Chapter 24

chapter twenty-four Neon, you're alive, quat. I'm so happy to see Neon, I try to hug him! But my arms are tied at my sides, so he nuzzles his snout into my armpit. If that's how Wretches hug, I wholeheartedly approve. "I thought you were dead!" I exclaim. Neon huffs, as if to say, How dare you doubt me?

"But how did you find me?" I ask. Just then, Johnny Steve walks through the door! "I suspected this particular band of Rifters used Putt-Putt on the High Seas as a hideout." "But, Neon... Neon, you were... done for! The Boss Rifter even told me!" I glance at Johnny Steve. "How is he...?" Neon turns, striding to Johnny Steve and nuzzling against him. I gasp—Neon's left side is absolutely covered in bandages. "It took a lot of Choco Taco wrappers," Johnny Steve explains. He lowers his hood, and I see he's plastered in napkin gauze and even has a waffle cone over one wounded eye. I have to choke back a laugh—it looks like a second beak. Johnny Steve scratches Neon's neck while he fills me in. "After you were taken, I didn't know what to do. But I knew you were trying to save Neon. So I figured..." He suddenly looks very shy. "Well, I figured if that's what

humans do for their friends, then I should do the same. Because—" "Because you're a human expert," I say, grinning. He smiles the widest smile I've ever seen. "Oh, you and I should also do hugs now!" he says as he hurries over to cut me free. His walking sword is splashed with Wretch goo. I shake my head in stunned awe. A moment after he cuts me loose, I hear a squeaky voice say, "HELLO!"

GOBLET, um, were you back through the whole time? You seems pretty bummed out. Wanted to give you some alone time gloves. You made it Just then, Neon slams into me so hard I practically flip over. I throw my arms around his neck, squeezing so tight that it hurts my bruised wrists. "Neon, I'm sorry," I say. "I'm so, so sorry. I never should have taken you there...." Neon slips out of my arms, then he looks at the floor.

"Hey, buddy—hey," I say softly, tilting my head so I can see him better. "Why did the Wretches attack you like that?" Neon then pushes his head forward, so our nostrils are nearly touching. His eyes lock on to mine, and I feel his gaze creating bubbles in the back parts of my brain. But I don't look away. "It's okay," I say. "Show me." Neon peers closer—so close that our faces touch. Looking through me. I hear a faraway BOOM, and then I'm not at the mini golf course anymore. I'm not anywhere. I don't see a vision of the future and I don't see a memory of the past. Instead, this time I see— Neon. He's a baby, even younger than he is today. But he doesn't look the same, and

it's not just because he's smaller. He's happier. He has his wings! He's soaring through the sky, dipping and twirling and tumbling. He zooms around other baby Wretches and they play-wrestle in the sky. Everything looks different—the sky is pink and speckled, the ground seems to float, and water hangs in the air, unmoving.