AAOOOSC!: Gulls' Adventures!

Outside at the Monarossabergie House’s grassy backyard, the picnic is on a roll. Sitting on a large, checkered red and white blanket are the Gulls and the OHL guest, who looks like his AHL brother: Bryan, Michael, Brandon, Stu, Matt, Ryan, Joe, and Nick. In the middle of their circle are dishes of ribs, brisket, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, wedding beans, and coleslaw, which are being passed around.

Joseph, with the appearance of his younger brother, steps into view with an armful of paper towels. He quickly spots Bryan chatting with Michael, who has his appearance.

“Mikey, what are you doing to me?” he grumbles at his older-appearing brother.

He then ambles toward the picnic and settles himself in between his brother and Brandon. He tosses the paper towels toward the middle then begins serving himself a small rack of ribs with the plate in front of him.

Stu leans forward from the other side of Brandon to get a good look at the unfamiliar person. “Hey, we hadn’t met formally yet—” He holds his hand out toward him. “What’s your name, buddy?”

The Michael look-alike eyes Brandon. Brandon nods to him, giving him the green light to tell him the truth.

He stays silent, unable to tell the embarrassing phenomenon that happened between him and his brother.

“Joey?” Brandon calls to him gently.

Joseph slides his brother’s eyes up at him. “Yeah?”

Brandon turns to his left, where Stu is sitting next to him. “That’s Joey.” He nods to his right.

Stu has an odd look. “Um, what?” he whispers. “I know he looks like him, but that’s not Joey—”

“My brother and I swapped bodies,” Joseph grumbles with crossed arms, looking down to aside.

Stu gives him a suspicious expression. “Your brother…?”

“Yeah, Mikey,” he tells the tallest skater louder. “He visited me. He’s over there.” He nods ahead to where his brother, who looks like him, is chit-chatting with Bryan.

Stu spots the odd appearance of his teammate happily chatting with his friend. “Ohhhh…” He looks back at the new person. “And your brother looks like that?” He points to him.

Joseph peers down at himself, catching the sight of his brother’s T-shirt. “Yeah.”

Stu makes an inquiring look. “Did you guys swap bodies because of Icemare?”

“Most likely,” Brandon pipes in while chewing on a rib. He swallows. “The question is what object did it—”

“Oh, are we playing telephone?” Bryan exclaims, popping up from behind Stu’s shoulder. “I LOVE that game!”

Stu peers behind his shoulder with a glare. “Not now, Bryan. We’re talking about important stuff here.”

“I like important stuff too—”

“Oh, Bryan! Bryan!” Michael as his older brother calls out to the small skater. “I gotta you the time when Big Joe and I got stuck by the Garrison Creek!”

Bryan whirls to him excitedly. “Okay, okay—” Bewilderment immediately comes across his face. “Wait, Big Joe?”

Michael widens his brother’s eyes. “Oh right, haha, uh--” He quickly corrects himself. “Mikey and I got stuck by the Garrison Creek!”

Bryan chuckles with a massive grin. “Oh, Crammer Slammer, you’re too funny!” He slides back to his place, sitting next to him. “See how awesome it is to open up to people?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Michael says, waving him off, “okay so it was…”

Joseph, as his younger brother, glares at him. “Why is he telling this story?” he mumbles.

“So,” Stu starts off from his left, “Joey is in Mikey’s body and Mikey is in Joey’s body?”

“Yeah…” Brandon nods his head with a rib bone in his hand. “...yeah, that’s right.”

Stu stares ahead in shock. “Wow, that’s strange.”

“With Icemare, anything is strange.” Brandon then tears off some meat from the rib.

Stu turns to his new person with knitted eyebrows. “How though? How did this happen?” He scrapes some coleslaw into his spoon.

Joseph shrugs. “I don’t know. I touched Mikey’s shoulder and next thing I knew, I was in his body.” He rolls his eyes and groans. “I don’t wanna be like my brother.”

Brandon places his bare rib on his plate. “But how did you get the ability to do that? Since this is definitely Icemare’s doing, you must’ve touched a cursed object.” He plucks another rib from the serving plate. “What did you touch that was cursed?” He begins consuming it.

“I don’t know!” he shouts incredulously. “Mikey?!”

Stu eyes him while chewing. He swallows. “I don’t think he’s a cursed object…”

“I say he is,” Joseph says about the actual owner of his appearance, huffing and looking aside.

“Okay,” Brandon starts with his rib in both hands, “so since a curse’s effect is happening around other people, we have to make sure that certain people don’t know what’s going on…” He gazes around his distracted teammates with caution.

“...such as Bryan,” Stu adds in while eying his friend laughing loudly with who looks exactly like Joseph. “I don’t want to burst his bubble at the moment.” He turns back to the two.

Brandon nods his head ahead. “Right.” He gazes at the teammates on each side of him. “And we shouldn’t tell…” His eyes drift off ahead, landing on the captain, who is happily serving Nick more macaroni and cheese. “Oh man, Joe…” He whirls back to the two with panic. “Don’t tell Joe!”

“What would he care for?” Joseph rolls his brother’s eyes.

“Don’t let Joe be suspicious,” Brandon orders them lowly. “The last thing we need is for him to find out and tell Coach. Then we’re doomed.”

Stu raises his index finger in the air. “Good point.”

Brandon nudges the young-appearing skater. “For now, just act like Mikey, let no one be suspicious.”

Joseph whirls to him. “Well, it doesn’t help that Mikey is wrecking my rep one word at a time…” He reverts his gaze at his genuine appearance with sharp eyes.

Brandon also takes a good look at the sight. “We’ll talk to him at the right time. Not now though.”

Joseph lets out a growl.

From across the blanket, Joe holds his index finger in the air. “Remember boys: There’s a playoff game tonight!"

“Yes!” Bryan exclaims with two fists in the air. “Let’s go Gulls!”

Joseph’s face of his younger brother immediately goes pale. “Oh no,” he mutters softly.

Joe gives him a concerned expression. “Why the look, youngling?”

Joseph immediately straightens up, scrambling for an explanation. “Um, because I didn’t know there was gonna be a playoff game, but I am so shocked and excited that I get to see my awesome brother play!” He puts on a weary grin. “Wooo!”

Matt peers at him. “You can go, right, Joseph’s little brother?”

He nods at him. “Yeah, yeah, I will…” He turns away with a dark expression. “I have to,” he grumbles.

Notes

E.16 "I Am You And You Are Me"
Part 2/5
Episode 16/20