I must confess, writing this chapter was a lot of hard work, but also a lot of fun. From the moment I first came up with this idea, I knew I wanted to make Nikki the star. I don't know why, but I just love her design, her voice and what little we've seen of her personality and I'm aching to know more about her. Which is precisely what made writing this chapter such a challenge. Since we know next to nothing about her, I basically had to build her character bio from scratch. However, in the end I'm really happy with how this chapter came out and I hope you all like it too. With that said, 'The Loud House' and 'The Casagrandes' are owned by Nickelodeon and Spider-Man is owned jointly by Disney and Sony. Blah. Blah. Blah. Blah. Enjoy.
Chapter 1: Spinning in Midair
(Eight Weeks Earlier)
The rush of adrenaline.
The wind in her face.
That brief feeling of total weightlessness.
To her, this was the height of joy.
Just spinning in midair.
With a gentle clack of her skateboard wheels, she finished her trick and landed on the halfpipe's left deck, while her friends cheered her on down below.
"Nikki~ Nikki~ Nikki~" they all chanted rhythmically as she took a few bows.
Meet Nicole Coulghlin; Nikki to her friends. Age 12, though you'll be forgiven if you think she looks older; she had been blessed with her mother's long legs. She was, among other things, a student at the reputable Chavez Academy, an avid skateboarding enthusiast, a collector of books about the paranormal, and in her own humble opinion, just about the luckiest girl on Earth.
And why shouldn't she feel this way? I mean, just look at where she was; skating in the park with the five best friends anyone could ever ask for. And no one cared if you messed up a trick or fell off your board; they weren't pros and they weren't trying to be. Sure, some of them had been skating longer and were objectively better than the others, but that didn't matter. It wasn't about being good, it was about hanging with your best buds and living your best life, and Nikki was definitely living hers.
After finishing her admittedly comical series of bows, the young blonde rolled down the ramp so she could join her friends on terra firma.
"Sick moves, Nikki." Said Casey.
"Yeah, you were awesome up there, dude." Said Ronnie Anne.
"That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen." Said Laird, probably exaggerating; God bless the thoughtful little dweeb.
Sameer said nothing, but his expression and genial nod suggested that he echoed the sentiments of the others.
While Nikki wasn't the type to crave attention, she did enjoy receiving praise when it was earned; especially when it came from her family or friends. Which is why she found it a tad disconcerting when the last member of their group gave no response whatsoever.
They all turned their gazes to the left and saw their good friend, Sid Chang, sitting on the ground beside them; her eyes glued to her smartphone like she was in a trance.
"Uh… Sid, you in there?" Ronnie Anne asked her bestie; poking her a few times to no avail. "Hello~ Earth to Sid."
When conventional methods proved fruitless, the young Latina tried a more devious approach.
"Say, isn't that Yoon Kwan over there? I think it is, but why is he taking his shirt off?"
And just like that, Sid shot up like a toaster pastry.
"What? Yoon Kwan! Where?" she said excitedly as her head swiveled around in search of the bare-chested K-pop star, but when she realized there wasn't one around, her excitement quickly turned to anger. "Ronnie Anne, that was just plain cruel!"
"Sorry, dude. It had to be done. You were turning into a screen zombie."
"Still though, don't you ever tell me you see a half-naked Yoon Kwan, or any member of 12 is Midnight, unless you really mean it."
"Okay, okay, you're right. I shouldn't've toyed with your emotions. Can you ever forgive me?" the young Latina asked in a faux-pleading manner; knowing that her friend wasn't really mad at her.
"Well… alright, but just this once." Sid replied, sounding just as playful, and just like that, the matter was settled.
"So, Sid, what were you looking at anyway?" asked Casey in a clear attempt to change the subject. "Must've been pretty interesting if it made you miss Nikki finally nailing a Super McTwist."
"Oh, it's nothing. Just another video about Alchemax. I'm so psyched for our fieldtrip tomorrow, I can't think about anything else."
Ah yes, Alchemax Labs. The new scientific research and development facility that had opened up in Great Lakes City just three months prior. Their science class was scheduled to take tour of the place that Friday and Sid, being the group's resident science nerd, had been obsessing over it for weeks.
"Did you know, that in the short time Alchemax has been in operation, the scientists there have made huge leaps in the fields of robotics and quantum mechanics? Not to mention, the lead scientist, Dr. Barbie Pinkerton, has…"
"Singlehandedly pioneered the new science of neogenics." The rest of the group chorused in mild irritation.
"Oh… Have I said all this before?"
"Only about a thousand times." Answered Sameer dryly. "Look, Sid, we know you're looking forward to this fieldtrip, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. I read about Alchemax online and the most exciting thing they're doing over there is growing new kinds of tomatoes."
"Yeah, tomatoes that can grow underwater. I mean, how cool is that?" Sid replied, still maintaining her seemingly boundless enthusiasm. "And that's only the beginning. If they can do that with a tomato, then who knows what they might be able to do with something more complex. Like an ocelot or a Gila monster, OOO~, or maybe even a pygmy marmoset."
Despite having little interest or understanding of what she was talking about, the rest of the group couldn't deny that Sid's seemingly infinite positivity was infectious, so they all chuckled good-naturedly at her antics.
"Well, I know I'm looking forward to tomorrow." Nikki said with a smile. "I don't care how boring it is, as long as it gets us out of school. It's almost like a three day weekend."
Just then, a familiar electronic beeping sound went off in the young blonde's right pocket. She knew immediately what it was and more importantly what it meant, but out of habit she pulled her phone out anyway and looked at the message on her screen.
"Oh snap! I gotta bounce!" she said with urgency as she hopped on her trusty skateboard. "Sorry, guys. My class starts in like half an hour. I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?"
And after receiving the customary farewells and best wishes from her friends, Nikki was off to the next stop on her Thursday to-do list.
XXX
The rush of adrenaline.
The classical music in her ears.
That brief feeling of total weightlessness.
To her, this was the height of joy.
Just spinning in midair.
Okay… technically she was only spinning on her toes, but from her perspective it felt pretty much the same.
And, yes, I know I said doing skateboard tricks with her friends was Nikki's 'height of joy', but this was different.
This was ballet!
Oh~ the very word itself brought to mind visions of light and beauty. It took her back to the moment she first fell in love with the dance. She had only been seven years old when her parents had taken her to see 'The Bosom-Serpent' at the Great Lakes City Auditorium and from the first moment she saw those ballerinas gliding across the stage in those gorgeous costumes, Nikki knew she had to be a part of it. Jump to five years later, and she was the star pupil of the great master, Mousier Henri de Sainte-Croix. It would take at least another half decade before she was ready to go pro, but then nothing worth doing is ever easy.
At any rate, Nikki was in the middle of demonstrating one of her all-time favorite routines for the rest of the class, the Death of Beatrice from 'Rappaccini's Daughter'. She, of course, was playing the role of Beatrice while her fellow classmate, James, played the role of Giacomo, Beatrice's father. It was an especially challenging routine, because it required the ballerina to slow down her movements in steady but precise increments to create the illusion that the life was slowly draining from her body, but she had been practicing on her own for weeks and now she could do all the steps pretty much flawlessly. The only thing she was worried about going in was whether or not James could successfully catch her when she finally 'died', but he came through for her in the end and they were both met with thunderous applause; or at least as thunderous as nineteen kids and one middle-aged adult could manage.
"Bravo! Bravissimo!" Mousier Sainte-Croix shouted gleefully; somehow applauding much louder than everyone else. "Excellent work, Nicole. Not that I expected anything less from my star pupil. James, that was great… effort. Your pirouettes still need work, but your timing is much better. I'm so proud of both of you."
"Thanks, Mousier Sainte-Croix." They both said in unison.
Nikki blushed a little at the praise, not that she wasn't used to it by now. Mousier Sainte-Croix was a great teacher; always quick to complement his best students and even quicker to reassure the ones that need improvement. Oh sure, he could be strict, even demanding at times, but never to the point of being abusive. He was just a kind and good-natured fellow in general, so long as you obeyed his three big rules.
1) Never ask him why he speaks with an American accent instead of a French one.
2) Never ask him why he sometimes sleeps in his office instead of at home.
3) Never, ever, ever say the word 'divorce' while he's in earshot.
"Okay, you two, now take your places with the others." Mousier Sainte-Croix said casually to Nikki and James, then waited until all his students were in their proper places before he continued. "Now then, I know we've only got about five minutes left, but I want to make one quick announcement before I send you all home, and it just might be the single most important announcement any of you will ever hear."
Upon hearing this, Nikki and several of the other aspiring dancers just rolled their eyes. As much as she respected Mousier Sainte-Croix, she had known him long enough to be familiar with his habits; particularly his penchant for exaggeration. The last time he said he had an 'important announcement' it was just an excuse to brag about his new car, and she assumed this would be no different.
"Alright, so as many of you already know, the Great Lakes City Ballet Company, or the 'Silver Swans' as you youngsters so charmingly call them, will be giving a special performance of Karl von Schroder's 'Der Sandmann' this June in honor of what would be the composer's 200th birthday."
Actually, Nikki hadn't known that, but it made perfect sense. Von Schroder was one of the most revered ballet composers who ever lived, and the current owner of the GLCBC, Madame Francine von Muller, just happened to be one of his direct descendants.
"And as I'm sure you also already know, I was once a 'Silver Swan' myself." Mousier Sainte-Croix continued proudly. "Yes, I once wore one of those dashing diamond studded silver pins and dazzled millions with my graceful gliding for the seventeen most wonderful years of my life."
Upon seeing his students shooting him irritated looks, Mousier Sainte-Croix ceased his reminiscing and cut right to the chase.
"Ahem. Anywho, the point is that Madame Von Muller and I are old friends and, long story short, I convinced her to let one of you participate in the upcoming performance."
Nikki's heart nearly leapt into her throat and she prayed to high heaven this wasn't some kind of sick joke.
"That's right, you heard me. There will be an audition, exactly eight weeks from today, and Madame Von Muller we be here in person to make her selection. But before any of you get too excited, I just want to make one thing clear. This is not an audition to join the Company. It's for a small supporting role in a one night only performance. And even if you get the part, it is in no way a guarantee that you will be able to join the Company when you're older. It is merely an opportunity to perform on stage with some of the best in the business and to get your foot in the door. But, as I've often told you, when it comes to becoming a professional dancer, getting your foot in the door is half the battle. So, if any of you are interested, please let me know during class on Tuesday so I can email you a video of the routine you'll be performing for the audition. Now, are there any questions?"
Several of the other students raised their hands, but not Nikki, she had heard all she needed to.
The chance to perform on stage with the Company that inspired her lifelong love of ballet.
To perform in a celebration of the life of one of the greatest composers who ever lived.
It was like a dream.
A beautiful, beautiful dream.
Unfortunately, the excitement was just too much for the poor girl to take. Before she even knew what was happening, Nikki's legs gave way and she fell backwards onto the hardwood floor, but just before she lost consciousness, she heard someone shout,
"Mousier Saint-Croix, come quick! Nikki fainted again!"
XXX
Fortunately, Mousier Sainte-Croix had an assortment of smelling salts in his office, so Nikki was only unconscious for about a minute. Even more fortunately, none of the other students made fun of her for passing out; in part because they were just as excited for the audition as she was, and also because this wasn't the first time she'd fainted in class, although admittedly it was the first time it had happened without the presence of blood.
At any rate, after that brief moment of embarrassment, class was dismissed and Nikki rushed straight home to tell her parents the good news. Naturally, they were thrilled for her and that was all the encouragement the young blonde needed to actually go through with this. From then on, the rest of the night went by like a blur; homework, then dinner, then tv, then shower, and then it was time for bed.
After bidding goodnight to her parents, Nikki headed straight to her bedroom and plopped right down on her bed; having already changed into her pajamas after her shower. Her mind was still buzzing from the prospect of dancing with the Silver Swans. Every book and poster in her room evoked some new elaborate fantasy. She wondered how she was ever going to get to sleep. After a brief moment of thought, she decided to do what she always did when she had a problem and her friends weren't around; she turned to Bruce.
"Hey, Bruce. You still awake, dude?" the young blonde asked the occupant of the medium sized terrarium on the nightstand beside her bed. Upon hearing his name, said occupant, a large purple tarantula with emerald green eyes, came scuttling out of a hollowed out log to greet her. "Aww~ There's my little fuzz-buddy."
Bruce let out a strange but delighted sounding hiss from his mandible; indicating his approval of his owner's affection.
"You know something, Bruce? I really think this could be my big break."
Bruce let out another hiss; this one sounding mildly annoyed.
"Yeah, I know I said that a hundred times already, but I can't help it. Just think, if I get this part, not only will I get to perform with the Silver Swans, but I'll get to be a part of one of the biggest celebrations in ballet history. My name will be in the playbill and everything. Who knows what that could do for my career?"
Hiss. Hiss. Hiss.
"I meant my future career, Mr. Smarty Pants. And it is so a big deal. After I perform in this tribute, my name will be out there. So by the time I'm old enough to turn pro, the ballet community will already know who I am. This is practically my big debut."
Hiss. Hiss. Hiss. Hiss. Hiss.
"Okay, technically that's true, but I'm the best dancer in class. There's no way I won't get the part. My only real competition is Anastasia and she gets stress hiccups."
Hiss. Hiss.
"Uh, the difference is that giggling doesn't mess up your rhythm when you're doing pirouettes. And besides, I never get nervous when I'm dancing. Ballet is like my ultimate happy place."
Hiss.
"I know you're just looking out for me, dude, and I really appreciate it, but you don't have to worry about me. I'm going to pass this audition and I will dance with the Silver Swans. I can't explain it, but something in my gut is telling me that it's true. That everything that's happening right now is happening for a reason. Do you know what I mean?"
Hiss. Hiss. Hiss. Hiss.
"I love you too, man. I'll see you in the morning."
Hiss. Hiss.
"Night. Night."
And with that said, Nikki turned out the lights, pulled up her covers, laid her head down on her pillow and closed her eyes. Before long, her mind drifted off into peaceful slumber and she began to dream. She dreamed of a rush of adrenaline, of the wind hitting her face and of a brief feeling of total weightlessness. To her, this dream was the height of joy.
Just spinning in midair.
End Notes:
Just to clarify a few things. The Bosom-Serpent, Rappaccini's Daughter and Der Sandmann are not real ballets. I borrowed the names from short stories I read in college and as far as I know they've never been adapted into ballets. The first two were written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and the last was written by E. T. A. Hoffmann. Furthermore, Karl von Schroder is a name I made up for this story. As for as I know, no such person with that name has ever existed.
With all that said, I thank you all very much for reading and I hope to see you in the next one.
Please remember to follow, fav or leave a review on your way out.
Peace.