After a moment's pause, they opened their hands and held them out. The four examined the straws as Edd looked through his filing cabinets for something, that was appearently non-existant, as an excuse to not pay attention.

"Hmm... Has to be in here somewhere..." He muttered as gasps rose among the group behind him.

"Um..." Jonny whispered.

"This isn't wise..." Rolfcommented.

Edd blinked and hastily turned around. "Wh-who is it?"

Marie and Kevin turned around, Jonny and Rolf leaning over to see past them. All four stared at Edd to see his reaction.

"M-me..." Marie said softly.

Edd looked startled. "Marie? You...?" His eyes widened slightly as he said this, and he began to sweat. "Oh my..."

Jonny and Rolf watched Edd with interested gazes, while Kevin hid a slight yawn behind one hand.

Edd stared at Marie, and she returned the look. He blinked, then tilted his head thoughtfully. He paused for a second, then Edd unexpectedly said, "Then... Kiss me." He said on pure impulse.

Marie blinked, then smiled and leaned forward, their lips meeting suddenly.

"Whoa!" Kevin exclaimed, then looked at the other two. Rolf's eyes were widening as he watch, while Jonny looked nervously at Kevin.

"I'm not that surprised..." He confided.

Kevin nodded. "Nor am I..." He whispered back.

Meanwhile, Edd and Marie pulled apart, blushing slightly. Edd blinked. "You didn't kiss me because I said to, did you?"

Marie shook her head and grinned. "Nope."

"Then..." Edd muttered,then turned bright red as he noticed everyone staring at him. "Um..."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "I'm glad I didn't pull that lot..."

"Ugh..." Edd moaned as his face turned even redder. He pulled his hat over his face. "Kevin, please..."

Rolf smiled and sat down, watching Marie turn pinkish as well. "Speak, Kanker-girl. When did this romance blossom? Rolf did not even notice it."

Jonny shook his head and watched Edd thoughtfully. The boy still had the hat over his head, but his neck was visibly pink.

Edd's voice suddenly said. Jonny jumped and looked around, then noticed that no one else had moved.

<I have to stop hearing him like that...> Jonny thought.

"Of course you didn't, you've been too suspicious of me the whole time!" Marie was exclaiming to Kevin and Rolf.

Jonny looked thoughtful, then focused on Edd again. Edd was thinking.

Marie finished talking and glanced over at Edd. Rolf and Kevin followed her glance and looked uncomfortable.

"Hey, are you going to hide under that hat forever?" Kevin asked.

"Not forever..." Edd muttered, slowly pulling it up. His face was already turning back to normal.

Kevin nodded. "Good. You might suffocate under that thing."

"Um..." Jonny was starting to say when Marie sighed.

"Well, I'm confused now." She said, sitting on the bed and leaning back.

Edd glanced at her. "So am I, trust me. All of this--"

"--Makes no sense." They chorused, and she grinned. "You've been saying that a lot lately."

He groaned. "That's because it really doesn't. If I'm NOT actually making people do stuff, then how do you explain Jimmy's hair, or Kevin and Rolf getting away? And if I AM, why did you only kiss me of your own free will?" Edd groaned again and collapsed onto his chair.

Rolf nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm... Yes, that IS a problem, isn't it?"

"Plus, it seems that the only way to test it is to tell you guys to do stuff, more importantly, things you don't want to do. And then what's to keep me from getting power hungry, and going like May and Lee...?" Edd asked them.

Kevin looked nervous. "You wouldn't really, would you?"

"If he went nuts..." Jonny replied.

Edd suddenly hit his desk. "Dan it!" He exclaimed, then winced and grabbed his hand in pain.

"Ah!" The others jumped.

"What was that for?!" Kevin gasped.

Edd was biting his lip and looking at his hand. "I'm... frustrated... Sorry about that, it's just... Hard to think clearly..." He moaned and collapsed further into his chair. "All of this has been far too stressful for me. It used to be that the most important thing on my mind was doing all of my homework, or helping Eddy with his scams, but now..."

"Well, you didn't need to be so loud about it." Kevin complained.

"Oh, be quiet Kevin..." Edd said irritably, slouching in his seat again.

Kevin opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. He looked startled, then nervous, then realized what had happened, and glared evilly at Edd. "Uh, Double D..." Marie said nervously.

Edd looked over at her. "What?"

She pointed numbly at Kevin.

Edd blinked. "Uh... Oh! Oh my, my apologies, Kevin!" He said, then looked thoughtful. "Um... Go back to being able to, um, talk, and all..." He said, cringing slightly.

He had a good reason to. "What was that for?!?" Kevin immediately yelled.

The others covered their ears. "Shut up!" Marie exclaimed in reply.

Jonny looked at Kevin nervously and slowly uncovered his ears.

Kevin calmed down, but he was still glaring at Edd. "Well, what do you know?"

Edd sighed, and gave them a weary look. "It would seem..."

The phone rang.

Edd blinked and stared at it. "Um..." It rang again, and he slowly picked it up and held it to his head. "Double D's room, Double D speaking." He said just as slowly.

"Who...?" Marie asked, but she stoppedashis eyes widened.

"Ed...?" Edd said incredualously.

"Ed?!?" The others chorused.

 

~In the trailer...~

 

Ed snuck into the trailer and looked around nervouslty. As confused as he felt, he knew that if anyone caught him, they'd try to change him again, or put him in the cage, or even... Treat him the way they had Eddy...

He shook his head to clear it and wiped some of the sweat off his face. "I can't turn back now... I promised Sarah I'd get help, and now that I'm..." He trailed off and sighed, then reached a shaking hand towards the phone.

Ed thought as he dialed a familiar number. The phone rang twice, Ed wincing each time, then Edd picked it up. "Double D's room, Double D speaking." Edd said slowly.

"D-Double D?" Ed asked, glancing out the window.

"Ed...?" Edd's voice said.

Ed nodded. "Y-yeah... I-I needed to call you, b-beacuse..."

"What's going on, Ed?" Edd asked softly, in that same understanding voice he always used when something waswrong.

Ed noticed that he was shaking. He told himself silently. "Plank... and May, and Lee, and him... They brainwashed Eddy, and they kidnapped Sarah as a hostage, and--"

"Hey, slow down, Ed. What were you saying? Sarah...?"

"Yeah, after Lee and them brainwashed Eddy, they made me and May kidnap Sarah, and Nazz, and Jimmy... Just Sarah, but they were with her too... To use for bait, for you, and--"

"ED!!!" Eddy's voice exclaimed from behind Ed.

Ed blinked and slowly turned around, sweating. Eddy was staring at him angrily, and the other three were coming through the door.

 

Edd looked puzzled and listen more intently. "Ed? Are you there?"

He heard scuffling noises, and a thud, then someone's breathing. "Hello...? Who's this?" Eddy asked suspiciously.

Ed stared at the others and covered the mouthpiece. "Eddy took the phone... Ed was saying that they kidnapped Sarah as bait, and that Eddy has been brainwashed, then Eddy must've walked in on him..." He said, then uncovered it. "Walter... Where's Ed?" He said in a low, sarcastic tone, similar to the one he used when he pretended to be Walter.

Marie blinked. "Wasn't that...?" She murmured.

Edd gestured to be quiet as Eddy snickered. "Oh, so it's YOU, Double D... I should'a known that's who Ed would be calling..."

Edd glared at the wall and the other four looked nervous. "Eddy, what did you do with Ed?" He said fiercely.

"Nothin'... Least, I'M not doing anything to him, that's not my job. Those guys are just gonna make sure Ed... behaves, in the future..." Eddy's voice said, rather oddly.

Edd's eyes darted to the floor, then widened. "They really did brainwash him..." He whispered, then shook his head.

Kevin looked confused. "Who? What's going on, anyway?"

Edd covered the mouthpiece again. "Kevin, see that button, there? That will turn the phone to speakers so that all of you can listen... Just don't say anything loud enough that they can hear you. Andno matter what, don't do what anyoneon that phone says, at least... Not simply because they said it, okay?" He turned back to the phone as Jonny whispered, "They...?"

Kevin shrugged and pressed the button, then Edd rose his hand for silence as Eddy spoke again. "Oh, really?" Eddy said quietly, not into the phone. "Right... Ok, fine. Here's the phone."

Another voice came on the phone, a guy's voice. "Hello, Double D..."

Edd froze and stared at the speakers as he slowly put the phone down. "Oh my..."

 

~Marie's point of view~

 

Marie watched Edd nervously. Sure, it didn't seem that her sisters were in the trailer, but it WAS the trailer that this phone call was coming from, and her idiot sisters might come on any time, and start ordering them around.

Edd had frozen and she suddenly felt concerned. "Double D...?" She whispered, her voice unable to get any louder.

Both he and Jonny looked scared. "Th-that voice..." Jonny whispered.

"Who is it?" Rolf murmured. "Rolf does not recognize the voice..."

"Plank..." Edd said loudly, an annoyed expression coming across his face.

"What?!?" The other three hissed, staring at him, then Jonny, in shock.

"Oh, you don't don't sound happy to hear me... What's the matter, hmm?" The voice, appearently Plank, askedcuriously.

Kevin turned pale, and he whispered, "H-how are we hearing him, much less over the phone, if that's Plank?"

"I-I don't know... He d-didn't used to let people hear what he said, except DoubleD, but..." Jonny replied, trailing of.

Edd looked at them and shh!ed frantically, but the voice went silent for a moment.

"I see..." Plank said in the phone, then appearently off to the side, "Eddy, are you still in here?"

"Yeah, what is it, Tony?" Eddy's voice faintly said.

"Tony???" Marie asked giving the others a funny look.

Rolf shrugged. "Rolf knows no Tony..."

"There's some other kids listening on this conversation... Know who they are?" Plank's voice said faintly.

"Um... Lesse, probably Kevin, Rlf, Jonny, and um... Marie. Those are the only other kids around here, anyway." Eddy said over the phone.

"And...?" Plank, or 'Tony', asked.

Eddy paused. "Oh! Um, they're not with us, none of them."

Kevin blinked. "Ya know, I think I recognize that name... And that voice..."

"Well, then... All right." The voice said, then faded too soft for them to hear. The others looked at each other.

Edd nodded. "So do I, except..." He froze, then stared at the speaker. "Wait... 'Tony' is the name of Eddy's older brother!"

"What?" They chorused again.

"His... older brother? PLANK?!?" Jonny exclaimed...in a whisper.

'Tony' came on the phone again. "As informative as this was... I'm afraid none of you have any memory of this conversation anymore."

Rolf blinked, expecting the worst, then looked at Kevin. "Rolf notices no change, I still remember it..."

Kevin nodded, then glanced at the others.

Edd had gotten an odd expression on his face as he idly rubbed his hand, then blinked, a vague look entering his eyes.

The other four stared at him. "Um... Double D?" Kevin asked quietly.(They're stuck whispering, remember?)

Marie looked startled. "That guy just did the same thing May and Lee did to Ed and Eddy... And it didn't affect us 'cause Double D told us not to, but he never said anything about himself...!" She hissed, then quickly reached over to unplug the phone. It went dead and she looked up. "Get some cold water, quick!" She told Jonny, in a normal tone of voice.

He nodded. "Okay." He immediately went to the bathroom, and turned on the water, filling something.

Kevin and Rolf stared at Edd. "What just happened?" Rolf asked Marie.

She shook her head. "Somehow... Double D got affected by that... But I don't know how, he had gone and ignored it somehow before..."

Jonny came back in with a cup of ice-cold water. "Here's some..."

Marie reached out when Kevin took it. He grinned at her. "On his head, right?" As she nodded, he leaned forward and dumped it over Edd.

Edd shook and gasped. "What was that for?!?" He exclaimed, his hands reaching up his hold his hat.

Kevin was snickering. "It's called revenge, Double D."

Rolf looked over at Jonny. "Rolf has a feeling of deja'vu, do you not feel it also?"

Jonny nodded sadly. "Yep, I sure I do..."

Edd blinked as he glanced at the group before him, then looked startled. "You guys...!" He exclaimed, then lunged towards the phone. "It's... off?" He murmured, then looked up expectantly.

Marie smiled as she spun the cord around. "Yeah, I just pulled the plug."

He stared at it, then at her. "Um..... When exactly did you have time to get over there...? I could have sworn you were over here as Kevin turned on the speakers..." He said slowly.

The others continued staring at him, more confused this time.

"You really don't remember?" Jonny finally asked.

Edd looked nervous. "R-remember what? What's going on...?" He suddenly realized what she meant. "You mean that they ... erased my memory? The Kankers?"

Kevin shook his head. "You don't... Wow. I'd be scared if that happened to me..."

Jonny and Rolf both nodded in agreement.

"I..." Edd said, then looked thoughtful. "Hmm... I wonder... I remember it... Ow!" He exclaimed, wincing and grabbing his hand.

"What the...?" Kevin muttered, leaning over. "You do remember?"

Edd shook his head quickly. "N-No, nevermind!" He gasped, then slowly sat up, staring at his hand.

"Um... What was that?" Marie asked, sitting back on the be.

"I'm not sure..." Edd replied. "I thought that if I said I remembered, I would, but it didn't work, and pain simply flared up in my hand again..."

Rolf frowned. "Why, what is wrong with your hand?"

Edd shrugged. "Oh, I don't know... The only thing I can think of is a sliver I got the other day, but it would cause pain THAT severe."

"Um..." Jonny whispered, then looked at Edd. "Double D, when did you get that sliver?"

He looked up thoughtfully. "I believe... After the first time we used the gate. I tripped, and everyone fell on me, and you dropped Plank, causing him to... fall on my hand..." Edd trailed off, then held his hand up and examined it.

Kevin rubbed his face, then looked up. "You mean that there's a piece of Plank stuck in you? Wouldn't that explain why he just made you forget, when the Kankers wouldn't?"

The others looked at Edd as he blinked in surprise.

"That was Plank...?" Edd wondered. "So... He may have been able to manipulate me this whole time...?" Edd said, then chuckled nervously. "Well, that explains two mysteries... Why Eddy thought I was acting odd, and why I could hear Plank..."

Jonny nodded. "That makes sense..."

Marie glanced out the window. "Well, it's starting to stop raining." She commented, then looked back at Edd.

A smile appeared on his face as he nodded to himslef, then leaned back in his chair again. "So... What exactly did I 'miss', anyway?"

 

~Meanwhile~

 

Ed's face, however, was wet, tears brimming in his eyes. "Why are you being this mean, Eddy?"

Eddy'd eyes had a blankness in them, similar to when he was hypnotized. "Why do you think, stupid? So Lee will go out with me, duh..."

"I'm not that stupid..." Ed muttered rebeliously. "Not anymore, at least..."

Laughing came from above their heads, as they were standing in the hole under the trailer. Lee and May looked down, then put in a rope ladder.

"Come on up, Eddy. Ed, you stay down there. We'll deal with you in a few minutes..." Lee said, while May shrugged apologetically.

Eddy nodded and climbed up the ladder without looking back at Ed. He crawled out from under the trailer, followed by May and Lee.

Ed stared up after them, his lip quivering. He wondered, then closed his eyes and looked down. <I hope Double D can get help...>

 

~And another meanwhile~

 

Sarah was snoring softly from where she lay in a corner of the cage, sleeping. Jimmy was sitting next to her, talking across the space to Nazz.

"N-now what do we do?" Jimmy whimpered. "They found Ed when he was trying to help, and I don't think the other four would..."

Nazz nodded sadly. "Well... He DID get through to Double D... Maybe the others can come and get us..."

Laughing came from the side, Jimmy's left, and Nazz's right. The two turned around to see Lee standing there and grinning at them. "But of course... That's the whole point of you three being in this cage, blondie." She told Nazz sweetly.

Nazz looked digusted. "So you really ARE using us as hostages... Why?"

Lee snorted. "Why would I tell you? What an idiot you are."

Jimmy looked mad, in his nervous way. "Hey, th-that's not nice. You shouldn't be mean, and you really shouldn't have us locked up like wild animals..."

Lee looked in his direction and lifted her curls, showing an expression of disbelief. "You've got to be kidding... What could you possibly do to make me stop, when you're already in there, and I'm out here?"

He glanced around, then looked depressed. "I..." He paused and looked up. the drizzle had gotten more frequent, and it was beginning to rain.

"Oh, no..." Nazz moaned. "My make-up is going to smear so much..."

Sarah yawned and stirred when it began to rain. "Huh?"

Lee looked annoyed and let go of her wet hair. "I'll be back when it's done raining... Tata." She said, then walked into the trailer.

Jimmy slouched down, looking even more depressed. "Now what?"

"I dunno..." Sarah said, curling up again. "Come on, Jimmy... I'm tired, andyou make a good pillow..."

He blinked and looked down at her. "Um... Okay..." He moved so she could rest her head on him, then looked up at Nazz with a puzzled expression.

She wasn't looking at him, but up at the sky. "I wish I hadn't yelled at Kevin..." Nazz whispered, then rested her head on her chest.

The rain began to fall more heavily, and they curled all curled up to remain warm.

 

~In Edd's room again...~

 

"I see..." Edd said slowly. "Hmm... He didn't want us to know the name 'Tony'... So is it reallyTony, Plank, or someone else altogether?"

They all sat around the room thinking. "It sounded likePlank, but he usually had a more... kiddish voice. Except when he wasmad, or just woke up, or something." Jonny commented.

Edd sighed. "In order to find out, we'll have to go there, and that seems ot be what they WANT us to do."

"Oh, who cares?" Marie said happily. "Let's just go anyway, it's not a problem!"

Edd slowly turned and stared at her. "Marie, what are you talking about?"

She smiled. "You forgot, but us four didn't! We didn't do what that guy said, because you TOLD us not to! And since you never did what my sisters said, I'm guessing this guy is stronger than they are with that... So we especially don't have to think of Lee or May as a threat anymore!" She finished gleefully.

The other three boys looked at each other, startled.

"She's right." Rolf murmured, looking much happier. "Our situation seems much less hopeless... Do you sense the change, Kevin?"

Kevin nodded. "I think we proved it, Double D... For whatever reason, you ARE doing what those two... or, three... were doing."

Edd smiled wryly. "You're right, of course... I'll be more careful about what I say, to be on the safe side. But, are we going to try storming the trailer park again, or...?"

They all stopped to think about this one for several minutes.

Kevin looked thoughtful,unusually so. "From what we know..." The others looked at him as he talked, "Sarah, Jimmy, and Nazz are being held as hostages somewhere, probably near the trailer, if not IN it. Ed's been caught, and although he was trying to help us,we can bet he go brainwahed too. May and Lee seemed to be in charge, until Plank showed up. Now he and Lee are running it, with May only helping because she's afraid of them." Marie was nodding, and Kevin continued. "And, Eddy has already been brainwashed, so he's happily helping them."

Edd nodded. "Also, Plank seems to be most interested in me for some reason, not you guys."

"You guys are forgetting something again... Jonny commented. "Eddy called Plank 'Tony'... If that was even Plank..."

Rolf shifted in his seat. "Perhaps... The Ed-boy... er, Eddy... Perhaps he was 'brainwashed' to the point of thinking that the Lee-girl is really his girlfriend, and that Plank is his elder brother, whom he looks up to and admires?"

Kevin shook his head. "Maybe... But even I recognized that voice, and I never exactly heard Plank talk before... It DID sound like his brother, even though that guy hasn't been around here for a few years." He turned to Edd. "Double D, do you know if Eddy kept in touch with him?"

Edd shrugged. "Not that I know of, but Eddy hasn't been TOO open about his brother. After all, I've never met him or anything... The most I know is his name and what his room looks like."

Kevin sat back. "So, we don't know anything until we go..."

"Doesn't feel right, does it?" Edd asked, then sighed and glanced at a clock. "Four-thirty... My, time flies." He commented.

They all sat thinking for a minute, then Marie stretchedand stood up. "Well,I don't know about you BOYS, but I can't think on an empty stomach, and it's been hours since we ate." She told them, then left the room.

Edd stared after her, then shrugged and got to his feet. "We might as well get something to eat, we HAVE been sitting here talking for a long time..."

The others nodded and followed him doen the stairs. Marie had already opened the fridge and was going through it.

"Don't you have anything good to eat? This is all healthy junk!" She complained, shutting it and turning to the cupboards.

"If you mean candy, or something like that, no. Mother and Father don't want to even risk me getting a cavity..." Edd apologized.

Rolf looked curiously in the fridge, then let out a joyful 'whoop' as he pulled something out. "It is one of our country's delacies... You have good taste for one with such a weak motabolism." He said, holding up... a can of saurkraut.

"Ew!" Everyone but Edd and Rolf cried as they quickly backed away.

"What IS that stuff?" Kevin asked, looking greenish. (Much like Edd did earlier in the story)

Edd smiled. "Saurkraut, of course. Mother cooks an excellent dish with broccoli, an saurkraut, and--"

"Double D." Marie said slowly. "You go hyper if you have too much sugar, and you've managed to eat practically raw fish, and you LIKE brocolli, and brussells sprouts, and this stuff--"

"Saurkraut." Edd inserted.

"Whatever... You LIKE this stuff... What is wrong with you?"

He blinked. "Wrong with me...?"

The others groaned. "Never mind..."

Jonny went back to searching the cabinets, then held out a can of....... Spagettios. (not sauerkraut again! >^-.-^

Edd came over, a sticky note in his hand. "Oh, my... Is Jonny really that bored? I know I'm not being a good host, but..."

Rolf shook his head. "No, Jonny was tired."

A crash came from the kitchen. "Stupid cup!" Kevin exclaimed, then stomped out. "The dishes are clean." He said coldly.

Marie blinked, then looked at Edd. "Anyway... What's that sticky note say, Double D?"

He glanced down at it. "It's just a reminder for me to wash the dishes..."

Kevin stared at him, his mouth wide open in shock. "You mean that YOU were supposed to clean them?!?"

"Sorry, Kevin..." Edd replied, then sat down calmly.

Kevin's face turned red, then back to normal as he calmed down. "So... Well, now what do we do?" He asked, ignoring Edd for a minute.

Edd looked thoughtful. "We'll have to wait until night before we go to the trailer park."

"We need advice..." Rolf commented. "But Rolf does not believe that any of us have any to give..."

Marie looked thoughful. "What if it wasn't REALLY one of us?"

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked suspiciously.

"We could go to one of the... other worlds, and ask those... us.... for help!"

Kevin and Rolf looked excited. "We could? Sweet!" (one guess who said that...)

Edd looked down at Jonny. "But, what about Jonny? We can'tleavehim here alone, and he needs his rest..."

Kevin blinked, then looked annoyed. "You aren't dumping him on me, I already did the dishes for you, I deserve to go!"

"This is not a problem..." Rolf commented, smiling. "If it is necassary, Rolf shall simply carry the Jonny-boy until he awakens."

"Would you? Thank you, Rolf..." Edd said with a simialr smile, then looked at Marie and Kevin. "But, I'm afraid I don't quite see what you hope to accomplish with this, or more importantly, WHY you want to..."

"I think there's a few reasons, actually..." Kevin commented. "I know that I don't want to just wait here, in the middle of a rainy cul-de-sac all day long--"

"It stopped raining." Marie told him.

Kevin looked at her, then continued talking. "Plus, I know that all of us want to into other worlds, and meet... ourselves, really..."

"Like that vampire?" Marie asked slyly.

Kevin made a face. "Not him... But I just really don't want to sit here, I want something to DO..."

Edd sighed. "Yes... But we have two problems, you know. Ed and Eddy know where the gate is, and they're closer to it... Not to mention that we don't exactly have the time to go and explain who we are..."

"So we'll just go in one of the ones you went it... Not a big deal..." Marie replied, pouting at him.

"Hmm... That would leave us with three... Er, two options..." Edd murmured as he looked up thoughtfully. "It'll have to be seventeen... Tht 'me' has a good idea of what's going on..."

"Oh! The other werewolf you?" Marie asked, sitting up.

He nodded. "Yes, why?"

"Be-cause..." Marie said slowly, "He's been hanging out with those Kankers for a while, and he's YOU, so he's pretty smart... I think he'd have some pretty nasty ideas for my sisters..."

Kevin's eyes grewlarge. "Yeah... Plus, then we can all meet a Double D who isn't a nerd or anything... Cool..."

Edd glanced irritably at Kevin, then shrugged. "Is it decided,then?" He asked them. The three nodded. "Okay, then... Rolf, are you sure you're all right withcarrying Jonnyfor now?"

"I already said I would..." Rolf reminded him.

Edd nodded. "Then, let's go."

 

Jonny had a feeling that he was asleep, but this dream was just so realistic! He was in the Kanker'strailer, watching May, Lee, an Eddy run around. Eddy ran right through Jonny, and Jonny blinked.

Jonny thought, watching more intently.

"Hey! It stopped raining!" Eddy exclaimed, looking out the window.

Jonny went over andlooked out. Sure enough, it had. <I wonder... IS this a dream? It just seems so...>

He sighed and looked around outside the window, then gasped. There, he could see Nazz standing up, looking nervously around. He wondered.

"Hey! Lee, it stopped ray-ning!" May said. (She says 'raining' weird... Anyone notice that?)

Jonny turned around as Lee came into the room. "Oh, it did? Okay, let's go talk to our hostages..."

"B-but what about Ed?" May whimpered.

She shrugged. "Oh, you can go deal with him if you want to, I guess..."

May grinned, then ran out. Lee shook her head, then tapped Eddy's shoulder.

"Huh?" He asked, turning around.

"Come on." Lee answered, beckoning. They also left the trailer.

'Huh...' Jonny said, noticing that his voicewas rather... ghostlike. 'The SEEMS like what Double D was saying, but--'

"Odd, isn't it?" THE voice asked from behind him.

Jonny gasped and whirled around,but everything went back as he turned.

Plank whispered before Jonny vanished.

 

Kevin looked up at the gate. "I still have a hard time believing that this thing can actually bring you to other worlds... It's so weird..."

Marie nodded. "Tell me about it..." She commented, then pulled a jawbreaker out of her pocket and began sucking on it.

The other three stared at her. "Is... Is that a jawbreaker...?" Edd asked, drueling slightly.

She nodded again.

"Do you have any more...?" Edd asked hopefully.

Marie smiled and shook her head.

Edd's jawdropped. "Y-you mean, that you're eating your only one...? That is so mean!!!" He exclaimed.

She shrugged.

Jonny stirred in Rolf's arms. "Wha...?" He murmured.

"Look who's finally waking up..." Kevin commented.

Jonny stretched,then looked up. "You can put me down, Rolf..." Rolf nodded and put him down, and Jonny looked back at Edd. "I had a really odd dream about the trailer park... And I'm not sure it was just a dream..."

Edd slowed down and looked closer at him. "Why do you say that?"

Jonny returned the gaze. "I don't know... It was just so real. I was in the Kanker's trailer, but none of them could see me... I saw Nazz, and Sarah, and Jimmy all in a big cage outside, and May was talking about Ed, and Lee said that May could do what she wanted with him..."

Kevin was about to laugh when he saw a serious expression on Edd's face.

"Jonny..." Edd said slowly. "Considering thatit was YOU, with everything going on, it might not have simply been a dream... I personally wouldn't know."

The other kids looked startled, then began to think it over.

"Ya think that he's seeing stuff going on in my-- In the trailer, from over here? Freaky..." Marie commented, slipping slightly into her old way of talking.

Edd nodded. "If you have any other such dreams, can you let me know?"

"Sure!" Jonny said, then looked forward again. "Hey, we're already here?"

The five slowed down as they came into the clearing. The benches were still scattered around the gate, surround by grass that they didn't see at night. The sunlight came into the almost circular clearing, making the place look brighter than the wodds around them.

Kevin shook his head. "I still have trouble believing that this thing can bring us to different universes..."

"Parallel universes, Kevin." Edd commented as he walked to the keyboard. "There may very well be a difference..."

"Whatever. And I've already gone through it before..." Kevin replied, climbing on the steps. "Hey... Will I get electricuted if I'm up here when you turn it on?"

Marie smirked. "A great tragedy that'd be..."

Edd turned and glared at her, then looked up at Kevin. "I haven't tested that... And I'd rather not try it now. Coudl you just come down, for now?"

Kevin sighed. "Oh, fine..." He muttered.

"Thank you." Edd said, looking back at the screen. "Hmm..."

Jonny sat on one of the benches. "Um... How long does this take, Double D? I didn't see you doing all of this either time..."

Edd glanced back at him. "A few seconds is all, Jonny." He typed 8-3-2-0-1-7, then pressed Enter.

Rolf stared in shock, Kevin surprised next to him, as the light collectedin the center, then spread out to the edges, spinning the whole time. Once it reached the edge of the gate, it slowly stopped spinning.

"There." Edd commented.

Marie looked around. "But... There's almost no breeze..."

"Yes, this is how it's supposed to work... The world you draggedme into was an exception..." Edd replied, then stretched and walked up the steps. "Well, are you guys coming?"

The others stumbled hastily and watched as Edd walked in and vanished.

"#&*$..." Kevin muttered.

Marie walked by. "Well, I'm not standing here all day... She told them as she followed Edd through.

Jimmy glanced around nervously. "Umm... Okay..." He said, then ran in after them.

Kevin and Rolf watched them go. "Is it just me, or do thsoe three always run ahead of us?"

Rolf nodded dumbly. "Y-yes, they do..."

"What's wrong with you?" Kevin asked, turning to look at him.

"Uh... Rolf has never been so close to... Impossible things such as this... I did not witness the Ed-boy change form, or anything else quite so... real..." Rolf said slowly, not noticing his slip in calling Edd an 'ed-boy'. "It all seemed... Like you people could have been pretending, or something..."

Kevin nodded. "You kinda didn't think any of it was real?"

"E-exactly..." Rolf replied. "I... am somewhat afraid to enter that..."

He shrugged. "Well, it's real... Look, you go first, and I'll follow you, so nothing happens... Okay?"

Rolf simply nodded and walked towards it hesitantly. "Yes... A-alright..."

Kevin patted him on the back, and the two walked slowly up, and through the light."

 

~On the other side... :-)~

 

Kevin looked around. Double D had been right, they WERE in the middle of the cul-de-sac. "Freaky..." He muttered, then walked off towards Edd and the others.

Rolf froze in front of him as he saw himslef talking to Edd.

"Ah, so it is the... How did you say it? Double-D-Ed-boy?" That Rolf was asking Edd. "And some people of your world... What are you doing here again?"

Edd looked nervous. "Well, we were going to ask my, um... counterpart, if you will, for some help... Do you know where he is?"

That Rolf frowned. "You mean that Edward-boy, do you not?" He asked coldly.

Edd blinked. "Um, yeah... Where is he?"

Kevin and Rolf came over. "Double D, what's the problem?"

Edd shrugged. "I don't know yet..."

"Double D..." That Rolf said slowly. "Do you remember Rolf asking you for assistance, in a cetain hunt?"

Edd looked thoughtful, then nodded. "Y-yes, I do... Why?"

"Because after the three of you went through your gate, the other children of the neighborhood were quite ready to assist me, and it was a success..."

Marie looked confused. "Huh? Double D, what's this guy babbling about?"

Edd's eys widened. "You mean..."

That Rolf nodded. "Yes. You knew of this, did you not? You don't seem surprised..."

"Rolf, what are you going to do with them?" Edd demanded.

Rolf blinked, then realized who Edd was talking to. He thought.

The other Rolf blinked. "What, are you so simple that you don't know what you must do to werewolves?"

The other kids looked startled, especially Rolf. "Y-you're going to..." He said quickly.

His look-alike nodded very slowly. "To protect the people of Peach Creek, they must die..."