Chapter Two: The Long Bus Ride and The Scary Monkey Theme Song
"The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round and round. Round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round. All the live-long day. The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round and round. Round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round..."
"How many times can those humans sing the SAME SONG over and over and over? Their mentality must be at the level of-" Zim was thinking to himself. It was a few days later, and the trip was about to begin. Everyone had boarded the bus, most of them eager and excited. Zim was impartial, but he was interested to see what all the commotion was about for this... "Astro-Camp". They'd been driving for hours, listening and singing to the same song for hours. Exhausted, Zim leaned against his seat, when presently, he heard a noise in his backpack.
"The wheels on the bus go round and round! Round and round and round and round and round and round and round...! The wheels on the bus go round and round. All la la la la..."
"Gir! Shut up!" Zim hissed. "You're lucky I even let you *on* the bus. I could have sent you to the bottom with the other useless luggage!"
"Awww... sorry master," came a muffled voice from the pink and white spotted backpack.
"What did I just tell you Gir?!" Zim hissed again. For once he was thankful for the high noise level in the bus. That was he wouldn't have to awkwardly think of a reason he was talking to his backpack. He turned sharply to see Dib in the third row behind him, giving him a cold but at the same time confused stare. Zim immediately turned around and sat.
"I wonder what he's doing," Dib said aloud. "Probably planning a way to ruin this little plan. I can't believe he actually came. But then again, I don't mind. He's vulnerable. I know it!"
A huge bug-eyed kid sitting next to him slowly scooted away.
"I don't even have to try. It snows up there this time of year. Water! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! To think how stupidly he could be defeated by water!"
The kid looked at Dib strangely. "Umm... why are you always so obsessed with that Zim kid?"
"He's an alien! AN ALIEN! Can't you see? He's talking to his backpack for goodness sakes."
"Can I switch seats with you?" The kid turned to someone in the next row. When denied, the kid leapt out of the seat and ventured into the back.
Dib crossed his arms huffily. "Stupid, ignorant people. Wait until I reveal Zim. Then they'll see."
At the front of the bus, their main chaperone, Mr. Timms was waving a silver stick around, encouraging the kids to continue singing. "Come on, now, children! I want you all singing! Hey, green kid!"
Zim turned away from looking out the window to glare at the teacher in front. "What?"
"Sing! The song isn't all that hard!"
"I do not want to bring myself as low as to sing something as juvenile and useless as this song."
"Awwww. Somebody's not in the Astro-Camp spirit! Students, what do we do about that?"
"New song! New song! New song! New song!" the other students chanted.
Zim cringed. "NO."
"Awww, I wanna hear The Scary Monkey Theme Song," said Gir from his backpack.
"Gir! Shut up!" Zim said in a hushed whisper, ducking down as he said it.
"I think somebody's shy," Mr. Timms said, walking toward Zim's seat. "We'll just have to fix that!"
"Get away from me you annoying stinkbeast! Away with you! Away!" Zim screeched as Mr. Timms tried to pry him from his seat.
"We're tying to encourage /team cooperation/, Zim. If you don't participate, you could ruin the experience for everybody!" Mr. Timms said. "But since you're so shy, I won't make you stand in the front."
"I'll enjoy taking a laser to your head someday," Zim muttered under his breath. To the teacher, he said, "So... what do I have to do?"
"Just pick a song, and we'll sing along," the teacher gave a broad smile.
Zim cringed at the poor rhyme work, and with a heavy sigh, he said, "Fine. I want to hear... The Scary Monkey Theme Song."
"GREAT! I love that song!" Mr. Timms yelled. "Okay, class. Let's all sing together!"
"Ohhhhh, ooh eee ooh eee ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh. Abooga! Abooga! Abooga booga booga! Ooh eee ah ah ah! Ooh ee ah ah ah! Abooga! ABOOGA! ABOOGA!"
"/That's/ the Scary Monkey Theme Song?" Zim yelled to his backpack. "Those aren't even real words!"
"I love you." Gir said as he nestled down.
Sighing, Zim looked out the window, hoping the annoying little robot would go to sleep (and from the absolute silence that came from his backpack, it seemed that he did). It had been no more than half an hour of enduring the Scary Monkey Theme Song when suddenly he heard a snicker beside him. He turned to see Dib, sitting innocently next to him, a wide grin spread across his face.
"Dib?! What are you doing here, inferior wormbaby?"
Dib shrugged. "I just wanted to see how you were taking the bus ride. The Scary Monkey Theme Song? I'm impressed. I didn't know you knew /human/ songs."
"Of course I do. Everybody who's anybody knows The Scary Monkey Theme Song."
"Yes, well... I came to warn you, Zim. It won't be easy avoiding me. Around every corner, behind every staircase, I'll be there. Watching *you*, Zim."
"That's nice," Zim mumbled, returning his gaze to outside.
"Oh, and I think it would be nice if you averted your attention to the other side of the bus," Dib said. "I think you would enjoy seeing all the... water."
Zim glared at Dib as he got up to return to his own seat, and then peeked over the shoulder of another student to see what Dib was talking about. The bus, at the moment, was ascending up the mountain. On one side of the bus was a huge drop- about 2,000 feet to be exact, with a view of the lush, green forests that most humans would have enjoyed. The other side, the mountainous side, held huge boulders and rocks, warning signs about avalanches, signs every once in awhile marking off the elevation, and... powder.
"Powder?" Zim said, leaning closer. It was like small clumps of white powder. Not too much, because most of it seemed to have just... disappeared... to Zim, but enough to cause a commotion among the other students.
"Snow!" one exclaimed.
"Not that much," another one complained.
"I'll bet you there's more at Astro-Camp!" a girl shouted gleefully.
"Yes, Zim," said a voice behind him. Zim jumped and turned to see that Dib had not left as he'd hoped. "That's *snow*, in case you don't know. Frozen water? Oh, but it melts," Dib laughed maniacally. "IT MELTS!!!"
"Shut up!" a huge kid said that had way too many muscles for a fourth grader.
Dib quieted and went back to his seat, leaving a bewildered Zim alone to contemplate things.
"Snow?..." he repeated fearfully, then leaned back in his seat, hoping it wasn't a mistake coming here.
"Okay, kids. Only 2,000 feet to go! And then we're at Astro-Camp!" Mr. Timms said.
Zim sat even further in his seat, trying to get comfortable. This was going to be a long week...
"The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round and round. Round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round. All the live-long day. The wheels on the bus go round and round. Round and round. Round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round..."
"How many times can those humans sing the SAME SONG over and over and over? Their mentality must be at the level of-" Zim was thinking to himself. It was a few days later, and the trip was about to begin. Everyone had boarded the bus, most of them eager and excited. Zim was impartial, but he was interested to see what all the commotion was about for this... "Astro-Camp". They'd been driving for hours, listening and singing to the same song for hours. Exhausted, Zim leaned against his seat, when presently, he heard a noise in his backpack.
"The wheels on the bus go round and round! Round and round and round and round and round and round and round...! The wheels on the bus go round and round. All la la la la..."
"Gir! Shut up!" Zim hissed. "You're lucky I even let you *on* the bus. I could have sent you to the bottom with the other useless luggage!"
"Awww... sorry master," came a muffled voice from the pink and white spotted backpack.
"What did I just tell you Gir?!" Zim hissed again. For once he was thankful for the high noise level in the bus. That was he wouldn't have to awkwardly think of a reason he was talking to his backpack. He turned sharply to see Dib in the third row behind him, giving him a cold but at the same time confused stare. Zim immediately turned around and sat.
"I wonder what he's doing," Dib said aloud. "Probably planning a way to ruin this little plan. I can't believe he actually came. But then again, I don't mind. He's vulnerable. I know it!"
A huge bug-eyed kid sitting next to him slowly scooted away.
"I don't even have to try. It snows up there this time of year. Water! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! To think how stupidly he could be defeated by water!"
The kid looked at Dib strangely. "Umm... why are you always so obsessed with that Zim kid?"
"He's an alien! AN ALIEN! Can't you see? He's talking to his backpack for goodness sakes."
"Can I switch seats with you?" The kid turned to someone in the next row. When denied, the kid leapt out of the seat and ventured into the back.
Dib crossed his arms huffily. "Stupid, ignorant people. Wait until I reveal Zim. Then they'll see."
At the front of the bus, their main chaperone, Mr. Timms was waving a silver stick around, encouraging the kids to continue singing. "Come on, now, children! I want you all singing! Hey, green kid!"
Zim turned away from looking out the window to glare at the teacher in front. "What?"
"Sing! The song isn't all that hard!"
"I do not want to bring myself as low as to sing something as juvenile and useless as this song."
"Awwww. Somebody's not in the Astro-Camp spirit! Students, what do we do about that?"
"New song! New song! New song! New song!" the other students chanted.
Zim cringed. "NO."
"Awww, I wanna hear The Scary Monkey Theme Song," said Gir from his backpack.
"Gir! Shut up!" Zim said in a hushed whisper, ducking down as he said it.
"I think somebody's shy," Mr. Timms said, walking toward Zim's seat. "We'll just have to fix that!"
"Get away from me you annoying stinkbeast! Away with you! Away!" Zim screeched as Mr. Timms tried to pry him from his seat.
"We're tying to encourage /team cooperation/, Zim. If you don't participate, you could ruin the experience for everybody!" Mr. Timms said. "But since you're so shy, I won't make you stand in the front."
"I'll enjoy taking a laser to your head someday," Zim muttered under his breath. To the teacher, he said, "So... what do I have to do?"
"Just pick a song, and we'll sing along," the teacher gave a broad smile.
Zim cringed at the poor rhyme work, and with a heavy sigh, he said, "Fine. I want to hear... The Scary Monkey Theme Song."
"GREAT! I love that song!" Mr. Timms yelled. "Okay, class. Let's all sing together!"
"Ohhhhh, ooh eee ooh eee ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh. Abooga! Abooga! Abooga booga booga! Ooh eee ah ah ah! Ooh ee ah ah ah! Abooga! ABOOGA! ABOOGA!"
"/That's/ the Scary Monkey Theme Song?" Zim yelled to his backpack. "Those aren't even real words!"
"I love you." Gir said as he nestled down.
Sighing, Zim looked out the window, hoping the annoying little robot would go to sleep (and from the absolute silence that came from his backpack, it seemed that he did). It had been no more than half an hour of enduring the Scary Monkey Theme Song when suddenly he heard a snicker beside him. He turned to see Dib, sitting innocently next to him, a wide grin spread across his face.
"Dib?! What are you doing here, inferior wormbaby?"
Dib shrugged. "I just wanted to see how you were taking the bus ride. The Scary Monkey Theme Song? I'm impressed. I didn't know you knew /human/ songs."
"Of course I do. Everybody who's anybody knows The Scary Monkey Theme Song."
"Yes, well... I came to warn you, Zim. It won't be easy avoiding me. Around every corner, behind every staircase, I'll be there. Watching *you*, Zim."
"That's nice," Zim mumbled, returning his gaze to outside.
"Oh, and I think it would be nice if you averted your attention to the other side of the bus," Dib said. "I think you would enjoy seeing all the... water."
Zim glared at Dib as he got up to return to his own seat, and then peeked over the shoulder of another student to see what Dib was talking about. The bus, at the moment, was ascending up the mountain. On one side of the bus was a huge drop- about 2,000 feet to be exact, with a view of the lush, green forests that most humans would have enjoyed. The other side, the mountainous side, held huge boulders and rocks, warning signs about avalanches, signs every once in awhile marking off the elevation, and... powder.
"Powder?" Zim said, leaning closer. It was like small clumps of white powder. Not too much, because most of it seemed to have just... disappeared... to Zim, but enough to cause a commotion among the other students.
"Snow!" one exclaimed.
"Not that much," another one complained.
"I'll bet you there's more at Astro-Camp!" a girl shouted gleefully.
"Yes, Zim," said a voice behind him. Zim jumped and turned to see that Dib had not left as he'd hoped. "That's *snow*, in case you don't know. Frozen water? Oh, but it melts," Dib laughed maniacally. "IT MELTS!!!"
"Shut up!" a huge kid said that had way too many muscles for a fourth grader.
Dib quieted and went back to his seat, leaving a bewildered Zim alone to contemplate things.
"Snow?..." he repeated fearfully, then leaned back in his seat, hoping it wasn't a mistake coming here.
"Okay, kids. Only 2,000 feet to go! And then we're at Astro-Camp!" Mr. Timms said.
Zim sat even further in his seat, trying to get comfortable. This was going to be a long week...
