Disbelief is what Milford felt at first.
Of all people, his mother was on that park bench holding up their hands to her forehead?
Milford wondered how they even kept it a secret from him in all of these years. But, however, he did remember a story his father told him once about her going to the hospital after unexpected head trauma. She had successfully gotten rid of it, but some of it was still in her head. Only some.
Then he felt doubt.
It was silly. It couldn't be his mother. It just couldn't. The fact that it was her wasn't just one of those "little white lies" that every parent has told their child. It affected their trust, their bond as mother and son. It affected the life Milford had lived with her all these years with her having to keep secret all the time. The way he looked at all these concepts had just changed.
But finally, Milford felt acceptance.
He faced reality completely and adequately. He knew it before and he knew it now.
Milford sat on the dragon until he saw the sun in the middle of the sky. It must've been noon already. He then saw a camp set up on the side of a mountain with tents and fires and other, what he guessed, Mondollions moving around and carrying firewood.
"Is this the camp we're gonna stay at before the journey?" Milford asked.
"Yes. You do not need to train. Just rest," Horomir said. "We will be here for 3 days until the adventure really begins. Do not treat the others like kids would. They are... Not fans of kids, exactly."
"Why? Are they toughies or something?" Max asked.
"No. They just do not want to be 'babysitters,' as you may call them," Horomir explained.
They landed.
Milford was amazed by all of the other Mondollions that were there. There were big ones, small ones, and old ones. Some were also playful kids that were just learning to disappear into thin air. Others had big, bulging muscles. Even a couple were skinnier than most.
Milford sat on the dragon gaping and felt paralyzed for about fifteen seconds before Max tapped him on the shoulder to follow Horomir up the steps to the camp.
"Ah, my dear friend." A big, strong Mondollion with long, Bob Marley-style hair greeted Horomir. "What's taken you so long to return?"
"I have picked up the hero and his friend, Max to help out," Horomir replied.
The unknown Mondollion turned to Milford as if expecting a royal greeting. He didn't like the look on their face.
"Him? This is the person that's supposed to help us complete this important mission? Seriously? You know better, Horomir. I mean, look at his shirt. A design like that? You could've chosen better and you know it," they ranted.
"And what are you staring at?" They taunted Max. Max reacted by just going behind Horomir in shame. Milford held back a laugh or even a smile, intimidated by the newcomer.
"Ajax, do not speak to these individuals like that. They have righteously accepted this quest, so stop being a bully and get back to preparing," Horomir said to them.
Milford and Max watched in triumph as Ajax walked away with a curse they couldn't hear completely.
With this aftermath, the company moved throughout the camp. Max and Milford were boggled over the activities everyone was doing. One Mondollion was using their hands to light a fire with magic. Another, who was very old, was flying in midair cross-legged taking a nap.
"So, uh, does this place have any women Mondollions?" Milford asked Horomir.
"Actually, no. We are an all male clan. We were made that way," Horomir responded.
"I thought you said that your brethren weren't meant for good," Milford reiterated, bringing up the past conversation that occurred the other night.
"My brothers I only visit on special occasions. That night I was doing just that in Asia where they are currently staying."
"What's he talking about?" Max asked.
"Nothing important," Milford concluded while they walked.
He soon saw a log cabin that had two beds and a candlelight, and instantly knew for a fact that they were going to sleep in that one.
"Don't knock over that candle," Horomir said.
They didn't speak at all as they left, not even giving a farewell, as if he planned to make them both stay inside the cabin for the remainder of the three days.
Milford and Max suspected that Horomir didn't want to show them to anyone else, because he had told them the other Mondollions did not like kids. They were also sure that he would supply them both with food.
Once the door was closed, Max asked, "Okay, you wanna tell me what's been going on? How long have you even been having those visions in the first place?"
Milford drew in a deep breath and told Max everything they needed to know. Everything having to do with the pizza parlor, the talk he and Horomir had afterwards, the bathroom incident, everything.
After about 20 minutes of explanation, Max just stared at him.
"Do Tyler and Jim know about this?"
"No, they don't need to."
"Why?"
"I need to keep things as secret as possible, Max... I can't afford it. It's all about trust, you know?"
"What makes you think they would tell anyone else those things?"
"Friends are friends," Milford said conclusively. "You don't know them completely most of the time other than the things they told you themselves. Can you honestly say that you should tell them things that are as great as this, Max?"
Max stared at Milford like he just burped loudly. "I-I wasn't thinking when I said that," Max said uncomfortably.
They and Milford just stood there, both of them not gazing at anything. Max then slumped down onto the bed looking at the corner with a bored look on his face, as if he had forgotten the entire argument. Milford headed to his and laid down on top of it.
He didn't know how long it lasted, just sitting on beds in silence, but Milford eventually got up and went outside of the cabin, completely ignoring Horomir's suggestion of rest.
In fact, he didn't seem to like that suggestion in the slightest. The only exercise Milford had ever done was in P.E. class, and he wasn't even good at half the things he had to do on a day-by-day basis in that class. Max wasn't any help either with an average of 20 sit-ups on the latest test. The Mondollions would at least know their heroes' strengths before recruiting them to a life-or-death mission, right?
The other Mondollions, for whatever reason, stared at him. They scowled at him as he walked down the outside hall of cabins and lodges—which seemed impossible for them to fit in. Milford understood the mean behavior, somewhat.
He managed to stare straight ahead as he walked, completely ignoring the annoyed looks from all of the others.
He didn't even know where Horomir was, but he kept walking. Hoping.
Milford could already tell that his future wasn't going to be fun if he had to interact with the others.
There were too many questions he wanted answered as he looked through the many cabin windows trying to find Horomir. Milford wanted to know if his parents had any part in this supposed elaborate prank. He wanted to know the exact reason why the Mondollions weren't too fond of human children. Why was he being treated so horribly, he honestly needed that information.
"I just can't stand it anymore," he grumbled to himself so quietly and angrily he too could hardly hear it.
Finally, after many minutes of walking the remainder of the camp, which was pretty big all in itself, about half a mile, Milford saw through the glass of a cabin window Horomir apparently talking to another individual which was blocked from sight. They didn't look happy.
Milford wasn't really an eavesdropper, but he had to at least creak open the door a little to hear this intriguing conversation.
Opening a door wasn't a very easy task once you accepted you had to be incognito. He made sure nobody was looking, but he didn't have to since this was the back door, then pleaded to God the door wouldn't creak as he finally opened it.
Another human came into view.
Milford's heart stopped, his blood going cold.
Who was this? Who else in God's name could have possibly known about the Mondollions, considering nobody else could have with the vision about his mother before?
So, this person. What did they look like? The man couldn't have been no more than six feet tall. Long, blonde hair was covering the back of his neck. He had to be a full grown man. Milford didn't know, of course, since he could only see right behind him at that moment.
"—didn't know, sir." The man sounded like he was apologizing ashamedly.
"Didn't know? Didn't know?!? That decision nearly cost you your reputation with us! Now, look at yourself," Horomir cried with a mostly uncertain tone.
"I-I... Just... Well..." The man fell silent.
"Now, now, Marcus. Do not be discouraged. You want to come with us, don't you?"
"I don't know. I have to think about it for the next few days. I just don't know now," the man with by name of Marcus said.
The two just looked down for about thirty seconds from what Milford thought. They looked extremely depressed as if they were an entirely different couple of people. Milford didn't know why exactly they were arguing. Maybe it was too personal.
"Well, Horomir. If you don't mind, I've got to get going."
"Oh, I don't mind at all. But don't be like this next time we meet. Or I'll do something to you. I will," Horomir joked.
"My decision will be made by the next three days,"
"Off with you already."
And with that, Marcus disappeared instantly right in front of Horomir without a second glance, exactly how Horomir had done just a few days ago after the pizza parlor incident.
How could he do that? He was a person just like Milford. That seemed impossible. Unless he was trained or something like that, but how could Milford learn it?
This thinking would not last long, though. Horomir sighed about twenty seconds after the ordeal, then got up and walked towards the back door. Right where Milford was crouching.
In a panic, he got up from his position then proceeded to run at the speed of Jesse Owens away from the cabin and back towards the line of townspeople in the middle of the cabins and lodges.
He was afraid that Horomir was going to check on them or something, and Milford didn't want that to happen.
Everything was a blur, much like the day before after school, but with a bunch of staring Mondollions and his brain actually being active, not brainwashed.
Thankfully, Horomir, who was about fifty feet behind Milford, didn't see him. He just kept waving to everyone like he was running for mayor, smiling and waving.
By the time Milford got back to his cabin, he was panting and sweating like he never had before. He was so tired from all of this unknown information given to him in such little time.
Horomir wasn't far behind, though, only about two-hundred feet.
Jumping at first, Milford opened the door in a hurry and slammed it closed.
He sighed and sank down to the floor in relief.
"Dude, where the hell were you?" Max got up from bed.
"Were you..." Milford hesitated. "Were you asleep?" Milford asked with a quivering voice thanks to his exercise.
"Yeah, so? I woke up that early on a Saturday. I need more sleep on those kinds of days, you know?"
"Yeah, but we didn't wake you. You woke up how you usually do on a weekend."
"Yeah, well, I still need it," Max said, looking down afterwards.
"I don't think I can sleep over what just happened in the last couple days. It's all too much in my head."
"That's because you're a thinker," Max commented.
Milford looked at Max's expression. He looked worried. He didn't usually act anxious or uncomfortable, not even in school.
Despite Milford wanting to say something else, he couldn't be bothered because Horomir had just opened the door with a troubled look on his face as well.
This was even stranger. Horomir wasn't even three-hundred feet away from Milford when he entered the cabin before. He was sure of that. What in God's name took him so long to walk that distance? Was he eavesdropping too?
"Hello, our fellow heroes. How are you two feeling?"
"Fine," Milford and Max said in unison.
"Just a question, why are we not training with swords and shields or something like that?" Milford asked.
"You have it built in you. A regular person, under the Rinchor, would've gone about a day's worth of mind control before it would stop. But you only lasted for about six hours, three-quarters less than what a normal human could go through. It proves you are something else. More powerful, maybe," Horomir explained.
"But can't I beat it myself if I'm so strong?"
"Not without help. We Mondollions are a race of about two-hundred. That alone can't defeat it. But with you, we can not only defeat it. We can make it extinct."
"But why did you bring me along?" Max asked, obviously annoyed.
"Support. Self-esteem to help us," Horomir put it simply.
"Yeah, whatever," Max mumbled and turned around in his bed, showing his back to them.
"One last thing, Horomir," Milford requested.
"Yes, what is it?"
Milford leaned over, only a couple of feet from Horomir's face, and said as silently as he could muster, "Who was that man you were talking to earlier?"
For about ten seconds, nothing and nobody moved. Horomir and Milford just stared at each other, Horomir with a look of shock on his grey face.
Then, finally, something was said. "Well, if you excuse me, I must be-um-going now..." Horomir said as he got up up uncomfortably from the floor and walked out the door.
As he did this, Milford squinted at him with a frown until the knob turned and fell silent.
He sighed and climbed on the bed. As Milford fell asleep he wondered what would happen in the next week with everyone he knew in town. Probably police searches. Investigations.
He thought about the last thing his dad had said to him before he left them both.
Now eat your PopTarts and head to school.
Milford closed his eyes with dread and drifted off.
