Hammering hurriedly persuaded Mike to open the door.

He immediately regretted it.

"Mike, please, let me in, I need to talk to you," Sullivan panted, a wild look in his eyes.

Mike's brow furrowed. "Go away, Sulley. I have things to do."

"Mike, you don't understand."

"What don't I understand? Is the big important life of a CEO now too much for you? You wanna come crawling back here now? Well too late!" Mike slammed the door in Sullivan's face, storming away.

Sullivan's foot caught the door.

"Mike, please." Sullivan ran into the apartment after Mike. "Didn't you see that press conference today?"

"Yes, because I do nothing but grovel at the sight of you on television. Go away, Sulley." Mike continued to walk away.

Sullivan shut the door and followed him. "Mike, please, this is important. It's about the human girl, when she showed up in the crowd."

"What, what? Is the kid threatening sales? Leaving your company in ruins? Get out of my house, Sulley."

"No, Mike. No, it's not that."

"Well then what? What is it then?"

"Mike. It's Boo."

Mike stopped, his pupil shrinking to the size of a pinhead.

"What?" He meeked.

"The human girl. It's Boo."

Mike's face momentarily softened with concern.

Only for a moment.

He sighed in frustration. "Sulley--"

"I saw her Mike, I saw her! I looked her in the eyes! It's her!"

"Sulley." Mike's stern tone did not change.

"She's here! After all these years, she's here! Boo is back!"

"Sulley..."

"We have to find her! We have to find her before anyone else does! Everyone is so afraid of her. If someone finds her, she could--"

"Wake up, Sulley!" Mike shouted, ending Sullivan's frothing. "I thought we addressed this year's ago, Sul! Boo's gone! She's gone, and she's never coming back! Just let it go!"

Sullivan turned away from Mike.

Mike's voice grew quiet. "Sulley, you did good. You did everything you could. What happened to her was not your fault. I know you cared about her, as did I, but you can't keep letting her haunt you like this. We all have to move on."

Sullivan straightened. "No." He looked back over his shoulder at Mike, glaring into his eye. "No, it was Boo, Mike. I know it. I know it in my heart. It's her. She's come back to us. And we've got to find her, before anyone else does."

Mike pulled down on his eyelid. "Oh Sul."

"Mike, the public is in panic. If we don't find her, she'll be turned in to the government, or worse," Sulley's heart skidded with dread. "Someone could hurt her."

Mike opened the front door, gesturing Sullivan out. "Sulley, I have no time for this nonsense. The kid will be fine, but I'm not so sure about you." Gloomy, he looked to his side. "Come back when you've got reality straight in your mind."

* * *

Nightfall. The city had fallen asleep. I hung to the top of the orange glowing lamp post. Oddly, it was the same design as the one I climbed to save Mr. Midnight, except for the single pointed horn at the top of the head of the light.

One hand gripped the curve of the pole, while my other arm dangled freely at my side. My legs curved to the side, planted on the side of the vertical pole in a bizarre way of standing.

I sneezed, wiping my nose on the back of my hand. Snot dripped from my nostrils as if I was a toddler who had just thrown a tantrum.

Lovely, just lovely.

I found myself uncontrollably coughing, my gasps echoing off the buildings around me.

I had managed to get out of the sewer and was hidden in the city minutes before the police even climbed inside. I'm very light on my feet when people chase me. These things happen more often than one would guess.

Finally sure I was alone in the alley, I slide down the pole.

What a relief. I was overwhelmed with exhaustion, wanting nothing more than to just lie down on the concrete and sleep.

I leaned against the pole, again struck with nausea. My stomach twisted in a sailor's knot.

Not hunger.

I had found some food in a dumpster while hiding from the police. I'm sorry. I was starving. Although, I had absolutely no idea what it was. But it actually tasted pretty darn good. Monster veggies, go figure.

Not thirsty either.

Earlier that day I had come across a deep public coin fountain. As I'd stood with my thighs pressed against the stone tile, I had grimaced, hesitating before I reached my cupped hand into the water.

"Yeah, Katie, I loved that new movie. What was it called again?"

"You really can't even remember the movie title—"

Splash.

"Did you hear something?"

"I think it came from the water fountain."

As the two female monsters peered over the water, I pressed myself against the wall, my head totally submerged. Bubbles of air flew out of my mouth.

"Aw, who cares. Anyway can we go see that movie again?"

"You are such a mess, you know that?"

I will say, I did get all the water I needed. Though it hadn't cleared up my sore throat as I had hoped.

I unzipped my onesie a couple inches and began fanning myself, desperate to cool off. Even though my pajamas had dried off hours ago, they were now beginning to stick to me again. Sweat dripped from my armpits and ran down my back.

I felt my forehead.

I was burning.

I hugged the pole of the light, now even less capable of standing. I was hit with dizziness and a migraine something awful. My teeth chattered.

I bent over and threw up.

Something is wrong with me.

I stumbled back, shaking with chills.

When my back hit a wall, I slid down, coughing up more mucus.

My head lolling, I rolled my neck, trying to find anything to focus on.

It's nothing. It's nothing. It's just pain, it's just pain.

I looked down at my feet, withered and limp on the concrete.

My caramel colored slipper moccasins were stained with mud, burs, and unspeakable things from the sewer. Disgusted, I tore them off, pathetically throwing them only a few feet away

I was left with nothing but my somewhat-white socks.

In my hazy state of mind, I thought back to the image of me as a child, with pig tails and one sock. A light still in my eyes...

I reached forward and tore my sock off, throwing it away as far as my slippers.

One sock.

I pulled my tangled hair back into two piggy tails.

What am I doing.

I tore the bands from my pig tails, my hair falling to my shoulders again. I tied my hair back up into a tight military top knot.

One sock.

I reached for my sock, but it was too far away. Too weak to get up, I stared at the sock in defeat.

One. Sock...

Thinking back, I realized that all of my problems had started from that one pathetic little sock. I couldn't decide if I wanted to wear it or not, I exploded, I was given a strike, my strikes ran out, goodbye home. Forget about unmatching socks ruining your day: unmatching socks had ruined my life.

Then I was reminded of every night I had camped by that closet door, doing my back and my sleeping schedule no favors as I slept on the cold floor, gripping a baseball bat to my heart like a frothing, seething madman.

As Jackson slept nearby, on his nice, comfy, hand-me-down mattress.

Then I realized how much I missed the little slugger.

Jackson.

That boy was something else.

I slammed the little eleven-year-old creep against a brick wall of the school, pinning him by the collar of his shirt six feet above the ground.

"How DARE you," I growled from behind my gritted teeth. "You'll never see straight again!" My arms shook from pure, unadulterated rage. "YOU BLOODY MONSTER! HE'S FOUR-YEARS-OLD! JAKE DUKE, YOU PIECE OF SCUM!"

Only thirteen, I had not yet gripped the art of masking anger and hiding away all emotion from the outside world.

"WHY I OUGHTA--" I reeled my fist back, about to blow this boy to kingdom come.

However, before I could unleash my fist of fury onto the sleazeball of a sixth grader, I felt something tiny grab hold of my elbow.

Still pinning the brat up against the wall with one hand, I froze my curled fist where I had pulled it back before looking over my shoulder.

Jackson's his face was caked with mud. A dusty boot print was visible on his chest. Crumbs of concrete and gravel indented his knees and palms.

Blood ran from his nose, down his lip, and into his mouth, staining his gapped baby teeth red.

Jackson was barely out of toddlerhood.

Tears flowing from his eyes, Jackson's little baby hand gripped my arm to hold back my slug.

"That's enough." His trembling voice cracked.

It was enough.

I was lucky to have swallowed my developing violent tendencies before the three-strikes-you're-out policy was put into place in the home six months later.

And yet, despite my handle on my own anger, I could never fully grasp those two little calming words.

That's enough.

That's enough?

What kid says that?

My head snapped to the left at a sudden sound: the breaking of glass bottles and the clinking of tin cans, an eruption of sounds coming from the alleyway entrance fifty feet away from where I rested.

I almost called out, but then I realized how stupid that was.

A garbage can fell over in the darkness and spilled onto the street.

Unable to run, I gave into my fatigue. I didn't care if it was an axe murderer or a cat. I just wanted to sleep.

"Heeeyy, I know you," a voice said.

"Who's there? Who are you?! Please don't hurt me, I mean no harm. This is all just a big misunderstanding," I said. I would have ran away but I had no energy for it. "For whatever reason you monsters are afraid of me, you shouldn't be. I have the combat skills of a disabled platypus."

Ok that was a lie.

But what was I supposed to say? That I have a black belt in Tae kwon do?

"What? No, I don't want to hurt you. I want to help you. You're the kid from thirteen years ago, right?"

My heart backflipped in my chest.

Say what?

"Yeah! You're the girl from the first breach."

I mentally weighed the given information.

Thirteen years ago.

I disappeared thirteen years ago.

A child breached the world thirteen years ago.

Coincidence?

I think not!

But that proved it. I was right! I had been right this whole time! I had been here before. I had entered the monster world as a toddler.

But... Why? Not how, just, why?

Luckily, I had Casper the friendly invisible ghost filled with answers right in front of me.

"You were there? You remember? What happened? What what what? Do you know what happened to me?"

"But of course I know."

"Would you please tell me?!"

"Shhh, keep your voice down," he hissed. "We wouldn't want to wake up the town."

"Right, right."

"Come with me."

"What?" I whispered.

"You want answers, don't you?"

"More than anything."

"Then come with me."

I squinted my eyes at... Well, air. Though his voice was directly in front of me, he was hidden. "Come into the light."

And appearing out of nowhere under the orange light was a purple lizard creature, with a blue tail, and six arms.

Forget Casper, apparently chameleons on steroids is a thing.

"Come with me." He grinned, reaching one of his many hands out.

"Uhhhh." I hesitated.

Stranger danger much?

But I wanted answers, and I would do anything, trust anyone, to find them.

The promise of answers gave me a spit of energy.

"Yeah, sure. Okay."

I got up, my knees knocking together.

"Lead the way."

I followed the creature into the night.