"Good morning! It's a school day again so we are waking up early again!" Johnson announced. Ball jolted up. She didn't want Johnson to see Rocky. She looked around the room to see where he might be, but he wasn't anywhere in plain view, "Why is this chair over here?"

"Uh, I wanted to push it around for fun," She said. It wasn't a very believable lie.

"Ok uh, get your bag on and meet me downstairs. David will be waiting again," The scientist said.

David is back already?

Ball started looking around her room for anywhere Rocky could be. It didn't take her long to find him. He was under her bed snoozing.

"Rocky! Rocky!" She hissed.

"Oh…?" Deep in the far corner he woke up.

"Come out here," Ball pointed to the floor next to her. Rocky walked out.

Ball was having trouble wondering what to do with him. Johnson was almost always around her, so it would become increasingly difficult to hide him. Ball went over to her backpack, and started taking out some notebooks.

He is Oscar's rock. It's only right for me to return it to him.

She put the unzipped bag on.

"Get in the bag!" Ball commanded. Rocky didn't hesitate to jump in. He then zipped the bag up.

"Ooo! Gummies!" He said.

"Do not eat those! They are sickness inducing!"

"Oh,"

"I would also highly recommend you do not speak until I say it is ok!"

Rocky didn't respond. He was trying to get back to sleep, "Good, this should go smoothly if we both stick to the plan. I will be taking you to your new home. All you have to do is wait!"

Ball went downstairs to meet with Johnson and David once again.

On the walk to school Ball couldn't help but talk about all that she did the night before.

"It was the craziest thing that I had ever seen! I wonder if they were objects too!" She said.

"Didn't you say they killed your dad? Are you sure it wasn't just a dream," David said, sceptical. To him it sounded like another Josie-tale.

"Nonsense! I have never once drempt. Besides, I have evidence for my endeavours. When I got into the locked door I synthesized Rocky! He is currently in my backpack. I am going to surprise Oscar with him,"

"Wait really? Are you sure it's alive in there?" David became interested again.

"Definitely. He even spoke to me. Lifeless things do not speak," Ball said.

"Lifeless things also do not eat. Yet here you are living without food, and breathing without lungs. You really should start to research your biology. Aren't you curious about how you exist at all?"

"I never really thought about it. Maybe I should get into figuring out more about myself,"

"Well, I'm sure you're the only one who can prefect that research. I myself am curious to know, but only if you're comfortable. I don't want to intrude on your space if you are uncomfortable,"

"Why would I be uncomfortable?" Ball looked ahead as she walked.

"Well, uh... uh," David tried to think about how Ball would be uncomfortable at a doctor's visit, but she was naked normally, and it didn't bother her at all. She didn't even mind when others poked or pet her. They didn't even need to ask, She didn't care!

I guess being an experiment is also like a never-ending doctors visit. They probably look over her every single day to make sure she doesn't break something or fall ill.

"Nevermind," David said finally, "Can I actually see Rocky? I wanna know what he's looking like."

"Mmm, we would have to be alone. I do not want anybody to know that he was ever created. I made a deal with Johnson not to disobey him or tell of his secrets! I am… afraid he might hurt me if he figured out what I have done," Ball said.

"Hurt you!? What makes you think that? Did he threaten you?" David showed concern. They were right in front of the school now, but the conversation had them paused outside.

"I'm not too sure anymore. Something about you not being there the next time I fall into the lake," She awaited his response.

"Well that doesn't sound very good. I would call it a death threat but everyone says those around here. It doesn't mean he actually means it, but if he does than you should really start to question his authority over you," David said.

"Question his authority?"

"Yeah! Fight the power! But just always remember the consequences for what you do when you go up against authority. Is it really good for you? Like, school here for example. It's unfair, long, boring, and dangerous. I can disagree with my authority: the school, and drop out. But then I wouldn't have a higher education and I would have a major disadvantage in finding high paying jobs. Is it really worth It? I'd say no, because I don't have any sort of plan to get good work without going to college first.

But with you, it's kind of a different story. If I were you I would try to make reforms in your authority so you feel more comfortable. But if they continue to threaten you than you might wanna consider your mortality. If it's so easy to make another, live object… thing… then who's to say they won't kill you and make another one? And even if they bring you back to life... somehow, they still would've hurt you enough to kill you. And who's to say they won't do it again,"

"Hmm. I do not want to die," Ball said solemnly.

"Most of us don't. It's a part of being alive. You just always have to figure out why," They approched campus.

"Why what?"

"Why to live. The reason for living. And also to avoid death," David said. He opened the door to the school, and Ball walked into the crowded hall.

"How do you figure out that? The reason to live?" Ball asked him as she walked deeper in the school. She was trying to find an empty space that wasn't awkward to stand in.

"Eh, it's an abstract concept. For me I hope to just be a successful, comfortable human being. Doing work I like. I said it before, but you yourself probably doesn't have to work that hard to live comfortably," David looked around at everyone before looking down at Ball again.
"Yeah yeah...people want to see me. But hey! What about other objects?" Ball said.

"What do you mean. Uh, I guess other objects would be the same too. Unless they make like a sub society where all objects are equal and have to actually get jobs," David said.

"I have returned," Dora said, she had seemingly appeared behind them.

"Oh... hello Nelly," David sighed.

"It's, Dora… Heard you had a bad day yesterday Ball. Don't worry about it though. I got you covered. Bad day is coming," Dora said eerily.

"What does she mean?" Ball asked David instead of directly asking Dora.

"There's a bad day once a month to punish people that Nelly doesn't like or her club thingy doesn't like," David said ignoring Dora.

"There is good day too! And there is also super good day and super bad day," Dora explained.

"The supers are once a school year," David explained further. He was crossing his arms trying to be the expert of the conversation.

"Ya know most of this stuff is supposed to be secret," Dora hissed.

"Because nobody knows who locked Agren in the freezer last year for assaulting people with man made snowballs he kept in his own freezer," David said monotone.

"We do not admit to doing any and or all ironic punishments or-"

"Yeah yeah yeah. You literally just told us about super good day and super bad day. Oh 'it's a secret!' Something that's not a secret is your flip flopping," David said.

Dora rolled her eyes.

"Dora! Would you happen to know where Oscar is? I have a surprise I would like to give him," Ball announced.

"A surprise? Mind me asking what it is?" Dora was automatically curious, but acted laidback.

"We would have to be alone," Ball said.

"Oh, I know how to do that!" Dora took out an elevator key from her pocket.

Down. The elevator didn't stop as soon as David had expected. He would've panicked, but instead the door opened to a pitch black hallway. The elevator being the only source of light "... What is this place?" David asked.

"Oh, it's just the school basement. Nobody actually uses this place," Dora winked to no-one in particular, "Apparently it was supposed to be a nuclear shelter,"

The elevator door closed leaving the 3 in the dark. Dora turned her phone flashlight on. David followed in suit.

"So Ball. Uh, take out the thing," David said. His flashlight was unsteady.

Ball took her bag off and unzipped the zipper.

"Rocky! Rocky wake up!" Ball tapped his head with a foot. Dora could already tell what was happening as soon as Ball said 'Rocky'.

"Oh? Oh hey! Hello Ball!" Rocky said slowly. He started to look around from out of the bag.

"Aaaaaaah!" Dora could not contain herself, "Oh Oscar would absolutely adore this! We need to plan the whole thing for him. It'll be his special treat!" Dora said.

"Can't we just give it to him?" David asked.

"We could, or we could surprise his with it! Hmm. We could try to get him into the nurse's office with no nurse, and then we could jump out from the desk with it. But it would have to be by the end of the day. In the meantime we can try to take some opportunities to make his day better now,"

"Like in skipping class? No thanks I choose life. Ball, you can go with Nelly if you like, but I have to go to class. What do ya say?" David said.

"I think I will go with her. When will I see you again?" Ball asked. Rocky was out of the bag and looking around.

"I think Nelly can get you back to me by 8th period. Don't get caught doing whatever you're doing," David said, "Uh, can you open the elevator?"

"Wait! I also have something for both of you," Ball went over to her backpack and took out 2 bags of gummies, "They are just for you two. Nobody else," Ball said.

"Why aren't we allowed to share?" David asked.

"Because! It is only for you two. If you give it to anyone else bad things will occur!" She tried to keep it vague yet serious.

"Well I wasn't going to give this to anyone else, anyway," Dora took a bag and began to open it. David looked at her, and then back at Ball.

"Why aren't we allowed to give it to anybody else?" He asked again.

"Ooh I know that one!" Rocky said. He was finally paying attention to the conversation.

"Rocky this is none of your concern!" Ball said.

"Well it definitely is mine. Rocky why can't we give these to anybody else?" David asked.

"It makes people sick!" Rocky said happily.

"Is that true?!" David sharply turned.

"No!" Ball denied.

"Hold up! hold up! David you're being too angst. How do you expect her to react when you just accuse? And Ball you're already out of the bag so just spill the beans. Ok you can go ahead," Dora said still eating the gummies.

"It does not make you sick... It makes other people sick," Ball said.

"Yeah but why? What are in these?!" David asked.

"It is called activator… it was given to Johnson by the space prisms. Johnson wanted to experiment on you 2 so he told me to give you some everyday," Ball said.

David put his hand on his chin and began to pace around, thinking. Rocky looked up at him ignorantly.

"Wait what?" Dora was still genuinely carefree.

"Please do not tell anyone! Johnson will kill me if he knows that I told you!"

The phrase 'kill me' struck a chord with David.

This wasn't her will. She was just listening to her mad scientist dad guy.

"Ok! How about this. I will eat these gummies...but you have to have no secrets with me anymore. I want to know all about these aliens. I want to know about Rocky, I want to know about you. One question though, will I die if I eat these?" David held up the gummies and pointed to them.

"You would have already died if it was deadly to you. This is not your first dose," Ball said calmer than before. David sighed.

"As a living thing I plan not to die before my time y'know. If these gummies kill me then you will be guilty of my death,"

"Pfft, We're all gonna die," Dora said.

"Eventually," David commented.

"Wait, we will?! How do you know!?" Ball didn't know about people's times limits. The bell rang, so David had to go. Dora opened the elevator door (which did not actually need a key to open) to which David entered and left.