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There was something in my head. This little voice inside that kept telling me things and I ignored it. Every single time.
"Go back to the MadHouse."
Nope.
"It's where you belong."
I belong away from the madness, thank you very much.
"Your friends need you."
I'm sure they're doing fine without me.
"Ryan misses you."
....He does?
And it would go like that every day. And at the last part, I'd always reach for the doorknob and try to walk outside and head up the path that lead to my home away from home. But, I would always get that nagging feeling to stay inside in my own house and wait for the next day where I would try it again.
It was a nice day outside. Summer was on its way and the sun was ready to show us how much it could make everyone sweat. Thank goodness for air conditioners. I was inside my little house, resting on my bed while watching TV. Nothing interesting was on at the moment, so I pulled out my 3DS and started to play Animal Crossing.
[KNOCK! KNOCK!]
I groaned. I bet it's someone from the MadHouse trying to get me to come back. Again. It's been like this for the month or so I was gone. First it was Ninja Monkey, then the BFF's (Cheryl and Ghost Ray) came by, then Katie and Allison gave it a shot. Then, I had a break for about...maybe 3 days. And then it started up again.
Snek King, Wendino and Radio came by with a fresh batch of cookies and GTA V. Didn't work. Kayla and Freckles came with tales of the madness Ryan has caused in my absence. Interesting stories, but nothing to run back to the MadHouse for. And just yesterday, Egg stopped by with some classic art they just drew. It was a picture of me in my house, and the MadHouse far away on a hill. It seemed like the house was yelling, "We miss you, Tabi!" and had music notes around it. So, they were having a party of some sort. It was a lovely drawing and I put it on my fridge, but I still didn't budge.
[KNOCK! KNOCK!]
"Tabi! I know you're home! Open up, please!"
Wait. No way. I know that voice...
"Taaabiiii, open the door, sweetheart! I have snacks!"
Kate! The MadHouse mom! My mummy. <3
I rushed downstairs and quickly opened the door for her. She also had a kitty cat next to her, and I think he was pawing at my door trying to get in. Must be the evil kitty, Alex.
"Mummy!" I exclaimed, giving her a big hug. She chuckled and returned the hug.
"Good to see you, too. It's been too long! I brought over some snacks and cuddles." she motioned to Alex. "And someone else wanted to see you, too."
"Who?" I asked.
Kate smiled and covered my eyes as Alex ran in my house. "No peeking, Tabi!"
"Mummy, what the hell??"
"It's a surprise! Don't open them!"
I could hear footsteps getting closer and Alex starting to hiss. Who was this mystery person??
"Want a hint to who it is?" she asked.
I gave a quick nod.
"All right. I'll let them say a few words. Go ahead, buddy." Kate smirked.
Then, it became silent. And I couldn't hear anything for a few seconds. And then, I hear the sound of laughing. But, it's not a normal laugh. It slowly starts to build until it's downright maniacal. Kate lets go of my eyes as I fall down into a fit of giggles. And there's only one evil laugh that can make me do that. I open my eyes and there he was.
The Mad King.
Ryan Haywood was at my house, dressed in his down-to-earth clothes, dad jeans and all. He even had his baseball cap backwards, yet he still managed to channel the evil inside of him to make me lose my mind.
"Man, I missed that reaction." he smiled.
"Ryan!!" I give him a hug and he stumbles backwards a bit.
"Easy, Tabi. I'm not prepared to have my head smash opened because of a hug." he chuckled and hugs me back.
"Mummy, how did you make this happen? Oh, please come in!" I stepped out of the way and let them inside my house before closing the door.
"I was tired of hearing failed attempts to get you to come back to the MadHouse that I had to call in some serious help."
I smirk at Ryan and point at him. "You call this serious? Look at how he's dressed!"
"I mean...This is as serious as it gets. I can't be too serious with you, anyway. You're too sweet and kind for that."
I blush like mad as I lead them to my living room. It's a nice sized room with a couch, some comfortable seats, a big TV with an xbox plugged up to it with lots of pictures and posters hanging around. There were even some trophies from dance competitions on the mantle. It was weird having Ryan in my own house. I should've cleaned up a bit more. Damn it!
"Uh, please! Have a seat if you'd like." I motion to the couch or seats half-circling the TV.
"I see an Xbox. I will gladly sit down." Kate chuckled. She walked over to my rack of video games and sifted through it. "I'm surprised you have more games than Just Dance."
I roll my eyes. "I can't dance all the time. I need other games too, mummy." I stuck my tongue out at her. Alex hissed at me in return. "Hey! Don't be mean!"
Kate stuck her tongue out at me and took Minecraft out of the many games I have. "Oh hell yeah. You have cool games, Tabi. Can I give this a go?"
"Sure! But, I don't think you came by just to play video games." I said, as I heard the Xbox One starting up. Kate sat down and handed a controller to Ryan as he sat on the other side of me. Well, great. I can't get up now. I'm sandwiched between my madhouse mom and Ryan.
Alex pawed at the bag of snacks Kate brought over. I think there was something in there for him.
"Uh, is your cat hungry?" I asked, picking up my pink Xbox controller.
"Nah, he just wants the bag empty so he can play with it a bit. He loves to see it float in the air and then swipes at it so it stays up there." Kate chuckled. She opened the bag and took out a bag of Cheetos, some chocolate chip cookies, a can of Pepsi for me, a Diet Coke for Ryan and a bottle of water for herself. She tossed the bag in the air and let Alex have his fun, running around my living room floor.
We started up a new Minecraft world and started hitting trees with all our might as we talked.
"So, Tabitha..." Ryan started.
"I'm not coming back." I interjected. "I know why you both are here. And I'm really glad to see you guys. I just...I'm not ready."
"Why not?" Kate asks, muttering swear words under her breath as her Minecraft character fell in a hole.
"I left because I felt like I didn't fit in there. There was something about me being in a place filled with chaos that didn't sit right with me. I always felt left out and unable to join the fun sometimes." I sighed, running alongside a little Minecraft bunny. I didn't want to kill it, so I let it hop free. Too bad Ryan saw this, ran next to me and killed the poor creature right in front of my face. "Ryan! God damn it!"
"The bunny had to learn..." he grinned.
"Look, Tabs. You tell us. How have you been since you left? Have things been better for you? Are you feeling all right? You eating well? If I see nothing but your go-to meal in the fridge, I'm gonna-"
I pat my madhouse mom on the knee, which made Alex jump on her lap for cuddles, and shook my head. "I've been fine. I ran into Noire at the supermarket a couple times. Tried a few new things with this food delivery service I saw advertised. But, I will admit. Not being around chaos every second, no sounds of screaming laughter and various video game music, no weapons clashing against each other and no sounds of Ghost Ray blazing it up every 4:20 AM/PM is really driving me crazy."
"So, you miss us." Ryan stated, without question.
I sighed. "I guess so."
"Tabi, remember what I told you before you left? You have your own magic, your own spark of madness that you bring to the MadHouse. And we've missed that. You might've missed the chaos we bring, but what about the things you bring? You always have a smile on your face, always dancing, always convincing others to never give up and to have fun and your reactions whenever I do something silly or scary. It's practically been a month of silence for us, too. And it's driving us crazy. So, how can we fix this?" Ryan asked, hitting another little bunny I was following around.
"Are you guys gonna help me build this house?" Kate asked, starting to form the outside of the house.
"I would, if Ryan would stop killing my potential pets!" I shoved him playfully on the couch. Ryan flipped me off in return.
"Damn it, Tabitha. Go help with the house and answer my question." Ryan smirked, using my own meme against me again. I groaned and turned around to go back to Mummy and our house in progress.
"I don't know what to do. I want to go back, but I'm scared. What if they don't want me back? What if they feel like I've abandoned the MadHouse?"
"Nonsense. They know why you left. And they also know you're coming back."
"What?"
"Because I told them you're coming back today."
"WHAT?! Ryan, why??" I exclaim, jumping off my couch. "Oh, my Dark God. You can't just tell them that!"
"It's okay, Tabi. It's okay." Kate stood up and rubbed my shoulders. I took a deep breath and sat back down, taking a drink from my Pepsi can. The stress was building.
"I mean, Kate was the one that told me that you'd be guaranteed to come back if I came along." Ryan shrugged.
"Ryan!" Kate facepalmed.
I groaned. "Why are you using my fangirling against me, mummy?"
"Ohhh, shit. It's nighttime. I'm headed back." Ryan said, focusing on the game.
"Sorry we both came into this with big heads, some heads bigger than others..." Kate glared at Ryan and he looked away with an innocent face. "...but we really want you to come back. We miss you, Tabi. I know you've been bored out of your mind being here alone. And it hasn't been any better for us. Even Ghost Ray wants you to come back! Oh, shit! Tabi! A zombie!" Kate started hitting a zombie coming after me, only holding a wooden block in her hand. The zombie soon fell over dead as we both sighed in relief.
Ryan paused the game and stood up from the couch. "I know what to do." He saw my suitcase in the corner by my bedroom door and wheeled it over to me. "I know there's a certain trip you're going on in about 3 weeks."
RTX. God damn it. I groan and face-palm. Just thinking about it makes me nervous. "Ryan, please..."
"And about half of the MadHouse is going on it. And they want you to go on it. You can either come back with us and we can prep you for the time of your life. You'll be back in the madness that you've missed so much, you'll see your friends, you can bother Ray again, feed Stu again. All of that fun stuff. OR, you can stay here, in the solitude of your home. Very well kept, but probably boring as hell. Away from the Madhouse, away from the chaos...away from me. And your friends will know that you're hiding from them in here and are probably gonna come in a big group and bring you back to the MadHouse themselves. And also your trip. I heard something or other about a heist team..."
I gasped. I've heard about it, too. There would be hashtags and talks on twitter talking about "heisting a kitty." And a never ending list of things they're going to have me try at the event. This was no secret. They wanted me bad. And the team kept growing every day.
"Don't scare the poor girl, Ryan." Kate gave me a gentle hug. But, Ryan pushed her away.
"Ah, ah, ah. Nope. Let her do this. She has to decide. No hugs until she makes a decision. This is me being serious now."
I roll my eyes, but I can see what he's doing.
Ryan looks me right in the eyes, which makes me want to look away, but I can't bring myself to do so. His blue eyes staring, piercing into my soul. He took off his baseball cap and extended his arm out.
Uh-oh.
His crown came flying in through the window, which made Alex yowl and jump on the couch. He caught his crooked crown and put it on his head. His demeanor changed, he stood up straight, still looking at me. I love the Mad King, but not when he's this close to me.
"I can't help you now, Tabi." Kate said, petting Alex on my couch.
"Nobody can help you," Ryan growled. Then, his face softened and he grabbed my shoulders. "But, I can help you. Your friends can help you. Let us make your next year in my home worth it. You belong there, my dear Tabitha. I promise you that you won't regret coming back. I don't know what you're looking for, but we can help you find it. And RTX is going to be worth it. Your friends will be there and I'll be there! It's gonna be fun! Pack for home, so we can help you pack for July. What do you say? As your Mad King, I'm ordering you to get your things ready so we can escort you back home." Ryan brought back his serious face as he ended his plea.
"Uh, I second that motion, but without all the creepy." Kate nodded.
I look at Ryan, then back at Mummy. Then, I look at my suitcase and sigh. If I'm gonna do this, I have to do this right. I look back at the Mad King with a serious face of my own.
"Well. You say there's a group of Vagabonds that wanna heist me?"
Ryan nods.
"I guess they're gonna have to try to heist me from my MadHouse bedroom." I slowly start to smile as Kate gasps and tackles me into a hug.
"Yes! Tabi yes!! I'm so happy and proud of you right now!" Kate smiles.
I slowly start to cry in the hug. I've made my choice. I'm going back to the MadHouse. It's gonna be weird, it's gonna be different, but I couldn't ask for a better family to return to.
"Good choice, Tabi. Good choice." Ryan pats me on the back and chuckles lightly. "Well, I am not going to be seen carrying around a Hello Kitty suitcase, so let's get you packed and ready to go, huh?"
"Ryan, a million dollars, but-"
"Tabi, no."
Kate and I laugh as we head back to my room to get my things together. Alex following, trying to keep up with the excitement.
It's been a month, but it's finally happening.
I'm coming home.