Hello there, everybody! Sorry it took so long, but I've finally come back with a new story! This is on one of my favorite universes, the universe of Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg.

This story will probably have some hints of Billy/Rolly in it. I'll try not to make those parts too mushy, though, all right? Now, here we go!

Unspecified Forest, 6:00 am

"Billy," called Samantha Hatcher as she stood at the base of the staircase.

There was no response.

"Billy!"

No response.

Now she was a little bit agitated. She hated when she had to play the hard way, but...

"Billy Sunnyside Hatcher! You get down here before I come up there with a bucket of water! I will do it!"

"I'm coming, sis," sounded a lazy voice from up above. Samantha smiled. That little trick always worked on her brother.

In a few seconds following, during which there was the sound of two clip-clopping objects on wood, Samantha noticed two blue, leather-decorated feet coming in view from the ceiling. Then she noticed the shin, then the knees, then waist, torso, arms, and finally, the blonde head of her little brother.

Samantha put a smile on her face as she saw her little brother come down the flight of steps in his light-purple pajamas.

"Good morning, Billy!" greeted the brown-haired teenage girl.

"Hi," sounded Billy emotionlessly.

"Is that all you have to greet me with?" rhetorically asked the brunette, obviously throwing in some jest disappointment.

Billy shrugged, proceeding to walk toward the kitchen table and plop himself into one of the small, tumbleweed-colored chairs.

Samantha sighed hopelessly. Why did Billy have to be so silent? Ever since he had been found after that month of having disappeared, as had his companions, he had been quiet. Once upon a time, he had always awoken early, strapped on his clothing, came downstairs, ushered a huge "Good Morning" and a hug to his sister, and ran out to play with his friends before school started, usually grabbing a small hard-boiled egg to eat on the way.

Now, the routine was that Billy would get up when his sister finally got him up, come downstairs slowly without ushering a greeting unless he himself was greeted (sometimes, he didn't even return his sister's good wishes), then just stare into oblivion for about twenty minutes. After that, he would go upstairs, change into his day clothes, and come back down, grab his handbag, and leave without even grabbing something to eat.

And Samantha had been worried. The young, confident boy whom she had come to call her brother had become antisocial and reserved. And every day, Samantha wondered and guessed to herself things that could be wrong with Billy.

Well, frankly, Samantha had just about had enough of this nonsense. Today, she would find out what was wrong with him.

"So," Samantha started as she began to get back to her original task of hand-washing the dishes, "nice morning, huh?"

Billy broke his miserable trance to look at the window outside, five meters away from the table he was sitting at. Beams of light shone on through the window, creating a sort of halo-like scene.

It was something Billy had brought about to the different islands of Morning Land several times. It was nothing he wasn't used to.

Shrugging, Billy just turned his attention back to the table.

"The sun looks fine," Billy sighed sadly.

Samantha could hardly stand this anymore. She couldn't just let her brother stay in misery like this. But to demand it out of him would be over the line, as well. No telling how he would react to a demanding tower of fury. If anything, that would only make him more tight-lipped. Or worse, he could just lie and leave her not knowing what it truly was.

"You know," Samantha started, trying to put on a weak smile as she took a seat across from Billy, "Rolly, Bantam, and Chick came by earlier this morning."

"Oh, yeah? What did they come here for?" asked Billy.

"They wanted to see how you were doing, Billy. Everyone's been worried sick about you, especially your friends."

Billy looked down at the table. It was, indeed, very true. Everyone he knew- his teachers, his family, his friends especially, had been constantly wondering what bothered Billy so much and, henceforth, checking up on him almost daily.

"So, what did you do or say for them?" Billy posed as a question. He threw in the "do" because he knew that his sister couldn't resist providing for guests.

"I provided them some breakfast, and Chick, Bantam, and I started to have a nice conversation. Rolly's the one who brought back up the subject of how you've been feeling lately. I swear, if there's any one of your friends who obssesses over how you feel, it's got to be that girlfriend of yours."

Billy's head perked up. "She is not my girlfriend!" Billy said, a light beat between "not" and "my".

"Oh, sure she isn't!" Samantha mused sarcastically.

"She's not!" denied Billy, his cheeks now a tinge of pink.

Samantha started to sing, "Billy and Rolly, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes-"

"Stop it!" Billy finally shouted. "Anyway," Billy started up again as he watched his sister's full-fledged smile weaken, "what did you say to them?"

Samantha shook her head, her smile finally fading, "I told them I truly don't know, Billy. I truly don't know."

Billy pulled out his father's chicken-themed pocket watch. 6:05 am, it read. It was time for him to get his clothes on and leave for school.

The blonde-haired boy got out of his seat, went up the stairs, put on his clothes, rushed down the staircase and walked out the door without even saying a "goodbye" to his big sister.

Samantha lowered her head, and shook it slowly from side to side.

"Oh, mother," Samantha sighed as she got out of the wooden chair and looked up to the woman in a portrait of a woman and a man embracing each other, just beside the cupboard, "what would you have done?"

Well, there you go, people! This is my first- in fact, the first- Billy Hatcher fic other than Digi-Dolphin's "Hero's Nightmare". It starts out calmly like this, but it's going to pick up soon. I'll explain things like why Billy is so insecure later, and I may iterate on Rolly's hypothetical feelings for Billy. And of course, the new adventure will also start soon.

Until next time, readers! Reviews are appreciated and, if at all possible, will be responded to! You're constructive criticism can help me be a better writer!

See you all next chapter.