Kevin opened the door and started to yell, a few of the passers by stopped and looked, others simply ran by, ignoring Kevin's screams. One woman wearing a mask with the shape of the moon over her face dropped a bag, it hit the pavement with the sound of glass breaking inside.

Kevin's Dad put his hand on Kevin's leg. It was a gentle gesture but firm enough to demonstrate that he would not be backing down.


"Kevin." Kevin's Dad said in that hypnotized voice. "Close the door." He said. And then in that far away voice.

"Everything is going to be fine."

The old woman in front of the car was just staring at Kevin.

Kevin looks down at the hand on his leg, tears now coming to his eyes. Then he's quiet for a couple of seconds, running scenarios in his head like he would in any chess games, except all he has to work with is his imagination when it comes to what will happen if he closes the door.

He leans over as if he's going to close the door, even giving a little, "I'm sorry, dad." However, instead of closing it, he tries to bolt before his dad can squeeze his hand shut to stop him.

It's a long shot and he knows it, but it seems the only move.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:46, Wed 02 Dec 2020.

Kevin bolted out of the car with all of his might. His Dad made a half-hearted lunge to grab after him, but it was too late.

Within seconds, Kevin found himself within the throng of costumed party goers and lost in the crowd. Kevin's heart pounded as he moved himself through the parking lot outside of costume store.

There was a fever-like atmosphere around the store. Somewhere someone was rattling a noisemaker perhaps more appropriate for New Years Eve. It reached a furious pitch as Kevin emerged to the space right outside the front door of the store. It was packed from one edge to the other with a bewildering throng. There were people dressed as ghosts, and vampires, and zombies, green-skinned cartoon aliens, yellow-haired clowns of the some cartoon show, bearded Vikings appearing far from home.

Full of panic now, and being close enough to evening that his meds are starting to wear out, Kevin acts completely on impulse now. Not even taking a split second to think about it, he dives into the crowd, intentionally getting himself lost in the swarm of much larger people, at least until he can find a place to hide.

What concentration he can muster is focused entirely on keeping himself from crying more openly, which might give him away.

"Hey watch it!" A man in a Freddy Kruger mask said, shouldering Kevin.

Kevin had no idea now in what direction the store was, though he'd just seen it no more than a few seconds ago. The sky was hidden behind the towering adults and everything looked the same. Would he lose track of his direction and be lost in the crowd forever? Away from home, far away with no way to get back?

"Please . . ." Kevin tripped, nearly fell. There was something clinging to his leg.
A woman, sitting on the ground beside a fire hydrant. Her clothes were dirty, ragged,
her face was pale, pinched with hunger. She had something in her arms. A
bundle of rags. A child. A Cabbage Patch doll now that Kevin could see. Part of her costume.

"Please . . ." Nothing else. The people laughed and chattered and surged around them, just as if they weren’t there. "Please . . ." she said.

Normally, Kevin would stop and talk to the woman. He'd try to help, in whatever little way he could. It's just the kind of kid he is.

This time, however, he is still panicked, the whole scenario he finds himself in terrifying. So, instead, he tugs at his leg, "Let me go!"

Kevin pulled his leg out from the woman's grasp and she broke character to laugh at him. A few other adults passing by in Star Wars and He-Man outfits also laughed.

"Out of the way!" A voice shouted, and two teenagers pushed by Kevin, making him  stumble passed a woman dressed as a witch and against a brick wall. Kevin pressed himself against it, a kid about his age with a Pac-Man mask covering his face  beside him.

The crowds parted and a long column of men tramped by, shepherded by armored guards in costume uniform. Some were young adults, some were very old. All were dirty and
ragged, and dressed in medieval costume clothing. A couple were clearly lame, hobbling
along as best they could, all dressed up as medieval beggars. One near the front had only one arm. A passer-by in a fabulous crimson jacket held a square of cloth over his wrinkled nose as the beggars shuffled past.

"Yo! You gotta watch yaself ahf ya gonna be out here wahth all dase peep at dahs Halloween stare geezer. Ah be baaad... dahs ahsn't jus' some stare, dare's a serahous party goahng doeswn here. What it is, Mama!" The kid in the Pac-Man mask warned Kevin, his voice barely audible through the vinyl rubber.

The kid pressed his own body against the wall as the men passed.

Kevin nods to the other boy, panting for breath after the panicked scramble, and keeping himself as flat as possible against the wall.

The conversation helps calm him a little, however, enough that he can wipe his tear-streaked face with his sleeve.

Then he looks to the other boy sheltering against the wall and says, "Yeah, it's crazy! I'm Kevin," he adds since he was taught it was polite to introduce yourself. And it provides a distraction from his fear.

He still sniffles, though.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:38, Sun 13 Dec 2020.

"Yo! Yo Kevahn, I'm Tyrone. What it is, Mama! Don' make me come ova there bitch... You wana check out da stare. What it is, Mama! I tell, ya I know some stuff dat odar peep doesn't know, like, where day keep da fly stuff. What it is, like, Mama! all da stuff a' costumes dat peep doesn't wana show ya. Sheeeiit. Plus, oh, baby, I know how ta completly get out of dahs place wahth all of dase peep. Dahd ya know dat da reason why dare is so geezery peep here ahs because one of da bahg actahon celebrahtahes ahs here. What it is, Mama! With muh beeotch! You know? From all of those flahcks."

The kid said, his excited tone only slightly spoiled by the fact that it was coming through is vinyl mask in a muffled tone.

With the unfamiliar slang and the muffled voice, some of that goes over Kevin's head, but he's had enough experience talking to kids all around the world that he's used to solving out what others actually mean, at least in general.

"That sounds awesome! I'd like to see those costumes. I gotta hide from my dad a while anyway," he adds.

He didn't feel any need to keep that secret from another kid. He trended towards oversharing anyway, especially when his ADHD was flaring up, but he had come to the opinion it was all children against Ralph's mom, at this point. No adults could be trusted not to get hypnotized.

The kid reached his hand out and grabbed a hold of Kevin's own hand, gesturing at a break in the crowd. He pulled Kevin along and began to speak as they separated from the wall and made their way into the throng of adults in costumes.

"Yo! Kevahn, mostly, hold mah ha' or ya wahll get lost ahn da crowd. dahs ahs what happrahsons when celebrahtahes chahll ta da stare. What it is, man, Mama! With muh beeotch! They chahll, man, I dunno, oh, baby, about once eeasyghly month. dahs place ahs a fisous stare. What it is, Mama! Hold on tahghter! Don' make me come ova there bitch... I doesn't wana lose ya, aahahght? We're jus' gonna weave our way ahn between dase adults."

They began to dart in between the adults, moving past a fat woman wearing a pointed viking had. A skinny man in a full Big Bird costume was laughing. All the while the Tyrone pulled Kevin along ducking underneath a bunch of party goers holding a beam and in between into a small alley.

"Hahdahng from ya Dad, huh? Don't worry, like, he'll never fahnd us here, mostly, where we is goahng. So what is ya, oh, baby, a actar? A sahnger? You gonna go make aht bahg as a screenwrahter? I've seen all kahnds, fer shure, so doesn't be shy. Slap mah fro!" He said.

Kevin keeps a tight grip on Tyrone's hand as they weave through the crowd, though he looks around at the costumes with less fear now and more wonder.

Once they are safe he puffs for a moment, catching his breath. He smiles at the question, though, and answers, "Chess master. Going to be the youngest grandmaster ever!" He says this with all the same confidence of other kids saying they're going to be movie stars or hall of fame baseball players.

Of course, in his case, it is distinctly possible. "I'll get my first master title as long as I do good in my next tournament, before Christmas." His confidence suddenly wanes as he adds, "Assuming my dad gets unhypnotized in time to take me."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:59, Mon 21 Dec 2020.

Tyrone reached out and grabbed the handle of a back door in the alley, the door opening with a long creaking sound.

Then he stopped mid-movement and turned his head, the vinyl mask and its wide open mouth now facing Kevin as Tyrone considered what Kevin had said.


"Yo! Chess? dat's some bug stuff. What it is, mostly, Mama! Peep this shit! I've never played chess at all ever. Ah be baaad... But I heard dat ahts got horses a' castles a' some odar paheces. You ever consahder playahng chess ahn front of peep? Lahke ahn a show? Misly blahnds ta scout out fly talent dat he ca make a show from. 'S coo', like, wow, bro. He's always loaahahghtahng out for peep dat got fly talent. If ya got skahlls, like, he ca put dem ta use a' gak fly rahzzae of ya tao." 

Tyrone didn't explain who "Misly" was, but it was clear that Tyrone was serious about the offer.

Kevin looks curious, "Do you mean like a Simul? I've done that, it's fun! And it let's some younger kids say they beat me, since playing 20 people at once is hard. I've had bunches of people watching me play speed matches at the club in Fresno, too. So, yeah, that sounds cool! Who's Misly?"

Tyrone pushed the door open with one movement of his hand revealing a long, dark, and slightly intimidating corridor. He walked inside gesturing for Kevin to follow as he spoke.

"Yo! What? I aahn't never heard of nah Sahmul. It sounds lahke some kahnd of aahmal. But ahf I doesn't know so I aahn't gonna judge ya."

"Sheeeiit. Misly ahs da bomb-dahggahty. Slap mah fro! He's da A number one talent scout up ahn dahs isa. Sheeeiit. geezery pisnts drop daahr kahds off ta stay wahth Misly because day know dat under hahs rahzzae a' guahdace dat he ca fahnd dem a fly rahzzaeer. Ah be baaad... It doesesn't Gonorsan Jer what or where. What it is, Mama! He's a baht hard, but dat's only because he rahzzaes for da kahds dat he trahes ta fahnd jobs for. Ah be baaad..."

"Anyway, dahs aahn't nah kahnd of jaahahghte. What it is, like, Mama! Ya'll is mad stupid! Fresno? I heard of dat place, but I aahn't never been dare. What it is, like, Mama!"

Kevin blinks at the word 'stay'. "Oh, no, I can't stay! I gotta get home, if I can figure out how. My mom's still there, anyway, and my friends are all in danger! We found the lady who's being kidnapping kids, she's the one who hypnotized my dad. I bet she'll go after them, too. I gotta warn them. Somehow."

Hope you had a great holiday!
This message was last edited by the player at 20:45, Tue 29 Dec 2020.

Tyrone seemed to think about what Kevin said, waiting a while before responding.

"Yo! You doesn't 'as ta stay ahf ya doesn't wana. Sheeeiit. But ahts no messahn' late. What it is, Mama! Don't make me shank ya! So ya mahght wana stay one nahght. I know dahs place no messahn' well. Its mah neahghborhood. Its not safe around here at dark. What dahd ya say about a lady kahdnappahng kahds? I thahnk I heard about kahds mahssahng lately. Slap mah fro! Don't make me shank ya! mo a' mo."

OOC: You too!

Kevin pauses to think about that for just a moment. He was confident in his own memory enough that he could find his way home the same way his father had driven him. But, the idea of going home in the dark, especially in a dangerous neighbourhood, was, indeed, terrifying.

"I guess one night would be okay." Then he nods quickly, and says, "A bunch of kids went missing from the street next to mine. My friends and I have been investigating, and we found this lady." He goes on to tell the whole story of Ralph's mom, from meeting Ralph to what happened a few minutes earlier with his dad.

OOC: I don't have the voice to dictate my own version of the story again, hope that is okay. :-)

Tyrone nodded...

"Yo! Don't worry. Slap mah fro! Just one nahght. Then Misly wahll cruahse ya crahb. Sheeeiit. Here, chahll through here. What it is, Mama! I'll help ya out. Don't worry. Slap mah fro!" He ushered Kevin through a door.

It led to a bigger room. The walls were thick concrete, dark gray paint slightly chipped. There were about 12 kids in the room all buzzing about in different costumes. In the distance, a large, fat Asian man sat hunched over a desk writing under a lamp. His pencil was scratch, scratch, scratching along the paper.

"Yo! These kahds is all prospects. dat's Misly. Slap mah fro! Don' make me come ova there bitch... He ca help ya out wahth da chess thahng. Or wahth da flahcks. Whatever ya wat. Also gahve ya a place ta stay for da nahght."   

Kevin looks at the man skeptically, his fear of adults at the moment making him hesitate. But, finally he follows the other boy over to the man. He still had trouble finding his voice, shy suddenly.

The man turned to Kevin with a look of stress and preoccupation on his face. He fumbled with a stack of paper.

"Eye em Mr. Lee. You must be one of the new ones. Here, fill out this form. There's a room on the last hallway to the left where you can stay. What's your name, what's your specialty? Doesn't matter. Just fill out the form. I have a few more to process."

Kevin, on the other hand, doesn't look all that pleased. He looks at the form, even more wary now, as he asks, "Why do I need to fill out a form to sleep over one night? Maybe I can just use the phone, and call my mom? I don't think she's hypnotized yet."

But Mr. Lee had already turned back to his large stack of papers, as if Kevin was just another number to be processed.

"Phone ove-uh dare." He said with a jerk of his neck towards the far end of the warehouse room.

Over in the corner next to a stack of old, yellow telephone books was a lime-colored phone attached to the wall.

Tyrone seemed to read Kevin's intentions and looked slightly put out.

"Yo! It's lahke dat huh? You out already?"