888
"So, let me get this straight, we're heading to some town in western New York on a missing persons?" Dean questioned as he tossed the last duffle bag onto the back seat of the Impala.
"Pretty much," Sam replied easily as he spread out a map on the hood of the Chevy.
"Sara's not sure exactly where Emma went missing," Sam continued as he traced a route for his brother. "She's given me the last location where the woman used her credit card. Apparently she stopped at a gas station just outside of some town called Harmony."
"Harmony, great," Dean snorted as he made a mental note of the routes they'd be following. "You know I'd feel a hell of a lot better if the town was named 'Sucksville' or better yet 'You're-going-to-die-ville."
"How about 'There's-a-killer-town'" Sam joked at Dean's reference to the last time the brothers had found themselves in a town with an inspirational name.
Lovely, Kentucky had been anything but. It was there that a much younger Dean and Sam had been caught by a monster named Smith. The creature had been all for making some permanent alterations to Sam and Dean. It was only by the brother's combined efforts that they'd managed to make it out of that one.
"And Sara called you because…."
"She called me because this Emma woman just up and disappeared; the cops have been all over and have yet to find any sign of her. They've basically given up."
Dean nodded slightly and grinned. "Still, why call you? Why not hire a private dick?"
Sam determinedly ignored his brother's sly grin and shrugged, "The family did. Still a no go. Sara's desperate to find her friend, so, she figured maybe it's something up our alley."
With a snort the older hunter climbed into the driver's seat and pulled the car door shut. "Right," he drawled, "'Up our alley'. Is that her polite way of saying we're freaks so maybe we can catch a freak?"
"Basically," Sam agreed as he joined his brother in the car. That had been his thought as well when the call he'd received had turned out to be from Sara Blake, the daughter of an auctioneer, they'd helped out in New York.
Sam wanted to defend Sara but to be honest, he figured his brother was probably right. While the pretty art expert had seen firsthand just how strange Sam's life was when he and his brother had saved her from being killed, he'd noticed the few time's he'd spoken to her since, she'd seemed to pull back.
He could fully understand just how she felt. Her brush with the supernatural may have left her slightly more open-minded than most people, but it hadn't really changed her perspective in life. Now that the danger was past, Sam and his brother's lives were something she truly couldn't comprehend. They were simply too warped to fit into the cut-and-dry mold that Sara kept people in.
The young hunter couldn't help but wonder if there was anyone out there who could truly accept the life he led.
"Yeah, well let's be honest, she's right." Dean admitted with a grin. "If something has taken her friend, we're probably the only ones dumb enough to try and get her back."
Sam rolled his eyes at his brother's words, but couldn't help but feel better; just the reminder that Dean knew full well just how weird the world could be made him feel a little less alone.
When Sam had first left for college, his only thought had been to escape the world that he'd grown up in. His full focus had been trained on living in the 'normal' world. In all that time, it had never occurred to him that once he'd achieved his goal, he might find himself feeling out of place.
Surrounded by kids that had no greater worries than where the closest kegger was, he hadn't been able to hide his astonishment at how people just seemed to blunder through life without a care. Things like sitting with his back against a wall in a restaurant full of people; the urge to avoid any and all contact with the police; or casing out an exit when first entering a room, were so ingrained in Sam's psyche, that he'd never once considered that the rest of the world didn't live their lives that way.
Those first few weeks on his own, Sam had worked hard to ignore all of his training. He'd gone out of his way to prove that he could do 'normal' with the best of them, but to be honest the stress he'd felt every time he'd broken one of his father's coveted rules turned out to not be worth it. He'd finally settled on a compromise, one that allowed him to stay 'safe' without making himself a pariah in his new world.
As he'd become more comfortable with himself, he'd noticed that people were willing to overlook his 'quirks' and to welcome him into the groups and cliques that were a part of college life. There were even time's where his training had come in handy, causing the group of friends he'd hung out with to appreciate many of his stranger talents.
Focusing once more on the map he now held folded in his lap, Sam pointed out, "It could be something. This girl is just gone. No one outside of the town of Harmony has seen her and no one inside the town will admit what happened to her."
"Well alright then, Harmony, NY, here we come," Dean said as he put the car into gear and pulled out of the motel parking lot.
888
Emma awoke with a groan. Easing her hand up to her head she gingerly felt her forehead expecting to find the injury she'd sustained that was causing the pounding inside her head. To her surprise there was no gash, no gushing blood, not even a lump to be found.
Surprised by the lack of injury considering the pain she was in, the redhead worked to force her eyes open. If she hadn't been in some kind of accident, then she needed to figure out why she seemed to be lying on something that felt like cobblestones, when the last thing she remembered was being inside the Gallery looking at Mrs. Hodges' Ogilvie.
Given the fact that the only cobblestones she'd come in contact with in the last couple of days had been the sidewalks of Harmony she couldn't help but be afraid she'd taken some kind of a header on the walkway and now lay there surrounded by strangers laughing at her pratfall.
Given her penchant for clumsiness it wouldn't be the first time the twenty-five year old had wound up in a similar situation. Pressing her hands to the ground, she opened her eyes and pushed herself upright.
Again, she couldn't stop the groan that escaped her as every muscle in her body protested her movements. Apparently, this time she hadn't just managed a fall, she'd been hit by a Mac truck, or at least this is what she assumed being hit by a tractor-trailer would feel like.
Gaining her feet, Emma was proud that she only wobbled slightly as she at last stood upright. As expected there was a crowd of people surrounding her, each looking at her with a mixture of surprise.
"Oh, you poor, Dear. Tell me you're okay," a matronly looking woman called out as she wrapped an arm around Emma's shoulders. "That was a terrible tumble you took."
Cursing her fair skin as she felt her face burn in embarrassment, Emma shrugged off the kind woman and laughed shakily, "I'm okay, I guess I just lost my balance for a moment."
The kind woman nodded knowingly and made a shooing gesture toward the group that was crowded around them. "Alright you lot, get gone, there's nothing left to see."
"Thanks," Emma breathed with a heartfelt sigh of relief as the group surrounding them suddenly began to drift away. Never comfortable being in the spot-light the young woman especially hated it when anyone was witness to her crazy mishaps.
"Here, Dear, why don't you come set a spell," the older woman insisted, carefully leading Emma toward the small outdoor café she'd noticed earlier in the day. Pulling a chair out from a tiny wrought-iron table, the woman waved a hand at a nearby busboy. "Timmy, some water for the young lady."
Emma sat grateful for the woman's kindness. While she still wasn't sure just what had happened the throbbing in her head was relentless. "Thanks," she whispered as she accepted the cold glass that the young man in a white apron brought her.
"Now tiny sips mind you so it doesn't come back up," the woman chided as Emma lifted the glass to drink.
Under the watchful eye of her good samaritan, Emma took just a sip and instantly felt better. The cool water slid down her throat, easing an ache she hadn't even realized she'd had. "Thanks," she said with a sigh as she pressed the cool glass against her temple.
"No worries, Dear, what kind of woman would I be if I didn't offer a bit of kindness to a stranger."
Emma smiled broadly and held out her right hand. "Emma Stone."
"Norma Winthrop," the older woman said in reply as she shook Emma's hand. "What brings you to Harmony, young Emma?"
Finishing off her water, Emma allowed herself to relax back into her chair as she answered, "I'm on a buying trip for my gallery. I stopped off to take a look at the Harmony Gallery."
At her words Norma's open expression clouded a bit. "The Gallery?" she questioned.
Waving a hand toward the renovated house that sat only a block away, Emma explained, "At Harmony house, I figured since I was in the area I might as well see if there was something that caught my interest."
Frowning slightly, Norma took a step backward and rested her hands at her waist. "You came to town alone?"
Emma frowned at the censure she heard in the older woman's voice. It was obvious Norma didn't approve of Emma traveling on her own. Finding it hard to believe in this day and age, she nonetheless strove for a diplomatic answer. She had no desire to upset the woman who'd been so kind.
Opening her mouth to respond, she found herself nearly choking on her own words as she suddenly noticed a horse and carriage making its way up Main Street. Finding the sight completely charming, Emma turned toward Norma to share her delight. "Look a horse and buggy!"
At Emma's outburst, Norma shot the younger girl another confused glance and nodded slowly. "Yes, my Dear. I see."
Given Norma's lack of interest in the carriage, Emma could only assume that it was a regular occurrence. Wondering if she'd somehow stumbled into an Amish town, she continued to watch the conveyance as it made its way down the street. As she did, she noticed that the line of cars that had earlier been parked along the street had cleared out. Wondering just how late it had gotten since she'd arrived in Harmony, she glanced down at her purse, intending to pull out her cell phone to check the time.
For the first time since she'd awoken the haze she'd felt clouding her mind finally cleared as she noticed what she was wearing. Gone were the grey slacks and yellow silk blouse she'd had on when she'd left the hotel this morning.
In their place she now wore a high collared red calico blouse with buttons that ran the length of the fitted bodice. Her sleeves were gathered at the shoulders and were full until just below her elbows at which point they became fitted. Along with the red calico blouse she now wore a matching calico skirt that reached the very tips of a pair of black boots that just peeked out from under her skirt.
Instead of the Gucci bag she'd been carrying, she now grasped a red taffeta handbag that exactly matched the red of her dress. Swinging the bag slightly, she knew there was no way she would find her cell phone tucked inside.
Shocked by her sudden change in appearance, she jumped to her feet, her hip bumping the iron-wrought table and causing it to tip slightly. Grateful for the sharp pang she felt in her side, Emma was now certain she wasn't sleeping or passed out. That left only one explanation.
Turning toward Norma, her eyes widened in surprise as she finally took notice of the other woman's appearance. What she had at first accepted as a rather dated skirt and blouse set, she now realized was a white Victorian blouse, buttoned up to just beneath her chin and a navy skirt that just brushed the tips of older woman's black boots.
"What's going on?" Emma demanded as she gestured toward her outfit. "What did you do to me?"
Norma's grey eyes widened in surprise at Emma's outburst, the older woman took a step back in fright as she held up a hand to ward the younger woman off. "I haven't done anything but try and help."
"No," Emma cried, "No, this isn't what I was wearing, where are my clothes. What did you do?"
This time Norma drew in a deep breath expanding her formidable chest and stepped well away from Emma. "Young lady, I do not know where you are from, but here in Harmony we do not accuse pillars of society of stealing clothes."
With a huff, Norma turned and walked away, her skirt swaying to match the woman's obvious irritation.
Watching Norma stalk off, Emma's gaze darted once more toward the street where yet another horse and buggy was making its way up Main Street. This time she couldn't help but notice that the woman handling the reins was clothed in a near replica of her own outfit.
Unable to understand just what had happened, Emma blinked back the moisture that was gathering in her eyes and tried to decide what to do next. Now that Norma had taken herself off, no one seemed to be paying any attention to the petite red-head.
Intent on finding the bruise or bump that had given her this spectacular hallucination, Emma reached up and found that her long hair was swept back into an elegant bun at the nape of her neck. No longer surprised by anything, Emma dropped her hands, sniffed back her tears and again searched the roadway. It was as she was watching a wagon with a family of four make its way down the street that she remembered her car.
When she'd first arrived in town she'd chosen to park the rental down one of the side streets to avoid the parking meter's which lined the main thoroughfare. Now as she hurried down the sidewalk intent on finding her car, tripping over her long skirt, she couldn't help but mutter, "be there, be there, be there…."
TBC
