moonstruck - a five hargreeves story (sequel)

the initial drop (pre ep 1)

"Hold on! It's gonna get messy!" Five yelled before we all disappeared in a flash of blue light, milliseconds before fire swallowed the world around us.

Goodbye, 2019. Hello, 1963.

...

Through the vortex and face first into the ground, making me yelp in pain. I felt the skin of my palms tear against the harsh concrete as I pushed myself into a standing position. I heard the vortex close, to which I sighed defeatedly.

I looked around, realizing that I was alone, and it was late at night. The only lights that I noticed were coming from the street beyond the alleyway, the faint sound of classic rock echoing off the small buildings along the strip of road.

Dallas, Texas. Definitely the 60's. I just gotta find out what to do from here.

Before I could even make a decision, I saw a familiar figure walk into the alleyway, yelling in fright at the sight of a random child just standing in front of his home.

Elliott!

The man eyed me warily, slowly stepping closer. "Who the hell are you?"

I gave him an awkward smile, shrugging. "I'm one of the people that appeared from a flashing blue light. I have nowhere to go, and I don't know where any of my friends are." I said quietly, his face softening up as a sympathetic expression replaced his previous distrusting one.

With a small sigh he stepped closer and walked past me, opening up his door and turning to me. "Come on, kid. I'll help you find your friends." I smiled brightly at his words and practically skipping into the building.

Elliott and I walked up the stairs and into his living area, the man turning on the lights once we walked in. "It's a slight mess, but it's safe and homely. I've got canned soup and eggs...that's about it, if I'm being honest. But, I have a bunch of snapshots of other people falling from a blue light in that alley. I'm guessing those are your friends, right?"

I nodded with a small hum of agreement as I admired the place. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an unmarked date on the calendar. November 1st. Two weeks until Five arrives. "Yeah. They're all I've got." I mumbled, following him into the living room as I noticed the various photos of the Hargreeves siblings, making me smile sadly.

The man turned to me and noticed my expression. "Hey, it'll be alright. I'm sure they miss you, too..." He said encouragingly. "What's your name?"

I twisted the rings on my fingers absentmindedly, my heart aching as my eyes fell on the frog ring. "Shay."

Elliott smiled gently and gave me a pat on the shoulder. "Well, Shay, how about you get changed out of those clothes and get some sleep? I have some spare clothes from my neice, who was about your size." He offered before grabbing a box from the corner, placing it on his coffee table.

I nodded and felt the fatigue in my joints and muscles catching up to me from the stressful few hours I had in 2019. "Thanks, Elliott. I don't really care much about the rest, but could you wash the blazer and give it back to me?" I asked quietly.

He nodded and held his hands out for it, to which I took the blazer off and handed it to him. "I'll have this ready for you tomorrow. Would you mind sleeping on the couch?" He asked sheepishly.

I shook my head. "I'll be fine on the couch. I appreciate all of this." I said simply before he began to walk away.

"Bathroom is over here," Elliott said as he pointed to a door next to his kitchen. I nodded and grabbed a nightgown from the box, along with underwear and a dress to wear the next day.