A/N: Two favorites, two reviews and four follows for my new story set in what I consider to be an underrated 'verse. Wow. You guys are great! Same goes for the 37 views! I don't expect this story to get the hits and the reviews and all that, that some of my others get. They're set in 'verses that are probably more popular after all but still this is awesome so thank you to my readers. You guys are great and you inspire me to keep writing!
Annie packed up her guitar after spending the morning commute sitting in the subway, playing music for whatever money people decided to toss out to her. She still had some of the money her father had given her but she tried to get by on the money she could make by doing things like this. She stuffed the change and the bills into her pocket. She could visit one of those change machines later in the day. For now this change would make its way into the large jar that she had in her motel room. She headed back up the stairs, wondering if she should stop there to drop off her guitar and the money she'd made or if she should just start her trek.
Annie pulled out some of the change as she stopped at a small corner store, grabbing a bottle of water and a doughnut. She'd gone to a diner for breakfast but that had been hours ago and she needed a little sugar to keep her going. Nodding with a smile to the man behind the counter as she left, she flagged down a taxi. Annie climbed into the first one that stopped for her, setting her guitar case onto the seat next to her and placing the bag that she was carrying as well at her feet. She pulled out a scrap of paper and gave the name of the restaurant where she wanted to go. The driver nodded and seemed to try to make chit-chat with her but Annie just leaned back and watched out the window as buildings and people passed her by. She wasn't really in the mood to talk with a stranger right now.
She had only been to New York City once or twice but it had been when she was much younger. Her parents would take her once a year to New York City and they would make a weekend of it. They would go to the theater and to a museum or two. They would go shopping and have at least one dinner at some high class restaurant. Her favorite had been one that would serve dessert first which meant that Annie was ordering apple crepes to start out her meal. It made everything else so much better. She wished now that she could remember where the restaurant was. Maybe the meal would be incredibly expensive but Annie needed something a little familiar. The last time that she'd been to New York City had been when she was maybe 11 years old. She had almost hidden her ability to Move things by that time since her parents had made it clear that she wasn't supposed to do anything like that, especially in public. It felt like a lifetime ago now.
Annie snapped out of her thoughts as she felt the cab come to a complete stop. She looked out of the window, blinking a couple of times as she tried to figure out if this was the right place. She saw the driver giving her a strange look as she dug the money out to pay him. Grabbing her things, Annie slid out of the cab and hurried to the front door of the restaurant. They'd just opened an hour ago for lunch and it smelled so good. She had to stop herself from doubling over as she felt her stomach growling.
When she walked in, a small, plump man came to greet her. He had a bright grin and rosy cheeks. He seemed to gesture wildly as he spoke, welcoming her to the restaurant and asking her what she brought her in. Annie was taken aback for a moment, a smile on her lips. It was hard not to smile when someone like that was grinning at her after all. She could feel the warmth of this place radiating into her, making her feel more at home than she had anywhere else in awhile.
"I … I came to speak to Marie," Annie said with a brief nod. The words tumbled out of her mouth in a nervous rush. She even rocked a bit on the balls of her feet a bit as she spoke.
The man outstretched his arms and pulled Annie in for a tight embrace. Then he guided her to the back of the restaurant. "Whatever you need, Marie can help you, signorina. She's right here. Normally she doesn't take clients this early but …." The man smiled softly and gave a little nod as he led her to a small table in the kitchen. "Clearly you could use some advice. Solo un momento."
Annie gripped her guitar case a little tighter, nervous about what this woman was going to tell her. She knew, unlike some people, that Marie was a Watcher. She saw the future. What she told you wasn't something that she made up for no reason. She told people what she truly saw. That left it up to the person that she was speaking to if they wanted to change their future. Right now Annie just wanted to know what Marie saw in her future. She wanted to know why she had to run.
When the older man came back, Annie smiled softly. She nodded when he waved for her to follow him. Her feet shuffled against the linoleum floor as she walked, her pace slow. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest. This was it. She was going to finally speak to Marie and maybe find a little direction as far as where she should be going and why she was even on the run. Annie couldn't help the nervousness that she felt or the way that it manifested itself. Surely, this kind older man could her the way that her heart was pounding. Couldn't he? It was ringing that loudly in her ears after all.
Finally Annie came to a stop, almost tumbling into the man. She saw a woman who couldn't be older than 30 sitting behind a table. Dark curls tumbling to her shoulders and bright blue eyes staring out at Annie. With a simple gesture, she waved the man off and gestured for Annie to sit. With a hard swallow, Annie did just that, sitting across the table from the woman.
"Here to find out your future, sweetheart?" Marie asked, a slightly Southern twang to her voice.
"I … My father sent me to you. He … he said you could help me," Annie replied, feeling like a child right now as she spoke to this woman. She felt so small, so afraid. Like a child who had seriously lost her way. All the worry about everything seemed to tumble back into her and she was sure that it was written all over her face.
"Anneliese? Am I right?"
Annie nodded slowly, tucking some blond hair behind her ear. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. Part of her was surprised to hear her name coming from Marie's lips right now but then again, Marie was a Watcher. Annie couldn't even imagine the things that this woman knew about her, about any of the people who came to her for advice about their futures. She was wringing her hands, placing them on her lap.
"Sugar, I know why you're here. But do you?"
Annie started to nod and then slowly shook her head. In all honesty, she really had no idea what she was doing here. Her father told her to come talk to Marie so that was what she had done. Why she needed to speak to Marie was something that she never got to find out. Annie was hoping that Marie knew that as well.
"I can't tell you everything. That'll ruin the surprise and trust me, darlin', you wanna let this thing happen naturally. Thing is that …" Marie tilted her head for a moment, her smile soft but warm. "Sugar, there's somewhere else that you need to be and it ain't here in New York City. You came here simply to find me. That's all. After this, it's gonna be time for you to move on. The farther you go, the safer your parents will be. Believe you me, sugar. This is gonna be for the best."
Annie swallowed hard at the mention of her parents. Numbly, she nodded her head. "A-alright. S-so where? Where am I supposed to be then?" she asked, the words barely tumbling out of her dry mouth. She was almost whispering at this point, scared and a little unsure of herself. All of that bravado she had when she left home seemed to seep right out of her. The idea that she was going to have to go even farther away from her parents made her feel like her heart had dropped right into her stomach.
"It'll be alright, sugar. Don't worry so much. You're gonna meet some great people. One's a Watcher named Cassie. That'll happen a lil' later though," Marie said with a grin. She reached across the table and smiled as Annie placed her hand on the table as well. Taking Annie's hand in hers, Marie gave it a reassuring squeeze. "First you need to find a man named Nick Gant. He's a Mover, like you. He's been on the run from Division for his whole life. Ain't really been caught yet. He'll show you a thing or two. You're gonna need to start practicing those skills again though, sugar. You're gonna need to be able to Move things if you're gonna get through this."
Annie nodded, blinking a couple of times. She was surprised that she hadn't started crying yet. Then again the shock of these words were probably enough to keep the tears at bay. She had a feeling that there would be tears flowing tonight once all of this truly sank in. "Wh-where can I find this Nick Gant? D-do you know?" she asked, her voice trembling a bit.
"Head for Chicago, sugar. He'll probably be in Chinatown or sometimes around University Village. Both are good places to get lost after all. I'd try Hashbrowns Café in University Village in the morning. He's usually there for breakfast or Three Happiness in Chinatown any other time of the day. He's there often enough too. They seem to be his go-to places to eat and those will be the best places to catch him," Marie said with a nod. She grabbed a notepad and wrote a few things down, sliding the paper to Annie. "I know you're in shock right now. This is a whole lot to take in at once but you need to be in Chicago. The rest will make sense in time. Alright, sugar?"
The sweet and familiar way that Marie spoke to her seemed to warm Annie a bit. She nodded and took the paper, folding it in half and tucking it into the back pocket of her jeans. She knew enough not to plan too much. Annie would have to leave for Chicago on the fly. Maybe she'd even fly out there although taking the bus would work too. She could always make a couple of stops on the way to shake any Watchers or Sniffs. Just because she hadn't seen one yet didn't mean that they weren't already after her. Slowly Annie pushed her chair back and stood up. She reached into her pocket to pull out some cash.
Marie waved her off. "Keep your money, sugar. You need it more than I do. You got quite the adventure ahead of you after all," she said with a nod, still smiling. "Don't you worry one bit though. So far I ain't seen one deviation in what's gonna happen for you. You're gonna be just fine when all this is said and done."
Annie nodded and slowly turned on her heels. She figured that she'd get something to eat and then get ready to pack up and head out. Maybe she'd just move to another cheap motel in the city before leaving for Chicago. Maybe she'd take off tonight once she had her bags packed. She didn't want to make any decisions just yet. Annie knew that if she did, she could be in big trouble. She didn't want some Watcher to be able to see what she was going to do next. It had to be a surprise, a last minute decision. It was the only way that she'd get away with leaving without tipping anyone off.
Annie wandered out of the restaurant and looked around before turning east and heading that way. She wasn't sure where she was going yet but she'd figure it out as she went along. Her first stop was going to be to grab something real to eat. After that … well, she wasn't entirely sure yet but that was the point. Annie turned the corner and looked around, eyes wide. This, she realized, was going to become one hell of an adventure. She just had to hope that she was ready for it.