Scream VII

Who You Are, pt.1

And by 'a place,' she meant HER place. Her old childhood home in Woodsboro.

It had been years since she had stepped foot inside, not just since the first murders took place, but since her father passed away. Neil Prescott still held the deed to the house and had planned on selling it after Sidney's book, Out Of Darkness was published in 2011. But with the fourth round of killings plaguing the small town and her life, she immediately left Woodsboro to return to California and forgot. She never had time to return and sell it.

Instead, Sidney had kept it with her as a reminder of the past and for moments like these when she needed a safe haven, essentially making it one of her early safehouses; one she never bothered to update security metrics for.

As they stepped out of the cars, Sid's eyes were immediately drawn to the familiar sight in front of her. Memories flooded back, reminding her of Billy sneaking into her room and the first time she was attacked by Ghostface.

Quickly shaking herself out of that flashback, that painful memory and focusing on the present proved troublesome. Mark noticed her distant expression and called out to her gently, trying to bring her back to reality.

"Sid?" he said.

She didn't respond at first, still lost in painful memories. Mark tried again. "Honey?"

This time, she snapped out of it and turned towards him.

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern etched on his face.

"I...I feel a little out of place," Sid admitted, taking a deep breath. "It's just hard being back here."

"Do you want to go back to the hotel? We can come up with another plan," Mark offered.

Sidney declines with a firm shake of the head.

"Alright. I'll help them get settled," Mark said, gesturing towards their friends who were unloading their luggage from the car. "Why don't you call Axel?"

Sid nodded absentmindedly as Mark walked towards the trunk of the car. She took a deep breath and held onto Derek's necklace tightly for support. The weight of the pendant brought some comfort amidst all the overwhelming emotions and memories flooding back. She knew she had to stay strong for Sam, but being back in this town brought up so many emotions and memories that it was hard to push them aside.

Just then, Sam appeared behind her, startling her out of her thoughts. Sid turned to see her approaching with the faintest of small smiles forming on her face.

"Hey," Sidney said, trying to hide her surprise at her sudden appearance. "I hope this place will be comfortable for you and the others."

Sam nodded, his eyes scanning the house before settling back on her. "Mark mentioned that you used to live here. Is that true?"

Sidney hesitated before answering, a wave of nostalgia washing over her.

"Yeah, it's true. But don't worry about me, it's just temporary."

As Sam nodded again, and a warm silence settled between them, finally she spoke up again. "I never asked, how are the kids?"

Finally, a comfortable question worth answering. A proud smile lit up Sidney's face as she talked about her children. "They're wonderful. Grace is becoming like a little Jr. Detective like her father. Hallie is learning how to swim."

Sam chuckled at that, a fondness evident in said chuckle as well as a lukewarm expression. "I taught Tara how to swim when she was five. She was a fast learner." Sidney smiled at the memory of Sam's younger sister, grateful for the bond they shared despite everything that had happened between them.