Thank you so much, @lara-preston , for helping me realize a scene from my fanfic where Noodle first meets Margaret in her story, "The Unknown Mission". It's part of my novel-length fanfic dark fantasy, "Holiday In Hell" of my favorite band, "Gorillaz." It takes place in Phase 2
https://archiveofourown.org/works/15597999/chapters/36214500
Here is an excerpt:
She had walked for almost an hour and even though the light on the path was getting brighter, Noodle was beginning to think they were not getting any nearer the end of the forest.
Then, as if someone had heard her thought, she felt herself walk through an invisible barrier and suddenly there were fewer children in the trees.
The leaves rustled gently in the breeze while bright sunlight shone onto the path. Up ahead, Noodle saw what looked like a green open field and as she sighed in relief to be almost out of this miserable place.
She then heard the clear voice of a young girl. She looked ahead and in the middle of the bright sunlight about fifty feet ahead she saw the girl sitting down just off the path.
“....and then you know what she did Simon? She took my toy and threw it in the fountain! She’s not very nice you know.” The child chatted away.
Noodle moved forward to see a petite little girl in a white robe with short black hair not unlike her own, comfortably settled among big roots of a tree making a daisy chain while above her was a boy her age with similar features hung over her.
“I went to tell Daniel, but you know what he told me? That I shouldn’t tattle-tell but find some other way of working things out. HMMPFF I did! I asked him to get it for me. That wasn’t tattle-telling now was it?” She asked looking up at the hanging boy and what sounded like a whisper followed.
The girl was so wrapped up in her one-sided conversation; she was unaware that Noodle and Mike had been coming up to her. Not to frighten her, Noodle made a noise far enough away to catch her attention.
The little girl glanced at Noodle unaffected by her sudden arrival. Big blue eyes with thick lashes showed more curiosity than fright and with a pert nose and full cupid’s mouth, Noodle thought she had must have been one of the prettiest little girls she had ever seen.
“Hello.” Noodle smiled down at her as she walked up and the girl returned the smile.
“Hello, I’m Margaret and this....” She then saw Mike and Margaret’s eyes lit up as she jumped to her feet and the daisy chain fell, forgotten as she ran toward Mike.
“A monkey!” She squealed happily sounding like children did on Christmas morning.
Mike screeched as he ran up into Noodle’s arms for protection and Margaret stopped in front of jumping around like she was a monkey herself.
“A real monkey! I’ve never seen one before, only in books or what Daniel has told us. Can I touch him? Please, please, please?”
Noodle couldn’t help but laugh at her enthusiasm remembering the days when she was like that.
“You’re scaring him jumping around like that but maybe if you hold really still and ask nicely he’ll come over to you.”
Mike pulled Noodle’s shirt and chittered in obvious reluctance of the girl getting anywhere near him.
“As a matter of a fact you will, won’t you Mike? Mike grumbled in response while Margaret went perfectly still as little kids will trying to contain her excitement.
“What’s his name?’ She asked Noodle, her eyes looking eagerly at the monkey.
“It’s Mike.” And Margaret’s face scrunched up.
“That’s a strange name for a monkey. I thought it would be more like Bonzo or something.” Mike chittered annoyed at the comment making Noodle giggle at his irritation.
“Really Mike. She’s just a little girl. Now stop being a baby, go over and say hi.”
The little girl’s eyes looked at him pleadingly as he took a tentative step and looked warily at Margaret.
“It’s O.K. Mike.” She encouraged “I just want to say hi.”
The monkey slowly made his way over until he was within arm’s length of her and then she reached forward, grabbing him to give him a big hug.
“Oh you’re so soft and cuddly! Just like I always thought a monkey would be!” She exclaimed while all Mike wanted to do was get away and made his intentions known with a screech making Noodle start to laugh again.
“Looks like you made a new friend there.” Mike said something very unfriendly at her making her laugh again.
“O.K. you can come back over now.” He disentangled himself and ran behind Noodle again while the girl looked disappointed.
“I didn’t make him mad did I?” Mike began to speak up but Noodle cut him off with a curt look, then turned back to Margaret smiling.
“Don’t worry he’s just a little shy, he’s not used to little children.”
A loud whisper came from above and they looked up to see the little boy dangling from the tree.
“Your right I forgot!” Margaret looked embarrassed. “Simon told me that I forgot to ask what your name is. Daniel tells me I am not allowed to talk to strangers, so if I know your name you won’t be one anymore.”
Ah, the logic of children. She thought to herself, finding Margaret to be quite delightful.
“That sounds like a very smart rule. My name is Noodle.” Margaret scrunched her face again to one side as if trying to understand the logic behind that name, but couldn’t find one.
“That’s a strange name too for a girl. Daniel would find it funny I guess.” Noodle hearing this person’s name three times already, she decided to find out more about who this girl took in regard.
“Who’s Daniel?”
“Oh, he’s the boy that takes care of me in our home, but he takes care of a lot of other kids too. He’s what they call a Prefect here. I like him because he’s funny, nice and tells great bed time stories.”
“And where’s here, sweetheart?’ She continued trying to coax more information out of Margaret.
“Why home of course.” She looked at Noodle confused then her eyes went wide in wonder.
“Wow! You really must be a stranger here if you don’t know that!”
A harsh whisper came from above again and Margaret looked up at the boy hanging above them, annoyed.
“I was just getting to you.” She looked back at Noodle. “As you heard his name is Simon. He’s my twin brother who thinks he knows more than me, but I was born first so I’m the older one and that means” She puffed up her chest. “I’m the boss.”
She bent over picking up the discarded daisy chain and looked up longingly at Simon.
“Anyways, I was here to make him a daisy chain so he could have something nice to wear out here.” Noodle looked up at him
“Can you really talk to him?” And the girl shrugged matter of factly.
“Sure it’s not that hard, you just need to let your own ‘voice’ go quiet. I think if you can talk to Mike, you can talk to him.” She encouraged and Noodle looked up at Simon.
“Hello Simon, I’m Noodle.” She quieted her mind just like Jeena had taught her and a breath later a very quiet but distinct voice whispered in her ear.
“You are not like the others; you are light on the inside.”
A shiver involuntarily went up her spine, and she looked uneasily at Margaret
“The others?” Margaret nodded for her and Simon with the look of fear in her eyes.
“The Keepers.” They eerily echoed each other...
