A/N: I apologize I didn't make this very clear (not sure if more than one person is even reading this, however, let me just explain so there would be no confusion). I'm a part of a group online, which started a contest, a challenging one in fact, about who can write the best OC/Canon Lead romance fanfic. I haven't written OCs in a while – mostly, I write very little fanfiction, at it's usually oneshots, but I can't deny a good challenge I really do want to win, so I'll try as hard as I can. And thanks to my kind reviewer for the encouraging words; I'm trying to win, so I'm not aiming for feedback, but I do need it, if I want to figure out what to work on and have a better chance. There are some really good writers out there, it's a tough competition!
But whether you are willing to give it or not, it is up to you. I hope you enjoy reading anyway, and I promise, no more author's notes from me, unless you're anonymous and I cannot reply to you any other way. With that said, thank you for your time!
Chapter two:
"Hey Wakko? You alright, sib?"
That came from my brother, for the 15th time ever since I came back home that evening, with only two pizzas after all. After my encounter with … what should I call `er? Copycat? Paula? How about big yucky jerk? I guess BYJ just doesn't work, so … I'll think of some way to nickname her, `least in my own head.
"….sure." I replied, my answer matching the times the questions were asked, fiddling with my pizza. It WAS pretty yummy… they were outta pepperoni, but they threw in extra cheese, just to be nice ….
I guess, sometimes people do nice things for no reason what-so-ever. Of course, Miss Uselessly Dull prolly didn't have "nice" in her English dictionary… hey, that don' sound too bad… I could just call her MUD.
Servers her right. She treats people like mud, when she's nothing special herself …
'Course, no good would come if it only stayed in my head; but I didn't feel like sharing with everyone that I went out of my way to look up some random voice replacement …I was sure Yakko would get mad and maybe, so would Dot; she'd feel betrayed, since she found her own voice a lot better… and I agreed, not just because I felt mad or anything… MUD was … alright, but my sister had a very, very pleasant voice…. And she sings so nice, too!
"…you've been chewing that same bite for almost five minutes now. While that might be good for digestion, ahhhhh …. Something's wrong, right, buddy?" Yakko didn't give up and Dot looked up from her plate, sharing his concern and throwing me a worried look. I waved it off; it was sweet that they cared … but I wasn't really sure how to explain what happened, anyway. I didn't really get it myself…
"`S nothin' …" I muttered, after finally swallowing said bite "I, uh… was thinkin', is all…"
Dot scribbled something quickly and lift it up, for all to read:
"That never ends well."
"Very funny! Do you wanna know what's wrong or not?" I frowned, crossing my arms, while Yakko interjected:
"Of course. Spill your heart out, bro; we're all ears… girl trouble?"
Girl trouble? Girl trouble? Why'd he have to go around and assume all that, now? Just `cause he's the proclaimed "womanizer", doesn't mean girls don't like me, too!
Plus, does it always have to be girls with him?
As usual, I kept most of my rant in my head and just replied:
"….I don' think I like the voice lady…she really doesn't sound like Dot at all, and… she's just … look how mean she was to you guys today!"
My siblings exchanged looks and Yakko spoke up, to save Dot from more scribbling:
"Really? I thought you found her little ….what's the word…." He avoided swearing around us, so it did take him a while "…disrespectful and rude actions today amusing. Do tell, what changed your mind, Wak?"
I guess that was an alright way to replace "bitchiness". Still, I tend to avoid such a language myself; Yakko always said it was a sign of bad manners, and Dot was present, it's not really for a cute lady's sweet ears.
"I wanted to make this work, to make Dot feel better, but… I don' like it anymore, I want my sister and HER voice, not just some… double." I went on, not entirely lying. I would much rather hear my sister speak, it pained me to see her suffer like that … and she clearly was, Dot always loved to sing, she loved to smile and joke … now the last mentioned took a while, since she couldn't scribble THAT fast ….
"So! You were right …." I went on, avoiding Dot's mixed gaze; she seemed flattered, but also, disbelieving. Yakko, I was sure, wasn't really buying my sudden change of heart for a bit, but kept his thoughts to himself, after I added "Now I wanna quit, too! Let's tell `em we'll all wait `till Dot gets better… and the…" I cringed "…she can find some other job. It's just unfair!"
"That's the spirit!" Yakko grinned, even if he was still disbelieving, but suddenly got a hold of himself "…wait, you… Wakko, something happened, right? Did someone say something hurtful about either of us? Did you meet up with a toon hater? Come on, buddy, you honestly expect me to believe –"
"I just don' like her! Can't I support my sister, too?" I argued and decided to say nothing more on the subject. The rest of the evening went on with the three of us questioning on whether or not to actually quit… until, finally, Yakko came to a reasonable and I have to say, genius solution:
"We don't have to quit… we can always make HER quit…"
Dot blinked at this, while I took it upon myself to ask for the both of us:
"…how? She wouldn' do it if she didn' need the money…"
"You surprise me, dear siblings! We're the Warner Brothers –"
Dot threw a paper ball at him, which he dodged, and wisely added:
"–and sister, annoying people and making them wish they never met us is what we're best at!"
I pondered for a moment, while Dot's eyes lit up. As she began writing something down, for some reason, I felt hesitation, even after my own bitter words:
"Isn't that a bit harsh, though?"
"Harsher than US going jobless for maybe weeks? I don't mean to scare you, Dot… you ARE getting better by day, but until you're 100%, it could take a while…" Yakko turned to our sister, who handed him her note:
"You're the smartest person I know! But I doubt I can be much help, in my condition …and, also… is it really… if she's disabled, won't that be horribly mean?"
"For a disabled person, she runs her mouth way too much." Our parental figured input, while Dot gave him her answer, a lot faster this time:
"Look who's talking…."
"All I'm saying is, enough is enough. She can go sing at Disney, apparently, if they're so willing to have her voice. She made a mockery out of you today, Dot AND insulted us all. I think that's as much as we should take. If she wanted respect, she should learn to give it, first…" our smarty brother went on, while I, before thinking it over completely, blurted out, still unsure why:
"Y'know, you kinda started it…"
Yakko turned to me, confused, and I realized that I was contradicting myself very much the entire evening. I instantly forced myself to remember how badly she treated me and all the cocky words she spoke about surpassing us, so I turned bitter once more:
"Never mind! I'm with you guys, let's go for it!"
"Alright then! Let's start pitching ideas… what could we possibly do to scare the big bad Burbank monster out of our lives for good?" Yakko pondered, while I, once more, remembered MUD person, and her, still attractive face… I did feel like describing her to Yakko, but once more I had to ask myself, why defend her? Technically, she was a monster …alright, maybe not THAT much of a jerk, but… I kept my mouth shut and we spend the night pondering on what to do. It'd be pretty hard to pick on someone, if they were just a borrowed voice.
No, I wasn't gonna let them actually meet her… again, not sure why, but I felt almost… ashamed that I myself looked her up and would do anything but admit it. I guess pride was stopping me, although technically, it wasn't something to be ashamed of, or a bad deed… I just didn't wanna admit it, maybe the angry part of me wanted my brother to keep calling her awful names …if he saw her, he probably still would, but he'd tone it down… like I said before, she was hardly anything hideous.
The next morning, me and Dot went out for breakfast and a walk, while Yakko –surprise, surprise- had an early date with a really cute redhead, which he assured "Would cancel, bro, but if you could just see those lovely, round, big, perfectly shaped….eyes!" We both rolled our eyes at this and let him know it was fine; we didn't always have to travel in a pack of three, we were allowed to have personal lives as well. Still feeling a tad guilty, he promised to come meet up with us after a little bit, in case "the girl wanted a tower tour, then maybe it'd take a little longer". Again, we knew he was kidding… or being hopeful … and while I tried to repress a second eye-roll, Dot advised him to make sure his belt was tightly strapped around his pants this time. I really don't wanna mention one very disastrous date of his that happened not a long enough time ago and ended with him coming back home with a big red print on his face.
So, as Yakko left, to pursue his newest crush, me and Dot walked over to a nearby café and ordered some nice breakfast –she was looking out for what she ate, on account of her bad throat, and I was trying to be respectful and not eat anything she couldn't. Eggs with bacon did just fine, I just ordered a whole bunch of `em.
Conversation was hard, but I kept Dot smiling my making goofy faces, sculpturing stuff with food or drawing on her eggs with ketchup. Sometimes, she'd call my actions "immature", but now she really seemed to appreciate it. When someone's down, they start noticing the little things a lot more, `least, so I've heard. Also, when you're miserable yourself, you become more compassionate and helpful than you'd usually be. That's why some people think us, attractive ones (hey, I'm just bein' fair, I don' mean to rub it in… self-esteem is not a crime!) would usually be horrible, nasty people; on the contrary. I always try my hardest to be nice, unless someone really ticks me off or I'm in a bad mood. Or just don' like `em.
"But I had the money, right here!" I overheard someone argue from a nearby table and recognized him; it was another extra from our show, a little redhead kid who liked to tell weird stories sometimes, like about women eating pillows in their sleep… he seemed very troubled, and turning his jeans' pockets inside out, noticed a huge hole in the left one "…they must've fallen out, somewhere. Can't I just pay next time?" he pleaded, but the waitress seemed far from sympathetic:
"I can see Berta'll be getting a lot of help washing dishes today…"
"Oh man!" the little boy frowned, then attempted to plea again "But maybe my mom can come by later and –"
"In the kitchen, kiddo." He got cut off immediately, apparently, the lady had worked here for a while and had experience with people cheating their way for a free meal. I pondered on whether I should do something about it –then I noticed someone else had approached them and tapped the café worker on the shoulder lightly:
"Just put it on me. I'll pay. I'm sure it was just a mistake…"
The waitress gave her a weird look, and as I observed, I finally recognized her –MUD- or… eh… whatever I decide to call her later, but yep. My sister's voice double was apparently out for breakfast herself.
"Well…. As long as SOMEONE is paying." The waitress gave in, and Copycat nod her head. The little redhead kid looked up at her, muttered something, then rushed past them both, without so much as a "thank you". While leaving, he turned around several times, looking at Paula like she was some sort of alien, but he wasn't the only one. As the dub-actress took her seat, I could hear a few whispers from here and there –most of them, pretty nasty ones:
"Wow, what an ugly girl…"
"You SURE that's a girl?"
"Who is she, anyway? Haven't seen her around, at all…"
"If I had a face like that, I'd hide a lot, too…"
"Oh, she's not that bad. I'd do her, I'm kinda on a dry season…."
"I think she's cute. Wonder if it's too early for a drink?"
Most of these confused me; maybe I didn't hear right? Why were they making such a fuss over her looks, or were they even talking about her? I wasn't sure, I couldn't see her that well from our distance, maybe she was having an even worse make-up day?
Weird… was what I thought, and nothing more. She slumped behind a menu and hid herself completely, but I could notice her hands trembling, knuckles turned yellow and sharp. I hadn't realized yesterday, she had really pretty hands…very delicate, small ones…apparently, people around disagreed, since a few other comments were made, but eventually, Paula was left alone. Still in a puzzle, I ignored everything and turned my attention back to my sister, who was currently trying to order more orange juice; I had to apologize for being absent-minded and not doing it for her.
"….just dazing off, making plans for today. Y'know, after shooting, we should check out the new theme park and crash all the rides! I hear they have faboo water slides, you'll just love `em –"
"Would you please step off, I said "no"." again I had to shift my attention from my little sister, for which I now apologize, if she ever gets to see this. I recognized this cast member immediately –it was Hello Nurse, or Rose, if you'd prefer her real name, though people rarely used it. Some guy was being a little too friendly, which was normal, since our Nurse was very beautiful –however, hardly appropriate, and too forward, it was just disrespectful, if you ask me.
"Oh, come on, baby, maybe just a quick one? You know, an angel like you deserves to dine in a much, much better place than this… whaddaya say, I take you out somewhere REALLY nice…pretty girls like you should have pleasant company." The suitor insisted, while Hello Nurse stood her ground:
"Thank you, but I would hardly call you "pleasant". If you would…"
"Sweetie, you're just too cute, playing hard to get…" he brushed a hand lightly on her waist, but, once more, interruption occurred –and I was just about to rush over there. I really wanted to show off, the Nurse is really pretty!
"I think the lady would prefer if you just left." Yep, you guessed it, same as before, taking the role of a "knight in shining armor", Copycat had beat me to it yet again and was giving the cocky male one of her coldest glares.
He just snorted and threw her an unimpressed look:
"Beat it, you ugly bitch, trying to talk to the pretty lady here…"
"I don't think she likes that." Paula shrugged, still remaining stern and, seeming, unbothered. However I did notice that her whole body trembled for a second when he referred to her as "ugly".
"What're you, a lesbian or something? Fat chance hitting someone like that-"before he could continue, the Nurse took matters into her own hands and swung him around, then slapped him hard across the face:
"I suggest you leave; I wouldn't like to file for harassment."
"What, a guy can't ask a girl out anymore?" he seemed very angered, and this time, I rose up to my feet. Since it was very noisy, and they weren't causing that big of a commotion, not a lot of people noticed them. However, the Nurse just reached for her purse, took out a tiny can and sprayed something in his eyes, I assume pepper spray?
Remaining calm, she called one of the waitresses over, who escorted the "gentleman" outside. Paula blinked at the whole situation, before turning to our fandom's beauty and, for some reason, feeling the need to blurt out a:
"I'm sorry…."
The Nurse had a look that showed that she didn't fully understand what the other girl was apologizing for, but added politely:
"It happens to me often. I always carry some sort of protection with me; a girl can never be too careful. There are a lot of strange men out there…"
"….yeah, true that." Copycat agreed, avoiding contact. Once more, she gave out the feeling of wanting to run away, but apparently, not gathering the strength to. Hello Nurse eyed her carefully, adding:
"Are you alright? You don't look so good…you should sit down, have some water…"
"N-no, that's…ok. Really. Fine, perfectly fine." Her brunette companion assured, finally meeting her eyes and a few red spots hit her neck and cheeks; she seemed almost…embarrassed to be anywhere near Rose, her eyes had a certain flair of envy in them, as she looked at the blonde's lovely features. However, she didn't seem spiteful about it, just very, very ashamed…I assume, of herself. Taking huge steps backwards, actually limping a bit in the process and stumbling a few times, almost falling over, she rushed away, to a very far off table, tripping on the way, before finally managing to hide in another seat again. A few people laughed, some didn't notice her at all, others would whisper:
"Bet she feels like shit compared to the Nurse…"
"She must be jealous, that disgusting, ugly thing…"
"….kinda pretty, but man, what a klutz. Who'd hang out with such a dork?"
All the mixed comments were leaving me even more confused; I glanced over at Paula, then at my sister, who hadn't even noticed her. She was too busy with her eggs and, like I said, the scene from before wasn't exactly that loud. I could still see Copycat from where I was sitting, though –she was bright red, apparently hearing each and every single comment and I felt a tad saddened, then questioned my own sight and sanity. Was I the only one, apart from two or three deprived males who honestly found her pretty?
Right now, she was red from head to toe, seeming like she was about to choke on just the air around her. I wanted to walk over and talk to her, but was sure she'd just snap at me again –I dunno why, I guess she just didn't like me –and I was actually surprised. After last night, I thought she was a bitter, awful person…and this morning, she helped out people, even if she didn't manage to do much to the guy who was bothering the Nurse…at least, she tried to. Guess that counts, right?
Before I could ponder on whether or not to try and talk to her, a man approached her table and from what I understood, questioned if she was "willing" for a dollar and a few cents. Not sure what exactly he meant by that, but apparently, that just drew the line for her and she stormed off, not before kicking the guy in his left knee and adding the said dollar to her tab money, the one she left on the table to pay for her meal …which, I think, she didn't even touch.
I wanted to follow, now I did feel bad. Maybe she wasn't such a bad person after all? But Dot wanted to go ice-skating and as we left, Copycat was far from sight. I tried to put it all out of my mind –after a while, I succeeded. At the skating ring, we met up with a couple of fans and had tons of fun, so it was easy to forget the weird events at the diner. By the time we left, we were already late to be on set and we found Yakko there, waiting for us, seeming a tad worried, but also happy, for his own reasons.
"Hey sibs! Sorry I missed ya, I went to the diner, but I couldn't even find you guys, I guess you already left…"
"So, how was your date?" I went straight to the point, since the memories of today's morning suddenly came rushing back to my head and made me feel very uncomfortable; I wanted to erase them from my head again.
"She was, ahhhhh …sweet, I guess, but not my type, after all." Our brother dismissed, though still wearing a huge grin on his face. Dot raised a finger so we could wait for her writing input:
"…she has a pretty sister, doesn't she?"
"Hottest girl alive. Man, and I can actually woe her… she seemed to like me, a lot." Dot frowned at him and crossed her arms, while I pondered:
"….does that mean the girl you went out with today is free?"
Our sister threw us both angered, disgusted looks, before harshly scribbling down two words:
"Boys. Pigs!"
We decided to take that. Girls just don't understand.
"Alright, you guys, let's start the 8th scene, from the top…" the director asked somewhat calmly, while Yakko interjected:
"Ahhh, not so sure about that one. Maybe a few script changes are in order. I'm just not feeling that…ah, how can I put this, some of these tunes on here …not sure if they're up to my sister's "voice", just yet… maybe something a little… cheaper, more… plain? I know, I know, it's hard to believe Dot can be THAT boring, but hey, we work with what we can, she can make up with her cute face and me and my bro here, we'll think of something for laughs…"
"Stick to the script, Yakko, I'm sure we'll do great-"
"What's this?" Dot had handed a note to Yakko, who gladly read it out loud "Oh, my sister wants to say… she hates the fact that you're making her sound like a choking old woman. She agrees we skip the tunes, and-"
"Fine, no singing from Dot. Can we start shooting, since –"
"Oh, and also…" Yakko was looking at me weird, apparently wondering why I wasn't joining in "Her accent is horrible, and she stutters, have you noticed? Honestly, she was your last pick, wasn't she? Or is she just a charity case, since it's either a few bucks from you guys, or ending up hungry, homeless and rotting in a gutter?"
"Look, I'm sure the voice director is more than capable of deciding…"
"Not that anyone would THINK she wouldn't end there… to be honest, she'd feel right at home, with all those bums and homeless people and junkies…I doubt they're that judgmental over ugly freaks, I mean, she might even make a friend or…miracles can happen, score a date!" my brother went on, smirking at the sky above, thinking Copycat could see him. For some reason, she remained silent and didn't bother to reply; maybe she had taken his advice to just stick to her lines and say nothing more. However, my male sibling went on:
"Oh, by the way, mini-Quasimodo…we have a little gift for ya. I asked around, found out WHERE you work…gladly, didn't see you there, I'd hate to splat acid over my eyes, but… hope you liked your welcoming present… don't worry, I'm sure some of that pink paint will come off…though, from what I hear, you could use some color on that skin…did you managed to take a seat, next? Then you probably have a huge headache too, I think the springs were a liiiiittle too tight, there…oh and those notes…well, just a reminder of how much we love yo-"
Crack. A very loud, painful crack, then squeal, as something heavy was heard crashing around us. We actually had to look around and check, see if a rival toon wasn't attacking…much to our surprise, in a matter of minutes, a voice, from somewhere around us, not above this time, screeched trough the speakers:
"You wanna say all that to my face?"
"Oh, please, don't!" Yakko placed a hand on his forehead theatrically "Think of the children you'll frighten, please, stay put in there!" a bitter laugh was heard, as well as a mocking sing-song line:
"Big baloney boy doesn't want me down, eh? Ooooh, are you scared? Are you scared, you poor wittle baby? You scared I'll snap you in half like the toothpick you are?"
"Lady, the only thing that scares me is your hideous face, so, please-"
"A likely excuse. Poor wittle Warner boy…ooooh, the big bad monster's gonna getcha! Beat you to a bloody pulp and spit on your twitching remains, you little dipshit!" Copycat spewed with what appeared to be amusement, while Yakko turned to me:
"Wak, you're supposed to be helping. Say something, already!"
"….I don' think this'll end good, Yakko. Let's just do our job…" I backed down, while my brother blinked at me:
"We have mallets and anvils! What can that little-"
"Hello."
We all turned around, and there she was. Paula Crawford, standing tall, arms crossed, eyes darkened and chilling, hair swinging freely around her face. In the sun, her highlights glistered and stood out a lot more than they did last night; she still had that gross lip-ring on, but apparently, no time for make-up…except for a little eyeliner, but I had a hunch that certain circumstances today had smeared it even more and caused her to clean her face. The more I looked at her, the prettier she seemed and I couldn't understand why a couple of by-passers stared at her, some pointed, some laughed, few spoke to each other, calling her "weirdo" and "hideous, disgusting"…Dot had crossed her arms, with a look that said "I'm cuter", but she couldn't hide her surprise…while Yakko, he was taken aback. Much like me, he probably expected a Frankenstein monster –instead, he got a pretty girl, despite the fact that people around apparently had some sort of problem with her.
"Speechless? Now isn't that out of character." Copycat was eying him sternly and she almost seemed scary –though appearing completely calm, she had an eerie vibe around her. I wasn't sure what Yakko meant by "pink coming off", apparently some type of paint bomb, but nothing on her was pink –except for before mentioned streaks in her hair.
Finally, my brother overcame his surprise and did her justice:
"Wow, you have a great face… for radio. Seriously, were you raised under a bridge?"
Her expression remained blank and hollow, as a small yawn escaped her lips:
"Whatever happened to your wit and oh so clever, hurtful, sarcastic humor? Please, like I haven't heard THOSE lines before. Anything else you wanna throw at me? We get it; I'm ugly, change the page, shorty."
"Oh, that hurt right in the blind spot. Coming from someone who's probably 5 feet tall herself, but of course, you can always try heels… might even up your legs and posture a bit…" our family talker went on, but Paula, again, didn't seem impressed:
"My legs are perfectly even, thank you. But that's not changing the page, still aiming for appearance. What, that's all you got on me? Maybe, I don't know, it's because you don't even know me, so all you can do is spew out how bad I look, over and over again?"
Yakko opened his mouth to argue, but she turned her back on him and eyed me next, her features softening a bit:
"Kid…I didn't come here to match wit with your brother, he can win, I don't care…I actually wanted to apologize for being so rude yesterday. I thought about it, and…you didn't really do anything wrong. Of course, if it were me, I'd wanna check out the beast, too…I was still completely out of line, disrespectful, unfair…I said things I didn't even mean, and coming from me, they were laughable, you're all huge stars already and you'll be hitting it big in no time. Please, I'm sure you forgot about it, but in case I made you mad, don't waste time over stupid bullshit some nobody said to you…I'm not worth it, at all. I truly am very, very sorry…also, for using your sister's voice. I never wanted to make it seem like I'm getting paid for her hard work. I hope…" she turned to Dot for a brief moment "…you get better really, really soon. I've had a tonsil taken out –just one, but –I know how awful you must feel, so …sorry." With that, she walked away, not even giving me a chance to respond. I wasn't sure what exactly to say to all that, but the director filled my silence with an angered yell:
"You! Voice double! Get back here, we have a scene to shoot!"
"Fuck off, you little piece of shit." Was all she said, before rushing ahead, hair waving behind her like a flag. Yakko was the first to break the silence:
"….well…I guess that means…she quit?" he didn't sound very pleased however, in fact, very much ashamed. Dot seemed somewhat uncomfortable, too. She shrugged her shoulders, not exactly sure how to respond to all of this. Not bothering with anyone, this time, I ran after Paula, even with both Yakko and the director yelling after me to come back and leave it all alone.
I couldn't keep up with `er, but from afar, I saw the house she entered and assumed it was her home. Once I reached there, I hesitated on ringing the doorbell; instead, I took a peek from the window, after I heard a few choked out, loud sobs:
"Honey! Honey, what is it?" I noticed a lady with curly black hair entering the, I think, living room? She rushed over to the little purple and black pile on the floor, which was her daughter "Paula? Paula, sweetie….!"
"It's just too much! Mom, what's wrong with me?" I really hadn't expected her to be like this. At some points, she seemed like the nastiest person ever, at others –scared and weak, sometimes even nice…now she was a crying mess, being cradled in her mother's arms:
"Everywhere I go, all I hear is "ugly, ugly, ugly"…all the jobs I wanted to have, all the dreams you wanted for me, I wanted to sing, I wanted to be on TV…why was I born so hideous? Why am I such a freak?"
"But…sweetie, you're beautiful! Look at you, you're so pretty, how can you…" I could see the mother's heart instantly broke, when her child spoke up once more:
"They all laugh and taunt and mock…how can I keep this up? I try so hard, I can never do anything right! They all hate me, you should've seen…all those things those kids did, just because they wanted me gone, and I didn't…it's just unfair, you should've seen, all those things, on the walls, and…"
"No, don't you listen to them, Paula! Those people…they're crazy, or horrible, they're only trying to hurt you! Please, baby, calm down…" the mother seemed almost in shock of what to do, while her child went on:
"I might as well quit, if that's what they want! I don't…I don't ever wanna go outside, I wish I could just lock myself up somewhere forever!"
"Baby…"
"Paula!" a male rushed over to the two, it was probably her dad "What happened, what did those monsters do to you now?"
"Dad, I just…" Paula raised her face up, almost embarrassed "Dad, I'm sorry, I'm just no good, I'm no good…! It's not their fault, I just-"
"That does it, whatever anyone did, I have half the mind to call authorities, they have no right, they were the ones who asked, I didn't… I told you not to do this! My girl shouldn't be treated like this, why, I swear…" his face was red, and he seemed like he was about to cry himself. The older woman turned to her husband with worry:
"Now Michael, remember, your blood-pressure…"
"I'm just…dad, I just don't fit in, I…" Paula now felt really uncomfortable and embarrassed, but couldn't seem to stop "I'm sorry, I'm a failure, I'm sorry you never had that pretty little girl you always wanted…"
"Honey, you ARE pretty…" her mother tried once more, while the dad, Michael, went to his knees and pulled her in his arms gently, speaking in a stern voice:
"I'd rather my daughter be appreciated for her mind, soul and strength, rather than be ogled at for beauty and nothing more…I'm proud of my child, she's a kind, good soul, intelligent and she needs to be strong, she has to be brave! You're my daughter and my children are strong! My little girl will always be pretty, even if the entire world came knocking on my door just to announce the opposite…"
"Dad…Dad, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, so vain and shallow…please, please just calm down…" Paula had noticed that the man was trembling and she squeezed him tight "It's nothing, dad, I was over-reacting! Nothing at all! I'm just a stupid little girl after all…It's fine, dad, I'll do it! I'll fight and work hard and someday…I'll do good, I'll, I'll…I'll sing, or maybe…maybe I'll have a whole set of toons, voiced just by me, not be the voice behind those beautiful women, who can't reach high notes…" I could tell she didn't believe a word she just spoke, but her father inhaled deeply, and, seeing her brush her tears off and smile, made him relax as well:
"As long as I'm alive, you'll always be safe. You'll never need to fear the world, your mother and I love you…you're healthy, you have a home, and you're young, fifteen years old, no matter what you're going trough right now…your life will change and one day, whatever path you take, be it a waitress or the biggest star, you'll be the best…think of your sweet soul, nothing in this world is worth more than a kind heart…"
"I know, dad. I know." Paula agreed, then kissed both her parents on the cheeks, rubbing her face furiously "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I got you both so worried…I'll…I'll go for a walk, some air will do me good, I'll be back before you know it!"
"Of course, sweetie." Her mother nodded, fixing her daughter's hair lovingly "A walk sounds just perfect…you were just stressed, that's all."
"Of course." Paula repeated, and at that point, I jumped in a nearby bush, but immediately regret it. It was a rose bush, and several thorns stuck to my skin; still, I covered my mouth with both hands and kept put, as I watched Copycat leave, then head off to an unknown destination.
Again, it took me a while, but once more, I was gonna follow. And this time, set things right…because now I saw, strong and bitter on the surface…she was just a scared little child after all, and I had forgotten…she WAS someone's child, someone's daughter, and felt deep shame for the nasty things I had thought about her myself. If someone were to treat my sister that way, I'd kill then in a blink of an eye –right now, Paula needed a friend. And a friend with a mallet was always a bonus.
After cleaning myself up and removing several thorns (had to do it on the run, but man, did those things sting! I wish I had gone to the Nurse for help…but right now, first things first) I caught Paula's trail in a dim, smoky little bar, where she was pouring down a bottle of gin down her throat, talking to no one in particular:
"Who am I kidding…work hard, study hard, nothing's gonna change. They'll never put me on TV, face the facts, everyone and their grandma said I'm hideous and that's putting it mildly…ugh…maybe just…stick to school and hope my voice will improve…there's a laugh. I'm nothing more than some parrot; I can't even make up one individual voice on my own!"
"Hey there, pretty girl…" a well-build man approached her, eying her carefully "Feeling lonely, lovely?"
She didn't respond, just kept sipping her gin and staring blankly in front of herself, while the muscle man took that a sign to sit next to her:
"You know, you do look like you could use some company…but this place is a little…stuffy, wanna get some air?"
I felt disgusted; this guy looked almost 40 years old. I coughed a bit, making my way over there, wondering how to shoo him off –I was a tiny toon, and he was really, really huge –I had a hunch that even a mallet, or a set of anvils wouldn't do that good at the moment. Maybe I could ask for help? Surely, he wouldn't hit a tiny kid, right?
What shocked me though, was Copycat's response. She shrugged her shoulders and muttered:
"Whatever."
"Let's go then, cutie…"
"Paula!" I finally called out and her entire body jumped upward, then her eyes grew wide with shock and surprise. Her new fried gave me an odd look, but remained silent, when she questioned:
"….you? What're you doing here, kid?"
"You know this little…puppy?" her companion questioned, and I frowned:
"I'm not a puppy!" I realized how stupid that sounded at the moment. The man could easily knock me out with just one punch; but I couldn't leave, this was wrong, disturbing and creepy. Much to my relief, Paula nodded:
"He's a…friend. Give us a minute, will ya?"
Muscle man walked away, joining a bunch of other males, several of them eying Paula from head to toe. I took a seat next to her, almost choking on the fumes and stench around me; she noticed and repeated:
"What ARE you doing here?"
"I…you shouldn' have left the set. My brother…he just-"
"Forget about it. I understand, he can't work with me, I'll just stay out of your way. You guys'll figure out something to keep your show on." Paula claimed, sipping some more gin. My stomach curled up just from that sight, I can't imagine what that would taste like…but it seemed disgusting.
I stood silent for a while, before finally tugging on her shirt:
"….you shouldn' drink that."
"Please leave, you're a cute, sweet little boy. You shouldn't be here, it's…you're too young." Avoiding my advice, she kept drinking anyway
"I'm not THAT young…sure, I sing about being seven, but…well, I'm a little older…you don't think toons age, too?" I pondered on my actual age. I couldn't remember exactly when we were all created; toons age a lot differently than humans. We live a lot longer, too, it depends on a lot of things. Although it's not exactly laughter that keeps us alive, more like the memory of us…but I guess it wasn't the right moment to teach her about toon etiquette right now.
"You should leave. Those people…" I threw another glance at muscle man and his group of alcoholic friends, who were snickering at us and one even whistled at her direction "….they're not nice. Please just go."
"YOU go. Like you said, bad people…I don't want you getting hurt."
"Then why should you get hurt?" I questioned, but got no answer.
Another round of silence followed, with her stating:
"….just leave kiddo, before someone tries something ugly with you…"
"What about you?"
"I don't care, but you….you go, alright?"
"….ok." I sighed a little bit, I guess I couldn't force her to do anything. I stood up, but before turning away, I added "Just wanted to say…I'm not mad anymore, `bout yesterday, I mean. Also…you shouldn' quit. I'll ask Yakko to cool off, and…I really wish you'd leave, too. I don' like those men…"
With that, I walked away, then heard a squeak behind me; Paula had stood up as well, in full disbelief, almost to a point where she was about to break down in tears once more:
"You…mean that?"
"….yeah, they're kinda scary and they smell bad, too…"
"About me leaving…?"
"Uhm…" she was making such a huge deal about this, when it was nothing at all really; I felt embarrassed. I hadn't said anything someone else wouldn't tell an underage girl in a place like this, so…why?
"No one's cared about what I do in years, except for my family…" she smiled, and nod her head "…alright, but…you leave first. It won't look good if people saw you with a drunk old woman…"
"I'm not, I don' believe you'll leave! That guy'll just come back again!" I insisted, while Paula just shrugged her shoulders:
"So? He thinks I'm 25."
I wasn't sure how that made any bit of this better. If anything, the only comfort in this was the fact that he wouldn't expect going to jail, if he did try anything.
"Let's go…if worse comes to worse…we'll tell people you're my mother." I suggested, then quickly regret it. I didn't wanna offend her by making her seem that old, however, she just laughed, apparently seeing it in a different light:
"Not possible. There'd have to be a father, and, well…who'd believe I'm actually a family woman?"
"….well, y'know…maybe you're just the nice lady who took me in, the cute little puppy and gave it a home." I finished off, nodding my head, which made Paula laugh once more. Apparently, she wasn't so sensitive and defensive when she was under the influence of alcohol.
"Who says I'm nice?"
"I know you are, I've seen you today… eh…this morning, at the café …I was there too, y'know…" Copycat seemed a bit confused, so I hurried to add "Just having breakfast! I didn't follow you around or anything…well…except for right now, I guess, but I wanted to say s-"
"We should go, that woman over there is giving you a weird look." With that, Paula took my hand and we rushed outside, it was already a late afternoon. One would ask, who drinks when it's still technically daytime?
"Hey…" she immediately let go of my hand, surprised at herself:
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
"No, no! Uhm…I just wanted to ask…" I scratched the side of my head "CAN you do Yakko's voice?"
She thought about it, it took a while, before finally answering, seeming unsure:
"I don't know…I doubt it, never tried…"
"Oh."
We kept walking and I looked up at her puffy, red face, sun reflecting from that twitchy ring and all the colors in her hair:
"….you're pretty."
"Oh?" now she stared at me weird "…funny, I thought I was the one who drank. Are you….feeling ok?"
"….will ya take that stupid lip-ring off, I really hate it!"
"But I like it…!"
"It's really ugly."
A small smile formed on her lips, and she touched the piercing, then said:
"Well, maybe…I guess I could pierce my eyebrow instead…"
So until it got dark, we just walked, at first randomly talking, in between huge gaps of silence, then jumping from conversation to conversation… and I figured…
There was nothing wrong with me or my eyes, but the people in Burbank were very, very weird.