Out of Time
Disclaimer: I own nothing
A/N:
Chapter 2 (A Seed Planted)
Tori invited them over to watch a movie and hang out, when they arrived, a movie was already in full swing. The rest of the group was there as well, which wasn't a surprise. Tori was on the couch with Andre to her right. Robbie and Cat were at the dining table.
"Hey guys!" Tori waved at them and gestured to the television. "We have a different movie in mind but are just finishing up the Truman Show" Jade crossed her arms and tilted her head, studying Jim Carrey on the screen. "Can you imagine living your whole life with everyone you know a paid actor or something?"
"No, I can't…" She'd seen the movie a couple times in the past, it was always fun to watch, but she wondered just how difficult it had to be to pull something off at such a grand scale. "I imagine there'd have to be some people who have no idea what's going on."
"Yeah." Tori leaned back slowly. "There'd have to be." She tilted her head to the right and pursed her lips. "I feel for the guy though. I'd hate to be in his shoes." Jade watched as the others shifted their gazes to Tori and furrowed their brows. A strange sight, but she didn't think much of it. "I don't know what I'd do, blissfully living life only to find out that nothing was real and everyone or everything in my life was fake."
Beck fell back into the recliner and spread his arms out on the armrest. "Probably feel pretty powerless." He curled his hand under his chin and studied the television screen while Tori nodded to him. "I'd be pretty much feeling like shit myself, questioning everyone I ever knew, being unable to trust anyone ever again." He ran his hand over his neck, groaning softly. "Family, friends, even some random Joe-smho walking down the street…"
Tori's lips thinned and her hands slowly ran forward over her knees, she closed her eyes and her head bobbed up and down for a brief moment. Before Jade could add anything to the conversation, the doorbell rang and Tori's eyes shot open. "Expecting anyone else?" Jade turned and peered through the peephole.
On the other side was Cat's roommate. Startled, Jade turned to Cat while opening the door. "Cat, your roommate's here!" Cat rose from the table, her eyebrows sliding upwards and mouth opening into a small oval.
"What're you doing here, Sammy? I thought you didn't want to hang out with us?" Sam walked in slowly, looking around the room with careful eyes before setting them on the redhead.
"Normally I don't." Sam breathed in slow, pushed her blonde hair over her shoulder and folded her arms. "But you keep asking, so I thought I might." Sam looked to Jade and mustered a polite smile. Jade returned a brisk smile before closing the door.
Sam took a step forward, her gaze first drifting towards David's study and then to the stairs, and finally back to Tori. "I didn't see any cars in the drive, Tori, where's Mr. and Mrs. Vega?"
"Oh, they an appointment to go to," Tori replied, "Trina went with them." Jade watched as Sam raised an eyebrow and let her hands fall to her sides.
"You mean you're here alone, with your friends?" It wasn't uncommon, any time the group was over the parents didn't seem to worry about being around. Granted, Trina was nearby every single time Jade or Beck was there. An odd thought that Jade had never picked up on before.
As for Sam's question, it could come from the girl's recent cop nature in Jade's mind. After all, she was interning with a detective. "Yeah they're not worried about my friends." Tori shrugged and motioned to the television. "We were just talking about 'The Truman Show'." Sam frowned and moved her hands to her hips as a somber expression came over Tori. "I'm not sure why, but it's always struck a nerve with me. I wonder how I'd be if I were in a situation like that."
"Where everyone in your life is a paid actor for some reality show centered around your life?"
"Well not to that extent; but just like, lying. Everyone being something they're not. Like, my life wasn't my own, I have no control over it." Tori shook her head, quickly clearing her throat. "Anyway, enough of that."
It was strange to see Tori talking like this, perhaps there were something more to it. Jade wondered if something happened recently that made her start feeling such a way.
"Well you don't have to worry," Andre remarked with a smile, "You've got all of us." Sam's eyes narrowed a bit at him and her gaze rose to a family photo on the wall.
"Today's been a strange day," Jade said while moving to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out some ingredients for a sandwich. "Anyone want a sandwich?" Tori raised her hand and so did Cat. Sam moved her hand over her chin and closed her eyes, gently shaking her head.
"Actually," Andre chimed, "I was thinking we should all go out back for a quick dip in the pool." Tori grinned and the others exclaimed in agreement. Beck remained quiet, raising an eyebrow as his fingers gripped the armrest. Jade noticed his posture tensing, feeling a tinge of concern, she set the ingredients down and said his name. His eyes darted to hers and the corners of his lips rose a tiny bit.
As the others filed outside, Beck stood up and moved over to her. Sam seemed to follow the group, but only to the sliding glass door before stopping to watch. Jade picked up a butter knife, getting ready to spread some mayo on a slice of bread. "Is everything okay, Beck? You look uncomfortable."
"I'm fine," he answered, "still a little rattled from earlier." Jade closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. "Was it just me, or did Andre and the others come across like warning us to leave Tori and her family alone?"
"Well, that's what they were saying."
"Yeah, but it came across more than just telling." He crossed his arms and turned his head, staring outside. Jade continued to focus on the sandwich preparation while shifting her gaze and watching Sam as she walked into David's study, causing her eyebrows to rise. "It was like warning; but at the same time…" His eyebrows furrowed and he reeled his head back. "At the same time, it was like a threat."
Jade's breathing paused a moment and she considered his words. She didn't want to say it, especially not earlier, but she had a similar thought process. Jade raised her gaze towards him. "Almost like you could imagine the words, 'or else', coming out of their mouths?" He nodded back and she slowly shook her head. "I don't know why they'd be threatening or anything like that"
"You gotta admit, there's something weird." He pushed his hand through his hair and looked outside. "I've never picked up on it until today, but when Tori said that Trina was gone with her parents, it hit me."
"What's that?"
"We weren't initially supposed to be here today." Jade's throat tightened and she glanced back to David's study to see Sam standing in the doorway. "Any time we're around, Trina's around if Mr. and Mrs. Vega aren't. Any time it's just Andre and the others, it's a hit or a miss."
"You think the Vegas don't trust us or something?"
"I don't know." He leaned forward, pushing his palms against the counter. "I can't imagine it's that, but I don't know what it is. I don't know why I'm feeling like this." His eyes closed and his lips pressed thinly together. "Thinking about it though, I've always had this feeling in the back of my mind that something's wrong."
Jade watched Sam make her way to the master bedroom, and for a moment she wondered if the girl were investigating something. At the same time, it felt like she was watching them.
"I don't know Beck, I want to reassure you but I can't help feeling like something's off too." She started working on a second sandwich while looking sideways towards the back. "Especially today, I mean, all of us talk about Tori's family. We can be mean sometimes, but that's never stopped them."
"Right." His voice quieted. "And then today?"
"Today was like-" She deepened her voice for emphasis and flexed her arms at the sides, "-'Don't talk about Tori's family like that'." Shaking her head from side to side, she was astounded. "All of a sudden defending the people they also made fun of on a regular basis."
"Yeah. We're not innocent of that, but for them to suddenly act like they've never done the same thing?"
"Did you notice earlier when Trina came to pick Tori up, she looked at all of us."
"Right."
"But when she looked at us?" Jade exhaled sharply, her cheeks puffing and eyes widening a bit as she recalled the look in Trina's eyes. "If looks could kill."
"Did we say or do something wrong recently? I mean, worse than our usual shit?" Jade shook her head. She'd been relatively tame for the last few weeks, actually. Usually she was off the walls with sarcasm, spite, and bitterness; but the last month or two she hadn't been feeling much like any of that.
"No, I've been feeling different lately, like I just don't have the energy for my typical 'meanness'. I know I don't act 'appropriate' and need to stop being such an ass to people. I've been trying to be less like that, and I have been, but mostly just because something does feel off with me."
Concern flickered in Beck's eyes and his hand cupped over hers. "Are you okay? I mean, aside from today's random crap?"
"I've just been tired lately, but no, I'm fine." She smiled tentatively at him and looked over her shoulder. Sam exited the master bedroom, her eyes narrow and hands closed into balls. "Sam, is there something you're looking for?" Sam paused, humming softly.
"Cat said she lost something over here the other day," Sam replied. While Jade wasn't sure if the statement was true, she was almost certain there was something Sam was investigating.
"Could it be upstairs?"
Sam checked the watch on her wrist and paused when her cell phone started to chime. The girl removed the phone from her back pocket and groaned at the screen. "Looks like your friend's family is on their way back home…" Sam's eyes flickered over to Jade. "I suggest making yourselves scarce."
"Why?"
Sam rolled her eyes and turned fully towards them. "I overheard the two of you talking, how involved are you with Tori's group of friends?"
"Fairly involved," Beck answered, "Though they're acting strange lately, not sure why." He tilted his head and crossed his arms. "But then, you're searching the Vega home. We saw you at the school with Officer Malone."
"Hm." Sam removed her wallet from her back pocket. "He's a private detective." They raised their eyebrows, stunned by the news. The last they heard of him, he was with the police department, so when had he left to work alone? "I've been interning with him, but I trust you to keep that quiet." Sam opened up her wallet and removed what looked like an old stock photo. "Gary would have my head for this, but I've been keeping an eye on you two. You don't seem complicit."
"What?" Beck's lips fell open and Jade's heart stopped as concern struck her. "What does that mean?"
"Do either of you have any knowledge or recognition of this girl?" Sam showed them the photo. They leaned forward, studying it closely. The girl in the photo couldn't have been older than fourteen or fifteen. She had soft brown hair flowing to her shoulders, high cheekbones and a bright smile, her eyes were a chocolate brown.
They shook their heads, noting only a small familiarity to their friend. The problem was, the photograph looked like a typical '90s glamour picture. "Who is she?" Jade asked.
"Sasha Grayson." The couple exchanged a glance, their brows furrowing at the mention of the name. They'd heard it, but only in brief and neither were sure exactly where they'd heard of the girl's name. "She went missing in 1995 after running away from home. Her parents were found dead in their bed, with lethal doses of morphine injected into them. "
Jade threw her hands over her mouth, gasping in shock. "Oh my god." Sam returned the photograph to her wallet, studying the startled reactions of the couple. Seemingly content with whatever was on her mind, she gave them a brief nod.
"Genuine reactions, neither of you know about the case." The girl sighed and closed her eyes. "That being said, Sasha was with child at the time of her disappearance. Her boyfriend at the time said she was expecting at any day at the time of her disappearance."
"Why tell us this?"
"Because…" Sam let out a heavy sigh. "I had a hunch, talked to my boss about it, and we also believe that Sasha was neither the first or last victim." She raised an eyebrow. "Detective Malone and I are investigating what we believe is a network, an organization. Based on our suspects, and the route of our investigation, I think you two are not involved but may be in grave danger."
Jade's muscles tensed and her hand moved to her chest as she quickly shook her head. Sam narrowed her eyes. "We have nothing more than suspicions, but you need to take a step away from the Vega family…and your friends."
"What?" Her voice rose to a fevered pitch, disbelief swelled in her tone. "Why? What do any of them have to do with this Sasha girl?" She didn't like how cryptic all of this was, and she certainly didn't understand why she had to stay away from her friends.
Sam started to say more, but froze when the front door opened. The Vegas strolled in, with Gary Malone in tow. Gary was in friendly conversation with David. Jade had to wonder why he was involved with the family, but then if he was investigating them he was probably trying to be close to see if he could get anything.
When the Vegas spotted the three, their smiles instantly faded. "What are you doing here?" Holly asked, narrowing her eyes. Jade recoiled, fear gripped at her throat as though Holly were somehow draining the breath from her.
"We were invited to hang out. Tori said you were at some appointment, she didn't mention Officer Malone."
"We ran into him at the store," David replied. Gary nodded and made his way to Sam. Jade watched him place a protective hand on his protégé's shoulder. He looked into her eyes and quickly mouthed the word 'out'. Sam nodded and looked over her shoulder to Beck and Jade.
"Hey, Jade, you want to come check out my bike club?" Sam lifted her chin at them. Jade paused, considering for a moment the tone of voice. It seemed less of an invitation and more of a statement.
"Tori invited us over," Jade replied, "I'd hate to just ditch her."
Sam crossed her arms and started to tap her foot. Jade looked to the Vega parents and suddenly the air in the room felt very thick. She felt Beck's hands on her shoulders and sucked in a deep breath as he leaned in and whispered into her ear.
"I'm not sure about anything Sam just said, but I suddenly have the urge to leave this place. I'd really rather not leave you behind nor do I want you to be here either."
He was right, there had to be a reason that Gary became a private detective and was now investigating the Vega family. Whether that meant they were dangerous or not, she wasn't sure; but she couldn't deny the aura of danger that seemed to surround Holly in this very instance.
"Can I at least say bye to Tori?" Jade stammered.
Trina walked forward, scoffing. "I'll let her know you're leaving." Jade nodded and hurried as fast as her legs could carry her out the door. As they made their way to their car, they looked back at the once warm and friendly home with a tinge of fear.
Sam and Gary were leaving the house as well, and Jade could hear Gary scolding her for doing unapproved fieldwork and risking not only her own life but the entire operation.
"What in the hell is going on?" Jade muttered while getting into the car. She couldn't shake Sasha's picture from her mind, nor the familiar sensation that came with it. She turned her eyes to Beck as he sat in the driver's seat. "Why did Sam warn us away from our friends? Isn't she Cat's roommate?"
"Yeah, but remember how private Cat said she's gotten?" Beck started up the car. "Something's off about our friends, and I don't know what."
"But, we can trust them, we've never had issues trusting them before. We can trust them, right?"
"I have more questions than answers right now." He frowned and gently pressed down on the accelerator. "I don't like it." Jade felt the same. It seemed that while Sam was trying to keep them away, Jade wanted to find out more of what was going on.
She wanted to know what was going on with her friends, what was wrong with the Vega family, and just who this Sasha girl was and what role Tori fit in all of this.
"Why would we be in any danger, Beck?"
He shrugged. "Maybe because, what was it Sam said? We're not 'complicit'?" Jade hummed softly. "Do they know something we don't? They knew the Vegas first, they knew each other first."
She groaned and crossed her arms firmly across her chest."How does that affect us?" Beck shook his hand in his hair, his voice anxious and nervous.
"I don't know, Jade. I wish I did." His breath stopped and the car slowed up to a stop sign as he slowly turned his head. "Did you notice, though?" She raised her eyes to him. "That Sasha girl looked a lot like Tori."
Her heart stopped and she clenched her fingers around her kneecaps. "Impossible. Right?" She saw it now, but it made no sense. If Tori was Sasha's child, what did that mean exactly? "If that were true, then how is she with the Vegas?"
Looks like Sam took a massive risk, but it may have had opposite the intended effect. What are your thoughts? How do you think it all ties together? It seems as Beck said, more questions than answers. Could Tori be the child of the missing girl? How did she wind up with the Vega family and what are they being investigated for? What are the friends caught up in? It would appear Sam's been investigating all of them for something. Could Jade and Beck's lack of involvement be the reason the Vega clan don't appear to trust them? What will happen should they not heed Sam's warning? Keeping with Cliche, I will say "Stay tuned"
