Yup, still terrible at making titles! :'D

Nikki's POV:

"EnderCon is so big!" Nikki thought in amazement. It was to be remembered that this was her first time in the convention. Jesse, Olivia, and Axel had always told her stories of this place, but she'd never seen it with her own eyes. After a short swim to shore, she, Jesse, Petra, and Reuben had taken a shortcut through the woods under the bridge, or what was left of it, straight to EnderCon.

"Hey! Watch it!" Jesse pulled Nikki sharply towards him, out of the path of a pet booth. But not fast enough, because her hand nicked a wooden cage, knocking it over. "Ugh! Great! I know this is your first time and all, but you need to use that remaining eye properly!" he scolded. Reuben gave an oink of agreement, rubbing his head against Nikki's leg worriedly.

"I can't help it if I want to look around," Nikki protested, bending down to pet Reuben. "In case you've forgotten, I haven't been here ever, and I want to get a good view of the place."

"You DO realize we have to help Petra first, right?"

"Exactly. So I want to look around before we're stuck with nothing but a dark creepy alley to look at,"

"How do you even know that's where we're hosting the deal?"

"Would YOU perform some shady dealing out in the open?"

"Speaking of the deal--" Petra interrupted their argument. "When I'm making the trade, I need you two to let me do the talking, okay?"

"Sure, I'll let you handle it," Jesse simply agreed.

"And if you want to be really helpful, try to look intimidating,"

"Like this?" Jesse asked, pulling on the toughest face Nikki had ever seen him attempt.

"I'm...less scared of you, than I am scared for you," she giggled, which got Jesse to turn on her, glaring.

Axel's POV:

Axel paced back and forth nervously. It was dark already, and Jesse and Nikki still hadn't returned from their Reuben retrieval. Had something bad happened?

"Maybe we should go look for them," he said to Olivia.

"Just relax. I'm sure they just got held up somewhere," Olivia assured him. "EnderCon is pretty popular, so I wouldn't be surprised if they had to jostle through a few people to get here." Axel guessed that was true, but nothing stopped him from being concerned. Although...he DID really like hanging out with Olivia alone. After all, who doesn't like being alone with your crush/best friend?

"It's sweet of you to worry about them, though," Olivia added shyly.

"Oh! Uh...yeah, sure," Axel replied awkwardly. Silence.

"Well...Olivia?" Axel asked.

"Hmmm?"

"Since they're not here, maybe we could--"

"Oh look! They made it! They're here!" Olivia interrupted happily, rushing towards their friends as they appeared with Reuben and...Petra?

"Now?" he said, partly disappointed. "Oh well," he sighed. "You WERE worried about them before. May as well go say hi."

Olivia's POV:

"Jesse! Nikki!" Olivia heard Axel's booming voice greet their friends.

"And...Petra?" she asked, puzzled. What was the redheaded trader doing with Jesse and his sister?

"Hey, you all know Petra, my new super-close friend? We're super-close now," Jesse said, trying to be cool. But Olivia and Axel gave him skeptical looks, and Petra facepalmed as Jesse admitted they ran into each other while he and Nikki were looking for Reuben.

"They nearly kissed when we fell from a bridge," Nikki said aside from the other two. "Neither of them will admit it, but it was pretty sweet." Axel grinned as if he agreed with her. But Olivia, although also pleased to hear the progress of Jesse and Petra's relationship, was more concerned about Nikki's eye, which looked as if it was replaced with a prune.

"Hey, what happened to your eye, Nikki?" she asked.

"Oh, this? Nearly forgot about it," the young girl admitted.

"We had a little run-in with some zombies,' Jesse informed them. "They wacked her good, but she held her own." He ruffled her head teasingly, and she pushed it away, though she couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"What were you doing in the middle of the woods, Petra?" Axel wanted to know.

"Nothing. Just...drawn by the sound of Jesse's high-pitched screams..." Petra answered, but she seemed hesitant.

"Seems to me you were looking for him to begin with," Olivia thought, but she kept this to herself. She didn't want to embarrass the trader. "Sorry we didn't come with you guys," she apologized.

"But hey, we won!" Axel added, showing them the large wool creeper behind them. Personally, if Olivia didn't know any better, she'd think it would actually explode. It looked so lifelike.

"I'm proud of you guys," Jesse congratulated his friends.

"Aw, shucks," Axel said bashfully.

"Don't make me blush," Olivia pleaded. Then, her eyes narrowed dangerously, and she got serious. "Seriously. DON'T."

"Hey, Jesse, Nikki," Petra interrupted their celebration. "It's time to go see about that 'thing.'"

"Oh, right, the 'thing,'" Jesse agreed.

"Subtle," Olivia commented.

"Yeah?"

"As a punch to the face. Axel and I were heading into EnderCon anyway, and NO, Nikki, it's not a date," she said warningly, one step ahead of Jesse's romantically mischievous sister. She looked a bit deflated, but she recovered quickly. Though she didn't know why, Olivia had the feeling she was disappointing herself as well.

Petra's POV:

"See you guys there?" Olivia said her farewells to the trio.

"I heard there's free cake by the map booth..." Axel said, but Petra didn't hear anymore before she turned to the siblings.

"Hurry—we're supposed to meet in that dark, creepy ally over there," she told them, pointing to the meet-up spot.

"Called it!" Nikki couldn't resist adding, clearly satisfied. Rolling his eyes, Jesse followed Petra into the alley.

"Dark...dark...VERY dark in here," Petra heard in murmur behind her. They were here...but something was wrong.

"That's weird...he said the dark, creepy alley behind the gates, but...he's not here. Maybe he's late?"

"Are you sure THIS is the dark, creepy alley he meant?" Jesse asked.

"Hmmm...I was," she replied. "Okay, new plan. You two stay here in case this IS the spot he meant, and I'll look around."

"Now that I'm actually in the scene, something about this feels off to me," Nikki confessed.

"All my secret deals feel off," Petra assured her. "That's why I usually keep them a secret. I'll be back before you know it." Petra turned and left, hoping nothing would go wrong.

Jesse's POV:

Jesse rocked awkwardly back and forth on his feet as Petra exited the alley. He hadn't been that chatty ever since the bridge scene. His mind was still on that slow-mo fall they made together. Left alone, he finally had a chance to think about it clearly. What had happened back there? He had discovered that he had fallen in love with a girl he knew would never say she loved any boy, much less him, and that was pretty much it. But was there more to it? Did she like him back, despite her personality? Had his father ever explained in detail what love was? Why did he find this out now?

"Ugh...so much for thinking over this clearly," Jesse thought aloud.

"So...what was that little scene about back there?" Nikki purred mischievously. Jesse stood erect, inwardly cringing over the fact that his sister had heard.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Jesse insisted, fighting his blood cells not to rush to his face.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You think I was sleeping during that free-fall? I saw the entire thing! Come ON, bro! Just tell her!"

"You're always crazier than I gave you credit for. What if she doesn't like me back?! I'll ruin our friendship!"

"Fine. But keep this in mind: friendship never parts, but motives seep in,"

Before Jesse could make sense out of Nikki's words, he heard someone clear their throat behind them. He whirled around, startled, as a man in beige stepped out of the shadows. He had a long black beard and a long, flat nose, almost like a villager's, except it wasn't big.

"And just who are you two?" he growled.

"No, who are YOU?" Nikki shot back, causing Jesse to wince. Hostility wasn't going to help Petra with her deal at all.

"If either of you belonged here, you would know!"

"Unless...that's all part of the plan?" Jesse added hopefully, trying to cool down the heated mood.

"I'm supposed to meet with Petra, not whatever you're supposed to be!" the man barked. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't walk out of here right now!"

Nikki's POV:

"Geez, this guy's loud," Nikki thought, but didn't dare put words to her thought to avoid making the man angrier.

"I'm with Petra," Jesse told the man. "We're her partners."

"My deal is with her—not her boyfriend," the man sniffed. Nikki barely suppressed laughing aloud, but a snicker escaped her. Quickly, Jesse yanked her aside.

"You are NOT allowed to turn that into anything," he whispered warningly. Standing up straight, he said to the dealer, "She'll be here, but we can get started without her."

"Smooth move, Jesse. That'll buy us some time," Nikki silently praised her brother.

"Do you have the skull?" the man pressed impatiently. Both siblings stared at each other uncomfortably.

"Jinxed it," Nikki gulped inwardly. "Petra has it, and she'll be back any minute now," she promised the guy.

"Well...as long as she's bringing it...I suppose it wouldn't kill me to wait a bit longer."

"Handled like a pro,"

The three waited in an uncomfortable silence. At last, Petra rounded the corner and greeted them.

"Ivor! Sorry I'm late, but good things are worth waiting for," she said. "I've got what you asked for."

"If you have what you promised us," Jesse cut in.

"You didn't say anything about your soulmate here," the man, supposedly called Ivor, huffed. "And I don't like surprises."

"He's just a friend. Not a soulmate," Petra corrected through gritted teeth. It was plain to see she was fighting to stay calm.

"And if you're willing to share serious business with CHILDREN..." Ivor continued, glowering at Nikki. "Perhaps we should call the whole thing off."

"My friends are fine, right you guys?" Petra told the pair, giving them a "don't-screw-this-up-or-I'll-screw-YOU-up" look. "There's no problem here."

"I'm telling you, something's out of place here!" Nikki whispered fiercely, but neither Petra or Jesse seemed to have heard.

"Let's just do this thing," Jesse sighed.

"That's what I thought," Petra replied, satisfied.

"Proceed, then," Ivor said.

Petra took out the skull and held it out to Ivor. He took it from her and examined it closely. He seemed pleased, which relaxed Nikki a bit. She still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was botched, though.

"I'll take that diamond now," Petra said. Ivor looked up from the skull and gestured to the chest behind them.

"Take it. You've earned it," he nodded, then resumed studying the skull. All three turned and opened the chest, but when Nikki saw what was inside, her suspicious feelings were confirmed.

"Uh, this isn't a diamond--" Jesse said as Petra yanked out the contents.

"I TOLD you something was up," Nikki mumbled.

"No, it's lapis!" she growled, whipping her head back towards Ivor. Nikki looked up too, and saw that Ivor had made a run for it. They had been conned!

"Ooh! Plot twist! You know what that means!" Nikki grinned broadly.

"What?" Jesse queried.

"Hot pursuit time! YEE-HAW!" Nikki shot out of the alley like an arrow. Reuben oinked gleefully, and galloped after her, Jesse and Petra close behind.

"I'm either getting that diamond, or I'm getting my skull back," Nikki heard Petra say behind her.

"Or you'll make him pay, right? Right?" Jesse asked excitedly.

"Come on," was the only reply.

The trio rounded a corner and exited the alley, which jutted out into the middle of EnderCon. They didn't see Ivor anywhere.

"We lost him," Jesse groaned. But Nikki wasn't stopping here.

"Then we'll just have to find him again. Petra, go right while Jesse and I go left. If he's in this vicinity, we should be able to trap him," Nikki was surprised how easily she laid her plan out.

Nodding once, Petra went off in the other direction while Nikki and her older brother went straight ahead. As Nikki scoured the area for Ivor, she saw a flash of blonde hair. Taking a closer look, she identified a black leather jacket, a purple-and-white striped shirt, and faded jeans. It was Lukas; the Ocelot team leader was here at EnderCon and leaning against a stall pole, lost in thought. Nikki remembered what Petra had told them back on the bridge: "You might want to get to know him—just in case."

Plastering a friendly smile on her face, she walked over to him, a puzzled Jesse padding after her.

Lukas' POV:

Lukas stood alone, feeling blank. His friends had lost the building competition for the first time in a long time. Aiden looked furious when Jesse and his friends were dubbed the winners. Though his friends were angry, he was disappointed, but not because they lost, but because his attempt to make nice with Jesse's gang didn't work out well. Though...Jesse's younger sister didn't seem to have a hostile glare in her eyes. Was it possible he could make a connection through her?

No...Jesse would have warned her to stay away from him. He wished they didn't misunderstand him so. Sighing, Lukas flicked his head up unconsciously. And who would be there walking towards him with a friendly grin other than Nikki?

"Sup?" Lukas greeted her as she approached.

"Nothing, sup with you?" she replied.

"Nothing, sup with YOU?"

"She just said, nothing," Jesse interrupted, looking hostile. His defensive faced vanished when Nikki kicked his leg.

"Hey...congrats on the win," Lukas said hesitantly. "You guys really deserved it."

"Your beacon wasn't too shabby," Nikki said politely.

"You don't have to do that; you know?"

"I don't have to...I want to. Listen--" Nikki said. "I know Peachy McBlockhead over here gave me the wrong idea at first, but I figured I'd give you a shot before judging you."

Lukas was sure he was dreaming. Had Nikki just...accepted him? "Wow...she's really nice...I think I'll like being her friend! Even if she IS younger."

"Well...thanks. You're alright, Nikki," Lukas said, ruffling Nikki's hair, half-worried that Jesse would react. But Jesse didn't move, or even look threatening. If anything, he looked confused now.

"Hey, Lukas, have you seen a guy with a long beard anywhere?" he asked him.

"No. Why?" Lukas wanted to know.

"He scammed Petra out of a diamond earlier,"

"Whoa...everyone knows you don't mess with Petra—not if you know what's good for you. I'll keep an eye out, okay?"

"Thanks,"

Lukas looked off to the right uncomfortably, then scratched his head. "So, uh...we cool?"

"Yeah, we're cool,"

"Cool-cool,"

"Cool beans,"

"Cool-a-rama,"

"We get it! You're both cool!" Nikki said good-naturedly. "Now, we should get a move on, bro." Jesse noogied her playfully in return.

"Ha! See you later, Lukas,"

"Yeah, see ya," Lukas said his goodbyes, smiling as the siblings headed off. He was glad he had finally got what he wanted for a long time: their friendship. What could possibly go wrong now?

Axel's POV:

"Ha-ha-ha!" Axel taunted a falling chicken as it fluttered clumsily into the fence of the chicken machine. "Thought you could just wiggle right out of that trap, didn't you? Well, wiggle as much as you want! You're still not going anywhere!" He absolutely LOVED this chicken machine. Unnecessarily complicated, mean to birds for no reason...it was his type of build.

Axel felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Jesse and Nikki standing there. "Axel, listen up, have you seen a creepy-looking guy anywhere?"

"No, but Petra told me what happened," Axel said, remembering how steamed the redhead was for being so easily outsmarted. "I'm keeping a lookout." It wasn't so convincing, for they were eyeing both him and the chicken machine suspiciously.

"Alright, alright! I'll look!" he snapped, getting tired of their stares. "After I watch one more chicken get owned." He heard them sigh, then walk off in another direction. "Or maybe two, or three, or six..."

Jesse's POV:

Jesse was annoyed by Axel's reluctance to help. He always had to be so lazy sometimes. As he was walking away, he noticed a beige-robed person walking into the crowd. "Ah-ha! I see you now, weirdo," he said to himself, speed-walking after him. But as he got closer, Aiden appeared out of nowhere and in front of him and Nikki.

"Well, if it isn't Team Trashbag!" he snickered. "How's your stupid pig?" Jesse tried to look past him, but Aiden kept on leaning in his way.

"Aiden, you idiot!" Nikki hissed; Jesse suspected she was at the end of her rope now.

"Hey, who are you calling an idiot?" Aiden snarled down at her.

"Perhaps you didn't hear me when I said, 'Aiden,' you idiot,"

"What makes you think you're smarter than me?! You're the one who thinks this loser and that go-getter have a shot!"

That stuck Nikki's nerve. "Big. Mistake," she hissed in a barely audible voice. "Hope you don't have a crush on anyone, because you're not going to be having kids anytime soon." Before either Jesse or Aiden could make sense out of her words, Nikki drew her right leg up sharply, and nailed Aiden right in his most sensitive spot.

"AAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIEEEE!" Aiden howled like a dying wolf. He dropped to his knees, whimpering, then finally got enough voice to whine, "Right in the blocks..." before collapsing. Jesse could only stare, open-mouthed, as Nikki calmly stepped over Aiden as if he was a bothersome paving stone. Sometimes, his little sister could be scary!

Jesse crept up behind Ivor quietly. He was talking with a group of people. Part of him wondered why a secretive person like him would be so social at a time of escape. But he didn't look too deeply into it, as he was mostly thinking about final catching the thief, and how impressed Petra would be when she discovered he caught him so fast.

"Hey, where do you think you're--" he began as he forced him around, only to discover that it WASN'T Ivor—it wasn't even a "him" at all.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she snapped.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jesse quickly apologized.

"Get away from me!"

"I said I was sorry..."

Embarrassed, Jesse backed away from the woman who looked vaguely like Ivor. "Well, that worked out real nice," sighed Nikki. Before Jesse could throw back a retort, he heard Reuben give out an alarmed squeal before being cut off abruptly.

"Reuben? Where'd you run off to?" he called out. No reply.

"Get your pork chops here! Fresh off the bone!" a nearby butcher called. Heart sinking fast, Jesse speed-walked towards the booth. "Nothing sticks to your ribs like a juicy pork chop!" the butcher said, plopping Reuben onto the table, and raising his stone axe. Jesse froze in horror.

"Reuben!"

Nikki's POV:

Nikki's pulse sped. She couldn't let Reuben become stall food! She ran towards the stall as Jesse called out his pig's name.

"What's the big idea? I'm trying to run a business here!" the butcher grunted rudely.

"That's my pig! You kidnapped my pig!" Jesse insisted.

"Well, I don't know what you're talking about, chief," the butcher shot back. "I found this pig wandering all alone in the streets,"

"Please, he's our friend!"

"More his than mine, really," Nikki thought to herself, but now wasn't the time to say it out loud.

"To me, he's inventory. I don't have time for this!"

The butcher rose his axe, ready to strike. Just then, a dark black bat popped out of the ceiling of the booth, screeching loudly. Startled, the butcher threw his axe into the air. It flew up high, lingered a few moments, then came crashing down, the flat side bashing square on his head. "Otis has an ouchie..." he moaned, before hitting his chin on the table, and slithering down, out cold. Nikki was astonished. But also impressed. That was one smart little bat! But where did he come from?

Reuben hopped down from the table, and Jesse picked him up. "Wow! Lucky that bat came when it did, or Reuben would've been toast! Literally!" Jesse commented.

"He's so cool!" Nikki gushed. She stuck out her arm and the bat landed on it, facing her. Nikki was amazed even more: this bat wasn't just black instead of brown; he had purple eyes! It was an ender bat!

"Holy crap! That thing's Herobrine spawn!" Jesse yelped in surprise. "Get him off right now!"

"What?! No!" Nikki countered. "He's so cute! And he would've attacked by now if he was evil." She scratched the bat behind the ears, which he seemed to like. He flew in circles around her head, causing a soft breeze to blow around her face. It felt nice after sweating half her body water out over Reuben.

"Whatever. He'll leave on his own," Jesse predicted as he walked off in another direction. Nikki followed, half-hoping the ender bat would too. And he darn well did.

"I think I'll give you a name: Zephyr," Nikki decided as the bat rested on her shoulder again. "Because I have a feeling we're gonna be together for a while." The bat let out a happy squeak as if he agreed.

Olivia's POV:

Olivia stared up at the chicken machine. She couldn't get what Axel found so interesting about it. Maybe he understood something about it she didn't. He COULD be clever at times, despite his dense personality. She felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Axel?" she thought, turning around. Jesse was standing there, along with Reuben and Nikki. "Rats."

"Remember that thing we had to go do with Petra?" Jesse said, reminding her of the infamous "thing" he spoke of with Petra. "Long story short, we met up with this guy, who cheated me and Petra on a deal, and now we're trying to catch him. You in?"

"Oh, I'm in all right," she agreed. She was happy to be a part of the excitement for once. Only now did she notice the bat on Nikki's shoulder. But what a bat it was! It was not only black instead of brown, but it had purple eyes as well! It almost looked like...it was an Ender species? "Hey, Nikki, who's your new friend?" she asked.

"Oh, him? This is Zephyr. He saved Reuben from getting chopped by a butcher," Nikki explained. "Isn't he cute?"

"Wha--?! Nik, I told you to get rid of him!" Jesse scolded.

"I don't think I could even if I wanted to! He won't stop following me around!"

"Well, why?!"

Nikki only shrugged her shoulders. "How am I supposed to know?" That's when Zephyr flew off Nikki's shoulder, and hid under Olivia's helmet.

"Hey, what--" instinctively, Olivia lifted her helmet, and Zephyr flapped free, squeaking loudly, flying circles around Nikki.

"Okay, that thing has lost its mind," Jesse said, confused.

"No, he must be trying to tell us something," Olivia theorized. "Nikki, I think you must have freed him somehow!"

"The pet booth...of course!" Nikki realized. "When Jesse pulled me over, I must have grazed his cage or something!"

Zephyr nodded his tiny head vigorously. He landed on Nikki's head this time, tired from his romp, and blanketed himself with her ponytail.

"Even if that's true, we can't just keep a wild animal around," Jesse protested.

"We kept Reuben. And you,"

"Oh, very amusing! Mom and Dad gave us Reuben as a pet! HE just showed up!"

"Jesse, you owe him Reuben's life, from what I've heard!" Olivia found herself defending Nikki. "Surely you can't deny that!"

And Jesse couldn't. Sighing reluctantly, he turned to his little sister, and grinned. "Alright, you win. Welcome to the gang, Zephyr." The bat let out another happy squeak and flittered of Nikki's head to briefly lick Jesse's face, then return to his previous spot.

"Nikki was right," Olivia thought privately. "He IS cute."

Petra's POV:

"Did you see him anywhere?" Petra asked Jesse as she and Axel ran up to Jesse, Olivia, and Nikki.

'I thought I saw him, but it was just a false alarm," Jesse reported. Petra's eye caught a strange bat on Nikki's head as he said this.

"Uh, Nikki, where--" she began, but Nikki held a hand up to stop here.

"It's a long story, but—hey, there he is!" she cried, pointing at the shady dealer, who was heading for the hall. "Let's get after him!" Nikki said, about to run towards the hall, but Petra caught the back of her gray hoodie before she could make a move.

"Whoa there, half-pint. We need to get past that usher to follow him," she told her, pointing to a long-haired blonde man with khaki pants and a blue shirt. Wasting no time, the whole group ran up to him.

"So, yeah, hey," Jesse greeted awkwardly.

"What would it take to get us inside tonight?" Petra said, a bit more smoothly.

"Uh, tickets?" the usher answered, chuckling at his own horrible joke.

"This might sound crazy, but we're on a really important mission," Jesse said, getting a bit desperate.

"Well, then I hope your mission came along with tickets, cuz' otherwise..."

A chicken flapped by, terrifying the usher, but Petra was to disappointed to notice. "We gotta do something!" she told her friends.

"Like what? The show has been sold out for hours!" Olivia reminded her.

"I could bust right through!" Axel suggested. "I just need a little wind-up room..."

"You are NOT punching anyone," Jesse said sternly. "We need a distraction."

"That's...exactly what we need to do!" Nikki blurted.

"What?! No! We can't just--"

"Not the usher, you blockhead! We can punch that pane of glass on the chicken machine and free all those chickens up there!"

"How'd you figure THAT out?!"

"I had some help..." Nikki said, beaming up at Zephyr, who had flown up to the glass dome of chickens and tapped the pane with his head.

"Clever little fella..." Petra had to admit, but she wasn't going to obsess over it now.

"But you'd have to go all the way up there! And Zephyr isn't strong enough to break it!" Olivia said.

"Look around. There must be a way up there," Nikki encouraged. Petra hoped to hell she was right, because she wasn't about to let Ivor get away with this.

Nikki's POV:

Determined to find a way up to the glass pane, Nikki started searching around. She didn't find anything helpful at first, but then she saw a slime booth. A man was performing a demo, showing off the common slime block's bounciness. Maybe bouncy enough to get up there! She eagerly walked to the slime booth, but felt uneasy when she saw who ran it. It was the woman Jesse had mistaken for Ivor.

"Oh, hey, we meet again...heh..." she swallowed uncomfortably at her cold stare. Zephyr lowered his head, trying to stay out of sight. "One slime block, please."

"We don't give out slime blocks here. Just slime balls." For someone who reacted so fiercely to a mistake, she sure covered up her anger well. The slime vendor spoke as if she never saw her before. "We've got a limited supply today, so we're only giving out two per customer," she went on. "You COULD craft your own slime block if you had nine, though."

"I'm sorry about before," Jesse apologized, walking up next to Nikki. She hoped he could butter her up into a better attitude. "I honestly thought you were someone else."

"Apology accepted," she replied blankly.

"A round of slime balls for everyone, please," Axel said, approaching with the girls behind him. Nikki thought it would really be that easy, but when it was her turn, she didn't get any.

"Hey, what about me?" she asked.

"Children under 18 can't buy anything on their own at EnderCon,"

"Agh! Curse you, tininess!"

Jesse sensed a problem. "Wait, if Nikki can't buy her own slime, we only have eight. We need nine to make a block."

"Okay," Nikki said, "See if you can find one more ball." She was impressed with how easily she was leading their group, despite being so young. But anyways, they needed one more ball. But where could they find one? Zephyr flew off her head and high into the air to get a birds-eye view. Then, he took a nose dive towards Lukas; the Ocelot was leaning by a crafting stall—and he had a slime ball. With a tad of relief inside her, Nikki sauntered nonchalantly over to Lukas.

Lukas' POV:

Lukas casually flipped his slime ball, a little bored, but happy that he had made amends with Jesse and his sister. But would Axel and Olivia accept him too?

As he was thinking this, he saw Nikki walk up to him. "What now?" he wondered.

"Hey, Lukas can you do me a favor?"

"Anything's possible,"

"I need slime balls; I swear I have a really good explanation--"

"Nikki! Lukas!"

Lukas turned towards the new voice that was Petra. Olivia, Jesse, and Axel were right behind. What could they be up to?

"Whatever you guys are doing, count me in," Lukas declared as he held out the slime ball to Jesse.

"Thank, Lukas," Petra said gratefully. To Jesse, she said, "Told you he could come in handy."

"Aw, this guy isn't actually cool, is he?" whined Axel.

"Remains to be seen," Olivia huffed, unpleased with being allied with Lukas. This bothered him, but he tried not to show it.

"Be fair, you guys," Nikki cut in, standing up for Lukas. "As far as I've seen, he hasn't done squat to put you down." Lukas turned to give his thanks, but it caught in his throat when he saw a tiny black bat with purple eyes land on Nikki's head.

"Nikki, you got a little something riiiiiiiiiiiiight..." Lukas said, trying to direct her to the bat.

"Oh, don't mind Zephyr. He's one of us now. He saved Reuben from a butcher earlier," Nikki explained.

"Is that where he came from?' Petra asked, who had been listening. "That's pretty sweet. Lucky Jesse let you keep him." Lukas could have sworn before Jesse turned back to the crafting table, he was blushing.

"Ta-da! One slime block," Jesse announced, finishing it. "Gross."

"I'll take that," Olivia said, taking the block off the stand. "Riiiiiiiiiiiiight...there," she placed the slippery block in between the crafting booth and the chicken machine. Lukas hoped this plan of theirs would work.

Jesse's POV:

"It's all you now, Jesse," Axel declared.

"Give me a boost," he said. Axel knelt down so Jesse could climb atop his back and get to the crafting stall's roof. He steadied himself for the jump, then ran to the edge. As soon as he leapt, everything went in slow-motion. He imagined every move he would make, each muscle to tone in preparation for it. But as he neared the ground, he couldn't help but flick his head to the left, where his friends were watching. He sought out one in particular: Petra. Sensing a chance to impress her further, he waved. To his delight, she waved back. Jesse lost concentration, and everything sped back up all too fast for him to react.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, ahhhhhhhhhh!" he yelped, bouncing on his stomach instead of his foot, and smashing his head on the pane. It still broke, and chickens swarmed free, but Jesse had a major headache.

The man running the machine noticed the chickens streaming out of the crack. "My poultry! My precious poultry!" he wailed. The usher saw too, and tried to make a run for it.

"Keep your eyes closed! They will peck out your eyes!'" he advised the panicking crowd. A chicken knocked him down, and more crashed down on him in a wave.

"Nice!" Petra laughed, sticking out a hand for Jesse to take. "Never seen glass broken that way!"

Heating up like never before, Jesse took her hand and ran for the hall. "Smooth, Jesse," he rebuked himself. "As sandpaper!"

Woooooooow, Jesse. Real classy. And welcome Zeph! You all can find out more about him in the MC:SM FanFic Wikia. It might (repeat, MIGHT) contain spoilers. Come to think of it, Nikki has her own page there too, but I think I'll leave it up to you guys if you want to explore. Just click the link and follow through from there!