Dandelion's Dillema

Chapter 1 : The Neighborville

The Neighborville was a sight to behold. Dave's Manor was made of pristine marble that seemed to reflect the sunlight and even though there was a large hole in the side of the manor where they kept a shop, it was still magical to look at. A lot of plants walked around talking to each other while I stood to the side.
After leaving the Backyard Battleground, I thought that Neighborville was the place to be.
But I don't know if I was so sure about that now.
Everything was beautiful and welcoming and a step up compared to the overruled Zomburbia.
I really thought I could come here and escape everything I've been through.
My family was gone and so were all of my other dandelion friends.
And I was still here, even though I could've blown up many times over in the past.
Maybe I was a coward?
Other dandelions always put themselves in harm's way to help the plants win the war.
The garden war.
But I was still kicking and thinking that I could live peacefully.
I felt so safe with my other dandelion friends and family and now that they were gone, it didn't feel right at all watching newcomers go and sacrifice themselves for the cause.
Maybe here I would be able to find some happiness, even if it ended up being fleeting.
I walked up to the center of the yard where a sunflower with an eyepatch stood on some boxes.
"A dandelion, SWEET!" said the sunflower. "I'm Major Sweetie, I'm one of the commanders here."
"It's nice to meet you," I said. Most sunflowers were generally pretty easy going and nice to talk to so I wasn't nervous or worried about her. "Can I call you Dan? Most of the dandelions in our battalion go by Dan."
"I would prefer Dee," I said. I know Dan was a common name for dandelions but it wasn't me.
"That's cool, Dee is a really nice name." She jumped down from the boxes so that we were eye level. "You're from the battalion is Suburbia?"
It was Zomburbia now... The mission didn't go too well which is why I had to relocate here.
I nodded.
"I'm gonna assign you a partner," said Major Sweetie.
"That would be amazing," I said, trying not to get too excited and blowing up by counting to ten. In Suburbia the swarm classes were mostly on their own despite being surrounded by others. But especially for dandelions, we were expected to go off on our own and basically blow up as much as the enemy as we could in one go. There was not even a guarantee that we could finish them either.
"Major Sweetie," said a voice. It was calm and collected and when I turned to face them it was a Peashooter. He had the greenest face and most vibrant eyes I've ever seen. He was a little taller than me too and he nodded his head to acknowledge my presence before resuming to Major Sweetie. "I'm gonna need a team for my battalion. Right now we have a couple plants."
"Well look at who we have here," said Major Sweetie. "This is Dee. A dandelion from the Suburbia battalion. I'll assign her to your group."
"Are we gonna be partners?" I asked, looking straight at him.
"No," said Major Sweetie.
I could feel my heart sink at the fact that we wouldn't be partners, but on the outside I maintained my smile. It's not like Dandelions were on par with the other plants. I was just in a swarm class. No one was looking to know who I was because I only had one purpose.
Another plant walked toward us with a wicked grin that was almost devious. He had sharp leaves and wild yellow petals.
"This is Wildflower," said Major Sweetie. "He's going to be your new partner."
"Oh," I said with a wave. "Nice to meet you."
"Yeah, yeah." He dismissed me. "You're my eighty-sixth dandelion this week."
"Oh."
"Thanks, Major Sweetie," said Peashooter. "I was low on weeds."
After that he nodded at me and walked in the opposite direction.
"I hope you enjoy your temporary stay," said Major Sweetie.
"Let's go." Wildflower beckoned me after him and I followed suit. Not because I wanted to, but because there was no other choice for me.
Temporary stay? Was I really that forgettable?
"We have a mission tomorrow night," said Wildflower. "I need you to get yourself together and be ready to blow up those stupid zombies."
"Um, but what if I don't want to?"
"What? You're a dandelion! It's like the only thing you do!"
I stared at him, not knowing what to say. This isn't how I wanted things to go, but I guess it was understandable for plants to only expect one thing from dandelions.
"Kaboom?" He made a gesture with his hands as if I didn't know how to explode.
"What about it?"
"You do know how, right?"
I nodded.
"Heh." He rubbed the back of his head. "You are pretty calm for a dandelion."
"I mean, I can blow up at any second." I remained neutral. Most dandelions blew up because of intense feelings, whether being too excited or too scared like during the war. Luckily, I've always managed to keep calm.
In the distance, Peashooter was talking to a group of plants. He seemed so happy and stress free despite leading a battalion tomorrow. I wish that in some way I could speak to him more and be a friend, but the longer I stared the more Wildflower came into focus waving his hand at me.
"Dan, are you there?" He rolled his eyes. "You're pretty absentminded. I guess blowing up is a really big deal for inexperienced dandelions. Come on Dan."
"It's Dee."
Wildflower furrowed his brows at me. "Dee?"
I nodded. "Well, come on. I know you're new."
I followed after him as he led me around Dave's manor. We walked past the shop where plants bought costumes and a piano room where some plants were practicing poorly. In the back was a greenhouse where they kept the potted plants.
"Tada!" Wildflower did jazz hands as he finished his tour. "You should be grateful. I don't give tours to dandelions."
"Thanks, I guess."
"It's true..." He stared off into the clear blue sky. "There's never been a point to it."
"Seriously?"
"It's not my fault!"
I rolled my eyes and walked off while counting to ten in my head.
"Where are you going?" This time it was Wildflower following after me.
"I'm just walking. What's it to you?"
"You're my partner. You can't just leave me."
"Why can't I?" I asked. "We're not even doing anything. The mission doesn't even start until tomorrow."
"Dandelions are supposed to stay with their Wildflowers."
"Maybe when we're on the mission. Which we aren't!"
"Why are you like this?" he asked. "Other dandelions aren't as stubborn."
I counted backwards from ten. "You would rather me be complacent?"
"No—"
"Then what's your problem?"
He stared at the floor. Clearly not having an answer that would make any sense.
"Sorry," he said. "I don't know. I didn't expect this."
"That a dandelion is more than just a weapon for you to use?" I asked. "Do you have any friends? That hasn't been assigned to you for missions?"
"I have loads of friends." His voice raised.
"Then maybe you should go talk to them," I said. "I'll see you tomorrow for the mission."
After that I walked away from the conversation and left him in his tracks.