Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! Except Pepper and all other characters that are mine.

~BREAK~

Trudging down the leaf filled path, Jason and Katy on my right and Ray and Lucy on my left, I thought about how we'd changed. I looked down at the poor, broken Joan, barely able to walk, hanging off my shoulders.

Some in better ways than others

Sighing, I turned away and stared up at the road ahead. Flashing red and blue lights could be seen up through the thick of the trees and voices could be heard also. I stopped for a minute, as did my friends. This was it, once we passed through those trees, there was no doubt that we could never come back.

I looked up at the looming form of my once enemy and smiled slightly. I remembered how I was so afraid of him at the beginning and how he'd tried to shoot me with that arrow. Good times.

"Hey Katy, could you take Joan? I'll meet you up there in a minute." I said trying to be brave but m voice still shook.

"Yeah," Katy whispered "I got her."

One by one, the girls walked past Jason, silently nodding and giving small smiles. Katy stopped with Joan.

"You hang in there, big guy." she said, smirking. He shoved her softly along with the rest of them, but not before doing what looked like chuckling, or crying, I'm not really sure.

When they had all gone, I looked up at him, looked down again and stared at my hands.

"So…I guess this is it, eh?"

He nodded stiffly and played awkwardly with his machete. I couldn't take this anymore but I couldn't exactly hug him. I thrust my hand out, ready for him to shake it. He looked down at it for a second and grasped it.

Then he pulled me into the most bone-crushing hug I've ever had up to this day. When he let me go, he crouched down in front of me and clasped my shoulders, staring at me intently. He pointed to himself quickly and then poked me in the chest.

"Oh god, you're not going E.T on me are you?"

His eyes squinted behind the mask and I could only guess that he was laughing. Then he did something strange. He ripped off the cuff of his shirt and tied it around my wrist. I looked at him in confusion and he only patted it softly.

He turned me around and pushed me off towards the trees. Looking back at him, I smiled wider this time and waved.

"I'll miss you, you great big ape!" I called and ran out through the trees.

Once I got out, a series of things happened from then till now. I was taken swiftly to a car by a young police officer and situated beside my friends and Barlon in the back seat. We drove a ways until we reached the city and a large hospital building.

When we got in, a large group of doctors and nurses were already there to meet us, along with our sobbing parents. It took a couple of days to convince everyone that we were fine and when we did, we were taken to the police station for questioning.

Before we went in and while they were talking with our parents, the four of us, Barlon was in severe therapy, came up with an elaborate and detailed lie to convince the officers and our parents.

It worked.

I still thought of Jason often and kept on wearing his shirt cuff. And once I even saw that girl in white. She was sitting on a bench outside my school with a type writer in her lap.

She seemed to be writing something important, but when she took out the paper, she saw me looking at her. She grinned and waved the paper at me. Then she put in another one, sat back and just waited, watching.

How was I supposed to know that when I entered that school, all hell would break loose?

~BREAK~

Well, that's that. My very first completed story! BE PROUD! And yes, I will probably be writing a sequel, can't just leave you hanging, can I? Please tell me what you thought of my story! And thank you to all who stayed with my story! A HUGE Shout out to DraculaBleh, who has helped me ever since I started! You guys are awesome!

Peace Out

~U-Hinged