The Emotions Kingdom is a story I have been working on for a long time. I have finally decided to start writing it! And why not share it with the internet.

What is it about?

The Emotions Kingdom follows a group of outcasts. Banished from their world they seek a way to get back. Throughout the story things take a turn for the worst. Conflicting ideals and goals may lead to their downfall. Will they make it back to their home? Or will they fall into despair? Please, keep coming back for new chapters. I am still working on this site so the chapters may be limited for now.

“Today is going to be the best day of my life! I know it.” Walking down the street toward school, I felt a rush of excitement. Today is my first day at a new school, and I’m eager to create new memories. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! I’m Melody Euphonious, beginning my first year at Edgewater High School. It may be just a regular high school, but attending a school in a different city is thrilling. I can’t wait to meet my classmates. Since no one from my old school is here, I’ll have the chance to make new friends. That doesn’t bother me; in my hometown, I never really had any true friends, so this is an opportunity for a fresh start. Everything feels different today as if something magical is about to happen. While I don’t believe in magic, today feels special. Why can’t my life feel like a magical storybook? I have always hoped my life would unfold like the narratives in books, but until now, that hasn't happened. So, I kept walking, and then it happened: I turned a corner in the road and glimpsed my future. This was everything I could hope for.

"Hey, this story isn't about you," cried an unknown voice.

"What? How did you get here?"

"Never mind that!" He continued, "I am Jack Gateau, but you can just call me Jack. This story will now be all about me. Let's start with a little backstory. The tale begins in a struggling kingdom that has been in decline for a long time. This kingdom was called the Kingdom of Emotions; ironically, it was ruled in a way that did not reflect its name. A terrible king and queen governed the land, and the people despised them from the very beginning. They forced everyone to be happy while suppressing the expression of any other emotions. They also neglected the children, making them work under harsh conditions and showing little concern for them.

However, there is a brighter part to this story. A courageous group of kids, including the two princes, revolted against the odds and overthrew the king and queen. It was a difficult battle, and the leader of the revolution died in the process. But for a few years after, everything was wonderful. People freely shared their feelings, and children were no longer mistreated. The kingdom enjoyed peace, and children received a proper education. Everything seemed perfect. Until the queen returned. She wanted her kingdom back and, more importantly, she craved power. She banished the children from the kingdom, sending them to another world, Earth. They found themselves in an unfamiliar place, with nowhere to go and no idea where they were."

"Wait, what do you think you're doing by stealing my story?”

“Your story? Who said that this was about you? You're just another servant of the queen.” “How dare you!”

“AHH WHY ARE YOU HITTING ME!” yelled a bird-like creature, “I’m just trying to deliver a message from the queen!”

“And that’s why I’m hitting you!” yelled back a young girl with two red pigtails.

“WHO EVEN ARE YOU” it screeched.

“That’s none of your business,” said a young man who was sitting on the ground holding a boy with white hair. His right eye was bleeding, and he had passed out.

“YOU HAVE A CAPTIVE AS WELL?” the bird creature started “No wonder the queen is recruiting more warriors; you are downright evil!”

Just then, Melody stepped onto the scene, her wide eyes filled with shock. “What is happening?” she yelled, her voice cutting through the tension. A girl wearing a dark beret, her expression dismissive, shot back, “None of your business, kid. Just keep walking.” Unfazed, Melody pressed on, “Who are you?” Irritated by the interruption and keen to assert authority, the last girl in the trio, wearing an old worn nurse’s outfit, marched toward Melody. With a voice dripping with condescension, she warned, “Just do what you’re told, kid. What we’re doing here is none of your concern. So, I suggest you get out of here unless you want to get hurt.”

Suddenly, the birdlike creature broke free, flapping its delicate yet fierce wings. It shot toward Melody, colliding with her in a burst of feathers and light. In an instant, a transformation unfolded before the astonished eyes of the group. The creature, channeling the powers bestowed by the queen, enveloped Melody in a shimmering aura. Her hair cascaded down her back, now longer and flowing, as she donned an entirely different outfit—an embodiment of strength and grace. What caught everyone’s attention most was the magical bow that materialized in her hands, infused with the queen’s energy. This bow, harnessing the extraordinary powers she had acquired, glimmered with an ethereal light, capable of making people feel sickening fraudulent happiness. The boy on the ground finally spoke “Yeah no, we are not prepared for a battle right now.” He wrapped his hand around a small red crystal pendant attached to his dark gray suit jacket. Then with a woosh, the group had been teleported to an abandoned house.

The house had one room, a kitchen, a living room, and an office. The house was abandoned and was covered in cobwebs. It smelled of rotten food and the lightning was very dim. The group had decided to live there until they found a way back home. “Hey, Jack! Wake up!” the nurse girl said trying to wake the boy with white hair. Jack arose groggily and looked at the nurse girl “What do you need Maya?” he responded.

“I need to replace the bandages on your eye.”

“Wait what happened to my eye?”

“Don’t you remember the queen scratched it out!”

“Oh right…”

Maya had cut a long strip of medical gauze and began to remove the old strip from Jack's face. As she began to peel away the old, bloody strip from Jack's face, he felt a sharp jolt of pain that drew his attention to the empty socket where his eye used to be. Each tug of the gauze reminded him of the deep, aching void. Once she had removed the old gauze, Maya gently wrapped the fresh strip around the damaged area, her movements practiced and precise.

"That should be good for now," she said as she approached the door. "Willow is finishing up a permanent solution for the bleeding, so try to rest for now." With a final glance, she turned off the light, plunging the room into shadows, and quietly closed the door behind her. The silence that followed enveloped Jack like a heavy blanket, and soon, exhaustion took over, lulling him into a deep, anxious sleep.

After an hour or so of sleeping Jack was awoken by Maya and the girl with the beret. “Jack wake up we have something for you,” said the girl with the beret. Jack woke up and said, “What do you want Willow?” Willow and Maya approached where Jack was sleeping. “I finished making you a new eyepatch,” said Willow as she pulled out a star-shaped eyepatch. Jack sat up in the bed and looked at the pair." An eyepatch? " He slowly said confused as Maya crouched down and started to unwrap the bloody bandage that was over his eye. "What’s wrong with an eyepatch?" Willow responded, she looked offended. "I never said anything was wrong with it!" Jack started, "It’s just, it will make me look like a pirate.” "I wouldn't worry about that," Maya said in a reassuring yet taunting voice, "Let’s just hope it stops your eye from gushing blood everywhere!". Willow had handed Jack the eyepatch and he put it on. It fit perfectly and it stopped the bleeding. Jack was in shock, and since the bleeding stopped, he finally realized just how much blood he was losing. He started to feel dizzy but remained sitting still on the bed.

Just then, the girl with the red pigtails burst into the room and began to laugh. The unexpected sound shattered the heavy silence, and every pair of eyes turned to her, wide with surprise. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't wait to see Jack as a pirate; it's far too funny," she managed between her giggles. The others sat in a tense stillness, their minds racing as they contemplated the uncertain future ahead of them now that they were banished. The atmosphere was thick with unspoken anxiety, each person lost in their thoughts.

After a moment of awkward quiet, Jack finally spoke up. "It's not funny," he said, his gaze dropping to his hands, which fidgeted nervously in his lap. He felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. Suddenly as he had finished this statement Messo appeared in the doorway with a smile. “What is all this commotion?” He said, walking into the room. “We were just saying how nice Jack looks with his new eyepatch,” Willow responded with a stifled giggle,” Don't you think it looks nice?”. Messo moved his attention to Jack’s face.

Jack looked away embarrassed at all the attention, “Alright enough about me and my eyepatch, what are we doing here?”. “This my dear brother is our base while we figure out how to get enough energy to get back home” Messo started “Though we will also have to prepare for the big battle after that”. The group sat with only the thoughts of how that battle could be their last. Messo sat next to Jack on the bed. “Well, we need to learn more about this human girl, so why don’t we go to her school?” He proposed. “What!?” The group responded with shock. “You can’t be serious,” Kelsey shot back, she felt a wave of raging anger, “We all already went to the school when you were ruling Messo, you can't do this to us”. “Yeah, and I already know everything there is to know!” Chimed Willow, she stood taller thinking pridefully about her accomplishments.

While Kelsey and Willow continued their spirited complaints, Maya sat quietly, shaking her head in agreement, though her eyes drifted toward Jack, who was fidgeting nervously with his hands.

His anxious demeanor suggested that he was struggling with the mounting tension in the room and the thought of going to school. Finally, after a moment of hesitation, he spoke up over Willow and Kelsey complaining to Messo “At least you will be there right, Messo?” His expression was a mixture of hope and uncertainty, searching for reassurance. Messo looked over to Jack, “Well- I – Um, no” He stuttered. Kelsey and Willow stopped and looked at Messo for his reasoning, then Jack said: “You can’t be serious! Why not”.

Feeling the weight of their disappointment, Messo shifted uncomfortably, standing up from the bed with a sense of urgency. “I still need to figure out how we’re going to open the portal to the Emotions Kingdom,” he explained, frustration seeping into his voice. “Going to school would just waste my time.” Maya, sensing Jack’s unease placed her hand gently on his shoulder, and after looking at him, walked toward Messo. “I think it’s a great idea, Messo. It will give us something to do and help us understand what kind of powers the queen gave to the girl.”.

In that instant, Kelsey lunged toward Maya, causing her and Maya to hit the ground. She grabbed Maya’s apron, something she always wore on top of her worn blue dress, and then Kelsey started yelling in frustration “WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? We already know what we need! The Girl is the same as the queen, she uses her power of “Happiness” to torture poor people for entertainment! There is NO POINT! We just need to get home before the darkness affects us. Willow had pulled Kelsey away from Maya, who stood up and whispered to Kelsey in a condescending tone, her eyes glaring, "Well, I think it's already affecting at least one of us." Then, she walked out of the room. Messo tried to stop her, but Maya brushed past him.

He turned back to Kelsey, his frustration boiling over. "WHAT WAS THAT? Do you honestly think you’re the one in charge?" he demanded, his voice rising with intensity. "Do you think you know everything? Seriously, do you believe it's wasteful to keep a close eye on our enemy? This isn’t just a game, Kelsey. We must always stay one step ahead of the Queen!” Kelsey, feeling the weight of his words, huffed in frustration, her cheeks flushing with anger and embarrassment. Without responding, she stormed out of the room.

“Um, Messo?” Willow said breaking the tense silence “Actually, I think your idea is perfect, I'm going to see if I can help Maya and maybe Kelsey”. “Sounds good, just go.” Messo sighed, he sat back down on the bed next to Jack who had been frozen in fear and shock. Messo softly placed his hand on Jack’s hand, Jack looked toward Messo and frowned “Why can’t everyone get along?” He said grasping for any hope in the situation.

“I don’t know,” Messo replied, his tone heavy with defeat, “Sometimes I wonder how I am supposed to be a king”.

“What do you mean?” Jack said concerned.

“I suppose I am just scared,” Messo responded.

“What could you possibly be scared of?”

“Death,”

The cold reality of our demise being right around the corner shook both princes. “So do you think that we are going to die?” Jack said shaking, overwhelming thoughts took over his mind like a storm. The thought of his mother killing him and his brother after all this time felt like a dagger to his heart. “Well,”, trying to redirect their grim conversation, “At least we are here, together, right now.”.

“But we can’t just give the others false hope, we need to take responsibility and tell them, she is our mother.” Jack insisted

“Take responsibility...?” Messo echoed, finding the phrase to be empty words.

While Jack and Messo were talking in the room Willow set out to calm down Maya and Kelsey.

Willow walked into the living room and saw Maya sitting on an old, rotting couch. The fabric was worn and threadbare, revealing hints of faded colors from a long time past. Maya was focused on mending a tear in her dress, the fabric frayed from the recent tussle with Kelsey.

“Hey there,” Willow began. “How are you doing?”

Maya kept her gaze fixed on her hands, the needle moving in and out of the cloth, a shiver coursing through her despite the warm atmosphere.

“I know you can hear me, Maya. You can’t just ignore what happened,” Willow said.

Once again, Maya ignored her. Frustrated, Willow decided to talk to Kelsey instead. “Well, bye then,” she said as she turned to leave.

The kitchen was a chilly, dust-laden space, thick with neglect. In one corner, the freezer emitted a low, persistent hum, a sound that felt almost out of place in the silence. Kelsey was sitting on the ground scrounging through the pantry, Willow stood there, poised to speak, but her words were abruptly interrupted by Kelsey’s irritable voice slicing through the stillness.

“What do you want, Smarty Pants?” she snapped, her annoyance evident.

Willow responded, her tone laced with bitterness. “I was just wondering if you were doing okay, but I guess that answers my question.” She glared at Kelsey “What are you even doing here? We don’t need to eat to live.”

Kelsey’s expression turned flustered, her cheeks turning pink from the sting of Willow's accusations, she stood up.

“Well, I was hoping to find some chocolates. My mother always brought them back from Earth for me, so…” she trailed off, her voice smaller now, as she was twirling her hair.

Willow interrupted her sharply. “I honestly don’t care,” she exclaimed, her hostility hanging in the air as she turned to leave. “Bye.” She said, leaving Kelsey standing alone in the dim, cold kitchen.

Willow walked back into the living room, where Maya had finished sewing and was now staring at her.

“Who are you?” Maya asked.

Willow, confused, replied, “You know who I am; I’m Willow. We just talked a minute ago.” “That’s not what I mean,”

Maya said, pausing. “Who are you?”

“What do you mean?” Willow started to raise her voice. “You know who I am; everyone knows who I am. I don’t get it.”

Maya continued to stare into Willow’s eyes, silent and unyielding.

“Where is Kelsey?” Messo asked as he and Jack walked into the living room. Maya finally looked away from Willow, her gaze drifting toward Messo and Jack. “She’s in the kitchen,” Willow replied, crossing her arms and huffing in frustration. “But I wouldn’t bother trying to talk to her.” “Well, we need her in here. Why don't you go and get her?” Messo said authoritatively. Jack sat on the couch next to Maya, who slouched forward and rested her head on one of her hands. “What’s taking her so long?” she sighed. Just then, a visibly agitated Kelsey and Willow entered the room. “Finally, we are all here,” Messo said, gesturing for them to sit down. Willow took the last spot on the couch, while Kelsey chose to sit on the floor, leaning her back against the couch next to Jack.

“So why are we all here” Kelsey grunted. Messo glared at her, “We need to discuss what supplies we need for school”, he said. Willow sat up, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm “Oh! I know! We at least need a backpack,” she said confidently. Kelsey rolled her eyes and slouched even more. “We would also need pencils and notebooks,” Maya said lifting her head and placing her hand back into her lap.

She sat up and looked at Jack, “What do you think we need Jack?”, She said with a sweet tone. Jack fidgeted nervously, his hands moving as he searched for the right words. “Well, um, we would need a folder to hold papers- “. He was abruptly interrupted by Kelsey. “Why don’t we just go to a store and get what we need instead of talking about it?” she said, a note of tension in her voice as she stood up, her dark blue eyes narrowing as they fixed on Messo. He nodded, “That sounds perfect Kelsey, let's go then, shall we?” He responded thoughtfully.

They finally arrived at a shop and entered. Willow looked at the prices plastered on everything “How are we going to buy anything? We don’t have any of the currency that is used here,” she fretted, glancing around at the colorful displays that beckoned from every corner. Messo, standing confidently beside her, flashed a mischievous grin that hinted at a secret plan. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it all figured out. Each of you can have $50 to spend, so choose wisely”. With a grin, Messo wrapped his hand around the red pendant on his worn suit jacket. Suddenly, a small stack of dollars materialized in his hand, and he distributed two-hundred dollars' worth to the group. With excitement, the group spread across the store looking for supplies.

Maya tugged on Willow’s arm, guiding her with urgency toward a brightly colored shelf overflowing with an array of stationery. Maya's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she navigated through the crowded shelves, eager to uncover treasures in the chaos.

“Why did you bring me over here? It's just a bunch of pencils and notebooks," Willow said, lazily moving her hand across some notebooks.

The vibrant hues of the stationery seemed to mock her disinterest, and she let out a sigh.

Meanwhile, Kelsey angrily walked across the small shop. She stopped by a shelf filled with a variety of chocolates and candies. Her eyes lit up as memories of the little chocolates her mother used to give her flooded her mind.

As all of that was happening, Messo followed an eager Jack to a huge section of shelves brimming with stuffed animals. Jack began excitedly browsing through the endless array of plush toys.

"Jack," Messo groaned, “I don’t think you should waste your money on this stuff. We’re supposed to be looking for school supplies."

A moment of silence passed, the bright lights buzzing, and then Jack stood up as he clutched and held up a small gray cat plushie. He replied, “But look! There's a little cat, like the one you promised we could get once the kingdom settled after the war!"

Messo chuckled to himself, “You’ve always had a soft spot for the creatures of Earth, haven’t you?"

Jack’s joyful expression suddenly darkened as he lowered his arms. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said quietly as painful memories flooded his mind.

Messo frowned, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up. But you don’t have to go through any of that again."

Jack forced a smile and lifted the cat plush back up. "Well, I can at least have a stuffed cat while we’re stuck on Earth."

"That’s 40 dollars, so you can’t get much else," Messo replied as they started walking to the next section of the store.

After a short time of finding some school supplies, and other things. The group met back at the front of the store. “What is that?” Kelsey said bursting with laughter as she pointed at the backpack that Jack was holding. It was pink and sparkly with a large image of a unicorn on the front. Jack held the backpack a little closer, his face flushing a deep shade of red, “It was the cheapest one I could find” Jack replied, “Besides we won’t be on Earth for very long, and anyways you’re the one with a large bag of candy”.

Suddenly, with a bright shine of light, a transformed Melody burst through the store's doors. “I knew it was you guys!” she said with aggression, “You can’t escape me forever, you villains.”. “How did you even find us?” Maya shouted in surprise. “Well, uh, I don’t have to explain my ways to you, and anyways you have a capt-” While Melody was talking Messo grabbed his red pendant, and with all his energy he teleported Melody away, and then a loud cracking sound pierced the air.

The once shining red pendant shattered into millions of tiny pieces. “Did you just-” Jack said, his eyes widening with shock, “Break your Soul Gem?”. “I-” Messo stuttered, “I suppose I did”. “But Messo that was the only thing that could help us get back,” Keasley said shaken by the thought of being trapped here. The group was shocked. “Well, we can figure out another way somehow, but right now we need to buy our stuff and get going before that girl comes back,” said Messo trying to sound confident.

They walked up to the counter to a young girl, her head resting comfortably on her crossed arms. She had slept through the whole scene that had occurred, blissfully unaware. She then woke up and scanned their items. “You are all set, have a nice day,” she said. Quickly the group walked out of the store.

They had walked for a while and found a nice empty park. They sat down at a green metal picnic table to discuss what they could do. “I think that there might be another way home,” said Willow as they sat down.

“Really!” Kelsey said excitedly, “I’m already sick and tired of this place”. She flung up her arms in defeat then crossed them onto the table and laid her head down.

“Well, we just need to get the tech that the pink-haired girl uses,” Willow explained, “And I already have a plan on how to do that”.

“Do tell” Messo said intrigued.

“Well, it’s very simple we just need Jack to do his thing,” Willow said pointing at Jack.

“Me?” he said in shock, “What do you mean ‘I need to do my thing’?”.

“If you would let me finish” Willow glared at him, “Since she thinks we kidnapped you, that means she will probably try to make friends with you, and then-”

“She will give him the tech” Kealsey interrupted excitedly.

“Yes,” Willow said frustrated “But you did not have to interrupt me”.

“But what am I supposed to do?” Jack asked confused.

“Just become friends with her, ok?” Messo explained.

Yet again they were interrupted by Melody, “I’m- *Huff*- back! You thought- *Wheeze*- you could get rid of me!” she said gasping for breath. “Why do you keep bugging us, you pink girl?” Kelsey said angrily. “Pink Girl?” She said offended, “For your information my name is Melody!”. “Oh, so you’re a melon?” Kesley laughed. “I did not say melon!” Melody said getting worked up, “I said ‘MELODY’!”.

“Just leave us alone Melody, or whatever you call yourself, we haven’t done anything,” Messo said trying to calm down the situation.

“Yes, you have!” She stomped her foot in anger, “You kidnapped that white-haired kid, and took his eye out!”

“And that is none of yours, or the queen’s business” Messo calmly said.

“You liar!” it’s the queen’s business” she stepped forward, “He is the queen’s son, and she is deathly worried about him”.

Jack shook and stepped back, he thought as Melody continued to describe how worried the queen was “No! She is just lying, Mother doesn’t care about me, she can’t! But- what if- No!” not noticing the person behind him, he started feeling dizzy and fell. “Jack!” everyone yelled rushing over to him. His vision swirled into an unknown flurry of colors, he felt a sharp pain coming from his back, and he heard voices.

“Why did you do that!” shouted one.

“I had to he was trying to escape,” said another.

“Come on let's just go!” shouted a third voice.

Finally, Jack lost consciousness. Then he awoke back in the house again. Maya was passed out on the ground, “She was probably waiting for me to wake up” Jack thought, “But what happened, it's all a blur”. He tried to remember but only felt a painful headache.

Maya jolted awake, “Ah, I see, the anesthetics wore off”.

“What!” Jack said shocked.

“The anesthetics, I injected some to make that melon girl sure we kidnapped you”, Maya explained, “in addition to it stopping you from saying anything that would make her think otherwise, it also gave us an excuse to escape”.

Jack sat speechless

“Good job at trying to run away,” she continued, “that’s what gave me the idea to give you anesthetics”

She smiled waiting for him to respond, but he sat processing what had happened.

Soon enough, the cold winter night set in. The old house creaked with age as the water pipes slowly froze. Everyone was asleep in their beds except for two. Jack and Messo were sitting on the broken-down couch in the living room. There was a small box television that Willow had fixed up that afternoon. However, the only channel available just played Spanish soap operas. They sat quietly watching the television.

As the night went on, Messo drifted off to sleep, leaning his head on Jack’s shoulder. Jack was wide awake because of the amount of time he spent sleeping that day. He sat observing the people on the television. Their lives were complicated, yet they kept going, coming back for the next episode in their life. As he watched, he fiddled with the bottom of his pajama shirt. The seam was slowly coming undone. They had found old clothes in a closet and decided to use them as pajamas. His shirt was light blue and short-sleeved. It was a bit large for him, but it worked. He also wore soft black pants; for being old, they felt brand new. It must have been one of the last things the owner of this house bought.

Jack looked over to his sleeping brother. He was wearing a dark red long-sleeved shirt with light grey pants. The shirt was covered in years-old motor oil stains. The old owner must have been a mechanic or something. Suddenly, Jack felt dizzy.

“Messo,” He softly called out to his brother.

With a jolt, Messo woke up. “What's wrong?” He said sleepily.

“My head hurts,” Jack whispered.

Messo rolled his eyes, “You are probably just tired, go to sleep.”

“But it’s not that I-” Jack started, but suddenly slouched over and passed out.

“Idiot,” Messo growled, “Let’s get you to bed.” He lightly picked up his brother and carried him to bed. Then Messo lay down on his own bed and fell asleep.

An hour later, Jack sat up quickly. “What happened?” he thought. He looked around and saw everyone asleep in their beds. He lightly sighed and slowly got out of his bed. Looking at the end of his bed, he saw the cat plush he bought. Grabbing it, he headed to the office. It was a small square-shaped room with large bookcases filled with large books. It smelt of wet pages and dust. In the center of the room sat a large wooden desk with a cushioned rolling chair. The desk smelt strongly of pine and was covered in paint splotches. The chair was covered in duct-tape-covered holes. Jack walked slowly to a bookcase and grabbed a copy of “Grim’s Fairy Tales” and sat down on the old chair holding his cat. He slowly read through the stories until he passed out from exhaustion.

Morning arrived, and a concerned Maya woke up Jack. “What are you doing in here?” she asked. Jack stood up and groggily rubbed his eye.

“I couldn’t sleep, so I was reading,” he said, holding up the book.

“You should have just stayed in bed!” she scolded, “We were all scared you got taken away!” Her eyes looked solemnly at him. Jack glared at her.

“It’s not like you guys would care if it actually happened.” He said, putting the book back. He walked towards Maya. “You people don’t actually care about what happens to me…”

“Jack”, she called out as he walked out the door into the living room. She followed him as he walked into a room full of concerned faces.

“Where are you going?” Messo said.

“I’m going on a walk,” Jack said, moving towards the front door.

Willow stopped him by standing in front of the door. “Why are you being so moody?”

He pushed her out of the way, “I’m just going out to get some fresh air, I don’t get why you guys are so worked up.”

Kelsey grabbed his arm, “You know that we are worried for you.” Her eyes shone with worry. “When we found you asleep in the office, we thought something had happened to you.”

He shook her arm off and walked outside. The group followed him, and he started running. “What in the world are you doing?” Messo Called out. After a while of running, they lost him.

“Don’t worry, Messo, he is just doing this for attention or something.” Kelsey said, “You should know, he is always like this, he’ll come back.”

“I guess you're right…” Messo sighed

The group walked back to the house. They all calmed down except for Maya. She was worried about Jack. She knew that something was wrong, but kept to herself.

Meanwhile, an out-of-breath Jack was walking around the neighborhood. He put his hands on his head to try to get more air. He looked around. Small trees lined the streets; all their leaves were gone. Suddenly, he saw a familiar face. Melody was walking to a house with two other girls. Jack stopped and watched them. One girl had forest green hair worn in a high ponytail. She had a sun visor hat on. The other girl had curly orange hair. She had a pair of glasses that she occasionally pushed up. They sat down in the front yard of a light blue house and were talking. Jack slowly inched closer, trying to hear the conversation and not being seen. However, his spy skills were not very good. Suddenly, the orange-haired girl spotted Him.

“Hey, look!” She said, “A kid is watching us.” She pointed directly at Jack, and he froze.

“Wait! I know that kid.” Melody said. “Your name is Jack, right?” He nodded sheepishly. “Come over here, we don’t bite,” she continued.

Slowly, he walked over to the group. “Sit down” Melody said. He cautiously sat down, taking a closer look at the other girls.

“So, what are you doing here?” The green girl asked.

“So, what are you doing here?” The green girl asked.

“I was taking a walk and saw you guys,” he said quietly, “I- Um, met Melody recently and was wondering who you guys are.” “This was perfect”, he thought, “They seem to trust me.”

“Well, we are her friends!” said the green girl, “We met at school yesterday, I’m Riely, and that’s Amber.” She said, pointing to herself and Amber respectively.

“Do you live nearby?” asked Amber.

“Uh, yeah” Jack said.

During this exchange, Melody had been quietly staring at Jack. Finally, she spoke up, “Did you run away?”

“HUH?” her two friends exclaimed.

“You are pretty calm for someone who ran away from their kidnapper,” Melody continued, “Do you need somewhere to stay?”

Jack sat there dumbfounded. What in the world is she saying? He did technically “run away,” but he was going to come back.

“Melody, what are you talking about? Kidnapping?” Amber questioned.

Melody sighed, “Don’t you guys remember what I was talking about earlier? The queen recruited me to save her son from kidnappers,” she pointed at Jack.

“I thought you were making stuff up,” Riely said.

“No! I’m completely serious!” she said, exasperated, “Tell them, Jack.”

Jack sat there blinking slowly at them. “I uh, got to go, sorry,” he said before spinning off.

“Wait! Let me help you!” Melody yelled.

“That was weird,” said Amber.

Jack sprinted home as fast as he could. He did not want to talk to them. “I’m sick and tired of this,” he thought. Finally, he made it back to the house. He carefully opened the door and went inside. Kelsey and Willow were sitting on the couch watching the television. Willow looked at Jack and tapped Kealsey’s shoulder.

Kelsey facepalmed, “Oh wow,” she said sarcastically, “The prodigal son has finally come back.” Then she started giggling.

Suddenly, Maya ran out of the office, hugged Jack, and spun him around. “You’re back!” she said joyfully, “I was worried you had gotten lost!”

Messo walked into the room. “What's all the commotion about?” he looked over to the door and saw Jack being spun around. “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Wait!” Jack exclaimed, trying to explain himself, “I found out that Melody lives nearby. She is also trying to recruit more people.”

There was a moment of silence. Maya walked back to the couch, and Messo stared at Jack. His face contorted from anger to an unnatural smile. He walked towards Jack and stood for a moment. Jack started walking backwards, but ran into the door.

“Good Job,” Messo finally said, patting Jack on the head lightly, “You were actually useful for once.”

“huh”

“Now tell me about the recruits,” He continued, “We want to make sure we avoid them.”

Jack fidgeted with his hands, “Well, one was named Riely, she had green hair, and the other one was named Amber, she had glasses and orange hair.”

“Thank you,” Messo said, “From now on, everyone try to avoid them.” He put his hand on Jack's shoulder and guided him toward the kitchen. “We have to have a quick chat, alright.” He said, smiling at the group on the couch.

Jack and Messo went into the kitchen, and the door was slammed shut. Kelsey and Willow continued watching the television. Maya kept her eyes locked on the old, wooden kitchen door. Willow glanced over at her.

“Why are you always worried about him?” Willow whispered.

Maya rested her head on her hands,” He has been through a lot. I am worried he is going to snap soon.”

“We all have been through a lot.” Kelsey joined in, “he’s just a spoiled brat; he hasn’t had a hard day in his life.”

“What do you think happened to him during the five years he disappeared, huh?” Maya said, getting louder, “You think he was having the time of his life? Why would he come back if he was having a good life out there?”

“That- that was just a stunt to get attention,” Willow said, stumbling over her words.

“Thought so…” Maya trailed off.

“Whatever the reason, when he came back, our lives got even worse.” Kelsey stated, crossing her arms, “Stop trying to defend him, we only keep him around because it makes the queen mad.”

Suddenly, a loud thud came from the other room. Willow and Kelsey looked nervous but continued watching the television. Maya, however, focused on the door, scared of what was happening. After a while, Messo walked out of the kitchen with an angry disposition. He was leading Jack out of the kitchen by pulling on his arm. His face was emotionless; he was mentally somewhere else.

“What happened?” Maya asked

“Nothing,” Messo said, “We were just talking.”

Messo brought Jack to the bedroom, then came back to the living room. Maya got up and let him sit in her spot as she headed to the bedroom. “Something's wrong,” she thought. Walking into the room, she saw Jack lying on his bed. He was on his back, staring at the ceiling.

“You alright?” Maya asked, approaching the bed.

“Yeah…” he said unenthusiastically. One of his arms moved to his forehead. “Just a little headache”

“Here, let me see,” Maya said, pushing his hand away and moving his hair out of his face. Quickly, she stumbled back. “That’s not a headache,” she muttered, “There is a giant gash! What did he do?”

Jack sat up and stared at her. “Does it even matter? I deserved it anyway,” he muttered, “I am always causing problems for you guys.” He looked at Maya with fear in his eyes, “You people don’t really need me; you could leave me at any time.”

Maya rested her hand on his shoulder. “I promise you,” she said firmly, “I will never abandon you.”