Center Point Book One: Fallen Leader

Chapter 1- Welcome to Center Point

Chapter 1- Welcome to Center Point

"Are we there yet Helium?"

Helium turned around and looked at his friend and shouted, "if you ask me that one more time Jack, I'm going to kill you!" Helium looked up and turned facing southward. "We should be close if I remember correctly." Helium added.

"Oh my god if we are lost again, I'm going to lose my mind." Jack screamed out in exhaustion.

"You never had a mind to lose in the first place." Helium responded with a chuckle. As he continued walking, he stopped as something on a tree caught his eye. As he got closer, he realized what it was, it was the sign he had placed there almost 10 years ago. The sign simply read "Helium was X". Jack looked at the sign and said, "please tell me this means we are close."

Helium just shoved his friend and continued walking. Helium was starting to get excited; he was finally going home after 5 years. Jack decided he had enough of being in the seemly endless forest and charged forward. "Jack slows down you don't even know where you're going!" Helium shouted after his friend.

As Helium began to run after his friend, he could see that Jack had beaten him to the end of the forest, as he approached, he could hear Jack ask, "Helium are you sure this is your village?"

"Of course, I'm sure Jack I li—" Helium suddenly stopped talking as from the hill they were on the entire village came into view. New buildings Helium had never seen before. A massive building with two towers connecting to a central building, and what looked to be a mansion near the southern end. Helium was shocked and confused by this. This wasn't what his home looked like when he left, this was like a new village. Instantly question began to fill his head, where was everyone, did something happen to them, did Echo do this? All those questions suddenly stopped when Jack asked, "Helium you ok?"

Helium snapped out of daze and shook his head yes. He then started to make his way down the hill towards the bridge that connected the hill to the village. As the two travelers began walking on the bridge, they both took notice of someone sitting on the side of it fishing into the river. As Helium got closer, he began to recognize the figure fishing. "Lucky?" Helium said on instinct knowing that he wasn't wrong.

"Yes?" Lucky said as he turned his head to face the two travelers. Jack being able to see Lucky jumped back frightened by his appearance. Lucky wasn't human which was clear from one look of him, his ghostly white skin, and overall ghostly appearance was clearly other worldly. Lucky used to that response from people paid no mind to it as he looked at Helium and asked, "who are you?"

Lucky placed his fishing rod on the ground and suddenly began to recognize the traveler. "Helium" he said barley above a whisper as he couldn't believe that this man standing in front of him was Helium. "Heliumiodide?" Lucky asked before Helium could respond.

Helium shocked at hearing his full name as he had not heard it in so long began to nod his head yes as he walked towards his longtime friend. Lucky surprised Helium and Jack when he jumped into Helium and gave him a hug. Lucky began to ask Helium so many questions that Helium couldn't even process what he was saying anymore. Helium eventually let go of his friend and said "Lucky calm down it's ok. Where's Echo, Nugget, Til, and everyone else?"

Lucky's mood changed at the mention of those three names he suddenly seemed very annoyed at the mention of their mutual friends. Lucky looked at Helium and said "they're all in Echo's mansion arguing again. I can take you there, but I am not going in."

Helium nodded in agreement and motioned for Jack to follow them. As they walked through the town Helium took note of all the new buildings that had been added since he left as they walked through the center of the town Lucky was stopped by somebody "deputy mayor! What are you and Mayor Echo doing to stop Til from destroying the Mole-Man's house and desecrating his grave?"