pure, sweet, innocent

once  he’s  safely  out  of  harm’s  way,  he  holds  up  his  hand  for  her  to  pause  as  he  reaches  into  his  pockets.  “  hold  that  thought. ”   he  pulls  a  pen  out  of  his  pocket,  ripping  the  cap  off  with  his  teeth  before  throwing  it  perfectly  at  the  car’s  back  tire  as  it  squeals  away.   he  watches  with  amusement  in  his  gaze  as  the  pointed  end  punctures  the  tire.  if  the  universe  is  so  kind,  the  driver  won’t  notice  the  air  deflating  until  he  wakes  up  the  next  morning  to  go  to  work.   it’s  a  petty,  vindictive,  satisfaction  that  floods  through  him  as  he  tosses  the  pen  in  the  bin.  it’s  served  its  purpose.   “  oh  yeah.  i’m  just  peachy. ”   the  grin  suggests  it’s  actually  true.

when  he  turns  back  to  look  at  her  proper,  he  can’t  help  but  snort.  between  the  outfit  and  the  cellphone  in  her  hand,  she’s  clearly  not  from  where  he’s  from.   which  means,  wherever  this  is,  either  she’s  just  as  foreign  here  as  him  or  he’s  somehow  managed  to  travel  backwards  in  time.    he’s  already  lived  through  over  a  century  of  annoying,  bizarre,  or  downright  terrible,  trends,  and  he  has  no  intention  of  doing  it  all  over  again.  nuh-uh.   “  so  sorority  barbie, ”   he  comments,  idle  curiosity  getting  the  better  of  him.   “  unluckily  for  you,  i’ve  got  a  lot  of  questions  and  you’re  conveniently  here  to  answer  them. ”   whether  she  likes  it  or  not.   “  for  starters  —  where  the  hell  are  we  **? **”

...

She’s stunned enough to actually listen when he tells her to hold her thought, though the following actions he takes serve only to confuse her even more. She’s not sure exactly what he’s doing, throwing the cap of a pen at the car as it drives away, but it seems to give him some sense of accomplishment, and she isn’t about to question that... It’s just that everything that she’s just witnessed is so far out of her realm of normal that it’s not easy to process. She’s just watched this man appear out of thin air, nearly get hit by a car in the process, and then get some sort of satisfaction out of throwing a cap at it. He claims he’s peachy and for all she can tell he’s being genuine, though if their roles were reversed she’s not sure she’d be saying the same.

An eyebrow cocks as he not only snorts at her after looking her up and down, but goes on to call her sorority barbie. Just how rude is this guy? Her arms fold over her chest, subconsciously putting even that small barrier between herself and him, though she has no clue just how useless the move is other than making her feel slightly better. She looks him up and down as well, rolling her eyes slightly. “For starters;” she repeats, using his words against him, “My name isn’t sorority barbie - It’s Jessica. And as for your questions, I can’t answer them when I’m asking myself the same ones. What’s your deal anyways? Is it normal for you to pop in out of thin air and then start mocking people or are you just being rude for no reason?”

Veronica looked at her,tilting her head in confusion. “You misplaced your cookies? Now that is a very strange occurrence if you ask me.”She replied as she looked the stranger up and down for a moment. 

It took her a moment to reply to her, the good nature in her winning out over anything else in her. “Sure I’d be happy to try that for you. Yeah I’m sorry about that, it’s a new one so I am still getting used to it myself”She admitted as she began to unlock her phone. “You don’t sound like a weirdo at all. It’s very nice to meet you Jess,I’m Veronica,you can call me Roni if you like.”She said before chuckling softly. “No not at all, you must be one of the many new people around here.”

...

“I really don’t think I misplaced my cookies as much a I might have misplaced myself...” She was fairly sure that she was speaking more to herself than to Veronica with that statement, but it didn’t make it any less true. This whole dream was just... very disorienting, and she wasn’t enjoying it at all.

She watched as she began to work on the ‘phone’ but what she was doing, frankly, made no sense at all to Jessica. She rattled off Sam’s phone number ( or at the very least the number he’d used in 2005 ) but her hope was shrinking by the second. “... Many new people around here?” She repeated, mulling the thought for a few moments, “Is here like... The Bermuda Triangle or something? I was just in my apartment at school before I was here... Does that sound like the other new people round here? And... where exactly is here?”

THROUGH NARROWED HAZEL HUES the male studied his surroundings, bow drawn with an arrow ready to fly toward an enemy. The enemy that no longer stood before him, who had seemingly vanished into thin air. Or, was it he that had vanished? Sheathing the arrow, he then slung the bow over his shoulder, pale lips pressing into a thin line as his brow furrowed. Humming momentarily, Alec continued to take in his surroundings, the large buildings were entirely foreign to him, he could tell from the lack of bustle on the streets that he definitely was not in New York City anymore. A hand combed back through ebony locks as the six foot something male groaned, knowing that he would have to make himself visible to the mundane population if he had any hope of finding out where he was.

SLIPPING THE STELE from his pocket, the male then swiped it over one of his runes, sighing softly for a moment. Shoving the object back into his pocket, Alec then wandered out into the street in hope of finding someone who could help shed some light on the situation he found himself in. “Excuse me,” He flashed a fake smile in the direction of the being before him. “I think I’m lost, would you mind telling me where we are?” Confusion filtered over the shadow hunter’s face as he peered away from the other, studying his surroundings. He couldn’t help but wonder if any fellow shadow hunters had ended up following him to, wherever the hell he was.

...

This place was just... weird. It had been a couple of days now, and she wasn’t much closer to figuring out where she was, but she was slowly coming to the conclusion that she wasn’t actually dreaming. She was however still determined to find a way to get her phone to work. If she could just get a hold of someone she could start to find her way back home. In the meantime she’d found somewhere to sleep, with a promise that she’d pay as soon as she could, and found that on waking up she was... Still here. Only now she had clothes with her, her purse and wallet. But if she wasn’t dreaming and her things were here... What the hell was happening to her? She needed to know so many things, and yet she was still no closer to any answers.

She was starting to at least understand the area that she was in - where to get food, where there was a park, and a coffee shop... And she could really use a coffee... All of this was really bringing out the need for caffeine to try and straighten it all out in her mind. “I wish I could,” she’d answered quickly when a stranger had asked her for help. He didn’t look like anyone that she knew, either at Stanford or back home, but then few people did... “I’m kinda lost too. It... Seems like a lot of people around here are. Maybe we could try to figure it out together?” She offered, smiling up at him. “I’m Jessica.” 

Veronica finally had a day off from work and she knew exactly where she was going to head, to visit her father. She normally left a little bit earlier so she could get there early enough to surprise him. This time she was bringing him his favourite desert as she didn’t want him to go through all of the trouble of making dinner and desert for her.

She was making her way down the street when she jumped a bit,feeling the touch of somebodies hand against her shoulder. “Oh well since you didn’t make me drop my desert,go right ahead.”She said as she pulled out her phone and handed it over to the stranger. “You kinda startled me.”

...

“I’m sorry - I didn’t mean to. I’m glad you didn’t drop it either. I just finished making some cookies but I’m not sure... where they are now.” Well, she knew where the cookies were, she just didn’t know where she was. And here was yet another ‘phone’ that looked nothing like a phone...

“Do you think maybe you could try calling my boyfriend for me if I just tell you his number? I’m not too sure how to use your phone...” She felt pretty helpless, chewing on the inside of her cheek for a moment, “I swear I’m not some kind of weirdo... My name is Jess - his name is Sam... I just... It makes me sound more like a weirdo if I tell you I think I’m dreaming, doesn’t it?”

somewhere  between  delta  and  echo,  his  phone  died.  it’s  more  brick  than  phone  at  the  moment,  weighing  down  his  pocket  as  his  scooter  zooms  from  one  district  to  the  next.  he’s,  admittedly,  a  bit  of  a  distracted  driver  as  he  belts  his  own  music  while  he  rides  —  roar  by  katy  perry,  at  present  —  given  his  headphones  are  now  just  as  useless  as  the  brick  they’re  connected  to.  

he  screeches  to  a  stop  however  when  he  narrowly  avoids  running  down  a  pretty  blonde  who’s  looking  at  herphone  like  it’s  just  as  useless  as  his.   he  feels  her  pain.  “  wish  i  could. ”   he  replies  sorrowfully,  fishing  it  out  of  his  pocket  and  making  a  show  of  pushing  the  power  button  only  for  the  screen  to  stay  blank.   “  i’m  like   …  the  worst  at  remembering  to  charge  my  phone.   i’ve  got  a  cable  though  if  you’ve  got  an  iphone. ”   he  digs  around  in  the  fanny-pack  he  wears  around  his  middle,  humming  triumphantly  when  he  finds  it  and  holds  it  up.   there’s  only  one  problem;   that  thing  she  calls  a  phone  is  a  total  dinosaur.   seriously,  it  looks  like  something  you’d  find  someone’s  grandma  selling  on  craigslist.  he  winces.    “  yeah,  no,  that’s  …  not  going  to  work  with  your  phone. ”   he  feels  for  her,  he  does,  so  he  settles  on  the  next  best  thing  he  can  do  to  help.   “  i’ve  got  a  twelve  dollar  credit  on  this  thing. ”  he  explains,  patting  the  display  on  the  lyft  scooter.  “  i  can  probably  get  you  wherever  you  need  to  go. ”

...

Has she managed to find her way into some foreign country? Sure the man in front of her speaks English, and she’s sure it’s some type of American accent, but more than half of what he says just makes no sense to her. “I’m sorry, but I really have no clue what you’re talking about... What’s an iPhone? It’s not that my phone isn’t charged it’s -” She flips it open to check, shrugging slightly, “I’ve got like eighty percent, so I should be good for a couple days, but it just won’t connect. Like there’s no network... I think. I don’t know. I’m not that much technology inclined.”

She’s slightly more confused when he pats the vespa he’s riding and says something about a twelve dollar credit, “Don’t those things run on gas? I don’t see what use credit is unless you’re trying to buy one...” What she does understand though is the offer of a ride wherever she needs to go, but she really doesn’t even know where that is. “If I’m being honest I’m pretty lost. I don’t even know what state I’m in, never mind which city... I just know that this doesn’t look like Palo Alto, and I’ve got class in the morning...”

Isaac was still on guard around town; it made him feel better that at least a couple people he trusted from Beacon Hills were there. He wasn’t sure how much comfort it was that so many were appearing in Reprieve to the same story of having no idea how or why they were there. Was was the point? He was doing what he had been trained to; figuring out the layout of the town and everything it had to offer.

He didn’t have any anwsers still but he felt like he was actually doing something. Isaac didn’t like just sitting around. He was use to being on the move. He was heading down what seemed the main street that connected all the Districts when he caught the sound of running steps appraching him. He felt her presence before she reached out and tapped his shoulder. He stopped and turned towards the blonde who asked about a phone.

“Sorry, but uh, I think you managed to stop the only person in this town that doesn’t actually own a phone.” He offered with a small apologetic smile. “I’ve talked to a few people, I think their all having trouble with cellphones not connecting.” 

“Well shoot, that can’t be good,” She commented quietly, though she really had no clue what to do next if she couldn’t get her phone working, particularly if this stranger didn’t have one. She wanted to make sense of all of this, but it was becoming clearer and clearer that that wasn’t going to happen.

But she still needed help. She’d never really felt this lost in her entire life, and she wasn’t very keen on staying lost for very long. “I know I’m about to sound... well, absolutely crazy, but I promise you I’m not I- I’m a student at Stanford. My name is Jessica and I really have no clue what I’m doing here... I...” She what exactly? She didn’t even know, and she didn’t really know why she was explaining herself to him, other than the fact that it was kind of nice not being alone.

“I have no clue what I’m doing, or how I got here, or where here even is... Are you from here? Can you maybe point me in some direction that might help? Even if it’s just like... the police station?”

it  was  almost  like  a  chore  to  have  to  navigate  this  place,  especially  when  she’s  desperately  trying  to  NOT  get  lost  again.  it  wasn’t  that  it  didn’t  seem  like  a  nice  place.  it  did,  but  with  the  fear  of  unknown  truly  setting  in,  she  couldn’t  help  but  NOT  relax.  it  was  born  out  of  worry  of  something  bringing  her  for  ulterior  motives,  and  the  horrendous  feeling  of  being  trapped  didn’t  help  either.  that  in  itself  for  elena,  outweighed  all  the  good.   at  the  tap  of  her  shoulder,  she  feels  her  stomach  twist  uncomfortably  —-  but  still  she  turns,  and  lets  a  smile  lift  at  the  corners  of  her  lips.  THE  GIRLS  WORDS  MAKE  HER  FEEL  AN  OUNCE  OF  RELIEF.  so  she  wasn’t  the  only  one  cut  off  from  her  family,  with  a  lack  of  communication  via  her  mobile.  “  hey,  i  mean  you  can  try.  but  mine  doesn’t  seem  to  have  any  signal  either,  which  is  convenient,  and  a  pain  in  the  ass.  ”  she  holds  her  phone  out  to  the  girl  nonetheless,  maybe  she’d  be  lucky.  a  girl  could  HOPE.

She’s grateful that the girl she’s approached at least appears to be friendly; willing enough to let a total stranger use some of her minutes in hopes of contacting somebody. But it seems that her phone isn’t working either, so she figures they ought to swap? Maybe the brunette would have better luck than she’s been having. She’s left dumbfounded as she offers the other girl her Motorola Razr though, staring at the device she offers. She takes it, looking every bit the typical dumb blonde as she turns it over in her hands, trying to figure out how it opens. Despite the obvious struggle she doesn’t want the other girl to think that she’s weird or anything, so all she says is, “Maybe you’ll have better luck with mine.”

The strange ‘phone’ did lend itself well to her theory that this was some strange lucid dream, and even the girl herself - kind. Like the people back home - “Crap - I’m sorry I’m being rude. Borrowing your phone and all and I didn’t even tell you my name. I’m Jessica.”

Unfortunately, in this dream, it seemed as though borrowing the other girl’s phone was as far as she would get, offering it back without even turning the screen on, “I’ll take your word for it that yours isn’t working... My boyfriend is the tech-nerd in our house. I’m honestly not even sure how your phone opens never mind how it works...” A pause, “I promise Im not crazy or anything, I’m just not from around here... I think... This doesn’t look like Palo Alto...”

he’s  been  in  reprieve  for  a  few  weeks  now,  so  he’s  come  to  learn  a  few  things.   

first:   the  town  doesn’t  seem  to  be  on  any  maps  he’s  ever  seen.  not  that,  it  should  be  noted,  he’s  managed  to  find  a  map  anywherein  the  city.   

second:  while  some  people  seem  equally  as  confused  as  him  to  be  here,  others  claim  to  have  lived  here  their  whole  lives.  they  even  have  memoriesof  living  here  their  entire  lives.   it  seems  real  for  them.

REAL  OR  NOT,  he’s  not  sure  what  to  make  of  this  town.  it’s  busier  than  your  average  town  but  not  so  busy  it’s  like  new  york  or  california.  there’s  a  lot  of  unanswered  questions  and  the  people  he’d  usually  ask  ?   they’re  gone.   they’ve  been  gone  for  awhile.    (   that,  however,  he’d  be  happy  to  find  out  wasn’t  real.)

his  grip  on  reality  is  tenuous.  so  much  so  that  when  he  hears  a  familiar  voice,  he’s  not  all  that  surprised.   his  regrets  haunt  him  in  his  dreams  so  is  it  really  a  stretch  for  them  to  bleed  into  his  waking  hours  ? if  he’s  even  awake.    he  turns  slowly,  braces  himself  for  the  stabbing  guilt  he  always  feels  when  he  comes  face  to  face  with  her.  

JESSICA. the  first  in  the  long  line  of  women  who’ve  sufferedbecause  they  knew  him.  

he  stares.  drinks  in  every  detail,  feels  every  bit  his  age  as  the  weariness  brings  palms  to  press  against  his  eyes.    he  knows  this  isn’t  real.   if  he  blinks  twice,  focuses,  he  knows  she’ll  be  gone.   it’s  the  demon  blood  leaving  his  system;   the  withdrawal.   hallucinations  are  just  part  of  the  package.    “  you’re  not  really  here. ”   his  words  are  a  sigh,  a  three  count  transpiring  mentally  before  he  lets  his  eyes  flutter  open  again.   yet  somehow,  she’s  still  there.   he  blinks  once,  twice,  and  then  his  lips  twist  into  a  frown.   “  this  isn’t  real. ”

She can feel her heart beat faster when he turns around, just like it always did when he got home from class... But there was something off. Why her dream had presented him to her like this? She had no clue... Unless it was just a coincidence, and this stranger only bore a resemblance to her Sam. He just... He looked more like him than the brother that had turned up out of nowhere just a couple of days ago, so how coincidental could it be? Compared to her Sam this one was all muscles and hair. ( and maybe those were crows feet at the corners of his eyes --- was that a grey hair? )  She couldn’t just stand here staring at him though, so she took the situation at face value. This was her dream after all as weird as it was - and then the way that he ground the palms of his hands into his eyes? That was all the evidence that she needed. She’d seen her Sam make that exact movement on a hundred other nights after long study sessions. She can only smile at him, relieved that in the midst of this strange dream she has a friendly face in front of her. “I know that,” She’s still smiling even as she speaks, “I know it’s not real.” Of course it wasn’t. She was dreaming, and she couldn’t wait to wake up and tell her Sam all about this one. Assuming he made it back in time for his interview... But for now she had this Sam, and this strange lucid dream, and it only made sense to ask him for help. “I think I need to figure out how to get home... Will you help me, Sam?” She asked, lettingher fingers fall from his shoulder, trailing down his arm while she reached to hold his hand. “Please? I’m lost, I think... I was trying to call you but my phone won’t work.”

She’s dreaming, or at least she figures she must be, because she wouldn’t go out in public dressed like this. She doesn’t know why she’s dreaming something like this, but she’ll figure it out. She’ll see Brady or Sam or someone that she actually knows here and she’ll wake up warm and comfortable in bed to go to class in the morning... Or something. (has she ever had a lucid dream like this before? has she ever been aware that she was dreaming?)

It’s only when she sees someone walking ahead of her that she springs into action, jogging the few steps she needs to to catch up to them before reaching out to tap their shoulder, “Hey, can I borrow your phone for a minute? I’ve got no signal.”

every so often the smile slipped, like now when she was bone tired. eve slept less than most, but that didn’t always stop the exhaustion from seeping in. she was still stuck in a strange town, after all. in the middle of who knows what dimension or universe or whatever. that was enough to mess with a person to say the least.

the combination of a weary body and overtaxed mind was prime game for not paying the least bit of attention where she was going. it didn’t take long until she found herself colliding with someone or something hard enough to toss the brunette on her ass. 

“ow,” she hissed, whether it actually hurt or she just expected it to was anyone’s guess. either way she glanced up, hoping she’d knocked into a pole, not a person, but apologizing instinctively. “i’m so sorry.”

At some point Jessica had decided that it was better to walk with a purpose than to wander. Wandering was getting her nowhere, and she was sure she would cover more ground if she just kept on going. She’d be able to find someone who could help. Even if this was some weird kind of dream she felt like she wouldn’t be able to wake up without figuring it all out.

Of course moving quickly around a corner while lost in your own head trying to figure out what your next move was was decidedly not the best idea, and had led to a collision with someone else.

“No, don’t apologize that was my fault,” she offered a hand down to the girl that she’d knocked down, frowning, “I’m the one who should be sorry, I wasn’t really looking.”

damon’s  not  really  a  panicker.  yes,  he  gets  more  irritable  when  circumstances  are  …  less  than  ideal,  but  he’d  like  to  think  he  manages  to  stay  relatively  calm  in  a  crisis.     he’s  wrong,  mind  you,  but  self-awareness  can  be  a  fatal  flaw.

one  minute  he’s  outside  some  crappy  motel  with  little  gilbert  and  elena,  and  in  the  next  he’s  stumbling  over  his  own  feet  as  some  jackass  almost  hits  him  with  their  car.   the  irony  makes  him  smile,  despite  the  irritated  set  to  his  jaw.   “  watch  where  you’re  going. ”   he  shouts,  smoothing  out  the  lines  of  his  shirt  as  a  head  turns  towards  the  driver.   “  —  or  is  road  etiquette  not  a  thingwherever  the  hell  this  is  ?  ”

Truthfully she’s got no clue where she’s going or what she’s doing. It’s been a few hours now, desperately trying to get her cell phone to find some kind of service without any luck. The old Motorola Razr is in her hand as she wanders, hoping beyond hope that she’ll be able to get even a single bar, but the more time ticks on the less hope she has, and she’s got to preserve the battery.

She looks up with a slight sigh just in time to see a man literally appear in the middle of the street, and now she’s starting to think she must be dreaming or something, or hit her head because people don’t just appear out of nowhere like she’s sure she just saw. She’s too stunned in the first few moments to even shout for him to look out, though she ‘wakes up’ enough to move towards him after the fact, concerned even though she doesn’t think anything actually happened, “Are you alright?”

( adrianne palicki, 20, she/her )  welcome to reprieve, JESSICA MOORE who is from SUPERNATURAL, PILOT.  rumor has it they are a HUMAN, but only they could tell you the truth! when i close my eyes, i think of them and imagine THE SMELL OF COOKIES BAKING, CHERRY BLOSSOM PETALS FALLING IN THE PARK, SELF-CENSORED SWEAR WORDS, AND NOSTALGIC NINETIES CARTOONS.