𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀﹔twisters

.O3.

A/N & Warning: This chapter is a bit dark and difficult to write in the beginning, so if subjects like death, gore, loss, etc. are hard for you, I suggest skipping the flashback section.

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The next morning, while it was still dark out, Demi headed out of her hotel room. Even though she hated being up so early, she grew to admire the quietness dark early mornings brought. Ever since coming back to Oklahoma, her nightmares became frequent again, which sucked. As she yawned while walking down the stairs, she heard a voice. "Demi!" It called.

She turned in the direction to the side of the motel and saw a figure. From where she was, she couldn't see who it was. An eerie feeling nipped at her and against her better judgment, she took a few steps closer. As she approached, she saw a familiar face that made her blood run cold... It was Addy?

"Addy?" Demi questioned as her heart raced. She thought that she was dead? Just as she tried to process what she saw, 'Addy' started to run off into the empty field. "Addy, wait!" She called after as she ran after her. This commotion had caused a certain cowboy hat-wearing wrangler to wake up.

As Demi chased behind, Addy got farther and farther until she was gone. "Addy, please!" She yelled, falling to her knees. 'What the hell was going on?' Demi thought to herself. Was she dreaming? No, she was wide awake, but... Her chest grew heavy and tears welled up in her eyes while she pounded the ground with her first, cursing at herself.

"Hey, hey, hey... Slow down before you bruise your fist" A voice spoke softly, causing Demi to whip her head around in the direction. Through teary eyes, she saw none other than Tyler Owens standing nearby. He wasn't in his usual attire, the cowboy hat and fancy wrangler get-up were replaced with a plain white t-shirt and a pair of shorts. His hair was a mess and it was clear he just woke up. If she wasn't in so much distress, she would've thought he was the best-looking man in the world.

Quickly, Demi turned her head and wiped her tears away. She figured that yelling at her deceased friend at the top of her lungs would've caused some commotion. "Shit, my bad... Just..." Demi struggled to find words to explain herself. He would've thought she was crazy if she explained that she saw her dead friend, right?

"No, you're good..." He reassured, taking a few steps closer and offering her a hand. Demi sighed and took it, letting him help her get up. "So, who's Addy?" He asked. The question made her chest tighten even more and her throat felt scratchy.

"Nobody... Just someone I used to know." Demi stated voice cracking as she tried to keep her composer. This vulnerability she felt was so weird to her. She spent 5 years isolating herself from everyone around her and barely speaking to her therapist. Demi rarely visited her family or called, and she hadn't spoken to Javi or Kate until now. Hell, at the diner when she was talking to Dani and Derek, it felt weirdly comforting... Even when she was joking around with Boone and Mr. Tyler Owens here, it brought her peace that she hadn't felt in some many years.

Just when Tyler went to ask her what was going on, Demi excused herself and went back to the motel. He didn't want to overstep, but he could see that something was eating away at her, it was washed all over her face, even when she was joking around and smiling. Even though he barely knew her, he was intrigued and part of him wanted to get her to open up so he could help... Strangely enough, she felt like part of his crew.

As she went to go back into her room, a tired Javi who was standing in his doorway stopped her. "Demi, what's going on?" He asked. When she looked at his face, she saw a look she hated most... Pity.

"I'm fine, just nightmares" She huffed.

"Do you want to talk about-"

"No." She interrupted irritably. "Just, give me some space," Demi begged as she opened her motel door and slammed the door behind her. That empty and burning feeling just ate away at her day after day. No matter how much she distracted herself or talked to her therapist, it didn't fade away and only intensified the moment she got on the plan to come here to Oklahoma.