Hi, everyone!
Yes, quite the long delays between updates. I honestly thought maintaining two fanfics would be easy. Heh, nope. Kudos to all of you guys for being able to regularly work on your stories while also balancing with real-life activities.
So far, I appreciate the reads and reviews from all of you! Even if it's not mentioned, you can absolutely voice your thoughts in the review section.
I should clarify a detail: Nancy Brooks of the book series is NOT the same Mrs/Ms. Brooks teacher of BHS.
I plan on making this story a bit darker in the future. Mmhmmm. Expect nothing else from me.
Alrighty, I'll stop here. Have fun reading!
Disclaimer: Totally Spies is not mine.
"No! This can't be!" Sam slammed the book shut in anger.
"Nancy Brooks has some nerve! Oh my GOD!"
Once again, the author committed another one of her infamous cliffhangers and a good one, too.
Sam stormed into the living room to where she found Cindy on the den computer chatting with some friends on Facebook.
"Hey, ya done?" Sam wheeled over to her sister.
Cindy grumbled under her breath. "Not yet. Jessica and I were just wondering which house party to hit up next," she bragged.
Sam stared at Cindy with deadpan disappointment, but it's not like she could do any reprimanding, since 'YOu'Re NoT MoMmy.' Right.
Cindy gave up on impressing her older sister and just logged off Facebook while texting with her other hand. The weekdays had the most phone restriction because of schoolwork, but during the weekends, you can bet that Cindy was on her device all day and night.
Sam logged into the FanFiction website as 'MissTimScam365' to check out the discussion board about Fountain of Immortality. Surreal to believe that there were 364 Miss Tim Scams already on the site, but no surprise considering many women would pine after a man of Tim's calibre. Or maybe even Tim himself, Sam couldn't help thinking.
As expected, the chats were buzzing with a mix of emotions from other readers. Majority of them weren't pleased with how the book ended and were taking it out on the Soul Collector FanFiction boards.
MandytheGreat: Wow, Nancy. Just wow. I have no words!
MissTimScam365: Same here! How can she just ghost us like that?!
Mandycansuckit: Five bucks Mandy dies in the next book. I honestly cannot stand her. She's a POS in my eyes.
BlaineyWaney4Ever: Ten bucks Blaine attacks the nasty witch.
MissTimScam365: Pfft! No way would Blaine attack Mandy.
BlaineyWaney4Ever: MissTimScam365 Whatchu tryna say? He too weak or somethin'?
Sam paused in the middle of her comeback. She bit her lip while struggling to come up with another sassy response, yet she didn't want to purposely rile up a hardcore fan, especially risking getting banned from her favorite forums.
Other people began putting in their bets about Mandy's possible demise in the next book, a conversation Sam would read later. Right now, she was in a mood to write her own stories.
Sam slid back from the computer desk as she stretched her arms. "Damn. It's already 11?!" Sam blinked her eyes as her mind shifted to reality. "I've been at this piece for the past six hours now." She stretched her torso to the left and right, rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck side to side before finally reading over the rough draft:
The Search
Tim's boots clacked against the concrete sidewalk as he frantically searched for the witch's hideout. His beautiful sea-foam eyes scanned the premises in full concentration, his ears strained for even the slightest rustle of a leaf or the hollow dink of a crushed carbonated drink can.
The streets were empty, as per usual, so Tim was likely the only living human within this part of town.
He walked north as his research indicated a possibility of Mandy hiding out in a luxurious pink mansion, one that had belonged to a socialite by the name of Milan Stilton. As Tim strided towards the grand property, he felt a hand on his back. He stood rigid in place as his instincts were on high alert. "There wasn't supposed to be anyone here," he recounted. Tim gulped his dry throat before slowly turning around -
To find a stunning Bangladeshi girl staring at him in curiosity.
She was wearing a black and silver decorated two-piece suit, complete with matching shawl draped over her chest and shoulders. Her tan skin glowed in the moonlight.
"Who are you?" Tim whispered. He found the girl to be quite pretty, in fact, he couldn't understand why she would be out here, all alone. Especially in the wake of a mass murderer, one shouldn't step out defenseless.
The girl remained silent. She continued to stare into Tim's eyes in wonder. Her gaze followed his high cheekbones, slightly crooked nose, and full lips. She didn't approach him any closer. What's odd is that the girl's face was shifting. Tim rubbed his eyes in confusion; he knew sleep wasn't in the cards anymore, but there was just something off about the young woman.
When his vision cleared, Tim's jaw dropped to the floor.
The girl had vanished.
Sam yawned after reading the last sentence. Boy, it must be a bad sign if one yawns at their own work of art. Or, perhaps Sam was tired from a combination of Nancy's tumultuous plotline and now using up her creative juices into her own fanfiction story. Either case, Sam logged out and headed to bed.
"Hey, mom," Sam waved as she passed by the living room. Her mom was sitting on the couch with a cup of Earl Grey while watching Dateline. She shifted aside and patted the seat next to her. Sam accepted the invitation and cuddled next to her mom. "How are things going?" Sam asked she nestled her head on Gabriella's shoulder. "Oh, just dandy. Unfortunately, the hospital may cut some workers next year due to budget change." Gabriella sighed in exhaustion. "Which means a probability of working more hours for less money." If Sam was not happy hearing this bit of news, she couldn't imagine just how letdown her own mother must be.
She rubbed Gabby's back in comfort, a gesture her mom was grateful for. There were times where Gabby would often wonder what went wrong with Cindy because the young girl rarely ever displayed this type of affection. "It's definitely the divorce," Gabby thought sadly. "Cindy was quite young when it happened, so I can't entirely blame her for growing up in a different circumstance than her school mates."
"Do you plan on searching for another job? I can help," Sam offered. Despite the request, Sam's stomach lurched as she remembered the current state of the economy. Businesses everywhere had announced a budget cut and it would greatly affect hourly pay for employees of nearly every department. (Of course, the hypocritical part here is realizing that CEOs continue to rake in the cash even during the most recession of times.) In economics, Sam couldn't understand why CEOs simply could not sacrifice some of their income to assist their employees, like hello, your workers are a substantial part of a company! People may argue that customers are an integral part of any business, but without the workers, companies wouldn't have much of a reputation, much less a presence, in society.
Gabriella smiled tiredly at her older daughter's offer to help. "No, dear, it's okay. I appreciate your thought, but this budget cut shouldn't be permanent." She kissed her daughter's forehead and gently rubbed her arm. "Hey, shouldn't you be ready to hit the sack right about now? It's nearly midnight and you have school tomorrow!"
Sam sighed in dread; school was the last thing any kid would be excited for. She just hated dealing with idiots. "Yeah, I'll be going. Goodnight, mom."
Sam had her eyes closed but her body was awake. Her heart couldn't stop thumping from the images she was witnessing behind the sleep mask ("It looks like a push-up bra on your face, Sammie," Clover had once roasted her for the accessory's appearance).
The area was pure white.
The color seemed to never end.
"I don't think this is heaven," Sam suspiciously noted her surroundings.
She walked straight ahead in hopes of finding some color.
White. Endless white. Stretched on for who knows how long.
She jogged alongside the wall for a bit.
Sam became tired.
She looked back. Still the same color.
White.
Tears pricked her eyes in frustration. Was there truly no way out? Who lived in a place of complete white? Anyone could become crazy in this kind of space! What the hell was this?!
Sam buckled down on her knees and began sobbing out loud. She felt entrapped.
Her eyes slowly opened and she found herself in a new environment.
The woods.
"Huh? Why am I here?" Sam whispered.
The woods were silent. She expected the presence of an animal or even the chirping of a bird.
Silence rang throughout the woods instead.
Sam held her breath and strained her ears in hopes of hearing another soul, animal or human.
Silence.
She threw her head back and screamed in anguish. What was this madness?!
"Miss," a male voice called out.
Sam froze in shock. Her eyes widened as she heaved in panic. "Wh-who's there?" she stuttered in reply.
"Me," the voice said.
"You sound familiar," Sam pointed out. The baritone voice was one she never heard, yet it sounded familiar, as if she's had conversations with this person all her life.
"Turn around, Sam," the voice commanded.
"How does he know my name? And my nickname, no less?" Her guts emitted a shot of confusion that coursed throughout her stomach. God, she felt nauseous as hell.
Sam obeyed and gradually turned around, her body trembling at who she may face. Either her savior from these mysterious woods or someone who wanted to end her life right then and there or -
"Nobody," Sam couldn't take it anymore. She clutched her head and dropped to the ground. Her scream this time around pierced through the trees. The full moon above stared down at her in a mocking manner. Its glowing white light reminding her of the previous area that Sam was trying to exit.
"Why am I floating now?" Sam didn't remember learning how to fly. In fact, she noticed her body positioned parallel to the ground, which could only mean one thing.
She heard a loud cackle from above her, and it sounded nasty.
Sam attempted her best to wriggle out of the iron grasp, but was no match. She hung there limply like a rag doll.
A muffled ungh sent Sam sprawling on the muddy forest floor. Her head suffered a major concussion and her eyes reeled back into their sockets.
"Miss?" the same baritone voice again.
"Please, leave me alone!" Sam wheezed out. She was tired of the mind games.
"No, are you okay?"
Sam heavily breathed through her mouth as she struggled to gain consciousness. She heard a loud beeping sound coming in.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
The beeping noise wouldn't stop until Sam slammed her palm on the snooze button of the digital clock.
She opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. The color of the cream bedroom walls greeted Sam's vision, along with the beginnings of sunrise pouring in through the curtains. It was 6:30 AM. Time to get ready for school.
Throughout her morning routine and the bus ride, Sam couldn't stop thinking about the nightmare she had. No matter which way she flipped it and reversed it, the dream just simply had no tangible meaning to it.
During lunch, Sam was absentmindedly wrapping spaghetti around her fork. The watery sauce and chunky bits of meat remained on the tray, clearly having no interest in wanting to be consumed. "Sammie, is everything okay?" Alex asked for the umpteenth time that afternoon.
"Yeah, you haven't been as attentive in class all morning," Clover observed. The blonde put down her low calorie iced tea and carefully reached for the redhead's resting hand. Thankfully, Sam accepted the kind gesture.
"Eh, just had a rather strange nightmare last night, that's all," Sam assured her friends.
"Oh no," Alex replied.
"It's alright. I think I was a little too hung up on the book and - "
"NO! It's Donna Ramon!" the brunette exclaimed in horror.
"What - " Sam swiveled around, nearly cracking her back in the process.
Donna had a mischievous smirk on her face as she stomped her way to Alex. Poor girl looked like she wished the earth would open up and swallow her whole on the spot.
Donna snatched up Alex's arm as she looked at her menacingly, "With how you nearly crashed into my ride this morning, you owe me lunch money for an entire year," the biker girl plucked off the soy cheese pizza slice from Alex's fingers and made a pretend show of taking a bite.
This woke up Sam; there's no way she was going to allow some juvie kid to smush her best friend!
"Stand up for yourself, Alex!"
"Yeah, don't let her extort you like that!" Clover chimed in. The brunette made the most livid face she could muster, and shot her hand out to grab the slice. Unfortunately, the pizza spiraled towards Donna's face and it landed smack dab on her biker uniform. She glared at the food stain as nearby freshmen were chanting "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
"Teacher!" one student hissed in alarm when they noticed Mr. Tetley enter the cafeteria. Donna threw down Alex's arm as if it was some filthy napkin and jabbed her in the chest with a threat, "I'll let you go for now, but tomorrow after school, you're dead meat!" Donna stomped out of the cafeteria, leaving Alex to tremble from head to toe.
Clover and Sam assisted Alex in her seat again. The brunette's brown eyes glimmered with unshed tears, but she wiped them away furiously. There was no way Alex would allow some wannabe John Cena to ruin her day!
"You okay, Al?" Sam asked.
"I'm fine!" Alex bunched her hands into tough fists. "I'll show Donna who's boss, before school, midnight, sunset, whenever!" and slammed her fists onto the table. She slightly winced from the pain, but it paled in comparison to the adrenaline rush.
"I'll cheer you on, girlfriend!" Clover waved her arms like a cheerleader. Of course, with the blonde being on the squad and also the captain, Alex would have a higher chance to beat Donna from the motivation.
"Thanks, Clover. Ugh, what is her problem honestly?" Alex growled.
"The same one that landed her in juvie in the first place," the three girls bust out laughing at Sam's comeback.
Later in the library, Clover noticed that Sam was still spacing out. The eraser of her pencil kept tapping against the library desk in a consistent rhythm, and her paper was half filled. This behavior was so unlike Sam, as she'd be normally scribbling down answers and making sure her friends also were solving the problems correctly.
"Hellooooo, Sam," Clover waved her hand in front of the redhead's face. She immediately blinked out of her stupor.
Clover furrowed her brows, "Sammie, at least tell us what's wrong. I mean, you're not even paying attention to schoolwork that is your pride and joy. Practically."
Suddenly, Clover got a Cheshire grin on her face. "Is it a cute boy, Sammie?"
This question slightly rattled Sam.
"No, Clover. It's just a nightmare I had last night," Sam sourly replied.
"He cheated on you in the dream?"
"Not even close! I saw myself in this complete white space, almost similar to what mental hospitals use for their craziest patients. Next, I was in the woods, then heard the voice of a guy. Then, I was floating like someone was carrying me, then they dropped me to the ground. The guy's voice came back again and he was asking me if I was okay from the drop. And I woke up after that," Sam finally took a glance at her homework, like it hadn't been sitting there for the past thirty minutes.
"...that is one strange dream," Clover finally replied.
"Did you ever see the guy that was talking?"
"No. I turned around and there was no one there. It was the weirdest thing," Sam's eyes widened as she was recollecting the nightmare.
Clover put gentle hand on the redhead's shoulder, "Hey, you're probably just a bit stressed. I mean, dreams are just stitches of random events of our personal lives into a vision."
"When were you into reading?" Sam asked out of curiosity. As far as she knew, Clover was more into reading magazines instead of science material.
"Sammie, do you sincerely perceive me as a total stereotypical dumb blonde?" probed Clover.
"I uh, yuh, I mean, NO! Yes, I don't view you as a dumb blonde. No, I don't, is what I mean, heh heh," Sam turned crimson.
"You know, I did manage to finish Fountain of Immortality last night. That Mandy witch sure has another thing coming if she doesn't fess up soon," Clover placed her chin in her palm with a dreamy look in her eyes. She sighed, "But Blaine, ugh, if only he were real. I would totes date him!"
Sam didn't reply as she continued with her assignment. Clover took this moment of distraction to her advantage.
"I bet you're heavily crushing on Tim, aren't ya?" Sam's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. She never has once confessed to the girls about her massive crush on the book's protagonist, mainly because he wasn't an actual human being. Tim Scam is a fictitious character in an equally fictitious story. What's the point of a girl holding her breath for a guy that doesn't exist, despite his alluring persona?
Alex rushed into the library, and for some odd reason, she was heavily panting.
"What's wrong, Alex? You look like you just saw a ghost!" Sam went over to help Alex sit down.
The brunette chugged a bottle of water before speaking, "I saw Donna. She challenged me to a fight right then and there. I had no other choice!"
Sam and Clover glanced at each other with anger. Both girls assisted Alex as they hunted down for Donna. She was getting the lunch mony of a lifetime for hurting their best friend!
"DONNA. RAMON!" Clover screamed when they finally found the bully sitting on a bench at the back of the school. She sat there like it was no big deal, as if a fellow student wasn't just terrorized by her ruthless attitude. Oddly enough, the juvenile hardly reacted to her name being yelled out to her. In fact, she never turned her head to the noise; just kept staring straight ahead.
"HELLO!" Clover leaned forward to Donna's ear with her hand on her hips. The blonde was in absolute fury that one, someone had the guts to terrify her best friend, and two, the perpetrator was sitting there acting oblivious.
"UGH!" Clover was losing patience and slapped Donna across the face -
To which then Clover let out a blood-curdling scream.
"So, you three girls were searching for Miss Ramon because she was bullying your friend Alex. You found her here to demand why she was being unfairly cruel, and noticed she was being unresponsive, like she didn't care. Clover then slapped Miss Ramon across the face only to knock her head off the body," the police ran over the scenario once more with Sam.
"Yes, sir," she weakly nodded in confirmation.
"Ohmygod Ohmygod Ohmygod Ohmygod Ohmygod," Clover was wheezing into the palm of her hand. The poor girl vomited near a tree a couple of times upon seeing the amount of blood pouring out of the wounds that were opening up again. The stench of iron filled the girls' nostrils, making Alex faint and Clover to dry heave. Sam felt nauseous, but she remained strong to console her two friends.
An EMT had Alex on a stretcher while Clover was being led into a separate ambulance.
Officer Steve continued scribbling into what he calls his 'handy dandy notebook' of all the crime scene details. He has never seen anything like this before because Donna had been aged, as in, her skin had lost a significant amount of collagen and hydration.
As another member of the medical team assisted Sam, Steve walked back to his cruiser and spoke into a walkie talkie. "Sheriff. Yeah, school bully got decapitated. Her skin's wrinkly, too."
The communication device crackled in response. Police officers being able to interpret these noises into English are about the same as doctors understanding squiggles on a prescription.
"No, no. The girl wasn't old in age. She was a senior. In high school, Sheriff! Closer investigation reveals the wrinkles are new. They haven't settled into deeper creases just yet," Officer Steve continued relaying the events to the Sheriff on the other side.
A couple of walke talkie squawks and squeals later, Officer Steve approached Sam. He gave her a questioning glance, then spoke,"Our county sheriff, Lewis, will take a more detailed look into this investigation. Meanwhile, I think you three girls should be escorted to safety right away. We'll take your friends Alex and Clover to a clinic. Do you feel healthy enough to go home?"
Mark, an EMT member, approached Officer Steve. He was the guy who had been treating Sam the entire time. "Officer, hi. My name is Mark and I was treating this young lady here - " motioning to Sam - "and she's definitely healthy enough to go home, though it would be optimal if she had a ride. She's not entirely fit for maneuvering a motorized vehicle on her own just yet."
"Of course, thank you, Mark," Steve tipped his hat before opening the door for Sam.
The redhead hesitated stepping into the cruiser, though it wasn't just because at the thought of showing up to her apartment while riding in it. She was concerned about how this situation would be explained to her mother.
As if reading her mind, "Hey, don't worry. I'll walk you to your residence, even if you live in an apartment," Officer Steve smiled. He shut the door once Sam climbed inside. She used the opportunity to quickly text her mother beforehand about the police escort before her mother ended up with a possible heart attack, or even the worst assumption about her older daughter (Cindy's rowdy behavior was exhausting enough to deal with as a single mom).
"Good evening, Mrs. Simpson," Officer Steve greeted Sam's mother, who was still puzzled to this whole situation. Unfortunately, Jessica was also over that night, and even more annoying that the two best friends were munching on popcorn from their movie, and now they got some additional entertainment from Sam's drama.
Gabriella sensed the notion and immediately shooed Cindy and Jessica into the bedrooms. There was absolutely no need for this to be announced to their student body at Beverly Vista Middle School.
"I want to begin by mentioning that your daughter, Samantha, here didn't do anything foul. She's clear from any criminal offenses. Rather, she's been helpful in reporting a student death on the Beverly Hills High campus. We're continuing the investigation behind this case, but I can say that neither your daughter, nor her friends, Clover and Alex, were directly involved in the death." Officer Steve concluded.
Gabriella was stunned.
Cindy and Jessica peeped around the corner. Of course they would violate someone else's privacy for their gossiping benefit. Sam crossed her arms and made an angry face, signaling to her mother about the girls. Gabriella turned her head around and dashed to the trouble makers.
"Officer, come on in, where are my manners? I'm so sorry. My younger daughter has her friend over tonight and they tend to be double nosy together," Gabriella shut the door and led Officer Steve to the living room.
"No trouble at all. I know kids," he chuckled. "Right, so as I was saying, there has been a confirmed death at Beverly Hills High. The student who was killed, what was her name? Pardon me."
"Donna Ramon," Sam reminded him.
"Oh, right, Donna. Thank you, Sam. So, apparently, Donna was picking on one of their friends, Alex. As payback, the other friend, Clover, wanted to confront the bully. When Clover slapped Donna," here the officer took a deep inhale before continuing, "her head fell off her body," he exhaled.
"Jesus. What kind of a heinous person would do such a thing?! Sure, the Donna girl was a bully, but that's not a valid excuse for murdering her!" Gabriella had turned pale after hearing the horrible fate of the young girl.
"Was she in your grade, Sammie?"
"Yes, mom," Sam confirmed.
"Oh, Lord," Gabriella breathed as she gestured the Catholic cross while muttering some prayers.
"Listen, Mrs. Simpson. Don't lose sleep over this matter. Us police officers will find the criminal as soon as possible. We plan on putting this case on watch so that no one else in the near or far future will be the next victim," and with that, Officer Steve stood up and put his hat back on.
"And I do have to leave. Thanks so much for inviting me in."
"Oh, it's no trouble. Would you like something to take with you?" Gabby offered. He had been absolutely generous at escorting her daughter and also explaining the situation in a calm, authoritative manner. Not many officers had such big hearts.
"I appreciate the offer, Mrs. Simpson, but I do have other duties to attend to. Night ladies," he saluted them before heading to the twin elevators.
"I cannot imagine her parents' grief about their daughter," Gabby whispered as she locked the front door. "I am elated that you, Clover, and Alex are safe and sound. Speaking of, how are they doing now?"
Sam pulled out her phone and noticed both girls had texted her while Steve had been talking.
"They're doing much better, Mom," Sam observed from the messages. "In fact, Clover and Alex are both home now."
"Relief," Gabby breathed.
"HOLY MONKFISH!" a familiar male voice boomed up to their floor. Sam and her mom peered through the living room window and couldn't believe their eyes. On the road below was a mass blob of flickering yellow and black smoke.
"Isn't that - " Sam began.
"It is!" Gabby grabbed the keys, but paused as she noted the bedroom doors.
"CINDY, JESSICA!" she shouted. The door opened without hesitation.
"Both of you, lock the doors and windows. Shut all the curtains this instant, and DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR UNTIL SAM AND I GET BACK! Understood?"
She didn't see the girls nod their heads as both women left the apartment and dashed down the stairs to the exit.
Officer Steve was on his knees as he cried in anguish. His police cruiser had been set on fire while speaking with the Simpsons' inside.
"Who could've done such a thing?" Sam breathed in horror. She simply had no words of comfort to offer for the policeman in distress. Gabby had knelt down instead and rubbed Steve's back. The poor man was absolutely traumatized.
Out of the corner of her eye, Sam noticed a piece of paper stuck to the metal pole of the canopy that led to the lobby doors of the apartment. It had to have been recently because the note was on a Post-it, and the bonds of Post-it note adhesive tend to be short-lived.
There was a message written in neat print:
I know who did this.
Just know it wasn't me.
-T
Sam stared at the piece of paper in wonder. She tuned out her surroundings for a second as the gears in her brain began searching for a possible fit to the note.
"To be honest, I can't think of anyone," Sam thought in disappointment.
And, I'm off to write the next chapter.
I know this story is a Scam/Sam pairing, but don't worry! They will be interacting quite soon.
Poor Steve being the victim of arson. I wonder who did it? *wiggles eyebrows*
In the meantime, I do want to ask if anyone caught the 'Blue's Clues' reference? Or how bout Donna Ramon? I hope you guys remember her from 'Spy Gladiators'.
To any Donna fans, I'm sorry for killing her off so soon. (Please don't hit me.)
Okay, I'm gonna go now. Bye, guys and I'll see you later!
Have a good day.
Love,
Precila.