Author's Note: I don't own Push or the characters from the movie. Anyone who pops up in this story, namely Nick Gant and Cassie, belong to people other than me and I just borrowed them for this story. I do claim ownership of Annie and I hope that her story and how it fits into an AU version of the Push universe still work and will be fun for all of you to read. The idea popped into my head one day and wouldn't stop poking until I wrote it so here it is. Enjoy! Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated!
"Annie, you need to go. Now," an older man with graying dark brown hair said as he burst into the room. He went to her closet and pulled out a suitcase, starting to hastily empty the clothes in the closet into it. He didn't bother to fold anything or even take it off of the hanger. He tossed everything that he managed to grab into the suitcase haphazardly. "Please. You have to make it to New York City. There's a woman there that I need you to find. Her name is Marie. She's a Watcher. She'll know where you need to go next."
"Wh-what?" A blond woman in her early twenties took off the headphones that she'd been wearing and sat up on her bed. She had only half-heard what he was going on about so she wore a confused look on her face, frowning as she looked at her clothes crumpled and tossed into a suitcase. She walked over to the closet and put her hand on the man's hands. "Daddy, what are you saying?"
"Pack your things. You have a backpack as well. Don't you? I've got some money for you. It should be enough for you to survive on for awhile but you have to be smart about this, Annie," he said, gripping her shoulders tightly. He saw her brown eyes cloud with confusion. He saw the tears swimming in her eyes and he had to fight to keep his composure. He didn't want his voice to waver at all as he spoke to her. He had to stay strong, be firm. He knew that she'd never make it if she saw him break down now. "You'll have to stay at places that won't be as nice as you're used to but these places will be safe. No one will ask you questions and you'll be able to come and go as you please. If you even suspect for a moment that there's a Sniff or a …"
"Daddy, stop it. You're scaring me. What are you talking about?"
The man sighed and cupped his daughter's cheek. He used his thumb to brush some of the tears that had fallen as she spoke. He didn't know how he'd managed to get caught in the middle of all of this. No one knew that Annie was a Mover. No one but himself and his wife anyway. He'd never told anyone and he and his wife had done their best to keep Annie from using her gift as much as they could. They'd suppressed it to the point that he didn't think she'd be able to move a book to herself from across the room. They thought she'd be safe that way.
He worked on projects for Division in the past and the last thing that he wanted was for Annie to get mixed up in that. He didn't want her to be gifted yet she was born different. There was nothing he could do about that except keep her away from Division for as long as possible. Now, it seemed, things had caught up with them and he needed to get his daughter out of town as quickly as possible. Somehow someone had found out that his daughter was a Mover and a contact from within Division gave him enough heads up that he hoped he could get Annie on the road and gone before they'd be able to catch up to her.
"There are some bad people who are after you, Annie. They'll hurt you if they get the chance. All I know is that you have to get to Marie. She'll know where you need to go next. Can you do that for me?" he asked, pleading with her as he held her face in his hands. He could see the fear there but he could see his daughter steeling herself for what lie ahead. She was strong and he knew that, stronger than Annie probably even realized. He felt like she'd be able to do this. She'd be able to handle the journey ahead and he hoped that she'd find someone along the way to help her because the idea of her stumbling through all of this with little help scared the hell out of him.
"I can do it," the blond said, her voice hoarse. There was a strength behind it though, hidden deep within her. She was going to have to draw on that inner strength if she was going to be able to do this. "I can do this."
"You won't be able to call me or your mother. You're going to have to cut all ties. Change your appearance if you can. Sell things as you go along for more money if you have to or take odd jobs when you can. It's not going to be easy and I'm sorry that I have to do this to you," he said, shaking his head. His hands were shaking as they fell to his sides. He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. "Don't worry about me or your mother. We'll be fine. You need to keep your wits about you. Stay sharp. And …"
The blond nodded at his words, saw as he swallowed a lump in his throat. She did the same, fighting the tears that were threatening to spill over. She wasn't going to cry any more than she already head if she could help it. She wanted him to see that she was strong, that she could do this. She took a shaky breath and slowly blew it out before she walked away from him.
She fixed the clothing that he'd stuffed into the suitcase, taking each piece off of the hangers that they were one and folding them. Carefully Annie packed her things, able to fit more inside the suitcase than she would have imagined possible. She didn't speak as she packed a bag with items from the bathroom although she made a mental note to pick up a new toothbrush and a new hairbrush once she left home. Things that could lead the Sniffs to her needed to be discarded as often as possible.
"Will I see you again?" she asked as her father came back into the room, handing her the backpack that he'd filled with as much cash as he could manage. It wasn't full but there was more money in there than she'd ever seen at one time before. She tossed some more clothes on top of the money, stuffing a couple of books and her iPod and charger cord into the bag as well. She even managed to slip her laptop and its charger cord inside. It was a tight fit and it made for a heavy bag but Annie thought she might need it. Maybe these things weren't necessities but she knew that she wanted these items. They'd be easy for her to pawn or sell at a later date if she really needed the extra cash as well. She left behind her cell phone though because she knew the temptation to call home would be too great and that someone would be able to trace her moves with it if they knew what they were doing.
She grabbed for her guitar, sticking it into its case. Maybe it was silly. Maybe she was packing too much but there were some things that she couldn't handle leaving behind. Her guitar was one of those things. She had an arm load of things to carry but she knew that she needed every bit of it. The clothes, the money, the personal items.
Music would be what would keep her sane and when she reached New York, she figured that she could find places to sit and play for money. It would help keep her from depleting the funds that her father had given her. Already she was formulating the plans that she'd need to stay safe while trying not to plan too much. She knew enough about how Watchers worked to know that if she planned too much, they'd be able to track her. There were certain things that she was going to have to watch out for from now on. Plans and items that Sniffs could use to track her were just two of those things. She got into the taxi that was waiting outside of her house and had the driver head for the bus depot. Annie figured that taking a bus to New York City would be safe. From there she'd have a tough road ahead of her but she felt like she could handle it.
She looked out the back windshield, seeing her father comforting her mother. She could see her mother's body shaking as she cried, watching her daughter leave. Annie let the tears flow then, feeling a tightness in her chest as she fought back the sobs that she knew wanted to spill forth from her. She took a few deep breaths, seeing the driver glance at her through the rear view mirror. The look he gave her made her shiver slightly and she quickly looked out the window, ignoring this man as much as she could during the ride to the bus depot. Swallowing hard, Annie swallowed down all of the fear that she felt inside. She was going to have to push those feelings out of her mind if she was going to survive. And she was determined to survive whatever was coming her way.