Leaving Arcadia Bay | A Rachel Amber Story

Chapter 20: Long Beach

Rachel's Journal Entry

April 22nd, 2013

My dad lied. After all these years. He was always the one person I could trust more than anybody. He was always my rock. But now, I can't even look at his face. Can't even think about him. I just want to burn this whole place down. So many years of fucking lies.

There's a woman. Sera. Sera Gearhardt. My birth mother.

He hid her from me. Kept me away from her and for what? What harm can she do? She's my fucking birth mother. I love my mom. She's the greatest woman I know. But him? My dad? No. James. That fucking liar. I don't ever want to see him again.

I need to find out where Sera is. And I have to go see her.

~

Long Beach, California.

The sun was going down. But there it was. Just in the distance, the city that Rachel so desperately fought to get to finally came into view. Tired and exhausted, Rachel stopped and looked out at the city.

Sera was somewhere out there. From the research she did back in Arcadia Bay, Rachel was able to write down Sera's address on a sticky note. Rachel reached into her backpack and pulled the sticky note out. She looked over the address one last time and put it away.

Rachel looked back out into the city. She breathed out, nodding to herself. And started making her way to the city.

Welcome home, Rachel...

When she got to the populated city, Rachel had to keep a low profile. There were cops everywhere. Posters with her picture were all over the city. Posters that weren't on the walls blew in the wind through the streets. Rachel was well-known around here by this point. It was no longer a secret that this was her destination. She felt as if it was her against the world. But now, she couldn't let them find her. It was now or never. And she didn't get this far to get caught now.

Rachel walked through the streets, hood up and head down. Hands in her pockets. Her hat helped obscure her face from the passing bystanders. But still. She was hiding in plain sight. One wrong move, one person recognizing her, a run in with the police, and it was all over.

Failure wasn't an option. It wasn't before, and it damn sure wasn't now. And if anyone wanted to stop her now, killing her would be the only option.

And that didn't phase her. She looked death in the eye back in the desert. And sure. Perhaps, Emmett was the one who brought her back from the dead. But she was still strong enough to find the will to push forward. And to get what she wanted most. And she wasn't ever going to give that up.

Rachel took a small break before continuing. She sat out front of a coffee shop downtown. She kept her head low, skimming through her phone. Rachel glanced up, and saw a police cruiser driving down the street. Eyes widening in panic, Rachel immediately looked back down.

The cruiser parallel parked in between two cars. The cop turned off the car and exited the vehicle. She walked over to the coffee shop where Rachel was sitting.

Rachel's heart pounded rapidly in her chest. She tensed up, squeezing her phone in her hands. Making sure to keep her head down.

"Good evening." The officer greeted. Rachel's eyes went wide. This was it. They caught her.

Rachel responded with a quick, "Hello." And just like that, the officer unknowingly passed the most wanted young woman in the country. She opened the door and entered the coffee shop. Rachel waited for a few more seconds before letting out the breath that she was holding in.