A Freshman's Tale II

Joey's POV:

Joey had no idea what to do.

Only moments ago had the principle walked away, and now Joey was lost on what to do next. It felt like Windsor all over again, but this time, something was...........different. He couldn't explain why. Maybe it was the fact that all the kids, upper-classmen included, were actually nice to him. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't constantly looking around for potential muggers. Then again, he could beat them up, with all the training he got back in Minos.

Minos............man, he missed that place already. Home away from..........well, that actually WAS home. I wonder how Scallius is doing, he thought.

Joey turned and looked at the giant horse statue he recognized when he first got here. Hanging around were different kids, all mingling with each other. It was like God decided to make a million new ethnicities since he was gone. But something was different from Windsor High. All the athletes, techies, cheerleaders, everyone was treating each other the same. It was the weirdest thing ever. Not only that, most of them even smiled and waved at Joey as they went by.

He shook his head. Too much. Too much to take in. He had to leave.

Joey took off in one direction, not stopping. He wasn't necessarily in a hurry, though. It was early morning, obviously before school hours. He took in a deep breath, relishing in the aroma of fresh air and flowers. The birds sang joyously in the crisp morning air. Joey looked at how all the houses were different models, unlike his old neighborhood when his parents were alive. Then, there were copies of the same models all over the place.

He passed by a gloomy school that looked a little battle worn. It was interesting, seeing something like that in such a happy community. A sign on it's front lawn read "Stiffson Academy." Joey took a step back, eyes wide. It also sounded very familiar. As a matter of fact, Joey KNEW this school. It was where his brother Cory attended after their parents died. There have been many reports about him going missing, and they were true. The police couldn't find him anywhere. Helicopters with thermal scans couldn't find him either.

Apparently, the principle of that school had claimed that Cory had vandalized the school, then ran off and completely disappeared. That had to be wrong. Cory would NEVER do such a thing.

The question is, where did he go?

Now Joey knew what he would do. He had to find Cory. He wasn't dead, Joey could feel it. Now, where would Cory be?

Joey whipped out his phone. He had it in his pocket when he woke up in Minos. It was dead, unfortunately. That is, until Scallius replicated the battery to make a magical one. Now it would never die.

Joey was sure he could find Cory. He just needed a lead, and where better than to look at your old text messages? Joey was positive that Cory had sent him a text about his favorite spot to hang out. After a minute of scrolling through the texts (he and Cory used to text all the time until Cory lost his phone) he found what he was looking for.

Ya, there's a place near my school where I hang. God, I wish U were here......nothin to do when U got no friends....

Near my school, he said. Hmmm.....that wasn't specific at all. If Joey was Cory, he would choose an isolated, out the way area. An alleyway, maybe? Nah. Too dirty. Someplace with a roof. Some sort of wearhouse?

Probably. Good place to look.

It would also have to be close, so Cory could access it easily.

Joey glanced around. There was an old junkyard just ahead, and there was a beaten down aluminum shed. He studied its position. It was against the junkyard's wall, and should of been out of sight from the school. It was maybe about seven feet high, tall enough for just about anyone. The shed looked highly unstable, as if it were to collapse any moment. Good place to start.

Joey slipped his phone into his pocket and walked in that direction. He stayed out of sight as best as possible (he had lots of practice) and made his way to the street corner. Looking around to see if anyone was following, he stopped. Something about that school........he could just smell the evil from here. The gloominess of it sent a chill down Joey's spine.

He continued on to cross the street, looking around. He felt as if someone were watching him. Joey shook the feeling off as he approached the shed. The roof was sagging in, like little tiny people mistook it for a trampoline. Its door was on the far side, which was kind of smart. No one who looked this way could see it. The catch was that it was slightly ajar so Joey entered with ease.

Joey glanced around the tiny space, a smile forming on his face. "Bingo," he said, grinning like mad.

Photos were strewn all over the wall, like the room was just a big collage. They were overlapping, covering most of the walls. And in the grand majority of those pictures was Cory himself. Joey's ADHD was running wild with excitement. He was twitching and grinning like crazy. "Holy shit........" he muttered.

Joey looked around on the floors. To the right was a rickety wooden shelf that held a bunch of amazing sculptures and pictures. In the near left corner, there was a makeshift table with six crude looking chairs. The table was strewn with junk, like pipe cleaners and random pieces of metal. Cory's workshop. He could tell by the style off everything, the difference of all the artistic topics. Cory had been here. This had been his special place. If Joey would find him, this would be the place to start.

Joey glanced around again. There was also a nasty, worn down looking flannel blanket laying on the floor. It wasn't big, and it looked like someone had a tug-a-war contest with it.

Joey took a closer look at it. There was a rectangular lump in the near center of the blanket. He grabbed one end of the blanket, and tossed it from its spot. There, where the blanket used to be, was a small journal with a leather cover. Joey gingerly picked it up, studying the cover. It was just like any other generic leather journal, but there was something about this one.

Cory better be the one who wrote this.

Joey opened to the first page. He pumped is fist, whispering words of congratulations to himself. This was the journal Cory got shortly before they were separated. Joey skimmed over the pages, looking for anything significant. It was on the final pages of writing that he found something. It was written on tear stained pages:

4/18/15: Today I was just about to hang myself, but something stopped me. There was a bright rainbow cyclone of light over by CHS. It gave me unexplainable hope, and I gave up the attempt. I will try life for one more day.

Signed, Cory Agees

"Hmmm, a rainbow cyclone?" Joey muttered to himself. "That's interesting." He continued reading.

4/19/15: I am scared. Principal Stiffson is about to kill me, and I didn't even DO anything. All my friends are gone, I haven't talked to anyone in months, and I haven't broke any rules. I need help. Anyone. I wish Stiffson didn't break my phone, I need my brother.........oh Joey, I hope you're okay....I just need a deep brea-

The writing stopped abruptly, the last letter had a sloppy line of graphite on it, like he fell over. Joey clenched his fists. If Stiffson got him, the journal wouldn't be here. He wouldn't of found this place so easily.

Still Cory remembered him. It gave Joey a surge of hope, a feeling he hadn't felt in YEARS. He almost forgot what it was like. "I won't fail you, Cory," Joey growled, " I will find you. And NO one will stand in my way." A tear fell off of his cheek. His breaths were shallow, and he was hyperventilating. He would NOT fail Cory. Not again.