"So, why do you exist?"

"I don't know, I just do."

Monster

Chapter 2

The morning of Tuesday was hardly comforting as Bloo watched it from a bench in the Foster's gardens. And having Hex with him wasn't any better. Truth be told, he didn't really appreciate her company. Her presence was cold and her words were awfully depressing, and none of it was helping him forget that it had been 4 days…4days since Mac had last been to Foster's.

"Tell me of your creator," Hex urged once silence had formed between them. For some reason she was always around him, asking Bloo questions, as if she had, well, put a hex on him.

"I don't want to talk about this right now," Bloo said with a sigh as he got up from the bench. "I'm going inside."

"Is he dead?" Bloo stopped and spun at her question.

"What? No! Mac's just," His eyes fell to the stone walkway under foot "Just late is all." She smirked at this, finding it amusing this strange imaginary friend actually believed his human still cared about him, that he would come back at all. Hex though, was well aware of the darkness in them all, each and every human.

"Why do you care so much about some little boy? Humans are such evil things."

"Not Mac, he's as…well he's certainly not evil. Why are you even here? No one's going to want to adopt you." Bloo crossed his arms even as Hex grinned at his statement, as if he had said something truly funny.

"I was called here. Something…something was calling me to this spot, so here I am. I would never ever wish to be adopted by something as lowly as a human. I hate being in their company."

"Bloo, Hex! Breakfast is ready!" Frankie's voice called over the flowers making Hex visibly cringe.

"Especially her's. I can't stand that human most of all." Bloo walked right up, poking Hex in her lean stomach.

"Hey! Frankie is a very nice person."

"She's human."

"So? You know what? Forget it." He spun towards the house. "I'm going to eat, and stop following me around! It's creepy." She purred, watching him go, feeling herself fall backwards into memories…

It was a rainy night in Romania. After a horrible fight with her parents, Marilena had rushed from her home, Hex was close behind. In their cold, dark world it was so clear humans were despicable creatures…monsters in their own right. Marilena was an outcast and delved in the dark arts, her specialty: hexes. Hex was her imaginary friend and through Marilena found the darkness in their hearts. Even Marilena herself wished she wasn't human and did all she could to differentiate herself from the rest. Humans were low, greedy, selfish and stubborn. But that night when her teenaged human ran from home, misunderstood and frustrated, Hex was unaware of what would happen. In a flash of light, in the roar of tires Marilena was ran down.

Hex could remember clearly as she remained on the bench, her eyes closed to the rising sun. Marilena had lay broken and tossed aside on the street in the pouring rain. The girl's family hated her, her society hated her…humans, humans did this to the only friend Hex had ever known and as the assailant sped off into the night Hex followed.

The sound of his screams later was more than enjoyable. She had killed him, like a cat kills a mouse after the chase, leaving his body by the road as he had left the only person she had ever cared about. So why? Why of all places would she be summoned to a place like this, where imaginary friends tripped over themselves just to be adopted by lowly children? Didn't they understand?

"Ah! Master Blooregard, so nice to have your presence with us for breakfast. I see we did not attempt another break out last night." Bloo plopped in his seat without a word back, making Frankie shoot a worried look towards her grandmother at the head of the table. Regardless, the rabbit continued as he always did when he had something to say. "After all, Master Mac put you under our care and we must see to it all imaginary friends are safe and secure until someone proper comes to adopt them. We can't have good ideas wondering about, getting into trouble through out the town. We remember the mall fiasco, yes?" Frankie stood.

"I have to go grocery shopping, we're all out of milk and bread."

"Then go, Ms. Frances. You spend enough of the day dillydallying as it is."

"I do not dillydally!" As she and Harriman argued, Madame Foster hopped from her seat, the little old woman tapping Bloo.

"We're bustin' ya out." She said with a wink, making Bloo's face light up, his mouth opening to exclaim something, but she quickly put a hand over it. "Shhh…this way." She led him to the front door and into the bus, and Frankie was soon seated in the front seat.

"First stop: Mac's house. We can probably catch him before he leaves for school." Bloo was practically bouncing in his seat. Finally, finally he could see Mac again, and make sure everything as ok and prove to everyone else at that house that Mac hadn't abandoned him. Mac wasn't that kind of guy. Frankie turned on the bus and waved goodbye to her grandmother before driving down the road.

Now, agreed Herriman was maybe a little old, but he certainly wasn't stupid. He knew what was going on, but decided it might be best if Bloo went to see his young master. Maybe then he'd cheer up. Strange that he would want that troublesome blob back to his former state, but seeing Bloo like this was even too much for him.

"The small older one, that is Madame Foster, yes?" Hex's voice caught Herriman's attention, turning him from the open doors in the lobby to Hex who sat upon the stairs.

"Why yes, she is the founder of this fine establishment and-."

"Yet you do all the work? You manage the lives and rules and all that is to be done here?" Herriman adjusted his eyepiece.

"Why yes I do, but I don't understand where you are going with these queries." Hex stood, walking slowly towards Herriman, a hand reaching to adjust his hat, the other on his shoulder as she centered her cat eyes on his.

"Why do you work under humans if you do everything?" He seemed to take this to thought, but cleared his throat.

"It is a purpose for me, that is why. Madame Foster is a wonderful person, despite her descendants."

"But don't you feel like a tool? Do you think that person out there cares about you? Does she understand everything thing you do for her?" He took a step back, allowing Madame Foster to walk through before turning to Hex.

"Why yes, she does. Now if you don't mind, I have much paper work to attend to and little time to deal with pointless chitchat. Good day, Ms. Hex." She watched in astonishment as he hopped towards his office, closing the door behind him.

----------

Mac sighed, glancing at the empty bunk. 20 minuets left before he had to head out the door for school. It was unusual to be ready so soon, but without Bloo to distract him, without them running about, laughing and giggling it was easy to be on time for things. Mac remembered the time when he had been late coming home because he and Bloo got lost coming down from the Foster's roof. He had told his mother he stopped over a friend's house, but by now she knew that was probably a lie. Mac knew how bad lies were, they were the reason his mother and father divorced. Lies were just one of the bad things people did that only hurt other people. He plopped on the bed, book bag by his dangling feet, pushing the memories of those days away. When his parents fought, the days before he had made Bloo. A knock at their front door caught his attention.

"I got it!" He called, only to watch as his mother got the door anyway.

"Hello, you must be Mac's mom. My name's Frankie."

"Frankie?!" Mac squeezed past his mom's legs to hug her. "What are you doing here?"

"I came by to see if there was anything wrong. You haven't come over for a few days and we got worried." Mac's mother shook her head.

"You're from Foster's? Mac won't be going there anymore," she pulled Mac's shoulder, making him step away from Frankie. "So there's no need to worry about him anymore."

"So you're the reason he hasn't been by?"

"Just what do you mean by that?" The two women were inches from each other.

"Let me guess," Frankie said with an aggravated sigh. "You're just doing this for Mac's good?" Mac was about to open his mouth, when he felt something hit the back of his head. Turning to see what it, was it was a paper ball crumpled up with the message: Come outside. Giving a last look towards the quarreling women he snuck out the back, into the wet morning grass. Before he knew it, he was face first down into it, a familiar glomp from a familiar blue blob.

"Bloo!"

"Mac!" There was a pause after Mac pulled him self into sitting position, Bloo in front of him. "WhereHaveYouBeenWhyHaven'tYouCalled-"

"Whoa, calm down, Bloo," his smiled faded a bit. "Mom says I can't come see you anymore. I would have called or something but I'm totally positively no questions asked grounded."

"So?" Bloo asked with a shrug.

"So that means I can't watch TV, use the phone, or go outside for like a month."

"Run away then." The way Bloo said it, it sounded like it was the easiest thing in the world. Mac could only shake his head.

"I can't do that."

"Why not? She's not even around enough to notice you're gone."

"If mom found out I left, or that I ran away, it would really worry her."

"Oh. I get it." Bloo got up, brushing himself off, looking more than disappointed. "You're giving up. You were just going to not come see me any more without even an explanation. Just toss out good ol' Bloo. Thanks a lot." Mac stood as well.

"No, it's not like that! It's just-just"

"Just what?" The two stood glaring at each other for a moment before both turned their backs, crossed their arms and exclaimed: "Forget it."

"You are so selfish." Mac finally said, turning back to Bloo.

"Me selfish?! Ha! You're the one who's too busy being a mommy's boy to come and say hi!"

"What, Bloo?" Mac threw out his arms in exasperation. "You think I wanna be here alone with no one but Terrance who still beats me up?! You think that I wanted to not come to Foster's anymore?" Bloo turned.

"Must be, because the Mac I know would find a way around this!" Mac's mouth opened for retort, but Bloo's words rang through his head. He took a deep breath and walked back towards the house. "Are you running away?" Bloo called after. Mac stopped and glanced over his shoulder, a sorrowful expression on his face before turning his gaze forward again.

"I'm growing up." He stepped inside, leaving a speechless Bloo in the backyard. That wasn't the way it was supposed to happen. He was supposed to have hugged Bloo tight and never let him go, no matter what his mom had said. But he couldn't hurt his mother by just leaving, not like his father. He had to stay even if that meant letting go of Bloo.

The front room was alive with yelling, but it didn't seem to faze the young boy.

"Can't you see you're just hurting him? You're strangling off his creativity-his childhood!" Frankie exclaimed, noticing Mac as he walked into the room.

"Mac needs to stop hiding behind his imaginary friend. He needs to face his problems. Mac needs to grow up strong, other wise he might end up like you, so far from the reach of reality that it's painful to watch."

"I'll let you know-"

"Stop it, both of you." The strong, young voice made them both turn to Mac, whose eyes were narrowed. "Go home, Frankie, and take Bloo." Her heart dropped.

"But Mac-."

"Just go!" Frankie straightened, her clenched fists at her sides.

"Fine, be like that. I thought you were different, Mac."

"Well you were wrong. Please, just go…before I change my mind." Frankie nodded to him, glaring at his mother one last time before turning towards the walk, seeing Bloo was already in the bus. Mac's mother turned to him, giving her son a big hug.

"I'm so proud of you, Mac." He pulled from his mother and without another word to her left for school. Terrance was using one of his sick days, not that it seemed to matter. Suddenly she no longer feared for her son's strength. Little did she know she was being carefully watched. When she felt something rub against her she yelped, yet saw nothing as it left through the door and after Mac, walking beside him as he murmured to himself:

"Why are people so…bad?"

jao: Hope you guys are no longer disappointed by Hex. Believe me, she won't be the typical cat girl Mary Sue, and she won't be paired, promise. Hex as well as some other characters to come are originally designed by Shenloken1, with some further development by myself, as is the raw idea for the plot line. I'm more or less the last half of the creative process, taking the basic idea and polishing it off into a story.

Things are starting to heat up. As with my Kim Possible fics, chapters are named after songs that best reflect the events, emotions and thoughts of that particular chapter. This one is Lying from You by Linkin Park.