Nicole 'Nikki' Black was a fifteen year old girl, just like any other fifteen year old girl… except for a few skeletons that haunted her closet. She was an orphan and had been for the past five years; since that fateful day she had moved into room 304 of Addison's Apartments with her Uncle James. That was the day when her life changed.
Nikki winced as her Uncle struck her again with the thick leather belt that was very clearly his favourite form of discipline. The beating were rare when Nikki first became a resident of of Addison's Apartments. While Nikki had never been hit prior to living with her Uncle, she had always assumed that her Uncle loved her and was only trying to help her grow into a woman. Now, as the beating became nearly daily, Nikki was certain that her Uncle hated her very existence. With one final lash against her bare legs, this time, Nikki couldn't help but collapse, her bruised legs no longer being able to withstand her own weight
Looking up at her Uncle with tears in her eyes, she felt the lump in her throat grow as she watched him smile.
"Next time, make sure you pay attention." He snapped, his eyes flicking to the slightly burnt piece of steak that sat upon his plate. Nikki had many duties whilst living in room 304; she was responsible of: All of the cleaning (including the kitchen, bathroom, her Uncle's room as well as her own.), her's and her Uncle's laundry and cooking all meal during the day (at least until school starts back up). Her Uncle forced her to do everything, all the while he sat in front of the television. The only freedom Nikki had was when her Uncle attended his Church once a week; although lately he had been going nearly three times a week since what happened in room 403.
"I'm sorry, Uncle. It won't happen again." Nikki mumbled as her Uncle pushed past her and slumped down on the couch, the sudden noise from the television causing Nikki to jump. She was all alone in this Hell.
When Nikki had first arrived to Addison's Apartments, everyone had been somewhat welcoming, she even had a friend back then; a boy that lived in the basement named Larry Johnson. His mother Lisa had introduced them five years ago and for about a year, Nikki spent every afternoon with the Johnson's; there was something about them that made her feel as though she was at home. But, after Nikki had mistakenly told her Uncle about how much she liked hanging out with Larry, he forbade her from even looking at a boy her age. For awhile Larry would come up and ask Uncle James if Nikki was free, even Lisa had come by for a visit, but eventually they stopped and over the years Nikki and Larry would simply smile at each other in passing, nothing more, nothing less. She knew that there were other boys that lived in the apartment, there was Chug next door and a boy named Todd that she had seen now and again when she wandered the halls in her Uncle's absence.
Slipping into her room as quietly as possible, she pressed her back against the wall and slumped down until she hit the floor, tears spilling from her eyes as she rubbed her tender legs. Her Uncle would expect her to change into jeans. That was the one consistent thing about Uncle James, he always hit her in places that were easy to hide. As her blue eyes shifted to the floor length mirror that had once belonged to her mother, she scrambled towards it, forcing herself to stand. She looked at herself and as the years went by, she could recognise her mother's blue eyes and pale skin and her father's jet black hair that she had cut into a short bob with a fringe. It was all she had left of her parents, just similarities that told her that she was their child. Nikki was skinny, a little too skinny as her teachers would tease; without her shirt on, she could count every rib, her collar bones stuck out and her cheeks were hollow.
Running her hands across her ribs, she blinked back more tears, she used to be beautiful once, or at least, her mother always told her she was. Now, she was lucky to get two (incredibly small) meals a day. It was enough to keep her alive, but her significant weight loss had been noticed by a few of the other occupants, including Lisa who had been the first person ever to ask her if everything was okay at home. Nikki remembered that day well; how she forced a smile and told her everything was fine despite every sense of being screaming to tell Lisa the truth. Although she could see the suspicion in Lisa's gaze, Nikki of course simply kept on her way. Uncle James would certainly punish her if she involved anyone else. That was the last time Lisa ever spoke to her about her home-life.
Pulling on a pair of black jeans and a plain t-shirt that she was certain was a boys hand-me-down, Nikki pulled out her small bag of make-up, all of which she had shoplifted and began to apply the black eye shadow to her eyelids and black lipstick on her trembling lips. She had chosen this look purposely in hopes it kept everyone at arm's length. She was the outcast, the black sheep, the girl that the other girls bullied at school and who the boys chanted 'slut' at as she walked the halls. Words she could live with, after the years she lived, words didn't scare her anymore. She would rather be at school than the apartment.
Nikki picked up her clothes basket, it was filled to the brim with dirty clothes, Uncle James always declared his laundry to be done first, which made it difficult to get her own laundry done when everyone in the building had to use the same machine. Taking a deep breath, Nikki staggered towards the door, trying her best to walk normally and block out the pain. Her Uncle was still watching T.V. He, Charley and the late Mrs. Sanderson all watched 'Glitter Ponies', an odd show that she was thankful hadn't pushed her Uncle into Charley's and Mrs. Sanderson's levels of obsession. There was nothing creepier than the dolls that Charley and Mrs. Sanderson displayed proudly in their apartments.
As Nikki moved towards the door, she could feel her Uncle's eyes on her, if it weren't for the washing basket under her arm, she was certain he would have stopped her leaving. Opening the door, Nikki hurriedly left the apartment and in doing so collided with a figure of around her height. As the basket slipped from her grip and clothes fell everywhere, Nikki fell to her knees and began to quickly grab her clothes. She didn't bother looking up, it was probably Chug, he tended to linger outside of his apartment waiting for his parents to come home and it wasn't the first time she had run into him while in a hurry.
"I'm sorry, let me help you with that." A muffled voice spoke, causing Nikki lifted her head and her eyes fell onto a strange boy with a mask on his face and blue pigtails. The boy was knelt down in front of her and had a handful of her clothes, including one of her bras that she snatched away from him. Thankfully the door to her apartment was closed so her Uncle wouldn't see her with this stranger. "Uh- I'm Sal, but my friends call me Sally Face. My dad and I just moved into 402. I thought I would introduce myself to the neighbours. I didn't get a chance to earlier when Lisa was cleaning the floors." As if snapping her out of a trance, Nikki looked the boy up and down before she picked up the last of her clothes and stood. This boy, Sally Face, was strange and not just because of the mask he wore, but just at how unfazed he seemed to be about… her. She was so used to the stares from everyone else, that meeting someone who didn't care about how she dressed or looked was… refreshing, although she knew that she would never be able to befriend this boy. Not while her Uncle lived. But still, she flashed Sally Face a smile,
"Sally Face? Well, Sally Face, I'm Nicole. I don't have any friends, but if I did, I'd liked to be called Nikki." She spoke much more softly than she wanted, causing Sally Face to lean a little closer towards her to hear.
"Well,it's nice to meet you, Nikki. You know, I'm new around here and don't have many friends yet, so, we could be friends? You can always come up to 402 if you wanted to talk." Nikki couldn't see Sal's face behind the mask, which made it very difficult for Nikki to read him, but he seemed sincere. Forcing a smile, she held the basket under her arm once more and began to walk towards the elevator, Sal close at her heels. She supposed she should at least say something.
"Thanks Sally Face, I'll keep that in mind. Have you met anyone else in the building?" She asked, stepping into the elevator with him. She couldn't help but feel her stomach turn as he pushed the basement key into the slot.
He must have met Larry already. At least he won't be coming by once Larry tells him what a nutter Jason is. Larry never liked Jason, even when they used to hang out. He's probably put 2 and 2 together and once he or Sally Face mention her, she suspected never to see Sally Face again, except in passing.
"Yeah, Lisa and Larry seem to be the friendliest. Then there was Charley with the creepy dolls and Mr. Addison." As Sally Face listed the occupants of the building he had met, Nikki simply smiled and nod before silence filled the elevator. They were only going down three floors, but the descent felt like an eternity to Nikki.
"Stealing a look at the blue haired boy beside her, she noticed that she seemed to be just taller than him. She couldn't help but study every inch of him and was surprised to find herself committing every inch of the guy to memory. As the boy turned his head to look at her, she quickly looked down at her feet.
"Have you seen anything strange in the building, Nikki? Like ghosts or anything?" Sal hesitantly asked, causing Nikki to snap her gaze back to him as the elevator came to a halt.
"Either you've been to the fifth floor or you've been talking to Chug. Either way, don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to." Nikki replied. The things she had seen in this building could never be explained away by any science or adult. She had often ventured to the abandoned fifth floor, it was a way to find peace and silence. Although she had not seen anything for certain, she had heard knocks, seen things from the corner of her eye, heard whispers. Classic ghost experiences… either that or she was finally losing it. Sal didn't respond as he stepped out of the elevator, Nikki close behind him.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Nikki. We should hang out sometime. Just… be careful, okay? Stay clear of that creep Charley's place, okay? He's hiding something." There was a slight hint of concern in Sal's voice as he spoke and Nikki felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Grabbing onto Sal's sleeve, she pulled him close to her, looking around to ensure they were alone.
"What do you know about Charley and Mrs. Sanderson's murder?" She asked in a whisper. She had overheard her Uncle and one of his friends talking about the murder and Charley's name had come up more times than she liked, causing her to make her own suspicions about Charley. Sal didn't fight her, and returned her hushed tones as they spoke.
"Okay, come with me. I'll explain everything." He said, his blue eyes flicking down to her hand that still grasped a fistful of his black hoodie. Releasing him, Nikki placed her basket down and followed Sal towards Larry and Lisa's place. She didn't know it yet, but this moment would be the first steps that changed her life forever.
Hi and welcome to the first chapter of my Sally Face fanfic. I have fallen in love with this game and just had to write this! Hope you all enjoyed. xx/span/strong/p
Also, would love to credit the artist of the cover if anyone knows who it may be, ty xx 3
