Chapter Text
Tue 1/4/2009
Morning
Weather: rain
What should've started as a normal morning ended up being a disaster for Nikki because her little sister, Brianna started to make a habit of sneaking into her room while she's sleeping and steal her alarm clock.
Now why would she do that? Because she wants to wake up extra early to make her peanut butter, jelly and pickle (yes pickles) sandwich to take to school for lunch.
Because of this Nikki has less than three minutes to shower, shampoo, brush, dress, pack, eat, gloss and head out.
But by some miracle Nikki managed to do that in two minutes and nineteen seconds probably setting a new late-for-school record (if it actually existed).
She decided to wear her brand-new sweater woth the cool fringe on it, which took her two whole months to save up and buy from SWEET 16.
Since my day already got off to a very terrible start theres no way it could get any worse. Nikki thought.
While she passed by the kitchen, she saw Brianna making her breakfast.
"Brianna! Did you take my clock again?!" Nikki yelled. "If I'M late for school, it's all YOUR fault!"
"I didn't take your clock. Miss Penelope did!" Brianna said while showing her a hand puppet which was a face she drew on her right hand and stuck her tongue out. "She thinks you need all the beauty sleep you can get! Have you looked in the mirror lately."
"Miss Penelope THINKS I need beauty sleep?! Sorry, Brianna, but Miss Penelope CAN'T think. She doesn't have a brain! She's a hand puppet!" Nikki shot back.
"She does too have a brain!" Brianna shouted. "She says she can go to puppet school to get smarter, but YOU need to go in that TV show Ugly Face Intervention!"
Oh really, she's going to need an intervention right after I take a pen and drew her a mustache. Then we'll see whose face is the more messed up. Nikki thought.
Nikki, not wanting to entertain this conversation any longer she headed to leave but Brianna stopped her again.
"Would you like me to make one for you, Nikki? It's yummy! See?" Brianna said, shoving her sandwich right in her face.
Nikki cringed at the slimy drippy mess and the smell was worse than it looked with the rancid pickle juice.
"Um... no thanks." Nikki muttered, completely disgusted.
"Come on. Just take one bite!" Brianna said, waving it under Nikki's nose. "You'll love it."
"No, Brianna. Actually I'm not hungry anymore! I just took one look at your sandwich and completely lost my appetite."
Brianna giggled. "Are you sure? It's awesomely delicious."
Nikki rolled her eyes because of Brianna's inability to take no for an answer that she wanted to scream.
But before Nikki did anything else Brianna went to the fridge to get a juice box, so Nikki took that as a chance to gather her stuff and head out before Brianna pesters her again.
But before she could head out the door, Brianna came charging at her like a baby rhinoceros in pigtails.
"Give me back my sandwich!" Brianna angrily demanded.
Nikki turned around dumbfounded. "Huh?! Now why on earth would I steal that disgusting sandwich after you offered to make it for me."
"Well my sandwich is gone and we're the only two people in the kitchen! So YOU stole it, now give it back!"
"For the last time, I didn't take that nasty sandwich, go make another one or something!"
"Fine, but the next time I make it, you're not having it." Brianna grumbled as she went back to the kitchen.
Good. Nikki thought as she opened the door and left for school.
Despite waking up late, Nikki made it to school on time which had Nikki think that today might actually be a really good day and the morning was just a minor inconvenience.
While she was walking down the hall, she was surprised that her new sweater got so much attention, because everyone stopped and stared, even the CCP (Cute, cool & Popular) girls actually smiled, pointed and whispered to each other. So Nikki took it as an assumption that everyone liked her new sweater, which made her feel like a fashion model.
"Good morning people! Please don't hate on my fabulous sweater!" Said Nikki, but it was only in her head so nobody heard that but her.
When she got to her locker she put her stuff away and was about to write down a quick diary entry.
Suddenly, she saw Mackenzie staring at her like she saw a mutant but Nikki ignored as usual.
"Oh my gosh, Nikki! Where did you get that sweater?!" Mackenzie shrieked.
Nikki glared at her like she asked the worlds dumbest question then calmly answered, "I got my sweater from a store. You know, where you buy your stuff, like your hair and your tan."
Mackenzie then pointed at Nikki and snickered, "Um... Nikki are you trying to make a fashion statement? Or have you just been eating out of the garbage again?"
Confused, Nikki looked down at her sweater and to her shock she saw Brianna's missing sandwich, which caused her to drop her diary and stare in horror now that Nikki realised no one had been admiring her new sweater, but making fun of her.
When she looked up, she saw Mackenzie and everyone in the hall pointing and laughing at her.
"Hey, Nikki, would you like some flies with that sandwich?! Oops, I means FRIES!" Mackenzie said mockingly.
Which caused everyone to laugh harder.
Nikki tried to think of a comeback but she couldn't think of anything thing.
All she could muster was a "whatever." And pick up her diary, shove it into her backpack, slam her locker door shut and walk away whilst blinking back tears.
Eventually she hid in the girls bathroom whilst trying to process how the sandwich got stuck in her coat. And the only logical explanation she could think of is that the sandwich probably got stuck on her coat when she tossed it on the kitchen table.
So Brianna was right, I did steal her nasty sandwich accidentally. Nikki thought.
Nikki tried to desperately wipe away all the stains but it was hopeless because she was covered with peanut butter stains, purple jelly stains and white soap suds.
Nikki's eyes then started to burn from the smell of pickle juice and adding water made it ten times worse, causing tears to roll down her cheek. Then she started to cry for real, while wondering who makes life more miserable, Mackenzie or Brianna.
After her English, French and social studies classes. Nikki went back to her locker to wait for Chloe and Zoey so that they could walk together to gym class.
But then Brandon rushed up to her which surprised Nikki.
"Hi Nikki! I've been looking for you all morning. I hope you got my texts! And um... WOW! What happened to your sweater?!" Said Brandon.
"What's up, Brandon? I just had a little accident. With a sandwich. But I'm fine. So, you sent me a text?"
"Yeah. Actually I sent you three. They were pretty important! The journalism camp I'm going to this summer has an opening for a cartoonist. I guess someone from another school cancelled."
"Really? That sounds um... interesting," Nikki said trying to be nonchalant.
Though in the deepest depths of her soul, she was screaming. Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I could die at the thought of possibly spending the entire summer hanging out at camp with Brandon, taking long romantic walks through the woods hand in hand, breathlessly gazing into each other's eyes while being eaten by mosquitoes! Squeee!
"Nikki, Mr. Zimmerman said he wants to add a comic strip to our school newspaper," Brandon said, snapping Nikki out of her thoughts." And he's willing to pay for either you or Mackenzie to go to camp since you're both talented artists. Anyway, I was hoping it was you who signed up because it looks like the spot has already been—"
"Hold on Brandon. Let me check my phone. Now that I think about it, I haven't gotten anything from anyone all morning which is very strange."
Nikki took out her cell phone to check her calls and messages, when Brandon had a puzzled look on his face.
"So, where did you get your phone case? It's definitely very um... different!" Brandon asked.
"Actually, I got it last month at the mall." Nikki replied.
Nikki tried turning her phone on, however the battery was completely dead, which meant Brianna was playing on her phone without permission again. And when Nikki turned her phone around she saw a terrible self-portrait of Brianna on her phone case.
Nikki was crushed and Brandon seemed pretty upset about it too.
Even though Nikki felt like crying again, she plastered a big smile across her face. "Thanks Brandon, I appreciate you for sending me the texts about the camp, even though I never got the chance to read them."
Brandon shrugged his hands and put his hands on his pockets. "Hey, no problem. I guess there's always next year. Right, I'll see you in bio."
"Sure. And thanks again." Nikki said as he headed down the hall.
After he was out of sight, Nikki sighed in frustration and collapsed against her locker.
Gosh, it looks like my day is getting cruddier and cruddier by the hour, I don't know how much more of this I can take. Nikki thought.
Afternoon
Whilst, the class were finishing with their warm up exercises, the gym teacher disappeared into the storage closet
Nikki groaned internally because that meant that they were going to do some sort of activity involving a ball, but what really set her off is when her teacher came out of the storage room and announced (in her opinion) the most hated gym class activity known to human kind.
Dodgeball.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Nikki groaned.
Once the teacher threw the balls out on the gym floor, the athletic kids immediately scrambled for one of them.
Nikki immediately noticed Jessica staring at her the way a hungry snake stares at a mouse and unfortunately for her she had a ball in her hands. Immediately Jessica took off running for Nikki while she ducked and weaved through the crossfire praying she's not the first to get out, because that just means total humiliation where everyone jeers at you and makes the L for "loser" signs as you slowly do your walk of shame to the bleachers.
But in case that it did happen, Nikki tucked her diary and pen inside her shirt to make good use of downtime on the bleachers.
Eventually Nikki got trapped in the corner, which meant no escape.
"Ha! There's nowhere to run now!" Jessica grinned. "Eat rubber, dork!"
She threw the ball full force, but Nikki ducked in time. As the ball ricocheted off the wall, Jessica's eyes were as big as saucers.
"Uh-oh!" She whimpered, and quickly tried to run away.
But the ball snacked her right in her butt.
"You're out! You're out!" A boy cried gleefully as he pointed at her.
"Yes!" Nikki shouted in triumph as she did her snoopy happy dance.
While the other kids taunted Jessica, Nikki used that time to catch her breath. Chloe and Zoey ran up to her and gave her high fives.
"Oh my gosh!" Chloe cried. "I thought Jessica had you for sure!"
"Nikki, just take deep breaths," Zoey huffed. "You sound like you're hyperventilating!"
"I'm f-f-fine!" Nikki panted. "But that was close, I thought I was dead!"
A few seconds of just standing there a group of jocks saw this as an opportunity to throw the balls at the girls like they were giant teddy bears in a carnival arcade game.
The balls barely whizzed past them but that was enough for them to freeze like deer in headlights.
"Well girlfriends! It's three of us against the word! And personally, I think we're doomed!" Chloe groaned.
"Come on guys, don't give up yet!" Zoey said. "If we're moving targets they'll have a harder time hitting us. Scatter and whatever you do, don't. Stop. Running."
So the girls took off in different directions, running around the gym like headless chickens.
They ran around in circles, zigzags and swirls. And the strategy was working. Because they managed to survive the game and soon it was down to three of them and a few others, which was the longest they've ever lasted.
What turned out to be the worst activity in the history of mankind for Nikki ended up being a lot of fun.
Until Mackenzie suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Hey Maxwell eat this!" Nikki turned around - only to be greeted by MacKenzie, holding a dodgeball ready to throw at full force. Before Nikki could even react, the ball struck her in the face leaving her dazed.
As she stumbled to the bleachers, her vision began to blur and her legs gave out beneath her.
"Nikki! someone get the teacher!" Zoey cried.
"Oh no, I think she's hurt! Someone help!" Chloe screamed.
But, it was too late. Nikki collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
When Nikki finally opened her eyes, she realised that she was no longer in the school gym. Instead, she found herself upright in a strange blue limo.
In front of her, sat a half-bald man with grey hair dressed in a black suit. His nose was long, and eyes that were bulging so much so that it looked like they were about to pop out. Beside him sat a woman who just looked around, middle-aged with elegant white hair, around 5'7, wearing a blue dress and matching high heels. Her red lipstick made her seem oddly regal.
Before Nikki could ask anything, the man spoke first.
"Ah...it seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny. Welcome to the Velvet Room, my name is Igor and, I am delighted to make your acquaintance," he said.
"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. This is a room where those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter."
Nikki tried to question what Igor meant by a 'contract' but for some reason, no words came out.
"It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future. Now then Why don't you introduce yourself?"
Suddenly, a sheet of paper and pen landed on Nikki's lap, and as soon as she wrote her name, both the paper and pen disappeared.
"Hmmm... I see." Igor muttered. "Let's take a look into your future, shall we?"
Igor takes out a several tarot cards and laid them on the table.
"Do you believe in fortune telling?" He asked.
Nikki shook her head. She's never been the type to believe that stuff and never will.
"Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different and life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?"
Igor flipped over the first card. It showed a tower being destroyed by thunder and two people falling from it.
"Hmm... the tower, in the upright position represents an immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent."
He flipped over another card which shows the Moon.
"The card indicating the future beyond that is the Moon, in the upright position. This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery'. Very interesting indeed."
He leaned in slightly.
"It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. In the coming days you will enter a contract of some sort, after which you will return here."
"The coming year is a turning point in your destiny and if the mystery goes unsolved you're future may be forever lost. My duty is to provide Assistance to our guests, to ensure that it does not happen."
Suddenly, Igor snapped his finger as if remembering something. "Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you to my assistant."
He gestured toward the woman "This is Margaret. She is a resident here like my self though we shall attend to the details another time. Until then farewell."
Everything went dark.
A few moments later Nikki wakes up on the floor surrounded by Chloe, Zoey and a several of her classmates huddled around her in concern.
"Look everyone I think she's coming to." Zoey said, leaning closer.
"Thank goodness at least she's not in a coma." Chloe sighed in relief.
"Um... Is she supposed to be twitching like that? She looks like the dying roach that I saw in the girls' locker room! I don't know which is more DISGUSTING!" MacKenzie chimes in.
"SHUT UP MacKenzie!" Chloe and Zoey snapped in unison.
"You're the one that did this to her!" Chloe added sharply.
"Yeah you could've gotten her killed!" Zoey followed up.
"Huh... what happened?" Nikki murmured, her voice faint. She tried to sit up, but her limbs felt like jelly. It was as if her body refused to cooperate.
The gym teacher stepped forward and crouched next to her.
"Nikki's okay but still a little disoriented. Luckily, she doesn't have any broken bones, but maybe she'll feel okay when you get her up on her feet."
One of the girls extends her hand out. Nikki grabbed it. But as she pulled herself upward, a sharp pain shot through her head.
"ARGH!" Nikki cried, clutching her forehead.
"OMG, Nikki are you okay?!" Chloe gasped
"Y-yeah... just a little headache," Nikki winced. "But I feel a little sick," Nikki replied
The gym teacher stood and nodded.
"Chloe, Zoey could you please take Nikki to the nurse? She might be able to determine if she's truly okay."
"Right," both girls replied, each taking an arm to help her walk.
A few minutes later, Nikki is in the nurse's office whilst the nurse gently examined her.
"Hmmm..." the nurse murmured, tilting her head thoughtfully." As a safety precaution, I'll have to call your parents so that you can go home early and take it easy for the rest of the day."
Normally this would fill Nikki with dread. Going home in her dad's ridiculous roach van would mean complete humiliation. But right now? She couldn't care less. She has a raging headache she couldn't shake, and that weird dream she had in the blue limo. And not only that she feels really sick and then there was the way her day started - with her little sister, Brianna's 'secret recipe', her new sweater being ruined by it and all the embarrassment she had already suffered. Nikki was done.
She just wanted to sleep.
"Alright then," she mumbled. "Can you call my Dad then?" Nikki asks.
Ten minutes later, Stephen pulled up in front of the school. The van - with Max the Roach still mounted on top - looked as hideous as ever, but Nikki barely acknowledged it.
As she climbed in and buckled up, Stephen asked gently, "How are you feeling now, Nikki?"
"Absolutely cruddy, Dad." She groaned "I just want to go to sleep. This is probably one of, if not the worst, days of my life with the number of things I had to deal with in a single day."
Stephen didn't say anything. He knew better. This was one of those times when she just needed to collect herself and be left alone.
Once they arrive home, Nikki trudged upstairs to the comfort of her bedroom. She didn't bother changing into pajamas, she didn't even touch her diary - and that was something that she always did, even when she was exhausted. She simply collapsed to her bed and drifted off to sleep.