Disclaimer: I do not own glee.
People are strange
When you're a stranger
Faces look ugly when you're alone
When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When you're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange
[People Are Strange, The Doors]
Run just keep running don't look back. That was my mantra as I ran further back into the trees behind the house I had just escaped from. I hadn't planned on running away but I had to get back to my dad in California, and before I knew it I was climbing out the window and down the tree. My next thought was to get to the nearest highway as quick as possible and start hitchhiking my way back home, but then I realized that when they came looking for me they would spot me in an instant if I was on the side of the road. So now here I am in the middle of a forest tired, hungry and most likely lost (but I wasn't ready to admit that yet) I just had to find somewhere safe to rest for the night the sun was already setting and it was already getting difficult for me to see as it is. Finally after walking around aimlessly for what felt like forever I bumped into a rope ladder.
Ouch! What the hell a rope ladder? Hmmm I wonder if there's a tree house connected to it. I look up to see that there is indeed a tree house at the end of the ladder. I slowly start to climb up the rungs when I get to the door at the top I realize that it's locked. I try opening it anyways thinking that maybe the wood will be rotted and break easily or that the lock is a decoy. A couple minutes and a sore shoulder later I realize that the door is not going to budge. I then decide to grab the lock and pull at it hoping by some miracle that I'll magically get herculean strength and be able to break the lock off. Nope the world is against me the only way through that door is with a key. As I still hold the lock in my hand I notice that it's an odd circular shape with little wavy shaped triangles all around it. I hold it a little farther back from my face, while still holding onto the ladder, and notice that the lock is actually in the shape of a sun. It made me think of my key necklace that I wore all the time under my shirt, I don't know where the necklace came from just that I've had it for as long as I can remember. The key was very unique and beautiful it was silver with a circle pendant glued to the top part of the handle in the middle of the pendant was a black tree with swirly branches, hanging off on the left side of the pendant was a gear with a moon charm on top of it, on the other side of the tree pendant was a sun with a face carved into it. For some reason a part of me felt that the my key would work so deciding to trust my gut instinct I put my key into the lock and when I turned my key the lock opened!
I took the lock off the door and slipped my key necklace back on, while pushing the door to tree house open and climbed in. Looking around the tree house was actually pretty big it had a balcony that went around the whole house along with a window on three of the four walls, and I was actually able to stand up at my full height in the center of the house. After standing in the center of the house for a while I decided I should probably close the door so I wouldn't accidently fall through it, I then decided to look inspect the inside of the tree house while there was still a little bit of sun light left. Against one wall of the house there was a bunch of books on closer inspection I noticed they were all children's books there was a small stack of 'The Magic Tree House' series and one of the Harry Potter books next to it. There was also The Wizard of OZ and some Nancy Drew books too. Looking at the books I came to the conclusion that this was most likely the tree house of a little girl although I could be wrong you can't tell a persons gender based on the types of books they read. But when I turned around to look at the wall behind me my suspicion was confirmed that this was indeed the tree house of a little girl actually two little girls. A couple dozen pictures that were taken with an old fashioned Polaroid camera were taped all over the wall. Some of them showed a young teen age couple in candid moments kissing or hugging or just making silly faces at whoever was holding the camera written underneath those pictures were the names Noah and 'Tana along with the date those seemed to be taken between the years 2002 and 2003. Some of the other pictures portrayed what looked like the parents of the young girls, again in random candid moments at barbeques or around a campfire. There were a few pictures of the two girls and their friends at school laughing and acting silly. But a majority of the pictures were of two little girls one brunette and one blonde. There was one picture though that caught my attention it showed the blonde and the brunette girls with an arm around the others shoulder and the other arm was stretched out making a peace sign towards the camera lens.
I pulled the picture off the wall and sat down so I could look at the picture better, the little brunette girl looked like me at age eight. The same slightly tan complexion, the same huge brown expressive eyes and the thousand-watt smile to match, same slightly wavy brown hair with a red ribbon tied into a bow on the side. Her slightly taller blonde counterpart had wise looking hazel eyes set against her fair skin, her straight blonde hair also held a ribbon tied into bow except this one was green, I had seen that green ribbon somewhere else though too but where? My dream! No this was just a crazy coincidence this little girl couldn't be the same one from my dream but something in my gut is telling me she is the same little girl. Around her neck was a necklace with a key similar too mines at the end. I looked over too the brunette and couldn't hold back the gasp when I noticed her key necklace matched mines exactly. I moved my thumb so I could read the names written at the bottom of picture it read 'Rachel and Quinn BFF's!'
No! No, that little brunette girl, Rachel she couldn't be me. But a part my heart knew that it was. Everything matched up from the eyes to the necklace she even had the same little scar at the top of her forehead by her hairline like I did. It was now too dark for me to look at the picture the sun had set and the surrounding trees blocked the moon out. Alone in the darkness I lied down with the picture clutched to my chest and cried thinking if this my real family here in Ohio then who was the man I called dad? And if I'm not Jennifer then who is? I'm Rachel yet how can I be when I don't even remember who Rachel was or who'd she be now! I have no past only a fake one filled with lies and deceit and I have no future if I don't know who I am or who I was. All I have is the present, the here and now and currently the present sucks! I am no one.
I must've cried myself to sleep because the next thing I know someone is shoving my arm and shining a bright light in my eyes and I hear someone say "Hey, wake up. Hello? Are you dead? Wake up" who ask if someone's dead? I think to myself. If someone's dead I don't think they'd answer you. After a few more shoves I decide to sit up and talk to whoever had the audacity to think I was dead. Unfortunately the light is still shining in my eyes when I sit up so I tell the person the first thing that comes to my mind "Would you shine that stupid light somewhere else I'm going to go blind here if you don't!"
"Oh! Sorry my bad" the girl, I figured due to her feminine sounding voice responds, while lowering what is presumably a flash light to shine at the roof of the tree house instead. When my eyes finally adjusted to the light I was able to see the girl clearly I realized she was an older version of the blonde girl from the pictures. She even had that same green ribbon in her hair. The two of us just sat there in the middle of the tree house staring at each other studying the other. I couldn't take the deafening silence any longer so I decided to break it.
"Quinn?" I asked.
A/N: Hi everyone! So again many thanks to everyone who reviewed put this on alert and favorite it! Thoughts? Questions? Music Suggestions? Please review it makes my day when you do! Next chapter will be in either Rachel or Quinn's POV. Here are the links to Rachel's and Quinn's Tree house : http:/ sillystarshine [dot] tumblr [dot] com /post /156120 09320/ rqtreehouse
Rachel's Tree house key: http: / / img1[dot] etsystatic[dot] com/ il_fullxfull.301464445 [dot] jpg
Quinn's Tree house key: http: / / img1[dot] Etsystatic[dot] com /il_fullxfull [dot] 301433609[dot] jpg
Or if it's easier just check out my tumblr I have all the pics posted there my tumblr is sillystarshine[dot]tumblr[dot]com
Bonus question what do you guys think about the fact that some of the graduating gleeks will be back for season 4? I'm super curious as to how they are going to do that. Anyways hope you enjoyed the chapter and again please review. :) Oh I also made a playlist of the songs from each chapter on youtube here's the link : playlist?list=PL5268C02254BFA521
I usually find the song for the chapter before I start typing so check back on it every so often to see what the next song/chapter title will be.