Dream Trap || ONC 2021

Chapter Seven: Recollection

There were no nightmares last night. Matt was the last one to sleep but in the end they all had slept, knowing that things could go horribly wrong if they slept but nothing overrules the body. If it's tired it will do anything to sleep and so is the brain. The four friends were mentally and physically tired so there wasn't a chance for them to stay awake. But the weird aliens didn't bother them yesterday. For the first time they all slept soundly.

And woke up very late. It was already striking 10 on Jenny's watch. She turned her wrist to see the time and her eyebrows raised. Jenny got out of the bag and without making any noise she rolled it and kept the bag aside. She looked at all of them, they seemed so cute together. They were her friends. She went and sat on the wooden block which was kept in the house for no particular function at all. She opened her book and a map fell down. She picked it up. It was a state map. She flipped her book to the first place and looked at the picture, below it was written: The great meet, Denver.

Flipping over the pages, she stopped again: Best day ever! Atlantic City. Then a couple of beach photographs, more notes and after that the book ended. She picked up the map, Denver to Atlantic City, yeah sure she remembered where they planned all this.

12 days ago. Jenny was at the orphanage tending to children. She was happy, the sun warmed her neck and head. She had been playing with the kids, making them feel at home even if it wasn't. That's when Carol came calling for her,

"Hey Jen! There is a call for you, says he needs to speak with miss Jennifer Tanner." she smiled slyly at her.

Jenny went at the front desk and picked up the phone.

"Yeah, this is Jennifer."

"Hello Jenny Kenny, whatcha doin'?" said a well-recognized voice. Jenny blushed a little but then giggled.

"Hey Jacky boy. Didn't know you remembered me?" she said,

"He didn't remember, I told him to call, in fact I was going to call but-"

"Hey, don't you listen to Liz, she is lying. Hey-"

"Hey Jenny, this is Matt. Those two will be fighting over it all day but I wanted to call you to come at Denver on 4th April. Will you come?" said Matt, his voice was always that calm, quiet and sweet.

"Yeah, but what for?" asked Jenny,

"It's a surprise, but would be able to make it?" asked Matt,

"I'll have to check but I'll let you know, are you staying in Denver?"

"No. It's not that, just come or let me know okay?"

"Yeah, bye."

Later that day she had thought so much about her friends. All of them had been in same college and Lisa had been with her even after she got her job. Jenny didn't have much to work since owing to her father, who was a businessman it was a rule that the business would pass down. But then what was a filthy rich family girl doing in an orphanage? That question she had been asked so many times that she now reduced the answer to, my father wanted my brother to run it and it was fine by me.

But she knew the truth, the truth was that Jennifer Tanner had been the cause of her brother's accident which had led to cancellation of his wedding.

Sitting in the cabin, watching the snow fall on the ground slowly, Jenny took a deep breath. She hadn't meant to do it and plus they were just playing but no one would listen to that. I see what you were trying to do. . . Jeopardizing the chances of your brother so that you get the business, this was said by her father. Each word stinging like needle into the ear. But she didn't want that.

It was a race, she thought. Two cars, a Lamborghini Aventador and another Porche 911 turbo. Guess who's winning? The world's fastest car V/s the most wanted car, Jenny had been a car enthusiast since her childhood and that day had been same as it was every time. "Hey, wanna race? I'll give you a head start." Jenny had said mockingly. Daniel Tanner had smiled and hopped into his Aventador. Soon the rear-engine vehicles were roaring their way to the finish line when Jenny had cut Dan from the side which then cause the Aventador to lose balance and so it had crashed on the rails. Broken arm, mangled legs, broken spine and cracked skull -a brief medical report of Dan. Her mother had been quick to intervene Jenny and send her packing to Texas, telling her to only come back or call when absolutely necessary.

Well, the time had come when she was in dire necessity of her parents, of help. But guess the gods didn't want her to go back. She had taken the next day flight to Denver and called Matt. She waited at airport arrival section, when three of her lifesavers arrived and to Jenny's absolute surprise, there was a baby girl in Lisa's arms.

"Oh my god! How did this happen?" she said pointing at the baby.

"Long story." said Lisa,

"Who's?"

"Eddie. But he left me."

"What?! Oh that's horrible. You okay?" comforted Jenny, wow so much had happened, she thought.

"Absolutely." she said holding Matt's hand.

"Lisa and Matt got married!!!" said Jack cheerfully.

"What?! No way! How, when?" astonished by their surprise Jenny did feel right at home. Because here no one pressurized her to do anything or even getting married. Here she felt her own.

"Okay, so we called you both to get ourselves a trip! Matt's planned on going to a concert here in Denver and then to Atlantic City!" explained Lisa.

Jenny was still recovering from the fact that Lisa had a baby. That was some tough shit right there, to have a baby with a man and they were not even married, or were they? Yes, they were as later Jenny came to know.

That concert she talked was an Eminem concert which wasn't much fun for Jenny because to keep up with his fast lyrics was too much, but Jack and Matt seemed to have enjoyed it like hell, they talked about it all the way to Atlantic City.

"Guys, but why are we having this trip?" Jenny had asked when they were driving towards Atlantic City.

"Well, we decided to have a little bit of fun before we settle down and became old." said Matt enthusiastically.

In Atlantic City they stayed in a beach resort. Jenny had loved this place. Beach was her favorite, one day she had sat down on beach under the shadow of an umbrella, drinking lemonade. She thought about how she will miss this when the trip comes to an end. They had stayed together, enjoyed time, talked, and played. God, it felt like years had passed so much, she thought, and there was so much to catch up. The three others had come to know about Jenny and her escape, and they had truly sympathized with her. She felt good, she felt alive in those 15 days.

Jenny wiped away her tears, sniffling she got up and woke all the three people. They ended up here because Jack had to go to Bangor Maine to meet his parents and catch his plane which would close its check-in gate any minute. Maybe if Jack could run like the flash, he could still hop on aboard and fly all the way back to California and this should all ends. Why can't this end happily? Jenny thought, like one of those travel movies they show. She didn't want to go through another hardship again.