Chapter One - The Shocking Proposal
The definition of shock is the following; a sudden upsetting or surprising event or experience. That's exactly what Jyoti Kaur was experiencing. "You're going to what?" she exclaimed, looking between the sympathetic eyes of her own parents. "I'm sorry sweetie. I wish there was another way, but there isn't" her mother replied. "We had already filed for bankruptcy and we can't do it again. This was our last resort" her father added, not exactly looking at his only daughter.
"Do you know how inhumane this is?" Jyoti yelled, her parents flinching. The Kaur residence was going through a tough time, with America on it's knees in Capitol debt. The last resort as they called it, was selling Jyoti in order to pay off the debts. True, they told her what it was when she was in the fifth grade, but she didn't think it would happen.
"We already got someone who will take extra care of you. She'll be perfect for you" her father said, getting up and walking over, then put his hands on Jyoti's shoulders. "I don't want to marry a complete stranger, daddy. I told you that" the Indian retorted, crossing her arms. "Oh sweetie, she's not a stranger. As a matter of fact, she was actually willing to help" her mother replied, earning a quirked eyebrow in return. "Who?" Jyoti asked.
Just then the doorbell rang. "She's here? Already?" her father asked, before striding to the door and opening it. "Ah Fiona! Welcome, come in" he said, happily. He moved out of the way to let Jyoti's wacky fifth grade science teacher in. "Miss Frizzle? What are you doing here?" she exclaimed, getting a slight blush from the redhead in return. "I heard your predicament, so I helped them out" she answered. "By buying me?" Jyoti asked, clearly not amused. "Yeah" Fiona replied, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. "Why you?" the Indian asked, slightly irritated. "Well, I couldn't just let you get sold to someone who didn't respect woman" the wacky teacher explained, shrugging.
Jyoti looked at the redhead, looking for any lies, but not surprisingly, found none. "Alright" she said, shooting her hands up in surrender. "She'll need a few days to pack, then I'll come back" Fiona explained, earning nods from the Indian's parents. "See you soon, Jyoti" the redhead replied, before walking out with Liz on her shoulder.
After a few days, true to her word, Fiona came back. She helped Jyoti pack her stuff into the bus and let her say her goodbyes to her parents.
"Come by anytime, sweetie" her mother said, tearing up. Joyti hugged her, then turned to her dad. She wasn't surprised to see him crying like a baby. "Be safe. I'm sorry" he cried, sobbing in her shoulder. "Don't worry, dad. She'll take good care of me" the Indian said, looking at Fiona, who stood a small distance away, her back leaning on the hood of the bus. "She better. You're my only daughter" he lowered his voice, where only Jyoti and her mother could hear.
After she said her goodbyes, she got on. Fiona, right behind her. "Are you ready?" she asked, earning a hesitant nod in return. "It'll be okay. I promise" she replied, before driving off.
Jyoti was quite surprised to see Professor Frizzle in the driveway, waiting for them. "Welcome to the family, Jyoti. Let's get you situated" she said, helping them unload the Indian's boxes, before going inside the seemingly tall mansion.
"Is this yours?" Jyoti asked in amazement. "It's not mine, it's Valerie's" Fiona said, shaking her head. They came upon an unmarked door. "This will be your room, until the wedding" the Professor said, opening it.
Inside the room was the usual starting furniture, the walls a creamy white. "Wow. A master suite. Enticing" Jyoti looked around, the possibilities endless in her mind. "Fiona, start helping her. I'll see if Bonesy will start lunch" she said, earning a nod from her sister.
"Who's Bonsey?" Jyoti asked, earning a smirk from the young redhead in return. "You'll see. We'll have some guests over too" Fiona answered. The Indian nodded, then started to unpack.
When they were halfway done, Fiona decided to call it a day. She lead Jyoti out of her temporary room, and down into the dining room, and Jyoti stepped dead in her tracks. There in seven other seats, were her friends from fifth grade. "Guys? What are you doing here?" she exclaimed. The gang turned their attention and smiled. "Jyoti!" They ran up and hugged their old classmate.
"What are you guys doing here?" Jyoti asked, looking stunned. "We're here for your wedding, silly" Keesha squealed and jumped up and down, earning laughs from the rest of the gang and their old teachers. "Calm down, Keesha" the Professor replied, smiling at the enthusiasm. The young teenager complied and sat down, with the rest of her class.
"So class, any plans this summer?" Valerie asked. "We're planning on a road trip to North Carolina. Over half the Walkerville 2017 classes are going too" Carlos answered, the rest of the gang nodded. "How long are you going to stay?" the redhead asked, earning a few glances at DA. The blonde blushed and cleared her throat, "For about a week. We'll be back in less then two, in time for the wedding" she answered, getting a nod from the Professor. "Good. We want everyone who knows you at the wedding, Jyoti" she said, looking at the young Indian, who nodded.
"Fiona, after we eat, get Jyoti situated and accompany her in the wedding parlor" Valerie ordered, making the youngest Frizzle nod once. As if on cue, a dark-skinned woman, with a strong build came in with a dish tray. "Since when are you a servant, Dr Skeledon?" Wanda asked, with an eyebrow raised. Dr Skeledon chuckled, "Since Valerie pratically took me and the boys in" was the reply.
Dr Skeledon finally noticed Jyoti, and she smirked. "Well, well, well. What do we have here, Valerie?" she winked, getting the young Indian flustered. "That's enough, Carmina. She is getting married to Fiona" replied the Professor. Dr Skeledon backed off with her hands raised. "But thank you for bringing that up" she continued, getting the Indian and her old classmates confused. "Bringing what up, Professor?" asked the always-worried Arnold.
"Safety and Protection" Valerie answered. Fiona raised an eyebrow at Jyoti when she scoffed. "Protection from what?" Jyoti looked at the Professor with absolute disbelief, when she got a chuckle in return. "Protection from the opponents" was she said. The Indian looked at the youngest Frizzle, who only shrugged. "A lot of them are enemies of Valerie, Jyoti. Especially those from ZanTech" she replied.
Once they had finished eating, Fiona took Jyoti to the wedding parlor, and watched with amusement as the young Indian twirled in fascination. "It's beautiful, Miss Frizzle" she replied, giving the youngest Frizzle the warmest of smiles. Fiona smiled lovingly and nodded. "It sure is, Jyoti. Once we're married, you'll be calling me by my name, not my title" she said, putting her hands behind her back, as she watched her soon-to-be wife continued to twirl around the room.
Fiona noticed a white van, with the driver taking pictures and gently directed Jyoti back to her room for the night. When she was sure Jyoti was safe for the night, she went back downstairs, where Carmina and Valerie were talking in the dining room. "Sis, we've got a problem" she said. A quick story and a few minutes later, Carmina and Valerie came back in with a beaten white man. "Do you want to tell us why you were sneaking and pictures?" asked the Professor, and Carmina cracked her knuckles.
"Fuck you, bitch" came the reply and Carmina wasted no time to deliver a swift punch to the face. "You don't want to upset my friend. Now tell us" replied Valerie. "Fuck you. They'll fucking kill me, if I do" said the white man, his muddy green eyes did nothing but betray him. "You just did" stated the Professor. The man paled, but was still stubborn. "How?" he asked. Valerie let out hearty chuckle. "ZanTech's the only one that kills their employees for disobeying orders and using traitors as lab rats. You've got another thing coming, when they find out, you didn't keep your mind clear" she answered.
Carmina took the man and threw him out, where her boys were waiting. "He's all yours, boys" she announced, and walked back inside, while hearing the sound of punching and couples bones breaking. She nodded to Valerie, who nodded in return. The Professor looked at her little sister and put a hand on her shoulder. "She's safe. Go to bed. Tomorrow's the wedding day" she replied, and Fiona nodded.