Mattstasia Chapter 5: Matthew Meets Jackie, Inez, Digit, and Slider
Matthew’s outfit turned back to normal as someone shouted from above, “Hey! What are you doing here?” Matthew looked up and saw a cyborg, two Earth kids, and a cyboid looking down at him from the top of the staircase. Surprised, the boy ran off, fearing that he had been trespassing.
“Hey!” Slider called as he ran after him. Matthew ran up the stairs, and went past Jackie, Inez, Digit, and Slider. “Hey!” Slider repeated, “Stop, stop, stop, stop!” He caught up with Matthew, making him stop by a grand painting and turn around as he continued, “Hold on a minute, hold on!”
Slider looked at Matthew and asked, “Now how did you get in h-…. here?” He stammered at the last word, because he was struck by the boy’s appearance; Matthew looked exactly like Matt in the painting!
Jackie and Inez, meanwhile, panted as they came up the stairs to join Smarty as Digit flew with his tail. “Oh, excuse us, Mister!” Jackie said with exhaustion as they reached their friend.
Slider looked at Jackie, Inez, and Digit with a smile as he nudged them with his elbow and whispered, “Guys, do you see what I see?”
They squinted their eyes as Inez whispered back, “Just a young boy.” Slider nudged her in the elbow, and then Inez whispered with a grin, “Ah, now I see!” She looked down and saw Sherman rubbing his leg and oinking.
“A-are you Slider?” Matthew asked the light tan boy; Slider was paying more attention to Sherman, giving an uninterested comment on how cute the pig was.
Slider then picked up Sherman and let Inez happily cradle the pig in her arms; the light tan boy turned Matthew and said as he walked up the stairs towards him, “Well, that depends on who wants to see him.”
“Well, my name is Matthew,” the boy said with a hushed tone, “I need travel papers. They say you’re the one to see – even though I can’t really tell who told me.”
“Hmmmm,” Slider mumbled as he began circling Matthew; he wanted to study him.
“Hey, why are you circling me?” Matthew asked with a raised brow, “Were you a vulture in your other life?”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Slider muttered before pausing to look at the boy, “I’m sorry, Matty.”
“It’s Matthew,” the boy corrected, “Matthew.”
“Matthew,” Slider repeated. "It’s just… just that you look an awful lot like…” He wanted to tell him that he looked just like the Grand Duke Matt, but he also didn't want to admit that he only wanted to pass him off as the prince to get money. "Oh never mind," Slider shrugged as he looked at the painting, and then at Matthew. "Now you said something about travel papers?"
“Um yes,” Matthew said as he looked at the light tan boy in the eyes, "I'd like to go to Paris."
“You want to go to Paris?” Slider repeated.
Matthew nodded his head with a sly grin. Slider then looked at Inez, who was fixated on cuddling Sherman. “Oh, who are you?” she cooed happily. As Sherman oinked and licked her, Inez said to Slider, “Look! He likes me already!”
“Yes, nice pig,” Slider said as he rolled his eyes. While Inez kept playing with Sherman, Slider turned his attention back to Matthew. “Let me ask you something,” he said, “Matthew, was it? Is there a mere chance that there’s a last name that goes with it?”
Matthew told the light tan boy, “This is going to sound crazy, but… I honestly don’t know my last name. I was found wandering about when I was five years old.”
“And before that?” Slider asked with curiosity, “Before you were five?”
“Look, I know it’s strange,” said Matthew, “But I have very few memories of my past.”
At those last words, Slider’s eyes lit up, because he had finally found the perfect boy to portray Matt! He leaned over to Inez, Jackie, and Digit and whispered, “Hmmm, that’s… that’s perfect!” The light tan boy knew that his plan was working, so he looked back at Matthew with a sly smile.
Matthew, meanwhile, held his necklace charm and said, “I do have one clue, however. And that is Paris.”
“Paris,” Slider mumbled with curiosity and sneakiness as he looked at the boy.
“Right,” Matthew said as he moved his necklace back underneath his shirt. He then looked at Slider, Jackie, Inez, and Digit and asked with slight annoyance, “So… can you four help me or not?”
Slider leaned over to the pig and whispered, “Hey, Digit! The tickets!” This made Digit shoot up and search his chest hatch for tickets; Slider turned back to Matthew and said with a smile, “We sure would like to… well, in fact – oddly enough – Digit, Jackie, Inez, and I are going to Paris, ourselves!”
“You are?” Matthew asked with surprise.
Meanwhile, Digit had pulled out five “tickets” that read, “R-Fair City Circus” and handed them to Slider. “Uh-huh,” he said softly as he took the tickets, “I’ve got give… er, this one is – I’ve got tickets for…”
Matthew tried to take one of the tickets, but Slider pulled them away from him. “Oh!” Matthew said, “I, uh…”
He was cut off when Slider told him, “But uh, unfortunately, the fifth ticket is for him. The Grand Duke Matt.” He pointed to the grand painting, and Matthew looked at it as he held Sherman in his arms.
As he looked closely at Matt in the painting, Matthew felt his hand being jolted by Slider taking it. “Oh!” he said as he got one last glimpse of the painting while he was being escorted by Slider, Jackie, Inez, and Digit.
They led the boy to another corner of the ballroom; they then paused in front of a painting of the Dowager Empress Gertie. “And we are going to reunite the Grand Duke with his grandmother and his mother's godmother,” Jackie said as she pointed to the painting.
Slider got a closer look at Matthew and said, “You do kind of resemble him, Mister.”
“The same blue eyes,” said Jackie.
“Quinlan eyes,” added Slider.
“Amara’s smile,” Jackie said as she looked at Matthew’s mouth.
“John’s chin,” added Slider. He and Jackie then let go of Matthew’s hands, and started examining them.
“Why, he even has the Empress’s hands!” Jackie said happily. Matthew just pulled his hand away in annoyance.
“He’s the same age,” Slider told Jackie, Inez, and Digit, “And the same physical type!”
Matthew became confused and scoffed, “Are you guys trying to tell me that you think I am Matt?”
“All I’m trying to tell you,” Slider explained to him, “Is that I’ve seen thousands of boys all over this country, and not one of them looks as much like the prince as you. I mean, look at that portrait!” He pointed to the portrait, which had Matt standing next to his grandmother.
Matthew stayed silent for a moment as he looked at the painting, but then he faced Slider, Jackie, Inez, and Digit with a suspicious look and said, “You know, I knew you were crazy from the beginning, but now I think you’re both mad!”
“Why?” Slider asked as he tried to stop Matthew from leaving, “You don’t remember what happened to you.”
“No one knows what happened to him,” added Inez from behind Slider.
“You’re looking for family in Paris,” Slider continued.
“His only family is in Paris,” Inez echoed.
“Ever thought about the possibility?” Slider asked Matthew.
“That I could be royalty?” Matthew asked.
“Mmm-hmmm,” Slider, Jackie, Inez, and Digit said in unison.
Matthew paced around and said thoughtfully, “Well, I don’t know. It’s kinda hard to think of yourself as a duke when you’re sleeping on a damp floor. But sure, yeah.” He sighed before continuing, “I guess every boy would hope he is a prince.” As he paced about, Matthew inched closer to Slider, Jackie, Inez, and Digit. At that moment, Slider began to walk away.
Inez told Matthew with a hopeful smile, “And somewhere, one little boy is. After all, the name ‘Matt’ means, ‘Gift of God!’”
Slider then came up to Inez and snatched her. As he escorted his friend away, Slider told Matthew, “We really wish we could help, but the third ticket is for the Grand Duke Matt.” Matthew heavily sighed as Slider wished him good luck and walked away with Jackie, Inez, and Digit.
As the group of con people walked on, Jackie quietly fumed to Slider, “Why didn’t you just tell him about our brilliant plan?”
“All he wants to do is go to Paris,” Slider whispered to her, “Why should we give away a fifth of the reward money?”
As Matthew stared at the painting of Gertie and Matt, Jackie whispered to Slider,
“I’m telling you, Slider, we’re walking away too soon.”
“Not to worry,” Slider whispered, “I’ve got it all under control.” He thought about Jackie’s words, and then softly said, “All right. But walk a little slower.” He, Inez, Jackie, and Digit then started walking very slowly down the stairs.
In the meantime, Matthew was fiddling around with his necklace until he very gently decided to touch the painting of Gertie. He thought for a moment, and then made a decision.
Back on the stairs, Slider was softly counting, “Three… two… one…”
“Slider!” a familiar voice called from the top of the stairs.
“Ah! Right in the palm of our hands!” Digit happily whispered as he clapped his wings.
Slider turned around and saw Matthew running down, trying to flag him. “Slider, wait!” he called.
Acting innocent, Slider asked, “Did-did you call me?”
Matthew came down the stairs and said, “If I don’t remember who I am, who’s to say I’m not a prince, or a duke, or whoever he was?”
“Hmmm, go on,” Slider said with an “understanding” look.
“And if I’m not Matt,” Matthew continued, “The Empress will certainly know right away – it’ll just be an honest mistake!”
“Sounds plausible,” said Slider with a nod.
“But if you are the prince,” added Digit with hopefulness in his voice, “Then you’ll finally know who you are, and have your family back!”
“You know,” Slider chuckled, “You know he’s right! Either way, it gets you to Paris!” Matthew then smiled, for he believed that this was the right path to take – having a few guys help him get passage to Paris.
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In this chapter, Matthew meets Jackie, Inez, Slider, and Digit, who try to convince him to come with them to Paris, because they secretly believe he is the perfect boy to play Matt!
Jackie, Inez, and Digit as Vladimir
Grammy (Named Gertie) as Dowager Empress Marie
