Chapter Two: Rude Awakening
I felt as if I had fallen off the top of the Sears Tower, and left my stomach at the top.
As my eyes focused I sat up. Was I on a cloud? No, that’s impossible. I’m in a bed; a soft, luxurious bed. No, that was even more impossible.
I could see now. I was in… an apartment? A rich person’s apartment. Everything was slick, mod, white, or pink. A large pink plasma screen T.V. hanging on a wall, decorated with large glossy advertisement posters for plays and movies, a shiny white desk with a slim pink MacBook Air sitting atop it, with my old pink LG chocolate, tons of papers scattered about it, one wall was even a giant bay window, and the bed I lay on was soft, inviting, and of course pink. There were other pricey-items about this apartment, couches, chairs, everything in the kitchen, and more.
“I must be dreaming.”
A loud beep rang in my ears, and I jumped, startled at the sound.
“Miss Robinson, your four o’clock massage is downstairs, would you like me to send him up now?” said a smooth, calm woman’s voice.
“Massage?” This has to be a dream.
“Miss?”
“Oh, uh… sure, send him up… thanks…”
What was going on?
I sat for a few more moments, taking in the room of my dreams, and noticed four Louis Vitton suitcases near the door. I finally stepped out of bed, realizing I was wearing satin PJ shorts and a Hollister tee shirt. Before I reached the cases, I noticed my reflection in the mirror.
Perfect skin, my hair didn’t look as if I was asleep at all, and I was a couple inches taller. It looked like someone airbrushed a photo of me and I stayed that way. Totally freaky.
I jumped, again, as the doorbell rang.
I ran to the door with the instinct of knowing it was there my whole life. Once I opened it, I screamed and slammed it shut again. The doorbell rang once more, as I pressed my back against the wooden door in shock.
“Nick Jonas is at my door. Nick Jonas is at my door.”
I caught my breath and re-opened the door, looking straight into the innocent brown eyes of my long-time celeb crush. “Oh my Jonas.”
He was wearing jeans and an Ed Hardy tee shirt, his curls casually messy, and the only thing weirder than Nick Jonas at the door for me, is Nick Jonas at the door to give me a massage, since he was pushing a cart of massage appliances.
“Hey, Stevie.”
He knows my name.
“Nick?” that was all I could manage. “You’re my massage guy?”
He simply laughed, an adorable chuckle, and rolled the cart into my room. “Well, no, I thought I would surprise you though.”
“Yeah, I’m surprised.”
He smiled again. “Good.” Nick Jonas casually strutted toward me, hugged me, and kissed me on the mouth.
This HAS to be a dream.
I stood shocked, leaving a look of worry across his face. “You alright?” Nick asked.
I nodded. “Totally fine…”
He raised an eyebrow. “You look like you just saw Elvis’s ghost.”
Well, a super hot rock star just kissed me hello. Duh I’m in total shock mode!!
“Stephanie?”
“Uh, Nick,” I tried to smile casually. By the look on Nick’s face, it wasn’t convincing enough. “I’m just going to…” I lifted my arms randomly, pointing to the wall.
“Oh, of course,” he said. Apparently I had gestured to the bathroom. So, I reluctantly walked in, and screamed again.
Standing inside my bathroom, was a bathroom attendant, although that wasn’t the weird part.
“Mr. Carson??”
My science teacher, big bellied and large nosed was wearing a funny suit and eyeglass, like a butler, standing inside my bathroom.
“Miss Robinson.” Even weirder, he was speaking with a nasally British accent.
My eyes widened and jaw dropped. “Uh…”
Saved by the radio. A broadcast suddenly echoed through the apartment, a broadcast of a familiar voice…
“From now on, VHS tapes cannot be manufactured. And anything featuring Hannah Montana/ Miley Cyrus is forbidden from the shelves of stores and the screens of televisions. This has been co-presidents of the United States, Kymberlie-”
“-And Harlow!!” finished another familiar voice.
It took all my strength to restrain the bubbling laughter inside me. Kymberlie and Harlow, presidents? This has to be a dream! Has to…
I stepped out of the bathroom, and Nick was still sitting on my round, pink couch.
“What?” I asked.
“Those twins, they’re really interesting…”
I raised an eyebrow. “Kym and Harlow?” I had to laugh this time. “If you knew them, then you’d think ‘interesting’ is an understatement…”
“You know the presidents?”
“Yeah, they’re my best… friends…” It suddenly hit me. Quote, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore…” I murmured.
“Stevie? Kansas…? Uh… we’re in New York City,” Nick said.
My eyes widened and I rushed to the bay window. I was now staring out onto Fifth Avenue. “No way.”
“Stephanie, are you okay?”
I sat down wordlessly on the pink windowsill bed. “Totally…”
“How about I get you some water…” Nick stood up and kissed me on the cheek and left me alone in my daze, with no company except my science teacher-turned bathroom attendant, until Hayden came.
“Ugh, Steph, your dog got loose again. I was on my way downstairs to get some breakfast and he attacked my ankle…”
I was too entranced to reply. Hayden Jacobs was cute! His shaggy blond locks were perfectly messy, his acne and freckles; gone, he was tall, tanned, and toned, with a perfectly white, no-braces smile. His piercing green eyes innocently dancing as he looked up at me, probably looking stupid as I stared at his transformation.
“You okay, Steph?” He smiled and set Ozzy, my Chihuahua, down on the dark wooden floors. “Stephanie Robinson?”
I snapped out of trance and stood up, a little lightheaded. “Hayden?” I was still in the un-believing mode. It didn’t look much like the old Hayden, but there was a little gear in the back of my brain that just knew it was him.
“Last time I checked…” He laughed nervously. “You sure you’re okay? Nick said that you were acting a little un-Stevie-ish.” He said Nick’s name with some hidden distaste.
“Yeah, I’m fine… WAIT!” Hayden jumped. “The circus! The fortuneteller! The wish!” My hands shot up to the golden heart around my neck. “Hayden!” I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tight, something I never thought I would do, even if Hayden were the last boy on Earth.
Hayden was stiff, but he hugged me back gently. “Steph…”
I looked at him curiously. “Do you remember what happened before we came… here?”
Hayden looked deep into my brown eyes, searching for the answer. Suddenly, his dancing green eyes widened and the smart, playful look of the old Hayden returned. “Whoa.”
I nodded. “Yeah…” I sat down on the round, squishy couch. “Weren’t you confused?”
He shook his head, blond waves bouncing.
“Heh, I was.” I pushed a lock of long hair behind my ear. “Do you have any idea what is going on?”
He silently said ‘no’ again. “All that I know is that the twins are the presidents, I’m an Abercrombie & Fitch model and actor,” he said that in the same unbelieving tone as I had been speaking in all morning, “and you are a famous actress.”
My eyes shot up in amazement. “Actress?” That was my one, true, dream. To be a famous actress, performing on Broadway, in my own movies, with young girls looking up to me… I took a good look at the advertisements on the walls. They were teasers for movies and shows I’ve performed in!
“Yeah, you’ve done like, dozens of movies and Broadway shows, you’re supposed to be starting Peter Pan soon… and your dating Nick Jonas…” again, he spoke the name as if it were a disgusting medicine.
“Whoa.”
“Yeah.”
“Oh no.”
“What?” Hayden looked worried.
“Does this mean that our whole world has been changed? That we did become rich and famous like I had wished? That everyone in our world is…” I gulped. “Here?”
Hayden nodded. “I think so, but how is that bad?”
“Hayden! I’ve read about things like this… worm holes, dimensions in time, fortune tellers, and all this crazy stuff… we can’t stay here!”
“Uh… huh?”
I rolled my eyes. “Hayden. If we don’t find a way to go back toLos Angeles,California, the place we are supposed to be, and then we are going to be stuck here. Forever. Which means no more normal life, and if the theories in the books are correct, no more life at all.”
“What, we die?”
I giggled. “No, Hayden, we poof.”
“Poof?”
“Poof. We have meddled with time and space! There are different dimensions in which we live in, which are not supposed to be changed. So we sort of… jumped into another universe, corrupting the space-time continuum. And unless we get back home soon, then all of space and time will collapse. Poof.” I gazed into Hayden’s eyes in despair.
“That’s wonderful.”
-----
“Taxi! Taxi!!!”
“You can’t do it like that, Steph.”
“Well, Hayden, how do you hail a cab on the streets on New York City, then?” I placed my hands on my cocked hip, waiting to be impressed.
Hayden wordlessly marched out into the bustling street and I gasped, surprised that he wasn’t being smashed into forty-nine pieces as he easily passed through the cars.
Then, Hayden placed his muscle-y arm in the air, and 3 taxis, each driven by a young woman, stopped around him. He then waved me over, and I, terrified, quickly dashed to the center of the street.
Hayden was heading toward the youngest, prettiest cab driver, but I pulled him into the back seat of the oldest, less attractive driver’s car.
“Where to?”
The mystifying voice haunted my memories. Why did it sound so familiar?
“Stevie, where are we heading? Steph…?”
I snapped out of it. “Uh… The airport.”
“Airport?” Hayden looked horrified. He hates planes.
“Yes, the airport.”
The driver did a U-turn and we set off.
-----
I found in my purse tons of cash and credit cards, so I paid the cab fare, and we entered the huge airport.
“Two gorgeous cab drivers pull up, but no, Stephanie has to choose the old ugly one!” Hayden complained.
I don’t know why exactly I chose the ugly one; I just didn’t want Hayden getting all flirty… WHOA. Was that me being jealous? Ha, no way…
I shook the crazy thought from my mind and turned around, getting one last look at the old cab driver, dark curls, berry-red lips… Why did she seem so familiar?
But that thought was long forgotten once we reached the desk. “Hi, uhm... two tickets to…” I was about to say ‘Washington D.C.’ but then I noticed a poster of the White House, now a large, mod, mansion, located in Huntington Beach? This was definitely the twins’ doing… “Huntington Beach, California, please!”
The look on Hayden’s face explained the confusion for the both of us. Until, that is, it transformed to a look of terror faster than a New York minute.
“Steph…”
“Yes…”
“Please tell me Miley Cyrus is standing behind us.”
“Why?”
“Because a crowd of rowdy twelve year olds is staring at us…”
I saw it too. A mini-tour group of young children sucking on Popsicles and ice cream cones, wide eyed, and giddy, were staring right in our direction. Hayden and I temporarily forgot that we were both good-looking Hollywood stars. Crap.
“Run!”
And so did the crowd of rowdy twelve year olds.
Hayden and I were dashing between families, friends, couples, flight attendants, and so much more as we ran like we were being chased my a rushing landslide of lava. The kids behind us were jangling and screaming as they gained on us.
“Ugh! If my wish made me taller, couldn’t it have made me a little faster??”
“Same! Whaddup with the leg muscles if they don’t do any good?” Complained Hayden.
God, was he cute when he ran…
“Hayden!” I came to a skid-halt, pulling Hayden by his brown Hollister shirt with me. “Our flight is over there!”
We turned around, looking beyond the dumbstruck crowed we just ran through, and the stampede of angry, star struck kids.
“We’re never going to make it!” Hayden looked as if he were about to have a panic attack. “Go, Steph, go on without me! Stick to the code!”
I looked at Hayden. “Hayden. This is an airport. Not Pirates of the Caribbean!! Now, move!!”
So, we turned around and ran back the way we just came from, and right through the crowd of kids. We reached the flight just as the stewardess was about to stop taking tickets. I flopped down in my large, first class chair, Hayden right beside me.
“If this were a movie we were living, that would be some ridiculous chase scene,” I said, panting. Hayden didn’t answer. He just caught his breath and looked out the window, a bit nauseously. Uh oh.
“Steph…” he said as the plane began to take off. “I don’t like airplanes.”
“Uh… Hayden…” Ignoring the flight attendants ‘stay seated’ I jumped out of my seat and pushed Hayden toward the bathroom. A few minutes later, he returned, paler than before.
“Sorry… Mind if we switch seats?” He asked innocently.
“No, I don’t mind.” I sighed and stood up, again, and sat back down. This last 20 minutes is enough to make me never want to step foot in an airport again.
