.

"Right… the sky runner…" I said, feeling my self confidence fade away instantly. I sighed.

"You done here then?" I asked. Ness and Paula grunted. I bit my lip.

"Let's get going then…"

---

Out the cave we went and through Stone Hedge, where all three of us looked frantically around us as we heard the nearby cries of bears and other beastly like creatures. I shivered at the thought of my first encounter of the caveman just out from under the hole in the center. Paula clutched her hand to her chest.

"Something is terribly wrong with this area…" She noted, keeping her eyes towards the center of the stone figures. "Do you think we'll be here again…?" Ness and I were quiet at first, keeping our eyes straight ahead. Paula gave off a silent whine behind us.

"Most likely… possibly… dunno," Ness said. I frowned, bringing my eyes down to the snow, then turning my sight around behind me to give the area one last glance. It was around the time when I went to change views to ahead of me that I nearly had a heart attack…

I could have sworn, I saw what looked like a humanoid, metallic being, hiding in the distance through the trees.

In a panic, I turned swiftly back to the direction I saw the thing, scanning the area frantically, until looking all around me in attempt to spot the being. Ness and Paula paused at my odd behavior. My heart was hammering against my chest.

"Jeff, what is it?!" Ness asked worried. I was unresponsive as I kept looking around me. Nowhere I thought. I could have sworn I just saw… I let off a strangled sigh.

"…Nothing… it's nothing," I said, putting my hand over my heart and marching swiftly past Ness and Paula. I was sure that Ness and Paula exchanged awkward glances before following me. I tried settling my breathing down, thinking of all the possibilities, even though my dark past still lingered on the back of my mind. I closed my eyes.

It was probably just my eyes playing tricks on me still…

---

There it was I thought. There was the bastard.I bit my lip. Was he going to kick me out again? Or was he going to plaster a smile on? Either of those? Why did I even care? We only needed to pick up the sky runner, which I hoped would take us to where we needed to go. I frowned at the thought of actually needing him to continue to where we needed to go. He was actually helping us I thought. Compared to what I've done… I've only caused Ness and Paula trouble. I was sure he didn't mind helping out Ness and Paula… maybe he wanted to… God, he pissed me off so much…

Something indigestible settled down into my stomach as Ness and Paula walked up to the lab door. Paula rung the door bell.

"Jeff you're going to have to face him sometime… this shouldn't take long," Ness told me. I bit my lip.

"What you say isn't long is an eternity for me, Ness," I grumbled back. Ness sighed.

"Then don't say anything then. Paula and I can do all the talking and you can just sit on the outskirts," He said. I nodded.

"Alright, I'll be out here then," I told him, until Paula yanked me back into my previous position.

"Paula what?" I asked impatiently. Paula looked up at me with a stern look. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine…" It was then that the door opened, though the one to greet us was his so called friendly caveman again. I didn't like trusting the thing still…

The overgrown gorilla man grunted as it offered the three of us a slice of jerky again. After the three of us declined before it ushered us inside the cold and lonely building. Looking around the white brick walls, I spotted it; the sky runner, sitting in the back of the giant room, where it stood the first time I saw it. Assumingly so, Dr. Andonuts was there too, knelt down, I assumed, oiling the hinges in its slide-down door. The two monkeys were there too, ears perking up as they heard our intrusion.

"Good good, you kids are back in time… the sky runner should work perfectly fine now…" Dr. Andonuts spoke in his older, calm- but not so content voice. He made a low cough as he slowly stood up.

"My knees are starting to go out on me these past few weeks… hopefully they'll last for a little while longer…" Dr. Andonuts said, almost in a hush. When he looked up to us, and his eyes met mine, he froze slightly, quickly glancing away. The butterflies in my chest constricted painfully. Dr. Andonuts sighed.

"We really appreciate you doing this for us, doctor," Ness said. The Doc quickly waved a hand up, straightening the neck of his shirt before walking away.

"It's no trouble… before you go, I must get something…" He said quietly, walking weakly downstairs into his basement. Paula looked back at me, in which my eyes were locked to the stairway the doc descended down.

"Jeff, loosen up," She said politely. I didn't realize that my hands were now fists dangling down my sides; they must have been either pearly white or maybe a shade of blue. Though when I did let my hands unravel, I could feel my blood flow to my fingertips once more. Ness said nothing as the tension grew once more as Dr. Andonuts walked back up the stairs, this time carrying a suit case. What was he planning to do anyways, I thought? Dr. Andonuts set the case on top of his central table, putting his hand a top it to lay it down flat. For some reason, I took a step back, especially when he rest his gray eyes on me again.

"… I want you to take this… son…" He said, clearing his throat. My eyes furrowed. What?

"... I don't know if I can do that…" I barely said. Dr. Andonuts stared at me again. His gray eyes through his big round glasses were dull and worn, he looked exhausted. He didn't seem to be in the mood to argue.

"Don't take this for me though… take it for yourself, I know it will be useful to you-"

"Why are you really giving that to me?" I asked curiously. I couldn't describe the kind of tone I used.

"What is it?" Paula asked. Dr. Andonuts wrinkled his nose.

"… I'll just put it in the sky runner then…" He said, picking up the case again. Ness and Paula were quiet once more, looking back at me. I bit my lip.

"Wait…" I said, making Dr. Andonuts stop in place. There was a pause.

"… I'll take it…" What the hell was I saying? Dr. Andonuts sighed.

"Very well…" He said, putting the case down by his feet. He turned around.

"… You may leave with the sky runner when you wish to. In the meantime, I must be down in my basement… I have a lot of work to do… good luck with your travels…" He said quietly again, taking one last glance at Ness and Paula and one last long stare at me before descending away from our sights again.

"Good bye Doctor…" Ness said. Then it was just a matter of the two of them to wait for me to break out of my reverie. That was… strange…

"… Jeff you ready to go then?" Ness asked quietly with a faint smile. I paused before shaking my head.

"Okay… let's go to Summers then…" I mumbled, walking-wobbling towards the Sky Runner, picking the mysterious suitcase along the way, which was a decent weight, but wasn't impossible to carry. It was fairly quiet from then on; I figured that either Ness or Paula was afraid to say something to me or they just didn't have anything good or special to say. We settled inside the machine, fastening ourselves snug inside. The lab roof was open and ready for us to take flight. And as I looked around the dash for the ignition, my eyes lied on a small, peculiar book, one with notes and scribbles sticking out of it in multiple corners. I took the small book into my hands, quickly thumbing through hand-written pages.

Were these his personal notes?

"Whatcha find, Jeff?" Ness asked. I frowned, closing the book and slipping it in my coat pocket.

"Something I must have left behind in the Sky Runner by mistake… " I lied, before turning the Sky Runner on and making it a float.

And even though, we were up and out of Dr. Andonuts's lab then… I still had a strange feeling of pain… pain throughout my entire being.

---

May 25, 199X,

I marveled at my new piece that I had named Ness even before it became to be on the piece of paper in my hands. There were many pictures on the page, but most of the page happened to be covered in stars and planets, or whatever I thought of when I thought of the night sky. I drew the baseball that fell into my back yard as a comet, flying through the night sky. On the bottom of the page was the young boy himself, though drawn poorly at the time, I was no good at proportions then. Something about this picture made me smile, as I carefully put the page back in its notebook and stashed it on top of my bed. I went downstairs, past my father who was heading up. I thought a good PB and J sandwich sounded wonderful then…

"Lardna, we're out of toilet paper!" My father yelled down stairs. My mother, who was busy watching her afternoon television while knitting another sweater put the yarn down in a fit.

"Well then I'll just have to go to the store again and get some! You use too much toilet paper at a time!" She yelled back up. I heard father open the bathroom door upstairs walking around in a fit. I wasn't really sure why, I could only assume to find Kleenex as a replacement. I finished my last bite of my sandwich before he started yelling down the stairs again. It sounded like he had flushed the toilet. I got up to put my plate in the sink.

"Lardna, where did you put the plunger?" He yelled again. Lardna let off an aggravated groan.

"I don't know, Aloysius! Maybe try looking downstairs," She replied. I was about to walk up the stairs until my father stormed down the steps, face red and flushed.

"Move out of the way, Porky," He told me, storming off towards the kitchen. I walked upstairs to my room…

Though when I got there, my notebook was sprawled open as multiple pages were torn out; pieces of it scattered on the floor. Father wouldn't do something like that…

I went into the bathroom to wash my hands, though in reality, I went to see before he returned… My heart constricting as I saw…

In the toilet, most of my finished, drawn on pages; the one entitled "Ness" floating on top in the toilet…

All soaked and covered in father's feces…

---

"Gah-" I said out of reflex as I heard and felt a slight out of control jerk emerge from under the steering wheel of the air craft. It was momentary, but it wasn't a really swell sign. I looked out the small round window. A sea… some palm trees here and there…

"Paula, do you know if we're getting near or not?" I asked. Paula grunted in confusion.

"Not sure…" She replied. I frowned; keeping my eyes peered onto the land way below us. Another mechanical jerk, this time, it was noticeable enough for Ness and Paula.

"What was that?" Ness questioned. I growled.

"Stupid old man… the thing's giving way again?" I grumbled.

"Did he fix it right?" Paula asked. I tried flipping the machine on into a lower gear as I steered the machine lower to the ground.

"He either didn't fix the real problem, or he put in a replacement part that's only temporary… though why in hell would he do that?" I asked indirectly out loud.

"We aren't going to crash… are we?" Ness asked in a nervous tone. I was silent as another jerk in the machine gave way.

"Everyone look for an open sign for Summers… it can't be too far from here, I know Summers is off the ocean," I said, trying to keep the machine tamed as it gave off another violent jerk, this time twitching to its right. Ness and Paula yelped slightly, until frantically looking out the multiple windows in the machine. It was around this time that a flashing red exclamation point came on in alarm next to the ignition. I bit my lip, starting to steer the thing down to the ground.

"We're above some sort of city… I'm not sure what city yet though…" Ness said, before Paula pointed a finger.

"Summers… I see the sign…" She said as the machine violently gave way enough for all of us to fall over. All three of us yelped as I tried gaining my seat back.

"Jeff, do something!" Ness yelped. I gritted my teeth.

"I can only do so much," I replied sternly, wrestling with the control panel.

"Jeff, the water!" Paula exclaimed. "Land it in the water!" I bit my lip wincing at her idea. I peered my eyes down at the waters with a nervous glance. Then that would require me to…

"Good thinking, Paula," I told her as I mentally accused her statement. "Hold on to your things, this landing will be rough," I told them. Ness and Paula were busy discarding the things they didn't need so that swimming to shore would be less of a hassle in the long run. Less of a hassle for them at least… I thought. I gritted my teeth tightly as the machine finally went out of my control over the blues of the water. I tried steering it as close to shore as possible. All of us held onto each other for dear life as the sky runner plunged right in…

---

It was a good damn thing that I got the sky runner to crash head first so the door in the back would stay above the water's surface, perfect for us to escape its grasp. Ness and Paula got into the ocean before me, as I strapped my bag around my shoulder, stepping out until my foot got caught on something. Looking down, I saw the suitcase my father allegedly gave me. I winced, pausing for a moment, until Ness and Paula yelled at me to get out. I growled to myself, using my foot to grab the suitcase before looking down at the water bellow me. I winced, gripping the edge of the sky runner.

"Jeff, what's wrong?!" Ness said. "It's sinking, let's get to shore, hurry!" Ness yelled. My heart beat fast as the rocking of the sky runner was starting to make me dizzy. I took my glasses off and slipped them into my coat pocket before plunging myself into the water.

Salty gross water filled my mouth as I tried getting my head above the water in a panic as my heart and lungs started screaming. How to tread water, I thought. I could only think of a book I had once read back in school, a book of how to survive these certain situations. Even though my memory was a blank at the time, I splashed and flailed about helplessly, choking for air as my head reached the surface. Though the things I wore seemed to act as weights. I panicked as I tried opening my eyes, but with little success with my near-sighted vision. It was then that I had felt two strong hands, grabbing each of my arms; I could feel Ness and Paula's presence as they tried dragging me up to shore with them. I didn't know why, but I remember holding onto that suitcase for dear life…

---

When we reached shore, I choked on the air, coughing on my knees in the sand. My body was wet and cold and god this was the second time this day I couldn't breathe properly. As soon as my lungs could register that they could actually inhale then, I took in slow deep breaths, taking in the murky scent of the ocean.

"…Jeff?" Ness asked. I tried, standing up, as Ness and Paula both helped me.

"You're pale, you going to be alright?" Ness asked. I looked at him, though his face was blurry then. I nodded, digging through my pockets to find my glasses, which I thanked god for once I had found them. My vision came back to me as Ness and Paula's faces cleared up; we were standing on the beach; a bit further from the sophisticated civilization, but nonetheless I was thankful we were on land again.

"… You didn't tell us before that you couldn't swim…" Ness said. I felt as if I flushed with embarrassment, but my head swayed slightly. I shook my head; I could feel water deep down in my ear. I turned around, putting a hand to the forehead to look out into the ocean. I shivered.

"Is the sky runner totally gone then? I don't see it anywhere…" It was frightening that something we were once in was sinking underwater, even if it wasn't too far off. I sighed.

"… You didn't say anything about it before… I could have at least tried teaching you-"

"Gaah I don't like talking about that," I groaned. "Okay fine, I'll admit it. I never learned how to swim, happy?" I said, turning away from them stubbornly. Ness and Paula paused.

"You didn't seem scared when we rode Tessie across the lake today… you said you also took a ride on her before, didn't you? I thought you'd be fine," Paula said. I frowned.

"Yeah, I didn't mind because we didn't have to swim across, we rode something… big difference…" I said. Ness and Paula sighed in defeat. I frowned to myself.

"Guys, I'm-"

"Don't say the S word Jeff, let's just explore Summers for a bit until we know what to do," Paula smiled, grabbing my hand. She caught me by surprise, but I let her lead me on, accepting her hand. Ness walked up besides us until I stopped the crowd once more.

"Ah wait, I'm missing something…" I said, feeling myself over, though I had my bag strapped around me. I looked back, only to find that my shoulders slouched again.

"Oh… right…" I mumbled to myself, grabbing the small suitcase before joining Ness and Paula again.

---

Summers seemed to be a less busy, richer Fourside almost; it was more like a tourist attraction more than anything. Though part of it seemed like a stinky lagoon, more for the hard working fishermen. There were many people everywhere, many that were on the beach having a good time. I wondered to myself… why did we have to come to Summers in the first place? What were we to find in a vacation hot-spot like this? Now that my body seemed back to normal, I relaxed a bit, looking out into the wide spacious ocean. The sun made the far away waves twinkle and sparkle and a few boats were out on sail. Though I preferred keeping my distance from the depths of it, I couldn't help but think that it brought wanted memories back into my mind. Some that I hadn't remembered in a long while…

"Paula look…" Ness said, stopping us into place. Paula gasped.

"It's her!" She said, balling her fists. I frowned, scanning my eyes around to find someone familiar… though I didn't see anyone I recognized.

"Who?" I asked. However, Ness responded by marching away from us to a slim blond lady in a black bikini, lying in a lounge chair, sunglasses over her eyes. She must have been tanning.

"Hey!" Ness exclaimed, balling his fists up in front of the lady. I furrowed my eyebrows. Who was this lady and what happened? The woman lifted her shades and gave Ness a skeptical look. Almost as if she either saw Ness a waste of time or she didn't recognize him. Ness seemed to grit his teeth.

"What was that all about huh? Why'd you lock us in that room back in Threed huh?" Ness asked in a fit of rage. Paula stood next to him silently. However the woman raised an eyebrow.

"I don't remember going to a town called Threed," She said. Ness snarled.

"Don't play dumb, you and those zombies locked us in that room under the graveyard and someone had to come from miles away to save us! Why the hell did you do that?" He asked. My eyebrows perked up then. It was her? However, she didn't seem to register anything into her own account. She put her shades back down.

"Kid, I think you let the ice cream get to your head, I had no idea what you're talking about. My mind is a complete blank at the moment anyways… go away, you got the wrong gal," She said. Ness seemed really ticked as he let off another growl.

"I know it was you lady, you look exactly like her; you sound like her; it was you!" He roared. It was around this time that people were starting to stare and I didn't know what to say in all this.

"Ness…" Paula said. However, the lady said nothing, almost as if everything around her was mentally gone.

"… Fuck you, bitch," Ness swore, flipping her off as he stormed off. I sighed, tailing along behind Paula, who shrugged at me.

"Maybe she really doesn't remember… maybe she was under the influence of someone," She said. I nodded.

"It's definitely possible," I replied.

---

Honestly, about 15 minutes later, we had already wandered the city aimlessly, like lost children. We had purchased ourselves gelato from a food stand on the beach to keep us from getting deprived. As I licked my creme brulee flavored gelato, Ness was busy negotiating with a parrot, sitting alone speaking random things and mocking the passer by's.

"Crooooaaak- My mind is a complete blank crooak- Don't bother me!" The bird said. Ness frowned.

"Paula, why did you have a vision of us coming to Summers in the first place again?" Ness asked. Paula's mouth curved down.

"You aren't gonna put me on the spot, are you?" She asked. Ness seemed aggravated.

"I don't know what we're supposed to do here… there's nothing," He complained. Paula tried brainstorming.

"I'm sure the answer will come to us sooner or later…" She replied. Ness groaned.

"After all… I believe we should be gaining something good soon…" She said. I raised an eyebrow. Gain something?

"Yeah, but where do we go to gain that something…" Ness pouted. "Then even then we'll need to get somewhere…" Paula frowned.

"I'm sorry I'm not much help at the moment," She said. Ness put a hand to his forehead. I finally drifted my eyes to the ocean again, and watched how it sparkled.

"It's not your fault… maybe we should go back to Fourside and search for that sanctuary then until we can figure out what we do need to do here…" He said. She shrugged.

"Since we're here, we should investigate more," She said. Ness sighed.

"Alright… let's go," He said. I didn't register then that the two of them had already started off until Ness said my name.

"Ya coming Jeff?" Ness asked. Knocking me out of my reverie, I shook my head, taking another glance at the ocean.

"Yeah, coming," I replied.

---

After exploring the city a bit longer and after being yelled at by a man obsessed of his clean red convertible, we walked past a few places that spotted our interest.

"Stoic club…?" I said, putting a hand to my chin observing the building.

"And right next to it, a museum," Paula mentioned. "We should check both of these places out; they might be important," She said. Ness hummed.

"I remember that parrot back there saying something about artifacts from Scaraba in a museum… now that I think of it," Ness said. I frowned.

"And you didn't mention this before because…?" I replied. Ness shrugged in defense.

"I don't know… I thought the bird was speaking nonsense," He replied. Paula skipped up the steps to the Stoic club, only to read a sign plastered on the glass doors.

"Hmmm… member reservations only…" She said.

"So we can't get in…?" I asked.

"Not now… maybe we can find a way to worm around this. I bet something interesting is in here too," She said. I thought, if Paula thought something caught her eye then it was something we needed, or at least that's what it seemed like so far.

"Does it say how to make a reservation or how to become a member?" I asked. Paula shook her head no.

"Well alright then…" I said. Ness glanced his eyes over to the museum.

"So should we head into the museum then?" Ness asked.

"We might as well," Paula replied. And with that, we made our way over to the museum.

---

Admission fees were three per person as we walked into the exhibit. And as I peered my eyes around the corner, we were soon a bit astonished of the artifacts in glass boxes.

These looked like they were indeed from a desert, which in this case Scaraba. Artifacts from boxes to hand woven goods to ancient jewelry and garments, this was a museum of valuable mysterious things. Though did any of this link to us?

"Is it something in here we need?" Ness asked, as I stood in front of an old slab hung up on the wall. However, I couldn't translate the writing on it. Sitting the suitcase my father gave me onto the ground, I tried examining the piece closer, as if trying to find something out.

"Huh… I wonder why Mr. Spoon called me from Fourside… he probably just wants to brag to me about some stupid thing he discovered…" I heard a man mumble to himself as he passed me by. I quickly glanced back at him. A discovery in Fourside, I thought. How peculiar…

I looked around me to try and spot Ness and Paula, though they were out of sight. I frowned, picking the suitcase up and walking away from the slab.

Ness and Paula must have gone upstairs I thought after searching the bottom floor thoroughly. When I spotted them, they were already talking to a mysterious short foreign man. He looked to be a Scarabian himself, judging by the clothes and the cloth wrapped around his head.

"I'm sorry young child, but I cannot let anyone pass through here, it's out of my control," He told Ness, who in return groaned, disappointed.

"Hmmm alright then…" The man then winked.

"If you bring me something worth money however, then we could negotiate something," He spoke in his accent. Ness rolled his eyes.

"Yeah right," He said as they walked down towards me.

"There's nothing here, we're leaving," Ness said.

As we left the building, I couldn't help but notice a few people talking about a rich looking chubby kid being able to walk through the place. They weren't talking about who I thought they were talking about… were they?

"Wait, let me ask something first…" I said, walking up to the lady at the counter. I didn't know if they came with me all the way or not, but it didn't matter too much.

"Yes?" The lady said, looking up from her computer.

"I need to ask a couple questions," I said. The young woman smiled.

"Go right ahead hun," She smiled. The corner of my mouth curved down slightly.

"Okay… well, first I was wondering if there was anyone else in Summers that would know a bit more about Scaraba… if you could point me out to where we could get maps to the place that would be great as well," I said. The lady hummed.

"I see you're very interested… if you can't persuade any of the sailors down at the port, the cruise around Scaraba desert is pretty pricy, I don't think you kids could afford it yourselves, maybe ask your parents," She replied. I kept myself from rolling my eyes.

"Alright then… my other question is… did a blond chunky kid dressed in red and black stripes happen to pass through here?" I asked. I could hear Ness mumble the word 'what' behind me as he walked up beside me. The lady pondered with the question.

"Hmmm… possibly a few days ago… I didn't really see him though, but I heard of a boy by your description…" She said. Ness and I looked at each other.

"Did you hear what he was up to?" Ness almost demanded. The woman looked a bit taken aback; she could only shake her head.

"I honestly don't know… are you looking for him?" She asked.

"Yeah…" I replied. She looked as if she was brainstorming the ordeal. Ness and I anticipated her answer.

"I did hear rumors surrounding a kid and the Stoic club… but don't take my word, I really don't know," She replied. Our shoulders slouched in disappointment.

"Well… thank you for answering as best as you could," I said as we walked away from the counter. Ness balled up his fists.

"We have to get into that club… that way we can find out more on Scaraba… and possibly Pokey…" He mumbled.

"Agreed," I replied, as Paula took Mr. Ziggy out of her bag, in which the creature kept perfectly still.

"But how do we get in…" Paula asked. When we stood outside, I glanced around.

"Maybe we should check out the port that she spoke of… she said something about the sailors and Scaraba there too…" I said.

"Alight then… let's go see," Ness replied with a big sigh escaping his lips.

---

The further down the street of Summers we went, the deeper we emerged into the not-so-touristy-area where most of the labor and ships were. It was interesting to see these boats up close, I hadn't seen a boat in person… if ever… Passing by a hissing cat, Ness had spoken to every single passerby he came across.

"Do you know any sailors that have been to Scaraba?" He asked a man in a suit. This was his eighth attempt, but it was his lucky eighth, as the man thought over the question.

"Hmm… check with the man that owns ship number 32… I know him and his Magic-Cake making wife has been to Scaraba before… you should go check with him, I saw him out not too long ago," He told us. Ness nodded.

"Thank you," He said before scanning the ships for the number 32.

"Hmmm I've been hearing about magic cake from people everywhere we've been through the city…" Paula mentioned. "You don't think it would be important, would you?" Paula asked. Ness grunted.

"Why would cake be such a big deal besides how good it tastes? There are a lot of tourist traps here, I'm sure magic cake isn't the most amazing thing ever," He replied. As soon as we spotted a ship with the number 32 painted on its side, Ness, Paula and I started making a B line towards it.

There was but a lone gruff man, carrying a box around and onto his ship. What was in the box was beyond me, but when he came out and spotted us, he looked from me to Ness and Paula skeptically.

"Do you own ship number 32?" Ness asked the man. The man put on his hat.

"Well I be walkin' on it, aren't it?" He asked in a gruff accent. Ness didn't reply to the statement, but moreso cut to the chase.

"I was wondering if you could tell me the best way to reach Scaraba; is it across the sea?" He asked. The man took out a pipe and lit it, taking a few puffs of it.

"Ahh Scaraba I see… well there be no airports there, so the best way is to travel on her waves," He replied, referencing the sea as a living being. "You kids wanting ta cross?" We all looked at each other; Paula shook her head no, as I suddenly heard her voice ringing in my mind, "We still need should search for more clues around Summers," She said. Ness sighed.

"Yeah… later," He replied. The sailor took in a deep breath.

"Well… I would take you kids across myself… however I can't travel in my ship with ease these days…" He said. Ness looked a bit disappointed.

"How come?" He asked.

"Well… you see, there's two things. Everyone's been talkin' bout a rumored Kraken that's supposedly been haunting the seas lately… though honestly, that's really not what's stopping me from goin' out," He said. Ness hummed.

"Ya see… I've been missing my wife lately; she doesn't talk to me much no more. She's also been ignoring her magic cake business… she's the best in the whole wide world at makin' magic cake, many people come to Summers just to try it," He explained.

"Do you know where she is?" Paula asked.

"Well… she's getting herself absorbed into this weird club of hers… I think that Stoic club? I can't go after her though, they refuse me every time-"

"Do you know how we could get in there and find her for you?" Ness asked suddenly. The man hummed.

"… You could talk to some of the people round here… I think there's a feller over in that condominium that has a membership… go ask him, tell him it's urgent if you need to get in," He said.

"No, we want to find her for you," Ness said. I frowned slightly.

"Really?" I asked.

"It's all we can do for now…" Paula said.

"You kids don't have to do that…"

"No, we'd be glad to, we were thinking of checking the club out ourselves," I told him. The fisherman took in a long breath and then smiled.

"Would ya really? Oh boy, I'd love to see her again. How about this; you kids get her motivated to do her magic cake business again, and I'll give you kids a ride to Scaraba- free of charge," He smiled. We all looked at each other, until Ness smiled.

"So… who do we need to talk to again to gain access?"

---

The sailor had given us the number of the home as we stood in front. Paula rung the door bell, and soon enough someone answered it. He looked to be a Jamaican man, dressed in tropical clothes and wore his dark hair in dread locks. He smiled at the three of us.

"You three kids selling some cookies for a fundraiser?" He asked. We all looked at each other, until Paula spoke up.

"Actually… we were hoping if you could help us get into the Stoic club…" She immediately asked. The man twirled his beard in a curl with his finger.

"Hmmm… I don't know if that's possible… why do you kids want in the club? It's not that great, I was thinking of quittin' sometime this week," He said.

"Well…" Paula started as she looked at the two of us. Suddenly, she clasped her hands together.

"Please help us, our mom hasn't come home from there in three days, the house bills haven't been paid for, and it's my birthday and she promised to make me her special magic cake! Please you have to help us!" Paula begged. Ness and I exchanged quick glances until we finally played along.

"We really need her back you see…" Ness said. "The neibors have been getting really suspicious of us."

"Plus, she promised she'd be back tw-three days ago… she hasn't returned…" I said. The man pondered this over, looking at the three of us.

"Haha, that's some good begging skills you got there… even though I can see through your white lie," He laughed. All three of us frowned in defeat. Dang it! The man smiled.

"Haha, fine you kids win. Obviously there's something there you really need. By any chance, were you three helping him out over there?" He asked, pointing to the sailor across the street. Ness scratched the back of his head.

"Kinda… part of our lie is true…" He said.

"His wife hasn't come back to him yet, he told us if we could get her back, he'd let us ride in his boat," I told him. The man nodded.

"Alright alright, I see… magic cake lady. Let me get the number, I'll be right back," he said, leaving the door open. It was then that Paula high-fived the both of us, though Ness's mind seemed to be somewhere else.

"What are you looking at, Ness?" I asked, as he took a step inside his house without permission. He was looking at a framed picture, right on the wall. His eyes were wide.

"… That's a picture of him and Everdred…" Ness said. The two of us took this by surprise as I looked at the framed photo. Though the picture's color was faded, Everdred was grinning, with an arm slung over the man's shoulder, both of them holding an enormous crab. It made me wonder even further… was Everdred dead or did he live? Would we ever know?

"Have you seen my brother?" He asked walking back up to us with a pass in hand. Ness spun around in surprise.

"Umm…"

"Haven't seen him in three years… I wonder what the bastard is up to these days…" He said. I frowned.

"You two didn't get along?" I asked.

"Nah, he's a great brother… he just lives life differently than I. While I ended up settling down, he ended up traveling everywhere. He told me, he said, once I gain that special treasure that was stolen from us all those years ago, I'll bring it back and we'll live a care-free life. That was his dream… though I don't know if that's the case anymore," He said. Ness frowned.

"I see..." He said. The man scratched his back.

"Well here's the pass you three. I'm giving this to you three now, I don't need it. I made reservations for you three today at anytime, go ahead and go there right now if you wish. Thanks for getting that off my hands, hope you find your gal," He said.

"No, thank you," Paula said in return as we exited his abode and walked down to the Stoic Club.

---

The suit case that my father had mysteriously given me was starting to tug on my shoulder painfully. I wanted to ask Ness and Paula if we could pause for a small break.

"Hey, can we stop for just a moment?" I asked. However, Ness was unresponsive as he dug into his pocket for his receiver phone which was ringing.

"Hello?" A small pause. Ness frowned, as he darted his eyes towards mine.

"Yeah... he's here..." He said. I cocked my head in confusion. Just who was trying to contact me now? I took the phone from him, and brought it to my ear slowly.

"Hello?" However, the other line remained silent. I paused for a bit, waiting for a response, but there was nothing.

"Hello? Who is this?" I asked again. Still... no one replied. It wasn't long after that when I said hello again, in question as I could have sworn I heard an anonymous murmur on the other line, though I couldn't decipher it one bit. The call eventually hung up as I was greeted by the empty line's buzzing ring.

"No one replied..." I said. Ness frowned.

"That's strange... I don't know, the person sounded kind of young. I don't know who it could have been..." He said. Someone young? Who was young that knew the number to the receiver phone that wanted to talk to me?

"Do you think they'd call back again?" Paula asked. I sighed, putting the phone in my coat pocket and picking up my small- but slightly heavy suit case.

"I'll keep it with me for now... just in case if they decide to call back..."

---

In all its glory, the reservation and the pass let the three of us into the club room when we entered the Stoic building. What came to my mind instantly was- what kind of club was this?

In fact, when we entered the club room, it was pretty quiet for the most part. There were many people scattered about, talking among each other. Some people would sit and drink glasses of I could have sworn was just iceless water, and other would look up and marvel at a simple boulder on display. Ness, Paula and I just stood by the wall, looking around for any clues whatsoever.

"So… what now?" Paula asked.

"I don't know… I don't know what to do. Is a show going to come on or something?" Ness asked out loud. A man, carrying glasses of water on a tray passed us by.

"You three new members I see? The show already started. Go talk to members and philosophize with others. You might find some interesting things out. Water for you two gentlemen and young lady?" He asked. All of us took a glass.

"I don't know anything about philosophy… I thought this was going to be a dumb fan club of some kind…" Ness moped. I looked around the room.

"I read a little bit on Socrates when I was in school… personally I'm really not into philosophy… it's a waste of time to me," I told them, as I knew a few people in the room gave me appalling looks. I didn't really care, honestly.

"What's Socrates?" He asked.

"Who's Socrates?" Another person said, walking up to us. "What did he do? Was Socrates a he? What did he have to do to make his name still escape our lips to this day?" He said. The three of us looked at each other.

"So all we do in this club is pretty much ask questions?" I asked. The man hummed as he took a sip of his glass.

"Is that not why you joined this club? Care to question everything that is questionable?" He asked. Paula sighed.

"I guess so," Paula said. This would be difficult.

"Okay, may I ask if there's a woman in this room that makes magic cake?" I asked. The man smirked.

"Is there only one woman?" He asked.

"Is there only one person that can make magic cake in this room?" Ness asked.

"Is this even a room, or is it just an illusion?" The man replied. I growled.

"I'm pretty sure that; in truthful reality, that we are standing in a room," I stated. The man smirked. I didn't like how he did either…

"May you put that suit case of yours up on that table?" He asked. I cocked my head, slowly putting the suit case my father gave to me on the table.

"There are many questions surrounding that suitcase," He told me. I frowned. I was sure at this point that Ness and Paula went to go investigate for the magic cake lady.

"There are many questions surrounding you," I replied. He smiled.

"Do you know what's in that suitcase young man?" I frowned to myself.

" No… and it's none of your business," I replied. The man hummed.

"Precisely, is there anything in that suit case?" This man was starting to tick me off.

"Yet again, it's none of your business," I said, claiming the suit case and walking away.

"Why do you rage away?" I heard him ask. God I hated philosophy…

When I found Ness and Paula once more, they were already speaking to a middle aged, slightly plump woman dressed in a tropical skirt and top and a flower decorated her wavy blond hair. She seemed to be in deep thought as she spoke to them

"You know… I think, even just by looking at both of your fresh faces I feel better and alive. I think I have discovered who I really am now. A lot of these people are pretty hard core about philosophy, but really I think for someone like me, it's just good to come where it's quiet to think things over and explore your own self being. Sometimes, it's really hard… it was hard for me at first too, sometimes at first glance you really can't stand to see the real you, it burns. But keep trying, and I promise you two, yourself is your hardest challenge, and if you can get past that, nothing can stop you," She said. So I'm guessing that you two kids are interested in philosophy," She said. Ness and Paula looked at each other. Ness winked down at Paula.

"Actually… we were hoping to try some of your magic cake," Ness said.

"Yeah, I heard that yours was the best in the world," Paula mentioned. The lady had a surprised look cross her features.

"My… magic cake? Where did you hear that?" She asked. "… You really came to this club just to try my magic cake?" She asked, smiling slightly, as if she was touched. I caught up to them as the lady spotted me.

"Yes of course! We've been hearing it all over the city, even outside of it; you have the best magic cake!" Paula smiled. The young woman smiled.

"Oh… well I haven't heard this news in such a long time. Oh… this makes me happy that someone wants to try it. Very well, I'll make you kids some! But I have to go back to my stand outside on the beach; it's where I concentrate best! I'll go there and make it right away! Come with me!" She smiled happily, escorting us outside of the god forsaken philosopher pit.

---

It figured along the way that all she could talk about was her magic cake. The only one that really responded to her was Paula. She was almost like Tracy I thought, always talking… I think I was burnt out by that time. Soon enough we got to the special stand, where she would do her magic. Why was it called magic cake in the first place? What was so magical about it?

"This shouldn't take too long," She smiled, humming to herself as she messed with her appliances. In the meantime, I sighed, looking out to the sea again. Why was I looking at it so much recently?

"Well this is good!" Paula smiled. I frowned.

"Yeah but… how is this going to help us at all?" I said. Ness shrugged. Paula seemed really positive about the whole thing.

"Who knows, maybe the cake will do some sort of magic for us," Paula replied. I groaned.

"There's no such thing as magic Paula, it's all a fluke," I replied. Paula frowned.

"Then call it lucky cake. Whatever, if she can get her stand going again and if she takes to her husband, then everything will work out, and we can make way to Scaraba," Ness whispered. And as soon as he said that, the woman made a sound of success. When our eyes peered over, there it was in all of its glory, in pink frosting with green and purple sprinkles and a few fruit decorating the top.

"This is a special magic cake, I put in some of the leftover ingredients I imported from Scaraba," She said slicing us each a piece.

We all received our pieces of cake, and when I looked at the white cake itself, there were small specs of god knew what, but the cake smelled fresh and delicious. Ness and Paula were already digging into their pieces. When I brought the spork to my mouth, my taste buds tingled at the buttermilk, sweet creamy sensation that was magic cake. I hadn't had actual cake… in a long time. Yet again, if ever outside of school…

"I'm going back to my husband now, I hope you enjoy your cake, tell me how it is!" She smiled before locking up and leaving her stand.

"It's really good so far!" Paula told her as she walked away. "Thank you so much!"

"No, thank you!" She replied, leaving us.

---

When I finished my cake, all I wanted to do was stare out into the ocean. It was getting late, though not too late I guessed, only later afternoon. Paula was already lying down on the sand nonetheless, looking up into the sky. I wasn't sure why we were just sitting here… but I was rather enjoying it.

"Hey Jeff?" Ness asked.

"Yeah?"

"You keep looking out into the ocean, is something on your mind?" He asked. I frowned, looking down.

"Not really…" I replied. It was then that a couple walked by us, I had spotted them before from afar. I was surprised when one of them said something.

"Hey, did you kids really eat some magic cake?" He asked with a hint of humor behind his voice. Ness and I looked at each other.

"Yeah… why?" Ness asked. The few of them started laughing amongst themselves.

"Hahaha, good luck," He said as they walked away. Ness and I exchanged confused glances. When Ness took another step, he wobbled.

"Hey Paula, are you ready to go?" Ness asked. However, Paula was already content, closing her eyes and swaying her head.

"Just… let me rest my eyes dad…" She said. Was she sleeping? When Ness took another step, he held his forehead. What was happening?

"Ness…?" I asked. Ness groaned.

"Jeff… something isn't right…" He said, shaking before taking a nasty tumble on the ground. My eyes widened.

"Ness!" I said, trying to rush over to him, only to take a nasty tumble myself, right next to him. My glasses fell off in the process. Oh god…

My sight was literally spinning. My heart started to race. I closed my eyes tightly, grasping what must have been the sand, but at the time it felt like watery grass. My stomach turned. My chest felt heavy. I took in slow deep breaths. Nothing helped.

"Ness… Paula…" I tried mumbling before all I could do was lay there until my mind blanked out…

---

I forgot the date,

It's kind of hard to remember the dates to these old worn days. I can only remember that it was a normal school day for me that morning, and I was always too grouchy to get up in the morning. Or was it more than that this time?

"Pokey… Pokey… Pokey… Po…oo…k..-"

?

"Pookey… Pookeeypokeypokeypokeypokeypokeypokeypokeypokeypokeypokeypokeypokeypok-"

"Porky, time to wake up. Don't let your mother wait forever," Our old man would knock, almost violently on the door before walking down the stairs to work. I was shaken out of my dream in a cold sweat. It was the first time it ever happened…

I wasn't sure why, but that's how I often woke up to my days afterwards, shaking violently after hearing in my head, what seemed to be the an anonymous voice of a child, whispering to me my own name until I was woken out of my reverie. I would always look around my room, messy, covered in candy wrappers, dirty laundry, old comic books and action figures, video games that were outdated but I still played. My interests never really roamed to outdoor activity like most kids my age.

I would slowly get out of bed, just to shake my head.

Then once my day started, it would go on as if nothing had ever happened…