G'day all,
I hope you all American folks are surviving getting back to school; I wish you good luck! As for me, well, I survived the hell month that is August and now September! *cheers whilst coughing* It was tough, but I managed, up until the second day after it, when I crashed in a heap. Oh well, it was to be expected. That and the fact I missed out of seeing Seussical. Again. This makes it the second time in four months. *sighs*
Now to the story, this chapter marks the point in the musical which is most crucial, and it will the hardest chapter to write so far for me, as I need to get them right. It is a very emotional part of the story, filled with a lot of twists, very fitting for the turning point of the whole musical. If things aren't making sense through this whole section, which goes for three chapters, please review and tell me, so I can fix it. As for this particular chapter, well…you can probably guess what it is, can't you?
Many thanks go to showtunediva and Athenachild101 for reviewing, and also to Gertrude McFuzzyfuzzy for the author favourite. I would really recommend checking out her story 'Notice Me'; it is a really creative twist of the Seussical story and is written very well! Please review/favourite this story, all comments help and if you do, I'll give you a fez! Who doesn't like a fez? Also, credits to Trixygirl for helping me out with the ending, and for showtunediva for being my beta.
Disclaimer: I do not own Seussical, any of its characters, songs or story. That all belongs to Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Ted Geisel. I only own Kirsty, Major Griffin, Jojo's 'last name' and some others things which were mentioned in previous chapters. The one-shot collection which takes place in the months while both were at the academy will be released soon. Requests or suggestions are welcomed.
Keeping smiling!
Sophie
Chapter 24: Of Treachery or Loyalty
Jojo wiped a layer of sweat off his forehead, finishing his assigned set of laps. He was far from the athletic type, even more so when he first arrived over a year ago, the teen more academically minded. However, with a lot of sleepless night and hard-core regimes, he was just as fit, maybe even more determined, as the rest of the cadets. It did feel good in a sense, but he felt like that it wasn't him who was stronger, just the cadet he was pretending to acknowledge. One good thing the military taught you was how to fake conforming, his skills even fooling his friend Kirsty. He hated himself for that a little, but it needed to be done.
One of the majors, known by most as Griffin, came over to him, giving him a small towel and a large water container. Mostly silent, Griffin was one of the more human members of the academy staff, not as strict and 'butter side up' paranoid as the General.
"Good job, Corporal Andrews. Fastest time in your entire unit. You're turning out to be a decent solider after all." A small smile crept onto the man's face, as he dismissed the boy and went over to some of the younger cadets.
That last remark almost made Jojo sick, and slightly proud.
As he picked up the large water container, downing half the bottle, his eyes discreetly drifted to the sky above his head, small specks of white snow lightly falling onto him. No one at the Academy ever spoke about the world above them, or what was happening back home or about Horton. It made him worry, especially since he hadn't heard from his friend in so long, that they would never be found. He hadn't gone as far as saying that Horton had broken his promise- he believed so much in him that it seemed almost impossible- but he knew something was wrong. That and not seeing Kirsty anymore was making it even harder to cope, his Thinks struggling under the massive pressure. He had changed so much since arriving, some changes more alarming and worrying that others.
Stop worrying, Jojo. Everything will turn out for the better. No matter how much he tries to modify you, he'll never get rid of your Thinks...not if you keep stopping him take over you.
To make sure that he didn't look suspicious, he decided to have quick cool down session in the Sector 4 gym. As usual, it was deserted. Most of the other cadets were in the common rooms or in their quarters, busy. Jojo was looking forward to the seclusion, a time where he could have a moment to come to terms with himself and in a more practical light, work to increase his chance of survival in this prison. That's what he called it, anyway. It was far from a school, at least in his mind. After ten minutes or so of performing gentle exercises, he picked up his things and went to his quarters. No one was there either, so he quickly dumped everything on his bed and got out a clean shirt.
"Excuse me, have you seen Private Andrews anywhere?"
Jojo raised an eyebrow. Firstly, no one had called him Private Andrews for eight months, having been raised from that rank a while ago and lastly, that voice was surprisingly female, too youthful and high pitched to ever belong to one of his fellow cadets. It didn't make sense, until he turned around, his shirt only half on, to look them straight in the eyes. His eyes went wide, not being able to pull away from the sight in front of him.
"Jojo? Is that you? You look…uh…" Kirsty struggled to find words, not completely recognising the boy that stood in front of her. It looked like the Jojo she knew, except for the stronger looking arms and thighs and sun-kissed skin that spoke of countless days outside. But his essence…it was less childlike, and more…matured and sensible. "-different…I-I mean, it's a good different! Though, I think you should put your shirt back on. We don't want you catching a cold."
The teenager started to laugh, relieved and pleased to be ever so amused by her familiar naïve and old fashioned nature. "Yeah, I should probably do that…" Putting back his jacket on, Jojo turned back around at her, now making sure he had a good look at her. She looked pretty much the same, though her hair was now growing back to its original length and she now had a little more muscle. "So, how have you been lately? As for me, I've been great; this week's been much better than I expected. I should offer my congratulations, Second Lieutenant Mayor. Seems I got more that I bargained for with this spy."
Confused, Kirsty stepped back a little. "Wait a minute, rewind that last part…Second Lieutenant? Jojo, what are you talking about? The last time I was here, I had just been moved up to Private's rank!"
"That was nearly a year ago!" Jojo said, now also confused. "They were planning to send you to a different quarter, so we agreed that in order to get new information, you would sneak up into the ranks, and try and uncover more about the plans. So, basically, you were an undercover spy! Remember?"
"Spy? Jojo, for the past year, I have been forced to perform in a circus touring across America with Horton! Haven't the academy been wondering where I've been?-"
"-Wait a second! Past year, circus, America…Humans?! What in the Seuss are you going on about?" Jojo's head was spinning so fast he had trouble standing up.
After they both came to the conclusion that neither of them were on the same page, for the next half hour the two cadets brought each one up to speed with their side of the story, going into extreme detail at several points in the discussion. "Okay, Kirsty. So, from what I gathered, somehow your 'year long absence' has been deleted from this timeline, Horton is now struggling with keeping his form due to the increase in reality from the human world, and that someone is controlling the entrances between your old world and this world…" Jojo sat in silence, his eyes flickering in deep thought.
Without warning, the young teenager leapt up and slammed Kirsty against the wall; he had her pinned in a tight lock she could escape. Surprise flashed in the girl's eyes. "What was the last thing Kirsty said to me before our first ceremony?" As he said those words, Kirsty identified the raucousness resonating in his voice, and how tired and worn he sounded. Guilt at her absence made her choke with shame and she had to admit, Jojo was scaring her.
"Why-"
"What did she say?!" his voice was now so loud; it cracked under the pressure, and his eyes were fierce. "I may look weak, but I am trained in combat, so don't even think about struggling."
Kirsty blinked. "…Never let down your guard, never let anyone inside your head. Protect your universe inside your Thinks; if that is all you can hold onto in this insane world. Never let it go."
Eyes going wide, Jojo slowly returned to a less intimidating disposition, Kirsty moving away from, still scared by his sudden outburst. She knew that the General's tactics could change anyone- the previous moments definitely confirming this claim- but this was just so massive. Secretly, she had hoped that her friend would have been able to resist all that was around him, but she knew that was wishful, poignant thinking.
A straight expression still plastered across his face, he held out his hand. "Give me your wrist." Without question, Kirsty pulled up her jacket sleave, revealing what looked to be a barcode tattooed onto her right hand. Alarmed, she looked up at Jojo, who simply sighed, his eyes closed.
Opening his eyes, he exchanged a glance, lifting up his left sleeve, which contained an almost identical marking. Each had a different set of numbers, but they both symbolised the same thing: A sighed identity, a planned future, someone who was a hopeless case; a troublesome soul on the fringe of society.
"What on earth- What is this?" Kirsty gasped, tracing the tattoo with her finger. "I didn't have this when I left the circus…"
"They're new," Jojo explained, sitting her down. "It's to identify the solders who would be the first group to go out to battle, or to put it more honestly, the ones which the academy is most worried about. The real mystery is this; No one knows how they had got them. All I knew is one morning I woke up with that mark freshly pressed against my wrist, all bruised and red. Though, how did you get yours, if you said that you never saw it before?"
His friend shrugged. "Who knows? Busy year." Falling back onto the bunk, Kirsty looked up and rubbed her eyes. "So, we are being sent to war after all…the world is truly mad."
Jojo stood up, looking to the hardwood floors in shame. "I'm sorry about earlier, Kirst. I just had to be sure that you were you." Looking up at Kirsty, who was now sitting back up, he continued, his voice hushed. "A lot of things have been going on while you've been away; there has even been a rumour that the academy has mixed in spies with us cadets."
Kirsty raised an eyebrow, moving in closer to him. "What, they think we're trying to form some sort of rebellion with the outside?"
"That's exactly what they think. Everything's gotten tighter, and we're now completely cut from the outside world. I think that's why they're sending us out now; they're running out of options. That and they've completely lost their marbles." He laughed, trying to ease the heavy tension hanging around the quarter.
Smiling awkwardly, Kirsty replied. "I guess so." Standing up, she stepped closer to Jojo, still slightly confused. "Jojo, are you positive everything is okay with us?"
Quickly, he nodded his head, trying to hide any unease. "Why wouldn't we be? It will be just like it was before, I promise!"
"Okay…I just wanted to-" she was interrupted, as Jojo pulled her in close, before wrapping himself around her in a tight hug, like a lost little child. Slightly shocked by this strong show of affection, she uneasily hugged him back. "Uh…are you okay?" They stayed like that for a long while, making Kirsty wonder if she'd missed a vital hint in their reunion.
"Schmitz, Schmitz, Schmitz, Schmitz, Schmitz, Schmitz, Schmitz, Schmitz."
It was early morning, the sun barely up, but despite this, Mother Nature was in full force. The winds close to typhoon speed, combined with the heavy snowfall the night before, equalled difficult navigating for the thirty-so cadets who were marching closer to no-man's-land.
"Sound off!" Schmitz exclaimed.
"Eggs and ham!"
"Sound off!"
"Sam I am!"
"I do not like green eggs…and ham!" they all shouted together, as they came to a halt. Swiftly, they moved into their required places, just before Schmitz began his long speech.
"We've arrived at the war, as I said we would. And war is a thing that does every boy good!" he explained, his volume at a much highest intensity. "We will sleep in the trenches and go without supper to make the world safe for each Butter Side Upper! And we'll shoot every traitor and all out of towners, who side with those bibulous Butter Side Downers!" Schmitz faced the boys, who quickly stood up at attention, the General even more intimidating during one of his rants, which could scare anyone who hadn't worked with the General. "Any questions?" Nearly all the cadets saluted back at their commander, except for one.
"General Schmitz, if I may have a word?"
The man in question spun around in surprise, not expecting a response to his rhetorical question, seeing a very familiar solider coming out from his position to stand up right next to the General. "Corporal Andrews?"
Jojo stood his ground, even then not entirely sure what he was going to say. But he was sure about one thing; this couldn't go on. "Sir, this war makes no sense. Just one Think and you'd quit. Spreading bread up or down doesn't matter one bit!"
An unnecessary gasp was heard from the rest of the cadets, which was immediately silenced by Schmitz's harsh gaze. No one had ever said anything like that in front of the General, disbelieving their cause while staring straight into his eyes without an inch of hesitation. Despite this bold move, with every word, Jojo's confidence grew. "We've crashed on a clover! There's no help in sight. So why are you here teaching children to fight?" Schmitz tried to say something to him, but no words could form in his mouth, Jojo quickly beating him to it. "And not only that, sir, it's Christmas on Who! I'd much rather have Christmas that war, wouldn't you?"
The air was still, his words hitting his fellow soldiers hard, all silently agreeing with the Corporal. Through this, the General had managed to come up with a comeback. "Now, just listen here, Andrews. We-"
Coming out of her space, Kirsty stood on the other side of Schmitz. "Is this really the answer, General; sending innocent children to their deaths because of something that happened years ago? Are we just another pawn in the game of power you're playing? The battle you should be fighting, the cause you should be protecting; it isn't on the battlefield. It never was, and shouldn't ever be."
"So," Jojo and Kirsty stood side by side, as Jojo delivered his final words. "Here are our swords and here are our hats. We're going home. And that, sir, is that!"
The General stepped in front of the pair, his voice raised not entirely out of anger, but of concern. "It's a minefield out there! This is no time for play!" Schmitz exclaimed, his strong figure making it hard for the two to pass easily, gripping Kirsty's arm tight as Jojo escaped between his legs.
"Sir, we think what we think. Now, get out of our way!" The teenager pulled herself out of his hold, and with one final turn back, Kirsty looked straight into the general's eyes, her words burying into his mind.
"Soldiers, you will obey! You will halt!"
Hands held tight, Kirsty and Jojo ran through the thick snow, the air becoming thicker and heavier with every stride. Nether the less, they kept running, despite the countless yells and pleads that came from behind them.
"Jojo, Kirsty! Come back! Please, wait!"
As Kirsty tried to pull them forward, Jojo glanced into the corner of his eye, the shadow of the general and some of the senior soldiers disappearing from view. "Come on, we'll be safe through here." Their feet dragged through the metres of thick snow, almost up to Kirsty's knees, and Jojo's waist, and now a thin mist replaced the white wind. In no time, they led themselves to a large dishevelled collection of rubble, which looked like to have once been a church, either bombed or burnt years before their time.
Hiding behind half of a sturdy wall, they sat to rest for a few minutes, the pair huddling up close to keep themselves warm enough to not get hyperthermia. "Now I kind of wish I didn't give him my hat…" Jojo remarked, his voice shaky. "It would have been use… A-ACHOO!" The moment he sneezed, Kirsty pulled out a tissue, now regretting not bringing her bag with the cloak with her.
Seriously, sometimes I wonder if I have learnt anything from this whole dream.
"Are you sure about this, Kirsty?" her friend asked her, seeing her drift into space for a brief minute.
Not sure how to answer him, she simply said; "To be honest, I haven't a clue. But we have to do this. We just have to. You said so yourself."
The two continued on through the snow, passing town after town, not even the ghosts of its former inhabitants to be seen. Neither solider spoke as they walked through houses, the silence deafening, being respectful of those whose lives were changed by the first war, and also to the ones who were affected by this one.
"Where will we go?" Jojo asked Kirsty, when the snow storm had passed. "We could go back to Nool, or we could travel the world. Maybe we could even find Solla Sollew together, who knows?"
As he spoke, a humming noise rang through her ears, the ground beginning to violently vibrate. The wind began to pick up speed, spinning around the pair, as tiny lights flashed everywhere, getting faster by the second.
"RUN!"
Instincts on full alert, Kirsty and Jojo grabbed each other, trying to get out as quickly as possible. The sight around them was extreme, the two now in the centre of a snow storm. Their eyes were rapidly flashing around them for a possible exit, heat beats rapid, and the noise in their ears now a defining high pitched squeal.
"Wait! The necklace! We can use it to Think us a way out of this! Quick, we don't have much time!"
"No, it's too impossible! Anything could happen!"
"Just believe, for once in your life….JUST THINK!"
"I can't…I made this happen! Because of what I've done, I put everyone here in danger. You never should have trusted me! You have to forget about me!"
"I will never forget you! I'm not letting you go!"
"Yes you are."
Eyes closed, Kirsty slowly let go of Jojo without another word, pushing him as far as she could into the sides of the snow spiral. After a second of silence, the whole minefield exploded, the snow barren earth transforming into an icy inferno, leaving only a dark, timely stillness in its place.