Tomorrow Never Comes

Tomorrow Never Comes

11:03 p.m., screamed the projector clock on Fusion’s ceiling. Just telling me that I can’t go to sleep again, thought Fusion, fingering the many buttons and switches on top of her clock. She switched off the projection bulb- now her room was pitch black. Ugh. She sighed, and stacked three pillows up behind her head. Then she switched on her bedside light. Fusion squinted, and felt around for her magazines. Couldn’t find them. Comic books- none. Newspaper- gone. Writing pad- disappeared. Chapter books-vanished. All had been taken to, and left, at school. All she found was her Gameboy, and it was excessively late for that. She switched off the light. Click. Wait a minute- Fusion turned it back on. I still have my artist’s pad, don’t I? She felt around for it- she never left her pad at school, never. “RICKY!!!” Fusion stomped to her brother’s room, hoping to wake him and grab her pad. She slammed the door against the wall as she opened it. “Ricky!” She switched on the light, and her voice became softer. “Ricky, would you happen to know where my pad went?” “Uh, no. Why? What?” “Because there could be two explanations why it’s gone: one, the bloodthirsty aliens took it, or two, you took it!!” Fusion’s eye was twitching from anger at her twin brother. He, like her, had an abnormal orange stripe running through his midnight black hair, but you couldn’t see it, now. Or any part of his face, for that matter, for it was buried deep within his pillow. “The outer space freaks took it. Why would I want your stupid pad!? Go back to sleep, Fusion!” Ricky’s voice was exceptionally muffled, but that phrase was identified quickly as one of his many excuses for ‘borrowing’ her sketchpad. Fusion exploded and jumped on top of Ricky, sending his pillows rocketing into the air. “I’ll get you for this!” Ricky wrestled with Fusion until rain came down onto the skylight as hard as they were coming down on each other. Then they sat back up and watched the rain whip at the disembodied oak branches. Forgetting about her book, Fusion started to talk to Ricky, “Would we survive in that?” She asked him. “What?” “Out in the rain- would we survive?” Ricky paused, thoughtfully observing the percussion that the rain made on the windows. “Probably. Why?” Fusion looked down at her hands, staring guiltily. “Because,” She said, plainly. “Oh, no- you’re not thinking we’re going out in that mess. No way.” “Please?” Fusion was staring at Ricky, but he knew better than to give in. His sister loved storms, and she had talked him into staying out side for the night, before- survival skills, she said. It’ll be fun, she said. Just give it a try, she said. Not this time- this ranger was hiking alone, tonight. Fusion’s puppy dog stare turned into a not-so-puppy-dog glower. A roar of coincidental thunder boomed overhead. “Whatever,” retorted Ricky, uncertainly, “but- but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” As Ricky followed Fusion nervously outside, claps of thunder and streaks of lightning seemed to threaten them. They walked along their porch steps, and ran quickly under the hedges. “See?” Fusion asked, turning around and beaming at her brother, “We’re having fun already!” Ricky winced as another bolt of lightning struck above him. “This is amazing!” Fusion whispered under her breath, while she crawled along the hedge. Ricky checked his watch. “It’s eleven fifty five- Fusion, we have to get back inside!” “No way, this is so cool! Ricky, you need to enjoy the rain more!” The sky darkened even more around them. A bolt of lightning zapped, and the lamppost giving them light went out. Fusion screamed. “Okay, now we can go back inside if you want, Ricky…” BOOM!  Ricky trembled and started to panic. The two crashed into each other, repeatedly. Fusion shrieked again, as a lightning bolt snapped at the hedge. Neither of them could see a thing- they felt muffled and disoriented. The branches seemed to clamp down on and snatch at their bleeding faces. Suddenly, a tiny flicker shone through the darkness. The friendly glint seemed like hope enough for Ricky. Fusion, however, didn’t trust the light enough to follow it. A glimmer shining through her hedge? No way, the mere thought of danger trickled down her shirt- wait- do thoughts trickle? That was the constant rain drizzle. “Ricky! Wait up!” The light grew larger, even when they stopped following it. It also smelled odd. It made the children’s eyes burn. Even through the pain, Fusion’s eyes grew wide. Merciless flames surrounded them. At the stroke of midnight, both Ricky and Fusion were unconscious on the ground. The orange stripes shone through their black hair, as the orange flames shone through the night. Ricky’s watch alarm went off, and that is what was found of them that morning, an unbuckled watch. Unbuckled by the very hands of Izzy Blake, whom you are soon to meet. That is, Izzy Blake, professional runaway.

Part 2
In which we meet Izzy Blake

  Fusion woke up, sweating and still smelling smoke. It looked like they were in a giant ashtray, far off from their real neighborhood. Ricky sat beside her, listening intently to a girl about their age, with burgundy colored hair tied up in a messy bun. She wore an informal dress with jeans underneath it. When she noticed Fusion was up, she stopped talking and looked over at her. “You up yet?” She asked. Fusion coughed. “Who are you?” The girl looked at Fusion. “I’m Izzy. Who are you? I’ve been calling you, That-Kid-Over –There-Who-Sleeps-A-Lot.” Fusion looked at Ricky, uncertainly. “I’m Fusion. Ricky, I want to get back home. Can we go now?” Izzy watched them stand up, then objected. “Hey! Wait a minute! You’re going to leave me here? Just like that? You ask me my name then you leave?!” Ricky thought for a moment, then replied, “You can come along with us if you want, but only for taking us out of that fire.” Fusion pondered this. That is, until she noticed that Izzy already had a head start, then she decided to join the girl. “Wait up!” She called ahead. “Where do you live?” Izzy looked back at her, then looked forward and answered. “Anywhere.” Just that. Anywhere. Fusion was confused. “Anywhere?” She inquired. “Yup. Izzy Blake, professional runaway, at your service.” Izzy stopped walking and turned around. Fusion and Ricky’s faces were blank of expression, except for a tiny bit of shock. Izzy grinned to herself, and kept walking. Ricky and Fusion stared once more at each other, and followed her. “Professional runaway?” Ricky asked in astonishment. “You mean--- you ran away from home?” “No. I ran away from a house. Not home.” Fusion was puzzled. “So… you ran away from a house… and you’ve never been found… and you just, travel a lot?” Izzy was still walking. “Uh, no- I, ah, I’ve been caught before. I just- um, sort of…” She paused. “Okay, I got caught a few times. But I did escape! Every single time, I escaped!” Ricky scoffed. “Okay, so who did you run away from this time? Aunt and Uncle? Grandparents? Police?” As Izzy took a while to reply, Fusion and Ricky looked around. They had traveled far from their neighborhood. Their clothes were becoming ripped and gray from ashes. “I didn’t run away from anyone, I saw the fire and heard Ricky’s watch go off. Now I’m running away from my house, my sister, really, and you guys…” Ricky and Fusion shared an unsure look, “You guys are coming with me.” Izzy started to run. All three of them ran as far out as their legs would carry them, and they only stopped when they reached town. It was fuller with life than the beach in the summertime. The restaurants had no open tables, the motels had no vacancies, the playground looked like a bunch of kids swarming on top of each other. It gave the impression that there was only space for the people who lived there- no room for outsiders. Yet, Izzy walked right up to a bartender and whispered, “Remember me? Izzy Blake?” The bartender backed up, and shouted, “Izzy’s back!” The crowd hovered over Izzy, silence blanketing the air. “Hi, everybody,” She mused, grinning. Fusion strode behind her, trying to appear inconspicuous. It didn’t matter, though, the crowd had its hypnotized gaze directed at Izzy. Ricky leaned over and, feeling rather uncomfortable amidst the silence, whispered, “Izzy, why’s everyone staring at you?” Izzy spoke through the side of her mouth. “Everybody knows me because I live here- duh. I’m the hero- I come here every time that I escape from a house.” Fusion wondered out loud, “Then- aren’t you expected here a lot?” Izzy grinned- “That’s the funny part. You see…” She gestured to the mob. “See, they think that I should be famous, just because…” When the crowd noticed that she was not giving autographs, they lost interest. “Well, when I told you where I’m from, I left out one part.” “What’s that?” Ricky said, expectantly. “I’m related to Houdini… sort of.”

Part 3
In which Houdini’s ancestor receives a not-so-warm greeting

Ricky and Fusion were staring at Izzy now, jaws almost hitting the floor. When Ricky came to, he asked, “Then, shouldn’t you be Izzy Houdini?” Izzy gave an uncomfortable laugh. “Heh, you know, I’m not a relative. I’m a descendant. See, these people sorta think that I’m a- ah, um…” Fusion was surprised that she didn’t shriek her conclusion; “So you’ve been lying to these people for the whole time you’ve know-“ She was silenced by a parade of ducks waddling through, and quacking uncontrollably. Izzy grabbed Ricky and Fusion’s arms and pulled them behind a building. She clasped her hands over their mouths, and they both noticed that she was shaking hysterically. Ricky pushed away her hand. “You’re afraid of a bunch of ducks?” He laughed. “No, I’m afraid of what comes after the ducks!” Indeed, Izzy had all the right to be fearful. Tramping after the awkward birds was a humongous creature, bigger than a rhinoceros, with equally sized tusks that stuck out as far as the animal could see. This was no rhino- it was what our friend Izzy would call a Xiversaur. Fusion just about started to cry when her animal sensitivity set in. “You mean that’s going to eat the poor ducks?” She asked, voice quivering. “No, it thinks the ducks are its children, actually. It protects them.” Fusion let out a sigh of relief. Izzy went on, “It’s people that it hunts.” 


                    Part 4
In which we meet yet another explorer

  All three of the kids stayed deadly silent. Izzy started to shake even more heavily, Ricky held his breath as long as he could, and Fusion- well, Fusion was a complete wreck. She was pale as a ghost, and was stiff as a pole. She dared not move, expecting the dark-furred beast to rampage at them any minute. The Xiversaur was pawing the dirt, tagging behind the ducks. Everyone was silent and frozen in his or her place. Except one person- a small girl. Probably about three or four, and she had what seemed to be an endless amount of plastic necklaces wrapped repeatedly around her neck. She was grinning from ear to ear, and tiptoeing up to the Xiversaur on her skinny little feet. Despite the glittering jewelry around her neck, she looked a wreck. She wore shorts and an almost demolished shirt. Her brown and blonde hair hung down past her knees, and she looked like she had fallen in a pool, then in a pile of dirt. Despite the mess, she was adorable. Also, she looked like she knew what she was doing when she approached the Xiversaur. With a determined look in her eyes, she sprung at the beast and wrapped one of her necklaces around its ear. It looked like it was about to attack her, when it turned around and started moving out of the city. The ducks waddled after it, now. The people let out sighs and turned away from the triumphant girl, back to their unimaginative lives. Izzy ran up to the girl, picked her up, and swung her in the air playfully. When Izzy put her down, and the girl stopped laughing, Izzy asked,”Who are you? And how did you do that?” Ricky and Fusion withdrew from behind the building, and gazed at the girl, expectantly. “Answer number one,” she began, “I’m Mars. Answer number two, the Xiversaur is sort of like an elephant, but you can control it longer. You see, when the elephant feels the nerve sensation on its left ear, it directs its self left. When the Xiversaur, which is a much more specific animal, feels the sensation on its left ear, it decides to migrate westward.” Izzy, Fusion, and Ricky stood gawking at Mars. She had a satisfied grin on her face. Izzy picked Mars up and put her on her shoulders. “From now on, you’re traveling with us.” Izzy proclaimed, with a grin of her own.

Part 5
In which our beloved travelers- um- travel

  Izzy had a particular fondness of Mars, who always rode proudly on her shoulders. Ricky and Fusion were just following Izzy and Mars, not caring where they would end up. Not that it mattered, Izzy wasn’t paying attention most of the time, and was distracted by Mars. Mars would pull playfully on Izzy’s hair and Izzy would tickle Mars’ sides. Fusion wished that Mars would at least say something to her, but Izzy preoccupied her. It was heading on dusk when the four voyagers (and slight runaways) sat down to rest. Izzy was grateful for the break particularly, after carrying Mars on her shoulders for the whole time. It was then, also, that Fusion became slightly suspicious of Mars. “Wait…” she began, “where do you live?” Mars tilted her head, politely. “Huh?” she asked, eyes squinted. Izzy tried to make her understand. “Where is your house?” Mars stared up at Izzy with immense, russet colored eyes. “I live with you, Iz.” She answered, innocently. Izzy sighed, then tried again, “Where did you live before you met me?” Mars looked at the trio with an endearing stare. “I lived anywhere.” She nuzzled Izzy, and they all lay down for the night. Except one- Mars got up as soon as the others were asleep, and began to write, by the light of the moon.
  Dear Journal…
The victims are asleep.

Part 6
In which Mars is identified as a felon

  Early in the morning, Fusion woke up and stumbled sleepily over to Mars, who was lying on the ground with her eyes closed. “Mars, wake up. We have a big day ahead of…” Just as Fusion was about to finish her sentence, she spotted a notebook lying on the ground, beside Mars. Mars had a pen in her hand. She opened it up- one page started, “Dear Journal, I have hatched a brilliant scheme…” another began, “Dear Journal, my plan is working out perfectly…” Fusion was amazed. Mars had perfect penmanship, and she had spelled every word correctly. Fusion decided to read Mars’ last entry. This is what Fusion read: Dear Journal, the victims are asleep. I am writing by moonlight, as I always do. Izzy, whom I mentioned to you in my last entry, is falling particularly into my trap. You see, she carries me around on her shoulders all day. Once she gets ti-

Ricky, who was now waking up and yawning noisily, halted Fusion from her reading. She hid the book behind her back and smiled at Ricky. Ricky sat up, and kicked Izzy in the side. “Wake up!” He shouted at her. She didn’t move. While Ricky was preoccupied trying to wake up Izzy, (and not succeeding, mind you), Fusion checked the date for the entry she had just read. It was written last night. She gasped, and kept reading. It read, “Once she gets tired enough, she will wake up very late, giving me extended time to formulate more of my plan.” Fusion looked back over at Izzy, still asleep on the ground. Fusion was, without knowing it, holding the book instinctively behind her back. She felt it being grabbed away from her hands, and then heard Mars’ voice; “You know too much.”


Part 7
In which Fusion is captured and held prisoner

  Fusion felt a cold hand stifle her throat, and gasped desperately for breath. Mars was very strong. For a second, she thought she had knocked her head and was unconscious, but it was only Mars using all her strength to drag Fusion, by her neck and shoulders, to who-knows-where. Now, at this point, you are probably confused. Where were Ricky and Izzy, you ask? Why wasn’t a brave hero coming to rescue Fusion from her imminent doom? Where exactly was Mars lugging her to, in the middle of nowhere? Well, quizzical reader, Ricky and Izzy were now alarmingly awake, and aware of their desolate surroundings. They were preoccupied by searching for a path, road, sidewalk, etcetera, etcetera. Next, you can’t always rely on Superman or another to come and swoop you out of your unfortunate situation. (That’s the author’s job.) At that moment, he was probably at the Laundromat, getting his spandex tights ironed. Anyways, Mars was even a smarter girl than we, and Fusion, thought. No, she did not have an underground lair, mind you, but she had nowhere. You read it- nowhere. She dragged a squirming Fusion into the middle of nowhere, dumped her on the ground, and fastened her shoeless foot on her throat. “You stay here. And if you chase me,” she put on her mocking three-year-old-girl voice, “I’ll tell them that you got mad at me and told me you’d hurt me.” She giggled menacingly. Fusion only had a few words in her. “Ricky… will never… believe… you…” Mars snickered again. “But Izzy will!” She ran farther than Fusion could see, and Fusion passed out, exhausted. When Mars got back to Ricky and Izzy, she elaborated a whole story. “Fusion sleepwalked in the middle of the night. I thought that she would come right back, so I went back to sleep. Then I woke up, and- and…” It was then that she burst into a fit of crocodile tears.          Ricky was extremely displeased, and faintly doubtful of Mars. When Izzy went to comfort her, Ricky smacked her arm and she drew back. Mars was becoming slightly uncomfortable around Ricky, also- just like his meddlesome sister, she thought, just like his meddlesome sister.


Part 8
In which Fusion is luckily unaccompanied, and is hatching a plan of her own

Fusion was lying on the ground, still weak from the painful struggle, and was thinking angrily about Mars. Was her plan continuing to succeed? Could Ricky have fallen further into the trap? How was she supposed to know? Fusion sat up and rubbed her aching neck. “I need to find Izzy,” she then said to herself, “before it’s too late.” Fusion stood up and began walking around. She walked as far as she could, and then sat down in the middle of nowhere. She reached in her pocket for the BLT she had gotten in town. It was gone. She looked around, desperate for food. It was then that she spotted something being tossed around in the wind- her sketchpad. She ran to it, and picked it up. It was a bit singed on the edges, but she opened it to a middle page. There were no drawings in the pad. The page she turned to said, “Turn left, then keep going.” She flipped to another page. “Respect directions,” it read. She flipped to the cover page. It said FUSION on the front. She started to turn right, but the pad slipped out of her hands, leaving a nasty gash in her finger. She turned left, and then walked straight. After a while, she could make out two- no, three- figures in the distance. She started to run. When she reached Ricky, Izzy, and Mars, she started to explain that Mars had taken her somewhere, but then the book dropped from her arms and Ricky asked where she had found it. She looked at the page, “lie.” It read. Fusion said that she had had it for the whole time. Then she continued on about Mars, but the book dropped again. It was opened to a page that said, “Look at her.” Fusion looked at Izzy, then at Mars. Mars was glaring at her, a scowl perched permanently on her lips. Fusion took one last glance at the book: Run!

Part 9
In which Fusion and Mars get into a rather frustrating fight

Fusion ran as fast as she could, clutching the book to her chest. Mars was hot on her heels. She swiped at Fusion with every step, and twice she grabbed her by the hair and wouldn’t let go. Fusion was almost at the point where she would scream: “I give up!” when… “Mars! You deceptive, callous little rat!” Mars was yanked back by a very fuming Izzy, whose face was a mask of rage. Mars screamed and kicked, until Izzy let go of her throat, and quickly took hold of the necklaces that hung from her neck. Mars grasped at the jewelry, and gagged a bit. Izzy gritted her teeth, and the words barely got out- “Mars, you louse. You lied to me. No one lies to me.” She pulled the beads tighter on the last sentence. “Now you’ll pay…” Mars pushed her fingers between the beads and her throat, so she could speak. “Izzy… let go… of me…” she gagged at each word. Izzy let go of the necklace, but still held Mars by her shoulders. “What do you want?” She screamed at the small girl. Mars pointed at Ricky, who was now standing agape, watching the scene before him. “What?” Inquired a heavily breathing Fusion. Mars pointed again, and then Fusion and Izzy saw it. Ricky was holding a book. Not just any book- Ricky was holding Mars’ diary.

Part 10
In which the diary is read, and Fusion gets some more help from her trusty sketchbook.

Izzy dropped Mars in amazement, and Mars scrambled to her feet. She stomped over, and grabbed the diary from Ricky, who stretched his hand out, and tapped his foot. Mars, remembering Izzy’s hands grasping her shoulders, shamefully placed the book in Ricky’s hand. He flipped to the first page. It read:

  Dear Journal,
I am extremely bored. I have almost nothing to do. The Xiversaur has once more trampled my bicycle, and now I have no way of getting across town. I will go see if Jeremy will loan his bicycle to me.
  It was not until the later chapters that Mars wrote about her scheme, which was formulated in entry number 12:
Dear Journal,
Jeremy says that if I had any imagination, I would figure out something to do. Poor Jeremy- he gave me an idea. If I can find someone gullible enough to think I am a sweet little angel, then I can…

They had almost read the sentence when Fusion looked at her sketchbook. It read: Listen. She strained her ears to decipher the muffled sound of frantic quacking.



Part 11
In which Mars’ plan unfolds, and we near the end of the story

Fusion grabbed Ricky’s hand, Ricky grabbed Izzy’s arm, and Izzy covered Mars’ sneering mouth. Fusion saw the last words of the chapter:
…then I can tame the Xiversaur enough to run everyone out of the town, and I can search for the last necklace without suspicion around me.

The stomping of bulky hooves interrupted the silenced readers. The Xiversaur marched up to Mars, gave her a small nudge, and then turned to Fusion. Mars’ mouth was enveloped, but under Izzy’s hand she was grinning in anticipation. Fusion was a quick thinker, and she automatically flashed back to when she had first met Mars. She quickly patted the beast behind its right ear- it turned. It sniffed the air, and trudged off. That was easy. Fusion thought. Just as the Xiversaur was out of sight, Fusion turned to Mars, “The last necklace?” She inquired. Mars pushed Izzy away irritably, and then answered, “I collect valuable necklaces. Even if they don’t belong to me. One could power a whole city if it got wet, for example. These aren’t just pieces of junk, you know.” Fusion was now extremely bemused. “So, where’s the last necklace?” She asked Mars. Mars let out a surprised gasp, and chucked the pad out of Fusion’s hands. Out of the binding flew a long necklace, beaded with eleven pearls hanging on a shining silver chain. Mars grinned in contentment, and lunged for the jewelry. Izzy picked it up quickly, Mars grasped the air for her beloved. “Oh, no…” Izzy began, tauntingly. “We aren’t getting a bit selfish with our jewels, are we? Tsk, tsk.” Mars gritted her teeth and punched at Izzy, but the eleven year old showed no sign of reaction. Izzy playfully dropped the necklace from one hand to another, pretending to loosen her grip now and again. Fusion snatched the pad back from Mars, staring in amazement. “So, you’ve had my notepad for the whole time… and you hid the necklace in the binding… and you…” she was cut short by Izzy, who was still mocking Mars. “Nope, can’t have it. I think I’ll sell it to the second hand store for, what do you think, three cents?” Mars’ face was a mask of horror. “NO!” She screamed, her voice being carried by the wind. “That necklace is so powerful, it effected Fusion’s pad! And it was just stuck in the binding! It could change the face of the earth, if worn!” As soon as she finished her sentence, she clamped her hand over her mouth, and muttered disapprovingly at herself. Everyone around her smiled.