"And that should do it," I say, taking the few rumpled sheets of lined paper that we've written on between my paws and tapping them into a stack on the wooden kitchen table of my home, the warmth from the sunlight outside streaming in through the window warming my face, which is nice, especially because I'm feeling awfully cold right about now. While it may just be getting into the fall months, it feels colder than it really is, especially considering how worried I'm feeling right about now. I've already gotten expelled from my school, and the government doesn't want to do anything about it.
So then what are we going to do about it? Well, that's what we're trying to figure out. I'm hoping that this little plan will help get us attention. I've been thinking about it, but what I said earlier- try to get into a news station. Yeah, flock no, that's a great way to wear shiny bracelets really quickly.
Instead, if I'm thinking this out right, I don't think we'll get into any trouble at all. Fingers crossed of course, but I pray to Karma that they won't need to be.
"So, Nick," I ask, tapping the pages of our 'script' together one last time, "are you ready for this?"
"About as ready as I'm ever going to get," he says, "so we might want to do this now before I wuss out and change my mind, ya know?"
"I do, Nick, I do, but first, we're going to need a venue."
"So what do you suggest that we use for that, huh, 'cause I got nothin', Judy, okay? I mean, should we even go through with this crazy idea? I think that we've already managed to get ourselves into enough right about now, and I'm not entirely keen on the prospect that we might manage to get ourselves into even more, you know?" he asks, shaking his head and sighing. "I know that I was originally all aboard this plan, Judy, but now that I really think about it, well…I don't know. I'm not entirely keen on getting arrested for causing a public disturbance, you know?"
"Yeah, Nick," I say, stretching as I get up from the bed. "I get it. On a side note, though, how long have we been at this, huh?"
"What do you mean, Judy?" he asks. "It can't have been more than an hour, right?"
"Think again, silly tod," I say, pushing aside the blinds so that he can see the soft light of evening filter in through the window.
When he sees this, he yelps in surprise and stares at me in shock, mouth slightly agape.
"Judy," he says, "do you mean to show me that we've really spent all day at this?"
When I nod, Nick jumps straight up off the bed, fur sticking straight out in surprise, and if I had to guess, just a little bit of fear that he's going to be in trouble. Curiosity getting the best of me for once, I follow him back downstairs and out to the kitchen, where I see him chatting with my parents, and I follow him until I'm just outside the kitchen, where no one can see me from behind the sliding door in.
"So is it okay," Nick asks, "if Judy comes over to spend the night at my house? I know it's late, but we have a project to work on."
"Oh?" I hear Mom say. "But I thought you two got expelled…"
"Yeah, about that…," I hear him say, and I can envision him standing there with his ears held behind his head and a blush on his face. "I just want to get this done, you know?
When he comes out of the kitchen a few seconds later, it surprises me that that's exactly what's going on, and apparently, my attempts to hide fail, because he sees me, and then his cheeks go even redder. "How much of that did you hear?" he asks, ears doing their best to hide in the unruly fur atop his head.
When I don't answer, he blushes even redder. "You heard all of that, didn't you?" he asks, and I nod, barely, but enough so that he can tell.
"Great, great, great…"
"What's wrong with that? I can't see any trouble with it, you know, and besides, it would be easier if we just stayed here, Nick, I mean, I have a spare bed, and besides, I'm not worried about it, okay?"
"I'm glad you're not, Judy. Thank you, thank you very much, and can we pause with this whole writing thing, because I'm kinda hungry, you know?"
Before I can answer, Mom calls out to us from the kitchen. "Kids! It's going to be time for supper soon! Come help set the table!"
"Yes, Mom!" I call back, and Nick and I head into the kitchen, where we find enormous pots of hot water and sauce boiling on the stove's worn iron burners.
"Please set the table for us, Nick, Judy," Mom says. "There's going to be five of us for supper."
"Sounds good," I say, and go to the cupboard to snag the plates, then realize that I've forgotten to wipe the table.
"You have to wipe the table first, Judy," Mom says, handing me a sudsy sponge. I wipe the table, making sure to get all of the water stains off of it, and Nick snags a towel, then sets to work drying the table off.
Okay, now's when I should get those plates. Before I can get them, though, Mom stops me again.
"What is is this time, Mom?" I grumble, feeling my stomach echo the same sentiment.
"Nothing, nothing, Judy," she says, "I just had a thought, that's all. Don't worry about it, go ahead and set the table." Turning to Ms. Hopps, she says something that confuses me. "I think it's about time we tell them."
Ms. Hopps sighs, then nods. "I heard what they were planning. If it's going to succeed, they need to understand who they are in entirety."
Okay, now I'm really confused.
"That sounds fine," Mom says. "We've been holding it off long enough, and they'd find out eventually anyways."
"What are you talking about?" Nick asks, head cocked in confusion. "What have you been holding off?"
"Having to tell you the whole story," Mom says. "And it's a long one. You might want to sit down."
"No thanks," Nck says, "I'm good."
"Then don't blame me when you fall on your tail in surprise. Let's see… how do I put this simply?" Then she rubs her eyes and shakes her head. "Fine. Judy, before we adopted you, we had a little kit. The only problem was that we couldn't afford a kit- we were broke, having both just been freed from jail, and well, life was scatty. We gave that kit up, and it just so happened that the mammal who had adopted him had given up her daughter but was now finally able to actually financially support a kit, having found work at a banking firm. Can you guess who that kit was?"
"It was me, wasn't it?" Nick asks, his face pale. "Which means that you're my parents, right? And this situation could only be made even weirder if Judy was Mom's kit from back when she found herself in the same situation. You're not seriously telling me that Judy would be my sister, are you?"
"We are," Dad says, and at that, it seems like Nick's brain decides to call a halt to the proceedings, because his eyes roll back, and then he topples backwards, out cold.
"Um…," Dad says, grimacing. "Would you mind calling an ambulance, please? I think he's going to need a doctor…."
Sounds reasonable to me. What kind of mess am I getting into here, anyways?