Mazebox book 1

## MAZEBOX:The Other Dimension

written by: Snowothetwiz1/wintersnow

Helped edited by: RavenPurrs1/raven

Grammar fixed by:DuskUntilDawn/Willa

NOTE: the chapters aren't that long, more of an essay's length.

Disclaimer: no parts of this book are based off of real people in any way, shape, or form. Names and other information were randomly generated and any correlations are purely coincidental.

## Chapter 1

"Bye!"

"See ya later, dude!"

"Call us if you find any updates on your schedule!"

"BYE guys! See ya later too! I'll call y'all whenever I find out!"

*Yay, time to go back to the place I'm stuck calling my house even though it's not one. Back to authority and being mistaken for a 10 year old because I'm short. Not having excuses for disappearing because it's summer break now. Probably not even being respected. Hooray.*

*Maybe I don't have to go there quite yet, though. I mean they did warn me I'll get the worst chores if I don't come back by the end of the night and then I'm caught hanging out in an art supply store, but there's like 8 hours left until that. Maybe I'll stop at the weird store down the road. That always has cool stuff. Maybe I can finally something that can keep me busy for most of the summer. Maybe there's like a mazebox or something.*

*Ooh, this one seems cool. Six whole combinations to solve. That should take at least a day, right? I'll buy that.*

*Maybe I'll be fine on the way back. I have Cleo ,some money, and now this.*

"Watch where you're going, midget!" Someone said, sticking out their foot so the box hit Z in the face. "OH, sorry, didn't *see you there*! Who are you again anyways, the person that asks everyone to call them Z instead of your name?" They laughed.

*Why is my height such a big deal? Like,* yes *I'm 4'8 and fifteen, now leave me alone.*

The maze-box glowed for some reason and Z was blinded by the light.

Z opened his eyes and noticed that this place looked weird. *Ow, what is this place? where am I?*

*Wait, this isn't L Street. Where am I?*

"Hey! who are you and why are you in the middle of my backyard?! I don't know you!" An angry voice that belonged to a short person wearing a large green hoodie called angrily.

Oof. So much for a normal summer.

## Chapter 2

'Who are you?" Z asked.

"First off, I technically asked you that first, plus you're in MY backyard so arguably, you should be answering that first. Second off, I don't exactly see how my name is any of your business," the kid responded, sounding a bit defensive.

"MAX! Who are you yelling at this time?" Another voice called, sounding a bit older than Z himself, maybe about sixteen or seventeen. Shortly after those words were said, the speaker emerged. The speaker was mostly wearing gray, and was a lot taller than Z and the green-hoodie-wearing kid. *Aka probably the average height for someone who's sixteen or seventeen*. Three other people followed him afterwards, probably twelve or thirteen years old.

"We talked about this. If you hear me arguing with someone, you ask about it *without revealing my name to a stranger.* That is, if you *must* ask about that every time, *Ash,"* the green-hoodie-wearing kid that was apparently called Max said, sounding very exasperated.

"OH, hi. Sorry about that, he's a bit untrusting of strangers. I'm Ash, the person with the paintbrush over there is Bailey, the one next to her is Ivy, and the other one in this corner is Mars. Mars is thirteen and the other two are both twelve. I'm seventeen, and the one in the green hoodie apparently doesn't want me to introduce him, so yeah I think I'll let him do that himself. Who are you?" Ash said.

'Well, *excuse me* for being skeptical when the last person that you casually let move in with us ended up leaving me behind at the market so I had to walk home!" Max responded angrily.

"Fine. The name's Max. Sorry for yelling, I guess. I'm ten, if that matters,and my favorite color is red." Max responded, seeming a bit less mad at Z, but glaring at Ash.

"Ok. Cool names. I'm fifteen. My name is technically Z, but you can also call me basically anything else; I don't really care. I got sent here after this mazebox glowed really weird, and I kinda fell on it, and I don't know what this place is. Can y'all explain, please?"

"I'm sorry that ever happened, and yeah, it was dumb, but hey, she ended up leaving, right?" Ash responded.

"Because she was scared of Eag but ok." Max responded.

"Okay, Darkster, this place is basically Earth which you came from, except its basically a reverse dimension, or at least that's what Mars says. I don't know what the current name is. Your thing looks more broken than the lawnmower Ash got, plus its built weird, so I don't really think there's a way for you to get back. And yeah, I think that just about sums it up." Max informed Z.

Z took another look at the mazebox. After he had fell on it and fell all the way off the fence, the box looked pretty shattered and the blue colors that surrounded it were nearly faded.

'Darkester? ok,but what do you mean you don't know the name?how?I don't know how accurate the comparison is but it seems like you're right.also you took apart a whole toaster?impressive' Z responded.*Max doesn't seem so bad.Maybe we could even be friends if I stayed here,even though like everyone here is either younger than me or older.Staying here doesn't seem too bad either,I mean I'm not missing out on much besides the fact that I gotta be back before July 25.*

'OK this is kinda hard to explain but i guess ill try.you know how yall have like presidents?yeah,we do elections every once in a while but at the last election last December everyone voted for not having a president so here we are.And technically the freedom laws allow everyone who's 16 or older to apply to change the name but it has to be voted on,but they forgot to specify on WHEN it's allowed so now this places' name changes 5 times a day.Also,this place is basically like Earth except for this place has some foods yall dont,a few different plants,weird animals that can attack you that don't exist there,and slightly different laws.Like it has all of your laws except you can just bet to get something at a store for free or lower the price if youre good enough at arguing.But trust me,this isn't quite as great as it seems.This is literally anarchy except with just really weird rules that are followed' Bailey explained.

'And if you're ok with it you can technically live here until and if you get back,we don't mind' Mars responded,4 of the others agreeing.

'I promise I won't try to attack you in your sleep.Or rebuild your phone.' Max replied with a slight grin,agreeing.

'Darkester is because you know like ho your jacket and most of your stuff that you have here are all dark.i can also call you Dark,Darks,Darkster,or Darko I guess but this sounds cooler' Max elaborated

'So if you have technology I can technically text my siblings and friends and let them know I'm here,right?' Dark asked,slightly confused by their reactions .Ivy,Ash,and Mars seemed to have disappeared back into their house,Bailey's expression gave nothing away,and Max had pulled the hood of his frog hoodie back up so his expression wouldn't be seen.

'Uh,this is kinda awkward' Max responded,nervously fidgeting his hands

'What do you mean by that' Dark replied.The name Dark did feel a bit weird considering that it was just a Nickname,but he loved it.

'Um,basically the way this world works is yes,we have wifi and yea you can use it to text your friends,your texts will send and youll also be able to view it with great wifi if they text you back.But there's high security with this place for a reason.If your dimension found out about us,the weird animals in our dimensions would probably be eventually wiped out.Not to mention that some of the people wouldn't be safe either,like the Untrainables,I forgot the acronym' Bailey replied

'So you can text them,but any message that says any information about this place that isn't normal in yours won't send'

'But what if I screenshot that screen and send them the screenshot?'

'It won't send either.The part of the message that's about this place would just not send so it wouldn't show up at all.its complicated but there are reasons for it.Also,id recommend coming in before one of the massive birds decides to eat you' Bailey explained

'You can share the basement with Max.It's actually pretty nice.sometime this week Ash is definitely going to give you a lecture on everything here that's dangerous and unedible and be warned that it's super boring but I'd also recommend paying attention if your life is something you value.And I'd recommend putting the maze-box somewhere else too,it doesn't look fixable at the moment.Anyways,most of this place isn't too bad and I'd recommend befriending Max too since you're staying here plus he's actually really awesome unless you make him mad so id recommend not selling him or being like Ash,respectfully so yeah anyways bye for today and probably tomorrow' Bailey responded running up the stairs to the other floor

Max showed him the available sleeping places in the room and gave a brief tour

'I'll show you more of this place tomorrow,congrats on not getting carried away by a bird on the first day,you better not be a snoring kind of person, and there's a mattress.Now I'd recommend trying to get some decent sleep Darks' Max replied from his corner of the room.

Guess I'm stuck here then. Hooray?

## Chapter 3: The Gravi-Toastee

Dark woke up to water being splashed on him.He yelped in surprise and sat up.

Max was sitting in a corner,next to a thing that looked like a lawnmower but with wheels that probably used to belong to a golf cart,a weird seat thing that could fit about 12 people if squished,and was water powered instead of whatever powered regular lawnmowers.

'OH you're up Darkster' Max remarked,now wearing a blue hoodie instead of the green one and no particular emotion in his voice.

'What's that' Dark asked,shocked at how he wasn't annoyed with Max yet.He usually hated conversations with people he didn't know well,but Max kinda reminded him of what one of his friends Stormy was like.

'Introducing....the Gravi-Toastee!' Max responded,doing a small drumroll on the floor after the first word.

'Where'd you get it?did it actually come like this?' Dark asked,genuinely curious.

'We got it from wherever Ash found it,and no.It was broken but now I've fixed and modified it with random materials that I found in Bailey's attic.' Max replied.Dark suddenly noticed that he looked kinda tired.Like he probably stayed up the whole night fixing it.

'Wait,*you built this whole thing yourself*?!Wow.Are there any specific reasons why you named it that?also you might wanna get some sleep,you look really tired' he remarked,hoping Max wouldn't be offended by the question.

Max seemed taken off-guard by the concern in the remark.

'Uh,yeah.Gravi- is because,for whatever reason,it can fly if you press the right buttons,so it kinda defies the laws of gravity,or something so its like gravity but shortened.idk Mars suggested something like that.Toaster is because they're cool,and because it's kinda the first thing I ever rebuilt so sorta nice to remember that in a way.Uh,thanks,and yeah I did,but Mars helped with getting the materials' he explained

'Also no' he replied,probably in regards to the sleep comment

'Why,you like *really need it*' Dark replied

'SLEEP IS NOT NECESSARY RIGHT NOW' Max shouted defiantly,but grinned.

'Also come on,breakfast is ready!I bet I can eat more Flamed Plums that you!' Max shouted,running up the stairs from the basement and laughing.

Dark laughed too 'wow,and what are those' he asked,jogging up the stairs as well

'You'll find out soon' Max promised

## Chapter 4

Dark ran up the stairs,but Max still beat him to being first upstairs.

'So,what is a Flamed Plum exactly?' Dark asked studying the space of the kitchen.it actually looked pretty normal,besides something large and black laying in the corner that he was too scared to ask what it was.

'Oh,a Flamed plum?it's like a normal plum,but better' Max replied,taking one out of a plate and taking a bite of it,looking unimpressed.

Staring at Dark's untrusting expression,he sighed in frustration 'its not poisonous,I ate 16 of them last week.just try one.also,I don't like how judgily you're looking at my dog over there' he nodded to how judgily Dark was looking at the large black thing in the corner

Dark skeptically took a bite of one then immediately reached for the glass of water on a nearby table and drank all of it in 10 seconds 'WHAT DO YOU PUT IN THERE?'he asked,gasping 'also,THATS YOUR DOG?!'

Max just looked at him,unimpressed 'Pepper,duh.why do you think we call it Flamed.and yea,does he look like a spider to you?come here Bear' he said,finishing the plum.

The black thing got up and trotted to Max's side,and now that it got up Dark realized it was a normal black Newfoundland,just a bit larger than the normal ones he'd seen back home.

'It's actually kinda cute.but how do you eat this stuff?this thing literally has more pepper alone than anything I've ever eaten in my life'

Max shrugged 'you get used to it.and if it's really that bad,we got toast' he went up to the toaster,took out a piece of toast,and tossed it to Dark

'Anyways,wanna go for a ride in the Gravi-Toastee?everyone else already tried it out.you can eat that on the way'

'Sure but question 1:is the dog coming too?2:how exactly are you plannimg on getting it out of your room.and also,I'm a bit too young to drive,I don't turn 16 until October'

Max snorted 'follow me,yes he is,also,who said YOU'RE driving?' he asked,rolling his eyes

'Aren't you like 10?Ash explained some of the laws to me and there is no way you can drive,or are old enough to' Dark asked,shocked,as he finished the toast

'10 turning 11 at the end of the year,yes.It's different,the Gravi-Toastee is technically not a car so no,I don't need a license to drive it.Mars took it out while I was explaining all this to you.also,no disrespect intended,but who are YOU to doubt MY driving skills.now get in before Bear gets shotgun before you.' Max replied,opening the back door for the dog and getting in the driver's seat.He looked a bit too short to be allowed to sit there,but Dark decided to not point it out,especially since the vehicle looked too complicated to figure out without Max.

Max pressed on about 5 random buttons 'alright,where do u wanna go?the lake is supposed to be empty today' he asked

'The lake sounds cool' Dark replied,petting Bear's head,as the dog reached his head forward to look at the front seats

'The lake it is then' Max replied,slamming another button,resulting in the car going about twice as fast as normal cars went.

'I DONT THINK THATS HOW YOU DRIVE' Dark screamed as the car started to fly up

'TOO BAD,NOW MAKE BEAR STICK HIS HEAD BACK TO THE BACK BEFORE HE ENDS UP LICKING THE STEERING WHEEL' Max responded,slamming another button so the car slowed down but they kept flying

Dark sighed,but deep down he was secretly having more fun then he ever had on earth

'Alright,so exactly how far apart is the lake from here?just so I have time to figure out how many times *I'm going to DIE* on the way there!' Dark yelled,slightly frustrated.I know he's 10,but seriously,this kid is gonna get us both killed.

'You think thats crazy?you should try flying with the flop button activated.its so much more fun' Max replied,unbothered.he tapped another button,revealing a stack full of soda cans.'strawberry?' He offered

'You're crazy' Dark responded,but he took the soda.

'Well you're hanging out with me,so you're bound to be headed that way someday,unless you're already there.No sane person on this place dislikes Flamed Plums' Max replied,as both he and Dark finished the sodas and tossed them in the recycling bin that Max had built in

'Brace yourself' Max warned,before pressing the button that literally made the car do several extremely fast sideways flips.Dark and Max both screamed as it happened,while Bear barked,but Dark also thought it felt oddly freeing.

Max quickly pressed another button that turned ir back to normal,and then another one that made it go down before stopping completely.he grinned 'we're here!'

## Chapter 5

Dark cautiously got out of the car.After the Flamed Plum incident,not to mention Max's questionable at best ideas of how to program the Gravi-Toastee,he really couldn't take any chances.Granted,the soda was amazing and apparently all of the buttons were intentional,but the ride there was definitely a roller coaster,not to mention that Max's abnormal skills at building stuff worried Dark.He literally remodeled a whole car overnight at the age of 10,with no instructions too.That was not normal at all.Granted,this whole dimension wasn't normal,but Max was among the least normal.

The lake however,was normal.After he'd opened the door,Max's dog Bear got out,sniffed the water,then went over to a random tree to sleep under it.

'I'll wake you up when we're going home,ok buddy?' Max asked,patting the dog's head before going to join Dark at the lake.The pure affection in his voice sorta surprised Dark,who's already been yelled at least 3 times despite having known him for a day.*He gave me a nickname though,that's a good thing right?*

Dark was shook out of his thoughts after hearing a splash in the lake and having water flicked all over his head.

'WAS THAT REALLY NECESSARY?!' he yelped,jumping back to avoid yet another spray of water.

'It's a free shower,I don't see why you're complaining' Max observed,before sticking his head underwater and then emerging again.

'The water is cold until you get in,plus you're the one that wanted to go here.Plus if this is bad for you,you should try a water war with one of the water guns Atlas built' Max replied,grinning with shining eyes

'Who's Atlas?' Dark asked out of curiosity,carefully emerging into the lake.

Max's eyes dulled back and his smile dropped. 'Nevermind' he said,averting his eyes.

Dark felt oddly guilty,and that really surprised him.First off,he usually didnt like interacting with anyone he didnt know already,but for whatever reason he already trusted Max,even though his thought process was the least normal thing ever,and that is,if he even had one.Max had already yelled at him about 3 times,sure,but most of it wasn't in a particularly angry way,it seemed more like the way he yelled at Ash,who while he didn't exactly treat with respect or admiration,but clearly cared about.Not to mention that Max had given him a house tour,gave him a soda and toast that was amazing,and now literally took him to a lake and let him go for a ride in a cool vehicle he just rebuilt.But how was Dark supposed to cheer him up?One,he hated having to interact with people.Two,he didn't even know who Atlas was so how was he supposed to comfort him about that?3rd off,so far he knew about 4 things about Max and those were:he loves Bear the dog,2 he's been sold before,3 his building skills were scary,and 4 he had a toaster obsession.Not exactly helpful.Not to mention that Max seemed like the kinda person who doesnt like being comforted,especially by a nearly total stranger.So he just did the first thing that came to mind:flick water over Max's head,like what Max has been doing for the past 5 minutes to him.

Max yelped in shock for a second,then smiled slightly and flicked the water back.Dark smiled back too,even though his natural facial expression was a scowl at this point.He flicked more water back.Max laughed and did the same.

And for about the next 20 minutes,they just stayed there,continuously flicking water at each other and laughing.

*Maybe I'll have a new friend this summer after all,and my friends back at home can stop grilling me about that.But maybe I don't want to go home.At least,not yet.This place seems to be pretty good actually.Especially now*

## Chapter 6

After some more minutes of flicking water at each other,Darks snuck up behind Max,picked him up,and lightly tossed him into the water.It was still at around the same depth where both of them could swim though,so he knew Max was safe and ok.

Max's head popped up from under the water for a split second before he tackled Dark.'haha revenge' he said,laughing as Dark shook the droplets out of his hair.

'Sooooooo,since we're friends or something now,do you wanna create a secret handshake or something?' Dark asked awkwardly.I mean,they'd been hanging out and teasing each other for a good while,so it was pretty safe to assume they were friends.Not to mention,Max's dog seemed to like Dark and Max didn't seem to mind.

'Sure' Max replied,his dark brown eyes shining again,the way they were before Dark asked who Atlas was.He was still curious,but it was probably best not to ask that yet.

After several minutes,they'd finally created the handshake.first they'd do the typical thing you'd do before shaking someone's hand,then the same with the other side,then a fist-bump with the typical blowing up noises,then theyd do a high-five,then finally to finish it off they'd hug,which was a tiny bit awkward due to Dark being several inches taller,but they did it nonetheless.

'Should we have a catchphrase too?I mean you're probably not going home for a while so we're probably gonna have a lot of opportunities to say it' Max asked

'Yeah!also I'm now required to give you a special nickname to since you gave me one.I dub you.....Maxi the Taxi!' Dark said,doing a very formal expression in the process

'If you actually introduce me as Maxi the Taxi to a stranger unironically I can and I will persuade Bailey to spray-paint your hair bright blue while you sleep' Max said seriously 'but sure you can call me that,and I actually wouldn't mind being introduced as Maxi too much' he complied.

Dark then pulled his phone out of his pocket and they took 3 selfies together,then he took 2 photos of just Max by himself 'let's go back now,we've been here for a WHILE' he observed

'Yeah true' Max replied,heading out of the lake

'Now,what should the team name be?' He asked thoughtfully as they both headed out of the lake and tried to find Bear again.They'd already scheduled that after that they'd probably go home,and Max would introduce Dark to some of the boardgames they had there.Then they'd help Bailey spray-paint the Gravi-Toastee.After that they'd try to take another selfie but with Bear involved too since according to Max the dog was photogenic.Dark was finding it really hard to stay disappointed with the summer now,and he wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing,that he felt more at home at a dimension that he'd known for a day then anywhere where he'd grown up for 15 nearly 16 years of his life.

## Chapter 7: The Board Game

After a while,once they'd rounded up Max's half asleep dog,they were on the way back.For whatever reason,Max didn't push any of the buttons or the one lever that Dark didn't know the purpose of but knowing whatever little knowledge he did have of the Gravi-Toastee,was definitely something chaotic.

'We're back' Max announced the moment they walked back in.One of the twins,Dark couldn't tell which one,but he assumed it was Bailey due to the streak of brown in one side of the hair,since Bailey was the one who liked art.'we're gonna go play board games in my room now.Ya'll can join us,just provide the Doritos' Max nodded to Bailey,then the two exchanged a quick high-five and Max paused to whisper something to Bailey before jogging back to the basement.

'Holup,yall got Doritos here?' Dark asked

'Yeah,definitely.I definitely just said Doritos to mess with you even tho I know literally nothing about where you live.Of course.What do you think?' Max replied sarcastically,now at the top of a shelf of a closet that seemed full of either board games,or crafts/inventions that Max probably built earlier.Among them there was a weird cardboard thingy that looked like it was supposed to be a hedgehog,with bright purple quills and a tiny sheet of white paper with 'Max' written on it in messy handwriting taped to the side.He guessed that it was probably from a while ago.There was also another thing on it,a framed painting of a kid with slightly messy,fluffy dark brown hair,dark brown eyes,and a silly grin that was missing two front teeth.That person was wearing an oversized white hoodie with a red hood and sleeves,gray leggings,and had their arm around the shoulders of a taller person who looked similar but with shoulder length,straight hair,hazel eyes instead of dark brown,and mostly wearing a light gray hoodie with leggings the same shade of gray as the other person.Both were smiling and had their arm around the other ones shoulder,and the taller one was sitting down,and the top of younger person's head was just short of their shoulder.

Dark suddenly realized that the shorter person in the painting looked a lot like Max,but probably around 4 years old and lacking the row of 4 scars that Max had on his right cheek.But who was the other person?he then read the white label that was taper to the bottom.'Me and my little brother Max,by Atlas A,age 12,drawn January 11,2016'

'Hey,is that by the Atlas you mentioned earlier?' He asked lightly,fighting to keep the curiosity out of his voice.

'I don't wanna talk about that' Max replied in a voice full of both sadness and another emotion.Was it guilt?

'Now,lets get back to the game before we run out of the time planned to explain' Max said,his voice returning to normal.

'Ok,the game is called Splish Frog.Sit down while I explain the rules and guidelines.Bailey and the others will be down here with the Doritos and strawberry juice in a while.are you ready?' Max said,all without taking a breath while leaping off the shelf and sideways flipping so he landed on his bed.The last part was a bit more suspensful,but that was probably for dramatic effect.But if it wasn't,Dark would not be surprised.But technically Max and the other 5 seemed to be pretty close,so more than likely the game wouldn't involve actual violence.

'Sure' Dark replied,sitting cross-legged on the floor next to his air mattress.'Explain away'

## Chapter 8: Splish Frog

Max opened the closet,and returned with 6 hoodies of different sizes,2 red,2 yellow and 2 orange.

'Ok,who's on who's team?' He asked,throwing them all on the bed and then sitting on the floor and hugging his dog,who'd sat down there.He then grabbed the smallest hoodie,a red one,and tossed it on

Dark sighed 'the what-'

*He did NOT like team games.He hated how dependent you'd have to be on your teammate.If you were a failure,your teammate would hate you forever after that.If your teammate was a failure,you couldn't ditch them.And both of those options were bad*

In that span of time,Ash and Ivy teamed up(yellow) and so Mars and Bailey(orange).So that left him and Max.

'Can I just like...go solo?' Dark asked.*Please don't let this be THAT torture again.*

Bailey grinned cheerfully 'nope!'

He rolled his eyes and grabbed the hoodie.'sooo,how DO you play'

Ash sat down 'I'll explain it' he leaned down to whisper 'don't let Max explain it.his attention span is virtually nonexistent even though this game is his favorite.Last time we let him explain that,the game never happened and instead turned into a discussion on why Bear can't be legally registered to win the lottery' he explained with a grin and patted Max's head affectionately,while Mars set up the gameboard and recording paper,and handed each team their color icon,which was a small frog for every team.

'Ok,so basically first everyone spins the wheel in order from youngest to oldest.Then,each team has to add their numbers together and compare.The team with the smallest number goes first.when that happens,you and your teammate take turns rolling the dice and then grabbing a card.if it says you missed the jump,you roll again and your frog would go backwards whatever number you rolled.If that happens on the first roll,your team is just disqualified.If it says you made the jump,you go forward the amount you rolled,then you roll again and whatever number you rolled is the amount of points you get,which you'll record under your color listed on this board' he replied,pointing at the board.

'You also get points deducted after the 2nd time you get a "miss" card,the amount being whatever you rolled before grabbing the card.After your points get to 0,you're out.You win by being the last team in' He explained.'also,cheating can't happen because you have to flip the card face up'

Dark concluded 'sounds simple enough.ya ready Maxi?' Max sat up,looking like he fell asleep while Ash explained.'Shadow Taxis against the Universe' Max asked,demonstrating their handshake.Dark sighed 'ok,Shadow Taxis against the Universe',he replied,complying and wondering WHEN did they agree on that name.However,it was pretty much the only option that didn't expose their real names,so he had to assume it was ok.

Max,being the youngest,spun first.a 4.Next Bailey,a 2.Ivy spun an 8,Mars a 6,and now it was Dark's turn.a 3.Ash was grinning the whole time he spun it,but his number ended up being a 10,putting him and Ivy as the last team to spin.

Max rolled the dice.'5' he got a card.Jump.He rolled again,getting a 3,and moving it that far.He nodded to Mars to go next.

15 minutes later,everyone was somehow still in.Red Team,or the Shadow Taxis,had 12 points,Yellow had 10,and Orange 13.

Ivy grinned 'should we add the level?' she asked with a grin.

Darks once again had no idea what that meant,but judging by the enthusiasm in the eyes of the other 4,decided not to ask. 'Sure' he replied,trying to sound excited.

'Ok.Ash,Mars,what's your name Dark right,count up your jump cards.'

They did.Ash had 8,Mars had 9,and Dark had counted 7.They then had to roll once each,then add that to their card amount then add it to the points.

Everyone wrote their numbers down,and Mars totaled up the score.

'Ok,in 3rd place we have.......wait huh?it's a tie between literally everyone,and we all have 24 points.ok,game over,now we just gotta win rock paper scissors until someone loses and has to put away the board,then it's popcorn time' Mars announced.

Max played Ivy,losing.

Dark played Mars,winning.

Bailey and Ash played each other,Bailey winning.

Then came the 3 way battle,which ended with Ivy winning and Bailey losing.

Bailey didn't seem that disappointed though,he just eagerly put away the board,tossed all the hoodies into the cleaning bin,and then sat down.

'Ok,now we're all just gonna eat all this food,then end up having a sleepover in here then we all go to the lake in the morning,because its tradition here Darks.Deal?' Ash asked,already grabbing popcorn.Dark grinned at him,then at everyone else. 'Deal'

## Chapter 9: Boat Ride

Dark was sitting on a high part of the boat,enjoying the view of the ocean.Some time had passed since the board game,and since then he had become good friends with all of the squad.Now it was almost a full routine,he's get woken up,eat breakfast,go boating with the rest of the squad,then do some painting and/or sculpting with Bailey,then play some tennis against Ash and sometimes other games,go try to catch the butterflies with Ivy,then afterwards have a random deep conversation with Mars,who seemed to be the most mature of the squad despite being about 4 years younger than Ash,and then spend the rest of the day hanging around with Max and then at the end if the day just sit outside and eat dinner with the whole group and have some deep conversations there(which usually ended with some chaotic discussions that were usually started by Bailey),then go back to the room he shared with Max and have some even more random conversations there.He was honestly surprised at himself.He'd somehow made 5 new friends and didn't exactly get annoyed even when he had to socialize with them almost 24/7.But at the same time he felt a hole in his heart.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned it on just to look at the lock screen.It was same as always.The small black cat sitting up on his bed,smiling at him and the green eyes wide.His favorite thing in the whole wide world,although the cat was a bit too great to be considered a *thing* in his personal opinion.Cleo,the cat he'd rescued when he was 14,so a little over a year and a half ago.He'd raised her from about a 3 week old kitten,while she in return had probably who saved his life.He hated being home,but he hated school as well,so back the only reason he was really excited to go home was because he'd get to hang out with Cleo,and Raine,but still mostly Cleo.After a bit,he'd even taught Cleo to hug people,which she eventually learned to always do to him whenever he'd been having a rough day.It was the sweetest thing ever.He sighed and bit his lip to avoid having the tears roll down his face. *I miss you two so much.*

He sighed,pulling the hood of his jacket over his head and burying his face in his knees.He wished there was some way to have Cleo know he'd be ok,and Raine.He missed Raine a lot too.His younger sibling who was always there for advice and helped him with Cleo and life in general despite being 4 and a half years younger.He didn't care if they were technically not related,Raine would always be his sibling.He then remembered that he'd promised to never miss Raine's birthday,which was July 25.What day even is it right now?I mean I know I have a phone,but what if time works differently here? This whole dimension is like reversed. I know I left on May 27 though...

He was jolted out of his sad thoughts by the appearance of Max,once again wearing a hoodie with frogs on it,this one blue with a small frog sitting on a skateboard on it.*He must really like frogs then*.

'Hey Darki,you good?you look even sadder than usual' Max asked,staring at Dark in concern.

Dark took the hood down 'im...fine' he replied,trying to make his face look normal. 'Just...thinking of home'

'You must wanna go back,huh?' Max asked,sitting down next to him.

'Actually,not really.I didn't exactly like it there.I mean,I had a pretty nice friend group but for some reason..I barely miss them.All I really miss about there is my cat and my little sibling' he replied.

'Uh.....wanna tell me about them?It might help your nostalgia or what's it called' Max replied awkwardly patting Dark on the shoulder

'Thatd..actually be sorta nice,just don't expect me to get all emotional and stuff' Dark replied,pulling our his phone and showing Max the photos and videos he had of them and telling him about them in the process.

'Sooo,did it help or did I mess it up?' Max asked,tapping his fingers on the floor.

'Thaf actually did sorta feel better,thanks' Dark replied,hugging Max.Max seemed shocked by that,he didn't exactly flinch or try to squirm away but sorta just stood there.

'Uh,you're welcome?' Max replied,then yelled back to something Bailey said and ran back down

Dark sat down with a slight smile.*If only there was a way to let them know I'm ok.Wait,Ash did mention that you can text the other dimension from here,it just can't go into the specifics unless the other person's also been here,which Raine hasn't.But this might work.*

He unlocked his phone,opened the messages,clicked on Raine's contact,and texted them the words 'I'm safe'

## Chapter 10: Where is he?

Raine paced inside the room as the others tried to calm them down.After the missing posters had been hung up,3 of Z's friends decided to hold a meeting on where he could be.His other friends ended up being grounded for some reason.They decided to meet with Raine as well since they were most likely to know first if he showed up.

'He might've just run away.Didn't you say he hates this place?' Jade asked,sitting cross-legged on the floor and patting Cleo's head.

'No,he wouldn't just leave.He is far too attached to these two for that' Onyx observed from under the bed,where they were checking for a note that he might've left before leaving.

'Nope,nothing there' they reported.

Stormy put a hand on Raine's shoulder. 'In any case,you should probably take a break.When was the last time you slept more than 3 hours of sleep recently?you're like what?10?11?Just breathe for a second'

Raine shook their head 'That doesn't matter.We have to find him.At this point,if he doesn't come back before the end of the week,Cleo is not gonna make it' they kneeled down to boop the cat's nose

'She's been literally barely eating food and just drinking water.She meows almost all night too.She'd never do that back when Z was still around' they explained in their quiet voice,tone dull.

Stormy quietly just put an arm around Raine's shoulder.

'Well,we've already checked the thrift store,art supplies store,and animal shelter.That rules pretty much everything out' Jade observed hopelessly.

"Has he at least texted you anything?like maybe to hint where he is?He hasn't told us anything,but he IS closer to you"Onyx offered

Raine shook their head.'Nope.i've checked it every day and nothing so far'

'Just try again,maybe he's finally decided to' Jade suggested

Stormy glared at Onyx and Jade,disappointed in them for putting that much pressure on Raine.Yes,they all wanted Z back,but Raine was 10.They couldn't just do everything.Not to mention,Raine was closer to Z than they were,so him being missing must be impacting them more negatively than the squad.Like yes,Jade and him had been friends their whole lives,Stormy joined in kindergarten,and Onyx in 1st,but still.

Raine opened their phone again without much hope."wait,there is a new message from him.it says 'I'm safe'.That does not narrow anything down" Raine sighed,but nonetheless told the news to Cleo,who seemed to perk up a bit.

'This meeting has gone nowhere so far,and it's already 10:30,so us 3 may have to head home.Let's just finish this another time and we'll call the Z search group chat if either of us finds anything.Deal?' Jade said getting up,Onyx and Stormy following.Raine watched them exit,then sat down on their bed,Cleo now soundly asleep right next to them.

Raine stared at the 2 framed things on Z's wall.One was a drawing of his 14-year-self holding baby Cleo with a smile,the other a framed photo of Raine and himself standing next to each other,arm around the other one's shoulders,and Cleo sitting on his shoulder.It may have seemed odd to have a family just consist of 2 siblings and their cat,but that was their family,and that was how they liked it.And now one of them was missing.

Raine stared at the Cleo-and-Z image on the wall more intently.

"We're not gonna give up until we find you,Z.I promise"

## Chapter 11: The Eagle

Dark was jolted out of his peaceful sleep by the feeling something grabbing him from above,lifting him into the air,then dropping him into the ice-cold water.

He pulled himself back to the ship,sputtering and coughing.The fall itself didn't hurt at all,but he wasn't expecting to wake up in the actual water,so he was majorly exasperated,not to mention that his dream had actually been peaceful for once,considering that he'd fell asleep on the floor.He glanced around for what it was.

'MAX?WHAT DID U BRING THIS TIME?' Ash yelled from his usual spot

Max called back,sounding unbothered 'chill out,it's literally just Eag'

'JUST EAG?THAT EAGLE LITERALLY KNOCKS YOU DOWN EVERYTIME YOU HUG IT AND COULD PROBABLY BREAK YOUR LEG IF IT DIDNT SEE YOU' Ash yelled.As it turned out,Eag was an eagle with a lime bandana wrapped around his neck,just about 8 times bigger than an average eagle at the least and apparently close with Max,considering that Max was currently sitting in front of the eagle,looking happier than ever and showing it a new small invention of his and telling him all about it

'So what?he can't help it,he just wants to show me he's glad to see me too' Max replied.Dark privately thought that the eagle NOT noticing Max was unlikely,the kid was chaotic enough to give off a sorta flame-like burst of energy everywhere he walked,not to mention the fact that he couldn't stay in one place for over 2 minutes,so he'd at least know the relative location.

'Anyways,he's MY eagle,not yours,so you don't exactly have a say in what happens to him.He's mine,and I'm not gonna kick him out' Max retorted to Ash's annoyed expression,and handing the eagle a fish that Ivy had held out.

'I'm the one who's in charge,and I say there is NO way he is staying on this ship.He could literally eat half this boat for breakfast' Ash retorted back

'Who says you're in charge?we never elected you.youre not the boss of me.i have no reason to listen to you,also this boat is literally held together by like 27 rolls of special tape' Max replied,hugging the eagle's claw.His gaze was shining with pure fury.

*Who even is this eagle,and why is Max so attached to it?* Dark wondered,but decided not to interfere,partially because he didn't know what the heck was going on.

'I DONT KNOW,ASK LITERALLY ANYONE ON THIS BOAT!ALSO *MAYBE ITS THE FACT THAT IVE BEEN KEEPING YOU AND MARS SAFE AND HAPPY ALL THESE YEARS AND ALL I GET IS THIS.MAYBE THIS IS WHY I DIDNT WANT TO TAKE YOU WITH US WHEN WE RAN AWAY,BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO MUCH.THIS IS WHY I DONT TELL YOU GROUP PLANS,like how we're actually trying to fix Dark's box now,WITHOUT YOU.YOU'RE WHY ATLAS IS GONE' Ash thundered.*

Max's eyes widened,then he turned away

'Fine then.If you don't want me around,that's good to know.At least I'm not gonna waste any more of my life with someone who hates me.Come on Eag,let's get going.Also,you're a horrible brother,ASHER' Max spat the name out like it was pure bile,then grabbed a screwdriver and a small toaster,then scrambled onto Eag's back,flying off without a single gaze back.

## Chapter 12: Max

After about 15 minutes,Eag tossed Max down and layer down,seemingly asleep.Max stroked his head "good boy.id give you some fish,but..' he fished around in his pocket and pulled out a small pack of doritos and handing one to him 'this is all I got'..

He then paced around next to the eagle,furious with Ash's words.

How is Atlas's missing MY fault?It was ASH's idea that we stay at that forest that extra night anyway,and ATLAS was the one who chose to go back for me.And Mars.I literally told them to just run for it.I was literally 8 then,and Atlas was always looking out for me.I didn't even know she was gonna come back to help me for goodness sake!Why would I TRY to cause something like that?!

*Ash thinks he's sooo cool now that he's 17 and the oldest now since Atlas might be dead.Atlas was a better oldest sibling at age 12 than he is at 17,at least hed try to understand and give some advice,and hang out with me,the sibling whos 8 years younger than him!He didn't even check up on me that night,but why would he?Of course being 2 weeks away from being 4 the night you run away doesn't effect you AT ALL,and being left alone in the tent every night since you were 2 just because you're too young to be helpful.Maybe I should've told Mars about the thing,they'd try to understand,but Atlas told me to not tell anyone that im...that,that it's dangerous and maybe if I keep it a secret I'll be safe.Ironic how that turned out.*

He layer his chin on Eag's front talon 'you're a good friend,you know that Eag?you're the best eagle ever' .the eagle nodded.

*What's the big deal with Ash not wanting Eag around anyway?Sure,he's big,but he's literally so nice.He carries Bear sometimes,guards the house,even helps me with chores sometimes.And he let Bailey put that bandana on him.*

He flopped down.oh yeah,Bear and Mars,the only other 2 things that haven't ever been rude to me.I'll miss them.And Darkester.And the twins,especially Bailey.But that's fine.If I don't go back,I can't put anyone in danger anymore.You DONT CARE,MAX. He forced himself to think.You have Eag and a dorito bag,that's all youll ever need.

After all,would they still stick with him if they found out?nooo,they wont.That was something only known by Atlas,who was gone now and wouldn't ever tell,and Max himself.And that paper in his pocket,the one he should've torn up those 6 years ago but of course didnt,and the existence of that paper was also only known by him and Atlas.

Max buried himself in the hoodie.*I don't care.At all.Everything is the way it needs to be*.He sat there,watching over his asleep eagle companion,and resisting the flow of the tears

## Chapter 13: Darks POV

It was weird to process everything.Ash apparently knew who Atlas was,and Max had apparently caused their disappearance/maybe death?And Mars and Ash were Max's siblings?The last bit of information wasn't as hard to believe though,because now that Dark thought about it,they did look similar.Max and Mars had the same dark brown hair,even slightly similar haircuts.Sure,Max's hair was messier and a bit shorter and Mars usually had a dark green hairclip in theirs,but they did look similar,and both tended to fidget with their hands when nervous and were good at tech.Max's eyes were a darker shade of brown than Mars's,but the two did look like siblings.Ash looked a bit less alike since his eyes were gray and his hair was more average brown than Max and Mars's darker,not to mention that Mars's head didn't even reach his shoulder.

It was still weird to process everything that Ash had said though.He didn't know exactly what had happened the night that the two both mentioned,but it was definitely important and from what Max's behavior had revealed every time Dark or anyone else brought Atlas up,he wouldn't hurt them on purpose.*I'll have to find him,but I gotta talk to Mars first.Maybe the twins too.*

Mars silently beckoned him over.The twins were talking in low whispers in the opposite direction.He nodded to Mars and followed them.

"What was that all about?Max causing Atlas's death or something?and why is Eag so important to Max anyway?also,Ash was implying there's something wrong with Max?that whole thing was weird' Dark asked Mars in a whisper.

'I'll fill you on the backstory and stuff,and Eag too,but not about what's wrong with Max.I have a theory about that,but I may be wrong and even if I'm not,it's too personal for me to share without his permission' Mars promised.

'Also,is he gonna be ok?And how are you 3 siblings?and who even is Atlas?' Dark asked

'Honestly,probably not.Last time something like that happened,he pretty much literally shut down,and that wasn't even as serious as this.I wasn't there when it happened,but Atlas told me about it and it sounded serious.We should probably go find him soon,that can't be good for him.He's the best little brother ever,and honestly,I don't think I can handle losing another sibling'

Mars fidgeted with their hairclip.'Actually,I might end up telling you the theory,but just saying,there's a good chance I'm wrong'

Dark nodded 'I'll do my best to help,just start at the beginning'

'Ok,so Atlas is the oldest sibling out of us 4.If they'd been still alive,they'd be 18 or 19 now,but last time we saw them they were 16 and we currently don't even know if she's alive or dead,and it's been far too long to be able to search for him.We also had 2 other brothers,Clay who'd be 20 now,and August who'd be 14 now but they both left.They're still alive as far as I know,and Eag even took me and Max to visit them a couple times." Mars explained,and held up a picture of them.

Clay looked like an older version of Max,just with light brown eyes and a bit less scrawny,and lacking the 4 scars that Max had on his right cheek,and just generally built more like some runner.Atlas looked pretty much the same as in the picture in Max's closet,just older and taller.Max looked pretty much like how he did currently,just the scars looked newer and he seemed a bit less tense,somehow.Mars looked exactly the same,and August looked like a younger,happier version of Ash with the same eye color and just slightly less messy hair than Max.Max's dog,Bear was there too,and so was Eag,just a lot smaller than his current self.

'Basically our parents were....toxic to say the least so we kinda had to run away.At the time,I was like 6,Auggs was 7,Ash was 10,Atlas had recently turned 12,Clay was 14,and Max was like 2 weeks away from turning 4.We barely escaped that night,and I'm pretty sure Max even had to be tossed out of a window in order to succeed,and even then it barely worked.For a second there was even an argument on whether we should risk it,and Ash voted maybe not,and I think that may stick with me forever.Like it sorta made sense at the time,but Max was 3.And after what he said to him tonight....well I don't think I can ever fully trust him again,or even think of him as my brother to be honest." Mars explained briefly.

"Eag...we saw him on one of our movements the year Atlas was gone,a little before the others left.His wing was injured so he therefore couldn't fly.Auggs being August,convinced Clay to get him down and we stopped for a few days to nurse him back to health.In that time period,him and Max sorta just clicked.He even saved Max from drowning a couple times,so of course that made their bond even stronger.There was no arguing about it,Eag became family that day,just like Bear and everyone else.Then cane that night.We had to run off again,and Eag's leg got stuck.Max of course had to go back for him,and then he got distracted and then almost fully stuck,so me and Atlas went back while the others tried to find a hiding spot.Atlas successfully got Max out,and Eag too,and i tried getitng them to safety,but they closed in and she basically sacrificed herself and stayed behind to protect all of us.I think that's why Ash doesn't want Eag on the boat,because maybe he thinks that if we'd never took him in,Max wouldn't have had a reason to go back and Atlas would still be here.Honestly,I don't think Atlas is gone.He's tough,so it'd probably take a lot worse to fully destroy them,if that's even possible.I think the reason Max refuses to talk about her is because he thinks it was his fault,and Ash's words today probably didn't help much' Mars elaborated,showing some more photos.

'Why is Max..like that though?Like closed off,hyperactive,so obsessed with toasters and stuff,and refusing to listen to authority?like to a certain degree that's normal,but the way Max acts is like different in some way.He just radiates chaos everywhere he goes,in a different way than say,Bailey.Do you think there's some reason for that?" Dark asked,trying to stop the wording from sounding rude.He cared about Max a lot,but there was no denying it,Max was no normal 10 year old.

"I think Max may be a ....UNTB.There's a pretty good chance,considering his behavior and stuff,but the signs usually show up at around 14.Max's been like that since he was pretty much 2,if not earlier" Mars mused

'UNTB?what even is that?is it good or bad?what does it mean?' Dark asked

'I'll let Max explain it if it's true,and..it depends,but more than likely bad.Anyways,if we want to find out,we might wanna start looking for him.Before he shuts down again,or before and if I'm proven right' Mars observed,getting into the Gravi-Toastee.

'Let's go get him back'

## Chapter 14: UNTB

Mars eventually drove to a place that was mostly a clear pathway of trees that eventually led to a lake,where they eventually found Max.He was sitting down beside Eag,the oversized red hoodie that Dark had given him as a gift on over his head and the strings of the hoodie pulled so his face was invisible,and a raccoon asleep next to him,a small invention that was clearly half-constructed next to him.

'Hey Max.You ok buddy?' Mars whispered,sitting down next to him.

Max raised his head away from his knees for a second to declare one thing 'I'm not going back'.Dark noticed that it wasn't answering the question,and he seemed different,somehow.

'Ash is sincerely sorry and even recorded a 2 hour apology video and promises that he'll never be as rude again,I think Ivy mightve sent you that' Mars remarked

'We all want you there,plus the ship literally can't function without you.Please Max,come back'

'I cant.Its not even *just Ash* anymore.its the fact that im probably just not gonna get told the ideas or what's even going on simply because I'm either too young to understand fully or because it's more than likely gonna make me defiant to the idea.I'm not dumb Mars,I know I can be literally impossible to deal with,plus yall are all older than me so in a while the group is probably going to disband.and it's me too'

'Max,you're not annoying or impossible to deal with in the slightest,I promise.And how are you the reason you can't go back' Mars asked,genuinely concern in their voice.

Max opened his fist,revealing that it had some sort of flame going on 'I'm an UNTB ok?Atlas took me to get that assessed,and it said that i can literally blow up this whole dimension with just one too-well-thought out intrusive thought,and that was when I was 4!who knows what I'm capable of now?' Max replied,frustrated

'But...you can't be.Didnt the whole thing say that the powers are only supposed to show up when you're like 14?and the earliest is 12.youre not even 11 yet' Mars asked

'Yeah,I think I know my own age Mar.thats what it's supposed to be,but the papers prove it' he pulled out two crumpled papers showing the results.Everything that Max had said was true.

'According to this thing you're the youngest UNTB ever....and probably the most powerful' Mars observed,reading over it.

'Hooray.Now I can't ever relax or get mad as much because if it goes wrong I could make this whole dimension go haywire.yay me' Max muttered

Dark sat down on his other side and put an arm around his shoulder 'I don't know what this whole UNTB thing means,but we're always here for you Max as long as you need it,and i could sorta become your new older brother figure if you want.wow can't believe I'm the one delivering a whole supportive speech .Everyone I know would be shocked if they heard that' Dark observed

Max slapped him lightly with affection 'what can I say,I'm awesome i guess. And thats ok with me Darkester,just as long as you dont steal my twix, and its basically that i have some cool elemental powers that i probably wont ever be able to control and that ill always havr a shorter attention span and be more prone to anger than most people,and some other stuff so basically just me but super-powered now or something.i dunno'

Dark grinned 'can't promise that,but I'll try,*little brother*'

'Where'd the raccoon come from by the way?' Mars asked curiosly,giving Max a short hug.

'The raccoon?oh,that's Comet.She's kinda my pet now' Max loosened the hood so his face was visible now.He gave Comet an affectionate pat.

'Cool.by the way,looks like we're staying here overnight so do you have like a shelter idea or anything?' Dark observed

'Yall got the Gravi-Toastee,that's all the shelter we'll ever need.Just follow me,I'll activate the night mode and you can even get a ramen pack for dinner' Max replied,leading the way

'Ramen?I'm now getting more and more proud in my choice of adopting you as a sibling' Dark declared

Max grinned a bit "come on,we gotta get it to right here first and then get Eags and Comet in there,and then we all clean up a bit and get ramen.Also,you're driving tomorrow.' Max observed,heading to the car.

'Alright,but if I crash your lawnmower I'm not paying' Dark observed

'Yea sure,but youll have to eat 20 Flamed Plums and have it videod' Max replied,seeming relaxed now

'Deal,but if I don't get to drive at all I'm getting Bailey to add different colored streaks to both of yall's hair' Mars interrupted from right next to the vehicle.

Dark smiled again 'deal'

## Chapter 15: The Search

Raine woke up because Cleo who'd now slept at the foot of Raine's bed,had for some reason decided to sleep on their shoulder instead.Raine lightly lifted the cat off their shoulder,just enough to get Cleo's weight off but still enough to not wake the cat.They sighed and turned on their phone,not expecting any new news

'I'm safe' what kind of information was that?Leo knew Raine well enough to know that providing that little information was more likely to send them into a panic attack then serve anything helpful.He'd even trusted Raine to know all of the names he'd preffered to go by and vice versa,plus even a full explanation of his life basically,and considering who he was as a person,that signified a LOT of trust.Raine sighed.*Alexander James I forgot what your last name was that also goes by Leo,Liam,Z,Alex,Charlie,and Nico depending on group,please just send any information.Like just a smudge of paint on concrete or something.*

Suddenly,Raine noticed that the phone said 'new photo from best brother ever' which was the contact name for him.Rains opened it with a sigh.It was a picture of Z with his typical comfort outfit,the black hoodie with a frog sitting on a skateboard on it that Raine had bought him for his 15th birthday,blue jeans,and black Vans.It was captioned 'I can't quite tell you what happened and where I am.Im sorry Rainey.Stay awesome<3.I promise I'll be back someday' he'd been holding a blue maze box that seemed to only be held together by scotch tape,like the one he said he'd buy for the summer.

Raine had a flashback of the day,right before they went to school.

'When your school's out,just go home.Cleo will be there,and some ramen and chocolate milk.I'll just stop in the store down the road to buy a maze box for us to solve,then I'll be right back' Z had said,giving Raine a hug before running to his bus stop,where all the 9th graders would go.

*Two weeks since then,and he's definitely not at home.But I might actually have an idea on where to maybe find him.The maze box store is right next to the train station,and Z is short.Maybe some kid just tossed him in a train or something or somewhere around there*

Raine went over to the closet,pulled out their backpack and started packing.The necessary stuff like food and clothes,a charger for the phone,Cleo's belongings,and extra clothes.Plus a blanket,and the harness Z had bought for Cleo in case there'd ever be a walk that they needed to take Cleo on,just for safety reasons.

Cleo had now woke up and was sniffing Raine's backpack.Raine petted the cat affectionately,then put on the harness.

'Come on Cleo.Let's go try to find my brother'

## Chapter 16: Bailey Joins

Dark woke up to Max's once again questionable driving skills.He'd asked Mars how all 3 of them were actually allowed to drive even though neither of them were 16,and the reply was because the Gravi-Toastee was legally a lawnmover with golf cart wheels and weird adaptions,it was technically not a car and no previous things like it had been created before,so there were technically no actual rules associated with it,besides the fact that regular car accident rules still applied,which wasnt all that reassuring.He hoped Raine wasn't too worried about him,because right now he sure was.

'Hey Max,I think your turn driving is over.How long has it been' Mars called. 'I have no idea,but sure.By the way when are Bailey and Eag supposed to get back?'

'Bailey?are we taking the whole squad now?' Dark asked in the most flat tone of voice possible.

'Nah,Ivy's staying to give Ash either a yelling session or advice.I dunno.Either one,she's good at that' Mars observed,switching seats with Max.

Mars tapped a button and the ceiling opened and Eag flew in,followed by Bailey,who dropped to the very back seat,and Bear,who was asleep on the eagle's back.

'Hey people' Bailey called,grinning,seemingly unfazed by the fact that he just fell from a ceiling.'Anyone want a tattoo?' Bailey asked,holding up a paintbrush.

'No no no.First,you HAVE to eat this plate of pasta right here,and drink this can of strawberry juice.That's an order' Max replied,turning around and fist-bumping Bailey.

'Sure!Hey Maxi,Mars-o,and Dark!How's..stuff been holding up these past 2 days?And hey Max,are ya glowing?It looks great' Bailey talked fast,following the instructions.At least Mars had somehow managed to built in hand sanitizer,so that was great.

'Life's been...lifey' Dark replied while doodling on his sketchbook.He'd been trying to draw Eag for the past 2 days,which had been unsuccessful due to the eagle either being awake or just uncooperative. Bailey nodded in response to that. 'Honestly,a relatable mood.Also your art's great' she observed.

'We're holding up a ok.Could be better,but at least it's not worse' Mars observed from the front seat.Bailey nodded in reply to that. 'I drew you three some art by the way.It's probably not the BEST art I've done,but I think you'll like it' Bailey replied in a slightly less energetic tone.Dark couldn't see the drawing just yet,but Mars seemed a lot happier after having seen it,plus he didn't want to risk Eag deciding to go flying again just as he was in progress of the art,so he decided to just postpone seeing it now and told himself he'd do it later.

"I'm an UNTB now,so still unpacking that.Heh." Max observed sounding tired.

'UNTB?I'm kinda surprised we didn't figure it out sooner.But ya got this dude!You're awesome.You definitelygot this!' Bailey told Max,patting his head fondly.

Max smiled slightly. 'Thanks Bayonnaise.I'm probably gonna sleep now though.Night driving here is SOMETHING.Wake me up in like 3 hours,and don't use the toaster without me!' he called to the rest of them,them pressed the button on his side that dropped a pillow.

It was honestly weird how cozy the Gravi-Toastee was,especially considering that it was "88% lawnmower,12% golf cart,and about 322% questionable building skills",as stated by Dark himself.It was quite honestly a lot nicer than the boat,despite being smaller and definitely abnormally built.

Now that Max was asleep,it was definitely a lot quieter.Bailey had seemed to have dozed off as well,and Mars generally didn't talk too much either. 'Night Mars,even though it's like 6 pm' Dark called with a slight grin,pressing the button as well.

'Same to you as well Darks,night' Mars called,parking the vehicle and disabling the lights and setting the front seat up as well.

Despite his words,Dark didn't actually fall asleep for a while.He layed in his seat and contemplated his life so far.Now he had 2 new siblings,Max and Mars,and from how things seemed to be going so far,Bailey was headed that way soon as well.*Crazy how much life can change in 2 days,*he thought,remembering how before then he and Mars hadn't talked much and he barely knew who Bailey was.*I hope Raine and Cleo are ok,because I sure am.*

## Chapter 17: Max's Powers

Dark was sitting on the roof of the car,eating a cheese sandwich and the strawberry soda that Max seemed to be obsessed with.It was really quite nice.

Bear was half asleep on the grass next to the lawnmover,with Bailey sitting next to him with a smile.Since it was summer,Bailey had decided to give the dog a small trimming,which was a good choice,since he was previously starting to look like a really big,black cottonball.Mars was sitting next to them,fidgeting with a shark that they'd crocheted.Max,in the meantime,was hanging upside down from a tree branch,occasionally boosting himself up to eat his breakfast and declare something completely random.

'Yall,we're probably gonna have to turn around and start trying to take the route back now,probably today' Mars observed,stopping their fidgeting for a moment then resuming.

In reaction to this,Dark hopped off the roof,Bailey widened their eyes,and Max choked on his soda.

'Me and Eags here can easily fly to the store to get more food.We're good at negotiating.' Max called.

'It's not the food that's the problem.Your *car* here seems to be a bit scraped up due to that time Bailey nearly drove us off a cliff-' Mars's words were interrupted by Bailey interjecting 'IT WAS 4 AM AND THERE WERE HYENAS!'

'Anyways,as I was saying,it's *that*.Plus we can't keep surviving off of ramen,strawberry soda,and your complete lack of knowledge on how this thing is run' Mars finished

'True point on the driving part,but don't you insult ramen like that' Dark called.

'You forgot the Flamed Plums as well' Max interjected offendedly.

'You are literally the only one that eats those.Bailey can barely eat two without water,I just don't like them,and Dark can't even finish 2 bites.Plus,the amount of pepper you consume in those can't be good for you' Mars replied,dropping the fidgeting altogether.

'Still,ain't no way I'm going back to the place with Ivy' he paused to whisper 'no offense' to Bailey,who replied with 'none taken',"and Mr.I'm the best because I'm 17 who just so happens to be my older brother that also probably hates my guts even without the knowing I'm an UNTB bit' he finished,his eyes now glowing firey-orange for whatever reason.

Dark tapped him on the shoulder 'Max,your eyes are being weird'

Max glared at him and crossed his arms defiantly,his whole posture screaming "there is no way in going back there,and nothing can force me to'.Then,for some reason,it wasn't JUST Max's eyes that were glowing,it was his whole outline.

'Max,buddy,take a deep breath.Your whole UNTB thingy is getting weirder' Bailey told him,rather unhelpfully.

'Uh,guys...' Mars tapped Bailey and Dark's shoulder so they were all staring at the toaster,which was now covered in a blue glow and floating about 8 feet off the ground.It appeared to be levitating,and the blue glow seemed to be coming from...Max?Wasn't Max's power fire though?Was it normal to have multiple?Mars seemed to be convinced it's only one...but there's no denying it.Max was definitely why the toaster was levitating.

Suddenly,Max's expression changed to pain,and dark green vines emerged from the ground,wrapped around the toaster,and crushed it.Toaster parts scattered all over the grass as Mars's expression changed to one of dark realization and Max passed out.

## Chapter 18: Help?

'So uh,what was THAT' Dark asked,staring at Max and the scattered remains of the toaster.

'Should we like...carry him inside or just leave him here until he wakes up?and like how are we supposed to prevent that next time' Bailey asked.

'Max doesn't seem to be a normal UNTB.He has at least 3 different powers that we know of so far,so he's uh,one of those.' Mars explained,exchanging a dark glance with Bailey.

Bailey breathed 'so his powers are probably gonna be far more uncontrollable than average,so to eliminate that,we have to figure out what triggers that so we can minimize the chances'

Mars shook their head 'The powers can't be minimized.And we can't make him just hold off the reactions.It's in the name,it's basically uncontrollable.' Mars explained.

'Isn't there supposed to be one way to control it?I mean the translation for one in yall's ancient language is a part of the name as well?' Dark interjected.

Bailey and Mars both shook their heads.

'There is,but even releasing the powers really drains the UNTB,and that's the mild side.Holding the reaction in just makes it worse when it does happen,plus it has a really negative impact.I mean,you saw what he was like after the powers.The only way to really prevent it is the ghost method,,similar to dissassociation,which is basically just concentrating on giving yourself a headache until it hurts enough that you quite literally become a spirit for a while,so any havoc you wreck with that wont have an impact,but the headache would hurt and he'd probably pass out afterwards,or just sleep for several hours,not to mention that it cant be done more than once a day.' Mars explained anxiously

'Well,what seems to trigger the power flow is anger.Let's maybe just try to keep Max as close to calm is he ever gets,and explain this whole thing to him when he wakes up.And,I hate to admit it,but having to make him try the ghost method every time would probably be the safest' Dark observed.

'Agreed' the other two said in a disappointed voice and the trio exchanged a fist bump.

### Chapter 19:Rest in Peace Toaster

Max woke up because Bear was barking right in front of him.Not quite the best way to wake up from unconsciousness,but hey.The dog pawed at a piece of paper that had been left in front of him,so Max picked it up and read it.It said '*When you're up,just exit the car and go to the meeting place under the tree,there's a lot we have to discuss'* in Mars's neat handwriting,with a random doodle of a smiley face in the corner by Bailey,and a small dog doodle that was clearly supposed to be Bear that was probably done by Dark.He blinked and followed the instructions,wincing.His head still hurt from hitting the grass face-first.

'Ok,so theres a lot of stuff.Sit down and we'll fill you in.But first one quick question:did you know that you have multiple powers?' Dark asked,looking like he hadnt slept in a while.Mars also looked abnormally tired,and Bailey seemd too tired to say a word and was mostly just drinking canned water.

'Uh,both yes and no.' Max replied,grabbing a water as well.

'What is that supposed to mean?Is it like the fact that bottled water literally doesnt exist here?Just explain it please' Dark snapped.Max blinked.That was weird.Sure,Dark could be sarcastic a LOT,but he'd never snapped at anyone before.

'I mean,I've had nightmares about it but those were mixed with flashbacks so I thought it was just a nightmare obvi.And how am I supposed to know everything about this?!Literally Mars's expert site doesn't even fully know it,and the information from there comes from actually knowledgeable people *who've had time to practice this junk!'* Max snapped back.He winced at the upcoming headache again and took another sip of water.

'Z,chill out.We're all worried about Max especially since he's been out for 3 days but you can't take it out like that.It could just make the effects worse than last time.' Mars said in a warning tone,using Dark's actual name.

'3 DAYS?' Max gasped.

'Yep,3 days.By the way,you're gonna have to get your anger outbursts under control since those are one of the things that trigger your powers and if you overuse those you could pass out again.And if you do feel the powers ready,just hold your breath for a bit and go without blinking for a while and just make eye contact with your other eye so you get a major headache and sorta zone out majorly so you kinda turn into a literal ghost so any damage you wreck in that form will have no actual effect' Bailey explained as Dark muttered an apology.

'Ok then.....by the way where's the toaster?I really want some toast' Max asked.

Mars winced. 'Ok so uh basically before you passed out you sorta got cool vine powers and you know how the toaster was levitating before?yeah uh the vines kinda grabbed it and uh...smashed it.So it's kinda sorta gone now.And...you cant rebuild it' they explained really quick.

Max stared at the grass for a bit as if he'd never seen it before.He then opened the toolkit,pulled out a weird device,and used it to kinda scoop up all the toaster scraps.He nodded to Bailey 'shovel'.Bailey passed it to him and he walked about 10 feet away,dug a whole and put all the toaster pieces in there. 'I'll miss ya,toaster buddy.You wont be forgotten,first thing i ever rebuilt" Max said,saluting to the little pile as he poured the remaining water left in the can on top of the pile,which was,as Bailey later informed Dark,a show of respect.He then went all the way back and pointed at the car,addressing the group.

'Come on guys,let's follow the plan. I think im ready to greet Mr.Superior now'

## Chapter 20:forgiveness?

Mars gulped before knocking on the door.This was gonna be mildly awkward and now they also had to worry about Max's powers.The fact that he was a UNTB was probably gonna be revealed the moment the door is opened anyway,due to both of his eyes having changed color to a piercing blue for some reason and the orange glow around him.*Quit worrying,Mars.Nothing has happened just yet.Don't wear yourself out...* Mars cut off the train of thought before it continued to even worse.

*Just breathe,it'll all be ok*.

Ash opened the door looking shocked.'We're back' Dark replied in a monotone voice that showed no emotion and nodded to Ivy in greeting.

'Max I am so so sorry I know I shouldn't have said those words none of those events were your fault and I'm super dumb for blaming you and you probably think I'm a horrible brother now which is true and please tell me if theres any way to ever make up for my actions for ...well the last 6 years.I'll do anything' Ash rambled,looking genuine.He seemed to be remembering the argument he had with Clay the night he and August left,which had ended horribly.

Max raised a hand to cut him off. "Look,I'll be real with you.Your actions that night hurt *a lot*,and it'll probably take me a long time to forgive you.Definitely more than days.Maybe a few months Potentially years.Maybe even decades.In fact,maybe even never.I'll give you the reality:You *have* been a pretty bad brother to me for well since the others left,and that hurt a lot.I literally just think of you as a brother of my siblings,not my brother.But you did care for Mars I guess,and the 5 hour apology video from you that Ivy sent me plus now sorta seems pretty genuine,so I guess i'll give you one last chance.It's unlikely that you'll ever be as close to me as Darks,Atlas,and Mars are,but maybe you'll be able to earn back the title of being my brother.Or at the very least,some kind of friend"

Mars was touched to hear their name in the list.Max's way of showing fondness was either some weird nickname,or a random invention as a gift.It was kinda sweet to hear it acknowledged.

Ash nodded 'Fair.And I'm once again extremely sorry for how I treated you.And Eag.That was just plain wrong'

'It was.' Max nodded in approximately the same emotionless face as the one Dark usually had.

Ash then looked at Max's face,and seemed to have realized that yes,their little brother was a UNTB.He looked shocked for a second,then seemed to brush it off like he'd talk to Max about it sometime later.

'Y'all look kinda tired.Why don't you 4 go sleep and in the meantime me and Ives will cook something and repair your car' Ash offered

'If it's broken when we wake up I can and I will sue you' Max promised,but headed to his basement nonetheless.Bailey peace-signed Ash then headed up to the attic,Dark followed Max with no reaction,leaving only Mars of the 4. Mars grinned awkwardly at their older brother

'So uh,we're back.And hopefully your apology to him is genuine' Mars stated genuinely and headed to their room,not knowing anything better to say in that scenario and flopped down on their bed,dreading the idea of the next day for no specific reason.They pushed all their worries away.*If you pretend they don't exist they might just never happen,*Mars thought repeatedly,and drifted off into uneasy sleep.

## Chapter 21:the day

Dark woke up feeling surprisingly well rested.He glanced at the bed on the other side of the room,wondering if he should wake Max.On one hand,it was really bright outside,on the other hand,there was the whole UNTB thing.Then again,who even knew if Max was asleep?He didn't even stay still in his sleep,if anything attacked him,he'd be able to fight it off without even waking up.He settled on whispering to Bear to wake him up,after all he couldn't get mad at the dog.They both headed upstairs in weird silence to the smell of fresh waffles.

'So,what's the plan for today?' Ivy asked between munches of waffle.

'Well,it's the 15th,so I was thinking we could-' Ash's words were interrupted by Dark straight up dropping his waffle.'15TH?OF WHAT?BRO I GOTTA BE HOME BEFORE JULY 25TH OR MY SIBLING WILL DIE OF WORRY,IF THEY HAVEN'T ALREADY.IM PROBABLY ON SOME *NEWS REPORT* RIGHT NOW ANYWAYS' Dark yelled,shaking.

Ash placed a hand on Dark's shoulder. '15th of JUNE,and if you'd let me finish,i was gonna say we fly Eag up to Clay and Auggs.They live pretty close to the repairshop,so theres a chance they'd be able to help repair your goofy little box'

Max stared for a second 'did you ask Eag his opinion on that' he asked defiantly,inspecting his waffle suspiciously

'Doesnt he love them?' Ash asked,confused.

'Sorta,but you should still inform him before you fly.Unless you'd like to fall down about 30 feet and have to call a medic and get a cool metal pirate leg for the rest of your life-' Max continued going on into the quite horrifying details.Apparently Eag was the *friendly* eagle around,which was not reasurring considering that Bailey had broken a leg the previous year due to one of his rides.

"Why Eag anyways though?We could just go on Max's toaster thingy" Ivy suggested.

Max stared off into space."great floor we got here" he commented.

'Max?We're kinda uh asking for your input' Ivy said.

'You can take it i guess.but im not going' Max muttered.

'No no no no no.Max,you HAVE to go.You're like my source of sanity on this dimension'Dark begged

'I'll literally be a study subject or an outcast if they find out what i am.or my existence.No thanks to either of those' Max muttered angrily.

'Ill cover for ya.And if we do get caught,ill defend ya with my life.If they're gonna take you,ill follow as well.We're not gonna let you be in danger.I promise' Dark murmured solenmly,doing a kinda salute.

'Thanks Darkester' Max murmured appreciately,heading to the stairs with a grin.

'No problem bud' Dark replied.

Max jogged up the stairs again,carrying both of their bags and panting.'Now brace yourselves everyone!We got a *longgg* week to go and we're not stopping much!" He replied with a grin,opening the door for the dog,who looked even more tired today if that was possible.

'Next destination:Cardboartian Village'

## Chapter 22:Cardboartian Village

'We're here' Ash announced.The one week drive was...interesting to say the least.Mars and Max had made it a must to teach Dark the ancient language of the dimension,including sign language,which was pretty much just very descriptive hand gestures.The problem was that now Dark couldn't even fidget his hands without accidentally signing something like 'toasters are the reason you're broke' which had at some point earned him a lecture from Max with a lot of sign language gestures,but as Ash pointed out,wasn't exactly wrong.

'So uh,where are they actually' Dark asked nervously,shocked how quiet it was.From the description provided,he'd think it was at least a village.

'Just wait a bit' Mars responded,befote getting tackled into a hug from a taller kid who looked like a younger version of Ash but happier,probably around 14.Dark guessed that it was August.

'Y'ALL FINALLY VISITED!WE'VE BEEN MISSING YALL SO MUCH' August said happily,lifting Max in a massive hug next before just as quickly putting him down and hugging Ash next.He high-fived Bailey and Ivy but didn't hug them before stopping in front of Dark.'You look cool,what's your name?' He asked curiosly,that wide grin still on his face.

'That's Dark.He kinda got blown into this dimension with the help of a random box that broke so we sorta need your help to fix it or he cant get home.Where are Clay and the others by the way' Mars elaborated.

August shook Dark's hand 'Ok,I'll see what I can do to help.I'm August by the way,but most people here call me Auggs.I'm Max,Mars,and Ash's brother if you haven't guessed yet.Well,Clay's too but you haven't met him yet.I'll show you around first though,then we'll see what we can do with your box.' August said,already heading out so the others had to jog to catch up.He introduced them to a person named Fang,who had a cool vibe and was a furry.Dark was secretly glad to see furries being accepted here.A few of his friends at home would be pleased to know that.

Mars,Ash,Ivy,and Bailey stayed behind as August led Max and Dark on a tour.Max claimed he was only there for company purposes though.

The more the tour continued,the more Dark saw why it was called that.The houses looked like they took some inspiration from cardboard,and there was quite a lot of cardboard stuff being sold outside.Props to them though,most looked actually cool.

Auggs then led them up a pretty steep hill,still chattering happily.'Sunny should be around there,and Clay will be back soon.They might be busy though,so just show me the box and ill see what i can do here'.

Dark reluctantly took out the box.The blue light around it was dull,and the paint seemed almost worse then the last time he'd looked at it,and the cracks had definitely increased.August looked bewildered.

'If you think THAT'S bad,you should also probably consider the fact that it's held together by scotch tape' Max informed him.

August swallowed some air tensely.'I'll go get Sunny and the bluester.Any supplies on this hill definitely won't cover it.You just stay here' he replied urgently,running all the way up to the next hill.

Dark flopped down on the grass in silence.*Hopefully that's definitely not the last hill.I mean,how many did we walk by already,15?*he thought.Then Max tapped him on the shoulder and signed something to him in thr language that made his heart sink.*Bluester is literally the last alternative.You literally have to climb Mount Skyscrape to even use it.That's literally the highest peak in this dimension.That pretty much means that the box is beyond saving.Usage of bluester is even less supported than UNTBs.It's like really really really special glue that holds a lot of power.It's risky to use too,like someone has at some point been stuck to a tree for 3 years because they spilled it on their pinkie.Only reason they even got free is someone amputated the branch.It might not be able to help the box at all.There's a good chance you might be stuck here.Forever.*

Dark sighed.*Well,don't you have a giant eagle that's from a dangerous species as your other best friend?If we can handle Eag,there's a good chance we can handle the bluester,*he signed back

*That's not the same.*Max signed.

*Let's just wait for your overly energetic brother to come back with whoever Sunny is,the bluester,and your other brother.* Dark signed,turning away.

*Sunny's cool,and Auggs is actually awesome.He's the one who taught me building stuff and how to program,so that better not be an insult toward him.*

*It's not,it's not.Why don't you just sleep.From the way Auggs is wheeling,it'll take him like 20 minutes to even get there at least,and you've pulled like 3 all nighters.*

*Ight fine.But if he gets here and you don't wake me up,i'll put toothpaste in your beloved ramen.* Max signed,using Dark's backpack that he'd left on the floor as a pillow.

*Notice taken.* Dark replied,staring at the horizon and hoping that the bluester stuff was an exagerration,but he had to admit it wasn't.Max had a habit of stating stuff too bluntly.And from how hopeless August looked when he even suggested it,it was probably reality.He turned away.

Almost a whole month here,and still no progress with the box.I'm sorry Rainey.I still miss you and Cleo,but from the way the future is looking right now,there's a pretty good chance my promise won't come true.

## Chapter 23:The Box

Raine took a deep breath and put the box on the counter.After around 2 weeks of looking and checking every store,they'd finally found a mazebox similar to the one that Z's photo showed.Now they just had to pay for it and then try to figure out what else happened.But probably get some sleep first.Raine kept brushing it off,but after around 5 days of pulling all nighters,they had to admit that sleep was necessary.It hurt to even find the motivation to get up today,and Raine knew that they probably looked horrible right now.But that didn't matter.They were finally a step closer in finding Leo,and that was all that mattered.

Raine payed the necessary 10 dollars and headed back to their house,internally debating if they should actually open the box or call Stormy first.Onyx and Jade's parents had for some reason forbade them to further be involved in the investigation other than getting to check on Z if he ever came back,so now it was just Stormy and Raine in the investigation.And Cleo.The little cat had contributed a lot.

Raine had to admit that they had to at least get some sleep first.They couldn't even raise their head without it hurting.But they did have to tell Stormy.

*I have the box now.Like the exact replica.Just go to my house in like 3 hours so we could try to solve the mystery*,the text said.Raine also included a photo of themself so Stormy could see why Raine was getting sleep first.They gave Cleo an affectionate kiss on top of the head.'love ya Cleo,you're great' Raine whispered,taking off their glasses.Cleo purred and nuzzled Raine's face.

*Come on,brother.Please tell me that you're safe,somehow.We might be able to find you soon,but just please,be ok until we do.*

## Chapter 24:The Fall of Mount Skyscrape

Around an hour later,August finally came back,with a shorter person following that Dark guessed was Sunny,and another person that was definitely Clay,and for some reason,another person who looked a bit taller than Sunny but was apparently her younger sister.All 3 were carrying a massive bottle of what appeared to be bleach,but had the words 'bluester' on it,and Sunny's sister carried several weird looking tools that Dark didn't know.

They quickly exchanged introductions and Clay led the way to Mount Skyscrape.Sunny tapped a weird button on the grass,and a something between a wheelbarrow and something else showed up.It was basically like an oversized wheelbarrow but with more wheels,where they placed the bluester and the tools.

Dark followed towards the back of the line,half-dragging half-carrying Max,who was clearly half asleep.Well,half-asleep was putting it generously.After a while,Dark sighed and just carried him piggyback-style,making sure to avoid falling behind.

The mountain was tough though.August stopped a bit right before they actually got to the mountain.*Can we summon the Steeplecopter for this or is it not steep enough?* he signed to Clay.

'Definitely summon it.There are multiple reasons that everyone who tried physically climbing it broke something before even getting a solid foothold.' Sunny replied in the verbal language that Mars had previously informed Dark was called Parversal,due to the dimension's previous name being called The Paraverse.Dark personally liked sign language the 2nd better,although everyone used a mix of Parversal and sign language one to communicate.Sign language 2 was just gestures,sign language 1 was a bit more like complicated ASL with bonus gestures.

'You got the remote?' Clay asked.Sunny nodded.'Click the dark green button,the one that has number 0 on it'

Sunny nodded and waited for a bit until the massive gray helicopter with eagle-patterned wings for some reason arrived.Dark himself considered the design not the best idea,but decided not to voice it.

The helicopter was quite interesting,and somehow got them up to the mountain peak way faster than expected,considering that Mount Skyscrape was about the size of 3 mount everests put together.

Dark braced himself for the cold.August and Clay had even been nice enough to get then jackets that were apparently adapted enough to protect them from the cold,but Dark was still worried,especially considering the fact that he wasn't born in this dimension so for all he knew the weather might give him a slightly different response that everyone here.

'So how do we get out?' He asked instead.The helicopter door was open,but there was quite a long distance to go from there to the mountain peak.

'You just jump.Don't even think about it,you'll actually feel hurt if you do.And don't worry about Max,I'll get him down' Clay advised.Dark stared at him,wondering if he was joking,only to be proven wrong when Clay actually proceeded to jump a moment later.Sunny and their sister proceeded to do the same,holding gloved hands,so now it was just August and Dark left.

Dark sighed and jumped,August following a minute later.His breath got knocked out of him as he landed face first into the snow,but Clay was right.Dark had no actual injuries due to it.He glanced to his right,Sunny and August grinning wildly and Sunny's sister who was trying to get the wheelbarroe thing down by pressing random buttons on the remote.On his left,Clay was sitting upright,looking relieved,Max next to him,somehow still asleep.The helicopter above then was now gone.

'How can he sleep through that?' Dark wondered out loud.

'Max can sleep through anything.He's slept through a tornado,jumping out of a window,and like 30 other things.He somehow always manages to wake up when you try to draw something on his face when he's asleep though,which is really annoying' August replied.

'Anyways,on to the actually fixing your box part.Take it out and lay it out in this rectangle right here.Remove all the scotch tape holding it together' Clay instructed.Dark blinked at the idea,but did it nonetheless as Sunny started to apply the bluester to some of the more noticeable cracks.It appeared to make make the part of the box appear newer,but nothing else.'That's weird' August observed,applying more of it to the sides.Dark held his breath.*It's working,*he thought with relief.

Sunny's sister,who seemed to be referred to as Mint but revealed that it wasnt her real name stared at it in horror.'**Oh no' .** August turned around to blink at her 'What do you mean,isn't it working-' He cut himself off to immediately run to Max,yelling at Clay to wake him up.The bluester had been tipped over.Dark remembered what Max has signed the previous hour.*Bluester can be seriously destructive.It can only be applied to something metal,otherwise it can seriously burn something up.The person's pinkie was metal afterwards,but they're lucky to even have survived.The tree holding then didn't.It was really violent.*Now,Dark had a firsthand demonstration of how true it was.The mountain was slowly but surely crumbling under them.

He tried to grab the box,but something was pulling him back.He glanced to see that it was August and Sunny.'Don't' the younger kids told him desperately.'But the box-' Dark gasped,trying to get free.

'Leave it.The cliff is getting destroyed right now,and if you don't leave it,Mount Skyscrape isn't going to be the only thing getting blasted out of existence today' Sunny yelled matter-of-factly as Mint helped Max to his feet.

Dark surrendered,leaving his only potential chance of going home.'OK BUT WHAT DO WE DO' he yelled to be heard over the sounds of the mountain crumbling.

'Go to the edge of the cliff.We're gonna have to jump' Sunny replied.

'But Sunny,isn't it only frozen water below it,and that's still a good several feet of just air as we plummet down to our more than likely deaths' Mint protested.

'*We don't HAVE any other choice Mint,unless you'd like to be a part of an avalanche that's going to crush you,plus its bound to have decreased by a bit anyways' Dark snapped.*

Sunny nodded to the group.'Ok,hold hands.On the count of 1,2,3,we all jump.No hesitations.We just jump and hope for the best,right guys' she asked,grabbing Mint's hand.Dark ended up on her other side,Max on his left and August on Max's left.

'What about Clay though' August asked,staring back.

'He'll be fine,he has the helicopter and several years of experience.I don't want to leave him either,but we have no other choice,im sorry Auggs' Sunny murmured.Dark suddenly realized that Sunny was probably around the same age as Auggs and Darks.It's kinda unfair that she had to take charge becahse of everyone else hyperventilating.He gave the shattered box a last mournful stare.

'Ok,One...Two....Three' Sunny counted.

The group took a deep breath and jumped off,no guarantees of being safe in the slightest,but it was kinda reassuring to know they weren't alone.That if one of them died,the other 4 would die too.Most people wouldn't consider that reassuring in the slightest,but for whatever reason,it was.To know that you weren't alone in plummeting off a massive cliff into freezing water and maybe death.

Dark breathed.*Ah,sure love the Paraverse,*he thought,studying all of his companions and vowing to protect them all if they survived it,even though he probably wouldnt see Sunny,Mint,or August ever again if he did,or if he did,wouldn't be for long.*I love you guys,he though to Raine,Cleo,and all his other friends,since he'd probably never get to say or think it again.*

**THE END**