Changed Time

Chapter Twenty

When I woke up, I woke up to Wyatt's face staring down at me. His green eyes, as always, full of worry. "You had another vision." He said, as if I didn't already know that. "Are you okay?"

"Paige." I whispered, sitting up.

"She's fine," Sophie answered. She was sitting next to Paige, who was sitting up, but was staring straight ahead. "Just a little freaked. What happened in the vision?"

"Yeah, who did you see, Drew?" Jessie was standing up next to Zach, both of them staring down at me, awaiting an answer.

"Nobody." I answered.

"Nobody?" Jessie repeated me. "What do you mean, nobody?"

"We didn't see anybody," I tried to stand up, but I was still feeling the after effects of the vision. "Nobody died."

"The murderers are back," Paige whispers.

"Wyatt, she's shaking," Sophie said in a worried tone. "Like, bad. We need to get her under bed covers or something."

That woke me up. I stood up, no longer feeling dizzy and knelt beside Paige. Sophie was right, she was trembling fiercely. "Paige, I'm going to pick you up, okay?" Paige made no movement, or noise or anything that showed that she had heard me. "Okay." I slide my arm under her knees and put my other behind her back and I lifted her up. She wasn't very heavy, so it was easy to carry her out of the back room.

Walter was sitting behind the desk again, but he was just sitting there. He wasn't reading or doing anything, just sitting. He watched as we passed, a look of worry flashed over his face.

"She's fine, just a little spooked," Wyatt explained to him.

Walter didn't seem to believe him, but he didn't say anything either. Just watched in concern as I walked out of his office with an in in shock Paige in my arms.

I rushed to one of the rooms, not caring if it was the girl's or the boy's. I had to wait for Wyatt to open the door with the key that he must have taken out of my pocket while I was visioned out. But once we got in, I laid Paige on one of the beds and covered her with the sheets.

Sophie lead the rest of the group in and they all crowded around the bed, staring down at Paige as if she were some unknown being they found in the middle of nowhere.

It seemed that Paige had passed out, so when it was clear that she wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon, all eyes turned to me.

"What happened in the vision?" Wyatt asked, getting to the point.

"And what was that crap about the murderers being back?" Jessie asked.

I felt my skin heat up, I never liked being in the hot seat. I cleared my throat and walked over to the window, closing the blinds. I turned back to my friends and was greeted with a bunch of worried, annoyed, concerned eyes. "It isn't crap," I said. "They're back, or are coming back."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Jessie threw her hand up. "What is going on with your visions?"

I could feel irritation set into my stomach, but I pushed it away. "It means exactly what it sounds like it means. The murderers already are or soon will be in Throp."

I looked at Wyatt, hoping to steal some of his confidence, but it seemed to have left his face. To my surprise it was Zach who was the calm one. "What happened in the vision, Drew?" He asked, his voice absent of worry or fear.

I took a deep breath. "We—Paige and I, were on a road. We heard a car coming, and it drove past us fast, as if it was in a hurry. It was the same car as the murderers have."

Zach nodded. "The same one as in the security tape."

I wondered when he watched the security tape, but I figured it had to have been when Paige and I were out. "Yeah, and when we turned around, the sign was the welcome sign to Thorp. Like I said, nobody died, it was just them entering Thorp. Like, like it was warning."

I glanced at Sophie. She was standing as still as Paige was in the road, with a terrified look on her face.

I stepped toward her and took her hands in my own. Her dark blue eyes look up at me, searching me for some strength. "I won't let anything happen to you, Sophie. I promise. They won't get anywhere near you, not without getting through me first."

She smiled, but it was small, and forced.

I was staring into her eyes, forgetting that everyone else was in the room. I was lost in those shadowy blue skies. My mind jumped back to when she kissed me. I had let Jessie's words get to me, forcing me to pull away. Why did I have problems with kissing Sophie, but not Paige? I wanted to kiss Paige, more than anything. But I also wanted to kiss Sophie. I would have kissed Paige without hesitation if she hadn't said no, but when it came to Sophie, I shut down.

Somebody coughed. I figured it was Jessie or Zach, so I was ready to turn around and give them a foul look, but my eyes averted to the bed where Paige was now sitting up, or attempting to sit up.

I gave Sophie's hands a squeeze, then walked over to Paige.

"Hey."

She glanced at me, to the rest of the eyes staring down at her, then back to me. "You told them." She wasn't asking. She narrowed her eyes. "Drew, I need to tell you something." Her eyes switched over my shoulder. "You should be here too, Sophie."

Jessie suddenly gave a loud, obnoxious, exasperating laugh. "This is ridiculous." All eyes turned to her. "I thought we were a group, a team. But after these two joined, it seems like it's only the three of you. We're part of this mission, too. I don't care that you two," she jabbed two fingers at me and Paige, "are the ones who are having visions. I don't care that you," she jabbed a finger at Sophie, "are the victim's sister. We're here to support you, Drew, we are, but we're also here because we want to get these guys." Wyatt reached for her, but she slapped his hand away. "We have enough evidence, we could go to the cops, and bring these guys down!"

"And tell the cops what, Jessica?" I asked, irritated.

"Don't you use my full name on me, Drew," she snapped. "You tell them the truth."

It was my turn to give an exasperated laugh. "Sure, we'll just go up to them and be like, 'Why, hello, Mr. Police Officer. Me and my friend here, we have visions of people dying, and we've been getting these visions of these guys kidnapping and killing these girls. Anyways, they're back in town, so why don't you go into your little squad cars and go arrest them, okay? Okay, thanks.' That'll really work."

"Drew." Sophie's hand entangles itself with mine. "That's enough." She whispers.

Jessie was staring at me, her green eyes full of fury. Her chest was rising and falling with angry breathes. "You just spoke to me like a child." She walked over to the door, but before opening it she turned to me. "I'm not a child, Drew. Don't ever speak to me like that again." She opened the door and walked out.

"I'll go talk to her," Zach said, "I think she needs to look at someone who doesn't look like you," he sends me a smirk, and runs after her.

Wyatt didn't even look at me as he walked out and I felt a hint of betrayal after he slammed the door shut, leaving Sophie, Paige and I.

I turned back to Paige and found her staring down at my hands. I glanced down and noticed that I was still clutching Sophie's hand. I felt my ears turn read and I untangled my fingers from hers, shoving them in my pockets.

"So, what did you need to tell us?" I asked, trying to changed the subject.

Paige shook her head, as if trying to shake a thought. She looked past me, at Sophie. "You watched the video, right?"

Sophie nodded. "While you two were having your visions. You were out pretty long, and Wyatt asked what you were doing before it happened."

Paige nodded. "The girl, the one who was hiding behind the motel," Paige wasn't making eye contact anymore, instead she was staring at her feet. "Her name is Mia, and she's my sister." Sophie gasped, and Paige flinched. "And the girl who was with the murderers," she took a deep breath. "that was me." She looked up at me, "I'm the one on the security tape."