The Strange Story of...

The Strange Story of Zandra and Iggy

            "Did you pack the Mountain Dew?" Will called to his friend, Bo, who was across the yard, putting a duffel bag full of camping gear into the storage compartment of the RV.

            "Yes, I did, Dr. Pepper!" Bo responded. Dr. Pepper was Will's nickname, as he was rarely seen without a can of soda in his hand. Bo jogged over to his friend. They had both finished their junior year of high school, and to celebrate, the two were taking a three-week road trip from their sleepy town in Oregon to Los Angeles. They were taking camping gear, money, a dozen or so R-rated horror movies, hot dogs, and about a hundred cans of Mountain Dew.

           "Alright, I think that's everything," Bo said.

           "Great, let's go." Will tossed Bo the keys. He still hadn't gotten over the weird look his friend had adopted once they hit the tenth grade. Bo grew his blonde hair to his shoulders, was seldom seen without a surfer-style tank top or a Hawaiian shirt, wore a shark's tooth on a chain around his neck, and he wore running shorts all the time, regardless of the weather. His nickname in the school yearbook had been "Beach Bum". Bo grinned and ran to the RV, with Will jogging behind him, laughing.

         Will was the opposite of his friend in appearances. His hair was a dark brown in contrast to Bo's golden brown, and he dressed more appropriately for the weather in Oregon. He mostly wore T-shirts with jeans, and threw his favorite red jacket over it if it was cold or rainy. But he shared Bo's carefree and playful disposition, and his love of flirting with girls. Granted, neither had ever gotten a date, but there wasn't anything wrong with trying.

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       They had been on the road for three hours. It was noon, and Bo was driving while also looking for a place to stop for lunch. Will was watching Alien on his laptop at the table in the back of the RV, while trying not to scream at the scarier parts.

    "Hey, what's that?" Bo said.  Will quickly paused the movie and walked to the front of the vehicle. He looked out of the windshield and saw what Bo was looking at.

       A girl was standing by the side of the road, with her thumb in the classic hitch-hiker's point. She had glossy red hair that fell past her shoulders, and even from a distance, the two could tell that she had a perfect body. Will looked at Bo, and he could tell that his friend wanted to pick her up as much as he did.

    When they stopped, they got a better look at the girl. She was of average height, and wore sunglasses, a white tank top under a black leather jacket with pale skinny jeans and beat up combat boots. Something green was on her shoulder. When it moved, Will realized that it was a lizard. Bo spoke first. "Need a ride?"

    She took off her sunglasses, revealing that her eyes were a hypnotic blue. When she smiled, Will saw that her teeth were perfect. She was absolutely beautiful.

    "Yes, I do." Her voice was clear and projected. Will wondered if she'd ever done theater. She climbed on board, being cautious not to upset the lizard balanced on her shoulder. "My name's Alexandra, but you can call me Zandra." She jerked her shoulder a little. "This is Iggy, my iguana. You guys aren't scared of lizards, right?"

   "No," Will said. He looked at Bo, who was staring at her. When she looked at him, he snapped out of it and spoke.

   "So, where are you going?"

   "Anywhere." She went to one of the beds built into the wall and sat down, taking her iguana off of her shoulder and setting it in her lap, lightly caressing it with her finger. "Just get me out of here."

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   They drove the rest of the day, with Will and Bo taking turns driving. Zandra didn't know how to drive, and mostly sat and watched the horror movies with whoever wasn't driving. At six that night, they found a nearly empty RV park, and set up camp. Bo built a campfire while Will cooked them a tasty meal of hot dogs, Mountain Dew, and s'mores. While the two guys were putting out the fire, Zandra went for a walk.

   "So, we scored big, huh?" Bo said as Will dumped a pitcher of water onto the fire. Will almost dropped the pitcher.

   "What?"

   "Zandra. She is hot!" He nudged Will. "What do you think? Her and me..."

   "No."

   Bo was surprised at his answer. Then realization spread over his face.

   "Please," Bo started, "a girl like that deserves a man like--"

   "A man like you? Are you saying I'm not a man because I don't dress like a bum?"

   Bo stood up. "What's that supposed to mean?"

   "It means that you dress like someone who doesn't know that we live in Oregon, where it rains nine months of the year and snows the other three! Maybe a girl like Zandra wants a guy who knows how to dress appropriately."

   "Well at least I didn't take my sister to junior prom!"

   "Why is that so bad? You kept trying to pick her up!"

   "Your sister models for magazines! Any guy would try to pick her up!"

    Their argument lasted a few minutes longer, then erupted into a fistfight when Bo punched Will in the face. Will retaliated with a blow to the jaw, and Bo showered him with punches to the face, chest, and shoulder. It was only the sound of the RV starting that ended their fight.

    Zandra sat back in the driver's seat, pulled out of the camp, and started on to the highway. She looked at the passenger seat, where Iggy sat looking up at her.

    "Good plan, Iggy."

    "It was your idea to steal the RV." Zandra grinned at the iguana's response. It was true that he had orchestrated their brilliant escape from the lab. But it was her idea to turn two smart men to lovesick fist fighters in order to steal their RV.

     She punched Canada into the GPS, then turned on the radio. A news station came on:

       The mysterious fire at McCauley Labs is still baffling authorities, along with the escape of two potentially dangerous experiments. The experiments in question are a sentient iguana and a shape-shifter that prefers the shape of an attractive red-headed teenage girl...

    Zandra changed the station to some alternative rock, and looked in the rearview mirror. She watched unfazed as her hair turned from red to jet black, and her eyes into a pale green. She then turned her gaze back on the road, and smiled.