He stared at the phone. He'd been staring at it for a few minutes now, though he wasn't sure what he was expecting. A few minutes before, he had been speaking to his close friend, who he hadn't seen in weeks. This was the first time since his friend left that they spoke. His friend had even missed his birthday, although at the time he didn't mind.
	Tony sighed. After one final glance at the silent phone, he gathered up his various notes and stuffed them into his backpack. After all it wasn't like Jeff had planned to call him back anytime soon.
	Not far off, Maxwell looked up from his own mounds of paper and research files. His eyes were sporting heavy bags, the product of too little sleep and a lot of time spent in this one place. He'd been stuck in this room for far too long, and wasn't too happy to see his company abandoning him. "You done already?" He croaked.
	"Yeah." Tony nodded, not looking at the older student.
	Maxwell regarded him carefully for a moment before speaking again. "That thing you were talking to Jeff about, that research you were doing for a paper," The boy finally glanced up at him quizically so the young man carried on, "that was all a lie, wasn't it?"
	The red-head returned his gaze to the floor, shouldering his bag and turning away. "I just wanted to talk to him again." He said softly, then left the room.
	The elder male didn't move to stop him. He didn't quite understand what was going on with the kid, and wasn't about to pry it out of him. The best he could do was let it run its' course.

	When Tony got back into his dorm room he slumped down face-first on his bed. He'd set about getting in touch with Jeff to feel better about him not being here anymore. He wanted to believe what Jeff was getting into and support him from the side-lines like a good friend should. He'd been so eager to do that.
	Getting the number he needed hadn't been easy, either. He'd traced every number Jeff had called the school from. He'd chased up everywhere Jeff had stayed. He'd even phoned places the blonde might have been, calling only to just miss the group. A level or two of of stalking later and he had been able to get Ness's receiver phone number at last. He'd been so elated by that! He finally had a means of truly getting in touch with Jeff where he'd be able to answer. He could finally have that conversation he'd been growing desperate for.
	But actually calling him, and talking to him out there on this strange journey, Tony was only left with a much bigger hole in his heart than before. Jeff had sounded so different. It was like he had changed in some serious ways. He hardly sounded like himself anymore, like he was now distanced from the life he'd left behind. Distanced from him.
	Tony didn't like that. Not one bit.
	He looked over to the vacant bed, all clean and tidy. Cold and unused. It was weird enough that Jeff's living space wasn't disheveled by various projects and gadgets, and that his toolbox, of which its contents had been sprawled across the floor since forever, was now tidied away in the wardrobe. But for Jeff himself to be changing along with that? It was almost too much for the boy to bare. He was losing his friend and roommate. He was feeling so very alone.
	Sitting up, he picked up a present that had been sat at the end of his bed since his birthday. He'd already opened it, but had no reason to use it so left it in the box. It wasn't even the sort of thing he was interested in anyway. It had been something the others had pitched in to get for Jeff for his birthday, but they'd decided to give it to Tony in light of the bespectacled one taking all of the hat-wearer's cookies. Not that Tony had minded about the goodies, they would have wound up going to Jeff anyway. They always had in the past.
	Opening the box again he stared hard at the stun gun that sat before him. Their classmates had gone to great lengths to get ahold of this and bring it to the school un-confiscated. They had taken pains to get it wrapped and keep it hidden from both the faculty and the genius. The present had been planned and plotted months in advance. And Jeff would probably never know.
	Tony's eyebrows twitched as an idea formed in his head. Jeff would never know about how much his friends cared... Unless someone were to go and show him. If his friends went out there to prove they were there for him. If only one friend were to stand there and say "I believe in you." If Tony was able to prove how far he would go for his friend, just to support him, then maybe Jeff would know.
	Plucking the gun out of the box Tony felt the weight in his hands. It wasn't a particularly heavy weapon, but it certainly felt alien to him. He slowly curled his fingers around the weapon, holding it in a way he only hoped was right. He fingered the trigger uncertainly, and felt butterflies fill his stomach. Holding the gun out he already began to doubt whether this was a good idea. He had no idea what he was doing, or even where Jeff was right now.
	'Jeff did this.' a thought bubbled up in the boy's head. 'Jeff likes guns but never used one before. He had no idea where to go, he was only told one direction.' Tony stood up, holding the gun with a little more confidence now. 'He didn't know what he was doing to start either. And now he's off believing he's going to save the world.'
	Tony shook his head. This was crazy. What Jeff was doing was crazy. What he was just thinking of doing was really crazy. He looked the stun gun over again, and stuck it in his pocket. He then picked up his backpack and dumped the notes onto his bed, before filling it with clothes and provisions. Shouldering the bag, he looked out the window and a nervous smile played on his lips.
	"I must be out of my mind." he sighed, then grabbed his coat and was gone.
----****----
	The bitter chill and frosty winds were not what Tony had expected. Sure the school grounds were built on this, but without the heated buildings nearby there was no protection from the biting air. Had he known how bad the winds were he would have stuck on the thick trousers the school generously provided.
	So far he hadn't been in any serious scuffles, yet. Wild dogs and angry crows seemed to be abundant, but the few that had approached him hadn't stood up to his stun gun. Although a few times he'd lost his footing on the snow-covered unkempt ground, sending him sprawling. Though those tumbles were more damaging to his pride than anything. Until the last trip, anyway.
	Tony had been looking down a rather steep incline that he'd never been able to see properly from the school. From the top he could see all the bumpy rises and hills that led down toward the lake. He never knew the journey had such twists and turns, and -- oh goodness was he going to be dipping through the forest as well? Grimacing at the thought he took stock of the incline he was at, so he could find the safest path down, and begun making his way over.
	Unfortunately he hadn't realised how close to the edge of the incline he was at. As his weight shifted the clumps of snow he'd been standing on dislodged. Tony had been a step off of solid ground, and fell along with the white debris. Rolling down the hill none-too-softly he hit the floor below, his back hitting the wet grass and an imprint of his undignified self left in the show.
	He didn't try to move for a few minutes while he got his bearings and recollected his pride. That had been a lot steeper than he'd anticipated, and his back was sore from contact with solid ground. At the very least the snow had acted as a cushion, so the impact wasn't as bad as it could have been. Still, he would much have preferred not to have stumbled at all.
	"Oh gosh are you all right?" Tony craned his neck to see who was addressing him. A young man, bundled up in thick winter gear, had trudged out from the tent, a blanket in hand. The young man, probably an older student, was looking down at him in concern.
	Pulling himself into an upright position Tony answered "I'm okay," though his voice certainly didn't reflect that. It didn't help that he was grunting as he moved as well. The student moved to help him anyway, supporting him as he stood up, then helping him into the tent where another man was sat.
	As the two elder students helped patch Tony's wounds and warm him up, they explained that they were sixth form students from the boarding school, and were out doing geography experiments. Or more accurately, they planned to when the weather let up. Tony, after getting to know the two, explained his reasons for being out here as well, leaving out any details he thought might make him look too crazy.
	"Oh you mean that boy with the glasses, right?" The blonde, Paul, spoke up. He pointed at his other friend, "he was the one with the monkey wasn't he?"
	The brunette, Abbott, nodded suddenly "Yes that sounds about right! They both had some stew, he was really polite! The monkey was a bit odd though."
	'Monkey?' Tony couldn't help but think. Where on earth would Jeff have gotten a monkey he wondered. It wasn't like there was a pet store anywhere nearby. "I dunno," he spoke up uneasily, "he didn't have a monkey when he left the school."
	Paul smirked, "yeah he said it followed him out of the shop nearby."
	"From what I've heard," Abbott tapped his chin thoughtfully, "some of the other college lot from SnowWood have had some really odd experiments over the years. They'd get in all sorts for it, really pull at the budget, y'know? It wouldn't surprise me if some monkeys had ever escaped like that."
	Taking a large helping of stew, Paul recalled with a grin "he looked so lost around that monkey. Had no idea what to do with it!"
	Abbott snapped his fingers suddenly, before snatching up his own bowl, "You know, I think I've seen that monkey again recently!" he said, then paused, "Actually, I think there were two when I saw it next!"
	This conversation was lost on Tony. Monkeys? Really? Winters wasn't exactly a monkeys' native ground, being as chilly as it is most of the year. And Jeff had partnered up with one? Why? Had he been that lonely after leaving the school? No, no he didn't want to buy into this. There had been no proof that Jeff had been frolicking about in Winters with primates that probably shouldn't be accustomed to the snowy climate anyway. He hadn't come this way to get more hearsay from SnowWood goers.
	Once he was certain his clothes had dried off enough, Tony thanked the two elder students and went on his way. He didn't need to hear any more talk about monkeys or 'evil hunches' that the two were prattling on about. He had more important things to be doing.
	He started off toward the lake again, then balked. Another deep drop waited, but this time he was still stood on grass. Not daring to risk it again, Tony headed off to the right, where he could see less painful-looking drops.

	Paul and Abbott watched the redhead stomp along away from the tent.
	"He didn't believe a word we said, did he." Abbott sighed.
	Paul shrugged, "Who knows." he murmured, drinking the stew from his bowl, "He looked like a proper straight-lace kid though, so probably not. But if I were in his shoes I'd have turned back round, so I wouldn't need to find out."
	The brunette nodded, then scowled at his friend, "Fer chrissake use a spoon!

----****----

	After leaving the warmth of the tent, the cold had hit Tony much harder this time round. His clothes had still been slightly damp, and the lack of layers was really making itself apparent. He lamented over not putting on extra clothing when he'd been in the tent.
	He was also finding the animals getting a little rougher, too. Crows seemed to be soaring overhead with no intent to fight, but dogs would force their way through him, and even some goats were charging through. Tony found himself grateful for the strength of the gun, which made up for the lack of his own. At the very least the animals were moving away from him.
	Come to think of it, they were all heading upward.
	'Are they going after the school?' he couldn't help but wonder. If the two students had been right about the evil hunch, then it looked like it was a good thing Tony got away from the tent -- and the school -- in time. He didn't want to be around when those animals kicked down the doors!
	Tony had been fortunate enough this journey to have at least avoided any more unexpected falls. Though his chosen path had been rife with unexpected drops that he had to backtrack to avoid. This of course put him back into the path of several scurrying animals, which were slowly taking their toll on him.
	To his delight, he'd found that there was a path he could take that wouldn't take him through the forest, too. Sure it meant he was taking a detour, but no doubt it was safer than cutting through the forest would have been. Plus, he was sure he could see another tent on the horizon there! Surely he'd be able to change clothes there, if nothing else!
	As he approached the trees, something suddenly leaped out in front of him, startling him backwards. He let out a cry as he fell down, trying to make out what had knocked him over.
	The creature stopped for a moment, looking at him with a blank expression. Then it continued on, followed by another creature of the same species.
	Monkeys.
	Tony watched them bounding off, eyes wide, mouth agape. There really were monkeys here. Maybe Jeff had spent his adventure across Winters with a monkey.
	"Why monkeys though?" he couldn't help but wonder, as he stood and brushed himself off. He couldn't help but wonder what kinds of experiments must have included monkeys that SnowWood students would have gotten involved with.
	Trying to force the thought from mind, Tony continued his way toward the tent, glad that the animals were more sparse from this point.