[REDACTED], 1969
"surprise!" beatrice exclaimed as peter's door swung open. "happy birthday, peter!"
"thank you, dear." peter smiles, welcoming her into his room. she sits on his bed, carefully holding a brown paper bag in her left hand.
"okay, so it took a lot of convincing and planning. well, mostly a lot of planning, but i was able to go to the cafeteria and ask one of the ladies in the kitchen to make you a treat," she explained, handing him the bag, excitedly.
"what is it?" he asked, cocking his head.
"just open it!"
he opened the wrinkly brown bag. his smile grew large. he took the treat out of the bag. "you got me a cupcake," he grinned, looking at the red frosting. the red frosting contrasted with a small green frosting design on the top.
"i know we aren't supposed to have deserts like this, but it's a big day," she laughs, pushing a fallen strand of hair away from her eyes.
he loved her laugh. it seemed to warm his cold heart. he usually liked the cold, but her warmth felt different. she was home. her smile made his heart flutter. the way she spoke played like a beautiful song to his ears.
she almost made him reconsider his way of thinking. almost. maybe, having a companion in this broken world wouldn't be too bad.
she patted the bed next to her, gesturing him to sit with her. he laid his head on her shoulder. "thank you, bea," he said, quietly. "i love it."
"i'm glad," she replies, placing a kiss on the top of his head. "now, blow out your imaginary candles and make a wish."
peter sighs, picking his head up. "bea, i am not going to blow out imaginary—"
"peter, please just do it!" she said, flashing him her puppy eyes.
he rolls his eyes, smiling. "fine. only because you asked."
he closes his eyes for a few seconds then lets out a light blow above the cupcake.
"yay!" beatrice clapped.
peter began to unwrap the cupcake liner. the cake was vanilla and it smelled pretty good for being from the laboratory cafeteria. he carefully took a bite from the cupcake, frosting smudging against his lips.
"mm," he says, savoring the sweet flavours. beatrice laughed.
"so, is it good?" she joked, pulling her legs up to her chest.
"good? it's amazing," he answers, holding the cupcake out. "you gotta try it."
"no, it's your birthday cupcake, peter."
peter cocks his head to the side, looking her in the eyes. "exactly, it's my birthday and for my birthday, i want you to try this delicious cupcake."
he held the cupcake up to her face. she sighed, taking hold of the cupcake. her teeth sink into the fluffy icing and the perfect cake.
"okay, fine. it is pretty delicious."
he gloated. "see!"
"shut up!" they both begin to laugh.
beatrice looks down at her lap as peter finishes his cupcake. when he finished, she looked up, studying his face. his lips were smudged with frosting. she took her thumb up to his lip.
"here, you got a little something." her thumb brushed against his messy lip, attempting to rub it. sweetly, he stares at her like a puppy as she gets the mess off. "there you go!"
she retracts her hands, meeting his eyes. he tilts her head towards him. "what? do i have something—"
he cuts her off with a soft kiss. she places her hands on his cheeks, deepening the kiss. they pull away.
"happy birthday," she whispered, resting her forehead on his.
[REDACTED], 1979
beatrice trudged her way through the cold forest. it was about nine in the evening. her once-white clothes were covered in dirt. tears stained her rosy cheeks. peter was gone. there would be no more meeting in secret, sneaky hugs in the hallways, or sweet kisses in the morning.
she couldn't stop thinking about his last moments. he probably hated her for not doing anything to help him. she wished he killed her too. at least they would've been together in death. they were both alone now. the only thing she had left of him was memories.
she hated this sinking feeling in her stomach. the lab wouldn't look for her, believing her to be dead alongside peter. she never wanted to go back there ever again. after walking for what seemed like hours, beatrice came up to a trailer park. she recognized this trailer park from when she was a child. her aunt lived here.
she ran up to the familiar trailer, knocking on the door. after a few minutes, the door swung open.
"can i help you?" the woman asked, holding the collar of her robe together.
"um...yes, do you happen to be the sister of lorraine francis?" she asked, awkwardly. it had been a long time since she had a conversation with someone who wasn't either a child, orderly, doctor, or a scientist.
"i am," she answered, confused. she moved out of the doorway. "come on in. it's a bit chilly outside."
beatrice steps into the small trailer. the woman closes the door behind her. a tiny puppy runs up to sniff beatrice's legs.
"thank you," bea says, starting to warm up. the puppy, who was about a couple of months old, tried to jump on bea's legs.
"sorry about tilly. she loves new people."
"oh, it's no problem. i actually have a question for you. have you heard anything about beatrice?"
"i have not. i still have all her documents and whatnot. you see, her parents, bless their souls, passed in '60, and to make matters worse, whoever killed them took their baby girl. i was to become her guardian after their passing but they never found her."
beatrice slowly rocked back and forth on her heels to keep herself at ease.
"um...i don't know how to tell you this but..." she hesitates, not knowing what to say next.
her aunt studied her facial features for a moment. she could pick out similarities between her late sister and brother in-law. she looked like how she envisioned beatrice would look like when she grew up. the realization hit her.
"bea," she whispered, covering her mouth. she gasped, tears filling her eyes. "is that truly you?"
"it is, auntie lila," she smiled, tears threatening to drop. she pulled her hair back revealing a birthmark on the back of her neck.
lila knew that birthmark. she embraced her niece. "i can't believe it's really you. where have you been all these years?"
they pulled away from the hug.
"it's a long story," beatrice cringed.
"well, you can tell me in the morning. you are welcome to shower and you can take some of my clothes for now. you can sleep in the guest room which is right next to mine," lila offered.
"thank you so much," beatrice gave a small smile.
after years in the uncomfortable laboratory, the shower felt amazing against beatrice's tired body and the bed was so comfortable to her that she felt like she was sleeping on a cloud.
the next morning, beatrice told her aunt everything over a small breakfast in the trailer. she spared some details but overall got the point across. she was kidnapped, forced into a laboratory, became an orderly at the said laboratory, fell in love with another kid just like her, watched the love of her life die in front of her, and she made her escape. beatrice made lila promise not to share any of this for the safety of both of them. lila welcomed her into her home and life with open arms and aimed to help bea get back into the normal world.
february 12, 1985
"tracy! i'm leaving!" beatrice yelled as she made her way to the door. she held a to-go box of food in one hand. she wore boots, a large coat, and multiple layers of clothing to stay warm.
"'kay!" the young woman replied.
"don't forget to lock up tonight!"
"yes, ma'am!"
"i mean it this time, tracy!"
the chimes on the door sound as she left. she hopped in her car and locked her doors. she turned on her car and head over heels began to play.
she pulled up to see a moving truck and two redheads in front of the trailer next to hers. their attention shifted to the car as she pulled in.
she took a deep breath in before jumping out of her car. she unlocked her all five of her locks and tilly ran to greet her. she put her leftover food on the table and flopped down on her old couch.
she remembered where she had seen the redheaded girl. she had recently lost her step-brother in the mall fire. she wanted to make her feel welcomed to the community. she knew how hard it is to adjust after losing a loved one.
she took a minute to think about what she should do. she looked over the couch to peer into the kitchen. suddenly, it came to her. the cookie mix on her counter.
she got up and grabbed the box, reading the back of it. she got the ingredients out of her fridge and began to mix them all. she scooped the dough, placed it on the old baking sheet, and popped it into the oven.
she set a plate aside and waited on her couch for the oven. as the television programing finished, the timer began to go off. she grabbed her oven mitt and pulled out one dozen cookies.
she waited a couple of minutes to let them cool before transferring them onto the plate. she changed out of her work clothes into some jeans, a shirt, and a sweater. she threw on her coat and quickly walked next door, holding the plate. it was around 6:30.
she hesitated to knock on the door. the door swung open. the short, red-haired girl greeted her.
"hi?"
"hi! i am beatrice, i'm your next-door neighbour," she smiled. max gave her a skeptical look. bea looked down at the plate. "here! i made these for you as a little 'welcome to the neighbourhood' gift."
"thank you," the girl said, hesitantly. "i'm max and my mom," she gestured to her mother, who passed out on the couch. "susan."
beatrice looked behind max and saw the empty place. another idea sparked in her head.
"do you have anything for dinner?" she asked, shoving her hands in her pockets.
"no. my mom was supposed to go out and get food and groceries, but she's, well, passed out. she deserves the sleep though so i don't mind."
"i'll be right back," bea says, running to her trailer. she unlocked her door and ran in grabbing the bag of food. she locks her doors carefully before going back to max's.
she knocked on max's door. max answered once again. beatrice smiled, holding up the to-go box.
max welcomed her into her home and they sat down at the small table. max opens the box and is greeted with three strips of bacon, eggs, and chocolate chip waffles. she is quick to place it in the microwave to reheat it.
"thank you," max says, giving a small smile.
"you can have the rest, i already ate."
max happily dug into the breakfast food, enjoying the presence of a new friend. bea looked at her watch as it started getting darker. it was about
"well, i'll be heading out. if you need anything, i'm just next door. i'm sure my dog wouldn't mind meeting a new guest," bea said, throwing on her coat. she walked towards the door. "goodnight, max!"
"'night, beatrice!" she replied before shutting the trailer door behind her.
beatrice smiled as she walked to her trailer. she locked the five locks on her door and headed off to get ready for bed. she stopped in the hallway were pictures were hung. there was a picture of her aunt and her before she passed away. her aunt had passed away from cancer in '83 and left everything to beatrice.
after she showered and brushed her teeth, she fed tilly and both of them settled on bea's larger bed. tilly curled up against bea's legs as beatrice started to feel more drowsy.
"'night, til," she said, giving her a sweet pat on tilly's head.