A Sudden Interest

Word must be getting out. That the supers aren't having any success with my collar. Because I feel like I'm getting more attention from my peers.
More people are talking to me. Taking interest in my collar. They want to try out their own ideas now. Now that the supers aren't succeeding.
Particularly that gang of waters. Are they sensing something I'm not? Seeing something I'm not? Because they never took interest in me before. Not since they caught me by the LTA (Laser Tag Arena.) But their leader, Danny Devoto, keeps pestering me to let them try and figure out the collar, and maybe in the process unlock my power.
I told them to talk to Steel first.
I really hope he says no. No to everyone who wants to try figuring out my collar. Just the thought of it is giving me icing daymares. I can't stop picturing the same scene in Normal High School. Who knows who might be actually trying to figure out my collar, and who might just be trying to see how stupid they can make me look. At least with the supers I can trust that they're really trying.
I icing hope Steel tells my peers no.

Layters!

--> Issac
 

Since the Beginning of Time.

I may have discovered poop that has been here since the age of dinosaurs.
Seriously! This stuff has so many layers, I worked on it for like four hours today and the Guinea Pig cage has only made it out of the Triassic Era. *shudders* Who knows how deep this cage actually is?!?! I really hope that the hamster cages and rat cages aren't as bad.
At least the hamster cages. *gags* I can smell the rats from halfway across the store. Ewww!!!

Karen<3

Yes, I Snuck Out, But I'm Not Dangerous

To those wondering why I'm sneaking out of the tower, coughIriscough, it's not because I'm being controlled by Surge.
I snuck out to return to the scene of the battle where I ended up with this collar around my neck. It was a faint hope that I'd just happen across the remote control to the collar (or my backpack.) But I thought I'd poke around and see what I could see. No such luck. The place is already under construction, being rebuilt as an out door mall or something. It was a faint hope anyway. Who knows what the remote looks like. It could have been disguised as a brick for all I know.

I wish I could have found it though. Just once I'd like to show everyone that I can do something the other heroes can't. I wish I could have returned saying that I found the remote!

Of course, thinking about it now, I probably would have gotten into trouble for sneaking out of the tower in the first place and risking lives and blah blah blah.
Though technically, they never said I couldn't leave the tower for short periods of time. I mean I did it all the time when the fliers were trying to scare me into flying by tossing me out of a window on the top floor.

Layters!

--> Issac

Day 27

There must have been some storm here a while back. This tree looks like it was uprooted and tossed back on it's head.

~L

The Floors May Be Squeaky Clean....

Okay, I thought Harvey's little Pet Store was pretty clean.
And then, I had to start with cleaning up the cages.
Pu-uke GROSS!
Ugh. I started with the Guinea Pigs today.
I think I'm going to be stuck on them for the next week.
That place is caked in like six inches of disgustingness!
Have these cages EVER been cleaned before?
I think not.
Tomorrow I'm going to spray my mask with a tolerable perfume. (It would be crazy to wear my favorite perfume. I don't want it associated with that store.) But that way I won't have to smell all the stinkyness.

Karen<3

Another Close Call.

Maybe I should actually sit on the sidelines. But I couldn't resist. Without Laser Tag to distract me, I have to do something besides get a headache from listening to the council bawling. So I snuck out.

It wasn't that difficult. After nearly two months of failure, even the most audacious of super heroes are losing interest in me. No powers. And then, the collar resists every means used to try and get it off. It's no surprise that I can sneak about. Or even out of this tower.

I wish Surge and Steel would have been fighting in the streets when I did so. I mean, to see Surge in person? So Icing cool! And if I could just hear their banter, hear his plan in person, maybe I could figure out his plan. If the icing mad man has one at all.

Maybe we'll wake up in the morning and find that he has suddenly switched to another super hero for no apparent reason.

I had a close call tonight. And who knows why they were still up this late. I ran into a group of guys with water powers over by the Laser Tag arena. What they were doing so far down away from the pool, I have no idea. They asked me way too many questions. Luckily, they thought I was just trying to get into the Arena. 

Layters!

--> Issac

A Possible Reason

Maybe the answer is his Temper. Because the Captain sure has a pair of lungs on him for being so small. For sure, he's the worst out of the toddler councilors. Always crying, always demanding 'more!', always being the messiest, and if he doesn't get his way, another table or chair is turned to dust under his hands!
Perhaps the Captain wasn't as clear headed as Steel.
That still doesn't answer my question as to why Surge switched. Don't the bad guys want a flawed super hero? It would make it easier for them to win, that's for icing sure. Why pick cleared headed Steel then?

Layters!

--> Issac 

Patience has always had a big part in planning robberies. It's always been my least favorite part, but a necessary one. You had to find the right moment to rob a place, where the timing of things works in your favor. It could take months of waiting for that moment to happen.
I usually stay patient by having multiple robberies in progress at once. I keep my mind active, my hands in multiple candy dishes. Otherwise, I would have gone crazy a long time ago. I probably would have landed in jail multiple times too.

I had to apply the same principle while in the pet store. I had no desire to answer the girl's questions, which meant that I had to wait for the right timing for my own questions. I admit, it gave me time to really consider my questions. And gave the girl plenty of time to stew on hers.

She would pause by my tank constantly. Waiting for me to ask more questions. I let her stew.
Instead, I focused on, well, being a fish. More to the point. I was working on keeping the fish mind at bay. It took a lot of discipline. For one, I had to stop my mind from racing. I had to think on a slower level. It was annoying. Yet, with the exceptions of when I first 'woke up' in the morning, and when the kids tapping on the glass would startle me. I could keep my human mind active, but my fishy mind could handle the swimming, and other fishy things like nibbling on that yellow plant I seemed to like a lot.

She broke first. In our silent competition to ask the next question. But not in the way I expected her to.

She planted herself in front of my tank, nearly a week later right before the store opened. ~How well do you know your 'friends?`~ She asked, chewing on her bottom lip. 
I swum in an idle circle. ~That would depend on the question I suppose.~ I flicked my tail back and forth. Biting back the desire to ask why.  
Her eyes narrowed, but she sighed. ~We're having a problem with one of them, and I need the solution on how to fix it.~
My sail fin flared up and down. ~Without knowing the problem, I would say let them leave the pet shop. That would solve a lot of it, I suppose.~
She shook her head. ~No can do.~ She glanced away, before focusing back on me. ~Your reptile friend isn't eating. He hasn't in weeks. We've tried everything, but it's like he's given up. And we're worried. Why would he do that? He knows that he can leave once his sentence is over.~
That didn't sound like Larry. ~What have the others said?~ I asked swimming closer to the glass.
~They won't talk to me.~
Of course not. I had probably been the only one stupid enough to take her question deal. ~I don't know why. He's not the kind to give up. He could be sick with some reptile sort of cold.~
~The vet says he's fine.~
She'd taken Larry to the vet? He was that sick? My sail fin flare in worry. ~Maybe he doesn't like eating mice.~
She shook her head with a mental snort. ~Only the snakes eat those.~
I mentally rolled my eyes at her. ~Well, how do you expect me to know what shape you changed my friends into? I'm going by guess work here.~
~You're more astute then the others.~
~Not when it comes to animals, I'm pretty clueless.~ I turned in a circle. ~What is he?~
~He's a tortoise.~
I froze. ~Out of all the reptiles available, you chose to change him into that?~ I couldn't keep the disbelief out of my voice. ~Why?~
I'd been stewing on this question for days. Why were we given our animal shapes?
~We want to make sure that you don't ever attempt to rob us again.~ She said after a moment's consideration. ~So we turn you something that plays off a fear.~ she cocked her head, a faint smile on her face.
Fears. I groaned. No wonder I had a three second memory. I was the planner of the group. I had to rely on my memory a lot. To lose it, could mean that me and/or my crew could end up in jail.
~He takes pride in speed.~ I whispered. ~You've taken way everything he's defined himself off of. He always has to be the fastest. And to be stuck as a turtle, you've stuck him in a never ending nightmare.~
~You got stuck with a three second memory, and you're not lying on the bottom of the tank not eating.~
~That's because I don't define myself by my memory.~ I argued back. ~He. Does. Speed is all he cares about. If he isn't the fastest he works to be the fastest. And if I'm guessing right, you've probably made him the slowest Tortoise possible. Unable to be faster then any one else in the same cage as him. Right?~
She nodded silently.
~He's realized that by now. He can't win. He can't be the fastest. He's not eating because he doesn't see the point anymore.~
She shook her head. ~He taking things to the extreme.~
~That's his way.~ I couldn't let Larry die for this. For my pride. My robbery. I rose up to her eye levels. ~If you want him to get better, you're going to have to change his shape.~
~I can't. His reptile shape is set until that part of his sentence is up.~ Her eyes told me nothing about what she was thinking. What she was after. If they were this concerned about our health, they would turn him back human.
~That's just stupid. Change him to a snake, or some fast lizard!~
~I can't.~
My sail fin rose. I had to do something. ~Give it to me.~
She raised an eyebrow. ~Give what to you?~
~Give me his sentence. Add it on to mine.~
~Now you're just talking crazy.~
~We're talking about my friend dying because you took away everything he defines his life on.~ I snapped. ~You're not willing to change his reptile shape, or to just waive his sentence and turn him back human. So give it to me. Fish have scales. It's only a short step away from reptiles. Just transfer his sentence over to me and let him go onto his rodent form. Please.~
Her eyes widened. ~That would mean you'd be here longer.~
~I'd rather be here longer then have him suffer.~
~It's not your fault he's in that position.~
Technically, it was. I was the leader of our crew. But that little fact was going to stay on the down low for as long as possible.
~Does it matter? He's my friend. Give me that part of his sentence. Please, just give him his speed back.~

#Henry

A Break

Oh. I needed that.
A weekend away from the Step Family.
A weekend where I didn't have to wake up early to go to work.
A weekend on the beach!
Soaking up the rays of the sun, and immersing myself in a book.

It meant that waking up this morning to 'go to work' wasn't as difficult.
Well, at least I didn't glare at the animals as much today.

I think Harvey noticed too.
See Harvey? Karen is happier when she can go to the beach.

Karen<3

Why Does He Do It?

My time spent in the Laser Tag place, has not helped out my coordination involving other sports at all. It's a rather ice filled disappointment. Since I can't play the one game I could be good at, it would be nice to be able to play one of the other sports without tripping over my feet. I wish my powers would show up already. It's been nearly two months! With Surge's gift in creating devices, surely this collar around my neck would have brought my powers out in the first couple of days right? He probably would have to, I suppose, if Surge had been planning on catching a fledgling super hero like myself, and not one already at the height of his powers like Steel.
It seems like everything is tanking out here. Even the class on Surge is no longer holding my interest. Surprisingly, the super heroes don't know much more about Surge then what the comic books portray. Sure, Steel's input, when he's available is awesome. But this guy is a complete mystery. It's like he just appeared out of nowhere. And it's bugging me. Shouldn't there be libraries of information on Surge? Birth records, alternative names, places of resident.
Nothing.
It's no wonder he manages to slip out of Steel's fingers every time. I mean the only thing I can find that might be a clue to Surge, was that he switched what super hero he wanted to fight.
And I can't figure out that reason either!
Neither can anyone else, but that doesn't make me feel any better.
Surge fights four fights with the Captain, and then suddenly refuses to engage in him. I don't get it. Why the sudden change? I mean, Steel and The Captain react to the situations so similarly in my book that the only different appears to be their powers. Did Steel want more of a challenge in challenging a super hero that could fly? One that could reach him from virtually anywhere? Maybe if I'm left sitting on the sidelines long enough I'll puzzle out an answer.

Layters!

--> Issac

Day 26

I took another side path on a whim. I think it's probably just a deer trail. But it led to this spot! Wow. The three waterfalls at the bottom of the mountain don't compare to this place! The greens are so vibrant here. There's a wilder feel here. Like nothing has been tamed. Or ever seen by human eyes before. I think I'll take a day and camp here on my way back down from the summit. I want to see how the changing sunlight effects this place.

~L

Howard tried his best to interfere. It seemed like he was a bit paranoid, having finally thought that he'd killed me. He lurked all around the lab throughout the day. Making it more difficult for Maille to give me food and water like she wanted. But she managed. However, we weren't without our close calls. 

"What are you doing in here?"
The voice had become quite familiar to me. I equated that voice to darkness, to death scented hands. And to unintentional rough treatment by my rescuer.
It didn't surprise me that I got shoved into a container full of the scent that came before new wood to crawl through in the cages.
I didn't even make a sound, conscious at least that doing anything now, could mean that I would die.
"There's a spill on the floor, sir." Maille said calmly enough as she rattled containers near me. -cleaning bottles- Sloshing liquid about.  "Just gathering the stuff to clean it up."
"That's what the cleaning crew is for." He said suspiciously.
"I like to work in a clean environment." She replied. "It makes work more enjoyable." With one last rattle of the bottles her voice faded. "I think the animals stay healthier to."

The door slammed."I think the animals stay healthier too." He mimicked back. "Bah!" My world went head over heels as he swiped the cleaning stuff Maille had hurriedly hid me in from the shelf. "The worse this department does, the better my chances for moving elsewhere are! Gah!" Some of the more unstable bottles burst open, soaking through the paper towel I was hiding in. And also ruining Harvey's dollar store shoes that he thought made him look cool. "Stupid bottles! I can't wait for this place to shut down!" A cleaning bottle rolled over the top of me. Howard had kicked it. Spilling even more liquid all over the place.
I admit, as the little hamster, I had no idea what he was talking about. Closing the department? For being as observant as I am, that little nugget of information had never come out before. I'd thought he wanted to be the head of the best department in the company. Switching to another one, he'd never let on to that before.

As a hamster though, this information didn't concern me at all. The hands of death had left the room. My rescuer was no where to be found. No, my main concern was that this wet paper towel was suffocating me. I didn't like the cleaning smell when it was in the cage. This, this was much much worse. I huddled there, expecting Maille to come back at any moment. She wouldn't leave me. She wouldn't leave me.
But the smell got stronger, I got colder, and no Maille came to my rescue. Time passes differently as a Hamster.
Sick to my stomach, I had to do something. I couldn't just stay there. My insides twisted as I moved shakily to my feet. The paper towel tore around me, saving me from having to use my teeth to get out. I'd tasted this cleaning smell before. Pure curiosity. It wasn't a good taste.

Staying wet. I couldn't stay wet. I needed to get to a drier place. I don't know why I knew that, but I did. Except, trying to walk, I felt like shards of glass were trying to pierce me inside and out.
Maybe I should wait for my rescuer. She had to come back. She'd stuffed water, meds, and food down my mouth. That meant she cared right? She had to care. She had to come back.

Shivering from the cold, I laboriously moved through the wet paper towel. A puddle of cleaning agents spread before me.
"Maille! How long does it take you to get your paperwork done! We don't have all day!" I cowered, my ears twitching as Hands of Death stomped past the doorway to the closet. Shelter. I needed to get to shelter. Gathering my strength, I inched through the sloshy mess. I collapsed under the shelving unit, finally on dry ground, if surrounded by millions of dust bunnies. Hands of Death wouldn't find me here. I closed my eyes. He wouldn't find me here.

Martin Elek

Day 25

Proof! Water does wear away at wood. How else would there form such a nice little pool in a tree? On a different note. The place was crawling with tiny centipedes of all things. Close up pictures of them were too blurry. But it looks nice from a distance. 

~L

Too Early For Too Long

Ughamurgaurg.
I'm.
so.
sore.
I'm.
so.
tired.

Ughamurgaurg.

Karen<3

I Preferred It When We Didn't Interact.

I smell like fish.
Because Tristen had to SNEAK UP BEHIND ME while I was being shown how to catch fish.
And yah.
I'm cold.
I'm wet.
I smell like FISH!
Ugh.
I need a shower like Now. 

Karen<3

Maybe I Can Bribe The Remodeling Crew...

Well, that was a short lived goal. The Laser Tag place has been closed down for 'remodeling.' My one advantage to the competition is being fixed as I type this. Yah, they're rearranging everything so that when the tournament happens, nobody has the advantage of knowing the field better then any of the other opponents. It's iced out uncoolness to the melting factor. All that time spent practicing, and it comes to basically nothing. Sure I have a good advantage in having practiced more, but the field is going to be totally new to me too. Ice. Ice. and more Ice.

Layters!

--> Issac

Day 24

I thought about camping here, in this hollow tree. It was big enough for me to lie down in. And then I looked up and saw the biggest spider ever. Nearly the size of a tennis ball. I don't need more bug bites. Especially from it's giant fangs. Nice place to look at, not a nice place to stay.

~L

Another Mess

Oh my badness!
The kittens and puppies here are so cute! Adorable! Cuddly!!!
 
....and then I had to clean up their little 'messes.'
 
Yah. Happy Moment Gone.
 
Even Harvey can make Puppies and Kittens unattractive here. Boo.
 
Karen<3  
 
 

It Really Was Unexpected

I've taken to running around the football field during lunch. 'Practicing' I call it to anyone who asks. In reality. I just can't stand to sit through half an hour of lunch. I already have to sit still through the classes. Another place to sit. No thanks. I only managed it for like a week anyway before I took to roaming the halls, and that was quickly put to an end by over paranoid teachers who dislike seeing a lone student wandering around the hallways.

Apparently I'm not the only one who can't sit still during lunch though. I took a different route yesterday from the field. Actually by passing the gym on my cool down. It was dark, but that didn't mean it was empty. There was someone in there. Free climbing on the wall. No ropes or anything. Just climbing. Up and down and up and down, like a monkey in a tree.
On the hardest level.

Of course I had to see who it was. I mean, none of the other kids could compare to this mystery climber. 

Who was it?

Jake.

The kid with the 'lame' arm. Well, it's not so lame. He can use it quite well. Now that I see it working perfectly, I can see how that burn scar works to his advantage. The marks all up and down his arm make it look like it's useless. In reality, he's lightly muscled. 

He didn't see me.
But I'm dying to find out why he too is hiding. Why does he pretend he can't climb, can't use the arm, when he obviously can?

It's been bugging me, unfortunately I haven't found a quiet moment to speak to him. Yet.

Catcha on the Flip Side!

Danny 

It was so simple. I actually wouldn't have considered that idea. At least not anytime soon. Have someone else buy what you stole. If I had any way to contact someone on the outside and have them come in and buy everything, our sentence could have been cut to almost nothing.
Unfortunately, it didn't happen.
And unfortunately, I now understood why my crew and I could become part of that 'rare' category that got stuck in the store for longer then a year.
We had stolen a ton of stuff. I mean, just by myself I'd stolen like fifty different air stones of various sizes. How long did it take to sell all those? If I was lucky, and one was bought everyday, I'd still be there for two months. Who knew how often people needed to buy those though? What if it was once a month? I'd be stuck here for what, four years? Just on the air stones alone! And I'd stolen much much more then that. 
It left a lot of questions for my crew as well. Billy, Sue. They'd stolen leashes, collars, harnesses. How many of those were sold in a day? A week? a Month? They could be stuck here as long as me. Longer. Jessa and Larry probably weren't as long. But really, with how little I knew about pets, they could be here longer. Who knew what sort of people came into the store on a daily basis to buy reptile bulbs, or bird toys?
John though, he'd stolen the least out of all of us. That had to mean that he would be released first.
It also explained why we might not all meet up in the end. Some would finish their sentence before others. It all depended on what people decided to buy. But, that lead to another question. Here went nothing.

~Some of us stole things from multiple areas of the store.~ I commented later in the day when my fishy self had dozed a bit, finally bored of swimming and not irritated with little kids tapping on the glass.
~And?~ She asked idly fiddling with her hair while standing at the cash register.
~So if I'm a fish, and something I stole in the rodent section--~
~It wouldn't count.~ she interrupted.
My sail fin rose in irritation. ~You didn't let me finish the question.~
~I could see where it was going.~ She leaned on the counter staring at me.
~Fine, why wouldn't it count then?~ Hopefully she wouldn't realize I'd just asked two questions in a row. 
~Your sentence is sequential, Fishy Thief.~ she replied. ~All the items you stole in the Fish section must be sold before you can change your shape.~ She studied the counter top. ~Only once you take on your new form will items in that section begin to count towards you. Nothing bought before then will.~

~That's not fair!~ Again it made sense, but it totally wasn't fair. What if everything I'd stolen in the Rodents had already been bought? None of it would count. That's what. ~You're just giving us a longer sentence that way!~

She shrugged. ~Crime doesn't pay. Consider yourself lucky you didn't take from all the sections.~ She smirked. ~And be glad you didn't back track either. Your sentence could have been longer if you had.~

Sequential. So if I'd gone from fish, to rodents, to cats, to fish...I would have become a fish, a rodent, a cat, and then a fish again. Going by what I stole, when. Perhaps this system wasn't so simple. ~How do people not end up stuck here for the rest of their lives?~ I muttered with some irritation. 

~They don't try and take the entire store with them.~

~Well, great for them.~

~Great for me too, I get company to talk to.~ She straightened, idly twirling some of her hair around her fingers. ~Speaking of which. That was three questions to me.~

I flinched. Three? ~Two.~ I said. ~That third one was philosophical.~

~Well, at least you didn't say one. But you still asked three questions fishy thief.~
~I didn't expect you to answer that last one!~
~Then don't ask questions in my hearing unless you qualify that you don't want me to answer first. I get three. No backsies.~

~No warnings either apparently.~ I retorted, mentally steeling myself for her questions.
~I thought you smart enough to not need them.~
~Whatever, let's get this over with. Ask.~

~Worried are you? Well, I'll start easy then. How long have you been a thief?~ She asked, intently staring at me.
~Uh...~ I had to think. ~Nearly seven years I suppose.~
Her eyes widened slightly. ~Seven.~ she repeated with some surprise. ~And you're not in jail yet. Wow.~ she shook her head. I didn't know if that was a compliment or not.  ~Have you been with this group the entire time?~ she asked.

~No, I haven't.~ I twitched enough to adjust where I was floating in the tank, allowing myself to rise a bit.  
~Interesting. Seven years, but not all with the same group....how long then have you worked with this one then?~
And that was the third question. I relaxed a little. Okay, not so bad this time around. Who knew if it would stay along these easier lines though. ~All of us together....over a year.~ John had joined the group recently. I'd worked with the others a while longer though.

She placed her head on her hands. ~Over a year, yet seven years a thief. So you don't stick with one group, yet you're extremely loyal to this one. Asking for them to be released, not just looking out for yourself. Why is that?~

I wiggled myself into motion. I'd only asked three questions. I wasn't about to answer her fourth. Her tsked sigh told me that she'd hoped I would.

#Henry

I Hate Mornings

I can't believe Harvey!

I got up the gumption to ask him if I would have to get up early every morning,
and he said yes!
He wants me to be in charge of making the animal department look presentable every morning!

When I mentioned that school would be starting soon.
He told me that I would just need to schedule classes later in the day.

That is so. not. going. to. happen.
I like school just about as much as I like this job.
No, if I can't convince Harvey to let me quit, I'll have to convince him that I don't need to be there every morning. I can do school some days and work the other days.
As I'm so not going to spend all day doing something I don't like just to make Harvey happy.

He may be happy to have all the 'family' under one roof at work.
I'm not.
Afterall, we're not all together.

Karen<3

A Little Surprise

I'm not the only one hiding in plain sight here.

There's a bloke here. By the name of Jake. He sticks out a bit here, though he's doing his best to keep his head down. Literally down. He doesn't look up much. Jake doesn't look like the other kids here. He has this scar. A burn scar that covers the left side of his face and from what I've seen of his arm, all the way down that as well. Who knows how big this burn scar is. Side of face and arm that's what I know for sure.
Nobody here really likes to talk about it. What happened to him. Though I sense that it was a while ago.
I hadn't really paid much attention to him. He's not the sporty type. He's one of those guys who struggles with the rock wall. His left arm is nearly useless to him. Very little muscle is left, making it difficult for him to pull himself up. Though he's sure dedicated to trying. He keeps attempting the easy wall. Again and again and again. No success. He barely makes it two feet off the ground.

He's good. Really good.

A wolf in sheep's clothing that's for sure.

The question is, why is he hiding it from everyone? I hide what I hide for my own reasons, but him. Why does he hide it?

Catcha on the Flip Side!

Danny

She grinned widely. Giving me no comfort in what I'd just agreed to. It was a grin of triumph. ~I would seal the deal by shaking your hand Fishy Thief, but you don't really have any.~ She leaned the mop against a nearby column and stood, arms folded across her chest. ~What's your free question? I don't have all morning to stand here.~

I mentally exhaled. ~Alright.~ I hoped she'd be clear. I really did. ~We stole a bunch of items, and those influenced what animals we would become.~ I said choosing my words carefully.  

She nodded. ~Not a question, but nice little recap, I suppose. Already trying to get around your one question thing I see.~

I mentally threw up my hands. ~If I ask this question wrongly, you'll give me the wrong answer.~

She rolled her eyes. ~That is a possibility. But like I said, I don't have all day.~ 

I wanted to strangle her. Instead I took a deep mental breath and dove in. ~ What is your method to  determining the length of our sentence by what we stole?~ I asked in one breath.

~Oo, you are good at asking when stressed aren't you?~ She said, her fingers tapping on her arm. ~To the point, a bit long, but concise enough.~ 

~I thought you didn't have much time.~ Yet she was critiquing my questioning skills.

~I don't, I'm thinking on how to answer.~ 

~I see you're already trying to get around your end of the bargain too.~

She chuckled. ~Funny.~

For complaining about not having enough time. She sure took her sweet time in answering.
~It's a rather simple method.~ she said after an eternity of silence. ~You stay here as long as the items you stole are in the store. Once the last thing stolen is lawfully bought and paid for, you're free to go.~

#Henry

Day 23

 

Yellow. I got enough yellow for a lifetime while in Kansas. I certainly don't need to see yellow flowers here in the forest.

 

~L

I Need a Break!

Harvey is taking this whole work thing to the extreme.
I mean. Come on! You can't seriously expect me to work seven days a week can you?
Where are my weekends?
Where are my days off?!
Apparently, not going to happen anytime soon until I've been fully inundated with enough useless animal facts to fill a library to bursting. I hate training!
Remind me when I get a real job to be six cities away from Harvey and to have very little training involved.
Ugh!
Harvey!
I don't want to work away my grief alright?

Grr. Maybe my attitude would improve if he would give me a day to sleep in and spend the afternoon on the beach.
I miss the beach.
I'm going to be all white and pale looking by the end of the summer if this keeps up.

Karen<3

So Everything Isn't Normal Here

This town is weird. I mean weirder then the weird of weird towns. It's the weirdness of weird of being too normal that it's weird. Only, there are little hiccups in this town, that do show that it's not as 'normal' as everyone tries to pretend it is.
For one thing, this place is a popular spot for rock climbing. Insomuch, that the school actually teaches classes on how to climb safely. It's required. Which I think is pretty awesome. It's like the required swimming classes in other schools I've been in. But rock climbing. And rock climbing is pretty cool. Sure, the wall they have in the gym is pretty fake, but those who 'graduate' off the wall, get to go on actual rock climbing trips every other weekend.
It wasn't difficult for me to 'graduate' I mean. You learn the rules, keep them, manage to climb to top of one of the harder walls without killing yourself and walla. You're golden.

Only there are some people here who are having difficulties advancing in the class.
A couple of them are legitimately scared of heights. There is one girl here that can barely climb a set of stairs without getting into a tizzy about how high up she is. If it gets extreme enough she gets hysterical at having to lift her foot twelve inches to reach the next stair. Weird much? Totally.
I mean, it's stairs. You climb them. You're higher. Just don't look over the banister or out a window and everything should be fine right? Well, apparently not for them.

Maybe they should try wearing sunglasses.
It darkens the area a bit and skews your depth perception as well.
That might help them.
Or make it worse.
All I know, is that convincing the teacher to let me keep my 'prescription' sunglasses on during climbing was more difficult then the actual climbing while wearing them.

Catcha on the Flip Side!

Danny

Only Crazy People Work Here

Ew! Ew! Ew!
I half suspect only crazy people work in pet stores.
Seriously.
There is a guy who works here who has tried Every single Dog food.
Tried.
As in.
Not fed to his dog.
But.
ATE IT HIMSELF!

What CRAZY person would eat dog food?
Why would he even want to know which one tasted the best?
Shouldn't they all taste the same?
*shudders*
Ew. Ew. EW!!
I hear he's working on the cat food now. And plans to try...well everything that animals are fed.

Ughahaha gah bleah!!

And I'm stuck with crazy people like that! Here. At work! Gah!

Then Annemarie told me,
that this 'food' is actually pretty good.
And when the Zombies attack.
She's going to be here. Hoarding the food. Eating the wet food first, then the dry food.

Help me. Please.
I'm with crazy people.
Why can't Harvey just fire me already?
I
do
not
want
to
work
here!

Karen<3

Day 22

Another attempt at taking pictures of the 'wild life.' I saw this fish swimming in a pool above the third waterfall. It's nearly as tall as I am. Who knows how many years it's been living there, undisturbed.

~L

If I Never See Another Mouse Again...

Nobody rescued me.
 
But Tristen my disgusting, evil step brother, has hit an all time new low.
 
He snuck into the break room (I didn't even know he was capable of being sneaky!) while I was engrossed in being disgusted by how many ways you can maim a mouse to get a snake to eat it,  (they scramble brains guys! Talk about zombie gross!) And just when the snake was about to actually eat the stupid mouse...
 
Tristen placed a real live snake on my shoulder!
 
I screamed loud enough for the space station to hear me, and jumped nearly as high out of my chair.
 
-Don't worry. The snake is fine. It tried to bite me after being startled so, but it's fine.
 
Me, I nearly had a heart attack.
And what did Harvey do?
He yelled at me for disturbing his conference call and endangering the snake!
 
Like I did it on purpose. Geez! You can't help but scream like a girl when you are a girl and you just got scared out of your wits!
 
Karen<3  
 
 

~How does it work. Our punishment.~  I asked as the girl came by mopping the floor.

~I thought that was obvious, Fishy Thief.~ she said glancing to me. ~You steal something, you get changed into an animal, then you change back when it's over.~

I kept myself calm with effort. ~The items that we personally took influenced our change. Hence why I'm a fish, Hence why my friends are all different animals, hence why the plan we had worked in your favor. We're separated so we can't talk to each other. But how does it work? Why were our current forms chosen? How does your timing work? How come you won't tell me a straight answer on how long we'll be this way?~
Okay...maybe I wasn't that calm. I wanted answers. I had a partial key and I wanted the door to finally unlock.

She slowly mopped the floor in front of the tank. ~So many questions Fishy Thief.~ She remarked.

~And so few answers! Please, just give me a hint or something! It's not like I'm going to go anywhere in the near foreseeable future.~ Why did she have to be so difficult?

She leaned on the mop, staring at me thoughtfully. ~No...you aren't going anywhere any time soon, I suppose.~ She suddenly grinned. ~I'll tell you what. I'll answer one question today.~

I squashed the excitement rising in me. ~I sense a But.~

~Ah, I do like you Fishy Thief. You see so clearly sometimes.~ She tucked a strand of hair behind her head. ~The But is this: If you want any more answers from me, you will have to answer a question I ask in return. You ask. I answer. I ask. You answer.~ Before I could respond she smirked. ~And, your answers need to be a 100% truthful. Deal?~ 

Of course there had to be a catch. I expected it. But why did she want answers from me? I was just a 'fishy thief' to her. ~My answers?~ I asked buying for time. ~What about yours?~
I suppose this arraignment wouldn't be too big of a deal to most people. It was like a getting to know you activity. Only, this could turn out badly for me and my crew if she asked me the wrong question.

She widened her eyes. ~I thought it was obvious mine would be just as truthful Fishy Thief. Do I need to spell everything out for you?~

~Not if you're being 100% truthful too.~ I replied. ~Your answers might actually be clear then.~

She laughed in my mind. ~Yet, you're still trying to find a way to get answers without me asking questions. I've talked to quite a few thieves, I know how you guys work. What secrets you want to hide.~

That wasn't comforting.

~Come on Fishy Thief. How strong is your curiosity?~ she cajoled.

Strong enough for me to consider this crazy deal. I hated not knowing. And the information I gained could help me and my crew when we were reunited.
But...what questions would she ask? It could be anything. Really. With her, it could be anything.

Still... ~It's strong enough, I suppose.~ I finally replied. ~Deal.~

#Henry

I'm Not This Obsessed Harvey

Who in their right mind, would ever even care that there are fourteen different ways to clip a bird's feathers?
 
Honestly. It's like I'm taking a pseudo summer crash course in useless animal care information.
 
Guess who the author of my course is?
Yep. Harvey, The Step-Dad.
 
He seems to think that if he sits me in front of a TV screen for long enough, I'll be an expert in everything animal by the end of the week.
 
*bangs head against desk*
Just come kidnap me now, someone. please.
 
I'm serious. Come get me out of here before I have to spend tomorrow watching '102 Ways To Feed a Snake."
 
Please.
 
Karen<3

It was so clear now that I understood how our punishment worked.
My crew and I were separated because of what we'd took.

Not what was taken as a whole.
But what we each took individually.
Anything that we personally took off the shelf, became part of our sentence.

Because I had separated my team, gave them each a different section in the store, they ended up becoming an animal from that section.

Obviously, I had taken the Fish section. Filling my pockets and back pack with different items like filters, air stones, and heaters, to mention a few things that I could get a lot of quickly.

Billy was assigned to Cats
Jessa to Birds
Sue -my scout- to Dogs
Larry -the get away driver- to Reptiles

...and John -the muscle- to the Rodents.

John...is the linchpin to all this. He's the reason we could possibly all get back together again.

Why?
Because he really didn't want to rob a Pet Store. He dug his heels in at every single turn. Making a million and a half objections. So I gave him the easiest section. The one with low selling items. With few things to grab.
And he still dug in his heels.

I'd been worried about this, and so I told everyone to meet up in John's section when they were done with theirs.
And unsurprisingly, but disappointingly, John had barely grabbed anything. A guinea pig cage, and some meds available for the rodents  The cage could have held so much, and what he took barely lined the bottom of it.

So I'd ordered everyone to grab things off the shelves, like wheels and balls, anything they could to put in the cage and their own packs.

That was the key.
We'd all grabbed something from that section. And it explained why most of us would change our shapes. John hadn't taken anything from any where else in the store.
The rest of us had.
So if it all worked out, we'd all eventually become rodents with him, while he'd stay a rodent the whole time.

Of course, the key to it all....was timing.

The girl kept referring to it. Timing. Timing was key. IF it worked out, we'd all be rodents at the same time.
I would be able to finally reconnect with my crew.
If the timing worked out.

#Henry

Day 21

The third waterfall. It's more hidden then the other two, quietly trickling down the mountain across from it's two bigger companions. It's a narrower pool at the bottom, but because the waterfall isn't as ferocious, it's a more relaxing place to hang out and think.

~L

Gee, Thanks Harvey

My step-dad doesn't understand me. At. All.

I can't believe him.
It's only been...well...yah. And then he just out of the blue tells me to "Buck up. I got you something to take your mind off of things. A job."

A job!
That's his solution to everything.
Get a job. Get a job. Get a job.
And he finally just went and got me one. Ugh. Grah. Grrr.
I just want to strangle something!
I don't want a job!
I just want to be left alone!
I want...I want my mom back!
And having a stupid job isn't going to help my grieving at all!

If anything he should whisk me away to a foreign land, like the jungle in search of a rare raccoon monkey to have as a pet or something. Not that an animal could replace...replace...no it wouldn't work at all.

No, this just...seems like a form of torture!
Here Karen, Please be my personal slave and do this and that and that and this for me!
...I guess since I'm getting paid I would be a servant huh...
Not much better.
I may be unwillingly part of his family now. But I definitely never wanted to join my step brother -Tristen and step sister -Annemarie in working at the family business!

If I have to get up early I'd much rather be on the beach, listening the waves, lost in the world of some magical fairy tale, though not so lost as to not notice the handsome guys walking by.

Instead, This morning. My Step-dad dragged me out of bed, to take me to the shop AT DAWN and had me up to my eyeballs in twelve and half dozen training videos.

No. No. No.

He doesn't understand me at all, and his method of getting me through this 'grieving period' as he calls it....grrrr. I don't see why I have to suddenly 'earn my keep.' And I definitely disagree with spending the rest of my summer vacation 'working the pain away with a bunch of smelly dirty animals.

It's so unfair too! Why do my step brother and sister get the 'easy' jobs and I have to be up to my eyeballs in muck every day?

Never mind that I love animals.
This.. This. just shows that he doesn't understand me at all! I don't know if he ever did or ever will. After all he has a goth for a daughter. We're like total opposites. Yet she, somehow gets to be in register all day. Obviously she's the favorite.

Ugh. Cleaning duty. In a pet store.

Next thing you know, I'll be living in the attic and cleaning out the gas fireplace at home.... Bleh.

Karen<3

It Doesn't Involve A Ball

Okay, so I may have been a bit dramatic in my last post. Don't sue me,  I can't afford that. Yes, I had to lay low for a bit, as I nearly got caught sneaking back in from sneaking out of the Tower.
-You can save the lecture on how foolish I was and that Surge could have caught me, blah blah blah.
But, that was just an excuse. You see, I got caught up in a game.
Yah! I finally found a sport in this tower that I don't end up falling flat on my face in. Which you would expect me to do in this sport.
What is it?

It's a really super glacier iced awesome version of laser tag!

See, that's why you'd expect me to fall on my face. It's mostly played in the dark.
Mostly.

You see, I ran across the game in the dark when I was exploring the tower (okay finding a way out of it, you can't blame a guy for not wanting to be cooped up all day long in the same place.)
Accidentally, I set the game off.

But, apparently, the supers haven't played it in the dark before! They always played this game in the light. Which is rather silly. I mean, Surge's battles don't always take place in the middle of a bright sunny day.

Yah. This laser tag, is like a glorified version of fighting heroes against villains.

The cool part? There aren't teams. There aren't sides. It's every man (or woman) for themselves, You can choose to team up with people, switch sides, work on your own agenda. It's awesome! We all get laser guns, there are fake targets of course that you can shoot at every few minutes to get points, but you get twice, three times, or even quadruple the points by hitting a live player, and depending on where or how we hit the player, we get more or less points. It's icing spectacular! There's a leader board and everything. Players just register, and then off you go. In a crazy obstacle course that must take up the entire base of the West Tower! It's like a video game on steroids. Awesome! It can get more complicated then that depending on what 'level' you are playing on.

I happened to discover the 'dark' level. Which is harder, since it's basically pitch black with few light sources to tell you were you are.

Strangely enough, my classmates, have never gone past like Level 4. There must be at least 80 levels if not more and most of my classmates haven't gone past Level 1! I don't get it. I mean this is the closest thing to fighting a super hero battle! You get to test out your powers, see how you can help or hinder others, see how well you would do against a villain's plan. I mean, they have some of Surge's plans actually as part of the levels!  And they're more interested in kicking a ball around the court.  

I don't get it. Something so icing cool, and it's apparently covered in dust three quarters of the year.

But, soon enough. It won't be. They have annual tournaments where at the end, the player with the most points gets to be a superhero's side kick!
Okay, it's not a permanent thing. But wouldn't it be cool to temporarily be at Steel's side solving crimes and defeating Surge?
I want to win this thing!

I've been spending the past bit practicing every spare moment I have. I mean, this is probably my one chance to show everyone I can be good for something. Because, unfortunately, I still have no powers. I'm the real underdog here. But just you wait and see. Come tournament time. I'm going to knock everybody's icing socks off.

Layters!

--> Issac

Day 20

The second waterfall. The picture doesn't show it, but this thing comes off the side of the mountain like a rocket.

~L

I felt secure in that warm dark place. Listening to the steady thump thump of her heart, I managed to relax a little bit. The soothing voice, kept up a near constant sound base as well, murmuring nonsensical sentiments. Encouraging in tone.

It's sufficient to say that she lulled me to sleep while she went about the lab doing the morning chores. At break neck speed. As soon as she could, Maille snuck into a supply closet. Sitting on a box, she grabbed some of the meds from a nearby shelf and pulled me out of her pocket.

"Are you still alive?"

Her voice floated around my head, full of concern. full of worry.

"Little one? Please, tell me you're alive. Please. Try moving something. Just for me." A finger softly ran down my back. "Come on little one. Please."

Move something? For her? Well, I wanted to see her eyes again. With some effort, I managed to open an eye. It took effort, as it had crusted shut. I caught a glimpse of those bright green eyes and a white smile of delight before I shut it again.

"You are alive!" her exultant cry rang in my ears. I'm surprised Howard didn't hear her. She'd been loud. "I can work with alive." she said more quietly. "Hold on little one, I'll get you better. You just work on surviving alright?"

Next thing I know, she was trying to stuff something into my mouth. Bitter, bitterness, trying to pretend to be fruity. It didn't work. I moved a paw in protest, pushing against the object to get it away from me. It was persistent. I shuddered as the bitter liquid moved down my throat.

"Oh, I know little one, most meds don't taste that great. But I promise it will help you feel better."

I would disagree with that. How can bad tasting stuff be anything but bad for you?

"Here." The object pushed against my mouth again. Oh no. I turned my head away. No more bitter stuff. "It's water, little one. Please for me?" Again, she prodded against my mouth. I kept it shut. "I will get the water into you one way or another little one." she said. "just a little bit. You need liquids."
I opened my eyes again. Why did her eyes have to be so convincing? Did she lie at all?
She smiled. "That's it little one." I shuddered as more liquid stuff poured down my throat. Thankfully enough, it tasted like water. I liked water.

"You have beautiful eyes you know." She remarked, pulling the object -at this point I saw that it was a syringe- from my mouth. "Red. I've never seen one eye darker then the other, though." Her fingers ran down my back again. "Perhaps that's why Howard doesn't like your kind. Your eyes are red more often then not."

Red eyes? Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that wasn't right.
She sighed. "I can't stay here long, Howard has a knack for showing up at the wrong moment. Just hang in there little one." She said wrapping me back up. "I'll try and get some more water into you and a bit of food. You'll make it." She gently placed me back into her pocket. "You will make it."

Martin Elek

Day 19

The first waterfall. It's the most noticeable of the three, confronting you as you come through the passage. The loudest, and the one with the deepest pool.

~L

~Figure it out yet?~ She asked a couple of days later. She swiped a paper towel across the glass.

~No.~ I admitted grudgingly.

~I would think it obvious.~

I would think so too, unfortunately my expertise didn't lie in girl logic. ~What we stole depends on how long our sentence here is. I can only guess that the value of our load somehow equates to how long we're here.~

She grinned and shook her head. ~Close. But no candy cane. It's not the value. It's the item.~

~Did you assign a prison sentence to every item in the store then?~ I asked sarcastically. ~A bouncy ball gets half a day, An electronic collar gets six years?~

Her laughter filled my mind. ~It's rare that anyone stays here longer then a year, so that six years bit is off. Though with everything that was taken, you just might end up in that 'rare' category of longer then a year. I guess it depends on how much pity my mom feels and how well you behave.~

Mom? Pity? ~Wait, your mom changed us?~

She shrugged. ~Of course.~ A smirk. ~What? You thought I did?~

~You're the one talking to me, not her.~ What else was I suppose to think?

~She's busy.~ She shrugged. ~So you get to talk to me.~ She grinned. ~I do enjoy talking to you in particular Fishy Thief. You're pretty good at digging...in the wrong direction.~

~Well, I'm sure if I had a map, I could dig in the right direction.~ I retorted. ~Does the rest of the crew not talk to you?~

~Oh, they do. But it's mostly demands of 'get us out of here!' 'change us back!' Boring stuff really. Though the trouble they get into is entertaining. Escape attempts the like.~ She wadded up the paper towel. ~If you were all together, you might actually manage it I think.~

I mentally rolled my eyes. She thought escape attempts were entertaining? What had my crew been up to? ~I doubt it. Being a fish, I couldn't get very far. Unless escaping from the store breaks whatever spell you've put on us. Then maybe I could flop my way out.~

Her laughter told me that it had been a faint hope. ~No, leaving the store won't change a thing. Only what you stole can. Though, with that plan that you guys had, you all could get back together before leaving the store. Again, it depends on the items you stole.~

Get back together? How when I was a fish? Unless. ~I'm not going to be stuck as a fish the whole time?~ I asked in surprise.

Her eyes lit up. ~Ah. I knew you were smart. I'm glad you caught on that. No you won't be a fish the entire time.~
The sail fin rose in excitement. ~And neither will my companions? They'll all change shape too?~

~Most of them.~

Most of them? So not all of them. Why would some of them not change? Did it have to do with the items we stole? That didn't make sense. If the entire horde influenced the length of our sentence, then the entire horde should have made us the same creature right?
Wait.
Our plan. My plan. This girl kept referencing it. Saying that it helped them too. In separating-Oh! All my various fins flared in realization. ~I got it.~

She tilted her head. ~Got what?~

It had been there the entire time. My plan. I mean, I'd done it to make it faster. But with everything she said. It made sense. Why we would change shape. Why some wouldn't. It had to do with what happened the night we robbed this place!

She tapped the glass with a finger. ~Hello, earth to fishy thief. What did you get? You can't leave me in the dark after an exclamation like that.~

I felt momentary smugness as my fishy self reacted to the tapping. Oh I could leave her in the dark. And I would. I mean, That nice yellow plant looked like a fun place to explore, after all, shining like that. Definitely not dark there. I swam towards it.  Perhaps it would get me away from the tapping coming from the glass too. Or that castle. If I went behind it...I could find food maybe!

Sometimes, it's rather handy to only have a three second memory.

#Henry