Sinful Behaviors

[DarkHououmon]

I've been writing quite a bit lately, more than I have in a while. Within the past few months, I wrote and completed 3 fanfics. 2 Code Lyoko ones (Fall and Rise) and an Animaniacs one (Running Around In Circles). This is the latest story, a ChalkZone fanfic called Sinful Behaviors.

I'm not sure how many members here know about ChalkZone or even like it. It's an old show that used to be on Nickelodeon, following the adventures of a 10 year old boy who, along with his friend Penny, have adventures in a place called ChalkZone, where chalkboard drawings come to life after they're erased in the real world. The third main character is Snap, one of Rudy's creations, a blue 'superhero'-type character. It's been about 10 years since I wrote a fanfic for this show.

Plot: "I don't think you understand your potential, Tabootie. You waste your talents on creating useless friends, prancing around as their 'hero'. But you can be more than that. Oh so much more..."




PROLOGUE-


"It...it can't be..." A woman whispered under her breath, her eyes fixated.

She sat in her chair, thinking. She tried to make sense of what she saw. She rubbed her chin, contemplating all the possibilities through her mind. Some logical explanation would make itself known. Soon, any time now...

...no, nothing could explain this. Nothing that was within her field of understanding. The 40-year old woman looked at the photograph time and time again. No amount of eye rubbing and shakes of the head could erase what she saw. It challenged everything she knew about logic and rules of physics. Had this been a CGI picture, she'd buy it. But no, this was a photograph, and none like she had ever seen before.

In the photograph was a 15 year old boy. Brown hair, wearing a dull green shirt and brown pants. He looked like he needed to see the dentist as he had buck teeth sticking out of his mouth. With him was a girl looking to be around the same age. She appeared to be hispanic, had a pair of glasses on, dirty yellow shirt with a plaid skirt, and her hair was also brown, though taking more of a reddish color.

They were standing near the chalkboard, appearing to be erasing it. Nothing unusual there. But there was more to it than that. If it had just been that, she would have given the person who gave her the photo a good slap on the wrist for wasting her time. No, what was of interest wasn't the teenagers specifically, but what was in the photo with them.

She had to look really closely, but she saw something appearing to almost...glow behind the geography map covering part of the chalkboard. It was subtle, but it was enough to send an alarm bell ringing in the woman's mind. There would not have been any light source to produce that. It was clear where the light source was coming from. She could see the outline of a hole.

And that wasn't the only thing she noticed...

Something blue was visible in the hole. It was really hard to tell. There wasn't much of the hole revealed. But she could have sworn she could see a blue-colored face staring at the children.

In her mind, the woman had to wonder if there was a room hidden behind the chalkboard. It would explain everything, the glowing light and the mysterious figure. He could be a friend or acquaintance wanting to scare the two teenagers. Even at that age, they can still be a little immature, so she'd expect such behavior from them.

Yet something didn't add up. She had been to this school before. She had seen enough of its architecture to know a hidden room just wasn't possible. And what teacher could use a hidden room anyway? And how did that blue boy get in this supposed room? There would have been no place, unless he crawled in. But what kind of room only has a circular opening? What's the purpose?

Something else seemed off about this blue boy. Something she didn't notice until she brought out a magnifying glass and peered closer. Something was off about his body. There appeared to be a sort of outline...Outline? But people don't have outlines... Why did this boy have it? And why did it look porous, almost like a...chalk drawing?

The woman stared, mouth open, as she fell back against her chair. Could it really be possible? All the sanity in her told her it was impossible. Yet here was the evidence before her. The photograph wasn't altered. She had been given the camera by the guy she hired and got the pictures developed. This was the real deal.

She tried to keep her heart from racing and rubbed her head, fighting off the ache that was starting to take her. This started out as such a simple project. They were documenting student misconduct, photographing students that had broken school rules. Granted they were supposed to get permission from the students to be photographed, but the man she sent out to take the photos didn't care about that.

And now she wasn't sure if she was happy or deeply disturbed. Never once, in this routine 'find a story for the paper' had she expected something like this. Could she really send this to the newspaper? What if the...the thing she saw was a chalk drawing come to life?

As absurd as that sounded, she didn't want to take the chance this get out to public. A riot was the last thing she wanted. But...she couldn't just keep this to herself, could she? No, this was too...incredible to just keep to herself. Who could she tell? Who would believe her?

She almost jerked in surprise when a large hand rested on her shoulder.

"What is the matter, Ms. Saffron?"

She looked up, staring into familiar eyes. Where had he come from? How long had he watched her before doing anything?

"Mr. Cosmo, I..."

Without asking permission, he grabbed the photograph from her hands and examined it. From the expression on his face, it was clear he had noticed the same thing she did. But instead of being horrified like she expected, or outright question it, a smile, almost eerie, crept across his face.

He murmured in a near inaudible voice, "So...there's another..." He looked over at her. "Prepare for long nights, Ms. Saffron. We are going to be busy, you and I."

She scooted out of her seat. "Sir, what are you planning?"

His foosteps ceased. He gave her a sideways glance. "You will see..."

[DarkWolf91]

Ah, Chalk Zone! It was one of my favorite shows, I haven't thought about it in a while. It's definitely cool to see a sort of darker spin on it. I'm interested to read more

[DarkHououmon]

I recently got back into ChalkZone after rewatching Skrawl's Song. Skrawl is one of my favorite kids' show villains. I enjoy the banter between him and his creator (sort of), Rudy.

I'll probably post the first chapter soon, since I have 9 chapters written already.

[DarkWolf91]

Ah, I don't think I've ever seen that episode! I shall have to do a thorough watch of the series

Cool! I'll definitely read it.

[DarkHououmon]

I should have been more clear. Skrawl's Song isn't the name of an episode; it's a song number from the episode The Skrawl, which marks the first appearance of Skrawl. Sorry about the confusion.

[DarkHououmon]

CHAPTER 1: APPLY YOURSELF RUDY-


A small bottle was lifted up into the air. Inside, a clear liquid rolled back and forth. The lid keeping it inside was soon removed. The bottle tilted to the side. Gravity went to work. The liquid flowed down towards the opening. It dripped out of the front like a leaky faucet and down into a small cup sitting down below. The liquid stopped only when it reached the half way point of the cup.

Seconds later, something cylinder and white was dropped into the liquid. It floated, no, sank to the bottom like a heavy rock. There it rested as a torrent of white shot out from its sides. The reaction was violent at first, but soon it calmed down. The white torrents still occurred, but at a much slower pace. It would go on like this for a very long time, if it were allowed.

But there was no time for that, not where this was taking place.

"Ta-dah!" Rudy exclaimed proudly, his arms outstretched like he had performed some kind of miracle. "And that is what happens when you mix chalk with vinegar!"

Rudy wasn't sure what he was expecting, but dead silence wasn't one of them. None of the students looked impressed with his experiment. Well it wasn't that he expected them to be, but he had hoped that they would at least compliment on his attempt. It was still a reaction, wasn't it?

He could hear grumblings from Mr. Wilter. Rudy couldn't believe that he was still stuck with the same teacher from five years ago. Every year he would return to school, there was Mr. Wilter. It was okay at first, but then as years passed, it became harder to sneak anything by him. And just how was he getting these promotions anyway?

He found his thoughts interrupted when Mr. Wilter began to speak. Rudy's ears were aching from the familiar ring of Wilter's yelling.

"Mr. Tabootie! That was the worst experiment I have ever seen!" Mr. Wilter's eyes seemed to bore into Rudy. "If you had done this experiment in the sixth grade, I might have considered giving you an admirable grade. But Rudy, you are fifteen years old and this is the best you can come up with? How shameful! Maybe if you spent more time studying than watching cartoons, you would have come up with a more age appropriant experiment!"

Rudy could hear chuckling from students behind him. He glanced over his shoulder. Everyone was sniggering at him, except Penny of course. He heard a few comments like 'What a lame-o, thinking that would get him a winning grade', 'Man how did this kid get this far?', and 'He's just as stupid as I've heard.' He tried not to let those words get to him. He concentrated any anger he felt into a brief shudder that, thankfully, Wilter did not notice.

"So...I'm getting an F, aren't I?" Rudy said softly.

A silence. Then a reply. "..no."

Rudy looked up in surprise. "No?"

Mr. Wilter shook his head. "As much as I am appalled by your lack of effort, I'll give you a passing grade. C+!"

A C+? That wasn't what he wanted. Rudy wanted at least a B-. He felt a wave of disappointment strike him. He should be happy to be getting a passing grade. He had been coming home with F's too often. Even a C+ would bring a smile to his parents' faces.

But he couldn't bring himself to be happy. He wanted a better grade. He wanted to show his parents and his classmates he was capable of getting good grades despite being a 'mere artist'. He should have gone with something better. Why hadn't he gone with Snap's idea and do a volcano experiment instead? That would have at least been more impressive to look at.

"Next time, I expect more from you, Rudy. I think you can be quite the capable young man if you spend some time away from your...art...and more time on things actually important, like your work." Mr. Wilter said.

Rudy turned his head away, a frown finding its way on there. Again with the art insults. It was bad enough the students gave him a hard time for it. Why did Mr. Wilter feel the need to deride him for it, too?

"Take your seat Rudy." Mr. Wilter said as he stacked some paper together.

Rudy returned to his seat in less of a good mood than he was before. He watched as the next student, whose name he always forgot, impressed and wowed many of his classmates, and even Mr. Wilter. Rudy didn't know what he did. He had his head turned. He was not in the mood to see the other experiments, for they were just a painful reminder of how things could have gone if he had put more effort into his work.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Penny, who sat just behind him, gave him a reassuring smile. Rudy, despite his bad mood, smiled back. If there was any experiment he wouldn't mind seeing, it would be whatever she dished out. His smile faded. Why hadn't he asked Penny for help? Why did he insist on doing his own thing? Things seem to work better when they are partnered up. Maybe it was because she was more no-nonsense than him and actually got the work done.

"You give it your best shot, Rudy." Penny said, leaning forward so Rudy could hear her better without her drawing attention from Mr. Wilter.

"Yeah, but it could have been better." Rudy murmured under his breath.

"It's the thought that counts." Penny replied. "A C+ is better than an F. Sure, it isn't exactly a great grade, but think of it this way. It's going to raise your grade point average a little. That is something at least, isn't it?"

"You heard Mr. Wilter. My love of 'stupid cartoons' is making me stupid." Rudy said. It was more of a slip of the tongue, but it still got the message across.

Penny shook her head. "You know that's not true, Rudy."

As Penny searched for something to cheer Rudy up with, they both were startled by the sound of something heavy falling and hitting the tile floor. The two students looked left and ride, eyes widened, frantically looking for the sound, as if some predator were about to lung at them.

They immediately stopped when the sound of laughter swept through the room. The two finally saw a book near Mr. Wilter's desk. Mr. Wilter was standing right in front of it, his eyes looking through at them. It took seconds for them to realize what had happened. With the laughter all around them, they began to sink down into their seats.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Mr. Wilter asked, hands on his hips. The laughter had stopped as soon as Mr. Wilter spoke. "Or are you two lovebirds finished now?"

At the word 'lovebirds', a blush developed on both Rudy's and Penny's faces, which caused a few extra sniggers from some classmates.

Mr. Wilter pointed at Penny. "Ms. Sanchez, since you are so eager to speak, why don't you do your experiment next?"

Penny stammered. "W-Well I..."

Mr. Wilter leaned toward her, almost towering over her. "Or did you take some lessons from Mr. Tabootie and slacked off?"

Penny glared at him. She wanted to defend Rudy, but knew that Mr. Wilter rarely ever apologized. Instead, she took in a deep breath and got out of her seat. She took a few steps towards the front. She stopped next to Mr. Wilter.

In a harsh whisper, she said, "Okay..I will..."

Mr. Wilter blinked at her. He said nothing and returne to his seat. He got out a pen and watched as Penny started her experiment.

sss

After class, the bell rang for lunch time. For many students, this ring was like taking ice cream on a hot summer day. It was the only time in school where students didn't have to listen to a teacher blab on about something. Recess didn't exist for the older students, which was a source of frustration for many. Rudy especially, as it meant he had less time for ChalkZone.

Speaking of ChalkZone, that had been on Penny's mind since they sat down to eat. It was the very thing she had wanted to tell Rudy about earlier, until they were interrupted by Mr. Wilter. Her own mood was soured by what the man had said about Rudy. But ChalkZone usually brightened up her day, as well as Rudy's.

And today was a very special day, for two reasons.

"What do you say we take a trip to ChalkZone after school?" Penny suggested as she chewed on a carrot stick.

Rudy fiddled around with a small piece of meat on his plate. He still looked forelorn from earlier. "I dunno Penny... I mean usually I am for going to ChalkZone, but not today."

"Huh?" Penny looked genuinely surprised. "But you love going to ChalkZone."

"Sorry Penny. I'm just worried about what my folks are going to say." Rudy said, staring at his food. "I promised them I'd get a good grade..."

"And you did. So stop moping about it." Penny placed her hand on his. "And if it really troubles you that much, I'll help you next time, okay?"

Rudy did start feeling a little better. Penny usually knew what to say to drive out any feeling of doubt he was having. She was right. There was no point in being upset about it. What's done is done. He straightened himself up and offered the best smile he could at the time.

"Thanks Penny." He paused, and said, "So was there a particular reason you wanted to go to ChalkZone? Or is it just my 'get better soon' gift?" He gave her a wink.

Penny chuckled and shook her head. "No, silly...well yes I want you to feel better and a trip to ChalkZone usually does the trick. But there's more to it this time, than that. Today is a special day, Rudy." He looked at her with a perplexed expression. Penny tilted her head. "What? You don't remember? Rudy, it's the seventh year anniversary that you found ChalkZone."

Rudy's eyes widened. "I totally forgot..."

"And that also means that it's Snap's seventh birthday." Penny added.

Rudy stared at Penny in disbelief. He felt like a total jerk for forgetting this stuff. There was no excuse. Even though he was busy with school, he felt he should have paid more attention to the dates. Had Snap made plans already? Had he been too late now? Rudy struggled against the thoughts multiplying in his head.

Yes, yes, he was remembering now. Snap had spoke to him a few days ago about his upcoming birthday. He had been planning a birthday bash with all his friends and invited both Rudy and Penny to show up.

"I can't believe you forgot." Penny said, the tone of her voice backing up what she said. "ChalkZone and Snap mean a lot to you. How did it slip your..." She paused and thought about it. It had been a rough few days due to all the school work they had to deal with, so she kind of understood how he could have forgotten. "Well anyway, did you wanna go? As if I have to ask."

"Of course I do. I just wish that Snap would have planned his party on the same day as the anniversary." Rudy said with a smile.

He recalled Snap specifically wanted the party the day after. It amused him every year Snap does this. He insisted on being more recognized and felt that having the celebration on the same day as the anniversary would 'cramp his style', though Rudy thought it was because people would be more focused on Rudy's anniversary of finding ChalkZone than on some blue superhero boy.

"You know how Snap can be." Penny said as she finished up her lunch. She looked up at the analog clock hanging on the wall. "Lunch time is almost over. We should get ready to leave."

Rudy nodded. "The good thing about lunch is that it is in the middle of the day. Only a couple more hours of school left and we are home free."

sss

School was finally over. The final bell at rung. Students ran out of the doors, eager to return home. Even some of the older students displayed a similar eagerness to run outside after the final bell rang. And Rudy certainly was no exception. He was running down the halls, not being able to waste another second in that dingy building. He couldn't wait to get out of there and into the chalk world, where everything was always bright and colorful.

He stopped in the hallway when he heard someone talking pretty loudly. He recognized the voice as Mr. Wilter. He frowned as that name floated in his mind. Oh how he would love to prove him wrong, to show him he is just as capable as any of his 'prize' students.

Despite his mind screaming at him to leave, Rudy felt an unusual compelling to listen into Mr. Wilter's conversation. What could it hurt? Not like he would be surprised by anything that man said. It was probably another argument with a parent about cartoons. Although still angry, Rudy sometimes found Wilter's almost paranoia of cartoons to be a source of hilarity.

He leaned himself against the door to Mr. Wilter's room. He pressed his hear flat against it and strained to hear the conversation. With most teachers, this would be hard to do. But with Mr. Wilter, it was almost assured that one could hear practically every word he said.

"Who is calling me? I am busy right now grading my students...oh it's you! I'm sorry, Mr. Cosmo. I didn't realize that today was...oh you want to come to the school tomorrow? Why? Oh, I see. Yes, yes, you are fully welcome to come to my classroom. I assure you that you will be...okay I understand you're busy too. I will see you tomorrow, Mr. Cosmo."

A clang and Rudy knew the conversation was over. The name Mr. Cosmo sounded familiar. It alluded him as to what it was, though. If this person was friends with Mr. Wilter, he wasn't sure if he would like him very much. And knowing Mr. Wilter, they would not get a notice of the man's visit until the day of the visit.

He gave himself a mental reminder to let Penny know of the visit. She always liked to know things ahead of time so she can prepare herself and look good. He didn't fully understand it, but he didn't question it.

He took a few steps before something hit him like a ton of bricks. He suddenly remembered who Mr. Cosmo was and why he sounded so familiar.

He was a reporter he heard about a few months ago. Or rather, he ran a small news group, but still did some reporting of his own, off and on. That was about as much as Rudy knew about him. The fact that he was involved with a news crew filled him with unease. Could he be looking at another Terry incident?

Now he knew he really had to tell Penny about this. And Snap. He could only hope that Mr. Cosmo is as easy to foil as Terry was.

[DarkWolf91]

Aaah, ok, I understand. I've only seen about half of the series, so I'm not surprised I missed it

Ooooh, suspense. I like the set up so far. Interested to see where it goes

[DarkHououmon]

CHAPTER 2-THIS IS SNAP'S PARTY?-


"Penny, I look absolutely ridiculous!" Rudy complained from inside the closet.

Penny stood in front of the closet, tapping her toes. "Oh come on, Rudy, it's not that bad! Come on out!"

But Rudy was being very stubborn. She heard him lean loudly against the door and she imagined he was crossing his arms. "No way! Not until you let me wear what I want!"

Penny walked up to the closet and knocked on it a few times. Not that she thought it would work, but they were in a bit of a hurry. "Snap's party is going to start soon! He'll be upset if we aren't there in time! You don't want to disappoint him, do you?"

"No, and I don't want to humiliate him either by showing up in this." Rudy said.

"But we'll look so cute together!" Penny said.

"No!"

Penny frowned. She had to find some way to get Rudy to come out. They didn't have much time left to get to ChalkZone. She understood that he would never want to disappoint Snap, but that was the very reason he didn't want to go in his...current state. He must really believe he'd upset Snap especially if he showed up dressed the way he was. For a moment, she thought of giving in and letting him dress the way he wants to.

No, she wanted to be firm with him on this. She had planned these outfits for a few months. She wished Rudy wouldn't be so difficult and step out of his comfort zone once in a while. She did that for him once a year ago. Now it was time for him to return the favor.

She looked over at the chalkboard. A smile crept onto her face. She knew exactly how to get Rudy to come out. She went over to the door and swung it open, then began to slam her feet into the ground to try to sound larger than she was.

Then she put on her best Mrs. Tabootie impression.

"Rrruuudy! Dear? Where are yooouuu?"

No surprise, Rudy didn't come out. Likely he was so embarrassed he didn't even trust his own mother seeing him like that. No matter, Penny had expected this and had another trick up her sleeve. Making sure she still sounded loud, she went up to the chalkboard and grabbed a piece of ordinary chalk.

"Ruuudyyy? Honeyyy? Come on ouuut!"

Penny took the chalk and pressed it against the board. She slowly drew a circle, the squeaky sound of chalk against board clearly heard. She dropped the chalk on the ground and kicked a few things over to resemble stumbling back.

"R-Rudy? What is this?" Penny gripped the chalk board and swung it around and pushed it forcefully back down. "I think I need to take my meds! Oh wait I have none...I need some now! Wait I can go in? What happens if I..."

Practically on cue, the closet door swung open. A resounding "No!" echoed out of Rudy's mouth as he rushed out to stop his mother...

...dressed as a flower.

Rudy stopped when he realized he had been had. He saw Penny leaning against the chalkboard, smirking almost smugly. He could have sworn her eyes were screaming at him 'I got you good didn't I'. As the shock of what happened left him, it was soon replaced by anger.

"Penny! How could you?!" Rudy pointed a finger at her. "You know we never joke around with that stuff! What if it was the real deal?!"

Penny seized his hand before he could go back to the closet. "I know, and I'm sorry. But it was the only way to get you to come out." She dragged Rudy towards the chalkboard. "Come on, we'll be late for Snap's party if we don't hurry up."

"But...I look...stupid." Rudy complained.

"Well I think you look cute." Penny smiled at him.

Rudy looked at her, surprised. "R-Really?"

Penny nodded her head. She looped an arm around him and pulled him close. "Well of course I do, silly!" Her smile broaded when she saw him return hers with his own goofy smile. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, causing them to turn red. "And I'm going to be your bumble bee." She pulled out a hat with two antennas attached to it. "So we'll look silly together."

Rudy was in a daze for a few seconds due to the kiss. He regained his composure and, feeling encouraged by Penny, picked up the magic chalk. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

He drew a portal and the two climbed inside. Rudy made sure to erase the portal just in case his parents happened into his room. It was one thing when it was just Penny, but the real deal was no joke. He had left a note behind just in case htey went into his bedroom, but he wasn't sure how long that would fool them.

As Rudy and Penny walked around in ChalkZone, they noticed a long line of zoners, all going in the same direction. The two were impressed, and a little disturbed, by how long the line was. If this was the line to Snap's party, they couldn't fathom at just how their little blue friend was going to fit all these people into his home, or even Rapsheeba's home.

Rudy walked up to one of the zoners in line. He tapped his shoulder to get his attention. "Uh, excuse me? Could you tell me what this line is for?"

The zoner, with a big smile on his face, said, "It's for Snap's birthday!"

Rudy slumped his shoulders. "That figures. When it comes to him, Snap wants everything big, doesn't he?"

"Yep!" The zoner said. He made a motion with his arms, spreading them outward. "He's invited everyone in ChalkZone!"

Rudy and Penny were shocked. Startled, they took a step back. They glanced back at the line. Everyone in ChalkZone? Just what kind of party was this? Snap had insisted on a costume party because he felt they were the most fun to host. But costume parties were usually not this large. Just what was Snap doing?

Another thought crossed their minds. If he invited everyone, wouldn't that mean that some less desirables, like Skrawl and Craniac 4, were going to show up? Then again, they couldn't imagine either of them going. Skrawl always hid some place and only occassionaly came out to attempt a scheme, and Craniac 4 was always busy in his Dome Of The Future to bother with anything fun.

The zoner seemed to almost hear their thoughts. "And don't worry, he didn't invite any of your enemies. He said they would spoil his moment."

Penny giggled. "Yeah, that sounds like Snap alright." She glanced at the line. "But look at this line. It will take us forever just to get in!"

Rudy nodded. "Yeah I know. And I don't know if my note will fool my parents forever."

Penny asked, "What did you write in the note?"

"That you and I went out shopping." Rudy admitted. When he saw Penny's expression, he sighed. "Yeah I know. I don't think my parents would believe the story of us going down to the minimall in town for five hours, or however long this party will last."

Another zoner, female this time, waved to Rudy and Penny to get their attention. Once she did, she said, "Oh you two don't have to wait in line! Snap says he put you two on the VIP list. You can go on ahead!"

"Really?" Rudy and Penny said in unison, smiling and looking relieved.

The second zoner nodded her head. She pointed at the direction the people were heading in. "Just follow the line down there! Biclops will let you in!"

"Okay thanks!" Rudy waved at the zoner as he and Penny walked along the line. He wiped his forehead. "Phew, that's a relief!"

Penny said, "Agreed. I guess Snap may have foreseen this predicament and thought ahead."

Rudy smirked at her. "Or maybe he just wants to share his big moment with his closest real worlder friends."

Penny pointed at him. "Yeah, there is that."

They walked along the line for about fifteen minutes. The line was much longer than they thought it was. Up and down hills it went. They were starting to get a little tired when they heard the sound of Biclops's voice. They must finally be at the entrance now.

They ran around the corner and stopped dead in their tracks. There was Biclops alright. He was letting everyone in one by one, wishing them all to have a good time. But behind Biclops was the reason the two teenagers had stopped.

"Well...I guess that is how he was going to get everyone in..." Rudy whispered under his breath, Penny nodding in agreement.

It wasn't a house Snap was having the party in. It was a mansion. The biggest mansion they had ever laid eyes on. The thing looked almost like a skyscraper with how tall it was, and it was about as wide. It was so large that Rudy could easily see it fitting almost every zoner into it. It was even large enough for Biclops to squeeze through.

Rudy never recalled this being here before. It must have been recently drawn, perhaps by someone with big ambitions for the future. Indeed, it looked like this house could support everything, even a farm and an indoor lake.

"Hey Rudy, Penny!" Biclops spotted them and waved to them to come forward. "I was expecting you two!" He gestured for them to go into the mansion. "Snap is waiting for you inside. Go on in!"

The two waved at Biclops and headed into the mansion. The doors were massive, as if they were made for someone Biclops's size. And inside was just as impressive. The structure reminded them of a mall, except the shops would be much larger and more elaborate here. Several huge light chandeliers hung overhead, lighting the mansion's ballroom.

There was an upper level above them. A twin pair of red carpeted staircases spiraled above them and met at the opposite sides of the floor above them. They could see more stairs above them, about ten pairs at least, which gave them some idea at how many floors this mansion had.

Every part of this mansion was impressive to look at. Even something as simple as the ballroom. It was just one large room, like any other ballroom, but it was very fancy, complete with beautiful lighting and well placed tall windows. At a glance, it looked like Snap was throwing a sophisticated party, but the other costumed zoners dancing wildly and the presence of fried food such as crispy chicken threw that idea out the window.

"Amazing." Rudy said, the place feeling more massive than it looked. "Snap sure knows how to pick the right houses to throw parties in."

"Wow..." Penny said as they walked slowly around the mansion. She looked around. "This place is humongous!"

"Well of course it is!"

The two swerved around and saw Snap standing there. Unlike the others, he was not wearing a costume. He was standing next to one of the windows. He was smiling very widely at the two, as if he had been waiting for them forever and was plain happy to see them now.

"Snap!" Rudy said. He and Penny walked up to him. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks, Rudy!" Snap said. When Penny followed suit, he gave a small nod to her. "And thank you, too, Penny. I'm glad you two could show up!" He paused as he stared at Rudy's flower costume. "Uh..Bucko? Why are you dressed like that?"

Rudy blushed slightly. He shook his head in Penny's direction. "It was her idea."

Snap glanced over at Penny. He finally took notice of her bumblebee costume. "Oh..." He saw how uncomfortable Rudy looked. Wanting to cheer him up, he said, "Well, you two do look cute together."

Rudy perked up almost immediately. "Thanks, Snap."

"No prob!" Snap grinned.

"Snap, why aren't you wearing a costume? Wasn't this a costume party?" Penny asked, holding her hands to her sides in confusion.

"Me? In a costume? Nah!" Snap said, waving his hand in front of himself. "If I wear a costume, how will everyone know it is me? How can I be a star if I just blend in with everyone?" He knocked himself gently on the head. "Come on! This is my chance at the big time! Now is the time for me to stand out and get the attention I deserve!"

Penny smiled sly at him. "Is that why you chose a mansion to hold the party in? Was it so you could fit all your ego in one place?"

Snap glared at her. "Buckette...You are so lucky I consider you a good friend, or I would..."

Penny gave a small laugh. "Oh come on, Snap, you know I was just joking!"

Snap cooled down quickly. Almost too quickly, but given what day it was, he just wanted to have a good time, not waste it on pitiful anger. "What are you two waiting for? Let's dance!"

"D-Dance?" Rudy said. He looked over at Snap, but he had already disappeared. He was doing some good moves with Rapsheeba on the dance floor. He glanced at Penny and noticed she was smiling at him. "But I..." He gulped. "I don't..."

"Don't be modest, Rudy. I know you can dance!" Penny said.

"But never in a flower costume!" Rudy exclaimed. He looked around at everyone. "What if I look stupid?"

Penny grabbed his two hands and began to pull him onto the dance floor. "You'll be fine! Just relax, trust me."

Soon the two were in the middle of the dance floor. Some of the other zoners made room for them. Penny held onto Rudy's hand while her other was placed at his waist. She guided him through the dancing as some zoners cheered them on.

The sound of the others faded away in Rudy's mind. As the dancing continued, he just focused on Penny. Her vibrant face lightened up his mood. He had forgotten about his embarassment. He forgot some zoners were watching him and her dance. He forgot about his anxiety of dancing in a large room wearing a flower costume. All that was in his mind now was Penny.

"Feeling better now, Rudy?" Penny asked.

Blushing, Rudy said, "Yeah..now I am..."

sss

The party lasted hours into the night. Rudy and Penny didn't stay long enough to see how it ended. They remained for about two hours, dancing, partying, just having a great time. It really did lift Rudy's mood and he had forgotten about the fiasco at school, with what Mr. Wilter had said.

It was difficult to leave. They wanted to remain for the games Snap had planned, as well as him opening his gifts, which was always entertaining with how he reacts to each one as if he were in a drama club. But they had no choice. If their parents found them gone for too long, especially if they came back during dark hours, they would never hear the end of it.

Rudy and Penny came through a new portal drawn on Rudy's chalkboard and it was quickly erased. They took turns and changed back into their own clothes in the closet, keeping the costumes in there for the time being.

Before they had time to do anything, Rudy's mother shouted, "Rrruuudy! Is that you? Come on down, there is someone who wants to speak to yooouuu!"

Rudy winced at that. "Oh it must be Mr. Wilter. Probably going to convince my parents to send me to summer school or something."

With no choice, he and Penny headed down the stairs. They entered the kitchen where Rudy's parents were waiting.

Rudy was surprised that it wasn't Mr. Wilter at all, but he wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse. Instead, there was a woman sitting at the dinner table. He was relieved that it wasn't Terry again, though this woman did not look familiar to him. Who was she and what did she want?

"Rudy, this is Ms. Saffron." Mr. Tabootie said, gesturing a hand at the woman. "She's a reporter, and she said she wanted to talk to you."

Rudy's eyes widened. "A...a reporter?" He looked at Penny. She looked just as worried.

"Hello Rudy Tabootie." Ms. Saffron said calmly. She signaled for the boy to come up to her. "Sit down. I have some questions to ask you."

[DarkWolf91]

Another suspenseful ending
I'm liking the character interaction, Snap is as funny as ever. Good stuff

[DarkHououmon]

CHAPTER 3: OVERSTEPPING YOUR BOUNDARIES-




Rudy was at a loss of what to think. He felt a pressure in his chest. A weird feeling rising inside of him. It was uncomfortable and he tried to fight it. The sudden appearance of this woman, being thrust in this predicament so soon after such a great party, it didn't mix well in his mind. The shift was so jarring he could feel his head hurting and he was feeling a little queezy.

He worried that Ms. Saffron worked for Terry. It was very possible. Terry may have been considered a nutcase by many, and most were wise not to listen to her. Even her old partner, whom helped her kidnap Snap, had turned his back on her. But Terry was unpredictable; she could have added another player to her game.

But maybe he was just misjudging Ms. Saffron. After all, he didn't know why she was here. For all he knew, it may just be for something considerably small, such as his opinion on the current state of the roads or something. Okay, that is a bit of an exaggeration; he doubted a reporter would ask a 15 year old boy something like that. Still, it could just be something small, nothing to worry about.

Rudy found his way to the kitchen table. His mind was so focused on this woman, he didn't realize Penny had moved in behind him. With no place to sit, she just hung back behind Rudy. Neither of Rudy's parents asked her to leave and the reporter didn't seem upset with her presence.

Rudy bit his tongue to keep himself from looking too much on edge. Admittingly, the Terry incident had left him with a sour taste for reporters, and Penny and Snap didn't blame him. Terry had nearly revealed the existance of ChalkZone. And before that, she had folded Snap up like he was some sort of blanket and shoved into her purse. That kind of treatment of Snap, who he looked at as a sort of little brother he never had, rubbed Rudy the wrong way.

There was silence for a while. No one said anything. The reporter looked as if she were struggling to find the words to say. This sent an alarm to both Rudy and Penny. What was she so hesitant about? Could she really believe in the chalk world like Terry? Could she have come here to interrogate them, get them to reveal its location? And in front of Rudy's parents, it would be hard to come up with lies that wouldn't contradict with what they say. What if they screw up and say something completely different than they told Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie?

Rudy and Penny had been keeping ChalkZone a secret for years, Rudy two years longer. The lies they had to tell their parents, as well as everyone else, was staggering. They just piled up and up. It would be so easy and slip up and say something contrary to what they said before. And while it was possible that the people they told won't remember exactly what they said, there was still the possibility that at least someone would, and that could potentially be enough to cause a stir. Especially if said person were very vocal about it.

The silence was finally broken with the sound of the reporter clearing her throat. She got out a notepad and a pen and set it in front of her. She interlocked her fingers and leaned forward slightly, her eyes staring into Rudy's.

"Rudy...how is your school life?"

That question shattered all the tension out from Rudy and Penny's bodies. School? Is that what this is about? They started to feel a little foolish, and even wanted to laugh a little. They had been worried for the past few minutes, thinking of worst case scenarios and questioning some of their plans in the past.

And yet it turns out this reporter was going to ask questions regarding school. Nothing about ChalkZone. They couldn't feel more relieved. Rudy immediately looked more relaxed and even smiled a little. Answering questions about his time in school isn't what he had in mind, but it was better than what he thought he'd be doing.

"Yeah, school is fine." Rudy put his finger in the palm of his hands, tapping as he began to name some things off. "I get up in the morning. I get dressed. I go to school. Slave away for half the day. I come home, hang out with Penny, do my work, sleep. And I begin the cycle all over again."

Ms. Saffron nodded her head once. "Yes, that is standard for students. I expected you to go. But that isn't what I was getting at, Rudy." She took one look at Rudy's confused expression and raised her head up a little. "I will rephrase my question. How are you performing in school?"

Rudy blinked. Whatever comfort he obtained earlier was gone. "I...I am doing fine..."

Ms. Saffron raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Rudy said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "What is it any of your business?"

"That's strange, because I spoke with your teacher, Mr. Wilter." Rudy's eyes widened at this. Ms. Saffron continued before she would be interrupted by questions. "And he told me that you are one of the worst performing students he's had. He ranted on and on regarding you paying more attention to art than to the rest of your subjects. Judging from that..." Ms. Saffron's eyes narrowed. "...I don't think your school life is just fine, Rudy."

"Excuse me." Penny interrupted, holding out a hand to draw the woman's attention to her. "But what exactly are you doing a report on if it requires talking to Rudy about his school performance?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know too." Mr. Tabootie said.

Mrs. Tabootie couldn't agree more. "Enlighten us." Her tone had an underlining hint of anger, as if she was not happy about where this was going. "We would be most interested."

Ms. Saffron sucked in a deep breath. Her expression hardened a little, showing she was not joking about what she was about to say next. Her fingers fumbled for the pen as she formulated her thoughts in her mind.

"I am doing a report on student performance in school. I've interviewed several students based on their academic performance, from best...to worst." She almost glared in Rudy's direction as she said this. "The report is crucial into figuring out how to improve our education system. The only type of person left I need to report is the school deliquent. Someone who performs exceptionally terrible."

She saw the looks in the others' eyes. Rudy's parents looked visibly angered. And they hardly ever get truly angry. One must really try to tick them off. Penny looked shocked, but also clearly upset. And Rudy...Rudy was just staring at her with widened eyes.

Ms. Saffron continued, "I have taken an interest in you, Rudy Tabootie. Granted, you aren't the worst student at your school. No, there's a few others with worse grades. But you...you are by far the most interesting delinquent I could find. Because unlike the others, you aren't failing because you're stupid. You're failing because you are obviously making stupid choices. You are keeping yourself a failure. And that is why I have taken great interest in talking to you, Rudy Tabootie."

Rudy stared blankly at Ms. Saffron, watching her almost mocking smile spread on her face, as he felt the full impact of what was said hit him. It was amazing how much a negative comment about him could practically erase all previously happy memories. He forgot about Snap's party. He forgot about Penny's encouraging words. All he could think of now was what Ms. Saffron said.

He normally didn't let it bother him. Some other students teased him about his grades. He usually let it roll off his back. It helped that adventures with Penny and Snap helped him forget all that.

The reporter's words caused all those hurtful words to come back tenfold. It hurt him. It stung him deeply. He didn't want to be thought of and remembered as the purposeful failure, the person who deliberately failed. He didn't want to be remembered as the guy who could have made a difference in his life, but did not. He tried to push out the taunting words. They would not leave him.

Ms. Saffron's words didn't just impacted Rudy. If Rudy's parents were hiding their anger before, they let it be known crystal clear.

Mr. Tabootie slammed his hand against the table, shaking it slightly. Once he had Ms. Saffron's attention, he said, "Now just a gosh darn minute! Are you saying you came all this way just to humiliate our boy?!"

"Well I..."

"I just don't believe it. The nerve of people like you!" Mrs. Tabootie waggled her finger back and forth as if she were scolding a child. "Coming here and tormenting my Rudy just so you can make a quick buck at your news station! The things you reporters come up with for a so-called good story!"

Penny decided to chime in. "Rudy is not stupid!" She put a comforting hand on his shoulder, staring firmly at the woman who caused his current state of mind. "You don't know anything about him!"

Ms. Saffron just shrugged her shoulders. "I never said I did. That is why I wanted to ask him questions." She paused, and then said, "I also did not say he was stupid. But he still qualifies as a delinquint in my eyes and..."

Mrs. Tabootie gripped Ms. Saffron by her business suit and yanked her from the seat. "What you think does not matter here, missy! I will not let you sit around her toiling with my son's mind with your lies! I want you to get out of my house. Now!"

As she was being pushed towards the door, Ms. Saffron still offered up some resistance. She planted her feet firmly on the ground. She gripped the sides of the kitchen entrance. She pushed back on Mrs. Tabootie until she released her.

"You don't understand! This research is very important! It can help students everywhere!" The reporter glanced momentarily at Rudy. "Including your son!"

Mr. Tabootie stood next to his wife. "My son doesn't need your kind of help!" In agreement, his wife and Penny nodded. "Now do us all a favor and get out of here..."

Ms. Saffron opened her mouth to speak, but soon shut it. Everyone in the room, except Rudy, were still glaring at her. If they could shoot beams, she'd surely be burnt to a crisp by now. She let out a soft sigh, realizing she had overstepped her boundaries. She turned around to leave, but then she paused and looked over her shoulder, directly at Rudy.

With what could be best described as an apologetic look, she said in a barely audible voice, "...be careful, kid."

As soon as they heard the door close, and knew the reporter was gone, Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie turned to each other.

"Can you believe the nerve of that woman?" Mrs. Tabootie grumbled.

"Some people are so insensitive!" Mr. Tabootie agreed. He turned and looked at Rudy. "Are you going to be okay, son?"

Rudy, who had been in something of a trance, snapped out of it and nodded his head wearily. "Yeah...I'll be okay, dad."

His voice didn't sound sincere, and his dad caught it. "Well, if you ever need to talk someone, we'll be here. You can tell your mother and I anything."

"That's right, dear." Mrs. Tabootie went over and gave Rudy a hug. "Don't listen to anything that...reporter said about you, okay?"

"Oh...okay..." Rudy mumbled, his eyes downcast.

Penny leaned in towards Rudy. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Rudy looked at her. She was surprised by the near absence of emotion that were in his eyes. "I told you, I'm fine. I just..need to rest."

When Rudy reached his room, he collapsed on his bed. He couldn't believe what he had been told by the reporter. No one had ever called him a delinquent before, not even Mr. Wilter. And he realized, with a lump in his throat, that it was because he didn't fit a delinquent profile, not in his eyes. He hadn't thought of it then, but now he realized there was another reason why his parents got so angry at Ms. Saffron.

A delinquent was a juvenile who commited acts of crime and was uncontrollable by authority. Now the woman's words sounded all that much more harsher. She wasn't just calling him a failure. She was calling him a criminal.

For someone whose job was to protect an entire world, unseen and unknown by most people in the real world, being called a criminal didn't exactly bring warm feelings. And what was worse, perhaps he really was a delinquent.

How many times had he broken in somewhere? What of the times he trespassed? Or the time he had tampered with the mail due to his own mistake? Granted, he had no malicious intentions. But that wouldn't matter to a cop. Heck, he had gotten himself and Penny nearly arrested when he trespassed on an old school to get some love letter for his dad. The officer seemed willing to allow Vinnie to press charges against him; he only stopped when Vinnie seemed to have lost his mind.

He looked over at the chalkboard. He thought about going back into ChalkZone. Snap's party, which he knew was still going on, might be able to cheer him up again.

He soon put his head down. No, he didn't want to go ChalkZone, not now. A good night's sleep would help him feel better. Yes, tomorrow would be a better day...

...except for Mr. Cosmo. He had forgotten all about that man. He was going to be at the school tomorrow. And he was another reporter, just like Ms. Saffron. A sickening feeling rose in his gut. Was he going to interrogate him, too? Did he think of him as a delinquent, like Ms. Saffron called him?

In a split second, Rudy snapped his eyes wide. He had forgotten to tell Penny and Snap about this man. Snap, he could tell later, but he needed to tell Penny now. In an instant, he let go of what transpired in the kitchen, his mind now filled with dread as he realized he may have to deal with a second reporter. He was about to get up and go get her when he heard a knock on his door. Opening it, he was relieved to see it was Penny.

"Rudy, I..."

Rudy cut her off. "Penny, I'm glad you came up here!"

Penny looked surprised. In what looked like a matter of seconds, Rudy went from being depressed to suddenly being more alert. It was almost like he had forgotten about what that nasty woman called him.

"What is it Rudy?" She asked.

"On the way home from school today," Rudy explained. "I overheard Mr. Wilter talking to some guy. It turned out to be Mr. Cosmo!"

"Mr. Cosmo? Isn't he a renouned reporter?" Penny asked.

Rudy nodded. "Yes, and he's coming at our school tomorrow!"

"Oh my..."

Rudy had the same thoughts. Just his luck. This is just what they needed. Another reporter to worry about. They didn't know what to expect. One reporter was bad enough, but two? They would have to be on full alert tomorrow. Until they knew his intentions, they would not put their guard down around him.

[DarkWolf91]

I do like how you used this chapter to build on Rudy's insecurities. Good stuff, it's definitely intriguing  

[DarkHououmon]

CHAPTER 4: AND AN EGO TO MATCH-


Ms. Saffron groaned in frustration as it started to rain heavily. "Well that's just great. The weather didn't forecast this!" She pressed a button on her car, activating the windshield wipers.

Even with the wipers' help, it was still hard to see. The rain was coming down hard. There was so much of it, she could see the roads were covered in a sheet of water. She could see the millions of ripples move through the extremely shallow water as the rain droplets hit.

The liquid made steering a little more difficult. She hated it when it rained. Her news van's size made it harder to drive in. She did have an option for one better built for all weather, but no, she had to go cheap and get this piece of junk. Oh well, nothing she can do about it now.

She started thinking about Mr. Cosmo's plans. They were...unpredictable to say the least. If she hadn't known him well, she would have thought he was joking. The way he wanted to execute his scheme was quite different than she had expected, feeling like it involved leaping through a lot of holes and relying on luck.

Yet despite her skepticism, she still agreed to help him. He promised that he wouldn't let this discovery spring onto the public. He said he wanted to be secretive just like she wanted. He had guaranteed, with all that was about to unfold, the public would be none the wiser.

A part of her had some doubts, but she fought not to let it show. She had worked with Mr. Cosmo for years and he certainly earned her respect. She trusted his judgment and knew when he was speaking the truth. And, to an extent, she felt safe with Mr. Cosmo. Before she worked with him, she had to compete with some rival reporters who had given her a hard time. Mr. Cosmo took her under his wing and the rest was history.

A questioning of her loyalty to him felt like a back stab to her. How could she doubt him after all he had done for her? How dare she begin to doubt him when he had proven himself time and again to her?

But then, this time was different. They were dealing with something that no one else knew about, save for two children. This something was so different, so bizarre, she couldn't help but feel frightened by it. It was something that she didn't want to be publicized, at least not until more about it was understood and the risk factors taken note of.

They were dealing with a world made of chalk. Just how was she supposed to digest this information? How were she and Mr. Cosmo supposed to treat it, react to it? These thoughts plagued her mind as she went to pick him up from his house.

She parked in front of the large pale yellow house. She looked at the house as she waited for Mr. Cosmo to come out. They didn't have much time. School started soon and Mr. Wilter was expecting him to show up. At most, they had about ten minutes to spare. But she wasn't too concerned; Mr. Cosmo was usually on time about stuff like this.

As she waited, she stared at his house being bombarded by the rain droplets. It, along with the yellow color, made the house appear to almost glow. In a sense, it felt almost symbolic to her. Mr. Cosmo was the one person she could trust the most, the one person who had made her life feel better. The glow made his house appear almost like a safe haven, inviting and comforting. It was almost...beautiful.

She shook her head. No, she couldn't get lost in that. Not now, when she had important work to get done. She had her own instructions of what to do after Mr. Cosmo went into the classroom. She mustn't lose sight of that.

A minute later, she saw the door open. Mr. Cosmo came out, holding only a dark blue umbrella to shield himself from the rain. He was dressed a little differently. A little more informal. She guessed it was because he was going to a school. The dress code wasn't as strict there as it is down at the news station. She also guessed it was because he wanted to make himself look friendlier and more approachable to the students. Perhaps it was to keep those teenagers, Rudy and Penny, off guard.

Mr. Cosmo got into the passenger's seat. He folded up his umbrella and placed it next to him. He gave her a single nod to start driving. She pressed the gas pedal, aiming to go as fast as she could without causing the vehicle to topple over.

"Whoa there." He said, a little surprised by how fast they were moving already. "We have plenty of time to get there!"

"But the school will..." Saffron said.

"I'm not due to appear in the classroom until about an hour from now. So please, slow down." He said in a soothing voice.

As she slowed down to a much more comfortable pace, Ms. Saffron's mind went to the boy, Rudy. The meeting the other day hadn't gone exactly as planned. She had been prepared for resistance. She had expected the boy to snap at her. What she hadn't expected was him turning so silent suddenly after she told him the reason she was there. And the reaction from his parents was a tad more extreme than what she thought she'd encounter.

And a part of her was actually relieved about that. Had they not reacted like that, she would have had to say more to Rudy, and by that point, she actually had nothing else to add. She hadn't come prepared with questions. She was simply following Mr. Cosmo's orders, which she still couldn't make sense of.

She decided to bring it up.

"Mr. Cosmo, sir?" When the man looked at her, she asked, "Why did you want me to talk to Rudy the other day? Why did you want me to make it sound like he had been sought out for some news story about grades?"

Mr. Cosmo was silent for a moment. She couldn't look at him since she was driving, but she guessed he was leaning back in the chair, deep in thought. The van on the way to the school was not the perfect place to discuss this, but she knew if she didn't say something now, it would eat away at her the whole time she waited for Mr. Cosmo to leave the school.

When Mr. Cosmo spoke, Ms. Saffron was not sure how to react.

"It was important to gauge the boy's reaction."

Ms. Saffron wanted to stare at him wide-eyed, yet her eyes remained glued on the road for obvious reasons. The boy's reaction? What did that have to do with anything?

"Excuse me? Care to explain?"

"Certainly." The man said, sounding not at all annoyed with her questioning. "In order for me to go forth with my plan, I needed to see how the boy reacted to negative stimuli. Specifically, an insult."

"Is that why you wanted me to call him a delinquent?" Ms. Saffron said, a tone of disgust in her voice. She absolutely hated using that term on the boy. It was way too harsh. It didn't at all fit what he was, or did it? She didn't know much about the boy. Still, she hated what she said to him and this was one idea of Mr. Cosmo's that she definitely did not agree with.

The man said in an almost nonchalant manner, "Well yes. You see, I need to know how...fragile his mind is." He tapped his fingers together once, looking out the window and seeing some students walk to school in the rain. The building was straight up ahead. "The weaker the mind, the easier it is to...work with them so to speak."

Ms. Saffron gave him a quick sideways glance. Her eyes widened. What was this man's plan? Was he talking about what she thought?

"How...what are you..." She stammered, unable to come up with a coherant question.

Mr. Cosmo chuckled. "I had a feeling you would be confused. Don't worry, all will be explained in due time."

She slowed down as they were coming to the turn for the school. As she entered, her mind was invaded with new thoughts, most of them not so pretty. While she still trusted Mr. Cosmo, a part of her was questioning him even more. And to think that he wanted the boy's feelings to be hurt, it was distasteful in her mind. She had never been angry at the man before. This was a first.

When they parked, she kept the doors locked. She was not done talking to him yet. And like he said, they still had time. She needed to understand what his motivations are. They weren't what she had expected. And why did his plans involve that little boy? She understood questioning him about this chalk world, but for the love of Pete, why did it have to involve calling him a criminal and angering his loved ones?

"Before I let you out," Ms. Saffron said softly. Any sign of respect she had for the man was temporarily lost in the anger that was starting to fill her mind. She fought to keep it under control. "Will you tell me how shattering that boy's mind will benefit you?"

Mr. Cosmo took not of a few shakes of fury from the woman. Yet he did not react to her piercing glare. He had expected a reaction like this from her, and he was prepared with a reply almost immediately. "A weak mind is easier to mold, you see. Any information I want from the child, I can get knowing how his mind reacts to harsh comments. Understanding his reactions, how he deals with such comments, is key to knowing for certain that he's hiding something, which then can be used against him should he try to resist."

"I very much doubt he would tell you anything, even if you confronted him with any evidence." Ms. Saffron said softly. She was starting to cool down a little, but she was still angry at Mr. Cosmo.

"True, quite true." Mr. Cosmo nodded his head. "Which is why I don't plan on confronting him...not yet." He ran his hand along his umbrella, unfastening the belt that kept the umbrella flat. "Which is why, with some knowledge with how his mind works, based on the information you so helpfully gave me, I have other ways of getting what I want."

Ms. Saffron didn't stop glaring at him. "I don't see how you can possibly think this convoluted plan of yours will work. It was still crazy before, but this...how are you certain you won't fail?"

The ego radiating off of Mr. Cosmo as he simply smiled at her was astounding. If she had known Snap, she would have believed his ego rivaled the blue boy's.

"You will just need to trust me on this, Ms. Saffron. I am fully confident that, when the time comes, Rudy will reveal what I want to know." He glances over at her as the doors are finally unlocked. "But if you don't believe me, time will reveal all. Yes, time will confirm whether or not my ideas are 'too convoluted' to work."

Ms. Saffron sighed deeply, refusing to look at him. In a voice that sounded almost defeated, she said, "Just go. I'll get started on that assignment you wanted."

A grin plastered on the man's face. "Great! And don't worry. It'll all work out in the long run."

As she watched the man enter the school, Ms. Saffron shook her head slowly from side to side. "I sure hope you know what you're talking about, sir..."

sss

Penny was worried. There were many things that concerned her right now. There was school. Always having to study to keep up her good grades and make her family happy. There was the upcoming test which she needed to study for. Outside of school, there was a family reunion planned in a few months. Although a way's away in the future, and no matter how many times she went to one of these reunions, she was always nervous, afraid of saying the wrong thing and making a fool of herself. It was times like these she felt like Rudy did when he danced with that flower costume on.

She was also worried about the reporter coming to the school. She heard some students talking in the hallways, stating to see the guy at the school. If he was there already, she had to be on her guard. Every so often, she would look over her shoulder, expecting to be tailored by the reporter and a cameraman, like how Terry did with her. Even something as simple as turning a corner, she had to take extra precaution just in case she was being followed.

But above all, she was worried about Rudy.

He hadn't spoken much after he told her about Mr. Cosmo's visit at the school. His mind may have gone back to what Ms. Saffron said. She wanted to stay and comfort him, but her parents were expecting her. Reluctantly, she had to leave him. He seemed to understand, even smiling and waving goodbye to her. But that smile, she could tell it was fake.

She had tried to speak to him as they walked into the school together. He didn't reply. She felt bad for him. She understood the sting of words and how much they can hurt. She had to deal with that herself, with people mocking her for wearing glasses. Seems archaic, but she would attest to any doubters that, yes, there still exists people who give others a hard time wearing glasses.

But her issues were small compared to Rudy's, at least with her. All she wanted to do was find a way to make him happy again. But with him being silent, she didn't know how she'd be able to accomplish that. Perhaps she would have better luck in class, before Mr. Wilter came in.

Penny took her seat behind Rudy. She hesitated, biting her lip. From behind here, it was hard to tell if he was still upset or not. At least to someone who didn't know him well enough. Penny had been Rudy's close friend for years. She could tell, by his body language, that he was troubled by something.

She reached over and touched his shoulder to get his attention. The boy turned to look at her. He put on a smile, which she could tell was just as fake as the one he gave her when she left.

"What is it, Penny?" He asked her.

"Rudy, I was just wondering..." She paused, trying to think of the words to say. "Are you sure you are okay? You still seem...upset."

Rudy's fake smile faded, reflecting his true mood. His eyes faced towards the ground. Knowing he couldn't lie to her, he said, "Yeah, I guess you could say that. But now isn't the time to talk about it, Penny."

Penny understood. But she still wanted to make an attempt to comfort him. Seeing him so sad made her upset as well. "Ms. Saffron is wrong about you, Rudy. Please, don't let her words get to you like this. I know you better than that. I..."

"I get it, Penny!" Rudy was a little snippier than he meant to be. He sighed and turned his head away. "I'm sorry, Penny. I didn't mean to... Well..." His expression hardened a little. "I understand you want to cheer me up. I do appreciate your words, Penny. I do. But that woman...she..."

Sensing there was something Rudy wanted to confess to her, Penny leaned closer towards him. "Rudy?"

"She may have been right about me, Penny...she may have been right." His answer came in a harsh whisper, a slight shiver to it.

Penny's eys widened at this. "Rudy..how can you say that?"

Rudy looked at her. He said, "Penny...do you have any idea how many rules we broke g..." He stopped himself before he mentioned ChalkZone in class, worried someone will hear.

"That doesn't make you a criminal, Rudy." Penny tried to explain. "You had no choice. You didn't cause harm to anyone."

"Yeah...I know..."

Penny could tell he was still upset. She wanted to continue speaking with him, but she was interrupted as the door swung open. Everyone, including her and Rudy, snapped to attention, watching as Mr. Wilter walked in the front of the class, his arms tucked behind his back.

"Class, as I am sure you are aware, we have a special visitor today." Mr. Wilter said.

Penny and Rudy winced, knowing who this 'visitor' was. Their eyes slowly turned towards the door. They could see a shadow falling upon it.

"He has come here because he has something important to tell you all." Mr. Wilter continued. He took one step to the side and turned towards the door. "I am sure we will all learn something from his visit. Please welcome..."

The wait for the man to enter the room was agonizing for Rudy and Penny. The man slowly walked in, taking as much time as he could as if he wanted to prolong this moment. He stopped in the middle of the room. A smile came onto his face and he raised a hand to greet the classroom.

"Mr. Cosmo."

"Hello, students." Mr. Cosmo said politely. "There is something I would like to talk to you all about."

Rudy tried not to cringe when Mr. Cosmo's eyes met his.

[DarkHououmon]

CHAPTER 5-I BRING YOU A PROPOSITION:


Mr. Cosmo smiled as he noticed Rudy's reaction. Just like how he expected him to look. It was amazing how powerful a simple gaze could be. And just like he hoped, the girl, Penny he believed her name was, was looking just as shocked. He kept his gaze from her, instead focusing on Rudy. He studied the boy, reading his expression as he mentally thought about how he was going to handle him.

He dared not stare at the boy too long. A gaze held after a length of time would invoke suspicion from Mr. Wilter. In truth, he didn't consider Wilter a close friend. He had little understanding of what he was going to do, and the less he knew of his motives, the better. The other students might get suspicious as well. It would be hard to pull off anything if half the dang school distrusted him.

He had to play it safe and cool. In a swift motion, he turned his head away from the boy. He turned his gaze onto Mr. Wilter. The man had moved aside, sitting back down in his seat. Mr. Wilter looked up at him and motioned with his hand for him to start.

Mr. Cosmo had prepared for this moment. In his mind, he rehearsed it over and over again. Being here, it was different. Had it not been for his gigantic ego, he would have faltered and stumbled, which may or may not have exposed him. With a single clearing of the throat, he began to speak, his professional speech lessons paying off.

"Greetings, as you all may know, I am Mr. Cosmo of...well I don't really need to go into details. Most of you already know who I am. Now I am sure you are all wondering why a renowned reporter like myself is doing here."

Mr. Cosmo glanced at the classroom as whole. Everyone was looking at him with curiosity, well except Rudy and Penny who were clearly hiding any indication they were skeptical. He continued his speech that he replayed in his mind many times on the way to the school.

"My fellow co-reporter, Ms. Saffron, has scoped out some of the students in this region and spoken to them. It is with great concern that I tell you all that she has noticed an alarming rate of students dropping their performance. Only a small portion of the students she found have been doing well in school. This is worrying considering not too long ago, this area had high education standards."

The reactions were just what the reporter had expected. Most of the students didn't seem to care. How could they? They were still a little too young to understand. A few of them did, he was sure. He wasn't dumb enough to believe no student was uncaring. But he was smart enough to know that students, as a whole, wouldn't be too concerned at this age.

Mr. Wilter looked visibly upset. He had never had the guy frown at him like that before. He didn't blame him. After all, he was a teacher here and with his own words, he had pretty much insulted the guy. A negative trend of education for the young ones can and is often traced back to not just the students' willingness to listen but also the competence of the teacher. And since Mr. Wilter prided himself with being a top of the line educator, his words didn't exactly glow in favor for him.

And out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rudy and Penny looking confused. Had they expected him to talk about something else? He was certain of that. On the inside, he smiled. He still had the upper hand here, and as long as he can keep them in the dark about what he really wanted, his plan could commence. The two teens would be none the wiser until he was ready for them to know.

And by then, it would be too late.

"But I have a solution. Now I know what you're all might be thinking. I am just a reporter, not someone who teaches. I don't have the level of experience and I couldn't possibly compete with someone like Mr. Wilter." He gestured to the man behind him. Mr. Wilter smiled a little, happy that his expertise was acknowledged. "Ms. Saffron and I have discussed a different way of teaching. Of course this would only be, for the time being, those who are struggling the most. Those who need the most help."

"And just what is this method you speak of?" Mr. Wilter asked.

"I can't tell you a whole lot." Mr. Cosmo replied. "I do not wish to give you false information. I could tell you what we had in mind, but if you were to attempt it and get negative results, you can't exactly blame us for it." He turned his gaze onto the class. "Instead, before I can inform you, Ms. Saffron and I will need one student to try our methods on. Depending on how well that student performs, we will tell you. We are certain you would benefit greatly from this information."

Mr. Wilter nodded in agreement, his fingers interlocking as his hands rested on the table. "I greatly appreciate what you are trying to do for this school, Mr. Cosmo. Did you have any idea of which student you would like to use this method on?"

Mr. Cosmo glanced to the classroom. "Well I was thinking of one of your students. If you don't mind, of course."

"Certainly not!" Mr. Wilter smiled. "I mean, of course I don't mind. I actually have someone in mind for you. He's out sick today, but there's Reggie Bullnerd. The worst student in my class. He would definitely benefit if your ideas work."

"Hmm...is there someone else?" Mr. Cosmo asked.

"Any other students of mine who don't perform well? Yes, but why?" Mr. Wilter asked. "I just gave you a suggestion. I think Reggie Bullnerd is..."

"Yes, yes, I know, but..." Mr. Cosmo gave Rudy a sideways glance. A small smile crept onto the reporter's face. "Are you sure there's no one more...deserving...?"

At this, Rudy lowered his head a little, while Penny looked at him sympathetically. Mr. Cosmo smiled at him for another second before turning his head to Mr. Wilter. He wondered if he had picked up the clue he was giving him. He still had to be as subtle as possible, so he couldn't just outright say Rudy. A few clues with body language and the right words should do it.

Mr. Wilter didn't seem to understand where he was getting at. He started at the reporter, confused. He then glanced down at his papers, probably looking at the grades of his students, to recheck to see if Reggie really was the worst student. He didn't come across any such student as he soon put the papers down and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about." Mr. Wilter said. "If there's one student here who is deserving, it's Reggie Bullnerd. You would get more potential out of him. There's a few other students of mine who do poorly, but none of them are that horrible." He spoke softly under his breath. "Even if they do draw useless cartoons..."

"What was that?" Mr. Cosmo asked, cupping a hand around his ear. "I didn't quite hear you."

Mr. Wilter blinked at him, as if wondering how he heard. Then he narrowed his eyes slightly. "That isn't any of your business, Mr. Cosmo. Now would you be so kind as to tell me what you are getting at?"

Mr. Cosmo's eyes narrowed just a tad bit. Okay, so maybe things weren't going entirely as planned. Perhaps Mr. Wilter was a little more clever than he imagined. For the plan to commence, he would need to be a little more forceful now. A little more...manipulative.

"I know it's quite easy to think this Reggie student would be the best choice for this test. And perhaps you are right. If he has the worst grades, then why not use him?" Mr. Cosmo said, his eyes upward cast and his hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "But then..." The tone of his voice changed, becoming a tad darker and more serious. "...do you think we'd be able to come out here tomorrow? What if the next time we come, Reggie isn't here? We can't exactly show up to his house either. I doubt his parents would approve of a total stranger coming to his house. The testing must be done here."

"And you will be able to do that when..." Mr. Wilter began.

Mr. Cosmo cut him off. "With all due respect, sir, does Reggie show up at school on a regular basis? Or does he skip out a lot?"

"Well I..."

"He sounds like the kind of student to do that. Maybe not all the time as he is not suspended I see." Mr. Cosmo said. He began to pace in front of the classroom. The students watched him, mostly in curiosity, while Rudy and Penny were tense. "That is why I need someone who doesn't skip out. Someone who doesn't have a potential attitude problem. Someone who understands how to do the work and just needs some extra help. A push in the right direction, if you will."

Mr. Cosmo looked at the teacher and waited for a reply. He had been struggling not to point his finger at Rudy. He hoped that, now, the man would have an idea of who he wanted. He watched as the teacher scanned his entire classroom. His expression never changed, no matter whom he looked at.

Frowning, the reporter moved back towards the teacher. He didn't foresee Mr. Wilter being this stupid. And he was supposed to be a teacher? He wouldn't understand subtlety if it came and bit him on the nose. He wondered if, even if he pointed at Rudy, that Mr. Wilter would still be clueless. Yet he still had to do this. He couldn't just take any student, no matter how bad they are, and drag them off somewhere. No, he needed permission to keep the others off of him.

In a friendly gesture, he put his arm around Mr. Wilter's shoulders. Holding out his other hand at the side, he began to make conversation with Mr. Wilter, as if making a proposition. "Would you mind if we talk out in the hallway? Where there are less distractions and more capacity to think?"

Mr. Wilter hesitated for a moment. Then he gave a nod. "Sure, I don't see why not." As he headed towards the door with Mr. Cosmo, he turned to the class and waggled a finger at them. "Now I don't want to hear a word out of any of you while I'm talking with Mr. Cosmo. If I hear just one word, you all get detention! Do you understand me?"

The classroom nodded solemnly, all of them not too keen on the idea of serving detention. Mr. Wilter might have been bluffing. He sometimes did that when he wanted to get a point across. But why take the chance?

As the teacher and reporter walked out of the room, Rudy and Penny were finally able to voice their concerns to each other, albeit in low voices so no one could hear them.

"I don't like this, Rudy." Penny said softly. "What could he be up to?"

Rudy turned his head so he could speak with Penny more easily. His expression showed not only worry like Penny's, but also a tad bit of fear. "I don't know...I don't like the way he was looking at me. It's like he knows something about me..."

Penny nodded her head. "I...I think he might know our secret, Rudy... He seems to be targeting you specifically. Out of everyone in the class...it has only been you he looked at with those eyes." She shuddered a little, clearly not wanting to think about it.

Rudy bit his lip as he turned to look at the door. It had been shut, but he could see the shadows out of the door window quite clearly. He watched as Mr. Wilter and Mr. Cosmo were chatting about something. There was little movement. Maybe a sway of the hand once or twice. But, with the angle they stood at, it was almost like they weren't talking at all.

While he could not read lips anyway, seeing the lips move in this case may have been a benefit to him. He could easily pick out when they said something similar to his own name, and he would know they were talking about him. Even though he was nervous at the idea of this man seeking him out, not knowing what he was talking about was even more nerve wracking.

If the man really did want him, his mind flooded with thoughts of what he would do. If this man knew about ChalkZone, what were his plans? Exposing ChalkZone was very much a possibility. That's what both Vinnie and Terry wanted to do when they found out about that world's existence.

Yet he knew that just because of what Vinnie and Terry did doesn't mean that is what Mr. Cosmo had planned. Rudy was more scared by not knowing, than knowing. After all, there was the belief that things that are unseen are more frightening. And he would completely agree. He had no idea what this guy was going to do. For all he knew, Mr. Cosmo was going to torture him for information and then destroy ChalkZone.

He wiped that thought out of his head. No, he couldn't get carried away in his imagination like that. Like with past threats, he needed to scope out Mr. Cosmo and understand what he is planning. He saved ChalkZone many times in the past, against many threats, both of the real world and chalk world. Mr. Cosmo wouldn't be any different than any of them. He had to believe that.

As protector of ChalkZone, he had to believe in himself.

"When we get the chance, we should warn the others in ChalkZone about this." Penny said, snapping Rudy out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, you're right, Penny." Rudy replied. "They need to know about this. If this guy is really after ChalkZone, then..."

His thoughts were cut off once again. But this time, it wasn't be cause of Penny. It was because the door had swung open, a tad too hard because it hit against the classroom wall with a tiny bit of force. The students returned their gaze in the front as the reporter and teacher came walking back in the classroom.

Rudy and Penny watched as, instead of returning to his seat, Mr. Wilter stood next to Mr. Cosmo in the front of the classroom. Mr. Wilter's hands were folded behind his back while Mr. Cosmo looked along the classroom before he began to speak.

"Mr. Wilter and I had come to the conclusion of who should be a part of this program. The person I am about to pick will have the honor of being the first to try this brand new method of tutoring. This person should be pleased that he or she will be helping students everywhere who are struggling. Do not be disappointed if I don't choose you; your time may come eventually."

Rudy could feel his heart starting to race in anxiety. He tried his best not to show his nervousness. A part of him wished that Mr. Cosmo would hurry up and announce who he picked. The other just wanted him to leave.

There was still that chance it wasn't him Mr. Cosmo wanted. That him staring at the boy was just a coincidence, or done to mess with him. There was the chance that he was getting worked up over nothing and Mr. Cosmo would leave him alone.

But then, given all he had to deal with regarding those who sought to do him or ChalkZone harm, since when did he have that kind of luck?

Mr. Wilter, who seemed to almost read his mind, said, "The student we feel would be the best candidate for Mr. Cosmo's testing is..." He looked over at Rudy and said, "Rudy Tabootie."

Hearing his name, Rudy slumped lower in his chair, his eyes widening. Penny looked at him, feeling sorry for him. Rudy looked like he wanted to disappear, to be anywhere but hear. The other students smirked at him, obviously relieved they weren't the ones chosen for this.

Rudy felt cornered. He was mentally backed up against a wall as Mr. Cosmo walked up to him. With each time the man took to get closer, the more visibly shaken Rudy started to look. Despite telling himself to be calm, telling himself that Mr. Cosmo would get more suspicious of him if he kept this up, Rudy couldn't help but give off a slight tremble.

Mr. Cosmo took notice. "Are you cold, boy?"

"Y-Yeah. I am a little cold." Rudy said, an idea formulating in his head. "I might have a fever. Mr. Wilter, I'm going to the nurse and..."

Before he could get up, Mr. Wilter slammed a fist against his desk. "You will do no such thing, Tabootie! I know you are not sick, so don't try to fake your away out of this!" Rudy lowered his head. "Good. Now go with Mr. Cosmo. He will take you to another room for the testing."

Following Mr. Cosmo's gesture, Rudy got out of his seat. He looked over at Penny. She didn't say anything, but judging by her look, she was worried about him. Rudy wanted to say something to her, but he was ushered away when Mr. Cosmo put a hand on his back.

"Don't worry, kid. This won't be too hard for you. If you are worried you will do poorly, push those thoughts out of your head." Mr. Cosmo said as he took Rudy out of the room with him. "Even someone of your level of...missing the point...would be able to get it." At this, Rudy glared at him, but the man ignored him as they continued down the school halls.

Penny stared at the now shut door. Slowly, she turned her eyes towards her desk. She didn't react as Mr. Wilter attempted to start class. She still brought out her book, but it was almost in an automatic fashion. Her mind was clearly elsewhere.

"Rudy...I hope you'll be okay."

[DarkWolf91]

Ooooh, creepy. I can't wait to see what this guy's planning, but at the same time... not sure I want to know :blink:

[DarkHououmon]

Cosmo isn't a nice guy, that's fore sure.  :blink:

I'm going to try to post chapters here a little more often, since I have so much more written.

[DarkHououmon]

CHAPTER 6: TO FOOL THE UNFOOLED-


The walk down the hallway didn't really take that long. The school wasn't that large. But walking so close to someone who might be onto him, Rudy felt like it took much longer than that. Each step seemed to take several minutes to complete. His body was tense. He dared not look at Mr. Cosmo, as if such an act would invoke him to do something terrible.

Rudy knew such a belief is silly. He was still in a public location. There were cameras in the hallways. Mr. Cosmo can't attempt anything without alerting the principal. Still, he couldn't push his fears too far back. It was true that this man could be no different than the other two, but he knew how to deal with them. Mr. Cosmo was still a mystery to him, and he still didn't know for certain if he knew about ChalkZone or not.

It didn't make him feel any better knowing he was going to be placed in a room by himself with the guy. Maybe he took out all the cameras in that room so he could interrogate him without worry. No, he couldn't do that either. Again, that would draw suspicion from the school. If the camera in one classroom did not work, the repairmen would come over and fix it. He himself had issues with the cameras in the past. When they were first installed, he and Penny knew getting to ChalkZone during school hours would be much harder, and they almost got caught once. They decided to only go to ChalkZone after school and during days off, unless it was an emergency.

Rudy kept telling himself to be calm. He couldn't let his paranoia surface. He did his best to keep a straight face and loosen up a little. He wanted Mr. Cosmo to believe there was nothing wrong with him, nothing going on at all.

And who knows? Maybe the man was telling the truth about wanting to help educate students. Maybe he really was getting worked up over nothing. Mr. Cosmo might not be as bad as he think he is. He should at least give him the benefit of the doubt first. He may have just been misinterpreting his actions.

"I see you are looking at more at ease." Mr. Cosmo stated, breaking the silence.

Rudy stammered, "Y-Yes sir."

"That's good." Mr. Cosmo smiled. "Relaxation is key to better grades. If you fret too much, you mess up more easily, aren't I right?"

Rudy nodded his head, thinking back to his C+ experiment. "Yeah, I'll say..." He hesitated, then looked up at the man. "Just what are we going to do?"

Mr. Cosmo's smile widened. "You will see. Trust me, it won't be anything you can't handle. And after all is said and done, you might have learned a thing or two..."

They finally came upon the room. There was no number. Rudy thought this was strange, but he had no time to reflect as the man pushed him gently into the room. Mr. Cosmo switched on a light.

The room was about half the size of Mr. Wilter's classroom. There were three rows of desks, three desks in each row. A green chalkboard was at the front, a tad wider than what Mr. Wilter had. A couple pieces of white chalk were there next to a back of White Lightning. The room was pretty plain looking. No posters on the walls or any diagrams or anything like that. There was a book case off to the side filled with a few books, but they looked dusty as if they hadn't been read in years.

Rudy looked around the room. He then turned to Mr. Cosmo. "Why this room? It looks old and unused."

"Well that's why, kid." Mr. Cosmo stated as he walked further into the room. He cocked his head down, staring at Rudy. "It was the only room available that I could use. Dirty, but hey it will do. Now..." He turned his eyes towards the book shelf. "...where shall we begin?"

Rudy moved over the front middle row and sat down in the desk. He rested his arms on the desk as he watched the man look over the text books. This seemed strange. Those books are likely very out of date. He was certain that all the teachers got newer editions. But then again, it wasn't like Mr. Cosmo was a teacher, so it would make sense he'd get stuck with the older editions. And did it really matter? Some of the information was still more or less accurate.

Despite wanting to give the guy a chance, there was just something about him that threw him off. Something about the way he moved, the way he looked at him, the way he talked. He didn't know if he was deliberately trying to throw him off, if he was just that bad at hiding his true intentions, or if he was just kinda creepy in general. Rudy was still on guard, just in case he tried something.

He couldn't take chances. He'd still wait to make sure the guy was a threat before he did anything. But he wasn't going to be fooled by this guy. He had encountered enough threats to know how to remain inconspicuous while at the same time keeping an eye on potential enemies. Should Mr. Cosmo prove himself to be untrustworthy, then Rudy would spring into action.

He watched as the man fumbled through the books, grunting in frustration as he tried to find some particular one. Mr. Cosmo took a step back, scratching his head. Rudy stared at him, a tad confused. Did this guy really come unprepared? It was the first day, sure, but come on. He would think that Mr. Cosmo would be more prepared than this.

The frustration from the reporter didn't last long. He lowered himself to the ground. Rudy straightened himself up to see, but he wasn't able to notice what the man was picking up from the ground until he held it up. It looked like some large text book. The coloring was a dark purple and the letters appeared to be white. Rudy squinted, but he couldn't read what was written on it, not from where he was sitting.

"Yes...yes...this book should do..." Mr. Cosmo said softly. He held the book in the crook of his arm as he walked in Rudy's direction.

Rudy attempted to read the title of the book again and this time he succeeded. It said Chemistry Made Easy. He tried to hold back a scowl. Had Mr. Wilter really gone far enough to tell Mr. Cosmo about his recent failure?

Mr. Cosmo dropped the book onto the desk. The weight sent vibrations through the chair for a brief second. It was heavier than Rudy had imagined it was. It was larger than any of his other text books. This book had to be filled with just about everything he needed to know about chemistry if that were the case, including some more obscure scenarios.

"I want you to study this book." Mr. Cosmo said as he placed his hands on top of the desk and leaned forward slightly. Rudy moved back against his seat, somewhat intimidated by the man being this close to him. "Read chapters 1 and 2 and make sure you answer all the questions."

Rudy blinked a few times. "Wait...this is it? This is your teaching method? How is..."

Mr. Cosmo snapped him a glare. Rudy closed his mouth. "I will be getting to that soon, kid. Be patient. This is just a warm up." He flipped the book open and went to the first page of chapter 1. "Now...read this. I need to go run a few errands. I already informed your teacher and principal about this and they are fine with it so long as I return shortly to keep an eye on you."

"So...all you want me to do is..." Rudy flipped through the book, still somewhat in shock. "...read?"

Mr. Cosmo nodded. "At least until I get back. My teaching method requires the use of a special instrument, which I had forgotten to bring with. I forgot to inform my assistant I was going to need it." He turned his back and started to walk towards the door. "Don't worry; I won't be gone too long. Just relax and do what you can. There is no rush."

The door shut, leaving Rudy alone in the room.

Rudy was so confused by what was going on. This was not what he had expected when he came in here. This had to be some kind of trick. He was sure of it now. Nothing about this made any sense. No teacher that he knew of here would put a student in a room all by themselves, toss them a large book to read, and then leave immediately. Something about this didn't feel right.

He wasn't surprised his teacher and principal were fooled. Neither of them were bright at times. He didn't want to sound mean; that wasn't his intention. But with all the stress they had to deal with, it wouldn't surprise him if something, one thing, slipped through. Mr. Cosmo was probably a master of manipulation, a skill that he was certain wouldn't work on him. After all, Rudy was onto him.

If Mr. Cosmo was hoping to fool him, trick him into letting his guard down, he was sadly mistaken. Rudy would be prepared for when he got back. Whatever the man was getting to use against him, Rudy would be sure to be ready.

He wanted to get out and warn Penny about what was going on. But he couldn't leave. He might run into Mr. Cosmo or a teacher in the hallway. He wasn't sure how much trouble he would be in if someone found him outside of the classroom before his time with Mr. Cosmo was done. He cursed himself for not bringing his cellphone with him. He could have texted Penny and...wait, what if he got in trouble? Texting was not allowed in schools and the cameras would catch him...

...and that's when he realized this room had no cameras. He looked around. None where in sight. Was this room so old and useless that the principal decided not to install security in it? Seems so. Rudy let out a sigh of relief. It was nice to know that he wasn't being watched. That weight was lifted off his shoulders.

Rudy went up to the door and peered outside. He looked left to right to see if Mr. Cosmo had returned. He reached down for the door handle. He grabbed and twisted it...only to realize it had been locked.

Rudy's eyes snapped wide when he realized he was trapped in this room. His mind racing, he grabbed the handle and twisted it hard. He tried to muster up as much strength as he could. His hands, slick with sweat, slipped off and he fell to the ground. He got up, rubbing his head. He stared at the door.

He had been right about this guy. He would believe a teacher would randomly give a lone student a book and tell them to study. Even that was more believable than this. No teacher would ever lock a student in the class room. That was forbidden. He didn't know all the school rules and even he knew that this was not something the principal would allow.

Rudy now understood what Mr. Cosmo was up to. He had planned on bringing over some of his lackeys and perhaps something like a lie detector to make Rudy tell him about ChalkZone. That had to be it. And with him trapped in this room, he had nowhere to go...

...except into ChalkZone. Rudy looked over at the board. Mr. Cosmo likely didn't know how ChalkZone worked. Terry did not, at least not until Rudy accidentally showed her. If the man knew, he wouldn't have left White Lightning, or any chalk, available for him to use.

He knew what he had to do. He got up out of his seat, and walked over to the chalkboard.

sss

How stupid was this child? Really, how dumb could he really be? These questions entered Mr. Cosmo's mind as he leaned back in his chair. He stared out ahead. He could see Rudy getting up out of his seat and heading towards the chalkboard.

Mr. Cosmo knew his plan was going to work anyway, but he had no idea it would have so little resistance, so few complications. It was clear the boy did not realize he could see him. The boy had no idea he was using a one way mirror, one of the oldest tricks in the book, to watch him. He would have thought the boy would catch onto this, but then, he was glad he did not.

He didn't want to further complicate his plans. Tricking Rudy this easily would surely move things along more. Rudy didn't have the slightest clue what was going on. The boy didn't realize he was falling right into Mr. Cosmo's trap. A smile spread across the reporter's face.

His eyes almost twinkled when he saw Rudy pick up a piece of chalk from the White Lightning box. The boy pressed it against the chalkboard and drew a circle. A dazzling light shined as what was clearly a portal into another realm was opened.

The man did not react too strongly. A smirk and a chuckle, and that was it. He would expect most humans to freak out the sight of something so otherworldly, so...magical for the lack of a better word. But not him. He kept himself relaxed and rational. As he saw the boy enter what he knew as a chalky world, the thoughts running through his mind revolved around how to proceed with his plan.

He didn't bother recording. No one would really believe him. He knew that. People would just dismiss it as Hollywood filmmaking. And Rudy could use it against him, claiming he made Rudy perform stunts for the movie. Mr. Cosmo would not grant the boy the opportunity to do that.

The boy had taken the bait. And even if Rudy figured out going to the chalk world was exactly what he wanted him to do, it still wouldn't be enough. The boy could never figure out what his actual plan was. And if he did, well, all the more reason to...

"Mr. Cosmo, sir." A voice said behind him.

"What is it, Ms. Saffron?" He responded, not bothering to look at her.

"I've done what you've asked me to." Ms. Saffron said.

Giving her a sideways glance, Mr. Cosmo replied, "Excellent. And the..."

"Fully described and made plainly clear." The woman reporter said. She paused. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Affirmative." Mr. Cosmo said, the smile never leaving his face. He looked back at the now empty classroom. He could still see the portal there, a light shining from it. "Rudy Tabootie has done what I expected of him. The first phase of our plan is almost complete."

"How long will that take?" Ms. Saffron asked.

Mr. Cosmo turned to her. "It all depends on how well you pulled off your end of the deal." His voice was stern and hard. "This will fail if you didn't..."

"Don't worry, I did." Ms. Saffron said. "And I followed your guidelines, too."

Mr. Cosmo smirked. "Good...good. Excellent." He looked back at the classroom. "Now..all we have to do is wait."

[DarkWolf91]

Oooh, it is ridiculous how creepy Mr. Cosmo is.

And I was definitely thinking 'No, Rudy, don't do it!' when he picked up that chalk

[DarkHououmon]

CHAPTER 7: A FAMILIAR THREAT-


Rudy felt relief wash over him as he stepped into ChalkZone. The beautiful, though chalky, scenery was a welcome sight from the prison of a classroom he had been stuck in. He felt safe in ChalkZone. He always felt safer in a world where he could draw things in midair. If Mr. Cosmo ventured in here after him, he would be in for a nasty surprise.

Rudy never exploited his powers that much. He, even years later, only used them to do good things. Defending ChalkZone is certainly one. In the real world, he couldn't really do much to defend himself from Cosmo shoud the man decide to restrain him. But in ChalkZone, just a few scribbles and Rudy could fling him back into the real world.

He would stay in ChalkZone for a while, but that would not do him any good. It wasn't just the citizens of ChalkZone that would have an issue if they were suddenly in the opposite world. Rudy himself was not exempt from the rules. He would not be able to eat or drink anything in ChalkZone, really. It would dissolve before his body could digest it, and even if he could eat or drink, there was no way chalk had any nutrients that would help him.

Rudy took a step forward, putting his hand over his eyes and looked around. His first instinct was to locate Snap and tell him what was going on. Snap was often the first zoner he told revelations to. Very rarely did he break this trend.

He didn't see Snap, so he guessed he was probably at his house. He decided to walk there. It wasn't too far from here. He took another step forward before stopping himself, eyes widened in realization.

The portal...he forgot to erase the portal.

Rudy turned around and ran back to the portal. Mr. Cosmo said he'd be gone a while, but who knew if he was telling the truth? Rudy couldn't take chances. He reached his hand through the portal and felt around for the eraser. He couldn't hold back his gasp of shock when he found there was none. But how? He was certain he saw an eraser before. Where could it have gone?

He stuck his head back into the classroom and looked around for the eraser. His eyes trailed the room and finally he spotted an eraser. It was on the ground, resting up against the wall. Rudy reached down for it. His fingertips barely grazed along the top of the eraser. All he managed to do was knock it over onto its side.

"Come on...come on..." Rudy said as he pushed himself further through the portal to grab the eraser. He almost got it when he heard a call behind him.

"Rudy! Bucko!"

In surprise, Rudy moved his head up sharply at the sound of Snap's voice. His head hit the top of the portal. He let out a cry of pain and began to rub the back of his head and neck. Portals might be interdimensional gates between worlds, but they, at least on the earth side, were quite solid around the edges. Chalkboards aren't that soft.

Rudy turned around and saw Snap running at him. He couldn't help but be a little perplexed. Snap wasn't that close to him, in fact he was still a good distance away. Yet he sounded like he was right behind him. That...was never a good sign. Rudy wondered what could have alarmed Snap so much. It couldn't be Mr. Cosmo...could it?

The blue superhero kept calling Rudy's name as he ran over the grassy and chalky ground. When he got up to Rudy, he had to take a moment and catch a breather. He hunched over, his hands on his knees, and panted heavily.

"Snap?" Rudy looked at him, eyes wide and showing great concern. "What's wrong?"

When Snap got his breath, he started jumping up and down anxiously, waving his arms in the air and pointing off to the west. "It's Skrawl! He found this...big...destroying stuff! Skrawl trying to...control it! You gotta hurry, Bucko!"

Unfortunately for Rudy, Snap talked so fast he could barely understand him. The words slurred over each other, and there was barely a pause between words.

"Whoa whoa!" Rudy motioned with his hands in front of him. "Slow down! Now what's going on? You say it has to do with Skrawl?"

Snap nodded his head rapidly. When he spoke, his words slowed down somewhat, but he still spoke a little fast. "Yes! I was just wondering around, minding my own business, when something large, brown and furry, nearly ran me over! So I hid in the bushes, you see, and I saw Skrawl chasing after the thing, saying how he was going to harness the beast's power!"

Rudy snapped his head back. "What?!"

"Yeah! And that's not all!" Snap jumped up and down. "Skrawl's chase of the beast has caused it to stampede into town! A few buildings are a little knocked up and in one there's a huge whole in the wall!" Snap waved his hands wildly to emphasis that last statement. "Then the beast, when trying to escape Skrawl, just trampled over some other zoners, including Rapsheeba!"

"Is everyone okay?" Rudy asked worriedly.

Snap said, "Yeah, for the most part. Bruised, but okay." He latched onto Rudy, who was now much taller than himself, and gripped onto his shirt. Rudy had to bend himself backwards as Snap put his face close to his. "You gotta do something, Rudy! If Skrawl gets a hold of that thing...with that kind of power..." Snap began flailing his arms. "Rudy you gotta draw something!"

Rudy picked up Snap and put him down. "Okay! Where is this beast now? Do you know?"

"Yes! Follow me!" Snap said, grabbing Rudy by the arm and dragging him away.

Rudy followed closely behind Snap. He completely forgot about erasing the portal. He forgot about warning Snap about Mr. Cosmo. Right now, there was only one thing on his mind, and that was preventing Skrawl from attempting another scheme to take over ChalkZone.

What was with that guy, anyway? For five years, he has been trying to take over ChalkZone. He hardly ever tries anything different. It was either take over ChalkZone, or find ways to eliminate him and his friends. It was like the guy had nothing better to do.

He did used to fear Skrawl, at first, in the beginning. The jellybean, or potato, or whatever he was, did manage to trick him and many others into a museum and nearly dropped them into the Waitin' Sea, and they only won by pure luck and chance. But the more he faced Skrawl, the more predictable he became. He still took him seriously, no doubt about that. But his overall fear of the stubborn and repetitive zoner weakened over the years.

Well, Skrawl certainly was dedicated. Rudy had to give him that. To persistantly go after the same goals for years, that took dedication. He certainly couldn't say Skrawl wasn't focused. But it was still getting tiring having to clean up his mess all the time. It got to the point where he thought of a permanent solution.

He shook his head to get rid of that thought. No, he supposed to be a savior of this zone, not some kind of merciless bringer of justice. He couldn't do that. Such a thing was forbidden. If he did it, the citizens of ChalkZone would probably hate him, even if Skrawl deserved it.

His thoughts were interrupted by Snap suddenly grabbing onto his arm. Rudy, upon hearing Snap's cry to get his attention, looked over at where his blue friend was pointing.

Up ahead, he could see Skrawl. Oddly, he wasn't accompanied by his Beanie Boys this time. That came off as suspicious to Rudy. Skrawl rarely went anywhere without his henchmen. He wouldn't leave them behind on the pretense of them being stupid, because they weren't. As goofie as the Beanie Boys looked, they weren't incompetent and were good at their job. So what would be the reason to leave them behind this time?

He ignored that little detail to focus on what the jellybean was doing now. He was running around in a circle in a somewhat open field with very few bushes around it. Rudy looked to see what he was chasing.

It appeared to be some kind of bat at first. The huge wings flapped up and down, yet the creature did not take off. Rudy wondered if it had been injured or just wasn't meant to fly. When the beast turned around to bite at Skrawl, Rudy took quick notice of the face. Wolf-like in appearance. A bat/wolf hybrid? That wasn't what he was expecting.

He knew he had to protect this creature. He couldn't blame it for its earlier rampage. It was just scared and frightened. He needed to get it away from Skrawl. Rudy stood up straight and held out a piece of chalk. The light shining from its tip confirmed it was magical.

"Hey, back off Skrawl!" Rudy called out.

This caught Skrawl's attention. He lashed out and grabbed the beast by its tail. As it whined and struggled, Skrawl looked over in Rudy's direction and a wide sneer spread across his face.

"Well well well, if it isn't Rudy Tabootie and his comical sidekick, Snap!" Skrawl said nonchalantly. "What brings you two out here?"

Snap fumed. "Comical sidekick? I'll give you a comical sidekick, you hideous, growling jellybean!" Rudy grabbed onto Snap's cape to keep him from running towards Skrawl.

Skrawl glowered at the insult, but unlike the first time Snap called him that, he remained calm and didn't lose his temper. Instead, he pulled the hybrid creature closer to him and said, "While I would love to stay and chitchat, but I have more important things to do, chalk boy! So why don't you make like a little mouse and run through your maze that way!" He pointed in the direction behind Rudy.

Rudy pointed the chalk in Skrawl's direction threateningly. "Not until you release that zoner!"

Skrawl chortled at this. "Do you really think I am going to let my ticket to ruling ChalkZone go just because you asked me to, Master Tabootie? But if you really want it so badly..." With a display of strength, Skrawl lifted up the now enraged creature off the ground. "Catch!" He tossed the beast in Rudy's direction.

The creature's jaws split open wide and it let out a horrible high pitched sound as it focused its attention on attacking the nearest thing, in this case, Rudy. It landed on the ground and snapped its jaws wildly. It missed as Rudy and Snap jumped out of the way.

"Let's see you get out of this!" Skrawl gleefully said, rubbing his hands together and watching the fight begin.

The beast stalked in Rudy's direction. Its ears flatted against its skull. Its fangs were bared as it kicked the ground with its sharp talons.

Rudy pleaded with it, "I am here to help you. Please calm down. I know you're scared, but I promise I won't hurt you." These words fell on deaf ears as the beast leapt for Rudy.

Snap cried in horror. "Rudy! Draw something!"

Rudy had very little time to think of what to draw, let alone what to draw. And he knew that. As the beast closed the space between the two quickly, Rudy had no other choice but to jump out of the way. The beast landed on the space where Rudy once was, gnashing its jaws into the chalky ground. Rudy realized, in horror, that could have been him a second ago.

Snap jumped back as the beast now stood between him and Rudy. It, being closer to him than Rudy, decided to turn its attention on the little blue boy. It dove in his direction, jaws split wide open. Reacting quickly, Snap jumped into the air, the beast sailing just underneath him. They were so close, Snap could feel the fur bristle against his feet.

Gravity soon took control of the situation and he fell back down. Snap landed on the creature's back. He slung his arms around the beast's neck and hung on tightly. The beast began to buck wildly, but he refused to let go. He moved himself up so he could now hold onto the jaws. He held them tightly shut while his legs pressed against the wings, making it hard for the beast to take off into flight, if it had that capability.

"Now, Rudy!" Snap cried as he held on as tightly as he could. "I don't know how long I can hang on!"

Rudy's mind raced as he tried to think of something to do. He had to think fast. The beast was temporarily restrained by Snap, but he needed a longer lasting solution. If he didn't hurry, the beast could hurt Snap. At first, his mind was mostly blank; he was so pumped up with adrenaline that he couldn't think of exactly what he needed to draw. He just kept staring at Snap and the beast.

"Rudy!" Another cry of Snap prompted Rudy out of his thoughts.

"I'm coming, Snap!"

Rudy rushed over, pulling out his magic chalk. Without thinking, without knowing what he was going to do, he began to draw. He looped the chalk around the beast's snout, creating thin rope. He did this four times before then looping it two times around the neck, creating a sort of muzzle. He grabbed the two ends and started to pull.

Snap released his grip and jumped off the beast. He backed away, keeping a good distance between him and the bat/wolf hybrid. His eyes grew wide as the beast yanked and pulled hard, nearly knocking Rudy onto his knees. Snap rushed over and grabbed the ropes and assisted Rudy. The beast began to flap its wings a few times. The gust of air pushed against the two, but they continued to work together pulling the beast, trying to restrain it.

Rudy held on tightly, struggling to keep himself from losing his grip. The beast was being pulled forward. It pressed its feet into the ground, trying to maintain its position. A few whines and growls escaped its mouth. Rudy didn't want to do this, but there was no other option. The beast was going to attack him if he didn't do something to restrain him. If he could make the beast lay down, maybe he could then try something to calm it down.

The beast, however, was having none of this. With a sudden burst of strength, it yanked its head upwards. Rudy and Snap were thrown into the air. The beast snapped the rope from its jaws and let out a roar, spreading its wings wide.

As it did this, Rudy and Snap, after being in the air for a few seconds, had slammed against Skrawl. The trio rolled on the ground for a couple seconds. When they stopped, Rudy was laying on his back next to Skrawl, who had Snap laying across his head, blocking his view.

When Skrawl came to his senses, he let out a hiss, "Get off of me!" He grabbed Snap by the leg and threw him to the side. He then turned his attention onto Rudy. "And as for you..."

Rudy got up and got his magic chalk. He and Skrawl glared at each other, prepared for a fight. For a split second, they both forgot about the rampaging beast, instead their minds focused on each other.

They were soon reminded of the beast when they heard pounding feet to their side and the sound of Snap's cry.

"Look out!"

Rudy and Skrawl looked over and saw the beast rushing towards them. Its head was low, mouth open with teeth bared. Snap was on the beast again, trying to hold it back. This time, the beast was flipping its head so much Snap could not get a grip.

Realizing what was going to happen if they didn't get out of there, Skrawl and Rudy ran away. Thinking fast, Rudy drew a hoverboard. He jumped on it and he rose a couple feet off the ground. Rudy thought he was going to get an advantage, but then Skrawl grabbed onto the end of the hoverboard. His weight pulled down the hoverboard, making it harder for Rudy to rise higher.

He glared down at Skrawl. "Let go!"

"No way, chalk boy!" Skrawl declared. "I don't know about you, but I am not about to be trampled by that thing!"

"Why not?" Rudy said, raising an eyebrow. "You were fine with it trampling other zoners."

Skrawl growled, "Because the future ruler of ChalkZone can't afford broken limbs and a bruised body!"

Rudy couldn't believe this. Even in the midst of danger, all Skrawl could think of was becoming ChalkZone's ruler. He wanted to pry the evil jellybean off his hoverboard, but he stopped himself. Such an act would be something he'd expect Skrawl to do. He couldn't sink that low. Instead, he focused on keeping away from the beast long enough to try to figure out a plan.

Then he got an idea. It was tricky, but if executed right, it just might work. Looking to the side, he saw a patch of trees. They weren't too big, but they would do. He veered off in that direction. Just as he hoped, the bat/wolf creature came over towards him. Snap was still hanging on tightly, pulling on the beast's ears to try to put it at a disadvantage.

Rudy dove towards the trees as fast as he could. He narrowed his eyes, licking his lips. He waited for the right time. He could hear Skrawl's shouts for him to change direction. He didn't listen. As they reached a certain point, where he'd only have a few seconds left to react before he collided, he suddenly jerked the board upwards and flew up towards the sky.

The action was so swift that Skrawl didn't have time to react. He clung onto the end of the skateboarde for a few seconds, his stomach scraping against the bark of the tree as they went up. He found he couldn't hang on anymore and his grip loosened, then released form the hoverboard. He fell onto the ground in a heavy thud.

"Whoa!" Snap cried as the beast flapped frantically to change direction.

It wasn't enough. In a matter of seconds, the beast smashed against the tree. Its wings stiffened up for a few seconds, then wing limp as the beast slowly slid towards the ground. It landed on top of Skrawl. The two just laid there as Snap jumped off from the pile and went up to Rudy.

"That was some smart thinking, Bucko!" Snap said. He turned his head back to the two. "So, uh, what do you want to do with these two?" He asked as he rubbed his head thoughtfully.

"I..."

Then it dawned on him. There was something he had completely forgotten about. No, two things he forgot about. He stared at Snap, eyes widening. He looked as if an apocalypse was about to be brought down. He looked in the direction where the portal was. How could he have forgotten about it? He stared at it, looked back at Snap, then ran towards the portal.

"Where are you going?!" Snap called out after him.

"I forgot to erase the portal!" Rudy shouted.

At this, Snap let out a gasp. "You what?!"

"Hold on, this will just take a second!" Rudy said as he reached the portal. "After this, there's something I must tell you!"

Rudy was so focused on getting the portal erased that he didn't hear Snap's cry of pain as something heavy struck him. He didn't hear the footsteps racing towards him. He didn't hear Skrawl's shouts of frustration. And when he did finally notice the shadow falling upon him, it was too late.

Without warning, Rudy felt something heavy thrown against him. Despite the relatively small size of the portal, the force of the throw was enough to squeeze both of them through at the same time.

Rudy hit the ground of the classroom in a heavy thud. His head banged against a chair and he groaned in pain. He lifted himself up and rubbed the sore spot on his head. He got up onto his feet and went over to erase the portal. He didn't get far when he was suddenly pushed into the ground.

That's when he realized who had been thrown out with him.

"Hey, Master Tabootie...fancy meeting you here..." Skrawl sneered.

[DarkHououmon]

CHAPTER 8: HURT ME, HURT YOU-



Rudy stammered, "H-How did you..."

Skrawl smirked at him. "Does that really matter? Are you...surprised, chalk boy?"

Although he still in a state of shock, Rudy managed to nod his head. "You never attempted to leave ChalkZone before..."

"Well perhaps now was a good time to change that, eh?" Skrawl said as he took a step towards Rudy.

The 15 year old wasn't sure what he was going to do. He did still have the magic chalk, but it was useless outside of ChalkZone. He could try pushing Skrawl, but that would bring him within close contact. In ChalkZone, he wouldn't think twice about this since he had protection. He was a creator there. Anything and everything he could need to help was at his disposal. But here...when it came to brute strength, Skrawl beat him hands down here.

If he tried to push Skrawl, that would open up a window of opportunity for the jellybean thing to grab him. Skrawl's arms might be skinny, but they were much stronger than they looked. Not to mention his fingers were quite sharp despite not looking like typical claws. Skrawl could do a number on him if allowed to get close enough.

Rudy thought back to what happened seconds ago. Though his mind didn't register it before, he realized he heard sounds as he fell through. Something with Skrawl and Snap...Oh no, Snap, what happened to him? Rudy remembered Snap's cry of pain. Had he been attacked by the beast? Skrawl's placement in front of the portal made it impossible to see if Snap was there or not.

But it was a safe assumption that he wasn't there. If Rudy knew Snap, and he did quite well, the blue superhero would have jumped through the portal to attack Skrawl. He wouldn't just abandon Rudy during a time like this. Seeing Snap wasn't coming out, not hearing his voice calling out his name, Rudy knew something was very wrong. The only thing that came to his mind is that the beast attacked Snap. He needed to see if he was okay.

He couldn't get that close to the portal without Skrawl trying to lash out at him. The jellybean didn't move too far from his spot. It was like he was confident in his abilities that he could keep Rudy out of ChalkZone. Skrawl was intelligent and could figure these things out quite fast. Unable to get to ChalkZone, Rudy had to think of another way to deal with the situation.

Rudy took a step back, looking around for some kind of weapon to use. His eyes soon spotted the eraser. He looked over at Skrawl to keep an eye on him as he reached for the eraser. He didn't have time to grab it when Skrawl suddenly seized him by the arm.

"Going somewhere?" Skrawl asked calmly as he lifted Rudy off the ground. "Where are your manners, Master Tabootie? Don't tell me you're too high and mighty to show some hospitality towards me. After all, I am visiting your world, your home!"

Rudy struggled to yank his arm free. "You don't belong here, Skrawl! Go back to ChalkZone!"

Skrawl chuckled. "Oh that is right. That's my home..." He moved his face closer. In a low voice, he continued, "..not yours..." He watched as Rudy continued to struggle in his grasp. "You are such a hypocrite, Master Tabootie. You act like I'm trespassing on your home, but you frolic all over my beautiful future kingdom like you run the joint!"

When Skrawl finally dropped Rudy, the boy backed up, his body tense as he prepared for a fight. One he knew he didn't have much of a chance of winning. But he wasn't about to back down from Skrawl.

"I don't know what your deal is, Skrawl! You know for a fact that I don't parade around trying to rule ChalkZone! It is you! You're the one who does that! And I'm sick of it!" Rudy made a sharp motion with his arm like he was cutting through something in front of him. "Don't you have anything better to do?!"

Skrawl thought about this for all of one second before replying. "Nope." He bared his pale yellow teeth in a broad grin. "You never gave me a purpose, chalk boy. So I made one for myself..." He shoved a finger against Rudy's shoulder. "And I'm not about to let you take that away from me!"

With that, he swatted Rudy to the side. The boy lifted himself up onto his knees. He shook his head and looked up at Skrawl.

"I've always bested you Skrawl..." Rudy hissed. "What makes you think this will be any different?"

"You've only ever beaten me because of luck! That, and your wretched magic chalk! Of course you can win against me if you can draw whatever you want in midair! Of course you'll always be one step ahead of me if you can instant materialize a counter attack!" Skrawl ranted, his hand clutched into a fist. "That's what made my hatred for you intensify all these years, Rudy Tabootie... It's because you've only won with a cheat code. Whereas I had to build everything myself!"

"I thought Craniac 4 was..." Rudy shut his mouth when Skrawl's eyes blazed in anger, turning into swirls.

"Craniac?! Don't you dare mention that name in my presence!" Skrawl reached his heand in the air, the fingers flexing. "He keeps ruining my beautiful plans and then he had the gall to turn against me! That ungrateful ingrate!"

Rudy winced as Skrawl's voice got louder. He was worried that someone was going to hear him. Even with the door shut, even with the walls being a little thick, Skrawl's voice was getting so loud that someone walking down the halls could hear him. Rudy had a terrible thought. What if Mr. Cosmo heard his screaming?

He decided to do something he never did before, not since the first time he encountered Skrawl. He tried to calm him down.

"Shh be quiet, Skrawl!" Rudy took a couple steps towards him, motioning downward with hs hands. "Do you want someone to hear you?"

But Skrawl was having none of it. He swatted at Rudy, who managed to get out of the way this time. "I will talk however I want to talk, chalk boy! What are you going to do about it? Draw something to hit me with? Oh wait, that's right!" He began to stalk towards Rudy. "You don't have any magic chalk...not here in the real world, do you? Yes, the magic chalk only works in ChalkZone. Here...you are powerless..."

Rudy winced, not liking the way Skrawl said 'powerless'. As Skrawl moved towards him menacingly, Rudy frantically looked around, trying to find some way to defend himself. Seeing his large text book Mr. Cosmo gave him earlier, Rudy flung it at Skrawl, hitting him in the face.

This did little to slow down Skrawl. Instead, it enraged him. He took a moment to rub the sore spot on his face where the book hit him before he screeched Rudy's name and lunged for him.

sss

Mr. Cosmo watched as he leaned back in his chair. He stared in the classroom through his one way mirror. When he had seen Skrawl fall through with Rudy, he kept calm. His eyes did widen a little, but for the most part, he was pleased. The plan was going through nicely, better than he had expected.

Of course, he was not expecting a confrontation between the two to happen like this. It was clear the jellybean thing, whom the kid called Skrawl, didn't like the boy very much. And how interesting the thing had called Rudy 'master'. Was he his creator? Skrawl seemed to confirm that when he said Rudy never gave him a purpose.

He was also intrigued with how there was talk about ruling this chalk world. So this creature wants to be the boss of all of ChalkZone? How interesting. It seemed he may have found the right creature after all. He had a feeling he would prove useful later on. He couldn't do anything now, not yet. No, he had to wait for the right time.

Mr. Cosmo didn't dwell on this too long. He needed to prepare for the next phase of the plan. This phase was almost complete. He informed Ms. Saffron of what to do. He expected her to fulfill her part, and he knew she would.

He could tell she didn't agree with what he was doing. At least, not totally. But it was clear that she was afraid of this chalk world. She didn't understand its full potential. All she could see was a dangerous world with unknown threats. And he could easily use that against her. He had easily convinced her that, by helping him, she is ensuring the safety of town. And he promised her, so long as she did what he told her to do, none of these chalk abominations could harm her.

Indeed, these chalk creatures had some advantages over flesh and bone beings. He watched as Rudy fought with Skrawl, studying their behaviors, motions, and reactions. Cosmo guessed that, being made of chalk, Skrawl was much less likely to be affected by something like a knife in the chest. With blood, mortally injuring him in the real would would be harder. He could see why Rudy was clearly at the disadvantage.

But then...a thought crossed the man's mind. If this being were made of chalk, and it was quite obvious he was, with that chalky outline and all, would that mean he was also vulnerable to things that could destroy or alter chalk? Would he display the same symptoms? Could he possibly be killed?

A wicked smile appeared on the man's face. Things just got a lot more interesting.

sss

Rudy kept trying to get to the portal. He wasn't able to get that close. Skrawl kept swatting him away, keeping him away from the portal. It was clear that he didn't want him back in ChalkZone. Rudy knew he had to find some way to get Skrawl to want to go back to ChalkZone. But how?

His mind went to the eraser, but he couldn't see it now. In the dodging, he accidentally kicked it somewhere. Until he could see it, he'd had to put up with keeping away from Skrawl and trying to go around him.

Skrawl moved faster and with more agility for someone with just three limbs, and especially of someone of his...generous weight. ChalkZone had a slightly different set of rules of gravity, resulting in Skrawl being easily picked up by him when he was 10 years old. Here in the real world, however, well that was a different story. Skrawl, like Snap when he visited the real world, was subject to the same laws of physics this world had. In other words, he didn't just look heavy; he felt heavy.

Skrawl had the advantage in this fight. He was stronger than Rudy, able to lift up the chairs with ease and toss them at him. He frequently was able to get close enough to take another swipe at Rudy in a matter of seconds, thanks to his limbs which still retained their strength.

"Why don't you fight back, Rudy Tabootie?" Skrawl taunted, lifting up another chair to toss. It was clear he didn't care about causing any noise, so long as he was able to defeat Rudy. "Oh! I know why! It's because you cannot use your precious chalk! Well too bad! You're playing with the big boys now Rudy! Let us see how you can manage to beat me without cheating!"

By this point, Rudy was desperate to stop the fight. His eyes kept warily looking towards the door, half expecting Mr. Cosmo to burst through any second and who knows what or who else. If he didn't end the fight soon...

"Please Skrawl! We have to stop this!" Rudy begged him. "If Mr. Cosmo comes in and sees you..."

"Let him see me!" Skrawl waved a dismissing hand at Rudy. "Do you think I fear any of you humans? I am not afraid of this Mr. Cosmo! He can try to capture me and put me in a giant jar for all I care! Because it will not work!" He struck out at Rudy again, barely missing him. "Hold still!"

"You don't know anything about Mr. Cosmo! Well..." Rudy paused. "..neither do I..." He glared at Skrawl. "I do know he could be a threat to both of us. You gotta listen to me for once, Skrawl! Go back to ChalkZone! There's still time left!"

Skrawl chuckled at this. Standing on one limb, he spread the others out like he wanted a hug. He flexed the fingers menacingly. A hideous grin spread across his face.

"Why should I? There's still a little time, as you said, Master Tabootie...why don't I make perfect use of that time...by getting rid of you once and more all..."

He began to walk over to Rudy. The boy started to move backwards, trying to get away from him. He soon found himself being backed into a wall.

"Now that you have no special powers...you're just like any average zoner. Here, you're just a kid. One that got in way over his head...I would be foolish not to take this opportunity. You have been a pest, a thorn in my side for far too long, chalk boy!"

Rudy pressed his back against the wall. Skrawl moved in closer, causing Rudy to feel cramped. Skrawl's form, though not as massive to him as it was when he was younger, still seemed to tower over him, casting a shadow on him. The teenager looked around. He needed something, anything, to aid him.

"I am so going to enjoy this. I dreamt of this day for years. The day that I finally won't have you butting in my business! The day I can move forward with my plans of claiming what is rightfully mine!"

Rudy spotted something on the ground that would be helpful. He kept an eye on Skrawl. In his ranting monologue, Skrawl had turned his gaze upwards and moved a limb up into the air, the fist clenched tightly. Using this window of opportunity, Rudy knelt down to grab the object.

"And to think it took five years! Hmm...well I suppose that isn't too long of a wait..." Skrawl rubbed his face thoughtfully. Then he shrugged. "Oh well..now..." He sneered down towards Rudy. "..where was I...?"

Rudy narrowed his eyes. "You won't be doing anything to me today, Skrawl. Either you get back into ChalkZone..." He took a step forward despite the little room. Surprisngly, Skrawl took a step back, but he still grinned at the boy. "..or I will make you.."

Skrawl laughed at this, throwing his head back and opening his mouth wide. He laughed for a few seconds, wiping his eyes. "Oh that is rich!" He pointed a finger at Rudy. "And just how do you think you will get me to do anything you say?"

"Like this!"

Rudy whipped out the eraser he picked up. He shoved it in Skrawl's direction. The jellybean's smile faltered almost instantly. He didn't look scared, but now he was tense, his odd-eyes widened. He looked more stunned than anything, as if he didn't expect Rudy to do this.

Rudy moved towards Skrawl, raising the eraser as if it were a sword. "Get back into ChalkZone."

Skrawl took a few steps back, his eyes glued on the eraser. He had never been in the real world before, but it was clear he had enough knowledge to know what an eraser was. The marks of chalk were still on it. Skrawl would know full well what this would do to him if it were to touch him. No longer did he talk; he only stared.

Rudy hated using threats. He felt that doing so made him look like a horrible person. He'd rather be persuasive in a less hostile way. But in this case, he didn't think he had much of a choice. Skrawl never listens to him, not unless it benefited him. Skrawl didn't understand the dangers of the real world. He didn't know what Mr. Cosmo could possibly do to him. This was the only way he could keep ChalkZone a secret.

It appeared the threat was working. Skrawl was making his way back towards the portal. Little by little, inch by inch, he got closer. When he was standing in front of the portal, he stared at Rudy in the eyes for a few seconds. Rudy winced at what he saw. There was anger, which didn't surprise him. But underlining that was a look that told him Skrawl still had it in for him, that if he himself stepped into ChalkZone again, he would be there, ready to...

This thoughts were interrupted when he heard a smack against the chalkboard and Skrawl falling to the ground. Rudy could have sworn he felt something too, perhaps the rush of air as Skrawl fell? He dismissed it and ran over to Skrawl.

"What happened?" Rudy asked him. "Why didn't you go through?"

Skrawl rubbed his face. "You tell me, chalk boy!"

Rudy looked over at the portal. His eyes widened slowly. No, it couldn't be, could it? When did this happen? How could they not have seen it? Not have noticed it?

The portal had been sealed...sort of. Something big and heavy now blocked their path. Rudy reached over and touched it. It felt quite solid, but, oddly, it didn't feel like most things he felt in ChalkZone. This thing had a different texture, almost as if it were...from the real world.

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door, and Mr. Cosmo's voice tore through the room. "Rudy? I'll be coming in shortly! I'll give you some time to finish up what you got done!"

The shout came so unexpectantly that Rudy jerked in surprise. His grip on the eraser came off. The object sailed in the air...and landed on Skrawl's foot. It rubbed up against the very edge of the jellybean's foot. Skrawl cried out in pain as part of his toe, though small and minute, was erased.

Rudy clutched his foot, body tensing up as a sudden feeling of pain swept through him. He sat down on the chair and rubbed his foot through his shoe, gritting his teeth at the pain.

"What's wrong with you?" Skrawl asked. There was only a hint of pain in his voice, managing to hide the agony of having a part of him erased.

"I..." Rudy said, pulling off his shoe slowly. "I felt that..."

Looking at his toe confirmed what Rudy suspected. The front of his toe was bloodied, red and sore at the tip. With a shaking hand, he touched the tip and immediately recoiled in pain. In response, Skrawl hissed, flinching as if Rudy kicked him on his toe.

"How...?" For one of the rare times in his life, Skrawl was speechless.

Rudy didn't have an answer.

[DarkHououmon]

CHAPTER 9: TO AID THE ONE YOU HATE-



Rudy stared down at his injured toe. The bleeding had stopped, thankfully, and the wound didn't appear too deep. He was about to grab his magic chalk to draw something until he remembered he was still in the real world. Frowning, he looked around the room to find an alternative. The only thing was a small box of tissues and some clear scottish tape. Oh well, it'd have to do.

Knowing Skrawl would not be of any help and knowing there was little time before Mr. Cosmo would come in, Rudy limped over to grab the items. Walking on the foot was a tad difficult and he took great care to keep the big toe off the ground. After he got what he needed, he sat back down on the nearest chair and began to dress his small but very painful wound.

Looking at his toe, the tip of it looked flat, as if it had been sliced off. It didn't feel like any bone was effected, so that was good. He still didn't understand how this could have happened, though. It happened as soon as Skrawl's toe was partially erased. Comparing the two in his mind, Rudy noted that, taking body size into account, the wound was on the same toe and the same size as both of them. And Skrawl's previous reaction when he touched his own toe confirmed what he said before.

Somehow, someway, they were able to feel each other's pain. This frightened Rudy. How could it have happened? And when did it start? Clearly it had to have been sometime after they came into this room together. Did the portal have something to do with it? No, it couldn't have been. He'd been through a portal at the same time as Penny or Snap a good number of times over the years. And never once did such an issue arise.

There was a thought he had, and it wasn't a very pleasant one. It was that Mr. Cosmo had something to do with it. There were many different types of chalk, many with their own powers. He shuddered at the thought of red chalk, and how each drawing it created was like the fires of the underworld in the form of a red-tinted beast. No matter what it was, even as simple as a ball or line, beings made out of red chalk were dangerous and hostile towards anyone, even, at times, each other.

Could Mr. Cosmo had gotten a hold of some special chalk that had an effect he never heard of before? But that would require an extensive knowledge of ChalkZone, or at least enough to know about magic chalk and where the Chalk Mine was. No, that couldn't be the reason. It was impossible. Not even Terry and Vinnie figured that much out on their own.

Yet...he couldn't think of anything else. His eyes moved towards the box what read White Lightning. Could he really believe Mr. Cosmo gave him the real White Lightning? Could the chalk, despite still being white, be something else? It sounded way too farfetched. It still wouldn't leave his mind. If Mr. Cosmo did know a lot more than he was letting on...then...that would mean...

"How did you hurt your toe?" Skrawl said, breaking the silence. The large jellybean had moved towards Rudy, his odd-eyes staring at the now bandaged toe. He seemed to notice the flat tip as well. "It looks like you cut off part of your own toe."

Rudy, gingerly, pulled his sock back on. He was relieved that there wasn't a sting this time. "I don't know what happened, Skrawl, but somehow, you and I are connected."

Skrawl's eyes widened. "What? Are you sure?"

Rudy nodded as he slipped his shoe on and tied it. "There's no other explanation, Skrawl. And before you ask, no I don't know how this happened. I'll need to get back into ChalkZone and talk to Biclops. He may know what to do."

Skrawl's face contorted into anger. "Well you better! I have important things to do!" He gripped Rudy by his shirt collar. "I can't be ruler of anything if I have you attached to me like some kind of freaky parasite!"

Rudy grabbed Skrawl's hand pushed it away. "I'll do what I can! In the mean time, we'll just have to be careful. Since we can feel each other's pain, it's best that we..."

"...form a truce?" Skrawl finished for him, his voice full of disgust at the idea.

"We don't have a choice and you know that. If I attack you, I get hurt, I feel the pain. And the same is in reverse. You can't lay a finger on me to hurt me, because then you'd be hurting yourself." The 15 year old explained. He got up from the desk and took a step towards Skrawl. "And until we figure out exactly what happened and how to fix it, we should both take precautions and not fight each other. We should also take care not to hurt ourselves."

Skrawl grinned at this. "So if I were cut myself, you get cut too?"

Rudy nodded once. He could see where this was going. He had to discourage Skrawl from doing anything rash. "If I bang my knee against a hot iron, you'd feel the same thing I do, and trust me, it wouldn't be pleasant."

Skrawl's grin faded. "Oh." He said with great disappointment. "So I guess I can't annihilate you...yet."

"No, you can't. How disappointing." Rudy was being sarcastic of course. Like he would want Skrawl to be able to kill him. That was the only good thing about this connection. Skrawl can't, for now, do anything to harm him directly. Although he still could hurt his friends...

"Rudy! I'm coming in!" It was Mr. Cosmo.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Rudy frantically looked around for some place to hide Skrawl. He couldn't let Mr. Cosmo see him. It would be disasterous. With Snap, at least he could pass for a student. But Skrawl...he looked nothing like a real world animal, let alone a person. As much as he hated Skrawl, he couldn't let him get captured, even if they weren't connected.

He thought about the chalkboard, but what if Mr. Cosmo decided to stay in here? He wasn't sure how long Skrawl could hide, and then there was a chance of him getting erased. And if Skrawl got erased...Rudy's body shook at the idea. If erasing just one small portion hurt as much as it did, he didn't want to imagine how much it would hurt even more if all of Skrawl got erased. It could even kill him.

The door knob was moving. Rudy didn't have much time. He erased the portal first before pulling a large dirty map that was laying down in the corner, unused. He wipped it over Skrawl, covering him up.

"Tabootie! What is the meaning of this?!" Skrawl screeched at him. "You can't...!"

Rudy held onto Skrawl and shushed him. "Be quiet, Skrawl! Just keep still! I know you don't take humans seriously as threats, but you have to listen to me on this! If Mr. Cosmo finds you here, he could..."

He didn't have time to finish. The door swung open. Skrawl immediately went stiff, reluctantly following Rudy's orders. Rudy put on the best fake smile that he could as Mr. Cosmo walked into the room. His arms were folded and he had a glare on his face. He looked rather disappointed.

"Oh Rudy..." Mr. Cosmo shook his head. "Did you spend the whole time in here creating that useless statue?"

Rudy felt Skrawl shake. He noted that it must be taking Skrawl all his willpower not to lash out at Cosmo. A part of Rudy wished he could do that, but that would not be right and it would land him into more trouble.

Mr. Cosmo looked around the room and sighed as he saw the flipped chairs and desks. "Tsk, tsk...and it seems you couldn't control your temper." He gave Rudy a sideways glance. "Perhaps Ms. Saffron was right about you. Perhaps you are a juvenile delinquent."

Rudy growled at him, but held back. Despite the pang of pain he felt in his heart, he couldn't do anything to strike out against Mr. Cosmo. He could only stand around and take it.

"I was hoping that I could prove her wrong. After all, you don't seem like a kid that would be a criminal. But after seeing this..." He gestured to the chairs and tables strewn about in the room. "...perhaps I was the one who misjudged you." He finished in a low voice. He walked over and picked up the heavy textbook. "Maybe Reggie Bullnerd was the right choice for this experiment after all. You may leave. I will give you one more chance, at a randomnly chosen time, and this time I will be keeping an eye on you. If you do better then, perhaps I will take back what I said about you."

Rudy glared at him. "How very kind of you..." He said in a low voice.

"Don't look at me that way." Mr. Cosmo said. "I gave you a chance. You were the one who chose to ignore it. Be grateful I am considering trying again with you." He waved a dismissing hand. "Now get out of here. I have to report your rather...unfavorable behavior in here to Mr. Wilter. Be hopeful that he'll be...understanding."

Rudy had enough. He didn't want to hear anything more from this man. He gripped Skrawl tightly, forgetting about the connection, ignoring the clunching feeling in his own side, and began to walk away. He paused in the door way, and, for a brief moment, locked angry eyes with Mr. Cosmo. Then he walked away, pushing Skrawl with him.

What nerve that man had. How dare he judge him like that. How could he do that? He didn't know him that well. His thoughts went back to Ms. Saffron. It seemed fitting that they were working together. They both shared the same, horrible habit of accusing innocent students of being criminals.

Or did they? He didn't know much about them either, now that he thought about it. Would he really be in the right to judge them so harshly? Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding, and he was blowing it all out of proportion. Perhaps...

..no. He shook his head. As he guided Skrawl down the hallways, trying to find a place to hide him for a time, he only knew one thing.

He was going to prove them wrong. Somehow, someway, he was going to show them how wrong they were about them.

As he disappeared down the hallway, he did not notice Mr. Cosmo giving him a smile, faint, but full of eeriness and knowing.

sss

"So...how did it go?" Ms. Saffron asked cautiously as she stood outside the classroom Rudy had been in. She had heard someone talking and realized that Mr. Cosmo must be done.

She didn't get an answer. Maybe she had spoken too softly. She edged closer into the room, and peered inside. She could see Mr. Cosmo standing there, his face unreadable. He was staring at the chalkboard as if it had sprouted glowing horns. She tried calling out to him again, but he didn't pay any attention to her.

"Mr. Cosmo sir...?"

Saffron was starting to get a little worried. What...just what had happened in here? Why was he unresponsive? She thought that maybe there had been an argument and Rudy had said something terrible to him. No, she told herself, that would not make any sense. Mr. Cosmo never came across as the kind of guy to let something so small shake him up.

Indeed, upon closer inspection, she didn't see any signs of hurt on the man's face. It was still blank, but it wasn't totally devoid of emotion. She had to look real close, but she could see the faint ghost of a smile.

She deduced it must have been a success. He wouldn't be smiling, even faintly, if it hadn't. She knew him well enough. She felt a strange sensation of relief. Had she been worried something would have gone wrong? As much as she didn't want to think about it, she had been worried for him. She had been worried what the chalk creature would have done. She could have easily walked in on a massacre...

She thought back to what she was instructed to do. One of the tasks anyway. She wasn't sure it was a good idea. In fact, it seemed like a terrible idea. But Cosmo had insisted that she do it. He promised her that things would work out in the end. But could she really believe that?

"Everything is falling into place." Mr. Cosmo's voice game, startling Ms. Saffron. "The boy is making this too easy."

"Mr. Cosmo?" Ms. Saffron asked. When the man finally turned to look at her, she gave a hard swallow before saying, "I...I finished that task...but...are you sure it was a good idea? What if..."

Mr. Cosmo interrupted her. "Next phase will soon be in progress, Ms. Saffron." He began to walk towards the door. He gestured her to follow with a movement of his finger. "Come along. We mustn't waste time."

Ms. Saffron stared after him. She knew what he was going to do. And she wasn't sure it was safe. Still, though reluctant, she followed him.

sss

Hiding Skrawl in broad daylight had been difficult. Rudy knew that he couldn't just keep walking down the hallways with Skrawl covered up. He had temporarily placed Skrawl in a janitor's closet while he went to get Penny. Skrawl was none too happy about it and started to complain. These were muffled as he shut the door, keeping him locked inside.

If anyone would have any suggestions on what to do with him, Penny would. He looked at the time and knew it was almost lunch. He could talk to her now and they could work out a solution. He needed someway to get Skrawl back into ChalkZone before anyone spotted him. The janitor wasn't set to clean until sometime after school ended. While this meant that Skrawl wouldn't be discovered yet, it did mean they didn't have all the time in the world to diddle dally.

When he finally got a chance to speak to her, he couldn't believe what she suggested. The idea, it was ludicrous. It was dangerous. It put his family in danger, himself. How could she think of such a thing.

He stared at her, mouth agape. He was holding a spoon in his hand, but he hadn't tried to eat the food. Instead, he was focused on staring at Penny, wondering if she had truly gone off the deep end. But Penny's expression told him she was completely serious.

"Rudy, it's the only way." Penny said in a soft voice. She leaned closer to Rudy. "How else do you expect him to get back to ChalkZone before someone finds him?"

"B-But...to go home and..."

"Rudy, it will be fine." Penny said with as much reassurance in her voice as she could muster.

Rudy wasn't convinced.

Penny sighed. "Look, you said you two were connected, right?" A nod came from Rudy as a response. "He can't do anything to you."

Oh...that was right. Rudy had forgotten all about that. But there was still the matter of his parents. What would stop Skrawl from doing something to them? He knew the jellybean hated him greatly. He wouldn't put it past Skrawl to do something to his parents to get back at him.

"I know what you're thinking, Rudy. And I don't think you have to worry about Skrawl doing anything. You and I will be there the whole time, and if he tries something, we'll catch him." Penny assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "As soon as lunch is done, I'll grab the cart so Skrawl can pose as an unfinished art piece. That way, we won't draw much attention from people as we take him to your house. Okay?"

Rudy still was unsure, but he knew he had to have faith in Penny. This would work. He knew it. He smiled the best he could and said, "All right."

Rudy's mind then went to Snap. He hated having to erase the portal when he knew Snap was somewhere on the other side. He had no idea what happened to him. That scream...it had to have been something terrible. He was left with a worse feeling having to leave, since it felt like abandoning his friend.

He needed to get back to ChalkZone as soon as possible. But it would be hours before he could head back. School day wasn't over yet, and then he and Penny had to hide Skrawl, which could slow them down greatly. He bit his lip, hoping Snap wasn't too far away.

"Rudy?" Penny asked. "What's wrong?"

Rudy looked at her, confused, until he realized he didn't tell her about Snap yet. He mentally slapped himself for forgetting to do that.

"I was in ChalkZone...and there was this beast that Skrawl tried to capture. Snap helped me ruin Skrawl's plan, but then Skrawl flew out of the portal, like he had been pushed...and I heard Snap scream..." Rudy's voice was low and his eyes were downcast.

Penny looked at him sympathetically. "I'm so sorry Rudy... We'll get back to ChalkZone. I'm sure Snap will be okay."

"I sure hope you're right, Penny..."

sss

"Easy..easy..." Penny said as they worked to get the cart they were allowed to use for one day into Rudy's house.

They hit a bump, causing the wheel to go over Rudy's injured toe. He stifled a scream, a tear coming to his eye. There was a cry of pain from Skrawl, who began to rant.

"Watch it will you?!" He snapped. "I can't have...!"

"Shh! Be quiet Skrawl!" Penny told him. Her eyes widened, she looked around to see if Rudy's parents were coming. When no one came, she let out a sigh of relief. She glared at Skrawl, who was still completely covered, though this time with a light pink sheet she found in the art room. "Do you want Rudy's parents to find you?"

A scoff came from the potato-shaped zoner. "As if I care! What are they going to do? Hug me to do death with parental love?" He shuddered as he said the last two words.

"That's not how parents work, Skrawl." Rudy said as he got the cart towards the stairs. "You aren't their son. You don't have to worry about them hugging you to death. I don't think they'd even want to touch you."

"Well good! The future ruler of ChalkZone..."

"Shut up!" Rudy snapped at him. He was not in the mood to hear another one of Skrawl's rants on how he will one day rule ChalkZone. He wished that, for once, Skrawl would be quiet.

But Rudy's demand didn't do much to stop Skrawl. Instead, it enraged him. He could hear Skrawl's cry of anger rise up, getting louder. If it hadn't been for their connection, the zoner would have lunged at him in a fury. The only thing that made him stop moving was the sound of Rudy's father coming in from the kitchen. Rudy and Penny froze too.

"Hey there, son!" Mr. Tabootie said with a smile. He took notice of the object on the cart. "Fancy! What is this for?"

"It's...uh..." Rudy struggled to think of something.

"For an art contest!" Penny finished for him.

"An art contest? How lovely! What is it? Can I see?" Mr. Tabootie said as he grabbed the cloth to pull it up.

Rudy yanked it back down. "You..You can't see it yet! It's...uh..unfinished! I brought it here so I can complete it. I don't want anyone to see until it's done!"

"Oh...okay." Mr. Tabootie sounded disappointed. "Can you at least tell me what it is?"

Rudy hardly took time to think of an answer before spewing out a reply, "It's a giant cootie monster!"

Penny put a hand on her mouth and tried not to laugh. Rudy felt a sensation of embarrassment take over him. His dad looked at him, eyes a little widened to indicate shock. He could hear Skrawl's growls of anger from underneath the cloth.

Before Mr. Tabootie could say anything, there was a low 'Rudy' drawl from the so-called 'statue'. He immediately snapped his head over to it. "What was that?"

"That was me!" Penny said, drawing the dad's attention to her. "I was practicing my ventroliquism!"

It was hard to tell if Mr. Tabootie was convinced by that or not. Nonetheless, he smiled at them and didn't question them any further.

"Okey dokey then! Good luck on the contest, Rudy!"

Rudy didn't thank his dad. He and Penny were racing upstairs. He wasn't worried. To his dad, he was merely in a rush to get his piece of art finished. A part of him couldn't believe that actually worked. But another part of him felt guilty.

More lying. More lies just piling on. How long would he be able to do this?

They entered the room and shut the door tightly. Skrawl jumped from the cart and ripped the cloth away. He looked pissed off for having to wear a cloth over his head for so many hours. Even in the closet, he had been instructed not to take it off just in case. Rudy didn't want to take any chances.

"Finally!" He shouted, stretching his feet. He swiveled around and glared at Rudy. "I can't believe you called me a cootie."

Penny looked at Rudy. "Why did you say that, anyway?"

"My mind was drawing a blank. I had to think of something!" Rudy told her. "But we shouldn't dwell on this now. Skrawl, I'll draw you a portal to get back to ChalkZone."

Skrawl snarled at him, but said nothing. Rudy got up and picked up one of his magic chalk pieces. He pressed it against the chalkboard and began to draw a circle...

...which didn't appear at all. His eyes snapped wide in panic. He tried again. Nothing was showing up, not even the faintest of light.

"No..."

"I'm waiting." Skrawl tapped his foot impatiently. When he saw Rudy just staring at the chalkboard, Skrawl raised a fist in the air. "Didn't you hear me, chalk boy?! I said I'm waiting!"

Penny sensed something was wrong. "Rudy? What is it?"

"The chalk, it's..." Rudy looked over at her. "..it's not working."

Skrawl's furrowed expression relaxed as a wave of shock hit him. "What? But..but I've seen you use this particular chalkboard before! How could it not..."

"I don't know." Rudy said. He tried again. No luck. "It just won't work..."

"And I think I found out why..." Penny said in a whisper. Skrawl and Rudy looked over towards her. She picked up a small can that was laying on the ground. "Someone sabotaged your portal, Rudy..." There was strong disbelief in her voice. She glanced at Skrawl. "You will have to spend the night. It's too risky to attempt to take you anywhere right now."

Rudy was stunned. His mind was numb from the information Penny gave him. Sabotage? But...but how? How could have...?

Then he realized the cold, chilling truth. There were only two people he could think of..how could have done something like this. And it wasn't Vinnie or Terry. They were both out of town.

"Mr. Cosmo...Ms. Saffron..." Rudy said in a low voice, grinding his teeth. What were they trying to do?

...and Snap? What about Snap? He had no idea if he was all right. Had he been captured? Killed? Did that beast do something to him? His mind swirled with uncomfortable thoughts of what might have happened. And to make it all worse, there was no way he could find out tonight. He'll have to sleep knowing Snap could be in great danger, and there was nothing he could do about it...

Rudy took in a shuddering breath, fighting back tears. He ignored the look Skrawl gave him. He couldn't possibly care. He turned his attention to Penny. She looked at him worriedly, just as concerned as he was. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. Rudy hugged her back.

Trying to think of something to say, Penny whispered, "It's okay...we'll find him as soon as we can...things will be all right, you'll see..."

As much as Rudy wanted to believe her, he couldn't shake off the feeling of dread rising up inside of him.