Neverworld

Dear Diary,

We were all brought back to Shizuko’s house again. My fort is still here, it’s nice of Shizuko’s dad to not have taken it down. I talked to him for awhile last month… he takes this all surprisingly well. I kind of doubt it’s just that Japanese parents are more likely to be fine with their kids going on deadly missions to unlock their powers. But if he’s gonna know a little, he should know a lot. It’s not REALLY my business but  I had to see how he’d react. He asked questions, and I answered honestly. Mostly about the Contracts, and once about my parents being worried.  I just laughed at him, which doesn’t really answer anything, but I think he might have still gotten it. A little.

I also talked to Viper for awhile. It was  confusing. I like watching Viper during the jobs, because they’re useful- did I tell you about the boat? We couldn’t figure out transportation, so Viper stretched out their arms and held Jeremy under the car so he could use his bubbles to make the whole thing fly. The dust in the air and that we’d taken from the factories helped, and maybe him being so young too. I figured out where I’d seen the spear before, too. Remember those awful pumpkin-headed things on the job with Mister Eden and Mister Connor? I think something else happened there that needed to be taken care of. It’s the spear Mister Eden had, and Viper wields it well. Like I said, they’re useful. And capable. When we talked, they said I was in love with them, and I still don’t know if that’s true. But they taught me a lot of sign language, and I know that’s good. I don’t really know what love is in the first place. I get red and confused, which doesn’t seem right… and I don’t like talking about this anymore.

Dear Diary,

It’s weird that I don’t like living in houses anymore. I’ve slept places on jobs before, but never stayed in a house. I didn’t realize I wouldn’t SCRATCH It’s too busy. There are too many people, and the air is harder to breathe, and it’s loud, all the time. I’m not used to THEIR voices.

So Shizuko let me take some blankets and build a place for myself in the back yard. It’s not exactly the same, people are closer, but it’s better than in the house sharing a room with  people. I have my stuff here, but I won’t set it up, because I should be leaving soon- just a month, Mister Sammuel said.

I do like one thing here that I couldn’t get as easily if I was in the woods. It’s called taiyaki. It’s like a pastry, shaped like a fish… but junk food. And I don’t usually get hot food.

(-There’s a small doodle of taiyaki in the margin.-)

I’ve been using my phone from Mister Jules to find stuff on Yōkai, since I’m in Japan. Using the phone isn’t the same as the computers in the library. I wonder if Miss Gallagher is still alive… probably, it can’t have been too long and she never got sick or anything. But anyway, the kanji for Yōkai kinda means “suspicious calamity”, or “attractive mystery”. I thought about it awhile and it seems like they could be fun? So I looked up if there were friendly ones and I found someone called amabie, and now I kinda want to actually find her. I’m gonna make a note to look at later: she’s like a mer…bird? She lives in the sea.

(-Amabie is drawn at the bottom of the page. It’s some sort of three-finned mermaid with the top body of a bird, long hair, and a smile.-)

Jeremy was readying himself to face Peter Pan in a months time, when he sat down and thought about what he needed. Jeremy needed to be stronger, so Peter Pan couldn't just squish him, braver, to face his magic, and able to survive his "The air is now poison" magic. Jeremy had no idea how to do the last two, so his first plan was to get STRONG! Jeremy did push-ups, and sit-ups, and ALL of the running, racing around the house he was staying at while in Neverland. Soon, Jeremy was no longer simply Jeremy, but was now BUFF JEREMY! He could do a lot number of push ups, and even lift really big and heavy things without using his bubbles! Next to work on, was becoming braver. Jeremy tried to think of how best to do that, and decided to talk to the bravest person he knew, Grace. Grace talked to him about what he was scared of, and sang him a nice song to help him while he did a big puzzle, and Jeremy ended up feeling less and less scared as the month went on. Finally, there was how to get around Peter Pans Poison Power (or PPPP as Jeremy decided to call it) but Jeremy couldn't think of anything, so he just practiced holding his breath and running around. Jeremy was REALLY good at holding his breath, even Grace couldn't hold her breath as long as Jeremy! Jeremy was very happy, especially with all his new friends here to help him!