You're Ms. Pink.
"Oo-kay, Mom, I was already going to." The younger brunette rolled her eyes, leaning back in the chair to circle a line on the dry erase board behind her. The laptop on the dining table before her emitted a soft white light, offsetting the more amber glow from the overhead. The kitchen, and most of the other lights, were off due to the late hour. The woman herself was already in one of the baggy v-necks she preferred to sleep in, along with some sweatpants and a cardigan for modesty. After all, the most random people visited her parents and would wander into the camera frame during these calls. It paid to be prepared.
"See, I circled it," She explained, tapping each word in case her mother couldn't read it, "Pick Up Crib and Assemble Mobile."
"Yes, sweetheart, I see it on the board. I'm just reminding you again." The woman on the screen would never admit it but she was anxious and her daughter knew better than to give her any reason to worry more. Even so many years after her last pregnancy, she was just as concerned about getting everything set up. This time in two separate worlds, two separate homes.
"I will drive into town and be at the wood shop when it opens."
"Thank you, Pinky." Her father's voice drifted from somewhere off camera. There were a some sharp clicking sounds of wood, metal or glass in the background. He must be working.
"Please don't call me Pinky..." Her childhood nickname would always be the bane of her existence. And no one would ever stop using it. It had a brief decline among public use and had only been used by her family, until she and her friends saw Resevoir Dogs as teenagers and it had gotten a whole new lease on life. Now, it was as common a greeting as her real name.
She massaged the side of her face and part of her scalp, the weight of her long hair pushed aside. It was the middle of the afternoon where her parents where in the Enchanted Forest and while she shared the same need to see and hear them, it was going to make her morning errand more inconvenient with each passing minute. Her mother of course had the same train of thought.
"Sweetheart, you should go to bed. It's really late, isn't it?" There was never any real consistency in how time passed between the various worlds, even though the years would usually change at the same time. One got the vague sense of time being liquid when it was examined and always left the examiner a bit seasick. As such, it wasn't too closely investigated and like most things, just accepted.
"Ya, it's almost midnight. I'll try call back in the morning when I have everything together. That way you can make sure it's all in the right place."
Her mother's face lit up. "Oh, thank you, sweetie. You've been such a big help!" She continued with all the endearments and thanks that came with her hyped emotional state.
"Ok, ok, I'm going to bed now," she managed to cut in. "Da-ad?!?" A man popped into view behind his wife. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Thankfully, he wasn't one to gush. The warm smile that he gave her was enough to display his deep love of her.
"Love you", both mother and daughter said, in unison. Her mother's smile became just as deep and warm as his before blowing a kiss at the camera. Her daughter returned the gesture before exiting the chat and closing the laptop.
Sighing, the woman rose, stretched and headed towards the stairs, turning off the remaining lights. She'd just placed her foot on the bottom step and her hand on the rail when a sudden, violent quake ran through the house.
It felt like the air froze and carried the shock wave, everything filled with the force of it. Another wave came before the first could dissapate, this time accompanied by a cracking sound. It felt like the energy was stacking up, causing the very solid matter it was attaching to to expand and break. The third wave knocked her into the wall, her position causing her to slip to the floor, still clutching the banister.
This wasn't any magic she was used to. It was hard. Solid. Completely invisible. Not like the warm or cold fog that emanated when most magic was cast. This couldn't be bent, would not be controlled. It's was pressing, stilling. Then the fourth wave sunk into the empty spaces that even her inherent sense of magic hadn't been able feel. Then movement. The final particles to enter began to flow, counterclockwise, the physical matter they attached to going with them, one particle at a time. More particles began to move, the flow increasing exponentially until she was forced to shut out all her perception of it. The last thing she remembered was feeling seasick.
She vaguely felt the house fall. It settled more gently than a building in mid air should have but there would still be plenty of damage. She had let go of the banister at some point and slid a bit on the hard wood. It was still night and though disoriented, she could her a frantic screaming coming from somewhere.
The energy was still pulsing through her and crawling to the door was difficult without throwing up. The screaming hadn't stopped but there were other voices now. It made her spin trying to follow what they were saying. Just get outside. Find out what happened. Grabbing the door knob caused another bought of nausea but she pushed through it, pulling herself up to lean against the wall. The door swung open easily and the cool night air helped bring her back to awareness.
The screaming was closer, and the panicked voices were coordinating some kind of aid. There was a baby crying also.
Fear rose and with it, the meal she'd been trying to hold in. Right into the ficus tree. She groaned as she scooted over the threshold, still too out of it to stand. The noise was coming from the edge of her porch, a small group huddled over something or someone. The baby was off about ten feet away being soothed by a woman in a long coat. The long coat made her realize it was colder than it should have been for that time of year. Someone in the crowd must have taken notice of her because they were coming up the porch, speaking to her. A blonde woman in her early to mid-thirties.
"Can you tell me your name?" A previously unnoticed ringing caused her to clutch her head. "Hey, hey" the woman grabbed her by the shoulders to steady her. Apparently she'd begun to lean without her hands for support. "Are you ok?"
"No", she finally was able to say.
"What's your name?"
She looked up again and saw who held her. "What?"
"What do I call you?"
That's ridiculous, Emma. You've called me the same thing since I was a baby. The same thing as everyone who actually knows me. "Pinky."