Chapter 1: Welcome to Santa Cruz
Chapter Text
- Chapter One -
- Welcome to Santa Cruz -
(April 17th, 2021 - 7:04PM; Santa Cruz Boardwalk, California)
The bright blaring lights of Santa Cruz's boardwalk seemed almost blinding to newly turned eighteen year old Hanna Winters as she tried to keep up with her family through the over-crowded fairground, her family moving hastily around the rides on the boardwalk not far ahead.
It had been two days since they arrived in Santa
Cruz, California, all the way from Oxford, and Hanna couldn't help but admire the vibrant American culture surrounding her; from the fast-food stands selling nothing but mouth-watering treats, to the many arcades and comic book stores lining the inner-section of the spacious boardwalk. She felt as if she was in some sort of teen movie.
"Hurry up! We're already late for our reservation at Donnie's." Her mother, Elise, impatiently hollered from where she now stood against one of the many lamp-posts lighting up the surprisingly still humid April atmosphere. The woman was in her mid forties with short blonde hair that was pulled up into a small ponytail behind her head, her ocean blue eyes hidden behind thick rimmed glasses that perched gracefully at the end of her small nose.
There was no doubt that her mother was a beautiful woman, however, regardless of her mature prettiness, she chose not to flaunt her natural beauty like most girls usually would - instead choosing to dress moderately modest yet still holding a touch of elegance.
Rolling her dark eyes at her mothers inability to keep her hair on, Hanna continued her steady pace; skilfully dodging large groups of teenagers as they meandered around in a subconscious manner, knowing fully well that it would wind her mother up even more.
"Are you being serious Hanna? Come on! Get a move on." A new, yet all too familiar deep masculine voice spoke up from across the short distance between her and the bustling cotton candy stand.
Not liking the seriousness in her fathers tone, Hanna gave in to her childishness and jogged the rest of the way towards where both her parents and older brother, Louis, stood waiting with their arms crossed across their chests, frowns adorning their faces.
"Okay, I'm sorry. I wanted to admire the scenery a bit more." Hanna apologised sheepishly, her right hand reaching up to brush her thick coffee-coloured locks behind her small - earring clad - ear.
Understanding his sisters reasoning, Louis wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders in a reassuring hug; letting her know that he wasn't angry at her for slowing them down.
"Right," Elise, Hanna's mum, breathed, "I'm pretty sure it was somewhere along here. Tim, what does it say on your phone?" Elise questioned in wonderment, all the while scanning the ever-growing crowds consuming the area around them.
Ever since the COVID 19 restrictions eased, people were now aloud to venture around a lot more, of course with the addition of face masks and gallons of hand-sanitiser, which is what resulted to this moment with the Winters family being able to travel over to America and pick up a reservation at the boardwalk's most popular restaurant and bar.
Tim's gruff voice replied irritably, "It's telling me it's just round the other side of these shops," - One thing that Hanna hated about her father was the incessant smoking he did on a daily basis, it had been her mission all year to try and get him to stop; telling him about all the nasty things the small cancer sticks can do to a human body, but it all seemed to fall on deaf ears. "This bloody GPS thing is crap!"
Swiping the iPhone from his fathers grasp, Louis scanned over the directions in an attempt to figure out the exact location they were supposed to be headed, his blue eyes, which were identical to his mothers, bounced quickly back and forth in front of the screen as he read. "This way." He said blatantly, pointing to a nearby walkway leading to the next street over.
"Well, I could've done that!" Tim whined, gobsmacked by how easy it was for his son to find out which way to go.
"Next time, dad. Next time." Hanna joked, a happy smile gracing her soft red lips.
Still miffed, Tim continued forward, his hand entwining with his wife's, "Next time my ass."
Hearing their dad's annoyed whisper, both Hanna and Louis shared a knowing look before bursting out into laughter; finding their dad's little outburst rather amusing.
"Come on! We don't have all night!" Came their dad's deep voice from the other end of the walkway, prompting Louis to begin to jog ahead, his little sister trailing not far behind.
"Cheers!" The happy family cheered as they sipped on their first drink of the evening, the relaxed atmosphere inside the restaurant luring the four of them into a peaceful mood, a complete contrast to the chaos that was the boardwalk.
Leaning back in her chair, Hanna observed the dimly lit restaurant with vibrant eyes, the 80's theme making her feel as if she had just fallen through a portal into said era. The interior reminded her of some sort of fancy American diner, dividers splitting the tables and giving each customer their own private booths to relish in, as well as the large round mahogany tables scattered around the rooms, giving the restaurant a very warm and welcoming feeling to it.
Flickering her dark brown eyes around the room a bit more, Hanna delighted in admiring the different records and posters displayed across the walls, each one reading the different names of 80's rock bands and soloists - ranging from Billy Idol to Guns and Roses.
"Ah, the 80s," Elise began, her blue eyes following her daughter as she observed the old décor, "They were what many would describe as the best decade that ever existed."
"Really?" Louis cocked his head to the side with a raised eyebrow, silently challenging his mothers words, "Looks to me that it was just full of edgy guys with funny hair and makeup."
Snorting at his son's disgusted facial expression, Tim choked up a small laugh, "Funny hair? It was all the rage back then! Everyone had similar hair styles just like you and your mates."
"Whatever, it's still shit." Louis chuckled dryly, not buying a word of what his dad was saying.
Tuning out her families weird conversation about hairstyles, Hanna lounged back in her chair, her fingers playing with the plastic straw floating in her glass, too transfixed to even register the new presence lingering beside her table.
"Hi!" A male voice rang out, his smooth American accent causing Hanna to look up at the boy who stood before her holding a small notepad and pen; his appearance showing that he was no older than nineteen years old, "Is everyone ready to order?"
Subtly taking in his features, she couldn't help but blush at how attractive he looked - his green eyes framed by long dark lashes that casted shadows onto his nicely tanned cheeks; his black hair curling softly around his ears and against the top of his brow.
As if sensing her stare, the boy looked down at her and threw her a small flirtatious wink, writing down the orders her father had gathered a couple minutes after they arrived at their table.
"- I think that's it." Tim finished, looking at everyone at the table for conformation, to which everyone replied with a content 'yep' and nod of their heads.
Smiling at Tim with a cheerful 'great', the cute waiter began to gather up the families menus, his fingers deftly brushing against Hanna's as she timidly passed her own menu to him with a shy smile.
With one more teasing glance, the waiter stalked off towards the kitchens, leaving a hot and bothered Hanna behind, covering her burning cheeks with the sleeve of her white corseted dress.
Seeing the whole interaction, her brother began to taunt, "Ooh, someone has a crush!" Louis mocked, leaning down to poke his sisters pink cheeks.
"Back off! What are you, a twelve year old girl?" Hanna growled in agitation, swiping her brothers hand away from her bright red face.
"Are you okay, honey? you look a little flushed." Elise quipped, her fingers gently brushing a strand of her daughters dark hair behind her ear.
"She's just embarrassed because she knows I'm right." Louis replied, smugly, his blue eyes holding a mischievous glint in them.
"No! I'm not - I don't!" Hanna argued back, her heart racing madly at how loudly her brother was speaking.
"He was quite nice, wasn't he?" Elise spoke, her eyes searching the rest of the restaurant for the boy who served them.
"Oh my god, I am not listening to this." Hanna groaned, twisting around in her seat and facing away from the teasing voices of her family as they spoke about how cute the boy who served them was and if she was going to 'ask him out'.
With her back to the table and her families voices tuned out, Hanna decided to survey just how desolate the restaurant had become compared to when she had walked in not even fifteen minutes ago; a handful of people scattered here and there. With the small group of people in the room, Hanna could hear the music playing through the speakers over-head as clear as day - Katy Perry.
'Typical. Out of all the artists they could have picked, they picked her,'
Hanna mused silently, absentmindedly skimming the room with her beautiful dark irises.
'This truly is an 80's diner.'
A soft giggle left her lips at the comforting colours and vibe the room was transmitting, placing her in a comfortable cocoon of tranquillity. However that all came to an icy stop once her gaze landed on a small pin board resting not even five feet away from where she sat.
Hanna could feel her heart come to a complete stop as her eyes made contact with four wrecked up pieces of paper, the writing on each causing her mind to momentarily stop working from the severity of the information each letter held.
'Missing Person'
The same title printed in large, bold-yet-faded, lettering mirrored each sheet. The words spinning wildly inside her head.
Leaning closer towards the parchments, Hanna could make out the black and white photos of the individuals; their unbelievably attractive faces boring into her own with frozen emotion.
Studying them closer, she could see that the photos were of four tempting young males; their ages ranging between eighteen and twenty - their photos making her pulse race erratically in her veins at the strange feeling of familiarity radiating from each picture she gazed at.
As if she knew them from somewhere.
"what about you, Han?"
Hanna turned at the sound of her voice, her eyes coming into contact with her father who sat at the opposite side of the table, "Hmm?" She implored, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"We were wondering if you wanted to spend a day at the beach tomorrow? I heard the weather is going to be a lot warmer than it was today."
"Yeah, sounds fun." She replied, not entirely paying attention to their plans for the next day.
"What's on your mind, Hun?" Her mum questioned, her head resting in her right hand.
Wanting nothing more than to show her family the posters, Hanna began to speak, "The 'missing persons' flyers hanging on the wall." She finished with bated breath.
With a surprised shake of her head, her mother replied, studying the walls around the table, "Missing persons? I don't see anything like that -"
"It's right here." Hanna interrupted, her body turning back to where she saw the papers. However, as soon as she turned towards the pin board, they were no where to be found; the only thing decorating the cork was the many pictures of celebrities that visited in the past.
"There's... nothing there." Her brother deadpanned, pushing his glass closer to the middle of the table so he wouldn't knock it over.
Feeling nothing but complete confusion, Hanna turned back towards her mum, a slightly embarrassed smile gracing her plush red lips, "Never-mind, I - I must've imagined it."
With one last pointed look, her mother turned back to her husband, now conversing about one of the book shops she saw whilst walking through town earlier that day, leaving Hanna to sit and wallow in bewilderment; questioning if what she saw was even real.
'D-Did I imagine it all up? It looked so real!'
Her mind turned in disbelief.
'No way! They were definitely there!'
She attempted to persuade herself to no avail.
Shaking her head with scrunched up eyes, Hanna scooted to the edge of the 'c' shaped booth - slipping her see-through satchel over her shoulder as she moved.
"Where're you going?" Her dad asked quizzically.
"Bathroom." She stated, straightening out her skirt, the soles of her new pink heels clicking as she timidly wandered through the restaurant, scouting out the direction of the bathroom.
Pushing on the metal plate of the bathroom door, Hanna strode over to the sink, her eyes taking in her alluring figure reflected in the slightly smudged sink mirror.
Cautiously, she bent down in order to see if anyone else was inside the restroom with her, the harsh light illuminating the shiny checkered floor reflecting nothing but her own shadow.
Standing straight, Hanna leaned back against the sink, her hands resting on the cold marbled surface.
"I am so, so tired," She groaned, rolling her head back, "Jet-lag is still a bitch. Just like yesterday," Turning around sluggishly, she looked down into the sink muttering randomly to herself, "Maybe that's why I imagined four extremely hot guys on creepy missing posters."
Her voice echoed dryly throughout the desolate room, humour laced somewhere between the solemn words she emanated.
Looking into the mirror, she undid the clasps holding the front of the bag closes and slipped out her small compact hairbrush, gently running it through the ends of her long dark tresses. Her mind not once really focusing on what she was doing; the images of the boys from the flyers haunting her mind and making her breathing become slightly more rugged the more she thought about them. Their deeply smouldering gazes, boring into her own as if trying to breach through an invisible barrier and penetrate deep into her soul - to her unknown desires.
It drove her crazy just thinking back on the way they each held a mysterious charm to their mesmeric forms; as if they held the magical ability to watch her through the paper itself, something she knew was impossible but wanted with all her heart to be true.
Breathing out a dreamy sigh, she stopped brushing her now perfectly styled hair, gently placing her brush inside her bag without much thought on the action.
Clatter... Clatter... Clatter...
"Crap!"
She cried out, watching her brush bounce hazardously across the bathroom floor. Reaching down she went to grab the brush when the room suddenly began to shake madly. The mirrors rattling and cracking with every rumble that coursed through the walls - the posters and picture-frames crashing down and shattering all over the floor, covering the surface in a blanket of crystallised shards.
'Earthquake!'
Her mind immediately went to the natural disaster that she knew continuously plagued many places around America, however, she had no idea that one was supposed to happen today. After all, her phone would've received a notification of this warning earlier on.
Panicking, Hanna slid underneath a sink in the far corner of the room, her body going into complete shock at what was happening around her. The shaking continued to destroy the majority of objects inside the restroom, ranging from light bulbs to toilet seats - nothing seemed to be spared in the 'earthquakes' erratic episode.
'Mum! Dad! Louis! Oh my god, please be okay!'
She prayed, cuddling herself closer to the sink wall in fear. Sure she had experienced an earthquake or two back in England, however, due to where the UK is located, the phenomena doesn't particularly have an effect; swaying a tad, or making the water in your glass swirl slightly, but apart from that, nothing.
So, as she sat shrouded in anxious worry over what was going to happen next, the young girl wondered when the frightening experience was going to come to an end. And, as if some God was listening, the room stopped its wild tremors and silence fell over the now destroyed area of the dimly lit restroom; the soft exhales of a shocked teenage girl breaking through the eeriness the silent room had obtained.
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3000 words PRECISELY
Chapter 2: Land of Confusion
Summary:
Welcome to Santa Carla…
Notes:
Trigger Warnings ⚠ :
- Swearing!
- Mentions of COVID 19 (Inaccurate representation of COVID restrictions in both the UK and North America)- Abnormally long chapter ahead (I have no restraint!)
SONG: Runaway By Bon Jovi (This song is intended to fit this chapter)
Chapter Text
- Chapter Two -
- Land of Confusion -
As she sat shrouded in anxious worry over what was going to happen next, the young girl wondered when the frightening experience was going to come to an end. And, as if some God was listening, the room stopped its wild tremors and silence fell over the now destroyed area of the dimly lit restroom; the soft exhales of a shocked teenage girl breaking through the eeriness the silence of the room had obtained.
---
Never before had she encountered such a horrifying phenomena, especially so far away from her family. And as Hanna sat frozen beneath the surprisingly untouched sink, her heart refusing to calm down from it's erratic rhythm thumping inside her chest.
"Holy. Mother. Above..." She breathed with wide eyes, taking in her surroundings, "...I'm out."
With that simple statement, Hanna slowly lifted herself off the floor - her bag softly hitting against her hip as she walked carefully around the broken ceramics and glass scattering the once spotless surface.
With each slow step forward, she could hear the broken shards crack and crunch underneath her plush pink heals; the sound making her cringe the further she went.
The broken lights above her flickered uncontrollably, most of the bulbs no longer secured into their rightful place in the space above, instead dangling down on loose string-like wires that threatened to fall at any given moment even if by the gentlest of breezes.
With meditated steps, she navigated her way towards the bathroom door, her foot coming into contact with her discarded hairbrush.
"Thank god - I don't have epilepsy. Not sure I can still say that after this, though." Hanna murmured with false amusement. Her body was still rigid with the aftermath of what had only just occurred and the only thing on her mind in that moment was to get out of the destroyed restroom she was currently occupying.
Dragging her manicured fingers across the door, she re-adjusted her bag on her shoulder, mainly out of comfort, before grasping the long silver handle and attempting to pull it open. The hinges squeaked horribly at the force that she was pulling at; a sound that you would associate with something old and unused - making Hanna furrow her eyebrows in mild confusion.
'It didn't do that when I came in.'
Deciding not to dwell on it, she pulled a bit harder on the handle, the door oddly heavier than it was when she entered.
"It wasn't this heavy either!" She groaned struggling, her left foot pressing against the wall next to her in order for her to get more power.
The harder she tugged, the more the door cracked and creaked, slowly breaking away from the grip securing it in its place. With one final hard yank, the door suddenly busted open a foot or two with an obnoxiously loud whine, the noise sending shivers down her spine from the sheer volume it emitted.
Although the lights of the bathroom were fluttering on and off, the only thing that met her dark eyes as she poked her head through the small gap was the complete darkness swallowing every inch of what would have been the corridor leading back towards the restaurant.
Swallowing her nervousness, she called out into the darkness, "Hello? Is anyone there? I - I can't see a thing!" Her voice wavered at the end, the silence that had fallen over the building making her break out into a cold sweat.
"Is anyone there?!"
Nothing.
Not even a pin drop could be heard through the darkness.
Wanting to get out of there immediately, she slipped one of her legs through the opening of the door and used her foot as leverage in helping her shove the door open a bit more so she could slip through.
With utmost care, Hanna narrowly slithered through the small opening she made and stumbled into the blackness of the hallway, her heels clicking with every movement she made.
"Damn..." She cursed under her breath, her fingers deftly unclipping the flap on her bag in order to retrieve her iPhone.
"Right... Flashlight..." She spoke, voice echoing hauntedly in the pitch-blackness enveloping her.
A few seconds after speaking, her flashlight split through the darkness, lighting up a path of artificial light allowing her to finally take in her surroundings.
The hallway was dusty - the wallpaper shredded and discoloured - everything seemed different, as if from a completely different century. Looking closer at where she was standing, Hanna could see discarded brochures and pamphlets scattered across the dirty floor, the writing almost faded with the amount of time it had spent lying amongst the rubble and broken glass.
"This is different." She whispered to herself with resolve whilst taking in all that surrounded her with her flashlight.
Kneeling down slightly, Hanna attentively peeled a newspaper clipping from underneath a plank of splintered wood, her fingers grasping at the edge to avoid being nicked.
"Santa Carla."
Her flashlight lit up the words as she read along, her eyebrows raised in shock.
"Santa Carla, also known to others as 'The Murder Capitol of the World', has reported yet another missing teen, Sydney Cartwright.
The sixteen-year-old was last spotted around 11pm on Santa Carla's Boardwalk with two of her friends, one of them being her boyfriend, seventeen-year-old Cody Jackson, who had reported not even a week ago about his brothers strange disappearance from the same location.
Police in the area are still searching for both teens, however, due to the high number of lost children already in their records, they are adamant about continuing the search any further."
Dropping the paper in horror, Hanna stood back up, her heart now beating twice as hard inside her chest.
Breathing in a deep breath, she continued forwards, avoiding all the gashes that now decorated the once polished wooden floor.
Pushing the restaurant door open, it once again let out an appalling squeak, the dark red paint that plastered it popping off at her touch and covering the tips of her fingers in tiny specks of crimson.
Looking around, she could faintly make out the tables and bar, the room just as dark as the hallway. However, even through the darkness the one thing that stood out to her the most was the boarded up windows and main doors.
"Hello?" She once again tried, her voice penetrating through the restaurant.
Once again silence greeted her.
Not a shuffle.
Not a breath.
She was alone.
'Did they evacuate the building?'
Her mind was turning along with her stomach at the desolation and disarray that lay before her.
'How could they evacuate and board everything up from the outside? And why would they evacuate during an earthquake? Isn't it safer to stay inside?'
Her inner turmoil was strong as she asked herself those questions, constantly running back and forth between what she was seeing and what she wished she saw instead.
"Hellooo?" She dragged out, panicked.
That's when she heard it. Talking. Muffled talking to be exact.
Pointing her flashlight to the main doors, Hanna sprinted through the room, all the while attempting to dodge the ripped up booths and broken chairs scattered down the isles.
RATTLE.... RATTLE.... RATTLE
Her hand repeatedly pulled on the door handle.
"Hey! Help! I'm in here! I'm still in here!" She yelled towards the voices outside, her palms repeatedly coming into contact with the wood covering the glass of the restaurant doors.
Without another thought, she turned her flashlight off and placed her phone inside her bag, moving back to bang even harder against the wood.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me? I'm trapped inside!" She shouted again, hoping that whoever was outside would hear her cries.
Listening for any sign of movement from the other side of the door, Hanna stilled herself against the rough surface, the sound of her blood rushing through her veins the only prominent noise throughout the entire building.
After a few moments of waiting, she turned towards the door once again and began to rip the boards away from the glass, the bright lights of the fair piercing through the uncovered window.
CRACK...CLATTER...CRACK....CLATTER
The sound of her ripping the boards from their place on the door drummed through the empty space.
CRACK.....CRACK.....CLATTER....CRACK.....CLATTER....
Her movements became more and more desperate the longer she pried them down.
.....CRACK......
The sound of the last plank being freed of its place was like music to her ears as she threw it to the floor in relief, her fingers slightly sore from the aggressiveness of her actions.
Reaching out a hand, Hanna tried the handle once more, the cold brass soothing her fingertips as she grasped it it.
Locked.
Discouraged, she leaned her forehead against the cold glass.
'Crap! Now what -?'
Her mind froze instantly with a thought.
'Does it even work?'
With an unsureness in her step, she reached up and carefully twisted one of her hair pins out of her hair, the small wiry black object now holding the one thing she wanted most in that moment.
Freedom.
"I have no idea what to do, but I will do anything to get out of here," She declared, bending the pin into a certain shape like she had seen in a few movies and inserting it into the lock. "Please, please, please, work..." Her voice faded with concentration as she began to jiggle the hair-slide around in a clockwise and anti-clockwise direction.
Seconds went by like minutes as she struggled to keep her grip on the tiny make-shift instrument in her fingers, an action most difficult to do when you have long nails.
Grunting in frustration, Hanna was just about to give up when she heard the familiar click of the lock, a noise which caused a huge grin to grace her once tense features.
"Finally!" She swung the door open quickly, stumbling out onto the backstreet behind the amusements, her eyes surveying her surroundings in search of the familiar figures which were her family. But no matter how hard she looked, her family were no where to be seen.
All around her people shuffled past, paying no attention to the pretty brunette standing in-front of the abandoned dinner. It was as if the earthquake that just hit didn't happen; people were jostling around without a care in the world, music played from near the beach and the rollercoasters and other thrill rides were still in function. None of it made sense to the young eighteen year old as she stood in the middle of the walkway, her eyes roaming across every figure as they passed, her eyes too busy searching for specific features to fully register the completely different form of fashion flashing past.
Her heart sunk heavily at the absence of her family. How was she supposed to find them in the bustling crowd? Not to mention the fact that she had only been on the Boardwalk once since she arrived a couple days ago.
Brushing her hair back with a shaky hand, Hanna headed off towards the only place she was familiar with - the beach, her small frame blending in strangely with the abnormally large crowd.
"I'm sorry. The number you have dialled is not available. Please try again later."
The monotonous voice slipped through speaker on her phone, continuously repeating the same sentence over and over.
Now that Hanna had managed to make it to the beach, the only thing she could think to do was to attempt calling her parents, but no matter how many times she pressed call, the same incessant voice rang through.
Swallowing thickly, she leaned against the boardwalk railings, her face contorted into an anxious frown. Now that she was situated at the heart of the fair, Hanna could hear the excited screams of young teens as they boarded the nearby rollercoasters, as well as the heavy vibrations running beneath her feet from the music playing on the other side of the fair's entrance.
'Bon Jovi. Nice.'
She thought, focusing on the beat of the song rather than the strong beating of her nervous heart.
Minutes seemed to drag on as she waiting impatiently staring out into the dark waters lapping against the ghostly pale sand, numerous bonfires lit up the beach; drunk teenagers hosting their own little parties surrounding them.
Studying the teens closer, Hanna couldn't help but notice their peculiar hairstyles and choice of fashion, as if they had all come out of some crazy 80s movie or something.
Pausing in stiff realisation, it suddenly occurred to her that everyone she passed when she made it out of the restaurant was dressed in a similar fashion; permed hair, winged jumpers, all the stuff you would expect if you were suddenly flung into the 80s. Being too focused on her parents obviously blinded her to the reality that was the people around her.
With a quick shake of her head, she decided to search for her family, the whole waiting around thing not really doing anything for her situation.
Candy floss, hot dogs, burgers, ice cream, popcorn; everywhere she went, the stands contained lines filled to the brim with customers of all ages, the sweet scent rolling through the crowds drifted into her nose, lulling her into a calm like trance - the heavy feeling in her chest dissipating with every breath she took.
After about an hour of searching, the stress and anxiety seemed to have somewhat caught up to her; aching feet and goose-bumps littered her smooth skin, as well as a numbness that constricted her emotions, pacifying her with it's iron grip as she proceeded on her journey, completely oblivious to the pair of pale green eyes stalking her every move.
The moon hung high in the night sky, it's luminous presence illuminating the waters in a silvery glow. Passing by numerous shop windows, Hanna spotted a clock sitting idly over the cash register of a nearby newsagents, it's large hand just about touching the number eight. With a deep exaggerated sigh, she turned on her heel, preparing to carry on her seemingly fruitless search, when something caught her eye.
Standing not far from the store was a large pillar covered from top to bottom in fliers and posters, each one containing the same big block letters as the ones she saw back in the restaurant.
'Missing'.
Her breath caught in her throat at the sheer number of kids she saw printed on the post.
"Oh my god..." She whispered, her dark eyes wide with shock.
Making her way to the board, the pictures before her grew clearer. Each face showed a young child, no older than sixteen years old, accompanied with contact information at the bottom. At a closer look, she could tell that the majority of the posters were old, the paper tainted brown and the ink faded with the sun, which saddened her the longer she observed them. Never before had she seen so many missing posters, especially missing posters of lost children.
Spotting another flier buried beneath, her manicured fingers gently pried the corners of some of the fliers on top, the dust coating them rubbing off onto her fingers as she did so. Peeling back the papers, Hanna let out a horrified gasp.
Dark brown eyes framed by feathery lashes, thick chocolate curls framing an angelic face, and soft pink lips stretched into a small, yet still joyous, smile.
Her lungs suddenly felt empty and her throat painfully dry as she stared at herself. Ripping down her poster, it felt as if time had come to a complete stand still - the noises around her fading drastically and the bright lights around her falling dim.
'This has to be a joke...' She prayed, her eyes stinging with unshed tears.
"Excuse me? Are you alright, my dear?" A middle-aged woman enquired softly from behind, her copper permed hair flowing wildly in the breeze.
Jumping a mile, Hanna bit back her tears and put on a fake smile before turning to face he woman, her voice deceiving her true emotions, "I'm fine, thank you."
Eyeing the young girl curiously, the woman slowly nodded her head at her reply, her dark brown eyes never leaving the young girl.
Awkwardly, Hanna stepped away, her left hand gripping the strap of her bag in an attempt to push away her uncomfortableness, "Excuse me."
With that, she turned and left, leaving behind the concerned lady without another thought.
Chapter 3: Through the Crowds
Summary:
A familiar face…
Notes:
I'm trying not to go too fast with the pacing as I prefer more of a slow burn experience when I'm reading romance stories. I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to support my work! :3
Trigger Warnings ⚠ :
- Swearing!
- Mentions of COVID 19 (Inaccurate representation of COVID restrictions in both the UK and North America)SONG: Power Play By Eddie and The Tide (This song is intended to fit this chapter)
Chapter Text
- Chapter Three-
- Through the Crowds -
'This has to be a joke...' She prayed, her eyes stinging with unshed tears.
"Excuse me? Are you alright, my dear?" A middle-aged woman enquired softly from behind, her copper permed hair flowing wildly in the breeze.
Jumping a mile, Hanna bit back her tears and put on a fake smile before turning to face he woman, her voice deceiving her true emotions, "I'm fine, thank you."
Eyeing the young girl curiously, the woman slowly nodded her head at her reply, her dark brown eyes never leaving the young girl.
Awkwardly, Hanna stepped away, her left hand gripping the strap of her bag in an attempt to push away her uncomfortableness, "Excuse me."
With that, she turned and left, leaving behind the concerned lady without another thought.
---
Leaning against the handlebars of his bike, he chewed on his thumbnail thoughtfully, his gaze focused solely on her as she slowly made her way around the shops.
His frozen heart hammered almost painfully in his chest the moment he caught her scent - sweet, succulent - just like he remembered. His pale green eyes roamed over her stunning figure, taking in every curve of her body right down to the floor, his eyes lingering on the large swell of her breasts through the flimsy fabric of her short dress, as well as the exposed flesh of her thighs as she walked through the crowds with a forlorn look swimming in her dark eyes.
'She's back...' He thought to himself, the pain of her absence reflecting on his pretty face. It had been months since she disappeared from the face of the earth - a memory neither one of the boys wanted to remember - not a single trace of her left behind. It was as if she never existed.
Regardless of their failures, they kept searching.
Every night they would take it in turns exploring the cliffs and known abandoned buildings scattered around the Santa Carla area, however, they never found her.
Until now.
Dismounting his ride, he strolled casually towards the young brunette he had been longing for, the urge to run, grab her and never let go building stronger the closer he got.
The cool spring air gently caressed her small frame, the hem of her skirt fluttering gently in the wind and carrying her irresistible scent over to where he walked. The overwhelming aroma caused his body to become alarmingly hot; his primal instincts slowly beginning to take over the longer he stalked her.
From a few feet away he could see Max's video store; his eyes holding a knowing light that his brothers were in there. The sound of Paul's incessant flirting with Maria, the cashier, ringing through his ears as he neared.
With much consideration, he concluded that it was likely best to inform his brethren of their girl's appearance, even though the idea of taking his eyes off of her again made him feel uneasy, he knew it was time the gang knew of her return.
As he entered the store, a brief gust of wind hit him, ruffling his honey-coloured curls. The scent of stale perfume and coffee overwhelming his senses, making him scowl at the fact it was now obscuring his woman's heavenly one.
Music played quietly from the nearby TVs as he walked slowly past the cash register, his green eyes made contact with a tall middle-aged man standing behind the desk sorting through numerous TV guides, his blue eyes hidden behind thick-rimmed glasses that sat comfortably at the end of his hooked nose; an annoyed aura surrounded the man as he made eye contact with the attractive blond passing him by.
Shooting Max, the man behind the desk, a mocking smirk, the boy strode over to David, who stood leaning against a rack of VHS tapes near the back of the store, his pale hair standing out significantly against his dark trench coat.
"Marko," David spoke not looking up from the guide he was reading, his deep voice like velvet, "Did you find something?"
Knowing he was referring to their potential meal of the evening, Marko shook his head, a boyish smile gracing his smooth red lips, "I found something better, David." He stated cryptically, his heart racing madly with the thoughts of the young brunette outside.
Feeling the excitement radiating off the short blond, David cocked an intrigued eyebrow, Dwayne, who stood not to far off from Paul at the cashier, moved over to the two, interested by Marko's sudden enthusiasm.
"What is it, Marko?" A new voice spilled in, their tone light and cheery.
Looking over to the newcomer, Marko's smile only grew. Now that he had the boys attention, he was going to tell them about their girl whom he saw on the Boardwalk. However, before he could even make a move to open his mouth a mouth-watering scent filled the store, freezing each boy in place; their eyes wide in shock at the all too familiar aroma of vanilla and honeysuckle as it danced around their noses teasingly.
Turning their attention towards the direction of the smell, growls of lust left their throats as their eyes fell on the culprit who was making them feel so feral.
There she stood. Her curvaceous body clad in a short white dress accentuating her figure wonderfully. Her waist-length locks twirled elegantly over her shoulders like a waterfall of chocolate satin, framing her angelic features. She was still just as beautiful as the last time they had seen her, not a single thing seemed out of place.
"Fuck!" Paul exclaimed in awe, his cyan eyes scandalously racking her body, drinking in her creamy complexion.
"It's her." Dwayne stated in amazement, wild thoughts circulated his mind - each one with the pretty brunette as the star.
Standing in silent bewilderment, David couldn't believe his eyes. For months he and his brothers had been searching for this girl, each search becoming increasingly disastrous. Yet here she was; standing merely twelve feet away from them, looking as stunningly beautiful as the last day they saw her.
Watching her with a wanton spark in his pale blue eyes, David accumulated a plan in his head, a plan that will surely keep her stuck to their sides for the rest of eternity, just like intended, even if it meant trapping her in the dark for the rest of her life, he would do it. After all, she was theirs, and nothing was going to keep them apart this time, not even... him.
She could feel eyes on her as she moved.
The tingling feeling at the back of her neck not subsiding even as she manoeuvred around the busy sidewalk. Her dark eyes scanned the area as she walked, taking in the bright lights from the nearby rides and the large neon signs displayed in the windows of passing shops.
She felt completely helpless. Her parents were nowhere to be found on the boardwalk, and the night kept on ticking by, the moon getting higher and higher as time went on.
What was she to do now? She couldn't go back to the restaurant; it was completely deserted. Her mind was in a panic. Where would she go? Should she inform the police?
A split second later, she turned on her heel and nervously stepped into the nearest shop, the idea of asking for the whereabouts of the closest Police station heavy on her mind.
The store was relatively lively, teenagers flocked the isles for the newest releases that seemed to line the shelves around her.
'A video store.' She deduced from the over populated TVs littering the place.
Looking around in awe, Hanna could make out some familiar movies ranging from Halloween 1978, to Pretty In Pink. The blocky packages stacked rather neatly in rows along the front of the cashier that was centred in the middle of the shop.
Turning her attention away from the blockbusters, she moved shyly towards a teenage girl who stood behind the counter, the woman's gaze occupied by a group of very attractive boys conversing in the back corner of the store.
"Excuse me, do you know where the nearest Police station is?" Hanna asked, her voice barely above a whisper from nervousness.
The girl ignored her.
"Excuse me." She tried again, her voice louder but shaky.
The girl still paid her no mind, staring seductively at two of the boys who were now looking her way.
"Can I help you, my dear?" A deep masculine voice enquired, causing Hanna's head to turn in its direction.
Standing before her was a man with short mousy hair, thick-rimmed glasses and a very colourful tie. His dark blue eyes looked at her warmly, exerting a familiar sense of fatherly tenderness.
"U-um y-yes," She stuttered, a blush coating her soft cheeks at the attention she was receiving, "I'm looking for the Police station? I don't quite know where it is..."
Nodding his head in understanding, he smiled, "I see. Judging from your accent you're not from around here are you, my dear?"
"No. I'm here on vacation with my family. I'm from Oxford." She smiled up at him through her thick lashes.
"That's a long way. What brought you and your family to Santa Carla?" He pondered, shifting some papers around in search of a map of the area.
Taken aback by his words, Hanna paled, "I'm sorry, what?"
Pausing his search, he looked back up at her, his eyes briefly catching his boys making their way towards where he and the girl stood, "What brought you to Santa Carla?"
"Santa Carla? Don't you mean Santa Cruz?" She enquired, her throat as dry as sand.
He paused, a confused light touching his eyes. Shaking off her worrying words, he pulled out an old map of Santa Carla, circling the position of the police station in bright red marker. "Here. If you follow this street once you exit the boardwalk, the station should be on your left."
Taking the map, Hanna studied the route closely, concluding that it should take her twenty minutes or so to arrive at her destination. "Thank you so, so much, sir." She squeaked, a small smile gracing her plump red lips.
Returning her smile, the man readjusted his glasses, "It's no problem, my dear," He spoke softly, "You may call me Max."
"Hanna." She nodded in response, her eyes too busy reading the map to notice the shocked look adorning Max's features.
Looking over, Max could see his boys sauntering closer, their eyes trained primarily on the small brunette standing mere inches away from his desk. Not wanting them to scare the young girl, Max decided it was best to accompany her to the door, his large hand ghosting over her back in encouragement.
"Go careful out there, alright. This town is known for it's high crime rate, and I'd hate for a young girl such as yourself to get tangled up in something dangerous." Max spoke, his voice stern in warning.
With an uneasy nod, Hanna wished Max goodnight before taking off in the direction of the station, her dark curls bouncing as she went.
Strolling past with a new sense of confidence, the boys gave Max a knowing smile which he returned along with a nod, "Take good care of her, boys." Max quipped, his tone serious.
"Always." David replied, answering not only for himself, but for his brothers too.
With that being said, they all sauntered off, sly smiles etched onto each of their faces as they stared after her in pure trepidation for what was to come - their first interaction.
Chapter 4: Lost and Found
Summary:
A night full of emotions…
Notes:
Trigger Warnings ⚠ :
- Swearing!
- Mentions of COVID 19 (Inaccurate representation of COVID restrictions in both the UK and North America)
- Stalking!SONG: Like a Prayer By Madonna (This song is intended to fit this chapter)
Unedited!
Chapter Text
- Chapter Four-
- Lost and Found -
The cool night air swirled madly around Hanna as she followed a mysterious backroad towards where the map showed the police station, her white dress caressed her creamy thighs as she walked and her chocolate curls bounced and swayed with each step she took on the uneven road.
It had been no less than thirty minutes since she left the busy boardwalk, yet the further she travelled, not once did she see a single sign or car pass her by on her trek. How could the road of such an important destination lack the busyness it usually harbours? Better yet, how could such an important place lack a single sign?
For the past fifteen minutes or so she had been walking up the road in pure confusion, her phone illuminating the map in her hand with its pale, yet blinding, light. She had studied the map at least several times since she left the video store, yet the line Max had drawn for her seemed to lead her into the middle of nowhere.
Every turn she took lead her further and further away from the boardwalk. Away from the crowds, away from the light, away from safety.
Feeling unsure about the directions she was taking, Hanna stopped moving and decided it would probably be best to head back and start from the beginning. Perhaps Max accidentally drew the wrong direction? It was plausible. He did seem in a rush to guide her out of the store; maybe he wasn't paying attention to where he was drawing and instead circled a random route knowing she wouldn't know any better.
This idea made her release an irritated huff.
"If he really did do that just to get me out of his shop - I'm gonna be pissed!" She exclaimed angrily, her voice drifting through the desolate area and causing an abundance of noise to erupt from the high branches of the nearby trees as the sleeping birds fluttered around in alarm at her loud voice penetrating the otherwise quiet night.
Shaking the uneasiness and frustrations from her head, she turned sharply on her heel, the flashlight on her phone beaming through the darkness at her surroundings.
Trees, trees, and more trees lined her vision as well as the rolling fields blanketing her left side in an eerie emptiness. The whole area was pitch black, save for the dotted lights of the boardwalk and it's rides which she could see from where she stood near the top of the hilled road.
Regardless of her situation, she was in awe at the view below her; the twinkling lights of the rollercoaster, the colourful neon Ferris wheel, and, of course, the bon fires reflecting like melted gold off of the calm ocean waters.
Indeed the sight was beautiful, like something out of a painting, but she still couldn't truly appreciate the sight. Her head was still reeling from the loss of her family.
Sighing with pent up sadness, she turned away from the glittering lights and back to the map in her right hand. It was obvious to her now that the police station wasn't in this direction and that she had been sent on a wild goose-chase. Nonetheless, she was determined to get there one way or another, even if it took her all night.
With that, she started her walk back towards society; briskly stepping out of the darkness and back into the light, her phone casting it's heavy light onto the dirt road, illuminating her baby-pink heels in the process.
The full moon overhead highlighted the trees flanking her right, malicious shadows casted in their wake and sending icy shivers up her spine the longer she stared into their temporary voids.
"I've always hated the woods at night..." She trembled with unease.
A sudden gust of strong wind brushed across her body causing her to shake with the cool temperature, the hair on her arms now standing on end in a feeble attempt to keep her warm.
The force of the wind slammed against the tops of the trees, eliciting a monotonous hiss of the freshly grown leaves as they tapped and slid against each other, obscuring the unnatural sound of rumbling coming from the distance; a sound Hanna, unfortunately, missed.
Picking up her speed, she moved forward at a faster pace, her flashlight bouncing from one direction to another shakily.
From a distance Hanna could almost make out an earlier crossroad, one she had been stuck at for a while when trying to find her way, it's large cross-shaped middle running in numerous directions. It was only when she looked behind at the path she came, did she finally hear the loud growl of motorcycles heading her way.
Her heart stopped at the sound.
"Shit." She groaned, her mood a cocktail of nervousness and disgruntlement.
Excited 'whoops' and joyous hollers sliced through the silence of the night prompting goose bumps to rise on her already chilled flesh; her brain reciting the same mantra of 'Act natural' and 'Don't pay them attention' in a way of trying to gather comfort for the things to come.
The gravel beneath her feet vibrated as the bikes grew nearer, and the headlights began to light-up the end of the road ahead of her -- signalling to Hanna that the riders were mere yard away from where she paced on the road-side.
Her feet moved faster and faster as each second passed by, the light emitted from her phone blurring with unfocused movement the further she pressed on until she decided to turn it off altogether and place it inside her bag along with the map.
The urge to hide grew stronger with every millisecond, however, this was crushed as soon as the bikes pulled up a few feet behind her.
The bikes slowed down immensely as they closed in on her, the grumbling of their engines sounding strong in the quietness, "What do we have here?"
Her steps never wavered even as the deep sultry voice behind her spoke.
Watching her continue forward without response, the person spoke again, this time making her pause and turn her head. "Where are you headed to this time of night, Darling?" The voice belonged to a teenage boy, "It isn't safe for pretty girls to wander around on their own."
She could hear the humour in his strong suave voice as it danced into her ears, her attention honing in on the other males as they laughed in regards to the boy's sinister insinuation.
Turning her head in his direction, Hanna's breath caught in her throat at the sight of him and the other three flanking his sides.
Each boy was strikingly sensual and Hanna couldn't deny that she was suddenly turned on by their deep smouldering gazes as they each eyed her up from head to toe. But that wasn't what caught her off guard the most. What caught her attention the most was the undeniable connection she felt as she stared between the four, as well as the shocking familiarity of each of their handsome faces.
"I- I'm going home." She lied with a small stutter, her honeyed voice wavering under their heated gaze.
Raising his eyebrows in amusement, the striking pale-haired boy mouthed a silent 'oh'; his friends once again sniggering in hilarity. "We'll give you a ride." He stated with a mysterious undertone, as if he had ulterior motive.
His gorgeous blue eyes stared into her dark brown ones with an odd look of... expectancy? A bold look that reflected nothing but utmost confidence towards the idea that she would say yes and immediately comply with his words without a second thought.
Oh how wrong he was.
The more he stared into her eyes, the more his sense of confidence wavered, welcoming a new look of confusion and perhaps what could only be described as a look of hurt conjured from the lack of a pleasantness radiating off of her expression as she looked right back at him with a frown decorating her soft features - the other boys surrounding the young girl also took notice of the lack of warmth that brushed off of her in that moment.
Never before had they experienced such displeasure from the young female standing before them, not even when they first met all those years ago. The look of perplexity and unfamiliarity she was portraying shook the boys to the core, their expressions darkening slightly as they observed her from the side-lines. Did she not recognise them?
Shaking away her uneasiness with a small cough, Hanna replied stiffly with a tight smile, her emotions running wild inside her head, "No thank you."
With that she turned abruptly on her heels and began to walk away from the boys, their eyes flickering between each other and their girl, who was now pacing into the darkness of the road, with concerned expressions.
Confused at her actions, the boys followed after her, their bewilderment never ceasing.
"Whoa, whoa, Chica! Where ya going?" The blonde with wild locks hollered over the sound of their engines, his electric blue eyes not once straying away from the sensual sway of her hips as she attempted to flee.
"Home!" She yelled back, not turning to look at them.
Taken aback by her coldness, the pale blonde sped up on his bike, overtaking her on the road before swinging his bike around to block her path - the others copying his actions until she was completely boxed in.
Freezing in trepidation at their freakish actions, Hanna's eyes quickly glided between the boys, searching frantically for an opening of sorts between their bikes; the brooding brunet and the blond boy with crazy, twisted-sister-like hair watching her with knowing looks.
Without another thought, she darted for the small opening, her mind too busy racing with the idea of escaping to even notice the two boys edging closer to her 'escape point'.
slipping her heeled foot through the gap, she was suddenly grabbed by the tall blonde with wild blond hair - his arms wrapping securely around her waist and pressing her tightly to his chest; the erratic beating of her heart echoing in time with the idle rumble of the bikes engines.
Watching the scene, the remaining boys smirked with happiness; their frozen hearts melting as they watched their girl become wrapped up in their brothers arms.
"Please let me go." She rushed out panicked, unsure on whether she should give in to her strange desire to lean into the boys touch or to listen to reason and shove him away; consequently, though, she did neither.
"What do you want? Money or something?" She questioned unsurely, her dark eyes flickering between the three teens who were leaning on their bikes watching her with interest.
Suddenly the boy holding her close let out a loud laugh, the sensation pulsating through her back and causing a dark red blush to coat her soft cheeks. The others letting out a chuckle of their own at her words until the curly haired boy spoke up.
"No doll. We just wanna give you a ride." He said with a chuckle, his blue-green eyes raking over her chest non-too-discretely causing her to grow uncomfortably hot.
"I said I don't need a ride." She retorted, attempting to push the tall blond off of her but to no avail.
"We heard, but," The pale blond paused while sitting back casually, his eyes staring at her with the deepest intensity, "As I said before; it isn't safe for pretty girls to wander about by themselves."
Knowing that she wasn't going to get away from them, Hanna briefly closed her eyes with a nervous sigh, her soft voice breaking through the low rumbling of the bikes like a knife. "If I go with you, will you leave me alone?"
The pale blond smiled, his gloved fingers gripping his handle-bars tightly as he listened to her voice trickle into his ear like sweet honey. A darkness grew deep within his eyes as he listened to her words, knowing fully well that he and his boys were never going to give her the gratification of living a life without them. After all, she belonged to them, whether she liked it or not.
Reaching a hand out towards her, he replied smoothly, "If that's what you want."
Accepting his reply, she moved forward - the boy holding her releasing his tight grip from around her waist gently; his fingers running through her curls in a last attempt to remember the way she felt before she reached his brother.
The sensation of warm leather caressed her finger tips as she timidly grasped the boys hand, a sensation close to an electric shock shooting through her veins at the contact, much like the sensation she experienced when the other boy grabbed her.
Guiding her towards the back of his bike he could feel her freeze in her steps, causing all the boys to raise an eyebrow at her obvious rigidness.
"What's wrong, Darlin'?" The pale blond enquired, his grip on her hand tightening ever so slightly.
Blushing in embarrassment, Hanna subconsciously brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. "I've never been on a motorbike before."
This statement elicited a small snigger to erupt from the two other blonds situated behind her, the sound making her blush darken significantly. However, they were soon silenced by the brunet smacking them upside the head and shooting them a look of pure annoyance; clearly not finding the amusement in her words like the other two were.
"You'll be fine. I'll drive carefully." The pale blond reassured her with a smile, all the while lightly rubbing circles onto the back of her hand.
Nodding with a meek 'okay', she mounted the bike behind him, wrapping her hands around his waist and holding on to his black trench coat with a vice-like grip.
Smirking at her actions and the fact that he had her embracing him from behind, the pale blond sent his brothers a cryptic smirk - a look that they understood all too well - before peeling off down the road.
The loud chirps of crickets being the only noise left in their wake.
Chapter 5: Home Sweet Home
Summary:
There’s no place like home…
Notes:
Unedited!!
Trigger Warnings:
- Swearing!
- Mentions of COVID 19 (Inaccurate representation of COVID restrictions in both the UK and North America)
- Stalking!SONG: Take Me Home Tonight By Eddie Money (This song is intended to fit this chapter)
Chapter Text
— Chapter Five —
— Home Sweet Home —
The cool night air whipped across Hanna's face as they continued to drive, her dark hair flying wildly behind her as they drove through the foreign landscape towards what she could only guess was her destination; the cold air enveloping her body sending goose-bumps to rise across her arms and legs.
Behind her she could hear the cheerful hollers emitted from the other boys as they messed around on their bikes, each attempting to run the other off the barely lit roads; actions which were not missed by the timid brunette hanging off the back of the pale blond's bike, concern and admiration for the boys flashing across her expression as she turned to watch them.
"Hold on tighter." The leader directed, gripping her forearm firmly with his gloved hand; the sensation of the leather against her bare flesh casting a strange, yet pleasurable, sensation to shoot through her body.
Listening to his words, she timidly wrapped her arms around his stomach tighter, her breath hitching ever so slightly at the feeling of his taught muscles flexing under her grip.
The boys, riding closely behind the pair, watched on in amusement at the young girl's shyness, their minds filling with thoughts on the past few months without her by their side - a memory they were determined to forget, as it only caused their hearts to ache.
How could they loose her? Where did she disappear to for the past few months without leaving a trace?
These questions plagued all four of their minds every night since she went missing; the emotional torment haunting them and driving them insane. Everything seemed lost, hopeless - until she walked through the door to Max's video store dressed up as if she had only been gone for the evening. No matter how they looked at it, it didn't make sense. How could she leave without them knowing? Better yet; where did she go?
Bitter smiles crossed their faces, their demeanour changing from being light heartedness to suddenly becoming sullen and hard the longer they re-lived the moments without her by their side. It wasn't until David took a sharp right turn causing Hanna to let out a shrill shriek at the sudden movement, that they refocused on the beauty hanging off of their leader waist. Each boy losing their miserable state of mind and coming back to the moment.
Travelling closer to the decided destination, the boys smirked, knowing fully well that they weren't taking her to the station like she had asked, and instead were taking her somewhere else entirely; for the time being that is.
"Wait... Why are we taking the backroads? Is it quicker?" Hanna enquired curiously over the loud rumble of the bikes, the Pale blond tightening his grip on the steering wheel at the sensation of her warm breath hitting the shell of his ear.
Smirking at her questions, he let the lie roll of his tongue, "Don't worry, doll. It's just up this road."
Uncertainty washed over her in that second, an uneasy feeling settling deep into her heart. Was trusting these boys a bad idea? How could she trust their word when she didn't even know them? Her eyes widened in fear at the realisation that she may have potentially fallen into a death trap - a death trap set up by four, unbelievably gorgeous, boys who seem strangely determined to keep her at their side.
Pushing her concerns aside in order to appear calm, Hanna took a deep breath, contemplating whether she should open her mouth to say something to the striking blond she was clinging onto. However, before she could even mutter a single word, she spotted a house looming silently over the top of the road; it's lights leading them along, like a lighthouse guiding lost ships to shore.
She stared at the house in confused trepidation; not entirely sure what was going on. Were they taking her to their house or something? Was this all a joke to try and get her to do stuff for them?
Her throat tightened at the thought, her calm demeanour that she had tried so hard to build up crumbled, along with that small slimmer of trust that she may have accumulated over the past couple of minutes for the group of bikers who had been so courteous as to offer her a ride to the 'station'.
'I guess that's what I get for trusting a bunch of strangers on a deserted backroad.' She thought, mentally kicking herself for being too trusting, especially in a time of distress.
"We're here." The Blond spoke, his voice vibrating against her chest causing her breath to hitch slightly from the sensation.
Looking over his shoulder, Hanna noticed that they had pulled up just outside of a ranch - the same one she had seen at the bottom of the road; it's exterior littered in numerous wooden carvings and animal taxidermy.
Scrunching her nose up in annoyance, she let go of the blond, her head turning to look at the other three boys who had pulled up beside her. Looking at them, she noticed straight away how their once carefree and happy expressions had diminished and turned blank; void of any emotion.
Unnerved by their change of attitude, Hanna began to dismount the bike, the blond reaching a gloved hand over his shoulder to aid her safely, "Thanks." She muttered, planting both of her feet onto the dusty driveway.
The blond looked at her with a undecipherable look, his head tilted to the side in what she could could only guess was - expectancy?
Feeling the awkwardness brewing, Hanna decided not to bring up the whole fact that the boys had led her to a random ranch in the middle of nowhere - something which usually happens in horror movies - and began to walk towards the house; hoping that maybe the person who resides there isn't a psychopathic serial killer.
As she slowly moved away, the boys watched her go with intense stares, idly drinking in the sight of her as she widened the distance between herself and them. However, it wasn't long before they watched her double back with a new sense of resolve in her step.
"Okay, no. I was going to let it slide and just accept all this, but I can't. What the actual fuck? I said I wanted to go to the Police Station - not somebody's random house!" Her voice was hard and riddled with irritation, her soft brown eyes now cutting into the boys like a razor.
Fighting back a laugh, the boys looked at her in confusion, the blond leader stifling a smile, "What do you mean?" The blond sent her a knowing smirk, "You said you wanted to go 'Home', so we took you home."
She froze.
Did she seriously tell them she wanted to go 'home'?
It was then that realisation hit her like a ton of falling bricks. Not only did she forget to tell them that she wanted to go to the Police station, but she did indeed tell them that she was on her way 'home'.
How could she have been so stupid as to have trusted a gang of shady (but also unbelievably gorgeous) bikers? Was this night going to get any crazier?!
The longer she stood there thinking about it, the redder her cheeks became. That was, until one small detail stuck out.
"W-Wait, how do you know where I live? I don't remember telling you..." Her voice trailed off slowly, her dark eyes scanning each of their faces and watching as their darkened expressions turned into something shy of amusement.
"Chill out doll." Smiled the long blond rocker, leaning back slightly on his bike and revealing his ripped up mesh shirt; his short retort earning a small snicker from the other blond who sat on his far right, tight golden curls brushing softly across his back in the warm night breeze; his glove-free fingers loosely gripping the handlebars.
"Sure you don't," Replied the curly blond sarcastically, his green eyes settling squarely on her face which was laced with nothing but unsureness over their carefree replies.
"That's enough," The pale blond announced tightly, shooting the two boys a look which made them look away. Turning back to the young girl, he spoke with a sense of resolve, "If you're so on edge about where we dropped you off, why don't you go and knock on the door?"
She scoffed, "No way. How do I know that this isn't some trick? I don't even know you." She finished, her arms falling to cross over her chest, accentuating her curves in a way the boys tried their hardest to look away from.
Her words struck a nerve in each of them; their eyes widening slightly at the sincerity in her honeyed voice.
No way could that be true.
With a hard expression pressed onto his handsome face, the blond leader spoke, "You know, after disappearing for months on end with no note or letter, I would've thought you would've dropped this 'clueless' act by now," He paused, his ice coloured eyes shamelessly raking over her body, causing her to grow slightly weary from the coldness now lurking in their relentless depths.
Compared to earlier, their gazes melted her and caused electricity to course through her veins; but now all she felt was frozen shards stabbing into her soul like tiny razors. How could such beautiful eyes hold so much coldness?
Before she could even conjure up an appropriate response to the boys mind-boggling words, a sharp click of a shotgun could be heard from the top of the house's porch, followed by the sound of an angry old man as she called out towards the group of boys sat idly in front of the ranch gates.
"What are you punks doin' 'ere?! Scram!" The mans voice was croaky and thick, as if he had just rolled out of bed, "Get outta 'ere!"
With a brief glance towards his gang, who all began to laugh at the old mans appearance, the blond leader shot a wink towards Hanna as she stood there silently panicking about the furious old man with a gun behind her, "I'll see you soon, and don't try to run, we'll find you."
With that the boys took off, peeling out of the driveway one at a time, each one giving her their own form of a goodbye; the dark, silent one sending her a small smile and a pair of finger guns, and the tall blond rocker sending her numerous kisses and a wink; something she was slightly taken aback by.
Watching the three ride off, she didn't realise the last boy swing up beside her until he pressed his cold lips against her ear, "Goodnight, Hanna."
She jumped, his cold breath caressing her bare neck and sending hot tingles down her body. Before she could mutter a word, he had already taken off behind his friends; sending one more teasing look over his shoulder as he rode into the night.
Silence fell over the area as the last headlight from their bikes disappeared into the darkness. The only sound echoing in her ears was the erratic beating of her heart as it nearly leapt out of her chest.
Who were these boys? And better yet, how did the curly haired boy know her name? So many questions danced around her head to the point where it started to make her feel dizzy. Did she also tell them her name without realising it, too?
Not understanding what had just occurred, Hanna covered her face with her hands. Her mind overloading with too much information to take into consideration where she was, or who was standing directly behind her, for that matter, until the person behind her asked her a question that caused her heart to momentarily stop inside her chest.
"- H-Hanna, i-is that really you?"
Chapter 6: Skipping Stones
Summary:
Difficult conversations in an unfamiliar home…
Notes:
Unedited!!
SONG: Take Me Home Tonight By Eddie Money (This song is intended to fit this chapter)
Chapter Text
— Chapter Six —
— Skipping Stones —
Steamy hot water cascaded down her tense figure as she stood under the steady streams. The house was quiet, save from the water swirling through the pipes and the distant footsteps belonging to Mr Emerson that she could hear downstairs.
'How did it all come to this?' She pondered solemnly, wrapping her arms around her small frame in an attempt to comfort herself. 'Falling into another time period - no - another dimension? How was that even possible? Surely it wasn't. Not even remotely.'
Yet, no matter how hard she tried to piece everything together -- to find some logic behind what had transpired-- here she was. Completely and utterly alone in a strangers house; taking a shower without even thinking twice.
Freezing in her place, Hanna turned off the shower abruptly. No longer wanting to waste her time bathing in a strangers bathroom.
Grabbing a fresh towel from the rack next to the shower, she quickly wrapped her self up and began to dry off; her hands rubbing non-too-gently across her skin, causing red blotches to appear on her arms and legs.
"Make yourself at home why don't you." Hanna whispered to herself harshly. Her voice dripping with hateful sarcasm. Truthfully it wasn't even her idea in the first place. But since the incident outside, she clammed up; refusing to cooperate with the old man downstairs, who, for some reason, seemed to know who she was.
Finishing up, she gripped the shower curtain and slowly pushed it to the side, stepping out onto the shower mat opposite the sink and a small warped glass window. A small paddle-head hairbrush rested on the sinks rim along with a fold of fresh yellow and blue flower print pyjamas — two things she received from the man before he left her to have her shower.
Wasting no time at all, she dressed. Her thoughts circling the same thing over and over again like a broken record, 'How do I go home?'
Picking up the discarded towel, Hanna hastily dried her hair before running the soft bristles of the brush through the damp locks; a whimper falling from her mouth every now and then from the large knots that had managed to accumulate in the shower.
"Oh! for-!" She cut herself off as a shot of pain travelled from her now sore scalp. Her brows furrowed in anger at the uncomfortable sensation and she had to try her hardest not to beak down and cry.
"Hanna, are you alright in there?" A male voice questioned softly from the other side of the door causing Hanna to drop her brush out of fright.
Finding her voice she let out an unsure, "Y-Yes! Yes, I'm fine."
A brief silence met her from beyond the door and she began to wonder if he had heard her or not, that was until he let out a bemused sigh, "I'll be downstairs inside my red room. Come down when you're ready to talk."
Without waiting for an answer, Hanna could hear his footsteps receding back down the hall before descending the stairs. His words weighing heavily on her mind. Was she ready to talk to him? Ever since she arrived her words were nothing short of vacant — full of confusion and built on adrenalin which had dissipated fast the moment she entered Mr. Emerson's house.
Truthfully, all she wanted to do was sleep and pray that when she awakes, she'd be back in the somewhat-dingy-but-tolerable hotel room not far from the ocean front in Santa Cruz — surrounded by her family.
Alas, she doubted things would be so simple.
Sighing heavily, she finished up in the bathroom and gingerly opened the bathroom door. Once again, silence enveloped the house; the only noise being the dull creak resounding from the doors old metal hinges.
Stepping out into the hallway, Hanna began to survey her surroundings, something she was too distracted to do when she first entered the house. Hard wood floors, aged yet weirdly intact wallpaper that had an eerily close resemblance to the colouration and pattern of her night clothes, as well as the countless stuffed animals and antlers littering the walls and cabinet tops.
'Great,' She thought, 'I'm dressed like wallpaper inside a kooky house; in the middle of nowhere.' Hanna rolled her eyes and let out a silent groan at this unfortunate realisation, her hands picking at her top and the hem of her shorts self consciously.
Moving onwards, the staircase came into view; the wooden banister slightly uneven from being hand carved. With a moment of uncertainty, Hanna reached out and grasped the small wooden sphere sitting atop the start of the steps, the smooth wood caressing her fingertips as she careened her neck to peer down into the front room.
The interior of the living room was vast and open, allowing access throughout the house by the various open entryways; the furniture a few worn out couches and a corner full of old junk that — from what Hanna could only guess — had presumably sat there for decades.
Pulling back, Hanna contemplated whether she really wanted to discuss tonight events with the strange old man. To many it seemed like the best and only palpable thing to do under the circumstances; but she was also aware that things would become real if she spoke — something she wasn't comfortable about coming to terms with.
Seconds stretched into minutes as she stood there, teetering on the edge of the first step contemplating her next move.
With a deep breath she began her descent down the stairs, her heart thrumming nervously inside her chest causing her breath to come out somewhat unevenly.
Stopping in her tracks she surveyed the rest of the room; her eyes focusing on the closed wooden doors at the far side of the living space where movement could be heard.
Concluding this to be the 'red room' the old man had talked about, she made her way over to the doors with slow steps; eyes raking over the different taxidermy and miscellaneous objects scattered hazardously about the place with little to no care.
With three knocks, she waited with bated breath. The sound of a chair scraping across the hardwood floor caused her to momentarily freeze up before taking a step back.
The door opened swiftly, the face of the old man peeking through the gap with an unreadable expression etched onto his aged face as he gazed upon Hanna's unsure figure looming a few feet away from him.
With a tight lipped smile he squeezed through the door, trying his best to obscure the interior of the room from her brown eyes, remembering how much she despised his line of work and how it made her uneasy.
"Let's go get coffee." His voice was light, however Hanna could hear the tightness hiding under the easy-going façade.
Screwing her face up in confusion she looked down at her night clothes then back up to the old man who had already began to shrug on a worn beige corded jacket. "Umm..." She paused, tilting her head to the side with disbelief, "Now? Isn't it a bit late for coffee?"
"It's never too late for coffee," he deadpanned with a small shake of his head, his fingers now fiddling with the front door keys, "Anyways, it just turned ten O'clock."
Swallowing a protest Hanna glanced around to try and find a clock, not entirely convinced that the time was so early. Swerving her body slightly, she soon found the object she was looking for displayed beneath the wooden skirting above the kitchen archway, its hands confirming that it was in fact only ten.
"Get a coat and some shoes on and lets go." He gestured towards the stairs with his head before leaving out into the front yard, the front door snapping shut behind him.
"Ugh..." She blinked slowly, "This is gonna be some night."
"Just a vanilla shake," She spoke with a small smile, her fingers playing with the cheap plastic-type leather seating of the booth, "Thanks."
The waitress — a stubby woman in her late fifties with thick rimmed glasses — shot her a knowing look before turning to Mr Emerson, "The usual, Dennis?" The question earning her a small nod and another thanks from the old man, "Coming right up! It'll be out shortly." She smiled at them both before slipping away towards the kitchen; swerving around teenagers as they entered.
"I don't usually come here at night," Mr Emerson started, scrutinising the surprisingly crowded diner, a distasteful look etching its way onto his face as he spotted a group of punks throwing fries at each other across the room, "Not my kinda crowd."
"Then why did we come here?" Hanna enquired, her attention also focusing on the rowdy teens across the diner.
With a dry laugh the old man turned back to her, his aged blue eyes locking onto her young dark brown ones, "I felt it might be best to talk in a more public environment. It can be quite..." He trailed off trying to find the correct words, "—Suffocating at home, especially since this situation is extremely sensitive," He paused with a sigh, "And I saw the way you looked when you came back; confused and uncomfortable. So I thought it would be better to speak here rather than back at the house."
Hanna could only nod in reply, thankful for his decision to bring her here rather than to stay there.
"Besides, the coffee here is so much better than the one back at home." Mr Emerson stated, humour present in his voice as he attempted to ease the tension; an act which earned him a small smile form the young woman across from him.
"So what happened, Hanna? I mean — one moment you're leaving for work and the next you've fallen off of the face of the earth! For a while I was convinced it was an act of rebellion; but I knew that couldn't have been it! You're not the rebellious type!" His words were desperate — voice high with deep confusion.
"I-I don't know what to say." She stuttered, her eyes now staring down at her lap where her fingers were playing with the zipper of her light blue jacket.
"Anything! Where did you go? Why did you leave? Were you kidnapped? Did someone say something to make you run away?" His questions came one right after the other making her stutter and recoil in her seat. "Where -"
"I was with some friends." She lied, cringing at how bad a liar she was and knowing that he could probably guess that what she said wasn't the truth.
Sitting back with an exasperated look across his face, Mr Emerson gave her a pointed look.
"Was it that boy again? That Shane kid who hangs around your group of friends? Did he stop at your work and take you somewhere?" His voice was firm. Cold. She could see the distrust brewing in his eyes as he spoke of the boy.
Not knowing who he was talking about, she chose to lie once again; he didn't seem to hold much liking towards whoever this guy was and she wasn't ready to see his face become any more sour than it was already,
"No, it wasn't him. It doesn't matter." Her eyes stared into his, her palm growing clammy as her eyes threatened to look away from the tense blue staring back.
"Of course it matters!" Mr Emerson started, bringing his hands up to rub his creased brow, "You were gone for 3 months — no calls."
Before she could reply, a large vanilla shake was slipped under her nose catching her attention and making her look at the waitress who awkwardly stood before them dishing out their orders.
"Thank you, Elsie," Mr Emerson smiled, his icy countenance thawing away quickly at the sight of the older woman and the food, "It looks great!"
"Aww, thanks, dear." She replied, the awkwardness vanishing after hearing his words and a warm smile blessing her wrinkled face.
Tuning them out, Hanna looked down at her milkshake, absentmindedly stirring it with her straw.
How could she explain herself to Mr Emerson if she couldn't even explain herself to herself?
The commotion in the diner began to escalate causing the atmosphere to buzz with intensity; all of which was ignored by the brown eyed girl who sat absentmindedly sipping on her milkshake. It wasn't until a tap on the window next to her that she fell back into reality.
Swinging her head to the left, her eyes met with the familiar blue that belonged to one of the boys who took her home earlier.
Smiling now that he caught her attention, the tall blond sent her a seductive wink before turning on his heel and heading towards a row of stripped bikes, each one accommodating three other familiar boys.
Not really knowing what to do, Hanna turned her attention back to her milkshake; her body slowly sliding down the chair to try and hide her awkwardness.
"— What d'ya say?" Mr Emerson enquired looking at her expectantly.
"—Hm?" Hanna replied, eyes shooting up towards Mr. Emerson to see that he was now talking to her and not the waitress. Her eyebrows furrowing in contemplation.
"About your job. I asked if you feel comfortable returning to your work?"
"Oh! Um..." She trailed off not knowing what to say.
"You don't have to go back straight away. In fact, it would be best for you to take some time off. Get your bearings sorted." He advised with a small nod.
Agreeing, Hanna nodded her head. The idea of going to work in some unknown place frightening her a bit.
"Okay. No problem. I'll let Ned know the situation. I believe he'll be glad that your back and unharmed. You caused a lot of panic for everyone here." He spoke again, chewing lightly on fries as he did so.
"I'm sorry." She apologised wholeheartedly, deciding to just play along with whatever was going on; noting that she would have to do a bit of digging around for information to make sense of what was happening.
With a tired sigh, Mr. Emerson leaned back in his seat; blue eyes scrutinising Hanna's sincere expression with an absence of emotion.
"It's okay." He breathed, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The tightness of the conversation now loosening and once again becoming more light-hearted.
Smiling back at the old man, she resumed drinking her milkshake — the creamy flavour relaxing her and putting her into a calm state.
"Ain't they the boys who took ya home tonight?"
Mr. Emerson's question caught her attention immediately. The straw that she was sucking on falling away from her mouth as soon as she looked back towards the bikes she saw mere seconds day ago.
Sat astride their steel steeds were the handsome boys from before. The blond who knocked on the window stood next to the pale blond, both nursing cigarettes in their hands, all the while the other two were conversing with each other — about what, she couldn't tell as their words were masked behind their jaw-dropping smiles.
"Y-yeah..." Hanna replied, her eyes stuck to the four like glue.
"Hm." Mr Emerson breathed distastefully, "I think it's time to head back. It's getting late and I think ya need some rest."
Without waiting for a reply, he stood up from the booth; money already out and his jacket halfway on his shoulders, "Come on."
Abiding by his decision, Hanna began to slide out of her seat; the soft leather of the booth lightly sticking to her bare thighs as she moved.
"Goodnight Dennis! It was good seeing you again." The waitress, Elsie, called out as she watched them leave the diner. Replying with a carefree wave, Mr Emerson guided Hanna out into the crowded streets of the boardwalk — the brunette still transfixed on the mysterious boys sitting on their stripped back motorcycles.
"Come on, come on." Mr Emerson lightly scolded, "There's no time to ogle at boys. We need to get home."
Half listening to his words Hanna picked up her pace next to the old man, swerving around the odd pedestrian as she went.
Reaching the strip that lead to Mr Emerson's jeep, Hanna realised just how close the boys had situated their bikes to where they were parked, their presence a mere stone throw away.
"Damn punks." Mr Emerson muttered to himself, his body already halfway inside the vehicle.
Ignoring his snide remark, Hanna hopped into the passenger side of the jeep, her eyes looking back to the boys only for her breath to catch in her throat when her eyes met with the crystal clear blue that belonged to the pale blond.
With quick movements she looked away, pretending to be interested with the zipper of her coat. Her mind buzzing over the fact that she just got caught staring at the attractive boys.
As the jeep engine roared to life, she took one last sneaky look at the men, brown meeting blue once again.
Smirking at her embarrassed state, the pale blond blew out the last puff of smoke from between his thin -- yet soft -- looking lips before crushing the butt of the cigarette underneath his boot.
Not being able to tear her eyes away, she watched as he peeled down the opposite end of the boardwalk, the other boys following close behind -- each one sparing her one last glance before disappearing into the darkness beyond the boardwalk's lights.
VigdysG on Chapter 1 Fri 11 Jul 2025 02:01AM UTC
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AriesLunaAngel on Chapter 1 Fri 11 Jul 2025 01:41PM UTC
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BucksDoe on Chapter 3 Sat 12 Jul 2025 09:29AM UTC
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AriesLunaAngel on Chapter 3 Sat 12 Jul 2025 11:58PM UTC
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OneSingularWaffle on Chapter 3 Sun 13 Jul 2025 01:58AM UTC
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AriesLunaAngel on Chapter 3 Mon 14 Jul 2025 01:00AM UTC
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OneSingularWaffle on Chapter 3 Mon 14 Jul 2025 06:27PM UTC
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AriesLunaAngel on Chapter 3 Tue 15 Jul 2025 02:39AM UTC
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OneSingularWaffle on Chapter 3 Tue 15 Jul 2025 09:01PM UTC
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OneSingularWaffle on Chapter 3 Tue 15 Jul 2025 09:00PM UTC
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SlytherinQueensAndVikingKings on Chapter 4 Wed 23 Jul 2025 09:25PM UTC
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AriesLunaAngel on Chapter 4 Wed 23 Jul 2025 10:49PM UTC
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OneSingularWaffle on Chapter 4 Sat 02 Aug 2025 02:34AM UTC
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AriesLunaAngel on Chapter 4 Sun 17 Aug 2025 04:43PM UTC
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OneSingularWaffle on Chapter 4 Sun 17 Aug 2025 08:58PM UTC
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UnderElectricCandlelight on Chapter 5 Mon 04 Aug 2025 01:52PM UTC
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AriesLunaAngel on Chapter 5 Sun 17 Aug 2025 04:45PM UTC
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Kittykat6625 on Chapter 5 Mon 04 Aug 2025 03:20PM UTC
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AriesLunaAngel on Chapter 5 Sun 17 Aug 2025 04:42PM UTC
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OneSingularWaffle on Chapter 5 Fri 08 Aug 2025 01:32AM UTC
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AriesLunaAngel on Chapter 5 Sun 17 Aug 2025 04:41PM UTC
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OneSingularWaffle on Chapter 5 Sun 17 Aug 2025 08:57PM UTC
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AriesLunaAngel on Chapter 5 Thu 04 Sep 2025 02:50PM UTC
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OneSingularWaffle on Chapter 5 Thu 04 Sep 2025 10:49PM UTC
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OneSingularWaffle on Chapter 6 Thu 04 Sep 2025 06:39PM UTC
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