It happened all so fast. Rachel was there, then she was not. Rachel was alive, then...Chloe was not.
Rachel was in Chloe's room trying, unsuccessfully, to convince Chloe to go with her to the Vortex Party. Chloe on the other hand, was lying on her bed smoking a joint and very adamantly refusing to go.
"Come on, Chloe. We'll be back before two, I promise!"
"Rach, I'm not going. I went to the last one, I just wanna chill tonight, 'sides you said I didn't have to go this week," Chloe sat up to see Rachel properly.
Rachel sighed but walked up to Chloe and kissed her quickly, "Then I guess I will be back before two."
Chloe grinned as Rachel started walking out the room, "Hella. Just text or call when you're on your way back, babe!"
"I always do, Chlo!"
In and out of consciousness, Rachel rode nauseated in the back of someone else's vehicle. It was a bumpy, probably off-road route they were on and had been on for the past hour. Rachel's hands and feet were duct taped, if she wasn't drugged so bad, she'd've gotten out of this mess ages ago.
Someone was next to her, a guy maybe her age. He was restlessly tapping a small pistol on the door rest, shifting around constantly. Something about him wasn't right, he was reluctant about every moment he made and way too nervous to do any real damage.
Unless he was Nathan Prescott.
It took Rachel a moment to process who was by her and why. Nathan was the last one she remembered seeing at the party, he'd given her, her drink. Nathan was always moving, no matter how comfortable he was with anything, he always seemed nervous. Maybe if he was a normal person, Rachel would have a chance, but Nathan was like a majority of the damned town, he had powers.
And destructive, uncontrollable ones at that. Rachel wouldn't have a chance against Nathan, not in her current lifetime at least.
'Man, Chloe's gonna kill me.' Rachel could see the time on the radio in the front of the car.
2:23 am.
Chloe checked her phone for what felt like the bazillionth time.
2:46am Saturday, April 20th: No messages, no calls, nothing from Rachel.
Maybe her phone died? Maybe she lost her phone? Both have happened more than once before.
Maybe she had passed out?
Who was Chloe kidding? She wasn't coming back. She was gonna text her, she wasn't gonna call. She didn't care, so why should Chloe?
Chloe threw her phone across the room as hard as she could. She had a new hole in her room and probably woke Joyce and David up, she didn't care. Chloe collapsed back onto her bed, still just waiting.
The vehicle came to a rough start. Rachel closed her eyes quickly, hoping to make Nathan and whoever was driving believe she was still out cold.
Nathan and the driver got out and met at the door closest to Rachel.
"I'm not staying this time."
"You can't do that, Nathan. Your father will know," was the driver?
"Just don't tell him, I'm going back to my dorm, I'm not dealing with this tonight."
"Nathan, this is a team effort, this is all you can do for your family, are you just going to let them down?"
"I'm not gonna let anyone down, not if you don't keep your filthy mouth shut," Nathan started storming away, Rachel could smell the smoke from inside the car.
"Your father'll be here tonight, what do you want me to tell him?"
Nathan didn't stop, "I don't fucking care, I did what I was told to, he can't do shit."
Nathan sighed heavily before opening the door. Rachel could sense the sick grin on his face. The thought sent chills down her back, she attempted to use her powers to break the duct-tape, still as useless as an hour ago. Just how much was she drugged?
Jefferson set her up so she was facing him, his eyes bore into hers. She couldn't move, why couldn't she move? He chuckled, he could feel her trying to move, there was a bright flash and then nothing. She was in a bright, white room, sitting on a cold, hard floor.
Two men in front of her were arguing, one was definitely . The other? Less familiar, well groomed, glasses, nice, expensive suit. Light brown and graying hair. It clicked, the other man was Sean Prescott, Nathan's father.
"She's been out almost an hour longer than what she should have been, Mark."
"It's just a minor set-back, Sean, I'm sure."
"You better hope she wakes up, or else you're-" Sean turned to her at that moment, a sly grin growing on his face, "Look who's up."
"Ah, see? Just as promised, now if you-" Mark's steps forward were stepped by Sean's large hand, "Out, Mark."
"Sir?"
"This is a private discussion, Mark. Get out," Sean stared mark down until the smaller man left briskly., "Now, let's get down to business, Rachel."
Rachel huffed, she knew exactly want he wanted from her and it wouldn't matter what he did or said, she wasn't giving it back.
"I've recently learned that you took something very valuable from me, and not just by some crazy accident. You purposely stole them from me. And personally, I'd like my powers back, Rachel Amber."
Chloe groggily walked into the kitchen, digging through cabinets for a bowl and a box of cereal.
"According to the men in police custody, Rachel Amber had incapacitated most of with her powers before running off. Though the cops are trying their best to track her down, but as of now her whereabouts are unknown"
Chloe dropped the box of cereal. Rachel was...missing? Chloe dashed back up the stairs, into her room. She picked up her phone off the ground and called Rachel.
No answer.
She tried again.
No answer.
"Rachel, this isn't funny, fucking pick up," Chloe started restlessly pacing across her room.
She tried again and again, it was last night all over again. Tears were brimming her eyes.
"Rachel, come on. Pick up, please," she dropped the phone as it went to voicemail again, "Rachel please don't do this to me..."
Nathan corned Chloe against the wall, "Look, bitch. Just because I said I'd help doesn't mean I'm doubling as your fucking bodyguard."
Chloe held her hands up in defense, "I don't fucking want your protection, I want those documents. You did get them, yeah?"
"Of course I got 'em! You think I'm some piece of shit?" Nathan backed up to his bag on the table behind them, pulling out a thick folder.
"You do know you're known for blowing shit up, right?"
"Shut the fuck up, it's not my fault," Nathan instinctively scratched at his chest.
"Whatever, man," Chloe snatched the folder from him, quickly shuffling through the papers in it, "This can't be all of it."
Nathan was sitting on the table, he shrugged at her comment, "Probably not."
Chloe shoved at Nathan, "What the fuck, man? I asked for all of them!"
"And I got what I fucking could, I'm not your fucking bitch!" Nathan got in Chloe's face.
Chloe sighed, "I'm not giving you any Bongo until you give me the rest of those damn papers, Nathan."
Nathan stood up, smoke rising off of him, "Don't fucking try to control me, Price."
Stepping back, Chloe replied, "I'm not, the deal was the papers for Bongo; no papers, no Bongo."
The door behind them opened, heels clicked on the floor, "Nate? Are you in here?"
Nathan turned, immediately cooling off, "Yo, Vic!"
Victoria rushed up to Nathan and hugged him, "Oh my god, Nathan, where have you been? It's been weeks!"
Nathan hugged back, chuckling, "Nowhere, dad's just had me running stupid errands everywhere."
Vic was the first to let go, soon to take notice of Chloe, "Price."
"Chase," Chloe mocked Victoria.
Nathan waved his hand at Chloe, "Look we'll talk about it later, you want the papers or not?"
Chloe grabbed the folder and pulled a bottle from her bag.
"You can have the rest when you get me the rest of papers, Nathan," Chloe started to walk past but was pulled to a stop.
She turned around to see Victoria with a hard grip on her wrist, "What did you just give him?"
Chloe shrugged, "Drugs."
Victoria sighed and turned to Nathan, keeping her hold on Chloe's wrist, "Nate. What're you getting involved in?"
"Nothing, it's just some alcohol."
"Nate."
Nathan sighed, "Price might've made a...fix for the little problem I have...with my powers."
"Dude, I thought you said this was staying between us?" Chloe moved closer to the two.
Victoria froze Chloe's feet in place, "And those papers you gave her definitely isn't money."
"Hey, man. I can get hypothermia, I'm not some mutant from Xavier Institute, ya' know?"
"In exchange for the juice, I'm giving her some of my dad's documents. He's the only one in this shitty town with any papers about my powers."
"Yo, Killer Frost? I'd fucking appreciate not dying because of some ice on my feet?" Chloe tried getting Vic's attention again.
Victoria looked between Nathan and Chloe suspiciously, Chloe's feet unfroze, "Just be careful, Nate."
"No such thing, Vic."
Chloe nodded before heading towards the door a second time, "Alright, I'm leaving. Don't forget those papers, Nathan!"
As Chloe made her exit, Vic and Nathan stared down at the bottle in his hands. It was an old sports drink bottle with the original label torn off, now crudely labeled Bongo Juice on some duct tape. Whatever filled the bottle half-way, was slimey and orange. Steam floated up to the top, filing the rest of the bottle.
Victoria made a disgusted face upon further inspection, "Bongo Juice? Are you sure this is something you want to drink? I mean, Price made it."
Nathan hurriedly opened the bottle and downed it, "It's too late now."
Vic stared at him, "There's no way that felt nice in any way or form, Nate."
"Nah, it was gritty and thick and warm and it tasted like fucking shit."
"But if it "fixes" your powers, you wouldn't care?"
"No way, I get them fixed, I can stop doing my dad's dirty work and actually start helping for real."