//------------------------------// // 26 - The Burdens of Change (Part One) // Story: Hazel Eyes in the Moonlight // by Oddling //------------------------------// The streets of Ponyville were a little livelier than the last time Jim had walked them. He idly wondered what the day was since he had lost track, though most of his thoughts were toward the faces of the ponies as he passed them by. He had grown used to stares of fear, uncertainty, and suspicion, but this had been the first time that those stares had not been entirely directed toward him. Many of them still lingered on his form as his limbs casually propelled him toward the schoolhouse, but he could tell there were enough gazes that locked onto the little body that rode upon his back. There were, however, a few that were more curious, but those were in the minority overall. The further his trip went through the streets of the town, the more Jim’s anger bubbled within his chest. It did not take a genius to figure out why a happy and energetic filly would slow to a stop on your back and eventually curl up behind your head to hide from the stares of others. Under normal circumstances, he would have lashed out at the ponies for looking at her in such a way, but the heavy burden of knowing that this was all because of him weighed him down. He was the one to blame. He gently turned his head toward Scootaloo. “Hey… want to go where they can’t see you?” he asked quietly. Scootaloo stiffened for a moment. She considered the idea, but decided against it. “N-no. I won’t run away…” she whispered back to him and she hugged his shoulders tighter. Jim almost paused at that. He was proud that she was willing to try and deal with the stares directed at her, ones he knew she could see as clearly as he did, but he was also concerned. Neither of them knew what her curse’s triggers were so they had to be careful of emotional stimulation. He found himself conflicted as he continued to walk down the street. On the one claw, he felt he should get her away from the possible trigger and remove the staring ponies from the equation; a simple fix since all he would need to do was jump up and run along the rooftops. On the other, he felt that she should get used to the stares because, whether or not he was there to watch over her, the ponies would see her differently from now on. Ponies would have questions about her change in appearance. They would notice the longer fur, the larger, rougher wings, and her bolder amethyst eyes that now reflected the light at night… but the most prominent change would be revealed when she opened her mouth. Jim had not taken notice of it, but the fear that some ponies had shown had come from Scootaloo as she waved and smiled at the faces of those she knew. The other changes were practically a moot point compared to the long, sharp canines that now decorated the filly’s grin. It did not take long before Scootaloo realized that fact and she stopped smiling openly. She had hoped that would be enough to make the ponies stop staring at her in surprise and fear. She thought that the friendly faces of everypony she knew would still smile at her. She wondered why they still looked at her differently even when she hid her fangs from them. She prayed… prayed that her friends would not look at her like that. In the end, Jim chose to heed Scootaloo’s choice, though he did make sure to pay more attention to every movement he felt from her. Fortunately for them both, the rest of the trip was uneventful… at least until the schoolhouse came into view. “Can we stop here?” Scootaloo asked as they arrived at the fork in the road that led to the school. Jim stopped and looked over his shoulder at her, his brow lifted curiously. Scootaloo’s ears pinned back and she shrank away from his questioning look. “Well… can I ask you something?” Jim nodded lightly. “What’s on your mind, kid?” “Well… you see… those ponies back in town? You saw them… right?” Jim nodded once more, his eyes hardening a little at the memory. “I did.” Scootaloo swallowed and she looked into Jim’s eyes, her amethyst orbs seemingly pleading hopefully. “You don’t think… that Bloom or Sweetie would look at me like that… do you?” Any and all anger swiftly departed Jim’s gaze once those words left the little filly’s mouth. His eyes widened slightly as sudden realization hit him before he looked to the ground. “Hop off, Scoots.” Scootaloo complied, though she was curious and scared as to why Jim had asked her to jump down. Before she could think any further on the subject, she found herself picked up by a large and gentle hand. Jim carefully pulled Scootaloo into a hug and he nuzzled her with his chin. He then closed his eyes and gave her his answer. “I don’t know, Scootaloo. I wish I could say that friends are always there for you, but I’ve never had a lasting friendship to be able to say,” he said and Scootaloo’s body went limp as she thought of how sad that was and that she might not have her friends after they saw her like this. But Jim wasn’t finished. “However… if what you and your friends showed me… if what Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack, and Fluttershy have shown me is any indication… then you don’t need to worry. True friends can get through changes together. Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised if your changes make them unsure, at first. Going from pony to werepony isn’t a normal occurrence after all,” he said and grinned down at her. “People always stare at things like us because we’re just too cool for them to truly comprehend. Anyone that tries to tell you otherwise is just an idiot and you don’t have to listen to them. Only those who can understand the real you, who can see past your appearance… only they matter. Understand?” Scootaloo looked up at Jim and a big smile slowly formed on her muzzle. Even with her fangs, she was still the same little filly that everyone knew and loved. Nothing on the inside had changed, aside from her blood becoming infused with the magic of the curse, but that was just a technicality that shouldn’t even count. Scootaloo was still Scootaloo and her smile was still as infectious as ever. Jim joined Scootaloo in smiling widely and he set her down so that he could ruffle her mane a little, eliciting a playful groan from her as she halfheartedly swatted at him. Jim chuckled and leaned down so that he was at her level. “Don’t worry, Scootaloo. I’m sure they’ll continue to be there for you… just like I always will.” Scootaloo’s smile widened a little more and she swiftly stood up and hugged Jim’s face. “Yeah… thanks, Jim… for, well, everything.” Jim hummed a warm chuckle and he gently pressed into the hug. “Any time, kid. Now come on, getting a proper education is important. Dummies never prosper,” he said though he did think it was ironic to say that when Earth seemed to be filled with them and they claimed to be the dominant species of the planet. Scootaloo giggled and she pulled away with a smile. “Right!” Jim stood up onto his back legs as he continued to smile down at the filly. Then he turned toward the schoolhouse and began to make his way over to it, Scootaloo eagerly hopping happily beside him to match his strides. She was still a little scared of what might happen when she finally entered through the door ahead of her, but she was confident in what Jim had told her. She believed in her friends! In seemingly no time at all, Jim and Scootaloo stood on the front porch of the school. Jim looked down at her and gave her a confident grin. “Alright, kid, go in there and learn some stuff. If you need me, I’ll be nearby.” Scootaloo smiled up at him for a second before her nerves faltered a little and she looked cautiously toward the door. “Um… could you… could you come in with me? I’m kinda nervous…” Jim’s smile melted away as he thought about it. He was sure he would start a panic if he entered… but he had a very persistent feeling that he would need to be seen with Scootaloo more often anyway. Hell, he was going to be seen a heck of a lot more often in town if he was to take Twilight up on her offer to live in her castle. The ponies would have to deal with it eventually and get over their fear of him. Actually, thinking about it now, he would have better luck being accepted if the younger generation grew used to him and did not see him as a big scary monster, so taking Scootaloo into the building would have some benefit. After all, he was the one who took her yesterday. It would only help his image if he was the one bringing her back. Nodding his head calmly, Jim looked to the door and reached for the handle. The door opened easily, though it did squeak just after it opened half way. The quiet murmurs of the classroom steadily faded into silence as Jim and Scootaloo entered the school. Scootaloo swallowed nervously as she looked at all the faces staring back at her. She could tell they noticed her changes, but at least nopony looked at her in fear… yet. It helped that most of her classmates showed concern at her standing so close to the big creature that had taken her away yesterday, but she still wondered how long it would be before they would look to her in fear. Jim noticed Scootaloo’s pause as soon as they entered the room. He sighed softly and put on a little smile, part of it being fake to assure the little ponies while the rest of it was genuine for Scootaloo’s benefit. He bent down and gently nudged Scootaloo from behind. She looked back at him with slightly wide eyes and he nodded his head toward her seat. “It’s okay, Scootaloo. Go take your seat. Everything will be okay,” he told her encouragingly. Scootaloo nodded and a tiny smile crept over her face before she slowly made her way to her seat beside Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Jim’s smile warmed a touch more as he saw the three share a hug before all attention turned back to him. He stood back up to his full height and looked around the class at all the faces staring up at him. Most looked a little afraid of him, though not as much as he had expected. Nopony had started to scream in terror and none of the kids had fainted yet so it was progress, at least. The sound of cautious hoofsteps caught Jim’s attention and he turned his head to see the teacher slowly approaching. He nodded to her. “Good morning,” he said gently to her. Cheerilee slowed to a stop and she forced a smile for the intimidating beast. Twilight had assured her that he was not as vicious as he looked, but with the way he had glared at the Princess of Friendship yesterday, even going as far as to threaten her, it was a little difficult to not fear him. Still, it was strange to see him be so kind to Scootaloo just then since it had been almost the exact opposite of what he had displayed before. Was he a vicious monster… or a caring one? Cheerilee cleared her throat quietly. “Oh, um… good morning.” Jim’s smile lessened a little as he picked up on her emotions and saw the body language of a scared pony. He closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly. “I’m sorry for what happened yesterday. The situation was… delicate, and I was pressed for time,” he said calmly, trying to keep as much of his throat’s growl out of his words. At the very least, Jim wanted to remedy the situation enough to rid the purple mare of her fear that he might hurt her. He did have a degree of respect for her since she was a dutiful teacher and she seemed to be a nice and caring mare. Cheerilee blinked at the unexpected apology and her mouth opened slightly. “Oh, i-it’s alright. I will admit that you gave me quite a scare there. I take it that everything is fine now with Scootaloo?” she asked. Jim’s small smile turned into a small frown and he glanced in the filly’s direction briefly. “I’m afraid not. Twilight was thinking of dropping by later to properly inform you. If you have a moment before class I could answer that, but due to the sensitivity of the situation, I’d prefer to speak to you in private about it if you wish to know sooner.” Cheerilee’s ears perked up and her eyes widened at the seriousness Jim seemed to infer with his powerful gaze. Then she looked to her students before her gaze eventually landed on Scootaloo. She also noticed the changes and she needed to know the answers. With Scootaloo being one of her students, her responsibility, it was imperative that she know. She nodded once and smiled to the class. “Children, I need to step outside and speak with our… guest. I’ll be just a moment but while I’m outside I want you all to open up your history books and start reading from page 113 to 126.” The students let out a collective groan, the subject of Equestrian history being one of the things the whole student body could agreeing on not being a fun topic to learn about. Jim did his best to suppress his smirk at the display. It was amusing to see such a similarity between the children of Earth and Equestria. Of course, his learning experiences had been far from the norm and the education processes were completely out of date by now, but the lack of interest in certain subjects could always be found. History was just one of those things that only a select group would appreciate and he was not one of them. The way Jim saw it; history was pointless since no one ever learned from it. If they had, then there would have been a lot less war on Earth and things would have been more peaceful. People would help out more, neighbors would have been more welcoming to each other, and you could go to sleep without locking your doors. No, the only thing history ever told him was that humans could never learn to live in peace… and it was only a matter of time before war was brought to Equestria, too. Jim shrugged and tore himself from such thoughts. He had something else to do now and, in his opinion, it was more important than what could possibly happen when humans found a more reliable way to enter this world, if it was even possible without Equestria’s help to begin with. He turned to the door and made his way toward it, casting a look in Scootaloo’s direction and flashing her a smile. She returned it weakly, too overly conscious about her fangs. Cheerilee followed behind Jim and the moment that they had exited the building and walked far enough away to keep their discussion private she was quick to ask, “What has happened to my student?” Jim turned to face her and his ears splayed back as he let his self-loathing return. He looked the teacher in the eyes, though he found it difficult to maintain eye contact with her. He took in a slow breath before he answered her question. “Scootaloo… has been infected. I passed on a curse to her, and now she will suffer for the rest of her life.” Cheerilee’s jaw dropped slowly. “Wha- how did this happen? What kind of curse is it? All Twilight and Rarity could tell me was that you were trying to help Scootaloo. What…?” “It’s… a very old curse, apparently. From what I’ve recently learned, my curse originated from the zebras. It somehow found a way to get to my world, Earth. The curse… strips its victim of their free will, turning them into a bloodthirsty beast. One of the few things I can be happy to say about this curse is that it can be overcome… to a degree.” “So… Scootaloo won’t…” “No, she will not try to hurt anyone, not yet. Twilight and I still need to try to learn a few things about Scootaloo to find out what might make her curse activate, but as of this moment she should be the same filly you know and love. Trust me when I say that she has not become a monster… she isn’t like I used to be,” Jim said and his gaze lowered to the ground. Cheerilee took notice of the gesture and she started to understand a little bit of why Twilight tried to explain that he was not as he appeared to be. There was more to this beast than fangs and claws. He had a heart… and it seemed that there was kindness within it, beating weakly. Though she was still afraid of him, Cheerilee wanted to try and give this being a chance. She stepped closer to him. “Might I have your name? I can’t remember what it was, the events from yesterday were a bit too dramatic and I was very flustered with what had happened.” A faint smile tugged at the corners of Jim’s mouth and he looked into her eyes. “My name is Jim. Again, I apologize for everything that happened yesterday.” Cheerilee gave Jim a small but warm smile. “My name is Cheerilee. I have to get back to my class to make sure they are doing what I asked of them, but I would like to speak with you more. Will you be around in a few hours when the children break for recess?” she asked. Jim nodded. “I was actually going to be sitting just within the forest’s edge over there.” He pointed over to the small forest where he had hidden before. “Since we don’t know what might trigger Scootaloo, I’ve been asked by the princesses to stay nearby in case of emergency.” Cheerilee nodded and she glanced to the door of the school for a moment. “Jim… is there anything else you feel I should know before I go back to my class?” she asked and looked him right in the eyes once more. Jim nodded gently and he looked to the school. He could tell that a few of the kids were peaking through the window, it was difficult not to spot the little manes sticking up just behind the glass, and he suppressed a smirk knowing that they might be in for a surprise if Cheerilee chose to give them a pop quiz about what they had learned from the first few pages she had assigned them. Yet, despite the humor the thought tried to inspire, he could not stop himself from picturing Scootaloo in the center of the room with every pony looking at her. “Scootaloo is a good kid, Cheerilee. I can’t undo what I’ve done… and I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself, but I want to make sure she turns out better than me. I know you take your position seriously – I admire you for it, actually – but when everyone around her sees all of her changes… she’s going to be ostracized. She’s different from the rest of you… and there will be those who show their disgust and fear. Please… please don’t see her as a monster. She’s not evil… a little unlucky, but definitely not evil. That same happy, lovable, trustworthy young filly that you all know still shines brightly behind that new mask she’s wearing,” he answered quietly before he looked back to Cheerilee. The purple mare was smiling kindly at Jim. “You… you care about her… don’t you?” “I…” Jim paused a moment as those words registered in his mind. “Yes… I do care about her,” he whispered, more to himself than to Cheerilee. He really did care for the little filly. Part of him could not believe the sudden realization. Jim had never thought it was possible for him to open up enough and connect with another being to such a degree. In that moment, joy bubbled up from the deepest confines of Jim’s heart… but at the same time, fear had begun to gnaw away at his mind. Just how much did he truly care about Scootaloo? Why did the subtle thought of losing her make his heart pulse as if he might lose control? His gaze lowered to his clenched fist. I’m going to need some time to think about things again… Jim’s eyes turned back up to the school and he opened his mouth to bid farewell to Cheerilee, but stopped midway as he noticed something dash across the room near the windows. “What…?” Cheerilee’s eyes widened as she saw where Jim was looking and she turned back to the school just in time to watch one of the windows shatter. An orange filly pegasus burst through the window of the school and she rushed to Jim’s side. Both Jim and Cheerilee stared in shock as small cuts on Scootaloo’s body seeped blood. Cheerilee instantly went to see to her student, but was interrupted when Jim’s hand lunged out in front of her. Jim kneeled down and he looked over her wounds quickly. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed the cuts were healing rapidly, and that they were accompanied by faint black mist. Though he was concerned about the mist, he was more worried about what had driven her to jump through the window. “Scootaloo, what happened?” he asked. Scootaloo’s wild eyes darted up to him and she tried to calm her breathing. Eventually she managed to squeak out three words. “Apple… Bloom… hurt…” Jim’s eyes hardened and he gently picked Scootaloo up and hugged her to his chest. He looked to Cheerilee and she looked as ready as he was to go and see what had happened. The two quickly made their way to the school and they burst through the door loudly. Cheerilee instantly became upset with the scene within. Jim stepped in just behind her and took in the view as well. A small circle of the kids stood near the front of the classroom. Among them stood Sweetie Belle, a pink filly with a light purple and cream mane wearing a small diamond tiara, a grey filly with a white, braided mane wearing pale blue glasses, and a cream colored filly with a bright red, curly mane sporting large purple glasses. Within the small circle you could clearly see Apple Bloom nursing her cheek and glaring through her friends at the one who had hit her hard enough to make her bleed from a split lip. Surrounding the group were all but two of the other students of the class. Said pair were quickly heading toward Cheerilee from the corner of the room they had tried to hide in. “Ms. Cheerilee, Ms. Cheerilee, help!” said the short little chubby green unicorn. Cheerilee quickly looked to the colt. “Snips! What happened?” she asked both worriedly and firmly. The taller colt, an earthy yellow unicorn, answered quickly as he and Snips slid to a stop in front of their teacher. “Oh, it was awful, Ms. Cheerilee. The others started surrounding Scootaloo and asking her mean questions. Then Scootaloo’s friends tried to help and it turned into a big argument. Apple Bloom tried to calm everypony down, but then Archer hit her and-” “Thank you, Snails. I think I can see what happened now. Please wait here while I address the rest of the class,” Cheerilee said and she turned toward the standoff taking place in her classroom. Cheerilee slowly walked over to the two groups and stomped her front hoof, hard. The crack of her hoof connecting with the floor of the school immediately drew the attention to her and she glared disapprovingly down at her students. “What do you all think you are doing?” she demanded firmly. Nearly all of the colts and fillies lowered their heads and folded their ears back, the exceptions being Sweetie Belle and her friends, who were more relieved that Cheerilee had come to help diffuse the situation, and a blue earth pony filly with a darker blue mane that resembled Scootaloo’s before her change. The pink filly wearing the little tiara stepped forward. “Ms. Cheerilee! Thank goodness you’re here. Archer and Shady Daze were trying to pick on Scootaloo.” Cheerilee’s gaze drifted to the upset faces of the blue filly and her partner, the pale blue, almost white, colt turning his head away in regret of his actions and trying to hide his eyes behind his two-toned dark grey mane. Archer did not seem to share in her friend’s remorse, however. “Why are you trying to defend her, Diamond Tiara? Scootaloo’s not a pony anymore! You all saw her fangs!” Archer said loudly, her angry gaze drifting over her cowering allies. “Fangs…?” Cheerilee turned a questioning gaze to Jim for a brief moment before her attention was drawn back to her students. “You only saw them because you forced her to open her mouth!” the little grey filly declared heatedly and she adjusted her glasses with a huff. “Because she wouldn’t show us willingly, Silver Spoon!” Archer fired back. Apple Bloom stomped her hoof as she rose to stand. “What does it matter? She’s our friend, Archer!” “Enough!” Jim barked. All eyes darted to the angry werewolf and a new wave of fear filled the room when they saw his hazel eyes aglow in a bright orange light. His eyes slowly darted from one pony to the other as he approached the children. “Why does it matter if Scootaloo has changed?” Jim growled lowly as his gaze landed on Archer. Archer swallowed thickly before her gaze hardened. “Because that makes her different! You took her away when she started to change… you made her a monster!” Jim’s eyes flashed dangerously at that statement and he frowned. Then his frown morphed into a sinister grin. “A monster, huh? Do you know what makes a monster? Can you tell me that you can see a monster just from what they look like?” he asked, his eyes glinting with a deeply concealed motive. Archer’s brow furrowed at Jim’s question. Was he serious? “Of course I can. Monsters are all scary looking. They all have fangs and claws and stuff.” Jim stared silently at Archer for a few long seconds before his throat rumbled with a deep chuckle. “You have much to learn if you think all monsters are scary,” he said and his grin vanished completely. “Because I see a monster in you.” Archer balked and a few of the other students looked to her in confusion. “What? I’m not a-” “Real monsters aren’t afraid of trouble,” Jim interrupted the little filly. “Real monsters have no reason to hide in fear of what others might think of them. Real monsters are willing to hurt others just to satisfy themselves and they won’t feel bad for doing it.” Jim gently set Scootaloo down and he stepped closer to Archer, his eyes flashing brightly for a moment. “Real monsters pull the wool over the eyes of others so that they can get away with hurting people.” He took another step and lowered his face down to stare into Archer’s wide purple eyes. “A real monster would not have run to get help when her friend was hurt trying to protect her. The only monster I see here, aside from myself… is you.” Jim slowly stood up, his gaze lingering on the shocked face of the young filly, before he looked over to Apple Bloom. “Are you alright, Apple Bloom?” he asked. Apple Bloom nodded slowly. Jim nodded lightly in return and he looked to Cheerilee. Cheerilee was shocked, like most of the class, and a feeling of regret began to fill Jim as he looked back on his words. He could have let things pan out through her methods, but he just could not hold back his anger for what Archer had said. It was one thing for him to be seen as, and called, a monster, but he would not stand for Scootaloo being seen as one. His gaze lowered down to see Scootaloo’s unsure expression as she looked between him and the other young ponies of her class. He sighed slowly. “Think about what I’ve said,” Jim said calmly as he turned around to look at every child. “Because there are monsters inside of all of you. Looking at someone else with distrust or disdain, just because they look different? That’s your inner monster pulling you to a dark place. Treating others with cruelty… that’s your inner monster wiggling into your heart. You are still young… you have a world of knowledge to learn before you grow up, and I leave you all with this little lesson. Monsters don’t come out of nowhere. They don’t slip out of the shadows at night… they don’t always come from another world. Monsters are made… and some of them are made because of your actions. Scootaloo is just a victim.” Jim turned his gaze to Archer. “You are right that I changed Scootaloo. It was an accident… but I’m the one responsible for it. I’m a monster… so you all can blame me for it, but don’t blame her. She’s still your friend. She looks different on the outside, but everything that made her who she is, is still there. Don’t become a monster just because she’s changed on the outside. Don’t treat her like she’s some freak when she has done so much good to help so many others. She deserves the friendship she formed with all of you… and you deserve a life where you can show how good you really are. Don’t let your inner monster win… or you’ll become worse than what I have been.” As Jim finished, he looked around at all of the faces within the room. Some were sad and ashamed at how they had acted toward Scootaloo while others seemed to understand the meaning of his words and held expressions of determination, to become better ponies and learn to live good lives. There were a few though, that seemed to feel a little lost, which was to be expected since Jim’s words were meant to have a heavy impact. Children really should not have had the experience or capacity to fully comprehend his words for what they really meant. Again, Jim’s gaze lowered to Scootaloo and he paused at seeing the sadness in her eyes as she looked up at him. She had not wanted him to make himself be seen as a monster, but there was nothing she could do or say to change anything now… she just did not know how. Instead, she did the only thing she could think of and she hugged his leg. Jim sighed and he kneeled down which allowed her to move up and hug his chest. He returned the hug gently before he took notice of the thin lines where her cuts had been. Her wounds were fully healed, but the blood still remained in her fur. Jim brought his hand up and he licked his thumb before he started to rub away some of the blood. “Look at you… we should get you cleaned up,” Jim said quietly before he licked away the blood on his thumb to rub at another spot. Scootaloo pulled away and looked at herself and the couple healed cuts she could see. She closed her right eye as Jim rubbed at a line of blood on her cheek. “Sorry…” she whispered. Jim chuckled softly. “Don’t be. You did nothing wrong.” “But-” Scootaloo’s protest was swiftly silenced as Jim stuck out his tongue and licked the side of her face and into her mane, leaving an adorably cute lick of her hair to stand up on the top of her head. Jim grinned down at her as he went to rub at another spot. “No buts.” Scootaloo mustered a small grin as she rubbed at the slimy spot on her cheek. “Okay…” Having seen enough, and feeling that it was time she tried to retake control of her class, Cheerilee walked over to Jim and Scootaloo. She then turned her head around to the class. “Mr. Jim has made a very important point and, though I would have chosen a less aggressive method of explaining it, I am inclined to agree with what he said.” Cheerilee’s gaze lowered to Archer and Shady. “I will want you to write a report on this, to tell me why you treated your classmates the way you did and to explain to me what you learned from this.” She then cast her gaze over the rest of the class. “I will also be expecting you all to keep in mind that this will be seen by Princess Twilight since I view this as a valuable lesson in friendship.” “Now then,” Cheerilee said as she turned to Apple Bloom. “Apple Bloom, I want you and Scootaloo to go with Mr. Jim to see the nurse at the hospital.” She turned her head to Jim. “When the nurse has tended to them, will you please escort them back here?” Jim nodded and he moved onto his hands and feet to let Scootaloo and Apple Bloom ride on his back. The two fillies climbed on, though they could not help but cast a look to their friends who were not able to come along. Both Jim and Cheerilee noticed this, but neither of them thought it was the kind of situation to allow all of them to go. With one last glance to Cheerilee, Jim lifted himself up and left the school with his two passengers.