"Yeah, even if there's no one else, at least there'll be someone cool to hang out with." Shawn spoke nonchalantly, as though it was a given that Chris was both cool and willing to hang out with him. "So there's been other kids living here before?" He tried to sound casual, even though he was incredibly curious about the living situation he'd found himself in.

"Oh yeah." Chris said, nodding his voice as they stepped into the kitchen. He put the cans down on the counter and then took out a small wash cloth, dabbing it with water from the sink. Then he began to clean the cans before putting each one in the freezer.

"It doesn't happen as much as it did before. Dad meets someone new. He usually calls her a 'friend.' But I know its just like, a person who can try to replace Mom." Chris explained, extending his hand so Shawn could hand Chris the next can of beer to be wiped clean and put into the ice cold freezer.

"No offense. You guys come around like once or twice a year. You're the kids of the new woman trying to replace Mom."

That definitely gave Shawn a lot of context that he was missing, and explained why Chris had been so hostile when they'd met.  "None taken. You're really nice, actually; I'd probably have been way meaner if I were in your shoes." He handed Chris the next can of beer.

Chris shrugged his shoulders in response to Shawn, taking the can from Shawn and putting it in the freezer. "There, that's the last one." He said, looking down admiringly at the neatly stacked cans of Budweiser.

"If you put the beer in the freezer too long, it will explode. But a few hours is just right. That's how Dad likes it."

He turned to Shawn.

"There's gonna be a lot of people here tonight. A lot."

Shawn also looked at the stack of cans with a sense of accomplishment - teamwork, right? He wasn't exactly excited for a big Hollywood party, but it seemed like exactly the sort of this his Mom would want him to take part in. "Is there anything you've gotta do at the party? Can I help?" He was determined to get Chris onside.

"Noarrgh." Chris moaned, head back in a rictus of pain that made it look like something genuinely bad was happening to him. But then Shawn realized Chris was just complaining with exaggeration.

"It's gonna be a disaster." He said with dead certainty. "So many people. Probably more people than at like a Hulk Hogan wrestling match or a Michael Jackson concert."

"Yeah they'll be kids there, but its just too much. And its all the time. I hope you know how to clean up. Because that's exactly what we'll be asked to do once this thing is all over. That's what it always comes down to." Christ said with annoyance.

"OK, hey, did you go trick or treating?" He asked Shawn.

"That sounds really bad. I'm tired just hearing about, and you do it all the time?" Shawn had to admit that the cleanup sounded pretty crummy - and an overcrowded party filled with important people sounded incredibly stressful! But at least if Chris was complaining, Shawn could be relatively honest about his feelings. "Yeah, I did some trick or treating. How about you?"

"No." Chris said, with firmness that indicated both disappointment and a foreknowledge of what was to come. "But if I were you I'd hold onto that candy. You may need it"

Shawn winced a little. "Oh....I already gave my candy away to a friend. Is there a backup plan?"

Chris smiled a knowing smile for a second that gave way to an exhausted sigh.

"Nope. It's just that no one goes shopping after the parties. You'll see."

He headed towards the front door looking back at Shawn "Come on. It's getting late. If we're gonna go see the other kids, we've got to do it now."

Shawn gave him a slightly tired look, not as a complaint, but more showing that he could tell where Chris was coming from. Then he straightened himself up and tried to seem a little cheerier. "Right, let's go!" He followed Chris towards the door.

They exited through back door to the house, walking out onto to a small patio with garrish, angular, modern art sculptures that looked like they were straight out of an MTV music video. Chris walked ahead and towards a tree in the backyard. Shawn could see that it had a ladder.

Another tree house.

And it bordered the tree house from the other side where Edith lived. Chris' house--Shawn's house now--was backed up to Edith's house. Shawn could see the treehouse he had just been in from Chris' backyard.

Shawn looked up at the treehouse, feeling a bit of deja vu as he approached. He wondered if Edith was still camped out with her charts and her mystery files. He continued to follow Chris. "Hey, cool tree house!"

"Yeah" Chris said as he began to climb. "Just wait until you get and see inside!" Chris said, the cynical guard he had kept up for the entire night now giving way to the excitement and wonder more appropriate for a kid his age. Indeed, it was the first time that night Shawn had seen Chris approach something of excitement and happiness.

"What are you waiting for!? Don't be a rotten egg!" Chris aid, his head sticking out from way up above at the base of the house that fit neatly in the tree and then disappearing inside.

Shawn was a little relieved to see that the seemingly standoffish Chris was also capable of earnestness. He couldn't suppress a giggle as he followed Chris up the ladder to the house. "I wanna see the top!"

Shawn gripped each wooden rung of the ladder to pull himself up. The wood was polished and lacquered and provided a much smoother grip than Edith's tree house. But when Shawn got up to the top of the tree house that was when it truly hit him.

The space opened up to a large room. Someone had placed a carpet on the floor and there was even some folding chairs that had been moved into the tree house with a large, spacious table. As Shawn approached, he saw that the table had a map on it. A map of the neighborhood that had been written in colored, black pencil. The homes were highlighted in green, different trails of neighborhoods in red and yellow.

"Welcome to the tree house!" Chris announced, suddenly in a much better mood, it appeared. "Any questions?" He asked, and for once that night, he didn't seem to be annoyed.

Shawn was amazed at what he saw within the tree house, and for once he didn't have to hide his genuine reaction. He looked around at the oversized, carpeted room, with actual furniture inside with openmouthed wonder. "Wow, this place is amazing!" He took a step inside, noticing what was on the table. "Oh cool, what's the map for?"

"It's for the investigation." Chris said. "Lauren is investigating what is happening on Main Street. Basically, kids are disappearing and its really bad. You probably heard about what's going on. But Lauren knows a lot more than you do. She knows a lot more than everyone. Basically, she's going to be a reporter when she grows up."

"So, she likes to go to really dangerous places. Like Main Street."

"She's been collecting information through talking to different kids. She calls them 'sources.'"

Shawn took a closer look at the map, clearly surprised. "Oh, you know about that too? All the kids on Rodeo Drive were worried about that too." Edith had asked him to investigate Celebrity Drive, surely this would help him do just that.

"Do you have any idea what's causing it?" Also like with Edith, Shawn was leery to talk about supernatural causes unless he knew his audience was open to the idea. The last thing he needed was people thinking he was crazy.

"Rodeo Drive. Ha! Edith." Chris snorted with what sounded like dismissal. "Don't worry, you'll get the full briefing." He said, shifting to a more kind voice. "Lauren knows more than anybody on Celebrity Drive, Rodeo Drive or any other street, you name it."

"No idea what's causing it. I don't that is. But I'm pretty sure that Lauren knows. Why? What have you heard?"

Shawn could tell from the way Chris talked about Edith that he shouldn't be too complimentary of her. And at least it gave him an easy way to test the waters. "Well...I heard stuff about weird dreams kids were having - and something about clowns? Have you heard anything like that?" He trailed off a little, as though he was unsure; if Chris thought that was silly, he could pretend it was just something he'd heard from Edith, and not what he believed. If Chris seemed like he believed it, Shawn could explain further.

"Something like that." Chris shrugged, waving away the specifics of what Shawn was alluding to with a lazy gesture of his hand, as if the details were not of major importance to him. "Don't worry. Lauren will be here soon." He said, "When her and the others come, we'll figure it all out."

It didn't take long. Soon after Chris finishes speaking, there was the sound of kids talking and giggling. A pair of small kids hands, appeared from below the decking near the ladder. Black hands, Shawn saw.

A small girl emerged into the tree house. Several other kids followed her into the tree house. They were all neatly dressed, their clothing all prim and proper as if they were a bunch of small adults ready to go on a golf outing at a country club.

The black girl came close to Shawn and he saw she was quite short for her age.



"Are you Shawn?" She said in a friendly, soothing voice. It was the kind of voice that you would want to read you a story before going to bed.

Shawn wasn't sure what to make of Chris' reaction, but fortunately Lauren and her friends arrived and meant he didn't have to explore it further. He gave Lauren a friendly smile. "That's right, I'm Shawn. Are you Lauren?"

The kids behind Lauren began to crowd around, some saying things

"He's the one in the commercial!" one shouted.

"I seen 'em on TV, or in a movie or something." another said.

Lauren smiled at Shawn



"I am. And we're very glad to have you." She said in a friendly tone. "Please, have a seat." She said, a little more formality than Shawn was used to coming from a girl her age. "Welcome to Kids Incorporated." Lauren said, sitting down herself. "That's the name of our tree house club on Celebrity Drive, and this is our Tree House."