One night, Karol comes home extremely drunk and fumbles all around the place. Artemis, who happens to be downstairs getting a glass of water from the fridge's water dispenser, notices this and turns towards her in his sky-blue footie pajamas with little clouds all over them while he holds his plush rabbit. Karol continues to fumble around and say weird things that Artemis can't understand clearly.

Artemis: *Aow you okay, miss house wady?*

Karol: "I yai yai… Oh, would you…" *Yawn* "Time…?"

Artemis: *I can't tewh time…*

Karol: "Oh… Fffffffff…"

Karol plops down on the couch and falls asleep. Artemis walks over to her and stares at her sleeping for a moment. He then leaves the room and pulls something out of the nearby closet. It's a big blanket, which Artemis uses to cover up the majority of his adoptive Mother's body. This makes her smile in her sleep as she smacks her lips. Artemis smiles a little before yawning. He starts to turn away from the owl before she grabs onto him in her sleep, which shocks him with fear at first, but he doesn't hesitate being pulled into her grasp. She holds onto him like a teddy bear while mumbling something unintelligible.

This is the first time his own Mother has shown any affection towards him, so Artemis wasn't gonna back out of this sudden opportunity. He smiles and cuddles up with her while holding onto mister rabbit.

The next morning, Karol slowly wakes up to find Artemis drooling on her. She shivers in disgust before screaming. This wakes up everyone in the house and especially Artemis, who starts panicking. Bruno jolts out of his room in only boxers to see what the commotion is all about.

Bruno: "WHAT'S GOING ON!? WHAT HAPPENED!?"

Karol: "Get this thing… OFF OF ME! NOW!"

Bruno looks down at the now shivering Artemis before picking him up slowly.

Bruno: "He just wants to show you affection!"

Karol: "And I don't want his affection! He's not even my kid!"

Bruno: "THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS SHOW YOUR OWN CHILDREN SOME SORT OF LOVE, YOU CARELESS NIGHTSTALKER!"

Artemis starts to vibrate violently in his adoptive Father's arms.

Artemis: "D-Dada…? C-Can yo-ou put me d-d-down…? Pweeeaaasse…?"

Bruno: "Sure…"

Bruno slowly sets Artemis on the ground, who sits there with the most amount of tears in his eyes he's ever had. His face goes red and all his major facial muscles shift around to show how unhappy he is. That's when Cameron walks downstairs.

Cameron: "Hey, is everything o-"

Artemis lets out the most blood curdling scream in his entire life at that point, practically deafening his family.

It was that day forward where something inside of Artemis broke. Mentally. He's since become distant from other children and adults and has gained a habit of randomly tearing up and having random emotional episodes. For the next few years, Bruno was unsure what could be the reason behind this. Yes, his wife definitely had something to do with it, but there was something else. Bruno decided enough was enough and took Artemis to his local doctor. After evaluation, the doctor said that he doesn't seem to be suffering from anything aside from slight trauma. At first, the doctor thought it was ASD, but he found that there's no real way that could be possible.

After asking what Bruno thought could've caused the trauma, he said that his wife simply yelled at his son and that was it. He should've said more, but he didn't. A fool he was for not saying anything more about his wife… How could he? He can't just bring up the fact that she's probably cheating on him, right? How would that fit in? Either way, the doctor suggested therapy as long as someone he trusts is there in the background for the first half. The opportunity was shot down for a while because of time restraints and whatnot. For instance, who would watch Cameron while Bruno and Artemis were gone? Most certainly not his Mother, that drunkard bitchass. And a babysitter is out of the question because that costs money. The weekends aren't open either, which means it would have to be a right-out-of-school thing. Despite stopping taking the bus to school and just driving Artemis and Cameron there, that'll still interfere with things like Bruno's job.

Bruno works as a carpenter and a painter. No, not a real painter. He just paints wood. Bruno was the one who designed his house and built it himself with the help of other professional builders. Unfortunately he's the only one who has a job in his house. I think you can assume why that might be the case here. Back to the mention of Artemis' trauma, the doctor also suggested a very light dose of medicine that helps fight trauma. All Bruno has to do is put a little bit of it into whatever Artemis' drinking and have him gulp it down. That idea doesn't make Bruno comfortable, so he passes it down. Unfortunately that seems to be everything the doctor suggests. Either he takes something or he takes nothing. And he chose the last option.

This was gonna be rough for Bruno, that's for sure.

—

Cameron knocks on Artemis' door.

Cameron: "Arty? You wanna come and play outside?"

Artemis: "N-No Thank You, Cam. I'm drawing right now"

Cameron: "Oh, c'mon. You're always in your room drawing! Why don't you come outside and play like a normal kid?"

Artemis says nothing.

Cameron: "What happened to you, little bro? You used to be so happy, but now you're always keeping yourself locked up in your room after school. You only come down for meals and snacks without saying anything… I miss you, Artemis… I really do…"

Cameron falls to his knees and starts tearing up quietly in front of it. A few moments later, the seven year old fennec opens his door wearing a white t-shirt and jean shorts tearing up as well, holding his favorite stuffed rabbit.

Artemis: "I miss you too, big bro…"

Artemis hugs his brother tightly. Cameron hugs back softly. His Dad says he shouldn't hold onto his adopted brother very tight because that could trigger something inside him. So badly does Cameron want to express his absolute love towards his brother, but he holds back because of his Dad's words.

The two run around in their backyard and have a good time. Artemis realizes how much fun this all was back when he wasn't traumatic. He laughs and squeals as a normal kid his age should. He jumps onto his big brother, who falls over softly into the grass and laughs even harder. However, this fun is cut short when the two hear slightly older voices to Artemis'.

"Hey look! It's the weird kid! Hey weird kid! How's it been?"

The two look up to see two class bullies hanging near their fence. One human, one Mobian. Cameron and Artemis stand up.

Cameron: "Don't you two brats have homework to do?"

Kid (Human): "Don't you? You're older than us. Shouldn't you have a lot of homework?"

Kid (Mobian): "Yeah. Also, is he holding a plush rabbit? Awww, that's so cute!"

Artemis hides behind his brother.

Cameron: "Back off! He's different!"

Kid (Mobian): "Look! The weird kid's hiding! What a loser!"

Artemis starts to tear up.

Cameron: *Just stay behind me, Arty. I won't let these guys pick on you* "Get away from our house, you creeps!"

Kid (Human): "Sure. Just wait until we tell the whole class about how much of a baby your brother is! Ha, ha!"

And just like that, Artemis completely breaks and starts screaming as loud as he can, deafening Cameron and the two bullies, who all cover their ears.

Cameron: "ARTY, STOOOOOP!"

Kid (Mobian): "MY EARS!"

Kid (Human): "THAT SOOOOUUUUND!"

Just then, Bruno runs out and brings Artemis close to his chest.

Bruno: "Artemis! ARTEMIS! Dad's here, Dad's here! Calm down! CALM DOWN, PLEASE!"

Artemis starts to scream less and less before he's basically passed out. Without saying a word, Bruno takes the fennec inside.

Kid (Human): "Hey… W-We didn't mean all that…"

Cameron: "Go… Away…"

Karol steps outside and yells at the two kids.

Karol: "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU MIDGETS DOING NEAR MY PROPERTY!?"

Kid (Mobian): "IT'S THE WITCH! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"

"Witch" was a term given to Karol by most children in the area, after one neighbor described Karol as being a bitch, to where their kid assumed they meant "witch", which is suitable regardless. Karol is known to the children as "The Wicked Witch of The West-Pointed Tree", as their house is directed west on the compass. Cameron doesn't say a word and walks back into his house. Later, Cameron explains what happened to his Father, who then grounded his son for not asking permission first. This was the first time in a long time since Cameron was punished for something. The young owl sits in his room, upset that he's grounded. He's mad at himself for not thinking through what he was doing before. He then hears a light knock at his door. He knows exactly who that is.

Cameron: "I can't talk to you right now, Artemis. I'm grounded"

Artemis: "Dad said I can see you… Is that okay?"

Cameron gets off his bed and opens the door. Artemis stands there with a piece of paper in his hand before presenting it to his older brother. It's a drawing of the both of them under a rainbow in the middle of a bunch of flowers with trees, birds, clouds and a white rabbit, which Cameron assumes is supposed to be mister rabbit incarnate. Cameron can't help but smile at this.

Artemis: "It's for you"

Cameron: "Thank You, Arty. It looks wonderful"

Cam then notices something about his little brother. He isn't holding mister rabbit.

Cameron: "W-Where's mister rabbit?"

Artemis: "He's sleeping in my room. He's had a long day"

The innocence in little Arty's imagination makes Cameron want to cry, but he holds back his tears.

Cameron: "Come in"

Artemis walks into Cam's room and sits on his bed.

Artemis: "I'm sorry for getting you in trouble, Cam. I shouldn't have screamed…"

Cameron: "I forgive you, Arty"

Artemis: "I don't like it when I do that… But it always happens… Am I broken?"

Cameron: "Broken? No… Of course not! How can you be broken? You're not a robot or anything like that"

Artemis: "Sometimes I feel like I'm a robot… I don't wanna be a robot…"

Cameron: "And you aren't a robot. You're a kid like me, silly!"

Artemis starts to tear up.

Cameron: "What's wrong…?"

Artemis: "C-Cam… If I was a robot… W-Would you still love me? Would Dad still love me?"

Cameron: "Of course we would! Why would you ever say that?"

Artemis: "I'm not brave… I'm not strong… I always cry and scream… If I was a robot, I wouldn't do those things, but being a robot sounds so scary…"

Cameron: "I promise you that you'll never… EVER become a robot, Artemis. And even if you did become one, that wouldn't change a thing"

Arty corresses his big brother in a hug. Cam carefully hugs his brother back before all quiet tear drops are shed.

—

Bruno, Cam and Arty have dinner one night. They're eating chicken, vegetables and starchy products. Overall, it's a good meal and everyone's having a good time. That is until SHE comes home… This time, surprisingly, she's not drunk, but slightly wobbly. She still sports that stupid brown leather overcoat as always. Everyone ignores her, especially Artemis, who tries his hardest to eat in peace. He sweats at the thought of that woman even coming an inch near him.

Karol: "Not even a "hello"?"

Bruno: "Hi, Karol. You're late for dinner again"

Karol: "I was busy, Bruno. Ever heard of being busy?"

Bruno: (I swear, I could rip your head off right here, right now…)

Karol: "Answer me!"

Bruno: "I'm PLENTY busy, Karol. I actually provide for my kids and this house while you're out partying with your friends"

Bruno's lying about that last part, but Karol seems to buy it (what an idiot).

Karol: "Keep feeding yourself lies, and keep feeding that little gremlin over there too while you're at it! Stuff him up like a pig!"

Karol points towards Artemis, who stops eating and thinks to himself. Is Karol an actual witch like the kids say? Has he been living with a witch all this time? I mean, technically yes, but not THAT kind of witch… Right…? Ideas scatter in the little man's brain and it hurts to think about. Bruno slams his fists on the table in a fit of anger, which startles both Cam and Arty, making them look up. Bruno stands up and shows dominance over his wife, which doesn't seem to bother her all that much.

Bruno: "HOW ABOUT YOU STUFF YOURSELF AND TURN YOURSELF INTO THANKSGIVING DINNER, YOU BIG FAT TURKEY!"

Karol: "Turkey!? Bruno Don Langstrom! If there's ANYTHING I am, it's NOT a turkey! And I'm not fat! How about we take this to the bedroom and compare our own bodies!?"

For a split second, Bruno gets a little excited. She's obviously pointing at the idea of having "happy time" with him, which they haven't had in a long time. Only once after Cameron turned two. And it was after when Cam turned three that things started going downhill completely. If Bruno's theories are actually true, then he doesn't wanna put his love stick in between meat curtains that have been ravaged by other men. The concept alone completely disgusts Bruno.

Bruno: "WIth you!? How insulting!"

Karol gets even more triggered.

Karol: "YOU'VE WASTED YOUR LIFE WITH THAT THING OVER THERE, AND FOR WHAT!? TO LOVE HIM!? HE'S ADO-!" *Mmph!*

Bruno covers Karol's mouth in an attempt to silence her from spitting out the truth. Cameron rushes over towards his little brother and drags him away from the table.

Cameron: "Dinner's over, Arty. Let's go upstairs…"

Artemis wants to question why, but his mind is immediately changed when he glances at Karol for a split second. Once the two are upstairs, Bruno lets go of his wife, who then hits him across the face really hard, bruising his cheek.

Karol: "And I'll be taking your bedroom for the night too!"

Karol walks past her husband and goes into their bedroom before locking it behind her. Bruno feels his injury and sighs before walking upstairs, defeated. Thankfully, he can still talk. Just the outside of his cheek is bruised. He goes up to Cam's door and knocks on it.

Bruno: "Cam? Are you in there?"

Cameron: "So is Arty"

Bruno: "Listen… Dad's gonna sleep up here tonight, okay?"

Artemis: "Okay"

The innocent sounding voice of Artemis makes Bruno wanna break down in tears, but he refuses. The adult owl walks over towards the couch and lays down before closing his eyes. Cameron opens his door and both him and Artemis step out quietly. Cam grabs his spare blanket and with the help of his little brother, the two toss the blanket on top of their Father gently, covering the top of his torso and leaving his head out.

The next day, Bruno wakes up on the same couch and finds the blanket on him and he smiles when he feels it. The kindness out of both his sons' hearts truly made that moment worth it to wake up to. It's a Saturday, which means the two are probably already doing things at the moment. His assumptions are correct when he goes downstairs to see Cam pouring milk into Arty's bowl full of cereal. The little fennec turns and looks up at Bruno and gives a small warm smile. Bruno smiles back before he heads over to the coffee machine on the countertop.

Bruno: "How did you two sleep last night?"

Cameron and Artemis: "Good"

Bruno: "That's good"

Bruno starts up the coffee machine before he hears his bedroom door open. The three Mobians all slowly turn towards the sound and see a teary eyed Karol stumble out of the room. They're all confused as to why she's crying in the first place, but they ignore it and go back doing their own thing.

Karol: "I hope you're… FUCKING happy…"

Karol leaves the house.

Bruno: "Cameron, you know well enough not to say that word… Artemis? Don't say that funny word either. Ever. It's a bad word"

Artemis: "Is it a funny word or a bad word?"

Cameron: "It's a bad word, Arty. That's what he meant"

Artemis: "Bad words scare me…"

Bruno snorts a laugh before checking his coffee.

Bruno: "So… You two have plans today?"

Artemis: "I see blood"

Bruno stops and turns around.

Bruno: "Excuse me?"

Artemis: "There's blood on the floor where the witch was"

Bruno walks over to where Artemis is now pointing.

Bruno: "Arty, just because those kids at school say the house woman is a witch doesn't me-"

The owl then sees what Artemis' talking about. There's a droplet of blood on the ground where Karol was walking.

Bruno: "Oh… Oh my…"

Bruno crouches over and examines the blood.

Artemis: "Does she need to go to the doctor?"

Bruno: "No, I'm sure it's nothing…"

Bruno doesn't believe this is period blood. He believes this is blood from Karol being stretched out even further from deflowerment. He can only imagine how that went over, but personally, he doesn't want to. Bruno gets a paper towel and sops up the blood droplet.

—

Karol walks through the cold streets in the forbidden area in town, where prostitutes and desperate men hang around. She eyes around for any men she hasn't had her way with yet, only to find none.

Karol: "Chaos! How can I find anyone I haven't flavored with yet? It's been two hours!"

"Did you say… Favor?"

Karol turns around and sees a shadow of someone peeking out from an alleyway.

Karol: "Yeah~ You think you can help?~"

Karol starts to undress herself before the shadow yells out.

"STOP! NOT THAT KIND OF FAVOR! I wouldn't trust myself near anyone who wants their way with me. The amount of STDs that go around here make me lose faith in people like you"

The owl gets offended as she dresses herself back up.

Karol: "Are you assuming I have STDs?"

"Yes. Very much so"

Karol: "How rude… I'll be taking my business elsewhere…"

"WAIT! You still haven't heard my proposition!"

Karol: "And what could that be, genius?"

"Genius? I appreciate your compliment, madam"

Karol: "It wasn't a compliment. Get on with it!"

"I apologize. Now, I assume you must be in a loveless relationship, no?"

Karol: *Pfft!* "My man at home is SO small compared to the beasts out here!"

Wow… What a whore…* "Uh, I mean, so you're in a loveless relationship is what you're saying"

Karol: "Yeah, sure. What does it matter to you?"

"Do you happen to have any kids?"

Karol: "Yeah. I don't care about them though. ESPECIALLY this one kid I was forced to adopt? Ugh! He is the WORST! He sickens me to the core! I could just squeeze the life out of that little fucker! Those beady eyes he gives off… Everytime he looks at me, I just wanna stomp on him until he's a blue and red stain! And worst of all? He's one of the biggest crybabies I've had the misfortune of knowing! He always cries! He's like seven! Grow the fuck up for Chaos sake! I would do ANYTHING to get rid of him!"

The shadow laughs under his breath in a menacing tone.

"Well… Sounds like quite the handful you got there. Y'know, I could arrange a little deal with you if you wanted"

Karol: "What do you mean…?"

"I can take your little troublemaker for you… And in return, I'll get you anything you want. Money, jewelry, you name it, and I deliver"

The mention of jewelry gets Karol tensed up.

Karol: "Jewelry you say…? And real jewelry, not that fake shit on TV"

"I can assure you that I can get real jewelry. Just tell me what you're looking for"

Karol: "I've only known you for a minute and I already like you~ Are you sure you don't wanna… Y'know?~"

"Yes, yes, I'm VERY sure! I would rather get injected in the testicles with a rusty heroin needle before having them removed than have my way with anyone! And that's that!"

Karol: "Oh… I see… Well… Good talk…"

Karol is about to leave after getting turned down, but the idea of getting rid of Artemis comes back to her. A wicked grin forms on her face that only a witch would have.

Karol: "Buuuuuuut… I'll consider your offer. How can we keep in contact?"

"Here's my card"

The figure flings a piece of paper in such a way that ends up perfectly at the feet of Karol. She picks it up and it reads it. As soon as she looks up back at the shadow, he's gone.

Karol: "I'll call you one of these days. You've earned yourself a not-so-secret-admirer~"

That same night, Artemis has a horrible nightmare about him and Cameron getting locked up in cages in a house made of candy. The owner of the home is none other than Karol herself, portrayed as an actual witch. Both him and Cam shiver in terror as they watch the witch stir in a cauldron while cackling. She then takes a taste of the liquid inside.

Karol (Witch in Dream): "Mm-MM! This stew is gonna taste good when I drop you both in!"

Karol turns around to face the kids, and my GOD does she look hideous! Her face is almost malformed and she has warts all over her face, one standing out among the rest under her lower eyelid. Arty has to hide his face because of how scary and gross Karol looks.

Karol: "Starting with YOU, MY PRETTY!"

Karol opens up Cameron's cage and grabs him by the back of his shirt collar. He screeches at the top of his lungs and tries to fight his way out of the monster's grasp. Seeing this go down, Arty screams for his big brother.

Karol (Witch in Dream): "Keep squirming, little chicken! You'll only TASTE better with the amount of fear you produce! Owls like you make a DEEE-LICIOUS substitute for the average poultry! Now GET IN!"

Karol dunks Cameron into the boiling water multiple times violently, somehow not destroying her own skin. Everytime the young owl bobs up, he's seen more blistered and melted to the point where you can see his skin and flesh peeling off his bones. Arty throws up at the sight of it as his big brother's screams eventually die out. The water continues to boil as Karol wipes sweat from her forehead.

Karol (Witch in Dream): "Now then…"

Karol turns her gaze at Artemis and speaks in a raspy and cracky voice

Karol (Witch in Dream): "…Your turn…"

Karol immediately opens the cage and pulls Artemis out by the front of his shirt.

Karol (Witch in Dream): "Oh, gross! LOOK WHAT YOU DID!"

Karol's referring to Arty throwing up in the cage and on his clothes.

Karol (Witch in Dream): "I can't have that filth ruin my meal! Here! Hold still!"

Karol violently takes off Arty's shirt and pants, leaving him cold and more afraid as he's then lifted by his neck and over the cauldron. He weeps, he kicks, he tries everything he can to break out of the witch's grasp. She cackles evilly at the expense of Artemis' struggle.

Karol (Witch in Dream): "I can tell you're the snotty little kin of your family… They won't miss you!"

Karol immediately dunks Arty into the horrible flesh stew and starts to feel his skin melt off, which is when he wakes up screaming at the top of his lungs in a puddle of sweat forming on his bed; mixed in with a stain of piss he produced in fear while he was having that nightmare. Soon, Bruno makes an entrance into Arty's room to calm him down. Artemis can't make a cohesive sentence on what happened and he certainly can't make sense of his surroundings at first aside from the comfort of his Father. Bruno takes the liberty in cleaning up Artemis' sheets and lets him sleep in his room for the rest of the night.

—

Summertime is here and everyone is having a good time soaking up the sunlight. The Langstrom family gets ready to pack up for the beach while Kit stares out the window.

Cameron: "Don't stare out there for too long or your eyes will burn out from the sun"

Bruno: "Don't scare him, Cam. Just don't look at the sun too long is what he means"

Artemis: "I don't wanna go…"

Cameron: "What? Why?"

Artemis: "Because… She's going…"

Bruno: "You can ignore her, Arty. She's just gonna be suntanning anyway"

Karol then walks into the room wearing a red microkini, which makes Cameron look away in disgust.

Karol: "Can we get going here? I wanna work on my tan!"

If Karol wasn't such a hag, Bruno would've let her revealing bathing suit slide, but even he's a little mortified by the idea of her wearing a microkini.

Bruno: "You are NOT going out looking like that!"

Karol: "Why? Because 'it's not appropriate'?"

Bruno: "Very much so…"

Karol: "You're so oversensitive about how I look. I thought men didn't care about revealing clothing"

And again, that would be true if Karol wasn't such a bitch. Bruno used to be all for Karol wearing skimpy outfits, but his maturity and Karol's shady personality made those thoughts disappear.

Bruno: "Maybe if you were a little more open minded about your surroundings, then I'd let this slide"

Karol: "My body, my choice"

A deep pit in Bruno's stomach opens up. It's true she can do whatever she wants with her body, but the circumstances that Bruno believes she's putting herself through is why the pit even appeared to begin with. Karol puts on her shades and walks outside swaying back and forth slowly to make herself look more revealing. Bruno honestly just wants to cry at this point, but he doesn't let himself. Artemis glances over at Karol before looking away quickly. For a split second he thought she went nude, but it's just the strings on her back that give off that impression.

Once Karol enters the vehicle parked outside, she yelps in pain before getting out of the car, which catches the three boys' attention. It turns out that the seats were heated by the sun for too long and no towels were put over the seats for protection. The three start to snicker under their breath before Karol enters back into the house.

Karol: "WHAT'S WITH THAT SMILE!?"

Bruno: *N-Nothing…*

Artemis can't hold it in any longer and he starts to laugh uncontrollably, which Karol gets angry at.

Karol: "YOUUUU!"

Bruno: "Hey, hey! Calm down! He's just a kid! I'll get some towels and cover the seats, capiche?"

Karol: "UGH!"

Now in high spirits, Artemis is just as excited as Cameron is going to the beach once they arrive and run on the sand.

Bruno: "Wait for us, boys!"

Karol: "I'd like some peace and quiet if you don't mind. I'll be alienating myself"

Bruno: "Fine"

Karol steps out of the car and grabs her stuff before walking to a big empty spot in the middle of the beach and sets things up. Bruno on the other hand follows his kids, who start playing in the sand. The grown owl looks over at his wife from a far distance and thinks to himself.

Bruno: (I hope you get hookworms if there's any in the sand you're near when you stand up…)

Cameron: "Dad! How do you make sturdy sand again?"

Bruno: "Get water in your bucket before scooping up the sand into it!"

Cameron: "Okay!"

Bruno decides it's a good idea to watch his kids instead of worrying about what his wife does. As he watches his kids play around, his mind starts to block out sounds one-by-one. First is his kids' laughter and enjoyment, next is the sounds of the other people on the beach, then the seagulls, and eventually the water. At first it doesn't confuse him, but then he starts to look mindlessly at his wife, who's talking with other men by the looks of it. Echos of gibberish play out in his head before he hears the sounds of something nasty and wet. He starts to see his wife undress herself and so do the other men, all down to nothing. The bare men cover his wife as they groan and take deep breaths. Smacks of spit and kisses echo in his mind before he hears moans of pleasure coming from his wife. His eyes grow and vibrate as the echoing gets louder and louder and more and more suggestive. He can practically hear his wife begging for more before she starts screaming.

That screaming is replaced by the joyous screaming of Cameron, which snaps him out of his delusion. Nothing happened. His wife was clearly just sunbathing and he was imagining her getting fucked by other men.

Cameron: "Dad! Dad! Look what Arty's doing!"

Bruno: "H-Huh? Wha-?"

Bruno sees Artemis in the water paddling like a feral dog.

Bruno: "Oh CHAOS! ARTEMIS!"

Artemis: "Look, Dad! I can swim! See?"

Bruno: "What the… He IS swimming… How is he-?"

Cameron: "I dunno, but he's doing a good job at it"

Artemis swims around in circles before paddling back to shore and shaking his body.

Bruno: "Arty, don't swim without my permission, okay?"

Artemis: "Why?"

Bruno: "Because it's dangerous to swim alone like that. I didn't know you could swim, and if you didn't know, you could've drowned!"

Artemis: "Oh…"

Artemis looks down in shame, but Bruno assures his adopted son that it's okay by patting him on the head.

Bruno: "Just ask me next time, little man. Now go back and play around, but not in the water"

Arty nods and goes back to play with his brother. Bruno continues to sit there and watch his kids have fun. Weird things start to form in Bruno's head that change his overall perspective of what he's looking at. Not in a bad way, but just odd stuff. For instance, the sky turns lime green and the water turns purple. The sun turns blue and the clouds turn pink. It's quite the spectacle to behold. He hears the whistling of a nonexistent boat play a soothing melody, which is unheard of regarding actual boats. Suddenly, he hears a phone ringing. Not his phone, but an older one. He looks around to see where it's coming from, which is right in front of his talons. He moves them aside to reveal an old black rotary phone, to which he picks up.

Bruno: "I'm not going crazy, am I?"

Voice: "Nope. The only thing that's crazy about you is that you're still hanging out with that hag of a woman. You gotta find out how to let go of her. You know you don't love her and neither do your kids want her around. Especially the blue one"

Bruno: "How am I supposed to do that without any concrete evidence?"

Voice: "You could hire a secret photographer and have them follow her around"

Bruno: "No, that wouldn't be ethical… Why would you even suggest that?"

Voice: "Son, that's what we all did back then"

Bruno: "But is it right?"

Voice: "I suppose expenses will get in the way"

Bruno: "Listen, spending time with my kids is the only thing that's helping me from going completely insane from that woman, alright? I think that's all that matters"

Voice: "I'm afraid for you, Bruno. You AND your kids… Especially your blue tyke. I foresee an untimely demise regarding him…"

Bruno: "What do you mean? … Hello? … Hello?"

The voice stops speaking and Bruno hangs up before he looks up at his kids. The perspective has gone back to normal and when Bruno looks down and the phone, it's not there anymore.

Bruno: *I AM going crazy…*

"Hey, big boy!"

Bruno looks up to see his wife standing there with her hands on her hips and shades still on. Bruno feels a little bit aroused by his wife; not only because she's standing there provocatively for his attention, but also because she called him "big boy", which was a name she gave him when they started dating in college when Bruno was slightly more jacked than he is now. Bruno can still remember the red feather over in her feathery hair that made her look bloomful, but now that same red feather droops and covers one of her eyes, as if this was how you could tell she fell from grace. It almost feels like that feather drops lower and lower every day.

Bruno: "W-What…?"

Karol: "Some perverts won't let me do my tan properly. I'm heading back to the car"

Bruno's surprised. Maybe her supposive antics are strictly a night owl thing, no pun intended. Either way, it gives Bruno false hope that maybe, just maybe, his assumptions are incorrect and she's just out partying with friends and having free beers.

—

That same day (now night), Karol's about to head out before Bruno stops her.

Bruno: "H-Hey! Don't leave!"

Karol: "Why not…?"

Karol gives off a menacing attitude.

Bruno: "There's no reason to leave, is there…?"

Karol doesn't want to raise any suspicion, so she lets go of the doorknob.

Karol: "I suppose… I was gonna get a drink… Yeah, that's all…"

Bruno: "We have beer in the fridge. Would you like some?"

Karol just looks at Bruno.

The female owl takes a swig in bed and cringes at the taste.

Karol: "Oh… CHAOS no…" *Ech!*

Bruno: "What's wrong?"

Karol: "This alcohol is nasty! What is this?"

Bruno: "Rolling Rock?"

Karol: "ROLLING ROCK!? THIS IS DISGUSTING!"

Bruno: "Hey, quiet down, the kids are sleeping!"

Karol: "Why should I care?"

Bruno: "This is why"

Before Bruno has the chance for second thoughts, he grabs the back of Karol's head and brings her in for a deep passionate kiss. This startles Karol at first, but then she starts to get into it. So much in fact that she pins down Bruno to the bed and hugs him while continuing to passionately make out. When the alcohol kicks in, things become more saucy and the two take things further for about two hours. After that, Karol falls asleep and Bruno's left with the answers he needed. The loosening is what confirms Bruno's suspicion and he's deeply distraught by the truth. Bruno sits up against the bed and starts to silently weep. How could this be? Why is this reality? How could he be so stupid?

None of these questions would be answered. Bruno's now completely done with his wife and will never talk to her again, even if she still lives with him. And that's exactly what happened. For the next year, Bruno never spoke a peep to his wife and neither did his kids speak to her. She didn't mind this of course because why would she mind? She's a fucking whore. That's all there is to say.

—

Today marks Arty's eighth birthday. And this birthday is one that'll never be forgotten. Bruno made absolutely sure that his wife would stay out of this and not ruin everything. A party involving that woman? Get the frick outta here with that! Either way, this was one of the biggest celebrations Arty's had in a long time. Sure his other birthdays were great and all, but this one had everything! Balloons, dizzy dangers, "Happy Birthday!" banners, games, ribbons, confetti, and just party decorations out the wazoo! Artemis couldn't be more happy with this. He's given his own special birthday hat with his name on it and everything. The day is spent quite well with mostly playing old party games like pin the tail on the donkey, which is Winnie the Pooh themed in this case with Eeyore.

The three have dinner of choice by Artemis before it's time to sing "Happy Birthday" and blow out candles. Bruno lights the tipped wax sticks before he and Cameron sing.

Bruno and Cameron: "Ha-ppy Birth-day to yoouuu… Ha-ppy Birth-day TO yoouuu… Ha-ppy BIRTH-day to Art-e-miiiiss… Ha-ppy Birth-day tooo yoouuu!"

Artemis claps while his older brother hugs him.

Bruno: "Make a wish, Artemis!"

Artemis wishes and inhales deeply…

…Then BAM!

The front door opens aggressively and it's no surprise who's standing there. It's Karol. The woman looks around in horror at what she sees as a mess. She came home early and must've heard joy coming from the inside which prompted her to open the door so violently.

Karol: "W-W-W-Wh-Wh-Wha-Wha-Wha… WHAT THE FUCK!?"

For the first time in a year, Bruno speaks to his wife and approaches her.

Bruno: "LEAVE! YOU'RE NOT RUINING THIS FOR MY FAMILY!"

Karol: "LOOK AT THIS MESS! ALL OF THIS! FOR WHAT!?"

Bruno: "IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE CLEANING IT UP, WOMAN! BE HAPPY!"

Karol looks at one of the birthday banners, which features Arty's name on it. She then looks at Artemis with the most ungodly amount of hatred she's ever had for the little guy.

Karol: "YOOOUUUUU!"

Karol pushes Bruno out of the way and stomps towards Artemis, to which Cameron protects his brother in response. Before Karol can get her mitts on the fennec, she steps on one of Cameron's toy cars and slips. With slight effects of alcohol in her system, she fumbles all over the place, getting caught in streamers, popping balloons on the floor with her talons, just practically cartoonish stuff. And finally, if it couldn't get more humiliating, it all ends in a SPLAT! As she dives face first in a pan of cupcakes. Everyone's silent except for Artemis, who starts laughing the hardest he's ever laughed in his life. Karol slowly picks up her face now covered in frosting and pastry sponge as all the moments of Artemis pissing her off come back to remind her how much she hates the fennec.

The constant crying when he was a baby, the affection he tried to show to her, the screaming, the cute behavior, everything. She's become completely fed up with being in the presence of Arty that without saying a word, she tears up and runs out of the house and slams the door.

Bruno: "Well… That was… Odd…"

Cameron: "Artemis seems to be having a kick out of it"

Artemis continues to laugh to the point where he can't produce any laughing noises, so he begins laughing internally. This makes Bruno happy regardless. At least his birthday wasn't ruined. Things can only get more swell from here…

…Or can it…?

—

It's been a week since Arty's eighth birthday now and something really concerning has come up. Bruno gets a call from the school district that Artemis has gone… Missing! The teacher on the other end panics as she tells Bruno what happened. Apparently he just vanished during recess time, as no one was keeping an eye on him at the time. Bruno begins to panic as well, as he picks up Cameron early and tells him the news. Cam starts to panic next before his Father tells him everything's gonna be okay. They end up at the police station and Bruno enters the building still hyperventilating. In an incohesive state of mind, he's unable to speak properly to the point of him sounding like a feral bird squawking. After calming down from help by the police, he's asked what's wrong, to which he now cohesively states that his kid has gone missing.

With that, and a description to go off of, the police start their search for the missing Artemis. Meanwhile back at home, Bruno decides that Cameron would not be attending school for the next week or so in fear of losing him too. All Cameron can do is weep and cry about his missing brother he loves so dearly. Cameron's just scared that Artemis would never come back, while Bruno is absolutely chilled to the bone about how the little fennec got lost to begin with. Bruno has a few theories. One; Artemis found an opening he could fit through and wandered away out of curiosity. That honestly shouldn't be too surprising since Arty's known for interacting with things that he shouldn't be. Two; Artemis was kidnapped in such a way that didn't draw any suspicion whatsoever. That would be a maybe. Three; a mix of the two. Artemis found his way out and was picked up off the streets by a stranger. Bruno just hopes that his kid didn't go missing via a stranger and just wandered off somewhere.

That last idea would slowly become less and less credible as time went on. For the first time in a long time, Bruno would become depressed. First he loses all faith in his wife, then his adopted son goes missing. Cameron assures his Father that Arty will turn up, just like how things always do. That's what Bruno used to tell Cam and Artemis back when they lost stuff. Especially the time Arty lost mister rabbit. He was crying for days, only to find out he was hiding in the dryer. But there's no crying over things like having a living person going missing, because that's reasonably sad and scary.

Ten days later, the police end up empty handed and apologize to Bruno for not being able to find him. It was at that point where Bruno lost it all. He didn't know what to do now. If the police couldn't find him in a ten day search, that means that… Oh God… Artemis is gone… Forever…?

A few days after the police stopped searching, Bruno was an even more depressed sack of shit. He didn't feel like doing anything except eat, sleep and keep his first son close whenever he had the opportunity. Cameron was still crying at this point in time as well.

But then one day… SHE came home…

Karol bursts through the door laughing like a spoiled woman. The last thing Bruno wants to hear is his bitch wife, but something's different. Without looking, he can hear the sounds of trinkets clattering against each other. He turns around and is shocked to see what Karol's wearing. Jewelry! Tons and tons of jewelry! Bruno's sunken attitude suddenly becomes the fiery rage of Hell as he looks at her looking like a pimp's side hoe. Bruno approaches his wife and grabs onto her shirt before bringing her close.

Karol: "What's wrong, big boy?~ Don't like these jewels?~"

Bruno: "And where did you get those from? Your affairs you've been going out with this entire relationship!? My savings!?"

Karol: "Oh, so you've finally figured out that I've been cheating on you?"

Bruno: "I've suspected for a long ass time, woman…"

Cameron in the room hides behind the corner in the hall.

Karol: *Tch!* "You're pathetic! So many better options I should've chosen back in college…"

Bruno: "Damn you, slut! NOW WHERE DID YOU GET THAT JEWELRY FROM!? YOU AFFAIRS OR MY SAVINGS!?"

Karol: "Neither, but it does have something to do with… Well… I'm sure you haven't seen him in quite some time"

Bruno's eyes widen as tears start to fall from his sockets. His vision goes blurry as he speaks his youngest's name.

Bruno: "Ar-Artemis…?"

Karol: "Artemis? Hmmm… Artemis… Why does that ring a bell? Oh! You mean that useless blue mutt? Yeah, I gave him away to some platypus guy. Forgot his name. Very charming fellow though"

Bruno's grip tightens.

Bruno: "I swear I will KILL YOU!"

Cameron steps out teary eyed as well and yells at his Dad to stop before he actually follows up on what he's doing. Bruno pushes his wife aside and scoops up his son before heading out to the car and speeding off.

Karol: "HEY! YOU SHOULD BE THANKING ME! I GOT RID OF A PROBLEM!"

It starts to rain as Bruno drives to the police station. His son is bawling his eyes out while Bruno's head starts to mess with him again. The rain droplets turn into blood and the sky turns crimson. Thunder cracks and the lightning forms into a devilish face. Bruno can hear the cackling of a witch in the back of his mind, which sounds eerily similar to his wife's laughter. The radio turns on to an unknown station and whatever's playing on the other end is unintelligible at best.

Radio: "_ _O_ YOU _OM_TH_G BA_ _OU_ _N _ _M!"

The weird visions stop as Bruno arrives at the station.

—

Investigator Aeron Ray: "I'll hand this over to the higher authorities here and have them take a look at this. Now if you'll excuse me-"

Bruno: "W-Wait!"

The investigator looks at Bruno.

Bruno: "Th-Thank You… So much…"

Aeron smiles.

Investigator Aeron Ray: "No problem, Bruno"

The investigator leaves the room and steps into a private office, where figures casted in darkness are held, with only a single light bulb emanating above the table.

Investigator Aeron Ray: "I apologize for dragging you professionals into this, but my suspicions from before might be coming down to who I initially pointed towards as being the main culprit behind this trafficking scheme…"

Aeron takes out a photograph and tosses it perfectly on the table. The photo shows the infamous Dr. Starline running away into the shadows from being spotted with a flashlight. The figures all look down on it and one of them picks it up, revealing a human arm in the light covered with tactical gear. The one that picked it up speaks through what's confirmed to be a helmet built in with a radio, which makes their voice sound all crackly.

"Dr. Starline, huh?"

Investigator Aeron Ray: "He's the only person I can think of that fits in this equation"

Another one speaks in the same crackly electronic tone.

"Why would Dr. Starline start a trafficking ring?"

Investigator Aeron Ray: "Until we get more answers out of Mrs. Langstrom, our work here isn't done"

The figures look at each other before standing up.

"You can count on us, mister Ray"

The figures leave the room one by one. Aeron looks at the arm tags of the men. 'G.U.N' they all read.

—

Report File 2A119, Artemis Langstrom (Ongoing Investigation)

Two weeks ago, eight year old Artemis Langstrom went missing under the assumption of trafficking. The seller was confirmed to be Mrs. Karol Langstrom and the buyer are suspected of being Dr. Starline, former henchman of Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, who helped create the Zombot pandemic that happened many years ago. Starline has been missing for years now and his motives are still currently unknown aside from speculation.

Mrs. Langstrom was taken in for confirmation as she wouldn't give a straight answer. She was later sentenced to fifteen years behind bars with the chance of parole, as she doesn't seem to be all mentally there. She became divorced with her husband, Mr. Bruno Langstrom before being sent away to the county state prison.

Investigator Aeron Ray has taken it upon himself to search for Artemis Langstrom with the help of The Guardian Units of Nations.

—

The fennec stands almost lifeless inside a bubbling stasis cell with tubes and wires attached to him all over his body and a mechanical mask stuck to his mouth and nose feeding him oxygen. There's another cell right beside him with another being inside, but cannot be seen clearly because of a shadow enveloping all around it. The only real thing notable about this other organism is that it's taller and has rectangular ears pointing up. The sounds of shoes clacking against the floor can be heard from a nearby hallway, and that same shadow Karol once saw becomes apparent. The shadow becomes smaller before it's revealed that the man behind it all was none other than Dr. Starline himself, in the flesh. Unsurprising.

The mad doctor walks past his experiments, eyeballing them for a quick moment before sitting at his computer. He logs into his own network with the clattering of the keys echoing. He clicks on a contact and calls them. A moment later, someone picks up. The person is casted in darkness and has a voice modulator, making their voice sound very deep.

"What do you want?"

Dr. Starline: "A 'hello' would've been nice"

"Don't tempt me, doc. I'm busy right now"

Dr. Starline: "I just wanted to show you something you might find interesting"

"Go on…"

Dr. Starline: "I've recently started experimentation on two individuals. I'm creating something that not even Eggman could rival to"

"And what could that be?"

Dr. Starline: "I'll send over some documents riggghht… Now!"

The platypus sends over digitized documentation of both Artemis and the other person, who turns out to be a tenrec. These 3D gridded body models on screen show some sort of structure inside them while in a t-pose fashion.

"You're gonna have to explain this to me, because personally, this looks like mumbo-jumbo"

Dr. Starline: "They're cyborgs!"

"Cyborgs you say? Now THAT'S unheard of!"

Dr. Starline: "I'll fill you in on the details later…"

Starline closes out of the models.

Dr. Starline: "…Now, we're close colleagues, no? I was wondering if you'd like to invest in this expensive endeavor"

"Ooo… I like the idea of cyborgs, but… How much do you want exactly?"

Dr. Starline: "Five-hundred million dollars"

"FIVE-HUNDRED MILLION!? ARE YOU FUCKING OUT OF YOU MIND!?"

Dr. Starline: "Ah, ah, ah! Let me explain something to you. If you give me half a billion dollars, I will sell you them for one billion dollars once my use for them is depleted. I don't believe I can make more than these two either way. It's as expensive as it can get. Now, remember! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! You could be holding onto something more powerful than a nuclear weapon! So what do you say? Would you like to fund my projects?"

"Hmm… Do I want to fund my dear friend's projects that could also give me supreme power to do whatever I so wish in the future? Or do I pass it down? Hmmm… HMMMMMMM… Oh what the Hell? Of COURSE I'll take the offer! It's a deal, Dr. Starline!"

Dr. Starline: "Yes! I promise I won't let you down!"

"Sending you half a billion dollars now! Check your personal bank!"

The platypus opens up his personal bank all to himself on his computer and checks his balance. Minusing what he had before, he does indeed have five-hundred million dollars. He tilts his glasses in shock at the amount of money he was given before going back to his normal posture.

Dr. Starline: "It's a pleasure doing business with you. I promise you that this money will not be wasted. Not a single dime"

"Goooooood… Goooooood…"

The shadowy figure starts to laugh evilly, which in turn makes Starline laugh the same way. He takes off his glasses and lets it all out. As the two laugh, lightning cracks from the window above. Arty's eyes start to open up as he hears his name being called out…

"Kit"

"Kiiiiit…?"

"Hey! Drippy!"

—

Kitsunami: "Huh! Wha…?"

Surge scritches the top of Kit's head, which makes him smile.

Surge: "You daydreamin' in there? You're missing out on the New Year's party!"

Kit looks around to see most of his friends, family and allies talking with each other.

Kitsunami: "I… Wasn't… Daydreaming… Sorry…"

Surge: "Hey… Is everything okay…?"

Surge presents her little brother a cup of punch.

Kitsunami: "Yeah…"

Kit takes the cup and takes a sip.

Kitsunami: "Not really…"

Surge: "What's wrong?"

Kitsunami: "I… Actually don't know… I feel like I'm forgetting something…"

Surge: "Well if you forgot, then it probably wasn't important"

Kitsunami: "No, it's not that… It's in the back of my head, but I can't remember… I do feel like it's important though…"

Surge: "You know what's important right now?"

Kitsunami: "What?"

Surge: "That the COUNTDOWN'S BEGINNING! C'MON! WE CAN'T MISS THIS!"

Kitsunami: "OH, RIGHT!"

Everyone starts counting down and both Surge and Kit make it at the seven second mark.

Everyone: "-Seven! Six! Five! Four! THREE! TWO! ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Most of everyone goes wild over this. Surge picks up her little brother and sways him back and forth while hugging him.

Shadow: "Surge, let go of your brother. You know he gets sick when he's dizzy"

Surge: "Oops. Sorry… I got too excited"

Kitsunami: "It's fine…" *BLGH!*

Scourge walks in and shoulders Shadow.

Scourge: "Hey, y'know what shitty thing this reminds me of?"

Shadow: *Sigh* "The time you went 'Super' and took out all of us-"

Scourge and Shadow: "-And then went back to normal after Sonic called out on the stupidity of power"

Scourge: "YEEEEAAAHHH! YOU STILL REMEMBER!"

Shadow: "I swear, I could punch you into the stratosphere…"

Scourge: "You said you wanted some punch?"

Scourge dumps his cup over Shadow's head, to which he growls angrily.

Surge: *GASP!* "BABE!"

Scourge: "I'll see you at home, sugarplum!"

Scourge bolts off and so does Shadow. Sonic catching this action takes this as an excuse to leave.

Sonic: "Finally! Some real fun! I'll catch you guys later!"

Amy Rose: "SONIC WAIT!"

And with that, Sonic leaves as well.

Amy Rose: "UGH! He always DOES this!"

Amy takes out her Piko Piko Hammer and smashes the nearest table.

Surge: "Oh boy… Things are about to get ugly… Maybe we should leave…?"

Kitsunami: "Ohhhh… What was that…? Sorry… I puked…"

Surge: "That's gross, Kit! Who's gonna clean that up?"

Kitsunami: "Whoever owns this place I guess… Ugh… Let's go… I've had enough partying…"

Surge: "Not like you were partying to begin with, but yeah, let's go"

Surge and Kit leave the premise while Amy continues to destroy shit. Now it's quiet. The chirping of crickets sooth the fennec and so does the moonlight.

Kitsunami: "Ahhhh… Much better… Hold… Me…"

Kit falls to his knees out of weakness from throwing up everything he had that day, which wasn't much.

Surge: "C'mooonn… Stand up"

The tenrec picks up her little brother and starts helping him walk. Kit starts to feel his mind coming back, but that doesn't help his walking.

Kitsunami: "What year is it now again…?"

Surge: "Two-thousand and twenty-five"

Kitsunami: "Wow… How long has it been since we've had a year with the word 'five' in it…?"

Surge: "I… Oh wow, you're actually right… That's crazy"

Kitsunami: "You know what else is crazy? The fact we're still in constant danger…"

Surge stays silent for a moment.

Surge: "Yeah… That's true… Don't think about it too hard"

"OOO-O-R WHaT!? The trouble i-i-i-i-S only just starting up aggggggggg-ain!"

Surge immediately turns around to see… Him…

Surge: "Oh for the love of- CAN YOU JUST GIVE ME AND MY FAMILY A BREAK FOR ONCE!?"

[The End]