*Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter of Past Troubles!! Really? Already?! Yes! This is published on July 8, 2021. If you like this chapter, don't be afraid to vote and spam the comment section. That will be greatly appreciated! The song used is called "Brand New" by Ben Rector. Enjoy!*

Maya began to read books of far-off places in her room, smiling in thought. Not necessarily about the book, but...it's about someone. Buster Moon.

Just the thought of seeing him again made her blush slightly. His soft blue eyes, his soothing voice to ease her nervousness...wait, no, no, she just met that man. Besides she knew that her mother would be against it...well, what's a little rebellion gonna hurt? Maya immediately received backlash from that thought since of course, her mother was going to yell at her and...well, she felt like a child even though she knew she's not. Her mother has the authority over her life.

Maya sighed in realization while she frowned at the books. If only she could just climb right inside of those books. However, reality came at her like a speeding train when she heard someone opening the door.

Maya ran out of her bedroom to see a familiar older female koala entering the house. She had gray fur compared to Maya's golden fur with brown hair in a bun and glasses enlarging her green eyes.

"Maya! I'm home!" her mother announced as Maya went down stairs to meet her mother's gaze.

"Hey, mother," Maya responded. "Welcome home."

"Ugh, work is so tiring. Today, I saw a lion jumped on this rhino guy," her mother told the story while setting her stuff down. "They were fighting for objects and it's just horrible. Horrible I say. This is why you shouldn't be out there in this disgusting world."

Maya nodded her head in understanding. "Understood, mother."

The world isn't so disgusting, she wanted to say that to her mother but then she'll have to explain why she thinks the world isn't disgusting and this will involve her explaining that she went and took a job at the theater. So, Maya faked a smile as her mother walked through the house.

"Do you have any pestering calls?" her mother asked her.

"Um...no. Just a normal day...safe in the house," Maya stated with a plastered grin.

Her mother examined her while squinting. "I detect a slight hint of whimsy."

Maya felt nervousness through her veins until her mother smiled.

"I'll allow," her mother responded with a kiss in her blonde curly hair.

Maya let out a discreet sigh in relief while her mother checked herself in the mirror. Maya went with her to continue to ask. "So, um, Mom, I just have a question--"

"Ba, ba, ba, Maya, look into that mirror," her mother demanded softly.

Maya looked into her reflection, glasses to show her blue eyes while her hair was in a bun.

"You know what I see...I see a beautiful smart young lady," her mother complimented.

Maya straightened up with a confident smile.

"Oh, look you're there too," her mother teased with a laugh. "I was just joking, darling!"

Maya's confident smile withered away in a matter of seconds but she pushed the thought aside. "You know, Mom, what if, hypothetically, I go out and look for a job--"

"A job?"

"Yeah, the one that pays extremely well," Maya replied to her mother in excitement.

"Oh, Maya, there's no such thing as a good-paying job," her mother answered while looking into her own reflection, removing the make-up.

"Well, what if it--?"

"Are you going after it?"

Maya paused, careful with her words. "Well--"

"Did someone offer this...hypothetical job?" her mother turned to look at her daughter.

Maya blinked a bit. "Well...yeah but--"

"Maya, Maya, you can't trust people. You know that, don't you?"

"I know, I know--"

"Don't you remember what your father did?" her mother asked her.

Maya sighed heavily. "Mother--."

"He doesn't love you...and he doesn't want you. And...he just left without taking you with him. If someone offers you love...you just...had to know that it's all fake. Because this world is nothing but fake. Alright, dear," her mother replied while turning to her.

Maya sighed again while nodding her head. "Yes, mother."

"Aww, dear," her mother hugged her on her side. "Your mother is the only real one who loves you, okay, dear?"

"Yes, mother."

"Good. Ooh, I got an idea on what to do tonight, we'll cook your favorite stew," her mother skipped off into the kitchen as if she already moved on from the subject.

Maya smiled weakly as she went off to help her mother cook.

~.~

The next day came by as Buster slept on the desk after pulling an all-nighter. He couldn't sleep last night. One thing comes after another. First, Ms. Crawly got hurt, then he has to worry about people hunting him, and then he saw Chirea again without understanding his father's past. His ears twitched to hear somebody enter the theater. Buster immediately prompted his head up, becoming paranoid.

Buster thought he gave the spare keys to everyone in the theater...including Maya before she walked home. It could be anyone walking into the theater with the keys to the theater. However, he can't be too cautious as he opened the blinds in his office to see Maya setting up on the desk in the lobby next to him.

Buster sighed in relief that it's just Maya entering work early. It seemed odd that she would just walk into the theater early. Never late so far.

Buster took a deep breath as he ruffed his fur neatly and straightened his suit. He took off his blue coat since it's getting warm in the theater as he opened the door to exit his office.

When he prompted the door open, Maya perked her head up to give him full attention.

Buster smiled nervously. "Uh...good morning."

"Good morning," Maya chirped with a small smile.

Buster entered her office while stretching his limbs. "How are you doing on this fine morning?"

"Eh, okay, I guess." Maya began to look through the files on the computer she's working on.

Buster tilted his head. "You guess? Is everything alright?"

Maya blushed a bit. "Yeah, everything is just fine, Mr. Moon. Just had a rough night last night."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. To tell you the truth, I had a rough night last night too. So, at least we're both on the same boat," Buster responded, hoping to cheer her up.

It worked...for a little bit.

"Thank you, Mr. Moon," Maya said with a small unsure grin.

Buster felt stupid for even saying that. Of course, he had a rough night last night and he didn't know how to help his new employee. He didn't want to invade her privacy but he also didn't want her to feel alone in this new environment. He pondered about what to do to cheer her up until an idea struck him.

"Hey, Maya, do you mind if you take a quick break with me?" Buster asked.

Maya glanced up at him in shock. "I-I just got here."

"Don't worry, it'll be for a little bit."

Maya grinned and shrugged. "Okay, sure."

Buster smiled brightly. "Good. Come on!" Buster ran out of the lobby as Maya stopped what she's doing and followed after her boss.

When they got outside of the theater, Buster picked up his new bike with a bright smile on his face as Maya looked at it in confusion.

"What's that?" Maya pointed at the bike.

"Oh, it's a bicycle. I got someplace to show you and it's pretty far out to go on foot. Hop on!" Buster encouraged as he scooted up so that she could sit from behind. Maya was hesitant at first until she smiled a bit and hopped onto the back with Buster, clutching his suit like a lifeline.

Buster was a bit surprised at her clutching onto him for dear life while blushing madly. He's so lucky that she didn't see his face right now.

"Uh, have you ever rode on a bicycle before?" Buster managed to ask.

"Um...no," Maya said meekly.

Buster blinked in disbelief but he shrugged. "Well, just hang on. I got something to show you. I think you're gonna love it."

Maya straightened up as Buster began to pedal away from the theater. At first instinct, Maya panicked a bit as she held onto Buster. They were thrown a bit off-balance as the bike just leaned right onto the street but the koala showman managed to guide the bicycle back to a straight path.

Maya began to breathe heavily. "Oh my gosh, we're going to fall. We're going to fall and die--"

"It's okay, it's okay. Don't be afraid, I got you," Buster soothed as Maya straightened up to look at him glancing over his shoulder. "It's okay. I got you. Just hang on to me. Okay?"

Maya blushed a bit while nodding her head.

"Okay, hang on," Buster instructed as he pedaled away again. Maya held him tightly while closing her eyes in fear. The calming song began to play during their bike ride.

https://youtu.be/dx8ydn09zms

"I feel like new sunglasses, like a brand new pair of jeans

I feel like taking chances, I feel a lot like seventeen.

I feel like windows rolled down, new city, streets, and cabs

I feel like anything can happen, laughing,

You take me right back to when we were kids

Never thought I'd feel like this."

As the soft breeze gently blew on both of their furs, Maya fluttered her eyes open as she loosened her hold on Buster. Her gaze wandered up to the blue sky, a smile growing on her face. Her hair bun was getting loose as Buster pedaled towards the bridge, going over the small body of water while people just flicked their gazes at the koalas for just a moment until they went back to their daily lives.

"Like when I close my eyes and don't even care if anyone sees me dancing

Like I can fly, and don't even think of touching the ground

Like a heartbeat skip, like an open page

Like a one way trip on an aeroplane

It's the way that I feel when I'm with you, brand new

Brand new!"

Buster couldn't help but keep glancing over his shoulder to see Maya's face filled with wonder and awe as he pedaled onto the thin cement pathway with two contained bodies of water right beside him to make it seem like it's one body of water.

"I feel like a young John Cusack, like making big mistakes

I feel like for the first time in a long time I am not afraid

I feel like a kid, never thought it'd feel like this."

Maya noticed the reflection of the water was pointing back at the sky, causing her to gaze up to notice a flock of seagulls in best suits flying towards their jobs. Maya smiled brightly as Buster turned a corner into a street called "Forest Grove".

"Like when I close my eyes and don't even care if anyone sees me dancing

Like I can fly, and don't even think of touching the ground

Like a heartbeat skip, like an open page

Like a one way trip on an aeroplane

It's the way that I feel when I'm with you, brand new!"

Maya looked ahead to see that they were entering into a forest-like area in the city as the people were jogging in and out of Forest Grove. Buster rode into the forest area, letting Maya soak in the view of the environment around her. With her arm around his waist, she lifted her hand up just to feel the air passing by them. Riding into the narrow bridge over a small little bank where the waterfall could touch the handles by drip-drops, the female koala switched her hands with the one she lifted and wrapped around the koala showman's waist while reaching her other hand out towards the water, feeling the cooling liquid drenching her hand. A fond smile grew on her face as they passed by the waterfall.

"Time will always try to make us fold

You remind me what I used to know."

While that was happening, Buster couldn't help but smile at her. Despite being used to living in this city, this was all new to Maya. He had to wonder if she's been living under a rock because of...what? Why didn't she leave wherever she lived to explore? All of those questions were stuck on him but, he didn't let it bother him as Buster rode his bicycle into the dark cave, which scared Maya for a little bit until Buster began to ring a little bell to make some noises.

"Like when I close my eyes and don't even care if anyone sees me dancing

Like I can fly, and don't even think of touching the ground

Like a heartbeat skip, like an open page

Like a one way trip on an aeroplane

It's the way that I feel when I'm with you, brand new!"

That's when the glowing wings began to light up the cave they were going through. Maya began to relax when she saw butterflies glowing in the dark while fluttering through the cave, following them out.

"Brand new, yeah, yeah, yeah

I feel

And I feel

And I feel brand new

I feel brand new

I feel brand new."

As the song ended, Buster managed to get them out of the cave with the butterflies fluttering out and towards the tall trees right in front of them. The koala showman stopped his bike onto the little circle pathway as he let Maya hop off first. She hopped off of the bicycle and she wandered off a tiny bit while Buster put a lock on his bicycle and caught up with her.

Maya explored through the small area as she noticed vines draping beside her like a curtain. Her hand drifted to feel all the vines on her fingertips with a small smile.

Buster glanced over at her to see her hand feeling each vine.

Maya looked around the forest. "This is beautiful, Mr. Moon."

Buster smiled a bit as he gazed at her. "Yeah, she is."

Maya glanced at him as Buster snapped out of his thoughts.

"What I mean is the forest is very beautiful. Mother Nature did a fantastic job of making the forest look pretty. But...uh...I actually want to show you something though."

"This isn't it?" Maya uttered in confusion.

"Well, it's part of it," Buster said as he walked back into the vines.

Maya gasped, thinking that the koala showman had been eaten by the vines. "Oh my gosh, Mr. Moon!"

"I'm fine!" Buster shouted from behind the vines as he parted the vines to poke his head out. "It's behind these vines. Come on." He sunk back into the vines as Maya began to part the vines. She stepped through the heavy vines while noticing something glowing on the other side. She saw a pond with squids glowing it blue as she stepped towards the rocky edge with Buster sitting on it to gaze into the water.

"Wow," Maya gasped in fascination.

"Well, the squids that helped with our theater would occasionally go on breaks since it's daytime so...they come here to recharge," Buster answered. "We provided a way for them to leave if they need to."

"It's beautiful," Maya uttered with eyes wide in fascination.

"Yeah, it's a great addition to the theater," Buster responded while trying to fake a smile until he glanced at the female koala. "Feeling a bit better?"

Maya gazed up at the koala showman with a small smile. "Much better, actually. Thank you."

Buster nodded his head while he approached her, tempted to hold her hand but he kept his hands in his pocket and his eyes glazed off somewhere else underneath the tree with vines caving them around the pond.

"So...do you want to talk about what happened last night that made it rough?" Buster managed to ask politely. He didn't know why but he needed to check on her to make sure she's doing okay.

Maya frowned a bit. "It's not a big deal. Just some things my mother said but...it's normal though."

Buster cocked a brow up. "What did she say that seemed...normal?"

Maya frowned more than usual, a bit slumped in her stance.

Buster had his eyes widened to notice Maya reacting sadly. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I just wanted to make sure you're okay is all."

Maya gazed up at him in shock. "But...you just hired me."

"Yeah. And, as your employer, it is my job to make sure that every employee in Moon Theater is okay," Buster replied happily. "And I'd be more than happy to make sure everyone's okay. Otherwise, they can't do well if something emotional was going on at home."

Maya had her eyes even broader. "Wow...is all that real?"

Buster blinked at the question and then smiled. "Well, I may get carried away with looking out for others. I guess some shows were postponed because of it but it's not a big deal if I know that others are okay to do it. So, I guess you can say that it's real. Why?"

Maya blushed in embarrassment. "I might have overstepped my boundaries."

"No, you haven't. When I say every employee in Moon Theater, I mean it, okay? You matter too, you know," Buster replied as they strolled leisurely around the pond.

There's a tender pause as Maya sighed deeply.

"You know, I shouldn't have been open about this but...I guess there's no one else in the world I could talk to about this. When I was little, my father left my mother and abandoned us. My father never loves me, that much I know. I guess I was a mistake and he didn't want me. And my mother didn't let me forget that. I think she told me that she loves me but everyone else is...fake. I was happy during my first day at the theater. Everyone in the theater was so nice but...I'm a bit scared that they were just being fake. I'm sorry, I don't mean to put all of this on you, Mr. Moon."

Buster stared at her sympathetically while pondering deeply about what he's being told then he gave her a determined gaze. "I can assure you one thing. Those animals working in the theater with me are the most genuine people I have ever met. It may take time to form a relationship with them but...they are the most real out of all the people I met throughout my entire life. So, if you're wondering if they are just faking, then maybe you could ask them yourself. I'm sure they don't mind telling you how they truly feel."

Maya smiled at Buster. "Do you think so?"

"Oh, believe me, they are a group of great people. Although, speaking of them, we better get back to the theater before they get worried about us."

"What time do they arrive at the theater? Do they usually come late in the morning?"

"Usually in the morning before nine. They're not slackers though I promise."

~.~

Gunter snored loudly on the couch at Johnny's garage while Porsche had her cereal that Johnny made.

Johnny was on his laptop while having the file of Arthur Moon right next to him. Ms. Crawly, Nooshy, and Herman sat around him, watching the young gorilla scroll through the search bar.

Johnny just typed in: "Moon's Car Wash" and discovered something intriguing.

"Holy moly, Mr. Moon's Car Wash is famous and has got the best ratings," Johnny gasped as he scrolled through the images of the huge red building with blue and purple neon lights.

Ms. Crawly scratched her chin as she read over Arthur Moon's file. "It closed down a long time ago though."

"Not according to the Internet. It said that it's looking for new hires," Johnny pointed out as he dialed the number he found and called the number. "If this call doesn't get accepted or they say they are a different company, then we know if they shut down or not."

Ms. Crawly, Nooshy, and Herman leaned in to listen to the conversation as someone answered Johnny.

"Hello?" A meek female voice spoke up.

"Oh, hello, is this Moon's Car Wash?" Johnny asked while leaning back a bit against the couch.

"Yes, it is," the voice answered. "What can we do for you?"

Johnny had his eyes widened in shock as he leaned up against the edge of his seat. "Okay...are you looking for a new hire?"

"Yes, we are. Would you like to speak to the manager about getting hired here?"

Johnny's grip on the phone shook. "Uh...yes, I would like to speak to the manager."

"Okay, give me one second." The caller put Johnny on hold as he sat there on the couch with eyes broadened.

Ms. Crawly scooted closer to Johnny. "What did they say?"

Johnny glanced over at the iguana. "It is Moon's Car Wash and they are looking for new hires."

The hold ended as someone else picked up the phone.

"Hello, are you looking to get hired?" Johnny guessed that the manager was the one who picked up the phone.

"Actually, to be frank, I was wondering if Arthur Moon is there," Johnny managed to speak honestly.

"Arthur Moon?"

"Yes," Johnny answered the manager.

There's a pause as Johnny could hear shuffling papers from another end of the line.

"No, he's not here at Moon's Car Wash. Wait, are you actually talking about the Arthur Moon?" the manager probed.

Johnny nodded his head. "Yes."

"I hate to tell you that he doesn't work here anymore."

"Because he died?"

"No, we fired him."

Johnny had his eyes widened in pure shock. "I'm sorry, come in again?"

"Well, the old boss fired him before he retired. Arthur Moon used to be Arthur Star before he changed his name to Moon. When we found that he's been using our names for personal brand...well, he's fired. Why are you asking about Arthur Moon anyway?"

Johnny blinked while looking at Ms. Crawly, Herman, and Nooshy with shock. "Eh, no reason. I'm sorry to bother you."

"Oh...so, you're--"

Johnny immediately hanged up the phone, earning shocked gazes from the people surrounding him.

"What happened?" Nooshy questioned immediately.

Johnny glanced at the snow lynx. "Arthur Moon is fired from that place because he was using the car wash company as his own personal brand. He changed his name from Star to Moon because of it."

Ms. Crawly pondered deeply. "Well, I didn't know Mr. Moon's father that well I guess. I only met him as Arthur Moon and he asked for help at working at the car wash. But...I didn't even think he had a job. On top of that, I didn't think he worked at a famous car wash before."

Nooshy had her eyes widened as she realized something. "Wait a minute. Holy shoot! Now that's a plot twist!"

Johnny glanced at her again with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you say that Arthur changed his last name from Star to Moon?" Nooshy inquired of Johnny.

The gorilla shrugged. "Yeah, that's what the manager of that place told me--"

"I know someone else who had the last name called Star!" Nooshy burst into excitement as she stood up from her seat and zoomed out of the garage.

"Wait, Nooshy--!"

Nooshy didn't listen as she made her exit out of the garage without listening to Johnny's protest.

Ms. Crawly sat back and blinked. "I hope she's going to be alright."

Johnny glanced through the file again while raising a brow. "Who's Derek?"

"Oh, Derek and Arthur were friends. I think he's a bouncer at a club. I can't recall which one," Ms. Crawly uttered while scratching her chin.

Johnny managed to find out through the file. "It's called Neon Club."

He quickly searched for it on his laptop and dialed the number it gave. The phone rang for a couple of seconds.

"Hello?" a deep voice spoke from the other end of the line.

"Hello, may I speak with Derek?" Johnny asked politely.

"You're talking to him," the voice, Derek, answered.

Johnny smiled. "Perfect. There are a few things I gotta ask you."

"Are they important?"

"Very important, indeed. It's about Arthur Moon and the Rattler Society--"

"Shh!!" Derek shushed the young gorilla as there's a brief awkward pause. "Arthur Moon is dead."

"I know. But his son is being hunted and we don't know why exactly other than that he out best everybody."

"That's not the only reason. Meet me at Lloyd's in thirty minutes. I'll explain everything to you."

The phone hanged up, leaving the gorilla full of questions.

"What did he say, Johnny?" Ms. Crawly uttered.

"I have to meet up somewhere. I'll be right back," Johnny determined as he got up from his seat and exited out of the garage. 

To Be Continued...