Anna

40 - Déjà Vu

Content warning: kidnapping

Once a week, Freya picked up Ellie in her barely-street-legal car and took her places she'd never been before. They visited piers, hiking trails, monuments, and just about anything Freya could think of.

Joe's instructions remained the same every week: "Have her home before dark." Sometimes, when they still had daylight to spare, they would stop by Tacos and Ice Cream for a taste of Freya's home.

In the sixth week, Freya chose a humble park no bigger than a city block. It was not meant to be a special location by any means. Ellie struggled to figure out why they were there in the first place, especially after having seen the Hollywood sign the week before. The early Spring afternoon should not have been an eventful outing.

Instead of his usual harness carrier, Enrique Iglesias rode along in a squeaky wagon lined with blankets and treats. Ellie mostly trekked through the grass so she could stick close to Freya while giving the wagon enough sidewalk space, though the wheels still caught on every other crack in the concrete. The public park looked a little worse for wear, but it was at least in a quiet residential part of the city that only saw local foot traffic. Ellie had yet to be stopped or recognized during their outings, but she was always conscious of the people around her.

As Ellie and Freya rounded a corner, the wagon clattering behind them, a strange sense of dread threatened to force Ellie to her knees. Her pace slowed, but her heartbeat quickened to make up for it. The trees around the park hovered over her, and the buildings across the street looked a little too uninviting. Birds chirped overhead in warning to turn around.

Ellie's cheeks burned and her skin turned clammy. She could not identify the feeling that now haunted her, but it suddenly seemed as if the world had shrunk significantly after turning down that particular street. She knew Freya was trying to talk to her, but she could not shake out of her stupor until a hand rested against her shoulder. She jerked away at the unexpected touch and snapped back to reality to find Freya's worried eyes staring at her.

"Are you okay?" Freya asked, sounding more concerned than Ellie was used to hearing from her.

Ellie swallowed and looked back down the street. She subconsciously reached into her pocket to finger the little black handle Tessa made her carry.

It's just a road, she reminded herself. Just a park. Just some houses. She turned to Freya in the hope of finding some semblance of solace.

"Do you ever get the feeling you've been somewhere before, even though you know you haven't?"

"Déjà vu," Freya said matter-of-factly. Ellie nodded and blinked, hoping to reset her mind to where it needed to be. "We can turn around..."

"No, it's fine," Ellie said, straightening up and filling her lungs through her nose. She pulled her arm from her pocket empty-handed. She was tired of letting unwarranted fear control her. Without waiting for Freya's permission, Ellie forced herself forward, even though her legs grew heavier with every step. Freya did not question Ellie's strange behavior—at least not out loud—and the wagon wheels squeaked behind them once again.

The houses on the other side of the street had long since been converted to multi-family units. Ellie trained her eyes on the grass beneath her feet to avoid the menacing gaze of curtained windows and closed doors.

Ellie and Freya stayed unusually silent as they made their way down the sidewalk. Freya was too busy keeping an eye on Ellie, who—despite insisting they push forward—was more on edge than usual. The further they pressed on, the harder it became for her to shake her déjà vu.

When Ellie saw the old red brick building at the end of the street, she froze. It did not look like the other units on the rest of the street, but it was all too familiar.