It was the start of summer, the air hot and humid, and the sky was clear. The start of her day had come and gone, while the beginning of her afternoon, saw her sitting upon her daybed in front of the window. She was looking out thru the window, using a small battery powered fan to try to cool off, which wasn't really working that well.
As she gazed out at the town, her mind began to wander. Bringing her back to the jungle. Hot, sticky, deadly, yet there was just something about it that made her fall in love with it, it was him. Seaplane McDonough, well, Alex Vreeke.
When they had all met, he was their age, he had been 17. They had chemistry, or at least she had thought so. When she'd given up one of her lives to save him, she figured out a bit later, that had been the moment where she fell in love with him. She knew after that, that he was the one, he would always be the one. Then they won, which had been such a joyful moment, and when they were sent back, she remembers how amazing it felt to be back in her own body. Yet, Alex was nowhere to be found.
She could still remember the crippling fear that had overcame her. What if they had failed, what if the game hadn't allowed him to come back, what if he was dead? So many thoughts and fears had crossed her mind in those first few minutes, that she became nauseous.
"Guys, where's Alex?" She'd asked when she was able to collect her thoughts. Quickly they had grabbed up their things and made their way out of the school, and began to make their way to his house. As they got closer and closer, anxiety started to build along with a sense of urgency. Then, it came into view, all four of them drew in a breath of shock. It was still there, yet so different from what they remembered. Gone was the old, dirty run down house, with its unkept yard, and in its stead, was a gorgeous, large white house, with an immaculate yard, nicely decorated with Christmas decorations.
"Freak house" Fridge exclaimed in surprise, seeing as how it no longer looked the way they all remembered it. They continued to stare in awe at how much the house had changed, a thought crossed her mind.
"Where's…" Before she'd even finished her sentence, she turned her head in time to notice a grey minivan pull up in front of the house. She once more found herself holding her breath. She was rooted to the spot, watching, waiting with baited breath at the scene unfolding in front of her. There was a Christmas tree on the roof she noticed, and then as the van door opened, a young girl around her brother's age came shooting out.
"Grandpa!" Came her loud declaration, running towards Alex's father, who looked a lot happier and not so worn down. Looking back to the van, that's the moment she finally saw him. He was now a grown man, a man with a family. Yet, still, she loved him, and she knew, she'd never stop loving him. She could try to make being friends work, it'd be hard, but worth it to keep him in her life.
"Dad, can you come give me a hand." He called out after having closed his door. He opened up the van and took out a car seat, he had two children. His voice had sent tingles down her spine, it was definitely going to be hard to be just friends. As Mr. Vreeke got to the van, is when Alex finally noticed them. They all smiled and waved as he gave a shocked wave back.
"Hey, dad, give me a sec" Alex said, before he started walking towards them. He looked both surprised and happy to see them, and she couldn't blame him, she probably would react in the same manner. He stopped a couple of feet in front of them, and for a few seconds he just stared.
"Bethany." He said looking right at her, with a smile.
"Hey." She replied with a dazzling smile.
"Let me guess, Spencer," He stated while pointing, in response Spencer said hey and waved, pointing again, just this time at Martha he said " Ruby Roundhouse" He smiled back as Martha waved shyly, "And that would make you Fridge." He finished as he pointed at him, who in response smiled and slightly shrugged in a 'yeah' kind of manner.
" I am so stoked to see you guys, so stoked." He said.
"You're an adult now, and you have a family." Bethany stated her surprise, while also trying to hide her disappointment. Although it had only been a couple hours ago for her, for him it has been twenty years.
"Yeah, yeah the game sent me right back to is my son, Andy, and my daughters, name is Bethany. We named her after the girl who saved my life." Alex replied, you could hear the admiration and gratitude in his voice as he'd spoken. This had caused a glowing smile to spread across her face.
They had spent a good twenty minutes chatting and exchanging numbers, Spencer joked at the fact he now understood what phone ment, before the four of them took off. She couldn't help but smile at the memory of that day. Her new found friendship with Martha, Spencer and Fridge had helped her to break free from her old self and change for the better.
A few months had already past since their return. During that time, Bethany changed her life, she'd tried to remain friends with Lucinda, but after a week, she came to realize that she was just as fake as all the others she'd chosen to drop from her life. She'd already known, but it still felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
It was also around that time, when her and Marths started a weekly girls night. Ever since that first weekend out, the two of them have been texting or calling or spending time together, along with Spencer and Fridge. And so, a weekly ritual began, and she wouldn't give it up. She'd also begun to make all the preparations needed for her backpacking trip across Peru, for this summer after graduation. She was extremely excited.
About two weeks after the whole ordeal, two more opportunities walked right into her lap. While hosting their fist girl's night at her house, Bethany admitted to Martha that she was thinking about taking up a dance fighting class, in which Martha surprised her by also wanting to sign up. So they joined a class together the following Monday after school.
The second opportunity surprisingly came in the form of a nightmare. It had been a particularly bad dream, one of her many of jumanji. It was of when she'd been eaten by a hippopotamus. It started off as it always did, she's falling, falling rapidly through the sky. The wind was whipping furiously at her face and all around her. Leaves and branches were all slamming into her at an extreme rate.
She can still remember the feel of her bones, his bones, aching as her character slammed into the ground. She can remember the smells of the jungle, the sounds and the heat. And the absolute distorting feeling, that can only come when you discover your conscious in another body.
The worst part, was remembering how it felt to just barely coming to terms with being in someone else's body. And then hearing the thunderous sounds of the enormous creature, only to be snatched up into its gaping jaws. Reliving every moment of excruciating pain and listening to the crunching and snapping of her bones. It was a horrible death, one she'd never wish upon her worst enemy.
She'd awoke screaming and drenched in sweat. Her breathing was fast and shaky, and most of her blankets had been kicked off, most likely from her thrashing in her sleep. Hurriedly and with a shaky hand she reached out and picked up her phone. Quickly she picked the first name in her contacts and hit call, and upon the second ring, they answered.
"Hello?" His voice was rough and gravely from sleep, she'd called Alex.
"Hey." She replied, nervous about what he's going to say.
"Bethany? Are you ok, it's pretty late?" She could hear the concern in his voice, this time he'd been more awake and alert.
"Oh god, no, no, everything is good, no, I… called because I had a nightmare…. About jumanji." She explained, hoping to calm him down. At first he didn't say anything, so she quickly began to apologize.
"I'm so sorry for calling so late, I just really needed to call someone to talk to and well, it was you." She had to take a deep breath, since she rushed it all out.
"Oh, no, it's fine. I was just surprised you picked me, but I am glad you did." He paused for a moment, sighed deeply, and then continued.
"After I got back, for years I had horrible nightmares. I've been there, so if you need to talk, let's talk." What he'd said had truly touched her, it made her feel safe, like she had someone to lean on. And so, for the better part of two hours, they talked about everything and nothing. It had helped her immensely, with taking her mind off of it. She'd finally be able to get back to sleep, for the rest of the night.
Ever since that night, they texted or called each other every other day. They chatted almost as much as her and Martha. She'd definitely benefited from the experience of being in the game, and her new found group of friends. They helped to keep her motivated, and we're there when she needed them. Things had become better.
Bethany smiled, as she continued to look out the window. She was proud of how far she'd come since then. She was pulled from her thoughts by the happy squeal that came from her younger brother, Hunter. He was in the backyard, in a pair of bright green swimming trunks. He was running back and forth through the sprinkler.
Just then, her phone buzzed. Once more distracting her, reaching out beside her, she grabbed her phone off her end table. It was from Martha, quickly she opened it up and read the text.
'Hey, do you wanna come over to swim?' As she read it, Bethany's smile grew bigger and bigger.
'Yes, I'm so down. Be there in twenty minutes.' Bethany typed out her reply and sent it, before jumping up to quickly get ready. She grabbed her new swimsuit, a light, yellow shirt, a pair of jean shorts, and put them in her duffle bag. She also grabbed a towel and conditioner, shoving them in as she picked up her phone, keys and purse, then raced downstairs.
"Mom, I'm heading over to Martha's." She yelled out to her mother, before making her way out the door to her car. She put her duffle bag on the passenger seat, before starting the car and pulling out of the driveway. Martha lived about a fifteen minute drive away, so she just managed to make it there within her twenty minutes. She grew more excited as she pulled into Martha's driveway.
She shut off her car and made her way up onto the pourched and to the door, she rang the doorbell and waited. Within a few seconds she could hear the hurried footsteps of her best friend, and then there Martha was, door opened wide, just like her smile.
"Heyyy, come on in. Eehh, I'm so glad you're here." Martha said as the two girls shared a hug.
"Me too, I have something exciting to tell you." Bethany said.
"Let's go upstairs to change, and I also have something to tell you." Martha replied. Both girls quickly made their way up to Martha's room. Walking in first, Bethany made her way to the bed and set down her duffel bag, as Marha shut the door.
"ok, oh my god, like I've been trying so hard to wait, but I really have to tell you." Martha said, her hands waving excitedly as she spoke. Bethany paused in taking out her swimsuit to look at her.
"Well then come on, spit it out." She said as her own excitement started building, or was Martha's excitement just contagious?
"ok, so last night I was talking with Spence, and well, he's taking me on a date!" By the time she was done talking she was basically vibrating with excitement. The girls once more shared an overly enthusiastic hug, before Bethany bombarded her with questions.
"Ohh, we're are you guys going? Did he tell you? When are you guys going? Oh my god, you so have to let me help you get ready, and I need details once you get home." Bethany said all in one breath, Martha had to actually take a moment to process what she had said, before answering.
"No, he didn't tell me where we're going, he said he wants it to be a surprise. And yes, you can definitely help me, because I'm going to need all the help I can get. Oh and it's tomorrow" Martha replied, she had finally begun to look nervous about the date, which was normal for your first time going out on one.
"Don't worry, you know I'll help you look amazing, which girl, you already are, own it. Plus, Spencer I really into, i'm sure he'll think that you look beautiful no matter what you wear. Just remember to be yourself, you got this." Bethany said as she held Martha by her shoulders, looking her right in the eyes. She'd never lie to her best friend.
"Your right, your absolutely right, I can do this, I mean how hard can it be right? Plus, I've killed guys, and helped save Jumanji. If I can do that, I can do anything, right?" Martha managed to sound much more confident this time around, which in turn caused Bethany to smile.
With that having been said, Bethany turned back to face her bag, and began stripping out of her clothes. The swimsuit she'd choose happened to be new. She'd been at the mall shopping when she had seen it from the corner of her eye. It was an open back one piece, that was in a halter style. It was also a gorgeous shade of midnight blue. Martha's swimsuit was a pretty two piece, that happened to be an amazing shade of pastel pink.
"Didn't you say you had something to tell me too?" Martha asked as they gathered up their towels, sunscreen for Martha and tanning lotion for Bethany, and their phones. While they made their way out back to the pool, Bethany shared her own good news.
"Well, you know how I've been keeping in touch with Alex?" Bethany asked.
"Of course, we all have." Martha answered quickly.
"Well, Wednesday I'm meeting up with him, at Nora's. I'm really looking forward to it. And, I found out yesterday that I leave in two weeks to go backpacking through Peru." She said excitedly, she'd been so happy when she got the call. What better way to re experience the jungle other than just going to one, right.
"oh no way that's so cool, you have to send me pictures. And really, hmmmm, is this a date I'm hearing about?" Martha replied as she put down her towel on the lounge chair, and proceeded to put on some sunscreen.
"No, no, we're just meeting for coffee, as friends. Besides I don't even know if he likes me, so let's just let it be." Bethany quickly got out, before her face could get more red. Martha was the only person she'd told that she liked him, and she always teased her about it.
"I know, I know but hey, at least you get to hang out, that's good right?" Martha replied.
"yeah, it's definitely good, plus I'm going to Peru, how great is that. I mean, there is literally nothing that can top this." Bethany said getting excited once more, as she applied her tanning lotion.
"Well, I can name something that can top it" Martha said with a giggle
" No, no, we are not going there" Came the immediate response from Bethany, a hit of annoyance in her voice, which just caused Martha to start laughing, which then eventually got Bethany to join her.
Wednesday rolled around a lot sooner than she expected. Throughout most of the morning she'd been both nervous and super excited. She'd started her morning off with a hot shower, then she cleaned up her room, chose her outfit, went and ate breakfast, then proceeded to get ready. They had agreed on 1pm for the time to be there, and with the time reading 11, and Nora's being almost an hours walk away, she had to get ready now.
She tossed the towel that had been wrapped around her hair into the hamper, it was hot enough outside today, it'd be dry by the time she got there. The outfit she picked was a sweet little jumper, solid light blue with little white flowers on it. She then paired it off with white flats and a thin matching blue camisole. She put her wallet and phone into her small white, long strapped purse, grabbed her keys and headed for the door. Once she made sure to lock up, she began her walk to see Alex.
It truly was a great day to walk, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the breeze was just right. Plus Brantford was a great town, and there was a lot to see along the way. With her mind occupied by thoughts about her upcoming trip and finally getting to see Alex again, the hour walk, barely even felt like it had taken that long. As she rounded the corner, the sign came into sight. The bell above the door ringed as she entered the dinner, a large smile upon her face. She took a quick glance around, then checked the time, she was ten minutes early.
She'd ordered her coffee and grabbed a table by the window, slightly tucked away in the corner. She sat patiently as she waited, sipping her coffee and gazing out the window at the street outside. As she once again got lost in her thoughts, the time slowly crept by, until finally she got brought out of her musings by the ring of the bell above the door. Looking up, she sucked in a breath. There he was, he was dressed in a long white, long-sleeved shirt with a faded Megadeath band tee on top. Along with a faded pair of jeans and some black shoes.
As he finally noticed her, she smiled and waved. He smiled as he headed over to her table. They shared a quick hug and exchanged greetings once he'd gotten over to where she'd sat.
"Heyyy!" She squicked out in joy.
"Hey Bethany. " He replied at almost the same time. Once they parted, and she had sat back down, he told her he was just going to grab a coffee. She had found that she couldn't help but stare as she watched him walk up to the counter to order his coffee.
He was absolutely nervous. He'd been pretty much waiting for this moment for twenty years. Ever since that day he'd returned, he'd noticed that something hadn't felt right. Something was missing, and it had taken him quite a few years to figure out that it was her. She was his missing piece. And in turn he spent most of the next twenty years trying to fill that whole, but never able to completely.
It hadn't been easy for him over the years. After the game spat him back out, he'd suffered from horrific nightmares. Many involved dying in plane crashes, multiple times he woke up drenched in sweat, screaming because he'd been shot, there was even one that had been death by misquote. The worst of them were the ones of her, watching Bethany die and not being able to save her.
He'd scared his parents that day, when he was returned to 1996. He'd come running out of his room to find them in the living room watching t.v. He had instantly broken down, hugging them both and telling them how much he loved and had missed them. It had taken them a god while to calm down before he was able to explain what had made him so hysterical. He told them everything, about the game, dying, and of course, her. His mother didn't believe him, never once, she thought it was just an elaborate nightmare that had happened to feel real, while his father, well, he believed him, and supported him. He'd scared his mother even more, when two days later he gave up video games altogether. His dad had to even intervene when his mom wanted to send him to a shrink.
By the time he turned twenty, his mom had gotten sick, about two months after his birthday, she had passed away. that had been an extremely hard time on his dad, and himself. He wound up falling into depression, and had almost lost hope. That's when he met the mother of his kids, Tracey. He had seen her as a way out of the pit he'd fell into, and after a while pre-sued a relationship with her. His dad had been so happy the day he told him he was going to be a grandparent. His dad was also the only person who knew, that he was in love with a girl, that he had to wait twenty years for.
He had never truly given up hope, he always knew deep down that he would see her again. He just didn't expect to have fallen in love with her. All he could do was try to keep her in his life now that he had found her. He didn't even want to think about the possibility of her resipitating his feelings, he'd take it slowly and just get to know her.
He thanked the server and headed back to the table, coffee in hand he couldn't help but take next minute to stare and soak her all in. She was breathtaking, absolutely stunning as she sat looking out the window, a small smile on her face as the sun haloed her and made her look like a goddess. Yes, he was definitely going to take his time to get to know her, for she would always be worth it.
For the next two and a half hours, they talked about everything. He told her about his divorce, his career as a teacher, about his children Bethany and Andy, about his mom and dads reaction to him telling them about jumanji. And she told him about her extra classes, her trip to Peru that was coming up, about her brother, how much she'd changed for the better after the game and anything else they could think of.
At one point in the afternoon, they'd left Nora's and made their way to the park just down the street. They took a walk together along the path, both of them relaxed and just simply enjoying each other's company. It was around 4 when he offered to give her a ride home. For them both the ride had been too quick, and had parted ways on the promise of getting together again. Bethany had adorned a smile the rest of the day.