PITCH PERFECT SPOOKFEST 2023 - DAY 4 - WAKING NIGHTMARE
Summary: Flo is having nightmares, and no one knows how to help her deal with them.
A/N: During the spooky season, our nightmares are not always about demons or things that go bump in the night. Sometimes, they are about things in our heads that keep us awake at night. Having come to America to get a college education, Flo Fuentes, a tiny little Latina dynamo, has nightmares about losing her family. Soon, those nighttime dreams that wake her with her heart beating fast become reality. And that is the scariest thing of all.
FLO
The Bellas were making their way back to Barden University after another fundraising event. It was late, and most of them were asleep. Chloe remained awake to keep Amy company as she drove through the night.
Chloe heard a noise from the back of the Bellas bus and turned around. Flo was visibly shaking and moving her head from side to side.
"I hope it's not another nightmare," Chloe mumbled as she gently shifted Beca so she was leaning against the window.
"What's wrong, Chloe?" Amy asked, seeing Chloe standing in the aisle.
"I think Flo's having a nightmare," Chloe said. "I'm just going to check on her."
Amy looked in the mirror over her head, and Flo seemed to be sleeping peacefully.
"She looks okay to me," Amy said.
"I guess she's okay," Chloe said.
Chloe jostled Beca slightly when she sat down.
"Chloe?" Beca said, rubbing her eyes. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah," Chloe said. "I thought Flo was having a nightmare."
"Is she okay?" Beca asked, looking back at Flo.
"Yeah," Chloe said. "She seems settled now."
"Good," Beca said, yawning as she turned to look out the window to see where they were. "I guess we'll be home soon."
"We got about another twenty more minutes, Red," Amy said from the driver's seat.
"Thanks, Amy," Chloe said, looking over her shoulder at Flo. "I hope Flo can sleep through the night without waking the whole house."
Beca looked back at Flo as well.
"She seems to be sleeping okay now," Beca said, snickering. "Maybe we should leave her on the bus so we can get some sleep."
"We are not leaving Flo or anyone else on the bus alone," Chloe said.
"We're pulling onto campus," Amy said. "Better wake everyone."
"I'll do it," Chloe said.
Chloe stood and made her way down the aisle, shaking the girls awake.
"We're here," she said to each as they woke and looked at her.
Chloe made it to Flo's seat and frowned. She was sleeping so peacefully that Chloe didn't want to wake her. She sighed and gently shook Flo's shoulder.
"Wake up, Flo," Chloe said softly. "We're back at the house."
"Mmmm," Flo said, sitting up to look around. "Am I really awake?"
"What?" Chloe asked, confused. "Your eyes are wide open; of course, you're awake."
"Okay," Flo said and started gathering her stuff.
Chloe turned to find the girls blocking the aisle as they gathered their stuff.
"Oh, sorry, Chloe," Stacie said. "We'll be out of your way in just a second."
"It's okay," Chloe said. "I want everyone to make sure you get everything off the bus. No one gets to go to sleep until the bus is totally cleared out."
A collective groan went up.
"Amy out," Amy said, grabbing her bag and leaving the bus.
"Amy, get back here and help!" Beca yelled after Amy.
"Let her go, Beca," Chloe said from the back of the bus. "It's not worth it."
~~ Pitch Perfect SpookFest 2023 - Day 4
The quiet of the Bellas House was suddenly shattered by screaming.
"¡DETENER! ¡Por favor!" Flo's voice cried out, echoing through every room.
"What the hell?" Beca mumbled as she jumped up and ran to Flo's room.
Beca burst in to find Stacie holding Flo down and trying to wake her.
"Flo! Wake up!" Stacie yelled.
By now, the rest of the Bellas were huddled in the doorway.
"Do you need some help, Stacie?" Chloe asked, moving toward the bed.
Flo stirred and looked up at Stacie.
"Lo que está sucediendo?" Flo asked. "¿Por qué me tienes prisionero?"
"Estabas teniendo una pesadilla." Stacie said. " Estaba intentando despertarte."
"Stacie speaks Spanish?" Beca asked.
"She speaks several languages," Chloe said.
"Ay dios mío," Flo said. "Lo siento mucho."
"It's okay, Flo," Stacie said. "You have nothing to be sorry about."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Chloe asked. "About your nightmares and what's causing them?"
Flo sat up and ran a hand through her hair.
"Can I just talk to you and Stacie?" Flo asked.
"You girls don't mind, do you?" Chloe asked, looking over at the Bellas.
"I'll be in my room if you need me," Beca said as she turned to leave the room.
"Me, too," Jessica added.
"Same," Ashley said.
"Goodnight," Cynthia Rose said as she followed Ashley and Jessica.
Once everyone was gone, Stacie and Chloe turned to Flo.
"So, tell us what's got you screaming in the night," Stacie said.
"The fear that my worst nightmare will come to life," Flo said after a moment.
Stacie and Chloe looked at each other and then back at Flo.
"What's your worst nightmare?" Chloe asked.
"It's one where my family dies, and I can't go home to say goodbye to them," Flo said. "My whole family is in Guatemala, and I can't afford to go there if anything should happen to them."
"Oh, sweetie," Chloe said, rubbing Flo's arm. "You know we'd help you get home if you needed to."
"You'd do that for me?" Flo asked with a tear in her eye.
"Of course we would," Stacie said, hugging her. "You're family. We all would do anything for family."
"Maybe you should get some rest, and we can talk about this in the morning," Chloe said. "I'm sure it's not as bad as you're making it out to be."
"Okay," Flo said, settling back in her bed. "I'll try not to think about it. I'm sorry I woke everyone."
"Don't worry about it," Stacie said, moving over to her bed. "We've all woken everyone at some point. You're not the first, and I'm sure you won't be the last."
"Goodnight, girls," Chloe said and left to go to her room.
~~Pitch Perfect SpookFest 2023 - Day 4~~
Two days later, Chloe came home from her last class, singing a happy tune under her breath. She stopped when she saw Flo pacing back and forth while talking on the phone. Stacie, Jessica, and Ashley were sitting on the sofa, watching her. Chloe went over to them
"What's going on, girls?" Chloe asked.
"Flo's brother Emilio called to tell her that her abuela is very sick and is asking for her to come home," Stacie said.
"Oh, no," Chloe said. "That's like her worst nightmare, coming true."
"No puedo volver a casa," Flo cried into the phone. "No tengo dinero."
Chloe looked at Stacie. "What did she say?"
"She just told him she couldn't come home because she doesn't have any money."
"We have to do something to help her," Jessica said.
"What can we do?" Ashley asked. "We're just a bunch of poor college girls ourselves."
"I'm sure we can figure out something that will help," Jessica said.
"Tengo que ir," Flo said. "Llámame si algo cambia con la abuela."
She ended the call and wiped her eyes. Chloe and the girls jumped up and pulled the girl into a hug.
"What can we do?" Chloe asked.
"I don't know," Flo said. "Emilio said my abuela is very sick, and the doctors don't think she only has a few days left. There is no time for me to get there before she passes."
Flo sobbed, and the girls hugged her tighter.
"We'll think of something," Chloe said. "I promise."
"Flo?" Ashley said, pulling back to look at the girl. "Was your brother talking to you on a cellphone?"
"Um, yeah," Flo said, sniffling. "Why?"
Ashley smiled and said, "I know it won't be the same as you being there in person, but maybe he could FaceTime so you and your abuela could see and speak to each other."
Flo's face lit up, and a smile adorned her lips.
"That's a great idea, Ash," Stacie said. "What do you think, Flo? Do you think Emilio would do that for you?"
"I think he would," Flo said.
"Go call Emilio now and set it up," Chloe said, releasing Flo.
"I'm going to my room and calling him," Flo said. "I may need to yell at him, and I don't want to do it in front of everyone."
"We understand," Chloe said, smiling.
Flo grabbed Ashley and hugged her.
"Thank you," Flo said. "I'm going to call Emilio now."
Flo turned and hurried to the stairs. Cynthia Rose came in as Flo rushed past her and up the stairs.
"What's up with her?" Cynthia Rose asked.
Stacie explained about Flo's grandmother and how upset Flo was that she couldn't see her before she passed away. She ended with Ashley's idea of a FaceTime call between Flo and her grandmother.
"Is there anything we can do?" Cynthia Rose asked.
"I think if Flo is able to FaceTime her grandmother, that should ease her mind a bit," Chloe said.
"Keep me posted if she needs our help," Cynthia Rose said and went to her room.
~~Pitch Perfect SpookFest 2023 - Day 4~~
Thirty minutes later, Flo came downstairs.
"Did you talk to Emilio?" Chloe asked.
"Not yet," Flo said. "He didn't answer, so I left a detailed voicemail on what I wanted to do. I'll just have to wait until he calls me back."
"I'm sure it will all work out," Chloe said.
"Me, too," Flo said, smiling.
"It's my turn to cook," Stacie said as she entered the living room. "Is everyone okay with chicken and rice?"
"I vote yes," Chloe said, raising her hand.
"Me, too," Flo said.
"Good," Stacie said. "No one else is here to vote, so it looks like we're having chicken and rice. Flo, would you mind helping tonight?"
"Of course," Flo said and followed Stacie into the kitchen.
It was almost three in the morning, and Flo was once again responsible for waking Stacie. Only it wasn't from a nightmare; it was from Flo's ringing phone. Flo fumbled around and found the phone, answering it with a sleepy, "Hello?"
Flo listened for a moment and then sat up tears filled her eyes. Stacie looked at her with concern.
"Cuando?" Flo asked as the tears fell down her cheeks.
Seeing the tears, Stacie went over and sat on the edge of Flo's bed. Flo looked at her as she listened to her brother.
"Ya te dije que no tengo dinero para volver a casa," Flo said angrily. "No hagas esto más difícil de lo que ya es para mí."
Hearing this, Stacie got up and rushed out of the room. She softly knocked on Chloe's door and heard a sleepy come in. Stacie opened the door and entered.
"Flo's grandmother died," Stacie said without preamble.
"What?" Chloe said, throwing back the covers and getting out of bed.
"It must have just happened," Stacie said as they both made their way to Stacie's room. She's talking to Emilio now."
Stacie and Chloe walked in to find Flo staring down at the phone in her hand as tears continued to stream down her face.
"Oh, sweetie," Chloe said, rushing to take Flo into her arms. "I'm so sorry."
"Emilio doesn't understand why I cannot go home," Flo cried. "I want to go, but I don't have the money, and my family doesn't have it. This really is my worst nightmare come to life."
Chloe hugged Flo tighter. "Don't worry. We're going to figure out something. I promise."
"Chloe's right, Flo," Stacie said. "We'll think of something. I'm going to wake the girls so we can start forming a plan."
Stacie moved to leave, and Flo stopped her.
"Don't do that," Flo said. "I've already caused them to lose enough sleep. We can wait until the morning."
"Flo, how many times do we have to tell you that you're family," Chloe said. "The girls will want to help. Go ahead, Stacie, and wake the girls. Tell them to meet us downstairs."
Stacie nodded and went to rouse the girls. Chloe led Flo down to the living room, and the girls started coming in shortly after. Beca and Amy were the last to come down.
"Why do I have to do this?" Amy whined as they reached the living room.
"Because Flo needs us," Beca said. She looked at Flo and said, "I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you," Flo said, wiping her eyes.
The other girls expressed their sympathies as well. Flo acknowledged each with a quiet thank you.
"Okay, girls," Chloe said. "We need ideas and fast. We have to figure out a way to get Flo to Guatemala quickly so she can attend her grandmother's funeral."
"I'm going to call my dad," Beca said. "He may have some ideas."
"Can you call him now?" Stacie asked. "We really don't have time to waste."
"Um, sure," Beca said, checking the time. "I left my phone upstairs."
Beca ran upstairs and called her dad. She spoke to him for about twenty minutes before rushing downstairs to the girls.
"My dad needs to talk to you," Beca said, holding the phone out to Flo.
"Me?" Flo asked, looking around at everyone.
"He's going to buy your airline ticket so you can go to Guatemala," Beca said nonchalantly.
Everyone looked at Beca in surprise.
"Here," Beca said, pushing the phone toward Flo. "Take it."
Flo's hand was shaking as she took the phone.
"Hello?" Flo said.
Chloe jumped up and grabbed Beca in a hug. "I can't believe you talked your dad into helping Flo like this."
"I didn't," Beca said. "I told him about Flo's grandmother and how she couldn't afford to go home. He offered to buy her a ticket and said something about cheap fares and bereavement fares. He had Sheila call one of the airlines, and they are ready to book a ticket for Flo, but they need some information from her to do it. He also said it's about $300 round trip."
"Wow! I thought it would cost much more," Chloe said. "Remind me to thank your dad and Sheila."
"Thank you, Dr. Mitchell," Flo said. "I cannot tell you how much this means to me. I will pay you back, you have my word on that." She listened for a moment and then held the phone out to Beca. "Your dad wants to talk to you."
Beca took the phone, and Flo rushed upstairs. "I have to pack for my flight."
"Yeah, Dad?" Beca said. She listened and looked around at the girls. "Don't worry, dad. We'll make sure she gets there. Thanks again for doing this."
Beca ended the call and said, "Get dressed, girls; we have to get Flo to the airport for her flight."
"What time is her flight?" Chloe asked.
"Three hours from now," Beca said, checking the time on her phone. "It's an international flight, and she'll need to get through Security and Customs, so we should leave here within the next thirty minutes."
"Let's go, girls," Chloe said, heading for the stairs. "Everyone meet at the Bellas bus in twenty minutes."
Beca followed Amy up to their room. They dressed and hurried downstairs to meet the rest of the girls.
"Have you got everything you need, Flo?" Beca asked as Flo exited her bedroom.
"Yes," Flo said. "Stacie made sure I did."
"Good, let's go," Amy said, hurrying toward the stairs.
~~Pitch Perfect SpookFest 2023 - Day 4~~
A few days later, Flo returned, saying that her abuela would have haunted her if she had missed too many classes and wasn't able to graduate. As a thank you, she made a Guatemalan meal for her Barden family. She invited Dr. Mitchell and his wife to thank them as well.
The table was set, and everyone was sitting around admiring the amazing food laid out before them. Flo tapped her glass and stood; everyone looked at her.
"I want to thank you all for being here," Flo said, looking around the table at everyone. "I can't express how much it means to me that you all did what you did for me. These dishes are my grandmother's family recipes, and I wanted to share them with my Barden family. Now, let's eat before it gets cold."
Everyone smiled and started passing food around the table.
I know, I know. Not really a "spooky" fic, but it does touch on one of my greatest fears: the fear of living far away from my mother and getting that dreaded phone call in the middle of the night that something had happened to her. If that happens, I will definitely be living a waking nightmare.
