Chapter 8 – In Another Life
Quinn grumbled as she reached around to silence her alarm; she felt around the nightstand, but the clock wasn't there. She opened her eyes to see if it had somehow fallen to the ground in the middle of the night. She paused for a moment as she stared at the nightstand and then quickly sat up, realizing she wasn't in her usual room. Instead, she was in her old room at her parents' house.
Frowning, she threw the covers off and scrambled out of bed. She had no idea how she had gotten there; she distinctly remembered going to the Berry household the previous night. She hadn't been out as late as usual because patrolling had been a bust. Rachel had waited up on her and they talked for a little bit before they both finally went to bed. The last time she'd looked at the clock, it had been a little after one; it wasn't long after when she fell asleep in her own bed.
Quinn hurriedly went to the closet to see if any of her clothes were still there. When she opened the door, though, she was surprised to find it completely full. Not only was it full of clothes, but most of them were her clothes that were supposed to be hanging in her closet at Rachel's house. Looking over her shoulder, she also saw a lot of other things that hadn't been in her parents' house for the past year, and she had no idea how they got back there. Most of them were in the exact same place they had been before she ever moved, and it looked as if she had never left in the first place.
She threw her shorts and tank top off and grabbed the nearest thing—a skirt and top—and quickly put it on. She wanted to get out of there before her parents realized she was there. She would worry about her other things later; first, she wanted to figure out what the hell was going on.
As she walked toward the door, she saw her book bag sitting where she'd always kept it and walked over to grab it. She looked inside for her phone, but it wasn't in its usual pocket. She looked around and spotted it on her desk, so she rushed over, picking it up, and scrolled through her contacts. She didn't want Rachel to worry when she woke up and found her gone. As she looked through the list of names, though, Rachel's name was nowhere to be found. Sighing, Quinn threw the phone in her bag and hurried out of the room.
As she walked down the stairs, she tried to remain as quiet as possible, knowing her parents were probably up. The last thing she wanted to do was run into either of them and have to explain what she was doing there. Just as she hit the last step, she heard her father in the den and stopped in her tracks. If she walked to the front door, he would certainly see her, but her mother was probably in the kitchen, so she couldn't go that way, either. If she went back upstairs, she could probably climb out her, but it would also be a risk since one of the neighbors would likely notice it.
"Quinnie, is that you?" her mother called out. "Breakfast is ready."
Quinn went rigid when her mother called her name; she had no idea how her parents knew she was there. Of course, there were a lot of things that morning that she didn't know.
"You heard your mother," Russell said, emerging from the den. "Get a move on. You don't want to be late."
Quinn continued to stare at her father as he walked away. He didn't seem at all surprised that she was there even though the last time they had spoken, he'd kicked her out of the house.
"Quinnie, are you going to eat breakfast?" Judy asked as she walked into the hallway.
"I'll eat something on the way," Quinn lied.
"Okay, sweetie," Judy said with a smile. "Don't forget to let me know about Friday."
"I won't," Quinn replied even though she had no idea what her mother was referring to.
"Have a good day at school," Judy said before turning around and walking back into the kitchen.
Quinn furrowed her brows as she turned and walked toward the door. Neither of her parents seemed to have any recollection that she hadn't been living with them for the past year or that she hadn't even spoken to them once during that time. Everything had seemed perfectly normal, which was completely not normal for Quinn. She just hoped she could get some answers once she was at school, so she could figure out what was going on.
The moment Quinn pulled her car to a stop, she rushed out of it and practically sprinted toward the school. Her only thought was finding Rachel to let her know she was okay and tell her about the strange morning she was having. As she walked through the halls looking for the brunette, she couldn't help but notice she was receiving strange looks from more than one person, but the moment she would lock eyes with them, they would quickly look away. She thought about asking one of them what their problem was, but she didn't want to waste the time.
Rachel wasn't by her locker or in the auditorium, so Quinn headed for the choir room. The door was closed, but before Quinn even reached it, she could hear Rachel's voice coming from inside. She smiled at the sound and stopped just outside the door, allowing herself a moment to simply listen. She really didn't want to interrupt, so she quietly opened the door and stepped inside, not moving any further into the
room. Rachel made no indication that she knew anyone had just come in, so Quinn leaned against the door, waiting for Rachel to finish with her song before letting her know she was there.
"I've always liked that song," Quinn commented the moment the last note had left Rachel's mouth.
"Quinn!" the brunette said, jumping as she turned to look at her. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry I didn't call you this morning, but somehow your number got deleted from my phone," Quinn said, pushing off the door, and walking toward Rachel.
Rachel frowned. "I wasn't aware that you ever had my number."
"What?" Quinn asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.
"And why would you call me?" Rachel asked. "Isn't it enough that you insult me during school hours?"
"Insult? What?" Quinn asked, shaking her head. "Rachel, what is going on?"
"Rachel?" the brunette said, raising her eyebrows. "I believe that's the first time you've ever called me by my name."
"Okay, is this some sort of game?" Quinn asked, stepping up to the other girl, who flinched away.
"I can assure you, Quinn, that I have no idea what you're talking about," Rachel stated.
Rachel stepped away from her and grabbed her sheet music from the piano. Quinn watched her closely, thinking that this had to be some sort of joke, but Rachel really wasn't the joking type. And she certainly wasn't the type of person who would do this to Quinn. She'd hoped Rachel would help her figure out what was happening, but now that she'd found her, Quinn had even more questions. Not only that, but she now felt like she was going to be sick.
She wasn't used to Rachel looking at her the way she was. Instead of seeing love and warmth in her eyes, Rachel looked wearily at her. It had been a long time since Rachel looked afraid of her; she used to strive to get that reaction out of people, but now it hurt to see that fear in Rachel. All she wanted to do was to wrap her arms around the brunette, but the moment she'd gotten too close, Rachel had backed away from her. Now, she wasn't even looking at her and she'd quickly distanced herself from Quinn.
Instead of saying anything else, Quinn turned on her heel and walked out of the room. The moment she left, she wanted to run back and beg Rachel to tell her that this was all some sort of prank, but she continued walking down the hall. She could see out of the corner of her eye that more people were staring at her, but she didn't care. She just wanted to find someone who could shed some light on her current situation.
"Fabray!"
Quinn stopped at the sound of Sue's voice and turned around with a sigh. "Yes?"
"Why are you out of uniform?" Coach Sylvester asked. "And while we're on the subject of you breaking my rules, as you know, practice is mandatory. I don't know where you were this morning and I really couldn't care less. As captain, I expect more from you, and if you miss one more time, you'll be at the bottom of the pyramid for the rest of the year, and I will make it as uncomfortable as legally possible." She paused. "Maybe even more so."
Quinn gaped at her former coach as she stormed past her, running into several students along the way and knocking their books out of their arms. She wondered if this day could possibly get any stranger. First her parents, then Rachel, and now Coach Sylvester. It felt like the entire past year hadn't happened or that she was somehow the only person who remembered it. It seemed absurd to think it, but considering she was in Lima, she knew anything was possible.
"You should get out of that Cheerios uniform more often," Puck said, and Quinn looked over to see him leaning against a nearby locker with a smirk on his face. "And the next time you wanna get out of it, you know where to find me. I'll gladly help you take it off."
Quinn rolled her eyes. "Go away, Puck. This is not the day to piss me off."
"Suit yourself, but you know the Puckzilla could show you a good time," Puck said with a shrug.
Quinn rolled her eyes again as she tried not to throw up at the thought. She really needed to figure out what was going on and soon. Hopefully before she hurt someone—namely Puck, who was still leering at her as he walked away.
The moment the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Quinn jumped out of her seat and made a beeline for the door. She needed to find Santana and Brittany, and she just hoped one of them was acting normal. She'd been looking for them all day, but had yet to see either. It wasn't completely unusual, though; she didn't have class with either of them until fifth period, so lunch was often the first time she saw them.
As she walked down the hall, she spotted Rachel by her locker. Her first instinct was to go over, but then she remembered what happened earlier. When Rachel passed her in the hall between first and second period, she didn't acknowledge Quinn in any way. Not only that, but she was also hand in hand with Finn. It had taken all of Quinn's willpower not to throttle the boy, and she repeatedly had to remind herself that it wasn't real. But if felt awfully real when she saw him kiss Rachel as he walked her to class. It felt so real that she found the nearest bathroom and threw up into the toilet.
It pained her to see Rachel with someone else, especially Finn, but she had to not think about it. Clearly something was happening; a dream, a spell—she didn't know, but she was going to get to the bottom of it and set everything right. She just needed to find her friends and hoped they believed her enough to help her.
She passed by the Cheerios' trophy case like she did five days a week, but this time, it caught her eye. Everything about it was different and in the center was a picture of Santana. There were several other pictures with names and dates on them, but Santana's was the largest. As Quinn stepped closer, she realized the dates were the day they died, and all three had the same date on them. There was a newspaper article framed above it and she read the headline. Three McKinley High cheerleaders killed in accident. Turning, she began running down the hall in search of Brittany.
It didn't take long; the moment she rounded the corner, she saw the blonde just down the hall, walking away from her. Quinn slowed to a jog as she neared and eventually stopped completely. She realized she had no idea what to say to Brittany; anything was going to sound completely ridiculous. But this was Brittany, and Quinn thought her chances of getting her to listen and believe her were better than anyone else. She was the least skeptical person she knew and she tended to believe things others didn't. Quinn just hoped she believed this.
"Brittany," Quinn called out.
The blonde stopped for a moment and turned around, but then went back to walking down the hall. Quinn frowned and began quickly walking to catch up to her.
"Hey," Quinn tried again, but the other blonde ignored her.
Quinn reached out to grab Brittany's arm, but the moment she made contact, the other girl jerked her arm away. Brittany finally stopped, though, and turned around to look at Quinn with a scowl on her face. Quinn didn't remember the last time she'd seen Brittany look that angry—probably never—and she was at a loss for words.
"What?" Brittany asked.
"Can we go somewhere?" Quinn asked.
Brittany crossed her arms. "Why?"
"Something is happening and I need you to help me fix it," Quinn answered. "I just need you to listen and—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Brittany turned her back on Quinn and began walking away. Quinn stared after her with her mouth open in surprise, and her arms fell to her sides. That certainly didn't go how she thought it would. She knew it may be difficult to get Brittany to believe her, but she didn't even get to try.
"Did I do something?" Quinn called after her.
Brittany didn't answer, but she did look over her shoulder. This time, she looked more than angry; she was looking at Quinn like she hated her. Quinn had no idea what she could have possibly done to make Brittany look at her like that. She'd barely even seen Brittany mad before and it usually involved Santana.
Quinn paused. Maybe it did have to do with Santana and whatever happened to her. With one last look at Brittany's retreating back, she turned and began walking back to the memorial for Santana and the other two Cheerios. Maybe if she read the article, she could figure out what happened to them and why she and Brittany were no longer friends. She knew it probably wouldn't give the full story—the newspaper often lied about the reason for people's deaths—but it was a start.
When Quinn walked into the choir room at the end of the day, her eyes immediately fell on Artie, who was still in his wheelchair. She sighed and looked at Rachel; she was sitting on the bottom row with Finn next to her. Quinn couldn't help but scowl at the sight of them sitting next to each other and holding hands. She knew there was nothing she could do about it, though, so she quietly walked the rest of the way to the risers and sat down in the seat on the other side of the brunette.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rachel stare at her, but she continued to face forward. She was afraid of what she would say if she looked back. Or what she would do. Every time she saw Rachel, she wanted to grab her and kiss her in the hopes that the other girl would suddenly remember everything they had been through and how much they loved each other. She knew it wouldn't be that simple, but at least it would wipe the smile off Finn's face.
"Why are you sitting next to me?" Rachel asked.
"Because I want to," Quinn replied.
Rachel crossed her arms as she said, "If you're planning to do something today, can you just get it over with? I would like to enjoy Glee without having to wonder when it's going to happen."
"What makes you think I'm going to do something to you?" Quinn asked.
"Well, it wouldn't be the first time, would it?" Rachel retorted.
Quinn sighed and looked forward again; she wasn't going to argue with Rachel. She could see the brunette still looking at her with her arms crossed and a slight frown on her face, but she tried to ignore her. It was easier said than done, though. She hated the thought of Rachel being angry with her for any reason and all she wanted to do was make it better.
When Brittany walked through the door, she locked eyes with Quinn for a moment, and then looked away. Quinn continued to watch her as she walked up the risers and sat in the back row, but Brittany never looked at her again. Sighing, Quinn faced forward again, glancing at Rachel as she turned. The brunette was no longer looking at her; instead, she had her head on Finn's shoulder. Quinn frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, wondering if sitting next to Rachel was really the best thing.
"Alright, guys," Mr. Schue said as he walked into the room. "Wait, where's Puck? Was he at school today?"
"He was here earlier," Finn answered.
"Has anyone seen him?" Mr. Schue asked.
"I think I hear someone coming," Mercedes said.
Mr. Schue looked over his shoulder, and a few moments later, Puck came into the room. He ignored the teacher, passing by without a word on his way to one of the empty chairs. The chair legs scraped the floor as he sat down and stretched his legs out, bumping Kurt's chair to the side as he did so.
"Puck, I warned you about being late," Mr. Schue stated.
"What's it matter?" Puck asked. "I was only two seconds late."
"I expect you to all be in this room by the time I come in," Mr. Schue said. "Sectionals are less than two weeks away and I want everyone to be as committed to this club as they are everything else. That means no more being late and working hard when you're here. You know the rules, Puck; I'm suspending you for the rest of the week."
"This is a bunch of shit," Puck said, knocking his chair back as he stood up. "I don't need this. This club is a joke and I only joined to watch some hot chicks dancing around, but I can go to the strip club for that."
Puck stomped down the risers and stalked out of the room. Everyone watched as he glared at Mr. Schue as he walked past and slammed the door on the way out. The teacher looked surprised by the outburst, but he seemed to be the only one. Several of the students looked sympathetically at the door while a lot of the others were staring at the ground.
"Dude, you might wanna give him a break," Finn spoke up.
"I've told him the rules before, Finn," Mr. Schue replied.
"Finn's right," Tina said quietly. "It's almost the one year anniversary of when his sister died."
Mr. Schue closed his eyes and ran his hand over his face. "You're right. I forgot. Okay, guys, I'll talk to him tomorrow, but right now let's focus on our set list for Sectionals."
Quinn stopped listening the moment Mr. Schue began talking about song ideas. Instead, she continued to stare at the door, wondering how everything she'd done in the past year had been undone. When she finally averted her eyes, she looked to her right and locked eyes with Rachel, who was staring back at her with a curious expression on her face.
Quinn was leaning against her car as she stared up at Rachel's window. She had been standing there for the past ten minutes, wondering if she was doing the right thing by going to her. Clearly, Rachel was not her biggest fan, but she still hoped the brunette would hear her out. She really didn't know what she would do if Rachel wouldn't listen to her; she needed help to figure this out and make everything go back to normal.
Her usual life wasn't that great—it was hard and stressful and far too complicated—but it was her life. Things may not be perfect, but she wouldn't give up what she had with Rachel for the world. She was the most important thing in her life, and having Rachel distrust and even dislike her for less than a day was already killing Quinn. She was determined to make things right, but part of her was afraid that Rachel would just shut her out some more and Quinn didn't know if she could handle that right now. She knew she had to try, but she still couldn't seem to work up the courage to walk up to Rachel's door.
Quinn sighed and pushed off from her car, taking a few tentative steps towards the house. She paused and glanced up at Rachel's window just as her feet hit the walkway. The light in Rachel's room suddenly came on, which answered the question of whether or not Rachel was even home or if this was all for nothing. Squaring her shoulder, Quinn walked the rest of the way to the door and took a deep breath for quickly jabbing the doorbell. It felt like she stood there forever—though it was probably only a few seconds—until Leroy finally opened the door.
"Is Rachel home?" Quinn asked.
"And you are?" Leroy asked back.
"A friend from school," Quinn replied.
Leroy nodded. "She's in her room."
He opened the door wider and Quinn stepped inside. Even though she had been living there for the better part of a year, it felt strange being there.
"Her room is up the stairs and to the left," Leroy instructed.
"I know," Quinn said, looking back at him. "Thanks."
She hurried up the stairs and was about to knock on Rachel's door when she glanced down the hall. The door to the other bedroom was open, so Quinn turned and walked up to it, looking inside. It looked just as it had before she'd moved in and there was no sign that she had ever lived in it. Frowning, she set her sights on Rachel's room again and finally knocked on the door.
"Come in," Rachel called.
When Quinn opened the door, Rachel was visibly shocked once she saw who it was. Quinn stepped inside, closing the door behind her as Rachel continued to stare at her, seeming to be at a loss for words.
"Hey," Quinn said.
"What are y-you doing here?" Rachel asked.
"I need to talk to you," Quinn answered.
"I don't know what you could possibly want to talk to me about, Quinn," Rachel said.
Quinn sighed. "I just need you to listen to me, okay? This morning I woke up at my parents' house."
"Isn't that where you usually wake up?" Rachel asked.
"No," Quinn replied. "I fell asleep in your guestroom and woke up across town. My father kicked me of the house over a year ago and I came to live with you. I know this sounds crazy, but this," Quinn motioned around, "is not how things are supposed to be."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rachel stated.
"We're friends," Quinn firmly said. "More than friends. I love you, Rachel; you have to remember that. Remember us. I don't know what's going on, and I need you to help me figure it out. It's like the last year never happened and I seem to be the only one who remembers that it did."
"I can assure you, Quinn, you have never loved me," Rachel said, putting her hands on her hips. "In face, you've made it quite clear that you think I'm a complete waste of space and that this world would be better off without my presence. Now, please leave."
"Rachel—"
"I don't know what game you're playing, but I'm not falling for it," Rachel interrupted.
Before she could even think about what she was doing, Quinn rushed forward and crashed their lips together. The brunette squeaked in surprise and tried to push Quinn away, but she held onto Rachel's back, keeping her in place. After a moment, Rachel's lips moved against hers, kissing her back, and Quinn felt her body relax a little. When Quinn pulled away, Rachel eyes were still closed and her brows were furrowed together.
"This is no game," Quinn whispered, and Rachel's eyes fluttered open. "I love you, Rachel."
Quinn gave her lips a soft kiss, and before either of them could say anything else, Quinn turned and walked out of the room. She didn't want to push Rachel too much, but she couldn't trust herself not to kiss the other girl again. She just hoped Rachel would think about what she'd said and maybe the brunette would actually talk to her at school the next day.
Quinn slammed on her break when she heard the sound of a woman's screams. She didn't have a stake or any weapons with her, but that didn't stop her from immediately jumping out of the car. She glanced in her back window to see if there was anything she could use, but the only thing back there was a bottle of water. When she heard another scream, she abandoned looking around and began running toward the nearby park, where the screams were coming from.
It didn't take long to figure out who was in trouble. There was a woman near the entrance who was trying to back away from a guy. A few moments later, his face changed into its vampire form and the woman screamed even louder. Quinn began running even faster as the vampire began closing in on the woman.
"Hey," Quinn said, stopping just behind him. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
The vampire turned toward her and Quinn punched it in the jaw. A second later, her hand felt like it was broken and she gasped in pain. Not only did it hurt like hell, but the hit didn't even make the vampire flinch.
"You were saying?" the vampire said as he advanced on her.
Quinn tried to kick the vampire, but it was too fast for her. He blocked the kick and then grabbed her arm, spinning her around, so her back was to his chest. Quinn struggled to get out of his hold, but the vampire was too strong. He was holding her so tightly that she could barely move an inch.
"What are you struggling for?" the vampire asked with a laugh.
"You may want to think twice about this," Quinn said shakily.
The vampire chuckled again. "And why is that?"
Quinn really didn't have an answer; she just continued to struggling, but was still getting nowhere. She had no idea where the woman was, but she had a feeling she had run off. She was stuck with no weapons, no help, and apparently no Slayer powers to speak of. She hadn't felt this helpless in a long time and all she could think was that she was never going to get to see Rachel again. The thought was enough to bring tears to her eyes as she finally stopped trying to get out of the vampire's grasp.
"What, no answer?" he asked. "Oh well. Let's get down to business, shall we?"
Quinn could practically fell his mouth on her neck, but then he suddenly released his tight hold on Quinn. She fell to the ground with a thud, and when she looked up, there were two men on the opposite side of the vampire. One was holding a cross while the other stood by with a gun in his hands.
"What are you going to do with that?" the vampire sneered.
"Are you okay?" the man with the cross asked.
"Yeah," Quinn said, rubbing her arm, and flexing her injured hand.
"She's going to get up and you're going to back away from her," the man said, looking back the vampire. "Unless you want a bullet in your chest. I've heard it won't kill you, but it'll hurt like a son of bitch."
The vampire growled lowly, but backed away nevertheless. Quinn flinched as she put her hand on the ground, and a moment later, she felt someone helping her up. She looked up to find the man with the cross assisting her, and then glanced to the side to see the vampire walking away.
"Thanks," Quinn said.
"What are you doing out this late?" he asked. "You should know how dangerous it is."
"I do, but—it's never really been a problem for me before," Quinn replied.
"You're lucky we saw that other woman running out of the park," the other man stated.
"C'mon," the first guy said as he put the cross in his back pocket. "We'll drive you home."
"My car is just over there," Quinn said, pointing toward the road.
Quinn wondered if she should go to the emergency room—her hand felt like it could be broken—but she just wanted to get back to her parents' house. She had some research to do if she was going to figure out how to turn everything back to normal. Since she had no books and no help, she really didn't know how she was going to do it, though.
"What made you get out of your car?" the man with the cross asked.
"I heard a scream," Quinn stated. "I thought I could help."
"How's that usually work out for you?" the other man asked, sarcasm evident in his voice.
"Better than you think," Quinn wryly answered.
Quinn sighed when her name was yelled the moment she entered the house. She didn't want to deal with her parents right now; she had done it for almost her whole life and she was sick of it. Unfortunately, she couldn't exactly afford to anger them right now. She had no powers to defend herself if her father got violent and as far as she could tell, she had no friends to take refuge with. So, she knew she was just going to have appease them because she really had no other choice at the moment.
"In the den," Russell instructed.
Quinn did as she was told and found her mother and father in the room. Neither of them looked very happy and both had a drink in their hands. Russell was standing only a few feet away from her and she recoiled slightly when he stepped even closer.
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"I had to talk to someone after school," Quinn replied.
"You know the rules," Russell said, grabbing her arm. "You're to be home before dark."
"I had car trouble," Quinn lied, trying not to show how much it hurt for him to grab her already bruised arm. "I was coming home and my car stopped in the road. Two guys were driving by and helped me get it started again. I'm sorry."
"Maybe you should just send her to her room," Judy spoke up.
"Don't you tell me what to do," Russell barked.
Quinn's jaw clenched as she looked up at her father. She had almost forgotten how much she hated him. She usually tried to not think about her parents, but being back in that house brought everything back. It wasn't often that he got physically violent with her; it was usually more emotional. However, she knew anything could happen when he'd been drinking, and judging by the smell of alcohol on his breath, he'd been drinking a lot.
"I know you're lying," Russell said, speaking barely above a whisper as he pulled her closer.
"I-I'm not," Quinn replied.
She was expecting her father to hit her or at least shove her, but instead, he let go of her arm and said, "You're grounded. I want you to come straight home from school for the next two weeks. And I don't want to hear anything about that damn club of yours. Straight home!"
"Yes, sir," Quinn said, trying not to clench her teeth in anger.
"Now, go to your room and stay there," he demanded.
She had no intentions of orders; she would stay there that night, but after that, she'd sleep in her car if she had to. As she walked up the stairs, she could hear her parents arguing in the den. Or more accurately, she heard her father yelling at her mother. She would never understand why her mother continued to stay with him; he'd always been a terrible husband and father and he was never going to change.
When she walked into her room, she closed the door, sliding down the cold surface as she burst into tears. She was usually good about keeping her emotions bottled up, but she just couldn't take it anymore. Between Brittany being angry with her, her father, discovering she had no Slayer powers, and most importantly, seeing Rachel with Finn, she just couldn't hold it in any longer. It had been the longest day of her life and it wasn't even over.
She sat there crying into her hands for several minutes before shakily standing up. There were still tears running down her cheeks, but she wiped them away. She knew she couldn't just sit there and cry even if that's exactly what she wanted to do at the moment. She needed to get to the bottom of what was happening and she wasn't going to waste any more time.
Quinn walked over to her computer and woke it out of its sleep. As she sat down, she still had no idea what exactly she was going to search for, but she had to try. Thankfully, she knew a couple websites Rachel often went on to search for things. One was dedicated solely to demons and other creatures, but another had a little broader focus. She quickly typed it in to the address bar, and when the website came up, she searched for alternate universes.
She had no idea what she was really looking for, so she went from one page to another, searching for anything that sounded like her situation. As she looked through the articles, she began to wonder who could possibly have done this to her. And she knew it had to be someone; it couldn't possibly have happened without a little help. As she clicked on the next page, she paused. This wasn't the first time a spell had been cast on her to make her vulnerable, and she began to wonder if it was connected to the time she found herself as the only one with a soul left in Lima.
Quinn walked onto the football field just as Coach Sylvester dismissed the Cheerios. When she turned around and saw Quinn, the older woman narrowed her eyes. Quinn didn't care if Sue was unhappy with her for not being at practice; she had more important things to worry about. She waited where she was as her former Watcher marched up to her, preparing herself for the tirade that was inevitably going to come from the woman. Much to her surprise, though, Sue bypassed her and walked straight toward the school, leaving Quinn confused.
"Wait!" Quinn called out.
"I'm sorry, but I only talk to my Cheerios, which you are no longer a part of," Sue said.
"You don't have to talk," Quinn replied as she followed the cheerleading coach. "Unless you can tell me how one day you can be the Slayer, and the next day you're not, and no one seems to remember anything that's happened."
Sue stopped in her tracks and turned toward Quinn. "What did you say?"
"The world isn't supposed to be like this," Quinn stated. "Yesterday, I woke up, though, and I was suddenly no longer the Slayer and it's as if I never was. Everything I've changed in the past year is undone. I woke up at my parents' house when I haven't lived with them for a year. Rachel is suddenly with Finn even though we're in love with each other. Brittany hates me, Artie's in his wheelchair again, Puck's sister is dead, Santana is dead—which she is normally, but that doesn't stop her from walking around. You were my Watcher; please tell me you at least understand what I'm saying."
"I was a Watcher to a Slayer, but she was killed last year," Sue said, walking over to the bleachers, and sitting down.
"So, I was never called in this life," Quinn replied, sitting down next to her. "I guess that would explain why everything I did as the Slayer never happened."
"You're telling me that I was your Watcher," Sue said, looking at her seriously.
Quinn nodded. "You were. Something happened and the Council fired you, but yes. Last August you told me I was the Slayer."
"This doesn't make any sense," Sue said.
"Tell me about it," Quinn replied. "I fell asleep in one house and woke up in a completely different one with the whole world changed around me." She sighed. "I need to figure out how to get everything back to the way it was. I don't know how this happened, but there has to be a way to fix it."
"Last August was when Jenny was called," Sue remarked. "She was my Slayer, but she was killed by a vampire named Shelby."
"Corcoran, the former Slayer," Quinn stated. "I killed her in March."
"Well, she overtook this town," Sue replied. "No one's safe after dark anymore; all the vampires in town are under her orders. Not only that, but there's a new threat. A warlock who's made himself immortal. They're fighting for dominance and Lima is suffering the consequences of it. I told the Council to send the new Slayer here, but they think she could be of more use elsewhere. They think this town's a total loss and they don't want another Slayer to die here. Mostly, they don't want to have to wait for another one to be trained."
"This warlock—could he cast a spell to change the world?" Quinn asked.
"Something like that isn't easy, but if he could cast the Rite of Caelerous, a spell like that would be simple in comparison," Sue replied.
"The Rite of Caelerous?" Quinn asked.
"It's a ritual that essentially makes the caster a god," Sue replied. "If someone doesn't stop him soon, Lima isn't going to be the only town that's doomed. He'll take over the world."
"I have to get back," Quinn said, shaking her head. "I have to be the Slayer again."
"I'll contact the Council," Sue said, standing. "They have more resources than I do here; hopefully they can tell us something."
"Do you have your books here?" Quinn asked. "Maybe there's something in them to reverse this."
"They're locked up in my office," Sue replied. "Come on."
Quinn was just happy someone finally believed her; maybe now she could get the help she needed. At least she no longer felt so alone even if she wished it was Rachel that had been the one to stand by her. And as she they walked through the halls to Sue's office, she passed by the brunette, locking eyes with her for a moment. She quickly looked away, and Quinn sighed. She had really hoped that Rachel would come up to her today and say that she believed her, but given the look in her eyes, it didn't seem likely that it was going to happen.
Quinn was standing at her locker, grabbing her book for her final period when she looked to her left and saw Rachel walking down the hall. The brunette was looking straight at her with her shoulders squared and her hands on her hips, and Quinn knew she about to be confronted. She tossed her book in her bag and closed her locker, waiting for Rachel to approach her. As soon as Quinn began staring at her, though, Rachel seemed to lose a bit of her determination, and Quinn could see some hesitation in her eyes.
"I want to know why you," Rachel paused and looked around before lowering her voice, "kissed me last night."
"I already told you why," Quinn replied.
"Well, I simply do not believe that it is because you love me," Rachel said, crossing her arms over her chest. "As I said before, you've made it very clear that you hate me and I doubt you've had a sudden change of heart on the matter. So, I would appreciate it if you would tell me why you did such a thing."
Quinn sighed as she looked at Rachel and then nodded down the hall. "Come on."
"Where are you taking me?" Rachel asked.
"Someplace where we can talk," Quinn replied.
Rachel still didn't believe anything she'd said, but she was talking to her, so that was start. She really didn't know how to convince her; all she could do was tell her the truth and hoped she believed. Of course, the truth sounded far less true than anything she could possibly have made up, and honestly, she couldn't blame Rachel for not believing her. Every time she looked over her shoulder, Rachel looked apprehensive and Quinn couldn't help but wonder what all she had done to her. What she had done to make Rachel distrust her so much.
"Look, I know this is going to be hard to believe, but please listen to what I have to say," Quinn said the moment she entered the choir room, shutting the door behind them.
"I will listen," Rachel said, walking to the nearest chair, and sitting down, giving Quinn her full attention.
"Last August, Sue Sylvester told me I'm the Slayer," Quinn began. "She was my Watcher, sent here by the Watcher's Council. They're this group in England, who are in charge of the Slayer and all the potential Slayers around the world. There's only one called at a time and I was it. When I was called, I became stronger, faster—basically, I had super powers that allow me to fight vampires and demons and anything else the supernatural world likes to throw at me.
"Not long after I was called, you saw me fighting a vampire at the cemetery. You were there visiting your father's grave. You basically bugged me about it until I finally told you the truth, and ever since then, you've helped me. You saved my life more than once and I don't know what I would do without you." Quinn took a deep breath. "Somewhere along the way, we fell in love. I don't ever really know when it happened, but I do know that I can't live without you. We broke up for a while, and when we got back together, I told myself I would never let you go again.
"I think a warlock changed the world so I was never the Slayer. That one thing changed everything; not only my life, but nearly everyone else's. I defeated this vampire named Shelby, but she's taken over this town. She's—"
"My mother," Rachel stated.
"You know?" Quinn said.
Rachel nodded. "She came to me one day. She wanted me to join her."
"Yeah, she did that in my world, too," Quinn said.
"If what you're saying is true, how do we get you back?" Rachel asked.
"I'm not sure, but I was sort of hoping you could help me figure it out," Quinn replied. "You've always been better at doing research than I am. Coach Sylvester gave me all her books, and I've been skipping classes to go through them. I was going to go to sixth period, though, and hope I could get you to talk to me, but you found me first."
"I find all of this a little hard to believe, but I'll help, Quinn," Rachel said.
"Really?" Quinn asked.
"Yes," Rachel replied, looking down.
"Thank you," Quinn said, smiling softly at the brunette.
"So, we're really dating in your world?" Rachel asked, looking up through her eyelashes.
"We are," Quinn answered with a light laugh.
"I find it incredibly hard to believe that you would ever develop feelings for me," Rachel commented.
"Don't," Quinn replied. "You're beautiful and smart and caring and one of the bravest people I've ever met." Quinn shrugged, smiling. "You're perfect, Rach."
Rachel ducked her head and said, "Maybe we should skip sixth period and began this research."
"Sounds like a plan," Quinn said, holding her hand out for the brunette.
Rachel sighed. "Is it always this slow going?"
"Usually," Quinn answered.
"I find this incredibly frustrating," Rachel remarked as she turned the page of her book. "I don't even know what I'm looking for, really."
"That also happens a lot," Quinn replied. "Most of the time, we only have a few things to go by if we're lucky. Somehow, you always manage to find something, though."
"I don't see how that is possible," Rachel said, frowning. "I don't even understand half of what these books say."
Quinn shrugged. "You've learned some Latin, which has helped."
Rachel quietly huffed and Quinn couldn't help but smile. Things almost felt like they were back to normal even though she knew it was far from it. Still, she had Rachel's help now and that meant a lot. At least she now felt like she had a chance to get back to her world. Sue still hadn't heard anything back from the Council and Quinn didn't really expect them to. She knew if anyone was going to find anything, it would be her and Rachel as usual.
"What was that?" Rachel asked, looking over her shoulder, toward the door.
"What was what?" Quinn asked.
"I think someone is here," Rachel said as she stood.
"I doubt it," Quinn remarked. "The school is almost always empty after hours.
"There," Rachel said. "Did you hear that?"
"That I did hear," Quinn said, standing as well.
Quinn walked over to the door and quickly shut off the lights before peering into the hall. She figured it was just a janitor or something—maybe Sue—but she wasn't going to take any chances. She heard another creak and what sounded like footsteps that were coming closer. She held her breath as she listened, trying to stay aware of everything around it. Without her Slayer powers, though, it was difficult and something she wasn't used to.
"Do you see anything?" Rachel whispered.
"No, but I know there's something out there," Quinn whispered back.
She suddenly wished she'd asked Sue for some weapons, but it hadn't occurred to her that she would need them in the school. Other than a few instances, it had been a relatively safe place. But this was a different world. She didn't really have anywhere else to go, though; her parents' house was out of the question and from what Rachel had said, Leroy had forbidden Quinn from ever entering their house again. Quinn had asked why, but Rachel had been hesitant to say, which made Quinn really wonder what all she had done to the brunette to make her father so angry.
"Maybe we should try to sneak out one of the windows," Quinn commented. "Do you think you'll be able to make it? Rachel?"
When she turned around, there was a vampire with its hands around Rachel's throat and across her mouth. The brunette was looking at her in terror, and Quinn could only stare right back in fear. Before she could even move, she heard a sickening crack and the sound of screaming. As Rachel's body was shoved to the floor, Quinn realized the screaming was coming from her own mouth.
"My Mistress gave her a chance," the vampire stated and Quinn recognized him as the vampire she'd kill once before.
Quinn's legs felt like jelly, but she managed to turn the doorknob behind her and begin running. She had no idea where she was going, but she didn't stop. She could hear Jesse behind her, but she didn't dare look back to see how close he was. Instead, she rounded the corner and found the nearest exit, flying out of the school as fast as her legs would carry her.
Unfortunately, she was nowhere near the parking lot and completely out in the open. She tried to stay as close to the building as possible, and every time she rounded one of the corners, she expected to be ambushed. She could no longer hear Jesse's footsteps behind her, but it was little comfort. It only meant that she had no idea where he was and that he could pop out of nowhere at any moment.
By the time her car was within sight, her legs and lungs were both burning. Quinn refused to let up, though; instead, she pushed even harder as the image of Rachel's lifeless body flashed through her mind. Part of her wanted to turn around, find Jesse, and kill him a second time, but given her current state, she knew it would only result in her death, too, and then she would never be able to correct the world. No, she needed to get to the only witches she knew and hope they could help her.
Quinn wiped her mouth as she stood, feeling her stomach churn again. The whole drive to Brittany's she couldn't stop seeing Rachel's face and the moment she stepped out of the car, she couldn't hold it in any longer. She kept telling herself that it didn't matter; that she would get everything back to normal and Rachel would be perfectly fine, but a little part of her wondered if it would be that simple. Along the way, she began crying and couldn't seem to stop. Tears were still streaming down her face as she set her sights on Brittany's house and began walking to the door.
Thankfully, the lights were on, so she knew someone had to be home. When she knocked on the door, she heard Brittany's voice yell that she would get it, and a few moments later, the blonde opened it. She had a smile on her face, but when she saw it was Quinn on her doorstep, it quickly dropped off her face and turned into a frown.
"I need your help," Quinn said before Brittany could close the door in her face.
"I'm not helping you," Brittany stated.
"Honey, who's at the door?" Brittany's mom, Sarah, asked.
"No one," Brittany said as she began to close the door.
"Quinn," Sarah said, stopping Brittany from shutting it. "What's happened?"
"I need you to do a spell," Quinn blurted out.
"A spell?" Sarah asked. "Now how do you know about that?"
"Because I'm not supposed to be here," Quinn replied. "Something happened—this isn't how the world is supposed to be. I need you to help me fix it. I think a spell was cast on me and you're the only one I know who can break it. You have to believe me."
"I do," Sarah said, stepping aside, and opening the door wider. "There's a haze around your aura that shouldn't be there. Someone powerful has been meddling with your life. But why would they bother with one girl?"
"Because changing my life can change everything," Quinn stated.
"Brittany, take Quinn downstairs," Sarah instructed. "In my books there should be a spell called Circle of Correctum. I need you to gather everything for it. There are a few things I need to take care of up here."
Brittany nodded and glanced at Quinn for a moment before turning and walking toward the basement door. Quinn followed just behind her, walking down to the basement. Brittany walked over to the light switch, turning it on, and going to her mother's Book of Shadows. Quinn hung back as the blonde looked through the book, finally stopping on a page, and scanning it.
As Brittany was going over the book, Quinn sat down on the bottom step, putting her head in her hands. She had managed to stop crying for a minute, but now the tears were coming back. Rachel's face wouldn't stop flashing through her mind and she was beginning to feel like she was going to be sick again. She repeated over and over to herself that this was real, but real or not, she was never going to be able to get the image of Rachel's face out of her mind. She'd looked terrified and there was nothing Quinn could do. She had never felt so helpless in her life.
"Quinn," Brittany said. "Why are you crying?"
"He killed Rachel," Quinn answered, sniffing.
"When have you ever cared about her or anyone else?" Brittany asked.
"Look, I have no idea what I've done to you," Quinn said, looking up with red eyes. "This isn't how things are. We're friends, Santana is fine, and I love Rachel. I love her more than anything"
Brittany's eyes softened. "Santana's alive?"
"For all intents and purposes, yes," Quinn said, receiving a skeptical look from Brittany. "She's a vampire, but she's good. Because of you. You two are together and happy."
"And if my mom breaks the spell on you, everything will go back to normal?" Brittany asked.
"It has to," Quinn replied. "If it doesn't—"
She shook her head; she couldn't think about it not working. She couldn't accept the possibility of Rachel really being gone. It had to work; there was no other option. Her greatest fear in life was something happening to Rachel, and she would do whatever she had to do to get her back.
"Do you need any help?" Quinn finally asked.
"You could get the candles," Brittany said with a shrug. "They're in the—"
"Cabinet," Quinn finished for her. "I know; I've lived with you for the last seven months. I just moved back in with Rachel a few weeks ago."
"Why don't you live with your parents?" Brittany asked.
"Why do you think?" Quinn asked back.
Brittany nodded in understanding and Quinn walked up to the podium to see what candles she needed to grab. She could feel the other girl's eyes on her, but she ignored it. She wanted to focus on the task at hand since she knew it was the only thing that would keep her from breaking down again.
Quinn's eyes were closed as Brittany's mom chanted around her. She could see flashes of light through her eyelids, so she knew something was happening. She remained as still as possible in the middle of the circle, surrounded by candles and herbs. The older woman had put something—she didn't ask what—down her arms, on her chest, and on her face. Quinn had been too afraid to ask about the chances of this working, but Sarah had seemed pretty confident, which gave Quinn hope.
Suddenly, a chill went through Quinn and she began to feel as if she was falling. She could still hear Brittany's mom, but her voice grew fainter. A few seconds later, everything went silent and the lights faded. Her eyes remained closed, but she felt like she was lying on something soft. Slowly, she finally opened them and found herself staring at a familiar ceiling.
Quinn bolted upright and looked around her room at the Berry house. Quinn smiled; everything was exactly where it had been before. She threw her covers off and practically ran out of the room, down the hall, and burst in Rachel's room. Quinn stood just inside the door, still holding the knob, as she stared at Rachel. The brunette was sitting up in bed, looking at her with a confused and slightly worried expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" Rachel asked. "Did something happen? Are you hurt?"
Quinn shook her head with a smile. "Nothing has ever been better."
"Quinn?" Rachel said questioningly.
Without saying a word, Quinn walked over to the bed and knelt onto it, crawling up to Rachel. The brunette never took her eyes away from Quinn's, watching her until the moment she brought their lips together. Despite her confusion, Rachel kissed her back without hesitation. Quinn brought her hands up to cup Rachel's face, wanting to feel her and make sure she was real.
"Not that I don't enjoy being woke up like this, but I know you, Quinn, and I can tell when something has happened," Rachel said against Quinn's lips, pulling away just enough to speak.
Quinn sighed and sat back. "When I woke up Wednesday morning, I was in my parents' house."
"Today is Wednesday," Rachel said with a frown.
"Maybe for you," Quinn replied with a crooked smile. "Someone cast a spell on me so I was never the Slayer. For the last two days, I've been trying to get back here. Back to you."
"Quinn!" Rachel said, gasping lightly. "What happened?"
"Nothing very interesting," Quinn lied.
She wasn't going to tell Rachel that she watched her die. It wasn't important for her to know—it wasn't real, after all—and she really didn't want for Rachel to know she failed her like that.
"Quinn," Rachel said, tilting her head as she looked at Quinn.
Quinn closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again and looking at Rachel. "Please don't ask me. I don't want to lie to you."
"That bad, huh?" Rachel said.
"That bad," Quinn replied, looking down.
"Well, everything is okay now, right?" Rachel asked.
Quinn nodded. "Everything's great."
"Then that's all that matters," Rachel said, reaching out, and touching her cheek.
"One good thing did come out of it," Quinn remarked. "I may have an idea about who cast the spell on me. Or at least I know what he might be up to. I think he wants me out of the way, which means something big is going to happen and probably soon. We need to look up the Rite of Caelerous; it's the spell he used to make himself immortal. I have a feeling he's doing the same thing here."
"Do you think that's why he wanted you out of his way?" Rachel asked.
"I do," Quinn replied.
"We should go to the school," Rachel said, throwing her covers off. "We can do a few hours' research before we have to go to class."
Quinn laughed lightly and put her hand on Rachel's shoulder. "Hold on. We have plenty of time for that later today. Right now, I really just want to sleep."
Rachel smiled back. "If you're sure."
"I'm very sure," Quinn said, placing a quick kiss on Rachel's cheek. "Mind if I sleep here?"
Rather than saying anything, Rachel scooted over, giving Quinn enough space to slip under the covers. As soon as she was under the covers and Rachel had turned off the light, Quinn turned, wrapping her arm around the brunette.
"I love you," Quinn said, kissing Rachel's shoulder, and nuzzling into her neck.
"I love you, too, Quinn," Rachel replied, looking over at Quinn, and smiling.
Anyone who follows me on tumblr already knows this, but I'm ending this story early. Instead of being 22 chapters like Chosen, it's only going to be 12. If you need my full reasoning, my tumblr link is in my profile.