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Terra Incognita

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Chapter 8: Collateral

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I tried to be perfect
It just wasn't worth it
Nothing could ever be so wrong
It's hard to believe me
It never gets easy
I guess I knew that all along

Pieces, Sum 41

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Terrence grinned, and the group seem to catch that old familiar look of deception and mischief upon his face. " I don't need to deny it. I gave my shirt to Rollover to put in the washing machine. It needed a little cleanup before Mac's birthday. And its in one piece. If you need to verify my alibi, I'm sure that freaky little imaginary friend would be more than happy to talk about it."

Duchess growled. "Oh, believe me, I intend to. You don't fool me for one second, little boy. Just because these morons have yet to catch you in the act doesn't mean that no one's accusing you. Silently maybe, but there's not a soul in this house that doesn't know you're the one trying to harm the household residents." She began to head for the stairs, leaning in close to him as she passed.

"You think I haven't trapped you yet, but rest assured, I know. Just like I know you threw away your shirt. Just like I know you think you've won," she whispered, her deep voice scratching his ear drums. "I haven't yet begun to tear your life apart."

"Freak," Terrence muttered as she headed up the steps. He turned to the others, doing his best not to seem at all fazed by the situation, though in his own mind he was screaming and swearing at the steps being taken to ensure his termination. "We going, or not? Let's hurry up and go to the stupid mall so we can get the stupid twerp a stupid present from some stupid store for his dumb little birthday."

Nobody moved. There eyes were so accusing yet none of them dared say a word. The silence was beginning to burn his ears. He was waiting, just waiting for that moment when they would explode in a fierce burst of harsh words and pointed fingers.

He decided to break the quiet himself.

"Aw, come on!" He snarled. "You can't possibly believe that I did that! I mean, how the hell could I possibly get to that chandelier and rig it so it would fall on that chicken?! The only one that can actually reach up there is Red there, and maybe Duchess somehow with her ugly 'powers!' Look at some other evidence besides a chunk of red clothing that could belong to anything or anyone!"

"Look, Terrence," Frankie chimed in before he could resume with anymore ranting. "Why don't we discuss this when we get back? We should really be getting to the mall to pick up presents for you broth- Mac." She noted the wince on his face at one of her accidental words.

He said nothing, casting her a look, and then began to head for the door. "Let's go already. You can accuse me of stuff I didn't do when we get back. Let's just get Mac's dumb presents before I change my mind."

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Eduardo shifted in his seat next to Wilt, looking in a paranoid manner out the window. "Did you think that Terrence really tried to kill me?"

"No, of course not!" Wilt chirped optimistically, though he could not help but doubt his own words. The evidence seemed to be piling up against Terrence and it would only be a matter of time before the truth was revealed. "I'm sure it was all just a coincidence or a misunderstanding….or something."

Eduardo's nervous demeanor did not seem to fade in the slightest. He glanced at Terrence, who sat in his seat, alone, at the back of the bus. No one had spoken a word to him since they'd left the house, and he hadn't even attempted to utter a thing. He sat there, like a plague had rested upon him.

The bus jerked to a stop, as old buses often do, and the group rushed forth from its confines like a wave, Bloo leading the way.

The blob squealed in delight, heading for the doors, when Frankie's agitated voice caught him. "Bloo!! Don't move another step!" She screamed, watching as he froze in mid step. "I am not going to have another disaster on my hands! Now get back here!"

Bloo rolled his eyes and pouted, heading back to the group. "Awwww! But its right there!"

"Everybody grab a partner," Frankie replied, ignoring Bloo's complaints. "I'm not going to have another mall fiasco like last time." She glanced at Terrence, who did little more than grunt and look on as the other friends grabbed a hold of one another. "That means you too, Terrence."

Terrence jumped at the sound of her voice, realizing what she had just had just said, and made a face. "I'm not a child. I'm older than you are, and I'm not going to be leading some bozo imaginary friend around like a freaking dog."

Frankie rolled her eyes, and grabbed his hand. "Fine then. At least hold my hand so I can keep an eye on you. God forbid you cooperate for just one minute."

Terrence felt his cheeks turn red again. "Y-Your hand? You wah-wah-want me to hoh-hold your hand?" He grinned like an idiot, a wave of bliss taking over.

"Relax, its not as if I have cooties or something," the woman explained, sarcasm dripping from her words. "Alright, come on guys. Let's hurry this up, and no running all over the place like last time!" She glared at some one in particular. "Bloo."

"Its not my fault that Madame Foster's birthday just happened to be the day that it was on and everyone knows that's the busiest mall shopping shoppers day of all time," Bloo defended, trying to tear his arm from Eduardo's tight grip. "Besides, nothing bad happened."

Frankie groaned. "Let's just hurry this up," she replied, leading the way into the mall. "Now, everyone stay…"the moment she turned around to confront the group, they had dispersed. "together… Figures."

Terrence tore his hand out of her grip. "I'll see you in the arcade," he answered her question before she could open her mouth to ask it. "I'll just win Mac something." He trotted off, leaving Frankie to shake her head and start for the nearest store.

Terrence couldn't remember the last time he had felt so…normal. It seemed like forever since he'd been to the mall to just hang out and play videogames. Yanking a quarter from his pocket, he pushed it into a machine, and dazed off into a world of dejavu.

"Well, well, well," a voice cooed softly in his ear, followed by a malicious chuckle. Terrence paled considerably, and turned around. He knew the owner's voice the moment he heard it, and quickly saw that the owner wasn't alone either. The voice spoke again, drawing Terrence from the game. "I never woulda guessed, Terrence…the imaginawy fwiend!"

Terrence groaned inwardly. "Sid," he muttered. "What the hell do you want?"

Sid grinned, showing off a revolting set of braces. "Nothin'. I just kinda stopped by to see how you were doing, poor baby! Ain't that right, Joeh?"

He moved aside, letting Joeh step forward, his face a fiery red. Joeh seemed to be hiding something in his mouth, as his cheeks were puffy and large. It wouldn't take long for Terrence to find out why.

He burst out laughing, almost on the floor from hysterics, and Sid was quick to join in. The two grabbed hold of each other for support, while Terrence stood there, clearly not enjoying what looked to be like some kind of joke.

"So, Terrence," Joeh managed to speak, still stifling his fit of giggles. "When did you first realize you were a….a…" more giggles, "an imaginary friend?"

Terrence said nothing; he clenched his fists, trying to suppress the anger that threatened to unleash itself upon them.

"Oh no, Joeh," Sid remarked, his face turning serious, as he grabbed the other boy's shoulders from behind. The two stared at Terrence, a smile suddenly returning to Sid's young features. "He's always known, haven't you, Terr? The poor baby. He's been trying to hide it all this time, going to school, and beating up that little twerp brother of his. No more of that now, huh? But don't worry, Terrence. I'll take good care of Mac after school, just like I did today." He chuckled slightly, watching Terrence's reaction. "He screams like a girl."

Terrence's eyes snapped wide open, glaring with all the rage of Hell at the two boys. With lightning speed, he raced forward, shoving Joeh to the floor, and grabbing onto the collar of Sid's shirt. He forced the teen into the wall just behind them and lifted him up a good two inches off of the ground.

Sid's face was twisted into a horrid expression of fear as Terrence came nose to nose with him, the gaze making him feel as though his eyes would bleed. "Man, what the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Don't you ever, EVER fucking touch Mac again!" Terrence screamed, slamming Sid back into the wall repeatedly. "If I ever find a single fucking bruise on him that I know wasn't caused by me, I swear to God, I will find you and KILL you! Get it?!"

"Man, Terrence, you need to relax," Joeh replied lazily, standing up. "You imaginary friends ain't s'possed to have temper tantrums like that. It could get you into trouble."

Terrence looked at him, still holding onto the obviously fearful Sid. "Speaking of trouble, when did they let you out? I was under the impression that you were insane." He averted his eyes, shifting them back to Sid. "Of course, maybe you're just stupid or somethin'. By the looks of the company you keep, I'd say that about sums it up…"

He dropped Sid, who landed on the floor with an amazing thump and scampered back to his feet. "So you wanna fight, Terr?" Sid grunted. "I always wanted to hand you your ass in a bag…" He stopped just a few words short of finishing his sentence when his eyes caught a small group standing just behind Terrence.

"Excuse me, but just what is going on here?" Frankie growled, holding a small paper bag, as they other friends stood nearby. "Terrence, say goodbye to your friends. Its time to head back to Foster's." She reached out and grabbed his hand.

Sid quickly grabbed hold of Terrence's sleeve, stopping the other boy from leaving with his group. "Whoa, Terr," he chuckled viciously. "Is this your girlfriend? She's a hot one, but I think she'd much rather date a real man like me. Hell, I'm the closest she's ever gonna get to anything human as long as she's around you guys." He made a quick glance at Frankie, and then back at Terrence. "Besides, I like older women."

Frankie made a face. "Excuse me?!" she hissed in disgust, attempting to pull Terrence away from the other boy.

Terrence didn't say a word. In an instant, he tore away from Frankie, and proceeded to connect his fist into Sid's metal mouth. A stream of blood spurted form the fresh new cut in the rude boy's lip, and he fell to the floor.

This didn't stop Terrence from continuing the battle. He took hold of Sid's shirt collar and went all out with the beating, his fist raging on and on.

Frankie quickly dropped the bag as she and Wilt attempted to pull the friend off of the human child, while Sid's accomplice tried to pull said boy away from Terrence terrifying blows.

"Terrence!" Frankie shrieked, grabbing a handful of his black hair. "Terrence, what the heck are you doing?! Stop it!" She and Wilt gave him a righteous tug, and the three fell backwards, falling into a aching pile.

Terrence growled, attempting to get back up and continue with the beating, but Wilt quickly wrapped a long, thin arm around his chest, and pinned him back.

Sid grabbed hold of Joeh's outstretched arm, pulling himself up. His face was severely battered, bleeding and swollen; blood dribbled out between his lips from where his braces had cut the insides of his mouth; and his eyes were black and blue. He whimpered, wrapping an arm around Joeh's shoulder for support.

Sid glared, and Terrence glared back. "I'm gonna get you, you fucking imaginary freak. You just wait, Terr. I'm gonna get you for this, even if I have to start with your stupid little brother."

They wandered off, a little trail of blood following them as they disappeared.

Terrence pulled away from Wilt, shoving his arms away. He felt so wonderfully great, exhilarated even. The thrill of unleashing his anger out upon another individual was his greatest achievement in weeks. The anger still boiled within him, with the fact that his one sided fight had been cut short.

As he dusted his jeans off, he felt the eyes of his companions upon him, and slowly looked up. Their eyes were full of fear, confusion, and anger. His eyes fell on Frankie. She stared at him, disappointment on her face, and his gaze shifted to Bloo.

Bloo was smiling with great joy. Terrence knew why. He'd made a terrible mistake. After all those weeks of going out of his way to hold his temper, to make sure he stayed out of trouble, to make sure he'd still have a place to stay and prove everyone wrong, he gave into a violent urge.

He failed.

The bus ride home was a long one.

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People.

There were so many people. Running around, standing over him, yelling at each other. Someone was screaming for 911. He wasn't sure what that was, however familiar it sounded. But then again, almost everything, besides these people, seemed familiar. The area all around; he could picture it in his head so easily.

A man stared down at him, his mouth moving. But for a split moment, Terrence couldn't hear a thing. There was something that had caught his attention, nearby on the pavement. A body. A grossly, torn-up corpse to be specific, staring at him. Its face was caught in the horrific expression, mouth ajar and the tongue twisting out from between a dislocated jaw.

It watched him; the left eyeball had been cleanly torn out, and the right had sunken back far into the head. The body itself was mangled, limbs twisting all over the place in ways Terrence didn't even think we're possible.

The body had almost completely been torn in half.

Terrence couldn't help but stare as he remained unmoving on the asphalt. Did…Did I kill him? What happened? What's going on?! He tried to roll over but his body wouldn't cooperate and he glanced back up at the speaking man.

"Son," the man replied, his eyes wide. "Its going to be okay. The ambulance will be here soon. Everything's going to be okay."

Son? Was this man his father? Is that my name? That can't be my name…that's stupid… he looked over to his left, seeing the totaled red car that sat not far from where he lay. There was no way that anyone could've survived an accident such as that, not with how the car itself looked.

The sirens knocked him out of whatever thoughts he had left. People swarmed around him, and he panicked, feeling a pain in his head consume everything. He heard himself lash out and scream, feeling hands try to hold him down as they escorted him onto a soft mattress, and wheeled him into a truck. He couldn't stop screaming, and he didn't know why.

He didn't know why he wanted to get away or why he wanted to get back to the body. He couldn't be sure of what was wrong with him and didn't know how to make them understand. He didn't know much of anything. Not even his own name.

The injections were terrible. He tried to resist them, but the men were obviously stronger and forced the syringes deep into his skin.

The scene seemed to change suddenly; The sounds were different. He cold no longer hear people running about, screaming, nor could he the sounds of sirens and police radios. The outside air was absent; he could tell now that he was in a room, a small air conditioned room, where it seemed that people were deep in conversation, a familiar voice.

"My husband is…" This feminine voice choked, sobbed, and somewhere nearby, a tiny child whined. "And Terrence…Oh God, is he going to be alright?! Can he hear me anymore?"

"Ma'am," another voice broke in; male. "We tried talking to him a few moments before I brought you in; we ran some tests. The tests have indicated that he has received some brain damage from the accident…"

There was a moment of silence. It was almost deafening, aside from his own heartbeat.

The woman spoke again. "What's wrong with him? How severe…is it…?"

"He's showing signs of amnesia. We still need to verify it in another conversation when he's strong enough, with a guardian of course. He has no memory of the accident, which, under many circumstances, is normal in many car accidents like this one." The voice seemed suddenly hesitant. It sighed. "But…he doesn't remember his name. He doesn't remember his age, his parents, where he lives, no birth date. He can't even remember a single thing about his past. In his mind, its all just a blur."

"Will he…ever recover?"

"I can't say. Its very unlikely, but I don't know for sure."

He could hear this woman sit down somewhere; she began to cry again, and for some reason, beyond his own comprehension, his heart felt as though it had twisted into a knot. He flinched and tried to move, but found himself far too weak.

The doctor spoke again. "Just…how are you related to this boy? Nephew? Or is he from another fam-"

"That's my son," the voice said; he hadn't noticed before but it sounded so warm and caring, like… "I'm his mother…This is my son, Terrence!

Who…who is that? Terrence…? That's my name then? Right? Terrence… he tried to smile to himself, now realizing the truth. The pain proved to be too much for such a thing. He winced, and then, the voice caught his ears again, lulling him into another world.

"Ma'am…is he…an imaginary…?

"Yes….but please don't tell him that. He's very fragile. I don't know how would take that. Remembering nothing; looking human but existing as something else…He's my son."

"Very well, miss. If you choose to call this abomination your son, that is your decision," another voice piped in, disgusted and angered for some reason unknown. "Just as long as you understand the repercussions. When he questions it one day, the fact that he hasn't aged, or that he doesn't even possess any traits similar to you or your deceased husband, it will be your undoing."

"He really is my son. I love him. Maybe if I love him like a person, that'll be enough."

"Ma'am, he's starting to wake up."

"Terrence, Terrence sweetie…Come to Mommy…"

A flood of light took the darkness, and then, nothing.

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"Terrence…" a soft voice called to him. A hand shook his shoulder, forcing him awake, and he grunted, sitting upright in the bus seat. "Terrence," the voice sounded sad and distant. "Its time to get up. Mr. Herriman…he wants to speak with you."

He shot up out of the seat, realizing where he was. That angelic voice was Frankie's, and her sadness was his fault. Cringing at the thought of what he had done at the mall, he pushed passed her, and stepped off of the bus.

The house looked darker than it ever had, as if foretelling his demise.

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"Master Terrence."

Herriman's voice was like a knife in his chest. This was it. That fatal moment where he was cast away, homeless, friendless, and without family. What a lonely existence he would be doomed to.

"I have just been informed about your recent attack upon two youths in the mall today," Herriman explained. "And I am quite aware that you are aware that the house rules forbid ANY attack upon another person, imaginary or not. You have done just that, and I am quite positive that you are also the culprit of the other recent attacks against the friends of this house. We simply cannot have a menace like you roaming about the halls on your malicious spree."

Terrence only nodded. He had seen that coming a mile away; the false accusations and all. Duchess had succeeded in her plot to get him cast from the house. Her revenge was done, and she could continue to make the lives of the house miserable. Such was the plan all along.

"I'll go get my things," he sighed solemnly, readying himself to stand up before Herriman could say those dreaded words.

"I think not," Herriman snorted. "You see-"

"Terrence!"

The two friends glanced towards Herriman's office doors; Mac stood there in the doorway, looking quite frazzled. His face held a sort of panicked expression, and he charged in, stopping at Terrence's side. "I heard all about it! Why?! Why did you do that!?"

"They were beating you up after school!" Terrence snapped, his patience gone. "Do you honestly think I'm just going to let them do that?! If anyone's going to be beating you up, its going to be me!" He took a glance at Herriman, wondering if he should explain the nature of that sentence, but what would be the point? He was already an exile.

Mac turned to the large rabbit, frantically trying to come up with some excuse to keep his former brother in the company of the other friends. "Please, Mr. Herriman! You have to let Terrence stay! He only beat that kid up to protect me, and he wasn't the one hurting all those other friends!! I know he wouldn't do that! He does a lot of mean things, but he would never do that!"

Terrence stared on as Mac grabbed hold of his arm, holding Terrence close. "I know he can be a jerk sometimes, but….he's really a good person."

The shock that Terrence felt right at that moment was unbelievable. Never in his right mind did he think that his brother could see him as anything other than a monster. "Mac…" he whispered, and the boy looked up at him, smiling that trademark friendly smile. Terrence couldn't help but make an attempt to smile back.

"I'm sorry to say this, Master Mac," Herriman informed, though the tone in his voice did not seem to hint any sign of regret or sorrow. "But your former brother Terrence is nothing more than an Extreme-a-saur, as I originally thought. His actions today have proven that. He's a menace to the members of this household, and to the people living beyond these walls. He is a vicious monster…And therefore, is no longer welcome here in Foster's."

"So you're just going to throw him out?" Mac shrieked, in disbelief.

Herriman glanced in his direction, motioning for Wilt to pull him away from Terrence. "Certainly not," the rabbit corrected, opening a nearby door. He reached inside and pulled out a rather large collar, connected to a heavy, rusty chain that shone in the bright lights above. "We can't have an extreme-a-saur running around doing God-knows what. Young Terrence will go where all extreme-a-saurs found in Foster's go. The back of the house with the other monsters."

"What?" Terrence felt his voice crack as the collar was forced around his neck. Herriman picked up the chain and handed it to Wilt, who stared dumbly at the metal.

"Take this creature to the back of the house, Master Wilt," Herriman ordered, adjusting his monocle. "See to it that he is held in the smaller restraining cage, since he isn't as violent as the other beasts out there. That is the only leniency I will allow for someone with absolutely no regard for others."

"Please, Mr. Herriman," Mac pleaded, running to Terrence's side and clinging to his arm tightly. "You can't! He's not like them! He's not! He's innocent! I swear!"

"Get away from him this instant! Its not at all safe." Herriman quickly yanked the small boy away from Terrence. "I'm sorry, Master Mac, but this boy is far to dangerous to be running out and about around more civilized people. I think what we've seen here proves that." He turned his attention back to Wilt. "See that he's firmly confined and that no one goes near him. I'm entrusting this job to you, Master Wilt. Do not let me down."

Wilt glanced at Mac, then forced his gaze down to the floor. "Yes, Mr. Herriman."

"But you can't do this!" Mac pleaded again, tears in his eyes.

"Master Mac," the rabbit growled. "I understand your concern and brotherly love for him, but it is misplaced. I cannot risk the health and lives of any other friends in Foster's simply because you want to believe that Terrence is a well-adjusted individual. If Terrence does anything further to any friend, the blame will not rest on me, young sir. It will be yours and yours alone." He took a breath, putting his arms behind his back. "Meaning if he somehow manages to get loose and hurt someone else, I'm afraid that I will have to forbid you and any other friend involved from returning to Foster's."

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A/N: Dun dun dun…