(EDIT: This chapter was redone on the 21/12/2014. Not much has been done to this chapter besides a perspective change of the first section and a few minor edits. If you have the time, could you please comment on this edited version?)

Greetings my dear readers,

With holidays now officially over for me, and homework being set out, you can guarantee that a setback will occur. *sigh* I have back less than a week and I want holidays to come...Why can't Australians have a whole summer break like the U.S? *cough* Anyway, as suggested, Chapter 16 brings back the 'amayzing' Miss La Bird, and also includes an interesting dream, which as the story progress, could mean something even more sinister. Only a chapter to go before Act 1 is complete! Yah!

I would like to thank Spax99 and Hanbaba for reviewing and Trixygirl (a friend I know in real life, and my ultimate writing partner in crime) for being my replacement beta, while Arixa23 is on a well-deserved break. All reviews, comments and watches/favourites are much appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own Seussical, its characters, its songs or the Seuss genre. That belongs to Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and the Seuss Enterprise. I only own Kirsty, and the piano man's (who accompanies HLYA: MR) first name.

I hope you all enjoy,

~Sophie

Chapter 16: Just A Girl On The Wing

The wind picks up, sand now swirling violently on the hard, dry ground, making it almost impossible to see anything. Two figures, two teenagers, appear through the dust, hunched, as to not to be spotted. They are young cadets, who had taken the risk to escape their prison in the form of an innocent military academy.

"Come on, we'll be safe through here."

The pair runs through what used to be a small town, filled with smiling faces and happy memories. Now it is just rubble, its buildings burnt or bombed from the endless battle they were fighting in. It is enough to make anyone feel petrified, but for these teenagers, it is a common sight.

"Are you sure about this, Jojo?"

"I've never been surer in my life, Kirsty. We have to do this."

Suddenly, an enemy bullet flies straight towards them, almost hitting the boy. This triggers a mass of bullets from both sides, making it hard to move. The pair hides behind a steel building, now planning their next move through the cascade of enemy bullets.

"Shoot them!"

Jojo mutters a collection of curses under his breath, while Kirsty's eye is set firmly on the chaos around them. "How on earth are we going to get passed this? How do we distract them?"

"I've got it."

Reflex's sharp, Jojo pulls out a pistol from his coat and fires a shot into an old gas can, the barrel creating a massive explosion, and a perfect distraction. Instantly, the pair grabs hands and sneaks through the tunnel of smoke, fire and bullets, now safe in a small field, filled with tiny flowers.

Relieved, Jojo looks up to the heavens, a huge smile across his face. "We made it, Kirst! I can't believe that worked!"

Suddenly, the two are flooded with an increasing level of vibrations, small light flashing around them, indicating a minefield. With no time to react, the pair tries to run away, only for their vision to be blocked, the final words heard through the explosion shocking the girl.

"Yes. You. Are."

Kirsty gasped, harsh shaking awaking her from her rough sleep. The moment her eyes opened, she rapidly scanned her environment, but her heart slowed down when she saw Horton, who was right by her side, still shouting at her.

"Kirsty? Are you alright? You were talking in your sleep again."

It took her a few seconds for her to respond, her mind not entirely in the present. "Another one of my terrible habits…Don't worry, I'm okay. It was just a dream." Sitting up, she looked to her clothes, which were now a deep maroon. "What happened last night?"

"You collapsed, after hours of rushing around after people and world traveling," he reminded her, summarising a very complicate twenty four hours. "Though I don't know why your jacket is in such a state..."

Kirsty nodded, everything coming back to her. "That was from the world traveling. I almost ripped myself apart from over-Thinking. I'll be much more careful next time."

Smiling, Horton moved a little closer to her. "I'm glad. You scared me last night." A feeling of guilt soared through the teenager, not knowing how to apologise to the elephant. "Oh, well. As long as you are okay, that's all that matters." Standing back up, he went over to an untouched section of clovers, with Kirsty following a little way behind.

Looking at the sun, its rays almost blinding her, Kirsty quickened her stride. "What time is it?" A part of her had always wished that she could take the sun's position in the sky and translate it into the time, but she could never could see past it's radiant glow.

This talent was something Horton had always been able to do, as he quickly replied. "Just past ten thirty, judging from the position of the rays."

"How many clovers are we up to so far.?"

"Just past one million." The more he stared at the abundance of plants, the lower his head drooped in shame. "Why haven't I found them yet? I should have at least done that by now. They trusted me with their entire planet, for heaven's sake! They put their faith in me to protect them. Who knows what havoc their world is being put through because of my carelessness… I'm such a failure..."

Sighing, Kirsty lifted his head up. "A wise creature once promised me, when I felt like giving up, that he would always be there for me. Now it's my turn to help him." She picked up a nearby clover, placing it in his truck. "Alike to the words the same wise creature once spoke- I meant what I said, and I said what I meant... and I am saying that we are in this together, no matter what may happen"

He remained silent for a few minutes, trying to form words, but nothing seemed right. "You have been reading that big, old book of yours too much- you're getting wiser by the day." As the pair began to laugh, Horton returned the smile. "So, she can laugh? That's a surprise! Come on, we have a clover to search for! With this kind of attitude, we'll find them in no time!" With that, the two continued on, their spirits high.

Unfortunately, their high spirits weren't reflecting positive results. The statistics of ordinary clovers to the one that was the world of the Whos favoured only one side: the puffy, unoccupied plants. As the day went on, so did the heat, reaching over forty degrees Celsius. With each passing hour, the number signifying the amount of clovers they had sifted through increased, along with the worry which was starting to settle in. The heat didn't help, with the pair both showing signs of heatstroke; suffering from a headache and that nagging need to rehydrate. But they had to keep on going, desperation for that tiny world to be in their hands, the only fuel to their fire. Six hours after they first restarted their search, all hope seemed to have been evaporated from the sweltering sun.

"Two million, nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine," Horton counted, as he began to walk closer to the jungle, trying to find some shade from the sweltering heat. "It's hopeless," he sighed, dropping the clover in defeat. Kirsty slowly followed him, also ready to give up.

"You said it kid…"

The pair jerked to attention, the feminine, slightly irritated voice broke their rest. "Who's there?" Horton asked, picking up a nearby clover and putting it against his ear.

The voice groaned again, its volume raising. "It's me. Mayzie. Up here!" Horton glanced to a nearby tree above his head and sure enough, there was Mayzie, sitting on a nest with a rather large egg inside it.

"Mayzie?" Kirsty asked in complete disbelief, remembering the admired bird from when she convinced Gertrude to get her immense tail. The thought of the sociable bird even being near children was hard enough for her to believe- let alone her having her own!

Horton meanwhile, was having a little trouble comprehending what he was seeing, as he tried desperately to supress a laugh. "Are…are you on a nest?"

"Yeah. You wanna make something of it?" she responded, giving them a look of pure murder, which caused the pair to back-pedal, capitulating.

Shaking his head, Horton tried to explain himself. "No…we just never thought we'd see you on a nest."

Mayzie's shook her head, her mood changing from pestered to sober. "Neither did I, Hort…neither did I," she sighed, signally the entrance of a man, who came in on an extravagant red and white striped piano. After stretching his fingers, he began to play a typical blues tune.

"Da da da da da da da..." After scatting for a moment, getting her into the mood, she motioned for Kirsty and Horton to sit down, as she began to tell her tale. "I was down in Fort Worth, just a girl on the wing, when I met Tweet McFirth. Oh, could that fellow sing! Tell yourself how lucky you are!"

"How lucky, how lucky you are," the accompanist sang, his deep voice suiting the style of music.

Mayzie gave a flirtatious wave to the man, before going into the next part, adding in plenty of melodramatic actions. "It was three weeks of bliss, then the usual segue: He flew off to San Juan leaving me with this…" her voice dropped, the bird growling under her breath. "Egg! Tell yourself how lucky you are!"

"How lucky you are!" the man sang again.

"Now I'm bored and I'm cranky and tired sitting day after day," she sang, adding a few dramatic poses to reflect her appalling situation. "Who knew so much work was required? I'd much rather play!" At that, she smiled playfully to the pianist, who flashed her back a smile in reply. "I need a vacation! I'm due for some rest…" Suddenly, an idea came to her head, Mayzie's gave now firmly on Horton. "Hey, Horton…. would you maybe like to sit on my nest?"

His decision pending, the piano came to a standstill, Mayzie flirtatiously bashing her eyelashes towards the elephant, a typical action she used on males to get something she desperately desired.

Kirsty, who was utterly puzzled, especially on seeing Horton, who was incredibly smitten, his face turning pink. Not affected by Mayzie's charming ways, she stepped forward, now personally addressing the pink bird. "Why, Mayzie we couldn't. Of all silly things! We haven't got feathers and we haven't got wings. And not only that, but we're here on a search. We just couldn't leave our poor Whos in the lurch!"

Not expecting the girl to retaliate as she did, Mayzie put on a sweet face, not quite achieving the kittenish appearance. "I won't be gone long, guys. I give you my word. I'll hurry right back, 'cause I'm that sort of bird!" Getting desperate, her voice started to become squeaky. "Oh, come on guys, I promise! I'll fly back real soon. I'd only be gone for, say…one afternoon?" Her gave moved, a good dose of her notorious puppy-dog eyes making him blush again.

Kirsty sighed, frustrated by the girl's manipulative tactics. However, she knew that this was Horton's decision, and that she had no right to speak for him.

"Kirsty…"

The girl in question's ear pricked, hearing Horton's quiet call. Looking over to him, her confidence dropped, the elephant giving her a silent plea for assistance.

"I'm not sure if we should agree to this," Horton murmured to her, Mayzie's constant teasing making the decision even harder to make. "You told me that she was the one who 'convinced' you to get the pills. What if that was a warning?"

"Horton, she had no idea what would happen. She has no reason to be blamed." Kirsty put her hands behind her back, thinking it over. "I have a similar feeling, though part of me thinks that we should give her a chance. It would be a way for the both of us to have a break to freshen up for a few hours?"

"Sitting on an egg is a break?"

"All I am saying is that despite her mistake, and supposed reputation, everyone deserves a second chance. I know I am grateful for those who have given me a shot. And besides, it does beat the alternative- I don't think I want to see the bad side of Mayzie today."

"…good point."

After a short period of silence, Horton regained his composure, looking Mayzie straight in the eye. "Well, we all need vacations..." he said, silently debating his choice of words. Not long after, he shrugged, giving in. "All right go on, take it. We'll sit on your egg and we'll try not to break it. But please come back quickly. One hour, maybe two," Horton sternly reminded her, not doubts crossing his face.

"I need to find Jojo," Kirsty said aloud to herself, his fate still not known to her.

"We've just got to save a Who!" they pair told Mayzie in unison. An awkward silence dropped through the jungle, the anxious wait over when a smile crept onto Mayzie face, as she clapped her hands. On command, the accompanist lifted the lid of his piano, to where two small beings jumped out, rushing over to Mayzie's aid, helping her down the tree.

"Hit it, Antonio!" she exclaimed, a pair of large sunglasses and a movable pink trunk at her feet. Almost as excited as Mayzie, the man titled 'Antonio' leapt right into an energetic, Latin beat, the pair soon running off through the jungle. "Thanks! Thanks a million! Toodle-oooo!" she called back to her to her new egg-sitters, the bird and her guide soon out of sight, Antonio's assistants lagging behind them with the piano and Mayzie's extra luggage.

The moment they paused to have a rest, Mayzie's voice came back into reach, now in a demanding tone. "Boy! Hurry up; I'm going to miss 'Happy Hour' if you bozo's don't get your backsides into gear!" Frightened, the two quickly sped off, leaving only dust.

When they were all gone, Kirsty and Horton both looked to each other, the same expression of wonder and question their faces. They had no idea of the consequences of their decision, but one thing was clear:

With a new problem to deal with, the search for Who was now at a halt.