A strange, desk dream

Consciousness came slowly, filtering down with all the confused haze of awaking from the deepest nap. Those deep sleep hormones seemed to fill the muscles, pulling away gently, so gently in fact that it took Annie a few moments to even realize she wasn’t in her bed at home.

“Mhmmm…”

She leaned up from the desk she’d been sleeping on, resting her head in her hands.

“That’s so weird, I never fall asleep at school…”

Her mumbling was so soft and relaxed it was barely audible. It took a few minutes for the slight girl to regain her proper faculties, as her vision was caked and blurred by sleep. Even throughout all of this, and the expected discomfort of sleeping on a desk, she couldn’t help but feel fine. Better than fine even. She almost felt reborn, refreshed, as though she’d been asleep for not just minutes or an hour, but even weeks.

But it wasn’t like she had been. That was impossible. Thinking about it was almost an ordeal, her memories seeming to come slowly, as though there was something hazy about the last few weeks. She figured she must still be too relaxed from her nap to really bother. But no, all her memories were there. Being in class, working hard. Spending a few evenings in detention with Mr. Laithwaite, bumping her grades up.

And… something to do with Victoria?

What could it be?

Victoria had always been awful to Annie. Judgemental, dismissive. Cruel, but in an effortless way that belied the total lack of consideration and empathy the blonde bitch had for the middle class Asian girl.

Why would Annie have memories of her? Something more than the usual ****, at least.

“Wakey wakey, Annie!”

That voice rang out, clear and confident and even a little teasing. Annie looked up in abrupt surprise, seeing the very same girl she’d just been thinking about leaning against a desk at the front of the room, watching her with an elusive smile.

Annie had to admit, despite every inch of her unpleasantness, Victoria was beautiful. Her body was the culmination of generations of gold digger genetics enhanced by many hours in her private gym with her personal trainer, perfect blonde hair that screamed money and a face adorned only with the most luxurious cosmetics. When she smiled, it was with flawlessly straight white teeth, heightened by her juicy lips adorned in expensive, glossy pink lipstick in a naturalistic rather than garishly unnatural shade.

“Victoria?”

Annie’s voice more than showed her confusion, as she wondered why on earth Victoria would just be waiting with her, especially missing her squadron of sycophants.

“I’m glad you seem to be feeling okay.”

The pretty white girl walked closer, so graceful she seemed to glide. She seemed a little different from how Annie remembered, and not least due to the seeming genuineness of her comment.

“…Yeah?”

“You are feeling okay, right?”

Annie looked at Victoria, more confused than anything else. Of course she was okay.

“Uhm… yes…”

“That’s good! I’m happy to hear it. One thing I should say…”

Seemingly satisfied, after looking over her, Victoria began to wander away.

“… you might start remembering some things soon. Maybe slowly, or maybe all at once. If they make you curious, I want you to meet me at Toby’s tower after school, okay? You remember, from the time he took you there one lunch time?”

“Y-yeah…”

Annie squinted a little, even more confused than before as Victoria disappeared into the corridor. She did remember that lunch, asking all sorts of questions to Toby. That tower was beautiful, but so out of the way, so unknown.

How… how had Victoria known about it? How had she known about that day…?

The rest of the day was uneventful. The same classes Annie had always had, the same teachers, the same faces. Objectively, it seemed nothing was out of the ordinary. And yet still that strange fog persisted, that elusive sensation something was missing. It was like a ghost splinter, stuck in her finger. Irritating, frustrating.

As she walked through the corridors, idly eating her lunch sandwich, she wondered what it could be…

All at once, Annie was wrenched away from her thoughts just as she was wrenched out of the corridor, dragged into the relative darkness of a near empty classroom. Her heartbeat spiked in her chest, while her vision quickly tried to focus on the sight in front of her. Partially obscured by shadow, yet still all too recognizable, was a beautiful young woman.

Glossy, silky brunette hair framed a perfectly symmetrical face, as pale, icy blue eyes seemed to blaze with a sadistic intensity as they regarded her. The **** that had pulled her in here was all too clear as well, flanking Annie on either side; Katarina’s cronies who so faithfully carried out their mistress’s bidding.

“Annie. How nice of you to join us.”

“What the hell, Katarina!”

“Ah, ahhh. Let’s show a little respect, hmmmm?”

“Or what, your goons will beat me?”

Katarina seemed to laugh a little at Annie’s reply, before her mirth was stowed as she continued.

“Really now, is that anyway to refer to your student council president? And, well, let’s not forget also the woman who holds the evidence that can get you unceremoniously kicked out of this institution.”

Annie gritted her teeth, frustration at her own helplessness building within her. Katarina seemed to sense this, and her lips curled higher into a cold smile.

“Now, be a good girl and do exactly… as I say.”

“What do you want already??”

“Feeling ready to comply? Good. Then I’ll tell you.”

Katarina smiled, a certain vicious satisfaction coloring her expression.

“You see, I have only one real rival at this school. Half of the student body rightfully knows me to be Queen, and follows my authority. And yet the other half is, well, mislead. A certain blonde bimbo who inexplicably has such popularity. Hmm, well, I thought I would do something to help these unfortunates see the light.”

She reached into her pocket, and produced a small device that looked like a portable charger, and extended it towards Annie.

“Status. Pride. These are at the center of popularity at this school. I trust you know who I’m talking about?”

“Victoria…”

“Exactly! No wonder you’re a scholarship student, being so smart like that.”

Annie’s own ego, so often trampled upon, recoiled just a little bit more from Katarina’s patronizing teasing, before the confident brunette continued.

“This little device will let you get through the security on Victoria’s phone. You’re going to steal it, use this to get in, and then I want you to message her Ex. Michael Brettonshire, he’s a few years older, at college studying finance, you know the type.

Ask him to take you back. Act so pleading, so pathetic, so needy. Tell him you’re still obsessed, and act like a hapless, stupid little girl, lovesick and weak.”

“What? What’s is this even going to accomplish?”

Katarina just rolled her eyes, before answering.

“Obviously, Michael will tell his friends, who will tell their friends, and within a day or two it will be all over the school. We may be in different years, but we’re all the same class. Everyone who’s everyone knows everyone, and word gets around. Victoria will look like a laughing stock, a world away from the popular hot girl everyone wants to be, or be with.

A critical blow to her reputation. And I will pick up the slack, ascending to my rightful place as uncontested queen of the school. Not a bad plan, huh?”

Annie wrinkled her forehead, before replying;

“Not a bad plan? Not a bad plan?? It’s a terrible plan, what do you mean? How am I meant to get her phone? And get it back to her without her noticing it’s gone so I can embarrass her? This is impossible!”

“Oh Annie… sweet, naïve Annie. You’re not seeing the situation here. I don’t care how you get the phone, and I’m not going to presume to know either. An animal caught in a trap will gnaw off its own leg to escape. Now then, I’m curious what you will do.

You either work out how to accomplish what I’ve asked of you, or I ruin you in this school. You may as well roll the dice and take a risk, because you’re going to lose everything anyway if you don’t. You’re a scholarship student, who knows what kind of unsavory things you’ve had to do to find yourself here; so very far above your natural station.

You can’t go to anyone for help either. I’ll reveal your little illicit relationship to everyone the moment you move against me. So Annie, what are you going to do…?”