"Did we just walk into a scene from Narnia?" Santana questions as she takes in her surroundings.
She and her friends had been coming to this particular clearing since their first year in high school. Santana had found it the summer before freshman year after taking a walk to clear her head after a fight with her parents. It wasn't much, just a clear patch of land hidden behind a few trees but the view of the sky is what drew Santana in. It was calming and Santana could always use some serenity but that got boring real quick, so naturally she invited Brittany. Soon, Quinn started getting bitchy when Brittany and Santana would hang out without her so Santana invited her just to shut her up. Eventually it just became their own little sanctuary but as time went on, they came to visit less and less.
Santana still isn't exactly sure how Berry became apart of it but she's past the point of fighting it especially since she and Brittany have officially started dating. It wasn't a total shock when Brittany told Santana but it's still pretty gross in her opinion. Though it's fine in her eyes as long as Rachel can maintain Brittany's happiness.
Brittany's head swivels left to right before she responds to her friend, "We didn't walk through a wardrobe." She says casually before continuing after a brief pause, "Right?"
Rachel smiles softly at the woman that holds her heart, "No. It seems that someone else may have found our spot."
Since they hadn't been back to the clearing since last summer, it's possible someone else had found it. Being a few weeks away from graduation, they decided it would be better to visit now before everyone got too busy.
"Yeah and planted a shit ton of flowers. Who even does that?" Santana rolls her eyes in instant regret, holding up a single finger to silence Rachel before she got the chance to utter a word.
Rachel pouts slightly, redirecting her attention to the blue, purple and green blooming flowers that seem to almost glisten in the sun light covering the floor. Rachel thought it was a nice addition to the clearing. Santana looks over to Quinn who had been silent since they'd arrived to find her holding a purple flower in her hand with a faint smile.
"These flowers are gorgeous. They're unlike anything I've ever seen before." Quinn finally says, gently feeling the flower petals between her thumb and index finger. Quinn looks almost likes she's mesmerized by the plant as Santana steps closer to her.
"Should I be jealous? I don't think I've ever seen you look at me like that." Santana's tone is playful as she rests her hand on Quinn's hip, leaning over her shoulder to get a better look at the flower she's holding.
Santana agrees that she's never seen anything like this flower before. It's color looks much brighter in Quinn's hands, gleaming in a way that almost strains her eyes. Quinn snickers at her girlfriend's comment and holds the flower out to her.
"That's because you haven't been paying attention." Quinn tells her as Santana brings the flower to her nose to smell it's scent.
"Why doesn't it smell like anything?" She questions to no one in particular. Quinn looks at her curiously before leaning towards the flower to test it for herself.
"It does smell like something...but not like a flower." Santana looks at her curiously before smelling the flower again.
"Are you messing with me? I literally smell nothing." Santana says with confusion. As a test, she moves closer to Quinn to smell her hair.
"What are you doing?" Quinn asks, slightly jerking backwards away from Santana to which Santana rolls her eyes.
"A test. Hey Britt, come here for a second." After calling for Brittany, both girls lift their heads to see that the other two girls have vanished.
"Where the hell did they go?" Santana asks as she looks around.
"I'm right here silly." Santana hears from behind her but when she turns her head all she finds are trees. Quinn and Santana begin to step away from the direction they'd heard Brittany's voice, unnerved by how close her voice was without her body anywhere in sight.
"B...where the hell are you?" Santana's voice trembles slightly as she blindly reaches for Quinn's arm.
"Yeah, you guys quit messing around." Quinn adds, her nerves getting to her as well.
"What's going on-" Rachel is cut off by both girls screaming and scrambling backwards.
Brittany thought about asking them what was wrong but she knew that wouldn't help. When they screamed, she looked behind her to make sure there wasn't a bear or a unicorn though she wasn't sure why a unicorn would make them yell like that.
Quinn and Santana were so freaked out at this point the only thing they could hear were their own pounding hearts. After looking around the area again for their friends, Quinn has had enough so she takes a calming breath then clears her throat.
"Okay guys, real funny. You can come out now." Santana is now latched on to Quinn's arm, still glancing around anxiously waiting for a response.
"We're-" Santana yelps as Rachel begins, jumping into Quinn's arms both surprising her and almost knocking her down. While still a little afraid, Quinn wasn't going to give up that easily so she didn't comment on her girlfriend's actions, instead just holding her close as Santana buries her head into her neck.
"I swear to god if you two don't stop messing around!" Quinn shouts.
"What is wrong with you guys? We're right here." Quinn continues to look towards Rachel's voice but she still doesn't see anything.
"What the fuck is going on?" Santana quietly asks, having mustered the courage to lift her head. Quinn sighs heavily, glaring at nothing in particular.
"I don't know but we're leaving. When you two finish your little game, you know how to get home." Santana scoffs, looking to her girlfriend.
"We're not leaving Britts out here." Rachel pouts slightly at the interaction and Quinn rolls her eyes.
"She's with Rachel, she'll be fine." Quinn says reassuringly.
"I know she will, because we're not leaving." Santana replies sternly. Quinn clenches her jaw and sighs heavily.
"Then -"
"Who turned off the gravity?" Quinn hears Brittany ask but her voice doesn't sound as close as before.
"Holy shit!" Santana's arms tighten around Quinn's neck, almost uncomfortably. Quinn thought Santana was past the freak out point but apparently not.
"Calm down, they're somewhere around here."
"Quinn, we're god damn floating! Put me down!" Quinn was more confused than intrigued by what Santana just told her. Floating? What exactly is going on with everyone today? Quinn glances down and her eyes widen as her face completely drains of blood.
"Oh my god!" She exclaims as the ground gets further and further away from her. instinctively holding Santana tighter.
"How is this happening?! Oh my god! Oh my god!" If this weren't one of the most terrifying and bizarre events to have ever happened in Santana's life, she would've made a dirty joke but right now all she wants to do is feel her feet on the ground.
"Quinn, put me on the ground, now!" Something about literally defying gravity is making Santana a little more testy than normal.
"How do you expect me to do that?!" Quinn responds, internally and externally panicking.
"I don't know! Whatever you're doing, do it backwards!"
"I'm not doing anything!"
Back on the ground Rachel looks on in terror as Brittany watches in amazement.
"We have to help them!" Rachel frantically looks around for something, anything to help bring her friends down.
"I don't think we can do anything. Are they arguing?" Brittany squints to focus on her floating friends.
"Possibly. There must be something we can do." Brittany shrugs.
"We can catch them if they fall? Unless you can fly too?" Rachel wasn't sure if Brittany was being sarcastic or not so she decided to move on.
"Well, since they're only going vertically, we don't have to follow them. Should we just wait?"
"Yeah, I think so. Why couldn't they see us? You see me, right?" Rachel turns her head towards her girlfriend.
"Yes, I can see you. Can you see me?" Brittany nods her response before they both return their sights to the sky.
"They stopped!" Brittany points excitedly.
"Maybe they're coming down? How is this even possible?"
"Magic." Brittany states plainly and Rachel snorts.
"Honey, magic isn't real." Brittany looks to her with a raised brow.
"Then explain that." Pointing to her friends in the sky to exaggerate her point.
Rachel sighs defeated. She had no other explanation to offer and as ridiculous as Brittany's explanation was, it's the only thing that makes sense right now. But how could that truly be the reason? No. It must be some hallucination. The mysterious flowers must have had a hallucinogen in them and they were being effected. Yes. That makes much more sense than...magic.
"They're coming down!" Brittany shouts excitedly, pulling Rachel from her thoughts.
Sighing in relief, Rachel begins to walk towards her friends as they come down with Brittany closely behind. As soon as Santana's feet touch the ground, she lets Quinn out of her death grip and sits on the ground.
"How was your trip?" Brittany asks with a playful smirk.
"Britt...so not the time." Santana huffs, leaning back on her hands. Brittany giggles to herself as Rachel checks in with Quinn.
"Are you okay?" Quinn didn't even know how to answer that question. Her mind was all over the place. She was just flying. FLYING.
"Define okay." Quinn finally says after having been under Rachel's concerned gaze for some time.
"Can you guys see us now?" Quinn and Santana's brows furrow simultaneously as they look around, only finding each other.
"You know what, I'm over this shit." Santana starts as she stands from the ground.
"What the fuck is going on?! Invisible people and defying laws of physics?!" She shouts as she wipes the dirt from her hands on her thighs.
"Santana, calm down." Quinn says soothingly but Santana isn't listening.
"Hell no! You should be freaking out with me! We were just fucking flying, Quinn!" Santana is becoming more and more irritated with each passing second.
"I have a theory." Rachel says as Santana folds her arms.
"Spit it out then Berry!" Brittany gives Santana a look akin to a glare.
"San." Brittany's tone is enough for Santana to get the message.
"Rachel. Spit it out Rachel." She emphasizes with a dismissive wave of her hand but earns herself a smile of approval from her friend.
"Well, this is a species of plant we're unfamiliar with. It's possible it has hallucinogenic effects." Rachel says and Santana rolls her eyes.
"Are you seriously suggesting that we're high?" Rachel shrugs in response, forgetting that Santana can't see her.
"It's plausible." Quinn says, glancing at Santana.
"Honestly, it's the only thing that makes sense." She continues.
"What about magic? We're just going to forget about that?" Brittany chimes in.
"B, there's no magic. We've been through this." Santana responds in a softer tone.
"You still didn't prove leprechauns don't exist so you can't say there isn't any magic. I'm not high. I don't feel high." Brittany casually responds and Quinn lets out a puff of air as Santana groans.
"This is bullshit and I blame Rachel!" Rachel's eyebrows furrow at the outburst.
"How could this possibly be any of my doing Santana?" Santana glares at the spot she hears Rachel's voice coming from.
"Stop it. You know it's not Rachel's fault. It's no ones fault." Santana rolls her eyes and wipes her brow, unsure of why she's sweating so much at the moment.
"Let's just sit and think, logically." Quinn adds with a quick glance to where she assumes Brittany is.
"We're definitely high so if we just wait it out, we'll be fine. Let's just...sit down until we come down from this." Quinn says gently.
Honestly she was terrified to even move at this point but she was sure she could somehow sit down. Rachel nods her head in agreement though it mostly goes unseen.
"I think that might be best." She says as Santana leans forward, placing her hands on her knees.
"I have an idea!" Brittany says, her excitement getting the better of her. Rachel and Quinn watch as Brittany's phone appears out of thin air or at least that what it seems like to Quinn.
"If we're just on drugs then a video will prove it. If we record ourselves now and look at it later well know if its magic or the high flowers." Quinn's tilts her head slightly at the 'high flowers' comment but lets it go.
"That's actually a really good idea Britt." Quinn tells her, causing her to grin as she turns on her camera and pans it over her friends frowning once she notices Santana doubled over.
"San?" She calls out with concern.
"What's wrong?" Quinn asks,worry written all over her face as she walks the short distance to Santana.
"I'm fine...I'm just ridiculously hot." Santana stands up, pushing her hair out of her face and looks at Quinn who is now looking at her like she'd just grown a second head.
"What?" Santana asks, her irritation evident.
"Oh my Barbra!"
"San you look badass!" Brittany grins as she zooms in on Santana's face. Santana looks at the floating phone with confusion before looking back to Quinn.
"What are they talking about?" Santana asks as she feels sweat running along her forearm to her hand.
"Y-Your eyes...they're orange...and glowing." Quinn tells her to which she scoffs.
"Of course they are." She sarcastically responds and quickly closes one eye as a sweat bead falls in.
"Fuck!" Santana rubs her eye to stop the burning but now she's sweating even more than before. Her clothes are almost soaked through and it's only fueling her aggravation.
"San maybe you should -" Santana isn't sure what happened but she finally felt her temperature fall as she hears a whoosh. Then she sees Quinn being pushed backwards at least 8 feet in the air before hitting the ground and tumbling a few more feet away.
"Shit! Q, are you okay?!" Santana runs over to Quinn, reaching her hand out to help her but freezes upon seeing flames emanating from her hand and arm.
"What the fuck?!" Santana screams as she tries to put out the fire but then realizes her other arm is on fire too.
"Stop! Drop and Roll!" Santana barely registers what Brittany yells to her as Quinn scrambles away from her.
Santana is now literally engulfed in flames from head to toe. Even her hair is ablaze and it's quite mesmerizing as the other girls look on. The flames aren't as wild as before but now flicker almost calmly against Santana's skin. Eventually, Santana comprehends what Brittany previously stated and drops to the ground. As she rolls over the woodland floor the other girls watch closely, quickly realizing her flames are not dying out and she's setting fire to the grass.
"Stop before you set the whole place on fire!" Quinn pleas as she tries to put out some of the flames with her shoe, the other girls quickly following suit.
Santana stopped soon after Quinn told her too, hopping to her feet. While she is still burning the grass beneath her, the fire isn't spreading which provides her some relief.
"There's no way I'm imagining this." Santana says, oddly much calmer now probably because she's realized the flames aren't hurting her. After all the weird shit that's happened in the past few minutes, she doesn't have the energy to be upset or afraid anymore.
"That. Was. Awesome." Brittany grins as she ends her recording. Rachel sighs heavily, all of sudden feeling very overwhelmed. She can feel the heat emanating from Santana's flames and even as a hallucination, that doesn't make sense. Does it?
"No. I think I need to lie down." She says as she takes a few steps away from the other girls. Santana rolls her eyes because of course she would burst into literal flames and Rachel would need to go lie down.
"This is probably a stupid question but...are you...okay?" Quinn asks.
"Apparently these are just the consequences when you're as hot as I am, but yeah I'm fine. But, as much as I like to show off my body, I could use some clothes." Santana responds, wishing her clothes hadn't just burned to ash. Quinn couldn't help but laugh. Today's events had been so...astronomically insane, that she just needed to laugh at it all.
After some time had passed, Santana's flames began to extinguish themselves as Rachel and Brittany began to become visible again. Quinn didn't even attempt to take too large of a step so no one is really sure if she can still fly but things seemed to return to normal and that's when they all decided to go home. Everyone seemed to have returned to normal, or so they thought. Santana had woken up 4:44 am to a pool of sweat and had gotten out of bed just in time before she burst into flames again but she wasn't the only one experiencing the same problem.
Quinn woke up the entirety of her household at 2:17am after having hit her head against the ceiling, waking up to find herself looking down at her bed. In her panic she'd tossed herself against her dresser and was lying on the floor by the time her parents came to check on her. Brittany was well aware that she was once again invisible when her mother came to wake her up and didn't notice that she was already sitting on her bed, grinning like a mad woman as she watched her recording from the previous night. It had taken Rachel a much longer time to figure out that she was once again invisible. She'd showered and prepared breakfast for herself and her fathers but when they entered the kitchen, they didn't greet her as they normally did. Honestly, it seemed that they were only aware of the presence of each other.
Hiram sighed heavily as he unknowingly sat directly across Rachel at their island. Opening his laptop, he sat silently taping away until his husband joined him.
"Good morning." Leroy smiles as he makes his way to the coffee maker.
"Good morning." His husband responds with minimal enthusiasm, which is uncharacteristic of him.
"What's wrong?" Leroy asks knowingly and Hiram begins shaking his head.
"What are we going to do? God, I wish we'd planned better for this." He responds, running his hand along his jawline. Leroy sighs softly before walking behind his husband, wrapping his arms around the man's shoulders.
"I do too but we can't dwell on that. We'll figure it out. Right now, we have enough for her first semester and that's all that matters." Hiram rolls his eyes at his husband as Rachel's confusion grows. What exactly is going on?
"Sure, but what about our mortgage payment? Our car payments? Insurance? Retirement?" Rachel frowns, never having known that her fathers were having so many financial issues.
"We'll figure it out honey. Just enjoy your breakfast okay?" Leroy kisses his husbands cheek before walking back to his coffee.
"Where is Rachel anyway?" He says as he begins to pour his creamer. Rachel takes this opportunity to sneak out of the kitchen and into the living room.
"Dads! I'm sorry I have to get to school early today! Love you, bye!" And with that, she's out the door.
At school, she quickly found Brittany, Santana and Quinn all at Quinn's locker but she wasn't sure if she was visible until she received a kiss on the cheek from Brittany.
"Good morning, ladies. I need to talk to each of you...privately." She begins.
"If you're going to tell us you went all "Ghost" again, we already know. Happened to us too." Santana tells her.
"We have superpowers, look!" Brittany doesn't give Rachel time to react, shoving her phone in her face. Rachel takes the phone and watches as Santana becomes engulfed in flames. Her jaw goes slack as she truly comprehends what's she's seeing.
"So this is real?" She questions, her eyes still glued to the screen.
"Looks like B was right." Quinn says.
"Duh, you guys should really listen to me more." Brittany grins.