Beginning of a Long Year, Chica
“Francisca, wake up!” Chica rolled her eyes as she heard her mother call from downstairs. She was already standing in front of the full-length mirror in her room; her yellow feathers, washed and preened already, were in direct contrast to the blue tanktop and black capris she wore.
“I’m already awake!” she called back, straightening her shirt. “I’ve been awake for two hours already,” she added with a snort, though she knew it wouldn’t carry much further than her door.
“Well come down and eat breakfast!”
“I’m coming!”
Chica smiled at her reflection, amused. It was just a normal school day... except that it wasn’t. It was her last first day of high school and, potentially, her last first day of school in the United States. She felt simultaneously excited and nervous but, at the same time, indifferent. It was a weird combination of emotions.
It’s like I’m expecting something, she mused to herself, grabbing her bag out of the chair at her desk. She hitched it up on her shoulder and walked out of the room, flicking the light out as she went, and headed downstairs. Tossing her bag on the couch as she passed, she went into the dining room and sat down in her seat, watching her mother set out plates for the two of them.
“Where’s dad?” she asked, noting his empty seat.
“Still sleeping, probably,” Mrs. Sanchez laughed, heading into the kitchen to grab the food. “After all, that rooster stayed up until one last night to finish up that chapter. Deadline’s next week, you know?”
“I know, Mama,” she confirmed with a smile. “When he’s done writing do you think we can all take a trip to the beach before summer ends?”
“Of course!” she agreed with a wide smile, dishing out the food onto Chica’s plate. “What about your friends? Would they want to come along?”
Chica laughed; the answer was so obvious that she didn’t even need to answer. Her mother just laughed with her and sat down across from her, encouraging her to dig in. She didn’t hesitate to obey, enjoying her mother’s company.
If there was one thing in the world Chica knew, it was that nothing could compare to the love shared between a mother and a daughter. She couldn’t even begin to imagine life without her mother, the hen who birthed her, bathed her, changed her diapers, taught her all about love and life as a young woman, encouraged her to break free from the binds of society and do what she enjoyed, supported her decisions in life- this hen who taught her everything she knew and loved her even when she made huge, avoidable mistakes. She similarly couldn’t imagine life without her father, the rooster who protected her when she was young and taught her how to defend herself so she wouldn’t need to rely on him when she got older. They were so supportive, so loving, and so understanding, and they even helped her apply to the culinary arts school in Paris despite their own reservations about letting her go. She didn’t want to do anything to hurt either of them.
So she smiled as she ate breakfast and talked to her mother, and then she helped her mother clean up until Freddy called to tell her they were out front waiting for her. She gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek, grabbed her bookbag off of the couch, and ran outside.
Yes, she thought to herself as she slid into the car next to Foxy, life is good.
“I don’t think I’ll like gym this year. I can’t do half the things on this sheet.”
Chica looked up from the phone in her hand to see Goldie leaning against the lockers, staring down at his physical fitness sheet in dismay. She rolled her eyes. “That’s what gym is for, Goldie,” she informed him with a snort, pushing away from the locker and leaning over to see the sheet over his shoulder. “The part I don’t like is the thirty-some odd students in the class.”
“At least there’s two instructors,” Freddy cut in as he stopped beside them, getting Chica’s attention. He gave Chica a strange look. “Besides, Chica, you’re not even in gym, how’d you know there was thirty-something students in there?”
“Foxy complained my ear off about it,” she told him with a dismissive wave. “Something about too many sweating Humans and Animals.”
“Well at least today was just agenda and warm-up day,” Goldie sighed as he stuffed his sheet into his bag. “Looks like we’ll be making use of those stupid club memberships this year, huh Freddy?”
Chica rolled her eyes as Freddy agreed. Should have been making use of it all along, silly bears.
“So gym will suck this year.” Chica turned her attention to Bonnie as he approached with Foxy, a grimace on his face. She raised a brow at him, wondering what could put such an expression on the normally-grinning rabbit’s face.
“Something happen?” she asked.
“I’ll say, I literally ran into one of those- you know, those guys,” Bonnie answered, frowning sharply. “The annoying one.”
“They’re all annoying,” Foxy snorted. “But I know which one you’re talking about.”
Of course they did. Bonnie was easily annoyed by things he didn’t like and Bonnie didn’t like Springtrap’s “gang.” And in that gang was a loud, always-smiling, always-laughing clumsy rabbit.
Well. Somewhat loud. Compared to the rest of that group. Compared to other students- well, not so much. But it was enough to grate on Bonnie’s nerves and make him Bonnie’s least favourite of them all.
They began walking to their next class as the warning bell rang. “Well, at least it’s only Mondays and Wednesdays,” Goldie pointed out and Chica watched, amused, as the others nodded in agreement. “We have that stupid art class every day.” Chica grimaced at the reminder. Yeah, whose smart idea was that?
“Yeah, why did we get switched into there anyway? It’s gonna be horrible,” Bonnie groaned as he pushed the door open and sauntered in, bee-lining to the desk next to the door. As Foxy sat down in the seat next to Bonnie, Chica briefly scanned the room.
The desks were arranged into pairs. By the window, Springtrap’s group had already gathered and were laughing about something or other, but Chica didn’t care enough to bother figuring out what it was about. She frowned, unhappy to see them in this class, and sat down in the empty pair of desks next to Foxy.
“Relax, it won’t be so bad,” Freddy assured them as he sat down behind Foxy.
“Yeah, I think art’ll be an easy A,” Goldie agreed dismissively, glancing up at the ceiling. “But damn, gym- that teacher was rude as hell.” Chica raised a brow, wondering what had happened in the gym class. Foxy didn’t mention anything like this. “That warm-up is brutal and the teacher didn’t even care that a kid started having an asthma attack? Like geez, poor kid could’ve died.” Oh. Well, geez.
“Well, at least his friend was willing to just walk out with him, a good friend to have,” Freddy put in and Goldie and Bonnie both nodded in agreement. Chica didn’t add anything; there was nothing for her to say. “I wonder what goes on in this class.” Chica’s gaze slid over to the back of the room, where there were eight lab stations. From there she could see a basic chemistry set, but there was also an oven-like thing sitting on the far back counter.
“Who knows,” Bonnie said with a shrug. “This definitely isn’t chemistry.”
“Looks like chemistry will be part of it, though,” Chica said, nodding towards the back of the room. Her friends turned to look back there.
After a few moments, they turned back around as Bonnie said, “Yeah.” His gaze went to Freddy. “So who’s gonna be whose partner this year?”
Chica smirked a bit. You have a choice of me or Foxy, Bon-Bon.
“Whoever you want,” Freddy told him, clearly amused. “It’s not like I’ll be choosin’, ya know.”
“I call dibs on Freddy,” Goldie added jokingly and Chica laughed with the others, shaking her head slightly. “But hey,” Goldie started, looking around the room. “looks like the other people in class are… uh… people none of us get along with. Huh.” He looked back at his friends.
Chica glanced towards the back of the classroom where four humans sat, two talking happily and two sitting silently. Oh yeah. They hate our guts. No go there.
Before any of them could say anything, however, an unfamiliar, accented voice interrupted with, “Alright, then, settle down class.”
Chica turned to look forward, towards the voice, to see a tall human with bright blue eyes and green-dyed hair. She blinked and laughed silently to herself- was this the science teacher? She wasn’t sure if she could take this guy seriously. Green isn’t his colour.
“I am Doctor Mike Schmidt and this year I am your science teacher,” Dr. Schmidt informed them and Chica had to bite her tongue. “This year, things will be different.”
I’ll say, she mused, watched the doctor curiously. “In the past I know you have always been allowed to choose your own partners, but in my experience I’ve found there is a lot less messing around and procrastination when partners are assigned.” She lost her amused smile. Suddenly she found herself able to take this man seriously. Is he about to…
“So this year, I will be assigning your partners.”
No one said anything. Chica wasn’t sure if anyone even moved, there was absolutely no sound whatsoever. All of them just stared uneasily at the green-haired scientist.
“I have already assigned everyone their partners and you cannot switch out partners,” Dr. Schmidt informed them, tapping his foot on the floor. “I have partnered everyone up for specific reasons, and this is the partner you will have all year long.” Chica frowned as he didn’t expand or even give any reasons at all. “You will sit beside each other in the classroom, when we are in the lab you will work together at your station, and you will be expected to work outside of the classroom as well.”
Well this sounds brilliant, she told herself sarcastically, frowning at the man.
“Basically, your lab partner in this class will be the person every assignment in this class, minus your exams, will be done with. Whether you call each other or meet up in person is up to you.”
No duh!
Dr. Schmidt lifted his clipboard and made a few notes, humming softly to himself. Chica watched him; he was bizarre. And weird. “Alright. Gather your stuff, everyone. And stand back near the lab stations. You can choose your own seats, but you must be sitting next to your partner.”
Chica followed her friends and classmates to the back of the room, glancing at the group of fidgeting, worried students that had somehow become rivals with her own friends. She wasn’t even sure how it happened, to be honest. One day in middle school they had all, bar Freddy, decided that the rabbit dubbed Springtrap and his friends were bad people. It might have had something to do with the skipped classes and incomplete or missing homework, but it might have also had to do with the fact that they were so blind to everything around them- blind or just plain rude and ignorant. It took them until highschool to even notice Chica and her friends were openly showing their dislike.
And then they began returning it. Sometimes. When they paid enough attention to actually catch the scowls and sneers.
They were opposites, as far as Chica knew, so disliking each other was way too easy. They had nothing whatsoever in common. They had never exchanged a single word for as long as Chica could remember, just aggressive or mocking looks, but Chica knew she didn’t like them.
Especially the other chicken, whose wardrobe seemed to consist of dresses and shorts and pink and lavender and wore makeup and it was just all sorts of things Chica herself couldn’t stand. She was the epitome of girly and Chica refused to believe in anyone who fit so perfectly into a stereotype.
(On some level she did realize that the other chicken wasn’t quite a perfect stereotype; she had no other female friends and was the exact opposite of popular despite her“prettiness,” but she chose to ignore that fact. After all, presentation was everything, and she presented a very feminine, stereotypical-girl facade.)
“Alright now,” Dr. Schmidt’s voice interrupted her thoughts, drawing her attention to the front again. “First, Bonito Rodriguez and Bonnie Henderson.”
Oh. Well. She watched as both rabbits, glaring at each other, made their way towards the desks closest to the door. That looks like a perfect combo, Dr. Schmidt. Let’s see how long it takes for them to try and kill each other.
“Marion Marshal and Malesha Jacks.”
Both names were distantly familiar to her. She watched them take the pair of desks in the back by the window. Chances are growing thinner.
“Freddy Fazbear and Alfred Fischbach.”
She watched the two brown bears silently make their way towards the seats by the door, taking the ones in back. Freddy’s leaving a gap between himself and Bonnie… must be Goldie’s seat.
“Vivien Blanc and Drew Jones.” Chica glanced over at Foxy as he let out a growl, but he made his way to the pair of desks next to the gap. “Leah Stuart and Jackie James.” The two humans high-fived with a quiet cheer and went to the front row desks by the window. “Frederick Fazbear and Spring Salvage.”
Ouch, Chica mentally sighed, hardly glancing at the golden-furred Animals as they made their way to the desks between Bonnie, Foxy, and Freddy. Instead she looked at the only remaining classmate with a frown and made her way to the front center desks.
“Francisca Sanchez and Charlotte Kain,” Dr. Schmidt finished off as both girls were taking their seats. Chica glanced over at her friends, frowning; all of them were doing the same.
Bonnie, catching her gaze, leaned over and whispered, “This blows.” Chica barely got a chance to nod in agreement before the rabbit was straightening up.
“Mr. Rodriguez, turn around please,” Dr. Schmidt called. “Now, I know all of you know each other-” this was answered with a snort and Chica glanced back at Goldie, “-but this is my first year at this school and I don’t know any of you. So, I want all of you to fill out this questionnaire about your partner, which you will then read aloud to the class.”
Fuck that, Chica thought as she took the questionnaire page and passed it back to Foxy. Her eyes scanned over the questions.
My New Lab Partner!
Name:
Nickname(s):
DOB:
Places You’ve Lived:
Future Plans:
Interests/Hobbies:
Favourite Colour:
Favourite Band/Musician:
Phone #
Cell:
Landline:
It was generic, typical, boring, and full of information she didn’t give a damn about. She glanced over at the smaller chicken next to her. Their eyes met and held for several silent seconds before, simultaneously, they scowled.
“We can fill out our own,” Chica told her, turning away from her. I refuse to talk more than necessary, she thought.
“Here here,” Kain’s soft, bitter answer sounded. Chica didn’t even give her a glance this time. She noted down her name and nickname and then scrawled out January 7, 99 on her birth date line. Behind her, she could hear Foxy and Blanc already getting into an argument.
There was a soft humming next to her and she briefly glanced at Kain, who wore a sharp frown as she stared at her page. Annoying, Chica decided quickly, writing out Chihuahua, Mexico and Durmont on her own sheet. Oh my god, just shut up with the humming!
Quickly writing down school in Paris, she moved on to interests and hobbies. That was easy. Cooking, friends, family, music, sports. Behind her she heard “Did you just call me mangey?”
“Yes, I did. It’s much better than Mangle, don’t’cha think?”
Foxy’s being an idiot again, Chica thought with a mental sigh, rolling her eyes. Favourite colour? Blue.
“Hey, are you-”
“Future. Plans.”
That voice was filled with so much venom that it actually caused Chica to pause. She would have looked over, if only to see how Bonnie would react, but next to her Kain sat up straight and leaned forward, looking around Chica and Bonnie towards Rodriguez. She glanced over at Kain, noting the worry on her face. She was gripping her (disgustingly pink) pen too tightly, staring over at her friend. Around the room, others continued to talk, completely unaware of the tense, dangerous air between the rabbits.
The moment passed as Bonnie finally answered and apparently something in that assured Kain as she relaxed with a quiet sigh and sat back in her seat, eyes going back to her page. Her frown didn’t fade.
It took Chica a moment to realize she was glaring at the chicken. She turned her own gaze back to the questionnaire, frowning. That was weird. She looked really worried. Absently, she noted down Charlie Daniels and, a little more hesitantly, (223) 346-7612. She crossed out the landline; her family didn’t even have a landline. I wonder what Bonnie did to piss Rodriguez off like that.
He probably breathed too loudly.
But then… “Hey, are you-”... What was he about to ask? “Are you okay?” Did Bonnie actually say something that upset him?Really thinking about it, I guess he did sound upset. I dunno. I guess I’ll ask Bonnie later.
She sighed and dropped her pen on the desk, leaning lazily on her hand. The room had devolved into relative silence, with the exception of the two girls- what were their names? Leah and Jackie?- who were talking about things Chica herself had no interest in. She glanced at her friends. Bonnie was, strangely enough, watching Rodriguez, Goldie looked bored and irritated, and Freddy wore a sharp, thoughtful frown. She couldn’t see Foxy, seeing as he was directly behind her, but she could imagine his scowl easily enough.
Freddy looks conflicted, she noted. She wondered if Bonnie wore a similar expression. She glanced back at her own partner, whose eyes were closed. She was leaning against her own hand, much like Chica was. Her eyes flicked down to the questionnaire lying by Kain’s arm.
I am curious, though… how will this year play out?
My New Lab Partner!
Name: Charlotte Kain
Nickname(s): Chii
DOB: January 10th, 99
Places You’ve Lived: Durmont
Future Plans: Culinary school in Paris or Rome
Interests/Hobbies: Cooking, music, being with friends
Favourite Colour: Lavender
Favourite Band/Musician: Jan J
Phone #
Cell: 346-9890
Landline: -