"Hey, I know you're in there."
Kevin Keller was always going to find her. Besides, Betty wasn't the best at hiding. The girl's bathroom had always been her place of solitude. Where she had spent most of her Freshman and Sophomore year sat cross legged with her various battered and dogeared editions of her favourite classics. They were a mind-numbing distraction from thoughts she'd rather not think about. Today it was no different. Betty sat against the stall door, one of the first paperback editions of Peter Pan spread out on her lap. It had been a gift for her fifteenth birthday, and Betty treasured it. Even if its pages were yellowed with age, practically disintegrating, the spine falling apart, she loved it.
"Betty." Kevin's voice came again. Getting progressively more impatient. But she didn't look up from the book. Her fingernails gently traced the pages as her blue eyes read over the same line over and over again. But because of Kevin, who had been standing outside the stall for at least fifteen minutes, Betty couldn't concentrate on the story. Finally she glanced up, retracting from the fantasy world.
Which no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't lose herself inside. Because every lost boy was Archie or Jughead. Tinker Bell was Veronica and Cheryl was Wendy Darling. And they had been whisked off to Neverland without her.
Betty sat up a little, wincing when pain struck her lower back and her legs cramped up. She had been sitting there a while. She closed the book reluctantly, before stuffing it in her backpack next to her. "What is it Kevin?" her voice was barely above a whisper, since she hadn't spoken in a while. When Betty looked up, the fluorescent lights of the girl's bathroom blinded her. Shading her eyes, she winced.
"Are you okay?" the boy asked. "Dude, you can't sit in there reading Peter Pan all day, you have SAT's to prepare for."
Betty ignored him.
"You're not supposed to be in the girl's bathroom, it's against the law," she said, albeit pathetically.
"I'm worried about you." Kevin said abruptly, his raised voice reverberating against the walls. Betty winced, forcing herself to stand up, ignoring the pain screeching in her legs she stared hard at the white marble walls and then the graffiti on the pale blue stall door.
Someone had drawn a smiley face with black marker pen. She frowned at it.
"I'm fine, Kev." But her voice betrayed her. She most definitely did not sound fine.
"Are you sure?" Kevin was so close. When Betty looked down, she saw the boy's converse through the gap in the stall door. "Because I know what day it is Betty, and I'm here for if you if you want to talk." the boy let out a soft sigh. "Don't feel alone, okay?"
Betty felt her heart quicken at the boy's words. They hit her like a brick to the face, and shivers skittered down her spine. January 9th. The day that had haunted her for most of her life. She had scribbled it in her notebooks, painted it during therapy and etched it into every surface with anything she could use as a pen. The day she narrowly missed being taken, along with four of her classmates. Four of her closest friends.
The town were still reeling from the kidnappings, even eight years later. There was an 8pm curfew in place for anyone under the age of eighteen, and Sheriff Keller still ventured into Fox Forest, even after so many years, looking for any leads, any traces of her friends. Archie's father, Fred Andrews, had moved away. But for the good. There were too many memories in Riverdale.
The Lodge's still had a reward out; $50,000 dollars for anyone with information to where their daughter and her friends were. Missing persons posters were still stuck to notice boards and lampposts, littering Riverdale. Though to Betty, they were like a disease; reminding her every second of every day, that she could have been one of them. Her face could be printed on faded yellow pages curling with age.
"I'm not alone." she said softly. Tears sprung to her eyes, and she swiped them away quickly with the cuff of her sweater.
"Kevin, I said I'm fine. I-" she raked her mind for an excuse. One that her friend would fall for. "I think I ate something dodgy."
"Seriously? Betty, I haven't seen you eat anything today. Unless you count staring at a cereal bar, which by the way, you didn't eat."
Kevin wasn't going to leave her alone. Maybe she should be grateful for that. With reluctance, she shouldered her bag and shoved the stall door open, stumbling out. Kevin Keller was standing there with his usual smile, tired green eyes. Always tired. Always overshadowed.
"Hey." she let him envelope her in a hug, before pulling away quickly.
"Kev, I said I'm fine." she said, moving to the sinks. Kevin took a step back and seemed to study her as she eyed herself in the mirror. The girl in the reflection looked like a ghost. Her skin was pale, her blue eyes looked washed out and shadowed with sleep circles.
The girl wasn't smiling. Though Betty couldn't remember the last time she had smiled. Her blonde hair was an unbrushed mess, spilling from a faded blue beanie she had insisted on wearing since spotting it in a thrift store.
The moment it caught her eye, she had thought of Jughead. And her chest had ached. Betty fiddled with her curls, brushing them from her eyes. She caught Kevin's stare, his worried eyes drinking her in. It was the same look her mother gave her 24/7 when she refused to wash and brush her hair, so it grew out, greasy and untamed. But she liked it that way.
"What?" she mumbled, tugging her long sweater over her shorts. Definitely not Summer wear. She wore thin tights underneath denim shorts. Kevin's lip twitched.
"Betty, you look like you got dressed in the dark."
She eyed him, her eyebrow raising. "And?"
He was right. Like every other morning, she had woken up at around 6am, with the same dream torturing her mind.
She could never get back to sleep, so Betty had dragged herself into the shower, before picking out her clothes for the day before the sun began to poke through the early morning sky. Besides, the sweater and tights were a comfy combo.
"And?" Kevin rolled his eyes. "Betty, you're a mess!" he hissed. Which again, he was right about. It was always this time of year when she stopped caring about what she looked like. Past that, everything was a colorful, confusing blur. The months rolled into one.
Betty opened her mouth to say something along the lines of 'you're wrong' because she was stubborn.
But Kevin shook his head. "Look, we're all going through a rough time, okay?" he murmured. The boy's eyes were glittering with tears, and Betty felt her stomach twist into knots. "I miss them too Betty." Kevin laughed. "even, what? eight years later!"
There was suddenly an overwhelming urge taking Betty over. She wanted to tell Kevin about the dreams that were haunting her, that their names never left her mind, their faces were always there. In a crowd of strangers, there they would be, bedevilling her.
But her mouth wouldn't work. Kevin shot her a wavering smile, before turning and to leave.
"Come out when you're ready, okay?" the boy murmured. "Just know I'm here when you want to talk."
Betty nodded and forced a smile. The door opened, the brief sound of girl's laughing down the corridor, fleeted in, before it shut, leaving her once again alone with her thoughts.
The day passed miserably. Before she knew it, Betty was walking home from school, trailing through autumn leaves, long since dead. The air was bitter cold, far too familiar. She was staring at the sidewalk, trying to kick through as many leaves as possible, when she felt the first flake land on the back of her neck.
Snow.
It was prickling ice, igniting fear throughout her body. Betty lurched up, her gaze going to the sky; a pretty white. She stopped abruptly, as did the crunch of leaves. Betty stared as snowflakes danced through the air once again. This time in front of her sixteen year old self. It had snowed every year since their disappearance, but Betty had purposely stayed inside, avoiding any contact with the outside world.
But this time she hadn't been expecting it. Betty held her breath and continued walking, kicking through leaves already coated with the very first layer of snow. her heart was in her throat. But she wouldn't cry. It wasn't dark. The sky was bright, a pretty wintry white.
Except she still found her legs moving faster. Home wasn't too far away, but the walk suddenly seemed so narrow, as if closing in on her. The snow fell heavier, and Betty felt every flake dance across her neck. She whimpered, ducking her head.
And then something flashed brightly above her. Startled, Betty looked up, blinking when snowflakes pirouetted across her lashes.
Lightning. Betty's heart skipped. But there had been no thunder. Peering at the sky, she waiting to see the flash. But there was just the sky, a thick blanket of white.
Betty walked faster, loose strands of her hair fell in her eyes. She flinched when it happened again; a bright, tantalizing flash at the very corner of her eye.
She twisted around, scanning the street. But there was nothing there. The snow was coming down heavy now, and Betty almost slipped when she turned to run.
Another flash. It seemed to be getting closer to her with every shaky breath. Betty forced her legs to go faster. Her mind was on fire. Lightning never struck in the same place twice. Never mind three times. So what was this?
Mom. Betty reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, breathing heavily. Mom would understand. Though a voice laughed in the back of her mind. Would her mother really believe that- what, she was being chased by lightning?
Her fingers were numb, tapping onto her contacts. Betty sucked in a breath and slammed her phone to her ear. Another flash startled her, drawing a scream from her lips. Then another one, this time right next to her.
Betty felt her phone slip from her grasp, just as something hit her; starting off as a tiny prick, she felt it flood her body, volts shocking her heart. She couldn't scream. Her lips felt out of reach, and there was only white hot agony lighting her up from the inside. Colors flashed in front of her vision, bright zig-zags and pulsing prisms glowing brighter and brighter, until -
Until nothing.
"Betty?"
It was like being yanked back; an invisible hand pulling her unresponsive body through darkness. Before the light flickered behind her eyelids.
Archie Andrews' voice seeped into her mind, his voice felt like warm honey across her skin. Gentle. Soothing. "Do you want to come?"
"What?" Opening her eyes, Betty found herself once again standing in front of her eight year old neighbour.
He blinked at her curiously. She recognised Riverdale's elementary school behind them, and when she looked down, Betty was staring down at pink gloves attached to very small hands. It was snowing. Just like in her dream. But unlike her dreams, Betty could speak. She could move. She grabbed at her hair, feeling her young self's blonde curls spilling from a bobble hat. Betty could hear children's laughter all around her. Something spiked in her heart. Tears sprung to her eyes.
"Archie?" she whispered. Her voice was a young squeak. When the redhead smiled at her with confused eyes, Betty's gaze flickered to the boy standing next to him. Jughead. Jughead Jones. With her bright red scarf wrapped around his neck.
He wasn't smiling, but he lifted his hand in a small wave, and she couldn't help a hysterical bubble of laughter bursting from her mouth.
"Jughead?" before she could stop herself, she was throwing herself at the boy and pulling him into a hug. This was insane. Betty thought. She must be dreaming. Except everything felt real. Her sixteen year old self was back in her eight year old body, and she was hugging Jughead Jones so tightly she was scared he would disintegrate into atoms.
This was crazy, she thought, Completely...completely impossible!
"Ow." Jughead mumbled, pulling away. "Why are you hugging me?" he peered at her through those brilliant green eyes, and she had to physically stop herself from hugging him again. "I-" she swallowed thickly. "I'm just glad to see you."
The boy frowned at her. "You've seen me all day." he said, dimples appearing in his cheeks when he smiled. "You're weird, Elizabeth Cooper."
Betty nodded. "Yes," she giggled. "Yes, Jughead, I am."
"Well?" Archie's voice wiped the smile from her lips. "Betty, do you want to come and see the river?"
"It's like Elsa's come!" shivers flew down her spine at the sound of Veronica's voice. The girl came over, grinning, holding hands with Cheryl. "You have to come!" this time she was speaking to Betty, her eyes teeming with hope. Betty suddenly found it hard to breathe. She had seen Hiram Lodge break into pieces over the years. There were suddenly so many things she wanted to say, but instead, Betty grabbed the girl and pulled her into a hug. "Ronnie." she mumbled, and the girl giggled, pulling away.
"Betty, are you okay?" Veronica folded her arms.
She managed to nod. "I- I'm fine," she whispered. Cheryl Blossom had quickly snatched back Veronica's hand. "are you coming to the river or not, Betty?"
"Yes!" Archie jumped in. "Yes, she is!" he jumped up and down, pulling Jughead with him. "Betty's smart so she can count how many frozen fish there are."
Betty shook her head. The word 'No' was on her lips, but for some reason, it wouldn't come out.
"Yes." she said, her heart jumping into her throat. If there was no way of stopping them, maybe she could join them.
Her stomach hurt. That meant whatever fate they had met, she would meet it too.
Betty's lip trembled as she watched Archie and Jughead excitedly talk about the river. "Yes, Archie." she said softly. "Yes, I'll come."
The redhead looked surprised, but his brown eyes lit up. "Did your mommy say it's okay?"
"Uh-huh." she lied. Turning around, Betty didn't see her mother standing at the gate. So she had to be quick. She grabbed hold of Jughead's other hand, but the boy didn't pull away.
He only peered at her. "Betty, you sound funny."
Betty fought to keep calm when Archie started trekking forwards through the snow, Veronica following him. "I'm okay," she mumbled, wincing at her eight-year-old voice. The snow danced in front of them as they headed into the clearing. Betty clutched Jughead's hand tighter, tears stinging her eyes. She couldn't help it. Word vomit.
"What happened to you?" she whispered through chattering teeth. The boy stayed silent for a moment, before turning to her, smiling uncertainly. "What do you mean?"
You need to to run, Jughead! She wanted to scream in his face. Get out of here!
"It doesn't matter." Betty swallowed the truth and smiled reassuringly at the boy, who scoffed. "Archie was right, you are funny." he giggled, squeezing her hand. "thanks for the scarf by the way, I was hoping you would come." Jughead stared ahead of them, a smile playing on his lips.
"They're so stupid." he pointed at Veronica and Archie with his flashlight. He clicked it on, and the beam bounced across the clearing. Ahead of them, Veronica squeaked, letting out a shriek of laughter when Archie kicked snow in her face. The two of them had always been close. Betty and Jughead watched her shove the boy into a bush. Jughead giggled.
They were on the edge of Fox Forest. Betty's heart stampeded in her chest.
Turn back! Her mind screamed, but she couldn't. She swallowed the fear eating her up inside and continued forwards.
"That's not fair!" Archie yelled. "Ronnie, I wasn't ready!"
Cheryl joined them, throwing snowballs from an armful she had delicately collected. "Ha!" she spun around, her red hair twirling. "I win!"
Betty risked a glance at Jughead who was grinning, eager to join.
She forced herself to laugh along with him. Though their fate was creeping up on her, an ever present demon in the back of her mind. How many steps would they take? Did one of them fall in the river, and then the others? or or...
She felt nauseous. It had been obvious since no traces had ever been found; neighbouring town's Greendale and Athens had been swept clean. Still nothing. They had just vanished.
Or did they get taken by some stranger?
Betty was going to die. Her heart was stammering, her chest felt tight. If she continued on with the four of them, she was going to die too. Because that's what had happened, right? There had been no traces. A 'freak accident' sheriff Keller had ruled it as.
Her laugh turned into a soft sob.
"Betty?" Jughead murmured. Before she could reply, the boy tugged her closer, tightening his grip.
"You're so cold," he breathed. "Do you want your scarf back?"
Yes. The word was in her throat. That's what she had wanted all these years, right? She just wanted her scarf back.
Along with Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews and the others.
"I'm okay." Betty managed. The closer they were edging towards the clearing, Betty felt her head grow light. Veronica was throwing snowballs at Archie, the redhead launching them back giggling while Cheryl walked behind them, humming nursery rhymes.
When Archie ducked into the clearing, her heart leapt. Veronica followed behind him, skipping over a large rock jutting out of the ground. Jughead stepped over too, pulling her with him.
"Maybe..." she found her voice, a soft whimper in the blustery wind. "Maybe we should go back?"
"Maybe." Jughead mumbled. She could hear his teeth chattering. The wind was getting stronger, snowflakes battering her cheeks. Betty's breath caught. Was this it?
"Hey!" she shouted. "Archie!" a hissed cry of frustration spat from her numbs lips upon spotting the retreating figure. Archie Andrews blindly running ahead into darkness, Veronica and Cheryl following him. Betty's stomach twisted. Is this where their fate landed? In this freezing cold forest? she squeezed Jughead's hand tighter.
There was no way of stopping it. Hot tears spilled from her eyes, dribbling down her cheeks.
"Fuck!" Betty felt her cheeks flood scarlet when the swear slipped through her lips. Any other mundane day it would sound normal. But this wasn't a normal day. Betty was back in two-thousand-and-twelve as her eight year old self. She was sure she had been a perfect child. Even before the incident. Her mother had described her as 'A little Princess".
Jughead came to an abrupt halt and turned to her, his green eyes wide with amusement. Betty could only stare at him, at his cheeks that had reddened significantly. The boy's lips were stretched into a surprised grin.
"Betty!" he laughed out loud to her surprise. And the sound was beautiful.
"Did you just swear?" Jughead lowered his voice into an excited hiss and Betty bit her tongue against another squeaked profanity as she watched the others duck under trees ahead, running further and further into inevitable danger.
"Sorry, I-" she was breathless, struggling to maintain eye contact with Jughead, when the others were becoming progressively harder to spot in the blizzard. "My mom says it sometimes." she gasped out. Jughead shrugged. He was still smiling.
"You're lucky," he said, kicking snow at his feet. "My mommy gets mad all the time." he lifted his head and smiled at her, but Betty could see the pain he was trying to hard. She remembered the scars and bruises her younger self had seen decorating his olive skin. Something burned inside her.
"Jughead," she managed to spit out. "About your mom-" the words were tumbling from her mouth before she could stop them. "Does she- does she hurt you?"
If only her younger self had asked this. If only she hadn't been so ignorant! Elizabeth Cooper had chosen to look away, to pretend she didn't see Jughead's scars.
The two of them resumed walking, Jughead taking long strides. But he didn't let go of her hand. "My mommy.." he trailed off, his voice breaking. "My mommy loves me, she just gets mad sometimes." he said. The tone in his voice was finality. He didn't want to talk about it. Betty understood. Besides, soon it wouldn't even matter. Jughead Jones was going to slip into oblivion, and she would follow. "Stay close to me." Betty whispered.
"Guys, come and look at this!" Archie's yell sent Jughead into a run, and Betty could do nothing but trip and stumble over uneven ground covered in snow, still attached to eight year old Jughead Jones. She took a moment to look around. They were in the middle of Fox Forest. Jughead's flashlight lit Archie and Veronica's faces up in warm yellow light.
"Hey!" Veronica shouted, shielding her eyes. "That's too bright, Juggie!"
The boy chuckled and fiddled with the torch. The beam dimmed slightly. Jughead took a step forwards. "What did you find, Arch?" he sounded curious. Cheryl was on her knees in the snow, peering at something on the ground. Betty swallowed. She yanked Jughead back, and the boy stumbled. Her stomach was twisting. "Cheryl, what is it?"
Her voice was shaking. The Blossom girl lifted her head and shrugged, giggling. "It's a sign." she said, brushing snow from what looked like a road sign laying on the ground. Archie bent over, squinting through red curls falling in his eyes. "Huh."
That's what it was. Just a road sign. NO PARKING was printed in bold black letters. Betty peered at it, keeping hold of Jughead. He let out a hiss of annoyance. "Betty, no fair! Why can't I see it?"
Betty's eyes were glued to the sign. Her stomach was doing cartwheels. It looked so out of place just laying there.
And then it hit her like a tumultuous wave. The whole purpose of the sign, the fact that it had caught her friends' attention immediately. Like moths to a flame.
"Run." she managed to say, stumbling back. "You need to run!" but before the words could leave her mouth, strong arms were wrapping themselves around Archie's chest and yanking him back, a hairy hand going over his mouth. Cheryl and Veronica let out twin screams and Jughead pulled her behind him. Except Betty lost her footing. Because there was no longer ground beneath her feet. All she heard was Jughead's frightened squeak as he was dragged away, while she fell into nothing. Followed by her younger selves screams echoing in her mind, as she joined her friends.
This time Betty Cooper was taken too. Something sharp stabbed her in the chest. She had changed the past.
Colors once again flashed in front of Betty's eyes, zig-zags twirling across her vision. The dark enveloped her, a thick blanket of oblivion tearing her from Jughead, from Archie and the biting chill and snow hitting her cheeks.
All of that seemed to disappear completely, and for a moment she was nothing. Nobody. Lost in a place caught between life and death. Maybe the lightning had killed her, and that whole experience had been a vivid hallucination before her last breath.
But Betty didn't feel dead. In fact, when she was sure she wasn't going to throw up, her senses were back. But it was sensory overload; hitting her one by one. She could feel herself sitting on something hard and metal. Her hair tickled her cheeks. The bitter chill had gone, replaced by a stuffy heat sticking to her skin. She felt something light and cotton hanging from her body. Some kind of dress?
Smell: the stink of antiseptic. It tingled in her nose, making her nauseous.
Taste: Something acidic mixed with rusty pennies. Blood.
Hear: Nothing, apart from a low beeping noise to her left.
Feel: Something was oozing from her nose and ears. It was warm, dripping down her neck.
"Miss Cooper, you said you would cooperate, so I suggest you do." the man's voice sent the shivers rattling down her spine. A strong British accent. He sounded so close. Betty could sense him directly in front of her, his breath tickling her cheeks.
When she didn't move, the man let out a frustrated hiss. "Open your eyes, you silly girl!
The man's voice was grating. Betty felt spittle hit her closed eyes and gave up, letting them flutter open slowly. First, all she saw was white. Bright clinical white. She realized she was staring at the far wall of the room she was suddenly in.
"Look at me!" a tall man in his mid forties was squatting in front of her. He had a receding hairline, pale skin and dark glasses hanging from a witch like nose. His eyes were a piercing blue, glaring at her.
Betty stared at the man for a moment. He wore a long white lab coat matching the walls. She looked right, then left. There were two machines buzzing softly either side of her. When she looked down, her arms were strapped to a metal chair.
"What..." her voice was hoarse. Betty peered up at the man with wide eyes. He looked impatient. "What happened?" she tugged at the restraints, squirming. Her voice became a hysterical squeak. "Where am I?"
Betty's mind was on overdrive. She had been back in 2012, just before her friends had been snatched. Her chest ached. The town had been wrong all this time. It hadn't been a freak accident. Her friends had been taken.
Betty swallowed, drinking in her surroundings. The room was huge, a large fluorescent light hanging over her. It reminded her of a dentist surgery; a small table filled with metal instruments was far too close. They glimmered in the light and Betty's head spun. Was this where Jughead, Archie and the others had been taken all those years ago?
There was something projected on the walls in front of her; a grainy picture of what looked like a photograph of a brain. Betty squinted at the white text above it. Though she couldn't read it. The man snapped her attention back to him, clearing his throat obnoxiously.
She met his twisted grin. "You are a brilliant actress, Cooper," he said sarcastically. "Really, I'm practically bawling." the man rolled his eyes before fixing her with a no-nonsense glare. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he demanded.
Betty found her voice. "I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I think there's been some kind of mistake, I- I don't know what I'm doing here." if she had somehow managed to travel back in time to 2012 then surely she could get out of this, right?
Betty squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated. But nothing happened. The man started chuckling.
When she opened her eyes once again, his expression was amused. "Cooper, I don't know what's gotten into you today," he shrugged. "What happened to your obsession with helping us, huh?"
Betty could only stare at the man. "I don't understand what you're talking about." she managed to say softly. He scoffed, producing a tissue from his coat. She flinched when he wiped her nose, then her ears. "Pity." he muttered. The tissue was speckled crimson.
"You really did try hard this time," the man turned to the scan of the brain projected on the wall and folded his arms. "It's just a matter of making sure you don't hemorrhage next time."
Swallowing a scream, Betty managed to speak. "Hemorrhage?" she whispered, icy fingertips dancing down her spine. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't play the memory loss card with me, sweetheart," the doctor turned and stalked towards her until they were touching noses. Betty leaned back as far as she could. "You can either show me what you can do, or miss out on all of your meals tomorrow."
Anger ignited inside of her. "Do what?!" she shrieked, struggling violently. "Let me go!"
The man stared at her for a moment, his lip curling. "Huh." he murmured. He reached into his lab coat and pulled out something black and bulky. "Can you send a guard to lab three please? I need someone to escort the Cooper girl to her cell."
The man's gaze flickered to her for a moment. "The girl is all bark and no bite," he said, chuckling. "She sold herself and her friends out just to waste my fucking time."
Friends. The nameless man's words sent her heart jumping into her throat. They were here. But where was here? She twisted in the chair, scanning the room for some kind of help. When the doors to the room slid open, what looked like a guard stomping through, Betty bit her lip against a scream. He grabbed her quickly and she struggled. But he held her in an impenetrable grip.
While the nameless man smiled gleefully at her.
"If you change your mind, you know what to do, sweetheart." he winked, and Betty wanted to kick the man's teeth in. Before she knew it, Betty was being dragged out of the room by her hair. Her feet were bare, sliding across a long marble corridor.
"What is this place?" she hissed, crying out in pain when the guard yanked her hair. "Shut it."
It was some kind of facility. They passed huge glass doors protected by security, labeled: LAB ONE- A LAB TWO- A all the way down to LAB TEN - A.
When she tried to glimpse a look, the guard ragged at her hair once again.
This must be where the others had been all this time, and now her. Betty felt dizzy. She had changed the past, throwing herself into danger with them. Now she was in a changed future, where she was a prisoner too.
"I don't get it," the guard grumbled. "You said you were going to work with us, Lili," he muttered. "So why are you going back on your word, huh?" he chuckled.
Betty didn't reply. Though his words buzzed around in her mind. Lili? Why were they calling her that?
The hallway seemed to go on forever. Betty felt naked in the thin, cotton dress hanging off her thin frame. It was like a hospital gown. She kept her head down, glaring down at her discoloured feet. She was filthy.
It almost felt like she herself was tainting the pristine white of the hallway. There was dirt caked in her toenails, her legs unshaven, smeared with dirt and what looked like blood. Betty cringed. What had happened to her?
Or at least - What had happened to this version of herself?
A loud bang startled her, then a voice echoing down the hallway. "Get your hands off me, asshole!" it was a boy. Around her age. Betty's chest clenched. The boy was struggling, hissing and yelling, getting closer and closer.
Finally, when she looked up, she glimpsed a tall boy in what looked like hospital scrubs, being dragged by two guards. They had hold of his arms, and he was squirming violently, dragging his feet. The boy's profile wasn't that much better than hers; his bare legs were splattered an array of colors. Though scarlet red stood out; dried blood splattered down golden skin, large scabs on his knees.
When he looked up, Betty felt her breath catch in her throat.
His hair was a deep brown, hanging in eyes that were squeezed shut for some reason. His lips were twisted, an almost animalistic snarl. Betty's lungs squeezed. There was something hanging from his neck. She recognised it almost immediately. It was frayed at the edges and stained, torn, almost ripped apart. Hanging from the neck of a sixteen year old boy, it almost looked like a school tie. But Betty knew better.
It was her red scarf. The one she had given Jughead Jones at eight years old. Except- this boy couldn't be Jughead. Her eyes stung. Why wasn't he opening his eyes?
"Move it!" her guard forced her forwards, and Betty stumbled, almost falling on her face. Her heart stampeded in her chest as she passed the boy, and she heard the breath catch in this throat. Though what she wasn't counting on was for Jughead Jones' eyes to flicker open.
Betty almost anticipated the bright green iris' that had intrigued her younger self to no end. The ones that she had dreamed about.
Except- no. The boy's eyes were almost an unnatural, tantalizing blue; flickering Cerulean.
Jughead blinked at her, before scowling.
"What the fuck are you looking at?" the boy hissed like a snake, lunging towards her.
"Easy!" Jughead's guard barked, pulling the boy back. Though the boy's gaze didn't stray from hers. She detected burning hatred. She could see veins pulsing in the boy's forehead, his eyes murderous.
"Are you being a good little guinea pig, huh Lil?" he laughed maniacally, spitting at her.
"How is it being Price's little princess?"
Price. Was that the doctor?
Betty was speechless. She could only stare at the boy, words tangled on her throat. But his eyes were distracting. They almost looked alive themselves, tendrils of burning, electric blue spiralling around his pupil.
"Jug..." she managed to whisper, but the boy turned away, growling like a wild animal. "Get off me!" he shrieked, trying to fight out of the guard's grip. "I swear to god, you're dead! You're all dead!"
Betty felt sick. What had happened to him? Was that really the sweet kid who had held her hand, all those years ago?
He was shoved through a door labelled: REVIEW before she could choke out something coherent. Though what would she say? The boy wanted to kill her.
When Jughead was gone, Betty didn't struggle against the guard pulling her along like a ragdoll.
She thought he was going to force her into one of the doors dotting the endless hallway, but finally they came to the end of the corridor, and faced what looked like an elevator.
"Get in." the guard growled, pushing her forwards when the doors slid open. Betty followed the guard inside reluctantly. The elevator had four glass panels, but she didn't dare look at her reflection. She kept her head down as the elevator descended, her stomach rolling.
When it opened, Betty's bare feet touched rough, slimy concrete when she was dragged out. She suddenly felt the temperature- an unbearable biting chill blowing her hair back.
"What is this place?" Betty asked, before she could bite her tongue. The guard ignored her. Compared to upstairs, the place looked like a dungeon. It was pitch black. The only light was the guard's flashlight he pulled out and flicked on.
Betty followed the beam bouncing around, illuminating rough brick walls covered in filth, moss growing through trenches. She sniffed. The stink of rot tingled in her nose and the back of her throat. It was some kind of tunnel. She shuddered, hugging herself.
Finally they came to what looked like a ancient cell with steel bars. It was tiny. Betty swallowed hard when the guard produced a key from his pocket and stuck it in the lock. The door swung open and she glimpsed figures curled up around the cell, laying on rough concrete.
"In." Betty was shoved inside before she could attempt to fight back. The guard followed her inside the cell and grabbed her by her shoulders, shoving her to a sitting position. She hit the ground with and barely managed to hold in a cry.
"Don't try your freaky mind mojo on me," he growled. Betty blinked at the man; steel blue eyes and twisted lips. He stunk of expensive hair product and shoe polish. He didn't look that much older than her. "I'm not afraid to hit a girl."
Betty stayed silent, sitting cross legged on cold concrete. The flashlight illuminated the cell, and she could just about glimpse a slumped figure next to her. She gasped in surprise when something freezing cold, something metal, was secured around her left wrist. Then her right. Chains. She tugged on them, and the guard gave her a unsettling smile. It wavered in the dying torchlight.
"You look so frightened." he chortled, cocking his head. Betty glared at him.
"This is the quietest you've ever been." the guard jumped up, grabbing the flashlight. "Where was this calm attitude when you broke Simon's spine yesterday, huh?"
Betty swallowed bile at the back of her throat. No. That wasn't her. She wouldn't hurt someone- much less willingly kill. She didn't answer, and still chuckling to himself, the guard slammed the cell door shut, walking away and leaving her in darkness.
This can't be happening. Betty leaned into the wall, letting tears dribble down her cheeks. It was hard to hide the fact that she was sobbing. Her body was trembling, the chains restraining her rattling loudly. The noise scathed her ears. Jughead's eyes were still on her mind, driving her crazy. How could they have turned so unnaturally blue?
Where was this place? What were they doing to her- and the others? Why had the guard and Jughead called her Lili? Was that her name now?
"Are you crying?" the sudden voice shocked Betty from the dreamy reverie she had fallen into. It was another teenage boy- Though it was one of a stranger. She bit her lip. "No." Betty mumbled, swiping her eyes angrily with her chained wrists.
He scoffed. "I haven't heard you cry since we were kids. They must have gone hard on you this time."
His tone turned cold. "Back for round two?"
Betty shivered. It was impossible to hug warmth into herself. She couldn't pinpoint where the boy was. She blinked in the darkness, trying to detect movement. "Round two?"
The boy laughed incredulously. "What the fuck did they feed you, horse tranquiliser?" Chains rattled near her when the boy shuffled, sitting up. At least that's what she thought he was doing. He grunted. "You really don't remember?"
"I don't." she said softly. Whoever she had been in this alternate timeline, the girl was clearly a bitch. Selling Jughead and the others out- for what? What was it that the British doctor wanted so badly?
The boy hesitated. "What do you remember?"
"Nothing." she replied, tipping her head back with a sigh. "I remember nothing."
The boy, to her surprise, let out a loud laugh. A laugh that was so familiar. It nagged at the back of her mind, pulling at suppressed memories. "Wow." he said. "So they wiped your memory, huh?" she could sense his smile. "can't say I'm mad."
Betty straightened up. "What do you mean?" she said. His voice was playing with her mind. It was driving her crazy. The boy was silent. She opened her mouth to say something, before her eyes caught something dancing in the darkness; a dull orange glow prancing in mid air. Her breath caught. Fire. It burned brighter, a ball of flickering cerulean and orange lighting up the darkness around her. Finally, she could see properly.
There were other kids dotted around the cell. Betty saw long raven and crimson hair spilling across the filthy ground, two girl's faces flickering in the light. Cheryl and Veronica. They were curled up next to each other, sound asleep. Betty's heart leapt. After all this time...
They were here.
All of them.
Betty couldn't resist a smile, her gaze flicking back to the dancing flame still in mid-air. It filled the cell with a warm, cosy orange light, illuminating every wall- every jagged rock sticking from the ground before revealing a boy across from her. His back was pressed against the wall, knees drawn to his chest. The boy peered at her warily. His face was discoloured with grime and dirt, bruises decorating pale skin.
He still had that same red curly hair spilling over a much older face, freckles she used to tease still dotted his cheeks. He was taller, though of course he was. The boy wasn't eight years old anymore. She could see broad muscles underneath the cotton scrubs hanging from him.
Betty almost said his name, but swallowed it when she realised the flame was flickering between his fingertips, getting brighter and brighter, casting shadows across the walls of the cell. The boy's eyes weren't the warm brown she remembered. They were like Jughead's. The same unnatural, blazing Indigo swirling around his iris. Though the boy's eyes weren't what had taken Betty's breath away.
Archie. Her head spun. Archie Andrews, the neighbour she thought she had lost forever, was sitting in front of her. The smile on his lips made her chest hurt. It wasn't friendly; not even the ghost of his younger self.
Though she couldn't take her eyes off the boy's hands, restrained in biting shackles like her own.
They were on fire. Betty watched, transfixed, as the flame spread over his fingers. But he wasn't yelling or crying out. His skin wasn't singeing or burning. Archie only stared down at them with a calm smile. Before his bright blue eyes fluttered to hers.
The boy's lips curled into a smirk when she shuffled backwards with a quiet cry, her chains rattling loudly.
"Do you want me to start from the beginning?"
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