A/N: Hi everyone! This is my first update on this book in SIX YEARS. I've taken a super long hiatus on writing fanfiction, but it feels so good and nostalgic to come back to it! My writing has also *very much* improved since my middle school days (when I literally just wrote for shits and giggles, as seen in the first parts of this book!) so I hope you all enjoy this short story and the others soon to come. :)

Once upon a time in Tulsa, Oklahoma...

One afternoon, my coach was ready to choose who was going to represent our high school at the county men's track finals next week. Coach had to choose four runners, one from each grade level. Last year, James Coney, a Soc, was picked for my grade, and he never let anyone forget.

While packing up my things in the locker room, one of my teammates announced that Coach posted the finalists outside. Everyone hurriedly ran to check the clipboard on the chain-link fence. I was in the back and couldn't really see, but I assumed James was picked again anyway.

To my surprise, James started complaining. Then the older kids patted me on the shoulder with congratulations and they dispersed from the crowd. I was free to walk up and get a good look at the clipboard, and sure enough, my name was on it under the sophomores. This was going to be my first race in the county finals!

But James came up to me furious, with his arms crossed over his chest. "Well congrats I guess, Curtis, but no way you're faster than me!"

"Well, my name's on here, so I guess I am now," I defended, trying to be nonchalant about it, but James just huffed and walked away.

I returned to the locker room and collected my things. On my way out, my coach stopped me and said, "Oh Ponyboy, I just made a few quick updates on the clipboard. Every runner has an understudy now, just in case something happens before or during the finals. And yours is James."

I nodded and thanked him, but I felt my heart nervously skip a beat. Great, I thought, James won't shut up about this one.

I started on my walk home. That's when James approached me again, but this time, he was smiling.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck in practicing for the finals," he said, but very connivingly. "But I'd be very careful if I were you. You wouldn't want to get hurt before the big race!" He laughed, and in passing, he harshly brushed his shoulder against mine.

I was mad all the walk home.

Before going to bed, I prayed for the first time in a while, hoping that nothing bad would happen to me within the next week. I was going to run in that race whether James liked it or not!

When I woke up the next morning, my mattress felt like pointy little pine needles. Opening my eyes, I quickly realized I wasn't in my bedroom at all, but laying in a field of grass. I sat up and looked around me. I was in the lot, and it was truly abandoned—not a person in sight, just empty playground equipment and a haunting brush of wind. There were also more trees than usual. No buildings.

Then I looked down at myself. Instead of my pajamas, I was wearing my red tracksuit from school.

While processing where exactly I was, I suddenly caught a large black shadow growing in front of me. I widened my eyes and flipped up and around to see none other than my track coach holding a switchblade over me! I yelled with my arms covering my face and fell onto the ground.

Then my coach dropped the blade in the grass. "Oh, I can't do it, I can't do it!"

I peered my eyes open and saw the intense remorse drawn on his face. "Ponyboy, I'm so sorry. I couldn't do it. I could never!" He dropped to his knees. "Please forgive me! I could never hurt you! He told me to do it!"

"W-What? He? Do what?!"

"The King!" he bellowed. "The King wants you dead! He ordered me to kill you and give him your legs, but I just can't do it!"

My mind spun. "What? Why?!"

"Listen to me, boy!" Coach grabbed my shoulders. "The King is evil! He wants to kill you because he wants your speed! So you need to use it while you have it and run away! Run away, Ponyboy, and never come back! RUN!"

He didn't have to tell me twice. I sprinted in the direction of the streets, towards my home, while Coach continued yelling at me, "RUN!"

I ran as fast as I could into the depths of the super large forest that replaced my hometown. With each sprinting stride the forest got darker and my legs were closer to collapsing. Then I started seeing things in the trees and hearing the voices of my coach, my brothers, friends, and even some classmates from school telling me to run even faster.

I ended up tripping over a fallen tree and tumbled into a pile of sticks and leaves. When I gathered the energy to sit up, there was darkness all around me except for a pocket of sunlight coming from between two trees up ahead. A clearing!

Breathing quickly and heavily, I followed the light and found my house. It was the only one in the middle of the woods. I gave a sigh of relief.

As always, the door was unlocked, so I stepped inside. It was dark, empty, and dusty. "Sodapop? Darry?" I called out. "Johnny?"

No one was home. So I went to my room and jumped on the bed. I needed this nightmare to end. When I closed my eyes, I started hearing voices again. But they were more distant.

"C'mon, chant it like you mean it!"

"But it's HEIGH-ho, not HIGH-ho, you dope. We're not on drugs!"

"Oh. Well, this would be much more fun if we were."

The next thing I knew, when I opened my eyes, there were seven heads staring down at me.

I screamed. They screamed. I sat up. They stood back.

"What the hell is he doing in our beds?!" angrily said Dally, and I hurriedly scanned my eyes to see that I was, in fact, laying across six twin beds.

"Luckily I got the couch!" someone said.

"Tim Shepard?" I said confused.

"No," Tim corrected, "I'm Sleepy. And so are you, by the looks of it."

"What the heck is going on here?" I demanded.

"We're asking you the same thing!" Dally continued.

"Easy, Grumpy!" Darry said. "You're scaring the poor kid. I mean, he's as white as snow."

"Wait a minute," Steve said, "Ain't he look like the kid in the paper? What's—what's it... it.... ACHOOOO!" He sneezed violently and rubbed underneath his big nose. "Sorry. What's it say again?"

"Here it is!" exclaimed Soda, and he unfolded a large poster that I couldn't see but everyone else did.

I folded my arms, waiting impatiently.

"Ass fat—" Two-Bit started confidently, but Soda hit his head.

"No, Dopey!"

"Oh, right. I forgot I can't read."

Soda sighed. "It says: WANTED: If you find a teenage boy that meets this lousy description, please deliver him to court officials IMMEDIATELY, and you will receive a $1000 REWARD. The boy is AS BLACK AS GREASE, AS RED AS THE SUNSET, and AS WHITE AS SNOW."

"Hmm. Wait a minute!" Steve said again, and he pulled the poster towards him. He compared the picture on the poster to me and recoiled. "You're uh....uh....uh....ACHOOOO! Ugly!"

Soda scowled. "Oh, gimme it before you sneeze all over the damn thing!"

"Please, guys, listen!" I started.

"Actually, we're dwarves," Soda corrected.

"Okay, well you dwarves gotta help me!"  And I started to explain. "I don't know what's going on, all I know is my track coach tried to kill me in the lot and cut off my legs! And he said that the King ordered him to?!"

The gang and Tim did a collective gasp. "THE KING?!"

They all erupted in nervous commotion.

"I fucking hate that kid," said Dally. "But that reward?"

"Ohhhh, this is bad," Soda said, trying his best to stay happy.

"Alright, calm down," Darry bellowed, "Y'all making poor Bashful shake!" He was talking about Johnny, who stood still and had this spooked look on his face.

"Now do y'all understand? I came here to hide. Please let me stay!" I begged. "I'll do anything. ANYTHING!"

"Well, I guess you can stay with us," Soda said. "You said please. And you don't seem so bad."

"Just lousy," Steve said, and Soda hit his head.

"But Happy likes just about everyone," commented Tim. "How do we know you're not some crazy criminal or delinquent or something?"

They all looked at me. "I'm only fourteen," I said. "And I get straight A's!"

They exchanged looks with each other.

Soda turned to Darry and said, "How 'bout it, Doc? Can we let him stay?"

"On one condition, though," Darry said. "You can stay here as long as you clean up after yourself and do the chores for us."

I gratefully agreed, simply hoping this entire nightmare would be over soon.

The next morning, the guys left to go dig for diamonds—because that's what they did for kicks around here now—which left me all by my lonesome in the house. I cleaned up after they ate breakfast and made sure everything was nice and tidy before they would come home at sunset. With nothing else left to do, I rested on the couch watching some Mickey Mouse cartoons.

At around noon, the doorbell rang.

The guys told me not to answer for anyone, and because I'm not stupid, I didn't answer. But the person kept ringing the doorbell like a woodpecker pecks on wood. So I looked through the peephole instead.

Then, I opened the door slightly. "Cherry Valance? What're you doing here?"

"Hello," she smiled sweetly, "are the dwarves home?" She was wearing a long black cloak with a hood.

"No, they just left," I said. "Uh, can I help you with anything?"

"Why yes, actually," she said. She was carrying a big brown basket full of goodies. She shuffled her dainty hand through it and picked out a pack of Kools cigarettes. "I usually drop off some fresh produce to the dwarves, but this time I have these cigarettes as a special treat."

"Gee, thanks," I said, and she handed me the pack.

"Try it now," she encouraged me, "They're truly irresistible!"

"Okay," I said. So I took one out and lit it against the box and put it between my lips.

I felt Cherry's gaze on my every movement. At my first inhale, I felt relaxed. But immediately after, I got woozy and held my head.

Pretty soon I felt my body fighting to stand on my two feet. I was wobbling and dizzy. In a flash, I didn't see Cherry standing in the doorway anymore, but instead it was James covered up by that black cloak!

"HAHAHA! You're dead meat, Curtis!" he exclaimed sinisterly. "NOW GIVE ME YOUR LEGS!"

"NEVER!" I yelled and pushed him onto the ground as I began to fall forward. But that was dumb because he ended up turning over and pinning me down on the grass.

"We'll see who's the fastest of them all now!" he threatened.

I struggled fighting him off. My sight was blurring, but I noticed he was about to slash off my legs. Suddenly, a chorus of voices of my brothers and friends filled the atmosphere. Before the blade could touch me, I woke up.

My whole body startled awake and I sat up gasping for air. I frantically moved my legs and were delighted to know they were still there.

Two warm arms grabbed my side. "Whoa, easy there, Pony! Are you okay?" It was Soda, trying to soothe me. It was morning and we were in our real bedroom.

"Soda?" My voice was raspy trying to cling onto oxygen and reality. "You're here?"

"Of course I am, Pony. That's what brothers are for."

I put a hand to my head as Soda held me until I calmed down. "Oh man, I had the worst dream."

"I can tell," said Soda. "You want some pancakes for breakfast?"

I nodded.

For the next week, I was extra cautious wherever I went, and practiced running at the lot with the gang, instead of at the school track. I couldn't even touch a cigarette those days because they became so unappetizing to me. By the night of the race, I kept my distance away from James and just focused on my breathing and pace.

Even with James' jealous eyes on me, I ended up winning second place in the finals for my grade. The gang was so proud of me! From that day on, I made sure to protect my legs at all costs.

I just hoped I didn't dream anymore.