In The Blink Of An Eye – A Negative One fanfiction.

The smell of leaves, dirt and fresh country air filled the nostrils of Mennie as she strode confidently back to the holiday house she had been staying in since yesterday. In her hands she carried a thick woven basket filled with strawberries that a nice farmer had let her take from the vines growing around the area. The sun warmed her cold skin which felt nice, but the flies continued to circle hoping for a bite of her fruit and that annoyed her.

At times she felt something wriggle in her basket, but when she turned around, nobody was there. With the next wriggle, she spun around just in time to catch a little blonde girl with her fingers in the fruit basket. “YOU!” she screeched, pointing her index finger accusingly. She saw the girl’s lip begin to quiver in fear before stuffing the end of a strawberry into her mouth and sucking on it like a pacifier. Mennie chuckled at the sight, the little girl was so cute, then bit her lip in guilt, “It’s okay…” she reached out to give her head a pat. “You can have that berry, just… don’t take them all, alright?”.

She turned back around and began to walk again, faster this time. A shadow skipped along behind her and with each step she took she knew she had a friend for the holiday.

Mennie unlocked the cabin door, “Awwww don’t tell me you want to stay here too…” Mennie groaned to herself as the girl pushed past and galloped inside. But the girl had already made herself at home on the large blue couch in the living room and had closed her eyes. Mennie stared for a moment wondering what to do before trudging to the closet, pulling out a red plaid woven blanket and tossed it around the child. The child’s eyes flickered and she smiled momentarily before dozing off.

Warmth. Seconds apart breaths of warmth. The spores of clean, life-giving air were suddenly compromised and Ivy D stirred from her sleep and sat up quickly, sucking in some precious oxygen.

As she did so, a little voice yelped and a lump toppled over on the blanket. Ivy D rubbed at her eyes and they slowly adjusted to the half-light peeping through the curtains. Her heart beat faster and she gulped as her eyes fell upon a small child sitting cross-legged in a green singlet and blue shorts, big eyes staring at her in wonder. The little girl had beautiful sparkling eyes like jewels, much similar to her own blue ones, but these were green. She had long blonde hair much like her own, only the little girl's hair wasn't quite as long as hers, but then, not many people's were.

Ivy D realized the little girl must have been so curious that she'd been leaning over her face gawking whilst she was sleeping and that was why her breath had been everywhere.

"You in my bed?" the little girl cocked her head to the side, confused. “Umm…” Ivy D pushed back the covers and moved a little to the side. The little girl jumped into Ivy D's lap and pushed back some strands of her hair, "Oooo, you got ears like mine! Lookee!", the girl pushed back her own hair and touched the tip of her ears. She grinned and bounced in Ivy D's lap before throwing her arms around her and squeezing. "Yeah, I guess I do..." Ivy D smiled a bit herself. "Hi, my name is Ivy. I don't know how I got here, maybe you can help me figure that out, but you really are a cute little thing. I could think of worse ways to wake up than seeing you!", she laughed.

Ivy D closed her eyes and let her mind take her back to her life in Florida. Her two bedroom apartment, her family, her friends, her workmates one of whom she'd rather NOT think of, and... sitting and drawing her comic every Friday which she loved to do.

Suddenly it hit her. The face, the eyes, the hair, the ears. She was sitting face to face with her flying superpower baby, Ivy.

Ivy D's eyes filled with tears, “Ivy…” she reached out and stroked Ivy's chin like she was meeting a long lost daughter. Ivy wasn't sure what was happening but she moved closer and decided to give this sweet girl a chance just like she had before. "Ivy wants some breakfast? Mennie make it for us!" Ivy jumped off the bed, grabbing Ivy D's hand and leading her to the kitchen.

Ivy D's mouth dropped open and she chuckled to herself in disbelief as she watched her own character, the tough but fair Mennie, leaning over a bench flipping pancakes onto a couple of plates and frantically pouring some orange juice into a glass.

She wondered to herself whether Mennie was a good cook and if food from an alternate dimension would taste the same as it did back in her world. "MENNIE!" Ivy screeched. Mennie turned around, holding the glass in her hand. Her eyes fell upon Ivy D; not expecting to see anyone but little Ivy, she screamed and the glass shattered on the floor. Ivy's face fell and she hid behind Ivy D in fear, grabbing onto the fabric of her shirt as if her life depended on it. Ivy D rushed over and began to help Mennie pick up the pieces all over the floor. Mennie brushed her hands away and lifted her to her feet. She looked at her suspiciously, "Who... are you? And how... did you get in here? Did the baby let you in through her window? Gosh, I told that girl so many times... she’s been letting in cats and dogs and rabbits and now a human being, next she’ll invite the whole neighbourhood; she should feel lucky that I let her stay here cause…" Mennie trailed off incoherently.

Ivy D explained that she wasn't sure what had happened, that she had simply woken up in the bed and could not remember how she got there. They sat down together and Mennie listened to Ivy D talk about her life back in Florida, that she owned a webcomic called 'Negative One', and why she thought it was very strange that she was now suddenly here. "And what is a WEBcomic? Is that some sort of comic for spiders or something?” Mennie laughed at her own joke. Ivy D tried to explain that she had come from the year 2010 and what a computer was and the internet but Mennie could not grasp the pieces of technology that was well before their time. “I’m a COMIC?! A COMIC?! Our whole lives are part of a comic, we’re not REAL?! I sure feel real!” Mennie laughed sarcastically and poked her own arm. She closed her eyes as if she was struggling to keep herself together, "What is your name?".

"My name is Ivy. Sometimes people call me Julie but I like to be called Ivy." Ivy D replied chirpily.

"Well IVY, I'm sorry, this is getting really weird. I’d love to play some pretend science fiction game with you but I don’t have the time! Please just leave this house, you're lucky I haven't called the police, creeping around here saying you 'woke up' in the bedroom, give me a break! Maybe you’re some sort of spy or something, trying to get information out of us…” Mennie began to push Ivy D out the door. Ivy gasped and ran after her. "You come back here and eat your pancakes!" Mennie yelled, but Ivy screamed no. Ivy D and Ivy sat on the steps staring into space. A billion thoughts were whizzing through their mind and they didn't know exactly what to say. "Come flying with me, Ivy. We visit the sky" Ivy's wide baby smile melted Ivy D's heart, she couldn't believe she was actually spending time with the incredible superbaby, Ivy. And Ivy was just as charmed with Ivy D, she looked to her like an older sister already and wanted to spend as much time with this special girl as possible while she was here. Soon enough she could be taken away again and Ivy didn’t want that.

Ivy D nessled herself into Ivy's arms, she felt exhilarated that she was living the brilliant life of her comic, even if she told herself it was just a dream she'd soon wake up from; sure beat another hectic day at the office. "You scared? Don't be scared, Ivy" Ivy gave her a reassuring grin before they levitated upwards and began to fly around the neighbourhood. Ivy D yelled out in exhilaration and happiness and Ivy was beaming. "You a friend" Ivy said softly to Ivy D as they flew. "So are you" Ivy D cooed. She couldn't remember a time she'd felt so alive, although she already had such an amazing joyful life, she thought that this day was the best she'd ever experienced.

Suddenly she felt her grip loosening. Ivy was speeding up, she was wailing uncontrollably as if she couldn't stop herself from going so fast. Ivy lurched forward with a jolt and screamed; Ivy D went flying through the air heading towards a thick row of clouds. She was scared this was the last moment of her life but hoped that Ivy would be able to save her; but the funny thing was, she wasn't falling. Her body passed through the clouds and she could hear Ivy shouting after her, panicked.

The next thing Ivy D saw was a ceiling and light bulb. She was lying on a floor. She jumped up and looked around to see where she was. She couldn't believe it, she was back home. What had happened, she couldn't be sure. She felt relief wash over her as she ran her fingers over her possessions to make sure this was real, but the other part of her longed to be back in the air flying with Ivy. She worried that Ivy would think she was gone, dead maybe, and that she would blame herself. Ivy D opened the door and sat cross legged outside, staring into space once again, trying to process everything. Residents and visitors made their way across the pavement, talking to each other. Their lives had gone on the same as it always had, or so it seemed by how normal they were acting.

Day gave way to night and the stars glittered above. A cool wind blew gently across the land and the only sound was the crickets chirping in the bushes. Disappointed, Ivy D rose to her feet and decided to head back inside to make some dinner, she was rather hungry after her long day. As she was turning away, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something. She peered closer and saw a hovering spec with blonde hair glowing and mixing with the stars behind her. "Ivy?!" she began to run towards her. Ivy smiled that cute baby grin, waved and flew away. Ivy D held her hand to her heart; she was touched. Ivy had come back to make sure she was alright, she knew it.

"Goodbye my beautiful friend. See you next Friday" she whispered and blew a kiss into the night. Her head had been a busy highway filled with confusion and chaos. Now her head was as calm and quiet as the world tonight in front of her. Ivy D headed back inside, opened the cupboard and pulled out her frying pan. For dinner, she was having pancakes.