When they arrived at school the front was packed as always. Pushing into the crowd was Dora, who was wearing sunglasses and colorful plastic beads around her neck.
"Aye!" She said pointing in 2 separate directions,"Where were you guys yesterday? Everybody was saying that y'all was dead or abducted,"
"We just skipped school for the day," Ball said simply.
"..Rad," Dora said giving them finger guns.
"Me and Ball have to talk in private for a moment," The other David said.
"That's cool. Just don't be late," Dora said letting them go.
They walked up to a nearby stairwell and went to the 2nd floor's platform. Nobody was supposed to be heading to homeroom yet, so the stairwell was out of use for the moment. The other David took a deep breath, and faced Ball.
"A handshake right?" The other David squatted and held out his hand.
"No, a milkshake," David's soul said holding out Ball's foot. They made contact and then shook. David found himself suddenly shaking nothing though, as Ball's legs and face had vanished.
Uh? What's going on? He thought.
Oops.
BALL!!
David was having trouble syncing both his soul's experiences, and his body's. It was making him dizzy, and sounds fuzzy... and heartbeat speedy....... and visuals... a little too dark.
Ball awoke someplace different than David collapsed. It was dark, and a little chilly. Stomping around the place was active, but it seemed to be for no reason.
Is there a bunch of people squashing bugs around me?
Unfortunately David hadn't woken up like Ball had. He just sat like a cold headache in the back of her mind.
Ball sat up, and looked around. She was wearing sunglasses which she promptly took off. She did so a little too forcefully. The nose and ears it was sitting on, was not her cup of tea.
Oh yeah, I'm in David's body now.
This wasn't what she had wanted, but she now understood why David felt so uncomfortable in her silent body. David's body had things constantly working about it, creating a lot more feeling and noise. A heartbeat and the rise and fall of her chest were things that most bothered her.
Around the area people were indeed stomping their feet around, but to a song Ball could barely hear. The DJ was broadcasting music into the dancers headphones, and they were dancing in the school's secret basement.
Ball tilted forward still in the sitting position, and then jumped up on her feet to stand. On the jumping part she put her arms out to balance.
Arms...
She didn't know what to do with them, so she put them behind her back like Johnson often did.
Dora walked over to her from the DJ table she had been sitting at.
"Are you alright? You were knocked out cold in the stairwell. What happened?" Dora asked.
Ball didn't know why, but Dora's presence was a little irritating to her.
"What's going on here!?" Ball asked using David's voice.
"We are having a 'just cause' party, duh! Also, a thank you would be nice," Dora said.
"Yeah whatever," Ball said impulsively.
Dora rolled her eyes.
Why am I feeling so annoyed?
Ball began to remember a time when David was trapped in a coffin sized box for about 3 hours.
"Let me out!!" David had said panicking inside the box, "I can't BREATHE!!"
"Did you guys like, hear something?" Gabby Stück said.
"No, did you?" Dora said back jokingly. More girls laughed. David screeched. It reminded Ball of the sound that she was blamed for, the ending scream was similar in fear.
Oh poor freshman David.
She started to feel time quicken just a little bit, as that's what happens as one ages.
!!!!
"Where's Ball?" Ball asked.
"She's right there, but there's something wrong about her," Dora pointed to the floor next to Ball.
Ball's body was the same size as it was, but it was unmoving, limbless, and inanimate.
No autopilot for me.
"Great," Ball said sarcastically.
"What happened to her?" Dora asked.
"It's complicated, scary in fact," Ball picked her lifeless body up.
"Well you're making it sound scary Now. I want in!" Dora said.
"Ok, I am Ball, controlling David's body," Ball said simply.
"You? Ball? Are you sure you didn't hit your head?" Dora snickered.
"It's true, and I won't argue with you about It. I don't have time. I'm Ball,"
"And I'm a radio," Dora said.
"And I'm like, ..... a match!" Gabby said.
"And I'm a pencil," Tiffany said. The 2 girls laughed as they continued to dance.
"...I'm leavin' school to get this cleared up. I will see you when I'm done," Ball went over to the elevator, "Uh, do you mind opening it?"
"Yeah yeah," Dora unlocked the elevator door even though the key was one turn away for doing just that, "Good luck Ball,"
"Thank!" Ball lit up.
Gracie Tremor rushed in next to her.
"Oive decided that I doin't want to skip clois!" She shouted impulsively.
"Hello Gracie," Ball looked over to her as the elevator doors shut.
"Hello Doivd, and... Ball?" Gracie tapped Ball almost expecting her to wake up or something.
"Whoit's wroing with her!?" Gracie asked.
"She just lost her soul," Ball said.
"Thois are real!? I oighta loik over my sins!... Uh, Dois this mean Ball is dead!?" Gracie shouted.
"Chill out, I'm not sure about why this happened, but Ball is ok," Ball said.
"But how could you knoio?" Gracie asked. Ball just started to smile.
"What?... What do you moin?" Gracie was dying to know what 'David' meant, "Soirously I doin't know what you mean"
"I'm Ball, and... don't say 'seriously' around me. Uh David is here too, but he's still knocked out," Ball pointed to her head.
"Noi way!"
"Yes way. Nothing is as it seems... anymore," She smiled again at Gracie's excitement. At the same time she was trying to ignore the increasingly powerful fear of being trapped in the elevator. The doors opened and Ball walked out.
"I'm guessing I coin't talk aboit this," Gracie said following out of the chamber too.
"No. I have to go now, so have a good day K?" Ball said. She then walked off to the exit.
"If oinly I didn't hoive schooil today," Gracie said to herself.
When Ball made her way outside amongst the loney millions she noticed the emotions of David's body pass her mind. It was already obvious that when she spoke she picked up things that were not her own, but the emotions were much more powerful. She could think about things that same way David did.
Ball didn't know how much resistance to the thoughts would be appropriate, so for the most part she just let go. She was just a strange David with Ball's motivation and curiosity.
The journey consisted of little effort, and had the entire day to spend on time. Ball took it upon herself to be absorbed in the scene like a painting.
Nothing to see here. I am simply blending in with the crowd for the first time, in all my life.
To rest, she sat down at a restaurant outdoor seating. A lady with a harp larger than herself was playing cords that somehow shivered up Ball's spine.
It sounds ...like an emotion? Sad?...
Than how come I want to hear more?
It was so strange so she wanted to encapsulate herself in the moment. She thought that maybe if she concentrated long enough she could figure out what she was longing for, in the song.
This part is repeating, now it's gone someplace different!.... Now it's racing! And so is my adrenaline? ....Oh, now it's back to that sad repeating part, but with added other stuff over time. Oh that 'tink' almost tickles me. I love that part. Why do my eyes feel.. heavy?
She had placed her inanimate body on the table she was sitting at. Guarding it like an egg, but watching the music more.
"Excuse me, do you need a menu?" A waitress asked. This took Ball by surprise, and out of the music.
"Sorry. Uh, I didn't plan on eating," She said.
"I don't mean to be rude sir but these tables are for paying customers only," The waitress said gently.
"Alright," Ball stood up and raised her chin, "I will sort myself out," She tried to pick up her old body, but she instead pushed it off the table. It started to roll away, so Ball went over to catch it. Leaning over, she tried to get a grip while walking, but just kicked it. After a few times it rolled into a waste worker. With his boot he stopped the ball as if he was playing soccer.
I should have come up with that.
"Is this, your ball?" the waste worker asked casually with a gruff voice. Ball was confused for a second by the phrase 'your ball'
"Yeah. Uh, would you mind?" Ball asked for it back.
"Ok," He picked it up and dunked it over in her direction. Unable to catch, the ball just hit her face.
"Wow," The waste worker said trying not to find it funny.
Off the garbage truck the waste worker's companion jumped down to help.
"Tom!" He shouted at the other worker before going to see if Ball was ok, "You ok?"
"Yeah," Ball kept rubbing her nose. It bled a little,"..No,"
"Oh no, uh. Pinch your nose and tilt your head back!" Ben Kennel, the waste worker's companion ignorantly said. Ball did what he said.
"You're supposed to tilt your head forward," Tom Bewendel, the one who threw ball's body said. Ball held her head forward.
"Maybe I can help you," Ben said.
"Hmm, what do you have to offer? Other than a tissue," Ball asked. She took her hand off her nose for a moment. It was messy, but it wasn't flowing anymore.
Ben took out some currency out of his pocket.
"I have 5 dollars," He announced in a dull way.
"Ben, put your money away," Tom said. He faced Ball with a proposal, "Who needs 5 dollars when you can get something much more worthwhile. Catching a free ride with the Trash Pack," Ball wasn't interested, "Don't give me that look. I know everybody secretly wants to hang off the side of the truck and glide. See look it's easy," Tom went over to the truck and jumped on the back, "You just put your feet here and grab hold of the bar. Or you could let go of the bar and pretend it's a surfboard... or you could just hold the bar and hang on like a... gymnastic... person.." Tom was holding onto the bar awkwardly with his feet up in the air.
"You can just take my five dollars," Ben said.
Ball tried to pick up her body again, but only succeeded the second attempt.
"Y'know what, I think I'll take the ride. Take me down to the suburban area to the south east," Ball said. She went up to the other bar hold and hung on with one hand. (She held her body in the other).
"If you want," Ben shrugged.
"Wait what's going on back there?" The driver asked in another gruff voice.
"Tom hit a kid in the face with a ball so we're giving him a ride," Ben announced.
"...But why?" The driver, Andrew Price didn't really find the reason worth all the effort.
"We just finished over here, and his nose was bleeding," Ben said.
"A 'sorry' would've been a lot easier. Also, are you sure this isn't kidnapping?"
"UH, Well...we can just-" Ben took out a receipt and flipped it over on the blank side. He started to write out something with a pen, "A safety contract?"
Written on the receipt was a little blurb stating:
I wanted to go with Trash Pack for a short ride to the Yoyel Suburbs.
Signed ________
"Ok," Ball took the receipt and the pen, and wrote David's signature using her body like a table, "I don't even really need to sign this, but you can take it," Ball said.
"Ok!" Ben took the receipt and put it back in his pocket, along with the pen, "Andrew! Do you have paper towels!?"
"Yes," Andrew said.
"Can you bring them!?"
"No,"
Ben looked at Tom.
"Alright, I'll get the paper towels," Tom hopped off the side of the truck and fetched the paper towels. He returned with about 4 sheets and gave them to Ball. She took them to clean herself up.
Ben and Tom jumped on the and hit the back of the truck.
"Where are we going?" Andrew sighed.
"Just take us home," Tom said.
"... Ok,"
The truck started, so Ball held a little tighter. The progress of the ride started off in hard traffic, but towards the suburbs it was smooth and relaxing. Ball desperately needed that feeling. It was just the wind, herself and the faint smell of plastic bag. It was hard for her to relax usually, but David was well adjusted to relaxing when he was alone. A stressful feeling did start to re-emerge. It was David, and he was waking up and noticing that his body was active.
Don't panic. We'll fall.
Ball? Ugh what happened? You shouldn't be here.
I know. I think I accidentally followed your soul in here.
David took back control by looking around the situation.
"We're riding the back of a garbage truck? Oh. We got hit in the face with your...We need to fix this, which is why we're going to Diggs for help," David said aloud.
"How did you know?!" Ball asked.
"I remembered it. Uhg all this catching up is hurting me!" David said.
"Are you talking to yourself?" Tom asked. He was staring.
"What do you need to fix? Is it your brain?" Ben asked. Tom hit him.
"We're trying to separate from each other," Ball said to them.
"We're!?!" Ben shouted.
Tom just squinted at them, confused.
"It's none of your business," David said.
"Since we're heading for Diggs, where do you think we should get off?" Ball asked.
"Erm, I'll know," David said.
They looked at the crib rushing past them, and the grass that lived beside it.
"I'm so used to purple grass that I'm actually taken aback when I visit other countries," David said.
"Hmm. I see it too. It's so green! That's how it is everywhere else, huh?" Ball asked.
"Yep," David said.
Ben and Tom looked at one another.
"Freaky stuff. I think they're faking it Ben," Tom said softly.
"Remember Rachel," Ben whispered looking up at him in fear.
"That's different," Tom looked out behind the truck. Ben held close to the bar a little tighter.
"I sure hope it is," He said glancing at Ball and David.
About 2 minutes later David saw that they were close.
"I can get off here!" He shouted to Tom. Tom hit the back of the truck and yelled. The driver heard it, so he pulled over.
"Whatt?" Andrew asked looking out the truck window. He saw David and Ball appear on the sidewalk to his right.
"We're getting off," David said.
"We're???" Andrew was confused.
David just walked away.
"Eh forget it," Andrew said to himself. He lightly tossed an eraser up in the air just to catch it.