Love Nikki: Chapter One

~1~

   I sit up, rubbing my head gingerly. Blinking open my eyes, I look around. I'm surrounded by tall trees, spaced apart enough to let in slants of golden rays that pool in the lush green grass around me. The forest stretches on as far as I can see, emerald leaves dancing cheerfully in the light breeze.
   For a moment, I'm lost in the beautiful scenery of flowers and trees, when I realize something. My pink hair whips my face as I swing my head around frantically. I have no idea where I am, or how I got here. I try to think, but nothing comes to mind. My mind is fuzzy, and pounding. Come on. I will myself to remember something, but nothing. I'm drawing a constant blank.
   I startle when I hear rustling to my left. I look to the source of the noise. Beside me, a large white cat sits up lazily, jaws stretched into a wide yawn. "Momo..." I know this cat. Momo turns his amber gaze upon me at his name, his yellow cat-sized poncho rustling at the movement. Why can I remember this cat? Why can't I remember anything else? "You're Momo," I say slowly. The cat sniffs at me. "And I'm..." I tell myself to think. My head feels like it's about to implode. How do I not know my own name? "I'm..."
   "Nikki."
   My eyes snap down to Momo. "Did you say that?" Momo just licks his paw.
   "I did." I realize the voice is coming from behind me. I stand up and turn to face the mystery woman. In front of me stands a slender woman with light, golden hair. Her calm sapphire eyes survey me as she laces her fingers together in front of her. She adorns a flowing dress with flowers encircling her head and the top of her dress, and her sandals have sparkling blue gems fitted on the golden strands lacing over her feet. She smiles at me, and I wonder why I didn't notice her when examining the forest earlier.
   "Welcome to Miraland, Nikki," she says, voice sweet as honey. Nikki. Hearing her say the name makes me remember. "How are you feeling?"
   I look at Momo, who has noticed the woman and watches her with curious eyes. "I've felt better." I look back at her. "But... I can't remember anything. I can remember his name," I gesture to Momo, "and you've told me my name, but nothing else." The woman's eyes sadden a little, before quickly returning to the calm state from before. "Do you mind telling me where we are?"
   The woman sits on the ground in one fluid movement. "You are in Miraland, Nikki. I am Queen Nanari, of the Lilith Kingdom." I sit too, not wanting to be above this other woman. Momo wanders over to the Queen, rubbing his head against her hand. "I have summoned you here for your help." Her eyes suddenly grow very serious. "Miraland is not what it once was, and you can help fix it."
   "I don't understand." Summoned? What does she mean by that? And fix Miraland? Does this woman really expect me to be able to save an entire... world? I shake my head, trying to process everything she is telling me. "What is Miraland? What does all of this mean?" Who am I? I swallow that question, hoping to figure out what the Queen is saying first.
   "Miraland is this world. We are currently in the Lilith Kingdom, though there are other nations, as well. But I'm afraid I can't explain everything to you."
   "Why not?"
   "I am too weak. Holding a conversation with you is taking much effort, which is why I need to test you now. So I can know you are the one."
   Nothing this Queen Nanari says makes any sense. With every question she answers, ten more surface in its place. How many other nations? How will she test me? What does she mean by the one? "The one for what? Test me how?" Momo, having grown bored of the Queen, stalks a yellow butterfly indulging on purple flowers nearby. I watch him for a moment, and turn back to the woman. "I don't know what you're asking of me."
   "Nikki, I must ask that you hold your questions," Queen Nanari replies patiently. "I am not the one to answer them. You don't understand now, but you will in time." She stands, and I follow suit. "Now," she says, "I will test your skills in styling."
   "My skills in... what?"
   "Styling." The queen hands me a suitcase. I accept it hesitantly. Where did it come from? Why is everything appearing out of thin air? "That suitcase has everything you need to beat me. You just need to know how to use it." I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. There are so many questions I want to ask, but it's like she's speaking in code. There's no way to understand anything she says. So I won't try.
   "You will need to get used to this custom. We call them styling contests," the Queen explains in her sugary voice. "The opponents agree on a theme. Then, they face off to see who can create an outfit that best suits that theme. Today, you and I will battle in the casual, everyday theme."
   "I see. The people of Miraland like..." I pause. "Fashion."
   "Please, Nikki. I don't have much strength left. Let's get this battle over with, and then you can find someone to properly explain all of this to you." I hesitate. What other choice do I have? If I refuse, will she abandon me here in the forest? I need to know what happened to my memory, and it appears the best way to do this is to learn the rules of this land and follow them. The best hope I have is to get this contest over with, and find someone who can properly explain Miraland to me.
   "Ok."
   Nanari nods. She floats over to the nearest tree. I stare in awe. How can anyone be so flawless and elegant? "Get dressed, and come back out when you are ready."
   I take the suitcase over to the nearest tree and duck behind it. Clicking open the clutches, I peek in. I see an assortment of clothes. Dresses, pants, shirts, coats. Even shoes are snugly fit into the mass. My mind races with pictures of the clothing. There are only about three different items of each clothing piece, and yet I feel overwhelmed with the amount. I take a deep breath. Slow down. Focus. The only way to get my memory back is to beat the Queen in this styling contest, at least as far as I'm concerned. I need to win.
   After collecting myself, I look over the assortment once more. The theme is casual. I flick through some shoes. Torn up sneakers, extravagant high heels, even medieval style steel boots. I settle on a simple pair of pearly white sandals. After comparing the shoes I selected with casual dresses and shirt and skirt combinations, I'm left with two possible outfits. A striped dress with a bow at the waist, or a pink dress with a translucent silk fabric layered over top. I decide to go with the pink dress, and pull on my new outfit.
   Momo joins me behind the tree as I try to properly examine myself using a puddle as a mirror. He meows at me, and rubs up against my legs. I squat down and give him some chin rubs. He purrs, content with my attention. "We have to stick together, Momo. Right now, you and I are the only foreigners here." I don't know how I know that. It's a weird feeling, something I can just sense. Like Miraland is some giant puzzle, but I'm part of a different one. We don't belong here. But where do we belong? "Wish me luck."
   I step out from behind my tree, and see Nanari in her outfit. "Bring your suitcase!" she calls. I oblige, putting my suitcase beside hers. Nanari is wearing a green sweater with cute white pompoms, a frilly green skirt, and knee high brown boots. I suddenly worry my outfit is too underdone.
   "How do we decide who wins?" I ask. I look around, expecting some judges, or maybe hoping Nanari will pull another magical item out of the blue.
   "We each get five judges. The Giftys are judges. All stylists have ten of their own. Each Gifty specializes in their own unique style, but we are only judged in five styles." I bite my lip, trying to keep up. "You can ask the next person you meet to explain styles. For now, our judges will be pure Gifty, elegant Gifty, cute Gifty, simple Gifty, and warm Gifty."
   "Queen Nanari, what are the Giftys?" I interupt. Another sweep of the area concludes that we are alone, apart from Momo, who is cleaning himself by our tree. Are the Giftys magical spirits? The trees?
   She smiles. "You'll see. Let the contest begin!" I hear our suitcases clicking. I turn to stare in shock as five small bird-like creatures hop out of each and scamper past me on tiny feet. Five of them line up in front of me, like a yellow line of tiny ducklings. The rest assume the same position in front of Nanari. "These are Giftys," she whispers, beaming at the small animals. Her row of Giftys chirp at her, as though excited to see her. "Now, they will judge us."
   I look at my own row of Giftys. The one in front squints at me. It lifts its petite wings, hoisting something in the air. It's a small, white oval, with a pale green border. It must be a sign. I realize all the Giftys are holding little signs, each with a different coloured border. When the Gifty holds it up, a number flashes across it. Then, the Gifty scampers away quickly. Nanari's Giftys are in perfect sync with mine, each pair with the same colour sign holding up their signs simultaneously before scuttling away hurriedly. The Giftys take turns, all of them holding up signs with numbers. Then, the two groups gather and whisper. I don't know how else to describe the sound. It's like chirps and quacks and tweets, but hushed and driven.
   Finally, the two groups run up to us. One gifty from each set steps forward and holds up their sign. My Gifty's sign says 22640, with a little red A beside it. Nanari's Gifty holds up an 18500, with a maroon F. I turn to Nanari, hoping for her to tell me what it means. She is speechless, mouth hung open in a little o. "Queen Nanari?" I walk over. "Are you ok?"
   "I have found you," she finally breathes. Her eyes flick to mine, glowing. "You are the one." She clasps her hands over mine, and in her sweet whisper, says, "You must go. Travel to the nearest town and find companions to help you on your journey. You won't want to be alone."
   "But what am I supposed to do?" I beg. "You want me to save a world I don't understand, and from an issue I don't know."
   "There is no one issue. There are many. But you can't look at it as saving Miraland." She smiles. "Look at it as doing one right thing. And then another. And another. I trust you." She grabs my suitcase from the ground. "Inside are the clothes you came with, and your Giftys. They will bond to you, but by nature, bonds mean nothing in a match. No matter how close you are with your Giftys, they will never cheat in a competition."
   I take the suitcase, this time without hesitation. I have a goal. Find someone who can be my guide to Miraland, and figure out what Nanari means by a right thing. "Where is the nearest town?" I ask.
   "Travel north," she replies, pointing into the distance. "You should eventually come upon a small town on the western border." She nods at me. "You have everything you need. Now go."
   I turn around. "Momo! We're going!" Momo sits up from where he lays, then slowly begins to plod his way over. "Thank you, Queen Nanari, but-" When I turn back to the queen, she has disappeared, leaving me and Momo alone in the forest.