Chapter 10

Just when they were gonna call Allen's friends, they remembered. He didn't have any friends.

Clemmons also remembered how much he needed to use the restroom. So he quickly went to use it.

Meanwhile, Buster tried to calculate how many hours Allen had been in the tub for.

" He's been in there for five hours! How can he not get pruned?!" Buster wrote on his notepad. He showed it to Clemmons, who agreed.

" Allen!" He called. " Please get out of there.

When no answer came, Clemmons stood outside the bathroom door, his patience wearing thin. "Allen, this is getting silly. You've been in there for hours! ALLEN, GET OUT OF THERE! YOU'LL LOOK LIKE A PRUNE!"

The door opened, and to everyone's astonishment, Allen stepped out dressed in a suit and tie, looking as if he was ready for a formal event rather than emerging from a marathon bathroom session.

Buster took one look at him and burst into silent laughter, clutching his stomach and doubling over. Clemmons couldn't help but chuckle too, the absurdity of the situation breaking through the tension.

Allen adjusted his tie, looking completely serious. "What's so funny?"

Freya and Duke came down the hallway, drawn by the commotion. When they saw Allen in his suit, they exchanged incredulous glances. "Allen, honey," Freya started, trying to suppress her own laughter. "What's with the suit?"

Allen sighed. "I have a lead, and I need to follow it up professionally."

Clemmons shook his head, still chuckling. "Allen, you've been in the bathroom for hours. We're worried about you. And besides, you don't need a suit to follow a lead."

Allen frowned, clearly not understanding the humor. "I'm taking this seriously. Mia needs to be found, and I'm doing everything I can."

Buster, still giggling silently, mimed writing a report with exaggerated seriousness, making everyone laugh even harder.

Seeing his family's reaction, Allen's stern facade began to crack. He sighed deeply. "Alright, alright. Maybe I've been a bit intense. But I just want to find Mia."

Freya stepped forward and hugged him. "We all do, Allen. But we need to stay together, not shut ourselves off. We're stronger as a family."

Allen nodded, finally letting go of some of his tension. "You're right. I'll try to relax a bit."

Clemmons grinned. "Good. Now, how about we all take a break and watch a movie or something? We can get back to the search tomorrow with fresh eyes."

Allen smiled faintly. "Yeah, that sounds good."

As the family settled in for a movie night, there was a renewed sense of hope and unity. They knew they would find Mia, together.

The family settled into the living room, selecting a light-hearted animated movie about forest animals to help Allen relax. They dimmed the lights and passed around bowls of popcorn, creating a cozy and calm atmosphere.

As the movie started, everything seemed peaceful. But then, as the screen showed a cute bunny hopping through the forest, Allen suddenly yelled, "Watch out!"

Everyone jumped. Clemmons paused the movie, looking at Allen in bewilderment. "Dude, it's just a bunny."

Allen took a deep breath. "Sorry, I thought something was going to happen."

Clemmons pressed play, and the movie continued. But it wasn't long before Allen yelled again, this time at a squirrel. "Behind you!"

Buster rolled his eyes, miming a dramatic faint. Freya patted Allen's arm reassuringly. "It's just a movie, honey. Nothing bad is going to happen."

They tried to continue watching, but every few seconds, Allen would shout warnings at the screen. Even the appearance of a harmless deer prompted him to yell, "Run, it's a trap!"

This time, Allen couldn't take it anymore. He bolted from the room, running upstairs. The family heard his footsteps pounding on the stairs and the slam of his bedroom door.

Clemmons sighed and paused the movie. "This is getting silly."

Upstairs, Allen dove onto his bed, pulling every blanket he could find over himself. He lay there, hyperventilating under the pile, trying to calm down.

Back in the living room, Freya looked at Duke with concern. "I think this is more serious than we thought."

Duke nodded. "He's really struggling."

Clemmons stood up. "I'll go talk to him."

Freya stopped him. "Give him a few minutes to calm down. Then we'll all go check on him."

They sat in silence for a few moments, worry etched on their faces. Finally, Freya and Duke got up, followed by Clemmons and Buster, who was still trying to contain his laughter from earlier.

They went upstairs and knocked gently on Allen's door. "Allen, honey, it's Mom. Can we come in?"

There was a long pause before Allen's muffled voice answered. "Yeah."

They opened the door to find Allen buried under a mountain of blankets, his eyes peeking out. Freya sat on the edge of the bed, gently pulling back some of the covers. "It's okay, sweetie. We're here."

Allen took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me."

Clemmons sat down next to him. "It's okay, bro. We're all a little on edge. We're going to get through this together."

Buster gave Allen a reassuring nod, his expression serious but supportive.

Duke patted Allen's shoulder. "Let's take it one step at a time. How about we try a different movie, something that won't make you jump?"

Allen nodded slowly. "Okay."

As the family gathered around the TV once more, Buster innocently suggested watching a compilation video of Allen's various expressions over the years. Little did they know, this innocent idea would quickly turn into chaos.

The video started with Allen's baby photos, showing his innocent smiles and adorable giggles. Everyone cooed and chuckled at the cute little Allen on screen.

But as the video progressed to Allen's toddler years, his expressions started to become more animated. There was Allen eating spaghetti and making a mess, Allen trying to mimic a dog on TV, and Allen caught in the act of drawing on the walls with markers.

Then came a scene where Allen, at age five, attempted his first serious face for a school photo. It was supposed to be a stoic expression, but it came out as a funny grimace, causing the family to burst into laughter.

Allen, now a bit embarrassed, muttered, "I have a very guilty face."

Clemmons, always one to appreciate a good laugh, chuckled and playfully slapped his own forehead. "Come on, Allen, it's just your face. Your perfectly normal, hilarious face!"

Buster nodded in agreement. "Yeah, bro, it's not that scary." He signed.

But just as they were calming down, Buster decided to reenact one of Allen's more comical expressions from the video. He contorted his face into a caricature of Allen's "angry toddler" look, complete with crossed eyes and a pouty mouth.

Allen, who was still a bit sensitive from earlier, jumped up with a shriek. "That's terrifying! How can you do that?!"

Before anyone could react, Allen dashed upstairs, his hyperventilating now at an all-time high. Clemmons, seeing his brother in distress, bolted after him.

"Allen, wait! It's just Buster being silly!"

Upstairs, Allen had buried himself under the covers again, muttering about scary faces and guilty expressions. Clemmons sat down beside him, trying to stifle his laughter.

"Seriously, Allen, you gotta admit, Buster's impression was spot-on."

Allen peeked out from under the blankets, his eyes wide with anxiety. "I know, but it's too accurate! It's like looking in a mirror of terror!"

Clemmons couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. "Okay, okay, no more scary faces, I promise. Let's just stick to watching something less... personally revealing."

With a deep breath, Allen slowly emerged from his blanket fortress. "Yeah, maybe something with bunnies. Bunnies are safe."

Clemmons grinned. "Bunnies it is, then."

Downstairs, Buster was still laughing at his own antics, oblivious to the chaos he had caused. 

" Um, Buster. Where is your brother?" Freya asked.

Buster stopped laughing and heard a yell from upstairs. He sighed. Why, oh why, did Mia HAVE to go without any clues?! 


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