Fall Far Below

Part 2 of a series about Rudy dealing with a more cunning Terry.




Reggie grumbled to himself. He really wanted to go to the festival. It had already started and he wanted to play the games so he could get the good prizes before anyone else. He couldn't believe that his dad had insisted they do garbage work first. He tried suggesting that they put it off and do it later, but his dad wouldn't listen to him.

It wasn't that Reggie didn't like trash pickup. He enjoyed it, though he couldn't really describe the reason why. It was just that, today, he would rather be at the festival. It had been going on for a couple hours now and most people had already gone there. It was his favorite local festival to attend. He had never been late before, until today. There was a first for everything, he supposed, but this wasn't the kind of first he had wanted today.

They drove up and down the streets, stopping at every house. Reggie would go out and fetch the garbage. He'd pick up the cans, removing the lids if there were any, and shake the garbage into the back of the truck. Then he'd return the trash can and they'd go onto the next house.

This usually went by so fast for him. But today, because he wanted to go to the festival so bad, it seemed like it took half an hour between each stop, no matter how fast he tried to move. He contemplated telling his dad to move it, but something told him that wouldn't improve his situation. He hated being told what to do, but if he wanted to get to that festival, he would have to suck it up.

When they were coming by the next house, he let out a groan. He could see the back of that creepy guy's house, with the eerie house. He forget the man's name. Not that he cared. Yeah he gave good candy for Halloween, but Reggie didn't like him too much. He was too weird for him. The house was on the next street and he knew he would have to go there sooner or later. That was the only house he did not like picking up trash from.

As Mr. Bullnerd parked in front of the house, Reggie hopped out. He went over to the trash can and grabbed it with his hands. He was about to pick it up when he heard the snapping of a small twig. He paused and looked around. Seeing nothing, he shrugged it off and started to move away.

Then he heard muffling sounds. Faint, but they were there. Now he was curious. He looked towards the house, moving himself so he could see the creepy one on the next street. At first, he saw nothing, which confused him. He could have sworn he heard something coming from over here. He looked back at his dad, who was waiting for him. Then back at the creepy house. He had to know what was going on.

He snuck around behind the house, being careful to stick to the shadows. He moved slowly behind the creepy house. The muffled sounds were louder, and he thought he heard some whimpers. He immediately knew something was wrong. He might not get good grades, but he wasn't a dummy. It sounded like someone was in trouble.

When Reggie peaked his head from behind the creepy house, he immediately saw the source of the sounds. His eyes widened, not believing what he was seeing.

It was Rudy Tabootie. There was some lady behind him. He recognized her as that weird news lady that had followed Rudy and Penny for a time. She had one arm wrapped around the 10 year old's body. Rudy was struggling frantically to get free. The woman held some kind of cloth against his mouth. The cloth looked wet, and Reggie could smell something strong, but didn't know what it was. Whatever it was, it caused Rudy to fall unconscious.

After he blacked out, the news lady picked him up into her arms. She looked around, backing away slowly. Reggie pressed himself against the back of the house, holding very still, not breathing. The woman rushed past him. He tried to see where she went, but she was nowhere in sight.

Reggie's breathing quickened, and he backed away really slow. He had..he had just witnessed a kidnapping...

He immediately ran towards his father.

"Dad! Dad!" He cried, waving his arms frantically in the air.

Mr. Bullnerd sensed the urgency in his son's voice. He got out of his truck and rushed over. He looked at him up and down, like he had expected his son to be injured. "What is it?" He asked, his voice strained from anxiety.

"Tabootie...! Rudy Tabootie! I saw that crazy news lady, with the red hair and green outfit, drag him away!" Reggie cried, making wild gestures with his hands. He turned around and pointed towards the house. "They were there! I saw her take him away!"

Mr. Bullnerd stared at his son for a few seconds. Then he started to laugh. "You do have an imagination, son. Ms. Bouffant wouldn't kidnap a child!"

"But she just did!" Reggie shouted, frantically pointing to where he had seen Rudy being dragged away.

"She's a high ranking news reporter!" Mr. Bullnerd paused for a moment. "Well she was until that whole 'world of chalk' nonsense..." He shook his head and waved his hands in front of him. "Still, why would she kidnap Rudy? There's no reason to, plus it's too big of a risk. I think you were just seeing things."

Reggie stomped the ground in frustration. "No! No! No! I really did see it!"

Mr. Bullnerd was not convinced. "If this is your way of getting to the festival early, I'm not having it." He reached down and grabbed his son by his left arm. "Now let's go. There's more trash to pick up."

Reggie struggled, his head turned towards where he saw Ms. Bouffant take Rudy. He knew he wasn't seeing things. He knew that he really did see what he saw. He wished his dad would listen. If he could just get free, maybe he could catch up to them. He tried to yank his arm free, but his dad just held him tighter.

Unable to get free, Reggie went limp, letting his dad drag him back to the truck. He felt himself getting lifted up and he was put into the passenger's seat. Reggie pressed his hands and face against the window, still staring at where he witnessed the kidnapping. His eyes were wide in shock at what he had witnessed.

He wasn't exactly good friends with Rudy. But..he'd never want something like this to happen to him. He had to do something. And if his dad wouldn't listen, there was someone else who would.

Penny Sanchez.

The only problem was that Penny was not going to be at the festival today. She was busy doing schoolwork or something else lame like that. He didn't have her phone number, so he couldn't call. He couldn't very well ask his dad for their number, since he would want to know why he was calling. He never called Penny before, or hardly anyone else for that matter, so it would cause some suspicion in his father. And he knew that his dad wouldn't want him spreading 'wild tales' of Ms. Bouffant capturing Rudy.

So there was only one option left. Reggie would have to wait until school. It was the weekend, saturday specifically. He would have to wait a few days, and then talk to Penny on monday. He was certain that, by then, news of his disappearance would have spread. He would inform Penny during recess and hopefully she would take him seriously.

There was one thing he didn't understand. Something that his dad had already brought up to him. Just...why did Ms. Bouffant kidnap Rudy? What would she want with him?

Maybe Penny would have some answers.

sss

Sunday Night:

Penny laid on her bed, looking up at the ceiling. She hadn't moved from this spot for what felt like half an hour. She had been thinking about the recent events lately. Her mind was trying to sort out everything. She was confused. She had no idea what she was going to do next. She wasn't sure how to comprehend everything.

And above all, she was worried. Very worried. Anxiety filled almost every crevice of her body, making her muscles ache. She gave a small shudder once in a while due to all the emotion she was feeling. She continued to stare at the ceiling, biting her lip. She just..wasn't sure how to handle this. She had to do something. But what? What could she do? She had attempted to do something, but she was..practically shoved away.

She was worried about Rudy. Something must have happened to him, and she had no idea what it was.

Things had seemed normal at first. But yesterday, while she was doing some studying, her mom rushed into her room. She didn't know what to think at first. Her mom looked worried about something. Penny almost thought the house caught on fire, and she prepared to make a run for it. But instead, her mom asked her if she knew where Rudy was.

Penny had been shocked by that question and said no. Apparently, Mrs. Tabootie had called to ask if their son had stopped by. He was supposed to be back with them an hour ago, but he never showed up. It wasn't like Rudy to be late for this festival. Penny got worried as well, wondering what had happened to him.

Then the strangest thing happened. Later on that day, about two hours later, they got another call, again from Mrs. Tabootie. She said Rudy came back. But according to what her mom said, Penny knew something was still very wrong. Mrs. Tabootie said Rudy didn't want to go to the festival anymore and ran up to his room. He didn't want anyone visiting him and when Mr. Tabootie tried his luck at talking, he said he heard nothing but crying.

When Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie attempted to talk to their son to find out what was wrong, he refused to answer. He just turned his back to them, curling up into a ball. They were very worried for their son and they wondered if something happened to him during his walk. They said how he was just fine that morning and how he said he couldn't wait to go to the festival.

Penny had no idea what might have happened. But she did agree with Rudy's parents that something occurred during the walk that resulted in the change in attitude. She decided to get in contact with Rudy herself. Maybe he would be more open towards her.

She turned out to be incorrect. Rudy refused to talk to her. She thought he was angry at first. Maybe something happened that pissed him off so much, he just didn't want to talk about it. She didn't see Rudy so angry that often, but when he did get angry, he was pretty scary. The worst time she could recall was the poison pen letter incident. He sounded...downright maniacal. She tried her best to forget that incident.

That's when she realized...it couldn't have been anger. Rudy never went totally quiet when he was angry. He was quite vocal, at least enough to let people know he was angry. If he had been mad about something, he would have done something to let Penny know. He wouldn't just keep quiet. He would have said something. He wouldn't have just turned his back on her and his parents. And when she had seen the look in his eyes, she knew there was clearly something else going on.

His eyes were filled with what she felt was fear. He was afraid of something...but what? In addition to that, she could have sworn she saw a silent cry for help in his eyes. She might have been just seeing things. But if Rudy was really in trouble...she couldn't just ignore it.

She turned her head to her chalkboard. She had some formulas written on them, but at the moment, she hardly remembered what they meant. Her mind was focused on Rudy. She had to do something to help him. It was a little late at night, and she doubted her mom would drive her over to Rudy's, or even let her walk alone. And if something really did happen to Rudy... She didn't feel comfortable walking alone herself.

She decided her best bet was to go through ChalkZone. She knew how to navigate to Rudy's house from there. She had a feeling Rudy would still not be very cooperative, but she had to at least try. By now, his parents would be asleep anyway, or at least in their bedroom laying down, so she didn't have to worry about them coming into the bedroom unexpectantly and finding her there.

Plus, she wanted to tell Snap about Rudy's behavior. Maybe Snap could help her get Rudy to talk. They were his two best friends. Surely he would eventually trust them enough to tell them what was going on. They couldn't help him if he just kept quiet. Even if she couldn't get him to say anything, she knew how determined Snap could be. He might be able to succeed in getting Rudy to talk.

She took out the magic chalk she had laying around for a couple days. Rudy had left it over one day and forgot about it. She kept it somewhere safe. She knew that it would come in handy one day. She went over to the chalkboard and drew a circle. The portal activated, and she found herself staring straight into the dayzone part of ChalkZone.

The portal wasn't very high from the ground, so there was no need for her to draw any staircases or anything. She went through the portal and jumped down. She hardly took a step when she heard someone coming towards her. She looked over and saw it was exactly who she had wanted to get.

"Penny? What are you doing here?" Snap asked. "Isn't it kinda late? Your mom might..."

"No, don't worry about that." Penny said, waving with her hand. "She's in her bedroom, preparing to sleep. She won't come into the bedroom."

"Uh huh..." Snap nodded his head up and down. "Well anyway, why did you come into ChalkZone? Usually you come in with Rudy."

"That's why I came." Penny said.

"So do you know what's wrong with him?" Snap asked, his eyes furrowing in concern. "He was supposed to come into ChalkZone yesterday afternoon, but he never showed up. I thought maybe he was too tired, so I waited for him today. He still didn't come into ChalkZone. Is he sick or something?"

Penny shook her head. "No."

"Then what's wrong?" Snap asked, clearly concerned and hoping that Penny had some answers for him.

She didn't blame him for being worried. It wasn't like Rudy to not go to ChalkZone. If he couldn't make it, he would have sent notes. The fact that he didn't do that...something really was wrong. She couldn't imagine how worried Snap must have been. He had no way of contacting them in the real world, so if something happened, he wouldn't know unless they had magic chalk and a blackboard.

Penny wished she could tell him what was wrong. She wished she had the answers. Unfortunately, in this case, she did not. She was as in the dark as he was.

She looked towards the ground, fumbling with her fingers. "I'm..sorry I don't know." She looked back at him. "All I do know is that Rudy went for a walk, then didn't return for a while. His parents called my mom to see if he was at my place. Then he turned up later on, but that festival thing...he no longer wanted to go to it."

Snap's eyes widened. "Huh? Why not?" He put his arms in the air. "He loves that festival!"

"I know!" Penny said. She interlocked her fingers, staring at Snap with saddened eyes. "Something must have happened to him on the walk that made him this way. But he won't talk to his parents..and when I tried, he wouldn't say anything either." She took a step towards Snap. "I'm going over to his house now to speak to him. I want you to come along. Maybe you can help me convince Rudy to confess what happened. I'm really worried about him."

Snap nodded his head. "Yeah, so am I, Buckette."

The two began to make their way in the direction of Rudy's house. Penny had to stop a few times to make sure they were going the right way. She was so worried about Rudy, she feared that she might make a mistake and open a portal in the wrong place. The last thing she wanted to do was open a portal in front of someone who wasn't Rudy. She definitely didn't want to open a portal around Vinnie or Terry. The first thing they'd do was try to get into ChalkZone to gather evidence. They were so obsessed.

They soon came to the spot. Penny drew a small staircase. She walked up a few steps. Snap followed close behind her. She placed the magic chalk against the air, preparing to draw the portal. She hesitated. She wondered if she was going to get the silent treatment again. She wondered if, even with Snap, Rudy would still be quiet. A part of her was worried that he would force her to go back home as soon as he saw her. Would he even give them a chance to speak with him?

"I'm sure Rudy will talk to us." Snap said, like he sensed Penny's hestitation and wanted to provide some reassurance for her.

"I hope you're right, Snap." Penny said.

She drew the portal. There was a flash of yellow, and then she could see the inside of Rudy's room. She didn't see Rudy at first. She climbed through the portal, stepping onto the hard, wooden ground. She looked around. She saw a shivering lump on the bed. She knew it was Rudy. She turned around and pulled Snap through the portal before making her way towards Rudy.

Cautiously, she went up the ladder and stared down at Rudy's shivering form. She could hear him whimpering, and a few utters of 'no'. She moved a little higher on the ladder and leaned in closer. She reached out with an arm to try to get his attention. When she got close enough, she could see that his eyes were closed. She felt a bit of relief rush through her. He was just having a nightmare, so his fearful behavior wasn't due to whatever happened to him. It was nothing more than a bad dream.

She reached down and touched his shoulder. She shook him gently. A few shakes later, and Rudy stirred under the blanket. He slowly sat up and turned around. Almost immediately, his eyes snapped wide and he pressed his back against the wall. Clearly, he was not expecting her and Snap in his bedroom at this hour.

"Penny? Snap?" He asked in a soft voice.

At least he spoke this time. It was better than nothing. She was glad that he wasn't going to give her the silent treatment this time. Maybe now he was ready to talk.

"Rudy, we need to talk." Penny said.

Snap walked over and stood below Penny. "Yeah. What's wrong, Bucko?"

Rudy stared at the two of them. Then he turned away and hid his head underneath the blanket. "N-Nothing...it was just a bad dream. Now go back home, Penny. We have school tomorrow."

Penny folded her arms and tapped her foot, narrowing her eyes. "No, Rudy. I'm not leaving. Not this time." She pointed a finger towards the ground. "Now come down here and talk to us. Please, Rudy..." Her expression softened. "Don't push us away. Something is wrong. We know it."

Rudy refused to look at them. "Go home."

Snap used his two dimensional powers to go up Rudy's wall. He soon stood on Rudy's bed. He went over and grabbed his shoulder. He started to shake him. "Come on, Bucko. This isn't like you! Tell us what's wrong!"

Rudy responded by pulling the covers further over him.

Penny narrowed her eyes. There was no way she was going to let Rudy shun her away like this. He was going to talk, whether or not he wanted to. She grabbed his arms and started to pull him off the bed. Snap took the hint and went for Rudy's legs. Although Rudy struggled a little, he still barely put up a fight as they carried him off the bed, like he was too distraught to do anything.

Penny and Snap gently set Rudy on the ground, making sure his back leaned against the wall. They knelt down beside him, both with a hand on one of his shoulders in an attempt to reassure him. They looked at him with worried expressions.

"Rudy..what's wrong with you?" Penny asked. "You haven't been acting like yourself lately." Rudy flinched at this and just looked away. Penny leaned in closer to him. "Please, tell me what's wrong. I want to help you." But Rudy refused to say anything. Penny felt her heart clench, not liking to see Rudy this way. "Why won't you tell me what's going on?"

Rudy remained quiet. He refused to look at any of his friends. His eyes were downcast. Penny no longer had doubts something was wrong. Rudy was never this quiet with them, and it's been going on since yesterday. Ever since that walk...

"Rudy, what happened on the walk?" Penny asked.

Rudy looked at her. For a brief moment, she thought she saw fear in his eyes. But instead of explaining what happened, Rudy just...shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, like it was no big deal. "Nothing..." He said in a soft voice before looking away. "Nothing at all. It was just a normal, uneventful walk. Why?"

Penny wasn't convinced. "Don't lie to me, Rudy. Your parents told us how strange you acted after your walk, after you were gone longer than you were supposed to. Now, are you going to tell me what happened or what?"

"Come on, Rudy." Snap said, gently rubbing the boy's shoulder. "You can talk to us. We're your friends! Please, why don't you just tell us what happened? We'll do whatever we can to make it better."

"You won't be able to make it better!" Rudy exclaimed. He gasped in horror and covered his mouth, eyes widened.

That's when Penny realized she had been right. Something had happened on the walk. Something bad that made Rudy act this way. They were a step closer to finding out what was going on. Now if only Rudy would talk to them... If only he would confess what happened. If she and Snap tried harder, maybe they could make progress.

But before she or Snap could say anything, Rudy had gotten up and started to back away from them slowly. His body was shaking. He was looking around, his eyes large and wild, like he was looking for something or someone. He was acting like he did something wrong, and he was looking around for his punisher to come in and discipline him.

"Rudy...what's wrong?" Penny said. She looked at him sympathetically when he stared at her with terror-filled eyes. "No one here is going to hurt you. Tell us what happened."

Rudy shook his head slowly. "No...I can't...no! I won't do it!"

With that, Rudy bolted out of the room, leaving behind his confused and worried friend. Penny and Snap stared at the open door for a few minutes. They then slowly looked at each other. The same thoughts that swam through her mind, she knew Snap was thinking.

Something was wrong with Rudy. Something happened to him on that walk that has him terrified. And they had to find out what it was.

sss

Monday Morning:

Rudy sat on his bed, his feet dangling over the edge. He still wore his pajamas. His hair wasn't combed. The skin under his eyes was darky colored, like he didn't get much sleep that night. He looked like he really didn't want to get out of bed, yet he knew he had to.

His mind was filled with the recent events. He felt so guilty about the way he had been acting lately. He didn't like seeing his parents and friends so worried about him. He really, truly wanted to tell them what was going on. But he couldn't... He just couldn't. He couldn't believe he reacted the way he did in front of Penny and Snap. Now they are going to keep talking to him until he confessed what was wrong. He..he couldn't have that. He couldn't risk it.

Terry was watching him... He knew she was. If he did so much as slip out something, she was going to do something horrible. She would ruin Penny's life. She would allow Snap to be tortured by scientists after the 'world of chalk' was exposed to the real world, or whatever else horrible that might befall him and other citizens of ChalkZone should more humans learn of its existence. Although he couldn't see or hear her, he knew that she could be watching him at anytime.

She had been stalking him and Penny for months. With all that information she has...she must have seen almost everything they did, outside of private things and ChalkZone. She could be watching him through his window right now, and he would never know. For all he knew, she watched him as he slept. The idea frightened him, causing him to shiver. He felt afraid, terrified, yet he couldn't say a word about it.

He understood that his friends and family only wanted to help him. He wanted so desperately to accept that help. He wanted their comfort, their support. He wanted them to make it all better. But he didn't want to endanger any of them. He didn't know the full extent of Terry's abilities. He didn't know if she would go as far as do something to his parents if he said anything. And Penny and Snap...he couldn't allow them to get hurt because of him. He was going to have to handle this one on his own.

He had been replaying the events over and over in his mind. As painful as it was, he forced himself to mentally listen to Terry's words, trying to see if there was a loophole in them somewhere. Every plan usually had a weak spot somewhere, and if he could find Terry's, he could get out of this mess. He refused to believe it was hopeless. Even if Terry had him by the neck, there had to be some place where she missed a step.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized it really did seem hopeless. Terry knew where he was at all times. If he was somewhere he shouldn't be, she would get suspicious. She knew his routine too well. He couldn't go into ChalkZone because she would know; the tracker wouldn't work if he was in ChalkZone. He couldn't talk to anyone about it. She could be around any corner, as soon as he uttered a peep, he was in big trouble.

Still, there just had to be something. There had to... There was no way Terry's plan was one hundred percent foolproof. Something had to be there. Something that he missed. To this moment, he continued to think of what he could do.

Then he thought of something. Maybe...maybe if he wrote a note of some kind, he might be able to call for help. Something ambiguous that Terry wouldn't be able to figure out. Something his friends could decipher, but not Terry herself. But what? He searched his mind, trying to find something that could help him. In all his time in ChalkZone, there had to be something that might help him. Something..anything...

Before he could think any further on the subject, he looked over to his window and saw something stuck to his window. It appeared to be a note. It flapped a little, the wind blowing outside. He walked over, his heart starting to race. He knew who this note was from even before he opened it. Pushing his window a little open, he grabbed the note and pulled it out, careful not to rip it. He unfolded it and read its contents.

"Tabootie,

Meet me at that house from the other day in one hour.

T.B."

Those initials...It definitely was Terry Bouffant. And he knew exactly which house she was talking about. He wondered why she wanted him to meet him there if she didn't want to get caught. He thought that the house was still occupied right now. He doesn't think the man left yet to go to work.

Not that he had a problem going there. If that man was there, and if he saw what was going on, that would increase the odds of him getting out of his mess. And Terry would be brought to justice. There was no way the court was going to let her slide after all she had done. He would feel safer with her behind bars where she belonged.

He silently wished that someone had been there when he was captured. He wished Terry had chosen a bad time to kidnap him. If someone had witnessed what happened, they would have reported it to the authorities. Terry would have been arrested already. But sadly, this was not the case. Terry herself said she specifically chose this time because no one would see him get captured. No one would be a witness to his kidnapping. The fact of this knowledge made him feel even more alone than before.

Considering he didn't know how long the note had been there, he didn't waste any time getting ready. He didn't know what Terry would do if he failed to show up in time. She might assume he was backing out on the deal. And if she thought that, she might start doing harm to his friends, or even his own parents if she had the means to. She would target those he cared about just to get to him, to make him suffer.

As soon as he was all dressed, he didn't waste any time leaving. Though his parents tried to say something, he quickly said bye to them. It was a school day, so they didn't think it was too suspicious that he was going outside. He just hoped that they didn't watch where he was going. He didn't want Terry to do something to them.

sss

Rudy stood by the creepy house where he had been kidnapped. Being here made him feel even more terrified than usual. The place always disturbed him. But now it was even worse. It was the place where he was abducted, taken away from everyone else and forced into this 'deal with the devil' thing with Terry. Just standing here gave him the creeps. He had vague memories of being grabbed, of chloroform against his face.

And then when he woke up, he was at...her place. The fact that Terry did not live far from where his house scared him. He couldn't help but wonder if she purposely moved there so she could be closer to him, so she wouldn't have to travel far to execute this plan of hers. He was convinced that she chose that spot so she could more easily spy on him and try to get more information about ChalkZone.

He knew the reason why she didn't want him going directly to her house. There were more people around here now. If he walked over, someone would see him. And, while it might not seem too strange, if his parents asked the neighbors where he went, and someone mentioned that house, his parents would get suspicious and try to investigate. Same thing with his friends. He knew Terry would not want to take the risk of someone seeing him coming over. If the authorities found out, she knew she was in trouble.

He waited around for a few minutes. He kept in the darkness of the shade so no one would see him. That's what Terry would have wanted him to do. Stay hidden so no one would see them. He pushed himself against the bark of the tree, leaning on it. He waited in frightened anticipation for Terry to show up. His body filled with anxiety and he was starting to feel sick, and this was just from waiting for her to show up.

He half wondered if she was around, just watching in sadistic pleasure at how scared he was, even though she hadn't shown her face yet. He looked around, studying the shadows and colors of the world around him. He tried to find any trace of the reporter. But there was nothing here. It truly was like no one was here at all.

Yet he knew that wasn't the case. As he held still, as he stayed quiet, he could hear something behind him. He didn't move, barely dared to breathe, as someone got closer to him. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was there. She kept herself hidden from his sights. And he just froze like a statue, waiting for her to talk, to do something.

He felt a shadow growing on his back. He could hear breathing behind him. He could sense her presence, yet she hadn't said anything to him yet. He could practically feel her eyes boring through his skull as his hairs stood on end. Involuntarily, his body gave a few shakes of fear. His posture changed a little, to a slightly defensive one, like he expected to be attacked.

Slowly, very slowly, he turned his head. Not all the way, just enough so he could see Terry out of one eye. She stood behind him, staring at him with a small smile and narrowed eyes. She simply stared at him, saying or doing nothing at first, her arms crossed against her chest. It was clear she was enjoying this.

Then, after a few moments of silence, Terry finally spoke, her voice icy cold.

"So you finally made it. I thought you were ignoring me." Terry said. Her smile broadened a tad as she watched Rudy turn around to face her, his body hunched a little. "Well good thing you came now. Otherwise..."

She started to back Rudy against the tree. He pressed his back against the tree, staring at Terry in fear. When she placed her hands against the tree, pinning him against it, he cringed. He wanted to look away, but his eyes were locked on hers. He was too afraid to speak, too scared to move.

"Your little girlfriend would have a pretty bad day." Terry finished, smirking down at the frightened child. She reached down and placed her hand against Rudy's cheek. He let out a small whine at her touch, but didn't struggle. "Now we wouldn't want anything like that happen now do we?"

Rudy started to tremble. He tried to stop, but it was no use. His body shook like he was cold. As he shook, his breathing became quick and ragged. He felt a sharp coldness in his heart. He wanted to speak. He wanted to say something. But nothing could come out.

Terry was enjoying this. She watched him with a smile on her face as he shivered in fear. The more he shook, the happier she seemed to look. She had hardly done anything to him yet today, and he already was acting like she had just beaten him up or something. And that obviously was the kind of reaction she wanted from him. She wanted him to hurt. She wanted him to suffer. If he didn't react this way when she arrived, then she would have done whatever it took to make him react in fright.

Terry pulled her hand away, but she still stood where she was, keeping Rudy pressed against the tree. He wasn't sure if this was because she enjoyed seeing him trapped or if she wanted to make sure no one could see them. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

"It would be a shame if you slipped up, Tabootie. You know very well what will happen. Your friends will suffer...and it will be all your fault." Terry leaned in a little closely, keeping her eyes locked on the boys'. "I wonder how Sanchez will feel...knowing that you are the one who brought her demise. Do you think she'll still want to be friends with you? After what you've done?"

Rudy shook harder and started to let out a few whimpers.

"One slip up, Rudy. That's all it will take. Her life is in your hands." Terry sneered at him.

Terry reached down and touched Rudy on the head. He cringed away, but didn't fight back. As she ran her fingers through his hair, he shuddered, his heart starting to beat a little faster. He hated this unwanted touch. It was making him feel more afraid, more vulnerable. He felt as though she was treating him like a pet, one that she trained into full obedience. That is what he kinda felt like to her. She did have him on a leash practically, under her command.

Slowly, she moved her hand from his hair and down to his cheek again. She caressed it gently before moving her hand down to his shoulder. As she rubbed it, Rudy stared at her in fear, his eyes widened. He whimpered, letting a few tears drip from his eyes. He was so scared, knowing that she was going to do whatever it took to ruin his life, and the fact that she could easily ruin Penny's life if he stepped out of line.

Though he truly wanted to get away, he feared she would so something worse if he didn't remain still. As much as he hated it, he had no choice but to let Terry do whatever she wanted to him. He lowered his head, a clear sign of submission.

"I enjoy watching you squirm, Tabootie." Terry chuckled as Rudy submitted to her touch. "Revenge is sweet..."

Rudy wondered if that was the whole reason she brought him out here. Did she just want to mess with him like this, to hurt him mentally more? It was twisted...something that he could definitely see her doing. It scared him how gentle she was being with him. She was doing this to frighten him, and it was working. Rudy shivered as Terry moved her hand back up to stroke his hair once more.

"Down to business.." Terry said with an evil smile. "After school today, I want you to come around back, in a street not far down. I will be parked in an alley way with my news van. I want you to come over with a piece of magic chalk, and give it to me."

Rudy's eyes widened. She wanted the magic chalk this early? He thought she was going to ask for it later, after she 'interviewed' him. Then again, why should he be surprised at this? She really wanted that magic chalk back. And once she had it, she could easily prove ChalkZone's existence without him. But she was still going to pull him along for the ride, just so she could tear him down.

As she continued to play with his hair, Terry said, "And after I use the magic chalk to create a portal into ChalkZone, I think I'm going to locate your comical little sidekick."

"Snap..?" Rudy said, his voice barely a whisper.

"And I think I will drag him out and put him on my show that you ruined." She stared intently at Rudy, her smile broadening. "And you, kid. You are going to help me with that. You are going to help me get your friend on the news as I tell the world about ChalkZone."

"I..I thought you would have wanted to learn more before..." Rudy stammered.

Terry used her free hand to wave dismissingly. "I'll worry about that later. I'm more interested to see the look on Snap's face when you betray him. When you help me take him away from ChalkZone. I wonder how he will feel. I wonder how the other zoners would feel. Don't you?"

"N-No..." Rudy whimpered.

Unable to take it anymore, he started to struggle. He tried to squeeze past Terry, tried to break into a run. He pushed back against her, trying to make her let go of him. But he was quickly stopped when he saw Terry pull her hand back. His eyes widened in horror. Before he could protest, she struck him across the face.

His head was forced to its side from the force of the blow. Stinging pain spread through his cheek, a clear red mark left behind. He let out a yelp as he was struck. He kept his head turned away, his eyes shut tightly.

"Consider that a warning, Tabootie. Try to defy me again, I will do much worse." Terry threatened.

Rudy started to cry harder, his lower lip quivering. He trembled, feeling tears stroll down his face. Slowly, he opened up his eyes and, very cautiously, he looked up towards Terry. He stared at her with terror-filled eyes, clenching his teeth.

Terry glared down at him. The look on her face scared him. There was so much hatred and contempt in those eyes. Her expression was filled with hostility. He could see the intent to harm practically radiating off her body. She showed that she is willing to hurt a child to get what she wants. She had struck him, and he didn't doubt she'd do it again if he tried to fight back. The fact that she was willing to hurt him both mentally and physically...it made him feel even more afraid.

He felt her hands grip his shoulders. He didn't struggle. He kept his head low for a few seconds. But when he felt her dig her nails into his skin, he looked up, staring into her hate-filled eyes.

"Remember who is in charge here. I call all the shots now. You listen to me. You do not struggle against me. I can do whatever I want with you." Terry hissed. "I control you. Understand?"

Rudy shuddered. "Y-Yes...M-Ms. Bouffant.." He said in a low whisper.

Terry's smile returned, and suddenly she looked so sickenly pleasant. "Good boy." She touched his cheek, the some one she had slapped just moments ago. Maybe as a way to show him that she can be gentle with him if he listened to her and didn't fight back. In the end, it was all just to scare him. She was clearly enjoying her dominance over him. "Now, back to business. I expect you to meet me no later than half an hour after school ends. If I don't see you, I will go forward with ruining your friend's life, and watch you squirm as you try to defend yourself, and lose a friend."

Rudy lowered his head submissively. He knew he had no other choice. "I'll be there... I'll bring the magic chalk."

"Excellent." Terry grinned. She stepped away from the boy, allowing him some more personal space. "I will be waiting for you, Tabootie. Don't be late."

And with that, she left, leaving behind the frightened 10 year old.

sss

That afternoon, Penny leaned against the side of the school. She watched as the other children were playing. They all looked so happy. So the opposite of how she felt. She was very worried, even more so than yesterday. Something was wrong with Rudy, and today during class..she got proof of that.

It happened while Mr. Wilter was lecturing them on geography. While Mr. Wilter was talking, Rudy pretended to write down notes for the class. Even Penny thought what he was writing was school related at first. But then he did something she did not expect him to do. He handed it to her, his hand behind his back so Mr. Wilter wouldn't see. Confused, she took the piece of paper from him.

She wondered what he wrote. She wondered if this had anything to do with what happened to him. Maybe he was finally willing to tell her something. If that were the case, she could begin to help him more efficiently. Being in the dark, there wasn't much she could do other than try to comfort him. But whatever happened to him, it wasn't going to get any better until he told her exactly what was wrong. So, thinking that's what he was doing, she opened up the paper.

To her disappointment, what the letter contained wasn't what she hoped. It was some random message that didn't make much sense. She stifled a groan, not wanting to draw Mr. Wilter's attention to her. He was still writing on the chalkboard, his back turned to her. He didn't see the note she had in her hands. She immediately flattened it on her desk so that, if he did turn around, he wouldn't see it still.

Penny reread the message over and over. She couldn't fathom why Rudy would send something like this to her. It wasn't even coherent. She half wondered if he didn't get enough sleep last night. He did look really shaken up when he came into school. Maybe he had a really horrible nightmare and just couldn't sleep.

Then she noticed something odd about the letter. There were weird marks on the paper. And when she turned it a certain way, something was coming into view. She had seen tricks like this before. Rudy was an artist, so she wasn't surprised that he was able to do this. She glanced up real quick to make sure Mr. Wilter wasn't looking. Then she looked down on the paper. She turned it until she could see what the hidden mark was.

Her eyes widened. A message was revealed. Two words.

'Help me'.

She knew, right then, something was wrong. He was calling out to her for help. Something happened, something terrible. She needed to figure out what it was. And fast.

She tried to talk to him when they were just dismissed for recess. But he didn't try to talk to her. He still looked shaken up, worse than before. She wondered, in horror, if something had happened again. And if it did..what was going on? She felt a growing urgency to solve the mystery. Rudy was in some kind of trouble. He needed help desperately. And the worst part was she had no idea how far things would go if nothing is done soon.

Rudy went over by himself, randomnly doodling on the ground. When she had tried to speak to him, he wouldn't look at her. She felt horrible for him. He must have been really scared by something. Judging from his cry for help and the fact that he wouldn't talk to her, Penny had an idea on what happened.

Someone was hurting him. Someone must have attacked him on that walk and roughed him up. And that same attacker went for him again. They may have threatened someone he cared about if he dared speak about it. That would explain why Rudy wouldn't tell anyone of what happened. That might be why he tried to pretend everything was just peachy. And why he had that nightmare. Her eyes widened in horror at this realization. If that is what happened, she needed to figure out who it was that hurt him.

If someone had witnessed what happened, she could talk to them. Knowing what happened wouldn't bring forth answers right away. But it would open the door way to finding a solution. She was determined to help Rudy anyway she could. She knew Snap would do the same as well. The only reason he couldn't do anything now was because he was in ChalkZone; the real world was too dangerous for him to be in. Once she found out more information, she would inform him as soon as possible.

Recess was almost half way over, but it felt like it was going on forever. She looked over at Rudy sadly. She wished she knew exactly what happened to him. She and Snap both wanted him to feel better. They missed the old Rudy. They didn't like seeing him so upset. It hurt them both.

Just then, Penny heard someone walking up to her. She turned around and saw Reggie Bullnerd. She narrowed her eyes. She wondered what he wanted this time. Maybe he was going to draw another Doofus Penny or something.

She was confused by his expression, though. It didn't look hostile or angry like she expected, nor did it look gleeful. Instead it looked like...worry. Was something troubling him? He might have just gotten into trouble with his dad or something. Yeah, that was probably it. Something trivial like that. Reggie got into trouble with his dad a lot due to the messes he causes at school.

"Penny. I need to talk to you."

Penny was confused. Reggie rarely went up to her to talk. She couldn't barely even remember one time. And since when did he ever speak to her with a genuinely-sounding concerned voice? This told Penny that, maybe, what he had to say was important.

"What is it, Reggie?" Penny asked, curious about what he wanted to talk about.

"It's about Rudy." Reggie replied.

Penny looked at him in surprise. Reggie didn't really show concern much for Rudy in the past. The way he was talking, though, it did seem like Reggie cared a little for Rudy because he sounded concerned.

"He's been acting weird for the past few days. So scared. Frightened..he won't talk to me." Penny said, fumbling with her fingers. "I never seen him this way before. I don't know why he isn't opening up to anyone. I'm sure something happened."

Reggie nodded his head slowly. "Yeah. Something did happen."

Penny let out a gasp of shock. Reggie had...he had seen what happened? She immediately got closer to him, almost backing him against the wall. She felt bad doing so, but she had been wanting to find out what happened to Rudy for the past couple days. And if Reggie knew something, he had better tell her, and right now.

"What?" Penny exclaimed, her eyes wide. "What happened?!"

Reggie began to recount the story.

"My dad and I were on our morning route, picking up garbage. While I was picking up one of the trash cans, I heard something from that creepy guy's house."

Penny assumed that he was talking about the man who lived in a bizarre-looking house, who often had the best Halloween decorations and treats. She didn't say anything and let Reggie continue with the story. She was anxious to hear about what had happened.

"I went to see what the noise was. I hid behind the house so whoever it was didn't see me. That's when I saw Rudy."

Penny gulped, afraid to ask. "What...what happened to him?"

"There was some crazy lady holding onto him. He was struggling to get free. She did something to him that caused him to pass out. She picked him up and ran off with him."

Penny's eyes widened in horror at this. Rudy had been kidnapped... Oh no... Rudy...

"I tried to tell my dad about what happened, but he thought I was just seeing things. He says there was no way that Bouffant would risk kidnapping a child." Reggie said.

Penny's eyes snapped wide. She took a step back. "Ms. Bouffant? She was the one who kidnapped Rudy?"

Reggie nodded his head. "Yeah. It was definitely her. Same green outfit. Same poofy red hair." He paused for a moment. "Do you believe me?"

Penny nodded her head slowly. "Yeah...I believe you. She's been tailing me and Rudy in the past. I..never thought she'd go as far as kidnap..."

So that was what had happened. Terry had kidnapped Rudy while he was on the walk. He had been nabbed when there were few people around to witness it. She must have taken him somewhere and..did something. That part she still didn't know. But, with her obsession with ChalkZone, it had to be related to getting Rudy to help her with that. Maybe reveal some information or even hand over magic chalk.

Whatever she had done to him, it traumatized poor Rudy. She had never seen him so scared before. And if he had been unwilling to talk to them...Terry must have threatened his friends or his family. She must have said she would bring harm to those he cared about if he dared to speak.

Penny's mind flashed back to the incident in the bedroom, where Rudy ran off. Just before he had, he was looking around, all frightened. She didn't know why, at the time, he did that. But now that she knows Terry was involved, it all made sense to her. He was looking for Terry. He must have believed that she was watching him, and he was worried she was going to punish him.

And because of how even more frightened Rudy was today...oh no... Did she kidnap him again? She must have done something else to him, possibly this morning, before he came to school. Something that increased his fear for her, and his fear for his friends. Penny felt anger rise up in her stomach. Terry was going to pay for this.

But how would she move about doing something? If it was true that Terry threatened his friends and family if he said anything, if she acted like she knew, and Terry saw, she might do something horrible. She needed to act like she was oblivious. If Terry continued to believe she didn't know anything, then she wouldn't take action.

She wanted to at least talk to Snap. He needed to know what she found out. There was still time left in recess to do that real quick. She still had that piece of magic chalk. She could go around back and make a small portal, and hopefully see Snap, or at least a zoner who knows Snap, and give him the message.

Penny turned to Reggie and said, "Thank you for telling me what happened. I just hope it's not too late to do something about it."

Reggie nodded his head. "I hope so, too."

Penny started to walk away, but she was held back. She turned and saw that Reggie had grabbed her hand. He must have something else to say. She stopped and turned back around.

Reggie, still gripping her hand, asked, "Do you know why this Bouffant lady has been following you and Rudy around so much?"

Penny grimaced slightly. She couldn't very well tell him the truth. She couldn't tell him that Terry has become obsessed with ChalkZone and was determined to do whatever she could to pry information out of her and Rudy. Though Reggie had been to ChalkZone before, Rudy had convinced him it was just some weird dream. It was best that he keep believing it was a dream, since she and Rudy didn't know how trustworthy Reggie was with a secret as big as this.

Still, she couldn't leave him hanging. She had to provide some kind of answer, one that would satisfy him. She soon realized there was a way to tell him the truth, but not in a way that revealed ChalkZone's existence.

"She thinks we know about some world of chalk or something." Penny shrugged her shoulders dismissively. "She's absolutely bonkers for it, and she has been trying to get Rudy and me to tell her more about it. She thinks we visit this world of chalk frequently."

Reggie stared at her. He laughed a little. "That really is weird."

"Yeah I know." Penny looked towards the ground sadly. "It is terrible that she did all this to Rudy...because of a place that is only a figment of the imagination."

Reggie agreed. "Yeah. She is crazy." He paused for a moment, looking a little regretful. "I am sorry I didn't say anything earlier. My dad didn't want me 'spreading rumors' about Ms. Bouffant, so I couldn't tell anyone about it. Not until now."

Penny gave him a small smile. "It's quite all right, Reggie. At least you told me now." She glanced over at Rudy. "I just hope that we can figure out how to help him before things get even worse."

Reggie nodded, remaining silent. The two kept quiet for a few moments. Penny tried to think of how she was going to go about things. She wanted to get in contact with Snap as soon as possible. With Reggie here, she couldn't do that, not now. But if she waited too long, she would be too late.

Originally, she just wanted to tell Snap about what happened. But then she realized one thing. If Snap found out Rudy had been hurt by Terry, he would definitely want to do something to help out. She wondered if it was best that she brought him into the real world to help plan on how they were going to get Rudy out of this mess. Snap might have some good ideas on what to do.

But how was she going to do this without Reggie seeing? She couldn't let him find out ChalkZone was real. As much as he was being helpful right now, that didn't say much for how trustworthy he was with a huge secret. He might blab to the first person he sees. No, she had to make sure Reggie didn't see her pull Snap out of ChalkZone. And there was one way she thought of that would allow her to do so, yet at the same time still be helpful for Rudy's sake.

"Reggie, do you think you can tell Principal Stringet about what happened?" Penny asked the larger kid. She quickly added, "And can you make sure she gives a call to Rudy's parents? They need to know about this."

"Okay, I can do that." Reggie said. He turned towards the school entrance and walked back inside.

Penny couldn't remember if it was against school rules to go wandering the halls during recess. But she wasn't worried. Even if it were, the school was used to Reggie disobeying the rules, so she doubted he would get into worse trouble than he normally gets into. And considering how fast he was moving, she guessed that he would reach the principal's office very shortly.

It wouldn't take him long to complete the task. A few minutes. She had to use this time wisely. She looked at the other kids, making sure that they weren't looking in her direction. She backed away slowly, towards the back of the school. Once she was certain no one was going to see her, she bolted behind the school, in shadow so it was hard to make her out.

Penny pressed the magic chalk against the ground. Slowly, she drew a circle, watching it glow as she did so. She hoped that Snap was somewhere nearby so she can get this over with as soon as possible.

sss

Snap laid down on his back, trying to relax. It was a nice day in ChalkZone. Well it usually was unless some irresponsible kid erased storms into the place. Or even worse...rainbows...

He shuddered at the memory. So many rainbows coming down at them. So sharp, so strong... He never thought he would miss the storms so much. They were easier to deal with. He was glad Rudy was able to come up with a solution. He didn't think he could stand much more beauty raining down on him.

He thought about Rudy. He was really worried about him. He still hadn't come into ChalkZone. He knew something was really wrong with him. Penny and him agreed that something happened to him on the walk. But what, they weren't sure. It had to have been something bad enough that made him so afraid. Snap's thought, and he was certain the same thing crossed Penny's mind, was that someone attacked Rudy. It was the only thing that made sense.

He narrowed his eyes a little as he felt the anger returning. He wouldn't let anyone get away with hurting his best friend. He would find whoever dared harm Rudy and make them pay. But, from here, he couldn't do anything. He couldn't leave into the real world on his own; Rudy or Penny would have to get him out. And right now Penny was in school. There wasn't anything she could do.

He felt helpless. He really wanted to help Rudy. He wanted so much to do something. But what could he do from inside ChalkZone? Nothing. The relationship between the real world and ChalkZone wasn't a two-way street. It was easy for someone in the real world to contact ChalkZone. Erasing notes and creations and all. But there was no way for someone in ChalkZone to contact the real world.

Part of him was relieved by this because it meant that ChalkZone remained secretive. If it was possible to contact the real world so easily, more humans might learn about his world's existence. And what would happen after that was anyone's guess. That was why people like Terry and Vinnie were so dangerous. If they managed to expose ChalkZone... He gulped, trying to push the thought out of his head.

Yet there were times, like this, where he wished he could contact the real world. He wanted to talk to Penny. He wanted to talk to Rudy. He wanted to find out what happened to his creator and best friend. He cared about Rudy so much. And it wasn't just because Rudy was the one who, artistically, gave birth to him. They were really close friends, almost like brothers. He would feel the same sense of urgency if Penny were in danger as well. As he saw Rudy as his brother, he saw Penny as his sister.

They were family to him, and he would do whatever he could to help them. He hated feeling helpless. He...he wanted to help...

Just then, he saw a light forming a circle in the air. He knew what it was immediately. It was either Rudy or Penny. He waited quietly for the circle to complete. With a flash of light, he could easily see the sky of the real world. Then, seconds later, Penny stuck her head through the portal. She looked immensely relieved when she saw him.

"Snap!"

"Buckette?" Snap got up from the ground and took a few steps towards the portal. "Isn't it school now?"

"Don't worry about it. Come along!" Penny motioned with her hand. "You have to help me and Reggie!"

At this, Snap narrowed his eyes a little. What was Penny doing with Reggie? Last he checked, they were enemies. Sure, Reggie wasn't the biggest creep he knew. There were people he knew of that were more deserving of a beatdown. But still, why would Penny want to work with Reggie on anything? Surely Reggie isn't the type to be so helpful.

"Reggie Bullnerd? What are you..."

He was cut off. Penny managed to reach down and grab him, since the portal wasn't too high off the ground. Her fingers wrapping around his forearm, Snap gave a surprised yelp as he was pulled out of ChalkZone and into the real world. As he rubbed his head, Penny erased the portal so that no one would see it.

Snap glared at her. "Hey, give me a warning next time."

Penny said, "Sorry, Snap. But we can really use your help."

Snap got up to his feet. He continued to glare at Penny. "And can you tell me why you're working with...him?"

Penny's expression changed. It became sorrowful. She looked on the ground. Snap realized that she knew something really important. His anger slowly melted away. Whatever she had to say...it might be related to Rudy. He felt his heart clench. What if Rudy was in bigger danger? Was he hurt again? Had he been...taken?

He quickly looked from behind the school. He was relieved when he saw Rudy was still there. But that relief turned into sadness and confusion. Rudy looked even worse than yesterday. He was just...sitting there, absent-mindedly drawing circles on the sidewalk. That wasn't like him. He'd usually be with Penny, or creating another one of his masterpieces. He wouldn't just be sitting there, paying no attention to anyone around him, looking like he had seen a monstrous ghost...

Snap turned to Penny with an expectant stare. "Is it just me, or does Rudy look...even more depressed than before?"

Penny nodded her head. "Yeah... Snap..." She took a step towards her blue friend. "Reggie...he saw what happened."

Snap's eyes widened. "He did?!"

Penny made a motion with her hands for Snap to be quiet. Snap realized his mistake and nodded his head quickly. He stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "Yeah. Reggie told me he was on garbage duty when he..saw...he saw..." Penny's voice trailed off. Tears formed in her eyes.

"What is it?" Snap said, desperation in his voice. "Tell me..."

Penny stared at Snap sorrowfully. "Snap... Rudy was kidnapped."

At this, Snap felt as though the color started to drain from his face, even though he was already white. He stared at Penny in horror. He took a step away from Penny, his eyes fixated on her. Rudy was kidnapped? He instantly thought of when Rudy ran out of the bedroom when he said they 'couldn't make it better'. He was...he was looking for his kidnapper...

Fear and dread filled Snap's heart. The kidnapper did something to Rudy. Something horrible that has him so scared. Horrific thoughts flooded his mind of all kinds of things the kidnapper might have done. As the dread continued to well up inside of him, so did the anger. Whoever did this...he was going to make them regret it.

"Did he see who did it?" Snap said, forcing his voice to be quiet. Penny nodded her head. Snap said, with clenched teeth, "Who...? Who did this?"

"Terry Bouffant."

It felt as though a bomb went off inside his head. Snap's eyes widened. Terry...of course... Why hadn't he thought of it before? She had shown she was willing to abduct people to get what she wanted. He should have realized that Terry may have played a hand in how frightened Rudy was. He felt a horrible sense of guilt well up inside as the realization swept through him.

He thought back to how much worse Rudy was acting. Maybe he had been right, and the attacker struck again. Terry may have 'contacted' him again, to make him more afraid and helpless. The fact that this woman was willing to go so far... Snap felt his body shake a little from the anger.

Now he knew why Penny pulled him out of ChalkZone, why she was working with that Reggie kid. Reggie was apparently willing to help Rudy. He had seen what happened. His testimony would help bring Terry to justice. But first, they would need to find her, and get her caught in the act somehow. Reggie's word wouldn't be enough. They would need to do something that would ensure that Terry wouldn't be able to defend herself.

Though he wasn't sure how much control she had over his friend, or what kind of threats she could dish out, Snap still knew they had to be careful. Penny hadn't said anything, but he guessed she would know that, to go about this, they had to be secretive. They had to make sure Terry, if she was watching somehow, didn't suspect them to be a threat. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know if she began to suspect that Rudy blabbed to someone...

"She will pay for this." Snap finally said, his voice laced in hatred.

Penny nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, she will. The three of us will think of something." She narrowed her eyes. "We will make sure she never hurts him again."

sss

Rudy stood on the street across from the school. He looked back. He had managed to slip away without Penny noticing him. He felt guilty for not telling her what was going on. But he...he couldn't risk her getting hurt. He wasn't going to allow her to land into trouble because of him.

He had made sure no one else saw him either. He didn't waste time. He bolted down the street, looking for the alley where Terry was waiting for him. He didn't know how much time he had left. He had lost track of time. All he knew was that, if he didn't find her soon, something terrible was going to happen... He wished he remembered which alley it was. He couldn't even remember if she told him which alley she'd be waiting for him in.

Soon, after a couple streets down, he could see the shadow of a van against the wall. He slowed to a walk. He knew what the van was, and who it belonged to. His heart filling with dread, he moved slowly. With each step, he became more and more frightened. He managed to keep himself relatively calm-looking as he entered the alley way.

It was Terry's news van all right. He recognized this particular shade of green, the writing on the side. He didn't see Terry, though. He suspected that he'd have to walk around to the back. He stopped on the side of the van. He gulped, preparing himself for what was about to happen.

He stared down at the piece of magic chalk, the one he was bringing for Terry. He knew, after today, it may all be over. Once she had her hands on this, ChalkZone was in danger. Once Terry had access to ChalkZone at anytime she wanted, she wouldn't hesitate to expose it on TV. And she was going to drag him along for the ride. She was going to make him a traitor in front of all of ChalkZone. She was going to tear down his reputation, make him suffer...

Yet, he knew the consequences if he didn't listen to her. If it meant making his friends and family as safe as possible, he was willing to take the fall for them. As long as it was just him who had to suffer so much... He would do anything to protect his friends and family.

Rudy, slowly and cautiously, moved towards the back of the green news van. When he reached the back, he raised his right hand. Trembling a little, he knocked on it. In seconds, it opened up and he saw Terry smirking down at him.

"Good, you made it." Terry said. "Come on inside. Let us talk in..private..."

With that, Terry grabbed Rudy by his arm roughly. She twisted it a little, causing Rudy to wince in pain. She pulled him into the van easily and shut the door. Rudy looked around the van and was horrified by what he saw.

Photographs of him, his friends...they were everywhere. Most of them, he had no idea how she got them. He didn't see her during those times. The whole inside of the van had what looked to be hundreds of pictures of him, Penny, and Snap, and information regarding them, just plastered everywhere. His heart started to race. She hadn't been lying when she said she had been stalking them. He had no idea it was this bad...

He looked around, his eyes wild. Just how did she get all these pictures? Where had she been hiding? How much more did she know? How much more evidence did she have? His breathing quickened. If there was one place he could think of as a living hell, this would be it.

Terry said, "Do you like what I've done to the place? And in case you are wondering, I have a lot more than this..." She moved her arms to the side and up in the air, gesturing to all the photographs around her. "This is just a small taste of what I was able to aquire during my months of keeping an eye on you and Sanchez."

Rudy cringed as she said that. He looked around the van more. He could see what appeared to be old computers, where Terry might have kept even more information. He then saw a blackboard hanging on the side. When he looked more closely at it, he realized the saw something all too familiar...

The very faint outline for Boorat... Horror spread through his body. Terry was...Boorat's creator.. He looked up at her with wide eyes as this revelation clicked with him.

"Yes, that's Boorat. Vinnie and I created him as an attempt to get your magic chalk." Terry said, noticing Rudy's expression. "Of course, you know what came of that little plan." She took a few steps towards the 10 year old boy. "This plan is much more efficient, don't you think? You know the saying. If you want something done right, you do it yourself."

Rudy looked up at her in fear. The realization that Boorat was Vinnie and Terry's creation...just how much more have these two done that he wasn't aware of? How many more times have these two worked together to expose ChalkZone? How close have they come before?

And now, he was going to help Terry... He had no choice. She had him at her mercy. She was going to succeed, at least, to expose ChalkZone. The realization that he was being forced to help her...it felt like his heart was being torn into shreds. He could feel tears starting to form, but he held them back.

Terry started to back him against the wall, like she had before with the tree. Once he had his back pressed against the wall, she held out her hand expectantly.

"Give me the magic chalk."

At first, Rudy just stared at her fearfully, afraid to move. He stared at her open palm, knowing full well what would happen if he gave the magic chalk to her. When he saw her raise her hand as to slap him again, he shook and, reluctantly, reached into his pocket. Terry lowered her hand and smiled evilly as he pulled out a piece of magic chalk. Feeling defeated, Rudy placed it in her hand, his head lowered in submission.

"I see you've learned your lesson. Good..." Terry said. She squeezed the magic chalk in her hand and stared at it triumphantly. "With this, no one is going to call me a fool again!" She looked back down at the boy. "And it's all thanks to you, Tabootie." She put the magic chalk in her pocket for safe keeping. "I should really thank you..."

She started to move a little closer to him. Rudy's heart raced.

"But I think I'd rather break you.." Terry finished, the evil smile broadening on her face. "And trust me...I will enjoy it..."

Terry moved behind Rudy slowly. He started to shake as he felt her hands grip his shoulders, squeezing them gently. After a few seconds of rubbing his shoulders, he felt her sling her arms around his body. She pulled him close to her, pressing his body against hers. He was trapped, her arms securing him in place.

There was no comfort in this hug. It was very clear that Terry was doing this to make him feel insecure and helpless. And he coudn't fight back. The minute he showed any signs of resistance, she was going to hurt him. He had no choice but to allow her to hold onto him, let her do whatever she wanted to him, no matter how frightened it made him feel.

Terry's arms were crossed across his chest. Her hands were running up and down his arms a little. Her had rested on his shoulder. He stared at her in fear, unable to move. It was clear she was doing this to show how much control she had over him. She was the dominant one here, and he was the submissive one. And if he tried to change that..

"It is a shame it had to be this way, Tabootie." Terry said in a soft voice. She gripped him roughly by the arms and swung him around so he was facing her. "You tried so hard to keep a secret. You tried to keep ChalkZone safe from prying eyes. But you failed to do that." She pressed Rudy against the wall, sneering at him. "I guess you really can't keep a secret after all. You are a failure. You let all your zoner friends down...and now they will no longer see you as a protector, but as a traitor."

Rudy trembled as Terry took a finger and traced it along the side of his cheek. She came down to his chin and pressed it, forcing him to turn his head upwards a little. She stared into his eyes. He wanted to get away, yet he was frozen by fear.

"But then...I suppose I can't fault you for that..."

As she said that, she reached up with both her hands. She pressed them against the sides of his face. She caressed them gently.

"After all, it's not like you...had a choice." Terry said. She started to move her hands downward, from his neck, down his shoulders and to his arms. "It's really admirable you are willing to do this for the sake of your friends." She rubbed his arms for a few seconds before moving her hands back up towards his face. She gripped it a little tighter and put her face closer. "So take that in comfort, Tabootie."

As she gently squeezed his shoulder to hold him in place with one hand, she reached up with her other and began playing with his hair again. He could feel her fingers running through it and he shuddered at her touch. He hated being treated this way, like he was just some pet she tamed.

"Your next task...is to capture your own friend." Terry said. Rudy's eyes widened. She chuckled darkly at this. "I want to see the look on his face when his own friend betrays him. I want to see how shattered you look when your friend starts to hate you..."

Rudy started to whimper. His low cries made Terry's smile grow larger. He shivered as he felt her continue to stroke his hair. Her other hand started to run up and down his arm. She was really freaking him out. She was being too gentle...he knew that, any second, she could hurt him. He knew this behavior was meant to shatter his mind. He..he had to get away somehow...

Rudy didn't want to betray Snap. He couldn't do that... No. He wasn't going to betray his friend like this. Even though he new the consequences, he had to delay the inevitable somehow... He had to do something. He started to struggle again, like he had before. He tried to twist his body away from the crazy woman, pushing hard against her, trying to make her back off.

The smile quickly faded from Terry's face, replaced by a hateful scowl. "It looks like you need another lesson, Tabootie.."

She raised her hand. Rudy's eyes widened and his body froze.

"N-No..please..." He begged her, but it was no use. She slapped him, this time with more force. His head jerked to the side, banging against the side of the wall. His cries filled the van, his body trembling violently. He looked up at her, staring into her hate-filled eyes.

"You're not allowed to do anything without my permission. You got that?" Terry said, her voice raising a little in volume. It was filled with menace, chilling Rudy to the bone. "You do whatever I say. And when I tell you not to do something, you best listen to me. When I give a command, you obey. You belong to me now, Rudy Tabootie." She straightened herself up, towering over Rudy, glaring down at him with contempt. She raised her open palm again. "And to make sure you remember that..."

Rudy instinctively struggled. "No..please don't hurt me again...please..." He pleaded, tears rapidly flowed down his face as he looked at her with terror-filled eyes.

"Too late." Terry said coldly.

She struck him again, mustering up as much strength as she could. Rudy let out a scream of pain as he tumbled to the side. The force of the blow caused him to lose his footing. He fell to the ground in a heap. He put his hand gingerly on the cheek Terry just slapped twice...thrice if he counted the first time. This time, unlike the first two times, Terry had bent her fingers in such a way that, when she hit him, she scraped her fingernails along his face. He could feel small cuts where her fingernails scratched him up. He looked at his fingers and trembled when he saw a tad bit of blood. He looked up at her, watching her glare down at him.

Then something happened that neither Terry nor Rudy would have predicted.

"Rudy!"

Rudy froze. He and Terry looked over and both were shocked at what they saw. They hadn't noticed one of the van doors had opened. They hadn't noticed people rushing over towards them. They hadn't noticed Penny, Snap, and Reggie watching in horror at what happened. They didn't see Rudy's parents, Mr. Wilter, or the principal running towards the van, along with some cops.

From the expression on his friends' and parents' faces...Rudy knew they had seen what happened. They saw Terry strike him down. He looked up at Terry. Her angry expression was replaced with one of horror. She realized that she was in trouble now. She had been caught red-handed.

She turned her head towards him, staring at the boy in shock. Her body started to shake. Her eyes narrowed again, and she gritted her teeth.

"You told them..." Terry said in a dark voice.

"No, I swear...I didn't tell anyone!" Rudy cried out, putting his hands over his face in self defense.

"Don't lie to me, kid!" Terry shouted. She ignored the fact that people were there watching her. Since they already knew, since she was already in trouble, it didn't matter if she tried to do something else to him. She grabbed him by the throat and held him down. She pulled back a fist, ready to punch him.

Terry never got a chance to make the blow. Quicker than anyone could predict, Mrs. Tabootie slammed against Terry, pushing her away from her son. The larger woman pinned the reporter against the wall. Terry struggled to get free, but she was clearly outmatched.

Mrs. Tabootie glared daggers at the red-haired woman. "Don't you ever hurt my son again, you witch!"

Terry said nothing. She just glared back at the enraged mother.

Penny, Reggie, and Snap rushed to Rudy's side. They helped him up to his feet. They lead him out of the van and towards his father's waiting arms. Mr. Tabootie pulled Rudy into a warm, relieved hug. Rudy hugged him back, crying softly against his chest.

Two policemen rushed forward. They ushered Mrs. Tabootie aside. The larger policeman looked around the van. It took him only seconds to realize what was going on. He glared at the woman. "I see at least three accounts of stalking. On top of that, kidnapping and threatening a child. Terry Bouffant, you are under arrest."

The other policeman forced Terry's hands behind her back. With the sound of a click, her arms were secured by the cuffs. She struggled, but the two policemen grabbed her by the arms and started to drag her out and towards the waiting police car.

Mrs. Tabootie went over to where her son was. She looked at him with tear filled eyes. "Oh Rudy..." She said in a soft voice.

"Mom..." Rudy let go of his dad and went over to his mom. His mom wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

Rudy watched in fear as Terry tried to get at him again. She shouted, "I'll get you for this, Tabootie! Just you wait! I'll get you!"

Rudy let out a whine and clung to his mother tighter, pressing his face against her. His mother held him protectively, glaring at Terry as she was being pushed into the police car. His father came up to him and placed his hand sympathetically on his shoulder. He was joined by everyone else who came.

The principal, his teacher, his two friends, even the school bully had approached him, looking at him worriedly and sympathetically. Rudy felt relief hit him. This nightmare..it might truly be over. But he was too shaken up to say anything. He just whimpered and cried as he was held by his mother.

"C-Come on son..." Mr. Tabootie said solemnly. "Let's go home..."