Chapter 4

I groan as the light hits my eyes, efficiently waking me up.

"Ah, you're awake." A familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time, voice hits my ears, and I groan again. Alas, last night was not a dream; I really am in 1776 and about to enter a war.

"How long have you been waiting for me?" I ask Emily as I sit up.

She shrugs. "Twenty minutes, maybe."

My eyes widen, and I slide my legs off the couch. "That's sorta creepy, dude."

Her head tilts wider in confusion. "What does 'dude' mean?"

I almost facepalm, then I think of the year again. "It's slang from where I'm from. It's just something people say."

"Oh." If it's possible, she looks even more confused. "Well, Benji is leaving in an hour, so we need to be ready as well."

"Already?" I stand up and follow Emily to the kitchen, where I see eggs and bacon. My stomach growls, and the brunette chuckles.

"You seem hungry."

"Starving." I reply and sit down. Out of politeness, I wait for her to sit down next to me. "Do you guys say Grace?"

She laughs. "Typically, yes, but I get the feeling you don't."

"How-?"

Another laugh. "You just have that look on your face."

"What look?" Benji asks as he comes down the stairs. He's got a smile on his face, but it seems more forced than it did last night. He doesn't want to go, that much is obvious.

"Nothing." Emily and I both say at the same time. Benji raises his eyebrows at us as we laugh.

"Mhm, sure." He walks over and wraps his arms around Emily. "I have to go."

She sniffles and hugs him back. The moment is so obviously personal I almost look away. "Please be safe, and come back to me in one piece."

"I'll see you soon." He releases her, then turns and offers his hand to me. "It was really nice to meet you, Beca."

I, once again, take his hand in mine. "The pleasure was mine, Benji. Stay safe out there."

"Keep Emily safe for me, please. She's my best friend." With one last smile, he grabs the suitcase from the floor and exits the house.

"That's our cue." I tell Emily as soon as the door closes, and we practically sprint to the barn.

"Here, take these." The tall brunette throws me a pair of pants and a flannel shirt, and I quickly put it on.

When we're both dressed, we turn and face each other. "We have to cut our hair."

Emily lets out a soft whine. "I love my hair though."

"Emily." I say, and she looks into my eyes. "We have to do this."

"Fine." She grunts. "But we'll do it on the road, we don't have time right now."

"Deal." We each grab a bag of clothing and food, then make our way downstairs. I'm used to pants and shirts, but I can tell this is a new experience for the native 1776-er, and I almost laugh.

"You're not very good at this whole sneaking thing." I inform her quietly, and she slaps me.

"Shut up and put your hair in this." She hands me a dusty, black top hat, and I cough as I wipe it off with my hand.

"How many years has it been since this has been worn?" I can't help but ask as I bundle my hair on top of my head, and Emily shrugs.

"I have no clue." She, too, puts her hair into a hat, hers being brown. "How do I look?"

With a small smirk, I say, "handsome."

"Here, come here." She motions me over, and I walk over to her. "Your hat is crooked."

After she straightens it, I take a step back. "Thanks. Now, we need to go."

"Yeah." We head outside and see a carriage heading down the road. "That's his carriage. Mr. Allen's."

"How-?"

"It literally says 'Allen' on it, Beca." She points it out, and I laugh at my own stupidity.

"Huh, it does." She chuckles, and we both fall silent as we follow the carriage.

While we're walking, my mind wanders to Chloe. I can't help but wonder where she is, and what she's doing. Is she looking for me? Is Aubrey with her? The scariest thought of all; does she even care?

No, I think to myself. Of course she cares, she's still your best friend. It's crazy though, how much I miss her right now, but then again, it isn't. She's always been there for me, she's always been the only person who could calm me down. Talk me out of my stupid, instinctive actions. I really wish she were here right now, to talk me out of this idea. Fighting in the Revolutionary War may be the stupidest idea I've ever had.

The next person to float through my thoughts is Jesse. What is he doing? No doubt he's freaking out right now, he was there when I got shot. Is he looking for me? But alas, maybe I really am dead, and this is my fucked up version of Heaven. The headache I had yesterday, and the fact that my abdomen is killing me, leads me to believe that I am alive, somehow.

"Beca?" Emily's voice pulls me out of my rabbit hole of thoughts, and I turn to look at her. "You're bleeding."

"What?" I look down and see blood seeping through my shirt, and I groan. "Fuck."

"Here, come with me." She lightly pulls me to the side of the road, in some trees. "Is that where you got shot?"

I nod as she pulls the shirt up. "I hardly remember it, really. All I remember is people screaming, and Jesse yelling at me not to fall asleep."

"Tell me about Jesse." She kneels down and opens her bag, pulling out a bottle of vodka. "And lay down."

"Jesse's my best friend." I inform her as she uncorks the bottle, and I gulp. "I'm assuming you aren't going to drink that?"

She gives me a sympathetic smile as she pushes my shirt up further. "This is going to hurt."

I clench my teeth together as she pours the alcohol over my ribs. The burning is unlike anything I've ever felt physically. "Fuck."

"I know, I'm sorry." She winces and puts the bottle back in her bag. She then grabs some newspapers and holds them against my skin. "There wasn't even a bullet, I looked."

I give her an odd look, my eyes still slightly misty from the pain. "That's really weird."

She shrugs and offers me a small smile. "Maybe it isn't, though. Like, maybe it's some sort of sign?"

"Like, my subconscious trying to tell me something?" I ask as she helps me sit up, and her grin widens.

"Exactly!"

At this, I frown; I wasn't really aware there was anything about me I needed to change, unless… "What if this is about Chloe?"

"The woman you're in love with?" She asks, and I nod.

"What if the universe is trying to tell me to get over her? That all this pain isn't worth it?"

"That's pretty deep." She raises an eyebrow, and we stand up. As we start walking again, she takes the newspaper and balls it up.

I laugh, the sound laced with bitterness. "Being deep is what makes good music, my friend."

She straightens the bottom of my shirt back up. "Do you think you'll sing for me one of these days?"

I shrug. "I mean, sure."

"Wait, really?" She squeals, a happy gleam coating her eyes, and I laugh at how truly excited and happy she is. It's been a while since I've met someone this genuinely content with what life has offered them. It's almost like a breath of fresh air.

"As long as you don't shoot me." I joke, but she seems to take it seriously; her face falls, her eyes widen, and she holds her hands up defensively.

"Beca, I would never-"

My laugh cuts her off. "I was kidding, Em."

"Oh." She looks relieved, and after a second, she even chuckles.

"So, I've told you my story, you tell me yours."

She shrugs and looks out at the road in front of her. "There's not much to know, really. My father is Edward Hardon, he's the sheriff. My mother is Macy Junk. Discreetly, I went under my mom's last name. My father didn't want me to be made fun of."

"Smart man." I comment, and she nods.

"I had a twin brother, Emmett. He passed away in a fire when we were nine years old." Her voice goes quiet, and it makes me reassess the thought of her never going through tragedy.

"Em, I'm so sorry."

She gives me a watery smile. "It's ok. It was a long time ago."

"That doesn't make it hurt any less."

The look on her face is one of those looks you can't explain with words, but you know exactly how they feel. "You're right." After a deep breath, she continues. "Anyway, Benji and I met when we were five, and we have been inseparable since."

"And Stacie?" I ask, and as expected, she blushes.

"Our daddies were really close. They used to come over, and we would have playdates. One day, when we were maybe fourteen, I realized what I felt for her was more than as a friend."

"I bet that scared you." I state.

"Scared the living daylights out of me." She agrees. "I didn't tell anyone except Benji, and even to him I was slightly scared. But he understood and accepted me for who I am."

"That was sort of what happened between Jesse and I." I look around at the grass as we walk. "We actually dated, then one day I told him I was in love with Chloe. Once he learned that I don't like guys, like at all, he understood."

I turn on time to see her smiling at me. "That's sweet of him."

I nod. "That's Jesse for you." With a small sigh, I add, "I wish you could meet him. You'd really like him."

She chuckles lightly. "Tell me more about Chloe."

At the mention of her name, my heart skips a beat. "She's amazing. She has this beautiful red hair, and the bluest eyes I have ever seen. She's caring, funny, effervescent, carefree, beautiful, compassionate…"

"She sounds amazing." Emily says.

I nod, a smile growing on my face. "The most amazing woman I've ever met."

We fall into a comfortable silence once again, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Mine swim with images of red hair and blue eyes.

As we walk, I think about the first time I met Chloe Beale…


"Beca Mitchell, please come to the office. Beca Mitchell, please come to the office." I groaned as my name was called over the loudspeaker, and all the kids made oohing noises at me as I passed by.

I heard my sixth grade math teacher, Mr. Hicks, tell the students to be quiet, but I ignored it as I pushed my headphones off my head and onto my neck. I always wore them around, to get people not to talk to me. It worked almost one hundred percent of the time.

Once I got to the office, I opened the door and trudged my way inside. The secretary, whose name I never bothered to learn, raised an eyebrow at me.

"Miss Mitchell, I'd like to introduce you to Chloe Beale." She pointed to a small redhead, and I did a double take when I looked at her. She easily had the prettiest eyes I had ever seen.

"Um, hello." I waved awkwardly, but her smile only grew.

"Hi! You must be Beca, I'm Chloe." She was practically bouncing with excitement, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her.

"Hi."

"Miss Mitchell, I was hoping you'd show Miss Beale here around the school." The Secretary got our attention again, and I inwardly groaned. The last thing I wanted at the moment was a friend.

"Whatever." I sighed, and the elderly woman raised an eyebrow at me.

"Manners, Miss Mitchell."

"Oh, it's ok." Chloe responded, a wide grin still plastered on her face.

"Let's go, then." We walked out of the building right as the bell rang.

As we walked, Jason Camps- the school bully- walked up to me and pushed me against the wall. "Is this your new girlfriend, Mitchell?"

"Hey, let her go!" Chloe screamed, and Jason laughed.

"Or what, you'll tell your mom?"

"No, I'll do this." She smirked, and a second later, her fist connected with his jaw.

He stumbled back, holding his face, and shook his head. "Oh, you're gonna regret that." With that, he hobbled away- of course, looking like an idiot in the process; his jaw was injured, not his leg.

"Idiot." She muttered, then turned back to me. "Are you ok?"

I nodded, looking at her with a new perspective. "Um, thanks."

She shrugged with a smile. "No problem."

From that moment on, I knew Chloe Beale would be my best friend. And for once, I was ok with it.


That was the best day of my entire life, and I wouldn't change anything about it. After that day, she would come over after school every night. Most Friday nights, she'd sleep overnight on a blow up mattress in my room. My mom was so happy I had a friend that she didn't mind her being over all the time.

We never really added anyone to our friend group until Jesse came along.


"So, I was thinking about using 'Titanium' and '500 Miles' for my next mashup. What do you think?" I asked Chloe as we sat down for lunch, and her eyes lit up as she grinned.

"I love 'Titanium!' It's my lady jam, you know." She winked, and I ducked my head to hide my blush.

"As you've told me a million times." I looked up when I heard a small voice next to me.

"Um, do you mind if I sit here?" A tall guy with brunette hair and dark brown eyes asked. I glanced over his shoulder and saw Jason Camps, who was still the school bully, glaring at us.

It was this that fueled me to say, "go right ahead, dude."

Chloe gave me a surprised look, and I grinned as he sat down next to me. I knew this action made her happy, which, in turn, made me happy.

"I'm Jesse." The new kid introduced, and I nodded my head at him.

"I'm Beca, and this is Chloe." I pointed at my best friend in front of me, who gave him the signature Chloe Beale smile.

"I'm so glad you came over here! We're gonna be fast friends."

Affectionately, I rolled my eyes at the redhead. "She says that to everyone."

Chloe had the audacity to look outraged, and Jesse laughed. "I do not! Only the ones I like."

"Which is everyone." I pointed out, and she stuck her tongue out at me.

The rest of lunch, we talked about pointless things, but I could tell Jesse fit right into our small group.


It's dark by the time Emily gets my attention again. "Look, they're pulling off onto the side of the road." She nudges me and points at the same time.

"We should do the same, get some sleep." My feet are starting to hurt a little, but I've definitely had worse. By worse, I mean the Bellas back in college.

"Why can't we just board the carriage and tell them we need a ride?" She inquires as we make our way to some secluded trees.

"Benji would recognize you in an instant." I remind her, and she sighs.

"That's true." She sits down, and I flop onto the ground next to her. "We should probably get some sleep, huh?"

I reach inside my bag and pull out some bread to snack on. Normally, I'd be eating something like Chex mix, but those didn't exist in this era. "Yeah. Bread?" I offer a piece, but she shakes her head.

"I'm not hungry, but thanks." I notice the way her eyes have seemed to dull with time, and my brow furrows as I frown. "You ok?"

"What?" She blinks at me, and her eyes seem to focus a little. "I'm just worried about him, you know?"

I nod. "Trust me, I know how you feel. One of my friends from college enrolled in the Air Force, and I was terrified for her." I smile wistfully as I think of Cynthia Rose.

"Wow."

I chuckle. "Yup. She's doing really well, though." I notice her yawn, and I let out a small laugh again. "Alright, you're obviously exhausted. Let's get some sleep."

The next few days consists of us walking and following the carriage around. Thank gosh the carriage is being pulled by horses, or else we'd never be able to keep up.

I learn some other things about Emily as we continue our voyage; she broke her leg when she was five years old, she has never lied in her entire life (which, for some reason, I just believe), and she can sing. And by sing, I mean she can really sing.

After she performs a song that she says is an original, I'm left in awe. "You really wrote that?"

She blushes and nods. "Yeah. I haven't sung it for anyone before though, because it doesn't sound anything like what people listen to."

I chuckle. "It sounds exactly like what I would produce. What's it called?"

Her smile is contagious as she answers. "'Flashlight'. It's still a work in progress, as you could probably tell."

My grin widens as I laugh in wonder. "I'd give you a record label if it were 2021."

She sighs wistfully as my spirits fall a little. "I'm gonna miss you when you go back."

I smile up at her with a small nod. "Yeah, I'm gonna miss you too."

After that, the rest of the walk is mostly silent again, save for the occasional comment or joke made by either one of us.

At night, the carriage stops again, but laughter can easily be heard from inside it.

I glance over at Emily, just to see she's already looking at me. "I have an idea."

"Yeah?"

I nod, a small smile growing on my face. "I'm going to listen and see what they're talking about."

She grins. "Let's go." I open my mouth to argue, but I really don't see a reason why she shouldn't come with.

"Just be quiet." She pretends to lock her lips, then shoves the "key" in her pants pocket.

We walk up slowly to the back of the carriage, where we can clearly hear more laughter. Benji's voice rings out, and Emily winces a little at the sound of it.

Laying a hand on her arm momentarily, I whisper, "he's ok."

She nods and turns her head slightly to smile at me, but I can tell her smile is a little forced. "I know. I just miss him."

My heart sinks a little as her confession reminds me of how much I miss Chloe and Jesse. "Yeah, I know how you feel."

"Shh." She says quietly when we hear Benji's voice, and we both fall silent.

"So how are we going to get all the way to Valley Forge?"

Emily and I look at each other with a mixture of shock and confusion. By the look on her face, I can tell this must be far (again, I didn't do too well in school).

"Where is Valley Forge?" I whisper, but she shushes me again as Bumper answers.

"We'll take this carriage here to Charlestown, then board a railroad and take it the rest of the way there." From the tone of his voice, I can tell he's donning a cocky smirk.

"Where is Charlestown?"

"Shh!"

"Sorry."

"I didn't know railroads were open to the public." Benji says curiously, and Bumper snorts.

"They aren't. It's for the War."

"Oh."

It falls silent, and after a moment or two, Emily turns her head again to look at me. I shrug and start walking back into the trees, and I can hear her following me.

It isn't until we've situated ourselves, lying down against the cold dirt, that I decide to say anything. "We've got a long trek ahead of ourselves, don't we?"

She sighs. "The hardest part is going to be getting on that railroad."

I roll over to look at her, even though I can barely make out the details of her face. "Hey. We're gonna be fine, we got this."

She too turns, and out of the scarce moonlight do I see her brow furrowed with anger. "You don't know that."

I laugh, despite the situation. "I'm known for my cocky arrogance and overconfidence. I didn't want to show that side of me, but if it's what it takes to get us on that railroad, well…" I sigh. "We're getting on that fucking railroad, you mark my words."