Rhett McLaughlin - The Lost Causes of Bleak Creek

“Come on,” Rex said, laughing. “Hornhat is cool now! He helped save our frickin’ lives.”

“Yeah, but he’s still very annoying,” Alicia said.

“Also true,” Rex said.

As the three of them again burst into giggles, Leif realized it didn’t matter if Alicia never felt about him the way he did about her. Because sitting there laughing with the two people he loved most in the world, he suddenly felt so lucky.

They were still here.

Still alive.

Still together.

And maybe that was enough.

Leif adjusted his body on the tiny rock.

It really was quite uncomfortable.

EPILOGUE

“LATER, GUYS,” ALICIA said, pedaling away in the dusk as they broke off at their usual spot, the corner of Creek and Pritchett. Alicia had overcome her fear of the water, the Triumvirate having now visited their island nearly every day for a few weeks, each time helping Alicia to piece together her life from before the Void.

They’d determined that this would be their last trip until next year, the depth and temperature of the river having made reaching the island nearly impossible. Rex and Leif had asked, as they always did, if she wanted them to escort her home, and, as she always did, she’d told them no.

She was actually somewhat relieved to part ways, both because she and Leif had to slow down considerably for Rex to keep up on his scooter, and because she’d come to relish riding around town by herself on her bike. Something about the constant motion, the not having to talk to anyone, made it the place where Alicia felt most at ease in her new life. She always stayed out till the very last minute of her parents’ strict sundown curfew, exploring random streets, enjoying the solitude.

She noticed the last bit of sun dripping down below the horizon, and she knew she was pushing it a little too far this time. She picked up her pace, hoping to rocket through the last few blocks before home.

As she approached Fulkins Park on her right, she noticed something lying in the road ahead of her.

Maybe roadkill.

She got closer and started to steer around it, relieved to see it was just a stuffed animal.

A blue frog.

She experienced a jolt of recognition and turned her head, catching something in her peripheral vision.

She almost fell off her bike.

Standing in the near-darkness of the park, staring at her, was a little blond girl in a white dress.

A little blond girl with sad eyes and a slightly crooked smile.

Alicia had no trouble remembering her.

“Hi, Alicia,” the girl said, her smile getting wider. “Everybody misses you.”

Alicia pushed down the scream lodged in her throat.

She pedaled away quickly.

DEDICATED TO OUR CHILDREN,

LILY, LOCKE, LINCOLN, SHEPHERD, AND LANDO.

KEEP QUESTIONING AUTHORITY

(OTHER THAN OURS, OF COURSE).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Like everything in our career, we couldn’t have done this alone. Well, maybe we could have, but it would have sucked.

Thank you to:

The South in general and Buies Creek, North Carolina, in particular. We are who we are because you are the way you are.

Lance Rubin, our sherpa in the adventures of novel-writing. Your talent, insights, and contributions were absolutely indispensable.

Our wives, Jessie and Christy, for supporting us in yet another entirely new and daunting endeavor, as well as tolerating us as we talked incessantly about this story. You are our hearts.

Our kids, Lily, Locke, Lincoln, Shepherd, and Lando for helping us stay connected to our own childhood through the vibrant ways you experience yours.

Our parents, for encouraging us to think big but never forget we’re from a small town.

Stevie Levine, our CCO and creative partner, for your input, ideas, notes, and guidance, as well as your management of our many other simultaneous projects.

Matt Inman and the whole team at Crown, for your tireless commitment to excellence and meaningful involvement throughout.

Ward Roberts, Daniel Strange, Jessie McLaughlin, Nica Halula, Helen Kim, Britton Buchanan, Lily Neal, Mike Feldman, Jenna Purdy, and Cole McLaughlin for your detailed feedback on our first draft.

Our amazing staff at Mythical Entertainment. Your incredible work on Good Mythical Morning and beyond allowed us to give this novel the attention it deserved.

Marc Gerald for daring us to write a novel.

Brian Flanagan, our COO, for holding down the fort at Mythical while we threw ourselves into this book.

Byrd Leavell, Brent Weinstein, Ali Berman, and the team at UTA.

Adam Kaller, Ryan Pastorek, and the team at HJTH.

Our childhood friend Ben Greenwood for leading us into constant adventure and fearlessly embodying Mythicality in all that life held for you. You gave us the Tree, the Rocks, and the River.

Each and every Mythical Beast who has supported our creative aspirations. We consider it a privilege to be on this journey with you. Keep on being your Mythical best.

ALSO BY RHETT McLAUGHLIN & LINK NEAL

Rhett & Link’s Book of Mythicality

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, raised in North Carolina and best friends since the first grade, are an L.A.-based comedy duo known for creating the Internet’s most-watched daily talk show, Good Mythical Morning; the narrative series Rhett & Link’s Buddy System; the award-winning weekly podcast Ear Biscuits; and the instant #1 New York Times bestseller, Rhett & Link’s Book of Mythicality. Their YouTube channels have a combined subscriber base of over 24 million people with 7 billion total views. They have been featured on and in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Live with Kelly & Ryan, The Conan O’Brien Show, Variety, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker.

Read on for a sample of #1 New York Times bestselling book Rhett & Link’s Book of Mythicality

Crown Available wherever books are sold

A MYTHICAL WELCOME

YOU DID IT! You have officially made at least one good decision today. By opening this book you are opening yourself up to the very real possibility of increased Mythicality in your life. Why, exactly, you decided to open this book is not important. Maybe you heard that this book contains a skyscraper-shaped board game that builds character (true), a visual guide to slow dancing poses (true), apocalyptic-themed party ideas (true), and actual sheet music and lyrics for the song we want you to sing—and hopefully play on the organ—at our funeral (also true). Or maybe you opened this book because you wanted to see pictures from the time Link broke his pelvis (hilarious unless you were Link), or read about the time Rhett was confronted by a tattooed man while wearing a child’s shirt (it didn’t turn out well). Or perhaps you heard that one chapter of this book was written by our wives (a very risky decision) and another entire chapter was written from the future (the United States Department of Time Travel and Extraterrestrial Affairs will not permit us to confirm nor deny the validity of said chapter from the future). Regardless of your reasons, all that matters now is that, by opening this book, you have just merged onto the highway to Mythicality.

It would probably be helpful to tell you what Mythicality is (if you don’t happen to know already). Here’s a technical-sounding definition:

Myth•i•cal•i•ty(mi-thi-’ka-lə-tē) noun

1. the quality or state of being that embodies a synergistic coalescence of curiosity, creativity, and tomfoolery (sometimes referred to as curiotomfoolivity), ideally experienced in the context of friendship and intended to bring goodwill to the universe. Origin:2009; RhettandLinkish.