A/N: AC11: ...hello.
Different: Hi there lovely readers of this fanfiction.
AC11: Talk about complete different greetings. :P But I can't blame me...I just came back from a checkup, and trust me, it wasn't fun. -.- I want a female doctor from now on.
Different: I do not blame you one bit. I had to get my ears cleaned at the doctors...*shudders* Not fun.
AC11: Well, you didn't have to - I'm not going to say nothing else in case someone underage is reading this.
Different: Good idea. Now...the story we have written.
AC11: An idea I had when we were talking about how much we hated poverty, wanting people to open their eyes, and then I gave you the song that matched your mood.
Different: Yep. And then we decided to do a collab fic on it.
AC11: PEOPLE, LISTEN TO "WE ARE THE WORLD 25 FOR HAITI" WHILE READING THIS! Though I bet only 5% of you will.
Different: I don't care if it has Justin Beaver and Smiley Cyrus in it, it's a good song. JUST LISTEN TO IT. Okay, have a nice day! Wait...first, FlameTamer16, do the disclaimer.
Flame: Hey there everyone! My awesometastic sisters do not own The Kane Chronicles, We Are The World or any of the singers who sang it. AC does own Alex, though. And Selenia. And Bill, Jaz's older brother. :D
AC11: It would be weird owning the singers.
Different: Agreed. :P
We Are the World
Alex Anagnos couldn't feel anything on his ankle - well, to be more specific, his whole body. But that didn't stop him from the determination to find his sister. He shakily stood up, slowly looking around. The Fourth Nome headquarters looked...terrible. Well, it wasn't exactly there anymore. The Fourth Nome, Greece, had been reduced to rubble.
His heart sank. Selenia. She could be out there...and she might not even be alive.
He shook his head. No. His twin sister was stronger than most people thought. He took a step forward and winced, pain going up his leg. He gritted his teeth and took another step, determined to find her through all the destruction.
Alex racked his brain. If he was Selenia, where would he go if there's an army of demons destroying her home?
He spotted the remains of the door that led towards the terrace and he allowed his lips to twitch upwards a bit. Of course she would go up there to protect her painting set. He made his way through the remains of what was once the place he lived. A pile of rocks seemed the twitch in front of him. Thinking it was too good to be true, he quickened his pace and moved to kneel next to the rocks. "Selenia?" he asked, hesitant.
"Get me out of here!" came her weak reply, her voice downright terrified.
He pushed some of the rocks off her, revealing a thoroughly battered, but very much alive Selenia Anagnos.
"Alex," she breathed, helping him take off the remaining rocks. As soon as she was free, she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder as she sobbed. He gladly hugged his sister back, thankful that she was alive.
"I was so scared that you didn't make it," she whispered, shuddering. "Never, ever am I ever going to make fun of you again. All those times when I did so...they kind of flashed in my mind, and I was so damn scared you died thinking I didn't care about you."
"Selenia...I know you care about me. You just show me through your teasing." He smiled weakly.
Selenia let out a choked sob. "No wonder Jaz likes you."
"Selenia!"
"What? I'm telling the truth!"
"Never mind."
Selenia, with difficulty, stepped back. "We have to find Father and Mother."
"Right." Alex looked up at the destroyed Nome.
Selenia gave out a small squeak as a pale and bloody hand - a hand that could only be female - grabbed her ankle. She whimpered. "I found Mother," she whispered.
"Mother?" Alex asked softly.
Their mother, Eleni, pulled herself out of the pile of rocks she was under with help of Selenia's ankle. She looked at her children with wild eyes. "So many demons...so much destruction..." Her breathing was uneven and her eyes wide and...empty. The usual green color didn't hold anything. She wasn't really there, her mind anyway.
"Mother, it's alright. The demons are gone," Alex said unsurely.
"No...Alexandros...they're still here..." she whispered, her hand gripping his shoulder tightly, her long fingernails digging into his skin.
"They are gone, Mother. Alex saw them leave," Selenia assured her mother, voice shaking.
"She's probably talking about Father," Alex muttered. "He's just as bad as an army of demons."
Selenia nodded. "Alex...did you maybe think...look at her..."
"She's been driven mad by Father? I wouldn't be surprised," Alex muttered darkly. "Let's put her into a safe place and then take her to a mental hospital."
"Good idea," Selenia answered.
Alex looked around, then forced his mother to sit down on a chair of rocks, ordering her to stay there.
Selenia turned to her twin. "What now?"
"We find Father and this time, I'll smash my combat avatar fist to his skull to break it," Alex muttered. "If he's still alive, which he probably is. Demons don't kill their important spy."
"It was a big attack, he could be dead, taken by mistake," Selenia argued resonably. "We should look anyway."
"I hope he's dead." Alex walked over to the last place he'd seen his father, so relaxed, on his head chair that looked more like a throne. It was crumbled to dust, but there might be something under the collapsed table. "Selenia, help me hold up this table."
"Sure." She walked over to her brother's side. Together, they hoisted the table up.
The sight made Alex and Selenia sick to their stomachs.
Sure enough, their father was dead. He had obviously been crushed by something enourmous, and was bloody and mauled.
"He's dead," Alex whispered. "He's finally dead."
Selenia tried to say something-anything-but her words failed her. She settled for a simple nod.
Alex let the table go, letting it fall on top of his father. "He deserves no funeral," he spat, glaring at the whole, destroyed place. "He doesn't deserve anything. He's the reason for his own death!"
Selenia stepped away from her father's dead body. "Let's go."
"You can go call the other Nomes to help us with the place. I need to finish something." Alex's hand twitched.
"What?" Selenia asked. "We're twins. We've got no secrets, right?"
Alex sighed. "Fine. I want to carry him to the ocean and throw him into it and let the fishes eat him."
Selenia bit her lip. After a pause, she finally spoke. "Fine. I'll go send out a help call."
"Aren't you glad he's dead?" Alex finally asked. "He's done nothing but torture us, turn us to slaves for the last sixteen years! I was lucky I was changed by Jaz!"
"Alex...I'm glad, I am, but...there's nothing left. Nothing except each other."
"And that's all we need, 'Nia. Don't you see? With Father dead, we're in charge. We can change the whole Nome. We can make the Fourth Nome turn from the Suspicious Nome to the Trustworthy Nome. Don't you want that? Don't you want to make Greece a better place?"
Selenia sighed, closing her eyes. "You're right. But we're not going to do anything unless we can clean up this mess. I'll go ask for help, seeing as you males never want to," she teased half-heartedly.
Alex rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up. By the way," he added, dragging his father's body out from under the table, "the Thirteenth Nome is Nashville. I heard the Andersons' mom was head of it. Maybe you can call help to Bill. Jaz is at the Twenty-first." Alex smirked, throwing his father's body over his shoulder.
Selenia felt herself blush. "I'll call the Twenty-first so you can see Jaz too." Before her brother could retort, she turned on her heel and took off, to a place where she could cast the spell to send out the messages.
Alex took his father to the ocean. He stood at the shore, holding his father in his arms. Then he was in avatar form. He told the dead body, "You were never my father." With all his strength, he threw his father to the ocean, leaving the fish to eat him. "You were never my family."
Meanwhile, Selenia was contacting Bill Anderson, of the Thirteenth Nome. "Hey, Bill. It's me Selenia."
Bill groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Not that I don't like talking to you, 'Nia...but it's midnight here. What happened?"
"We were attacked," Selenia informed him. "Demons. The whole place was destroyed...we need help."
Bill froze. "Oh, crud..." He cursed. "I'll tell Mom. She'll get the Thirteenth Nome to help you guys. But wait...why is it you calling? Shouldn't it be your dad?"
"He's dead."
"Hallelujah. I hated that guy."
"I know right?" Selenia found herself smiling at Bill. "Hey, could you call Jaz, too? I think Alex would like to see her."
"Of course I will." Bill smiled back.
There comes a time,
When we hear a certain call
"Besides...this is serious stuff. By tomorrow, everyone in all the Nomes will know about this and Jaz will be demanding to go to Greece and help."
Selenia smiled a bit wider. "Thank you."
"Anytime, 'Nia. Anytime."
And it's time to lend a hand to life, the greatest gift of life...
###
"Come on, people!" Jaz Anderson tapped her foot impatiently. "Hurry up!"
"Jaz," Zia said calmly. "They're coming as fast as they can. We can't even conjure the portal for-" she paused "-six minutes, and thirteen seconds."
Jaz gave her friend an annoyed look. "Well, I'm sorry for being anxious!"
"You don't have to apologize. I understand," Zia told her, with slight awkwardness. She never had been good at comforting people. Now, more than ever, she was cursing this, wishing she could do something more for her friend.
Jaz sighed. "It's okay, Zia. It's just...Alex is there." Jaz leaned against the doorway, watching as Felix and Sadie fought over bringing a penguin along. "I'm just worried."
"I would be too," Zia admitted.
"If Carter was in a place when a disaster happened, of course you would," Jaz teased weakly, trying to get the mental image of a dead Alex out of her mind.
Zia rolled her eyes playfully, trying to hide her blush. "Maybe..."
Jaz snickered. "Gods, Zia. You like Carter so much."
Zia avoided her friend's gaze, blushing slightly.
Jaz hummed Lightweight. "How much time is left?" she asked, changing the subject, feeling that Zia would probably hit her if she said another word about Carter. Or possibly just blush.
"Four minutes and nine seconds," Zia answered.
Jaz tapped her foot impatiently, losing her patience. "If Sadie continues arguing with Felix over bring a freakin' penguin to Greece, I'm going to rip her eyes out and shove them down her throat so she can see all the food I'm gonna make her eat."
"Creative threat, I've never heard that one before," Zia commented. "I have to say, I have that same urge."
Jaz bowed and said, "Then we should probably break up the argument, shouldn't we?"
"Probably."
"SADIE! JUST LET FELIX BRING A PENGUIN! THE MORE, THE FASTER WE CAN HELP THE FOURTH NOME BACK TOGETHER!" Jaz yelled.
"But it-"
"Sadie! Really! Just let Felix bring the damn penguin," Jaz cut her off.
"I would listen to her, Sadie." Carter chuckled. "You didn't hear her rather creative threat."
Jaz rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, shut up, Carter, and go make out with Zia."
"JAZ!" Carter and Zia shouted at the same time, both turning rather red.
Jaz snickered and checked her watch. She smiled widely. "It's time! Sadie, open the damn portal! Felix, make sure your penguin doesn't get lost like last time. Cleo, do try not to stare at Julian the whole time. Alyssa, the same with you and Walt. Sean, don't prank Felix. Julian, don't complain so much."
Sadie grudgingly conjured the portal, and one by one, the trainees jumped through, landing half-way across the world.
Jaz was the last one to jump out, and she just so happened to fall on top of Alex, who had been standing up.
"Why hello there," he mumbled, attempting to sit up, and failing, due to the fact that the blonde was hugging him tightly. He smiled and hugged her back, even tighter.
"Alex!" Jaz smiled widely, hugging him as tightly as she could. "You're fine!"
"As far as I know," he replied.
They kept on hugging until someone cleared their throat. "Someone" being Zia.
Alex lifted his head from Jaz's shoulder, smiling at her.
Jaz smiled back, ignoring Zia's cough.
"I missed you," Alex whispered to Jaz.
"I missed you too," she whispered. "I was worried sick when Bill called."
"I bet my phone that they're going to kiss," Alyssa whispered to Walt, who nodded.
Jaz suddenly realized their position and blushed fiercely, standing up. "S-sorry."
"S'okay," Alex replied, standing up as well. He looked around at the big group, all ready to help. "All of you guys came to help?"
"'Course, man." Carter smiled at him. "We all choose to be here. Nomes United!" he joked.
There's a choice we're making...
"Or United Nomes," Cleo piped up. "Like the United Nations."
"If being a doctor doesn't work out, I want to work for the United Nations," Jaz said randomly. Alex smiled at her. Jaz smiled back.
"Where do we start?" Zia asked. "We're all here to help."
Alex shrugged. "The main room, I guess. And er...is Jaz the only Healer you've got?"
"Nope," Jaz answered. "There's five of us Healers."
Alex sighed in relief. "Good. We need more Healers."
"Why?" Jaz asked, frowning slightly.
Alex sighed. "You'll have to see sooner or later," he finally said. "The five Healers, come with me. The others, go to the main room. It won't be hard to find. It's the one that's the demons destroyed the most."
Alex and the Healers soon disappeared into the distance. The remaining magicians made their way to the main room. It did in fact look the most destroyed out of all they had passed along the way.
Alex opened a door, leading the Healers in. They burst into the light, and Jaz let out a strangled gasp.
There was a dozen or two of magicians laying on beds, badly injured, some with their hearts beating slow, the others yelling in their sleep, tossing and turning. Many of them had bloody bandages wrapped around injuries.
There are people dying...
"The remaining survivors," Alex confirmed. "The Thirteenth Nome had a few Healers, but they weren't enough. With you five here, it might make their chances of, er...you know...more likely."
Jaz nodded, eyes on a magician's heart monitor, which was going rather slow. "Okay." She turned to the other four. "Each of you: go to a magician that is close to death, and do what you do best: heal."
The Healers nodded and did as they were told.
Meanwhile, the earth elementalists were busy repairing the main room, while Felix and a little girl chased the penguin. Everyone else was going around, doing what they could to help.
Zia knelt beside a small girl, crying beside a large piece of marble. "Hello," she whispered.
The small girl looked up, sniffing. "Γειά σου;" she mumbled. ((Hello?))
Zia mentally cursed herself for not knowing very much Greek. "Are you hurt?"
The girl shook her head. "I no mommy and daddy," she whispered, hoping Zia would understand her bad English.
Zia nodded, hesitantly rubbing the girl's back. "You don't have your mom and dad?" She mentally winced, remembering the exact feeling of that.
"They die here." She pointed the floor under the marble.
Zia nodded again. "Shhh, it'll be okay now."
And it's time to lend a hand to life...
"Me cold," the girl whispered, rubbing her arms.
"Come on, let's get you a jacket and some food. Okay?" Zia asked softly, holding her hand out to the small girl.
Instead, the girl nodded and held out her arms. "Me carry."
Zia smiled at the girl, and picked her up.
"Food," the girl whispered. "Warm. Me want food and warm."
"We'll give you some warmth and food," Zia assured the little girl, carrying her to the station where a few of the magicians had set up a place for food, water, and clothes for the victims. Some cheese elementalists from the Thirteenth Nome were guarding it, watching as the canned food, bottles of water, and clothes appeared magically, sent by many of the other Nomes.
One of the magicians handed Zia a bottle of water for the little girl, and another a jacket.
"Σας ευχαριστούμε," the girl whispered, grabbing the bottle with eager fingers, along with the jacket. ((Thank you.))
The magician smiled at the little girl, who leaned against Zia, burrowing under the jacket.
Selenia walked over to Zia. "I'll look for a place for this little cutie to rest, okay?" she said, poking the girl's stomach at the words "little cutie". The girl giggled.
"Okay," Zia replied, handing her the little girl. Selenia smiled at both of them, carrying the girl off to an empty cot. Zia went off to help out the others.
Carter waved Zia over with one hand, in avatar form as he pushed a piece of rock on a half-built wall. "Z? Do you mind making the cement burn so that it stays in place?"
"Not at all," she answered. She whispered a word in Ancient Egyptian, and small flames flickered around the edge, charring the two pieces together.
Carter leaned back, the avatar disappearing. He smiled at Zia. "Thanks. I was getting annoyed."
"Any time," she replied, smiling.
For the next few months, all three hundred and sixty nomes - practically the whole world - helped the Fourth Nome raise from its rumble. Because that's what happens when everyone helps everyone else out, and give what they can.
Because that's what happens when the world gets together. They are practically unstoppable. They can raise a completely destroyed headquarters in just a few months. The reason why?
They are the world.
Different: I believe this is the longest one-shot I've ever written, on my own or with someone. :D So glad I could do it with my sister. :D Now...the meaning of this was, "HEY THERE IS DISASTER IN THE WORLD. OPEN YOUR DAMN EYES."
AC11: THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT NEED OUR HELP. AND WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO? THROW AWAY PERFECTLY GOOD FOOD BECAUSE IT HAS SOME VEGETABLE IN IT. -.- My brothers included.
Different: I don't get that...vegetables are good...
Flame: *raises hand* Potatoes count, right?
AC11: ...I think so. Why asking? Don't tell me you throw away potatoes, Flame, or else I am going to knock some sense into you. MASHED POTATOES FTW.
Different: xD I love mashed potatoes. My mom and I will literally eat them for lunch sometimes. xD
Flame: I love potatoes too. It's one of the only vegetables I'll willingly take. xP
AC11: ...okay. Can we get back to the topic? xP
Different: Sure. So...people need help, and a lot of other people are selfish and don't help them. Please, don't be one of the selfish ones. Help in any way that you can! Help make the world a better place for all of us.
Flame: Every little bit makes a difference. It's hard to believe, but it's true. Next time you see a donation box, or have some spare change in your pocket, put it towards a cause. You don't know how far it can go. What kind of difference you could make.
AC11: Get interested. Be open-minded. Will donating even a small amount of canned food to, let's say, Haiti, will it make a difference? The answer is a yes. Don't become selfish. Get interested in the United Nations' work. There are many topics - world hunger, sexism, child soldiers...and all those problems can be solved. I got interested through JMUN (Juniors Model United Nations). You can get interested as well.
Different: Also, try to find out what's going on in your area of the world! Do some research. Find a Salvation Army near you, they help a lot. Donate old clothes and toys you don't need anymore. They'll make a child who's less fortunate smile.
Flame: Raise awareness. Bring it up over the dinner table - you never know where it could lead. Tell your friends, your classmates. Do whatever you can. Pick up your instrument and set up a donation box for a cause. Start a bake sale. Write something up for your school newspaper, maybe.
Different: Or for the Internet, like we did. Or for your town's newspaper, if you want to tell more people.
AC11: Thanks for the idea, Flame. *plans to write a short article about the UN for the next newspaper for school* But the point is, the world isn't perfect. It isn't like the Giver's world. There ARE wars. There IS sexism and racism. There ARE child soldiers. But all of that can be CHANGED. We are the world.