Penelope assured Chase that playing with a girl didn’t necessarily entail dolls, and the boy breathed a sigh of relief, grinning mildly as the girl laughed at the inquiry. For now, they would swing. Chase enjoyed the swings and, after nearly bumping into his newfound friend, began to swing higher, attempting to catch up with her. As the two were just about as tall, it took Chase a little more work to catch up with how high Penelope was swinging. But, once he caught up, it was easy to keep-pace with her.

Chase cast a glance to the girl beside him, and Penny looked back. Chase quirked a lopsided smile, and Penny laughed. Chase chuckled a little, too, would resume swinging—only to look back again, and once more catch Penny glancing his way. Chase cracked a grin, and once again returned his attention to the task at hand, with a shout of, “I bet I can swing higher!”

He broke away from their swinging in-synchronization, and kicked his legs, attempting to gain more air, watching as the world rose and fell in front of him. Chase spied the rude boy from before, who seemed to be intent upon Chase and Penelope, who seemed to be wearing a rather mean face. He jostled a friend, and gestured towards them once again. Chase’s grin faltered, and he looked towards Penelope. Penny stuck her tongue out at them, and Chase grinned at her audacity.

He also stuck his tongue out at the boys, and the disrespect from both children seemed to cause them to snap to attention. They were soon marching across the playground, marching towards the swings. Oh no.

“They’re walking over here,” Chase groaned, glancing at his cohort. He tried to play it cool, but didn't sound half-convinced in his own sangfroid, “Do you think we’d be able to jump over their heads, and make a break for it when they get too close?”

Chase gave an uneasy smile. Outrunning them didn’t seem like it’d be too difficult. Chase and Penelope were smaller than them, less massive. They’d be able to outmaneuver them, no problem.

>> “I bet I can swing higher!”[/color]

Penelope laughed as she threw comments in response that there was no way he was going to swing higher, that he was too slow, so on and so forth; it was the usual, good natured, child smack talk. In reality, Penelope was having an absolutely blast. She rarely, if ever, allowed herself to swing high on the swings. It tickled her stomach and made her want to laugh uncontrollably. But the sensation made her heart race so much that she rarely allowed herself to do this.

Jezebel likes things that make her heart race. That is why Penelope usually avoids them; it keeps Jezebel away. But right now she just didn’t care. The boy had thrown down a challenge so she had to meet it. She grinned as she swung higher.

It was as she was coming back down that she noticed that Chase had stuck his tongue out too and this seemed to have riled up the boys on the other end of the playground. Instantly Penelope’s eyebrows raised as they turned and started to storm directly towards them.

>> “They’re walking over here,”[/color]

Penelope nodded. She didn’t want to get into or cause any trouble but it seemed as there was no way to avoid this. God, boys were so WEIRD! But just as she tried to figure out what she was going to say, Chase spoke up again.

>> “Do you think we’d be able to jump over their heads, and make a break for it when they get too close?”[/color]

The young girl twisted her lips into a thoughtful look. This was obviously a very important question; but to the mind of a child, it seemed like the most logical thing to do! Of course they would be able to make it. Those people in movies do this kind of stuff all the time and they are now swinging off of swings. Besides, if there was anything that Penelope liked more than a good swing, it was running. She was good at running.

She nodded to Chase. It was a plan.

"Run for the play area?" she asked, motioning to all the slides, jungle gyms, and various other attractions for children to climb all over. They could easily run and swing through all those things to lose their pursuers if they tried to chase them.

She looked up and the three boys started to get closer. Penelope could always see the whites of their eyes down. It was only when they were close enough to see her clearly and Penelope grinned and waved at them. They just needed to get a little closer…

Chase had uttered the suggestion in a somewhat absurd fashion. He wasn’t a good enough jumper to actually jump over the heads of the approaching boys. Maybe, if they were a few inches shorter, sure. But these boys were very tall. Penny nodded at Chase’s sound logic. Maybe she was a better jumper than he was?

>> "Run for the play area?"

Chase nodded in response. That sounded like a wonderful idea. He continued swinging, contrary to the nerves that were simmering in his stomach. They had to wait until they were close enough. Chase needed more speed, more height, if he ever wanted to jump over them. Penny waved, taunting them, and Chase simply stared, his brow furrowing. Closer—little closer—

There!

Chase was at swinging forward, which propelled him directly towards the approaching boys. The boys scattered at the sight of a nine-year-old flying straight towards them, and Chase stumbled to a stop, somehow managing to keep his balance. Whoa. Chase let out a surprised laugh. He’d almost landed on one of those guys’ faces. Oops.

“You laughing at us?” one of the guys snapped, “Crazy little brat!”

Chase covered his mouth, but another giggle escaped him. They were turning their attention towards him.

“Run!” Chase yelled, turning-tail and sprinting for the playground, “Come and get me, stupid-heads!”

The other boys were sneering at them! What right did they have to be at all angry? They were the ones that picked the fight with a nice boy like Chase in the first place and now all she had done was stick her tongue out at them. That really did not deserve for them to get angry enough to want to come over here and stir up any trouble. Then again, Penelope did stick her tongue out again so maybe that was enough to rile them up. Bah, boys could never take a joke…

They stormed closer and closer and out of the corner of her eye, she spied Chase. He was tense but he looked ready to pounce the very second that he could. She would wait until he was ready before she jumped.

Her heart thudded in her chest. She didn’t know if this was going to work. If it didn’t, she could hurt these boys by accidentally landing on them, or she could hurt herself! But it really seemed like their only way out of this situation. They were small, the both of them, so they could definitely be fast. They just needed to clear this space.

When they were close enough, Penelope saw the tensing of Chase’s body and knew that now was the time! She had kicked her legs, gained as much speed and momentum as she could before suddenly she swung forward and launched herself out of the seat. The sensation of flying that tickled her stomach was still there but it was to such a degree that she just didn’t care anymore! It coursed throughout her system, made her giggle as she enjoyed her weightlessness before gravity pulled her back down to her bosom.

Before she knew it, she heard the screams of alarm and felt the hard thud of her shoes crumpling onto the sand. She staggered but, surprisingly, she was on her two feet! She made it! She grinned wide as she turned and spied Chase; apparently he had made his landing too. It seemed like the perfect moment for a victory hug but she spun around to see their nemesis.

>> “You laughing at us? Crazy little brat!”


>> “Run! Come and get me, stupid-heads!”[/color]

Chase bolted off and Penelope grinned. She was about to turn and run too when suddenly the larger boy stepped up to her. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something particularly cruel or to shout to his cronies to get her. She never gave him the chance.

Boldly Penelope suddenly grinned as she reared back and attacked with her most deadliest weapon…her colorful size 5 sneaker. Lashing out, she suddenly kicked, hard, in the boy’s shin which caused him to scream and hop around comically on one leg.

Penelope stuck her tongue out again.

“Don’t be a mean-face!!” With that she turned and chased after Chase. She giggled as the lead bully hopped around, cursing behind her before he suddenly pointed at both herself and Chase and yelled at his cronies. Quickly those two began pursuit as the swift-legged Penelope caught up with Chase and giggled. “They’re Chasing us, Chase!”

Chase ran a full-force until he was a reasonable distance away from the three older boys, at which point he turned around to see if Penny was following. He didn’t stop, merely slowed to a jog, and he saw the girl plant a kick on one of the bullies’ shins, which sent him leaping and howling all over. Chase giggled. Penny was running over, and the other two boys were in fast pursuit. Chase began to run with him, and the girl soon caught-up.

Chase grinned at her, as Penelope shrieked,

>> “They’re Chasing us, Chase!”

Chase’s smile grew broader, as he replied, “I saw—to the playground?”

It would be easier to lose them there, “We should probably split-up, too. Meet up somewhere.”

Whether or not Penny responded was beyond him. The older boys were rapidly gaining, and that meant, “Split-up! Split-up!”

Chase peeled to the left, towards the little kids playground—sure, it was smaller, which meant less places to hide, but it was also easier to climb, and more difficult for larger boys to get footholds on structures that weren’t meant to be climbed. For Chase, it was perfect.

The nine-year-old sprinted across the bark towards the dwarfed play-structure which, luckily, was uninhabited by little kids. He leaped over the steps and onto the first platform, following the large steps towards the first of two towers. He paused, a moment, to see if any of the boys had followed him. Based on his odds, he might circle back to help Penelope.

>> “I saw—to the playground?”[/color]

Penelope was actually giggling as she ran and remained at pace with Chase. The boy was fast but Penelope was just as quick as he was. The two were neck and neck for a bit as they glance at each other, giggled again, and then bolted towards the rest of the playground equipment. It was actually quite exhilarating to be running from these boys that so obviously did not like them. Penelope still didn’t understand how they could have been so cross.

After all, they were the ones that started it, not her or Chase. But, whatever…

>> “We should probably split-up, too. Meet up somewhere.”[/color]

She nodded as she sharp eyes looked ahead. It was then that she noticed a shady area near a pond not far from the play area. If they managed to maneuver and slip past those two chasing them, they could easily hide out in the shrubs next to the edge of the water. Boys were generally dirty and didn’t like water to remove the grime and dirt they so wonderfully collected throughout the day.

“The pond!” she shouted, but only at a level that he could hear, not their pursuers. “Meet at the pond!”

>> Split-up! Split-up!”[/color]

She nodded as Chase veered off in another direction, choosing to run towards the younger kids area. Great, that meant that Penelope needed to run to bigger playground equipment. But, with no other alternative, she didn’t complain about it. Instead she buckled down and ran with every bit of strength that her little legs could offer her.

Behind her she could hear the harsh breathing of her chaser but she didn’t look back. She needed to keep her eyes forward for anything that she could use to slow him down. Running, she bolted for the first thing that she could see, the slide. With no one on it, Penelope grabbed onto the rungs to the ladder and pulled herself up as quickly as she could. The second that she reached the top, she looked back to see that one of the boy’s was attempting to climb up as well. It was only when he was close to the top did she grab onto the sides of the slide, instead of sliding down, and dropped onto the ground, landing effortlessly onto her two feet.

The boy cursed in a very bad word!

She grinned as she ran off again, leaving him to either slide farther away from her or climb down the ladder again. His inconvenience was her gain.

“Come back here you little twerp!!”

Penelope stuck her tongue out again as she ran for the climber dome. If this boy wanted to catch her, she was going to make him work for it!

>> “The pond! Meet at the pond!”

“Got it!” Chase shouted back, as he veered from the path. Once he had leapt onto the smaller playground, he scaled the stares up towards the plastic tube that connected the two towers. Chase clambered on top of it, looking back over his shoulder. Two of the boys were darting after him. Wasting no time, Chase fastened onto the tower in front of him, attempting to scramble onto the roof. His hold slipped, and he slid back onto the tube that connected the two towers. His two pursuers pressed closer.

“Get down here,” one of them shouted.

“Face us like a man,” the second chorused. They clambered into each tower, facing Chase, and the second boy swiped at Chase’s leg.

The child gave a high-pitched yell of, “No! No, go away!”

Chase leapt down from the tube and bolted. As Penelope ran from the climber dome, Chase bolted for the large play structure. There were more places to dodge getting caught, there. There were shouts following after him—apparently, Chase wasn’t supposed to leap off of the top of the tunnel, just go quietly. Yeah, right.

Penelope breathed heavily as she found herself standing in the middle of the climber dome. Kids were climbing all over the place so none of them really had turned to give her any attention. Instead Penelope stood in the middle inside and waited for the inevitable. The boys were mad and they were not going to give up their pursuit but the least she could do was wear them down. She eyed the many openings, all the climbers and tried to find the quickest way out when suddenly she saw the snarling face of one of the boys appear nearby.

“Come ‘ere!!”

She squeaked and immediately backed away from the boy and his reach. He tried to reach her from the outside to drag her out but Penelope was swift footed enough to leap backwards. She dodged his grasp and skittered towards the opposite end of the dome when there was the sound of another boy’s voice there. She spun around to see the leader of the boys, that bully she kicked in the shin, growling and reaching for her too.

“Get out of there!!”

Penelope answered in the most dignified way she could; she stuck out her tongue.

“Nyah! Come and get me!” She shouted.

She maneuvered herself towards the center of the dome and snapped her attention back and forth. Both boys were beginning to climb inside of the dome. Penelope eyed them both but remained unmoving. It was only when they were already inside did she finally make her move. She bolted for the farthest end, jumped and latched onto the bars. The boys immediately began to pursue again, chasing her to the end and climbing up as well.

Thankfully Penelope was a fast climb. She maneuvered herself upwards, as far as she could get and avoided the rest of the kids who were climbing. When she was high enough she managed to slip back outside of the bars climbed down low enough for her to jump back onto the sand outside. There was a chorus of growls and curses from the dome as Penelope broke into a run.

She ran for the another part of the park when she saw Chase running towards her (or towards the climber dome). Fervently she shook her head that the dome was not the best option, but she kept running towards him. When she finally appeared before the boy, she quickly snatched his hand and pulled him towards a very interesting structure that was new to the playground, the wall-holla.

“Come on, Chase!” she shouted as she pulled him by his hand. “Here! We can lose them here!”

Chases’ eyes were wide with alarm, but he wore a delighted grin, little legs spinning like pinwheels as he sped towards the playground. Penny was approaching, and she snagged Chase by the hand, carting him towards a very bizarre and complex-looking climbing structure.

>> “Come on, Chase! Here! We can lose them here!”

“I’m coming!” Chase acknowledged lamely, stumbling slightly before Penelope took his hand.

Chase tried to keep his focus, tried to shut-out the reflexive urge to shift, but he was holding hands with a girl and girls were covered in cooties. Sure, they could play together, but holding hands was out-of-the-question. Having to worry about shapeshfiting and cooties was a lot to handle, and that mixed with running from mean boys made the endeavor even greater. The two drew closer to the climbing structure, and Chase slid his hand free of Penny’s, gesturing towards the closest opening.

“Ladies first,” Chase said with a quick smile. He’d bring up the rear, even if it meant being the first one that the bullies would be able to grab.

>> “I’m coming!” [/color]

Penelope barely heard the boy as she charged towards the eccentric looking jungle gym. The climbing structure was obviously made for some deeper purpose, but kids enjoyed them because of all the running, climbing, and options that it provided. It seemed like the perfect place for them to lose their pursuers (especially since at least one of them seemed far too bulky to be able to make it through the structure without difficulty.) It was the perfect plan.

The young girl pulled Chase along. She was not aware of any problems with holding his hand or that the gesture could make him blush. She was just trying to ensure that the two of them stayed together. That was all.

Boys…they tended to think all kinds of things that weren’t there.

>> “Ladies first,”[/color]

She beamed at him as they arrived at the structure. A quick check and she spied their the boys were already beginning to catch up to them. They were exasperated, tired, but they were hauling butt in order to arrive in time. Penelope only smirked as she nodded to Chase and quickly ran into the side opening and began to maneuver over the undulating ramp.

Once she was sure that Chase was directly behind her, Penelope paused at the first hole that was above her, jumped up, and climbed onto the next level. She could see the boys closing in so she shouted for Chase to climb up.

“Hurry! Behind you!”

It wasn’t just the holding hands, it was also the kneejerk reaction of, “Oh my gosh, sudden introduction of new genetic residues, release her hand ASAP.” But, primarily, it was because Penelope was a girl.

Chase bounced as Penny wriggled into the climbing structure, trying his best to be patient, but feeling a rising anxiety as the older boys drew closer and closer. Finally, she was in, and Chase quickly squirmed in behind her, pulling himself along with his arms.

>> “Hurry! Behind you!”

“Going as fast as I can!” Chase answered back, scrambling for the first hole and squirming through. He made slower progress than Penelope, slightly clumsier than she had been as he clambered onto the next level.

Chase followed Penny’s suit and hastily made his way to the next level, just as the first of the larger, older boys made his way into the first compartment. The boy swiped at Chase and, courtesy of his long reach, managed to fasten onto his foot.

Chase gasped in alarm, trying to shake his foot free—his stocking-foot emerged, freed from its shoe, and Chase scrambled away with new enthusiasm and vigor.

“He took my shoe!” Chase gasped indignantly, climbing up right behind Penny. Chase wasn't going to go back for it, but he would show his annoyance at the offense.

Penelope was scrambling to get away from their attackers. She perched at the top of section of the structure and held her hand out for Chase. He needed to move faster but she understood if he was running out of steam. After all, these boys were still after them and it just seemed as if they were not going to give up! Their best bet was to lose them here in the structure and make their getaway to the pond the second that they had a chance. But it was a reality that was quickly slipping away from them with every passing second.

Thankfully Chase finally managed to get himself up and onto the same level as herself. She took a second to smirk in thankfulness but it was short lived. Before she knew it, she saw Chase jerk backward before he fully scrambled onto the platform next to her.

It was then that he looked so indignant.

>> “He took my shoe!”[/color]

Penelope suppressed a giggle as she shook her head. Chase should be thankful that the boy didn’t take his foot off! But she said nothing as she stood up and helped the boy-with-one-shoe onto his feet.

“Come on! We’re almost out!!” she beamed as she ran off in an opposite direction.

The platform dipped and rose, making it harder to maintain a consistent pace. But, a glance behind, and she immediately noted that the boys (having finally made it onto the same platform as them), were struggling to keep up. They bulkier, heavier, so they were running out of breath and bumping into the structure far too many times than must have been comfortable.

They were going to give up. They had to give up.

It was just as Penelope climbed up onto the third level that she finally noticed the opening to the outside. It was just big enough for her and Chase, the others would never be able to get through. With a sigh of relief, she quickly dashed over to climbed out, clinging onto the mesh wall and started to climb down.

“Over here Chase! We made it!” she beamed. But, it was then that her eyes grew wide as she peered over to see one of the bigger boys had made it onto their platform and was quickly looming behind her new friend…

Chase scrambled after Penelope as she shouted to him.

>> “Come on! We’re almost out!!”

“Coming!” Chase answered back. The missing shoe motivated him to move faster—next thing to go would be his foot, so Chase wanted to avoid that. The two of them sped through the climbing structure, putting ground between them and the larger boys that pursued them.

>> “Over here Chase! We made it!”

Chase looked up at his cohort, his foothold slipping beneath his stocking-foot. It was in that moment that Chase fell too far behind, but he didn’t notice. He looked up, smiling breathlessly at the girl he’d only recently befriended. Penelope was all grins, and starting to slide out of the exit, but the expression of victory fell, her gaze fastening just behind Chase.

Chase started to turn just as a large hand curled around his bare forearm. Chase yelped in alarm, attempting to jerk free.

“Gotcha!” the kid shouted. Chase fought valiantly to free himself, yet without avail.

“Run, Penny!” Chase shouted, “I got this!”

Chase turned on the older boy, and as he couldn’t physically jerk away, he did the next thing that crossed his mind. From the prolonged skin contact, his arm began to expand, and his face began to contort, the change spreading like a virus over his flesh until his face and right side of his body emulated the boy who’d clasped onto him. It didn’t stop there, yet continued spreading, tendrils extending beyond Chase’s form and emulating the older boy’s.

“Let me go!” Chase shouted. The older kid recoiled, and the nine-year-old scrambled free, still partially shifted. As he scrambled after his cohort—who had hopefully gained some ground ahead of him—Chase began to shed the partial shift, reverting to his human guise. He hastily made his way towards the exit, scrambling through the hole in the wall of the climbing structure.

>> “Coming!”[/color]

Penelope sighed in relief as she climbed out of the hole in the structure and started to maneuver herself down the face of it. She didn’t want to leave Chase behind but he sounded close enough that they would be able to make it. Make it! The two of them were successful! They had managed to shake their pursuers and were on their way down the length of the structure. By the time that the bullies had managed to find this out, she was sure that both she and Chase would able to lose them in the vast playground.

They were home free! They just needed to make it to the bott--

>> “Gotcha!”

>> “Run, Penny! I got this!”[/color]

Penelope blinked as she suddenly raised her eyes up to meet Chase as he was grabbed by the head bully. She sucked in a breath as she started to climb back up. She wanted to help him, but he told her to run, that he could handle himself. Penelope doubted that, seeing how small he was in comparison with the other boy. And chivalry was not in her vocabulary so it may have just come off as being stubborn.

She shook her head as she began to quickly climb up to help her new friend…when she had to pause and catch her breath. Suddenly…part of him looked like the boy how had grabbed him! For whatever reason, Chase had changed his looks so that one side of him almost looked like a perfect match of the boy who was bullying them.

>> “Let me go![/color]

Obviously the kid freaked and scrambled away, leaving Chase time to climb down. Seeing that her help was not needed, Penelope hastily climbed down and waited for Chase to meet her. Once he did, she could only stare at him with the widest and most saucer-like eyes she could manage. But because she let him get any wrong ideas about her not like his powers, she suddenly smiled and grinned.

“Wow! I didn’t know you could do that!!” she was bouncing on her feet as she fawned over her new friend as his powers. It was so….WOW!!

Chase managed to wriggle free, and he followed Penny at a frantic pace, his hands trembling as he descended. He was finally free of the tunnel, and he stood awkwardly, his gaze drawn to Penny’s face—Penny looked astounded at the show of power, her eyes widened like orbs. Chase’s stomach sank rapidly, and his gaze sought an escape. Maybe, if he was quick enough, he could get away?

>> “Wow! I didn’t know you could do that!!”

Chase felt like he was going to toss his cookies. His eyes focused on his shoes in embarrassment.

“Yeah, I can do that,” Chase murmured, rubbing his neck, “I don’t talk about it a lot.”

Already, the nine-year-old boy was looking for a route of escape. He didn’t register his friend’s excitement, only that he’d been found-out. Maybe if he pretended that Gemma was calling him…?