Distance Traveled

The Female With Odd Clothing

Arms heavy and chest on fire, Lori's eyes opened slowly. It took her a few moments to register that she was, in fact, not dead. That she was laying on her back, face up towards the sky. Tall trees were all around her, swaying lightly in the breeze. Pulling herself upright, Lori took a quick look around. 

A forest. Trees all around, her brain trying to recall if there were ever so many trees at her local park. Though, something was telling her that she wasn't in her local park anymore. Lori stood, her legs shaking as her head pounded and her world spun. 

What the hell? 

"Sam?" she called out, looking between the trees to see if she could see her friend. There was nothing, just Lori and the trees. Lori took a glance down and spotted the watch at her feet. She bent down and scooped it up, the metal still warm. She frowned at it, remembering that she had pried it open, and then...nothing. 

"Sam!" she called out, moving into the trees, stumbling over roots as she did so. She needed to find her friend, to make sure she was okay. 

And, more importantly, that she wasn't alone. 

She kept walking, her heart pounding harshly in her chest. It felt like she was having a heart attack, the organ in her chest pumping and skipping beats. She wanted to go home now. She needed to go home. 

She continued to walk, finding a slightly warn down path that she assumed that people had walked down. Her hand reached out, stabling herself against a tree as her brown eyes scanned the area for any sign of movement. She didn't care if it was an animal or another human being. She just needed to know where she was, or how she got here. 

The sun was over head, beaming down at her. The air was clean, fresh. It helped soothe the fire in her chest and throat, her headache was fading. She paused when she heard a twig snap, a shaking breathe leaving her lungs as she turned her head. She couldn't see anything, her hands starting to shake. 

"Lori?" came a call as the figure moved out from behind some trees. Sam's expression changed from one of worry to relief at the sight of her distressed friend. 

"Oh, thank god, Sam!" Lori called out, running over to her friend and pulled her into a tight embrace, and younger teen chuckling slightly. 

"Have you been out here all this time?" Sam asked, Lori pulling back to look at her. There was something different about Sam, her hair was a little messier and when she turned her head slightly, she could see her black hair was braided  Not to mention her clothes, she looked to be wearing a sort of felt dress with a pair of boots. 

"How long have you been here?" Lori asked after Sam stepped back a bit. 

"A few weeks."

Lori blinked, shocked, "I just woke up." 

"Really?" Sam asked, placing a hand on her chin, "that's odd. I'm surprised I didn't find you sooner."

Lori sighed, annoyed and relieved at the same time. She had just found her friend again, at least Sam wasn't lost somewhere. Though, it seemed that they had the roles switched around. 

"Do you have the pocket watch?" Sam asked, her eyes hopeful. She seemed cheery, despite what was happening. Lori made a mental note to ask her about that later as she reached into her pocket and held out the watch for Sam to take. 

Sam flicked open the watch, looking at the clock. It seemed to be working just fine, which was a little odd. 

"I think," Sam started, glancing up at the older teen, "this watch has something to do about why we are here."