《The Miracle Clinic》


 Prologue - A Living Miracle

    What do you think a miracle is?


    For many people, it¡¯s an outcome you could only ever dream of. Something you always wanted to happen, but never did you think that it would actually come to pass.


    For most people, the miracles they want are to be famous, to have tons of money, or to maybe even find love. But for the young Marcus Veridan, what he wanted was far different from anything like that.


    And it was only in a middle school classroom ¨C with the seats and the desks strung all across the floor, with his face bloodied and covered with bruises, with his body lying on the ground, with hopelessness and despair consuming his heart ¨C did he finally get to see his miracle come true.


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    "Why? Why didn''t you just leave?" a defeated Marcus begged, "You have no reason to help me, so why are you still here, Ronnie?!"


    The person he was talking to was his best friend, Ronnie Everst. He was standing in front of Marcus, protecting him from a fellow classmate wielding a metal baseball bat. Despite his legs shaking, despite the blood dripping off his forehead, Ronnie was still standing tall.


    ¡°You¡¯re my friend,¡± Ronnie begins to say, ¡°What other reason do I need besides that?¡±


    As Marcus looked at Ronnie, he no longer just saw his friend.


    No, what he saw instead was nothing short of a living miracle.


    The Miracle Clinic ~ START!

 Chapter 1 - Do You Believe In Miracles? (1)

    Starlight High.


    It¡¯s a school with a long past, many students have walked through these halls before, and many more will in the future. Despite how often it''s changed, one thing that¡¯s stayed the same are students flooding the halls trying to make it to their next class on the first day of school.


    Though, it¡¯s in these halls where we find two people standing by their lockers, chatting with one another. One of them was Ronnie Everst; a black kid with a slightly muscular build, brown eyes, and a duke hairstyle. He¡¯s wearing a blue ripped jean jacket over a red shirt, brown sweatpants, and red converse shoes.


    The other is Marcus Veridan; a white kid with messy brown hair, a very skinny body, and brown eyes. He¡¯s wearing a long-sleeved white t-shirt underneath a black vest jacket, blue jeans, and white sneakers.


    ¡°So lemme get this straight,¡± Ronnie asks curiously, ¡°You, Marcus Veridan, want to start a club?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Marcus says as he rummages through his locker, ¡°Is there an issue with that?¡±


    ¡°No no,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect this from you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I just wanted to start off high school right,¡± Marcus says as he is still searching through his locker, ¡°Though it¡¯ll be nice if we had a president for the club.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve gotta find some way of keeping myself busy,¡± Ronnie reflects.


    Marcus side-eyes him before Ronnie admits, ¡°I was kidding! I was kidding! I was already going to join when you brought it up.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear that,¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°By the way what even is the club about?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Oh! I was thinking we can call it The Paranormal Investigations Club,¡± Marcus suggests.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to workshop that name a bit but I¡¯m certain we¡¯ll have people begging to join the club in no time flat!¡± Ronnie declares as he gives a thumbs-up to Marcus.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC


    A week has gone by, and yet the two friends sit all by themselves at their ¡®club¡¯ meeting. They¡¯re in a classroom both feeling deflated since nobody else showed up. The only other people in the classroom are a teacher, a kid still working on a test, and another student working diligently on some homework.


    "Nobody¡¯s even shown up," Marcus Veridan murmured as he rested his head on his arms, ¡°What was I thinking, this was a stupid idea.¡±


    "Hey don''t worry about it too much man. Who needs other people anyways, it¡¯s just gonna be us against the world" Ronnie began as he looked over toward the teacher, "has anyone seen our flyers Mr. Amnestor?"


    The man Ronnie was looking towards was Aken Amnestor, one of the school¡¯s history teachers. Amnestor has a bit of a stubble on his face, white skin, a chiseled chin, glasses over his tired eyes, is in his mid-40s, and has black hair with some gray patches showing. The teacher is also wearing a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. Mister Amnestor looks up from the papers he was grading and looks toward Ronnie.


    ¡°I¡¯ve handed a few out, but to be frank I don¡¯t think these are really helping your cause,¡± Amnestor states matter-of-factly.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ronnie asks.


    Instead of responding, Mister Amnestor sighs before opening up a drawer in his desk. He reaches into the drawer and grabs a stack of defiled flyers for the club. Ronnie grabs a few at them and starts to read them out loud.


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    ¡°¡®Dumbasses named their club The Normal Investigations¡¯?¡± Ronnie reads before looking at the flyer to see they forgot to add ¡®para¡¯, ¡°Why would I want to join this club when I can get the same thing from Blue¡¯s Clues¡¯! ¡®I don¡¯t like how this is all in Comic Sans, choose a better font¡¯?!¡±


    ¡°I have more of those if you want to see,¡± Amnestor says.


    ¡°No no I¡¯m fine,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°Right Marcus?¡±


    Marcus gives a defeated grin.


    ¡°See we¡¯re fine,¡± Ronnie affirms.


    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t blame anyone for not wanting to be a part of your lil ghost hunt club,¡± the student taking the test says.


    Ronnie & Marcus glance over to the student to see he has white skin, some facial hair starting to grow, and really messy blonde hair that¡¯s covering his eyes. The upperclassman is also wearing a brown button-up jacket over a white t-shirt, blue jeans, a pair of Air Jordans, and a necklace with the word ¡®X¡¯ on it.


    ¡°And who are you?¡± Ronnie groans.


    ¡°The name¡¯s X Locke, but everyone just calls me X,¡± The upperclassman exclaims.


    ¡°That¡¯s your actual name?¡±


    ¡°You got a problem with my name, freshman?


    ¡°Wait, how did you know we were freshmen?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°Because you just told me dumbass,¡± X retorts, ¡°that and you two just have that kind of energy.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the insight,¡± Ronnie groans.


    ¡°But hey, lemme help you real quick,¡± X begins to explain, ¡°The reason nobody wants to join your club is¡­ nobody knows you two or your club. If you want to get some eyes on you, then you gotta do something worthy of getting attention.¡±


    Ronnie & Marcus looked at each other then back at X then back at each other before standing up and walking away.


    "Huh, where are you going?!" X frantically shouted.


    "I don''t want to get advice from a dude who doesn''t know what a haircut is, and besides our club meeting is over," Ronnie said coldly.


    Ronnie & Marcus leave the classroom, shutting the door as they do so, X looks stunned for a bit before Mr. Amnestor clears his throat.


    "You still need to finish your test, Mister Locke," Mr. Amnestor stated.


    X looks back at his test as he continues to try and finish it.


    __________________________


    Later that day, Ronnie & Marcus enter the front room of The Everst Family Home. Stained wood tiles cover the floor and walls of this cozy house. The framed photos, plants, old vinyl record player by the new TV, and furniture all give the place a relaxed vibe to it. The front room the two teens are standing in leads to a living room on the right, a kitchen to the left, and down the hallway is a bedroom, bathroom, and a stairway to upstairs.


    "Mom, I''m home!" Ronnie yells as he goes to set his backpack down by the front door.


    "You better not be setting your bag right in front of the door!" Ronnie''s Mom yells from the kitchen, ¡°I¡¯m tired of tripping over it!¡±


    "I told you I stopped doing that a long time ago!" Ronnie says while picking his backpack up causing Marcus to snicker.


    "Oh, and who is it that you brought home today Mister?" Ronnie''s mom yells from the kitchen.


    Before the two could respond, Ronnie''s mom, Sally Everst, steps out of the kitchen to greet the two. She has black skin with some freckles, green eyes, a few tattoos on her arms, and her hair is in a twist-out style. She¡¯s wearing a black tank top, blue jeans, sandals, and an old varsity jacket tied around her waist. Sally Everst was chewing some gum but spits it out into a nearby trash can as she looks at Marcus coldly.


    "Misses Everst," Marcus says coldly as he nods at her.


    "Marcus Veridan," Sally Everst replies back coldly while nodding at him.


    The two glared at each other for a bit before laughing. As Mrs. Everst laughs, she messes with Marcus'' hair a little.


    "So you''re staying for dinner?" Mrs. Everst asked Marcus.


    "Yes ma''am," Marcus replied.


    "I see, it would have been really nice if someone told me beforehand," Mrs. Everst stated while glaring at Ronnie.


    "Yeah, it would have been really nice," Marcus stated while glaring at Ronnie.


    "Uh, you two should not get along as well as you do," Ronnie groans, ¡°And Marcus comes over all the time, I didn¡¯t think I needed to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to make dinner then?¡± Sally questions.


    Ronnie is silent before responding, ¡°No mom, thank you mom.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome sweetie,¡± Sally responds as she heads back to the kitchen.


    As day turns into night, Ronnie & Marcus focus on their homework while Sally finishes making dinner for the three of them. With dinner done; the three sit down at the large wooden kitchen table and begin to eat the chili that was made. Marcus grabs a bag of shredded cheese and pours a ton of it into his bowl of chili.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s school been going for you boys,¡± Mrs. Everst asks in between bites, ¡°Still doing that club thing?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, though nobody¡¯s really joined in so it¡¯s just been the two of us,¡± Ronnie states.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get someone interested soon. And if that doesn¡¯t happen then sucks for them!¡± Mrs Everst states.


    ¡°Thanks mom,¡± Ronnie replies.


    "Don''t mention it, sweetie."


    As silence fills the room, Marcus looks at his bowl of chili to still see some food left in there. However, as soon as he grabs his spoon his phone begins to ring loudly. Marcus picks up his phone to see that he''s getting a call from an unknown number. He decides to answer it.


    "Hello? Who is this?" Marcus asks into the phone.


    Ronnie & Sally look at Marcus as his face gets more excited as the phone call goes on.


    "You wanna meet tonight at Burrito Bistro? You got it! We''ll see you there shortly!" Marcus affirms before hanging up.


    "Who are you meeting?" Mrs. Everst asked.


    "And what do you mean by we?" Ronnie interjected.


    Marcus quickly finishes the remains of his food before answering their question, "someone just called saying they needed the club''s help. We finally got someone interested!"


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 2 - Do You Believe In Miracles? (2)

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, say that again?!¡± Ronnie gasps as he grasps his mangonana with his left hand.


    He along with Marcus are sitting inside a small Mexican restaurant by the name of ¡®Burrito Bistro¡¯, where the food is great and you don¡¯t have to wait. They were sitting on one side of a booth by the window of the restaurant, with another person sitting opposite to them. That person was a teenager the same grade as them with long messy black hair, brown eyes, thick round glasses, and half-Vietnamese half-Irish. She was also wearing an oversized green hoodie, red pants, and black high tops.


    ¡°I s-said that my name is Elizabeth Moore,¡± the teenager replies, ¡°And this is the normal investigations club, right? I need your help with something.¡±


    ¡°Oh that was actually a typo, we¡¯re really the para-,¡± Marcus begins to say but stops when he sees Ronnie looking at him.


    The two teens look at each other and start whispering amongst themselves.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°If we tell her we¡¯re the paranormal investigations club, she¡¯s gonna go somewhere else,¡± Ronnie whispers.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°She said she needed some help, so let¡¯s just go along until we help with whatever she needs,¡± Ronnie suggests.


    ¡°True,¡± Marcus whispers, ¡°Alright let¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°I totally understand if you¡¯re busy & all,¡± Elizabeth blurts out, ¡°I just saw the poster in Amnestor¡¯s classroom and thought you could help.¡±


    Ronnie & Marcus quickly turn toward Elizabeth.


    ¡°No need to worry we were just chatting about some club stuff real quick,¡± Ronnie explains, ¡°We¡¯d be happy to help you.¡±


    With that a smile appears on Elizabeth¡¯s face which she tries to hide before explaining, ¡°There¡¯s this kid named Alex in my class who¡¯s- how do I put this- needs to be humbled.¡±


    ¡°Humble?¡± Ronnie questions before taking another sip of his mangonada.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s always getting into fights in class and it¡¯s really hard to focus,¡± Elizabeth remarks.


    ¡°Can¡¯t the teacher deal with this?¡± Marcus questions.


    ¡°This is in math class,¡± Elizabeth says before adding, ¡°Jefferson is our teacher.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh,¡± Marcus says, ¡°Sorry I should¡¯ve thought this happened in Jefferson¡¯s class.¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s okay,¡± Elizabeth apologizes.


    ¡°Though uh,¡± Marcus asks nervously, ¡°When you say you want to humble him¡­ does that mean you want us to beat him up?¡±


    Elizabeth laughs, ¡°No no, if I wanted him beaten up, I could have done that all on my own.¡±


    Elizabeth then notices that the other two aren¡¯t laughing so she apologizes, ¡°S-sorry, I¡¯m uh- not really good at reading the room. I just figured you guys could talk him down.¡±


    "Oh don''t worry about it Eli,¡± Ronnie tries to calm Elizabeth down, ¡°I''m just glad you didn''t think of us as some sort of hitmen due to our reputation."


    "Wh-what reputation?" Elizabeth questions


    Ronnie quickly gulps down the rest of his mangonada before slamming it onto the table. Clearly just a way to change the topic of the conversation.


    "Man that mangonada was good," Ronnie began saying, "Look, we can take this job but we have to first see just who this Alex guy really is. Okay?"


    "O-okay," Elizabeth sighed.


    "Great!" Ronnie said before standing up from his seat, "We''ll meet up at school tomorrow?"


    Elizabeth nods as the three get up from their seats and leave the restaurant.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC


    The following day, the newfound trio of Ronnie, Marcus, & Elizabeth are sneaking through the halls towards a classroom.


    ¡°Are you sure this is okay?¡± Marcus whispers as he scans the halls for any teachers, ¡°If we get spotted ditching class the teacher¡¯s our gonna be so pissed!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, we¡¯re still pretty early into the school year,¡± Ronnie insists, ¡°If we get caught, we can just lie and say we got lost on our way to class.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Marcus accepts.


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    Elizabeth stops in the hallway causing Ronnie & Marcus to bump into her before they can stop. After a quick apology, they look to see Elizabeth motioning towards a classroom door. The three walk to the door but make sure they can¡¯t be seen through the door¡¯s window.


    ¡°Right now, I¡¯m supposed to be in there with Alex,¡± Elizabeth whispers, ¡°If you want to see what he¡¯s like then see for yourself.¡±


    Marcus & Ronnie looked at each other before peering in through the window on the door.


    As soon as they do so they see that the students are all at the edges of the room watching a fight go down in the center of the room. The fight is between an extremely tall bald guy who is trying to tackle his opponent. However, just when the bald guy gets in reach of his opponent.


    WHAM- BAM!


    The bald guy falls to the ground unconscious, having been struck with two jabs by his opponent before falling. Standing atop him is the opponent in question who¡¯s a Hispanic freshman with messy black hair, blue eyes, and blue pearl earrings. The freshman is wearing a light blue hoodie with a black pouch, black sweatpants, and white cleats. Without missing a beat, the freshman cockily dusts off his hands.


    ¡°You see the Hispanic guy?¡± Elizabeth points out, ¡°That¡¯s Alex Smith, he does this thing every day.¡±


    ¡°I know Jefferson always leaves his class for long periods of time, but how are they getting away with all that?!¡± Ronnie whispers.


    Several of the other kids walk over to Alex and begin to put some money into a white baseball cap he is now holding.


    Elizabeth explains, ¡°He gets away with it because he¡¯s clever with it. He has people place bets on the fights he has in class, and if he loses then he has to give double of the money back. He also allows people to place money that handicaps the opponents in the fight.¡±


    "So he just uses his fists as a way to profit?!" Ronnie asks.


    "That''s literally what I just said."


    "Oh, my bad."


    "No it''s okay, you''re all good."


    As the trio stand there watching they suddenly hear the school bell ring. The group quickly scurry away as people begin to flood the halls, one of them being Alex with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Better luck next time bub,¡± Alex says while walking out of the classroom, ¡°And if anyone wants to challenge me, you know where to find me!¡±


    As he walks down the hallway, Elizabeth, Ronnie, & Marcus turn to look at one another.


    ¡°So how are we gonna tell him to stop?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    Marcus thinks aloud, ¡°We should have a chat with him. Probably somewhere where we won¡¯t get anybody trying to interrupt it.¡±


    Hearing that, an idea illuminates from Ronnie¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ronnie says with a smirk on his face, ¡°I think I know a way to let him know without causing a scene.¡±


    ______________________________


    In the school¡¯s gymnasium, Alex Smith is playing a game of basketball against his friend Christopher Wrinkle. Christopher has brown eyes, tan skin, an extremely muscular body, and brown hair spiked upward. Both of them were wearing gym clothes which just consisted of a t-shirt and some shirts.


    Christopher eyes Alex carefully trying to predict his next movement.


    Alex, seeing this, decides to see if he can fake Christopher.


    The teen fakes a left before going right, causing Christopher to trip up as he fails to catch the speedy freshman. Seizing the opportunity, Alex performs a lay-up.


    As the ball hits the ground, Alex walks over to Christopher and helps him up off the ground.


    ¡°Bro you¡¯re too fast!¡± Christopher exclaims.


    ¡°Eh that was nothing,¡± Alex replies, ¡°Wait till you see me on the treadmills at the gym.¡±


    ¡°Bro you¡¯re still going to Dawnbreak? That¡¯s awesome! Maybe you can spot me sometime¡±


    ¡°Thanks but besides Sundays, I go there for boxing lessons.¡±


    Alex & Christopher continue their conversation as they enter the changing room. As Alex unlocks his gym locker, a paper note falls down from it. Curious, he picks it up off the ground and turns it over to read¡­


    ¡®Come to the park next to the school right after school.¡¯


    As he looks at the note, Alex sighs before saying, "Well Christopher, it¡¯s been fun but it looks like I have some plans now."


    "Oh, what''re you gonna do?" Christopher asks.


    "Oh I thought it was pretty obvious," Alex says before ripping up the note into tiny pieces, "I''m going to be getting some extra training done today!"


    Christopher smiles as he pats Alex on the back before saying, "that''s great bro! Make sure you have some protein before you get those sets in!"


    "No- I didn''t mean- oh forget it, you wouldn''t understand."


    ___________________________


    "So how long are we supposed to wait here?" Marcus asks, "he should''ve been here half an hour ago when school ended."


    He along with Marcus & Elizabeth are standing in the middle of The Northern Starlight Park, which is right next to their high school. Elizabeth yawns as she looks at her watch.


    "Don¡¯t worry about it, he should have gotten the memo,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°Even made sure my handwriting was neater than usual for the note.¡±


    ¡°So it was you,¡± A person yells.


    Taken aback, the stunned trio turn to see Alex running over to them, and charging at Ronnie.


    Alex makes a fist and is about to punch Ronnie, however Ronnie manages to catch the fist.


    ¡°What is your deal man?!¡± Ronnie grunts as he holds onto Alex¡¯s fist.


    ¡°What¡¯s MY deal?¡± Alex questions.


    Alex breaks free of Ronnie¡¯s grasp and the two teens take a step back from each other.


    ¡°If you wanted a fight you could¡¯ve at least told me WHERE in the park you wanted it,¡± Alex roars.


    ¡°Oh you¡¯re right, my bad man,¡± Ronnie begins to say before realizing Alex¡¯s last words, ¡°Wait fight you? Look I think there¡¯s a misunderstanding, can I-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear any explanation from you,¡± Alex says, ¡°All this wishy-washiness from you is just pissing me off now.¡±


    ¡°Well then, if it¡¯s a fight you want, I guess it¡¯s a fight you¡¯ll get,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    Standing off to the side is Marcus and Elizabeth, who are unsure whether or not they should break up the fight. However their worries only increase when X Locke puts his arm over the two¡¯s shoulders while he starts to record Ronnie & Alex.


    ¡°Woah, there¡¯s a fight going on? How cool,¡± X states.


    ¡°When did you get here?!¡± a frightened Marcus asks.


    ¡°Uh, I walked here you dumbass,¡± X replies, ¡°Wasn¡¯t hard to find with all that screaming they¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we break up the fight and not record it,¡± Elizabeth remarks.


    ¡°Oh by all means go ahead,¡± X insists, ¡°Though if you do, I guess we¡¯ll never know if the rumors are true or not.¡±


    ¡°Rumors?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t heard?¡± X asks, ¡°Well-¡±


    Marcus interrupts them by saying, ¡°Fine we can watch but if things get bad then we¡¯ll have to break it up.¡±


    At the bottom of the hill, Alex & Ronnie glare at one another.


    ¡°Usually I¡¯ll ask if you want me to have any handicaps on for this fight,¡± Alex begins before taking off his hoodie showing off the black t-shirt underneath, ¡°But after what you did? I¡¯m not cutting you any slack today bub!¡±


    Ronnie tosses his jean jacket behind him before replying, ¡°I don¡¯t mind getting my hands a little dirty so that¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    Alex rushes toward Ronnie, delivering the first official attack of the fight which is a right hook. Though before the hit can land, Ronnie raises his arms in a guard so they block the punch.


    After taking a step back Alex smirks, ¡°Not bad defense for a chump, but don¡¯t worry that was my warm up!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? Guess that makes two of us,¡± Ronnie states as he gets in a fighting stance, ¡°Because when it comes to a fight; I¡¯m never the one to start one, but I¡¯m almost always the one that ends them!¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 3 - Do You Believe In Miracles? (Finale)

    Aken Amnestor sits grading some papers inside the teacher¡¯s lounge of Starlight High. As he flips through them, he hears a fellow colleague enter the room. Amnestor glances over to see that the person who entered is one of the school¡¯s teaching assistants, Ray Ramirez. Ray is a very tall Hispanic man with long black hair tied up into a man bun, amber eyes, and an extremely muscular physique. Currently, he¡¯s wearing a long-sleeved purple button-up, formal black pants tied with a brown belt, and brown dress shoes.


    ¡°Mister Ramirez good to see you,¡± Amnestor exchanges pleasantries before asking, ¡°Did you happen to find the papers I was looking for?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I had to go to the middle school just to get them,¡± Ray Ramirez groaned, ¡°they said it was ¡®too hard to email them¡¯.¡±


    Ray hands the papers to Amnestor, Amnestor glances at them before setting them down on his desk to look at later. As he does so, Ray Ramirez opens up one of the windows to let in the nice autumn breeze. Though as he does so, he can¡¯t help but spot something odd going on.


    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s a fight going on in the park,¡± Ray remarks casually.


    ¡°Is there now?¡± Amnestor says uninterestedly, however, his tone changes when he actually realizes what Ray said, ¡°Say that again?!¡±


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC


    "And that''s what happens when you put spaghetti in a washing machine," X tells Marcus & Elizabeth, "Yeah, they fucking hated me for a while."


    "That''s great, X, but now is not the time!" Marcus yells.


    "What why?"


    "Because those two are fighting!"


    Marcus, Elizabeth, & X are all standing in the park and are watching as Alex throws jab after jab at Ronnie while Ronnie tries to evade them.


    "Oh yeah, that''s right," X says as he makes sure his phone is still recording the fight.


    While the fight between the two continues to play out, Alex can¡¯t help but recall his past, ever since he started getting boxing lessons, there always were people trying to take him down a notch.


    In middle school it was the president of the chess club he was in, then it was the older brother of someone who was in the basket weaving club he also was in at the time, and then more folks just kept coming. So who was he to not give them what they were clearly begging for?


    And so he fought all the people who challenged him, it didn¡¯t matter where he was.


    In the school gym? Easy.


    During basketball practice? That was a slam dunk for him.


    In the locker room while he was changing? Took a while but he got it done.


    Soon enough people began to take notice of his skills that they started to place bets on his fights, so he decided to lean into it more and more, gaining some decent money doing so. Though compared to all of those fights from before, this one was different.


    Where everyone would always go for an attack whenever they could, Ronnie¡¯s mostly focused on defense and evading Alex¡¯s punches.


    ¡°What, you still not really committed to the fight?¡± Alex questions before going for a straight punch, ¡°Oh well¡­¡±


    Instinctively, Ronnie moves backward to avoid the hit, however in doing so he presses his back up against a tree. Seizing the opportunity, Alex gets up in close for an uppercut.


    ¡°Your funeral,¡± Alex remarks as the uppercut lands.


    Ronnie¡¯s head recoils backward from the blow, though while taking the hit, his hands grasp onto Alex¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Thanks, pal,¡± Ronnie says before he headbutts Alex as hard as he can, ¡°You got me in the right position!¡±


    Alex stumbles back before he raises his arms into a basic boxer¡¯s guard. However, due to the headbutt, the guard is sloppy allowing Ronnie to land a right hook across Alex¡¯s cheek.


    As Alex feels his cheek he asks, ¡°Hey what¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Ronnie, Ronnie Everst,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been talking so much shit if you¡¯ve gotten tired after two hits!¡±


    ¡°Tired?¡± Alex questions, ¡°You haven¡¯t seen nothing yet!¡±


    Alex rushes Ronnie and delivers him a jab, Ronnie counters with a punch to the gut.


    ¡°You know you can punch in places besides the face, right?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Oh shut up,¡± Alex gasps as he collects himself, ¡°You wanna see me hit you elsewhere? Fine!¡±


    As Alex runs towards Ronnie, Ronnie gets ready to avoid the attack however instead of attacking Ronnie''s lower body, Alex throws an overhand punch and manages to get a clean hit in on Ronnie''s face sending Ronnie to the ground.


    ¡°You dumbass!¡± Alex begins to say while he punches down on Ronnie, ¡°Why the fuck would I tell you my next move!¡±


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    The punches keep on landing down on Ronnie, and just when Alex is about to celebrate victory¡­he feels like the world is spinning.


    No wait, it is! Ronnie managed to kick in Alex¡¯s legs causing him to be swept off the ground. With both teens now on the ground, they glance at one another before getting back up,


    ¡°You still,¡± Alex gasps as sweat pours down his face, ¡°want a piece of me?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ronnie gasps as he sloppily gets into a fighting stance, ¡°I¡¯m far from finished!¡±


    The two continue to let out gasps of air before slowly moving toward one another, ready to continue their fight even further when suddenly they hear a loud-


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    Confused, the two look to the source of the voice to find out it was Marcus who said that. The same Marcus who is also currently running at them while X & Elizabeth run in different directions.


    "We gotta get going! The teachers are coming!" Marcus yells at the two.


    Alex glares at Ronnie.


    Ronnie glares at Alex.


    ¡°Truce?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Truce,¡± Alex agrees.


    And with that the two book it through the park as fast as they can, Marcus following close behind. They hear some teachers yell at them to stop but their demands are very far behind them.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t settle things y¡¯know!¡± Alex says as he¡¯s running with Ronnie & Marcus.


    ¡°Dude, just shut up and run,¡± Ronnie replies as the three get further and further away from the scene.


    Eventually after running so much that their legs cave in, the three teens lay down on the ground catching their breath as dusk sets in. Ronnie¡¯s the first to get up and notice that they¡¯re at an empty playground. Wood chips at their feet, Ronnie makes his way through the colorful contraptions as he gets to a vending machine that is right near the brick restrooms.


    ¡°Care for some water?¡± Ronnie asks as he puts a few singles into the machine.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Marcus sighs.


    Alex & Marcus get up and walk their tired bodies over to the vending machine and sit down next to it.


    CLUNK!


    A single water bottle falls down into the slot at the bottom, Ronnie grabs the bottle before sitting down next to the two. He opens it and takes a quick sip before handing it to Alex. Alex begins to drink a good amount of the water.


    ¡°Hey, we''re supposed to share that!¡± Marcus says.


    Alex stops drinking and passes the bottle to Marcus before apologizing, ¡°Sorry. And what¡¯s the deal with you bub? First you challenge me to a fight, the next you¡¯re giving me some water?¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know our whole thing was trying not to fight you,¡± Ronnie remarks before turning to Marcus, ¡°Marcus you had enough, can I get some?¡±


    ¡°I only had two sips,¡± Marcus pleads before drinking a bit more.


    ¡°Well, that plan sure worked,¡± Alex sarcastically remarks.


    ¡°Yeah well, I wasn¡¯t the one to throw the first fist Mister Hot Head,¡± Ronnie teases before getting handed the near-empty bottle of water.


    Alex grumbles to himself as Ronnie takes a swig of the water, finishing it up.


    ¡°Anyways, the two of us are in this club and someone asked us to try and get you to stop fighting,¡± Marcus says.


    ¡°Listen bub, all I¡¯m doing is giving what the people want,¡± Alex defends himself, ¡°They¡¯re the ones asking me to fight ¡®em, besides I¡¯m making good money too.¡±


    ¡°While I can respect the grind, are you sure that¡¯s what all the people want?¡± Ronnie questions, ¡°Because if you ask me, I¡¯m sure most people in your class don¡¯t want to see you fighting all the time.¡±


    "Besides, if people really want to fight you, can¡¯t they do it somewhere else?¡± Marcus questions.


    ¡°Now that you say that,¡± Alex begins to ponder, ¡°The gym I go to has been pretty empty recently.¡±


    ¡°No offense but how did you not think of that already?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Well,¡± Alex begins to think of an excuse before sighing, ¡°I got nothing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Marcus says, ¡°We¡¯re here too y¡¯know.¡±


    Hearing that, a soft smile can¡¯t help but escape from Alex¡¯s lips before he lets out a chuckle.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it like that bub,¡± Alex chuckles.


    After saying that, Alex¡¯s chuckles turn into a laugh, Ronnie soon joins in on the laughter, and then after a bit, Marcus begins to laugh with them. The exchange they had wasn¡¯t really funny to any of them there, but they still laughed regardless. Maybe it was where they were, or how quickly they went from at each other¡¯s throats to joking around, but they laughed all the same.


    As they all calm down, Alex dusts off his pants before standing up.


    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll see you folks around,¡± Alex remarks.


    Marcus & Ronnie stand up.


    ¡°Yeah, so long Alex,¡± Ronnie says.


    As the three begin to walk away, Ronnie can¡¯t help but feel accomplished with all that happened. Sure things didn¡¯t go exactly as he hoped, but they still helped Alex out in the end. Though he can¡¯t help but think that he may have forgotten somethi-


    ¡°AHHH!!!!¡± Ronnie screams.


    Alex & Marcus look at Ronnie.


    ¡°The hell is up with you?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°My jacket, I left it behind!¡± Ronnie exhales as he starts to run back to where they came from, ¡°My mom is gonna kill me if I don¡¯t get it back!¡±


    Alex scoffs before he too remembers that he left his hoodie behind, so he joins Ronnie in the race back to where they fought. Not wanting to be left behind, Marcus runs after them as dusk turns to night.


    ____________________________________


    The next day in Starlight High, Ronnie & Marcus sit in Mr. Amnestor''s room for another club meeting with the only other people in the classroom being Mr. Amnestor himself and X Locke, who was stuck getting yet another assignment done.


    "Hey you kids,¡± Amnestor says to Marcus & Ronnie, ¡°You should be careful out there, there was a fight going on in the park yesterday. I don¡¯t want you two to get wrapped up with that kind of stuff, nothing good comes from it.¡±


    Hearing that Ronnie awkwardly chuckles, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you have nothing to worry about Amnestor.¡±


    ¡°Does he now?¡± X questions.


    Ronnie hushes X before Amnestor can get curious. Though with the classroom back into silence, Marcus & Ronnie sigh.


    ¡°I thought after that others would want to join,¡± Marcus sighs.


    ¡°Hey, at least we did good,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°I¡¯m sure our Paranormal Investigations Club will get traction soon! We just gotta wait it out a-¡±


    The doors to the classroom open.


    ¡°Bit,¡± Ronnie remarks as he turns to see who entered.


    To his and Marcus¡¯ surprise, they see none other than Alex Smith at the doorway.


    ¡°Uh so,¡± Alex begins to say as he scratches the back of his head, ¡°Is this the where that Normal Investigations Club is at?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah forgot about that typo,¡± Ronnie admits.


    ¡°Alex?¡± Marcus questions.


    ¡°What? Surprised to see me?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, I decided to take your advice and you were right,¡± Alex says, ¡°Most people don¡¯t want me doing that in class.¡±


    ¡°Doing what in class?¡± Amnestor inquires from his desk.


    ¡°Uhh,¡± Alex says trying to think of an excuse.


    ¡°He¡¯s talking about playing card games!¡± Ronnie says covering for Alex.


    Amnestor, accepting the answer, goes back to grading papers.


    ¡°Anyways, now that I had some free time, I figured why not spend it with some people who are interesting,¡± Alex affirms.


    Hearing that, Ronnie smirks, ¡°Welcome to the club, Alex.¡±


    As the two dap each other up while Marcus goes to find the attendance paper, it finally sets in that they finally have a third member. However, what nobody there realized at the time, was that this seemingly simple club would go on to cause a miracle so impossible, that it would shake the whole city to its very core. Though for now, that¡¯s a story for another time. After all, this is just the start of how The Paranormal Investigations Club would become The Miracle Clinic.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 4 - Do You Believe In Miracles? (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Trouble Maker


    Inside the teacher¡¯s lounge of Starlight High, the faculty are all at work after a long day of teaching. One such teacher is Aken Amnestor, who sips some coffee while he finishes working on a few emails. While doing so, two other teachers make their way over to Amnestor. The first is one of the school¡¯s math teachers, Wilsten Jefferson, an old white man with wrinkly skin, balding gray hair,  and brown eyes. He¡¯s also wearing a blue button-up that needs to be ironed, a fancy watch on his wrist, and formal black dress pants. The other is the school¡¯s culinary teacher, Zesti Champion. She¡¯s a recent hire in her early 20s with white skin, dirty blonde hair tied up into a bun, green eyes, glasses with a red rim, and freckles. She¡¯s currently wearing a dark brown all-over patterned sweater over a white undershirt, blue jeans, and black boots.


    ¡°So, heard you¡¯re hosting a new club,¡± Jefferson remarks, ¡°Must be a pain with having less free time.¡±


    ¡°What can you do, if it helps the kids learn then I don¡¯t see too much to complain about,¡± Amnestor remarks.


    Clearly not getting the answer he was hoping for, Jefferson scoffs before he makes his way to his desk. Zesti Champion, still curious, continues on the conversation.


    ¡°How has it been overseeing the club?¡± Zesti Champion asks.


    ¡°For the most part pretty simple,¡± Amnestor replies bluntly, ¡°They just got a new member so that might make things more lively. Though I am a bit wary of one thing.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    "Well, when the middle school heard that Ronnie Everst was joining my club, they wanted to send over an incident report,¡± Amnestor states before opening his desk, ¡°I had Ramirez fetch it for me.¡±


    Amnestor pulls out several papers from his desk all regarding Ronnie Everst. Some are letters from previous teachers, some are about an incident that occurred when he attended middle school, though the one that catches Zesti¡¯s eye is a highlighted note. A note that states:


    ¡®Do not let Ronnie Everst & Hunter Huntingson interact, they should never be in the same classroom.¡¯


    ________________________


    Ray Ramirez is writing down a triangle on the chalkboard. He¡¯s standing in a lone classroom overseeing detention for a single student.


    ¡°Now then,¡± Ray points to the board, ¡°If the first angle is 65 degrees, and the second is 75 degrees, what would be the third degree on the triangle?¡±


    Ray looks over at the lone freshman to see he¡¯s barely giving him the time of day. The rebellious freshman has white skin, a couple of bandaids on his face, brown eyes, and spiky brown hair. The teen also has on a white t-shirt underneath a black leather jacket, black pants, dirty red converse shoes, and he has some sports tape badly wrapped around his fingers. Lastly, there¡¯s an all black backpack next to his seat which has a metal baseball bat sticking out of it.


    ¡°Listen kid,¡± Ray Ramirez scolds, ¡°Both of us don¡¯t want to be here, but you¡¯re the one who got in trouble. So you can either answer the problem and make both of our jobs easier, or we can be silent. Your call, Hunter.¡±


    ¡°Fine fine,¡± Hunter groans as he puts his feet on his desk, ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to get your nips in a twist over it.¡±


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    ¡°What did you say?¡± Ray grunts.


    ¡°You heard me ya old sack of worms,¡± Hunter remarks, ¡°If you got a problem with it why not show it with your fists? I bet I can knock you out with one swing of my bat.¡±


    Ray considers it for a second before saying, ¡°No thanks, I¡¯d rather not lose my job over something so stupid.¡±


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s what I thought,¡± Hunter adds.


    Ray stops and stares at the kid for a moment. He once again decides to brush off the comment and continue the lesson, even if Hunter couldn¡¯t care less about it.


    SUN SHORT #2 - Can¡¯t Trick The Expert


    Inside The Everst Tattoo Parlor, the owner of the store, Sally Everst, is sitting behind the counter. The parlor has black walls decorated with posters of underground art, obscure movies, and album covers, on the ground is a checkerboard pattern. The front desk where Sally is sitting has several posters on it showing several of the tattoos that are pretty popular with clientele.


    She puts on some eyeglasses as she takes a look at an ID someone handed to her.


    ¡°Well it certainly looks real,¡± Mrs. Everst says as she hands the ID back to the person.


    The person who has the ID is an extremely tall bald guy, and next to him is a girl with white skin, short black hair, green eyes, and a mole next to her right eye. The tall guy has on a gray hoodie under a backpack and black pants while the girl has on casual clothes that are all actually from designer brands.


    ¡°So, does that mean that I can get a tattoo?¡± The bald tall guy asks.


    ¡°Sure sure, just one thing,¡± Sally Everst begins to say, ¡°That ID is fake.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what how did you know?¡±


    ¡°First off, you¡¯re still wearing a backpack,¡± Sally explains, ¡°Second, you two are both in my son¡¯s grade, isn¡¯t that right Rebecca?¡±


    Hearing her name called, Rebecca finally pays attention to the conversation and sees that Sally Everst is behind the counter.


    ¡°Oh my god Misses Everst! How have you been?¡± Rebecca asks.


    ¡°You know this bitch?¡± The bald tall guy questions.


    ¡°She¡¯s not a bitch, she was one of the volunteers at my elementary school¡¯s fundraisers, and I thought you said you wanted to show me something cool,¡± Rebecca explains.


    ¡°I did but-¡± The tall bad guy tries to explain.


    ¡°I appreciate the effort kiddo,¡± Sally Everst says sweetly, ¡°You can try getting a tattoo somewhere else but it won¡¯t be as good as here.¡±


    Deflated, the bald guy leaves. Rebecca waves Sally goodbye before she too leaves. Now by herself, Sally starts to question how that kid got his hands on a fake ID, and why he¡¯d think it would work here.¡±


    ¡°That rascal better not have snitched,¡± Sally mumbles to herself as she leans back into her chair.


    SUN SHORT #3 - The Video


    Several kids crowd around X Locke in the hallway.


    ¡°Hey, I heard you got a video of a fight that went down?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you gotta send it to us!¡±


    X thinks about it for a second and states, ¡°I could send it over but I¡¯m not going to. I don¡¯t want those kids to get in trouble.¡±


    Hearing that, several of the kids stop bugging him, which allows X to sigh in relief that his lie worked.


    The real reason he didn¡¯t share the video is¡­ his thumb was in the way of it the whole time.


    SUN SHORT #4 - Wait, That''s Who Did Me In?!


    "Thanks for the food man," Ronnie Everst says.


    "Don''t mention it, kids," Cedro Garcia, the owner of Burrito Bistro, replies as he then states, "if you need any refills on chips make sure you holler for me or Mesto, okay?"


    "Got it!"


    Ronnie, Marcus, & Alex are all at Burrito Bistro enjoying their meal with the other people in the restaurant being the owner, Cedro Garcia, an elderly Mexican bald man with a white beard, wrinkly skin, brown eyes, and a kind smile, and Mesto-Presto, a young cashier with dyed blonde hair that had black highlights, dark eyes, white skin, and black earrings. As the trio began to eat their food, Alex looks over at Ronnie & Marcus curiously.


    "Y''know what, I''m curious. Who was the person that did me in?" Alex asked.


    "You mean who asked us for help?" Marcus replied.


    "Yeah, that."


    "Oh it was some girl, I forgot her name, it was something like....Elizabeth Moore?"


    Alex, who was about to take a bite out of his burrito, suddenly stopped.


    "You''re joking, right? The Vietnamese chick with glasses? The one who rarely talks? THAT''S WHO DID ME IN?!"


    "You know her?" Ronnie asked.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 5 - The Moore The Merrier! (1)

    "You''re joking, right? The Vietnamese chick with glasses? The one who rarely talks? THAT''S WHO DID ME IN?!" Alex questions.


    "You know her?" Ronnie asked.


    ¡°Of course I do! How could I not?!¡±


    ¡°I mean you didn¡¯t recognize her at all in class or at the park,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°Okay fair,¡± Alex sighs.


    ¡°Wait wait, slow down guys,¡± Marcus says as he then asks, ¡°How do you know Elizabeth again?¡±


    Marcus, Ronnie, & Alex are all sitting at a booth inside ¡®Burrito Bistro¡¯. Alex has a burrito in hand as he begins to describe his history with Elizabeth.


    ¡°Well we were both in several clubs together in middle school,¡± Alex explains before listing them off, ¡°Chess Club, Basket Weaving Club, Vegetable Cart Construction & Racing Club ¨C you know all the normal ones.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Ronnie sassily remarks.


    ¡°What?¡± Alex questions.


    ¡°Nothing nothing,¡± Ronnie insists, ¡°It¡¯s just something I didn¡¯t expect from you.¡±


    ¡°Well anyways,¡± Alex continues, ¡°We didn¡¯t really chat much but I thought we were on good terms! Her mom still talks to my mom ¨C I have no idea why she¡¯d be mad at me!¡±


    ¡°Well, did you do anything that may have upset her?¡± Marcus questions.


    ¡°No I would never-¡± Alex begins to say before really thinking about it.


    Back at the start of the seventh grade, Alex & Elizabeth were together in a chess club, playing a game against each other.


    ¡°Damn you¡¯re good at this,¡± Alex admits as he tries to find a way out of check.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Elizabeth remarks, ¡°You know you¡¯re not bad at this yourself-¡±


    However before the game can continue, another middle schooler slams his hand down on the board, sending the pieces to the ground.


    ¡°Hey punk you¡¯re Alex right?¡± The student remarks, ¡°I bet you¡¯re not as strong as me!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Alex smirks before shoving the chess board out of the way, ¡°LET¡¯S SEE ABOUT THAT!¡±


    A beat of sweat drips down Alex¡¯s forehead as he thinks of another memory.


    Back in eighth grade, Alex & Elizabeth are at a basket weaving club meeting when another kid comes up to challenge Alex. Without hesitation, Alex takes the basket he and Elizabeth were weaving and chucks it at the guy''s face.


    Another beat of sweat drips down Alex¡¯s face.


    Towards the end of middle school, Elizabeth is at a vegetable cart construction club meeting. While she¡¯s making her cart, Alex is fighting yet another student for entertainment. Eventually, Alex delivers an uppercut sending the student stumbling back and falling down¡­.falling down onto Elizabeth¡¯s just-finished vegetable cart.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty sure she hates me,¡± Alex groans.


    As they¡¯re talking somebody enters Burrito Bistro.


    ¡°If she hated you I don¡¯t think she¡¯d ask for our help,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    As they¡¯re talking, the new patron is seated at a nearby table by the waiter Mesto-Presto.


    ¡°If anything I think she sees you as a friend,¡± Marcus remarks.


    Hearing that, Alex slams his hands onto the table as he loudly exclaims, ¡°Of course, she has no friends! You¡¯re a genius bub!¡±


    ¡°No that¡¯s not what I-¡± Marcus begins to say before stopping in horror.


    Ronnie & Alex slowly follow his gaze before they see that the patron sitting at the table is Elizabeth Moore.


    They stare at Elizabeth.


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    Elizabeth stares at them.


    They stare at Elizabeth.


    Elizabeth stares at them.


    Eventually, Mesto-Presto walks over with some chips and salsa for Elizabeth.


    ¡°Hi there, I hope you¡¯re enjoying yourself, do you want anything to drink?-¡± Mesto begins to ask.


    Though before Mesto can finish, Elizabeth makes a beeline to the exit of the restaurant. As she leaves, Alex slams his head into his hands.


    ¡°Well if she didn¡¯t hate you before,¡± Ronnie begins to say.


    ¡°Dude just shut up,¡± Alex groans, ¡°Let me wallow in my miseries for a bit.¡±


    As Alex begins to ponder these thoughts, Ronnie reaches over the table to flick Alex''s forehead. Alex turns to Ronnie and begins to fume.


    "What was that for?!" Alex asked.


    "Just trying to knock some sense into you, sounded like you were busy focusing on stuff you couldn''t change. Instead of worrying about that, how about just trying to do the best you can do is try and make an effort now," Ronnie explains.


    "Oh...thanks I guess," Alex says as he calms down, ¡°Though how am I gonna even talk to her now?¡±


    ¡°Well you can just say sorry,¡± Marcus suggests.


    Ronnie & Alex turn toward Marcus and look at him as if he was the smartest person in the room.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way you didn¡¯t think of that before, right?¡± Marcus questions.


    ________________________________


    The next day, Elizabeth Moore is walking through the halls. She makes sure to avoid all of the people walking passed when she bumps into Marcus. The two spin around and look at one another.


    ¡°Oh hey nice running into you,¡± Marcus remarks.


    Elizabeth, without saying a word, quickly scurries away from Ronnie. Before he knows it, she¡¯s lost in the crowd.


    ¡°Well, guess it¡¯s not just Alex she doesn¡¯t want to talk to,¡± Marcus sighs.


    ____________________________________


    In math class, Elizabeth is trying to take some notes on the math slide when a piece of paper is tossed onto her desk, she turns to see that it was Alex who tossed it at her. Alex motions for her to read what''s on the paper. Elizabeth, instead of following his instructions, tosses the paper in the garbage. Alex goes to try and write another note but the bell rings and Elizabeth quickly leaves the class.


    With the bell ringing out, Alex looks at the note he was writing which just contained two words.


    ¡°I¡¯m Sorry.¡±


    _________________________


    In the cafeteria, Elizabeth is eating her lunch all by herself when Ronnie sits down at the table.


    ¡°Man, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d find an empty table so late into lunch,¡± Ronnie sighs as he begins to eat.


    Realizing that he hasn¡¯t seen her, Elizabeth quickly sides underneath the lunch table. She tries to roll away but her feet end up hitting one of the seats, causing a loud noise.


    ¡°What the?¡± Ronnie questions as he looks underneath the table, ¡°What are you doing down there?¡±


    Flushed with embarrassment Elizabeth rolls away faster from Ronnie. Ronnie watches her roll away not knowing if he should be impressed at the speed of her rolling or confused


    _________________________


    "So yeah I don¡¯t think she¡¯s quite a fan of us,¡± Ronnie admits while sitting at a desk.


    He along with Alex & Marcus are sitting in Mister Amnestor¡¯s classroom for their club meeting. The only other student there is X Locke, who¡¯s taking yet another test.


    ¡°Hey if you wanna talk to a chick you gotta do it right,¡± X Locke encourages, ¡°Try communicating via a written letter delivered by carrier pigeon. That¡¯ll woo her for sure.¡±


    ¡°This ain¡¯t about romance you prude,¡± Alex grunts.


    ¡°Okay sheesh,¡± X sighs as he goes back to his test, ¡°But you¡¯d be surprised how often it works, just as long as the birdie doesn¡¯t send the letter into a lake.¡±


    Seeing as no paranormal investigating is being done, the club ends earlier than expected, as Ronnie goes to open the door he thinks.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s clear she just wants to be left alone,¡± Ronnie admits, ¡°So how about we just do that.¡±


    Alex & Marcus nod in agreement as they exit the classroom and into the hallway, only to see Elizabeth Moore walking down the hall carrying a recently woven basket. The two groups are silent as they then begin to walk down the hall.


    They both go in the same direction to the front of the school and then out into the front courtyard. As Elizabeth is about to rush away from the group, they all suddenly hear-


    ¡°Oh is that Alex I see?¡± Someone calls out.


    Elizabeth puts her hand over her face in embarrassment as the rest of the group looks over to the source of the noise. They see that it¡¯s a middle-aged woman parked on the street in a red minivan. The minivan is decorated with several stickers on the rear windshield window including a ¡®Proud Mother of Three¡¯ sticker & a ¡®HONK if a child falls out¡¯ sticker.


    ¡°You know her?¡± Ronnie asks Alex.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s Elizabeth¡¯s mom,¡± Alex whispers back before loudly saying, ¡°Aye Lizzy¡¯s Mom! Nice to see you.¡±


    ¡°How are you doing sugar plum?¡± Elizabeth¡¯s Mom questions.


    ¡°Uh good,¡± Alex responds.


    ¡°Y¡¯know our Eli hasn¡¯t brought you up recently,¡± Elizabeth¡¯s Mom says, ¡°I was worried she¡¯d stop being friends with a good kid like yourself.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh yep, we¡¯re still best of friends! Two peas of a pod,¡± Alex awkwardly chuckles, ¡°Right Lizzy?¡±


    Elizabeth, caught off guard, comes up with, ¡°Uh huh, totally. Super close.¡±


    ¡°Aw and you have some new friends too, why didn¡¯t you tell me Eli?¡± Elizabeth¡¯s Mom questions as she sees Marcus & Ronnie.


    Marcus and Ronnie look at each other and then at Elizabeth.


    ¡°Yep we¡¯re all best of friends,¡± Elizabeth says as she rushes to the car, ¡°Now can we go now mom? I didn¡¯t get a chance to eat today and I¡¯m starving.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Elizabeth¡¯s Mom says before a light bulb goes off in her mind, ¡°Hey I know! I bet your friends are hungry too, let¡¯s invite them over to dinner!¡±


    Elizabeth looks back at Alex, Ronnie, & Marcus who are all standing there awkwardly.


    ¡°Sorry but I got a basketball game,¡± Alex comes up with an excuse.


    ¡°Yeah I think my mom was making me dinner already,¡± Ronnie adds.


    ¡°I need to go to the dentist- or something, I don¡¯t know,¡± Marcus sighs.


    ¡°See Mom, they¡¯re all busy, maybe some other time,¡± Elizabeth says.


    Elizabeth¡¯s Mom glares at her daughter.


    ¡°Mom please,¡± Elizabeth begs.


    Elizabeth¡¯s Mom glares deeper at her daughter.


    ¡°Pretty please?¡± Elizabeth asks desperately.


    Elizabeth¡¯s Mom glares even deeper at her daughter.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Elizabeth groans in utter defeat.


    ______________________________


    That night, Elizabeth stands as she stands in her family¡¯s apartment by the front door. Standing beside her are Ronnie Everst, Alex Smith, & Marcus Veridan. Elizabeth¡¯s parents and two younger siblings are waving the high schoolers over to sit at their dining room table.


    ¡°This is gonna be a long night isn¡¯t it?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Ronnie, Marcus, and Alex agree.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 6 - The Moore The Merrier! (2)

    In The Moore¡¯s Apartment Room, Elizabeth sits at the dining table completely mortified. The reason? Three of her also uncomfortable classmates ¨C Ronnie, Alex, & Marcus ¨C got invited to dinner here by Elizbeth¡¯s very insistent mother.


    ¡°So you¡¯re in high school right?¡± Nolan Moore, Elizabeth¡¯s Irish father questions.


    ¡°Uh yes, we¡¯re all the same grade,¡± Alex says, ¡°Or at least I think we are?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± Elizabeth sighs.


    ¡°I see, well our son Hai has been fascinated with high school,¡± Nolan remarks.


    Elizabeth¡¯s younger brother who¡¯s in middle school, Hai Vhan Moore, shrugs.


    ¡°Aw don¡¯t be shy Hai,¡± Elizabeth¡¯s Mom, Lan Thi Pham-Moore insists.


    ¡°I¡¯m not being shy,¡± Hai states, ¡°Those kids are.¡±


    Hai points at Elizabeth who has her hands on her head, Marcus who is glancing around the room, Alex who is looking down at his plate, and Ronnie who is drinking some water very slowly.


    ¡°Say this water is great, best water I¡¯ve had,¡± Ronnie blurts.


    ¡°Oh thanks but it¡¯s just tap water,¡± Misses Moore giggles.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s great tap water,¡± Ronnie tries to recover.


    Silence falls onto the table, trying to think of a way to lighten the mood, Misses Moore recalls something.


    ¡°Say Alex, how¡¯s your mother been doing?¡± Misses Moore asks, ¡°She hasn¡¯t been showing up to the book club meetings recently.¡±


    ¡°Oh her? She¡¯s been doing fine,¡± Alex replies in between bites, ¡°Still applying to new jobs.¡±


    ¡°Oh I see, hopefully she can find a job soon.¡±


    "Uh, yeah...me too."


    As silence falls on the table again, Elizabeth¡¯s younger sister manages to scoop some of the food off of Marcus¡¯ plate onto hers.


    ¡°Nhung you¡¯re not allowed to eat off someone else¡¯s plate!¡± Misses Moore scolds her young child.


    In response, Nhung picks up her plate and slides the food back atop of Marcus¡¯s.


    ¡°Uhhh thanks,¡± Marcus states.


    As things finally begin to settle down, Elizabeth lets out a quiet sigh of relief. Dinner¡¯s almost over and with that, they can leave and pretend this all never happen-


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s that?¡± Ronnie questions as he looks at the giant book sitting atop one of the counters.


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    No.


    ¡°Oh this,¡± Mister Nolan Moore remarks, ¡°It¡¯s our¡­.¡±


    No no no no no-


    Nolan grabs a hold of the book before opening it and answering, ¡°Our family¡¯s scrapbook!¡±


    Elizabeth¡¯s face flushes red with embarrassment before she tries to slide out of her chair and underneath the table. However, after seeing her mother¡¯s cold gaze, she gets back into her chair.


    Also embarrassed by the whole situation, Hai gets up from the table and walks away saying, ¡°I gotta go to the bathroom!¡±


    Nolan opens up the scrapbook and begins showing off several of the stuff inside.


    He points to a coin that is taped to it and says, ¡°This is how we decided who got to name the kid.¡±


    ¡°He got to name our Eli while I had to name Hai & Nhung,¡± Misses Moore adds.


    ¡°I see,¡± Alex says as he hides a chuckle.


    Giving up on escaping, Elizabeth decides to just put her head down on the table and pretend words aren¡¯t coming out of her parent¡¯s mouths.


    Mister Moore flips a page to a picture of a baby Elizabeth, ¡°This is when Elizabeth first learned how to walk! Isn¡¯t she so cute?¡±


    ¡°Wow that¡¯s uh- something,¡± Ronnie says as he tries to hide his boredom.


    Misses Moore flips the page and it¡¯s a picture of her & Mr Moore standing outside of a run-down house with a baby Elizabeth.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Marcus questions.


    Seeing the picture, Elizabeth''s hands begin to shake as a nervous sweat begins to break out on her face.


    They wouldn¡¯t¡­right?


    ¡°Oh, this was back when we first had our Eli,¡± Misses Moore begins.


    Elizabeth can feel her own heartbeat as her parents'' words seem to get louder and louder in her head.


    ¡°We just moved to the city so we didn¡¯t exactly have a lot of money,¡± Mister Moore admits, ¡°We ended up having to live in some sketchy area on the west side of town.¡±


    ¡°True, didn¡¯t help much when our Eli came out of nowhere,¡± Mrs. Moore sighs, ¡°but we made it work and now we¡¯re here-¡±


    Having reached her boiling point, Elizabeth sharply stands up and storms off to her room, slamming it behind her.


    The table suddenly falls silent.


    ¡°Why would she do that?¡± Misses Moore ponders out loud, ¡°She knows to have better manners than that.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go talk to her,¡± Mister Moore says as he begins to stand up, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s a bit shy but she¡¯ll be ready to come out and have some more fun soon.¡±


    However before Mister Moore can leave the table, Marcus stands up surprising both Ronnie and Alex.


    ¡°Actually, I just remembered something,¡± Marcus says, ¡°Elizabeth and I are in a group project together, I have some notes that I have to give her, do you mind if I go do that real quick?¡±


    Mister Moore is skeptical but sits down and laments, ¡°Sure go ahead, though don¡¯t be in there for too long.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± Marcus replies before walking over to Elizabeth¡¯s door.


    _________________________________


    Sitting in her dark bedroom on a bean bag is none other than Elizabeth. Her desk is completely filled with random junk, the tiny trash can in her room is a bit too full, and her bed has been made sloppily. As she sits there, she begins to hear a knock on the door. Elizabeth groans as she stands up and walks over to the door.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you mom! Just leave me alon-¡± Elizabeth begins to yell until she fully opens her door to see Marcus standing there.


    "Uh, so....I may not be your uh- mom," Marcus awkwardly begins to say, ¡°but my name does start with an ¡®M¡¯ so there¡¯s that. Mind if I come in?¡±


    Elizabeth shrugs as she walks towards her bed and sits down, Marcus walks in, closes the door, and sits next to her. The two are silent as Marcus tries to find the right words to say.


    "So- uh- your room is nice-"


    "If you''re here to make fun of me then just do it already," Elizabeth states coldly.


    "What?! Make fun of you, why?" Marcus asks.


    ¡°Why? Because why wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Elizabeth begins to vent as tears start to form, ¡°I ended up having you guys fight and almost get in trouble, then my mom forces you all to come over for dinner, and now¡­. now you know that I wasn¡¯t wanted.¡±


    ¡°But your parents do want you! They couldn¡¯t stop talking about you,¡± Marcus tries to say to comfort her.


    ¡°Not back then,¡± Elizabeth cries, ¡°You heard it from themselves earlier. And I know you guys don¡¯t even like me, I heard what you were saying back at the restaurant. So stop trying to pretend to be nice and leave me alone like everyone else.¡±


    Marcus is silent, unsure of what he¡¯s supposed to say as Elizabeth begins to try and compose herself.


    After wiping away her tears, Elizabeth sighs, ¡°I- I guess I¡¯m just the worst, huh? Crying to a person I barely even know, making assumptions about them, and spilling my guts to them. I guess that¡¯s why I¡¯m just a nobody. A nobody that spends all her time outside of school taking care of the siblings her parents actually wanted.¡±


    Elizabeth & Marcus sit in her bedroom for a bit as Marcus doesn''t know what to even say to her. That is until he remembers. He remembers what happened back then.


    He remembers the words he was once told.


    "Elizabeth," Marcus began, "you aren''t the worst. And you are wanted. By your parents, by your siblings, by Ronnie, by Alex, and by me. And I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Because we¡¯re friends,¡± Marcus affirms, ¡°That¡¯s all the reason I need.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 7 - The Moore The Merrier! (Finale)

    Elizabeth looks at Marcus a bit stunned.


    ¡°We¡¯re friends?¡± Elizabeth questions, ¡°We barely know each other!¡±


    ¡°Okay fair,¡± Marcus begins to say, ¡°But it was fun when we did hang out. I bet Ronnie enjoyed it too. As for Alex, he¡¯s a bit blunt but he was trying to be nice¡­I think. My point is that none of us see you badly, and if you want to we can hang out sometime soon.¡±


    As Marcus finishes talking, Elizabeth begins to soak in the words he just said.


    Despite the embarrassment that was this night and the fight from before, they still want to be her friend. The person she always saw as nothing more than a bother to be around, the person most would rather argue with instead of talk to¡­ that¡¯s the person they want to have as a friend?


    ¡°Since when were you such a good comedian?¡± Elizabeth asks nervously.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t joking, I was being honest,¡± Marcus admits.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be hard to hang out though,¡± Elizabeth states, ¡°My parents are almost always busy with work so I usually have to take care of my siblings while they¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°But is that what you want to do?¡± Marcus questions.


    Before Elizabeth can respond, her bedroom door opens as Mister Moore steps inside.


    "All right, that''s enough alone time between you two, hurry up and get back to the table," Mr. Moore states.


    "Yes sir," Marcus says as he gets up and walks out of the room.


    Elizabeth also stands up and follows Marcus & Mr. Moore back out of the bedroom and into the dining room where Ronnie & Alex are getting ready to leave.


    ¡°Thanks for having us over,¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t mention it, we¡¯re glad to have you over at any time,¡± Misses Moore remarks.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Uh, thanks,¡± Alex sighs.


    As the conversation comes to an end, the words that Marcus said earlier ring in her head.


    ¡°But is that what you want to do?¡±


    Suddenly a realization occurs to her, but when she looks up she sees¡­.they already left?


    ¡°They left fast,¡± Misses Moore laments.


    ¡°It is a school night,¡± Mister Moore reminds her.


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s a shame that they forgot about the leftover-¡± Misses Moore begins to say.


    Seeing an opportunity, Elizabeth grabs the bag of leftovers and rushes out of the apartment. Misses Moore calls out to her but she keeps running.


    __________________________________


    Walking out of an apartment building are Ronnie, Marcus, & Alex.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be there for so long,¡± Ronnie laments as he stretches.


    ¡°Yeah, though at least the food was nice,¡± Marcus says.


    ¡°Eh, I¡¯m more of a fan of my abuela¡¯s cookin-¡± Alex begins to say.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Elizabeth yells.


    The three look to see Elizabeth standing in the doorway to the apartment, having just ran down several flights of stairs.


    ¡°You forgot your leftovers,¡± Elizabeth says trying to catch her breath.


    ¡°Oh thanks,¡± Ronnie says as he walks over.


    As the bag is being exchanged between the two of them, Elizabeth says, ¡°And¡­I want to hang out with you guys again sometime.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°What time works for you?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Elizabeth begins to say as she realizes most of her schedule is already taken up.


    ¡°If you need an excuse to hang out, you can join our club!¡± Marcus suggests.


    Hearing that, Elizabeth smiles, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll join!¡±


    ¡°Sweet,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°Although, we should probably fix the flyers.¡±


    Hearing that, Alex interjects, ¡°No offense guys but it seems like most people aren¡¯t interested in paranormal investigating.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Marcus laments, ¡°We should probably change things up.¡±


    As the group of four begin to brainstorm ideas, Ronnie suddenly gets a flash of inspiration.


    ¡°I got it!¡± Ronnie shouts.


    ______________________________________


    Starlight High.


    It¡¯s a school with a long past, many students have come & gone through it¡¯s many years. Though today, it¡¯s a bit different. Since there¡¯s something new on some of the students¡¯ minds.


    ¡°Hey did you see those flyers going around?¡± One student asks another.


    ¡°Oh yeah for that new club, I heard that you can just go to them at any time and ask for help and they¡¯ll help you,¡± Another responds.


    ¡°I know, we should stop by someday. I¡¯ve been meaning to figure out my locker combination.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I could really use some help on my math homework.¡±


    As the two continue talking, Ronnie Everst happens to pass by and overhears them. He smirks to himself before he reaches the door to Mr Amnestor¡¯s classroom. After opening the door he sees his fellow clubmates Marcus, Alex, & Elizabeth already there. Mr. Amnestor is sitting at his desk while X is in a random seat working on another random test.


    ¡°You¡¯re late, Mister Everst,¡± Amnestor states.


    ¡°My bad sir, you know how busy the halls can get,¡± Ronnie replies before turning his attention to his fellow peers, ¡°Looks like the flyers were a big success.¡±


    ¡°See, I knew comic sans was holding you back,¡± Alex proclaims.


    ¡°Wait, you were the one who made that complaint?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°Yeah, got a problem with that bub?¡± Alex retorts.


    ¡°Hey guys let¡¯s calm down, we wouldn¡¯t want to start fighting when our club just began,¡± Marcus says.


    Ronnie & Alex sighs before Elizabeth looks out the door.


    ¡°Seems like some people are already coming by,¡± Elizabeth remarks.


    ¡°Well then what are we waiting for, let¡¯s get this show on the road!¡± Ronnie exclaims.


    As students who all need help with something begin to enter the room, the once quiet classroom is now filled with life. However, what none of the four club members knew at the time, was that this was the true start of something. Something that would achieve something so impressive nobody thought it was possible.


    But that¡¯s a story for another day. For now, this is just a story of four people and the club that they¡¯re all in. A club called¡­.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 8 - The Moore The Merrier! (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - There''s No Such Thing As Ghosts...right?


    ¡°Man my back is killing me,¡± teacher¡¯s aide Ray Ramirez remarks to colleague Zesti Champion.


    ¡°Well, if you want I know a pretty good chiropractor Pennies and I go to,¡± Champion remarks, ¡°Maybe that¡¯ll help.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, maybe-¡± Ray begins to reply.


    However, before he can respond, a buff freshman by the name of Christopher Wrinkle runs up to the two of them and starts shaking Ray down.


    ¡°S-s-s-s-s-sir!¡± Christopher whimpers, ¡°You gotta help me!¡±


    ¡°Why what¡¯s wrong?¡± Ray asks.


    ¡°I think I just heard a gh-gh-gh-gh-gh-ghost!¡± Christopher exhales.


    Now normally, Ray Ramirez is the faculty member most of the kids get along with well. He helps explain subjects better than some teachers, he always picks the best movies to watch for classes, and he¡¯s also a pretty recent hire too.


    However with school having ended a while ago, and with Ray already having to suffer a long day of work¡­.his patience is at a complete low.


    ¡°You¡¯re fucking with me, right?¡± Ray asks, ¡°Did Mister Penningberg set you up to this?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m being for real!¡± Christopher stammers.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get paid enough for this shit,¡± Ray scoffs under his breath.


    ¡°Where did you hear the ghost?¡± Zesti Champion asks.


    Christopher trembles as he points down an adjacent hallway.


    ¡°Okay, you can head home we¡¯ll take a look,¡± Zesti reassures.


    Feeling somewhat relieved, Christopher jogs off. Ray & Zesti begin to walk down the hall.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you say we¡¯d go look? It could be a kid playing a prank on us,¡± Ray sighs.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Well the kid seemed frightened, so hopefully us looking puts his mind at ease, and besides,¡± Zesti remarks as dollar signs fill her thoughts, ¡°We¡¯re gonna be set for life if we actually discover a ghost!¡±


    ¡°True but there¡¯s no such thing as ghosts,¡± Ray grumbles.


    However just as he finishes his sentence, the two faculty members hear what sounds like a little girl giggling as some of the lights flicker.


    Ray looks at Zesti.


    Zesti looks at Ray.


    And together the two of them turn around and start walking the other way.


    ¡°Fuck that,¡± Ray remarks with Zesti nodding in agreement.


    SUN SHORT #2 - Old Trophies


    Mrs. & Mr. Moore are sitting in their bedroom watching TV.


    ¡°It seems like our Eli has made some new friends,¡± Mrs. Moore states.


    ¡°Yeah, though I¡¯m glad she¡¯s in a new club,¡± Mister Moore admits, ¡°Hopefully she can pick up some more trophies in that one.¡±


    ¡°Honey, you know that isn¡¯t the type of club she¡¯s in now,¡± Mrs. Moore remarks, ¡°And besides, we need to have some room left for when Nhung & Hai¡¯s start getting some.¡±


    Elsewhere in the apartment is a large bookcase, one filled to the brim with trophies Elizabeth has won in her past. They¡¯re all first-place trophies for several different events; chess tournaments, taekwondo matches, table tennis scrimmages, and many others.


    However, out of all of the trophies on there, there is only one second-place trophy, which just so happens to be the latest one she received back in middle school for a taekwondo match.


    SUN SHORT #3 - After Hours


    Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Mesto-Presto exits the Burrito Bistro restaurant after a long night shift. He¡¯s wearing a black crew neck sweatshirt with white pants and raggedy shoes. After he locks the door, he overhears a loud thud that came from the alleyway next to the restaurant.


    Curiosity getting the better of him, Mesto walks over to see a punkish-looking teen wielding a bloody metal baseball bat standing over several beaten thugs.


    ¡°That should teach you a lesson on who not to mess with,¡± the teen remarks as he talks to the unconscious thugs, ¡°If you still want some more, then make sure that next time you can handle the heat.¡±


    The teen turns to see Mesto staring at him.


    ¡°What? You want a piece of me too?¡± the teen remarks as he makes his way over to him, ¡°Well that¡¯s fine, I¡¯m more than happy to give you crooks your just desserts-¡±


    Before he can finish his sentence, the teen¡¯s stomach grumbles loudly.


    The teen looks at Mesto.


    Mesto looks at the teen.


    ¡°You hungry?¡± Mesto asks.


    ¡°No,¡± the teen lies before admitting, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Mesto sighs before unlocking the doors to the restaurant, ¡°Just make sure you order something simple kid.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Hunter, Hunter Huntingson,¡± the teen remarks, ¡°and fine.¡±


    As Hunter enters the restaurant, Mesto notices that the beaten-up thugs had vandalized the side of Burrito Bistro by spray painting the letters ¡®C.A.¡¯ onto it. Mesto sighs as he realizes his already extended night shift is going to be longer than he once thought.


    SUN SHORT #4 - What Did I Miss?


    Ronnie is running towards the school cafeteria while he carrying his backpack.


    "Damnit, I just had to forget my backpack in Jefferson¡¯s class when I had lunch!¡± Ronnie scolds himself, ¡°Hopefully there¡¯s still a few seats left.¡±


    However, for Ronnie, his worries of not finding a table to sit down at quickly vanish as he gets a proper look at what the cafeteria has become.


    Several students are all yelling at one another, lunch trays are scattered all across the ground, a kid is sobbing, & Alex is getting ready to throw hands with X.


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?!¡± Ronnie yells.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 9 - The Cafeteria Conundrum (1)

    ¡°What do we want?¡± A student standing on a table yells.


    ¡°The muffins!¡± A crowd of students chant.


    ¡°When do we want it?¡±


    ¡°The muffins!¡±


    The chanting of the students echoes throughout Starlight High¡¯s cafeteria as Ronnie tries to snake his way through all the pandemonium. He passes by Zesti Champion, the only teacher on lunch duty that day, who is being yelled at by several angry teens.


    ¡°Where are they?!¡± A student yells.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, just please sit down!¡± Zesti tries to yell, ¡°We¡¯re getting a shipment of them in 30 minutes!¡±


    ¡°30 minutes?! But our lunch period will be over by then!¡± A student shouts.


    Ronnie continues onward and sees a person sobbing hysterically on the ground.


    ¡°THEY¡¯RE GONE!!!¡± the student wails.


    Ronnie continues walking forward and sees Alex Smith contemplating whether or not X Locke should be placed into the nearby trash can.


    Finally, Ronnie manages to spot a table with a student sitting there who isn¡¯t completely insane.


    As Ronnie sits down across from them, he sees that it¡¯s none other than Elizabeth Moore.


    ¡°Yo Eli,¡± Ronnie asks as he leans towards her, ¡°do you know what the fuck is going on?¡±


    Startled, Elizabeth responds, ¡°Oh- uh- I don¡¯t know, I think they''re out of some muffins or something. Also d-do you mind just calling me Elizabeth?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah sure, sorry about that Elizabeth,¡± Ronnie replies as he takes out his paper bag lunch, ¡°Man, I haven¡¯t had school cafeteria food in years. Is it really that good?¡±


    ¡°That ¡®good¡¯?¡± someone remarks.


    Elizabeth & Ronnie turn to see that standing next to them is a short chubby freshman with white skin, gelled-up dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and a ton of freckles. He¡¯s also wearing a red t-shirt, blue jeans, and red sandals.


    ¡°Those muffins aren¡¯t just good,¡± the freshman remarks, ¡°They¡¯re great!¡±


    Elizabeth is confused about who this is but Ronnie¡¯s eyes flicker with recognition.


    ¡°Oh, Hamster! How¡¯s it going, man?¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were in this lunch period.¡±


    ¡°Hey Ronnie,¡± Harry ¡®Hamster¡¯ Martin sighs, ¡°Sorry for that outburst earlier, I just haven¡¯t been the same since they got rid of the muffins.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t that just happen today?¡± Elizabeth questions.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hamster sighs, ¡°I already know I¡¯ll never be the same ever again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll have it tomorrow,¡± Ronnie reassures Hamster before turning his attention back to Elizabeth, ¡°He¡¯s one of my classmates, Hamster.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Hamster?¡± Elizabeth questions.


    ¡°Yeah, everyone calls him that since he¡¯s always with Bennet.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Bennet?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    Before Ronnie can respond, the two hear some squeaking coming from Hamster''s head, Elizabeth looks closely at Hamster before realizing that a pet hamster is resting in Hamster''s hair.


    "That''s Bennet," Ronnie states, "I bet he''s trying to cheer up Hamster since they don''t have any more muffins, aren''t you Bennet?"


    Bennet nods.


    ¡°Well glad to see you still have your head on straight Bennet, though I guess that¡¯s because hamsters can¡¯t eat those muffins¡­I think,¡± Ronnie ponders.


    "SOME MUFFIN?!" Hamster roars before directing his fury to Ronnie, "DUDE, THOSE MUFFINS ARE THE SOLE REASON 95% OF THE STUDENT BODY SHOW UP TO SCHOOL ON TUESDAYS!"


    "Tuesdays?" Ronnie asks.


    "YES, TUESDAYS!" Hamster begins to rant while Elizabeth just listens awkwardly, "As most of us know, every teacher tends to put their most boring lectures on Tuesdays, so to convince us to show up to school, that day they serve the best muffins you''ve ever had! They have the perfect amount of cinnamon, the purest blueberries one could find, and it''s all cooked to perfection at 400 degrees for us to enjoy!"


    "Where did you get all this information?" Ronnie asks amused.


    "Oh, I got it from this book," Hamster states before handing Ronnie & Elizabeth a book named ''101 Tips & Tricks To Survive Life In Starlight High 2013 Edition by X Locke''.


    Elizabeth & Ronnie glance over to X who is still getting yelled at by Alex who is shoving the book in his face.


    "How many people bought that book?" Elizabeth asks.


    "According to X, 99% of the student body," Hamster replies while Bennet nods along.


    "Well yeah of course X would say that, he''s the one trying to convince you to buy the stupid thing," Ronnie states.


    "Regardless of if the book is true, one thing''s for certain," Hamster begins to say as he & Bennet start to cry, "My life has lost all meaning!"


    As Hamster continues to cry, Ronnie tries to pat his back but that''s when Hamster stands up and turns to Elizabeth & Ronnie with an enthusiasm they haven''t seen from him in a while.


    "You''re a part of that club, The Miracle Clinic, right?! You gotta give us a miracle and make the muffins return to all of us!" Hamster begs while Bennet prays.


    "I don''t know man, we''re trying to enjoy our lunch," Ronnie says before looking at Hamster & Bennet the hamster who are both doing their best puppy dog eyes. After a very long pause, Ronnie caves before saying, "Alright, we''ll do our best to find those muffins."


    "Really?! Thanks so much, you guys really are miracle workers!" Hamster shouts.


    "Uh...yeah, definitely," Elizabeth says before whispering to Ronnie, "you have any idea where to start looking?"


    Ronnie whispers back by saying, "No, I''ve got no fucking clue."


    As the two look for possible leads, they notice X is still being talked to by Alex.


    ¡°Hey bub you listen to me!¡± Alex says, ¡°I know that you know that I know that you know where those muffins are! So fess up!¡±


    X Locke just looks at Alex unamused. However, after spotting Ronnie & Elizabeth, a delightful demeanor appears on him.


    ¡°Ronnie, Eli, good to see you!¡± X Locke says as he reaches in for a hug.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me!¡± Alex yells.


    After X hugs the two uncomfortable freshmen, X Locke begins his spiel, ¡°Now I know you all must have heard about my book by now, right? How many copies do you want? Three? Five? Seventeen?¡±


    ¡°None,¡± Ronnie answers bluntly, ¡°How¡¯d you even manage to make a book?¡±


    ¡°Sorry but I¡¯m not telling you squat about that,¡± X says, ¡°A good New York Times Best Selling Author always keeps his secrets close to heart.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re talking about magicians,¡± Ronnie says before looking at Alex, ¡°What¡¯s got you up in a twist?¡±


    ¡°Well he, told me his damn book says how to make those blueberry muffins,¡± Alex rages, ¡°And they¡¯re not in there!¡±


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry, but they¡¯re in the deluxe edition,¡± X says as he takes out a book with a sparkling cover, ¡°You¡¯ll need to pay for it as well.¡±


    ¡°WHY YOU DIRTY SCAMMER!¡± Alex hisses as he rolls up his sleeves.


    However before he can hit X, Elizabeth & Ronnie get in the way of him.


    ¡°Woah dude the last thing we need in here is a fight,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    Hearing that Alex calms down a bit before he shoves his copy of X¡¯s book into Ronnie¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Fine, but you can take this,¡± Alex remarks as he storms off, ¡°I need to catch some fresh air.¡±


    Confused as to what to do with the book, Ronnie just keeps it in his hands.


    ¡°This thing is heavy,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°How many pages are in this thing?¡±


    ¡°A ton,¡± X remarks, ¡°Hope you enjoy the read, you don¡¯t know when the tips in there can come in handy.¡±


    ¡°Thanks but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have the time to read this,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°And it¡¯s way too loud in here.¡±


    ¡°Well if you need to find some peace and quiet, nobody¡¯s in the kitchen besides that lunch intern,¡± X remarks.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Elizabeth ponders, ¡°Why didn¡¯t we think of that before?¡±


    ¡°Reading his book?¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°No, checking the kitchen!¡± Elizabeth responds.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    The two glance over to see that the kitchen side of the cafeteria has been closed. Several garage doors block their way in. However, near the corner of the cafeteria is a regular door.


    ¡°Thanks X, we¡¯ll see you around!¡± Ronnie yells as he and Elizabeth make their way to the door.


    Now that they¡¯re in front of it, Elizabeth starts rummaging through her backpack.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Something wooden I can use like a ruler,¡± Elizabeth responds.


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°To turn into a key or something that can unlock the door,¡± Elizabeth says before adding, ¡°They taught us that in the basket weaving club I took.¡±


    "That''s...I don¡¯t know whether to be impressed or concerned," Ronnie says as he grabs the door handle, ¡°But let¡¯s see if it¡¯s actually locked first.¡±


    Ronnie twists the handle and sure enough, the door opens.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Elizabeth flushes red in embarrassment as she puts away the wooden ruler she just took out of her bag.


    As the two enter the kitchen, they see that all of the lights have been turned off. Curious, Ronnie flips on one of the light switches causing the blinding LED light to blink to life.


    As the two teens¡¯ eyes adjust to the light, both of them then gasp as they see something shocking on the table.


    ¡°How is this here?!¡± Ronnie asks.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 10 - The Cafeteria Conundrum (2)

    ¡°How is this here?!¡± Ronnie asks.


    He along with Elizabeth Moore are in the kitchen of Starlight High and the thing that has them so shocked is a tray filled with stacks of cash. Ronnie sets the book Alex gave him down next to it as he looks at the bills.


    "Is this real?" Elizabeth asks as she goes to touch the money. However, the two begin to hear whistling causing them to quickly hide under a table.


    The source of the whistling is the sole kitchen employee of Starlight High, Gabriel Griffon. Gabriel''s a recent young hire at the school who is quite popular among faculty & the student body alike. He has short black hair, white skin, a slim yet muscular physique, and a smile that could make anyone''s heart skip a beat. He''s wearing a black t-shirt underneath an apron, white gloves, brown pants, & black shoes.


    "Hm? That''s odd," Gabriel says to himself as he goes to turn off the lights, "I could have sworn I already did that."


    As Gabriel walks past the table, Elizabeth & Ronnie cover their mouths. Gabriel manages to turn off the lights and then heads toward the back of the kitchen where he continues to mop up the floor. Ronnie & Elizabeth sigh as they get out of their hiding spot.


    "If we get spotted by him we¡¯ll get kicked out," Elizabeth whispers.


    "Yeah and besides," Ronnie begins to whisper as he glances at the money, "if I knew school lunches served this I would have never packed my own lunch!"


    "I think that dude might be using that money for something, but for what?"


    As Ronnie & Elizabeth begin to look around the kitchen, they notice that there seems to be a trail of blueberries on the ground.


    "Didn''t Hamster mention how the muffins had blueberries?" Elizabeth whispers.


    "Hey yeah, you''re right! Maybe they can lead us to the muffins," Ronnie replies.


    The two follow the blueberry trail until they get to another wooden door that seems to have people chatting on the other side. Ronnie looks at Elizabeth and the two nod at each other before they slightly begin to open the door to see that it leads to the teacher''s lounge where Ray Ramirez, the teacher aide, is eating some muffins.


    "Damn those kids weren''t lying, this shit is so good!" Ray says while stuffing his mouth with another muffin.


    Next to him is the chemistry teacher Sam Penningberg, a posh young teacher who seems to be around Ray¡¯s age. Sam has short gelled brown hair, green eyes, glasses, white skin, and a slim body. He is wearing a white button-up shirt, brown pants, and black dress shoes. Sam is pouring himself some coffee while Ray continues to eat.


    "You know, you probably shouldn''t have bought all of those muffins off of him," Sam states as he sits down next to Ray.


    "And why? So I could save some for those toddlers? All those kids have ever done for me is give me headaches."


    "I won''t deny it, but still something about that guy just seems off."


    "Whatever you say, man," Ray says as he continues to stuff his mouth with muffins.


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    Elizabeth & Ronnie close the door quietly as they turn to each other.


    "So I guess we found our culprit," Ronnie states.


    "Yeah we did, but... there''s just something that doesn''t sit right with me about that Griffon guy," Elizabeth begins to reply, "why would he sell the muffins to some teachers? He practically caused a riot in the cafeteria and for what?"


    As Ronnie & Elizabeth continue to ponder, Ronnie looks around and sees that Gabriel''s still whistling away even in the darkness.


    "Well, if you ask me, if he¡¯s working in the dark and has the cafeteria so loud people can¡¯t hear what¡¯s going on in here,¡± Ronnie begins to say, ¡°Then he¡¯s gotta be hiding something.¡±


    "But what?"


    "Well, only one way to find out," Ronnie laments.


    Elizabeth & Ronnie begin to slowly make their way towards the whistling, the whistling is coming from a corner in the kitchen. While the whistling is fine at first, there''s just something about it that sounds off.


    Something that you wouldn¡¯t pick on usually, but once you did you couldn¡¯t get it out of your head that it was wrong.


    A nervous sweat began to form on the two teen¡¯s heads as they made their way closer and closer to the source of the whistling.


    Now just a few feet away, Ronnie spots a light switch. After a bit of hesitation, he turns it on.


    The light turns on, illuminating the source of the whistling to be¡­a radio? The whistling was recorded on a tape that was put into the radio on loop. Looking at the ground however, the two spotted that the floor tiles in the back of the kitchen were removed and there were clear signs of the dirt being tossed aside as if someone were using a shovel to dig something up.


    But there was no shovel.


    "What the hell?!" Ronnie asks.


    "Why would Griffon do this?" Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s simple really,¡± Griffon responds with a smile on his face, ¡°The same reason a fisherman puts a work on a hook. To get a catch.¡±


    Elizabeth & Ronnie quickly turn around to see Griffon behind them who is holding a shovel in his hand.


    ¡°G-Griffon?¡± Elizabeth stammers.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s my name,¡± Griffon sighs.


    ¡°What are you even doing back here?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing some important work,¡± Griffon replies sweetly, ¡°And I don¡¯t need any distractions. So how about you kiddos just run along now and keep this on the down low, okay?¡±


    ¡°But-,¡± Elizabeth tries to say.


    ¡°Listen, I¡¯m trying to be nice about this,¡± Griffon insists sweetly as he grips his shovel, ¡°But you¡¯re testing my patience, and I don¡¯t want any accidents to occur. Would you?¡±


    As their hearts begin to beat louder, Griffon gets tired of waiting for a response so he raises his shovel.


    ¡°Hah fuck it,¡± Griffon groans as his sweet demeanor falls, ¡°I¡¯m running out of time.¡±


    As Griffon goes to swing the shovel down, Ronnie out of pure survival instinct grabs one of the broken tiles and tosses it into Griffon¡¯s face.


    As Griffon stumbles backward, Ronnie & Elizabeth don¡¯t waste a second as they begin bolting into the darkness. However, due to it being so dark, the two stumble into other parts of the kitchen as they do so.


    Griffon begins to feel his face as he can feel his nose beginning to bleed. He turns around and angrily shouts, "YOU SHOULDN''T HAVE DONE THAT!"


    Griffon tosses the shovel at the two but it misses.


    ¡°Faster!¡± Ronnie yells at Elizabeth as the two make their way to the door they came from.


    However, just as it is in view, the two stop dead in their tracks.


    ¡°How did you-,¡± Elizabeth begins to say, ¡°How did you get there!¡±


    The person she¡¯s talking to is none other than Gabriel Griffon, who somehow managed to beat them to the doorway.


    Griffon locks the door behind him as he ignores their question by saying, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to get my hands dirty, but you really leave me with no choice.¡±


    As Griffon gets closer to them, Ronnie gets in a fighting stance.


    ¡°We just need to get through him,¡± Ronnie says with a slight shiver in his tone.


    ¡°He¡¯s just one guy,¡± Elizabeth says out loud, ¡°We can handle this, after all¡­¡±


    Elizabeth twists some of her wooden ruler scraps from earlier into a makeshift hair tie which she uses to put her hair into a ponytail.


    ¡°...He¡¯s going to have to deal with this school¡¯s best taekwondo & basket weaving club member,¡± Elizabeth says as she tries to calm her nerves.


    Hearing this, Griffon can¡¯t help but laugh, "So what if you''ve got experience being in a club?"


    As Griffon laughs to himself, he picks up two items from the nearby counter, however, Elizabeth & Ronnie have no idea what they are since the darkness is hiding them.


    ¡°Have you ever been in a fight where your life is on the line?¡± Griffon questions, ¡°A fight where your opponent knows this place like the back of their hand?¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 11 - The Cafeteria Conundrum (Finale)

    At Burrito Bistro, Mesto-Presto is sitting at the counter chatting with the owner of the store Cedro Garcia.


    ¡°Slow day huh?¡± Mesto remarks as while looking at the customer-less restaurant.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± Garcia jokes, ¡°Things have been slow ever since that Griffon guy left. Hope he¡¯s doing well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he did attract a lot of customers,¡± Mesto laments, ¡°Although if I¡¯m being honest, something about him always felt off.¡±


    ¡°Off? How come?¡± Cedro Garcia asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe it was just a me-thing but,¡± Mesto-Presto begins to say, ¡°He just felt too comfortable when he had to use a knife to chop up meat.¡±


    __________________________


    Inside Starlight High¡¯s kitchen, Ronnie & Elizabeth both stand still as Griffon walks forward to them wielding two items.


    ¡°Have you ever been in a fight where your life is on the line?¡± Griffon questions, ¡°A fight where your opponent knows this place like the back of their hand?¡±


    Before the two can respond, Griffon lunges towards them. Elizabeth & Ronnie instinctively jump out of the way, with Elizabeth hopping over the counter & Ronnie running towards a wall.


    Ronnie tries to turn on the lights, to get a better advantage against Griffon. However, just when he feels the light switch.


    Flick!


    The lights go on.


    But Ronnie wasn¡¯t the one who turned them on.


    It was Griffon.


    Griffon, just a few inches away from Ronnie¡¯s face mumbles, ¡°You¡¯re too predictable.¡±


    As Griffon goes to plunge the weapon into Ronnie¡¯s forehead, Elizabeth manages to land a roundhouse kick on the man causing Griffon to drop the item in one of his hands; a pair of tongs.


    ¡°Th-thanks,¡± Ronnie grunts.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet,¡± Elizabeth states as she starts to sweat, ¡°It¡¯s not over.¡±


    Ronnie looks down to see that the leg Elizabeth used to kick Griffon has a few slash marks on it. While the slashes weren¡¯t deep enough to draw blood, that¡¯s only because Griffon didn¡¯t have the time to do so.


    Griffon chuckles as he points his other weapon, a pizza cutter, at them.


    ¡°Sorry I ended up grabbing a dull one,¡± Griffon smirks, ¡°Next time I¡¯ll make sure to give my swing enough oomph.¡±


    Griffon rushes at Elizabeth swinging the pizza cutter at her. Elizabeth instinctively begins to move backward, dodging the attacks. However, that was never the goal of Griffon.


    It¡¯s only when Elizabeth¡¯s back hits the wall does she realize the purpose of those attacks.


    He was trying to trap her.


    Swapping out the pizza cutter with a nearby kitchen knife, Griffon proceeds to raise the knife. But before he can do anything, Ronnie tackles him to the ground.


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    As the two begin to scuffle, Ronnie tries to overpower Griffon. But the man is much stronger than him. Eventually, the two are back to where they first entered the kitchen.


    Griffon is atop Ronnie with his knife. And without saying anything he plunges it downward.


    Without a second to spare, Ronnie grabs the closest thing to him ¨C the book that X wrote ¨C and uses it as a last-ditch attempt to stop the knife from entering him.


    The knife manages to stab through the book, however it¡¯s unable to plunge further down. Ronnie holds the book up with all his might, his body shaking as he sees the tip of the blade just a mere inches away from stabbing him.


    ¡°You could¡¯ve just walked away,¡± Griffon yells, ¡°But no! You had to stay! You had to get in the way!¡±


    Ronnie¡¯s strength begins to fail on him as the knife slowly but surely gets closer and closer to piercing him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure it ends quickly, I have a job to do after all!¡± Griffon roars.


    Though right as the book finally breaks, a hand grabs onto Griffon¡¯s arm.


    Griffon tries to move but the grip is too strong.


    ¡°L-let go of me-¡± Griffon tries to say.


    However, before he can finish his sentence, Griffon¡¯s face is met with a thunderous punch, tossing Griffon into the side of one of the ovens, knocking him out cold.


    Ronnie looks to see that his savior is none other than the teacher aide, Ray Ramirez. He looks to see that Elizabeth went to get him & Sam Penningberg after Ronnie did the tackle.


    ¡°That bastard, how dare he do such a-,¡± Ray begins to yell but stops himself as he looks at Elizabeth & Ronnie, ¡°Are you two alright?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Ronnie murmurs as the reality of the situation sets in.


    With Penningberg on the phone with the cops, Ronnie looks over to see Griffon¡¯s unconscious body. A thought sprouts in Ronnie¡¯s head.


    If Ray wasn¡¯t here, what would have happened to me?


    ________________________________________


    A while later, Elizabeth & Ronnie are sitting on the steps that lead into Starlight High. Elizabeth¡¯s leg has been all bandaged up. They watch as a now conscious Gabriel Griffon is being pushed into a police car, all the while struggling.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand!¡± Griffon shouts, ¡°I had to do it! They were getting in the way! You need to let me go!¡±


    Griffon continues to struggle as the car door is slammed in his face. As the car drives away, Ray & Sam make their way over to Ronnie & Elizabeth.


    "Are you kids alright?¡± Ray asks concerned before adding, ¡°I would offer a beer but you aren''t old enough for those."


    "I¡¯m all good," Elizabeth says, before looking over to Ronnie who seems to be lost in thought.


    "It''s funny really," Ronnie begins to say, "After all this time I thought maybe, just maybe, I could actually stop someone like him. I guess nothing¡¯s really changed since then.¡±


    Elizabeth is silent as she doesn''t know what to say however Sam clears his throat, "You''re taller than you were back then right? You can run faster, too. Regardless of what happened in the past, you''re a different person now. And you''ll continue to change and grow, it''s better to move forward than to look back at the past."


    "I- I guess, thanks Mr. Penningberg," Ronnie says.


    "Just doing my job, though I would really appreciate it if you didn''t get into any more fights."


    As Ronnie & Elizabeth sat on the steps, they began to wonder if they would eventually have to fight someone again. Obviously, they would at one point in their lives, but they''d have no idea of knowing how much stronger their next opponent would be, and if they''d be as lucky as they were today. As the rest of the day went on, that question rang through their head all day.


    ___________________


    The next day, in Mr. Amnestor''s classroom. Ronnie & Elizabeth sit at their desks as they wait for other club members to show up. However, the person who enters the classroom next isn''t Marcus or Alex but rather Hamster, with Bennet sitting in his hair. Hamster is also holding a big round tupperware container. Hamster sets it down on the table next to the door.


    "Oh hey, Hamster!" Ronnie begins to say before Hamster runs over to him & Elizabeth and gives the two a big hug.


    "I''M SO SORRY YOU GUYS GOT HURT!" Hamster begins to cry, "ALL BECAUSE OF MY DUMB REQUEST!"


    "Woah woah, it''s okay Hamster, it isn''t your fault," Ronnie replies as he tries to hand Hamster some tissues but Bennet the hamster grabs them to wipe his watery eyes.


    "Look on the bright side, we figured out who stole the muffins!" Elizabeth says, trying to cheer Hamster up.


    Hamster lets go of the two as he wipes his teary eyes, "Yeah... yeah! You guys did do that! You''re all so incredible!"


    The compliment causes Ronnie & Elizabeth to smile. As they do so, the door to the classroom opens as Marcus & Alex enter.


    "Sorry we''re late, we got held up with that English test, what did we miss?" Marcus asks the group.


    "We''ll uh- tell you about that later," Ronnie states.


    Alex looks over at the table and sees the Tupperware, as he opens it he asks, "What''s this for?"


    "Oh- uh- so as a way of trying to show my appreciation to this club," Hamster began, "I decided to try and give you guys my attempt at recreating those muffins!"


    "Wait really? You can bake? That''s awesome!" Ronnie says as he grabs a muffin.


    "I''m a man of many talents," Hamster remarks as he rubs his nose & Bennet the hamster snickers.


    Alex, Marcus, & Elizabeth also grab a muffin and each Miracle Club member takes a bite out of the muffin.


    "I know my baking skills aren''t good," Hamster began to say, "so I''m sorry if it isn''t that good."


    "Are you kidding me, bub?" Alex roars as he chews his muffin, "THIS IS AMAZING!"


    "I can''t believe you made this, when did you have the time?" Ronnie asks as he enjoys the muffin.


    "Oh, I worked on this during cooking class and thought you guys should have some," Hamster replies sheepishly.


    "I understand why everyone was so crazy about these muffins," Elizabeth remarks.


    "To be honest, I''d go as far as to say these muffins blow the school ones out of the water!" Marcus says.


    "R-really?!" Hamster asks stunned, "Th-thanks for the compliments! If you ever want me to bake you anything then I''m your man!"


    As the club meeting continued with everyone enjoying some well-deserved food, the more bitter memories that were made just a day prior began to be ignored in favor of remembering this moment. Some time from now, whenever Ronnie & Elizabeth would look back to this time, they wouldn''t think about all of the "what if" scenarios about what could have happened during that fight, but they''d rather reminisce on this moment. A moment in time when they were able to enjoy some wonderful food with friends that they cherished. Friends who they would only become closer to as the months went on.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 12 - The Cafeteria Conundrum (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Repercussions


    In the teacher''s lounge, Aken Amnestor is arguing with fellow teacher Willsten Jefferson regarding Gabriel Griffon.


    "How could we hire someone like that?!" Mr. Amnestor asks.


    "Eh at least nobody got hurt,¡± Jefferson shrugs.


    "¡®At least¡¯?! Well. what if they did?!!" Mr. Amnestor yells, ¡°Will you still act so nonchalant?!¡±


    After catching his breath and realizing his outburst, Amnestor apologizes, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Furiated Jefferson storms off and scoffs, ¡°You¡¯re always so emotional.¡±


    With Jefferson having left the room, Zesti walks over to Amnestor and hands him a cup of coffee.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to see that,¡± Amnestor sighs.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, he was getting on our nerves too,¡± Zesti remarks.


    Mr. Amnestor sighs as he takes a sip of his coffee. A coffee that despite its bitterness, isn''t as bitter as the situation he unknowingly let happen.


    SUN SHORT #2 - A Bro Is A Bro


    "I''m telling you, Ronnie, you''re gonna love it here," Alex says as he shows Ronnie around the Dawnbreak Fitness & Health Center. A gym with a ton of equipment as well as specialized trainers in many different fields.


    "Well if you say so," Ronnie says as he walks over to a machine, "though I''ve never been to a gym before. How do all of these work?"


    "Wait, you''ve never been to a gym before?! How''d you get so strong?"


    "Oh uh, real-world practice y''know," Ronnie remarks


    "Sure, well Ronnie, my boxing lessons start in a minute so I gotta bounce," Alex says as he walks away.


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    By himself now, Ronnie decides to walk around the gym until he hears a familiar face.


    ¡°Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Eight,¡± An extremely buff man huffs.


    Ronnie looks at the man as he finishes his sets of squats.


    ¡°Twenty-Nine,¡± The man grunts before finishing strong, ¡°Thirtry!¡±


    Setting the weight down, the buff person sits down to cool off a bit. As he does so, Ronnie approaches with a cold bottle of water.


    ¡°Hey looks like you needed this,¡± Ronnie remarks before saying, ¡°Also if you have the time do you mind showing me how the machines work, I¡¯m new here.¡±


    The muscular dude looks up at Ronnie revealing himself to be Christopher Wrinkle.


    "Ronnie! You go to this gym too?!" Christopher exclaims with a smile on his face.


    "Uh yeah, I told Alex that I wanted to get stronger so he sent me here."


    "I see, I see, so if that''s how he wants to do it then let''s go!"


    Ronnie looks confused at Christopher and then asks, "I''m sorry, what are we doing?"


    "I''m going to make you my new gym bro!" Christopher says as he gets out a container of protein. As Christopher begins to take out several different pre-workout and energy drink objects from his bag, Ronnie begins to question what he''s gotten himself into.


    SUN SHORT #3 - History Repeats


    Sometime after school got out the day of the muffin incident, Sam & Ray are walking back to their apartment.


    "Y''know, it''s kinda funny," Ray begins to say.


    "What is?" Sam asks.


    "Just how you told them not to get into any fights,¡± Ray remarks, ¡°I remember you used to hate hearing that when we were their age.¡±


    ¡°Well, what can I say? I guess I¡¯ve matured a little,¡± Sam sighs, ¡°We¡¯re getting old man.¡±


    ¡°Dude you¡¯re twenty-three,¡± Ray reminds him.


    ¡°And? I¡¯m almost 10 years older than some of the freshmen,¡± Penningberg replies.


    ¡°Wow, guess we have. Though, now it¡¯s a bit of a luxury.¡±


    ¡°How come?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already had our fair share of fights back when we were younger, so much so that now we¡¯re sick of it. But those kids have barely gotten a taste of it, so they¡¯ll still try and fight some more even if we tell them not to. Since they¡¯re still hungry.¡±


    Sam looks at Ray and goes, ¡°Are you the same Ray from earlier? How come you¡¯re acting all wise?¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯ve always been wise Pennies,¡± Ray remarks.


    ¡°No you haven¡¯t,¡± Sam groans.


    Ray laughs at Sam¡¯s remark as the two continue down the street.


    SUN SHORT #4 - The End?!


    ¡°How ¡®bout we check in on Hamster,¡± Alex suggests as he walks down the hall with Ronnie & Marcus, ¡°See if he needs any help with stuff.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that because you want more of those muffins?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°No,¡± Alex lies before admitting, ¡°Yes.¡±


    "Well the muffins were great, but Hamster isn¡¯t the only person who probably needs our help,¡± Marcus says.


    "Yeah, what Marcus said," Ronnie interjects.


    As the three continue walking down the hall, Marcus feels someone tap his shoulder. He turns around to see Aken Amnestor standing there.


    "Oh hey, Mr. Amnestor, what''s up?" Marcus asks the teacher.


    "Hey Marcus, since you''re the one who founded the club, I thought it would be right to tell you this first," Mr. Amnestor begins to say.


    "Tell me what?"


    Amnestor takes a sip of his coffee and sighs before stating, "It''s over."


    "What''s over?" Marcus asks, confused.


    "Your club, The Miracle Clinic. I''m disbanding it," Amnestor states coldly.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 13 - Too Old To Be Able To Believe (1)

    The year; 1995. A young Aken Amnestor stands in his office as he looks out on the leaves, fall has finally begun to show its colors as the summer heat has died and some of the leaves have begun to change.


    Unlike the tired and defeated Amnestor of the present, this one is lively and full of energy. His first year as a teacher has just begun, his face is clean-shaven, his eyes filled with enthusiasm, and even his hair is still all black.


    ¡°So let me get this straight,¡± Amenstor says as he turns to look at someone in his office, ¡°You failed the test on purpose?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so what? You¡¯ll let me take it again right?¡± A young student questions with a cocky smirk before adding, ¡°After all aren¡¯t I your favorite student?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall those words ever slipping off my tongue,¡± Amnestor remarks as he organizes the test papers on his desk, ¡°Besides I remember reminding the whole class about this test several times.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t you have a soul?¡± The student teases as he holds his hands together to pray, ¡°You know that I had a fight that day, so you can¡¯t blame me for ignoring the test. Besides, if I don¡¯t retake it, I might just no longer have time for the world history club.¡±


    Amnestor is silent for a moment before caving in and handing the student a new test.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go telling anyone about this, otherwise I¡¯ll get in trouble,¡± Amnestor remarks, ¡°And you better not get into any more fights, especially on test days.¡±


    ¡°Loud and clear Amny,¡± The student salutes, ¡°I¡¯ll have this test done in no time flat!¡±


    As the student starts filling out the test, Amnestor can¡¯t help but appreciate the student¡¯s dedication. Despite his carefree nature, when handed any school work the young student would focus on it and let the passion he had for the subject flow into his own tests.


    However, that appreciation Amnestor had would soon turn into a bitter regret. A regret that he¡¯d have to deal with for several years.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC


    The year; 2013. A now much older Aken Amnestor sits in his office drinking coffee. All the while the sounds of Alex, Marcus, Ronnie, & Elizabeth arguing fill his ears.


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    ¡°Are you kidding me? How can you just decide to end our club!¡± Ronnie yells, ¡°We haven¡¯t even done anything wrong!¡±


    ¡°I mean, we did get into two fights,¡± Marcus murmurs.


    ¡°Yeah, but it was only twice,¡± Ronnie whispers back.


    ¡°I was only aware of the cafeteria fight,¡± Amnestor remarks before questioning with a stern look on his face, ¡°What exactly do you mean by two fights?¡±


    Ronnie & Marcus deflate a little before Alex interjects, ¡°One of those was more of an argument that just so happened to have fists involved. And nobody could¡¯ve guessed that lunch guy was a psycho!¡±


    ¡°The student handbook states that the kitchen is strictly off-limits for students for a multitude of reasons. While I¡¯m not defending Mister Griffon¡¯s actions, I am not excusing your rule-breaking and negligence,¡± Amnestor retorts.


    ¡°Look I¡¯m sorry, can you just give us one more chance?¡± Elizabeth asks, ¡°Please?¡±


    Amnestor looks at her before stating, ¡°Allow me to be frank with you, if Mister Ramirez wasn¡¯t there I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d be having a much different discussion. I cannot in good conscience allow myself to host a club that jeopardizes your health. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    Marcus looks down at the ground before replying, ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    Ronnie, Elizabeth, Alex, & Marcus all leave Mr. Amnestor''s office, as they do so, Mr. Amnestor sighs as he takes another sip of his dark and bitter coffee.


    _____________________


    That night at Burrito Bistro, Marcus, Elizabeth, Ronnie, & Alex are sitting at a table eating some chips as they accept the reality of the situation.


    ¡°Well guys, it¡¯s been a fun month,¡± Alex remarks as he lifts a tortilla chip with salsa up into the air, ¡°Let¡¯s have a toast to our club!¡±


    Ronnie & Marcus tap chips with Alex while Elizabeth takes a look at the time. As the three boys eat some chips, Elizabeth sighs as she slumps over.


    ¡°Well, it was fun while it lasted,¡± Elizabeth laments, ¡°But looks like this is gonna be the last time I can really hang out with you guys outside of school.¡±


    ¡°What? How come?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°Only reason why I¡¯ve been able to spend time with you guys outside of school is because I was in a club,¡± Elizabeth sighs, ¡°Now that that¡¯s gone, I¡¯m sure my parents won¡¯t be too keen on me just hanging out with you guys when I could be watching over my siblings.¡±


    ¡°How long have you been doing that?¡± Alex questions.


    ¡°Like 4th grade-¡±


    ¡°4TH GRADE?!¡± Alex yells before sighing, ¡°Isn¡¯t your brother in middle school, can¡¯t he watch over himself?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been saying,¡± Elizabeth laments.


    Seeing that the situation has taken a bit of a sour tone with even Marcus looking glum, Ronnie looks around trying to find something to cheer up the mood. That¡¯s when he sees Mesto-Presto walking by with some empanadas on a tray, Ronnie snatches one before pointing it toward Marcus.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll give it back,¡± Ronnie says to Mesto before turning his attention to Marcus, ¡°Listen Marcus remember when you first went here and saw these?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Marcus recalls confused, ¡°I didn¡¯t think they were anything special but when I had it I really liked it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, now we just gotta do the same to Amnestor!¡± Ronnie states.


    Marcus, Elizabeth, & Alex all look at Ronnie confused. Mesto clears his throat causing Ronnie to give the empanada back.


    ¡°You want us to feed Amnestor an empanada?¡± Elizabeth questions.


    ¡°What? No, not that. What I meant is that we need to have Amnestor open his eyes a little,¡± Ronnie replies with a smile on his face, ¡°And what better way than to try and grant him his very own miracle!¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 14 - Too Old To Be Able To Believe (2)

    The year; 1996. A young Aken Amnestor is standing in his office with his arms crossed. The leaves that were once vibrant with color at the start of the school year have all fallen off and have been replaced with beds of white snow on the ground outside. The person Amnestor is scolding is a young student with a few bandages and bruises on his body.


    ¡°So uh, would you believe me if I lied and said I slipped on some ice?¡± the student asks.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Amnestor sighs, ¡°But not if you clearly say that was a lie.¡±


    ¡°Look that stuff doesn¡¯t really matter,¡± The student replies as he pops some bubble gum in his mouth, ¡°Everybody gets into fights these days. Hell my buddy Jerry was in three this morning.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know who this Jerry guy is but you should stop,¡± Amnestor says, ¡°You should be focusing more on your schoolwork.¡±


    ¡°School Work?¡± The young student asks as he takes out all of his perfect-scored papers, ¡°Amny are you talking about this schoolwork?¡±


    ¡°You have an essay due next wee-.¡± Amnestor tries to say but the student cuts him off by handing him the finished essay.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m doing just fine,¡± the student remarks as he makes his way to the door.


    Lamenting his loss of the argument, Amnestor just says, ¡°If you say so, just don¡¯t get caught up into too much trouble.¡±


    ¡°Now why would I do that?¡± the student smirks.


    Amnestor chuckles at the student¡¯s last remark.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC


    The year; 2013. Amnestor sits in his office when he hears a knock on the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Amnestor replies as Ronnie Everst enters, ¡°How can I help you Mister Everst?¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing much I was just wondering if you were maybe changing your mind about the whole ending the club thing,¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Amnestor replies as he grabs his coffee mug.


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure sure?¡±


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Yes, I am sure sure.¡±


    ¡°Well, what if we decide to show you how important our club really is!¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°C¡¯mon say something that you need help with and we¡¯ll solve it for you. Do you have issues finding love? Don¡¯t have enough money? Or maybe even-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine Mister Everst,¡± Amnestor remarks, ¡°I don¡¯t need any money and I have been married to my wife for quite a while.¡±


    ¡°Wait you¡¯re married?¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°Yes, does that surprise you?¡±


    ¡°A little, you just don¡¯t seem like the type to-¡± Ronnie begins to say before realizing maybe insulting the person he¡¯s trying to butter up isn¡¯t the best decision.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a bit,¡± Ronnie remarks as he walks out of Amnestor¡¯s office.


    Amnestor goes to finish his coffee but before he can even take a sip, Alex Smith enters his office.


    "Yes, Smith?" Amnestor asks.


    "Um, I''m guessing Ronnie couldn''t convince you," Alex says.


    "You are correct."


    "Well then look at it this way, wouldn¡¯t being in a club lower the chance of us getting into fights?" Alex questions, ¡°Since we¡¯d be staying at school more often instead of being out on the streets.¡±


    "Alex, your club is the only club that has been involved in not just one but two fights in the past 2 weeks."


    "Yeah I give up," Alex says as he leaves the office.


    As Amnestor goes to open his computer, Elizabeth walks into the room.


    Amnestor looks towards Elizabeth.


    Elizabeth looks towards Amnestor.


    The two continue to look at each other.


    "Yeah this is impossible," Elizabeth says as she turns and walks away.


    After a bit, Marcus walks into the office.


    "No," Amnestor states.


    Marcus turns around and exits the office.


    _____________________________________


    Later that day, Ronnie & Marcus are sitting on the couch in The Everst Family Home¡¯s Living Room. The two teens are both trying to brainstorm solutions to the current predicament.


    ¡°Maybe we can give him an apple?¡± Ronnie suggests, ¡°Teachers love those.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, the only thing I¡¯ve seen Amnestor have is coffee,¡± Marcus sighs.


    ¡°True maybe then¡­apple coffee? Is that even a thing?!¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡±


    The two then begin to debate about whether apple coffee exists or not until they hear the front door opening. The two look to see that Sally Everst has just entered, having finished working for the day.


    ¡°Sorry for taking so long, someone came in right before closing asking for a full-body tattoo. When I said we couldn¡¯t do that in one sitting, he got really upset,¡± Misses Everst groans as she sets some groceries on the counter, ¡°The food in the crockpot should be done in a few hours.¡±


    However, as Sally goes to sit down in the living room she spots that Marcus is there as well as the two having several sheets of paper all over the ground.


    ¡°Hey Marcus, seems like you two have been busy,¡± Sally remarks.


    ¡°Hi Misses Everst!¡± Marcus says, ¡°We¡¯re trying to figure out how to get on Amnestor¡¯s good side.¡±


    ¡°Amnestor?¡± Sally questions with a shocked look on her face, ¡°You mean Aken Amnestor?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you know him mom?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Somewhat, he was a teacher at Starlight High back when your Dad attended,¡± Sally responds, ¡°I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d still be working there after all those years. I thought he quit after that incident.¡±


    After hearing those words, Ronnie¡¯s attitude quickly shifts from nonchalant to fully attentive as he asks, ¡°What incident?¡±


    Sally Everst sighs as she continues, ¡°I went to Seastar High back then so I only really heard about it from your Dad, Ronnie.¡±


    ¡°Dad was a part of it,¡± Ronnie murmurs before saying, ¡°Can you tell us everything you still remember?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it may be a bit long,¡± Sally remarks before motioning to the couch, ¡°You two mind?¡±


    Ronnie & Marcus nod as they move enough so Sally can sit down. Afterwards, the two teens prepare themselves to learn about the incident that occurred at the start of Mr. Amnestor''s career. The incident that made him who he is today.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 15 - Too Old To Be Able To Believe (3)

    ¡°It all went down in the 90s. Back then, a lot of things were different in the city.¡±


    A teenager with white skin, long shaggy brown hair that¡¯s all over the place, and bright brown eyes is making his way to school through a dark alleyway. He¡¯s wearing a white bomber jacket that has an eight-ball design over his striped button-up flannel shirt, black pants, and white shoes.


    ¡°The main thing was that no matter how old or young you were¡­¡±


    Behind the teenager is a group of several people who were all recently knocked out.


    ¡°If you wanted to survive, you had to fight for it.¡±


    The young student exits the alleyway and makes his way towards Starlight High, however, he stops when he looks up and sees Aken Amnestor looking down at his bloodied fists.


    ¡°Though out of all of the fighters back then, there was one who stood out from the crowd. Not only was he a decent fighter but he had a talented mind unlike any other¡­¡±


    ¡°So before you say anything,¡± The young student defends himself, ¡°They asked for it, and all my homework is done.¡±


    "...and that man was Ivan Turnip."


    Ivan Turnip smirks at Amnestor while Amnestor just sighs.


    "I didn''t assign any homework today," Mr. Amnestor states.


    "Oh that''s right, I guess I just confused tomorrow''s homework with today''s," Ivan cheekily replies.


    Amnestor smirks as the two head into Starlight High.


    "Back then, everyone knew that Ivan was the smartest student in his grade. He had several scholarships lined up for him and was a member of several clubs. He was someone many people had their eyes on¡­¡±


    As Ivan is walking down the halls of the high school, he can see several other classmates glaring at him as he passes by.


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    "For better, and for worse."


    _______________________________


    Amnestor is sitting in a classroom supervising detention where several students, including Ivan Turnip, are spending their time listening to Amnestor lecture them.


    "Now I see a lot of familiar faces here,¡± Amnestor scolds them, ¡°Hopefully next time there''ll be fewer of you.¡±


    "Amnestor was one of the only teachers at the school who tried to stop the ongoing fights, however, most of his suggestions were ignored by everyone. Anything he tried to do to change the school..."


    Amnestor looks to see that everyone present, including Ivan, are all uninterested. He sighs as he decides to stop talking.


    "...would fall on deaf ears."


    _____________________________


    "But then one day, Ivan fought with the wrong person and..."


    Mr. Amnestor is walking down the hall when he passes a large menacing figure. The person mumbles something under their breath before walking away, his clothes stained with blood. It¡¯s only when Amnestor turns the corner does his body freezes.


    Laying on the ground is Ivan Turnip, his legs bent inhumanely and his unconscious body covered in blood and bruises.


    "....it would cost him."


    ____________________


    As the days soon turn into weeks, then months, then years, and then decades, Amnestor sits in his office drinking coffee as his optimism, his joy, and his passion are stripped away. With the only thing he had left being a feeling of bitter regret.


    "The incident left Ivan permanently in a wheelchair. It didn¡¯t take too long for all of the scholarships to dry up and for him to drop out of high school. Ever since then, Amnestor never really acted the same. He may seem cold or uncaring on the surface, but deep down he¡¯s still shackled down all of his regrets.¡±


    _______________________________


    In the present, Sally Everst finishes her story by saying, "But I guess that¡¯s just life in a way. Things get taken away before they can truly blossom.¡±


    Sitting on the couch is Ronnie & Marcus who both are processing the information they''ve heard.


    "What happened to Ivan?" Ronnie asks, ¡°And how was Dad a part of this?¡±


    ¡°Ivan¡¯s still kicking around,¡± Sally Everst replies before immediately regretting her word choice, ¡°Back then, your father was one of the few people who stuck with him, and he even helped him achieve his dream.¡±


    ¡°Achieve his dream?¡± Marcus asks as he notices Ronnie¡¯s interest in the whole thing.


    ¡®Well it¡¯s not too far from here,¡± Sally Everst remarks, ¡°How about I just show you?¡±


    ¡°Yes please do!¡¯ Marcus begs.


    Sally Everst smiles as she stands up and walks to the front door. She begins to put on her coat and grabs her purse before saying, "You kids better hurry up then because we''re going to do a little shopping."


    _________________________


    Marcus & Ronnie look a bit confused as they look at the building that Sally Everst took them to.


    "Are you sure we can find Ivan here?" Marcus asks.


    "Of course, because he owns the place," Sally replies.


    Marcus & Ronnie''s confusion only grows as they stand outside looking at the run-down shop ahead of them. The windows are all cracked and covered with bars, the smell of old furniture reeks from the establishment, and graffiti has been sprayed all over the front of it.


    ¡°The Starlight City Bookstore,¡± Ronnie reads aloud from the sign, ¡°So this is where Ivan is.¡±


    After a bit of hesitation, Ronnie grabs the door handle and makes his way inside.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 16 - Too Old To Be Able To Believe (Finale)

    An individual bored out of their mind sits behind the front desk of a cramped bookstore. Every bookshelf in the store goes up to the ceiling and is filled to the brim with stories. The individual in question is a young girl by the name of Selina Gulvonac. She has short blonde hair, white skin with some freckles, blue eyes, and glasses. She¡¯s wearing a purple denim jacket over a striped shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes.


    Trying to find some way of passing the time, she stares at the cuckoo cock on the wall, each tick it makes filling her ears with a strange mixture of pleasure and annoyance. Her eyes then linger down onto the carpet as she tries to envision where each stain originated from.


    However, her boredom would soon be cured when-


    CUCKOO! CUCKOO!


    Selina jolts back as the cuckoo clock goes off, after calming down a little she hears the front doorbell chime as three patrons walk in. Of the three, she only recognizes one as Sally Everst; a regular who they often trade book recommendations with. As for the two teens that are with her? No clue.


    ¡°Welcome to The Starlight City Bookstore, the go-to shop for all things books,¡± Selina recites, ¡°How may I help you?¡±


    ¡°Hey I¡¯m Ronnie and that¡¯s my buddy Marcus,¡± the taller of the two teens remarks.


    ¡°Okay didn¡¯t ask but cool,¡± Selina remarks as she grabs a book near her and starts reading it.


    ¡°Do you know if your boss is here?¡± Marcus questions.


    Selina rolls her eyes as she closes her book before responding, ¡°I am the boss.¡±


    ¡°Oh wait, really?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°Yeah, all of this place is mine,¡± Selina lies as she nods confidently.


    ¡°Oh okay my bad, sorry to bother you,¡±  Marcus says and he starts to turn around.


    Though before he can, Ronnie stops him.


    ¡°Yeah, I doubt that,¡± Ronnie begins to say before telling Selina, ¡°Look we¡¯re not here to insult you, we¡¯re just here to chat with your boss about stuff.¡±


    ¡°Promise?¡± Selina inquires.


    ¡°Promise,¡± Ronnie affirms.


    Selina sighs before standing up, "lemme go get them."


    As Selina walks away, Ronnie & Marcus look at the walls to see that there are several photos on the wall taken of several different landmarks in the city, each with a book placed in the frame. As the two are looking at the pictures, Selina returns with a woman named Professor Jessica Powell, someone with black skin, braided black hair, and green eyes. She''s wearing a black turtleneck over a beige coat, black pants, and red high heels.


    "So I heard you wanted to talk to me?" Professor Jessica Powell asks as she takes a smoke.


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    "Oh, you''re different from what I imagined," Marcus states.


    "What''re you trying to say?"


    "What my friend means is that he thought you were Ivan Turnip," Ronnie explains.


    "Turnip? He''s a bit busy sorting some books but I can get him," Professor Jessica Powell says before screaming, "TURNIP! WE GOT SOME KIDS THAT WANT TO TALK TO YOU!"


    "WHAT?!" Turnip yells from somewhere deep in the bookstore.


    "YOU HEARD ME!"


    Ronnie & Marcus look to see a person exiting one of the halls and heading toward the counter. The man has white skin, a bald head, a beard, and a tired look in his eyes. He''s wearing a t-shirt, some jeans, black shoes, & is in a wheelchair.


    "So who are these kids?" The man in the wheelchair asks, however when he sees Ronnie his eyes widen, "Reagan?"


    ¡°Close,¡± Ronnie awkwardly chuckles, ¡°I¡¯m his son, Ronnie.¡±


    ¡°Oh right right, sorry you just look so much like your dad,¡± Ivan Turnip apologizes before shaking Ronnie & Marcus¡¯ hands, ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet the two of you, what can I help you with? Any recommendations you want?¡±


    ¡°Actually, we came here because we wanted to see if you could help us chat to our teacher,¡± Marcus says, ¡°His name is Aken Amnestor.¡±


    As Marcus says those words, Turnip''s smiling face turns into one with a frown.


    "Oh him, I- uh- didn''t think he was still in the city," Turnip states, "how''s he doing?"


    "He''s alright though he''s still worrying about people getting into fights," Ronnie states.


    As Ronnie & Marcus talk to Turnip, Selina & Professor Jessica Powell watch awkwardly.


    Turnip responds with, "he still is worrying about all of that? Can''t blame him though, I never listened to him, and look where that got me. I''m just wasted potential."


    "You''re not wasted potential," Marcus exclaims, "you''ve got yourself a successful business and you seem happy doing what you''re doing! I''m sure Amnestor would be delighted to see you again."


    "You really think that?" Ivan Turnip asks.


    "I''m certain," Marcus replies.


    _________________________________________________


    The next day, Mr. Amnestor is at his office when he hears a knock on his door.


    "Come in," Mr. Amnestor replies.


    The door opens and Marcus walks in.


    "Hello Mr. Amnestor," Marcus says.


    "Hello, Marcus. Can I help you with anything?"


    "On the contrary, there''s something I want to help you with."


    Before Amnestor can ask what Marcus means, he hears the door to his office open once more. His eyes widen as he sees Elizabeth wheel in Ivan Turnip. Amnestor is silent, not knowing what to say. Ivan looks around and clears his throat.


    "Uh, h-hey there Amny," Ivan responds with a nervous chuckle, "Long time no see."


    Marcus & Elizabeth leave the room as the two are silent.


    ¡°I look a bit different from back then, huh?¡± Ivan tries to joke.


    ¡°That¡¯s what happens when time goes by,¡± Amnestor remarks, ¡°I¡¯ve been getting more and more gray hair recently.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ivan says before sighing, ¡°You must hate me, huh?¡±


    "I don''t hate you," Amnestor says.


    "But I ignored all the advice you gave me, and look where that got me."


    "Why would I be upset about that? You were just a kid, it was my job to guide you to do better actions and I failed."


    "You never failed me Amny, you were the one adult who always looked out for any of us back then."


    As the two continue to chat, Marcus, Elizabeth, Alex, & Ronnie watch through the window in the door. As the conversation goes on, the group can tell that the two adults whose eyes were so cold just moments earlier began to feel warmth once more.


    Eventually, after a long discussion, Turnip exits Amnestor''s office but not before saying, "I''ll see you around Amny."


    Amnestor smiles to himself, however, his attention soon turns to the members of the miracle clinic who are still watching from the doorway.


    "You can come in," Amnestor says.


    Ronnie, Elizabeth, Marcus, & Alex all try to enter the office all at once. They manage to squeeze their way through the door.


    Now that they¡¯re all in the office, Amnestor clears his throat before stating, ¡°You kids are really something else. Being able to pull off something like this is-¡±


    ¡°Nothing less than a miracle?¡± Ronnie cuts him off.


    Amnestor corrects him, ¡°Very surprising to say the least.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ronnie remarks before saying, ¡°Look I know you¡¯re worried that we¡¯ll get hurt doing this, but what we¡¯re trying to do is just help people live a little easier and take off the weights holding them down. Nothing more, nothing less. So¡­can you please let our club continue?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll make sure to study for every test we have as well!¡± Marcus promises.


    ¡°Wait since when did we agree to that?¡± Alex questions.


    ¡°Well I thought-¡± Marcus begins to say.


    However before the discussion can continue, Amnestor lets out a reluctant, ¡°Fine.¡±


    Ronnie, Elizabeth, Alex, & Marcus'' eyes light up at his words.


    "But I better not see any of you-" Amnestor tries to say but the four are already out of the room by then celebrating. Amnestor smiles to himself as he takes a sip of his coffee. A coffee that doesn''t taste as bitter as it once did.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 17 - Too Old To Be Able To Believe (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Someone I Wish I Got To Know More


    At The Everst Household, Ronnie is looking at a picture on the wall that was taken when his mom & his dad were still teenagers. The picture has them having a picnic with several other teenagers, Ivan being one of them. Ronnie''s father, Reagan Everst, has a huge smile on his face in the photo. Ronnie looks to see his mom, Sally Everst, in the kitchen reading a book. He decides to walk over with the photograph.


    "Hey mom," Ronnie begins to say as he shows her the photo, "was dad always so cheery?"


    Sally looks at the picture and smiles, "your father was someone that everyone wanted to be around. He always looked out for others and made sure they were okay. I know that you might not have that many memories of him but I want you to remember that he loved you more than anything."


    Ronnie smiles softly, "I know, thanks, mom."


    In the picture, the young Sally & Reagan are both next to each other. And while Reagan is smiling ear-to-ear, the younger Sally is smiling softly as she looks at Reagan.


    SUN SHORT #2 - A Fashion Statement


    "Uh, it''s the first week of October and yet we''re still getting heatwaves?" Hamster groans as he & Bennet are sweating bullets.


    He & Bennet the hamster are on their way to school and everyone is in short sleeves and shorts. Everyone except Marcus who''s still wearing long sleeves and jeans. Hamster walks over to Marcus who is drenched with sweat.


    "Hey Marcus," Hamster begins to say, "what''s the deal with that outfit!"


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    Marcus looks stunned, trying to come up with something to say, and eventually, he lands on replying with, "Oh this? Yeah, I just wanted to make a cool fashion statement."


    "Woah, you''re so cool Marcus!" Hamster says as Bennet nods in agreement.


    __________________


    The next day, Marcus is walking to school as the heatwave continues to rage on. However, as he is about to enter the school he sees Hamster slowly make his way to the door. The reason he''s walking so slowly is that Hamster is covered head-to-toe in snow gear and even Bennet has a tiny scarf on.


    "What are you doing?! You''re gonna give yourself a heatstroke!" Marcus asks.


    "You don''t need to worry Marcus," Hamster remarks, "I''m just making a cool fashion statement."


    As Hamster continues to walk to school, Marcus begins to regret the excuse he made the other day.


    SUN SHORT #3 - Turning The Page


    At The Starlight City Bookstore, Amnestor is chatting with Ivan while Professor Jessica Powell is explaining to Selina, the cashier, how to organize the books.


    "So, you''re still a high school teacher right?" Ivan asks.


    "You were just in my office a few days ago," Amnestor replies.


    "Oh yeah, but anyways, Selina''s in 8th grade which means you''ll have to teach her next year."


    "Isn''t she a bit too young to work?"


    "Her father practically begged me to allow her to work here,¡± Ivan admits, ¡°Though she¡¯s stuck around because she wants to work here, even if she doesn¡¯t like to admit it. Believe me, we''ve tried to get her to leave but she''s persistent on wanting to work."


    "I see," Amnestor says, "Someone like that would be a great fit for several clubs."


    As Amnestor says that, Selina slams her head into the counter since she''s too confused about how to organize the books.


    "...or maybe not," Amnestor adds.


    SUN SHORT #4 - When Do I Show Up Again?!


    "Uh, this sucks," X Locke says as he lies on a table in the cafeteria, "It''s been like 7 chapters since I last appeared! Everyone''s probably forgotten who I am!"


    As X mourns the fact that he hasn''t shown up in the series for a while, Alex is sitting at the same table trying to eat his lunch while X rolls around.


    "Maybe I should do something to get attention on myself, what do you think Alex?" X asks him.


    "Dude, I have no idea what you''re talking about," Alex replies as he continues to eat his food.


    "Aw boo, you''re no fun," X replies as he stands up and walks to another table so he can do the same exact thing there.


    Alex continues to watch X but his attention turns to a flyer that¡¯s on the wall that reads¡­


    ¡®Starlight High Carnival Night Coming Soon!¡¯


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 18 - Out & About (1)

    The nightlife of Starlight City is a bit more peaceful than it usually tends to be. Most people are just heading home after a long and busy day at work. Others are healing out to find a nice place to eat. Some of the shops begin to close down for the day, but one shop still remains open. That shop being the ¡®Spring Breeze Bakery¡¯.


    And it¡¯s that very same bakery where we find Alex Smith, running out of carrying a cake inside of a box.


    As Alex runs down the street with the cake, the streets start to get even more crowded than usual. The hot-headed teen tries to weave his way through the crowd trying to make sure it isn¡¯t damaged.


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯m gonna be late!¡± Alex thinks to himself as he makes his way through the crowd, ¡°And how the hell did I get myself into this situation?!¡±


    SEVEN HOURS EARLIER...


    Inside Amnestor¡¯s classroom at Starlight High, The Miracle Clinic is having a meeting discussing some next steps to do for the club.


    "So it''s already October and we haven''t really been doing any miracles for a solid week," Ronnie begins to say, "any ideas?"


    "Maybe we could help X complete a test on time," Marcus suggests.


    "Too unrealistic," Elizabeth retorts before adding, "It''ll be much easier if we decided to maybe help renovate the cafeteria."


    As the club continues to come up with ideas, Alex notices that Mr. Amnestor, who is sitting by his desk, is looking a bit concerned.


    "Hey, what''s got you twisted like that?" Alex asks.


    "Oh, nothing much, it''s just that some of the juniors who were supposed to help with the carnival tonight had to cancel," Mr. Amnestor states.


    "The carnival?"


    "Oh you didn''t know?" Mr. Amnestor questions before explaining, ¡°Around the start of October each year, the school likes to hold a fundraiser inside the gym. We set up several carnival games there that anyone who pays can enjoy.¡±


    ¡°Oh sounds like fun,¡± Ronnie states.


    ¡°It would be if the student council president didn¡¯t drop out of volunteering alongside most of his friends at the last minute,¡± Amnestor laments.


    An idea strikes Ronnie¡¯s mind as he states, ¡°Y¡¯know I¡¯m sure we¡¯d be happy to help out!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Alex begins to say, ¡°This all seems pretty last minute¨C¡±


    A FEW HOURS LATER...


    Alex sits on a chair inside the school¡¯s gymnasium as he¡¯s blowing air into some of the balloons while many others set up around him for the carnival. Ronnie is filling up the water for the dunk tank, Elizabeth is sweeping the floor with a rickety old broom, Amnestor is applying clown makeup to a volunteer, and Marcus is helping Miss Zesti Champion place several desserts all on a table.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all of the homemade ones,¡± Miss Champion remarks as she sets a tray of three-layer brownies down.


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    ¡°These all look so good, you made them yourself?¡± Marcus questions.


    ¡°Yep! I wouldn''t be a culinary teacher if I couldn¡¯t, though it was tough trying to get my roommates not to eat them,¡± Miss Champion admits before saying, ¡°Alright Marcus, the only thing we need left is the starfruit upside-down cake, it should be in the box and we¡¯d be all set.¡±


    Marcus looks around and opens up the box to see¡­there¡¯s no starfruit upside-down cake inside.


    "Uh, I don''t think we have one," Marcus says.


    "......we don''t?"


    "Nope."


    "This isn''t a joke?"


    "No, I''m being totally honest."


    "Okay give me one second," Miss Champion says as she walks towards where the ''bobbing for apples'' station is and submerges her head under the water so she can scream.


    After 10 seconds of that, she stands back up and walks over to Mr. Amnestor, the volunteer, & Marcus.


    ¡°Well, you sure screwed the pooch on this one,¡± The volunteer in clown makeup remarks.


    "Don''t worry Champion," Amnestor says, "I can just order one from the bakery and all of this will be fixed."


    "Is the cake that important?" Marcus asks.


    Miss Champion turns to Marcus and begins to say "Kid, each carnival we have an event called the cakewalk where we hand out cakes and other desserts as prizes, and that cake is the one everyone wants to win. Without it, our whole fundraiser is ruined!"


    "Well, what if someone goes and gets it!" Marcus asks.


    "Yeah but everyone''s too busy preparing the area," Amnestor states.


    "Not everyone," Marcus says.


    As he says that he as well as Ronnie & Elizabeth look over at Alex.


    "Do I have to?" Alex begins to ask.


    AN HOUR LATER


    Alex is trying to make his way through the crowd of people as he makes sure the cake doesn''t fall.


    "Of course, I never get a say about if I wanted to do this or not," Alex thinks to himself as he spots an empty yet dark and disgusting alleyway up ahead.


    Not having any faster option, Alex breaks from the crowd and enters the alleyway, much to the delight of three people following him.


    As Alex walks down the alleyway, he decides to take a peek inside the box. Luckily, the cake is completely unharmed. However, right when Alex closes the box he hears someone.


    "HEY!" a person says behind him.


    Alex glances behind him to see a pair of three teens all dressed in black leather jackets over white shirts, blue jeans, sleeveless gloves, and black boots.


    "Uh...I''m busy," Alex says as he doesn''t want to damage the cake in a fight.


    "Oh that''s cool we''re only going to take three minutes of your time," one of the thugs says.


    "That''s nice but-"


    "You wanna know why?" The second thug asks "it''s because we can beat anyone up in just three minutes!"


    "Allow us to let you know who we are, we''re The Three Ts!" the third thug says.


    Alex chuckles at the comment at the end.


    "You makin'' fun of us?" the first thug says, "Us, the Three Ts! The most frightening trio in this city!"


    "No I just think you guys are cringy as hell," Alex says, "besides I have no idea who the hell you guys are."


    "My name''s Tim!" The first thug says.


    "And I''m Tom," The second thug says.


    "And I''m the head of the gang, Tim-Tom," the third thug says.


    Alex begins to laugh out loud, which causes Tim & Tom to get enraged, however, Tim-Tom stops them.


    "Hey don''t worry, he''ll take us seriously when I show him this," Tim-Tom begins to say as he reaches into his pocket.


    "Show me what?" Alex says while trying to stifle his laughter.


    Luckily for Alex, he manages to stop laughing. However, that''s because Tim-Tom took a gun out of his pocket.


    "Yeah we aren''t so funny now are we Alex!" Tim The First Thug says.


    "Alex? You know my name?!" Alex asks.


    "Of course we do," Tom The Second Thug says, "A bunch of folks in your math class paid us a huge sum so that we¡¯d kick your ass.¡±


    Alex reflects back on all the possible reasons why this would possibly happen and remembers that he used to beat up most of his class for money.


    "Look, can you beat me up some other time," Alex asks, "I''m kind of busy right now."


    "Yeah and we''re busy too," Tim-Tom The Third Thug begins to say, "Those classmates really fucking hate you, like you''d be surprised how much they paid us just to kick your ass because it was a lot. But if we don''t do it tonight then there goes our money. So just let us do this, please?"


    ¡°We¡¯ll be gentle,¡± Tim remarks.


    ¡°No we won¡¯t Tim, that''s the whole point of beating him up,¡± Tom explains.


    Alex stares down the gun Tim-Tom is holding and notices that it looks somewhat funny. As Alex squints to try and see why he realizes that the gun is just a water gun, and he wasn''t able to tell due to how dark it is in the alleyway. With this knowledge, Alex quickly books it down the alleyway as The Three Ts begin to chase him down.


    "AFTER THAT GUY!" Tim-Tom yells.


    As Alex is running, he''s making sure not to drop the cake he is holding all the while The Three Ts give chase.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 19 - Out & About (2)

    Several citizens ¨C ranging from students, their families, faculty, and even regular citizens of the city ¨C are all gathered in Starlight High¡¯s gymnasium in order to participate in the school¡¯s carnival.


    Among the several stations is a large dunk tank that Ronnie is sitting atop of. People from below all try to hit a target that¡¯ll cause the platform he¡¯s sitting on to fall, which would send him into the water below.


    "Hah! Is that the best you can do?!" Ronnie says arrogantly, "I''m as dry as a desert up here!"


    As Ronnie continues to taunt people as they walk by, Elizabeth & Marcus are collecting tickets from people which is how people can step in line and try to dunk in Ronnie.


    "He''s really getting into this role huh?" Marcus says.


    "Yeah well, it looks like my skills as an acting coach came in handy today," Elizabeth responds.


    "Wait, you''re an acting coach?"


    "No, I just told Ronnie to act like Alex."


    Marcus chuckles at Elizabeth''s joke as a group of people walks over to them. Elizabeth looks and glares at the person standing in front of them, which is Rebecca Jenksin. Rebecca is one of the most popular girls at the school and she''s only wearing designer clothes.


    "So, what do we have here, huh?" Rebecca says.


    "Oh if you hit the target, Ronnie falls into the tank, you wanna give it a go?" Elizabeth begrudgingly informs Rebecca.


    "Sure, why not."


    Rebecca hands her a ticket and walks over to where a basket containing a tennis ball lays.


    "Uh, she probably doesn''t even know how to toss a ball," Elizabeth whispers to Marcus.


    "Woah I''ve never seen you this upset, are you good?" Marcus whispers back to Elizabeth.


    "I am, it''s just she was a bitch to me all through middle school, probably why I hated it so much," Elizabeth whispers back.


    "Sorry, that happened to you," Marcus whispers back.


    Rebecca looks up at Ronnie who has a shit-eating grin on his face.


    "Hey, Rebecca! Long time no see!" Ronnie yells, "Y¡¯know I¡¯ve been hearing a lot of rumors about you lately. Are they true?¡±


    "Which one?" Rebecca scoffs.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s pretty silly,¡± Ronnie begins to say, ¡°it¡¯s just that apparently you¡¯ve been wearing a wig-¡±


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    Rebecca, with a fury strong enough to make most professional baseball pitchers impressed, chucks the tennis ball at the target with all her might.


    THUNK!


    It landed dead on.


    Ronnie hears the platform start to creak.


    ¡°Uh oh,¡± Ronnie says before¡­


    SPLASH!


    As Ronnie sinks into the water, the crowd around Rebecca cheers even Marcus gets a hearty laugh out of it. Rebecca with a proud smirk does a playful bow before being approached by Elizabeth.


    "Congrats you''ve just won this free book coupon to the Starlight City Bookstore and this opened bag of silly bands," Elizabeth replies unamused as she hands the gifts to Rebecca.


    "Oh...thanks," Rebecca says as she grabs them.


    "Wait, that''s what we''re handing out?" Marcus whispers to Elizabeth.


    "Most of the budget of this carnival went into the dunk tank, not much else we have to offer besides some desserts," Elizabeth replies.


    Ronnie floats up to the top of the dunk tank completely soaked and asks, "hey speaking of desserts, did Alex ever come back with that cake?"


    "Oh not yet," Marcus says as he looks over to the crowd of people waiting for the ''cake walk'' game to begin which includes Ray Ramirez, Mesto-Presto, Christopher Wrinkle, Hamster, Bennet, & Wilsten.


    "Wow, I wonder when he''s getting back," Ronnie asks.


    "I bet he''s having the time of his life right now," Elizabeth adds.


    __________________________


    In a random dark alleyway somewhere on the north side of Starlight City, Alex Smith is not having the time of his life at the moment. In fact, he''s being chased by a trio of three thugs who want to beat him up for money. A group of thugs by the name of Tim, Tom, & Tim-Tom who are also known as ''The Three Ts'' gang.


    "Hey, why the hell is this dude so fast!" Tim The First Thug yells, "Can you slow down for us!"


    "I''m good," Alex says teasingly, "and maybe you need some lessons in boxing if you want to be as fast as me."


    "But we do know how to box-" Tom The Second Thug begins to say before Tim-Tom shushes them.


    "You may be able to run, but we''ll catch up to you soon!" Tim-Tom The Third Thug yells.


    Alex, who''s managing to get a good distance away from the three, looks at the cake he is holding to see that it is still safe. He also notices up ahead there''s a dumpster so he quickly runs past it before hiding behind it. The Three Ts all run past Alex''s hiding spot and Alex sighs in relief.


    As Alex gets up to continue running, he notices a rat by his feet looking up at the cake he is holding.


    "Sorry rat but you can''t have this," Alex says, "at least, I think you can''t."


    As Alex goes to walk away he hears more and more squeaks as more rats begin to come out from the crevices in the alleyway until there is an army of rats all wanting the cake that Alex is holding in his hands.


    "Fuck it," Alex says as he books it away and the rat army chases after him.


    The rats are somehow gaining on Alex as he makes his way down the alleyway. Alex notices a few mice traps up ahead so he leaps over them while a few rats get caught in them.


    However, there are still several rats on Alex''s tail as he tries to protect the cake and get away. Eventually, he sees the light of the city street up ahead which gives him enough determination to escape the alley and the rats.


    Unfortunately, as he does just that he happens to run into Tim, Tom, & Tim-Tom.


    "......shit," Alex says.


    "See I told you guys he was going to come out soon," Tim-Tom The Third Thug states, "now then prepare to be beaten up!"


    As Tim-Tom goes to chase Alex, an orange jeep driving by manages to ride over a puddle causing water to splash all over The Three Ts. The Orange Jeep comes to a halt right next to Alex and the passenger door swings open.


    "Come in, hurry!" the driver says with a funky Texan accent,


    Alex without hesitating enters the jeep as the jeep then drives away. Alex puts on his seatbelt as he glances inside the box to see the cake is still looking good.


    "Thanks for the save," Alex says.


    "No problem buddy. I know a lot of people were looking forward to getting their cake so I thought it would be easier if I sped things up," the driver says in their regular voice.


    Alex, recognizing the voice, looks over and realizes the driver is none other than X Locke.


    "X?" Alex asks.


    "The one and only."


    "I didn''t know you had a car."


    "Oh, I don¡¯t,¡± X responds.


    ¡°What?!¡± Alex yells.


    ¡°Yeah this is Ray''s. I''m just borrowing it...without telling him," X states


    "Well, I''m glad you have a license. You really saved me back there bub."


    "What''s a license?" X asks.


    Alex groans as he realizes just how fucked the situation he is in is. He glances at the rearview mirror and sees three motorcycles driving towards the jeep, with those three motorcycles being driven by each member of The Three Ts.


    "X, they''re following us!" Alex yells.


    "Is that so? Well then..." X smirks as he cracks his knuckles, "I guess it''s time to do some reckless driving."


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 20 - Out & About (Finale)

    Inside the gymnasium at Starlight High, the carnival is still going strong as several people are going to different stations and all enjoying themselves. However, despite most people enjoying themselves, a small group of people sitting at a table seem to be on edge. Those people are Selina Gulvonac, Ray Ramirez, Christopher Wrinkle, & Zesti Champion. Sam Penningberg & Ivan Turnip are also at the table but trying to calm the others down.


    "Man, I came here because I thought there was going to be cake," Selina says as she looks around the table.


    "That cake is the only thing that got me through my roughest moments," Christopher says.


    "I wouldn''t be the person I am without that cake," Ray Ramirez croaks as he wipes a tear coming down his face.


    "I think you''re overexaggerating about how much this one cake means to you guys," Sam Penningberg sighs, "and besides Ray, I thought you were trying to be presentable today."


    Ray, instead of having a man bun, is having his hair down and is wearing a blue hoodie and white shorts instead of the more formal clothes he wears to work.


    "Hey get off my back Sam, you didn''t tell me about this carnival until a few hours ago," Ray retorts.


    "Please you two, you''re setting a bad example for the kids," Ivan Turnip states, "besides I thought Miss Champion said she has someone getting the cake, right?"


    "Oh- uh, yes I am," Miss Champion replies, "we just need to be a little bit more patient."


    "Whoever that guy is sure is taking his sweet time," Selina says.


    "His sweet time?" Ivan Turnip says with a smile on his face.


    "I didn''t mean it as a pun!" Selina says as she storms off.


    As the carnival continued, the question everyone had on their mind was ''When is the cake going to get there?''


    _________________________


    Fortunately for them, Alex Smith, the person delivering the cake, was being driven by X to the high school at a fast pace. Unfortunately for them, however, they were being chased by The Three Ts who all were driving motorcycles.


    "NOWHERE TO RUN SMITH!" Tim-Tom yells from his bike.


    "On the contrary, we have a ton of road left to go," X says in a Texan accent as he drives just a little bit faster.


    As the orange jeep X is driving begins to go over 80 mph, Alex begins to write an obituary for himself. Tim & Tom drive up next to the orange jeep and they both take out crowbars. They go to smash in the windows of the jeep however X hits the brakes and turns the car in reverse so the thugs miss him. Tim-Tom gets out of the way as X drives the car in reverse. The Three Ts follow X backward.


    As X drives the car backward, he waits until he gets to an intersection and performs a bootleg turn causing the car to start driving back the way it just came. As The Three Ts try to turn their motorcycles around, X guns it on the car causing it to go over 90 mph. X weaves his way through traffic as he effortlessly avoids any pedestrians.


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    "How are you so good at driving?" Alex asks.


    "It''s easy really," X says as he begins to see Starlight High up ahead in the distance, "I took driver''s ed!"


    However, despite X''s enthusiasm, Alex begins to pray to any god who would listen as The Three Ts catch up to them again.


    "Hey, did you think you could lose us so easily?!" Tom The Second Thug yells.


    "Hey Thomas or whatever your name is," X begins to say in a Texan accent, "a motorcycle is nice and all but you want to know what cars have over them?"


    Tom looks and sees that the orange jeep is swerving toward his motorcycle.


    "They carry much more weight!" X yells in his fake accent before swerving the jeep into Tom¡¯s motorcycle.


    The motorcycle crashes, sending Tom off his ride. Though before Tom can land on the ground, Tim-Tom catches him and puts him on the back of his motorbike.


    "WHAT THE HELL, YOU JUST TRIED TO KILL HIM!" Tim-Tom yells.


    "And aren''t you trying to kill Alex?" X remarks in his fake accent.


    ¡°Why are you doing that accent when talking to them?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to use it for a while but never got a chance,¡± X admits.


    Alex looks and sees that X is driving into the high school parking lot.


    "All right, just drop me out at the front," Alex says,


    "Yeah sure sure, just one tiny problem though," X replies.


    "What is it?"


    "I think I broke the brakes."


    Alex''s face drops as he & X are driving full speed toward the school. X takes his foot off the gas pedal and as the two get to the entrance of the school, they both jump out of the car. Alex manages to land without getting himself or the cake injured but X takes a bit more of a tumble. As the orange jeep crashes into a tree, the Three Ts pull into the school.


    "X are you alright?" Alex yells.


    "Don''t worry about me," X begins to say as The Three Ts stop their motorcycles right next to Alex, "just focus on getting that cake to the gym!"


    Alex nods as he runs into the school. The Three Ts follow him in as they chase him down the halls. Alex looks and sees that there are a few different paths he could take to the gym but decides to go down the furthest one from the entrance. Unfortunately for him, one of The Three Ts takes the other way and beats Alex to the gym door. As Alex is getting surrounded by The Three Ts, he pushes the gym door open just as the gang tackles him.


    As the gym doors fly open, the cake that Alex was holding is tossed out of his hand and lands on the ground, smushed and ruined.


    "We did it, we got him!" Tim The First Thug says cheerfully.


    However, Tim, Tom, & Tim-Tom''s happiness soon fades as they look up to see a room of people who all have murderous intent in their eyes.


    Ronnie Everst, Elizabeth Moore, Ray Ramirez, Sam Penningberg, the volunteer dressed as a clown, Hamster & Bennet, Rebecca Jenksin, Zesti Champion, Christopher Wrinkle, Ivan Turnip, X Locke, & Selina Gulvonac all glare menacingly at the intruders,


    A FEW MINUTES LATER¡­


    The ruined starfruit upside-down cake is cut up by Miss Champion and slices are going around to a few people who desperately want some, including The Three Ts.


    Marcus is trying the ''bobbing for apples'' station and competing with Christopher.


    Selina is running around trying to grab a piece of cake but everyone effortlessly dodges her attempts.


    X Locke is also running from an infuriated Ray Ramirez since Ray finally learned what happened to his car.


    As X is running, he passes by Alex who is sitting in a chair. Ronnie walks over with a can of soda and hands one to Alex.


    "Thanks, Ronnie," he says as he opens the can and takes a sip.


    "So it looks like you had a rough night huh?" Ronnie says teasingly.


    "Yeah, I guess that''s what happens when you make a lot of enemies huh."


    "I guess," Ronnie replies as he tries to find something to say before deciding on, "but at least you also have friends like us."


    Alex smiles at Ronnie''s sincerity before masking it by jokingly saying, "Yeah, yeah, but just so you know I totally would''ve beat you in that fight if it didn''t get interrupted."


    "Whatever helps you sleep at night," Ronnie retorts.


    As Alex finishes his soda, Ronnie suddenly gets a bright idea.


    "Hey, you want to do an easy job?" Ronnie asks.


    "Finally something easy!" Alex sighs in relief before asking, "What is it?"


    _____________________


    Alex has a look of pure apathy as he sits in the dunk tank.


    Ronnie with a microphone yells out to the crowd, ¡°Ladies and not-so-gentlemen step right up for a chance to dunk the one and only¡­Alex Smith! The first one to wash the smug grin off his face gets a special prize!¡±


    As Ronnie finishes his speech the two see several people, most from Alex¡¯s math class, getting in line to try and dunk Alex. Alex sighs as he accepts his fate.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 21 - Out & About (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Dropouts


    "Ha! Looks like I won this time!" Tim The First Thug says as he manages to collect a dessert from the cakewalk game.


    He and the rest of The Three Ts are enjoying their time at the Starlight High carnival, much to the confusion of Zesti Champion. Miss Champion walks over to Mister Amnestor, who''s talking with Ivan Turnip.


    "Excuse me Mister Amnestor, but is it really okay for us to allow some thugs to be a part of the carnival?" Miss Champion asks.


    "Don''t worry Miss Champion, they aren''t just any thugs," Mr. Amnestor says, "those three kids are all former students here."


    "Wait really? What happened to them?"


    "Well, they dropped out together a few years back," Amnestor says.


    ¡°How come?¡± Zesti Champion asks.


    ¡°Well you see,¡± Amnestor starts to explain.


    ¡°YOU LITTLE BRAT! YOU NEED TO PAY FOR THE DAMAGES!¡±


    Amnestor looks to see Ray stomping after X Locke still. X, spotting Amnestor hides behind him.


    ¡°Ray don¡¯t hurt me, I''m just a lil ol¡¯ fly!¡± X pleads mockingly.


    ¡°I JUST PAID IT OFF TOO!¡± Ray groans.


    As Amnestor turns his attention to de-escalating the situation, Zesti still can¡¯t help but ponder why those three thugs all dropped out.


    SUN SHORT #2 - A Small Confrontation


    "I''ll be right back, just grabbing some supplies!" Ronnie yells as he exits the gym.


    After closing the door behind him, Ronnie then turns to walk down the hallway. As he reaches the supply closet, the door to the bathroom swings open.


    ¡°Ugh I knew I shouldn¡¯t have had that cake,¡± a person remarks as he exits out of the bathroom.


    The person stops as he makes eye contact with Ronnie.


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    ¡°What the hell are you doing here, Hunter?¡± Ronnie demands as his fist tightens.


    The rebellious teen, Hunter Huntingson, looks at Ronnie before responding, ¡°What, is it illegal for me to attend a school event? Besides, I didn''t expect to see you here.¡±


    Hunter begins to walk past Ronnie, though he stops and adds, ¡°Saw Marcus hanging out with you earlier, he seemed happy.¡±


    Infuriated, Ronnie turns around to face Hunter and shouts, "If you even think of coming towards Marcus ever again I swear-"


    However, Hunter cuts him off by saying, "Yeah you won''t need to worry about that. I wouldn¡¯t want to waste my time dealing with someone so pathetic."


    Hunter continues to walk away while Ronnie walks towards the supply closet, as he does so he wonders how true those words were of Hunter. He grabs the mop and other cleaning supplies as he heads back to the gym. Once he enters he runs into Marcus.


    ¡°Oh hey, you were out for a while,¡± Marcus says, ¡°Did you meet anyone or something?¡±


    ¡°It was nobody worth remembering,¡± Ronnie affirms.


    SUN SHORT #3 - They Didn''t Save Me A Slice


    "I didn''t even get a slice of cake!" Selina Gulvonac says defeatedly as she bags a bunch of books.


    She is standing behind the counter at the Starlight City Bookstore and cashing out Sally Everst who''s buying a few books.


    "Is that so," Sally says as she hands Selina some money. Selina goes to give Sally Everst the change back but Sally stops her by adding, "The change should be enough to get you a piece of that cake."


    Selina checks the money again and smiles, "Thank you so much Mrs. Everst! You''re a lifesaver!"


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Sally remarks, ¡°Although despite looking nice, it does have a unique taste just to warn you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll like it!¡± Selina says.


    ________________


    After her shift, Selina is at home with a newly bought starfruit upside-down cake. She cuts a slice for herself, grabs a fork, and takes a bite out of the cake. However, she quickly spits out the food.


    "Why is it so awful?!" Selina asks.


    SUN SHORT #4 - Rolling Up Your Sleeves


    On a bright and sunny day, Alex, Marcus, Elizabeth, & Ronnie are hanging out at the Starlight City Park. All of them are sitting at a table and are about to eat some food they got from a street vendor.


    "Man, I can''t remember the last time I''ve been here," Ronnie says.


    "I can," Alex shared, "it was when we fought."


    "Oh yeah, that did happen."


    As the four are about to eat, they suddenly hear someone start to cry. They look to the source of the sound to see a little kid who managed to get a kite stuck in a tree.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll go help him," Ronnie says as he walks away from the group and towards the kid. He begins to try and struggle to get the kite out of the tree.


    "Kids still use those?" Elizabeth asks.


    "I guess," Alex says.


    The three decide to start eating, however, Marcus notices that the food he is eating might make a mess on his white long-sleeved t-shirt so he rolls back his sleeves before eating. As Alex & Elizabeth sit at the other side of the table they stop eating and stare at Marcus in shock.


    Marcus, noticing them staring, stops eating and asks, "You guys good?"


    Alex immediately answers, ¡°Yeah but the hell is up with your arms?!"


    Marcus quickly pulls his sleeves back down before frantically saying, "I''m sorry! I didn''t realize what I was doing! Don''t tell anyone please!"


    "Relax, we aren''t going to tell anyone," Elizabeth says, "well besides Ronnie."


    "Oh- uh- he already knows," Marcus awkwardly admits.


    "Wait what? Since when? And why?" Alex asks.


    "It''s uh, it''s a pretty long story, and it''s not that interesting, are you sure you want to hear it?" Marcus admits.


    Elizabeth & Alex nod.


    "Alright, I''ll tell you, but don''t get too upset at me since I did warn you that it¡¯s long!" Marcus says.


    Elizabeth & Alex nod again. Marcus sighs before he begins to explain to them a tale. A tale that occurred back in middle school. A tale where Marcus would end up at his lowest possible point only for him to experience a miracle. A tale of two best friends.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 22 - A Tale of Two Best Friends (1)

    ¡°To be honest, if I need to explain how it all went down, I have to go back to when I first met Ronnie. At the start of middle school.¡±


    On the first day of seventh grade, a slightly younger Marcus Veridan is trying to find his way to class. His hair isn¡¯t as messy as it is nowadays and he¡¯s just wearing a plain t-shirt with shorts.


    As he passes by some other students, he tries to make some small talk with them but most don¡¯t give him the time of day.


    ¡°Back then I didn¡¯t have a lot of friends, I guess compared to everyone else, I just fit right into the background.¡±


    As Marcus continues to walk forward, however, he ends up bumping into someone causing the two of them to fall to the ground.


    ¡°At least until¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, I am so sorry.¡± Marcus begins to apologize as he gets up.


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t worry about it, I should¡¯ve paid attention to where I was walking,¡± the other student chuckles as dusts himself off before standing up.


    "I ran into him."


    ¡°I¡¯m Ronnie by the way,¡± The student remarks, ¡°You got any idea where the science classes are? I¡¯m supposed to have a class there but this whole school is a maze.¡±


    ¡°I ran into Ronnie.¡±


    ¡°Oh uh-, I¡¯m M-Marcus,¡± Marcus stammers out before calming down and replying, ¡°I think the science classes are closer to the cafeteria.¡±


    ¡°Sweet well thanks, Marcus, you¡¯re a lifesaver!¡± Ronnie begins to say as he starts to run away.


    Though, as Ronnie runs through the hall he turns around to yell back at Marcus, ¡°And hey just so you know, we¡¯re friends now so don¡¯t forget it!¡±


    "O-okay!" Marcus replies confused.


    "And just like that, I found myself a new friend."


    ______________________________


    After school gets out on that day, Marcus is exiting through the front doors when he spots Ronnie sitting at the end of the stair¡¯s stone guard railing. Though he seems to be busy chatting with someone else, Marcus decides to walk past him.


    Though just as he does so, Marcus can hear Ronnie call out ¡°Yo Marcus! Wait up!¡±


    Marcus looks to see Ronnie hop off the railing and make his way towards him.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Marcus questions.


    ¡°Just wanted to say thanks for helping me out earlier,¡± Ronnie states, ¡°Thanks to you I just barely made it before the bell.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mention it,¡± Marcus begins to say, ¡°You have a club or something going on?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I was just chatting with a classmate,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°Do you walk back home?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Marcus remarks as he starts walking down a street, ¡°It¡¯s just a few blocks away.¡±


    ¡°Oh neat, my house is that way too,¡± Ronnie says as he also walks down the street before adding, ¡°Wanna chat while we walk or are you more a fan of awkward silence?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind chatting,¡± Marcus replies.


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    ¡°Back then I didn¡¯t think much would come from our chance encounter¡­¡±


    Marcus & Ronnie are walking down the street back to their homes. As they do so they chat about whatever is on their mind. They talk about their hobbies, their passions, their favorite shows, what games they¡¯ve been playing, and anything else the two can conjure up.


    ¡°But before I knew it¡­¡±


    As the days go by, Ronnie & Marcus keep on walking together on their walks from school. The two are both much more relaxed around one another than they were before.


    ¡°We ended up really getting along.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way that happened,¡± Marcus laughs.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you it did,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°We may have gotten scolded for unscrewing the fence in the playground but it was worth it.¡±


    ¡°Why did you even help them with that?¡±


    ¡°Well they¡¯re my friend, that¡¯s really all the reason I needed,¡± Ronnie states.


    As the two are walking, they eventually reach an intersection, the two look at each other as Ronnie has to go right to get home while Marcus has to go left.


    "Well, I''ll catch you later man!" Ronnie says.


    "Yeah, see you around, Ronnie!" Marcus replies.


    The two go their separate ways as Marcus heads back home. Marcus smiles to himself thinking about the conversation the two just had, however before he knows it he finds himself at his doorstep.


    "It was nice to be able to talk to someone because when I got back home..."


    Marcus unlocks the front door and opens it to see all the lights are off inside, he sighs as he enters the stale house and turns them on. The fluorescents flicker to life in the dull home. Everything in there is perfect.


    Too perfect.


    Everything in there is modern and slick, but there aren¡¯t any blemishes one would expect to see in a house with a family. No family pictures hang up on the wall, there¡¯s no indents in any of the furniture, the whole place looks like it was up for sale.


    "It was always just me there."


    Marcus walks over to the kitchen counter and sees a printed note left by his parents. The note reads ''we went to the store and got some more groceries in the fridge.'' Marcus sighs as he takes the note and then walks into the living room.


    "My parents were always busy at work and they''d never be at home, in fact, they''d usually get home really late so I''d rarely if ever see them. So most of the time the only way we communicated was with..."


    Marcus places the note in a trash can, a trash can filled with notes that say the exact same thing as the one he just had.


    "Small pieces of paper that were always so cold whenever I picked them up. That was how I figured most parents talked to their kids."


    As Marcus sits in the living room, he starts to hear some knocking coming from the front door. Curious to see who it is, he walks over and opens the door. He looks to see Ronnie standing there.


    "Ronnie?!" Marcus says befuddled, "What are you doing here?"


    "Oh, I was just talking to my mom about you and she wanted to see if you wanted to have dinner with us today. If your parents are okay with it." Ronnie begins to say before he notices just how empty the inside of Marcus'' house is.


    "Oh, uh, sure, if that isn''t a bother," Marcus stammers.


    "Dude you''re not a bother," Ronnie replies, "besides we were the ones who invited you."


    "I guess you''re right," Marcus says while smiling.


    _________________________________________


    That night, Marcus is sitting at a wooden dining table in the middle of The Everst Family Home. In front of him is a plate of fried chicken, corn, mac & cheese, and some cornbread. He looks to see that Ronnie & his mother, Sally Everst, are already eating. Misses Everst is wearing baggy blue jeans, a black tank top underneath a gray jacket, and brown boots. Marcus looks around to see several pictures hanging on the walls of the home, pictures of Ronnie spending time with his mother. There¡¯s some of Ronnie with his father but that was when Ronnie was a young baby.


    "You don''t like the food?" Misses Everst asks bluntly while drinking some water.


    "Oh sorry, I was just looking around at your house, it looks really good," Marcus said.


    "Well I''m glad you like the house but you need to eat your food before it gets cold."


    "Oh okay," Marcus says as he takes a bite of the fried chicken.


    As he does so, flavors and spices he''s never really had before start to hit his taste buds, but not only that, but he could feel the passion that the food had. A passion that all the food he ever made for himself never had.


    "This is really good!" Marcus says as he continues to eat.


    "Aw shucks, I''m glad that somebody likes my cooking," Mrs. Everst says with a smile on her face while glaring at Ronnie.


    "What! I never said I didn''t like your food, I just said I''m not a big fan of soul food," Ronnie says.


    Mrs. Everst''s glare at Ronnie becomes more intimidating causing Ronnie to be quiet. Marcus continues to eat his food.


    "You have to give me the recipe," Marcus exclaims.


    "Sure thing sweetie," Mrs. Everst replies.


    "Though I do have one question," Marcus begins to ask, "why are their two main dishes?"


    "What do you mean?" Ronnie asks.


    "Well there''s fried chicken and then there''s mac n cheese," Marcus answers.


    "Wait, you think mac n cheese is a main dish?" Ronnie questions.


    "Isn''t it?"


    Ronnie laughs while Misses Everst just shakes her head.


    "As the dinner went on, I started to feel like I was truly able to get the feeling I was missing out on for most of my life..."


    As Marcus debates with Ronnie & Mrs. Everst if mac & cheese counts as a main dish or side dish, Marcus can''t help but smile and laugh during most of the conversation.


    "The feeling of being a part of a family."


    _____________________


    "But of course, Ronnie wasn''t the only friend I had at the time."


    One day at Starlight Middle School, Marcus is walking to class when a kid with a red hoodie and black sweatpants runs over and puts his arm around Marcus. The kid has short brown hair, brown eyes, and a bandage on his cheek.


    "There was another person I was friends with back then."


    "Hey Marcus, you ready for that math quiz?" the kid in the red hoodie asks.


    "Wait, we have a test today?!" Marcus panics.


    "Nah I''m just messing with you, besides even if there was you''d probably ace it."


    "True," Marcus says.


    "And that person was..."


    "Wait hold on, I forgot to get something," The kid in the red hoodie says as he goes to his locker.


    The locker happens to have his name on it, and that name is ''Hunter Huntingson.''


    "Hunter Huntingson. And he was my best friend."


    Hunter grabs the extra pen from his locker and closes the door, he then looks over to Marcus and says with a smirk on his face, "So you ready for another boring class, Buddy?"


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 23 - A Tale of Two Best Friends (2)

    "The first time I met Hunter was back in elementary school."


    A child Marcus is at his home all by himself reading a note that his parents left him, the note states ''we went to the store and got some more groceries in the fridge.'' As the child Marcus goes to the fridge, he hears a loud bang come from outside. Curious, Marcus opens the door to see a kid his age trying to pick up a trash can he accidentally knocked over.


    "Y''know, a part of me wonders how different things would have been if I never said hi to him..."


    The kid Marcus goes over to the other kid and helps him pick up the trash.


    "Thanks for that," the other kid says.


    "No problem," Marcus says.


    "How better would my life have been..."


    "By the way, if you ever wanna play some baseball, then come find me! The name''s Hunter Huntingson, and don''t you forget it," the young kid says with a smile on his face.


    "If I never met Hunter."


    ____________________________


    Back in middle school, both Marcus & Hunter are in class chatting during work time. Hunter is trying to toss crushed-up balls of paper into the trash can from his desk.


    "Back then, we got along really well. I don''t know if it was that we had a similar sense of humor, or that we could bond over some issues, but for the longest time..."


    As Hunter tells Marcus a joke, he can''t help but laugh.


    "I thought we would be friends forever."


    As the two continued to talk, the loudspeaker in the classroom activated as it stated, "Hunter Huntingson, please come down to the main office."


    Hunter looks at Marcus and shrugs as he stands up.


    "I''ll catch you later Buddy," Hunter says as he walks towards the door.


    "Oh, okay," Marcus replies.


    "Little did I know it then but..."


    Hunter walks out of the classroom and the door closes behind him.


    "That would be the last time I would see Hunter like that."


    _________________________________


    A few days later on a cloudy rainy day, Marcus is in the cafeteria when he sees Hunter. Hunter''s eyes look vacant as he eats his food. Marcus walks over and sits at his table.


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    "Hey Hunter," Marcus began to say, concerned, "I haven''t seen you for a while, everything okay?"


    "I don''t want to talk about it," Hunter murmurs.


    "Oh okay," Marcus replies as an awkward silence falls between the two of them.


    Hunter looks down at his lunch tray, staring at the cheaply put-together sandwich.


    Trying to cheer him up, Marcus adds, ¡°Hey listen, if you want you can come over to my house today and we can hang out. You won¡¯t need to worry about my parents since you know how my dad gets home late & how my mom-¡±


    Hunter grits his teeth as he stands up and begins walking away.


    "You know Marcus, it sure sucks how your parents can just leave you be and you can do whatever you want," Hunter snaps.


    "What? Hunter-" Marcus tries to say but gets cut off.


    Hunter interjects by saying "Your parents really must be the worst huh? Your life must be so miserable."


    Marcus doesn''t know what to say as Hunter walks away and murmurs to himself, "At least you have a mom."


    ___________________________________


    "After that moment, every time I saw Hunter, he would be different."


    Marcus is walking down the hall when he sees Hunter arguing with a teacher. His face has a few bruises and his hands are wrapped in bandages.


    "He started lashing out at teachers, he got into a ton of fights, and the thing that made me the most upset was..."


    After getting scolded by the teacher, Hunter walks over to Marcus and proceeds to spill some water over his clothes.


    "How he began to ''joke'' around with me."


    "Oh, I''m sorry Buddy!" Hunter began to say, "I didn''t see you there!"


    "Oh, no worries," Marcus said.


    "It would look like innocent teasing to anybody on the outside."


    After a while, Marcus is walking to another class when Hunter ''accidentally'' knees him in the groin.


    "What the hell!" Marcus yells.


    "Buddy, what''s the big deal, I''m just messing around!" Hunter casually remarks.


    "And whenever I''d try and stand up for myself, he''d just pretend like this was how we always acted. To those looking from the outside, it looked like I was the one acting irrationally."


    ________________________


    In a male bathroom in Starlight Middle School, Marcus is washing his hands when Hunter walks in. The two make eye contact as Hunter walks over to Marcus.


    "So Buddy, you wanna hang out later?" Hunter asks as Marcus just looks down.


    "I don''t want to," Marcus murmurs.


    "What? Why not! We always hang out."


    "I''m not in the mood Hunter," Marcus sighs.


    ¡°Oh, you aren¡¯t?¡± Hunter begins to remark, ¡°Well you sure were in the mood back then. But I get it, you wouldn¡¯t want to hang out with someone like me anymore, you¡¯re just gonna abandon me. Is that it?¡±


    Marcus groans as he shouts, "Hunter! What is your problem?!"


    "Problem?"


    "I mean, why are you like this? This isn''t you!" Marcus screams.


    As Marcus stops talking he looks at Hunter whose eyes are filled with rage.


    "I''m not like this? This isn''t me? You don''t know a damn thing about me!" Hunter begins to yell, "You have no idea who I am, everything I go through, you''re just some¡­ some stupid kid unaware of the real world!"


    As Hunter is breathing heavily and his hands are shaking, Marcus tries to reach out to Hunter, however in a fit of blind rage and not realizing what he was doing, Hunter makes a fist and punches Marcus straight in the face.


    "In that instant, we no longer were friends..."


    As Marcus falls to the ground, Hunter snaps back to reality as he realizes what he''s just done. Regret washes over Hunter¡¯s entire body as he remorsefully goes to reach out to Marcus and help him up.


    But he stops himself, as something else begins to bubble up inside him.


    Something he hasn¡¯t felt before.


    Power.


    The power to be stronger than someone.


    The power to maintain some sort of control.


    The power to feel absolutely free.


    "Instead, the only thing I was to Hunter was..."


    As Marcus tries to get up, Hunter grabs Marcus by the hair as he makes a fist with his other hand.


    ¡°H-Hunter?¡± Marcus groans, ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡±


    Hunter¡¯s fist begins to tremble as a twisted smile begins to slowly inch its way across his face.


    Finally, Hunter bellows, ¡°Hey Buddy, did you think I was done after just one swing?!"


    "Nothing more than a mere punching bag."


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 24 - A Tale of Two Best Friends (3)

    "Nobody is born being beneath others."


    In Starlight Middle School, Marcus is in the cafeteria as he stares down at his lunch tray.


    On it is a hamburger covered in chocolate milk, mashed potatoes, carrots, napkins, and all kinds of trash. Several kids are all laughing as they all surround the table Marcus & Hunter are sitting at.


    ¡°Hey Buddy, what are you waiting for?¡± Hunter asks nicely before coldly demanding, ¡°Eat it.¡±


    Marcus hesitantly picks up the food, lifts it towards his mouth, and takes a bite out of it.


    "It''s something that''s taught."


    Several of the people watching Marcus chew the food grimace, however, Hunter just coldly states, "swallow."


    "And something you''re reminded of constantly."


    After some hesitation, Marcus swallows down the food.


    _________________


    In the middle school bathroom, Marcus is throwing up the food he ate for lunch in a stall. As he finishes throwing up, he feels a hand grab the back of his head and submerge it into the toilet he just threw up in.


    After a few seconds, the hand lets go and Marcus turns around to see it''s someone he doesn''t even know. Standing by the sink, Hunter and a few other students are looking at Marcus amused.


    "You''re reminded of it by everyone."


    "You couldn''t have let him flush before you did that?" Hunter snickers.


    As the group of kids laugh, Marcus just looks down at the ground. As they''re laughing, a random student enters the bathroom.


    "What made it worse wasn''t just the bullying, it was the fact that..."


    The student who just entered goes to wash his hands, not paying any attention to the other kids in there. Once he¡¯s done he quickly leaves.


    "Nobody cared about what was happening to me. To them, I just blended right into the background."


    ________________________


    "And those that would have, didn''t know."


    Marcus is in gym class with Ronnie and the two are chatting amongst themselves.


    "Hey man, everything been good?" Ronnie said.


    Marcus begins to talk but stops as he looks at Ronnie''s concerned face. So instead he just puts on a smile and says, "I''ve just been having a ton of homework recently, that''s all."


    "I didn''t tell the people who cared about me what was going on.¡±


    As the bell rings, Ronnie stops and looks at Marcus before saying, "Well you can come over for dinner tonight, my mom''s making chili and we both know you love that."


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "Oh, really that sounds-" Marcus begins to say before noticing Hunter looking over at him and his tone changes, "great, but I already made plans some other time."


    "Oh that''s fine, we can do so some other time!" Ronnie says.


    Marcus looks back and replies with a weak, "y-yeah, totally."


    As Marcus walks over to Hunter, Ronnie notices Marcus flinching when Hunter gives him a playful slap on the back.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Ronnie remarks as he walks over to Hunter, ¡°Apologize.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± Hunter questions as he grabs Marcus and leans closer to him, ¡°This is just what we do. We¡¯re friends, right Buddy?¡±


    Marcus looks at the ground.


    ¡°At the time, I didn¡¯t want to make them concerned¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s right!¡± Marcus says as he fakes a smile, ¡°Him & I are friends!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be a bother.¡±


    ________________________


    Days pass.


    Then weeks.


    Then months.


    Fall and Winter have come and gone and now it¡¯s Spring.


    Through all that time, Marcus¡¯ living hell continued.


    However now, whenever someone would do something to him ¨C whether it was him getting beaten up or being forced to eat disgusting food, or having people dump rotting food and rats in his locker ¨C he wouldn''t react. He''d just have a blank face.


    "Eventually, when the only thing you can see is darkness, it just becomes so numb. You just get used to it, and it just becomes..."


    Hunter sees Marcus in the hall and brings him over to the bathroom. As soon as they enter, Hunter punches Marcus in the gut and Marcus falls to the ground in pain.


    "Normal."


    As Marcus looks up, he sees Hunter begin to kick him in the stomach again and again. Hunter stops to catch his breath but he doesn''t see any reaction from Marcus.


    "What?" Hunter begins to ask, "Why aren''t you crying?!"


    "Because," Marcus begins to say as he just stares at the ceiling, "I don''t care."


    As those three words echo in Hunter''s mind his face turns to shock and then fury.


    "YOU DON''T CARE?!" Hunter says as he drops his backpack on the ground and takes out a metal baseball bat from it. He then lifts up the bat as a distorted look grows on his face. Hunter continues by adding, "Looks like I¡¯ll need to up the ante then!"


    Hunter looks down at Marcus and sees that his hands began to shake.


    Hunter hesitates once more, but it¡¯s not very long until he clenches his teeth before bringing the baseball bat down.


    __________________


    That day after school, Ronnie is standing right outside the front doors of the middle school.


    ¡°Crap,¡± Ronnie remarks as he watches the heavy downpour, ¡°Hope Marcus has an umbrella.¡±


    Ronnie continues to stand there as he watches more and more raindrops hit the cold pavement. Several other people walk past Ronnie and enter the rain carrying umbrellas.


    As Ronnie goes to sigh, the front doors to the school violently swing open as Marcus runs out of school and into the pouring rain.


    ¡°Wha-Hey Marcus, wait up!¡± Ronnie yells as he chases after him.


    As the two run down the street, the rain begins to fall down even harder than before as thunder echoes through the streets.


    Ronnie tries to catch up, but he soon falls behind a bit as Marcus takes a quick turn to his house. Marcus manages to get to the front door, open it, and lock it right before Ronnie could even get to the door.


    Ronnie bangs on the door.


    "Hey, open up! It¡¯s me, Ronnie! What''s going on? Are you okay?!" Ronnie frantically shouts.


    Marcus sits on the other side of the door as he runs his hands through his hair before he shouts back, "Just leave me alone!"


    Ronnie stops banging on the door as he asks, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± Marcus yells.


    ¡°Marcus we¡¯re friends,¡± Ronnie soberly says, ¡°I wanna see if you¡¯re okay, can you open the door? C¡¯mon, talk to me, man!¡±


    "At that moment, I did something I shouldn''t have done. I took out all of my frustrations on the one person who was looking out for me."


    "Friends?! We were never friends! You''ve just been pestering me all this time! I don''t want anything to do with you! Just... go away!" Marcus yells.


    Ronnie reaches for the door handle but stops as Marcus quietly sobs, "Please."


    "Al¡­Alright, if that''s what you want," Ronnie sighs as he begins to walk away.


    Marcus sits in his house sopping wet, he begins to get back up but winces in pain as he does so.


    "When I think back to it all, I guess the reason I didn''t want Ronnie to see me that day was that..."


    Marcus'' whole body is covered in bruises and blood is dripping from his mouth and nose.


    "I didn''t want him to see me look pathetic."


    As Marcus walks over to his kitchen, he notices a note his parents left him on the counter.


    He picks it up, flips it over, and begins to read what it says¡­only to see nothing written.


    ¡°They¡­forgot,¡± Marcus murmurs.


    As the blank note slips from his hands and onto the ground, a light chuckle begins to escape from the young middle schooler¡¯s mouth. The chuckle then turns into a laugh as tears start to well up in his eyes. Though that laughter violently turns into loud sobbing as Marcus slumps to the ground sobbing, his tears landing on the blank note.


    Though his sobs were only for himself as the torrential downpour silenced the ears of anyone who could have heard.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 25 - A Tale of Two Best Friends (4)

    A few days after Marcus distanced himself from Ronnie, the two end up finding themselves walking on opposite ends of the hallway at the middle school. Ronnie goes to wave at Marcus but Marcus just ignores him. However as he passes by, a book falls out of Marcus¡¯ backpack.


    Ronnie goes to pick it up but once he does, he lost sight of Marcus.


    "Guess I''ll go ask a teacher," Ronnie laments as he walks over to the main office.


    Inside a classroom, Marcus is sitting at his desk waiting for the class to start. However as he is waiting, he feels a pair of hands grab onto him and toss him to the ground.


    "That day started out with the same shit that happened every day¡­¡±


    Marcus looks up to see Hunter standing over him, wielding a metal baseball bat. Marcus flinches as he sees the bat. However, he drops the bat in favor of just punching Marcus repeatedly.


    "Hunter would come and attack me. All the while, everyone else in the room..."


    As Marcus is getting beaten, he glances around the room to see other students either laughing or just ignoring what was happening.


    "Would still treat me as a part of the background."


    After several seconds of slamming his fist down onto Marcus, Hunter gets up to catch his breath, as he does so he looks down at Marcus. Marcus struggles to try and get up but Hunter pushes him down with his foot.


    "Buddy I don''t get it, why are you trying to get up? You know I''m just going to hit you some more if you do," Hunter teases.


    "I just...I just want to get this over with," Marcus says.


    Hearing those words, Hunter grabs a hold of the metal baseball bat and lifts it up.


    ¡°Well then if you¡¯re so insistent,¡± Hunter remarks.


    As Marcus closes his eyes and Hunter begins to swing the bat down, the door to the classroom opens and Hunter stops.


    "However, that day it was different. Something I never thought would happen did.¡±


    Marcus, confused, opens his eyes to see that the person who just entered the classroom was Ronnie Everst.


    ¡°R-Ronnie?¡± Marcus questions, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Ronnie¡¯s eyes are wide as he sets the book he came to deliver down on a desk. Hunter makes his way over to Ronnie.


    ¡°Oi, what¡¯s got you up in a twist?¡± Hunter mockingly asks.


    "My two best friends..."


    The once motionless Ronnie doesn¡¯t respond verbally to Hunter for a bit, though once he finally finishes soaking in everything that¡¯s been going on, his hands begin to curl up into fists.


    ¡°I¡¯m only telling you this once,¡± Ronnie utters trying to contain his furious rage, ¡°Back. Off.¡±


    "Were about to fight."


    ¡°Oh sure sure,¡± Hunter says as he begins to walk away.


    However, with a sudden twist of his foot, Hunter spins around and slams the metal baseball bat into the side of Ronnie¡¯s head.


    ¡°You fucking dumbass,¡± Hunter cackles, ¡°You think playing hero is gonna do you any good when you can¡¯t fight?¡±


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    ¡°I gave you your chance.¡±


    Hunter¡¯s smug grin quickly vanishes as he realizes Ronnie managed to lift his hand and catch the baseball bat just in time before it made full contact with his head. However, the part that did manage to crack open his skin a bit as a bit of blood begins to slowly drip down his face


    ¡°Since you got the first hit in,¡± Ronnie begins to say, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to deliver the last one!¡±


    Ronnie tugs the bat closer to him, pulling Hunter in closer to him. He then lets go of the metal bat as both of his hands then go to grasp onto Hunter¡¯s back. Now that he¡¯s holding him in place Ronnie begins to slam his knee into Hunter¡¯s stomach repeatedly.


    Though just as Ronnie is about to send one final knee slam into Hunter¡­


    CRACK.


    Ronnie grimaces in pain as he stumbles back.


    ¡°You caught me off guard I¡¯ll give you that,¡± Hunter gasps, ¡°But you should¡¯ve held onto that bat of mine.¡±


    Marcus looks to see that Hunter managed to grab his metal baseball bat and position it in front of him so when Ronnie went to go for that final knee slam, he instead slammed his knee right into the hard metal bat.


    Gaining the upper hand, Hunter grasps his metal bat and swings it into Ronnie¡¯s right side, then switches and slams it into his left side. However, just as Hunter lifts his bat up to swing it down onto Ronnie, Ronnie lunges at Hunter and slams his head into Hunter¡¯s.


    Hunter falls to the ground with Ronnie atop him. Now with the advantage once more, Ronnie swings his fists down onto Hunter¡¯s face again and again. Eventually, Hunter manages to kick Ronnie off of him.


    The two slowly rise back up, since there¡¯s now some distance between the two of them, both use the opportunity to catch their breath for a moment.


    "What do you think a miracle is?"


    Hunter pushes a desk over causing several other desks and chairs to topple over as well. He uses the distraction to get closer to Ronnie and continues to beat him.


    ¡°For me at least, it¡¯s an outcome I could have only dreamed about. Something that I always wanted to happen, but never in my wildest dreams did I think would ever come true.¡±


    Ronnie manages to shove Hunter away and the two stop to catch their breath once more. Both completely exhausted.


    As they do so, Marcus still lies on the ground of the classroom floor. His face completely bloodied and littered with bruises. Hopelessness and despair consuming his heart.


    "You probably would think that would mean something like becoming famous, getting a ton of money, or maybe even finding love...but for me, it was something much different."


    As Marcus lies there, he looks towards Ronnie, someone who''s getting beaten and injured all because of him.


    Defeated, Marcus begs "Why? Why didn''t you just leave? You have no reason to help me, so why are you still here, Ronnie?!"


    "And the person who made my miracle a reality, the person who helped drag me out of that pit of despair...."


    Marcus could see that Ronnie''s legs were shaking, that his blood was dripping down from his head, and yet he was still standing. He was still there for Marcus when nobody else was.


    "Was Ronnie."


    As Ronnie hears Marcus''s words, he can''t help but let out a small chuckle before saying, "You¡¯re my friend."


    "At that moment, I didn''t just see him as my friend. I saw him as..."


    Ronnie continued by saying, "What other reason do I need besides that?"


    "A living miracle."


    As Ronnie says that, Hunter runs towards Ronnie ready to exchange blows. However, right before their attacks could land, the door to the classroom opened once more. Everyone stopped to see a teacher walking into the classroom.


    "Sorry I''m late, the copy machine took forever to-" The teacher said before he noticed the situation and shouted, "NOW WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"


    All of the other students in the room quickly pointed at Ronnie, Marcus, & Hunter.


    "PRINCIPAL¡¯S OFFICE, NOW!" The teacher beckons.


    ____________________________________


    In the principal¡¯s office, The principal glares at Hunter, Ronnie, & Marcus.


    "Now can you please care to explain what happened?" The principal asks the three of them.


    As Marcus & Ronnie try to come up with words to say, Hunter clears his throat before admitting, "I was beating him up when Ronnie showed up and started to attack me in retaliation."


    The principal glares at them all before asking, "Now is this true?"


    Marcus is a bit hesitant before nodding.


    "I see then," the principal states before he begins writing down something. As he''s writing, he clarifies, "All three of you will have a one-month suspension! Your parents should already be on their way here. After you return to school, Everst & Huntingson will be placed on supervision by teachers and not allowed to interact."


    "What?" Ronnie says as he stands up, "Why is Marcus getting a suspension!? He didn''t even do anything-"


    However, the principal cuts him off by shouting, "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!?"


    Ronnie sits back down and murmurs, "Yes, sir."


    "Good," the principal states, "You''re free to leave now."


    Hunter, Ronnie, & Marcus all stand up. The three of them walk out of the room and towards the school''s exit. During that time, not a single one of them said a word to each other. As they exit the school, Hunter stops and takes one look back at Marcus. As he tries to find words to say to him, he stops and just walks away towards the parking lot where a car comes to pick him up.


    Ronnie and Marcus sit down outside the steps of the school as they wait for their parents.


    "Man, my mom''s gonna kill me when she gets here," Ronnie says jokingly.


    "Y-yeah," Marcus states, "I wonder just how upset mine will get."


    As he says that, Marcus gets a text from his phone. He looks at it and it is from his mom. The text reads ''Your dad and I are busy right now, you can get home by yourself''. As Marcus reads the text, Ronnie glances over at the phone.


    "They didn''t even ask if I was okay," Marcus murmurs.


    "I thought I could just have kept it all to myself and everything would be fine..."


    Tears and snot begin to stream down Marcus'' face as he cries, "They didn''t even ask if I was okay."


    "But that wasn''t true at all."


    As Marcus cries, Ronnie brings him into a hug and says, "It''s okay Marcus, let it all out. I''m here for you. It''s going to be okay."


    "The truth was that I could only really become fine again..."


    Marcus nods as he cries even harder than before. He cries tears over the torment he received, he cries tears over the neglect he''s dealing with, and he cries tears of happiness over the fact that someone is there for him. As Marcus is in a mix of emotions, Ronnie just continues to hug and comfort him.


    "If I took the first step and opened up a little."


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 26 - A Tale of Two Best Friends (Finale)

    "Thankfully, the month I was suspended was much easier to deal with than what I had to endure."


    At The Everst Family Home, Marcus, Ronnie, & Mrs. Everst are cleaning up after eating some dinner. Marcus is rinsing some of the dishes.


    "You didn''t need to help me this much," Mrs. Everst says as she puts the rinsed dishes into the dishwasher.


    "Nonsense, it''s the least I can do for you guys being so kind to me," Marcus says with a smile.


    "Well I see, I''m just glad there''s someone who''s helping me with the dishes," Mrs. Everst says loud enough for Ronnie to hear.


    "Oh c''mon! I''m helping out today!" Ronnie says as he''s putting the leftovers in the fridge.


    "Most of my days were spent with Ronnie and his mom and they were some of the most fun I had."


    As they''re cleaning up, Sally Everst notices Marcus''s sleeves are down despite cleaning dishes under running water.


    "Hey you might want to pull those sleeves up," Mrs. Everst says.


    "Oh, y-yeah," Marcus replies.


    "However, there were still some issues I needed to overcome."


    As Marcus rolls up his sleeves, Sally notices that there are several scars all over his arms. Scars that were left behind by Hunter.


    "Hey Ronnie, you''re going to clean up the rest of these dishes, Marcus & I will be right back," Mrs. Everst says as she grabs Marcus by the hand and walks towards the front door.


    "Oh, okay!" Ronnie says as he looks at Marcus for answers, however, Marcus is just as confused as he is.


    ____________________


    In The Everst Tattoo Parlor, a Hispanic man by the name of Santiago Hernandez is in the shop getting ready to close up for the night. He has his black hair in a bun, round eyeglasses over his green eyes, is wearing a black leather jacket with no undershirt, has on a pair of black jeans, is wearing black boots, has several tattoos across his body including one of the moon on his chest, is wearing a silver ring on his pointer finger, and has a nose piercing. As he''s closing up shop, he hears a knock on the door. He stops cleaning up and goes to the door to see Sally Everst outside with Marcus. He rolls his eyes as he lets them in.


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    "What are you doing here on your day off?" Santiago asks his boss before looking down at Marcus, "and who''s the kiddo."


    "This is Marcus, and here''s here to get a tattoo," Sally replies.


    "I am?!" Marcus asks.


    "Look, I only agreed to help you out since you were covering my shift at the affiliate, now you want me to work overtime?!" Santiago asks.


    "I''ll pay you double," Sally responds.


    "Where do I start?" Santiago asks as he takes out a tattoo gun.


    As Marcus sits down, ready to get a tattoo, Sally clears her throat and explains, "Listen, Marcus, you don''t have to get one of these if you don''t want to. I was just thinking you''d rather think about pleasant memories whenever you see your arms."


    "Yeah and make sure you don''t go tell your friends you got tattoos here, you can get us shut down," Santiago exhales.


    As Marcus thinks about it he looks at his arms, arms covered in scars made by the most painful experience he''s ever had, a permanent reminder of his trauma...but with the tattoos, he can get rid of that old meaning and instead create a new one.


    "Sure, let''s do it!" Marcus says.


    ________________________________


    Back in the present, Marcus is showing his tattoos to Elizabeth & Alex as they sit in the park. There are several tattoos on his arms but the most prominent one is that of a butterfly. After doing so he pulls down his sleeves.


    "But yeah I''m not supposed to show these off so make sure you don''t tell anyone. And that''s the whole story behind why my arms are like that," Marcus begins to say as he looks at Elizabeth & Alex, "are you guys okay?"


    Elizabeth, who''s been eating popcorn, nods while Alex just gives a thumbs up as his brain processes the whole story.


    "Sorry if I told you guys too much information, I just felt like you should know the whole story," Marcus quickly utters.


    "No no, don''t be upset man," Alex says, "I''m glad you were willing to tell us this."


    "Yeah, it means a lot that you let us know," Elizabeth adds, "though I do have a question."


    "Oh sure, go ahead," Marcus says.


    "When Ronnie posed the idea of changing the club, is this the reason you were so on board?"


    "Y-yeah kind of, it felt like I had a chance to give back for once and help make miracles for others, the same way Ronnie did for me,¡± Marcus says before lamenting, ¡°Although, I haven¡¯t really been that much of a help so far. Ronnie¡¯s the one really carrying the club while I just follow behind. Guess that makes me pretty weak, huh?¡±


    "You''re wrong," Alex says, "The only reason why Ronnie is strong, is because you''re strong too."


    As Alex says the words, a gust of wind blows by as Marcus'' eyes light up. He then smiles and says, "thanks, you guys."


    As they sit there, Ronnie finally returns covered in scratches but also holding some popsicles.


    "Guys you won''t believe what I just went through to get that kite," Ronnie says, "I did get these popsicles though."


    "Oh thanks," Elizabeth says as she grabs one.


    Alex goes to grab one but stops himself and yells, "Hey Ronnie, I''m stronger than you!"


    "Um...okay-" Ronnie begins to say.


    ¡°Oh please, are you guys going to fight again?¡± Elizabeth cuts him off before adding, "And besides we all know I''m the strongest one in this room."


    "Okay basket weaver," Alex retorts.


    "We were both in the same club you narwhal," Elizabeth retorts.


    As Alex & Elizabeth begin to argue, Ronnie walks over to Marcus and whispers, "so uh...what happened while I was busy?"


    "Not much, we were just taking a quick look down memory lane," Marcus says.


    "I see," Ronnie replies, still confused, but happy nonetheless.


    As the group continues to enjoy the day, Marcus begins to wonder if maybe he could try and get some new tattoos soon, so he could remember the memories he¡¯s making now.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 27 - A Tale of Two Best Friends (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Staying Still


    As Marcus & Ronnie are walking home from Starlight High one day, a huge muscular dude approaches them.


    "Ronnie," the muscular man says.


    Marcus looks a bit panicked until he looks closer and realizes that''s his fellow classmate, Christopher Wrinkle.


    "Have you been skipping leg day again?" Christopher asks.


    "What? No, I''ve been doing the workout you''ve been forcing me to do each day, somehow," Ronnie replies


    "That''s great man, if you ever wanna slow things down or take a breather then let me know! See you at the gym man!" Christopher replies as he jogs away.


    "Yeah, you too!" Ronnie waves back.


    As Marcus looks over to Ronnie he notices that he''s gotten slightly more fit and muscular since the start of high school, and while Ronnie''s been making new friends and moving forward, Marcus just feels like he''s been staying still recently. However, he lets that thought go as the two continue to walk back home.


    SUN SHORT #2 - Hunting Down Crime


    In an alleyway in Starlight City, The Three Ts lay on the ground bruised, bloodied, and defeated.


    "Uh, what the hell? Who are you?" Tim-Tom The Third Thug says as he tries to get up.


    "Me?" The shadowy figure says as they lift up a metal bat, "I''m just a good samaritan!"


    As the figure brings the bat down on Tim-Tom, knocking him out, the figure decides to walk out of the alleyway and onto the street, the sun hitting their face revealing themself to be Hunter Huntingson.


    Hunter is holding a purse and walks over to the nearby Professor Jessica Powell and hands her the purse.


    "Here you go ma''am, I got your purse back for you," Hunter says, "and if you see those jokers being up to no good, give me a call and I''ll deal with them."


    ¡°Thanks but that¡¯s not mine,¡± Powell remarks.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°What but I thought they-¡± Hunter begins to say as he looks down at the purse only to see it isn¡¯t a purse but a fanny pack.


    ¡°Urgh dude what¡¯s your deal,¡± Tim-Tom remarks as he takes his fanny pack back, ¡°I just got this too and now it¡¯s ruined.¡±


    Hunter looks stunned at Tim-Tom as well as Tim & Tom who have all managed to get back up very quickly. Hunter goes to apologize for the misunderstanding but before he can the three just walk away.


    Hunter sighs as he puts his bat away and walks down the street, although he got it wrong this time, he thinks to himself that if he just keeps this up a bit longer, then this form of redemption could end up working.


    SUN SHORT #3 - You Want To Get Stronger?


    At the Dawnbreak Fitness & Health Center, Alex Smith is training against his coach and professional boxer, Francisco Champion. After they''re done with their sparring match, the two get out of the ring to get a drink. As they do so, the owner of the gym, an old man named Garry Jackingson, walks over to them.


    "So, did that help you get stronger?" Garry asks Alex.


    "Somewhat, but it felt like I was missing something," Alex responds.


    "Well," Garry says with a smirk on his face, "I would train you into the strongest fighter ever, but I already have a disciple so there''s nothing I can do."


    Alex & Francisco just ignore Garry as Francisco gives Alex the advice, "You''ve been focusing more on your upper body, right? Well, it''s important to also focus on your lower body as well. Try training your legs for a week and see if that helps."


    "I see, thanks Francisco," Alex replies.


    _______________


    The next day, Mesto-Presto, an employee of Burrito Bistro, is taking out the trash when he sees Alex Smith training his legs. And his form of leg training is riding a pink tricycle meant for young children around the street. Mesto-Presto chuckles but shuts up when Alex glares at him.


    SUN SHORT #4 - My Main Job


    At The Everst Tattoo Parlor, Santiago is getting ready to close up for the day when someone walks in. The person has white skin, brown hair that''s a mullet, a bit of facial hair, and long legs. They''re wearing a Hawaiian shirt underneath a black jacket, black round sunglasses, white pants, brown dress shoes, and a silver ring on his pointer finger.


    "Hey, Santiago, long time no see," the man says as he walks over to Santiago.


    "Hey Ronald, I see you''re back from your vacation," Santiago says as he sits down with Ronald Sampson.


    As the two sit down, Ronald takes out a bottle of water and takes a sip of it, "so how''s Sally been recently?"


    "She''s good, business has been getting better recently."


    "That''s good."


    Ronald takes another drink of his water.


    "So I''m guessing you had another thing you wanted to say besides some chit-chat?" Santiago asks.


    "Oh yes, yes," Ronald begins to say, "the affiliate is planning on releasing a new clothes collection for November and the boss wants you and Sally to be models for the clothes again for the gala in December. Think you''re up for the task?"


    "Of course I am, that''s how I get most of my income anyway," Santiago says.


    "Alright good to hear," Ronald says as he begins to walk towards the door, "we should do something soon, with the whole crew y''know!"


    "Yeah, maybe sometime," Santiago says.


    Ronald waves goodbye and leaves the parlor. As Ronald walks down the street he looks at the ring that both he and Santiago have. It is a silver ring with the letters "MSA" engraved onto them.


    SUN SHORT #5 - I Just Needed A Pencil


    In English class, Elizabeth is looking for her pencil in her backpack when she can''t find it. She looks around to see most people studying, however one person hasn''t started yet. So she walks over to the student and taps him on the shoulder.


    "Hey, do you mind if I borrow a pencil? I promise to give it back," Elizabeth asks.


    "Sure, though it''s going to be $5, if you can''t pay now we can sign you up for a monthly premium of 75 cents, I do accept trades though," the student says.


    Elizabeth just glances at the student, not having a single clue of what to say to that. So instead she just walks back to her seat and sits down.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 28 - Cracking Down On The Pencil Black Market (1)

    ¡°Bahaha! Some dude tried to get you to pay 5 bucks for a pencil?!¡± Alex laughs.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that funny,¡± Elizabeth sighs.


    The two are standing inside of Amnestor¡¯s classroom attending a club meeting for The Miracle Clinic. With them are Ronnie and Marcus who are off to the side, Amnestor who is at his desk sipping coffee, and X who¡¯s in the corner of a room working on a test.


    ¡°So did you buy it?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t!¡± Elizabeth replies.


    ¡°Heh, that surprises me,¡± Alex teases.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Elizabeth inquires.


    Trying to ease the tension in the room, Ronnie says, ¡°Well it is kinda funny that some dude thought he could sell you a pencil for 5 bucks, at least it¡¯s just like that guy and nobody else is doing it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Marcus begins to say, ¡°Earlier today I saw some dude try to sell a used post-it note for 50 cents.¡±


    As the group continues discussing, they hear the door to the classroom slide open as a student walks in.


    ¡°Hi, is this where The Miracle Cylinder is?¡± the student asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s Clinic but yep that¡¯s us,¡± Ronnie says with a grin, ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    The student is a fellow freshman by the name of Carli Kim. She has medium-length black hair, a denim jacket over a striped shirt, pink pants, and red shoes. She¡¯s also carrying several flyers in her arm.


    Carli sets the flyers down on a desk causing the other club members to take a look at them.


    ¡°Buy 1 Pencil Get 1 Double The Price?¡± Alex reads aloud from one of the flyers.


    ¡°Get your new protractor for the low low price of¡­,¡± Marcus begins to read aloud before shockingly gasping, ¡°200 dollars?!¡±


    ¡°Pizza Party outside Mister Jefferson¡¯s room, price of admission is 5 blueberry muffins?¡± Elizabeth reads confused.


    ¡°Where did you get all these?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°People kept on handing them out to me when I was just walking down the hall, a bunch of my school supplies keep going missing so I have to pay for them constantly,¡± Carli laments, ¡°but their prices keep on going up every day!¡±


    Hearing that somebody actually bought the pencils, Alex tries to hold back his laughter while Elizabeth & Marcus cover his mouth.


    "Dude she''s a foreign exchange student, she probably thought it was normal!" Elizabeth whispers to Alex.


    "Please don''t laugh man," Marcus whispers.


    As Carli looks confused at what Alex, Marcus, & Elizabeth are doing, Ronnie places a hand on her shoulder before giving a thumbs up and saying, "Don''t worry Carli, we''ll create a miracle and track down the cause of all of this!"


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Carli looks at Ronnie, smiles, and replies, "Thanks, I wasn¡¯t sure if you guys could help me but I heard a lot of good things about you all at the carnival!¡±


    Carli leaves the classroom and as soon as she leaves, Alex groans, "Does anyone know how to figure out this whole thing?"


    "Yeah guys I have no idea what the fuck I am doing," Ronnie admits.


    "Y''know, we could all tell by like chapter 5 that that was the case," X Locke replies.


    Everyone else in the room just glances at X confused, however, X clears his throat and adds, "Look, if you want to get knowledge on how to help Carli with the pencil thing, maybe see if others have a similar issue."


    "That''s actually good advice," Marcus admits.


    "I know, probably the first time that''s ever happened," Alex agrees.


    "Hey!" X yells.


    Ronnie ignores him and says, "If they¡¯re handing out flyers then there must be more than just one person doing this thing. If we figure out more about them then we should be able to find a way to stop them.¡±


    "So how do you suggest we get information? Our club room isn''t too popular," Elizabeth adds.


    "Well, how about we just go around and ask some folk?" Ronnie suggests.


    The others agree and they quickly leave the classroom. As they do so, X pouts.


    ¡°Y¡¯know they could¡¯ve asked me if I knew anything,¡± X murmurs.


    ¡°Well, do you?¡± Amnestor asks from his desk.


    ¡°.....No,¡± X admits before going back to his test.


    ______________________________________


    The Miracle Clinic begins to go around the school collecting responses about the shady dealings going on with the pencils and other school supplies at Starlight High.


    Ronnie goes to the culinary classroom and asks Hamster & Bennet the hamster about the situation. Hamster explains to Ronnie that he''s been having to rely on using a bottle of ink and some of Bennet''s fur to write down notes because all the stores in the area have sold out on pencils. As Hamster is describing the whole event to Ronnie, Bennet nods as a tear rolls down his face.


    Alex goes to the gymnasium and is discussing the current situation regarding pencils with his best friend & gym bro, Christopher Wrinkle. The fellow freshman describes how since he''s so muscular he often breaks the pencils that he uses, and he always has to buy new ones, so the recent upcharge on pencils is really affecting his wallet. As Christopher talks to Alex, Alex just wonders why he doesn''t just use a pen.


    Elizabeth goes down the hall and spots X on his phone, when she walks over, X puts his phone away and explains to her how he just got his pencils stolen and was trying to buy new ones online. He also mentions that they managed to steal his pencils faster than he can steal Ray''s car keys. However, X¡¯s hubris seems to be his downfall as teaching assistant Ray Ramirez ¡®escorts¡¯ the not-so-innocent into the teacher¡¯s lounge.


    Marcus goes to the cafeteria where the popular girl, Rebecca Jenksin, is sitting with several other people, he tries to get some information out of them but finds no entry point into their conversation so after waiting a while, he just gives up and walks away.


    __________________


    Ronnie, Elizabeth, Alex, & Marcus gather together in the front hallway of Starlight High.


    "So what did you guys learn about all of this?" Ronnie asks.


    As everyone thinks of all the information they got, they realize that they really don''t know much else besides pencils are now expensive.


    "Uh....we kinda just wasted our time," Marcus responds honestly.


    Alex sighs as he says, "We''re getting nowhere with this! We need to find someone who actually knows how to figure out stuff like this."


    Elizabeth nods in agreement. As the group laments their lack of progress, they begin to hear a janitor''s cart roll down the hall. Alex looks to see that there are three janitors cleaning up the hallway, but not just any three janitors but the three members of The Three Ts.


    "What are you doing here?" Alex asks them.


    "Uh, getting paid," Tim-Tom The Third Thug states while wearing a janitor¡¯s outfit, "we gotta take any job that we can get in this economy, even temp ones."


    "It''s true, stuff is pretty expensive nowadays in 2013," Tim The First Thug nods.


    "What are you doing here?" Tom The Second Thug asks.


    "Uh, I go to school here," Alex responds.


    "Oh right."


    An awkward silence falls under the group until Ronnie gets an idea and asks, "Hey Alex, these are the guys who tried to beat you up for money right?"


    "Yep, they also ruined that cake for the carnival," Alex responds.


    "Well, that means they probably are experts in crime! If we ask them, they''d probably be able to help find who''s responsible for the pencils!" Ronnie explains.


    Elizabeth, Marcus, & Alex listen to Ronnie''s words and agree, if anyone will help them gain info on what''s going on with the pencils, it''ll be the three people here who know the most about crime.


    "So uh, I didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop but y¡¯all loud as fuck. I take it you guys want our help?" Tim-Tom asks.


    "Yes please, we need an expert like you guys to help us," Marcus responds desperately.


    "Well since you guys asked so nicely," Tim-Tom The Third Thug begins to respond snarkily while rubbing his nose, "I guess it is only fair for Starlight''s Brightest Boxer to come help you out."


    "Nobody calls you that," Tom The Second Thug says nonchalantly.


    "Yeah and it sounds corny as hell," Tim The First Thug adds.


    "Oh come on guys, I just wanted to sound cool!" Tim-Tom The Third Thug roars in defense.


    As The Three Ts begin to bicker amongst one another, Ronnie begins to consider that maybe asking for their help wasn¡¯t the best idea.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 29 - Cracking Down On The Pencil Black Market (2)

    At Starlight City Park, several young kids are running around having the time of their life in the playground. Some are sliding down the long colorful slides, others are climbing the dangerous monkey bars, and some are even swinging on the swings.


    However, despite the kids¡¯ enjoyment, the parents watching them are all concerned about the group of high schoolers all in the sandbox.


    ¡°Can I play in there, Mommy?¡± A child asks their mom.


    ¡°No honey in fact we¡¯re leaving,¡± The mom says as she takes her child and storms away from the sandbox.


    In the sandbox, The Three Ts look baffled at the mom & child leaving.


    ¡°What¡¯s her issue?¡± Tim-Tom questions judgmentally.


    Tim-Tom turns his attention back to the sandbox where he is holding a long wooden stick. Outside of it are Alex, Marcus, Elizabeth, & Ronnie sitting on the woodchips.


    ¡°Uh, why are we here again?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s because Tim-Tom¡¯s a visual learner,¡± Tim says before questioning, ¡°Or is it visual teacher or-¡±


    ¡°Whatever it is, he¡¯s quite the good artist,¡± Tom admits, ¡°You should see some of his paintings.¡±


    Tim-Tom clears his throat, a bit embarrassed at the praise, before he crudely draws several circles into the sand with the stick.


    ¡°Yeah, those sure are something,¡± Ronnie teases.


    ¡°I get nervous under pressure okay?¡± Tim-Tom defends himself before explaining, ¡°All right, this is just a guess but from what you¡¯ve told me, it¡¯s clear that there are numerous different sellers of this junk. Which means this isn¡¯t just one person doing this. It¡¯s a coordinated attack on the school.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it looks like they¡¯re trying to make it into some sort of black market,¡± Tom theorizes.


    "Exactly," Tim-Tom replies before he begins to draw a big circle and begins to connect the tiny circles to the big one, "now that means that they need someone to organize the whole market and do so in a very efficient and easy way so all the sellers know what''s going on."


    "I should''ve done this instead of fighting for money," Alex thinks out loud, causing Elizabeth to elbow him.


    "So wait, if that¡¯s the case then all we need to do is find the ring leader to end the market?" Marcus asks.


    "Exactly," Tim-Tom says.


    "So we know how they operate but how is that going to help us?" Ronnie asks.


    "I''m getting to that!" Tim-Tom snarls.


    "Yeah, give my man some time!" Tim The First Thug defensively retorts.


    Tim-Tom clears his throat he says, "Nowadays there are many ways to tell people information like by sending emails or making a group chat, but these kids are high schoolers and amateurs, so all we need to do is find just one of the sellers and we''ll..."


    Tim-Tom points his stick at a tiny circle and then follows the line connecting it to the big circle, he smiles as he finishes saying, "Be able to trace this back to its roots!"


    As Tim-Tom finishes he hears both Tim & Tom clapping for his well-articulated explanation.


    ¡°Wow that actually makes some sense,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°You guys really are experts at this kind of thing.¡±


    "Why thank you," Tim-Tom begins to respond snarkily as he rubs his nose, "this is why everybody calls me The Golden Goose of Starlight City."


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Tim & Tom stop clapping as everyone else there cringes at the name.


    "Just... stop giving yourself these cringy titles dude," Tom The Second Thug begs.


    As Tim-Tom sighs, Elizabeth recalls something, "Hey we just need one seller''s phone right?"


    "Uh, yeah," Tim-Tom responds.


    "Well, I may have an idea of someone who we can talk to" Elizabeth responds.


    _____________________________


    The next day, a young freshman by the name of Cameron Dots who is walking to class in Starlight High. Cameron is a short kid with short dark brown hair, glasses, a white shirt under a blue flannel jacket, black pants, and red shoes. As the freshman is walking to class he notices his fellow classmate, Elizabeth Moore, also walking towards him.


    "Oh hey, Elizabeth, do you want a..." Cameron begins to say before noticing Ronnie, Alex, & Marcus are behind her. He finishes his sentence by awkwardly saying, "Pencil?"


    "Well looks like we found our first seller," Ronnie says with a smirk.


    "If y-you guys want I can get you a 4-pack," Cameron says.


    "Listen shorty you can either do this the easy way or the hard way," Alex says while cracking his knuckles.


    Cameron begins to sweat nervously as Alex glares at him, he then stomachs up the courage to ask, "Y-y-y-you wa-wuh-want a 16-pack?"


    "No, we want this," Alex says as he manages to snatch Cameron''s phone.


    "H-hey, that''s mine!" Cameron says.


    "Don''t worry, we''re just trying to stop this whole black market thing," Ronnie says while Alex scrolls through Cameron''s message app.


    "Wait you are?" Cameron asks.


    "Yeah, just don''t tell the others," Elizabeth says.


    "Why didn''t you tell me beforehand!" Cameron asks with a relieved smile on his face.


    Elizabeth, Alex, Marcus, & Ronnie look confused as they stare at Cameron.


    Cameron clarifies by explaining, "I''m sick of having to sell all these pencils! Like whenever I¡¯m in class now I gotta go ¡®hey don¡¯t you want a pencil¡¯ or ¡®hey we have a new deal on staplers¡¯ or ¡®hey before you shove me into that locker don¡¯t you want to hear about how you can save on back to school supplies?¡¯ it¡¯s exhausting.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just quit then?¡± Marcus questions.


    ¡°Well¡­.,¡± Cameron ponders as he realizes he could have just said no this entire time, ¡°Most of the money goes to the ring leader so I¡¯d happily let you guys take ¡®em down!¡±


    "Well then if you show us the ring leader, we''ll be able to stop this," Marcus explains.


    "C-can you really do that?" Cameron asks.


    "Of course, we can," Ronnie replies.


    Cameron sighs before he extends his hand, "Alright, but you''re going to have to give me my phone back."


    Alex complies as he hands Cameron the phone back. Cameron goes to a different messaging app on his phone and opens up a group chat titled ''Pencil Dealings''. He hands the phone back to Alex.


    "The last message is about a meeting all of us are going to have tonight, if you show up I''m sure you''ll be able to put an end to this," Cameron responds.


    Alex reads the message and agrees with what Cameron is saying. He gives the phone back to Cameron and then turns to the other members of, "All right then, let''s do this."


    _______________________________________________________


    That night at 7, several of the members of the pencil black market are all gathered together at their hideout. Cameron Dots is in the crowd a bit nervous waiting to see if The Miracle Clinic shows up or not, however, his worries are put aside as the doors to the hideout swing wide open as Ronnie comes walking in with Elizabeth, Alex, & Marcus behind him.


    ¡°Call us Wall Street,¡± Ronnie remarks with a smirk on his face, ¡°Cause we¡¯re gonna crash the market!¡±


    As all the sellers look confused, Elizabeth looks around the school gym and mentions, ¡°So your hideout was here? I guess that makes sense. None of you would need to take any of the pencils off the school.¡±


    Several of the sellers are confused as to why those four are there however Alex clears his throat as he states, "Listen bubs, we''re gonna need your ring leader to step out so we can crush your stupid market."


    As the sellers begin to panic, they suddenly stop as they hear chuckling coming from the crowd. Two figures begin to make their way into the center of the gym.


    "You''re just four freshmen and you''re trying to take us down?!" a man says as he exits the crowd and steps into the center, "You guys got guts, I''ll give you that"


    Despite being hunched over, the infamous sophomore towers over all of them with his fang-like teeth in a cocky smirk. His long shaggy hair is dyed green, his white muscular yet flexible body has a bit of sweat from a recent workout, and his nails have clearly been chewed on a little. He¡¯s wearing a black tank top, blue shorts, red sleeveless gloves, and no shoes.


    The other person next to him is also a sophomore with short black hair, heavy eyeliner, and an all-black outfit.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Crunch, Crunch Backson,¡± The shoeless sophomore remarks before looking over to the fellow sophomore, ¡°Hey Suzy, did that sound cool or what?¡±


    Suzy Dark, the goth sophomore, just rolls her eyes and apathetically responds, ¡°I literally don¡¯t care.¡±


    "Classic Suzy," Crunch laughs to himself before he looks at the miracle clinic, "So you guys want me to close this market down?"


    "Uh......yes?" Ronnie asks, confused.


    "Yeah sure I can do that," Crunch responds as he yawns, causing everyone there to be taken aback.


    "REALLY?!" Ronnie asks, confused.


    "Oh yeah yeah, I was just doing this so I could get some extra spending money," Crunch explains while picking his ear, "but it is pretty fun to do all this. So while I can shut this down, I don''t want to."


    Ronnie rolls his eyes but Crunch clarifies his response, "But I''ll give it all up on one condition. We play a game of ''Capture The Flag'' with the entire school being available. Your group versus our market. If you win, we''ll shut down business. But if we win..."


    Crunch puts his finger on his neck and moves it in a slicing motion before saying, "Then your club has to disband."


    Ronnie, Marcus, & Elizabeth are taken aback as to what they should do, however, Alex responds with an arrogant, "Yeah sure, we can do this easy peasy!"


    "Is that so?" Crunch says with the smile on his face growing wider.


    As reality sets in, Alex realizes he may have let his competitive side get the better of him.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 30 - Cracking Down On The Pencil Black Market (3)

    "So here''s how you play," Crunch Backson begins to explain, "We''ll each find a base for us to place our flag, and it''s up to the other team to grab the flag from the other base and place it inside their own base. Once that¡¯s done, the game is won. However, if you get tagged by the enemy team then you must head to the gym. You can only escape once a free member of your team enters the gym and tags you back in. Furthermore, once you enter an enemy base, they can tag you but you can¡¯t tag them. The reverse applies to your base. Outside of the bases, it¡¯s a free-for-all. Makes sense?¡±


    Alex gives a thumbs up while he drinks one of the many energy drinks he has on him.


    "Good good, now let''s go find our bases, we''ll have 10 minutes to do so!" Crunch yells as he grabs his flag and sprints away. As the rest of the members of the black market follow Crunch, the miracle clinic members stand there confused.


    "How are we even going to win this?" Marcus asks defeated.


    "Don''t worry Marcus, I know the perfect spot to place our flag," Ronnie says.


    "Oh yeah? And where''s that?" Alex asks.


    _____________________________


    "Our clubroom," Ronnie exhales as he and the rest of The Miracle Clinic are standing in Amnestor''s classroom.


    "The class is pretty far down the hall," Alex admits.


    "I guess we got another benefit for picking this spot," Elizabeth mentions as she looks towards the corner of the classroom.


    "And why''s that?" Marcus asks before he glances to where Elizabeth is looking to see X sleeping on some desks while an open book lays on his face.


    Alex, Ronnie, Elizabeth, & Marcus stare at X. Alex goes to wake him up when X gives a thumbs up and replies, "I''ll be on your team and I read the last scene so I''m all set for the game."


    "Good well now we have five people now!" Ronnie says.


    "Yeah but they have at least ten times more people on their side, one new person on our side isn''t that huge," Elizabeth replies.


    "Now now, numbers aren''t everything!" X exclaims as he hops off the desk with the book he was reading falling to the ground. "I should know, I''m failing math."


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    "That isn''t something to flex X," Alex sighs before sipping another energy drink.


    "True, I don''t think I''ve ever done the homework for a math class since...well ever."


    "You''re not really giving yourself a good case bud," Ronnie sighs.


    "Look, my point is it doesn''t matter how many people one side has, what matters is how we use them," X begins to explain, "we''ll be able to move more freely since we have fewer numbers, so let''s use that to our advantage."


    "Alright, if that''s the case then I think we should have two of us on defense, two of us on offense, and one as a flank," Elizabeth suggests.


    "I''ll be on offense," Ronnie states.


    Alex scoffs as his competitive side flares up as he adds, "I''ll be on offense but you really only need me for that."


    "I can be the flank, I''m pretty good at getting ignored," Marcus admits.


    "So it looks like Moore & I are on defense," X admits.


    "That''s a good start but let''s get more specific," Elizabeth suggests.


    The others nod and the group begins to devise a more thought-out plan. After minutes of discussing, they all stop as the loudspeakers in the school turn on. Over the loudspeakers Crunch yells, "Hey Wonder Club, hope you guys are all nice & cozy, just so you know we''ve already set up our base in the cafeteria and the game starts right about...now!"


    Elizabeth, Marcus, Alex, & Ronnie all rush into the hall with X slowly following them. They get to the end of the hall where it splits off into two separate hallways. Marcus goes down the left hallway while Alex & Ronnie go down the right. As they do so, Alex tosses Marcus one of his energy drinks and both of them open the drink and pour it down the hallway. X & Elizabeth stand still as after a while the group of members of the black market comes towards the two, however, they all begin to slip and fall on the energy drinks and some begin to slide down towards X & Elizabeth. The two easily manage to tag them without having to break a sweat. However, more and more keep on coming.


    "You got any bright ideas?" Elizabeth asks as she uses her skills in taekwondo to kick and jump off the people there, causing them to get tagged.


    "Yeah, it''s simple," X says with a smirk on his face. Someone tries to rush towards X but X manages to step out of the way and trip the guy, "We just need to hit them once and they go away. Besides, the others should be doing the hard part."


    ___________________________


    Ronnie & Alex have reached the doorway into the cafeteria, the doors are shut tight with the two club members trying to pry them open.


    "These doors are so heavy!" Alex yells as he tries to open the doors with all of his might.


    "We just gotta try a little more," Ronnie yells as he feels the doors begin to open.


    Alex & Ronnie begin to feel relieved until they look inside the cafeteria to see the reason why the doors were so hard to open was because several black market members were holding them down. All of the market members let go of the doors causing them to swing open and hit Ronnie & Alex. The market members get out of the cafeteria to go and tag the two however Ronnie manages to tag them with his feet while Alex grabs onto two of the members, tagging them, and using them as shields. After managing to tag all the people who rushed them, Alex & Ronnie enter the cafeteria.


    Now in the cafeteria, Alex & Ronnie look to see the black market''s flag is placed in the center on a table with nobody else in the room.


    "Hey so, is that all they planned?" Alex asks.


    Ronnie shrugs before the two make a dash toward the flag. Just as they''re about to grab the flag, they look to see one of the lunch tables that has wheels on the bottom rolling straight toward them. And on that table is Crunch Backson.


    Crunch hops off the table and pounces onto Alex, he then uses his toe to poke Ronnie''s back.


    "Tag, you''re out," Crunch roars.


    Crunch laughs to himself while Ronnie & Alex look to see him then do a backflip and then cartwheel out of the cafeteria.


    "If he''s that flexible then, how are they going to tag him?" Alex questions as he gets up to walk to the gym.


    "I don''t know," Ronnie admits.


    As the two walk towards the gym where all the tagged participants reside, they wonder just how they''re going to win when the odds are so stacked against them. Luckily for them, there was one person they were forgetting about. A person who will help give them a second chance in this game.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 31 - Cracking Down On The Pencil Black Market (Finale)

    To understand how the miracle clinic would be able to turn things around, we first need to look back to when the game first started. Back to when Ronnie & Alex ran down the right hallway, while Marcus ran down the left.


    As Marcus runs down the hallway, he hears the sound of several footsteps coming toward him, however in order to avoid them he quickly hides in a nearby classroom. After a group of black market members runs past him, he sneakily gets out of the classroom and runs down the hall.


    The further Marcus runs he notices he''s getting closer to the gym, the place where they''d keep any of the people who''ve gotten out.


    "Eh, it''s probably worth checking," Marcus thinks out loud.


    As Marcus opens the doors and looks into the gym he sees both Ronnie & Alex sitting up against a wall. Ronnie is playing the harmonica while Alex uses a piece of chalk to make tally marks on the brick walls.


    "YOU GUYS GOT OUT?!" Marcus yells in shock.


    Ronnie & Alex quickly toss the harmonica and chalk respectively as they see Marcus.


    "Marcus, am I glad to see you!" Ronnie yells.


    "Fuckin'' Aye!" Alex triumphantly roars.


    Marcus walks over to go tag them so the two can get back in the game. As he does so, the wall where all the people who got taken out on the other team are booing. Marcus walks over and gives the two high fives, allowing them to get back in the game.


    "Alright, now we gotta head back to the cafeteria so we can get their flag!" Ronnie says.


    Marcus & Alex nod in agreement and the trio begin to run out of the gym, however, before they do so Alex flips off the other team that is still out.


    As the trio enters the cafeteria, Ronnie grabs the flag from the base and begins to head out, however, when they open the door to the hallway, they see Crunch standing there with their flag.


    "Gotcha," Crunch says as he''s about to take a step into the base.


    However before Crunch can do that and win the game, Alex throws a straight jab at Crunch. Crunch dodges by stepping backward.


    "If you get tagged you''re out, that''s the rule right?" Alex begins to say as he gets into a boxer''s stance, "Then if I land a hit on this guy then he''s automatically out!"


    Alex begins to toss several jabs, straights, hooks, and uppercuts, but Crunch continues to dodge them all. Ronnie realizes that Alex isn''t just trying to hit Crunch, he''s trying to stall him. Ronnie nods as he and Marcus book it down the hall.


    "So you wanna do it this way huh?" Crunch says as a smile creeps onto his face.


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    Alex goes for another attack but Crunch dodges it and tries to counter him. Alex steps back to avoid the attack.


    "Once I''m done with you, I''ll go and take those two out all by myself!" Crunch yells.


    Alex remains calm as he goes for a flurry of punches, however, Crunch falls to the ground.


    "You know the problem with you lot is that you never know how to dodge..." Crunch begins to say as he kicks in Alex''s feet, causing him to fall to the ground and get out, "Hits from below the belt!"


    Alex lands on the ground while Crunch laughs at him before he skips his way down the hall.


    "Damn it," Alex groans.


    __________________


    Marcus & Ronnie are running down the hall as they see all the remaining black market members that aren''t out trying to tag them. Ronnie manages to weave his way through while Marcus has several close calls. As the two get closer to their base they begin to hear animal snarls.


    "Uh, when did the school allow animals?" Ronnie asked.


    "They didn''t!" Marcus yelled.


    The two look behind them to see Crunch Bakson running down the halls on all fours after them, Ronnie & Marcus both scream in pure terror as they both begin to sprint faster than they''ve ever done before.


    "I THOUGHT THEY ONLY SOLD PENCILS!" Ronnie yells.


    "Hey Ronnie, you know what they say about trying to escape from a bear?" Marcus asks.


    "What?"


    "You don''t have to be faster than a bear," Marcus says as he stops running, "You just have to be faster than your friend."


    Ronnie looks back shocked as Crunch pummels his way toward Marcus.


    "You have the flag so you have to get back to the base no matter what! I don''t know how to fight but I do know how to hold people back, so get going!" Marcus yells.


    Ronnie nods and looks forward as he continues to run forward. As Crunch comes crashing into Marcus, Crunch slows down for a few seconds, and it was just those few seconds, that little bit of time, that would allow Ronnie to reach the base.


    The game was over. And so was the black market.


    _________________


    After that day, some stuff did begin to change at Starlight High. For starters, with the pencil black market gone, people could go back to asking to borrow school supplies for free and not having to pay, and it was all thanks to The Miracle Clinic.


    However, speaking of the club, they''d get a little bit more crowded during club meetings, such as the day after the incident where Carli, Crunch, Suzy, & Cameron all gathered to talk with the club.


    "Thanks a lot, you really helped me a ton," Carli said to Ronnie as she handed him a few gifts.


    "Eh thanks, Carli but I don''t think I need all of these coloring books," Ronnie awkwardly says as he holds a mountain of coloring books that Carli gave him.


    "Oh you don''t have to use them if you don''t like them, I just heard that it could be beneficial to teens & adults if they use those."


    "I''ll keep that in mind."


    Sitting at a desk, Crunch is lightly tapping Alex''s arm with his fist as Suzy & Marcus stand next to them.


    "That was the most fun I''ve ever had! We should totally go to an amusement park or something! If you did that would be like a super cool miracle!" Crunch says.


    "Maybe if you learn how to shower," Alex groans as he pinches his nose, "besides I need to practice on my bike if I want to get faster."


    "You mean that little kid one?" Marcus asks.


    "Shut up! It''s the only one I''ve got!" Alex defensively yells while blushing.


    "I''m sorry for my friend," Suzy says as she pinches Crunch''s ear causing him to stop, "he doesn''t know what boundaries are."


    "Oh, it''s fine I guess," Alex awkwardly replies.


    And elsewhere in the classroom, Elizabeth is trying to get some work done, however, Cameron Dots walks over to her and tries to get some small talk going.


    "Hey uh, I just wanted to say sorry for trying to have you buy that pencil," Cameron says nervously.


    "It''s fine," Elizabeth awkwardly replies.


    "To make it up to you guys I was wondering if uh...I could be a member?" Cameron awkwardly suggests.


    The room goes silent as the club members look at him.


    "I''m all fine with that, are you guys?" Marcus asks.


    Ronnie gives a thumbs-up while Alex shrugs.


    "Alright then, let me get out the paperwork so you can join!" Marcus excitedly states.


    And so with another miracle occurring, the clinic would finally get a new member with the shy and introverted Cameron Dots. While they would celebrate the new member for now, none of them would realize the twisted journey they''d all go on due to this decision, however, that''s a story for another time. For now, there would be some other issues soon to arise for the clinic, some that they''d take on together.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 32 - Cracking Down On The Pencil Black Market (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Just Like You


    In the cafeteria, Elizabeth is looking for a spot to sit, she goes over to sit next to Alex & Ronnie but they''re too focused on a game of arm wrestling, she goes over to X Locke but he''s too busy sleeping, & she goes over to Hamster but he''s too busy selling his muffins to several people.


    As Elizabeth almost gives up on trying to find a place to eat, she looks and notices Cameron Dots sitting all alone at a lunch table. She decides to sit next to him.


    "Oh hey, I didn''t know we were in the same lunch period," Cameron says.


    "Yeah I didn''t either," Elizabeth says.


    An awkward silence falls between the two as they continue to eat. Eventually, Elizabeth breaks the silence by asking, "So why did you want to join the club to begin with?"


    "Oh well, it''s a bit embarrassing," Cameron states.


    "It can''t be as embarrassing as how I joined," Elizabeth retorts.


    "Okay fine, I joined because....because I figured it would help me get a backbone."


    "Oh...."


    "I just sit around doing nothing when anything happens and I can never say no to people, I just want to be able to do something I want to do. You get me?"


    "....Yeah, I get what that''s like."


    Cameron looks over at Elizabeth and smiles. As the two continued to chat away, they became something more than just classmates. They became friends.


    SUN SHORT #2 - Reasons Unknown


    Tim, Tom, & Tim-Tom are walking out of Starlight High after finishing their time as janitors. Aken Amnestor & Zesti Champion are watching them leave.


    "Hey, thanks for the dough, Amnestor, you''re the best!" Tim-Tom says as he has the three paychecks for their short time, "If you ever need any odd job done then give us a call."


    "Yeah, what he said!" Tim yells.


    "Tim, what did we talk about?" Tom asks.


    Tim sighs, "Inside voices only, I know..."


    Amnestor chuckles before saying, "You boys stay safe out there!"


    The Three Ts make their exit and as they do so, Aken Amnestor notices Zesti Champion is a bit concerned.


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    "Everything alright?" Amnestor asks.


    "Those kids are dropouts, right? Aren''t they going to just cause trouble?" Zesti asks.


    "They might not be the best of kids but they still are good at heart, you know one of them came up to me the other day and you want to know what they asked me?"


    "What?"


    "If I had any extra homework assignments. Those kids still want to learn."


    "Then, why did they even drop out to begin with?" Zesti asks.


    Amnestor sighs as he begins to explain, "You and your two friends only became a teacher this school year so it¡¯s fair that you haven¡¯t been told much. To be honest, they were all good kids and they loved to learn, however, they all dropped out on the same day. I was on my honeymoon during that time and I can''t get a straight answer out of any of the faculty that were there that day."


    "Huh, that''s odd." Zesti thinks out loud.


    "Yeah," Mr. Amnestor agrees as he glances over to the main office, "Odd indeed."


    SUN SHORT #3 - Food > Fights


    At the playground located in the city''s park, Crunch is swinging on a swing upside down as he does some crunches. As he does them, he looks to see a person in a hood start to approach him.


    "Huh? Who the fuck are you?" Crunch asks as he still does some crunches.


    The man in the hood has a backpack on him, and sticking out of the backpack is a metal bat.


    "Oh I''ve heard of you, you''re that dude who goes around beating up thugs! That''s some wicked shit man," Crunch admits as he hops off the swing and stands up.


    "You were extorting money out of your fellow classmates," The man began to say as he pulls his hood down revealing himself to be Hunter Huntingson, "consider this payback."


    "Oh, you wanna fight me!" Crunch says as a genuine smile grows on his face. "I''ve been dying to stomp someone to the curb recently, so let''s have some fun yeah?"


    As the two glare each other down, the two begin to attack when both of their stomachs begin to grumble loudly.


    Hunter looks embarrassed.


    Crunch looks bewildered.


    The two have lost the will to fight as a new desire rages inside their hearts.


    That desire being... TO EAT.


    _______________


    DING!


    The door to Burrito Bistro swings open as Mesto greets the guests, ¡°Hi welcome to Burrito Bistr-¡±


    However once he sees Hunter & Crunch standing there, Mesto just asks, ¡°Again?¡±


    ¡°Again,¡± Hunter admits.


    It only takes a few minutes but both Hunter & Crunch are chowing down on a large plate of all-you-can-eat nachos with everything on it. All the while Mesto sighs as he cleans up the crumbs that fall to the floor.


    ¡°You need to stop coming in right before we close,¡± Mesto suggests.


    However the two teens pay Mesto no mind as they continue to scarf down the food. Eventually Mesto wakes his way to his amused boss, Cedro Garcia.


    ¡°Since when did we sell all-you-can-eat-nachos?¡± Mesto asks.


    ¡°We don¡¯t,¡± Garcia admits, ¡°But it looks like they needed the food.¡±


    Crunch & Hunter both continue to ravenously devour the nachos.


    "Just so you know, I''m kicking your ass when this is over!" Hunter yells.


    "Not in the restaurant!" Cedro Garcia yells.


    "S-sorry," Hunter replies sheepishly.


    "Dude I''m going to go into a food coma after finishing this, so do whatever you want," Crunch admits.


    Hunter looks confused but just decides to drop the whole conversation as he continues to eat.


    SUN SHORT #4 - Heading Home


    With another day at Starlight High coming to an end, Alex is making his way home on his pink tricycle that''s meant for little kids. As he tries to enjoy the peaceful ride he gets annoyed by the snickering next to him.


    "Can you stop that?" Alex groans, "I''m trying to work out."


    Next to him are Ronnie, Marcus, Elizabeth, & Cameron who are all following him. Ronnie & Elizabeth are both laughing while Cameron & Marcus try not to laugh.


    "What are you trying to work out for? Little league?" Ronnie jokes.


    "I feel like you should be able to ride a bike without training wheels," Elizabeth giggles.


    "Shut up! This is the only bike I''ve gotten!" Alex defensively yells.


    "Yeah yeah, just remember that you''re gonna be stuck with us for a while though. And there''s nothing you can do about it," Elizabeth teases.


    Alex sighs as he says under his breath, "I should have never joined this club,"


    The place that the group was all walking ¨C or in Alex''s case, biking ¨C to was none other than Alex''s home. And what awaited the group there would be an experience they''d remember for a long long time.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 33 - The Family Life of Alex Smith

    Alex Smith is a guy who always finds himself in the middle of things. Whether it''s being the frontrunner of some money-making scheme, a star player in a basketball game, or delivering some cake. Things just happen before he realizes that they are.


    And as Alex walks home while carrying a pink tricycle, with his fellow club members joining him in his venture, he realizes that this is one of those moments.


    "So how did this happen again?" Alex asks.


    "You don''t remember? We just talked about it," Elizabeth groans.


    "Oh well, you see," Marcus begins to explain, "we were at our club meeting when Elizabeth asked if we should go get tamales at Burrito Bistro, then you declined by saying how your Abuela makes better tamales. Elizabeth got curious and asked if we could all go over and then you agreed."


    "Oh...yeah that did happen," Alex realized.


    "Well hey, I''m sure your parents would love having guests over," Ronnie suggests.


    "That''s the funny thing about my house," Alex begins to say as he reaches the front door of his house.


    The house is a wooden two-story home wedged next to a grocery store and a restaurant.


    Alex then sets the pink tricycle down before he opens the door and says, "my parents aren''t the only family members of mine that live here."


    As the door opens fully, the rest of the club members feel an overwhelming aura coming from the house. An aura that fills them with fear.


    "You coming or what?" Alex asks as he enters his house.


    Elizabeth scoffs before replying, "Yeah yeah, sounds good."


    Aa Elizabeth enters, Ronnie shrugs before entering, Marcus follows Ronnie inside and after some hesitation, Cameron enters.


    __________________


    As the group enters the house, they see that the front room to it has a staircase leading to the upstairs, and the kitchen is separated from the rest of the house via a beaded curtain. In the living room are two Hispanic adults who are watching the tv.


    "I''m home and I brought some friends," Alex announces.


    As soon as those words come out of his lips the two adults sitting on the couch stand up and speed walk over to them.


    "Hi there, we''re Alex''s parents, I''m Juanita, that''s Mateo- Would you like something to drink?- Dinner is almost ready and you''re more than welcome to stay- how long have you known our little Chulo," Juanita Smith, Alex''s mom, asks the group.


    "MOM! I told you not to call me that anymore," Alex hisses while blushing.


    "Hey, we''re your parents, it''s our job to embarrass you," Mateo Smith, Alex''s father, states.


    Juanita nods in agreement. Juanita''s black hair is up in a bun and she is wearing a simple white sweater with blue jeans while Mateo has short black hair and is wearing a blue button-up with khakis.


    Ronnie goes and extends his hand, "Hi we''re Alex''s friends from high school, thanks for letting us into your house."


    "Oh don''t sweat it, kid, we''re always happy to have guests over," Mateo roars.


    "You guys want to see some baby pictures of our Alex?" Juanita asks.


    ¡°Uhh sure,¡± Elizabeth says mostly as a way to sit on the nice couch and to get some payback for when this happened to her.


    Juanita and Elizabeth walk towards a couch as Alex tries to regain his composure after the embarrassment. However, the embarrassment soon increases when Mateo drags Marcus into the kitchen and says, "It looks like you need a beer."


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    "But-I''m-only-14-and-I''ve-never-had-alcohol-or-sparkling-water-in-my-life-before-and-" Marcus begins to awkwardly shout as he is taken into the kitchen.


    Ronnie chuckles, "Your parents seem great!"


    "Yeah they''re nice," Cameron adds.


    "Uh, thanks but those aren''t the only people here," Alex says as he points into the kitchen to an elderly lady, "there''s my Abuela, Yesenia Sanchez, making dinner. Aunt Lula & Uncle Luis are busy at work but their two kids are-"


    "Above you!" one of Alex''s cousins yells as they and their twin jump off the top of the stairs.


    Alex quickly manages to catch one of the twin cousins with his right hand before grabbing the other with his left. As he lifts them by their shirts he scolds them, "How many times have I told you not to do that! It¡¯s dangerous!"


    "But you always catch us!" One of Alex''s cousins replies giggling.


    "Yeah, yeah!" The other cousin laughs.


    Alex groans as he sets his two cousins down before looking at Ronnie and saying, "These are Carmen & Liliana Sanchez, they''re in 5th grade."


    "Oh that''s nice," Ronnie says as he looks at the twins and notices that both of them have blue pearl earrings, Carmen has one in her right ear, and Liliana has one in her left ear.


    Carmen, spotting Ronnie looking at the earring, loudly states, "You think our earrings look great right?"


    "Yeah, they kinda look like Alex''s," Ronnie says.


    "That''s because they are!¡± Carmen explains, ¡°He got em with us!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you two were scared until I got them,¡± Alex insists.


    ¡°We weren¡¯t scared,¡± Lilliana comments, ¡°We just wanted to see them on somebody first.¡±


    Ronnie looks at Alex a bit shocked.


    "Pfft sure, besides I would¡¯ve gotten earrings anyways," Alex stubbornly retorts, ¡°It just felt like a good time.¡±


    "He always tries to pretend he''s cool but you should see him when he plays ''Knights & Dragons'' with us," Liliana says to Ronnie.


    "What happens then?" Ronnie asks curiously.


    Liliana stands on the first step of the stairway before leaning on her tippy-toes so she can whisper to Ronnie what happens when they play that game. Alex goes to shut Liliana up but it''s too late and Ronnie looks at Alex with an amused look.


    "D-don''t tell anyone- alright?" Alex stammers blushing.


    "No promises," Ronnie replies.


    Alex groans as he realizes that his fate is sealed. As Cameron is standing by the front door, he notices the front door open as three people enter. A middle-aged Hispanic man with a white button-up shirt and gray pants, and a middle-aged Hispanic woman wearing a red floral dress and carrying a baby boy.


    The man notices Cameron, hugs him, and says, "Hey you must be that Hamster boy my nephew talks about! Nice to meet you, I''m Jose."


    ¡°That¡¯s not him,¡± Alex groans.


    ¡°Christopher?¡±


    ¡°You met Christopher.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then who is this?¡± Jose asks his nephew.


    Cameron answers by stammering out, "I''m Cameron, nice to meet you all."


    "I see," Jose replies before glancing over at his wife and child, "over there is my wife Camila and our lil Juan."


    "Your little one?" Cameron asks.


    "No, it''s Lil Juan."


    "That''s what I just said, little one."


    "You aren''t getting it, it''s Lil Juan."


    "That''s what I''m saying though!"


    As Cameron & Uncle Jose''s misunderstanding begins to grow, Alex looks around the house to see Elizabeth looking at his baby pictures, Ronnie being told secrets by his two twin cousins, Marcus being pressured into drinking beer, & Cameron still arguing about the misunderstanding.


    Luckily for him, however, his misery is put to rest by his grandmother screaming, "Dinner is ready!"


    _____________________


    With the family and club members all gathered around the table, at the head of the table is Alex''s abuela, an elderly lady who cooked everything that''s on the long table that can seat roughly 20 people. As people start to eat the food, everyone starts to talk amongst themselves. Elizabeth starts talking with Alex''s parents about how they recognized her from being a member of the basket weaving club Alex was in during middle school, Cameron is the only one at the table not able to handle the spice so Uncle Jose gives him some water but it only makes it worse, Alex''s abuela is asking him how come he didn''t invite his old friend, Marcus is trying to figure out the recipe, and despite the amount of chaos surrounding the table, that only brings everyone closer together.


    Once dinner comes to an end, each of the guests are given the leftovers as Alex walks them out.


    "Come back anytime," Juanita yells.


    "Definitely, and thank you for the food!" Ronnie yells back as he leaves.


    Now at the front porch, Alex walks over to his fellow club members to say his farewells.


    "Make sure you text me when you guys get home, otherwise my family will pester me about it nonstop," Alex admits.


    "Yeah, you can be sure about that," Ronnie states.


    As Alex sighs in relief, he goes to head back inside when Elizabeth stops him by asking, "Hey, your family seems really nice. I bet they''re glad you aren''t getting into fights."


    "What are you talking about? We just fought a whole market," Alex states matter-of-factly, "and besides, I don''t really tell them what I do at school."


    "How come?"


    ¡°My dad¡¯s side of the family lives really far away from us so he hasn¡¯t been able to see them since I was little,¡± Alex begins to explain, ¡°Before I¡¯m done with school, I¡¯d like to be able to get enough money for us to visit them.¡±


    As the words leave Alex''s lips, Ronnie looks a bit stunned.


    "You alright?" Alex asks.


    "Yeah, I just didn''t expect that from you," Ronnie explains.


    "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    "I don''t know," Ronnie begins to say, "you''ve always come off as someone pretty self-centered, I didn''t think you''d be trying to do something so...generous."


    "Hey!" Alex yells upset.


    "I can see where he got that impression," Elizabeth admits.


    "Look, they''ve been helping me all my life. I just wanted to help them for once," Alex embarrassingly admits.


    "Well I hope you get to do that,¡± Ronnie says as he starts to walk away, ¡°and hey, thanks for having us over Alex. You¡¯re cooler than I thought.¡±


    "Th-thanks," Alex says as he waves goodbye.


    As the club departs from Alex''s house, Ronnie can''t help but reflect on everything that''s happened to them so far. He never would have expected to become friends with someone like Alex. It''s a miracle that they''ve gotten along so well. Together the club has been able to bring some sort of joy to people and help them in their own special ways.


    However, what none of them at the time would realize was that the club would soon find themselves in a situation that would be their first step into a new world. A new world of corruption, crime, and deceit. A step that would set them down a path of no return.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 34 - The East Side (1)

    Overcast clouds swirl over Starlight City on this dreary winter morning. And sitting on his bed looking at them is Marcus Veridan. He lays there for a moment, letting his thoughts gently blow by like the wind outside. Eventually, the young teen wills himself out of bed as he starts his morning routine.


    He brushes his teeth in the dull bathroom to the right of his room, then puts on whatever clothes are in his closet, and then makes his way to the kitchen. The fridge door opens as he glances at the food sitting atop cold shelves, he stares at them all as he contemplates what to eat for breakfast. Eventually, he decides to take out a carton of eggs, crack a few open onto a pan, and let them simmer while he also starts up the coffee machine.


    The blank, almost stock-photo-like walls catch his eye as he stares off into them, imagining what could have been hanging up on them as his eggs sizzled.


    Eventually, with the food now made, Marcus sits down at the lifeless counter in the lifeless house and begins eating. He glances around the counter noticing the absence of the once commonplace notes his parents would always leave for him. Now with those as nothing more than a mere footnote in his memory, Marcus finishes his breakfast and starts to wash the dishes in the sink when¡­


    Ring-Ring-Ring-Ring-Ring!~


    Marcus looks as the landline phone buzzes next to him. With one hand still on the dishes, he reaches his other to grab the phone. He answers it before resting the phone on his shoulder so both hands can keep cleaning.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Marcus asks as he scrubs the soap all around the pan.


    ¡°Yo Marcus, it¡¯s me, Ronnie!¡± Ronnie remarks through the phone, ¡°How¡¯s your weekend?¡±


    "Oh, hey Ronnie! It¡¯s been going fine," Marcus states as the water rinses the soap off the pan, "just the same as usual."


    "Ah I see,¡± Ronnie states through the phone before switching topics, ¡°But hey, you excited for the gala tonight?"


    "Wait, that''s tonight?! I thought it was in December," Marcus states puzzled as he lays the pan on the drying rack


    "Dude, it is December. You lose track of time or something?" Ronnie jokingly questions.


    Marcus takes a look at the calendar hanging on the wall and notices he hasn¡¯t marked any of the days in weeks.


    ¡°I, I guess I have,¡± Marcus responds as he turns the water off, ¡°But yeah, I¡¯ll be there! We meeting up at Burrito Bistro?¡±


    ¡°Yep! See you there!¡± Ronnie states before hanging up.


    Marcus dries his hands off before setting the landline phone back down. He then walks over to the calendar to take a closer look at things. He flips back to the start of the calendar and sees that he always used to never miss a date on it. That is until¡­


    October 12th, 2013. Just over two months ago. Around the time Marcus told Elizabeth & Alex about¡­well, everything.


    As Marcus then begins to fill out the dates he forgot to mark down, he recalls all the other fun memories he experienced that kept him preoccupied from all this.


    He thinks about how he got to meet many new friends, some he never imagined to ever chat with. How many people they¡¯ve helped in the club, both in big and small ways. He even recalls how their new member, Cameron, seems to enjoy going to the club too even if he doesn¡¯t attend all the meetings.


    Marcus finally crosses off today¡¯s date ¨C December 8th, 2013 ¨C and sets the marker down. Despite all of those days where he¡¯s gotten to meet so many new friends and faces¡­do they see him in a similar light? Or are they just tolerating his presence?


    The thought appears in Marcus¡¯ mind as he steps outside to get some fresh air, being greeted by the first snowfall of the season as he does so.


    Marcus lets out a deep sigh, seeing his breath appear cloudy amongst the cold winter air. As he stands, watching the snow fall down around him, he gets awakened from this tranquility with a loud crash.


    ¡°Oh look what you did now!¡± Someone yells, ¡°This is why I said we didn¡¯t need a couch, we could¡¯ve been just fine with chairs!¡±


    Marcus looks around and spots three people arguing outside the house next door. One of them is a teenage girl around his age who has long black hair with purple highlights, white skin, and blue eyes. She¡¯s also wearing an old gray hoodie with some black sweatpants. The second person is a teenage boy with ginger hair so messy you¡¯d think he just got out of bed, green eyes, white skin littered with freckles, sharp teeth, and one of their eyebrows has a slit. He¡¯s wearing a white hoodie with black stripes on the sleeves, old blue jeans, and red running shoes. The last person who is lifting the couch is a big muscular man with dark skin and brown eyes. He¡¯s wearing a red durag to protect his hair, a white t-shirt over a black leather jacket, and some ripped jeans.


    ¡°Hey, how was I supposed to know that thing was heavier than Graham!¡± The ginger teen defends himself as he takes a look at the couch he broke.


    As Marcus watches them, he figures it would just be best to let them handle things themselves, but just as he''s about to head back inside he thinks about a few people. That¡¯s when he decides to walk on over and ask, "You guys need a hand with that couch?"


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    The three look at each other before agreeing.


    ¡°Uh sure,¡± the girl with the long black hair remarks.


    After several failed attempts, the group of four finally manage to bring the couch inside the house. Exhausted, the four all rest on the couch.


    ¡°I almost broke my arm trying to lift that,¡± the man in the durag remarks before standing up, ¡°I¡¯m gonna go make a few calls.¡±


    As the man stands up, Marcus looks over at the other two fellow teens. The one with the messy ginger hair is taking a swig of water while the long-haired girl stretches her sore arms.


    "Just how heavy was that thing?" Marcus asks.


    ¡°Beats me, and thanks for the help dude," the girl with long black hair says.


    "Don¡¯t mention it, the name¡¯s Marcus by the way, what¡¯s yours?"


    The girl doesn¡¯t respond at first but Blanko quickly chimes in, ¡°My name¡¯s Blanko and she¡¯s Van-¡±


    ¡°Just call me V,¡± the girl responds as she subtly nudges Blanko.


    Blanko seems to have a small sense of realization wash over him as he replies, ¡°Sorry about that Vanessa-¡±


    Blanko looks down at the floor in shame.


    ¡°You and your big mouth,¡± Vanessa sighs.


    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s fine, I think Vanessa¡¯s a nice name,¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°Thanks but it¡¯s not that it¡¯s just,¡± Vanessa starts to explain before switching topics by asking, ¡°I take it you¡¯re from the neighborhood?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I live in the house next door,¡± Marcus remarks, ¡°What brings you guys here?¡±


    ¡°Oh we¡¯re just renting this for a bit then heading out,¡± Vanessa explains, ¡°I wanted to go check out the winter gala while those two wanted to do some sightseeing.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Marcus remarks.


    The MSA Winter Gala is an annual event where a titan of the fashion industry, The Moon Shadow Affiliate, holds a gala to showcase their upcoming clothing lines and products. The event and the company itself are both located in the northern borough of Starlight City, the one where Marcus & everyone who attends Starlight High reside.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually going there too,¡± Marcus remarks, ¡°I heard they¡¯re going to give out some free clothes and donate the rest to some shelters afterward.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­nice of them,¡± Vanessa remarks as one of her hands squeezes her other arm.


    Seeing Vanessa¡¯s bitterness, Marcus asks, "Oh, do you not have a ticket?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, they sold out pretty quickly,¡± Vanessa remarks.


    "Well lucky for you, I have an extra one," Marcus says as he hands Vanessa a free ticket.


    "You''re just gonna give this to me?!" Vanessa asks stunned.


    "I already bought a ticket when I got a free one, so I''ve been meaning to give it to someone," Marcus says.


    Vanessa doesn''t know what to say as she sits there silent for a moment. Her lips begin to open as she starts to form some words when¡­


    ¡°Thanks, we appreciate it and the help with the couch,¡± the man in the durag responds, ¡°But we have to go return the moving truck we rented.¡±


    Marcus looks to see that the man has entered back into the room after wrapping up a call. Remembering what Blanko said back outside, Marcus realizes that his name is Graham.


    "Oh, okay, it was nice meeting you guys and I''ll see you at the Gala, Vanessa!" Marcus says as he leaves.


    As Marcus leaves, the trio waits for the door to close before they continue to talk.


    ¡°So that kid gave you an extra ticket?¡± Blanko sighs.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Vanessa remarks as she takes a look at the ticket in her hand.


    ¡°Guess that makes your job easier.¡±


    Vanessa doesn¡¯t respond as she continues to look down at her hand.


    ________________


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, you guys should listen to my SoundCloud,¡± X Locke remarks, ¡°I already have one avid listener and that rounds up to like 20 million. I¡¯m basically a celebrity already.¡±


    X Locke is walking down a crowded street chatting about this to Ronnie, Alex, Elizabeth, & Cameron. Night has already begun to fall as the streets are lit by festive orange paper lanterns in the shapes of both moons, suns, and stars alike. The fairy lights that cling from street pole to street pole also have been changed to an orange hue for the occasion. The whole crowd are all making their way toward the building where the MSA Winter Gala is being held; The Jenksin Exhibition Hall.


    ¡°Since when did you make music?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°For like ever really, I¡¯ve got a pretty nice singing voice too,¡± X Locke remarks before snarkily adding, ¡°Wanna see?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Ronnie admits.


    ¡°Fine but you better not regret it when I make it big and you see me on all the billboards,¡± X pouts.


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯ll be the case if you didn¡¯t have a face for radio, bub,¡± Alex replies which gets a few good chuckles out of Ronnie & Cameron.


    "Wow, I was just trying to have a civil conversation with you guys for once," X states, "especially since I''ll be sitting next to you guys."


    "Yeah maybe some other time," Ronnie suggests.


    As they reach the gala, they look to see Marcus already at the front waiting for them.


    "Sorry we''re late, X decided to tag along at the last minute," Elizabeth explains.


    "It''s fine, I just got here," Marcus explains.


    As the group heads inside, Marcus looks around and notices that Vanessa isn''t anywhere to be seen. As that thought lingers in his head, he follows everyone into the building and into the exhibition hall, where several chairs are put in front of a huge stage with a golden statue of the letters "MSA" at the back of it.


    ¡°They really put out all the stops for this,¡± Alex remarks, impressed as he wipes some snow off his shoulder.


    As they all make their way through the crowd to find a spot, Ronnie begins to talk to Marcus by saying, "Hey you remember that guy who works at my mom¡¯s tattoo parlor?¡±


    "Oh you mean Santiago?" Marcus asks.


    "Yeah him, well they''re both going to be models for the gala tonight!" Ronnie whispers with a grin on his face.


    "How''d that even happen?"


    "Oh, I''ll tell you later, the thing''s starting."


    As the lights begin to dim. a man walks up on stage.


    ¡°Hello everyone and welcome to the 2013 MSA Winter Gala!¡± the man announces to a crowd of cheering people, ¡°Now I know you all were expecting Miss Delaware to host these as per usual or even our lovely president, but one¡¯s a bit under the weather and the other¡¯s a bit preoccupied at the moment, so you¡¯ll just have to deal with me ¨C Ronald Sampson ¨C for the night!¡±


    Ronald Sampson, an MSA spokesperson and one of their many fashion designers, waits for the crowd to die down a bit before he continues to speak. He¡¯s currently wearing a formal beige jacket covered in a flower pattern over a blue button-up & black tie, black round sunglasses covering his eyes, formal black pants that are constricted by a brown belt, black dress shoes that shine under the stage light, and a silver ring on his pointer finger.


    ¡°Alright now I know most of you are here for the free clothes but that¡¯ll have to wait until after the show,¡± Ronald explains, ¡°Now then please give it up for our very first model of the night!¡±


    The crowd cheers as a person walks onto the stage. The crowd''s cheers turn to confusion as the person who is walking on stage is wearing clothes that are dirty and clearly experienced some wear & tear. The confusion turns to panic as the person who just entered the stage runs towards Ronald and decks him over the head with a blunt object. As people begin to panic, Marcus looks at the stage in shock at the person who just attacked the speaker.


    "Vanessa?!"


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 35 - The East Side (2)

    As the shocked screams of citizens echo through the gala, Marcus sits there in complete shock of what just happened. Not only did some person attack Ronald Sampson live on stage, but it was none other than his brand new neighbor.


    "Vanessa?!" Marcus shouts in confusion.


    Up on the stage, Ronald puts his hands up and states, "Look kid, I¡¯m not trying to get into any fights here! If you have something to say, then let¡¯s do it peacefully aye?"


    ¡°Peacefully?¡± Vanessa remarks before reiterating furiously, ¡°PEACEFULLY?!¡±


    Ronald¡¯s face drops as Vanessa grips the blunt object in her hands tighter.


    ¡°Your lot has no right to say that,¡± Vanessa utters before striking the fashion designer on the head with the blunt object.


    As Ronald falls to the ground, holding his head in pain, Vanessa seizes the opportunity and makes a dash toward the microphone on stage.


    ¡°For years this corrupt company has been parading around as a beacon of hospitality and hope for this community. But it¡¯s all lies! The Moon Shadow Affiliate has only been able to build their empire off of stomping the common folk into the ground,¡± Vanessa yells, ¡°You need to revolt! You need to stop listening to these demons! Do it for The People of Lakeview! For those that they left to rot! For-¡±


    Vanessa tries to continue speaking however the microphone she grabbed seems to have been deactivated. Several security personnel all begin to run at Vanessa, however before they can touch her¡­


    All of the lights go out.


    As screams begin to echo out and people start to rush toward the exit, Marcus sees Vanessa opening the back exit. Without much thought and wanting answers, Marcus decides to give chase.


    As he does so, he begins to hear his friends call out to him.


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    ¡°Wait! Come back!¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°What are you two doing?!¡±


    Marcus looks a bit confused before realizing he isn¡¯t the only one chasing after Vanessa.


    ¡°Alex?¡± Marcus asks as he sees him run next to him, his face filled with pure determination.


    The two pass by the stage and as they do so, Marcus overhears Ronald telling the security guards to let Vanessa go.


    Eventually, the two manage to bust open the back door to see Vanessa entering a black van. Snow has started to fall once more as Marcus looks puzzled at the sight he sees in the street.


    "VANESSA!" Marcus shouts.


    Vanessa stops and looks behind her to see Marcus & Alex.


    "What are you doing?" Marcus asks.


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m doing what I have to,¡± Vanessa responds, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Understand what?!¡±


    ¡°The truth,¡± Vanessa says, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for using you but I didn¡¯t have another option.¡±


    As Marcus stands there stunned, Vanessa ends up locking eyes with Alex.


    Vanessa smiles slightly before calmly saying, ¡°It was nice seeing you again Alex. Maybe next time it¡¯ll be under different circumstances.¡±


    As Alex tries to find the words to say, the only thing he can muster is "...what¡­  what happened to you?"


    Vanessa Deli is silent, words stuck on her tongue that she wants to speak, but ultimately she doesn¡¯t. Instead, she closes the door to the car as whoever is driving it steps on the gas. As the exhaust fumes linger behind where the speeding car once was, Alex & Marcus stand there in shock. Eventually, Ronnie, Elizabeth, Cameron, & X exit out into the street and spot them.


    "What the hell did you two think you were doing?!" Ronnie yells.


    The two are silent however their silence is interrupted by Elizabeth shouting, "What is that?!"


    Everyone looks to see where Elizabeth is pointing, only to see billowing smoke coming from elsewhere in the city. An area they¡¯re all too familiar with.


    "It can''t be," Ronnie says.


    Curiosity getting the better of the crew, they all run towards the source of the smoke, and as they run down the streets, passing by confused and frightened people. They finally reach the street that the fire is on.


    Up in flames is none other than Starlight High.


    As fire trucks begin to swarm the street, Ronnie looks to see they aren''t the only people watching the flames. Because on the other side of the street lying on the grass, is Hunter Huntingson & Mesto-Presto.


    "What the fuck is going on?" Ronnie thinks out loud as embers blow past him.


    As the others stand there in shock, Alex mentions something to Alex, ¡°That car Vanessa entered ... it was coming from this direction.¡±


    As he hears Alex¡¯s words, Marcus recalls something Vanessa told him earlier. She was going to the gala, but the other two people with her ¨C Blanko Deck & Graham Dirt ¨C were busy elsewhere. A pit in Marcus'' stomach starts to grow as he realizes that the attack at the gala and the fire at Starlight High aren''t just a mere coincidence.


    This was planned out.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 36 - The East Side (3)

    Over an hour ago, before the gala even began, Mesto-Presto stood at the cash register in Burrito Bistro, counting up the change when¡­


    DING!


    Mesto looks to see Hunter enter through the front door, his clothes dirty and his stomach grumbling.


    At this point, Mesto doesn¡¯t even need to respond as he makes some nachos and hands them to Hunter. Hunter begins to scarf them down as a TV in the restaurant blares a news report about the upcoming gala.


    ¡°You know it¡¯s closing time, right?¡± Mesto remarks while taking off his green apron and putting on a plaid jacket.


    ¡°Yeah sure just make me a burrito, Burrito Boy,¡± Hunter beckons as he continues to eat.


    Mesto rolls his eyes as he ignores the request and continues closing. He sweeps up the dust off the floor, wipes down the tables, and closes the register. Hunter, also now done with his meal, stands up and exits the restaurant.


    Mesto grabs his bag before turning off the lights, switching the sign in the door from ¡®open¡¯ to ¡®closed¡¯, and then locking the front door as he leaves. Mesto starts to walk home, however, he is beginning to grow a bit wary as Hunter Huntingson follows him.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Mesto-Presto asks.


    ¡°I¡¯m just looking out for you Burrito Boy,¡± Hunter replies as he licks the nacho cheese off his fingers, ¡°These streets can be pretty dangerous.¡±


    "Don''t worry I think I¡¯d be able to handle them," Mesto replies sincerely.


    ¡°You sure? I don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to you since you¡¯re getting up there in age,¡± Hunter responds.


    Mesto stops walking and turns to face Hunter, ¡°How old do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Hunter squints as he examines Mesto¡¯s face, ¡°You got the face of a 30-year-old but the gray hair of a 70-year-old. So uh, 54?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m 16, and that¡¯s blonde hair,¡± Mesto groans.


    ¡°You¡¯re 16?!¡± Hunter shouts, taken aback, ¡°But how! I¡¯ve never seen you at school! Also, I think I might be color blind.¡±


    ¡°Eh, I¡¯m not exactly the type to attend school,¡± Mesto responds.


    ¡°So you dropped out?¡±


    ¡°N¡­Not exactly,¡± Mesto sighs, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I can¡¯t exactly head back to school right now even if I tried.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    As silence fills the streets, the two continue to walk, Hunter looks at Mesto and notices that despite being just two years older, he really does give off the composed and stable look one would expect someone to have if he was older.


    Just how much did he get through to become like that?


    Though, before Hunter can linger on that thought for too long, they suddenly hear a window getting smashed nearby. The two look over to the source of the sound and discover it came from the nearby Starlight High.


    "Is someone trying to break into the school?" Hunter thinks out loud.


    "We should probably let some people know," Mesto states as he takes out his phone to alert the authorities, however, Hunter stops him.


    "There''s no need," Hunter says as he draws out his metal baseball bat, "I can take care of it myself!"


    As Hunter walks over to the high school, Mesto sighs as he follows him, just so he can stop Hunter from doing something too reckless. Once they get to the entrance, the two notice that the window has clearly been smashed in and the door looks bent. Hunter, using his metal baseball bat, carefully prods the door open and the two enter the high school.


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    As they walk down the dark halls, the two notice just how¡­empty the whole place looks. None of the lights are even on with the only source of light coming from the moonlight seeping in through the windows, the cameras all seem deactivated with no lights on them, and there doesn¡¯t seem to have been any janitors or late-night staff in sight.


    Eventually, the two start to hear an odd noise as they get closer and closer to the cafeteria. Once they enter, the sound becomes more apparent as it sounds like dirt being dug up and tossed out.


    Hearing that the noise is coming from the kitchen, Hunter grips his baseball bat tightly before springing into action and rushing toward the kitchen.


    ¡°Hey, wait a second!¡± Mesto whispers as he tries to stop Hunter from running.


    But alas, Mesto is too slow as Hunter bursts through into the kitchen to see that it is covered in candlelights with a ginger teen and a muscular man with a red durag using several pieces of equipment to dig a hole in the school¡¯s kitchen.


    ¡°Hey you bastards,¡± Hunter snarls, ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±.


    ¡°Uhhhhh,¡± The ginger teen responds, trying to think of a response before answering with, ¡°Groundskeeping.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay,¡± Hunter says as he turns around, ¡°My bad about that.¡±


    Mesto, the ginger teen, & even the man in the durag all look stunned at how that lie managed to work.


    However, just when Hunter is about to leave the kitchen, he quickly turns around and slams his bat into the ginger teen''s head.


    "Bullshit you are! You''re just doing the same thing as that lunch dude did!" Hunter smirks.


    However, Hunter''s smile soon fades as he sees that the ginger teen managed to catch the metal bat with his left hand, stopping the attack.


    ¡°Hey Graham, you keep on digging,¡± the ginger teen says as he lets go of the bat, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of these two chumps!¡±


    ¡°Just make it quick,¡± Graham Dirt, the man in the durag, responds.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the ginger teen replies as he rolls up his sleeves revealing his arms are covered in sports tape, ¡°These chumps are easy pickin¡¯ to the likes of Blanko!¡±


    ¡°Your name¡¯s Blanko?¡± Hunter chuckles.


    ¡°Wait but-,¡± The ginger teen says in shock before realizing his mistake, ¡°Ugh damn it not again.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the chump now?¡± Hunter remarks.


    ¡°You still are, Hunter,¡± Blanko admits, causing Hunter to be stunned.


    ¡°How did you know my-¡±


    But before Hunter can finish his question, the ginger teen rushes over to him. Out of instinct, Hunter goes to swing the bat into Blanko¡¯s side. Though as the bat inches closer to his side, Blanko catches it with one hand once more and counters with a kick into Hunter¡¯s side.


    Due to the pain, Hunter¡¯s grip on the bat weakens allowing Blanko to rip it from his hands and toss it behind him. As Hunter sees the bat fly away, Blanko uses the opportunity to start delivering several jabs at him.


    Hunter, gritting through the pain, tries to land an overhead hook on Blanko, but Blanko dodges it with ease before kicking Hunter in his calf.


    ¡°You¡¯re not much without that bat of yours,¡± Blanko remarks as he goes for another kick.


    Though as the kick lands in Hunter''s sides, Blanko goes to pull his leg back only to realize it¡¯s stuck. With one arm holding onto Blanko¡¯s leg, Hunter uses his other hand to slam it into Blanko¡¯s over and over again.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not much without my bat what does that make you!¡± Hunter yells as he swings his fist into Blanko¡¯s.


    Getting agitated, Blanko decides to lunge at Hunter and the two crash to the ground. As the two roll around fighting one another, they end up bumping into some oil causing it to spill all over the ground and one of the lit candles also falls. Blanko reaches to try and grasp at Hunter but instead ends up grabbing Mesto¡¯s bag, so he rips it off of him and slams it onto Hunter¡¯s head.


    Hunter finally lets go of Blanko¡¯s leg which allows Blanko the opportunity to get back up and away from him.


    ¡°I gotta admit, you¡¯re pretty tough for a chump,¡± Blanko admits.


    "Yeah well, now you got me fired up!" Hunter grunts as he stands up.


    As Hunter is about to rush Blanko again, Graham exits the hole that they were digging and has an object with him. A wooden box that is sealed with a lock.


    "We''re done here," Graham replies.


    "I see, well it''s been fun but we got places to be," Blanko admits.


    "Tch, like hell you will!" Hunter yells.


    However as everyone else was preoccupied, what they forgot about was that oil that fell to the ground began to spread. And it spread closer and closer to the fallen lit candle until¡­


    FWOOSH!


    With flames erupting in the room and quickly spreading due to the low quality of the kitchen, the four of them all simultaneously agree that the best course of action was to stop chatting and to book it out of there as quickly as possible. Blanko is still holding onto the bag he took while Graham holds the box they obtained.


    As Hunter, Blanko, Mesto, & Graham continue to sprint out of the high school, Blanko adds, "This school has some sprinklers ¡®n stuff, right? The fire can¡¯t be that bad!"


    Unfortunately for them, the fire was that bad with them realizing as such as once they exited the school. Now with a look of the whole building, they could all see that the fire had quickly spread to most of the school.


    Mesto, Hunter, Blanko, & Graham are all completely silent as the fire continues to engulf the high school.


    ¡°Well so much for keeping it hidden,¡± Blanko sighs.


    However while the others seem in disbelief, Hunter¡¯s face turns to horror as he realizes something. Hunter without a second thought begins to run toward the school however Mesto grabs him.


    "ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?" Mesto yells.


    "MY BABY! I LEFT MY BABY!" Hunter yells as he sobs.


    Mesto starts to panic as he looks at the school, and he says, "Where''d you leave your baby!?"


    "I LEFT IT IN THE KITCHEN!"


    "WHY WOULD YOU BRING A BABY!"


    "BECAUSE HOW ELSE AM I GOING TO CRACK SKULLS OPEN!"


    It was at this moment that Mesto realized Hunter wasn''t talking about a human baby, but rather his metal baseball bat.


    "Yeah, we aren''t going back in," Mesto states.


    "LET ME GO!" Hunter struggles.


    "I SAID YOU''RE STAYING HERE!" Mesto yells back.


    As Mesto struggles to keep Hunter still, Blanko & Graham seize the opportunity to get in their car and get the fuck out of the area.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope things are going better on her end,¡± Blanko remarks as Graham drives off to pick up Vanessa.


    With the MSA Winter Gala ending abruptly and Starlight High burning to the ground all on the same night, it all caused one question to appear at the forefront of everyone¡¯s minds¡­


    ¡°What happens next?¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 37 - The East Side (4)

    ¡°You need to revolt!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing what I have to.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±


    Those words ring out in Marcus¡¯ head as he shoots up awake out of his bed in a cold sweat. After calming his breathing he goes about his normal morning routine on yet another dreary winter morning.


    He brushes his teeth, puts on his clothes, and makes food for himself before heading outside for some fresh air. However, throughout it all, he still can¡¯t stop thinking about what happened a few days ago. What happened with Vanessa.


    Just as he¡¯s about to head back inside, Marcus notices that on the side of the road where the house Vanessa stayed at is the couch he painstakingly helped move.


    Still a bit sore from lifting that hunk of junk, Marcus walks over to it. After seeing that there¡¯s been some snow that accumulated on the top of it, Marcus tries to push the couch so the snow would fall off.


    Only, the couch moves, and it moves easily.


    Marcus takes a look at his hands as he realizes there are two possibilities in front of him. Either he magically got stronger overnight, or that couch is lighter than before. His thought is put to the test as he grabs the seat cushion and lifts it. With the seat cushion pulled up, Marcus sees that what was below the seat cushion was a storage compartment.


    An empty storage compartment.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC


    For the students of Starlight High, it¡¯s yet another average cloudy day in Starlight City. Just the same as usual. Bundled up in a winter jacket is Alex Smith, who¡¯s stuck in class trying to take notes when his best friend, Christopher Wrinkle, nudges him.


    ¡°Hey, you need a hand warmer?¡± Christopher shivers in his tank top, ¡°Also what did you get on the homework?¡±


    ¡°You need those more than me,¡± Alex replies with his teeth chattering due to the cold, ¡°And I forgot we had some.¡±


    ¡°Wait really? How come?¡± Christopher inquires.


    ¡°Oh well, it¡¯s because¡­¡± Alex begins to quietly say before he suddenly snaps and yells, ¡°I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be having class when the school when the school went up in fucking flames and is an ash pile!¡±


    Alex, Christopher, and a few other students are all in the park next to the school, freezing their butts off in the cold snow and harsh wind as Ray Ramirez tries to teach them evolution by drawing pictures into the snow.


    ¡°Hey! Who said you could be talking in class!¡± Ray snaps, also having enough of this situation.


    ¡°Who said we were having class today!¡± Alex yells, ¡°And how the hell are we the only ones who have it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it up with me, take it up with the shitty principal!¡± Ray responds, ¡°And if you can say the Pythagorean theorem, then I¡¯ll end class early!¡±


    "It''s a^2+b^2=c^2!!" Alex yells.


    "CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS DISMISSED!" Ray yells upset.


    "THANK YOU!" Alex yells also upset.


    With class dismissed a few students ¨C mostly Hamster, Bennet, Rebecca, Carli, & Christopher ¨C all come over to chat with Alex as he walks away while Ray & the rest book it back to their homes.


    ¡°Thanks so much bro, any longer and I¡¯d have gone into hypothalamus!¡± Christopher says.


    ¡°I think you mean hypothermia dumbass,¡± Rebecca ¡®politely¡¯ corrects Christopher before talking to Alex, ¡°And I heard you were at the Winter Gala when that stuff went down, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was busy talking to someone at one of the booths when all the lights went out!¡± Hamster says, ¡°Almost gave Bennet a heart attack!¡±


    Bennet the hamster shakes at just the reminder of the experience.


    ¡°What did you get for the homework?¡± Carli asks.


    Alex addresses all of them simultaneously, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it bub. Don¡¯t talk like that to my bub, bub, and I don¡¯t know. Thank god the bub¡¯s still with us otherwise I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do. And I don¡¯t know what the hell that shit is about, bub!¡±


    As Alex storms off, the other four freshmen and hamster are left standing there trying to figure out which person he was addressing for each sentence. Eventually, Christopher decides to catch up with Alex so they can keep chatting.


    "I can''t believe the school''s forcing us to go to the park for classes, I get they have to have like a required amount of days we need to go to school but this is ridiculous!" Alex complains, ¡°And how come none of the other grades showed up!¡±


    "You''re telling me bro," Christopher replies before adding, "but hey, the cold really helps get my blood ready for a workout! Wanna hop by the gym?"


    "Suit yourself man, I got a club meeting to go to," Alex admits.


    "Woah, you still have those?" Christopher says shocked.


    "Yeah well it''s a bit of a special circumstance," Alex replies.


    "Okay bro, well next time we''re gonna push ourselves for a new bench max okay!"


    "Definitely!" Alex says with a smile on his face.


    The two bump fists before parting ways. As Alex is now left to walk by himself, his face turns from a smile to a stoic one as he contemplates all that went down a few days ago.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°What have you been up to¡­¡± Alex murmurs as he continues to approach The Miracle Clinic¡¯s temporary meeting spot.


    _________________________


    Inside the Starlight City Bookstore, Selina is at the front counter trying to chat with Ronnie, Cameron, & Elizabeth who are all inside the cramped place. Cameron is a bit preoccupied trying to take a look at all of the books on the stacked bookshelves. When he goes to grab one, several fall down onto him.


    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯ll be over in a second,¡± Selina remarks as she grabs a ladder from behind the counter and walks over to the pile of fallen books. As she does so she begins to ask, ¡°So what brings you guys here?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re trying to have a club meeting and uh- can¡¯t exactly do it at the school now,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°Our next option was Burrito Bistro but that¡¯s closed for the day so we decided to go here.¡±


    ¡°Guess today this place is the hot spot for high schoolers,¡± Selina remarks as she drags Cameron out from underneath the pile of books, ¡°Wild to think the school would burn down the same day the gala got canceled.¡±


    As Cameron gasps for air, Ronnie & Elizabeth help Selina pick up some of the books that fell.


    ¡°The gala was¡­certainly something,¡± Elizabeth affirms.


    ¡°Wait, you guys were at the gala?¡± Selina asks as she takes out a pen and notebook, ¡°Can you guys tell me what happened! I¡¯ve been trying to listen to the news but they¡¯ve only said it ¡®ended prematurely¡¯ and will be ¡®rescheduled to some other day¡¯. Powell & Turnip got to go since they had a vendor spot but all they knew was that the lights went out.¡±


    ¡°Well, you see,¡± Ronnie begins to say before hearing the bookstore¡¯s front door chime.


    The group looks to see Marcus & Alex both entering the store.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late, I went to class unlike the rest of you,¡± Alex explains.


    ¡°Wait, we had class today?!¡± Ronnie panics, ¡°My mom¡¯s gonna kill me.¡±


    ¡°I thought that email was a joke,¡± Elizabeth admits.


    ¡°People went to that? I just skipped,¡± Cameron admits.


    ¡°I forgot we switched locations and went to Burrito Bistro,¡± Marcus admits, ¡°I waited for a bit before realizing it was closed.¡±


    ¡°Ouch,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°But hey now that you two are here we can get our club meeting started!¡±


    The whole group is silent for a bit, each of them standing motionless in the bookstore.


    ¡°What do you guys even do at your meetings?¡± Selina questions as she finishes putting the books back up.


    ¡°Usually someone comes to us and asks for help,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°So uh, did you tell anyone about your club still being open?¡± Selina asks.


    ¡°Nope! Not really,¡± Ronnie responds.


    ¡°....you didn¡¯t think this through, did you?¡± Selina questions.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Ronnie laments.


    ¡°Well, if you wanna hear something fun,¡± Selina begins to say, ¡°You should try talking to the other weirdo that¡¯s here, he¡¯s got the scoop on the whole fire at the high school.¡±


    ¡°What weirdo?¡± Ronnie asks before he hears approaching footsteps.


    The group all look to see a person exiting from one of the hallways created by the bookshelves. Ronnie¡¯s eyes widen as he sees that person is none other than Hunter Huntingson, who is in the middle of reading ''The Great Gatsby'' by Francis Scott Fitzgerald.


    Hunter glances up from the book to see the whole group staring at him, he sighs before saying, ¡°Hey.¡±


    Cameron waves back but stops as he sees the pissed-off faces of Ronnie, Elizabeth, & Alex. Marcus is standing behind the three unsure what to say.


    "What do you want?" Ronnie hisses.


    "I was checking out a book," Hunter says.


    "This isn''t a library y''know!" Selina yells.


    "My bad, I was renting a book," Hunter says, "Is it illegal to go shopping now?¡±


    Hunter has a smug grin on his face while Ronnie looks like he¡¯s ready to beat him up, however Marcus makes his way closer to Hunter.


    Knowing the rebellious punk all too well, Marcus sighs and asks, ¡°You know something about that fire, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Hunter smirks and replies, "You betcha."


    Hunter begins to describe the events of a few nights ago to the group ¨C how he caught Blanko & Graham digging something up from the kitchen, how they had a scuffle, and how the fire they caused was an accident ¨C as he finishes his story, he hands them a clothes tag.


    "During my scuffle with Blanko, I managed to take this tag off of the shirt he was wearing. It seems like he didn''t notice it was still on," Hunter explains.


    Elizabeth looks at the tag and sees that written on it is the name ''East Side Express''.


    "They''re from the eastern borough? That must suck," Elizabeth says.


    "Hey the east side isn''t that bad," Alex replies.


    "Yeah but that''s not the only thing," Hunter adds, "I did a bit of research on Google and it turns out, the East Side Express only opened today, so they probably work there."


    Hunter begins to walk out of the store by saying, "I''m gonna go teach them a lesson not to mess with the North, if you guys want to go tag along and do your ''miracle'' bullshit, then feel free."


    As Hunter leaves, everyone is silent... Everyone except Selina of course, who''s grabbing a broom to chase Hunter with since he forgot to pay for his book. But once Selina has left, Cameron clears his throat.


    "I don''t think I can go to the east side, my parents don''t really like me going there," Cameron says.


    "That''s fine, you don''t have to go if you don''t want to," Alex says.


    Ronnie looks over to Marcus and asks, "You okay buddy?"


    "Yeah I''m fine, just didn''t expect to see him today," Marcus replies.


    Ronnie looks to see that Marcus'' hands are still shaking, and Ronnie says, "We can stay here if you want."


    "N-no I''m fine, we can go," Marcus says.


    "Are you sure?" Alex asks, "You don''t need to push yourself."


    Marcus stops as he thinks about what he should do for a second as several thoughts flood his mind. He thinks about Vanessa, the way the whole event was covered up, his worries from before, and how his friends see him.


    Eventually after letting out a huge sigh and his hands stop shaking, Marcus answers, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you guys want to do, but at least for me I want to go to The East Side. Hunter¡¯s just going to go there and beat them up, but I don¡¯t want to do that. There¡¯s so many things that we don¡¯t know about from that night that I want to figure out so we can figure out what the right thing to do is.¡±


    As Marcus finishes, the group is taken aback for a bit.


    However the silence is broken by Alex Smith as he smirks and then walks over to Marcus.


    He playfully messes with Marcus¡¯ messy hair before saying, ¡°Well bubs, you heard the club founder, let¡¯s get to it!¡±


    ¡°Guess it¡¯s decided then,¡± Ronnie says as he begins to walk toward the store¡¯s exit, ¡°Let¡¯s show The East Side what we¡¯re all abou-.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cool and all,¡± Elizabeth begins to say before asking, ¡°But how are we supposed to get there?¡±


    The group is taken aback for a bit as they try to think of an answer.


    ¡°Well I can ask my mom for a ride-,¡± Ronnie begins to say before remembering he skipped class by accident today.


    ¡°My parents are too busy at work,¡± Elizabeth admits.


    ¡°Last time my dad drove my friends anywhere he had us listen to disco,¡± Alex shudders.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with disco?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°He kept replaying the same song over and over and over and over again,¡± Alex trembles, ¡°I still have that song stuck in my head.¡±


    As the group stands there puzzled as to what to do, Cameron remembers something as he pulls up his phone.


    ¡°While I can¡¯t go with you guys, I think I know just the person who¡¯ll be willing to drive you on over there,¡± Cameron speaks up.


    ¡°Who?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    Cameron starts to make a call to someone before he responds to Elizabeth by saying, ¡°My tutor.¡±


    ___________________________________


    ¡°I told her it was a fucking rental,¡± Hunter grumbles as he tries to pull some loose broom straws out of his hair.


    A bump is on his head as the punkish teen makes his way towards the train station. However as he makes his way closer, he sees a familiar face also approaching the station.


    Mesto-Presto.


    ¡°Well well well, if it isn''t Burrito Boy! What brings you to this neck of the woods?¡± Hunter asks.


    Mesto rolls his eyes and responds with, ¡°You know where those guys you fought went?¡±


    "Yeah, some shop called The East Side Express," Hunter answers before asking, ¡°Why do you care?¡±


    "East Side Express huh?" Mesto says with a look of calm rage, "Let¡¯s hope they still have what they stole from me, for their sake."


    Hunter follows Mesto as the two enter the train station. But just as they do, a black sedan passes them.


    In the car, Elizabeth is sitting in the front while Alex, Marcus, & Ronnie are crammed in the back.


    "You couldn''t have let us take the front?" Alex grumbles.


    "You should''ve called shotgun then dumbass," Elizabeth says.


    "Hey watch your language," the driver scolds them.


    "My bad sir," Elizabeth replies.


    "I must say I didn''t expect Cameron would have a tutor, let alone that it was you," Ronnie says.


    ¡°Small world isn¡¯t it,¡± The driver, Aken Amnestor, remarks, ¡°I must say I¡¯m very pleased you all wanted to partake in a school project.¡±


    ¡°Heh heh, yeah! You know us, we just love learning!¡± Ronnie awkwardly remarks before he whispers to Marcus, ¡°What the hell did Cameron say to him?¡±


    ¡°He told him we were going to The East Side for a research paper that involved us meeting with Vanessa,¡± Marcus whispers before speaking to Amnestor, ¡°Thanks again for driving us!¡±


    "Not a problem," Aken Amnestor, the driver of the car, says.


    With two groups of people heading to the east side of the city, all wanting to reach Vanessa & her companions for different reasons, almost all members of each party were ready for the danger they were all speeding towards.


    The danger that is The East Side.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 38 - The East Side (5)

    Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwn!~


    Having just let out the biggest yawn in his entire life, Alex Smith sits squished in the back of a crowded black sedan. On the other passenger side is Ronnie Everst with Marcus Veridan being squished in between the two. Elizabeth Moore managed to luck out in the front passenger seat while Aken Amnestor is in the driver''s seat.


    Their destination? The East Side.


    Their estimated time of arrival?


    HONK! HONK! HONNNNK!


    BEEP BEEP! BEEP! BEEEEEP!


    VROOM!


    A fucking while.


    Elizabeth, bored out of her mind, twirls the strings on her green hoodie as the sedan they¡¯re all in is stuck in a giant traffic jam. Cars of all shapes and sizes are not even moving at all.


    Alex is drifting to sleep, only being pulled back to consciousness whenever his hand lands on Marcus¡¯ shoulder, and Ronnie is looking out the window trying to pass the time.


    With the honking of car horns and screams of road ragers filling the open winter air, Amnestor decides to roll up the windows and play some songs on the radio.


    ¡°Oh hey, I think this is the song Miss Champion & Mister Ramirez were chatting about,¡± Amnestor remarks as he tries to relate to his students, ¡°Y¡¯know the one where you kids all ¡®Harlem Shake¡¯ about?¡±


    A look of disdain fills the air as Amnestor awkwardly coughs before apologizing.


    Trying to switch topics, Elizabeth mentions, ¡°I bet Alex¡¯s kiddy bike could¡¯ve gotten there by now.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know what, I actually agree with Elizabeth,¡± Ronnie affirms.


    Alex, still dazed and half asleep, just grumbles, ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just try to think positively guys, at least we aren¡¯t out in the cold,¡± Marcus suggests.


    ¡°Dude, you¡¯re in the middle seat,¡± Alex responds having finally become fully awoken, ¡°Anything is better than that.¡±


    "I don''t know why you guys are complaining, my seat is pretty comfortable," Elizabeth smirks.


    "Yeah just so you know bub, I call dibs shotgun on the way back!" Alex yells.


    "Uh huh," Elizabeth says, "though to be honest, what Hunter said is reminding me about something."


    "You too?" Ronnie asks.


    "That he''s a jerk?" Alex questions.


    "No not that," Elizabeth begins to say, ¡°Remember that dude Ronnie & I had a run-in with at the cafeteria? Y¡¯know the dude who was selling those muffins? Well, one thing we saw him trying to do was dig something up. But he stopped.¡±


    ¡°I thought he was just a lunatic,¡± Ronnie begins to say, ¡°But after this, I don¡¯t know, Maybe he¡¯s related to whatever those new folks are a part of.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about that fire at the school?¡± Amnestor questions.


    ¡°Oh uh-,¡± Elizabeth begins to say realizing she should¡¯ve chatted about it more discreetly.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, not much is really known about the fire besides it was started in the kitchen,¡± Amnestor remarks, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the first time something like that happened there.¡±


    "Hm? What do you mean?" Marcus asks.


    "It¡¯s not something I should really be discussing with you,¡± Amnestor remarks, ¡°But if you must know; around two years ago the school almost shut down due to an incident in the school¡¯s kitchen. Some got expelled, three dropped out, but besides that, nothing else happened.¡±


    "Do you know anything else?" Ronnie inquires.


    "Sorry, but I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s all I know. I was out on my honeymoon with my wife during that time,¡± Amnestor explains, ¡°Most of the faculty back then don¡¯t work here anymore, and those that do pretend that nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ronnie says before he feels his phone vibrate.


    When he goes to check it, he sees a text in a group chat featuring him, Elizabeth, & Alex. Marcus, who doesn¡¯t have a cell phone yet looks over at the texts.


    Elizabeth - Let¡¯s text instead of talk.


    Elizabeth - Amnestor still thinks this is something for school.


    Elizabeth - if we let him know we¡¯re trying to face people who burned down the school & hijacked a gala, he¡¯d turn the car around.


    Alex - I¡¯m with Elizabeth on this one.


    Ronnie - Okay works for me. Just to make sure we all know the plan right?


    Elizabeth - Yeah, Amnestor takes us to The East Side, we tell him to go shopping or something and ditch him, then we go to The East Side Express without him!


    Ronnie - Marcus typing, I was thinking about what Hunter said about them digging up something from the high school and I remembered something. The couch that I helped them move in had a storage compartment. They could¡¯ve hid their digging equipment in there which is why it was so heavy.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Alex - I guess, but at what point why hide it? And why go through the trouble of renting a house? Why not a hotel or something


    Elizabeth - There¡¯s too many eyes I think. If they were trying to hide the fact they were going to the school, they wouldn¡¯t want a bunch of hotel staff watching them hog a ton of digging equipment around.


    Ronnie - Makes sense, plus they had parking for that car they drove.


    Ronnie - Marcus typing again, Alex if you don¡¯t mind me asking, how do you know Vanessa?


    Alex - well it¡¯s kinda long.


    Ronnie - dude we¡¯re gonna be in this car for a while, just type away my dude.


    Alex - Okay fine. When I was really young my parents & I lived in The East Side at this place called Lakeview. It was some public housing place, not the best place to live at but it got the job done. Besides me the only other kid there was Vanessa. Eventually, the place had to get shut down, the city said it was due to unstable infrastructure or something. My parents had us move into where the rest of my family stayed up in The North Side, once that happened I lost contact with Vanessa. That night was the first I saw of her in years.


    Elizabeth - That must have been rough.


    Alex - Nah don¡¯t worry about it, that was years ago. You¡¯ve guys seen my family right? We¡¯re doing pretty well. I¡¯m mostly just worried about what happened with Vanessa.


    Ronnie - Yeah, what I still don¡¯t get is how that has anything to do with the MSA. They¡¯re just a fashion company, how would they have anything to do with Lakeview?


    Alex - I don¡¯t know, but I guess we¡¯re bound to find out soon.


    As Ronnie glances up from his phone, he notices Amnestor has his phone mapped to a place.


    ¡°Hey, where are we stopping anyway?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Oh? Well, you guys said you were trying to track down a student from The East Side, right? Well what better way to do that than going to Seastar High,¡± Amnestor explains.


    As those words escape Amnestor''s mouth, a sense of rivalry fills Ronnie & Elizabeth. While Starlight High is located in the northern borough of Starlight City, Seastar High is located in the east close to the water. While the north & east boroughs never really get along, that''s almost tenfold when it comes to the two rival high schools. From competing sports teams to competing for funding to even competing in basket weaving tournaments, each school takes almost any and every chance they can get to compete against the other.


    "Do we have to?" Elizabeth complains, ¡°They probably have mold or something in their vents.¡±


    "I know you guys aren''t the biggest fans of Seastar High but it¡¯s still just a school. No different from yours," Amnestor replies, "I¡¯ve been to that school plenty of times and I can tell you it is completely safe."


    "If you say so," Elizabeth grumbles.


    ¡°Honestly I don¡¯t get the hate everyone has for the East,¡± Alex admits, ¡°What¡¯s so bad about Seastar High anyways?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so bad?!¡± Ronnie remarks in shock, ¡°Alex their mascot is BLOBBY THE BLOBFISH! That alone should be reason enough to why they suck!¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, at least it¡¯s creative,¡± Alex defends.


    ¡°Of course you¡¯d say that,¡± Elizabeth teases.


    "WHAT''S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" Alex retorts.


    As another playful banter occurs in the car amongst the miracle clinic, the group gets closer to their destination.


    However, they aren''t the only ones.


    Standing in the middle of a crowded train cart is Starlight High¡¯s rebel, Hunter Huntingson, and burrito boy Mesto-Presto. Except Mesto-Presto is wearing an obviously fake beard and thick sunglasses that still have the tag on them.


    ¡°Uh Burrito Boy, what are you wearing?¡± Hunter asks.


    ¡°A disguise,¡± Mesto replies.


    ¡°Okay but why?¡± Hunter asks.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I don¡¯t exactly have the best of relationships with some people here, and I don¡¯t want to take any chances,¡± Mesto remarks.


    ¡°All that stuff is doing is drawing more attention to yourself,¡± Hunter replies, ¡°Besides I¡¯ve faced countless of thugs in the north, the east should be a piece of cake!¡±


    As those words escape out from Hunter¡¯s lips, he can feel the heavy stares of several passengers turn to face him. Mesto slowly backs away from Hunter as several beefy dudes all approach the rebel and circle around him.


    ¡°Hey, what did you say?¡± One of the muscular men questions.


    ¡°That the east should be a piece of-,¡± Hunter begins to say.


    ¡°No the other part, about how you¡¯re the kid beating folks up in the North,¡± Another remarks.


    "Yeah, and what about it?" Hunter asks as he goes to grab his metal bat out of his backpack, only to remember that he no longer has it.


    "So it really is you huh," Another man says.


    Hunter looks around to see them all reach into their pockets to pull something out. As Hunter is about to throw hands all of the men take out the item from their pockets.


    It''s a bunch of notepads.


    "Can you sign this? We''re your biggest fans!" They all squeal.


    Hunter is taken aback not knowing how to react as some of them begin to shake him in excitement.


    "You''re doing god''s work out there beating those Northern scum!" One of them shouts.


    "You''re not mad that I''m from the North?" Hunter asks.


    "Mad? Dude, you''re practically an Easterner yourself the way you''ve been beating those piece of shit Northerners!" A muscular man shouts.


    The group of men and now many of the people in the train cart start tossing Hunter into the air while chanting his name. Mesto sighs as everyone else continues to praise Hunter.


    However one person catches Mesto¡¯s eye, and it¡¯s the one man who¡¯s still sitting down and not praising Hunter. The man sitting next to Mesto is a tall somewhat muscular guy with light brown skin, light black dreads, a blue bucket hat with white on the rim covering his eyes, a black tank top, white sweatpants, and black slides.


    ¡°One mention about the North and we all turn into this, huh?¡± The man remarks.


    "Tell me about it," Mesto replies.


    The man takes out a lighter from his pocket and twirls it before lighting it.


    ¡°You smoke?¡± The man asks.


    ¡°No, do you?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I just like to be prepared,¡± the man responds, ¡°A lighter can be the thing that turns you from some guy about to get mugged to some rando¡¯s best friend.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the advice, sir,¡± Mesto remarks.


    ¡°Just call me Andy, no need to be so formal,¡± Andy, the man in the bucket hat, chuckles, ¡°But if you still want to be polite you can call me by my last name; Nibble.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Andy,¡± Mesto remarks before asking, ¡°Say have you heard about a store called The East Side Express?¡±


    ¡°East Side Express?¡± Andy contemplates as he puts his hand on his chin, ¡°Is it a thrift store?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, from what I heard it just opened up,¡± Mesto remarks.


    ¡°Oh, yeah I know what you¡¯re talking about! I got some new hats from there yesterday,¡± Andy remarks.


    ¡°You mind showing us where that¡¯s at?¡± Mesto asks.


    ¡°Yeah sure, I was gonna head on over there anyways,¡± Andy agrees.


    As the train comes to a stop, several people get off and Hunter is finally back on the ground, as he walks over to Mesto & Andy he says, "I don''t know if I should feel proud or frightened."


    Andy laughs and says, "You''re lucky people like you, if not then they would''ve given you the standard Eastern greeting."


    "What''s that?" Hunter asks.


    "They beat you to a pulp," Andy says nonchalantly.


    "I see," Hunter says as he wonders if that is actually true or not, ¡°And who are you again?¡±


    ¡°The name¡¯s Andy Nibble, but you can just think of me as a tour guide,¡± Andy remarks as the train begins to move to its next stop.


    With just the three of them now in the train cart, Hunter sits down and begins to let his thoughts wander while the train begins to move once more. Each thought comes into view before passing as quickly as the buildings outside the train.


    ¡°So this is how I am,¡± Mesto sighs.


    ¡°Hey kid,¡± Andy begins to say, ¡°You seem a bit lost so let me give you a bit of advice.¡±


    Hunter glances over to Andy.


    ¡°You¡¯re still young, unlike this train you have many paths ahead of you,¡± Andy advises, ¡°Don¡¯t feel afraid to head down a different one if you think the path you¡¯re on is wrong.¡±


    Hunter stops for a bit before remarking, ¡°For someone who lives here, you don¡¯t really seem like the average guy?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Just because I didn¡¯t give you the Eastern Greeting doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not from here,¡± Andy laughs, ¡°Besides most traditions are meant to be left in the past.¡±


    _____________________________________


    Unfortunately for some though, tradition is something that can¡¯t be discarded so easily.


    And it¡¯s none other than The Miracle Clinic who¡¯ll get to learn that fact as they finally arrive at Seastar High.


    ¡°Ugh, I can finally move my arm again,¡± Ronnie grunts as he exits out of the sedan.


    ¡°Any longer and my legs would¡¯ve cramped up,¡± Alex groans,


    Marcus is silent as relief that he isn¡¯t squished anymore fills his soul.


    Elizabeth begins to say something but gets cut off by¡­


    ¡°Well well well, if it ain¡¯t a bunch of Northerners up in our turf!¡±


    Ronnie, Alex, Elizabeth, Marcus, & Amnestor all look confused as a student of Seastar High makes their way towards them. Behind him are several other high schoolers who all seem agitated by the new presence at the school.


    The man who¡¯s leading the group has a mullet with way too much hair gel and a bomber jacket that has a dragon on its back.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve thought you¡¯d be lucky, well you were wrong!¡± The man in the bomber jacket yells as he gets up in Ronnie¡¯s face, ¡°Prepare to meet your maker since I, Draco Maleby, will strike you down!¡±


    Ronnie can¡¯t help but laugh as he looks toward Alex, ¡°Do all people here talk like that?¡±


    Alex shrugs as the large group of Seastar High students all prepare to give them the ¡®Eastern Greeting¡¯.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 39 - The East Side (6)

    At Seastar High, a run-down school in the eastern district of Starlight City, most of the students go about their days like any other school would. They''re just an average school that is pretty average all things considered. That is until someone from Starlight High, their rival school, steps foot onto their school grounds.


    Unfortunately for The Miracle Clinic, they only get to learn this fact as the whole group gets out of Amnestor¡¯s car. As they do so, they notice a man with a mullet & bomber jacket making their way towards them.


    ¡°Well well well, if it ain¡¯t a bunch of Northerners up in our turf!¡±


    Ronnie, Alex, Elizabeth, Marcus, & Amnestor all look confused as several other students follow closely behind the one with the mullet. All of the students seem agitated by the group¡¯s presence.


    The man who¡¯s leading the group has a mullet with way too much hair gel and a bomber jacket that has a dragon on its back.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve thought you¡¯d be lucky, well you were wrong!¡± The man in the bomber jacket yells as he gets up in Ronnie¡¯s face, ¡°Prepare to meet your maker since I, Draco Maleby, will strike you down!¡±


    Ronnie can¡¯t help but laugh as he looks toward Alex, ¡°Do all people here talk like that?¡±


    Alex shrugs as the large group of Seastar High students all prepare to give them the ¡®Eastern Greeting¡¯.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC


    Marcus & Amnestor try to settle things down but they get interrupted by someone yelling ¡°HEY!¡±


    Everyone looks to see an upperclasswoman making their way to the group. She has white skin, brunette hair in a long braid, green eyes, and is wearing a beige-colored aviator jacket over a red turtleneck, blue jeans, a friendship bracelet, and black boots.


    ¡°I-IVORY?!¡± Draco yells surprised.


    The upperclasswoman, Ivory Dutchingson, walks over and sighs, ¡°What do you think you guys are doing?!¡±


    ¡°I-I was just trying to teach these Northerners a lesson,¡± Draco sheepishly replies.


    Ronnie, Alex, Marcus, & Elizabeth look confused at how Draco and all of the other kids are treating Ivory with so much respect, however, it begins to make more sense when Ivory walks over to chat with them.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while Uncle,¡± Ivory remarks, ¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing good Ivory,¡± Amnestor remarks, ¡°Is your father, Principal Ian Dutchingson, around right now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I told him you were looking for some files on a few students,¡± Ivory remarks before looking over at the miracle clinic, ¡°Are these your students?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they wanted to do a school project with those students,¡± Amnestor explains as the group all begin to make their way into Seastar High.


    As they do so, Ronnie can¡¯t help but ask, ¡°So Amnestor¡¯s your uncle?¡±


    ¡°Not biologically but close enough,¡± Ivory explains, ¡°Uncle Amnestor & my dad have been friends ever since they started working in education around the same time.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    The group reaches the door to the principal''s office, Amnestor & Ivory head inside while the rest stand out in the hallway. And as soon as the door closes, several seastar high students including Draco Maleby proceed to get up in the group¡¯s face.


    ¡°Not so tough without the Princess around, eh?¡± Draco teases, ¡°I think it¡¯s about time we put you in your place!¡±


    Draco places his arm on Ronnie¡¯s shoulder while two large students size up Alex & Elizabeth, all the while Marcus looks a bit confused at all the attention he seems to be getting.


    ¡°Darwin, was it?¡± Ronnie remarks as he lightly grasps Draco¡¯s exposed wrist, ¡°You should know that I¡¯m not exactly the one to go out and start fights.¡±


    ¡°What are you, a wuss-¡± Draco begins to say before he feels a sudden throbbing pain as Ronnie¡¯s grip on Draco¡¯s wrist tightens.


    ¡°But, I am the one to end them!¡± Ronnie remarks.


    As Draco writhes in pain, he looks to see that Alex is getting into a perfect boxing stance while Elizabeth isn¡¯t frightened at all by the aggressors.


    ¡°They need to turn down the heat,¡± Marcus remarks casually as he takes off his jacket, which causes several of the Seastar people to see his tattoos by accident.


    It was at this moment, Draco & the other Seastar High kids came to a wild conclusion. Ronnie¡¯s strength¡­Alex & Elizabeth¡¯s composure¡­Marcus¡¯ tattoos. These weren¡¯t any ordinary high schoolers.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    This was a gang.


    Draco admitting defeat manages to break free from the grip as he then bows down.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! We promise we didn¡¯t know you were affiliated! Just don¡¯t hurt us!¡± Draco pleads.


    Ronnie, Alex, Elizabeth, & Marcus all look dumbfounded as the Seastar High students all begin to plead for their lives.


    ¡°What a bunch of wimps,¡± Alex groans in confusion.


    Draco begins to crawl toward Marcus while still bowing as he remarks, ¡°Let me shine your shoes, sir! I¡¯ll promise I won¡¯t harm your gang ever again!¡±


    ¡°Gang?!¡± Marcus reacts, ¡°We aren¡¯t a gang!¡±


    ¡°Y-y-you a-aren¡¯t?¡± Draco questions shriveling.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Draco begins to say as he stands up, he then quickly goes back to his old aggressive attitude as he remarks, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier!¡±


    Draco and all the other students quickly turn back to being aggressive towards the guests. However before things can further escalate¡­


    Clamp.


    Clamp.


    Squish.


    Squash.


    Looks of pure confusion fill Ronnie, Alex, Elizabeth, & Marcus¡¯ faces as none other than Seastar High¡¯s mascot, Blobby The Blobfish makes their way through the halls holding a sign that reads ¡®School Is Out!¡¯


    The mascot is covered in some sticky slimy clear paste-like substance that drops each time it walks, with it sticking to surfaces with ease. Its soulless eyes slowly sink into the fleshy rubber skin of the costume, getting smaller and smaller until whoever is under the costume has to push them back up. Each slight movement of the blob causes a loud uncomfortable moist squishy sound to reverberate out of its pores. From the corner of your eye, you¡¯d have easily mistook it for a horrific lab experiment that meshed several bodies together with the skin melting away. But no, instead of that, it¡¯s Seastar High¡¯s own mascot Blobby The Blobfish.


    Seeing the sign Blobby is holding, all of the Seastar High students begin to walk away out of a mixture of wanting to leave the school and get away from Blobby.


    ¡°Hey just because I didn¡¯t fight you guys today doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re safe, capeesh?¡± Draco says as he walks away.


    Whoever is inside the costume stops and looks at Ronnie for a while before waving and walking away.


    ¡°I think I need therapy,¡± Ronnie remarks as several beads of nervous sweat drip down his face.


    ¡°You still think it doesn¡¯t look bad?¡± Elizabeth asks Alex.


    ¡°Blobby¡¯s an¡­acquired taste,¡± Alex sheepishly defends, ¡°He looks better on the t-shirts.¡±


    ¡°Whatever that was, I hope I don¡¯t see it in my nightmares,¡± Marcus remarks, ¡°Why did it even have that sign?¡±


    The door to the principal¡¯s office opens as Ivory, overhearing the last bit of conversation, remarks, ¡°Oh you¡¯re talking about Blobby? Yeah, our bells stopped working earlier this month so we¡¯ve been having our mascot walk around to let people know when it would have run.¡±


    ¡°I- uh- see,¡± Elizabeth remarks.


    Amnestor also exits the principal¡¯s office carrying two files on Vanessa Deli & Blanko Deck.


    ¡°It was nice getting to meet you all!¡± Ivory tells the group of students before turning to Amnestor, ¡°And sorry that we couldn¡¯t find that file on that Graham guy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, thanks for helping me out on such short notice, hope things are going well for you,¡± Amnestor replies.


    ¡°Oh yeah, they definitely are, I¡¯ll see you later,¡± Ivory says as the group walks away.


    ¡°Wherever you¡¯re going to meet those people, I¡¯m going to head over there with you,¡± Amnestor says.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Elizabeth asks as the plan the miracle clinic had seems to be going to waste.


    ¡°I just want to have a discussion with some of those kids as a teacher,¡± Amnestor remarks as he looks on his phone for the nearest general store.


    As the group walks towards the exit of Seastar, Ronnie looks back down the hall and notices that Ivory has a somber look on her face as she looks at the friendship bracelet on her wrist.


    ___________________


    Mesto-Presto holds his wrist as he walks down the street with Hunter & Andy Nibble.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Andy Nibble asks.


    ¡°Yeah, my wrist just got a cramp all of the sudden, I guess I¡¯ve been working a bit too hard at my job,¡± Mesto admits.


    ¡°Ouch, hope you feel better soon,¡± Andy replies.


    As they walk down the street, Hunter glances around and notices that several of the shops have a sign on them that reads ¡®D.F.A.¡¯.


    ¡°What does D.F.A. mean?¡± Hunter asks.


    ¡°Ah, that stands for Dirty Fang Authorized,¡± Andy says, ¡°Things aren¡¯t exactly the safest in the east so a bunch of places end up signing deals with the biggest gang in town, Dirty Fang.¡±


    ¡°What kind of deals?¡± Hunter asks.


    ¡°Nothing much, just that if anyone tries to rob their store, Dirty Fang will track them down, and in turn, the business will look the other way when Dirty Fang does their thing,¡± Andy explains.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you guys have the police?¡± Hunter asks.


    Andy laughs, ¡°The police? Man, I can''t recall the last time the police have been helpful out here.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Hunter remarks.


    ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you go around beating up thugs?¡± Andy deflects, ¡°If those in power were so good at their jobs, then why do you have to take care of all those rats? North, South, East, West, hell even Central is all the same. Only difference is in the East, they¡¯re not as good as hiding their dirty laundry.¡±


    Mesto keeps silent as the group continues to walk down the streets. As Andy Nibble leads the group to where The East Side Express is, he suddenly stops as his stomach gurgles.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hunter asks.


    ¡°I uh¡­¡± Andy begins to say, ¡°may have had a bit too much to eat for lunch.¡±


    Hunter & Mesto look at Andy.


    ¡°It means I need to take a-¡± Andy tries to explain.


    Hunter & Mesto cut him off by saying ¡°We know.¡±


    As Andy rushes inside a nearby store in hopes of a bathroom, Hunter spots a group of Seastar High Students all being led by Draco Maleby. Draco passes by Hunter as he flaunts his achievement to his fellow Seastar peers.


    ¡°Yeah those losers from Starlight High were kissing my feet once they realized how strong I was!¡± Draco remarks, ¡°Even that kid with the tattoos didn¡¯t stand a chance and was cowering in fear.¡±


    Pffft!~


    Draco looks over to Hunter and notices that he¡¯s trying to stifle a laugh.


    ¡°What was that you punk?¡± Draco remarks as he gets up in Hunter¡¯s face, ¡°You laughing at me?¡±


    Mesto, a bit wary of what he suspects to come of this encounter, tries to have Hunter shut up but it¡¯s too late.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry, it¡¯s just a force of habit when I hear a bunch of bullshit,¡± Hunter cockily responds.


    Infuriated, Draco yells, ¡°What? You think you¡¯re so tough you can challenge me, Draco Maleby?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do,¡± Hunter admits as he rolls up his sleeves.


    Mesto rolls his eyes as he realizes there¡¯s no helping what¡¯s about to come next.


    ¡°Kissing your feet and cowering in fear?¡± Hunter questions before responding with, ¡°Like hell he¡¯d do that to the likes of you!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so tough, how about you prove it!¡± Draco remarks.


    ¡°Y¡¯know what Burrito Boy, I can see why you like your job so much,¡± Hunter says to Mesto, ¡°Because it feels great giving people their just desserts!¡±


    ___________________


    Outside The East Side Express, a brick-and-mortar store with stained glass windows, The Miracle Clinic stands ready to enter the building. Amnestor has a plastic bag with some items in it.


    ¡°Looks like we got here first,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°He¡¯ll probably be here soon so we don¡¯t have much time to waste. Let¡¯s show these guys who we really are!¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 40 - The East Side (7)

    The doors to the recently opened East Side Express open as the Miracle Clinic members and Aken Amnestor enter. The store is filled with several aisles of used clothes and metal wire shelving units filled with antique artifacts. One of them that catches Ronnie¡¯s attention is a collection of old custom drink glasses with custom prints of classic movies on them. However, Ronnie decides to leave them behind as they continue to scan the store.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like anyone¡¯s here,¡± Elizabeth remarks as she picks up a pair of some old aviators and tries them on.


    The group scans the whole area but alas, there¡¯s nobody there. But just when they¡¯re about to give up¡­


    ¡°You are the dancing queen!~¡±


    The group all looks to see the employee-only doors burst open as Blanko Deck, rocking a blue apron over his white-n-black striped hoodie, slides into the main area of the store wielding a mop and a bucket. He has some large wired headphones that are connected to an ipod which is blaring a ¡®Best of Disco¡¯ playlist.


    ¡°Young and sweet, only seventeen!¡± Blanko sings along to the lyrics as he mops around the floor.


    Blanko then, using the mop handle as a microphone, does a disco pelvic point dance as he continues to see, ¡°Dancing queen! Feel the beat from the tambou-¡±


    Blanko finally spots that there are customers in the store causing him to quickly die of embarrassment as he stops his playlist.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, how can I help yo-¡± Blanko begins to say before recognizing some of the faces that are in the store.


    The club looks at Blanko.


    Blanko looks at the club.


    The club looks at Blanko.


    Blanko quickly makes a dash for the Employee¡¯s Only Door as Ronnie, Alex, & Elizabeth all chase after him. Blanko reaches the door and enters the other room, however before he can slam it shut, Elizabeth kicks the door down.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to make a purchase,¡± Elizabeth exclaims as she is still wearing the aviators.


    ¡°Just keep them, we¡¯re closed!¡± Blanko says as he continues to run away.


    Alex looks to see that Blanko is running down the stairs in the employee¡¯s only room to a metal door. Alex runs after him and Blanko goes to grab the door, he manages to open it before Alex tackles him into the room.


    As Alex & Blanko fall to the ground, the rest of the club & Amnestor enter the room.


    ¡°Get! Off of me!¡± Blanko yells as he kicks Alex in the face causing him to let go and back up.


    Ronnie notices that they¡¯re in a huge underground storage room with another door at the back.


    ¡°It looks like the others are gonna be behind that door,¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°Alright then, let me handle this guy,¡± Alex begins to say, however Amnestor starts to walk forward.


    ¡°I¡¯m very displeased with you all,¡± Amnestor begins to say as he makes his way forward, ¡°Here I thought you were trying to further your education. But it looks to me what you were really trying to do was get into a fight.¡±


    ¡°Whaaat? We would never,¡± Ronnie tries to say.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know how you guys found us,¡± Blanko remarks, ¡°But I¡¯ll beat all you chumps so badly that you¡¯ll wish you never did!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite get the full picture as to what¡¯s going on here,¡± Amnestor remarks as he steps closer towards Blanko, ¡°But it seems like you need to receive some proper education. So let me teach you all that there¡¯s other ways to solve your problems besides fighting.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, okay old man,¡± Blanko chuckles, ¡°What are you gonna do, have me fill out some times tables?¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°I-is Amnestor gonna fight him?!¡± Alex remarks in shock.


    ¡°If you think that then you clearly don¡¯t recall who Amnestor is,¡± Elizabeth remarks as she stands with a bit of worry, unsure of what Amnestor is going to pull out of the plastic bag he got.


    ¡°Well Mister Deck, I¡¯ve just recently had a talk with your principal, and he¡¯s told me many interesting things,¡± Amnestor begins.


    ¡°Wh-what? Y-yeah right, you¡¯re just bluffing!¡± Blanko yells.


    ¡°Algebra, D.¡± Amnestor begins.


    A look of realization and fear slowly emerges on Blanko¡¯s face as he continues to go down the list.


    ¡°Chemistry, D+. Word History, F. Literature. D-. Gym, C. Would you like me to go on Mister Deck?¡±


    ¡°Y-you can¡¯t just yell out my grades to the whole world! That¡¯s unfair!¡± Blanko yells.


    ¡°Unfair? I believe I¡¯m being quite generous with you,¡± Amnestor remarks, ¡°After all, alongside your grades I managed to stumble across this confiscated paper you wrote on in your Literature class.¡±


    As Amnestor reveals what that paper is, Blanko begins to feel something. Not a punch, but a wave of pure embarrassment. Because what Amnestor has managed to uncover is¡­.Blanko¡¯s recent letter to Santa.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see here,¡± Amnestor says as he puts on his reading glasses and he starts to read aloud the letter, ¡°¡®Dear Santa, I¡¯ve been a very good boy this year and have even eaten all of my vegetables too. So it would be really cool if you gave me some T and a binder. Since-¡±


    ¡°STOP READING!¡± Blanko yells in pure desperation as he blushes due to the embarrassment. He manages to grab the paper and rip it into tiny pieces.


    ¡°You believe Santa is real?¡± Alex snickers.


    ¡°Yeah! And you don¡¯t?!¡± Blanko, still embarrassed, tries to defuse.


    ¡°Whether Santa is real or not isn¡¯t the matter here, what is that I have the very presents you begged for,¡± Amnestor says.


    ¡°Wait you do?¡± Blanko asks shocked, ¡°Holy shit I- uh- thank you so mu-¡±


    Amnestor pulls out some tea packets and a 3-ring binder meant for papers.


    ¡°See it¡¯s exactly what you asked for, right?¡± Amnestor says.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­not exactly what I meant but sure- uh- thanks,¡± Blanko says deflated.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t but what else could you mean?¡± Amnestor asks.


    ¡°We¡¯ll explain it to you later, Teach,¡± Elizabeth says.


    ¡°Oh okay,¡± Amnestor says, ¡°Though I do have one final thing for you Blanko.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Blanko asks.


    Amnestor pulls out his phone and shows an incoming call from a person named ¡°Misses Deck¡±.


    ¡°I talked with your mom Blanko, it seems like she wants to have a few words with you,¡± Amnestor remarks as he hands the phone to Blanko.


    With sweaty palms, Blanko shakily lifts the phone to his ear and answers.


    ¡°H-h-hello?¡± Blanko snivels.


    A long tirade erupts from the phone as Blanko pleads, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry Mom! What? No! But I didn¡¯t skip every da- yes mom. I understand Mom. I¡¯ll make sure to ace all my upcoming tests. Thank you mom. Okay, bye love you.¡±


    ¡°Dude remind me not to get on Amnestor¡¯s bad side,¡± Elizabeth tells Ronnie which Ronnie nods in agreement with.


    Blanko hangs up the phone and hands it to Amnestor.


    ¡°Y-you guys can go along now,¡± Blanko sighs, utterly defeated despite no punches ever being thrown, ¡°My life is over now anyways. I¡¯m never gonna pass those tests.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that,¡± Amnestor remarks, ¡°You still have time to turn things around, and since I got your gifts wrong, I¡¯d be happy to either tutor or find someone qualified enough to tutor you.¡±


    ¡°I see, thanks sir,¡± Blanko sighs.


    With the main obstacle out of the way, the group can finally go towards the door down the long hallway and find the answers they¡¯ve been looking for-


    ¡°What do we have here?¡±


    The group all look behind them to see a large figure enter the room, the light shines down on them revealing it to be Graham Dirt.


    Graham looks and spots Blanko next to Aken Amnestor.


    ¡°Did you hurt him?¡± Graham questions as he approaches Aken Amnestor.


    _________________________


    The door to a store on the east side swings open as Andy exits the store carrying a candy bar he got. He stretches as he makes his way outside.


    ¡°Sorry that took so long,¡± Andy Nibble remarks as he stretches his arm, ¡°The stall I went to was out of toilet paper so I had to slither over to the next stall without getting cau-¡±


    Andy stops talking as he sees Hunter standing over an unconscious Draco Maleby. Hunter¡¯s knuckles are bloodied but besides that, he¡¯s completely fine.


    ¡°Hey, next time you try to spread those baseless rumors, at least be able to back it up with some muscle,¡± Hunter advises, ¡°Otherwise you¡¯re gonna end up looking fuckin¡¯ pathetic when you get your ass beat again.¡±


    However Hunter¡¯s advice falls on deaf ears as Draco is unconscious. The other Seastar High kids have also all fled the scene.


    ¡°Impressive,¡± Andy remarks as he walks over to Hunter, ¡°I heard you were only good when you had a bat, but it looks like you could hold your own to some extent with just your hands.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Andy,¡± Hunter remarks as the trio begin to walk away.


    ¡°How close are we to The East Side Express?¡± Mesto grumbles.


    ¡°We¡¯re not too far away now,¡± Andy remarks, ¡°Although planning on fighting someone there it¡¯s not going to be a walk in the park.¡±


    ¡°How come?¡± Hunter questions.


    Mesto stays silent as he begins to ponder something while Andy remarks, ¡°Because there¡¯s a man there. A man powerful enough to rival the strongest of opponents from the North.¡±


    ____________________


    Ronnie, Elizabeth, Alex, & Marcus are all shocked as they see Aken Amnestor, their history teacher, on the ground unconscious after getting a beating from Graham Dirt.


    ¡°Blanko, I thought you were told to lock up the storefront,¡± Graham says.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I kinda forgot,¡± Blanko says.


    As Ronnie looks at the man¡¯s physique he notices just how muscular and tall the man is and he asks, ¡°How the hell can you be a high schooler?!¡±


    ¡°A high schooler?¡± Graham says as he steps over Aken Amnestor and gets closer to the group, ¡°What made you think I was? I graduated a few years ago.¡±


    As the words ring out, The Miracle Clinic realizes that they aren¡¯t going to be fighting someone around their age, but a full-grown adult.


    ¡°Well, this was harder than I thought it was going to be,¡± Ronnie admits.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 41 - The East Side (8)

    ¡°Well, this was harder than I thought it was going to be,¡± Ronnie admits.


    As Ronnie, Elizabeth, & Alex all look toward Graham, Marcus looks toward the door that¡¯s passed him.


    ¡°Since Blanko & Graham are here, that must mean Vanessa¡¯s behind that door,¡± Marcus says.


    ¡°HOW DID YOU KNOW?!¡± Blanko asks as he walks over, also getting ready to fight the group.


    ¡°Because you just told them,¡± Graham tells Blanko.


    ¡°DAMN IT!¡± Blanko says.


    Ronnie looks over to Marcus and says, ¡°You go to the door, we¡¯ll hold these people off.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°Of course bub!¡± Alex remarks as he gets in a boxing stance, ¡°We can take care of these nobodies!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about us and get going!¡± Elizabeth remarks.


    Alex and Blanko rush toward one another and exchange blows while Elizabeth & Ronnie begin their attack on Graham. Now with the opportunity, Marcus rushes through toward the long hallway. However when he is about to reach the hallway he feels his legs get lifted off the ground.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Marcus remarks as he realizes Graham is holding him up by the shirt.


    ¡°Sorry but you aren¡¯t going any further!¡± Graham remarks as he holds Marcus in place.


    ¡°Hey let go of him!¡± Ronnie reacts as he goes to punch Graham only for his meaty hand to catch Ronnie¡¯s fist, ¡°Whu-¡±


    Graham effortlessly tosses Ronnie away. However with him distracted Elizabeth manages to sneak in and deliver a kick straight into Graham¡¯s right calf.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t see that coming did ya!¡± Elizabeth remarks.


    With his grip on Marcus loosened, the scrawny teen manages to break free and run down the hall. Graham tries to go after him however when he does so he feels a punch land on his face from Ronnie.


    ¡°Did you forget about us!¡± Ronnie yells as he goes for another punch.


    Graham sighs as he turns to face the two teens.


    ¡°Have it your way then,¡± Graham remarks.


    As Marcus rushes down the hall, he manages to finally reach the door only to see it has a keypad lock on it which requires a three digit combination.


    ¡°Oh come on!¡± Marcus groans as he tries every possible combination.


    Meanwhile, over at the main downstairs area, Alex is throwing jab after jab toward Blanko, however the freckled teen manages to bob and weave through each attack, avoiding them with ease.


    ¡°So you know a thing or two about boxing, aye?¡± Alex asks as he attempts a left hook.


    ¡°A little but it isn¡¯t exactly my specialty,¡± Blanko begins to say as he avoids the left hook.


    Alex gets ready for another hook however just as he¡¯s about to do so, his vision is obscured by Blanko¡¯s leg as the freckled teen performs a hook kick, sending the leg careening into Alex¡¯s face.


    ¡°That¡¯ll have to go to kickboxing!¡±


    Blanko goes to move his leg back however it won¡¯t budge.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Alex asks as after taking the hit he grabbed onto the teen¡¯s leg with one of his arms, ¡°Since you wanna talk so much, how about I let you in on something a friend of mine taught me!¡±


    Blanko tries to have his leg escape Alex¡¯s grip, but it can¡¯t until Alex delivers a punch to his gut.


    ¡°You don¡¯t always have to aim for the face!¡± Alex yells as he goes for another gut punch.


    The second hit lands, causing Blanko to stumble back. The teen having the wind knocked out of him takes a second to catch his breath before he rushes toward Alex.


    ¡°Fine then! Have it your way!¡±


    Blanko begins to go for a kick to Alex¡¯s right calf, Alex steps out of the range of the attack however that kick was just a feint for Blanko¡¯s uppercut, which lands clean on Alex¡¯s chin, sending him stumbling back.


    ¡°What are you an idiot or something?¡± Blanko asks as he combos with an overhead hook, ¡°Why would I tell you what my next move is!¡±


    Alex takes a step back as he regains his footing.


    ¡°What? Have enough already, chump?¡± Blanko asks with a coy smirk.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Alex yells as he sends a left hook toward Blanko¡¯s face, ¡°I¡¯M JUST GETTING STARTED!¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Blanko sighs in relief as he counters by sending a right hook toward Alex¡¯s face, ¡°CAUSE NEITHER HAVE I!¡±


    The two blows land at the same time. However that doesn¡¯t slow either down as they continue to exchange blow after blow. While that¡¯s happening, Elizabeth & Ronnie keep on wailing on Graham Dirt who towers above them unphased.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, does he take no damage?¡± Elizabeth gasps.


    ¡°And why the hell does he not fight back?¡± Ronnie gasps.


    Elizabeth performs a side kick into the side of Graham¡¯s torso while Ronnie does a gut punch at the same time. The two proceed to send several more attacks into Graham¡¯s body, yet no matter how powerful they are, he still stands unphased. Eventually Graham uses both of his hands to lift the two teens into the air.


    The two wait for him to attack them.


    And they wait.


    And wait.


    And wait.


    But nothing occurs, instead he just holds them off the ground with his outstretched arms as you would a shopping bag.


    ¡°What gives? Not gonna hit back?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Well duh, you guys are children, I don¡¯t hit kids,¡± Graham states matter of factly.


    ¡°How old are you again?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Graham remarks, ¡°It¡¯s rude to beat up the weak anyways.¡±


    ¡°So you think we¡¯re weak?¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°Yes that¡¯s what I just-¡± Graham tries to explain however as he does so Ronnie spits into the man¡¯s eye.


    Instinctively, Graham lets go of the two teens and rubs his eyes, which gives the two the chance they were looking for. Ronnie slams his left elbow into the side of Graham¡¯s head while simultaneously Elizabeth delivers a second calf kick into the exact same spot she did before.


    ¡°How¡¯s that for weak!¡± Ronnie yells.


    As Graham takes a step back, he realizes he¡¯s feeling something no person in the north save for a few has been able to make him feel recently.


    It may not be much, but he¡¯s feeling pain.


    ¡°How did you-¡± Graham grunts.


    ¡°I admit it¡¯s a bit disgusting,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°But so is what you did to Amnestor!¡±


    ¡°Marcus is probably already talking to their boss!¡± Elizabeth says to Ronnie, ¡°We just need to last a little while longer until that¡¯s finished!¡±


    Hearing those words Graham can¡¯t help but laugh a little.


    Ronnie & Elizabeth look confused.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Vanessa, right?¡± Graham questions, ¡°Sorry but she¡¯s not our boss. She¡¯s just a standard member like us.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not?¡± Ronnie questions, ¡°Then who is?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get to meet one of them soon,¡± Graham tells them, ¡°The second-in-command of Dirty Fang.¡±


    Just as he says that, they all begin to hear footsteps make their way down the staircase causing all of them to stop fighting and see who is coming down. Elizabeth & Ronnie prepare for the worst as they get ready to face whoever this second-in-command is.


    However, the person who walks down the stairs is Hunter Huntingson, followed by Mesto & Andy Nibble.


    ¡°Hunter?!¡± Ronnie yells.


    ¡°So looks like you guys started without me?¡± Hunter remarks as he cracks his knuckles, ¡°No big deal, there¡¯s still some heads I can crack open!¡±


    ¡°You again!¡± Blanko says shocked to see Hunter.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, and I¡¯m here to wipe you guys off the face of this planet!¡± Hunter says as he gets ready to fight them, ¡°you made me lose my baby!¡±


    ¡°YOUR BABY?!¡± Alex, Ronnie, & Elizabeth shout confused, not knowing he means his metal baseball bat.


    ¡°You guys took something from me, I¡¯m going to need it back,¡± Mesto tells them.


    ¡°You can find it as soon as I beat their teeth in!¡± Hunter snarls.


    However before Hunter can do anything, he feels something press against his body.


    It¡¯s two arms, wrapped around him leaving Hunter at the mercy of a rear naked choke.


    ¡°I was wondering why you showed up with them, Boss,¡± Graham remarks.


    Hunter tries to escape from the rear naked choke, but he can¡¯t and he eventually passes out from lack of oxygen. The person who grabbed him lets go of Hunter causing him to fall to the ground.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t want my hands to get dirty but he didn¡¯t leave me with much of a choice,¡± The Second-In-Command of Dirty Fang, the man in the bucket hat, Andy Nibble states, ¡°Now then, I¡¯m sure we can resolve all of your personal little grievances peacefully. Am I wrong?¡±


    _______________


    Down at the very end of the long hallway, an exhausted Marcus finally tries the combination ¡®1-1-1¡¯ and the door finally unlocks.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I try that beforehand?¡± Marcus wonders out loud.


    As Marcus pushes the door open, he can see that in the room is none other than Vanessa Deli, the person he¡¯s been trying to reach all this time.


    The person who¡¯s left him with a question.


    A question that brought him all the way here.


    A question that he¡¯s ready to have answered.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 42 - The East Side (Finale)

    In a small dusty room in the basement of The East Side Express is Vanessa Deli, she¡¯s sitting on an old red couch which is behind a glass table. On that table are two objects. One is Mesto-Presto¡¯s black bag, which Graham took by accident, and the other is a wooden box with a metal lock on it. The box that Graham & Blanko dug up from Starlight High not too long ago.


    As she contemplates what could possibly be inside that wooden box, she hears the door leading to the room unlock, and the person who enters the room is Marcus Veridan.


    ¡°MARCUS?!¡± Vanessa asks shocked, ¡°Wh-what are you doing here? How did you even get in here!¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s a bit of a long story,¡± Marcus replies, ¡°I- uh, I guess you can chalk it up to a miracle?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Oh right, you don¡¯t know about the club I¡¯m in,¡± Marcus says before getting back on topic, ¡°Look, I wanted to talk to you since¡­why? Why did you do all of that?¡±


    ¡°You¡­you wouldn¡¯t understand,¡± Vanessa says.


    ¡°Then make me understand, why did you burn down the school? Why did you make a scene at the gala? Was everything a part of some big plan?¡± Marcus questions.


    ¡°The school thing was an accident, all we needed was that box and it got way out of hand,¡± Vanessa says, ¡°As for the gala, we needed a distraction, so I made a distraction.¡±


    ¡°Is that all there was to it? All that talk about the MSA¡¯s lies was just a distraction?¡±


    ¡°....no, that was all true. After all they did whenever I see them all act nice and fake about how they¡¯re ¡®bettering the community¡¯ I just¡­ I just get so mad!¡± Vanessa vents before sighing, ¡°Though look at me now. Still just hiding away, staying still. They¡¯re probably gonna hunt me down for what I did.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem likely,¡± Marcus admits, ¡°They¡¯ve been hiding the existence of that whole thing you did at the gala. Right now it¡¯s like it didn¡¯t even happen.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t even happen huh?¡± Vanessa comments, ¡°They sure like to sweep things under the rug. I guess I should¡¯ve expected they¡¯d do the same here.¡±


    Hearing that Marcus decides to ask, ¡°What¡­what did they even do?¡±


    Vanessa is hesitant at first before she explains, ¡°It¡­ It was seven years ago. Back then, I used to live with my family at a public housing place called Lakeview. It was the only thing my family could afford. But the MSA? The MSA didn¡¯t see that. All they saw was a place that could be torn down and replaced with a fashion outlet. So they had the city claim the infrastructure was unstable or something. Just like that they got their new fashion outlet they so desperately wanted, while I lost my home. After that things got¡­ messy.¡±


    Vanessa places her hand on the side of her arm. Marcus is silent for a bit.


    However after a while, Marcus ends up speaking, ¡°Vanessa, I¡­ I¡¯m so sorry that happened to you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Vanessa lies, ¡°I¡¯m over it.¡±


    ¡°But still, I don¡¯t know how to make you feel better but, I hope you know that there¡¯s people like me & Alex who¡¯ll be there for you if you need it,¡± Marcus states.


    Vanessa hearing that smiles softly as she replies, ¡°Yeah, you too.¡±


    Though as the two sit there, a thought crosses Vanessa¡¯s mind as she turns to Marcus.


    ¡°Hey Marcus, I¡¯m sorry for asking you this but, can you promise me something?¡± Vanessa asks.


    ¡°Uh sure, what is it?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°Whatever you do,¡± Vanessa begins to say, ¡°Make sure you-¡±


    However Vanessa wasn¡¯t able to finish her sentence as the door to the room opened. Her face turning serious as from the doorway steps Andy Nibble, who enters the room with a smirk on his face.


    ¡°Yo Vanny, got the goods?¡± Andy asks.


    Vanessa nods as she grabs the wooden box and tosses it at Andy, he catches it.


    ¡°Good good,¡± Andy says before turning his attention to Marcus, ¡°and you must be the friend of those guys outside.¡±


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Marcus looks at Andy Nibble and despite not even being able to see Andy¡¯s eyes since it''s hidden under his bucket hat, Marcus can tell that this man is someone he does not want to mess with.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to apologize for the trouble that we caused you and your friends today and two months ago,¡± Andy says with a smile on his face, ¡°Y¡¯see, Gabriel got a bit¡­carried away trying to get this.¡±


    Marcus looks at the wooden box in Andy¡¯s hand and despite wanting to ask questions, no words manage to escape his lips.


    ¡°It¡¯s something we¡¯ve been trying to find for a long time, so he was a bit desperate, but don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re all done messing with your school, so you don¡¯t need to worry about us,¡± Andy says as he begins to show Marcus back the way he came, with Vanessa following.


    As Andy, Marcus, & Vanessa exit into the hallway and then the main area in the basement, they see that standing in the room are Mesto, Ronnie, Alex, Elizabeth, Graham, Blanko, and a now conscious yet bruised Mister Amnestor. Mesto-Presto & Amnestor are holding the unconscious Hunter Huntingson who¡¯s still knocked out from Andy¡¯s choke.


    Andy walks over to Mesto and hands him his black bag, ¡°You said this is your¡¯s, right?¡±


    Mesto grabs the bag, looks inside, and a look of relief fills his face.


    ¡°Yeah we took that by mistake, sorry about all of that,¡± Andy says.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Mesto says, still cautious.


    Andy¡¯s attention turns to Mister Amnestor and he walks over while taking out his wallet, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for Graham hurting you, how much money do you want?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks,¡± Amnestor says.


    ¡°I see, well then since we¡¯ve gotten all of that taken care of, I think it¡¯s time for you all to leave,¡± Andy says politely.


    ¡°Can I just tell Va-¡± Alex begins to say but is cut off by Andy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself,¡± Andy states coldly.


    Alex looks over to Vanessa before sighing and saying, ¡°If you ever wanna catch up, then you can stop by the high school.¡±


    As The Miracle Clinic, Amnestor, Mesto, & the unconscious Hunter who''s getting dragged by the two older men of the group make their way upstairs, Andy turns his attention to his three subordinates; Blanko Deck, Graham Dirt, & Vanessa Deli.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the Big Boss will be pleased that you just let them go, sir,¡± Graham states.


    Andy chuckles and says, ¡°That man only cares for those in the gang, of course he¡¯ll think that. Besides, what he doesn¡¯t know won¡¯t hurt him.¡±


    Blanko looks at Andy and asks, ¡°So what are we to do?¡±


    ¡°Good question Blanko,¡± Andy states as he walks closer to the three, ¡°The Big Boss & I have been talking with Sampson and it looks like we¡¯ve managed to reduce your charges to that of just a few weeks of community service. And don¡¯t worry, Number 3 will scrub those charges off your records before you even know it.¡±


    ¡°So what, nothing happened?¡± Blanko asks.


    ¡°Exactly, none of this ever happened, it¡¯ll be forgotten long before the new year even comes,¡± Andy Nibble remarks before placing a hand on one of their shoulders, ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vanessa says.


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re all dismissed,¡± Andy says with a clap of his hands.


    Vanessa, Blanko, & Graham all nod as they start to make their way up the stairs. However, as they do so, Andy looks at the wooden box in his hand.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s see what secret you¡¯ve been hiding,¡± Andy says as he breaks the lock open with just the strength in his hand.


    As Andy stares at the contents of the box, his face is filled with pure shock.


    Eventually Andy can¡¯t help but let out a laugh, ¡°My my, so that¡¯s what¡¯s been here this whole time, aye?¡±


    ____________________


    In Amnestor¡¯s car, Aken Amnestor sits in the driver¡¯s seat, Mesto sits in the front passenger seat, and all of the kids, even the unconscious Hunter, are all squished in the back.


    ¡°Everyone ready to head back?¡± Amnestor asks.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ronnie manages to say as Amnestor starts to drive.


    ¡°This¡­is the worst,¡± Elizabeth manages to say in the crammed back of the car.


    ¡°Yeah, not so funny now, huh?¡± Alex retorts.


    As the car drives out of The East Side, the once awful traffic has passed making the trip much quicker.


    ¡°So uh, is Amnestor gonna have us shut down the club?¡± Marcus whispers to Ronnie.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we managed to convince him that Graham thought we were robbing the place so I think we¡¯re good,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    As the black sedan goes over a large bump in the road, Hunter finally wakes back up.


    ¡°Uh, what happened?¡± Hunter asks.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna hate this but, we¡¯re done in The East,¡± Mesto says before something outside catches his eyes.


    ¡°ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?¡± Hunter yells and begins to try and escape from the car, however, he can barely move due to how cramped it is back there.


    After a while of driving, Amnestor & the others finally make it back to the north side, where he parks his black sedan by the district¡¯s park.


    ¡°Why are we here?¡± Ronnie asks as they step outside.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± Amnestor says knowingly.


    As the club steps outside they look and see several of their classmates and friends in the park. Christopher is the first to notice them arriving and he rushes over to Alex, giving him the biggest bear hug in the world.


    ¡°As if I wasn¡¯t crushed already,¡± Alex says.


    ¡°How¡¯d this happen?¡± Elizabeth asks as Carli, Crunch, & Suzy come by him to chat.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked,¡± Cameron says as he finally makes it over to the group followed by Hamster, Bennet the hamster, & Selina Gulvonac, ¡°since I didn¡¯t go with you guys, I figured why not host a party here when you guys get back!¡±


    Ronnie smirks as he says, ¡°Dude you shouldn¡¯t have!¡±


    ¡°Party?¡± Ray Ramirez says as he walks by with fellow teachers Sam Penningberg & Zesti Champion, ¡°Don¡¯t you mean school event that us faculty are getting paid to supervise?¡±


    ¡°Uh- you see- well-¡± Cameron begins to say but Penningberg chuckles.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright kiddo, Ray¡¯s just messing with you,¡± Penningberg explains.


    ¡°No I¡¯m not, if this isn¡¯t a school event that means I¡¯m not getting paid, and if I¡¯m not getting paid then why did I even come-¡± Ray starts to say but Miss Zesti Champion covers his mouth.


    ¡°Sorry about that, our teaching assistant is just a lil bit cranky,¡± Zesti tells the kids while Ray tries to yell profanities with a hand over his mouth.


    As the festivities continue, Marcus stands a bit back from the group, not wanting to intrude, however, that¡¯s when several of them come over to him.


    ¡°What are you doing all by yourself, Marcus?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Oh- I-, you guys looked like you were having fun and I didn¡¯t want to get in the way,¡± Marcus explains.


    ¡°Get in the way?¡± Alex questions, ¡°Pfft, dude why would you think that? You¡¯re here because we like spending time with you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah Alex is right, if anyone is in the way it¡¯s me,¡± Elizabeth says.


    ¡°Hey enough with the self-depreciation,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°let¡¯s just have a good time together, okay?¡±


    Marcus smiles as he walks over to the festivities and says, ¡°Right!¡±


    As everyone continues to have fun, Mesto starts to head to work with a smile on his face. Hunter also joins him in walking away.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t getting a free meal this time Hunter,¡± Mesto remarks, ¡°You just got one yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± Hunter remarks, ¡°I just was heading this way.¡±


    Back at the party, as Marcus takes a look up to the sky he begins to notice several stars are becoming visible. Seeing them, he can¡¯t help but wonder if all of what just went down is finally over, or if it was the start to something much more nefarious.


    Eventually, he figures only time will tell, and right now he should focus on what¡¯s right in front of him. He focuses on the friends he¡¯s grown close to these past few months, the friends that he doesn¡¯t have to worry about if they¡¯re only tolerating his presence or not.


    Because now he knows for certain that the friends he has see him the same way he sees them. That these are the people he belongs with.


    ¡°Hopefully you¡¯re with people you belong with too, Vanessa,¡± Marcus sighs as a shooting star glitters in the sky.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 43 - The East Side (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - My Punishment


    Hunter makes his way down the street as he reminisces on the events of today, and how in that park, everyone, even Marcus, had someone to talk to.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re back up on your two feet, aren¡¯t ya Buddy?¡± Hunter thinks out loud to himself as continues down the street as it starts to snow, ¡°And yet, here I am all by myself.¡±


    Hunter smiles to himself since he doesn¡¯t mind. This is just his punishment.


    This is just karma.


    SUN SHORT #2 - North V East


    At The Dawnbreak Fitness & Health Center, Alex Smith, Christopher Wrinkle, & Ronnie Everst are entering the gym ready to work out.


    ¡°So you guys ready to work till we can¡¯t even flare our nostrils?!¡± Christopher shouts.


    ¡°That¡¯s an odd saying but sure!¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna get on the treadmill for a bit,¡± Alex says.


    ¡°Okay bro, we¡¯re gonna do some bench presses,¡± Christopher responds.


    Alex nods as he walks over to one of the treadmills and starts running on it. As he starts running, the treadmill next to him turns on as someone gets on it. Alex glances over to see that it¡¯s Blanko Deck.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you went to this gym,¡± Alex says as he makes his treadmill faster than Blanko¡¯s.


    ¡°Same here, I guess that¡¯s just because I don¡¯t really pay attention to chumps like you,¡± Blanko says as he makes his treadmill faster than Alex¡¯s.


    ¡°Y¡¯know if we continued fighting I would have won,¡± Alex says as he increases the speed on his treadmill.


    ¡°Whatever helps you sleep at night, Northern boy,¡± Blanko says as he increases the speed on his treadmill.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get all the hate for the East, but it kinda clicked when I met you ya¡¯ kickboxing creep,¡± Alex says as he increases the speed on his treadmill.


    ¡°Kickboxing is so much better than boxing,¡± Blanko says as he increases the speed on his treadmill.


    As the two try to flex that they¡¯re faster than the other, they realize they may have made the treadmill go a bit too fast. However, both are too stubborn to decrease the speed and they both fall off the treadmill. The gym¡¯s owner, a buff short old man with a bald head and long beard named Garry Jackingson, walks over to the two and laughs.


    ¡°Back in my day, guys like you were easy pickin¡¯, and besides my disciple could take both of you on any day of the week,¡± Garry says as he strokes his beard.


    ¡°UH! SHUT UP OLD MAN! NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR DISCIPLE-¡± both Alex & Blanko yell out of frustration.


    However, the two stop yelling and look at one another.


    And just like that, a friendship blossomed.


    SUN SHORT #3 - The Precious Item


    At Burrito Bistro, Mesto-Presto enters with his black bag and he is greeted by his boss, Cedro Garcia.


    ¡°Hey Garcia, I¡¯m back,¡± Mesto tells him.


    ¡°Welcome back champ! Did you find the thing you lost?¡± Garcia asks him.


    ¡°Yeah I did,¡± Mesto says as he opens his bag and takes out the two things in there.


    One of them is a stainless steel bottle, and the other is a photograph. As Mesto looks at the photograph he remembers when he was heading out of the East Side, while he was looking out of the car window, he saw someone. Someone important to him. And someone who was in that very same photograph he has.


    In his hands is a photograph taken two years ago, back when Mesto was still in school, back when he didn¡¯t have dyed hair, and back when he lived in the East Side. Next to him is a fellow classmate by the name of Ivory Dutchingson.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°She seemed happy,¡± Mesto says as he puts the picture away.


    As he then grabs the stainless steel bottle, he notices that it is much lighter than it should be. He opens up the bottle to see that the contents are empty, furthermore when he turns the bottle around he sees a sticky note that reads ¡®The milk in here tasted weird but was still good ~ Blanko¡¯. Mesto stands there dumbfounded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got some more from the store, so you don¡¯t have to worry about them,¡± Garcia says.


    ¡°Thank you El Senor but¡­is that bad for adults too?¡± Mesto asks concerned.


    Cedro ¡®El Senor¡¯ Garcia thinks about it and shrugs.


    SUN SHORT #4 - What Was Kept Buried


    At The Starlight City Correction Center, Gabriel Griffon is sitting on the other end of a glass wall in a visiting room. He¡¯s in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs as someone else has come to visit him. That person is none other than the second-in-command of the gang Dirty Fang, Andy Nibble.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the special occasion?¡± Gabriel asks Andy.


    ¡°Oh nothing much, just that we finally got it,¡± Andy says nonchalantly.


    Gabriel¡¯s eyes light up as he asks, ¡°You did?! WHAT DID YOU FIND?!¡±


    Andy Nibble sighs and says, ¡°You aren¡¯t gonna like it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Just show it to me!¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Andy says as he places his hand on the glass wall.


    Gabriel looks at it and his face contorts into one of pure rage.


    On Andy¡¯s palm is a piece of paper, one that was found inside the wooden box. And on the piece of paper is a message.


    A message that reads ¡®You actually thought I kept it there?¡¯


    SUN SHORT #5 - X Is Upset


    Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnn!~


    Having just let out the biggest yawn in the history of humankind, X Locke stands in the Starlight City Bookstore chatting with both Selina Gulvonac & Ivan Turnip.


    ¡°Y¡¯know what I don¡¯t get,¡± X says.


    ¡°What?¡± Ivan asks while Selina just scrolls through her phone.


    ¡°The Miracle Clinic club is getting so much praise recently, and yet I don¡¯t! I¡¯ve been here since what? Chapter 1 and yet I didn¡¯t get invited to their little get-together in the park!¡± X says, ¡°Isn¡¯t that unfair!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m lost,¡± Ivan says.


    ¡°Maybe I should make a bigger splash in the next storyline once the series comes back,¡± X says, ¡°But that also feels like too much work right now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to the guy, I think he¡¯s on something,¡± Selina says.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not!¡± X says.


    ¡°Sure buddy,¡± Selina says as she continues to scroll through her phone, completely unphased.


    As X stands there, Ivan sighs as he sees the long line of people wanting to check out books behind X.


    SUN SHORT #6 - Working Over The Holidays


    In the elevator at the Moon Shadow Affiliate¡¯s corporate building, Ronald Sampson is standing next to a very tall and muscular man in a biker helmet. The man has no skin visible as he also is wearing leather gloves, a red scarf, and a black leather jacket. On the man¡¯s finger is a silver ring with the letters ¡®MSA¡¯ engraved onto it.


    ¡°Y¡¯know Terry, it''s complete bullshit how we are the ones having to host this meeting,¡± Ronald says.


    ¡°What do you mean Ronald?¡± Terry Boats, the bulky man asks.


    ¡°Well first off it¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve, second the president is busy spending time with his family over the holidays, and third I JUST GOT PUNCHED IN THE FACE!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t that happen a few weeks ago?¡± Terry questions as the doors to the elevator open.


    ¡°I need any excuse I can get to not attend this meeting,¡± Ronald tells Terry.


    As Terry & Ronald step out of the elevator and into a hallway, they see none other than a fellow MSA member, Santiago Hernandez, waiting for them by the entrance to the conference room.


    ¡°Oh Santiago thank god you¡¯re here, can you cover for me-¡± Ronald begins to say but Santiago stops him by lifting his hand.


    ¡°I brought some Chinese takeout for everyone,¡± Santiago says.


    ¡°I see, well in that case I¡¯ll make sure to lead this meeting till the very end,¡± Ronald says as he opens the doors to the conference hall.


    The conference hall is covered in mostly darkness as six figures hidden in the shadows sit in the conference room.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m a bit late,¡± Ronald begins to say as he clears his throat, ¡°We have a lot to discuss so I¡¯ll skip the introductions and just jump right into our end of year ¡®Meeting Between The Heads¡¯. That good with everyone?¡±


    The doors to the conference hall begin to close as the meeting starts.


    SUN SHORT #7 - New Years At The Everst Family Household


    At The Everst Family Household, Ronnie and his mom, Sally Everst, are cleaning up the house when the doorbell rings.


    ¡°I got it!¡± Ronnie says as he walks over to the door.


    Ronnie opens the door to see that standing there is none other than his fellow clubmates; Elizabeth Moore, Alex Smith, Marcus Veridan, & Cameron Dots.


    ¡°Hey, mind letting us in?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Please it¡¯s really cold out here,¡± Cameron says.


    ¡°Yeah sure, I¡¯m glad you guys could all make it here,¡± Ronnie says as his friends enter his house.


    As everyone enters, Marcus immediately goes to help Sally clean up while Elizabeth, Alex, & Cameron look around the place.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty cozy in here, I like it,¡± Cameron says.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°Sup Sally,¡± Alex says to Ronnie¡¯s mom as he goes to sit on the couch.


    ¡°Good evening Sally,¡± Elizabeth says as she also goes to sit in the living room.


    ¡°Hey there, hope you guys are excited for the new year!¡± Sally says before she walks over to Ronnie and asks, ¡°So I¡¯m just ¡®Sally¡¯ to your friends?¡±


    ¡°Sorry Mom,¡± Ronnie sheepishly says.


    As everyone starts to settle down, the group starts to hear the door to the guest room open as a man starts to walk out.


    ¡°Ah I¡¯m sorry for not greeting you guys earlier, I was in the shower,¡± the man says.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Oh right, I totally forgot to tell you guys!¡± Ronnie explains as he stands up, ¡°This is my uncle and he¡¯s staying here for the holidays.¡±


    Ronnie¡¯s uncle is a tall man with dark black skin, a bald head, a short black beard, and a chiseled jawline. The man is wearing a gold chain necklace on his neck, a gray t-shirt, blue jeans, and expensive-looking socks. The man also has a gold ring on his hand.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Ryan Everst, but you can just call me Uncle Ryan,¡± Uncle Ryan tells the kids.


    ¡°Wait, you look familiar,¡± Cameron says as he scratches his chin.


    ¡°Is that so? Maybe you¡¯ve heard of my company,¡± Uncle Ryan says.


    ¡°What company?¡± Cameron asks.


    Uncle Ryan takes off the gold ring on his hand and shows it to the group of kids, the gold ring has the letters ¡®MSA¡¯ engraved onto it.


    Uncle Ryan tells the kids, ¡°I¡¯m Ryan Everst, president of the Moon Shadow Affiliate. But still just call me Uncle Ryan.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 44 - Tour

    In The Everst Family Household, The Miracle Clinic is standing there stunned looking at Ronnie¡¯s Uncle, Ryan Everst, the president of the Moon Shadow Affiliate.


    ¡°Wait, so your uncle is the president of the MSA?!¡± Marcus asks, confused.


    ¡°Yeah, he uh- he is,¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°Oh nice so you¡¯ve heard of it before, that takes care of the hard part,¡± Uncle Ryan remarks, ¡°So since the new year is soon upon us, I can get you some free clothes to start off the new year in style! If that doesn¡¯t please you I also can give you some coupons or a job if you need it.¡±


    ¡°Oh Th-thanks,¡± Elizabeth replies.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it kiddos,¡± Uncle Ryan replies as he walks over to the kitchen, ¡°I¡¯m gonna help your mom with some of the food, okay Ronnie?¡±


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s fine,¡± Ronnie says.


    Everyone is all smiling faces as Uncle Ryan enters the kitchen but as soon as he enters, Alex & Elizabeth get up in Ronnie¡¯s face.


    ¡°What the hell dude! Why didn¡¯t you tell us your uncle was the head of the MSA!¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Yeah and if you were rich how come you¡¯ve never paid for anything!¡± Elizabeth adds.


    ¡°We could¡¯ve asked for front-row tickets to the gala, or gotten an answer about Dirty Fang from them instead of heading over to the east side!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and you could¡¯ve given us some nice deals too!¡±


    ¡°Guys guys guys!¡± Marcus says, ¡°Let¡¯s calm down for a minute, there¡¯s probably a reason as to why Ronnie never brought him up, right?¡±


    ¡°Honestly,¡± Ronnie begins to say, ¡°it just didn¡¯t really feel important to mention.¡±


    ¡°Not important?!¡± Alex & Elizabeth gasp.


    Marcus sighs, ¡°You¡¯re not really helping your case.¡±


    ¡°I know but, he¡¯s my uncle, I barely see him and he doesn¡¯t really lend us money,¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Alex & Elizabeth state.


    ¡°But still, now that we know about your uncle,¡± Marcus remarks, ¡°We could try and see if what Vanessa said holds any water.¡±


    As everyone is talking, Cameron sits there nodding along.


    ¡°Yeah but, how?¡± Alex asks, ¡°We can¡¯t just go up to him and say ¡®hey Mister Ronnie¡¯s Uncle, did your company secretly have the city shut down a public housing unti so you can build a fashion outlet?¡¯...At least, I don¡¯t think you can.¡±


    As they sit there, suddenly Ronnie gets an idea, ¡°You know, there¡¯s one thing I could ask my Uncle to do.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± Alex asks.


    _______________________________


    The front doors to the MSA¡¯s office building swing open as Ryan Everst enters. There¡¯s not a single speck of dirt in the lobby nor is there any crack in the tiled flooring. The receptionist greets Ryan with a smile which Ryan reciprocates with a wink. However the receptionist¡¯s face turns from flattered to baffled as she sees who¡¯s behind him.


    ¡°Y¡¯know I recall you telling me fashion was for losers when you were a little baby,¡± Uncle Ryan laughs, ¡°Funny how much has changed!¡±


    ¡°What can I say, people change with time and we¡¯re all curious about what goes down here,¡± the person behind him says, ¡°right guys?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh sure,¡± one of the other people behind him says.


    ¡°Yeah totally,¡± another says.


    ¡°I like clothes,¡± another says, causing Uncle Ryan to chuckle.


    ¡°Alright then, allow me to take you through a tour of our office building,¡± Uncle Ryan says.


    ¡°Sounds great!¡± The main person behind him, his nephew, Ronnie Everst says. Next to him are Alex Smith, Elizabeth Moore, Marcus Veridan, & Cameron Dots.


    Alex whispers to Ronnie, ¡°So your big idea was to tour this place? I¡¯m not complaining bub, I¡¯m just confused.¡±


    ¡°Well yes,¡± Ronnie whispers back, ¡°But isn¡¯t this a great opportunity to see if they¡¯re really as bad as Vanessa claimed?¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Alex mumbles.


    The group begins to go on their tour of the place as Ryan Everst shows them several dull office spaces. As they¡¯re walking around and are shown pretty much just the same exact rooms with the same layouts, the club gets more and more uninterested and bored until they reach the second highest floor of the building. That¡¯s when they run into a man covered in biker gear without any skin showing.


    ¡°Oh hey, this is our head of security, Terry Boats,¡± Ryan tells the kids, ¡°how¡¯s it going, Terry?¡±


    Terry sees the kids and awkwardly waves at them before saying, ¡°Sir, you have a shareholders meeting soon.¡±


    Uncle Ryan sighs and asks, ¡°And I¡¯m just hearing about this now?¡±


    Uncle Ryan then turns to the kids and says, ¡°Sorry about this kiddos but I have to go, Terry can show you the way out if you want.¡±


    ¡°Su-¡± Ronnie starts to say but Alex elbows him.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine we can figure it out on our own,¡± Elizabeth says.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Oh okay, then I hope you had a fun time here today, and if you need anything then you know who to call,¡± Uncle Ryan waves as he and Terry Boats depart further down the hall.


    After waiting until the two adults turn the corner, Ronnie looks at Alex & Elizabeth and says, ¡°See! Nothing criminal is going on here!¡±


    ¡°You seriously think they¡¯d just show them doing illegal shit on a tour?¡± Elizabeth says.


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m with Elizabeth on this one, let¡¯s just take a quick look around before we head out,¡± Alex says.


    ¡°Okay fine, but let¡¯s just explore this floor, okay?¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°You guys can do that, I¡¯m gonna head to the bathroom real quick,¡± Cameron says.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll stay on this floor,¡± Marcus replies.


    As Cameron heads to the bathroom, the group of 4 starts making their way down the hall, as they go past door after door, Ronnie notices that every single door that leads to a meeting room has tinted windows. Finally after going around in circles, one of the doors to an office space opens, and out walks two surprising figures.


    One is a middle-aged man with white skin, a bald head, gray eyes, and a muscular build. He¡¯s wearing a purple button-up under a black dress coat, white pants, and brown dress shoes.


    The other to the club¡¯s bewilderment is Tim-Tom, leader of The Three Ts. He isn¡¯t wearing his piercings today and has on a white t-shirt, red sweatpants, and black high-top sneakers. The Miracle Clinic quickly hides behind a corner as the two men start talking.


    ¡°So, I see you¡¯ve taken out those piercings,¡± The man says.


    ¡°Yeah, I wanted to try some new ones out but they aren¡¯t ready yet,¡± Tim-Tom replies.


    ¡°Are you sure? Personally, I think that this suits you more,¡± The man replies.


    ¡°Ugh, just get to the point, Jerry Pitt. I can¡¯t stand how you always dilly-dally around like that,¡± Tim-Tom groans.


    Jerry Pitt, the man standing there, suddenly changes his expression from jovial to cold and serious, ¡°You never were the one for small-talk now weren¡¯t you, son?¡±


    ¡°Just with you pops. Now can you just talk about why you really wanted to chat with me?¡± Tim-Tom questions.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple, our gangs should join forces,¡± Jerry explains.


    ¡°Oh? I thought you said Club Azure wasn¡¯t a gang?¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean boy. And think about it. Aren¡¯t you tired of getting the short end of the stick time and time again from the MSA and the other gangs in the city? Well soon, that will all change with The Crescent Articles!¡± Jerry explains.


    ¡°What the hell is that? And why that stupid name?¡± Tim-Tom, famous for his awful nicknames he gives himself, asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s the key to our victory, unfortunately it seems you¡¯d rather continue this phase you¡¯re in instead of being where you belong,¡± Jerry Pitt says as he starts to walk down the hall the opposite way of where The Miracle Clinic is watching, ¡°But do not worry son. I¡¯ll make sure you and your friends start answering to me soon enough, whether you like it or not..¡±


    As Jerry leaves, Tim-Tom takes a second to process his thoughts, sighs, and begins to say, ¡°So you probably heard all of that¡­¡±


    Tim-Tom turns around and walks to where the hallway turns right to see The Miracle Clinic standing there, ¡°didn¡¯t you, Miracle Clinic?¡±


    ________________________________


    Alex, Ronnie, Elizabeth, & Marcus are in an empty meeting room as Tim-Tom sits down on the center round table.


    ¡°S-so, you¡¯re gonna kill us?¡± Ronnie asks, scared.


    ¡°Kill you?¡± Tim-Tom asks surprised, ¡°Why would I do that?!¡±


    ¡°But we just heard you talking with a gang about some illegal activity!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean my dad?¡± Tim-Tom chuckles, ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t exactly live with the old man anymore so report him all you want.¡±


    ¡°Why were you guys talking about that kind of stuff here of all places?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Oh that, y¡¯see there are 6 major gangs in this city; The Three Ts -that¡¯s us-, Dirty Fang, Club Azure, The Massachusetts Boys, The Vignette, & The Carmine Manifesto. And all of us are tied to the MSA. We give them a portion of our monthly profits and in return, they¡¯ll make sure others look the other way when we do some¡­sketchy things,¡± Tim-Tom explains.


    As those words ring out Ronnie steps backward before trying to justify, ¡°A-are you sure? Maybe they¡¯re just keeping you all in check! And besides, it¡¯s not like the president of the MSA would know anything about this!¡±


    ¡°Ronnie..¡± Tim-Tom begins, ¡°Your uncle, Ryan Everst, is the one who created this system. He¡¯s at the top of this twisted spire.¡±


    Ronnie¡¯s eyes go wide as he tries to make sense of everything. As he does, Marcus steps forward and asks, ¡°How do the gangs make money?¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t want to speak for the other gangs since I don¡¯t fully know the ins & outs of their profit models but as for me and my boys, we get our money from taking requests from clients,¡± Tim-Tom says, ¡°Not so different from your whole shtick, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah but¡­isn¡¯t your whole thing beating people up?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°Beating people up, carrying your groceries, mopping up floors, filing your taxes, even just pretending to be someone¡¯s friend! There¡¯s nothing The Three Ts won¡¯t do as long as you pay us,¡± Tim-Tom exhales.


    ¡°Dude if I wanted to hear a sales pitch, I would¡¯ve visited an MLM,¡± Elizabeth sighs.


    ¡°Who says we aren¡¯t?¡± Tim-Tom asks teasingly.


    ¡°Stop joking around, so what is Club Azure gonna do, huh?¡± Alex asks.


    Tim-Tom groans as he says, ¡°Listen you guys are still in high school going to class and learning, you should forget all about all this gang stuff and especially Club Azure. Nothing good comes from them.¡±


    ¡°But what if-¡± Alex begins to say but Tim-Tom stops him.


    ¡°I guess I didn¡¯t make myself clear,¡± Tim-Tom says as he stands up, ¡°You got lucky messing with Dirty Fang.¡±


    ¡°How do you-¡± Ronnie begins to say but he gets cut off by Tim-Tom.


    ¡°If their head was there instead of Andy, you¡¯d all have died then & there,¡± Tim-Tom utters, ¡°If you try and mess with any of them even further, best case scenario your mothers will go casket shopping together.¡±


    Marcus, Ronnie, Alex, & Elizabeth all freeze in fear at those words.


    ¡°This isn''t like your silly little cake deliveries or pencil market bustings,¡± Tim-Tom says, ¡°So be good little children and stay in your lane if you value your lives. Do I make myself clear?¡±


    The four are all silent as Tim-Tom shows them the way to the door and as they do so, they run into Cameron.


    ¡°Oh hey, there you guys are, what did you find out?¡± Cameron asks.


    Cameron looks to see that the rest of the club all look like they want to tell him something, but they can¡¯t, Alex sighs and says, ¡°We learned absolutely nothing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Cameron says nervously, ¡°let¡¯s go home then.¡±


    ¡°Y..yeah,¡± Alex sighs.


    As The Miracle Clinic leaves, Tim-Tom watches them go and then sighs as he says to himself, ¡°That should stop them from going down my path.¡±


    As Tim-Tom then leaves, little did he realize how wrong he was. Sure that threat would make them question if they should really get involved.


    But that wouldn¡¯t stop them from trying to do what they feel is right, it would only just set them back.


    _____________________________


    Elizabeth gets home and walks past the living room where her parents are watching TV.


    ¡°I¡¯m home,¡± Elizabeth says.


    Her parents, Lan Thi Pham-Moore & Nolan Moore, turn to look at Elizabeth as she enters their bedroom.


    ¡°Uh, you need something, honey?¡± Nolan asks.


    ¡°Yeah uh,¡± Elizabeth begins to say, ¡°I know my last time doing it didn¡¯t go so well but¡­¡±


    Elizabeth stops as she tries to find the strength to say what she¡¯s going to next, eventually she finds it as she opens her mouth.


    ¡°Can I try taekwondo again?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    __________________________


    Alex is at The Dawnbreak Fitness & Health Center doing 100 reps of jump rope as Blanko walks over to him.


    ¡°What are you doing now you chump?¡± Blanko asks.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to get faster,¡± Alex replies.


    ¡°Oh is that so?¡± Blanko replies as he goes and grabs another jump rope, ¡°Then so will I!¡±


    As he starts to jump rope, Alex yells, ¡°First one to give up buys pre-workout for the winner!¡±


    ¡°DEAL!¡± Blanko yells as the two jump rope, not only to get faster but to push each other beyond their usual limits.


    __________________________


    Ronnie Everst is in a storage unit with Marcus Veridan and his mom Sally Everst.


    ¡°What did you want from here?¡± Sally Everst asks her son.


    However Ronnie is too focused on finding something to answer, and he eventually finds what he was looking for, it¡¯s a box of VHS Tapes that¡¯s titled ¡®How To Defend Yourself¡¯.


    ¡°I only saw one of these,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°I figured I might as well finish watching these now.¡±


    ¡°And why is that?¡± Sally asks, ¡°You better not be trying to get into any fights!¡±


    ¡°What? I would never,¡± Ronnie lies, ¡°I just want to be prepared if I go down the wrong alley, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Sally looks at Ronnie and sighs, ¡°Okay but you can only take 3 of them.¡±


    ¡°Three huh?¡± Ronnie says as he looks into the box and grabs three VHS tapes, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll take these 3.¡±


    __________________________


    Tim-Tom is walking down the streets of Starlight City at night until he finally reaches his home, an auto shop with a garage on the side. He opens up the garage and enters.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m sure you already saw my texts about what Club Azure is planning on doing,¡± Tim-Tom says as walks forward.


    On the right of the garage is Tim The First Thug. He¡¯s wearing a green jean jacket over a white t-shirt, pink-shaded sunglasses, blue jeans, and white vans. He¡¯s leaning on his motorcycle.


    ¡°Club Azure is going to try and swallow up all of the gangs, and since everyone thinks we¡¯re the weakest one, we¡¯re gonna be hit first,¡± Tim-Tom continues.


    On the left of the garage is Tom The Second Thug. He¡¯s wearing a beige hoodie with blue and red stripes, black sweatpants, and white sneakers.


    ¡°But you know what I think?¡± Tim-Tom says as a smirk appears on his face, ¡°We should bring the fight to them. How ¡®bout that?¡±


    Tom & Tim are silent.


    ¡°I know, pretty cool idea right?¡± Tim-Tom says.


    The two have mortified looks on their faces.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with you guys?¡± Tim-Tom says, ¡°Okay I get it you don¡¯t like the idea, my bad.¡±


    ¡°Dude, turn around,¡± Tom says.


    Tim-Tom does and that¡¯s when he sees several people all on the street carrying weapons. And all of their shirts have a ¡®C.A.¡¯ insignia on them.


    ¡°.....crap,¡± Tim-Tom says.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 45 - Three of A Kind

    Who are The Three Ts?


    If you were to ask the average person in Starlight City¡¯s north side that question, most would answer that it¡¯s a group of three hooligans running around town on their motorcycles that get money by doing hired gigs that most would refuse. For their former teacher Aken Amnestor, he¡¯d tell you it¡¯s just a group of kids who¡¯ve been dealt a bad hand in life, dropped out of high school, and are just doing the best that they can. For The Three Ts, they¡¯d call themselves a trio of brothers all from different mothers.


    But for Club Azure, if you asked them what The Three Ts were, they¡¯d tell you that it¡¯s just a pimple they¡¯ve been ignoring for a while.


    And one that they were planning on popping tonight.


    ¡°Nice place you guys have set up for yourself,¡± a person says as they make their way through the crowd of thugs.


    ¡°Thanks, it took a while to get going,¡± Tim The First Thug replies cheerfully.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t serious,¡± Tom The Second Thug replies.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Tim says with a sad look in his eyes.


    The Three Ts look to see the person making their way forward through several Club Azure Thugs is a Chinese man with short black hair, a rose tattoo on the right side of their forehead, brown eyes, and black nails. The man is wearing a long sleeved white button up shirt, chalk striped blue pants, and brown loafers.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be taking this place for ourselves though,¡± The man explains as he lights himself a cigarette, ¡°Our Boss says it¡¯s about time we exterminate all the roaches running amok like you.¡±


    ¡°Roaches huh?¡± Tim-Tom says, ¡°Haven¡¯t heard my dad call us that one. Seems like he¡¯s getting more creative with the insults.¡±


    ¡°Why are you even here though?¡± Tim asks the man.


    ¡°I¡¯m Li-Wei Zhang,¡± the man with the rose tattoo explains, ¡°My job is to rally up all of our sellers when Mister Pitt wants us to take care of things for him.¡±


    ¡°....just call him your boss,¡± Tim-Tom groans, ¡°I swear it¡¯s embarrassing to have that last name.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay man, my last name¡¯s McGee,¡± Tim says trying to cheer Tim-Tom up.


    ¡°My surname¡¯s Dolby,¡± Tom adds.


    ¡°Anyways,¡± Li-Wei says ignoring The Three Ts banter, ¡°Since our boss wants you three gone, I¡¯ll be doing just that tonight. After all, I am The Arrow of Club Azure.¡±


    Li-Wei explains further, ¡°Like an arrow I¡¯ll make sure to shoot down anything in my path.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? I have a nickname too, y''know.¡± Tim-Tom replies as he gets into a boxing stance, ¡°It¡¯s Starlight City¡¯s Brightest Boxer!¡±


    ¡°Dude I told you that name isn¡¯t gonna catch on,¡± Tom groans.


    ¡°Hearing you say that made me throw up in my mouth a little,¡± Tim adds.


    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon!¡± Tim-Tom yells, ¡°So when that dude has a nickname he¡¯s cool & mysterious, but when I have a much cooler nickname I¡¯m just lame and corny!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Tim & Tom reply in unison.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Before Tim-Tom can reply with a witty comeback however, Li-Wei manages to swoop in and get a clean hit on Tim-Tom¡¯s face. Li-Wei motions for the other Club Azure gang members to rush Tim & Tom while Li-Wei lunges towards Tim-Tom. However Tim-Tom manages to get an overhand hook landing in Li-Wei¡¯s face causing Li-Wei to stop for a bit.


    ¡°You know I heard that you three got beaten up by some high schooler,¡± Li-Wei says as he wipes the blood coming from his nose, ¡°I can see why, you hit like a bitch.¡±


    ¡°You talking about that kid with the bat?¡± Tim-Tom asks, ¡°He caught us by surprise, and besides¡­¡±


    Tim-Tom begins to land several jabs into Li-Wei¡¯s stomach from far away as he shouts, ¡°That was just my warm up!¡±


    Up personal with several of the thugs, Tim is weaving through as he tries to put away his pink shades, ¡°these costed a fuck-ton so you better not break them!¡±


    Right as he¡¯s about to put them in his pocket though, one of the gang members manages to snatch his shades and snaps them in half.


    ¡°Oops, I guess you should have put them away quicke-¡± the thug says, however he gets interrupted by Tim swarming him and pummeling him with jabs.


    ¡°You¡¯re all gonna pay,¡± Tim says as he rushes to another thug and does the same song and dance.


    ¡°Shit!¡± one of the thugs says as he gets away from Tim and notices Tom not getting any opponents, ¡°Well guess it¡¯s my lucky day, I get to take out the weakest link!¡±


    ¡°Weakest link?¡± Tom asks before pointing to Tim, ¡°Tim¡¯s right there.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re going down!¡± the thug says as he goes to punch him, however Tom catches his fist.


    ¡°You want to know something about us?¡± Tom says as he begins to squeeze tighter on the thug¡¯s fist, ¡°Tim¡¯s good at swarming people and getting up close and personal while Tim-Tom likes to hang back and go for longer range attacks. But me?¡±


    The thug begins to wince in pain as he hears the bones in his hand start to bend and snap like twigs as Tom continues, ¡°My style of fighting is simple.¡±


    Tom uses his open hand to punch the thug in the gut, knocking him out instantly. Tom lets go of the thug¡¯s now entirely broken hand. Tom finishes his sentence by saying, ¡°I usually just punch someone once or twice and they¡¯re down for the count. Because physically speaking, I¡¯m the strongest of us three.¡±


    As Li-Wei Zhang looks around him he starts to question why The Three Ts are still standing. Timothy McGee, a man who everyone saw as the weakest link in the group, is managing to completely overtake any opponent he comes across. Thomas Dolby, a man that nobody paid attention to, is knocking out Club Azure¡¯s members in just two hits. And lastly, Tim-Tom Pitt, someone he was told didn¡¯t have much besides his leadership, is actually holding his own against himself.


    For a second, Li-Wei thought to himself that maybe just maybe The Three Ts would actually win this fight.


    But that was before he remembered one thing.


    One thing that gave Club Azure the edge against The Three Ts.


    And that was numbers.


    Sure Tim could rush gang member after gang member, but he still tires out quickly. Tom may be strong, but he¡¯s slow too and easy to counter. And as for Tim-Tom, he may be good when at a distance, but get close enough and he loses his edge.


    ¡°You want to know why I¡¯m really called The Arrow of Club Azure?¡± Li-Wei asks as he suddenly lunges towards Tim-Tom and begins to beat him repeatedly, ¡°It¡¯s because when I attack someone, I always move forward until the job is done.¡±


    Tim-Tom tries to move back to gain more distance, however when he does so, he realizes he is touching the wall and cornered himself in. Li-Wei delivers a liver kick into Tim-Tom sending him down for the count. As Li-Wei wipes the blood from his face, he looks around and sees that the other members of Club Azure have also finally defeated the other two members of The Three Ts.


    ¡°Finally, it¡¯s over,¡± Li-Wei sighs as he lights himself another cigarette before telling his underlings, ¡°bring them to the car, the boss will take care of ¡®em.¡±


    The group begins to grab the unconscious bodies of The Three Ts however they¡¯re stopped by a car honking its horn. Everyone stops and looks to see an orange jeep pull up outside of the auto-shop and two people get out of the car.


    ¡°This is the place that Amnestor recommended? It looks like a shithole,¡± One of them says.


    ¡°Hey, he said we¡¯d be getting a discount if we go here,¡± the other says before saying, ¡°Excuse me, we¡¯re here to get an oil change.¡±


    The man who asked is the biology teacher at Starlight High, Sam Penningberg. And next to him is his teaching assistant, Ray Ramirez. Sam is wearing a more casual tie than he does at school while Ray has his long black hair down and is wearing a blue hoodie, gray shorts, and black flip flops.


    ¡°Uh Sammy,¡± Ray says as he points down to all the thugs, ¡°I think they were in the middle of something.¡±


    Several of the gang members circle around Ray & Sam while Li-Wei stands completely still.


    ¡°Hey you two should mind your own business!¡± one of the thugs says, ¡°I don¡¯t like beating up the elderly!¡±


    ¡°The elderly?!¡± Ray says as he begins to grow enraged.


    One of the gang members looks at Li-Wei only to see him completely stunned.


    ¡°Are you okay man?¡± The thug says.


    ¡°When I was in high school,¡± Li-Wei begins to say, ¡°there was a teenager who defeated every single opponent who ever faced him. Those who fought him said he had the strength of a gorilla, the ferociousness of a tiger, the swiftness of an eagle, and a tongue that stung like the venom of a snake. Most thought he was just an urban legend because everyone called him ¡®Beastman¡¯.¡±


    Li-Wei points towards Ray Ramirez, ¡°Yet that animal is standing right there!¡±


    ¡°Oh, someone recognizes me?¡± Ray chuckles, ¡°I thought if I grew out my hair and didn¡¯t show off my tattoos people wouldn¡¯t figure it out.¡±


    ¡°You are wearing shorts,¡± Sam adds.


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Ray says as he looks down at his tattoo covered legs.


    ¡°Bullshit that¡¯s true!¡± A gang member says as he goes to swing at Ray.


    However Ray gives the gangster an uppercut sending the dude flying with several teeth falling out from that singular hit.


    ¡°With all this grading I have to do and dealing with high schoolers I really have been needing to blow off some steam,¡± Ray begins to say as he rolls up his sleeves, ¡°So let¡¯s have some fun!¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 46 - A Beast Exits From Hibernation

    The group of thugs all stand surrounding Ray Ramirez & Sam Penningberg in complete and utter shock. Laying on the ground is a gang member who was knocked out with just one singular attack from this utter beast of a man.


    ¡°Two hundred and six,¡± Ray says.


    The group of thugs stands there confused.


    ¡°That¡¯s how many bones are in the human body,¡± Ray continues.


    Suddenly Ray grabs two people by the neck and lifts them into the air.


    ¡°And that¡¯s how many bones I¡¯m going to break in all of you!¡± Ray finishes as he slams the two into the ground before stomping on their legs.


    As the two cry out in pain Sam sighs and goes, ¡°At least you remembered basic biology.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do, I¡¯m your assistant and you teach biology,¡± Ray remarks as he grabs a thug, and drags his face on the wall before slamming his head into another thug¡¯s head as he adds, ¡°and if I didn¡¯t know biology, how would I be able to know the best ways to bring pain!¡±


    ¡°All of us attack at once!¡± A thug yells as he and several others rush towards Ray.


    However, Ray slams his elbow into one of the thug¡¯s backs before slamming the same elbow into another thug¡¯s face. When two get close to him, Ray drops to the floor, kicks their feet in, and as they fall to the ground, he grabs both of their legs and swings the two into each other.


    As Li-Wei stands there, hearing noises no bones should ever make, hearing cries from grown men as if they were young children, he remembers hearing from someone that the man didn¡¯t fight like a human, but more so an animal. And seeing him up in person, he could see how true that was. He didn¡¯t use any thought-out plans, the way he fought was sloppy and unrefined.


    But none of that mattered.


    Because the thing that made Ray Ramirez a force to be reckoned with was his untouchable strength.


    As Ray finishes knocking out many of the thugs in his way he says, ¡°Who¡¯s next.¡±


    Li-Wei Zhang, The Arrow of Club Azure, answers his question by punching him in the face.


    ¡°You really do live up to your reputation,¡± Li-Wei remarks as he continues to punch Ray repeatedly, ¡°Unfortunately for you, I¡¯m someone who never backs down from anything, and always moves forward.¡±


    However as each punch continues to land, a smile begins to creep onto Ray¡¯s face. A smile that only grows bigger the more Li-Wei punches him. Eventually Li-Wei is tired out by trying to hit him and when he looks at his fists, he sees that he¡¯s started to bleed due to punching Ray.


    ¡°My turn,¡± Ray Ramirez replies.


    In that one instance, Li-Wei felt pure fear. Almost as if he was a rabbit being hunted by a ferocious tiger, one that just devoured him whole.


    Ray grabs Li-Wei and as he grips him tightly, Li-Wei¡¯s bones start to snap under the pressure. Ray then performs a tackle that sends Li-Wei¡¯s head careening into the asphalt below him. As they land, Ray lets go of Li-Wei and the unconscious man falls to the ground defeated.


    ¡°That was a nice warm-up,¡± Ray says as he wipes his bloody hands on his shorts, ¡°So who¡¯s next?¡±


    All of the Club Azure gang members there grab their unconscious brethren, including Li-Wei, and retreat.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s anticlimactic,¡± Ray groans, ¡°This is why you never trust a dude from California.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°California?¡± Sam Penningberg questions.


    ¡°Uh yeah, they had ¡®C.A.¡¯ on their jackets, isn¡¯t that California?¡± Ray questions.


    ¡°I thought that was supposed to mean Central America,¡± Penningberg adds.


    ¡°It¡¯s supposed to stand for Club Azure,¡± Tim-Tom explains as he lies on the ground next to his motorcycle.


    ¡°Oh hey, you¡¯re awake!¡± Ray Ramirez says with a smile on his face, ¡°We need an oil change on this bad boy. Amnestor said you guys are great at car repairs so can you do it?¡±


    Tim-Tom looks to see Ray & Penningberg standing next to the ugliest-looking orange jeep he¡¯s ever seen.


    ¡°Uh, sure we can get it done in half an hour,¡± Tim-Tom answers as he gets up and starts to work on the jeep.


    ¡°Awesome,¡± Ray says as he pulls out his phone and starts to scroll through it.


    As Tim-Tom and eventually Tim & Tom start to work on the car, Tim-Tom starts to think of how it''s only a matter of time until Club Azure comes for revenge. And their plans of bringing the fight to them clearly won¡¯t end well for them. They¡¯re only still standing thanks to the sudden arrival of Ray Ramirez, and even then the guy isn¡¯t going to be with them all the time.


    ¡°Hey dude, you wanna be our employee?¡± Tim-Tom asks.


    ¡°Me?¡± Ray Ramirez questions before laughing, ¡°Fuck no, I already have a god-awful job, why would I want another one?¡±


    ¡°...fair enough,¡± Tim-Tom says.


    ¡°If you hate being my teaching assistant so much, how come you spend time with me after work?¡± Penningberg jokes.


    ¡°Tch, you¡¯re just mad I didn¡¯t leave any for you,¡± Ray remarks.


    ¡°My days of fighting are behind me, remember? And besides you can save your complaints for later since tomorrow the new school semester starts,¡± Peningberg remarks.


    ¡°It does?¡± Ray asks.


    ¡°Yeah, you didn¡¯t know?¡± Sam questions.


    ¡°...........fuck,¡± Ray groans.


    ___________________________________________


    The next day, the doors to the newly refurbished Starlight High are open as several teachers and students alike enter the school, ready to start their new semester.


    Entering the school wearing a black compression shirt, baggy gray sweatpants, flip flops, and having their shaggy long dyed green hair in a ponytail is Crunch Backson.


    ¡°Man winter break was so much fun, don¡¯t you agree Suzy?¡± Crunch asks.


    Standing next to him is his fellow sophomore, Suzy Dark. She now has pale white skin, dyed white hair, heavy eyeliner, and black lipstick as well as an all-black outfit with a black parka jacket and black boots.


    ¡°I finally got to dye my hair so it wasn¡¯t horrible,¡± Suzy states.


    ¡°Awesome, maybe I should dye my hair white so we can be twinning!¡± Crunch chuckles.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± Suzy replies.


    They aren¡¯t the only ones entering the school as walking past them is rebel freshman Hunter Huntingson. He¡¯s now wearing a black cap, a half-red half-black hoodie, blue jeans, and his backpack has a brand-new weapon in there.


    ¡°Oh sup Hunter! You wanna go to Burrito Bistro after school!¡± Crunch yells.


    Hunter just looks at him confused and then ignores him.


    ¡°Man, what a party pooper,¡± Crunch sighs.


    Down the hall freshman Carli Kim is chatting with fellow freshmen Harry ¡®Hamster¡¯ Martin, Bennet the Hamster, & Christopher Wrinkle. Carli is wearing a white beanie, pink hoodie, blue jeans, and pink tennis shoes. Hamster is wearing a big black hoodie, gray sweatpants, blue sneakers, and his pet hamster Bennet has a tiny blue scarf and beanie on. And finally Christopher, despite it being in the middle of winter, is wearing a black tank top and gray shorts.


    ¡°So what did you guys get to do over break?¡± Hamster asks.


    ¡°I got to go sledding, I¡¯ve never gotten to do that before,¡± Carli remarks.


    ¡°Bro that¡¯s awesome,¡± Christopher replies before answering Hamster, ¡°I¡¯ve been at the gym and got a new max at the bench press.¡±


    ¡°Really?! What is it?¡± Hamster asks.


    ¡°360 pounds,¡± Christopher responds to the pure shock of Carli, Hamster, & Bennet.


    Rebecca Jenksin, a popular girl who¡¯s wearing a black sleeveless jacket over a white sweater, blue jeans, and brown boots, walks by the group.


    ¡°What did you do Rebecca-¡± Hamster asks only to get ignored.


    And in the teacher¡¯s office, Aken Amnestor is in his chair stretching while the culinary teacher Zesti Champion, biology teacher Sam Penningberg, math teacher Wilsten Jefferson, teacher¡¯s assistant Ray Ramirez, & random student who somehow got into the office X Locke are getting ready for the day.


    ¡°How come you¡¯re not putting your hair in a bun anymore?¡± Jefferson asks Ray.


    ¡°I just like it long,¡± Ray responds.


    ¡°It¡¯s not very teacher-like of you,¡± Jefferson scoffs.


    ¡°Wow, congrats on realizing,¡± Ray responds.


    Zesti chuckles and mentions to Sam & Aken, ¡°Say, I think we should add Ray to you-know-what.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I forgot he wasn¡¯t there,¡± Sam Penningberg says.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you can add someone to it,¡± Amnestor mentions as he sips his coffee.


    ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± X asks as he approaches Amnestor.


    ¡°Nothing much, just grown-up stuff,¡± Penninberg says, ¡°what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Well since Amnestor assigned me homework over the break - for no reason whatsoever - I decided to turn it in right now,¡± X says as he hands Amnestor the papers.


    ¡°You got assigned that because you need to boost your grades,¡± Amnestor says before taking a sip of his coffee and looking at the homework.


    However, as he sees the homework he realizes that it''s completely blank. When he goes to scold X he sees he has already dashed off.


    And just like that, the new semester was in full swing, despite the new school and the new year, a lot stayed the same. But one of the new things this year brought with it was something new for everyone in The Miracle Clinic.


    And that new exciting thing would come in the form of a box on Amnestor¡¯s desk. A box with an open slot at the top and some words written on the front of it. The words on the box being ¡®Mail-In Requests¡¯. And that box just so happened to be full.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 47 - Mail-In Requests (1)

    The bell rings out through the newly renovated halls of Starlight High. Several people are all exiting the school, getting ready to enjoy the rest of their day, or in some cases preparing themselves for the mountains of homework that await them. However, for five individuals, they were all heading to a classroom, because with the new semester means that their club is back in business.


    In said classroom, Aken Amnestor is sitting at his desk sipping coffee while X is sitting at his desk working on several pieces of winter homework he was supposed to do over the break.


    ¡°So, can I go if I finish two pages?¡± X asks.


    ¡°You have to finish at least five assignments, Locke, we talked about this,¡± Amnestor groans.


    ¡°Boo you¡¯re no fun,¡± X responds as he continues working on his homework.


    As the two sit there they hear the door to the classroom open as someone enters. The person says ¡°I guess some things never change huh.¡±


    Amnestor looks over and asks, ¡°Oh you¡¯re the first one here, how was your break?¡±


    ¡°It was¡­alright, though I must say,¡± the first person to arrive, Ronnie Everst, begins to say, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to be the one to show up first.¡±


    Ronnie¡¯s wearing a blue Starlight High varsity jacket with white sleeves and a cursive ¡°¡®97¡± on it, a white t-shirt underneath the jacket, black pants, and red basketball shoes.


    ¡°Nice jacket you got there,¡± Amnestor replies, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen those since-¡±


    ¡°1997?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Uh yeah,¡± Amnestor replies.


    ¡°This was my dad¡¯s when he went here,¡± Ronnie explains.


    ¡°I think it suits you,¡± X says, ¡°Can you please explain how you found it and a bunch of other stuff so I don¡¯t have to focus on homework?¡±


    ¡°I found it in my family¡¯s storage unit, boom story over, now get back to work,¡± Ronnie coldly responds.


    ¡°Aww you''re no fun either,¡± X responds as he continues to work on his homework.


    The next person to enter is none other than the up-and-coming freshman athlete, Alex Smith. He has on his blue pearl earrings like he always does but he¡¯s wearing a white cap, a dark green & red patterned hoodie, black pants, and white air jordans.


    ¡°Oh hey Alex, I didn¡¯t know they make hoodies out of rugs,¡± Ronnie smirks.


    ¡°Sup Ronnie,¡± Alex says as he takes off his cap, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯ve been at this school since the 90s. Say if you ever want a rematch then let me know, I¡¯ve gotten a bit stronger.¡±


    ¡°Dude, why would I fight you? Besides I¡¯m still testing out some new things,¡± Ronnie adds.


    ¡°You two fought before?¡± Amnestor questions as he raises an eyebrow.


    ¡°NOPE!¡± Alex & Ronnie lie in order to not get in trouble.


    ¡°Well hey, looks like you two got here early,¡± A voice says as they enter the room.


    Ronnie & Alex look to see both Elizabeth Moore & Cameron Dots entering the classroom. Elizabeth is wearing a white t-shirt underneath an unzipped green hoodie jacket, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes. Cameron is wearing glasses, a red flannel jacket over a white graphic t-shirt, and blue jeans.


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    ¡°H-hey,¡± Cameron replies.


    ¡°Hey Elizabeth, Hey Cam, what have you guys been up to over the break?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Oh nothing much,¡± Cameron begins to say, ¡°my family just went to the Bahamas for the weekend.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!¡± Alex, Elizabeth, & Ronnie yell shocked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be that cool since we go every season,¡± Cameron murmurs.


    ¡°Every season?!¡± Alex yells.


    ¡°Next time could you invite us Cam,¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°I was gonna say what I did but by comparison, I didn¡¯t do much,¡± Elizabeth sighs.


    ¡°I¡¯d still like to know,¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°Oh, well I got back into taekwondo,¡± Elizabeth says embarrassed, ¡°I have an upcoming tournament.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°Let me know when it is so I can see you lose,¡± Alex scoffs.


    ¡°As soon as you let me know when you have a boxing match or basketball match you aren¡¯t on the bleachers for all the time- oh wait- you don¡¯t,¡± Elizabeth claps back.


    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s calm down,¡± Cameron says, ¡°And besides, don¡¯t you guys think it¡¯s a bit odd?¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°I mean, shouldn¡¯t Marcus be here by now?¡± Cameron asks.


    ¡°Oh yeah, where is the guy, he¡¯s always the first to show up at things,¡± Ronnie says.


    And almost as if he was waiting to make his entrance, Marcus Veridan comes rushing into the classroom with an overstuffed backpack. Marcus is wearing a brown short-sleeved t-shirt over a beige long-sleeved t-shirt, black pants, and red Converse.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late, I was in math class and Mister Jefferson was all like ¡®The bell doesn¡¯t dismiss you, I do¡¯ so we stayed for 5 more minutes to learn about the unit circle,¡± Marcus exhales.


    ¡°Man I hate that guy,¡± Alex groans.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk badly about other teachers,¡± Amnestor says as he grades some papers.


    ¡°Sorry sir,¡± Alex sighs.


    ¡°But hey, on the bright side, we actually have a ton of stuff to do today,¡± Marcus states.


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Ronnie says as he stands up, ¡°You want me to explain it?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Marcus replies.


    Ronnie walks over to Amnestor¡¯s desk and grabs a cardboard box with an open slot at its top. The box has a sticky note on its front that has the words ¡®Mail-In Requests¡¯ written on it. He then sets the box down on a desk.


    ¡°So from what Marcus told me, he and Amnestor decided a good way to get us more active is to allow mail-in requests. Basically, people write down something they need help with on a piece of paper and then we go to complete it.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­.alright, hopefully, we don¡¯t get too many,¡± Alex says.


    ¡°Oh please, it¡¯s not like there would be that many,¡± Ronnie says as he dumps the contents of the box onto the desk.


    However, Ronnie and every other miracle clinic member¡¯s face is filled with dread as they see the mountain of small pieces of paper now on the desk. All of them are individual requests, and all of them want to be done by the end of the day.


    ¡°Well¡­..there can¡¯t be any more-¡± Ronnie tries to say but X tosses a small ripped piece of paper on top of the pile, ¡°nevermind.¡±


    As the group sifts through the papers they realize that most of them are just joke responses like ¡®give me $20¡¯ and ¡®buy me a dog¡¯, though eventually they manage to swindle down the requests to six.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s split up into 3 teams,¡± Ronnie says as he takes two pieces of paper, ¡°Marcus & I will take care of these two.¡±


    ¡°Cameron & I got these,¡± Elizabeth says as she grabs two pieces of paper.


    ¡°And I guess I¡¯m all on my own¡­ great,¡± Alex says as he takes the last two pieces of paper.


    ¡°Great, let¡¯s get going!¡± Ronnie says and the group disperses.


    ___________________________________________


    On the edge of Starlight City¡¯s North Side, Alex is walking down the street when he sees the two individuals who requested his help.


    ¡°So, I guess you¡¯re the one who wanted my help,¡± Alex says.


    ¡°Yes, thanks for coming Alex,¡± the person who put in the request, Hamster replies with Bennet the Hamster on his shoulder.


    ¡°No problem, let¡¯s get going,¡± Alex says as he and Hamster walk into a corner store by the name of ¡®The Deck¡¯s Bodega¡¯, completely unaware of several people following the two inside.


    Request No. 1 ~ Help Hamster look for ingredients.


    ___________________________________________


    Elizabeth & Cameron are at The Starlight City Bookstore only to see Selina & Hunter yelling at each other.


    ¡°Uh, should we give them a minute?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Cameron replies.


    Request No. 2 ~ Return a book back to the bookstore


    ___________________________________________


    Ronnie & Marcus are sitting next to X Locke as he is doing his homework.


    ¡°Hey, you guys know what 1+7 divided by 6 is?¡± X asks.


    ¡°...just ask the math teacher,¡± Ronnie groans.


    ¡°Dude I don¡¯t think he even knows what math is,¡± X taunts.


    ¡°Yeah fair point,¡± Ronnie replies.


    ¡°It¡¯s 2.16,¡± Marcus replies.


    ¡°Oh sweet thanks,¡± X says.


    Ronnie turns to look at Marcus and says, ¡°Dude we¡¯re supposed to help him not just give him the answers!¡±


    Marcus turns to look at Ronnie and replies, ¡°I know but sometimes it''s best to just give him an answer.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The two look back to see that X has vanished. When the two look into the hall they see X booking it down the hall.


    ¡°BYE HAVE A GREAT TIME!¡± X yells.


    ¡°HEY!¡± Ronnie yells as he and Marcus chase after him.


    Request No. 3 ~ Help X Study


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 48 - Mail-In Requests (2)

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, you have to pay the late fees!¡± Selina yells.


    ¡°And I¡¯m telling you that I don¡¯t want to!¡± Hunter yells back.


    The two are arguing at The Starlight City Bookstore, a place where despite the disheveled exterior, it¡¯s often a cozy environment for people to relax, buy books, and have a quaint time. But today, it¡¯s a warzone between the ever-so-stubborn cashier Selina Gulvonac and even more stubborn Hunter Huntingson.


    Fortunately, though, Elizabeth & Cameron, two members of The Miracle Clinic, have arrived to help the group out.


    ¡°Do you want to talk to them?¡± Elizabeth asks Cameron.


    ¡°I thought you were,¡± Cameron whispers.


    Elizabeth sighs as she steps forward and clears her throat, ¡°So what seems to be the problem?¡±


    Selina looks at Elizabeth and explains, ¡°So this living nuisance rented a book from us, which is totally fine, but he was supposed to return it 3 weeks ago! Now he¡¯s refusing to pay any of his late fees.¡±


    ¡°Well, how was I supposed to know there were late fees!¡± Hunter yells.


    ¡°IT WAS ON THE RECEIPT!¡±


    ¡°YOU THINK I READ THOSE!¡±


    Selina groans as she tells Elizabeth, ¡°You see what I mean?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I do,¡± Elizabeth says as she turns to Hunter, ¡°What¡¯s your side.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you actually want to know?¡± Hunter asks confused, ¡°I thought you hated me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I do but I want to get this done ASAP,¡± Elizabeth explains.


    ¡°Oh well in that case I wanted to rent the book and once I finished reading it, I came here,¡± Hunter explains.


    ¡°When did you first rent this book?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just a book but a piece of art. It''s called The Great Gatsby, you might have heard of it,¡± Hunter explains, ¡°And I first rented it at the start of December¡­I¡¯m a slow reader okay.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but why didn¡¯t you just buy the book then?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Because,¡± Hunter begins as he clears his throat, ¡°I¡¯m broke.¡±


    Selina face palms as she groans, ¡°Just pay the late fee.¡±


    ¡°NO! I¡¯M NOT GETTING SWINDLED OUT OF MY HARD-EARNED CASH!¡± Hunter yells.


    ¡°IT¡¯S ONLY 75 CENTS!¡± Selina yells back.


    ¡°WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU JUST SAY THAT!¡± Hunter screams as he slams 6 dimes, 2 nickels, and 6 pennies onto the counter and storms off.


    Silence fills the air only for Hunter to return, grab the extra penny he accidentally left, and heads out once more.


    ¡°So, I guess all¡¯s well that ends well,¡± Cameron awkwardly stutters.


    REQUEST COMPLETE!


    ¡°Thanks for your help,¡± Selina replies, ¡°Both of my bosses are on vacation until tomorrow so I¡¯ve been the only one running this place.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, let us know if you need any help,¡± Elizabeth says as she and Cameron leave.


    As the two exit out into the streets, the two suddenly feel two arms wrap around their shoulders. The two look up to see the manic Crunch Backson standing over them.


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    ¡°About time you guys got done with that!¡± Crunch says, ¡°I was itchin¡¯ for you guys to help me with my request!¡±


    ¡°H-hey C-Crunch, s-sorry for wh-what ha-happened with the pencil thing,¡± Cameron stutters.


    ¡°Oh, you mean that black market?¡± Crunch asks before he laughs, ¡°That crap was last year, water over the bridge my man!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s under the bridge,¡± Elizabeth replies.


    ¡°Who cares? You two are gonna help with the request I put in, right?¡± Crunch asks.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Elizabeth says as she looks at the other piece of paper she has.


    The piece of paper reads ¡®Have fun with me¡¯. Elizabeth suddenly feels a pit in her stomach as Crunch giggles to himself.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to get Suzy to go with me to this bumper car place but she always chickens out! So instead you guys will go with me! Oh, and we¡¯ll be playing my rules,¡± Crunch states.


    ¡°Your rules?¡± Cameron explains.


    ¡°Oh y¡¯know, no seatbelts, you can switch carts, you can force people out of their carts, first one out has to pay for everyone¡¯s medical bills, all that fun stuff! Ooh, I¡¯m so excited,¡± Crunch says.


    However, out of those three, he was the only one excited as both Elizabeth & Cameron began to ponder if they could write out a will before participating in this request.


    ___________________________________________


    On the border of Starlight City¡¯s North & East Sides resides a corner shop known as ¡®The Deck¡¯s Bodega¡¯. It''s a small store but it makes up for it with just the amount of unique food products they have on their shelves, as well as selling several hot-&-ready dishes. It¡¯s in this store that Alex, Hamster, and Bennet enter through the glass doors and start walking on the brown tiles. The walls of the bodega are made from stained wood and the lights in the bodega give the whole area a yellowish hue.


    ¡°So what do you need here, Hamster?¡± Alex says as he glances around the shelves.


    ¡°Well ever since you guys liked my muffins I¡¯ve gotten really inspired to try all kinds of cooking,¡± Hamster says, ¡°and I wanted to try making some Risotto alla Milanese. But the only problem is all of our local grocery stores barely have any ingredients, just prepackaged stuff.¡±


    ¡°Okay but what exactly do you need me to grab?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Oh, the only things I still need are some extra virgin olive oil, arborio rice, some saffron threads, and dry white wine.¡±


    ¡°First off, that''s a rude thing to call the olive oil and second, how am I going to get wine?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what the olive oil is called and- yeah I figured you would have a fake or something.¡±


    ¡°Why would I have a fake ID?¡±


    ¡°I heard all the popular kids had them.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t, hopefully, we can trick the shopkeep,¡± Alex smirks.


    ¡°How are we gonna do that?¡± Hamster asks.


    ¡°Do you trust me?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°With my life,¡± Hamster replies.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a bit too enthusiastic but alright we got this!¡± Alex states


    The two start to shop, unaware of several people in the store all watching them and specifically Alex. As they grab their ingredients including the dry white wine, Alex approaches the counter to see that the cashier isn¡¯t there but there is a silver bell. Alex taps the bell.


    ¡°Excuse me Mr. Cashier, I, a very real, very old adult, would like to buy your finest wine!¡± Alex yells.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work,¡± Hamster whispers.


    ¡°Dude shut up and play along, it will totally work,¡± Alex whispers back.


    The doors to the employee¡¯s only section open as the cashier walks out. As Alex lays his eyes on the cashier his face goes immediately from smug to defeated.


    ¡°Nice try you chump, but you aren¡¯t going to buy this wine.¡± the cashier, Blanko Deck, explains.


    Blanko is wearing a green apron over his white & black striped hoodie, blue jeans, and brown cleats.


    ¡°Hey Blanko, can¡¯t you help a friend out?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Can we at least buy the extra virgin olive oil?¡± Hamster questions.


    ¡°That¡¯s a rude thing to call the olive oil,¡± Blanko says.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying!¡± Alex states.


    ¡°And,¡± Blanko begins to say, ¡°if I sell alcohol to you chumps then my parents would kill me.¡±


    ¡°Your parents run this place?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Yeah, the store¡¯s named after my family. I¡¯m covering for them since they took a vacation to Vegas,¡± Blanko explains.


    ¡°Neat, though bub, weren¡¯t you working at that thrift store?¡±


    ¡°The East Side Express? Yeah, that place is closed since Vanessa & Graham still have to complete their community service. I got off easy since I wasn¡¯t being a public nuisance nor an adult,¡± Blanko states.


    ¡°Yo that¡¯s cool bro,¡± Hamster says which causes Blanko to get a smile on his face.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Blanko replies, ¡°For calling me bro.¡±


    ¡°No problemo bro,¡± Hamster replies.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep calling you bro if you give us the wine,¡± Alex states.


    ¡°Hm let me think about- No,¡± Blanko states.


    As the trio try to argue if they could get wine, they begin to hear several footsteps approaching them. Alex turns around to see several high school kids all looking at him with a menacing look. Except they aren¡¯t from Starlight High, they¡¯re from Seastar High. And at the center of the group is Draco Malite, a freshman from Seastar High that almost got into a fight with The Miracle Clinic.


    ¡°Well well well, long time no see,¡± Draco Malite says, ¡°Looks like none of your friends are around.¡±


    ¡°Hamster & Blanko are here,¡± Alex states calmly.


    ¡°You get what I mean, and since that annoying junior Ivory isn¡¯t here, we actually get to teach you a lesson, oh, and tell your friends that we¡¯ll be beating them up too,¡± Draco replies with a smirk.


    ¡°Oh, so you want to beat me up because I¡¯m from the North? But I grew up in the East so let¡¯s just be pals,¡± Alex replies.


    Draco laughs before he and the rest of his friends flip Alex off. He yells, ¡°That just makes you a traitor! You¡¯re dead!¡±


    Draco goes to swing at Alex however someone catches his fist, that person being Blanko Deck, who managed to jump over the counter.


    ¡°What the-,¡± Draco says as he takes a few steps back.


    ¡°Hey, at least get the hell out of my store if you wanna fight,¡± Blanko says as he gets in a kickboxing stance, ¡°if not then you¡¯ll be kicked out with plenty of force!¡±


    Alex chuckles, ¡°That¡¯s a corny line, but I like it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all dead,¡± Draco says as he rolls up his sleeves.


    As the Seastar High kids surround Alex, Blanko, & Hamster, Blanko states, ¡°Hey Alex, since we¡¯ve been working out for the whole break, I think it''s time we see which one of us is stronger.¡±


    ¡°Fine by me bub, whoever defeats more of these guys is the strongest,¡± Alex says as he makes a fist, ¡°and hey I guess now''s a perfect time to complete my other request.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, what¡¯s that?¡± Blanko asks.


    ¡°Mop the floor,¡± Alex replies.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 49 - Mail-In Requests (Finale)

    Hatred. It¡¯s something that many people use to fuel themselves. Whether it¡¯s hatred for minor inconveniences or people, it¡¯s something everyone is all too familiar with.


    And for Draco Maleby, he is no exception. As a popular freshman at Seastar High, he¡¯s made a name for himself for hating the north side with every cell in his body. So much so that many fellow freshmen follow him around and follow his commands.


    Yet there¡¯s something he and many people who are blinded by hatred are blind to. And that is walking into a losing battle.


    As he and several of Seastar High''s kids rush towards Blanko & Alex, they were about to realize just how dumb they were to challenge these two.


    Alex sees three people swing their fists at him, and he manages to duck under the blows before delivering uppercuts to all the people who swung at him, most of them fall; however, for the few still standing, Alex delivers gut punches to all of them. Blanko rushes toward 3 of the Seastar High kids and performs a roundhouse kick into the head of one of them, sending that person into the person next to him, knocking them both out. Blanko then delivers several jabs into the other person there until he falls.


    ¡°Three-for-three huh?¡± Blanko says as he rushes towards Draco, ¡°This guy¡¯s mine!¡±


    ¡°Not if I get to him first!¡± Alex yells as he too rushes toward Draco.


    Draco screams as he flails his arms, ¡°DON¡¯T HURT ME!!!¡±


    Unfortunately for Draco, Alex & Blanko both deliver simultaneous attacks on the fellow freshmen; Blanko hits him with a spinning back kick while Alex delivers an overhand straight. These two attacks cause Draco to let out a very weird gasp as he falls to the ground unconscious.


    Seeing just how quickly the two mopped the floor with them, the still conscious seastar high kids grab their unconscious brethren and make a retreat.


    ¡°For people who like to stir up trouble they sure are a bunch of cowards,¡± Alex remarks as he waves his hand.


    ¡°They¡¯re more of a chump then you are chump, and thanks for the help,¡± Blanko says as he sighs, ¡°But now I¡¯m going to have to clean all this up.¡±


    Alex looks around to see several pieces of shattered glass from broken jars, some blood, and some dirt.


    ¡°Yeah this sure sucks,¡± Alex says.


    ¡°Yeah, it would be nice if a friend could help me clean this up,¡± Blanko says while glancing at Alex.


    ¡°Yeah that would be cool,¡± Alex says before he helps the stunned Hamster & Bennet carry their groceries and leave, ¡°Anyways I¡¯ll see you around man!¡±


    Blanko groans as Alex, Hamster, & Bennet leave, making Blanko the only one to clean up the whole mess. And to make matters worse, the two also took the dry white wine with them.


    ¡°He¡¯s gonna hear about this next time we work out,¡± Blanko murmurs as he continues to clean.


    REQUEST COMPLETE!


    ___________________________________________


    At Starlight High, Ronnie and Marcus are running down the halls and into the gym, looking for X.


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t have gone far!¡± Ronnie says as the two slowly look around the gym.


    The two pass by the bleachers only to hear the noise of someone eating popcorn on them. The two look to see X Locke sitting in the top row.


    ¡°Uh, play ball?¡± X suggests.


    Unfortunately for him, both Ronnie & Marcus block off the exits before he can make his escape.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°X if you don¡¯t do your homework then you¡¯ll probably fail the grade,¡± Marcus says.


    ¡°Wait really? Shit, I guess I have to do it,¡± X says as he walks toward Marcus.


    ¡°That¡¯s it? You folded just like that!¡± Ronnie asks, completely blindsided by X¡¯s total 180.


    ¡°Well yeah, I got big plans for my future so I better not screw it up, even if homework is the worst,¡± X replies.


    ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re cooperating,¡± Marcus sighs.


    As the three begin to walk back to Amnestor¡¯s classroom, Ronnie takes a look at the time and begins to walk toward the entrance to the school.


    ¡°Sorry guys, I gotta go, the next request I got is about to begin,¡± Ronnie replies as he goes to leave.


    ¡°Okay, but what¡¯s the request?¡± Marcus asks as he goes to take a look at the piece of paper.


    The final request on there is ¡®have Ronnie Everst visit The Crescent Cafe at 5:30 PM¡¯. Despite not knowing why, Marcus begins to feel a pit form in his stomach.


    ___________________________________________


    The Crescent Cafe is a small cafe in Starlight City¡¯s north district. With overly priced drinks and snacks, glass windows, and Victorian-era architecture, one would easily mistake it for a place where the rich and powerful reside, though most of the clientele is all just tired adults needing a boost in caffeine. As Ronnie enters he looks around and sees a man sitting at a table in the cafe. Ronnie makes his way over to him.


    ¡°So you were the person that wanted to talk to me,¡± Ronnie says as he sits down before jokingly adding, ¡°I didn¡¯t take myself to be that popular. Guess I was wrong.¡±


    However, despite his confidence, a bit of worry hides behind Ronnie¡¯s demeanor since the person who invited him to the cafe is none other than the CEO of Club Azure, Jerry Pitt. The very same man he saw discussed his plans to take over the entire city for himself.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to meet you for a long time boy,¡± Jerry says, ¡°My name¡¯s Jerry Pitt but you can just call me Jerry.¡±


    ¡°Okay Jerry, why did you want to see a high schooler?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s simple really,¡± Jerry says as he extends his hand out to him, ¡°I want you to come to work for me.¡±


    Ronnie looks at his hand shocked. Working for Club Azure? What exactly does he provide to this man?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I don¡¯t really know you,¡± Ronnie answers.


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Jerry says with a sad look in his eyes before coldly saying, ¡°Of course, you won¡¯t. You see, I run a business by the name of Club Azure. It¡¯s a simple nightclub but we¡¯ve been planning on expanding into several different businesses more targeted towards your demographic. And I figured you would make a great addition to my crew.¡±


    ¡°I see, but why me specifically?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jerry begins to say, ¡°You remind me a lot of the founder of Club Azure.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Your father, Reagan Everst,¡± Jerry answers.


    ¡°What?!¡± Ronnie replies.


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Jerry says as he begins to reminisce on the old days, ¡°Your father and I were friends back when you were just born and we both needed money. So he suggested opening up a nightclub. I took on more of a managerial role while he was a bartender. Back then it was just us working, trying to get some money, and things finally started to look up. That was until that horrible accident that took him from this world.¡±


    Hearing those words, Ronnie doesn¡¯t know what to say. He wonders if what Jerry is saying is true, that he worked with him in the past, but the more he thinks about it the more Ronnie realizes¡­


    He barely knows a thing about his dad. He doesn¡¯t know what he was like, all the stuff he did with his life, none of it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mister Pitt but, I¡¯m already busy with schoolwork,¡± Ronnie begins to say, ¡°So I don¡¯t think I can work for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s fine,¡± Jerry says, ¡°The offer still stands so if you change your mind or need to get some real experience, then feel free to stop by. It was nice seeing you.¡±


    ¡°L-likewise,¡± Ronnie begins to say as he gets up and starts to leave, ¡°it was nice meeting you too.¡±


    ¡°Take care,¡± Jerry says as he waves.


    Ronnie waves back before leaving the cafe with more questions than he ever had before. As Jerry watches Ronnie go two other individuals walk over to Jerry and sit at the cafe. One of them is the arrow of Club Azure, Li-Wei Zhang. While the other is a tall muscular man with green eyes, olive skin, and black hair in a flat top hairstyle with long bushy sideburns. The man is wearing a white button-up shirt with suspenders and black shoes.


    ¡°So, I guess he didn¡¯t join,¡± Li-Wei says.


    ¡°Shame heard you liked the kid,¡± the muscular man replies.


    ¡°I was seeing where his loyalty was. With us or the MSA,¡± Jerry Pitt replies.


    ¡°And?¡± The muscular man replies.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know Martin,¡± Jerry replies, ¡°If he¡¯s not being backed by them then we need to make sure he doesn¡¯t fall victim to anything that the other gangs are planning.¡±


    ¡°And if he is?¡± The muscular man and Club Azure¡¯s head of security, Martin McBride asks.


    ¡°We crush him,¡± Jerry remarks.


    As the three sit there, Li-Wei takes out a white document and hands it to Jerry.


    ¡°I have another business idea, what do you think?¡± Li-Wei asks as he starts to smoke a cigarette.


    Jerry takes a look at the document before smiling, ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡±


    As the three sit there, Martin McBride glances at the logo of the cafe they¡¯re in. The logo has ¡®The Crescent Cafe¡¯ in big words but in smaller text underneath it the words ''Subsidiary of Club Azure¡¯ are there.


    ___________________________________________


    As Ronnie walks down the street he enters Burrito Bistro to see the rest of his club members at a table discussing what they did today. Ronnie begins to walk to them but stops. What is he going to tell them? Not only is his uncle the CEO of a company involved in gangs but his father founded one? And that the leader of that gang wanted him to join? He looks at them all sitting there, enjoying themselves, and figures he shouldn¡¯t sour the mood and walks out of the restaurant.


    As Ronnie walks down the street as the sun starts to set he figures that he¡¯ll tell the group about all that stuff later, once he gets answers to the questions he needs to figure out. And there¡¯s only one person Ronnie knows who could give him the answers he so desperately needs. As Ronnie heads home, he opens the front door to see his mom, Sally Everst setting the table for dinner.


    ¡°Oh about time you got home,¡± Sally says, ¡°Come sit down and eat while the food is hot.¡±


    Ronnie begins to walk over and sit down, as he does so he feels the words he wants to say at the tip of his tongue, but they aren¡¯t coming out. However, determined to finally get answers, Ronnie manages to speak.


    ¡°Mom, can we talk about Dad?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Sure, what do you want to know?¡± Sally replies nonchalantly.


    However, Sally¡¯s demeanor changes as she notices tears begin to well up in Ronnie''s eyes as he answers, ¡°I want to know who he was. Who he really was.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 50 - The Treasure Box

    Several years back in the mid-late 90s, two high schoolers were laying atop the roof of Starlight High in the middle of the night. One of them is a teen with black skin, brown eyes, and is wearing a blue ¡®97 Starlight High varsity jacket along with a striped shirt underneath it and khakis. The other is a girl with short frizzy black hair, black skin, and green eyes. She¡¯s wearing a green ¡®97 Seastar High varsity jacket over a black shirt, a red skirt, and black tennis shoes.


    ¡°So, why did you want me to come here?¡± The teenage girl asks.


    ¡°Well, I wanted to show you how beautiful the stars were, Sally,¡± The teenage boy replies before looking at the cloudy sky and adding, ¡°But as usual, the weather is not on my side.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe we should head back down and come back another time, Reagan,¡± the young Sally replies.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± the young Reagan says before grabbing his nearby backpack and beginning to say, ¡°Or maybe Miss Jones¡­¡±


    The teenage Sally looks confused as the teenage Reagan pulls out a black Polaroid camera and says, ¡°We could take a picture.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±


    ¡°Completely,¡± Reagan replies as he leans next to Sally as he takes a picture of the two of them together.


    As the photo begins to be printed out of the Polaroid camera, Sally begins to ask, ¡°Why would you need that? We didn¡¯t even get to see any of the stars you wanted to see.¡±


    ¡°As if,¡± Reagan says as he points towards Sally, ¡°How could I be upset when you''re much more gorgeous than any star in the sky?¡±


    Sally begins to blush as Reagan continues, ¡°You are incredible Sally don¡¯t let anyone tell you otherwise. And I hope my photographs can let you see how I see you.¡±


    The teenage Sally smiles as she grabs Reagan¡¯s hand tightly as she responds, ¡°Thanks Reagan, for just being here for me.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± The teenage Reagan replies as the two continue to look out into the cloudy dark sky.


    ___________________________________________


    Now in the present, the now adult Sally Everst is standing in her house looking at her son, Ronnie Everst as he asks, ¡°Mom, can we talk about Dad?¡±


    ¡°Sure, what do you want to know?¡± Sally replies nonchalantly.


    However, her demeanor changes as she notices Ronnie¡¯s eyes begin to spill tears as he answers, ¡°I want to know who he was. Who he really was.¡±


    ¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Misses Sally Everst asks.


    ¡°I barely know a thing about him! How good of a person was he really? Were you just saying all of that stuff about him to make me feel better?¡± Ronnie asks, ¡°For all I know, he could¡¯ve just run out on us-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say that about your father,¡± Sally yells.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry Mom,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°I¡¯m just confused¡­ it¡¯s just you and Uncle Ryan got to know him so well, while I barely even remember him. I don¡¯t really know Dad like you two.¡±


    Sally walks over and hugs her son as she says, ¡°There there honey, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    The two stand there for a moment until Sally pulls away from the hug and begins to walk towards her bedroom.


    ¡°Sit over there, I need to get something,¡± Sally instructs.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Sally enters her bedroom and as she does so, Ronnie sits at the table and looks at all the photographs up on the wall. Most of them are either from before he was born or after his father passed. There are only three pictures on the wall where the two of them are together, but he was so young at the time that he doesn¡¯t remember them. One thing he does notice is that in each of the pictures with him in them, Reagan Everst is smiling.


    Sally Everst finally returns carrying a small toy wooden treasure chest with a note on it that reads ¡®open 01/23/2014¡¯.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°When you were a toddler, your father got you this hoping you would use it to store all your toys in,¡± Sally explains, ¡°But you were so scared of it and kept crying that he had to hide it from you. So instead he turned it into a time capsule.¡±


    ¡°A time capsule?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°He gathered a ton of stuff from back then he wanted to share with you only when you were old enough,¡± Sally remarks.


    ¡°Why now? What¡¯s in it?¡±


    ¡°I don''t¡­ I don¡¯t know Ronnie, all he told me about it was that you¡¯d only understand once you were 16,¡± Sally says, ¡°I know that wasn¡¯t exactly the answer you wanted to hear but that¡¯s the one I have. Whatever is in this box, I¡¯m sure will help you learn more about your father.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Mom,¡± Ronnie says as he hugs her, ¡°I¡¯m just glad you told me, I can wait two days.


    His mom, Mrs. Sally Everst, hugs Ronnie back before letting go and saying, ¡°Now finish your dinner before it gets too cold.¡±


    ¡°I will I will,¡± Ronnie remarks as he goes to sit back down at the table and finish eating.


    ___________________________________________


    Eventually, day turns to night and Ronnie is sitting in his bedroom all by himself. As he lays in his bed, the moonlight washing his room in shades of blue, he can¡¯t fall asleep as despite telling his mom he can wait two days until his birthday, he still wants to know more about his dad. As he lays there thinking about it he stretches his arm only to bump it on the nightstand next to it, causing something to fall from it.


    Curious, Ronnie glances down to see that it¡¯s one of the VHS tapes he got from storage about ¡®self-defense¡¯. Ronnie grabs it, and figuring what else is gonna put him to sleep, puts the tape into the VHS player in his room and turns on the box TV to watch it.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The TV begins to play the tape as on screen is a young adult with long black hair, white skin, gray eyes, and a big black coat over his jean jacket which is over a pink t-shirt as well as some jeans to complete the look.


    ¡°Is this thing rolling?¡± The man on the TV asks.


    ¡°Yep,¡± The person holding the camera replies.


    ¡°Okay good, hello there my name¡¯s James, James Lewis, and I¡¯m going to teach you one neat trick you can use for self-defense,¡± James Lewis, the man on TV says.


    He then begins to punch the air as he explains, ¡°If you ever get in a situation where a dude¡¯s just wailing on ya¡¯ there¡¯s one pretty simple way to turn the tide on them.¡±


    James Lewis stops punching and takes a step back, ¡°If you allow them to rush towards you then you can use that momentum against them. You do this by bringing them closer to you and then down to the ground. Did you get all of that?¡±


    ¡°Uh yeah,¡± The person holding the camera replies.


    ¡°Okay, now should we get a demonstration?¡± James Lewis asks as he glances toward the cameraman.


    ¡°You better not be-¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon Reagan please, it¡¯s for the tapes!¡±


    ¡°James,¡± Reagan, the man behind the camera, responds, ¡°If you move closer to me I am ending this recording.¡±


    James goes silent.


    Reagan goes silent.


    And then James Lewis makes a sudden dash toward Reagan, causing the tape to end.


    Ronnie looks at the TV and turns it off as he looks at the tapes he managed to get from storage.


    ¡°Dad was the one who recorded these?¡± Ronnie thinks out loud to himself.


    Curious to get to know a bit more about him, Ronnie puts in another tape and continues to watch well into the night.


    ___________________________________________


    Sun shines into Ronnie¡¯s bedroom as Ronnie begins to wake up. As he rubs the sleep out of his eyes he takes a look at the clock to see that it¡¯s already 1 PM.


    ¡°....crap,¡± Ronnie says before he gets up and tries to quickly get ready for the day.


    After changing and putting on the varsity jacket, he heads into the bathroom where he quickly brushes his teeth, pushes his hair up, and grabs his backpack. He then runs down the stairs and to the kitchen where he puts two pieces of bread into the toaster.


    ¡°Mom¡¯s gonna kill me if she sees me,¡± Ronnie murmurs as he grabs the toast and is about to leave for school.


    However as he reaches the front door, he hears his mom in the living room say. ¡°Glad to see you up.¡±


    Ronnie slowly walks over to the living room and begins to say, ¡°Hey Mom, I was just going to-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a snow day today,¡± Sally replies.


    ¡°Oh thank god,¡± Ronnie sighs in relief as he sits on the couch.


    As he sits there he notices he has a missed call from Marcus¡¯ landline phone and a text from Alex relaying a message from Marcus ¨C since he doesn¡¯t have a cell phone ¨C asking if he¡¯d like to hang out with everyone today. Ronnie responds with ¡®Sorry not in the mood today, perhaps some other time?¡¯. As he sits on the couch pondering things he hears a knock from the front door.


    ¡°I got it,¡± Mrs. Everst replies as she gets up to open the door.


    As the front door opens Ronnie sees none other than his Uncle Ryan Everst, president of the MSA, enter the house.


    ¡°Ryan! I thought I told you not to come visit today, you know how dangerous the black ice is!¡± Sally scolds her brother-in-law.


    ¡°Hey! Hey! I just happened to be in the neighborhood,¡± Uncle Ryan lies, ¡°Besides the roads just got plowed so I figured it would be somewhat safe.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Sally says as she begins to walk into the kitchen, ¡°Can I get you anything?¡±


    ¡°Maybe just some coffee if you have any,¡± Uncle Ryan remarks before walking toward his nephew, ¡°What¡¯s good Ron¡¯?¡±


    Uncle Ryan goes for a dap which Ronnie reciprocates.


    ¡°H-hey Unc,¡± Ronnie replies, still unsure on how to see his Uncle after all he¡¯s learned.


    ¡°You good Ronnie? Heard you weren¡¯t feeling well today and slept in,¡± Uncle Ryan asks concerned.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°But hey listen,¡± Uncle Ryan explains as he reaches into his pocket, ¡°I know your birthday is tomorrow n¡¯ all, but I figured I¡¯d give you your gift now.¡±


    Uncle Ryan slips Ronnie a check which Ronnie pockets, ¡°Thanks Uncle Ryan, but how come you aren¡¯t giving it to me tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Ugh a bunch of the shareholders are still upset over the winter gala being canceled,¡± Uncle Ryan groans, ¡°So now we¡¯re having a bunch of meetings with them tomorrow so those greedy hags can calm down.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can call them that Uncle Ryan,¡± Ronnie laughs.


    ¡°Eh? A hag¡¯s a hag Ronnie,¡± Uncle Ryan advises, ¡°If there¡¯s one thing life has taught me Ronnie it¡¯s that the lead paint really messed up that generation.¡±


    After his laughter stops, Ronnie decides to bite the bullet and ask, ¡°Hey Uncle, what was my dad like at my age?¡±


    Uncle Ryan chuckles, ¡°Reagan? Man, back in the day we were inseparable. He had a tendency to end up making a friend wherever he went. Like all brothers he was a pain at times, but when it really mattered? He always made sure to get shit done, even if it was impossible he made it possible. He was the younger of us two yet he¡¯s the one I got my strength from.¡±


    ¡°I see, thanks Uncle Ryan,¡± Ronnie replies.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it kiddo, I could sit here all day telling random stories about us back then but work calls,¡± Uncle Ryan says as he stands up, ¡°But hey, if you ever want to hear more about your dad & I, I¡¯d be happy to share more stories. Just maybe when your mother isn¡¯t around.¡±


    ¡°And why is that?¡± Sally inquires as she enters the room with a cup of coffee.


    ¡°Oh nothing,¡± Uncle Ryan lies as he takes the cup of coffee, ¡°Thanks for the cup Sal¡¯, and hope you like the gift kiddo.¡±


    ¡°Leaving so soon?¡± Sally asks.


    ¡°What can I say, I¡¯m a busy man,¡± Uncle Ryan remarks as he reaches the front door.


    ¡°Okay just stay safe on those roads,¡± Sally states.


    ¡°Yeah, I will,¡± Uncle Ryan remarks somberly before he opens the door and exits.


    With Uncle Ryan now gone, Ronnie sits in the living room waiting for tomorrow, the day when all of his questions would be answered.


    ___________________________________________


    Finally, the day comes, Ronnie¡¯s 16th birthday. Ronnie sits down at the table next to his mom as he looks at the treasure box.


    ¡°So, I guess it¡¯s time to see what¡¯s inside huh,¡± Ronnie says nervously.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Mrs. Everst murmurs.


    Ronnie goes to grab the treasure box and with some hesitation, he opens it to see that the first thing in there is a VHS tape titled ¡®To My Son¡¯. Curious, Ronnie takes the VHS into the living room, puts it into the VHS player, and turns on the TV.


    The tape begins to play as on screen is Reagan Everst. He¡¯s wearing a white t-shirt with several paint stains, ripped blue jeans, and has a full beard. He¡¯s sitting down in a newly painted bedroom in a chair as he looks at the camera.


    ¡°Okay hopefully the tripod doesn¡¯t break again,¡± Reagan remarks as he clears his throat, ¡°Hey son, it¡¯s me, your old man. Now I know you¡¯re probably wondering why I¡¯m not just telling you this right now on your 16th birthday but instead doing it through this video. Truth be told, I would probably have forgotten why I made this time capsule by then.¡±


    Reagan chuckles to himself as he continues, ¡°When I look at you, I see this- this fire in you. This passion and curiosity for the world that burns so brightly- its incredible! Hopefully you¡¯re still that way now, all those years later. Man what are you even gonna look like then? Are you gonna be taller than your mom? Taller than me?!¡±


    Reagan clears his throat as he remarks, ¡°Right, back to the reason why I did all this. When I was 16, a lot happened to me. And I¡¯m sure so much is going to happen to you! You¡¯re going to meet so many wonderful people, people that will be your friends for life. You¡¯re going to find someone who will make you feel a way you have never felt before, someone who¡¯ll make you smile in a way no other person can, someone you could see spending the rest of your life with. There¡¯s so many new and exciting things that are going to happen to you son, and while not all of them are going to be good, a lot of them are. No matter what, I hope you know that you¡¯re going to be someone special. You¡¯re going to be you.¡±


    On the tape, Reagan looks over the door as he hears Sally yell, ¡°Reagan! Did you finish painting the bedroom!¡±


    ¡°Just a second honey!¡± Reagan yells back as he turns to the camera and says, ¡°Well Ronnie, guess that¡¯s all I can say for now. I can¡¯t wait to see the look on your face when you see this. Hopefully you don¡¯t find this to be stupid or anything. Okay gotta go. Bye, love ya~¡±


    The tape ends and the TV turns off. Ronnie is sitting on the couch next to his mom, both are silent before Sally begins to speak.


    ¡°Your father always had such a way with words. More than I ever have. He could take two mortal enemies and after a conversation make them the best of friends. If he was here right now, I¡¯m sure he¡¯d have some great words of wisdom to give you,¡± Sally begins to say, ¡°But he¡¯s not. He¡¯s gone. And I¡¯m still here. To be honest Ronnie, I¡¯m not much without your dad. If he could see me now I- I wonder what he¡¯d think. I wonder if he thought I did a good job raising you.¡±


    Ronnie looks at his mom and realizes something. These past few days he¡¯s been so worked up about his dad that he forgot about someone just as important. Someone who¡¯s always been there for him. Someone who helped him become who he is today.


    His mom.


    Ronnie hugs his mom as he says, ¡°Well, I thought you did an amazing job.¡±


    Hearing those words, tears begin to seep out from Sally¡¯s eyes as she hugs Ronnie back.


    As the day goes on, the two continue looking into the treasure box seeing all the stuff that Reagan put in there for them. Ronnie pulls out a Tamagotchi causing Sally to laugh. Ronnie tries to use it but the batteries have long since died out.


    The next thing in there is an old green Seastar High varsity jacket, Sally looks at it shocked while Ronnie nudges her to try it on. However, on closer inspection, the two realize that it''s too tiny to fit both of them, probably due to some mishap that occurred during a laundry day long ago.


    As Sally tells Ronnie about all the stories behind each and every moment, they finally get to the final two things in the box. One is a copy of a movie that Sally was a fan of back in the day and the other is a photo. As Ronnie goes to the tv to put the movie on, Sally looks down and smiles at the photograph.


    The photograph is a picture of when a teenage Reagan & Sally were sitting on top of a roof together, on a dark cloudy night, yet despite that, the two were smiling and happy together.


    And despite that moment now forever being in the past and with Reagan no longer by her side, she¡¯s still able to look at that moment fondly.


    As the movie begins to play, Sally gets an idea as she grabs her phone.


    She leans over to Ronnie to give him a hug in one arm while the other holds her phone in place. The phone¡¯s camera finally begins to have the two of them sitting together come into frame. And just as that happens¡­


    Click!


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 51 - The Treasure Box (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Gaining Info


    ¡°So your dad started Club Azure?¡± Alex asks surprised, ¡°Just how awful is your family!¡±


    ¡°Woah woah, I already told you that it isn¡¯t like that, from what I found he didn¡¯t seem to be involved in any of the¡­y¡¯know illegal things,¡± Ronnie says.


    Ronnie, Alex, Elizabeth, & Marcus are standing in an empty classroom with Ronnie telling them all he learned in the past few days regarding his dad and Club Azure.


    ¡°Still, we should try and keep an eye out for those Club Azure guys,¡± Elizabeth responds, ¡°We don¡¯t want to get involved with that just yet.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but shouldn¡¯t we tell Cameron?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t even know about what we learned at the tour, so it¡¯s best to just keep this away from him,¡± Ronnie suggests.


    ¡°Yeah I agree,¡± Alex replies, ¡°But there is something I think we should do.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ronnie asks.


    Alex responds by showing them all an email from Starlight High regarding an upcoming match between Seastar High & Starlight High¡¯s basketball game and saying, ¡°Get ready for this shit storm.¡±


    ¡°....crap,¡± Ronnie groans.


    SUN SHORT #2 - Threats


    In the park in Starlight City, MSA members Ronald Sampson & Terry Boats are walking down enjoying their day when they come across the arrow of Club Azure Li-Wei Zhang & the head of Club Azure¡¯s security Martin McBride.


    ¡°Do my eyes deceive me or are those Jerry¡¯s lackeys,¡± Ronald remarks as he walks over to them.


    Li-Wei looks up at Ronald and smirks, ¡°Nice to see you too Fashion Man. I see that it¡¯s only a matter of time until we see you go gray.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only 33,¡± Ronald replies, ¡°And hey are you trying to pick a fight with me? You do know we¡¯re your superiors.¡±


    ¡°While that is true,¡± Martin says as he starts to stand up, ¡°things will change real soon with The Crescent Articles.¡±


    Ronald looks up towards Martin and asks, ¡°Crescent Articles? Is that a newspaper or something?¡±


    Li-Wei smirks as he lights a cigarette and answers, ¡°We¡¯re a business and a very good one at that, so we have some money to throw around. So much so that you might be seeing our name appear under several other restaurants across the city. Not to mention, our boss owns more shares in your company than your own president. So if you don¡¯t mess with us then he won¡¯t tank your stock price.¡±


    ¡°Stock price? Business buying? I¡¯m not good with all this company bs,¡± Ronald replies as he starts to walk away, ¡°all I like to do is pet my cat, kick things, and design clothes. So if you wanna threaten us, at least do it to someone who can understand it.¡±


    As Ronald & Terry walk away, Li-Wei smirks to himself as he remarks, ¡°So how many weeks do you think it¡¯s going to be until they start to panic?¡±


    SUN SHORT #3 - Seastar Arguing


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL BLANKO?!¡± Draco yells, ¡°WHY DID YOU FIGHT US!¡±


    Blanko is in the middle of the hallway in Seastar High as a bruised Draco Maleby yells at him. Blanko yawns and explains ¡°I already told you that you could¡¯ve just taken it outside and I wouldn¡¯t bother you.¡±


    ¡°Why you¡­¡± Draco says ready to swing at him but he stops himself and sheepishly replies, ¡°S-sorry.¡±


    Blanko is confused as Draco walks away, that is until he turns around to see Vanessa there.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Vanessa says.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Blanko replies as the two start to walk down the hall, passing by Blobby The Blobfish as they do so.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Blanko leans back to stretch and he spots that Vanessa¡¯s hair is in a ponytail and comments, ¡°I like the new look.¡±


    ¡°Thanks but why was that guy bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Draco? Don¡¯t worry about it, he isn¡¯t going to start any shit with you around because even that guy knows just how strong you are compared to me.¡±


    Vanessa smiles at the compliment before she says, ¡°I still need to make up for a ton of missed classes so for now it¡¯ll just be you and Graham running The East Side Express.¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s fine,¡± Blanko says, ¡°Hopefully we can go to the basketball game against Starlight High though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that would be¡­ nice,¡± Vanessa replies.


    As the two walk down to their next class, Blanko realizes he hasn¡¯t seen Graham in a while and is wondering where he is now.


    SUN SHORT #4 - A Meeting With Dirty Fang


    At the top of a penthouse located in the east side of Starlight City, four people look out on the city below them. One is Graham Dirt, who is wearing a black durag instead of his usual red one. Another is Andy Nibble, the second-in-command of the gang Dirty Fang, and he has a white bucket hat on instead of his usual blue one and has his dreads in a hair tie. One of the other people there is a person with white skin, a teardrop tattoo underneath his black eyes, black hair in a perm, and several scars all over his hands. The man is wearing a purple handkerchief covering his mouth, a black leather jacket over a purple t-shirt, bleached jeans, and black air force shoes. The final person is covered in shadows.


    ¡°So, tell us what you said again,¡± Andy Nibble remarks.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Graham replies, ¡°I got a call from Thomas Dolby of The Three Ts, he talked about how the head of his crew, Tim-Tom, learned some information regarding Club Azure. They plan on taking over every gang in the city with some sort of plan. Currently, they¡¯re on step 2, but step 5 is taking Dirty Fang out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just great, what do you think about all this Purple?¡± Andy Nibble asks the third-in-command of Dirty Fang, Purple.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should be concerned, this is Club Azure we¡¯re talking about. Leave it to me and I¡¯d be able to wipe them out by the end of tonight,¡± Purple, the man with the teardrop tattoo, remarks.


    ¡°No, let them be,¡± the head of Dirty Fang remarks as he holds a glass of scotch, ¡°Let them come for us, they¡¯ll realize how foolish they all are once the oxygen in their lungs runs out as the bricks tied to their legs plunges their bodies deeper into the lake.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want then we¡¯ll do it,¡± Andy Nibble remarks, ¡°After all, I think it¡¯ll let The Massachusetts Boys remember why you¡¯re called The Most Feared Man in Starlight City.¡±


    SUN SHORT #5 - Teachers Talk


    In the teacher¡¯s lounge of Starlight High, Amnestor is printing off some worksheets in the copy machine when a fellow teacher walks over to him. The teacher is the math teacher, Wilsten Jefferson. He has white skin, balding gray hair, green eyes, and is wearing a simple blue button-up and black dress pants along with a fancy watch on his wrist.


    ¡°You¡¯re still printing things?¡± Jefferson remarks, ¡°You do know the school board wants us to move over to more digital work.¡±


    ¡°I like handing out paperwork, it reminds me of just how many students I teach,¡± Amnestor replies.


    ¡°See that¡¯s the problem with you Amnestor,¡± Jefferson says as he pours himself some coffee from the coffee machine, ¡°You always try to connect with your students when you should be more worried about the principal.¡±


    ¡°You really care about what the principal wants, huh?¡± Amnestor asks.


    ¡°Of course, he¡¯s the one who hands out my raise,¡± Jefferson adds as he walks over and mentions, ¡°Which is why I don¡¯t go around digging up resolved issues.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s strange, I don¡¯t really remember that being resolved,¡± Amnestor replies as the copy machine finishes, ¡°you just stopped talking about it.¡±


    ¡°Be careful Amnestor,¡± Wilsten says as he nudges Amnestor with his coffee mug, ¡°you''re a history teacher, you of all people should know what happens to those that step out of line.¡¯


    ¡°Step out of line? Hardly,¡± Amnestor replies as he picks up all of the worksheets, ¡°I¡¯m just doing my job.¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence? So am I,¡± Jefferson says as he sips coffee.


    Amnestor nods as he opens the door and leaves the teacher¡¯s lounge, carrying the huge stack of worksheets with him. A few moments later, Jefferson leaves too. Sitting at a table nearby are fellow faculty Ray Ramirez, Sam Penningberg, & Zesti Champion.


    ¡°What the fuck did we just watch,¡± Ray asks as he eats his bagel.


    ¡°I guess those two have their history,¡± Penningberg remarks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just a simple teacher squabble Pennies,¡± Zesti says as she slowly starts to connect the dots.


    SUN SHORT #6 - Step Two


    ¡°Thanks for the new piercings, they¡¯re great!¡± Tim-Tom says as he looks in the mirror.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me, I¡¯m just doing my job,¡± Sally Everst replies as she rings up Tim-Tom¡¯s total.


    The two are in The Everst Tattoo Parlor and Tim-Tom hands her the cash for the piercings as well as a tip. After that he steps out and onto the street. As he walks down the street, he notices a lot of other small-owned businesses nearby are getting foreclosed.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve already been making your move over here, eh old man?¡± Tim-Tom thinks out loud to himself, ¡°You should stop while you¡¯re ahead though. You don¡¯t want to desecrate her memories any further, so leave the parlor alone.¡±


    SUN SHORT #7 - Quite A Mess


    With class done for the day, The Miracle Clinic is heading to their go-to meetup spot outside of school, Burrito Bistro.


    ¡°Hey you should have told us you were turning 16,¡± Alex says, ¡°then we could have done a bigger celebration than this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if we knew we could¡¯ve helped get you your license,¡± Marcus says.


    ¡°I still need my permit,¡± Ronnie groans.


    However, as they get to the restaurant, they notice that the closed sign is up yet the door is still slightly open.


    ¡°Ah man, I guess we can¡¯t go here,¡± Cameron sighs, ¡°You wanna try the bookstore?¡±


    ¡°Or we could go to Alex¡¯s house,¡± Ronnie suggested.


    ¡°No!¡± Alex says embarrassed of the last time they went there.


    ¡°Okay, we can try Elizabeth¡¯s apartment,¡± Marcus suggests.


    ¡°Oh god no,¡± Elizabeth groans, also embarrassed by the last time the group went there.


    ¡°Then I guess it¡¯s my house-¡± Ronnie begins to say but is interrupted by loud crying coming from inside the restaurant.


    Concerned, the group enters the restaurant as the cries become louder the closer they get to the kitchen. The group bursts into the kitchen ready to stop whatever horrid thing is going on in there.


    However, when they get into the kitchen they see Mesto-Presto standing next to a table awkwardly looking at them. He has black earrings now and his hair is spiked up, though a bit of it is still down on his face. He¡¯s wearing a black crewneck sweatshirt but the sleeves are rolled up along with brown sweatpants and black slip-resistant shoes. On the metal table next to him are two crying babies, a baby bottle with formula in it, and a box of diapers.


    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m kind of busy,¡± Mesto remarks.


    ¡°Who¡¯s kids are those?¡± Alex points at the two twin babies.


    ¡°....mine,¡± Mesto says.


    ¡°Oh okay,¡± Alex says before remembering Mesto¡¯s almost 17 and saying, ¡°WAIT WHAT?!¡±


    As The Miracle Clinic freaks out, the two babies begin to cry louder, Mesto-Presto groans as he says, ¡°I should¡¯ve locked the door.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 52 - All I Could Want (1)

    ¡°You have two kids?!¡± Alex yells completely shocked.


    ¡°Yeah, we just talked about that,¡± Mesto-Presto replies.


    Standing in the center of the closed Burrito Bistro is Mesto-Presto, who¡¯s surrounded by Ronnie, Alex, Elizabeth, Marcus, & Cameron. However, those aren¡¯t the only people there because he¡¯s holding two 2-year-olds, one in his arms and the other in a baby carrier. Those two toddlers are his kids.


    ¡°Now can you stop yelling please, they both fell asleep,¡± Mesto sighs.


    ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± Alex replies before whispering, ¡°But how come you have children?¡±


    ¡°I mean it''s pretty obvious how he got kids but-¡± Ronnie jokes.


    ¡°How come you never mentioned it before?¡± Elizabeth asks


    ¡°Where are they when you work?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°What are their names?¡± Cameron asks.


    ¡°One question at a time please,¡± Mesto sighs, ¡°And their names are Landon & Avery.¡±


    Alex raises his hand and asks, ¡°Is it too late to change their names?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Mesto responds.


    ¡°Okay, but you might wanna reconsider, just saying,¡± Alex adds.


    Mesto looks done with Alex¡¯s questions as Marcus brings up, ¡°So uh if you don¡¯t mind telling us how did you become a dad?¡±


    ¡°You really wanna know?¡± Mesto asks.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not like we have anything more interesting to learn about,¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you how I got ¡®em, but don¡¯t be too upset if it''s a bit boring,¡± Mesto-Presto begins.


    Mesto stands up and works over to the front counter of the restaurant only to reach into a cabinet and pull out a yearbook for Seastar High 2 years back, he opens the page up to a section titled ¡®September¡¯ where there are several different pictures in there taken by students with their friends. One of them is between two people, one of them is a younger Mesto except he doesn¡¯t have his earrings, and he has natural black hair in a mullet. The other person there is a girl around his age with short brunette hair, white skin, and shiny green eyes.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°For High School, my parents moved from the south side of the city to the east side, so I ended up attending Seastar my freshman year,¡± Mesto explains, ¡°I didn¡¯t really have a lot of friends at the time but I met this one girl, Ivory Dutchingson, and her & I clicked and got to know each other really fast.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps a bit too fast,¡± Ronnie jokes as he looks at the other side of the page that shows a homecoming dance with the two together.


    ¡°Yeah well, after that is when things didn¡¯t go so well,¡± Mesto adds, ¡°it wasn¡¯t noticed for a while but once everyone realized she got pregnant¡­.things got ugly.¡±


    As Mesto flips through the pages, showing the passage of time that fateful year. And as the months pass with a flip of a page, the more tired and filthy Mesto begins to look while Ivory begins to look more and more distraught.


    ¡°When my parents heard the news, they kicked me out and left town. I had to stay at a friend¡¯s house for the rest of the school year until the two kids were born, once that happened I was told they were going to be sent for adoption so I managed to take custody of them,¡± Mesto explains before adding, ¡°Ivory¡¯s dad was against the idea, he said I was too irresponsible and the east side was too dangerous. And he was right. So I dropped out and left.¡±


    ¡°What happened next?!¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Well I moved out on the streets for a while, made some friends, learned a lot, but wandering about homeless with two kids wasn¡¯t something I look too fondly back on,¡± Mesto explains, ¡°I was just about to give up when I ran into Mister Garcia.¡±


    The group looks at the picture he took down to see the old man Cedro Garcia & Mesto-Presto posing with a former employee Gabriel Griffon for a picture.


    ¡°He allowed me to stay at his house and even gave me this job, if it wasn¡¯t for him I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get back up off my feet,¡± Mesto sighs as he hangs the picture back up, ¡°he¡¯s been a bit busy with other stuff so I¡¯ve had to take care of both the restaurant and the kids at the same time.¡±


    As the group stands there, they all can¡¯t help but think of how little they really knew about the guy. He was just a waiter to them, someone who they didn¡¯t pay too much attention too yet enjoyed his company. But beneath all of that, he was someone that suffered through immense hardship. And yet, despite it all, he¡¯s still here. Smiling and able to move forward.


    ¡°Y¡¯know Mesto, I didn¡¯t know you were this cool,¡± Marcus says.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if cool is the right word, after all, it was my fault for not being careful and getting to where I am today but,¡± Mesto says as he looks down to his two kids, ¡°I¡¯m just doing what I think is right. And being able to see these two smile and begin to speak. Well, it¡¯s all I could have ever wanted.¡±


    Despite his words, the group can tell that there¡¯s a bit of sadness in his tone, that there¡¯s still a bit of regret he¡¯s been hiding. What that regret was, none of them could really tell, but to one of the people there, they thought it was something they could help get rid of.


    ¡°Hey Mesto,¡± Ronnie begins to say, ¡°I heard that Starlight High & Seastar High are gonna have a basketball match soon.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡± Mesto asks.


    ¡°Ivory¡¯s probably gonna be there, if you want then we could try and get her to visit you,¡± Ronnie asks.


    Mesto is shocked at the offer and can¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple really, I¡¯m just doing what I think is right,¡± Ronnie smirks.


    Hearing his words be said back at him, Mesto can¡¯t help but smile back as he says, ¡°If that¡¯s what you want to do, then go ahead.¡±


    Ronnie smiles as he stands up, ¡°The game¡¯s tomorrow so hopefully you can wait that much. Because I think it¡¯s time for a family reunion.¡±


    Ronnie begins to walk out of the restaurant but stops when he sees the others aren¡¯t following him.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know, I just figured that would make me sound cooler,¡± Ronnie admits.


    ¡°Okay but we came here to get food though,¡± Alex sighs.


    Mesto laughs as he states. ¡°I can go get some chips & salsa for you. It¡¯ll be on the house.¡±


    As Ronnie sat back down, the group began to just talk, not about anything in particular but just about whatever was on their mind. Whatever plan Ronnie had in mind for tomorrow was well tomorrow.


    As for today, it was best for him to just enjoy a moment in time. A moment with his friends, at one of their favorite places, having a good time. Because who knows, like with Mesto those times could be stripped away before they even realize. So for now, Ronnie decides he¡¯d rather appreciate what he has now rather than look back in regret.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 53 - All I Could Want (2)

    As Mesto-Presto is standing by the cash register at Burrito Bistro, he can¡¯t help but let his mind drift over to what he was told the day prior. That someone was going out of their way to grant him a miracle, to make him see someone he never thought he¡¯d ever see again. And they didn''t want anything else in return.


    ¡°Those kids,¡± Mesto murmurs to himself.


    He stands there for a moment, letting his thoughts carry him until¡­


    DING!


    Mesto looks over to the front door as someone makes their way into the restaurant.


    ¡°Hi, welcome to Burrito Bistro my name is Mesto-Presto how can I help-¡± Mesto begins to say however the person passes him by leaving him to finish his sentence to nobody, ¡°-you.¡±


    Mesto glances over to the person and sees that they are wearing a black hoodie with the hoodie up. Mesto prepares a glass of water and a pitcher for the patron. He walks over to the table and sets them down, however when he glances at the patron and sees their face, he¡¯s taken aback for a moment.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Mesto asks intrigued.


    The person in the hoodie doesn¡¯t respond, so after waiting for a bit Mesto decides to simply continue doing the rest of his job. Though as he cleans off the tables, prepares some food, and serves other customers, he¡¯s still a bit perplexed by the generosity he¡¯s being provided. Though he¡¯s grateful for it all the same.


    ¡°Maybe things will turn out fine after all,¡± Mesto murmurs to himself.


    __________________________


    ¡°So uh, things aren¡¯t turning out fine,¡± Ronnie admits to Marcus.


    The two have entered into Starlight High¡¯s gym as they are amidst the mob of people all spectating the game between the two rival high schools; Starlight High & Seastar High. The gym is so packed that the two can¡¯t even see the game going on. Fortunately for them, they notice that nobody is really over by the concessions stand so they walk over to it.


    Though saying it is a concessions stand is definitely exaggerating it. What it really is is a small white fold-up table that has a selection of some random candy, a few bags of chips, and some water bottles. The two people running the stand are Alex Smith and Christopher Wrinkle, both being in light blue basketball jerseys.


    ¡°Oh hey I didn¡¯t expect you¡¯d be here running the stand,¡± Ronnie smirks before asking, ¡°Got any funions?¡±


    ¡°Yeah well we¡¯re too young to be a part of the varsity team,¡± Alex admits, ¡°And we don¡¯t got those, only potato chips.¡±


    ¡°What kind?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°The wet kind,¡± Alex answers.


    ¡°Oh, how revolting,¡± Marcus responds.


    ¡°Hey bro nice gains,¡± Christopher Wrinkle says as he looks at Ronnie¡¯s slightly more broader shoulders.


    ¡°Thanks man, even though I¡¯m nowhere near as jacked as you,¡± Ronnie admits as he looks at the 6¡¯4¡± 260 lb unit that is Christopher Wrinkle.


    ¡°Nonsense bro, you put in the work, you should be proud of yourself,¡± Christopher admits.


    ¡°Uh¡­ thanks?¡± Ronnie asks, confused since it was mostly Christopher who forced him to work out.


    ¡°Enough yip-yap, how¡¯s the search for that Seastar Chick?¡± Alex asks.


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    ¡°We just got here,¡± Marcus admits, ¡°I¡¯m guessing Ivory is over by the seastar bleaches.¡±


    ¡°Yeah no shit sherlock,¡± Alex remarks, ¡°Look if she ever comes over to grab a snack I¡¯ll let you know but if not then I¡¯ll trust you guys got the rest.¡±


    ¡°You got it!¡± Ronnie says as he and Marcus walk over to the other bleachers.


    _______________________________________


    When the two make it over to the edge of the bleachers, they spot Elizabeth & Cameron frozen, unable to enter the Seastar bleachers.


    ¡°That¡¯s where you guys are, what¡¯s going on?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Oh hey Ronnie we¡¯re just a bit stuck,¡± Elizabeth admits.


    ¡°Really? How come?¡± Ronnie asks.


    Cameron sighs as he points to the very other side of the bleachers where Ivory Dutchingson is sitting, and at the front of them are some Seastar High students.


    ¡°So we gotta get through all of them huh?¡± Ronnie says before stepping forward, ¡°Should be a piece of cake.¡±


    Ronnie walks over to the kids blocking the way and asks, ¡°Hey do you mind if I go through?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing pal,¡± One of the kid says.


    ¡°Really? Thanks man,¡± Ronnie says as he begins to walk forward.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be that easy,¡± Marcus remarks as he tries to walk forward too.


    However the same kid stops Marcus & Ronnie from going forward as he laughs, ¡°Wait you thought I was serious? We wouldn¡¯t be letting Starlight High Kids through without a fight.¡±


    ¡°God another fight?¡± Ronnie groans, ¡°Is that all Seastar is good for?¡±


    ¡°Not just any fight,¡± The Seastar High kid replies as he looks over to the person next to him, ¡°Yo, show em your fangs!¡±


    ¡°Gladly,¡± The other seastar high kid remarks as she whips out a beyblade, ¡°Ready to rip?¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beyblade! You never heard of ¡®em before Ron¡¯?¡± The student with the beyblade asks.


    ¡°Nope, never heard of them,¡± Ronnie admits, ¡°but I¡¯d love to play sometime.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t have them huh?¡± The beyblade Seastar High student says with a sigh, ¡°Aw man, you can just go right ahead then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, though if I catch you again  we¡¯re gonna need to try my specialty,¡± the first non-beyblade Seastar student remarks, ¡°Connect Four!¡±


    ¡°Okay sure thanks see you later!¡± Ronnie remarks as he and the other three quickly speed pass.


    Though as Ronnie, Marcus, Elizabeth, & Cameron make their way through the crowded bleachers they¡¯re stopped by a familiar face, the rambunctious freshman at Seastar High, Draco Malite.


    ¡°You again!¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s right, remember me?¡± Draco remarks, ¡°I think it¡¯s time for me to teach you all the true might of the East¡¯s Drago-¡±


    ¡°Is that Ivory Dutchingson making her way to you?!¡± Elizabeth asks and points behind Draco.


    ¡°WHERE?!¡± Draco yells as he turns around to see her, ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°Wait, they tricked me!¡± Draco realizes before turning around to see nobody there, ¡°OH COME ON!¡±


    Running further into the bleachers, the group ends up running into Blanko. In hopes of not getting the others held up, Marcus decides to go chat with him so the others could pass.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s Marco!¡± Blanko yells, ¡°Long time no see dude!¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s, oh whatever,¡± Marcus sighs, ¡°Been a while how have you been?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been great!¡± Blanko yells.


    As the two continue to chat, Marcus glances over to see the other three just about to reach Ivory when¡­


    ¡°No running in the bleachers,¡± the principal of Seastar High, Ian Dutchingson remarks as he sits down in the bleachers.


    ¡°Dude go, we¡¯ll handle this,¡± Elizabeth remarks as her & Cameron stay behind to be scolded by Ian.


    ¡°Do you know how dangerous it is? You could trip and hit your head on the bleachers,¡± Ian scolds, ¡°Just what are they teaching you kids here?¡±


    ¡°Sorry sir, but do you mind explaining proper bleacher etiquette to us?¡± Elizabeth asks as she helps Ronnie get further away.


    Now with all other obstacles out of the way, Ronnie finally makes his way to where Ivory is. Once he does so, Ivory spots him and waves.


    ¡°Oh hey, didn¡¯t you visit Seastar High back in December?¡± Ivory asks as she points to Ronnie, ¡°Nice to see that the people in the section haven¡¯t been too rude to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh so you remember me, that¡¯s nice,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°And uh, I actually have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ivory asks.


    ¡°Do you know Mesto-Presto?¡± Ronnie asks.


    After hearing those words come out of his mouth, Ivory¡¯s whole face turns into one of pure shock.


    ¡°How do you know that name?¡± Ivory asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a long story, actually it really isn¡¯t but you get what I mean,¡± Ronnie begins to explain, ¡°If you want, I can show you where he¡¯s at and explain things on the way. Is that alright with you?¡±


    Ivory thinks for a few seconds before nodding.


    As Ronnie begins to talk with Ivory, he can¡¯t help but feel happy that he¡¯s one step closer to helping Mesto-Presto see a miracle. All he hopes is that Burrito Bistro isn¡¯t too busy when they finally get there.


    __________________________


    Over at Burrito Bistro, Mesto-Presto is cleaning a few empty tables while his boss Cedro Garcia hands the hooded person some chips and salsa.


    ¡°Would you like anything else to eat?¡± Cedro Garcia asks.


    The hooded figure murmurs something, but Mesto is too far away to really hear what they said.


    Suddenly in that moment, the front door opens once more.


    ¡°Oh welcome to Burrito Bistro, how can I help-¡± Mesto-Presto begins to ask before realizing who just entered the restaurant.


    Standing in the doorway is none other than the CEO of Club Azure, Jerry Pitt.


    ¡°Oh hello there, is your boss around? I would like to discuss a unique business opportunity with him,¡± Jerry remarks with a fake smile on his face.


    As Mesto looks at the man, he realizes that today is going to be a much longer day than he anticipated.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 54 - All I Could Want (Finale)

    In Burrito Bistro, Mesto is handing another order of chips and salsa to the person in the black hoodie, though he glances over to the other table where he sees his boss, Cedro Garcia, talking to Jerry Pitt, the CEO of Club Azure.


    ¡°Wonder what they¡¯re talking about,¡± Mesto mumbles to himself.


    ¡°He probably wants to acquire the restaurant,¡± the hooded figure replies while shoving a tortilla chip with salsa in it into her mouth.


    ¡°Oh hey, you talk, can I get you anything else?¡± Mesto asks, ¡°By the way, you¡¯re that Victoria girl, right? What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Vanessa,¡± Vanessa corrects Mesto as she eats another chip, ¡°I¡¯m fine with just these. As for why I¡¯m here ... I thought I bought tickets to the basketball game but I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Alright alright, but just so you know we do have some great food and buying it would really help us out,¡± Mesto states.


    ¡°Yeah well, I¡¯m broke,¡± Vanessa remarks.


    Mesto sighs before looking over to Jerry Pitt to see he¡¯s standing up from the table he sat at with Cedro Garcia.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for that kind of man, Mister Garcia,¡± Jerry Pitt remarks.


    ¡°When you get to my age you can sniff out a bad deal with your eyes closed,¡± Cedro Garcia remarks, ¡°But I appreciate you coming by today sir.¡±


    ¡°A bad deal?¡± Jerry questions, ¡°I¡¯m curious to see how long you¡¯ll hold onto that sentiment.¡±


    Jerry begins to walk to the door, however he is stopped for a moment by Mesto. The two lock eyes.


    ¡°Can I help you with anything?¡± Jerry Pitt ignores.


    ¡°Nothing, I was just wondering if you¡¯d like to take some of our food to go,¡± Mesto remarks in a customer friendly smile before switching to a cold response with, ¡°I think a slice of humble pie would do you wonders, sir.¡±


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯ve done more than just spoil my appetite,¡± Jerry remarks as he leaves, ¡°Next time I¡¯m here, it¡¯ll be wise of you to have a change in attitude.¡±


    The front door to the restaurant slams shut following Jerry Pitt¡¯s exit. Mesto returns to a more casual demeanor as he walks over to his boss, Cedro Garcia and asks, ¡°So you told him no?¡±


    ¡°He wanted me to sell for half as much as we make in a month!¡± Garcia laughs.


    ¡°Oh I see, Guess he was just all talk,¡± Mesto remarks.


    ¡°Though he did say something odd,¡± Garcia adds.


    ¡°Oh really? What was it El Senor?¡± Mesto asks.


    Vanessa goes to eat another chip as Garcia says, ¡°Something about how I should go on a vacation with the money, because his ¡®expansion¡¯ into the east side of town is going to be messy. Whatever that means.¡±


    Hearing this, Vanessa almost chokes on her chip, Mesto & Garcia look to see if she¡¯s okay and she just nods before the two continue to talk.


    ¡°Well hopefully he doesn¡¯t try to mess with us some more,¡± Mesto remarks.


    As the two stand there, the front doors to the restaurant open and Mesto looks over to see that entering the establishment is Ronnie Everst, and with him is Ivory Dutchingson. The two lock eyes and just stare at each other for a while.


    ¡°H-hey,¡± Ivory says nervously.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Mesto replies.


    Cedro looks at Mesto and taps his shoulder before saying, ¡°You two have a seat, and don¡¯t worry about working, I¡¯ll take care of the orders for a bit.¡±


    Mesto nods as he sits down at a table looking toward a window with Ivory sitting across from him. Ronnie, not really knowing what to do right now, just sits at the table Vanessa is at and eats some of the chips.


    ¡°So¡­you dyed your hair, huh?¡± Ivory says.


    ¡°Oh uh, yeah. Does it look bad?¡± Mesto asks.


    ¡°No, no, it looks great on you. It¡¯s just¡­you look so different,¡± Ivory begins to say as he looks down at the ground, ¡°Look I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m sorry for everything, that I didn¡¯t try to help you once you left, and how I just wasn¡¯t there for you. I just¡­ was afraid, that¡¯s all I¡¯ve ever been.¡±


    Mesto sighs as he says, ¡°Maybe a year or so back, I would have been mad at you. I would have told you about how I blamed you for the way my life turned out¡­but now I don¡¯t hold that resentment. We were just kids back then, hell we still are. I know we can¡¯t go back to how we once were.¡±


    Ivory looks at Mesto as he finishes his sentence by saying, ¡°I¡¯m okay with that, I¡¯m just glad I got to see your face again.¡±


    A tear goes down Ivory¡¯s cheek as she smiles, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing,¡± Mesto remarks.


    As the two begin to catch up, Ronnie ponders how two people that were ripped apart from one another finally got to reunite. Whether something bigger comes from this, he doesn¡¯t know. But just that little moment of happiness, that small moment where everything just felt right.


    Those minutes where the thing they desperately wanted to happen but never expected to happen actually came true.


    Isn¡¯t that in itself, a miracle?


    As Ronnie finishes Vanessa¡¯s chips he stands up and begins to walk towards the exit of the restaurant, however, before he goes he takes one last look at Mesto & Ivory. Mesto also glances over to Ronnie.


    Despite no words being shared between the two young men, the two understood each other perfectly. And just like that, Ronnie left the restaurant, ready to spend time with the people he cared for. Just as Mesto is now.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 55 - All I Could Want (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Old Man¡¯s Successor


    At The Dawnbreak Fitness & Health Center, Christopher Wrinkle is doing bench presses while Ronnie spots over him. Despite him being there, it feels like Christopher didn¡¯t even need someone to spot him due to how effortlessly he is doing his routine. Finally, when he stops, Christopher gets up and wipes down his station.


    ¡°Thanks for the help bro,¡± Christopher says.


    ¡°Uh don¡¯t mention it, though I barely helped,¡± Ronnie replies.


    ¡°Nonsense, it''s always important to spot someone.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    As the two begin to walk towards the entrance of the gym, they notice the owner of the gym, a buff old man by the name of Garry Jackingson, talking to someone they¡¯ve never seen at the gym before; Mesto-Presto.


    ¡°Mesto? What are you doing here,¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Oh, nothing, I just go here sometimes,¡± Mesto remarks casually.


    ¡°Sometimes?¡± Garry Jackingson chuckles, ¡°Back when we first met you came here every day!¡±


    ¡°Yeah because you always dragged me over here to train,¡± Mesto sighs.


    ¡°Of course! Because you¡¯re my disciple!¡± Garry laughs.


    As Garry laughs, Ronnie realizes that the disciple that Alex & Blanko were taunted with, the one whom Garry always compared everyone to, was the skinny Mesto-Presto.


    ¡°You¡¯re just full of surprises are you?¡± Ronnie asks Mesto.


    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t need to tell you my whole life, y¡¯know,¡± Mesto adds.


    Christopher extends his hand toward Mesto and says, ¡°Well I hope to see you around the gym more bro!¡±


    Mesto daps Christopher up and replies ¡°Yeah, though I need to get going, my kids need to get picked up at the daycare.¡±


    Mesto walks away and out of the gym, as Ronnie watches him leave, he begins to wonder that if a person working at a Mexican restaurant could have so much going on in his life, what does that mean for all the other people in his life?


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    SUN SHORT #2 - A Grip So Tight It Chokes


    The dim vibrant lights illuminate the nightclub of Club Azure as someone walks down the steps into the main area. That man is the CEO, Jerry Pitt. Once he gets towards the bar he takes off his jacket and rolls up his sleeves on his purple button-up shirt. The club is currently getting ready to open to the public as some workers are wiping down tables and seats.


    Jerry glances over to see his two most loyal allies ¨C the head of security Martin McBridge & the Arrow of Club Azure Li-Wei Zhang ¨C approaching him.


    ¡°So how¡¯d it go with Burrito Bistro?¡± Martin McBride asks.


    ¡°They refused, but don¡¯t worry when I¡¯m done with the north side.¡± Jerry begins to say before he slams his fist onto the metal bar, ¡°They¡¯re going to regret not refusing my offer.¡±


    ¡°I see, though if we want to take over the North and the East then we¡¯ll need to up our game,¡± Li-Wei replies as he lights up a cigarette.


    ¡°I agree, Li-Wei, let every member know,¡± Jerry Pit says as he lifts his fist, ¡°Starlight High is our next target.¡±


    SUN SHORT #3 - Ghostly Encounters


    On a rainy morning in the middle of winter, Ray Ramirez is walking into the teachers'' lounge with his hair down and casual clothing. He goes to the coffee machine and pours himself some coffee.


    The lights aren¡¯t on in the room but the room is still lit up by the outside world. Ray begins to drink his coffee as he looks out the window.


    ¡°Why am I even drinking this shit? I don¡¯t even like it,¡± Ray remarks as he sips his coffee.


    As he stares out at the rain, he can hear the noise of someone slurping something. When he looks towards the table, he notices X Locke there sipping some apple juice. X is wearing a black jean jacket over a white sweater, khakis, and a pair of light-up Skechers. X is drinking some apple juice.


    ¡°Lovely weather innit?¡± X jokes.


    ¡°How did you even get in here?¡± Ray groans.


    ¡°Woah calm down big guy, I was going to talk with the math teacher ¨C Jefferson ¨C but it seems he isn¡¯t here,¡± X says as he drinks some more apple juice out of the carton.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t take too much of my time, alright?¡± Ray asks.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± X says before asking, ¡°So when are you going to cut your hair?¡±


    ¡°When are you going to cut yours? I can¡¯t even see your eyes because your hair is covering it,¡± Ray retorts.


    ¡°Touche,¡± X says as he tries to think of something else to say.


    Suddenly the lights on the coffee machine start to flicker as thunder begins to occur outside.


    ¡°Say, there was one thing I¡¯ve heard through the grapevine,¡± X says.


    ¡°Oh really? Are you gonna put it in a book or something?¡± Ray jokes.


    ¡°Maybe I will, but what I heard is that Starlight High,¡± X begins to say as lightning flashes the whole room, ¡°has a ghost.¡±


    SUN SHORT #4 - A Terrible Day For Rain


    Outside of Starlight High, in the pouring rain are 3 high schoolers; Ronnie Everst, Marcus Veridan, & Alex Smith. The three are running to try to get into the school as the downpour only worsens. They manage to get in and all begin to catch their breath.


    ¡°Finally we made it,¡± Marcus sighs in relief.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve made it here quicker if I just went my normal route,¡± Alex grumbles.


    ¡°Yeah, though it doesn¡¯t look like many people are here,¡± Ronnie says as he looks at the empty halls. The only light being the sunlight and the occasional lightning from outside.


    ¡°Yeah I¡¯m surprised they didn¡¯t cancel school today, I heard most of the teachers didn¡¯t even show up,¡± Alex adds.


    As the three begin to walk to class, the three notice a locker door open very slowly, the noise that comes from it being so loud the three have to cover their ears until it stops.


    ¡°The hell is with that locker?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s The Ghost of Starlight High!¡± Marcus suggests enthusiastically.


    ¡°Oh please not this again,¡± Ronnie rolls his eyes.


    ¡°There¡¯s a ghost here?¡± Alex chuckles.


    ¡°The rumors say that it only appears on rainy days when barely anyone shows up, so if it is real, we¡¯ll be seeing it soon,¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°Oh please, there¡¯s no such thing as ghosts,¡± Alex laughs.


    As they continue to make their way to class, a part of Alex¡¯s mind begins to wonder if maybe, just maybe, the school really is haunted.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 56 - Paranormal Hijinks (1)

    Surround yourself with those you can use. That¡¯s the rationale Rebecca Jenksin has been taught throughout her life. Associate with only those who could be of use, as for everyone else, you can disregard them. So that¡¯s why she decided to go to school today, as a way to help foster the connections she would later need. Though on this dark and rainy day at Starlight High ¨C where some of the streets are flooding outside, thunder constantly beckons throughout the sky, and the rain consistently downpours ¨C she realizes it would have been better to just stay home today.


    In the classroom she¡¯s in, the only other people there are fellow freshmen Ronnie Everst, Alex Smith, Christopher Wrinkle, Harry ¡®Hamster¡¯ Martin, Bennet the Hamster, and Marcus Veridan. Christopher is busy doing wall sits while Hamster is feeding Bennet. As for the other three, well they¡¯re busy chatting with each other. And quite loudly too.


    ¡°When¡¯s the teacher going to get here?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°I heard we might have a sub,¡± Marcus says.


    ¡°Really?! Let¡¯s go, I did not study for the biology test today,¡± Alex cheers by doing a fist bump.


    Overhearing that Rebecca snickers, catching the attention of the three.


    ¡°Uh, you good Rebecca?¡± Marcus asks.


    Rebecca rolls her eyes before she says, ¡°I was before you started talking.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay,¡± Marcus sheepishly responds before turning his attention to Ronnie & Alex.


    As the three continued to talk, the door to the classroom opened with Ray Ramirez entering, followed shortly behind by X Locke. Ray, who¡¯s wearing glasses and has his hair tied in a ponytail, walks to the front of the room.


    ¡°You may know me as just a teaching assistant, but since I¡¯m the only faculty member who showed up today, it looks like I¡¯ll have to be your temporary instructor,¡± Ray says as he looks at the teacher¡¯s notes, ¡°Now Mister Penningberg wanted you all to take a test today¡­¡±


    All of the students groan before Ray finishes his sentence, ¡°But as you can see, he isn¡¯t here. So instead, just do whatever you want.¡±


    The entire classroom is delighted while X jokingly remarks, ¡°Well hey, I guess you¡¯re a good teacher after all.¡±


    Trying to hide his anger, because he¡¯s getting paid very well today as the only teacher here, Ray responds with, ¡°Oh right, I forgot you were a Junior, X. See, Junior Biology was going to have an exam today, would you like to take it?¡±


    X, silent for a bit, sighs and declares, ¡°No sir.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Ray Ramirez says, trying to hide the smirk on his face. Ramirez then begins walking to the door and he responds with, ¡°I¡¯ll go find us a movie to watch for today.¡±


    As he leaves and closes the door, Alex rejoices with several celebratory fist pumps. After he does so, X Locke notices how much it is raining outside.


    ¡°Hey, you guys wanna tell ghost stories?¡± X casually remarks.


    Hearing those words, Marcus¡¯ eyes light up as he replies, ¡°Yes!¡±


    Marcus reaches into his backpack and takes out a journal with several ghost stories in it


    ¡°Dude how did you get all of that?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Marcus is a bit of a fan of the paranormal,¡± Ronnie explains, ¡°I can¡¯t tell you how many times he¡¯s listened to old ghost tales to rereading creepypastas to rewatching that awful ghost sho-¡±


    ¡°At least a hundred times!¡± Marcus remarks in enthusiasm.


    ¡°You know that show is fake though, right?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°But that¡¯s why it¡¯s entertaining!¡± Marcus insists, ¡°They have to keep a straight face while chasing after The Toilet Tickler Ghost.¡±


    ¡°You do have a point,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°Still funny to think about how our club was gonna be like that though.¡±


    Seeing Marcus¡¯ enthusiasm, Rebecca scoffs as she says, ¡°Wow Veridan, I didn¡¯t think you would be a total nutjob. You do know ghosts aren¡¯t real.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but-¡± Marcus tries to say but Ronnie steps up.


    ¡°Hey, what is your problem, Rebecca? Why are you trying to start some shit?¡± Ronnie asks.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m just trying to let him know he isn¡¯t worth my time,¡± Rebecca remarks, ¡°I mean most of you aren¡¯t, you all don¡¯t come from any important families, you''re not rich, and you guys are annoying. I mean sure, Ronnie¡¯s uncle may be important, but besides that, you guys don¡¯t have much going for you.¡±


    After hearing those words, for some reason, Marcus stands up. But not because he was insulted, but because his friends were. As Rebecca looks at Marcus, Marcus tells her, ¡°You talk a lot for someone that can¡¯t back up their claims. So you think everyone here isn¡¯t worthwhile? Well, guess what, I¡¯ll prove you wrong.¡±


    ¡°Oh really? And how¡¯s that?¡± Rebecca snidely asks.


    Marcus looks around and he says, ¡°Simple. By summoning a ghost!¡±


    Rebecca¡¯s face turns to that of utter bewilderment, ¡°What?¡±


    Marcus, also confused by what he just said, tries to come up with a reason by adding, ¡°Well- uh- if you think ghosts aren¡¯t real, and they are. Then that would mean you were wrong about both that and us not being worthwhile!¡±


    X chuckles at his explanation before he says, ¡°I¡¯d be glad to see The Ghost of Starlight High!¡±


    Hearing that, Hamster, Bennet, & Christopher all look at X completely mortified.


    ¡°The Ghost of Starlight High? That isn¡¯t even a real thing,¡± Rebecca scoffs.


    ¡°Nah bro,¡± Christopher says as he stops doing wall sits and walks over to the group, ¡°the ghost is real.¡±


    As he says that, the lightning outside strikes illuminating the room. Whether it was due to that, the lack of anybody else, or the need to not be bored; everyone¡¯s attention turned to Christopher.


    ¡°I was walking down the hallway back at the start of the year when I heard some giggling coming from a hallway. I went there but nobody was around, that¡¯s when I heard her again,¡± Christopher explains as a bead of sweat drips down his face, ¡°The ghost said ¡®the bugs that gnaw at my flesh soothe my soul. You should join me.¡¯ After that I booked it down the hall, told Mister Ramirez, and made my way out of the school.¡±


    Everyone in the room has mixed reactions; Ronnie is a little bit tense, Marcus is on the edge of his seat, X seems mildly interested, Rebecca gets a bit nervous, & Alex is pretending not to care.


    ¡°Y-yeah, so what?¡± Rebecca Jenksin remarks, ¡°That could have just been a trick?¡±


    To that, Hamster & Bennet shake their heads as Hamster explains, ¡°I saw it too.¡±


    Everyone turns to Hamster as he continues, ¡°I was by myself in the cafeteria one day, enjoying the muffins we used to have. When I looked out the window and saw someone looking down at me. Glaring at me. After that, I never go in there alone.¡±


    Bennet backs up the story by acting it out. After he¡¯s done, X stands up and walks over to the chalkboard before saying, ¡°It looks like you guys don¡¯t know the full story, how about I educate you all on the story.¡±


    As X begins to draw, albeit badly, sketches onto the chalkboard, Rebecca begins to get nervous as chills run down her spine.


    ¡°There once was a girl who grew up in Starlight City,¡± X Locke says as he draws a tiny stick figure surrounded by two taller ones, ¡°She was the oldest daughter to a family with two kids. She was just like anyone in this room. But¡­¡±


    X draws the two adults, one walking away from them and the other with horns.


    X continues, ¡°She wasn¡¯t loved. Her dad left them, her mother wanted her children gone, and her sister was too young to help. One day, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore, so she ran into Starlight High and locked herself in the bathroom. When people started looking for her¡­¡±


    X erases the whole board as he remarks, ¡°She was gone. Nobody knows where she went, but some say that on rainy and lonely days, she roams the halls. And if she sees you, then you¡¯ll be dragged down to where she resides.¡±


    As he finishes, Hamster & Bennet are shaking out of fear, Christopher is sweating bullets, Rebecca & Alex have looks of fear on their faces, Marcus looks intrigued, and Ronnie is unamused.


    ¡°Sorry to ruin your tale but did you forget that the building got burned down and we had to renovate it?¡± Ronnie asks as he yawns.


    ¡°Oh come on you aren¡¯t fun,¡± X pouts, ¡°but they didn¡¯t renovate the bathroom she went in. And legend has it that if you knock on the door three times, she will awaken.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s test it out,¡± Marcus remarks all the while Rebecca wonders what she got herself into.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay behind, I¡¯m kinda feeling tired and also value my life,¡± Ronnie admits as he yawns.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay behind too,¡± X says, ¡°Have fun!¡±


    Marcus, Rebecca, Christopher, Alex, Hamster, & Bennet exit the classroom and into the hall. As they make their way to the door to the bathroom on the first floor, the two are beginning to get a bit more nervous.


    ¡°Nervous?¡± Marcus inquires.


    ¡°A-as if,¡± Rebecca retorts.


    The two stand right next to the door and both are nervous.


    ¡°Here goes nothing,¡± Marcus sighs.


    ¡°This won¡¯t work,¡± Rebecca says.


    The two knock on the door once.


    Christopher & Hamster are hiding behind Alex.


    The two knock on the door again.


    Alex gets in a boxer¡¯s fighting stance.


    The two knock on the door a third time.


    Bennet has his eyes closed expecting the worst, but when he opens his eyes, he sees everything is fine. Rebecca begins to laugh.


    ¡°See, nothing happened!¡± Rebecca laughs.


    ¡°Well¡­I guess you were right, but hey it was fun doing this-¡± Marcus begins to say but he¡¯s cut off by the crackling of thunder.


    The thunder booms down the halls of the school as the lights start to flicker until eventually all of the lights turn off. Leaving the only source of light coming from outside. Right after that happens, the group hears a blood-curdling scream followed by the laugh of a little girl.


    The scream coming from the classroom.


    Everyone, even Bennet, bolts back to the classroom and when they open the door they see X all alone in the room, shaking out of fear. His whole body is pale. Moments later, Ray Ramirez enters the classroom, carrying the old box TV and stand with him.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?! Is everyone alright?¡± Ray Ramirez asks.


    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m alright,¡± X manages to say, ¡°but Ronnie¡­the ghost took him!¡±


    Silence fills the room as everyone contemplates what X just said. The Ghost of Starlight High is roaming the halls, and something tells them that they¡¯ll all fall victim to it.


    Ray groans as he grabs a flashlight, ¡°Of course, this shit happens when I¡¯m the only staff member around. Alright, look guys, you¡¯ll stay here. I need to go look for Ronnie and try and fix the generator. You kids stay in here, alright?¡±


    Everyone there nods as Ray exits the classroom. As soon as he leaves though, chaos fills the room with X freaking out and Bennet writing his last will and testament. All the while, Marcus reaches into his backpack as everyone begins to talk.


    ¡°Okay, Ronnie, did you plan something with X? You can come out now!¡± Alex roars, but to no avail.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t funny!¡± Rebecca yells.


    ¡°What are we gonna do, I can¡¯t go to hell just yet,¡± X begins to say, ¡°There¡¯s so much I still need to do! I have to go to a Denny¡¯s, I have to try roller skating, I have to!-¡±


    ¡°Why are those the two first things you think of when you¡¯re about to maybe die?!¡± Hamster asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but if I¡¯m gonna die, I wanna do it while roller skating!¡±


    Finally, Marcus finds what he was looking for and pulls it out.


    ¡°Alright listen, guys, since the ghost is out there, we need to figure out what it wants,¡± Marcus begins to say.


    Everyone looks at Marcus to see what he pulled out of his backpack. All of them have looks of either shock, horror, confusion, or a mixture of the three.


    ¡°Where did you even get that?¡± Christopher shivers.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Rebecca exhales.


    ¡°Marcus there¡¯s no way in hell you¡¯re gonna use it,¡± Alex yells.


    ¡°I¡¯m not gonna use it,¡± Marcus explains before giving a coy smirk and adding ¡°Alone that is.¡±


    All the other kids come to the same conclusion at the same time. That they all were going to use the thing Marcus pulled out of his backpack.


    They were going to use an Ouija board.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 57 - Paranormal Hijinks (2)

    In the dark classroom on the second floor of Starlight High, the remaining kids are crowded around the small wooden Ouija board. All of them have different reactions; Bennet is frightened, Christopher is unnerved, Hamster is scared, Rebecca is nervous, Alex is annoyed, X is straight-faced, & Marcus is excited.


    ¡°You¡¯re the resident ghost guy, how¡¯s this work?¡± Rebecca asks.


    ¡°Well first you put your middle and index fingers on the planchette,¡± Marcus says.


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°The chip-looking thing,¡± Marcus says, ¡°that¡¯s how we can communicate with the ghosts. It essentially acts as the doorway for them.¡±


    Marcus, Rebecca, X, Alex, Christopher, & Hamster follow the instructions while Bennet tries to place their paw on the planchette.


    ¡°Okay, now what?¡± Alex asks unphased.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be the spokesperson, so I¡¯ll ask them a question,¡± Marcus says before clearing his throat, ¡°If there are any spirits here, can you please tell us your name?¡±


    The planchette doesn¡¯t move as everyone just sits there.


    ¡°See, I knew this was just a piece of junk,¡± Rebecca remarks.


    ¡°Oh really? How come you were scared to use it?¡± X teases.


    As Rebecca is about to retort his claim, the planchette begins to slide across the wooden board, passing by several letters, before landing on ¡®O¡¯.


    ¡°D-did you guys move it?¡± Christopher asks, concerned.


    The planchette then glides across the board before landing on ¡®U¡¯.


    ¡°Who the fuck has the name Ou?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t insult the ghost!¡± Marcus says, ¡°And it isn''t done, yet.¡±


    The planchette once again moves across the board before landing on ¡®I¡¯.


    ¡°O-U-I?¡± Rebecca asks befuddled.


    ¡°Oh dear god, it¡¯s French!¡± Alex jokingly remarks.


    The planchette then moves onto another letter on the board, ¡®J¡¯. Bennet is the first one to realize what the name is and his little hamster eyes widen in horror.


    Finally, the planchette moves onto the final letter, ¡®A¡¯. With the question now fully answered, everyone in the room is silent, all not knowing how to react.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, if nobody is gonna say anything then I¡¯ll ask it something, why are you doing this?¡± X asks.


    Marcus groans as the planchette begins to move.


    ¡°X why?¡± Marcus groans as the planchette goes from letter to letter.


    ¡°What did I do wrong?¡± X asks as the planchette goes from letter to letter.


    ¡°You¡¯re only supposed to ask simple questions,¡± Marcus explains as the planchette goes from letter to letter.


    ¡°Why?¡± X asks as the planchette goes from letter to letter.


    ¡°Because this thing only does one letter at a time, it''s gonna go on forever!¡± Marcus sighs as the planchette goes from letter to letter.


    ¡°Oh, my bad,¡± X says as the planchette goes from letter to letter.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°This is not the ghost we¡¯re supposed to be messing with,¡± Alex complains as the planchette goes from letter to letter.


    ¡°Who¡¯s to say someone is just pushing the planchette and not telling us?¡± Rebecca suggests as the planchette goes from letter to letter.


    ¡°Did you not just read what the planchette said the ghost¡¯s name was, I¡¯m not taking any chances with a thing that got a board named after it,¡± Alex says as the planchette goes from letter to letter.


    ¡°So you do believe-¡± Marcus begins to say but gets cut off when the planchette finally stops moving.


    ¡°Finally the question is over,¡± Hamster says, ¡°Did anyone keep track of what it was saying?¡±


    ¡°I thought Bennet was,¡± Christopher admits.


    ¡°Bennet¡¯s a fucking hamster, Christopher,¡± Rebecca yells.


    ¡°Oh¡­yeah, my bad guys,¡± Christopher sighs.


    ¡°Should we ask for the ghost to repeat itself?¡± X asks.


    ¡°NO!¡± The rest of the room yells in unison.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t working, let¡¯s just stop doing the ouija board,¡± Alex suggests.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry guys, this wasn¡¯t much help,¡± Marcus admits as he begins to end the session. Once he does so X stretches and begins to walk to the door.


    ¡°Ray¡¯s been gone for like 15 minutes, so we should be free to go,¡± X Locke says.


    ¡°But what about Ronnie?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine¡­probably,¡± X admits.


    X begins to walk to the door and just as he opens it, and enters the hall, he freezes.


    ¡°What in the world-¡± X begins to say but the door to the classroom shuts before he can say anything else.


    X is still in the hall though, and the rest of the class stands there as the only thing they hear are the giggles of a little girl. Eventually, those fade and when Alex opens the door and looks into the hallway, X is gone.


    Everyone gets out into the hall and looks around.


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t have gotten far, right?¡± Christopher panics.


    The group tries to look around the hall but it''s too dark to make anything out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just head back into the classroom,¡± Hamster suggests, with Christopher agreeing.


    ¡°Go, ahead, I¡¯m just gonna leave this place,¡± Rebecca says as she begins to walk to the staircase, ¡°I¡¯ve already had enough of you lot.¡±


    ¡°But, what if you encounter the ghost?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°Even if there was a ghost, then it would be better seeing it than spending time with all of you,¡± Rebecca says as she goes down the stairs.


    As she leaves, Marcus looks down the hall and wonders if he should follow her but Alex stops him and says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her, she clearly isn¡¯t worried for us. And besides, I heard that the cafeteria might have some food for us.¡±


    ¡°S¡­sure, let¡¯s go,¡± Marcus replies as the two begin to walk down the hall.


    However as they make their way down the hall and towards the cafeteria, Marcus stops. He looks over to where Alex is and sighs.


    ¡°Hey Alex you keep on going I just realized something,¡± Marcus says.


    ¡°You want to go alone?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°I just have a hunch so it shouldn¡¯t be anything major,¡± Marcus remarks as he walks away.


    ¡°Okay, take care of yourself,¡± Alex says.


    As Marcus begins to go down the hall he remembers that while the school had to be renovated over winter break, the school used to only have 1 floor, and considering how X¡¯s ghost story said she would drag people down with her¡­


    Then that must mean¡­


    The ghost is at its strongest on the first floor of the school.


    _______________


    On the first floor of the school, Rebecca is making her way towards the exit when she begins to hear giggling.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Rebecca asks as she looks around.


    To the right of her are lockers, to the left of her is the door to a classway, and standing directly behind her is some creature.


    Rebecca tries to get away but when she goes to turn she trips herself up. She looks to see that the ghost has long black hair that covers her entire face, a long white shirt that goes down to their feet, and blood stains all over them.


    The ghost giggles more and more as they begin to walk closer to Rebecca.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Rebecca says as she tries to get back up only to realize her back is to a locker, ¡°If I knew this was how I was going to go¡­maybe I would have done things differently.¡±


    Rebecca sighs as the ghost reaches out to her, ¡°Oh well, I don¡¯t really care anymore.¡±


    As the ghost¡¯s hand gets closer and closer to Rebecca, she sees some water being flung through the air towards the ghost.


    ¡°Hope you like that holy water, you ghost!¡± Marcus yells.


    The ghost steps back, just barely avoiding the water, Rebecca looks as Marcus runs over to the two of them.


    ¡°Marcus? What the hell are you doing here!¡± Rebecca yells.


    ¡°I figured that ghost was more powerful on the first floor so I came to make sure you were alright,¡± Marcus says as he tries to catch his breath.


    ¡°You think I needed your help?! Why don¡¯t you look after yourself and not someone like me!¡± Rebecca yells, ¡°This is why you-¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up with it!¡± Marcus yells, ¡°Do I have to just look out for myself all the time?! What¡¯s so wrong with lending a hand to someone else?!¡±


    Marcus then says, ¡°Now look, we need to get going soon because remember that I said it was holy water?¡±


    The ghost begins to walk toward them as Marcus says, ¡°I lied, that was just some water from the water fountain.¡±


    Hearing this the ghost lunges for the two and Marcus gets out of the way while Rebecca gets up. The two begin to run down the halls as the ghost chases after them on all fours. As Rebecca looks at Marcus he wonders just why he¡¯s doing the things he¡¯s doing. He doesn¡¯t even care about her, they have no reason to befriend each other, hell they barely even talked to each other before today, so why is he helping her out? Was it bravery? Stupidity? Somewhere in between? Despite wanting to find out the answer, Rebecca shoves that back as she tries to think of a way out of this.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Rebecca asks.


    ¡°To be honest, no clue!¡± Marcus yells.


    ¡°What?! You came down here without a plan!¡±


    The ghost gets closer and closer to them as Marcus and Rebecca turn the corner. The ghost isn¡¯t as good with sharp turns so they crash into a locker, causing more distance to get between the ghost and the two freshmen.


    ¡°Well, how the hell are we going to fight a ghost?!¡± Marcus yells as the two try to get away from the ghost.


    It¡¯s with those words, that something clicks in Rebecca¡¯s mind as she shouts back, ¡°I have an idea!¡±


    Marcus looks at Rebecca shocked for a bit before she continues, ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t even think this will even work. It¡¯ll take a miracle for it to even work. Even so, you want to try?¡±


    ¡°A miracle huh?¡± Marcus contemplates before replying with a smile, ¡°Let''s go for it!¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 58 - Paranormal Hijinks (Finale)

    ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Marcus asks as he is running down the hall with Rebecca.


    The two are in the darkly lit hallways of Starlight High, running from a ghost who¡¯s chasing them on all fours.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your backpack?¡± Rebecca asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s back in the classroom,¡± Marcus replies.


    ¡°Okay, I need to go grab that chip thing-¡±


    ¡°You mean the planchette?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever you call it. Because if that¡¯s how we can communicate with the ghost then¡­¡± Rebecca begins to say.


    ¡°Then it might be able to communicate directly with the ghost!¡± Marcus finishes her sentence.


    ¡°Exactly, you get that ghost to follow you, I¡¯ll head to the 2nd floor, and we meet back up in the cafeteria, got it?¡± Rebecca says.


    ¡°Heard you loud & clear!¡± Marcus replies as the two go their opposite ways down an intersecting hallway, with the ghost following Marcus.


    As Marcus runs down the halls, he wonders why he¡¯s acting this way. Usually, he¡¯s more reserved but he¡¯s been acting more outlandish. Is it because he¡¯s dealing with the paranormal? Is it to prove a point to Rebecca? Whatever the reason is, the thing that matters most is actually getting to the cafeteria.


    But can he? He¡¯s already wasted a ton of stamina running and despite being on all fours, the ghost is still as fast as ever. Despite his thoughts telling him he¡¯ll fall, he still keeps on running. All the while the doors to the cafeteria get closer and closer.


    _______________


    Rebbecca runs upstairs to the second floor of Starlight High and makes her way to the classroom. When she gets there, she sees Christopher & Hamster chatting amongst themselves.


    ¡°Oh hey, you¡¯re back!¡± Christopher remarks, ¡°I guess you¡¯ve been working your cardio.¡±


    Rebecca ignores him as she opens up Marcus¡¯ backpack and rummages through it as she looks for the planchette. She finds some notebooks, a folder, a limited edition 3DS, and finally the Ouija board. When she lifts the board up the planchette falls out and she grabs it.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Rebecca says to herself.


    ¡°Hey you shouldn¡¯t be stealing,¡± Christopher says as he walks over.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stealing, just borrowing, and besides I need to head to the cafeteria,¡± Rebecca says as she begins to run out of the classroom.


    However, as she runs, she feels that her feet are getting lighter. When she looks down she realizes her feet are off the ground. She looks to see Christopher carrying her in one arm, and Hamster in the other arm.


    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!¡± Rebecca squeals.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry, Hamster realized Bennet ditched him to go to the cafeteria, and you need to go there too,¡± Christopher says, ¡°So I figured this would be the fastest way to get there!¡±


    As Christopher sprints down the hall towards the cafeteria, Rebecca hopes that the school doesn¡¯t have any cameras so nobody else will witness this.


    _______________


    In the cafeteria at Starlight High, Alex Smith is there trying to grab something from the vending machine. Since the school was renovated, there¡¯s actually a balcony overlooking the cafeteria on the second floor however the staircase to the first floor is blocked off.


    ¡°C¡¯mon work you damn machine,¡± Alex says as the machine begins to push a bag of chips out.


    However the coil sticks to the chips he wanted and he can¡¯t grab them.


    ¡°STUPID MACHINE!¡± Alex says as he slams his fist into the side of the vending machine, inadvertently shattering the glass of it.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Alex looks around to see if anyone is around to see that, only to see Bennet The Hamster standing on the railing. His mouth agape and his eyes filled with shock.


    Alex stares at Bennet.


    Bennet stares at him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chip and you don¡¯t snitch,¡± Alex says.


    Bennet nods in agreement and Alex begins to rummage into the vending machine. As Alex opens the bag though, the lower lever doors to the cafeteria open as Marcus comes running in, with the ghost following close behind.


    ¡°AH!¡± Alex screams as he tries to stuff the bags into his hoodie pouch.


    Marcus looks up to see Alex there and says, ¡°Alex! I need your help!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right down!¡± Alex says as he walks to the staircase, only to realize is blocked off by some more vending machines.


    As Alex looks around, he sighs, ¡°If this doesn¡¯t work I¡¯m so going to haunt this place.¡±


    Alex takes a few steps back and then runs straight towards the balcony, and then jumps off of the railing. Just as he does this, the doors swing open as Christopher, Hamster, & Rebecca arrive. Rebecca tosses the planchette toward the first floor of the cafeteria.


    ¡°Hit the ghost with this!¡± Rebecca says.


    Alex sees the planchette flying by him and he grabs it with his right hand and makes a fist. The Ghost looks up to see Alex descending towards him; his hand reeled back ready to punch him and bags of chips flying out of his hoodie pocket. Alex swings his right fist toward the ghost''s face. As the punch lands, the ghost is sent flying back and collapsing to the ground while Alex lands on the ground.


    As the group of kids is silent, Christopher is the first to loudly exclaim, ¡°WE DID IT!!¡±


    Marcus and Alex fist bump while Bennet pours a bag of chips from the balcony to the first floor; almost as if it¡¯s confetti. Christopher pushes the vending machines out of the way of the stairs and walks down. Hamster joins Bennet in the make-shift confetti and even Rebecca has a smile on her face.


    As all the people on the balcony reach the first floor, Rebecca walks over to Marcus & Alex. Marcus gives a nod to her but she doesn¡¯t reciprocate. As the group is celebrating though, they begin to hear a groaning sound.


    ¡°Ugh, what the hell,¡± The ghost begins to say as it gets back up, ¡°Why did you have to hit me so hard?¡±


    Everyone looks at the ghost as it grabs the black hair that¡¯s covering its entire face, and tosses it aside. Revealing that the ghost was¡­


    ¡°X?!¡± Everyone else in the room says as X takes off the white shirt stained in ¡®blood¡¯.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s my name,¡± X Locke begins to say as he then readjusts the clothes he had on under the shirt, which he tucked in and pulled up to disguise himself, ¡°I bet you have a lot of questions. For starters, the ghost story? I made it up so I could sell more of my book. The blood? Not actual blood, just strawberry jam. And the Ouija board? Yeah, I was the one pushing that planchette.¡±


    ¡°What about Ronnie?¡± Marcus asks.


    However, his question is answered when the doors to the cafeteria¡¯s bathroom open and Ronnie walks out. Ronnie looks at the scene in front of him and asks, ¡°So uh, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Okay maybe I did a small lie,¡± X says before he pitches his voice higher, ¡°And as for the little girl giggles? Well, there¡¯s a thing called voice acting!¡±


    Everyone is silent as X begins to laugh and return to his normal voice, ¡°Man you should have all seen yourselves! My god this prank was amazing, I should totally do this again!¡±


    X, finally realizes nobody else is laughing, remarks, ¡°Oh come on, it was funny!¡±


    Alex, Marcus, Rebecca, Christopher, Hamster, & Bennet look at each other before they nod in unison. Together the group all jump X and begin to beat him up.


    ¡°HEY STOP! IT WAS JUST A PRANK! DON''T PULL MY HAIR! YEOUCH!!!¡± X yells as he¡¯s getting beaten up.


    As Ronnie watches, not knowing what to do, he sees Ray Ramirez enter the cafeteria, completely soaked.


    ¡°So that¡¯s where you were,¡± Ray sighs in relief.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°I was outside talking to an electrician. They said the power is out all over the place but it should be back in a bit,¡± Ray Ramirez explains, ¡°Then I had to go pay a delivery driver.¡±


    ¡°A delivery driver? For what?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Pizza. I dropped it off in the classroom,¡± Ray Ramirez says which causes everyone to stop beating up X and look at him.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re so kind Mister Ramir-¡± Marcus begins to say while X stands up.


    ¡°There¡¯s a pizza that has my name on it!¡± X says as he begins to rush over to Ray. However, Ray stops him.


    ¡°X, after what you just did today, you aren¡¯t getting any pizza,¡± Ramirez says.


    ¡°Awe c¡¯mon Ray-Ray,¡± X tries to say but Ray still insists.


    As the two argue, the rest of the kids start heading to the classroom. Though as Marcus starts walking, he sees Rebecca walk up to him.


    ¡°Well it looks like what you said didn¡¯t happen,¡± Rebecca scoffs, ¡°there was no ghost after all.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true,¡± Marcus says as he¡¯s walking back to the classroom, ¡°well looks like you were right about that but what about the whole seeing us as useless thing?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± Rebecca begins to say, ¡°I still haven¡¯t figured it out yet.¡±


    ¡°Awe that¡¯s nice,¡± Marcus begins to say.


    ¡°By that, I mean how useless you are. I don¡¯t know whether it is 100% or 80% or 75%,¡± Rebecca explains.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Marcus sighs deflated before saying, ¡°but still the fact that you¡¯re considering it means you aren¡¯t as heartless as I thought. You were actually kinda cool today.¡±


    Hearing those words, Rebecca is taken aback, ¡°C-Cool?!¡±


    ¡°Hey I don¡¯t know if you should get so worked up Reb¡¯,¡± Ronnie says as he walks towards the classroom, ¡°He compliments everyone.¡±


    ¡°R-right,¡± Rebecca sighs.


    As the group of kids continued to walk to their classroom, despite none of them really realizing it, they all had grown just a smidge closer than they ever would have otherwise. While the day wouldn¡¯t be seen as important to some; this day would be the initial step to a much more intriguing day.


    _____________________


    In the cafeteria, X & Ray Ramirez are walking up the steps to the balcony. As they do so, X whistles as he rubs some of his bruises.


    ¡°Say, X why didn¡¯t you fight back?¡± Ray Ramirez asks.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I fight back?¡± X begins to say, ¡°Well that¡¯s because.¡±


    X begins to playfully wiggle his arms as he teasingly says, ¡°My bones are itty bitty and so fragile. I can¡¯t even hurt a fly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure, but still, you shouldn¡¯t be doing shit like this in the first place,¡± Ray Ramirez states, ¡°Just be glad nobody got hurt from your little stunt.¡±


    X looks at Ray and remarks, ¡°Oh so you do care for the students!¡±


    ¡°No shit, it¡¯s my job to,¡± Ray Ramirez says, ¡°If I didn¡¯t get paid I wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±


    ¡°Sure sure,¡± X says however he stops as he looks up at the window in the cafeteria.


    X sees a girl¡¯s face looking down at him, staring directly at him. Their face still and filled with rage. When X tries to get Ray¡¯s attention, whatever was looking at him is nowhere to be seen.


    Since that day, X would try to tell anybody he could about how the school was actually haunted. But nobody would ever believe him. Not the teachers nor any of the students. Nobody ever saw any more ghost sightings after that day. However, it is still said that those who went to Starlight High, they¡¯d occasionally get a feeling when nobody else was around.


    The feeling that something or someone was watching them.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 59 ~ Paranormal Hijinks (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - A Rivalry Blossoms


    On the next day of school, Marcus is walking through the halls when he sees Rebecca Jenksin with all of her friends. He goes to wave at her but she ignores him. So he just decides to go to math class. When he gets there he sees the math teacher, Wilsten Jefferson, handing out the math tests they just did. When he gets his back he sees he got a 100%.


    ¡°Congratulations Mister Veridan,¡± Mister Jefferson remarks, ¡°You¡¯re the only student who got a perfect score on this exam.¡±


    Everyone looks at Marcus, including the person who got a 99% score on the test, Rebecca Jenksin.


    Once class ends, Marcus gets up to leave when Rebecca walks up to him, ¡°So you¡¯re aiming to be valedictorian huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only good at math so I doubt I¡¯d ever be valedictorian,¡± Marcus replies.


    ¡°Well, my GPA is a near-perfect score, so if you ever change your mind and want to be valedictorian, then you¡¯ll have to be better than me,¡± Rebecca sneers.


    ¡°No offense Rebecca but, we¡¯re both freshmen. Besides I don¡¯t even know how to check my GPA,¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°You don¡¯t? Don¡¯t your parents ever tell you your score?¡± Rebecca asks.


    ¡°Uh,¡± Marcus says as he tries a way to switch the topic, ¡°good luck on the next test.¡±


    As Marcus begins to leave, Rebecca wonders if she said anything wrong to him. All the while Marcus looks down at the calendar. It¡¯s already April. And yet he can¡¯t even remember the last time he¡¯s had a proper conversation with them.


    SUN SHORT #2 - The Betrayal


    Crunch Backson, the wild card sophomore of Starlight High, marches down the campus of Starlight High. His long dyed lime-green hair blew in the wind. His brow furrowed and his mouth was frowning.


    ¡°Where is that fucker?!¡± Crunch exhales.


    Next to him is fellow sophomore, Suzy Dark. Who¡¯s completely uninterested in Crunch¡¯s shenanigans.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just, not do this?¡± Suzy asks.


    ¡°No, that guy needs to be taught a lesson!¡± Suzy says.


    The two finally find who they¡¯re looking for and Crunch rushes over to the person and grabs them by the shirt.


    ¡°Hey! How dare you do that crap!¡± Crunch roars.


    The person that he¡¯s holding is X Locke, who looks confused and asks, ¡°What did I do?¡±


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU DO?! YOU TERRORIZED THE SCHOOL AS A FAKE GHOST¡­,¡± Crunch begins to say angrily before pouting and adding, ¡°WITHOUT ME!¡±


    Suzy rolls her eyes as X laughs.


    ¡°Uh, my bad man,¡± X Locke chuckles.


    ¡°That sounded so fun and now we can¡¯t do that!¡± Crunch sighs.


    ¡°Okay okay, look if I decide to do any more fun things then I¡¯ll let you know,¡± X says, ¡°Now can you please let me go?¡±


    Crunch does so and X walks away, as Crunch & Suzy then begin to walk away from the school, Crunch sighs, ¡°Man, I just wish that we could have some fun. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve truly had a fun time.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    It¡¯s when he says this that someone approaches the two. The person is an 18 y/o Hispanic woman wearing a black beanie, a light brown-green flannel jacket over a black t-shirt with the name of a local nightclub on it, jorts, and black boots.


    ¡°So I heard you loved having fun,¡± The Hispanic lady says.


    ¡°You bet! The only life worth living is that of the party!¡± Crunch says, causing Suzy to roll her eyes.


    ¡°I see,¡± the lady responds with a smile on her face, ¡°Well I heard about this one place that I think you¡¯d really like then.¡±


    ¡°Really? Where is it?¡± Crunch asks, excited to try something new.


    ¡°Here,¡± The lady says as she hands him a business card, ¡°We¡¯ll be open tonight so why don¡¯t you stop by?¡±


    ¡°Okay, will do!¡± Crunch responds.


    As he looks at the business card, Suzy sighs and asks, ¡°Why did you listen to a complete stranger?¡±


    ¡°Why did I?¡± It¡¯s simple really.¡± Crunch says as he looks at the card, ¡°My gut was telling me fun things are going to happen at that place real soon!¡±


    The card Crunch holds in his hands reads: ¡®Marcy Murphy. Manager at Club Azure. Open from 11 PM - 4 AM every night.¡¯


    SUN SHORT #3 - Broken Promise


    On the rainy day when The Ghost of Starlight High attacked several students, there was another story going on. One that took place somewhere else in the city. This is that story.


    At the Starlight City Bookstore, Ivan Turnip sits in his wheelchair by the front counter as he takes a sip of some coffee. Next to him is the co-owner of the business, Professor Jessica Powell. As the two are in the bookstore, their mind wanders.


    ¡°You know Ivan, despite us knowing each other for a long time, we barely even talked about what we did before we met,¡± Powell says.


    ¡°Really? What¡¯s there to really talk about,¡± Turnip jokes, ¡°We¡¯re surrounded by countless stories here. All of which are far more interesting than anything from my past.¡±


    ¡°Maybe for most people,¡± Powell says, ¡°But I¡¯d rather get to know you more than read another book to pass the time.¡±


    As they chat, the rain continues to fall outside.


    ¡°Well, how about you go first,¡± Turnip suggests as he moves in his wheelchair to go close the door that blew open due to the storm.


    Powell walks over and helps slam the door as she says, ¡°Well it isn¡¯t anything interesting. I got my PhD and was ready to make something of my life. Then the ¡®08 crisis hit and I had to move to this city. Now I¡¯m here selling books to random passersby and having to make sure our employees don¡¯t cause a huge ruckus.¡±


    ¡°Employees? We only have one besides us,¡± Turnip chuckles, ¡°But do you ever regret choosing to stay here?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, sometimes I do,¡± Powell responds, ¡°But there are several moments where I¡¯m happy just being here. What about you? Do you have any regrets?¡±


    ¡°Me? Well of course I have some,¡± Turnip says, ¡°I wish I kept all my hair, I wish I didn¡¯t get stuck in this wheelchair, but my biggest regret of all¡­¡±


    Turnip looks over to a photo on one of the shelves behind the counter of the store. The photograph has a teenage Ivan Turnip smiling enjoying a moment with his friend. His friend has wavy black hair, white skin, and gray eyes. The friend is also wearing blue overalls over a black hoodie.


    ¡°I wish I still kept in touch with an old friend of mine,¡± Turnip sighs, ¡°I wonder what he¡¯s been up to recently.¡±


    ____________________


    In the CEO¡¯s office of Club Azure, Jerry Pit sits on his chair looking at his desk. On the desk are several papers that the manager of the club, Marcy Murphy brought to him.


    ¡°So what do you think of the trajectory?¡± Marcy Murphy asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice, but I think it¡¯ll be best if we had more younger people try and talk to the high schoolers. You graduated last year, right? Why don¡¯t you try and grab a few,¡± Jerry Pitt suggests.


    ¡°Yeah sure,¡± Marcy Murphy replies as she lights a cigarette, ¡°I thought that would have been Li-Wei ¡®field specialist¡¯ Zhang¡¯s job but I can do that too.¡±


    Marcy Murphy exits the office and as she does so, Jerry looks over at the photograph on his desk. It¡¯s of him as a high schooler, back when he didn¡¯t have a care in the world. Back when everything was right. Back when he was with his childhood friend was always by his side. Back during a simpler time.


    ¡°No matter what it takes,¡± Jerry says as he looks at the photograph, ¡°I will make things right. I promise.¡±


    SUN SHORT #4 - Things Are Still The Same


    As the school day ends at Starlight High, many of the students make their way out of the school including The Miracle Clinic members; Ronnie Everst, Marcus Veridan, Elizabeth Moore, & Cameron Dots.


    ¡°Wait so you guys were ghost-hunting the other day?¡± Elizabeth laughs, ¡°Why does all the interesting stuff happen when I¡¯m absent.¡±


    ¡°Well it wasn¡¯t as fun in the moment,¡± Alex sighs.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t even a part of it,¡± Ronnie sighs.


    ¡°The ghost wasn¡¯t even real,¡± Marcus sighs.


    ¡°Well still, it is better than taking an exam,¡± Elizabeth says.


    ¡°True,¡± Alex admits.


    As Cameron walks with them he begins to try and speak when he gets interrupted by the honking of a car.


    The group looks to see a red minivan parked by the school with Elizabeth¡¯s dad, Nolan Moore, driving the car. In the back seats are her younger siblings Nhung Thi Moore & Hai Vhan Moore.


    ¡°Sorry guys but I¡¯m getting picked up today,¡± Elizabeth says as her face goes red with embarrassment.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, tell your dad we said hi,¡± Ronnie says but Elizabeth ignores him as she gets into the car.


    As the car drives off, Cameron begins to try to say something when he hears the clicking of a helmet. He looks to see Alex getting on a pink tricycle that¡¯s way too small for him with a white bike helmet on.


    ¡°Well guys I gotta head back home, I¡¯ll talk to you all later,¡± Alex says as he begins to bike off.


    ¡°Yeah but make sure to give your cousin her bike back!¡± Ronnie yells as Alex rides off.


    As Cameron then tries to speak up once more,  he notices some of the buses are getting ready to leave so he sighs and states, ¡°I uh- gotta get going, the bus is about to leave.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°I¡¯ll see you around, alright?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Cameron sighs as he walks off.


    As he walks off and enters the bus, Cameron begins to think to himself how despite it being months since he joined this club, nothing has changed for him. He¡¯s still the same.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 60 - Club Azure (1)

    Sitting at a part of a table in a dining room, Cameron Dots looks down at his plate of pasta and starts to eat. The room has yellow walls and wooden flooring with several delicate tableware being displayed on nearby cabinets. Also at the table eating dinner are his parents; Jason Dots & Melissa Dots.


    ¡°So honey, how was school?¡± Misses Dots asks.


    ¡°Oh it was fine,¡± Cameron replies, ¡°I¡¯ve been getting good grades on my recent tests.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s great,¡± Mister Dots says as he eats some more food, ¡°a boy like you should be focused on getting good grades and making friends. How¡¯s that club you said you joined?¡±


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s been nice,¡¯ Cameron says, ¡°The group gets up to a ton of wild things but it¡¯s fun.¡±


    As Cameron says that he begins to reflect on more of his time as a member of The Miracle Clinic. As he does so he realizes that when he first joined he thought that he¡¯d be able to be more confident in himself. But he hasn¡¯t been feeling any different. The only thing that has happened is that it feels like he hasn¡¯t even done anything substantial in the group.


    Whenever they do something whether it''s traveling to the east side, hunting ghosts, helping Mesto, or many other things he either isn¡¯t there or is just in the background. Just an afterthought to them. Sure there have been times where he excluded himself on purpose, but it still doesn¡¯t feel good for him to listen to them talk about past experiences and realize his involvement wasn¡¯t of huge importance.


    As Cameron finishes his dinner, he looks over to see his father getting a call from work, Mister Dots sighs as he hangs up.


    ¡°Everything good?¡± Misses Dots asks.


    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s just they want me to come in on my day off to show around the new workers,¡± Mister Dots says, ¡°but I already planned a fishing trip with Cameron-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Dad,¡± Cameron says as he puts on a fake smile, ¡°I¡¯m fine with you going to work.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Mister Dots asks his son. Cameron nods so Mister Dots replies with, ¡°Thanks son, I¡¯ll make sure to spend some more time with you soon.¡±


    As his father leaves the room, Cameron reflects and wonders when the last time he truly spent time with his family for anything special outside of vacations and holidays. They have dinner together but besides that, his father is usually working even while at home and his mother tends to talk with the other housewives in the neighborhood most of the day.


    As the day continues on, Cameron decides to catch some fresh air. As he does so he begins to walk down the street. As he¡¯s walking, he accidentally bumps into someone.


    ¡°Oh s-sorry,¡± Cameron begins to say as he looks at the person, ¡°Are you okay-¡±


    It¡¯s there that Cameron actually looks at the person he walked into. The person has white porcelain skin, messy black hair with two black piercings above his right eyebrow, and green eyes. The man is wearing a black tank top with an unzipped white hoodie that¡¯s too big for him over it, gray sweatpants, and black slip-on sandals. As the two look at each other, Cameron gets the feeling that he¡¯s seen this person before.


    ¡°Cameron? Is that you?¡± The man asks.


    That¡¯s when Cameron finally recognizes the guy, ¡°Cal Hound?!¡±


    Cal Hound gives Cameron a hug as he says, ¡°Man it¡¯s been forever since I saw you! How have you been?¡±


    ¡°G-good,¡± Cameron asks.


    ¡°Hey if you don¡¯t got anything going on, wanna catch up?¡± Cal Hound suggests.


    Cameron thinks about it for a second and nods.


    __________________________


    Back when he was in elementary school, Cameron tended to hang around people in the older grades rather than those his same age. While most of them didn¡¯t care about Cameron or ignored him, there was one person who always made sure to include him in whatever it was they were doing. And that was Cal Hound. As Cameron & Cal sit down for coffee, Cameron notices just how muscular Cal is.


    Cal, noticing Cameron¡¯s staring eyes, chuckles as he says, ¡°I bet I can still carry you around now huh?¡±


    Cameron gets nervous as he says, ¡°Uh- y-yeah I guess.¡±


    Cal laughs before he says, ¡°So what¡¯s new with you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, just the same old stuff as always. Go to school, after school go to a club, and then head home,¡± Cameron says.


    ¡°Wow, that sounds pretty boring huh,¡± Cal suggests.


    ¡°Y-yeah, I don¡¯t really have much else going on, I kinda wish I did though,¡± Cameron admits.


    As Cameron says those words an idea pops up in Cal¡¯s mind, an idea that puts a smile on his face.


    ¡°Well, how about we hang out some more, aye?¡± Cal suggests, ¡°It¡¯ll be like old times!¡±


    Cameron is taken aback as he asks, ¡°Really? You sure you still want to hang out with me?¡±


    ¡°Positive, I know all the best places to hang out, so it¡¯ll be really fun. What do you say?¡± Cal asks as he reaches his hand out toward Cameron.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Cameron looks at Cal¡¯s hand and the smile on his face and he realizes that maybe by being friends with Cal again, he¡¯d be able to get more confidence back. The two only stopped being friends because Cal left the elementary school to go to middle school. So it would be just like old times. After some hesitation, Cameron shakes Cal¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do it,¡± Cal says as he stands up.


    Cal begins to walk away while Cameron sits there confused, ¡°Hey wait aren¡¯t you going to pay for the coffee?¡±


    ¡°I did when I ordered and for yours as well,¡± Cal admits.


    Cameron catches up to Cal as they begin to leave the store he then asks, ¡°How much do I owe you for the coffee?¡±


    ¡°Nothing buddy! It was only a dollar,¡± Cal says.


    Cameron looks confused as he looks over to the prices on the board to see that a cup of coffee here is $10, yet Cal only paid for $1.


    ¡°Oh that, well you see,¡± Cal says before he takes out his ID.


    The ID looks just like a regular one only for the fact that there¡¯s a light blue marking next to the date of birth.


    Cal begins to explain, ¡°I managed to get this and it essentially acts as a discount for a ton of stores. Pretty cool, right?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, but how is that even possible?¡± Cameron asks.


    Cal¡¯s a bit silent before he says, ¡°I guess that they want to be generous.¡±


    As the two leave, Cal glances over to the name of the cafe. The name of it is ¡®The Crescent Cafe¡¯ but below that in a much smaller font are the words ¡®Subsidiary of Club Azure¡¯.


    __________________________


    As the days passed by, Cal & Cameron hung out more and more. Whether it was at an arcade, a movie theater, or a corner store. The two would have fun together, but Cal would always be the one to pay, and he¡¯d use his ID to get a big discount on whatever it was the place sold to them.


    Eventually, one day though Cal suggests something to Cameron.


    ¡°Hey buddy, if you want I¡¯d like you to meet up with all my other friends, is that okay?¡± Cal asks.


    ¡°Yeah sure, where though?¡± Cameron asks.


    ¡°It was at this nightclub I think you¡¯d really like,¡± Cal Hound begins to say before sighing and adding, ¡°But the only real problem is¡­you can only get in if you¡¯re over 21.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Cameron asks.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but,¡± Cal Hound begins to say, ¡°You remember the ID I have, I can get one for you that¡¯ll say you¡¯re old enough to go and we can hang out. It¡¯s only 200 bucks.¡±


    Cameron stops at that word. 200 dollars? He only gets 25 dollars a week for his allowance. If he buys the ID he¡¯d barely have any money in his wallet for anything else. But then again, the fake ID Cal has allows him to get stuff extremely cheap all over the place. So if he uses it then he wouldn¡¯t even have to worry about losing 200 dollars.


    ¡°Al¡­Alright,¡± Cameron says as he hands Cal Hound 200 dollars, ¡°When are we hanging out with them?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow night,¡± Cal Hound says as he checks all of the money, ¡°I¡¯ll text you the location!¡±


    As Cal leaves, Cameron begins to feel excitement for what¡¯s to come.


    __________________________


    The next day at school, the bell rings and Cameron begins to walk down the halls. As he does so, he notices a text from Cal Hound that shows his fake ID. As Cameron looks at it, he sees that besides the light blue mark, the fake ID looks just like the real one he has.


    As Cameron begins to make his way to the doors to Starlight High¡¯s entrance, he feels a hand tap his shoulder. When he turns around he sees Elizabeth standing there holding a bag of tortilla chips.


    ¡°Oh hey, where are you going? "We got a club meeting today,¡± Elizabeth says, ¡°And it¡¯s gonna be a potluck.¡±


    As Cameron looks at Elizabeth he wonders if he should go. He¡¯d probably just be in the background as per usual, an afterthought to everyone there. Whereas with Cal, he¡¯s given all the attention. He¡¯s a core part. Cameron realizes what he wants to choose.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good,¡± Cameron says with a smile on his face before he continues to walk out of the school.


    Elizabeth looks befuddled by Cameron¡¯s response. As she sees him walk away, Elizabeth recalls something Cameron once told her during lunch. He wanted to grow a backbone and say no to things, so as Elizabeth walks to the club she figures that this was his way of doing that.


    When she would look back on this moment, Elizabeth would wonder that if she just stopped Cameron maybe all of what was soon to come could have been avoided.


    __________________________


    That night at around 11 PM, Cameron and Cal are in line as they make their way towards the front doors of a nightclub. The neon lights outside read ¡®Club Azure¡¯. As they reach the bouncer, the big burly man looks at Cal & Cameron¡¯s fake IDs for a second before letting them through.


    As the two begin to walk into the nightclub and down the black stairs illuminated by pink fluorescent lights, Cameron gets a bit uneasy.


    However, that uneasiness washes away as they fully enter the nightclub. There are numerous people in the nightclub all enjoying themselves. People are on the dancefloor dancing, some are chatting over by the bar, and there are some exclusive ¡®VIP¡¯ rooms that Cal is walking towards. Cal opens the glass door to ¡®VIP Room #01¡¯ which has a brown-stained wooden roundtable in the center with a spherical red leather couch next to it. In the room, there are several drinks as well as two other people there.


    One of them is a Chinese man with black hair in the style of a braided mohawk, a rose tattoo on the right side of his forehead, brown eyes, and black nails. He¡¯s wearing a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, chalk-striped blue pants, and brown loafers. The other is a Hispanic woman wearing a black beanie, a light brown-green flannel jacket over a black t-shirt with the words ¡®Club Azure¡¯ on it, jorts, and black boots.


    ¡°Hey everyone, this is my buddy Cameron, let¡¯s all show him a good time, okay!¡± Cal says.


    As Cameron sits down, the Chinese man nods as he says, ¡°Hey my name¡¯s Li-Wei Zhang nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Marcy Murphy,¡± The Hispanic woman says as she scoots closer to Cameron so Cal Hound can sit down next to them.


    ¡°Nice to meet you two too,¡± Cameron says shyly.


    However as the night goes on, Cameron begins to feel more and more comfortable around these people. Because all three of them are there to chat with him. They want to be there with him. As the night goes on, Cal Hound steps outside only to return with a glass filled with alcohol.


    ¡°Hey, I got you this man,¡± Cal Hound says as he hands the glass to Cameron, ¡°Drink it.¡±


    Cameron is a bit nervous but Li-Wei says, ¡°20 bucks says that you won¡¯t drink it.¡±


    ¡°Oh now you gotta drink it,¡± Marcy teases Cameron, ¡°We gotta get that money from him!¡±


    After some more teasing, Cameron grabs the glass of alcohol and drinks it all in one huge sip with Cal & Marcy cheering as he does so.


    Cameron wipes some of the alcohol off of his lips on his sleeve as he says, ¡°Guess I got that twenty dollars!¡±


    Li-Wei sighs as he pulls out his wallet and takes out 20 dollars, he then says, ¡°Fine, here you go man.¡±


    As Cameron gets the twenty dollars in his hand he smiles to himself as making bets, enjoying each other¡¯s company, and challenging people¡­ it is exactly what he¡¯s been looking for.


    ¡°Say you guys want some more drinks?¡± Li-Wei asks as he stands up.


    ¡°You bet!¡± Cameron says.


    ¡°Only if you¡¯re paying!¡± Marcy Murphy says.


    ¡°Alright alright,¡± Li-Wei says as he begins to exit the room. Though as he does so, a sinister grin grows on Li-Wei, Cal, & Marcy¡¯s faces. Cameron is oblivious to it though as he sits there.


    Li-Wei Zhang makes his way to the bar where he sits down. The bartender walks over and pours him some glasses. The bartender has light brown skin, curly dark brown hair, gold eyes, a chiseled jawline, and tattoos from the neck down. He¡¯s wearing a white button-up with the sleeves rolled up underneath a black suit vest, a black & gray tie, black suit pants, and brown loafers.


    The bartender, Logan Stewart, begins making a cocktail as he asks, ¡°So how¡¯s the new kid?¡±


    ¡°Cameron?¡± Li-Wei says as he chuckles to himself before saying, ¡°He¡¯s a great fucking tool.¡±


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Logan Stewart says as he finishes the four cocktails, ¡°I guess Cal has a good eye when it comes to finding them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah though he does oversell our fake IDs. But still, he¡¯s also good at slipping in the substances,¡± Li-Wei says as he takes out a small zip-lock bag with some white powder and puts it into one of the cocktails.


    ¡°Do you even know what¡¯s in there?¡± Logan asks.


    ¡°A bit of molly but a ton of other shit,¡± Li-Wei says as he begins to walk towards the VIP room, ¡°And it¡¯s just what we need to make him our next big buyer.¡±


    As he walks back into the VIP Room, Li-Wei goes back to being a friendly person as he hands Cameron the special cocktail.


    Cameron stares at the drink while everyone else in the room chants for him to drink it.


    So Cameron puts the glass to his lips and begins to chug.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 61 - Club Azure (2)

    On a morning before school, Cameron Dots wakes up in his bedroom. Wondering just what happened last night, he goes to put on a t-shirt but when he does, he notices how it feels like his clothes just aren¡¯t fitting as they usually do. As he exits his bedroom he decides to start making himself some breakfast as he puts some bread in the toaster.


    As he does so, he sees his dad walk in wearing a robe and drinking coffee.


    ¡°Cameron? What are you doing up so early? And what¡¯s up with your pupils?¡± Mister Dots asks as he yawns.


    ¡°It¡¯s not early, I¡¯m getting ready for school,¡± Cameron says, ¡°And what about my pupils?¡±


    Cameron looks at a mirror and notices that both of his pupils are dilated. Though before he can really look more closely at them, his toast finishes so he goes and grabs some.


    ¡°It¡¯s 5:45 AM, usually you wake up at 6:30,¡± Mister Dots says, ¡°Well more like we wake you up at 6:30 but still.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I guess I just felt like waking up early today,¡± Cameron says as he eats his toast.


    As he eats his food, Cameron begins to realize that there are many oddities going on today; first, his clothes didn¡¯t feel right on him, now he¡¯s waking up way earlier than usual, his pupils are dilated, and he¡¯s eating breakfast when he usually doesn¡¯t get hungry until noon.


    But strangest of all, he has the urge to return to Club Azure.


    As the day went by and Cameron went through school, he noticed many other strange new things about himself; his pupils finally returned to normal but now his teeth would clench without him realizing. His muscles would get tense out of nowhere. And the craving to go to Club Azure would get worse and worse as the day went on.


    Eventually, when school did get out, he¡¯d try to head to Club Azure only to see that it only opened up later that day. So he waits, and after a while, the sign lights up, and the doors finally open. As he walks down those steps into the nightclub, trying to make sure he doesn¡¯t look desperate when he finally gets there and sees his friends; Cal Hound, Marcy Murphy, & Li-Wei Zhang. All of his worries wash away as Cal buys him drinks and everything gets better.


    Sure, his vision gets blurry afterward and he¡¯s sweating a whole lot more, but that¡¯s probably just due to how late he spends at Club Azure each night. Though what Cameron couldn¡¯t tell was that as he continued to enjoy himself he kept on sinking. Sinking into a trap that he¡¯d mistakenly thought was a new chance for him.


    One day as Cameron makes his way to the club he sees that the room that he & Cal are now in is a VIP room without a glass door, so they can¡¯t even look outside. When Cameron begins to talk, Cal sighs.


    ¡°Hey listen, hanging out with you is fun and all but¡­when are you going to pay up?¡± Cal asks.


    ¡°P-pay up? What do you mean?¡± Cameron asks as he drinks some water due to being so dehydrated.


    To that Cal begins to laugh as he says, ¡°Wait you thought all of those drinks were free?! You know how much money I spent on those.¡±


    ¡°But the fake ID it-¡± Cameron says but Cal slams his fist onto the table.


    ¡°You owe me thousands,¡± Cal hisses, ¡°You know how hard it was to get Li-Wei to sell me those drugs.¡±


    It¡¯s at those words that Cameron stops as realization washes over him, ¡°What drugs?¡±


    Realizing he slipped up, Cal sighs, ¡°Crap I wasn¡¯t supposed to tell you for a while. Oh well.¡±


    It¡¯s then that Cal pulls out a Ziploc bag that contains white powder as he explains, ¡°We¡¯ve been putting this stuff in all of your drinks. It¡¯s just a lil something to make you feel real good.¡±


    As Cameron tries to wrap his head around everything, the door to the VIP Room opens as Li-Wei steps in. It¡¯s then that Cameron notices Cal¡¯s eyes are also dilated while Li-Wei¡¯s are normal.


    Li-Wei sighs as he says, ¡°Well since you told him there¡¯s no use in beating around the bush.¡±


    Cameron is confused until Li-Wei kicks Cameron to the ground, as Cameron tries to get up, Li-Wei slams his foot on his head before dropping several fake IDs by him.


    ¡°In order to make up for all of your reckless spending, you¡¯ll be trying to convince people to purchase these fake IDs. They also function as a discount card for several subsidiaries we own. Once they trust you, bring them here and make them want to keep coming back,¡± Li-Wei explains as he lights a cigarette.


    As Cameron tries to gasp for air, Cal stands up as he says, ¡°Hey Li-Wei isn¡¯t that being a bit too harsh-¡±


    Though Cal gets cut off by Li-Wei putting his hand over Cal¡¯s face and slamming him into the wall.


    ¡°Listen bitch,¡± Li-Wei says, ¡°You¡¯re in the same predicament and not once did you care about getting your buddy wrapped up into this. So don¡¯t try to moral grandstand now.¡±


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    Cal is nervous as he nods, Li-Wei then lets go of him and his attention returns to Cameron.


    ¡°The lowest you can sell the IDs is $125. If you can¡¯t make up the rest of the money by the end of the month then I¡¯m sure the others will be able to find a way to get you to return our money,¡± Li-Wei says.


    ¡°Why would¡­Why would I work with you?¡± Cameron gasps.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s simple,¡± Li-Wei replies as he puffs out some smoke from his cigarette, ¡°You don¡¯t have a choice.¡±


    Cameron realizes what he means. If he runs away, then he won¡¯t be getting access to any of the things Club Azure brought him. None of the partying, none of the substances, none of the friends. Sure he could try to return to normal but¡­ every time he isn¡¯t here he wants to be here.


    Cameron slowly bows his head as he says, ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll work for you.¡±


    ¡°Prove it then,¡± Li-Wei utters as he shoves his shoe next to Cameron¡¯s head.


    Cameron looks up at Li-Wei only to see a twisted demonic smile having contorted onto his face, it spreading from ear to ear.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Li-Wei remarks, ¡°Clean it.¡±


    Tears begin to fall from Cameron¡¯s face as he leans closer to Li-Wei¡¯s shoe.


    Hesitantly, Cameron puts the shoe to his lips and begins to ¡®clean¡¯,


    He can¡¯t escape this, and he just wishes that he never stepped foot in this demonic nightclub. Once finished Cameron rushes to the garbage can in the room and throws up. Li-Wei rolls his eyes as he lifts Cameron back up and has him and the silent Cal Hound make their way to the door.


    As the three exit the VIP room, Li-Wei makes sure to hide the bruises he left on Cameron as he shows him the way to the Employee¡¯s Only section of the building. As that happens, Logan Stewart finishes serving a drink to someone. The person has their face obscured and is wearing a gray hoodie underneath a green denim jacket, blue jeans, and white sneakers. The person sips their drink ¨C a glass of apple juice on the rocks ¨C before paying for his drink and exiting the nightclub.


    __________________________


    The next day in Starlight High, The Miracle Clinic is in another meeting with Alex & Ronnie in the middle of a game of arm wrestling.


    ¡°Heh, too easy,¡± Alex says as he begins to push Ronnie¡¯s hand down.


    Though his grin is wiped off as Ronnie starts using all his power to tip the scales in his favor, and before Alex realizes it; he¡¯s lost.


    ¡°Well I guess that finally settles things,¡± Ronnie says with a smirk.


    Alex looks at his hands dumbfounded, ¡°I thought I¡¯d have won that easily.¡±


    As the two are chatting there, Marcus looks over and notices Elizabeth standing against the wall contemplating something. He walks over and asks, ¡°Hey, everything good?¡±


    Elizabeth looks at him and replies, ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just that Cameron hasn¡¯t been showing up to club meetings for a few days, and I haven¡¯t seen him at school at all.¡±


    ¡°Really? He¡¯s probably sick,¡± Marcus says.


    ¡°Yeah but still, something feels off,¡± Elizabeth murmurs.


    Hearing this Marcus gets an idea and suggests, ¡°Well why don¡¯t we go check up on him.¡±


    Elizabeth looks at Marcus and after some contemplation, nods. The two start to leave the classroom as Ronnie stands up and also walks to the door.


    ¡°Hey wait, where are you guys going?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been to my mom¡¯s work in a while so I figured it would be nice to surprise her,¡± Ronnie admits.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go check up and see how Cameron¡¯s doing,¡± Elizabeth answers.


    ¡°I¡¯m just tagging along with Elizabeth,¡± Marcus adds.


    ¡°Oh, so I guess the club meeting is over?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so, see ya later man!¡± Ronnie says as the three exit the classroom.


    As they do, Alex sighs as he doesn¡¯t feel like heading home just now. As he looks around the empty classroom he notices a box on Amnestor¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Oh I forgot all about this,¡± Alex says to himself as he lifts up the box that reads ¡®mail-in requests.¡¯


    ¡°Everyone stopped sending them a week after we started having this,¡± Alex remarks as he lifts up the lid to the box, ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s any-¡±


    Alex stops as he sees one singular strip of paper at the bottom of the box. Curiosity getting the best of him, he slowly grabs it and begins to read it to himself. As he does so, his eyes widen as he finishes reading the note.


    After reading the note, he grabs his backpack and runs out of the classroom. As he does so he almost runs into Aken Amnestor & X Locke who are entering the classroom.


    ¡°Woah, he seemed to be in a rush,¡± X remarks to himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern X,¡± Mister Amnestor says as he hands X his last major exam, ¡°what matters is how you somehow did worse on this exam than the last.¡±


    X looks at the exam papers and sighs as he sits down at a desk and begins to work on the paper.


    As Amnestor walks to his desk, he notices that the mail-in requests box has been opened. Connecting the dots, Amnestor wonders just what was written there that made Alex so worried.


    __________________________


    Rain begins to fall from the heavy clouds as Ronnie makes his way towards his mom¡¯s tattoo parlor. As he does he wonders just how long it''s been since he was there. The place his mother created from the ground-up, it¡¯s essentially her second child.


    ¡°I should visit more often,¡± Ronnie thinks to himself as he gets to the glass doors of the parlor, only for his heart to slowly sink in.


    On the glass doors of the parlor is a sign that reads ¡®For Sale¡¯.


    __________________________


    Elsewhere, Elizabeth & Marcus make their way to the front door of The Dots¡¯ Family Household. When Elizabeth knocks on the door, the two are greeted by Misses Melissa Dots opening the door. She rubs her glasses as she looks at them.


    ¡°Hey we¡¯re Cameron¡¯s friends,¡± Marcus explains.


    ¡°Oh, are you his friends from that after-school club? It¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± Misses Dots says.


    ¡°Nice to meet you too,¡± Marcus says, ¡°Though I hope Cameron feels well soon.¡±


    Confused Misses Dots asks, ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t really seen him at school recently so we thought he was sick,¡± Elizabeth says.


    ¡°That¡¯s strange, Cameron¡¯s been leaving for school every day and getting back late. I thought he was hanging out with you kids,¡± Misses Dots remarks.


    As confusion and concern fill the three of them, Elizabeth begins to walk away. Startled, Marcus looks at her before looking at Misses Dots and saying, ¡°It was nice meeting you, sorry for the confusion.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s fine, thanks for letting me know,¡± Misses Dots states.


    As Marcus goes to catch up with Elizabeth, Misses Dots gets her phone to talk with her husband. Marcus finally catches up to Elizabeth and notices her fists are clenched.


    ¡°Hey, Eliza-¡± Marcus begins to say but Elizabeth interjects.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?! I should¡¯ve tried to talk with him!¡± Elizabeth groans.


    ¡°Hey it¡¯s not your fault, besides we don¡¯t even know what Cameron is up to-¡± Marcus begins to say before being interjected by someone once again.


    ¡°MARCUS! LIZZY!¡± A voice cries out.


    The two look to see Alex Smith, riding on his little cousin¡¯s pink tricycle, pedaling straight towards them.


    ¡°ALEX?!¡± Elizabeth & Marcus shout confused.


    The trike skids to a halt as Alex hops off of it.


    ¡°Thank god I found you guys,¡± Alex pants as he tries to catch his breath.


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Marcus asks.


    Instead of answering, Alex hands them the strip of paper in his hands. While the paper is a bit crumpled and wet due to Alex¡¯s sweat, Elizabeth & Marcus can make out what the words on it are.


    ¡°I found it in the mail-in requests,¡± Alex states.


    The request reads ¡®Bring an end to Club Azure and rescue your friend from their clutches.¡¯


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 62 - Club Azure (3)

    Alex slams his hands down at a table as he says, ¡°So when are we going to attack Club Azure?¡±


    He is sitting at a table with in front of him being his fellow club members, Elizabeth Moore & Marcus Veridan.


    ¡°Hold on Alex,¡± Marcus begins to say, ¡°Right now it¡¯s only just us three and I don¡¯t know a thing about fighting. We¡¯re gonna need more people.¡±


    ¡°Marcus is right,¡± Elizabeth admits, ¡°Plus this isn¡¯t like when we went to the east side. Back then, you two knew Vanessa and we had Amnestor with us. Now, we have no idea what exactly we¡¯re getting into and we can¡¯t exactly lie our way into having Amnestor helping us this time.¡±


    Alex sighs as he says, ¡°Yeah but¡­ this whole situation is fucked up. We all were told about how bad Club Azure was and yet¡­ I¡¯m still so surprised they¡¯d be trying to mess with high schoolers.¡±


    ¡°Cameron wasn¡¯t,¡± Marcus says as the realization hits him, ¡°When we learned about Club Azure from Tim-Tom, he wasn¡¯t with us. And when Ronnie told us more about the club, he wasn¡¯t there too. We kept all of this from him and now, we don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on with him.¡±


    As the three of them sit there not knowing what to do, a very confused Mesto-Presto walks over and hands them all water. That¡¯s when the trio remembered that they decided to talk about this in Burrito Bistro.


    ¡°Sorry about all this Mesto,¡± Elizabeth says.


    ¡°No need to apologize,¡± Mesto remarks as he walks over, ¡°You guys are the only ones that are still showing up anyways.¡±


    It¡¯s then that Alex looks around to see that the only other people in the restaurant are Mesto and his two children; Landon & Avery, who are sleeping in high chairs.


    ¡°Yeah, why is that?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Well, you guys were talking about Club Azure, right?¡± Mesto says while he wipes down some tables, ¡°Those guys have been coming by pretty frequently trying to buy this place up. But we keep refusing. From what I¡¯ve been told, most of the other stores on the block got sold to them so they¡¯re all doing grand reopenings. It sucks for us though because while they have new fancy designs, we¡¯re still the same ol¡¯ run-down shack.¡±


    ¡°Hey you guys aren¡¯t rundown, this place is amazing,¡± Marcus boasts.


    Mesto sighs as he replies, ¡°You guys only ask for chips, salsa, & water. All of those are free here. If this keeps up we may just have to sell the place.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s even more reason we should go kick their ass! Where¡¯s Mister Garcia anyway?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Ah you mean my boss, he¡¯s been having to work other jobs just to sustain this place,¡± Mesto states.


    As Mesto says that, the three high school students realize just how big of a threat Club Azure is. They¡¯re not only targeting their friends but the whole community. Alex, Marcus, & Elizabeth nod in agreement as they come to the same realization. They need to put this to an end.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna need all hands on deck,¡± Alex states, ¡°I¡¯ll call up everybody I can that could help us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do the same,¡± Marcus begins to say.


    Elizabeth takes out a computer from her backpack and says, ¡°I¡¯ll figure out where Club Azure is located.¡±


    ¡°All right, it¡¯s settled then,¡± Alex says, ¡°We¡¯re taking down Club Azure tonight.¡±


    As the three stand there, Mesto watches them determined to make a change, he won¡¯t lie to himself that he too is upset with Club Azure. However, he has his own responsibilities; he needs to maintain the restaurant and he¡¯ll need to watch over his kids tonight.


    Though a question lingers on Mesto¡¯s mind, one that he can¡¯t help but ask the trio, ¡°Hey where¡¯s that other friend you guys have? The one who always wears that varsity jacket?¡±


    ¡°Oh Ronnie,¡± Marcus asks before he sighs, ¡°Well uh, we tried to get him to meet up but something came up.¡±


    ¡°Wait really? I hope he¡¯s okay,¡± Mesto says, ¡°Did he get hurt or something?¡±


    ¡°No even worse,¡± Alex mumbles, ¡°He got grounded.¡±


    Mesto looks at the trio dumbfounded before returning to his work, not even wanting to waste the brain cells needed to process why they¡¯re taking being grounded as something as serious as facing off against Club Azure.


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    __________________________


    At The Everst Family Household, Ronnie is sitting across the table from a very upset Sally Everst. Ronnie looks down at his chicken adobo on top of a plate of rice before looking at his mother.


    ¡°So¡­ am I really grounded?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Misses Everst states, ¡°Your teacher showed me your last biology test.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you uh- you found out about that?¡± Ronnie states sheepishly.


    Sally sighs as she says, ¡°Yes I did, which is why you aren¡¯t going anywhere until you make that grade up.¡±


    ¡°But mom I need to-¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°Don¡¯t argue with me,¡± Misses Everst utters.


    ¡°Yes Mom,¡± Ronnie says as he goes back to eating his dinner.


    However, as he does so, another topic comes to his mind. And that is the fact that his mom is selling her business, The Everst Tattoo Parlor. Wanting to see if she will tell him, Ronnie asks her, ¡°How¡¯s business been, Mom?¡±


    ¡°Business?¡± Misses Sally Everst says as a brief glimmer of sadness escapes her eyes before she smiles and says, ¡°It¡¯s been going well.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ronnie says, knowing that she¡¯s lying, ¡°If you ever need help there then you can let me know.¡±


    ¡°Trying to weasel your way out of getting grounded?¡± Misses Everst teases.


    ¡°What? I would never!¡± Ronnie sarcastically says.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m glad you¡¯re concerned but you shouldn¡¯t worry about me,¡± Misses Everst states before adding, ¡°What you should worry about is getting good grades so you can get into college. And don¡¯t worry about what college you want to go to, I¡¯ll try and make it work.¡±


    It¡¯s at those words that Ronnie realizes something. His mother isn¡¯t lying to him about selling her business out of malice, but because she doesn¡¯t want him to worry. She¡¯s giving up her dream job just so he can go to college and pursue his dreams.


    ¡°Hey Mom,¡± Ronnie begins to say as he tries to hold back tears, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± Misses Everst asks.


    ¡°For always looking out for me,¡± Ronnie finishes as he thinks to himself how despite all his mother has given up for him, he¡¯s never truly done the same.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, sweetie,¡± Misses Everst replies with a smile on her face.


    As dinner wraps up, Ronnie begins to wash the dishes, much to Sally¡¯s shock. Not because he was doing it, but because she didn¡¯t have to ask him. Sally begins to pack up the leftovers and as the table is cleared off she gets a phone call.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Sally asks as she begins to talk on the phone.


    As she does so, she sighs before hanging up and then speaking, ¡°Hey Ronnie, I¡¯m gonna have to head out for a bit. Your uncle¡¯s car isn¡¯t starting so I¡¯m going to take him to the dealership.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay, stay safe out there,¡± Ronnie says.


    As Sally begins to leave she adds, ¡°Oh by the way, since you¡¯re grounded I called some babysitters to make sure you don¡¯t leave.¡±


    Ronnie is taken aback at the fact he needs babysitting at the age of 16, but he sighs and asks, ¡°Who are they going to be?¡±


    __________________________


    Sometime later, Ronnie sits in the living room of his house as his ¡®babysitters¡¯ are watching some real housewives show. The three babysitters he has are Timothy McGee, Thomas Dolby, & Tim-Tom Pitt. Otherwise known as The Three Ts.


    ¡°Why¡¯d she have to hire you guys,¡± Ronnie groans.


    ¡°Because we¡¯re The Three Ts!¡± Tim-Tom says, ¡°Whether it''s beating people up, carrying your groceries, mopping up floors, filing your taxes, pretending to be your friend, and even babysitting teenagers; The Three Ts can get anything you want done!¡±


    ¡°Dude, why do you always talk like you¡¯re trying to sell me shit?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Because if there¡¯s one thing on his mind, it¡¯s money,¡± Tom jokes.


    ¡°Yeah, you said it,¡± Tim laughs.


    ¡°Hey shut up you guys!¡± Tim-Tom replies.


    Sick of having to put up with them, Ronnie gets up and begins to walk to the door. That¡¯s when TIm-Tom puts his hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, where the hell do you think you¡¯re going,¡± Tim-Tom asks, ¡°Your mom said you were grounded.¡±


    ¡°Look I don¡¯t have time for this, my friends and I were planning on attacking Club Azure tonight,¡± Ronnie utters.


    It¡¯s at those words that The Three Ts stop what they¡¯re doing and walk over to Ronnie.


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to fight a gang?¡± Tom says, ¡°You guys are just kids. If you wanna fight someone go do it at a playground or something.¡±


    ¡°Even we got our asses kicked by them, and we¡¯re The Three Ts!¡± Tim yells.


    ¡°Uh Tim, I don¡¯t think we were going to tell people that,¡± Tim-Tom groans.


    ¡°Yeah man, it makes us look uncool,¡± Tom hisses.


    ¡°Oh yeah, my bad,¡± Tim chuckles.


    ¡°And besides I thought I made it clear back when I saw you guys at the MSA,¡± Tim-Tom says as he gets up towards Ronnie¡¯s face, ¡°If you try and mess with any of those gangs, you and your friends will end up dead.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I remember that,¡± Ronnie says as he glares at Tim-Tom, ¡°But what choice do I have? They¡¯re already coming after my friends and family, so what do you want me to do? Just sit back and watch them ruin people¡¯s lives?¡±


    Tim-Tom glares back at Ronnie before lamenting and saying, ¡°Look, Ronnie, I get you¡¯re upset. But do you even know what you¡¯re getting into?¡±


    Ronnie is silent before Tim-Tom explains, ¡°Club Azure¡¯s business model is a bit complex. They buy up small businesses for much cheaper than they¡¯re worth, and after that, they manage to get people to sell fake IDs which allow people to get discounts at those places. Once they have those IDs, they pressure them to head to Club Azure where once there they¡¯ll do any dirty tactic to get them hooked onto drugs. Once they get hooked, the Club forces them to work under them and takes their money from whatever they do.¡±


    ¡°To make matters worse,¡± Tom says, ¡°they have enough money to have the police look the other way so once you enter the nightclub, you¡¯re as good as a goner.¡±


    ¡°Hey aren¡¯t you forgetting something,¡± Tim replies, ¡°The drugs they manage to sell to people are fakes.¡±


    Tom & Tim-Tom look at Tim confused but he explains, ¡°Since the drugs are illegal, the only people who really know what¡¯s in them are the producers and sellers. So you could get what you think is a safe drug but it''s really something much worse.¡±


    Ronnie clenches his fist as he realizes that¡¯s what Cameron got swept up in.


    ¡°Just another reason to legalize everything would make it harder for shit like that to happen,¡± Tim-Tom groans before telling Ronnie, ¡°I¡¯m guessing you heard about your mom selling her tattoo parlor. Well, she¡¯s selling it to Club Azure.¡±


    Enraged, Ronnie asks, ¡°How could she-¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know what they¡¯re like, and what she doesn¡¯t know is that they¡¯re scamming her,¡± Tom replies.


    ¡°And you¡¯re just going to stand here and do nothing about it?!¡± Ronnie yells as he grits his teeth.


    ¡°Well we were told you were grounded-¡± Tim says but Tim-Tom stops him.


    ¡°Listen, Ronnie, we already tried to stop Club Azure just the three of us. And we lost badly. If you really think you can make a difference,¡± Tim-Tom says as he gets into a boxing stance, ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to prove to me you can face them.¡±


    ¡°If you can knock me out, I¡¯ll tell you where Club Azure is and let you go,¡± Tim-Tom says, ¡°I¡¯ll even let you get the first 5 hits in before I strike back.¡±


    Hearing what he just said, Ronnie decides to test what he¡¯s been practicing from those fighting VHS tapes as he pulls up his sleeves.


    ¡°So you want me to fight you?¡± Ronnie asks, ¡°You asked for it. Don''t go crying to me when all your teeth get knocked out.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 63 - Club Azure (4)

    At Burrito Bistro, Mesto-Presto is giving his twin babies, Landon & Avery, some of their baby food. As he¡¯s giving them their food, three people are sitting at the biggest table in the restaurant. Those three are none other than Alex Smith, Elizabeth Moore, & Marcus Veridan.


    ¡°So, who¡¯s all going to help us take down Club Azure?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Well I tried talking to Ronnie but he hasn¡¯t been texting back,¡± Marcus replies.


    ¡°I was gonna ask Christopher but that guy is just a jacked-up teddy bear,¡± Alex sighs.


    ¡°You guys remember when we did that game of capture the flag?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Oh with Crunch and Suzy?¡± Marcus inquires.


    ¡°Yeah, well I tried to see if they would want to help,¡± Elizabeth begins to say, ¡°And while they both said no, Crunch did mention-¡±


    Before she could finish what she was going to say, the doors to Burrito Bistro open as two people enter the building.


    ¡°Do you know how long it was to take the train here?¡± One of them says.


    Seeing them, Marcus smiles as he says, ¡°I¡¯m glad you two managed to show up!¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, we¡¯re here for our own means,¡± The other replies as they sit down next to the group.


    Now with them are the two Seastar High students as well as Dirty Fang members, Vanessa Deli & Blanko Deck.


    ¡°Vanessa? Blanko?!¡± Alex exclaims, ¡°Why are you guys here?¡±


    ¡°I managed to get in touch with Vanessa over the store¡¯s phone,¡± Marcus says, ¡°You did say we needed all hands on deck.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s just,¡± Alex sighs before he glares at Vanessa, ¡°You could have tried to talk to us more after that stunt you pulled.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m sorry I got you all involved with the incident at the gala,¡± Vanessa begins to say, ¡°After I got done with my community service, I was trying to keep more of a low profile so I didn¡¯t try talking to you all.¡±


    ¡°She was just nervous,¡± Blanko admits, causing Vanessa to blush.


    ¡°Blanko!¡± Vanessa grunted.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Alex says, ¡°Though hopefully the next time all of us get together it¡¯s under better circumstances.¡±


    Everyone nods in agreement before Elizabeth says, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be rude but are you sure you guys want to help us?¡±


    Vanessa nods before saying, ¡°I overheard Jerry mentioning that Club Azure was going to go after Dirty Fang soon. I was planning on telling everyone else but once Marcus reached out, I figured it would be best to take care of it without their help.¡±


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t ask for any backup?¡± Alex sighs.


    ¡°Nope, besides you know how The East Side is,¡± Blanko says, ¡°they don¡¯t like working with people from the North.¡±


    Vanessa nods in agreement before asking, ¡°So where is Club Azure?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s-,¡± Elizabeth tries to explain but is interrupted by the door opening.


    Elizabeth sighs as she and everyone else turn to see four people enter the restaurant. To their shock, the people who enter are Tim of The Three Ts, Tom of The Three Ts, a very bruised Tim-Tom of The Three Ts, & Ronnie Everst.


    ¡°Hey sorry I¡¯m late, someone tried to stop me from coming here,¡± Ronnie explains.


    ¡°You''re lucky I said I would let you get the first few hits in unchecked,¡± Tim-Tom remarks, trying to maintain his ego.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ronnie replies as he¡¯s taking a seat.


    ¡°How¡¯d you get out of being grounded?¡± Marcus asks confused, ¡°And why are The Three Ts with you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story but to make it short. They know where Club Azure is, and they¡¯re gonna tell us,¡± Ronnie says with a smirk.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be nece-¡± Elizabeth tries to say but gets cut off once more.


    ¡°Since you kids are so dead set on dying, we¡¯ll have to be your chaperones across Club Azure,¡± Tim-Tom shrugs, ¡°As for where it is, Club Azure is located at the one, the only-¡±


    ¡°I ALREADY KNOW WHERE CLUB AZURE IS!¡± Elizabeth yells, finally finishing her sentence.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°You guys kept interrupting me,¡± Elizabeth sighs.


    Tom pats Tim-Tom¡¯s back as a way to comfort him for being useless once again while Elizabeth explains, ¡°I texted Crunch and he said that while he didn¡¯t want to help, he does know where Club Azure is since someone invited him there. He texted me the address.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Ronnie says, ¡°Now then are you all ready to head out? There¡¯s no turning back once we do.¡±


    ¡°We gotta go help out Cameron so of course we¡¯re in this,¡± Elizabeth remarks.


    Alex gives a thumbs up in agreement while Marcus nods.


    ¡°We need to make sure Club Azure doesn¡¯t even get the chance to attack Dirty Fang,¡± Vanessa remarks, with Blanko agreeing.


    ¡°And we need to make sure you kids don¡¯t do anything too dangerous,¡± Tim-Tom remarks while Tim & Tom nod.


    ¡°Well then it¡¯s settled,¡± Ronnie says as he stands up, ¡°It ends tonight.¡±


    He along with everyone else gets up from the table and begins to walk out from the restaurant. As they do so, Marcus tells Mesto, ¡°Thanks for the chips!¡±


    Now that everyone else is gone, Mesto sighs as he looks at the empty table, ¡°Of course, they didn¡¯t tip me again today.¡±


    As he¡¯s about to continue watching over his children, the doors to the restaurant open and Mesto looks to see his boss, Cedro Garcia, entering with Hunter Huntingson behind him.


    ¡°Evening Mister Garcia,¡± Mesto says as he waves at them.


    ¡°Hey Mesto,¡± Mister Garcia nods, ¡°Hope you didn¡¯t have trouble with the restaurant.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything of concern,¡± Mesto says before he looks over to Hunter, ¡°Let me guess, you want some chips?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Hunter remarks before whispering, ¡°chips and salsa.¡±


    Mesto rolls his eyes as he goes and grabs some before handing it to Hunter. As Hunter begins to eat, Mesto looks out the window and towards the night sky.


    ¡°Everything alright Mesto?¡± Garcia asks.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s just,¡± Mesto begins to mention, ¡°a bunch of people came in earlier and they were all headed to Club Azure to try and take it down.¡±


    ¡°And you wanted to go with?¡±


    ¡°What? No I-¡± Mesto begins to say but Hunter stops him.


    ¡°You should go,¡± Hunter says, ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, that place has been trying to screw you two over for a while. You should settle the score with them. Show them you ain¡¯t no pushover.¡±


    ¡°While I appreciate the thought, I can¡¯t just leave from work, and besides I thought you were the one to always try and pick fights with people like that,¡± Mesto remarks.


    ¡°I usually do but if I tagged along with him and the others after what I did it would be¡­uncomfortable,¡± Hunter says, ¡°So you should go in my place and besides, it looks like you really want to.¡±


    Mesto looks at his hands to notice that they¡¯re clenched and shaking. Seeing this Garcia sighs and just says, ¡°You know, from my schedule sheet it says you haven¡¯t taken a 30-minute break yet. We¡¯re almost done for the day so you should take it now.¡±


    Mesto looks at Garcia and Hunter and smiles, ¡°Thanks, you guys. Can you watch over Landon & Avery for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Garcia says.


    ¡°Good,¡± Mesto begins to say as he exits the restaurant, ¡°Because I¡¯m going to be taking more than just 30 minutes for my break.¡±


    __________________________


    In Club Azure, several top employees are walking down the hall of the employee-only section of the nightclub. The hallway has beige tiles on the ground, red-painted walls, and red neon lights lighting up the place. At the end of the hall is the CEO¡¯s office while there are several break rooms attached to the hallway.


    Walking down the hallway are the CEO of Club Azure; Jerry Pitt, the field specialist and Arrow of Club Azure; Li-Wei Zhang, Club Azure¡¯s Business Analyst; Marcy Murphy, The Head of Security; Martin McBride, Club Azure¡¯s Finest Bartender; Logan Stewart, and Club Azure¡¯s Top Seller; Cal Hound.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s the new push on fake IDs?¡± Jerry asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s going great, sales have tripled since last week,¡± Maecy Murphy says as she looks over to one of the breakrooms.


    In the breakroom are several drugged-up workers, including Cameron Dots, all tricked into this position.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, and how are the preparations for attacking Dirty Fang?¡± Jerry Pitt asks.


    ¡°We should be all set to attack them by tomorrow,¡± Li-Wei explains.


    ¡°Only thing we need is your order and we¡¯ll go,¡± McBride states.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Jerry Pitt says, ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. Tonight we¡¯ll celebrate taking control of the north, tomorrow it¡¯ll be the east, and after that? the whole city will soon fall into line.¡±


    As the group makes their way to the office, none of them could predict what was about to come. For despite their planning and success, they forgot about one thing.


    And that thing was¡­ just how many enemies they¡¯ve made.


    __________________________


    Up on the streets, several bouncers are standing by the entrance to Club Azure all preparing to open up for the night.


    ¡°Hey did you hear, we might be getting a raise soon,¡± One of the bouncers replies.


    ¡°Finally, I¡¯ve been sick of how much money those ID sellers get instead of us,¡± Another remarks.


    As they celebrate amongst themselves two figures walk towards the group of bouncers. One of them has blonde hair, blue eyes, freckles, and white skin. He¡¯s wearing pink-tinted sunglasses, a green denim jacket over a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and a gold chain. The other has dark skin, a poofy black afro, a muscular build, and blue eyes. He¡¯s wearing baggy black sweatpants, a sleeveless white hoodie, glasses, and red fingerless gloves.


    ¡°Hey is this Club Azure?¡± The man with the pink shades asks the group.


    ¡°Yes it is, but we¡¯re closed for the day,¡± One of the bouncers begins to say however they¡¯re interrupted when the man with the pink shades proceeds to throw a flurry of punches at him,


    When the bouncer goes down, the man with the pink shades, also known as Timothy Mcgee, member of The Three Ts, states, ¡°Perfect.¡±


    ¡°What in the-¡± Another bouncer tries to say but the man with the sleeveless hoodie delivers an uppercut that knocks him out.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of everyone out here, you guys head inside!¡± The man with the sleeveless hoodie, Thomas Dolby, yells.


    As he yells that the rest of their group ¨C Ronnie Everst, Alex Smith, Elizabeth Moore, Marcus Veridan, Tim-Tom Pitt, Vanessa Deli, & Blanko Deck ¨C all walk past Tim & Tom.


    As they then enter the nightclub and walk down the steps, Ronnie remarks, ¡°It¡¯s time to party. And we¡¯re gonna party hard!¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 64 - Club Azure (5)

    In the CEO¡¯s office, Jerry is sitting in his chair while all of his top subordinates stand there.


    ¡°Alright, you understand the plan?¡± Jerry states.


    ¡°Loud and clear, we¡¯ll attack them tomorrow,¡± Li-Wei states.


    As the group is about to depart the door to their office slams open and they all look to see a startled young employee there shouting, ¡°Boss we have a problem!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jerry asks.


    ¡°There¡¯s six- no- seven people attacking Club Azure right now! They¡¯re already inside!¡± The young employee shouts.


    While the whole group is taken aback, Logan Stewart steps forward and says, ¡°I¡¯ll try and deal with them.¡±


    Cal Hound also walks with him and says, ¡°You better give me more drugs once I kick these intruders asses.¡±


    As the two leave, Jerry decides to take a look at the camera feed to see who is inside. It¡¯s after seeing who the intruders are that he begins to grin and say, ¡°Marcy, McBride, Li-Wei. You three stay in the employee¡¯s only area and make sure to crush anyone who enters.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say, boss,¡± Li-Wei says as he lights a cigarette.


    As the three exit his office, Jerry lays back in his chair and wonders how foolish those seven intruders must be if they really thought they could stop Club Azure.


    _________________


    In the main area of the nightclub, several of Club Azure¡¯s members charge towards the intruders only to receive a flurry of punches from none other than Alex Smith.


    ¡°Hey, Alex!¡± Elizabeth says as she and Ronnie run past him.


    ¡°Save some for us!¡± Ronnie shouts.


    Elizabeth begins to perform kicks to the gang members'' heads while Ronnie waits for the club members to attack him before using their momentum to send them all to the ground.


    The rest of the club members all look at the three high schoolers who have just taken care of several fellow members without breaking a sweat.


    ¡°I could have handled all of those on my own,¡± Alex remarks.


    ¡°Whatever helps you sleep at night,¡± Elizabeth teases.


    ¡°This was easier than I thought,¡± Ronnie remarks.


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    Just then, the thugs take out several weapons; whether it¡¯s knives, broken bottles, iron knuckles, or a rubber ducky. The thugs begin to run towards the three of them.


    ¡°RONNIE YOU HAD TO SAY THAT!¡± Elizabeth yells.


    As one of the thug members rushes towards the trio, the closest one notices that he¡¯s looking downward. That¡¯s because someone has sent his head to go careening into their knee.


    As the thug member falls to the ground, Vanessa Deli begins to weave through the crowd filled with weapons making sure to disarm or knock them out. Blanko also joins her by delivering several calf kicks to the group followed by a kick to the head.


    ¡°You handle the ones without weapons!¡± Vanessa shouts.


    As Vanessa continues to fight the thugs, Alex realizes just how talented Vanessa is at fighting. She waits to see what her opponent does before countering it on the spot. She isn¡¯t using any flashy moves but simple ones that require the least amount of energy. He starts to wonder if she decided to fight them back when they met in the east side, how different would things have turned out?


    Ronnie, Elizabeth, & Alex begin to take on the disarmed thugs and as the five of them continue to attack the thugs, slowly but surely the number of opponents dwindles until most are either knocked out or don¡¯t have the will to get back up.


    Marcus & Tim-Tom stand by the entrance awkwardly.


    ¡°I feel like I should have helped out,¡± Tim-Tom remarks.


    ¡°I can¡¯t fight so I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do,¡± Marcus states.


    ¡°Yeah but I can,¡± Tim-Tom groans.


    As the two walk over to the group of five, they start to hear someone clapping their hands. They look to see Logan Stewart standing behind the bar.


    ¡°That¡¯s impressive,¡± Logan Stewart remarks as he pours a drink, ¡°You guys were really good out there.¡±


    Ronnie looks startled since he didn¡¯t even see when Logan got there, as he goes to fight him, Blanko stops him.


    ¡°You guys get going, this guy looks like he wants to fight,¡± Blanko states as he makes a fist, ¡°And I¡¯ll be the one to give it to him.¡±


    ¡°A fight huh?¡± Logan remarks as he walks over towards the dance floor, ¡°if that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    As the group begins to walk away, Vanessa also stops as she looks to see someone exit from the employee¡¯s only area. The person who exited is none other than Cal Hound.


    ¡°We need to get in there,¡± Tim-Tom states.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± Vanessa says as she rushes towards Cal, ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him!¡±


    As Vanessa reaches Cal, the two start to fight and Cal manages to shove Vanessa into a VIP Room.


    ¡°Vanessa!¡± Alex shouts as he goes towards Cal.


    However, Vanessa stops them from getting into their fight as she shouts, ¡°JUST GO! I can deal with him!¡±


    Alex is concerned but Ronnie places a hand on his shoulder and states, ¡°She looks like she knows what she¡¯s doing.¡±


    Alex is hesitant but nods as he and the rest of the group enter the employee¡¯s only area.


    Now that the five are in the employee¡¯s only area, Ronnie takes a look around and notices how many break rooms and other areas are in this long hallway. At the end of it though, he can see the door to the CEO¡¯s office.


    ¡°Jerry must be behind there,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    As he¡¯s about to take a few steps, he notices that Tim-Tom, Alex, & Marcus have been pulled into three separate rooms by three individuals. Tim-Tom looks to see Li-Wei standing in his room, the two stand there for a second looking at each other before both punching each other in the face.


    As for Marcus, he sees he¡¯s in a room with Marcy Murphy sitting on a couch, she points for him to have a seat and he does so.


    As for Alex though, he looks up to see the imposing figure of Martin McBride looming over him. McBride looks down at Alex and Alex, knowing that it¡¯s going to take a miracle to win this fight, gets into a boxing stance.


    ¡°Looks like they¡¯ve got their hands full,¡± Ronnie says as he looks towards Elizabeth, ¡°You go look for Cameron.¡±


    Elizabeth nods before she asks, ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go have a chat with the CEO of this place,¡± Ronnie remarks as he makes his way down the hall.


    _____________________


    On the dance floor of the nightclub, Blanko looks over at Logan Stewart. The two haven¡¯t moved since they decided to fight one another. Is that because they were scared or wanting to have the other take the first hit? Nope.


    Was it because they were tired? Nope.


    It was because they were confused.


    Confused at the fact that there was a man with long shaggy lime green hair standing in between them dancing like there was no tomorrow.


    ¡°I thought we didn''t have any guests here tonight,¡± Logan remarks.


    ¡°We¡¯re kind of in the middle of something dude,¡± Blanko sighs.


    ¡°Oh really my bad?¡± Crunch Backson, the man with lime green hair remarks, ¡°You guys do your thing, I¡¯m gonna dance the night away!¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 65 - Club Azure (6)

    Crunch Backson is a high schooler who just wants to do fun stuff. He tried doing a pencil black market but that wasn¡¯t fun. It was only when The Miracle Clinic put an end to it did he have fun with it. But after that, he hasn¡¯t been having much fun. School¡¯s always the same, his best friend Suzy is always being a debbie downer, and nobody has really been giving him the time of day.


    Which is why when he was told about a place that would be extremely fun, he had to visit it! Though what was the name of it? Club¡­Albert? Well, whatever Crunch thought the name was he had to agree to visit because it sounded cool.


    And it totally was! He could dance on the dance floor all he wanted, show off his amazing hair flips, and even beat anyone he wanted in arm wrestling matches.


    The only uncool thing about the place was the guy making drinks; Logan Stewart. He didn¡¯t allow Crunch to drink any of the colorful-looking ones and just had him drink water.


    But still, the place was fun, so much fun that even Elizabeth asked him to come with them there. First, he didn¡¯t want to because he just went the night before so he just sent her the address of the place. But then he figured, what else is he gonna do today? So he went!


    There were some people fighting all over the place outside and inside but he didn¡¯t pay much mind because he just wanted to dance.


    That was until two people got up in his face on the dance floor. That drink guy Logan Stewart and some random east side teen named Blanko Deck.


    ¡°I thought we didn''t have any guests here tonight,¡± Logan remarks.


    ¡°We¡¯re kind of in the middle of something dude,¡± Blanko sighs.


    Instead of arguing with them that he was here first, Crunch decided to follow what his therapist told him and be the bigger man.


    ¡°Oh really my bad?¡± Crunch Backson, the man with lime green hair remarks, ¡°You guys do your thing, I¡¯m gonna dance the night away!¡±


    So he decided to dance until those two people tried to fight each other, and they somehow managed to lunge at each other at the same time Crunch danced by them, causing him to be on the receiving end of both of their attacks.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Blanko tries to say but the infuriated Crunch grabs the two by the heads and slams the two onto the dance floor.


    ¡°Fuck this shit, no more being nice,¡± Crunch begins to say, ¡°I¡¯m gonna have fun the old fashioned way¡­ beating you up!¡±


    Crunch goes to slam his foot down on Blanko¡¯s head but Blanko manages to roll away and get back up on his feet. Crunch looks over to see Logan has also stood back up. The three all glance at each other, all not knowing who¡¯s going to attack who next.


    However, they won¡¯t have to wait long as Blanko turns towards Crunch and starts to send a kick that goes careening toward Crunch¡¯s right calf. However, Crunch jumps up, avoiding the attack. Crunch starts to get a smile on his face but that smile is broken when Blanko follows up his feint attack with an uppercut. The uppercut manages to land causing Crunch to rub his chin.


    ¡°Man that hurt!¡± Crunch hisses.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what you get!¡± Blanko shouts.


    Logan, realizing how this will be easier for him, decides to sit over by the bar and watch the two fight. Unaware of that, Blanko begins to send several jabs toward Crunch, however, he manages to dodge them all. Though it isn¡¯t due to any innate fighting knowledge but one key difference for Crunch.


    And that was the fact that he is extremely flexible, able to contort his body to avoid most attacks by Blanko. Crunch then performs a handstand and sends his legs toward Blanko¡¯s face. The attack lands, causing Blanko to fall to the ground. Crunch then proceeds to hop into the air, perform a backflip, and land his feet directly into Blanko¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°Come on, is this really how you¡¯re gonna go out?¡± Crunch asks as he notices Blanko gasping for air.


    Crunch steps aside as Blanko lays on the ground gasping for air. As he lays there, he begins to wonder¡­ why? Why did he even come here to begin with? Why is he here getting his ass kicked?


    He hates the North, sure he may have a ton of friends in the north side, but that¡¯s like a needle in a stack of garbage. He heard from Vanessa that Dirty Fang was going to get attacked by this group, but he isn¡¯t even fighting them! He¡¯s fighting a complete nobody. Some guy who was dancing here and is now wiping the floor with him.


    He trained so hard to get stronger; going to the gym, working at his family¡¯s bodega & The East Side Express, trying to cook meals that would make him strong, completely failing at cooking and having to have Graham pick up fast food for him, he even cleaned the floor so many times he can¡¯t even count.


    And for what? He doesn¡¯t even know why he was trying to get stronger, to begin with. All he knew was that it meant nothing. Everything he tried to do, it all crumbled away thanks to just one stranger¡¯s unorthodox fighting.


    As he begins to feel like falling into unconsciousness, he suddenly feels his body be lifted up. Startled, he sees that it¡¯s Crunch lifting him up off the ground.


    ¡°What are you-¡± Blanko begins to say but is cut off by Crunch.


    ¡°Seeing you like that wasn¡¯t fun,¡± Crunch begins to say, ¡°I don¡¯t like it when others aren¡¯t having fun in a fight.¡±


    Blanko is confused by Crunch¡¯s reasoning. This stranger is fighting him¡­for fun? No other reason than that?


    Regaining his standing Blanko sighs as he says, ¡°But that¡¯s a stupid reason!¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh!¡± Crunch yells back, ¡°I like being able to go all out! I like being able to communicate with someone without needing to speak! Do I need some grandiose reason for doing anything?! I JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN!¡±


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    It was hearing those words that Blanko began to think back. Back to when he first met decided to seriously work out and improve his strength. He did it because he saw Alex do it, and initially thought he wanted to surpass him. But despite that rivalry, every time they trained together. Every time Blanko got tips from other gym members, and every time he tried and failed to make a protein shake¡­


    He had fun. If that wasn¡¯t fun for him, then he wouldn¡¯t have kept doing it.


    ¡°Is that so then?¡± Blanko smirks as he looks over to Logan, who¡¯s sitting over by the bar, ¡°Well then. You wanna have fun beating the fuck out of that guy?¡±


    ¡°YOU KNOW IT!¡± Crunch shouts.


    Logan, who was in the middle of eating some popcorn, quickly tosses it aside and tries to get into a fighting stance but can¡¯t. He can¡¯t move his arms. Because Crunch has already gotten to him. And instead of attacking him, he¡¯s holding him in place.


    ¡°FUCK HIM UP LIL BRO!¡± Crunch screams.


    Logan looks to see Blanko rushing towards him, and he then proceeds to send out every kickboxing move he¡¯s ever learned before onto him. It didn¡¯t matter if he only tried it once. It didn¡¯t matter if the attack didn¡¯t land perfectly. What mattered to Blanko was that in that moment. He was having fun!


    After a while, Crunch lets go of Logan causing him to fall to the ground. Blanko looks down at him and he can¡¯t help but have a wide grin on his face.


    ¡°I DID IT!¡± Blanko shouts as he pumps fists in the air and then turns around to Crunch and says, ¡°Thanks so much stranger!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, fellow stranger,¡± Crunch says as he waves at him, ¡°Though if we ever meet again. You better provide me with a better fight.¡±


    Blanko gives him a thumbs-up and says, ¡°Of course! But first I¡¯m gonna try and see how my friends are holding up.¡±


    As Blanko excitedly walks away, trying to find where the others went. Crunch looks down at the ground to where Logan is lying. Only to see Logan Stewart open his eyes.


    ¡°So you¡¯re still up?¡± Crunch asks.


    ¡°Are you going to try and beat me?¡± Logan asks.


    ¡°Eh nah, you don¡¯t seem like it would be fun to beat up,¡± Crunch affirms.


    ¡°Oh really? And why¡¯s that?¡± Logan questions as he stands up.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple, you¡¯re holding back way too much,¡± Crunch remarks before asking, ¡°Why did you fake getting knocked out?¡±


    Logan begins to walk toward behind the bar where there is a secondary exit and he explains, ¡°Because I needed to get going soon, and that kid looked like he needed a win.¡±


    As Logan leaves, Crunch wonders where he¡¯s going. However, he decides not to follow him because with him gone he can now do the one thing he never did before at this club.


    Drink all of those colorful fancy-looking drinks!


    As Crunch gets behind the bar he grabs a glass bottle with some clear liquid and takes a sip of it. Only to spit it out and toss the bottle onto the ground.


    ¡°Ew this shit is fucking awful,¡± Crunch grumbles as he begins to make his way towards the main exit, ¡°Fuck this, I¡¯m just gonna hang out with Suzy.¡±


    ________________________


    Ever since he was a baby, life for Cal Hound has been easy. He was popular in elementary school, charismatic in middle school, and charming to most in high school. That¡¯s why when he was invited to a party at Club Azure, he thought it was going to be fine. But the more he went there, the more he grew dependent on everything it provided; drugs, an escape from reality, and the feeling of power.


    In order to get more, he had to work for them. All he had to do was exploit others and get them involved with the Club. Which he did have issues with, but any of those issues were subsided by the rewards he was given.


    And now he¡¯s here, in one of the Club¡¯s VIP rooms, trying to fight a complete stranger. Does he know the girl? No. Does he care? No. All he knows is that she wants to take what he¡¯s been given away from him, and he will make sure that doesn¡¯t happen.


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t like hitting girls too much,¡± Cal Hound remarks, ¡°So if you don¡¯t want that pretty face of yours roughed up, then get lost.¡±


    ¡°Was that supposed to be flattering?¡± Vanessa says as she steps forward, ¡°Please, all it made you look like is that you¡¯re scared of getting your ass kicked.¡±


    Hearing that Cal sighs before saying, ¡°You asked for it.¡±


    Suddenly, Cal charges at Vanessa and uses his left hand to try and punch her; however, she ducts underneath the punch and throws a counter punch at Cal. As Cal begins to try and attack her, Vanessa anticipates his attacks and counters them. Her ability to counter and react to her opponent is her biggest strength. She may not be as physically strong as her opponents, but she makes up for it by having them use most of their energy trying to attack her.


    However just as Vanessa begins to get the upper hand, she feels Cal¡¯s left elbow smashing into her face. As she stumbles onto the couch, Cal uses the advantage to slam his elbows into her face again and again.


    ¡°I TRIED TO WARN YOU!¡± Cal begins to yell.


    As Vanessa tries to get the upper hand she realizes that she forgot to take something into account. All of her attacks wouldn¡¯t be as painful to Cal since he¡¯s under the influence of drugs. Though Cal¡¯s attacks are too fast and Vanessa can¡¯t find a way out.


    ¡°You were sent here thanks to Cameron, right? I don¡¯t get why you¡¯re here to save him, he likes it here,¡± Cal roars.


    ¡°Besides,¡± Cal hisses, ¡°It¡¯s his fault for being so easy to manipulate. The way he acted, heh, you¡¯d think he was asking for i-¡±


    Before Cal can finish what he was saying, Vanessa, using the blood in her mouth, spits into Cal¡¯s eye. Cal screams as he tries to wipe his eyes and stumbles back. With the scales being now tipped into her favor, Vanessa seizes the opportunity as she snakes her way to be behind Cal. With a swift motion she kicks his leg in while wrapping her arms around his neck, placing him into a rear naked choke.


    As Cal tries to get out of the chokehold, Vanessa sneers, ¡°You may be more numb to pain, but how good does that do when you can¡¯t breathe!¡±


    Cal begins to squirm as he¡¯s losing more and more oxygen while Vanessa continues to sneer, ¡°Listen to me, I¡¯ve known guys like you my whole life. You think you can just get away with anything you want and nobody will ever fight back. Guess what? You¡¯re wrong. As soon as you even think of harming anyone ever again, you know what I¡¯ll do to you? I¡¯ll take your broken remains, tie bricks to your legs, and toss you into the lake. And you know what? Nobody will ever care. Because who would care about a waste of space like you?¡±


    As Cal Hound begins to lose consciousness, he no longer sees the person he faced today as human. No, what he came face-to-face with was a demon.


    With Cal finally unconscious, Vanessa lets go of his body and walks out of the VIP Room.


    Now that she¡¯s out in the main area, she sees Blanko rush over to her with a huge grin on his face.


    ¡°Yo Vanessa! Glad to see you doing well,¡± Blanko yells before murmuring, ¡°Though your head is a bit of a mess.¡±


    Vanessa looks at a glass door and notices through her reflection that her face is bloody and bruised.


    ¡°I can get some first aid from¡­well, I don¡¯t know where but I can get it,¡± Blanko begins to say.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Vanessa says with a faint smile, ¡°I wasn¡¯t that hurt.¡±


    As she says that, Blanko looks over to see the unconscious body of Cal Hound in the VIP room. Blanko asks, ¡°So how¡¯d you take that guy out?¡±


    ¡°He said some stuff that got me riled up. Without even thinking I decided to fight like two heads of Dirty Fang,¡± Vanessa says as she wipes some of the blood dripping down from her mouth.


    Blanko looks at Vanesa stunned for a moment, he goes to reach out and place a hand on her shoulder, but Vanessa walks forward towards the entrance to the employee-only section of the club.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to worry about that,¡± Vanessa remarks as she places her hand on the door handle, ¡°We still have a job to finish.¡±


    ¡°Guess you¡¯re right,¡± Blanko admits, ¡°Alright let¡¯s show those higher ups how we do it on the east si-¡±


    CRASH!


    Vanessa & Blanko turn to look behind them to see Tim has fallen down to the bottom of the stairs as several more Club Azure gang members begin to make their way down the steps.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Tim remarks as Blanko & Vanessa rush over.


    ¡°Are you alright? What¡¯s going on up there?¡± Vanessa asks.


    ¡°Tom & I just got done taking care of the bouncers when the whole entourage showed up,¡± Tim says, ¡°All the gang members that were out working at the other businesses Club Azure own, they all showed up!¡±


    Vanessa & Blanko¡¯s eyes widen as they witness the sea of people entering the nightclub.


    ¡°Tom¡¯s still outside holding a few off,¡± Tim remarks as he gets back up, ¡°But if we don¡¯t get back out there and help him we¡¯re all done for.¡±


    ¡°Guess we have no other choice then,¡± Vanessa says as she gets ready to fight once more, ¡°Let¡¯s hope the others can hold their weight while we take care of these guys.¡±


    ¡°And if they can¡¯t?¡± Blanko asks.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to finish the job ourselves.¡±


    ________________________


    Ronnie Everst reaches the door to the CEO¡¯s office and opens the door. In there he sees that the floor and walls are made of stained wood, there¡¯s a taxidermy rug of a tiger on the ground as well as several heads of animals put on the walls of the Club. And sitting in the center at a desk is the CEO himself, Jerry Pitt.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while Ronnie Everst,¡± Jerry Pitt begins to say, ¡°How about you sit down and have a little chat?¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 66 - Club Azure (7)

    In one of the many break rooms in the employee-only area of Club Azure, Tim-Tom finds himself facing The Arrow of Club Azure, Li-Wei Zhang. The two are silent as they stand there looking at each other.


    Tim-Tom¡¯s brow furrows while Li-Wei lets out a slight smirk, and just like that the two rush towards one another and throw a fist into each other¡¯s face.


    Tim-Tom takes a step back while Li-Wei remarks, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we fought, you still remember how I made you try and run away like a bitch?!¡¯


    ¡°Run away?¡± Tim-Tom questions as he delivers a right hook into Li-Wei¡¯s cheek, ¡°I was just trying to get some elbow room!¡±


    ¡°Is that so, well that¡¯s a shame,¡± Li-Wei begins to say as he slowly but surely moves closer to Tim-Tom, ¡°I¡¯m the Arrow of Club Azure!¡±


    Li-Wei passes by a glass table with an unopened bottle of wine and a corkscrew before he closes the distance with Tim-Tom.


    ¡°Once I¡¯m shot out towards my opponent,¡± Li-Wei says as he headbutts Tim-Tom, ¡°I only move forward!¡±


    ¡°Your title isn¡¯t even that cool,¡± Tim-Tom says as he delivers an uppercut into Li-Wei¡¯s jaw, ¡°When my title is so much cooler! I¡¯m Starlight¡¯s Brightest Boxer!¡±


    Li-Wei laughs as he knees Tim-Tom in the stomach before delivering hook after hook into Tim-Tom¡¯s face. Tim-Tom keeps stumbling backward until he gets pinned up by the wall.


    ¡°What now, you¡¯re only good when you¡¯re away from your opponent,¡± Li-Wei remarks as he begins to knee Tim-Tom in the groin repeatedly, ¡°You have no idea how to fight someone when they¡¯re up close and personal!¡±


    However as Li-Wei goes for his finishing blow, he gets to feel several jabs begin to hit him. As Tim-Tom starts to fight back, Li-Wei tries to get an attack in but he can¡¯t. For some reason where before his attacks would have landed; now they can¡¯t even get through to him. Not only that but the tempo and how fast he throws his straights and jabs is completely different!


    Tim-Tom delivers an overhand hook into Li-Wei¡¯s face which sends him stumbling back into the glass table.


    ¡°How did you-¡± Li-Wei begins to ask before getting interrupted.


    ¡°I really wanted to save this for a special someone but after you tried copping a feel you left me with no choice,¡± Tim-Tom remarks as he makes a new stance, ¡°I¡¯m using my style.¡±


    In boxing, the most common style is the orthodox style where fighters lead with their right fist, however, there¡¯s another type of style; the southpaw style. In this form, a fighter leads with their left fist. And as Li-Wei begins to get hit with jab after jab, he starts to realize Tim-Tom can freely interchange between both styles. Orthodox fighters are typically right-handed, and Southpaw fighters are typically left-hand, but those who can perform both styles with ease are ambidextrous.


    Only about one percent of the world is ambidextrous, meaning most fighters go their whole lives without fighting someone ambidextrous. So when they eventually do, all of their tricks are completely new to them.


    And it¡¯s this advantage of being able to perfectly use both hands, that Tim-Tom is exploiting.


    As Li-Wei struggles to even get a hit in, he notices something on the glass table.


    ¡°Club Azure should really consider¡­,¡± Tim-Tom remarks as he delivers a straight punch towards Li-Wei, ¡°Tossing aside a dull arrow like yourself!¡±


    However, as he is about to land that punch, Li-Wei catches his hand. And before Tim-Tom can move, he feels a sharp pain in his sides. He looks to see that Li-Wei has stabbed him three times with a corkscrew.


    ¡°Say that again,¡± Li-Wei remarks as he uses the corkscrew to stab into Tim-Tom¡¯s side again, ¡°I said say that again!¡±


    Tim-Tom winces his pain as he takes a step back, but Li-Wei rushes toward him. Every time Tim-Tom tries to make distance between the two, Li-Wei shortly closes it. Writhing with pain, Tim-Tom realizes there¡¯s one thing he can still do.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Li-Wei goes to stab Tim-Tom in the eye as he yells, ¡°THIS IS THE END!¡±


    However, Li-Wei looks to see that Tim-Tom blocked the move by having the corkscrew plunge through his right hand. Tim-Tom then uses the injured hand to pull Li-Wei closer to him.


    ¡°I AGREE!¡± Tim-Tom grits, ¡°THIS IS THE END!¡±


    Tim-Tom uses his left uninjured hand to deliver a liver shot into Li-Wei¡¯s body. After the hit lands, Li-Wei falls to the ground exhausted while Tim-Tom catches his breath.


    ¡°You mother fucker,¡± Tim-Tom pants as he sits down on the couch and looks at his right hand, ¡°How the fuck am I going to get this shit out?¡±


    As he sits there, trying to catch his breath, Tim-Tom begins to think about how he wanted to only go all out when he faced off against someone. Yet here he was using his switch-hitting skills on an operative of Club Azure.


    Tim-Tom comes to the realization that if he wants to defeat the man who sent him down this path, he¡¯ll need to grow stronger. Though first, he¡¯ll need to treat his fresh wounds.


    ___________________


    Elsewhere in an adjacent break room in Club Azure¡¯s employee-only section, Marcus Veridan is sitting down with Marcy Murphy. Marcus is a bit nervous since he doesn¡¯t know how to fight and doesn¡¯t know if he could hit her but Marcy lifts her hand.


    ¡°Have a seat I just want to have a chat with you,¡± Marcy states.


    Curious, Marcus sits down on the chair and looks over towards Marcy.


    ¡°So who¡¯re you?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°I¡¯m just the business analyst and a manager for Club Azure. Sometimes I help get people into the club but most of the time I help figure out what Club Azure¡¯s next move should be,¡± Marcy remarks as she pours herself some whiskey.


    ¡°And what is that next move?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°Do you really want to know Marcus Veridan?¡± Marcy asks.


    Marcus feels a chill go down his spine as he realizes this woman sitting in front of him knows his name. Seeing Marcus¡¯ shocked expression, a sly smirk emerges from her lips.


    ¡°H-how do you know my name?¡± Marcus asks, shocked.


    ¡°Because you just told me,¡± Marcy Murphy laughs, ¡°I only knew the members of your club but never who was who.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been spying on u-¡± Marcus tries to say but gets hushed by Marcy.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t really matter, what does is that it seems we have similar goals,¡± Marcy replies with a smile on her face, ¡°So if you let me walk away, I promise I¡¯ll take care of things on my end.¡±


    ¡°You expect me to believe that?¡± Marcus yells, ¡°You¡¯re working with Club Azure! You guys harmed my friend! Why would I-¡±


    However before Marcus can debate any longer he begins to convulse before falling over. The reason? It¡¯s due to the taser Marcy Murphy is holding in her hand that she just used.


    ¡°I think you misunderstood me,¡± Marcy replies as she walks towards the employee¡¯s only exit, ¡°I wasn¡¯t taking no for an answer.¡±


    As Marcy leaves, Marcus can¡¯t help but get the inkling that this won¡¯t be the last time he¡¯ll see her.


    _____________________


    In the CEO¡¯s office, Ronnie Everst is sitting across the desk from Jerry Pitt, the CEO of Club Azure as well as a close friend to his late father.


    ¡°So, I take it you and your friends were the ones who came here?¡± Jerry asks.


    ¡°Yeah, but it was only because you guys hurt our friend first,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°Hurt your friend?¡± Jerry questions, ¡°What I¡¯m doing doesn¡¯t hold a candle to what others would do if they were in my position. Though I must warn you and your friends, while I care for your safety, my members do not. Whatever happens down here never reaches the police, you want to know why?¡±


    Ronnie looks to see that Jerry has stood up and is now looming over him, and it feels like all of the taxidermied animals in the room are staring at him as Jerry utters, ¡°They don¡¯t even have the courage to step one foot into this place.¡±


    Despite feeling fear, Ronnie stands up as he remarks, ¡°So whatever happens here stays in here?¡±


    Jerry looks to see Ronnie walking toward the door to the room and he confirms, ¡°Yes and it¡¯ll be very wise of you if all of you were to back off-¡±


    However, Jerry¡¯s monologue is cut off by a loud clicking noise. Confused, Jerry looks to see Ronnie¡¯s hand over the door knob. As he takes his hand off of it, Jerry realizes that Ronnie locked the two of them in this room.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a relief,¡± Ronnie remarks as he rolls up his sleeves, ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to blow off some steam against scum like you!¡±


    _____________________


    Outside the entrance to Club Azure, Tom, Tim, Vanessa, & Blanko are all exhausted as more and more Club Azure members arrive.


    ¡°They just keep coming!¡± Tom groans.


    Blanko & Tim chuckle at Tom¡¯s comment causing Tom to roll his eyes.


    Vanessa stares at the group of Club Azure members rushing towards them, all of them have some sort of makeshift weapon on them. Vanessa tries to fight back but she¡¯s too exhausted after taking care of so many Club Azure members. She closes her eyes waiting for the weapon to careen into her face.


    And she waits.


    And waits.


    And waits some more.


    Vanessa opens her eyes confused as she looks around to see none of the Club Azure members hitting her, but instead looking down the street where a lone figure hidden by the night approaches them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to thank him for watching over the kids,¡± the figure remarks as he steps in front of one of Club Azure¡¯s gang members.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± a gang member asks.


    However, the figure ignores the man as he instead looks toward the ground and notices that there¡¯s a jacket there which was tossed off earlier during a scuffle.


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t ignore me!¡± the gang member shouts as the person reaches down to grab the coat.


    The gang member takes a step towards the figure, stepping onto the coat in the process, and unknowingly stepping right into the figure¡¯s trap.


    The figure quickly moves the coat off the ground, tripping the gang member, then tying it around the gang member¡¯s neck and suffocating him before slamming his head into a nearby wall.


    As the gang member falls to the ground unconscious, everyone looks shocked to see the figure walk forward towards them.


    ¡°You want to know who I am?¡± The figure, who steps out from the shadows remarks as he reveals himself to be Mesto-Presto, ¡°I¡¯m just some dad.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 67 - Club Azure (8)

    Vanessa, Blanko, Tom, & Tim all look on in shock at the sight that they¡¯re seeing. Several Club Azure members are all being taken down one by one, and by some scrawny teen by the name of Mesto-Presto.


    The person who served them chips and salsa, the person who most didn¡¯t assume anything of, and the person who doesn¡¯t even have any training in martial arts is currently taking out club members one after another. With his fists? No, he isn¡¯t that strong for that. With his speed? No, he isn¡¯t fast enough. He¡¯s using everything around him ¨C other club members, shards of glass, fallen weapons, even puddles of water ¨C to use as an attack against his opponent. Whether it stuns them briefly or just simply knocks them out.


    The fight is messy, it¡¯s a street fight through and through, yet despite that those who watch on can¡¯t help but feel as if Mesto is doing this with the elegance and swiftness of a dance. Each swing he takes, each hit he lets hit him, even his stance, all of it is calculated.


    As the last club member falls to the ground knocked out, Mesto stops to catch his breath.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t fought in a long time,¡± Mesto sighs, ¡°Guess I¡¯m still rusty.¡±


    Mesto then turns his attention towards the allies who all sit there stunned.


    ¡°You guys alright?¡± Mesto asks.


    ¡°Uh yeah but if you call that being rusty,¡± Tim remarks as he looks back towards the unconscious bodies of gang members, ¡°I¡¯d hate to see what you usually do in a fight.¡±


    To that, Mesto smiles as he begins to enter the nightclub, ¡°Thank you for doing all this. If I got here when you all did, I wouldn¡¯t think I¡¯d been that much of a help.¡±


    As Mesto walks down the steps, Blanko scoffs at his comments and mimics his voice, ¡° Oh ¡®I¡¯m still rusty¡¯ and ¡®I wouldn¡¯t have been that much help¡¯ yeah right. Is he trying to make himself look cool?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but I do know one thing,¡± Tom remarks as he catches his breath, ¡°Next time I eat there, I¡¯m gonna give him a big tip.¡±


    Hearing that, both Tim & Blanko chuckle while Vanessa & Tom roll their eyes at the two¡¯s immaturity.


    _________________________


    Elsewhere in Club Azure¡¯s Employee-Only area. Cameron Dots is sitting down on a couch as he looks down towards the ground. He just wanted to have a friend, he just wanted to feel needed, and this is where it led him. To this hell on earth, one he can¡¯t escape from, one that he can¡¯t escape from even though he desperately wants to.


    But that¡¯s just reality, no matter what you try to do, eventually, you¡¯ll just keep falling down, with any attempt to climb out from despair being met with another hand pushing you down.


    And there¡¯s nothing he can do to change that.


    Nothing at all.


    ¡°So this is where you¡¯ve been.¡±


    Cameron looks up to see Elizabeth standing in the room. She looks exhausted and tired, yet still much better than the state Cameron is in.


    ¡°Elizabeth? What are you doing here?¡± Cameron asks before his head fills with questions and doubts, ¡°Did you just come to laugh at me? For trying to do something without you guys? I know none of you don¡¯t even care about me, so just leave!¡±


    As Cameron sits there catching his breath, Elizabeth just stands there silent.


    Infuriated, Cameron continues, ¡°Look I know you guys just keep me around because I¡¯m so pathetic! You barely talk to me and you just treat me like an extra! Like I don¡¯t matter to you guys!¡±


    Not knowing what to say, Cameron just sits there until Elizabeth speaks up.


    ¡°Is that how you really see us?¡± Elizabeth simply asks.


    Cameron is silent as he tries to think, ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t kno-¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not the best at saying things to help people,¡± Elizabeth remarks, ¡°But yeah, we haven¡¯t tried being your friend. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Hearing that Cameron¡¯s eyes widen as reality begins to set in, ¡°Elizabeth- wait- I didn¡¯t mean-¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s stupid of me to just expect everyone to always be the first one to reach out,¡± Elizabeth says, ¡°Everyone¡¯s been worried about you, and I know it¡¯s hard to take that first step.¡±


    Elizabeth extends her hand towards Cameron as she says, ¡°So say whatever you want and I¡¯ll make it happen.¡±


    Cameron looks at her hand, not knowing what to say. For him, someone who was just accepting his reality, to see someone deny it and reach out to him.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Well, what else could it be besides a miracle?


    Cameron takes Elizabeth¡¯s hand as he says, ¡°I just want to get out of here.¡±


    Hearing that, Elizabeth begins to walk out of the room and into the hallway.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get going,¡± Elizabeth says.


    Though just as they¡¯re about to leave the employee¡¯s only area, one of the doors to the break rooms bursts open and Alex comes flying out into the hallway. Elizabeth runs over to see if Alex is okay. All the while Alex looks into the room as the man he was fighting steps out.


    ________________


    Moments earlier when Alex is forced into one of the many rooms, he gets in a boxer¡¯s stance as he looks at the hulking figure staring down at him.


    ¡°So who the hell are you?¡± Alex asks as he looks at Martin McBride.


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m Martin McBride,¡± McBride answers, ¡°my job here is the head of security. Any threat to the business¡­¡±


    McBride uses his huge fist to slam the glass table in front of him in half as he finishes saying, ¡°I break.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Alex asks as he rushes toward McBride, ¡°You may be a big brute, but I¡¯m sure you can¡¯t handle this!¡±


    McBride is unable to even react as Alex shoots his right fist directly toward McBride¡¯s liver, trying to perform a liver shot.


    However, as soon as he makes contact with McBride, he feels the bones in his hand begin to crack and snap. Alex winces in pain as he takes a few steps back.


    ¡°I¡¯m the head of security,¡± McBride states as he unbuttons his shirt revealing he has a metal vest underneath, ¡°I can¡¯t do my job if I get hurt so easily!¡±


    Alex looks at his right hand which is throbbing with pain as he decides to deliver a left hook into McBride¡¯s face. It perfectly lands and Alex begins to continue to hit him there over and over again with his left hand.


    ¡°You dumbass!¡± Alex laughs, ¡°Thanks for telling me where not to hit you!¡±


    McBride tries to fight back but Alex is just too fast for him to hit, all of the training he did has paid off for him!


    Well, that would be the case if it weren¡¯t for one thing. Since Alex¡¯s dominant hand was damaged, Alex can only rely on his left hand which is much more sloppy and ineffective due to all the previous factors. And it makes his attacks way too predictable. McBride uses his hand to grab Alex by the neck and toss him out of the room and into the hallway.


    It¡¯s then that Alex is greeted by Elizabeth running over to him and the two looking as Martin McBride exits out into the hallway.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of this,¡± Martin McBride says as he takes off his metal vest, ¡°How about you try it on.¡±


    McBride tosses it towards Elizabeth & Alex at full force, though before it can hit either of them, Cameron gets in the way of the vest, taking the full force of the hit.


    ¡°CAMERON!¡± Alex & Elizabeth shout as they turn to see if he¡¯s okay.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m alr-alright¡± Cameron gags before he points behind the two, ¡°r-run!¡±


    Confused, Elizabeth & Alex turn around just in time to see Martin McBride grab the two by their heads, lift them up, and slam the two¡¯s heads into each other. He does this a few more times before dropping them to the ground.


    ¡°Finally I took that off,¡± McBride remarks as he stretches, ¡°It was really slowing me down.¡±


    His attention turns to Alex and Elizabeth, who are both crawling towards him, blood dripping from both of their heads. Despite being delirious, both are still determined to fight. And to make Cameron¡¯s wish come true.


    ¡°You bastard,¡± Alex grumbles as he bites down on McBride¡¯s shoe, ¡°You haven¡¯t defeated me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll kick your ass!¡± Elizabeth groans as she tries to get up only to stumble down.


    Hearing this, McBride chuckles, ¡°What a tenacious bunch of high schoolers.¡±


    McBride lifts up his fist ready to slam it down on them, ¡°I¡¯m sick of these white tiles, so I hope you don¡¯t mind if I paint them red!¡±


    Just as he¡¯s about to slam his fist into Alex, Cameron gets in the way and takes the hit. Cameron stumbles backward, unconscious, yet still alive.


    ¡°And here I thought high schoolers couldn¡¯t get any dumber,¡± McBride groans.


    Though what McBride had no idea of, what Alex & Elizabeth couldn¡¯t have realized, and what Cameron couldn¡¯t have predicted is that one tiny moment of selflessness. That moment of protecting those who wanted to protect him, it was the thing that ended up saving them all in the end.


    Because that gave someone enough time to enter the employee¡¯s only area, and that one person would tip the scales of this fight in their favor.


    And that person was, Mesto-Presto.


    Seeing the carnage McBride committed, Mesto¡¯s eyes fill with rage as he walks forward.


    ¡°How did you get in here?¡± McBride questions.


    ¡°Those are my patrons. They come into the restaurant every day,¡± Mesto hisses as he picks up the metal vest, ¡°What day were you born?¡±


    McBride is confused as he looks at the scrawny kid, ¡°September 31st, 1994.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Mesto questions as he slams the metal vest into McBride¡¯s head, ¡°When I¡¯m done with you, you¡¯re going to wish that day never existed!¡±


    McBride stumbles back as Mesto continues to swing the metal vest directly into McBride¡¯s head again and again. Eventually, McBride swats the vest out of Mesto¡¯s hand and he goes to punch him. That¡¯s when Mesto ducks and tackles McBride.


    However, McBride doesn¡¯t go down.


    ¡°You really thought you could bring someone like me down?!¡± McBride shouts, ¡°What a foolish-¡±


    McBride¡¯s prideful shouts are quickly replaced by his painful screams as Mesto is biting down on McBride¡¯s flesh. The pain causes McBride to get weak enough for Mesto to take him to the ground.


    You want to know the main two rules of street fighting? The first one is to never get into one because they¡¯re too risky. And the other one is to never be taken to the ground in one. These were rules Martin McBride thought he was above of, after all no person who¡¯s ever tried to fight him could match his pure physical abilities. They were all below him.


    Though as Mesto lies atop of him, McBride begins to realize he should¡¯ve listened to those rules. Mesto grabs some of the broken glass from the table and shoves it into the gaping wound McBride has due to his biting. As McBride cries out in pain, Mesto shoves the metal vest into his mouth.


    ¡°Silence,¡± Mesto remarks as he stands up, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear you talking anymore.¡±


    Mesto lifts his leg and then kicks McBride in his chin. Combined with the metal vest shoved into his mouth causes McBride to experience a pain he¡¯s never felt before. However as Mesto continues to kick him again and again, McBride finally understands what this pain is.


    It is utter fear.


    A fear so ingrained into him now that he¡¯d wish he had never been born just so he didn¡¯t have to face this devil.


    As McBride finally loses consciousness, Mesto looks over to Alex & Elizabeth. Both of them are still delirious from the attacks they just received.


    ¡°Hold on, let me go find some ice for your heads,¡± Mesto remarks as he tries to find something to help heal the two.


    Cameron also wakes up and after seeing the state McBride is in, the three high schoolers are glad that Mesto is on their side. Because the alternative is won they dread to even think of.


    _____________________


    Ronnie locks the door to the CEO¡¯s room.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a relief,¡± Ronnie remarks as he rolls up his sleeves, ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to blow off some steam against scum like you!¡±


    Hearing that, Jerry Pitt remarks, ¡°Scum like me? Please, if you want to look at scum, take a look at the MSA.¡±


    ¡°The Moon Shadow Affiliate? I already know that they¡¯re not the best,¡± Ronnie groans, ¡°And aren¡¯t you a part of them?¡±


    Jerry shakes his head as he explains, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean those replacements. I mean the real MSA. The one back in the 90s. Your family never told you?¡±


    Ronnie is confused but Jerry continues, ¡°You want to hear about them? The glory days?¡±


    ¡°The glory days?¡± Ronnie questions as he chuckles, ¡°Why would I want to know about some other MSA when I¡¯m here to teach you a lesson.¡±


    Jerry groans as he steps up, ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to play¡­¡±


    Jerry lifts his fist before bringing it down on his wooden desk, splitting it into two, ¡°I¡¯ll just have to educate the old fashioned way.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 68 - Club Azure (9)

    Earlier that day as the sun was setting, Ronnie Everst was holding onto Tim-Tom as he and the other members of The Three Ts rode their motorcycles to Burrito Bistro.


    ¡°So, how strong is your dad?¡± Ronnie yells over the wind.


    ¡°Oh you mean Jerry Pitt?¡± Tim-Tom questions, ¡°To be honest he¡¯s a tricky opponent. Mainly because of his fighting style.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°He¡¯s a grappler. If he manages to grab onto you, then you¡¯re as good as dead,¡± Tim-Tom explains before adding, ¡°If you plan on being the one to fight him, you better know what you¡¯re doing!¡±


    ¡°Oh relax,¡± Ronnie chuckles, ¡°I bet I can take him on.¡±


    ___________________


    That¡¯s what Ronnie thought, but as he stands in the CEO of Club Azure¡¯s office -- looking at Jerry approaching him after he broke his desk in half -- He begins to question if fighting this guy by himself really was a good idea. I mean he¡¯s had years of fighting experience and-


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jerry remarks as he goes for a right hook on Ronnie, ¡°You think you can just sit there daydreaming?¡±


    Jerry delivers several jabs across Ronnie¡¯s upper body as he continues, ¡°This is a fight. If you don¡¯t fight back then you¡¯ll fall.¡±


    Though as Jerry goes for another jab, Ronnie rushes towards Jerry and delivers him a headbutt. Jerry stumbles back and tries to regain his composure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like to be the one to start a fight,¡± Ronnie explains, ¡°Because I prefer being the one to end it!¡±


    Despite gaining confidence in his abilities, Ronnie is still wary of facing Jerry Pitt head-on. Mainly because despite Tim-Tom claiming his fighting style was similar to a grappler, he¡¯s only been striking him so far. But still, there is one thing Ronnie is able to do to even the odds.


    And that¡¯s by using the tapes he found, the ones his father and a friend of his ¨C James Lewis ¨C recorded about how to fight, and putting those lessons to use.


    The first lesson he decides to use; rile up the opponent.


    ¡°You talk a big game about this other much better MSA,¡± Ronnie retorts, ¡°Yet if they were so great, then how come they aren¡¯t around anymore? Guess they were just weak.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make such snide remarks about the past, especially if you don¡¯t know it,¡± Jerry remarks.


    ¡°Yeah sorry, maybe you could try explaining it to me,¡± Ronnie jokes, ¡°Though I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to focus due to how bright that bald head of yours is.¡±


    Jerry¡¯s fists begin to shake.


    ¡°I mean, seriously, your bald head is so shiny, I bet when you drive you don¡¯t even need the headlights,¡± Ronnie jokes.


    Jerry grits his teeth.


    Ronnie teases, ¡°But hey, not gonna lie to have that physique at your age is impressive. What are you, 65? 72? Because no way were you a teen in the 90s. You look like you¡¯ve been dealing drugs since the Renaissance-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve run your mouth for long enough boy!¡± Jerry roars as finally rage consumes him.


    Jerry sends a right hook toward Ronnie¡¯s face, but Ronnie manages to not only dodge the attack but counter it by slamming his elbow into Jerry¡¯s chin. The only reason he was able to do so was because he made him angry.


    The angrier an opponent gets, the more irrational they get and the less they focus on protecting themself. And it¡¯s this lesson Ronnie is putting to use as he delivers a punch into Jerry¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be the head of Club Azure? What a joke,¡± Ronnie remarks as he dodges Jerry¡¯s thoughtless jabs, ¡°If I knew you¡¯d be so weak¡­¡±


    Jerry charges at him ready to swarm him with powerful punches, however Ronnie steps out of the way. Jerry tries to turn around but it''s too late.


    ¡°I would have gone here by myself!¡± Ronnie exclaims as he slams his elbow into Jerry¡¯s back. Ronnie takes a few steps back and so does Jerry.


    As Jerry Pitt catches his breath he looks to see Ronnie has no signs of exhaustion on him. Jerry gets confused and tries to deliver a jab at Ronnie, but Ronnie swiftly counters with a calf kick. Jerry then tries to send some straight punches at Ronnie and while the first two don¡¯t hit, the third lands directly in Ronnie¡¯s face.


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    Ronnie stumbles backward, finally feeling pain for the first time in this fight. If he was the same as how he was when he fought Gabriel Griffon, he probably would be almost out of energy. However, it¡¯s thanks to not only the second lesson but Christopher Wrinkle¡¯s rigorous workout routine that he forced upon Ronnie that he¡¯s still standing.


    And what was the second lesson that the tapes explained? To focus on endurance training.


    Most fights don''t last long, people get tired out very quickly so if you have the better stamina, the better position you¡¯ll be in as the fight goes on.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Ronnie taunts while egging Jerry on, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re tired just yet, I bet the retirement center¡¯s got people more active than you.¡±


    Jerry taking the bait goes for an overhead hook, Ronnie can¡¯t dodge it so he decides to use the final lesson he learned from the three tapes he got his hands on.


    And that¡¯s to roll with the punches.


    Ronnie tilts his head in the direction of the punch, and as it lands he is tossed backward. Though while that punch would have usually been enough to take him out before, because he tilted his head the impact of the punch was minimized greatly.


    As Jerry tries to regain his composure from the attack, Ronnie uses his opportunity to rush towards the CEO.


    ¡°Hey thanks for the punch,¡± Ronnie remarks as he performs an overhead hook, ¡°Let¡¯s see if you like it!¡±


    The punch lands directly in the center of Jerry¡¯s face, sending the man to the ground. As he lays there, Ronnie walks over to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Ronnie sighs in relief, ¡°Club Azure is finished.¡±


    As Jerry hears those words, he can¡¯t help but recall his past. Everything he did, all of the things he committed as a way to make this city better, it was all being brought to an end by someone who refused to care. Someone who didn¡¯t know what he did.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, I¡¯m just trying to make things better,¡± Jerry Pitt sighs.


    ¡°This is your way of making things better?¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°Getting people hooked on drugs? Forcing small business owners to take awful deals? Harming people? Harming my people?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, I¡¯m protecting them! If Club Azure wasn¡¯t here then someone else will be, someone much worse,¡± Jerry remarks.


    However, Ronnie refutes, ¡°That doesn¡¯t make what you¡¯re doing okay. It isn¡¯t right.¡±


    Ronnie begins to walk away, however, right as he puts his hand on the door, he hears Jerry remark, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what they said.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ronnie asks as he turns around.


    Jerry continues while he gets back up, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what he said.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Ronnie asks.


    As he looks at Jerry, he can see him regain a second wind, and as Jerry begins to talk, Ronnie realizes that throughout their entire fight; no matter what Ronnie hit him with or said, Jerry Pitt truly never fought the way he was good at. He was never giving it his all.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me, I know what you are,¡± Jerry remarks, ¡°You¡¯re just a member of the MSA. The Moon Shadow Affiliate.¡±


    By now, Ronnie can tell Jerry is different. He feels different. Now instead of entertaining the whims of a child, Jerry is determined to win this fight. No matter what he must do.


    ¡°What are you talking about?! Don¡¯t you like the MSA?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°I was, back when it was The Moon Shadow Alliance. Back when James Lewis was in control. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT!¡± Jerry roars.


    Witnessing Jerry¡¯s anger soar to higher heights, Ronnie¡¯s legs start to tremble as he can¡¯t let out a single word.


    ¡°Back then, it was simple, we were just going around having fun,¡± Jerry remarks, ¡°But then Ivan got hurt. He couldn¡¯t walk. Our enemies got to him. I tried to tell James about getting back at them, but he refused! He was always too kind.¡±


    ¡°Then when everything came to an end, your father & I started this club. I tried to take control of this city, to make it clean from all of the scum. And he said exactly what you did,¡± Jerry grumbles, ¡°But we all know that was just a bald-faced lie! He didn¡¯t care for this city! If he did, then he would have made sure your uncle didn¡¯t do what he did!!¡±


    Ronnie tries to make sense of everything but he doesn¡¯t have the time to as Jerry begins to attack him. Instead of striking, however, Jerry goes for his specialty; grappling. His movements are quicker, more precise yet more confusing to Ronnie. He tries to move but Jerry manages to grab him and toss him into the broken desk.


    Before Ronnie has the chance to recover, Jerry tackles him and slams him to the ground. Now that Ronnie is on the ground, Jerry begins to throw his fists down at him repeatedly.


    ¡°All that talk about how we could make this city better than what it once was, that nobody we cared for had to suffer anymore, that¡¯s all it ever was,¡± Jerry fumes as he slams his fist downward aiming towards Ronnie, ¡°JUST TALK!¡±


    Ronnie uses the small distance between him & Jerry to kick him with all his might. Now that they have a distance between them, Ronnie takes a few steps back before dodging one of Jerry¡¯s overhead hooks. The hook lands in the wall instead causing several of the taxidermied animal heads to fall to the ground.


    Jerry takes his fist out of the huge dent he made in the wall. Ronnie goes to kick Jerry¡¯s feet from under him but he doesn¡¯t budge. Instead, Jerry grabs Ronnie by the throat and slams him into the ground next to some of the fallen taxidermied animal heads.


    Jerry catches his breath as he looks to see Ronnie on the ground all bruised. For a second his rage starts to vanish as he goes to make sure Ronnie is okay, however, Ronnie uses that final opportunity and with the final ounce of his strength to deliver one final move. A kick directly towards the liver.


    The kick lands and Jerry crumbles to the ground gasping for air, Ronnie stands up.


    ¡°Ugh,¡± Jerry groans in pain as he comes to his senses.


    Seeing the destroyed room and the bruised child of his late friend in front of him, Jerry can¡¯t help but reflect on the past.


    As he does so, Ronnie walks over to him, ¡°Jerry, this needs to end.¡±


    Enraged, Jerry puts one of the taxidermied deer heads into Ronnie¡¯s hand. He then pulls the hand closer to his chest as the deer antler is just inches away from it.


    ¡°So what are you going to do? Kill me?!¡± Jerry demands, ¡°Go ahead?! Just do it!¡±


    ¡°No! Despite all of what you did, nobody deserves that!¡± Ronnie cries.


    Infuriated by Ronnie¡¯s lack of resolve, Jerry pushes him to the ground and gets up. As he goes to slam his fist into Ronnie¡¯s head, Ronnie holds up his arms in defense.


    That¡¯s when it happens.


    Ronnie has his eyes closed but opens them when he realizes he hasn¡¯t been hit.


    That¡¯s when he sees it.


    The horn of the taxidermied deer that he¡¯s holding has pierced through Jerry¡¯s torso, and he¡¯s bleeding profusely.


    He locks eyes with Jerry as the two don¡¯t know what to say to one another.


    ¡°Those bastards should¡¯ve just killed me back then,¡± Jerry croaks, ¡°If I was dead then I wouldn¡¯t have to know just how much none of it mattered. They didn¡¯t even tell me.¡±


    Ronnie watches as Jerry continues, ¡°They didn¡¯t even tell me that your father passed away! My friend! And now, the MSA would rather turn this city into smithereens rather than stand for what they used to represent.¡±


    After a moment of silence, Ronnie murmurs, ¡°I¡¯m going to stop it, I¡¯m going to stop all of this.¡±


    Seeing Ronnie¡¯s resolve, Jerry can¡¯t help but shed a few tears as he chuckles.


    ¡°Good,¡± Jerry croaks, ¡°Then you really are better than all of us.¡±


    And with that, Jerry falls to the ground unconscious due to the loss of blood.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 69 - Club Azure (Finale)

    ¡°Hey, you got any ideas for this nightclub?¡± A younger Jerry Pitt remarks.


    ¡°We need to call it something cool,¡± a person says, ¡°How about Club Azure?¡±


    Jerry looks at the person who is none other than Reagan Everst, a longtime friend and current co-owner of the nightclub he wants to make.


    ¡°That name sounds stupid,¡± Jerry chuckles.


    ¡°Not as stupid as your receding hairline,¡± Reagan jokes.


    Jerry groans at the reminder causing Reagan to chuckle.


    ¡°Fine then, let¡¯s call it Club Azure,¡± Jerry remarks.


    The two are sitting at a table planning out the final touches to the nightclub Jerry has been working on making for a long time.


    ¡°But since you named it, you¡¯ll be the founder,¡± Jerry adds.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me,¡± Reagan sighs, ¡°Though isn¡¯t it your dream to open a place like this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah but I wouldn¡¯t have even gotten the funding if it weren¡¯t for your smooth-talking,¡± Jerry chuckles.


    ¡°Hey, what can I say? I¡¯m just good at creating miracles,¡± Reagan jokes.


    Jerry ponders what Reagan just said. A miracle?


    If he was being honest, that¡¯s exactly what Reagan gave to him. The chance to actually follow his dreams and open up a nightclub.


    Of course, this happiness wouldn¡¯t last. Reagan would pass away in an accident leaving Jerry to run the business by himself and ultimately succumb to the darkness within him.


    That would eventually lead to Jerry encountering the man who forced him deeper into that darkness.


    He can still remember it like it was yesterday. The utter defeat at the hands of that man, the contract he forced Jerry to sign in his own blood, and they way he showed up and left without a trace. Almost as if he was a phantom.


    After that day, now that he had to not only run the nightclub but work under the new MSA, he started to sink lower and lower. But he would always tell himself that it didn¡¯t matter how many crimes he committed or how many people he hurt, if he could just get enough power to challenge them, then he¡¯d be able to make this city right again.


    No matter the cost.


    ________________________


    ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to move it!¡± A teenage boy yells.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t know how to deliver first aid!¡± Another teenage boy yells.


    Jerry Pitt awakes in his ruined office to see an interesting sight. Watching over him are two panicked teenagers, Marcus Veridan & Ronnie Everst. They¡¯re both trying to find a way to stop the wound Jerry has from getting worse.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s kinda important that we figure out how to!¡± Marcus yells.


    ¡°Yeah, no shit! Now find a first aid kit!¡± Ronnie yells.


    Hearing the two teenagers argue, Jerry can¡¯t help but see how despite the resolve Ronnie just showed in their fight, he still at the end of the day is just a kid. Jerry begins to get up as he laughs. Marcus tries to make sure Jerry doesn¡¯t make the wound worse.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it didn¡¯t hit anything vital,¡± Jerry remarks as he pulls out the deer horn from his torso, ¡°and if it did then I¡¯m glad there¡¯s a hospital nearby.¡±


    Confused, Ronnie and Marcus look at each other before Ronnie gets into a fighting stance, ¡°You still haven¡¯t learned your lesson?!¡±


    ¡°No, I have,¡± Jerry remarks as he bandages himself up, ¡°Once this night ends, Club Azure will be no more.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief even though we kinda figured,¡± Marcus remarks.


    Jerry is confused but Marcus explains by showing his phone to Jerry. He looks at it only to see several news articles being recently made.


    ¡®Local nightclub Club Azure associated with illegal activity. Sources claim they gave spiked drinks to minors.¡¯


    ¡®Club Azure in hot water due to a recent expose from an undercover journalist.¡¯


    ¡®Undercover Journalist releases a detailed expose on Club Azure, discussing their ties to gang activity and shady business practices.¡¯


    As Jerry looks through the articles all being released, he sees countless leaked documents and photos that were obtained by the infamous investigative journalist only referred to as ¡®M.M.¡¯. However despite the countless articles, not a single one mentions the nightclub¡¯s ties to the Moon Shadow Affiliate.


    ¡°How in the-¡± Jerry begins to say before realizing something and sighing, ¡°She¡¯s a clever girl, I¡¯ll give her that.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, hope you have fun with all of that,¡± Ronnie remarks as he begins to walk to the door.


    Ronnie & Marcus leave the room but as they do so, Tim-Tom enters. The two nod at each other before Tim-Tom looks toward Jerry.


    ¡°Hey there¡­son,¡± Jerry Pitt remarks as he reaches out towards Tim-Tom.


    Though Tim-Tom swats his hand away as he turns to leave the room, ¡°I was just checking to see if you dropped dead yet. Seems like you haven¡¯t yet, so I¡¯ll be on my way.¡±


    ¡°Wait son I-¡± Jerry begins to say.


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    ¡°Can it Old Man, I¡¯m not looking for an apology from you. I wasn''t the one you hurt with all this, and I¡¯ve grown sick of all the cheap words you spew from your mouth,¡± Tim-Tom remarks, ¡°You weren¡¯t the only one suffering y¡¯know, so stop treating her like an excuse.¡±


    Jerry is silent as Tim-Tom leaves the room and begins chatting with Ronnie & Marcus. Despite his son¡¯s hostile words, Jerry feels that hidden behind that animosity, Tim-Tom still has some sort of sorrow for his old man.


    As the trio exit the CEO¡¯s room, Ronnie glances over to Tim-Tom and asks, ¡°Hey, you sure you don¡¯t want to talk to him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get a better chance to talk later,¡± Tim-Tom mentions before joking, ¡°Hopefully a time when we both don¡¯t have stab wounds.¡±


    The three walk down the hall of the employee¡¯s only area to see where McBride is unconscious on the floor and next to him are Alex, Elizabeth, Cameron, & Mesto. Alex, Elizabeth, & Cameron are all wrapped up in several bandages.


    ¡°Oh hey, looks like you guys wanted to dress as mummies,¡± Ronnie jokes.


    ¡°Oh please,¡± Alex grunts as he rolls his eyes, ¡°We would¡¯ve been fine if someone didn¡¯t try to give us first aid.¡±


    ¡°Hey, safety first,¡± Mesto remarks.


    ¡°I think we need ice and not bandages,¡± Elizabeth remarks as she pulls out the abundance of bandages off of her head.


    The group exits the employee¡¯s only area and enters the main stage of the nightclub to see Blanko, Vanessa, Tim, & Tom over at the bar having some water.


    After seeing the group, Blanko waves them over while Vanessa nods at them. However as the group starts to walk forward, Cameron stands still. Ronnie, Elizabeth, Alex, & Marcus look back towards Cameron.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m glad you guys came and helped me but¡­¡± Cameron begins to say as he looks towards the ground, ¡°I don¡¯t think I should be a member of the club anymore.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, it¡¯s been fun but I need to just take a break from everything really,¡± Cameron says.


    As he looks down, he waits to hear ridicule and disdain tossed his way, but he doesn¡¯t hear anything from his friends. So when he looks up at them, he sees them all standing there with empathetic looks on their faces.


    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t mad?¡± Cameron asks.


    ¡°Why would we be mad?¡± Ronnie questions, ¡°This is just a club, you got some stuff to work through right now. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re saying we aren¡¯t friends.¡±


    ¡°Besides, when you get better you can totally rejoin the club!¡± Marcus offers, ¡°If you want to of course.¡±


    ¡°And just because you¡¯re not a member of the miracle clinic doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll see the last of us,¡± Elizabeth adds, ¡°We¡¯re still gonna hang out with you and check up on you.¡±


    Hearing those words, Cameron can¡¯t help but cry. Not out of fear or sadness, he¡¯s had plenty of time these past few days to do that. But he¡¯s crying out of joy. Because after such a long time, it feels like he¡¯s being truly recognized as not just a friend, but as an equal.


    ¡°Say, you guys wanna catch up at Burrito Bistro?¡± Alex offers.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to but I need to head home,¡± Cameron remarks, ¡°I bet my parents are pretty worried sick about me.¡±


    Seeing that, Tim-Tom sighs and walks over towards Cameron, ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll help take you there!¡±


    Cameron¡¯s confused but Tim walks over and adds, ¡°We¡¯re The Three Ts! If you need any job done, even driving you home, just give us a call!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Cameron asks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Tom remarks, ¡°It¡¯s the least we can do after not doing anything this whole night.¡±


    Cameron accepts their offer and begins to leave with them. But as they do, he turns to look at the rest of the club and waves at them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you guys around!¡± Cameron yells as he goes up the stairs.


    ¡°Take care!¡± Elizabeth yells.


    ¡°Hope you get better soon!¡± Marcus yells.


    ¡°I THINK YOUR LEFT SHOE IS UNTIED!¡± Alex adds, ¡°Also See Ya!¡±


    ¡°Catch you later, Cameron,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    Now that it¡¯s just Mesto, the four remaining Miracle Clinic members, & the two east-side companions, their attention turns to Mesto.


    ¡°What?¡± Mesto asks.


    ¡°You remember what I just said, let¡¯s go get some food at your restaurant!¡± Alex adds.


    ¡°We¡¯re closed-¡± Mesto tries to say.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make sure to tip you well,¡± Ronnie suggests.


    ¡°Well then, I guess we can stay open a bit longer,¡± Mesto admits.


    The group all begin to walk up the stairs out of the nightclub, all of them set to put Club Azure behind them for good.


    And that would have been the case, Club Azure would have been a distant memory for all of them, if it weren¡¯t for one person.


    Cal Hound.


    For you see, as they all were just chatting, he was regaining his consciousness in the VIP room, and after hearing about the fate of Club Azure he realized something. All of the drugs that he¡¯s gotten dependent on, all of the money he¡¯s raked in, all of it has just imploded.


    And who did he blame? Cameron. If it weren¡¯t for him and his incessant friends, everything would be going well. I mean sure, he did treat Cameron not the best lately but he can¡¯t just go back to the way he once was.


    He needs to keep his new life.


    And if he can¡¯t have it, then he¡¯ll make sure to do the same for them.


    As he gets up and grabs the keys to his car, he recalls something that the group said as they left. That they were heading to Burrito Bistro. So as Cal limps out of the nightclub, he too decides to visit this place so he can get revenge.


    Revenge on the ones who took away his new life.


    _______________________


    At Burrito Bistro, Mesto sets down three sets of tortilla chips with a side of salsa on a set of three tables all pushed together. Sitting at the table is Alex, Ronnie, Elizabeth, Marcus, Blanko, & Vanessa. Over at the front counter is the store owner, Cedro Garcia, who was busy keeping Mesto¡¯s children busy.


    ¡°Did he leave?¡± Mesto asks.


    ¡°Yeah, it was getting pretty late,¡± Garcia says before turning his attention to the table, ¡°So how come these kids are still up?¡±


    ¡°They wanted to celebrate,¡± Mesto explains.


    At the table, all of them are feasting on the tortilla chips, though as they do so Ronnie realizes something.


    ¡°Hey I just realized that we¡¯re only a few more weeks away from the end of school,¡± Ronnie rejoices.


    ¡°Wait really?!¡± Blanko shouts in excitement.


    ¡°No not us,¡± Vanessa explains, ¡°The North gets out of school earlier than us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well that¡¯s a load of bullshit,¡± Blanko groans, ¡°Of course, The North Side gets special treatment.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you guys get to start school later than us!¡± Marcus defensively states.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same,¡± Vanessa remarks.


    As the group is chatting, Alex stands up suddenly.


    ¡°You good buddy?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Yeah, I was just going to get more napkins. And I¡¯m making a goal for myself,¡± Alex declares, ¡°I¡¯m going to train my ass off over this summer. When sophomore year starts I¡¯m gonna be a completely different person.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be a welcome change,¡± Elizabeth jabs.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Alex yells.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t let you have all the glory,¡± Elizabeth remarks, ¡°I¡¯m gonna be even more stronger than you next year.¡±


    ¡°Who says you were stronger than me?¡±


    ¡°Uh me,¡± Elizabeth remarks.


    As Elizabeth & Alex throw jokes and insults at one another, Ronnie can tell that both of them are determined to improve themselves and get stronger than they are today.


    That¡¯s when Ronnie remembers something.


    He¡¯s supposed to be grounded.


    He checks the time to see it¡¯s 1 AM.


    ¡°Fuck, my mom¡¯s gonna kill me,¡± Ronnie deflates.


    Seeing the time, Vanessa & Blanko also get up.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna head out too, we got a bit of a trip to get back to The East Side,¡± Vanessa remarks.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll catch you guys later!¡± Marcus says.


    Blanko & Vanessa leave, with Blanko grabbing one of the chip baskets before he leaves. As the two begin to walk down the street, Vanessa gets a call and decides to answer it.


    Back in the restaurant, Ronnie stretches.


    ¡°We should call it a night too,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    The others agree and they all stand up. As they begin to walk away, Mesto looks at them curiously.


    However none of them notice and when all is said and done, Mesto sighs as he realizes he still isn¡¯t going to get any tips from them.


    __________________________


    As the four members of The Miracle Clinic make their way down the street to their homes, they all joke amongst one another like they would always do. For some reason, what exactly was said always was a blur to them when they looked back. All they remember was Marcus beginning to walk down a street when a car started to drive down it. Marcus didn¡¯t think much of it because there were a few stoplights in between him and the car so he kept walking.


    Alex & Elizabeth were in their usual banter so they didn¡¯t notice. The only person who did was Ronnie Everst. At first, he was going to disregard it too but he stopped when he realized something.


    They weren¡¯t stopping at any of the red lights, in fact they were speeding up.


    As they got closer, Ronnie could recognize their face. It was Cal Hound, someone he saw at the nightclub, and he was headed straight towards Marcus.


    Without even thinking, without anyone processing what was happening, Ronnie ran into the road towards Marcus, his hand extending towards him and yelling.


    Marcus turns to look behind him and sees the car driving directly towards him.


    That¡¯s when it happened.


    That¡¯s when Cal Hound got his revenge.


    As the car crashes into a streetlamp, Alex & Elizabeth look on in horror at what they just witnessed.


    And laying on the sidewalk, Marcus too looks in complete shock at what happened to the person who pushed him out of the way.


    The person who granted him a miracle back when he needed it most.


    And the person who ran out to help his friend without a second thought.


    ¡°R-Ronnie?¡± Marcus asks.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 70 - Club Azure (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Rising Through The Ranks


    Just as Vanessa & Blanko were leaving Burrito Bistro, they got a call. A call from Graham Dirt who explained that the top 3 members of Dirty Fang wanted to see them now.


    So after taking the train ride back over to the east side, they finally arrived at the meeting. At the top of a building on its penthouse, Vanessa & Blanko step out cautiously onto the balcony. The stained wooden floorboards, the huge pool illuminated by LED lights, and the private bar sure make this place one most would desire to visit.


    But it¡¯s the view that makes this place a sight to behold.


    Overlooking the city with their backs turned to the two are Dirty Fang¡¯s No. 3; the illustrious Purple, Dirty Fang¡¯s No. 2; the calculative Andy Nibble, and not only Dirty Fang¡¯s No. 1 but the most feared man in Starlight City; Mason Makinsley.


    Mason has dark brown skin, dyed red spiky hair, and is wearing a black robe.


    Next to three is fellow Dirty Fang member, Graham Dirt, who¡¯s giving Mason a glass of scotch. Mason doesn¡¯t turn around as he takes it.


    ¡°So, I heard about what you kids did,¡± Mason Makinsley remarks.


    Graham Dirt walks over to the bar as Andy & Purple turn to look at the two teens. Andy¡¯s still wearing a bucket hat covering his eyes, this time a simple black one, while Purple still has a purple handkerchief covering his mouth and a teardrop tattoo under his eyes.


    ¡°Going to The North Side and helping to take out Club Azure, you sure got guts,¡± Mason Makinsley states as he sips his scotch.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir but we were doing a fav-¡± Blanko begins to say but stops as Mason lifts his hand up.


    ¡°No no, you guys aren¡¯t getting scolded,¡± Mason Makinsley remarks.


    Andy Nibble & Purple begin to walk over to the two. Vanessa is prepared for the worst as she notices the two both are holding silver briefcases.


    ¡°Instead the both of you,¡± Mason Makinsley begins to say before turning around, ¡°are being rewarded.¡±


    Vanessa & Blanko look at Makinsley stunned to see that he is wearing black round sunglasses and teal swim trunks. To make their confusion worse, Purple & Andy open up the briefcases revealing what¡¯s inside are several stacks of cash.


    Seeing the looks on the two teen¡¯s faces, Makinsley breaks out in a fit of laughter.


    Seeing him laughing, Purple rolls his eyes while Andy sighs.


    ¡°All of this¡­is our¡¯s?¡± Blanko asks, startled.


    ¡°Yes, it is, though if you¡¯d like a check let me know and I¡¯ll write you one up,¡± Makinsley jokes before explaining, ¡°Taking initiative and taking out a thorn in Dirty Fang¡¯s side is something that should be rewarded!¡±


    Blanko doesn¡¯t know what to say but Vanessa does, ¡°All of these are singles?¡±


    ¡°Correct you are,¡± Mason remarks, ¡°Should be like $400.¡±


    Hearing that Blanko is still extremely excited as he takes the case and goes to give Mason a high five. Mason, seeing this, goes for a fist bump and the two awkwardly look at each other before laughing.


    ¡°Now now, it¡¯s late so you kids should go and get some sleep,¡± Mason remarks as he waves them goodbye.


    ¡°Th-thanks,¡± Vanessa remarks as she & Blanko walk back inside and towards the elevator.


    As they leave, Purple groans as he remarks, ¡°You do know that we¡¯re going to have to answer for this.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Mason Makinsley remarks as he takes off his sunglasses, ¡°But it isn¡¯t something we should blame those kids for doing. They don¡¯t really know the full scope of things.¡±


    ¡°And whose fault is that?¡± Andy remarks.


    Despite their hostile words, it¡¯s clear that there¡¯s no real ill will among the three of them.


    ¡°Listen you guys all know our philosophy, treat those with us well and those against you coldly,¡± Makinsley affirms.


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    ¡°You know, it¡¯s only a matter of time before the MSA calls to have another meeting between the heads,¡± Andy states, ¡°Especially since one of the 6 gangs is now out of the picture.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know,¡± Makinsley groans, ¡°I guess that¡¯ll be the time to remind all the other gangs why I¡¯m called The Most Feared Man In Starlight City.¡±


    SUN SHORT #2 - Our Manifesto


    Li-Wei Zhang and Martin McBride are limping down an alleyway, both are bruised and bloodied. Rain begins to fall as they continue their escape from Club Azure.


    ¡°Those damn kids, they ruined everything!¡± Li-Wei yells, ¡°How did they even find out about all our dealings?!¡±


    ¡°They even managed to get the cops to come in!¡± Martin grunts.


    Though as they are about to enter the street, they hear a laugh behind them. Confused the two turn around and what they see has their eyes widened in shock.


    Standing in the alleyway holding a carmine-colored umbrella is Marcy Murphy, she remarks, ¡°You give those kids too much credit.¡±


    ¡°It was you-¡± Li-Wei begins to say but Marcy just smiles.


    ¡°Of course it was, what are you fucking stupid?¡± Marcy questions as she walks towards them, ¡°Club Azure acted so high and mighty yet here are two of their top members all alone.¡±


    ¡°You think you can beat us up?¡± McBride asks as he walks over to Marcy.


    ¡°Oh I don¡¯t need to, I¡¯ll let them take care of you,¡± Marcy remarks.


    ¡°Them?¡± McBride remarks.


    As Li-Wei & McBride stand there confused, they hear a door slam behind them. The two look to see that on the street, a figure has stepped out of a white van. They¡¯re wearing a carmine-colored hoodie.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about one of our finest,¡± Marcy remarks as the figure slams their fist into Li-Wei¡¯s face, ¡°A fellow messenger of The Carmine Manifesto.¡±


    The figure then pounces on McBride and begins to beat into them until both McBride & Li-Wei are down on the ground. The figure then drags the two¡¯s bodies into the white van as Marcy gets a call.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Marcy asks as she answers the phone, ¡°Oh they¡¯re going to host another Meeting Between The Heads?¡±


    Marcy contemplates something before responding, ¡°Sure, I guess I can go in your place.¡±


    Marcy hangs up and looks to see that the figure has already put the two into the white van and is now playing with something in their hand.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re all set, do you need a ride home?¡± Marcy asks.


    The person nods and Marcy gets in the vehicle. As the figure hops in, before they close the door they take another look at the object in their hand.


    It¡¯s a beyblade.


    SUN SHORT #3 - The Bigger Picture


    Walking down the rainy streets of Starlight City is none other than Logan Stewart, the former bartender at Club Azure. As he continues to walk down the street though, he hears a car horn honk.


    He turns to see on the street, there''s a black limousine waiting for him. Logan enters the back of the limo and sits down. As the limo begins to drive off he looks forward at the person he¡¯s sitting parallel to.


    It¡¯s a person wearing a hoodie underneath a green jacket and blue jeans. The person is also holding a glass of apple juice in his hand.


    ¡°So, it looks like what you wanted to happen happened,¡± Logan remarks, ¡°Club Azure is finished.¡±


    The person nods.


    ¡°The higher-ups wanted me to work there to check up on how well the business was doing, and as you can tell they clearly aren¡¯t doing so well,¡± Logan jokes.


    The person sits there. Logan pours himself some whiskey as the limousine continues to move forward.


    ¡°Though I must say, you really have a roundabout way of doing things, you know that right?¡± Logan remarks, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just stop the Club when you first visited? Why did you get those kids involved?¡±


    For the first time in the conversation, the other person speaks. After hearing him, a slight smile appears on his face.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, your little stunt just gave them an excuse to do what they¡¯ve been wanting to do for a while,¡± Logan remarks.


    As the limousine continues to drive down the street, Logan finally notices that the person sitting with him has his feet and hands stained in mud, there¡¯s also a small box covered in mud sitting on the floor of the limo.


    Putting two and two together Logan smiles, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re pretty clever. Ever since Dirty Fang dug up the fake one, I was wondering when you were going to track down your memento. You¡¯re just full of surprises, aren¡¯t you Phantom?¡±


    SUN SHORT #4 - Live A Little


    The front doors to The Everst Family Household open up as both Sally Everst and her brother-in-law Ryan Everst enter the house.


    ¡°Thanks for helping me with the car,¡± Ryan remarks.


    ¡°I¡¯m just returning the favor,¡± Sally quips as she turns on the lights.


    Though as the two enter the household, Sally notices that despite being grounded, Ronnie is nowhere to be seen. She looks at the fridge and reads a note left by The Three Ts.


    ¡®Sorry, something urgent came up so we left Ronnie with enough food & water to last him the rest of the night¡¯ the note reads.


    Sally grits her teeth while Ryan realizes what¡¯s going on.


    ¡°That boy¡¯s going to have a lot to say when he gets home,¡± Sally utters.


    ¡°Oh come on, he¡¯s a teen, they always go out late,¡± Ryan remarks, ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s grounded right now or-¡±


    Seeing Sally¡¯s face, Ryan fully realizes the situation and remarks, ¡°Oh.¡±


    Sally gets out her phone and tries to call Ronnie but he doesn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°You want me to go and find him?¡± Ryan suggests.


    ¡°No, he¡¯ll have to head home eventually,¡± Sally sighs.


    As the two stand there, Ryan decides to try and change topics, ¡°You know, if you needed some money you could¡¯ve asked me.¡±


    Sally looks at Ryan and sighs, ¡°Look Ryan, is this about me trying to sell my business?¡±


    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that you don¡¯t need to rely on selling your business to Jerry Pitt of all people.¡±


    ¡°Ryan, I¡¯m not taking your money!¡± Sally states.


    ¡°Come on, the tattoo parlor was your drea-¡± Ryan begins to say.


    ¡°You know why I won¡¯t take your money,¡± Sally remarks, ¡°and the deal isn¡¯t finalized yet. I can still back out if something were to happen.¡±


    As the two stand there, Ryan gets a notification from his phone, when he checks it he sees an article giving an expose on all of Club Azure¡¯s shady dealings.


    ¡°Well, you might want to do that,¡± Ryan jokes.


    Sally checks his phone and after seeing it, she can¡¯t help but laugh. Ryan also laughs for a bit. Whether it was out of awkwardness or the shocking closure to their argument none aren¡¯t quite sure.


    As their laughter dies down, Ryan reminisces, ¡°I still remember back then when we went to the arcade and he broke the crane machine.¡±


    ¡°He got so mad he broke the glass,¡± Sally chuckles.


    As Sally thinks back on the times of her youth, she begins to reminisce on all of the times she went out late when she wasn¡¯t supposed to. Sometimes she didn¡¯t get caught but most of the time she did. As she stands there, she figures that Ronnie¡¯s really starting to take after her. And while she is certain that she¡¯ll scold him for this, she figures she¡¯ll let him off easy.


    At that moment, she had no way of knowing what state her son was in.


    At that moment, she had no way of knowing the shocked looks on all of his friend¡¯s faces as they looked out onto a blood-soaked road.


    At that moment, she had no way of knowing that Ronnie wouldn¡¯t be returning home that night.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 71 - Abandonment (Prologue)

    Back during the first day of middle school, a younger Ronnie Everst is walking towards his class, he glances down at his schedule to see his first class is a science one, yet none of the classes around him are-


    Just as Ronnie has that thought, he ends up running into someone causing the both of them to fall to the ground.  Ronnie rubs his head a bit when.


    ¡°Oh my god, I am so sorry.¡± The student with slightly messy brown hair begins to apologize as he gets up.


    Ronnie looks over at them for a moment before remarking, ¡°Hey don¡¯t worry about it, I should¡¯ve paid attention to where I was walking.¡±


    Ronnie dusts himself off before standing up and adding, ¡°I¡¯m Ronnie by the way. You got any idea where the science classes are? I¡¯m supposed to have a class there but this whole school is a maze.¡±


    ¡°Oh uh-, I¡¯m M-Marcus,¡± Marcus stammers out before calming down and replying, ¡°I think the science classes are closer to the cafeteria.¡±


    ¡°Sweet well thanks, Marcus, you¡¯re a lifesaver!¡± Ronnie begins to say as he starts to run away.


    Though, as Ronnie runs through the hall he can¡¯t help but feel something peculiar toward Marcus. Maybe it was the way he acted, maybe it was the fact Marcus had the same backpack Ronnie had the year prior, or maybe it was for some other random factor entirely.


    Whatever it was that caught Ronnie¡¯s eye that day, it was the justification he needed to turn around and yell back to Marcus, ¡°And hey just so you know, we¡¯re friends now so don¡¯t forget it!¡±


    "O-okay!" Marcus replies confused.


    As Ronnie continues to walk to his class, he thinks of how for some reason, despite only knowing each other for just a little bit of time, Ronnie wishes that the two could actually be friends.


    __________________


    In the present, Ronnie opens his eyes as he lies on the asphalt street. The stars in the night sky look a bit blurry, and standing over him, shaking him profusely, is Marcus Veridan.


    Ronnie wonders why Marcus is being so silly, he¡¯s fine. And why is he crying so much?


    The ringing in his ears causes him to not be able to hear what anyone is saying, he notices Elizabeth is also on the phone with someone with a distraught look on her face. She looks over to Ronnie and she tries to stop from crying but she can¡¯t help it.


    Ronnie is confused by her actions because why would she cry when seeing him? He¡¯s fine.


    That¡¯s when he notices that Alex has dragged that Cal Hound fellow out of a crashed car and is beating him senselessly. Ronnie finds him foolish, Alex always had a bad temper but to attack someone even when his hand is broken is a new low for Alex. Besides, he''s overreacting.


    They¡¯re all overreacting.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­.I¡¯m gonna be fine,¡± Ronnie manages to croak out as blood gushes out from his forehead, ¡°I¡¯m gonna be¡­¡±


    However, Ronnie never did get to finish that sentence as he drifted into unconsciousness.


    ¡°Ronnie?¡± Marcus shouts, ¡°RONNIE!¡±


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    Marcus tries to shake him, tries to stop the bleeding, to do anything to wake Ronnie back up.


    But it doesn¡¯t work.


    Nothing works.


    Finally, an ambulance arrives as well as some police cars, as the EMTS have Marcus step aside, he notices Alex shouting.


    ¡°Hey let go of me!¡± Alex roars.


    Several of the police officers begin to drag both him and Cal Hound into the police car, both in handcuffs.


    ¡°I did it¡­¡± Cal Hound murmurs as a smile grows on his face, ¡°I got my revenge.¡±


    He¡¯s shoved into the cop car alongside Alex and as the police car and ambulance leave, some more cops stay behind to ask Marcus & Elizabeth about what happened and to make sure they are okay.


    And sure, physically speaking they were fine. But the words the paramedics tried to tell them didn¡¯t get through to them. Because they were still stuck in that moment.


    ___________________


    Marcus & Elizabeth are at the emergency room waiting room, despite it being so late, it¡¯s still packed with people. Some people are feeling sick while others are like them and waiting to be able to see someone. As they sit there, they hear the doors to the hospital open.


    Marcus¡¯ eyes are wide as Sally Everst rushes in and walks over to the front desk.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my son?¡± Sally asks, distraught.


    The nurse there tries to talk to her, but as Marcus watches Sally, he sees the person who¡¯s always helped him, the person who helped him move on from his past, the person he always thought would stand strong despite it all; standing there, tears streaming down her face as she can¡¯t do anything but pray.


    ¡°Not you too,¡± Sally cries as she slumps to the ground, ¡°I can¡¯t lose you too.¡±


    Marcus begins to get up to try and talk to her. Try to say something to lift her spirits up, to tell her everything is going to be okay.


    But he can¡¯t, he doesn¡¯t even know if those words are true. He isn¡¯t the one who inspires others, who lifts people up in their darkest moments, that was always Ronnie. Sure he¡¯s tried to follow his example, to encourage others, but compared to someone he always saw as a living miracle, he couldn¡¯t compare.


    He was nobody special.


    He was just Marcus.


    __________________________________


    ¡°Well I¡¯ve got some good news and some bad news,¡± The doctor explains as he talks to Sally, Marcus, & Elizabeth.


    ¡°The good news is, your son is likely to make a full recovery,¡± The doctor admits, ¡°Though he is in a coma, it should only take a few days- maybe a few weeks for him to fully awake.¡±


    The group is silent as the doctor explains.


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s a miracle he didn¡¯t get even more hurt,¡± The doctor suggests.


    Hearing that, Sally, Elizabeth, & Marcus all have a look of pure exhaustion and frustration from hearing that word.


    ¡°Uh, my apologies, I¡¯ll let you know if anything else happens,¡± The doctor explains as he walks away.


    As the three are now left by themself, Sally sighs, ¡°Are you kids alright? Do you need a ride home?¡±


    ¡°No, my parents are heading over now,¡± Elizabeth states.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I can walk back,¡± Marcus insists.


    ¡°You sure? I can drive you ba-¡± Sally suggests.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m fine,¡± Marcus affirms.


    As he sits there, he thinks back to what happened. If he wasn¡¯t on that road, Ronnie wouldn¡¯t be in a coma. The only reason he¡¯s here, the only reason all of this happened, was because it was his fault.


    As Marcus thinks that, he believes that he shouldn¡¯t make Sally even more concerned than she already is. So he decides to stand up.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get going,¡± Marcus admits.


    ¡°Okay, stay safe out there,¡± Elizabeth adds.


    _________________________


    Marcus begins to walk down the night street, and as he does so, he notices that it¡¯s started to rain. He reaches a bus stop when his phone begins to ring. He checks it and it¡¯s a call from Alex. He quickly picks up.


    ¡°Alex? How are you doing?!¡± Marcus asks concerned.


    ¡°Sorry, but this is his dad, Mateo,¡± Alex¡¯s father says over the phone, ¡°We¡¯re almost done here at the station, he¡¯s just getting questioned right now. How¡¯s that kid doing; Ronnie?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry Mister Smith,¡± Marcus remarks as he gets onto a bus, ¡°As for Ronnie, the doctors said he¡¯ll make a full recovery, though he¡¯s in a coma for now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Mateo sighs.


    ¡°How are things at the police station?¡± Marcus questions as the bus begins to move.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a headache,¡± Mateo groans, ¡°My boy¡¯s getting fined 500 for attacking that damned driver. If you asked me, he should¡¯ve hit him harder. But from what the officers told me, they¡¯re planning on charging that driver with attempted murder.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Marcus remarks as the bus reaches his stop.


    ¡°Oh looks like Alex is all done, I¡¯ll talk to you later, stay safe out there,¡± Mateo remarks.


    ¡°You too,¡± Marcus states before hanging up.


    As he gets off the bus, he continues to walk through the light rain as he thinks back to everything that¡¯s happened. He can¡¯t help but think back to the time when Ronnie followed him home. At that time he closed himself off from Ronnie, but now he wishes he hadn¡¯t. That way he could have spent just a little bit more time with him.


    Marcus finally reaches the front door to his family¡¯s house and as he grabs the door handle, he realizes it¡¯s unlocked.


    Marcus slowly opens the door and his eyes widen as he sees someone standing inside his house.


    ¡°About time you finally showed up,¡± The man remarks.


    ¡°Dad?!¡± Marcus asks, stunned.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 72 - Abandonment (1)

    ¡°About time you finally showed up,¡± Marcus¡¯ father, Kyle Veridan, remarks.


    ¡°Dad?!¡± Marcus asks, stunned.


    The two are standing in their home, Kyle is a tall somewhat muscular man with white skin, black hair in a two-block style, a goatee, and green eyes. He¡¯s wearing a simple white button-up underneath a black suit jacket, glasses, black pants, and black shoes.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Marcus asks, confused.


    ¡°That¡¯s a silly question, I live here don¡¯t I?¡± Kyle Veridan jokes.


    Marcus is tense as he looks at his father, when was the last time he really had a proper talk with him? He honestly can¡¯t recall. Most of his communication throughout his life with his parents was always notes that were left behind by them.


    And yet, despite him now being face-to-face with his father, he can¡¯t help but feel uneasy as he looks at his old man.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s school been going for you?¡± Kyle Veridan asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s- It¡¯s been fine,¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°So you like it?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s good to hear,¡± Kyle Veridan sighs.


    As the two stand there in silence, Kyle eventually breaks the silence by saying, ¡°You can get out of the house now.¡±


    Confused Marcus just murmurs, ¡°What?¡±


    Kyle remarks, ¡°You¡¯re old enough to fend for yourself. Besides, it wouldn¡¯t be nice of us to have you move with us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re moving?¡± Marcus questions, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me-¡±


    Kyle just places his hand on Marcus¡¯ shoulder as he remarks, ¡°I wanted to take you with, I really did, but¡­ your mother had other plans. You got five minutes and if you aren¡¯t out by then I¡¯ll have to force you to.¡±


    ____________________


    Marcus walks down the streets away from the place he once called home. As the light drizzle continues, the only thing Marcus has with him is just a backpack of anything he managed to take before getting kicked out.


    If he¡¯s being honest with himself, he always expected something like this. He may have just been disowned, but his parents abandoned him long ago.


    As he tries to think of what to do now, he thinks of the place which has been a second home to him. The Everst Family Household.


    Marcus makes his way there through the rain and is about to knock on the door when he hears something.


    Sobs.


    The tears of Sally Everst.


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    As Marcus stands there, his hand just inches away from the door, he moves his hand back and turns away.


    He forgot that Sally was suffering deeply from all of this, and he didn¡¯t want to be just another thing that made her life harder.


    He doesn¡¯t want to be a burden.


    So next he thinks of maybe staying at his other friends¡¯ places; Cameron is out of the question since he needs to focus on getting better, Alex¡¯s house is crowded as is and he¡¯s probably still at the station.


    So he decides to walk over to the apartment building where Elizabeth is at. However, when he is about to enter the building, he sees something.


    At a diner across the street, Elizabeth is eating with her family, and while her younger siblings Hai & Nhung are concerned, Elizabeth and her parents are trying to reassure them that everything is okay. Seeing that despite the anguish and pain she¡¯s in, smiling and making her siblings feel at ease, if he decided to ask to stay with them¡­. That would just make all of her efforts in vain.


    Marcus walks away as he thinks back to all that¡¯s happened; from when Ronnie helped him in middle school, him joining them on their trips to the east side & Club Azure despite not knowing how to fight, even little things like having them all track a ghost or forming the miracle clinic¡­ all of it has made him a burden to them.


    As Marcus continues walking down the rainy streets, he spots a hotel still open. As he enters, he sees that at the front desk is an employee. Marcus walks over to them.


    ¡°Is it okay if I stay here for the night?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°You have the money?¡± The employee questions.


    ¡°N-no but-¡±


    ¡°Oh so you¡¯re homeless,¡± The employee remarks casually, ¡°Yeah we got a few rooms that are free for you people to stay in.¡±


    Hearing those words, Marcus doesn¡¯t really know how to respond. Homeless. He hadn¡¯t really thought of it as the case but thinking of it now, that¡¯s the situation he¡¯s now in. He¡¯s homeless. Though that way of describing him, the way the employee treated him, Marcus wonders to himself that if he wasn¡¯t homeless; would the man treat him differently?


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The employee asks as he scrolls through an email.


    ¡°M-Marcus,¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°Marcus Thompson or-¡±


    ¡°Veridan.¡±


    ¡°I see, do you have any identification with you?¡± The employee asks.


    Hearing that, Marcus tries to look through his bag but he realizes he didn¡¯t get any form of documentation about him. Though how would he even know to take that with? He didn¡¯t plan on being in this situation and yet-


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t see your name appear on any of the records the shelters give us, and since you don¡¯t have any registration I¡¯m sorry to say but you can¡¯t stay here,¡± The employee remarks.


    ¡°But why?¡± Marcus questions.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any proof that you¡¯re homeless. For all I know you can just be a kid playing a prank on me,¡± The employee remarks, ¡°So I¡¯d rather give up a free room to someone who actually deserves it.¡±


    _______________________


    As Marcus is now walking down the now downpouring night streets alone, he begins to realize just how differently the city is when you aren¡¯t well off. People doubt if you even are living badly and nobody teaches you about these things.


    The city itself is designed to be against you. Whether that¡¯s by making park benches have armrests so you can¡¯t sleep on them, gaps being put in between stores and awnings so rain will fall on you if you decide to rest there, dividers on sidewalks causing people who need to sleep on them to be closer to traffic, even bridges have boulders and spikes placed underneath them so people won¡¯t decide to sleep there.


    Even the city abandons you.


    Exhausted from how long he¡¯s been up for, Marcus decides to find a spot in an alleyway and rest, tired from his time at Club Azure, tired from his time at the hospital, and exhausted from trying to find a place to stay¡­


    The only thing Marcus wants right now¡­


    Is to just sleep.


    _______________________


    Eventually, Marcus awakes in the alleyway. As he tries to get up, he sees a few people standing over him. One of them slams Marcus¡¯ face back into the ground.


    ¡°Hey, look what I found guys,¡± the stranger remarks, ¡°A sewer rat.¡±


    ¡°He fucking smells like shit,¡± Another jokes.


    Marcus tries to break free but he can¡¯t, he¡¯s just too tired.


    ¡°Hey, I got an idea,¡± the stranger begins to say, ¡°I bet this bitch is loaded from all the ¡®donations¡¯ he keeps on getting. He won¡¯t mind if we try and get a piece of that too.¡±


    Hearing those words, if he was like how he was back in middle school, he would have just folded, but he isn¡¯t. As Marcus tries to get up, the stranger slams his leg into his face, causing Marcus to be sent to the ground.


    ¡°This fucking sewer rat!¡± The stranger hisses as he starts to kick Marcus, ¡°Know your place!¡±


    As the other two start to join in on beating up Marcus, Marcus tries to get up but he can¡¯t. He isn¡¯t strong enough to fight back against all of them. He isn¡¯t like Ronnie, Alex, Elizabeth, and the others. He¡¯s just a burden-


    ¡°Hm?¡± The stranger remarks as he feels a hand wrap around his shoulder, ¡°You want a piece of me too-¡±


    The stranger is interrupted by the new figure''s fist being smashed into the stranger¡¯s face. As the person falls to the ground, the new figure doesn¡¯t let up as he takes out a blunt weapon and continues to slam it into the stranger again and again and again. He stops and catches his breath as the stranger tries to crawl away, his buddies helping him get away from this guy who showed up out of nowhere.


    ¡°Thanks for the-¡± Marcus begins to say but stops as he locks eyes with his savior.


    As he looks at the figure, he can¡¯t help but reminisce about the past. Back when the two were close friends, and back when their friendship came to an end. Back when the two of them weren¡¯t strangers.


    Back when he did know the person who just saved him.


    Back when he knew Hunter Huntingson.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 73 - Abandonment (2)

    Marcus stands up in the alleyway and dusts himself off as he looks at the person who just helped him, Hunter Huntingson, the person he once considered his best friend. And the person who bullied him throughout most of middle school.


    An awkward silence between the two former friends forms as they stare at each other. Eventually, Hunter breaks the silence by remarking, ¡°You hungry?¡±


    _______________________________


    At a local soup kitchen, Marcus is sitting down at a table with Marcus eating the soup that¡¯s just been served to them by volunteers. Marcus blows on his spoon a bit before eating yet it still burns his tongue a little. Hunter just eats it without a care.


    ¡°What type of soup is this?¡± Marcus questions.


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know. Tomato-something,¡± Hunter remarks.


    ¡°Well whatever it is, it¡¯s good!¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°Yeah well you can thank the volunteer chefs,¡± Hunter says as he points towards the kitchen.


    Marcus looks over and to his shock, Cedro Garcia & Mesto-Presto are both there preparing food for the homeless to enjoy.


    ¡°Woah, I didn¡¯t think they would be here,¡± Marcus murmurs.


    ¡°Cedro¡¯s been doing this for ages, and from what I heard Mesto stayed at this shelter for a while,¡± Hunter remarks, ¡°So¡­why were you out on the streets?¡±


    Marcus is silent for a bit before responding, ¡°Parents kicked me out, had no place to go.¡±


    Hunter doesn¡¯t respond as he finishes his soup, slurps up anything left in the bowl, and stands up. Not wanting to be left behind, Marcus decides to follow him while finishing his soup. As the two walk towards one of the volunteers who¡¯s sitting by a fold-up table. Hunter sets his empty bowl down and Marcus, after quickly shoveling the rest into his mouth, does the same. Marcus glances at the volunteer and recognizes him as the boxer Francisco Champion, who also trains Alex.


    ¡°We hope you enjoyed the meal!¡± Francisco remarks.


    ¡°It was delicious,¡± Marcus insists.


    ¡°You can tell that cook Mesto that he should focus more on his cooking than his skincare routine,¡± Hunter states matter-of-factly.


    To that, Francisco chuckles, ¡°I¡¯ll let him know you think that. You planning on staying at the shelter for the night?¡±


    ¡°I heard you guys were all booked for the night, have any tents?¡± Hunter asks.


    ¡°Let me check,¡± Francisco says as he leaves.


    While waiting, Hunter turns toward Marcus and explains, ¡°Many people donate used tents to shelters so if they ever have to turn people down, they can at least give them that.¡±


    Marcus nods as Francisco returns with a tent.


    ¡°You stay safe out there,¡± Francisco requests.


    ¡°You got it,¡± Hunter says as he and Marcus exit the soup kitchen and enter the streets.


    As the two walk down the streets, Marcus looks at Hunter and wonders just what¡¯s been going on with him. How does he know about all of this stuff? Is he in a similar situation? If so, for how long? Despite wanting to ask those questions, Marcus decides not to. He¡¯s already been through enough trouble in one day, getting on Hunter¡¯s bad side is more than what he¡¯s bargaining for at the moment.


    As they do so, Marcus notices that all around him are other homeless people too. They¡¯re out on the street, begging for money, some have signs made from cardboard, and others are walking toward anyone they come across. Marcus feels his pockets.


    He forgot to bring any money with him before he left.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± Hunter sighs.


    ¡°About what?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°Haggling. We don¡¯t fit the part.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You see that guy?¡± Hunter asks as he points towards a homeless man in a wheelchair, ¡°I¡¯ve heard him say how he can¡¯t even move his legs, yet every night he always gets into his white Mercedes.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s several other people like him here,¡± Hunter adds, ¡°Yet there¡¯s also many other people who actually are suffering. But most people can¡¯t tell the difference. They just give the money to the ones who look like they need it or not at all.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Hunter continues walking down the street as he finishes saying, ¡°So why would anyone give out money to two kids that don¡¯t even look the part? Miracles don¡¯t happen here.¡±


    As Marcus follows Hunter, he feels those last words sting him for some reason. A miracle. Ever since Ronnie saved him, he¡¯s always believed in them. He even helped start a club all about creating miracles for others. Though if miracles were truly real, how come Ronnie is in the hospital? How come so many have to suffer out on the streets each day?


    As Hunter and Marcus reach an alleyway and start to set up the tent, Marcus continues to question it. What was it that really helped him? Was it really a miracle? Or was it just some luck that¡¯s all run out?


    ___________________________


    A few days would pass after that moment. Ever since then, the two of them would stay in that tent. There were days when they couldn¡¯t get into the shelter to eat and had to walk to churches to receive some food and money. There were rainy days when the two had to scramble to make sure they stopped the leaking from a hole in the tent¡¯s rainfly. And there were days the two of them would just be silent, despite being the only two people there, they were further apart than ever.


    Then one day, as the sun began to set, the two returned to where they kept their tent only to find it missing.


    ¡°God damn it, I knew we should¡¯ve taken it with us,¡± Hunter groans.


    ¡°Hey it¡¯s okay, we can just find a new-¡± Marcus begins to say but Hunter cuts him off.


    ¡°Fuck! Fuck!¡± Hunter yells as he kicks a trash can over.


    Marcus goes to reach over to Hunter, to see if he needs to be comforted, but Hunter swats his hand away. Whether it was due to his home being taken away or if it was due to some old habits of his sticking around, Hunter once again decided to use Marcus the same way he did in the past.


    As a punching bag.


    ¡°Why the hell are you even here?¡± Hunter asks, ¡°You got all of your ¡®amazing¡¯ friends yet when you need them most, they¡¯re nowhere to be seen! Guess Ronnie and the others decided to treat you like your parents did. A dog meant to be abandoned.¡±


    Hearing those words, Marcus at first doesn¡¯t know how to respond.


    Back in middle school, he always just took Hunter¡¯s insults and harassment. Because to him, that was better than having to ask for help. He didn¡¯t want to be a burden to anyone.


    And yet, now he¡¯s on the streets for that same reason; not to be a burden.


    But he¡¯s changed since then. If he was just like how he was back then, he would have ignored his insult.


    Whether it was out of anger for insulting his friends or just being exhausted from the past few days, Marcus finally had enough of Hunter¡¯s antics.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want their help, I¡¯m the one who decided to run away,¡± Marcus remarks before he glares at Hunter, ¡°You sure you weren¡¯t talking about yourself just now?¡±


    Hearing those words, Hunter in a fit of rage slams his fist into Marcus¡¯s face.


    Marcus stumbles back as the two both come to terms with what just happened.


    However, unlike before, the one thing Hunter didn¡¯t expect to occur happened. Marcus rushed toward him and punched him in the face.


    Hunter goes to swing at Marcus but Marcus moves back down the alley to avoid the attack.


    As the two catch their breath, Hunter questions, ¡°You sure you want this?¡±


    ¡°Bring it on you fucker.¡± Marcus utters.


    ¡°You asked for it!¡± Hunter states before rushing towards Marcus.


    Hunter slams his fist into Marcus¡¯ face again and again. Each one hurts more than the last.


    However, as Hunter goes for one more punch, he feels Marcus kick him in the stomach.


    Hunter looks shocked as Marcus follows it up with a calf kick.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen for myself that you can hit more places than just the face!¡± Marcus yells as he goes for another swing.


    However, Hunter dodges it with ease and then kicks Marcus¡¯ legs, sending him to the ground. For you see, due to his rage Marcus forgot about one thing. He doesn¡¯t know how to fight.


    He hasn¡¯t trained his body, he¡¯s just trying to do what his friends have done before except he doesn¡¯t get it. He doesn¡¯t know why he¡¯s doing the attacks he just did, he doesn¡¯t know what places to attack in order to really do damage, he¡¯s just swinging with no real thought.


    And yet, Marcus gets back up, he tries to get into a boxer¡¯s stance just like Alex but it''s entirely wrong. When he goes to throw a punch, he trips himself and allows Hunter to slam his knee into Marcus¡¯ face.


    As Marcus falls to the ground once more, Hunter, having come to his senses remarks, ¡°Stay down if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡±


    But Marcus gets back up and tries to fight Hunter once more.


    And Hunter quickly sends him to the ground once more.


    But Marcus stands up once more.


    As the two continue to fight, Hunter realizes just how much of a gap between the two there are. Hunter has fought several people before, and even without using his main weapon, he still is mopping the floor with Marcus. Marcus can¡¯t fight, he isn¡¯t good at it, he has no special talent when it comes to fighting, and yet each time he falls¡­


    Each time he gets beaten up¡­


    Marcus gets back up.


    ¡°What are you doing? Waiting for some sort of stupid miracle, those never happen!¡± Hunter yells.


    As Marcus hears those words, he utters, ¡°I know.¡±


    Hunter looks there shocked as Marcus continues, ¡°I know there won¡¯t be a miracle or someone to help me win this fight.¡±


    Blood drips from his nose as Marcus continues, ¡°I know I¡¯m all alone right now.¡±


    Marcus slowly limps his bruised and bloodied body forward as he continues, ¡°I know I cannot win against you. But I don¡¯t care!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not just going to sit aside and just let you walk all over me until someone gets in the way!¡± Marcus yells, ¡°I¡¯m not your punching bag! I¡¯m me!¡±


    With every ounce of strength he has left, with every feeling he¡¯s ever felt towards Hunter, Marcus puts his all into one last attack at Hunter. An overhead punch that¡¯s filled with the newfound resolve of Marcus Veridan. A resolve to never be the one to just wait for saving, to just wait for a miracle. Instead, if he wants things to be better, he¡¯ll claw his way to making that a reality. This isn¡¯t just a punch for Marcus, it¡¯s a declaration.


    And it misses.


    Hunter dodges it with ease.


    Marcus¡¯ eyes widen as he sees Hunter kick Marcus in the chin.


    Marcus falls to the ground unconscious.


    _______________________________________


    Marcus awakens to find himself in the same alleyway as before, it¡¯s now night time and a small fire to keep the two warm has been made by Hunter.


    To make sure it doesn¡¯t spread Hunter has the flames surrounded by rocks, almost as if it is a city-made campfire.


    Marcus sits up straight and looks towards Hunter.


    ¡°Hey, Hunter-¡± Marcus begins to say but he gets cut off by Hunter.


    ¡°Why? Why didn¡¯t you just ask for help from them? You¡¯ve got all of those friends who wouldn¡¯t think twice about helping you,¡± Hunter questions.


    Marcus sits there stunned as Hunter remarks, tears streaming down his face, ¡°You at least have somebody who can help you. But me? I¡¯ve got nobody!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got nobody,¡± Hunter croaks.


    As he cries, Marcus thinks to himself what to do. For a second, he thinks of just letting Hunter wallow in his own misery, to just leave him be.


    But he decides not to. He doesn¡¯t want to do to Hunter what Hunter did to him in middle school. He doesn¡¯t want to abandon him.


    Marcus puts his hand on Hunter¡¯s shoulder. Hunter looks shocked at Marcus as he asks through the tears, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t alone. Even in this filthy alleyway, you aren¡¯t alone. You have me, and I have you,¡± Marcus begins to say, ¡°You are not alone.¡±


    Hunter¡¯s tears continue to pour out from his eyes as Marcus pulls Hunter into an embrace. As Hunter weeps, Marcus knows that he will never truly be able to forgive Hunter completely for all that he did. However, that doesn¡¯t mean he can¡¯t give Hunter a chance.


    A chance to be better.


    Just like how Ronnie gave Marcus a miracle back then, Marcus is willing to do the same for Hunter.


    Because despite all that the two have been through, at the end of the day¡­


    He still once was his best friend.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 74 - Abandonment (3)

    ¡°Back when I was a kid, my dad was always busy working for most of the day.¡±


    A young Hunter Huntingson runs down the halls of his family¡¯s home.


    ¡°So the person I always had to rely on was¡­¡±


    The young Hunter trips but is caught and lifted into the air by his mother; Kelling Huntingson.


    ¡°My mom.¡±


    As the child Hunter giggles, Kelly sets him down. She¡¯s a young parent, only 24 when her son was 5. She has long light brown hair, brown eyes, white skin, and a bright smile. She¡¯s wearing a simple sweater and jeans.


    ¡°You could have gotten hurt, you know,¡± Kelly remarks.


    ¡°I know,¡± the child Hunter sighs.


    ¡°Back then, my mother always used to care for me.¡±


    As the day goes by, Kelly finishes making a simple peanut butter jelly sandwich for the 5 y/o Hunter.


    ¡°She made me lunch¡­¡±


    The day goes on as the two watch some kids show.


    ¡°Took part in my interests¡­¡±


    As the sun begins to set, Kelly begins to clean up the place when the front door opens.


    ¡°And even¡­¡±


    The young Hunter looks to see his father, a 25-year-old by the name of Oscar Huntington, entering the house. He¡¯s a construction worker who just got off of work and is holding an empty beer bottle in his hand.


    ¡°Protect me.¡±


    ¡°Hunter, go upstairs into your room,¡± Kelly Huntingson states.


    The child Hunter is hesitant, but he complies with his mother¡¯s wishes. As he¡¯s in his room, he begins to hear yelling come from downstairs which turns into fists hitting someone and then sobbing.


    ¡°The house was never quiet when my dad was there.¡±


    _____________________________________


    ¡°Except for one special occasion.¡±


    Hunter walks downstairs as it''s night outside, however, he can hear laughter and screams of joy coming from the living room. Curious, he walks in to see the room washed in blue light from the TV and both of his parents happy. He sits on the couch with them and the three watch a game of baseball on the TV.


    ¡°Whenever we watched baseball, all of the arguments, all of the misery, it vanished away,¡±


    _____________________________________


    Years have passed and it''s now the year 2011 - the start of Hunter¡¯s time in middle school. As the days go by, Hunter makes sure to pick up any spare change he finds. He keeps on piling it up back at home in a jar.


    ¡°I decided for myself, that I¡¯d be able to take my parents to see a baseball game together in person.¡±


    Hunter is getting ready for school when his mother, Kelly Huntingson, now 32, walks over to him. Her hands are cold and she looks even skinnier than she did when she was younger.


    ¡°You have a safe day at school,¡± Kelly remarks, ¡°Did you have breakfast?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really need it,¡± Hunter remarks as he ties his shoes on, ¡°What about you, have you eaten yet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too hungry,¡± Kelly sighs as Hunter gets up and begins to walk to the door.


    However before Hunter leaves for school, Kelly stops him, and the two look at each other.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Hunter rolls his eyes.


    Kelly tries to say something, but she sighs and just replies, ¡°Let me know how school was for you when you get home, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah fine,¡± Hunter remarks as he leaves.


    ¡°I love you,¡± Kelly remarks.


    She waits for a response but Hunter doesn¡¯t as he¡¯s too busy trying to get to school.


    ¡°I still think back to that day with regret.¡±


    As she¡¯s left alone in the house, she begins to cough and grabs a tissue to cough into.


    ¡°I regret that I never got to tell her how much she mattered to me on that day.¡±


    Kelly looks at the tissue she has in her hand to see she¡¯s coughed up blood, and after her brief respite, she continues to cough more and more.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Because I never got a second chance.¡±


    _________________________


    In class, the two friends Marcus & Hunter are chatting with one another during work time. As they do so, Hunter tosses crushed-up balls of paper into the trash can from his desk. Hunter then tells Marcus a joke which Marcus can¡¯t help but laugh at.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it at the time.¡±


    Over the loudspeaker Hunter''s name is called down to the office. Hunter after saying goodbye to Marcus leaves the class.


    ¡°She always kept secrets from me.¡±


    As Hunter walks into the office he hears the news from the principal, his eyes widen in shock.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know how badly my dad treated her, she always covered up her wounds.¡±


    As his dad picks him up to go to the hospital, when the two reach there, Hunter rushes in, trying to reach the room in time.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know the struggles she had to go through, trying to raise me at such a young age. She always made sure I never saw that.¡±


    Hunter finally reaches the door to the room and he bursts through the door.


    ¡°And I didn¡¯t know just how sick she really was, because the only thing I ever saw in her was how strong she was.¡±


    ________________________


    ¡°Once the funeral came to an end, it was just me and my father at home.¡±


    Hunter returns home from school only to see his dad, much more disheveled, sitting by the kitchen table surrounded by empty bottles of beer. Hunter goes to try to talk to him but that¡¯s when he feels his father¡¯s fist slam into his face. Hunter stumbles back as Oscar Huntington gets up.


    ¡°You son of a bitch,¡± Oscar grumbles as he walks over to Hunter, ¡°If she didn¡¯t have to watch over you she would still be here!¡±


    ¡°And it was then that I got to see my real father. The one that my mother kept secret from me.¡±


    Days continued as each day, every time he returned home, Oscar would find new ways of taking out his frustrations onto his son.


    _____________________


    One day, Hunter is in middle school when he decides to head into the bathroom to wash up some bruises he¡¯s hidden under his hoodie.


    ¡°It was after then that¡­¡±


    Hunter enters the bathroom to see Marcus there.


    ¡°When all of my frustrations and emotions reached a boiling point, I saw you.¡±


    "So Buddy, you wanna hang out later?" Hunter asks as Marcus just looks down.


    "I don''t want to," Marcus murmurs.


    ¡°I was stupid.¡±


    "What? Why not! We always hang out."


    "I''m not in the mood Hunter," Marcus sighs.


    ¡°Oh, you aren¡¯t?¡± Hunter begins to remark, ¡°Well you sure were in the mood back then. But I get it, you wouldn¡¯t want to hang out with someone like me anymore, you¡¯re just gonna abandon me. Is that it?¡±


    ¡°I was an idiot.¡±


    Marcus groans as he shouts, "Hunter! What is your problem?!"


    "Problem?"


    "I mean, why are you like this? This isn''t you!" Marcus screams.


    As Marcus stops talking he looks at Hunter whose eyes are filled with rage.


    "I''m not like this? This isn''t me? You don''t know a damn thing about me!" Hunter begins to yell, "You have no idea who I am, everything I go through, you''re just some¡­ some stupid kid unaware of the real world!"


    As Hunter is breathing heavily and his hands are shaking, Marcus tries to reach out to Hunter, however, in a fit of blind rage and not realizing what he is doing, Hunter makes a fist and punches Marcus straight in the face.


    "In that instant, I ruined our whole friendship..."


    As Marcus falls to the ground, Hunter snaps back to reality as he realizes what he''s just done. Regret washes over Hunter¡¯s entire body as he remorsefully goes to reach out to Marcus and help him up.


    But he stops himself, as something else begins to bubble up inside him.


    Something he hasn¡¯t felt before.


    Power.


    The power to be stronger than someone for once.


    The power to maintain some sort of control in a life where he has none.


    The power to feel absolutely free.


    "All because I was such a coward that..."


    As Marcus tries to get up, Hunter grabs Marcus by the hair as he makes a fist with his other hand.


    ¡°H-Hunter?¡± Marcus groans, ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡±


    Hunter¡¯s fist begins to tremble as a twisted smile begins to slowly inch its way across his face.


    Finally, Hunter bellows, ¡°Hey Buddy, did you think I was done after just one swing?!"


    "I just took out all of my frustrations onto you."


    ____________


    ¡°Then, when it was all said and done¡­¡±


    Hunter, Ronnie, and Marcus exit the middle school after getting scolded by the principal, when Hunter goes to leave he stops to take one last look at Marcus.


    ¡°Back then I wanted to say sorry but¡­¡±


    Hunter then walks away towards his father''s car.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. I was too prideful to be human.¡±


    As Oscar drives Hunter home, the two are in silence. For a second Hunter thinks that maybe, just maybe, his dad will treat him better.


    ________________________


    But as time goes on and it''s now the fall of 2013, Hunter is once again at home getting beaten by his dad.


    ¡°You¡¯re a disgrace!¡± Oscar remarks, ¡°The only thing you did that was good was giving me some pocket change.¡±


    Hunter looks confused only to realize that on the counter is an empty jar. A jar that he once filled with money. Money so his family could be happy. Rage consumes Hunter as he grabs a metal bat hanging from the wall and he begins to slam it into his father¡¯s head.


    After his father has been beaten to a pulp, Hunter looks around and spots a picture on the wall. A picture of his mom from when she was a teen, she was on a varsity team for baseball, and in her hands was the same bat Hunter was using now.


    ¡°That night was the last time I was in that house.¡±


    Hunter quickly leaves the house.


    ¡°Even till the bitter end¡­¡±


    Tears stream down Hunter¡¯s face as he runs away.


    ¡°I was a disgrace to her.¡±


    ______________________


    Now in late spring of 2014, Hunter & Marcus sit in the cold dark alleyway by themselves. As Hunter finishes his story, Marcus doesn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m sorry-¡± Marcus tries to say but Hunter cuts him off.


    ¡°For what?! You did nothing wrong!,¡± Hunter yells, ¡°I was the one who bullied you. Why do you always do this? Always looking out for others even if it means putting yourself in the dirt. Didn¡¯t I already do that enough?!¡±


    Marcus is silent as Hunter calms down and replies, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, for everything.¡±


    Marcus looks at Hunter and sighs, ¡°We¡¯ve both been through a lot, huh?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to forgive you for everything you did to me just because of your situation,¡± Marcus continues, ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever really can, but maybe if we both keep improving, we could be friends again.¡±


    ¡°Friends?¡± Hunter questions, ¡°Why would you want to go back to being that after all that I did?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back to the way things were,¡± Marcus says as he stands up before reaching his hand out to Hunter, ¡°I want things to be better, for everybody, even for someone like you.¡±


    Hunter is hesitant for a bit but he grabs Marcus¡¯ hand. After Marcus helps Hunter up, the two let go before they start walking.


    ¡°So, where are we going now?¡± Hunter asks.


    ¡°We¡¯ve both been abandoned by the people who should have cared for us the most, but that doesn¡¯t mean there aren¡¯t people who can still help us,¡± Marcus remarks, ¡°We are not alone.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I¡¯ve never done that before,¡± Hunter admits, ¡°I¡¯m just a coward. A coward that¡¯s only just pushed my problems onto others.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be one,¡± Marcus begins to suggest, ¡°and if you¡¯re uncomfortable doing it alone, we could go ask for help together.¡±


    Hearing those words, Hunter can¡¯t help but softly smile as he remarks, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d like that.¡±


    The two finally walk out of the alleyway.


    _________________________


    At Starlight High the next morning, Amnestor parks his car in the teacher¡¯s parking lot as he steps out of his black sedan. It¡¯s a weekend day yet he still has some papers to grade. As he walks towards the front doors though, he sees an unusual sight.


    ¡°Marcus? Hunter?¡± Amnestor questions as he sees the two standing by the front doors of the school, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be wanting to learn on a Saturday.¡±


    ¡°Uh, my bad,¡± Marcus murmurs.


    ¡°I was just joking,¡± Amnestor states.


    ¡°Uh, my bad,¡± Marcus murmurs.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to feel bad, it¡¯s been a while since I last saw both of you in school. I was worried,¡± Amnestor admits before saying, ¡°You two both look like you¡¯ve been through a lot. If you want to, we can have a quick chat about it.¡±


    After hearing those words and some hesitation, Marcus and Hunter both nod in agreement.


    The two kids both have the feeling that despite everything that¡¯s happened to them, things are finally going to turn out okay.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 75 - Abandonment (4)

    ¡°And yeah, after that, CPS has temporary custody, what comes next I¡¯m not so sure,¡± Marcus admits before smiling and saying, ¡°But I¡¯m pretty optimistic!¡±


    In the middle of Starlight City Northern Park is Marcus Veridan at a park table. Sitting on the other side of the table are the stunned Alex Smith & Elizabeth Moore. Next to the two is an empty bucket of popcorn.


    ¡°Dude, I just asked what grade you got on Monday¡¯s math test, how the fuck did all of this happen to you in the span of like two weeks?!¡± Alex shouts.


    ¡°Oh well, I wasn¡¯t there for the test because of well- all of that,¡± Marcus explains.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re doing okay now but if you¡¯re ever in that sort of trouble you can always reach out to us,¡± Elizabeth remarks.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re never a burden to us man,¡± Alex admits.


    ¡°Thanks, guys,¡± Marcus admits, ¡°How has Ronnie been doing?¡±


    Their slightly cheerful banter lessens at the mention of Ronnie, Alex sighs as he explains, ¡°Doctors say he¡¯s doing much better but he hasn¡¯t really woken up yet.¡±


    ¡°Sally¡¯s been at the hospital pretty much every day, though she¡¯s also been worried sick about you, hell we all have,¡± Elizabeth remarks.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry guys,¡± Marcus begins to say but Alex shushes him.


    ¡°Marcus, if I hear you apologize one more time I swear I¡¯ll!-¡± Alex remarks as he tries to think of a threat before landing on, ¡°I¡¯ll do something, ya hear!¡±


    ¡°Okay, sorry, I¡¯m working on that,¡± Marcus remarks before realizing he just apologized in the sentence.


    ¡°But seriously, none of that was your fault man,¡± Elizabeth says, ¡°And hey, before we head over to check up on Ronnie is there anything you¡¯d like to do?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯d like to maybe get some new clothes since this is the only pair I have but we don¡¯t have to-¡± Marcus starts to say but Elizabeth & Alex pick him up.


    ¡°Alright thrift store here we come!¡± Alex shouts.


    ¡°But guys! We don¡¯t need to-¡± Marcus begins to but Elizabeth cuts him off.


    ¡°First off, you¡¯ve been wearing those same clothes since you got kicked out and it shows. Second, I thought you told me that people should do what they want to do from time to time.¡±


    Hearing his words be used against him, Marcus admits defeat as the two drag him out of the park and towards a shopping mall. Though as that happens, he can¡¯t help but wonder what Hunter is up to now.


    _________________________


    ¡°Oh my god, you suck at this!¡± Ray Ramirez scolds Hunter Huntingson.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame the student, blame the teacher!¡± Hunter remarks.


    ¡°I¡¯m an assistant, not a teacher dipshit,¡± Ray groans.


    The two are in The Crescent Cafe, now its own business, and Ray is currently in the process of trying (and failing) to catch Hunter up on most of the school work he¡¯s missed out on over the school year. With them are fellow faculty & Ray¡¯s roommates; biology teacher Sam Penningberg and culinary teacher Zesti Champion.


    ¡°Hey, teaching him like that won¡¯t get him anywhere Ray,¡± Penningberg remarks.


    ¡°Pennies is right, besides why¡¯d you even tag along to this?¡± Zesti Champion questions.


    Ray¡¯s silent for a bit before saying, ¡°Hey Hunter, I better not see this on school grounds, okay?¡±


    Hunter is confused for a bit before Ray Ramirez pulls out something and hands it to him.


    It¡¯s a metal baseball bat.


    The one he thought was burned up with the rest of the old high school.


    The one his mother owned.


    ¡°Where did you-¡± Hunter begins to ask.


    ¡°When the school had to be renovated they found this bat under all the rubble,¡± Ray begins to explain, ¡°They handed it off to the principal who decided to wait until you got done with the school year to give it back. But I figured he probably forgot so I just ¡®took it¡¯ from his office.¡±


    ¡°So you stole it?¡± Penningberg says shocked.


    ¡°Stealing from our boss? How unprofessional of you Ray-Ray!¡± Zesti Champion teases.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I¡¯d agree with you if I didn¡¯t have to instruct all of this kid¡¯s detention hours,¡± Ray begins to say, ¡°But it just didn¡¯t sit right having him without it.¡±


    The three teachers look at Hunter who¡¯s trying to hide the fact that he¡¯s crying as he looks at his metal bat. It looks shinier than when he last had it and carved into the handle of the bat is the initials ¡®K.H.¡¯


    Seeing Hunter¡¯s reaction, Ray ¡®I hate all children¡¯ Ramirez can¡¯t help but crack a small smile. Something his long-time friends Penningberg & Zesti make sure to discreetly take a photo of in case of any future arguments.


    _______________________


    Though at the same time as that, there was a much more pressing matter going on. Something that would massively affect the future of the city. In a dark conference room located inside the Moon Shadow Affiliate¡¯s corporate building, there were six people all gathered there. Five of them being the representatives of the five remaining gangs associated with the MSA while the other was a spokesperson for the MSA.


    ¡°Glad to see you all could make it on such short notice,¡± Logan Stewart, the presenter of today¡¯s meeting between the heads, states, ¡°Now usually the president of the MSA, Ryan Everst, would be hosting this but due to a family emergency, I¡¯m in his place. Any questions?¡±


    Tim-Tom, leader of The Three Ts, raises his hand. He has his legs up on the table and is reclined back as he says, ¡°Yeah I got two questions, First weren¡¯t you that bartender at Club Azure?¡±


    ¡°I was just there to check in on how well they were doing and reporting what I saw over to corporate,¡± Logan remarks.


    ¡°But can¡¯t the MSA just do that by itself?¡±


    ¡°Tim-Tom please you¡¯re killing me,¡± Logan sighs, ¡°I¡¯m not working for this affiliate, I¡¯m working for the parent company of the MSA, The Enterprise.¡±


    Hearing those words, Tim-Tom¡¯s curiosity grows. The Enterprise? For his entire time associated with the MSA, he never once saw someone from the parent company. And yet, now they¡¯re here. Despite wanting to gain more info out of that, he turns his attention to someone else.


    ¡°And as for my second question,¡± Tim-Tom says as he glances at someone, ¡°I¡¯m curious to see why you¡¯re here Miss Murphy.¡±


    He is, of course, talking to Marcy Murphy. She¡¯s here as the representative of The Carmine Manifesto and yet she¡¯s the only one here who isn¡¯t the head of a gang.


    ¡°As you know our head likes to keep a low profile so he asked me to go in his place,¡± Marcy remarks matter-of-factly before adding, ¡°I don¡¯t think you any of you have properly met him, so why are you so curious about him now Tim-Tom?¡±


    ¡°I was impressed at how quickly you guys got the word out about Club Azure, so I wanted to learn how he managed to pull that off,¡± Tim-Tom mentions before adding, ¡°Though by the way you speak of him, he just sounds like one massive scaredy cat to me.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to let him know you said that?¡± Marcy threatens.


    ¡°Enough bickering you two,¡± The head of Dirty Fang, Mason Makinsley, exudes, ¡°We¡¯re here to have a meeting. Not a fight. Though if you¡¯re so inclined to do so, I¡¯m more than willing to bury you all today.¡±


    Hearing those words causes a shiver to run down Tim-Tom¡¯s spine, despite the chance encounters he¡¯s had with Makinsley throughout the years, his presence as The Most Feared Man in Starlight City still holds tall. Knowing full well all he would be willing to do to them, Marcy & Tim-Tom quiet down. However despite his intimidating presence, there was one man who didn¡¯t have an ounce of fear to the man.


    ¡°What kind of flowers would you place on my grave?¡± The head of The Massachusetts Boys, Jackson ¡®Boston¡¯ Cavendish, questions, ¡°And if you do bury me, make sure you get me a sandalwood coffin.¡±


    Boston is roughly the same height as Mason Makinsley and he¡¯s got white skin, blonde hair in a mullet, green eyes, and a charming smile. But despite his cheery demeanor, he has his own coldness to him, similar yet vastly different to Makinsley¡¯s. Currently Boston¡¯s wearing a simple long-sleeved white shirt with a red sleeve and blue jeans. The two heads glare at each other from across the table.


    ¡°Can you do that for me, Mason?¡± Boston asks.


    ¡°Do you want to find out?¡± Mason Makinsley replies.


    Not wanting to see a fight break out, the final person at the table speaks up, ¡°Come on you two, save the fighting for outside.¡±


    The person who said that is a short scrawny person by the name of Joel Cooper, he¡¯s the head of a group known as The Vignette. He¡¯s got white skin, round glasses, brown fringy hair, and black eyes. He¡¯s also wearing a white t-shirt underneath a green and red jacket, black sweatpants, and white air forces.


    Makinsley & Boston glance at each other before complying with Joel¡¯s wishes, much to the relief of Tim-Tom.


    ¡°So with all of that settled with,¡± Logan remarks as he leans forward, ¡°We need to address the elephant in the room. I¡¯m of course talking about the fall of Club Azure.¡±


    Logan walks across the room as he continues, ¡°And with it, your numbers have dwindled from 6 gangs to 5, so you will all need to pick up the slack.¡±


    ¡°Since Club Azure was around the border of the north side & the west side of the city I think I should take their territory,¡± Boston suggests, ¡°There¡¯s not much expansion left for us in the west side of town anyways.¡±


    ¡°The Massachusetts Boys and Dirty Fang already have enough territory,¡± Joel groans, ¡°Since my crew has the smallest territory, I think expanding into the north could greatly benefit us.¡±


    Tim-Tom is about to suggest his group takes the territory but he feels like he¡¯d just get laughed at by the others so he keeps his mouth shut.


    ¡°Well then it¡¯s decided,¡± Logan remarks, ¡°If you¡¯re all okay with it, The Massachusetts Boys & The Vignette will both expand their territory into parts of the North side.¡±


    Since nobody objects, Logan smiles, ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. Thank you all for coming, but I do have one thing left to tell you¡­¡±


    The heads are all confused as Logan clears his throat.


    ¡°My job at The Enterprise is to handle and supervise the talent they provide, and it is one of those talents that wanted me to tell you all that they say hello,¡± Logan remarks as he sighs, ¡°You may not know their real name but I¡¯m all sure you¡¯re all too familiar with their alias; The Phantom of Starlight City.¡±


    After hearing that name, each person in the room has a different reaction. A twisted smile creeps onto the otherwise seemingly innocent Boston, Joel Cooper has a stunned look on his face, Mason Makinsley¡¯s eyes are filled with shame, Marcy Murphy¡¯s mouth is agape in shock, and as for Tim-Tom¡­


    A rage that festered inside him is now bubbling up as he recalls his past. He thinks about the person who sent him down this path to begin with. The person who left a mark on him that can never be taken away. The murderer that he¡¯s determined to defeat. He thinks about The Phantom of Starlight City.


    In what could only be described as a pure unfiltered wrath, Tim-Tom gets up and lunges at Logan Stewart, The Phantom¡¯s Handler. He goes to attack him yet before he can even land a single hit on the man, Logan hand chops into Tim-Tom¡¯s neck, knocking him out in just one blow.


    ¡°I see you all have issues with the man we all call ¡®The Phantom¡¯, do you all want to take it up with me right now?¡± Logan Stewart asks.


    Seeing nobody respond, Logan remarks, ¡°Well then, our meeting is adjourned.¡±


    _____________________________


    Late at night, when most would be asleep, a faint beeping noise was the only sound coming from a hospital room. In it was a young teen who¡¯s been comatose for over 2 weeks.


    And a young teen you¡¯re all familiar with.


    Ronnie Everst.


    Though it was during this time, when nothing of interest was happening, when nobody was around to say anything, did something happen.


    Ronnie finally woke up.


    ¡°Urgh my head,¡± Ronnie says as he lifts his aching arm to discover his forehead is wrapped in bandages.


    Confused, Ronnie looks around to see he¡¯s in a hospital gown, hooked up to an IV, lying in a hospital bed, and it¡¯s the middle of the night.


    Ronnie, now a bit panicked, begins to remember all that happened. Fighting Club Azure, hanging out afterward, and pushing Marcus out of the way of the car, everything.


    ¡°Guess this is the result of all that,¡± Ronnie mumbles to himself as he looks out the window.


    Realizing he isn¡¯t tired, Ronnie decides to get out of his bed and go for a walk. After almost falling, he catches himself and walks with his IV down the hallways washed with blue moonlight. It¡¯s during this walk that he starts to hear two people talking from further down the hall. Ronnie squints but he can¡¯t see who it is.


    ¡°Listen, if you want to visit ¡®em you¡¯re going to need to be quiet,¡± A nurse in pink scrubs explains.


    ¡°Relax, relax, you know me, I promise I won¡¯t make a huge shout when I see,¡± The person begins to say before seeing Ronnie standing down the hall, ¡°...Ronnie?!¡±


    As the nurse scolds the person for yelling, Ronnie is perplexed to see that the first person he gets to see after waking up is¡­


    ¡°X Locke?!¡± Ronnie shouts, utterly befuddled to see him at the hospital.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 76 - Abandonment (5)

    ¡°To be honest I didn¡¯t really see the appeal of those twist ties they put on bread but now I totally do!¡± X Locke exhales, ¡°Anyways what¡¯s new with you?¡±


    X is sitting in a waiting room of a hospital with none other than the recently awoken Ronnie Everst. The two are there to just relax for a bit.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, just woke up,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°How¡¯d you even get in so late?¡±


    ¡°Well you see, I wanted to visit you but when I showed up the nurse was like ¡®We don¡¯t allow any visitors at this time¡¯ so I agreed to just¡­,¡± X begins to say before remarking, ¡°run past her and visit regardless.¡±


    Ronnie looks over to the nurse who¡¯s standing by them, just waiting for X to eventually leave, and hoping that he doesn¡¯t do anything.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about my friend,¡± Ronnie tells the nurse.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me about it, I¡¯m just glad he didn¡¯t accidentally run into our long-term patient,¡± The nurse admits.


    ¡°Long-term patient?¡± Ronnie asks, confused.


    ¡°Yeah, we have a patient here who¡¯s been here for a long time, he likes to travel around at night sometimes. Despite his condition, he can take care of himself pretty well,¡± The nurse explains before adding, ¡°We actually have a few patients who¡¯ve been here for many years, but he¡¯s been here the longest.¡±


    ¡°I see, wonder if we¡¯ll get to meet him,¡± Ronnie wonders.


    ¡°Oh please, if that happens that would be a really stupid plot contrivance,¡± X remarks, ¡°There¡¯s no way the author of this would be so lazy to-¡±


    Though as X is talking he stops as he hears the sound of a wheelchair rolling down the hall. The three look to see a middle-aged man in a wheelchair. Besides wearing the white hospital gown, the patient has short yet disheveled black hair, white dried and wrinkled skin, tired gray eyes, and both of their legs have been amputated.


    ¡°Oh for fucks sake,¡± X sighs under his breath.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t expect to see other people up so late,¡± the long-term patient remarks.


    As the nurse & X walk over to chat with the long-term patient, Ronnie can¡¯t help but feel like he¡¯s seen this person before. But he doesn¡¯t know where.


    ¡°Out for one of your nightly strolls sir?¡± The nurse asks.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m more of a night owl,¡± The long-term patient remarks.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯re all here burning the midnight oil, eh?¡± X suggests.


    As the patient is about to leave, he spots Ronnie and his eyes light up. The patient wheels himself over to where Ronnie is sitting and hugs him.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Reagan! Good to see you pal!¡± The patient says, ¡°It¡¯s felt like forever since I saw you!¡±


    Ronnie is taken aback by the gesture but he notices something once the patient stops hugging him. On the patient¡¯s hand is a purple ring, a ring with the letters ¡®M.S.A¡¯ engraved into it. Furthermore, the nametag on his hospital gown reads ¡®J. Lewis¡¯.


    That¡¯s when Ronnie finally realizes who this is. The leader of the original MSA ¨Cthe Moon Shadow Alliance¨C , the person who starred in all of those fighting tapes he¡¯s been watching, that very same man is now the person standing in front of him.


    James Lewis.


    Seeing how uncomfortable Ronnie is, the nurse steps in and suggests, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mister Lewis but he¡¯s very tired. Perhaps we should continue your walk?¡±


    ¡°Alright fine,¡± James remarks as he continues his stroll, ¡°It was nice seeing you, Reagan!¡±


    As James and the nurse go further down the hallway, Ronnie¡¯s mind is filled with more questions; what happened to James Lewis? Did it have anything to do with his uncle? Why did he think he was Reagan? What¡¯s going o-


    ¡°Hey, Earth to Ronnie,¡± X remarks as he snaps his fingers in front of Ronnie¡¯s face, ¡°You good man?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± Ronnie states.


    Seeing that he isn¡¯t fully telling the truth, X walks over to the vending machine and offers, ¡°I can get you anything you want right now; apple juice, water, soda, hell I¡¯ll try and smuggle in some wine if you want!¡±


    ¡°Do they have milk?¡± Ronnie questions as he stands up and walks to the vending machine.


    ¡°Milk?!¡± X questions befuddled, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you still went to elementary school.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with drinking milk?¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°Oh nothing nothing,¡± X remarks as he puts coins into the vending machine before grabbing a milk, ¡°I just didn¡¯t know if you would have liked apple slices with that or not.¡±


    Ronnie groans as he takes the milk and remarks, ¡°See this is why I¡¯m never listening to your soundcloud.¡±


    As Ronnie walks back to his hospital room, X stops and says, ¡°Wait you remember I have one?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, you made a big deal about it,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    X smirks as he catches up with Ronnie and remarks, ¡°Well of course it is! You better get my autograph now before I become a mega-famous singer.¡±


    ¡°In your dreams maybe,¡± Ronnie jokes.


    Ronnie reaches the door to his room and enters, X follows and sighs, ¡°Hey Ronnie can you do me a favor?¡±


    Ronnie turns to face X, expecting him to crack another joke or go off on an unexpected tangent, but instead, there¡¯s a somber look to X¡¯s composure. Despite his blonde hair covering the top half of his face, Ronnie can see the tears rolling down X Locke¡¯s face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you or anyone else from school here ever again,¡± X utters, trying to keep his composure.


    Seeing him like this, Ronnie responds with a simple, ¡°Of course.¡±


    After hearing that, X would smile and leave the hospital. Ronnie would start to drift to sleep in his hospital bed, wondering what the next day could possibly bring.


    _________________________


    The sun shines through the windows of Ronnie¡¯s hospital room as birds chirp outside. Ronnie opens his eyes and looks around his room to see¡­ X rummaging around the room.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°I uh- I forgot my wallet here last night,¡± X admits, ¡°Can you help me look for it?¡±


    ¡°Did you check all your pockets?¡± Ronnie questions.


    X is silent for a bit before patting his jean¡¯s right pocket only to feel his wallet in there. X looks at Ronnie. Ronnie looks at X. And the two start to laugh.


    ¡°You gotta be the biggest idiot I¡¯ve met,¡± Ronnie laughs.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± X laughs as he walks to the door, ¡°But I¡¯m smart enough to know when I¡¯ve overstayed my welco-¡±


    Before X can open the door, the door to the hospital room slams open into X. Ronnie looks to see that his mother, Sally Everst, has entered the room, clearly in a rush to try and get to the hospital. Behind her are his fellow club members; Marcus Veridan, Elizabeth Moore, & Alex Smith.


    Sally¡¯s eyes are wide as she sees her son sitting up in the hospital bed. Without even realizing it, tears are forming in her eyes.


    ¡°H-hey Mom,¡± Ronnie begins to say, ¡°I¡¯m awa-¡±


    Before he can finish talking, Sally rushes over and hugs him, tears fulling streaming down her face.


    ¡°I thought I lost you!¡± Sally sobs.


    ¡°M-mom,¡± Ronnie murmurs as now its his turn for tears to swell up in his eyes.


    As the two hug, the other people in the room quickly follow as they all rush over to hug the now awake Ronnie.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Chapter 77 - Abandonment (Finale) [END OF SEASON 1]

    ¡°Hey gimme a piece of that!¡±


    ¡°No way, I called dibs on the muffins!¡¯


    ¡°Is there a bathroom in here or anything?¡±


    The loud chatter of several people fills the packed hospital room Ronnie Everst is residing in. He¡¯s lying in the hospital bed while above it is a large banner reading ¡®CONGRATS ON BEING OUT OF THE HOSPITAL!¡¯ that has ¡®almost¡¯ written in sharpee in between ¡®being¡¯ & ¡®out¡¯.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: END OF SEASON 1


    ¡°So uh, you really got everyone together huh?¡± Ronnie remarks as he lays in his hospital bed while his mom, Sally Everst is chatting with him.


    ¡°Of course, a lot of them were worried sick about you,¡± Sally Everst remarks, ¡°So me and some of your friends decided to try and plan all this out.¡±


    ¡°Thanks mom,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome sweetie,¡± Sally says before adding, ¡°Though you¡¯re still grounded once you get out.¡±


    ¡°Yes mom,¡± Ronnie sighs.


    Sally decides to give Ronnie some space as she chats with The Three Ts, all the while several of his classmates ¨C Christopher Wrinkle, Crunch Backson, Suzy Dark, X Locke, Harry ¡®Hamster¡¯ Martin, Bennet the Hamster, Carli Kim, & Rebecca Jenksin ¨C all made their way to him to chat.


    ¡°Ronnie! How have you been holding up?¡± Carli asks him, ¡°When we heard you got into that car accident I didn¡¯t know what to think!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing alright,¡± Ronnie admits.


    ¡°The gym¡¯s never felt the same ever since you¡¯ve been gone bro!¡± Christopher sobs, ¡°We gotta break our maxes when you get better!¡±


    ¡°Aw thanks Christopher,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°And yeah, let¡¯s break all the records!¡±


    ¡°I wrote you a poem,¡± Suzy Dark remarks as she hands Ronnie the poem.


    ¡°Wow I- thank you so much,¡± Ronnie gasps flattered, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to let you know my thoughts when I get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of when you get out,¡± Crunch remarks as he stretches, ¡°I¡¯ve been feeling bored lately, and I think I know just the thing I can do with you that¡¯ll spark some fun back into my life.¡±


    ¡°O-oh Thanks Crunch but I don¡¯t know if-¡± Ronnie begins to say however he¡¯s interrupted when Bennet the hamster hops onto him.


    As Ronnie pets Bennet, Hamster walks over with a blueberry muffin he made.


    ¡°I remember you said you liked these so I wanted to make one for you as a gift,¡± Hamster remarks, ¡°I hope you like i-¡±


    Ronnie quickly devours the muffin, with Bennet making sure he leaves no crumbs on the blanket.


    ¡°It¡¯s still as perfect as when I first had it,¡± Ronnie moans.


    ¡°Ugh, at least swallow before you speak,¡± Rebecca grunts.


    Ronnie, after swallowing the food, looks over to Rebecca, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d show up to be honest.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Rebecca remarks, ¡°I¡¯m just doing this out of obligation anyways.¡±


    ¡°I see, but still thanks Reb¡¯,¡± Ronnie smiles.


    As the conversation begins to die down as some of the people begin to leave, Ronnie takes a look at all of the gifts he¡¯s been given the past few days. When Mesto & Garcia came to visit, they managed to sneak in a free burrito as well as a $12 gift card, though Garcia let it slip that Mesto¡¯s kids ¨C Landon & Avery ¨C were having their birthday later in June, so now he needs to think of a good gift for them. Ivan Turnip & Professor Powell swung around with Selina to deliver a ton of books to keep him busy in the hospital. However the rest of the convo between them after that was Ronnie talking about what Starlight High is like to the curious Selina while Ivan & Sally reminisced about their teenage years together a bit. His godfather, Ronald Sampson, also swung by with Terry Boats & Santiago Hernandez where they gifted him a bunch of soon to release clothes from the MSA¡¯s 2014 Summer Collection.


    However, his mind wandered elsewhere whenever his Uncle, Ryan Everst, came to visit. Each day he showed up and each day they chatted like normal. Although, each time he did so, Ronnie couldn¡¯t help but think about all he now knew about the MSA. How they profit off of several criminal organizations that run amuck across the city, all of what Jerry Pitt told him on that fateful night Club Azure came to an end, and how he met the leader of the original MSA; James Lewis. Though ultimately, Ronnie decided not to talk about it then but rather when he had the chance to, on his own terms.


    ¡°Well Ronnie,¡± Tim-Tom remarks causing Ronnie to snap back to the present, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, but we need to get going.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, it was good seeing you,¡± Ronnie remarks after he realized he forgot they were even here.


    ¡°Stay in school Ronnie!¡± Tim states as he begins to leave the room.


    ¡°Listen to your mom!¡± Tom remarks as he begins to leave the room.


    ¡°And hey, don¡¯t forget about what I said to you earlier,¡± Tim-Tom says.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    As The Three Ts do leave however, Ronnie notices something about Tim-Tom. Despite his best efforts trying to mask it, Ronnie could feel a rageful presence festering up inside of Tim-Tom. A presence directed at one source, but to who Ronnie was unsure of.


    Eventually, with the sun starting to set and with Sally heading back to her home for the first time and a while to clean it up for Ronnie¡¯s return, Ronnie sits in the hospital by himself when he hears a knock come from the door. He looks to see that Marcus, Elizabeth, & Alex have come to pay him a visit.


    ¡°Hey bub, how you¡¯ve been holding up?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing good, always nice to see the three of you come and visit,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°About that,¡± Elizabeth begins to say, ¡°There¡¯s actually four of us this time.¡±


    Ronnie is curious for a moment until he sees the fourth person enter the room, Hunter Huntingson.


    ¡°Hunter,¡± Ronnie grits his teeth, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Just figured I¡¯d swing by,¡± Hunter remarks, ¡°You sure look like shit.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, though I don¡¯t always look as bad. Unlike someone else I know,¡± Ronnie retorts.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Hunter says before turning around, ¡°Get better soon.¡±


    ¡°Uh, thanks?¡± Ronnie remarks as Hunter exits the room before remarking, ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t expect that from him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s pretty different from when we were in middle school¡­somewhat,¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°Yeah at least he is changing,¡± Ronnie remarks before switching topics, ¡°And speaking of changing, what the hell happened to you while I was out?! You were homeless?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah- kinda,¡± Marcus remarks, ¡°Sorry if I made you worry, but I¡¯m doing much better now!¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Ronnie laments.


    As the group stands there, Elizabeth looks over to see several sheets of completed homework.


    ¡°Woah, you managed to do all this?¡± Elizabeth remarks as she glances at all of the pages.


    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t really have much going on and was told to stay in bed for most of the days I first got up. So a bunch of teachers came by every day to give me some homework that I missed out on when I was ¡®taking a nap¡¯,¡± Ronnie explains.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s one way of putting ¡®being in a coma¡¯,¡± Alex groans, ¡°And which ones?¡±


    ¡°Oh there was Mister Penningberg ¨C he gave a ton of detailed notes and study guides ¨C, Miss Champion ¨C she always gave some homemade food she baked when she visited ¨C, Mister Jefferson who was really grumpy, Ray did so too and he even slipped in a few answer sheets, & even Amnestor delivered some even if he kept saying to take it easy and focus on recovering instead.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sweet of Amnestor,¡± Elizabeth remarks, ¡°And yeah you¡¯re getting discharged from here tomorrow morning?¡±


    ¡°Yep, I can¡¯t wait!¡± Ronnie remarks excitedly, ¡°It¡¯ll be nice to see everyone outside of this room again, and you guys, and Cam-¡±


    Ronnie stops himself as he recalls the letter he was sent from Cameron.


    ¡®Dear Ronnie,


    Hey! It¡¯s me, Cameron. I¡¯m so glad to hear you¡¯re awake again! I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t visit you and have to write you this later but I hope you¡¯re doing well. After I got home that night, my parents and I figured it was best if I went to rehab to recover. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take until I¡¯m all ready to head back out. But I promise it won¡¯t be too long until I get to see you and the others again.


    Take Care,


    Cameron Dots¡¯


    ¡°Cameron,¡± Ronnie mumbles.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be okay,¡± Alex insists.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ronnie agrees, ¡°Hopefully it won¡¯t be long until-¡±


    KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!


    ¡°Can I come in?¡± a person from the other side of the door remarks.


    ¡°S-sure!¡± Ronnie says, feeling as if he¡¯s heard that voice before.


    It¡¯s only when the person does enter the room does Ronnie and the other Miracle Clinic members recognize who he is. The Second in Command of Dirty Fang, Andy Nibble. Currently he¡¯s wearing an all black bucket hat that covers his eyes, a black t-shirt, gray ripped jeans, & white slides. In one of his hands is a cell phone and the other is a bag.


    ¡°Wh-what are you doing here?¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°A few reasons, but the main one being I needed to deliver some gifts,¡± Andy remarks as he sets the bag down on the counter.


    Andy lifts the first gift out of the bag; a 480-piece puzzle.


    ¡°This one¡¯s from me,¡± Andy remarks.


    The second gift he takes out are several ¡®Free Purchase On Any Meal¡¯ Coupons for The Deck¡¯s Bodega.


    ¡°These are from Blanko.¡±


    The third gift he pulls out is a bunch of school supplies.


    ¡°These are from Graham.¡±


    And the final gift is of some t-shirts in Ronnie¡¯s size from The East Side Express.


    ¡°And lastly, these are from Vanessa,¡± Andy remarks.


    ¡°Th-thanks but how come they aren¡¯t here to give them?¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°Vanessa & Blanko have finals while Graham is occupied with our head,¡± Andy states, ¡°So I ended up as just the mailman.¡±


    ¡°Is that all you came here to do?¡± Elizabeth questions.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Andy remarks as he begins to make his way to the door however he stops before adding, ¡°Although, you might want to check my gift more closely. I may have added in an extra puzzle piece.¡±


    With Andy now gone, the four all take a look at the puzzle he gifted Ronnie, and when they open the box to see what¡¯s inside they not only see all of the puzzle pieces for the puzzle¡­


    But an old rusty key.


    ¡°Just what is this?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°Uh, a key,¡± Marcus correctly guesses.


    ¡°Yeah but, why would Dirty Fang give this to us?¡± Ronnie questions.


    However, he can¡¯t ponder that thought for long as the door opens and Sally Everst has returned alongside Uncle Ryan. Ronnie instinctively hides the key in his pocket as the conversation quickly shifts back to the regular ones they were having. All of them there celebrating Ronnie¡¯s last night in the hospital.


    ____________________


    The next day at school, Ronnie is walking down the halls towards an all too familiar classroom. As he walks down the halls, he overhears some chatter.


    ¡°Hey, school¡¯s almost over, crazy how it went by so fast?¡±


    ¡°Maybe for you! This whole school year took forever to end.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just glad I don¡¯t have any more math homework.¡±


    Ronnie continues down the hall as he thinks to himself just how much things have changed since the start of the year. From agreeing to join the club Marcus wanted to form to having the person he fought with become a member to getting their fourth member after much convincing to now, so much happened this year.


    Ronnie smiles to himself as he reaches the door to Mr. Amnestor¡¯s classroom, he opens the door and says, ¡°Hope I didn¡¯t keep you all waiting too long for the club meeting!¡±


    In the classroom are fellow members of the miracle clinic; Alex Smith, Elizabeth Moore, and Marcus Veridan. Additionally in the class is Aken Amnestor, who¡¯s sipping coffee from behind his desk, and X Locke, who¡¯s trying to finish up a test.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here!¡± Marcus says.


    Elizabeth nods in agreement while Alex says, ¡°Hasn¡¯t been the same without you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, guys, though do we have any plans for what we¡¯re doing today?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Well, there is something you need to do Ronnie,¡± Amnestor remarks.


    Ronnie is confused as Amnestor hands him a form regarding Ronnie attending summer school.


    ¡°What is this?!¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s me letting you know you¡¯re going to summer school,¡± Amnestor remarks as he sips his coffee, ¡°You missed a ton of days while you were gone and while I was going to get them excused, your mother told me to have you go to summer school so you don¡¯t miss out on your education.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m already grounded!¡± Ronnie sighs.


    Hearing Ronnie¡¯s plight, the other three members get a bright idea.


    ¡°Hey Ronnie, sounds like you¡¯re in a lot of trouble,¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°You think?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ll take a miracle for you to not have to do all of that,¡± Alex jokes.


    Catching onto their joke Ronnie groans, ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±


    However Elizabeth continues the joke as she adds, ¡°Well you¡¯re in luck! Because if you want to see a miracle happen, you¡¯ve come to the right place!¡±


    ¡°Not you too Elizabeth,¡± Ronnie sighs.


    ¡°Here we make the impossible possible, we make dreams come true because we¡¯re¡­¡± Alex starts to say.


    ¡°The Miracle Clinic!¡± Marcus says.


    ¡°Well if you guys want to say that, then I take it you¡¯ll be there with me at summer school,¡± Ronnie suggests causing the three to stop giggling, ¡°After all, if I¡¯m with you guys, then everything will turn out okay.¡±


    ¡°Not a bad idea,¡± Amnestor says, ¡°I¡¯ll let the principal know all four of you are going into summer school.¡±


    Regretting their teasing, Alex says, ¡°You don¡¯t want us with you at summer school.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh that would make it worse for you,¡± Elizabeth agrees.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, you aren¡¯t serious Ronnie, right?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°We¡¯re a club, we should stick together,¡± Ronnie teases back at them, ¡°But not just any club, we¡¯re The Miracle Clinic!¡±


    Thank You For Reading The Miracle Clinic Season 1!~

 Holiday Special 1 of 4 - Black Eyes on Black Friday

    Black Friday. The day that turns shopping centers into gladiator arenas over discounts. And it¡¯s at Starlight City¡¯s Central Mall where just that is happening. It didn¡¯t matter if you were elderly, a kid, an adult, or a teen, what mattered was getting the gift now before it sold out.


    And it¡¯s here where we find Elizabeth Moore, a freshman at Starlight High, who quickly leaps into a toy store and weaves her way through the mob of rabid shoppers.


    Her goal? Getting her little sister, Nhung, the hottest gift of the year; the furry gremlin doll.


    Luckily as she scans the halls she sees a single doll left on a shelf. She quickly rushes forward passing by the unfit shoppers until she finally has the doll in her grasp.


    However, when she goes to pull it to her, she sees someone else has also grabbed the doll. Alex Smith; a fellow freshman and member of a club they¡¯re both in known as ¡°the miracle clinic¡±.


    ¡°Alex? Didn¡¯t expect to see you in here,¡± Elizabeth remarks as her grip on the box tightens.


    ¡°Well what can I say, my little cousins were really looking forward to this toy,¡± Alex remarks as his grip tightens, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to snuff out their joy, would you?¡±


    ¡°My sister has been asking for this for months,¡± Elizabeth claps back as her grip tightens.


    ¡°You sure you want to do this?¡± Alex questions as his grip on the box tightens.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Elizabeth states as she then yells, ¡°OH HEY THEY¡¯RE COMING IN WITH A RESTOCK!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Alex yells excited he doesn¡¯t have to fight so he turns around and lets go of the box.


    There isn¡¯t a restock coming. He turns around to see Elizabeth already bolting to the register.


    ¡°YOU SON OF A-¡± Alex yells as he gives chase.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°THAT¡¯S WHAT YOU GET!-¡± Elizabeth tries to say but when she sees an old lady in front of her, she needs to slow down.


    With Elizabeth slowing down Alex manages to catch up, snatch the box from her, and make a dash down another aisle in one swift motion.


    Alex smirks as he runs down the hall as several other customers swarm down the hall after him.


    ¡°Try and catch up now Elizabeth!¡± Alex laughs.


    ¡°Gladly!¡± Elizabeth yells as she jumps on top of one of the cabinets to get ahead of the crowd.


    As she gets closer to Alex, the two see that other rabid shoppers are entering through both entrances to the hall. With no way out but up, Alex tries to get on top of the cabinets but his hands just barely miss the ledge.


    Luckily Elizabeth grabs onto his arm. Though Alex¡¯s relief turns into dismay as he sees the wicked grin creeping onto Elizabeth¡¯s face.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare-¡± Alex says.


    However, Elizabeth would dare as she snatches the toy out of Alex¡¯s hand and then drops him into the mob. As Elizabeth runs on top of the hall, she spots one of the giant toy trains going around the store heading to the front of the store where the cash registers are. Elizabeth quickly jumps and lands on the roof of the train, much to the dismay of the parents and children riding the train.


    However as Elizabeth is about to relax ready to celebrate the victory, she sees Alex has finally pushed his way through the crowd. He lunges towards the train and with just his fingertips he grabs onto the back. He climbs up to the top of the train where Elizabeth is.


    ¡°You thought you could get rid of me that easily?¡± Alex roars as he gets into a boxer¡¯s stance, ¡°Give me the toy, NOW!¡±


    Elizabeth scoffs as she gets into a defensive stance, ¡°Over my dead body!¡±


    Alex glares at Elizabeth.


    Elizabeth glares back at Alex.


    And after glaring at each other one more time, Alex charges forward to where Elizabeth is. He goes to swing his fist but Elizabeth shoves the toy she¡¯s holding in front of Alex¡¯s punch. Alex has to quickly redirect his punch away from the toy, and in turn away from Elizabeth.


    This tactic by Elizabeth keeps on working as more and more punches keep missing her, that is until Alex gets an idea. He goes in for a jab, though when Elizabeth puts the toy in the way of his fist, Alex opens his fist and snatches the toy.


    ¡°HAH!¡± Alex yells.


    ¡°Why you!¡± Elizabeth grunts as she goes to kick Alex in the head.


    Though Alex does the same trick Elizabeth did to him by having the toy get in the way of her attack, causing her to miss.


    This goes on for a while until Elizabeth does a feint kick and then grabs onto the toy. The two are yanking the toy back and forth from each other; like two lions fighting over prey. Both not wanting to let go. In fact, they''ll never let go, not until they get the toy for--


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s them officer,¡± an employee of the toy store remarks.


    Alex & Elizabeth stop fighting to see Mall Security has surrounded the train. The two look at each other nervously.


    ____________________


    A few minutes later Alex and Elizabeth get tossed out of the mall by security, none of them ending up getting the toy in the end.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve just shopped online,¡± Elizabeth groans.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Alex sighs.


    Happy Holidays & See You Next Special!~

 Holiday Special 2 of 4 - Dirty Fangs Gift Exchange

    On The East Side of Starlight City, many people celebrate the holidays differently. Whether that¡¯s by decorating a tree, buying close friends gifts, or some other tradition. Almost everyone has something they can look forward to for this season.


    For Vanessa Deli, she finds herself in a penthouse surrounded by fellow Dirty Fang members. They¡¯re inside a cozy penthouse with a fireplace lit, and Christmas decorations lining up all around the walls. Eight people are sitting on the very long white leather couch in the center of the room.


    At the end of one side is Vanessa Deli, who¡¯s cold from how much community service she was forced to do after her stunt at the MSA Winter Gala.


    Next to her is fellow Seastar High student, Blanko Deck, who¡¯s wearing a red-and-white striped hoodie and Santa hat. Despite how eager he is to be there, he doesn¡¯t seem to notice he has the crumbs of Christmas cookies on his face as he devours yet another one.


    Next to Blanko is Graham Dirt, who has taken his durag off and has his wavy hair showing.


    Beside Graham is the second in command of Dirty Fang, Andy Nibble, who is wearing a red & white striped bucket hat that covers his eyes.


    A bit further away from Any Nibble is Purple, the third in command of Dirty Fang who is wearing a white jacket.


    Past Purple are three Dirty Fang members Vanessa hasn¡¯t met before, an old man who''s asleep, a skinny short guy, and a very tall muscular woman.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame most of our members couldn¡¯t appear for today,¡± the head of Dirty Fang remarks as he makes his way over to the couch while holding a huge duffel bag, ¡°But let¡¯s just enjoy our lil¡¯ white elephant gift exchange.¡±


    Vanessa looks to see the head, Mason Makinsley, flop onto the couch in between Andy & Purple. Their leader is wearing an unbuttoned red Santa jacket with no undershirt, black cargo pants, black round sunglasses, and a Santa hat.


    ¡°Who wants their gifts first?¡± Makinsley smirks.


    With the gang of Dirty Fang, every year they have a white elephant gift exchange event at Makinsley¡¯s penthouse apartment. You need to have already signed up saying you''ll attend to participate so everyone can go gift shopping for you. The gimmick of the white elephant gift exchange being one simple rule; the gifts should be funny.


    Vanessa wasn¡¯t too keen on going to this, but after getting pressured by Blanko to participate, she ended up here.


    ¡°Well if nobody is going to go first I¡¯ll just open mine,¡± Makinsley sighs as he reaches into the duffel bag and takes out his gifts.


    He¡¯s gotten eight gifts in total; several cheap white t-shirts from Andy Nibble, skincare products from Purple, a nice silver watch from the old man, black winter gloves from Graham, a Viking helmet from the muscular woman, a baby crib from the short guy, breath mints from Blanko, & a swiss army knife from Vanessa.


    ¡°Thanks, guys,¡± Makinsley remarks before turning his attention to Andy, Blanko, the short guy, the muscular woman, & Purple, ¡°Though what¡¯s the meaning of your five''s gifts?¡±


    ¡°I asked Andy and he said to get that,¡± Blanko remarks.


    ¡°Your breath sucks, and you could really benefit from wearing a shirt for once,¡± Andy jokes.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with good hygiene?¡± Purple questions.


    ¡°You can never know what life is gonna throw at you,¡± the short guy, Nail sighs.


    ¡°The fuck you implying?¡± Makinsley asks.


    ¡°Just keep your horizons broad and you¡¯ll be prepared for anything,¡± Nail remarks as he gives a thumbs up.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°I just thought a Viking helmet would be funny,¡± the tall muscular woman, Hammer adds.


    ¡°Okay then, well let¡¯s see what you got Nibble,¡± Makinsley jokes as he tosses the gifts at his second in command.


    Andy opens up the gifts to see what he got; Makinsley gave him a 10-foot-tall bucket hat, Purple gifted him a toy of ¡®Woody¡¯ from ¡®Toy Story¡¯, a nice silver watch from the old man, snack food from Graham, boxing gloves from Hammer, a cheap bucket hat from Nail, a propellor cap from Blanko, & some cheap lollipops from Vanessa.


    ¡°Thanks for the food I¡¯ll make sure to nibble on them,¡± Andy Nibble sighs before looking at Makinsley and Hammer, ¡°Though why did you gift me these things?¡±


    ¡°I thought it was obvious, I wanna spar when we get the chance,¡± Hammer states.


    ¡°I just figured since I haven¡¯t seen you without a bucket hat, and that you tend to cover your eyes, why not go all the way and cover the rest of your ugly mug,¡± Makinsley jokes.


    ¡°If I did that my girlfriend would get sad,¡± Nibble retorts.


    ¡°Wait, you have a girlfriend?-¡± Makinsley asks befuddles.


    Moving onto the next person, Purple; he received a cheap dollar store camera from Makinsley, a purple crayon from Andy Nibble, a nice silver watch from the old man, fake tattoo stickers from Graham, boxing gloves from Hammer, some earrings from Nail, a taser from Blanko, and a keychain from Vanessa.


    ¡°You sure you want to try and fight me?¡± Purple questions Hammer.


    ¡°You bet!¡± Hammer responds.


    ¡°Hey I feel like I¡¯m sensing a pattern with that dude,¡± Blanko mentions as he points to the sleeping old man.


    ¡°Oh yeah, I didn¡¯t even know he was going to be here. Did anybody get him a gift?¡± Makinsley questions.


    The silence answers his question so they move on to Graham Dirt. Outside of the nice silver watch from the old man, Blanko gifting him a new leather jacket, and Vanessa gifting him a vinyl, the rest of them gifted him a bag of dirt.


    ¡°Do you get it?¡± Nail asks.


    Graham just sighs before trunking to Blanko & Vanessa, ¡°Thanks for the gifts.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it!¡± Blanko shouts as he gives a thumbs up.


    Up next are both Hammer and Nail since the couple both received a hammer and some nails from everyone, even the old man. Hammer finds the joke hysterical while Nail isn¡¯t as amused.


    ¡°Really guys?¡± Nail questions.


    ¡°Aye, what did you just give Graham Dirt again?¡± Makinsley reminds Nail of.


    Nail falls silent, accepting the joke gift.


    The next person to open their gifts is Blanko Deck. He opens them up to find; ¡®kickboxing for dummies¡¯ that Makinsley bought for him, Andy gifted him a comb. Purple gifted him a box of Cheerios, The old man gave him a nice silver watch, Graham gifted him 15 copies of last year¡¯s soccer video game, Hammer gifted him some boxing gloves, Nail gifted him a deck of cards, and Vanessa gifted him a snowglobe she found at The East Side Express.


    Blanko is speechless for a bit.


    ¡°Why do you want to throw hands with him? He¡¯s still a kid,¡± Graham questions Hammer.


    ¡°He¡¯s a kickboxer, right? He¡¯s gonna need boxing gloves,¡± Hammer responds.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to use all of these, thanks so much!¡± Blanko responds with a genuine smile.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to like the joke gift,¡± Nail groans.


    ¡°Are you kidding me, I¡¯m sure I can find some use for it!¡± Blanko remarks.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m glad you liked ¡®em, kid,¡± Mason Makinsley smirks before looking at Vanessa, ¡°Now I believe it¡¯s your turn to open your gifts.¡±


    Vanessa is a bit hesitant at first as she opens her first gift, which turns out to be a bunch of toy vans.


    ¡°Those should help take you around town, Vanessa,¡± Makinsley jokes.


    Vanessa Deli opens up her next gift; a gift card for a local deli.


    ¡°Vanny, do you get it?¡± Andy Nibble asks.


    ¡°Yes I got it,¡± Vanessa sighs.


    The third gift she opens is a uniform for the same local deli.


    ¡°Did you guys coordinate this?¡± Vanessa asks as she looks at Purple & Andy Nibble.


    Purple begins to say, ¡°No-¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Andy remarks.


    Not wanting to see who¡¯s telling the truth, Vanessa moves on to the next gift which is a nice silver watch.


    ¡°I wonder who got that one,¡± Nail jokes as he looks at the still-sleeping old man.


    ¡°Is he dead or something?¡± Andy asks.


    ¡°Lemme check,¡± Purple remarks as he pokes the old man, ¡°Nope Harvey¡¯s alive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Makinsley sighs before joking, ¡°Mister Benjamin would be very hard to deal with if dead.¡±


    Vanessa opens her fourth gift which is a drawing of a butterfly.


    ¡°I heard your name means butterfly so I got my barber to draw that for me,¡± Graham remarks.


    ¡°Your barber is an artist?¡± Blanko questions.


    ¡°Would explain his last haircut,¡± Andy Nibble jokes.


    Vanessa¡¯s sixth gift is a joint gift from Hammer and Nail and it¡¯s a snow globe with a model deli shop inside.


    ¡°Well, our gift would have been funnier if everyone didn¡¯t also do the same joke,¡± Nail groans.


    ¡°I thought it makes our joke even more funny,¡± Hammer remarks.


    And the final gift Vanessa receives is from Blanko, and it¡¯s a simple stainless steel reusable water bottle.


    ¡°You can also use it for other stuff besides water like hot chocolate,¡± Blanko explains.


    ¡°I figured as much but thanks,¡± Vanessa remarks.


    With the gift exchange all settled, Mason Makinsley steps up to go turn on the TV and turn on a movie for everyone to watch. As Vanessa sits there chatting with everyone, she can¡¯t help but feel something she hasn¡¯t felt in a while during the winter season. A feeling of enjoying the holidays.


    As the party continues, she decides that she¡¯ll attend next year¡¯s gift exchange for certain.


    Happy Holidays & See You Next Special!~

 Holiday Special 3 of 4 - Snowball Fight Taken To The Extreme

    ¡°What are you guys asking Santa for Christmas?!¡± Crunch Backson, a sophomore at Starlight High, asks.


    The manic teenager¡¯s long shaggy dyed lime green hair blows in the wind as he marches down the streets of Starlight City, following his own drum. He¡¯s only wearing a black tank top, blue shorts, and red flip-flops on this snowy day.


    However he isn¡¯t walking alone, since with him are two of his close friends, according to him, they might disagree with that statement. To the right of him is Suzy Dark, a fellow sophomore who¡¯s in the process of dyeing her hair from black to white, and she¡¯s completely covered in black winter goth attire. To the left of him was Hunter Huntingson, a rebellious freshman who was wearing an all-black tech wear outfit.


    ¡°You do know Santa isn¡¯t real, right?¡± Hunter questions, ¡°And why did you want to hang out with me?!¡±


    ¡°Santa is real, and fun things tend to occur whenever you¡¯re around,¡± Crunch remarks.


    ¡°Funny joke Crunch but Santa isn¡¯t real,¡± Suzy sighs.


    Suzy and Hunter continue to walk forward, however, Crunch has stopped walking. The two turn around to see that tears are falling down Crunch¡¯s face.


    ¡°SANTA ISN¡¯T REAL?!¡± Crunch sobs.


    Suzy & Hunter stand there dumbfounded.


    ¡°You want to knock some sense into him?¡± Suzy remarks.


    ¡°Yeah sure,¡± Hunter replies as he goes to walk over to Crunch.


    However, as he approaches the sobbing sophomore, he accidentally bumps into someone from another group that was walking the other way, the two stumble and fall to the ground.


    ¡°Hey watch where you¡¯re going!¡± The man yells.


    ¡°I was!¡± Hunter says as he turns around to see who he ran into.


    To his shock, he sees that the person he bumped into is none other than Tim-Tom Pitt, one of The Three Ts. And the other two that were walking with him were Thomas Dolby & Timothy McGee.


    ¡°Hey, I know you,¡± Tim-Tom remarks as he points at Hunter, ¡°You¡¯re that maniac with the metal bat!¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± Hunter lies.


    ¡°Yeah I remember him, he¡¯s the guy that caught us off guard,¡± Tom remarks as he cracks his knuckles, ¡°This time you won¡¯t be so lucky!¡±


    ¡°Hey wait guys,¡± Tim says as he lifts his hands up cautiously, ¡°Are we really gonna fight right now? I thought we were supposed to visit your dad?¡±


    ¡°The old fart can wait a while,¡± Tim-Tom states as he sizes up Hunter, ¡°I got some unfinished business with this kid.¡±


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re doing this,¡± Suzy sighs.


    ¡°IF SANTA ISN¡¯T REAL THEN DOES RUDOLPH NOT EXIST TOO?!¡± Crunch yells through his sobs.


    The rest of the five look at Crunch, who¡¯s still upset about learning that Santa is not real.


    ¡°I- I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d still be shaken up about this,¡± Hunter sighs.


    ¡°How do we stop him from crying?¡± Tim-Tom groans


    Suzy Dark raises her hand as she responds, ¡°I have an idea, and it¡¯s something that could help settle your differences too.¡±


    ________________________________


    In Starlight City¡¯s North Park, Mesto-Presto is on a snowy hill making snow angels with his two toddlers Landon & Avery. They¡¯re all wearing matching winter outfits. As Mesto gets up, he starts to make a snowman as his two toddlers watch.


    Just as he¡¯s about to do the finishing touches on the snowman, a snowball goes careening through the snowman, leaving a hole in it. Mesto¡¯s toddlers both begin to wail at seeing the snowman¡¯s untimely demise.


    ¡°Hey hey, it¡¯s okay, we can fix him,¡± Mesto tries to reassure his toddlers that everything will be alright as he looks to see who tossed the snowball.


    To his confusion, he sees that at the bottom of the hill, a group of six teens are all having a snowball fight. The battleground they¡¯ve built has several snow forts to use as coverage as snowballs are tossed without a care in the world at one another.


    Of the group Mesto can recognize all of the people playing; the one who¡¯s tossing snowballs all around like a madman is Crunch Backson, and the girl next to him is his friend Suzy Dark, the three people all working together are The Three Ts, and the person who¡¯s hitting the snowballs with a large icicle is Hunter Huntingson.


    However, despite Hunter using the icicle like a baseball bat, it isn¡¯t really shooting the snowballs away and more so just destroying them. Tim-Tom, getting a bright idea, tosses a snowball at Hunter¡¯s icicle. Hunter goes to swing at it, though when the two objects make contact with one another the icicle snaps in half.


    ¡°How¡¯d you like that ice ball?!¡± Tim-Tom yells, ¡°BOYS! GET HIM!¡±


    Hunter tries to escape but it¡¯s too late. Tim & Tom pop out from their hiding and start to pelt the freshman with snowball after snowball. Hunter however uses the last of his strength to toss an iceball that hits Tim-Tom straight in the forehead. The two teens fall to the ground, both defeated.


    As Mesto watches the battle continue, he realizes that he should just leave them be, they¡¯re just having fun and his kids have calmed down from the snowman incident. After all, it¡¯s not like they¡¯re actually hurting one-


    SMACK!


    Mesto turns to look at his toddlers to see that one of the ricochet snowballs managed to hit Avery directly in the face. As she starts to wail, and her twin brother Landon laughs, Mesto gets up.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Mesto yells as he rolls up his sleeves while descending from the top of the snowy hill, ¡°Which one of you fuckers was the one that threw that snowball?¡±


    As the group of snowball tossers look at the enraged teenage father approaching the group; they all have the same thought.


    ¡°Fuck, we¡¯re screwed.¡±


    And as the thought echoes through their heads; Tim-Tom, Tim, Tom, Crunch, Suzy, & Hunter all start to book it away from Mesto-Presto as he begins to chuck snowballs at them.


    ______________________________


    A while later at Burrito Bistro, Cedro Garcia is serving some hot soup to a group of six people covered in bruises from snowballs.


    ¡°What happened to you kids?¡± Cedro Garcia.


    Instead of answering Tim-Tom, Tim, Tom, Hunter, Suzy, & Crunch just glance over at Mesto-Presto who¡¯s feeding his toddlers some food. Mesto just pretends to ignore them as he whistles a melody to the kids.


    Happy Holidays & See You Next Special!~

 Holiday Special 4 of 4 - New Year Sun Shorts

    SUN SHORT #1 - Last Customer of The Year


    Snow falls outside the Starlight City Bookstore on New Year¡¯s Eve as the two owners Jessica Powell & Ivan Palac chat amongst themselves, both waiting for the last customer of the year to finish shopping so they can close up the store.


    ¡°Uh sure, I don¡¯t want to pressure you,¡± Powell lies before continuing, ¡°But it is already 10 minutes passed since we usually close our business so if you don¡¯t mind making your selection already.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking!¡± The customer groans.


    Ivan sits in his wheelchair behind the counter contemplating just how long this customer is going to take, minutes? Hours? The whole rest of the year? Every second the customer takes looking for books, the more the owners¡¯ patience wears bare.


    Then after what seems like eons, a miracle occurs.


    The customer makes a decision.


    ¡°You guys don¡¯t have any good books,¡± the customer bickers as he makes his way out of the bookstore.


    As the doors close, Ivan Palac & Jessica Powell are left with one thought; this was their last customer of the year, and hopefully the last time they¡¯ll have to deal with them.


    SUN SHORT #2 - The Gym¡¯s Best Time of Year


    ¡°How many sets have you done, Peasant?¡± Garry Jackingson, an old balding yet muscular man with a long gray beard and black designer tracksuit, asks.


    The person he¡¯s asking is Christopher Wrinkle, a member of the gym ¡®Dawnbreak Health & Fitness Center¡¯ which Garry owns. Christopher has just finished doing some who just got done doing some squats.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s my fifteenth set,¡± Christopher responds as he puts away the weights, ¡°Also why¡¯re you calling me broke?¡±


    ¡°Because boy,¡± Garry whistles as he shows off his new golden tooth implants, chrome rings, and overly expensive watch, ¡°my whole outfit costs more than what you¡¯ll make in your entire life.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­.okay?¡± Christopher remarks.


    Garry Jackingson then whistles as he walks away to flex his outfit to all of the other people working out in the gym. Christopher stands there confused until a personal trainer and boxing coach of the gym, Francisco Champion, walks over to him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the boss,¡± Francisco remarks, ¡°he just gets like this around New Year¡¯s due to how much money we make this month. Though he tends to blow it all away before February can even come.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, my grandpa can be a bit strange at times but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t love him,¡± Christopher remarks.


    ¡°Oh how sweet of you,¡± Francisco smiles, ¡°But yeah don¡¯t worry we aren¡¯t all as money-hungry as our boss.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I gotta get going but see you next year,¡± Christopher says as he leaves the gym.


    ¡°Happy New Year!¡± Francisco waves.


    Though as soon as the doors to the gym close and Christopher has left, Francisco Champion looks at his designer black tracksuit, chrome rings, Gucci shoes, and a golden watch.


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    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not as money hungry as my boss¡° Francisco Champion lies to himself, ¡°I didn¡¯t get any gold teeth.¡±


    SUN SHORT #3 - Swallow [Content Warning: Disturbing Imagery]


    Inside The Starlight City Correction Center, a bunch of the inmates are eating their sloppily put-together meals in the cafeteria. Everyone¡¯s wearing orange prison jumpsuits, some of them are in handcuffs while others are eating freely. The only utensil they¡¯ve been given is a dull spoon.


    And the person to thank for them getting rid of the forks and knives is the inmate Gabriel Griffon; a 20-year-old with white skin, short black hair, a slim yet muscular physique, and a charming smile that could make anyone¡¯s heart skip a beat.


    Gabriel Griffon is sitting at a table opposing another nervous inmate. Gabriel scoops up the liquidy mashed potatoes off his plate onto his spoon and puts it into his mouth.


    ¡°These mashed potatoes are really bad, but it''s not like they¡¯re going to listen to me about all of that,¡± Gabriel sighs.


    The inmate he¡¯s sitting next to is completely silent.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, I didn¡¯t even harm those two that badly, yet they locked me up here with you animals.¡± Gabriel remarks, ¡°At the very least they could have allowed me to help cook in the kitchen, I¡¯m a pretty damn good cook y¡¯know.¡±


    The inmate Gabriel Griffon is sitting with nods as he sweats. He glances away from Gabriel.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gabriel Griffon utters, causing the inmate to feel a chill run down his spine, ¡°You haven¡¯t even eaten anything of your plate yet, you know how hard the cooks work to make food for us?¡±


    The inmate is silent not knowing what to do however Gabriel grabs him by the shirt and asks, ¡°Do you want to end up like those other guys?¡±


    The inmate shakes his head profusely as behind him lays the unconscious bodies of several other inmates, all of them being knocked out by Gabriel Griffon for the most absurd of reasons. The inmate looks at the guards to see if they¡¯ll help, but like always they¡¯re pretending not to notice Griffon¡¯s antics.


    ¡°What are you waiting for, eat up,¡± Gabriel Griffon remarks with a twisted grin on his face.


    After some hesitation, the inmate puts his spoon onto his mashed potatoes, which are filled with the teeth of other inmates, shakingly lifts it up towards his mouth, and takes a bite.


    ¡°Good,¡± Gabriel Griffon remarks, ¡°You should keep on eating, this is the last meal you¡¯ll have of the year. You wouldn¡¯t want it to go to waste?¡±


    Fearing for the worse, the inmate continues to shovel the mashed potatoes into his mouth.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, my sentence ends in the summer so I won¡¯t be able to give you your last meal for next year,¡± Gabriel Griffon sighs before commanding, ¡°Now what are you waiting for, chew it up and swallow?¡±


    The inmate looks around trying to see a way out of this predicament, for anyone to come and help him.


    Nobody comes to help him.


    So with some hesitation, and sweat dripping down his neck, the inmate is left with only one option left¡­


    CRUNCH


    SUN SHORT #4 - Starting The New Year On An Interesting Foot.


    CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH!


    ¡°Oh this sushi is so good,¡± X Locke moans as he chews a spicy crunchy crab roll, ¡°Where¡¯d you guys even find this place?¡±


    X Locke, a junior at Starlight High, has his messy blonde hair covering his eyes as bits of rice are stuck to his stubble. He¡¯s wearing a light brown cardigan over a black turtleneck, washed black cargo pants, green Converse shoes, and a necklace with an ¡®X¡¯ symbol.


    He¡¯s sitting with three others in a traditional Japanese-styled sushi restaurant with the kitchen being in the middle that can be viewed by everyone. On one of the walls is a giant fish tank with several different fish swimming about it. The three others at the table are three of his teachers; 20-something Ray Ramirez the teacher¡¯s aide, 20-something Sam Penningberg the biology teacher, & 20-something Zesti Champion the culinary teacher.


    ¡°One of my former classmates is a part of the family that owns this place,¡± Zesti Champion remarks before asking, ¡°And how did you even come here?¡±


    ¡°Oh I asked Ray and he said yes,¡± X replies.


    ¡°I did?¡± Ray groans surprised.


    ¡°Yep, you may have had headphones in though¡± X teases.


    ¡°Well I would say that you couldn¡¯t be here because other teachers would be showing up,¡± Penningberg begins to say, ¡°But it¡¯s only just us three tonight.¡±


    ¡°Really? I thought Amnestor and Jefferson were coming,¡± Zesti remarks.


    ¡°Amnestor said his wife surprised him with a vacation, and Jefferson probably forgot though I¡¯m glad he isn¡¯t showing up,¡± Ray remarks as he pours himself a glass of water, ¡°the dude¡¯s a total dick.¡±


    X, Zesti, & Penningberg are all silent as Ray continues to go on his rant, ¡°I mean the guy¡¯s so full of himself because he¡¯s on the principal¡¯s good side. I swear if I met him back in the day I¡¯d make him eat his words-¡±


    ¡°Ahem,¡± a voice behind Ray beckons.


    Ray Ramirez is silent as he slowly turns around to see the math teacher, Wilsten Jefferson, standing there with a look of pure rage on his face.


    Ray is silent for a moment before smirking and giving a not-so-family-friendly hand gesture towards Jefferson, ¡°I said what I said, what are you gonna do about it?¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing,¡± Jefferson remarks as he starts to walk away, ¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t think the principal would like to keep you at this job next year if he heard what you just said.¡±


    Ray¡¯s eyes widen as he hears the threat of losing his job and he quickly tries to apologize and leaves the table, all the while X leans over the table and steals some of Ray Ramirez¡¯s sushi.


    ¡°Well this isn¡¯t exactly the way I would have liked to start it off but happy New Year,¡± Penningberg chuckles as he lifts his glass towards Zesti.


    ¡°Happy New Year to you too Pennies,¡± Zesti sighs as the two clank glasses.


    Happy Holidays & See You Next Year!


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2 STARTS FEBRUARY 1ST!

 S2 / SEASON 2 Prologue - Never In The Moonlight

    Moonlight.


    It¡¯s something Ryan Everst often finds himself looking at through his office whenever he¡¯s stuck late at work.


    Sometimes he wonders just what is happening underneath that moonlight; are there families in their homes getting ready for bed? Are there teenagers sneaking out to attend a party? Are there any exhausted workers stuck with the late shift in a seemingly endless night?


    He¡¯ll never know for certain, not in this office he finds himself in. He¡¯s too high up to even see a single soul on the city streets, so all he can do is imagine.


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    Imagine them and think back to the good old days when he was on those streets.


    Those nights where he hung out with friends, getting up to random antics and trouble.


    Those nights were they barely managed to avoid getting caught and into trouble by the skin of their teeth.


    Those nights where he and his brother would rest underneath the moonlight, telling each other their dreams and aspirations for the future.


    But those days are long gone now, and he¡¯ll never be able to go back.


    He¡¯ll never be able to carelessly spend time with his friends just because.


    He¡¯ll never be able to have another conversation with his brother.


    And he¡¯ll never be able to look up at the moonlight like he did back then.


    All he can do now is remain exactly where he is now; in the moon¡¯s shadow.


    The Miracle Clinic: Season 2 ~ START!

 S2 Chapter 1 - Back 2 School (1)

    The morning sunlight seeps in through the shabby blinds of a teenager¡¯s bedroom. The teen¡¯s bedroom has an old wooden desk with a toy wooden treasure chest with a note on it that reads ¡®opened on 01/23/2014¡¯, a black movable stand next to an open closet where the top shelf holds an old boxed TV with scratches on the side while the bottom shelf has a VHS player, in front of the stand is an open cardboard box filled with VHS tapes, some of the teen¡¯s dirty clothes are anywhere but in the hamper, and his backpack is placed onto a chair next to his desk.


    Right beside the teen¡¯s bed is a bulletin board with several items pinned onto it; a photo of him with three of his closest friends, a photo of him and his mom on his birthday, a photo of his mom and dad on a rooftop when they were teens, a business card for ¡®Club Azure¡¯, a newspaper article about the company ¡®Moon Shadow Alliance¡¯, a poster of his school¡¯s basketball team that his friend is on, a newspaper clipping that has an ad for some helpers known as ¡®The Three Ts¡¯, several free coupons for ¡®The Decks Bodega¡¯, a rusty old key, and many other random trinkets.


    The room, despite how messy some areas of it are, is organized well and is peaceful.


    Or at least it would be peaceful if the alarm clock wasn¡¯t blaring loudly. The teen¡¯s hand slams down on the clock as he groggily gets out of bed.


    ¡°Uh, what time is it?¡± the 16-year-old, Ronnie Everst, wonders out loud.


    Ronnie Everst has black skin, a slightly muscular build, brown eyes, and his black hair is a duke hairstyle. He¡¯s also completely screwed as his alarm clock says 6:50 AM, and he needs to be at school at 7:15 AM.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Ronnie utters as he quickly stumbles out of bed.


    Ronnie quickly grabs his backpack and a pair of clothes as he rushes into the bathroom. He quickly brushes his teeth in one hand while putting on deodorant with the other.


    After stepping out of the bathroom Ronnie¡¯s now out of his blue striped pajamas and is instead wearing a blue ripped jean jacket over a red shirt, brown sweatpants, and white socks. He quickly makes his way downstairs and goes to open the door when someone stops him.


    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± His mother, Sally Everst questions.


    The 34-year-old woman has black skin, green eyes, tattoos on her arms and stomach, and her black hair is in a twist-out style. She¡¯s wearing a light blue bandana around her forehead, a black unzipped hoodie jacket over her white crop top, and green cargo pants. She¡¯s sitting at the kitchen table with some breakfast and her phone.


    ¡°School,¡± Ronnie answers bluntly.


    ¡°And who said you could go to your first day of sophomore year with an empty stomach?¡± Sally asks,


    Giving in and not wanting to waste the food, Ronnie sits at the table before quickly scarfing down his food. Once done he stands up, walks to the front door, and puts on his red converse shoes.


    ¡°The picture can wait till after school, okay? I gotta go! Love you!¡± Ronnie yells.


    ¡°Love you too and stay safe out there!¡±


    ¡°Stay safe?¡± Ronnie murmurs as he opens the door, ¡°Easier said than done.¡±


    Ronnie exits out of his home and onto the streets of Starlight City, he quickly makes his way through the streets towards his school. Ronnie runs down the road like he¡¯s done every time around this year ¨C avoiding the fallen leaves that hide large puddles of water from yesterday¡¯s rain, weaving his way through the traffic on the sidewalk, and making sure his black backpack doesn¡¯t fall off of him. As he¡¯s running to school though, he almost bumps into someone.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Ronnie yells, not having the time to stop.


    As Ronnie gets closer and closer to the start of his new school year, he has no idea of the tumultuous time that lies ahead of him throughout his sophomore year for both himself and his friends. But that would all come on future days, for now, all he had to worry about now was just getting to school on time. However even when he did get to school, that would only just mark the beginning of the chaotic day he was about to have.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    The front glass doors to Starlight High open as an exhausted Ronnie Everst enters the building.


    ¡°Phew almost didn¡¯t make it,¡± Ronnie remarks relieved.


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    Ronnie looks around the halls of the packed school, gray lockers that nobody uses line up the hallways making the halls even more of a hassle to get through. As he¡¯s checking his schedule and making his way to his first class, he spots a familiar face in the crowd.


    ¡°Hey, long time no see!¡± Ronnie begins to say as he waves someone down, ¡°Marcus, how¡¯ve you been?!¡±


    The person he¡¯s greeting is Marcus Veridan, a skinny white 15-year-old with messy brown hair, green eyes, and some tattoos on his arms which he tends to keep hidden. Marcus is wearing a white vest jacket over a long-sleeved black t-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers.


    The two have been friends since middle school, however they only became better friends to one another after Ronnie learned about all that Marcus was dealing with at the time. While for a moment things weren¡¯t looking so good for him, Marcus managed to climb out of the pit of despair he was trapped in.


    ¡°Yeah sorry I haven¡¯t been able to hang out over summer break,¡± Marcus starts to apologize.


    ¡°Dude no need to feel bad about it,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°You were busy with all of that foster care stuff, I¡¯m just glad that¡¯s all behind you know.¡±


    Marcus smiles before saying, ¡°Yeah, though class is about to start so I¡¯ll see you at the meeting.¡±


    Ronnie nods, ¡°Take care and I¡¯ll see you at the meeting.¡±


    The two walk past one another, both having different classes they¡¯d need to get to, but this wasn¡¯t the last time that they¡¯d be able to see one another. Since after the second period of classes and before the third, there¡¯s a brief study hour period where the students of Starlight High can get a brief break from classes. Most use it to catch up on homework, talk to friends, or just get some sleep.


    However for some students, they attend club meetings during that period, and the club both Ronnie and Marcus are a part of is none other than ¡®The Miracle Clinic¡¯. The club was made with the point of having students come by during the study period or after school with problems that the club would try to solve.


    But today was going to be a bit different, because the only problems that the club would be facing were none other than their own.


    ______________________________


    ¡°HOW DO I ALREADY HAVE HOMEWORK?! IT¡¯S THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!¡± X Locke yells in frustration.


    ¡°You¡¯re reading the syllabus,¡± the history teacher Aken Amnestor sighs.


    ¡°Oh,¡± X mumbles embarrassed, ¡°I knew that.¡±


    X Locke, the unusual now-senior 18-year-old student, was starting out the first day of school like always; sitting in Amnestor¡¯s classroom trying to get work done. The aloof upperclassman has white skin, blonde messy hair that covers his eyes, and some patches of facial hair on his face. He¡¯s wearing a white crewneck sweatshirt with black patches on the elbows, a necklace with a key tied to it, black sweatpants, and red Adidas shoes.


    The other person in the room is Aken Amnestor, a 46-year-old history teacher with glasses, white skin, salt-&-pepper hair, and a chiseled chin. Amnestor¡¯s sipping some coffee in a mug with a history pun on it while wearing a cream-colored turtleneck sweater under a gray suit jacket, black dress pants, and brown loafers. While teaching is his main job, he also is the teacher who allows his room to be used for The Miracle Clinic to host their meetings.


    Their meetings that should have started a few minutes ago yet none of the members showed up yet.


    ¡°Man, this place feels way too quiet,¡± X Locke assesses while trying to stack pencils on top of one another.


    Though just as he said that, the door would slam open causing X to jolt up and ruin his stack of pencils.


    ¡°What the hell! Don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± X gasps.


    ¡°Next time open the door gently, Mister Everst,¡± Amnestor remarks.


    ¡°Sorry sorry,¡± Ronnie Everst apologizes as he enters the room, ¡°I didn¡¯t know the door would open so easily.¡±


    Marcus quickly follows Ronnie as the two look around the room. Where other teachers may have redecorated their room for the new year, Amnestor¡¯s classroom is¡­ exactly the same as last school year.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t even put up a new poster?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like the room then complain to the principal or superintendent,¡± Amnestor bluntly states as he sips his coffee, ¡°There wasn¡¯t any budget left for them to go towards any new decorations for the school.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but-¡± Ronnie begins to say before getting interrupted.


    ¡°Hey give the guy a break,¡± the person entering the room says.


    Ronnie & Marcus turn around to see that the person who entered the room is none other than the third member of The Miracle Clinic, Alex Smith.


    ¡°Especially when you¡¯re wearing the same outfit you wore last September,¡± Alex remarks with a smirk on his face.


    Alex Smith, a 16-year-old sophomore, has a bit of a history with the group. Originally, the hot-headed teen was someone that the group tried to calm down, but that resulted in a scuffle between him and Ronnie. However after that was all said and done, they all managed to form a friendship with the Hispanic teen. While he may be a bit rash and headstrong, he does care for his friends and will make sure they¡¯re alright.


    Alex sits down on a chair before putting his legs up on a desk. He has black messy hair, blue eyes, blue pearl earrings, and a toothpick in his mouth. He¡¯s also wearing a cream-colored hoodie over a white shirt, blue jeans, and white Air Jordans.


    ¡°At least I¡¯m not using my cousin¡¯s tricycle to get to school,¡± Ronnie teases back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t use that anymore,¡± Alex retorts before mumbling, ¡°I broke it.¡±


    Ronnie wasn¡¯t able to hear Alex¡¯s mumbling but if he did he would have made fun of him for it, however, the only person to hear him was Marcus who gave a light chuckle.


    ¡°Looks like I¡¯m the last one here,¡± someone says as they enter the room.


    Ronnie, Alex, & Marcus look to see that the fourth and final member, Elizabeth Moore has arrived at the meeting.


    Elizabeth, a 15-year-old sophomore, took a bit of convincing to join the club but after doing so, she¡¯s become much more extroverted when around her friends. Always participating in friendly banter with the others and helping out when needed. Even if she still sometimes has issues talking to others, especially when her friends aren¡¯t around, she always manages to find herself in drama or strange situations.


    Elizabeth hops onto a desk as the meeting continues. She¡¯s of Vietnamese and Irish descent, has thick round glasses, and long messy black hair. She¡¯s wearing an orange long-sleeved t-shirt over a white short-sleeved t-shirt, black sweatpants, and black hightops.


    ¡°Hey Eli, glad to see you made it,¡± Ronnie states.


    ¡°Thanks and could you just stick to Elizabeth?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Oh right, sorry I forgot,¡± Ronnie admits.


    ¡°So what¡¯re we doing today?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Well to be honest I was thinking of-¡± Ronnie begins to say but is cut off by Amnestor setting a stack of paperwork on a nearby desk.


    ¡°This is for you all,¡± Amnestor says.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Ronnie asks as he sifts through the stack.


    ¡°The school¡¯s updated some of its policies on hosting and running a club,¡± Amnestor explains, ¡°I highlighted the more pressing matter for your club.¡±


    Ronnie is a bit confused until he flips to the highlighted page and begins to read it out loud, ¡°¡®Each club must have a minimum of seven active members otherwise they will not receive funding and be forced to disband?!¡¯¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 2 - Back 2 School (2)

    ¡°So they¡¯re just gonna shut down our club?!¡± Ronnie asks, confused.


    ¡°Yes, unless you manage to find three more members,¡± Amnestor states.


    ¡°Wait, that doesn¡¯t sound so hard to do-¡± Marcus begins to say but gets cut off by Amnestor.


    ¡°By the end of the first school day,¡± Amnestor finishes his sentence.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a bit harder to do,¡± Marcus sighs.


    ¡°What kind of bullshit is this?¡± Alex groans.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t they have given us a week at least?¡± Elizabeth sighs.


    ¡°I mean I don¡¯t see the issue,¡± X admits, causing the four to turn to him, ¡°Like sure it may be impossible but isn¡¯t your group¡¯s whole schtick making ¡®miracles¡¯ happen?¡±


    ¡°Okay, well since you¡¯re here you want to maybe help a friend out and join our club?¡± Ronnie asks.


    X looks at Ronnie for a bit before laughing out loud. As X is laughing, Ronnie immediately regrets even asking X that question.


    ¡°Sorry kiddos but daddy¡¯s got a big ass case of senioritis,¡± X laughs as he wipes his tears.


    ¡°The fuck did you just call yourself?¡± Elizabeth questions in disgust.


    ¡°Language,¡± Amnestor scolds the two.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± X and Elizabeth sigh.


    ¡°But seriously, if I were you guys, I¡¯d think it would be best to seek out club members now before the study hour is over,¡± X suggests.


    Ronnie, Alex, Marcus, and Elizabeth take a look at the time to see that the study period ends in 15 minutes. Not wanting to waste even more time, the four rush out, ready to ask people.


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t run in the¨C¡± Amnestor tries to say but the four club members have already left the room. ¡°Halls.¡±


    _______________


    In the math teacher, Wilsten Jefferson¡¯s, classroom, the teacher is going over factorials with the class. He¡¯s sitting in a wheelie chair and has wrinkly white skin, balding gray hair, and green eyes. He¡¯s wearing a blue button-up, black dress pants, black dress shoes, and a fancy watch on his wrist.


    ¡°So, do any of you understand this?¡± Jefferson asks the students only to receive no answer, ¡°Wow, never in my 37 years of teaching have I seen students so dumb. Once you¡¯re done with solving the worksheets, hand them over to my desk.¡±


    While most of the students are struggling with the work, there¡¯s one student who is mostly understanding it; Rebecca Jenksin. A now sophomore who''s a bit of a popular kid who often only befriends those who she can use, or at least that¡¯s what her parents expect her to do. But there are a few people she makes exceptions for. Such as¨C


    ¡°Hey Rebecca,¡± Marcus remarks as he sits on the desk next to her, ¡°Been a while huh?¡±


    ¡°Hey I¡¯m trying to focus here and¨C¡± Rebecca begins to say but is interrupted by Marcus.


    ¡°You forgot your calculator or something?¡± Marcus asks as he takes a look at her worksheet.


    Rebecca has white skin, long black hair, and green eyes with a mole underneath her right eye. She¡¯s wearing a beige sweater, black leggings, several expensive rings, and beige sneakers. However, her seemingly put-together appearance is slightly shattered by Marcus seeing through her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can borrow mine,¡± Marcus says as he reaches into his backpack.


    ¡°Wait, are you sure?¡± Rebecca asks.


    ¡°Yeah, though when you have the time make sure to hand it back to me,¡± Marcus says before switching topics, ¡°And hey, if you have the time do you want to join a club I¡¯m¨C¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m trying to be valedictorian, I don¡¯t have time for clubs,¡± Rebecca coldly responds.


    ¡°Oh okay, but if you change your mind let me know,¡± Marcus remarks as he starts to leave the classroom.


    However, before he can leave, Wilsten stops him and hands him a worksheet.


    ¡°You need to finish this before you can leave.¡± Wilsten insists.


    Marcus sits back down and starts to work on it. While it is a bit tough it definitely is something he can solve quickly with his calculator¡­


    The same calculator he just gave away.


    Marcus sighs, realizing he¡¯s going to be here for a while.


    ______________________________


    ¡°WOOO!!!¡± Crunch Backson yells as he runs around with a baking soda volcano.


    The wild maniac of a junior has long shaggy hair dyed green, fang-like teeth, white skin, and a pretty muscular yet flexible body. He¡¯s wearing a black tank top, blue shorts, red fingerless gloves, and no shoes as he runs around a science classroom with the baking soda volcano.


    ¡°THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!!¡± Crunch laughs as the volcano spews out baking soda lava, ¡°Don¡¯t you agree Suzy?!¡±


    He¡¯s talking to his best friend and fellow junior, Suzy Dark, who has pale white skin, dyed long white hair, heavy eyeliner, black lipstick, black nail polish, and a choker. Her outfit is also all black, and she¡¯s doing her best to ignore Crunch who''s currently trying to find a way to make the study session more fun.


    ¡°Hey! Stop that nonsense right now!¡± The biology teacher, Sam Penningberg yells.


    Crunch does finally stop and sets the volcano down on a table, with lava still spewing out of it. The sophomore sitting at the table, Carli Kim, quickly moves all of her stuff and goes to another table.


    Standing outside of the classroom is Ronnie Everst, who was planning on asking one of the three about joining the club, but after all of that he figures it would be better to come back and answer another time.


    ___________________________


    ¡°So you want me to join your club?¡± Christopher asks as he¡¯s running laps in the school¡¯s gym.


    The sophomore student, Christopher Wrinkle, has brown eyes, tan skin, short brown hair spiked upwards, and an extremely muscular physique. He¡¯s wearing a black t-shirt, red shorts, and gray tennis shoes.


    The kid is just one huge buff teddy bear, with him not always being the smartest but always encouraging others, such as his friend Alex Smith. The same Alex Smith that¡¯s also running alongside Christopher.


    ¡°Yeah, think you can?¡± Alex questions.


    ¡°For sure bro! Anything for you!¡±


    ¡°Wait really? You sure you don¡¯t have anything after school?¡± Alex inquiries.


    ¡°Oh wait I do! Sorry bro but I can¡¯t join your club,¡± Christopher pouts.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s fine,¡± Alex sighs.


    ___________________________


    ¡°So I need to talk to you about something,¡± Elizabeth explains as she eats a blueberry muffin.


    ¡°Sure, what is it?¡± Hamster asks.


    Harry Martin, commonly nicknamed Hamster, is a short chubby white sophomore with gelled-up dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and a ton of freckles. He¡¯s wearing a gray hoodie, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes. The reason he¡¯s called Hamster is due to the fact that he always has a tiny hamster with him everywhere he goes; Bennet the Hamster. Bennet has orange-brown-white fur as well as a tiny red scarf on them.


    Elizabeth first grew acquainted with them last year when they asked for the club¡¯s assistance during lunch. Since then he¡¯s been a good friend to them as well as an even better chef and baker.


    ¡°I¡¯d like you to join the miracle clinic,¡± Elizabeth remarks as she finishes her muffin and takes another one off the table.


    ¡°I would love to,¡± Hamster remarks as enthusiasm lights up in his eyes only to quickly turn to disappointment, ¡°but I¡¯m already in the baking club, and the schedules overlap so I can¡¯t exactly make it.¡±


    Elizabeth sighs as she wipes the crumbs off her face, ¡°It¡¯s okay I understand.¡±


    As she goes to get up the bell rings, causing the culinary teacher, Miss Zesti Champion, to announce to the class, ¡°Okay study period is over, make sure you get to your next class or lunch period safely!¡±


    Elizabeth walks out into the hall and is greeted by her other club members; Ronnie, Marcus, and Alex.


    ¡°Lemme guess, they said no?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Elizabeth sighs, ¡°Same for you all?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alex responds.


    As the group makes their way down the hall, Marcus opens up his phone and starts to text someone.


    ¡°At this rate, we¡¯re not gonna get a single person to join our club,¡± Ronnie states deflated.


    Marcus continues texting a person as Alex responds, ¡°Well it¡¯s been a good run¡­ mostly.¡±


    Marcus continues texting someone as Elizabeth adds, ¡°Yeah it was fun while it lasted.¡±


    The group falls silent except for the distinct noises of Marcus texting.


    ¡°Uh Marcus, mind joining in on the doom-&-gloom?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°Eh one second,¡± Marcus says as he finishes typing, ¡°And done!¡±


    Marcus turns to the others and remarks, ¡°Well I just got ourselves a new member for the club.¡±


    ¡°Wait really? Who?!¡± Ronnie questions, ¡°Also wait, you finally got a cellphone?!¡±


    ¡°It better not be Hunter,¡± Alex groans.


    ¡°Or X,¡± Elizabeth adds.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s none of those,¡± Marcus responds, ¡°I texted my sister and she¡¯s willing to join.¡±


    The group falls silent as they all look at Marcus confused.


    ¡°What?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°YOU HAVE A SISTER?!¡± Ronnie asks, completely befuddled, ¡°SINCE WHEN?!¡±


    ¡°How did that happen?¡± Elizabeth asks, also completely befuddled.


    ¡°Can I get her number?¡± Alex asks.


    The other three look at Alex.


    ¡°Uh- I mean-,¡± Alex begins to say, ¡°A sister? Since when did you have that?¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s a bit of a long story,¡± Marcus starts to say, ¡°How about I tell you about my summer break while we head over to meet her?¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 3 - Back 2 School (3)

    ¡°Back at the end of freshman year, you guys recall how my family kicked me out?¡± Marcus asks as he walks towards the cafeteria.


    ¡°Y-yeah?¡± Alex responds, ¡°Are you gonna give us another long recap of your life?¡±


    ¡°No no,¡± Marcus replies, ¡°Well after a bit of moving from house to house, I managed to settle into a foster home. Well not exactly since I¡¯m the only foster kid and¨C¡±


    ¡°And this sister is the other child who lives there?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Marcus says as he opens the door to the cafeteria, ¡°I have late lunch so I have to head to class.¡±


    ¡°Wait, how do we know what your sister looks like?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already met her before,¡± Marcus explains as he leaves.


    With those confusing last words, Ronnie, Alex, and Elizabeth make their way into the cafeteria. The cafeteria is filled with people all over the place, most waiting in line for lunch while others are busy trying to find a table to use. The floor is covered in white and blue tiles with vending machines against the wall. There¡¯s also a black spiral staircase leading to a balcony on the second floor of the school where there¡¯s a concessions stand, a few vending machines, and some tables.


    As the three look around, they manage to spot a familiar face sitting at a table.


    ¡°Well well well,¡± the freshman remarks, ¡°My uh, brother said you guys wanted me to join your club?¡±


    The person has blonde hair, white skin, freckles, blue eyes, and glasses. She¡¯s wearing a purple denim jacket over a white-blue striped shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes.


    Alex, Ronnie, & Elizabeth stare at the person.


    ¡°So uh, who are you again?¡± Ronnie asks bluntly.


    ¡°Wait, you forgot who I am?¡± the freshman states befuddled.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Alex affirms.


    ¡°My memory¡¯s a bit foggy,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Elizabeth adds.


    ¡°I¡¯m Selina, Selina Gulvonac,¡± The freshman states.


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    ¡°Ohhhh,¡± The three state as their memory comes back.


    Selina Gulvonac is the main cashier at the Starlight City Bookstore. The group first ran into her when they were in search of an old student of Amenstor¡¯s, but besides some chance encounters and visits to the bookstore, they haven¡¯t really chatted with her all too much. Until now that is.


    ¡°Wait, you worked in the 8th grade?¡± Alex asks, confused.


    ¡°Yeah, my dad wanted me to get a job,¡± Selina explains, ¡°He also owed Turnip a favor so that¡¯s how I ended up working there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah sorry we didn¡¯t recognize you,¡± Ronnie apologizes, ¡°But welcome to the club!¡±


    ¡°Hold on now,¡± Selina remarks, ¡°I would¡¯ve happily joined your club, but after you guys forgot about me I feel a little ashamed. So I¡¯ll tell you what, you guys do me a favor and in return I¡¯ll join your club!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the favor?¡± Elizabeth questions.


    ¡°There¡¯s this kid in my math class who''s been a real piece of work, so I was wondering if you guys could take him down a peg,¡± Selina explains.


    Elizabeth, Alex, & Ronnie get a strange sense of deja vu as they hear Selina¡¯s request.


    ¡°How do you want us to do that?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, beat him up a little?¡± Selina suggests, ¡°Isn¡¯t that like your thing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can beat someone up at school,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°And besides what did this guy do to make you hate him on the first day of school?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you see him,¡± Selina explains, ¡°He¡¯s got this white jacket on with neon orange stripes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, can I get a name for them?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Randy, Randy Buzz,¡± Selina states.


    ¡°Okay then,¡± Alex remarks as he cracks his knuckles, ¡°I¡¯ll be the one to handle that kid.¡±


    As Alex states that, Elizabeth & Ronnie start to feel a weird sense of things coming full circle.


    ____________________________________________


    At the front desk of the school, a person enters with a backpack.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the student says, ¡°I thought the first day was tomorrow, could I get a hall pass?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Yeah sure,¡± the lady at the front desk states, ¡°Do you know what class you have?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out,¡± the student says with a smile on her face.


    As she leaves and enters the school, the student stretches as she remarks, ¡°I wonder if he¡¯ll be able to remember me.¡±


    The student walks to her class, history, and enters. Luckily class hasn¡¯t started just yet so people haven¡¯t paid her much attention. As she looks around, she sees an open desk and takes a seat there. The person next to her is Ronnie Everst.


    ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t seen you around before,¡± Ronnie states.


    ¡°Yeah I transferred from Seastar High,¡± the girl explains, ¡°though I do have a question for you¡­¡±


    Ronnie looks at the person to see she has tan skin, brown hair in a ponytail, and amber eyes as well as wearing a black varsity jacket over a white shirt, a black skirt, and black cleats.


    ¡°Do you remember me, Ronnie?¡± the girl asks.


    Ronnie looks into the person¡¯s eyes before coming to the conclusion that he, in fact, has no idea who she is.


    ¡°Uhhhh,¡± Ronnie says as he tries to stall for time.


    _______________________________


    In the school¡¯s gym, Alex is looking around to see who''s in his class when he spots someone.


    A freshman with black skin, high top dreads, amber eyes, a white jacket with neon orange stripes over a pink t-shirt, blue jeans, and red Converse shoes.


    A white jacket with neon orange stripes?


    Alex is pretty certain of who that is; Randy Buzz.


    ¡°Well then, guess that makes life easier,¡± Alex sighs to himself as he gets ready to deal with Randy.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 4 - Back 2 School (4)

    Ronnie looks at the person to see she has tan skin, brown hair in a ponytail, and amber eyes as well as wearing a black varsity jacket over a white shirt, a black skirt, and black cleats.


    ¡°Do you remember me, Ronnie?¡± the girl asks.


    Ronnie looks into the person¡¯s eyes before coming to the conclusion that he, in fact, has no idea who she is.


    ¡°Uhhhh,¡± Ronnie says as he tries to stall for time.


    Seeing Ronnie¡¯s lack of response, the girl responds, ¡°I¡¯m Sammy, Sammy Becken. That ring any bells for you?¡±


    ¡°Uhhhhh,¡± Ronnie says as he still tries to stall for time, ¡°The name sounds a bit familiar.¡±


    Sammy teases Ronnie, ¡°You¡¯re really breaking my heart over here Ronnie.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ronnie apologizes.


    ¡°Maybe if I hang out with you more you¡¯ll be able to recall,¡± Sammy suggests.


    Hearing those words, Ronnie¡¯s eyes lighten up, ¡°Well if you want to do that, there¡¯s a club I¡¯m a part of and we¡¯re looking for new members.¡±


    ¡°Really? Sounds like fun,¡± Sammy says.


    Ronnie smiles as he thinks to himself how with Sammy now joining the club, they need just one more member left. Sure Selina said she¡¯d only join if they dealt with Randy, but it couldn¡¯t be that hard to deal with him¡­ right?


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    Alex is in the gym as the gym teacher, Jolyne Joggers, blows a whistle.


    ¡°Alright listen up,¡± Miss Joggers says, ¡°Today we¡¯re just gonna do something simple for the first day of school. Play a game of dodgeball.¡±


    Alex looks around and starts to hear some murmuring from the other students.


    ¡°A game of dodgeball, against The Buzzing Brawler!?¡± one student whispers to another, ¡°Oh it¡¯s over!¡±


    ¡°You heard those rumors too?¡± Another student whispers back, ¡°I heard a single punch from him back in middle school sent a college student flying.¡±


    ¡°I heard he¡¯s so strong none of the teachers scolded him,¡± Another student adds.


    Hearing those rumors, Alex¡¯s curiosity peaks. After getting assigned to opposite teams, he walks over to Randy.


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    ¡°Hey, good luck out there,¡± Randy snarkily remarks, ¡°You¡¯re gonna need it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah,¡± Alex says as he offers a bet, ¡°Let¡¯s make a bet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure,¡± Randy says with a smirk on his face, ¡°If I get you out, you¡¯ll follow every command I give you.¡±


    ¡°Okay, and if I get you out, you gotta do me a favor,¡± Alex remarks.


    The two shake on it before heading to the opposite sides. Besides sparring with his boxing coach, he hasn¡¯t had a proper challenge in a long time, and after hearing the buzz about Randy, he¡¯s determined to have a good fight.


    ¡°When I blow my whistle, you can all start playing,¡± Miss Joggers explains.


    ¡°Three.¡±


    Randy gets in a running stance.


    ¡°Two.¡±


    Alex is prepared to run, yet his eyes have a calm look on them.


    ¡°One, go!¡±


    The whistle blows and Alex immediately starts running for the dodgeballs. Randy goes to pick some up from the middle but he can¡¯t run as fast as Alex. Alex grabs the rubber dodgeball with his hand and chucks it with all his might toward Randy.


    ¡°WAIT WAIT WAIT-¡± Randy tries to say as the dodgeball smacks him hard in the face.


    The noise that was made echoes throughout the gym as Randy falls to the ground, unconscious. Everyone looks stunned at Alex, and even Alex looks at his hand.


    He knew he got stronger over the break but did he really get that much stronger?


    Maybe he did but there¡¯s one thing that became clear to Alex at that moment. All of those stories about Randy in middle school were all lies. Randy¡¯s nothing but a fraud.


    ¡°Hey, are you breathing?¡± Alex asks.


    Randy lets out some exasperated moan of pain as a response.


    ¡°Okay taking that as a yes, and since I won the bet, you¡¯re going to have to do me a favor,¡± Alex says as he gets ready to toss a dodgeball at someone else, ¡°You¡¯re going to have to join the miracle clinic.¡±


    ___________________________


    The bell rings as the school day comes to an end, the leaves blow through the wind as the students all rush home. All except for Ronnie Everst, who is posted up in front of the doors contemplating something.


    ¡°Hey, what are you thinking of?¡± Sammy asks.


    Ronnie, taken aback, nervously utters, ¡°Wh-where did you come from?¡±


    ¡°The door is right next to you dummy,¡± Sammy responds as she playfully flicks Ronnie on the forehead.


    ¡°Hey what are you-¡± Ronnie begins to ask but gets interrupted.


    ¡°Oh please you did that all the time, don¡¯t you remember?¡± Sammy asks.


    Ronnie falls quiet since he still can¡¯t recall who Sammy is, luckily for him, he gets to escape the awkward situation as the rest of the members of the miracle clinic exit out into the school¡¯s courtyard.


    ¡°Just managed to submit the paperwork in time,¡± Marcus sighs in relief.


    ¡°Uh- I¡¯m s-surprised we managed to do it,¡± Elizabeth murmurs, still a little shy around the new faces.


    ¡°How did you join this club?¡± Selina asks as she looks at Randy.


    ¡°Like you would want to know, sorry but The Buzzing Brawler won¡¯t tell you,¡± Randy scoffs, still not wanting to harm his pride any further.


    ¡°Okay Randy,¡± Selina groans.


    ¡°Y¡¯know hearing that cringy title reminded me of T-T,¡± Alex brings up.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been a while since we really got to hang out with him and the other Ts,¡± Marcus adds.


    ¡°Yeah, I think the last time we all saw them was during the fall of¨C,¡± Ronnie begins to say but gets cut off.


    ¡°Club Azure?¡± Someone adds.


    The whole group looks over to see a short scrawny kid standing next to them. The person has a smile on his face as he looks at them.


    ¡°Uh, who the fuck are you?¡± Alex asks.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 5 - Back 2 School (Finale)

    The setting sun sets the sky ablaze in orange and pink light as the autumn leaves blow through the park near Starlight High. On a hill are Randy Buzz, Selina Gulvonac, and Sammy Becken.


    ¡°So, what do you think they¡¯re talking about?¡± Sammy asks as she looks down towards a park table at the bottom of the hill.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t see why we have to be so far away,¡± Randy scoffs.


    ¡°Okay Randy, nobody¡¯s asking you to be here so why don¡¯t you buzz off,¡± Selina states bluntly.


    ¡°I was planning on doing just that,¡± Randy angrily retorts, ¡°As soon as I¡¯m done stretching my legs.¡±


    On the park table at the bottom of the hill sit Ronnie Everst, Elizabeth Moore, Marcus Veridan, & Alex Smith on one side. They all look a bit uneasy as on the other side of the table is a peculiar individual.


    A scrawny short white kid with round glasses, black eyes, and fringy brown hair. He¡¯s wearing a white t-shirt underneath a green-red fleece jacket, black sweatpants, and white air force shoes.


    ¡°So kid, why did you want to talk to just us?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Well first off I¡¯m older than you,¡± the kid remarks.


    ¡°Really? But you¡¯re shorter than Elizabeth,¡± Alex says.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Elizabeth elbows Alex.


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m 18 and the name¡¯s Joel Cooper,¡± The kid who actually isn¡¯t a kid explains.


    ¡°Eighteen?!¡± Marcus yells surprised.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯d still be drinking out of juice boxes,¡± Ronnie whispers to himself.


    ¡°Ha ha very funny,¡± Joel remarks as he cleans his glasses, ¡°but the reason why I wanted to talk to you all now is that you should watch your back.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Ronnie asks intrigued.


    ¡°As you know there was a total of six main gangs that control different territories of the city; Mason Makinsley¡¯s Dirty Fang in the east side of town, Tim-Tom¡¯s The Three Ts which lounge around here in the north side, Boston¡¯s Massachusetts Boys¡¯ which take up the west side of town, the ever mysterious Carmine Manifesto which takes up most of the south side alongside The Vignette, and Club Azure which used to occupy most of the north,¡± Joel Cooper begins to explain, ¡°And as you know those gangs all are under the supervision of the seemingly innocent company The Moon Shadow Affiliate.¡±


    ¡°H-how do you know all of this?!¡± Ronnie asks, stunned.


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    ¡°Because I¡¯m Joel Cooper,¡± Joel states as he adjusts his glasses, ¡°The head of the gang known as ¡®The Vignette¡¯.¡±


    ¡°The Vignette? Are you going to start messing with us too?¡± Alex questions as he clenches his fist, ¡°Last gang that tried that was Club Azure, and I¡¯m sure you know what happened to ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m well aware of Club Azure ceasing business,¡± Joel Cooper responds, ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m here. Because you folk have painted a target on your backs.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Marcus asks, confused.


    ¡°Not only did you mess around with Dirty Fang but you brought about the end of Club Azure. You didn¡¯t think any of the other gangs would take notice of you?¡± Joel asks, ¡°And now that you¡¯re in the limelight, the others are going to start pushing back against you.¡±


    Joel notices the concerned looks on their faces and remarks, ¡°That is unless you join The Vignette.¡±


    Joel extends his hand over to them and asks, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure the other gangs don¡¯t decide to mess with you all, and in turn, you¡¯ll just have to aid us whenever I call upon you all.¡±


    ¡°So what do you say? Do we have a deal?¡± Joel asks.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    In the northern district of Starlight City lies a small cafe known as The Crescent Cafe. Commonly known for its overpriced drinks, pretty mediocre yet overpriced snacks, glass windows, and Victorian-era architecture. Most of the clientele that frequents the establishment are tired adults needing a quick caffeine boost, though that isn¡¯t the only people here today.


    In one of the red leather booths resides two people. The first is Archer Flick, a tall muscular man with dark black skin, black locks pushed to the side, green eyes, and a cheeky smile. He¡¯s wearing a long-sleeved white t-shirt, blue jeans, and light brown loafers. The other person with him is Elias Fox. Elias is a tall lanky person with his long legs resting on the table, he has white skin, maroon dyed hair that¡¯s split down the middle, amber eyes with two moles by the side of his right eye, and is always chewing bubble gum. He¡¯s wearing a yellow turtleneck sweater under a black bomber jacket, brown sweatpants, and white boots.


    Elias is on his old Blackberry phone playing a game of Snake while Archer is eating a stack of pancakes. And the two are waiting for one more person to join.


    ¡°So, did you get a new top score?¡± Archer asks in between bites.


    The mute Elias shrugs as he continues playing his game.


    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s okay, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get there one day,¡± Archer affirms.


    The doorbell of the cafe chimes as the person they¡¯ve been waiting for, Joel Cooper, enters the restaurant.


    ¡°I see you guys are having a good time,¡± Joel Cooper, the head of The Vignette, remarks as he takes a seat.


    Elias Fox, The Vignette¡¯s No. 2, blows his bubble gum in response.


    ¡°You bet,¡± Archer Flick, The Vignette¡¯s No. 3, answers before asking, ¡°So how did it go with those wonder hospital kids?¡±


    ¡°I think their club was The Belief Shelter,¡± Joel responds, ¡°No wait it was Miracle Clinic. And as for how it went, well I asked them to join us. You wanna know what they said?¡±


    __________________


    ¡°You guys are fine that I told him no?¡± Ronnie asks the others as they make their way back home.


    ¡°Told who no?¡± Selina asks as she tries to be a part of the conversation.


    ¡°That guy who wanted to talk with us,¡± Marcus explains to her, ¡°And yeah I figured he was probably bluffing.¡±


    ¡°Even if he wasn¡¯t I¡¯m sure I could take them,¡± Alex halfjokes, ¡°I¡¯ve been making some serious gains throughout the summer.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one,¡± Elizabeth retorts.


    ¡°Y-yeah, they don¡¯t call me The Buzzing Brawler for nothing!¡± Randy says, trying to get some attention to himself.


    Most of the group though doesn¡¯t take his statement seriously, Selina just rolls her eyes and sarcastically goes ¡®Okay Randy¡¯, while Sammy laughs. The only person who seems to take his fraudulent statement seriously is Marcus.


    ¡°Yeah well hopefully they don¡¯t try to mess with us,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°After all, we¡¯re not just some pushovers.¡±


    As the group makes their way to their own homes, none were fully prepared for just how tumultuous this new school year would be ¨C encountering friends and foes both new and old, discovering secrets long kept hidden, messing around at school, and causing a miracle that would shake the foundation of the city to its core ¨C it was safe to say that this school year would be one to remember.


    For better, and for worse.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 6 - Back 2 School (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Everything Is Not As It Seems


    In The Crescent Cafe, Archer Flick has finished eating his pancakes as he asks, ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll run into those kids again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very certain,¡± Joel responds, ¡°Like us, The Massachusetts Boys are expanding their territory into the north side and we know how they act. Though I¡¯m pretty certain of something.¡±


    Elias, curious to hear what Joel says, glances up towards Joel.


    ¡°Out of all the gangs in the city, it¡¯s pretty obvious that The Carmine Manifesto is the most mysterious of the bunch, not even the MSA knows who their leader is. But what we all know is if there''s one thing they¡¯re good at it¡¯s hiding in plain sight.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard they had an informant inside Club Azure when they were still functional,¡± Archer remarks before realizing, ¡°Wait, you aren¡¯t suggesting¨C¡±


    ¡°Yes I am, there¡¯s a good shot that one of those new members that they have is an informant for The Carmine Manifesto,¡± Joel responds.


    SUN SHORT #2 - Still Not Used To It


    The Starlight City Bookstore; a very tiny and cramped store where all of the shelves are crammed full of as many books as you could imagine. While the outside of the store may be constantly vandalized, the inside looks almost antique in a way. With cobwebs and dust covering the long forgotten books that the store archives, the smell of old furniture, and the place being illuminated by vintage ceiling lamps and candles, it¡¯s actually a pretty comfy spot.


    That¡¯s usually the case for Selina Gulvonac, a cashier at the store. She often spends her time scrolling through her phone or reading one of the many books that are too damaged to sell. Though that¡¯s usually the case, until a customer comes in to buy stuff.


    And to make things worse for her, who else but her now brother, Marcus Veridan, to enter the store.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing here?¡± Selina questions.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a book, a friend of mine said you had a copy of Great Gatsby I could rent,¡± Marcus explains.


    ¡°You could just text me to get you one y¡¯know,¡± Selina sighs.


    ¡°Oh, yeah you¡¯re right,¡± Marcus awkwardly chuckles.


    As Marcus awkwardly goes off to look through the shelves, Selina thinks back to how her summer was going. She just got back from a camping trip when her father told her that they¡¯re taking in a foster kid.


    What she didn¡¯t expect was for that foster kid to be older than her, and someone she knew at that. As a former only child, she¡¯s still not used to having to share the house with another sibling.


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    But still, at least the one she has seems to be pretty alright.


    SUN SHORT #3 - Last Year


    Amnestor sits at his desk as he sips his coffee. It¡¯s a quiet day now that all the students have left.


    It¡¯s a somber day too, after all, why wouldn¡¯t it be when the words the principal told him still ring in his head?


    ¡°This will be your final year working at Starlight High.¡±


    As Amnestor sits there pondering his teaching career, he recalls his early days, how his lack of action left people permanently scarred, and how when another incident occurred while he was on his honeymoon, he never tried hard enough to look into what it was nor why everyone tried so hard to cover it up.


    And yet, looking at the students he¡¯s teaching, how they¡¯re always looking out for one another and doing what¡¯s right, he can¡¯t lie to himself that it isn¡¯t at least a tad bit inspiring.


    Which is why Amnestor comes to a resolution; while he still is working here he¡¯ll make sure to right the wrongs of the past.


    To find out the truth behind the things long kept buried.


    He doesn¡¯t know how he¡¯ll be able to fully solve everything.


    But he does know where to start.


    SUN SHORT #4 - Burnin¡¯ The CDs


    In a hole-in-the-wall record store, Elizabeth & Alex are searching for a rare CD when they get to the front register to see two people chatting.


    The first is their biology teacher, Sam Penningberg, who is checking out a few vinyls. He¡¯s wearing a black beanie, a white t-shirt that has a blue sky graphic, light blue sweat shorts, and white flip-flops. The other person is the cashier, Casey Burns, a pale white man with green eyes, slightly wavy blonde hair that goes down to his neck, ruby earrings, gold and silver rings on each finger, multiple gold bracelets on his forearm, silver watch, two piercings by his left eyebrow, a split tongue, and some more jewelry. A few of the jewelry is fake while some of it is real. He''s also wearing a green bucket hat, black sunglasses with a yellow rim, a black t-shirt, red cargo pants, and white slip-ons.


    ¡°Mister Penningberg?¡± Alex asks, confused.


    Penningberg looks to see Alex and Elizabeth there, ¡°yes?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here,¡± Elizabeth says.


    ¡°What can I say, I like vinyls, besides I have to help support a friend¡¯s business,¡± Penningberg explains.


    ¡°Oh you¡¯re too kind,¡± Casey Burns says before hitting Penningberg with a roast, ¡°Even if you tend to have a stick up your ass all the time.¡±


    ¡°Eh,¡± Penningberg shrugs as he leaves, ¡°I¡¯ll see you around Burns.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no fun to roast,¡± Casey says before turning to Alex & Elizabeth, ¡°Now then are you two kids done shopping, we don¡¯t accept Venmo or whatever you dipshit soon-to-be dropouts use nowadays.¡±


    Alex & Elizabeth are a bit confused at Casey¡¯s jabs but they just buy the CDs regardless.


    SUN SHORT #5 - We¡¯re Hand-&-Hand


    After a long workout, Ronnie is walking out of the Dawnbreak Health & Fitness Center with his gym buddy, Christopher Wrinkle. While Ronnie is a sweaty mess, Christopher is still the same giant buff teen as always. In fact if anything he somehow gained more muscles over the summer.


    ¡°Y¡¯know Christopher, I don¡¯t get how you¡¯re so much more muscular than anyone at our school like we even have the same workouts now but I still got more of a sleeper build,¡± Ronnie states as he sips some water.


    ¡°Well bro this isn¡¯t the only workout I do every day,¡± Christopher says as he wipes the sweat off his face with a towel, ¡°I have a job that¡¯s even more of a workout than what we do bro.¡±


    Ronnie¡¯s taken aback by those words, ¡°Are you serious?! You still have energy to work out after all those reps?!¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, you don¡¯t?¡± Christopher asks.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fucking beast dude,¡± Ronnie gasps exasperated, ¡°Where do you even work?¡±


    ¡°Well, how about I just show you bro,¡± Christopher suggests.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 7 - Surviving The Seniors (Prologue)

    ¡°So this is your job?¡± Ronnie asks as he looks at a building.


    The building has a small hole-in-the-wall store titled ¡®Hand-&-Hand Movers¡¯ with a big moving truck and a blue mini-van parked outside of it.


    ¡°Yeah, whenever we get a call to help move stuff we head on out and do so,¡± Christopher explains.


    ¡°I see,¡± Ronnie remarks as he stretches his arms, ¡°Since I¡¯m already here, I guess I can help out with a few moves.¡±


    ¡°You sure man, it¡¯s a pretty tough workout. If you can¡¯t handle it that¡¯s fine,¡± Christopher warns.


    ¡°Relax, I think I¡¯ll be able to handle it,¡± Ronnei smirks before wittingly remarking, ¡°All I gotta do is just move a few boxes around, right? How hard can it be?¡±


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    Three hours later, Ronnie Everst is on the floor of a now-empty apartment gasping for air as his whole body is drenched in sweat. Christopher looks at Ronnie.


    ¡°Y-you good bro?¡± Christopher asks.


    ¡°Ho-How can someone who lives on the 15th floor have 17 different pianos and 13 pool tables?!¡± Ronnie gasps.


    ¡°Not to mention the elevator was busted, it was really a tough workout,¡± Christopher exhales as sweat covers his body, ¡°But it got the blood pumping in all the right places!¡±


    ¡°Maybe for you,¡± Ronnie exhales.


    ¡°Hey, get up before the owner sees you like that,¡± one of the workers remarks.


    Ronnie does so before looking at who said that, it¡¯s one of Christopher¡¯s colleagues, a man named Victor Dunnerman. He has white skin and a muscular physique, black hair in a buzz cut, and brown eyes. He¡¯s wearing a black tank top, gray sweatpants, and red cleats. He looks somewhat familiar but he can¡¯t tell from where.


    ¡°Hey the kid¡¯s just here to help us. There¡¯s no need to nag on him so much,¡± the owner of the moving crew remarks.


    The owner is a Thai immigrant by the name of Mechai Aromdee. He¡¯s a man in his mid-50s who has short black hair, black eyes, white sneakers, a black T-shirt, and blue jeans. While he does look like a frail weak old man, whenever he does flex or lift anything his toned muscles are prevalent.


    ¡°I¡¯ll split the pay amongst you three, we can start heading out,¡± Mister Aromdee remarks.


    ¡°Why do we have to split the money with this thin straw kid?¡± Victor questions as he looks down at Ronnie.


    ¡°Hey he¡¯s just volunteering, give him some slack,¡± Christopher remarks, trying to diffuse the situation.


    ¡°Yeah sure but this doormat shouldn¡¯t be getting paid a dime for how little he helped,¡± Victor remarks.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you just looking at your phone most of the time?¡± Ronnie whispers.


    As they return back to the office, Aromdee heads to the back so he can divide up the money, leaving the three teens to themselves.


    ¡°Hey Christopher, you think you can cover for me tomorrow?¡± Victor asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know bro, when¡¯s the last time you covered my shift? Besides I was gonna shoot hoops with our bro Alex tomorrow,¡± Christopher responds.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying no?¡± Victor remarks as he raises his hand.


    He¡¯s about to smack Christopher across the face however he stops. Or rather, someone stopped him. Because Ronnie Everst is holding Victor¡¯s wrist as he stares at him.


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    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing kid?¡± Victor asks as he tries to break from Ronnie¡¯s grip, however for some reason he can¡¯t.


    ¡°He said he can¡¯t cover for you,¡± Ronnie states, ¡°So why are you bothering him?¡±


    Victor glares at Ronnie as he tries to break from his grasp, though Ronnie tightens his grip more causing Victor to wince in pain. Ronnie then lets go of Victor¡¯s hand. Victor glares at Ronnie before walking away.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name anyway kid?¡± Victor asks.


    ¡°Ronnie Everst,¡± Ronnie responds.


    ¡°Well Ronnie you better watch your back,¡± Victor remarks as he leaves the office.


    Only to quickly return.


    Ronnie & Christopher look at Victor confused.


    ¡°I forgot that Aromdee hasn¡¯t paid us yet,¡± Aromdee remarks.


    ______________________________


    That evening at The Everst Family Home, Ronnie Everst counts up how much money he made today just helping Christopher out. A total of $200. His mother, Sally Everst, notices the money as she sets down a plate of today¡¯s dinner; chicken on rice with green beans as a side,


    ¡°Well looks like you made a lot of money today,¡± Sally remarks.


    ¡°Yeah I was helping my friend Christopher at his work,¡± Ronnie responds.


    ¡°How was it? What place?¡± Sally questions.


    ¡°It was some moving company, Hand-&-Hand or something,¡± Ronnie responds in between bites, ¡°It was a ton of physical labor, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m gonna head back.¡±


    ¡°Hand-&-Hand huh,¡± Sally ponders, ¡°Y¡¯know, I heard that the captain of your school¡¯s basketball team works there. He seems like a sweet kid, you two should try to be friends.¡±


    ¡°He does? I don¡¯t think I saw him-,¡± Ronnie begins to say before realizing something and finishing his sentence, ¡°there.¡±


    The star of Starlight High¡¯s Basketball Team is a Senior at the school named Victor. The person he had beef with that day was a kid named Victor. Victor Dunnerman. Christopher also is a member of the school¡¯s basketball team along with Alex. The same Alex that Christopher said was ¡®our bro¡¯ to Victor.


    ¡°Well if you ever do see him don¡¯t feel afraid to say hi,¡± Sally tells Ronnie, ¡°From what I¡¯ve been told he gets along with a lot of the seniors at your school, I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind spending time with you.¡±


    ¡°I-Is that so?!¡± Ronnie remarks as he sweats nervously realizing that he might have just fucked up badly, ¡°Hopefully I can get on his good side then.¡±


    _____________________________


    That evening in a private karaoke room with checkered tiles and purple lighting, a group of six Starlight High seniors are chatting amongst themselves.


    The first is Victor Dunnerman who looks frustrated over the events of the day.


    The person sitting next to him is his girlfriend, Trisha Bernstein. Trisha is the captain of the cheerleading team and has white skin, dirty blonde hair, green eyes, heavy makeup, and a mole underneath her mouth. She¡¯s wearing a black crop top underneath an unzipped white windbreaker jacket, black yoga pants, and black sneakers. She¡¯s also scrolling through her new phone.


    On the opposite end of the couch is the head of the school¡¯s baking club, Bernard Ginger. A person with white skin, bleached hair, a thick French accent, green eyes, and two piercings; one on his nose and the other under his mouth. The suave senior is wearing a black beanie, a green bomber jacket over an orange t-shirt, black denim pants, and black belted boots.


    On the couch on the other side of the room is Georgia Gibson, the vice president of the student council. The bored teen has white skin, black hair with blonde highlights, and brown eyes. She is also wearing a jean jacket over a red dress, and black slip-on shoes.


    Another senior is in the room singing his heart out in the karaoke, however completely uninterested in the song is the person sitting on the only white leather chair in the room. Evan Dixon, the president of the student council. The uptight senior has white skin, combed back brown hair, and blue eyes. He¡¯s wearing a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up past the elbows, black dress pants, a gold watch on his wrist, and white cleats.


    ¡°So you said there was some kid that was messing with you?¡± Evan remarks.


    ¡°Yeah, Ronnie Everst, that cocky punk needs to be taught a lesson,¡± Victor remarks.


    ¡°Oh please,¡± Bernard remarks as he rolls his eyes, ¡°You always want to teach some kid a lesson. What did he do this time to piss you off?¡±


    ¡°H-he¡¯s just an arrogant prick!¡± Victor roars.


    ¡°Hey calm down baby,¡± Trisha says as she places her hand on Victor¡¯s back, ¡°I know that kid¡¯s a part of some club, the wonder hospital or something.¡±


    ¡°The Miracle Clinic,¡± Georgia corrects Trisha.


    ¡°Thank you, Trisha,¡± Evan remarks as he adjusts his collar, ¡°And I know all about that club, they were supposed to be shut down but they somehow survived by the skin of their teeth. If we want to teach this Ronnie kid a lesson, then we¡¯ll have to do so with all of his friends.¡±


    The person who was singing finally stops since the song ends, he walks over to the group and mentions, ¡°From what I heard you guys wanna try and teach The Miracle Clinic a lesson.¡±


    ¡°Yes, glad you¡¯ve been paying attention,¡± Evan sighs before asking, ¡°Do you want to get in on this, X?¡±


    X Locke, the final senior in the room, is wearing a designer black-white cardigan with a red stripe in the middle, a navy blue undershirt, black denim pants, and green Converse shoes.


    X also responds to Evan by saying, ¡°Nah I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°You sure? Since you only transferred here last year, you haven¡¯t been able to see our class do a stunt like this,¡± Evan remarks.


    ¡°Believe me, I¡¯m good, and besides,¡± X begins to say as he looks toward Evan, ¡°you sure you want to attack The Miracle Clinic?¡±


    ¡°I''m sure we can handle it,¡± Evan remarks, ¡°And besides I¡¯m pretty certain that those rumors about them fighting a gang are just that; rumors.¡±


    ¡°Okay if you say so,¡± X Locke says as he walks to the door.


    He¡¯s about to leave the room as he holds onto the door handle but he stops himself.


    ¡°Oh and one more thing,¡± X says with a smirk, ¡°Good luck with your plan or whatever you wanna call it. You¡¯re gonna need it.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? Why¡¯s that?¡± Victor asks.


    ¡°Because if you don¡¯t want to find out,¡± X Locke coldly remarks, ¡°Then don¡¯t fuck with the miracle clinic.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 8 - Surviving The Seniors (1)

    The bell rings as a new school day is upon those at Starlight High. Kids are in classes, teachers are teaching, everything is as it usually is at the school. Except for some small problems.


    Whenever Alex is at basketball practice he¡¯s getting pushed around and the ball is stolen from him more often.


    Christopher is constantly being forced to do busy work like laundry for the team only for them to complain that nobody told him to do so. Alex also notices a few bruises on the big guy.


    Sammy is in class when she overhears a rumor about her and how she apparently has the nickname ¡®eagle¡¯. She tries to not let it get to her and it works for the most part.


    Selina is stuck with a group project with some seniors and the only one doing work is her. The others just aren¡¯t helping.


    Hamster is in his baking class and when he and Bennet look at the food they were making, they notice it¡¯s been messed with by someone, and the food is all burnt. He overhears a few people snickering but can¡¯t tell who.


    Elizabeth gets called out to her locker by her math teacher, Mister Jefferson, due to a foul stench coming from her locker that she never uses. When she opens it, the two discover the locker is filled with rotten eggs, rotten bananas, and days-old cafeteria food. Elizabeth is forced to clean it all up right then and there with a few pictures of her doing that starting to circulate.


    Rebecca finds that some of her more popular friends are starting to distance themselves from her, and even begin to call her names behind her back.


    Carli¡¯s also suffering a similar fate.


    Marcus was walking down the hall when someone behind him ¡®tripped¡¯ and grabbed onto his pants as he ¡®fell¡¯. Luckily for him, since he was wearing a belt nothing bad happened, but it was a close call.


    And as for Randy, Crunch, and Suzy? Well, surprisingly, nobody was really messing with them, all for different reasons. For Suzy, she just had a menacing aura about her that most didn¡¯t want to deal with. For Crunch, he was Crunch and most people already tend to avoid him. As for Randy, it seems like what happened on the first day of school wasn¡¯t widespread yet since most people still saw him as the dangerous Buzzing Brawler.


    Ronnie¡¯s also had a few negative things to deal with. Some rumors about how he acts, going to class to see a bunch of pins on his chair, people in gym class trying to rough him up, and his empty locker constantly being filled with disgusting garbage.


    But it¡¯s okay because Ronnie can handle this, this hazing is just going to go on for maybe another day and be done.


    At least, that¡¯s what he thought but after two weeks, he only realized the bullying was getting worse, and they were still attacking his friends. Ronnie tries to keep his composure as lunch goes on but those at his table could tell something was off with him.


    ¡°You good Ronnie?¡± Alex asks.


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    ¡°Y-yeah I¡¯m fine,¡± Ronnie replies, ¡°Just a bit upset at this whole bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Hey it¡¯s not your fault,¡± Elizabeth adds, ¡°Besides they¡¯ll get tired of this and it¡¯ll all end soon¨C¡±


    Elizabeth stops speaking as she and Alex look in confusion at Ronnie. That¡¯s because milk is falling down onto Ronnie. Ronnie tries to look up only to see a tray with a ton of food land onto his face.


    ¡°Oh my god are you okay?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Those jerks! Who did that?!¡± Alex roars as he looks up at the balcony above them.


    ¡°Y-yeah don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Ronnie remarks as he gives them all a big smile, ¡°I have a spare change of clothes so I¡¯m all good.¡±


    ¡°Still those punks need to be taught a lesson,¡± Alex grits his teeth.


    ¡°Yeah don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Ronnie remarks as he puts something in his pocket, ¡°I have a feeling that they¡¯re going to be stopping soon.¡±


    _____________________________________


    Ronnie steps out of the men¡¯s locker room, having showered and changed. He¡¯s now wearing his dad¡¯s old Starlight High ¡®97 varsity jacket over a yellow t-shirt, black denim pants, and red Converse shoes.


    ¡°Things are definitely going to be ending soon,¡± Ronnie remarks as he takes a look at the item he put in his pocket at the cafeteria, ¡°Thanks to this.¡±


    ________________________________


    In an empty classroom, three students are chatting amongst themselves. They¡¯re seniors at Starlight High and they¡¯re discussing what they¡¯ve been doing for their hazing initiative.


    ¡°You should have seen that chick¡¯s face,¡± The senior laughs, ¡°She had to do that whole slideshow by herself and then we put our names on the slide and left hers out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty cruel,¡± another senior remarks, ¡°But that doesn¡¯t compare to how I had Christopher do the team¡¯s laundry, and when he was done I got mad at him!¡±


    Another senior chuckles, ¡°Wow we¡¯re all really fucked up? I helped burn that fat kid with the stupid hamster¡¯s food.¡±


    Though as they¡¯re flexing on all of the bullying they¡¯ve done, an eager senior student enters the classroom with an empty carton of milk.


    ¡°You guys won¡¯t believe what I just did,¡± the senior cackles, ¡°I saw that Ronnie loser was eating lunch and I dumped my milk and food onto him! Aren¡¯t I such a messed up person?! I totally won the grand prize.¡±


    However the senior sees that his peers aren¡¯t laughing or smiling, they all look tense.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the matter?¡± The senior with the milk carton asks, ¡°It¡¯s like you all saw a ghost-¡±


    The senior looks behind him to see standing in the doorway is Ronnie Everst, with a look of rage on his face.


    ¡°You guys are just a bunch of walking cliches,¡± Ronnie hisses, ¡°At least you still had that milk carton with you, that made things a lot easier.¡±


    The senior starts to sweat as he asks, ¡°H-h-h-h-h-h-h-ow d-did yo-you fuh-f-fuh-find u-uh-u-us?!¡±


    Ronnie shows the senior what he grabbed, the senior¡¯s student ID, before explaining, ¡°You left it on your tray when you dropped it on me.¡±


    ¡°Hey you shouldn¡¯t be talking with your seniors like that-¡± the senior with the milk carton tries to say but gets interrupted by Ronnie¡¯s fist slamming into him.


    The senior is sent falling back into the classroom, completely knocked the fuck out.


    ¡°When it comes to fights I never throw the first hit,¡± Ronnie remarks as he closes the door behind him.


    ¡°But you just did!¡± A nervous senior yells.


    ¡°I did?¡± Ronnie remarks as he locks the door behind him, ¡°From what I saw, that was the final blow!¡±


    As the other seniors nervously get ready to fight, Ronnie decides it¡¯s about time he put something to the test.


    It¡¯s time to see if the fifth fighting tape he watched holds any meaning in a real fight.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 9 - Surviving The Seniors (2)

    The night before the first day of school in Ronnie¡¯s bedroom, the glow of the old scratched-up box TV illuminates the room while Ronnie Everst, who is wearing some blue striped pajamas, looks through the cardboard box of VHS tapes. They are all ¡°self-defense¡± tapes recorded by his late father, Reagan Everst, that star a peculiar man by the name of James Lewis teaching people how to fight.


    At first, he only was able to get a hold of four of the tapes, but over the summer break, Ronnie managed to convince his mother to get the rest of them from storage.


    Now with all nine tapes; he looks through the box trying to figure out which one to watch.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± Ronnie remarks as he takes out the tape titled ¡®Five¡¯.


    Ronnie puts the tape in the VHS player and the TV begins to play it.


    ¡°-ah that¡¯s what I thought, so now let¡¯s get into it,¡± The man on the TV asks.


    ¡°Uh James, we weren¡¯t recording then,¡± The man behind the camera states.


    ¡°Really Reagan? Oh come on,¡± James Lewis sighs.


    In the tape, James Lewis is a young white adult with long black hair in a ponytail, gray eyes, and a toothpick in his mouth. He¡¯s also wearing a jean jacket over a white-&-red striped shirt, black cargo pants, and white slip-on shoes. He and the cameraman, Reagan Everst, are standing atop a hill next to a tree


    ¡°Okay let¡¯s start from the beginning,¡± James says as he clears his throat, ¡°So you already heard me give you the advice about using your opponent¡¯s momentum against them, riling them up with insults, gaining better stamina, and to roll with the punches¡­.YET YOU STILL WANT MORE?! How greedy can you get?¡±


    James walks over to where a punching bag is tied to a tree branch and he lightly taps the punching bag.


    ¡°Now since Reagan over there didn¡¯t want to be used for a live demonstration, we have this punching bag here to show you the lesson,¡± James says with a smile on his face, ¡°Now then let us punch the bag.¡±


    James takes a step back before sending his fist at the punching bag. The punching bag sways back and forth, but it¡¯s still perfectly fine.


    ¡°Now what did you think I did wrong?¡± James asks the camera.


    Reagan tries to answer but James responds with, ¡°The answer is I punched at the bag, my fist made contact with it but it didn¡¯t do much damage. If you really wanna do some damage you want to aim for behind your target, pushing them back with your attack. Like so.¡±


    James gets back into position and sends his fist flying into the punching bag, only this time the force of it is so strong that his fist makes a hole through it on both sides.


    ¡°See how much of a change that can do! And it¡¯s all thanks to a difference in momentum!¡± James remarks as he tries to get his arm out of the punching bag, ¡°Uh Reagan I think I¡¯m stuck.¡±


    Reagan pans up to see that the tree branch that the punching bag was tied to is also bending.


    ¡°Uh, Reagan?¡± James asks.


    ¡°This is why I said we shouldn¡¯t have taken the punching bag outside,¡± Reagan sighs.


    ¡°REAGAN A LIL HELP-¡± James yells before the branch snaps sending him and the punching bag to fall onto the ground and roll down the hill.


    Reagan makes sure to record James rolling down the hill until he¡¯s stopped, then ending the recording.


    With the recording done, the tape gets pushed out automatically from the VHS player and Ronnie sets it back into the box. He then turns off the TV before resting in his bed thinking about it. While punching through someone is impossible he got the gist of the tape; if you¡¯re in a fight don¡¯t slow down your fist when it makes contact with someone.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    Now in a classroom where the only people in there are himself, an unconscious senior, and the other three conscious Seniors who have been picking on him and his friends these past two weeks. Ronnie figures that it¡¯s time to see if the fifth fighting tape he watched holds any meaning in a real fight.


    The first senior rushes toward him as he yells, ¡°THIS IS FOR MY FRIEND!¡±


    The senior throws a punch towards Ronnie however Ronnie tilts his head, dodging the fist before grabbing onto the senior¡¯s arm.


    ¡°What a coincidence,¡± Ronnie remarks as he makes a fist, ¡°Because this is for my friends!¡±


    Ronnie sends his fist slamming into the senior¡¯s stomach, and the senior gags for air as he falls down.


    ¡°You should treat your upperclassmen with respect!¡± A senior yells as he tries to slap Ronnie but Ronnie keeps dodging, ¡°Be careful kid, my slaps are so powerful that they¡¯ve crushed every bug I¡¯ve hit with them!¡±


    ¡°Wow I didn¡¯t know this school had a bug catcher,¡± Ronnie teases as he keeps on dodging.


    After more and more failed slappings, the senior¡¯s breathing gets heavier as he¡¯s tired out. Yet Ronnie hasn¡¯t even broken a sweat yet.


    ¡°My turn,¡± Ronnie remarks as he slaps the senior across the face.


    ¡°Th-that slap,¡± the senior moans as he falls to the ground, ¡°it was¡­ beautiful¡­.,¡±


    Ronnie and the other conscious senior look at one another in disgust.


    ¡°I¡¯m just gonna let you know that we don¡¯t tend to hang out with that kid,¡± The senior explains.


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    ¡°I feel like I need to wash my hands after that,¡± Ronnie groans in disgust, ¡°But first¡­¡±


    Ronnie begins to walk over to the last senior standing as he says, ¡°It¡¯s obvious you guys aren¡¯t behind this, so tell me who is and that ¡®grand prize¡¯.¡±


    ¡°And why should I do that?¡± The senior asks.


    ¡°Did you not see what happened to those three?¡± Ronnie remarks as he points to the three unconscious seniors behind him,


    ¡°Yeah, fair point,¡± The senior shrugs, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything I know.¡±


    __________________________


    Ronnie exits the classroom with a list of names as the other senior quickly walks the other way. Ronnie looks at the info the senior wrote down on a piece of paper.


    ¡°So the seniors are hosting a game where whoever does the most egregious act of bullying gets a grand cash prize?¡± Ronnie murmurs to himself, ¡°Victor¡¯s a part of this, but the organizer of this is the student council president Evan?¡±


    The others on the list are interesting too; the vice president Georgia Gibson, the head of the cheerleading team Trisha Bernstein, and the head of the baking club Bernard Ginger. But still, Ronnie finds it strange that three would also go along with what Evan & Vincent are doing.


    ¡°Wait, head of the baking club,¡± Ronnie ponders before realizing something, ¡°Hamster¡¯s in danger!¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± Hamster remarks.


    Ronnie looks at Hamster confused before realizing that Ronnie is standing in the middle of the hall, during the passing period. And the club Hamster happens to be in only occurs once school ends. Bennet the hamster, who is standing atop Hamster¡¯s head, shakes his head in shame.


    ¡°Oh right, well you will be in trouble soon,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°So you mind if I visit the club you¡¯re in after school?¡±


    ¡°Sure!¡± Hamster says happily.


    _________________________


    Once school has ended, Alex is on his way to the gym when he gets a text from Ronnie.


    ¡®One of the people involved in all of this is Georgie Gibson.¡¯


    Alex looks around and spots Georgia entering Mister Jefferson¡¯s classroom.


    Alex texts Ronnie back and says ¡®don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll handle this.¡¯


    ______________________


    Elizabeth, Marcus, & Selina are walking out of the school when Marcus gets a text from Ronnie, after reading it he smiles.


    ¡°Hey sis,¡± Marcus remarks.


    Selina looks back at him with confusion on her face, ¡°Nobody calls their siblings that, just say Selina.¡±


    ¡°Oh my bad,¡± Marcus apologizes before asking, ¡°Where you work, it has a printer, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh yeah, why?¡± Selina asks.


    ¡°What¡¯s the biggest thing it can print?¡± Marcus asks.


    ___________________________


    In the gym at Starlight High, Sammy is standing in there alone as she dribbles a basketball. The setting sun lighting the whole gym in an orange glow. She¡¯s wearing a white one-shoulder crop top under a red jacket, green cargo pants, and blue tennis shoes. As Sammy is spacing out, she notices someone else enter the gym; a fellow sophomore Christopher Wrinkle.


    ¡°Oh hey, you¡¯re the transfer student right?¡± Christopher asks, ¡°I¡¯m Christopher, I didn¡¯t know you liked to play basketball.¡±


    ¡°Name¡¯s Sammy and I¡¯m not the biggest fan, just playing it because I¡¯m bored,¡± Sammy remarks.


    ¡°I see, do you play any sports?¡± Christopher asks as a few other people enter the gym.


    ¡°I was on the hockey team at my old school,¡± Sammy remarks, ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to join the one here but tryouts are in October.¡±


    ¡°I see, hope you do well on that bro,¡± Christopher remarks.


    However before Sammy can respond, they hear someone clear their throat. The two look around them to see that they are surrounded by seniors from the basketball team and cheerleading team with the two people who brought the group to them being Victor Dunnerman & Trisha Bernstein.


    ¡°Oh hey bros, what are you guys all doing here?¡± Christopher asks.


    ¡°Just teaching you kids a lesson about how you shouldn¡¯t fuck with us,¡± Victor remarks.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything to you though, so why are you getting so pissy?¡± Sammy asks, confused.


    ¡°Because if we don¡¯t then you¡¯ll get too big for your britches,¡± Trisha teases, ¡°We¡¯re just trying to be ¡®helpful¡¯ to you all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah we¡¯re just trying to help you out,¡± Victor remarks as he looks behind him, ¡°I don¡¯t want you to end up acting like that kid. He talked so much smack only to be so weak.¡±


    Christopher & Sammy look over to where Victor is looking to see that they dragged in an unconscious and bruised Randy Buzz.


    ¡°I was the top dog at my middle school,¡± Randy murmurs in his sleep.


    ¡°You managed to knock out the Buzzing Brawler?!¡± Sammy asks intrigued.


    ¡°How could you do such a thing to a freshman!¡± Christopher yells upset.


    ¡°Yeah at least give the man a blanket,¡± Sammy remarks.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what are you gonna do, fight back?¡± Victor teases.


    Despite being upset, Christopher stands still, after all, he¡¯s a pacifist, and he doesn¡¯t want to fight someone. If he just tries to talk it out with them then maybe¨C


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m game,¡± Sammy remarks as she walks over to Victor and Trisha.


    Everyone in the gym looks at her confused before laughing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t laugh at her!¡± Christopher shouts to no avail.


    ¡°That skank is gonna try and fight all of us!¡± Trisha laughs.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know we had a female comedian with us,¡± Victor chuckles.


    ¡°Yeah, or maybe she¡¯s just talking shit,¡± A senior laughs as she walks over to Sammy, ¡°Maybe what she really wants is to show why she¡¯s called ¡®eagle¡¯ by spreading her¨C¡±


    Sammy places her hand on the senior¡¯s head and firmly grasps onto it.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re¨C¡±


    Sammy slams the girl¡¯s head into the metal bleachers.


    ¡°Huh-¡±


    Sammy lifts the senior¡¯s head up and then slams it back down.


    ¡°Stop-¡±


    Sammy lifts the senior¡¯s head up and then slams it back down.


    ¡°Please-¡±


    But Sammy doesn¡¯t stop, she keeps on doing this again. And again. And again. And again.


    _____________________


    ¡°You wanna know why Sammy transferred schools?¡± the physical education teacher Jolyne Joggers questions.


    She, along with the biology teacher, Sam Penningberg, are standing in the teacher¡¯s lounge. Jolyne has a bagel with cream cheese on it while Penningberg was grading some papers before they started chatting.


    ¡°Yeah, from what I heard event the Principal at Seastar was a part of the committee that got her expelled. But she seems like a decent student so far,¡± Mister Penningberg remarks as he mixes some sugar cubes in his tea.


    ¡°Well it all really stemmed from her time on the men¡¯s hockey team at Seastar,¡± Jolyne Joggers, ¡°She was placed in there due to not only her skill on the rink, but because of the unspoken rule of hockey.¡±


    ¡°Unspoken rule?¡± Penningberg questions as he sips his tea.


    ¡°Well, unlike most sports, hockey has a ton of fights that happen since the referees hardly ever intervene. It¡¯s part of the unspoken rules of hockey,¡± Jolyne explains, ¡°But whenever Sammy would get into a fight, she¡¯d always take it too far and would always need to be restrained for the fight to end.¡±


    ¡°I see, I can see why she¡¯d be expelled,¡± Penningberg remarks, ¡°Though she kind of reminds me of a friend of mine.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, on the time Starlight & Seastar had a hockey match together, the ice rink was so bloodied after the game because of her that it took an hour to just clean that up,¡± Jolyne remarks, ¡°I can still recall the nickname those kids chanted at her whenever she got violent.¡±


    ¡°What was it?¡± Penningberg remarks.


    ¡°It was ¡®The Big Bad Wolf of Seastar High¡¯,¡± Jolyne recalls.


    ____________________


    In Starlight High¡¯s Gym, Vincent and Trisha along with the other seniors in the room all look in shock at Sammy Becken who¡¯s finally stopped beating up one of the seniors.


    ¡°That fucking bullshit of a rumor has been pissing me off for a while,¡± Sammy remarks as she undoes her ponytail and then wipes the blood off her chin,  ¡°So I hope you don¡¯t mind if I blow off some steam real quick, would ya?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what even are you?¡± one of the seniors asks.


    ¡°Me?¡± Sammy questions as a twisted smile grows on her face, ¡°I¡¯m The Big Bad Wolf.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 10 - Surviving The Seniors (3)

    ¡°That fucking bullshit of a rumor has been pissing me off for a while,¡± Sammy remarks as she undoes her ponytail and then wipes the blood off her chin,  ¡°So I hope you don¡¯t mind if I blow off some steam real quick, would ya?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what even are you?¡± one of the seniors asks.


    ¡°Me?¡± Sammy questions as a twisted smile grows on her face, ¡°I¡¯m The Big Bad Wolf.¡±


    Trisha, Victor, and the other seniors feel a shift in the air as the twisted smile on Sammy¡¯s face grows wider and wider.


    ¡°Y-you crazy bitch!¡± A senior yells as she tries to run.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Sammy says as she pounces on the senior, sending them to the ground, ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±


    The senior tries to escape from her grasp but Sammy¡¯s grip is surprisingly strong. Sammy whispers into the senior''s ear, ¡°Choose a finger.¡±


    ¡°Ring, Wh-why?!¡± the senior asks.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s the finger I¡¯ll be breaking first!¡± Sammy remarks as she goes to do just that,


    However before she can do so, Victor Dunnerman punches her off of the other senior. Every other person quickly leaves the gym except for a frightened Trisha, confident Victor, confused Christopher, unconscious Randy, & an eager Sammy.


    ¡°Y-you gonna beat that girl up, r-right?¡± Trisha questions.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Victor says as he looks back to Trisha, ¡°I¡¯m the best basketball player this school¡¯s ever seen, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m gonna lose to some girl-¡±


    Though he was never able to finish that sentence due to Sammy managing to deliver a kick to the man¡¯s head. Sammy opens her palm and starts to use her long nails to begin scratching at Victor.


    As Victor lifts up his arms to guard Sammy, he thinks to himself how her attacks are sloppy, irregular, and primal. She mixes quicker weak attacks with powerful slow ones better than most and does so without properly thinking of it. The only thing on her mind was exerting the burning emotions out of her.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, why don¡¯t you fight back?!¡± Sammy remarks as she delivers a calf kick into Victor, ¡°Your fighting skills are far worse than any I¡¯ve encountered back in Seastar!¡±


    ¡°Alright, you asked for it!¡± Victor roars as he starts to swing at Sammy, though Sammy keeps on dodging his attacks.


    As the two fight, Christopher stands there in shock. Ever since he was little, he always thought to himself how fighting would never solve anything in his life. Thanks to his dad, he was able to experience firsthand just how horrid taking out your aggression on others can be.


    So he swore that he¡¯d never fight, to never throw a fist. He¡¯d be able to stop all of his problems through compassion. And a part of him still thinks he can, but when Victor and the other members of the basketball team noticed that, they saw him as someone able to be picked on.


    Alex would try to stop them but Christopher didn¡¯t mind the team¡¯s hazing, he¡¯s experienced worse for far longer. But after seeing Vincent¡¯s aggression and anger turn to others, turn to his friends. Something inside of Christopher started to swell up.


    Something he hadn¡¯t purely felt before.


    Anger.


    ¡°You better stop dodging!¡± Vincent yells as he swings his fist at Sammy.


    ¡°Why not! I like this game of cat-&-mou-,¡± Sammy begins to say before realizing that was a feint attack and Vincent¡¯s real attack is his other fist which is careening right toward her face.


    She can¡¯t dodge the attack in time so she decides to lean right into it to get hit.


    Except the fist never lands on Sammy. Because Christopher Wrinkle caught it.


    ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Vincent asks as he tries to pull his hand away.


    ¡°K-kick his ass babe, he¡¯s just a sophomore!¡± Trisha yells from across the room.


    ¡°You should feel ashamed,¡± Christopher remarks as he begins to squeeze and crush Vincent¡¯s fist, ¡°For being the first person¡­¡±


    Christopher¡¯s other hand tightens into a fist and he begins to swing it as he yells, ¡°To receive my fist!!¡±


    As the fist lands on Vincent, the power of it is enough to send Vincent falling back unconscious. Trisha runs over to try and stop him from falling but Vincent lands on her anyway and the two are knocked unconscious.


    ¡°Woah,¡± Sammy remarks, ¡°That punch! That form! That stance! It¡¯s gotta be¡­¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Christopher looks over at Sammy before Sammy groans, ¡°The worst punch I¡¯ve ever seen! If you weren¡¯t so jacked and I didn¡¯t kick him down a lot he would have been still standing.¡±


    ¡°R-really,¡± Christopher asks embarrassed.


    ¡°Yes and you shouldn¡¯t wrap your fingers around your thumb,¡± Sammy instructs as she goes to lift up the still-unconscious Randy.


    ¡°Have you heard the buzz of who I am?¡± Randy murmurs in his sleep.


    ¡°Alright, big guy, you mind helping me carry this guy while we make a break for it?¡± Sammy asks.


    ¡°Sure but why do we need to run?¡± Christopher asks as he carries Randy by the legs.


    ¡°Because if I get caught in a fight here I¡¯ll get expelled,¡± Sammy responds as she carries Randy by the arms.


    The three quickly leave the unconscious seniors in the gym as they make sure to make it as far away as possible from there. As they do so, Sammy wonders how the others are doing.


    ______________________________


    As for Alex, he¡¯s doing¡­.well he¡¯s just confused.


    What he had in mind was entering Jefferson¡¯s classroom, finding Georgia Gibson, and teaching her a lesson on why they shouldn¡¯t mess with the miracle clinic.


    Instead, he finds her putting in too much time trying to study for an upcoming math test.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care enough to be picking on you guys,¡± Georgia remarks.


    ¡°Uh okay,¡± Alex says as he stands there, ¡°This is kinda anti-climactic.¡±


    Alex leaves as he hopes he wasn¡¯t the only one who had an uninteresting side plot.


    _____________________________


    ¡°So you want us to stop hazing right?¡± Bernard asks as he looks at Ronnie.


    Ronnie is standing in the center of the room glaring up at Bernard Ginger, the head of the baking club. The other people in the room are other seniors and the youngest member of the club, Hamster, who is a bit confused at why the two are trying to get into a fight.


    ¡°Yeah and if you don¡¯t then you might not like what¡¯s going to happen,¡± Ronnie insists.


    ¡°Ugh fine,¡± Bernard groans, ¡°I¡¯ll stop with that.¡±


    Ronnie smirks as he begins to walk away, however, Bernard smirks as he continues, ¡°If you complete The Bakers¡¯ Dozen.¡±


    Ronnie turns around confused, ¡°The Bakers¡¯ Dozen?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a tradition we have here where you have to try out twelve of our more¡­ ''experimental¡¯ food ideas,¡± Bernard explains.


    The other seniors of the club set down twelve different items on the table, Ronnie looks at all of them with disgust.


    ¡°Think you can handle it?¡± Bernard asks.


    Ronnie is a bit hesitant but after looking at Hamster & Bennet, and seeing how if he doesn¡¯t act they¡¯ll continue to be harassed, he accepts the challenge with a simple response, ¡°Sure let me dig in.¡±


    The first item on the menu is a bunch of potato chips coated in heavy mustard. You can¡¯t even see the chips due to how much mustard is on them. However, Ronnie still eats them regardless.


    Up next is clam chowder-flavored ice cream, Ronnie almost gags but he manages to consume it.


    Ronnie, wanting to speed up the process, eats the next three dishes all together; relish coated bugs, extremely dry chicken, and very rubbery steak.


    He then moves on to the sixth dish, a hot dog with mayo on it. Though as he eats it, he finds it odd that it¡¯s actually kind of good, or at the very least better than everything he¡¯s had so far.


    ¡°Halfway done,¡± Ronnie teases.


    The next dish is wings coated in extremely spicy hot sauce, Ronnie manages to eat it just fine however the heat from it slowly begins to rise. Bernard pours a glass of milk, hands it over to Ronnie, before pulling it back and drinking it all.


    After that Ronnie decides to finish up some of the other dishes quickly; he munches down on the uncooked pizza, devours the raw potatoes drenched in ranch, and gulps down the cup filled with juice from canned fish.


    ¡°Since you like combining our dishes,¡± Bernard explains, as he adds a live centipede to the German dish known as ¡®dead grandma¡¯, ¡°How about you have the final two dishes at the same time?¡±


    Ronnie looks at the dish and feels his stomach churn, if he wasn¡¯t already sick from all the food he had to eat already this would surely do it.


    ¡°Of course, you can stop right now,¡± Bernard insists.


    Ronnie contemplates the idea for a second before slamming his hands onto the table and looking at Bernard.


    ¡°You got any silverware with you? Because I¡¯m ready to dig in!¡± Ronnie exclaims.


    __________________


    ¡°Ugh, what the hell!¡± Evan groans.


    The president of the student council walks down the halls of Starlight High on a new day, he¡¯s walking with X Locke by his side who doesn¡¯t seem too interested in what Evan¡¯s complaining about.


    ¡°Yesterday everyone stopped trying to help get rid of those miracle clinic chumps!¡± Evan complains, ¡°First Trisha & Vincent are in the hospital for broken bones, then Georgia is too busy ¡®studying¡¯ to work on hazing them, and now Bernard isn¡¯t even answering my calls!¡±


    ¡°I mean I can¡¯t blame him for not wanting to talk to you, I heard he made some poor kid eat a bunch of disgusting shit and when the kid finished, he threw all of it up right into Bernard¡¯s face,¡± X laughs.


    Evan is a bit hesitant as he tries to think of something before turning to X and asking, ¡°Hey buddy, why don¡¯t you help me take those kids down a notch!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, why?¡± X asks.


    ¡°Because we¡¯re friends!¡± Evan remarks, ¡°I¡¯ve made sure the other seniors don¡¯t try to antagonize you for how much of a freak you are, the least you could do is return the favor.¡±


    ¡°Look Evan,¡± X begins to say, ¡°I doubt anyone would want to antagonize me when I¡¯m so lovely, and I did warn you not to do this.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, can you please help-¡± Evan begins to plead before hearing someone clear their throat.


    Evan turns to see Ronnie standing there and asking, ¡°Hey, mind if I join this convo?¡±


    Evan looks at Ronnie completely befuddled before laughing, ¡°The fuck do you want ya¡¯ pissant? Don¡¯t you know I¡¯m the president of the student council?!¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that like it¡¯s such an important thing, it really isn¡¯t,¡± Ronnie sighs, ¡°And I¡¯m here to just let you know that I¡¯ll be getting revenge for what you started.¡±


    ¡°Oh really, and how do you plan to do that?¡± Evan asks smugly.


    ¡°Easy, I heard that there¡¯s an election coming up for the student council president, so I had someone join,¡± Ronnie remarks as Selina, Marcus, and Elizabeth begin to set up posters around the school.


    Hearing that Evan laughs, ¡°You think you would be able to beat me in an election?! There¡¯s no way a sophomore would ever get that role!¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Ronnie responds, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me before? I said I had someone join the running. I never said that someone was me.¡±


    Evan is confused before looking at the posters that are being put up to see that his new rival in this election is¡­X Locke?!


    ¡°Hope you¡¯re able to compete against someone in your grade,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°Because he¡¯s got our full support!¡±


    ¡°Oh hey, that¡¯s me,¡± X remarks as he looks at the poster, ¡°Wait, how come I¡¯m running for the election?¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 11 - Surviving The Seniors (4)

    All across Starlight High a loud noise echoed throughout it that was heard by all. Didn¡¯t matter if you were in the gym, eating in the cafeteria, stuck in the filthy locker rooms, sleeping in a boring class, or even chatting it up in the teacher¡¯s lounge, you heard it. And that noise was someone shouting at the top of their lungs¡­


    ¡°WHAT THE HELLLLLL?!?!?!?!?!?!¡±


    The source of that voice is the baffled Evan Dixon, who is looking at something he never thought would happen. Someone trying to campaign for being the next student council president, and that someone not being him!


    "Oh hey, that''s me," X remarks as he looks at the posters supporting him as student council president, "Wait, how come I''m running for the election?"


    ¡°I just told the teachers you agreed to it so they allowed you to run,¡± Ronnie responds.


    ¡°This- This is unfathomable!¡± Evan scoffs as sweat begins to drip down his face, ¡°X drop out of the running this instant!¡±


    ¡°I would,¡± X begins to say as he looks at the poster of himself, ¡°But they really got my good side in this, when did you even take that picture of me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s from last year¡¯s yearbook,¡± Ronnie answers.


    ¡°Oh in that case it¡¯s awful and I demand you to create a better poster for me, your supreme leader,¡± X commands.


    ¡°I would say no but we need you to win so fine,¡± Ronnie sighs before walking to his next class.


    Evan is completely baffled as X Locke walks past him.


    However, X just places his hand on his shoulder and responds, ¡°Hey man, they¡¯re clearly just trying to have a lil fun, so why not let them? Besides there¡¯s no way that I¡¯d actually do well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Evan remarks as he calms down, ¡°It¡¯ll be impossible for a joke contestant like you to get to the final debate!¡±


    ___________________


    ¡°HOW DID THAT FUCKER GET TO THE FINAL DEBATE?!¡± Evan roars.


    Evan Dixon is standing behind the stage that was set up in the gym, getting ready for the final debate, where the two last contenders make speeches as to why the student body should vote for them. The others with him back there are Georgia Gibson and Bernard Ginger.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought nobody was going to care,¡± Bernard uninterestedly remarks.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t even done anything besides have some people set up posters!¡± Evan Dixon remarks.


    ¡°They are some pretty good posters,¡± Georgia adds, ¡°They really went well with the font choice.¡±


    ¡°You think I give a damn about those shitty posters!¡± Evan yells.


    Georgia sighs, ¡°Was just saying.¡±


    Evan begins to walk up onto the stage as he says with a laugh, ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to nip this in the bud once and for all!¡±


    Evan carries himself very well as several of the students in the bleachers, who were forced to show up to this mandatory assembly, watch on with intrigue. He¡¯s done several of these speeches in the past, he¡¯s bound to do well on this one. Across the stage standing by his own podium is X Locke, X looks at him and gives him a thumbs up. However, Evan ignores the goodwill as he¡¯s ready to stomp on that pest¡­verbally.


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    ¡°Alright then, we¡¯ll have each participant make a speech that lasts roughly 2 minutes,¡± Teacher Jolyne Joggers explains, ¡°Afterwards the students get to vote on who they want as the president of the student council. Evan Dixon, you may begin your speech.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Evan says as he takes a bow before beginning his rant, ¡°Now my legacy as a student council president speaks for itself, we all know how much work I¡¯ve put in this past year and if you elect me once more, then I¡¯ll do an even greater job than before! Besides, who would even want to vote for that joke of a human?!¡±


    Jolyne glances up from her notes as she realizes Evan is going off script from what he sent in beforehand. A part of her wants to stop this but the other stronger part of her wants to see how this turns out.


    ¡°The guy never shaves yet still only has peach fuzz on his face, you¡¯d think he was some anime club reject the way he always has his hair cover his eyes, his fashion sense is totally wack, we all know the books he tries to sell are full of lies, the music he makes was meant to be tossed in the trash, and he¡¯s more flakey than the school¡¯s cinnamon rolls!¡± Evan continues.


    ¡°The school was better before he joined last year,¡± Evan remarks, ¡°So why even want his ugly mug as your student council president when you can have a hot stud such as myself as your president!¡±


    In the bleachers, Elizabeth tries to hold back a laugh at Evan calling himself a ¡®hot stud¡¯.


    ¡°That¡¯s all for my end of the speech,¡± Evan remarks as he smugly adjusts his collar.


    ¡°I see, well then we shift over to see what X is going to say,¡± Jolyne Joggers remarks.


    ¡°Thank you Thank you,¡± X replies as he takes a look at the script he wrote before ripping it up.


    ¡°Now Evan sure said a lot about me just now, too bad it was all a bunch of malarkey,¡± X begins,


    ¡°Nobody even knows what that word is!¡± Evan interrupts.


    ¡°Oh please Evan, we all just had to hear your annoying voice for so long, how about you hush up so we can let our ears not be in pain?¡± X suggests.


    ¡°C¡¯mon!¡±


    ¡°You like to go on & on about how the school was better before I joined it,¡± X remarks before smirking, ¡°But I do wonder, who was the student council president last year? Surely they¡¯d have more of a say on how the school is instead of a ¡®anime club reject¡¯ like myself.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s not important!¡± Evan yells.


    ¡°Now why does Evan want to discredit me so much? Is it because I¡¯m as awful as he claims or is it because he¡¯s compensating for something?¡± X questions, ¡°We all know he¡¯d be nothing if he didn¡¯t have his friends following along with his whims and desires.¡±


    Hearing that, Bernard, Georgia, Victor, and Trisha feel a small sense of validation from those words.


    ¡°Yeah right!¡± Evan snarls.


    ¡°And you wanna hear the crazy thing?¡± X says into the mic.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t-¡± Evan panics.


    ¡°He keeps begging me for my help!¡± X laughs, ¡°I¡¯ve always refused so now he¡¯s throwing a tantrum, that¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    ¡°Now hold on! I wasn¡¯t begging him or anything-¡± Evan tries to defend himself as the crowd is laughing.


    Giving up on defending himself, Evan goes to yelling insults at X, ¡°You really think you¡¯re gonna win this whole thing by spouting nonsense!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care about that, I¡¯m just trying to have some fun,¡± X remarks, ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s getting all fired up about this-¡±


    Before anyone can react, Evan slaps X across the face as hard as he can, leaving a mark where he got slapped. Everyone is silent for a second, even Evan as he realizes what he just did.


    ¡°You really thought you did something there?¡± X Locke questions.


    X takes a step towards Evan, Evan tries to take a step back but he trips and falls onto the stage¡¯s floor.


    ¡°Being the student council president must have made you think you were something special,¡± X remarks as he begins to walk closer to Evan, ¡°Yet that¡¯s the only reason people have tolerated you for so long. You think if you didn¡¯t have that role you so desperately cling to that anyone would care about you? Face it, you¡¯re just an afterthought to everyone here, and you always will be. Without it, you have nothing of value. You¡¯re nothing.¡±


    Evan tries to shuffle away but X grabs him by the shirt and leans in close, ¡°I thought I warned you, Dixon, about what happens when you try to fuck around.¡±


    Evan is shaking as X finishes his sentence with a smile on his face, ¡°You¡¯re bound to find out.¡±


    Evan closes his eyes, preparing to get attacked, but X just drops him on the ground and walks off the stage.


    ¡°Sorry but I don¡¯t like touching wet garbage for too long,¡± X remarks as he shakes Evan¡¯s sweat off his hands, ¡°Anyone got a paper towel?¡±


    The whole gym erupts in euphoria over what just went down, and that for the first time in their life, a mandatory assembly wasn¡¯t completely boring.


    ¡°Well then, since violence is against our school guidelines,¡± Jolyne begins to say, ¡°Evan Dixon is hereby eliminated from the running.¡±


    After hearing those words, Evan faints. Bernard & Georgia go over to check if he¡¯s okay.


    ¡°Which means that winning by default,¡± Jolyne Joggers states, ¡°X Locke is our new student council president.¡±


    Hearing those words, X hesitantly remarks, ¡°Wait what?¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 12 - Surviving The Seniors (Finale)

    A new day is upon those at Starlight High, the sun is shining down on the school filled with bright new possibilities. With Evan Dixon and the other seniors being put in their place, the school finally has some new fresh ideas to go around.


    One such is found at a student council meeting, where the now president of the meeting, X Locke rests his head on the table.


    ¡°Oh my god, this is so boring!¡± X groans, ¡°This is a fate worse than death!¡±


    The vice president, Georgia Gibson, asks, ¡°Then why did you even run in the first place?¡±


    ¡°I just thought it would be funny, I didn¡¯t expect to win!¡± X gasps.


    ¡°Shall we end the meeting here?¡± Gibson asks.


    ¡°No no, we just started so let¡¯s hear what the other council members have to say,¡± X says.


    Everyone else on the student council is silent.


    ¡°What?¡± X asks.


    ¡°When Evan was in charge it was either his way or the highway,¡± student council member Suzy Dark remarks, ¡°So this is a bit refreshing to say the least.¡±


    ¡°Wow Dixon really set the bar low, anyways I have zero clue what a student council does,¡± X Locke remarks, ¡°So you guys come up with the ideas and I¡¯ll just choose which one sounds the best.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, I have an idea!¡± student council member Crunch Backson shouts, ¡°What if we build an indoor skate park in the school and launch fireworks from it!? Wouldn¡¯t that be super cool?!¡±


    X just looks at Crunch and sarcastically goes, ¡°That¡¯s a great idea! Lemme go get the funding for that!¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡± Crunch asks while being on the verge of crying tears of pure joy.


    ¡°No,¡± X responds, ¡°But I can see if the school can take away the ban on skateboards.¡±


    ________________


    Marcus is walking down the hall as Crunch zooms down it, he¡¯s lying down on a skateboard as he zooms past a bunch of students before crashing into a bunch of lockers. Though he spots in the culinary classroom, the baking club is having a proper meeting and Hamster is handing out some of his signature blueberry muffins. And despite Bernard being grouchy and spending most of his time texting Evan on his phone, everyone else seems to be enjoying themselves and having a good time.


    ________________


    During basketball practice, Alex & Christopher are shooting some hoops when they overhear the gym teacher and head coach, Jolyne Joggers, talking with some of the other coaches.


    ¡°Victor was supposed to be our ace for the season, with him having a broken bone I don¡¯t think he¡¯d be able to recover in time,¡± A coach worries.


    ¡°Yeah, though with that opportunity, I think we can instead focus on the other kids and make them better,¡± Joggers encourages as she glances over to Alex & Christopher, ¡°And from what I¡¯ve seen, we¡¯ve got two very talented sophomores on our team who¡¯re dying to actually play.¡±


    Christopher dribbles the ball and asks Alex, ¡°Hey dude I wonder who she¡¯s talking about?¡±


    Alex just ignores Christopher and steals the ball from Christopher and scores a three-pointer.


    ¡°HEY C¡¯MON ANSWER ME BRO!¡± Christopher begs.


    ¡°How dumb can you be?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Hey that was uncalled for!¡± Christopher shouts.


    ¡°Wow you two seem to be having fun,¡± Sammy remarks.


    Christopher jumps back a bit after seeing Sammy, however, Sammy just hands the two some water bottles.


    ¡°Figured you two would need some,¡± Sammy states.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Alex remarks, ¡°Though what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Tryouts for this school¡¯s hockey team are coming up, so I want to get some practice in beforehand,¡± Sammy remarks before glancing towards Trisha Bernstein who is on the other end of the gym, ¡°And I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve blown off enough steam just yet.¡±


    Trisha, spotting Sammy¡¯s gaze, quickly looks the other way, leaving Alex confused and Christopher conflicted at Sammy¡¯s remark.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I was just joking,¡± Sammy tells Christopher.


    ¡°Phew,¡± Christopher sighs in relief.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ______________


    ¡°Hey! Let me cut through the line. I have a class soon!¡± Evan Dixon yells while waiting in the cafeteria line.


    ¡°Hey! Let me cut through the line, I have a class soon!¡± Randy Buzz, who is ahead of him in line for food, mimics Evan in a nerd voice.


    ¡°Are you mocking me? I am your senior! Show me some respect!¡±


    ¡°Are you mocking me? I am your senior! Show me some respect!¡± Randy continues to mimic.


    ¡°Urgh!¡± Evan groans, ¡°If only I was still the student council president!¡±


    ¡°Yeah and whose fault was that,¡± Selina teases as she waits in line behind Evan, ¡°Also you put on way too much cologne.¡±


    ¡°Tch, like you would know you, woman,¡± Evan remarks as he sprays some more cologne on him.


    ¡°Hey spray that nasty ass cologne one more time and I¡¯ll show you why people call me The Buzzing Brawler!¡± Randy remarks as he gets up in Evan¡¯s face.


    ¡°Okay Randy, you¡¯re more like The Snoozing Sleeper from what I heard,¡± Evan scoffs.


    ¡°Oh no! Your roast was so powerful!¡± Randy teases, ¡°I know I would never be able to withstand one of your weak ass slaps!¡±


    Evan blushes in embarrassment. Meanwhile, sitting at a lunch table is Ronnie Everst, who is a bit freaked out from hearing that.


    ¡°Uh Ronnie, you okay?¡± Elizabeth asks, who has a packed lunch.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ronnie lies as he opens up his own packed lunch, ¡°I just don¡¯t think I can look at slaps the same way ever again.¡±


    ¡°Uh, okay,¡± Elizabeth says before an awkward silence falls between the two. Hesitance grows on her lips as she tries to find the right words to say.


    ¡°You remember back at the end of last school year when you-¡± Elizabeth tries to say but gets cut off by Alex who slams his lunch tray onto the table.


    ¡°Guess who just got their lunch?¡± Alex asks them before answering, ¡°That¡¯s right, this guy!¡±


    ¡°Yeah no shit Sherlock, what other wise words do you have to share?¡± Elizabeth groans.


    ¡°I was just trying to start a conversation!¡± Alex complains.


    Elizabeth and Alex begin to start another long bickering session between the two of them as Ronnie looks around.


    ¡°I guess everything worked out in the end,¡± Ronnie sighs as he sees Elizabeth & Alex continue to argue, ¡°Right?¡±


    ____________________________


    ¡°You really did it now huh,¡± Joel Cooper remarks.


    The 18 year old who looks younger than he is looks up at Ronnie as they¡¯re chatting outside of Starlight High School.


    ¡°Dude, what do you want from me?!¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to ask you again,¡± Joel asks as he extends his hand, ¡°Will you and your hand join clubs with us, The Vignette?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear our response last time?¡± Ronnie just walks past Joel and responds, ¡°No means no dude!¡±


    ¡°I see well then good luck,¡± Joel remarks as he too leaves, ¡°It¡¯s going to be tough trying to defend yourself from The Massachusetts Boys all by your own.¡±


    Joel leaves and Ronnie begins to ask him, ¡°Hey what do you mean by that?¡±


    However, Joel doesn¡¯t respond as he leaves.


    ¡°Guess he was just trying to mess with me,¡± Ronnie remarks as he begins to walk home, ¡°I hope.¡±


    ____________________________


    Late at night at a park in the west side of town, a group of seven individuals are standing in a rundown baseball field, the lights flickering as they all sit there. Two people are standing at home base while the others are up in the bleachers. Those two are none other than the bandaged and bruised Victor Dunnerman & Trisha Bernstein. Also known as  No. 9 of The Massachusetts Boys ¡®Lynn¡¯ & No. 10 of The Massachusetts Boys ¡®Amherst¡¯ respectively.


    ¡°Wh-wh-why did you want to see us?¡± Victor ¡®Lynn¡¯ Dunnerman asks as he¡¯s sweating up bullets.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re in-injured?¡± Trisha ¡®Amherst¡¯ Bernstein asks as both she & her boyfriend are in several casts.


    ¡°Yeah, we can see that alright,¡± One of the people in the bleachers remarks, ¡°You talked all about wanting to show how important you¡¯d be to us when you joined a few weeks ago and now look at you. Totally worthless.¡±


    The person who just said that is Parker ¡®Plymouth¡¯ Duggar, ranked seven out of everyone in The Massachusetts Boys. He has Light brown spiky hair, white skin, amber eyes, and black earrings. Duggar is also wearing a neon orange sleeveless shirt, black sweatpants, and white Air Forces.


    ¡°Like if it was someone like Purple from Dirty Fang I¡¯d understand why you would look so shitty now but some sophomores from your high school did that to you? Get fuckin¡¯ real Vincent,¡± Parker ¡®Plymouth¡¯ Duggar laughs.


    ¡°I¡¯m not proud of it, okay?¡± Victor remarks, ¡°And my name isn¡¯t Vincent, it¡¯s Victor.¡±


    ¡°Wait, it''s Victor? I could have sworn it was Vincent,¡± Duggar says.


    ¡°No It¡¯s Victor,¡± Trisha says.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s odd¡­ Anyways, I had no fucking clue you wouldn¡¯t be proud of it?¡± Duggar jokes before nudging the person next to him, ¡°Hey Quincy, would you fucking believe these two would be ashamed of that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was pretty obvious,¡± Quinn ¡®Quincy¡¯ Overton rolls her eyes.


    Quincy is ranked eighth out of everyone in The Massachusetts Boys and is half-caucasian half-Japanese, with light dark brown hair in a twin-tail style, and brown eyes. She¡¯s wearing a green hoodie, white khakis, and green sneakers. The white headphones hooked up to her iPod are playing some Vocaloid music.


    ¡°You still listening to that crap?¡± Parker ¡®Plymouth¡¯ Duggar antagonizes.


    ¡°Uh yeah, Miku¡¯s great I don¡¯t get why you aren¡¯t a fan,¡± Quinn sighs.


    ¡°I prefer Rin & Len but that¡¯s beside the point,¡± Duggar retorts, ¡°Can¡¯t you take a moment to not listen to that shit?¡±


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t pick on Quincy so much Plymouth,¡± The person sitting in the row behind the two states.


    That person is Frankfurt ¡°Fall River¡± Schulz, ranked sixth out of everyone in The Massachusetts Boys. He¡¯s a middle-aged man with brown balding hair he tries to hide with a comb-over, green eyes, and wrinkly skin. He¡¯s also wearing a white polo shirt, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes.


    ¡°If you want to sort out your differences we can always do so over a game of Putt-Putt,¡± Frankfurt recommends.


    ¡°Your old ass is the only one interested in that lame-ass game, Duggar groans.


    ¡°Can you three stop trying to derail this meeting?¡± Another person asks.


    That person is Kimberly ¡®Lowell¡¯ Masterson, who is ranked fifth out of everyone in The Massachusetts Boys. She has white skin, blue eyes, black lipstick, and her hair is dyed with one side being black, the other side being orange. She¡¯s wearing a white-black flannel jacket over a black t-shirt with a graphic of a Midwest emo band, black shorts, fishnet stockings, and black slip-ons.


    ¡°While I agree that mini-golf is the worst but we should first deal with those fuckers who attacked our own,¡± Kimberly suggests.


    ¡°You sure?¡± Willy ¡®Worcester¡¯ White asks, ¡°The Head, Boston, isn¡¯t even at this meeting and neither is the second-in-command.¡±


    Willy ¡®Worcester¡¯ White is ranked fourth of everyone in The Massachusetts Boys. He has white skin, dyed white spiky hair, dyed white eyebrows, and light gray eyes. He¡¯s also wearing an all-white outfit.


    ¡°What Boston & Salem don¡¯t know won¡¯t hurt them,¡± one more figure comments.


    The other members of The Massachusetts Boys turn to look at the person who said that, the third-in-command of The Massachusetts Boys. Going by the nickname ¡®Cambridge¡¯ the person is disguised by the harsh shadows on that area of the bleachers.


    ¡°If we¡¯re trying to expand into the north more than we already are, then we¡¯re gonna have to try and keep our reputation in check,¡± Cambridge remarks, ¡°So to make up for Lynn & Amherst¡¯s short-comings, we¡¯re going to have to let the whole city know¡­¡±


    Lightning flashes as Cambridge finishes his sentence, ¡°The true might of The Massachusetts Boys.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 13 - Surviving The Seniors (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Ready To Move To The Next Level?


    Outside Starlight High, Joel Cooper tells Ronnie, ¡°It¡¯s going to be tough trying to defend yourself from The Massachusetts Boys all by your own.¡±


    With Joel gone, it leaves Ronnie to ponder if he was being serious or not. However, that wasn¡¯t the only person who heard the conversation. Since behind a tree is none other than Christopher Wrinkle, who was trying to get some wall sits in before overhearing the conversation those two had.


    As he begins to walk away, Christopher thinks back to when he fought Victor. He fought him out of anger from seeing a friend get hurt, he¡¯s still ashamed that he threw that punch. Yet he knows that if more people are going to be after his friends, he¡¯s going to need to find a way to protect them.


    Which means getting stronger.


    As Christopher heads to the Dawnbreak Health & Fitness Center, he contemplates how exactly that will work when he recalls Sammy telling him how his punch was awful. Christopher comes to the realization that if he wants to get strong, he¡¯s going to need to have a good form.


    ¡°Christopher?¡± Someone asks.


    Christopher looks and in shock he sees his boss, Mechai Aromdee, standing in the gym chatting with the owner Garry Jackingson, and the boxing specialist Francisco Champion.


    ¡°Mister Aromdee, it¡¯s nice to see you!¡± Christopher asks, ¡±What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Well since Victor¡¯s injured and can¡¯t come into work, we¡¯re unable to take as many moving requests as usual, so I decided to take a side gig with an old friend of mine,¡± Mister Aromdee explains.


    ¡°Believe it or not that man right there is going to be our Muay Thai instructor,¡± Garry Jackingson remarks as he flexes.


    ¡°Muay Thai?¡± Christopher questions.


    ¡°It¡¯s a martial art that originated from my home country of Thailand,¡± Aromdee explains, "It also goes by the name ¡®Thai Boxing¡¯. I used to be decent at it back when I was your age.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Christopher questions, ¡°Sounds pretty aggressive.¡±


    ¡°All martial arts and fighting have some form of aggression to them,¡± Francisco shrugs, ¡°What matters is deciding how you release that aggression, and to what extent.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Christopher says before asking, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to learn more about Muay Thai!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Mechai Aromdee questions, ¡°Then I¡¯d be happy to teach you.¡±


    Garry interrupts the two as he hands Christopher a contract and says, ¡°As soon as you sign the paperwork you¡¯ll be able to take this class.¡±


    As Christopher reads how much this costs and signs the papers, he thinks to himself how he¡¯s going to need to get glasses. Because there¡¯s no way there were that many zeros on the bill than what he saw.


    SUN SHORT #2 - The Sixth Tape


    Sitting in his bedroom, Ronnie Everst looks down at the box of VHS tapes that his late father and James Lewis recorded. There¡¯s a total of nine of them, and since he had already watched five, he figures it¡¯s about time to watch the sixth.


    He takes out the VHS tape, removes it from its covering, and is about to slide it into the player when-


    ¡°DINNER¡¯S READY!¡± his mom, Sally Everst, yells from downstairs.


    ¡°Coming!¡± Ronnie yells down as he puts the VHS tape away.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Perhaps he¡¯ll just have to wait another day to watch the tapes.


    SUN SHORT #3 - Flourish


    Out on the streets of Starlight City resides a newly open store known as ¡®The Griffon Botany Shop¡¯. On the outside, it has a nice slick modern black front with large glass windows leading to the inside, whereas the interior has hardwood flooring and old brick walls. One thing though was abundant in the shop, covering the outside sidewalk, strung across the shop, and hanging from the ceiling were all types of plants and flowers available for purchase.


    And it¡¯s this shop that Aken Amnestor heads into as he spots the owner of the shop Gabriel Griffon. Gabriel Griffon is a tall young 20-something with short black hair, white skin, a slim yet muscular physique, and a smile that could make anyone¡¯s heart skip a beat. He¡¯s also wearing a white leather jacket over a black t-shirt, gray cargo pants, and black shoes.


    ¡°Oh Amnestor, long time no see,¡± Gabriel Griffon remarks as he walks over and gives the man a big hug, ¡°Feel free to choose anything you like here, it¡¯s on the house.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see that you¡¯re adjusting well to life outside of a cell,¡± Amnestor remarks as he stops to smell the roses.


    ¡°Yeah well I was lucky enough to get off on a light sentence,¡± Griffon remarks as he waters some plants, ¡°And I had a very generous benefactor who helped me set up this shop.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re able to get back up on your own two feet,¡± Amnestor says before adding, ¡°But that begs the question; why did you even get in this situation in the first place? Why were you digging in the school¡¯s cafeteria before attacking two of my students.¡±


    Gabriel Griffon stops watering the plants as he picks up a soil scooper. His low-key demeanor has shifted to an eerily strict rigidness as he walks over to scoop some dirt into a pot.


    ¡°I was pretty out of it back then,¡± Gabriel Griffon remarks with his back turned to Amnestor, ¡°But I must warn you if you want to try and dig this all up again¡­¡±


    Gabriel Griffon slams the soil scooper into the pot, causing it to shatter as he remarks, ¡°Then you¡¯ll be making yourself a target for him.¡±


    ¡°Him?¡± Amnestor questions.


    ¡°The person that¡¯s at the root of it all,¡± Gabriel Griffon states before putting the soil scooper to his mouth and whispering the name, ¡°The Phantom.¡±


    Hearing that name, Amnestor can¡¯t help but feel a chill run down his spine, despite never hearing that name before, just by judging Griffon¡¯s actions, he knows this individual is one not to be trifled with.


    But even so, if he steps back down, then things will remain covered up by those who want it covered up. And once his final year as a teacher is done, he isn¡¯t sure if he¡¯ll ever get a chance to find out the truth ever again.


    Griffon, seeing Amnestor¡¯s gaze, softly smiles before telling him, ¡°The Three Ts know more about it all than me, make sure to talk to them about it.¡±


    ¡°I see, thank you, Griffon,¡± Amnestor remarks as he picks up a bouquet of chrysanthemums, ¡°As for the flowers if you don¡¯t mind I think I¡¯ll be taking these. There my wife¡¯s favorite.¡±


    ¡°Tell her I send my regards,¡± Gabriel Griffon as he waves at Amnestor.


    Amnestor leaves the botany shop, not knowing how much he should take Griffon¡¯s words at face value. All the while in the botany shop, Griffon spots a rat running across the floor. He grabs it by the tail and walks over to a certain plant.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re making the floor all filthy,¡± Griffon groans as he reaches a Venus fly trap.


    After dangling the rat over the fly trap and staring into the rat¡¯s eyes, Griffon sighs before putting the rat on his hand and lightly petting it, ¡°You¡¯re lucky you have cute eyes.¡±


    The rat cuddles as it gets petted when Griffon decides, ¡°It¡¯ll be nice having another employee here besides me, don¡¯t you agree, Limon?¡±


    The rat, now named Limon, takes kindly to the new name.


    SUN SHORT #4 - Doing Fine


    At The Moore Family Apartment, Elizabeth is sitting on the couch watching the TV with her 8-year-old sister Nhung Thi Moore and her 13-year-old brother Hai Vhan Moore. Her parents, Nolan Moore & Lan Thi Pham-Moore are in the kitchen.


    Elizabeth walks over to the kitchen where she overhears her parents planning out Lang¡¯s upcoming ninth birthday so she suggests, ¡°She really likes that one princess show, how about making it princess-themed?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea sweetie,¡± Mister Moore responds before asking, ¡°Though don¡¯t you have your club today, how come you¡¯re here so early.¡±


    ¡°Oh uh,¡± Elizabeth says as she tries to think of an excuse, ¡°It got canceled today.¡±


    Picking up on something being off, her mother asks, ¡°Elizabeth is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, I¡¯m doing fine,¡± Elizabeth lies, ¡°Though I¡¯m gonna try and get a quick nap in.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Misses Moore responds as she decides not to press further,


    Elizabeth walks down the hall and enters her room before falling to the ground and sighing, ¡°How did things even get to this point?¡±


    SUN SHORT #5 - The Most Shocking School Decision


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ronnie questions as he tries to get through the extremely crowded halls of Starlight High.


    It¡¯s passing period and while most people would be heading to class already, a ton of people are crowded by a wall with a newly hung up poster advertising an upcoming event.


    And most of the students there are fucking pissed.


    ¡°You gotta be kidding me!¡± Victor groans.


    ¡°THIS IS BULLSHIT!¡± Randy yells as he kicks a nearby locker only to stub his toe.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we could do,¡± X Locke sighs as he sits defeated on a chair.


    ¡°What¡¯s all the fuss about?¡± Ronnie questions as he looks at the poster.


    The poster is regarding this year¡¯s upcoming homecoming dance, and how it will be a joint homecoming between Starlight High and their rival school Seastar High.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 14 - One Helluva Homecoming (1)

    Starlight City is a town separated into five key boroughs; the northern district, the southern district, the western district, the eastern district, and the central district.


    Of those five boroughs, the two with the rockiest of relationships are without a doubt the north side and the east side. From trying to have the best pizza places in the city to the east side making their tallest building just an inch taller than the north side¡¯s tallest building, to even having several fights break out. Safe to say if there were two people you never wanted to see interact, it would be someone from the east and someone from the north.


    Which is why it came as a complete shock when the north side¡¯s Starlight High would be having their 2014 Homecoming dance alongside their rival school, the east side¡¯s Seastar High. Several of the students of Starlight High would discuss it in the hall next to a poster breaking the news.


    ¡°We have to dance with those east side losers?¡± Trisha groans.


    ¡°This is gonna be so weird,¡± Victor sighs.


    ¡°Who thought this was okay?!¡± Randy shouts.


    ¡°Take a chill pill,¡± Bernard nudges Randy, ¡°Freshmen like you are going to lose your voice if you screech like that all the tim-¡±


    Though before Bernard can finish his complaint, fellow senior and ex-student council president Evan Dixon shoves his way past him and towards the sitting X Locke, the new student council president.


    ¡°Hah! What a complete mess you made having us share a homecoming with Seastar!¡± Evan laughs as he elbows X, ¡°Take a look at this complete buffoon! This is why I should¡¯ve stayed as student council president.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know there actually weren¡¯t any plans to even have a homecoming this year. The school didn¡¯t have any funding left to give after how costly those renovations last year were. Oh and all the ¡®business meetings¡¯ you did all the time,¡± X Locke explains, ¡°If I didn¡¯t reach out to Seastar High, then you all wouldn¡¯t even have a dance to get mad about. Something Dixon here was more than fine with happening.¡±


    People start to get quiet before X remarks, ¡°Y¡¯know, if this joint homecoming really is as terrible as you all claim, I¡¯ll just let Seastar know that they can go ahead and have their own while we¡¯ll be stuck with none.¡±


    The entire angry mob falls silent, some beginning to walk away in embarrassment.


    ¡°Thought so,¡± X remarks as he leaves sipping on a carton of apple juice.


    ¡°Huh, didn¡¯t expect that from him,¡± Ronnie remarks as he makes his way to the club meeting.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    During study hall, members of the miracle clinic are gathered in Amnestor¡¯s classroom chatting about the recent announcement. Randy still seems upset about the whole thing but nobody¡¯s really giving him the time of day. Elizabeth is silently getting some homework done while Amnestor is at his desk sipping some coffee.


    ¡°I know most are upset about this, but I¡¯m glad we¡¯re having a joint homecoming,¡± Sammy says as she sits atop a desk, ¡°It¡¯s been hard trying to reconnect with some of my friends from Seastar.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I feel you,¡± Alex remarks, ¡°I don¡¯t think any of us got to see Vanessa or Blanko over break.¡±


    ¡°But still, I just hope most people don¡¯t make the whole rivalry thing so extreme,¡± Marcus sighs.


    ¡°Yeah imagine how annoying everyone¡¯s gonna be at the dance,¡± Selina groans before looking at Randy.


    ¡°What?¡± Randy questions, ¡°Is it wrong to not want to show off how better we are?¡±


    ¡°Yeah okay Randy,¡± Selina sighs.


    As they all sit there contemplating, Amnestor finishes his cup of coffee and interjects, ¡°Y¡¯know, I heard Miss Champion works part-time at a nearby dance studio. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d love to see some of the students show up.¡±


    ¡°The culinary teacher?¡± Alex questions, ¡°Huh didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    That¡¯s when Marcus connects all the dots in his head and comes up with an idea, ¡°Hey I got it! Since we¡¯re going to be dancing with our rival school, can¡¯t we just one-up them with how good our dance moves are?¡±


    Amnestor tries to hide his proud smile while the other kids in the room look at Marcus.


    ¡°That¡¯s actually a pretty good idea!¡± Selina states.


    ¡°I¡¯ll text up some of the other sophomores and see if they¡¯d like to come with,¡± Ronnie states with Alex doing the same, ¡°You¡¯re coming too right Elizabeth?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uh yeah,¡± Elizabeth states without lifting her head to look at them.


    Seeing something¡¯s off but not wanting to make things awkward, Ronnie remarks, ¡°All right let¡¯s dance our hearts out! Because I got a feeling this is gonna be one helluva homecoming!¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Does that include us our-¡± Randy tries to whisper to Selina before getting cut off by a scene transition.


    ____________________________


    Inside the newly opened Dawnbreak Dance Studio, a spinoff of the Dawnbreak Health & Fitness Center, the main instructor for the studio, Zesti Champion, waves goodbye to the several elderly women who just got done with the yoga session. Zesti¡¯s wearing a white unzipped workout jacket over a black crop top and black yoga pants.


    ¡°Thank you and have a nice day, make sure to do some practice outside of the weekly sessions,¡± Zesti encourages the elderly women as they leave.


    Once they do, she sighs as she looks at the now empty dance studio. She has to leave as soon as she can from school just to get here, teach some elderly women some yoga, and then do nothing but wait for somebody to eventually enter the doors of the place. However, it¡¯s already been a few months and the only regular who comes in is-


    ¡°Wow this place looks as lively as the folks who just left,¡± the newly entered Casey Burns remarks.


    Casey Burns is an old friend of hers who runs a record store a few blocks away, he tends to stop by whenever he gets off his shift just to poke fun at the place. Casey has pale white skin, slightly wavy goldish blonde hair which he¡¯s tied up in a man bun, green eyes, sapphire earrings, multiple gold bracelets on his forearms, two piercings by his left eyebrow, and a split tongue. Burns is also wearing a white turtleneck tank top, gray baggy sweatpants, a gold chain around his neck, and black flip-flops.


    ¡°Nice to see you¡¯re still the Champion of Failing,¡± Casey teases as he hands Zesti a water bottle.


    Out of pride, Zesti doesn¡¯t take it as she remarks, ¡°Yeah yeah, well one day, I¡¯m certain there will be a flood of people coming in through those very doors.¡±


    Zesti motions towards the front entrance, and the two just stare at it for a few seconds.


    ¡°Y¡¯know just because you said that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s going to happen-¡± Casey remarks before being immediately proven wrong as a flood of people come into the dance studio through those very front doors.


    Except it¡¯s people Zesti actually knows.


    It¡¯s a group of the students she teaches at Starlight High; Ronnie Everst, Marcus Veridan, Alex Smith, Elizabeth Moore, Selina Gulvonac, Sammy Becken, Randy Buzz, Rebecca Jenksin, Christopher Wrinkle, Harry ¡®Hamster¡¯ Martin, Bennet the hamster, and Carli Kim.


    ¡°Wow this place is huge,¡± Christopher says as he looks at the seemingly endless dance studio.


    ¡°Christopher you¡¯re looking at your reflection,¡± Rebecca sighs as Christopher is looking into the all glass walls.


    ¡°Oh I knew that,¡± Christopher lies to hide his embarrassment.


    Carli is looking around as she remarks, ¡°I¡¯ve never actually been to one of these before.¡±


    ¡°Yeah me neither,¡± Hamster adds while Bennet nods in agreement.


    As the rest of the high schoolers are chatting, both Casey & Zesti can¡¯t believe what they¡¯re seeing before Zesti shoots Casey a sly smirk before walking forward and announcing, ¡°Well it¡¯s quite a shock to see my students here today. How can I help you guys today?¡±


    Ronnie answers by saying, ¡°We want to get better at dancing, so we went to the best place in town where you can do just that.¡±


    Flattered, Zesti remarks, ¡°Okay then, for now just show me what you guys can do and we can get into the actual training tomorrow!¡±


    As she looks around at the students getting ready to dance, she can¡¯t help but feel like a miracle has been granted to her business. One that she will forever be thankful for getting.


    At least that¡¯s what she thought before the kids started to dance.


    Noticing their dance moves Casey Burns whispers to Zesti, ¡°Well you sure got your work cut out for ya¡¯, these kids fuckin¡¯ suck at dancing.¡±


    All across the room are high schoolers who can¡¯t dance trying to dance; Rebecca and Christopher have very stiff robotic-movement, Alex is just doing clapping push-ups, Selina is dancing like one of those inflatable tube men blowing in the wind, Elizabeth is trying to pass off taekwondo kicks as dance moves, Ronnie has started up a conga line that nobody has joined, Carli is just lightly swaying back and forth, and Hamster is trying to do the funky chicken.


    ¡°Hey they aren¡¯t all that bad,¡± Zesti whispers back, ¡°In fact, there¡¯s four who are pretty good compared to the rest.¡±


    Zesti points to Marcus who¡¯s swinging his legs with a frenetic energy most in the room don¡¯t have.


    ¡°If he tried using his arms more then he¡¯d be very good,¡± Zesti states before pointing to Sammy, ¡°As for her, she isn¡¯t too afraid to do whatever dance move comes to mind, so she¡¯s much freer with her movements.¡±


    ¡°And for the other two?¡± Casey questions.


    ¡°Well, have you seen what they¡¯re doing?¡± Zesti asks, ¡°It¡¯s something that you can only see once in a lifetime.¡±


    The thing she is talking about is Randy Buzz having a dance-off with somebody. Randy does several backflips before doing the splits and twirling his legs around as he goes into breakdancing.


    ¡°Someone give me a fire beat!¡± Randy yells as he begins to spin on his head, ¡°Because I¡¯m going all out!¡±


    However as he spins on his head, he can¡¯t keep his balance up perfectly so he falls down on the ground. Leaving his opponent the victor of the match. And that opponent, who is doing the macarena in front of Randy¡¯s eyes, is Bennet the Hamster.


    ¡°...Why did I have a dance-off with a rat¡­.and lose?!¡± Randy groans as the adrenaline of being in a dance-off finally wears off.


    ________________________________


    The sun begins to set as the Dawnbreak Dance Studio closes up for the day, Zesti waves all of her students and now patrons a good night as she walks off. The others also begin to go their separate ways; Sammy has some hockey practice, Rebecca needs to attend her tutoring, Selina has work at the bookstore, Randy vanishes out of embarrassment, Christopher also has work at Hand-&-Hand Movers, and Hamster has to go take a tired Bennet back home. Meaning that the only people walking together are Ronnie, Elizabeth, Alex, & Marcus.


    ¡°Been a while since it¡¯s been just the 4 of us huh?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°Definitely feels like it,¡± Marcus states, ¡°We¡¯re still in the first month of school but so much has happened.¡±


    ¡°A bit too much if you ask me,¡± Alex groans


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Elizabeth says as the words she tries to say remain stuck in her throat.


    As the group keeps on walking, Elizabeth looks at the street and after seeing the name of it, she freezes. The group stops to turn and look at her.


    ¡°Hey, everything okay Elizabeth?¡± Marcus questions.


    ¡°Y-yeah,¡± Elizabeth lies, ¡°Though do you mind if we just take a different street?¡±


    ¡°Uh sure,¡± Ronnie, not really seeing the issue, responds.


    So the group of four friends take a right at the next intersection they spot instead of going down that road once more. However, as they walk down this road, the group spot an old yet familiar site.


    ¡°My god, how come we almost forgot about this place?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even remember the last time we went here,¡± Marcus adds.


    ¡°I can,¡± Elizabeth murmurs so none of them hear.


    Alex playfully slaps her on the back before saying, ¡°The last one in has to pay for the food!¡±


    The group of four all quickly try to rush into the restaurant, the one where they¡¯ve shared countless memories the year prior. The one where they¡¯ve helped a certain staff member in a way that could only be described as a miracle, before he too returned the favor.


    That restaurant, of course, is Burrito Bistro. And today, they¡¯d be in for one eventful feast there.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 15 - One Helluva Homecoming (2)

    Burrito Bistro; it¡¯s a small sit-down Mexican restaurant located on the north side where the food is great and the wait is practically nonexistent. Not too many people know about the place but those who do tend to go there often.


    Or at least that was the case a few months ago, but as the first four members of The Miracle Clinic enter the restaurant, they come to find it absolutely packed with patrons.


    ¡°Damn it our booth¡¯s taken,¡± Alex sighs as he sees a family of four sitting in the spot the group always used to sit at, ¡°Guess we¡¯ll take the tables.¡±


    ¡°Those are all taken too,¡± Ronnie points as a group of teens excitedly await their meal.


    ¡°Why are they so excited?¡± Marcus questions while Elizabeth shrugs.


    The group of teens squeals in excitement as the doors to the kitchen. The person who enters the lobby is a 17-year-old man with white skin, dark eyes, black earrings, and wavy dyed blonde hair with black highlights. He¡¯s wearing a black crewneck sweatshirt under a green apron, washed-out blue jeans, and black non-slip shoes. The man¡¯s name is Mesto-Presto, and he¡¯s one of the two employees at this place.


    ¡°Oh my god, it¡¯s him!¡± One of the teens shakes in anticipation.


    ¡°What¡¯s your skincare routine I gotta know!¡± Another asks him.


    ¡°I just use lavender shampoo and conditioner,¡± Mesto awkwardly remarks before he sets down the plate of nachos on their table, ¡°I hope you enjoy the meal, I made it myself!~¡±


    Several of the teens start taking pictures of the food while Elizabeth, Alex, Ronnie, and Marcus stare at Mesto. Mesto finally spots them and the two parties stare at one another.


    ¡°The usual?¡± Mesto asks in a much more casual tone.


    ¡°The usual,¡± Ronnie responds.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    Mesto sets a bowl of tortilla chips with some salsa down on an uneven wobbly table in the far corner of the restaurant. The four seated there are Marcus, Ronnie, Alex, & Elizabeth.


    ¡°Enjoy,¡± Mesto remarks in his customer service voice before switching to his regular voice, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you guys here in a while.¡±


    ¡°Yeah seems like a lot changed,¡± Ronnie states, ¡°How¡¯d the place get so fucking popular?¡±


    ¡°Mister Garcia opened up a Ninstagram page for the place,¡± Mesto states, ¡°we haven¡¯t had this many customers since Griffon used to work here.¡±


    ¡°Really glad to see you two bounce back up after what went down with Club Azure,¡± Marcus states.


    ¡°Y¡¯know bub,¡± Alex begins to suggest as he stuffs his face with some chips and salsa, ¡°If the money ever gets tight and the place becomes less popular, I heard you could make a killing off of child support.¡±


    Ronnie, Marcus, Mesto, and Elizabeth glance at Alex.


    ¡°What?! If it works, it works,¡± Alex defends.


    ¡°Thanks but no thanks,¡± Mesto remarks.


    The reason Alex mentioned child support is because Mesto actually has children, two twins by the name of Landon & Avery. They found out about it around the start of the year but that still hasn¡¯t changed the club¡¯s avid support of the restaurant nor did it change their friendship with the young restaurant worker. If anything it made them closer.


    ¡°You got any pictures of them?¡± Elizabeth asks excitedly.


    Without an ounce of hesitation, Mesto hands her his phone and the two begin to look through the photos of his kids. There¡¯s a picture of Landon watching TV, another of Avery having a tea party with her stuffed animals and Mesto, a picture of Mesto giving them a piggyback ride, and another of the two toddlers walking.


    ¡°THEY CAN WALK NOW?!¡± Elizabeth squeals in surprise.


    ¡°I know, they¡¯ve also finally said their first words,¡± Mesto states proudly, ¡°Landon¡¯s was ¡®dada¡¯.¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Aw,¡± Elizabeth sighs in delight.


    ¡°Avery¡¯s was ¡®poo poo head¡¯,¡± Mesto states ashamed.


    ¡°Aw,¡± Elizabeth sighs in slight disgust.


    ¡°You wanna see some other baby pics?¡± Alex asks as he takes out his phone, ¡°My baby cousin Lil Juan crawled across the whole house the other day!¡±


    ¡°Your cousin¡¯s name is Little One?¡± Mesto questions.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s Lil Juan.¡±


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s what I said, Little One.¡±


    ¡°No Lil Juan, JUAN,¡± Alex insists.


    ¡°Oh right, my bad,¡± Mesto apologizes.


    Elizabeth hands Mesto¡¯s phone to Marcus and he swipes through the gallery until he spots an interesting photo.


    ¡°Oh ho and what do we have here?¡± Marcus smugly declares as he hands Mesto the phone.


    The image Marcus swiped to is of his two kids, Landon and Avery, sleeping on a couch next to Ivory Dutchingson. Ivory is a now senior at Seastar High who has white skin, brunette hair in a long braid, green eyes, and is wearing a friendship bracelet. She¡¯s also the mother to Mesto¡¯s kids.


    ¡°We¡¯re just friends,¡± Mesto defends.


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Ronnie teases, ¡°Then why are you blushing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not blushing,¡± Mesto states.


    ¡°Sure you aren¡¯t,¡± Ronnie remarks before he gets a bright idea, ¡°Hey I know! We have a homecoming dance with Seastar High this weekend, Ivory¡¯s probably gonna be there. So why not come with and woo her over with your sick dance moves.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m flattered,¡± Mesto remarks, ¡°But I¡¯m a dropout, I don¡¯t think they¡¯d just allow me to waltz on in.¡±


    ¡°You could be our plus one,¡± Marcus suggests before adding, ¡°And hey, if you still went to school then this would be the last homecoming you got! Don¡¯t you want to go?¡±


    ¡°Marcus, the last homecoming I went to was in September of my freshman year,¡± Mesto explains.


    ¡°And?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°My children were born in June at the end of my freshman year,¡± Mesto explains.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Marcus realizes before questioning, ¡°Wait really?!¡±


    Mesto nods.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°Okay well uh- I don¡¯t really know what to say to that,¡± Elizabeth blushes out of embarrassment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Alex affirms.


    Ignoring Alex, Ronnie suggests, ¡°Listen enough of what you did in the past, what do you want to do now? Do you really want to spend what could be the last big dance doing dishes?¡±


    Mesto thinks about it and affirms, ¡°Yeah that sounds like a good night to me. Plus I¡¯d be able to spend time with my kids afterward. A night like that is all I could want, and it¡¯ll take a lot of convincing for me to believe otherwise.¡±


    Ronnie sighs, ¡°You aren¡¯t going to come to the dance?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Mesto responds, ¡°And it¡¯ll take a lot of convincing for me to so much as entertain the idea.¡±


    ___________________________


    The next day at the Dawnbreak Dance Studio, Zesti Champion and Casey Burns look impressed at someone who¡¯s able to do a perfect tango. That person being Mesto-Presto. Every dance partner he¡¯s with is easily carried through the movements regardless of whether they are good at dancing or not.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that person and how¡¯d you bring them here?¡± Miss Champion asks Ronnie. ¡°Does he need a job?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just a restaurant worker,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°And he agreed to do this after I promised to actually tip him.¡±


    Mesto finishes his dance with Carl Kim and asks, ¡°So who else needs to know how to dance?¡±


    Miss Champion steps up and remarks, ¡°Today we¡¯re gonna learn how to dance with partners, Casey and I will give out pointers when needed.¡±


    ¡°I will?¡± Casey asks only to get elbowed by Miss Champion, ¡°Yeah I will.¡±


    And so as the day continued on, the dance skills of everyone there began to improve more and more until they were all ready for the big day.


    _________________________


    Or at the very least, their dance skills are. Because there was still one key component to a dance that the group had forgotten about. One that Ronnie would soon get reminded of as he entered his home.


    ¡°Mom, I''m home!¡± Ronnie yells as he sets his backpack down by the front door.


    ¡°Hey, Ronnie!¡± Misses Sally Everst yells from the kitchen, ¡°You better not have set your backpack down by the door again!¡±


    ¡°I''m a sophomore now mom, I don''t do that anymore!¡± Ronnie lies as he picks up his backpack again.


    Ronnie walks towards the kitchen and starts to ask, ¡°Hey I wanted to know what¡¯s for dinn-¡±


    However, Ronnie wouldn¡¯t be able to finish asking his question as a familiar face would be standing in the kitchen. The person in the kitchen is a tall man with dark black skin, a bald head with a short black bead, a chiseled jawline, and a gold ring on his finger with the letters ¡®MSA¡¯ engraved onto it. The man is also wearing a gold chain around his neck, a tight-fitting gray t-shirt, blue jeans, and expensive-looking socks. The man was none other than Ronnie¡¯s uncle, Ryan Everst, the president of the fashion company ¡®Moon Shadow Affiliate¡¯.


    ¡°Hey Ronnie good to see you,¡± Ryan remarks as he gives him a hug.


    ¡°H-hey Uncle Ryan,¡± Ronnie questions nervously, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°What, is it a crime for me to see my favorite nephew?¡± Ryan questions.


    Sally interjects by adding, ¡°Don¡¯t forget about what we agreed about.¡±


    ¡°Right right,¡± Ryan remarks as he clears his throat, ¡°Now your mother here told me that you have a dance coming up.¡±


    ¡°Uh yeah,¡± Ronnie confirms.


    ¡°And I can¡¯t let my favorite nephew and his friends be caught wearing awful outfits now can I?¡± Ryan asks.


    ¡°I mean you can,¡± Ronnie responds.


    ¡°Yeah I could,¡± Ryan begins to say before adding, ¡°Or I could let you and your friends try out some outfits from our upcoming collection.¡±


    Ronnie¡¯s eyes widen in shock.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be free of charge too,¡± Ryan remarks before saying, ¡°The choice is yours, Ronnie. Do you want to dress to impress or not?¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 16 - One Helluva Homecoming (3)

    The Moon Shadow Affiliate; one of the most successful businesses in the entirety of Starlight City and a titan of the fashion industry. The Affiliate has built up goodwill among the citizens in Starlight City by offering their clothes for cheap to those living there and for free to those who need them.


    They¡¯re also the organization secretly in charge of five criminal organizations; Dirty Fang, The Massachusetts Boys, The Vignette, The Three Tees, & The Vignette. The groups give the MSA a portion of their profits and in turn, the MSA makes sure that the gangs avoid any massive legal repercussions and offer them more opportunities of success..


    And it¡¯s this company that Ronnie¡¯s uncle, Ryan Everst, is the president of.


    It¡¯s also this company that Ronnie Everst, Elizabeth Moore, Alex Smith, & Marcus Veridan are once again visiting. This time though, they¡¯re going to try a ton of clothes on.


    ¡°So are we getting paid for this?¡± Alex Smith asks as he stands in an elevator in MSA¡¯s main office.


    Alex, Ronnie, Elizabeth, & Marcus are all standing in the elevator as it ascends up several floors.


    ¡°We¡¯re getting free clothes out of this, good enough for me,¡± Elizabeth remarks.


    ¡°Surprised the other three said no to be honest,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°They don¡¯t know about the shady stuff with the MSA do they?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell Selina about that stuff but she already had her shift at the bookstore,¡± Marcus explains, ¡°Randy just didn¡¯t respond to our texts and Sammy said she wasn¡¯t feeling well.¡±


    ¡°Still, you guys okay with this? The MSA isn¡¯t exactly the-¡± Ronnie tries to say but the elevator doors open.


    Standing there are two individuals; one is a bodyguard working for the M.S.A., Terry Boats. Terry is a tall extremely muscular man who doesn¡¯t have an ounce of skin showing. He¡¯s wearing a white-&-red biker helmet with thick black lenses, a white-&-red striped scarf, a white-maroon-black sportbike jacket, a silver ¡®MSA¡¯ ring on his finger, white-maroon-back sportbike pants, black leather gloves, and white boots.


    The other individual is one of the head fashion designers, Ronald Sampson. He¡¯s a man with white skin, long legs, messy brown hair in a mullet, and a silver ¡®MSA¡¯ ring on his finger. Sampson is also wearing a red blazer over a white floral button-up, maroon bedazzled dress pants, black round sunglasses, and brown dress shoes.


    ¡°Glad you could make it, we¡¯ve got a ton of clothes that Delaware and I picked out for you guys,¡± Ronald says as he shakes all of their hands, ¡°The name¡¯s Ronald by the way.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± Alex remarks, ¡°Are you and Ronnie related?¡±


    ¡°No but he¡¯s my godson,¡± Ronald remarks casually as he walks over to the center of the room.


    In the room there are several cameras and recording equipment aimed at a giant green screen, however, all of them are deactivated. There are also countless racks of clothes littering the room, as well as some private changing rooms in the back. There¡¯s also a table with six chairs next to it, each with some scorecards in front of them.


    ¡°You guys can try anything you want on and we¡¯ll let you know if we think it¡¯s good for your school dance,¡¯ Ronald explains.


    ¡°Who are the other seats for?¡± Elizabeth begins to ask as she goes to grab one of the dresses.


    However, as Elizabeth pulls on the dress she hears a loud hissing noise as a cat jumps from within its hiding spot in the mountain of clothes and onto Elizabeth. Elizabeth stumbles back before falling to the ground with the cat on her face.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s where he went!¡± Ronald Sampson exhales, ¡°C¡¯mere Mister Fluffykins!¡±


    The American Shorthair Cat, Mister Fluffykins, stops hissing and trying to scratch Elizabeth¡¯s face as he elegantly walks over to Ronald and hops onto one of the chairs.


    ¡°H-he¡¯s gonna be one of the judges?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°The cat has an eye for these things,¡± The person who enters the room remarks, ¡°And so do I.¡±


    The group looks to see that the person who entered the room is a woman with white skin, long dirty blonde hair that¡¯s up in a bun, black glasses, green eyes, and has a mole under her left eye. The woman is holding a cup of herbal green tea and is wearing a purple-yellow-&-black sweater, black yoga pants, a silver ¡®MSA¡¯ ring on her finger, and cream-colored flat tops.


    ¡°Good to see you Brendy,¡± Ronald remarks as he takes his set before explaining to the kids, "She¡¯s Brenda Delaware to you.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly get proper notice of this so forgive me for my casual outfit,¡± Brenda apologizes as she sips her tea.


    ¡°Yeah Ryan kinda sucks at scheduling doesn¡¯t he?¡± Ronald remarks.


    Terry nods in agreement.


    ¡°And yet he¡¯s always the last one to arrive,¡± The next person to arrive remarks.


    That person is Sally Everst¡¯s coworker at the tattoo parlor and fashion model for the MSA, Santiago Hernandez. Santiago is a Hispanic man with black hair tied up in a man bun, round glasses, green eyes, a thin mustache, a nose piercing, and several tattoos across his body including one of the moon on his chest. He¡¯s wearing a black leather jacket with no undershirt, black jeans, and black boots.


    ¡°How long is this going to take?¡± Santiago remarks as he lights a cigarette.


    However before he can smoke, the cigarette gets put out by someone. Santiago looks in shock as standing behind him is Ryan Everst. He¡¯s wearing a black wool jacket with purple engravings, a cream colored crewneck sweatshirt with purple-&-black stripes at the bottom and end of the sleeves, black denim pants, and black running shoes.


    ¡°I told you smoking isn¡¯t allowed in here Santiago,¡± Ryan utters coldly before changing into a joyful tone, ¡°We don¡¯t want to make our clothes smell bad now don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Santiago grumbles as he tosses the cigarette away,


    As the members of the MSA take their seats, Ronnie sighs as he looks at all of his options.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯re just guinea pigs to try out all of their fashion ideas,¡± Ronnie whispers.


    ¡°At least guinea pigs get paid,¡± Alex whispers back.


    ¡°Guinea pigs don¡¯t get paid,¡± Marcus whispers.


    ¡°I know I just wanted to get paid,¡± Alex whispers back.


    ¡°Oh yeah sure take your time on deciding,¡± Uncle Ryan remarks as he stands there, ¡°I¡¯ll just be here¡­ waiting.¡±


    ¡°Alright I guess we can try stuff on,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°Hopefully none of these outfits are too high fashion and are just random bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Oh please they know it¡¯s just for our school dance,¡± Elizabeth sighs, ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have us do that¨C¡±


    FIRST OUTFITS


    Ronnie is dressed as an orange, Elizabeth as a pear, Marcus as an apple, and Alex as a bunch of grapes.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s truly marvelous,¡± Ronald snickers.


    ¡°Ronald, Brenda, what were you smoking when you designed these?¡± Santiago questions, ¡°And where can I get it?¡±


    Brenda begins to explain, ¡°Oh you see there¡¯s this guy who stays at the corner between Marble Road & Step¨C¡±


    ¡°You can change into your next outfits,¡± Uncle Ryan remarks.


    SECOND OUTFITS


    Ronnie is wearing an all-pink bedazzled suit with pink gloves and black sunglasses. Alex is wearing an all-cyan bedazzled suit with cyan gloves and black sunglasses. Elizabeth is wearing an all-green bedazzled suit with green gloves and black sunglasses. Lastly, Marcus is wearing an all-red bedazzled suit with red gloves and black sunglasses.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°The coordination is on point,¡± Brenda remarks.


    Mister Fluffykins licks his paws.


    ¡°It feels too powerful for a high school dance though,¡± Ryan adds, ¡°Maybe for a talent show.¡±


    ¡°It could work but I¡¯m no dreamer so next outfit please,¡± Terry remarks.


    THIRD OUTFITS


    Ronnie, Alex, Marcus, & Elizabeth are all wearing regular clothes but over them are pallas.


    ¡°THIS ISN¡¯T ANCIENT GREECE!¡± Alex yells as he looks at his garments.


    ¡°Actually the Ancient Romans wore those,¡± Brenda corrects, ¡°But yeah this isn¡¯t the best outfit. Next!¡±


    FOURTH OUTFITS


    Ronald, Ryan, Santiago, Brenda, Terry, & Mister Fluffykins look impressed at the four teens'' latest outfits.


    ¡°Yeah, I got no issues with this,¡± Santiago remarks.


    ¡°You¡¯re all dressed to impress,¡± Ronald adds, ¡°Which means you¡¯re all set for success!¡±


    ¡°Bravo!¡± Brenda states before sipping her tea.


    Mister Fluffykins purs in approval.


    ¡°You¡¯ll definitely be the ones shining bright at the dance,¡± Terry utters.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have said it better myself!¡± Uncle Ryan laughs, ¡°You¡¯re all ten out of ten!¡±


    OUTFITS COMPLETE!


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Ronnie states as he begins to walk away, ¡°So now all that''s left is the big day.¡±


    _____________________


    And the big day finally arrives as each and every one of the students at Seastar and Starlight High alike get ready for the big homecoming dance.


    At The Everst Family Home, Ronald is standing at the door wearing a navy blue button-up, white dress pants, and black dress shoes. His mother Sally. Uncle Ryan, and godfather Ronald Sampson are all taking photos of him. Ronald¡¯s cat Mister Fluffykins is sitting on Ronald¡¯s shoulder looking proudly at Ronnie.


    ¡°How many photos do you guys need?¡± Ronnie gasps, ¡°I¡¯ve been standing here forever!¡±


    ¡°As many as we want my handsome young man!¡± Sally remarks as she takes another photo.


    Ronnie sighs as he realizes this is going to be a long time waiting.


    _____________________


    At The Moore¡¯s Apartment Room, Elizabeth is quickly chowing down on some B¨²n ch? as she makes sure to not let it stain the clothes she¡¯s wearing; a light blue somewhat-fluffy dress underneath a black leather jacket and some red ballet flats. Her parents and siblings, Hai Vhan Moore and Nhung Thi Moore, are also there eating dinner.


    ¡°Don¡¯t they have food at the prom?¡± Mrs. Moore questions.


    ¡°They do?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Yes, now get going, you don¡¯t want to be late!¡± Her father encourages her.


    ¡°Okay! Okay!¡± Elizabeth says as she adjusts her shoes and walks to the door, ¡°Bye, love you!¡±


    ____________________


    At The Sanchez household, Alex stands at the door in an all-black suit. He has to go down the line of relatives and say his goodbyes before leaving. First, he hugs his Abuela, Yesenia Sanchez, then hugs his Aunt Lula & Uncle Luis, then hugs his Uncle Jose & Aunt Camila, gives a light high five to his 1-year-old cousin Lil Juan, a hug to his twin cousins Liliana & Carmen, then a big hug to his mother Juanita and a firm handshake with his father Mateo.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to not stay out too late!¡± Alex remarks as he walks down the steps outside his home and hops on his cousin¡¯s newly upgraded kiddy pink bicycle¡­with training wheels. Still it¡¯s better than having to use their tricycle which he broke.


    His family all shouts goodbye to him, but since they¡¯re all saying different things Alex isn¡¯t sure what they¡¯re all saying as he pedals away.


    Though as he pedals away, he spots a familiar face on a scooter. It¡¯s Randy Buzz, who put way too much hair gel on and too much cologne. Randy¡¯s wearing a white helmet with red spikes, a pink polo shirt, and white khaki pants.


    ¡°You going golfing or something?¡± Alex chuckles.


    Flustered Randy yells, ¡°Oh yeah? I think my outfit looks great and I totally didn¡¯t forget about the dance!¡±


    ¡°Sure sure,¡± Alex remarks, ¡°Race you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going down!¡± Randy retaliates.


    ___________________________


    At the door to a poorly lit apartment, Sammy Becken makes her way to the front door as she adjusts her red off-the-shoulder dress. She¡¯s also wearing a necklace with an upside-down omega symbol.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading out to homecoming,¡± Sammy announces.


    The other person there, her half-brother, sits in a red leather chair and is covered in shadows as he watches the TV.


    ¡°Have fun or whatever,¡± Her half-brother remarks.


    ¡°Make sure to turn on the lights before it gets too late,¡± Sammy reminds him.


    ¡°Yeah yeah, like I¡¯d forget,¡± Her half-brother jokes.


    Sammy closes the door and leaves. Her half-brother continues to watch TV, forgetting all about the conversation he just had.


    _______________________________


    On one of the trains to the east side that¡¯s crowded with high schoolers, Marcus Veridan is standing next to his now-sister Selina Gulvonac. Marcus is wearing a brown button-up shirt that isn¡¯t quite buttoned all the way, white disco pants, and black loafers. His hair is also slicked back minus a strand on the side that refuses to get pushed back. Selina on the other hand is wearing a black buttoned vest over a short-sleeved white button-up, a checkered tie, black dress pants, a black fedora, and checkered shoes.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s certainly a look,¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my outfit?¡± Selina questions, ¡°At least I know how to button correctly.¡±


    ¡°Nothing nothing,¡± Marcus remarks, ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect it from you.¡±


    ¡°Same for you,¡± Selina mentions.


    Since Marcus didn¡¯t button the shirt up all the way, some of his tattoos that he tries to hide are a bit visible.


    ¡°And how do you have those?¡± Selina questions.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to tell you,¡± Marcus remarks, ¡°But we¡¯d be here for a while.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, how long can it be?¡± Selina jokes.


    Marcus sighs, ¡°I tried to warn you.¡±


    Though just as Marcus is about to describe his five-chapter-long backstory, the train stops abruptly causing him to bump into someone.


    ¡°Oh sorry,¡± Marcus begins to apologize.


    ¡°It¡¯s all good,¡± The person responds, ¡°Though I didn¡¯t expect you to take the train.¡±


    Marcus and Selina look to see who it is. Marcus recognizes him immediately but both he and Selina try to hold back their laughter.


    ¡°Pfft, hey Mesto,¡± Marcus snickers.


    ¡°Hey Marcus,¡± Mesto sighs, ¡°Look I can explain alright.¡±


    An hour ago at Burrito Bistro, Mesto was trying to clean off the tuxedo he was planning to wear for the dance. One of his children, Landon, threw up on it after not feeling good.


    ¡°Why today of all days,¡± Mesto grunts as he tries to rub the stains out.


    Seeing his plight, his boss Cedro Garcia walks over holding something.


    ¡°You know Mesto, over the past few years of getting to work with you,¡± Mister Garcia begins to say, ¡°I¡¯ve come to see you as a son.¡±


    Touched Mesto can¡¯t help but say, ¡°Mister Garcia! I¡¯m touch¨C¡±


    The words Mesto was trying to say all vanish from his mind as he sees what his boss is holding.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Mesto asks, trying to hide his disgust.


    ¡°This? It¡¯s the tuxedo I wore to my wedding,¡± Cedro Garcia responds, ¡°I married the love of my life in this and we were able to spend the best years of our lives together.¡±


    ¡°She must have loved you very much,¡± Mesto grimaces at the sight.


    ¡°Since your suit is ruined,¡± Cedro Garcia begins to say, ¡°I want you to wear this.¡±


    Mesto looks at the tuxedo his boss is holding, then back at his ruined suit, and sighs saying, ¡°Of course I¡¯d wear that. Thanks for everything you¡¯ve done for me.¡±


    Back in the present, Mesto is walking out of the train station with Marcus and Selina. Mesto is wearing a cheetah tuxedo with a cheetah tie.


    After hearing the reason behind why he¡¯s wearing that, Marcus can¡¯t help but remark, ¡°Awe that¡¯s sweet of you.¡±


    ¡°Th-thanks,¡± Mesto says in embarrassment.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve worn the other suit but you¡¯re quite the nice guy,¡± Selina says before asking, ¡°Also sorry but who are you? I don¡¯t think we met¨C¡±


    Before Selina can finish they hear a loud laughter coming from ahead of them as Ronnie, Elizabeth, and Alex can¡¯t help but laugh at Mesto¡¯s suit. They¡¯re standing outside the banquet hall where the joint homecoming is to be held, Alex¡¯s cousin¡¯s pink bicycle with training wheels is tied down to a metal bike rack.


    ¡°Yep this is what I expected,¡± Mesto sighs.


    ¡°Boy are you an eyesore!¡± Alex chuckles.


    Sammy walks across the street to join the group, though as they stand there and chat, Mesto spots Ivory Dutchingson walking up the stairs to the banquet hall. She¡¯s wearing a white faux fur coat over a black silk dress, long black gloves, and thigh-high black boots. Her hair is also tied up by several pins and she is wearing bright red lipstick.


    Mesto seems a bit nervous so Ronnie puts a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry you got this man,¡± Ronnie encourages, ¡°Go talk to her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah and if things don¡¯t work out, I heard the zoo is in need of some more animals,¡± Alex jokes before getting elbowed by Elizabeth.


    ¡°Thanks, guys,¡± Mesto says before he approaches Ivory.


    As he walks over to her, Ivory notices him, and the two lock eyes. Ivory¡¯s eyes widen as a bubbly smile grows on her face, though her face contorts into a mortified one as she lays eyes on Mesto¡¯s suit.


    As the two begin to chat and walk up the stairs, Ronnie turns to look at the others.


    ¡°You guys ready to head up?¡± Ronnie asks.


    The others agree, though just as Ronnie is about to make his way up them, he spots a black limousine making its way down the street.


    ¡°Oh hey wonder who was able to afford that,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    The limousine gets closer to Ronnie without stopping.


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna slow down, right?¡±


    It doesn¡¯t slow down.


    ¡°Shit.¡±


    Ronnie closes his eyes and a look of pure terror morphs onto Elizabeth¡¯s face as the limousine is about to crash into the teen.


    Except it doesn¡¯t, it just barely manages to stop in time.


    ¡°What the hell?!¡¯ Alex roars as he rolls up his sleeves and walks over to the front window, ¡°THERE¡¯S BEING A SHITTY DRIVER AND THEN THERE¡¯S WHATEVER THE FUCK YOU ARE!!!¡±


    The driver steps out from the limo and cackles, ¡°Did I give you guys a nice scare, Stupid-cle Clinic?¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t even a good insult,¡± Marcus sighs, ¡°And you could¡¯ve killed him!¡±


    ¡°Yeah but I didn¡¯t,¡± The driver cackles, ¡°But I gotta say, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen your puny faces!¡±


    Ronnie makes eye contact with the driver and realizes he¡¯s a student at Seastar High.


    ¡°How are you even allowed to drive that?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°My dad¡¯s a limo driver, so I just ¡®borrowed¡¯ his keys,¡± The sophomore taunts.


    The person has white skin, brown eyes, a light mustache, and a brown mullet. He¡¯s also wearing a dragon tuxedo and black dress shoes. That person is Draco Maleby.


    ¡°Remember me?¡± Draco questions as he raises an eyebrow.


    ¡°No,¡± Ronnie, Marcus, Alex, and Elizabeth answer bluntly.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 17 - One Helluva Homecoming (Finale)

    ¡°Remember me?¡± Draco Maleby questions as he raises an eyebrow.


    ¡°No,¡± Ronnie, Marcus, Alex, and Elizabeth answer bluntly.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Draco shouts completely stunned, ¡°B-but I made sure to strike fear into your hearts when you visited Seastar High!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t recall ever seeing your face,¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°We fought at that bodega!¡± Draco insists as he shakes Alex.


    ¡°I think I can recognize faces well,¡± Alex remarks, ¡°And I¡¯ve never seen your face.¡±


    ¡°This is-¡± Draco begins to pout, ¡°THIS IS BULLSHIT! I CHALLENGE YOU ALL TO A DANCE OFF PRONTO!!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re good,¡± Ronnie, Marcus, Alex, Elizabeth, Sammy, and Selina all answer in unison.


    ¡°What are you chicken?!¡± Draco tries to insult as he begins to flap his arms around and yell out, ¡°BAWK! BAWK!¡±


    The group slowly begin to walk away, keeping their distance from Draco, however before they can do so, they hear someone shout out, ¡°If it¡¯s a dance-off you want, THEN IT¡¯S A DANCE-OFF YOU¡¯LL GET!¡±


    The group all turn to see who shouted that to see it is none other than The Buzzing Brawler himself, Randy Buzz. Drenched in sweat, his hair a mess as he has his helmet off, and trying to lock up his scooter, if there¡¯s one thing he clearly needs it¡¯s a win.


    Selina snorts as she begins to laugh at Randy¡¯s current state. A bit of Randy¡¯s pride sinks somehow even further but he¡¯s too distracted with Draco to care.


    ¡°You¡¯re on you northern boy!¡± Draco says as he makes his way into the hall, ¡°Don¡¯t go crying to mommy when I mop the floor with you!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? We¡¯ll see who¡¯s the one sobbing on the dance floor at the end of this!¡± Randy shouts as he follows.


    Ronnie, Marcus, Alex, Sammy, and Selina stand there puzzled.


    ¡°Should we head in too or wait?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Wait for who?¡± Selina asks.


    ¡°Just some friends we know from Seastar High,¡± Alex explains.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s them,¡± Marcus says as he waves at two people.


    Those two people are Vanessa Deli & Blanko Deck. Two sophomores at Seastar High who they had a run-in with in December of the year prior. While they started off not on the best foot, they were able to patch things up between one another and now are on good terms.


    Vanessa Deli has white skin, long black hair with purple highlights, and blue eyes. For tonight she¡¯s wearing a yellow suit jacket and button-up, black leather pants, and black high heels. As for Blanko Deck, he has white skin with several freckles, messy ginger hair, green eyes, sharp teeth, has a slit on one of his eyebrows, and now has a small beard growing on his chin. Blanko¡¯s also wearing a green suit over a white button-up, red and blue striped tie, brown loafers, and black gloves.


    ¡°Vanessa! Blanko! So good to see you guys again!¡± Marcus says as he goes in to hug the two.


    Blanko reciprocates the friendly hug but Vanessa very frantically takes some steps back to avoid the hug. Sammy has a look of recognition but decides to keep quiet.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice seeing you all too,¡± Vanessa nervously admits.


    ¡°Nice beard bro,¡± Alex compliments Blanko.


    ¡°Thanks, man,¡± Blanko eagerly says as he pulls on his beard hair, ¡°Though I¡¯m gonna shave it off soon. I¡¯m just happy I can finally grow a beard after all the waiting.¡±


    ¡°Well then with everyone here, let¡¯s go in!¡± Ronnie declares.


    As the group enters the dance floor, Ronnie realizes that one of the members of their group is no longer with them, Elizabeth Moore. As the group gets caught up in the swarm of people, Ronnie figures now would be a good time to check up on her.


    _______________________


    At the center of the dance floor though, the flashing colorful lights all shine down on a crowd of students as they are all anticipating the dance-off between the representative for Seastar High, Draco Maleby, and the representative for Starlight High, Randy Buzz.


    The song that the DJ is playing begins to fade out as Draco remarks, ¡°Whichever person wins goes to the better school?¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Randy snickers as a new song begins.


    As the new song begins, everyone in the room can¡¯t help but turn to look at the center of the dance floor as Draco and Randy stare off at one another.


    With all the eyes on Randy, the freshman can¡¯t help but start to feel nervous.


    Did he make a mistake in initiating this? He just wanted to look cool? What if he loses?


    However, his worries fade as he hears some familiar voices shout out to him.


    ¡°KICK HIS ASS RANDY!¡± Selina shouts.


    ¡°YOU GOT THIS LIL GUY!¡± Christopher, who¡¯s in an all-white suit, shouts from the crowd.


    ¡°WE BELIEVE IN YOU!¡± Hamster, who¡¯s in a regular tuxedo, encourages.


    ¡°DON¡¯T LET THE DANCE LESSONS BE IN VAIN!¡± Zesti Champion shouts from across the room.


    Bennet The Hamster gives a nod of approval.


    And after hearing that, all ounce of worry leaves Randy¡¯s mind as he begins to tap his feet.


    ¡°Hey, wanna hear what the buzz on the street is?¡± Randy asks before answering his own question, ¡°THIS!¡±


    Randy begins to moonwalk circles around Draco, Draco¡¯s eyes can¡¯t believe what he¡¯s seeing as Randy has one hand on his head acting as if this is the easiest thing known to man.


    However, Draco sticks out his leg on Randy causing him to fall, though just as he¡¯s about to hit the ground Draco grabs him by the shirt. Randy¡¯s eyes widen in surprise but Draco drops him before trying to tea-bag on him.


    Randy rolls out of the way just in time as he effortlessly gets back up.


    Randy begins to shimmy his way over to Draco.


    Draco begins to shimmy his way over to Randy.


    Just inches between them, the two are shimmying at one another, malice and hatred in Draco¡¯s eyes while Randy¡¯s is filled with smugness.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    In the crowd, Christopher & Hamster are making sure Selina is recording every second of this.


    Draco does the funky chicken, his moves are so fluid that one might mistake him for an actual rooster.


    Randy then begins to break it down before he begins to spin on his head. He then finally does a somersault to get back up on his feet.


    Nervous and getting tired, Draco does the unthinkable by tossing his blazer at Randy, revealing that he was wearing another more sparkly blazer underneath the other blazer. Draco begins to thrust his hips as he catches a rose someone in the crowd tosses to him with his mouth.


    The two begin to aggressively tango together, both trying to trip one another through the whole dance.


    Wanting to settle this once and for all, Randy does the ultimate dance move. A legendary dance move that''s been passed down throughout the generations, each one refining and perfecting it to the masterpiece it is today.


    Randy puts his right foot in.


    He puts his right foot out.


    He puts his right foot in and shakes it all about.


    Randy then does the hokey pokey and he turns himself around.


    ¡°THAT¡¯S WHAT IT¡¯S ALL ABOUT!¡± Randy and the rest of the crowd chant.


    ¡°N-no that move it¡¯s so,¡± Draco begins to say as he faints, ¡°Marvelous.¡±


    With the dance-off finished, both Starlight and Seastar High students alike flood the whole dance floor and lift Randy up into the air.


    ¡°I knew you could do it!¡± Christopher shouts.


    ¡°Way to go!¡± Hamster yells.


    Bennet, who¡¯s also crowd surfing, gives Randy a thumbs up while sipping a very tiny mocktail.


    ¡°Wow Randy, I didn¡¯t think you could be cool,¡± Selina remarks.


    ¡°Me, heh, I¡¯m always cool baby,¡± Randy remarks as he puts on blue-slotted glasses.


    ¡°Randy please keep your mouth shut,¡± Selina hisses, ¡°You¡¯re ruining the moment.¡±


    As the crowd continues to lift Randy up in the air, a group of three are standing by the edge of the dance floor. Those three being Ivory Dutchingson, Mesto-Presto, and X Locke. X still has his messy blonde hair covering his eyes but he¡¯s wearing a black button-up underneath a red suit jacket, black dress pants, and black dress shoes.


    ¡°Seems like everyone¡¯s having a good time,¡± Ivory, the student council president of Seastar High, states.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± X Locke, the student council president of Starlight High, agrees, ¡°Thanks for helping your dad agree to have this joint homecoming. It¡¯s turning out better than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Oh please,¡± Ivory shrugs off the compliment before giving her own, ¡°You were the one who helped with a ton of the decorations and even got the DJ¡±


    ¡°Yeah he¡¯s one cool DJ huh,¡± X Locke says as he waves at the DJ for the event, Casey Burns.


    Casey Burns jovially flips X off before waving back at him.


    ¡°By the way, you look great in that outfit,¡± X compliments Ivory before nudging Mesto, ¡°Don¡¯t you agree, Mesto?¡±


    Startled Mesto replies with an, ¡°Absolutely!¡±


    Ivory laughs at the very endearing compliment before hearing a slow song begin to play, ¡°Sorry X but I¡¯ll chat with you later.¡±


    As she drags Mesto to the dance floor, X gives a thumbs-up.


    As the two begin to dance away, the two start off with a bit of friendly chatter.


    ¡°You know when I first saw you I was really happy you came,¡± Ivory remarks.


    ¡°I know,¡± Mesto confidently teases.


    ¡°Yeah but then I saw what you were wearing and a part of me wished you didn¡¯t,¡± Ivory teases back.


    ¡°I know,¡± Mesto groans.


    ¡°But still, it¡¯s sweet that Garcia would do that for you,¡± Ivory remarks.


    As the two continue to dance, the world around them begins to slip away as Ivory¡¯s hands go from being atop Mesto¡¯s shoulders to by his sides while Mesto¡¯s go lower down her waist.


    ¡°Hey listen,¡± Ivory begins to say, ¡°About what we used to be. I was wondering if¡­maybe¡­you wanted to try that again?¡±


    ¡°Which part are you talking about?¡± Mesto questions with a knowing smile, ¡°¡®cause if it¡¯s the thing I¡¯m thinking about I think your dad would actually kill me this time.¡±


    ¡°Oh hush up you!¡± Ivory blushes as she playfully hits Mesto on the arms, ¡°You know that I didn¡¯t mean that.¡±


    ¡°I know I know,¡± Mesto sighs calmly, ¡°But are you serious about wanting to try again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, do you not want to?¡±


    ¡°To be honest with you, before going here I thought I had all I could want,¡± Mesto says as he and Ivory move closer together, ¡°But it turns out I wanted just a bit more.¡±


    ¡°So is that a yes?¡±


    As the song reaches its crescendo, Mesto leans in towards Ivory and gives her a kiss. The two stand still for a bit, savoring the moment they''re sharing, before eventually pulling away as the song ends.


    ¡°Does that answer your question?¡± Mesto smiles.


    Ivory softly smiles at the answer.


    ______________________


    By one of the walls of the banquet hall, several of the faculty members who had to attend the event are all chatting. They¡¯re all in their regular outfits making small talk with one another. Aken Amnestor is talking with the Principal of Seastar High Ian Dutchingson about the new changes going on at both schools, Wilsten Jefferson is complaining to a very unamused Sam Penningberg about the DJ, Jolyne Joggers is making sure none of the students get too adventurous, and Zesti Champion is handing out food as well as drinks to the students. She¡¯s also the only faculty member dressed up as she has on crystal earrings and a simple white dress.


    Elsewhere in the banquet hall, Marcus is seated at a table eating food with Vanessa and Blanko.


    ¡°Not a fan of the sandwiches they¡¯re giving out?¡± Marcus asks as he eats one of the mini deli sandwiches.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had them since I was a young kid,¡± Vanessa Deli explains as she has some peppermint candy, ¡°They make me feel gross.¡±


    ¡°Well while we¡¯re here, why not try playing some rat slap,¡± Blanko suggests as he takes out a deck of cards.


    ¡°I¡¯m game!¡± Someone shouts as he sits down at one of the open chairs.


    Blanko looks to see that the person who sat down is none other than the wild card of a human, Crunch Backson. Standing beside him is Suzy Dark. For homecoming, Crunch Backson has heavy eyeliner on and is wearing a white-&-black striped suit over a white button-up, a black tie, and black loafers. Suzy Dark is wearing a black goth Lolita dress.


    ¡°CRUNCH!¡± Blanko shouts in delight.


    ¡°BLANKO!¡± Crunch shouts back.


    The two do a secret handshake before Blanko begins to compliment, ¡°I¡¯m messing with the fit!¡±


    ¡°Thanks Suzy actually picked it out for me and I picked out her¡¯s,¡± Crunch explains.


    ¡°He still hasn¡¯t watched the movie,¡± Suzy sighs.


    ¡°But hey man, have you gotten stronger since the last time we met?¡± Crunch questions.


    ¡°You bet! And I¡¯m ready for a rematch whenever you are!¡± Blanko remarks.


    As Crunch and Blanko continue to be buddy-buddy, Marcus and Vanessa wonder how those two even met to begin with.


    __________________________


    Ronnie continues to look around the dance floor for Elizabeth. At first, he passes by Rebecca whose in a polka dot dress, then by Hamster & Bennet who are doing the macarena, then by Christopher and Alex who are trying to start up a conga line, then Sammy who is busy messing with Victor and Trisha to ask Ronnie if he finally remembers her, then he passes by Carli whose standing shocked as she watches Evan along with Bernard and Georgia drink some alcohol they managed to smuggle into the dance.


    But alas Ronnie doesn¡¯t find Elizabeth, that is until he notices a door leading outside of the hall is open. He opens the door to see that it''s to a stairway, he walks up the stairs to see that it leads to the rooftop. Now that he gets there, he sees Elizabeth sitting on the rooftop, looking out towards the city as the sun is starting to set.


    Ronnie sits down next to her. After a while, he asks, ¡°So, you like the sunset?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Elizabeth admits, ¡°I just needed to clear my head a little.¡±


    ¡°How come? You¡¯ve been a bit off recently, everything good?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°I¡¯m acting off? If anything it¡¯s you guys,¡± Elizabeth opens up, ¡°I don¡¯t know how you guys can be so normal after that.¡±


    ¡°Is this about the senior thing or-¡±


    ¡°The car accident.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...yeah.¡±


    ¡°Hey listen-¡±


    ¡°I thought if I got stronger then I¡¯d be able to stop what happened in the cafeteria from happening again,¡± Elizabeth vents, ¡°But I was wrong. I couldn¡¯t stop Cameron from getting hurt, and I couldn¡¯t stop you from getting hurt either. And whenever I feel bad about it I feel even worse for being so selfish. You were the ones who got hurt! Not me! So how come I can¡¯t move on?¡±


    Ronnie is silent.


    ¡°Hanging out with everyone has been some of the most fun I¡¯ve had,¡± Elizabeth admits, ¡°I¡¯m scared of losing that. Of losing you all.¡±


    ¡°Elizabeth, you aren¡¯t gonna lose any of us anytime soon,¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°Promise?¡±


    ¡°Promise. And you shouldn¡¯t feel bad about having those thoughts, even if they aren¡¯t true,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°Who was the one who helped Cameron when he needed it the most? Who was it that¡¯s always put up with mine and the other¡¯s nonsense? And who¡¯s been the one that¡¯s been with us on some of the most fun moments of our lives?¡±


    A slight smile emerges from Elizabeth¡¯s face as Ronnie continues, ¡°You¡¯re plenty strong, but you shouldn¡¯t feel bad about the stuff that wasn¡¯t your fault. And hey, you and everyone else suffered more than I did back then. All I did was have a long nap.¡±


    ¡°A ¡®long nap¡¯ is a bit of an understatement don¡¯t you agree?¡± Elizabeth groans.


    ¡°Would you have preferred I said a lengthy rest?¡± Ronnie jokes.


    ¡°Y¡¯know did anyone tell you that you have a real way with words?¡± Elizabeth laughs.


    ¡°Oh please like you¡¯re any better,¡± Ronnie laughs.


    As the two laugh, Elizabeth stands up, dusts off her dress, and responds, ¡°Thanks, Ronnie.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Ronnie remarks as he stands up, ¡°Let¡¯s head back down, I know Alex & Christopher are starting a conga line and we gotta be a part of it.¡±


    ¡°You bet.¡±


    As the two make their way downstairs, they join the rest of their peers as they celebrate one helluva homecoming. One that those who attended would look back on fondly. Whether it was all of the songs they danced to, the discussions they had, or the new friends they all made, each person there had some pleasant memory from the whole experience.


    It would be one of the last pleasant memories they¡¯d all share together, at least for a long while. Since in just a few months, the lives of everyone throughout the city would be permanently altered as a dark and thunderous storm was fastly approaching.


    One that threatened to sweep them away.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 18 - One Helluva Homecoming (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Seeing You More Often


    As the homecoming is coming to an end, Mesto and Ivory are walking out of the building, both holding each other¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you around more often y¡¯know,¡± Ivory says.


    ¡°I figured since we¡¯re now dating and everything,¡± Mesto replies.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean just that,¡± Ivory remarks, ¡°Did Garcia not tell you?¡±


    ¡°Not tell me what?¡± Mesto questions.


    ¡°I got a job at Burrito Bistro as a delivery driver,¡± Ivory explains before she kisses Mesto on the cheek, ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow hon¡¯!¡±


    As Ivory walks away, Mesto stands there stunned for a second before he begins to blush some more.


    SUN SHORT #2 - Cleaning Up The Homecoming


    Late in the evening, the homecoming dance has finally come to an end with the once-packed banquet hall now being almost empty. The only people left in there are Aken Amnestor, who got the short end of the stick when it came to which faculty would close up the place, and two people that Amnestor hired to help clean up.


    ¡°Sorry that you guys had to come over here on such short notice,¡± Amnestor explains.


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem, Mister Amnestor!¡± One of the cleaners remarks, ¡°Whether it¡¯s cleaning up after a bunch of reckless teens without notice, walking your pets, or even writing up a cover letter for you that nobody will read! There¡¯s nothing we won¡¯t do as long as you pay us, that¡¯s our motto!¡±


    The person who shouted at that sales pitch is a member of the group ¡®The Three Ts¡¯, Timothy McGee. Tim has blonde hair split down the middle, blue eyes, freckles, and white skin. He¡¯s also wearing a green janitor uniform.


    The other cleaner there is the second member of ¡®The Three Ts¡¯, Thomas Dolby. Tom has dark skin, a poofy black afro, a tall muscular body, and blue eyes with round glasses over them. He¡¯s also wearing a similar green janitor uniform.


    ¡°Kinda weird to see a homecoming dance though,¡± Tom admits, ¡°Never really had a chance to go to one of these.¡±


    Hearing that Amnestor says, ¡°You know there¡¯s actually another reason why I called you guys to help.¡±


    ¡°Oh really and what¡¯s that?¡± Tim grins.


    ¡°You need help with talking to the Misses?¡± Tom jokes.


    ¡°I was chatting with Griffon the other day and he told me you guys knew something about this guy or something,¡± Amnestor begins to say.


    ¡°Oh really, and who would that be?¡± Tom laughs.


    ¡°Someone going by the alias of ¡®The Phantom¡¯,¡± Amnestor answers, ¡°I know it sounds like a silly name but he said you heard about them-¡±


    Amnestor falls silent as he sees the expressions on the other two¡¯s faces. What just a few seconds ago were jovial and smiling faces were now something different. They were cold. Their eyes piercing through Amnestor¡¯s very soul causing him to break out into a cold sweat.


    ¡°The Phantom, huh?¡± Tim hisses.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t heard that name in a long time,¡± Tom sighs, ¡°And I wished it remained that way.¡±


    Tim looks around the room for a second to make sure nobody is there as he tells Amnestor, ¡°Listen Amnestor, nothing good ever comes from digging up skeletons out of closets.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re glad Tim-Tom was busy today too,¡± Tom remarks, ¡°I don¡¯t know how he¡¯d handle hearing that name on the anniversary.¡±


    ¡°The anniversary?¡± Amnestor questions.


    Tim and Tom look at each other realizing they said too much.


    ¡°Listen Amnestor, what we say right now stays in this room, okay?¡± Tom says.


    Amnestor nods, unsure of what he should do.


    ¡°Okay then,¡± Tim begins.


    As both Tim & Tom begin to describe what went down that fateful day, Amnestor finally discovers the truth that was hidden from him by the faculty at Starlight High who were there on that day. Though in doing so, Amnestor has now stared into the belly of a horrid beast.


    And it stared back at him.


    SUN SHORT #3 - Anniversary


    At the Starlight City Correctional Center, two people sit in a visiting room separated by a glass wall. A father and a son.


    On one end is Tim-Tom Pitt, leader and final member of The Three Ts. He¡¯s got black hair, gray eyes, white skin, a piercing by his mouth, tattoos on his arm, and a round scar on the center of his right hand. He¡¯s wearing a black long-sleeve t-shirt, orange camo pants, an orange camo jacket tied around his waist, and beige high tops.


    On the other end is Jerry Pitt, a former member of the Moon Shadow Alliance and former CEO of Club Azure. He¡¯s a middle-aged man with white skin, a bald head, gray eyes, a black bushy beard, and a muscular build.


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    ¡°So pops, how''s life been behind bars?¡± Tim-Tom questions as he sits on a chair.


    ¡°It¡¯s been just fine,¡± Jerry remarks.


    ¡°Good Good.¡±


    ¡°Though I¡¯m curious as to why it¡¯s taken you so long to visit me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m still pretty ticked off that your subordinate wedged a corkscrew through my hand,¡± TIm-Tom answers, ¡°and we both know the only reason I¡¯m seeing you is because of her.¡±


    The room falls silent at the reminder.


    ¡°Has it really been three years?¡± Jerry asks.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Tim-Tom remarks, ¡°not a day goes by that I don¡¯t miss her you know.¡±


    ¡°Same here, your sister really was the best of us, huh?¡±


    ¡°There you go again showing who¡¯s the favorite child,¡± Tim-Tom groans.


    ¡°Tammy wouldn¡¯t be doing what you¡¯re planning to do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well, I¡¯m sure Tammy would despise you if she ever learned the kind of man you really are like I did,¡± Tim-Tom remarks as he stands up.


    As he walks to the door, Tim-Tom proceeds to flip off his father. Though just as he places his hand on the door handle, Jerry calls out to him.


    ¡°You can stop this son¡± Jerry pleads, ¡°I don¡¯t want you turning out like me.¡±


    Tim-Tom pauses as he contemplates everything for a moment.


    He turns around to look his dad in the eyes and he tells him, ¡°C¡¯mon Jerry, you know I¡¯ve got quite the rebellious streak going on. But if it''s worth anything, once I find out who that murderer is, I¡¯ll make sure to mail you The Phantom¡¯s heart. You got that?¡±


    And with those final words, Tim-Tom leaves the room.


    SUN SHORT #4 - Respect The Gains


    At the Dawnbreak Fitness & Health Center, Christopher is chatting with Alex & Ronnie by one of the water coolers.


    ¡°So yeah, Mister Aromdee¡¯s been a real help, I¡¯ve learned so much from him!¡± Christopher states proudly.


    ¡°I hoped that was the case considering he¡¯s a Muay Thai instructor n all,¡± Ronnie groans.


    ¡°That¡¯s good bro,¡± Alex replies, ¡°Though maybe now you can stop shoving protein powder into all of your foo¨C wait is that who I think it is?¡±


    Ronnie and Christopher look to see that walking up to them is Blanko Deck and Vanessa Deli. Vanessa has her hair up in a ponytail and is wearing black baggy sweatpants, a black t-shirt underneath a zipped up white-purple windbreaker jacket, white fingerless gloves, and gray high tops.


    ¡°Woah Vanessa nice outfit,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°Th-Thanks, I¡¯m just here because Blanko kept on saying I should go to the gym,¡± Vanessa remarks.


    Hearing those words, Alex, Ronnie, and Christopher look at Blanko. A smug grin emerges from Blanko¡¯s lips as the group all decide they should have a bit of fun.


    ¡°This is your first time?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Yeah so don¡¯t judge me too much if I don¡¯t get things right,¡± Vanessa says.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry we won¡¯t do such a thing,¡± Ronnie playfully remarks.


    ¡°Okay if you say so,¡± Vanessa sighs with slight hesitation.


    The first station they go to is one with a bench press. Vanessa sits down as Christopher spots her. Vanessa wraps her hand around the bar and begins to do some sitting pull-ups. Ronnie, Alex, and Blanko try to hide their laughter while Christopher explains how to properly do the bench press.


    After a few reps and cleaning off the station, they go to a bicycle machine. Vanessa has both feet on one step and after a rotation jumps to the other step. As she does this even Christopher can¡¯t help but laugh at it. Embarrassed, Vanessa steps off the machine and begins to walk away.


    ¡°This is pointless! I¡¯m not gonna come back,¡± Vanessa groans as she exits the gym.


    ______________________


    The next day Christopher, Ronnie, Alex, and Blanko look amused as they see Vanessa enter the gym once more.


    ¡°You forgot that you paid for a whole gym membership didn¡¯t you?¡± Blanko asks.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Vanessa sighs, ¡°Though this time you guys better show me how to do these all properly okay?¡±


    Though as she walks over to one of the machines, Vanessa can¡¯t help but crack a smile at her own foolishness the other day.


    SUN SHORT #5 - An Adorable Little Stalker


    Selina and Marcus are making their way home from the dance when they spot Mister Fluffykins on the sidewalk ahead of them.


    ¡°A stray cat?¡± Selina questions.


    ¡®Oh no, that¡¯s just Mister Fluffykins,¡± Marcus remarks as he pets Mister Fluffykins, ¡°How did he even get here?¡±


    After getting petted, Mister Fluffykins walks away.


    ¡°What an adorable little guy he is,¡± Marcus remarks.


    What the two weren¡¯t aware of though, was that this would be the start of seeing Mister Fluffykins everywhere they went.


    When they were at a club meeting, they¡¯d spot Mister Fluffykins through the window.


    When Selina had a shift at the bookstore, she¡¯d see Mister Fluffykins sitting atop one of the many bookshelves.


    When Marcus went to eat at Burrito Bistro, he¡¯d see Mister Fluffykins there at the register.


    When the two would get home they¡¯d see Mister Fluffykins.


    When trying to brush their teeth? Mister Fluffykins would be eating their toothpaste.


    When trying to sleep? Mister Fluffykins would stare at them through a window.


    When waking up? Mister Fluffykins would be the first sight they see.


    Eventually, they¡¯d stop seeing Mister Fluffykins everywhere they went. Whether he got bored and left them alone or he just got better at hiding they didn¡¯t know.


    And they never will.


    SUN SHORT #6 - Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue¡­


    ¡°You should buy some spider lilies,¡± Gabriel Griffon insists, ¡°I think they¡¯d suit you.¡±


    He¡¯s telling this to a customer at his own store, the Griffon Botany Shop. Next to him on the front counter is his pet rat, Limon. The person he¡¯s talking to is a 19-year-old Hispanic lady with long black hair and gray eyes. She¡¯s wearing an oversized grunge black t-shirt with black & red stripes, tight jeans, a rhinestone belt, and black boots. Her name? Marcy Murphy.


    ¡°That¡¯s a nice joke, Griffon,¡± Marcy remarks.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t joking,¡± Griffon says with a charming smile on his face, ¡°But hey listen, I take it you didn¡¯t come all this way just because you missed me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be right.¡± Marcy sighs, ¡°Got news from one of the messengers that The Massachusetts Boys are going to be expanding their territory more and more soon.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Griffon questions as he feeds Limon some cheese crumbles, ¡°And you¡¯re telling me this why?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just concerned what would happen to you if they thought about taking over your place and you were none the wiser,¡± Marcy insists as she begins to leave.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so worried Miss Murphy,¡± Gabriel Griffon says as he looks at his wall of sharp gardening tools, ¡°If anything, I¡¯d be happy if they decided to come and give me a visit."


    "Oh yeah, and why is that?" Marcy questions.


    "I¡¯ve been running low on some good fertilizer," Gabriel answers.


    SUN SHORT #7 - It Should Be An Easy Task, Right?


    In a busy parking lot, people of all ages are walking toward Starlight City¡¯s Central Mall. Whether it¡¯s to get groceries, go shopping for clothes, try out the food court, play at the arcade, or even just walk around -- the mall has a little something for everyone. Though not everyone is extremely enthused to walk into the mall since standing by the entrance of the mall is a weary Elizabeth Moore.


    Elizabeth is wearing a green tracksuit jacket that¡¯s barely zipped over a gray tank top, a black baseball cap, aviator sunglasses she got from the east side, green tracksuit pants, and black high tops. She¡¯s currently on the phone with her parents.


    ¡°I told you it¡¯s okay,¡± Elizabeth says through the phone, ¡°I can pick up some of the stuff at the mall, you guys just focus on picking up Hai & Nhung from school¡­.okay, bye love you.¡±


    As she hangs up though she can¡¯t help but sigh since the last time she was here was during the holiday season¡­the same holiday season that she got kicked out of the mall.


    ¡°Guess I gotta keep a low profile,¡± Elizabeth murmurs to herself as she enters the mall, ¡°Should be easy¡­right?¡±


    Little did she know that keeping a low profile on that day would in fact not be easy.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 19 - Misadventures At The Mall (1)

    Starlight City¡¯s Central Mall.


    It is Starlight City''s largest mall located entirely within the central district of the city. In it customers and employees alike explore the bustling mall, checking out the four floors filled with unique stores. On the first floor, there¡¯s a giant ice rink, the second has a giant arcade, the third has an aquarium, and the fourth holds a movie theater.


    It¡¯s in this crowded mall we find Elizabeth Moore, trying to make her way through the swarm of people as she looks at the list of stuff she needs to get for her family


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">A bottle of rare olive oil</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">A new picture book for Nhung</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">A new game controller for Hai</li>


    </ul>


    <ul>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">A new grater</li>


    </ul>


    After putting the list back into her pocket, she continues through the mall looking for a store. Whenever she¡¯s gone here she¡¯s always done so as errands for her family. Looking at the families going to the movie theater, the kids staring mesmerized at the fishes, the couples skating across the ice, and the friends messing with one another at the arcade; it makes Elizabeth realize she¡¯s never truly gone here just to ¡®have fun¡¯¨C


    Before Elizabeth can continue down this train of thought, she bumps into someone walking the other way.


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry-¡± Elizabeth begins to apologize as she turns to see who she bumped into.


    To her surprise though, she sees that it¡¯s Sammy Becken, a fellow member of the club she is in. Sammy has her hair in a ponytail and is wearing a black long-sleeved crop top, ripped orange cargo pants, and blue tennis shoes.


    ¡°Sammy?¡± Elizabeth questions.


    ¡°Eli?¡± Sammy remarks.


    Sammy walks over to Elizabeth and gives her a quick hug before saying, ¡°I¡¯m glad I got to see you! I was getting bored just hanging around here all by myself!¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Elizabeth says through her discomfort, ¡°And please just call me Elizabeth?¡±


    ¡°Okay okay,¡± Sammy says as she sits down at a nearby bench.


    Elizabeth sits next to her and her mind starts to race. While they¡¯re both in the same club the two have rarely interacted, which usually is fine because they have some other friends with her then. But here? It¡¯s just the two of them, and Elizabeth has absolutely no idea what to discuss with her. She doesn¡¯t know her interests, her hobbies, her passions, what she dislikes, absolutely nothi¨C


    ¡°Hey, I like your tracksuit you got on,¡± Sammy says as she sips a can of soda, ¡°You wanna make good use of it?¡±


    Elizabeth looks a bit confused at Sammy¡¯s remark.


    ¡°I mean do you wanna hang out?¡± Sammy questions.


    Before Elizabeth can even process the question, forgetting that she isn¡¯t supposed to draw attention to herself, she agrees with a, ¡°Yes.¡±


    Hearing those words a pit of dread fills Elizabeth¡¯s stomach as a playful grin escapes onto Sammy¡¯s face.


    ¡°Then what are we waiting for,¡± Sammy remarks as she grabs Elizabeth¡¯s hand and runs through the mall, ¡°Let¡¯s have some fun!¡±


    Elizabeth, not wanting to get dragged, runs alongside her as the two reach their first destination; a Moon Shadow Affiliate outlet store that has several clothes for cheap.


    ¡°You wanna try some stuff on?¡± Sammy asks as she looks at a nice burgundy-colored scarf.


    ¡°To be honest,¡± Elizabeth sighs, ¡°N-not really, I just had a whole fashion show with trying on outfits for the homecoming.¡±


    ¡°Oh okay,¡± Sammy sighs as the two move on to the next store, her eyes taking one last glance at the nice burgundy scarf.


    As they walk to the next store, Elizabeth begins to wonder if maybe she should have just gone in the store, Sammy seemed to really like that scarf, and even if she didn¡¯t want to go, Sammy did-


    ¡°Nice glad to see they got some new stuff,¡± Sammy remarks as she marches into a toy store.


    Elizabeth looks at the cheeky wooden walls, the kids all begging their parents to buy them toys, and Sammy standing in the crowd looking at a Rubix cube. Elizabeth walks into the toy store, making sure to not trample over any of the screaming and sprinting toddlers, and makes her way towards Sammy.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were a fan of toys,¡± Elizabeth remarks.


    ¡°What, you think they¡¯re too kiddy?¡± Sammy proclaims.


    Elizabeth falters as she says, ¡°Well- No- I-¡±


    ¡°Relax Eli,¡± Sammy says, ¡°I¡¯m just messing with ya. I just like playing with them because they make me happy. Whether it¡¯s Rubix cubes, fidget spinners, beyblades, dominoes¨C heck even board games, playing with them brings me a sense of joy, y¡¯know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Elizabeth and yeah I guess I can see that,¡± Elizabeth says as she looks at the Rubix cube, ¡°Y¡¯know I think my little sister has one of these, maybe you two can compete with one another to see who can solve it faster?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sammy says as her eyes sparkle.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°I was just kidding,¡± Elizabeth sighs.


    _____________________________


    In the aquarium, Elizabeth walks around, her feet hitting the cobblestone below them, as she stares mesmerized at all of the fish swimming all around her. The aquarium is like one giant loop where all the walls and ceiling are a part of the large fish tank. A school of angelfish separate as they avoid a starfish, tiny hermit crabs make their way across the sandy floors of the aquarium¡¯s tanks, and bright orange clownfish swim through the vibrant coral decorated across the tank.


    ¡°Pretty cool right?¡± Sammy says while trying to solve her recently bought Rubix cube.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Elizabeth exhales as the blue of the waters in the tank illuminate her face.


    The two teens stand there for a bit, watching the fish swim by,


    Homework, studying, club meetings, buying some groceries, and all the other worries that the two have wash away as the tranquility of the place lets them get absorbed into the moment.


    That is until, Sammy finally solves her Rubix cube which causes her to exclaim a triumphant, ¡°Yes!¡±


    _____________________________


    The next place Sammy & Elizabeth go to is the movie theater.


    ¡°You wanna see if we can sneak past security?¡± Sammy teases.


    ¡°What?¡± Elizabeth questions.


    ¡°Yeah it¡¯s actually pretty easily done,¡± Sammy explains, ¡°My cheapskate of a half-brother and his girlfriend do this all the time when they watch a film together.¡±


    Elizabeth is a bit hesitant to go along with it, and her concern only heightens when she sees a security guard start to approach them. However, it isn¡¯t just an ordinary security guard but one for the mall.


    The guard has a navy blue security guard button-up shirt over a white t-shirt, a navy blue hat, blue cargo pants, and black loafers. The guard also has long shaggy hair dyed neon red which is tied up into a ponytail, white skin, fang-like teeth, and a pretty muscular body.


    Not wanting to get kicked out, Elizabeth grabs Sammy¡¯s hand and runs out of the movie theater. The guard yells at them to stop but Elizabeth keeps on running.


    ¡°We gotta go!¡± Elizabeth says.


    ¡°Uh, okay!¡± Sammy replies as she begins to run too.


    Though as Elizabeth continues to run, Sammy slowly catches up to her, her fear of getting caught slowly begins to fade away as a new feeling takes over¡­excitement.


    However, that excitement wouldn¡¯t last for long as the two would hear someone snarl, ¡°HALT!¡±


    Elizabeth & Sammy look behind them to see that the security guard is running on all fours straight towards them, and he¡¯s fast. Real fast.


    Elizabeth & Sammy quickly take an escalator down a floor, however, the security guard hops onto the railing of the escalator and grinds down to where Elizabeth and Sammy are. He hops down on the step ahead of them.


    There¡¯s nowhere left to run.


    ¡°Wh-what do you want?¡± Elizabeth asks, frightened.


    ¡°What do I want?¡± The guard begins to pant, ¡°I need you to¡­¡±


    Elizabeth stops as she recognizes the man¡¯s voice, the guard takes off his hat revealing he is none other than... Crunch Backson?!


    ¡°Zip up your pockets! We¡¯ve been getting reports about pickpocketers lately,¡± Security Guard and manic Junior of Starlight High Crunch Backson reports.


    ¡°Oh thank god,¡± Elizabeth sighs in relief before asking, ¡°Crunch? How come you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°What happened to your hair?¡± Sammy questions.


    The three reach the bottom of the escalator and Crunch explains, ¡°I got a job here as a security guard, they told me I couldn¡¯t have green hair so I had to dye it.¡±


    ¡°I think they wanted you to dye it to a normal color,¡± Elizabeth sighs, ¡°But still thanks for the input.¡±


    ¡°No problem, safety first!¡± Crunch remarks as he begins to walk away.


    As Elizabeth also scurries off to somewhere else in the mall, Crunch decides to check his notes that his supervisor left him.


    ¡°Remind people to zip up their pockets if they can, tell people safety first, yadda yadda yadda,¡± Crunch reads off, ¡°And make sure the banned people from the mall don¡¯t enter. The two people banned from this mall are Alex Smith and Eliza-¡±


    Crunch¡¯s eyes widen as he reads Elizabeth Moore¡¯s name on the list. Crunch quickly looks around but he doesn¡¯t see Elizabeth or Sammy anywhere.


    ¡°So they wanna play cat-&-mouse huh?¡± Crunch sighs as he puts his note back in his pocket, ¡°No worries, I love a good chase!¡±


    The other mall goers who are by Crunch quickly walk away, a mother holds their child closer as they pass by the very strange man.


    __________________________________________


    On the first floor, Elizabeth and Sammy catch their breath as Sammy shouts, ¡°Wow you can run real fast!¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Elizabeth gasps as she puts her aviators into her pocket, ¡°I try to keep a good cardio.¡±


    ¡°Well if you wanna get some great cardio I know just the place!¡± Sammy shouts.


    Elizabeth looks at Sammy confused.


    __________________________________


    Her legs shaking, Elizabeth clings to the wall as she and Sammy are one of the several people in the ice rink at the mall. Being a hockey player, Sammy has no problem skating across the ice rink. But for Elizabeth? She¡¯s holding onto the wall for dear life as she slowly shimmies her way across the rink.


    Seeing Elizabeth struggle, Sammy skates on over and asks, ¡°Hey you all good?¡±


    ¡°N-nope!¡± Elizabeth shivers as she adjusts her helmet.


    ¡°Yeah sorry, I didn¡¯t think about whether or not you knew how to skate. This your first time?¡±


    ¡°Y-y-yes.¡±


    ¡°Well don¡¯t worry,¡± Sammy says as she extends her hand over to Elizabeth, ¡°I¡¯ll show you the ropes, we can take things slow.¡¯


    ¡°Promise?¡±


    ¡°Promise.¡±


    Hesitantly, Elizabeth takes one of her hands off of the wall and grabs Sammy¡¯s. She begins to calm down as Sammy motions for her to kick off the wall and start to skate.


    Elizabeth kicks off the wall and¡­she begins to glide across the ice!


    ¡°I-I¡¯m doing it?¡± Elizabeth questions before realizing, ¡°I¡¯m doing it! I¡¯m actually doing it!¡±


    ¡°Now place your other foot on the ice and-¡± Sammy begins to instruct.


    However she won¡¯t get the chance to finish her sentence as Elizabeth goes for the move only to immediately trip. Elizabeth falls on her face and she brings Sammy down to the ground with her. The two slowly ¨C and painfully for Elizabeth ¨C slide across the ice until they reach a wall where Elizabeth finally brings her head up.


    Dazed and confused, Elizabeth and Sammy look a bit embarrassed at the tumble before they start to giggle. Then chuckle. And then laugh. However, someone else joins in on their laughter, causing the two to stop laughing.


    As Elizabeth gets back up, she sees Sammy¡¯s once playful face turn into one of rage.


    ¡°Hey runt, mind falling again?,¡± The person who laughed says as he shoves some popcorn into his mouth, ¡°I want to get another angle of your face all pathetic-looking!¡±


    The person who said that is sitting in the bleachers. He has white skin, light brown spiky hair, amber eyes, and black earrings. He¡¯s also wearing a white ripped denim jacket over a sky blue t-shirt, black denim pants, a gold chain necklace, a gold chain bracelet, several chrome rings, white Air Force shoes, and he¡¯s wearing too many belts all across his body.


    There is also a person sitting next to him playing on an electric blue 3DS. She¡¯s half-caucasian half-japanese, has dark brown hair in a twintail style, and brown eyes. She¡¯s also wearing a Vocaloid-inspired Electric Blue Sports Bike Jacket, white undershirt, black-electric blue flannel skirt, black stockings, and green sneakers.


    ¡°You know them?¡± Elizabeth asks Sammy.


    ¡°They¡¯re Parker Duggar and Quinn Overton,¡± Sammy growls, ¡°A.K.A. my nemeses.¡±


    Elizabeth takes a second to process what she said and questions, ¡°I¡¯m sorry your what?¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 20 - Misadventures At The Mall (2)

    ¡°You know them?¡± Elizabeth asks Sammy.


    ¡°They¡¯re Parker Duggar and Quinn Overton,¡± Sammy growls, ¡°A.K.A. my nemeses.¡±


    Elizabeth takes a second to process what she said and questions, ¡°I¡¯m sorry your what?¡±


    ¡°Oh please Samuel,¡± Parker teases.


    ¡°That¡¯s not my name,¡± Sammy retorts.


    ¡°Eh close enough, but still I¡¯m surprised you consider us to be your nemeses,¡± Parker laughs, ¡°It would be so funny if it wasn¡¯t so stupid.¡±


    ¡°Well with all the belts you had on I thought you¡¯d have been whipped into shape, ¡®fraid that isn¡¯t the case.¡± Sammy teases.


    ¡°I¡¯m making a fashion statement,¡± Parker says as he flaunts all of the belts he has on his outfit, ¡°Not like you¡¯d know what that is.¡±


    Elizabeth counts the belts Parker has on; two on each arm, three on his torso, one on his waist, and two on each leg.


    ¡°Jesus Christ dude how long did that take to put on?¡± Elizabeth questions as she¡¯s almost impressed by Parker¡¯s outfit if it wasn¡¯t so stupid, ¡°And how do you guys know each other?¡±


    Quinn, not taking her eyes off of her 3DS, answers, ¡°Ran into each other after getting coffee, had a scuffle, now it tends to be on sight if we ever cross one another¡¯s paths¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the trip down memory lane,¡± Parker says before looking at Sammy, ¡°You ready to go crying back to mommy?¡±


    ¡°Me crying?¡± Sammy says as she leaps over the small divider between the ice rink and lands next to the two, ¡°You sure you aren¡¯t talking about yourself.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, you want all the smoke,¡± Parker begins to say as he sends his fist towards Sammy, ¡°SO LET¡¯S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE THE FLAMES!¡±


    Though just before the fist can reach her, someone catches it. Someone Elizabeth feared seeing again.


    ¡°All right you boy and girls,¡± Crunch says as he lets go of the fist, ¡°How about you settle this peacefully before I have to kick you all out.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Parker groans, ¡°I guess there¡¯s one thing we can do.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ______________________


    In the arcade, several kids are running around having a good time. Near the front of the arcade are a group of five. Sitting atop an arcade cabinet is Crunch Backson where standing on the ground are Parker Duggar, Quinn Overton, Sammy Becken, & Elizabeth Moore.


    ¡°The rules are simple, you need to race through 5 of the most popular attractions here,¡± Crunch explains, ¡°Whoever gets the overall highest score wins while the losers get kicked out of the mall and I¡¯ll have to call their parents to go pick them up.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be necessary,¡± Parker remarks, ¡°I¡¯m 23.¡±


    Hearing that Sammy begins to laugh, ¡°Imagine being twenty-three and having beef with a child! How pathetic can you be!¡±


    ¡°What did you say!¡± Parker roars as he tries to fight, but Quinn stops him.


    ¡°Seriously dude, you aren¡¯t helping your case,¡± Quinn remarks.


    As the terms are set the group of five makes their way to the first arcade game, ¡®whack-a-mole¡¯.


    Parker and Sammy are up for this round.


    ¡°You might as well text your mommy now,¡± Parker banters, ¡°because we¡¯re gonna win all of these.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah? I¡¯ll make you eat those words!¡± Sammy shouts as the game of whack-a-mole begins.


    _________________________________


    On the west side of town, a game of Little League is going on in the park¡¯s run-down baseball field. Sitting in the bleachers amongst the other spectators are two members of The Massachusetts Boys; Frankfurt ¡®Fall River¡¯ Schulz and the third-in-command ''Cambridge'' who is obscured in shadows.


    Frankfurt is wearing a black polo shirt, blue jeans, and black tennis shoes while Cambridge is wearing a black bomber jacket over a green t-shirt, light brown cargo pants, and beige high tops.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Fall River says as he watches the game, ¡°Why¡¯s that Duggar kid No. 7 in the whole gang? He should be a complete nobody.¡±


    ¡°Well you should be taking it up with Boston if you want to complain about the rankings,¡± Cambridge says as he watches the game, ¡°But I can take a guess as to why he¡¯s so high ranked.¡±


    ¡°Well, you mind spilling the beans?¡±


    ¡°What do you think makes someone good when they come up to bat?¡± Cambridge remarks.


    A kid on the field is up to bat, the pitcher sends him the ball and the kid hits it with all his might, sending the ball flying.


    ¡°It¡¯s explosiveness, being able to give it your all without much build-up,¡± Cambridge explains.


    However, as the baseball goes flying, it ends up being a foul ball.


    ¡°Though just explosive power isn¡¯t enough to make you a great player,¡± Cambridge continues, ¡°If you want to be truly great then you¡¯re going to need¡­¡±


    The kid tries again as the baseball is sent his way, and this time when he slams his bat into the ball, the baseball goes flying out of the park, getting him a home run.


    ¡°Precision,¡± Cambridge finishes.


    ¡°And how does this relate to Duggar?¡± Frankfurt grumbles.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple, not only is he filled with a potent amount of explosive strength,¡± Cambridge answers, ¡°But he¡¯s damn precise with it too. I¡¯d be worried for anyone on the receiving end of his attacks.¡±


    ___________________________________


    Back at the arcade, Sammy, Elizabeth, and even Crunch stand there shocked at the sight that they¡¯re seeing.


    The score was 300-20, with Parker winning the whack-a-mole game¡­except all of the toy moles that he whacked with the foam hammer were hit so hard that they''re all scattered across the ground in several tiny little fragments.


    ¡°Sorry but I think we¡¯ll have to move on to the next machine,¡± Parker says in delight, ¡°Though if you wanna give up and call your mommy that¡¯s fine with me!


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 21 - Misadventures At The Mall (Finale)

    ¡°Sorry but I think we¡¯ll have to move on to the next machine,¡± Parker says in delight, ¡°Though if you wanna give up and call your mommy that¡¯s fine with me!


    Elizabeth, Sammy, and Crunch all stare at the broken whack-a-mole machine in shock. While Sammy tends to just go with the flow, Parker is much more focused on precise attacks. This whack-a-mole game was his for the taking from the start.


    ¡°Point one for Parker & Quinn,¡± Crunch says, ¡°You guys ready to move onto the next game?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Quinn sighs as she puts away her 3DS.


    With Sammy down in the dumps, Elizabeth decides to step up for the second game.


    GAME 2 - AIR HOCKEY


    Elizabeth and Quinn stare at each other from opposite ends of the air hockey table.


    ¡°Kick her ass, Quincy!¡± Parker yells.


    ¡°You got this!¡± Sammy shouts.


    As Crunch is ready to toss the puck into the air hockey stand, Elizabeth decides to not hold anything back.


    ¡°3-2-1 let¡¯s play!¡± Crunch announces as he places the puck on the air hockey table.


    Elizabeth quickly hits the puck with her paddle sending it flying towards Quinn¡¯s side of the table.


    The puck slides into Quinn¡¯s goal, giving Elizabeth & Sammy the point.


    ¡°What the hell!¡± Parker shouts, ¡°You didn¡¯t even try to hit it!¡±


    ¡°My bad,¡± Quinn states as she takes the puck out of the goal and hits it over to Elizabeth.


    Elizabeth hits it back to Quinn and¡­ it immediately goes into the goal with zero effort.


    Parker has another freakout while Sammy rejoices, and Elizabeth wonders if she has some sort of hidden talent for air hockey.


    Quinn takes the puck out of her goal and once again sends it to Elizabeth¡¯s side. Elizabeth sends it over to Quinn¡¯s side. However, unlike before, Quinn manages to finally hit it back towards Elizabeth. Unfortunately for her, Elizabeth sends it back at her and it goes in the goal just like before.


    ¡°Guess Elizabeth & Sammy won this round,¡± Crunch admits.


    ¡°I demand a recount!¡± Parker groans.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Parker, your team¡¯s win earlier was just a fluke!¡± Sammy teases.


    ¡°Oh yeah? Let¡¯s see about that,¡± Parker remarks.


    GAME 3 - CRANE GAME


    ¡°First one to get anything out of the crane game wins the round,¡± Crunch explains.


    First up is Parker, who manages to get a precise and perfect placement of the crane¡­.though when he goes to get the toy, it slips and falls.


    As Parker curses out the game, Sammy is next and she decides to go for the same toy Parker went for¡­ the same results happen.


    Quinn is next and she accidentally presses the button on the crane before she can move it, wasting her turn.


    Elizabeth is next as she goes for the toy in the corner, however, the crane gets stuck on the wall and can¡¯t reach the toy.


    The process goes on for what seems like hours; Parker, Sammy, Quinn, Elizabeth, Repeat. Parker, Sammy, Quinn, Elizabeth, Repeat. Parker, Sammy, Quinn, Elizabeth, Repeat. Each time Parker goes, he gets worse and worse as he¡¯s lost all steam, all the while Quinn begins to get better and better.


    ¡°HOW MUCH LONGER IS THIS GOING TO TAKE!¡± Parker shouts.


    ¡°I¡¯ll flip a coin and whichever side it lands on determines who won this game,¡± Crunch offers.


    The four agree and Crunch tosses the coin in the air. It falls through the sky before he catches the coin; heads.


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Great!¡± Sammy states, ¡°Who¡¯s heads though?¡±


    ¡­..


    ¡°Let¡¯s do the coin toss one more time,¡± Crunch states.


    GAME 4 - PUNCHING BAG ARCADE


    With Sammy & Elizabeth winning that last coin toss, the group of five reach their next game; one of the punching bag arcades that you hit and it tells you your score. The two who step up to the plate are Sammy & Quinn.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, I¡¯ll go easy and only use my feet for this,¡± Sammy remarks as she places her hands behind her back.


    She goes to kick the punching bag, however her kicks aren¡¯t as good as Elizabeth¡¯s & Blanko¡¯s, so she ends up missing the bag and kicking the machine.


    Parker laughs at Sammy¡¯s dumb mistake while Quinn makes her way to the punching bag.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°My leg¡¯s sore but it¡¯s nothing a good day of rest won¡¯t fix,¡± Sammy winces, holding back tears.


    Quinn is up and to everyone¡¯s surprise, she delivers a straight punch directly to the bag, the machine shaking as she does so.


    ¡°Atta girl,¡± Parker remarks, ¡°I was wondering how long it¡¯ll take for you to finally have warmed up.¡±


    Elizabeth and Sammy look to see despite the stoic look she has, there¡¯s a fire burning through Quinn¡¯s eyes, one that grows by every second. Crunch takes a look to see the score on the machine only to see it read ¡®ERROR¡¯.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m quitting today,¡± Crunch groans, ¡°Otherwise I¡¯d be very upset at you breaking all these games!¡±


    GAME 5 - D.D.R.


    Both Quinn and Elizabeth step onto their respective DDR pads as Crunch sets the difficulty to the max. As the song begins to play, Elizabeth is a bit hesitant. Quinn is immediately playing near perfectly, stepping on the arrow pads with a fervor and speed that begins to attract a crowd. All the while Elizabeth is barely getting any of the moves right.


    She¡¯s sloppy, rushing, not knowing what to do.


    Agreeing to this bet was a mistake.


    She should¡¯ve never gone out on the ice rink


    She should¡¯ve never followed Sammy.


    She should¡¯ve never-


    ¡°Elizabeth!¡± Sammy shouts through the crowd.


    Elizabeth looks stunned to see Sammy looking¡­calm.


    Sammy softly says, "It doesn¡¯t matter, just take it slow and have fun.¡±


    Hearing those words, Elizabeth begins to feel at ease and she begins to do better in the game. Maybe she can-


    The song comes to an end, and with it, the winner is decided as Quinn Overton.


    GAME OVER!


    ¡°Hey,¡± Quinn says as she goes to shake Elizabeth¡¯s hand, ¡°Good game.¡±


    ¡°Uh yeah,¡± Elizabeth says, ¡°Though I guess that means you guys won.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, guess it does,¡± Quinn begins to walk away with Parker before saying, ¡°You weren¡¯t half bad though, see you around Stranger.¡±


    Parker flips Sammy & Elizabeth off as he walks away too. Before Sammy and Elizabeth can talk though, Crunch kicks them out of the mall as promised before calling up their parents.


    ¡°My parents are on a business trip,¡± Sammy tells Crunch, ¡°And my half-brother¡¯s busy.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Crunch says as he hangs up, ¡°Guess I¡¯ll just call Eli¡¯s parents.¡±


    As Crunch begins to call them off of Elizabeth¡¯s phone, the two teen girls sit by the sidewalk, both are a bit of a mess due to all they got up to today.


    ¡°Hey about the whole day,¡± Elizabeth begins to say, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Sorry? How come?¡± Sammy questions.


    ¡°I just¡­kept on failing today, I ran away from the movies, fell when we skated, didn¡¯t go to the clothes shop when you wanted, and now lost the whole bet with those two you hate.¡±


    ¡°Yeah that did happen,¡± Sammy states bluntly, ¡°But, that doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°How come?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Because I got to get to know you more,¡± Sammy remarks, ¡°And you¡¯re pretty cool in your own right.¡±


    Not knowing how to take the compliment, Elizabeth shuts down for a bit before Sammy adds, ¡°And hey at least you won a round of that. I lost both of mine because I was too arrogant.¡±


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s true,¡± Elizabeth sighs before asking, ¡°Why¡¯d you try to kick the punching bag?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t even know!¡± Sammy laughs.


    Elizabeth laughs too and the two teens turned friends laugh at the whole day they got to have together.


    That¡¯s when the two hear the honking of a car, and when they look they see it¡¯s being driven by Elizabeth¡¯s parents, with her two younger siblings, Hai & Nhung, in the back.


    ¡°You uh, you need a ride back home?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Sammy happily accepts.


    And so the two enter the red minivan.


    ¡°Elizabeth, how come we got a call saying you were kicked out of the mall, and whose she?¡± Misses Moore questions.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a long story on how that happened,¡± Elizabeth explains, ¡°And as for Sammy she¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Her friend,¡± Sammy answers, ¡°Nice to meet you all.¡±


    ¡°Well nice to meet you, Sammy,¡± Mister Moore remarks, ¡°Sorry that the car is a mess.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Sammy remarks.


    As the car continues to drive off Elizabeth focuses on that word Sammy said¡­ a friend.


    Elizabeth looks out the window and smiles softly.


    ¡°By the way sweetie,¡± Mrs Moore begins to say, ¡°Did you manage to get the stuff from the mall?¡±


    Hearing those words; Elizabeth realizes she completely forgot and sinks into her chair. The red minivan ends up turning around and enters the parking lot of the mall. Mister & Misses Moore step out of the car and hand the keys to Elizabeth.


    ¡°Eli, you keep the car locked until we come back, okay?¡± Misses Moore asks.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Elizabeth sighs.


    The door closes and as it does, Elizabeth takes a look over to where Sammy is seated. Currently she¡¯s busy staring at Nhung¡¯s tablet and giving her advice on how to beat the game she¡¯s playing on it while also doing a thumb war against Hai.


    She goes to say something, but spots that the rubix cube that Sammy bought is laying on the ground. So she decides to pick it up.


    As she examines it, Elizabeth realizes Sammy didn¡¯t notice that a row didn¡¯t fully click into place on the cube. So with one hand holding the base, she takes her other and wraps it around the row. Then¡­


    Click!


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 22 - Misadventures At The Mall (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Scavenging


    Exiting out of the mall, Parker & Quinn are making their way through the parking lot. Quinn¡¯s going back to playing on her 3DS while Parker is still gloating about the win earlier. However, as they walk, Parker gets a call from someone.


    It¡¯s The Massachusetts Boy¡¯s third-in-command. Codename ¡®Cambridge¡¯.


    Parker picks up the phone, ¡°Hey Cammy what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, just got done watching the little league game,¡± Cambridge answers, ¡°How¡¯s the scavenging going Number 7?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s uh,¡± Parker says as he tries to think of a lie, ¡°Going well. We actually found a place that we might be able to use.¡±


    ¡°Oh really, and what¡¯s that?¡± Cambridge asks.


    Parker takes a look around and sees that they¡¯ve walked into the northern district, and he spots a peculiar store. It¡¯s a small run-down store with cracked windows, the smell of old furniture, and graffiti sprayed all over the entrance.


    Seeing how great of a target it is, Parker answers, ¡°The Starlight City Bookstore.¡±


    SUN SHORT #2 - Clearly Has Some Favorites


    ¡°Here¡¯s your order of chips and salsa,¡± Mesto groans, ¡°As usual.¡±


    He sets down the chips and salsa at a table with Ronnie, Alex, Marcus, & Elizabeth. Mesto then limps his way over to the cash register before letting out a loud sigh.


    ¡°Hey, is it just me or does Mesto seem a bit grumpy?¡± Ronnie asks as he eats some chips.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because today¡¯s a slow day,¡± Alex suggests.


    However, Mesto¡¯s whole mood is changed when the front doors to the restaurant open and two people walk inside. The first is Timothy McGee, who is sporting a black hoodie, gray shorts, and red sandals. The second is Thomas Dolby, who is wearing a beige hoodie with blue and red stripes, black sweatpants, glasses, and foam runners.


    ¡°Tim! Tom!¡± Mesto says in delight before he daps the two up, ¡°How¡¯ve you been man?¡±


    ¡°Oh we¡¯ve been fine, just working,¡± Tim replies, ¡°You got the to-go order?¡±


    ¡°Yep, and I added a few extra tortillas. Don¡¯t worry about the check, they¡¯re on the house,¡± Mesto responds as he hands Tom a to-go bag.


    ¡°Really? Thanks, man, this is why you¡¯re the best!¡± Tom says before paying Mesto, ¡°We gotta go bowling again sometime.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been saying!¡± Mesto laughs, ¡°I¡¯ll see if maybe Ivory can come with this time.¡±


    ¡°Sweet,¡± Tim says as he and Tom begin to leave, ¡°Take care, man!¡±


    ¡°You too!¡± Mesto states.


    As Tim & Tom leave, Ronnie looks at the other 3 miracle clinic members there.


    ¡°Did we all just see the same thing?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°How¡¯s he so nice to them but not to us?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Y¡¯know I could go bowling with them if they just asked,¡± Alex states, ¡°I¡¯m the best at the Wii version.¡±


    Mesto, doing a complete 180, walks over to their table very grouchy and refills their chips and salsa before heading back to the front counter.


    However his mood returns to being delighted when Crunch & Suzy Dark walk in. Mesto & Crunch perform a 20-step secret handshake while Suzy pays for the to-go order.


    ¡°Wow you sure memorized that whole thing,¡± Suzy says impressed.


    ¡°Well you know what they say,¡± Crunch begins to say, ¡°What happens at the Summer Jamboree¡­¡±


    ¡°Stays in the jamboree!¡± Mesto finishes before the two laugh, ¡°Man that was almost as fun as that night at The Mayflower!¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°I think they banned the use of caramels there because of us!¡± Crunch yells as he and Suzy leave.


    After they leave, the four at the table go back to whispering to each other.


    ¡°How does he know Crunch?¡± Marcus whispers.


    ¡°What the hell is a Jamboree? And The Mayflower?¡± Elizabeth questions.


    Mesto, very uninterestedly, walks over to the group and pours them some water before walking back to the register. However, when Ivory Dutchingson enters to make some deliveries, Mesto is delighted. As the two chat, Mesto gives her a farewell kiss before she has to leave.


    Ronnie, Alex, Marcus, & Elizabeth look at Mesto absolutely confused.


    Mesto seeing this, asks, ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, how come you¡¯re so happy with them and so upset with us!¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Well Ivory¡¯s my girlfriend, but as for the others,¡± Mesto explains, ¡°They actually tip me.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ronnie, Alex, Elizabeth, & Marcus realize.


    ¡°And they actually order stuff that isn¡¯t free,¡± Mesto adds.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ronnie, Alex, Elizabeth, & Marcus realize.


    ¡°....you¡¯re still not gonna tip me today, are you?¡± Mesto asks.


    The group of four falls silent, yet their silence is far more telling than any answer they could have given.


    SUN SHORT #3 - Night Jog


    The full moon illuminates the empty streets of Starlight City in a blue glow. There¡¯s barely a sound to be heard from the streets; almost all stores have closed, no cars are driving by, and there aren¡¯t even any stray cats walking around. The only noise on the street is a young man going on a nightly jog.


    The man is none other than Starlight''s Brightest Boxer; Tim-Tom Pitt. The young man is wearing a white t-shirt, red sweatpants, and beige high-top shoes. As he¡¯s running he can¡¯t help but think about everything; his sister Tammy, the man who took her from him, him almost losing his rematch against Li-Wei, his father being in prison, and how despite it all¡­ he¡¯s still no closer to answers then he was back then.


    After exhausting himself, Tim-Tom sits down on the sidewalk, sweat dripping down his face as he takes a look up at the starry night sky. As he sits there, he feels something cold pressed on his neck. Tim-Tom jolts up before turning to look behind him to see that someone placed an ice-cold water bottle on his neck.


    The person who¡¯s holding it is Sally Everst, the owner of a nearby tattoo parlor.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking quite parched sweetie,¡± Sally says.


    Tim-Tom takes the water bottle and says, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    As Tim-Tom drinks the water, Sally sits down next to him.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s a kid like you doing up so late?¡± Sally asks.


    ¡°Just training,¡± Tim-Tom replies.


    ¡°Training for what?¡±


    ¡°Nothing in particular, just needed to clear my head.¡±


    ¡°And is that working?¡± Sally questions.


    Tim-Tom is silent, he finishes the water bottle before tossing it behind him. The bottle flips in the air before landing perfectly in the recycling. Sally and Tim-Tom look back impressed at Tim-Tom¡¯s perfect throw before they go back to chatting.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, I¡¯ve seen some many strange tattoos in my time,¡± Sally remarks, ¡°There¡¯s this one guy who came in all ecstatic, and you wanted to know what he asked for? Me to tattoo two bumblebees kissing with a heart behind ¡®em. I¡¯ve drawn weirder stuff so I did it and then that¡¯s when he told me what it was for.¡±


    ¡°Which was?¡± Tim-Tom asks.


    ¡°Some girl he wanted to ask out,¡± Sally chuckles.


    ¡°Really?¡± Tim-Tom laughs, ¡°Did it work out for him?¡±


    ¡°No of course not,¡± Sally responds, ¡°He came back crying the next day, begging for me to remove it. I had to tell him we had to wait about 2 months before we could even remove it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, at least he was able to get rid of it eventually,¡± Tim-Tom says.


    ¡°Yeah, though unlike tattoos, there¡¯s some things in this world where once you do them, you can¡¯t take ''em back,¡± Sally says, ¡°Stuff that¡¯ll live with you for the rest of your life.¡±


    Hearing that, Tim-Tom goes silent before saying, ''Well, I already got much to live with for the rest of my life, what¡¯s one more thing?¡¯


    Tim-Tom stands up, and begins to walk away.


    However he stops as Sally stands up and calls back to him, ¡°If things ever get too rough out there, just know you¡¯ll always have a home here.¡±


    Tim-Tom falls silent for a moment before beginning to say, ¡°Thanks ma¡¯am, it really means a lot.¡±


    Tim-Tom looks back to Sally and with a pained smile he remarks, ¡°But this was her home more than it was ever mine.¡±


    Sally remains silent as Tim-Tom returns to his jog. Eventually she finds herself returning to her parlor, and once again the streets of Starlight City return to its usual nightly silence.


    SUN SHORT #4 - Generational Differences


    The teacher¡¯s lounge at Starlight High is bustling as Amnestor pours himself a cup of coffee from the coffee machine. The school day has come to an end so most of the teachers and faculty are in there chatting amongst themselves.


    The gym teacher, Jolyne Joggers, is explaining her course regimen to the math teacher, Wilsten Jefferson. The biology teacher, Sam Penningebrg, is congratulating the culinary teacher, Zesti Champion, on the successful new business venture with the Dawnbreak Dance Studio. X Locke is also there sipping on some apple juice.


    However, the energy in the room would change as another member of the faculty would enter.


    ¡°I was wondering when you¡¯d get back,¡± Amnestor says, ¡°Good to see you, Ray.¡±


    The teaching assistant, Ray Ramirez, walks into the room fully. He¡¯s a very tall, Hispanic man with long black hair, amber eyes, an extremely muscular physique, and animal tattoos covering him from the neck down. He¡¯s wearing a navy blue hoodie, white cargo pants, and black flip-flops.


    ¡°Ugh, can¡¯t you follow the dress code?¡± Jefferson groans, ¡°And tie up that disgusting mop of yours!¡±


    ¡°Hey old man, your hairline is receding so fast it should be against the Geneva Convention, but you don¡¯t see me complaining!¡± Ray groans.


    ¡°Why you little!-¡± Wilsten begins to say but gets cut off.


    ¡°Heard you had to fill in for a teacher at Seastar until they found a replacement, how did it go?¡± Zesti asks.


    ¡°Good for the most part,¡± Ray says, ¡°I know most folks here hate Seastar but they all were pretty easy to teach and we could easily relate to each other.¡±


    As Ray continues to talk with the rest of the teachers, Amnestor hears the words ¡®relate¡¯ over and over again in his head. Once the conversation has died down, Amnestor walks over to Ramirez.


    ¡°Hey, Ramirez,¡± Amnestor begins to ask, ¡°I need your help with something.¡±


    ¡°Sure what is it?¡± Ray asks.


    ¡°How do you relate to the students?¡± Amnestor asks.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 23 - To Be A Better Teacher

    ¡°How do you relate to the students?¡± Amnestor asks.


    The question that escaped out of Amnestor¡¯s mouth causes everyone in the teacher¡¯s lounge ¨C even X Locke ¨C to stop whatever they were doing and look at Amnestor.


    ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± Ray questions, ¡°You, of all people, want to know how to relate to the students?¡±


    ¡°Well yes,¡± Amnestor sighs, ¡°I¡¯ve been complaints from some of the students how my lessons are ¡®boring¡¯ and ¡®about stuff so ancient even the dinosaurs would think it¡¯s prehistoric¡¯.¡±


    ¡°That student was me by the way,¡± X claims as he finishes his apple juice, ¡°Just in case there was any doubt.¡±


    ¡°X! Amnestor¡¯s lessons aren¡¯t boring, how could you say that!¡± Zesti Champion scolds him before lamenting, ¡°Even if they¡¯re bland it¡¯s a good kind of bland!¡±


    ¡°Bland?¡± Amnestor questions as his heart feels like it was just shattered.


    Zesti, forgetting that Amnestor was still in the room, tries to backtrack, ¡°Wait- No- I didn¡¯t mean- uhhh- Ray, Pennies! Back me up here!¡±


    Penningberg just works on some papers he already graded while Ray decides now is the perfect time to get familiar with the ceiling pattern in the room.


    ¡°Ugh, why did I even bother?¡± Zesti groans.


    ¡°Aken, I don¡¯t see why you should care about relating to your students,¡± Jefferson snidely remarks, ¡°Kids these days are beyond understanding.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my job to understand them, Jefferson,¡± Amnestor remarks.


    ¡°That¡¯s the issue with you Aken,¡± Jefferson scoffs as he leaves the teacher¡¯s lounge, ¡°You don¡¯t know when to give up!¡±


    Jefferson shuts the door behind him, with Jolyne Joggers deciding to follow him due to her confusion as to why he left.


    ¡°Looks like he¡¯s still as much of a pain in the ass as he was last year,¡± Ray comments, ¡°But still, if you really want to connect with your students then you came to the right group!¡±


    ¡°Yeah Ray¡¯s right, if you wanna be hip and cool with the kids, there¡¯s no better people to turn to than us!¡± Zesti says as she hands Penningberg a latte.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true,¡± Penningberg admits, ¡°But we¡¯d be more than happy to give you a hand.¡±


    X, his interest being piqued, decides to listen more intently on their conversation.


    ¡°I knew I could trust you with this,¡± Amnestor says as he asks the three teachers, ¡°I have a lot to learn from you all, so tell me what I need to do.¡±


    Zesti smirks as she begins to explain, ¡°It¡¯s simple really, all you gotta do is follow¡­¡±


    ATTEMPT NO. 1 ~ THE ZESTI WAY


    In Amnestor¡¯s classroom, the miracle clinic is in the midst of another meeting. Elizabeth & Sammy are chatting to each other, much to the surprise of Ronnie, Alex is doing some wall sits, and Marcus is doing some homework. Sitting at two desks are Randy & Selina, who are both about to play a game of rock, paper, scissors.


    ¡°Rock¡­¡± Randy says.


    ¡°Paper¡­¡± Selina says.


    ¡°Scissors¡­¡± the two begin to say before shouting, ¡°SHOOT!¡±


    Randy goes for scissors, Selina goes for rock.


    ¡°OH COME ON!¡± Randy pouts.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, three wins in a row!¡± Selina chants while she pumps her fist in the air.


    ¡°NO FAIR, YOU MUST BE CHEATING!¡±


    ¡°Nuh uh!¡±


    ¡°Yuh uh!¡±


    ¡°NUH UH!¡±


    ¡°YUH UH!¡±


    ¡°NUH U¡±--


    The door to the classroom opens as Amnestor walks in with Zesti Champion next to him. Zesti is holding up a boombox while Amnestor is wearing a bowling shirt, a fuzzy pink headband, and black sweatpants.


    ¡°What in the-¡± Alex begins to say as the two teachers walk in.


    ¡°Do I have to?¡± Amnestor whispers to Zesti.


    Zesti gives several nods as Amnestor sighs before¡­


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Yo yo yo, it¡¯s yo boi Amny back at it with another EPIC lesson!¡± Amnestor says as he throws up some peace signs.


    Marcus stares blankly at Amnestor.


    Alex & Elizabeth are laughing hysterically.


    Randy & Selina are too stunned to speak.


    Ronnie just kinda doesn¡¯t care.


    And Sammy is impressed with the outfit.


    Seeing the awkward tension in the room, Amnestor looks over to Zesti who is having issues holding the boombox above her head.


    ¡°What next?¡± Amnestor whispers.


    ¡°K-keep going!¡± Zesti grunts.


    Amnestor sighs before¡­


    ¡°Who wants to learn about HISTORY?!¡± Amnestor shouts.


    ¡°But we¡¯re in a club meeting?¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°That¡¯s rad, but you wanna know what¡¯s radder?¡± Amnestor questions.


    ¡°Going on a field trip?¡± Alex offers.


    ¡°Close, but no!¡± Amnestor says, ¡°It¡¯s learning about The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand!!!¡±


    Alex & Elizabeth are still laughing while the others in the room just stare at him blankly. Finally admitting that this would never work, Amnestor walks out of the room defeated. Zesti also shortly follows before losing her balance and falling with the boombox into the hall.


    ATTEMPT FAILED


    In the teacher¡¯s lounge, Penningberg hands Zesti a ice pack for her head and a bowl of chicken noodle soup while Ray gives her a shoulder massage. Amnestor is sitting in the room, still with the ridiculous outfit from before, and in deep thought. X is also in the room eavesdropping.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it! How are those boomboxes so heavy!¡± Zesti complains as she blows on the hot chicken noodle soup, ¡°A little to the left Ray.¡±


    Ray follows her instructions and continues the massage as he says, ¡°I don¡¯t think all of this is necessary.¡±


    ¡°I agree but it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry,¡± Penningberg remarks before looking at Amnestor, ¡°And I know just the safest mindset to have to connect with those kids.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Amnestor asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Penningberg smirks, ¡°You need to have no hope for the future.¡±


    ATTEMPT NO. 2 - THE PENNINGBERG WAY


    The Miracle Clinic is once again hosting a meeting at Amnestor¡¯s classroom. Ronnie is trying, and failing to remember how he knows Sammy from his past, Marcus and Selina are discussing how they¡¯ll get back home today, Elizabeth is writing down some notes, and Randy is in the midst of a battle of rock-paper-scissors with Alex.


    ¡°Rock¡­¡± Randy says.


    ¡°Paper¡­¡± Alex says.


    ¡°Scissors¡­¡± the two begin to say before shouting, ¡°SHOOT!¡±


    Randy goes for scissors, Alex goes for rock.


    ¡°SCREW THIS GAME!¡± Randy shouts as he slams his foot on the ground.


    ¡°You gonna run away on your scooter?¡± Alex teases.


    ¡°My scooter is ten times better than your pink baby bike-¡± Randy begins to say before he hears the doors to the classroom open.


    To the complete shock of everyone there, Amnestor enters in a full goth outfit, bedazzled belt, black nails, heavy eyeliner, and everything else. While Sam Penningberg also walks in with his usual plain button-up.


    ¡°Do I have to?¡± Amnestor whispers.


    ¡°Yeah trust me,¡± Penningberg remarks.


    Amnestor sighs as he¡­.


    ¡°Sup,¡± Amnestor groans, ¡°Today¡¯s a horrible day huh?¡±


    ¡°Actually today¡¯s been great for me,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°Yeah, I learned how to play the tuba!¡± Marcus announced.


    ¡°All in one day?!¡± Elizabeth questions.


    ¡°Oh- uh- that¡¯s good that you¡¯re having a great day,¡± Amnestor says sincerely before looking over at Penningberg and realizing he¡¯s out of character, ¡°Uh- I mean, pfft, whatever.¡±


    ¡°B-but it took a lot of time to practice! I thought you¡¯d be supportive of me,¡± Marcus sighs,


    ¡°I am it¡¯s just-¡± Amnestor tries to say.


    ¡°Everything okay Amnestor?¡± Alex questions, ¡°Did you get laid off or something?¡±


    ¡°No don¡¯t tell me!¡± Sammy gasps as she places her hand over her mouth, ¡°Your wife¡¯s cheating on you?!¡±


    ¡°No that¡¯s not-¡± Amnestor tries to say.


    ¡°IS YOUR SON ENGAGED TO A BLUE WHALE?!¡± Selina shouts.


    ¡°What? No! I don¡¯t even have a-¡± Amnestor tries to say to no avail.


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE PREGNANT?!¡± Randy bellows out.


    Everyone looks at Randy.


    ¡°What? Nobody had an issue with Selina saying his kid was marrying a whale but the second I bring up male pregnancy THAT¡¯S where we all have issues?¡± Randy rants, ¡°Shame on you.¡±


    ATTEMPT FAILED


    As the room falls silent, Amnestor says, ¡°First off, Marcus I apologize, your skills with a tuba are surely impressive. And second, I¡¯m doing well students, though I appreciate the concern.¡±


    ¡°Then how come you¡¯re being so weird?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°Well uh-¡± Amnestor begins to say before he looks out into the hall to see Ray there.


    He¡¯s there holding up a sign that says, ¡®Just be honest.¡¯


    After seeing that, Amnestor decides it¡¯s time¡­time for him to try.


    ATTEMPT NO. 3 - THE RAY WAY


    Taking a deep breath, Amnestor answers truthfully, ¡°I was worried that my way of teaching got stale, so I wanted to try and find a way to make it so you would be able to enjoy my class more and connect with it.¡±


    ¡°Amnestor,¡± Ronnie begins to say, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that, you¡¯re our favorite teacher!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think if we had anybody else hosting the club, we¡¯d all have left a long time ago,¡± Alex states bluntly.


    ¡°You always look out for us, especially when we need it most,¡± Marcus says.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know you too well but I like the decor,¡± Sammy awkwardly says.


    ¡°You have nice hair,¡± Selina says awkwardly.


    ¡°If you were to ever leave this school, the whole place would fall to shambles,¡± Elizabeth adds.


    ¡°Your classroom¡¯s windows are facing away from where the sun rises so I can get some extra sleep in,¡± Randy says.


    Amnestor turns his back from the students and faces the whiteboard.


    ¡°RANDY!¡± Selina says.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m being honest!¡± Randy says.


    Though as the group continues to argue, Amnestor still looks at the whiteboard, tears falling down his face after hearing those compliments. Ray and Penningberg go to see if Amnestor¡¯s okay but Amnestor wipes the tears out of his eyes before he turns to his students.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Amnestor says, ¡°I¡¯m going to go grab some papers from the break room, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    SUCCESS!


    The class nods as Amnestor then leaves the classroom and starts to walk down the hall, his mind drifting back to the one thought that¡¯s been slowly eating him alive these past few weeks; that this is his final year as a teacher.


    The principal said it was for ¡®budget costs¡¯, but really it¡¯s just because he¡¯s been looking into things they want to keep buried. And he was fine with it at first, he had been teaching for a long time so of course eventually he had to step down¡­


    But after today? He can¡¯t deny it anymore. He wants to keep on teaching, guiding the next generation to their full potential¡­ if only he had more time. As he returns back to the classroom, he wonders if he should announce his departure, but ultimately decides to wait and tell them another day.


    Since for now at least, they all still have plenty of time before the day his teaching career comes to an end.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 24 - Catch The Cat

    The doors to Starlight City¡¯s Bookstore open as Selina takes a step out onto the street. She¡¯s just got done with her shift there and is heading back home. She¡¯s wearing a blue jean jacket over a white-black striped shirt, black sweatpants, glasses, and checkered shoes. Her blonde hair blows through the wind as the setting sun casts the street in an orange hue.


    It¡¯s been a long day yet a fun one for Selina; things are starting to feel normal back at home, no rude customers came into the store today, & someone even tipped her for finding a book for them! As she makes her way to an intersection, she comes to the conclusion that there¡¯s nothing that could ruin this day¨C


    As she reaches the intersection, she accidentally bumps into someone going the other way.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± They both say before seeing who it was they ran into.


    Selina rubs her blue eyes before checking to make sure they aren¡¯t deceiving her. Unfortunately for her, they aren¡¯t. Since the person she ran into is none other than The Buzzing Brawler; Randy Buzz. Randy¡¯s wearing a white hoodie with some orange accents and a ketchup stain he hasn¡¯t noticed, green cargo shorts, and black sandals. His dreads are also tied up into a manbun and he¡¯s holding a cone of strawberry ice cream.


    When they lock eyes, a smug grin appears on Randy¡¯s face whereas Selina¡¯s face has a look of disgust on it.


    ¡°Well well well,¡± Randy begins to say, ¡°If it isn¡¯t The Marvelous Neanderthal up and at it.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow, I¡¯m surprised you even knew what that word meant,¡± Selina groans.


    ¡°The Buzzing Brawler¡¯s got many surprises up his sleeve,¡± Randy insists.


    ¡°As if you haven¡¯t said all of them with that mouth of yours that never shuts up.¡±


    ¡°At least I have a mouth!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? I have one!¡±


    ¡°Okay yeah fair point, I just didn¡¯t know what else to say!¡±


    ¡°Urgh you¡¯re the worst,¡± Selina says as she sees the crosswalk sign has turned green.


    She begins to walk through the intersection, however she gets concerned when she sees Randy follow her.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Selina asks.


    ¡°My house,¡± Randy says, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°My home,¡± Selina responds.


    However, as they reach closer and closer to their respective homes, the two realize that they may live close to one another since they¡¯re still walking together.


    ¡°What street do you even live on?¡± Selina asks.


    ¡°Maple Street, you?¡± Randy questions.


    Selina is silent.


    ¡°No fucking way,¡± Randy begins to laugh.


    ¡°I hate it here,¡± Selina groans.


    ¡°NO FUCKING WAY!¡± Randy laughs as the two pass by the front doors to a building.


    ¡°Okay wait wait,¡± Selina says, ¡°1st Maple Street or 2nd Maple Street?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a 2nd?¡± Randy questions.


    ¡°Oh thank god!¡± Selina fists pumps.


    ¡°Hey! Are you that glad I¡¯m not your neighbor?¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    As the two are walking together, the automatic doors to the building they just passed opens as an American Shorthair cat runs out of it then under the two¡¯s legs as it makes it escape down the street. Shortly after it, two adult men run out of the building after the cat, however, they too run into Randy & Selina, causing the cat to get away.


    ¡°NO MISTER FLUFFYKINS!¡± One of the men shouts.


    Randy & Selina look to see that of the two men, one is a man with white skin, a brown mullet, some facial hair, long legs, & a silver ¡®MSA¡¯ ring on his finger. He¡¯s also wearing a light green bomber jacket over a white undershirt, black cargo pants, and black sneakers. The other man is a very tall, very bulky person who has not a single section of skin visible. He¡¯s wearing a white & red biker helmet with a thick black lens, a white-&-red striped scarf, a white-maroon-black sportbike jacket, white-maroon-black sportbike pants, black leather gloves, a silver ¡®MSA¡¯ ring on his finger, and white boots.


    ¡°You kids okay?¡± The man with long legs asks.


    ¡°Yeah, who are you guys?¡± Selina asks.


    ¡°I¡¯m Ronald Sampson, the big guy is Terry Boats. But more importantly¡­ my cat ran away!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­your cat wouldn¡¯t be Mister Fluffykins, would it?¡± Selina asks.


    ¡°Yes, how did you know?¡± Ronald asks.


    Memories flood back into Selina¡¯s mind, memories of that very cat watching her, always appearing randomly when she least expected it to.


    ¡°We¡¯ve met before,¡± Selina sighs.


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re one of his friends?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with that.¡±


    ¡°Then do you mind helping us look for him?¡± Ronald asks.


    ¡°I gotta get home and do some school work,¡± Randy says.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know he¡¯ll probably just come back to you soon enough,¡± Selina adds.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay you 100 each,¡± Ronald begs.


    In a now jovial mood, Randy & Selina race to where they last saw the cat as they both shout, ¡°WELL WHY DIDN¡¯T YOU SAY SO FROM THE START?!¡±


    Ronald and Terry quickly follow them as they begin to look around the city for the cat.


    They first check an alleyway; Randy sifts through a dumpster, Terry blocks off the exit, and Ronald and Selina go further into the alleyway. When they spot a fenced-off section of the alleyway that has a hole large enough for a cat to squeeze under, they both get the same idea to investigate. Selina effortlessly climbs over the chain fence while Ronald kicks the rusted lock open. When the two look at the section they just saw, all they see are a bunch of stray cats. Despite wanting to take the cats with them, the group trenches on.


    The next stop the group makes is at Burrito Bistro. Mesto, Garcia, Landon, and Avery watch in amusement as the four searches under every chair, table, and even the register for the cat. Alas, they find nothing, but when they look out the window they see Mister Fluffykins walking down the street. When they go to give chase, Mister Fluffykins has vanished.


    When they get to Starlight City¡¯s Central Mall, Randy & Selina scour through the arcade for the cat, making sure to check every hole in the broken ¡®whack-a-mole¡¯ game. Terry, still in all of his attire, skates through the ice rink in search of the cat. And Ronald lies in one of the fountains, having lost all hope of finding his furry feline companion. Eventually, security is called and Crunch has to kick him out, with the others following suit.


    Deciding to split up for a bit, the group checks around different areas. Randy pretending to look for the cat just messes around at a playground, Selina scavenges through the Griffon Botany Shop and finds Limon the rat but no cat, Ronald checks the empty establishment that used to be Club Azure but to no avail, and lastly Terry checks the trains but he sees nothing.


    With all of them exhausted, the group convenes on a street all sweating bullets.


    ¡°Did you find Mister Fluffykins?¡± Ronald asks.


    ¡°No, but,¡± Selina says before looking up.


    Randy & Terry also see what Selina is looking at.


    ¡°What?¡± Ronald asks before he feels his head getting heavy.


    That¡¯s when he feels it and realizes his cat got onto the top of his head.


    ¡°Mister Fluffykins!¡± Ronald says as he grabs his cat, ¡°When did you get up there huh?¡±


    ¡°I guess it all worked out in the end,¡± Selina says.


    ¡°You bet!¡± Randy says as he extends his hand toward Terry & Ronald.


    Terry takes out his wallet and hands the two each a hundred-dollar bill and a mint before he and Ronald begin to walk away.


    ¡°Thanks for all the help,¡± Terry remarks.


    ¡°If I see you around, don''t be a stranger!¡± Ronald shouts.


    ¡°Take care!¡± Selina shouts as she waves at them before sighing, ¡°What an odd bunch.¡±


    She looks to Randy and he looks back at Selina, Randy gives her a smile though unlike before it¡¯s a genuine one. The two begin to walk down the street together.


    ¡°So what are you gonna do with the $100?¡± Selina asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Randy shrugs, ¡°probably get some new clothes.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can rent a tailor so you aren¡¯t dressed so awfully,¡± Selina teases.


    ¡°Hey! Well, what about you?¡± Randy asks.


    ¡°To be honest,¡± Selina begins to say, ¡°I¡¯ll probably save it.¡±


    ¡°Wow, what a lame response.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m planning it for my future, you¡¯re just gonna use it to buy a single pair of shoes,¡± Selina retorts, ¡°Who¡¯s really got the lame response?¡±


    ¡°Okay Selina,¡± Randy rolls his eyes before asking, ¡°How come you were able to hop the fence?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one with tricks up your sleeves,¡± Selina says, ¡°I¡¯m a pro at playing tag and hide¡¯n¡¯seek.¡±


    ¡°Congrats, you¡¯re good at a game meant for babies.¡±


    The two continue to walk down the street exchanging petty insults and teases back and forth, though where before it was done mostly to spite one another, the banter is much more ... friendlier than before.


    For the first time in both of their lives, Selina Gulvonac and Randy Buzz are¡­just barely enjoying one another¡¯s company. Almost as if they were friends-


    ¡°Yuck,¡± Selina gags at just the thought.


    ¡°Ew,¡± Randy agrees as the thought also crosses his mind.


    Well since the two simple teens aren¡¯t fans of being called friends, I guess this chapter will conclude by calling them mere acquaintances. How anticlimactic.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 25 - A Day At A Hospital

    Autumn, it¡¯s a season of change. The leaves go from green to all different shades of red, kids who were celebrating the freeness of summer return to the monotony of school, and the weather begins to grow colder. One such place experiencing a ton of change is The Kennedy-Jenksin Medical Center, a hospital amid the bustling streets of Starlight City. While the outside of it looks antiquated with a black fence around the building and brick walls, the inside of the place is nothing but the best medical technology in the city.


    And walking to the hospital is none other than Ronnie Everst. He¡¯s wearing a black denim jacket over a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and red Converse shoes. As he looks at it he can¡¯t help but recall the last time he was here; after being hit by a car he stayed here. That¡¯s when he found the former leader of the MSA and creator of the fighting tapes he watched; James Lewis. And now he¡¯s back to visit that very same man.


    The reason?


    When he tried to watch the 6th fighting tape, he realized it was broken. So what better way to learn about what the fighting tape was about than the main man who was in them?


    As Ronnie makes his way to the entrance of the hospital, he spots a familiar face. One that begins to fill him with a sense of deja vu.


    ¡°X?¡± Ronnie asks.


    Standing in the hospital¡¯s main entryway talking to a nurse is none other than Ronnie¡¯s upperclassmen and student council president; X Locke. He has white skin, messy blonde hair that covers his eyes, some facial hair growing, and his nails have black nail polish on them. X is wearing a light brown cardigan over a black turtleneck, some washed black cargo pants, and a pair of red Adidas shoes. X spots Ronnie and the two stare at each other.


    ¡°Ronnie?¡± X says as Ronnie walks over to him.


    ¡°What are you even doing here?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°I¡¯m here on a secret mission,¡± X answers.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer anything,¡¯ Ronnie groans.


    ¡°But it does help build up a mystery for the readers,¡± X says.


    ¡°What readers?¡±


    ¡°....Anywho, what brings you here Ronnie?¡±


    ¡°I was trying to see if I could talk to James Lewis about something,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°Oh, Mister Lewis?¡± The nurse who was standing there questions, ¡°I can take you to him, he seemed to enjoy your presence.¡±


    Ronnie looks and sees that the nurse there is in pink scrubs and she¡¯s a Hispanic lady with long wavy black hair and a mole on her right cheek. As Ronnie looks at her, she realizes that she¡¯s the nurse that she saw the night he woke up. Though for some reason, there¡¯s something else about her that seems familiar.


    ¡°Thanks, Miss,¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°Just call me Camila,¡± The nurse says.


    That¡¯s when the pieces click in Ronnie¡¯s mind, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have a nephew named Alex Smith?¡±


    ¡°Yes, how did you know?¡± Camila Sanchez asks as the three walk to Lewis¡¯ hospital room.


    ¡°We¡¯re actually friends,¡± Ronnie laughs.


    ¡°Really?¡± Camila says, ¡°Guess it really is a small world, huh?¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s one way of putting it,¡± X adds as they reach James¡¯ hospital room.


    After knocking on the door three times, Ronnie opens it and steps inside. In there is James Lewis. Somehow he looks even worse for wear than the first time he saw him; he¡¯s got a white hospital gown on, short yet disheveled black hair, white dried and wrinkly skin, tired gray eyes, a purple ¡®MSA¡¯ ring, and both of his legs have been amputated. Though when James sees Ronnie his eyes light up.


    ¡®REAGAN! Good to see you pal!¡± James says, ¡°It¡¯s felt like forever since I saw you!¡±


    Still taken aback at him being referred to as his dad, Ronnie feels a bit uncomfortable before deciding to play along, ¡°Hey James, how have you been?¡±


    ¡°Good good,¡± James remarks, ¡°Though the food here is just the worse y¡¯know. If you thought Terry was bad at searing a steak just wait and see what they got going on here!¡±


    ¡°Haha yeah, I bet,¡± Ronnie sighs, ¡°Hey- uh, James. You remember when we did those training tapes?¡±


    ¡°How could I not?¡± James laughs, ¡°I¡¯m still not over the tree incident.¡±


    Ronnie is silent but James laughs and says, ¡°I¡¯m kidding! I¡¯m kidding!¡±


    ¡°Well uh- the sixth tape seems to be wrecked, so I was wondering if you knew what that tape is about?¡± Ronnie questions.


    As those words come out of his mouth, Ronnie can see James¡¯ face get serious.


    ¡°You sure you want to know?¡± James asks.


    Ronnie is hesitant but he nods.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± James exhales, ¡°I¡¯m only going to say this once so you better pay attention.¡±


    ________________


    Out in the hallway, X is munching on a banana while Camila is talking to her husband, Doctor Jose Sanchez. As they¡¯re chatting the door to Lewis¡¯ hospital room opens and Ronnie walks out.


    ¡°Nice talking to you!¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°Yeah, you too!¡± James says, ¡°See you around Reagan.¡±


    As Ronnie closes the door he lets out a loud sigh he didn¡¯t know he was holding. X, finishing his banana, glances at Ronnie.


    ¡°All good chum?¡± X asks.


    ¡°Yeah, just, he¡¯s very¡­ unusual,¡± Ronnie admits.


    ¡°Yeah,¡¯ X says.


    Seeing X, Doctor Jose walks over to X and hands him some papers, ¡°Oh kid, before I forget here¡¯s the results of Eleanor¡¯s last scan. There seems to be some slight improvement from the previous one but levels are still not where we¡¯d want them to be.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Doc,¡± X says as he checks the papers.


    However, when X remembers Ronnie is standing right there, his face begins to get nervous.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Eleanor?¡± Ronnie asks.


    Trying to think of a way to change the topic, X just sighs, ¡°Lemme just show you, she doesn¡¯t get many visitors anyway.¡±


    Ronnie follows X to another long-term patient¡¯s room, one where the name on the room is ¡®E. Locke¡¯.


    The doors open and Ronnie sees that sitting in a hospital bed is a young frail girl who seems no older than 13. She has pale white skin, an IV in her arm, a dark gray beanie hiding her bald head, a gray hospital gown, and pink pupils. Sitting by her lap is a notebook with some drawings in it of a garden.


    When Eleanor sees X entering her eyes lighten up and a smile grows on her face.


    ¡°Hey Eleanor,¡± X says as he motions to Ronnie, ¡°This is Ronnie, a friend of mine. Ronnie this is Eleanor, my sister.¡±


    ¡°Woah I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Eleanor says as she takes a look at Ronnie, ¡°You actually have friends?!¡±


    Hearing that Ronnie laughs while X tries to recover his bruised ego by saying, ¡°I told you I have a lot of friends, they¡¯re just really busy!¡±


    ¡°I see your sister shares the same sense of humor,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°No we don''t,¡¯ X & Eleanor say in unison.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Ronnie sighs before saying, ¡°Nice to meet you, Ellie,¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you too,¡± Eleanor says.


    The two stay there and chat with Eleanor for a while, about their hobbies, interests, and the such. Eventually when the sun is setting both X & Ronnie leave, telling Eleanor goodbye. As the two walk down the streets of Starlight City, Ronnie looks over at X.


    ¡°She¡¯s been in there for a few years now,¡± X sighs, ¡°Y¡¯know cause of the chemo she hasn¡¯t been able to grow out her hair or do much stuff, so that¡¯s fallen onto me.¡±


    ¡°X I didn¡¯t,¡± Ronnie begins to say but X interrupts him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me any of your pity,¡± X says, ¡°Instead just treat me like you¡¯d usually do.¡±


    Hearing that, Ronnie sighs and says, ¡°Sure thing X, and maybe in the future the others can come visit Eleanor? That is if she''d like that of course.¡±


    X stands there for a moment as tears begin to pour down his face.


    Autumn, it''s the season of change. The leaves go from green to all different shades of red, kids who were celebrating the freeness of summer return to the monotony of school, and the weather begins to grow colder. Though those aren''t the only things that change, the relationships and friendships you''ve made change too. With a better understanding of one another comes a deeper friendship, one that X is finally getting the chance to experience.


    "I''m sure she''d love that," X smiles.


    The Miracle Clinic will be on hiatus. The series will return on September 19th, 2024 with weekly releases.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 26 - A New Home (1)

    As the warm glow of the autumn sun seeps in through the clouds on a cozy October morning, Marcus Veridan finds himself sitting in his bed staring out the window. As he lays there though, he can¡¯t help but feel shocked at how different his morning routine has become.


    Where before it was a struggle to just take a foot outside his bed, now he¡¯s able to get out of it with ease.


    Where before the home he used to stay in looked untouched as if it was just made, now he can¡¯t go a few steps without bumping into a decoration or seeing a photograph hung up on the wall.


    Where before, he¡¯d have to prepare his own food if he wanted to, now he can wake up to the smell of a freshly made breakfast filling the air as he goes to brush his teeth.


    But one of the more sudden changes he¡¯s had to make from his new home is where before, he would always be there by himself. Now he isn¡¯t as lonely.


    ¡°MOVE OUT OF THE WAY! I NEED TO BRUSH MY TEETH TOO!¡±


    Marcus takes a look to see his foster sister, Selina Gulvonac, rush into the bathroom as she pours herself a small cup of mouthwash.


    ¡°Coulhdn¡¯t yhu herv weighded?¡± Marcus questions as he tries to talk while brushing his teeth.


    ¡°No!¡± Selina gargles as the mouthwash swishes around in her mouth.


    Eventually, Selina spits it out before immediately getting her toothbrush and brushing her teeth. The two are both stuck in their pajamas, with Selina¡¯s sleeping mask pushed up to around her forehead.


    Despite the chaos and clutter of his new mornings, Marcus can¡¯t help but be fond of the new home he¡¯s in now, the one where instead of feeling cooped up in and unwanted, he feels as if the foster family he now has genuinely cares for him.


    Eventually, the two finish brushing their teeth as they then walk into the kitchen to see a large plate of burnt toast and rubbery eggs covered in plastic wrap awaiting them.


    On it is a note that says ¡®Had to go in for a meeting early, so I made some breakfast for you two! I made it with lots of love!¡¯.


    Selina & Marcus take one sniff of the food underneath the plastic wrap before agreeing to toss it.


    ¡°I keep telling him he sucks at cooking but he still tries anyway!¡± Selina groans as she goes to the cereal cabinet.


    ¡°Well you can at least say he¡¯s putting in the effort,¡± Marcus remarks before opening up the main kitchen pantry and pulling out some ingredients.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Selina asks.


    ¡°Making some pancakes,¡± Marcus remarks, ¡°You want some?¡±


    Selina is silent as she proceeds to watch Marcus pour the ingredients into a large glass bowl, stir the batter, butter up the skillet, and then pour some of the batter atop it.


    ¡°Woah,¡± Selina remarks as she watches the batter bubble, ¡°How did you get so good at this?¡±


    ¡°Compared to Mrs Everst and Hamster I¡¯m nowhere near as good of a cook, but I¡¯ve picked up on a few things from some recipe books,¡± Marcus remarks before suggesting, ¡°You wanna give it a go?¡±


    Selina nods as Marcus hands her the spatula. Marcus instructs her how to use it and Selina then decides to flip the pancake. With the side now having a perfect golden crisp to it, Selina begins to keep cooking all of the pancakes. As she does so, Marcus ends up setting the table for the two of them.


    Once all of the pancakes have been cooked, Selina sets the large stack of them down on the table before taking most of the good-looking ones for her plate. The two teens begin to eat their food, trying to think of some way to spark a conversation.


    ¡°These are good,¡± Marcus remarks after having some.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Thanks and thanks for helping with it,¡± Selina replies, ¡°Y¡¯know I bet my dad¡¯s gonna be back pretty late today.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, though weren¡¯t you pretty late returning back home two days ago?¡± Marcus asks in between bites.


    ¡°Oh that,¡± Selina groans before explaining, ¡°So right when I got off work I ran into Randy, then we got roped into finding Mister Fluffykins which took forever.¡±


    Hearing the cat¡¯s name, Marcus can¡¯t help but recall all of the stalking the cat did to both of them.


    ¡°Randy, huh?¡± Marcus says in between bites, ¡°You two seem pretty close.¡±


    Hearing those words Selina stops eating and remarks, ¡°Oh god no, he¡¯s a total goofball and besides, I¡¯m mostly interested in women.¡±


    ¡°Okay okay,¡± Marcus shrugs before slyly adding, ¡°Though, I don¡¯t recall asking you whether or not you had a crush on him.¡±


    Embarrassed by even the mere thought of it, Selina flushes red before gagging out, ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. And I should¡¯ve burnt your pancake some more.¡±


    Marcus laughs at his joke before he thinks about it some more. Those two seem to be the best of friends, in a way it kind of reminds him of the friend he used to have. The friend who-


    MEOW.


    Marcus & Selina both stop what they¡¯re doing and look at the front door. They clearly heard a cat meow from outside.


    ¡°No, he can¡¯t be back already,¡± Marcus groans as he begins to walk to the door.


    Though as he is about to open the door, he hears someone talking on the other end of it, though when he tries to look through the peephole¡­


    CRASH!


    Marcus opens the door to see what caused the crash. There he sees a man who has fallen and crashed into a vase, with Mister Fluffykins standing atop him. The man groans out in pain.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Marcus asks.


    The man doesn¡¯t respond but Marcus notices something about the person. That fair white skin, those spiky brown strands of hair with maybe a bit too much hair gel stuck to them, and those fierce yet melancholic brown eyes. Marcus knows the person lying there is none other than¡­


    ¡°Hunter?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°H-hey,¡± Hunter groans.


    ____________________________


    Sitting at the kitchen table of The Gulvonac Household is Hunter Huntingson. He¡¯s wearing a black cap, a half-red half-black hoodie, blue jeans, and worn-out work boots. He¡¯s also got a black backpack sitting next to him with a metal baseball bat sticking out of it.


    Hunter sips on a glass of iced tea while chatting with Marcus. Marcus is wearing an oversized dark brown short-sleeved t-shirt over a light brown long-sleeved undershirt, black sweatpants, and white sneakers.


    Saying the two have a complicated history is a bit of an understatement; they once were best friends before Hunter¡¯s home situation took a turn for the worse and he took it all out on Marcus. Though despite their falling out they managed to reconcile during the time they shared together on the streets. But since then¡­ the two haven¡¯t talked to each other much. Just a few texts every once in a while or a simple greeting if they spot one another in the halls. Though despite the long time apart, it doesn¡¯t feel too awkward between the two teens.


    ¡°I was trying to come visit when that cat tripped me,¡± Hunter explains, ¡°Sorry about the vase.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Marcus says as he pets Mister Fluffykins, ¡°And this cat tends to be the cause of a lot of trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I bet,¡± Hunter says, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d end up living here though.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Selina growls.


    The two teens look to see Selina entering the room. Where before she was in her pajamas now she¡¯s sporting a pair of jean overalls over a short-sleeved white t-shirt with red stripes, glasses, and black shoes.


    ¡°Nothing, just saying it¡¯s a small world,¡± Hunter remarks before saying, ¡°What? You¡¯re not still upset over me being late on that book return.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the stubborn Selina responds, ¡°You screamed at me for an hour!¡±


    ¡°Well so did you!¡± the stubborn Hunter retorts.


    As the two equally stubborn teens glare at each other, Marcus tries to diffuse the situation by asking, ¡°Anyways Hunter, what brings you here?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see,¡± Hunter explains, ¡°The foster family I¡¯m now in is going to be having a D&D Campaign today. I don¡¯t really know how to play, so I figured I¡¯d ask you since you seem like the type to.¡±


    Selina is silent but Marcus responds, ¡°Sorry Hunter, but I never played it in my life. Though if you do need help setting up Halloween decorations-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Hunter insists.


    Seeing the opportunity, Selina calmly asks, ¡°Did you say D&D?¡±


    Hunter & Marcus look up at Selina.


    ¡°Uh yeah, why?¡± Hunter says.


    ___________________________________


    A little bit later standing in the crowded train are Hunter Huntingson, Marcus Veridan, & Selina Gulvonac. Selina is holding a bag of 20-sided dice and some costumes as she excitedly stands on the train.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I get to partake in a proper D&D Campaign!¡± Selina shakes, ¡°I¡¯ve always read the instruction books at the bookstore on slow days.¡±


    ¡°Glad at least one of us is excited,¡± Hunter groans.


    ¡°Hey take it easy,¡± Marcus says, ¡°I think today¡¯s gonna be fun!¡±


    ¡°I hope,¡± Hunter sighs.


    The train they¡¯re on continues to chug down the tracks closer to their destination. Closer to Hunter¡¯s new home on the west side of town. What none of the three could have expected at the time though, was that this seemingly inconsequential trip to the West Side would be the start of something.


    Something that would cause Starlight City & its inhabitants to never be the same.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 27 - A New Home (2)

    ¡°WHERE IS HE?!¡±


    Ronald Sampson¡¯s scream echoes throughout Starlight City¡¯s Central Mall. After his worried yelp, the fashionista examines every nook and cranny of The Moon Shadow Affiliate¡¯s Outlet Store in search for his cat; Mister Fluffykins.


    ¡°I was just behind the counter for one second and now he¡¯s gone!¡± Ronald cries as he looks underneath each clothes rack in hopes of finding his kitty.


    With no luck there, Ronald opens the register in hopes of finding his cat.


    He isn¡¯t there.


    Ronald then looks up at the ceiling where there¡¯s a sealed vent.


    ¡°Terry boost me up, I¡¯m gonna check out the vents!¡± Ronald yells.


    Standing embarrassed to the side of him are Ronald¡¯s bodyguard ¨C the muscular hunk known as Terry Boats ¨C and fellow fashion designer Brenda Delaware.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing that,¡± Terry utters underneath his biker helmet.


    ¡°Come on Fluffykins needs our help!¡± Ronald says.


    ¡°He goes off all the time I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine,¡± Brenda laments.


    Seeing that a mall security guard by the name of Crunch Backson is approaching the three, Ronald calms down a bit.


    ¡°What seems to be the problem?¡± Crunch yawns.


    ¡°His cat went missing,¡± Brenda explains, ¡°Again.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Crunch says, ¡°Do you have a tracker for it?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Ronald says, ¡°Lemme see where he went.¡±


    Ronald takes out his phone and opens up the tracker app. His eyes widen as he sees just where his cat ventured off to.


    ¡°THE WEST SIDE?!¡± Ronald shouts surprised, ¡°How¡¯d he get there?!¡±


    ¡°Should we head out?¡± Terry asks.


    ¡°Hm, it¡¯ll be a good idea, though I don¡¯t think we need to be in a rush,¡± Ronald ponders.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to go on your own, I still need to prepare for the upcoming festivities,¡± Brenda remarks.


    Ronald & Terry look at her confused.


    ¡°What festivities?¡± Ronald asks.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    In The West Side, the train doors swing open as Hunter, Marcus, & Selina all exit from it and begin to walk down the streets with Mister Fluffykins resting on Marcus¡¯ shoulder. Hunter walks with purpose down the street, making sure he doesn¡¯t make eye contact with others, while Selina & Marcus glance around the whole place.


    The cracked pavement below them is littered with trash, glass shards, and old newspapers. Most of the stores are closing alongside the setting sun, with big metal gates being pulled down in front of them, however the many stores that aren¡¯t have been out of business and for sale for a long while. A person stands outside of one of the shut down stores smoking a cigarette when he locks eyes with Marcus for a moment.


    ¡°How- uh-, how far is the walk?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°We got like 5 more minutes,¡± Hunter remarks.


    ¡°What color dice do you think would work?¡± Selina asks as she examines some of her dice, ¡°I¡¯m stuck between blue and black.¡±


    ¡°Uh blue,¡± Hunter responds.


    Selina slides the blue dice into her pocket as the three get further into the west side. The scenery has now changed to a more suburban look as dried-up grass & trees stand next to the yellowish sidewalk. There are only a few for sale shops still in their periphery as now the main buildings on the street are rundown houses that look more ancient than their math teacher.


    It¡¯s one of these houses ¨C one with a mailbox that¡¯s full of envelopes and some children¡¯s toys out in the yard ¨C that Hunter stops at. Hunter opens up the mesh door before having to unlock the old chipped wooden door with a key.


    As the wooden door creaks open, the smell of paint and the feeling of hot air greets the three. Hunter steps in without a concern and so does Selina, however Marcus is a bit hesitant before entering.


    Now in the house, they¡¯re greeted by several painted canvases hung across the halls in the stingy house.


    ¡°Woah, where¡¯d you even get these?¡± Marcus asks, ¡°They look like they cost a fortune.¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°They¡¯re all wonderful,¡± Selina marvels.


    ¡°Oh so you think so?¡± A man questions whose head is leaning into the room.


    Startled by the sudden appearance, Marcus & Selina turn to look at the adult to see he¡¯s¡­.quite the character. With Short salt-&-pepper hair, a patchy beard, brown eyes, light brown skin, and cracked glasses the man completes his look with a paint-stained gray apron over a white t-shirt, black sweatpants, and white flip-flops.


    ¡°Can I interest you in a painting or two?¡± The man with the patchy beard asks, ¡°Since you¡¯re Hunter¡¯s friends I can cut you a sweet deal.¡±


    ¡°How sweet of a deal are we talking?¡± Selina questions as she examines the painting, ¡°Because with the way the brush strokes look, I¡¯d have to say this looks like it was painted on a linen canvas.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know your friend was an art enthusiast Hunter,¡± The patchy beard man remarks.


    ¡°She¡¯s not my-¡± Hunter begins to say before getting cut off.


    ¡°And that paint, it doesn¡¯t really look acrylic, is it oil?¡± Selina questions.


    ¡°Right you are!¡± The patchy beard man laughs, ¡°Man, this kid is great!¡±


    ¡°How did you learn about all that?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°Eh, we don¡¯t get too many customers at the bookstore so to pass the time I read all the books about paint & canvases,¡± Selina answers.


    ¡°Hunter could learn a lot from a girl like you,¡± the patchy beard man laughs.


    Hearing that, a smug grin appears on Selina¡¯s face as she looks over to Hunter.


    ¡°As if,¡± Hunter mumbles.


    ¡°Now now, that¡¯s no way to treat a friend,¡± the patchy beard man remarks before introducing himself to Marcus & Selina, ¡°I¡¯m Mister Lynch, one of the foster parents here, but you can just call me Lennon.¡±


    ¡°I see nice to meet you Mister Lynch!¡± Marcus responds.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the others?¡± Hunter asks.


    ¡°Well Illiana picked them up after work and went to the store, they should be back any-,¡± Lennon explains before hearing the door open, ¡°Moment.¡±


    The group look to see three people all carrying bags of groceries entering the house. The first is Illiana Lynch, a slightly heavier white woman with fizzy brown hair, brown eyes, and glasses. She¡¯s currently wearing some standard office attire and high heels. The shortest of the bunch is a short young kid with black skin, curly black hair, & brown eyes. He¡¯s wearing a basketball jersey & black shorts. The last person who¡¯s carrying most of the bags is a tall slim young adult with black hair in a messy wolf cut, black eyes, of Chinese descent, & has a lip piercing. The man is wearing a baseball jersey, a backwards baseball cap, blue jeans, and beige high tops.


    ¡°Kids meet my wife, Illiana,¡± Lennon introduces before pointing at the young kid, ¡°Our youngest foster kid Jude, and our oldest-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Chao,¡± The young adult with a wolf cut remarks, ¡°You guys are still in high school right? I just graduated a few months ago so if you need help with things, feel free to reach out and ask.¡±


    ¡°Oh- uh, thanks Chao,¡± Marcus remarks as he eyes the confident teen, ¡°Do you go to a college nearby or anything?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m taking a gap year before I do anything related to that,¡± Chao exhales, ¡°But hey, at least I can be of use here. I take it you two are here for the campaign?¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re the one who wanted to play D&D?¡± Selina questions, ¡°Are you more chaotic good or lawful evil, or somewhere in between?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t play D&D,¡± Chao Huang remarks before pointing to Jude, ¡°My lil bro does.¡±


    Selina & Marcus take a look at the young Jude Jackson who is holding a D&D book that¡¯s a bit too heavy for the young elementary school kid.


    ¡°He is?¡± Selina questions, ¡°Well, since it¡¯s probably your first campaign let¡¯s try and take it easy and have some fun!¡±


    ________________________________________


    ¡°NO WAY! I ROLLED A NAT 20, HOW DID I DIE?!¡± Selina shouts in shock.


    Jude, who is the DM of the game, explains, ¡°As I said, the dungeon your party is in has dice numbers reversed, so a nat 20 is actually a 1. Your character has fainted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be mad if this wasn¡¯t so fun,¡± Selina vents before looking at Hunter, ¡°Hunter, you¡¯re the last person left standing, you gotta defeat ¡®em for us!¡±


    The group consisting of Selina, Jude, Marcus, Mister Fluffykins, Chao, & Hunter are all sitting in the front room next to the windows. Chao is laying on his side, having been knocked out at the start of the round and is now petting Mister Fluffykins. All the while Selina & Marcus are leaning closer to Hunter. Behind Hunter is his black backpack with the metal bat sticking out of it.


    ¡°How am I even alive again? How do I play?¡± Hunter questions.


    ¡°The character Jude made for you is a paladin, you can cast some spells or use that enchanted blade the goddess gave you to teach that meanie a lesson!¡± Selina explains.


    ¡°The enemy is at a pretty low health, if you go for an attack you can defeat it if it¡¯s strong enough,¡± Marcus remarks, ¡°But so are you, so if you miss, it¡¯s practically game over.¡±


    As Hunter contemplates what to do next, Jude smirks as he continues to tell the story¡­


    ¡°Your puny allies have all been defeated by my hands¡± The Demon King laughs, ¡°Soon you will suffer their fate and join them in death! What use is the goddess you cling to so desperately when you¡¯re in my domain now?¡±


    Your character can¡¯t help but feel the betrayal in every word of The Demon King¡¯s spiel. After tricking your party into thinking he was a helpful ally in disguise, what he was really after was a world that guaranteed the safety of his demons. Even if that meant tearing apart every other kingdom in his wake.


    However it¡¯s not over yet, the hopes of those that have passed, the dreams of those that will follow, they all come together in your blade enchanted by the goddess of retribution.


    ¡°No way, impossible!¡± The Demon King remarks, ¡°How can a mere lifeform, a single human, hold such power!¡±


    Jude looks over at Hunter, waiting for him to say a line for his character. But after much staring, Hunter just sits there confused.


    ¡°Uh, I strike the king,¡± Hunter remarks.


    ¡°No you can¡¯t have it be so bland like that!¡± Selina scolds Hunter, ¡°Allow me to show you¡­¡±


    ¡°I may be just a human, but I have something you can never have,¡± McHandsome The Paladin remarks as he readies his sword, ¡°Within this blade is not just the wishes of a goddess. No, it¡¯s the will of the people! And that will beckons me to take you down right here and right now!!!!!¡±


    Selina nudges Hunter, ¡°Now go.¡±


    ¡°Okay-,¡± Hunter remarks as he says, ¡°I use my sword and strike the demon king.¡±


    Jude tosses the dice down on the mat placed upon the floor. As it rolls everyone, even Chao, seems to lean in to see the number the dice will land on. Though just as it¡¯s about to land on a number¡­.


    CRASH!


    The glass window in the room they¡¯re all sitting in shatters as a rock is tossed through the window, one that grazes Jude on the head.


    Chao rushes over to check on Jude while Hunter, without a second thought, swiftly takes out the metal bat from his backpack and rushes outside the house.


    ¡°Hunter wait!-¡± Marcus tries to call out but it¡¯s too late.


    Out on the suburban streets at night, Hunter is greeted by the sight of a group of thugs all standing outside his home. Leading them is a man wearing a shirt in the style of a white straight jacket, white jeans. & white boots. In fact, his skin is white, his spiky hair and eyebrows are dyed white, and his pupils are light gray.


    ¡°Well what do ya¡¯ know,¡± the man in white remarks, ¡°He was posted up here after all! You all know what to do, right? Get him.¡±


    Several of the other thugs begin to rush toward Hunter, however after Hunter knocks one out with a single swing of his bat, they all begin to be a bit more on the defensive. Eventually, some of them back up leaving the man in white to fend for himself as he walks up to Hunter.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t realize you¡¯d be packing quite the weapon so late into the night,¡± the man in white comments.


    Infuriated and unable to speak, Hunter raises the bat and swiftly brings it down on the man. However, with a single hand, the man in white catches it. Hunter struggles to move the bat as the man in white smirks.


    ¡°But what good is that weapon of yours when you can¡¯t even swing it right!¡± the man in white laughs.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing here, Worcester?!¡± Hunter yells as he struggles to rip the metal bat from the hands of The Massachusetts Boys¡¯ No. 4.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 28 - A New Home (3)

    Earlier in the day, Willy ¡®Worcester¡¯ White is standing outside a shut-down store smoking a cigarette. As he does so however, he ends up locking eyes with a teen walking down the street. However that isn¡¯t what catches his eyes as he sees the person next to him is Hunter Huntingson.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s where you¡¯ve been off to aye Hunter?¡± Worcester remarks as he calls up someone on his phone, ¡°Hey Lynn, it¡¯s me. I was wondering if I could borrow some of your men for the night.¡±


    After hearing the response, Worcester laughs, ¡°No no, not like that. I just felt like paying someone a visit.¡±


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    Back in the present, Hunter is outside his foster home at night struggling to rip his metal bat out of Worcester¡¯s hand as he roars, ¡°What the hell are you doing here, Worcester?!¡±


    ¡°I was curious about where you ran off to!¡± Worcester smirks, ¡°Last time we met you ran away before things got good!¡±


    Hunter, finally managing to get the bat out of Worcester¡¯s grasp, goes to swing at him once more when¡­


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    Hunter & Worcester stare out at the front patio of the house to see Lennon Lynch holding up an old phone, next to him is Chao Huang.


    ¡°If you take one step closer I¡¯m calling the police!¡± Lennon yells.


    Worcester stops, stares at a person on the porch for a while, and then smirks.


    ¡°Shame that we have to pause things again,¡± Worcester remarks as he begins to walk away along with the other thugs he brought with, ¡°Next time we cross paths, there won¡¯t be another interruption.¡±


    As Hunter stands there, he looks back to his foster father, Lennon, who¡¯s in the doorway still holding the phone.


    ________________________________


    As Marcus helps sweep up the shattered glass into a dustpan, he can hear Hunter¡¯s foster parents scolding him in the other room for running out like that.


    ¡°You could have gotten hurt!¡±


    ¡°What were you thinking?!¡±


    Selina and Chao are also in the living room sitting next to Jude Jackson. Jude has a bandage where he got grazed and has Mister Fluffykins sitting in his lap. While Chao is upset about Jude getting hurt, he¡¯s currently more focused on making sure Jude is alright.


    ¡°Hey, Jude, I know you put a lot of time into that campaign,¡± Chao begins to say, ¡°If you want we could continue where we left off tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pointless,¡± Jude sighs.


    ¡°It¡¯s not pointless, your campaign was so much fun!¡± Selina says trying to cheer Jude up, ¡°I¡¯d totally be down to do some more in the future!¡±


    The young Jude sighs, ¡°Thanks but, I don¡¯t think I wanna do D&D anymore.¡±


    ¡°How come?¡± Chao questions.


    ¡°They¡¯re always yelling at Hunter for getting into trouble,¡± Jude silently cries, ¡°I thought if I did this then it would stop that, but it caused it. I caused this one just like I caused the ones with my mom & dad.¡±


    As the words leave Jude¡¯s mouth, Selina & Chao sit there stunned. Not sure what to say to him. However, it¡¯s after Marcus dumps the glass shard from the dustpan into the trash that he begins to speak up.


    ¡°Those arguments aren¡¯t your fault Jude,¡± Marcus says as he crouches down so they¡¯re at eye level, ¡°What happened tonight wasn¡¯t because of you Jude.¡±


    ¡°Then what am I supposed to do?¡± Jude asks.


    ¡°Well,¡± Marcus begins to say before stopping as he sees someone enter the room.


    It¡¯s Hunter, with his foster parents still in the kitchen talking. Hunter stares at Marcus for a while, not saying anything before asking a simple question.


    ¡°Can we talk?¡± Hunter questions.


    ¡°Uh sure,¡± Marcus answers.


    ¡°Okay, good,¡± Hunter affirms.


    The two stare at one another, waiting for the other to speak for a while as the Chao, Jude, Selina, & Mister Fluffykins glance at them confused.


    ¡°Like here or-¡± Marcus begins to ask.


    ¡°Outside,¡± Hunter answers.


    ¡°Oh, okay,¡± Marcus says as he stands up, ¡°Sure.¡±


    The two walk outside of the house and sit down on the front porch¡¯s steps. As soon as the door finally shuts behind them, Hunter puts his hands in his hair in frustration.


    ¡°Urgh I¡¯m so stupid!¡± Hunter groans, ¡°I get caught up with that lunatic and now I can¡¯t even protect this home!¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Hunter you-¡± Marcus begins to try to say but Hunter cuts him off.


    ¡°I guess this is what I get for trying to repent, getting caught up in all this shit, I just¡­I just wanted to do right, for you, for my mom,¡± Hunter vents as he squeezes his mother¡¯s old baseball bat, ¡°But all I¡¯m doing is messing things up. I messed up Jude¡¯s whole campaign, I messed up my mom¡¯s legacy, and I messed up you.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t mess me up,¡± Marcus tries to say before admitting, ¡°Okay, you did hurt me, a lot, but you have been getting better. A year ago I wouldn¡¯t have even thought you¡¯d rush outside and fight some people to protect someone, yet here you are!¡±


    Hunter is silent before sighing, ¡°I hope you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you even know that guy anyway?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°There were some robberies by the last foster home I was at, I tried to stop them and I ran into him. He kept on pestering me and that home so much that I had to leave,¡± Hunter sighs, ¡°Guess I have to get ready to leave this one too.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen!¡± Marcus tries to say.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that!¡± Hunter says back as he snaps, ¡°You got to find a new home that¡¯s all great and wonderful, well lucky you! Go enjoy what you have, and don¡¯t worry about someone without a home like me.¡±


    Hunter stands up and begins to walk back inside, Marcus follows. As the two enter though, they realize mostly everyone has went to bed already. Everyone except for Chao, who¡¯s setting up the couch to sleep on.


    ¡°Oh, hey, Selina talked to her dad and he said you guys could stay the night due to how late it is,¡± Chao remarks, ¡°My bed¡¯s free for grabs.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Marcus questions, ¡°You don¡¯t need to give up the bed, I could sleep on the cou-¡±


    ¡°No I insist, you¡¯re our guest, you should sleep comfortably,¡± Chao insists.


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Marcus laments as he walks to Chao¡¯s bedroom.


    As Hunter & Chao stand there at night, Hunter begins to walk up the stairs but he stops as he hears Chao¡¯s voice call out to him.


    ¡°You did good today,¡± Chao states, ¡°I hope you remember that.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Hunter says as he continues to walk up the stairs.


    Though just as he¡¯s about to enter his bedroom, he overhears chatter coming from his foster parents¡¯ room. He can¡¯t help but stand in the hallway and listen.


    ¡°That kid,¡± Illiana begins to say, ¡°He¡¯s really a tough one to handle, huh?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all tough, you know how hard it was when Chao first came here, and look at how good of a kid he is now! Same with Jude,¡± Lennon remarks, ¡°He¡¯s just going to take a while before he can call this place a home.¡±


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right,¡± Illiana laments, ¡°I just don¡¯t want to set him up for failure.¡±


    Hunter stands there in the hallway, his hand tightening before he decides to head to his room and retire for the night. As he enters though, he sets the baseball bat down before flopping into his bed. The bedroom is a shared one with Jude, and while Jude is sound asleep in his bed, Hunter has issues falling asleep in his bed as he starts out the window into the cloudy night sky.


    ___________________________________________________


    The morning after was a blur for Hunter. He woke up to the rising sun, saw Illiana & Lenon leave for work, Chao left soon after due to having plans, so it was just himself, Selina, Marcus, Mister Fluffykins, & Jude.


    Selina suggested going to the park nearby, but after seeing the way Jude looked at Hunter that morning, after witnessing how violent he was the night before, Hunter thought it was best to stay home that day.


    So he did, and was washing some dishes when he saw a phone call come in from Marcus. He set the dishes down and answered the phone.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Hunter asks.


    ¡°Hey, Hunter!¡± the line on the other end remarks, ¡°So glad you picked up, for my and their sake.¡±


    Hunter immediately recognizes the voice.


    ¡°Worcester,¡± Hunter utters.


    ¡°Aw you remember me, i¡¯m touched!¡± Worcester remarks, ¡°I have a few friends of yours with me at the west side¡¯s park, and if you¡¯d like to see them in one piece, you better hurry over there.¡±


    ¡°You-¡± Hunter tries to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m impatient,¡± Worcester says before hanging up.


    Before Hunter can even think, his legs begin to move on his own as he grabs the metal baseball bat and sprints out of the home and down the street. As he rushes over there, several memories begin to echo throughout his head.


    ¡°I love you¡±


    He should¡¯ve said I love you back to her.


    ¡°If she didn¡¯t have to watch over you she would still be here!¡±


    Maybe that was true.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know a damn thing about me!¡±


    But neither did he.


    ¡°Did you think I was done after just one swing?!¡±


    He shouldn¡¯t have done that.


    ¡°I just¡­I just want to get this over with.¡±


    How could he have hurt him so badly?


    ¡°I gave you your chance.¡±


    He didn¡¯t deserve that chance.


    ¡°You¡¯re a disgrace!¡±


    He is.


    ¡°Why would anyone give out money to two kids that don¡¯t even look the part?¡±


    What part does he even look like?


    ¡°Bring it on you fucker.¡±


    He always hurt him.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m all alone right now.¡±


    So is he.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t care! I¡¯m not just going to sit aside and just let you walk all over me!¡±


    How many times did he do that?


    ¡°I¡¯m not your punching bag, I¡¯m me!¡±


    How many times did he just ignore his humanity?


    ¡°I¡¯ve got nobody.¡±


    Is that still true?


    ¡°We¡¯ve both been through a lot, huh?¡±


    He¡¯s tired of ¡®going through a lot¡¯.


    ¡°Next time we cross paths, there won¡¯t be another interruption.¡±


    So this is what he meant.


    ¡°What were you thinking?!¡±


    He doesn¡¯t know.


    ¡°You did good today.¡±


    Did he?


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to set him up for failure.¡±


    Failure?


    Hunter arrives at the park, the rising sun setting everything in a bright orange hue as he looks around the run-down park and spots Worcester standing by the rundown baseball field. In the bleachers are Marcus, Mister Fluffykins, Selina, & Jude who are all being held hostage by several members of the Massachusetts boys.


    ¡°H-Hunter?¡± Jude questions.


    ¡°G-go and get some help!¡± Marcus yells, ¡°You can¡¯t win this!¡±


    ¡°Oh, a minute later and you¡¯d have been late,¡± Worcester smiles as he gets in a fighting stance, ¡°Are you ready to get this started?!¡±


    ¡°I am a failure,¡± Hunter begins to say.


    Worcester looks at him with curiosity.


    ¡°I¡¯m not good at anything,¡± Hunter begins to say as he begins to raise his bat, ¡°Except for this.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps the blood I spill could be used to keep people safe, or maybe it¡¯s just a way for me to vent out my anger,¡± Hunter says, ¡°I don¡¯t know anymore.¡±


    Jude¡¯s eyes widen as he looks at Hunter, who is wielding the bat that is etched with the initials of Hunter¡¯s late mother.


    ¡°But all I do know is that right now,¡± Hunter says as he points the bat at Worcester, the bright orange sun shining down onto him, ¡° I want you dead.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 29 - A New Home (Finale)

    Hunter points his metal baseball bat at Worcester, the bright orange sun shining down on the rebellious teen as he utters, ¡°I want you dead.¡±


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    Standing there at the old baseball stadium, Worcester can¡¯t help but laugh at Hunter¡¯s comment.


    ¡°You want me dead?¡± Worcester laughs, ¡°What¡¯s up with you? You¡¯re acting so feisty today, Hunter! But hey, I always love a good challe-¡±


    Worcester stops talking as he sees Hunter¡¯s bat just mere inches away from hitting him in the face. Worcester dodges, however, Hunter anticipating this completes his swing by slamming the bat down onto Worcester¡¯s foot.


    ¡°I thought I made myself clear,¡± Hunter utters as he goes to swing the bat again.


    Shocked, Worcester tries to back up some more however the swing from Hunter¡¯s bat lands in his side.


    ¡°Oh come on!¡± Worcester gasps before he grabs onto Hunter, ¡°try swinging that bat around now!¡±


    Hunter, without a second thought, holds the bat behind Worcester¡¯s back for slamming it into it. Worcester lets go of Hunter and slumps to the ground, using his opportunity, Hunter swings the bat at Worcester¡¯s head, and it¡¯s about to make full contact.


    ___________________________


    ¡°Worcester seems to be making a lot of moves now,¡± No. 6 of The Massachusetts Boys, Frankfurt ¡®Fall River¡¯ Schulz remarks.


    The middle aged man is chatting with The Massachusetts Boys¡¯ No. 3, Cambridge, who has his back turned to him as he¡¯s examining an abandoned warehouse.


    ¡°Boston & Salem are busy preparing for their big meeting and he thinks he¡¯s able to just run amok,¡± Cambridge remarks, ¡°Someone¡¯s going to have to put him in his place soon, I just don¡¯t see where he got that confidence from.¡±


    ¡°Well Cambridge,¡± Fall River begins to explain, ¡°Besides the top 2 and myself, Worcester has the most experience running a gang. Before he ended up joining us, he had a gang of his own. And you want to know what people called him?¡±


    Cambridge is silent as Fall River answers his own question, ¡°They called White, The Devil In Red.¡±


    ___________________________


    Hunter¡¯s eyes are wide in shock as he sees that his swing completely missed Willy ¡®Worcester¡¯ White, and Worcester is now behind him.


    Furthermore, there¡¯s a long deep gash on Hunter¡¯s face that goes across his nose and just barely avoids his eyes.


    ¡°Why are you so surprised?¡± Worcester questions as he holds a box cutter in his hands, ¡°Did you seriously think you were the only one allowed to carry a weapon?¡±


    As Hunter¡¯s blood begins to stain Worcester¡¯s all white clothes, The Devil In Red continues his work as he uses the knife to slash at Hunter more and more all across his body.


    Every thought Hunter has as to what to do next is interrupted by the searing pain he¡¯s feeling as a new wound is added to him.


    Eventually, pushing through the sharp pain spreading across his entire body, Hunter tries to slam the metal baseball bat into Worcester just one more time.


    ¡°Nice try!¡± Worcester remarks as he tosses the box cutter into Hunter¡¯s dominant hand, ¡°But I¡¯ve seen better.¡±


    Hunter winces in pain as the grip on his bat weakens. Using the opportunity, Worcester kicks Hunter in the chin, causing another cut to get added to Hunter¡¯s body since The Devil In Red¡¯s shoes have nails in them.


    Furthermore, Worcester pulls a proper switchblade out of his other sleeve which he proceeds to use against Hunter.


    As more and more slash marks are placed on Hunter¡¯s body, Marcus realizes something as he¡¯s being restrained. At any moment Worcester could finish this off and just stab Hunter.


    But he isn¡¯t.


    He¡¯s toying with Hunter.


    Realizing there¡¯s no real way for Hunter to win this alone, Marcus bites down on the hand of the person who is holding him in place. As they let go of Marcus, Marcus ends up rushing over to where Worcester & Hunter are.


    ¡°M-Marcus?¡± Hunter questions.


    ¡°Hey, get the hell away from him you fucking bastar-¡± Marcus tries to yell but he stops in his tracks immediately.


    7 millimeters.


    That¡¯s how close Worcester¡¯s switchblade is to piercing Marcus¡¯ eye.


    ¡°Wait. Your. Turn,¡± Worcester instructs.


    As Worcester stands there however, Hunter uses the opportunity to tackle the man and take him to the ground. The bat & switchblade have fallen to the side of the two as Hunter, sitting atop Worcester, begins to bring his fists down onto the man.


    ¡°You,¡± Hunter yells as his right fist slams into Worcester.


    ¡°Leave,¡± Hunter yells after another swing.


    ¡°Him,¡± Hunter screams with yet another swing.


    ¡°ALONE!¡± Hunter roars as he delivers one final swing at Worcester¡¯s bruised body.


    Hunter finally stops punching Worcester and looks down to see him not moving. Hunter rests his arms down as he breathes heavily.


    He won-


    SLASH!


    Hunter looks to see blood pooling out from him. Confused, he looks to see that Worcester faked being unconscious and used the opportunity to grab onto the box cutter in Hunter¡¯s dominant hand before bringing the box cutter to Hunter¡¯s shoulder while it was still in him.


    Finally taking the box cutter out of the teen, Worcester then kicks Hunter off of him, sending Hunter to the ground. As he lays there, Hunter loses consciousness due to the loss of blood.


    ¡°You surprised me there for a minute,¡± Worcester begins to say as he picks Hunter¡¯s baseball bat up, ¡°But looks like you really didn¡¯t have it in you to kill me after all.¡±


    Worcester then drags the baseball bat on the ground ¨C and over Hunter¡¯s body ¨C as he makes his way over to Marcus.


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry my friend,¡± Worcester says as he lifts the baseball bat up, ¡°I don¡¯t share such hesitation!¡±


    Marcus tries to run away, but with a devilish smile on Worcester¡¯s face.


    CRACK!


    Marcus falls down to the ground, unconscious and bleeding. Worcester walks over to where Selina & Jude are being held up, Jude looks horrified while Selina is trying with all her might to escape the thugs¡¯ grasps, but she can¡¯t.


    ¡°So which one of you is next?¡± Worcester remarks as he raises the metal bat.


    ¡°How about me?¡±


    Worcester, Selina, Jude, and several Massachusetts Boys¡¯ members all look confused as someone steps foot onto the field. Mister Fluffykins hops off the bleachers and makes their way to the new person who¡¯s wearing a Hawaiian shirt underneath a black blazer, black round sunglasses, white pants, and brown dress shoes. But most apparent about the tall figure is his silver ¡®MSA¡¯ ring.


    ¡°How about you aim high with those swings of yours for a change?¡± the man who appeared, Ronald Sampson, suggests, ¡°Or what? You¡¯re too scared?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Worcester grits his teeth at the man, and though he¡¯s tempted too, he ultimately turns around and walks away.


    ¡°Let the others go,¡± Worcester begins to say before threatening, ¡°And if I ever see your face again I¡¯ll smash your head in.¡±


    ¡°You have fun with that,¡± Ronald remarks as he shakes his hand, however he turns to Selina & Jude.


    ¡°How did you-¡± Selina begins to ask.


    ¡°I placed a tracker on my cat after last time he went missing,¡± Ronald Sampson says, as he pets Mister Fluffykins, ¡°Thanks for keeping him safe for the time he was out, I owe you big time so here.¡±


    Ronald takes out his business card and hands it to Selina.


    ¡°Give me a call when you need some help and I¡¯d be happy to oblige,¡± Ronald Sampson remarks before turning to Jude, ¡°As for you kiddo.¡±


    Sampson reaches into his blazer¡¯s pocket before pulling out a lollipop and handing it to Jude.


    ¡°Th-thanks but, what about them?¡± Jude questions as he looks over to Marcus & Hunter.


    ¡°Ah them,¡± Ronald Sampson sighs as he crouches down, ¡°I¡¯ll call them an ambulance, it shouldn¡¯t take too long.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so helpful?¡± Jude questions.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Ronald Sampson smiles as he dials a number, ¡°I¡¯m just a good samaritan.¡±


    __________________________________


    Beep!


    Beep!


    Beep!


    ¡°Urgh,¡± a voice groans as they try to sit up, ¡°Where am I?¡±


    Before the person can move, they feel arms wrap around them and embrace him in a hug.


    ¡°Oh thank goodness you¡¯re alright!¡± Another voice sobs.


    ¡°M-mom?¡± The initial voice begins to ask as his blurry vision slowly starts to adjust to the room.


    However, when his vision finally returns to normal, the person realizes where they are. Hunter Huntingson, with several bandages tied around him, is sitting in a hospital room, and he¡¯s currently being hugged by Illiana Lynch. The others in the room are a teary eyed Lennon Lynch, Selina Gulvonac, & a Marcus Veridan who has some bandages around his forehead.


    ¡°Mi-Misses Lynch?¡± Hunter says, ¡°But why are you here- I thought you¡¯d want to kick me out after-¡±


    ¡°Hunter, you don¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± Lennon Lynch says as he places a hand on his foster kid¡¯s shoulder, ¡°We¡¯re not going to abandon you.¡±


    Hearing those words, Hunter can¡¯t help but feel his eyes begin to water up. He goes to hug Iliana back when he realizes something.


    ¡°My bat! It¡¯s-¡± Hunter tries to say as Iliana finishes the hug.


    ¡°Forget the bat, you should worry about you right now!¡± Selina says as she points at Hunter.


    ¡°Me? But I¡¯m fi-¡± Hunter says before seeing his own reflection in the mirror.


    Staring back at him is his own body¡­but it¡¯s different. While most of the wounds Worcester inflicted onto him have healed, what¡¯s been left behind are two noticeable scars; a horizontal scar going across his nose and one going from his shoulder all the way down to the center of his dominant hand.


    ¡°Is that, me?¡± Hunter says before noticing someone is missing, ¡°Where¡¯s Jude?!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s back at our home with Chao,¡± Iliana explains, ¡°He told us that there were some people who attacked him and your friends but you tried to stop them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hunter begins to say before getting stopped.


    ¡°You can tell us everything when you¡¯re ready to,¡± Lennon says, ¡°For now, just focus on your recovery and don¡¯t get into anymore fights, especially while you¡¯re still injured.¡±


    ¡°I¡­,¡± Hunter begins to say before once more getting stopped by something, this time the door to the room opening.


    They all look to see a doctor enter the room, who motions for Iliana & Lennon to exit the room so they can discuss some of the finer details of Hunter¡¯s recovery once he leaves the hospital later that day.


    With the adults gone, that leaves Hunter free to chat with Marcus & Selina.


    ¡°Once I¡¯m out of here, I¡¯m going to get that bat back from Worcester,¡± Hunter says.


    ¡°What? Dude no, we all just saw what happened last time,¡± Selina tries to say, ¡°If you try to face him again, then you¡¯re just going to repeat what already happened!¡±


    ¡°I know but¡­,¡± Hunter says with his fists shaking, ¡°I can¡¯t lose the last thing I have left of her.¡±


    As Hunter sits there, trying to think of any way he could try to get it back¡­


    ¡°I can help,¡± Marcus says.


    ¡°What?¡± Hunter begins to say, ¡°No, you stay out of this! You-¡±


    ¡°I know how risky facing off against a gang is, and I¡¯m willing to take that risk again,¡± Marcus begins to say.


    ¡°Again?¡± Selina wonders silently.


    ¡°The Massachusetts Boys don¡¯t seem like they¡¯ll ever stop harassing you unless we bring them down,¡± Marcus says, his conviction he found the last time he got into a fight shining through once more.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible though,¡± Hunter says.


    ¡°If it¡¯s impossible then why did you want to do it by yourself?!¡± Selina scolds Hunter, ¡°Urgh no wonder you¡¯re such a slow reader.¡±


    ¡°I will agree that it¡¯s seemingly impossible, and it¡¯ll take a miracle for it all to go well,¡± Marcus starts to say before he smirks and adds, ¡°But I know just the people who can help make miracles a reality!¡±


    Hunter looks at Marcus stunned before asking, ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t mean?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do,¡± Marcus affirms, ¡°I¡¯m talking about¡­¡±


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    Wait didn¡¯t we do that earlier in the chapter? Oh well, anyways¡­


    ¡°So yeah, that¡¯s how my weekend went, what do you guys think, are you in?¡± Marcus asks.


    He is sitting at a table at the Starlight City Northern Park with Selina sitting next to him. The others at the table ¨C Ronnie Everst, Sammy Becken, Randy Buzz, Alex Smith, & Elizabeth Moore ¨C are all sitting there shocked. Alex & Elizabeth¡¯s now much larger bucket of popcorn is empty as well.


    ¡°Dude why is it always this park when you drop these bombshells on us?¡± Alex sighs.


    ¡°I know! At least it¡¯s consistent but still,¡± Elizabeth agrees.


    ¡°Wait, this is a recurring thing?!¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Elizabeth & Alex yell.


    ¡°How come I¡¯ve never been to these before?¡± Ronnie questions further.


    ¡°Well uh,¡± Marcus begins to say but decides it¡¯s better to just talk about it later so he switches topics, ¡°But yeah, are you guys willing to go to the west side?¡±


    ¡°After what happened last time we got involved with them, I¡¯m not sure,¡± Elizabeth laments.


    ¡°Wait, this happened before?¡± Randy whispers to Selina.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m asking!¡± Selina whispers back.


    ¡°I know that it¡¯s a big uncertainty, and if any of you don¡¯t want to get involved I don¡¯t blame you. But¡­,¡± Ronnie says as a certain memory floods into his mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to stop it, I¡¯m going to stop all of this.¡±


    ¡°I made a promise to try and make things right,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°It¡¯s about time I live up to that promise.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re doing this bub, then so am I,¡± Alex says, ¡°You¡¯re gonna need someone strong like me to protect you & Marcus!¡±


    ¡°Alex,¡± Ronnie begins to say.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m still a bit shaken up with how things went down before,¡± Elizabeth laments before affirming, ¡°Though I¡¯m not gonna sit by and watch you three put yourself in harm¡¯s way alone, so count me in.¡±


    Ronnie looks over at Sammy, Selina, and Randy before saying, ¡°You guys don¡¯t have to come with if you don¡¯t want to, None of us will blame you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting to blow off some steam for a while,¡± Sammy replies, ¡°This seems like just the opportunity to do so!¡±


    ¡°Those guys aren¡¯t gonna get away with messing with the best DM I¡¯ve ever met!¡± Selina remarks, ¡°Also someone¡¯s gotta make sure you all don¡¯t get lost, and what better person to help with that than the girl who just finished reading last year¡¯s Starlight City¡¯s Complete Tour Guide book at the store?¡±


    ¡°This is stupid,¡± Randy sighs, ¡°But if the buzzing brawler isn¡¯t there, you guys would be done for.¡±


    ¡°Okay, since all of us plus Hunter that makes eight of us against all of them-¡± Marcus begins to say but gets cut off by someone else.


    ¡°Make it nine.¡±


    The group look to see that walking to them is¡­


    ¡°Christopher?!¡± Alex & Ronnie shout confused.


    ¡°How did you get here? And how much did you hear?¡± Marcus questions.


    ¡°I was on a jog through the park when I ran into you guys, and I heard enough to know that you¡¯re going to visit a lot of bad people who want to harm you,¡± Christopher says before he makes a fist, ¡°So I¡¯ll make sure to protect you all when we go there.¡±


    ¡°Well if you¡¯re absolutely certain you can tag along,¡± Ronnie sighs.


    ¡°Alright I¡¯ll let Hunter know that when the next weekend hits,¡± Marcus begins to say, ¡°We¡¯ll all be heading to the west side.¡±


    ________________________


    Back in the west side of town, Hunter is sitting atop the rooftop of the foster home he¡¯s in as he stares off into the setting sun.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you knew about this place!¡± a voice calls out to him.


    Hunter looks to see that from the nearby window leading into their shared bedroom is the young Jude Jackson. Jude steps out from the open window and onto the roof where he sits next to Hunter.


    ¡°Woah, you think that cloud looks like an angel?¡± Jude asks as he points to a cloud in the sky.


    Hunter looks up and doesn¡¯t see a cloud like that at all, Hunter¡¯s still silent and Jude picks up on his sulking.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault,¡± Jude tries to say.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re trying to cheer me up, but it was my fault,¡± Hunter vents, ¡°If I was there with you at the park from the start then you wouldn¡¯t have gotten in that situation. If I was stronger then Worcester wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to hurt you. I¡¯m supposed to protect people, not put them in harm¡¯s way.¡±


    ¡°Hey look on the bright side,¡± Jude begins to say, ¡°You didn¡¯t know that was going to happen, unlike me who¡¯s alway been a good-for-nothing kid.¡±


    ¡°What? No you aren¡¯t,¡± Hunter says.


    ¡°Yes, I am,¡± Jude stresses, ¡°I tore apart my mom & my dad, and now I¡¯m tearing apart Mr & Mrs Lynch. Everytime I get something good in my life, I¡¯m always the one to ruin it!¡±


    As Jude begins to cry, Hunter places a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°What ever happened with your parents was because of their actions, you aren¡¯t at fault for what they did,¡± Hunter begins to say as Jude wipes away his tears, ¡°And if anything, you¡¯re bringing Mr & Mrs Lynch closer together than ever, do you know how much I hear them praise you and care for you? You aren¡¯t at fault for the problems those adults may have.¡±


    ¡°Well in that case, you aren¡¯t at fault either,¡± Jude remarks with a soft smile.


    Hunter at first brushes aside Jude¡¯s remark but Jude continues.


    ¡°If anything, now you know how that Worcester guy works, he showed you all the tricks he had, so now if you ever face him again, you¡¯ll know what to expect. You just made it easier for yourself in the future,¡± Jude affirms with a proud smile on his face.


    Hunter actually stands puzzled, letting those words Jude just spouted sink in. All this time he¡¯s been trying to be perfect, to flawlessly make up for everything wrong he ever did, but he can¡¯t do it perfectly.


    He¡¯s only human.


    No different from his mother.


    No different from Marcus.


    No different from Jude.


    Jude goes and gives Hunter a hug as the two watch the sunset.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, I thought you were pretty mean and scary when we first met. But now I know you¡¯re lost and confused about all this stuff, like me,¡± Jude remarks, ¡°But we¡¯ll be able to get through it all together, right? You¡¯ll keep busting bad guys¡¯ heads and I¡¯ll keep busting up some dungeons. We¡¯ll make it through in the end, right?¡±


    Hunter stops and contemplates for a moment, as he does so he looks up at the cloud Jude pointed to before and realizes maybe Jude was right about what that cloud looks like.


    As the two sit together watching the sunset, Hunter affirms, ¡°Right.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 30 - A New Home (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Who¡¯s The Real Number 3?


    On the day Hunter was defeated by Worcester, Worcester is sitting in an abandoned mall with several other members of the Massachusetts Boys with him. As he tries to light a cigarette, he sees someone approach him.


    The No. 3 of The Massachusetts Boys, Cambridge. Behind him is the No. 6 of Massachusetts Boys, Frankfurt ¡®Fall River¡¯ Schulz.


    ¡°Ah, I was wondering when you¡¯d show up here Cammy,¡± Worcester begins to say, ¡°Or would you like me to use your real name today¡­¡±


    Cambridge exits out of the shadows revealing he¡¯s¡­


    ¡°Chao Huang?¡± Worcester questions the third-in-command.


    Chao, without responding back, takes his hand and proceeds to slap Worcester across the face, the sound of the slap echoing out for all to hear.


    ¡°I thought when I stood on that porch that night you understood not to fuck with my family,¡± Chao utters, ¡°Looks like I needed to make it clearer for you.¡±


    Chao slaps Worcester across the face again.


    ¡°If you ever¡­¡±


    And again.


    ¡°Harm my family again¡­¡±


    And again.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be dead.¡±


    Chao goes to slap Worcester one more time. But he stops himself as he feels a knife being pressed on his throat.


    Worcester, who¡¯s holding the knife, laughs, ¡°Wow, if Boston saw this he¡¯d think we¡¯re newlyweds.¡±


    ¡°Boston & Salem are busy on business, so right now I¡¯m in charge,¡± Chao begins to say.


    ¡°Are you though?¡± Worcester questions.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I mean sure, you¡¯re the ¡®third-in-command¡¯ n all,¡± Worcester begins to say before asking, ¡°But does that matter when everyone here respects me more?¡±


    ¡°What are you-¡± Chao begins to question before looking around to see something odd.


    Every low ranking member there all begins to walk behind Worcester. And it¡¯s not just them either.


    The No. 10, Trisha ¡°Amherst¡± Bernstein.


    The No. 9, Victor ¡°Lynn¡± Dunnerman.


    The No. 8, Quinn ¡°Quincy¡± Overton


    The No. 7, Parker ¡°Plymouth¡± Duggar


    And even the No 6, Frankfurt ¡°Fall River¡± Schulz.


    They all are allying themself with Worcester.


    ¡°You may have that title, but if nobody would listen to you that begs the question, Who¡¯s The Real Number 3?!¡± Worcester laughs.


    Chao is silent. He may be strong, but strong enough to put all of these people in place by himself? Not even close.


    ¡°When Boston & Salem come back-¡± Chao tries to hiss.


    ¡°Shhh,¡± Worcester says as he places a finger on Chao¡¯s lips, ¡°You talk too much hon¡¯.¡±


    Worcester turns around and greets the other members of The Massachusetts Boys by saying, ¡°Thank you everyone for your help in this matter, I think a celebration is in order!¡±


    Everyone else besides Worcester & Chao cheer as Worcester can¡¯t help but think to himself to set his sights higher. If it was this easy to take care of Cambridge, getting rid of Salem & Boston should be a piece of cake. After that all he really needs to do is take care of Mason Makinsley & his Dirty Fang and then it¡¯s finished.


    The Devil In Red will be able to rule over the entire city, just like how he was always supposed to.


    SUN SHORT #2 - A Dirty Favor


    ¡°So I take it you¡¯re interested in the offer?¡± Joel Cooper asks.


    The leader of The Vignette is standing outside the Seastar High school, with his two men Archer Flick & Elias Fox standing behind him. The people he¡¯s talking to are none other than Vanessa Deli & Blanko Deck.


    Vanessa looks down at the scrawny kid before asking, ¡°I thought elementary school wasn¡¯t out yet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m older than both of you,¡± Joel responds.


    ¡°Listen man, if you need us to call your mom or something we can do that,¡± Blanko says, concerned for Joel¡¯s safety.


    ¡°Did you not just hear what I said?¡± Joel groans.


    Elias is silent as he blows some bubble gum, but Archer intervenes in the convo.


    ¡°What my boss Joel is asking is for you to head into The West Side and retrieve a picture he needs from The Massachusetts Boys,¡± Archer explains.


    ¡°Ah you¡¯re those Vignette people Makinsley warned us about,¡± Vanessa begins to remark before saying, ¡°Sorry but I¡¯m not interested. Can¡¯t you three just do it yourself?¡±


    ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to obtain the photograph ourselves, that¡¯s not a real possibility for us now,¡± Joel responds, ¡°And don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure this is all worth your time.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Vanessa says as she begins to walk away, ¡°I don¡¯t think anything will be worth risking my life for a simple photogra-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you saw that man, am I mistaken?¡± Joel questions.


    Vanessa stops dead in her tracks before turning back and rushing Joel. She lifts him up by the shirt as her face is filled with rage.


    ¡°How do you-¡± Vanessa tries to ask.


    However Archer & Elias quickly grab onto Vanessa¡¯s own arm, and force her to let go of Joel. Because of this, Joel falls to the ground but he seems unphased.


    ¡°You want to see him again?¡± Joel questions with a smirk, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you where he is if you get me that photograph.¡±


    Blanko looks at Vanessa concerned, unsure if he should intervene. However it doesn¡¯t take long for Vanessa to respond.


    ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll get you that photograph, but you better not be lying,¡± Vanessa says.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± Joel says as he¡¯s helped up by Archer, ¡°I don¡¯t believe in lies.¡±


    ¡°Well then,¡± Vanessa begins to say as she makes her way down the street, ¡°I guess there¡¯s only one thing left to do. Head over to the west.¡±


    SUN SHORT #3 - A New Job Offer


    DING!


    The door to an auto repair shop opens as a man enters it. Inside the shop are three people; Timothy McGee, Thomas Dolby, & Tim-Tom Pitt.


    ¡°Hey, welcome to the store, if you need some repairs on your car, you¡¯ve come to the right place!¡± Timothy says as he¡¯s mopping the floor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a car,¡± the man remarks, ¡°I actually heard you guys could do ¡®favors¡¯ for people.¡±


    ¡°Favors, huh?¡± Tim-Tom remarks as he makes his way over to the man, ¡°Well if it¡¯s that you want, then step right up. Whether it¡¯s getting your dog to spit out your keys, beating up your enemies, or teaching your kindergarten class the ABCs, there¡¯s nothing us Three Ts can¡¯t do!¡±


    ¡°I like the confidence,¡± The man says as he hands them a wad of cash, ¡°Is this enough of a down payment?¡±


    Tim-Tom looks at all the money, it¡¯s more than he¡¯s ever held before in his life.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Y-yes this is more than enough!¡± Tim-Tom says as he hands Tom the cash, ¡°What do you need from us?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple really, there¡¯s a photograph in the possession of The Massachusetts Boys, it¡¯ll cause a lot of trouble if it ever falls in the hands of someone else, so I¡¯d like you three to bring it to me and destroy it in front of me,¡± the man explains.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a bit tricky to get it from those guys,¡± Tim-Tom remarks hesitantly.


    ¡°But you can do it, right?¡± the man asks.


    ¡°Do you need to even ask?¡± Tim-Tom says with a coy smirk, ¡°Aye boys, get on your bikes, we got business to handle.¡±


    ¡°¡®Bout time things got interesting,¡± Tim sighs in relief as he drops the mop.


    As The Three Ts all exit out into their garage, the man stands there for a minute.


    ¡°Well they certainly grew up,¡± the man ¨C a record store owner by the name of Casey Burns ¨C ponders, ¡°Wonder if you¡¯d say the same, Tammy.¡±


    SUN SHORT #4 - Feathers


    ¡°Now then what do you think weighs more, a ton of steel or a ton of feathers?¡±


    The person who¡¯s asking this question is Kimberly Masterson, a teenager with hair that¡¯s half dyed-orange and half-dyed black, white skin, black lipstick, and blue eyes. She¡¯s currently wearing a white crew neck sweater, blue jeans, and black boots.


    Currently, the 17 year old is in the middle of tutoring the young 3rd grader, Jude Jackson, who just had quite the eventful weekend. The two are sitting at the kitchen table in Jude¡¯s foster home.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯d be a ton of steel,¡± Jude answers, ¡°Because steel is heavier than feathers.¡±


    ¡°Oof, sorry Jude, but you¡¯re incorrect,¡± Kimberly sighs.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s the feathers?! But that¡¯s silly!¡± Jude complains.


    ¡°Sorry but that¡¯s also wrong,¡± Kimberly explains, ¡°A ton is two thousand pounds, so they would both weigh the same.¡±


    ¡°Urgh you tricked me!¡± Jude vents, ¡°Can¡¯t we just go back to the stuff about perimeter?¡±


    ¡°Sorry sorry,¡± Kimberly laughs, ¡°Though there is something I wanted to teach you there.¡±


    Jude tilts his head in confusion as Kimberly explains by opening her hands, ¡°Let¡¯s say instead of a ton, it was just a pound of steel and a pound of feathers. Now imagine holding them in your hands.¡±


    Kimberly¡¯s left hand opens further while the right hand remains in the same position as she continues, ¡°You¡¯d have to hold a lot more feathers than you would steel for them to match weight, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Jude remarks.


    ¡°The same applies to humans,¡± Kimberly explains, ¡°Some people may be more adept to learning a new skill like math, but that doesn¡¯t necessarily make them better than someone who¡¯s just feathers. If they take the time to improve, then eventually one day they¡¯ll be able to match or even surpass someone made of steel. So even if you¡¯re made of feathers, just know that doesn¡¯t make you weak, it means you just need to be resilient.¡±


    ¡°Woah,¡± Jude remarks as inspiration hits him, ¡°Thanks Kimberly! I¡¯ll make sure to study hard!¡±


    ¡°I know you will,¡± Kimberly says as she begins to stand up from the table and collect her bags, ¡°But I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s where our tutoring ends for the day. Make sure you have your foster parents schedule another session okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay! Bye Kimberly!¡± Jude says as he waves goodbye at Kimberly.


    Kimberly waves back before exiting the house and walking down the street of the west side, as she does so, she gets a call from ¡®Chao Huang¡¯.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re quick to call,¡± Kimberly jokes, ¡°Jude seemed to have fun today with the tutor sess¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear that, but that¡¯s not why I called Lowell,¡± Chao says through the other line.


    Kimberly Masterson¡¯s face changes demeanor as she assumes her other role, being the No. 5 in The Massachusetts Boys.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± Chao questions through the phone.


    Kimberly falls silent as she recalls the events of yesterday¡­


    __________________________


    The day prior, Kimberly ¡®Lowell¡¯ Masterson is walking down the street with a phone to her ear. She¡¯s wearing a white-black flannel jacket over a black t-shirt that has a graphic of some Midwest Emo band on it, black shorts, black fishnet stockings, & black boots.


    The sun shines down on her as she¡¯s on the phone with Chao Huang, the third-in-command of The Massachusetts Boys.


    ¡°So, Worcester has got most of the gang to ally himself with him, and he¡¯s eyeing to take your title by force?¡± Kimberly questions as she continues walking to her destination.


    ¡°Yes, I was calling to see where you stood on the matter,¡± Chao explains.


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m keen on just letting you two sort out your differences,¡± Kimberly responds as she stops walking, ¡°Then whoever is stronger between the two of you is the one I¡¯ll side with.¡±


    ¡°I should have known you¡¯d be no help in the matter,¡± Chao questions through the phone, ¡°Are you even at that place yet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m standing right outside it,¡± Kimberly answers as she eyes an abandoned nightclub, ¡°Club Azure¡¯s really seen better days, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Just go in and do what Boston & Salem tasked you with,¡± Chao says through the phone, ¡°Understand?¡±


    ¡°Yeah don¡¯t worry,¡± Kimberly says as she breaks open the locked door to the club with a kick, ¡°I won¡¯t party too hard!¡±


    After hanging up, Kimberly walks down the dusty steps of the once vibrant nightclub. she eventually reaches the main area of the decrepit night club. Most of the lights have already been worn out and cracked but those that are still active shine a light on all of the people residing in the place.


    ¡°Well you all certainly look like shit,¡± Kimberly remarks before sniffing the air and then immediately after holding her nose, ¡°Urgh, and you smell like it too.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell invited this bitch?¡± One of the thugs remarks.


    ¡°I swear I locked that door,¡± Another adds as they all begin to circle Kimberly.


    ¡°Take it you guys are all members of Club Azure, right?¡± Kimberly questions, ¡°Or were.¡±


    ¡°Like we¡¯d tell you,¡± One of the thugs says, ¡°You got quite the nerve coming here by yourself, ever since the boss got busted we¡¯ve had this place to ourselves. And we intend to keep it that way.¡±


    As the thugs get closer and closer to Kimberly, the teenage girl  groans, ¡°I should¡¯ve known this would happen, mind if I end the call?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were going to earlie-¡± Chao begins to say.


    ¡°Thanks Cammy!~¡± Kimberly says with a smile as she eagerly hangs up on the third-in-command, ¡°Now then, I¡¯m just here as a messenger. So if you¡¯re gonna get mad at someone get mad at the-¡±


    A fist flies toward Kimberly which she dodges as she finishes her sentence, ¡°government.¡±


    ¡°Tch! You just got lucky!¡± The thug who swung remarks, ¡°Let¡¯s see how well you do against this one!-¡±


    The thug stops dead in their tracks as they witness Kimberly¡¯s leg has been raised above her head. Then with the swiftness of an axe, she brings it down on the man in front of her.


    CRACK!


    ¡°Aaa- AAAHHH!¡± The man yells out in pain as he crumples to the ground, ¡°My shoulder! YOU JUST BROKE MY FUCKING SHOULDER!¡±


    ¡°Did I?¡± Kimberly teases, ¡°It just felt like I was swatting a damn fly.¡±


    ¡°You bitch,¡± the man yells as he rests on the ground, ¡°EVERYONE GET HER!¡±


    Several thugs all begin to rush Kimberly, but Kimberly doesn¡¯t seem too phased by it. Instead when several swing their fists at her, she crouches down before kicking their feet in.


    Two other men try to rush at her at the same time from opposite directions, but Kimberly simply rushes toward another thug right before the two¡¯s fists land on her. Due to this, the men¡¯s fists collide into the other¡¯s face. As for the man that Kimberly rushed, it doesn¡¯t take more than a simple front kick to take him down to the ground as well.


    With one thug left standing, they try to turn and run only to trip themselves. As they land on the ground, they begin to crawl away.


    ¡°Sp-spare me please, I just came here to fit in!¡± the young teen pleads.


    Kimberly however slowly approaches them before raising her leg up once more, ready to perform another axe kick.


    ¡°Wh-what are you, made of steel?¡± The young teen sobs.


    ¡°Nah, just feathers,¡± Kimberly responds, ¡°And a fuckin¡¯ lot of ¡®em!¡±


    The teen closes his eyes as Kimberly brings her foot down¡­ only, it doesn¡¯t connect. Confused, the teen opens his eyes to see Kimberly helping him up.


    ¡°Why are you?-¡± They try to ask.


    ¡°You said to spare you,¡± Kimberly remarks, ¡°So I did. Besides, today I¡¯m nothing more than a messenger. How can I be that if I don¡¯t got any fucker to talk with?¡±


    ¡°I¡­guess,¡± the teen agrees.


    ¡°Relay this message to the others when they wake up,¡± Kimberly says before explaining, ¡°Since your boss is in jail, the government was able to seize this property and just recently sold it. They¡¯re gonna make a new business here soon enough, so if I were you I¡¯d consider packing up your things before I have to come back and ¡®clean¡¯ the place up.¡±


    ¡°H-how do you know all this?¡± The teen asks.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I just tell ya, ya dumb bitch?¡± Kimberly remarks as she flicks the fellow teen on the forehead, ¡°You should get your ears checked dude.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± the teen remarks.


    Kimberly begins to walk up the steps as she says, ¡°Well looks like I got that taken care of. Better not see ya again when I come ba-¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± The teen remarks.


    Kimberly stops walking up the steps to see at the bottom of the staircase is the teen.


    ¡°When you said you were made of feathers, what did you mean?¡± the teen questions.


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s what you wanted to ask me,¡± Kimberly scoffs before explaining, ¡°What you saw today wasn¡¯t out of talent, it was from hard work. Maybe one day if you work hard enough, you could beat someone with lots of talent like I did.¡±


    ¡°I see, then in that case¡­¡± The teen starts to ask.


    _________________________


    ¡°And yeah, that¡¯s how it went,¡± Kimberly explains to Chao in the present day.


    ¡°I see, you sure you can handle that responsibility?¡± Chao questions.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Kimberly remarks as she spots her destination up ahead, ¡°I¡¯m number 5 here, it¡¯s about time I took someone under my wing.¡±


    Kimberly looks up ahead to see that standing outside a shutdown grocery store is the teen from before. He has long silky black hair in a bun, and white freckled skin.He¡¯s also wearing a pair of black square sunglasses, a black leather jacket over a blue-green ensign check button-up both with the sleeves up, black denim pants, & black running shoes.


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Kimberly remarks as she hangs up.


    ¡°Oh, hey Kimberly! Or wait do I call you Lowell or?-¡± The teen questions.


    ¡°You can call me Kimberly when it¡¯s just us, but when other members are around, stick with Lowell,¡± Kimberly ¡®Lowell¡¯ Masterson answers.


    ¡°Okay, thanks Kimberly!¡± The teen responds.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it C.J.,¡± Kimberly says before walking into the abandoned grocery store, ¡°Now come on, we got some work to do today.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± C.J. says as he reaches into his pockets, ¡°But you do know that¡¯s not my name, right?¡±


    ¡°Eh but you look like one, so I¡¯ll stick with that,¡± Kimberly remarks, ¡°And besides, once Boston picks out a nickname for you, I¡¯ll have to switch to that.¡±


    ¡°I know but still, why C.J.?¡± C.J. questions.


    ¡°I just said why dumbass!¡± Kimberly groans.


    The two continue to argue as the newest member to The Massachusetts Boys makes their debut.


    SUN SHORT #5 - A Business Dinner


    A nice car parks outside the fancy Yamamoto Family¡¯s Japanese Restaurant. Two people step out from the rear seats and onto the sidewalk. The first is one of MSA''s many fashion designers ¨C Brenda Delaware. Her long dirty blonde hair is down and curly while she¡¯s wearing a very fancy purple blazer over a black sweater, purple dress pants, and black high heels.


    ¡°Should we get a table set sir?¡± Brenda Delaware asks.


    ¡°Sure, the other two must still be having trouble getting to this part of town,¡± the other person that exited the car states, ¡°Especially during rush hour.¡±


    The other person is none other than the president of the moon shadow affiliate, Ryan Everst. He¡¯s wearing a cream colored crewneck sweatshirt with purple & black stripes on the bottom of the shirt & sleeves, a black wool jacket with purple engravings, black denim pants, & brown loafers.


    Ryan Everst goes to the driver and hands him a tip, ¡°Make sure to park somewhere close by.¡±


    The driver nods and drives off leaving the two to enter the restaurant.


    Ryan opens the frosted glass doors to the restaurant and lets Brenda enter before following suit. The place is a traditional Japanese-styled sushi restaurant with the kitchen at the center of it and can be viewed by everyone. One of the walls has a giant fish tank filled with fish of all shapes & sizes swimming in it. And as for the patrons, most seem to be of very high status. After all, not everyone can afford to dine at such a fine establish-


    ¡°Oh, is that Mister Everst?¡± a voice calls out.


    Ryan & Brenda look over to see that sitting at a table are two people. One is busy looking at the menu while the other is waving them over. The person waving has dyed blonde hair in a mullet, white clear skin, green illusive eyes, a charming smile, & a cheery demeanor. The man is wearing a black turtleneck under a brown overcoat, blue jeans, & brown loafers.


    ¡°We already got a table,¡± the man remarks, ¡°Come join us, I already ordered drinks.¡±


    Ryan & Brenda curiously walk over and sit on the other end of the table from the man.


    ¡°I thought traffic would be a bit of a hassle for you,¡± Ryan remarks as he takes a seat.


    ¡°Oh no need to worry about that, sir,¡± the man says with a smile, ¡°I always make sure to be early to all important meetings.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ryan sighs, ¡°You were the one who asked to meet me, so tell me what it is you wanted to discuss Cavendish. Or would you like it if I called you by that nickname?¡±


    The man, Jackson Cavendish, smiles as he pours a glass of water for Ryan, ¡°Oh please, only my family really calls me Boston. Cavendish is just fine with me.¡±


    As Jackson finishes pouring Ryan a drink, the business dinner between the head of The Massachusetts Boys & the president of The Moon Shadow Affiliate truly begins.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 31 - The West Side (Prologue)

    Sitting at a table in the highly esteemed Yamamoto Family Japanese Restaurant are four unique individuals each with their own unique standing.


    The first is Ryan Everst, the president of the fashion empire known as the Moon Shadow Affiliate. His usual joking and jovial attitude is a bit more reserved for this meeting.


    Sitting next to him is one of the head fashion designers at his company; Brenda Delaware. Despite how dressed up she is for this dinner, she¡¯s the most nervous as she¡¯s having issues with using the chopsticks.


    Across the table from them are Jackson ¡®Boston¡¯ Cavendish, the head of The Massachusetts Boys gang. His charming yet polite look doesn¡¯t seem to  go unnoticed by their waitress as she constantly comes by to refill their waters if it shows the slightest notice of being a little empty.


    Lastly, the fourth and final person at the table is Lucia ¡®Salem¡¯ Dulik, the second-in-command of The Massachusetts Boys. Her long hair is dyed blonde like Boston¡¯s, she has a mole underneath her mouth, looking into her brown eyes would cause you to receive a calculated yet coy look, and her white skin is glowing with no imperfections nor blemishes¡­all except the diagonal scar going across her mouth. She¡¯s wearing a gray chalk striped suit over a white button-up, however her blazer is slung over her shoulders like a cape with her arms not in it.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m guessing you wanted to have this meeting due as a way to eat something good?¡± Ryan jokes.


    ¡°Hah, please Mister Everst, I wouldn¡¯t waste your time with such a request,¡± Jackson laughs, ¡°Like I said, we¡¯re here to discuss business, and the current state of our partnership.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ryan begins to say as he rests his chopsticks in his hands, ¡°And how has your business been going?¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s-¡± Jackson begins to say.


    ¡°Quite poorly to be blunt about it,¡± Brenda interrupts.


    Jackson¡¯s mouth closes as he kindly looks over to the fashion designer as she pulls out several papers from a folder she had in her designer purse.


    ¡°Your first fiscal quarter was great I¡¯ll give you that,¡± Brenda begins to say, ¡°But ever since you dipped a little in the second quarter only to plummet drastically in revenue gained in this last fiscal quarter. Even though the fourth one¡¯s just started this month, this trend does look to be continuing.¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve done your research,¡± Lucia Dulik, the second-in-command, states, ¡°But you should know that our biggest moneymaker is no longer in the picture. Ever since the fall of Club Azure, our narcotics business has taken a significant hit. Without their presence, it¡¯s been difficult to find another buyer willing to spend as much as they did.¡±


    ¡°All of the gangs working under us suffered from Club Azure¡¯s premature end,¡± Brenda retorts, ¡°Yet all of them have since managed to bounce back and are raking in more profits than ever before. So what¡¯s holding your gang back?¡±


    Lucia goes to talk but Jackson lifts his hand as he says, ¡°Now hold on Salem, I think I¡¯ll take over this part. And Miss Delaware, you¡¯re not supposed to cross your chopsticks.¡±


    Brenda silently corrects herself as she tries to grab the sushi off her plate, but it quickly slides off back onto her plate.


    ¡°It¡¯s been over three years since we got folded into working for your organization,¡± Jackson begins to say, ¡°I thought you¡¯d have learned by now that we don¡¯t like to chase after cheap thrills and profits like the other gangs. If you help us with one thing, our profits will not only balloon but eclipse every other gang.¡±


    Ryan leans back in his seat, prepared to listen to Jackson¡¯s pitch while Brenda still struggles to eat a single piece of sushi.


    ¡°For the past couple years now we¡¯ve been working as a ¡®clean up¡¯ service for those interested in buying up some property, and while it has been a successful business, it doesn¡¯t quite pay the bills as much as any of us would hope,¡± Jackson begins to explain, ¡°Which is why we¡¯ve been starting to take a different approach. Have you heard of squatter¡¯s rights and adverse possession?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with them,¡± Ryan remarks, ¡°If you live and maintain a property of someone else¡¯s and they don¡¯t challenge your use or maintain their property, you¡¯ll be able to acquire it in five years. At least here in Starlight City.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see you even know the time it takes,¡± Jackson compliments.


    ¡°Is that what you¡¯re planning on doing?¡± Ryan questions.


    ¡°Correct!¡± Jackson snaps his fingers, ¡°Over the years, many businesses and families have been scared off from the west side of town, so there¡¯s a lot of vacant properties nobody wants to buy and the owners want nothing to do with it.¡±


    ¡°No part thanks to your gang,¡± Brenda adds as she struggles to use the chopsticks.


    ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± Lucia explains, ¡°We scare them off and use their property for anything our gang needs. Then when the time comes and we finally gain ownership, we¡¯ll be able to clean up the place and sell the prime real estate to the city planners and construction companies hungry to use the


    ¡°We¡¯ll still own a percentage of the land, so we¡¯ll still be earning money even after selling it off,¡± Jackson remarks as he grabs his chopsticks, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Ryan begins to remark, ¡°I¡¯m impressed by all you have planned out, but I am concerned about how long this plan would take. Your other revenue streams may dry up before this can even come to fruition. Not to mention it¡¯ll be tough to get some construction companies to work with you when your gang¡¯s made the west side undesirable for a long time.¡±


    ¡°I agree with you on the first part, which is why we need your help,¡± Jackson remarks as the waitress fills up his glass of water.


    Ryan Everst & Brenda Delaware stop and look at Mister Cavendish with confusion.


    ¡°The Moon Shadow Affiliate & it¡¯s parent company have a lot of ties to the politicians in the city,¡± Lucia mentions, ¡°If you can convince the ones that are in deep with you all to knock down that 5 year wait into a 5 month turn-around, all of our current places we¡¯re squatting at will automatically become our property overnight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll help both of us in the end,¡± Jackson adds, ¡°And I already have a business that deals with construction in mind to take care of it all.¡±


    ¡°Is it Dirty Fang? They already dabble in construction and their leader Makinsley is a good enough guard dog that I¡¯m sure he could take care of any complications,¡± Ryan suggests.


    Jackson, who has his cup mere inches away from his mouth, stops for a moment.


    His smile slightly twitches from hearing the name of the Dirty Fang¡¯s head.


    ¡°Mason, huh?¡± Jackson remarks, ¡°He¡¯s good with his gang, but he¡¯s got terrible business sense.¡±


    Ryan is intrigued by Jackson¡¯s comment.


    ¡°You said he was a guard dog, right?¡± Jackson says as he lifts the sushi up with his chopsticks effortlessly, ¡°Well, what good of a guard dog can one be if he¡¯d bite the hand of his master to protect his kin? Makinsley¡¯s priorities lie with his gang and his gang alone.¡±


    ¡°Then where do your priorities lie?¡± Brenda asks as she gives up using chopsticks and gets a fork.


    ¡°My priorities?¡± Jackson comments as he bites down on his sushi, ¡°I thought they were apparent.¡±


    As Jackson chews loudly, Lucia breaks the silence by saying, ¡°The corporation we have in mind to aid us in construction is The SunDrop Foundation. I¡¯m certain you¡¯re aware of them.¡±


    Hearing those words, Brenda turns to look at Ryan, a look of concern on her face as Ryan¡¯s hand slowly becomes firm.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of them, yes,¡± Ryan Everst calmly says through a frustrated face, ¡°They¡¯re definitely a solid pick, but I¡¯m sure you know of their history.¡±


    ¡°We all have a history with them, Sir,¡± Jackson smirks, ¡°But I think it¡¯s been plenty of time to bury the hatchet. I¡¯m not exactly referred to as ¡®The Brother of The Beast¡¯ still, am I?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t stop you from striking a deal with them, but I will remind you to keep your eyes out when you do so¡± Ryan warns, ¡°You may want to bury the hatchet, but they certainly like to dig it back up.¡±


    Jackson sets his chopsticks down and extends his hand across the table.


    ¡°Well then, I think that¡¯s all of the issues we needed to sort out,¡± Jackson remarks.


    Ryan takes Jackson¡¯s hand and shakes it.


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right,¡± Ryan remarks, ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when it gets lessened to 5 months, in the meantime you make sure to get your side of things all settled.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry sir,¡± Jackson begins to say, ¡°I don¡¯t see any pitfalls for us in the future.¡±


    The rest of the dinner went by quickly. Eventually after finishing eating and paying for the bill, the two parties both began to walk up and exit the restaurant. As they do so, Jackson spots a halloween pop-up store at the corner of the street.


    ¡°Ah, one more thing, sir,¡± Jackson says as he glances to Lucia.


    Lucia sighs before her & Jackson strike a silly pose with their hands dangling like zombies.


    ¡°Happy Halloween!¡± Lucia & Jackson yell.


    ____________________________________


    In The West Side of Town, a train makes its way to a station. And as the train reaches its spot, a few people exit from the train.


    A few people set on making this night one to remember.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 32 - The West Side (1)

    The West Side of Starlight City.


    It¡¯s definitely a place that¡¯s seen better days. When were those better days? Nobody quite knows. The setting sun casts the empty train station in orange hues as a train makes its way into the station. The train doors swing open as a few people all exit.


    ¡°Man that was so much quicker than the car ride to the east was,¡± one of them remarks as they stretch.


    The person who said that is none other than Ronnie Everst. For today he¡¯s wearing a yellow tracksuit with a black t-shirt hidden underneath the almost fully zipped up jacket.


    To the left of him is his fiery rival and friend, Alex Smith. He¡¯s wearing a black tracksuit with a light blue undershirt hidden beneath.


    To the right of Ronnie is another of his close friends; Elizabeth Thi Moore. She¡¯s wearing a fully zipped beige tartan tracksuit.


    ¡°Been a while since I¡¯ve been here,¡± Elizabeth reminisces.


    ¡°Since when were you here?¡± Alex questions.


    ¡°I lived here,¡± Elizabeth corrects him.


    ¡°Oh right, I kinda forgot,¡± Alex admits.


    As the three continue into the train station, the two in the back of the group stand confused at the sight they¡¯re seeing. The first is Marcus Veridan who¡¯s wearing a light blue quilted jacket with brown buttons, a white undershirt, a black cross-body pouch, khaki pants, and white sneakers. The second is Marcus¡¯ foster sister; Selina Gulvonac. She¡¯s wearing a red bandana across her forehead, a black leather jacket over a white hoodie, blue bedazzled jeans, purple sunglasses, black shoes, and a toothpick in her mouth.


    ¡°Did you guys plan this?¡± Marcus asks.


    Ronnie, Alex, & Elizabeth turn to the two.


    ¡°Plan what?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Your outfits! Why are you all wearing those tracksuits?!¡± Selina yells before pointing at two others, ¡°Even they¡¯re wearing ¡®em!¡±


    The two she¡¯s pointing at are Sammy Becken ¨C who''s sporting a red tracksuit ¨C and Randy Buzz, who while he has on an orange tracksuit jacket, is wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans.


    ¡°Now that you mention it, it is odd we¡¯re all wearing these,¡± Ronnie admits.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, you all heard I was gonna wear a tracksuit jacket and you tried to copy my style, my flow, my charisma!¡± Randy Buzz says as he tries to run his hand through his hair.


    The whole group stares at Randy before proceeding to ignore him.


    ¡°I mean, Christopher isn¡¯t wearing one,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    Christopher Wrinkle, who¡¯s wearing a gray t-shirt & green shorts nods at the comment.


    ¡°So bros, you guys know where those Maryland Buddies even are?¡± Christopher asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s Massachusetts Boys,¡± Marcus corrects Christopher, ¡°And as for that, I was hoping we could get that from¡­¡±


    Marcus looks further down the train station to see a person has been standing posted up by a pillar waiting for them. That person being Starlight High¡¯s rebel; Hunter Huntingson¡­who¡¯s wearing a half-white half-black tracksuit.


    ¡°So, looks like you guys figured out how to get here by yourselves,¡± Hunter remarks coldly.


    ¡°Hey, I thought you¡¯re on our side for this one!¡± Ronnie grits his teeth.


    ¡°That was supposed to be a compliment,¡± Hunter admits.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ronnie apologizes.


    Now that Hunter¡¯s closer to the group, Ronnie alongside Alex & Elizabeth finally get a proper look at Hunter for the first time since the end of freshman year, and the scar across his face that he¡¯s received since then. The three are all silent at the sight but for different reasons.


    Seeing their looks, Hunter remarks, ¡°Didn¡¯t Marcus fill you in?¡±


    ¡°He did but-¡± Ronnie begins to say.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s not much else to say,¡± Hunter states as he turns and begins to walk out of the train station, ¡°We don¡¯t have time to waste so let¡¯s get moving.¡±


    _____________________________________


    The group of nine makes their way down the empty streets of the west side of town, flyers blow through the wind as the group make their way down the cracked streets.


    ¡°So, you guys got a plan?¡± Hunter asks as he¡¯s walking.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re gonna bust into their base and take em all down Club Azure style!¡± Ronnie says.


    ¡°Okay, you know where their base is?¡± Hunter questions.


    Ronnie stops walking, causing the rest of the group to stop too.


    ¡°Uhhhh,¡± Ronnie tries to say.


    ¡°You¡¯re joking,¡± Hunter groans.


    ¡°I thought you knew where they were at!¡± Ronnie says in defense.


    ¡°I only know one of their hideouts but when I went by earlier they weren¡¯t there!¡± Hunter groans.


    ¡°Well maybe someone else here knows!¡± Ronnie remarks as he looks at the others.


    ¡°According to google it¡¯s a 15 hour drive,¡± Christopher says as he shows everyone his phone.


    ¡°Christopher, that¡¯s how long it takes to get to the state of Massachusetts,¡± Sammy corrects him.


    ¡°Oh, my bad guys,¡± Christopher apologizes.


    ¡°No don¡¯t worry bro you¡¯re good,¡± Alex says nicely before looking at Elizabeth, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you grew up here?¡±


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    ¡°Yeah when I was like a toddler Alex, haven¡¯t been here since!¡± Elizabeth says.


    ¡°Well, did toddler you hang out with those Massachusetts Boys?¡± Alex questions.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Elizabeth retorts.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, if we need to find them, I could make a pipe bomb,¡± Selina recommends.


    ¡°How will that help us find them?! And how do you know how to make a pipe bomb?!¡± Marcus yells.


    ¡°Well they¡¯d run over to see why there was an explosion. And I read how to make one from a book at the store,¡± Selina explains, ¡°Surprisingly not that hard if you have the parts-¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t making a pipe bomb!¡± Ronnie yells.


    ¡°Okay fine,¡± Selina pouts before compromising,¡±What about a firework?¡±


    As the group continues to yell about the predicament they¡¯re in, Hunter stands back a bit watching all of the chaos unfold. As he does so, he notices that there¡¯s two people walking down the street towards them.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned,¡± one of them remarks.


    The group stops bickering and look to see that walking down the street toward them are two teens from Seastar ¨C Vanessa Deli & Blanko Deck. The ginger Blanko is wearing a black tracksuit with diagonal white accents while the stoic Vanessa is wearing the t white-purple windbreaker jacket over a black t-shirt, black baggy sweatpants, and white fingerless gloves she wears to the gym.


    ¡°The hell are all these chumps doing over here?¡± Blanko asks with a smirk.


    ¡°This guy again-¡± Hunter grimaces ready for a fight.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry bub, we¡¯re cool with ¡®em,¡± Alex explains.


    Hunter relaxes a little while Ronnie begins to open his mouth only for-


    VROOM VROOM!


    Everyone looks down the street to see three motorcycles racing down it. As they get closer though, the riders on them see the group there and come to a screeching halt. As the trio make their way over to the group, their eyes widen with recognition.


    ¡°Of course, I should¡¯ve suspected you ¡®lot would be sticking your noses here,¡± one of them remarks.


    ¡°T-TIM-TOM?!¡± Ronnie questions.


    That¡¯s right, The Three Ts are also in the west side of town on their motorcycles. Timothy McGee is wearing a black hoodie and a pair of gray shorts while Thomas Dolby is wearing a beige baja hoodie, black sweatpants, and black construction boots. Lastly, Tim-Tom Pitt has on a red parka jacket over a black hoodie, brown cargo pants, & black air forces.


    ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re here for the Halloween party?¡¯ Tim-Tom questions.


    Ronnie, Marcus, Alex, Elizabeth, Selina, Randy, Sammy, Christopher, Hunter, Vanessa, & Blanko all begin to respond to Tim-Tom at the same time, each of them speaking over one another.


    ¡°Hey hey! One at a time, one at a time!¡± Tim-Tom tries to yell out over the drowning voices.


    _________________________


    ¡°So,¡± Tim-Tom remarks as he points to the north side kids, ¡°You¡¯re all here to take down The Massachusetts¡¯ Boys while Vanessa & Blanko are here to grab a photo that The Massachusetts Boys have in their possession.¡±


    As the groups nod, The Three Ts get into a huddle to talk amongst themselves.


    ¡°So, you guys think that photograph our client was talking about is the same those two Dirty Fang kids want to get?¡± Tim asks in a hushed tone.


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Tom remarks in a hushed tone, ¡°So what¡¯s the plan Tim-Tom?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s help them out for a bit,¡± Tim-Tom theorizes in a hushed voice, ¡°The Miracle Clinic and those two kids are certainly strong, but they¡¯re gonna need our help if they want to stand a fighting chance against The Massachusetts Boys.¡±


    ¡°What about our job?¡± Tim asks in a hushed voice.


    ¡°Easy, we just need to find that polaroid first and then pretend we don¡¯t have it,¡± Tim-Tom remarks in a hushed tone.


    ¡°And if they find the photo first?¡±  Tom asks in a hushed tone.


    Tim-Tom is silent, however the look in his eyes is all the confirmation the two need as to what his intent is if Vanessa & Blanko get to the photograph first.


    ¡°Then we take it with force if needed,¡± Tim-Tom utters in a hushed tone.


    The three break out from the huddle and turn to the rest of the group.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re in luck kiddos,¡± Tim-Tom remarks, ¡°Since our goals all align, how about we all help each other out.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t even that far apart in age dude,¡± Alex tries to say.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Vanessa says as she walks over to Tim-Tom, ¡°Our boss said not to be too trusting in you. Said betrayal runs in your blood.¡±


    ¡°My blood?¡± Tim-Tom remarks as he glances down at Vanessa with a coy smirk, ¡°I thought you were there when I helped send my old man to the slammer. My loyalty resides in what¡¯s best, after all I am Starlight City¡¯s Brightest Boxer.¡±


    Vanessa cringes at the mention of that self-proclaimed title while Tom & Tim try to stifle a laugh.


    ¡°Besides, I bet none of you know where the Massachusetts Boys are now,¡± Tim-Tom says as he side-eyes the group.


    The others fall silent.


    ¡°Thought so,¡± Tim-Tom remarks before beginning to explain, ¡°The Massachusetts Boys have several hideouts in all the abandoned spots on the west side. Lucky for us, almost all of their forces are going to be gathered in just one spot tonight; the old abandoned August Leaves Mall.¡±


    ¡°Really? What for?¡± Selina asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple really,¡± Tim-Tom remarks, ¡°For a halloween party.¡±


    The group is taken aback by the answer, however The Three Ts continue talking.


    ¡°Most of us here have made a name for ourselves so we can¡¯t just walk in like we are now,¡± Tom remarks.


    ¡°But luckily,¡± Tim adds as he rubs his chin, ¡°I know just how we can go undercover.¡±


    The group all look to where Tim is glancing to see a pop up halloween store filled with costumes and masks.


    ¡°And don¡¯t worry about the money, I¡¯m gonna cover it,¡± Tim remarks as he lifts up a credit card.


    ¡°Woah really? You sure man?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°Yeah don¡¯t mention it, I just won the $50 bowling tournament with Mesto, so I¡¯m sure the winnings can cover something small like this-¡± Tim begins to say.


    _________________________


    With all of the masks and costumes having been scanned, Tim stands next to the minimum wage cashier.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be $349.56, sir,¡± the cashier remarks.


    ¡°H-h-h-how much?¡± Tim asks as the hand he¡¯s holding his credit card in begins to shake.


    As his card is scanned, Tim sheds a few tears while Tom pats him on the back, all the while everyone else in the group is looking at the costumes they bought.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re going for an old classic, aye Eli?¡± Ronnie says before realizing his mistake, ¡°Wait- no- I meant-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Elizabeth remarks, ¡°You guys can call me whatever you like.¡±


    The members of the miracle clinic that have been around since the beginning all look at Elizabeth shocked.


    ¡°Who are you and what happened with the real Lizzy?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Very funny Alex,¡± Elizabeth sighs before explaining, ¡°But I figured you guys have known me long enough that you deserve getting to call me whatever.¡±


    ¡°So I can call you Eli?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Elizabeth confirms.


    ¡°And I can call you Lizzy?¡± Alex remarks.


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Elizabeth responds.


    ¡°And I can call you Elizabitch?¡± Randy asks with pure wonder.


    The group all stare at Randy once more with shame.


    ¡°Is McBeth better than?¡± Randy asks.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Elizabeth sighs.


    ¡°Great,¡± Randy groans.


    ¡°Well, thanks for the chance Eli,¡± Ronnie says with a smile before looking at the whole group, ¡°Now then, you guys all set to show them we mean business?¡±


    Randy is a bit hesitant but puffs out his chest after seeing the determined looks of the mourning-over-his-savings Timothy McGee, Thomas Dolby, Tim-Tom Pitt, Vanessa Deli, Blanko Deck, Christopher Wrinkle, Sammy Becken, Selina Gulvonac, Hunter Huntingson, Elizabeth Moore, Alex Smith, & Marcus Veridan.


    ¡°Guess that settles it,¡± Ronnie proclaims as he walks out of the store, ¡°Let¡¯s head on out for something a bit bigger than just some trick-or-treating!¡±


    __________________________


    Inside the old abandoned August Leaves Mall, several of the members of The Massachusetts Boy are inside enjoying themselves.


    No. 10 Trisha ¡°Amherst¡± Bernstein & her boyfriend No. 9 Victor ¡°Lynn¡± Dunnerman are dressed as a cheerleader & basketball player respectively and are dancing in a crowd.


    No. 7 Parker ¡°Plymouth¡± Duggar is dressed as a mummy and is trying to scare No. 8 Quinn ¡°Quincy¡± Overton who is dressed as Hatsune Miku. The attempts to scare do not work.


    No. 6 Frankfurt ¡°Fall River¡± Schulz is dressed up as the godfather and is talking to the low-ranking C.J. and No. 5 Kimberly ¡°Lowell¡± Masterson. Kimberly is dressed in a full astronaut costume and isn¡¯t paying much mind to Frankfurt while C.J. ¨C who¡¯s dressed in a fully inflatable shark costume that hides his face ¨C is really interested in all that Frankfurt is spewing out of his mouth.


    Lastly looking down on all of them is the No. 3 Chao ¡°Cambridge¡± Huang and No. 4 Willy ¡°Worcester¡± White. Chao¡¯s dressed in a baseball uniform with black face paint lines and a backwards baseball cap while Worcester is wearing an all white vampire outfit. On Worcester¡¯s outfit is a belt that has several weapons ¨C including Hunter¡¯s baseball bat ¨C dangling off it.


    ¡°Still upset about last weekend?¡± Worcester remarks, ¡°Or are you unsure I can pull it off?¡±


    Cambridge makes no response.


    ¡°Well don¡¯t worry Cammy,¡± Worcester says as he takes out the metal bat and points it to the broken glass ceiling, ¡°I don¡¯t have my sights set on just being the leader of the Massachusetts Boys or the one who slayed Dirty Fang.¡±


    Worcester looks toward the moon as he utters, ¡°I¡¯m gonna be known as the one who unified the night!¡±


    Cambridge stands there, letting Worcester bask in the moonlight.


    And he waits.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 33 - The West Side (2)

    The August Leaves Mall is a place with a historic past.


    In the 90s and early 2000s it was a shining pillar of the community over in the west side of town. If there was any form of shopping to be done, it would be there. Everyone went there at least a few times a month whether it was the elderly out for a jog, young kids messing around in the playplaces, or teens vandalizing the stores. Those that were around in its glory days always thought it was going to be around forever.


    It closed down permanently in 2006.


    A mix of the opening of the more modern and flashy Starlight City¡¯s Central Mall, the August Leaves Mall increasing the prices to rent out spaces each to a ridiculous amount, and the deteriorating infrastructure of The West Side caused the pillar of the community to now be nothing more than a memory.


    It still remains to this day though but clearly as a shell of its former self.


    Everything reeks of a bygone more simpler era that was dulled and drained of life by the passage of time. Dust and cobwebs cover both of its floors, all of the machinery have long since been deactivated, and the large 30 foot statue of the mall¡¯s original owner broke towards the bottom and has toppled over long ago.


    However despite the deteriorated state it''s in, life has once again found its way inside the mall as at least for tonight it''s bustling with hundreds of people. It¡¯s The Massachusetts Boys¡¯ annual costume halloween party, and practically every member ¨C save for the two highest ranking ones ¨C are all gathered to celebrate the festivities.


    Though it isn¡¯t just The Massachusetts Boys here at the party.


    Spread out all across the mall are members of the miracle clinic, Hunter, Christopher, The Three Ts, & two members of Dirty Fang. All of which are wearing disguises.


    On the second floor of the mall is a group of four ¨C Elizabeth who¡¯s in a clown mask, Ronnie with a grim reaper mask, Blanko in his phantom of the opera mask, & Tim-Tom who has clown makeup & hair on.


    ¡°So, why are we up here in the first place?¡± Elizabeth asks.


    ¡°Well, all hell is gonna break loose as soon as they know we¡¯re here,¡± Tim-Tom remarks, ¡°So while we¡¯re still undercover, we should look for that photograph.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but, who are we gonna ask about it?¡± Blanko questions.


    ¡°Well how ¡®bout that guy?¡± Ronnie says as he points to one of the few people up on the second floor.


    The person there is the third-in-command, Cambridge, who¡¯s wearing his baseball costume. When Cambridge spots them, he begins to walk over to them.


    ¡°Hey there man, you know if we can find-¡± Ronnie tries to say before he feels Cambridge place his hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Hey buddy,¡± Cambridge remarks, ¡°You all seem a bit lost. Party¡¯s downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Really? No clue,¡± Blanko blurts out, ¡°You know how to get down from here?¡±


    Ronnie, Tim-Tom, & Elizabeth glare at Blanko while Cambridge looks at them confused.


    ¡°Then how¡¯d you get up here?¡± Cambridge questions, ¡°And I don¡¯t recall seeing you guys around before.¡±


    ¡°Oh- uh- well,¡± Blanko stammers as he thinks a way out of this.


    ¡°Forgive my friend, he¡¯s still a bit dizzy from bobbing for apples for so long,¡± Tim-Tom laughs casually, ¡°We told him to stop but he kept on bobbing and bobbing and bobbing. You really should¡¯ve seen it.¡±


    Cambridge raises an eyebrow.


    ¡°We¡¯re also in costumes,¡± Ronnie points out, ¡°We don¡¯t normally dress like this.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you dress like normally?¡± Cambridge questions as he moves his hand over to lift up Ronnie¡¯s mask.


    Before he can do that though, Tim-Tom grabs Ronnie, Blanko, & Elizabeth with his arms and starts to walk away.


    ¡°Sorry for bothering you man! We¡¯ll be back down right away!¡± Tim-Tom laughs.


    Cambridge is silent as the group walks away.


    Once he¡¯s out of earshot, Elizabeth questions, ¡°He seems a bit pushy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s like he doesn¡¯t want us up here,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°I think I may know,¡± Blanlo says as he looks into one of the stores on the second floor.


    The group looks into the store and are all greeted by the shocking sight of¡­.several halloween props that all have a ¡°use later in party¡± stickers on them.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Elizabeth sighs.


    _________________________


    On the first floor of the mall, Marcus is grouped up with Hunter & Christopher. The three are glancing around when Hunter spots Worcester standing on the second floor of the mall.


    ¡°There you are,¡± Hunter utters beneath his devil mask.


    ¡°Now hold on Hunter,¡± Marcus says in his jack-o-lantern mask, ¡°If we go for him now we¡¯ll have to fight everybody else here.¡±


    ¡°Bro¡¯s right bro,¡± Christopher agrees in his inflatable dino costume, ¡°We should wait for a better time.¡±


    Hunter looks at Worcester then down at the ground before sighing and lamenting, ¡°Alright.¡±


    As the group of three continue through the party, Sammy & Vanessa stand by the wall watching them.


    ¡°What¡¯s with that dino costume?¡± Sammy laughs under her rooster mask, ¡°You got a clue Vanny?¡±


    Vanessa, who has a kitsune mask over his face, doesn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°C¡¯mon you got no comment?¡± Sammy asks.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Vanessa affirms, ¡°Just because I didn¡¯t bring it up at homecoming doesn¡¯t mean I forgot one bit about what happened-¡±


    Before Vanessa can continue anything, the two teens feel a pair of arms bringing them closer to a person who just walked up to them.


    ¡°Wow your costumes sure are remarkable,¡± No. 6 Frankfurt ¡®Fall River¡¯ Schulz says in his godfather costume, ¡°Where did you get them?¡±


    Vanessa, without even thinking, grabs Frankfurt¡¯s arm that is around her and goes to twist it, however Sammy stops her.


    ¡°Thanks but we didn¡¯t really try,¡± Sammy remarks, ¡°We just threw on whatever we found that was cheap.¡±


    ¡°Cheap huh?¡± Frankfurt remarks, ¡°You girls are frugal with money, I like that.¡±


    Vanessa, still ready to break Frankfurt¡¯s arm, glares at Sammy.


    ¡°Aw you¡¯re too kind,¡± Sammy says in a fake nice tone, ¡°Though I must say, all the makeup you put on for that costume really paid off.¡±


    ¡°Makeup?¡± Frankfurt questions, ¡°I¡¯m not wearing any makeup-¡±


    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t have any?¡± Sammy questions as she puts on a fake shocked expression, ¡°Are you saying all those ugly wrinkles are real?! And here I was thinking you were just pretending to be an old creep.¡±


    A coy smirk escapes from Sammy¡¯s face as the 34 year old Frankfurt¡¯s face begins to go red with rage. Instead of saying anything, he just huffs and puffs before walking away from the two teens.


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for that but we can¡¯t beat that bitch up just yet,¡± Sammy remarks before trying to reach out to the still shaking Vanessa, ¡°Hey, you okay?¡±


    Vanessa quickly swats Sammy¡¯s hand away before uttering, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡±


    ¡°Okay then,¡± Sammy says as she puts her hands in her pockets, ¡°How about we take a moment to breathe.¡±


    Vanessa is silent for a moment, not moving nor responding to Sammy, however almost as if a weight has just fallen off her shoulders, Vanessa lets out a deep breath.


    The two teens continue to stand on the wayside for a moment as the festivities continue.


    __________________________


    ¡°So, I heard you wanted to know about The Tale of The Unshakeable Fist?¡± A Massachusetts Boy¡¯s member remarks.


    The member is standing right next to the giant fallen statue of a the mall¡¯s original owner as several other members are sitting around on the floor next to him. A part of the crowd is Alex in a frankenstein mask, Selina in a skeleton mask, Randy in a ski mask, Tim with fake cat ear+fake whiskers+a cat collar+a fake cat tail, & Tom with a scooby doo mask. A trash can that¡¯s on fire is also in front of the person telling the story.


    ¡°Is this supposed to be some sort of stupid campfire story?¡± Randy asks only for Selina to shush him.


    ¡°Shut up dude I¡¯m trying to hear the story,¡± Selina remarks.


    ¡°Now it all went down on a dark and stormy night,¡± The Massachusetts Boy member explains, ¡°Back then the mall was still open though it was on its last legs. Many people thought of it as a dumping ground for whatever they felt like. But that would all change the night he showed up.¡±


    The Massachusetts Boy continues as he tries to make his voice sound frightening, ¡°He had messy black hair held up with a padded headband, facial hair so majestic you¡¯d think he was a celebrity, a parka jacket stained with the blood of many battles successfully won, and an intimidating burn across his cold dead eye. That man only spoke Korean but you could tell what he was saying just by the way he looked. He wanted to show the gap in strength between people like us and kings like him.¡±


    The Massachusetts Boy clenches his fist and swings it, ¡°With just a single swing of his unshakeable fist he managed to crack the Kennedy statue in half. After that he left in search for a red haired man who he swore revenge on. The mall had to shut down soon after in fear of any excess damage that the Korean man left. Nobody knows where he went ¨C some say he went back to his country, others said he trained on a mountain, me personally I think he¡¯s still destroying monuments to this day ¨C but regardless of where he¡¯s at now, nobody can deny that he truly is a king!¡±


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    As The Massachusetts Boys member finishes his tale, the crowd is silent. That is until.


    BOOOOO!!!!!


    Several tomatoes and garbage is flung at the man.


    ¡°That story fucking sucked!¡± someone yells.


    ¡°You clearly haven¡¯t touched grass in a while if you think that shit is real!¡± Another yells.


    ¡°No person could even break a statue with their fists!!¡± Randy yells.


    As the crowd continues their riot, Tim & Tom look at each other.


    ¡°What a silly story,¡± Tim laughs.


    ¡°I know, it¡¯s almost as ridiculous as that costume you¡¯re wearing,¡± Tom jokes.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my outfit?¡± Tim questions as he¡¯s still dressed as a catboy.


    Tom just gives a dead stare at Tim in response.


    As everyone continues to yell, Selina nudges Alex. A look of fear is on her face. Alex looks confused until he sees what Selina is pointing at.


    On the statue that¡¯s broken in two is an indent where the statue broke.


    The indent of a fist.


    ¡°That has to be fake,¡± Alex tries to console both him & Selina.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯d only see someone do that in some stupid comic,¡± Selina sweats trying to trick herself, ¡°This has to be some sort of silly reference or something the author was told to do.¡±


    ¡°Yeah for s-wait what?¡± Alex remarks.


    ¡°Sorry sorry, X kept spouting nonsense to me at my last shift,¡± Selina explains, ¡°I think it rubbed off on me a little.¡±


    ¡°Yeah well maybe he-¡± Alex tries to say when-


    RIIIIIIINNNNGGGG!


    The loud annoying ringing of a microphone turning on causes everyone to wince in pain until it calms down.


    ¡°Glad to know this is on,¡± Worcester remarks as he holds a microphone, ¡°Now then can everyone come gather around! It¡¯s time for the Scavenger Hunt!¡±


    Several of the Massachusetts boys members gather into one large group. Worcester is standing atop on the second floor as he remarks.


    ¡°Thank you thank you,¡± Worcester begins to say, ¡°I know we¡¯re all excited for the big scavenger hunt to begin, and I am too. But first we need to split up into groups.¡±


    All of the members begin to shuffle about causing the members of the miracle clinic to get pushed and shoved away from one another. By the time it¡¯s all said and done there are six distinct groups.


    ¡°Alright now then each group is going to be going to a different place and looking for The Special Presents,¡± Worcester says, ¡°Those that are staying here at the mall will be in Lynn & Amherst¡¯s group.¡±


    Victor ¡®Lynn¡¯ Dunnerman & Trisha ¡®Amherst¡¯ Bernstein¡¯s group is the largest in size by a longshot and Alex, Selina, Randy, Tim, & Tom are a part of it.


    ¡°Those that are in Lowell¡¯s group will be going to Fredrick Fastbear¡¯s Factory,¡± Worcester remarks.


    Kimberly ¡®Lowell¡¯ Masterson¡¯s group is less than five times the size of the mall group but is still the second largest group. CJ is a part of the group but so are Elizabeth & Blanko.


    ¡°Fall River¡¯s team is going to the Roots Co. Warehouse,¡± Worcester remarks.


    Frankfurt ¡®Rall River¡¯ Schulz¡¯s group has Vanessa Deli & Sammy Becken a part of it.


    ¡°Plymouth & Quincy¡¯s group is going to Granite¡¯s Auto Repair Shop,¡± Worcester says.


    Parker ¡®Plymouth¡¯ Duggar & Quinn ¡®Quincy¡¯ Overton¡¯s group is the smallest with Tim-Tom being a part of it.


    ¡°Cammy¡¯s team will be going to Tatsu¡¯s Household Needs,¡± Worcester states.


    Ronnie looks around to see he¡¯s the only person not a part of The Massachusetts Boys in Chao ¡®Cambridge¡¯ Huang¡¯s group.


    ¡°And for everyone else,¡± Worcester laughs, ¡°You¡¯re with me.¡±


    Hunter, Marcus, & Christopher look up with some hesitancy at Worcester.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s get to it!¡± Worcester says with a clap of his hands.


    As all of the groups begin to disperse, Marcus glances around at all of the others who are breaking apart. All of them look a bit blind sided from this all, however Ronnie despite it gives them all a thumbs up.


    The doors close behind him as Ronnie looks at Cambridge.


    ¡°So, Household Needs huh?¡± Ronnie tries to say to the group at large.


    They don¡¯t respond to him for a minute.


    ¡°Yeah, grocery store,¡± Cambridge remarks, ¡°Just closed down yesterday so there¡¯s still a lot of cleaning left to do.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so we got ourselves the short end of the stick?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°Yeah, we did,¡± Cambridge breathes as he looks at Ronnie.


    Ronnie keeps quiet as the group makes their way to the grocery store. Eventually they¡¯re right at the front door to the place when Cambridge opens up his phone.


    ¡°Hold on a moment,¡± Cambridge says as he calls someone.


    ___________________


    Inside a pop up halloween store, the minimum wage clerk looks up at the two sole customers in the building.


    ¡°Changing room is over there,¡± the clerk groans as he points down the hall.


    The two people he¡¯s talking to are Jackson ¡®Boston¡¯ Cavendish & Lucia ¡®Salem¡¯ Dulik. The two are still in their attire they had on at the dinner earlier but are holding bags with their costumes inside it.


    ¡°I see, thanks for the discount,¡± Boston remarks as he waves at the clerk.


    The two higher ups of The Massachusetts Boys make their way through the aisles of cheaply made halloween costumes before making it to the changing room. Keyword being room since there¡¯s only one.


    ¡°I won¡¯t look if you won¡¯t,¡± Boston suggests.


    Lucia sighs as she opens the door. The two enter the changing room together and face away from one another. Lucia manages to shrug the blazer off with ease while Jackson carefully takes his arms out of the sleeves of the brown overcoat. It¡¯s when he only has one sleeve fully out of the coat that-


    RING RING RING!


    His phone rings.


    With his free hand, Jackson answers the phone call coming in from Cambridge and puts it on speaker.


    ¡°Hey Salem¡¯s with me and you¡¯re on speaker, what¡¯s up?¡± Jackson asks as he takes his other arm out of the coat¡¯s sleeve.


    ¡°I just wanted to confirm with you what you said earlier,¡± Cambridge remarks over the phone, ¡°Is it still true?¡±


    ¡°Ah that,¡± Jackson says as he carefully pulls the turtleneck sweater and undershirt off him, ¡°Yeah, go ahead and do whatever you want with those intruders from The Miracle Clinic.¡±


    Lucia glances toward Jackson slightly, interested by his latest remark, all the while carefully unbuttoning her dress shirt.


    ¡°How¡¯d you find out about that?¡± Lucia asks as she slides her unbuttoned shirt down her arms.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s simple really,¡± Jackson says as he unclips his belt, ¡°Worcester beat up someone from their group, so it makes sense they¡¯d try and enact revenge. Once you¡¯re done with them Cambridge, bring them all over to the heartbreak motel.¡±


    ¡°And should I relay this to the other groups?¡± Cambridge inquires over the phone.


    Now with the two heads in nothing but their undergarments, they begin to unwrap the costumes they got.


    ¡°You won¡¯t need to,¡± Jackson says, ¡°I already told them the same thing I¡¯m telling you.¡±


    ¡°I see, thanks,¡± Cambridge says as he hangs up.


    As Lucia & Jackson continue to change to unwrap their costumes, Jackson glances over at Lucia who just got the costume out of its packaging.


    ¡°I take it by your wording you also knew?¡± Jackson questions..


    ¡°Yeah, figured I¡¯d have it be an opportunity for the lower ranks to prove themselves,¡± Lucia states as she puts on the dress for the costume.


    As she does so, she can¡¯t reach down to pull up the zipper that¡¯s on the back of the outfit.


    ¡°A little help?¡± Lucia questions.


    Jackson turns around and helps zip up Lucia¡¯s costume, hiding away her once exposed back in the process.


    ¡°Glad we¡¯re on the same page here Salem,¡± Boston remarks as he lets go of Lucia¡¯s dress, ¡°Now, let¡¯s sit back and watch how well they pass this test!¡±


    _____________________


    With Cambridge¡¯s group, Ronnie is sweating bullets underneath his mask as Cambridge puts his phone into his pocket.


    ¡°Well, you heard what he said, right?¡± Cambridge remarks.


    ¡°Uhhh yeah,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°We gotta look out for any fakers out there. I¡¯ll show ¡®em a thing or two about messing with The Maryla- I mean Massachusetts Boys!¡±


    Cambridge looks over at Ronnie dumbfounded before he places his hand on Ronnie¡¯s tracksuit and pulls him in.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t fooling anyone Everst,¡± Cambridge remarks.


    ¡°Yeah I kinda realized tha-¡± Ronnie begins to say as he¡¯s tossed into the abandoned grocery store, kicking up a cloud of dust when he lands.


    ¡°Take care of the trash,¡± Cambridge says as he turns to walk around.


    Two of the Massachusetts Boys members nod as they begin to walk into the abandoned grocery store, the two cracking their knuckles as they do so.


    ¡°Must be our lucky day!¡± One of them remarks.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s always nice getting to finish off the easy ones-¡± The other tries to say as a hand firmly grasps onto his head, ¡°Huh-¡±


    Before the two can respond, the two hands that are grasping onto each of their heads slams them into each other causing Cambridge to turn around. As he does so, he feels something hit him. A grim reaper mask.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can really call others trash,¡± Ronnie Everst smirks as he steps out of the cloudy shadows and over the two unconscious bodies, ¡°Have you seen the places you stay at?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still up, huh?¡± Cambridge remarks as he rolls up his sleeves, ¡°You should¡¯ve just played dead, would¡¯ve made things easier for both of us.¡±


    ¡°What, scared of lil old me?¡± Ronnie questions as he walks into the grocery store, ¡°If you wanna talk that smack make sure you back it up with some fists.¡±


    ¡°Fists huh?¡± Cambridge questions as he steps foot into the store, ¡°If you think you & your friends can just win like you did back in Club Azure, you got a rude awakening coming your way.¡±


    ¡°Oh please,¡± Ronnie says as he motions for Cambridge to come toward him, ¡°I got nothing to worry about, do you even know who we are?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, dead meat,¡± Cambridge remarks.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°It¡¯ll take a lot to put them down!¡±


    ____________________________________


    Inside The Heartbreak Motel, Hunter, Marcus, & Christopher have their masks off and have been backed into a corner by Worcester¡¯s goons.


    ¡°So, what do you say we do?¡± Christopher asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± Hunter says as he smashes a thug¡¯s face in while only looking at Worcester, ¡°We give them hell.¡±


    _________________________


    Inside Fredrick Fastbear¡¯s Factory, Blanko & Elizabeth have their masks off as they look around at all of the members coming after them.


    ¡°Heads up we¡¯re fighting after all,¡± Blanko remarks as he gets in a kickboxing stance.


    ¡°Yeah, looks like they saw through-¡± Elizabeth begins to try to say before getting tackled, ¡°Us.¡±


    Blanko looks confused as the person who tackled Elizabeth is in an astronaut outfit and is rolling around on the ground with Elizabeth.


    Wait, that wasn¡¯t a tackle.


    It was a¡­hug?


    The person in the astronaut costume lifts Elizabeth up in the air.


    ¡°Eli! It¡¯s been too long!¡± The astronaut costume remarks before letting Elizabeth down.


    ¡°Wh-who are-¡± Elizabeth tries to say.


    ¡°Oh right, the costume n all,¡± The person says as they unzip themselves out of the full body astronaut outfit.


    Elizabeth¡¯s eyes widen at the side of the person in front of her, The Massachusetts Boys No. 5, Kimberly ¡®Lowell¡¯ Masterson.


    ¡°How have you been Eli?¡± Kimberly questions, ¡°I¡¯m curious to see just how strong you¡¯ve become!¡±


    _____________


    In the Roots Co. Warehouse, Sammy & Vanessa are staring down Frankfurt ¡®Fall River¡¯ Schulz as he walks toward them.


    ¡°So, looks like I¡¯ll be getting to discipline you after all,¡± Frankfurt remarks with a twisted sense of delight.


    Hearing that comment, Vanessa & Sammy face back to back with one their masks still on.


    ¡°Who knew we¡¯d be fighting together for a change?¡± Sammy tries to remark.


    ¡°Just shut up and focus on the task at hand,¡± Vanessa utters, ¡°We have a pig to butcher.¡±


    ______________


    Inside Granite¡¯s Auto Repair Shop, Tim-Tom is wiping away the clown makeup off his face with some water. The green wig he had on is also on the ground. Parker & Quinn are standing there looking at Tim-Tom.


    ¡°Looks like we managed to luck out here,¡± Parker grins, ¡°Don¡¯t you agree Quinn?¡±


    Quincy is silent as she analyzes her opponent.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, I was trying to keep it together these past few weeks. I thought I¡¯d save all my aggression for that phantom bastard,¡± Tim-Tom remarks as he finishes washing away all the makeup, ¡°But you managed to get under my skin, lucky you.¡±


    ¡°Under your skin? Oh no I¡¯m so scared I¡¯m gonna piss my pants!¡± Parker mocks with a laugh.


    It¡¯s at this remark, Tim-Tom walks over to the entrance of the repair shop.


    ¡°Oh no, what are you gonna do? Run away?¡± Parker laughs when-


    SLAM!


    Parker¡¯s face shifts as he witnesses Tim-Tom slamming the metal doors shut.


    ¡°It seems like all I am is just a laughing stock to you guys. I¡¯m not as menacing as Mason. I¡¯m not as strong as Jackson. And I¡¯m not as smart as Joel,¡± Tim-Tom begins to say as he grabs onto the metal door handles, ¡°Being known as the worst crewhead is something I¡¯ve grown tired of.¡±


    Tim-Tom begins to twist and bend the metal handle until it¡¯s unusable as he finishes, ¡°So I think it¡¯s about damn time that I remind everyone why I¡¯m considered a crewhead too!¡±


    _________________________


    Back at the August Leaves Mall, Alex, Selina, Randy, Tim, & Tom all look at the hundreds, maybe even a thousand of Massachusetts Boys members all ready to beat them to a pulp.


    ¡°You got a plan?¡± Randy asks, panicked.


    ¡°Yeah if we make a pipe bomb then we can-¡± Selina tries to suggest.


    ¡°Nah we ain¡¯t doing anything special like that bub,¡± Alex says before looking at Tim & Tom, ¡°You thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡±


    ¡°Oh absolutely,¡± Tim nods.


    ¡°One hundred percent,¡± Tom grins.


    ¡°Good then it¡¯s decided,¡± Alex solemnly states, ¡°We¡¯re running away.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 34 - The West Side (3)

    The moonlight bathes the abandoned Heartbreak Motel in shades of blue as Willy ¡®Worcester¡¯ White sits atop a busted red convertible. He¡¯s managed to find the one spot on the car that isn¡¯t covered in dirt, dust, and moss.


    Standing next to the car is a lower ranking Massachusetts Boys member writing on a paper stuck to a noteboard.


    ¡°Hey, whatcha writing?¡± Worcester asks.


    ¡°Those intruders that the others are taking care of,¡± the member explains, ¡°I¡¯m trying to assess their power level.¡±


    ¡°Power level?¡± Worcester questions, ¡°What are you some fuckin¡¯ nerd?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re honest¡­..so what do you have?¡±


    The member looks over to the center of the motel lot where three teens are fighting their way through a bunch of other lower ranked members. The one that¡¯s clearly the weakest of the bunch being the scrawny Marcus Veridan, who¡¯s mostly being protected by the other two teens; Hunter Huntingson & Christopher Wrinkle.


    ¡°The kid with the messy hair is clearly the strongest,¡± the member remarks, ¡°He¡¯s just hiding behind them so he can save up his strength for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite intimidated,¡± Worcester laughs before pointing at Hunter, ¡°What about scar-boy?¡±


    Hunter is currently battling two members at once, and despite no longer having his bat, he manages to make quick work of the both of them by slamming their heads into the motel wall.


    ¡°He¡¯s good, but nowhere near their leader¡¯s level. Just looking at him you can tell that kid¡¯s never held a weapon before in his life and gets by with his fists.¡±


    ¡°Wow you got all that just from a few hits from him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always had 20/20 vision,¡± the member smirks while adjusting their glasses, ¡°There¡¯s no way my calculations are wrong. And as for the beefy guy¡­¡±


    The two¡¯s attention turns to Christopher, who¡¯s jumping in the air before throwing a punch at a gang member, however none of his attacks land and he almost trips himself when he lands.


    ¡°He¡¯s clearly the worst one there,¡± the member laughs, ¡°Sure he may have the muscles, but his technique is worse than my handless grandma!¡±


    Christopher takes a step back as he makes a fist.


    ¡°He sure is persistent,¡± Worcester remarks.


    ¡°He''s clearly going for some superman punch, but that hardly does anything. Only an idiot that would never land a punch would keep doing that same move over and over agai-¡±


    KABOOM!


    In an instant an unconscious body flies through the air and hits the snarky member knocking him the fuck out.


    Worcester whistles.


    Christopher''s punch has finally landed on someone.


    ¡°Well, if I were to take a gander,¡± Worcester ponders as he creates a frame with his fingers toward the two knocked out members, ¡°I¡¯d say that your whole analysis was full of shit.¡±


    As Worcester continues to sit atop the car, Hunter continues to fight his way through the group of Massachusetts Boys Members.


    Despite the large number of enemies he''s facing, there''s only one on Hunter¡¯s mind.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    ¡°RUN RUN RUN!!!!¡±


    ¡°WHAT DO YOU THINK WE¡¯RE DOING!?¡±


    ¡°WELL RUN FASTER YOU FOOL!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯M TRYING TO!!!¡±


    Inside the rundown August Leaves Mall, a small group consisting of Alex Smith, Selina Gulvonac, Randy Buzz, Tim McGee, & Tom Dolby are in the process of running for their lives from the hundreds of Massachusetts Boys members hot on their trail.


    ¡°WHAT DO WE DO- WHAT DO WE DO?!¡± Randy panics as he runs.


    While running Selina yells, ¡°I TOLD YOU GUYS IF I JUST MADE THE PIPE BOMB WE WOULD¡¯VE-¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP SELINA!¡± The other four yell.


    Alex, leading the pack, looks behind to see all of the people chasing him, he then looks forward to see up ahead is a sign for the food court.


    ¡°HEAD FOR THE FOOD COURT BUBS, THERE¡¯S GOTTA BE AN EXIT THERE!¡± Alex yells.


    Randy Buzz quickly speeds up making a beeline for the soon to come foodcourt.


    ¡°Oh thank god! I never thought I¡¯d ever be happy to see a Cinnabon ever again!¡± Randy screams as he turns the corner, ¡°SWEET & CINNAMONY FREEDOM HERE WE COME-¡±


    Randy¡¯s face drops as his eyes finally take in the sight of the food court¡­and all of the Massachusetts Boys members eating there.


    Alex, Tim, Tom, & Selina finally catch up to Randy and grab him before the now even larger mob gives chase after them.


    ¡°Upstairs, move it people!¡± Alex yells as he makes his way up the stairs.


    The others quickly follow as food is now being hurled their way from the mob.


    ¡°Why¡¯d we go upstairs, there isn¡¯t an exit up here!¡± Randy yells.


    ¡°Hey Tim & Tom! Yours & Tim-Tom¡¯s bikes are parked outside right?¡± Alex yells.


    ¡°Yeah but Tim-Tom has the keys for his,¡± Tom grumbles.


    ¡°We¡¯ll cross that bridge when we get to it,¡± Alex says as he continues to stomp up the stairs, ¡°When we reach the top, I want us to break off into two groups. Tim & I go left, everyone else go right. Got it?¡±


    Everyone nods their head as they¡¯re just about to reach the top.


    ¡°Alright bubs!¡±


    Their feet finally make contact to the second floor¡¯s- well, floor.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°SPLIT!¡±


    Selina, Randy, Tom, & Tim rush right while Alex rushes left. The half of the mob decide to follow Alex while the other half follow the rest.


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL TIM!!!¡± Alex yells.


    ¡°SORRY I HAVE TROUBLE DISTINGUISHING MY RIGHTS & LEFTS!¡±


    ¡°OH FOR FUCK SAKES-¡±


    Alex can¡¯t complain for long as a store on his side of the floor catches his eyes.


    ¡®Beds, More Beds, & Even Beds INside Beds!¡¯


    Seeing this as his opportunity, Alex rushes inside the bed store.


    As The Massachusetts Boys swarm inside the bed store, they find Alex nowhere to be seen. Their ninth-in-command and captain of the basketball team Alex is in, Victor ¡®Lynn¡¯ Dunnerman, makes his way through the mob and slowly begins to walk deeper into the building.


    ¡°So this was your game plan? Have us all beat you up here so you could lay in one of these beds?¡± Victor laughs, ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be stupider than Christopher, but guess I was wrong.¡±


    Victor makes his way from aisle to aisle of beds but doesn¡¯t see Alex.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Victor remarks as he spots a strand of hair sticking up above a hiding spot, ¡°I know where you are!¡±


    Victor rushes up toward the bed and looks over it to see-


    ¡°AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!¡±


    A zombie?!


    As Victor faints from the horror, the zombie shakes a bit and cackles before¡­


    It stops moving?


    Before anyone can think- several skulls begin to be tossed out toward the members causing mass pandemonium.


    Using the opportunity he created, Alex manages to come out from his hiding spot behind a large stack of mattresses revealing that the store he was hiding in was the store with all of the ¡®use later in party¡¯ props that were forgotten about. Now the only thing in both of his hands is a countless amount of balloons.


    ¡°How stupid do you gotta be to think zombies are real Vincent?!¡± Alex laughs as he runs toward the large swarm of Massachusetts Boys members.


    ¡°HEY HIS NAME IS VICTOR!¡± One of them yells.


    Alex picks up his pace as he leaps atop one of the beds and begins to hop across them. Several of the thugs try to grab at him but Alex manages to slip on by. When he finally reaches the last bed closest to the entrance, he jumps as high as he can toward the ceiling.


    Because of all the balloons, Alex manages to float in the air above all the other members.


    ¡°HEY GRAB HIM!¡± One of them yells.


    ¡°We¡¯re trying but we just can¡¯t reach him!¡± Another yells.


    Alex laughs as he continues to make his way closer to the front of the store. Finally in one swift motion, Alex lets go of the balloons and grabs onto a handle for the security gate. He pulls it down as he descends, just managing to get out of the store before the gate fully slams onto the ground.


    ¡°Well bubs,¡± Alex laughs as he dusts off his hands, ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re gonna be getting out of this anytime soon!¡±


    The large mob look at Alex stunned.


    ¡°Try catchin¡¯ some Zs while you¡¯re trapped in there, it¡¯ll help pass the time,¡± Alex taunts.


    Alex begins to triumphantly march away, contempt with his victory over his enemies-


    ¡°Found the handle!¡±


    Alex turns to stone as he sees the gate open up and all of the members of The Massachusetts Boys to come pouring out once more.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve locked it if you wanted us to stay put!¡± One laughs.


    ¡°Your lack of basic logic should be studied!¡±


    Alex groans as he begins to sprint away from the more ferocious mob.


    ¡°I bet the others are having it easier than me!¡± Alex mumbles.


    _______________________


    In one of the mall¡¯s massage parlors, one of the members is being given a massage by another.


    ¡°Oh man, your skills are just so good!¡± the thug laying on the massage table moans.


    ¡°Thank you, my skills as a massage therapist and chiropractor have been passed down throughout my family for generations,¡± the thug performing the massage explains, ¡°Now you may feel a little pain in this next motion but do not worry it¡¯ll fade quickly.¡±


    ¡°I- I can handle it.¡±


    ¡°Okay then, take a deep breath and-¡±


    The doors to the massage parlor swing open as Tim, Tom, Selina, & Randy all burst in riding animal scooters which all ride over and hit the person on the massage table. They¡¯re being chased by a large group of gangsters who proceed to trample all over the same dude.


    Tim looks behind him as they race toward the back end of the store.


    ¡°Did we just kill that guy?¡± Tim asks on his rhino scooter.


    ¡°No, we only gave him a light massage with our scooters,¡± Selina yells on her zebra scooter.


    The four slam through the door leading to the back employee¡¯s only corridor that connects every store together. It¡¯s much narrower than any other place in the building which causes the large mob to slow down. All except for one member wearing roller skates and a tape measure.


    ¡°Just you wait,¡± the roller skater shouts as they shoot out their measuring tape, ¡°my tape measure can stretch for yards upon yards upon yards upon yards upon yards upon-¡±


    The tape measure lands on the back of Selina¡¯s animal scooter, however she simply grabs it with one hand and tugs it forward, causing the roller skater to fall flat on her face.


    ¡°All those yards yet you still couldn¡¯t even make the distance,¡± Selina taunts as she continues to drive ahead.


    ¡°Look ahead!¡± Tom shouts.


    The group looks to see that the hallway is soon coming to a staircase.


    ¡°WE¡¯RE GONNA CRASH!¡± Randy shouts.


    Despite Randy¡¯s fears, everyone continues to speed ahead toward the staircase. When they get there, Tim & Tom manage to ride their animal scooters down the bumpy stairs fine while Randy manages to spin out of control and begins to twirl through the air on his scooter. Selina, who has her scooter grinding down the rail, manages to snap a picture of Randy in the air before he manages to somehow land perfectly on the first floor.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m alive?! I¡¯m alive!¡± Randy breathes.


    The group turn out into a clothes store, just managing to avoid all of the stands of ¨C you guessed it ¨C clothes, thugs trying to grab them, and even one particular Massachusetts Boys member who is having one helluva time counting all the people chasing the four.


    Now back out on the main area of the mall, Tim looks up at the second floor to see Alex being chased by the other part of the angry mob, with one person very logically tossing art supplies at him.


    ¡°YO ALEX!¡± Tim yells up.


    Alex, seeing them, begins to run faster as he gets closer to the railing of the second floor.


    Without a second thought, he hops over the railing, lands and rolls down the fallen statue broken by a fist, and then when he reaches the bottom he hops onto Tim¡¯s scooter just as it passes by.


    With the mob at the second floor trying to find a way down and the mob on the first floor a good way behind them, the reunited group slightly celebrate.


    ¡°I thought you were a goner dude!¡± Randy shouts.


    ¡°Way to have faith in me,¡± Alex grumbles.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, we¡¯re almost at the food court so we should hop on those bikes and get out of here!¡± Selina yells.


    As they turn the corner into the food court, they look to see that its now empty, save for one person. Trisha ¡®Amherst¡¯ Bernstein, the No. 10 of The Massachusetts Boys, leader of the cheerleading squad at Starlight High, & Victor Dunnerman¡¯s girlfriend.


    ¡°Hey you-¡± Trisha tries to yell at them however the group quickly ignore her as they get to the door and hop off their scooters.


    Tim & Tom burst out of the mall with Selina & Randy soon to follow. Tim begins to fiddle with his keys as he tries to start up his motorcycle while Tom gets his turned on easily. Alex, who¡¯s the last to leave the mall, turns to look at Trisha.


    ¡°What were you trying to say?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°What I was trying to ask is how did you find out about our attack?¡± Trisha questions.


    ¡°What attack?¡±


    ¡°That shitty bookstore that bookworm works at!¡± Trisha yells, ¡°We¡¯re going to be destroying that place later tonight, how did you find out about that!?¡±


    Alex¡¯s eyes widen as he realizes what he¡¯s just been told, however he can¡¯t think too much as the mob begins to make its way into the food court.


    HONK HONK!


    Tim, who just hit the horn on his motorcycle, yells, ¡°What are you doing? We gotta go!¡±


    Selina is riding on the back of Tom¡¯s motorcycle while Randy is riding on the back of Tim¡¯s. Alex hesitates for a moment as he reaches toward the glass door.


    However his hesitation fades as he slams the security gate down and locks it, trapping him inside the mall with the whole mob.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± Tom yells.


    ¡°They¡¯re gonna attack the bookstore so you need to get there as quick as possible, and it¡¯ll be tricky for three people to ride on one motorcycle,¡± Alex explains through the gate.


    ¡°What?! But what are you gonna do?!¡± Selina yells.


    ¡°Buy you some time,¡± Alex smirks, ¡°Now get going! I already made up my mind, so you better not make me start feeling wishy-washy!¡±


    Tom & Tim look at one another for a moment before nodding.


    ¡°You better know what you¡¯re doing!¡± Tom yells as he begins to drive off with Tim in short pursuit.


    ¡°Of course I do,¡± Alex says as he begins to rush toward the mob ready to fight them all, ¡°The number of fighters is a pretty big handicap y¡¯know, so you better fork over a ton of cash when I¡¯m through with all of you!¡±


    ________________________


    Cold air fills up the Roots Co. Warehouse as Frankfurt ¡®Fall River¡¯ Schulz makes his way through the warehouse in pursuit of two individuals. The whole warehouse is filled with large bodies of meat dangling off silver hooks.


    ¡°You sounded oh so confident with that talk of butchering me, yet where did you go?¡± Frankfurt remarks as he scours about, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure you scared little piggies get taken care of quickly.¡±


    ¡°You think we¡¯re scared?¡±


    As Frankfurt turns to take a look at where the voice came from, he sees a large slab of raw meat swing at him.


    Frankfurt manages to just barely step out of the way only to see Sammy Becken with her rooster mask on lunging at him from above and Vanessa Deli in with her kitsune mask on going in for an attack from below.


    The two¡¯s fists land simultaneously in different areas of Frankfurt¡¯s body.


    ¡±I think you¡¯ll soon realize who here is afraid of The Big Bad Wolf,¡± Sammy says in delight.


    As Vanessa readies to continue the fight, she can¡¯t help but reminisce of an infamous encounter she had the year prior.


    Her first meeting with The Big Bad Wolf of Seastar High.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 35 - The West Side (4)

    Inside the recently closed grocery store Tatsu¡¯s Household Needs, Ronnie Everst taunts The Massachusetts Boys¡¯ third-in-command, Chao ¡®Cambridge¡¯ Huang.


    ¡°It¡¯ll take a lot to put them down!¡± Ronnie remarks as he gets in a fighting stance.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Cambridge questions as he takes off his baseball cap.


    As Ronnie begins to rush toward Cambridge, he stops as Cambridge tosses his baseball cap at Ronnie¡¯s face.


    Although it only obscured Ronnie¡¯s vision for only a moment, it was enough for Cambridge to close the distance between them and land a clean uppercut on Ronnie¡¯s face.


    Then a right hook.


    Then a left hook.


    Right.


    Left.


    Right.


    Left.


    Righ-


    ¡°You¡¯re the third-in-command?¡± Ronnie laughs as he grabs onto Cambridge¡¯s incoming fist.


    His other hand now grasping onto the front of his opponent¡¯s shirt, Ronnie sweeps Cambridge off his feet and slams him into the ground.


    ¡°If all the others are as predictable as you, this¡¯ll be a walk in the park!¡± Ronnie smirks.


    With Cambridge now on the ground, Ronnie uses the opportunity to wail on the black haired thug again, and again, and agai-


    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± Cambridge breathes as he grabs onto Ronnie¡¯s incoming fist.


    His other hand now grasping his opponent¡¯s shirt, Cambridge sweeps Ronnie off his feet and slams him into the ground.


    ¡°Is that how you did it?¡± Cambridge questions as he stands up.


    Wincing in pain, Ronnie¡¯s head races with thoughts.


    Was that the move he just did?


    The exact same move?


    Ronnie¡¯s eyes widen as he stares at Cambridge.


    ¡°I told you that you should¡¯ve just played dead,¡± Cambridge utters as he gets in the exact same fighting stance Ronnie used earlier, ¡°Cuz a fight against me is a fight against yourself.¡±


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    ¡°Let¡¯s Go Blobbies!¡± A large crowd chants before stomping their feet.


    The crowd is sitting in the bleachers of an ice rink, watching Seastar High¡¯s Blobfishes go up against an out-of-city team. Sitting in the front row of the bleachers is the duo Vanessa Deli and Blanko Deck near the start of their freshman year.


    ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be able to get to see these guys so up close and personal!¡± Blanko shouts as he tosses some popcorn in his mouth.


    Vanessa who¡¯s sitting next to him isn¡¯t really paying much attention to the game as she looks down at her phone.


    ¡°You okay? You been starin¡¯ at that thing for a while.¡±


    The hockey game continues on as an opponent from the other team bumps into someone from Seastar¡¯s team. Vanessa & Blanko don¡¯t notice.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Vanessa says before admitting, ¡°It¡¯s just, we finally got into Dirty Fang and¡­I thought they¡¯d at least have us do something by now.¡±


    ¡°They have!¡± Blanko says not noticing the person from the opposing team starting to argue with the person they bumped into, ¡°We had that dinner with everybody, Graham took us to the docks, & Makisnley taught us how to fish!¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean,¡± Vanessa grumbles, ¡°I thought we¡¯d have gotten a chance to take care of him.¡±


    The argument on the ice rink begins to turn into a fight as the away team member swings a fist on their opponent, knocking their helmet off, Vanessa & Blanko are still chatting and haven¡¯t noticed yet.


    ¡°Vanessa look, that man- he- do you really-¡± Blanko tries to say.


    ¡°Blanko,¡± Vanessa spits, ¡°I have to find him. I have to-¡±


    CRASH!


    The crowd looks on in shock as the opposing hockey player¡¯s face smashes through the glass barrier and onto the bleachers. Right in front of Vanessa & Blanko.


    ¡°Come on, you can¡¯t just quit on me now!¡± The Seastar Hockey Player that got their helmet knocked off yells at their unconscious opponent, ¡°You got me all fired up over someone so weak!¡±


    The Seastar Hockey Player raises their foot and places it atop the hockey player¡¯s helmet.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, these ice skates have really sharp blades,¡± The Seastar Hockey Player remarks as they push down on the person¡¯s helmet, ¡°But I wonder if they¡¯re sharp enough to cut all the way through. You wanna find out together?¡±


    With several security personnel all trying to make their way towards the scene, the hockey player finally locks eyes with the person sitting right in front of them & the unconscious player.


    Vanessa Deli.


    ¡°Oh hello,¡± the person says as they lean further into the bleachers.


    Vanessa looks at the person and realizes she¡¯s the only female player out on the hockey team. Her boyishly short brown hair is all messy, there¡¯s some blood dripping down her forehead, and her lips have formed a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to get to know you,¡± The person remarks as they reach out their hand, ¡°My name¡¯s Sammy Becken. You wanna fight?¡±


    ¡°....I-¡± Vanessa tries to say.


    However on that day she wouldn¡¯t have much to say to her, as their first encounter would quickly be cut short as the security personnel finally managed to get there and restrain Sammy.


    The crowd looks on in shock as Sammy slams the opposing hockey player¡¯s face through the glass barrier.


    After that day, Vanessa only saw Sammy in the halls at school, however instead of getting into a fight, Sammy was too busy being stuck inside the school¡¯s blobfish mascot costume as punishment for her fight at the hockey rink and Vanessa had more pressing concerns that winter.


    Eventually in the spring semester, they had finally gotten a proper second meeting. Vanessa was walking out of the school that day when¡­


    ¡°YO!¡± Sammy yells.


    Vanessa looks to see Sammy leaning against a wall with a fellow student that has long silky black hair standing next to her. Sammy¡¯s hair has grown a bit but it still is nowhere near how long it is in the present day.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Vanessa asks, ¡°And who¡¯s that next to you?¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°That¡¯s my bud Orville,¡± Sammy says.


    ¡°Sup,¡± Orville says, ¡°I¡¯m just here to record the fight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s if she wants to fight,¡± Sammy says before walking over to Vanessa, ¡°So you wanna fight?¡±


    Vanessa looks down at Sammy, and her deep red hoodie that masks the bloodstains all over it.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll fight you,¡± Vanessa remarks, ¡°But you need to wash that hoodie afterward. It reeks.¡±


    ¡°I can agree to that,¡± Orville laughs, ¡°Now come on Sammy, go and show her the might of your fangs!¡±


    Vanessa makes a fist in preparation of what¡¯s to come.


    ________________


    Back in the present day, Vanessa & Sammy have both slammed their fists into The Massachusetts Boys¡¯ Frankfurt ¡®Fall River¡¯ Schulz.


    ¡±I think you¡¯ll soon realize who here is afraid of The Big Bad Wolf,¡± Sammy says in delight.


    Sammy swings her foot and slams it into Frankfurt¡¯s side. Not giving him a moment of rest, Vanessa follows it up with a few palm strikes around her opponent¡¯s chest. On her final attack, a loud thunk is created when she lands the palm strike.


    ¡°Thunk?¡± Sammy questions as she scratches her rooster mask, ¡°Bodies don¡¯t make that noise.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Vanessa remarks underneath her kitsune mask, ¡°He¡¯s got a gun under that suit.¡±


    Frankfurt takes a step and reaches into his inner suit pocket, however Vanessa swats his hand away.


    He tries again only for Vanessa to swat his hand away once more.


    ¡°You damn brats!¡± Frankfurt grunts as he keeps on trying and failing to reach for his gun.


    ¡°I get it, you¡¯re just trying to counter what I do!¡± Frankfurt smirks before he leaps backward, ¡°Then what do you do if your opponent doesn¡¯t attack you? Your whole strategy falls apart-¡±


    ¡°Did you forget about me dumbass?!¡± Sammy remarks as she headbutts Frankfurt into one of the large bodies of meat placed upon a silver hook.


    Sammy doesn¡¯t let up for a moment as she goes for several quick slashes, chipping away at him before delivering a slow yet powerful overhead hook. Her moves are irregular, rigid, and animalistic. There¡¯s no proper thought behind what she¡¯s doing, just her instincts.


    As she delivers a liver punch, Frankfurt falls to his knees wheezing.


    ¡°How did an old sack of shit like you get out of the retirement home?¡± Sammy laughs as Vanessa walks over.


    Though as Vanessa approaches them, her eyes pick up on something.


    __________


    Inside a fancy italian restaurant, The Vignette¡¯s leader ¨C Joel Cooper ¨C twirls some spaghetti. Sitting around the table are his subordinates Archer Flick & Elias Cooper. Elias is sitting with his legs out on the table and his hand continuously poking a meatball with a fork.


    ¡°So, you think sending those kids from the east was the right call?¡± Archer remarks as he cuts his chicken parmesan.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve asked for help from someone like The Miracle Clinic so it should be easier for them,¡± Joel explains, ¡°Not to mention Jackson & Lucia were busy meeting with the MSA today, so there¡¯s a low chance of things getting out of hand.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s still a chance?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯ll be particularly tricky for Vanessa in particular if she crosses paths with Schulz.¡±


    Elias¡¯ eyes perk up at the mention of the name.


    ¡°That guy in his mid 30s? Dude looks like he could break his legs if he sat the wrong way,¡± Archer remarks.


    ¡°It¡¯s his age that¡¯s the exact issue,¡± Joel explains as he wipes his mouth with a napkin, ¡°He¡¯s been in this business for a long time, always hopping from organization to organization when the last one falls. His list of connections goes farther than even my own I¡¯m afraid. Most people that were his age when he started out have retired and started up families. Families that need someone to babysit their kids.¡±


    ¡°S-so he¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s got quite the powerful entourage at his side. One I¡¯m not sure if they can defeat.¡±


    __________________


    Back at the warehouse, despite trying to get out of their way, Vanessa along with Sammy both are restrained by a total of 5 people around their age.


    ¡°About time you damn brats came to help me!¡± Frankfurt yells as he¡¯s helped up by one of them.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Sammy grunts as she tries to break free, ¡°Their grip is insane!¡±


    ¡°Who are they?¡± Vanessa asks.


    ¡°These five happen to be some children I¡¯m currently watching over,¡± Frankfurt answers, ¡°They just so happen to all be from a few old ¡®colleagues¡¯ of mine.¡±


    Vanessa tries to make out their faces but can¡¯t due to them all wearing halloween costumes.


    ¡°I¡¯m running out of my red watercolor paint,¡± one dressed in a suit & wearing a mask with a German flag painted over it remarks, ¡°I¡¯m curious if your blood can be a good replacement for it.¡±


    ¡°Scientifically speaking,¡± one dressed in a crazy scientist outfit remarks, ¡°You¡¯ll need to do some sort of magic trick if you want to escape from us.¡±


    Sammy struggles against the three who are pinning her down.


    ¡°Wow, aren¡¯t you aggressive!¡± One wearing a panda mask compliments, ¡°But I¡¯ve faced tougher fights than this thanks to FromSoft!¡±


    "This mask is so itchy,¡± a person wearing their mask inside out groans, ¡°I knew I should¡¯ve read the instructions.¡±


    ¡°Dude I just want to go to bed,¡± a person wearing pajamas yawns, ¡°Why do we gotta fight these dudes?¡±


    Frankfurt makes his way toward Vanessa & Sammy, he grabs onto both of their masks and rips them off. As he stares at them he can¡¯t help but laugh.


    ¡°So, you two were the ones trying to attack me?!¡± Frankfurt laughs as he pulls out his gun.


    ¡°Y-you know us?¡± Vanessa questions.


    ¡°Of course I know you Vanessa,¡± Frankfurt chuckles as he kneels before Vanessa and presses the gun against her temple, ¡°You were quite the cash cow for me once.¡±


    As those words ring out in her mind over and over, Vanessa¡¯s breathing quickens as her eyes grow cold. The cold air from the warehouse feels more and more like the cold air from the alleyway back then. The hands pressing against her sting in a sickly familiar way to the bruises from her past. And the smile on Frankfurt¡¯s face looks less like his own and more like that man¡¯s.


    ¡°N¡­No¡­ I can¡¯t¡­go back to¡­.then¡­¡±


    Her surroundings grow darker and darker until she can¡¯t see a single thing


    The only thing she can see is just a bitter endless void.


    A void that will swallow her whole.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°SNAP OUT OF IT!¡±


    Vanessa¡¯s vision begins to shift as the dark void begins to blur with a light.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s trying to say but are you just going to let that slimeball do as he wants?!¡±


    Vanessa¡¯s vision begins to become more clearer as those lights are ceiling lights.


    ¡°He may have more people but when has that been a concern?!¡±


    That coldness she feels, it¡¯s from the temperature they have the place at so the meat doesn¡¯t go bad.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know you too much but I do know one thing. You¡¯re strong.¡±


    Those aren¡¯t bruises, they¡¯re just the hands of people around her age trying to keep her down.


    ¡°Did you forget about how you got here?!¡±


    She made it all the way from The West Side just to fulfill a goal.


    ¡°Did you forget about where you are?!¡±


    She¡¯s not in a void of darkness, she¡¯s in a warehouse.


    ¡°DID YOU FORGET WHO YOU ARE!!!¡± Sammy Becken shouts.


    Frankfurt groans as he stands up and walks over to where Sammy is being pushed down and kicks her in the head.


    ¡°YOU BITCH, DID YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST SCREAM AND YELL BECAUSE YOU¡¯RE-¡± Frankfurt tries to say but can¡¯t as he gets tackled.


    Tackled by Vanessa.


    Having managed to use all the strength she could muster, she managed to shake off the others for a brief second and bring Frankfurt down onto the ground. Frankfurt scrambles to aim his gun at her face.


    ¡°Go ahead, pull the trigger,¡± Vanessa commands as she leans her forehead to press against the chamber.


    Frankfurt goes to pull the trigger but¡­.he can¡¯t?


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    His hands they¡¯re¡­shaking?


    ¡°Take the shot.¡±


    This feeling he has¡­ it¡¯s unmistakable.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    Never once did he think he could feel this from someone so young once more.


    ¡°Do it!¡±


    Never once did he think Vanessa Deli could make him feel afraid.


    ¡°Y¡¯know I haven¡¯t used a gun before but even I can tell,¡± Vanessa begins to say as she stands up, ¡°When the safety is on.¡±


    Frankfurt looks down to see that all this time he forgot to take the safety off his gu-


    WHAM!


    Vanessa kicks his hand sending the gun flying across the warehouse. Sammy, seizing the moment of shock from everyone, manages to break free from her restraints and slides over toward Vanessa.


    ¡°On your feet Becken,¡± Vanessa commands.


    ¡°Welcome back Vanessa,¡± Sammy smirks as she stands up, ¡°You gave the big bad wolf a run for her money with that act you just did.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there you idiots!¡± Frankfurt yells as he points to the two girls, ¡°GET THEM!¡±


    As the five teens all race toward the two, Sammy immediately kicks one of the bodies of meat causing it to swing into the person in the crazy scientist costume. Vanessa dodges a hook from the person in the German flag mask before delivering an uppercut of her own.


    The person in pajamas and the one with a panda mask try to swing at Vanessa from opposite sides, however Vanessa ducks out of the way. Before the two can react, she places her hands behind their heads and slams them together. Meanwhile Sammy slams her knee into the stomach of the person with the inside out mask over and over and over again.


    As Frankfurt lays watching Vanessa & Sammy fight his five trainees, he can¡¯t believe his eyes.


    Their fighting styles are complete opposites. Vanessa is always methodical and reactive with what she does while Sammy is proactive and impulsive. They¡¯re like oil and water, they shouldn¡¯t be able to mix together.


    And yet, when one begins to fall behind the other swings by to aid them. They¡¯re setting up attacks for the other to finish.


    This shouldn¡¯t be happening.


    They shouldn¡¯t be winning.


    And yet despite everything¡­


    Those mere two girls are taking down the five best young fighters Frankfurt could find from his connections.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be happening!¡± Frankfurt begins to say as he begins to crawl away.


    As he backs into one of the meats on the hook, Sammy brings her foot into it, just mere inches away from Frankfurt¡¯s snivelling face.


    ¡°It¡¯s time you open your eyes and face reality,¡± Vanessa hisses.


    ¡°Face it old man, we just blew your whole house down!¡± Sammy taunts, ¡°And you¡¯re next!¡±


    _______________________


    ¡°How have you been Eli?¡± Kimberly questions, ¡°I¡¯m curious to see just how strong you¡¯ve become!¡±


    Elizabeth¡¯s eyes are still wide as she looks at Kimberly, after all this time¡­ why did she have to meet her again here? Why now?


    ¡°H-h-hey Ki-Kimberly,¡± Elizabeth begins to stammer as her self consciousness washes over her, ¡°I¡¯m a l-little busy trying to f-fight this gang, do you mind if we fight again some other time?¡±


    ¡°Thugs? You do realize all these bitches here are with me, right?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Lowell is what I¡¯m called here as the fifth-in-command,¡± Kimberly explains, ¡°Now I have a simple question for you Eli; do you want our fight to be a reunion or an execution?¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 36 - The West Side (5)

    ¡°WHY IS THIS SO GOOD?¡± X remarks as he¡¯s reading a bunch of young adult dystopian novels.


    The aloof upperclassmen is laying at the end of Eleanor¡¯s hospital bed and kicking his feet in the air. Eleanor Locke, the owner of these books, sees the opportunity to finally mess with her older brother for a change.


    ¡°Hey, you know Thermometer?¡± Eleanor questions as she stifles a laugh.


    ¡°Are you talking about the leader of the resistance? The one that¡¯s in a love triangle between the fierce yet sweet Dandelion & the timid yet illustrious Capricorn? Yeah he¡¯s only my favorite character, what about him?¡±


    ¡°He dies in book 4.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?!¡± X says falling off the bed due to the shock.


    ¡°Yeah, Capricorn & Dandelion take turns stabbing him in order to complete The Promised Da-¡±


    ¡°NO!!!!¡± X yells as he covers his ears, ¡°LALALALALA I CAN¡¯T HEAR YOU!!!¡±


    ¡°Oh and if you think that¡¯s crazy wait until you hear what happens in book five-¡± Eleanor begins to say before she stops herself.


    Confused, X looks to see where Eleanor was looking only to witness a tall figure making their way through the hospital in search of a long-term patient¡¯s room.


    A figure with dyed red spiky hair.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    Years prior, Elizabeth Moore is standing next to her mother¡¯s red mini-van. On the back of it are a bunch of freshly added stickers including a ¡®Proud Mother of Three¡¯ one and ¡®HONK if a child falls out¡¯ one. Her mother, Lan Thi Pham-Moore steps out of the car and kneels down to talk to her.


    ¡°You have your snacks?¡± Misses Moore questions.


    ¡°Yes mom,¡± a 4th grade Elizabeth sighs.


    ¡°Backpack?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wearing my backpack.¡±


    ¡°Pencils?¡±


    ¡°Yes I have everything!¡±


    ¡°What about a hug from your mother?¡±


    ¡°Wha- why would I need a-¡± the young Elizabeth tries to say but is cut off by her mother embracing her.


    ¡°Oh I can¡¯t believe my little Eli is joining a new club!¡± Misses Moore says.


    ¡°M-mom,I can¡¯t breathe,¡± Elizabeth croaks out as her mom finishes the hug.


    ¡°You have to tell me how it went when I pick you up, okay?¡± Misses Moore asks as she stands up.


    ¡°I will, bye mom.¡±


    As her mother gets in the car and drives off, Elizabeth hesitates a bit as she makes her way into the Kennedy Private Academy, a school for very gifted and/or rich children from Kindergarten all the way to 12th grade. Compared to everyone in their fancy and well clean student uniforms, her plain hoodie and sweatpants make her feel completely filthy.


    Maybe going here wasn¡¯t the best choice.


    Her mom hasn¡¯t been gone for too long she wouldn¡¯t be too mad if she called her and asked her to come pick her up-


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    Elizabeth snaps back to reality as she sees a girl just two years older than her standing in front of her. She¡¯s got medium length chestnut brown hair, white skin, & blue eyes. Her school uniform is slightly loose and wrinkly, there¡¯s a few band-aids around her ankles, and she¡¯s holding a clipboard.


    ¡°Are you Elizabeth Moore?¡± The girl asks with a smile on her face.


    ¡°Y-yeah.¡±


    ¡°Awesome! I was told to bring you to the taekwondo club room so follow me!¡±


    ¡°O-okay, and who are you?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± the girl says as she points a finger at herself, ¡°I¡¯m Kimberly!¡±


    __________________________


    In the present day, several Massachusetts Boys members are in a fight inside the abandoned Frederick Fastbear¡¯s Factory.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°WE GOTTA PROTECT THE BOSS!¡± A Massachusetts Boys member yells as they charge toward a ginger haired teen,¡±SHE¡¯S GOING AFTER THE CHICK SO WE SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THIS NOBODY!!¡±


    ¡°Nobody?¡± The ginger haired teen questions, ¡°You chumps must clearly live in a bubble¡­¡±


    The ginger teen raises their right leg up in front of them before shooting it out forward, push-kicking the thug and causing them to immediately pass out.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t recognize The East Side¡¯s Blanko Deck!¡± the ginger haired teen loudly proclaims.


    More and more thugs rush toward Blanko, and more and more keep on dropping like flies.


    ¡°Is there anyone here who can hold a candle to me?¡± Blanko questions.


    ¡°Urgh, new guy! What are you waiting for? Get him!¡±


    ¡°New guy? Who¡¯re you talking abou-¡±


    Before Blanko can finish, he feels a pair of hands grab him and slam him down onto the ground. Blanko struggles to get up as he looks at his new opponent¡­.a person in an inflatable shark costume that hides their whole body?


    ¡°AYE WAY TO GO CJ!¡± A member shouts.


    CJ, the man in the shark costume, grumbles something but due to his costume nobody can understand him.


    Seizing the opportunity, Blanko knees CJ in the stomach causing him to let go of the kickboxing ginger. Blanko somersaults backward before hopping up on his feet.


    ¡°You may have taken me by surprise earlier,¡± Blanko says as he wipes some dirt off his nose, ¡°But from here on out I¡¯m certain you won¡¯t be able to take me to the ground anymore!¡±


    Though as Blanko gets ready to fight the new opponent, he can¡¯t help but worry about the other fight going on in the factory. And why wouldn¡¯t he be concerned? Especially when the person on his side hasn¡¯t thrown a single attack yet.


    Across the factory, Elizabeth is stepping back each now and again, managing to get out of her opponent¡¯s range. To most there, they know her opponent as the fifth-in-command of The Massachusetts Boys, Lowell. But to her? She¡¯s her old acquaintance; Kimberly Masterson.


    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s the big idea Eli?¡± Kimberly yells, ¡°You were always the fuckin¡¯ best out of everyone in our club! How come you¡¯re not showing me all the new moves you learned since we last fought?!¡±


    Kick after kick zips by her and she just barely moves out of the way, if she was just a second slower Elizabeth wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid them.


    ¡°I¡¯m giving it all I got, so can¡¯t you do the same?!¡± Kimberly yells, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re scared!¡±


    ¡°I just have a question for you Kimberly,¡± Elizabeth says as several memories plague her mind.


    ¡°Hey Eli, you shouldn¡¯t take after those kids over there, all they do is smoke and complain about school any chance they get.¡±


    ¡°What? You managed to knock down the sandbag? THAT¡¯S AWESOME!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m nowhere near your level, but maybe one day I can be!¡±


    ¡°Is this all your talent could get you?¡±


    ¡°Why are you here? Working for these guys?!¡± Elizabeth demands, ¡°The Kimberly I know would never-¡±


    ¡°Eli, do you think I¡¯m here because they¡¯re forcing me to stay? That I made some simple mistake and that chained me here like a bitch?¡± Kimberly implies, ¡°That might be true for some of the folks here, but for me that¡¯s not entirely the case.¡±


    Kimberly leaps into the air and extends her leg as high as it can be, ready to bring it down like an axe.


    ¡°I¡¯m just siding with the strongest!¡± She finishes.


    Elizabeth barely manages to dodge the attack by falling backward, causing Kimberly¡¯s leg to slam onto the ground, cracking the concrete floor. The place Elizabeth lands on is a factory conveyor belt. With her hand pressing against a switch, the conveyer belts activate causing her to be moved along them.


    Elizabeth composes herself as she stands up, Kimberly hops on the conveyer belt and approaches her former club member. As the two lock eyes, Kimberly runs her hand through her half-black half-orange dyed hair.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s about time I saw that look in your eye,¡± Kimberly remarks, ¡°You¡¯re ready to fight!¡±


    As Kimberly rushes toward Elizabeth, Elizabeth grabs onto the chains holding the conveyer up and lifts herself up.


    ¡°You think I didn¡¯t want to fight you because I was scared of you?¡± Elizabeth questions as she prepares for an axe kick, ¡°I was just trying to be considerate.¡±


    Elizabeth swings her leg down onto Kimberly¡¯s head, she then begins a flurry of kicks all across her face.


    ¡°But I guess if you want me at my strongest,¡± Elizabeth says as she lets go of the chains and spins in the air, ¡°I¡¯ll give you just what you want!¡±


    After twirling through the air, Elizabeth¡¯s leg glides through the wind and lands on Kimberly as she lands a successful flying back kick, causing Kimberly herself to go flying for a moment as she tumbles toward the bottom of the escalator.


    Breathing heavily, Elizabeth falls on one of her knees as her legs feel sore. But it doesn¡¯t matter too much since after all, the fight is over-


    ¡°Was that all you can do?¡±


    Elizabeth turns to look back at the bottom of the escalator to see Kimberly standing back up, and save for the bruises and bloody nose, she looks completely unphased.


    ¡°It¡¯s been years since I got that first win against you,¡± Kimberly remarks, ¡°I thought you would¡¯ve gotten the tiniest bit better. But to be honest, you¡¯ve gotten worse.¡±


    As Elizabeth goes to stand back up, she feels Kimberly¡¯s leg slam against her face.


    When did she-


    ¡°Each day since then, I¡¯ve been building upon what I¡¯ve learned. I¡¯ve gotten stronger with my effort. But you?¡± Kimberly remarks as she slams her knee into Elizabeth¡¯s stomach, ¡°You¡¯ve just rode off the coattails of that initial talent.¡±


    A front kick to the chest, a side kick to her leg, and an axe kick to the head. Each blow that lands on her makes Elizabeth feel like her bones could completely shatter at any moment.


    ¡°I used to be inspired to get to your level, but when I finally did, I couldn¡¯t help but pity you,¡± Kimberly admits as she jumps in the air.


    ¡°You never improved, you were just a big fish in a small pond,¡± Kimberly explains as she twirls through the air, ¡°You weren¡¯t strong enough to hop into a bigger pond.¡±


    Slicing through the wind, Kimberly¡¯s spinning back kick shoots into Elizabeth¡¯s face causing her to fly backward and land on another conveyor belt and denting it due to the impact.


    ¡°And you¡¯re still not enough,¡± Kimberly finishes, ¡°I don¡¯t think you ever will be.¡±


    Kimberly begins to walk down the conveyor belt when-


    ¡°We-we¡¯re not done yet.¡±


    A smile emerges on Kimberly¡¯s face as she spins around to see Elizabeth¡¯s very beaten body shaking as she stands up.


    ¡°I-I can still fight!¡± Elizabeth yells as she begins to run up her conveyer belt on the north side of the building.


    THUMP THUMP!


    Kimberly begins to run up her conveyer belt on the south side of the building.


    THUMP THUMP!


    ¡°I knew you had it in you!¡± Kimberly screams.


    The two simultaneously reach the top of their conveyor belts before leaping into the air. With the moonlight seeping in from the window behind them, the two soar through the air with their legs ready to deliver one final kick that¡¯ll determine the victor of this match.


    ¡°SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT, RIVAL!¡± Kimberly roars as the two simultaneously swing their legs.


    _____________________________________


    Inside Granite¡¯s Auto Repair Shop, Tim-Tom takes his hand off of the metal door handle he just bent and twisted into being unusable.


    Opposing him are two Massachusetts Boys members; Parker ¡®Plymouth¡¯ Duggar and Quinn ¡®Quincy¡¯ Overton.


    ¡°So, how about we get started then?¡± Tim-Tom asks, ¡°If you-¡±


    Before he can respond, he instinctively raises his guard as Parker rushes in with a flurry of punches. The strength and the speed of them causes his guard to break as Tim-Tom ends up being hit with the full force of all the attacks.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re on the level of Boston or Mason?¡± Parker laughs as he grabs a chain off of a stand and wraps it around Tim-Tom¡¯s neck, ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh! In my eyes, you¡¯re just someone who¡¯s gotten too big for your britches!¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 37 - The West Side (6)

    Almost three years ago, a trio of friends stood atop a stone bridge overlooking the rest of the Northern Starlight Park. Those three friends were Timothy ¡®Tim¡¯ McGee, Thomas ¡®Tom¡¯ Dolby, & Tim-Tom Pitt.


    ¡°I know she meant a lot to you two, but you guys don¡¯t have to go through with this too,¡± Tim-Tom remarked as the chilly wind blew past his face, ¡°I can do this on my own, and I don¡¯t want anyone else getting hurt.¡±


    Tom & Tim look at one another and nod.


    ¡°Tim-Tom,¡± Thomas sighs as he places his hand on Tim-Tom¡¯s shoulder.


    Tim-Tom¡¯s eyes grew teary as he looked at his friend¡¯s distraught-


    WHABAM!


    ¡°OW!¡± Tim-Tom yelled, ¡°What the hell was that for!¡±


    The skin across Tim-Tom¡¯s cheek had already grown pink from the punch Tom gave him.


    ¡°I was trying to knock some sense into you!¡± Tom roared before mumbling, ¡°We wanted to go with you.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what? Why?!¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re a team and a team sticks together no matter what!¡± Tim chipped in, ¡°If you¡¯re running away then so will we!¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re not serious are you-¡± Tim-Tom tried to gasp.


    ¡°Dead serious,¡± Tom responded, ¡°You¡¯re gonna need someone as strong as me and fast as Tim if you¡¯re thinking of forming a gang.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention rent will be cheaper!¡± Tim added.


    Tim-Tom looked at the two stunned before he eventually smiled.


    ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t say I forced you into this once things get rough,¡± Tim-Tom joked, ¡°Now then, as the leader of our gang, I¡¯ll make sure to put you to work.¡±


    ¡°Who said you were the leader?¡± Tom asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I could be the leader!¡± Tim yelled.


    Tim-Tom & Tom glanced at one another before proceeding to ignore Tim¡¯s offer.


    ¡°The leader needs to come up with the name of the gang,¡± Tim-Tom said, ¡°And I have just the one for the three of us.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± Tim said as he placed his hand on his hip, ¡°Let¡¯s hear it!¡±


    ¡°Starlight¡¯s Brightest Boxers!¡± Tim-Tom yelled.


    With snow falling onto them, Tim & Tom¡¯s disgusted faces looked as frozen as the nearby lake.


    ¡°Okay I still like the name but instead what about¡­¡±


    As the group of three continued to argue about a name, they eventually settled on one.


    A name that all three of them could agree on.


    A name they would be referred to as ever since.


    On this day, The Three Ts were born.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    In the present day, Tim-Tom is trying to remove the chain wrapped around his neck by Parker ¡®Plymouth¡¯ Duggar. The two of them alongside Quinn ¡®Quincy¡¯ Overton are the only ones inside the Granite Auto Repair Shop.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re on the level of Boston or Mason? Don¡¯t make me laugh! In my eyes, you¡¯re just someone who¡¯s gotten too big for your britches!¡± Parker remarks as he tightens the chain around Tim-Tom¡¯s neck.


    Finally getting a good grip on the chain with both of his hands, Tim-Tom tugs on it and brings his head forward, lifting Parker into the air and having him fall onto a car right in front of him. With his grip no longer on them, Tim-Tom removes the chains from his neck. He then stomps on it, breaking it into two smaller chains, before wrapping it around both of his fists.


    ¡°Uh, you just got lucky! And I¡¯m still all hot & fired for a-!¡± Parker begins to say as he sits up from the car.


    However he doesn¡¯t see Tim-Tom coming after him, instead he¡¯s making his way straight toward the slow moving Quinn.


    Tim-Tom grabs Quinn by the collar of her shirt and with his left fist he sends a hook careening toward her face. Only, it¡¯s caught by Parker¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re a bit wise to the situation,¡± Parker remarks before both he & Quinn simultaneously kick Tim-Tom away, ¡°But it¡¯s still despicable for you to lay your hands on a lady!¡±


    As Tim-Tom crashes into the wall, the screwdrivers and nails on the counter atop of him begin to fall down on him. He winces in pain as small tiny cuts and nails litter his body. Though he doesn¡¯t get a chance to recover as Parker grabs his head and slams it into the counter.


    ¡°You¡¯re truly a monster!¡± Parker taunts as he repeatedly slams Tim-Tom¡¯s head into the wall over and over again, ¡°Did your sister ever teach you empathy before she kicked the bucket?!¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Every attack Tim-Tom tries to get in is blocked by Parker¡¯s other hand as his right keeps slamming Tim-Tom¡¯s head into the wall over and over again. Throughout The West Side, many have challenged the crass man, yet they get easily taken out by him.


    The reason?


    His explosiveness. He¡¯s able to deliver punches as strong as someone a few weight classes above him yet as fast as someone several weight classes below him. In a matter of seconds he can bring a small army of fighters to their knees, and still have time to talk.


    ¡°I heard you just barely won a fight against that bastard Li-Wei!¡± Parker remarks as he pulls back his fist to prepare for one final decisive punch, ¡°Did you know I fought against him once too? And guess what, he didn¡¯t even leave a scratch on me, The Human Firecracker!!!¡±


    Parker swings his fist forward as fast and as strong as he can, bringing a decisive end to this fight.


    ¡°We can agree that The Arrow of Club Azure is quite the bastard.¡±


    Or at least, that would be the case.


    If this was the same Tim-Tom who fought against Li-Wei Zhang.


    ¡°But I gotta hand it to him, his methods sure do work,¡± Tim-Tom smirks.


    Parker lets out a guttural scream as he holds the fist he just sent toward Tim-Tom. The fist that has just been impaled with several rusty nails.


    ¡°If I want to win against a phantom, I can¡¯t frolic around as Starlight¡¯s Brightest Boxer,¡± Tim-Tom utters as he holds a pair of nails in his fist like claws, ¡°Instead, I¡¯ll need to become someone who can dance around in the dark with him as a fellow Creature of The Night!¡±


    ¡°Wh-what kind of stupid nickna-¡± Parker tries to say before getting interrupted by Tim-Tom slamming his fist into Parker¡¯s jaw.


    With the nails now slammed into Parker¡¯s mouth, he tries to dodge the next attack but he just can¡¯t move as fast anymore. And with the chains Tim-Tom wrapped around his fists, it''s only made each blow hit like a cannonball.


    ¡°And so what if you¡¯re a firecracker?¡± Tim-Tom yells as he delivers a decisive blow into Parker¡¯s chest, ¡°All you¡¯ll do is burn out quicker than the rest!¡±


    As Parker falls to the ground unconscious, The Creature of The Night¡¯s attention turns once more back to Quinn. Only this time, she isn¡¯t as stagnant as she was before.


    There¡¯s a look in her eyes.


    A fire.


    One that if not extinguished soon could grow to the size of a conflagration.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re Tim-Tom Pitt?¡± Quinn remarks as she takes off the wig she had on for the halloween party, ¡°Do you happen to listen to music?¡±


    ¡°Mostly just some bossa nova, why?¡±


    ¡°I see, once I¡¯m through with you, I¡¯ll make sure to let you in on the internet¡¯s latest and greatest digital sensation!¡± Quinn shouts as she rushes over to deliver a punch to Tim-Tom¡¯s throat.


    Tim-Tom quickly lifts his arms up to block the attack, but when the hit lands, he can feel the chains he wrapped around his fists start to creak.


    Then another punch from Quinn lands on his guard, this one stronger than the last.


    And then an even stronger punch hits his guard, shattering the chains into several tiny pieces.


    Now making through his guard, Quinn manages to land hits into Tim-Tom, causing him to start dodging them.


    The speed, accuracy, and power in her blows keeps on increasing with each strike. Unlike Parker who starts off a fight as powerful as he can be before quickly losing steam, Quinn starts out any fight at her lowest possible state, though as a fight continues every aspect about her capabilities begins to increase more and more.


    Having already sustained significant injuries from Parker and now having to deal with someone who¡¯s now as strong as Parker was at the start of his fight, Tim-Tom eventually gets caught up in a flurry of punches from Quinn, sending him flying into the car he put Parker on top of just moments ago.


    Quinn quickly leaps atop the car and slams Tim-Tom¡¯s head through the windshield.


    ¡°You said you wanted to fight dirty right?¡± Quinn remarks as she notices the hood of the car isn¡¯t on.


    Tim-Tom winces in pain as he looks at Quinn pick up something. Whoever was last in the auto repair shop, they forgot to take the jumper cables out of the car.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s fine by me,¡± Quinn remarks as she hooks one of the jumper cables up to a nearby generator, ¡°My favorite color is electric blue y¡¯know.¡±


    Before Tim-Tom can move, Quinn squeezes the other end of the jumper cable onto his chest, causing electricity to start running throughout his body.


    With his body being electrocuted, all of Tim-Tom¡¯s sensations are shooting all over the place as several memories flood his mind.


    He remembers the memory of when he ran away from home.


    He remembers the memory of when he first started The Three Ts.


    He remembers the memory of his sister, Tammy,


    And he remembers the person who took her from him.


    The person he¡¯s spent the past few years searching for.


    He remembers The Phantom.


    Overcome with a wave of emotions, Tim-Tom uses every ounce of his strength to lift his arm toward Quinn.


    ¡°You like electric blue you said?¡± Tim-Tom grunts out, ¡°Then it¡¯ll be rude of me not to share!¡±


    Placing his left hand around Quinn¡¯s neck, the electricity now begins to surge into her as well. The two scream out in pain until Tim-Tom finally grabs the jumper cable with his right hand and rips it off him.


    Despite how much energy was just zapped from them, the two still have some strength left as Tim-Tom leans his head out of the car and then slams Quinn onto the ground.


    As soon as Quinn stands up, she¡¯s greeted with several jabs. When she finds out the rhythm of those, he switches his tempo by leading with his left hand.


    ¡°I can¡¯t give up here,¡± Tim-Tom mumbles to himself as he continues to send a flurry of punches Quinn¡¯s way.


    ¡°I can¡¯t falter,¡± Tim-Tom says as he continues to use his switch hitter skills to not allow a single attack of Quinn¡¯s to get through.


    ¡°I CAN¡¯T BE DEFEATED,¡± Tim-Tom roars as he delivers an overhead hook with all his might into Quinn¡¯s face, ¡°BY THE LIKES OF YOU!!!¡±


    Quinn falls to the ground unconscious right next to Parker.


    With his knuckles bloody, burns all across his body, and several open cuts ¨C Tim-Tom stands as the victor.


    ¡°I may not be as menacing as Mason, I may not be as strong as Jackson, and I¡¯m sure as hell not as smart as Joel, but you wanna know why I¡¯m still considered a crewhead?¡± Tim-Tom pants, ¡°It¡¯s cause I¡¯m pretty damn resilient.¡±


    Tim-Tom takes a moment to breathe before he starts to rummage around the place.


    ¡°That dude said you guys were in possession of that photograph he wants,¡± Tim-Tom remarks as he scans the area, ¡°Since this is a part of your turf could it be in here?¡±


    Tim-Tom waits for a response, only to remember that the only other two people in here were knocked just out by him, So even if he wanted to ask a question there¡¯d be nobody to-


    ¡°Are you talking about this photograph?¡±


    Tim-Tom freezes in place as he looks toward the source of the voice. A figure stands in the entryway of Granite¡¯s Auto Repair Shop. The door that he made unusable moments prior now lays unhinged on the ground next to the figure.


    But the state of the door is hardly on his mind at the moment. What is on his mind is the identity of this newly arrived person.


    ¡°You gotta be fuckin¡¯ kiddin¡¯ me,¡± Tim-Tom exhales as he readies his fists for one last fight.


    ______________________


    Back at Tatsu¡¯s Household Needs, a bruised Ronnie stands facing off against Chao ¡®Cambridge¡¯ Huang.


    ¡°I told you to give up,¡± Chao remarks, ¡°You got nothing in your arsenal I haven¡¯t seen before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that,¡± Ronnie smirks, ¡°I still got an ace up my sleeve!¡±


    ¡°Oh really? What can one ace do when you¡¯re up against a royal flush?¡±


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°The only thing getting royally flushed today is that arrogance of yours!¡±


    As Ronnie readies for the rest of his fight, he is a little hesitant to use what he learned.


    However he knows he has to.


    If he didn¡¯t, then that whole trip to the hospital would have been a waste of not just his time, but James Lewis¡¯ time.


    It¡¯s time for him to use the lesson that was almost erased by the passage of time.


    It¡¯s time for him to use the lesson left missing from the sixth tape.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 38 - The West Side (7)

    ¡°Alright then,¡± James exhales, ¡°I¡¯m only going to say this once so you better pay attention.¡±


    As the man sits in his hospital bed, Ronnie looks at him anticipating what he¡¯s about to learn.


    ¡°Every once in a while, you¡¯re going to come across an opponent stronger than you,¡± James remarks as he tosses an orange in the air, ¡°They¡¯ll be faster, smarter, and more knowledgeable than you when it comes to fighting. You¡¯ll never be able to take down someone like that.¡±


    ¡°So the lesson is I¡¯m gonna get my shit kicked in?¡± Ronnie sweats.


    ¡°That is¡­ if you care about your pride,¡± James continues as he catches the orange, ¡°If you know you can¡¯t win through conventional methods, break free from them. Fighters with experience may be able to know the perfect move for any regular attack, but how do you counter an attack that no person would even consider using? The more confused you can make your opponent, the easier it is to find their weak point.¡±


    ¡°Their weak point?¡±


    ¡°No matter the opponent, there¡¯s always some weakness they have. It just becomes more obvious the more confused they are. After all, stupidity is the greatest offense to intelligence!¡±


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    Back in the present day, Chao is rushing toward Ronnie inside the abandoned grocery store Tatsu¡¯s Household Needs when suddenly.


    THONK!


    Something hits his forehead and falls down his face, something that he catches in his hand.


    A jelly bean?


    THONK!


    THONK THONK!


    ¡°Hey you fucker,¡± Ronnie grunts as he reaches into an opened bag of expired jellybeans, ¡°You gonna copy this too?¡±


    Chao ¡®Cambridge¡¯ Huang stands there stunned for a moment. Through all the fights he¡¯s ever had. Has anyone ever tossed a jellybean at his head?


    It doesn¡¯t even hurt him and yet he finds it so damn infuriating.


    ¡°Wow what¡¯s up with you?¡± Ronnie remarks as he tosses some more jellybeans at Cambridge, ¡°Your mood turned so¡­sour.¡±


    Rushing toward him, Cambridge goes to lay his hand on Ronnie, only for him to be greeted with a knee to the stomach. Cambridge goes for another punch but Ronnie quickly counters. Seeing no opportunities at the moment, Cambridge takes a step back to assess the situation more.


    As he does so Ronnie glances around the store to see what else he can use at the moment, that¡¯s when he sees something in the corner of his eye.


    Making a run for it, Ronnie rushes through the produce section of the store, tossing the rotten produce behind him to try and slow the pursuing Cambridge. Eventually he finally reaches his destination, a large pyramid of canned fruits and veggies.


    A large pyramid that he knocks over, sending all of the cans to topple over Cambridge.


    It doesn¡¯t take too long for Cambridge to get out of the pile of cans he was buried under, however as soon as he sticks his head out of the pile, he is whacked in the head by a large bag of ice.


    ¡°I always hate when ice gets stuck together,¡± Ronnie laments as he swings the ice bag he got onto Chao ¡®Cambridge¡¯ Huang on his head once more, ¡°Perhaps you can break some of the chunks for me!¡±


    As Ronnie goes for a third strike, Chao punches through the bag, causing all of the ice to fall to the ground.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting sick of all these stunts by you!¡± Chao yells as he creates the same fist Ronnie made earlier, ¡°It¡¯s time for you to proceed to checkout!¡±


    Chao goes to swing at Ronnie only for it to¡­miss?


    Chao looks down to see Ronnie has poured a bottle of olive oil he grabbed on his way to the produce aisle onto the floor. Mixed with the melting ice, the whole area around Chao is very slippery.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to wrap this fight up soon,¡± Ronnie yells as he makes a fist, ¡°And when I do, they¡¯ll be needing to clean your body up from Aisle Four!¡±


    Ronnie goes to swing at Chao only for it to¡­miss as well?


    In fact Ronnie almost topples over.


    Ronnie looks down to see the puddle of oil and melting ice has gotten to where he¡¯s standing as well. The two opponents lock eyes as they try to shimmy their way out of the puddle, however in order to also not topple over, they constantly have to move back and forth.


    At the entrance of the grocery, the two thugs Ronnie knocked out at the beginning of the fight open their eyes to see Ronnie & Chao struggling to stay standing against a puddle of oil.


    ¡°Dude, are you seeing what I¡¯m seeing?¡± one of them says as he lays on the ground.


    ¡°Yeah, I had to wink three times just to check I wasn¡¯t seeing things,¡± the other replies, ¡°Where do you think that kid learned how to fight like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if I were to cast my guess, I¡¯d say whoever taught him would¡¯ve been the goat!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but not as strong as some hamsters I¡¯ve seen.¡±


    ¡°What hamsters?¡±


    ¡°Maybe its cuz you only moved here from Cali recently, but you wouldn¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°I guess. You wanna help Cambridge out?¡±


    ¡°And get knocked out by a toaster? I think I¡¯m good. You?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t want to look like I ate too many edibles so I¡¯ll stay here.¡±


    As the two members continue to watch, Ronnie & Cambridge have finally made their way out of the puddle, but due to some oil still being on their shoes, they can still slide around.


    ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t we call a timeout so we can catch a breath?¡± Ronnie questions as he slides out of the produce area.


    ¡°And let you get away?¡± Cambridge questions as he skates after Ronnie, ¡°Not a chance!¡±


    As the two slide and skate across the entire grocery store faster than most could run, Cambridge keeps on trying to swing and punch at Ronnie, however Ronnie manages to dodge by the skin of his teeth.


    Using a box of cereal called ¡®Enzo-Os¡¯ to block an oncoming hit, jumping over a grocery cart Chao slides around, grabbing some chips for a quick snack before remembering its expired after eating, using a toy lightsaber to fight against a toy sword Chao grabbed, tossing the toy lightsaber aside so he can slide underneath a currently falling can pyramid Chao tipped over by tossing his toy sword into, and taunting him all the while ¨C Ronnie remains ahead of Chao, and still out of reach of him.


    Eventually the two skid to a stop in the appliance section of the grocery store, the oil that remained on their feet has finally burned off. The two lunge toward one another as they get ready for another attack. However, Ronnie manages to dodge easily while Cambridge takes a blow to the stomach once more.


    Cambridge goes for a right hook only for Ronnie to catch it effortlessly and deliver an uppercut.


    ¡°Sorry but your cheap parlor tricks won¡¯t be fooling me anymore!¡± Ronnie yells, ¡°I know your weak spot!¡±


    While it¡¯s true that Chao Huang is perfect at imitating his opponent, he¡¯s too perfect at it as Ronnie discovered in their fight. Each person¡¯s body is different from one another, and Chao¡¯s body is both taller & has the longer wingspan by a few centimeters between the two. And yet, he¡¯s still copying him perfectly. He¡¯s not swinging as far or as hard as he could be, he¡¯s stopping his fist where Ronnie would stop his. He¡¯s making his attacks weaker since all he¡¯s doing is an imitation of a fighting move.


    A perfect reflection has no room for alteration.


    ¡°A fight against myself? Don¡¯t make me laugh,¡± Ronnie remarks as he delivers one final uppercut into Cambridge sending him falling backward, ¡°You¡¯re not even good enough to be my fake!¡±


    As Ronnie takes a moment to take a deep breath, he feels like his spirit¡¯s been lifted a bit from winning the fight.


    No wait, he¡¯s in the air right now?!


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I never expected to show you more than just your reflection,¡± Cambridge says as he just kicked Ronnie¡¯s feet in and slams his fist into Ronnie¡¯s liver, ¡°You should feel proud for what you¡¯re about to see.¡±


    As Ronnie gags, he feels the attack completely different, he¡¯s still not going as far as he can with his swings, but they¡¯re definitely going further than before.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you just a small taste of the catalogue I¡¯ve built up,¡± Chao remarks as he effortlessly grabs Ronnie by the upper jaw and slams his head against the wall.


    Ronnie tries to get another attack in, but the hits are moving at a much faster rate than before. They¡¯re swatting away each attack he goes for and countering with another.


    Atl he can do is try to endure. If he slows down for just one moment, if he stops to breathe for just a second, he can strike bac-


    ¡°Let¡¯s end this,¡± Cambridge remarks as his left hand grips right below his right fist.


    Before Ronnie can move, Cambridge swings his right fist into Ronnie, sending his body crashing into one of the aisle shelves, sending it toppling over.


    Cambridge walks over and grabs the unconscious Ronnie by the back of his shirt with one of his hands.


    ¡°It was a nice attempt,¡± Cambridge exhales, ¡°But if you¡¯re the strongest among your friends, then I¡¯m afraid none of you will be seeing tomorrow.¡±


    ____________________


    Back at the Heartbreak Motel, the last regular thug falls unconscious. Christopher, Hunter, & Marcus stand tall as they prepare for the real fight to begin.


    ¡°Good,¡± Worcester remarks as he stands up atop the convertible, ¡°I was getting impatient waiting to slice you all into pieces.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 39 - The West Side (8)

    ¡°ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!!!!!¡± Blanko yells as he runs through Frederick Fastbear¡¯s Factory.


    The reason for his panic? He¡¯s currently being chased by not only all the Massachusetts Boys Members he knocked out prior, but also their No. 5 Lowell. At least he managed to take down that dude in the shark costume in a single kick and he¡¯s still knocked out. But besides that things aren¡¯t looking good for The East Side¡¯s Favorite Ginger, especially since his one ally here at the moment ¨C Elizabeth Moore ¨C was just knocked out by Lowell¡¯s kick.


    ¡°Get back here! I¡¯ll show you my pure boss strength with all my might!¡± One thug says


    ¡°I¡¯ll ghost you if you don¡¯t stop running!¡± Another chimes in.


    ¡°I¡¯ll force you to go to my wedding if you don¡¯t stop right now!¡± A third screams


    ¡°Gotta hurry!¡± Blanko says as he begins to type out a message, ¡°Otherwise it¡¯ll-¡±


    ¡°Can you shut your bitch ass up for one second?¡± Kimberly groans as she leaps toward Blanko.


    Without a second to dodge or block, Kimberly sends a flurry of kicks his way, each more powerful than the last, until she finishes him off with an axe kick.


    As Blanko falls to the ground unconscious, Kimberly takes a look at what Blanko was typing out.


    A message to someone with the contact name ¡°S¡¯mores¡± which reads ¡®Go to the bodega and get 100% Off On Our Cherry Bombs RIGHT NOW!¡±


    ¡°What kind of message is this?¡± Kimberly remarks as she puts the phone back into Blanko¡¯s pocket.


    That¡¯s when her own phone goes off. It¡¯s a video call from Fall River. She answers it.


    ¡°Hey, did you just about finish with those two intruder-¡± Kimberly is about to ask when she breaks out laughing.


    ¡°H-HEY! WHAT¡¯S SO FUNNY?!¡± Fall River shouts as his face is covered in bruises and bumps.


    ¡°Man it looks like you got your shit kicked in!¡± Kimberly laughs as she shows the other Massachusetts Boys members around her the video, ¡°Hey! Check out Fall River!¡±


    ¡°S-Stop that you wench!¡± Fall River hisses, ¡°And yes, we just finished up over here. I got a call from Cambridge saying that he¡¯s also done over there. No news from Plymouth or Quincy yet.¡±


    Fall River points his camera down revealing the unconscious bodies of both Vanessa & Sammy.


    ¡°Woah, they look worse than you do!¡± Kimberly gasps, impressed, ¡°Did you get any outside help to finish them off?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?! Of course not,¡± Frankfurt ¡®Fall River¡¯ Schulz sweats through the other end of the phone.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll call up Lynn in just a moment, make sure to bring the intruders with to the motel,¡± Kimberly commands.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± Frankfurt laughs before hanging up.


    ___________________________________


    In the abandoned August Leaves Mall, a phone rings out in the food court as a bruised and bloody Victor stands opposed to a bloody and bruised Alex.


    ¡°Y-you still got more in you?!¡± Victor pants.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Alex pants as he limps closer to him, ¡°I can do this all day-¡±


    Before he can limp closer to Victor, the hotheaded teen falls and lands atop a pile of bodies he knocked out. With him finally defeated, Victor ¡®Lynn¡¯ Dunnerman gets a call from Kimberly which he answers.


    ¡°Yes Lowell?¡± Victor pants, ¡°Y-yeah, we just wrapped up here. If you, Cambridge, & Fall River can send a few of your guys over to raid the bookstore with Amherst that¡¯d be great. Okay, I¡¯ll see you with the others at the motel. Hopefully Worcester isn¡¯t picking up because he¡¯s too busy messing with his prey.¡±


    As Victor hangs up, Alex begins to panic. If all the others got taken out then that means, it¡¯s over. He¡¯d try to move and fight more but his body isn¡¯t letting him, it''s too exhausted. All he can hope now is that the ones facing Worcester are still standing.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    Surrounded by Marcus Veridan, Hunter Huntingson, & Christopher Wrinkle, Willy ¡®Worcester¡¯ White stands up atop the convertible, basking in the moonlight.


    ¡°Good,¡± Worcester utters, ¡°I was getting impatient waiting to slice you all into pieces.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Looking at his three opponents, Worcester wastes no time in pulling out his first weapon out of his arsenal.


    A wrench.


    Rushing towards the weakest link of the three, Worcester goes to bring the blunt end of the wrench down on Marcus¡¯ head.


    Only instead, it hits the side of Christopher Wrinkle¡¯s neck.


    Christopher, who managed to get in the way of the attack, stands tall as Worcester switches his handling on the wrench.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve taken down guys like you before!¡± Worcester yells as he brings the sharp side of the wrench toward Christopher¡¯s neck, ¡°They think they¡¯re all tough up until you give them a little-¡±


    ¡°Forget about me, asshole?!¡± Hunter remarks as he pulls Worcester back by grabbing onto the white cape of Worcester¡¯s all white vampire costume.


    Using the opportunity given to him, Christopher creates a fist and leaps into the air. He slams his fist down onto Worcester¡¯s face, causing Worcester to hit the ground so hard he bounces before tumbling away.


    ¡°Are you two okay?!¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Christopher says as a small amount of blood drips down a tiny wound on his neck, ¡°I promised to protect my friends, and I intend to keep that promise!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with that trickster before,¡± Hunter says, ¡°This time I¡¯m not making the same mistake I did last time, I¡¯m putting him in a coffin tonight!¡±


    Not giving Worcester the time to react, Hunter & Christopher pounce on him. Hunter sending blow after blow into his side while Christopher readies himself for another superman punch.


    ¡°WHERE IS IT?!¡± Hunter yells.


    ¡°Uh, you don¡¯t need to shout!¡± Worcester yells back as he slams the sharp end of the wrench down into the center of Hunter¡¯s foot, ¡°I can hear you just fine!¡±


    Using the opportunity, Christopher leaps into the air to perform another superman jump, only for Worcester to dodge it and take out a second weapon that he slashes across Christopher¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Look familiar Hunter?¡± Worcester smirks as he shows off his bloody box cutter.


    With his right foot having a wrench slammed into it, Hunter¡¯s movements have become much slower, and without his bat, the disadvantage is already clear.


    However, before Worcester can finish Hunter off, Christopher steps forward.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry it¡¯s okay,¡± Christopher tells the rebel of Starlight High, ¡°You¡¯re not alone anymore!¡±


    Worcester laughs as he races toward Christopher, ¡°Was the slashes not enough for you to get the memo? This ain¡¯t your fight boy! What use are you if you only know one move?!¡±


    Christopher inhales deeply as he rushes toward his opponent.


    Worcester looks upward in preparation for Christopher¡¯s attack. However, he stays on the ground much longer than he would have if he were to perform the superman punch he¡¯s been doing this whole time.


    ¡°Who said I only knew one move?¡± Christopher asks as he recalls the lesson his instructor left him with.


    ¡°You know why Muay Thai was created?¡± Christopher¡¯s instructor, Mechai Aromdee, asks as he steadies the swaying punching bag.


    ¡°N-no, not really?¡± Christopher answers honestly.


    ¡°You see, the origins of Muay Thai can be traced back toward the Sukhothai dynasty. Wars and fights would constantly break out then as kingdoms tried to expand their territory. In order to defend their homeland, an army was created. And when that army was created, so too were the building blocks that became what we know as Muay Thai today.¡±


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­¡±


    ¡°You should never forget about your roots Christopher, as long as you can do that, I¡¯m sure you too will become capable of defending what you care for!¡±


    Leaping forward, Christopher slams his knee right into Worcester¡¯s chest, knocking the wind right out of him and sending him flying backward into a motel wall.


    ¡°Wh-what was that?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°Khao Yao,¡± Christopher remarks, ¡°The first move I was taught!¡±


    ¡°W-woah, how many moves do you know?¡± Hunter asks as he limps toward him.


    ¡°Two,¡± Christopher replies.


    It seems his response has also knocked the wind out of Marcus & Hunter, just in a different way than what he did to Worcester.


    Drip.


    Marcus & Hunter look toward Christopher¡¯s knee.


    Drop.


    The box cutter Worcester had earlier, he managed to stab deep into Christopher¡¯s knee when he performed the Khao Yao move.


    ¡°I gotta admit, I underestimated you,¡± Worcester utters as he stands up once more, his all-white outfit covered in stains of red.


    Hunter looks to see that Worcester¡¯s left arm, the one he was holding the box cutter in, is broken. However, in his right hand is a new weapon. The metal baseball bat.


    ¡°Can you feel it? The ground below you is opening up,¡± Worcester remarks as he lunges toward the three, ¡°AND I¡¯LL BE THE ONE TO KICK YOU STRAIGHT DOWN TO HELL!¡±


    First one¡¯s up is Christopher. He slams his foot into his calf, and because of the nails that are on Worcester¡¯s shoes, it causes Christopher to fall on one of his knees. This allows Worcester to easily slam the baseball bat into Chrstopher¡¯s face.


    Next up; Marcus Veridan. Worcester doesn''t waste any time as a simple swing at his skull does the trick like it did last time in knocking the poor teen out.


    And lastly, for the main course; Hunter. He slams his foot down onto the wrench wedged into Hunter¡¯s foot causing it to go deeper into him. He then uses the opportunity to swing the bat up hitting Hunter¡¯s chin, and then bring it down atop his head.


    Hunter falls to the ground, with still an ounce of consciousness left within him. And as for Christopher¡­.


    He¡¯s still up?


    ¡°You bastard, I¡¯ll rip your teeth out!¡± Hunter groans as he gets back up.


    ¡°I won¡¯t fall to the likes of you, and I won¡¯t ever be-¡± Christopher tries to say.


    However, he never gets to finish his sentence as slicing through the air are two spinning back kicks that land on Christopher¡¯s back.


    One from Kimberly, and one from Cambridge.


    ¡°Having trouble Willy?¡± Kimberly taunts.


    ¡°I knew leaving you three opponents was a bad idea,¡± Chao begins to remark when his eyes lock with Worcester¡¯s last standing opponent.


    His foster brother, Hunter Huntingson.


    Hunter¡¯s eyes widen as he sees Chao standing there, time almost freezing in place as they stare at one another.


    ¡°What are you doing here Cha-¡±


    CRACK!


    Hunter falls to the ground unconscious as Worcester¡¯s breathes heavily. Both of his hands hold onto the metal baseball bat he just swung down at Hunter.


    ¡°Bring them all together,¡± Worcester remarks as he sees all of the other Massachusetts Boys members arriving.


    As countless members gather in the Heartbreak Motel parking lot, the unconscious bodies of Ronnie Everst, Marcus Veridan, Alex Smith, Elizabeth Moore, Christopher Wrinkle, Hunter Huntingson, Sammy Becken, Vanessa Deli, & Blanko deck are all placed next to one another.


    Staring at their bodies, pure euphoria washes over Willy ¡®Worcester¡¯ White.


    ¡°Finally.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 40 - The West Side (9)

    ¡°Man, how long do we have to keep walking for?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too long.¡±


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t we have gone to the motel with everybody else?¡±


    ¡°Because we already agreed to do this beforehand,¡± Trisha ¡®Amherst¡¯ Bernstein tells the other Massachusetts Boys Members, ¡°And don¡¯t worry, It¡¯s just around the corner.¡±


    Several Massachusetts Boys Members march behind her including the two Ronnie defeated in Tatsu¡¯s Household Needs, the one who can ¡®ghost you¡¯, the one who has pure boss strength, the one getting married, the one wearing a mask that has the german flag painted over it, the one wearing pajamas, the one dressed as a crazy scientist, the one who is wearing a panda mask, the one who¡¯s mask is inside out, the one who has a helluva time counting, the one who wields a tape measure, the one who logically tosses art supplies, and lastly the one who told the tall tale of the man who punched the statue.


    Their destination? The place they¡¯ve set their sights on for a while.


    The Starlight City Bookstore.


    ¡°Once you trash the place, make sure to douse it with the gasoline we brought,¡± Trisha instructs the others, ¡°It¡¯ll be easier to build a new place atop its ashes than it is to renovate it!¡±


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    Most tales begin with something grandiose like embarking on an epic quest. Others begin with the discovery of something otherworldly, something nobody in their wildest dreams could have ever dreamed of.


    This tale begins with a shoe pressed down on someone¡¯s face.


    ¡°The Devil In Red?¡± A person with jet black hair laughs as he stands over the defeated Willy White, ¡°Titles aren¡¯t something you can just plaster onto yourself, they¡¯re something to be bestowed upon the remarkable. And trust me, you¡¯re nothing compared to us.¡±


    With those final words, the gang that Willy White spent years trying to create, the men he ruled over, even the motel he used as a base.


    It was all snatched away by two men. And he never even got their names.


    That was until a few years passed, and Willy White ran into one of the two men again at a pub.


    He almost didn¡¯t recognize him with his now dyed blonde hair and more professional clothing, but he was sure it was him.


    ¡°Hey, remember me!¡± Willy roared as he rushed toward the person with a knife..


    10 Seconds.


    He was defeated within 10 seconds.


    ¡°No, not really,¡± the man remarked as he stood over Willy White once more, ¡°I guess you just weren¡¯t worth remembering.¡±


    Humiliation. All he could feel was humiliation at that moment as the man who took away everything from him years prior took away what little self worth Willy White had at that moment.


    ¡°But, I do need some people for my family,¡± the man with the blonde hair remarks before reaching his hand down toward Willy, ¡°Wanna join?¡±


    On that day, he was given a new title.


    Worcester.


    For some reason that lunatic he came to know as Boston was very fond of Massachusetts, so much so that the members of his ¡°family¡± had to be given titles based off the cities there. Willy White was never a fan of the names, but over time it grew on him.


    Just like the power he had in the gang as before he knew it, he was already the fourth-in-command. And with that position came a desire he thought was taken away from him long ago.


    The desire to take over the night. He¡¯d steal Boston¡¯s gang from him, wipe out Dirty Fang in a single afternoon, and even find the other man who helped Boston all those years ago.


    All he had to do was sit and wait for the right opportunity.


    But now?


    Now it¡¯s finally here.


    In the present day, several Massachusetts Boys Members light fires in the trash cans across the Heartbreak Motel in order to illuminate their total conquest over their foes.


    Standing in the crowds are a very proud No. 9 Victor ¡®Lynn¡¯ Dunnermann, an eager No. 6 Frankfurt ¡®Fall River¡¯ Schulz, a sentimental No. 5 Kimberly ¡®Lowell¡¯ Masterson, & a haunted looking No. 3 Chao ¡®Cambridge¡¯ Huang.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Cammy?¡± Worcester smirks, ¡°You sad about what I did to your foster bro? You barely even knew him! Grow up!¡±


    Chao doesn¡¯t respond as he looks at Hunter Huntingson, just one of the several intruders that have been knocked out and placed together by a wall ¨C the rest being Ronnie, Marcus, Alex, Elizabeth, Christopher, Sammy, Vanessa, & Blanko.


    ¡°Plymouth & Quincy still haven¡¯t come back yet? What¡¯s taking them forever?¡± Frankfurt huffs, ¡°It¡¯s just Tim-Tom they¡¯re facing!¡±


    ¡°Who cares about them? They¡¯re just some gimmicky trash we don¡¯t need anymore,¡± Worcester remarks as he makes his way to the center of the motel.


    Worcester starts to yell out to the audience, ¡°Listen! For too long we¡¯ve been forced to follow that bastard Boston and do as he says! But not anymore! After tonight, the whole city will know our might! We won¡¯t be looked down on any more!¡±


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    The crowd cheers as Worcester makes his way to where the knocked out intruders are.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s say you lot, why don¡¯t you join us?¡± Worcester offers, ¡°We¡¯d be unstoppable together.¡±


    Of the defeated group, the only ones that have recently regained their consciousness are Elizabeth Moore, Alex Smith, Vanessa Deli, Blanko Deck, & Ronnie Everst. They¡¯re all too exhausted and beaten to fight back, with Vanessa too exhausted to speak at the moment, so all they can do is rest.


    ¡°Well, what do you say? If you join us now I¡¯ll even stop the attack on the bookstore,¡± Worcester remarks.


    Blanko, Alex, Elizabeth, & Ronnie all look at each other and they both nod in agreement.


    ¡°The offer is tempting,¡± Ronnie remarks as he raises a fist.


    ¡°Good, glad to see kids have sense these days-¡±


    ¡°But, I think we¡¯re just gonna do our own thing,¡± Ronnie finishes as he lifts his middle finger up.


    Blanko can¡¯t help but let out a snicker while Alex smirks in agreement.


    ¡°Why would we even follow a freak like you?¡± Elizabeth cackles.


    ¡°Wh-wh- Do you not care about that Bookstore?! Doesn¡¯t your friend work there?¡±  Worcester growls.


    ¡°Oh we care alright,¡± Alex laughs, ¡°Your men should be getting there right about now right?¡±


    Worcester looks confused at Alex as the hot headed teen continues to laugh.


    ¡°I doubt your men are going to be able to lay even a finger on that store though bub, we left it in pretty capable hands!¡± Alex laughs.


    ___________________________________


    Back in the north side of Starlight City, the group of Massachusetts Boys lead by Trisha turns the corner to see the Starlight City Bookstore, and the group of figures that stand between them.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky they didn¡¯t allow me to make a pipe bomb.¡± Selina laughs as she holds a wooden plank in her hands, ¡°But you guys are getting your asses handed to you either way!¡±


    The group consisting of Tim, Tom, Selina, & Randy stand ready to defend the store.


    Trisha laughs as she looks at the size of the group.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you just running from us a little bit ago? Do you seriously think that the four of you can beat all of us?¡± Trisha laughs.


    ¡°Who said it was just us four?¡± Tom questions.


    Confused, the group looks to see a figure walking down the street approaching the bookstore.


    Even more confused is Selina, ¡°You said you were going to call someone strong to help us! Why the hell did you call him?!¡±


    Ignoring Selina¡¯s question, Tim shouts, ¡°About time you showed up!¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, I said I¡¯d get here earlier but you¡¯d be surprised how much work it takes to put the twins to sleep,¡± The person says as they step into the light of a streetlamp, revealing themselves to be Mesto-Presto, ¡°But I¡¯m certain it¡¯ll be much easier to put these folks to rest.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I like your style burrito boy!¡± A shoeless figure sitting atop a street light laughs.


    Hopping down next to Mesto and the others is The Wild Card of Starlight High, the lime-green haired Crunch Backson.


    ¡°Crunch?! How long were you up there!¡± Randy yells.


    ¡°Eh I took a nap up there after I got fired for dyeing my hair green again,¡± Crunch remarks, ¡°I just woke up so what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fighting The Massachusetts Boys,¡± Mesto explains, ¡°Your assistance will be much appreciated.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re telling me these folk came all the way down from Massachusetts just to get their ass beat?!¡± Crunch questions.


    As the small group of defenders continues to chat, Trisha looks at them with rage.


    ¡°So you got some hot guys with ya?! Like that¡¯s gonna do anything!¡± Trisha screams.


    ¡°Hey Trisha, I got a question for ya!¡± Selina smirks as the group of six are all ready to fight, ¡°Do you seriously think all of you can take down the six of us?¡±


    _________________________


    Back at the Heartbreak Motel, a nervous sweat drips down the side of Worcester¡¯s face as Alex & Elizabeth are now both laughing.


    ¡°Man you should see the look on your face!¡± Alex laughs, ¡°It looks like you shit your pants bub!¡±


    In retaliation, Worcester kicks Alex across the face and yells, ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    The metal baseball bat in his hand falls next to Hunter¡¯s as Worcester says, ¡°Here. You can have it with you when we bury all of you!¡±


    ¡°Wait, th-they¡¯re gonna kill us?¡± Ronnie whispers.


    ¡°You had your chance to join us, but it''s too late for you! And once we¡¯re done with you lot it¡¯ll be Boston, and then the entirety of Dirty Fang! And after that not even the MSA CAN STOP US!!!¡±


    As Worcester yells out into the night. The whole parking lot goes silent.


    Save for one person.


    Blanko Deck.


    ¡°You said you planned on taking Dirty Fang down, right?¡± Blanko questions, ¡°Well I guess it¡¯s your lucky day then!¡±


    Vanessa¡¯s eyes widen as her vision is trained at the entryway into Heartbreak Motel.


    And the six beings making their way through it.


    At the back of the group is a tall old white man with the fat on him barely hiding just how muscular he truly is. With salt-&-pepper hair, a salt-&-pepper beard, and brown eyes the man has clearly lived through plenty throughout his time in Starlight City. The outfit he¡¯s wearing is an all black suit with black dress shoes. This is The Dirty Fang¡¯s fourth-in-command, Harvey Benjamin.


    In front of him is an interesting pair. On the left is a short skinny white man with long black hair, a lip piercing, and long sharp black nails. He¡¯s wearing a black t-shirt, black ripped cargo pants, and black running shoes. On the right is a tall, very muscular white lady with green hair in a pixie cut, eyebrow & tongue piercings, & several piercings on her ears. She¡¯s wearing a black tank-top, black sweatpants, and has black sports tape wrapped around her arms. This is The Dirty Fang¡¯s strongest duo; Hammer & Nail.


    In front of the duo is a tall dark skinned man that is very muscular and has a pair of brown eyes. His wavy black hair is kept hidden by a black durag and the rest of the clothes he¡¯s wearing are a black leather jacket over a black t-shirt, black jeans, and black boots. This is Dirty Fang¡¯s Loyal Graham Dirt.


    In front of Graham Dirt is a pair of two people. On the left is a man with pale white skin, depressed black eyes, has black hair in a perm, is branding a teardrop tattoo below his left eye, and has several scars across both of his hands. He¡¯s wearing a black face mask, a black baseball cap, black techwear hoodie, black techwear pants, & black air force shoes. This is Dirty Fang¡¯s third-in-command only referred to as ¡®Purple¡¯.


    On the right of Purple is a man with light brown skin, light black dreads, and is wearing an all-black bucket hat that obscures his eyes. Besides the bucket hat he is also sporting an all black tracksuit and black slides. This is the second-in-command of Dirty Fang, Andy Nibble.


    And lastly in front of those two is an entity. An entity that brings fear into the hearts of anyone who is unfortunate enough to be against them. The Dirty Fang¡¯s leader; Mason Makinsley. His tall dark skinned body has spiky dyed red hair, and red eyes. The outfit he¡¯s wearing is a black denim jacket with no undershirt, black denim pants, and black running shoes.


    ¡°H-h-how the hell are they here?!!¡± Frankfurt squeals as Kimberly¡¯s eyes widen as she looks at Graham Dirt.


    That message Blanko sent¡­.it was to someone by the contact name of S¡¯mores.


    ¡°Y-you sent them a coded message!?¡± Kimberly yells as she looks at the smirking Blanko.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean?¡± Blanko smirks, ¡°All I did was tell a good friend about a deal.¡±


    Kimberly is about to shout back when the entity referred to as Mason Makinsley raises his hand, silencing everyone else.


    ¡°Graham, Harvey.¡±


    The two members nod as they find their opponents.


    ¡°Is that you Frankfurt?¡± Harvey questions as he sizes up his sniveling opponent, ¡°I remember when you were still wet behind the ears¡¯. Let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve learned since then.¡±


    Towering over Chao, Graham looks down at the third-in-command of The Massachusetts Boys.


    ¡°How lowly does Dirty Fang consider us if they think you can defeat me.¡± Cambridge glares.


    ¡°Clearly not low enough,¡± Graham responds as he rolls up his sleeves.


    ¡°You wanna bet?!¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡±


    Andy, Purple, Hammer, & Nail all stay back as Mason approaches his target; Willy ¡®Worcester¡¯ White.


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve thought my disregard of you was out of worry over your might,¡± Mason Makinsley begins, ¡°How foolish you¡¯ve all been.¡±


    His hands shaking, Worcester takes out a knife and aims it at the slowly approaching Mason Makinsley.


    ¡°It seems like you all need to be reminded¡­,¡± Mason Makinsey remarks, ¡°What exactly it means to be ¡®The Most Feared Man In Starlight City¡¯.¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 41 - The West Side (10)

    Outside The Starlight City Bookstore, several Massachusetts Boys members are running towards the bookstore, ready to destroy it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hop over the others and make my way through with my trusty tape measure!¡± The member with the tape measure shouts, ¡°After all it can go on for yards and yards and yards and-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re holding that the wrong way,¡± Mesto remarks as he kicks the person¡¯s hand, causing the tape measure to fly into the sky.


    Mesto catches it and pulls on the tape side of the tape measure before he swings the silver case at the members.


    ¡°It makes much more sense to use it more like a whip, like so,¡± Mesto remarks as he knocks out the two Massachusetts Boys members that were at the grocery store.


    ¡°I see,¡± the person who originally had the tape measure had.


    The soon-to-be married man tries to make his way toward Mesto, however he tosses the tape measure causing it to spin around the thug. The tape tightens around him causing Mesto to pull him to the ground and then kick him in the face.


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯ll show you the true might of a boss-¡± one of the members roars only to get knocked out by the tape measure.


    One member is having one helluva time counting all the people Mesto has knocked out with just the tape measure, before he too gets knocked out with said tape measure.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, I¡¯m gonna big body him!¡± One of the members shouts as she charges toward Mesto.


    ¡°Selina, can you handle this one?¡± Mesto suggests as he knocks out the man in the panda mask with the tape measure.


    ¡°Uh, sure!¡± Selina shouts, ¡°Sorry in advance for this!¡±


    Selina slams the wooden plank she¡¯s holding onto the person¡¯s head, knocking them out.


    Before Selina can step back, a person begins chucking art supplies at them, Selina charges after them with the wooden plank only for the person in the German flag mask to knock that person out.


    ¡°I could¡¯ve used those!¡± The figure in the German Flag mask yells before getting bonked on the head with the wooden plank.


    ¡°H-hey, I¡¯m pretty good at this!¡± Selina chuckles unaware of the man in pajamas & man with the inside out charging toward her.


    Luckily, a familiar flash of lime green blows right past the freshman and slams their hands into the two men.


    ¡°Man, I haven¡¯t had this much fun since capture the flag!¡± Crunch grins as he holds the two in place with just his hands.


    Crunch then lifts them in the air and throws them down onto the ground. However, he quickly has to dodge a member who swings solely their right fist at him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll beat you with just my right fist, just like that man who knocked down the statue!¡± The person roars.


    ¡°Statue? The fuck are you saying?¡± Crunch questions as he bends his very flexible body out of the way of the punches, ¡°But hey, I¡¯ll give it a go!¡±


    Before the other can protest, Crunch slams his right fist into their face, knocking them out instantly.


    The member dressed as a crazy scientist runs up behind Crunch, ready to knock them out, however both Tim & Tom, who¡¯re busy taking out several other members, come in and uppercut the person at the same time.


    ¡°Dude we gotta dual uppercut again sometime, that was sick!¡± Tim shouts.


    ¡°Hell yeah it was!¡± Tom agrees as the two dap.


    Back over by Mesto, he finishes using the tape measure and hands it off to the person he borrowed it from.


    ¡°Woah, thank you for the lesson! I¡¯m gonna make sure to use it so I can defeat all of you right no-¡± the person tries to say but Selina bonks them in the head with the wooden plank.


    With all of the Massachusetts Boys members defeated, Randy celebrates.


    ¡°Alright! That¡¯s why you don¡¯t mess with The Buzzing Brawler! Booyah!¡± Randy remarks.


    ¡°You did jack shit though,¡± Selina says.


    ¡°Y-y-yes I did,¡± Randy lies.


    ¡°Prove it,¡± Crunch, Tim, & Tom say in unison.


    ¡°Uh- I was-¡± Randy tries to say before he points down the street, ¡°They¡¯re getting away!¡±


    The group look to see Trisha ¡®Amherst¡¯ Bernstein running away as fast as she can from the scene.


    ¡°Should we give chase?¡± Crunch suggests.


    ¡°Nah, let¡¯s go inside real quick, it¡¯s getting a bit chilly,¡± Selina remarks as she opens the door to the bookstore.


    When the group enters, they see the co-owners Ivan Turnip and Jessica Powell inside by the cash register.


    ¡°Oh, Selina- It looks like you brought some friends,¡± Ivan remarks as he moves his wheelchair by them to greet them.


    However as he does, the group spreads out to block the view to the outside from the doorway.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, I heard you had the best books in town,¡± Tim remarks as he hides his bloodied knuckles by putting them in his pocket.


    ¡°We do, and that¡¯s quite the costume you got on,¡± Jessica Powell remarks.


    Tim stands confused before looking in a mirror to see he still has on the whole cat ears, fake whiskers, cat collar, and fake tail.


    ¡°D-did I have this on the whole time?!¡± Tim blushes in embarrassment as he realizes he was the only one in the group who didn¡¯t take off their disguise costume.


    As Tom laughs, Crunch & Mesto whisper to one another.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go hide the bodies, you guys just keep them distracted. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve done this before,¡± Crunch remarks.


    Mesto nods in agreement before looking back at Crunch in confusement. But by that point, he¡¯s already left the store. Still with some time to kill, Mesto and the others decide to do some shopping in the bookstore.


    ¡°Woah so you work here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, few years in fact.¡±


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Excuse me sir but do you happen to have any of the ¡®Highlight¡¯ books? My girlfriend really likes them so I was thinking I could read them.¡±


    ¡°Sure we do, but couldn¡¯t you just borrow them from her?¡±


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    An hour before the current events at the heartbreak motel, a karaoke machine is playing a song.


    ¡°Your stare was holdin¡¯,¡± Hammer sings into a mic.


    ¡°Ripped jeans, skin was showin¡¯,¡± Nail sings into a mic.


    ¡°Hot night, wind was blowin¡¯, WHERE YOU THINK YOU¡¯RE GOING BABY?!¡± Hammer & Nail sing into a mic.


    Their karaoke session continues inside Mason Makinsley¡¯s penthouse suite in The East Side. Inside with them is a sleeping-on-the-sofa Harvey Benjamin, a dancing-his-heart-out Andy Nibble, and a not-really-involved pair of Purple & Graham Dirt. For some reason, Mason Makinsley isn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Why do we always have to have a Karaoke Friday?¡± Purple sighs as he scrolls through his phone.


    ¡°It''s always Hammer & Nail choosing the same exact songs,¡± Graham groans as he feels his phone vibrate.


    As Graham looks down at the phone his face goes cold.


    ¡°BEFORE YOU CAME INTO MY LIFE I MISSED YOU SO BA-¡± Hammer & Nail continue to sing before-


    The song is paused by Graham.


    ¡°Hey what the hell Graham! You don¡¯t pause the karaoke!¡± Hammer yells.


    ¡°You should know how high up we are, we wouldn¡¯t want you to ¡®accidentally¡¯ fall off the balcony,¡± Nail hisses.


    ¡°Woah chill dude, it was just a song,¡± Andy groans, ¡°And besides, Graham would only do this if something serious came up.¡±


    The others all look at Graham waiting for a response, their interest only turns into bewilderment when Graham shows a text message from ¡®Blanko Hayfield Deck¡¯ that reads ¡®¡®Go to the bodega and get 100% Off On Our Cherry Bombs RIGHT NOW!¡¯


    ¡°The fuck is a cherry bomb?¡± Purple asks.


    ¡°Him, Mason, & I created a way to send coded messages to one another,¡± Graham remarks, ¡°Go to the bodega means ¡®I need your help¡¯, and the cherry bombs means ¡®this involves the Massachusetts Boys¡¯.¡±


    ¡°And the 100%?¡± Andy asks.


    ¡°It means he needs all the help he can get,¡± Graham utters.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case then we should call Mason,¡± Purple remarks.


    ¡°And interrupt him on his visit?!¡± Graham yells, ¡°You know he can¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°I already hit the call button,¡± Andy remarks as he holds up his phone that¡¯s dialing a contact by the name of ¡®MMDFWS1¡¯.


    ¡°What does that even mean?!¡± Hammer asks.


    ¡°Are all your contacts like that?¡± Nail inquires.


    ¡°It means Mason Makinsley, Dirty Fang, West Side, 1st In Command, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Andy questions.


    ¡°No!¡± The others shout in unison.


    __________________________


    Mason lifts the phone to his face.


    ¡°Talk to me Andy!¡± Mason remarks.


    ¡°Hey, it looks like we got an issue, Massachusetts Boys apparently have some of our men and it''s apparently dire,¡± Andy Nibble explains through the phone.


    Mason Makinsley¡¯s face drops as he utters, ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°How do you wanna proceed? I can go by myself if need be-¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be heading over. Most of the higher ups are with you too right? Take them with you,¡± Makinsley says.


    ¡°Understood. Purple¡¯s tracking the location of the phone and it looks like it''s at the Heartbreak Motel. Meet you there.¡±


    As the phone call ends, Makinsley takes a second to lean back in his chair and let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡±


    Mason¡¯s red eyes open as he looks toward the person he was visiting.


    ¡°Yes, just an urgent call from work, it looks like I¡¯ll have to get going,¡± Makinsley remarks as he stands up and turns to walk away.


    ¡°It was nice getting to meet you, I¡¯m glad that child has someone like you in his life,¡± The other person in the room remarks with a smile.


    Mason stops at the door, hearing those words he¡­


    ¡°It was nice getting to see you again,¡± Makinsley utters as he leaves the hospital room.


    As the door closes, the person sitting in the hospital bed stares off toward it. The person looks over to the table near their bed and at the gift Makinsley left behind for him.


    ¡°See you again? And how did he know oranges were my favorite fruit?¡± The person sitting in the hospital bed, James Lewis, wonders aloud as he picks one up from a wooden basket full of them.


    ______________________________


    Back in the present, a shaking Willy ¡®Worcester¡¯ White aims a knife at Mason Makinsley. With one broken arm, can he really take on someone like him?


    ¡°It seems like you all need to be reminded¡­,¡± Mason Makinsey details, ¡°What exactly it means to be ¡®The Most Feared Man In Starlight City¡¯.¡±


    Looking around at all of the faces of the other Massachusetts Boys members, all he can see is a look he¡¯s all grown too accustomed with pointed his way.


    Disappointment.


    ¡®This is who we¡¯re following?¡¯


    ¡®He¡¯s all bark, no bite.¡¯


    ¡®What did we expect from him anyway?¡¯


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Worcester yells out for all to hear in the motel¡¯s parking lot.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Mason Makinsley questions, ¡°Nobody was talking right now.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯LL KILL YOU!¡± Worcester yells as he rushes toward Mason Makinsley.


    He swings the blade in his right arm toward Mason Makinsley.


    ¡°DIE! DIE RIGHT NOW!¡± Worcester pleads as he keeps on swinging, ¡°JUST DIE ALREADY!¡±


    Worcester stops as a shaky exhale escapes his body. He should be dead now. H-he did it, he beat Mason Makinsle-


    ¡°Why did you stop?¡±


    Worcester looks up and sees those piercing red eyes looking deep within his very soul. None of the swings landed on Mason Makinsley. With all eyes on him, Worcester feels like everything he has is already on display for all to see. What more do they want?


    ¡°Swing,¡± Mason Makinsley commands, ¡°Go ahead, do it.¡±


    Worcester yells as he goes to swing on Mason Makinsley once more, this time he has a perfect swing, a perfect trajectory, he¡¯ll be able to land this on the man so many fear-!


    CRACK!


    Worcester looks at his right arm to see it bent out of place with a fist slammed into it.


    ¡°Ahhhh- AHHHH!!!!¡±


    His cries ring out into the October air.


    ¡°H-h-hellp!¡± Worcester yells as he stumbles back and ends up tripping on himself, ¡°SOMEONE, HELP ME!! LYNN!!!¡±


    Victor ¡®Lynn¡¯ Dunnerman is standing in the crowd frozen in fear.


    ¡°LOWELL!!!¡±


    Kimberly¡¯s face is full of shock as she stands motionless.


    ¡°A-a-anyone?¡± Worcester whimpers.


    Worcester looks toward Mason Makinsley to see that he¡¯s approaching him slowly. Worcester begins to crawl backward trying to escape from He Who Made The Devil Weep.


    ¡°S-stay back! Y-you already won!¡± Worcester yells, ¡°WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?!¡±


    Grabbing a small rock next to him, Worcester tosses it to Mason Makinsley. It lands on his chest before falling down.


    ¡°Well, it looks like you finally landed a hit on me,¡± Mason Makinsley breathes before he continues his slow march toward Worcester.


    Worcester tries to crawl backward once more, but he bumps into something. One of the trash cans that has a fire burning inside of it. He turns to look forward once more to see Mason Makinsley looming right over him.


    ¡°I surrender!¡± Worcester pleads as Mason Makinsley grabs him by the head, ¡°I said I surrender!! You don¡¯t need to fight me anymore!!!¡±


    ¡°I never once called this a fight,¡± Mason Makinsley says as he lifts Worcester closer toward the flames, ¡°I said this was a reminder.¡±


    Before Worcester can plead any further for mercy, The Leader of Dirty Fang puts Worcester¡¯s head against the burning flames from the trash can. His screams ring out for all to hear.


    Yet not a single one weeps for the man. Since why would anyone weep for a devil?


    Long after Worcester¡¯s screams have dried up, Mason Makinsley finally lets go of the charred body.


    ¡°What kind of devil can¡¯t handle some hellfire?¡± Andy questions as he walks up toward Mason Makinsley.


    ¡°Andy, I didn¡¯t tell you to-¡± Mason Makinsley begins to say but Andy cuts him off.


    ¡°Relax, it''s already handled,¡± Andy says as he points across the parking lot.


    Sitting atop the unconscious body of Frankfurt ¡®Fall River¡¯ Schulz is Harvey Benjamin who is drinking out of a silver antique flask. One of Frankfurt¡¯s teeth falls out of his mouth and rolls across the wet ground. Beside them, Chao Huang is breathing heavily as his shaky body stands in a fighting stance similar to Graham¡¯s.


    ¡°Y-you haven¡¯t bested me yet!¡± Chao pants.


    ¡°Your tenacity is remarkable,¡± Graham begins to utter, ¡°But you should know your own limits.¡±


    Exhausted from both fights he¡¯s had, Chao falls to his knees. Graham looks over to Mason Makinsley.


    ¡°So, what do you say we do with him?¡± Andy questions.


    Instead of responding, Mason Makinsley just slowly walks over to Chao. His hand opens as he goes to grab Chao by the head. Blood dripping down his face, Chao only has the energy left to close his eyes knowing what is coming next.


    ¡­¡­..


    BWAAH WAAAH!


    Echoing out for all to hear, the noise of a guitar riff slices through the air and into the ears of all of those in the parking lot. Everyone looks up to see where the noise is coming from only to see someone standing on the roof of the motel, the moon shining down behind them as their fingers  glide across an electric red guitar. Their blonde hair blows in the October air as the unconscious bodies of Parker ¡®Plymouth¡¯ Duggar, Quinn ¡®Quincy¡¯ Overton, & Tim-Tom Pitt lay below his feet.


    In fact, as he leans forward while playing, the guitar player¡¯s foot pushes deeper into the side of Tim-Tom¡¯s face.


    Eventually the man finishes his playing with a loud closing note. The figure is wearing a ripped washed jean jacket over a ripped white t-shirt that has a washed-out american flag logo on it, pink star-shaped sunglasses, ripped black denim pants, and dirty blue high tops.


    With the song finished, the player hops down from the roof onto the motel¡¯s second floor balcony before hopping on top of the busted red convertible. The player¡¯s green eyes shine with delight as they lean toward Mason Makinsley.


    ¡°Hey Mason,¡± the guitar player and head of The Massachusetts Boys, Jackson ¡®Boston¡¯ Cavendish grins, ¡°Do you want to see my love?¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 42 - The West Side (Finale)

    ¡°Hey, dude, wake up.¡±


    Marcus¡¯ eyes open as he looks to see he is lying next to Ronnie, Blanko, Vanessa, Alex, Elizabeth, Christopher, & Hunter.


    ¡°Uh, what happened?¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°Shhhh,¡± Alex & Elizabeth both hush him, ¡°You got any popcorn?¡±


    ¡°What? No, why!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­,¡± Alex begins to say as he looks at the head of Dirty Fang & the head of Massachusetts Boys staring at each other, ¡°You just might want some.¡±


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    ¡°Your love?¡± Mason Makinsley questions, ¡°Why would I ever want to see something so vile?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get me twisted, I just wanted to try and keep the peace a little. I¡¯m not interested in fighting you y¡¯know,¡± Boston explains as he looks down toward Worcester¡¯s unconscious body, ¡°Seems like you already had your ¡®big moment¡¯ while I was hooking up my guitar, so why not call it here for now. Don¡¯t you agree Salem?¡±


    Mason Makinsley spins around to see The Massachusetts Boys second-in-command, Lucia ¡®Salem¡¯ Dulik, having arrived and standing next to Andy Nibble. Her Halloween costume she has on is of a witch outfit.


    ¡°I agree, you¡¯ve all more than overstayed your welcome,¡± Lucia ¡®Salem¡¯ Dulik insists as she glares at Andy Nibble.


    ¡°Woah, why am I getting all this animosity?¡± Andy Nibble questions, ¡°At least let me compliment that costume of yours before you push me away.¡±


    As the two heads and their second-in-commands are chatting, the rest of the members at the Heartbreak Motel stand unsure of what to make of this situation.


    ¡°See, you already put the fear of the Mason Makinsley into the hearts of everyone here,¡± Boston explains as he pats Mason Makinsley on the back, ¡°You go any further though, and I¡¯m certain the MSA would be interested in putting you in your place. You wouldn¡¯t want to wage a war against all of your allies, right Mason?¡±


    Mason Makinsley¡¯s red eyes stare into the charming Jackson ¡®Boston¡¯ Cavendish¡¯s green eyes. Into the sole man here who has no ounce of fear toward him.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Mason Makinsley relents.


    ¡°See, I knew you¡¯d be interested in keeping the peace. Ah, speaking of which¡­¡±


    Boston¡¯s attention turns toward the intruders who were all gathered here.


    ¡°I¡¯m Boston, the head of this family here. Sorry if they caused you any trouble in my absence. Now then, what brings you all here?¡± Boston questions the group.


    Despite only meeting him for the first time here, all of the intruders feel a sense of ease at his presence. And with that ease, their genuine answers slide off the tip of their tongues and out into the October air.


    ¡°Worcester took something from me and was harming people I cared for,¡± Hunter explains.


    ¡°Well, it looks like you got what he took from you,¡± Boston comments before joking, ¡°And I don¡¯t think Worcester will be in a state to harm your family for a long while!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to make things right, to stop what the MSA is doing,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°Oh aren¡¯t you a lil¡¯ wishful, good skill for kids these days to have,¡± Boston comments, ¡°Though how does what we¡¯re doing have anything to do with stopping the MSA?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°What does stopping the MSA even look like? What do you plan on doing after the MSA vanishes?¡±


    ¡°W-well I-¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to make the change you want if you don¡¯t even know what that change is to begin with,¡± Boston advises, ¡°All you¡¯ll do is make things worse going in so blindly.¡±


    With Boston¡¯s comment said and done, his attention turns to Dirty Fang¡¯s Vanessa Deli, who is walking towards him.


    ¡°I was told your gang had a photograph, I need it from you,¡± Vanessa states.


    ¡°Photograph?¡± Boston ponders before taking out a photograph from his pocket, ¡°You talkin¡¯ bout this?¡±


    Mason Makinsley tries to look and see what it is Boston is handing off to Vanessa, but his attention turns to a voice that cries out into the night sky.


    ¡°STOP!¡±


    Everyone¡¯s attention turns to see a barely standing Tim-Tom edging his way forward towards Boston & Vanessa.


    ¡°How the hell did he get down from the roof?¡± Boston questions as Tim-Tom rushes forward.


    ¡°I need that photograph,¡± Tim-Tom gurgles as blood spills from his mouth, ¡°Give it to me or else-!!¡±


    Before he can finish his statement, a fist courtesy of Mason Makinsley careens into Tim-Tom¡¯s stomach, sending him hurtling to the ground.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m letting you off easy,¡± Mason Makinsley grumbles, ¡°If anyone else would have made a threat towards one of my own, I¡¯d have you buried before the end of the hour.¡±


    As Mason Makinsley goes to walk away, he notices Tim-Tom struggling to stand up.


    ¡°I-.... I don¡¯t care what happens to me,¡± Tim-Tom pants as his barely conscious body rises, ¡°If you understood what was on there, you¡¯d understand. You¡¯d!-¡±


    Before Tim-Tom can say yet another word, his body finally gives in from all of the beatings it''s endured the past night and falls unconscious.


    And with it came the end to a long and battled night.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find a way to get Tim-Tom back,¡± Boston remarks as everyone begins to disband.


    Dirty Fang were the first to leave, as quickly as their appearance caused a tidal wave to crash into The Massachusetts Boys, their exit left behind a devastating wreckage. Vanessa & Blanko went ahead with them, with Blanko being the only one to wave goodbye to the others from The Miracle Clinic. Vanessa seemed too occupied with something else on her mind.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll have to ask her how that whole photograph thing went down next time we meet,¡± Alex comments to himself.


    Chao ¡°Cambridge¡± Huang & Hunter Huntingson also went home together, the two helping each other walk back home due to the severe injuries they sustained. Neither of them spoke to one another on their way back. Even if they did, there wasn¡¯t much they could say that hadn¡¯t already been said from the events prior.


    Christopher decided to take a jog home, since he somehow still didn¡¯t get enough exercise in the whole past day. Sammy on the other hand left ahead of the others, with her having to make it all the way back to her home in The West Side.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The only Miracle Clinic members that left together on a train departing The West Side were Ronnie Everst, Elizabeth Moore, Alex Smith, & Marcus Veridan. Most of the train ride back was silent for the four close friends as the only thing on their minds were the events of the night they just lived through.


    ¡°What is the change that I want to make?¡±


    ¡°Why does it feel like I haven¡¯t heard the last from Kimberly?¡±


    ¡°What was up with Tim-Tom wanting that photograph? What could possibly be on it that he was willing to risk a fight with all of Dirty Fang to get it?¡±


    ¡°How is Hunter going to be after all of those injuries? What will his foster family think? Why was Chao there?¡±


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t this feel like the win it should be?¡±


    Eventually as the train finally arrived at its destination in the North Side, it was Marcus who finally broke the silence as the four stepped out onto the platform.


    ¡°You guys are staying over for the night, right?¡± Marcus remembers, ¡°I doubt any of your families are going to not question all the bruises we all have and Mister Gulvonac is off on a business trip.¡±


    ¡°Obviously!¡± Ronnie shouts, ¡°I¡¯m sure not even that Dirty Fang guy would be as frightening as my mom would be if she found out I spent the whole night fighting dudes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, though I call the couch!¡± Alex shouts.


    ¡°They have a guest bedroom, you know?¡± Elizabeth comments.


    ¡°They do? Wait can I change my-¡±


    ¡°I call dibs on the guest bed!¡± Elizabeth shouts.


    ¡°Hey, no fair!¡± Alex grunts.


    ¡°The fuck you mean no fair, you already picked the couch.¡±


    As the long night finally came to a close, it seemed like for The Miracle Clinic, most of their troubles were finally put past them.


    That the dark clouds hanging over their heads were finally dissipating.


    It would only be later would they realize just how mistaken they were.


    They weren¡¯t exiting out from the dark storm that hung over their heads.


    They were only just momentarily in the eye of the storm.


    _____________________________


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have you go hanging around Boston if I were you,¡± Joel Cooper advises.


    Confused, Ronnie looks to see the leader of The Vignette standing outside his house as he was taking out the trash.


    ¡°Are you here to ask me to join you again or something?¡± Ronnie questions, ¡°And what¡¯s so bad about Boston? If anything it looks like The Massachusetts Boys could be used for good if Boston was around more.¡±


    Joel goes silent after hearing that remark before asking, ¡°Do you know what Boston really is like.¡±


    ____________________________


    ¡°FUCK!!!!¡±


    A crashing noise echoes out from a hospital room with the curtains drawn. A nurse in their late 20s who looks a bit older than she is is making their way toward the room when a figure approaches the nurse.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry but could you come back some other time,¡± Jackson ¡®Boston¡¯ Cavendish remarks.


    The nurse looks at the sweet man who stopped her and sees he¡¯s holding a cup of coffee in his hands that has ¡®Too Pretty Lady¡¯ written on it. He¡¯s also in much more formal clothing than what he had on the night prior.


    ¡°Oh this?¡± Boston remarks as he hands it to the nurse, ¡°It¡¯s for you, consider it a gift for how hard you¡¯ve had to work.¡±


    ¡°Th-th-thank you,¡± the nurse comments as she makes her way down the hall.


    And with that done, Boston¡¯s attention turns toward the door to the hospital room where Lucia ¡®Salem¡¯ Dulik is standing outside of.


    ¡°Do you want me to handle this or?¡±- Salem starts to ask.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can take care of this,¡± Boston explains, ¡°It¡¯s my responsibility.¡±


    As Boston enters the hospital room he sees a dish of bland hospital food be tossed into Kimberly¡¯s face by the person who is in the bed.


    ¡°YOU FUCKERS STOOD AROUND AND DID NOTHING?!¡± The person in the bed, Willy ¡®Worcester¡¯ White roars.


    Standing in the room are Victor ¡®Lynn¡¯ Dunnerman, Trisha ¡®Amherst¡¯ Bernstein, Parker ¡®Plymouth¡¯ Duggar, Quinn ¡®Quincy¡¯ Overton, Frankfurt ¡®Fall River¡¯ Schulz, Kimberly ¡®Lowell¡¯ Overton, & Chao ¡®Cambridge¡¯ Huang.


    Worcester¡¯s severely burned face is concealed with several bandages whereas his arms are in casts.


    ¡°IF WE ALL GANGED UP ON HIM WE COULD¡¯VE TAKEN HIM OUT!!¡± Worcester yells, ¡°ONCE I GET OUT OF HERE I¡¯LL MAKE SURE TO CUT OFF ALL OF YOUR FACES!! DO YOU HEAR ME!!!¡±


    As Worceter takes a few breaths, Boston can¡¯t help but let out a laugh causing everyone to turn their attention toward him.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry I know I shouldn¡¯t but- man Mason really did a number on you, huh?¡± Boston laughs.


    ¡°B-Boston?¡± Worcester groans in shock before his rage returns to him, ¡°LISTEN TO ME, ARE WE JUST GOING TO LET THOSE FUCKERS GO UNPUNISHED!! WE NEED TO HANG ALL OF THOSE DIRTY FANG FUCKERS, AND THOSE BITCHES FROM STARLIGHT HIGH TOO!! THEY NEED TO FEEL HUNDRED TIMES WORSE THAN WHAT I SUFFERED, DO YOU HEAR ME?!!?¡±


    As Worcester¡¯s yelling finally finishes, Boston lets out a heavy breath.


    ¡°Ya done whining now or what?¡± Boston remarks as he walks over toward his fourth-in-command.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°You talk as if you deserve to be recognized, that what you did was some grandiose accomplishment that all of us should get on our hands and knees to applaud. All you did was beat up some kid with a baseball bat.¡±


    ¡°H-how did you hear about-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not as dumb as you may think I am,¡± Boston explains as he hangs above Worcester¡¯s hospital bed, ¡°I know you¡¯ll just go back to your old ways once you recover like nothing ever happened.¡±


    Boston¡¯s once charming and pleasant green eyes have grown cold. His glance now seems like an ever watching, ever knowing stare.


    ¡°That is¡­ if you recover,¡± Boston comments.


    Before Worcester can question what he means, Boston quickly slams his elbow into Worcester, shattering his spine. Before he can scream out in pain, Boston lifts the pillow from behind Worcester¡¯s head and starts to smother him in it.


    ¡°If you live, you won¡¯t be able to walk again!¡± Boston smiles softly, ¡°What good can a devil be when their wings are clipped?¡±


    The other Massachusetts Boys members in the room are all frozen in terror at their leader. Boston tosses the pillow aside and starts to beat Worcester senseless.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to have the MSA see us in a better light, and you almost ruined that! Trying to start a war with Dirty Fang? How highly did you think of yourself?!¡±


    With his fists bloodied and some of Worcester¡¯s blood splattered across his left cheek, Boston turns away and walks toward the door.


    ¡°You¡¯ll remember this moment for the rest of your life. For me, I¡¯ll forget all about you by Next Tuesday,¡± Boston remarks as he exits the hospital room, ¡°You¡¯re no longer a part of The Massachusetts Boys.¡±


    With Boston exiting the room, Lucia follows him alongside the rest of the high ranking members that were in the hospital room. Several nurses and doctors start to rush into Worcester¡¯s room.


    ¡°H-he¡¯s flatlining!¡±


    ¡°Dear god, what happened to him?!¡±


    Boston pays them no mind as he coldly wipes Worcester¡¯s blood off his cheek, that¡¯s when his gaze meets Kimberly¡¯s.


    ¡°Congrats Lowell, you¡¯re number four now,¡± he tells her.


    His attention shifts toward Chao.


    ¡°Say Cambridge, I remember hearing you say once that what me & Salem don¡¯t know won¡¯t hurt us, right?¡±


    Sweat pours down Chao¡¯s face.


    ¡°You try and usurp my authority again, and I¡¯ll make sure you won¡¯t have to concern yourself with that ¡®other family¡¯ you live with,¡± Boston sweetly tells his third-in-command.


    Chao is silent as Boston exits out of the hospital and into the sunlight.


    ¡°Now then, it''s a sunny day so it''s best for you all to enjoy it,¡± Boston tells his gang, ¡°You won¡¯t be getting weather like this for much longer.¡±


    _______________________


    ¡°Boston may treat outsiders very well, but anyone within his gang knows of the true monster he can be,¡± Joel explains, ¡°He views those he calls ¡®family¡¯ as people he has to torment and terrorize to keep in line while those on the outside need to be treated with respect and kindness. If you keep associating with him, he¡¯ll start to see you less as a guest and more as a little brother.¡±


    A nervous sweat drips down Ronnie¡¯s face after hearing that.


    ¡°W-well, it''s a good thing we¡¯re not associated with them,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°Only people we talk to are The Three Ts and some people from Dirty Fang.¡±


    Hearing those words Joel looks at him dumbfounded.


    ¡°What? What did I say?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather have you associate with Boston than Makinsley.¡±


    ¡°Wh-why? How come?¡±


    ______________________


    In The East Side, Mason Makinsley stands looking out from the docks toward the lake, the wind blowing against his unbuttoned shirt & hair. Behind him is Andy Nibble.


    ¡°After what happened last night, I¡¯m certain some will still try to take revenge on us on Worcester¡¯s behalf,¡± Makinsley remarks, ¡°To prevent the most harm, we need to secure our territory.¡±


    ¡°You really want to go that far dude?¡± Andy questions.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain,¡± Mason Makinsley¡¯s voice echoes out, ¡°All of those who dare to intrude on The East Side shall be met with an untimely end.¡±


    ¡°Even our allies from The North?¡±


    ¡°No Exceptions.¡±


    ____________________


    ¡°Makinsley¡¯s the exact opposite of Boston, he¡¯s always kind and loving to anyone in his gang, but if you¡¯re not apart of it or not from The East Side, you¡¯re basically an enemy and will be treated as such,¡± Joel explains, ¡°Two extremes on opposite ends of the city. I only came to warn you to stay in the North Side as much as you can from here on out.¡±


    ¡°B-but I¡¯m sure things will quiet down,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°No, Worcester was the final domino needed to bring the peace we had to topple over,¡± Joel comments, ¡°Sooner or later, a war will break out from the gangs. I¡¯ll let you decide if you and your friends would rather face the odds of that war by yourselves or with us, The Vignette.¡±


    As Joel walks off, Ronnie can only stand there unsure of what to do with all of what he¡¯s been told.


    Jackson ¡®Boston¡¯ Cavendish¡­


    Mason Makinsley¡­


    He doesn¡¯t know why, but he has a feeling he¡¯ll be hearing those names more often in the future.


    But for now, while he¡¯s still in the eye of the storm, he needs to prepare for what¡¯s about to occur.


    Since it¡¯ll take more than just a miracle to make it through the raging storm that lies ahead of everyone.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 43 - The West Side (Epilogue)

    SUN SHORT #1 - Cashing In A Favor


    ¡°So that¡¯s what Joel told me,¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°Are you serious? Those gangs might be going to war?¡± Marcus reacts.


    ¡°Yeah, I figured I should probably tell you first. Plan on telling Alex & Elizabeth later, the others I think we should keep out of this.¡±


    ¡°I agree, we may need to tell Sammy, Mesto, Christopher, & Hunter about this but we need to keep this from Randy & Selina. Having them tag along with us to the west side was risky enough, but we can¡¯t have them risking their lives anymore. I don¡¯t want to see either of them getting hurt.¡±


    As Ronnie & Marcus continue to discuss, a person stands behind their door in their bedroom, overhearing everything.


    ¡°You idiot,¡± the person mumbles under their breath.


    That person being none other than Selina Gulvonac.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think we don¡¯t want to see you hurt too?¡± Selina mumbles to herself.


    As she stands there unsure of what to do, she looks toward the window and spots a familiar feline clawing at the glass trying to get in.


    That¡¯s when an idea gets in her mind.


    _____________________


    Later that day, Ronald Sampson is standing outside the Starlight City Bookstore. He¡¯s wearing a light green bomber jacket over a white shirt, black cargo pants, and black sneakers. His brown hair that¡¯s usually in a mullet has been tied into a manbun. Selina is standing outside the bookstore next to him.


    ¡°Can you say that again?¡± Ronald asks as he cradles Mister Fluffykins in his arms.


    ¡°Last time I took care of him for you, you said to call you anytime if I need some help,¡± Selina remarks, ¡°Well, I need some help.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Oh! Sure!¡± Ronald says with a smirk, ¡°What do you need me to do? Give you fashion advice? Help you out on a date with someone you like? Explain some homework or?-¡±


    ¡°I need you to make me stronger,¡± Selina responds.


    ¡°Make you stronger?! Why the hell did you think I could help you with that? All I do is just design clothes!¡±


    ¡°You kicked that lock open once, I¡¯m sure you might be a really powerful guy but just don¡¯t wanna show it,¡± Selina comments.


    ¡°Still, a kid like you doesn¡¯t need to learn how to fight.¡±


    Ronald begins to walk away when Selina stops him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say I can¡¯t do shit just because I¡¯m a kid, do you know how annoying that is?!¡± Selina yells.


    Hearing those words, Ronald Sampson pauses for a moment, a spark of memory coming back to him in that moment.


    ¡°Alright fine, I¡¯m not really good at teaching people how to fight, but I think I know just the place for you,¡± Ronald Sampson remarks.


    ¡°R-really? Thank you sir! Now where are we going,¡± Selina remarks.


    Ronald whispers the place into Selina¡¯s ear, causing her face to go from excited to confused.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have me learn spinjitzu?¡±


    ¡°What? No,¡± Ronald Sampson says, ¡°I said I¡¯ll be signing you up to learn some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhhh,¡± Selina sounds off before asking, ¡°Wuzzat?¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t have a clue, do you?¡±


    SUN SHORT #2 - Building Up Power


    On the East Side¡¯s Docks, Mason Makinsley is walking away from them with his right hand man Andy Nibble.


    ¡°I agree we should be ready for a worst case scenario but you¡¯re taking it to the extreme,¡± Andy sighs as he follows Makinsley.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather keep the precaution in place than take the risk, and it¡¯s not just Boston and his gang we have to look out for. The Vignette and The Carmine Manifesto are also nothing to scoff at.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me, if all of us were to go up against all of The Massachusetts Boys, do you think we¡¯d win?¡±


    Mason Makinsley falls silent as the wind blows past the two men.


    Finally after what feels like forever, he speaks up.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to gain every ally possible to be certain,¡± Makinsley comments.


    ¡°Well it looks like that¡¯ll be hard to do when you¡¯ve just threatened any ally we could get outside of the east.¡±


    ¡°Number 5 is set to return from college in November which should tip the odds in our favor. And I already plan on visiting them.¡±


    ¡°By them you mean those legendary fighters?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while since we met them, but it sounds like at least one of them is still quite strong. So what do you say, ready to say hello to some old allies?¡±


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    SUN SHORT #3 - Somerville


    Jackson ¡®Boston¡¯ Cavendish & Lucia ¡®Salem¡¯ Dulik are walking into the Heartbreak Motel¡¯s parking lot.


    ¡°Say Salem, you think Dirty Fang is gonna attack us?¡± Boston comments.


    ¡°It''s a strong possibility, when that happens, do you think you¡¯ll be able to rally your whole ¡®family¡¯ together to fight as one?¡± Salem questions.


    ¡°No doubt about it. I¡¯m sure none of them would want to get on my bad side again after what happened.¡±


    ¡°Still, we lost Worcester and several of the members who went to raid the bookstore have since quit the gang. Fall River¡¯s connections have also seemed to dry up too. Do you think we¡¯ll be able to win a fight against all of Dirty Fang?¡±


    Jackson ¡®Boston¡¯ Cavendish falls silent as the wind blows past the two.


    Finally after what feels like forever, he speaks up.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to expand our family tree more for a guaranteed victory,¡± Boston comments as he approaches a particular motel room.


    ¡°I doubt many people in the city will want to join your family.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you recruit them?¡± Boston questions.


    ¡°Not right now, I have a date night with my boyfriend after this,¡± Salem comments.


    ¡°Wait when did you have a boyfriend?¡± Boston asks.


    ¡°A while, you just never asked,¡± Salem answers, ¡°And besides, that¡¯s not important. What is important is finding some more talent.¡±


    ¡°Well, our position as the west side of town will come in handy for that, but that¡¯s already not enough,¡± Jackson remarks, ¡°We¡¯ll need to also reunite with my former brother and his friends for a decisive victory.¡±


    ¡°Those legendary fighters? Are you sure you can convince them to join us?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth a chance, and besides.We have a secret weapon too,¡± Boston says as he unlocks the door to one of the motel rooms.


    The door creaks open as the two look in on an old furnished motel room. The room looks like it''s from a bygone era with fuzzy brown carpeting, a box TV, antique wallpaper, and blood splattered across every surface.


    ¡°I gave him a test of fighting the foes Fall River were defeated by and he passed with flying colors,¡± Boston explains.


    In the room there are several bodies all unconscious and strung across the motel, save for one figure with their back turned toward the two.


    ¡°I¡¯ve given him some snacks to chew on every now and again but I think it¡¯s time to unleash our new Number 5,¡± Boston smirks, ¡°Salem, say hello to Somerville.¡±


    SUN SHORT #4 - A Deal Is A Deal


    ¡°Well, you actually managed to get it? I¡¯m impressed,¡± Joel remarks as he examines the photograph.


    The scrawny young looking 18-year-old is standing outside Seastar High with Vanessa & Blanko standing there. Behind Joel is his two men Elias Fox & Archer Flick.


    ¡°We had a deal,¡± Vanessa remarks, ¡°If you don¡¯t show me where-¡±


    ¡°Relax Vanessa Deli,¡± Joel remarks as he waves off Vanessa¡¯s regard, ¡°We¡¯ll take you to see that man. Are you ready?¡±


    Blanko looks at Vanessa with a bit of concern but stays silent.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Vanessa remarks.


    ____________________


    The setting sun lights the hilly grassy area in harsh shadows as Joel Cooper and Vanessa Deli walk up a gravel dirt path  to the top. The smell of roses, daisies, and lilies find their way to Vanessa¡¯s nose as she reaches the final top.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Joel murmurs as he stops walking.


    Looking forward, Vanessa can only see what looks like an endless amount of grey stone slabs protruding from the earth, cutting through the too bright orange sun. Vanessa slowly walks through the field, her hand lightly sliding across some of the stone slabs until she finally finds a specific one.


    Vanessa stands above looking down at the stone slab, the harsh setting sun masking her mask in heavy light & shadows.


    ¡°So¡­ that¡¯s where you¡¯ve been all this time,¡± Vanessa states.


    Her legs giving in, Vanessa falls down to the ground, her hand grasping it as hot wet tears begin streaming down her face. In front of her is the gravestone of the man she¡¯s been after for so long, Fabian Deli, her father.


    ¡°I¡­I never got the chance¡­,¡± Vanessa weeps, ¡°To rip that cold dead heart out of you!¡±


    As a mix of rageful and sorrowful cries ring out throughout the graveyard, they eventually subside as Vanessa slowly makes her way past Joel Cooper.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Joel questions as the two walk down the hill together.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be alright,¡± Vanessa states as the skin around her eyes is red, ¡°Its just a shame.¡±


    ¡°That he¡¯s gone?¡±


    ¡°....That I didn¡¯t get to kill him first.¡±


    And with those parting words, the two finally leave the graveyard behind them.


    SUN SHORT #5 - A Deal Unfulfilled


    ¡°You¡¯re fucking with me right?¡±


    Tim, Tom, & Tim-Tom stand inside their very own auto repair shop as they¡¯re being scolded by their latest client Casey Burns.


    ¡°I gave you all that money to retrieve one photograph, and you couldn¡¯t even snatch it away from a little fucking girl?¡± Casey grunts.


    ¡°W-well, in our defense we were trying to help some kids get out of there,¡± Tom remarks.


    ¡°Like I give a damn? Back when I was a kid I would¡¯ve-¡± Casey begins to say before letting out a deep sigh, ¡°Just how incompetent are you guys?¡±


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t blame them, you can blame me,¡± Tim-Tom says as he goes to size up Casey, ¡°Now, I may have not gotten that photograph but I saw what was on it. You want to explain why that exists or do you want me to beat the answer out of you?¡±


    Casey looks at Tim-Tom and rolls his eyes, ¡°You sure are The Three Ts alright. Talentless, Thickheaded, and Tantrum-Heavy.¡±


    ¡°Guess it¡¯s option B-¡± Tim-Tom is about to say when-


    DING!


    The door opens as Joel Cooper makes his way into the auto repair shop, behind him is one of his men Elias Fox.


    ¡°Ah, there you are Casey,¡± Joel remarks as he walks forward, ¡°I figured you¡¯d try to get others to do your dirty work, but you should¡¯ve found more trustworthy pawns.¡±


    Casey looks down to see Joel lift out a photograph from his pocket.


    ¡°Do you know what this is-¡± Joel tries to taunt only for Casey to grab it and ignite it into flames with a lighter.


    ¡°Ash,¡± Casey answers.


    ¡°Wrong,¡± Joel smirks, ¡°It¡¯s a copy. Archer¡¯s already printed off dozens of them for me, and I¡¯m not telling you where that original is.¡±


    ¡°You threatening me kid?¡± Casey remarks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, am I?¡±


    As Joel adjusts his glasses, he looks toward Tim-Tom.


    ¡°I can send you a copy if you want, but only if you promise not to show anyone,¡± Joel remarks, ¡°After all, I think it¡¯ll be in all of our interests if we take turns holding their leash.¡±


    As Tim-Tom and Joel continue talking, Casey takes the opportunity to walk out the door passing Elias who¡¯s busy fiddling with some screws.


    As he exits, Casey looks up toward the sky.


    ¡°I promised I wouldn¡¯t get them involved again,¡± Casey mumbles, ¡°But it looks like none of us have a choice anymore.¡±


    Casey begins to walk down the street, preparing himself for what¡¯s to come.


    SUN SHORT #6 - Oh Yeah, We¡¯re In School


    ¡°OH GOD NO!!!!!!!¡±


    Selina, Randy, & Sammy look confused as they enter Amnestor¡¯s classroom to see Ronnie jotting down notes, Elizabeth racing around the room, Alex freaking out, and Marcus calmly chatting with Amnestor and X.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with them?¡± Selina asks Amnestor.


    ¡°Oh, I guess you haven¡¯t heard,¡± Amnestor remarks as he cleans his glasses.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t heard what?¡± Randy questions.


    ¡°This week is the week every student here feared would occur,¡± X Locke explains, ¡°Even as the student council president I wasn¡¯t able to put a stop to it happening. I¡¯ve failed you all.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what week?¡± Sammy asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Ronnie tries to say but he can¡¯t bring himself to say it.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Elizabeth also tries to say but she also can¡¯t bring herself to say it.


    ¡°IT¡¯S¡­¡± Alex finally tries to yell out but he just can¡¯t utter those dreaded words.


    ¡°Midterms week,¡± Amnestor answers nonchalantly.


    As those words ring out, Randy & Sammy look at one another.


    ¡°Oh, that actually isn¡¯t too bad,¡± Randy remarks.


    ¡°Yeah, finals are really were-¡± Sammy tries to say but is interrupted by Selina falling to her knees.


    The two look down to see Selina yell out toward the heavens a deafening, ¡°NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 44 - Study Buds (1)

    It''s a peaceful day in the North Side of Starlight City. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, there isn¡¯t even a cloud in the sky. Most would only expect to see such a beautiful day in something like a painting, never in reality. As people make their way throughout the city they all silently agree that there¡¯s no way anybody could be having a bad day-


    ¡°NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡±


    As the pained voice rings out for all in the north side to hear, the birds fly away in fear, clouds start to cover the sky, and everyone in the streets begins to wonder who it was that screamed out in pure defeat.


    The answer?


    A local freshman at Starlight High by the name of Selina Gulvonac.


    ¡°Please delay midterm week by like a month! PLEASE!!!!¡± Selina prays in Amnestor¡¯s classroom.


    ¡°Sorry but, I don¡¯t exactly get to decide when these things are scheduled,¡± Aken Amnestor remarks as he sips his coffee.


    Elsewhere in the classroom, X Locke, Sammy Becken, Marcus Veridan, & Randy Buzz are all looking at everybody else in confusion.


    ¡°Guys it''s just a few tests,¡± Marcus says trying to calm everybody down, ¡°Its not gonna be that hard.¡±


    ¡°Not that hard?¡± Alex groans, ¡°Easy for you to say bub with your perfect math skills and perfect grades.¡±


    ¡°Well my grades aren¡¯t perfect but-¡±


    ¡°JUST TAKE THE COMPLIMENT, BUB!¡±


    ¡°YEAH YOU DESERVE IT!¡± Elizabeth angrily agrees.


    ¡°Uh, okay,¡± Marcus responds.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what the huge hubbub is about,¡± Sammy says as she sits atop a desk, ¡°It¡¯s just grades, they¡¯re not anything to fret over.¡±


    ¡°Maybe your family doesn¡¯t care about them but ours do!¡± Ronnie rebuttals as he is skimming through a 500 page textbook.


    ¡°I mean what happens if you guys do badly? It¡¯s not like the club would get closed down or anything,¡± Randy laughs.


    Though as Randy laughs, he sees X Locke fall silent on that matter.


    ¡°Wait, it will?!¡± Randy yells in shock.


    ¡°Sheesh you don¡¯t have to shout, I¡¯m right next to you,¡± X groans as he rubs his ear, ¡°And yes. Before I joined the student council, Evan Dixon made a rule where all clubs had to have their average GPA be above 3.0 in order to still function. The rule is being applied starting right after midterms.¡±


    ¡°3.0? That doesn¡¯t sound too bad to fulfill,¡± Marcus says, ¡°Right guys?¡±


    He gets no response from the others.


    ¡°Currently, your GPA scores are,¡± X Locke begins to say as he looks at a clipboard, ¡°4.0 for Marcus Veridan.¡±


    Everyone glares at Marcus as he tries to say, ¡°Well- It isn¡¯t exactly anything too impressive.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°THAT¡¯S THE HIGHEST GPA YOU CAN GET!¡± Selina yells.


    ¡°Randy¡¯s GPA is 3.5,¡± X remarks.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m smarter than all of y¡¯all?¡± Randy questions as he grins, ¡°Looks like The Buzzing Brawler wins this match up!¡±


    ¡°Sammy has a 2.75 GPA,¡± X remarks.


    ¡°I could do more if I studied but I don¡¯t so,¡± Sammy shrugs.


    ¡°Alex has a 2.6 GPA, Elizabeth has a 2.5 GPA,¡± X Locke remarks.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m better than Lizzy?!¡± Alex questions as he looks at Elizabeth.


    ¡°Ugh, how the hell is he better than me?¡± Elizabeth groans.


    ¡°And lastly,¡± X says as he takes a look at the bottom of the paper he has, ¡°Ronnie¡¯s GPA is a 2.0 while Selina¡¯s is a 1.8. Averaging it all together and you get 2.74, .26 below what you need to keep the club afloat.¡±


    The whole room falls silent as they take a look at the sweating bullets that we call Ronnie & Selina.


    ¡°Dudes, like how?¡± Alex asks.


    Ronnie & Selina don¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Wait, how did you even know our GPAs?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°Principal printed some off so I figured I¡¯d take a look at some and borrowed it,¡± X states.


    ¡°So you stole it?¡± Elizabeth questions.


    ¡°W-well steal is such a strong word, do you really think I¡¯d-¡±


    ¡°He stole it,¡± Alex agrees before getting an idea, ¡°Say, what does your GPA look like?¡±


    X freezes in place before trying to make a mad dash toward the door, as he does so Elizabeth, Alex, Sammy, & Randy all run toward him and manage to rip the paper out of X¡¯s hand.


    ¡°HEY GIVE THAT BACK!¡±


    ¡°Dude, a 1.9?!¡±


    ¡°And you were giving us shit for our GPAs!¡±


    ¡°They might shut down the student council if the others are just as bad as you.¡±


    ¡°HOW THE HELL DOES CRUNCH HAVE A 5.0?!¡±


    As the classroom breaks out into its usual chaos, Amnestor sees both Selina & Ronnie still haven¡¯t moved since their GPAs were exposed. With a quick glance he can tell the states that both of the two teens are in.


    A state many teachers have all seen in at least one of their students before.


    A state of soul crushing defeat from a test that isn¡¯t even in their hands yet.


    ¡°Hey Selina, have any of those books you read taught you how to fake a report card?¡± Ronnie sighs.


    ¡°Yeah, but the district emails them out anyways so its not even worth it,¡± Selina sighs.


    The two sigh loudly as they¡¯ve already given up on passing, that is until Amnestor slides them a slip of paper.


    ¡°Usually I¡¯d offer to tutor you both myself but I have my hands full the whole week with other students,¡± Amnestor coughs, ¡°If you go here, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to pass.¡±


    Selina & Ronnie look down at the paper to see its an address.


    ¡°Th-th-thank you!¡± Selina says, holding back tears.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let them know you¡¯re heading over once school gets out,¡± Amnestor remarks.


    The two look at the note with hope that they could finally do well on a test for once.


    _______________________


    ¡°Why are we here?!¡± Elizabeth yells.


    A group of four consisting of Ronnie Everst, Selina Gulvonac, Alex Smith, & Elizabeth Moore are walking down an apartment hallway, specifically the floor above where Elizabeth¡¯s family lives.


    ¡°Amnestor said the people helping us study live here, guess its a small world huh?¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°Shame the others couldn¡¯t make it.¡±


    ¡°Like they need it,¡± Selina says as she knocks on the door to the apartment, ¡°Hey!! Open up!!¡±


    As Selina continues to pound on the door, Elizabeth begins to sweat.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of noise complaints coming from this floor recently,¡± Elizabeth says, ¡°My dad went up to try and interrupt an argument here when one of the tenants picked him up and put him into a laundry basket.¡±


    ¡°Sorry that happened to your dad but how does that effect us?¡± Alex asks.


    ¡°Because,¡± Elizabeth shivers as she points to the door Selina is pounding on, ¡°They live there!¡±


    Selina stops pounding as the door slowly creaks open. The group of high schoolers freeze as they see the three shadowy figures standing in the doorway.


    ¡°Oh so you guys are the students Amnestor asked us to help out,¡± one of the figures says.


    As the door fully opens, the students see that the three tenants are none other than the biology teacher Sam Penningberg, culinary teacher Zesti Champion, & the teacher¡¯s assistant Ray Ramirez.


    ¡°Well don¡¯t stay out there for too long,¡± Zesti remarks with a cheery smile while Ray glares at them with disdain and Penningberg glares with boredom, ¡°Come on in!¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 45 - Study Buds (2)

    ¡°Thanks for shopping at the Starlight City Bookstore, please come again!¡±


    As the customer exits the store, a new customer enters.


    ¡°Ah, welcome to our lil¡¯ store, what have you come in here for, if it''s anything but books you¡¯ll have to go someplace else!¡±


    ¡°Well I was actually wondering if-¡±


    The customer and cashier stop chatting as they make eye contact with one another. The customer being Ronnie¡¯s mom, Sally Everst while the cashier is Marcus Veridan.


    ¡°Marcus?¡± Misses Everst questions, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey ma¡¯am!¡± Marcus says as he stands behind the counter, ¡°Selina¡¯s busy studying for the midterms, so she asked if I could cover her shift.¡±


    ¡°I see, aren¡¯t you quite the big brother now,¡± Sally teases as she messes with his hair before going over to chat with the store¡¯s owners Ivan Turnip & Jessica Powell.


    As she does, Marcus looks down at the counter.


    ¡°....brother¡­,¡± Marcus repeats as he looks downward.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    Incense burns inside the shared apartment of Ray Ramirez, Zesti Champion, & Sam Penningberg. A record player that was collecting dust next to three colored lava lamps is blown off by Ray Ramirez as he picks up a vinyl from the nearby crate filled with them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s give this one a go,¡± Ray says as he blows off the dust before putting the vinyl into the record player.


    As the song comes to life, Ray¡¯s attention turns to the main couch of the studio apartment where all the others are. With plants surrounding them, Penningberg is busy grading over Alex¡¯s mock biology exam. The sleeves on his buttoned-up shirt are rolled up as Penningberg marks off incorrect answers.


    ¡°Well, you certainly got a lot of the punnett square questions correct,¡± Penningberg remarks, ¡°But you¡¯re struggling a bit on the DNA centered questions so we¡¯ll focus more on there.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Alex agrees.


    Ray sits backwards on a chair as he takes a look toward Elizabeth Moore who is swamped with several pieces of homework.


    ¡°Do I have to do all of these?¡± Elizabeth groans.


    ¡°You do well on your tests, it''s just the absent homework that¡¯s really dampening your grades,¡± Ray Ramirez explains, ¡°Partial credit for late assignments is going to boost your GPA and double as studying for the big test.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just saying that so you don¡¯t need to teach me.¡±


    ¡°Well yes but what I said wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d you even become a teacher if you don¡¯t like doing it?¡±


    ¡°Hey, less talking, more homework-ing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not even a real word,¡± Elizabeth mumbles.


    ¡°I heard that!¡±


    Over on the kitchen island, Zesti Champion is taking care of the two toughest challenges in the group: Selina Gulvonac and Ronnie Everst. Zesti¡¯s short dirty blonde hair is in a ponytail and she has on a different pair of glasses than what she usually wears at work.


    ¡°You¡¯ve probably found school tough all throughout your life, am I not mistaken?¡± Zesti questions as she looks through their notebooks.


    ¡°W-well, yeah, I can¡¯t recall a grade I ever got that was higher than a B-,¡± Ronnie answers honestly.


    ¡°Yeah, its a miracle I even made it this far,¡± Selina whimpers.


    ¡°Most teachers you had probably never offered you too much help, instead they just scolded you for having bad grades,¡± Zesti remarks, ¡°¡®School isn¡¯t for everyone¡¯, ¡®how come you aren¡¯t as good as your classmates¡¯, ¡®you¡¯re just a bad student¡¯ ¨C I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard at least one of those before.¡±


    Ronnie & Selina nod in embarrassment.


    ¡°Y¡¯know, I was like that too,¡± Zesti says, ¡°I only managed to get through some grades because I was in a lot of clubs, but you want to know what changed?¡±


    ¡°Did you get smart?¡± Selina asks.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Close, I found something that worked for me,¡± Zesti remarks, ¡°School isn¡¯t a utopia where each student can get catered too, there¡¯s budget cuts all the time and teachers who are already stressed out enough that they don¡¯t want to give a helping hand. So many students fall through the cracks because they don¡¯t connect with the ways school usually teaches them. It¡¯s hard to find a way to learn given all those circumstances, but I¡¯m sure you two have the skills to do well!¡±


    ¡°Y-you really think so?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°I¡¯m certain,¡± Zesti affirms before going into specifics, ¡°Selina, I see that you read a lot of books during your free time in my classes.¡±


    ¡°W-well yeah, though for some reason I can¡¯t get through textbooks,¡± Selina admits.


    ¡°Well how about intersplicing them?¡± Zesti suggests, ¡°You read a few pages of your textbook before switching over and ¡®rewarding¡¯ yourself with a chapter of whatever book you¡¯re reading. Studying is something that often doesn¡¯t have instant gratification, so if you give yourself those instant rewards I¡¯m certain it¡¯ll motivate you to read more.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give it a try!¡± Selina shouts.


    ¡°As for you Ronnie,¡± Zesti refocuses, ¡°Your report card shows that you¡¯re doing really well in my culinary glass and gym class.¡±


    ¡°W-well those don¡¯t really require brains, you just kinda do them-¡± Ronnie tries to say.


    ¡°Oh trust me, those classes are ones I¡¯ve seen several struggle in. The fact that you¡¯re doing well in them points to me believing you¡¯re like me; a physical learner. You learn best when you can interact with whatever it is you¡¯re learning. Try making some flash cards for classes, draw or doodle some of your lessons, and more. You should see some improvement in that way.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Ronnie thanks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, and I¡¯m positive you two will do great on these midterms, so let¡¯s give it all we got!¡± Zesti shouts as she pumps her fist.


    ¡°YEAH!¡± Selina fist pumps with her.


    As the day turned to night, the lessons and tutoring continued on for much longer than any thought as they ran through each subject the students had, making sure to stop and answer questions whenever needed. It even got to a point where Ray went out and brought back some take-out wings for everyone to enjoy.


    With the wings quickly consumed and the moon alright shining outside, the tutoring session came to an end that day. Elizabeth, Ronnie, Alex, & Selina grab their bags as they go to the exit.


    ¡°If you have any more questions make sure to visit our classrooms after school!¡± Zesti waves.


    ¡°Get home safe,¡± Penningberg utters.


    ¡°Tell your dad sorry about tossing him in a basket,¡± Ray waves goodbye.


    ¡°I might,¡± Elizabeth replies as the door to the apartment room closes.


    Now with just the three roommates alone, Ray stretches as he goes to wash the sink full of dishes.


    ¡°You really think those kids are going to do well?¡± Ray questions, ¡°Jefferson usually rants about how stupid this generation is y¡¯know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m positive,¡± Zesti says, ¡°Jefferson and teachers like him always put down students who don¡¯t do well, demanding they do better when not even believing they can. When nobody believes in you, why put in the effort? But when there¡¯s at least one person who believes in you, who cheers you on every step in the way. Who knows? You might just be able to do something others called impossible.¡±


    ¡°You seriously still think that?¡± Penningberg asks.


    ¡°Pennies, you and RayRay are way too gloomy at times, did you forget what happened with us?¡± Champion reminds them, ¡°I know they have what it takes to do well!¡±


    In the hallway of the apartment complex, Ronnie stands next to the door silent. Curiosity getting the better of him, he stayed behind to overhear their conversation. However he silently makes his way back home.


    ________________________________


    The tutor sessions, visiting classrooms after school and during lunch, and more continued throughout the week as the four students would try to get all the help they could before they all had to take their midterms.


    Finally the end of the week arrived, and with it the new scores were released for all of the students to check.


    In the halls, several students all check their phones to see their GPA.


    ¡°Uh, a 3.97? I can¡¯t believe I went down a bit,¡± Evan Dixon grumbles.


    ¡°Dude, you shouldn¡¯t be complaining!¡± Trisha & Victor shout who both have a 3.0.


    ¡°Why do people care so much about GPA?¡± Suzy Dark asks as she sees she has a 2.9 GPA.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why,¡± Crunch replies as he still has his 5.0 GPA, ¡°Do you know?¡±


    Crunch looks at Hunter, who¡¯s foot is in a cast and is on crutches due to the injuries he sustained from his rematch against Worcester.


    ¡°What does GPA even stand for?¡± Hunter asks them as he has a 3.1.


    ¡°It stands for grade point average,¡± Rebecca Jenksin explains as she passes them in the hall, having a 4.0 GPA herself.


    By some lockers, Bernard & Georgia are looking at their 3.8 and 3.7 GPAs respectively while Randy freaks out over his 3.4 GPA.


    Hamster, who has a 2.9 GPA, and Carli, who has a 2.4 GPA, applaud Christopher for his 2.5 GPA. All the while Bennet the hamster flaunts his 3.9 GPA.


    ¡°Hey I did pretty good,¡± Sammy remarks as she takes a look at her 3.0 GPA, ¡°What about you guys?¡±


    Sammy turns to look at the 5 walking with her; Marcus, Ronnie, Alex, Elizabeth, & Selina.


    ¡°Not much changed,¡± Marcus says as he still has a 4.0 GPA.


    ¡°I finally did it!¡± Elizabeth taunts as she now has a 2.9.


    ¡°I-it was just lucky,¡± Alex says with his 2.8, ¡°You¡¯re gonna fall behind as soon as we get some more homework.¡±


    Ronnie & Selina are silent as they take a look at their GPA. As he sees his new score, Ronnie can¡¯t help but think of the words Zesti told the other two teachers.


    Ronnie Everst GPA - 2.7.


    Tears stream down Selina¡¯s face as she sees her score.


    ¡°I- I didn¡¯t know I could get such a high score,¡± Selina weeps.


    Selina Gulvonac GPA - 2.6.


    Miracle Clinic¡¯s Average GPA - 3.05714286.


    The Miracle Clinic has managed to pass the required GPA needed to still be a club.


    See You Next Ch¨C


    After school got out for the day, Ronnie is walking down the street as he¡¯s on his phone with his mom, ¡°I promise I didn¡¯t cheat, that¡¯s my actual score! Don¡¯t worry, I just got done working out so I¡¯ll be home after I stop by to thank my tutor. Okay, bye! Love you.¡±


    As Ronnie hangs up, he makes his way onto the street, feeling fully accomplished over how well he did in midterms. Though his mood quickly changes when he bumps into the person walking ahead of him.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Ronnie begins to apologize when he looks to see who he ran into.


    Looking down at him with his piercing red eyes is the leader of Dirty Fang, Mason Makinsley.


    _____________________


    In the Starlight City Bookstore, Selina is sitting behind the counter reading a book while Marcus is shopping around for some books.


    ¡°Congrats on doing well on your tests,¡± Marcus says Selina.


    ¡°Thanks, y¡¯know, I should probably go thank Zesti after my shift ends,¡± Selina comments-


    DING!


    A person steps into the bookstore drawing the attention of the two teens. As they see who it is though, their bodies immediately tense up.


    ¡°What? Is it illegal to go shopping for a book now?¡± The new patron, Leader of The Massachusetts Boys, Boston questions as his mesmerizing green eyes look at them.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 46 - Study Buds (Finale)

    ¡°What? Is it illegal to go shopping for a book now?¡± Boston questions as he stands inside Starlight City¡¯s Bookstore.


    As Marcus and Selina stand in the store, watching the sole other entity peruse the store¡¯s catalogue, they can¡¯t help but feel nervous. If what they heard about him is to be believed, one wrong move and they might become a part of his ¡®family¡¯-


    ¡°Oh my god is that Charlotte¡¯s Web?¡± Boston asks as he picks up the children¡¯s book, ¡°I used to love hearing about this when I was a kid.¡±


    With the wind taken out of their sails, Selina & Marcus have to fiddle their way around the conversation now.


    ¡°We actually have a Five for Five deal going on if you¡¯re interested, ¡° Selina offers.


    ¡°Why would I want to buy five copies of Charlotte¡¯s Web?¡± Boston questions.


    ¡°N-no I meant five of any children''s book for five bucks.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah that sounds like a much better deal.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely the first to think the deal was for the same book.¡±


    ¡°Ha, I¡¯ll take it as a compliment,¡± Boston questions as he delicately picks out some books from the shelf.


    As Marcus stands next to Boston, he can¡¯t help but wonder why he even showed up here. His gang was planning on ransacking this building a week ago, and now he¡¯s leisurely shopping here?


    ¡°Excuse me but-¡± Marcus begins to say.


    ¡°I see the owners¡¯ are out right now,¡± Boston comments as he makes his way toward the front register, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just ask you this instead.¡±


    Selina is confused as she looks at an outstretched hand from The Leader of The Massachusetts Boys.


    ¡°Wanna join my family?¡± He asks.


    Before he realizes what he¡¯s doing, Marcus swats his hand away as an anger rises out from him.


    ¡°Hey, what the hell were you trying to do with my sister?!¡± Marcus demands.


    ¡°Your sister?¡± Boston relaxes, ¡°You two don¡¯t really look related¡­.unless, you two are like my family!¡±


    As Marcus takes a step back,he feels Boston place a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Say, why don¡¯t I show you how to really treat a younger sibling?¡± Boston generously offers.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2


    Standing on the streets outside the Dawnbreak Health & Fitness Center, Ronnie Everst looks at the tall and foreboding Mason Makinsley, his red eyes feeling like they¡¯re staring into him.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Business, I suggest leaving Everst,¡± Mason Makinsley tells him off as he begins to walk away toward the gym.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Ronnie yells out, causing Makinsley to stop, ¡°How do you know my name?¡±


    ¡°How could I not?¡± Mason Makinsley utters, ¡°You¡¯re the boy who infiltrated The East Side, the one who ruined Club Azure, the kid who almost bested The Massachusetts Boys¡¯ Number 3, and the nephew of Ryan Everst. You¡¯ve been drawing attention to yourself for a long time.¡±


    Ronnie stands there shocked. Not knowing what to say.


    ¡°I think it''s best if you stop interfering where you don¡¯t belong,¡± Mason Makinsley offers, ¡°Those tapes you¡¯ve been watching aren¡¯t meant to be used so foolishly.¡±


    ¡°Those tapes are-!¡± Ronnie begins to retort when his eyes widen, ¡°H-...How did you know I was viewing those tapes?¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Mason Makinsley lets out a response, one that shakes Ronnie to his core.


    "Those tapes, did you seriously never wonder why they were made?"


    It''s hearing those words that it all finally clicks.


    The nine tapes his father recorded.


    The fighting lessons James described in each one of them.


    They were made for a reason.


    They were made for someone.


    They were made for the person standing in front of him.


    They were made for Mason Makinsley.


    "This is the only warning I''ll give you," Mason Makinsley says as he walks into the gym Ronnie just exited, "Give up. Go live a normal life if you value your own. If you don''t, I''ll make sure you regret it."


    Ronnie stands there, unsure of what to do next, however that¡¯s when he receives a text from someone.


    A text from Marcus.


    ¡®Boston is at the bookstore.¡¯


    _________________________


    Bursting through the door to the bookstore, Ronnie has a panicked look on his face.


    ¡°Marcus, Selina, are you guys alri-¡± Ronnie tries to say when.


    SLUUUUUUUUURP


    He¡¯s greeted by Marcus, Selina, & Boston all enjoying some tea together.


    ¡°Wh-what even happened?¡± Ronnie questions.


    ¡°W-well you see,¡± Selina begins to explain¡­.


    ¡°Say, why don¡¯t I show you how to really treat a younger sibling?¡± Boston generously offers.


    Marcus has frozen in place, not knowing what to do. However a quick chuckle escapes Boston¡¯s lips as he lets go of the young teen.


    ¡°Relax, I¡¯m only kidding,¡± Boston laughs, ¡°Though if you see Turnip tell him I got him some tea.¡±


    Selina looks confused as she sees Boston lift up some tea he bought from the store.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually pretty good, you two want to try some?¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s how we got here,¡± Selina says as she sips her tea, ¡°It is pretty good though.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re one of the guests from last Friday,¡± Boston remarks as his green eyes look over Ronnie¡¯s, ¡°And Mister Everst¡¯s nephew too.¡±


    Boston begins to walk toward the exit of the bookstore, however he leaves them with these words, ¡°Sorry for what happened with my men trying to take down this store, we usually have them do background checks. I guess they weren¡¯t aware of its history. And Ryan¡¯s Nephew, I hope the next time we meet you¡¯ll give me an answer to my question.¡±


    With Boston gone, the three teens are left standing in the store unsure of what to do next, though after a while, Ronnie heads toward his final destination of the day, the apartment of the three teachers who helped him improve his grades so much.


    Though when he finally got there¡­


    ¡°I came over to give you a warning,¡± A figure remarks.


    Standing at the doorway confused, Ronnie looks in to see Zesti, Sam, & Ray are discussing something with a man he¡¯s seen a few times before. The owner of a local record store and the DJ at the homecoming party; Casey Burns.


    ¡°With that photograph out there and tensions rising on all sides, it¡¯ll become harder for the three of you to live the way you have been these past few years,¡± Casey explains, ¡°If you aren¡¯t careful, you might get dragged back into this whole mess.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the warning, if you want you can stay for dinner,¡± Zesti offers.


    ¡°I got plans already,¡± Casey Burns remarks as he walks toward the open door and spots Ronnie standing there.


    ¡°How long have you been standing there?¡± Casey asks.


    ¡°Just a few seconds,¡± Ronnie says, ¡°I came by to thank them for helping me study.¡±


    ¡°Ah so you¡¯re one of their students,¡± Casey Burns remarks as he exits the apartment, ¡°Be careful not to drag the mud on your shoes all over their carpet.¡±


    With those seemingly inconspicuous words, Casey Burns has left the apartment leaving Ronnie to talk with the three teachers.


    ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t mean to overhear, this whole day¡¯s been really weird with how many people I¡¯m running into,¡± Ronnie chuckles as he walks up toward his teachers.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, and I¡¯m just glad you did well,¡± Zesti Champion remarks though Ray Ramirez is silent.


    Sam Penningberg looks at Ray concerned as the usually verbose man is silent.


    Finally after what seems like forever, Ray Ramirez lets out a sentence.


    ¡°Your shoes aren¡¯t actually muddy, are they?¡±


    ¡°N-no, I don¡¯t think they are,¡± Ronnie remarks before lifting up one leg to examine the sole of his shoe, ¡°See, all clean.¡±


    ¡°Thought so, that bastard¡¯s always speaking in tongues to get his point across.¡±


    ¡°Speaking in tongues?¡±


    ¡°He was saying you¡¯re involved in something you shouldn¡¯t be. Something that could involve us if you don¡¯t clean up your act,¡± Ray Ramirez comments as he walks over to the fireplace in the studio apartment, ¡°I can take a guess what it''s about too.¡±


    Sam Penningberg & Zesti Champion walk over to chat with Ray.


    ¡°Hey, do you really think we should tell him?¡± Penningberg asks.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s just a kid, we don¡¯t need him to learn that,¡± Zesti Champion remarks.


    ¡°Learn what?¡± Ronnie asks.


    Instead of replying, Ray tosses a few logs into the fireplace before lighting it with a match.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat kid,¡± Ray begins to tell Ronnie, ¡°I think what I¡¯m about to tell you is going to help with a lot of things on your mind right now. Like what to do with all those gangs you found yourself surrounded by.¡±


    Ronnie silently sits down before looking at Sam Penningberg & Zesti Champion. The two are a bit hesitant, however they both lament and decide to sit down.


    ¡°This is going to be a long story, but I hope you find meaning in it,¡± Ray Ramirez admits, ¡°I hope you find meaning in my past.¡±


    As the fire burns brightly, Ray lets out a sigh as he begins his long and arduous tale.


    The tale about his time as a high schooler.


    The tale that brought in the current era of the city they all live in.


    The Tale of The Beast.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: SEASON 2 WILL RETURN ON MARCH 15TH, 2025 WITH THE FIRST CHAPTER OF ¡®THE TALE OF THE BEAST¡¯ ARC!


    SPECIAL CHAPTER TO RELEASE ON MARCH 2ND, 2025!


    See You Next Chapter!~

 Special Chapter - The Love Letter (Valentines Special)

    Pink, red, and white strings of paper hearts decorate the halls of Starlight High as happy couples, and not-so-happy single people continue on their school day.


    ¡°Can you believe it Marcus?¡± Ronnie laughs as he struts down the hall, ¡°Everyone¡¯s getting all lovey dovey, personally I don¡¯t see the appeal. Do you Marcus? .......Marcus? ....MARCUS?!¡±


    Ronnie looks toward the scrawny teen to see he¡¯s shivering like a kid without a jacket in the February winter. The reason? He¡¯s holded an opened envelope that was sealed with a heart on it and has a pink paper sticking out of it.


    ¡°N-no way,¡± Ronnie gasps.


    ¡°Wh-wh-wh-what do I do with this?!¡± Marcus blushes as he hands Ronnie the love letter.


    Ronnie looks down at the note.


    Dear My Love,


    Ronnie looks up at Marcus dumbfounded before continuing to read.


    For the longest time I¡¯ve had my eyes set on you, your laugh, your smile, your messy hair, it all makes my heart skip a beat.


    Ronnie looks up at Marcus even more dumbfounded before continuing to read.


    If you want to know who I am, stand outside of the cafeteria on the second floor when school gets out. I¡¯ll be waiting for you there. I hope you feel the same way I do.


    Sincerely,


    Your Secret Admirer.


    ¡°Where did you find this?!¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°In my locker,¡± Marcus answers.


    ¡°Wait, you actually use your locker?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t you? Urgh- What do I do? I thought this type of thing only happens in the movies! Do I go?! Do I not?!¡±


    ¡°I mean you should probably go.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t even like anyone! At least, I think I don¡¯t but what if- argghhh!¡±


    As Marcus tries to hide his embarrassed face in the love letter, the two teens enter Amnestor¡¯s classroom where The Miracle Clinic is holding a meeting during study period. It¡¯s already swamped with people trying to ask the club members ¨C Alex, Elizabeth, & Cameron ¨C for help on


    ¡°Listen, if you¡¯re trying to ask someone out you always gotta hit them with the ¡®how hard was that fall? Since someone of your beauty could only come from heaven¡¯,¡± Alex suggests to several of his peers who are jotting down notes.


    ¡°Hey one at a time!¡± Elizabeth shouts over the crowd all seeking her advice, ¡°And no, you shouldn¡¯t ask out a girl by saying ¡®want to do laundry together¡¯. It¡¯s not gonna work.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know how to divorce someone,¡± Cameron admits, ¡°Wait, when were you married?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± X says, ¡°I just want to make sure I can divorce someone when the time comes.¡±


    As the chaos continues, Ronnie and Marcus both realize they won¡¯t be able to get proper help from anyone here. That is except for one person.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Hey Amnestor,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°Marcus got a love letter and what should he do?!¡±


    As those words escape from his mouth, the three other Miracle Clinic members & X stop what they¡¯re doing and begin to pester Marcus.


    ¡°You got a love letter? Good job dude!¡± Alex pats Marcus across the back.


    ¡°I¡¯m jealous,¡± Cameron admits.


    ¡°Do you know who gave it to you?¡± Elizabeth questions.


    ¡°Hey, if things don¡¯t work out with this stranger I¡¯ll help you with the divorce,¡± X offers.


    ¡°Th-thanks guys but I don¡¯t know if I should go see them. What if this is just a joke?¡± Marcus asks.


    ¡°Well if it is, they¡¯re gonna have to answer to us as to why they decided to do that,¡± Ronnie remarks.


    ¡°You do realize you¡¯re talking right in front of me, right?¡± Amnestor coughs.


    ¡°He meant we¡¯d do something to them in Club Penguin,¡± Elizabeth blurts out.


    ¡°Club¡­Penguin?¡± Amnestor asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s this game my little sister plays, honestly not that bad but-¡±


    ¡°I see, and to answer the question first posed,¡± Amnestor comments, ¡°I think you should go for it. High school doesn¡¯t last forever, who knows, this might become a memory you¡¯ll look on fondly?¡±


    ¡°I-I see¡­thanks Amnestor!¡± Marcus says, ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try!¡±


    _______________________________


    Eventually, the last school bell rang out and most of the students exited out to enjoy the rest of their days. However, despite that, Marcus and a few others stand inside a staircase toward the second floor.


    ¡°You got this!¡± Alex shouts.


    ¡°If you like them back that¡¯s awesome! If not, try not to let them off too badly,¡± Ronnie suggests.


    ¡°Uh yeah, good luck,¡± Elizabeth says.


    ¡°Why are you still here?¡± Cameron asks X.


    ¡°What, I can¡¯t be a fan of a good romcom?¡± X comments.


    Marcus is hesitant, but after the reassurance from his friends he marches up the stairs and onto the second floor where in the hallway he comes across¡­


    ¡°Rebecca?!¡± Marcus questions.


    Rebecca Jenksin glances at Marcus and sees him holding the love letter in his hand. And her face turns into one of¡­


    Abject horror.


    ¡°H-h-how did you get that?!¡± Rebecca goes pale.


    Standing at the doorway, Ronnie, Alex, Elizabeth, & Cameron all feel the wind taken out of their sales while X can¡¯t help but start laughing.


    ¡°Uh, it was in my locker?¡± Marcus remarks.


    ¡°Wait, your locker is D217?!¡± Rebecca questions.


    ¡°Y-yeah, I use it every day. Who did you think it was?¡±


    ¡°The person who¡¯s locker is next to yours.¡±


    ¡°Wait but isn¡¯t that-...¡±


    ¡°....C-...Crunch,¡± Rebecca blushes.


    Hearing those words, Alex & Elizabeth join in on X¡¯s laughter from the stairway while Ronnie & Cameron do their best to shut them up so they aren¡¯t heard.


    ¡°Y-you like Crunch?¡±


    ¡°YES! Who wouldn¡¯t!?¡± Rebecca blushes, ¡°He¡¯s tall, got amazing hair, and is hiding a gentle side under his bad boy demeanor.¡±


    ¡°Crunch? Gentle?!¡± Elizabeth wheezes in the staircase, however she stops when she realizes nobody else is laughing.


    That¡¯s because they¡¯re all looking at a person who is walking up the stairs. Someone who makes their way up toward Marcus & Rebecca.


    A person by the name of Crunch Backson.


    ¡°Hey lil¡¯ man,¡± Crunch says as he sees Marcus, ¡°You mind if I use your locker for a bit? Mine¡¯s gotten full with some letters people slid in.¡±


    Seeing Crunch, Rebecca decides to shoot her shot and blurt out, ¡°Are you seeing anyone?!¡±


    Crunch, looks at Rebecca, and calmly responds, ¡°Yeah, Suzy. Who are you?¡±


    As those words escape his mouth, not even Ronnie & Cameron can hold back the cacophony of laughter coming from the staircase. Hearing this, Rebecca¡¯s embarrassment turns to rage and the onlookers quickly have to disperse.


    ¡°Say, what were you and that strange girl talking about?¡± Crunch asks.


    ¡°It-it was nothing,¡± Marcus exhales before asking, ¡°Say Crunch, you think someone like me can find love?¡±


    ¡°Eh who knows,¡± Crunch shrugs, ¡°Love works in mysterious ways. You might have to hunt for it, you might just get it handed to you like a fresh deli sandwich, or it could come like a freight train. Regardless, I do know there¡¯s one person who loves you.¡±


    ¡°R-really?! Who?¡±


    Crunch points his finger into Marcus¡¯ chest as he answers, ¡°You.¡±


    And with that, Crunch makes his way toward the exit of the school. All the while Marcus stands there, unsure of what to say.


    ¡°....me?¡±


    Marcus is quiet before he too makes his way toward the staircase to leave the school, bringing to a close a very chaotic Valentine¡¯s Day.


    Happy Valentine¡¯s Day & See You Next Chapter!~

 Special Chapter - The Miracle 2 Years In The Making!

    SUN SHORT #1 - Late Night Driving


    This takes place right after the events of ¡®S2 Chapter 17 - Celebration / One Helluva Homecoming (Finale)¡¯


    As the stars in the night sky twinkle, several students from both Seastar & Starlight High are exiting out of the banquet hall. Mesto & Ivory are holding hands as they chat, Crunch is being chased by X for stealing a whole platter of tiny cucumber sandwiches while Suzy slowly follows, & Draco is still in shock from his defeat on the dance floor.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get going, it was fun seeing ya!¡± Blanko yells as he walks away in his green suit over a white button-up, red-n-blue striped tie, brown loafers, and black gloves.


    Vanessa, in her yellow suit jacket and black leather pants, simply nods as she leaves carrying her black high heels.


    ¡°My place is right around here so I¡¯ll get going,¡± Sammy says as leaves in her red-off-the-shoulder dress, ¡°I bet he still hasn¡¯t gotten off the couch that lazy ass.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, you¡¯ll have to get my autograph in class,¡± Randy says to literally nobody as he puts on his white helmet with red spikes.


    As the man in the pink polo shirt and white khakis rides off on his scooter, the only ones left in the group are Ronnie, Elizabeth, Alex, Marcus, & Selina.


    ¡°Urgh, my legs are so sore from dancing I don¡¯t know if I can even ride home,¡± Alex groans in his all-black suit as he undoes the bike chain on his little cousin¡¯s pink tricycle.


    ¡°That was so much more fun than I thought it was going to be!¡± Selina says as she has her checkered tie around her forehead.


    ¡°How come nobody told me these weren¡¯t buttoned?!¡± Marcus blushes as he tries to button the top half buttons on his brown button-up shirt.


    ¡°I thought it was a stylistic choice,¡± Ronnie admits in his navy blue button-up and white pants, ¡°Also Selina, you weren¡¯t even partying that hard, why do you have the tie up like that?¡¯


    ¡°Because it makes me happy,¡± Selina defends as she twiddles with the fedora in her hands.


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    Elizabeth can¡¯t help but smile at the shenanigans going on. After the talk on the rooftop it feels like a weight¡¯s been lifted off her shoulders. Now she can just sit back and enjoy the company a bit more. Not having to worry about a thi-


    ¡°THE TRAINS AREN¡¯T RUNNING?!¡± Selina shouts as she looks at her phone.


    Nevermind.


    ¡°What? But I thought they were running 24/7?¡± Ronnie groans.


    ¡°They were, but it''s under maintenance for the next few hours,¡± Marucs sighs, ¡°God how are we gonna get home?¡±


    ¡°We can try and all hop on my tricycle,¡± Alex suggests to no fanfare.


    ¡°Maybe Amnestor is willing to let us hitch a ride from him?¡± Elizabeth suggests.


    ¡°He¡¯s busy with helping clean up the place,¡± Ronnie sighs, ¡°We¡¯d be waiting here for like an hour.¡±


    As the group of teens all try to figure out their predicament, Alex¡¯s eyes turn to the road as a beige minivan that¡¯s definitely seen its fair use comes to a stop next to them. The person rolls down the windows.


    ¡°Aye, what¡¯s our Little Chulo doing out so late?¡± The driver and Alex¡¯s father, Mateo Smith, questions.


    Mateo¡¯s wearing a tropical button-up, khakis, and sandals in the car despite the weather.


    ¡°H-how many times do I need to tell you and mom not to call me that anymore!?¡± Alex blushes in embarrassment, ¡°And what are you doing Old Man?!¡±


    ¡°What? It¡¯s not like your friends know what that means,¡± Mateo chuckles as he puts the car into park, ¡°I came by since I heard the trains were shutting down and figured you kids could use a lift home.¡±


    Ronnie, Elizabeth, Marcus, & Selina look towards Mateo as if he was an angel, descending down to bless them with a safe ride back to the North.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Alex says as he goes to hope onto the pink tricycle, ¡°I can make it home all by myself and so can-¡±


    Alex looks up to see his friends already getting inside the vehicle.


    ¡°Come on man, you really wanna go home in that thing?¡± Ronnie teases.


    ¡°I call shotgun!¡¯ Selina insists.


    Alex laments as he walks toward his father¡¯s minivan.


    ___________________________


    Driving down the scenic streets, Mateo Smith has one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the armchair as Selina sits next to him in shotgun reading a book. Behind them in the middle row is Marcus & Ronnie. Marcus is busy playing on his limited edition 3DS while Ronnie makes small talk with the two in the back row; Alex & Elizabeth. In the trunk of the car is the tiny pink tricycle.


    ¡°Say, you kids fans of disco?¡± Mateo asks as he reaches for some CDs.


    ¡°I know a certain ginger who¡¯d go crazy for some,¡± Alex remarks, ¡°But he isn''t here so no.¡±


    ¡°Aw,¡± Mateo fake pouts as he puts away his several ¡®greatest hits of disco¡¯ CDs.


    ¡°Dude you brought that to homecoming?¡± Ronnie remarks impressed.


    ¡°Y-yeah, I didn¡¯t know if I was going to get bored or not, plus I still gotta finish my nuzlocke of gen 6 before the gen 3 remakes release,¡± Marcus explains.


    ¡°I see¡­.what¡¯s a nuzlocke by the way?¡±


    In the front, Selina constantly switches the fan from hot to cold again and again.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just choose something in the middle?¡± Elizabeth asks, ¡°We¡¯re getting hit with an avalanche followed by a volcanic eruption.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but who actually puts the air condition on the middle?¡± Selina questions.


    Before Elizabeth can respond back, the car reaches the first stop on its drive; the house where Selina & Marcus live.


    ¡°Thanks for the ride Mister Alex¡¯s dad,¡± Selina says as she hops out of the shotgun.


    ¡°Take care Mister Smith!¡± Marcus remarks as he exits.


    ¡°You too!¡± Mateo says.


    After waiting to make sure the two teens enter the home, Mateo drives off.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s the start of the new semester been for you kids?¡± Mateo asks, ¡°All Alex¡¯s ever told me is that your club got bigger & there was a new student president.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, we have a few new members which is nice,¡± Ronnie remarks, ¡°And don¡¯t get me started on that whole election debacle.¡±


    ¡°Are all elections supposed to be so chaotic?!¡± Elizabeth questions.


    Hearing this, Mateo can¡¯t help but laugh before responding, ¡°Tell me one that wasn¡¯t crazy.¡±


    Due to the surprisingly light traffic, the mini-van pulls up to the next stop; the apartment building Elizabeth stays at.


    ¡°Thanks for the lift sir,¡± Elizabeth says as she gets out of the car, ¡°If you need to cover gas I can-¡±


    ¡°Hey don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Mateo laughs, ¡°A kid like you should only be worrying about what homework they have due.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I do have a presentation due for Amnestor¡¯s class on Monday,¡± Elizabeth recalls before rushing toward her apartment, ¡°I gotta go, take care guys!¡±


    As Elizabeth enters the apartment, Mateo drives off once more causing the only two kids still left in the car being his own son Alex & Ronnie.


    ¡°Hey Alex, you wanna hit up the Bistro sometime tomorrow?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Sure, but only if you¡¯re paying,¡± Alex teases.


    ¡°Alex we never pay.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯know, if you¡¯re talking about free food, I remember a fancy Italian place used to be open where that record store is that had a ¡®Free Breadstick Tuesdays¡¯,¡± Mateo laughs, ¡°They¡¯d always get so mad when they saw your mom & I come in since that¡¯s all we could afford!¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s where you two went on your ¡®date nights¡¯ when I was a kid,¡± Alex remarks as he finally solves a mystery he had long forgotten about.


    ¡°It closed down? How come?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Oh, it was a while ago so I can¡¯t recall all the details. I remember the owner lost it and locked their whole staff in the freezer. Luckily my wife & I came in to get some breadsticks soon after and managed to unlock it just in time. Who knows what would¡¯ve happened if they got rid of that free breadstick deal.¡±


    ¡°WHAT!?¡± Ronnie & Alex shout.


    ¡°How is this the first time I¡¯m hearing about this?!¡± Alex demands.


    ¡°You¡¯re serious?!¡± Ronnie remarks, still shocked.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t much compared to what I got up to when I was your age,¡± Mateo laughs.


    ¡°Dude, I didn¡¯t know your dad was so cool,¡± Ronnie whispers to Alex.


    Mateo, who overheard that, can¡¯t hide his smile as he reaches The Everst Family Home.


    ¡°Well Ronnie, it¡¯s good to see ya again, you and your friends are welcome to come over any time,¡± Mateo says.


    ¡°Thanks a ton for the ride! And see you around Alex!¡± Ronnie says as he gets out of the car.


    As Ronnie enters his home, Mateo drives off toward the final destination of the night. His cheery demeanor softens as he looks in his rear view mirror to his son Alex.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really gotten tall, huh?¡± Mateo states.


    ¡°Huh? Oh yeah, you just noticed?¡± Alex questions.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that¡­.it¡¯s just you grew up so fast I¡­I didn¡¯t realize,¡± Mateo remarks, ¡°You got some nice friends and a strong head on your shoulders. You keep doing what you think is right and you¡¯ll make it far, especially with them by your side.¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, you tell me this all the time dad,¡± Alex remarks. ¡°But they aren¡¯t the only people I have by my side.¡±


    ¡°I got you, Dad,¡± Alex says, ¡°And Mom, Abuela, Lil Juan, Carmen, Liliana, Uncle Jose, Aunt Lula, Uncle Luis, and Aunt Camila.¡±


    Mateo pulls into the driveway of the home he shares with his in-laws.


    ¡°True, though the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb,¡± Mateo advises, ¡°That¡¯s something I had to learn the hard way.¡±


    Curiosity starts to fill Alex, however it''s not enough for him to fully ask that question to his father just yet. Deciding to ask him the next chance he gets, Alex steps out of the car.


    ¡°I appreciate the advice pops, but as someone who gets to choose who I spend my time with, right now I want to spend it with our family,¡± Alex smirks.


    Hearing those words, a proud smile emerges onto Mateo¡¯s face as he turns off the car and exits it.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s do just that.¡±


    And even though the homecoming may have ended, for Alex, there still was another celebration to be had at home.


    SUN SHORT #2 - Just Like Me


    These events occur in the midst of the ¡®A Tale of Two Best Friends¡¯ storyline.


    The torrential downpour filled the streets of Starlight City on what was supposed to be a hot summer day. Trying to make their way through this downpour is Sally Everst. With one hand on her umbrella and the other on a bag of groceries, to say she¡¯s experienced weather like this before would be an understatement.


    And yet, on that day something was different.


    ¡°Excuse me, miss,¡± a voice gently asked.


    Sally, against her better judgement, turned to look at the voice to see it coming from a young boy, only a few years older than her own son. His black hair was greasy, his clothes had holes and smelled bad, and there were a pair of month-olds in his arm that he was shielding from the rain.


    ¡°Can I get your fucking money?¡± the voice asked politely.


    _________________________________


    As the rain continues to pour outside the young teen manages to find himself blowing on a spoonful of soup before feeding it to one of his two twins. He repeats the action for the other twin and then goes back to the first one.


    As the boy continues to feed his kids inside the shelter, Sally Everst stands talking to some of the volunteers at the center.


    ¡°It¡¯s always a pleasure to see you here Sal¡¯,¡± Cedro Garcia remarks as he serves another cup of soup to another hungry person, ¡°Seems like you brought with you quite the character.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a good thing you did,¡± a volunteer by the name Melanie Dicesare comments, ¡°Those poor babies were gonna get sick if they stayed out in the rain long enough.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t imagine what he must have gone through.¡±


    After hearing those comments, Sally decides to walk over and sit next to the teen. As she does so, he instinctively puts a hand around his bowl, making sure it''s not snatched from him.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± The teen asks.


    ¡°Just felt like having a quick conversation hon¡¯,¡± Sally explains, ¡°Is that bad?¡±


    ¡°What, you gonna tell me how I should¡¯ve thought ahead? That I shouldn¡¯t have had them?¡± The teen remarks as his twins are now fast asleep.


    ¡°No no, I of all people can¡¯t judge someone for having a kid early.¡±


    The teen looks at the tattooed woman with confusion.


    ¡°I had mine when I was 17,¡± Sally laughs, ¡°Now he¡¯s just a few years off to being as old as I was when I had him. I haven¡¯t exactly been in the same shoes as you, but I know a bit about how they feel. So if you have any questions you can shoot them out to me.¡±


    The teen is hesitant for a bit before words start to spill out from his mouth.


    ¡°What¡¯s the best way to change a diaper? What¡¯s the best brand of formula? How much should you let them crawl around and how much should you carry them? How do you stop them from crying so late at night? How do you make sure they don¡¯t eat anything they shouldn¡¯t? How do you shower them properly? How do you make it through all this?!¡±


    Finally running out of words to spew, the teen breathes heavily as if a crushing weight has been lifted off him.


    ¡°How about we take this one at a time?¡± Sally offers.


    ¡°I¡­,¡± the teen tries to say as tears begin to drip down his face, ¡°I¡¯d like that!¡±


    Over the next few weeks, Sally would stop by the shelter and help the teen with any trouble he had. Her and Misses Dicesare would be the ones who¡¯d offer him all kinds of parenting advice, with some of the other homeless people in the shelter pitching in to share portions of their food so he wouldn¡¯t go hungry. One of the volunteers, Francisco Champion, introduced him to the gym he worked at as a way to help him build up some more strength. Out of everyone though, it seemed like he took a liking to Cedro Garcia the most as Sally would often find him learning and helping out with preparing meals in whatever way he could.


    Eventually though, life had to go on and Sally had to spend a few weeks away from the shelter in order to properly finish the tattoo job she promised for Marcus before the next school year began. By the time she had the opportunity to go back to the shelter, she couldn¡¯t find the teen there anymore. Apparently he was offered a permanent place to stay.


    That was already two years ago, and as Sally made her way down the streets after closing up her shop for the night, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder what became of that young teen she met not too long ago.


    However, a new thought came to her mind as she walked down the streets.


    She was hungry, and hadn¡¯t had dinner yet. Looking for a place to eat, Sally¡¯s eyes wandered to the still open ¡®Burrito Bistro¡¯.


    ¡°Burrito Bistro? When¡¯s the last time I went there?¡± Sally wonders aloud as she finds herself entering the restaurant.


    DING!


    Sally looks around to see the place is completely packed with people as Cedro Garcia is in the kitchen making the food as fast as he can while a waiter with dyed blonde hair tries to serve as many tables as he can by himself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be with you in a sec!¡± The waiter yells without looking at who entered before setting a plate down on a table, ¡°Here¡¯s your order Miss, it was made with lots of love.¡±


    ¡°TH-th-thank you! Say, can I have your number?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m taken.¡±


    Gliding from table to table, the waiter eventually made his way to the front, still not making eye contact with Sally.


    ¡°Sorry about that wait,¡± the waiter remarks as he grabs a menu, ¡°My name¡¯s Mesto-Presto, how can I help you-¡±


    As Mesto finally takes a look up at Sally, recognition fills both of their eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again hon¡¯,¡± Sally remarks, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve been doing good for yourself.¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Y-yes I have,¡± Mesto remarks, ¡°Say, order whatever you¡¯d like Miss. It''s on the house.¡±


    ¡°Why thank you,¡± Sally compliments as she sits down at a table.


    As Mesto goes from table to table, Sally can¡¯t help but smile after rediscovering an old friend of hers.


    All the while at a table nearby, Ronnie wonders how the hell his mom knows Mesto while he, Alex, Elizabeth, & Marcus enjoy their regular order of free chips & free salsa.


    SUN SHORT #3 - Keeping The Peace As Best Can Be


    These events occur in the midst of the season 2 storyline ¡®Surviving The Seniors¡¯


    Sitting in The Moore Family Apartment, Elizabeth is staring daggers into the wall, trying to ignore the situation that¡¯s happening in front of her.


    In front of her, her soon-to-be-9 sister Nhung Thi Moore is watching TV with a friend she brought over from the school she goes to. Usually that¡¯d be a thing she didn¡¯t have to worry about. The only problem being who her friend is related to.


    ¡°Jude, how is this guy everyone¡¯s uncle and their grandfather. That doesn¡¯t make any sense,¡± Nhung giggles.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the pizza dude is funny,¡± Jude Jackson giggles before turning to look at the couch, ¡°Don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Sitting on complete opposite ends of the couch are Elizabeth Moore and the person that is causing her this discomfort¡­.an equally uncomfortable Hunter Huntingson.


    ¡°Y-yeah¡± Elizabeth remarks as she tries to look at the wall some more.


    ¡°You said it,¡± Hunter awkwardly laughs as he looks straight up at the ceiling.


    Jude & Nhung glance at the two before looking back to the tv.


    ¡°Why is your brother so weird?¡± Nhung asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I just met him last month,¡± Jude responds.


    Hearing this, Elizabeth raises an eyebrow as she turns to look at Hunter.


    ¡°Foster care!¡± Hunter whisper-explains as he lifts his arms up, ¡°What did you think it was?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but why are you here? You weren¡¯t invited!¡± Elizabeth whisper-yells.


    ¡°He needed someone to take him home you-,¡± Hunter begins to whisper-argue before remembering who is near him and changing his tone, ¡°Why are you here? If you don¡¯t want to talk to me can¡¯t you just hang out with that club?¡±


    ¡°My brother & mom are trying to help my dad out of a laundry basket upstairs so I have to stay with you guys until they get back.¡±


    ¡°Why is your dad in a laundry basket?!¡±


    ¡°I DON¡¯T KNOW!¡±


    As the two glare at one another, they eventually are interrupted by Jude tugging at them and holding up a box of ¡®Go Fish¡¯ cards.


    ¡°Wanna play?¡± Jude asks.


    ___________________


    Sitting on the floor in a circle the group of four all are holding up cards. Nhung glances over to Hunter.


    ¡°You have any goldfish?¡± Nhung asks.


    ¡°Go fish,¡± Hunter says before asking Elizabeth, ¡°You got any Stingrays.¡±


    ¡°No but I do have this cool friend of mine named Marcus, ever heard of him?¡± Elizabeth retorts.


    ¡°Uh sis, I don¡¯t see a ¡®Marcus¡¯ on the cards-,¡± Nhung tries to say.


    ¡°I have actually. Say, you have any clubs you¡¯re in?¡± Hunter asks, ¡°You look like someone who would be in them.¡±


    ¡°Hunter club cards are in regular decks not-¡± Jude tries to say.


    ¡°I am! Wow what a good guess. Say, you ever carry around a weapon everywhere you go?¡±


    ¡°You ever slept in a tent in this city for a few weeks and one day wake up to see an army of rats chewing through your tent and now you gotta run away from them as your home goes up in rats?¡±


    ¡°........Go fish,¡± Elizabeth laments.


    Hunter leans forward to pick up the cards and as he does so, Nhung & Jude set their cards down.


    ¡°You guys are no fun,¡± Jude laments as he walks away with Nhung.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t even a ¡®rat¡¯ card,¡± Nhung sighs.


    Hunter & Elizabeth glance at one another before realizing they messed up. All their fighting led to them forgetting who this day was really for. It was for Nhung & Jude. Elizabeth couldn¡¯t even think of any friend Nhung had invited over before now.


    ¡°Hey, sis,¡± Elizabeth says as she crouches down to get on her younger sister¡¯s level, ¡°Sorry that I was acting like a total jerk just now. A lot of stuff¡¯s been on my mind recently and¡­ whatever you wanna do today, let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Nhung, looking at her older sister, can''t help but smile and hug her, ¡°It¡¯s all okay. How could I stay mad at you?¡±


    Hunter, looking down at Jude, doesn¡¯t know quite what to say to him yet. He barely even knows the kid and if there¡¯s one thing Hunter¡¯s never been good at it¡¯s been knowing what to do.


    But, as a dear friend of his told him, its easier to do something when you see someone else doing it.


    ¡°S-sorry,¡± Hunter mumbles under his breath while looking away from Jude. It was a small step, a very tiny one, but one that doesn¡¯t go unnoticed.


    ¡°Thanks Hunter,¡± Jude smiles before turning to Nhung, ¡°But did your sister say we can do anything we want?!¡±


    A wicked idea sprouts into the two younger kids¡¯ minds as the two teens try to imagine what they could be planning.


    _______________________


    A while later, the door to the apartment opens as Mister Moore, Misses Moore, and their son Hai enter.


    ¡°Why did they even put you in that laundry basket to begin with?¡± Hai asks his father.


    ¡°Apparently they were arguing with a neighbor about some music when I intervened. The neighbor tried to swing at me and that big guy tried to protect me by tossing me in,¡± Mister Nolan Moore laughs, ¡°Though it¡¯s not like I couldn¡¯t handle a fight just by myself.¡±


    ¡°Sure honey,¡± Misses Lan Pham-Moore remarks.


    Though as they enter their apartment, their conversation shifts over as they see in the living room a giant fort made up of pillows, blankets, chairs, and some fairy lights. Inside the fort are a laughing Nhung & Jude and a trying-to-act-like-statues Elizabeth & Hunter.


    Hai walks past the fort only to get roped into the shenanigans by his little sister & her friend.


    ¡°Well I¡¯d say they all seem to be having fun,¡± Nolan Moore remarks.


    ¡°Yeah, we should have those two over some more!¡± Misses Moore thinks aloud.


    And so, even if they didn¡¯t know it yet at the time. That day would mark the beginning of an unexpected not-quite-friendship-yet-not-quite-acquaintance-ship dynamic between Elizabeth Moore & Hunter Huntingson.


    A dynamic born out of a mutual agreement of keeping the peace.


    SUN SHORT #4 - We Can Get Spooky


    These events occur during the start of the ¡®Study Buds¡¯ storyline from season 2.


    Standing in the east side of town, Vanessa Deli can¡¯t help but question what even got her to this place as she stands outside of the banquet hall she had her homecoming at. Only this time it''s being used for a haunted house attraction.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been to these since forever!¡± Blanko remarks in anticipation, ¡°Aren¡¯t you excited?¡±


    ¡°Not really, I don¡¯t see the appeal,¡± Vanessa says as the two are stuck in line, ¡°Most of these aren¡¯t even that scary-¡±


    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!


    The blood curdling scream rings out as a pair of people come running out of the banquet hall completely terrified. The pair just so happens to consist of Hammer and Nail, two fellow members of Dirty Fang.


    ¡°We¡¯re free! We¡¯re free!¡± Hammer yells as she carries Nail in her arms.


    ¡°You can let me down now!¡± Nail screams.


    Oh yeah, now Vanessa remembers why she¡¯s here.


    After their trip to the West Side, Andy heard about a haunted house being hosted in the east side and Makinsley liked the idea so much that he invited everybody from Dirty Fang that went to the West to go with.


    Of the group, Harvey didn¡¯t attend due to not being interested leaving the members that did go being herself, Blanko, Hammer, Nail, Mason Makinsley, Andy Nibble, Purple, & Graham Dirt.


    ¡°If they got Nail scared you know it''s gotta be intense,¡± Andy comments as he stands in line ahead of Vanessa & Blanko with Makinsley.


    ¡°Be careful Andy,¡± Makinsley playfully teases, ¡°Get scared enough and that bucket hat of yours might go flying.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it, but who knows, I might just get the chance to see ¡®The Most Feared Man In Starlight City¡¯, crying like a baby,¡± Andy playfully teases right back.


    The two continue to playfully riff on one another as they hand the person collecting tickets, Ivory Dutchingson, theirs before entering the haunted house.


    ¡°You think they¡¯ll actually get scared?¡± Purple asks Graham as the two stand in line behind Vanessa & Blanko.


    ¡°Not a chance,¡± Graham agrees.


    Blanko & Vanessa try to get in some comments however they can¡¯t say much before they get called up by Ivory to enter the banquet hall.


    ¡°Remember to breathe and happy halloween!¡± Ivory tells them before letting the two enter.


    Hesitantly, Blanko & Vanessa walk into the banquet hall. The first room is a spooky graveyard filled with fog.


    ¡°W-well, let¡¯s just get this over with, right?¡± Blanko remarks.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Vanessa calmly agrees as she puts her hands in her pockets.


    The two walk throughout the spooky graveyard and make it to the end to find¡­no scares.


    They then enter the next room, a butcher shop with several slabs of meat being hung on hooks. Vanessa grimaces as the memory of her last fight comes to mind.


    The two walk through the butcher shop and¡­.still no scares.


    ¡°That¡¯s odd, I guess they saved the best for last?¡± Blanko questions.


    The two make their way through the final room which is a dark and dreary hallway and despite spooky music playing on the loudspeaker¡­.nothing happens.


    Confused as to what occurred, they only find their answer when stepping foot out into the sunlight once more.


    A crowd of actors have huddled around a profusely apologizing Mason Makinsley and a hysterical Andy Nibble. Next to them is one of the workers, Crunch Backson, who was dressed as a zombie and has a bloody nose. Two other workers, Mesto & Suzy, are also dressed as zombies and are trying to stop Crunch¡¯s bloody nose.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Makinsley apologizes, ¡°I guess my fight or flight instinct kicked in.¡±


    ¡°Dude, you were totally freaked out, you flinched and were like ¡®oh¡¯,¡± Andy snickers.


    ¡°It¡¯s all good man,¡± Crunch remarks, ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t have jumped out directly in front of you and try to eat your brain.¡±


    ¡°I told you somebody was gonna punch you for doing that,¡± Suzy scolds Crunch, ¡°Just be glad you were only knocked out for a few minutes. Don¡¯t you agree Mesto?¡±


    Mesto silently nods, not trying to draw attention to himself from the two men that are standing next to him.


    ¡°I guess even our boss knows fear, huh?¡± Blanko jokes.


    ¡°Does being startled count as being scared though?¡± Vanessa questions.


    ¡°We¡¯re not having this debate.¡±


    SUN SHORT #5 - Confessions From Starlight High


    These events occur during the ¡®Study Buds¡¯ storyline from season 2.


    During the midst of midterms week at Starlight High, an unknown student created a mailbox for students to write their name and put in confessions from whatever they were feeling at the moment.


    Unfortunately, another anonymous student going by the alias ¡®Surge¡¯ took the mailbox and leaked the confessions for all to see.


    These are just some of those confessions¡­


    Ronnie Everst - I¡¯m responsible for the school no longer selling those blueberry muffins¡­.technically.


    Alex Smith - I was the one who put that piece of gum on top of the flagpole outside.


    Marcus Veridan - I usually only study for my tests the night before.


    Elizabeth Moore - I may have accidentally broken one of the water fountains¡­twice.


    Selina Gulvonac - I tried to sell a kid my pencil and he told me ¡°we don¡¯t do that here anymore¡±. THE FUCK YOU MEAN ¡®ANYMORE¡¯?


    Sammy Becken - I used to be one of the people who were stuck being inside the costume of Seastar¡¯s School Mascot.


    Randy Buzz - I listen to girly music when nobody is near.


    Carli Kim - I like to imagine random classmates as couples and almost all of them are not good together. Do better.


    Christopher Wrinkle - I can¡¯t cut onions because I always cry. I don¡¯t know why but I just do. Maybe I¡¯m allergic?


    Rebecca Jenksin - I got an offer to work at a really huge company.


    Hamster - Bennet¡¯s technically a rescue. He was born in a shelter so that kind of counts.


    Crunch Backson - I¡¯m the one who TPed the principal¡¯s house. Was it wrong? Yes. Would I do it again? Yes.


    Hunter Huntingson - Detention here isn¡¯t as bad as its made out to be.


    Suzy Dark - In kindergarten I kicked someone down the slide because they stole my lunchbox. Worth it.


    Georgia Gibson - I think I saw Bernard & Evan making out in the west stairway last week.


    Bernard Ginger - gingerbread men are the best types of cookies and if you disagree you are wrong.


    Evan Dixon - this school would be ten times better if I was still student council president.


    Victor Dunnerman - Trisha is the best person in this whole school.


    Trisha Bernstein - My boyfriend can beat up your boyfriend.


    Zesti Champion - a kid tried to bring homemade milk to class once. That was not a fun parent teacher conference.


    Ray Ramirez - I know I have a reputation of disliking this job but¡­it isn¡¯t too bad.


    Sam Penningberg - I don¡¯t have any favorite students but I do have least favorites.


    Aken Amnestor - I used to be a dark roast type of guy but now I lean more towards light roast.


    X Locke - I forgot to do my homework one day for Jefferson¡¯s class and my excuse was I was too busy looking at the stock market. He bought it and is now asking me for financial advice on where he should invest but I have NO clue what stock is good or not so I just keep saying nonsense and he keeps believing it. Someone please send help.


    SUN SHORT #6 - The Three Ts Break Up?!


    These events occur in the midst of the season 2 storyline ¡®Surviving The Seniors¡¯


    ¡°So yeah, there I was with 16 pudding cups opened when-¡± Tom tries to tell Archer Flick when the door bursts open.


    Standing in the door are the other two-thirds of The Three Ts, Tim & Tim-Tom.


    Tim gasps as he covers his mouth while Tim-Tom stands shocked.


    ¡°How dare you,¡± Tim gasps, ¡°You¡¯re cheating on us?!¡±


    ¡°What? No, I can explain-¡± Tom begins to defend.


    ¡°Can it, save your excuses for those that¡¯ll believe your lies,¡± Tim-Tom hisses, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d betray us and join The Vignette! And why The Vignette?! They¡¯re the least cool crew in the city! You could¡¯ve chosen Dirty Fang, The Massachusetts Boys, even The Carmine Manifesto! But instead you chose the one led by a guy who looks like he can still order off the kids menu!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re The Three Ts, we¡¯re a team & a team sticks together no matter what Tom!¡± Tim yells, ¡°If this dude is forcing you to join through hurting you, we¡¯ll take him down!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let that comment about Joel slide but I think there¡¯s a massive misunderstanding here,¡± Archer tries to explain as he holds a pair of scissors next to Tom¡¯s head.


    ¡°Zip it meathead, I¡¯m gonna give you a headstart on your exit out of here,¡± Tim-Tom hisses, ¡°If I see you around here again then- hell, you saw what I did to my last punching bag.¡±


    ¡°I literally haven¡¯t-¡± Archer tries to say.


    ¡°WELL YOU¡¯RE ABOUT TO FIND OU-¡±


    ¡°Guys, chill out!!!¡± Tom yells, ¡°He¡¯s my barber!¡±


    Tim & Tim-Tom glance at Archer to see he¡¯s wearing a black apron which has a comb and electric razor hanging out of it.


    Tom also has a black hair cutting cape around him.


    ¡°Oh-¡± the two remark as they lay down their fists.


    The silence in the room is loud but deafening as Archer slowly goes back to trimming up Tom¡¯s afro.


    ¡°So¡­.we may have jumped the gun a bit,¡± Tim-Tom begins to say, ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Archer remarks, ¡°Just be glad Graham¡¯s appointment was canceled.¡±


    ¡°Graham goes here too?¡± Tim remarks as he takes a look at the wall of the barber shop.


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s actually a really good soap carver,¡± Tom remarks.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why the shower¡¯s been looking so pretty recently,¡± Tim-Tom remarks.


    ¡°How did you even find me?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Tim installed one of those couple tracker apps on your phone the other day.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well we are in a risky business.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Archer agrees.


    Tim spots a picture of a much younger Archer trying to cut gum out of a much younger Elias¡¯ hair while a much younger (yet still looking the same as he does now) Joel Cooper trying to calm the panicked Elias.


    ¡°You''ve been cutting hair for a while?¡± Tim comments, ¡°How about giving us a-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Archer responds.


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    SUN SHORT #7 - The Only Way


    These events occur during the ¡®Study Buds¡¯ storyline from season 2.


    Six Weeks.


    That¡¯s how long the doctor said he¡¯d have to keep his leg in a cast.


    To Hunter Huntingson, he didn¡¯t mind too much. He got his bat back, Worcester is out of the picture, and everything is back to normal. Well almost normal.


    Some broken bones were all that it cost? Sounded like a fair deal to him.


    Those thoughts crossed Hunter¡¯s mind as he sat in his foster family¡¯s kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal while light from the rising sun seeped in from the blinds. He was the first one up in the house, and save for a leaky faucet, there weren''t any other sounds in the house just yet.


    However, that wouldn¡¯t be for long as another person entered the kitchen. Chao Huang.


    Unlike Hunter who still had a case of bedhead and was wearing a white t-shirt & pajama pants, Chao looked ready for the day. He had on a cozy pastel color block hoodie, black sweatpants, and his old beige high top shoes.


    The two stayed in silence as Chao opened the pantry and grabbed a roll of bagels out from it.


    ¡°You want one?¡± Chao offers as he twists the bagel into two pieces.


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Hunter remarks.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Chao puts the two bagel slices into the toaster and lets them cook.


    The tiny ticking of the toaster as it slowly heated up the bagel being a newfound source of sound amongst the two teens.


    Hunter, nearing the end of his cereal, looks up toward Chao Huang, the person he thought he knew well enough about until a few nights ago. The person who he now knew as the third-in-command of The Massachusetts Boys, Cambridge.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to lie about my foot,¡± Hunter tells Chao.


    Chao, his back facing away from Hunter, stays mute for some time before breathing, ¡°Yes I did. You saw how Mister & Misses Lynch reacted to that fight you got into right outside our patio. Saying you went off and got into another fight would¡¯ve been a disaster.¡±


    ¡°A disaster, huh?¡± Hunter remarks as he shoves a spoonful of cereal into his mouth, ¡°You sure you aren¡¯t saying that because then they¡¯d know about your ¡®little secret¡¯.¡±


    Chao pauses before quickly turning around and marching up toward the kitchen table.


    ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re talking-¡±


    POP!


    The bagel has finished toasting.


    Chao lets out a sigh he didn¡¯t know he was keeping inside of him as he turns around to grab the bagel. He places it on a paper plate and then takes a knife to a container of cream cheese.


    ¡°So, you not going to explain what all that was?¡± Hunter asks, ¡°Why you were working with the same people who tried to harm Jude?¡±


    ¡°I¡­we all have our talents in life,¡± Chao remarks, ¡°Ever since I was a kid, I¡¯ve always been good at fighting. Of course that knack of mine always resulted in me being tossed around foster home to foster home. Nobody wanted somebody that they saw as a ¡®danger¡¯.¡±


    ¡°....¡±


    ¡°But then, that¡¯s when I got taken in by Mister & Misses Lynch. They were different from the rest. They weren¡¯t afraid of who I was. Sure they got upset when I got into a fight, but it was out of concern for me.¡±


    Chao spreads the cream cheese across his bagel as he continues, ¡°Well, because of my attitude at the time, I got involved with the wrong crowd. People who wanted to hurt my family because they couldn¡¯t hurt me. So I sought out the only help I could get. I sought out Boston. And sure enough, he helped get rid of that ¡®problem¡¯ for me.¡±


    Chao sets the knife he was using down into the sink.


    ¡°That¡¯s how I got to be a part of The Massachusetts Boys. Before I knew it, I became their number three,¡± Chao explains as he sits down at the table.


    ¡°Do you-¡±


    ¡°Regret it? No, This was the only way I could¡¯ve protected the only people who cared for me, I would do it all over again if I had to. ¡±


    Chao lifts the bagel to his mouth and is about to eat it when Hunter finishes what he was going to ask.


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯d be happy knowing all you do to ¡®protect¡¯ them?¡±


    Chao hesitates, his lip quivers as he tries to think of any other response than the one he knows to be true.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Chao begins to plead when.


    ¡°Aw sweet, breakfast!¡± Jude Jackson shouts as he races down the steps toward the kitchen.


    As the youngest member of the household enters the kitchen, the two adults soon arise from their bedroom to join them. Illiana Lynch is currently rushing to get ready for work on time while Lennon slowly brews some coffee.


    Jude, seeing the bagel on Chao¡¯s plate, asks, ¡°Can you make me one of those?¡±


    Abruptly, Chao stands up from the table and begins to walk away.


    ¡°You can have it,¡± Chao tells him, ¡°I¡¯m not hungry anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­okay.¡±


    ¡°Did he not sleep well?¡± Lennon wonders aloud.


    As Chao walks away, Hunter can¡¯t help but look toward his older foster sibling and sees something in him.


    To Mister & Misses Lynch, they see a kind and reliable young man ready for adulthood.


    To Jude, he sees a cooler confidant older brother that can do no wrong.


    But to Hunter. He sees something else. He sees a lost and confused child trying to make it in a world he¡¯s unsure of.


    A child that sees the path ahead of him as the only way forward.


    SUN SHORT #8 - Late Nights


    These events occur during the ¡®A New Home¡¯ storyline from Season 2.


    Some nights at the Everst Family Home, Ronnie finds himself awake in the middle of the night.


    Sometimes he ends up staying up without realizing, other times he just wakes up at a random hour in the early morning.


    Regardless of how he finds himself here, he ends up doing the same thing to make himself fall back asleep.


    He heads over to the VHS player in his room and inserts a special tape into it and watches it on his box tv at a volume low enough not to wake up his mom. Sometimes he watches through the whole thing, other nights he just skips through half of it.


    Regardless of how much he watches, the one line from the tape he always hears is¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be someone special. You¡¯re going to be you.¡±


    Once the tape finishes, he takes it out of the player and turns off the TV. He then sets it back in the box where he keeps his other tapes and then get back into his bed.


    Before drifting to sleep however, he would say two words.


    ¡°Night dad.¡±


    And thus, the late night Ronnie would spend awake would finally come to an end.


    SUN SHORT #9 - I Hate My Name


    These events occur during the ¡®Study Buds¡¯ storyline from season 2.


    ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!¡±


    The laughter of one rang out for all to hear in the west side of town as C.J. stood embarrassed, looking down at the howling-with-laughter Kimberly ¡°Lowell¡± Overton.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s not that funny-¡± C.J. tries to defend himself which only causes Kimberly to laugh even louder.


    As her laughter continues to erupt out of her from the parking lot of the Heartbreak Motel, two other members of The Massachusetts Boys, Parker ¡®Plymouth¡¯ Duggar, & Quinn ¡®Quincy¡¯ Overton walk over. The two still have bruises and bandages on from their fight against Tim-Tom.


    ¡°Hey C.J., what¡¯s up with the new 4?¡± Parker grumbles as he rubs his hurt nose, ¡°She¡¯s acting more insane than usual.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± C.J. lies, ¡°And my name isn¡¯t C.J.! It¡¯s-¡±


    Finally calming down enough to speak, Kimberly snorts, ¡°So you know how Boston went to the North to go find some allies? Well, before he did I got our favorite bitchboy in front of him so he could finally get his title.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so what did he decide to call bitchboy?¡± Parker leans in to ask.


    It¡¯s as this that Kimberly tries to hold back a laugh as she squeals out the answer.


    ¡°Water Town.¡±


    Hearing the answer, Parker can¡¯t help but join in on Kimberly¡¯s laughter as the two rejoice in C.J.¡¯s newest given name.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± C.J.- I mean Water Town pleads.


    ¡°Aye Quincy, he says it isn¡¯t bad! What do you think?¡± Parker giggles.


    Quincy, who was listening to some vocaloid music on her ipod, turns and looks at C.J. dead in his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty stupid name,¡± Quincy agrees.


    Quincy pops her headphones back in as Kimberly & Parker continue to laugh at C.J.¡¯s new name.


    ¡°Honestly would¡¯ve preferred if you sticked to C.J.,¡± Water Town sighs defeatedly, ¡°I¡¯d even take BitchBoy.¡±


    SUN SHORT #10 - Quick Camping Trip


    These events occur after the ¡®Study Buds¡¯ storyline from Season 2.


    The crackling of a campfire rises up into the night sky. A figure in a gray hoodie under a green denim jacket, ripped jeans, & worn out shoes watches the fire burn as he holds a bottle of apple juice in one of his hands.


    Sitting on the other side of the fire is the person¡¯s handler, Logan Stewart. A man with light brown skin, curly dark brown hair, gold eyes, a chiseled jawline, and tattoos from the neck down. He¡¯s currently wearing some camo gear.


    ¡°I take it you heard about what¡¯s going on with Dirty Fang & The Massachusetts Boys,¡± Logan remarks, ¡°MSA is trying to plan some sort of deescalation meeting but I¡¯m sure we both know how that¡¯s gonna turn out.¡±


    The person holding the apple juice is silent before standing up and cracking open their bottle of apple juice.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re sick of all the chitchat, huh?¡± Logan questions as he stands up, ¡°Or is it that we have company?¡±


    Logan glances behind him to see someone walking out of the car they all took to get here.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Logan asks.


    ¡°It looks like they have a job for The Phantom to take care of,¡± their driver remarks.


    The Phantom, midsip of their drink, looks over to their driver stunned.


    ¡°But wasn¡¯t the agreement to wait until-¡± Logan begins to ask.


    ¡°Plans change Mister Stewart,¡± their driver remarks, ¡°It¡¯s not even that long of a drive from where we are at.¡±


    As the driver of the vehicle walks closer to the fire, it illuminates his features. He¡¯s a tall, somewhat muscular man, with white skin, black hair in a two-block style, a goatee, brown eyes, and a pair of glasses with a gold rim. The chauffeur is wearing a white button-up underneath a black suit jacket, black pants, and black dress shoes.


    ¡°Okay fine, but you mind helping out this fire Kyle?¡± Logan asks.


    ¡°It¡¯s Mister Veridan to you kid,¡± the chauffeur retorts.


    As the two begin to put out the fire, The Phantom makes his way closer to the vehicle. Once he does he manages to get a clear view of the night sky. A night sky filled with all the stars one wouldn¡¯t be able to see in a big city.


    The Phantom takes out his phone and aims it at the night sky.


    SNAP!


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 47 - The Tale of The Beast (1)

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of places I could begin my tale. But let¡¯s skip past all the boring stuff and jump into the fun bits,¡± Ray begins.


    A man goes flying through the window of a restaurant, another tries to flee out the front door before a whole wooden table slams into them.  Another person, crawling out of the restaurant, looks back in terror as they feel the hands of the beast grab onto their legs.


    ¡°Wait! Spare me!!!¡± The person tries to pl-


    The beast, interrupting the dialogue tag, pulls the person back into the restaurant as his screams echo out. A while later, the beast walks out of the restaurant with his knuckles covered in blood not of his own.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­..¡±


    The beast is wearing an white unbuttoned shirt, blue recently-ripped jeans, and brown rugged shoes.  He¡¯s tall for his age, hispanic, slightly muscular, has short black hair, and his piercing amber eyes scare off any would-be opponents that weren¡¯t already frightened of him.


    ¡°Say,¡± The Beastman, Ray Ramirez pants, ¡°Anyone else wanna ruin my dinner?!¡±


    ¡°Alright, this looks like a good place to start!-.¡±


    ¡°What? No, how are you just going to leave out any context?¡± Penningberg asks.


    ¡°Yeah, just tell him the story from the BEGINNING,¡± Zesti remarks.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m doing! But fine, have it your way,¡± Ray laments before deciding to be smart about it, ¡°It was December 16th of 1990 when I-¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean!¡± Zesti yells.


    ¡°Okay okay,¡± Ray sighs.


    ¡°What have I gotten myself into?¡± Ronnie wonders aloud.


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: THE TALE OF THE BEAST


    ¡°Aggravated assault, destruction of property, and breach of trust on your duties as an employee. That¡¯s barely the tip of the iceberg to the charges we can toss your way kid,¡± a police officer remarks.


    Sitting inside the police station on a wheelie chair is Ray Ramirez. His hands are in cuffs but he doesn¡¯t seem to mind. He¡¯s gotten used to these a long time ago. Several of the people he beat up are also in the station pleading their side of the story while an old man sits in a chair by the entrance.


    ¡°You know how many kids you beat up? Just be glad they aren¡¯t interested in pursuing charges.¡±


    Ray rolls his eyes as he stares at the clock, ticking away each second.


    ¡°What, aren¡¯t you gonna say anything kid?¡± The officer questions.


    ¡°Throughout my youth, I came to understand one simple fact about the world,¡± Ray remarks.


    Ray opens his mouth to speak and utters, ¡°Is self defense a crime? They¡¯re the ones who started it.¡±


    ¡°Tch, as if!¡± One of the teens yells, ¡°You ripped out my tooth!¡±


    ¡°Check the footage, I wasn¡¯t the one who swung first,¡± Ray insists.


    The others look concerned for a moment as the officer pulls up the security camera from the restaurant they fought in, ¡®Burrito Bistro¡¯. The recording shows the group of teens entering the place and harassing both the owner and an elderly patron in a suit. Ray, who was busy sweeping, said something that got the group¡¯s attention. After exchanging some words, the teens began to fight Ray which only then did the beast intervene.


    Once the footage ends, the officer glances up toward the group of teens.


    ¡°What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    All of the teens look hesitant while Ray stares at them, already expecting what¡¯s to come.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you tell the truth or fight for what you think is right¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you know who my dad is?¡± One of the teens asks, ¡°I¡¯m sure if you did, you¡¯d think differently.¡±


    ¡°...the people who come out on top¡­¡±


    The teen takes out his license and shows it to the officer. The officer stares at the license for a while before lamenting.


    ¡°It looks like the footage is corrupted,¡± the officer says, ¡°Right now, it''s your word against theirs. So why not you both agree to go your separate ways.¡±


    ¡°...are the ones with the most money and power.¡±


    ¡°What?! But we just saw the footage!-¡± Ray tries to argue as he stands up.


    Though as he does, he sees the officer reach for his taser, Ray looks around, at the group of teens all smirking at him. Their eyes looking down at him as if he was a mutt being disciplined.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have that money or power¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Ray grunts as he sits back down, ¡°But can you get me out of these damn cuffs?¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re stuck on a leash.¡±


    As the officer is taking Ray¡¯s handcuffs off of him, all the teens he fought make their way out of the station, relishing in the fact that they got away in the end. Ray goes to walk toward the entrance when he sees the old man sitting by the door.


    ¡°One that gets tighter and tighter with each breath you take.¡±


    The latino man ¨C despite being well past his prime and has skin more wrinkly than a raisin ¨C has a strong presence to him as he sits near the station¡¯s entrance. His head is completely bald save for a few strands of gray hair still clinging on, his left hand gripping onto an old wooden cane, and his amber eyes looking toward Ray with disappointment. He¡¯s only wearing a white t-shirt, brown pajama pants, and black slippers.


    ¡°You need to stay here any longer?¡± The old man asks Ray.


    ¡°No, let¡¯s go home Abuelo,¡± Ray tells the old man.


    The old man, Antonio Ramirez, stands up and walks out of the station with his grandson.


    _________________________________


    Antonio drives an old beige minivan down the roads he¡¯s been down many times before. Neither he nor his grandson speak. The only source of noise in the car comes from the air blowing from the vents.


    Eventually, as Antonio reaches a red light, the old man breaks the silence, ¡°Retire from the force after 50 years and you¡¯d think I¡¯d still work there with how often I show up there.¡±


    ¡°Listen Abuelo, it¡¯s not-¡±


    ¡°Your fault? You don¡¯t think I heard what was going on back there?¡± Antonio grunts, ¡°I may be old but I¡¯m not that old to be deaf.¡±


    ¡°Really? Could¡¯ve fooled me,¡± Ray grumbles as he slouches deeper into the car¡¯s beige foam chair.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I heard that pendejo.¡±


    ¡°My grandfather was the one who raised me, it was hard for both of us. What was supposed to be his retirement fund ended up going towards raising me, and by the time I was a sophomore in High School it had been run dry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna take a while for Mister Garcia to repair the damages at the restaurant. You know any jobs I can get that pay as much?¡± Ray questions.


    ¡°I talked with him and he said he¡¯s willing to pay you while the restaurant is closed,¡± Antonio remarks, ¡°If I were you, I¡¯d focus on your schoolwork.¡±


    ¡°Like school¡¯s ever helped me.¡±


    ¡°But we made it by the best we could.¡±


    ¡°Listen mijo, high school¡¯s going to pass you by quicker than you think. The grades you earn, the experiences you have, and the friends you make will define you for a long time,¡± Antonio remarks, ¡°It¡¯s not going to last forever, so make sure you use that time you have right now wisely.¡±


    ¡°Or at least, tried to.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the fuss all about now?¡± Ray groans, ¡°I don¡¯t need to worry about making ¡®high school count¡¯. My grades are fine and its gonna be over in just a few years.¡±


    ¡°Just trying to give you some advice.¡±


    Silence once more returns to the car as Antonio continues to drive the car down the street. Ray looks over to his grandfather before resting his head on his hand and looking forward onto the street.


    _________________________


    ¡°To be honest, school wasn¡¯t kind to me either.¡±


    The next day at school, Ray is standing in the teacher¡¯s lounge of Starlight High while being scolded by his math teacher, Wilsten Jefferson. Jefferson has white skin that¡¯s beginning to show wrinkles, balding black hair, and brown eyes. He tosses Ray¡¯s previous tests in the boy¡¯s face while he sits in his chair.


    ¡°You damn brat, do you know how many tests you¡¯ve failed in my class? Do you think school is some sort of joke?¡± Wilsten Jefferson yells.


    ¡°I always ended up being the student with some of the worst grades, and instead of teaching me, most would use it as a way to ridicule me.¡±


    Ray bites his tongue, knowing if he spoke up things would get more heated.


    ¡°After all, why would someone care to take a dog off their leash?¡±


    ¡°Fine, fail my class, see if I care,¡± Jefferson remarks as he turns to work on something on his computer, ¡°I was right to not have expected anything from the likes of you. Should¡¯ve known you were a lost cause by the fact your parents never got to teach you some damn manners-¡±


    Ray, snapping at Jefferson¡¯s last remark, raises his hand and goes to bring it down onto the unsuspecting math teacher, however before he can do so, another teacher stops him.


    ¡°But, at school there was one exception when it came to the teachers.¡±


    Ray stands there looking at the other teacher standing in between him and the unsuspecting Wilsten Jefferson. He has white skin, a clean shaven face, dark black hair, a chiseled jawline, and tired eyes hidden by glasses.


    ¡°And that one exception is a teacher you know all too well.¡±


    ¡°Care to step outside for a bit?¡± the teacher, Aken Amnestor, asks.


    ______________


    Sitting on the stairs outside Starlight High, Amnestor with one hand on his coffee mug and another on Ray¡¯s math tests glances at his answers. Ray sits across from him looking up to the bright blue sky.


    ¡°It looks like most of the answers you got wrong were about sine, cosine, and tangents,¡± Amnestor remarks, ¡°You want to go over them?¡±


    Ray, continuing to look up at the sky, stays silent.


    ¡°Mister Ramirez-¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah sure, and once you magically teach me that I bet you can also teach me how to not fail English, and Chemistry, and your class,¡± Ray scoffs, ¡°Surely you can get through to a ¡®lost cause¡¯ as myself!¡±


    ¡°Ramirez,¡± Amnestor begins to say, ¡°You aren¡¯t a lost cause.¡±


    Ray glances at Amnestor confused.


    Amnestor continues, ¡°If you ask me, it¡¯s Jefferson who¡¯s the lost cause. Treating someone like an animal that can¡¯t learn despite never giving them the proper chance to is a failure of a teacher in my book¡­.just make sure you don¡¯t tell him I said that.¡±


    ¡°Amnestor¡­I-¡±


    Ray is at a loss for words, however Amnestor instead writes on a piece of notebook paper and hands it to the young teen. The note reads ¡®Class 123B, after school every Tuesday¡¯.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Ray asks.


    ¡°There¡¯s a study group meeting today once school gets out, heard your friend is a part of it,¡± Amnestor says, ¡°You should go if you have the time.¡±


    ¡°After getting an opportunity to study more, to improve as a student, from one of the few people who believed in me. I remember that I¡­¡±


    Ray looks at the note, smiles at his teacher, and responds, ¡°I will!¡±


    ¡°Lied to his face.¡±


    ________________________


    Later that day as school has ended, Ray¡¯s running out of the school as fast as he can.


    ¡°Really Ray?¡± Zesti asks.


    Ray continues down the street as he makes his way down the street, passing by a park in the process. As he does so, someone walking in the park recognizes Ray.


    ¡°Hey, I was in high school! What do you expect? Besides, I had a good reason to do so!¡± Ray tries to defend his past self.


    Reaching his destination, Ray enters the DVD rental store ¡®Pick The Flick¡¯ with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Hey! You guys got Episode 3 yet?!¡± Ray yells in anticipation.


    ¡°.....this was your ¡®good reason¡¯?¡± Sam Penningberg questions.


    ¡°No, the DVD isn¡¯t out yet,¡± the cashier groans.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Ray groans, ¡°You sure? Can you check for me new guy?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s not out yet.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­.are there any new releases I can rent though?¡±


    ¡°It was a good reason at the time!¡± Ray yells in protest.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t even have the DVD,¡± Zesti adds.


    The cashier just stares at Ray, and then stares at the wired rack with a huge ¡®NEW RELEASES¡¯ sign on it. The cashier then points at it.


    Ray looks at the large ¡®NEW RELEASES¡¯ sign and walks over to it in shame.


    As he scours the selection, Ray ends up stuck between whether to pick up the first season of ¡®Lost¡¯, the movie ¡®Hitchhiker''s Guide to the Galaxy¡¯, or ¡®Sharkboy and Lavagirl¡¯.


    ¡°Well, as I was trying to make the decision of a lifetime, I ended up crossing paths with someone that had great control over my life,¡± Ray details.


    As Ray is searching, the door to the rental shop opens as a figure waltzes on in. He¡¯s a man in his mid twenties with luscious brown hair gelled up, green youthful eyes, great looking skin, wearing a nice clean black suit over a well ironed white-button up, and an unlit cigarette in his mouth.


    ¡°Ah, I knew my eyes weren¡¯t deceiving me,¡± the man laughs as he slings an arm around Ray¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Ray, Ray, Ray, I see you¡¯re really interested in movies. Huh? Tryna be a movie star?¡±


    ¡°No, I was just trying to watch a movie today,¡± Ray explains, ¡°They have a free return policy if you return a rented movie 24 hours after you bought it.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? I guess it looks like you can be good with returning things on time,¡± The man remarks before leaning into Ray¡¯s ear and whispering, ¡°Unless it''s my money, of course.¡±


    ¡°Frankfurt Schulz was his name. He was a local loan shark I ended up getting entangled with. Like I said, money in my household was running dry so I had to make it by the best I could. Garcia paid well, but not enough to pay for both me and my grandfather. Every other place didn¡¯t want to hire someone so young who got into fights all the time, so that left me with one choice.¡±


    Frankfurt nudges for Ray to leave the rental store and Ray follows. The cashier is too preoccupied not caring to notice before his 3310 phone begins to ring.


    ¡°That left me taking a loan from Frankfurt.¡±


    The door to the DVD rental shop closes as Frankfurt leads Ray into an alleyway.


    ¡°Though before I knew it, the interest accumulated and I had even more money to pay off then I did before.¡±


    Ray looks to see in the alleyway are several teens around his age. The same teens he beat up the day prior.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Ray asks.


    ¡°If I were the one who was stuck on a leash.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing much,¡± Frankfurt smirks, ¡°It¡¯s just, these boys here came to me and offered up a generous deal. If you let them vent their frustrations out on you, then they¡¯ll pay off some of the interest you¡¯ve accumulated. Doesn¡¯t that sound like a fair deal?¡±


    ¡°He was the one on the other end holding onto it.¡±


    ¡°Fair deal? That¡­,¡± Ray begins to rage before swallowing his pride and accepting, ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±


    ¡°Well you heard it straight from the horse''s mouth!¡± Frankfurt laughs as he lights the cigarette in his mouth, ¡°Have at it boys!¡±


    The teens don¡¯t hesitate to bring their fists down onto Ray. Ray falls to the ground as he¡¯s continually kicked and stomped on, yet he doesn¡¯t move an inch. Instead he just looks up at the delightful grin stretched across Frankfurt¡¯s face.


    Eventually with a kick to the chin and spit being flung onto his body, the group walks away, leaving the bruised Ray Ramirez lying face down in the alleyway.


    ¡°At that moment, I thought the rest of my life was going to be like this. That it¡¯d just be treated like this again and again and again. I couldn¡¯t complain too much, I was the one who signed the loan. I was the one to blame for my misfortune. I was a lost cause. To my friends, my abuelo, my teachers, and to myself.¡±


    Ray continues lying there, covered in bruises as a figure makes their way into the alleyway.


    ¡°But then, something changed.¡±


    ¡°Wow, now you sure look like shit,¡± The person remarks.


    Ray looks back to see a teen around his age standing in the alleyway, the sunlight from the street casting him in shadows. Though as the teen steps closer and closer to Ray, he realizes something.


    It¡¯s the cashier from the DVD rental store.


    ¡°I met someone who was going to change my life forever.¡±


    Except, long gone is the uniform he sloppily had across his torso. Instead, he looks like someone from a completely different world from him.


    The teen¡¯s skin is pale white, his slightly wavy golden blonde hair has been spiked upward with a low fade on the sides of it, his split tongue hides behind a casual smirk on his face, fancy looking sunglasses with a yellow rim around them obscure his eyes, the burgundy he has on over his simple yet fancy black t-shirt looks like it costs more than the house and car Ray¡¯s grandfather owns combined, his black boots shine in a way one could only find if they never been worn before, and the only thing that looks cheap on this extravagant looking teen is a pair of old white cargo pants he has on.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Ray asks.


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m just someone who started my first day at that DVD store¡­.¡¯Choose A Movie¡¯ was it?¡±


    ¡°It was ¡®Pick The Flick¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Eh who cares, it¡¯s not like I need to work there anymore now that I found you,¡± the teen remarks.


    ¡°Me? What is it that you want? If you want me to take out a loan then I¡¯m not interested,¡± Ray grunts as he stands up.


    ¡°Oh trust me, I¡¯m not here for something as simple as trying to wring out all the money I can from you,¡± The teen begins to say as he reaches into his jacket¡¯s pocket.


    The blonde teen pulls out a pair of metal chopsticks from the pocket before he uses them to pull out a business card out from his breast pocket. He then uses the chopsticks to hand Ray the card. Ray takes a look at it.


    ¡®Casey Burns. The Enterprise Collection Agency¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m here to strike up a deal,¡± Casey Burns smirks, ¡°One where I can take you off that leash you¡¯re stuck to and transform you from a mutt into a proper beast. So what do you say? Interested in getting your fangs back?¡±


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 48 - The Tale of The Beast (2)

    ¡°So what do you say?¡± Casey Burns offers, ¡°Interested in getting your fangs back?¡±


    Ray, who¡¯s still covered in bruises and laying in the filthy alleyway, stares up at the extravagant teen ahead of him.


    ¡°Looking back, I¡¯d say this was the start,¡± Ray details.


    ¡°Why should I believe you?¡± Ray asks as he rests an arm on the side of a green dumpster, ¡°You think I¡¯m just willing to follow you after having just met you?¡±


    ¡°......Yes. And if you need more convincing, you can come meet my boss.¡±


    Ray looks toward Casey hesitantly, however pushing his concerns to the back of his mind he stands up.


    ¡°This was the start to a new era for me, and the city.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bite,¡± Ray states, ¡°But just a little until I¡¯ve made my mind up.¡±


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: THE TALE OF THE BEAST


    Arriving right outside their destination, Ray looks confused before asking, ¡°Your boss is here?¡±


    The building Ray is looking at is none other than an old preschool. The place feels like it¡¯s older than his grandfather and yet it still stands tall regardless. Several kids are exiting the preschool with their parents in tow. Ray looks at them. The smile on the kid¡¯s face as their hands hold onto their parents¡¯ is casted into the eyes of the teenaged Ray.


    ¡°In that moment, I briefly felt something that I grew all too familiar with throughout the years.¡±


    ¡°Yo Ray! You coming?¡± Casey asks as he brushes his way past the families.


    Ray pauses for a moment, before trotting behind Casey as the two enter the preschool.


    ¡°Jealousy.¡±


    As the two are inside, Ray looks down the long colorful hallway, one that feels a size too small for him. The hallway seems to stretch on forever and ever getting tinier and tinier.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me your boss is some toddler,¡± Ray groans.


    ¡°No, what are you talking about?¡± Casey questions as he knocks on a wooden door with a frosted glass window, ¡°His office is right here.¡±


    Ray takes a second to look at the nametag next to the door which reads ¡®OFFICE 101 - PRINCIPAL R. JENKINS¡¯.


    ¡°You can come on in,¡± the man inside the office approves.


    Before he opens the door, Casey turns to Ray and gives him a nugget of advice, ¡°The Architect of The Underworld, The Ruler of The Unruly, The Man Who Turned Dirt Into Gold. There¡¯s many names he¡¯s been called throughout his lifetime, but if you play your cards right, you¡¯ll get to call him ¡®boss¡¯.¡±


    With his words finished, Casey opens the door and enters the office, with Ray following soon behind. Inside Ray finds a very old aging man littered with wrinkles sitting at a desk. The man has a balding head with few white strands of hair still clinging on, brown cold eyes, and the occasional gold & silver fillings in a row of yellowed teeth. He¡¯s in an old dusty brown suit with a wilted rose in its right breast pocket and black loafers. Resting on the side of his cedar desk is his walking cane that has a skull at the top. As for what¡¯s on his desk there are several papers, a miniature of a man dropping the sun, a miniature of a man lifting up the moon, and a basket of fruit. Several college diplomas hang from the wall of the office.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­!¡± Ray begins to say as he remembers something.


    When he fought those people at Burrito Bistro, there was an old man there having food.


    But not just any old man, the same old man that¡¯s sitting across from him.


    ¡°Seems like your memory¡¯s as strong as those fists of yours kid,¡± the old man comments, ¡°Why not have a seat.¡±


    Ray is hesitant, but as Casey motions to the chair, Ray eventually complies.


    ¡°Say, what¡¯s your name? And did you plan on that fight breaking out?¡± Ray questions.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Robert Jenksin, you can call me however you¡¯d like,¡± the old man answers while lighting a cigarette, ¡°As for that fight. That was just out of happenstance. My granddaughter recommended I¡¯d go there and when I did I got treated to not only some food but a good fight. Ray Ramirez, correct?¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Yes-¡±


    ¡°To be honest my first impressions of Robert Jenksin were¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you know how old I am?¡±


    ¡°That he was someone who was more fit to be in a retirement home than as some secret mob boss or whatever.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, geriatric?¡± Ray guesses as he picks his ear.


    ¡°I¡¯m not bedridden just yet. Though I am quite old, that age has given me experience,¡± Robert Jenksin puffs, ¡°I once didn¡¯t have a cent to my name, rose to the top of the underbelly of my hometown before being kicked out to some backwards lawless land. And you want to know what I did? I helped transform that wretched land into what you see as this city now. And I¡¯ve done the same to others.¡±


    Hearing that, Ray looks at the diplomas covering the walls and realizes that all of the diplomas are from prestigious colleges¡­and each was given to a different person. One he helped turn into a success.


    ¡°Though whether it¡¯s through them no longer recognizing who got them to where they¡¯re at or my aging body, most don¡¯t seem to return what¡¯s rightfully mine. All the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars I¡¯ve dumped into them still hasn¡¯t been returned, so I need someone to collect it all back. Someone capable like yourself,¡± Mister Jenksin details, ¡°Work for me and I¡¯ll give you things you never thought possible. All of the things you thought were forever out of reach I can bring to you with a simple snap of my fingers. What do you say, kid?¡±


    With a coy grin on his face, Robert pushes a document over for Ray to take a look at. Though Ray doesn¡¯t even take a moment to read it before standing up and walking toward the door.


    ¡°At that time, I couldn¡¯t care less for this stranger and his offer.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t even going to consider it?¡± Casey questions as he reaches a hand out to stop Ray from leaving.


    Ray grits his teeth as he pushes Casey¡¯s arm away and grunts, ¡°You should¡¯ve just told me your true intentions from the start. You wouldn¡¯t have wasted my time if I knew all you wanted to do was replace the collar around my neck with a diamond collar.¡±


    ¡°The feelings I had earlier that day made me convinced that what I wanted was something not even money could obtain.¡±


    As Ray storms off, slamming the door behind him, Casey glances over to Robert.


    ¡°You want me to go after him?¡± Casey offers, ¡°You didn¡¯t even tell him who we were going after.¡±


    ¡°Leave it be,¡± Robert Jenksin remarks as he puts out his cigarette in a glass dish, ¡°It won¡¯t take long for a mutt like him to come crawling back.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t take long to realize how wrong I was.¡±


    ____________________


    As Ray walks up the steps to his and his grandfather¡¯s house, he grabs the key from his pockets and goes to unlock the door.


    ¡°Oi Abuelo, you know when Garcia said the store¡¯ll be open agai-¡± Ray begins to say as he opens the door.


    However his words evaporate from his throat as he lays his eyes inside the home to see his grandfather passed out on the ground with a bookshelf over him.


    __________________


    ¡°The next hour or so was a blur, the first thing I can properly recall is¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard hospital food was bad, but this is pretty good,¡± Frankfurt Schulz remarks as he eats a sandwich.


    ¡°Standing in a hospital with the one who pushed me down this path.¡±


    A drained and exhausted Ray Ramirez glances across from him to see the loan shark Frankfurt sitting in a chair making small talk with him. The hallway is empty save for a brown haired boy running down it.


    ¡°From what I overheard from the doctors, your grandfather seems to be recovering quite well,¡± Frankfurt remarks as he stands up and motions for Ray to follow him.


    The two enter a bathroom that¡¯s completely empty, Frankfurt walks over to the sink to wash his hands.


    ¡°Though, you know it¡¯ll be quite tough for you to pay off the medical bills when they come your way,¡± Frankfurt smirks, ¡°I¡¯m glad you called since I¡¯ll be happy to lend you a loan.¡±


    Ray falls silent.


    ¡°But you gotta make sure to pay me back,¡± Frankfurt affirms before getting an idea in his head, ¡°Say, I heard your old man¡¯s life insurance is pretty big, so that should be able to take care of the costs right? All he needs to do is hit the bucket and you¡¯ll be all fre-¡±


    Enraged, Ray goes to grab Frankfurt and slam him into the wall, however before he can do so-


    CLICK!


    A gun is pressed against the teen¡¯s head, with Frankfurt¡¯s hand on the trigger.


    ¡°Bet this is the first time you¡¯ve seen one of these before, huh?¡± Frankfurt smirks, ¡°Took a lot of favors to bring this into the city. Next time I won¡¯t have it on safety, so maybe think about whether or not you¡¯d like to meet your parents so soon before doing anything stupid. Got that Ray?¡±


    ¡°When it happened, a cold sweat spread throughout my body as my heart began to beat louder than it ever had before.¡±


    Ray is silent before he walks out of the bathroom and then begins to run down the halls of the hospital. Before he can get scolded he¡¯s already out of the hospital and running down the streets in the pouring rain.


    __________________


    Outside the preschool, Casey holds an all black umbrella for him and Robert as Robert locks up the place for the night.


    ¡°Guess your intuition was wrong Mister Jenksin,¡± Casey tells the old man, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to call up my first two picks and offer them the position tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure about that if I were you,¡± Robert Jenksin remarks as he sees a familiar teen running toward the school.


    Drenched in the unstopping rain, Ray finally reaches where Casey & Robert Jenksin are, his face looking down at the ground.


    ¡°If you ask me why I came back, to be honest I still don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, are the people I¡¯m going to be facing if I work for you strong?¡± Ray asks, ¡°Will they carry weapons? Use guns? Able to take out any opponent that stands in their way?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was out of frustration for the hand I was dealt, maybe it was to get away from Frankfurt and pay off my debt and bills, maybe it was just because I wanted to fight, or maybe something else. What I do know is that¡­¡±


    ¡°To be blunt, most of the people you¡¯ll be up against if you work for me are going to be far stronger than the average lowlife you can find in this city. This job isn¡¯t meant for someone who hides under their covers at night. Does the offer sound scary to you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­,¡± Ray pants as he lifts his head up revealing a look of ecstasy he hadn¡¯t felt prior as his heart continues to beat loudly, ¡°That sounds perfect! When do I start?¡±


    ¡°That night was the night that truly started ¡®The Era of The Beast¡¯.¡±


    A look of shock is on Casey¡¯s face as those words hit his ears, but Robert¡¯s? His face has a look of twisted delight at the fact that he got himself a new dog.


    See You Next Chapter!~

 S2 Chapter 49 - The Tale of The Beast (3)

    ¡°That night was the night that truly started ¡®The Era of The Beast¡¯.¡± Ray admits.


    It doesn¡¯t take long for Penningberg to interject, ¡°The Era of The Beast? Since when was that ever a thing?¡±


    ¡°Oh it was a thing, people called it that all the time,¡± Ray remarks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard a single person but you call it that,¡± Zesti admits.


    ¡°Well you wouldn¡¯t know them they¡¯re too unknown for you to hear about,¡± Ray sweats.


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Zesti rolls her eyes.


    ¡°So uh, can you continue the story? I promised my mom I was gonna be home soon,¡± Ronnie offers.


    ¡°Okay okay, so it was just two days after that night when I was sent out on my first job,¡± Ray details.


    The sun shines down on a surprisingly chilly September day as Ray Ramirez chows down on a large helping of a burger.


    ¡°I think I lost my appetite,¡± Casey says as he pushes his deconstructed burger away from him while Ray continues to devour his burger.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you got that deconstructed shit. That¡¯s the price you pay for being a fresa,¡± Ray retorts.


    ¡°Do you really have to talk about the meal you had beforehand?¡± Sam Penningberg questions.


    ¡°Yes and you should know why!¡± Ray adds.


    ¡°No I think it¡¯s because I saw your jaw unhinge in a way no jaw should,¡± Casey answers as he pokes his patty with his fork, ¡°Is your grandpa doing better?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah, they¡¯re saying he should be all ready to go home tomorrow,¡± Ray remarks, ¡°He got a pacemaker now so the doc says he shouldn¡¯t be falling over like that again,¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Casey remarks before looking down the street, ¡°Oh hey, looks like your coworker finally showed up.¡±


    ¡°Coworker?¡± Ray questions.


    Ray turns to see a figure approaching them. They have a slim figure, green eyes, long messy brown hair, white skin, black painted nails, a black choker, and black wristbands. The outfit they have on is an oversized grunge t-shirt that¡¯s over a long-sleeved red-black striped t-shirt, black denim pants with a gold chain in one of the pockets, and black boots.


    ¡°You never told me about having a partner,¡± Ray says before looking at his coworker, ¡°And who¡¯s this goth chick?¡±


    ¡°Goth chick?¡± Casey questions before laughing.


    Ray is confused as his new coworker introduces themself by grabbing onto their shirt.


    ¡°Hey you Northern prick, I¡¯m not Goth I¡¯m Emo!¡± The Goth- sorry I mean Emo teen vents, ¡°And I¡¯m not a chick, I¡¯m a dude!¡±


    ¡°Considering that¡¯s when we first met Pennies!¡±


    THE MIRACLE CLINIC: THE TALE OF THE BEAST


    ¡°Mister Penningberg, you were goth?!¡± Ronnie asks, surprised.


    ¡°Y-look, I thought we weren¡¯t going to bring up my ¡®phase¡¯ Ray,¡± Sam Penningberg remarks.


    ¡°And miss out on talking about your long locks? Please!¡± Ray laughs.


    The very emo looking teenaged Sam Penningberg glares at Ray while sipping on a confetti cupcake sprinkle surprise shake with a cherry on top.


    ¡°Ray, this is Sam Penningberg. Sam, this is Ray Ramirez,¡± Casey Burns introduces the two as they sit at the outdoor table of a restaurant, ¡°Now that we all got that out of the way let¡¯s-¡±


    A loud sipping noise erupts from Sam¡¯s straw as he reaches the end of his shake. He sets it down before pointing at Ray.


    ¡°You wanna tell me how this good-for-nothing from the North Side got jumbled up in this? I thought you said only the strong were able to work with you!¡± Sam Penningberg demands.


    ¡°Oh god did I really talk like that?¡± Sam wonders aloud.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Ray & Zesti both answer.


    ¡°Bosses orders, if you don¡¯t like it you can always quit,¡± Casey offers, ¡°But those MCR tickets aren¡¯t going to pay themselves y¡¯know.¡±


    Sam stops for a minute before he relaxes a bit in his chair.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was going to quit, I just wanted to know why he was here.¡±


    ¡°You took the job for some concert tickets?¡± Ronnie asks.


    ¡°Not everyone needs a deep reason to get a job, sometimes you get one in order to afford luxuries,¡± Sam Penningberg remarks.


    ¡°Well, from what Mister Jenksin told me he¡¯s good at fighting in a different way from you,¡± Casey says before explaining to Ray, ¡°This is Sam Penningberg. He¡¯s someone the boss managed to recruit over from The East Side. So with introductions out of the way let¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°Ah, so he¡¯s from The East Side,¡± Ray smirks, ¡°Now it makes sense why he¡¯s had a stick up his ass.¡±


    Infuriated, Sam leans forward and glares at Ray, ¡°I knew someone like you deserved the ol¡¯ traditional Eastern Greeting.¡±


    Angry, Ray too leans forward and glares at Sam, ¡°What¡¯s that?  Is it where you fall to the ground and beg for mercy?¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s where I beat you to a pulp-¡±


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡± Casey yells.


    Sam & Ray stop their bickering as they look toward Casey.


    ¡°I swear to god you fuckers are going to give me a headache,¡± Casey groans, ¡°Now are you toddlers done throwing a tantrum? You are? Good.¡±


    Casey reaches into his jacket¡¯s breast pocket to pull out his chopsticks before using them to take out two manilla folders hidden on the inside of his coat. One for Sam, the other for Ray.


    ¡°The first target we¡¯re going after owes over half a mill¡¯ to Mister Jenksin,¡± Casey explains, ¡°He¡¯s the coach of a swimming team over at a school here in the central district, so all we need to do is find him and ¡®remind¡¯ him to pay back what isn¡¯t his.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°A swim coach? Why did he take out a loan for half a million? Did he need to build a pool or something?¡± Sam questions as he examines the contents of the manilla folder.


    ¡°Well he isn¡¯t exactly someone with a ¡®squeaky clean¡¯ record, now is he Ramirez?¡± Casey questions with a coy smirk as he looks toward Ray Ramirez.


    Ray¡¯s eyes are filled with shock as he looks at the contents of the manilla folder that reveal the identity and information of their current target is¡­ Frankfurt Schulz.


    ¡°Surprised?¡± Casey asks the fellow teen.


    ¡°?D¨®nde est¨¢ ese pinche pendejo?¡± Ray demands as he crushes the papers into a tiny ball.


    ¡°If you read that you would¡¯ve found the answer,¡± Casey responds before adding a brief, ¡°dumbass.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Ray carefully unfolds the wad of paper and looks at the crinkled sheet to see on it is a note mentioning that he coaches his swim team every Thursday after school.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve seen a calendar lately but it¡¯s Thursday,¡± Casey begins, ¡°So what do you guys say, wanna crash a swim meet?¡±


    ___________________________


    The Kennedy Private Academy is a large private school built in the central district of the city and is home to well-off or well-gifted students ranging from Kindergarten all the way to 12th grade. However as Casey, Ray, & Sam peep into the school from the open gate they realize there¡¯s a problem here.


    Everyone in the school is wearing school uniforms.


    ¡°Why are there so many people still here? Isn¡¯t school out for the day?¡± Sam asks.


    ¡°In this school practically everyone is in a club,¡± Casey groans, ¡°But we can¡¯t exactly go in with how we¡¯re dressed. From what I¡¯ve been told, there¡¯s a student here who could be quite the problem for us if we cross paths.¡±


    ¡°So we gotta go undercover, huh?¡± Ray questions, ¡°How much do the uniforms cost?¡±


    ¡°$2,000,¡± Casey answers as he reads the student handbook.


    ¡°$2.000?!¡± Sam and Ray both yell in shock.


    The two glare at each other for a moment before Casey continues.


    ¡°That money will be pocket change for you soon enough, but I think there¡¯s another way for us to get in without raising suspicion,¡± Casey smirks as his eyes spot a nearby building.


    ____________________


    Entering the premises of the school courtyard, the students all look to see three teens their age entering the courtyard. But not just any teens. Teens wearing the red caps and aprons one could find at the nearby ¡°Papa Patriarch¡¯s Pippin¡¯ Hot Pizza¡±, with them holding several pizza boxes to boot.


    ¡°Woah! Who¡¯s club is that for?!¡± A student shouts as they all begin to surround the three teens in hope of getting a slice.


    ¡°Is it pepperoni? Sauasage?!¡±


    ¡°Can I please get a bite!¡±


    The three teens who are Ray, Sam, and Casey in disguise, try to brush off the hungry students.


    ¡°Sorry but we¡¯ve been instructed to take this to the pool,¡± Casey says, ¡°You know where we can find it?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes! It¡¯s down the main hall then go into Hallway B, then Hallway G, and then it¡¯ll be across the glass podiums,¡± a student instructs.


    ¡°I-I see, thanks,¡± Ray whispers as he and his two partners in disguise enter the school.


    With the students not following them inside, the three have time to breathe.


    ¡°I thought they weren¡¯t ever going to leave us alone!¡± Sam exhales.


    ¡°Just be thankful they didn¡¯t open the boxes to see they were empty,¡± Casey says, ¡°You ready to finally face your first ¡®client¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Do you even need to ask?¡± Ray confirms.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been itching for a fight for a while now,¡± Sam Penningberg grins.


    ¡°Well good, because I have to take care of a few other things,¡± Casey says as he turns around and walks off, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you two don¡¯t cross paths with that problem student so try and make sure that you aren¡¯t noticed by Frankfurt until he¡¯s by himself.¡±


    As Casey leaves, Ray and Sam continue down the hallway as they glare at one another.


    ¡°Why¡¯s your hair so long?¡± Ray asks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, why¡¯s your hair so short?¡± Sam rebuttals.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to be rude, I was just being curious, pendejo.¡±


    ¡°O-oh, well I don¡¯t know. I guess to make a statement? Everyone wants you to be a certain way or dress a way that fits in the norm, but being able to just deny that is nice in a way.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You thinking of growing your hair out?¡±


    ¡°What? No! That sounds like such a hassle.¡±


    ¡°True, I¡¯ve given up on making it look nice to be honest.¡±


    The two get closer to the pool.


    ¡°What did that last word mean by the way? I don¡¯t speak Spanish.¡±


    ¡°Oh ¡®pendejo¡¯ it means¡­.,¡± Ray says while thinking of a way to not bring the conversation back into arguing.


    ¡°Is it a swear word?¡±


    ¡°What? No, no. It- uh¡­ it means ¡®friend¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I see, thanks for letting me know ¡®pendejo¡¯,¡± Sam says only to have his shirt grabbed by Ray.


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!¡± Ray says as he readies an attack.


    ¡°I KNEW IT WAS A SWEAR WORD!¡± Sam shouts back as he readies a fist.


    ¡°WAY TO GO DETECTIVE, YOU FIGURED IT OUT!¡± Ray yells as he swings his fist toward Sam.


    Sam ducts out of the way causing Ray to punch the door behind him, having it swing open. The two stumble into the room as they begin to properly fight.


    ¡°Say, I bet if I kicked your ass here and now, they¡¯d probably consider a Northern scum like you a bad fit for the gig,¡± Sam says as he gets in a fighting stance Ray is unfamiliar with.


    ¡°Oh yeah? And how do you plan on knocking me out?I¡¯ve seen twigs with more muscle than you,¡± Ray rages as he rolls up his sleeves, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for those luscious locks distracting everybody it¡¯d be obvious how weak you are!¡±


    ¡°WHAT IS WITH YOU AND MY HAIR?!¡±


    ¡°WHAT IS WITH YOU AND LOOKING EXACTLY LIKE THAT TWIG STUCK UP YOUR ASS?!¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S IT, TAKE THI-¡±


    Ahem.


    Ray and Sam both stop fighting as they take a look around their surroundings to see that the area they just stumbled into is¡­.the pool room.


    Y¡¯know, the room where Frankfurt Schulz, their target is in.


    The same target they were told not to be spotted by until he was all alone.


    ¡°R-Ray?¡± Frankfurt says shocked as he stands on the other side of the pool, ¡°What are you doing here?!¡±


    Ray and Sam look around, throughout the whole room are several skinny white highschoolers in speedos and/or swim trunks who have all stopped doing whatever they were doing and just staring at the two newcomers.


    ¡°Mister Jenksin told us to-¡± Ray begins to say before Sam swoops in and covers his mouth.


    ¡°No you idiot! You can¡¯t tell him we¡¯re here to collect all that money he owes Jenksin!¡± Sam yells before turning to Frankfurt and saying just as loudly, ¡°We¡¯re working at the pizza place and we''re told to bring you guys pizzas for being such good customers!¡±


    ¡°You idiot, those pizza boxes are empty, you think they¡¯re gonna fall for that?¡± Ray retorts, also very loudly.


    ¡°LET¡¯S SEE YOU COME UP WITH A BETTER LIE!¡±


    ¡°OKAY FINE I WILL!¡± Ray yells before looking at Frankfurt, ¡°I have to do a presentation on waterboarding and figured you¡¯d be a great help!¡±


    Before Sam can talk about how awful Ray¡¯s lie was, Frankfurt lets out a resounding laugh that reverberates throughout the room.


    ¡°So that old geezer is getting back into the game after all these years,¡± Frankfurt laughs as he runs his hand through his hair, ¡°And he¡¯s got my dog and his chew toy to do his dirty work! Well, I¡¯d be!¡±


    ¡°Ch-chew toy?!¡± Sam repeats in disgust.


    Frankfurt grabs the whistle tied around his neck and blows it. As soon as he does, all of the club members save for one who¡¯s resting by the bleachers begin to approach and surround Sam & Ray.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Ray asks.


    ¡°What, you kids thought you were the only ones who could do some dirty work?¡± Frankfurt laughs, ¡°Y¡¯see, as the coach of the Boys Swim & Dive team here,  I¡¯ve managed to make a ¡®gang¡¯ for myself too. One that¡¯s untouchable. Isn¡¯t that right boys?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you tell ¡®im!¡± One of the swimmers says.


    ¡°You better get ready to be swimming with the fishies!¡± Another swimmer shouts.


    ¡°We¡¯re The Boys Swim & Dive Team! Get in the water with us and we¡¯ll swim while you DIE!¡± Yet another swimmer roars.


    Hearing that last part, Ray & Sam before burst out into laughter.


    ¡°H-hey! Don¡¯t make fun of us!¡± One of the members of the Boys Swim & Dive Team yells.


    ¡°Sorry, I just-,¡± Sam laughs, ¡°I can¡¯t take any of you seriously!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen toddlers with more menace than you lot!¡± Ray cackles.


    As Ray & Sam continue to laugh at the very ¨C and I do mean very ¨C unintimidating Boys Swim & Dive Team, the pasty white members get more and more enraged. This causes Sam & Ray to laugh even harder which just feeds into a vicious cycle of laughter and rage.


    ¡°I give you one fucking task,¡± a voice echoes out into the room.


    Everyone stops to see that the person who spoke is a figure sitting at the very top of the bleachers, in his hand is a piece of freshly baked sourdough bread. It doesn¡¯t take long for everyone in the room to recognize the figure.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s Casey Burns!¡± One of the club members shouts.


    Casey, who was getting ready to enjoy some more sourdough bread, sighs as he sees just how badly the two newbies fucked up.


    ¡°I swear to god you two have got to be the most dumbest mother fuckers on this god forsaken planet because holy shit how did you mess up such basic instructions so badly?¡± Casey exhales confidently, ¡°Well, I guess now¡¯s a good time as ever to see just how strong you two really are.¡±


    With that said, Sam & Ray look to each other as they both get into a fighting stance.


    ¡°Truce?¡± Ray offers as he lifts his fists up.


    ¡°Truce,¡± Sam takes as he gets in an unusual stance.


    As the fight is about to properly begin, Ray points toward Frankfurt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, once I¡¯m done with your ¡®boys¡¯, you¡¯re next!¡± Ray promises.


    See You Next Chapter!~