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“Bye, Alex. Watch out for any… for anything, really, okay? It was a lot of work to get you here.” She smiles, just a little. She’s tired, obviously she’s tired, you don’t exactly save the world (or Camena coast, at least) without getting tired. And stopping a cult from tearing apart the fabric of reality with someone you met the same night will definitely put you out of commission for a while.
“I’ll.. I’ll be good. Alright, well.. I’ll see you around, Riley. Have a good one. And uh, thanks.” Michael’s jacket weighs with the weight of the universe. She’ll give Riley a better thank you once she’s gotten her beauty sleep.
“You’re welcome, Alex. I’m glad you’re back.”
Riley waves goodbye, and begins to walk to the docks, probably catching up with Jacob. Alex waves goodbye, and catches back up with the rest of the group.
“Alex, stop talking to everyone!” Clarissa calls out, friendlier than normal. “Yeah, yeah. Just a second.”
…Since when was Clarissa friendly?
***
Making conversation with the people you’ve been trapped in a time loop with for the past 5 years would be much easier if they remembered it too. She forgot how bad a driver Ren was, and seeing his sorry excuse for getting on the ferry back to the mainland definitely proved he really wasn’t fit to drive. Clarissa is in the passenger seat up front, scrolling through her phone. Her nails are making some irritating clacking sounds, but aside from that, Clarissa is calm and quiet. Actually, Clarissa is being way nicer than usual. Whatever version of the night this universe is going with, something must have happened between them. Maybe saving them from an eternity trapped on the island was finally good enough for Clarissa to stop hating her.
Nona is sitting next to Alex (with Alex stuck in the smallest seat, unfortunately). She’s either looking at Clarissa gladly, or looking out of the window. Her arms are crossed, not in a mean way, but almost like she’s holding herself. Luckily, she was spared from the worst of the night.. but even she had to deal with the Sunken.
Ren has his hands at ten and two on the steering wheel, like he was taught when he got his license a few (what she thinks was) weeks ago. He’s probably still a little high, judging by the look on his face and the red in his eyes, but he’s alright. Not such an “unreliable basketcase” if he’s their escape route. Did Ren say something “broke” between them tonight, yet again? Who did she take to town, did she get Ren and Nona together..? Ugh, she’ll figure it out tomorrow.
Michael isn’t here. God, she wishes Michael were here.
Jonas. He’s on the right of Alex, resting his face on his palm and looking out of the window. He seems a little nervous, confused maybe. She understands, anyone who had to go through
half
what they did together would have swam back to Camena. He snaps his bracelet against his wrist. Alex hopes he’ll be alright. An introspective Jonas is a rare Jonas, from what she’s learned during her Edwards Island horror show. Or maybe they never really had a moment to rest, because since 9PM five years ago she’s been fighting for their lives.
Camena pretty much dies after midnight, and since they took the first ferry back that morning, there’s almost no one awake. As they drop off Clarissa and Nona, they pass only a few squirrels.
It’s strange to be so
mundane.
After five years of dealing with ghosts, possessions, time loops, seeing someone get thrown out of a window,
seeing your best friend drowning just like-
It’s definitely weird. This
existence
will take some getting used to, but she definitely prefers this over feeling like she’s made of static.
Streetlights buzz and flicker with no one underneath them. The sunrise is just beginning, washing everything in orange light. It’s weirdly soothing, which they all can appreciate. Her Mom and Jonas’s dad (her dad now, really) are probably still asleep. It’s even earlier than garbage pickup, so maybe she can get at least a quick nap.
Alex clears her throat sort of awkwardly, with just Ren and Jonas in the car. “So, Jonas.. how’s it going?” Alex offers, as the beginning of a conversation, to dull the intense quiet of the car. Jonas sighs and turns around to look at her. “It’s.. it’s definitely going, is all I can say honestly. Do… what even
happened
.” He shifts his hand, leaning differently on it now. Alex smiles a little, somewhat dampered. “Yeah, I get that.. but uh, thanks for being so cool tonight. I think if anyone else had to come along with me, they would have followed Clarissa out of that window.”
Jonas chuckles a little, emptily. Seeing someone fall from that height (even if they were okay now) messes you up. “Well, you’re not annoying or anything. You’re kind of a badass honestly, like, you saved 3 people from being possessed. With a
radio.
That’s a whole new level of awesome.” Alex chuckles, “Yeah, I’m pretty cool like that.”
Ren slows the car to a stop outside Alex and
Michael’s
Jonas’ house, and turns the radio down. “Uh, sorry to break up your sibling bonding, but my parents will kill me if I’m not home soon. Alex.. I’m uh, i’m going to take a 8 hour nap once I get home and call you. And probably call my therapist.” Alex chuckles and reaches to undo her seatbelt. “Yeah, definitely call your therapist. Tell Allison I say hi, oh, and tell her thank you for the cookies she made me.” (Does she really remember cookies…?) Ren nods, “Will do. See you, Alex. And uh, just real quick.. I want to say I’m sorry about what happened at the tower, Jonas. I was high as shit and angry for literally no good reason. You’re a good guy.”
Jonas sighs and smiles half-heartedly. “Yeah, thanks, I’m good now. Sorry for the whole “unreliable basket case” thing.” Ren smiles back. “Thanks. Okay now, out of my car, my Mom is probably already reporting me as missing.”
Alex slides out, Jonas following close behind. She grabs the radio. The house is standard, and the morning birds are chirping so loud in the trees outside she’s surprised her mom hasn’t woken up yet. The front door, crimson red, is locked. Alex’s pockets are filled with lint, a receipt from Funnies’ from before the island, loose change, and the house keys. She unlocks the door in one swift motion, practiced from years of coming home this early in the morning. Times where she looped before.
Jonas steps in before her, shifting awkwardly. He’s not used to this house.
“Well, uh… I think Mom and uh, Dad are still asleep so, I’m gonna like, take a nap. And remember, you’re family now, sooo nothing’s off limits, y’know. You can like, raid the pantry now and no one will mind.”
Jonas chuckles, and kicks off his now dirty white sneakers. “Uh, yeah, I might take you up on that. But nah, I’m gonna take a shower and unpack. Ugh, crap, I have to unpack my shower stuff now. I have zero idea where I put any of that.”
Alex walks up the stairs and chuckles, “Struggles of a moving man. Well, I’ll see you in like a few hours, Jonas. Thanks for.. everything, I guess? You were like, actually helpful tonight, which is miles more than I can say for Nona and Ren. No offense to them though.”
“Yeah, uh, no problem. See you, Alex.” Jonas walks to the fridge, hopefully going to eat something, and Alex heads up the stairs to her bedroom. The hallways, the doors, even the ugly rug that her mom insisted on getting, are exactly the same as they were before.
Michael’s, now Jonas’, door are adjacent to hers, the markings of it being Michael’s now stripped away for Jonas. Her door is clearly marked with “ALEX” written in dark blue alphabet stickers, and glow-in-the-dark star decals from when she and Michael were younger. She tentatively opens the door, thinking she’ll loop at any moment.
She walks in, no problem, boots making pitter-patter on the hardwood floor. The details seem so much more important now than before. Her room is the same as before, bed still unmade, blankets curled in the way that makes it seem like she was just there yesterday morning. The big dresser she got back in seventh grade is covered in books and trinkets and polaroid pictures. Her floor length mirror is still propped up on the corner of her dresser, just next to the window.
She catches herself in the mirror. She looks rough, no denying that. Her hair, once neat on the ferry, probably five years ago, is covered in dirt and needs a hairbrush. Michael’s jacket hangs loosely, slightly cut up from when she dropped it in the woods. She loosens her ponytail (God, that hurts a lot,
ow, ow, ow
) leaving the hair tie on the dresser. She’s… a wreck. But she’s here,
finally
here after
years,
thanks to a few people being there at the right place at the right time.
She wraps her arms around herself, hugging herself like
she’s here, she’s okay, she’s here, Jonas is just downstairs.
She did
not
remember leaving her room this messy. She’ll deal with that later today. She slips off her boots and turns on the lamp on her bedside table. She deposits her bracelets in her jewelry dish, and reluctantly leaves Michael’s jacket in her dirty laundry hamper.
She should make something for Rex. He’ll want it, eventually at least… hm. Better go see if Violet and Charlie feel like giving up their masks. Tomorrow.
(She can’t believe she gets another tomorrow.)