-Chapter Eight-

Knowing isn't always accepting, nor understanding. It is what it is:

Knowledge

It was just like the bears described him. Tall, lean, multi-colored hair, and casual. A perfect disguise. Chloe hid behind one of the many counters in the store as she spied on Theo, wondering what kind of man Theo was. He didn't look like a monster, but then again, true monsters try their best to hide their real identity. Theo was looking through the iPad section, probably trying to find the cheapest one. He already had a lot of stuff in his cart, mainly wires, remotes, and even an Arduino starter kit. " How is he gonna pay for all this stuff," Chloe pondered.

" Hey, little girl, you're not supposed to be here," a gravely voice stated. Chloe turned around and saw one of the workers staring at her tiredly. He was hunched over and his clothes were wrinkled. His hair was graying and had a tired expression on his face. Stuttering out an apology, Chloe got out from behind the counter and away from the tired man. " Got in trouble with the manager I see."

Hearing this voice, Chloe's heart felt like it stopped beating... just to continue its rhythm 10 times faster. She turned around once again to stand face to face with not a tired worker, but with the supposed young man that she has been spying on. Chloe, being 10 years old, was still pretty short for her age. She often cursed herself for being around 4 feet tall. Because of this, Chloe isn't usually intimidated by a lot of people, since she's already used to everyone being taller than her. If that's the case, then Theo was one of those rare exceptions.

" Uhh, I-I guess," Chloe replied lamely. Theo chuckled and kneeled down to her height. Chloe stepped backwards, instinct taking over her brain, telling her to run, as an automatic action to danger. This seemed to amuse Theo even more. " Ah, don't be scared. I promise I don't bite," Theo said playfully. " Much," Chloe thought bitterly. Gathering the little courage she had left, Chloe gave Theo a half smiled and said," Sorry. I don't mean to be skittish. It's just, I don't usually talk to strangers." "Smart girl." " Why would say something like that?" Chloe thought, feeling her courage deplete to dangerously low levels. Theo stood straight and gave her a pleasant smile. "Well, I better get going." Chloe nodded her head shakily. " Y-yeah, I should probably go to. Have a good day, sir." Chloe turned the other direction.

" Okay, see you later, Chloe." Chloe turned around so fast that she felt her head spin. " How did you know my-" There was no one behind her. With the speed and agility that would make Ice bear proud, Chloe quickly gathered her equipment and ran out of the store.

" Well, you're here early," a voice said. Ice bear groaned in pain and slowly opened his eyes. He was in the dream cave again. This time, however, the cave wasn't covered in blood, there was no screaming, there was just the girl. The little girl was in front of him, staring down at Ice curiously. Pulling himself in a sitting position, Ice gave the little girl a small smile. " It seems that Ice bear has been getting weaker as of late."

The girl sighed and sat down next to him. " I know what you mean. I remember when I first arrived here. I used to be so full of life, strong, clean, but now," she gestured to herself," I'm the exact opposite of all those things." She saw the expression on his face and forced a weak smile to form on her lips. " Don't worry. I'm not going to cry again. There are worst things than being so dirty that your hair literally goes from brown to white."

Ice looked surprised. " Your hair's white?" She frowned and said," Hey! You can't judge me. Look at your fur!" Ice looked down at himself. The girl was right. He wasn't nearly as dirty as her, but his fur, especially the fur on his leg area, was brown with mud and dirt. Ice lifted his head to look at the girls hair. Now he noticed the splotches of white in her brown hair, and how her eyes, now seeing them up close, were actually more of a grayish green color, instead of emerald green. For a second, maybe even less then that, their eyes met, and Ice bear swore he felt a connection reach the two of them.

The girl looked down when that second passed. " So, you wanted to give me a name?" she asked, eyes brightening to show her excitement. Ice snapped out of his trance and nodded his head. " Ice bear wanted to call you Charlie." He originally wanted to call her that because in many ways, she did remind him of the Sasquatch that he called his friends. With her long, yet lean frame and her brown (now confirmed as white) hair. Plus she was barefooted. Her smile turned genuine. " It's been a while since I had an actual name. Thank you." She let out a silent yawn and leaned against Ice bear. " It was nice talking to you without getting interrupted. Can I ask you something?"

Ice nodded his head. Her eyes began to close, but she was able to ask her question. " Can I call you Ice bear? No one calls you that... I don't... understand... why." She drifted off to sleep. Ice sat there for a while, thinking about her question. There was a reason why he didn't let anyone call him Ice bear. Yet, maybe this time, just this one time... "...Okay, Charlie."

" Good dream?" Ice opened his eyes and saw Theo in front of him, kneeling down so he could meet Ice bear face to face. Ice bear immediately straightened, then collapsed on the ground once again. Theo frowned when he saw this. He took something out of his pocket and held it out to Ice bear. It was a medium sized pill. " Here, eat this. It will loosen your muscles just enough so you aren't so stiff." Ice glared at Theo suspiciously. Theo rolled his eyes and said," Look, it isn't dangerous or anything. Either you take this willingly, or I force you to eat this."

Ice bear thought about his options. While not taking the pill, he will be showing Theo his determination to not bend towards his will. However, it would be absolutely humiliating if Theo force fed him. Which will he have to give up? Pride or Power? ... Definitely pride. Ice lifted his paw slowly and took the pill from Theo's hand. He inspected the pill. It looked normal enough, and it didn't smell like anything either. Ice plopped the pill in his mouth. He forced himself to slowly chew it until it was a fine dust in his mouth. " Just get this over with," Ice thought bitterly as he slowly swallowed the smashed up pill.

Theo smile widened. " See, was that so hard?" " Shut up," Ice bear thought tiredly. Sadly, Ice bear couldn't voice his thoughts out loud. Theo got up and started walking towards the chain. " Since you've been a good boy, I've decided to let you off the chain. For now. After all, I don't have to worry about you causing mischief, since you're too weak to do anything," Theo quipped. Ice bear threw Theo a hateful glance, but Theo simply brushed it off with a chuckle. " However," Theo's expression turned stony. " If you cause me any trouble or try to run away, I will simply drag you back here. And I don't like doing extra work or have my time wasted." Ice hesitated, but nodded nonetheless.

Theo's expression brightened. " Good." Theo walked out of the cave. A few seconds later, he came back with a cart full of stuff. " Here's the supplies that you will be working with." Theo dumped a bunch of equipment at his feet. There were interfaces, remotes, wires, and even some iPads. " Must be an apple fan," Ice thought. Ice bear picked up the remote to study it. " Your chain should extend all the way to the trophy room-" " Trophy room?" Ice bear asked. " Doll room, Icy, I meant doll room. However, since you don't have your chain on you right now, you don't have to worry about that."

Ice bear continued to fiddle with the equipment while Theo set his rules. " Maybe I could use this equipment in order to escape. I can't use the iPads to contact someone. Theo would already suspect something like that. What to do, what to do? Think!" Then, an idea came to Ice bear. " What if I just pick the lock? At night, when Theo is hunting. He thinks I'm 'weak'. Maybe he won't suspect something like that. But I have to take something small so Theo won't notice." Ice skimmed through the rummage when his eyes fell on a small orange screw driver. It was a flathead. " Perfect," he thought. Ice peeked up at Theo. Theo didn't seem to be paying him any attention. "-I expect you to be working at night as well. But, I know that you mortals need your rest and food, so I will be the one to provide you with such necessities-"

Ice bear quickly snatched up the screwdriver and hid it in his fur, near his underarm area. That's usually where he would hide food. After Grizz's hibernating episode, he started hiding food there more often, worried if his eldest brother wanted to try hibernating again. " Grizz, Panda." Ice felt his stomach sink, but then he shook it away. " I can't let Theo get to me. Not when my brothers need me. After all, they said it themselves. They're basically incompetent without me." Smiling at the memory, Ice bear tucked the screwdriver closer to his body and turned his attention towards Theo once again.

" Thanks, Chloe!" Grizz said as Chloe gave him the wagon filled with mouse pads. Chloe looked down at the mouse pads skeptically. " Grizz, are you sure this plan would work?" " Of course it will, Chloe! No one can resist the convincing powers of a good mousepad!" " And how do you know this?" " Hey, it worked on a forgiving guy like Darrell, why wouldn't it work on an unforgiving koala like Nom Nom? Why do you ask? Do you doubt me?" Even though Grizz still looked energetic, his face drooped a little in uncertainty. Chloe frowned, but relented nonetheless. " It's not like I'm doubting your plan, Grizz. It's just that... I still can't believe that all of this is happening to us. To your bro. It's a lot to take in."

Grizz remained silent. " Look, I want to save him just as much as you do, but I'm still not sure what I can do to help. Maybe that's why I'm being skeptical," Chloe finished sadly. She felt her body sulk into herself, due to the stress of the day. She was scared of the fact that Theo knew who she was. And now, she just put her friend down. How could she do that? Especially now, when Grizz's emotional state was wavering between fragility and crumbling sturdiness. It felt as if the weight of the world was closing in on her. Seeing this, Grizz gave Chloe a small smile. " I understand, Chloe. Why don't you go home now and finish your work? You can come by tomorrow." Chloe smiled appreciatively and walked away, making sure to utter 'goodbye' on her way out.

When Grizz was sure that Chloe was gone, he allowed his smile to fade from his face. He looked up at the sky to see what time of day it was. Mid-afternoon, almost nighttime. Ice has been missing for almost a whole day. " It seemed longer than that," Grizz thought sadly. Grizz turned around and started heading back towards the cave with the wagon full of mouse pads tailing behind him slowly. There were things that, even in this situation, that Grizz couldn't help but be thankful for. Like how to wasn't winter, but spring. At least Grizz wouldn't have to worry about his baby brother freezing to death.

The second Grizz entered the cave, he plastered a wide grin on his face, trying his best to look optimistic. Ever since they were little, Grizz made it his job to always watch out for his brothers. When the bears found out that Grizz was the oldest, that feeling seemed to amplify. One of his duties of being the oldest bear was to always be optimistic, even when the situation was dire. Panda was sensitive, and even if Ice didn't show to much, could be just as sensitive as Panda, depending on the situation.

It was tiring, and on many occasions, Grizz wished he didn't have to pretend to be happy all the time. But, as Grizz grew older, he finally understood the cold truth of society. He and his brothers were different. Because of this, no matter what they did, they will never truly be accepted by everyone. This thought made Grizz's steps falter slightly. Knowing a harsh truth, doesn't mean you have to understand it, or even accept it. However- " Hey, Grizz!" A voice snapped Grizz out of his thoughts and he turned towards Panda and Charlie.

There was food on the table... Good looking food at that. Grizz felt his stomach grumble and some drool leaked out of his mouth as it literally plummeted to the cave floor. It smelled heavenly. " ...How?" Grizz asked, gesturing widely towards the table. Panda smiled nervously as he rubbed his head. His gaze drifted to the ground in his shyness. " We know that you've been working hard all day. All of us have. So, Charlie and I took the liberty of ordering Thai takeout for us." Charlie stood up and guided Grizz towards the table. " We know that it ain't as good as SunShine's, but at least it's more than just edible," Charlie added as he pulled Grizz's chair out. Grizz sat down slowly and looked at all the food at the table. He saw his brother and his friend sit at the table, staring at Grizz expectantly.

After a few moments of silence, Grizz felt a wide smile break through his face. A genuine smile, for once, and felt his eyes start to dampen a bit. Society might not accept the bears, or even Charlie, but at least they had each other, and maybe, just maybe, that's all they ever needed. Grizz made sure to exclaim a loud 'thank you' as he and his friends started eating.

A knock rang through the house. The bears and Charlie stopped eating. Silence. Then another, and another, and another one again. Panda stood up and said," I'll see who it is." Panda walked around the table and looked through the peep hole. He gave a surprised 'eep' and leapt away from the door. Grizz and Charlie got up immediately. " What's wrong?" " Is it Theo?" Panda shook his head fearfully. " No! It's Ranger Tabes!"... Oh no.

*" 좋습니다, 엄마. 나는 지금 오고 있다 집으로… 나는 알고 있다. 좋습니다는, 당신을 역시 사랑한다. 안녕!" Chloe hung up her phone and heaved a sigh of relief. She was almost home. Today has been quite hectic. She looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was already beginning to set. It was getting late. " I should walk faster. Don't want to stay after dark," Chloe thought as she quickened her pace.

As she was walking, her eyes glazed over the other neighboring houses and saw a familiar looking flower. It was a Rhododendron, the flower that symbolizes warning. The Rhododendron itself was a very beautiful flower, with a nice smell to go along with that. Despite knowing this, Chloe still felt a pit of dread rise in her stomach. She quickened her pace even more. By now, Chloe was running back towards her house, the picture of the Rhododendron fresh in her mind.

" I'm almost home. Just a little further. There's nothing to be afraid of, Chloe. Nothing at all-" Her thoughts were interrupted when she ran right into someone. She hit the floor, groaning in pain and her glasses askew on her face. Her books had fallen all around her, open and unorganized. The stranger that she ran into noticed this and started to organized the books for her.

Chloe gratefully took the books from the stranger's hands as she stood up. She fixed her glasses. " I'm sorry, sir. Next time I'll watch where I'm-" She froze. Those shoes looked awfully familiar. Her gaze continued to ascend. She saw the stranger's face. " Are you okay, Chloe? I saw you running," Theo asked with concern. Hearing Theo's words, Chloe forced herself to say something. " U-um... I'm okay. It's just that it's getting late is all." Theo looked relieved. " That's good to know." Then, his face broke out in a grin. " There's no need to be so scared! I used to come home late to. And when that happens-" Theo pulled out the Rhododendron and held it out for Chloe to take. "-I'd give my mom a flower."

Chloe stared at the flower that scared her so. She sighed sadly and took the flower from Theo's hands. As much as she just wanted to leave, she didn't want Theo to find an excuse to follow her home. It would be best just to get this over with. She opened her backpack and put the flower in. Before she could thank Theo, he was already walking away. " Have a good day, Chloe!" " ...You too."

Chloe continued her trek back home, that feeling of dread growing in her stomach with every step. The Rhododendron flower told others to beware. Others often listened to its warning. Why didn't she?

This was what Chloe contemplated as she finally made it home, a" symbol of warning still in her bag. Chloe never did get around to giving it to her mom. The warning was for Chloe, not for her mom, no matter how Theo worded it as.

" He didn't look like a monster, but then again, true monsters try their best to hide their real identity."

" Huh, didn't think that idea applied to flowers too," Chloe thought bitterly as she trudged to her room, feeling her feet grow heavier with every step. A Rhododendron was never a good sign. And, the more Chloe thought about it, the more Chloe finally drew to the conclusion that the flower wasn't always a warning. Not in this case... Definitely not this time.

It was, however, always a threat.

* All right, Mom. I am coming home now ... I know. Okay, I love you too. Bye!

Also, the "bye" might actually mean hello if you translate it... sorry :)