Author's Note: Okay, so I just…thought of this idea. So yeah. By the way, a few days ago, iSaved Your Life was on TV and I was watching it while my mom was cooking dinner. Then my mom was all, "Are they still together?" And then I was like, "Who?" And then she said, "Carly and Freddie," And then I told her, "No!" I hope that doesn't mean that my mom ships Creddie, because then I'd have to get emancipated from her. Haha. Just kidding. Creddie's kinda cute, but it's got nothing on Seddie. One more thing…this is set during the week before iOMG, when Sam hangs out with Freddie and Brad and is being all nice. If you wanted to be specific, I guess you could say that it's set after the arm wrestling part but before the web show part. Also, still shocked over reviews for my other stories. You guys rock. Hugs and tickles! :D
Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly. If I did, I would tell the world what the goat did.
iHave a Nightmare
I am hiking.
The morning sun shines overhead, its warm rays contrasting the chill of the crisp mountain air. The sky is blue, not one cloud in sight. The beautiful melodies of the singing birds accompany my peaceful journey. The hard packed dirt pathway is covered by a canopy of colorful leaves that crunch under my boots with every step.
But isn't it springtime?
The trees loom taller as the trail steepens, obscuring the afternoon sunlight. I hear the occasional rustle in the bushes and try not to worry, frequently reminding myself that those noises come from small, harmless creatures. The winds that whip past me are successively getting colder, so I zip my jacket closed.
Doesn't the temperature normally rise during the day?
Evening is drawing near, and the sun has a vibrant orange hue as it sets just above the horizon. The sky above has darkened to a gloomy purple. The sounds from the woods have grown louder, but they seem to come from far away. A freezing mist accumulates just above the ground. The frequent gusts of wind carry the scent of pine.
Then where are the evergreen trees?
All I see is black up ahead, and only the silhouettes of things that are near me. The clouds block my view of the moon, which makes me uneasy. I stumble along blindly, unsure if I am even on the right track anymore.
Where is my destination, anyway?
I lose my footing and trip over a large stone and fall face down. I hear a breathy laugh in the back of my mind. Or maybe it came from deep in the forest. I can't tell. But my brain tells me to keep moving forward even though I'm officially terrified of what could lie just a few feet away.
Why did I decide to take this trip?
I continue to stagger through the darkness, until I suddenly feel more space around me, sensing that I've entered a clearing. It's absolutely silent…until I hear a soft giggle. It steadily escalates until it peaks at a maniacal cackling that I somehow find eerily familiar. A body emerges from the shadows.
Wait a minute…since when do I hike?
It's some sort of animal. It slinks toward me casually but menacingly, as if it has all the time in the world to plot my demise. The only reason why it's even visible is because of its extraordinary eyes. They are narrowed in spite, but also glow with a brilliant blue light, like the midmorning sky I saw earlier. They're dazzling and dangerous all at once.
Is that even possible?
The laughter stops as soon as I realize that it's coming from the beast's mouth. It's close enough that I can finally identify it. It looks like a cross between a large dog and a small bear, and its wavy fur is a shiny golden color. Its claws are long and sharp and seem as though they could cut through diamonds. But its head has been replaced by that of an even more horrifying creature.
Sam Puckett.
"Hello, Fredible. You're looking quite…appetizing…tonight," she greets nonchalantly, presenting her razor-sharp fangs.
I know Sam's teeth aren't the best, but does she really have jaws like that?
"Sam…please don't…" I beg, backing away.
"Oh, Fredward. I wish I could help you out, but surely you know me better than that," she hisses, pretending to be concerned, "You're certainly aware that I could never turn down a meal," She licks her lips threateningly.
"Sam…no!" I scream as she lunges straight for my throat. Fortunately, I dodge her and she tumbles into the forest .
Sam missing her target? I must be dreaming…
"Freddie…Freddie…Freddie…" she calls, attempting to find her way back to the clearing. She leaps from the trees and growls. Pain shoots through my shoulder as her teeth latch onto it, and I black out.
"Freddie!"
My eyes flew open, and the petrifying face from my dream appeared above me.
"Don't kill me!" I shrieked, using my arms to shield my face.
"Calm down," Sam cautioned quietly, taking her hand off my shoulder, "It's just me,"
"Just you? But you're…" I trailed off as my vision focused, revealing that the ominous wilderness had disappeared, and I was currently lying on Carly's sofa, "H-How did I get here?" I questioned, confused.
"While we were all playing 'Violin God' in the studio, you went downstairs to study for Mr. Howard's benchmark and you never came back," Sam notified me, gesturing to the review sheets scattered on the floor.
"Oh…I guess I got tired and crashed on the couch," I replied, putting it all together. I rubbed my eyes and stretched before standing up groggily.
"Were you having nightmare?" she questioned hastily. I raised my eyebrows, "Just…curious," she justified just as quickly.
"Umm…" I paused, struggling to recall my dream. The fact that I screamed when I woke up gave me a clue, "Yeah…maybe. Why?"
"Because you were thrashing around in your sleep and you looked like you were in pain," she informed me.
"Oh…I've always been a restless sleeper," I admitted.
"Okay…and what was your dream about?" she inquired. Why was she asking questions? As if she cared about what happened to me while I was asleep.
"Uhhh…I was hiking all day…and then a monster almost killed me," It was hard to remember everything.
"Was…I…in your dream?" my eyes widened. I did recollect that the ferocious creature sported her own head.
"Why do you ask?" I avoided the question nervously. I wasn't about to set myself up for the torment I would receive if she found out that I dreamed about her. But I had a feeling that she already knew both the answer to her question and how she would insult me because of it.
"Because in your sleep, you were whimpering, 'Sam…please don't,' and 'Sam…no!'," she notified me. She was acting strange. I didn't catch a glimpse of that sly smile that always formed on her face whenever she was about to make fun of me for something shameful. And having a nightmare about a teenage girl certainly fell into that category. Unless, of course, you were a vampire and that teenage girl's name was Buffy. But the closest we ever came to that scenario was in the Moonlight Twi-Blood parody, yet it didn't seem as if she was even amused. There was no mischievous glint in her eye. Actually…she almost looked…concerned.
"Yeah… the monster had your head," I told her, not even bothering to hide my embarrassment anymore. I was prepared for the wounding remark. That's usually all I could do when it came to her.
"You had…a nightmare…about me?" she knit her eyebrows together and bit her lip. What? Where was the laughter? The cruel insults? Not even one joke at my expense? It's not like I wanted those things, but the fact that she didn't find joy in my humiliation had me baffled.
"Yeah…" I answered tentatively.
"Oh…Do you have them often?" she had an almost hurt expression. Okay…something was really wrong with her. In fact, now that I think about it…she hasn't really offended me at all for the past few days. She even asked to hang out with Brad and I at the Groovy Smoothie, but couldn't because her mom needed help fixing her bed. I didn't ask why it was broken, fearing the answer.
"No…maybe once or twice before, but they aren't recurring," I spoke slowly, waiting for her to explode into peals of laughter. She had to. This was Sam. She missed chances to upset me as often as she missed meals. And everyone knows how seriously she takes her food.
"Oh…" she looked down at her feet. Okay, that was it.
"Sam, are you feeling alright?" I finally questioned.
"Yeah…why wouldn't I be?" She eyed me defensively. I thought about asking her where her impudence…her fire…where…Sam Puckett…had gone. And if she was going to be back anytime soon. But instead, I decided to play it safe.
"You…look a little flushed," I lied. My eyes darted to the side, unable to make contact with hers. I've always been a terrible liar. Suppose I can cross politician off my list of possible future careers.
"Well I guess that rocking violin solo tired me out," she brushed it off casually. How could she not catch me in this lie? Maybe she really was ill…
"Okay. Well…I'm gonna keep studying," I ended our conversation awkwardly, sitting back down on the couch. Maybe it would have been less uncomfortable if she had tried to affront me. When I thought about it, I realized that most of our exchanges ended with Carly's interference.
"Have fun. I'm gonna consume some foodstuffs in the kitchen," she replied. At least she had her usual appetite.
I tried my best to focus on the impacts of the XYZ affair, but instead, I kept looking at Sam. She was sitting at the counter, eating her pork chops, like it was any average day. But still, something was off. Suddenly, I noticed the problem. She had a fork. And a knife. And she was using them. To eat food! I thought she usually ate meat with her hands. Without warning, she turned to look at me and noticed me staring at her.
"Ummm...why are you watching me?" she asked uneasily. Was she kidding me? Not even a spiteful, "Whatchu looking at?" or a malevolent, "Take a picture…It'll last longer!" ? I was fed up with this. Wait a minute…maybe if I provoked her, she would start acting normally again. I understood that I was probably going to be beaten to a bloody pulp for this, but for some reason, it didn't faze me. I needed the old Sam back. Without her, things were too weird.
"Because…you…look stupid," I tried to insult her, but it sounded like a question. Nevertheless, it still worked. I saw the rage in her eyes, her fists clenching as she stood up quickly. I felt myself smile a bit, even though I knew I was about to receive the pounding of a lifetime. However, it never came. Instead, she stood still, staring at me for a moment, before running toward the door, slamming it hard on the way out. I gaped in shock, trying to figure out why she was behaving this way. And for the first time in my life, I desperately wanted some sort of abuse from Samantha Puckett. What has this strange girl done to me? And what happened to her? I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and Carly's voice came from behind me.
"Who slammed the door?" she questioned, concerned.
"Sam," I replied, disconnected, still looking at the door, as if I was in a trance.
"Why? Are we out of meat?"
"No…"
"Freddie, what's wrong?" So much. Some extraterrestrial being has taken over Sam's body.
"Nothing!" I answered, turning to look at her and snapping myself out of it. She eyed me suspiciously for a second.
"Okay…" she said, unconvinced, "But since Sam's gone, we're missing a player. Do you wanna join us?"
"Ummm…sure. I need a break from studying," And a distraction from thinking about how Sam was a shell of her former self.
"Cool. Come on!" I stood and followed her upstairs. As we made our way to the studio, I couldn't help but wonder whether I should tell Carly about Sam or not. They were best friends. Maybe Carly would be able to talk to her about it. Because considering what had just happened, I didn't think I would be the best candidate for that. Just before she made it to the studio door, I stopped her, grabbing onto her shoulder and turning her to face me.
"Carly," I began.
"What?" Did I really want to tell her about this? Maybe…I'm being a little paranoid. Maybe Sam really is just sick. Maybe she's really tired and doesn't feel like hurting people. Maybe it was just uncomfortable because we were alone. Maybe I have such a twisted vision of Sam that I can't imagine her acting like a decent human being, even though she could be that way sometimes. Maybe I'm just a worrywart. They do say, like mother, like son.
"Ummm…can I play on the Beginner level? I'm not good at this game," I lied pathetically once again. I decided to wait until Carly noticed that something was wrong with Sam, too. After all, they are best friends. It would only be a matter of time if there really was a problem.
"Sure," she agreed, opening the door and gesturing toward it, "After you,"
"Thanks," I walked in, hoping that the game would successfully keep my thoughts off of Sam.
Wait…why am I thinking about Sam so much?
Author's Note: Okay, I've been working on this little by little for weeks and I don't know why it took me so long. I guess this is a sorta missing moment from the week leading up to iOMG. Hope it didn't bore you to death. There were a lot of things that I hope you guys understood. Take note that Freddie indirectly called Sam's eyes dazzling, if you tend to overanalyze things like I do. This was me experimenting with imagery and such. Gosh…I sound really boring right now. I swear I'm not! And to prove it, my next story will be full of comedy! Oh, wait…make that the one after the next one. Sorry, but I got a bunch of unfunny ideas in my head at the moment. Anyway, please review. I really wanna see what you think of this writing style. And leave any questions, comments, or death threats you may have. :D