Monkey writes junky

[MonkeyDude]

Sooooo...This is a mess, but I had this idea so I went ahead and wrote it down. I thought I'd get some second opinions on it. Criticism is welcome. I don't really ever intend on writting anything again so I probably won't be too active on this page. If you have any questions on it feel free to ask.
And yes I love the bittersweet stuff.

(Also I'm sure there are a lot of errors in there.)

It was a particularly slow day at Whit's End, which was probably a good thing considering Mr. Whittaker was extremely short staffed today, He had given Connie the day off letting her spend some bonding with Jules, Eugene really didn't come to Whit's end often anymore with his job at the college and Nick had long since left the town of Odyssey.
On days like this Whit felt as if he could close his eyes and drift back to a time when the shop was filled with life and laughter.
It all felt like just yesterday when Connie and Eugene's bickering filled the kitchen, scaring away young bystanders wishing to order the flavor of the day. He never thought he'd miss it but days like today made him long for it.
Hushed voices from a corner booth tore him from his thoughts,
“It couldn't have been Phillip, he was riding the unicycle in the back of the room!”
“I don't know Em’, he was giving me vibes.”
“Well, we need more evidence than you feeling 'vibes’”
Whit knew he shouldn't eavesdrop on Matthew and Emily's latest mystery so he tried to tune out of the conversation, knowing they would probably ask for his advice later anyway, he suppressed a chuckle. (It did sound like an interesting case though)
Sometimes those two reminded him of so many kids that had come before. Of course, every person was a unique creation of God, but every now and then he couldn't help notice quirks that would take him back. Whether it'd be the sparkle of mischief gleaming in someone's eye that reminded him so much of Jared, Cal, and Curt, coming up with new schemes or conspiracies, or maybe, that meek, innocent smile that Lucy or Mandy always dawned as they tried to put up with someone else's shenanigans. Maybe he would hear a sassy voice, that Whit knew would never be able to compete with the overwhelming sass level of Sarah. Sometimes he'd even notice that uncertainty of Alex, Trent or Dwaine as they were pulled along on an adventure they hadn't ever signed up for that would show in new kids that would come to the shop.
He had watched so many kids grow into the people God had made them to be, they were off getting jobs, moving away, and some were even getting married and having kids. (Looking at you Trent and Mandy)
Whit couldn't lie, it was sometimes a little sad, but it was all so rewarding. Jared was working for an investigative branch in the secret service (though that was not to be disclosed), Jimmy was just promoted to an editor for a paper in D.C working for none other than Lucy Cunningham Schultz and Jack was off at a big name college in D.C as well with a bright future ahead.
It all seemed like a dream, and that one day he'd wake up and hear that oh so familiar bell and look over to find all of them strolling through the front door laughing and chatting with that breeze of childhood absorbing the room in an instant.
So much time has passed so quickly if you dared to even blink you might miss it.
It seemed like just yesterday Digger tested the Imagination Station for the first time,
Just yesterday Connie and Eugene got a little too curious with that fruit-named computer program, just yesterday Dr. Blackard turned their lives upside-down,
Just yesterday Bernard would complain about something or other in a way only he could,
Just yesterday George Barclay labeled the now Iconic drink the Wod-Fam-Choc-Sod,
Just yesterday he'd disappeared for so long, spending time he would never get back,
Just yesterday Rodney Rathbone struck fear in the hearts of all the kids in town
Just yesterday Jared had some new conspiracy to chase down a rabbit hole,
Just yesterday Eugene had gotten involved with something so much bigger than him,
Just yesterday Alex, Cal, Sarah, and Mandy gathered together in Wonder-world trying to help in whatever way they could,
Just yesterday Tom saved the world,
Just yesterday Connie was getting married to Mitch,
Just yesterday Connie wasn't,
Just yesterday Odyssey was almost the best small town,
Just yesterday when Whit noticed everyone had grown up and moved on…
....yet he was still here.


Whit makes an effort to keep contact with most the kids, updating them on what's happening around Odyssey and they'll tell him their problems and achievements. Whit listens, overjoyed they still confide in him and the fact he had the chance to impact so many lives no matter how much it may sting. Because it's worth it.
“....Mr. Whittaker?”
“Ah, Matthew, sorry my mind was off somewhere else. What can I do for you?”
“Well, we wanted to ask for your input on this case involving the school talent show.”
“Someone used a remote-controlled tocan to hijack the stage lights and ruin the show” Emily butted in.
“At this point, I think someone is just mocking us.” Matthew replied.
“But who could that someone be..?”
The corners of Whit's lips curled up into a smile and his eyes gleamed with fondness. He encourages them to keep trying and if they were really desperate he had some books in the library on tracing remote controlled signals and even a little experience himself. They seem interested so he tells them he will be there in a minute to help them along as they both depart to the library.

Whit closes his eyes for but a second, hearing hundreds of voices, laughing, crying, and singing. Bright images explode in the lightest of darkness as he sees so many he hasn't seen in years. He lets his mind take him far into the past. Just as quickly as they closed, old, wise eyes open once again, deciding that he wouldn't trade a second of any of it, as they move along and take off on a new adventure.

Good, bad, train wreck? Let me know.

[PennyBassett]

Excellent! You should write more often. I honestly wouldn't change a thing. I felt everything along with Whit. It was great!

[GJFH]

This is really really good ! The visual descriptions you worked to give us were amazing, and I love how you ended it.

[MonkeyDude]

Thank you! I appreciate it.

[MonkeyDude]

So I've been working on kinda a post-Novacom Alex-centric story for awhile now. It mostly follows all the kids that were involved with the whole Novacom thing and a little bit of a darker spin on it. (mostly with Cal, nothing too bad though) All the relationships will be platonic so far and I'm not really sure how long I'm going to make it. But if anyone's interested let me know.

[Katie10]

I would like to read that. Sounds interesting!

[PennyBassett]

Sounds really interesting!

[PennyBassett]

Yeah, I'd love to read it!

[MonkeyDude]

Yeah, I'd love to read it!

Some little bits were actually lightly inspired by some of those headcannons you sent me, I hope that's alright. I've done my best to keep my grubby 'Alex and Sarah' shipping hands off of the story so far but it probably will be one of the relationships more focused on. I'll probably get a chapter or maybe just the whole thing up here pretty soon.

[Katie10]

Ok! I'll be waiting.

[MonkeyDude]

Ok! I'll be waiting.

Sweet! Thanks.

[MonkeyDude]

Um yeah hi! So this isn't the Alex story I was talking about like two years ago, ( it still sits, tucked away in google docs, waiting...) instead I started a self-indulgent piece on the Rydell Saga. I've always considered myself an Emily neutral but dang man, these past few episodes have been rough and I really wanted to take it in a direction I didn't think the show would touch on(I dare you to prove me wrong Phil). And since my masochistic self is drawn to potential angst I couldn't help it. I have a bit more written up, and to be real I really don't have any idea where it's headed(so if you have any theories or suggestions let me know) but I thought I'd get a little bit of it out before Rydell Revelations crashed into my motivation like a wrecking ball. It already isn't really canon complaint due to it taking place a few hours after 'Further From the Truth'. Also, I apologize for the many errors and confusing tenses, criticism and suggestions are welcome! Anyways, I'll stop rambling and present you with the Overwhelming and Slightly Diabolical Downfall of Emily Jones (titles aren't my strong suit(Hah! Like I have a strong suit))

(Btw, here's the obligatory warning, this story will deal with a lot of anxiety and panic stuff, so please continue with caution if that causes you any discomfort)

Tick
.
Tock.
.
Tick..
.
Tock...

The droning tick of the wall clock seemed only to grow louder with every insistent tick. The audible manifestation of passing time festered inside of her brain, and in an act of frustration (and possible sleep deprivation), Emily Jones let her head crash down atop the countless papers littering her desk.

no no no

this can't be right

Immediately jerking up, Emily's hands flew furiously, snatching some of the papers tightly enough to crumple them. She couldn't give up yet! She and Matthew had to escape and she was running out of air andshecouldn'tbreatheandtheywasgoingtosufficate-

no that wasn't right either

With a deep breath, Emily found herself in the solace of her dimly lit room. Recollection slammed into her like a tidal wave as she buried her head in her hands. This had been happening more than she was willing to admit since the escape room fiasco a week prior, and today's incident in the kitchen/imagination station hadn't done her any favors either.

She wasn't blind.

Maybe she was a little in over her head this time.

But she was fine.

She'd make it through this on her own.

Who needed a firm grasp on reality anyways? As her rapidly beating heart began slow, Emily focused on regaining her composer. Recently though, focus had become an afterthought and her declining grades (and mental state) would soon speak for it.

She was safe.

Matthew was safe.

They escaped.

But it wasn't over.

She just didn't get it. This wasn't missing video games and psychotic parrots anymore. Someone was willing to break multiple laws just to toy with her. And if she was being honest (which she wasn't), that was maybe a little scary.


Why her?

She had her suspicions. But nothing made sense. No matter how long she thought. No matter how much red yarn and push points she used up.

What did Morrie have to gain?


Emily's eyes drifted up to the clock. She had to squint in order to tell but the hands of the clock read back to her.

3:26

3:26

3:26 3:26 3:263:263:263:263:263:263:263:263:263:26326326326326326326326326326

3 proceeds 2 and is followed by 4. 3 is a prime number. 3:26.3 times 2 equals 6. Hah! 3 times 2 equals 6! 3 times 2 equals 6? 6 equals the amount of digits in Matthew Parker's phone passcode. 6 equals how many times Barrett has missed family dinner this month. 6 equals the square root of 36. There are 6 letters in Morrie. 6 equals the amount of hours she has slept this week.

Ugh! Sleep. Sleeping is what she should be doing!

But you're so close.

Once again, Emily's weary eyes hesitantly traveled back up to the clock. Her stomach sunk. 3:49. It felt like meer seconds but somehow over 20 minutes had passed.

AND SUCH A SELF-SACRIFICIAL CHOICE, EMILY! SURELY THAT MADE YOU FEEL… GOOD?

But she couldn't sleep! Not yet. Not while a case remained unsolved. Not while her detective skills were under a personal attack. Not while she was being targeted for reasons she couldn't understand. Not while she definitely wasn't missing her best friend and the calm reassurance and common sense he'd offer whenever she'd become a tiny bit too obsessive.
Emily thought back to the time when she'd received the wrong test score and was mistakenly labelled a genius. Despite not understanding her motives or reasoning, Matthew had reluctantly agreed to help her study for a test she wasn't quite at the capacity of taking. She plunged absolutely overboard, disregarding his pleas for her to slow down. But he was stubborn too, determined to say or do whatever she truly needed. And while at the time she had brushed off his concern, refusing to listen because he just didn't understand, if someone were to sit her down right now and tell her to stop, she just might let them. Matthew was good at that.
Emily had promised Mr. Whittaker she'd talk to Matthew and she still intended too. Everything in her wanted to try to talk him out of his decision; to make him remember how much he loved detective work and solving mysteries together. To make him understand that she needed him. But Emily knew that she had to let go. She didn't really want him to continue to solve mysteries with her if it made him unhappy, did she? She'd already wasted too many years of their friendship being selfish and borderline manipulative. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she wasn't as upset about his withdrawal from Jones & Parker, but more about the potential withdrawal of his presence from her life. She'd always seen the detective agency as the glue that defined and held their friendship together. Without it… would they be able to stay close? Probably not, she figured.
But it's fine.

She's fine.

It's what he wanted, right?

Matthew sent her a couple text messages asking how she was doing and/or if they could talk but she had yet to respond. She had typed up a response probably a dozen times but just ended up deleting them.

Better late than never.

Emily clumsily reached across the desk for her phone, her hand rummaging around and knocking around various memorabilia before finally locating it. Filled with the courage of 3 cups of coffee and the reassurance that she couldn't really screw this up any worse than she already has, Emily typed up a message, a slight tremor to her thumbs, and sent it without looking back.

'Can you meet me tomorrow morning at Whit's End?' She replied back. But what she hadn't expected was the next-to immediately response-

Of course. i'll be there.''

It almost went unnoticed by Emily that Matthew Parker was up so late. But she didn't get to be the detective she was by not taking note of key details. A late night or two wasn't too unreasonable for Matthew, especially if something was on his mind or if he was working on a project. He could be obsessive too (though his common sense kept him from reaching the depths she would dive into). She'd leave well enough alone. This time.

And with that, Emily's eyelids fell to the weight of total exhaustion as she finally gave into the-

A soft knock at her bedroom door immediately jolted her awake from her 'free trial' of slumber. For a moment, Emily sat in a daze, unsure if the knock had been real or another cruel joke by her subconscious.

"Hey Em, are you awake?" A hushed voice inquired on the other side of the door.

Emily blinked once or twice before recognizing the voice as her brother Barrett.

Ok, it had to be real, right?

"Oh! Um- yeah. Give me a second!"

With all the energy she could muster, Emily pushed herself up from her desk and trudged over to the door.

"I just noticed that you had a light still on in your room and I-"

As the door creaked open to reveal his very disheveled little sister, whatever Barrett was going to say died on his tongue.

"Emily... You look terrible!" He exclaimed, disregarding any previous attempt he'd made to be quiet and wildly motioning at her with his finger.

"Shhh! Are you trying to wake up the whole neighborhood?" She scolded, "It's three in the morning, what'd you expect?"

"Sorry." Barrett whispered, "I just…". He waited a moment before his voice took a lower tone. "I've noticed that there's been a light on in your room almost every night this week and I just wanted to make sure that everything was ok." Barrett murmured. Her brother Barrett had never exactly been the worrying type (or observant come to think of it) but his voice held a genuine concern.

Emily closed her eyes and gave a weak hum.

"I'm fine." She whispered. Her voice wavering as she opened her eyes to meet Barrett's gaze. Along with the furrowed brow and the rare glint of worry in his eyes, he had his jaw pushed forward like he always did when he was thinking.

"Wait," Emily said, the gears in her mind turning, "Why are you up anyways? Come to think of it, why have you been up every night this week to know that I've been up?"

"Oh, I was just getting a glass of water. Y'know gotta stay hydrated!"

"Uh-huh…" Emily said suspiciously, narrowing her eyes and leaning against her door frame.

"Oh come on, Em. Please don't go playing detective now."

"Ugh fine," She huffed, lightly rolling her eyes before getting more serious.
"But...you wouldn't lie to me right?"

A small flash of guilt etched in his face, which, maybe if she had slept in the last 48 hours would have registered as unusual.

"'Course not." He studied her a moment longer, guilt disappearing, before continuing, "Plus, do you really think that I could get away with it?"

A smirk tugged on Emily's lips and it was in that moment she realized just how tired she was.

"You should really get to bed Em'." He suggested.

"Yeah, I guess so...Goodnight Barrett." She conceded.

"Night Em!"

Barrett turned to walk back down the hall.

"Wait!" Emily called out, causing Barrett to look over his shoulder. "Thanks...for checking on me."

The same guilt flashed on his face when he looked back at her.

"Course' Em."

[Carl]

Ohhh, please continue...!

[ByeByeBrownie]

THIS. IS. FANTASTIC. Thanks for posting!

[MonkeyDude]

I appreciate it guys! Hopefully I can crank something out kinda soon

[MonkeyDude]

Welcome back to train-wreck part two! I feel like I have some idea where this is headed now so if I can actually maintain the drive to finish it that'll be fun so yeah. This officially ends the segment I had written before hand so that is slightly less fun. I'm warning you guys those, I'm lowkey a slow burn kinda person so this could be painfully yawn inducing. Also, I took a couple liberties with this chapter and I'm curious how they will hold up from an outside perspective. Anyways, here ya go, I hope you get something out of it. If you have any criticism, comments, or concerns feel free to let me know. There's some authors note junk in the second spoiler box which totally isn't necessary but I just had some junk to say.

The sidewalks of Odyssey were riddled with cracks and crevices. Well worn and loved from all their years of loyal service. Every now and then, one might stumble upon where initials, hand-prints, or bike tracks had been sculpted into the wet cement by unsuspecting kids, unbeknownst to the legacy they'd leave behind for the generations to come. There was one that had always caught Matthew Parker's eye however. It wasn't anything too crazy, just a simple drawing of a UFO, but it had never ceased to perplex him. It's essence was only aided by the inscription carved beside it:

"There coming. Beware."

While Matthew was pretty sure the grammatical error of the word 'there' would bother him for the rest of eternity, the sketch and warning always filled him with a sense of wonder.


Who had written it?

Where were they now?

Could aliens really be out there (correct use of 'there', take notes mysterious author), and if so, when were they coming?


And that was when he first felt it - the longing for answers, the hunger for knowledge - that's how it all started. Six year old Matthew's new found curiosity only grew, and from there a new light had shed on the world. Driven by the pursuit of understanding and some goofy little drawing of a UFO, Matthew started asking questions.

How does this work?

What does this do?

Why is this the way that it is?

And while most of his questions led to the exasperation of his parents, they also led him to Emily Jones.

.................................................................................................................................................................................

"Hey what's that?"

"Woah!" Matthew shrieked, jumping out of his own skin and nearly dropping the object he had been inspecting into the sand. "You scared me." He said, clutching the object to his chest and turning to face whoever was responsible for the uncomfortable heart palpitations he was experiencing.

"W-who are you? He asked breathlessly.

"Oh sorry. You really should pay more attention to your surroundings, you never know what could happen! I'm Emily!" She said, holding out her hand with a smile. Matthew gave a quick glance around the Odyssey Elementary playground before hesitantly reaching out to shake her hand.

"Oh, uh I'm Ma-"

"Matthew." She finished for him.

"How'd you kn-"

"It's on your backpack over there" She pointed to his discarded backpack a few yards from where they stood beside the swing set.

"Ah." He said. Still a tad skeptical.

"So, what've you got there, Matthew?" Emily asked, releasing his hand and nodding to the object he clutched in his other.

"Oh, I found it buried in the sand over by the slide. It kinda looks like a-" Matthew stopped himself. "Wait. Why do you want to know?"

"I don't know, just curious I guess."

Matthew thought for a moment, scrunching up his nose in indecision. He scanned her over and was met with an anticipant and front-toothless grin before finally conceding and uncurling his fingers to unveil the object.

"It kinda looks like a USB." He stated as he held his hands out to allow her to more closely inspect the object. She gave him a puzzled look.

"A U.S. Bee..?"

"I think it's something that plugs into computers"

" Uh-huh…" She said nodding slowly, struggling to comprehend the information but still making an effort. Emily's gaze drifted back to the pseudo "USB". Suddenly her eyes lit up.

"Oh! I think I know where I've seen one of these before! Follow me!" She exclaimed, racing off of the playground. Matthew hesitated, unsure of what to do. Emily turned back around and gestured with her arms for him to follow.

"What are you waiting for? The recess bell is going to ring soon!" She called back. And that was enough for him, following after her.

.................................................................................................................................................................................

Emily was a whole lot of things; blunt, tenacious, determined, bold; he could go on. Matthew was labeled as a pretty tolerant and easygoing individual, and even though he was probably one of the few kids with the patience to manage her in their earlier years, there had been many a time those qualities had been tested by Emily Jones. But they were a good fit; bonded by their shared curiosity and need for answers.

"See! We make a great team!"

If Matthew had learned anything in his 14 years of life, it'd be that you always wanted to be on Emily Jones' side, no matter what. She always finds a way, always learns, always grows. And if you put your faith in her, she will never let you down. Emily would do literally anything for the people she cared about. Anything. If you go down, you go down together. And even if he's grown tired of the mysteries, he certainly didn't intend to lose that. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was let Emily down. But...

It wasn't that he suddenly hated solving mysteries or anything, and he definitely didn't hate spending time with Emily, but he really just wanted more time to do the things he really truly enjoyed.

Yeah, that was it.

Maybe he just needed some time to figure things out. He didn't really know. There was a lot going on right now in his life and cases had kinda become a sore spot for him (They definitely did not have the tendency to chip away at his already impaired self esteem. Nope).

Plus, she didn't need him. Emily would get along just fine (if not much better) without him. He knew that.

So. He quit.

And then everything got even more confusing.

The only reason he'd ever taken that mask is because he knew that he could never talk her out of something once she had made up her mind. She could just be so frustrating. He guesses they were never really in any real danger but they hadn't known that. She was willing to-

He was trying not to think about it.

He was really just trying not to think these days.


The small bells chimed in greeting as he pushed open the doors to Whit's End.

“Greetings Master Matthew! A pleasure to see you on such a pulchritudinous morning!” Eugene cheerfully declared from behind the counter.

“Hey Eugene," Matthew said with a yawn. "What are you doing here?”

“Well Mr. Whittaker has embarked on his annual Saturday morning run and Mrs. Kendall had an...unfortunate run in with a toaster oven and asked if I was available to assist.”

"That sounds... stressful.”

“Yes, it was quite the mishap. Any who, Mrs. Jones said to send you to the booth by the library when you arrived. Can I get you anything?”

Matthew cast a quick glance to the booth Eugene addressed.

“Yeah, I’ll take a black coffee.”

Eugene gave Matthew a quizzical look. "Now, I certainly don’t mean to cast uncertainty on the ancient proverb ‘A customer is always right’ but large amounts of caffeinated beverage flowing through your youthful and compact frame seems… rather unwise.”

“Don’t worry. It isn’t for me.” Matthew reassured him. Though, the same probably applied to Emily as well.

It's the least he could do

“If you insist.”

Eugene made his exit into the kitchen for a moment leaving Matthew at the counter.

Matthew had had a lot on his mind these past few weeks. If he was being honest (which he wasn't), he just felt a little out of place.

Eugene hastily returned from the kitchen with the 'caffeinated beverage' but hesitated before handing it to him.

"Uh...Matthew." He addressed, lacking his staple sureness that he so commonly possessed as he fidgeted his glasses in place. "Mr Whittaker has mentioned the events from previous days very briefly. From what you and he mentioned when we were tidying Mr. Whittaker's work room the other day as well as what he informed me of last night, would I be correct in drawing the conclusion that this is...more sinister than you and Mrs. Jones usual escapades?"

"Actually it's just Emily's… I quit." Matthew didn't hide his downcast tone.

"Hmmm I see. The sleuthing life wasn't a proper fit?"

"Uh, yeah. Something like that."

"Any who, as I'm sure you're aware, the Whit's End security firewall is not one to be trifled with. In fact, if I may so humbly say as someone who has invested much time and energy into making sure it was suiting, it has held its ground against many with nefarious intentions over the years. And the fact that someone was able to just...break in is unprecedented as well as deeply troubling to me." Handing him the coffee, Eugene gave Matthew one last haunted look (as haunted a look as Eugene can could manage) that might just stay with Matthew forever.

"Just promise me that you two will tell us if you uncover anything and not find your way into a situation much larger than yourselves. Maybe there's something I don't know, but... something here is very wrong."

Chills danced along his spine as Matthew took the cup from Eugene.

"Yeah. I-I promise."

1. Thanks for suffering through this mess! I really appreciate you taking the time to read through this and would love to hear your thoughts! I haven't done much writing in the past so all tips are very much appreciated. These first two chapters have been pretty slow and I'm hoping to pick things up a bit. I really hope Emily and Matthew's little monologue things aren't too boring and I wasn't too pleased with them but I thought they were kinda necessary to set the stage.
2. So I'm pretty sure there hasn't been any backstory on how Matthew and Emily became friends so I just kinda made something up. It was actually a blast to write so I hope it turned out ok. And yes, the object they found is in fact a Juul which probably didn't exist at the time but I couldn't help myself. I have a soft spot for Matthew and Emily's friendship and it was one of my biggest motivations for this story (basically out of fear that FFTT would be Matthew's last episode haha). It will be a big key-focus throughout this story if it continues.
3. Ok, so I wasn't expect Eugene to be so much fun to write for and I really hope I did his character justice and wasn't too wordy. I'm still debating what character will or won't make appearances so everything is still very open!
4. Also, the use of italics may be sightly confusing so I apologize. In this story they will either mean either a flashback, emphasized words, or a direct thought from a character.
5. I might come back and edit this if I see any errors of stuff like that so don't be alarmed
6. Dang if I keep this up my authors notes are going to be longer than the actually story my bad lol

Junk Authors Notes ^

[Carl]

Great!!! Can't wait to see more!

[MonkeyDude]

Alright, bros. Stuff goes down this chapter! I'm still really on the fence with how this turned out and I probably (definitely) overdramatized it. Anyways, I tried pretty hard to make sure everything in this episode was canon to "A Sacrificial Escape" and "Further From The Truth" but I still took a couple of liberties haha. Author's notes are in the second spoiler box and I will also start to include definitions for some of the lesser-known words I find myself using.

Yeah, she hadn’t actually gone to sleep after Barrett left.

Emily’s eyes burned from staring at her phone screen unflinchingly. The modulated and taunting voice blaring through its small speakers had become hackneyed, serving as only a dull noise no matter how hard she tried to focus on it. In a futile attempt to spite the urge to take a break, she responded by blasting the volume even louder (earning some strange looks from the neighboring booths). A plastic cup was suddenly placed in front of her as another body slid into the booth across from where she was slouched. She only then set her phone down for the first time in...a long time.

"Don't let Eugene see you with that or you'll never hear the end of it"

"Hi Matthew." Emily greeted him with a warm smile and graciously accepted the coffee.

He returned her grin before suddenly growing hesitant, rubbing behind his neck.

"We're...good, right?"

Emily let out a quick, quiet chortle and looked him in the eye with fondness.

"Always." She said sincerely.

"I figured," Matthew said, relief washing over him as he allowed himself to sag into the booth. "Just wanted to be sure."

After a moment he perked back up in recognition. "Hey, is that the voice from the escape room?" He questioned, quirking an eyebrow and nodding to her phone sprawled on the table.

"Huh? Oh- yeah!" Emily looked downright exhausted. "Suzu managed to record the last few minutes we were in there on a spare camera from the basement workshop. Mr. Whittaker is going to try and mess with the audio to get a lead on whose voice it is." She explained. "I've listened to it so many times now I'm pretty sure I have it memorized." Though she meant to convey her annoyance at the situation, Emily couldn't quite hide the waver of discouragement that crept into her voice.

That...probably wasn't good.

Matthew didn't really like hearing that voice again, much less the thought of listening to it over and over until it was ingrained into his brain (especially with his phonographic memory). And after Eugene’s somewhat cryptic warning, he was more or less very uneasy.

But he was curious.

"Can I see that?" He asked, reaching for the phone.

"Yeah, sure." Emily rewound the video and handed it to him. The clip began closer to the end of their less than pleasant trial of the escape room, starting shortly after the oxygen mask had been dangled from the ceiling.

Suzu orbited the camera around the room, trying to capture everything around her to undoubtedly get a snapshot of the 'crime scene'. The camera slowed to a stop when it settled on the source of the booming voice, a speaker embedded in the corner of the ceiling.

“Isn't that what your Bible says? ‘Greater love has no man than this, to lay down his life for his friends.’ let’s see whether or not it’s true shall we?” The voice cackled.

His stomach churned just like it had in the escape room when he’d first heard those words.

He hadn't...He didn't want her to-


They were never in danger

They had enough air to last for hours

Emily wasn’t going to run out of oxygen


He tried to repeat those things in his head whenever he'd felt anxious about the situation over the past week. Some days it was easier to believe than others.


"Does it work?"

"Yes, it appears so!" Suzu exclaimed.

"Thank God! That'll make things easier to catch who's responsible once we're all out of here and safe." A lull in the conversation followed and they were left in silence. The only sound being the soft clicking of Mr. Whittaker deconstructing Suzu's phone and the hushed but frantic mummers of Matthew and Emily over the monitor. Even the ominous voice remained quiet for the time being. But there was no peace to be had in the basement that evening.

"Emily!?"

Suzu and Mr.Whitaker's heads both snapped towards the monitor.


He remembered this part too.


His hands, though shaking slightly from adrenaline, flew in a fervor to wrap the metal wire around the nail. The dim light of the candle barely provided enough light to complete the task. All he had to do now was-

A sharp thud followed by clattering glass banged from behind him. Dropping the nail, he violently whipped around, ripping off the oxygen mask.

"Emily!?" He cried out, voice cracking terribly (he was sure that if they survived this he'd never hear the end of it).

"I-I'm fine!" She called out with a tremor. "Just tripped over these- ...ugh!" Emily frustratingly kicked whatever she had tripped over, then scouring the ground with her hands to collect the glass beakers now strewn about. "It's so dark in here I can hardly see anything. At least these didn't break." She muttered.

"H-here." Grasping the candle, he maneuvered over to where she'd fallen, offering her his hand. After a moment she clasped it, her hand shaking just as much, if not more, than his own.

"You scared me. I thought-" He paused and helped her to her feet. "Do you...Are you o-"

"Yeah. I-I'm fine. Now put the mask back on, we have to get back to work. I don't-… know how much longer I'll..." She didn't finish as he guided her back to the desk, setting down their assortment of items.

"Emily…" He picked the nail up off the floor and set it down. "If this doesn't work...I-"

"It's going to work."

"But what if it doesn't?!" He demanded desperately.

"Tick tock, you two! With all this talking you'll be out of air twice as soon!" They both winced as the voice echoed throughout the compact room. Emily laid a hand on his shoulder and gave him a firm nod.
"We'll find a way. We'll do something! I-I promise."
She was right. There was no point in arguing. Especially with her. He examined the contents in the beakers and said a quick prayer.


She was right and as uncomfortable as it was to watch, Matthew was at least thankful he knew the outcome this time. And he had to admit, it was also pretty interesting to see from a different perspective. (Suzu's to be exact.)


The camera's focus shifted back to the phone battery after a few moments once Suzu and Mr. Whittaker assumed them to be alright. The silence once again settled among them.

"M-Mr Whittaker, do you...?” Suzu’s shaken voice meekly faltered, undoubtedly looking for even an ounce of assurance. The camera panned, revealing Mr. Whittaker. He possessed a steely stare, one that some might have found extremely unnerving if they didn't know of the ice cream man's past, as he diligently labored away on the Reed switch. Looking up, he gently placed a large hand on Suzu's shoulder.

"Despite what he said, he shouldn't be able to siphon all the air out of the room for at least a few more hours. Regardless, we need to get them out of there as quickly as possible just in case he has anything else planned. It's all going to be alright." Whit said, firm and determined.

To Matthew's vexation, the clip buffered for a few seconds before resuming.

The disguised voice must've realized he'd gone too long without reminding them that he was a psychopath because he once again began to bark over the speakers.


"Mmm so you really took the mask that easily, Matthew? You were really just going to...let her die?"


What?


Matthew could’ve sworn that hadn’t happened. Attempting to rewind the clip to no avail, his heart began to thump in his chest as the screen froze.

Maybe he just...missed it the first time. Yeah, yeah! He and Emily were so busy trying to escape that they tuned him out.


"Couldn't stay away from the mysteries for too long, eh Matthew? Curiosity always has gotten the best of you, hasn't it?"


no no no

that can't be right

this is impossible

"Emily...was this on here before?" He whispered.

"Hey Emily? E-Em?" He pulled his gaze away from the phone and observed her. Emily's head rested in the palm of her prompted hand, eyelids closed snuggly and breath calm and even.

Literally any other time he would've waited for her to wake up and let her rest. As someone who had tried many times to convince her sleep was an extremely important necessity of life, it was very hypocritical of him to steal this away from her, especially after everything. But he really needed to know. With his heart still pounding he reached across the table to gently shake her shoulder.

"Em, I need to ask you about this recording." He quietly coaxed.

She stirred slowly, rubbing at her eyes and blinking rapidly.

"Matthew? I thou- Why aren't you wearing the oxygen mask?! You have to put it on or else you'll-" Emily faltered. Any color left on Matthew's face drained, becoming sickly pale. A beat passed.

"...Em?" Matthew breathed, his eyes imploring with her own. "Are you ok? I'm serious, don't say you're fine." Concern laced his words.

In

Out

In

Out

Emily breathed. Inhale. Exhale. They were trembling, shallow breaths but air filled her lungs all the same. She breathed air and was free to do so without fear of running out.

Matthew waited faithfully, almost forgetting about the recording. Not rushing or pushing, just waiting. Patient. Present. There.

He breathed too (Even if he felt guilty about doing such).

In

Out

In

Out


"I... I don't know." Emily whispered. Matthew listened intently and quietly. "I just can't figure this out and it's all I can think about! It just doesn't make any sense and nothing makes sense and I don't think I can do this on my own." She looked up to meet his gaze and he felt something inside of him break a little. "I...I wouldn't ever want to make you solve mysteries if it's something you don't enjoy. But...but I just want you to know that I reall-... Did you hear that?" Emily derailed, eagerly glancing around the booth.

"Hear what?" Suppressing the urge to corral the conversation back on track, he decided it was probably better to not take any chances with the week they'd had. Keeping up with the mood shifts of this conversation was becoming a bit tiresome though.

"That." A small, low beeping sound hummed once more. Matthew's eyes grew wide. "It sounded like it came from there!" Emily exclaimed, exhaustion temporarily forgotten, pointing towards the napkin dispenser.

"...The napkin dispenser?" Matthew said with skepticism and unease.

"Here!" Emily shoved the napkin dispenser into his hands.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Matthew asked, fumbling with the dispenser.

"I don't know? Take it apart, mess with it? It's kinda your thing."

"Yeah, but what if it explodes or something?"

Emily snorted "'And you say I've been watching too many movies.'" She mocked.

He stopped for a moment to glare at her.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny."

He'd never admit it, but he felt lighter somehow. His fingers grazed over an indented line on the bottom of the dispenser.

"Got it!" He popped the side off and grabbed a handful of napkins out.

"Let me see!" She rifled through the napkins before unearthing the object in question. "What is it?" She inspected.

The object was small and circular. Miniscule holes covered the matte black device and a small, thin antenna stuck out of the top.

“I don’t know…” He took one look at the object before deciding. ”Emily, I think we should get Eugene.”

“What? Why-”

“No Em, really. You need to slow down. We might not be solving mysteries together anymore but that doesn’t mean I’m going to ditch you or stop looking out for you. Whatever is going on is too big for us to handle by ourselves.” Matthew urged.

If someone were to sit her down and tell her to stop, she just might.

Taking one more look at Matthew and then the object, Emily yielded.

“Okay. Let’s get Eugene”

(yeah you probably just opened this spoiler tag expecting a sentence or two and was bombarded by my entire life biography and testament.)

Definitions as defined by google:
Hackneyed: lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite.

1. Oooook! Wow, there is a lot to digest in this one! I really hope things weren't too confusing and if they were please let me know because I really want to be on the same page. Things are going to start to pick up from here.
2. So, yeah. I literally added a whole scene to "A Sacrificial Escape"...Sorry bout that. I really loved the episode (outside of a few nitpicks) but I remember the first time hearing it and they did a fantastic job building up all this suspense and then BAM, they escape. And I totally understand why because it was already longer than the average Odyssey episode but I really wanted to take advantage of it
3. Also, I might have discovered a plot hole? I'm sure it was probably explained or already pointed out but how did Suzu get the recording from the basement when her phone battery was being used for the reed switch? If you listen to the very end of the episode when Whit plays the clip, it takes place after 'the mysterious voice' drops the oxygen mask. Which seems to take place at the same time or after they construct the reed switch. Plot hole, clue, nitpick, I don't know. It could've been purely audio I suppose and she just had a recorder on her or something.
4. It gave me great joy to include the bugged napkin suspenser. I believe it was "Grand Opening Part 1" when Alex and Cal are being paranoid at Whit's end in Connellsville and bring it up and Sarah is just so done. One of my favorite moments so I really wanted to throw that in there! One other reference I threw in there was Matthew's "phonographic" memory. He brings it up in "Square One" and I thought why not.
5. One quick thing I want to add is I don't intend to add any pairings outside of the platonic sense. I might hint at them but only as much as they would be acknowledged by the actual canon show.
6. Ugh I could NOT get Whit right. I hope he turned out at least somewhat in character, but man! Tbh I think a lot of people are ooc this chapter so I'm sorry about that.
7. I know there's kinda a lot going on and I promise it won't be forgotten. Barrett, the voice Matthew heard on the clip, and alllll of Emily plentiful problems will be touched on in the future. Hopefully, there will be Morrie in the next chapter. The plan was actually to include him in this one but it kinda went longer than expected.
8. This will almost definitely be the last chapter until "Rydell Revelations Part 1" comes out. I'm planning to try and continue the story but we'll see what happens. Anyways if you actually read through all of this you have my greatest thanks. Writing is something very new to me (though I've read my fair share haha) so more than anything I want this to be a growing experience for me and producing a genuinely good and enjoyable story for others would be a pretty amazing bonus. Bye guy!

[Carl]

Wow, great chapter, keep writing!!!