an: This was inspired by me re-reading my story, "Drop Dead" and reading Privilege by Kate Brian. I wanted to be different, so I'm using a character who isn't used all that often, and when she is, she's usually portrayed as a clingy witch-with-a-b. Thanks mayplexsyrup and all the lost souls for reading this over and helping me out. (:
summary: Fifteen-year-old Nikki Dalton wishes for nothing but the life of the high-end socialites of New York. After fifteen years of living in the darker parts of the city, she makes her way into the lives of New Yorks' finest, stealing hearts—and lives—along the way.
Home Sweet Home
A scream shattered the nights' pristine silence, soon followed by a loud whack and a soft grunt. A girl with dark long hair and bright green eyes was being dragged across the cold marble tiles of highest floor of the Carlyle Penthouse on the Upper West Side of New York City. Another girl of similar beauty and stature heaved the body of the other into a black plastic bag and washed her hands, tied up her hair, and threw on her hood. She then took the dead girls' purse and brought out a set of keys, a driver's license, and a credit card. She took the victim's car, threw the body into the Hudson River, made her way back to the victim's house and cleaned up all evidence of anything that occurred there that night. She typed a quick note on a gleaming white laptop and printed it for the maids to find so that they would not be worried by their mistresses' absence.
I'll be back in two days. I still have not recovered from the death of my parents and I want some time alone. Do not text or call me, because I will not be answering my phone during this period.
Love,
Coral Carlyle-McAdams
Twelve Hours Earlier
The hottest day of the summer was upon her and the only things that Nikki Dalton wanted to do was either jump into the nearest body of water or purchase a new air conditioner. Nikki could not afford to pay for air conditioning, let alone buy a new one, and, since she couldn't afford to go to waste her precious money on going to the swimming pool, she was definitely not going to be taking a swim in the Hudson. She picked up the latest issue of Teen Vogue to fan herself and caught a glimpse of an airbrushed photograph of a beautiful brunette with bright red lips and stunning amber-colored eyes.
Why can't I be like her? I bet she can afford air conditioning and a decent pool! Nikki thought bitterly to herself as she felt a warm breeze ripple across her flawed, tanned skin. Nikki sprawled herself across the blue blanket that she had lain across the soft green grass in her small backyard. I wish I was rich. I'm so sick of living here. She picked her copy of Teen Vogue and flipped past all of the perfume samples and Gucci ads to the beauty tips. She hungrily devoured all of the tips and thought about how they would look on her. She quickly flipped through the other pages until she came to an article about the beautiful girl on the cover. Interested, Nikki read the headline.
Talented and beautiful actress Massie Block gives us a sneak-peak at what's coming up in her future and tells us the keys to success. Turn to page 127 to find out more!
Nikki rolled her army-green eyes and snorted. She's only fifteen. She hasn't even done anything in her life!
She continued to flip through the glossy pages until she heard the screen door to her house crack open. She quickly turned around to see her ten-year-old cousin, Vincent, whose dark floppy hair fell into his muddy green eyes.
"What do you want?" Nikki snapped. She wasn't in the mood to deal with him right now.
"Aunt Dalton wants us to have lunch with her today," he answered simply, causing Nikki to roll her eyes.
"Can't you see that I'm busy?" Nikki asked, shaking her magazine in his face.
Vincent raised a dark brow and shrugged. "Don't make me get your dad."
Nikki shuddered. She hardly ever called him her "dad."
"Alright, alright," she said as she stood from her comfortable place on the grass, "tell them that I'll be in a second."
Vincent nodded and went back inside as Nikki turned and surveyed her cozy spot under the sun, her magazine glowing under the midday sun. Someday, I'll get to be like Massie Block; I'll get to be the best of the best and do whatever the Hell I want.
There was an uncomfortable silence at the Dalton family table that afternoon. Nikki was so unused to having any peace and quiet in her life. It disturbed her that her mother, with long black hair and deep brown eyes, kept throwing nervous glances at her father, whose face was locked in a stoic expression.
"Pass the lemonade, please," said Vincent, which, for some peculiar reason, caused Nikki to start talking.
"Mom, why do you look so nervous?" Nikki asked. Her mother looked at her with a I-have-something-to-tell-you-and-you-won't-like-it expression on her face. She looked at Nikki's father, Christopher Dalton, and his dull green eyes.
"Tell her, dear," she commanded. Nikki's father looked at her.
"Nikki, we have something to tell you," he said, causing Nikki to feel both excitement and fear. Maybe I'm having a little sister, she thought. Maybe Aunt Sofie is feeling better enough to have Vincent back for the rest of the summer! Oh! I hope he tells me that we won the lottery!
"Cool. What?" she inquired.
Her mother and father looked at each other again before her father spoke, "We're moving—out of New York."
Nikki's insides felt like lead.
"What?" she asked angrily.
"We're moving," her mother told her. "It's just too expensive to live here any longer, sweetie, and I know that you have lots of friends here, but we really can't afford to stay!"
"Where would we even go?" Nikki shouted, her mane of dark hair falling around her shoulders.
"We're going to Wisconsin to go live on my brother's farm. We're hoping to help him make some more money, and we'll only have to pay half of what we pay here! Isn't that great?" her mother smiled with excitement, gripping her husband's arm tightly.
Nikki scrunched up her face in anger and glared at her parents.
"Mom! We're city folk! We don't know how to farm!" she cried out.
"There's always time to learn!" her mom chirped happily.
"So you're asking me to leave all of my friends and this beautiful city to go live in a run-down barn with your crazy brother who always smells like he has never even heard of a shower before?" Nikki shouted as her body trembled with anger."You're telling me to-"
"That's enough, Nikola!" her father said in his deep voice. "We're moving and if you want to stay, then you had better find a way to provide for yourself. We'd be better off without you running your mouth all of the time anyway."
A wave of fury washed over Nikki as she heard her fathers' words. She knew that if she didn't leave now, she would get into a shouting match with her parents in front of her cousin and she would never live this down. Taking all of the dignity she had left, Nikki turned on her heel and stormed out of her house, bringing her canary yellow faux-Prada messenger bag with her.
Somehow, Nikki knew that she wasn't going to be coming home that night-if you could even call it a home.
What'd you think? Constructive criticism is a treasure.