Beyond The Great Unknown, a Big Mouth/Final Fantasy crossover

Chapter 7 

Jessi's POV

After dinner, Jessi texted Camden to remind him about their commitment tonight. He texted her back that he was already preparing to leave. Jessi had both been looking forward to spending time with Camden and her friends, and watching the eclipse and alignment, but also worried that the work would be hard, or that they might be too busy to spend much time together. 

She sighed as she got in her dad's car. No sense in worrying about it until she got there. At least her dad had kept his promise not to tell Shannon about any of this. When she had called earlier he had just told her he had picked her up from school as promised, and that him and Caitlin were making dinner. At least that was one worry off her mind. 

They drove in silence for a few minutes, then her dad turned to her and smiled. "So, uh......this Camden..... He's, well.....I mean, he seems pretty cool. Kinda reminds me of my own high school bros."

Jessi had to fight the urge to groan. Here it was, the dreaded father-daughter talk. The old 'let's-talk-about-this-boy-my-daughter-is-dating' conversation. She knew it would come up eventually. He hadn't mentioned Camden on the ride home, and had only briefly mentioned him to Caitlin at dinner, only getting a "that's nice" as Caitlin struggled to both feed Delilah and eat herself. She had hoped to avoid having to talk about this for as long as possible. She supposed it was awkward for ALL teenagers, talking about their high school romance. Or romance in general. 

She sighed. "Yeah, he's..... he's great. Really sweet. Funny. Really cool. A bit of a rebel."

"And he has a HUGE dick!!!", Connie chimed in from the back seat. Jessi turned and scowled at her, even though she knew Greg couldn't see or hear her. She turned back to see him smiling in an absentminded way, as if remembering something pleasant. 

"And like I said, he has great taste in music", he said. "That's how me and your mom bonded, our love of music, not weed. Not at first. Sure, we got high together a lot too. But remember Jellybean, we were YOUNG, just like you are now. Maybe a bit older, but still young. Me, I wanted those times to continue forever. Going to music concerts and to the movies, usually getting high in the car before. I thought I knew what I wanted from life. ALL I wanted." The nostalgic smile faded from his face and he sighed. "But life had other plans of course."

Jessi felt his words sink in. "You mean.....ME?"

Greg sighed again. "Well........yes. But of course jobs, buying a house and car. And of course that kinda derailed the fun train. Well, your mom's, anyway. I tried to keep it going for as long as I could. Still got high. Still listened to our favorite bands. But, I mean, maybe if I hadn't, if I had just tried to get with the program more, maybe, just maybe your mom and I could have......" He sighed again and shook his head, and was silent for a moment, as if trying to find the right words to continue. Finally he said: "The point is, Jessi, when you're young, like you are, like me and your mom ONCE were, you may feel like you KNOW what you want. Me and your mom. You and Camden. But you have to ask yourself if what you feel you WANT is really what's BEST. For the both of you."

Jessi frowned. "Dad, this ISN'T like you and mom!! Sure, we love getting high together. I LIKE getting high, Dad, it helps with my anxiety and depression. But this isn't just about the weed. Dad, I love HIM. He's the nicest guy I've ever met. He's kind, he's smart, handsome, funny. And loyal. He'd never hurt me, lie to me or use me. Or cheat on me, like mom did to you. No offense", she added quickly, but still saw the hurt look on his face. She quickly continued. "I'm just saying, I may not know what I'm going to do after high school, or maybe even TOMORROW, but I know WHO I want to be, and who I want to be WITH. At least right now, and that's good enough for me."

Greg was silent for a moment, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. Finally he sighed. "Well, personality isn't everything, Jessi. Looks either. But you're right. You're young. You'll figure it out yourself. You're smart. I suppose that's why Shannon puts so much pressure on you. She WANTS you to succeed. So do I. And remember, when she gets older, Delilah will look up to you, will want to BE like you. You WANT to give her something to be proud of, to aspire to, don't you?" He turned to her and smiled. "Just remember, I'M always proud of you no matter what. And I'm certainly not going to lecture you for getting high. Just don't let it interfere with your schoolwork. And remember, Camden is welcome to come around sometimes as long as Caitlin agrees."

Finally, a minute or so later they had arrived. Greg told Jessi to go in and find Camden and Mr Goldberg while he found a parking space. Jessi got out and entered the building. She saw them right away. Camden stood by a long table with many small cardboard boxes sitting on it. Mr Goldberg stood next to him, apparently explaining what they were going to be doing. Camden saw her approaching and smiled. Mr Goldberg turned to her and sighed with relief. 

"Oh good, now you're BOTH here. Ok, let's not waste any time, people will be arriving soon. It's simple, these boxes have stuff related to tonight's events, the planetary alignment and eclipse. Just stuff like pamphlets with scientific facts, as well as souvenirs like mini calendars and magnets and toy models of the planets, stuff like that. I just need help unpacking everything and setting everything neatly on the table."

So they quickly got to work, opening the boxes and carefully sorting the contents, placing the pamphlets in one neat pile, as well as travel brochures detailing the other eclipses coming up this year and where best to see them. The calendars they also placed in a small pile. The magnets, toys and models they placed in rows along the rest of the long table, making sure they would be visible to visitors, mostly little kids visiting with their parents. By the time they were finished, many people had started to arrive. Jessi could see Missy walking in with her parents. She saw Jessi and smiled, walking over. 

"Hey Jessi. You done already? The eclipse starts in like just an hour."

Jessi turned to Mr Goldberg hopefully. He scratched his head and sighed. "Sure, I guess. I have to get ready to lead tonight's tour anyway."

Jessi and Camden quickly walked off before Mr Goldberg changed his mind. Jessi introduced Camden to Missy as they had not yet formally met each other. By the time they were done shaking hands, Nate walked in. Jessi noticed Missy looked a bit nervous as Nate briefly had a quick, awkward conversation with Missy's parents. 

Missy seemed to read her mind. "Yeah, I'll probably never live it down, my parents catching our makeout. I'm just glad my parents are pacifists, it could have been much worse."

Jessi sighed. "Same here, my mom still hates Camden. At least my dad seems to like him", she added, watching Greg and Camden talking by a large diagram of the solar system. 

Missy nodded sympathetically, but smiled. "Well, now that you're done working, let me show you around. This place has really changed since the last time I was here. Hopefully the others will be here soon."

Jessi nodded and followed Missy as she pointed out the many pictures, diagrams, and models of the planets. The telescope, she explained, was upstairs on the second floor, accessed by the long spiral staircase on the far side of the lobby. Camden soon joined them. He smiled. "I think this is actually my first time here."

Jessi smiled. "Mine too. So, is my dad staying?", she asked, watching him talk to Missy's parents and a man she recognized as Ali's dad. Ali turned to her and waved. 

Camden nodded. "Yeah. He's really cool, your dad. Tim was talking about him at dinner. Said it was great to finally meet a guy his age with the same taste in music. Said he can't wait to see that cover band he mentioned."

Jessi smiled. "I'm just glad he likes you. He said on the drive here you can come over sometime. He's not even upset about us smoking weed."

He smiled. "Speaking of, I managed to get over to my buddies house just before I came here. I got the weed. But I think maybe we should wait till tomorrow, even though it's tempting to smoke right now."

Jessi nodded. "Yeah, let's wait till tomorrow, AFTER school. We DEFINITELY don't need a repeat of today."

So they resumed walking. Missy led them upstairs. There, in the center of a large, domed room with a hole in the center, sat the telescope. About as long as a door was tall, it was covered in a number of dials and knobs, probably to adjust the view through the lenses. It sat in front of a single chair, which seemed to be adjustable to allow the viewer to lean back while looking through the telescope. Jessi wasn't very big on science, but she had to admit this was pretty cool. 

Next to her Missy's phone buzzed. She checked the text. "Andrew says he's on his way, Rachel's dad just picked him up. Hope he gets here soon. The others too. I think I saw Gina and Matthew come in while I was showing you around."

Jessi nodded. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she had been having a funny feeling ever since she got here. Like something was about to happen. One of those My-Spidey-Senses-Are-Tingling feelings. She couldn't tell anyone, she knew they were having too much fun, just like she was. She tried to push it out of her mind, tried to focus on Missy as she explained how the telescope worked, or Camden, who was reading the plaque next to the telescope explaining its construction and history, or Connie, who was talking to a Hormone Monstress who looked exactly like her except for a different hairstyle and glasses. Her sister Bonnie, she supposed, as she had mentioned her a few times. But try as she might, Jessi just couldn't get rid of this feeling, and it made her even more anxious. And ANGRY. 'How come every time something good happens I find something to worry about? I'm with my boyfriend and my dad, having a good night away from Shannon, away from homework. I should be enjoying myself!!' Unfortunately, very soon, she would have MUCH to worry about indeed......

Andrew and Rachel, simultaneous POV 

Andrew texted Missy to let her know he was on his way as soon as Rachel's dad's car pulled up in his driveway. He ran out to the car as quickly as he could before his dad could yell at him about something else. He opened the backseat door and saw Rachel smiling at him. 

"Hey, just sit right here next to me. I always sit in the back. More leg room." As Andrew got in next to her and buckled up she smiled again and pointed to the front. "Andrew, this is my dad, Doctor Aaron Cosmai. His lab made the blueprints for the robot we're building."

Mr Cosmai smiled and turned to shake Andrew's hand. He looked a lot like a stereotypical scientist in most movies or shows: short and thin, with slightly pale skin from spending so much time indoors. His hair was the same color as Rachel's, but was short and somewhat curly and slightly thinning. He wore black horn-rimmed glasses perched on his somewhat large nose, the eyes behind burning with the same intelligence as his daughter. 

"Pleasure to meet you, Andrew. Rachel's told me so much about you. I think she told you we used to live around here right?"

Andrew nodded. It was weird being in the same car as a girl and her father. He'd met Missy's parents plenty of times, but never met Bernie's. He wondered what THEY would have thought of him. He sensed that this man really did genuinely like him, and ached to make a great first impression, even though he wasn't yet sure where this would go. Perhaps he should have worn a different shirt? Maybe cologne? 

Rachel seemed to sense his nervousness. "That was a long time ago dad. Maybe sometime we can show him the house? Or at least the garage. Once we make some more space I mean. After we took out everything here in the back tonight there's hardly room for the car."

As the car started moving Rachel remembered the moments leading up to now. She had expected her dad to ask lots of questions, since she didn't usually invite friends over or to activities. In fact she seldom went anywhere AT ALL, so she had expected her dad to ask questions, especially since this friend was a BOY. But her dad had been both so exhausted after his day, and so distracted with whatever he was working on, that he had simply asked her to help him move the lab equipment from the back seat before they had a quick dinner, then had driven to Andrew's house. All he had asked pertaining to Andrew was if he enjoyed working on his robot. Rachel had said yes. 

Rachel sighed. So busy, her dad. Another one of those adults carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders, hardly having time to catch a breath, or catch up with their kid. Well, at least he was NICE, unlike Andrew's father apparently. She looked over at him. She had to resist the urge to grab his hand as he smiled at her. Megan turned to her from the passenger seat, unseen by her dad. She could tell Megan wanted her to grab his hand, maybe even scoot closer and put her hand on his leg, but Rachel definitely wasn't going to do any of that with her father in the car. Instead she turned to him again and smiled. 

"So, I read a bit of Doubting Andreas when I got home. Just a bit. Still only on like the second chapter, but it's pretty good so far."

Andrew smiled. He still remembered reading the book and discussing it with Missy while she was obsessed with The Rock Of Gibraltar. In fact it was close to this time that he and Missy had started dating. A time when things seemed so much more simple. A time when he was less afraid of how things would turn out. He again both missed Maury's presence, as he would undoubtedly urge Andrew to make a move, try smooth-talking Rachel, even with her dad in the car, but also glad he wasn't here, because he'd probably make him do something even stupider, like put his hand on her bare legs, which Andrew found himself staring at anyway. Those shorts were definitely doing something. Not wanting her to notice his gaze, he simply smiled again as he replied. "Yeah it's a great book, but these days I don't have the focus to read much."

Rachel laughed. "Yeah I get that. The only things I usually read these days are instruction manuals and blueprints, or rulebooks for Spaceships And Martians. Speaking of you still down to play when we get home? If you can get on your computer I mean?"

Andrew laughed. "If I can turn on the computer in my own room without my dad somehow waking up and yelling at me for quote "doing pervy shit on a school night", sure." 

Mr Cosmai shook his head. "I hope you're gonna use your own laptop for your silly game, Rachel. The computer in the study is for lab work only."

Rachel sighed. "I know dad, you've told me like a million times." She turned to Andrew and rolled her eyes. "Dads", she muttered so only he could hear. 

Soon after they pulled into the parking lot. Rachel promised to call her dad as soon as the eclipse ended, and waved as he drove off. Andrew saw Nick walking towards the building, obviously having just arrived himself. Andrew called out and he walked over. 

"Hey Andrew, Rachel. You guys just get here too?"

Rachel nodded. "My dad bought us. We don't live very from here. Thanks again for helping out today Nick. You and Devin both. If we keep working like this every day we'll have the robot done way before......"

"Hey Rachel, you gotta check this out!!!" A boy Andrew recognized from the Robotics Club came running towards them, looking at something on his phone. He appeared very excited about something. He handed Rachel his phone. Her eyes went wide behind her glasses as she looked at whatever it was. 

"Is this.......is this FOR REAL?!!", she gasped. 

The boy nodded. "Every NASA and aerospace company in the country is going crazy. The signals started early this afternoon. Every satellite is picking it up. Something is approaching. Something BIG."

Rachel nodded and handed back the phone and pulled out her own. She gasped and her eyes widened even further, and her skin seemed to turn pale. "This isn't POSSIBLE!!! But I mean, surely when we use the telescope tonight we can see for ourselves. Nobody has used it tonight yet right? I mean surely somebody would have...."

The boy shook his head. "No, you know the rules. Nobody touches the telescope unless the guide is there. But everybody's talking about it. But you're right, we'll see for ourselves soon."

Andrew stood looking from Rachel to the boy, totally confused. They seemed to have forgotten about him and walked off talking excitedly. Andrew stood staring after them, rooted to the spot. This day-well, night now-was getting more confusing by the minute. He noticed Nick had walked off too, probably to look for Devin. 

He was still standing in the spot when a car honked behind him. Andrew turned and saw Lola poke her head out of the passenger seat window. "Hey Andrew, move it or LOSE IT!!!!" He saw a man behind the wheel he recognized as Rodney, her mother's parole officer. 

Andrew stepped onto the curb and headed towards the entrance, looking for Rachel. He saw her talking to her friend and the others from the Robotics Club. Missy stood talking with Jessi and the other girls. The room buzzed with voices. He could hear snippets of the many conversations. 

"What IS it? And why are we only hearing about it now?"

"It's aliens. It's GOT to be an alien mothership coming our way."

"Don't be a moron. It's probably just a lost satellite, or maybe a comet. Comets can give off strange readings."

"NASA said it's too big to be a comet. Whatever it is it's HUGE."

"What if it's a supernova blast wave headed our way?! Or a BLACK HOLE??!!! Oh my God we're all gonna die...."

Andrew sighed. Whenever everybody around him was anxious it made his OWN anxieties skyrocket. He could already feel his palms getting sweaty, and his head was starting to spin. He suddenly wondered if he should have stayed home. And very soon, he'd be wishing he HAD.

Lola's POV

Lola started to get out of the car as soon as Rodney parked in the spot Andrew had previously stood, but he reached out and touched her shoulder lightly. "Wait, hold on a second, Lola."

Lola scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Wait for WHAT, Rodney? To DRIVE? We're already HERE. I TOLD you I could have driven over here, but NOOOO, you don't trust me because of that one time!!!"

Rodney smiled slightly and shook his head. "Sorry, Lola, but I just can't risk anything happening to THIS car. I'm just lucky my brother-in-law was nice enough to give me a good deal on this car after you wrecked my old one, which was only a little over a month ago. You still need LOTS of practice, Lola." He shook his head again. "No, Lola, I just want to talk a bit. We barely get time to talk because of my job, and because of you having school. I haven't even seen or heard from your mother in at least a couple weeks, and I'm sure you haven't either."

Lola sighed. While she appreciated Rodney checking in on her whenever he had time, his habit of trying to play a paternal figure in her life, while making her happy, could often be annoying. Lola had never met her father, and her mother always refused to speak of him or even answer a simple question about him, not even a simple initial, a clue to his name. However, while most kids who grew up with a single parent could at least say that that parent was at least attentive and present, Lola's mother Cookie (real name Margo) was constantly on the road, either following one of her favorite bands on tour, or, according to her anyway, "working", although Lola had no idea what her mother did for a job since she folded her real estate company after selling one final house, which happened to be Jessi's old house.

Perhaps it was because of being an only child, with an absent father and a barely present mother, that Lola had long gotten used to being a loner. Sure, Devin and Devon were, for a long time, the closest thing she had to friends, but they only hung out with her at school. Lola had the feeling that she frightened their friends, and even them themselves a bit. So what? Was it HER fault she was built like a Sumo wrestler instead of a princess, or that she had a loud voice and, let's face it, more than a FEW mental issues? Since her mother said she couldn't afford therapy (or more likely just didn't want to pay for it) the school, as well as Dr Engle, had referred her to several child psychologists over the years. None of them could exactly agree on a diagnosis. One had said bipolar disorder. Another had said severe ADHD with perhaps slight autism, while another, as well as Dr Engle, had suggested SCHIZOPHRENIA. Lola didn't know, or exactly care, which was true. All she really wanted, or rather NEEDED, was her mother to be there, to support her lonely, possibly mentally ill daughter, but she just made sure Lola took whatever pills those quack doctors prescribed her, always telling her, in what she seemed to think a reassuring way, that there was nothing wrong with her, that she was just a kid. Of course, that consolation worked about as well as the pills, which mostly just either made her hungry or ruined her appetite, or made her drowsy or kept her awake. Also she was pretty sure her mother herself was nicking some of the pills for herself. It was no secret that Cookie had an alcohol and pill addiction. In fact that's what led to her and Rodney meeting in the first place, after Cookie was paroled after being caught in an oxycotin smuggling ring. 

But between school, her fellow condo residents, occasional visits from her mother (usually in the company of one of her many boyfriends), and Rodney, Lola had had no real human connection until she and Jay had started dating. Until that incident at the public pool, Lola had seldom interacted with Jay, since he usually hung out with Nick and that lumpy perv Andrew. But when she caught him in the alley behind the pharmacy, they had instantly hit it off while making a bottle rocket with a can of energy drink and her mother's diet pills. Lola still fondly remembered them digging their own pool in his backyard, and inviting everybody who would come to their cool and relaxing, if muddy, backyard paradise. Despite the objections of their respective circles, Lola and Jay had grown closer over the summer. Jay had given Lola her first true non-masturbatory orgasm when he fingered her on the couch. It had definitely been one of the most pleasurable, passionate, and memorable moments of her life. In that moment she had realized that her and Jay were a perfect match. He made her happier than a Pretty Little Liars marathon, than a three-course Hot Pocket meal, and understood her better than any school-appointed shrink, than her so-called friends, probably even better than her mother. 

Which is why she still couldn't understand WHY she couldn't say she loved him back during that ill-fated dinner after their daring Halloween heist. She still remembered the sad, heartbroken look on his face as he left the diner, although at the time she had tried to act indifferent, and the subsequent argument and breakup the next day. From there it had been an off-and-on soap opera, with them briefly getting back together, breaking up again, Jay dating Matthew, Matthew dumping him, Lola briefly dating Kurt, mostly to make Jay jealous, as she herself had admitted, Kurt unceremoniously dumping HER, then of course THIS year's fiascos, with their makeout in the car, the fight later that night, them making up again, then her arranging (and watching) the blowjob. And then......well, today. And tonight. 

She sighed again. Perhaps her problem wasn't that she didn't realize that other people had feelings, as Rodney had recently explained to her, but that maybe she didn't UNDERSTAND how they felt, because she couldn't understand her OWN. Or just simply couldn't put into words to express those feelings. Maybe THAT was why none of her therapists could help her. Why Jay dumped her the first time. Why she didn't realize Kurt was using HER instead of her using HIM. Why she didn't realize Devin was only mean because she herself was in pain. Like she had explained to Jay, maybe she simply shut off her feelings, ignored her own heart, because she was afraid of somebody running off with it. Leave her. Like her dad did before she was born. Or simply walk in and out when it suited them, like her mother. 

Perhaps it was BECAUSE of her learning to shut off her emotions that she never had a Hormone Monstress like most of the girls at school. Or a Lovebug. The only creature she'd seen was the Shame Wizard. Naturally she had PLENTY of shame, most of her own making. She WAS her mother's daughter, after all. But even HE seldom visited her, for which she was thankful. 

But perhaps it wouldn't hurt to confide in just ONE person? To finally open up, to unload all these crushing thoughts, feelings, and secrets? All her deepest desires, her most sacred secrets, her most worrisome woes? And if so, who better than Rodney? He was, after all, the only one who had truly stuck by her. Bringing her food. Checking in on her. Bringing her to the store or to doctor's appointments when she couldn't afford a ride. Trying to protect her, doing his best to keep her out of trouble. Like when he tried warning her that those three men from that shitty boy band claiming to be her dads were liars. He turned out to be right. She should have listened. He wasn't even OVERLY upset about the car. Therefore, given how caring, patient and understanding Rodney had always been, surely he of all people would understand what she was going through. 

Maybe. Just maybe. But another time. She sighed again. "Look, Rodney, I'm glad that you're here for me, like always. Like, don't think I don't appreciate everything you've done for me. You're honestly the closest thing I have to a dad." She saw him smile at that, but there was also something else behind that smile she couldn't quite read. Pain? Regret? Sadness? She couldn't tell. She continued before he could interrupt. "But, like, I think it's best for me, in like, my own best interest, if I figure out things for myself. I mean Jay and school and all this other stuff. Like you said earlier, I need practice, and not just at driving. I'm honestly TRYING, Rodney. I WANT to do better. To take care of MYSELF. I've had PLENTY of practice at THAT. I'm just saying, I don't want to burden you, Rodney. You've already done so much, but there's only so much you CAN do. Boys? High school? My friends? I have to figure THAT out myself. I guess when I wrecked your old car, I just wasn't thinking. I KNOW I could have driven better if I wasn't distracted. Wasn't trying to show off. I WANT to try again, Rodney, and THIS time I'll prove to you that I can do it. I can do it, I know it. I can be responsible. I know Mom doesn't believe in me, not really. But I want-no, I NEED-YOU to believe in me. Whatever I have to do to get you to trust me again, to give me another chance....." She trailed off, trying to fight back the tears she felt coming, not wanting to show weakness. 

Rodney sighed. "Look, Lola, there's a difference between between RESPONSIBLE and being READY. Like I feel RESPONSIBLE for YOU, Lola, and honestly, if I had time, I'd let you come STAY with me for a while, so you wouldn't be alone, and so I wouldn't have to go out of my way to check on you. But I'm just not READY to do that yet, cause I'm too busy. But I'm glad that you're taking this seriously. That's a big first step to being READY." He put his hand on her shoulder again. "As for the father thing, Lola, I........" He trailed off, and again Lola had trouble reading his face. It looked like he was thinking hard about something, trying to find the right words. But he also looked sad again, almost...... AFRAID? Lola wondered what he was thinking about, why he suddenly found it difficult to put his thoughts into words, when that was usually HER problem. 

Finally he sighed again. "Well, that was really sweet, Lola. I get the feeling people in MY profession don't often hear that. Usually we have to hear the children of a parolee crying while we haul THEIR father off for violating parole. " He smiled. "Look, just go have fun with your friends. I'm gonna go find my security guard buddy, he should be working the night shift, and we'll have our coffee", he said, glancing at the two cups full of hot gas station coffee, "and then maybe, just MAYBE, once we get to within a COUPLE minutes of your house, I'll let you drive the rest of the way."

Lola pumped her arms excitedly, her brief stress and sadness gone. Well, not exactly gone, but definitely not as strong as it was a second ago. Rodney always knew what to say or do to make her feel better. "Yay!!! Ok, see you later Rodney. And......thanks, again. For everything."

Rodney smiled as he grabbed the coffees and closed the door. "Any time, Lola." He turned as a man in a black uniform and hat approached them, flashlight in hand, a walkie-talkie hanging from his belt next to a gun. He smiled as Rodney approached him. "Ah, Rodney. Finally. I was starting to fall asleep. I need my pick-me-up!!!"

Rodney smiled as he handed him one of the cups. "Hey Mason. Here you are. Mason, this is Lola. She's the daughter of one of my....... clients."

The man turned to Lola and smiled. "Pleased to meet you. You here for the eclipse? Better hurry, the tour starts soon."

Lola quickly walked into the building. She thought she had spotted Jay while Rodney and his friend were talking. Sure enough, he stood talking to a group of guys who were chattering excitedly about something. 

"No, no way. It's GOT to be a hoax. A science hoax, or a prank by NASA. Either that or a comet, like everybody else is saying." said one guy. 

"Or maybe it's a space station!!", said another. "Maybe NASA or the military built their own Death Star, and they're going to announce it soon and show it to the world. That'd explain what Musk was up to, and all those space shuttles launching the past few years. I bet they've been building it in space all along." said another. 

Jay laughed. "You're BOTH wrong. I bet this is the start of the greatest magic act EVER. All the world's best magicians are going to do a magic act IN SPACE. Like maybe they're going to move the moon or make the sun disappear, or move the stars to form shapes, like a dick, or boobs, or......LOLA?!!", Jay gasped, finally noticing her. 

Lola scoffed. "So, you DID come after all. I didn't expect to see you." She was actually both amused and relieved to see him here. 

Jay sighed. "Yeah. Didn't have anything better to do." Lola noticed he was looking across the room at Matthew, who stood talking to Caleb by a model of the Hubble telescope. She decided not to say anything about it.

She was instead going to ask him if he wanted to stop by IHOP, where they had dinner the night before their original breakup, after they finished here. She was sure she could persuade Rodney to take them. But before she could speak a loud voice drowned out all the many voices in the room. Lola turned to see Mr Goldberg holding a megaphone. 

"Ok everybody, quiet down!! HEY!!!!" Finally the room grew silent as everybody turned to him. He nodded and looked at the megaphone in his hands. "Yeah. I borrowed this from school. Never know when you'll need it." He turned to the room. "Ok, now, before we begin tonight's activities, I understand there's been a lot of news and chatter about whatever it is our satellites have picked up. Whatever it is, I assure you, there is no need to panic."

"But what IS it? And why are we only hearing about it NOW?"said one person in the crowd. 

"If it really IS a meteor or asteroid then we SHOULD be panicking!!!", cried another. 

"It's just like the government to keep things like this quiet until the last minute!!", chimed in yet another. 

The room got loud yet again, with people all shouting and arguing, voicing their concerns, reassurances and conspiracy theories. Mr Goldberg stood clutching the megaphone. Lola noticed Matthew was trying to comfort Caleb, who she remembered hated loud noises. She suddenly felt bad for him. One benefit of her living alone a majority of the time was not having to deal with noise, unless SHE was making it. 

She walked over to Mr Goldberg. She smiled. "Like, can I do the honors, Mr Principal?" 

Mr Goldberg looked from her to the chaotic scene in front of him. He seemed unsure, but after a moment shrugged and shoved the megaphone into her hands with a sigh. "Be my guest. I can't WAIT for retirement."

Lola smiled and took a deep breath, then pressed the button and yelled into the megaphone as loudly as she could: "LIKE, ALL OF YOU, PIPE THE FUCK DOWN ALREADY!!!!!!"

It had the desired effect. The crowd grew silent once again, looking at Mr Goldberg then at her in confusion. Lola smiled again and handed the megaphone back to Mr Goldberg. He sighed as he took it back. "Thank you, Miss Skumpy. Now, please, people, again, I promise you there is absolutely nothing to worry about. I promise you, if we were in danger, the government would have every city in every state evacuating to fallout shelters around the country. If it makes y'all feel any better, every single one of you will have a chance to look through the telescope, but chances are there's nothing to see. Whatever it is, chances are it's still too far away to see. Now please, it's getting late, and we only have a few minutes before the eclipse begins. If y'all will follow me upstairs we can get started."

So the crowd started following him across the room and up the long spiral staircase. Jay caught up to Lola and walked beside her. He smiled. "Wow, I love how you scared all these people into silence. That was........HOT."

Lola felt herself blush. Only Jay could make her both blush and cringe at the same time. "That was NOTHING. You know nerds are afraid of any loud noises that aren't part of a sci-fi movie." She turned to him as a thought occurred to her. "Hang on, are you FLIRTING with me? Are you, like, having second thoughts about, what was it you said? Taking it slow?" 

Jay sighed as they walked up the stairs together. He appeared to think it over. Finally he sighed again. "I don't know. Maybe. I mean...."

Lola broke in as she remembered what she was going to ask him earlier. "Cause I was thinking, maybe after we get done here, maybe we could go to IHOP and have some midnight pancakes and coffee? I'm sure I can convince Rodney to bring us and drive you back home after. And while we're eating maybe we can talk more about......well, US. And maybe, like........ well, just figure things out."

Jay seemed to think it over some more. Finally, just as they reached the top, he turned and smiled. "Yeah. Sure, Lola. That sounds great. I could go for some mice pillows." 

They both laughed at this callback to their last visit to the restaurant. With another quick smile, they turned to Mr Goldberg in the center of the room as he stood by the telescope, explaining how it worked and what they would be seeing tonight when they looked through it. Lola had to resist the urge to yawn. Boring, nerdy stuff. But, as long as Jay was by her side, she could endure days or even weeks drifting the sea on a dinky raft like Tom Hanks in Cast Away. 

And unfortunately, very, very soon, both her and Jay would have to rely on each other, and their other friends, more than ever. And these trials would test their bravery, strength, sanity, and relationship more than ever before. 

General/Multiple POVs

"And if you look up, you can see the moon disappearing into the Earth's shadow. You can see that without the telescope, but everybody will get a turn to use it soon", Mr Goldberg continued. 

Jessi looked up through the hole in the ceiling. Missy had explained that the roof was moved via a series of levers to allow the telescope to be aimed at whatever celestial event the observatory was showing. But she had barely listened. In fact she was barely tuning in NOW. She still felt nervous, apprehensive about SOMETHING. But she couldn't say WHY. And she definitely couldn't tell Connie or Camden about it. Connie was still talking to her sister and Nick's Monster, and Camden was obviously enjoying himself, still talking to her dad. So why couldn't she just ENJOY the moment? She looked behind her and saw Nick and Devin talking quietly, their hands joined. She sighed. Why was SHE always the worrywart?

Behind her, Nick and Devin watched Mr Goldberg as he looked through the telescope, making sure it was properly adjusted to allow everybody to see the eclipse and alignment. 

Tiffany yawned. Devin turned to her. She smiled and put her free hand on her shoulder. "You tired?", she asked, her voice filled with concern. 

Tiffany nodded but smiled. "I'm fine. I can't wait for my turn to look."

Devin nodded. "Me too." She turned to Nick. She remembered what Mona had said in her room. "You know, this is technically our first date. Well, I mean, our REAL first date."

Nick smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully it goes better than our fake date at the golf course. You know. When Lola pantsed me."

Devin felt herself blush again. She forced herself to focus on the center of the room as the first person in line sat in the chair and looked through the telescope. "Wow, the moon is shinier than I thought it would be. And I can see the other planets. I can see Mars, and Jupiter, and Saturn, and...." 

"Don't forget YOUR ANUS", Maury snickered from beside Nick. Nick groaned and looked over at Andrew, wondering how many times HE had heard that one. 

Andrew caught Nick's glance and nodded, and looked at Rachel, who he noticed was looking through the slit in the ceiling, as if she was hoping to see whatever had her so excited without the telescope. He had to resist the urge to touch her shoulder or grab her hand, even in a comforting way. Not only might it startle her, but, even without Maury's influence, he might get the uncontrollable urge to say or do something stupid. 

The line started moving faster, as Mr Goldberg wanted everybody to get a chance to see the eclipse in addition to the alignment. 

Finally Rachel sat down in the chair and leaned back as Mr Goldberg moved the telescope in front of her. She felt her heart beating with excitement as she peered into the telescope. The moon swam into view. It certainly looked bigger and shinier than it usually did. By now it was almost out of the Earth's shadow, the shadow rippling across its rocky, crater-marked surface like black water. But she wasn't too interested in the moon now. She moved the telescope as much as she could. There were the other planets, the ones she knew about. But she couldn't see anything that would have alarmed NASA or warranted such widespread excitement and panic......

Wait. What was THAT? Just out of view, far beyond the loose string of familiar planets? A faint but bright light. Rachel quickly adjusted the telescope controls to zoom in. 

"Wait, Miss Cosmai, what are you doing?", came the surprised voice of Mr Goldberg. "You shouldn't mess with the controls, we had them properly tuned so we could see the eclipse and planets."

Rachel ignored him and twisted the dials even further and further, until she couldn't turn them any further. Finally she saw it. Or rather THEM. At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks, that maybe her excitement was making her see things that weren't there. But there was no mistaking: there, in full view, floated three giant bodies. One, the largest, surely a planet, similar in color to Earth, and two smaller ones, possibly moons: one a dark blue, and the other, an eerie blood red. 

She gasped just as the telescope was yanked away, the planets disappearing as the stern, disappointed face of Mr Goldberg looked over her. He shook his head. "Now, Miss Cosmai, I would have expected better of such an outstanding student. This is a highly delicate piece of astronomy equipment, not a toy."

Rachel, her heart pounding with excitement and fear, looked from him to everybody in the room. "I just SAW IT!!! There's ANOTHER planet, and TWO moons!!!" She turned to Mr Goldberg. "SEE FOR YOURSELF!!!!", she gasped, getting out of the chair and gesturing for him to sit.

Mr Goldberg shook his head doubtfully, but looked through the telescope nonetheless. For a second he was silent, then gasped. " Oh my.......this......THIS CAN'T BE REAL!!!!"

Predictably the room erupted into voices, with people clamoring, pushing and shoving and elbowing each other to get a look at this amazing new discovery. Lola, being Lola, used her surprising brute strength to force her way to the front of the line, but Mr Goldberg spread his arms like a referee, trying to hold back the tide like Moses parting the sea. 

"Folks, folks, PLEASE. Just hang on, hang on, I promise you, everybody will get a chance. I promise, this new planet or PLANETS, whatever it is, is not going anywhere. Just please, form a line like before, and one by one, everybody can sit down and....." 

But it was no use. Everybody kept bickering, threatening, shoving, biting, hitting, kicking and practically crawling over each other like Black Friday shoppers. 

Devin pulled Tiffany close to her, her face white with fear. She looked around. Everybody but her, Tiffany, and Nick were part of the wild mob. Well, no: Matthew stood in the corner with Caleb, who had his hands over his ears, trying to drown out the loud noises. Andrew crawled on the floor, trying to reach his glasses, which had fallen off when someone had knocked him to the floor. Jessi stood between her dad and Camden, who were shielding her like a goalkeeper at a soccer game. 

"Hey, what's going on in here?"

Devin turned to see a man run into the room, his eyes searching the crowd. He cupped his hands like a megaphone. "Lola?! LOLA!!!!! DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS??!!!!" 

Lola poked her head out of the wall of people. "RODNEY!!! COME HELP ME!!! SOMEBODY'S PULLING MY HAIR!!!!!!"

Devin looked from Tiffany to Nick. Nick stared at the chaotic scene, lost for words. Tiffany turned to her, her face as white as a sheet. "I'm scared, sis. I wanna go home." She looked about to cry. 

Devin nodded, her throat tight. She took a deep breath. "Ok, let's just go back downstairs, and I'll call mom and......."

She stopped as she noticed Tiffany's necklace shimmering like it often did. But as she watched in horror, the crystal appeared to move, almost float, on the thin leather cord. Tiffany noticed it too, and gasped. That strange, eerie blue-green light shone from the crystal like the flashlight on a phone, brighter than usual. Perhaps Tiffany was just hearing things, but she thought she heard a faint humming coming from the crystal. 

Tiffany put her hand on it, and to her surprise it felt like it was VIBRATING. It shone brighter through her closed hand, the light bursting through her fingers. 

Suddenly, the very room appeared to shake. The lights flickered, and the room erupted in surprised shouts and screams. A blinding light filled the room. Everybody looked up. There, where a second ago the familiar darkness of night had filled the hole in the ceiling, came a rectangle of blue-green light that perfectly matched the glow from the crystal. The light spread from the hole, spreading to cover the entire ceiling. There was suddenly a force, like a rushing wind, and suddenly Tiffany felt herself being pulled forward, up, her feet leaving the floor. She heard Devin cry out, and felt her sister grab her hand, trying to pull her back. The crystal shone brighter still, until it was as bright as the light that now entirely covered the ceiling. She had to shut her eyes against the glare. She felt Devin tug her again. 

"NICK, HELP ME!!!!", Devin cried, trying to pull her sister back. She felt herself being pulled too, felt her feet try and leave the floor. It suddenly reminded her of that spaceship ride at the fair where the speed pushed you flat against and up the wall. Nick grabbed her other arm, and tried to pull her back, but it was no use. He felt himself being lifted. The room was becoming so bright because of the glowing light it felt like he was already inside of it. Across the room he saw Jessi pulled free from her father's grasp and fly up, up, and vanish into the light. Just GONE. Her saw Greg fall to his knees, reaching up, as if he could pull her back. As he watched helplessly, Camden was sucked upwards too and vanished into the blinding light. 

All around the room people were still screaming and running, trying to leave the room as the magnetic pull from the light grew. There was a loud CRASH as Mr Goldberg was slammed against the telescope, which fell to the ground. As the old man watched in horror, Rachel flew up and into the light, disappearing like Jessi and Camden had. Seconds later, Missy then Nate were pulled up and into the light, then they were gone too. 

Jay pulled out his wand and aimed it at the light. He shouted something indistinctly, waving the wand like a sword. "JAY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!!!!", Lola shouted.

He turned to her. "I've got to do SOMETHING!!! That thing is taking our friends!!! Maybe, if I can find the right spell, I can......" But his wand was suddenly yanked out of his hands, flying into the light, and a second later the young magician himself was pulled off the floor, flying into the blue-green light and next second seemed to wink out of existence. 

"JAY!!!!!!!!", Lola screamed, and ran forward. Rodney grabbed her, trying to pull her back, but all he managed to do was be pulled off the floor along with her as she too flew up, up, up and into the light that had taken the only boy she had ever loved. Next second Matthew was sucked in too. 

Nick continued pulling Devin, who was still holding Tiffany's hand like a lifeline, trying to pull her back. Tiffany still had her eyes shut tight as the crystal around her neck shone with the same light that had taken her sister's friends. Nick felt another pair of hands pull him from behind. No, make that SEVERAL. He turned and saw Maury, who had sprouted another pair of arms and was pulling Nick with all his might. 

"DON'T. LET. GO!!!!!", Maury shouted over the commotion. 

"It's all right, Nicky, you're strong man!!!" Nick turned to the sound and gasped. "RICK!!!! What are YOU doing here??!!!"

Rick shrugged as he joined the tug-of-war, trying to pull Maury as he pulled Nick, without much success. "Hey Maury said you had your big date tonight. I wouldn't miss that for the world, man!!!!"

Nick grit his teeth as he tried to pull Devin with as much strength as he could. But just then, Andrew, who had actually made it almost to the door, was suddenly yanked back, and slammed into Rick, which broke the human-monster chain, as Rick bumped into Maury, who lost his grip on Nick, who was pulled upwards along with Andrew, both vanishing into the light. Devin screamed as she saw Nick vanish, but struggled to hold onto her sister. Tiffany had opened her eyes when she heard Devin's scream. She turned to face Devin, who saw the tears running down her face. 

"I'm SCARED, sis!!!! I'm so SCARED!!!!, she sobbed. 

Devin nodded. "Me too, Tiff. Just hold on, ok? Just hold on, and....." But Devin, without Nick's strong arms, and those of the monsters, started to lift off the floor. She started to scream, but suddenly felt another hand grab her. She turned and saw Gina, whose teeth were bared in determination, trying to pull the other girls back. 

"Devin...... please HOLD ON. Please.... I got you. Just. HOLD........ON!!!!!" 

Devin felt tears run down her own face. Tears of fear. Tears for Nick, who she had watched disappear before her eyes. For her friends. For her parents, who she was worried she might never see again. 

"Gina........if anything happens, please, promise me you'll never give up. Do what you told me at school today. Follow your dreams." 

Gina pulled again, her face shining with sweat despite the cool afternoon air filling the room. She grunted with effort as she replied. "Devin.......I........"

But she never got the chance to finish. A loud bang filled the room as a wave of blue-green energy burst from the bright light. The blast shook the room. The door behind Gina flew off its hinges, the fallen telescope and chair thrown across the room as the windows shattered. Gina was knocked back, sliding across the room as her back hit the floor with a force that knocked the breath out of her lungs. She looked up in horror as Devin and Tiffany flew screaming into the light, which appeared to be shrinking. Next second the sisters vanished into the light, which kept receding, shrinking smaller and smaller until it formed into the small rectangle over the skylight it had started from, then next second it was gone completely. Gone. GONE. They were all GONE. 

Gina sat up, looking around the room. She saw the remaining people climb to their feet and look around too, calling the names of the people sucked into the light, as if calling out their names would bring them back. She saw Jessi's dad staring at the skylight in the roof where the light that had ripped his daughter away had been just moments before. He seemed to be paralyzed, rooted to the spot. She turned and saw Caleb huddled in the corner in a fetal position, his body shuddering in shock and fright. Missy's parents, who had been unable to enter the room due to the strong 'wind' pushing them back, stepped into the room, calling out for their daughter, her mother sobbing hysterically. 

Gina felt tears welling up in her own eyes as she stood up unsteadily. Her entire body felt numb with shock. The tears broke loose, but her mouth couldn't seem to find her voice to cry along with them. She gazed up at the ceiling, where almost all of her friends had been sucked away by that terrible light. Her body shook. With fear. With sadness and grief. With anger. At HERSELF. 

'I couldn't do it. I couldn't save them. I TRIED, but I couldn't do it. Devin......... I'm sorry. I'm SO sorry. Wherever you are, I hope you can forgive me. That is if you're not........if you're still.......'

Gina felt her legs give out as her grief overwhelmed her. She fell to the floor as her voice finally returned, the sobs shaking her entire body. She heard somebody sit down beside her and turned to see Ali as she put a hand on her shoulder. Gina could see she too was crying. 

Gina leaned into her friend's arms as she struggled to breathe. Ali patted her on the back, shushing her quietly. She felt another pair of hands on her other shoulder and saw Bonnie gazing sadly from the crying girls to the ceiling. Her Hormone Monstress, usually so chatty, seemed to be at a loss for words. 

"I couldn't...... I just couldn't save them. I........ I tried, but I jus....... I just couldn't....... Dev...... Devin, I'm so sorry!!!!" Gina heard her voice break as the salty taste of tears invaded her throat. Ali patted her again as Bonnie tightened her grip on her shoulder. 

But the voices and hands of her friend and Monstress seemed far away. As far away as the stars shining through the skylight. Gina's head spun, her heart pounded like a jackhammer. Her blood felt frozen in her veins by fear. 

'Devin........Devin, PLEASE be all right. Wherever you are, please be alive. ALL of you. Nick. Jessi. Missy. Please be ok. Please. Please.

Please come back safely. All of you. Please come back........'

End of chapter 7 

So here it is, the TRUE beginning of the crossover. Next chapter our favorite teens and monsters will find themselves in the mysterious, magical world of Gaia, and thrust into an adventure they never could have imagined. 

I know it looks like I'm abandoning some earlier plots, like the robot they were building, or Jay performing at Matthew's sister's birthday party, but I actually wrote those chapters BEFORE I decided to do this crossover. Don't worry, maybe those things will come up later, like Jay and Matthew will lament not being able to make the party. And the Robotics Club might keep working on the robot, thinking it's what Nate and Rachel would want. And I'm actually planning for the robot to eventually end up in the FF world too, although I'm not sure exactly how and when yet. But since the FF games have the recurring Magitec theme, I can see it being completed using Magitec, or, seeing as IX has steampunk elements, perhaps with steam technology?

Anyway I'm posting next chapter right after this, so feel free to read it right after, and of course, like and review this and the following chapters.