"What should we tell the principal to get him to agree with us?" Ball asked as they walked down the hall. Some students clearing out refused to look at her.

"Let me take the lead on that. I know how to handle these types of things. Trust me, he'll be impressed that we even decided to show up. All you have to do is follow what I say,"

"Like repeat?"

"No, more like just… agree with me. It gives more weight to my argument since you are the victim of the issue. I don't think you'll have any trouble though. It's sorta like a presentation," David said.

"Good to know,"

They arrived in front of the office door.

"Oh, and always speak with respect. We want him to like us so he'll do what we want," David said with one hand on the office door. Ball nodded. David knocked on the door.
Principal Rudd didn't answer. David took a deep breath and opened the door a creek anyway. Rudd was indeed in there. The man was asleep with his face planted in an empty box of donuts.

"Excuse me?! Principal Rudd?" David shouted lightly to try and wake the man up.

"Y e s!" Rudd popped up from the donut box and tried to make himself look presentable.

"Could I have a moment? I have a concern that is really bugging me in school, and if you could listen than that's just all I ask," David said opening the door more.

"Fine, ok, You can come in. Sit down. Oh! You have Ball here too?" Rudd still sounded muffled. He sniffed like he had a cold.

"Yes, she is a part of the issue. You see ever since Ball had gotten to the school she has been dealing with a lot of prejudice and bullying-" David sat down in the chair in front of Rudd's desk.

"Hold on a moment," Principal Rudd turned his desk chair around and put some tissues on his face, but he wasn't blowing his nose. He turned back around to see that Ball was standing on his desk now.

"There is a ring leader among those bullies called Josie Green. Have you heard of her?" David asked him kindly.

"The florist?" Rudd scrunched up his face trying to remember.

"Yes, her family does grow a lot of plants. Famously lemon trees…. Uh Josie Green is the ringleader of all the bullying towards Ball here, and it has come to a point where the students here threaten Ball with…" David stopped when he noticed that Rudd was looking up at the ceiling with his eyes opened wide. Ball followed his gaze but there was nothing there.

"Are you doing fine principal?" Ball asked waving a foot at him.

"Y'know, I'm going to to real with you students for a second. I can't get anything done here because of my daughter. She's recovered very badly from this coma that she had fallen into years back. Although, after the beginning of this school year she's just disappeared into her own doings. I can't even find her! and it just makes me so upset that she's fallen so far from how she was," He turned around in his chair again to wipe up his tears. David looked right into Ball's eyes, which confused her. He then looked back to Rudd.

"I will find your daughter Principal Rudd. Where do you think she might be?" David said.

"I can't, ask of you this David," Rudd said still cleaning up.

"It's a favor. I'm doing it for the school, because if you don't get yourself back together than we might be expecting a murder here," David said more seriously than respectfully.

"A murder!?" Rudd groaned. He turned around in his chair, "People are planning a murder?!"

"Just tell me how to find your daughter Mr. Rudd," David said bluntly.

"Ok…" Rudd went over to his computer and slowly typed up something.

"What are you doing!" Ball hiss-whispered at David.

"I'm making connections. Rudd will like us a lot more if we were to at least try, and find his daughter. He'll have a lot of favors due to us in the future. He'll owe us because of what we did for him. I think we can look for her tomorrow. We have to at least try. For the school,"

"Hmm. Ok. For the school," Ball said. She was ready to go with this new plan. David made a lot of sense.

Rudd printed out a piece of paper and handed it to David.

"I highlighted the path you have to take. It's right over to her house," It was a map from satellite.

"Thank you for letting me do this for your Mr. Rudd. Could I ask what your daughter's name is?" David said folding up the paper and putting it in his pocket.

Mr. Rudd sighed.

"On her dire request, I was told by her never to speak her name again. It's weird and stupid but she especially requested that you don't know,"

"Me?" David was surprised on how it could be so specific. Rudd went over to an alphabetized filing cabinet.

"Should I be saying something?" Ball asked David quietly.

"No, I'm doing great. Just let me finish up," David said quietly back.

Rudd turned around to show a little paper file on David. It had words scribbled all over it.

"Gray one,"

"So sad,"

"Nonhuman companion"

"Zap zap!"

"Glug glug,"

"DO NOT LET HIM KNOW MY NAME,"

"Gray... one?" David read aloud in confusion.

"Yeah I don't know what any of this means. I always worry about her," Rudd put the profile back, "She wrote 'glug glug' on almost every student's profile, and I have no idea why,"

"Thank you for your time Mr. Rudd," David said getting up.

"Yes, thank you," Ball said hopping off the desk.

"Your welcome I guess. This is between us remember! I'll get into a lot of trouble if this gets out," Rudd sighed.

"I understand completely," David left the room and kept the door open just enough for Ball to get by. When she did leave the David shut the door quietly.

"We are going to search tomorrow yes?" Ball asked him.

"Yes. We'll walk there, even though it's kinda far," David said looking at the map.

"How far?"

"Like Oscar's house far," Oscar lived in a suburb southwest of the main city.

"That is not so bad. We can not assume that progress will be made if not for a little difficulty," Ball said.

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress," David said.

"Yes," Ball said.

"...Let's go home,"

That night Ball was sitting in the computer room of the science center while Johnson spoke to his fellow people of science.

"We can not waste any time on this, so I expect you all to be working diligently till at least midnight,"

"But Johnson! We don't even understand these equations! Why do you need us to create this ridiculous TV provider in the first place!?" A frustrated woman asked. She gestured with the prompt paper she was given.

"It's top secret. I will help you all with them, but we all know science is very difficult. You all just have to understand that it is impossibly important that this TV provider will be created. No more complaints! This is the real stuff. I promise that this will be rewarded heavily," Johnson said.

The scientists sighed, and began to clear out.

"Johnson," Ball started.

"Yes?" Johnson turned around to face her.

"I need to speak with you," Ball continued.

"About what?"

"There is this girl in school who spreads rumors about me. I would like the prisms help the scare her into not talking about me again," Ball said. She sat stiffly, but spoke confidently.

Johnson chuckled, and then began to laugh.

"Oo that sounds like fun! We should call it operation Shh! I can get a hold of them. How long has this girl been bullying you?" Johnson said energetically.

"Most of my time at school," Ball said.

"Oh wow. You really should've told me sooner. What a plan! You know I also ask the aliens for help sometimes. It's how I was able to make you," Johnson said.

"...Why did you make me Johnson? What is there to gain from me being alive anyway?" Ball stood up in her chair. Johnson chuckled again.

"Hmm. Uh, I don't know. You do not have any sort of purpose other than to be alive, and to live. I decided to create you because of the prisms. You aren't all original you know,"
Ball stood up in surprise.
"The prisms told me of certain occurrences of beloved objects coming to life and starting a ruckus around activator leaks. They are considered pests, and are usually killed if found. I was curious, so I wanted to figure out if I could create this type of rare creature," Johnson folded his arms and paced around.

"So I am not really the first!?" Ball didn't like being lied to.

"You aren't the first living object, but you are the first to be tied with a human. That is a big deal," Johnson said.

"As much as you say it to be so I am starting to doubt our similarities-" Ball hissed.

"Oh Ball. I am much more complex than you give me credit for. I didn't start out this way. There's a thing called 'events in your life' and 'age' that change us all. You're just too young to understand. We are both incredibly curious about the things around us, it's just, I've grown to know so much of the common things that I don't ask the questions you do. And with curiosity comes knowledge.

We both are excellent scholars and don't need the help of a calculator. You just need to get into real science is all. You are my experiment, but eventually you will go on to make your own experiments just like I did.

The main thing you never understand is limits. There are none- I can do whatever I want to anyone I want because I'm the authority here! But since you are under my care, here in my labs, I will allow you to accomplish whatever experiment you want! Maybe after that it might be more clear what we have in common. Who are you to tell me who I am anyway?" Johnson stared at her for a moment before relaxing with a sigh, "I will contact the prisms about the issue. You should be preparing for rest. Go to your room,"

Ball got up out of her chair and quietly walked off. She couldn't stop thinking about the objects created by accident up in space. They kill them if they find them, and they probably never bring them back if they are pests. I wish I could meet them, maybe we could have something in common.