I'm not in control and it's the early hours of the next morning. Becky's escaping, she's really talented at this...
We make it to an exit and out into the parking lot. There is few cars parked and one of them is occupied. An aging man is sitting inside, playing away on a video game console, a very old one and small, neatly sitting in his hands.
He takes one look at us, gives one small wave and turns back to his game. Becky keeps going
Who was that?"
The current mayor.
Who was the founding mayor of here?
His name was Solayo Ender I think. I've never met him though, only seen him in textbooks. One day he was here apparently and then gone the next.
Weird.
Yep.
Why is the current mayor video gaming on a retro console at 5 a.m?
Don't know. Can't sleep?
As we get further and further away from the hospital, the Mayor back a bit picks up his mobile.
---
"Ender Falls Police Department."
"It's Robert Leroy."
"Mayor! What can we do for you? Are you okay? Are you having a medical emergency?"
"No, no. I'm just sitting in my car gaming in the hospital parking lot. You know what an old hoot I am."
"...Okay?"
"Becky Winters left the hospital."
"You have to be kidding me!"
"I'm afraid not, and no I won't chase her. I'm almost 73- Not going to happen."
"I'll wake up the Sherrif and call the hospital and her social worker. Thank you for call- I'm sorry, what? What do you mean, escaped? They kicked out a fire door and the alarm didn't sound?
They're teenagers, you we're supposed to be keeping an eye on them and they we're supposed to be properly secured!
No- Not good enough. No excuses."
"I'll let you go. Sounds like Becky's not the only one who's just gone missing..." and the Mayor hangs up.
"Hello? Hello? Dang it! He hung up!" And the police officer on desk punches in the Sheriff's home phone number.
"Hello, Sherrif Mercy speaking."
"Sherrif, Becky Winters, Mitchell Donovan and Veronica Garroth have all just run off."
"I'll be there in 10- I just have to drop, Libby off at the neighbors then. Mel's working night shift at the hospital so she can't take her."
"Libby? Oh, you're 7y/o daughter, right."
Becky is walking along a main road, slightly shivering when her phone gets two messages. Opening them to see them.
Amber alerts. One for her obviously and a joint one for Veronica and Mitchell.
They escaped and are now fugitives?
Her puzzled look turns into a devilish evil smile and a plan begins to form.
She needs to get her to snag her UTE from the police station where it was recovered to, having been behind in the woods after Aiden kidnapped her. It won't be easy, but if she does it now, spur of the moment and in and out in less than 60 seconds, only one shot at this so she has to get it right while the station is running around like headless chickens, she'll get away with it.
---
"Libby?"
I look up, I'm sitting on a log in the middle of nowhere in the forest near the falls. A campfire is slowly burning in-front of me.
"Libby."
And someone holds a stick out, a marshmallow on the end. Looking close, she has one of her own.
"Shelby?" I respond.
"The one and only!" She laughs a little, but then her joyful expression changes to sorrow.
"Where are we?" I ask, looking around. I see a red ute behind us. "Is that mine?"
"Uh, yeah. Well, it's Becky's. But I guess it could be considered yours as well at this point."
"Shelby, where are we? I... communicated with Aiden earlier, but he was a ghost. Dead.
You're not dead. I don't think you we're, you're not right? Cause if ghosts seeking me out are about to become a thing-
"Yes, I'm still alive. The fall didn't kill me, Aiden and his friends couldn't take me out that easily. And I never said I was her, her. You jumped to that conclusion on you're on."
"Wait, so, what are you?"
"A figment of your imagination, Libby. I left with my parents. They didn't want me to grow up here anymore. We're headed to the next town over."
"So, if this isn't real and a figment of my imagination-"
"What advice would you give to someone else in your situation?"
"How can you ask me that? My situation is an impossible one. I can't begin to imagine, believe that it's actually true. But it is, and the truth behind the lie was more devastating.
I don't hate it, but... my life as Libby Biscuit, and the love I had for Veronica and Mitchell and getting to see and play with Zekey every afternoon was-"
"Simple and less of an emotional burden on you? I can see why. You had none of Becky's past to tie you down and you didn't have trauma before."
"And Becky's really angry, hurting so badly inside. They're going to send her to mental health clinic in a big city, miles from here and they don't believe I'm real and me. They think I'm a split of version of her I think?
I can sort of understand why they think all that based on who she is, but I never asked for this.
Me coming to existence, and it feels like there are memories messed up inside me. One's that aren't Becky's and not the story that Aiden concocted, putting Veronica and Mitchell up too.
I can't remember them though. Where am I supposed to go from here, Shelby?
I'm scared, I feel so alone and lost right now in this vast world I know nothing about."
"You have me. I may have been Becky's friend like alot of other people you've met, including the Twins.
But there's nothing stopping us being friends. Why don't you write to me sometime when all is said and done. We could hang out?"
"I'd like that."
And she pulls me into a hug, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I lean my head into the nook of shoulder and neck as she pops a toasted marshmallow in her mouth.
"But I don't know how to end this, Shelby. I don't think Becky and me can co-exist at the end of the day and while I'm here with you, she's doing god knows what after she just escaped the hospital, being dragged into what's going to become a bigger mess and I'll be left to pick up the pieces which I don't think I can pick up."
"Becky runs from her problem, Libby and everyone. She's going to keep that again. She's going to steal her UTE, it was found after she vanished by the Police and likely hit the road.
It's not long till Graduation and you both turning 18."
"I don't actually feel 18..."
"You think you're younger? How old are you, Libby? What's your name? The one before Veronica, Mitchell and Aiden named you together."
"I don't know, I don't know anything. Shelby?"
"Yeah?"
"It's getting cold out here. Can we get in the UTE?"
"Sure."
And she helps me up, we head over to the UTE climbing in. We sit beside each other just staring at the starry sky above us. I'm in the drivers seat, and Shelby's in the passengers.
"You ever driven, Libby? Do you know how to drive?"
"No, I don't think I have. Ever."
"Well, I guess you're going to have to learn now."
"What do you mean?"
And I see the world around me turn to a open road, trees sailing past me and the dark interior of the inside of Becky's UTE. My hands are on the wheel, the steering wheel moving every which way, difficult to hang into.
Hit the breaks!
What?!
Hit the breaks, Libby! The pedal on your left!
I press down hard on something with my foot and the UTE comes to an immediate hult, the seatbelt contracting hard and my chest aches.
"Shit!"
Obviously!
What did you do?! I yell at her.
Take back what was mine, I'm getting us out of here.
You want to run for the rest of your life?
Well, no. But it will only have to be for a few months. Maybe a year, tops. I'm turning 18 soon.
Please? Can you go along with me on this? I'm doing this just as much for you as I am for me.
We're stuck together in this body, Libby.
Okay.
Thank you.
Can you teach me how to drive? Because I don't know how. And now that I'm in the drivers seat literally..."
Uh, I can try. Try not to crash or anything though regardless of my limited advice and hands on instructions.
It's kind of already too late for that...
That there is the clutch, this is a manual.
?
Okay, we might need to swap over to a automatic sometime soon in the future... For now though, just listen to me and try.
We ease into it slowly, and start driving along again, turning on the high beams as it's becoming very dark.
We can see two figures up ahead, walking along the road. I feel Becky start to smirk darkly.
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