Lost in her thoughts. Lost in clues. Lost in totality.
That was what Beca Mitchell is right now.
Aside from her blooming relationship with Jesse, her continuous success in producing Emily and Flo's upcoming album, her mind has been racing around the stupidity of the dangerous jokes being played against her. It's been a month since the lake incident with four of the other girls. Jessica had healed from the fatal hit she got on the head. Her stitches are good and she refrained from doing any strenuous activities to avoid her gash getting ripped open. Cynthia Rose, Denise, and Ashley are all fine now. All of them suffered from mild trauma from water after the incident but they're all good now.
In the talks of Jesse, they've been together, officially, for more than a month now after she finally agreed to be his girlfriend a few days before the lake accident of the girls. She didn't bother to think if she was going into it faster than she thought she would. Jesse did that to her, he showed that he was trustworthy and became the best person for Beca. It was a miracle, she thought to herself, that she let him in after her broken and devastating experience with her ex. But there was just more to Jesse that pulled her in. She doesn't regret letting him in, not for the duration of time until the present.
When it came to work, she was doing pretty well. Working with Emily and Flo was a blast. They've gotten closer, more than just simple co-workers in the music industry. Since they now shared the same circle of friends, it became an advantage for the three of them because they also got to bond altogether even outside work. The reunion with all their former Bellas and Trebles was a blast and everybody had the greatest time catching up to some old faces. Benji and Emily haven't talked much after they saw each other again at Beca's house. Emily still didn't talk about the thing between her and Benji yet and Beca didn't want to push the girl until she was willing to open up herself. Beca was also hesitant to ask Jesse about it knowing that he wouldn't want to invade his step-brother's own personal life.
With all the stuff mixed in her head, there was still the most disturbing fact among it all. Beca still has a small tinge of guilt and anger building inside of her. She wasn't mad at anyone else. She was mad at herself. There are still instances where she feels like anything could happen. It's been quiet for a while, no new messages, disturbing clues, weird packages, or surprise objects appearing in her house. The span of time left between these happenings isn't making anything easier because there was no exact interval given in between. When she came to think about it, it was weird considering the gap between the two incidents. It doesn't happen in just a matter of days, it would take weeks or a month or more before another thing would pop out into the open. Anything can happen at any second, which is what leaves Beca so agitated. There was no assurance when the next strike would happen or to whom. She can never relax, no matter what she does. She doesn't want anyone to notice either so it was hard keeping herself composed. Especially when around her boyfriend and her friends.
Up to date, Beca has been in town for approximately four months now. Four months filled with change, new people, opening up, a new career, and danger. Nothing is going as smooth as she thought it would be. As much as she wants to admit that Jesse being by her side helped her feel safe, it still didn't seem enough. Nobody in her circle of friends are safe. She knew it and they didn't. It was eating up her conscience because other people were getting harmed for something she knew about.
But at the same time, she didn't know either.
She had no idea who was doing this to her. She had no idea why that person was doing this to her. She had no lead to whom would do such a thing. Not one person would appear in her head as a part of the line of suspects. Added to that, the randomness of everything doesn't help. For the past two incidents, she told herself that she would do something. Beca told herself that she would be determined to stop whatever is happening. But up to present, she had gone nowhere. She wasn't scared, she just didn't know where to start. She had no way of contact from these goons. If she wanted to track them, that would mean getting help from the police or anyone in professional investigation. She knew she couldn't do that. The first note always came to mind. If someone else knew, someone was bound to get hurt, and she couldn't risk that.
She still kept the past two clues in her closet. The soaked and ripped doll which was now as dry as the dead leaves in the backyard, and the two dolls who were still covered in red paint and skulls for heads, they were still stored in the box when the first package came. Beca made sure to keep it hidden in her closet, covered by other stuff like empty boxes and blankets.
She made sure because there would be occasions where Chloe would just burst into her room and start rummaging through her stuff. Yup, the feisty ginger was now her best friend since her former best friend in town was now her boyfriend. Was fate playing a joke or what? Anyway, it was always fun having Chloe around. She never failed to cheer Beca up, especially when she cooks. (Jesse would get jealous sometimes and say that Chloe was trying to steal Beca way from him, it just made Beca laugh everytime he does so)
Honestly, sometimes, Beca would just think that she was going crazy. Or maybe she was bipolar. Because one minute she would be pissed off and frustrated for being so confused, and then the next minute she would be laughing and giggling (eeww, giggling) because of her amazing friends. Beca sighed, if only they knew how messed up she really was. Especially to Jesse, because he knew a lot about her, about her past with Luke and about her crappy family situation. If only he knew what was going on with her right now.
But he can't.
It falls back to the beginning of nobody being allowed to find out.
It made her even more frustrated, she tightened her knuckles into fists before she forgot that she was actually holding a pencil in her hand.
"Whoa, easy there. Don't kill the pencil, it's innocent," Zack, one of her co-workers in the office, said to her.
Was she out in her thoughts for long? How long was she staring into nothingness? She completely forgot that she was at work. Today was the day where she and Flo and Emily narrowed down the final changes to their album.
"Wow, you seem so tense lately. What's with all that? This isn't the first time you almost destroyed something while you were out," Zack added.
Beca leaned forward, placing her elbows on her desk and her face in her hands. She groaned in frustration as she pulled on her hair.
"Sorry, I'm just stressed out," Beca let out after a deep sigh.
"Dude, you should give yourself a break. I have no idea why you're stressed out considering you've been doing good with your project. What's bothering you?" Zack asked.
Beca knows that work isn't the one stressing her out. She was actually having a blast working. It does take a lot of energy out of her but it was a good thing because she knows that she's putting all her best into this. Once in college, while taking her chances in an internship, she almost gave up on this dream of hers because she thought she wasn't good enough. Of course, thanks to her oh-so-good friend Amy who just had the best words for her to hear at the time, she sucked it all up and tried again. Right now, this is where it got her. She's doing what she loves and she's working with awesome people. When it comes to the work area, there's nothing more she could ask for. But of course, her dear co-worker doesn't need to know any more of her problems.
"Just been juggling a lot in my time," Beca deadpanned.
A few more minutes of dabbling into some tweaking, and then a few more hours of working their last hours in the studio with Flo and Emily, their album is just about done. The two girls were more than excited and relieved to finally have a finished product. They shared their excitement with Beca, their producer and friend, and can't wait for it to be released.
"Beca, let's go out and celebrate tonight," Emily suggested, pulling on Beca's arm as they were about to leave the studio.
"Yeah, we totally should. This is the perfect time to let loose," Flo said, tugging on her other arm.
Wow, these girls really matched into a lot of things together. Beca felt like her arms might come off. She hesitated for a moment but thought about it and she really needed some time out. She was stressing herself out a lot lately with all the thinking and worrying she was doing.
"Fine, fine, I need a break anyway," Beca finally answered and the two girls squealed and laughed in excitement. Beca turned out all the lights and equipment in the studio before she decided to go back to the office to grab her stuff.
"Hey, why don't you girls go on ahead to the lobby. I'll just grab my stuff and catch up," Beca said, walking out of the elevator. Emily and Flo just nodded as the elevator door shut and the numbers started to go down.
It wasn't too late yet but office hours did end an hour ago. Minimal lighting was left and there was no one else but the janitor in the hallway of her floor. Silence engulfed aside from the little machine that polished the floors of the hallway with the janitor humming a tune to keep him entertained despite being alone. Beca turned the corner to the room where her desk was placed. No one else was there and the only light left were a few desk lamps which were turned on.
Beca didn't notice that it was already dark outside so she decided to move a little bit quicker than she would usually do. Because other than the fact that it was getting late and that Emily and Flo were waiting for her in the lobby of the building, she didn't actually feel like she was alone in the room. The air condition would usually be turned off by this time but she kind of felt chilly. Maybe it was just her and she was being paranoid? Whatever it was, she felt uneasy.
Beca closed the zipper of her bag after tidying up the little mess she left on her desk. She switched off the table lamp and swung the bag on her shoulder before turning around. A few feet from the door, she heard shuffling sounds from behind her. Maybe there was someone else there that she didn't notice in the beginning? Beca turned around to check but the lack of illumination served as a small difficulty.
"Hello? Zack, are you still there? Or, anyone else, maybe?" Beca called out. She knew to herself that she actually should get out of there already but curiosity pulled her back.
She waited for a response but nothing came, she called out again but, still, there was no answer. Because of that, Beca decided to brush it off and head out. She walked quickly towards the elevator to leave, but not before saying goodbye to the janitor. She was a respectful enough adult to bid a hard worker goodbye for the day.
The elevator doors opened up to the lobby and Beca was welcomed by the sight of two girls laughing and giggling as they sat in one of the couches used as a waiting area for clients and guests.
"So, where do you girls wanna go?" Beca asked.
"We're adults. Let's just go out to the bar and have some drinks," Emily suggested.
"Uhm, are you sure? Because I don't think my attire screams anything for a bar," Beca pointed to her casual clothes. Wearing a little blue button-up shirt that hugged her figure perfectly, some skinny jeans, and black boots.
"No shiz, your outfit doesn't scream work attire either. Here, let me help you," Emily said and stepped forward to Beca. She ruffled Beca's hair, making it a curly mess but still looked natural. She also unbuttoned Beca's buttons just to show enough of her cleavage. Her chest had a good shape thanks to her braziers.
"There, now you look like you're about to get some man candy," Emily wiggled her eyebrows as she stepped back.
Beca looked down on herself. She hasn't actually dressed this provocative in quite a while. Well, she never even dressed more provocative than she already was so she had no idea how it felt. She liked keeping it casual with plaid and jeans and shit.
"If you're thinking about your boyfriend, no worries. We'll bitch off guys who would want to catch you. It's me who needs all the catching here," Flo suggested as she pulled Beca out to the parking lot with Emily trailing behind.
"What about Emily? Doesn't she mingle?" Beca whispered to Flo, deciding not to let Emily hear.
"She's got some issues of her own. She really isn't the type to flaunt out her beauty like I do," Flo whispered back.
"Why? Does she have a boyfriend?" Beca asked, catching the nearest idea she could get.
"It's complicated," Flo ended as they reached Beca's car.
Her dad decided that she needed a car because using public transportation everytime isn't really advisable for Beca. Beca didn't want to at first since she was an adult and she could manage to get a vehicle on her own. But of course, she couldn't afford one yet for herself. She was back to zero when she moved to Barden Street and she was yet to get her hands on one. Being her daddy's first princess (she hated being considered and called like that), Dr. Mitchell wanted to make up for everything he had lost during her time of growing up. He was stubborn enough to keep enforcing the idea of buying her a car, even if it was just one of those cars in the junk yard that needed to be restored. Her dad wouldn't stop so she eventually gave in to his wishes. Much to her dismay, he bought her a 2013 White Toyota Corolla. She wanted to send it back when she saw it but her dad was just persistent. She never though that he was now richer than before.
Beca took the driver's seat and put her stuff in shotgun. Flo and Emily sat in the back. Music blared inside the car as Bea drove down to a bar not too far from the residential area. Flo and Emily used their time to fix themselves in the backseat before they reached the parking lot of their destination. Beca parked her car before they made their way outside.
"Let's go enjoy our night," Flo cheered as she pulled Beca and Emily inside.
They picked a table not too far from the door and ordered their drinks.
"Hey, I'm not drinking too much. I still have to drive. You girls can get drunk if you want, but first give me your address so I know where to take you home later," Beca said. Emily just laughed before she gave the address of where she and Flo were staying. Beca nodded and saved the note in her phone before she gulped down a shot of vodka for herself.
Flo was busy with a guy who said he would buy her a drink. Emily and Beca just giggled at the petite latina who was having one of the best nights of her life.
"So, Emily, what's the deal between you and Benji?" Beca decided to bring up while Emily still had the power and help of liquid encouragement in her system. She wasn't drunk, but the alcohol surely gave her a push to blurt things out in the open and decided to talk about stuff.
Emily had that look of hesitation on her face but decided to speak up anyway after another swig from her shot glass.
"It rewinds all the way back in college. I was new and he was graduating. I became part of the Bellas whilst everyone were seniors. Benji and Jesse were the only seniors of the Trebles while I was the only one who's going to be left of the Bellas. It's a long story, and funny actually, he kept trying to make a move on me and impressing me with his little magic tricks and stunts. I thought it was weird but I really found it cute because he looked so adorable and awkward and stuff like that. Anyways, at the day of our competition when we flew way back to Germany to represent the U.S in an a capella competition, he followed us there. Jesse was with him. Of course, since they were best friends and all. Oh, and you know Alice now, right? And her relationship with Jesse before? Makes sense since you and Jesse are together now so you're bound to know," Emily rambled.
Beca just nodded. Maybe Emily was drunk, she kept going on and on with her words. Beca just listened.
"Anyway, Jesse was there to show his support to us and of course to his then girlfriend who was the leader of the Bellas. Benji went backstage in the tents to wish us luck before the competition. He was about to pull a magic trick involving his mouth and I kinda mistaken it for a kiss so I just cupped his face and pulled him in to kiss him. He surely was taken aback since he revealed what he was going to do when I pulled away. He pulled these handkerchiefs from the inside of his mouth, they were really long and they were attached to each other. I actually blushed after what I did and Benji was really shocked but neither of us complained. I kissed him again and we hit it on after that," Emily rambled again. She took another shot of vodka and grimaced at the sharp feel of the liquid flowing down her throat.
"Moving forward, yeah, we were good. But it reached the point where whatever was going on between us started to go on a rough patch. I don't regret saying this anymore but I blame Alice for all of this. I also know what she did to Jesse. That bitch," Emily grumbled, her hand tightening around a shot glass as she stared at nothing in particular.
Alice Harrelson, Jesse's ex. She already heard enough of the girl to think that she wasn't the greatest person in the world. She wanted to be mad but she didn't know anything about the girl other than the fact that she was Jesse's ex and that she was the leader of the Bellas or that she was the one who brought a huge change in their group and in the rivalry with the Trebles. But judging Emily's reaction, looks like there was more negative information to be added.
"Why? What did she do?" Beca asked, eager to know what else there is lined up for the said girl.
"She was the reason why me and Benji broke things off. Benji considered her his best friend aside from Jesse. The three of them were the tightest back then. They were almost inseparable before I cam into the picture. She ratted me out to him. She framed me for things I didn't do. She ruined my image to Benji. She made it look like I was with some other guy which caused so much hurt to Benji. If only you knew how softhearted and sensitive that boy is. Anyway, it was because of her why things between me and Benji ended in such a messy way. It never should have ended anyway," Emily said and gave a long sigh after. Again, she took another shot and gulped it down.
"She framed you for cheating? How did she do that anyway?" Beca asked.
"Simple. We were at a party one night at the Trebles house. They were alumni but they had advantages since they were part of a legacy. Alice was there and I saw her walk up to a guy and whispered something in his ear. I decided to ignore it, maybe it was just her friend. An hour later, the guy approached me, talked to me in a casual manner, but a few drinks later he started to get all touchy. He was getting closer than he should and Benji witnessed it. As if fate couldn't make a sicker joke at timing Benji's arrival with the moment the stupid jerk had his arms around my waist. Of course, I knew Benji was extremely hurt even though it was just a misunderstanding. Since then, he didn't talk to me ever again. It ended pretty badly. There was no straight answer but I know with all the things he did that it was over. We haven't seen each other since then, not until the night we were at your house," Emily ended.
Well that was more than she expected. Beca was not one to judge but she kind of felt sorry for Emily. She also felt sorry for Benji. She knows how much of a nice guy he is and how great a person Emily is as well. Thinking about it, they looked great together. They were both bubbly and happy people. Beca was now even more infuriated with Alice. Now, Beca didn't care if she didn't know the girl. She was a bitch for doing that to Jesse, to Benji, and to Emily.
"Hey girls! Don't bother waiting for me. I'll be going ahead with my catch for the night," Flo winked as a guy walked over to the table to take her hand and start to pull her away.
"I'll see you at home, Emily!" Flo said above all the noise in the bar while walking away with the guy.
Emily just nodded and drowned another shot of vodka. Okay, this was too much. Especially since Emily was drowning pure vodka with no mix. It was surely strong and she could see Emily loosing it already.
"Come on, Emily. Let's get you home. It's getting late," Beca said as she stood up from her stool and walked to Emily's side. The girl was too drunk to even hesitate. Emily was taller than Beca, so she had no difficulty getting the girl's arm around her shoulders to bring her out of the bar and into the car.
She settled Emily in the backseat as she took her place in the drivers seat. When Beca pulled the seatbelt and before she could even start the car, her phone ringed in her pocket. She took it out to see, of course, that it was her oh so nerdy dear boyfriend. She clicked the green button to answer.
"What's up nerd?" Beca said, adjusting the air-conditioning in her car.
"I'm guessing you're not home yet?" he answered.
"And how did you know that?" Beca asked.
"Boyfriend intuition," she could hear him shrug on the other line. Beca rolled her eyes.
"I'm just about to head home. I'm just going to drop off Emily to her house. She's passed out drunk. We went out to celebrate since we already finished our project today," Beca said as she adjusted her mirror while holding her phone against her ear with the other hand.
"Got any guys to ask for your number?" Jesse asked. He was probably narrowing his eyes now.
"You know, I'm kinda surprised. I expected something like 'don't drive when you've had a drink' or something like that," Beca chuckled.
"I'm going to have to know if I have any competition going on first," Jesse joked, scoffing.
"Well, suck a breath because no one tried to make a move. I was too busy with Emily, talking about stuff,"
"Hmm, my million dollar baby isn't getting any action with anyone? That's a surprise," she could hear Jesse chuckle.
"Shut up, weirdo. I just didn't give them the chance. Although, I mist admit. Emily's technique or giving me sex hair and pulling open my buttons to reveal just a bit of cleavage did add to my appeal," Beca said, almost seductively over the phone. Just to tease her boyfriend a bit. She smiled in triumph after hearing Jesse stutter and choke on his words, unable to say things for almost a minute. Beca laughed then.
"Great image, eh? Don't be a pig. Change your pants. I'll call you when I get home," Beca said after Jesse wouldn't say anything. She laughed to herself at the imagination of what Jesse looked like at the moment.
"You're going to be the death of me, Beca Mitchell," Jesse said.
"Yeah, and I know you love that," Beca said before saying goodbye and pressing end.
She started her car and began to drive off to the address Emily gave her. She turned on some tunes to mask off the silence engulfing her car. Considering Flo wasn't present and Emily was passed out in the backseat. Beca could only pray that the girl wouldn't jolt and puke inside of her car. So Beca didn't drive too fast to avoid shaking Emily so much. She arrived at Emily and Flo's house. It looked great, not too big and not too small for two people. She took the keys from Emily's bag and opened the door before fetching Emily and bringing her inside.
Beca did the usual 'taking care of a drink' routine. This was actually easier than when compared to the times that Amy got drunk. Beca always wished that the Aussie wouldn't pass out unless they were near their home. With her small figure, she would need the fire department to help carry her best friend if ever she did lose consciousness. She brought Emily to her room and put her on the bed. She checked the bathroom for the medicine cabinet and found some aspirin. She took it and grabbed a glass of water before placing it on Emily's bedside table for her to drink in the morning. Beca also decided to grab a bucket or a thrash can to place it beside Emily's bed if ever she did decide to throw up in the middle of the night. Beca checked Emily's clothes to find a loose white shirt and some short comfortable enough to sleep in. She pulled Emily out of her clothes and placed them with the comfortable ones. It was difficult considering Emily would sway in directions she was brought to, no control in her passed out body.
When everything was settled, Beca decided to leave the girl to rest and wait for a killer hangover in the morning. Beca walked out of the place to drive back over to hers. The night was starting to get to her and she was feeling tired already. Add the little amount of alcohol in her system, she needed to get to bed. When she finally arrived in front of her house and parked her car in the driveway, she walked up to the front of her porch. She stopped in her tracks after something unusual hit her.
There was a dim light inside her house. It looked like illumination from a flashlight. Why would someone be in her home?
Beca decided to be cautious and walked over to the backdoor instead. She knew to herself that she shouldn't make any noise. It could be an intruder and it would surely mean danger for her. She took out the phone in her pocket to leave in her hands. She knew the numbers on her speed dial and she might need to call them just in case.
Beca took careful steps and decided to look through the window, just to give her an idea on who was inside. Beca carefully walked up to the window, making sure she was sneaky enough to not catch the person's attention. She peered through the window to see. The lack of light gave some difficulty but it eventually focused on the face of whoever it was. When Beca stared at the face closely, she was shocked and surprised and every word she could use to describe her expression.
Beca walked away from the window and quickly, but carefully, fumbled with the backdoor. It was open, he must have walked in through here. He wasn't too far from it, meaning she could confirm who he was when she entered. She was actually thankful that the light switch was beside the door. Beca busted opened the door and immediately held her breath because she was right with who she saw.
When Beca walked in, the person immediately shot his head towards this direction but immediately ran away, taking his escape through the front this time. He dropped the flashlight he was using and there was an envelope on the table. Beca walked over to the place where the envelope sat. She picked up the flashlight and switched it off before looking at the envelope and took out the paper. She examined it and it was yet another message from the stupid person who was playing her.
After a long time of silence, something was about to come her way again. But of course, what she just saw was the biggest shock for her. Receiving an anonymous message was something she already got used to and was ready for, just not at a specific time. As of the moment, Beca doesn't know how to react. Would she feel betrayed? Or would she feel scared? It was something yet to click in her head. That face that just escaped. Because never in the would she have imagined the step-brother of her boyfriend would be a suspect to this stupid thing.
Benji just ran out of her house.
A/N: I am truly sorry if it took me a while to update. I honestly was typing a chapter for this but I thought that it wasn't going the way I wanted it to be. I don't want to give you guys a crappy one so I did a redo and typed it over again, applying changes here and there to still keep it proper and in a straight line. School is coming in a week and my schedule shows me to be around 11 hours per day, four days a week, so updating may take longer than usual. No worries, I will still write, but it will be of great difficulty to make it frequent considering I will be entering my junior year of college and it is the busiest of all the years.
I hope you guys continue to support my fic until the end. I also hope that I won't disappoint you guys in the process. But the thing I really am hoping for the most is for you guys to understand my schedule. I have other fics and stories that I write as well and I need to divide my time to everything. Writer's block is inevitable too.
If you want to check out an original story of mine then head on over to wattpad and look for the story "Matter of Fate". I have the same username there under the screen name of J. Len Lax.
Anyway, that took longer than I thought it would be but I think you guys deserve a long one after waiting. What do you think about this chapter? Did it keep you guys pumped even more? You guys are all curious now, right? What are your reactions? What do you think is going to happen? Let me hear it. Do not forget to send a me your reviews. Any comments, suggestions, screams, faves, follows, are all welcome. I'm all ears. I would actually love it to the heavens if I hear from you guys. Till next update! Love always! –PiperM91412