Start of WWII: Joey escapes to Sweden

Military action

At the start of World War II, before The United States was drawn into the conflict, Joey feared the growing power coming steadily closer. He fled to neutral Sweden and joined a traveling circus.

A young girl named Danielle was hiding as a boy named Danni in a circus in Sweden. Danni worked as the assistant to the beast tamer. The beast tamer, Sasha, was a drunkard. He would frequently abuse his helpers and the animals. The beast tamer wanted more of a spotlight, but never had the talent to rise higher than he was. Joey came into the circus and was an instant hit. He was charismatic, funny, and handsome, and he drew people in. The beast tamer hated him immediately.   Joey made friends with Danni and helped her out with some of her tasks. He eventually discovered that she was, in fact, a girl, but kept her secret anyway. One night, before the show, Danni snuck away to town. She dressed in female attire so as not to be seen by any of the circus staff. She returned late and was unable to change into her male disguise. She tried to slip through the crowd unnoticed but was ushered into the big top. There, Joey was performing onstage. The performance was a huge spectacle, and the audience was riveted to their chairs.     One of the Beast Tamer's lackeys noticed a familiar face in the crowd and began to walk toward Danni. From onstage, Joey noticed the man closing in on one of the patrons, then saw who it actually was. In a rush of inspiration and panic, Joey sent some of the performers to go get Danni and bring her onstage as if she were a volunteer. He obscured her from view in the flurry of activity onstage, then sent her behind the scenery to go change her attire. The routine was a big success, and the crowd loved it.   Sasha caught Danni on her way off stage and began to put the pieces together. With the combination of her deception and her appearance on the stage, he was furious. He attacked her for her deception and for upstaging him. He struck her across the face, shoved her to the ground, and he kicked her repeatedly. He then staggered off to his tent.   Danni stumbled her way to Joey's railcar for sanctuary. She wandered in, collapsed on a pile of hay, and hoped that she would remain hidden. Joey, hearing an intruder, came upon the huddled mass in the hay pile, knife drawn. Upon seeing Danni's bruised and swollen face, he became enraged. He turned on his heel and was on his way to the beast master's enclosure. Danni quickly grabbed his hand and said, "Stop! Don't go in there, he's drunk! He hates you, and he'll kill you if he sees you.”   Joey wasn’t sure what to do. Anger for this situation was still coursing through him, but how could he avoid a losing situation with Sasha? Then he realized that Danni would have to be the one to go. But, how could he send her in there after this? She would never agree to hurt Sasha, no matter what he had done to her…unless…   “She’s not looking at me. Why won’t she look at me? She barely ever makes eye contact. I never have this problem when I body swap with men. Of course, I’m usually in some sort of fight, and who takes their eyes off their attacker? There’s no way I would ever strike her, that’s what got us here to begin with. I just want to swap with her long enough to go kill Sasha. He won’t pay attention to her walking into his stupid tent. He’ll be on red alert if he sees me. But how can I get her attention? I need to make her angry. Women will stare into your very soul when they’re angry. I saw a young man be pierced by womanly hellfire just yesterday. She may slap me for this, but I may achieve my goal.”   Joey leaned down and kissed Danni, fully expecting her to swing at him. The next most likely course she would have taken would be to freeze up and continue to look down. After that, she may just bolt out of the room, at which point he would have to intercede. Can’t have her going anywhere near Sasha again, he thought. He then stepped back and awaited his punishment. As long as she made eye contact, he could perform the ritual and…wait, what is she doing? The last thing Joey ever though she would do was to reach for him and kiss him back. He was so thrown off he couldn’t react at first. But, it wasn’t altogether unpleasant, so he didn’t push her away. When she looked to him for an approving look or any sign of returned affection, he was about to go back for another kiss. He pulled her in to him, and that’s when it happened. She winced in pain and turned her face away slightly. Joey’s eyes narrowed. He turned her slightly so he could see her back where he had touched her. There was a muddy boot print on it.   Joey stepped away, balling his fists in anger. He found some meaningless trinket and through it against the partition with all his might. “Joey, please! I’m so sorry!” Danni was in tears. Joey stopped and walked back to her. “You’re sorry?” Joey leaned down to look into her eyes. “Danni, you did absolutely nothing wrong, why the hell are you sorry? Did he kick you? While you were on the GROUND!?” Danni paused, then nodded slowly. “Then I absolutely WILL kill that man, and I will kill him tonight!” Joey once again charged for the door. “Joey please! He’s drunk, he’ll shoot you before you’re five steps in. It’ll be okay, really! He’ll nod off in a minute and then I’ll go feed the animals. Just let me handle it, I couldn’t bear to see you get hurt, I…I love you. I’ve loved you for such a long time, and I’ve never had the courage to say it.”   Joey turned and walked back to her. Placing both hands on her face and looking into her eyes he said, “well, now there’s no going back, I suppose.” Immediately he used his curse and swapped his soul with hers, planning to use her body to kill Sasha. Once Joey switched with her, he immediately felt Danni’s pain and the rage cemented within him.   (As Joey imagined the event: Joey went to Sasha's animal enclosure in Danni's body. He said that he was there to apologize. He had no idea what for, he just assumed that would be the best tactic. It worked. The beast master turned his back and allowed "Danni" to enter. "Danni" then walked up behind Sasha and wrapped her arms around his neck. Sasha scoffed and said, "trying to buy my silence? What makes you think I won't tell the Master that you're a girl?" Joey, as Danni, said, "You'll keep my secret. I promise you that." With that, Joey slit Sasha's throat. Blood covered Danni’s hands. Joey then loosed one of the tigers on the man's body. "Maybe it will look like an accident this way," he thought. Once he was certain the man was dead, he crept from the tent and back to his railcar.)   Joey, now in Danni’s body, knew exactly what he needed to do. In his new form, no one would question his presence in the beast master’s tent.   He walked into Sasha’s animal enclosure. The dogs that normally welcomed Danni’s presence sensed something amiss and began to growl. Joey felt a swell of gratitude for their chains, and kept his distance.   Joey walked to the back of the enclosure looking for Sasha. He was passed out from his drinking in a chair. The space was closed off in a group of smaller curtains that made up his personal quarters. He was vulnerable.   Even in a female form, Joey knew he could sneak up on the beast master, slit his throat, and walk away. Maybe even loose the animals to maul the body to cover his tracks. He would be clear of blame. Danni would be safe.   Danni…   Suddenly an image of Danni’s bruised face flashed in Joeys mind. Then suddenly it wasn’t Danni’s. It was another woman. Someone very familiar to him. It was his sister. It was the day she came home after her husband beat her mercilessly.   Of course. That was the day that Joey killed him. That was his first murder. That was his first sin. He was about to start this race all over again.   Joey stood behind Sasha with his knife to his throat. Tears began to roll down his face. Sasha was completely vulnerable but Joey was frozen. He couldn’t do it.   Slowly, Joey moved away from Sasha. Sasha never woke from his drunken stupor. Joey walked past the growling dogs again and out of the enclosure. Joey wasn’t quite sure why he was leaving, but if he wasn’t going through with the task, he couldn’t stay any longer.   As he crossed the train yard and made his way back to his own tent, he could see someone stumbling out of the enclosure. A disorienting moment of confusion passed as he realized that it was Danni stumbling out in the body that he had recently been occupying. It now dawned on him that she had come to consciousness in a strange body and was totally confused and was looking for help.   Joey rushed over to the tent and to Danni. He covered her eyes as soon as he made it over to her so that she wouldn’t be staring at the visage of her own body looking up at her and perhaps collapse into hysterics. Every time he sensed she was about to ask for help or cry out, he would try to calm her so that she wouldn’t hear a man’s voice when she spoke.   In this most awkward way, Joey coaxed her back into the tent and back toward the hay pile. She collapsed onto the soft hay and Joey immediately went to start the soul drift. He grasped her face and stared into her eyes. Her face was a mix of confusion and pain. He whispered “it’s just a dream, you’ll wake soon,” in a feeble effort to console her. Soon, the blinding white light overtook their vision, and the swap was complete. Danni, now back in her own body, collapsed on Joey’s chest who lay prone on the pile of hay. Instinctively, Joey checked Danni’s hands for blood. It wasn’t there.   Joey took a minute to ponder this new layer of their predicament, as Danni lay unconscious on his chest. If Sasha was still alive he could potentially hurt Danni again. There was every reason to think that he could kill her. A new thought popped into his head. Why did he care? He had lived all this time only caring about his own survival. Why did this girl matter? Why did his sister matter? Because she was his sister, and he loved her. Was that it? Did he love Danni? Surely not. He had felt nothing for anyone in decades. So, why now? There was too much going on. Joey rolled Danni off and left her in a comfortable spot in the hay. Then he ran out to the street and searched for an earnest soul with a motor vehicle. When he found one, he sold him a sad tale of his younger sister and her abusive husband. "Please help me!" Joey begged. "I've come to take my poor sister away from her abusive husband. He has, this very night, beaten her poor face, and I can't let her stay here anymore. Won't you please give us a ride to safety?" He said that he had come to the circus to rescue her but he had no means to get them away swiftly and asked that the man take them as far as he was able. The kind hearted man agreed.   Joey went back inside and, once Danni was conscious again, told her to grab anything important. That they were leaving right away. Danni was terribly confused by all of this. The circus was her livelihood and all she had known. But, it was also a difficult life and had resulted in several beatings and injuries. Danni decided to trust this man and go with him.   When they exited together the driver exclaimed, “oh, God bless you sister! You have been beaten indeed. I hope that no good husband of yours gets what’s coming to him!”   In the car, Joey said not a word, but he held onto Danni's hand tightly. Danni noticed this but never asked him to let go.       After a series of questions about their story…   “Are you trying to elope with her or something?”   Joey laughed. “No, nothing like that. She was being abused so I promised to help her escape. It’s really that simple. It seemed the most logical course of action to play her brother.”   The man narrowed his eyes. “Are you in love with her?”   “No.”   Of all the lies Joey had told in his lifetime, this was perhaps the weakest and he knew it. Even though part of him believed this, it was the most unconvincing ‘no’ that ever left his lips. Especially given the fact that he had Danni in his arms a mere six hours ago. He almost admitted defeat right there.   The man hardly acknowledged it. He smirked briefly, then went back to his stoney gaze.   “Ah, I see. Then if this is merely a handshake agreement for you; you are not her family and are not getting paid for this job, then I can see the girl to wherever she needs to go and you can be about your business. You need trouble yourself no further.” And with that, the man opened the driver side door and began to climb back inside.   “Wait!” Joey’s outburst stopped the man before he shut the door. “That’s not necessary, I can escort the girl. I said I would, so I will.”   “You need not worry about your honor, I’ll tell her that we made an arrangement to get her safely away.”   “Alright fine! You win. I care about the girl. I can’t let you just take her. I have to make sure she is safe.”   The man climbed back out of the car and stood in front of Joey with a very stern look, like a father scolding his son.   “Care? Is that it?”   “That’s all I have right now. I haven’t cared for anyone other than myself for a long time. Now, suddenly, I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to her. I can’t honestly say I love her. I don’t know if I have ever been in love. But I know that this is the least selfish thing I have done in a long time.”   “Why should I let you take her anywhere after what you just confessed to me? You just told me that you are a selfish man who doesn’t love anyone. You may hurt her again. You may have been the one to hurt her in the first place.”   “It’s a valid point. I haven’t done anything to earn anyone’s trust. However, I have never hurt her, nor would I. I have changed the course of my life in order to take her from harm’s way. And I…” Joey trailed off. He thought about Sasha. He remembered the moment he almost killed him. He thought of his sister and Danni. One event steered him onto this course. Perhaps one could steer him back the way he started.   “I showed mercy. I don’t think I’m the man I was anymore.”   The driver smiled and nodded. “Alright then. We best be on our way. We’re losing daylight.”   The ringmaster walked over to Sasha. “Danni is gone. Fled in the wee hours of the morning. Joey is gone too. I suppose they ran away together.”   “Those no good brats! To just run away like that. What cowards to flee your duties!”   “I wouldn’t say it was cowardice. Someone walked into your enclosure last night and saw Danni standing over you with a knife at your throat. She stood there for several seconds before backing away and leaving. She held your life in her hands and she spared you. Now I wonder what would make her want to do something like that…”   “Sir, that girl threatened my life. We’re well rid of her…”   “Is that so? It has also come to my attention that you have been abusing animals and assistants. It breaks my heart to say this Sasha, but you’re fired. Jealousy is an ugly thing. You let it worm its way into your heart. I was hoping you would take over for me one day, my son, but now, we have to say goodbye.”   Sasha stood in disbelief and anger in the middle of the thoroughfare. Everything he had worked for was lost to him now.     Joey is preparing to leave.   Danni looked at him carefully, then asked, “Don’t you love me?”   “Nope. Just said that to get you to cooperate.”   “Then why can’t you look me in the eye?”   Joey looked at her, stunned, and realized he was caught. She was smiling; she was completely confident that she had called his bluff.   Joey laughed. “Why can’t I lie to you? The truth just comes oozing out.” He walked up to her. “Yes, I love you, and that’s why I have to leave.”   “I don’t understand.”   “I know, I know. But here are things about me that you don’t know. Things you should never know. I’m not safe for you. I’ve done some really terrible things. So, if I truly care for you, then I should leave right now. And that’s what I’m going to do.”