NegaTales || Season 1 ||

Little Girl Blue

All her life, Gosalyn Waddlemeyer had aimed to be average. Deep down inside, she was anything but. She could list pi to the twenty-first digit, play the piano flawlessly, and could talk her way out of any situation, but those were the things that could get you noticed. And that was something she most certainly did not want. It was already hard enough with her red hair making her stick out like a sore thumb. So, occasionally, she'd purposely miss a test question, or hit the wrong key, or even speak with improper English, no matter how much it hurt on the inside. If she was special, that could mean she would draw attention to herself, and maybe even find herself in trouble. So she played the part of background character, lest she end up facing NegaDuck for messing up one way or another.

And yet that drive to be average was exactly what landed her at NegaDucks's doorstep.

Her foot tapped anxiously. The claustrophobic bus rumbled through town, the sun just starting to rise over St. Canard. She was incredibly tired but she hadn't been able to sleep last night. Yesterday, that day that should've just been an average day where nothing special happened in her dull life, but had instead changed everything.

Eyes fixated on one dirty spot on the floor, she ran her hands through her red curls. Arson, he had compared it to. Well that was a first, and she had no clue whether or not it was a complement. She had hoped her painfully average image she had set up for herself would draw away from her bright hair and eyes. They were both a curse and a blessing she had been born with. But in St. Canard, it was most certainly a curse.

It was exactly what had drawn his eyes to her at first. What made her stand out amongst the other orphan girls at Binkie's Home For Perfect Little Girls. And then when she was so desperate to get him to pick anyone but her that she had spoken out of line, telling him that she was nothing special, he had just smiled. "Perfect," he had said. "Just the kind of girl I'm looking for."

At least she didn't get punished for talking back, she told herself. NegaDuck had come looking for someone to help him with a "special task," whatever that meant. Gosalyn Waddlemeyer had been chosen.

Certainly hundreds of other kids would've wanted to be chosen. Why did he have to pick the one that didn't?

Just the name NegaDuck had struck fear into the hearts of every St. Canard citizen. Years ago, there had been a rumor that he had disappeared. He hadn't broadcast for two weeks, nor had anyone seen him. NegaDuck's guards had done a great job on keeping the rumors shrouded in mystery. Then, out of the blue, he had reappeared, threatening anyone who had dared muttered the word "revolution" in his absence. To this day, no one knew where he had gone. And a few months after his return, Darkwing Duck entered the scene.

The familiar saxophone jingle from the digital billboards on the buildings outside broke her out of her thoughts. She looked through the window, up at the video. The Darkwing Duck logo rolled across the screen, the theme song playing.

Gos' eyes moved across the bus, searching for anyone else watching. A few others smiled at the dashing hero in the purple cape, while some booed and rolled their eyes.

Gosalyn herself didn't have a preference. Opinions made you stand out. Maybe she did sort of liked the concept of someone who stood up for right, but all those feelings had been shoved deep down, hidden from everyone, including herself. She pulled her knees up on the seat and tight to her chest. A tired sigh escaped her. "What adventures do you have for us today, Darkwing?"

Of course, she knew the program wouldn't last long. Once NegaDuck found out the show was playing, he would probably shut off all the screens. Gos wondered how long it would be before that happened.

True to her thoughts, less than five minutes in, the digital billboards glitched a bit before shutting off. Gos frowned.

The bus went on in silence. A glimmer of the phone screen caught Gos' eye. The woman next to her had pulled up the episode of Darkwing Duck and was watching it with earbuds. Gos fought the urge to watch over her shoulder.