“You gonna eat that chicken?” Noobie asked staring at the remainder of Vic’s lunch, particularly the remaining piece of fried chicken breast.

“Okay you live in downtown Bettisonville and you don’t want us knowing because you are older than you let on and there’s like twenty kids at your home, and you get the stuff from like an uncle or brother who deals in the black market?” Nerdy asked Vic as they sat on a school cafeteria table across each other at school on the first day.

Vic shook his head and looked at Richie as he gave Noobie the chicken.

“Your turn, Rich,” Nerdy said.

Two weeks had passed since the portal incident. The boys came up with a story that Rodney was stuck in a sewage drain when he was trying to prank his friends. Schools reopened and everything went back to normal.

The Boyz were trying to guess about Vic’s life and why he kept it a secret, whilst eating lunch together as they always did at the table further out than the others at the cafeteria, where they could be as loud as they wanted and they could discuss whatever they desired without anyone else hearing.

“Okay, uhm, let me see, okay, you live deep downtown at Bettisonville towers, your parents are arms dealers from another country, that’s obvious why it is a secret and you get the stuff from Amazon,” Richie said brushing off some crumbs from his grey school pants and fixing his maroon school pullover.

Vic shook his head and turned to Noobie.

“Your turn, Noob Noob,” Nerdy said.

“I can’t play,” Noobie said devouring his chicken breast.

“What, why?” Nerdy asked, disappointed.

“Because I already know the answers, it wouldn’t be guessing,” He took a bite of chicken. “It would be telling.”

“Pshhh, no ways man,” Richie said swatting off a fly from his bright white shirt.

“Vic, full name: Victor Ricardo Valdes. The last son of actor, Vincent Jesus Valdes. He made it big in the 90s but retired when Vic was born, he didn’t want people to know because he wanted him to be a normal kid and live a normal life. So he takes the long way home, acting as if he’s heading south, but he actually gets picked up by his driver downtown. He gets the stuff from different sources: Amazon, stuff around his home, the old Winchester Mansion on North Bettisonville and sometimes the black market where his uncle actually does operate.” Noobie paused to look at their shocked faces.

“His mother is a business woman, she sells cosmetics but the real business is in trading stuff on and off the black market with her brother. Vic was diagnosed with a psychological illness that is not fatal but makes him self-conscious about what he says and how he says it so he remains quiet most of the time. It developed after a loss of many friends and hardships finding some,” Noobie finished with a prideful smirk on his face.

Vic nodded and smiled.

“Your father is the actor of a once upon a time in the south and desperate, Vince V, that’s your dad?” Richie asked looking at Vic surprised.

Vic nodded shyly.

“That’s cool, dude, why did you keep it a secret?” Richie said.

“Well, I wouldn’t want you guys to treat me differently,” he said softly.

“Dude we would never treat you differently!” Nerdy said, “but I’m more concerned how Birdbrain here knows all of that.”

They were all looking at Noobie now eagerly awaiting for an answer.

“I love investigating, I do it when I’m not with you guys, I know everything about everybody in this town,” he sat back. “Like Anna Millers is afraid of the dark still, Nerdy sleep walks and Rodney has had a tail for three days now.”

“What?” Rodney said, shocked.

“Yeah, that guy has been following you for three days now, I think he’s a government official, secret service but I’m not done investigating,” Noobie said, pointing at some guy standing at the school fence.

“Noobie, when you see something like that, you tell someone quickly before it’s too late,” Nerdy said.

“And botch my investigation?” Noobie said. “Hell no, Mano.”

“So what now?” Richie asked Rodney.

“We confront him,” Rodney said and stood up quickly then strutted angrily towards the government agent.

“Rodney, don’t, Rodney wait.” The others tried to stop him but he didn’t listen.

He strutted on and reached the fence, where the six-foot-tall man stood in his clean suit, very dark shades and black hair.

“What do you want?” Rodney asked the official.

“Randy Bridges, secret service. I would like a word in private,” he said flashing an ID badge and slipping it quickly back to his front pocket.

“About what?” Rodney trolled.

“About a little something that caught our attention involving you and your buddies right there,” Randy said emotionless.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he trolled again.

“We know you messed around with dark stuff and stumbled upon something otherworldly and we want to question you about it and your experience, for your safety,” Randy said bent over and facing Rodney.

“Look I was stuck in the sewage for two days, there’s no story, leave me be.” Rodney turned and walked back to the table.

“We’re not done here, Mr Rubick,” Randy yelled at him as he strutted away.

Rodney slipped in and got settled.

“So what did he say?” Nerdy asked.

“He’s snooping around, he wants to question us about the portal,” Rodney said. “I ain’t squealing.”

“Be careful what you say and where you say it, odds are they’ll just rule it as a misunderstanding and move on,” Noobie said, wiping his mouth with a serviette.

“Hey guys,” Rodney said, “I’ve got an idea for our next adventure!”

“No way!” they all screamed.

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