Jonatha didn’t realise what was going on until they were a couple of blocks away from the school. How exactly she knew this, she didn’t quite know. The whole layout of the city was different – cleaner, more organized and, she hated to admit it, better. It was like the whole place was designed to keep people happy, fit and healthy. So far, she hadn’t seen a single car.
“Time for a cool down,” Mikayla said. The younger cheerleader was breathing heavily, her cheeks and chest a rosy colour. Sweat beads formed on her brow, and her already tight dinosaur-themed uniform was darkening where sweat pooled.
The uniform must be pristine, clean and perfect, Jonatha suddenly remembered.
Then the headache hit her. A sudden sharp pain on the side of her head.
“You okay, Jonatha?” Zoe asked, concerned. The goth cheerleader’s make up was still pristine and pale. Not a single bead of sweat on her, and the only betrayal that they had just run a couple of miles was the deep, heavy breathing that made her chest rise and fall.
Jon pressed a hand against his head. For a moment the whole world was silent, dark and a very different place. A world without cheering as a daily passtime; a world without him having both breasts and his, well, other bits.
“Yeah... Just... Dunno. Sudden headache,” Jon said, trying to dissuade his sister from worrying too much.
“You should eat more, you know,” Zoe said suddenly. Now, that tone Jon was familiar with. “You never fuckin’ listen to our moms! Going off on your stupid fancy diets and--”
Jon put a hand up. He nodded, making his ponytail tickle the back of his head. Moms? Damn, that is something to unpack, Jon filed the thought for later. After a moment, he felt a little better. He drank some water from the bottle in his pack, and then silently started walking in a straight line. No complaint from his sisters, so he must’ve at least chosen the right direction. Just over a line of trees and buildings, Jon could see the top of the school. It looked more impressive, grand and fancy than what he was used to.
So, I am in the park... I get a headache and... remember Jonatha’s memories? And then, here I am. Cheering over and over... Jon wondered as the three of them let a group of girls on their bicycles cross the road. Trying to figure out how this world worked was proving to be a string of headaches. That was expected, magic and alternative realities involved, but there was something else in this world that was making him blank out or perhaps not blanking out exactly. They had been talking, and then he remembered Jonatha’s life in this universe. It was different from his own memories, a bit like watching an old, yet familiar film. What had triggered it, though?
If only I could figure out where the Stone is! I could wish understanding, no, wait... wish myself back to my own reality! What am I thinking? Jon thought.
“Oh, someone got in trouble!” Mikayla suddenly said.
Jon looked up. They had crossed a street and come onto a little courtyard. Orange trees made a neat square, with sand filling in a lower tier as if it were an arena. There was a small crowd by the edge of the sandpit, a bunch of cheerleaders in a variety of different uniforms. Each one unique, different, but with similar cut and style. They were looking at a group of what Jon suddenly knew were senior cheerleaders, college girls, chastising some younger cheerleaders.
There were four girls kneeling on the sand. Two wore identical red-and-orange uniforms, the skirts longer than any Jon had so far seen in this world. One girl’s uniform could only be described as steampunk, with thick brass goggles attached to a tophat. The fourth girl, however, was dressed in the most utilitarian uniform Jon had seen so far: workout leggings and matching sneakers, a black skirt with a frayed, dirty hem. She probably was wearing a leotard, judging by the long sleeves, but Jon couldn’t be certain. The girl wore an old black hoodie with ripped-off sleeves on top. Her hood was up.
“Now, these four miscreants,” One of the cheerleaders, a tall Korean-looking girl said. “Have been caught not only avoiding a week’s worth of Pledge--” That elicited some gasps from the audience. Even from Jon’s sisters. For some reason, it drove a cold finger down his spine. “But also ignoring uniform regulation.”
Just what the hell is this Pledge thing? Jon wondered as he looked around the courtyard. The accusation had driven some girls to gossip amongst themselves.
“And skipping on their cheering litanies,” One of the other cheerleaders said. She was blonde, and her breasts pushed on her tight top near to bursting.
Someone from the crowd booed in a tune. “One, two, what a naughty thought!”
Suddenly, several voices joined in in perfect pitch. “Three, four. A cheer in your head, must always have. Five, six. Proper thoughts we must spread!”
The cheer made Jon smile a little. It was quite catchy.
As the crowd cheered, more voices joined in. The lead cheerleaders on the sand smiled amongst themselves, and let the group gather some energy. They knew exactly how to play the crowd, it seemed.
“Oh, that one is a good one,” Zoe said, her voice suddenly... wistful? Longing? Jon couldn’t tell, but it didn’t feel right coming from his often-aggressive little sister.
The cheer itself made him feel... anxious. A voice inside his head was telling him that he should just walk through the gate and into school. But this whole situation, the public humiliation of other cheerleaders... what did it say about this world?
“One, two, what a naughty thought. Three, four. A cheer in your head, cannot escape.” The crowd cheered.
Jon gripped his shoulder strap.
One of the girls in orange shifted uncomfortably, her hands coming to her neck as if something was stuck there. Her identically-dressed friend looked over, touched her shoulder, but the first girl just Shook her off.
“Oh, we have a first one!” One of the head cheerleaders laughed. “My goddess. For some rebels you’re so weak, aren’t you?”
The hell? Jon thought, taking a step forward.
The girl suddenly straightened up as if pulled by her hair, a loud gasp escaping her throat. For a moment she didn’t move, eyes open wide. Then she collapsed back onto her knees, sand puffing in a cloud.
“A cheer in your head, cannot escape,” She started slowly, quietly. And then more loudly, filled with conviction. “Five, six, proper thoughts we must spread!”
Jon couldn’t see her face from the angle, but he could hear the joy in her voice. And it unsettled him.
Two of the other girls tensed, shifted uncomfortably. Except for the one in the hoodie. She just kneeled there, unmoving. Something about her felt... stoic.
Rebel.. That blonde bitch called the girl in the hoodie a rebel, Jon thought. Why did that description feel... familiar?
