Chapter One - Help Me

The first thing that I did when I arrived in my hometown was to stop for food at my favourite diner. Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe was the heart of Riverdale and no matter what was going on, Pop's was a haven for all. The food was beyond fantastic, the milkshakes were timeless, and the company, irreplaceable. My friends and I would find ourselves in the booths of Pop's nearly every evening. It was where everyone went on their first date, including me.

As soon as I opened the door, I heard the iconic tinkling of the bell. It sounds stupid when I think about it now, but when I heard that, I felt warm inside. I felt safe. I knew that Pop Tate would do anything to protect the patrons of his diner.

"Hey, what's a girl gotta do to get a cheeseburger, a vanilla shake, and some of those cheese fries with the cheese on the side around here?" I asked as I walked up to the counter faking a smile. It was the first time I'd smiled in a while, and it just felt so foreign.

Pop Tate turned around and chuckled. "Well, I'll be! I still remember the only kid that asked for cheese on the side so they could dip their fries in it. Miss Ivers, how have you been?" He came out from behind the counter and gave me a hug. That was foreign too. I hadn't been hugged in years.

I faked a bigger smile. If I wanted to get used to smiling again, I'd have to learn to fake it until I made it. "I'm fantastic, Pop. How's the diner?"

"Oh, she's had her ups and downs, but we're still going." He smiled more and walked back behind the counter. "Now, your order. For here or to go?"

"Can't stay. I've gotta find a hotel to crash in for the night."

"To go it is. It'll be right up. You can go have a seat in your usual booth."

"Thanks, Pop. I can always count on you." I looked out the window only to see raindrops start to fall in the light of the neon signs that illuminated the exterior of the Chock'lit Shoppe. I gave a small sigh and walked to the left, to the same booth that my friends and I would sit in whenever we'd come to Pop's. Nothing had changed except the clientele. Everyone that was here when I was all had kids, and it was their kids who filled the red vinyl booths.

It was then that I heard the bell again. It promptly snapped me back to reality. I'd been reminiscing and that was a dangerous thing. Suddenly, I was filled with dread. I had no idea who would be walking in the door or if they would even notice me. If they did, would they know me? It was something that I wanted to avoid altogether, so I took the hood of my sweatshirt and put it up to cast a shadow over my face. I was beginning to have second thoughts about returning home.

"Welcome back, Sheriff." I heard Pop say as a man in a police uniform walked in with three children. One was in a wheelchair. She had dark fuchsia hair with a darker shade of purple mixed in. Another barely looked as if she was 13, but you could tell that she'd seen too much for anyone of her age. The boy, probably a junior in high school, and most definitely the first girl's twin, wore a denim shearling jacket, a flannel tied around his waist, and a beanie that looked like a crown. They all looked so much alike. If they were who I thought they were, I had to get out of there immediately. It would be one thing to get recognised by someone that I went to high school with, who barely knew me, but to be recognised by someone who you were probably the closest to in your life, someone who would ask questions, someone who you'd have to lie to, someone you loved…I didn't want to get him involved.

The girl in the wheelchair rolled by me to the booth adjacent to mine. She set herself up at the end of the table and smiled as her siblings sat down with her. Their father was up at the counter talking to Pop Tate. I heard his last words to Pop as he turned and walked towards the booth his children were sitting at. "The usual, Pop." If I didn't recognise his voice right away, I recognised his face as soon as he took off his hat. It was the only other person besides my husband that I was so afraid it would be, FP Jones.

I immediately got up, keeping my head down, hood up, and arms crossed in front of me as if it would protect me and make me smaller than my already small frame. That was my first mistake though. I wasn't watching where I was going, and in just a few steps, I collided with the sheriff.

"Whoa, hey, you alright?" A hint of concern could be heard in his voice as he backed up.

"Sorry," I said in haste as I pushed passed him. I made it to the door and looked back at Pop Tate. "Just cancel my order, Pop. I've gotta run." I could hear FP call behind me, wanting me to stop.

I didn't realise how hard it had started to rain until I stepped onto the stairs outside. It was slick and before I was even onto the first step, I slipped and fell down the stairs into a puddle that was forming at the bottom. I didn't move though. I was too tired, too upset to move. I thought that returning to Riverdale would be the best thing for me, but now I was starting to second guess my decision even more than before. Things weren't working out how they should at all.

I heard the bell above the door again and immediately I felt my hood leave my head. "Artemis? What the hell are you doing here?" FP asked, his level of concern having grown drastically from just a few seconds ago.

I threw my arms out and pushed him away from me, my brown hair, now fully soaked by the torrential downpour, falling into my eyes behind my glasses. "Get away! Don't come near me! Just stay away!" I screamed.

"Tem, what's going on? What are you doing here?" He got closer to me again, trying to get me to calm down.

Grabbing his shirt in my fists, I looked him straight in the eyes. "Just stay away from me! Forget I was even here! I don't want you caught up in any of this!"

"Caught up in—" It was then that he saw the pure terror in my eyes, the scars on my face, my slightly crooked nose that had been broken a few times. He saw the scar under my eye and the superficial wounds and bruises on my temple and cheekbone. "What happened to you?" His voice was hollow. He wasn't angry. He wasn't concerned. He wasn't disappointed. He wasn't scared. No, this is the way his voice sounded when he was all of those at once.

"Nothing," I said sternly and tried to get away, but he grabbed my chin and turned my head from side to side, taking in every scar, cut, and bruise that marred my gentle features. "Get off of me, FP!" I tried to push him away again, but he didn't budge.

"Artemis, who did this to you?"

"None of your business!" I snapped and pulled away. I fell backwards into the puddle, my tears mixing with the rain on my face. I was soaked head to toe, in a place I hadn't seen in years, where I thought I'd be able to blend in. I was wrong. I don't think I ever realised how much of a mess I was because of my awful marriage. I should've gone somewhere else, somewhere different. I should never have involved anyone in this town. They didn't deserve to be dragged down with me.

I felt FP's arms around me, helping me up. He brought me to my feet but it was almost like my body refused to stand on its own like it wanted to just stay in that puddle all night. "Artemis listen to me. Listen to me!" He tried to hold me, but I just pounded my fists on his chest weakly. My legs didn't hold me very long. I started to fall back to my knees, but FP just held me and refused to let me go no matter how much I begged and pleaded.

Over my sobs, I heard that bell above the door again. I knew that it had to be his kids standing there because I could hear his voice reverberate in his chest. "Jughead, help me get her up. TJ, you're driving to the hospital. The keys are in the ignition. Jellybean, help your sister and go get in the cruiser."

I felt someone else's arms around me, helping me up. I'd cried so hard that I'd given myself a migraine and teetered on the edge of consciousness. By the time I was in the police cruiser, I'd fallen off that edge and into unconsciousness. I was told though that Sheriff FP Jones and his children rushed me to the hospital with sirens blaring and the blue lights flashing. Though, I wouldn't hear of this until the next afternoon when I woke up in a bed at Riverdale General Hospital.