TCM

Chapter 1

Connie's eyes fluttered, her vision filtering back in, paired with a disorientated mumble that left her lips as she attempted to reach her hands to her face, only for them to be seemingly stuck above herself. A sting of worry hit her as she groggily looked upwards to see her hands bound by rope. A few panicked tugs pulled them free and she hit the floor with a loud thud, jolting her fully back into consciousness. What the hell?  She wiped fresh blood off her face with her sore hands and shakily stood, glancing about. It was nothing familiar to her.  A blue dim light flickered in the small boxed room, adorned with rusting corrugated metal strewn across the floor. The room felt warm, the blood drippling around her mouth created a sour metallic taste. Connie's stood with a furrowed brow trying to recall anything of use, to explain her precarious situation. It was of little use at first, but as she rubbed her arm reassuringly memories broke through her frightened mind.

Ana.. Leland... something to do with them. Perhaps Julie? But what about her. She thought hard and as the memories came to her she begun to feel overwhelmed with guilt. Maria. They were looking for Maria. Connie decided to sit back down while she composed herself, proud for remaining relatively calm. Ana, Maria's sister and her close friend, had visited the farm Connie worked at in a state of hysteria, shaking and pacing about like a chained dog. She had gone on to explain about Maria in Connie's rented bedroom both basked in the evening light. It seemed right to speak somewhere private. Connie knew much about Maria, acquainted by university and their frequent hangouts. She was a hardworking albeit nervous girl, interested much more in photography than her sisters more eccentric interest of cheerleading. Naturally Maria had a knack for disappearing hours at a time, stressing her overprotective sister to no ends. Flower photography was her favourite and that required long treks through the hot Texas sun. Her portfolio reflected her dedication however with hundred's of detailed shots of flowers, adorned with the crisp lighting she was ever so proud of. She liked to match the time of day to the flower colour, shooting bluebonnets in the early morning fog and yellow sunflowers in the blistering noon heat. Connie would flick through her portfolio at school and whenever she would swing by the farm after a shoot, always giving her joyous compliments. It was wildflower season so it was no surprise she'd been wandering. Connie decided to bring up her frequent adventures away for the perfect shot but Ana dismissed her lax attitude.

Ana rocked holding her legs to her chest. 

"Oh no Connie, it's serious I promise. She can't be out for much longer, the suns setting. And I haven't seen her since 2 days ago! Oh god, what do I do?"

Connie looked at her friend reassuringly, "She has always come back no? I think you worry too much about her, you're younger than her after all. She knows what she's doing." 2 days is a while...

"I just want her to be safe you know? It feels like a full time job with her."

Connie shrugged as she paced her room. "She's her own person at the end of the day, if she wants to spend all day taking photos you need to let her, she's only gonna resent you otherwise."

Ana's reply consisted of a weak tilt of her head, so Connie continued.

"We're meeting up tomorrow, the group. I invited them for coffee. Any excuse to get out of mucking out the pigs, and I have so much school work to catch up on. I could do it there..." Ana raised an eyebrow and Connie grinned back. "Well... maybe the school work won't be done there but it makes me feel better to say so, ya' know? Anyway, Danny was supposed to relay the message to you."

"I've not seen him truthfully." 

Most of them had no wired home phones, including Danny and Ana, so relaying messages by university or the local farm was how they worked. Connie had always intended to take her own parent's farm, in fact she had always rejected the idea of university growing up. She enjoyed the hard work and long days working alongside her parents. Yet her mind changed as she grew and she was truly set on leaving once she reached 19; so much so it was all she could talk about. That was last year. She had found temporary work at a local farm to keep her from feeling any regret about the decision in the end, reducing her mild homesickness and providing a place to stay. Much cheaper than the university grounds. The couple who owned the farm reminded her much of her own parents, kind and dedicated to their land and she was always allowed to welcome friends over. It was hard at first to move away from her isolated life but she was all the more glad for her new found freedom. The freedom paired carefully with what was familiar, created feeling of deep content within her. Life had never felt so sweet.  Connie's only regret was leaving her girlfriend behind, her sorrowful eyes scarring her mind whenever she saw other couples. But what was done, was done.