Dreams of an Absolution

Reunion (Episode 46)

Two weeks have gone by in Moonshine City. The sun beamed bright this Sunday morning, as Jessica and Timothy were playing video games together on the couch. They were at Timothy's house.

"What the hell dude? You're like, totally kicking my butt at this game," Jessica remarked as she continued to smash the buttons on her controller.

Timothy was barely trying though. He was even trying to allow Jessica to beat him a few times, but he was too good at the game. A moment later, the doorbell rang. "Mom! Can you get the door!?" yelled Timothy. There was no response, as the doorbell rang once more. "Ugh," groaned Timothy, as he paused the game and got up to answer the door.

When he had opened it, he was face to face with the mailman. "Here you go," said the joyous mailman, handing Timothy a letter before walking away, whistling. Timothy then went back inside to further inspect it.

"Hey Tim, whatcha got there bro?" Jessica questioned as she saw the letter in his hands. In sudden fashion, Timothy's eyes had widened. "It's from the Mastery Academy!" exclaimed Timothy in shock. Jessica's eyes lit up upon hearing that. "Open it dude!" Jessica yelled excitedly.

Thinking about the situation, Timothy replied, "Well, wait, hold on. We all already got our letters. So this must be some sort of mistake or something. I shouldn't open someone else's-" "Dude. Open it," Jessica replied in a less enthusiastic manner. With that, Timothy shrugged and opened the letter anyway.

It read, "Rivera family. This is a letter to Timothy Rivera's friend who helped with the capture and defeat of the wanted villains, 'Corpse Slayer' and 'Meat Grinder'. Civilians say the boy was Timothy's friend and had also saved his life along with many others that day. He is described as having white hair, light green or blue eyes, and wore a nearly all black tuxedo. This is the recipient of this invitation."

Instantly, Timothy looked up with a blank, wide eyed stare. "Lucas." Jessica glanced to the side and said, "Oh boy, not this again dude." Timothy looked back at her and replied, "No, wait, listen. I don't think I've told any of you guys yet, but the person who had saved me the day I was injured badly by that big villain, was Lucas. I'm sure of it. That's what this letter is about."

Confused, Jessica questioned, "Wait, really? Why didn't you say so until now? And also, they really recommended him to the academy? The hot ghost dude who like, tried to kill all of us with two freaking buildings!?"

Timothy sighed and replied, "He thought we were in danger, so he tried to save us in the way he thought was right. He may have gone overboard, but he had good intentions." Jessica started to feel a bit bad. "C'mon, let's go deliver this letter," said Timothy, smiling at her.

About twenty minutes of walking under the afternoon sun had gone by. Timothy and Jessica were exhausted and sweating from the near summer weather. "Jeez man, why does this dude have to live so far?" Jessica groaned.

"He lives in a secluded mansion on an old, abandoned hill near the outskirts of Moonshine City. It's hidden behind some forest trees that nobody ever goes near for some reason. People say the spot is haunted. I only went to Lucas's mansion the day I met him because I was wondering if anyone lived there. It's perfect for Lucas, as he doesn't really like people."

Jessica replied, "Makes sense. But wait, how did you know the mansion was there in the first place dude?" Looking to the sky with his hands in his pockets, Timothy said, "Well, my mom was one of the only people who knew about it, and showed me this place when I was younger. And trust me, I'd never forget a creepy sight like that. So much so, that I remembered it all these years later. I was curious if anybody had lived there, and to my surprise, there was. That's how I met Lucas."

Before they knew it, they had finally arrived at the mansion. "Woah. Dude. Okay, this is like, wicked scary," said Jessica as she glared up at the creepy mansion towering over her. Timothy smirked and replied, "You should see this place at night." After the brief exchange, they both walked up to the door.

As Timothy was about to knock, he hesitated, looking to the ground. "Hey, what's wrong dude?" Jessica asked, appearing concerned. Timothy looked at her and replied, "It's just, last time I really talked to Lucas, he told me to leave him alone. I just, don't want to be a bother."

He stared back down to the ground, looking sad. Suddenly, he felt Jessica's hand grab his shoulder, making him look up at her. "Dude, if that was really him that day, he went out of his way to find you and save your life. If that doesn't scream friend, I don't know what does," Jessica said, giving Timothy a reassuring smile.

Timothy started smiling too. "Yeah. You're right. After all, I still need to thank him," said Timothy with a determined look, picking his head up. "That's the spirit dude," Jessica replied as Timothy knocked.

*Knock*
*Knock*

After knocking twice, both Jessica and Timothy stepped back. The door swung open almost instantly. As his footsteps echoed, Lucas slowly emerged from the shadows, stepping to the front door. Lucas's icy cold expression changed as soon as he saw who was at his door. His eyes instantly lit up, as his jaw faintly dropped. "T..Timothy?" Lucas uttered in shock.

Timothy smiled, scratching the back of his head. "Ha ha, yep, it's uh me." He then reached out his hand with the letter. "Here Lucas. This is for you," said Timothy, handing Lucas the letter. But, before even acknowledging the letter, Lucas looked back up at Timothy. "Oh. Thank you. I thought I never would have saw you once more. It's been so long. Oh, I apologize. May we, have a chat?" Lucas asked anxiously.

"Dude. You're not even gonna acknowledge me? Dang man, that's cold," laughed Jessica. "Oh, apologies. How are you, um, what was your name again?" "Skateboard girl 420," she replied, giggling. "Uh, oh. That's a unique name I suppose," Lucas said in response, looking baffled. Timothy rolled his eyes while smirking.

"Her name's Jessica, Lucas. And sure, we'd love to stay for a chat," said Timothy with an optimistic grin. He was happy that he had the chance to talk with Lucas again. Jessica quickly nudged Timothy and whispered, "Dude, we gotta go visit Brian in the hospital, remember?" Lucas looked down and said, "If you have other matters to attend to, it is alright."

"No no, that can wait. We'd love to stay and have a quick visit. Let's catch up," said Timothy, still smiling as Jessica facepalmed. "Oh, that's wonderful," Lucas replied with a light smile. Lucas then stepped aside and wavered the both of them to come in. With no hesitation, Timothy marched inside. "W..wait, Timothy. Dude! Wait up!" Jessica exclaimed as she ran in after him.

When Lucas shut the door behind them, they saw the mansion in all its fully dark and gloomy glory. Jessica quickly grabbed onto Timothy's right arm and nugged her head against it. "It's sooo creepy," Jessica said in a shaky tone of voice. Timothy turned as red as a tomato and stuttered, "T..There's uhhh nothing to be af..fraid of."

"Apologies. It has been awhile since I have cleaned up," said Lucas, guiding them through the darkness. "I have a friend I'd like you to meet, Timothy," Lucas also said. "A friend?" Timothy questioned, looking a bit shocked.

All of a sudden, Timothy felt a hand grab onto his left shoulder. Immediately, Timothy and Jessica both screamed at the top of their lungs, falling to the floor. When they looked up, both of their hearts began to race, as they saw Caspian standing over them, chuckling..