"Wakey wakey!"
Yakko groaned at the familiar hyperactive voice. He shifted his body around, trying his best to ignore it. He didn't get much of a break as something with weight to it started jumping on top of him. Finally he cracked one eye open.
"Wakko, stop it. What do you want?"
Giving his usual tongue-dangling smile at his brother, Wakko said, "Don't you know what day it is?"
Yakko managed a small smile. "It's the day you finally get over your ridiculous clown phobia?"
Wakko grimaced at the mention of 'clown', but his cheerful expression never completely faltered. "No!" He gripped Yakko's shoulders and said, "Don't tell me you've forgotten!"
Yakko, knowing there was no way his little brother was going to leave him alone, sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes. "Okay I didn't forget."
Wakko frowned. "Don't lie either."
Yakko held out his hands and said, "Make up your mind! Do you want the truth or what?"
"I want you to tell me the truth but not that you forgot the special day today." Wakko said, folding his arms.
"I can't do that!" Yakko raised his arms above his head. "That would be impossible!
"Boys. Go fig."
The two brothers looked over and saw Dot walking towards them. She had a frown on her face, which she shook a few times in disapproval. The two were well aware she hated some of the tactics they pulled, but they dare not bring up her own hypocrisy. If they ever try to call her out on the times she had flaunted with boys with just as much flamboyance as they did with girls, she'd let them have it.
Dot stopped about two feet in front of them. The two stared at her for several seconds before giving off a nervous laugh. Dot just glared at them, but she didn't say a word. She turned her eyes towards Wakko, a look that told him she wanted him to tell.
Wakko turned to Yakko and said, "Today is the Rerun Exam!"
Yakko's smile dropped faster than either of them have seen. "How is that special? A-a-a-ah mean I know it's good for our education. But the way you were saying it, I'd almost have to believe that this test is, like, the most amazing thing ever or somethign."
"It is!" Wakko jumped up and down with joy.
"Oh?" Yakko raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember this exam. What's so important about it?"
"Honestly..." Dot growled, shaking her head. "Weren't you at the meeting the other day? We're certain you were there."
"Meeting?" Yakko questioned.
"Yes, remember?" Dot explained, holding out her hands. Her frown had softened up slightly, as if she were more surprised and curious than angry at this point. "We had to go the Administrator's Office for a brief meeting. Plotz was telling us that we all had to take this exam and how important it was. You were there with us...I think." Dot tapped her finger against her short muzzle. "Hmm come to think of it, I recall suddenly not seeing you there..."
Yakko's eyes widened suddenly. He managed to suppress it enough so that his sibs didn't see him do it. Now he remembered. He had gotten bored with the meeting and had snuck out on his own. He had decided to wait for his siblings and passed the time with a walk. And then...
"Yakko? Is something wrong?" Dot asked.
Realizing he had spaced out, Yakko shook his head and showed a grin. "Yeah I'm fine. I just...had to step out, that's all!"
Dot and Wakko looked at each other. They looked back at Yakko. If they were convinced, they certainly didn't look that way.
"Well anyway," Dot continued, "This exam is to help determine which show will get a chance to get passed on to another network, you know, just in case we are cancelled or something."
Wakko, now standing in front of the bed, grabbed the bedpoles and leaned back as far as he could. "But sis, who would want to cancel us? We're amazing, terrific! Even Plotz knows how profitable we and the other Animaniacs are!"
Suddenly, Wakko lost his grip and he tumbled backwards. He crashed into a wall, causing it to shake, thus causing a picture frame to fall out of place. It landed on his head, breaking it.
Dot giggled as she walked up to him. Wakko looked really funny wearing a broken picture frame around his neck. She knelt down and pulled it off of him and helped him to his feet.
"Every show gets canceled eventually, Wakko." Dot said.
"Not The Simpsons!" Wakko whined.
Dot rolled her eyes. "That's because they're sellouts who don't realize that they're being milked dry."
"Still!"
Dot ignored Wakko and looked back over at her taller brother. "The exam is in an hour. Don't worry, it's easy! It's just a few questions we need to answer. That's all!"
Yakko folded his arms. "That doesn't sound too bad, actually. Where are we supposed to go?"
"Down to the Administrator's office. There will be a designated room that we toons can go in and take the Rerun Exam. Right now it's the Tiny Toons' turn. After them, it will be us."
Yakko's eyes widened. "The exam is four hours?! What is this, torture?!"
"Calm down, Yakko." Dot scolded him, wagging her finger. "The extra hours are just for set up and to make sure everyone finishes. The exam itself, if done right, should be over within an hour or two. If you don't want to hang around too long, just finish the exam as soon as you can! That shouldn't be a problem, should it?"
"Problem?" Yakko shook his head. "No problem at all!"
Dot smiled widely. "Good! Just make sure you're ready in four hours. We won't get another chance at this!"
Yakko saluted his sister. "Yes, Princess Dottie!"
Dot pressed her ears back and gritted her teeth at her brother. "Don't call me Dottie..."
"Uh oh." Wakko said softly in childish mock surprise. "You called her the D word..."
"A-a-a-ah'm sorry." Yakko laughed nervously before Dot closed in on him.
sss
After about three hours and a half passed, the Warner Brothers and Sister headed out of their water tower. Afterh they slid down to the ground, they were greeted by the officer, Ralph. Normally, he'd be chasing them around, trying to get them back in the tower. But today, he was instructed to lead the Warners to the testing room.
"Hello, Ralphie!" Yakko greeted. He wrapped an arm around Ralphie and said, "You're looking good. Finally cut back on those donuts I see!"
Ralph glared at him and pushed him back. "Knock it off. Come with me. Plotz will see to it I get fired if any of you toons are late for the test. That includes...you three. So behave yourselves!"
As the officer walked away, waving his head to gesture for the trio to come, Dot and Wakko started to follow him earnestly. It took them a few seconds to realize Yakko didn't immediately follow them. Dot and Wakko stopped. Dot gestured for Wakko to continue on ahead. She ran back to Yakko.
Yakko stood there, staring blankly towards the officer. He was spacing out again, only this was a little worse. Yakko's eyes had widened a little. The whites of his eyes had expanded.
Dot waved a hand in front of her brother's face. When he didn't react to that, she tried to shake him. As soon as her hand touched his shoulder, the taller Warner recoiled and brought his hands and arms up to his face as if he was expecting to be hit.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Yakko whined.
Dot felt her own eyes get big. "Y-Yakko...?"
At the sound of his sister's voice, Yakko snapped out of his stupor quickly and smiled down at her. "What is it? I'm coming!"
"What happened?" Dot whispered.
"What happened here?" Yakko asked, the smile never leaving his face.
"You! You just...stood there, blanking out!" Dot cried. "And when I touched you, you freaked out! Yakko, what is wrong?"
Yakko grimaced. "A-a-ah don't know what you're talking about. Come in, sis, we'll lose them!" With that, he quicked his pace.
Dot didn't say another word. She couldn't think of anything to say. As she and her taller brother caught up with Ralph and Wakko, she couldn't help but feel concern for Yakko. His sudden change in attitude frightened her. One second, he looked like he wanted to wet his pants. And the next, he was back to his cheerful self.
His denial concerned her as well. How could he pretend he didn't just freak out like a little child back there? The look in his eyes told her that he knew what she was talking about. There was something he wasn't telling her.
One thought flooded her head all the way to the administrator's office.
What had happened to him?
