- "Nicco, before, it had always been just us two. Like...it didn't matter about anyone else because...well, because I always knew you were there."
- ―Jesse Banda to Nicco
Niccolina "Nicco" Pandelis is a Restoring Demon in Negative Space,[4] and a former student at Bremin High School. Coming from a Greek family, Nicco is a determined, all-rounded girl, high achieving and a soccer star, focusing on these as her passion.[1] As the first girl in the Nowhere Gang, her element is Earth.[3]
Personality[]
Nicco is a straight A student,[5] but slowly begun to achieve worse academically and was forced to cheat at a periodic table exam with Miss O'Donnell teaching.[1]
Nicco is also a very passionate soccer player, except for when her school work overlaps with her training.[1] Her commitment to her soccer team also strained her relationship with her sister, Kayla Pandelis. After winning a game with a penalty kick, with a move that Kayla said the two had practiced, and being asked to Little Gino's by Peta Chen and some other teammates, she chose them instead of her sister.
Nicco was friends with Jesse Banda for a long time prior to their magical adventures. The pair made up dance routines and wore crazy costumes. Their dynamic changed when Nicco joined the soccer team which left her with less time to spend with Jesse.
Biography[]
Disappearances at school[]
Nicco first meets Bremin High’s new student, Luke Hamill, early in the morning when she’s practicing football. She kicks the ball against a wall and almost hits Luke, but she manages to warn him in time.
Later in the day, Nicco stumbles in late to her first class, science class with Ms O’Donnell, and is closely followed by Principal Bates who complains about chickens left in his office. When Mr Bates has been zapped into nothingness only moments later, Nicco is one of the only students to recognise that he has gone missing after Ms Jarra addresses herself as the principal instead of the vice. She doesn’t mention it in class, but later when she gets home she asks her sister about a movie where everyone disappears while Kayla helps her with studying and exercise.
The next day, Nicco’s science revision for the day’s upcoming test eats into the time of her football training much to her coach’s annoyance. Later, Nicco’s science class has their exam, and Nicco cheats by pulling up a copy of the periodic table on her phone. She is sent to detention later in the day with the rest of the Nowhere Boys who had obtained detention throughout the day as well. The others remark how odd it is for her to be there as she never gets detention.
During detention, Ms O’Donnell believes every student to be present to which the Nowhere Boys argue she’s wrong. They try to tell her about their classmates Peta and Brooklyn Wansbrough, who had gotten detention with Luke and Ben Ripley, but Ellen doesn’t know who they’re talking about. Nicco then notices that Brooklyn’s SRC posters have been replaced with another student’s named Sarah. She whispers to the others to look, and they’re equally shocked.
After detention, Nicco, Luke, Jesse, and Heath Buckland search the school for clues as to what's happening. Despite finding no belongings of Brooklyn or Peta's, Nicco is adamant that there’s a logical explanation for their disappearance. Nicco is also very quick to tell Luke and Jesse that they’re wrong when they offer some fantastical theories as they head to the milk bar. As Nicco and the group search the store for goods and continue to try to deduce the disappearances, Nicco calls out Heath’s gross eating habits and orders him to pay for his food before eating it.
A sudden flash occurs leaving the group in the store’s ruins. The group race out and down the street panicked by the revelation that they are seemingly alone in Bremin.
Stranded in Empty World[]
Nicco checks the police station as the others quickly search elsewhere in Bremin, but they find no one. Nicco goes to call her mum, but finds she cannot as Luke tells her there’s no reception. Luke again mentions another sci-fi inspired theory which annoys Nicco. Despite Luke’s protests Nicco, followed by Heath, separates from the group.
Nicco is later found by Heath where he complains about Nicco being uptight, which she replies "you haven’t begun to see uptight." The pair discusses what they believe has happened, and Heath suggests that their families have abandoned them. Nicco disproves this, knowing her family would not leave her behind. After having no new ideas, Heath suggests going to Nicco’s house to check on her family. She agrees as long as Heath doesn’t believe she needs protecting, and Heath replies that she can protect him instead.
As did the other Nowhere Boys, Nicco finds her house empty. She comes across a wall of family photos and notices there are no photos of her, as if she’s been "edited out" of her own life. She and Heath then leave for his house. On the way Nicco notices a ‘for sale’ sign outside Jesse’s house and questions it.
Once at Heath’s house, Nicco finds a heavy layer of dust on the kitchen island bench, rotten fruit, and Heath’s "fossilised" breakfast. Nicco then suggests they head to the school as it’s the evacuation point for Bremin.
Once the pair arrive, Nicco searches ‘Principal’ Jarra’s documents stating she "thought it would be here" to Heath when he catches her. She laments at how some things are the same but some things aren’t.
Nicco and Heath reunite with Jesse and Luke who are gathering supplies back at the milk bar. She asks Jesse if his sister, Quinn Banda, was home, and Jesse tells her she wasn’t, and in return he asks her about her family. Nicco takes a muesli bar and leaves the shop an IOU before storming out after Luke offers another theory about what’s happening. Outside the store, the boys convince Nicco to listen to Luke’s theory which proves to be a mistake. After the absurdity of the theory, Nicco loses her temper. She lashes out at the gang and storms off again, going back home.
Later that night, Nicco sits on the floor in the middle of her lounge room covered in Kayla’s duvet and holding her yiayia’s yarn and needles. She’s frightened, despite later saying she wasn't, as Jesse approaches her door after been spooked by some noises he heard earlier. Nicco apologises for arguing earlier, and the pair decides to head towards the bonfire that Jesse had spotted coming from the school.
The group are again reunited at school, and Nicco agrees the fire was a good idea to attract people. The group talk about life, with Nicco huddled up against Jesse. Jesse asks Heath about his "deep dark secret" but Heath deflects onto Nicco, asking her how she got in detention and that if she shares her secret he’ll share his. Nicco doesn’t believe Heath to be "deep or secret", and calls his bluff, asking him about his secret. Nicco becomes quite upset when Heath does tell her his ‘secret’, that he believes his parents could have left him alone in Bremin as they’re too busy with themselves. Heath again asks why Nicco got detention and she tells him it was "nothing big." The group are then chased inside after being freaked out by the suddenly growing bonfire. Nicco reads her study notes and hugs them tightly as the group sleep in a conclave of blankets on the science room floor.
Nicco makes the group wake up bright and early the next day to search for "intelligent life." She still believes that the group isn’t alone and instructs that they’ll be heading to the neighbouring town of Rochford. She attempts to find a car to "borrow" and the group questions if she can drive a car, as well as giving some other impolite comments. Nicco proudly tells the group that she thrashes her cousin in ‘Ultimate Velocity 2’ every Christmas holidays. Nicco finds a useable car, and the group drive through Bremin, but Heath drives.
The group arrive at a high point in Bremin to see if they can see anyone, which they don’t. When Heath writes a message in spray paint on a nearby boulder, Nicco accuses him of drawing "body parts". When she’s proven wrong, with Heath writing a message for anyone who might see, Nicco can’t apologise, and Heath calls her out for it. Nicco and the group return to the car to find it ransacked with their belongings missing, including Nicco’s bag. The group realise that there must be someone else in Bremin. As the group argue, Nicco spots an anomaly in the sky, and the group head back to the Bremin High to escape it.
Nicco comes up with a plan to make sure that the school is safe for them to stay in, and the others chastise her for liking to be in charge. She gets upset at the constant teasing and heads to the same toilet cubicle at school where Ellen caught her studying before. The group follow her, with Jesse knowing where she’ll be, apologetic. She exits the cubicle and breaks down about everything happening, revealing that she cheated on the science exam and that resulted in her detention. The group are shocked as Nicco is a straight A student, but she reveals she’s been struggling to manage everything. She also reveals that she was searching the principal’s office for the said exam, to which Heath excitedly comments that he didn’t think she could do something like that.
The group hear a noise from the outside corridor and they go to investigate. A vicious breeze attacks, grabbing and knocking down Luke. Nicco and Jesse run back to pick him up when Heath spots a mysterious creature at the end of the corridor. The creature confronts them and flies into the ground, seemingly disappearing. Nicco and the rest of the group follow Luke, who finds an odd patterned scorch mark on the floor left by the creature. As the group question what the creature was, Nicco questions "what does it want with us?"
We Are Not Alone []
Nicco wakes Jesse up by kicking her football against the wall the next day. She later follows Jesse into the bathroom where he is checking his blood sugar level. Nicco expresses concern for her distant friend’s health but Jesse shuns her. He tells her not to tell anyone about his condition to which she agrees not to.
As the group walk through the school, Nicco continues to lead the group and finds Heath inappropriate when he can only think about pizza despite the predicament the group find themselves in. Nicco tells them they still need to go to Rochford, but Heath tells them that he has a better idea. The group head to the ranger station to find a radio which they want to use to try and contact people from other towns, but it requires batteries. As they search the shops for batteries, Nicco and the group realise that the newspapers and magazines have year old dates, and they question how that’s possible. Jesse takes some soft drink out of the fridge which Nicco sees. She tells him he can’t drink it due to his health, but Jesse retorts that he’s thirsty. Nicco tells Heath and Luke they need to find water, and Heath questions why it matters when there are fridge loads of soft drink. Nicco almost slips up and tells about Jesse’s diabetes. She quickly covers, after Jesse tells her to shut up, by saying Jesse cares about preserving his figure.
Luke manages to find batteries outside the milk bar, and Heath works the radio but they cannot contact anyone. Nicco sees the group is demoralised and tries to push the group forward.
The group head to Bremin River where they get some water. Nicco goes to wash her hair, telling the group if they come close to her they’re "dead". She also mentions that Heath needs a wash too, and when he asks Luke and Jesse if Nicco thinks he smells, Jesse agrees. Nicco’s hair-washing is cut short when she finds someone’s campsite.
The group join her in investigating and Heath finds a trail leading further into the Bremin Ranges. The group follow the trail and they stumble upon the shack, the one used by the original Nowhere Boys. Heath and Nicco help each other through the barbed wire fence, and Nicco instructs Jesse and Luke to go around the back of the shack to corner their stalker if they’re inside. Nicco and Heath storm the shack and no one is inside, but it’s anything but empty. Nicco finds her bag and the others’ belongings, as well as an assortment of items to help someone survive this wasteland of a world including fresh water and a self-made bike generator. Jesse also finds a weird ‘diary’, but it contains entries about magic spells. The group realise this is their stalker’s home. Newspaper clippings are found posted around about unnatural occurrences including wild weather and two moons in the sky. Nicco points out that the date must be wrong on the clipping she looks at as the date on the article is the same day she and the Bremin football team beat Rochford, and the weather was beautiful.
Luke begins rambling about another sci-fi theory as the group leave, which Nicco again disbelieves, saying the group need to think realistically. Luke believes that they have travelled universes, that it’s them that have changed instead of the world around them. With Jesse siding with Luke and Heath and Nicco not, the group separates again with Luke and Jesse heading back to the milk bar, the place they first noticed the change of the world, to test out Luke’s theory.
After Luke and Jesse see and chase down their stalker and trap them in the church, Luke gets Nicco and Heath to accompany them in apprehending the mystery person. Seeing Jesse slumped over on the floor due to high blood sugar levels, Nicco is again concerned, as well as the rest of the group. The group pile into the church and confront the stalker, Ben Ripley, who claims to have been through the same ordeal as them. Nicco pulls the group aside to talk about Ben. Nicco tells the group she doesn’t trust Ben, and she believes him to be their stalker and ‘a weirdo’ which upsets Jesse. He accuses her of being selfish and self-absorbed, as well as accusing her of dropping him as a friend because he’s weird before he collapses to the floor. Knowing Jesse could be about to die, Nicco tells the group that Jesse has diabetes. Nicco searches his bag for insulin pens but finds that Jesse has none left.
The group head to the pharmacy where Nicco, Luke and Heath try to break in. Nicco teases Heath as he struggles to break the lock on the roller door, telling him he looks like a criminal and he should be able to break in easily. Nicco takes over and easily breaks it, but the door has another lock on the inside. Ben enters the pharmacy from an ajar skylight and helps get many more insulin pens, which helps Nicco trust him a little more.
Nicco and Jesse are left alone in the science lab, where Heath has instructed Nicco to look after their cooking dinner. Nicco approaches Jesse and they talk about their strained friendship. Nicco assures him that she doesn’t believe he is a weirdo. Jesse reveals that he felt excluded from Nicco and her new friends as they were interested in things he wasn’t. He also mentions that before she got all these new friends they only had each other and they didn’t need anyone else because they were always there for each other. The two hug and apologise, mending their friendship somewhat, and Nicco burns their dinner.
The Gang Find Magic []
That night, Nicco is kicked awake by Heath after he notices Jesse and Ben have left the science lab. The pair, accompanied by Luke, notice the woodwork door is open and pile inside, finding the secret lair. Nicco is quite shocked and questions why this place is in the school, and who put it there. Ben reveals that he has knowledge about magic and tells the others about needing the four elements, fire, water, earth, and air, to use magic. Jesse again connects their circumstances to the Bremin 4, but Nicco tells him to shut up another time Nicco and the group spend the rest of the night studying the books, with Nicco commenting it’s like "trying to make sense of another language." Heath calls out Nicco for being a sceptic about magic but studying it anyway, and Nicco defends herself stating she likes books.
After finding the spell ‘Eye of Thunder’ and casting it, the group run out of the room and accidentally leave Heath behind after the room begins to violently shake. Noticing Heath is still inside, Nicco becomes quite concerned. After Heath is revealed to be fine, Nicco shoots down the idea that the group just did magic, believing the shaking to be an earthquake. With everyone else believing it to be unnatural and magical, she storms off.
Back in the science lab, Heath comforts Nicco as she explains that her "whole world view makes no sense anymore." She joins the group in reading the newly found Felix Ferne Book of Shadows, where they discover the ‘Spell of Dimensional Return’. To their disappointment, the page has been ripped out, but Jesse finds a ‘copy’ of the spell in the 'diary' he found at the shack. The group learn they need their ‘heart’s desire’ to use the spell. Nicco believes her heart’s desire is her winning a football trophy that no girl has won before. She takes Ben and Jesse by surprise by smashing the glass case containing the trophy with a hockey stick. Nicco comforts Ben when he reveals to her and Jesse that his heart’s desire is his deceased grandad who was his best friend.
Nicco and the group cast the spell but it doesn’t work, resulting in Heath storming out the room, upset. Once Heath is chased back into the science room by the monster that’s been pursuing them, Nicco asks if he’ll be okay. The group figure out that Brooklyn is Heath’s true heart's desire, not a bikini magazine, which is why the spell didn’t work. The group leave for Brooklyn’s house after figuring that if she disappeared she could be in the empty world too. Once they break into her house, with Nicco questioning how Heath actually knows how to break in, they find a note from Brooklyn and Peta telling Brooklyn’s dad where they are and what they’re doing. Nicco also questions how Heath can like Brooklyn when she dots her I’s with love hearts.
Nicco and the group find Brooklyn and Peta and try to convince them that something supernatural happened to them. The pair disbelieves the Nowhere Boys and attempt to leave before they’re attacked by the monster. The group hide in Brooklyn’s van where Nicco and the other Nowhere Boys cast a Protection Spell and cast the demon away.
As the group argue about what just happened, they’re surprised to see a school bus driven by Mr Bates pulling up next to them.
Bates to the Rescue[]
Nicco and the group pile onto Mr Bates’ bus and begin driving back to school as they try to tell Bates about their supernatural encounters. After Luke demands to be let off the bus after he believes he sees his mum, Nicco follows him and disproves what he saw. She convinces him to get back on the bus, but the bus breaks down, empty on petrol. The group begin walking to Bremin High, and Nicco begins talking to Bates who explains what happened to him. He informs Nicco that he’s travelled far out from Bremin and found no one at all. With Bates being a logical and scientific person, he believes there’s a scientific explanation. He believes that if they act like everything’s normal then the world around them will become normal, quoting Einstein in the process. Nicco, being a similar thinker to Bates and not wanting to try magic again, agrees to give Bates’ theory a go and acts accordingly to Bates’ plans.
Mr Bates tries to conduct a normal biology lesson once back at school but becomes unhinged and frightens the students. He yells at the students for disobeying him and locks them in the classroom.
After Luke decides to leave the classroom to find his mum, Nicco keeps a lookout for Bates as Luke and Peta exit the room through the air-vent. Mr Bates leaves the room another time to search for the pair after seeing they’ve left somehow.
Nicco admits she was wrong for believing Bates’ theory, and she knows that they must use the magic spell to get home. Needing Luke to complete the spell, Nicco brings back up the idea of using the air vent to escape. Heath asks Nicco if she’d like to go in the vent first, implying he will check out her body the entire time. Nicco finds his insinuations gross and agrees to go second, but changes her mind as she wants to lead. Bates enters the classroom suddenly and stops the others from entering the vent, leaving Nicco and Heath in the vent alone.
The two bicker like usual, especially when they come to an intersection in the vent. They’re both adamant that the way they’re choosing is the right way. Heath comments that girls have "no sense of direction" which maddens Nicco, and she calls out his sexist comment. Eventually Nicco concedes and goes the way Heath chooses. Unfortunately for the pair, Heath’s sense of direction was wrong, and they end up back in Mr Bates’ class. Nicco makes sure that Heath remembers his comment about a girl’s sense of direction.
Nicco evacuates the school with Mr Bates and the other students after the fire alarm is set off by Luke and Peta. As they head to the oval, the demon attacks resulting in the Nowhere Boys using the Protection Spell again.
Now with Bates somewhat believing their story about magic, the Nowhere Boys use the ‘Spell of Dimensional Return’ and believe to have returned home, only to be trapped in a Dream World where they have their heart’s desire. In reality they lie unconscious on the field in the empty world.
Are We Home Yet?[]
In the dream world, Nicco immediately leaves the group to resume her normal life. She quickly races to change into her football uniform and join in training. Once changed, Nicco joins the team to the surprise of Peta, her coach, and the rest of the team. Her coach takes Nicco to the side to talk and informs her that she quit three days before, saying her ‘heart’s not in it’. Nicco doesn’t believe her and asks to be put back on the team, but her coach declines.
Nicco calls Jesse to talk about the anomaly and finds out his musical opens the next night. Nicco again questions how that’s possible, and sees two school girls ‘glitching’ across the courtyard. After Jesse hangs up on her, Nicco visits him, despite Claude’s protests, and talks about how time isn’t right. Jesse, too caught up in the moment, ignores her, and Nicco watches the rehearsal for his musical.
Later that night, Nicco heads to Heath’s house to question him only to see him with Brooklyn. She calls Heath on his phone to get his attention but Heath ignores her and kisses Brooklyn. She leaves without saying anything and returns home where she calls Luke. Their conversation is short as Luke hangs up quickly, too busy playing a video game with his dad, where he seemingly cannot lose.
After the phone call, Kayla walks past Nicco's bedroom, and Nicco asks her what she’s doing. Kayla tells her she’s doing a quiz and complains about getting a ‘warthog’ as her answer. Nicco takes a look at the quiz and agrees with it, complimenting Kayla on some positive qualities. Kayla jokingly argues with Nicco, saying her animal would be an annoying shih tzu dog, and the pair have a pillow fight. Nicco mentions that she’s enjoying herself, and Kayla finds it strange, considering how distant they are. Nicco sees Kayla wearing some bracelets and compliments them. Kayla offers to show her how to make them and Nicco agrees.
As Kayla heads to her bedroom, Nicco finds all her football trophies and medals packed away in a box under her bed. She questions why she would do this. She takes a medal and places it around her neck, hiding it under her shirt before leaving to make the bracelets with Kayla.
The next day at school the Nowhere Boys meet up, and Nicco continues to plea that something is wrong with reality. Luke mentions that his parents bought the house, and Nicco mentions the coincidence of the group putting their heart’s desire into a spell and the boys receiving their heart’s desire. Jesse believes that Nicco is jealous because she didn’t get her heart’s desire, and Nicco argues that she wouldn’t have quit football which is reason enough for this being strange. Heath then questions why Brooklyn isn’t mad at him causing Brooklyn and Peta to glitch out. After seeing the anomaly, the group agree that Nicco is right. Nicco tells the group she believes that something went wrong with Ben’s spell and questions if anyone has seen him. After realising they haven’t seen him, the group split up with Nicco and Luke heading to Ben’s house.
As Nicco and Luke head to Ben’s house, Nicco questions if they really know Ben as well as they think they do, resulting in his house glitching. The two decide to head back to the lair with the others and use another spell.
Nicco finds the Scrying Pool spell in one of the books while searching the lair. She sets up the spell and casts it, as well as telling off Heath for not taking the spell seriously, and the group find out that they lie unconscious on the field with Ben’s dead grandpa kneeling beside them. The group figure out they must wake themselves up to escape this dream world they find themselves in.
Nicco and the others go to Jesse’s house and sit at the poolside. The group begin to ‘reject the dream’ by tossing their heart’s desire items into the pool. Once it’s Nicco’s turn, she throws in the medal she took from the box the night before, but unlike Luke and Heath who have started to glitch Nicco doesn’t and remains stable. It’s then when Nicco figures out that her heart’s desire isn’t a football trophy but her sister’s friendship. She’s reluctant to throw Kayla’s bracelets into the pool but eventually does. After Jesse finally throws his item into the pool the group wake up.
The group get up and see Ben’s dead grandpa change into the monster that’s been following them. The monster strikes Nicco and the others but then seemingly disappears after a few seconds. As Ben approaches, Nicco lashes out about the spell going wrong. Ben reveals he had the wrong spell and finds the real spell from Felix’s diary which he ripped out. Ben then informs the group of what elemental power they have, including Nicco having the elemental power of Earth. As the group prepare to perform the spell, they do not realise that the demon is still with them.
The Trouble with Ben []
The Nowhere Boys cast the spell and they return home, as well as Brooklyn, Peta and Bates. The group disperse with Nicco and Heath heading to their lockers and legitimising that they’re home. Another student approaches Nicco asking for History notes from the previous day’s class. Nicco agrees but knows she doesn’t have them as she wasn’t in this world yesterday. She, Luke and Heath note that it’s strange that everyone they talk to believe them to have been in this world the entire time.
After school, Nicco returns home and greets Kayla with a tight hug, knocking over a pot-plant in the process. Nicco expresses interest in spending time with her sister, revealing that she took the day off from the day’s soccer training. Kayla is surprised but agrees to watch some TV together. As Kayla leaves the room to get chips for them, Nicco sees the pot-plant she knocked over and goes to clean it up. As she brushes the dirt across the table, she inadvertently begins creating patterns in the dirt, showing her that she now has the ability to control Earth.
Nicco heads to Heath’s house and questions if “crazy stuff” has begun to happen to him. She shows him her ‘superpower’ by tipping out some salt grains and moving them. She mentions to Heath that Ben told her she’s and earth element, and she correctly states that this must be because of that. She questions why her powers have only just manifested, and Heath theorises that crossing the worlds did it. After using the word ‘we’,Nicco realises that Heath also has powers, and he shows her the hole in his pants that were burnt out by his new fire powers. Nicco begins to make fun of him, and Heath accidentally heats the dining room table burning Nicco’s hands. The two decide to find Ben to explain more about what’s happening to them.
Nicco and Heath find Empty World Ben as they head to his house, and he tries to warn them about Real World Ben’s plan to banish them back into the empty world. As Nicco listens to Ben’s story, Heath gets a phone call from Luke and Jesse and learns there are two Bens. Believing the Ben with him and Nicco to be a shapeshifter, Heath attacks him by putting a bin over his head. Nicco convinces Heath to lift the bin as Ben has begun to explain the truth about the empty world and what happened to them.
Ben explains that he isn’t the Ben they think he is and is a native of the empty world. He explains that he found the talisman in the forest and the lair after school. He researched magic and used it to disappear a few people who were "annoying" him, including the alternate versions of the Nowhere Boys. He also mentions that timings between his world and their world are different. He tells Nicco and Heath that Luke arrived at Bremin High in the ninth grade instead of the tenth in his world, and that’s why the magazines and newspapers in the empty world were out of date by a year. Ben then explains that things started to get strange after that, and people disappeared until it was only him left. Nicco sympathises with Ben when she realises that he’s been alone all that time.
Nicco, Heath and Empty World Ben meet up with Luke, Jesse and Real World Ben. After Ben convinces the group he’s the one from the empty world and is telling the truth, the other Ben begins to banish Nicco and the others back to the empty world. Empty World Ben begins to counter the spell to save the group, but the two spells rebound against each other, and the Bens are sucked into the empty world, leaving the Nowhere Boys aghast.
Back to the Empty World []
Nicco and the group decide to get the Bens back by creating another portal after Jesse finds the unbroken talisman. After the lesson of Health and Human Relationships Day the group reunite behind the quad, and Nicco casts the Dimensional Return Spell to open the portal. When only Bad Ben, newly named by Jesse, returns and informs the group that Good Ben was "eaten" by the dark monster, Nicco and the group are visibly upset.
Jesse, not entirely believing in Ben’s story, talks it over with Luke and Nicco. As Nicco and Jesse talk, Ben, knowing his story doesn’t add up, tells them that the other Ben may still be alive, and they should head back to the empty world and save him.
Nicco and the group get together in another secluded part of the school. Before they cast the spell, Nicco and the group reveal to each other that their backs have been incredibly itchy since returning home, with Nicco believing it to be her mother’s new fabric softener. Luke pulls down the back of Nicco’s shirt to reveal an oddly shaped, raised mark, and Nicco checks his back to reveal the same mark. The group shrug off the seriousness of it, believing it to be "dimensional sunburn," a side effect of dimension jumping. As Nicco goes to cast the spell, Bad Ben steals the talisman from her hand stating there can only be one Ben in each world. Jesse and Heath manage to get the talisman back from Ben when he’s cornered by his mother and Mr Bates, and the group make it back to the empty world.
The group split up with Nicco leaving with Jesse. Heath and Luke find a message from Ben at his house informing them that he’s at the hideout. Nicco and the others find Ben hanging off a steep ridge about to fall to his death, but they manage to save his life.
Nicco casts the Dimensional Return Spell once more, and the group return home to find Bad Ben again trying to banish them. Nicco gives Good Ben the talisman, telling him to fix the problem. Good Ben freezes the other Ben with an Immobilising Spell, and the group leave him in the shack until they figure out what to do with him.
As they leave Ben, Nicco and the group continue to complain about the itchy marks on their back. Heath asks Nicco to scratch his back as she did Jesse’s, but she tells him to do it himself. Unbeknownst to the group, small creatures exit the wounds and fall onto the ground. Once the creatures adjust to their new world, they later go to Bad Ben and unfreeze him.
The Truth Spell []
A time later, Luke returns to the group after visiting Bad Ben and making sure he’s still frozen. After the group joke that Good Ben could actually be Bad Ben, they realise that it could be a possibility that Bad Ben could impersonate Good Ben. Ben comes up with an idea to tell the two Bens apart if anything should happen, a Truth Spell.
The group head to the science lab and cast the spell which they believe to have not worked, but unbeknownst to them it has worked but not as they intended. On the bus for their school trip the next day, the group confide in each other that instead of Ben telling the truth, they must tell the truth instead, with Nicco telling them she told Kayla she hated the violin and her dad that he needed hairplugs.
In the Bremin Ranges, Nicco and the group find Heath digging out ‘toilets' in the ground, a punishment from Bates after Heath told the truth about placing the chickens in his office. Heath badgers Nicco to dig the holes with her powers. Nicco shakes her head, and Heath asks what her problem is resulting in some unwanted truths to be spoken. Nicco calls Heath a "slacker" and says he’s always looking "for the easy way out." Heath gets mad and goads Nicco into asking him what he thinks of her. Heath tells Nicco that he believes she thinks she’s better than everyone else. He then upsets her more by bringing back up the fact she cheated on the science exam. Nicco stomps off, upset, but is convinced to dig the holes to make things easier for the group. She walks back over and uses her powers to create one massive hole in the ground. Ms O’Donnell approaches and sees Nicco move the earth, but the Nowhere Boys do not know this.
As Nicco and the group head back to the campsite, Nicco enters her tent which she shares with Brooklyn and Peta, despite previously protesting the arrangement with Mr Bates and mentioning her smelly feet. Peta is trying to console an upset Brooklyn who wasn’t chosen for the netball team. When Brooklyn asks Nicco whether she should have made the team, Nicco tries to stop the truth coming out by stuffing chips into her mouth, but this doesn’t work as Peta takes the chips away and asks her again. Nicco tells Brooklyn that she’s not a team player and runs "like an emu," which cements the strained relationship the pair had to begin with. Nicco is then chucked out of the tent by an upset Brooklyn.
As Nicco collects her things to move to another tent, Bad Ben stares intently at the talisman hanging around her neck, planning to retrieve it for some devious plan.
Nicco and the other Nowhere Boys are put into an orienteering group by Heath who cannot read the sheet of paper and therefore can make up the groups. As the group trek through the ranges, Ben apologises for the Truth Spell mishap and blames himself. Before Heath can own up to his part in the spell going wrong, Nicco sees the talisman is glowing; an indication that danger is nearby. The group struggle to remember the Protection Spell, and Bad Ben goes to attack but is spooked by Ms O’Donnell. The group hide from Ms O’Donnell, but she finds them and reveals she knows about magic, shocking the group.
Ellen sits the group down to talk, taking advantage of the Truth Spell. She reveals she saw Nicco move dirt, and Nicco reveals that the group have elemental powers. Ellen gives the group a ‘Reversal Spell’ and they break the Truth Spell.
Later that night, Nicco leaves her tent to use the toilet. As she still has the talisman around her neck, Bad Ben attacks her with the four creatures. She screams for help, alerting Heath, Luke, Jesse and Ben. She manages to fight the monsters off until the boys come to help. Heath races back to his tent and returns with the spell on his phone, but is unable to read it. Nicco and the group tell him to read it but he reveals he can’t as he can’t read, confusing the group. The group manage to repel the creatures after Heath throws his phone to Luke.
On the bus the next day, Nicco sits next to a down Heath and apologises for what she said the day before. She then brings up what Heath said about not being able to read, and he reveals to her his tricks on making people believe he can read. After Luke suggests Heath may have dyslexia, Nicco tells him he isn’t stupid.
As the bus drives home, Bad Ben follows it out of the forest and orders the four creatures to forward.
Unwanted Visitors []
Early in the morning days after camp, Nicco and the others, excluding Jesse, work with Ellen to try and figure out what attacked them during camp, but they struggle to find any information. Once Jesse enters the room, Nicco asks if he’s checked on Ben. When Jesse tells her he hasn’t, Nicco flips and demands he go see him after school.
Later in the day, Nicco attends her cooking class where she is paired with Brooklyn which doesn’t make either of them happy. Nicco tries to act cordial, but Brooklyn doesn’t want to act nice, still hurt by Nicco’s ‘emu’ comment. As Nicco returns with bacon for the quiche, one of the mini monsters causes an earthquake with elemental powers resulting in Nicco accidentally throwing the bacon on the ‘vegan’ Brooklyn.
Nicco sits with Jesse during break-time later on and tries telling him how odd cooking class was. Not having anything weird happen to him, Jesse is disbelieving. Kayla joins the pair and asks Nicco to help her with her maths work. As Heath approaches, Kayla folds as she has a crush on him and Nicco criticises her for it. The mini monster attached to Jesse bursts his orange juice popper and squirts all the juice onto Kayla. Embarrassed, she storms off and Nicco follows to help her sister.
After the juice incident, Heath and Ben manage to capture one of the monsters and the group meet back up to look at it. The group believe the creatures to be after Nicco, but she says they’re after the talisman. Her point doesn’t matter to them, and the group use both as bait to capture the other three creatures in the library which they take to Ellen. Ellen manages to find out the monsters are Atridax and believes that they have elemental affinities, which is what caused all the school mishaps during the day. She tells the group that like them the elements will always be stronger together so must be kept separate. The group keep the atridax in their bags with an Entrapment Charm, but what they don’t know is that the atridax begin taking a negative effect on them.
The next day, Nicco dons a black beanie and her eyes and mouth look darker. She’s approached by a netballer who pleads to her to help the team out today, not wanting to ask Brooklyn. Nicco, under the influence of the atridax, rudely tells the girl no. Nicco’s voice begins to get deeper and more grotesque, as well as Luke and Heath. Jesse, who hasn’t succumbed to the atridax yet, is eventually taken down by Nicco, Luke, and Heath’s constant teasing. Nicco and the others storm the school wanting to destroy it. Heath and Luke set one of Jesse’s ‘Lost in the Forest’ posters on fire and set alight to the school. They exit the school and watch it burn.
Ben and Ellen begin to separate the four from the atridax. After Ben takes their bags away, Ellen casts a massive storm cloud above Nicco and Heath’s head and throws a lightning bolt before them, waking them up from their trance. The police arrive and take Luke to the police station believing him to have caused the fire, much to the horror of Nicco and the others.
The Search for Atridax []
Nicco and the others decide to retrieve the atridax before helping Luke, but they discover their bags to be missing from the place Jesse and Ben left them. They then head to the police station to help Luke as they need his air element for a Scrying Pool, which Nicco suggested they use. They find Luke being berated by his mother, and the group is eventually spotted by her. Nicco tries to get Ms Jarra to let them speak to Luke, but she refuses. The group manage to get Luke to Jesse’s house later that night, and they use a Scrying Pool where they discover that the police took their bags while surveying the area.
The next day, Nicco enters her bathroom to see Kayla applying a large amount of makeup. Nicco disapproves, but Kayla tells her that she thinks it’s "hot" and that she doesn’t want to be like Nicco. As Kayla leaves the bathroom, Mrs Pandelis enters and agrees with Nicco that Kayla is wearing too much. When Nicco asks her mum why she didn’t say anything, she tells her that "sometimes you need to let people make their own mistakes."
Later, Nicco and the group meet up at Jesse’s house again and discuss the itchy marks on their back which have now formed into odd looking scars. Nicco and the group realise that the scars form a pattern, the same pattern of the "carpet burn" caused by the Mega Demon when they first saw it in the empty world. They realise when the demon struck them after the heart’s desire spell the demon broke itself into four parts and connected with them so it could travel to their world. Ben informs them that if the four atridax get back together their world will become empty like his. Luke enters the room and informs the group he’s not allowed to stay. Knowing how serious the problem they have is, the group chase him and his father as they drive away. Nicco throws out her hand and stamps her foot on the ground causing a tremor that stops the car. Luke manages to convince his dad to let him go with the group, and they put their plan in motion.
Nicco enters the police station to tell Sergeant Roberts about her ‘missing cat’, Justin Bieber. Roberts takes Nicco into the interviewing room, occupying him from manning the front desk. As the boys try locating the atridax without being caught, Nicco tells an elaborate story about how the cat’s been stolen. The group manage to get the bags, but Roberts begins to believe Nicco’s story to be untrue. Roberts opens the door to leave just as the boys are outside, about to be caught. Nicco stands up and takes blame for the fire at the school, saving her friends.
The boys escape with the atridax but decide not to leave Nicco inside taking the blame for the fire, with Jesse citing that she’s his oldest friend. Jesse, Heath, and Luke storm the police station, with Ben looking after the atridax, and all take the blame saying they started the fire. Mr Bates is called to the police station where he gives them their punishment of community service and cleaning the school.
Nicco thanks the group for helping her as they leave the police station. They then find Ben knocked unconscious and the atridax missing. The group realise that only one person would have taken them, Bad Ben.
Birth of the Mega Demon[]
- "Whatever happens, I'm with you."
- ―Heath Buckland
As the group head back to the shack to check if Ben is the culprit, Nicco chastises Jesse for not checking Ben as he should have. The group realise without the talisman Ben can’t combine the atridax, so not all hope is lost. Nicco searches her coat pocket only to find the talisman is missing, and Jesse tells her off in retaliation for her comments. The group suggest that someone might have taken the talisman.
In the shack, the group get confirmation that Ben has unfrozen when they find the shack empty. Nicco casts a Scrying Pool, but the image isn’t clear enough for the group to decipher where the talisman is. Heath splits the group in two, with Nicco and him heading to her house to search.
Nicco and Heath enter her house where she introduces him to her mum and yiayia, and yiayia remarks how handsome Heath is. The pair searches her room, where Heath mentions how messy it is and finds Nicco’s diary which she quickly takes from him. After coming up empty handed, Nicco sits next to Heath, upset, and Heath consoles her. Nicco then receives a number of selfies sent to her from Kayla as Heath continues to search. Nicco realises that Kayla is wearing her jacket and must have the talisman.
Nicco and the group go to Little Gino’s, where Kayla was last seen. Her best friend, Tilly, is still there, and the group confront her. Tilly is hesitant at first but sees Heath which confuses her as Bad Ben had just given Kayla a note supposedly from Heath telling her to meet at the shack.
As the group race to the shack, Heath tries to calm Nicco down as she panics. She rebuts that if Kayla is with Bad Ben she will not be okay. Nicco races out in front and sees Kayla in the middle of the shrine Bad Ben has made over the previous few days to combine the atridax. Nicco screams her name, but Kayla doesn’t stop feeding the vortex like object above. Ignoring the boys’ protest, Nicco races to her sister and tries to pull her away from the chaos but is unable to help her as the entity pushes her and the other Nowhere Boys away. Kayla is then sucked into the mess with the atridax and becomes trapped inside a round shaped object. Nicco again ignores the boys and takes hold of the object. She hugs it closely and quietly calls out Kayla’s name. The boys guard Nicco and the egg from Bad Ben as he tries to get take the egg. After Ben escapes Heath’s hold and runs away, Nicco picks up the talisman and continues to console Kayla. Ben uses his spirit power to see the future and realises that the item is in fact an egg which will release the Mega Demon.
Later that night at school, the Nowhere Boys meet up with Ellen to try and figure out what they should do. The group discuss how they’ll stop the demon from escaping and destroying their world, but Nicco is only concerned with Kayla. Ellen tells Nicco and the group that the egg is more like a chrysalis, and that Kayla has most likely merged with the demon after transforming into magical energy. Nicco becomes upset when the others don’t seem to take Kayla’s condition as seriously as she does.
Nicco returns home, despondent and with the egg in tow to look after. She’s greeted by her mum who is mad that Nicco didn’t text her if she was coming home or not. Mrs Pandelis also mentions that Mr Bates called her, wanting her to come into the school the following Monday, and Nicco brushes it off as nothing. Nicco enters her bedroom and Heath enters through her window to camp on her bedroom floor to join watching the egg. Nicco gets further upset about the possibility that she may have to sacrifice her sister for the greater good and complains that it’s a difficult choice to make. Heath tells her that no matter what he’ll side with her. Nicco leaves the egg under her bed and sleeps with Kayla’s favourite stuffed toy that Kayla had gifted Nicco when she was sick with tonsillitis.
During the night, Nicco has a nightmare where Kayla is calling out for help and the egg is missing. Two moons appear in the sky, and Kayla’s eyes turn a freaky yellow. The egg appears in Nicco’s hands, and a hand appears inside the egg, frightening her.
Nicco wakes up and checks on the egg but is startled by a noise outside. Heath, who has woken up too, goes to investigate, leaving Nicco alone in her room. Nicco is then approached by Bad Ben who left a noise trap for Heath to find. Nicco is persuaded to leave with Ben and takes the talisman and the egg with them.
Not too long after, Heath meets with the group to tell them what’s happened. The group remark how scared Nicco was of them as they weren’t concerned with her sister’s health. Using Kayla’s cuddly, Ben uses his spirit powers to know where Nicco and Ben have gone.
Nicco and Ben are then back at the atridax shrine. She hands over the talisman but is hesitant to give him the egg, making him promise that this will save Kayla. Ben persuades her to give him the egg by telling her that the other Nowhere Boys will destroy it and kill Kayla. As Ben begins to hatch the egg, the boys approach. Nicco warns them to stay away, but as they continue to grow closer she remarks that she’s sorry, but Kayla is her sister. She raises her hands and throws them down forcing the boys into the ground, trapping their feet in the Earth. As the egg begins to hatch, Nicco unclenches her fists, and the boys free themselves from the Earth. Once the Mega Demon manifests, and Kayla reappears, Nicco immediately rushes to her side despite the enormous monster above them. As the demon moves towards Kayla, Nicco continues to hug Kayla and shield her with her body. The group use the Protection Spell to dispel the demon, but they look up and see two red moons in the sky. Nicco hugs her sister and doesn’t see Kayla’s eyes glow yellow.
The Battle For Bremin []
Nicco and the group, minus Luke, help walk Kayla home where she begins to act strange. She speaks with a weird voice asking for earth and levitates, but it passes. Ben uses his power to learn the Mega Demon isn’t completely formed, wants Kayla, and that Kayla is still part of the monster somehow. Kayla’s eyes turn yellow again and she begins to walk out the house. Nicco and the group stop her, bring her back inside, and tie her to a chair. Again her eyes turn yellow, but this time dirt begins to pour out of her hands. Kayla becomes upset and Nicco consoles her. The group figure out that the earth atridax is still combined with Kayla and that’s why the pair gravitate towards each other. Nicco’s mum interrupts the group but they manage to explain the weird scene by saying they’re practicing a magic trick. Before they rush out of the house, Nicco gives her mum a big hug which surprises her.
As they leave the house, Ellen pulls up with Luke in a school bus and they all go back to the Bremin Ranges. On the way to the Bremin Ranges, Luke almost kills Nicco and the others when he loses control of his powers and vacuums all the air from the bus, but he’s able to gain control of his powers before they all suffocate.
Nicco continues to comfort Kayla as the group plan to use a Reversal Spell. Kayla complains that she isn’t brave and that Nicco is. Nicco tells her that being brave is pretending not to be scared when you are. The group decide against removing the earth atridax from Kayla and focus on the demon. They theorise that if it isn’t complete it must be weaker, and that’s the way they can defeat it.
Nicco leaves Kayla tied up in the shack with Ben before kissing her on the forehead goodbye. Not too long after, the group have to hide back in the shack as the Mega Demon attacks, but they dispel it away.
Before creating a portal to send the mega demon away, the group figure they need enchanted earth in order to use earth against it. Nicco remembers that Kayla expelled dirt earlier so races back home and stops her mum from cleaning it up. She apologises for not cleaning it up sooner and begins to clean it up when she hears a cup shatter, the one her mother was just holding. She calls out to her mum who doesn’t answer, having been disappeared. Nicco sadly cleans up the rest of the dirt. Back on the bus Nicco talks about how her mum has disappeared to Heath and how she’s worried for her yiayia. Heath tries consoling her and holds her hand.
Unfortunately for Nicco and the group, Ellen disappears, and Kayla breaks free from her restraints. The group place the enchanted earth around one of the altars in the forest and begin casting the spell. They almost dispel the demon from their world, but Kayla reaches the demon and gives it back its earth part. Nicco quickly races and brings Kayla away once the earth atridax has left her. As the demon forms into one, Nicco suggests they run, but Luke gets the idea to inhale the demon. Nicco tells him not to, but he does anyway, lresulting in him looking like he turns into the demon. Once Ben realises that Luke is still alive, the group hold onto him, and he manages to send the demon away, saving the world and returning everyone who has disappeared. Nicco hugs Kayla, glad she’s finally apart from the Mega Demon, and informs her sister that she was brave.
A time later, Nicco and the group open a portal back to Good Ben’s world where they see everyone is returning now the Mega Demon has been defeated. Nicco and the group hug Ben one last time before he returns home. Ms Jarra and Ms O'Donnell find the group loitering and remind them that they must be doing their yard duty.
Powers and abilities[]
Niccolina is able to move dirt and cause earthquakes.
Nicco has also demonstrated the ability to create holes in the ground. She is skilled enough to create several holes simultaneously to restrain others in the ground. Nicco is uniquely shown to manipulate sand, and she used this skill most effectively by making sandbags blocking the entry to the warehouse explode.
Trivia[]
- Niccolina is the first core Nowhere Boys member to be female.
- During pre-production of Two Moons Rising, Nicco was referred to as Niyanta.[6]
Appearances[]
- Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows (First mentioned, albeit indirectly)
Two Moons Rising – "The New Boy" (First appearance)- Two Moons Rising – "What Happened to Bremin?"
- Two Moons Rising – "We Are Not Alone"
- Two Moons Rising – "The Gang Find Magic"
- Two Moons Rising – "Bates to the Rescue"
- Two Moons Rising – "Are We Home Yet?"
- Two Moons Rising – "The Trouble with Ben"
- Two Moons Rising – "Back to the Empty World"
- Two Moons Rising – "The Truth Spell"
- Two Moons Rising – "Unwanted Visitors"
- Two Moons Rising – "The Search for Atridax"
- Two Moons Rising – "Birth of the Mega Demon"
- Two Moons Rising – "The Battle for Bremin"
- "ABC Me App Promo" (Non-canonical appearance)
- Battle For Negative Space – "We Are Not Alone Anymore"
- Battle For Negative Space – "Secrets, Lies, and Parasites"
- Battle For Negative Space – "Lost in Negative Space"
- Battle For Negative Space – "The Cool Guy"
- Battle For Negative Space – "Stranger Danger"
- Battle For Negative Space – "Mistaken Id-entity"
- Battle For Negative Space – "Keep Your Friends Close"
- Battle For Negative Space – "Off the Map"
- Battle For Negative Space – "Doubles Trouble"
- Battle For Negative Space – "Attack of the Nematodes"
- Battle For Negative Space – "The Chosen One"
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Two Moons Rising – "The New Boy"
- ↑ Two Moons Rising – "The Gang Find Magic"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Two Moons Rising – "Are We Home Yet?"
- ↑ Battle For Negative Space – "The Entity Face Off"
- ↑ Two Moons Rising – "What Happened to Bremin?"
- ↑ Nowhere Boys: Two Moons Rising (2017). Screen Australia (2016). Retrieved on January 28, 2017.
| Nowhere Boys Characters | |
|---|---|
| Main Characters | Felix Ferne ~ Andy Lau ~ Sam Conte ~ Jake Riles |
| Supporting Characters | Oscar Ferne (R • A) ~ Ellen O'Donnell (R • A) ~ Phoebe Hartley (R • A) ~ Mia (R • A) ~ Roland Murphy (R • A) ~ Brian Bates (R • A) ~ Gary Riles (R • A) ~ Sarah (R • A) ~ Bear ~ Saskia Bloom |
| Minor Characters | Cathy Ferne (R • A) ~ Ken Ferne (R • A) ~ Dee Conte (R • A) ~ Tom Conte (R • A) ~ Pete Conte (R • A) ~ Vince Conte (R • A) ~ Lily Lau (R • A) ~ Nicole Lau (R • A) ~ Michael Lau (R • A) ~ Viv Lau (R • A) ~ Telly (R • A) ~ Lachlan (R • A) ~ Trent Long (R • A) ~ Dylan (R • A) |
| Antagonists | Alice Hartley (R • A) ~ Restoring Demon ~ Phoebe Hartley ~ Water Demon |
| Other Characters | The 5th Boy ~ The Darkness ~ Hartley Parents |
| [v] • [e] • [t] | |