Chapter 7

Chapter

Seven

PRUE

I 'm getting hangry; the walking's incessant. I haven't seen anything that indicates I'm heading toward something. It's pink grass and shadowy trees. There's no sign of Grayson, no road, and no houses or buildings here.

My feet throb, the muscles in my back and legs burn. My body is begging me to take a break, but the idea makes me uncomfortable. I don't want to stop and think about what I'm doing here. Or how my life always ends up messy. Or how all I want is my peaceful, small existence and my little cottage in Haddlebrooke. I miss it to my core. I want to sit in my bath, eat a bowl of pasta, and be me. No expectations, and nothing more to worry about than the dinner rush.

I shake my head, as if the physical action will get rid of the thoughts and the anxiety curling through my veins. I have no way of getting home, no idea where I am, and no one to help.

"Come on, Prue." Yep, I've ventured into talking to myself aloud. "Get it together and figure out a plan like you've always done." While not a hundred percent true, it was like seventy-nine percent accurate, that I'm a problem solver unless Andria's with me because she always took care of me.

Andria… The way I miss her and the realization that it would be like I left her, brought me to a halt again. I had left her. I had left Haddlebrooke without a word to anyone, desperate to save it and her and my home. I forgot to preserve the one relationship I cherished. I pulled out my phone, which is fucking stupid because I know I'm not going to get signal to message her from another earth… But I throw open my messages and type one out anyway.

I will be back. I click send and put the rather useless piece of technology into my pocket, surprised it survived the harsh landing. I keep going.

My thoughts occupy me for a while, enough that the shifting environment catches me off guard. I stop walking, the sun's setting now. Its burnt orange clashes with the violet sky, and it makes everything glow. I forget about where I am and take in the sight of it and how all the colors shine even more under the light of the sunset. Then it hits me, the day is ending… I need to make a plan for the night. I spin, searching for a possible solution. Up ahead the trees are a bit denser, and I can probably set up there for the night.

Yet, the idea of being out here, with the shadowy outline of trees, being exposed overnight, creeps me the hell out. I don't move. The right thing to do would be to find a relatively sheltered area and rest. Give my body a break. I scan my surroundings again. Dusk kicks in. The pink grass is becoming muted, but the trees are darker as if the night speaks to them and is waking them up.

There's no way I'm stopping. I can use my cell phone as a torch, and my eyes will adjust. I'm not camping out here.

I never thought the sight of a damn road can bring me to tears, but here I am, standing on the gravel, feeling like I might bawl my eyes out. The relief surges through me, mingling with exhaustion and lingering anxiety. My feet ache, my mind's a jumbled mess, but I'm no longer on a hill, surrounded by eerie trees. It's taken me a good couple of hours to walk my ass out of that godforsaken place. Another few hours of walking can't kill me.

I let my concern for Grayson trickle back in. I have to find him. He's the only person who knows what's going on, the only person who can help get me home. I wonder again if he did this on purpose, but the look he gave me before we crashed was pure panic. So, I give him the benefit of the doubt, substituting my anxieties with the fact that if there's a road, there has to be a town or other people to discover.

"All right, Prue, time to find some civilization."

The road stretches out before me, but I don't let it weigh me down. I needed help and a stiff drink. Hell, maybe a drink first then help. I'm not fussy at this stage.

This energy feels off here, and I'm starting to wonder if this is what Grayson was talking about with the time streams being damaged. It's like everything wants to scream, to be yanked out of this existence and thrown into a different one. It's like it's been torn, and no matter how hard I try, I can't block the feeling out.

I scan my surroundings, and my stomach jumps. Up ahead are lights. They're tiny little dots, but they're definitely there. I quicken my pace, my calves screaming at me, and my throat drying up.

My footsteps reverberate. It's oddly quiet, but there it is, a town, and some form of structures. I check my useless cell phone. It's 11PM. Assuming time follows a similar construct here, I'm not sure what will be open. But maybe I'll get lucky with a diner or such. I have no money, but I could work that out somehow.

When I enter the town, nothing's open. The buildings are still with no people clearly in them. Where is everyone? It's odd, walking for so many hours and not seeing another person, not hearing them or the usual noises of cars or kids or music.

I'm about to turn back and try another route, when I see an off-the-track beaten bar, tucked away in a corner. It has a weathered sign of a clock above the door with intricate patterns snaking the border of it. It sends a chill down my spine; this isn't what I'm hoping for. But there are people inside, I can see their outlines in the one window. But the clock sign makes me hesitate. Everything in the past couple of days has had to do with my newfound Time Witch abilities. What is the chance of landing in another time stream on another earth and finding a bar that happens to have a clock on it?

Yet, I have no other choice. Nothing else seems to be open. My hand shakes, as I push open the heavy door, the creaking sharp to my ears given the silence that's surrounded me the past couple of hours. I stand in the doorway, the interior surprisingly well lit. Small tables are scattered throughout. There are booths almost reminiscent of old school diners with red upholstered chairs. Most of the customers are eating and drinking and happily chatting away. They don't bother to glance my way, and the lack of attention eases any concern I have. This is a random local spot. They don't care who I am. The world does not revolve around you, Prue.

I find an empty booth and slide into it. And as soon as I sit, my muscles ease and the tense pain in my back subsides.

A blonde girl with bright hazel eyes walks up to me. Her hair's in a high ponytail, she's in simple black jeans and a white top, and she's holding a menu out for me.

"Hey," she greets me in an overly chipper voice.

"Hi," I croak out. I am about to add that I have no money, that I desperately need water and something to eat and will wash dishes if need be. But I don't get the words out, because she speaks first.

"We've been waiting for you." She slides the menu in front of me. "What can I get you, Prudence?"

An icy dread washes over me with each word.

My side burns, but the bleeding has at least stopped. I pause. Opening my bag, I throw the bloody shirt in it. I grab the one bottle of water I brought with, and down it.

I know where I am, and I am fucking pissed about it. Something weird's happened. Prue interrupted my jump but instead of landing, or dying, which is probably what should have happened, we somehow ended up outside of the town that Marissa would be in.

Which wasn't a coincidence. I stare at the road in front of me. I know where this leads, once I start walking, I'm going to find Prue. I finally have recouped enough power to tap into the energy that surrounds me, and everything is screaming for Prue. It's etched in the particles of the town. It wants her to be here, to find it, to exist in this moment, and she's here. Because Prue has no idea how to control her power, or how to tell when it's being influenced.

I pick my pace up, even though it will cost me. My ribs take more strain and as they bend and the pain intensifies, the bleeding picks up again, flowing out of me in one dark red pool. This time I don't bother to try another makeshift bandage.

I pull on a jacket to cover my stained shirt. I'm a mess. I'm clammy and bloody and visibly look like the fucked-up mess of a person I am. There's nothing but destruction around me, and that same type of ruin is carving its way into my body.

I have one shot at fixing all of this, one shot of erasing this time stream, and she's sitting in some bar, without any inclination of what is going on, which is partially my fault.