I do not own The Wizard of Oz or Virals and all rights go to their respective owners. So this is my first chapter of a little Virals parody I came up with. Basically its Virals mixed with The Wizard of Oz. Hilarity ensues. I also apologize for the longness of the chapter. Hope you enjoy!
Cast:
Tory as Dorothy
Cooper as Toto
Kit as The Wizard
Whitney as Glinda
Madison as The Wicked Witch of the West
Ashley as The Wicked Witch of the East
Ben as The Scarecrow
Shelton as The Tin-Man
Hi as The Cowardly Lion
Courtney as Flying Monkey
Karsten as The Face of the Wizard
Chapter One The Cyclocane
I ran down the docks, Coop trotting by my side, a panicked expression on my face. Today was not my best day. I just seemed to be a magnet for bad luck. First I woke up late, which resulted in me forgetting my lunch. I got teased by the Tripod and to top it all off Kit send me a text.
Whitney would be joining us for dinner.
Wonderful.
I didn't think my day couldn't get any worse, but boy was I wrong. Little did I know that more bad luck would be coming my way. Thus the reason I am now sprinting down the docks. I'm getting a little ahead of myself, aren't I? Let's rewind for a second.
After I'd gotten home from my already sucky day at school, I threw down my bag, and changed out of my school uniform into the usual tank top and shorts. When I walked out of my bedroom, I was greeted by a big ball of grey and brown fur. Cooper, my wolf dog, sat at my feet. His wagging tail and pink tongue always put a smile on my face, even on days like this.
"Hi, boy! Wanna go for a walk?" I asked the jumpy dog.
He barked once and ran circles around me.
I'll take that as a yes.
I didn't own a leash for Coop; he just followed me around anyway. After scratching his head, Coop and I headed outside. It was a nice evening on Morris. Overcast and windy with the smell of sea salt mixing in with the air, just how I liked it. I took him down to the beach and let him run up and down the stretch. He barked and yipped happily. I ran out after him and bumped right smack into trouble.
That trouble being Madison.
Blargh...
And what was she doing on the beach, exactly? She was cleaning. Madison Dunkle, the Queen of the Tripod, was cleaning up the beach. And she didn't look particularly happy about it. As quiet as I could I turned on my heel and begun to sneak away.
Maybe she won't notic-
"Hey, boat girl!" she taunted.
Wincing, I turned back to face her.
It's okay, Tor. Just be nice and it'll be over with. I thought, putting on a fake smile.
"Uh, hey Madison! What brings you to Morris?"
The corners of her overly lip-glossed mouth curved up to reveal her horribly perfect smile, "Don't get cute, boat girl." she sneered. "The only reason I'm here is because I'm being forced to do community service for Cotillion. And you could just imagine how thrilled I was when I got landed on this pathetic strip of land."
Ouch, that hurt. However, I kept my composure and blew the comment off.
"So...where's the rest of the members?" I asked, straining to be polite.
"Over behind that hill." She replied.
An awkward silence followed. I should've just left right there and then. But I didn't. And with the luck I happened to have, disaster struck. At that moment, Coop came bounding down the stretch, kicking sand behind him. Madison scrunched up her nose in disgust.
"Is that your dirty mutt?" she spat.
My eyes narrowed. Okay, insult me and insult my island, fine. But no one insults the wolf dog or my Pack. And this time, one of those cards was in play.
I placed a hand on Coop's head and drilled my eyes into hers.
"He is not a dirty mutt." I snarled. I felt a small kick in my chest. Oh crap...I knew that feeling. A flare trying to escape. I sucked a breath in and dug my feet into the sand.
Madison's eyes widened at the bite in my voice.
Unfortunately, she knew how to bite back harder, "Ooh, getting defensive about the mongrel are we now? He's just a flea ridden, dirty, poor bag of dirt. Just like you and your island refugee crew!"
Rage boiled inside me. No. Never. You have taken it too far.
"Never, ever, talk about my dog or my friends like that!"
She leaned in real close and whispered, "Bite me, boat girl..."
And I didn't.
But Coop sure did.
He must've heard her nasty insults and got enraged. He leaned in and clamped down on her hand. She screamed and held it up. A bit of blood dotted her the back of her hand.
"OH MY GOD! MY HAND! I'M INFECTED!" she screeched.
A few people peered over the edge of the hill to see what the commotion was all about.
Madison was absolutely livid.
I was terrified.
Not a good mix.
She jabbed her finger at my face. "You will pay for this, Brennan! That dog will be gone by sundown! I'll make sure of that…" and she stalked off without another word.
I stood, frozen, in the sand.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
The threat sounded genuine. Without another rational thought, I bolted for home.
And now here I am, bounding up the sidewalk, Coop by my side. When I reached my townhouse, I flung open the door and ran up to the living room. Kit was hunched over a table, reviewing notes for LIRI and the smell of spaghetti wafted from the kitchen where Whitney was. When she noticed me, her eyes widened. I probably looked like a psycho, I didn't blame her.
"Kit!" I gasped.
He didn't look up from his notebook; he just gave a little nod in my direction.
"I ran into Madison today and Coop made her mad. She threatened to take him away. What should I do?" I babbled like a mad women.
"Oh, um... I don't know." He mumbled.
Had he even heard me? I tried again.
"Kit!" I slapped the notebook out of his hands. "I'm serious. She sounded like she meant it!" That got his attention. I took a deep breath. It was shaky but hey, it was a breath. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just stressed."
"What did Coop do to make Madison so mad?" he asked.
"He bit her." I stated shortly.
"Oh my!" Tiffany gasped form the kitchen. "Bit her? Oh, how awful!"
"What? The snotty brat deserved it." I scoffed.
Again, Whitney gasped. "Tory!"
I shook my head, turning back to Kit.
He heaved a heavy sigh, running a hand through his curly dark hair. "Tor, I think you might need to control Coop a bit."
"Why? Cooper's perfectly tame."
He sighed again, "I know Tory, but he is, after all, a wolf dog. He could be a threat to people he doesn't know."
Coop was a subject of debate in his household. I loved him, Kit didn't mind him, and Whitney strongly detested him. She jumped at the first opportunity she had.
"Your father's right, Tory. You need to control that beast. Put him on a leash! Keep it inside for heaven's sake!"
My blood boiled but I held my tongue for the time being.
Kit nodded, "I think you should consider this. Now, I need to get back to work. You think you go somewhere to cool off before dinner? A place where you can't get into any trouble for once?"
I was not happy. Without a word, I stormed outside and ran out to the dock. Angrily, I picked up a stone and skipped it into the water. What was his problem!? He wasn't usually like this. All caught up in work and crap. Did he even care about me or Coop? I skipped another stone, watching it skip three times until it sunk into the ocean. I remembered his words, "You think you go somewhere to cool off before dinner? A place where you can't get into any trouble for once?"
A place where there wasn't any trouble. Where you can just be yourself and nobody could bother you.
Huh...imagine that.
I think I knew place close to that. I looked out onto the Atlantic. Somewhere beyond that was the place.
Loggerhead Island.
I looked at Cooper, who sat on his haunches. "You're so lucky you're not a teenager." I told him.
My wolf dog just stared at me, but hey, at least he looked happy. I kissed Coop's head and there we sat, looking off to the sea. And for that moment, we didn't have a care in the world. However, this moment was broken when I saw a fancy black car turn down the usually blank road. Inside the tinted windows I could barely make out Madison's sneering face.
Crap!
For the second time that day, I was sprinting up the dock, desperate to beat Madison to my house. Fortunately, I was fast about it and got there well before the black car showed up. I tried to remain calm as I entered the house with Coop trailing me. Dinner was prepared and the table was set.
This is fine...everything is normal. Calm down...
I shot a quick 'hello' to Kit and ran upstairs. After washing up, I splashed some water on my face in hopes of clearing the redness from my pale skin.
It was eerily still downstairs. I took my place at the dinner table and scooted myself in. I barely took my first bite of spaghetti when we heard a loud rapping at the door. We all followed Kit downstairs and to my horror, there the she-devil was, standing on the front porch. A lonely little dog cage was clutched in her hand.
"Hello, Mister Howard. I am here to see about the wolf dog." She drew out in her sticky sweet southern accent.
Without invitation, she scooted past Kit and strolled into the house. I looked behind me and motioned for Coop to scram. If she couldn't find him, she couldn't take him. She looked around in disgust at our tiny townhouse and placed herself on the couch. I glared daggers at her.
She was not welcome in my home.
Coop did not do such a good job of "scramming" and hopped up on the couch, next to me.
"And to what do we owe the fine pleasure of making your acquaintance this evening, Miss Dunkle?" Whitney's voice was as sweet as cotton candy.
I looked down and Madison's hands. One of them was bandaged.
She doesn't even need that. I scoffed inside my head. Coop didn't even bite her that hard!
Madison finally started to speak when Kit came into the living room.
"That dog," she pointed at Coop. "is a danger to society!" she raged. "He nearly bit my hand off! I'm only doing Charleston a favor by removing it."
My face was red hot, "You won't take him!" I blurted out.
Calm it, Tory. Yelling won't get you anywhere. I thought, heaving another deep breath.
Madison drilled her eyes onto me. "If I am correct, that is a wolf dog hybrid. He is clearly dangerous and I have the authority to remove him if he poses a threat."
I didn't know what to say. I nearly thought Madison had won. Then, to my surprise, Kit jumped to my rescue.
"He's not dangerous. Cooper's just a bit nervous around new people. I assure you, this won't happen again." He explained.
"Not dangerous!? Do you see the bandage on my hand!?" she exploded. "Nothing you can say or do will make me think that monster is not a threat to the community." She paused to draw an angry breath. "Now put em in the cage." Two men who drove Madison appeared and attempted to grab Coop.
I got to him first and yanked him my the collar behind me. "No! You can't take my dog!" I screamed.
The men snatched a squirming Cooper out of my grasp then threw him into the cage and latched it closed. He whined and pawed at the door.
I tried running to Coop but someone held me back. I broke from their grip and marched up to Madison. "You wicked witch! I'll get Coop back if-if I have to fight you myself!"
Then Madison cackled. Actually cackled.
"You are never getting that mutt back, sweetie. What are you gonna do about it? Cry!?"
I felt tears well up in my eyes. Before they totally started pouring out of me, I ran up to my room. They broke free as soon as I entered my bedroom.
My Cooper was gone.
Kit felt weak. It all just hit him like a tidal wave. He had been so wrapped up in his work he hadn't even noticed his own daughter's distress. He was angry now.
Determined.
"Y'know just because you're richer than us doesn't mean you are any better than us!" he snapped at Madison. "Tory loved that dog more than anything! And I will do anything to get him back!"
Madison smiled, "I'd like to see you try."
Her men picked up the cage and walked it outside. Kit followed. They set the cage down and walked Madison to the car. When they weren't looking, Kit unlatched the lock and hoped Coop would know what to do. He walked back into the house and him and Whitney quietly finished their dinner.
Outside, Coop pawed at the cage. He could sense his captors talking, unaware of the wolf dog's actions. He saw it in Kit's eyes. Cooper knew what he wanted him to do.
Get out. Get to mother-friend.
Coop strained his ears, focusing in the world around him. Hushed talking. A car door opening and shutting. Coop nudged the unlocked door open and dashed towards the bushes in front of the house. Madison's two goons, unaware of the escaped dog, picked up the cage and placed it in the car. Coop watched from the shadows, as the car drove away. Kit had left the door slightly ajar, so he pushed the door and snuck up the stairs.
I heard a door open behind me.
"Go away, Kit, I don't wanna talk!" I yelled into the pillows.
I didn't hear the door close.
"Leave me alone!" I screamed again.
Something jumped on my bed and before I could react, a pink, slimy tongue attacked my face.
"Cooper!" I half squealed.
Immediately, I wrapped him in a bear hug and didn't let go for about five minutes.
"You came back!" I yelled gleefully into his fur.
Coop licked my face again and I smiled wide. Somehow, he escaped. Quickly, I got up and shut the door.
"I'm just about done with this place!" I told Coop.
He tilted his head to the left, probably not understanding a word I was saying. I continued on with my rant anyway.
"Why can't people just leave us alone!? When did we do anything wrong? I really hate people sometimes."
I saw a flicker of understanding in Coop's eyes.
I looked out onto my bedroom window to the ocean and smiled.
"Hey Coop, maybe we can run away and live on Loggerhead." I laid back on my bed. "We could just be out there, just you, me, and the monkeys."
I felt my eyes grew heavy. Today was a long day and I don't think I wanted to deal with anything else. Soon enough, I was in a deep sleep.
Hours later: I heard a banging sound at my window. Slowly cracking my eyes open, I sat up and glared at my window. Wind rattled the panes.
"What the hell is going on?" I whispered.
When I opened the window and peered out, I saw the waves of the ocean churning and crashing. The sky was dark and the waves looked to be black. Wind rushed onto my face, blowing a thousand miles per hour. I knew what this was.
That was a hurricane.
"Kit!?" I shrieked. "Whitney!?"
Not a sound.
Maybe I could find them.
I leaped up from my bed and ran to the door. It wouldn't budge. I banged and kicked the door, willing it to open. It didn't so much as crack. Then a sudden force knocked me on my butt. Was the room…spinning?
Coop hopped up from my bed and started barking at the window. I quickly glanced outside. My jaw dropped. Outside was a hybrid of swirling water and wind. It was like some kind of cyclocane. And somehow, my house had been swept up into the madness. Images started swirling by. There were people going on with their daily activities as if nothing was wrong. People going shopping, eating dinner, kids settling into bed.
Then the boys on Sewee passed me. I yelled to them, pleading for help. They just gave me little waves. My jaw dropped as I looked on, completely dumbfounded.
Then the worst possible thing in the sky appeared. The Tripod, all riding on a broom, mocking me.
"Boat girl, boat girl!" they jeered through high pitched laugher.
I covered my ears and buried my face into the pillows until the taunting ceased.
Then I descended. I held Cooper close and the room spiraled downwards.
Down, down, down I went. The room was spinning like a out of control carousel. I screamed at the top of my lungs, holding onto my dog for dear life.
It all ended with a loud thunk.
I sat up in my bed, carefully checking myself for any broken bones.
None.
I took several deep breaths, trying to slow my racing heart. I checked my door and found it unlocked. Then, I carefully made my way down the stairs. The living room was completely silent. Not a living soul graced the halls. Coop trotted silently, sniffing the floor. Maybe I could check outside for the damage. I reached the door and curled my fingers around the handle. It felt strangely cold. Slowly I swung open the door and I looked out, I was in Oz.
Yay! So you're done with the first chapter in Tory's journey through the Virals version of Oz. More fun coming up! So rate, review, follow, favorite, all that fun stuff! Until next time, byeeee!