Ask and you shall receive...
Thank you so much for reviewing, It makes me want to continue this story because it shows that you actually want to read it :)
Hope i don't disappoint in this chapter!
Dont own glee or any of its characters.
Sorry for any errors you find...All mistakes are mine.
Enjoy! :)
Weeks went by with Rachel's curiosity further increasing. During classes, the brunette would subtly study the little girls actions in hopes of finding some more clues but in return only ended up even more confused. Emily still mostly kept to herself but as the days went on she would smile more often and talk a little bit more than she had the previous day.
It was a beautiful Monday morning when Rachel finally decided to start looking for some answers instead of lazing around asking complicated questions. Before she dismissed class, Emily was asked to stay back. The little girl had a panicked look on her face when Rachel motioned for her to stay behind. Emily watched the rest of her class leave before eyeing her teacher worriedly.
Rachel chuckled lightly at the scared girl who probably believed she was in some sort of trouble. "Don't worry Emily, you're not in any trouble. I just wanted to check up on you and see what you think of your classes so far"
The young brunette visibly relaxed before meeting her teachers eyes. "Oh... They're great Miss Berry. Much better than my other school"
Finally, Rachel had found an opening and perfect opportunity to sneakily get some answers. "Really? Which school did you attend previously?"
Emily pursed her lips and thought of her answer carefully before replying. "I went to a private school in California"
Rachel nodded and smiled as she processed the new information. Private schools meant that her parents were most likely very wealthy. Maybe someone she met on Broadway while she was living in New York? No, that couldn't be right because Emily clearly stated that she was from California. Again, Rachel was left completely baffled.
"California is a beautiful place. Are your parents originally from there?" she pressed on further.
Emily tilted her head while she contemplated her answer. As soon as the little girl's teeth clung onto her bottom lip, a whole new rush of De javu hit the older brunette. "Just my dad" she stated simply.
Rachel dumbly nodded again trying desperately to cling on-to the feeling long enough to get some answers. Just like the first time, it had vanished into thin air once again. It took every ounce of strength Rachel had not to stomp her foot in frustration in front of the little girl. "Oh that's great, is your mother from around here?"
Emily's eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she diverted her eyes toward her desk. "I don't know? Maybe?" she asked almost panicking. "My mom doesn't really like to talk about it".
Sensing the girls anxiety, Rachel decided to change the subject and cut things short before the young child fainted. "Im glad you're enjoying yourself Emily, please don't hesitate to talk to me if you need anything" she softly smiled at the girl whom released a breath of air.
"I Will, Thank you Rach-Ms Berry"
Rachel's eyes widened almost painfully as the girl realised her mistake and froze. Her already pale features, at this point almost ghost white. None of the children knew the teachers by their first names, so how was it possible that this girl who had been in her class for a mere 3 weeks did?
Rachel stopped gaping at the child long enough to ask the million dollar question. "H-How do you know my first name Emily?"
The girl in question was at this point shaking and shuffling her feet uncomfortably as she painfully swallowed the lump in her throat. "I-I've seen you on Tv Ms Berry."
The loud gasp that escaped the older woman's mouth was enough to startle them both. "Tv? How did you know?" she questioned, still in shock. The last thing Rachel needed was a reminder of her glory days, no matter how long it had been, the scars were still very raw and painful.
Emily diverted her gaze before continuing "My mom has the spring awakening DVD, It's my favourite" shyly she looked up at Rachel, who was already on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "I'm sorry for making you sad Ms Berry, please don't cry"
The older woman recovered and plastered on a fake smile as to not further startle the young girl. "You didn't make me sad Emily, You can go join your friends and have lunch now. Thank you for answering my questions" she gripped onto her desk tightly, desperately willing her tears not to fall. She didn't want to cry anymore.
The tiny girl kept her head down as she nodded and made her way out of class. When the door closed behind her, Rachel heavily dropped into her chair as her shaking hands sheltered her face. The woman's chest heaved as she tried to control her breathing. It had already been four years of non-stop tears, she wouldn't allow herself to cry again.
Rachel Berry, Broadway star was dead. No amount of tears, cussing or depression would ever bring her back. Her eyes stung as she forbid herself from any means of emotional relief. The brunette held the pencil on her desk in a death grip before she snapped it in half, hoping the action would help ease some of her anguish. When all the pencils on her desk had been shattered and the unbearable pain still growing in her chest to torment her, Rachel violently jerked out of her chair, sending the object flying into the blackboard with a heavy thud. The noise echoing off the abused timber temporarily distracted her before she sped up her pace and raced out of the building and toward her car.
Rachel drove around aimlessly trying to calm down. It wasn't Emily's fault; the little girl surely didn't know anything about the tragedy. The girl proved to be a successful distraction for the older brunette as she slowly felt the pain subside.
Millions of unanswered questions clung to Rachel's mind like a disease; Why is she so familiar? Who does she remind me of? Why the hell does this even bother me so much? Rachel's eye brows furrowed in concentration before a blinding grin spread across her face. She hazardously swerved her car around in the middle of the street and sped back to school, not caring that she was probably late for class anyway.
Almost breaking her car door in her haste to get out of her parked vehicle, the brunette sprinted into the building and made her way to the reception area. It came as no surprise when it was completely empty. Rachel grinned again before charging toward the cabinet where all the files were held. Her eyes skimmed through the hundreds of folders before she reached the one that had bought her there in the first place.
"Emily Michaels" she unconsciously whispered out loud before triumphantly grasping the file and ripping it open. She took in a deep breath to steady her excitement as she opened it, carefully memorising every word as if it were the key to unlocking the world's greatest secret. The brunette's rapidly beating heart dropped almost instantly in her disappointment. This time is sped up as her anger and frustration grew. She carelessly flung the file across the room and left before anyone saw the mess she had created.
The words ran through her mind as she made her way to the class she was already 20 minutes late for.
"Mothers Name: Melissa Michaels Fathers Name: Bradley Michaels"
It seemed that the more information she unlocked, the more confused she became. When her mind came within a flimsy fraction closer to figuring something out, the thought rapidly vanished leaving her with aggravating frustration. Emily reminded her too much of someone she knew so why was everything so difficult to figure out?
The brunette drifted through the rest of the day by plastering on fake smiles and happiness. All her years of acting lessons and the short time she spent on Broadway were really starting to pay off. Deceiving people around her was vital in Rachel's survival. Their sad glances and remorseful eyes only made things worse in the end. The last thing Rachel needed was constant reminder of everything she had lost.
Immense relief washed over her as she stepped through her apartment door. Almost immediately, she collapsed onto the couch, desperately trying to clear her mind in order to get some well needed rest. Truthfully, Rachel hadn't really slept in years because the nightmares came every single time she closed her eyes. They were less traumatising in times like these, when the brunette was so badly worn down that she collapsed and fell into a restless coma.
It felt like a minute had passed when she jolted awake, hand gripping her heart as her ringtone blasted through the empty apartment. Instantly, she fought back the urge to throw the device against the wall when she saw the caller ID.
"Yes Finn?" she asked impatiently, fingers almost pressing down on the "end" button.
"Hey Rach!" the cheery man child greeted, obviously ignoring her annoyed tone.
"Look Finn, i really don't have time to talk so..."
"Wait Rach!" he screamed through her speakers.
"What do you want Hudson?" she snapped impatiently while holding her phone in a death grip, trying to snap the thing in half.
"Can you come to the bar? It's really important!" he desperately pleaded.
Rachel rolled her eyes wanting nothing more than to end the call and get some rest. "Why?" she asked eventually, curiosity winning the silent internal argument.
"I'll tell you when you get here, I'm in alot of trouble so please hurry"
The brunette huffed in annoyance and hung up on him before grabbing her coat and walking out the front door. The bar was only a few blocks away from her apartment so it didn't take long for her to get there. The walk actually relaxed her a little.
"YOU MADE IT!" The boy yelled, instantly making several heads turn toward the pair. The giant man hugged her tightly before dragging them toward the bar.
"Why am i here Finn? You better be dying" she asked annoyed
"Oh...I just missed you...you unsurprisingly ditched me again so i had to take matters into my own hands" he shrugged as Rachel shot death glares at him.
When he continued to stupidly smile at her she punched him in the ribs effectively silencing his rant about how unfair she was being. The brunette grinned as he moved further away from her to avoid future attacks.
A few drinks later, they had fallen into an easy conversation. Finn was bragging about something Rachel was whole heartedly ignoring. "Rach are you listening to me?"
Rachel looked at him contemplating whether to lie but decided against it in order to ignore him again. "Finn can i ask you something?"
The boy nodded slowly as his brows furrowed "Sure?"
"Who does Emily remind you of?" Rachel figured that if someone as intelligent as herself couldn't figure it out then maybe someone with the IQ of a monkey would have a better shot.
"Emily? Whos that?" Finn asked confused.
Rachel rolled her eyes at the boys dimness before she remembered that Finn actually didn't know the girls name. "Emily is the girl you saw standing outside my class a few weeks ago"
The man's eyebrows shot up in thought before his eyes widened "Ohhh Ummm she does kinda remind me of Dakota Fanning"
Rachel snorted and took another sip of her drink before slapping his arm "Your an idiot" she stated before downing the rest of her cranberry vodka and grabbing her coat.
"Wait! Where are you going? You just got here!" Finn whined.
"It's late and I've been here for an hour. I have to pick up some groceries before I head home" Rachel ignored his pleading and made her way toward the exit. She walked the short distance to the grocery store, immensely relieved that she had gotten away from Finn and his endless chatter.
The store was mostly vacant when she walked in. The cashier smiled at her as she passed him, directly heading toward the Vegan products. The soft music playing in the background made her visibly cringe. Rachel Absolutely hated music and anything to do with it. The brunette busied herself by reading labels on the food packaging and was successful in the diversion until she heard soft humming from the other side of the isle.
Usually she would have ignored it but she knew that voice. It was so familiar that it transported her mind back to high school. She snapped out of her daze as the humming started to fade. Her feet unconsciously carried her toward the retreating sound, trying to make some sense of why it had triggered high school memories. Maybe it was the song? That could possibly be the reason because Rachel didn't know that song nor did she care to try and identify it. The only thing her mind registered was the once familiar calmness that voice brought her.
Her eyes travelled toward the cash register where the figure was standing. A presence so familiar yet equally as foreign that it made sense to only confuse her again. The brunette studied the person in the distance as they made small talk with the cashier while the boy scanned the groceries.
Old and forgotten memories flashed through Rachel's mind as her eyes scanned the mysterious figure. She angled her head to get a better look at their profile but regretted it immediately when the person's identity became clear.
Rachel closed her eyes and opened them again to be met with the same horrific sight. Her mind was surely playing games to punish her for its abuse the last couple of days because there honestly was no fucking way that this was even possible...
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