A/N: Like all of my others, this story will be revamped a zillion times until its insides start to spew. I think I rushed it along too quickly; I need to add a chapter somewhere between 3 or 4 (or 4 and 5) that emphasizes Penny and Kiki's (former) friendship. That "lost chapter" will be coming soon. =3

Thank you all for reviewing. As for you, SoL, take your time on that fanfic. Nobody's rushing you. Well, except me. But y'already knew that, didn'tcha?

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Initiation

Part Seven

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 Dizzy. Spinning. Vertigo. Zero-gravity.

Penny shivered.

Nothing.

She couldn't remember anything. Her mind was a blur. All she could think about was the blank and empty void her conscious seemed to be lingering about in; and the terrible white reptile that she thought she'd just seen.

Where did he go? Who was he? What did he want?

Her head was buzzing with questions that even a girl genius couldn't figure out. A subconscious moan escaped her throat, as she tried to make heads or tails out of what was going on.

My whole body felt like it evaporated into nothing… and that blue, icy-cold glow… like the demon's eyes…

She was getting somewhere, at least.

But where am I now?

She began to fantasize; not on where she possibly was, but on where she possibly could have been at the moment, had that reptile not come along. Penny could've been at home, helping her mom with the rejuvenation clinic (after all, she was the animal shelter's heiress). She could've been safely in her room, pondering over college-level math, or perfecting a few of her formulas.

Why didn't Rudy and I stay home?

Rudy; ah yes, where was he? What had happened to him and Snap? Penny wondered about this a moment- before suddenly, her heart turned stone-cold.

What if… that thing… got rid of them?

But then another thought took its place.

Or… what if I'm the one who's dead?

She didn't want to think about it, didn't want to question, didn't want to carry on. Maybe it was just a nightmare (one induced from stress, overworking, or an unhealthy dosage of 'salami surprise' from the school cafeteria), and she would wake up, just as alive and practical as she'd always been.

The girl clenched her eyes shut. Tried to think good thoughts. If she focused hard enough, she could practically see herself lying there on the grassy chalk-ground where she'd last been conscious, with Rudy and Snap at her side. The three of them were sitting in a circle on the ground, having finally found something to do.

"Penny! Penny, come on, are you alright?"

"Don't bother, bucko - she's got that dazed glint in her eye. We can't make contact with someone in this condition… What'cha lookin' at me for? Hey, I watch a lot of late-night emergency health shows, okay?! I get bored sometimes."

Suddenly the entire world came snapping back. The color, the sound, the feeling… everything came flowing back into her system. It was the same effect as replacing a fizzy-screened, low-resolution television set with the latest digital version, in vivid color, accompanied by high-quality stereo.

Penny was in ChalkZone. The lizard-like demon was gone, and, just as she had left them, Rudy and Snap were there. The two of them appeared to be crouching above her… though she believed herself to still be dreaming. Uncertainly, she reached a hand out to feel the boy's shoulder… to her surprise, he was no figment.

Her eyes traveled downwards, slowly, hesitantly. She began to doubt reality once more after she found herself in Rudy's arms, a couple of inches off the ground, on his lap even. He was kneeling with both knees to the ground, keeping her cradled in his embrace, gazing down at her in concern.

Something within her fluttered. Now I know I'm dreaming.

"Hey, I think she's finally joined us in reality!" An accented voice cried.

"Shhh, Snap!" Rudy scolded him, and looked out over his female friend once more. "Are you okay, Penny? You passed out cold right in that spot - we were getting ready to call a doctor."

Penny, too shocked to speak, merely rose into a sitting position, while keeping a trembling hand pressed against her pulsing forehead. "I… I can't explain it. I was feeling fine. But does this mean…" Her breath hitched, and then accelerated, as her thoughts began to race. "…Y-you don't remember anything? That… the reptile was never there, and the bush and… and…" She studied his expression - totally baffled. "…you don't?"

Rudy started to respond, but as expected, Snap cut him off.

"Buckette's gone whoopy-cuckoo, Rudy!" He spiraled one gloved finger around his blue forehead for emphasis. "She's on her way to the padded rooms! She hit her head too hard on impact! She's absolutely crazy!"

Rudy tried to ignore Snap's screech in the background as he made an attempt to comfort Penny. She looked very distraught, as if she were zoning out… something in her midday nightmare must have really frightened her. Realizing, with an embarrassed flush, he still had one arm around her, he used it to his advantage and hesitantly pulled her a little closer towards himself.

Her body, previously wracked with shiver-like spasms, settled into a calm state.

"Rudy, I… believe this is serious," She spoke after a long silence (save for Snap, who presently was going on about Penny being a 'loony duck'), staring down at the ground in desperation. "The kind of dream I had is not a common occurrence. Things like this are believed to signify the approach of events of paramount importance. Events that are often predicted by what was seen in the dream," Still explaining, she tried to keep a straight face. "I'm not worrying on behalf of myself, but all of ChalkZone. We may not have heard the last of that reptile-demon… In fact, I'll bet the one from my dream is whom we heard about a month ago… the one that destroyed the Globe Theatre."

Rudy felt his face turn skeptical. He knew Penny was always one for logic, but what she'd just described to him didn't seem very practical at all. What was he supposed to say to that? "Uh… Penny, it was just a dream. Are you really that worried?"

For a moment, Penny sided with him. Her worried brow line lifted up off of her dark gray eyes, as she ignored her intuition and tried to forget the dream. Maybe Rudy was right. After all, she was a little tired when she left school… maybe, for some reason, as they were walking through the grassy outskirts of ChalkZone City, her subconscious mind had deemed it a suitable time to sleep. Maybe it was just a normal nightmare, like the kind that everyone had.

But then she remembered the lizard's cold glare. That frosted feeling in her veins still lingered when she recalled every haunting detail of the memory.

"You probably think it's foolish. But yes, Rudy, I am worried. And I believe I have good reason. I think I'll head back to the real world- I should be getting home soon, anyway."

Ordinarily, Rudy would be opposed to the idea, but in light of recent events, he wasn't surprised at her decision. "That's fine. Want me to walk you?"

"Actually, I'm not going straight home. I've got some research to do first… at school."

--

Penny didn't even have to try and think about the dream. It was still a fresh memory, bouncing about aimlessly in her active mind. The trouble was going to be finding someone - anyone - who knew enough about those visions to give her the information she needed.

After having found nothing in writing pertaining to the subject, she had to resort to the worldwide web. She was in the dustiest corner of the school library (which she had just ransacked for books only minutes prior), so that no curious eyes should happen to peer over her shoulder. Penny didn't want to explain why she, Plainville Elementary's most respected young scientific mind, was digging around through psychologists' homepages.

It didn't take long with her apt computer skills (these were found apparent in most geniuses). Within twenty-six minutes, she came across the website of a wise old dream therapist whom Penny was certain would be able to help.

She printed the site's contents and took them home for further study.

--

On the other side of town, Kiki slowly trudged across the sidewalk without aim, unafraid to hide her depressive slump.

Within a few weeks, that same mood, which always seemed to hover in the air around her like some kind of misty aura, had become her new distinctive trait. Strangers at school began to secretly address her as 'that gloomy new kid who sits by herself at lunch'. Maybe not the nicest nickname, but it was indeed quite accurate.

The abrupt end of a friendship with Penny hadn't done much for Kiki's state-of-mind, but that wasn't the sole cause. For it was nearing that time of year when Kiki was generally always a little off; no matter what mood she was usually in or what conditions time had thrown at her.

It was time of year when her parents came home for the Thanksgiving holiday.

But this time around, it was exceptionally worse. Kiki knew this year, her parents weren't coming home for Thanksgiving holiday. It wasn't as if she had any solid proof, just an intuition… and her intuition was never wrong.

Nearly everyone who passed that day noticed the blonde girl lingering outside the doors of the post office, as if unsure whether or not to go in and check with the postman. Excitement and doubt began to build up inside of her, overriding her better judgement and causing her to feel sick with nostalgia. Because somehow she knew there'd be a letter in there, addressed just to her, and it would bear nothing but bad news.

When the postman handed her that envelope, enameled with the familiar diplomatic seal, she nearly ripped the top straight off, but stopped herself at the last minute - appearing rabid in public had never gotten her anywhere.

The walk home began. Biding her time, she slowly opened the envelope, in a nice and neat fashion so that the paper never once wrinkled or tore. The little package's contents, however, were handled in a much less caring manner. She tried not to seem very concerned about what that letter said; tried not to get too worked up about it; tried not to let it effect her. She almost wanted to try and not read it, but that was definitely an impossible stretch.

 Dearest daughter,

The crisis in Santa Fe has turned out to be an uproarious disaster of proportions nobody could have predicted. We will end up staying longer than we thought.

There is no need for concern. Your loving parents will still be home for Thanksgiving of next year, after we take care of hunger problems in Iraq.

What we have in our account should pay for all medical and/or tax endorsement issues you may run into. This should cover your food supply as well. Money should be no complication. Fax our consultant, Mrs. Wilfored, should you have any outward problems that don't fall within that margin.

Regards,

Celia and Sam Callisto

"Regards. Regards." Kiki repeated to herself, not knowing what she was trying to prove. "So that's what they send to their only daughter, living over a hundred-thousand miles away… their regards."

Oh, yeah. If you took all the love in the connection between me in my parents, you'd have enough gases to fill a balloon.

She grimaced further.

A really, really small balloon.

Kiki marched through her front door, the letter still bent and twisted in her harsh grasp. She flung it upon the living room table (amidst a small cluster of rats) and retreated to her room, all the way up the creaky stairs, until school and the post office and her parents were naught but a distant memory.

Besides, she had something better than "regards" from her so-called loving parents.

She had imagination. Ideas.

Her eyes traveled to her comic. The kempt white pages lay inches from her hand, making their content easy to read. It was, of course, another chapter in the horrible, gruesome life of Blasphemy… the psychic, destructive master of the night. The one who possessed many foreign abilities; mind control, the forceful inducing of nightmares, and a telekinetic glare that sent its victims into prolonged torturous pain.

Much as it seemed ironic, Blasphemy had always been her inspiration.

A slender white hand reached into its owners knapsack, which lay strewn across the floor. It emerged with something glistening and white, something that might've seemed ordinary to any other person.

The blonde marched over to the chalkboard and made her way through, not even bothering to don the long, concealing robes beforehand. Normally, she would always wear them, so as to repress her true identity from the public. But today, she didn't care. In her present state, she was unafraid of what the authorities might threaten to do to her once they realized she was walking around in their world again. Though really, she thought, so what if Zoners recognize me?

It wasn't like anyone could stop Lady Kyrene… let alone when she was in such a foul mood.

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A/N - Wow… As if THAT wasn't predictable a mile away…

Actually, just for spoilers BTW, Kiki isn't going to be the antagonist in this story.