Earthquake Weather

Chapter III

Blythe woke up in a room she didn't recognize. Memories flooded into her mind and her body stilled. Cautiously, she looked around.

A bedroom. It was bare with no life, no furniture besides the bed she was sitting on. The walls were a cream white and the window was open, spilling bright light onto the hardwood floor.

"Finally." A woman stood by the door with curly auburn hair flowing over her shoulders and an impatient look. "Get up."

Blythe obliged and slid out of the bed, still wearing the same clothes from her 'date'. Surprisingly, she felt fine. In fact, aside from the slight pain her head from when she was knocked down, she felt great. She swallowed the lump in her throat and hoped her heartbeat wasn't as loud to the woman as it was to her. How long had she been unconscious? Adam must be looking for her. He'd call the police. She just had to play along for now, maybe somehow send a message to Adam about what happened.

She followed her out of the room and down the hallway. The house looked prime for selling - walls stripped bare and no homey touches as they walk down the stairs. Chatter came from past the kitchen, growing louder as they headed toward what looked like the bare bones of a living room. Two people looked up at them as they enter. Sitting on the armrest of the leather sofa was Blythe's kidnapper.

Play it cool. Play it cool. But her eyes felt like they were about to pop out of their sockets, being so wide. The lump in her throat grew. She needed some water.

"Blythe!" He stood, giving her a toothy grin. "I worried your sleep wasn't just sleep."

"You do sleep a long time," said one of the other guys.

"I wasted my time watching you." The woman pursed her lips and moved to sit.

Blythe stood there alone, and they were all watching her. Am I supposed to say something? Hey, thanks for kidnapping me. My favourite part was the hit to my head. Tune in next time!

The other guy furrows his eyebrows. "Did you hurt her?" he looked accusingly at her kidnapper. "What the hell?"

"Not my fault." He raised his hands. "She fights. One knock to the head isn't death."

"You're a dick, Matt."

So her kidnapper's name was Matt. She wanted to groan. What a cliché name. So predictable. He looks like a Matt, too.

"His full name was Matthias," the other guy smiled and stood. "My name was Lincoln." He gestured to the woman who looked like all she wanted to do was leave. I second that. "This is Lorelai. You caught her in a bad mood today." He moved to shake Blythe's hand and didn't seem fazed when she flinched back. "This isn't how I wanted us to meet."

She swallowed the golf ball in her throat and tried to keep her voice steady. "Why am I here? What do you want?"

"You're here because you're in danger." She wanted to scoff. They kidnap me and tell me I'm in danger? No shit I'm in danger! He gave her a smile she didn't understand. "We aren't going to hurt you. I promise. You don't believe me, but it's the truth. Matt wasn't supposed to bring you the way he did - he's just a dick, okay? You can hate him all you want."

Already am. She glanced at him and received the same lopsided smile. Lincoln was at least trying to seem nice. Matt just had a dangerous glint in his eye, a screw-the-rules look that gave her chills.

She just had to keep acting normal until Adam found her. He knew police officers. They'd find her fast. These guys couldn't have taken her far.

"Blythe, no one is coming for you." Lincoln frowned. "Adam thinks you're spending the night somewhere else."

I -- okay, what? How did he know --

"I hear your thoughts." He gave her a small smile, as if trying to comfort her. These guys are crazy, clearly. It's worse than I thought. He must be the craziest of them all.

She choked back a sob forming in her chest. I'm gonna die here.

He sighed. "I'm telling the truth. Think of a question and I can answer it."

"This is ridiculous," Lorelai cut in. "She's clearly not the right one. Matthias was wrong."

And just like that, Matt was off the couch and in her face. "Are you doubting me?" He grabbed her head and touched his forehead to hers. Her throat bobbed up and down. "Are you?" His voice was low.

"No."

"Stop. You're freaking her out," Lincoln said, tilting his head at Blythe.

"She's not going to believe any of us, even you, Link." Matt turned to her. She blinked and he was right in her face.

Her heart jumped. It was like he was teleporting. But that was impossible.

"Any more impossible than reading minds?" Lincoln said.

This wasn't real. She was dreaming. A nightmare . Lincoln opened his mouth to speak before Matt stopped him. "She needs proof." He looked at her. "Watch my hand." She didn't want to, but he unfurled his fingers in front of her, revealing a blank palm. "Keep watching," he murmured, seeming unfocused.

All she saw were callouses and scars riddling his palm. "What's the point --"

A small diamond oval appeared in his hand. He gave her a grin, looking pleased with himself.

So he could teleport things. Apparently, people too, if that was how he could blink around from there to there. But if he could do that...

How far away am I from home?

"You're not in Canada anymore," Lincoln said, his voice cautious.

She swallowed again. "Then where am I?"

"At our new home," Matt chirped.

"Is it not beautiful?" Lorelai's voice dripped with sarcasm as she gestured around the blank space. Her voice echoed in the near-empty house.

"It only needs a loving hand," he replied. "You'll love it by next week."

Blythe's legs were restless. Her head was whirling. "Where am I?"

They stayed silent for a few seconds. She couldn't be still anymore. She had to know. She had to see. Lincoln held his hand to stop the others as she rushed to the wooden slatted balcony doors and pushed them open. They swung open with a creak, and a gust of chilled wind blew past her. Her stomach dropped as she stepped onto the large balcony.

A crystalline blue lake stretched off in the distance, separated by the quiet town of wooden houses with brown gabled roofs. A woman walked her dog down the cement path, surrounded by fields of yellow flowers. Billowy clouds hung low, their height stifled by the towering snow-capped mountains on the other side of the water.

She was speechless.

Lincoln approached behind her. "Have you ever been to Switzerland before?"

Her chest thudded, unsure of how to feel. Her fingertips felt numb and it spread throughout her body. She couldn't move, couldn't do anything but stare at the foreign surrounding and inhale crisp air.

"You'll come to love it."

She opened her mouth, closed it. Her mind was utterly blank.