Peach Creek War 2
Episode 1: The Peach Creek Coalition
They were warned. Not just Kevin, but all of the kids in the cul-de-sac were warned nearly a year ago that there would be another war. Rolf knew that a greater, more intense conflict would arise before they had finished their years at Peach Creek Junior High. In the first war, a separatist group came inches away from cutting Peach Creek off from the rest of the world. A resistance formed from the other kids in the cul-de-sac, and fought well against the separatists. In the end, at the last battle, after weeks of nearly constant fighting, the two groups joined forces, and finished off the robots and machines before getting into trouble with the adults. The adults were convinced that it was a glitch program in a large amount of robots that started the war. All of the kids were glad that the war was over. Rolf wasn't fooled, however. He knew that another conflict would arise, so he spent some of his spare time during the school year studying philosophy so that he might discover how to prevent a war, or at least how to stop one.
It's not that easy, however, because once someone loses himself or herself in anger, it's hard to come back. Eddy experienced this first hand, because he was the separatists' leader. Double D resisted the temptation because of his innocence and compassion. In the year that had passed, all of the kids in the cul-de-sac had grown quite a bit, and changed in different ways. The Kankers, Eds, Kevin, Rolf, and Nazz all turned 13 during the school year.
Rolf, the oldest kid in the cul-de-sac and surely the strongest out of all of them, had his muscles grow even more. He lifted weights in addition to the farming he did, and was in great shape. He continues to hang out with Kevin and Nazz, but also will be seen with Double D. Since the war, Double D and Rolf realized that they were more alike than they had originally thought. They both were resourceful, brave and cunning during the fighting.
Kevin, the popular jock, is still hanging out with Nazz and Rolf. He has been less harsh towards the Eds, and only calls them dorks if they try to rip someone off or did something really stupid. Most of the time, he called them by their names, and was averagely friendly towards them. Kevin was playing sports all year. He was quarterback for the Peach Creek Cobblers Football Team, was the best player on their basketball team, and did very well on baseball as pitcher.
Nazz, the popular girl of the cul-de-sac, still hung out with Kevin and Rolf. However, ever since the Kanker sisters became nicer after the war, she's been hanging out with them often, usually when she needs to be with female friends. Like Nazz, the Kankers are starting to go through the same maturing changes. Speaking of the Kanker sisters, even the girls have had their individual changes since the war, and this time their "boyfriends" the Eds actually are their boyfriends!
Marie, the blue-haired sister, who now shows her hair's natural brown color, has truly experienced wonders through puberty. Her figure was curvier, her teeth had gone from yellow to white thanks to her new toothpaste that whitens teeth, and the boys seem to note that certain areas of her body have developed marvelously. She's been having a great relationship with her new boyfriend, Double D.
Lee, the red-head sister, used whitening strips to make her teeth return to a brighter color. Her blue tooth turned out to be a cavity, so she had a dentist work on it. She still has her unusual hairstyle, but everyone has gotten used to it. Also, she and Eddy have been recently dating, and found more in common. For example, she likes the same music as Eddy. She's starting to experience puberty like Marie, but not as much.
May, the blonde sister, now has a retainer to fix her buck teeth, and it's started to make her front two teeth a bit more normal. She's started to take a bigger interest in her grades at school, and has a good relationship with Ed as her actual boyfriend. She still has the same hairstyle. She and Ed have their nicknames for each other, most of which aren't real words. May hasn't begun to go through puberty very much yet.
Double D has changed much also. Instead of wearing his hat all of the time, he usually wears it once in a while, since the kids now know his secret. He has great black hair, and he worn a retainer until a few months ago, which fixed the gap in his front teeth. His muscles have grown, and he may even be a match for Kevin with his newly developed strength.
Eddy is now less egotistic than before. He still makes wise cracks and jokes most of the time, but he's come a long way. He's less angry, and treats Ed and Double D better by doing more work in the scams. He's grown a bit taller, and is just two inches shorter than Double D.
Ed is still obsessed with butter toast and gravy, and has continued to work out with his barbell in his basement in addition to other exercises. He was running back for Peach Creek Junior High football, and was great at it despite the strange way he ran. In winter, he went out for wrestling, and almost made it to the state championship, which hadn't happened in Peach Creek Junior High history.
Sarah, Ed's bratty sister, has started to appreciate and tolerate her brother more. She still holds a grudge towards Eddy, and is a bit uncomfortable with Double D's relationship with Marie. She and Jimmy are still inseparable, and they continue to play together on weekends and after school.
Jimmy, the weakest kid in the cul-de-sac, has grown a bit braver since the war, but only shows it when he deems it necessary. He also has learned to scam people even better than Eddy, but only does so when he wants vengeance. He still has his retainer, and might need to get braces.
Johnny, has continued to hang out with his buddy Plank most of the time. He keeps trying to take apart the Eds' clubhouse and release the pieces of wood into the wild, but the Eds and the Kankers have prevented him from doing so. The other kids still think Johnny is weird.
It's June, and the kids are on the last day of school. The summer vacation they dream of may not be the reality, however, because when people from the past come back for revenge, the kids better be ready. Let the madness begin!
At Peach Creek Middle School, it's currently study hall for the kids, and Double D is probably the only 7th grader reading while Eddy was looking at a quiz he failed.
"How can they make us retake a quiz on the last day of school?" Eddy complained. Double D ignored Eddy's anger, and continued to focus on his book. Marie walked over and climbed on the table in front of Double D. He looked up from his book and smiled when he saw her.
"Double D, how can you spend so much time on that book?" she asked him. For the first moment in minutes, Double D took his eyes off the book to face Marie.
"Well, Marie, this is a very interesting read" he replied. Marie sighed. Suddenly, she had an idea.
"Want to know what would be even more interesting?" she asked him with a grin. He looked at her inquisitively, and asked "What are you getting at?" he asked her. She jumped on his lap.
"You and I should cut school early, and go to the swimming hole" she told him. Double D shook his head.
"Marie, you know I would never skip school" he told her. Marie realized that he was right and frowned. Double D hated to see her sad, so he said "I could, however, go with you after school" he told her. She smiled at him, and kissed him. Then, they stared at each other for a bit, until Johnny walked up to Double D. They saw that he was wearing a blonde wig.
"Johnny, why are you wearing a wig?" Double D asked him.
"Oh, I heard that Nazz didn't like me because I'm bald, so I bought this to look sexier" he said with a sly smile. Marie looked at him in disgust.
"I don't think any girl would like you" Marie said. "They'd probably pick Plank over you" she said. Johnny gave her a scowl, and walked off. Double D looked at Marie.
"Don't you think that was a bit much?" he asked.
"Sorry, but that kid freaks me out" she told him. Double D snickered, and went back to his book. The kids suddenly heard the bell ring, and everyone ran out of the building, except for Eddy, who had to retake his quiz. Double D went on the bus with the other kids.
"Dudes and dudettes, school is officially out for summer" Kevin said happily. Nazz turned to Kevin.
"What are you doing this summer, Kevin?" Nazz asked him.
"Well, I have to go to football camp for about two hours every week day, because the coach wants me to be in shape when football season comes around" Kevin explained. "Other than that, I'll probably just work on my bike and hang out with the other kids"
"Radical" Nazz replied. Kevin looked at her.
"What are you doing this summer, Nazz?" Kevin asked her.
"Well, I'm going to cheerleading camp every week day for a few weeks" she said. "Not much besides that." Kevin nodded in response. Nazz looked at Marie.
"How about you, Marie?" she asked her. Marie shrugged. "I guess I'll just relax, go on vacation, and hang out with my boyfriend" she said.
"Well, Marie, we won't be seeing much of each other in July since I have to teach that summer school class" Double D reminded her. Marie sighed.
"I should have just put no effort into my classes, failed them, and hang out with you all summer" she said smiling at him.
"Well, I'm teaching math, literature, science and history, so Johnny would be teaching you your failed world language course" he explained. Marie made a face at the sound of Johnny's name.
"Yuck! Remind me to keep up my Spanish grades" she said in disgust. All the other kids except Johnny laughed. Johnny glared at Marie, but she just ignored him, and leaned on Double D. At this point, the bus had arrived at the cul-de-sac. The kids got off at the stop, and the bus drove away, with a bumper sticker on its back that read I'm free at last. Double D thought of an idea.
"Hey, how about we all go to the swimming hole?" he suggested. The other kids nodded, and rushed to their homes to change, except for Marie.
"What about our date?" she asked him sadly.
"We'll have dinner together afterwards" he replied. Marie's face lit up.
"Just us?" she asked him. Double D nodded, and Marie ran to her trailer to change. Double D then ran to his room and changed into swim trunks. He was about to leave when he felt he was missing something. He turned around to see his sunscreen on the table.
"I almost forgot" he said to himself. He grabbed the sunscreen, as well as a notebook, and ran down to the swimming hole. Double D saw that the other kids were there already. He saw Marie waving at him, so he sat down next to her. He rubbed some of his sunscreen on himself.
"Double D, can you rub some sunscreen on me?" Marie asked him. He nodded, and began to put it on her. Meanwhile, Sarah stared at them angrily. Jimmy looked at her strangely.
"Sarah, are you alright?" he asked her. She snapped out of it, and nodded. Kevin was looking at the scene as well. Rolf noticed this, and walked over.
"What is it Kevin?" Rolf asked him. Kevin turned to face him.
"Well, sometimes I'm jealous of Double D" he told Rolf. Rolf gave him a confused look.
"You wish to date Marie?" he asked. Kevin shook his head.
"No, she's beautiful, but I'm interested in somebody else" he explained. Rolf saw that he turned his head to Nazz, and realized what he meant.
"Oh, you still like Nazz" Rolf said. Kevin nodded.
"Well, why don't you make a move?" Rolf asked him. Kevin looked at the ground.
"I'm afraid that she'll say no, because she just wants to be friends" Kevin said. Rolf thought about it, and realized that he could be right. Rolf decided to cheer him up.
"Fear not, Kevin, for Rolf is sure that the moment to ask will present itself, and it will work out one way or another" Rolf assured him. Kevin nodded, and saw that Nazz was coming over.
"Hey Kevin, you gotta see this" she told him. Kevin got up, and ran off with her. Rolf noticed that all of the kids were running in that same direction. He got up and followed. He saw a very large building.
"Thank you all for coming" Double D addressed them. Rolf realized that Double D organized this gathering, and probably knew what the big building was for. It had three floors, and a sign on the front that read "PCC". The other kids seemed as unsure as he was as to what the building was for.
"Well, as Rolf warned you many months ago, there is a possibility of another war. Based on this possible problem, I suggest that we form a council that will deal with any problems we're having so we can't start another war" Double D explained. He raised his hand toward the sign. "PCC stands for "Peach Creek Coalition", which is what our council will be called" he told them. The other kids rushed inside, and saw 13 chairs that were arranged in a circle. Each chair had a name of one of the kids. Johnny noticed that Plank had his own chair.
"I told you that Double D would make you your own seat buddy" Johnny said. He placed Plank in the chair, and like the other kids, sat in his own seat. Double D got out of his seat to shut the doors. He shut them, and returned to his seat. The kids saw Eddy run inside.
"Sit down Eddy, and all will be explained" Double D informed him. Eddy took his seat next to Double D.
"Well, any problems or questions?" Double D asked them. Johnny raised his hand.
"Double D, how does this coalition thing work?" Johnny asked him. Double D got up, and handed out a list of guidelines to each of the kids that informed them of what the council would be doing. The paper read the following:
Peach Creek Coalition Guidelines
Introduction
After the Peach Creek War, Rolf warned all of us that another war would come. That is why I, Double D, have created the Peach Creek Coalition, abbreviated as PCC. The Coalition will be able to end any problems or conflicts that might cause a war by voice, not violence. What I mean is that we will discuss the problems and determine ways to solve them. I hope that this will prevent a coming war.
General Information
All of the kids, including Plank, are members of this coalition. There are three positions that are held. The position of Senator is held by 9 of the kids. The Senators are the ones who bring forth issues for the town. Above the position of Senator is Denizen. The Denizen's job is to carry out the decisions made by the coalition. The Denizens have the responsibility of Senators, as well as handing security of Peach Creek. Denizens also can give partial approval to end a meeting early. If something happens that prevents a denizen from acting as a denizen, a senator will replace him. There will be a vote involving all PCC members to decide which senator will replace him or her. The highest position is High Chancellor. The High Chancellor is the person who organizes the meetings and guidelines of the coalition. If he or she deems it necessary, the High Chancellor can bring issues to the attention of the coalition, as well as take up tasks that Denizens would usually do. Double D is the current High Chancellor. In the event that the High Chancellor is killed, the place of power will be passed down. The coalition will meet every weekday at 3:00 at the PCC building. Meetings will last for about an hour, ending at about 4:00.
Ranks
Here is the list of succession of high chancellor, from highest to lowest.
Rolf
Kevin
Eddy
Ed
Lee
Marie
May
Nazz
Sarah
Jimmy
Johnny
Plank
This is the order of power, from highest to lowest:
High Chancellor
Denizen
Senator
Here is the order of the power for the 13 kids and their positions:
Double D- High Chancellor
Rolf- Denizen
Kevin- Denizen
Eddy- Denizen
Ed- Senator
Lee- Senator
Marie- Senator
May- Senator
Nazz- Senator
Sarah- Senator
Jimmy- Senator
Johnny- Senator
Plank- Senator
The kids finished looking at the list, and looked at Double D.
"That should answer all of your questions" Double D said. The other kids nodded, and continued to look at the list.
"Hey, why's Plank last?" Johnny asked Double D. Double D shrugged.
"I wasn't sure if he was qualified" he explained. Plank was lucky to survive the last war, but that didn't convince Double D that he was actually alive. Johnny continued to pout. Kevin noticed that he, Rolf and Eddy were the Denizens.
"Double D, how did you organize these ranks?" Kevin asked curiously.
"Well, Kevin, based on the last war, I determined who would be suited for which positions" Double D explained. Kevin nodded in response.
"So, does anyone have a problem to be addressed?" Double D asked them. The kids shook their heads. Double D nodded in response.
"Well, if the Denizens agree with me that we should all leave, I will close the meeting" Double D said. Eddy, Rolf and Kevin nodded, so the kids began to file out of the door. Kevin walked out with Rolf and Nazz.
"Do you think this coalition will work?" Kevin asked Rolf.
"Rolf thinks that it might succeed if we all work together" Rolf said in response.
"I can't believe how much time Double D put into this" Nazz said while reading the PCC sheet given to her.
"Well, earlier in the year, Double D and Rolf discussed the idea of some sort of organization to help prevent wars" Rolf explained. Rolf continued to walk down the road with Nazz and Kevin.
Unknown to the kids, two men were watching them from the bushes above. One of the men was glancing at the different kids.
"Which one are we looking for?" one of the men asked the other. The man who asked the question was dressed in camouflaged shorts and a short sleeve shirt. The other man was dressed in a dark, leather jacket and jeans. He was wearing very dark sunglasses, which shielded his eyes from the bright sun. He saw Eddy walk out with Double D and Ed.
"The shorter one of the three boys walking together is the one we've been looking for" he informed him. The other one nodded, and smiled.
"He'll regret failing to destroy this town" he said to his partner. The man in sunglasses looked at him.
"Patient, John. In time, he will either join us or pay the ultimate price" he assured him. The one in the camouflaged shorts looked at the Eds curiously. He was noting features of Eddy.
"He looks like you, Marcus" John told him. Marcus ignored his comment, and walked off. John followed him, and they continued to talk.
"What of the army, John?" Marcus asked him. John grinned happily.
"I've done everything according to plan. What of your part?" he asked Marcus curiously.
"I've determined a plan that will bring siege to this town forever" he told him. John smiled.
"At last, the time has come. We will rule Peach Creek, and this time, nobody can stop us" John said happily. Marcus smiled, and faced John.
"Well, there is one part you have to do, my good friend" Marcus told him. John looked at him curiously.
"What must I do?" he asked him. Marcus took out a list of instructions.
"Follow these for directions at each step. If this plan succeeds, the kids will be weakened by their own war" Marcus explained. He took out his pad to view pictures of his army's ultimate weapon.
"When this is ready, we will strike out of nowhere, and not even Double D will be able to stop us" Marcus promised him.
John looked around and nodded at Marcus to affirm that the coast was clear. John pulled a lever hidden in a tree, and the two saw an opening appear in the ground. They went inside, and it shut, returning to a normal patch of the ground. The two walked down the hallway, hearing their shoes clank with the metal tiles beneath them. They walked over to a room with an observation window. Marcus looked out to see lines of his robots waiting. They had a resemblance to humans, in terms of how they were built. Each robot was painted black, with two arms, two legs, a head with a camera inside and a computer to operate the soldier, two feet, and two hands. In their right hands, they carried SMGs. On their left side of their waist, they had a slot carrying a pistol. They all had belts tied around their metallic waists. The belts had four pockets with a grenade in each. Their faces had two circles, with a camera behind each circle, as eyes. They put their guns at their side, and saluted Marcus and John. Marcus and John returned the salute, and the robots returned to their original positions. Marcus smiled, and turned to John.
"Right now we have 1,000 soldiers ready for combat, which are the ones you're seeing now. Soon enough, the army will be released, and if all goes according to plan, we will rule the cul-de-sac like we did years ago" Marcus said with a smile. Marcus sat down, and continued to admire the robots below. John looked at his instructions curiously.
"Marcus, are you sure this will work?" he asked him. Marcus nodded.
"I am definitely sure. Those long, hard years in military school have paid off. I didn't waste any time while I was there. I've been working on this plan for a long time" Marcus told him happily.
Meanwhile, at Double D's house, Marie knocked on the door. Double D opened it and smiled.
"Please, come in" Double D said. Marie came in and sat at the table.
"So, what's for dinner?" she asked curiously. Double D sat down next to her.
"Well, in our scam the other day, which failed, Eddy used up most of my food, and the refrigerator is now practically empty, so I ordered pizza" Double D explained. Marie nodded, and heard the doorbell ring. Double D saw her walk off to answer it. He turned his head to a scrapbook of the countless number of scams they tried. He recalled the funny anecdotes of how in the end the scams were usually a waste of time. He saw Marie come in with a box full of pizza, and he stopped his reminisces. Double D walked over to the refrigerator to get refreshments.
"What do you want to drink?" he asked her. Marie shrugged.
"I don't know. Root beer if you have it" she answered somewhat indifferently. Double D took a root beer can out of the refrigerator and water for himself. He gave Marie her drink, and sat down next to her. The two started eating. Double D noticed that Marie looked preoccupied.
"Something wrong?" Double D asked in a curious voice.
"Well, nothing worth worrying about" Marie replied.
"I'm sure I could help you with whatever it is" Double D said with a smile. His smile turned into a frown.
"Unless, it's one of those woman things" he said in a scared voice. Marie giggled at his joke.
"Well, I've been wondering how Eddy got all that stuff in the last war" she explained. Double D nodded his head.
"Eddy told all of us that his brother's friend supplied him with technology used during the war with Eddy's brother" Double D reminded her. Marie nodded.
"Yes, but then how did Eddy's brother's friend and Eddy's brother get that technology. They were only in senior year of high school. There's no way they could have known how to create those kinds of weapons" Marie explained. Double D nodded in response.
"Well, you're right. I think Eddy mentioned that they stole the codes from the government" Double D said. Marie looked at him in shock.
"So what happened when the government caught them at the end of the war?" Marie asked. Double D thought about it but sighed.
"I can't remember. I think we were all too young to remember. Eddy has mentioned that his brother went to college, so that's probably where he went after the war" Double D said. Marie shook her head.
"I don't think the government would let him off that easy" she said suspiciously. Double D nodded in agreement.
"All I know is that our coalition will prevent the coming problems, and together, we can face any problem" he assured her. Marie smiled and hugged him. Even Double D, however, had no idea of the difficulties to come.