Summary: Amy Fletcher is an original character from FOC City who goes through the operation to make her wonderfully beautiful. However, Amy broke a rule and when she gets to her story, she quickly discovers something isn't right. Why does everyone expect her to be dumb? Why do all the Canons hate her? And why does Chazz keep calling her Mary-Sue? ChazzMarySueJaden, SyrusOC.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Seriously, most of the ideas aren't even mine, but a mix of various books I've read. Also, if you are reading this and I accidentally use a penname close to yours or a story title that seems like something you've wrote, I promise. If, however, any of the actual Sue names (which you will probably be able to tell when you see them, there is only one in this chapter) seem like they mimic one of your OCs? Well, that was unintentional as well, but you may have bigger problems.
Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Amy
"Hurry up, dork-face, we're going to get caught!" Hannah hissed peering anxiously at the dour windows of the museum. Amy rolled her eyes but quickened her movements, scrambling over the fence and dropping down to land next to her friend. She snorted quietly.
"Oh, get a grip. Nobody guards this old place, anyway," she pointed out. Hannah pursed her lips but didn't comment. Amy smirked and walked over to their normal entry point, a medium size window propped open by a battered textbook. Property of Amanda Fletcher, it said, clear as day. If anyone ever realized about their little trick to fool the archaic security system, her name was right there. It added a little extra thrill in the earlier days, but after so many years of doing this, they were not expecting to get caught anytime soon.
"We should still be careful!" Hannah snapped. Amy turned and gave her an amused look before wrenching the window open wide enough to accommodate the girls' frames. She gave a mock-bow as she indicated that Hannah should first. The larger girl made a noise of disgust, but clambered through the opening, landing neatly on her feet. Amy quickly followed her, but tripped over herself and ended up splayed on the floor in an extremely graceless manner.
"Oh, shut it," she grumbled as Hannah dissolved into laughter. The taller girl paid her no heed and continued to snicker. Amy wondered why she was friends with such a callous freak as she pulled herself to her feet. She wiped the dust off her clothes with a grimace, pausing when she glanced into a mirror, catching sight of their reflections.
Amy was a small girl, short for her age. Like everyone in their city, she wasn't much to look at. Her thin hair was a plain brown, not particularly rich or stylish, and hung formlessly around her face unless, like today, she pulled it back and braided it out of her way. She was thin, true enough, but looked less like a model and more like some sort of sickly bird. She was made up of knobby joints and freckled, sun burnt skin. Her face was unmemorable, all bumps, too small ears, and dark brown eyes that could have been striking if they weren't so squinty.
In contrast, Hannah was tall, having the sort of length where it looked like she had been stretched out one size too big. Her features were exaggerated, but not in the pretty way that you saw in magazines. Her face was long, almost equine, her lips were too large, suggestive of a guppy, and her hair frizzed up in a Pomeranian poof. She often joked to her friends that she was a walking menagerie. Some of the other kids would take this a little too far, calling her a cow because of her weight and making piggy-noises whenever she ate.
Together they made quite the pair. One too big, the other two small, as if they were trying to make up for one another. Hannah stuck out like a sore thumb, whereas Amy faded into the background easily. But she hadn't minded, not really, not until lately, when everyone else started leaving, and they weren't called. When the worries started in…
"Amy, are you daydreaming again or did you finally hit your head too hard?" Hannah's voice started her back into the real world. She turned and forced a grin.
"You can't get rid of me that easily," she joked. "I was just thinking, that's all." The larger girl gave her a measuring look and sighed, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "What?" Amy demanded.
"Agonizing about it won't do either of us any good." Hannah told her softly. "They'll call us eventually. They're just waiting for the right time, the right plotline for us." Amy bit the inside of her cheek, worrying.
"We're almost sixteen, Hannah," she said. "Most people are called right when they turn fifteen. What if we don't get called? What if they don't want us to be main characters?"
"And what would they want us for, then?" Her friend laughed as if this was silly. "We live in the Love Interest district, Amy! We're going to be main characters. We just have to wait our turn."
"But why do we have to wait? I've been waiting my whole life to get out of here. I want to be pretty and go on adventures with the Canons. Ever since I can remember I've been preparing, practicing how to make myself blush and cry while still looking strong, preparing deck after deck with themes to fit into any story! Every night I dream about how they'll make me look, how the operation will change me…I just want to be pretty."
"But, Amy," Hannah looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Don't you think that sounds awfully, well, shallow?" Amy felt her cheeks flaming and looked down.
"It's not shallow, it's just how things work here," she mumbled. "We're born, sorted into districts, we grow up, get the operation, and become beautiful. When you're ugly, life is hard. We work all the time and there are no guarantees. Nobody cares. But when you're made lovely, it's about more than just your looks. You get to live a life of excitement. People like you and nothing really bad can ever happen to you. Why wouldn't I want that?" she asked, glancing back up at Hannah. "Don't you?"
"Oh, I don't know, of course I do," Hannah half shrugged, fingering her identity-necklace as she always did when nervous. "I mean, all the perks are great and it would be nice to trade in acne for action. I just, I don't know. Don't listen to me, Amy, I guess I'm just bitter about not being called yet. Maybe they just decided that they didn't need a fat girl like me."
"Oh, Hannah, don't say that!" Amy broke in anxiously. "You aren't fat! Just because you don't look like a starving orphan doesn't mean you're fat. Besides, after the operation, you'll look gorgeous, I just know it. You're practically there already, you know? You already have the curves!"
"Thanks," Hannah laughed. "You don't have to make me feel better. Once we get called and get our operations, we'll both be so beautiful that those Canons won't know what hit 'em. Now, come on, I thought you said you wanted to check out the new Mummy exhibit."
"Er, M-miss Amanda?" Amy looked up from her book to see Kim, one of her younger dorm mates, standing waveringly at the door. She put in a bookmark and smiled, trying to seem as non-threatening as possible.
"What is it? And you can really just call me Amy," she added. Kim turned red and glanced down. She was a nice girl, very pretty for a pre-op, and everyone had high hopes for her once she got called. The only problem was that she was frightfully shy, scared of her own shadow. Well, she still had at least a year to work on that.
"Oh, er, I just needed some help, um, with the, uh, little kids?" Kim had a way of making every sentence sound like a question. She had been scolded on it in Confidence Training, but that had only served to make her attempt to wilt back into the wall when talking more than ever.
"Oh, right. It's there bedtime, isn't it?" Each dorm member had a specific duty, the more difficult duties being given to the younger girls so that the older ones could concentrate on their upcoming operations. Up until recently, Amy had been in charge of taking care of the Junior Dorm that corresponded to theirs. Now Kim was in charge of that job, but she was having trouble with the job.
"They won't listen to me. I got them ready, but I can't get them to get into their bunks," Kim admitted, nibbling on a fingernail. Amy sighed and hopped up.
"You can't let them bully you, Kim," she explained. The dark-haired girl ducked her head, ashamed. "Don't worry about it. Let's see what I can do." Kim flashed her a grateful smile and the two started to make their way across the street to the small building that housed the younger kids.
"Hey, guys!" Amy exclaimed loudly as she entered the sleep-room. Watching the rowdy girls bouncing around the room, shrieking and giggling, she understood how someone like Kim could get overwhelmed.
"Amy!" squealed a small girl, throwing herself at the fifteen-year-old's arms. Amy grinned and returned her younger sister's embrace.
"Hi, Lisa, how's my favorite little sister?" she asked, hoisting the small child up on her hip. Lisa giggled and pulled on her older sister's braid. "Ow! Don't do that, silly."
"You're the silly one. I'm your only sister." Lisa explained, pulling at Amy's identity-necklace.
"Which is why it would be really depressing if you weren't my favorite," Amy joked. "Now, tell me something, Lisa. Isn't it you guys' bedtime now?"
"Yeah," Lisa answered, fingering the little tag, tracing the words with her small fingers. Amanda Fletcher, Love Interest District, Pine Dorm.
"Well, did Kim tell you guys to get into bed?"
"Yeah."
"Then why aren't you all sleeping?" Amy asked, tugging her necklace away from Lisa's sticky fingers.
"Nobody listens to Kim," Lisa shrugged. "She's too quiet."
"Huh," Amy smiled as she got an idea. She put her sister down and walked over to the light switch, flicking it off abruptly. Shrill screams echoed in her ears and she winced.
"Miss Aman- Amy?" Kim questioned, hovering near her elbow. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to get them to start listening to you." Amy explained softly and then raised her voice. "Okay, everyone, quiet down! Butts in bed, pronto!"
"What does pronto mean?" somebody asked loudly, causing an eruption of sniggers from around the room.
"It means hurry." Amy quickly explained. "Now, I'm going to offer you guys a deal, okay? Tonight, I'll tell you a story, any story you guys wants. But from now on, you all have to listen to Miss Kim here, got it?"
"What will happen if we don't?" another voice asked boldly. Amy rolled her eyes, thinking quickly.
"Well, then Kim here will go inform the Mayor about your behavior and he will move you out of Love Interest into Abusive/Dead Parent." This was met with shrieks of dismay. Nobody wanted to be in the Abusive/Dead Parent District. The people who lived there didn't get called until they were very old, and when they were they often only appeared in flashbacks or as major villains.
"They can't do that! Not because we wouldn't go to bed!"
"Are we willing to risk it?" Lisa piped up. Amy beamed. "I'm not."
"So, what'll it be, guys? Story or Move?"
"Story!" shouted several of the girls.
"Good. That's what I thought," Amy settled herself onto the floor. "So, what story do you all want to hear?"
"Tell us about the operation," one girl requested. The other's quickly chimed their approval.
"Alright. The operation is an ancient tradition in FOCC," Amy began. "As you know, there is an island far, far away, where there's a place called Duel Academy. At this Duel Academy, there are many, many people. They go on adventures and live lives of ease. But they have one problem: the student body mostly stays the same. As you can imagine, this isn't good for interesting romance written by fans. They get bored pairing up the same six people over and over again. That's where we come in.
New characters are needed all the time. Female duelists, aged anywhere from 15-18, but mostly 15, are always on demand. But, it's hard to find enough to meet this demand. That's when the Mayor had the brilliant idea to build a city devoted entirely to our kind. He called it Female Original Character City, or FOCC. It became a tradition for every family in the surrounding towns to give up at least one daughter for this purpose. But, as he soon discovered, nobody likes to write about or read about boring, plain girls like the ones he had in stock. And yet, this was their lives. They had no where else to go. So, the Mayor sat down with all of his advisors to brainstorm.
Finally, they realized the solution. The only problem with the girls was their average looks! If they could find a way to make all the girls beautiful, exactly the way the Authors wanted, there would be no problem. So, all the scientists and doctors from around the world put their heads together. Finally they devised a machine, called an RPC, which would make all the girls beautiful."
"What does RPC stand for?" one of the girls broke in. Amy frowned.
"I'm not exactly sure. I haven't heard this story in a long time, I must have forgotten. Anyway, the machine. Using the highest tech science and some strange magic, it was able to recreate the girls in many gorgeous forms. The demands increased and varied so dramatically that the Mayor had to make several districts for different kinds of orders, and he even started a smaller city nearby for boys, called MOCC.
A girl goes into the operation looking anywhere from plain to downright ugly. When she comes out, however, she looks beautiful. Nobody can say for sure exactly what she will look like- it all depend son her individual Author's demands. She could have rippling raven locks, sapphire eyes, skin the color of snow… Some very lucky girls even get stranger things to go with their characters. Wings, fangs, cat's eyes, they are taken to a level above human!
After they are made to fit exactly the Author's needs, the girl gets to go to her story. The adventures are mythological in proportion. Several girls, like us, get to fall in love, have boys fighting over her. Stories vary in length. Lucky girls get many chapters, sometimes even sequels! After your story is completed, you can go visit other mini-universes, and see your friends."
"I, um, think they fell asleep." Kim whispered. Amy smiled and got up, stretching. "Th-thanks."
"No problem. I'll see you around, okay?" Kim nodded bashfully and Amy ducked out of the doorway, onto the street. She couldn't wait until she was called. To live a life where everyone loved you…it seemed almost too good to be true.
"Amy! Amy!" That was all the warning she had before something came barreling into her, knocking her down. Her breath whooshed out of her and she gasped for oxygen before turning to see her attacker.
"Hannah! What's going on?" she asked in a puzzled tone as she picked herself up.
"They called me, they called me! Look!" Amy suddenly found a roll of parchment shoved at her. She grabbed it and scanned the first few lines.
Dear Miss Hannah Morrison,
It is with greatest pleasure that we inform you that you have been selected to participate and star in a fanfiction, called "Black Rain Falls"…
Amy threw her arms around her best friend joyfully. The two danced around the sidewalk happily.
"Oh, Hannah! You're going to be a main character! Do you know when you're leaving?" she questioned, arms still wrapped around the taller girl.
"I have to go now, actually," Hannah answered, apprehension flickering over her face. "I'm late…but I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to you." Amy felt her spirits fall and struggled to keep her smile firmly affixed. She wasn't expecting Hannah to go so soon! They hadn't had any time to say goodbye to one another, not really.
"Oh! Oh. W-well then," she blinked. "I guess you should go then. Don't want to keep your Author waiting, right? I'll see you later, once our stories both are finished, right?"
"Definitely!" Hannah agreed, squeezing Amy harder. "Well, I guess this is it. For now, I mean."
"Yeah, for now. Bye," Amy said softly, pulling back and looking deeply into Hannah's face, trying to memorize it. This would be the last time she would get to see this exact face before it was replaced by new beauty. Not that being pretty was bad or anything, it was just that Hannah had always been her best friend. They had gone through everything together; even the seemingly endless wait while their other friends all got called and they were left behind. They joked that they were sisters, fraternal twins. And now, Hannah was leaving, too.
"Bye." Hannah whispered. They nodded, feeling suddenly awkward. The larger girl turned and began to walk away. Suddenly she turned, touching her necklace nervously.
"What's wrong?" Amy asked, frowning. Hannah shook her head slightly, seeming to make up her mind about something.
"Here," she unhooked her identity-necklace, grabbed her friend's small palm and crushed the metal into it. "Keep this." Amy's mouth open, words of surprise paused in her mouth, unsure how to be expressed. Hannah smiled, trying to lighten the moment. "This way, when our stories finish and we meet up, in our pretty-forms, I can be sure to recognize you, okay?" She leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Amy's cheek. "See you around!" She turned and ran off, toward a forest green car that had been waiting through the girl's whole conversation.
"Good luck!" Amy called as soon as she could get her voice working again. Hannah grinned and waved her hand before pulling the car door open and disappearing from view. As she watched the car pull out and clutched the ID-necklace in her hand, she felt a strange hollow sensation in her stomach.
Three weeks after Hannah left, Amy received her own letter. She was practically shaking with anticipation as she opened it.
Dear Miss Amanda Fletcher,
It is with greatest pleasure that we inform you that you have been selected to participate and star in a fanfiction, called "Darkness Rising, Wings of Love" by an aspiring authoress who goes by the name EmoNoHikari. Your operation has been planned and scheduled for later today. The car will be waiting for you outside your door. Please try not to keep it waiting. All your necessities will be provided for; taking anything from your dorm room is unnecessary. Congratulations on entering your new phase of life!
With Much Pleasure,
Dr. Esmelda Hox, Operations Consultant
Amy's bit her lips, feeling excitement bubbling up inside her. She had been called! She was going to star in her own story! She wondered what it would be about. Darkness Rising, Wings of Love…it seemed like that sort of title should herald in some kind of deep, meaningful story. The kind of story featuring a heroine as smart as she is gorgeous. She wasn't so sure about the author's name, but that was only because she couldn't understand it. Not that it mattered: she had to go or risk being late for the operation!
The next hour or so passed Amy by in a blur. After Kim and her sister, she didn't have anyone to say goodbye to, just a few teachers to thank. Everyone wished her the best of luck, of course, and told her that she would look beautiful. She promised Lisa that they would find one another as soon as possible, and was touched when Kim actually offered up a hug of her own accord. Then she was entering into the car, with its posh leather interiors and handsome driver. After quickly pressing her ID-necklace into the reading machine to confirm her status, they pulled out. They left the Love Interest District and headed toward the heart of the city, where everything of importance was carried out, including the operations.
When she got out, Amy found herself in front of a tall, imposing marble building. She was greeted by a masked intern who led her through the halls, which were lined with pictures of different post-op girls, all smiling and so lovely it practically hurt to look at them. Finally they arrived at a doorway marked with a small star symbol. The intern nodded at her to go forward and Amy did, feeling slightly breathless about the whole experience.
"Why, hello," a calm, clear voice rang out as soon as she entered. A tall, striking woman was standing in the center of the room, next to a table. She was one of the most beautiful people Amy had ever seen, as well as the oldest. Snow white hair framed her face, which was smooth except for laugh lines. Her knowing blue eyes were filled with wisdom and a hint of mirth. The sight of her simultaneously put Amy at ease and filled her with respect. "You must be Amanda. I'm Dr. Esmelda Hox."
"Oh! Yes, I'm Amanda. Er, Amy. I go by Amy," she stuttered feeling over-awed and plainer than ever before in her life.
"Of course you do," Dr. Hox laughed. Amy didn't quite see what was so funny, but there was something about the woman that just made the girl instinctively trust her and want to be liked by her, so she politely laughed along.
"I'm here for my operation," Amy blurted. The woman smiled patiently and Amy felt more awkward than ever. "You probably knew that."
"Don't worry about it, dear. Most girls are excited before they're operation. Now, I'm going to explain to you what you must do. Will you be able to remember it?" Amy nodded. "Good. I will leave the room and you will change into this hospital gown," Dr. Hox gestured at a folded piece of blue cloth on the table next to her. "Along with your clothes, you must make sure to take off every piece of metal that you have on, including your ID-necklace. Remember, no metal! Once you've finished changing, go through that door to the right and lay flat in the tube. The system will recognize you and begin. You might hear a soft whirring noise and you'll quickly lose consciousness. Don't panic, that's how it works. The RPC machine has already been programmed with your new appearance settings, so no need to worry about human error. When you wake up, you'll be beautiful and ready for shipping to your story. Any questions, dear?"
"Oh, er, yes," Amy was still trying to process all the information. "Will I get my things back? My clothing, I mean?"
"Of course not!" Dr. Hox laughed. "They probably won't fit anymore. No, you'll be getting a whole new wardrobe befitting your new appearance. Try not to worry about it. After the operation, things will all make a lot more sense. Anything else?"
"No, no, that's all. Thank you," Amy managed politely. Dr. Hox smiled gently and left the room. Amy sighed, feeling a bit dazed by the whole thing. She pulled her clothes off, managing to trip over her jeans and do a flaceplant onto the floor. Then she pulled the hospital gown on, twisting to reach the ties. She was just walking over toward the door to the operating room when something dug painfully into the ball of her foot.
"Ouch!" she yelped, yanking her foot back and looked down to see what it was. Hannah's ID-necklace. It had been in her jeans pocket. It must have gotten loose as she changed and gotten knocked out when she tripped. She picked it up, letting the thin chain slide like water through the loop, the tag resting in her palm. It was metal. She wasn't allowed to bring metal in. But it was Hannah's tag. She closed her fist around it. She had to keep it- and her own. She bent down and picked up her old necklace. She hooked Hannah's tag onto her chain and curled the whole thing up until she could hide it in her fist. It was only a small bit of metal, and it would be the last remnant of their childhood. It wasn't as if she was trying to sneak city data files out, it was only just some names. It was no more illegal than breaking into the museum to hang out at night. She was sure nothing would go wrong.
Resolve firmly in place, Amy pushed through the doorway into the operation room, her finger curled around the necklace for luck, she climbed into the tube and lay flat. She closed her eyes as the buzzing sound filled her ears and just like that, she was unconscious.
And so ends chapter one. Meh, this one wasn't my favorite. Since I was so busy trying to get all the information that I could into it, I feel the pacing was a bit off. Hopefully it'll get better in the next few chapters.
Please review! Also, you WILL get to find out what RPC stands for eventually, but if you are able to guess correctly before hand, you will get a prize that has to do with the story. I like to incorporate semi-interactive elements into my story and this will be one of them.
Next Chapter: Amy wakes up in her new, beautiful form. She starts to get the general feeling that something isn't right, but can't delve too deeply before she is booted over to the first chapter of Darkness Rising, Wings of Love.
Love for all!
Rose