"Fore!" Bastian yells as he swings his golf club into the glass piggy bank, which now was shattered into different sized pieces. "Woah," he says to himself in amazement to how much money was actually in the thing. As he was collecting it he heard his dad call his name. He hurried and covered up the mess with his blanket and shoved it underneath the bed. "My driver." Michael says as he sees Bastian holding his golf club. "I was just uh, just practicing my swinging." Bastian says, hoping his dad wouldn't notice any stragglers of glass around.
"The thing about golf…it's an outdoor game." Michael said as a matter of factly before walking away with the stick. Bastian let out a sigh of relief before grabbing all the dollar bills from the pile and stuff them into his backpack. Once he got to school he counted the money with Marley and Lucas, having exactly 63 to spend for his dad's birthday gift. Marley told Bastian she would go shopping with him after school to help him pick something out, which took a turn when Conner broke into his locker and stole his money after hearing him read his combination out loud.
Conner had ended up using the money to bribe a red head kid into selling him his letterman jacket from football, giving it to Fallon and telling her he made it on the team, hoping to impress her for the time being. Fallon has had a huge crush on Conner ever since middle school had started when she met him, she obviously had to play the cool card in front of him to get his attention. Eventually, after her ways of proving herself to him, she got him to say yes to dating her. Since then, they've been seen as the and coolest couple in their grade. Fallon is still always trying to impress Conner and he always tries to impress to her as well, despite already dating each other.
However, things have gotten awkward for Atreyu and Fly girl since she kissed him. Fly girl realized that maybe she was just too excited about the fact that Atreyu somehow managed to save both of their lives despite not knowing how to read or fly correctly. During trying to pull all the weeds and vines off the flying machine where they crashed they both hear a voice, it was in fact the voice of Morla, the ancient and oldest tortoise in Fantasia. Once Atreyu went off to investigate, he was told by the tortoise childlike empresses life was measured in names, and not years, meaning that she needs a new name before time runs out.
When Atreyu asks where to find a new name for the empress, he is told that no one in Fantasia could, and to find out who, he had to head toward the Southern Oracle. Hearing this, him and Fly Girl started heading toward there with the turtles directions.
•••
"Hate to say I told you so, but…I told you so." Lucas said to Bastian as they walked down the staircase. "I put it in my locker, you saw me." Bastian said firmly. "So I'm a witness?" Lucas asked. "Yeah," Bastian said as if it was painfully obvious. "Or a suspect..?" Lucas added to his last statement. "No way." Bastian replied. "What? I had a motive, could use the money, by means I know your combination…" Bastian interrupts him. "You have an alibi, you were in gym class with me!" Bastian said becoming frustrated. Whatever he had any issues Lucas would never take it seriously, and either use the opportunity to geek out or make jokes.
"Sooo we just need to find someone with a motive, and opportunity." Lucas says before suddenly getting cut off by Conner, who pushes past the two. "Coming through!" They both turn around and watch Conner as he keeps walking, the same thought crossing their minds that would have before. "Of course, why didn't this run by us already, Conner would literally go out of his way to steal from you." Bastian groans. "Man," he complains before walking again. "Come on, let's find Marley and figure out a plan to get it back." Bastian nods and they go look for Marley.
"Conner?" Marley asks, the three of them were hanging out at the attic after their last class. "He was right there, at his locker." Lucas informs. "Well then you might as well kiss your money goodbye." Marley says to Bastian and crosses her arms. "You cant just accuse a guy like Conner to steal your money."
"Because if you do, he's just gunna deny it, then pound you." Lucas adds. "And if you're wrong, he's just gunna pound you." Marley adds again. "So what am I supposed to do?" Bastian asks. "Get the principal call the police have them search his locker." Marley says. "And live in fear for the rest of my life?" Bastian asks rhetorically.
Marley sighs and looks at Lucas who looks at Bastian. "You know, you can't just let him walk all over you like that, he's been doing that since we started middle school, you're basically his walk-in doormat." Bastian rolled his eyes, his head leaning against his hand, he knew he was right. "Ok, I'll at least try. I just have to you know, approach with caution."
•••
Meanwhile in the Jungle of Gloab, Atreyu and Fly girl came across these two salesmen; Rip Rowdy and a Weasel, who have their business tent set up in a place only within about a half a mile or so from the Oracle, have found the two and are trying to help Atreyu through their "Heroic Quest Course," which was basically a few riddles to help warm him up for the riddle gate, but being Atreyu hasn't really done much traveling in his fourteen years of life to know much about anywhere else but his village, he hardly knew any of them.
Fly girl just watched, thinking their whole assistance was nothing but rubbish and a waste of time, especially when they started to pull out the superstitious "good luck charms," which were really just a bunch of useless necklaces and a goofy looking jester hat.
Since they really had no other options, they chose to stay at their set up and camp there for the night. Once Fly girl had woken up, she stepped out of the flying machine, calling out for Atreyu, but he was nowhere to be found. He had already headed up to the riddle gate on his own, disregarding anymore favor, except the useless amulets and hat from the salesmen.
When approaching the vicinity, he hesitated at first to walk in front of the sphinx's, but his mind flashed back to all of his encouraging memories from Cairon and the childlike empress, along with the information from Morla the turtle, he started believing he was the right person for the quest, he was starting to believe in himself, and this got him the approval through the sphinx's gaze.
About 10 seconds after the gaze caved Atreyu into the ground, Fly girl rushed down only to find the useless junk lying on the ground, but Atreyu was nowhere to be found.
Atreyu was then taken to a square room. It had no windows, but had thick metal walls with sharp metal rods that were bound to move out and grow closer to him. The only source of light was one centered on a wooden table with a map on top. Atreyu looked at the map helplessly, he still couldn't read it.
•••
Marley was walking in the halls, someone bumped shoulders with her, causing her to accident bump Fallon's who was at her locker. "Hey, yo, watch the leather!" Fallon called out to her. Marley turns around, looking at the Lettermen Conner gave Fallon. "Nice, going out with someone on the team?" She asks sarcastically. "No, Conner gave it to me," Fallon replied.
"Conner? Yeah and uh, where did he get it?" Marley asked. "He joined the team," Fallon replied, like it was the most obvious thing ever. "Football? You don't actually belive that do you?" Marley asked, clearly not buying that Conner would join football. "Listen, you're just jealous cause a guy likes me enough to give me his jacket," Fallon retaliated. "You do believe it!" Marley exclaimed in disbelief and then scoffed.
Fallon closed her locker. "Hey Marley, wait up." She says as she walks over to her. "What do you know about it?" She asked. "Look all I know is that someone stole 63 from Bastian, and now you got a team jacket given to you by a guy who's no team player." Marley explains before walking away. Fallon and Marley weren't friends or anything, but Fallon couldn't help but feel she was right. Hearing this she headed out to the football field to look for the kid that had the jacket first, before hearing a voice behind her. "Heyyy nice jacket!" Conner called out. Fallon turned around. "Yeah, just looking for the poor jerk who actually owns it." She said while slinging the jacket off her shoulder. "What do you mean? I gave it to you, it's yours." Conner replied.
"I checked, there's no first draft for next year's team," she stated. "So what?" Conner asked. "So you bought this jacket."
"For you, I bought it for you because you liked it," Conner argued. "With stolen money?" They were both starting to get irritated now. "Aw who've you been talking too?" Conner asked. "Who do you think??" Fallon yells before slamming the jacket into his hands. Conner didn't really understand why she cared so much that he stole money, but he knew he didn't really have any other choice but to try to get Bastian's money back and return the jacket. Once he did, it turns out the kid already bought 3 cds with the money, bribing him with 13 to take the jacket back and give him the cds.
Later that evening, Bastian heard a knock at his door, it was no other than Conner. Bastian gives a puzzled look. "What are you doing here?" Without warning Conner just welcomes himself in the house and slings his bag over, grabbing the 3 cds out of the front pocket. "Hey sorry to hear about your money, but I got something for you." He then hands him the 3ds.
Bastian looks through them, a dumbfounded expression still in his face. "What am I supposed to do with these? Bastian asked. "They'd make a lovely gift," Conner said simply. Bastian just sighs and holds his arm out to give hand them back to him. "I just want my money back."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Conner informed, with a clear look of lying written on his face. Bastian narrowed his eyes, he knew he was lying, but there was no point in trying to get him to admit it anymore, he knew he wouldn't pay him back. "If you didn't steal my money, then what are you doing here?" Bastian asks skeptically. "I'm just being a nice guy, trying to help out a friend who's dad's got a birthday coming up." Bastian fumbles through the cds again. "This is rap music, he hates rap."
"He can grow, he can learn. Trust me. There's nothing like sharing music tastes to bring a family closer together." Conner says in his most caring sounding voice he can. "Fine…thanks I guess." Bastian mumbles. Conner walks back towards his door. "Oh and uh, if you tell anyone else that I stole your money, your dead meat." Bastian lets out an exasperated sigh and walks Conner to the door. "Wasn't planning on it don't you worry!" He called out to him sarcastically ask Conner started walking outside. Michael's birthday was today, it's not like he really had options now anyway. He then went to bag up the cds and went downtown to Mr. Corianders to start his job there, in hopes he could at least gather up enough money to get his dad a cake.
