CHAPTER THREE (Present)
Fourteen days.
336 hours.
20160 minutes.
Two weeks.
It had been two weeks since the accident. Two weeks of tiptoeing around the Fabray girl like she was a delicate flower about to wilt. Quinn's memory was just as blank as before, but her doctors claimed there was no need to keep her at the hospital any longer as through her time in the coma her body had taken all the time it needed to mend.
The fractured ribs, healed.
The multiple gashes to the body, healed.
The scratches caused by shards of broken glass, healed.
The only reminder of the accident lay in a small scar that hid safely, tucked behind her left ear. The remains of a thorough smack to her head that late summer night.
Quinn currently looked out of the car window onto a large, white, Victorian house. Her parents cautiously looked into the backseat as they stood outside waiting for their daughter to be ready. They knew her only chances of regaining her memory was through coming home to familiar and important locations of her past. This, and time.
They knew not to get their hopes up, they had been warned that coma patients sometimes never regain their memory… But as they looked at the curious hazel eyes studying the familiar house that lay ahead of her, they couldn't help but wonder if just maybe their angel could beat the odds.
"Quinnie?"
The knock on the window startled her from her thoughts. She took in the hopeful and loving gaze of her parents and slowly reached for the door handle to exit the car.
The blonde followed her parents into their picture perfect home, noting the beautiful paintjobs and floral decorations on the front lawn. Everything even down to the door handle was perfectly placed. The impression of a wealthy, successful, perfect family haunted her mind and as she walked her fractured soul up the porch she couldn't help but note something was off. Missing still, making her question:
-Did she really used to live here?
"Just take your time Quinnie"
"We'll be right here all evening"
"And we'll drive you to school first thing tomorrow"
-"But you still don't have to go, especially if you decided you're not ready"
"Nobody wants to rush yo…"
"I'M OKAY, REALLY!" She yelled frantically to silence her parents non-stop rambles. They unintentionally had gotten into the habit of treating her like a five year old.
Her parents held their tongue and nodded before slowly walking away muttering between themselves.
The door that stood before her was decorated with a couple of Polaroids with her in, indicating her bedroom lay ahead.
'So this is me' she thought before noting the unfamiliarity and lacking connecting to the face in the photos.
'Or at least this was me' she rethought.
Her fingertips grazed the girl in the photographs. In one she wore a uniform, surrounded by two other cheerleaders, she immediately noted they were Santana and Brittney. Two people who visited her at the hospital. Santana came by most days, at first Quinn assumed it was through guilt of surviving the accident, but later learned that she and Santana Lopez were actually best friends, they had been since she moved to Lima years ago. In the photo she stood proud, like a member of a wild pack, intimidating all enemies. She looked, good… strong… fearless. Like the old her belonged in this picturesque family house she found herself in. At the bottom in sharpie was the tagline 'The Unholy Trinity'. Quinn smiled at how close she must have been to these two girls.
She continued on to the next photo, it was taken in a classroom. She was beside two adults, she assumed they were teachers, and at the end was a face that had struck her mind for the past two weeks. The girl who had been beside her as she woke in hospital. The girl that fled as she learned Quinn couldn't remember her. The rather stunning brunette that Quinn longed to rediscover her story with.
She knew only that her name was Rachel, Rachel Barbara Berry.
Her mom said the two had become good friends over the summer, and that she was a lovely girl and captain of some sort of singing club they were both in.
Her eyes gazed over the Polaroid picture, the two girls looked so happy, as if they had just needed to mark some milestone achievement with this photo. The description below simply said:
Mr Schue, Miss Pillsbury, Myself & Rachel; Glee club celebrates its new coming arrival. Quinn felt her mind screaming that she needed to remember this moment, but nothing surfaced.
She was beginning to feel she may need to accept that it may never resurface.
She pushed open the door and looked into the room before her: white walls, more Polaroid photo's, school team memorabilia, a small wooden cross over her bed and lots of cheer-leading gear.
Her families religious views were nothing new, they shared many prayers at the hospital thanking the lord for 'guiding her spirit safely home' as her mother put it. Quinn remembers swallowing the lump in her throat threatening to point out her soul had never been more lost.
She wandered the room with caution, and noted the wardrobe door was slightly ajar. She walked over to it and opened it fully, trying to get a further sense of her identity.
Uniforms, dresses and skirts. The general gist of her old personality appeared to be quiet all-American teenage girl. Flaunting her assets and owning her 'Head Bitch' status as Santana had put it a few days ago. As nice, pretty and sexy as it all was; it failed in sparking any memories within.
She was just about to back away when she noted a T-Shirt hung up at the back with some dark blue denim shorts and a burgundy beanie. It was the most relaxed and natural article of clothing in there, and also the most real to her. Whoever wore this white T-Shirt obviously had a secret life of fun where they didn't feel the need to always have their guard up and façade on. Not like the heels and dresses and picture perfect assets.
She pulled the shirt out to further study it and saw it was some sort of band T-Shirt. Stamped in block black writing on the front read 'Carney likes my eyes'. She made a mental memo to google the phrase to find a band name or song, hoping she would uncover a key link to this more relaxed and edgier old 'her' that once existed. Placing the shirt aside she peeled herself away from her wardrobe.
She sat herself down on her bed and looked at her reflection in the mirror on the opposing wall, Quinn got the feeling it would be a long time before she felt at home here. The stranger looking back at her looked lost, lonely and afraid.
"She's back!"
"She's back?"
"She's back and she's unbearable!"
"I only just started to like the girl and now this?"
"Get the word out!"
The news was out, Rachel Berry, no… Rachel 'Barbara' Berry was back. Annoying as hell, career driven, determined to thrive and not considerate of her social life or any rippling impacts her rediscovered self-obsession could bring. The last year of progress had evaporated. The new, improved and tolerable Rachel had suddenly vanished after a sporadic series of crying in the bathroom, skipped school and social avoidance.
At first her friends and family feared the worst. The bullying had stopped since Glee club began and she found a small friendship with the schools upper hierarchies. But now with Quinn Fabray having been gone for months since that tragic accident they had no assurance that her new summer friend could watch over her.
They feared she was going through inner turmoil but couldn't place the cause. She was silent for weeks. Then, around the time Quinn woke, Rachel found her voice. Only unfortunately for McKinley High, it was the irritating voice they had only just been rid of.
"I heard she's worse than ever"
"I heard she's kind of scary now"
"I heard just obnoxious"
Those that loved Rachel had a different view. They watched her from afar and noted how driven and isolated she had become. But more so they noted the anger and pain in her eyes. If you didn't know the girl, and laid eyes on her burrowed head frantically attacking her book with her pen in class with puffy red eyes; you would have been convinced she was heartbroken.
"You ready for this Q?" Santana stood before the front doors smiling supportively at her broken friend.
"Honestly?" Quinn shot Santana a face that said 'Not ready but I need to do this'. The Latina smiled before stepping to Quinn's side to link arms with the girl. Brittany took Quinn's remaining side and hugged her linked arm quickly in reassurance.
"…I'm ready" Quinn stated.
The halls of McKinley were flooded as the bell rang signalling the end of lunch. Students headed to their lockers to gain supplies for the afternoon and gossiped among their cliques. Finn Hudson and Sam Evans stood at their lockers discussing the meatballs they had just consumed, Finn was convinced Sam worried far too much about calories, and Sam rebutted in certainty that 'abs like his don't just happen'.
Finn was about to retort but was interrupted as the front doors opened and the bright sun blinded him as it reflected against his metal locker. He squinted and noted the sudden dimmer on the hallways usual volume. Silence echoed and as his eyes readjusted to the light he suddenly saw the cause of the interruption. Three pairs of footsteps made their way down the hall. Attached were, three gorgeous lean legs. Three perfectly curved bodies. Three stunning sirens, hair flowing. Two owning the space in their cheer-leading uniforms. The center though. The center face was most definitely the cause of the silence.
Curious and intense hazel eyes.
Flowing, tousled blonde hair.
Perfect porcelain skin.
Quinn Fabray.
The girls made their way down the corridor. Marking the re-entrance of Quinn and notifying the entire student body she was back, and that if Santana and Brittany had any say, she was off limits and just as prized as before.
Finn took in the girl's appearance, a simple white strapless dress accompanied by a light brown swede jacket that had been tied around her waist in the heat. Considering it was a well-known fact the girl had a bad case of amnesia, she had done a remarkable job mastering her old look.
As they approached Finn and Sam the boys studied their old friend. Noting the vulnerability that hid beneath her walls, the tremor to the fiery hazel eyes. Finn had dated Quinn for two years, he knew that face. He knew she was scared. He turned to Sam and saw he had seen it too. They shared a nod of confirmation before joining the girl's side and strengthening their army.
Quinn recognized their faces from the Polaroid's covering her room. She shared a glance with the more muscular blonde one, who shared a smile with her that told her she was safe and he would be there every step of the way.
As they exited the hallway and headed to the Principles office there was a jolted moment of silence throughout the student body in that hallway. Quickly followed by an ambush of cell phones and mouths excitedly informing the remaining student body that the former ice queen was back.
"Hey so this here is Quinn, we got told to drop her off here before she joined class?" Santana addressed the Principles assistant hoping that she would understand the specialty of this student.
-"Wait Miss Fabray?" The assistant jerked her head up hastily.
She clearly understood.
Quinn noted she had drifted off and all eyes were on her again, she slowly nodded her head to confirm her identity.
"Miss Fabray McKinley's thrilled to see you looking so well after your… erm, well mishap" the assistant fumbled and blushed.
"Thank you kids for dropping her off, but it is lesson time now so if you could say your goodbyes I'll take Quinn from here" she continued.
The group turned to their friend. Quinn felt a large hand touch her shoulder and spotted the dark haired boy who had introduced himself as Finn.
"You gonna be okay?" He questioned.
Honestly Quinn was clueless as to how she could realistically answer that question. However she didn't want to be a burden so rather than an honest breakdown she simply looked him in the eye and offered a small smile of assurance.
Finn smiled back and the proceeded to lead her friends out the room. The assistant waved her attention now that she was alone.
"Okay Miss Fabray, so the school board are extremely cautious about your re-entry into your current surroundings and we want to ensure you quickly rediscover your place here. We'll be giving you a quick tour of the school this period. Then we'll offer a one on one tutor to run you through the major assignments and credits you've missed and will be able to get help catching up with. Then in last period you will head to your previously elected classes to get a taster of the classroom. Sound okay?"
Again, no. It did not in all honesty. She wanted to bang her head scream and cry and wail her heart out. She had everything by the looks of the Polaroid pictures in her room. Her friends clearly loved her. She had multiple visitors in the hospital, arrived home to an ambush of flowers from strangers who claimed to have shared various bonds with her.
But Quinn doubted the assistant wanted to hear such a verbal outcry, so instead she opted for another slow nod of her head.
"Wonderful, I'll just head into Miss Sylvester's office to grab your paper work and schedules for the tour" and with that the woman left the desk to head into the Principles office behind her.
Quinn had gotten used to accepting that her head would hurt. Whenever she saw familiar locations she felt as though she could remember if she wracked her brain super hard. Unfortunately the outcome had yet to be successful. So as she stood alone waiting by the desk she rubbed her temples before closing her eyes for a second to regain composure.
The sound of the door to the office opening disrupted her and she heard the shuffle of feet suddenly halt just at the door. Feeling as though she was indefinitely being watched, Quinn's eyes opened and she glanced over her shoulder to spot the new intruder.
Hey gaze was instantly met with one of intensity. Brown orbs locked with hazel as two girls froze in their place.
Quinn's eyes slowly raked over tanned skin, fitted skinny jeans and a fair-isle jumper that only barely passed with the outfit's ensemble. She took in raven long hair and a slender hand that reached up to cover a gaping mouth of shock.
Brown eyes quickly welled up with tears and Quinn felt her chest pounding. Something inside finally began feeling something the second she saw this girl. And seeing her about to cry? This just made that something inside more determined to be there for her and help take away the pain.
Her head screamed and she fought the urge to wince in pain as flashes came through her mind of the moment she awoke in hospital.
This girl.
She knew this girl.
The photos.
The hospital.
"Rachel?"
…"Quinn?"
Apologies for the break. Currently travelling and uploading isn't easy. Next Chapter up OH SO SOON! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!
Daphne Sayuri