"Catrina... CATRINA!" Someone screams. I shoot up and look around, I can't see anything. A shot goes off and I spin around, that's when I see... me. I'm holding a gun and smiling.
Slowly I look at the ground and see that I, or at least the thing that looks like me, shot someone. I can't tell who it is. It's almost like their body is changing with every passing moment.
I slowly look back up at the thing that looks like me and see she's pointing the gun at me. I try to speak, scream, so something but I can't. She pulls the trigger.
My eyes burst open and and blink several times. That was a... strange dream to say the least. I turn over and look at the clock. It's 5 in the morning. I look from side to side then stand. After looking back towards the kitchen I begin to walk towards John's bedroom.
I hear him snoring loudly and smile, he's still out cold this will give me.. around 5 hours. I walk back into the kitchen and grab the bag Maggie packed for me then eat an apple. Slowly I walk to the door. This is the day I've been waiting for, I can finally escape and find my family.
I pause before I turn the handle, I look at my shaky hand and frown. He could catch me... The memory of when I escaped the Academy flashes in my mind and I cringe. There's no time to think about that.
"This will be different. He won't catch me." I whisper... that's the same thing I said last time. It'll be ok. I'll find them. I take another deep breath and shake my vibrating hand to calm it. I stare at the door for a solid minute.
In one smooth move I unlock the door and swing it open. I look back at the house one more time before sprinting down the road, I don't even close the door.
I think I know where I can look first. I'm going to try to find Allison where I first saw her. Find Allison, find everyone else, come back for Maggie.
It's darker outside and chilly, but it isn't cold. I keep running but stop when I reach a crossroad. Shit. Which way do I go. I look ahead then left then right. I know I can't go straight, that's how you get to the police station. I look from side to side A few more times.
"Left it is." I whisper to myself. I sprint down the road looking all over for the store I saw Allison in. There aren't many people or cars out this early in the morning but I attempt to cover my face as I run down the road.
So far I haven't seen any storms that even resemble Allison's. I haven't even see the theater. I probably went the wrong way. Shit.
I look across the road, there are less fancy places that way and Allison's store was not fancy. I take a shaky breath then start running across the road. There's a loud honk and I skid to a stop as a car almost hits me.
"WATCH WHERE YOURE GOING!" The man shouts. I tap the car lightly.
"Sorry! Sorry." I shout as I run down the street and pass a sandwich shop, then a paint shop. I keep running but look back to see if anyone is there. I see a couple walking down the road and run up to them.
"Excuse me, do you know Allison Hargreeves? I kinda need to find her... right now." I question. They're mouths fall open then they look at each other as they keep walking away.
"No no no no no wait! Please... shit." I call after them as they continue walking away. This same process continues long after the sun comes up.
I take short shallow breaths as I now walk down the sidewalk. Maybe I should have gone right. I groan and put my hands on my face then smooth back my hair. How can I find her?
I don't even know where she works or what she does. What if she was just shopping there? What if no one from there knows who she is?
I kick the the wall next to me and sigh shakily, was that even Allison I saw all those months ago? Is Allison even here, are any of them here? Am I alone...
No. No I'm not. I know they're here. They have to be here.I look at the sky and see that its getting brighter. There are a lot of people out now. John could be awake by now, and if he is what is he doing to Maggie? What if-
NO! This is no time to think about that. I. Have. To. Find. Allison. Then go back to Maggie. Then everything will be ok.
I stand up and start running the opposite direction, maybe she's towards the right. I keep running and maneuvering my way past people then look back. What if she was that way... wh-
I yelp as I run into something and fall to the ground, the person I knocked over with me let's put an oof. Damn that hurt. I open my eyes and see the man who I tackled to the floor.
"Oh Jesus Christ!" I shout as I jump up and reach out my arm to help him.
"I'm so sorry, I was just running and I got distracted. It was an accident I swear! I'm so sorry." I rant quickly.
"Hey, it's ok. Don't worry about it." He states smiling. I smile softly back at him, well it's worth a try.
"So... uh. This is a weird question but... do you know where Allison Hargreeves is?" I ask desperately. He thinks to himself for a moment.
"You mean Allison Chestnut?" He asks. Allison... changed her last name... either that or she got married.
"Uhh, yeah yeah Chestnut. Sorry I was just thinking of her... old last name." I say quietly. He nods.
"I sold them some paint a few months ago, they're nice people. Allison works at a hair salon around two miles that way." He states as he points to the right. So married then, huh. I smile warmly at him.
"Thank you." I state as I extend my hand.
"I'm Catrina." I offer. He takes my hand and shakes it lightly.
"Dave." He states. Dave? Dave Dave Dave, where have I heard that name? Oh well, I'll think about it later.
"Thank you Mr. Dave." I state as I begin running again. So Allison is married, she's around two miles this way, and her new last name is Chestnut. I laugh to myself as I dodge a couple. This will either make this much easier or much harder.
After several minutes of running I skid to a stop and stare at the theater I saw when I first arrived. I'm close. I look at the sky and sigh to myself, it's probably late in the afternoon by now.
I walk down the road a few minutes before seeing the store. I sigh happily and walk to the door, I reach for the door nob but pause. I look at my shaky hand.
"Damn you." I whisper to my hand as I shake it. I have made it, I'm going to see her again. No time for nerves.
I grab the handle, turn it, then walk inside. There are several women inside who all stare at me then look at each other.
"Can we- can we help you?" One woman asks cautiously. Ah yes, I'm not black but I'm not exactly white.
"Yes actually, I was wondering if any of you know where Allison Har-Chestnut is?" I ask. They look at each other again.
"Why?" Another asks.
"She's... my sister." I whisper desperately. They all slowly back up and I mentally face palm. We look nothing alike, and why would they believe me? Allison's probably never even talked about us and to be honest... I can't blame her.
"Adopted." I add quietly. One of the women look at the others then takes a step forward.
"She's, probably at the police station." She states. The woman next to her elbows her hard and they start whispering to each other. Police station?! Why is she there?!
"What? Wh-what happened? Is she ok?" I ask quickly. They stop whispering and look at me.
"Her husband was arrested last night, she doesn't know why." The woman states. I sigh and pull at my hair.
"But she's ok?" I ask. They both nod. I sigh slightly relieved and smile at them.
"Ok, uh. Thank you." I say quickly.
"Wait... is that all you wanted to know?" The woman why elbowed the woman who helped me asks. I turn around.
"Why else would I be here? I mean, I don't really have enough hair or money to have anything done yet. Besides, even if I did there aren't many places that would let me in." I say as I smile slightly. The woman who helped me smiles cautiously.
"Well, you can come by later. I'll see what I can do." She states, the other woman glares at her but she ignores her. I smile and nod.
"Thank you." I state smiling wider as I exit the store. I look outside and groan slightly. I could take a bus to the police station... yeah. I don't really want to run another 5 or more miles.
I walk to the bus stop and stand for several long minutes. When the bus finally pulls up it's almost completely full. Oh well.
I go inside and drop a dollar into the money box then walk to the back of the bus. There are even people sitting in the back so I hold onto a rail and stand. I look out the window and wait for my stop.
Jack doesn't have work today, he won't catch me. Will Allison even want to see me? Maybe. We haven't had the best relationship but that can change...
I look out the window again, it's almost my stop. I look across from me and see a kid smiling at me, I smile back. Kids are so sweet...
I punch the bathroom stall and scream, leaving a bloody splotch.
I blink several times as I leave the memory I didn't know I had. I slowly look at my hand, it was wrapped all those months ago but I thought it was just because of the burns. I touch my knuckles lightly as I stare at the small white scars on them.
What happened that made me punch a wall till my hand was bloody?
The bus stops and I look out the window. This is my stop. I look at the kid who's still smiling at me and wave goodbye, he waves back. The mother of the child pulls him close and glares at me so I turn away and walk out quickly.
When I get out of the bus I look at the police station and pause. What if Jack decided to come in even though he doesn't have work today. I look around and sigh to myself. Maybe I just rushed into this too quickly.
Maybe I should have waited. I could have put not only myself but Maggie in danger... at least Allison could know I'm here now. Those women looked like they care about her and know her.
I sigh and look around again then pause as I see a woman walking angrily to her car. I can't see many of her features but it's almost like I can feel it's Allison. She gets into a car and I take a few steps closer and squint. There she is. There is Allison.
I smile widely and let out a shaky breath. She's here. She's right- oh my god she's leaving. I run forward as her car pulls out of the parking lot. I can not let her leave, not after all this time.
I continue sprinting forward and she almost pulls out of the parking lot when I jump in front of her car. Finally. The moment I've been waiting for, I can finally be with my sister again!
"ALLISO-" She doesn't stop immediately and her car knocks me down... I did not think that through.
"Oh my goodness! I am so sorry! I- Catrina?" She questions as she gets out of her car. I slowly sit up and look at her. She looks good.
"Hi Allison. I-" She cuts me off when she tackles me in a hug. For a moment I sit there, Allison has never been the hugging type... at least not for me.
"I thought I'd lost you." She whispers. Whatever was preventing me from hugging her back was broken down and I wrap my arms around her. She's here. I can feel her.
"I missed you." She whispers. I begin shaking slightly with relief, she's happy to see me. She's alive! I can be with my family again... we can go home.
Allison POV:
I slam the door of my car and lay my head on the steering wheel. I am so stupid. I begin pulling out of the parking lot.
Why did I have to loose my temper like that?! Why didn't I just rumor the stupid cop?! No. No I've rumored enough for one life, it would have backfired somehow I just know it.
Stupid police officers. Stupid 60's... at least I might be able to find Klaus. Maybe I'm not alone... but what if he's the only one. I mean there's always a possibility but everyone else could be gone.
Maybe Klaus isn't even here, and if he's not here that means I'm truly alone. I had Raymond but now... now I'm really all alo-
"ALLISO-" Someone shouts as I hit something. I freeze in horror, I wasn't going very fast but I think I just hit someone. SHIT!
"Oh my goodness! I am so sorry! I- Catrina?" I whisper the last part. Catrina slowly sits up and grins slightly. I stare at her for a long moment.
The bags under her eyes aren't so bad anymore. Her hair is longer than I've ever seen. She looks happier, healthier! She doesn't even look that much like a skeleton anymore.
"Hi Allison. I-" I tackle her in a hug before she can finish. I don't care what she was about to say. Not only is Klaus possibly alive but Catrina is alive and she looks so much better!
She goes rigid under my grasp but I ignore it, I need this. She's here. She's alive!
"I thought I'd lost you." I whisper as tears come into my eyes. I thought I was alone. I thought she was hurt or dead in some ditch or had been erased from time or something. She slowly begins to hug me back so I hold her tighter.
"I missed you." I whisper. I missed her more than I thought possible. More than when I left the academy, more than when she went missing, more than I've ever missed her before. She begins shaking and hugs me tighter.
I pull back and see her mildly surprised but smiling face. I grab her arms and continue smiling, I can still feel bones but I can also feel some skin... and scarring from when she burnt her arm all those years ago.
"Allison... I- I'm so sorry." She whispers as she shakes her head. I feel my jaw drop.
"Sorry?! Why are you sorry?!" I shout. She cringed slightly and looks down.
"I... saw you when I first fell through the portal this May. But I couldn't get to you." She whispers. I almost ask why but pause, she's shaking again. It's clearly a sensitive topic.
"Hey, it's ok. We're here now and... wait this May?" I ask. She looks up at me confused.
"Uh, yeah. Wait... when did you get here?" She asks as she tilts her head to the side ever so slightly.
"1961." I answer. For a moment she stares at me, then her face lightens up.
"Thats why I couldn't find you guys! We all landed in different times! Maybe some of us haven't even come yet and..." She stops talking and she looks at the ground then smiles widely. Oh no.
"What?" I ask slightly exasperated but mostly excited.
"Oh nothing nothing... just that you're older than me by at least two years!" She shouts as she grins again. I roll my eyes and stand up while she laughs.
"Wait wait wait... who else is older than us now?" She asks. She looks at her feet a moment then gasps loudly.
"We aren't tw- tri- uh... OCTUPLETS ANYMORE! Well I guess if you think about it we haven't been for a while. I mean there's Five-" I walk to my car and get in without her noticing. Then I close my car door and honk at her causing her to jump.
"Do I need to run you over again or can we go find Klaus?" I ask. Her jaw drops and then she jumps to her feet smiling wildly. She gets into the car and turns to me.
"You know where Klaus is?" She asks. I shrug.
"Well I know he's here somewhere, we just need to find him." I state. She smiles at me then drums her hands on the dashboard.
"Well then, let's get going."