Jess awoke to the headache inducing sound of a blaring truck horn belonging to an 10 wheeler. She shot up to a sitting position, her hands flying to her ears, her eyes squinted from the sunlight. Sunlight. Why the hell was it so bright in here? She always slept with her blinds closed. And Sam wouldn't have- all of her thoughts were cut short the moment she opened her eyes. She wasn't looking at Sam, or a window, or the wall across from their bed; Jess was staring straight at the street. What the hell… She rubbed her eyes, wondering if this was one of those weird dream states. Nope. Still there. Okay. Looking down her lap, she came to realization that where she had woken up wasn't a bed at all. In fact, it was a bench. Great. Jess massaged her temples, attempting to get her bearings about her. What happened last night? Whatever it was, it must have been pretty wild, since try as she might she couldn't remember a single detail. In fact, the last thing she could remember was…Sam leaving with his brother. That must have been yesterday, right? She could remember being happy about Dean showing up, it wasn't as if she didn't know how much Sam cared about his big brother. But then…she had been miffed too…about….Sam. Sam wouldn't tell her where they were going. She figured she must have gone out after that. And then…somehow she ended up here. It was the only logical explanation. She made a mental note to tear Brady a new one later. He was always at the parties, he should have brought her home.
She sighed heavily, cracking her neck both ways before standing up from the bench to begin her walk of shame; only she had no idea what she had done. She slid her hand into the back pocket of her pants, a wave of relief washing over her as she felt her wallet, still intact, and an even bigger one as she opened it and found all of her credit cards and IDs still inside. Spying a pay phone, Jess decided to call Sam. If he was home yet, he was probably pretty worried about her, and if he wasn't, it was her turn to worry about him. She crossed the patch of grass separating her from her destination, gingerly picking up the phone and cradling it between her chin and her shoulder. She punched in Sam's number with her free hand, waiting for the phone to to ring. Only, it never did.
"We're sorry; you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please check the number and try your call again." Obviously confused, Jess tried the number again, and then once more for good measure. Nothing. She even tried Brady's but got the same response. She hung the phone up with frustration, assuming it must be out of order. "Piece of shit." She muttered, shaking her head. Either way, she needed to reach Sam, so deciding to carry out the next best option she started out for the gas station down the street. Surely they would let her use the phone there.
The bell chimed happily as she pushed open the door, and the cashier looked up in response.
"Welcome to Mobil, can I help you with anything today?" Even with his obvious Texan accent, his voice sounded almost mechanical. "Hi." Jess smiled, out of politeness. "Yeah, actually, I was just wondering if I could use your phone?"
"Have to buy something to use the phone." He responded, not even bothering to look up from his magazine. Jess frowned, placing her hand on the counter. "I just need a minute, ok? The pay phone is busted, and I have people to talk to." The cashier sighed over dramatically, looking up at Jess with an expression to match.
"You pretty girls think you can get away with anything. Buy something, or no phone. Not even my rules sugar, I just enforce em. Of course, if you're out of cash, you could always do something else for a call." He grinned at her crudely. "My boyfriend would crush you." She shot back, walking to the back of the store to grab a coffee. By the time she got back to the counter, she already had her Debit card out and she handed it to the impatiently. Taking the card, he swiped it through, before handing it back to her with an exhausted expression.
"Kid, this card expired in 2006." Jess stared back at him blankly, a slight cloud of confusion seeping its way over her delicate expression. "So? It should be good for at least two more months. Can you check again?" Now it was the cashiers turn to look confused.
"Whaddaya talkin' about? It's 2011. Looked at a calendar lately?" Jess rolled her eyes, visibly annoyed now. The guy had to be screwing with her. "Look, if you don't accept debit, why don't you just tell me that in the first place, ok?" She snapped. "I don't know what your game is here, but I-" She stopped, no longer looking at the man behind the counter, but the wall behind him; Her eyes locking onto the rack of magazines. The the covers screamed headlines ranging from pregnant celebrities to dirty politicians, but that wasn't what she was staring at. What caught her eye was the date.
June 15, 2011.
Jess opened her mouth, her lips dropping into a perfectly formed 'o', but couldn't find the words to respond. "2011?" She repeated hoarsely, grabbing firmly onto the counter.
"You alright, blondie? You concussed or somethin'?" He leaned in closer with his arms on the counter, looking carefully around the store before continuing in a hushed voice. "Was you abducted by aliens? They say not to believe them magazine articles, but I know what's real when I see it. Did they…did they do experiments on you?"
Jess scowled. Whatever was going on, she was 90% sure it wasn't aliens. Well, 80%. She snatched her card back, gathering her wits and turning around and walking out of the store. Making a beeline for the pay phone, she dialed the only other number she knew by memory; the pizza place.
"Hello?" Her heart sank as the cheery voice answered, and she hung up the phone almost instantly. The pay phone wasn't broken. So Sam, and Brady, they were just…gone? No, that was impossible. All of this was impossible. What was this supposed to mean, that she had been crashing on a bench for six years? Six years. She almost felt like faint. This had to be some sort of joke, some elaborate, completely unfunny joke. Or even just a dream. If it was, she hoped to god she was going to wake up soon. It was quickly turning into a nightmare. What was she going to do?She had no idea where Sam and Brady were, and she couldn't think of anyone else here that she could run to. Unless… the apartment. Maybe there was someone there. Maybe… She barely took the time to think before she was off down the sidewalk. At least she still remembered how to get there.
The taxi ride felt as though it went on forever, and when she finally reached the familiar steps she was anxious as anything. Taking a huge breath, she climbed the stairs one by one, the blood rushing in her ears. She didn't know what to expect. All she wanted was for this to end. She knocked three times, the sound ominous in her ears. She hardly had to wait ten seconds before the door knob clicked and the door started to pull open. Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam she repeated like a prayer mantra in her head. But then…Jess was disappointed again. She supposed she must have looked like a crestfallen mess, because the Middle aged woman at the door looked more concerned than annoyed at her presence. She tried to say something to wave her off, but all that came out was a chocked up "sorry" before tears began to spill out of her eyes.
Thoroughly embarrassed, frustrated, and confused, Jess couldn't stop the tears as she turned away and started back the way she came. She couldn't believe it. Sam wouldn't just ditch her, there was no way. And someone else living in their place? If only one day had passed, that just wouldn't make sense - not like six years passing by made sense either. Obviously the years hasn't slipped away from everybody, life still seemed to have gone on, and the thought of that put a rock in Jess's stomach. What about her family, her friends, the school, Sam? What did they think happened to her? What had happened to her? What happened to them? Her head was beginning to throb, her throat raw as if she had been swallowing sand paper. She didn't understand. Nothing made any sense. Her desperation bubbled into anger before dropping back to the pit of her stomach again. She just wanted Sam. Sam would fix this. He would hug her, kiss her, tell her everything was going to be okay. Jess prided herself on being a leader, someone who was able to look after herself and be resourceful at that. But this time she needed more than her own strength, which at the moment was beginning to evade her. Yet, there was no one there to help. She was alone. Completely alone.
By the time Jess returned to where her journey had first began, she was walking as though she had 50 pound weights resting on each shoulder. She was beaten down, lost, and she had nowhere to turn. She knew she had to do something, find someone, but she had no idea what, let alone where to start. Wiping the tears from both of her damp cheeks, Jess took a deep breath. There had to be answers somewhere. Sam had to be somewhere. Forget the time lapse, people don't just fall of the face of the earth. Pulling her jacket securely around her, she started off down the street. She was going to get the truth.